Absolute continuity for operator valued completely positive maps on C∗-algebras

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gheondea, Aurelian; Kavruk, Ali Şamil

2009-02-01

Motivated by applicability to quantum operations, quantum information, and quantum probability, we investigate the notion of absolute continuity for operator valued completely positive maps on C∗-algebras, previously introduced by Parthasarathy [in Athens Conference on Applied Probability and Time Series Analysis I (Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1996), pp. 34-54]. We obtain an intrinsic definition of absolute continuity, we show that the Lebesgue decomposition defined by Parthasarathy is the maximal one among all other Lebesgue-type decompositions and that this maximal Lebesgue decomposition does not depend on the jointly dominating completely positive map, we obtain more flexible formulas for calculating the maximal Lebesgue decomposition, and we point out the nonuniqueness of the Lebesgue decomposition as well as a sufficient condition for uniqueness. In addition, we consider Radon-Nikodym derivatives for absolutely continuous completely positive maps that, in general, are unbounded positive self-adjoint operators affiliated to a certain von Neumann algebra, and we obtain a spectral approximation by bounded Radon-Nikodym derivatives. An application to the existence of the infimum of two completely positive maps is indicated, and formulas in terms of Choi's matrices for the Lebesgue decomposition of completely positive maps in matrix algebras are obtained.

Design, implementation, and application of 150-degree commutation VSI to improve speed range of sensored BLDC motor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozgenel, Mehmet Cihat

2017-09-01

Permanent magnet brushless dc (BLDC) motors are very convenient for many applications such as industrial, medical, robotic, aerospace, small electric vehicles, and home applications because of their inherent satisfying dynamic characteristics. There are numerous studies about these motors and their control schemes such as sensorless control and different speed and torque control schemes. All electric motors need commutation in order to produce speed and torque. Commutation in brushed DC motors is performed by means of a brush and collector. In BLDC motors, commutation is provided electronically in contrast to the brushed dc motors. In BLDC motors, motor phase windings are energized according to the information of the rotor position by inverter transistors. Rotor position information is used for commutation. Therefore, rotor position information is required to produce speed and torque for BLDC motors. The easiest and cheapest way to obtain rotor position information is to use Hall-effect or optical sensors. BLDC motor manufacturers generally produce BLDC motors equipped with three Hall-effect position sensors. Having three position sensors on BLDC motors provides six-step commutation which ensures two phase windings are energized in each moment. The third phase is empty. In this study, all phase windings are energized in the same time. This commutation method is twelve-step or 150 degrees commutation. So that more speed can be achieved from the same BLDC motor by comparison with six-step commutation. In this paper, both six-step and twelve-step commutation methods applied to the same BLDC motor and obtained experimental results from this study were presented, examined, and discussed.

Design, implementation, and application of 150-degree commutation VSI to improve speed range of sensored BLDC motor.

PubMed

Ozgenel, Mehmet Cihat

2017-09-01

Permanent magnet brushless dc (BLDC) motors are very convenient for many applications such as industrial, medical, robotic, aerospace, small electric vehicles, and home applications because of their inherent satisfying dynamic characteristics. There are numerous studies about these motors and their control schemes such as sensorless control and different speed and torque control schemes. All electric motors need commutation in order to produce speed and torque. Commutation in brushed DC motors is performed by means of a brush and collector. In BLDC motors, commutation is provided electronically in contrast to the brushed dc motors. In BLDC motors, motor phase windings are energized according to the information of the rotor position by inverter transistors. Rotor position information is used for commutation. Therefore, rotor position information is required to produce speed and torque for BLDC motors. The easiest and cheapest way to obtain rotor position information is to use Hall-effect or optical sensors. BLDC motor manufacturers generally produce BLDC motors equipped with three Hall-effect position sensors. Having three position sensors on BLDC motors provides six-step commutation which ensures two phase windings are energized in each moment. The third phase is empty. In this study, all phase windings are energized in the same time. This commutation method is twelve-step or 150 degrees commutation. So that more speed can be achieved from the same BLDC motor by comparison with six-step commutation. In this paper, both six-step and twelve-step commutation methods applied to the same BLDC motor and obtained experimental results from this study were presented, examined, and discussed.

3D vision system for intelligent milking robot automation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akhloufi, M. A.

