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Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) processing speed scores as measures of noncredible responding: The third generation of embedded performance validity indicators. | Research suggests that select processing speed measures can also serve as embedded validity indicators (EVIs). The present study examined the diagnostic utility of Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) subtests as EVIs in a mixed clinical sample of 205 patients medically referred for neuropsychological assessment (53.3% female, mean age = 45.1). Classification accuracy was calculated against 3 composite measures of performance validity as criterion variables. A PSI ≤79 produced a good combination of sensitivity (.23-.56) and specificity (.92-.98). A Coding scaled score ≤5 resulted in good specificity (.94-1.00), but low and variable sensitivity (.04-.28). A Symbol Search scaled score ≤6 achieved a good balance between sensitivity (.38-.64) and specificity (.88-.93). A Coding-Symbol Search scaled score difference ≥5 produced adequate specificity (.89-.91) but consistently low sensitivity (.08-.12). A 2-tailed cutoff on the Coding/Symbol Search raw score ratio (≤1.41 or ≥3.57) produced acceptable specificity (.87-.93), but low sensitivity (.15-.24). Failing ≥2 of these EVIs produced variable specificity (.81-.93) and sensitivity (.31-.59). Failing ≥3 of these EVIs stabilized specificity (.89-.94) at a small cost to sensitivity (.23-.53). Results suggest that processing speed based EVIs have the potential to provide a cost-effective and expedient method for evaluating the validity of cognitive data. Given their generally low and variable sensitivity, however, they should not be used in isolation to determine the credibility of a given response set. They also produced unacceptably high rates of false positive errors in patients with moderate-to-severe head injury. Combining evidence from multiple EVIs has the potential to improve overall classification accuracy. (PsycINFO Database Record |
A Brief Overview of the Developments of the Cognitive Radio Technology | Cognitive radio’s rising popularity among various engineers, scientists and researchers can be credited to the increasing number of users of wireless technology and the radio spectrum which is limited. In this paper, various advances which have been made so far to improvise cognitive radio technology have been discussed in brief to give the reader an overview of this emerging technology. The basics of cognitive radio networks are introduced first and then various developments on different aspects of this technology are discussed. |
DNA Barcode-Based PCR-RFLP and Diagnostic PCR for Authentication of Jinqian Baihua She (Bungarus Parvus) | We established polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and diagnostic PCR based on cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes of Bungarus multicinctus, genuine Jinqian Baihua She (JBS), and adulterant snake species. The PCR-RFLP system utilizes the specific restriction sites of SpeI and BstEII in the COI sequence of B. multicinctus to allow its cleavage into 3 fragments (120 bp, 230 bp, and 340 bp); the COI sequences of the adulterants do not contain these restriction sites and therefore remained intact after digestion with SpeI and BstEII (except for that of Zaocys dhumnades, which could be cleaved into a 120 bp and a 570 bp fragment). For diagnostic PCR, a pair of species-specific primers (COI37 and COI337) was designed to amplify a specific 300 bp amplicon from the genomic DNA of B. multicinctus; no such amplicons were found in other allied species. We tested the two methods using 11 commercial JBS samples, and the results demonstrated that barcode-based PCR-RFLP and diagnostic PCR both allowed effective and accurate authentication of JBS. |
Interval Sine and Cosine Functions Computation Based on Variable-Precision CORDIC Algorithm | In this paper we design a CORDIC architecture for variable–precision, and a new algorithm is proposed to perform the interval sine and cosine functions. This system allows us to specify the precision to perform the sine and cosine functions, and control the accuracy of the result, in such a way that recomputation of inaccurate results can be carried out with higher precision. An important reduction in the number of iterations is obtained by taking advantage of the differential angle, and the number of cycles per iteration is reduced by avoiding the additions of the leading all zerowords. As a consequence, the computation time of the interval function evaluation obtained is close to that of a point function evaluation. The problem of the large table of angles and the scale factor compensation involved in a high precision CORDIC has been solved efficiently. |
Secure LSB steganography for colored images using character-color mapping | Steganography is the science of embedding the secret messages inside other medium files in a way that hides the existence of the secret message at all. Steganography can be applied to text, audio, image, and video file types. In this study, we propose a new steganography approach for digital images in which the RGB coloring model was used. The efficiency of the proposed approach has been tested and evaluated. The experimental results show that the proposed approach produce high-quality stego images that resist against visual and statistical attacks. |
Neural Variational Inference For Embedding Knowledge Graphs | Recent advances in Neural Variational Inference allowed for a renaissance in latent variable models in a variety of domains involving high-dimensional data. In this paper, we introduce two generic Variational Inference frameworks for generative models of Knowledge Graphs; Latent Fact Model and Latent Information Model. While traditional variational methods derive an analytical approximation for the intractable distribution over the latent variables, here we construct an inference network conditioned on the symbolic representation of entities and relation types in the Knowledge Graph, to provide the variational distributions. The new framework can create models able to discover underlying probabilistic semantics for the symbolic representation by utilising parameterisable distributions which permit training by back-propagation in the context of neural variational inference, resulting in a highly-scalable method. Under a Bernoulli sampling framework, we provide an alternative justification for commonly used techniques in large-scale stochastic variational inference, which drastically reduces training time at a cost of an additional approximation to the variational lower bound. The generative frameworks are flexible enough to allow training under any prior distribution that permits a reparametrisation trick, as well as under any scoring function that permits maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters. Experiment results display the potential and efficiency of this framework by improving upon multiple benchmarks with Gaussian prior representations. Code publicly available on Github additionally allows learning Hyperspherical representations under a von-Mises Fisher prior distribution. |
PTDF-based power system equivalents | The large size of power systems makes behavioral analysis of electricity markets computationally taxing. Reducing the system into a smaller equivalent, based on congestion zones, can substantially reduce the computational requirements. In this paper, we propose a scheme to determine the equivalent reactance of interfaces of a reduced system based upon the zonal power transfer distribution factors of the original system. The dc power flow model is used to formulate the problem. Test examples are provided using both an illustrative six-bus system and a more realistically sized 12 925-bus system. |
Architecture of the human regulatory network derived from ENCODE data | Transcription factors bind in a combinatorial fashion to specify the on-and-off states of genes; the ensemble of these binding events forms a regulatory network, constituting the wiring diagram for a cell. To examine the principles of the human transcriptional regulatory network, we determined the genomic binding information of 119 transcription-related factors in over 450 distinct experiments. We found the combinatorial, co-association of transcription factors to be highly context specific: distinct combinations of factors bind at specific genomic locations. In particular, there are significant differences in the binding proximal and distal to genes. We organized all the transcription factor binding into a hierarchy and integrated it with other genomic information (for example, microRNA regulation), forming a dense meta-network. Factors at different levels have different properties; for instance, top-level transcription factors more strongly influence expression and middle-level ones co-regulate targets to mitigate information-flow bottlenecks. Moreover, these co-regulations give rise to many enriched network motifs (for example, noise-buffering feed-forward loops). Finally, more connected network components are under stronger selection and exhibit a greater degree of allele-specific activity (that is, differential binding to the two parental alleles). The regulatory information obtained in this study will be crucial for interpreting personal genome sequences and understanding basic principles of human biology and disease. |
Testing the Impact of Unemployment on Self-Employment: Evidence from OECD Countries☆ | Abstract The impact of unemployment on self-employment is rather an ambiguous issue in economics. According to refugee effect approach, there are two counter arguments: the theory of income choice argument suggests that increased unemployment may lead to increased self-employment activities whereas the counter argument defends the view that an increase in unemployment rates may decrease the endowments of human capital and entrepreneurial talent causing a rise in unemployment rates further. The empirical evidence on this issue seems to support both hypotheses. This research presents fresh and more comprehensive evidence on this issue from 28 OECD countries using the ARDL approach to co-integration technique over the period 1986-2013. The empirical results indicate that the first hypothesis holds in the case of Belgium, Canada, Sweden and the UK whereas the second hypothesis is valid in the case of Greece, Luxembourg and Portugal. The empirical results for the remaining OECD countries did not reveal any long-run relationship between the variables in question. The empirical results are also evaluated briefly for policy recommendations. |
The Role of Morphology of the Thumb in Anthropomorphic Grasping: A Review | The unique musculoskeletal structure of the human hand brings in wider dexterous capabilities to grasp and manipulate a repertoire of objects than the non-human primates. It has been widely accepted that the orientation and the position of the thumb plays an important role in this characteristic behavior. There have been numerous attempts to develop anthropomorphic robotic hands with varying levels of success. Nevertheless, manipulation ability in those hands is to be ameliorated even though they can grasp objects successfully. An appropriate model of the thumb is important to manipulate the objects against the fingers and to maintain the stability. Modeling these complex interactions about the mechanical axes of the joints and how to incorporate these joints in robotic thumbs is a challenging task. This article presents a review of the biomechanics of the human thumb and the robotic thumb designs to identify opportunities for future anthropomorphic robotic hands. |
Consistent etiology of severe, frequent psychotic experiences and milder, less frequent manifestations: a twin study of specific psychotic experiences in adolescence. | IMPORTANCE
The onset of psychosis is usually preceded by psychotic experiences (PE). Little is known about the etiology of PE and whether the degree of genetic and environmental influences varies across different levels of severity. A recognized challenge is to identify individuals at high risk of developing psychotic disorders prior to disease onset.
OBJECTIVES
To investigate the degree of genetic and environmental influences on specific PE, assessed dimensionally, in adolescents in the community and in those who have many, frequent experiences (defined using quantitative cutoffs). We also assessed the degree of overlap in etiological influences between specific PE.
DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS
Structural equation model-fitting, including univariate and bivariate twin models, liability threshold models, DeFries-Fulker extremes analysis, and the Cherny method, was used to analyze a representative community sample of 5059 adolescent twin pairs (mean [SD] age, 16.31 [0.68] years) from England and Wales.
MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES
Psychotic experiences assessed as quantitative traits (self-rated paranoia, hallucinations, cognitive disorganization, grandiosity, and anhedonia, as well as parent-rated negative symptoms).
RESULTS
Genetic influences were apparent for all PE (15%-59%), with modest shared environment for hallucinations and negative symptoms (17%-24%) and significant nonshared environment (49%-64%) for the self-rated scales and 17% for parent-rated negative symptoms. Three empirical approaches converged to suggest that the etiology in extreme-scoring groups (most extreme scoring: 5%, 10%, and 15%) did not differ significantly from that of the whole distribution. There was no linear change in heritability across the distribution of PE, with the exception of a modest increase in heritability for increasing severity of parent-rated negative symptoms. Of the PE that showed covariation, this appeared to be due to shared genetic influences (bivariate heritabilities, 0.54-0.71).
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE
These findings are consistent with the concept of a psychosis continuum, suggesting that the same genetic and environmental factors influence both extreme, frequent PE and milder, less frequent manifestations in adolescents. Individual PE in adolescence, assessed quantitatively, have lower heritability estimates and higher estimates of nonshared environment than those for the liability to schizophrenia. Heritability varies by type of PE, being highest for paranoia and parent-rated negative symptoms and lowest for hallucinations. |
Robust Pedestrian Classification Based on Hierarchical Kernel Sparse Representation | Vision-based pedestrian detection has become an active topic in computer vision and autonomous vehicles. It aims at detecting pedestrians appearing ahead of the vehicle using a camera so that autonomous vehicles can assess the danger and take action. Due to varied illumination and appearance, complex background and occlusion pedestrian detection in outdoor environments is a difficult problem. In this paper, we propose a novel hierarchical feature extraction and weighted kernel sparse representation model for pedestrian classification. Initially, hierarchical feature extraction based on a CENTRIST descriptor is used to capture discriminative structures. A max pooling operation is used to enhance the invariance of varying appearance. Then, a kernel sparse representation model is proposed to fully exploit the discrimination information embedded in the hierarchical local features, and a Gaussian weight function as the measure to effectively handle the occlusion in pedestrian images. Extensive experiments are conducted on benchmark databases, including INRIA, Daimler, an artificially generated dataset and a real occluded dataset, demonstrating the more robust performance of the proposed method compared to state-of-the-art pedestrian classification methods. |
Effect of a collaborative interdisciplinary maternity care program on perinatal outcomes. | BACKGROUND
The number of physicians providing maternity care in Canada is decreasing, and the rate of cesarean delivery is increasing. We evaluated the effect on perinatal outcomes of an interdisciplinary program designed to promote physiologic birth and encourage active involvement of women and their families in maternity care.
METHODS
We conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 1238 women who attended the South Community Birth Program in Vancouver, Canada, from April 2004 to October 2010. The program offers comprehensive, collaborative, interdisciplinary care from family physicians, midwives, community health nurses and doulas to a multiethnic, low-income population. A comparison group, matched for neighbourhood of residence, maternal age, parity and gestational age at delivery, comprised 1238 women receiving standard care in community-based family physician, obstetrician and midwife practices. The primary outcome was the proportion of women who underwent cesarean delivery.
RESULTS
Compared with women receiving standard care, those in the birth program were more likely to be delivered by a midwife (41.9% v. 7.4%, p < 0.001) instead of an obstetrician (35.5% v. 69.6%, p < 0.001). The program participants were less likely than the matched controls to undergo cesarean delivery (relative risk [RR] 0.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.68-0.84) and, among those with a previous cesarean delivery, more likely to plan a vaginal birth (RR 3.22, 95% CI 2.25-4.62). Length of stay in hospital was shorter in the program group for both the mothers (mean ± standard deviation 50.6 ± 47.1 v. 72.7 ± 66.7 h, p < 0.001) and the newborns (47.5 ± 92.6 v. 70.6 ± 126.7 h, p < 0.001). Women in the birth program were more likely than the matched controls to be breastfeeding exclusively at discharge (RR 2.10, 95% CI 1.85-2.39).