2013-12-01

In a milking robot, the correct localization and positioning of milking teat cups is of very high importance. The milking robots technology has not changed since a decade and is based primarily on laser profiles for teats approximate positions estimation. This technology has reached its limit and does not allow optimal positioning of the milking cups. Also, in the presence of occlusions, the milking robot fails to milk the cow. These problems, have economic consequences for producers and animal health (e.g. development of mastitis). To overcome the limitations of current robots, we have developed a new system based on 3D vision, capable of efficiently positioning the milking cups. A prototype of an intelligent robot system based on 3D vision for real-time positioning of a milking robot has been built and tested under various conditions on a synthetic udder model (in static and moving scenarios). Experimental tests, were performed using 3D Time-Of-Flight (TOF) and RGBD cameras. The proposed algorithms permit the online segmentation of teats by combing 2D and 3D visual information. The obtained results permit the teat 3D position computation. This information is then sent to the milking robot for teat cups positioning. The vision system has a real-time performance and monitors the optimal positioning of the cups even in the presence of motion. The obtained results, with both TOF and RGBD cameras, show the good performance of the proposed system. The best performance was obtained with RGBD cameras. This latter technology will be used in future real life experimental tests.

Navigation system for a mobile robot with a visual sensor using a fish-eye lens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurata, Junichi; Grattan, Kenneth T. V.; Uchiyama, Hironobu

1998-02-01

Various position sensing and navigation systems have been proposed for the autonomous control of mobile robots. Some of these systems have been installed with an omnidirectional visual sensor system that proved very useful in obtaining information on the environment around the mobile robot for position reckoning. In this article, this type of navigation system is discussed. The sensor is composed of one TV camera with a fish-eye lens, using a reference target on a ceiling and hybrid image processing circuits. The position of the robot, with respect to the floor, is calculated by integrating the information obtained from a visual sensor and a gyroscope mounted in the mobile robot, and the use of a simple algorithm based on PTP control for guidance is discussed. An experimental trial showed that the proposed system was both valid and useful for the navigation of an indoor vehicle.

A Foot-Mounted Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Positioning Algorithm Based on Magnetic Constraint

PubMed Central

Zou, Jiaheng

2018-01-01

With the development of related applications, indoor positioning techniques have been more and more widely developed. Based on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth low energy (BLE) and geomagnetism, indoor positioning techniques often rely on the physical location of fingerprint information. The focus and difficulty of establishing the fingerprint database are in obtaining a relatively accurate physical location with as little given information as possible. This paper presents a foot-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU) positioning algorithm under the loop closure constraint based on magnetic information. It can provide relatively reliable position information without maps and geomagnetic information and provides a relatively accurate coordinate for the collection of a fingerprint database. In the experiment, the features extracted by the multi-level Fourier transform method proposed in this paper are validated and the validity of loop closure matching is tested with a RANSAC-based method. Moreover, the loop closure detection results show that the cumulative error of the trajectory processed by the graph optimization algorithm is significantly suppressed, presenting a good accuracy. The average error of the trajectory under loop closure constraint is controlled below 2.15 m. PMID:29494542

A Foot-Mounted Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) Positioning Algorithm Based on Magnetic Constraint.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Li, Xin; Zou, Jiaheng

2018-03-01

With the development of related applications, indoor positioning techniques have been more and more widely developed. Based on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth low energy (BLE) and geomagnetism, indoor positioning techniques often rely on the physical location of fingerprint information. The focus and difficulty of establishing the fingerprint database are in obtaining a relatively accurate physical location with as little given information as possible. This paper presents a foot-mounted inertial measurement unit (IMU) positioning algorithm under the loop closure constraint based on magnetic information. It can provide relatively reliable position information without maps and geomagnetic information and provides a relatively accurate coordinate for the collection of a fingerprint database. In the experiment, the features extracted by the multi-level Fourier transform method proposed in this paper are validated and the validity of loop closure matching is tested with a RANSAC-based method. Moreover, the loop closure detection results show that the cumulative error of the trajectory processed by the graph optimization algorithm is significantly suppressed, presenting a good accuracy. The average error of the trajectory under loop closure constraint is controlled below 2.15 m.

Structural Information from Single-molecule FRET Experiments Using the Fast Nano-positioning System

PubMed Central

Röcker, Carlheinz; Nagy, Julia; Michaelis, Jens

2017-01-01

Single-molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) can be used to obtain structural information on biomolecular complexes in real-time. Thereby, multiple smFRET measurements are used to localize an unknown dye position inside a protein complex by means of trilateration. In order to obtain quantitative information, the Nano-Positioning System (NPS) uses probabilistic data analysis to combine structural information from X-ray crystallography with single-molecule fluorescence data to calculate not only the most probable position but the complete three-dimensional probability distribution, termed posterior, which indicates the experimental uncertainty. The concept was generalized for the analysis of smFRET networks containing numerous dye molecules. The latest version of NPS, Fast-NPS, features a new algorithm using Bayesian parameter estimation based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling and parallel tempering that allows for the analysis of large smFRET networks in a comparably short time. Moreover, Fast-NPS allows the calculation of the posterior by choosing one of five different models for each dye, that account for the different spatial and orientational behavior exhibited by the dye molecules due to their local environment. Here we present a detailed protocol for obtaining smFRET data and applying the Fast-NPS. We provide detailed instructions for the acquisition of the three input parameters of Fast-NPS: the smFRET values, as well as the quantum yield and anisotropy of the dye molecules. Recently, the NPS has been used to elucidate the architecture of an archaeal open promotor complex. This data is used to demonstrate the influence of the five different dye models on the posterior distribution. PMID:28287526

Structural Information from Single-molecule FRET Experiments Using the Fast Nano-positioning System.