INTERPRETATION
Women attending a collaborative program of interdisciplinary maternity care were less likely to have a cesarean delivery, had shorter hospital stays on average and were more likely to breastfeed exclusively than women receiving standard care. |
MODELING OF THE ST . ANTHONY ABBOT CHURCH IN S . DAN IELE DEL FRIULI ( I ) : FROM LASER SCANNING AND PHOTOGRAMMETRY TO VRML / X 3 D MODEL | The paper describes the steps of the 3D modeling of the Church of Saint Anthony Abbot in San Daniele de l Friuli (I), from the laser scanning and photogrammetric integrated surveying t o the final VRML/X3D photorealistic model. This chur ch keeps the most beautiful and harmonious cycle of Renaissance fresco es of the region, painted by Pellegrino da San Dani ele: the virtual model is intended also as an instrument to help visitors or tudious to better understand the narration meaning hidden in the fresco episodes. For the inner and outer surveying of the church, th e Riegl Z390I system integrated with a Nikon D200 ph otogrammetric camera was employed: 18 different point clouds for about 3 3 millions of points and 163 digital images were au tomatically collected. Data processing carried out by RiSCAN PRO® software (Ri gl) allowed the scan registration, the 3D surface reconstruction and the image texturing with satisfactory results. Part icular attentions have been given to the 3D surface of the interior of the church, before in its construction by partial Delaunay tria ngulations and later in its smoothing and decimatio n for an efficient management of a 3D model with “few” (hundreds of thousands!) t riangles but anyway preserving a high geometric det ail. New images have been later acquired with the metric camera without laser scanning system, to substitut e the original ones having illumination troubles: these new images have been e xternally oriented by natural points on the surface nd then textured onto it. The 3D model and the image textures have been impor ted in the VRML/X3D space, where six thematic tours will be available. The model is structured in different LoD (Levels of Detail) for the model geometry and text ures resolution, and each frescoes scene and figure is linked by means an Anchor with the corresponding card of the web Regional Information System of the Cultural Heritage . |
Multilevel Converters for Large Electric Drives | Traditional two-level high-frequency pulse width modulation (PWM) inverters for motor drives have several problems associated with their high frequency switching which produces common-mode voltage and high voltage change (dV/dt) rates to the motor windings. Multilevel inverters solve these problems because their devices can switch at a much lower frequency. Two different multilevel topologies are identified for use as a converter for electric drives, a cascade inverter with separate dc sources and a back-to-back diode clamped converter. The cascade inverter is a natural fit for large automotive allelectric drives because of the high VA ratings possible and because it uses several levels of dc voltage sources which would be available from batteries or fuel cells. The back-to-back diode clamped converter is ideal where a source of ac voltage is available such as a hybrid electric vehicle. Simulation and experimental results show the superiority of these two converters over PWM based drives. |
Contested Boundaries: Itinerancy and the Reshaping of the Colonial American Religious World | The First Great Awakening in eighteenth-century America challenged the institutional structures and raised the consciousness of colonial Americans. These revivals gave rise to the practice of itinerancy in which ministers and laypeople left their own communities to preach across the countryside. In Contested Boundaries , Timothy D. Hall argues that the Awakening was largely defined by the ensuing debate over itinerancy. Drawing on recent scholarship in cultural and social anthropology, cultural studies, and eighteenth-century religion, he reveals at the center of this debate the itinerant preacher as a catalyst for dramatic change in the religious practice and social order of the New World.
This book expands our understanding of evangelical itinerancy in the 1740s by viewing it within the context of Britain’s expanding commercial empire. As pro- and anti-revivalists tried to shape a burgeoning transatlantic consumer society, the itinerancy of the Great Awakening appears here as a forceful challenge to contemporary assumptions about the place of individuals within their social world and the role of educated leaders as regulators of communication, order, and change. The most celebrated of these itinerants was George Whitefield, an English minister who made unprecedented tours through the colonies. According to Hall, the activities of the itinerants, including Whitefield, encouraged in the colonists an openness beyond local boundaries to an expanding array of choices for belief and behavior in an increasingly mobile and pluralistic society. In the process, it forged a new model of the church and its social world.
As a response to and a source of dynamic social change, itinerancy in Hall’s powerful account provides a prism for viewing anew the worldly and otherworldly transformations of colonial society. Contested Boundaries will be of interest to students and scholars of colonial American history, religious studies, and cultural and social anthropology. |
Sleep loss, learning capacity and academic performance. | At a time when several studies have highlighted the relationship between sleep, learning and memory processes, an in-depth analysis of the effects of sleep deprivation on student learning ability and academic performance would appear to be essential. Most studies have been naturalistic correlative investigations, where sleep schedules were correlated with school and academic achievement. Nonetheless, some authors were able to actively manipulate sleep in order to observe neurocognitive and behavioral consequences, such as learning, memory capacity and school performance. The findings strongly suggest that: (a) students of different education levels (from school to university) are chronically sleep deprived or suffer from poor sleep quality and consequent daytime sleepiness; (b) sleep quality and quantity are closely related to student learning capacity and academic performance; (c) sleep loss is frequently associated with poor declarative and procedural learning in students; (d) studies in which sleep was actively restricted or optimized showed, respectively, a worsening and an improvement in neurocognitive and academic performance. These results may been related to the specific involvement of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in vulnerability to sleep loss. Most methodological limitations are discussed and some future research goals are suggested. |
Point & Teleport Locomotion Technique for Virtual Reality | With the increasing popularity of virtual reality (VR) and new devices getting available with relatively lower costs, more and more video games have been developed recently. Most of these games use first person interaction techniques since it is more natural for Head Mounted Displays (HMDs). One of the most widely used interaction technique in VR video games is locomotion that is used to move user's viewpoint in virtual environments. Locomotion is an important component of video games since it can have a strong influence on user experience. In this study, a new locomotion technique we called "Point & Teleport" is described and compared with two commonly used VR locomotion techniques of walk-in-place and joystick. In this technique, users simply point where they want to be in virtual world and they are teleported to that position. As a major advantage, it is not expected to introduce motion sickness since it does not involve any visible translational motion. In this study, two VR experiments were designed and performed to analyze the Point & Teleport technique. In the first experiment, Point & Teleport was compared with walk-in-place and joystick locomotion techniques. In the second experiment, a direction component was added to the Point & Teleport technique so that the users could specify their desired orientation as well. 16 users took part in both experiments. Results indicated that Point & Teleport is a fun and user friendly locomotion method whereas the additional direction component degraded the user experience. |
‘Primitive intelligence’ in the auditory cortex | The everyday auditory environment consists of multiple simultaneously active sources with overlapping temporal and spectral acoustic properties. Despite the seemingly chaotic composite signal impinging on our ears, the resulting perception is of an orderly "auditory scene" that is organized according to sources and auditory events, allowing us to select messages easily, recognize familiar sound patterns, and distinguish deviant or novel ones. Recent data suggest that these perceptual achievements are mainly based on processes of a cognitive nature ("sensory intelligence") in the auditory cortex. Even higher cognitive processes than previously thought, such as those that organize the auditory input, extract the common invariant patterns shared by a number of acoustically varying sounds, or anticipate the auditory events of the immediate future, occur at the level of sensory cortex (even when attention is not directed towards the sensory input). |
Teaching computer organization/architecture with limited resources using simulators | As the complexity and variety of computer system hardware increases, its suitability as a pedagogical tool in computer organization/architecture courses diminishes. As a consequence, many instructors are turning to simulators as teaching aids, often using valuable teaching/research time to construct them. Many of these simulators have been made freely available on the Internet, providing a useful and time-saving resource for other instructors. However, finding the right simulator for a particular course or topic can itself be a time-consuming process. The goal of this paper is to provide an easy-to-use survey of free and Internet-accessible computer system simulators as a resource for all instructors of computer organization and computer architecture courses. |
Variable gain differential current feedback amplifier | A new variable gain differential current feedback amplifier (CFA) is presented. In comparison to common CFA structures, the presented CFA provides several novelties, like symmetrical high impedance inputs, accurate and temperature stable gain, simple gain control without need of resistor feedback network and wide input dynamic range. Input offset is comparable to common voltage feedback amplifier (VFA) structures. All common CFA fruitful features, like gain independent band width (BW) are provided. A schematic implementation in 0.35 /spl mu/m CMOS and measured results are shown. |
Non-homogeneous spatial filter optimization for ElectroEncephaloGram (EEG)-based motor imagery classification | Neuronal power attenuation or enhancement in specific frequency bands over the sensorimotor cortex, called Event-Related Desynchronization (ERD) or Event-Related Synchronization (ERS), respectively, is a major phenomenon in brain activities involved in imaginary movement of body parts. However, it is known that the nature of motor imagery-related electroencephalogram (EEG) signals is non-stationary and highly timeand frequency-dependent spatial filter, which we call ‘non-homogeneous filter.’ We adaptively select bases of spatial filters over time and frequency. By taking both temporal and spectral features of EEGs in finding a spatial filter into account it is beneficial to be able to consider non-stationarity of EEG signals. In order to consider changes of ERD/ERS patterns over the time–frequency domain, we devise a spectrally and temporally weighted classification method via statistical analysis. Our experimental results on the BCI Competition IV dataset II-a and BCI Competition II dataset IV clearly presented the effectiveness of the proposed method outperforming other competing methods in the literature. & 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. |
Validity and reliability of the parental sun protection scales. | Skin cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed in the US and its incidence continues to rise. Epidemiological studies have shown that excessive sun exposure received during childhood may increase the risk of developing skin cancer later in life. Yet, there are few published reports on the development of reliable and valid theory-based scales that assess the factors associated with parental sun-protection practices to reduce sun exposure in preschool children. To fill this gap, the Parental Sun Protection Scales were developed and validated. Two series of confirmatory factor analytic models were employed to test the factor structure of the scales and to examine the inter-relationships among the proposed psychosocial factors. Sunscreen-use and sun-avoidance behavioral models were tested in a sample of 384 parents. The results provided a basis for the reliable and valid measurement of psychosocial factors related to parental sun-protection practices. These scales may be useful in more fully understanding the determinants of sun-protection behaviors and in evaluating intervention programs designed to improve such behaviors. |
Short Segment Screw Fixation without Fusion for Unstable Thoracolumbar and Lumbar Burst Fracture : A Prospective Study on Selective Consecutive Patients | OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of screw fixation without bone fusion for unstable thoracolumbar and lumbar burst fracture.
METHODS
Nine patients younger than 40 years underwent screw fixation without bone fusion, following postural reduction using a soft roll at the involved vertebra, in cases of burst fracture. Their motor power was intact in spite of severe canal compromise. The surgical procedure included postural reduction for 3 days and screw fixations at one level above, one level below and at the fractured level itself. The patients underwent removal of implants 12 months after the initial operation, due to possibility of implant failure. Imaging and clinical findings, including canal encroachment, vertebral height, clinical outcome, and complications were analyzed.
RESULTS
Prior to surgery, the mean pain score (visual analogue scale) was 8.2, which decreased to 2.2 at 12 months after screw fixation. None of the patients complained of worsening of pain during 6 months after implant removal. All patients were graded as having excellent or good outcomes at 6 months after implant removal. The proportion of canal compromise at the fractured level improved from 55% to 35% at 12 months after surgery. The mean preoperative vertebral height loss was 45.3%, which improved to 20.6% at 6 months after implant removal. There were no neurological deficits related to neural injury. The improved vertebral height and canal compromise were maintained at 6 months after implant removal.
CONCLUSION
Short segment pedicle screw fixation, including fractured level itself, without bone fusion following postural reduction can be an effective and safe operative technique in the management of selected young patients suffering from unstable burst fracture. |
Verbal working memory and sentence comprehension. | This target article discusses the verbal working memory system used in sentence comprehension. We review the concept of working memory as a short-duration system in which small amounts of information are simultaneously stored and manipulated in the service of accomplishing a task. We summarize the argument that syntactic processing in sentence comprehension requires such a storage and computational system. We then ask whether the working memory system used in syntactic processing is the same as that used in verbally mediated tasks that involve conscious controlled processing. Evidence is brought to bear from various sources: the relationship between individual differences in working memory and individual differences in the efficiency of syntactic processing; the effect of concurrent verbal memory load on syntactic processing; and syntactic processing in patients with poor short-term memory, patients with poor working memory, and patients with aphasia. Experimental results from these normal subjects and patients with various brain lesions converge on the conclusion that there is a specialization in the verbal working memory system for assigning the syntactic structure of a sentence and using that structure in determining sentence meaning that is separate from the working memory system underlying the use of sentence meaning to accomplish other functions. We present a theory of the divisions of the verbal working memory system and suggestions regarding its neural basis. |
Genetics of grain yield and other agronomic characters in t'ef (Eragrostis tef Zucc. Trotter). I. Generation means and variances analysis | Quantitative genetics of grain yield and other agronomic characters of t'ef (Eragrostis tef) were studied using the F1, F2, BC1, and BC2 of the cross Fesho × Kay Murri. The study was carried out to estimate gene effects controlling the inheritance of grain yield and related agronomic characters. Significant additive [d] and dominance × dominance [l] interaction effects were detected for grain yield. The variations of yield per panicle and panicle weight were explained in terms of [d], dominance [h], and additive × additive [i] interactions. Non-allelic gene interactions were also detected for kernel weight, harvest index, tiller number, plant height, days to heading and days to maturity. The simple additive-dominance model explained the variation for panicle length, culm diameter and plant weight, allowing unbiased estimates of additive (D) and dominance (H) variance components. Large dominance variances (H) were estimated for grain yield, yield per panicle, and panicle weight. The additive variances for plant height, panicle length, days to heading and days to maturity were higher than the respective dominance variances. High narrow-sense heritability (h2) values (> 0.50) were estimated for plant height, panicle length, days to heading and days to maturity. The lowest h2 (0.09) was obtained for kernel weight for which there was little variability. Since grain yield and several important agronomic characters of t'ef are influenced by non-allelic gene interaction, it is advisable to delay selection for yield to later generations with increased homozygosity. |
Technology advancement of laminate substrates for mobile, iot, and automotive applications | The increasing level of integration in electronic devices requires high density package substrates with good electrical and thermal performance, and high reliability. Organic laminate substrates have been serving these requirements with their continuous improvements in terms of the material characteristics and fabrication process to realize multi-layer fine pattern interconnects and small form factor. We present the advanced coreless laminate substrates in this paper including 3-layer thin substrate built by ETS (Embedded Trace Substrate) technology, 3-layer SUTC (Simmtech Ultra-Thin substrate with Carrier) for fan-out chip last package, and 3-layer coreless substrate with HSR (High modulus Solder Resist) for reduced warpage. We also present new coreless substrates up to 10 layers and substrate based on EMC. These new laminate substrates are used in many different applications such as application processors, memory, CMOS image sensors, touch screen controllers, MEMS, and RF SIP(System in Package) for over 70GHz applications. One common challenge for all these substrates is to minimize the warpage. The analysis and simulation techniques for the warpage control are presented. |
Unusual suicide with a chainsaw. | Described here is a case of suicide with the use of a chainsaw. A female suffering from schizophrenia committed suicide by an ingenious use of a chainsaw that resulted in the transection of her cervical spine and spinal cord. The findings of the resulting investigation are described and the mechanism of suicides with the use of a chainsaw is reviewed. A dry bone study was realized to determine the bone sections, the correlation between anatomic lesions and characteristics of chainsaw. The damage of organs and soft tissues is compared according to the kinds of chainsaw used. |
Recommendations with Negative Feedback via Pairwise Deep Reinforcement Learning | Recommender systems play a crucial role in mitigating the problem of information overload by suggesting users' personalized items or services. The vast majority of traditional recommender systems consider the recommendation procedure as a static process and make recommendations following a fixed strategy. In this paper, we propose a novel recommender system with the capability of continuously improving its strategies during the interactions with users. We model the sequential interactions between users and a recommender system as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) and leverage Reinforcement Learning (RL) to automatically learn the optimal strategies via recommending trial-and-error items and receiving reinforcements of these items from users' feedback. Users' feedback can be positive and negative and both types of feedback have great potentials to boost recommendations. However, the number of negative feedback is much larger than that of positive one; thus incorporating them simultaneously is challenging since positive feedback could be buried by negative one. In this paper, we develop a novel approach to incorporate them into the proposed deep recommender system (DEERS) framework. The experimental results based on real-world e-commerce data demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. Further experiments have been conducted to understand the importance of both positive and negative feedback in recommendations. |
Cancer occurrence in Semnan Province, Iran: results of a population-based cancer registry. | INTRODUCTION
suitable information of different cancers in special geographic areas can help define medical programs for treatment and screening of high-risk groups.
AIMS AND METHODS
The provincial health authority reported a high mortality rate from upper GI cancer in the center of Iran. A comprehensive search was undertaken to survey and register all cases of cancer during a 5-year (1998-2002) period among the indigenous population of Semnan Province. Diagnosis of cancer was based on histopathology, clinical or radiological findings, and death certificates.
RESULTS
A total of 1732 patients with cancers (mean age 59.41% +/-19.08% years) were found during the study. Of these, 936(54.86%) were in males. Crude rates were 124.8/100,000 and 112.1/100,000 for males and females, respectively. Age-standardized ratios (ASRs) for all cancers in males and females were 156/100,000 and 136/100,000 person-year, respectively. Gastric cancer was the most common tumor with an incidence rate of 19.7 per 100,000 people (ASR=27.5). In upper gastrointestinal cancers, gastric cancer was the most common (47.17%), followed by colon malignancies (8.1%, 9.5 per 100,000 populations), esophagus (6.8%, 7.9 per 100,000 populations), liver (2.4%, and 2.8 per 100,000 populations). In women, breast, uterine and ovary, stomach and skin were the most common cancers. In the child population the most common tumors were of the brain, acute lymphocytic leukemia, and bone.
CONCLUSION
Gastric cancer alone constitutes one-sixth of all cancers in Semnan, with the highest ASR incidence rate reported from Iran up to now. |
Concerted GABAergic actions of Aplysia feeding interneurons in motor program specification. | GABAergic inhibitory interneurons regulate the activity of diverse types of neural networks, but the specific roles of these interneurons in motor control are poorly understood. In the Aplysia feeding motor network, three interneurons, cerebral-buccal interneuron-3 (CBI-3) and buccal interneurons B40 and B34, are GABA-immunoreactive and evoke fast IPSPs in their postsynaptic followers. Using a combination of pharmacological experiments with GABA antagonists, agonists, and uptake inhibitors, we found that these fast IPSPs are likely mediated by GABA. Functionally, these fast IPSPs specify two parameters for ingestive motor programs elicited by the command-like interneuron CBI-2: (1) the appropriate phasing of activity of the radula closer motor neuron B8 relative to protraction-retraction, and (2) protraction duration. First, in ingestive programs, B8 activity is phased such that it fires minimally during protraction. CBI-3 and B40 exert fast inhibition to minimize B8 activity during protraction, by either acting directly on B8 (B40) or indirectly on B8 (CBI-3). Second, these ingestive programs are characterized by long protraction duration, which is promoted by B40 and B34 because hyperpolarization of either cell shortens protraction. Such effects of B40 and B34 are attributable, at least partly, to their inhibitory effects on the retraction-phase interneuron B64 whose activation terminates protraction. Consistent with a GABAergic contribution to both B8 phasing and protraction duration, blockade of GABAergic inhibition by picrotoxin increases B8 activity during protraction and shortens protraction, without disrupting the integrity of motor programs. Thus, the concerted actions of GABAergic inhibition from three Aplysia feeding interneurons contribute to the specification of multiple features that define the motor program as an ingestive one. |
Pelvic Arterial Anatomy Relevant to Prostatic Artery Embolisation and Proposal for Angiographic Classification | To describe and categorize the angiographic findings regarding prostatic vascularization, propose an anatomic classification, and discuss its implications for the PAE procedure. Angiographic findings from 143 PAE procedures were reviewed retrospectively, and the origin of the inferior vesical artery (IVA) was classified into five subtypes as follows: type I: IVA originating from the anterior division of the internal iliac artery (IIA), from a common trunk with the superior vesical artery (SVA); type II: IVA originating from the anterior division of the IIA, inferior to the SVA origin; type III: IVA originating from the obturator artery; type IV: IVA originating from the internal pudendal artery; and type V: less common origins of the IVA. Incidences were calculated by percentage. Two hundred eighty-six pelvic sides (n = 286) were analyzed, and 267 (93.3 %) were classified into I–IV types. Among them, the most common origin was type IV (n = 89, 31.1 %), followed by type I (n = 82, 28.7 %), type III (n = 54, 18.9 %), and type II (n = 42, 14.7 %). Type V anatomy was seen in 16 cases (5.6 %). Double vascularization, defined as two independent prostatic branches in one pelvic side, was seen in 23 cases (8.0 %). Despite the large number of possible anatomical variations of male pelvis, four main patterns corresponded to almost 95 % of the cases. Evaluation of anatomy in a systematic fashion, following a standard classification, will make PAE a faster, safer, and more effective procedure. |
The Feeling of Success: Does Touch Sensing Help Predict Grasp Outcomes? | A successful grasp requires careful balancing of the contact forces. Deducing whether a particular grasp will be successful from indirect measurements, such as vision, is therefore quite challenging, and direct sensing of contacts through touch sensing provides an appealing avenue toward more successful and consistent robotic grasping. However, in order to fully evaluate the value of touch sensing for grasp outcome prediction, we must understand how touch sensing can influence outcome prediction accuracy when combined with other modalities. Doing so using conventional model-based techniques is exceptionally difficult. In this work, we investigate the question of whether touch sensing aids in predicting grasp outcomes within a multimodal sensing framework that combines vision and touch. To that end, we collected more than 9,000 grasping trials using a two-finger gripper equipped with GelSight high-resolution tactile sensors on each finger, and evaluated visuo-tactile deep neural network models to directly predict grasp outcomes from either modality individually, and from both modalities together. Our experimental results indicate that incorporating tactile readings substantially improve grasping performance. |
A smart market for passenger road transport ( SMPRT ) congestion : an application of computational mechanism design | To control and price negative externalities in passenger road transport, we develop an innovative and integrated computational agent based economics (ACE) model to simulate a market oriented “cap” and trade system. (i) First, there is a computational assessment of a digitized road network model of the real world congestion hot spot to determine the “cap” of the system in terms of vehicle volumes at which traffic efficiency deteriorates and the environmental externalities take off exponentially. (ii) Road users submit bids with the market clearing price at the fixed “cap” supply of travel slots in a given time slice (peak hour) being determined by an electronic sealed bid uniform price Dutch auction. (iii) Cross-sectional demand data on car users who traverse the cordon area is used to model and calibrate the heterogeneous bid submission behaviour in order to construct the inverse demand function and demand elasticities. (iv) The willingness to pay approach with heterogeneous value of time is contrasted with the generalized cost approach to pricing congestion with homogenous value of travel time. JEL Classification: R41, R48, C99, D44, H41 |
Changes in body mass index and hemoglobin concentration in breastfeeding women living with HIV with a CD4 count over 350: Results from 4 African countries (The ANRS 12174 trial) | INTRODUCTION
Breastfeeding is recommended for infants born to HIV-infected women in low-income settings. Both breastfeeding and HIV-infection are energy demanding. Our objective was to explore how exclusive and predominant breastfeeding changes body mass index (BMI) among breastfeeding HIV1-positive women participating in the ANRS12174 trial (clinical trial no NCT0064026).
METHODS
HIV-positive women (n = 1 267) with CD4 count >350, intending to breastfeed HIV-negative infants were enrolled from Burkina Faso, South Africa, Uganda and Zambia and counselled on breastfeeding. N = 1 216 were included in the analysis. The trial compared Lamivudine and Lopinavir/Ritonavir as a peri-exposure prophylaxis. We ran a linear mixed-effect model with BMI as the dependent variable and exclusive or predominant breastfeeding duration as the key explanatory variable.
RESULTS
Any breastfeeding or exclusive/predominant) breastfeeding was initiated by 99.6% and 98.6% of the mothers respectively in the first week after birth. The median (interquartile range: IQR) duration of the group that did any breastfeeding or the group that did exclusive /predominant breastfeeding were 9.5 (7.5; 10.6) and 5.8 (5.6; 5.9)) months, respectively. The median (IQR) age, BMI, CD4 count, and HIV viral load at baseline (day 7) were 27 (23.3; 31) years, 23.7 (21.3; 27.0) kg/m2, 530 (432.5; 668.5) cells/μl and 0.1 (0.8; 13.7)1000 copies/mL, respectively. No major change in mean BMI was seen in this cohort over a 50-week period during lactation. The mean change between 26 and 50 weeks after birth was 0.7 kg/m2. Baseline mean BMI (measured on day 7 postpartum) and CD4 count were positively associated with maternal BMI change, with a mean increase of 1.0 kg/m2 (0.9; 1.0) per each additional baseline-BMI kilogram and 0.3 kg/m2 (0.2; 0.5) for each additional CD4 cell/μl, respectively.
CONCLUSION
Breastfeeding was not negatively correlated with the BMI of HIV-1 infected Sub-Saharan African mothers. However, a higher baseline BMI and a CD4 count >500 cells/μl were associated with maternal BMI during the exclusive/ predominant breastfeeding period. Considering the benefits of breast milk for the infants and the recurrent results from different studies that breastfeeding is not harmful to the HIV-1-infected mothers, this study also supports the WHO 2016 guidelines on infant feeding that mothers living with HIV should breastfeed where formula is not safe for at least 12 months and up to 24 months, given that the right treatment or prophylaxis for the infection is administered. These findings and conclusions cannot be extrapolated to women who are immune-compromised or have AIDS. |
Haptic tactile interface (HTI): Design of the power supply stage | The driving electronics of an haptic tactile interface (HTI) is presented. The stability of its linear power amplifier under the capacitive load of the HTI piezoelectric actuator is analysed and ensured. As the HTI actuator is a resonant one, a topology to compensate its reactive power is presented allowing to reduce the size and the thermal heating of the power stage. |
Body weight loss and weight maintenance in relation to habitual caffeine intake and green tea supplementation. | OBJECTIVE
Investigation of the effect of a green tea-caffeine mixture on weight maintenance after body weight loss in moderately obese subjects in relation to habitual caffeine intake.
RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES
A randomized placebo-controlled double blind parallel trial in 76 overweight and moderately obese subjects, (BMI, 27.5 +/- 2.7 kg/m2) matched for sex, age, BMI, height, body mass, and habitual caffeine intake was conducted. A very low energy diet intervention during 4 weeks was followed by 3 months of weight maintenance (WM); during the WM period, the subjects received a green tea-caffeine mixture (270 mg epigallocatechin gallate + 150 mg caffeine per day) or placebo.
RESULTS
Subjects lost 5.9 +/-1.8 (SD) kg (7.0 +/- 2.1%) of body weight (p < 0.001). At baseline, satiety was positively, and in women, leptin was inversely, related to subjects' habitual caffeine consumption (p < 0.01). High caffeine consumers reduced weight, fat mass, and waist circumference more than low caffeine consumers; resting energy expenditure was reduced less and respiratory quotient was reduced more during weight loss (p < 0.01). In the low caffeine consumers, during WM, green tea still reduced body weight, waist, respiratory quotient and body fat, whereas resting energy expenditure was increased compared with a restoration of these variables with placebo (p < 0.01). In the high caffeine consumers, no effects of the green tea-caffeine mixture were observed during WM.
DISCUSSION
High caffeine intake was associated with weight loss through thermogenesis and fat oxidation and with suppressed leptin in women. In habitual low caffeine consumers, the green tea-caffeine mixture improved WM, partly through thermogenesis and fat oxidation. |
The Women's EMPOWER Survey: Identifying Women's Perceptions on Vulvar and Vaginal Atrophy and Its Treatment. | INTRODUCTION
Vulvar and vaginal atrophy (VVA) affects up to two thirds of postmenopausal women, but most symptomatic women do not receive prescription therapy.
AIM
To evaluate postmenopausal women's perceptions of VVA and treatment options for symptoms in the Women's EMPOWER survey.
METHODS
The Rose Research firm conducted an internet survey of female consumers provided by Lightspeed Global Market Insite. Women at least 45 years of age who reported symptoms of VVA and residing in the United States were recruited.
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES
Survey results were compiled and analyzed by all women and by treatment subgroups.
RESULTS
Respondents (N = 1,858) had a median age of 58 years (range = 45-90). Only 7% currently used prescribed VVA therapies (local estrogen therapies or oral selective estrogen receptor modulators), whereas 18% were former users of prescribed VVA therapies, 25% used over-the-counter treatments, and 50% had never used any treatment. Many women (81%) were not aware of VVA or that it is a medical condition. Most never users (72%) had never discussed their symptoms with a health care professional (HCP). The main reason for women not to discuss their symptoms with an HCP was that they believed that VVA was just a natural part of aging and something to live with. When women spoke to an HCP about their symptoms, most (85%) initiated the discussion. Preferred sources of information were written material from the HCP's office (46%) or questionnaires to fill out before seeing the HCP (41%).The most negative attributes of hormonal products were perceived risk of systemic absorption, messiness of local creams, and the need to reuse an applicator. Overall, HCPs only recommended vaginal estrogen therapy to 23% and oral hormone therapies to 18% of women. When using vaginal estrogen therapy, less than half of women adhered to and complied with posology; only 33% to 51% of women were very to extremely satisfied with their efficacy.
CONCLUSION
The Women's EMPOWER survey showed that VVA continues to be an under-recognized and under-treated condition, despite recent educational initiatives. A disconnect in education, communication, and information between HCPs and their menopausal patients remains prevalent. Kingsberg S, Krychman M, Graham S, et al. The Women's EMPOWER Survey: Identifying Women's Perceptions on Vulvar and Vaginal Atrophy and Its Treatment. J Sex Med 2017;14:413-424. |
Fast and Globally Convergent Pose Estimation from Video Images | ÐDetermining the rigid transformation relating 2D images to known 3D geometry is a classical problem in photogrammetry and computer vision. Heretofore, the best methods for solving the problem have relied on iterative optimization methods which cannot be proven to converge and/or which do not effectively account for the orthonormal structure of rotation matrices. We show that the pose estimation problem can be formulated as that of minimizing an error metric based on collinearity in object (as opposed to image) space. Using object space collinearity error, we derive an iterative algorithm which directly computes orthogonal rotation matrices and which is globally convergent. Experimentally, we show that the method is computationally efficient, that it is no less accurate than the best currently employed optimization methods, and that it outperforms all tested methods in robustness to outliers. Index TermsÐPose estimation, absolute orientation, optimization,weak-perspective camera models, numerical optimization. |
Complete long-term recovery of beta-cell function in autoimmune type 1 diabetes after insulin treatment. | HISTORY AND EXAMINATION — A 13-year-old Caucasian boy (BMI 26.4 kg/m) presented with 3 weeks’ history of polyuria, polydipsia, and weight loss. His serum glucose (26.8 mmol/l), HbA1c (9.4%, normal 3.2–5.5) and fructosamine (628 mol/l, normal 205–285) levels were highly elevated (Fig. 1), and urinalysis showed glucosuria ( ) and ketonuria ( ) . He was HLA-DRB1* 0101,*0901, DRB4*01, DQA1*0101,03, and DQB1*0303,0501. Plasma Cpeptide, determined at a blood glucose of 17.0 mmol/l, was low (0.18 nmol/l). His previous history was unremarkable, and he did not take any medication. The patient received standard treatment with insulin, fluid, and electrolyte replacement and diabetes education. After an uneventful clinical course he was discharged on multiple-injection insulin therapy (total 0.9 units kg 1 day ) after 10 days. Subsequently, insulin doses were gradually reduced to 0.3 units kg 1 day , and insulin treatment was completely stopped after 11 months. Without further treatment, HbA1c and fasting glucose levels remained normal throughout the entire follow-up of currently 4.5 years. During oral glucose tolerance testing performed 48 months after diagnosis, he had normal fasting and 2-h levels of glucose (3.7 and 5.6 mmol/l, respectively), insulin (60.5 and 217.9 pmol/l, respectively), and C-peptide (0.36 and 0.99 nmol/l, respectively). His insulin sensitivity, as determined by insulin sensitivity index (composite) and homeostasis model assessment, was normal, and BMI remained unchanged. Serum autoantibodies to GAD65, insulin autoantibody-2, insulin, and islet cell antibodies were initially positive but showed a progressive decline or loss during follow-up. INVESTIGATION — T-cell antigen recognition and cytokine profiles were studied using a library of 21 preproinsulin (PPI) peptides (2). In the patient’s peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), a high cumulative interleukin (IL)-10) secretion (201 pg/ml) was observed in response to PPI peptides, with predominant recognition of PPI44–60 and PPI49–65, while interferon (IFN)secretion was undetectable. In contrast, in PBMCs from a cohort of 12 type 1 diabetic patients without long-term remission (2), there was a dominant IFNresponse but low IL-10 secretion to PPI. Analysis of CD4 T–helper cell subsets revealed that IL-10 secretion was mostly attributable to the patient’s naı̈ve/recently activated CD45RA cells, while a strong IFNresponse was observed in CD45RA cells. CD45RA T-cells have been associated with regulatory T-cell function in diabetes, potentially capable of suppressing |
Search for solitons in two-Higgs extensions of the standard model | We report on the status of our search for quasi-topological solitons of various dimensions in realistic field theoretical models of condensed matter and of elementary particle physics. |
Forced Migration , Female Labour Force Participation , and Intra-household Bargaining : Does Conflict Empower Women ? | Civilian displacement is a common phenomenon in developing countries confronted with internal conflict. While displacement directly affects forced migrants, it also contributes to deteriorating labour conditions of vulnerable groups in receiving communities. For the displaced population, the income losses are substantial, and as they migrate to cities, they usually end up joining the informal labour force. Qualitative evidence reveals that displaced women are better suited to compete in urban labour markets, as their labour experience is more relevant with respect to certain urban low-skilled occupations. Our study uses this exogenous change in female labour force participation to test how it affects female bargaining power within the household. Our results show that female displaced women work longer hours, earn similar wages and contribute in larger proportions to household earnings relative to rural women who remain in rural areas. However, as measured by several indicators, their greater contribution to households’ earnings does not strengthen their bargaining power. Most notably, domestic violence have increased among displaced women. The anger and frustration of displaced women also increases the level of violence directed at children. Because the children of displaced families have been the direct victims of conflict and domestic violence, the intragenerational transmission of violence is highly likely. |
Analysis of navigability of Web applications for improving blind usability | Various accessibility activities are improving blind access to the increasingly indispensable WWW. These approaches use various metrics to measure the Web's accessibility. “Ease of navigation” (navigability) is one of the crucial factors for blind usability, especially for complicated webpages used in portals and online shopping sites. However, it is difficult for automatic checking tools to evaluate the navigation capabilities even for a single webpage. Navigability issues for complete Web applications are still far beyond their capabilities.
This study aims at obtaining quantitative results about the current accessibility status of real world Web applications, and analyzes real users' behavior on such websites. In Study 1, an automatic analysis method for webpage navigability is introduced, and then a broad survey using this method for 30 international online shopping sites is described. The next study (Study 2) focuses on a fine-grained analysis of real users' behavior on some of these online shopping sites. We modified a voice browser to record each user's actions and the information presented to that user. We conducted user testing on existing sites with this tool. We also developed an analysis and visualization method for the recorded information. The results showed us that users strongly depend on scanning navigation instead of logical navigation. A landmark-oriented navigation model was proposed based on the results. Finally, we discuss future possibilities for improving navigability, including proposals for voice browsers. |
Algorithms for Trie Compaction | The trie data structure has many properties which make it especially attractive for representing large files of data. These properties include fast retrieval time, quick unsuccessful search determination, and finding the longest match to a given identifier. The main drawback is the space requirement. In this paper the concept of trie compaction is formalized. An exact algorithm for optimal trie compaction and three algorithms for approximate trie compaction are given, and an analysis of the three algorithms is done. The analysis indicate that for actual tries, reductions of around 70 percent in the space required by the uncompacted trie can be expected. The quality of the compaction is shown to be insensitive to the number of nodes, while a more relevant parameter is the alphabet size of the key. |
Dislocated Narratives and Sites of Memory: Amateur Photographic Surveys in Britain 1889–1897 | Prior to the formation of Sir Benjamin Stone's National Photographic Record Association (NPRA), a number of amateur photographic societies throughout Britain embarked on photographic surveys. The catalyst for these endeavours was ‘Illustrated Boston’, a set of slides visually describing the New England town sent from the Boston Photographic Society and premiered by the Liverpool Amateur Photographic Association in 1889. These slides were then shown in photographic societies throughout the United Kingdom. Although William Jerome Harrison had published erudite advice on how to carry out such a task, these formative surveys reveal a dislocation between ideal methodology and the realities of amateur surveying. This disjuncture has significant import for the representation of place and, drawing on the theories of Timothy Mitchell and Pierre Nora, this article examines the surveys as reflecting, and contributing to, particular social, aesthetic, political and institutional contexts integral to which was an ocul... |
Improving feature-based object recognition for X-ray baggage security screening using primed visualwords | We present a novel Bag-of-Words (BoW) representation scheme for image classification tasks, where the separation of features distinctive of different classes is enforced via class-specific feature-clustering. We investigate the implementation of this approach for the detection of firearms in baggage security X-ray imagery. We implement our novel BoW model using the Speeded-Up Robust Features (SURF) detector and descriptor within a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier framework. Experimentation on a large, diverse data set yields a significant improvement in classification performance over previous works with an optimal true positive rate of 99.07% at a false positive rate of 4.31%. Our results indicate that class-specific clustering primes the feature space and ultimately simplifies the classification process. We further demonstrate the importance of using diverse, representative data and efficient training and testing procedures. The excellent performance of the classifier is a strong indication of the potential advantages of this technique in threat object detection in security screening settings. |
Honeyware: A Web-Based Low Interaction Client Honeypot | Modern attacks are being made against client side applications, such as web browsers, which most users use to surf and communicate on the internet. Client honeypots visit and interact with suspect web sites in order to detect and collect information about malware to protect users from malicious websites or to allow security professionals to investigate malicious content. This paper will present the idea of using web-based technology and integrating it with a client honeypot by building a low interaction client honeypot tool called Honeyware. It describes the benefits of Honeyware as well as the challenges of a low interaction client honeypot and provides some ideas for how these challenges could be overcome. |
CMOS Differential Structure with Improved Linearity and Increased Frequency Response | An original differential structure using exclusively MOS devices working in the saturation region will be further presented. Performing the great advantage of an excellent linearity, obtained by a proper biasing of the differential core (using original translation and arithmetical mean blocks), the proposed circuit is designed for low-voltage low- power operation. The estimated linearity is obtained for an extended range of the differential input voltage and in the worst case of considering second-order effects that affect MOS transistors operation. The frequency response of the new differential structure is strongly increased by operating all MOS devices in the saturation region. The circuit is implemented in 0.35 mum CMOS technology, SPICE simulations confirming the theoretical estimated results. |
PML mediates glioblastoma resistance to mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-targeted therapies. | Despite their nearly universal activation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling, glioblastomas (GBMs) are strikingly resistant to mTOR-targeted therapy. We analyzed GBM cell lines, patient-derived tumor cell cultures, and clinical samples from patients in phase 1 clinical trials, and find that the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) gene mediates resistance to mTOR-targeted therapies. Direct mTOR inhibitors and EGF receptor (EGFR) inhibitors that block downstream mTOR signaling promote nuclear PML expression in GBMs, and genetic overexpression and knockdown approaches demonstrate that PML prevents mTOR and EGFR inhibitor-dependent cell death. Low doses of the PML inhibitor, arsenic trioxide, abrogate PML expression and reverse mTOR kinase inhibitor resistance in vivo, thus markedly inhibiting tumor growth and promoting tumor cell death in mice. These results identify a unique role for PML in mTOR and EGFR inhibitor resistance and provide a strong rationale for a combination therapeutic strategy to overcome it. |
Effective Crowd Annotation for Relation Extraction | Can crowdsourced annotation of training data boost performance for relation extraction over methods based solely on distant supervision? While crowdsourcing has been shown effective for many NLP tasks, previous researchers found only minimal improvement when applying the method to relation extraction. This paper demonstrates that a much larger boost is possible, e.g., raising F1 from 0.40 to 0.60. Furthermore, the gains are due to a simple, generalizable technique, Gated Instruction, which combines an interactive tutorial, feedback to correct errors during training, and improved screening. |
Unique bioactive polyphenolic profile of guava (Psidium guajava) budding leaf tea is related to plant biochemistry of budding leaves in early dawn. | BACKGROUND
Guava leaf tea (GLT), exhibiting a diversity of medicinal bioactivities, has become a popularly consumed daily beverage. To improve the product quality, a new process was recommended to the Ser-Tou Farmers' Association (SFA), who began field production in 2005. The new process comprised simplified steps: one bud-two leaves were plucked at 3:00-6:00 am, in the early dawn period, followed by withering at ambient temperature (25-28 °C), rolling at 50 °C for 50-70 min, with or without fermentation, then drying at 45-50 °C for 70-90 min, and finally sorted.
RESULTS
The product manufactured by this new process (named herein GLTSF) exhibited higher contents (in mg g(-1), based on dry ethyl acetate fraction/methanolic extract) of polyphenolics (417.9 ± 12.3) and flavonoids (452.5 ± 32.3) containing a compositional profile much simpler than previously found: total quercetins (190.3 ± 9.1), total myricetin (3.3 ± 0.9), total catechins (36.4 ± 5.3), gallic acid (8.8 ± 0.6), ellagic acid (39.1 ± 6.4) and tannins (2.5 ± 9.1).
CONCLUSION
We have successfully developed a new process for manufacturing GLTSF with a unique polyphenolic profile. Such characteristic compositional distribution can be ascribed to the right harvesting hour in the early dawn and appropriate treatment process at low temperature, avoiding direct sunlight. |
Short-term effects of atorvastatin on C-reactive protein. | AIM
To study the short-term effect of atorvastatin on C-reactive protein (CRP) in patients with or at risk for coronary heart disease.
METHODS AND RESULTS
One hundred and fifty-five randomly selected patients from the SWiss Intervention Trial for lowering CHolesterol (SWITCH) were assessed for high sensitivity CRP, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides at baseline, and after 1 and 3 months of treatment with atorvastatin at various doses to reach pre-defined lipid target values. The median decrease of cholesterol was 28% after 1 month and 35% after 3 months. LDL-cholesterol was decreased by 37% and 45%, HDL-cholesterol was increased by 7% and 8%, respectively. Patients with a low CRP baseline concentration (lowest quartile <1.34 mg. l(-1)) displayed no significant change, whereas patients in the other quartiles showed a significant decrease, of 22% to 40% (P -value <0.05 to <0.001) at 1 month and of 32% to 36% after 3 months compared to baseline. The decrease in CRP lowering was thus fully established by 1 month and this response was independent of lipid and lipoprotein changes as well as atorvastatin doses.
CONCLUSION
Atorvastatin significantly decreases CRP concentrations after 4 weeks of therapy. These results may be important with respect to the early benefit of statin therapy. |
Multi-objective AGV scheduling in an FMS using a hybrid of genetic algorithm and particle swarm optimization | Flexible manufacturing system (FMS) enhances the firm's flexibility and responsiveness to the ever-changing customer demand by providing a fast product diversification capability. Performance of an FMS is highly dependent upon the accuracy of scheduling policy for the components of the system, such as automated guided vehicles (AGVs). An AGV as a mobile robot provides remarkable industrial capabilities for material and goods transportation within a manufacturing facility or a warehouse. Allocating AGVs to tasks, while considering the cost and time of operations, defines the AGV scheduling process. Multi-objective scheduling of AGVs, unlike single objective practices, is a complex and combinatorial process. In the main draw of the research, a mathematical model was developed and integrated with evolutionary algorithms (genetic algorithm (GA), particle swarm optimization (PSO), and hybrid GA-PSO) to optimize the task scheduling of AGVs with the objectives of minimizing makespan and number of AGVs while considering the AGVs' battery charge. Assessment of the numerical examples' scheduling before and after the optimization proved the applicability of all the three algorithms in decreasing the makespan and AGV numbers. The hybrid GA-PSO produced the optimum result and outperformed the other two algorithms, in which the mean of AGVs operation efficiency was found to be 69.4, 74, and 79.8 percent in PSO, GA, and hybrid GA-PSO, respectively. Evaluation and validation of the model was performed by simulation via Flexsim software. |
Evaluation of Multi-Sums for Large Scale Problems | A big class of Feynman integrals, in particular, the coefficients of their Laurent series expansion w.r.t. the dimension parameter e can be transformed to multi-sums over hypergeometric terms and harmonic sums. In this article, we present a general summation method based on difference fields that simplifies these multi–sums by transforming them from inside to outside to representations in terms of indefinite nested sums and products. In particular, we present techniques that assist in the task to simplify huge expressions of such multi-sums in a completely automatic fashion. The ideas are illustrated on new calculations coming from 3-loop topologies of gluonic massive operator matrix elements containing two fermion lines, which contribute to the transition matrix elements in the variable flavor scheme. |
Brain and effort: brain activation and effort-related working memory in healthy participants and patients with working memory deficits | UNLABELLED
Despite the interest in the neuroimaging of working memory, little is still known about the neurobiology of complex working memory in tasks that require simultaneous manipulation and storage of information. In addition to the central executive network, we assumed that the recently described salience network [involving the anterior insular cortex (AIC) and the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)] might be of particular importance to working memory tasks that require complex, effortful processing.
METHOD
Healthy participants (n = 26) and participants suffering from working memory problems related to the Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS) (a specific form of periodic idiopathic hypersomnia; n = 18) participated in the study. Participants were further divided into a high- and low-capacity group, according to performance on a working memory task (listening span). In a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, participants were administered the reading span complex working memory task tapping cognitive effort.
PRINCIPAL FINDINGS
The fMRI-derived blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal was modulated by (1) effort in both the central executive and the salience network and (2) capacity in the salience network in that high performers evidenced a weaker BOLD signal than low performers. In the salience network there was a dichotomy between the left and the right hemisphere; the right hemisphere elicited a steeper increase of the BOLD signal as a function of increasing effort. There was also a stronger functional connectivity within the central executive network because of increased task difficulty.
CONCLUSION
The ability to allocate cognitive effort in complex working memory is contingent upon focused resources in the executive and in particular the salience network. Individual capacity during the complex working memory task is related to activity in the salience (but not the executive) network so that high-capacity participants evidence a lower signal and possibly hence a larger dynamic response. |
Characterizing Driving Styles with Deep Learning | Characterizing driving styles of human drivers using vehicle sensor data, e.g., GPS, is an interesting research problem and an important real-world requirement from automotive industries. A good representation of driving features can be highly valuable for autonomous driving, auto insurance, and many other application scenarios. However, traditional methods mainly rely on handcrafted features, which limit machine learning algorithms to achieve a better performance. In this paper, we propose a novel deep learning solution to this problem, which could be the first attempt of studying deep learning for driving behavior analysis. The proposed approach can effectively extract high level and interpretable features describing complex driving patterns from GPS data. It also requires significantly less human experience and work. The power of the learned driving style representations are validated through the driver identification problem using a large real dataset. |
A 100 MHz Ladder FeRAM Design With Capacitance-Coupled-Bitline (CCB) Cell | This paper proposes a new ladder FeRAM ar chitecture with capacitance-coupled-bitline (CCB) cells for high-end embedded applications. The ladder FeRAM architecture short-circuits both electrodes of each ferroelectric capacitor at every standby cycle. This overcomes the fatal disturbance problem inherent to the CCB cell, and halves read/write cycle time by sharing a plateline and its driver with 32 cells in two neighboring ladder blocks. This configuration realizes small 0.35 μm2 cell using a highly reliable ferroelectric capacitor of as large as 0.145 μm2 size, and a highly compatible process with logic-LSI. A slow plateline drive of the CCB cell due to a resistive plateline using an active area is minimized to 2.5 ns by introducing thick M3 shunt-path and distributed M3 platelines. The area penalty of the shunt is 4.7% of an array. A serious bitline-to-bitline coupling noise in edge bitlines up to the noise/signal ratio of 0.38 due to the operation peculiar to FeRAM is eliminated by introducing activated dummy bitlines and their sense amplifiers. The design of 16 cells in a ladder block is optimal for effective cell size, cell signal, and active power dissipation. A new early plateline pull-down read scheme omits "0"-data rewrite operation without read disturbance. A 64 Kb ladder FeRAM with the CCB cells and the early plateline pull-down read scheme achieves a fast random read/write of 10 ns cycle and 8 ns access at 150°C. |
Intimate partner violence and cancer screening among urban minority women. | PURPOSE
To evaluate the association of intimate partner violence (IPV) with breast and cervical cancer screening rates.
METHODS
We conducted retrospective chart audits of 382 adult women at 4 urban family medicine practices. Inclusion criteria were not being pregnant, no cancer history, and having a partner. Victims were defined as those who screened positive on at least one of 2 brief IPV screening tools: the HITS (Hurt, Insult, Threat, Scream) tool or Women Abuse Screening Tool (short). Logistic regression models were used to examine whether nonvictims, victims of emotional abuse, and victims of physical and/or sexual abuse were up to date for mammograms and Papanicolaou smears.
RESULTS
Prevalence of IPV was 16.5%. Compared with victims of emotional abuse only, victims of physical and/or sexual abuse aged 40 to 74 were associated with 87% decreased odds of being up to date on Papanicolaou smears (odds ratio, 0.13; 95% CI, 0.02-0.86) and 84% decreased odds of being up to date in mammography (odds ratio, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.03-0.99). There was no difference in Papanicolaou smear rates among female victims and nonvictims younger than 40.
CONCLUSIONS
Because of the high prevalence of IPV, screening is essential among all women. Clinicians should ensure that victims of physical and/or sexual abuse are screened for cervical cancer and breast cancer, particularly women aged 40 or older. Cancer screening promotion programs are needed for victims of abuse. |
New developments in capacitive encoders for servo drives | Speed and position encoders are essential components in electrical drives. High resolution encoders are necessary to obtain acceptable speed control behaviour. Therefore optical encoders are mainly used in servo drives as position (and speed) feedback. Optical encoders, however, do not provide a robustness comparable to electrical motors - hard environmental influences like mechanical shock and/or vibrations often damage the optical disc inside the encoder. Using resolvers provides better mechanical robustness - their resolution, however, is not sufficient for good speed control behaviour. Capacitive (electrcial) [electrical] encoders are an attempt to combine good robustness with high resolution. Technical results obtained with a first commercial product encourage to proceed with further research and development in this area. |
Port-based modeling of mechatronic systems | Many engineering activities, including mechatronic design, require that a multidomain or ‘multi-physics’ system and its control system be designed as an integrated system. This contribution discusses the background and tools for a port-based approach to integrated modeling and simulation of physical systems and their controllers, with parameters that are directly related to the real-world system, thus improving insight and direct feedback on modeling decisions. |
The philosophy of chemistry. | Although chemistry is by far the largest scientific discipline according to any quantitative measure, it had, until recently, been virtually ignored by professional philosophers of science. They left both a vacuum and a one-sided picture of science tailored to physics. Since the early 1990s, the situation has changed drastically, such that philosophy of chemistry is now one of the most flourishing fields in the philosophy of science, like the philosophy of biology that emerged in the 1970s. This article narrates the development and provides a survey of the main topics and trends. |
Becker's X-linked muscular dystrophy histological, enzyme-histochemical, and ultrastructural studies of two cases, originally reported by Becker | Muscle biopsies of two patients originally reported in the Göttingen family by Becker (1962) that formed the basis of separating a benign X-linked muscular dystrophy from the rapidly progressive Duchenne-type X-linked muscular dystrophy, revealed mild pathological changes in the younger patient and more advanced in the older one, consisting of increased spectra of fiber diameters, endomysial fibrosis, angulated fibers, pyknotic nuclear clumps and small groups of atrophic fibers. Essentially, both biopsies showed the same changes, but of different severity, possibly due to the differences in age and muscle biopsy sites. These changes were regarded “myopathic”, but a neurogenic component was suggested. Our observations accord well with those of a larger series (Bradley et al., 1978) where both electromyography and histopathology revealed a mixed “myopathic-neurogenic pattern” in patients with Becker-type dystrophy. Differential diagnostic aspects encompass Duchenne's muscular dystrophy, the other hereditary dystrophies and X-linked proximal spinal muscular atrophies. The precise nature of Becker-type muscular dystrophy requires morphological data on peripheral nerves, spinal roots and spinal cord anterior horn cells as well as sequential biopsy analysis to substantiate the primary site of pathology. However, on the basis of available data, it seems reasonable to suggest that the early changes of degeneration/regeneration which are accompanied by a markedly elevated CPK eventuate in the histopathologic and electromyographic patterns illustrated in these two patients with Beckertype dystrophy. |
Few-Shot Human Motion Prediction via Meta-learning | Human motion prediction, forecasting human motion in a few milliseconds conditioning on a historical 3D skeleton sequence, is a long-standing problem in computer vision and robotic vision. Existing forecasting algorithms rely on extensive annotated motion capture data and are brittle to novel actions. This paper addresses the problem of few-shot human motion prediction, in the spirit of the recent progress on few-shot learning and meta-learning. More precisely, our approach is based on the insight that having a good generalization from few examples relies on both a generic initial model and an effective strategy for adapting this model to novel tasks. To accomplish this, we propose proactive and adaptive meta-learning (PAML) that introduces a novel combination of model-agnostic meta-learning and model regression networks and unifies them into an integrated, end-to-end framework. By doing so, our meta-learner produces a generic initial model through aggregating contextual information from a variety of prediction tasks, while effectively adapting this model for use as a task-specific one by leveraging learningto-learn knowledge about how to transform few-shot model parameters to many-shot model parameters. The resulting PAML predictor model significantly improves the prediction performance on the heavily benchmarked H3.6M dataset in the small-sample size regime. |
Clinical potential role of circulating microRNAs in early diagnosis of colorectal cancer patients. | Current procedures for diagnosis and biomarker examination of colorectal cancer (CRC) are invasive and unpleasant. There is a great need to identify sensitive and specific biomarkers for early diagnosis of CRC. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) are promising molecular markers for CRC prediction. We performed a comprehensive meta-analysis to integrate an evaluation index for diagnostic accuracy of circulating miRNAs in diagnosing CRC patients. Furthermore, we conducted an independent validation set of 49 CRC patients and 49 healthy controls. In our meta-analysis, we found that miR-21 yielded a pooled area under ROC curve (AUC) of 0.867 (sensitivity: 76%, specificity: 82%) in discriminating CRC from controls, and miR-92a yielded a summary AUC of 0.803 (sensitivity: 77%, specificity: 68%); miR-21 had a higher diagnostic efficiency than miR-92a. In the further validation, plasma miR-21 levels in CRC patients were significantly higher than levels observed in healthy subjects. A ROC curve analysis showed a consistent result. However, this phenotype was not present in miR-92a. Moreover, the expression trend of miR-21 in plasma samples was in line with that of tissue samples, along with the cellular level. Current evidences suggest that plasma miR-21 could be a reliable and non-invasive biomarker for CRC diagnosis. Studies with larger cohorts that include the diagnostic value of plasma miR-21 for CRC are warranted. |
THE DIGITAL WORKFORCE AND THE WORKPLACE OF THE FUTURE | Editor’s note: This editorial is part of a series written by editors and co-authored with a senior executive, thought leader, or scholar from a different field, to explore new content areas and grand challenges with the goal of expanding the scope, interestingness, and relevance of the work presented in the Academy of Management Journal. The principle is to use the editorial notes as “stage setters” to open up fresh, new areas of inquiry for management research. GG |
Is conscious perception gradual or dichotomous? A comparison of report methodologies during a visual task | In a recent article, [Sergent, C. & Dehaene, S. (2004). Is consciousness a gradual phenomenon? Evidence for an all-or-none bifurcation during the attentional blink, Psychological Science, 15(11), 720-729] claim to give experimental support to the thesis that there is a clear transition between conscious and unconscious perception. This idea is opposed to theoretical arguments that we should think of conscious perception as a continuum of clarity, with e.g., fringe conscious states [Mangan, B. (2001). Sensation's ghost-the non-sensory "fringe" of consciousness, Psyche, 7, 18]. In the experimental study described in this article, we find support for this opposite notion that we should have a parsimonious account of conscious perception. Our reported finding relates to the hypothesis that there is more than one perceptual threshold [Merikle, P.M., Smilek, D. & Eastwood, J.D. (2001). Perception without awareness: perspectives from cognitive psychology, Cognition, 79, 115-134], but goes further to argue that there are different "levels" of conscious perception. |
Electrophysiological evidence of “nerve entrapment syndromes” and subclinical peripheral neuropathy in progressive systemic sclerosis (scleroderma) | We report the electrophysiological findings and the management of 5 subjects with progressive systemic sclerosis (PSS) and clinical evidence of nerve entrapment. Three had carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), 1 bilateral CTS and right tarsal tunnel syndrome (TTS) and 1 Guyon's canal syndrome. Only 1 patient (with CTS) showed significant clinical improvement after surgical decompression; the other 4 demonstrated a slight recovery of conduction without lasting clinical relief after conventional treatment. To explain these failures we hypothesized that these entrapment syndromes were the clinical expression of underlying diffuse damage to the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The conduction values of nerves unaffected by entrapment syndromes were within normal limits, but almost all distal velocities were below the mean of controls. Such subclinical distal peripheral neuropathy was also verified in a selected sample of 17 patients with PSS, without clinical symptoms or signs of PNS involvement. In these 17 cases the mean distal sensory and motor conduction findings of the median, ulnar, sural and tibial nerves were significantly lower than those of a control group, while no significant differences were found in the more proximal tracts of the same nerves. Furthermore, 3 of the 17 patients showed classical electrophysiological evidence of TCS and TTS without any clinical symptoms. We concluded that the subjects with PSS had subclinical polyneuropathy which may become plain polyneuropathy or nerve entrapment syndromes perhaps induced by other risk factors. |
A 77-GHz CMOS Automotive Radar Transceiver With Anti-Interference Function | This paper presents a 77-GHz long-range automotive radar transceiver with the function of reducing mutual interference. The proposed frequency-hopping random chirp FMCW technique reconfigures the chirp sweep frequency and time every cycle to result in noise-like frequency response for mutual interference after the received signal is down-converted and demodulated. Thus, the false alarm rate can be reduced significantly. The transceiver IC is fully integrated in TSMC 1P9M 65-nm digital CMOS technology. The chip including pads occupies a silicon area of 1.03 mm × 0.94 mm. The transceiver consumes totally 275 mW of power, and the measured transmitting power and receiver noise figure are 6.4 dBm and 14.8 dB, respectively. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first integrated 77-GHz automotive radar transceiver with the feature of anti-interference. |
Energy-Efficient Transmission for Beamforming in Wireless Sensor Networks | Energy conservation is essential in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) because of limited energy in batteries. Collaborative beamforming uses multiple transmitters to form antenna arrays; the electromagnetic waves from these antenna arrays can create constructive interferences at the receiver and increase the transmission distance. Each transmitter can use lower power and save energy, since the energy consumption is spread over multiple transmitters. However, if the same nodes are always used for collaborative beamforming, these nodes would deplete their energy much sooner and this sensing area will no longer be monitored. To avoid this situation, energy consumption for collaborative beamforming needs to be balanced over the whole network by assigning the transmitters in turns. The transmitters in each round are selected by a scheduler and the energy carried in each node is balanced to increase the number of transmissions. We define the lifetime of a network as the number of transmissions until a certain percentage of the nodes depletes their energy. This paper proposes an algorithm to calculate energy-efficient schedules based on the remaining energy and the phase differences of their signals arriving at the receiver. Compared with an existing algorithm, our algorithm can extend the network lifetime by more than 60%. |
The role of mitochondria in aging. | Over the last decade, accumulating evidence has suggested a causative link between mitochondrial dysfunction and major phenotypes associated with aging. Somatic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations and respiratory chain dysfunction accompany normal aging, but the first direct experimental evidence that increased mtDNA mutation levels contribute to progeroid phenotypes came from the mtDNA mutator mouse. Recent evidence suggests that increases in aging-associated mtDNA mutations are not caused by damage accumulation, but rather are due to clonal expansion of mtDNA replication errors that occur during development. Here we discuss the caveats of the traditional mitochondrial free radical theory of aging and highlight other possible mechanisms, including insulin/IGF-1 signaling (IIS) and the target of rapamycin pathways, that underlie the central role of mitochondria in the aging process. |
Collision Detection and Safe Reaction with the DLR-III Lightweight Manipulator Arm | A robot manipulator sharing its workspace with humans should be able to quickly detect collisions and safely react for limiting injuries due to physical contacts. In the absence of external sensing, relative motions between robot and human are not predictable and unexpected collisions may occur at any location along the robot arm. Based on physical quantities such as total energy and generalized momentum of the robot manipulator, we present an efficient collision detection method that uses only proprioceptive robot sensors and provides also directional information for a safe robot reaction after collision. The approach is first developed for rigid robot arms and then extended to the case of robots with elastic joints, proposing different reaction strategies. Experimental results on collisions with the DLR-III lightweight manipulator are reported |
Multimodal Named Entity Recognition for Short Social Media Posts | We introduce a new task called Multimodal Named Entity Recognition (MNER) for noisy user-generated data such as tweets or Snapchat captions, which comprise short text with accompanying images. These social media posts often come in inconsistent or incomplete syntax and lexical notations with very limited surrounding textual contexts, bringing significant challenges for NER. To this end, we create a new dataset for MNER called SnapCaptions (Snapchat image-caption pairs submitted to public and crowd-sourced stories with fully annotated named entities). We then build upon the state-of-the-art Bi-LSTM word/character based NER models with 1) a deep image network which incorporates relevant visual context to augment textual information, and 2) a generic modality-attention module which learns to attenuate irrelevant modalities while amplifying the most informative ones to extract contexts from, adaptive to each sample and token. The proposed MNER model with modality attention significantly outperforms the state-of-the-art text-only NER models by successfully leveraging provided visual contexts, opening up potential applications of MNER on myriads of social media platforms. |
Improving the undergraduate clinical placement experience in mental health nursing. | Recruitment in mental health nursing is an international problem. Improving the undergraduate clinical placement experience may help to attract students into mental health nursing. In this paper, the authors describe the development and evaluation of a clinical facilitation program aimed at improving the placement experience. Students were surveyed about their attitudes to mental health nursing before and after placement. Based on the results from 254 pre-placement and 248 post-placement surveys there was a large significant increase in students' interest in mental health nursing following clinical placement. Data collected from focus groups also indicated that facilitators, students, and clinical nurses all viewed the program positively. |
CFTL : A Convertible Flash Translation Layer with Consideration of Data Access Patterns | NAND flash memory-based storage devices are increasingly adopted as one of the main alternatives for magnetic disk drives. The flash translation layer (FTL) is a software/hardware interface inside NAND flash memory, which allows existing disk-based applications to use it without any significant modifications. Since FTL has a critical impact on the performance of NAND flash-based devices, a variety of FTL schemes have been proposed to improve their performance. However, existing FTLs perform well for either a read intensive workload or a write intensive workload, not for both of them due to their fixed and static address mapping schemes. To overcome this limitation, in this paper, we propose a novel FTL addressing scheme named as Convertible Flash Translation Layer (CFTL, for short). CFTL is adaptive to data access patterns so that it can dynamically switch the mapping of a data block to either read-optimized or write-optimized mapping scheme in order to fully exploit the benefits of both schemes. By judiciously taking advantage of both schemes, CFTL resolves the intrinsic problems of the existing FTLs. In addition to this convertible scheme, we propose an efficient caching strategy so as to considerably improve the CFTL performance further with only a simple hint. Consequently, both of the convertible feature and caching strategy empower CFTL to achieve good read performance as well as good write performance. Our experimental evaluation with a variety of realistic workloads demonstrates that the proposed CFTL scheme outperforms other FTL schemes. |
An Input-Series Flyback Converter With the Coupled-Inductor-Based Passive Snubber for High-Input Voltage Multiple-Output Applications | In this paper, an input-series flyback converter with the coupled-inductor-based passive snubber is proposed, where the input-series converter is based on transformer integration, and the passive snubber is composed of inductors, capacitors, and diodes. The inductors of the snubber in various series modules are made on a common magnetic core, and the coupled-inductor scheme is adopted. With the help of the coupled inductor, active input voltage sharing of the input-series converter can also be achieved after the switches are turned off, and voltage sharing of the switch in each series module can be ensured, which overcome the shortcomings of the existing input-series flyback converter. Active voltage sharing processes caused by the coupled inductor are analyzed in detail. Furthermore, the design guideline of the passive snubber is discussed. Finally, the experimental study has been done on a 1500 Vdc/60 W laboratory-made prototype composed of three flyback series modules, and the feasibility of the proposed method and the theoretical analysis is verified by the experimental results. |
Leptospirosis in pigs, dogs, rodents, humans, and water in an area of the Colombian tropics | Leptospirosis is a reemerging zoonosis of global distribution and is one of the causes of hemorrhagic fevers in the tropics. We sought to determine seroprevalence in humans and animals and isolate Leptospira interrogans sensu lato in domestic animals, rodents, and water sources. The study was conducted in a tropical area of the middle Sinú in Cordoba, Colombia. In a prospective descriptive study, we collected blood and urine from pigs and dogs, sera from rural human workers, sera and kidney macerates of rodents, and water samples from environmental sources. We used microagglutination to screen for antibodies to 13 serovars. Strains were cultured on the Ellinghausen–McCullough–Johnson–Harris medium and confirmed by PCR amplifying lipL32 gene. Seroprevalence was 55.9 % in pigs, 35.2 % in dogs, and 75.8 % in humans; no antibody was detected, and no Leptospira were isolated from kidney macerates of rodents. Seven L. interrogans sensu lato strains were isolated: three from pigs, two from dogs, and two from water. High seroprevalence in pigs, dogs, and humans, concomitant to isolation of strains, demonstrates that in Cordoba, transmission exists among animals, the environment, and humans, which warrants the implementation of public health intervention measures to reduce the epidemiological impact of leptospirosis in the region. |
A segmented claw-pole motor for traction applications considering recycling aspects | With the expansion of the fleet of electric and hybrid electric vehicles worldwide, it is of interest to consider recycling aspects of the parts that are introduced in these new vehicles. This paper focuses on the design of an electrical machine, a claw-pole motor, considering recycling of its components. The suggested design has segmented core parts of soft magnetic composites which yield a design very suitable for recycling as the core material is brittle and it thus simplifies the access of the copper winding. The windings are pre-formed ring-coils with a high fill-factor and with no end-windings. Through the use of direct water cooling, employing space between the claws, the current density can be high, and the machine can be compact. The results of finite element simulations of the electromagnetic properties (previously validated against measurements) show that a high performance recyclable motor with ratings above 10 kW can be made. In comparison with a commercial motor, the claw-pole motor has similar performance, a higher core and magnet weight and a lower copper weight. It also has an expected advantage regarding manufacturing cost and cost of recycling and it has lower copper loss. |
The reasons for triple therapy in stable COPD patients in Japanese clinical practice | BACKGROUND
Triple combination therapy involving long-acting muscarinic antagonists long-acting β2 agonists, and inhaled corticosteroids has recently become an option for maintenance treatment of COPD. Some add-on clinical trials have reported the benefits of these combinations. However, the process to step up to triple therapy varies for individual cases.
METHODS
Keio University and affiliated hospitals conducted an observational COPD cohort study, recruiting patients diagnosed as having COPD by pulmonary physicians and those referred for investigation of possible COPD. Their prescription history and clinical course were retrospectively analyzed based on the physicians' medical records and patient questionnaires. This study was registered with UMIN (UMIN000003470, April 10, 2010).
RESULTS
A total of 95 of the 445 COPD patients (21%) were treated with inhaled corticosteroids/long-acting β2 agonists/long-acting muscarinic antagonists as maintenance therapy, including 12 in COPD Grade I, 31 in Grade II, 38 in Grade III, and 14 in Grade IV, based on the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease spirometric grading. For more than half of the patients on triple therapy, the treatment had been intensified due to unsatisfactory improvement of symptoms, and 32% were treated with triple therapy due to comorbid asthma. In contrast, there were COPD patients whose therapy was maintained after starting with triple therapy because of their serious conditions or concurrent exacerbation at diagnosis (8%).
CONCLUSION
Triple therapy was often prescribed in the real-life management of COPD, even in patients whose airflow limitation was not severe. To better control symptoms was the major reason for choosing triple therapy, regardless of the severity of COPD, in Japan. |
Trivariate solid T-spline construction from boundary triangulations with arbitrary genus topology | A comprehensive scheme is described to construct rational trivariate solid T-splines from boundary triangulations with arbitrary topology. To extract the topology of the input geometry, we first compute a smooth harmonic scalar field defined over the mesh, and saddle points are extracted to determine the topology. By dealing with the saddle points, a polycube whose topology is equivalent to the input geometry is built, and it serves as the parametric domain for the trivariate T-spline. A polycube mapping is then used to build a one-to-one correspondence between the input triangulation and the polycube boundary. After that, we choose the deformed octree subdivision of the polycube as the initial T-mesh, and make it valid through pillowing, quality improvement and applying templates to handle extraordinary nodes and partial extraordinary nodes. The T-spline that is obtained is C2-continuous everywhere over the boundary surface except for the local region surrounding polycube corner nodes. The efficiency and robustness of the presented technique are demonstrated with several applications in isogeometric analysis. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Building a Large-scale Multimodal Knowledge Base System for Answering Visual Queries | The complexity of the visual world creates significant challenges for comprehensive visual understanding. In spite of recent successes in visual recognition, today’s vision systems would still struggle to deal with visual queries that require a deeper reasoning. We propose a knowledge base (KB) framework to handle an assortment of visual queries, without the need to train new classifiers for new tasks. Building such a large-scale multimodal KB presents a major challenge of scalability. We cast a large-scale MRF into a KB representation, incorporating visual, textual and structured data, as well as their diverse relations. We introduce a scalable knowledge base construction system that is capable of building a KB with half billion variables and millions of parameters in a few hours. Our system achieves competitive results compared to purpose-built models on standard recognition and retrieval tasks, while exhibiting greater flexibility in answering richer visual queries. |
Coherent optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing | Introduction: Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) has been extensively investigated to combat RF microwave multipath fading, and has been widely implemented in various digital communication standards such as wireless local area network standards (WIFI IEEE 802.11a) [1]. In this Letter, we propose an optical equivalent of the RF OFDM called coherent optical OFDM (CO-OFDM) to combat dispersion in fibre media. We show that with CO-OFDM the optical-signal-to-noise ratio (OSNR) penalty can be maintained below 2 dB for 3000 km transmission through standard-singlemode fibre (SSMF) without chromatic dispersion compensation. As such, CO-OFDM may be an alternative solution for electrical predistortion [2], but with the additional advantage that the optical signal can be dropped at any point within 3000 km. |
Alternative synthetic methods through new developments in catalysis by gold. | 2.7. Hydroxylation Reactions of Allenes 3282 2.8. Hydroamination Reactions of Allenes 3284 2.9. Hydrothiolation of Allenes 3284 2.10. Hydroalxoxylation of Alkenes and 1,3-Dienes 3286 2.11. Hydroamination of Alkenes and 1,3-Dienes 3287 2.12. Hydrothiolation of Conjugated Olefins 3289 3. Activation of Carbonyl/Imine Groups and Alcohols 3289 3.1. Condensation Reactions 3289 3.2. Addition Reactions 3291 3.3. Aldol Reactions 3294 3.4. Hydroand Carbosilylation Reactions 3295 3.5. Nucleophilic Substitution Reactions of Alcohols 3297 4. Gold-Catalyzed C-H Bond Functionalization 3297 4.1. Csp3-H Bond Functionalization 3298 4.2. Csp2-H Bond Functionalization 3299 4.3. Csp-H Bond Functionalization 3304 5. Gold-Catalyzed Selective Reductions 3305 5.1. Catalytic Hydrogenation of Alkenes 3306 5.2. Selective Reductions of R, -Unsaturated Carbonyl Groups and 1,3-Dienes 3306 |
DenseNet : Implementing Efficient ConvNet Descriptor Pyramids Technical Report | Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) can provide accurate object classification. They can be extended to perform object detection by iterating over dense or selected proposed object regions. However, the runtime of such detectors scales as the total number and/or area of regions to examine per image, and training such detectors may be prohibitively slow. However, for some CNN classifier topologies, it is possible to share significant work among overlapping regions to be classified. This paper presents DenseNet, an open source system that computes dense, multiscale features from the convolutional layers of a CNN based object classifier. Future work will involve training efficient object detectors with DenseNet feature descriptors. |
The interactive toxicity of cadmium, copper, and zinc to Ceriodaphnia dubia and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). | Traditionally, aquatic toxicity studies examine the toxicity of a single chemical to an organism. Organisms in nature, however, may be exposed to multiple toxicants. Given this is a more realistic exposure scenario in situ, the authors sought to understand the interactive toxicity of multiple metals to aquatic organisms. The authors performed a series of studies using equitoxic mixtures of cadmium, copper, and zinc to 2 aquatic organisms, rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and the waterflea, Ceriodaphnia dubia. Single metal toxicity tests were conducted to determine the acute median lethal concentration (LC50) values for O. mykiss and short-term, chronic median effective concentration (EC50) values for C. dubia. All 3 metals were then combined in equitoxic concentrations for subsequent mixture studies using a toxic unit (TU) approach (i.e., 1 TU = EC50 or LC50). For C. dubia, the mixture study showed greater-than-additive effects in hard water (TU-based EC50 = 0.74 TU), but less-than-additive effects in soft water (TU-based EC50 = 1.93 TU). The mixture effects for O. mykiss showed less-than-additive effects in both hard and soft waters, with TU-based LC50 values of 2.33 total TU and 2.22 total TU, respectively. These data are useful in helping understand metal mixture toxicity in aquatic systems and indicate that although in most situations the assumption of additivity of metal mixture toxicity is valid, under certain conditions it may not be sufficiently protective. |
Radio module for fast real-time control of inverse triple pendulum | The paper demonstrates use of wireless sensor as input data source for fast real-time automatic control. Fast, underactuated and highly unstable inverse triple pendulum system is controlled on the basis of values measured on the pendulum arms and wirelessly transmitted to the controller. The presented solution working in 2.4 GHz band and based on Atmel SAM R21 SoC on the sensor side and Atmel AT86RF233 transceiver on the controller side delivers data from 2 IRC sensors and 3-axis gyroscope with latency as low as 350 us. |
Quantitative assessment of multiscale structural and functional alterations in asthmatic populations. | Relationships between structural and functional variables in asthmatic lungs at local and global (or lobar) levels remain to be discovered. This study aims to investigate local alterations of structural variables [bifurcation angle, circularity, airway wall thickness (WT), and hydraulic diameter (Dh)] in asthmatic subjects, and their correlations with other imaging and pulmonary function test-based global and lobar metrics, including lung shape, air-trapping, regional volume change, and more. Sixty-one healthy subjects, and 67 nonsevere and 67 severe asthmatic subjects were studied. The structural variables were derived from computed tomography images at total lung capacity (TLC). Air-trapping was measured at functional residual capacity, and regional volume change (derived from image registration) was measured between functional residual capacity and TLC. The tracheal diameter and WT predicted by 61 healthy subjects were used to normalize the Dh and WT. New normalization schemes allowed for the dissociation of luminal narrowing and wall thickening effects. In severe asthmatic subjects, the alteration of bifurcation angle was found to be correlated with a global lung shape at TLC, and circularity was significantly decreased in the right main bronchus. While normalized WT increased especially in the upper lobes of severe asthmatic subjects, normalized Dh decreased in the lower lobes. Among local structural variables, normalized Dh was the most representative variable, because it was significantly correlated with alterations of functional variables, including pulmonary function test's data. In conclusion, understanding multiscale phenomena may help to provide guidance in the search for potential imaging-based phenotypes for the development and outcomes assessment of therapeutic intervention. |
Use of the PiCCO system in critically ill patients with septic shock and acute respiratory distress syndrome: a study protocol for a randomized controlled trial | BACKGROUND
Hemodynamic monitoring is very important in critically ill patients with shock or acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS). The PiCCO (Pulse index Contour Continuous Cardiac Output, Pulsion Medical Systems, Germany) system has been developed and used in critical care settings for several years. However, its impact on clinical outcomes remains unknown.
METHODS/DESIGN
The study is a randomized controlled multi-center trial. A total of 708 patients with ARDS, septic shock or both will be included from January 2012 to January 2014. Subjects will be randomized to receive PiCCO monitoring or not. Our primary end point is 30-day mortality, and secondary outcome measures include ICU length of stay, days on mechanical ventilation, days of vasoactive agent support, ICU-free survival days during a 30-day period, mechanical-ventilation-free survival days during a 30-day period, and maximum SOFA score during the first 7 days.
DISCUSSION
We investigate whether the use of PiCCO monitoring will improve patient outcomes in critically ill patients with ARDS or septic shock. This will provide additional data on hemodynamic monitoring and help clinicians to make decisions on the use of PiCCO.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov NCT01526382. |
Cultural differences in medical communication: a review of the literature. | OBJECTIVE
Culture and ethnicity have often been cited as barriers in establishing an effective and satisfying doctor-patient relationship. The aim of this paper is to gain more insight in intercultural medical communication difficulties by reviewing observational studies on intercultural doctor-patient communication. In addition, a research model for studying this topic in future research is proposed.
METHODS
A literature review using online databases (Pubmed, Psychlit) was performed.
RESULTS
Findings reveal major differences in doctor-patient communication as a consequence of patients' ethnic backgrounds. Doctors behave less affectively when interacting with ethnic minority patients compared to White patients. Ethnic minority patients themselves are also less verbally expressive; they seem to be less assertive and affective during the medical encounter than White patients.
CONCLUSION
Most reviewed studies did not relate communication behaviour to possible antecedent culture-related variables, nor did they assess the effect of cultural variations in doctor-patient communication on outcomes, leaving us in the dark about reasons for and consequences of differences in intercultural medical communication. Five key predictors of culture-related communication problems are identified in the literature: (1) cultural differences in explanatory models of health and illness; (2) differences in cultural values; (3) cultural differences in patients' preferences for doctor-patient relationships; (4) racism/perceptual biases; (5) linguistic barriers. It is concluded that by incorporating these variables into a research model future research on this topic can be enhanced, both from a theoretical and a methodological perspective.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS
Using a cultural sensitive approach in medical communication is recommended. |
Image thresholding by minimizing the measures of fuzzines | -This paper introduces a new image thresholding method based on minimizing the measures of fuzziness of an input image. The membership function in the thresholding method is used to denote the characteristic relationship between a pixel and its belonging region (the object or the background). In addition, based on the measure of fuzziness, a fuzzy range is defined to find the adequate threshold value within this range. The principle of the method is easy to understand and it can be directly extended to multilevel thresholding. The effectiveness of the new method is illustrated by using the test images of having various types of histograms. The experimental results indicate that the proposed method has demonstrated good performance in bilevel and trilevel thresholding. Image thresholding Measure of fuzziness Fuzzy membership function I. I N T R O D U C T I O N Image thresholding which extracts the object from the background in an input image is one of the most common applications in image analysis. For example, in automatic recognition of machine printed or handwritten texts, in shape recognition of objects, and in image enhancement, thresholding is a necessary step for image preprocessing. Among the image thresholding methods, bilevel thresholding separates the pixels of an image into two regions (i.e. the object and the background); one region contains pixels with gray values smaller than the threshold value and the other contains pixels with gray values larger than the threshold value. Further, if the pixels of an image are divided into more than two regions, this is called multilevel thresholding. In general, the threshold is located at the obvious and deep valley of the histogram. However, when the valley is not so obvious, it is very difficult to determine the threshold. During the past decade, many research studies have been devoted to the problem of selecting the appropriate threshold value. The survey of these papers can be seen in the literature31-3) Fuzzy set theory has been applied to image thresholding to partition the image space into meaningful regions by minimizing the measure of fuzziness of the image. The measurement can be expressed by terms such as entropy, {4) index of fuzziness, ~5) and index of nonfuzziness36) The "ent ropy" involves using Shannon's function to measure the fuzziness of an image so that the threshold can be determined by minimizing the entropy measure. It is very different from the classical entropy measure which measures t Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. probabil ist ic information. The index of fuzziness represents the average amount of fuzziness in an image by measuring the distance between the gray-level image and its near crisp (binary) version. The index of nonfuzziness indicates the average amount of nonfuzziness (crispness) in an image by taking the absolute difference between the crisp version and its complement. In addition, Pal and Rosenfeld ~7) developed an algorithm based on minimizing the compactness of fuzziness to obtain the fuzzy and nonfuzzy versions of an ill-defined image such that the appropriate nonfuzzy threshold can be chosen. They used some fuzzy geometric properties, i.e. the area and the perimeter of an fuzzy image, to obtain the measure of compactness. The effectiveness of the method has been illustrated by using two input images of bimodal and unimodal histograms. Another measurement, which is called the index of area converge (IOAC), ts) has been applied to select the threshold by finding the local minima of the IOAC. Since both the measures of compactness and the IOAC involve the spatial information of an image, they need a long time to compute the perimeter of the fuzzy plane. In this paper, based on the concept of fuzzy set, an effective thresholding method is proposed. Given a certain threshold value, the membership function of a pixel is defined by the absolute difference between the gray level and the average gray level of its belonging region (i.e. the object or the background). The larger the absolute difference is, the smaller the membership value becomes. It is expected that the membership value of each pixel in the input image is as large as possible. In addition, two measures of fuzziness are proposed to indicate the fuzziness of an image. The optimal threshold can then be effectively determined by minimizing the measure of fuzziness of an image. The performance of the proposed approach is compared |
Reliable Patch Trackers: Robust visual tracking by exploiting reliable patches | Most modern trackers typically employ a bounding box given in the first frame to track visual objects, where their tracking results are often sensitive to the initialization. In this paper, we propose a new tracking method, Reliable Patch Trackers (RPT), which attempts to identify and exploit the reliable patches that can be tracked effectively through the whole tracking process. Specifically, we present a tracking reliability metric to measure how reliably a patch can be tracked, where a probability model is proposed to estimate the distribution of reliable patches under a sequential Monte Carlo framework. As the reliable patches distributed over the image, we exploit the motion trajectories to distinguish them from the background. Therefore, the visual object can be defined as the clustering of homo-trajectory patches, where a Hough voting-like scheme is employed to estimate the target state. Encouraging experimental results on a large set of sequences showed that the proposed approach is very effective and in comparison to the state-of-the-art trackers. The full source code of our implementation will be publicly available. |
Development and Validation of the User Version of the Mobile Application Rating Scale (uMARS) | BACKGROUND
The Mobile Application Rating Scale (MARS) provides a reliable method to assess the quality of mobile health (mHealth) apps. However, training and expertise in mHealth and the relevant health field is required to administer it.
OBJECTIVE
This study describes the development and reliability testing of an end-user version of the MARS (uMARS).
METHODS
The MARS was simplified and piloted with 13 young people to create the uMARS. The internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the uMARS was then examined in a second sample of 164 young people participating in a randomized controlled trial of a mHealth app. App ratings were collected using the uMARS at 1-, 3,- and 6-month follow up.
RESULTS
The uMARS had excellent internal consistency (alpha = .90), with high individual alphas for all subscales. The total score and subscales had good test-retest reliability over both 1-2 months and 3 months.
CONCLUSIONS
The uMARS is a simple tool that can be reliably used by end-users to assess the quality of mHealth apps. |
Kernel Approximation Methods for Speech Recognition | Kernel Approximation Methods for Speech Recognition |
[Predictive factors of complications during CT-guided transthoracic biopsy]. | INTRODUCTION
CT-guided transthoracic core-needle biopsy (TTNB) is frequently used for the diagnosis of lung nodules. The aim of this study is to describe TTNBs' complications and to investigate predictive factors of complications.
METHODS
All consecutive TTNBs performed in three centers between 2006 and 2012 were included. Binary logistic regression was used for multivariate analysis.
RESULTS
Overall, 970 TTNBs were performed in 929 patients. The complication rate was 34% (life-threatening complication in 6%). The most frequent complications were pneumothorax (29% included 4% which required chest-tube) and hemoptysis (5%). The mortality rate was 0.1% (n=1). In multivariate analysis, predictive factor for a complication was small target size (AOR=0.984; 95% CI [0.976-0.992]; P<0.001). This predictive factor was also found for occurrence of life-threatening complication (AOR=0.982; [0.965-0.999]; P=0.037), of pneumothorax (AOR=0.987; [0.978-0.995]; P=0.002) and of hemoptysis (AOR=0.973; [0.951-0.997]; P=0.024).
CONCLUSION
One complication occurred in one-third of TTNBs. The proportion of life-threatening complication was 6%. A small lesion size was predictive of complication occurrence. |
Tracking deep ancient crustal components by xenocrystic/inherited zircons of Palaeozoic felsic igneous rocks from the Altai–East Junggar terrane and adjacent regions, western Central Asian Orogenic Belt and its tectonic significance | ABSTRACTThe deep crustal continental components and architecture of the western Central Asian Orogenic Belt (CAOB) have long been a matter of debate. This article presents an integrated study of published geochronological and Hf-in-zircon isotopic data for inherited zircons from the Palaeozoic granitoid rocks and associated felsic volcanic rocks of the Chinese Altai, East Junggar, and nearby regions. The aim is to trace the age spatial distribution of deep old crustal components. Our data set comprises 463 published age data obtained by SHRIMP and LA-ICP-MS from felsic igneous rocks in these areas. Among these samples, zircon xenocrysts were observed in 69 granitic rocks and 15 felsic volcanic rocks from the Chinese Altai and 30 granitoid rocks and five felsic volcanic rocks in the East Junggar, respectively.Three major zircon xenocrysts provinces are defined based on the distribution of these inherited zircon ages, combined with Hf-in-zircon isotopes. Province I, mainly situated in the eastern part of th... |
An fMRI Study of Risky Decision Making: The Role of Mental Preparation and Conflict | INTRODUCTION
The current study aimed to elucidate the role of preparatory cognitive control in decision making and its neural correlates using functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). To this effect, by employing a series of new cognitive tasks, we assessed the role of preparatory cognitive control in monetary (risky) decision making.
METHODS
The participants had to decide between a risky and a safe gamble based on their chance of winning (high or low). In the 2-phase gambling task (similar to Cambridge gambling task), the chance and the gamble were presented at the same time (i.e. in a single phase), but in a new 3-phase gambling task, the chance is presented before the gamble. The tasks ended with a feedback phase.
RESULTS
In the 3-phase task, holding the chance in memory to guide their decision enabled the participants to have more control on their risk taking behaviors as shown by activation in a network of brain areas involved in the control and conflict, including dorsal Anterior Cingulate Cortex (dACC), indexed by faster reaction times and better performance in the gambling task, and the temporal lobe, which has a role in holding contextual information.
DISCUSSION
Holding information in memory to guide decision presumably enables the participants to have more control on their risk taking behaviors. The conflict and uncertainty resulting from this risky decision was indexed by the activation of dACC, known to be activated in conflict and cognitive control. |
Classification of subtype of acute ischemic stroke. Definitions for use in a multicenter clinical trial. TOAST. Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment. | BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
The etiology of ischemic stroke affects prognosis, outcome, and management. Trials of therapies for patients with acute stroke should include measurements of responses as influenced by subtype of ischemic stroke. A system for categorization of subtypes of ischemic stroke mainly based on etiology has been developed for the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST).
METHODS
A classification of subtypes was prepared using clinical features and the results of ancillary diagnostic studies. "Possible" and "probable" diagnoses can be made based on the physician's certainty of diagnosis. The usefulness and interrater agreement of the classification were tested by two neurologists who had not participated in the writing of the criteria. The neurologists independently used the TOAST classification system in their bedside evaluation of 20 patients, first based only on clinical features and then after reviewing the results of diagnostic tests.
RESULTS
The TOAST classification denotes five subtypes of ischemic stroke: 1) large-artery atherosclerosis, 2) cardioembolism, 3) small-vessel occlusion, 4) stroke of other determined etiology, and 5) stroke of undetermined etiology. Using this rating system, interphysician agreement was very high. The two physicians disagreed in only one patient. They were both able to reach a specific etiologic diagnosis in 11 patients, whereas the cause of stroke was not determined in nine.
CONCLUSIONS
The TOAST stroke subtype classification system is easy to use and has good interobserver agreement. This system should allow investigators to report responses to treatment among important subgroups of patients with ischemic stroke. Clinical trials testing treatments for acute ischemic stroke should include similar methods to diagnose subtypes of stroke. |
Attention-Aware Compositional Network for Person Re-identification | Person re-identification (ReID) is to identify pedestrians observed from different camera views based on visual appearance. It is a challenging task due to large pose variations, complex background clutters and severe occlusions. Recently, human pose estimation by predicting joint locations was largely improved in accuracy. It is reasonable to use pose estimation results for handling pose variations and background clutters, and such attempts have obtained great improvement in ReID performance. However, we argue that the pose information was not well utilized and hasn't yet been fully exploited for person ReID. In this work, we introduce a novel framework called Attention-Aware Compositional Network (AACN) for person ReID. AACN consists of two main components: Pose-guided Part Attention (PPA) and Attention-aware Feature Composition (AFC). PPA is learned and applied to mask out undesirable background features in pedestrian feature maps. Furthermore, pose-guided visibility scores are estimated for body parts to deal with part occlusion in the proposed AFC module. Extensive experiments with ablation analysis show the effectiveness of our method, and state-of-the-art results are achieved on several public datasets, including Market-1501, CUHK03, CUHK01, SenseReID, CUHK03-NP and DukeMTMC-reID. |
The Temporal Singularity: time-accelerated simulated civilizations and their implications | Provided significant future progress in artificial intelligence and computing, it may ultimately be possible to create multiple Artificial General Intelligences (AGIs), and possibly entire societies living within simulated environments. In that case, it should be possible to improve the problem solving capabilities of the system by increasing the speed of the simulation. If a minimal simulation with sufficient capabilities is created, it might manage to increase its own speed by accelerating progress in science and technology, in a way similar to the Technological Singularity. This may ultimately lead to large simulated civilizations unfolding at extreme temporal speedups, achieving what from the outside would look like a Temporal Singularity. Here we discuss the feasibility of the minimal simulation and the potential advantages, dangers, and connection to the Fermi paradox of the Temporal Singularity. The medium-term importance of the topic derives from the amount of computational power required to start the process, which could be available within the next decades, making the Temporal Singularity theoretically possible before the end of the century. |
A Wireless Sensor Network Border Monitoring System: Deployment Issues and Routing Protocols | External border surveillance is critical to the security of every state and the challenges it poses are changing and likely to intensify. Wireless sensor networks (WSN) are a low cost technology that provide an intelligence-led solution to effective continuous monitoring of large, busy, and complex landscapes. The linear network topology resulting from the structure of the monitored area raises challenges that have not been adequately addressed in the literature to date. In this paper, we identify an appropriate metric to measure the quality of WSN border crossing detection. Furthermore, we propose a method to calculate the required number of sensor nodes to deploy in order to achieve a specified level of coverage according to the chosen metric in a given belt region, while maintaining radio connectivity within the network. Then, we contribute a novel cross layer routing protocol, called levels division graph (LDG), designed specifically to address the communication needs and link reliability for topologically linear WSN applications. The performance of the proposed protocol is extensively evaluated in simulations using realistic conditions and parameters. LDG simulation results show significant performance gains when compared with its best rival in the literature, dynamic source routing (DSR). Compared with DSR, LDG improves the average end-to-end delays by up to 95%, packet delivery ratio by up to 20%, and throughput by up to 60%, while maintaining comparable performance in terms of normalized routing load and energy consumption. |
Comparative Analysis of Classifiers for Developing an Adaptive Computer-Assisted EEG Analysis System for Diagnosing Epilepsy | Computer-assisted analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) has a tremendous potential to assist clinicians during the diagnosis of epilepsy. These systems are trained to classify the EEG based on the ground truth provided by the neurologists. So, there should be a mechanism in these systems, using which a system's incorrect markings can be mentioned and the system should improve its classification by learning from them. We have developed a simple mechanism for neurologists to improve classification rate while encountering any false classification. This system is based on taking discrete wavelet transform (DWT) of the signals epochs which are then reduced using principal component analysis, and then they are fed into a classifier. After discussing our approach, we have shown the classification performance of three types of classifiers: support vector machine (SVM), quadratic discriminant analysis, and artificial neural network. We found SVM to be the best working classifier. Our work exhibits the importance and viability of a self-improving and user adapting computer-assisted EEG analysis system for diagnosing epilepsy which processes each channel exclusive to each other, along with the performance comparison of different machine learning techniques in the suggested system. |
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