PubMed

Dörfler, Thilo; Eilert, Tobias; Röcker, Carlheinz; Nagy, Julia; Michaelis, Jens

2017-02-09

Single-molecule Förster Resonance Energy Transfer (smFRET) can be used to obtain structural information on biomolecular complexes in real-time. Thereby, multiple smFRET measurements are used to localize an unknown dye position inside a protein complex by means of trilateration. In order to obtain quantitative information, the Nano-Positioning System (NPS) uses probabilistic data analysis to combine structural information from X-ray crystallography with single-molecule fluorescence data to calculate not only the most probable position but the complete three-dimensional probability distribution, termed posterior, which indicates the experimental uncertainty. The concept was generalized for the analysis of smFRET networks containing numerous dye molecules. The latest version of NPS, Fast-NPS, features a new algorithm using Bayesian parameter estimation based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo sampling and parallel tempering that allows for the analysis of large smFRET networks in a comparably short time. Moreover, Fast-NPS allows the calculation of the posterior by choosing one of five different models for each dye, that account for the different spatial and orientational behavior exhibited by the dye molecules due to their local environment. Here we present a detailed protocol for obtaining smFRET data and applying the Fast-NPS. We provide detailed instructions for the acquisition of the three input parameters of Fast-NPS: the smFRET values, as well as the quantum yield and anisotropy of the dye molecules. Recently, the NPS has been used to elucidate the architecture of an archaeal open promotor complex. This data is used to demonstrate the influence of the five different dye models on the posterior distribution.

Obtaining a critical care pharmacist position: a marketing case study.

PubMed

Stratton, T P; Wu, B; Nakagawa, R S

1993-06-01

Marketing theory is used to explain how Pharmacy Department managers at a Vancouver-area hospital secured a new ICU pharmacist position in a period of severe fiscal constraint. Market segmentation, target marketing and pull marketing strategy were combined to obtain support for the new position. Improved drug information services for ICU nurses were promoted to Nursing Administration and enhanced pharmacotherapy monitoring was promoted to the two critical care physicians primarily responsible for patient care in the ICU. These physicians and Nursing Administration voiced their support for the new position to the V.P. of Nursing (the functional officer for Pharmacy), who then promoted the new position to Hospital Administration. A half-time DUR commitment by the ICU pharmacist was offered to Hospital Administration, expanding this already successful service and guaranteeing cost recovery for the new position. Hospital Administration approved the new ICU clinical pharmacist position in a budget which saw other hospital departments lose several positions.

HIV pre-test practices: an online survey examining perceptions of informed consent and pre-test information delivery in health care settings across the WHO European Region.

PubMed

Bell, Stephen; Casabona, Jordi; Tsereteli, Nino; Raben, Dorthe; de Wit, John

2017-05-01

The objective of this study was to gather health professionals' perceptions about gaining informed consent and delivering HIV pre-test information. An online self-report survey was completed by 338 respondents involved in HIV testing in 55 countries in the WHO European Region. Nearly two thirds (61.5%) of respondents thought that HIV testing guidelines used in their country of work included recommendations about pre-test information; 83% thought they included recommendations regarding obtaining informed consent. One third (34%) of respondents thought that written informed consent was required; respondents from Eastern Europe and Central Asia were more likely to perceive this as required. Respondents from Western Europe thought pre-test information about the following aspects was significantly less likely to be addressed than respondents in other regions: the right to decline a test; services available after a positive test; laws/regulations impacting someone being tested and receiving a positive test result; potential risks for a client taking an HIV test; the possible need for partner notification after a positive test result. Results offer insight into perceived HIV pre-test practices in all but two national settings across the WHO European Region, and can be used in the development and evaluation of future HIV testing guidelines in the WHO European Region. Findings highlight that practices of obtaining written informed consent depart from current guidelines in some HIV testing settings. Furthermore, findings underscore that it is uncommon for pre-test information to address legal and social risks and harms that people testing HIV-positive may incur. This differs from the most recent global WHO guidelines emphasising the importance of such information, and raises important questions regarding the implications and appropriateness of the currently dominant focus of recommendations on streamlining the HIV testing process.

Two-dimensional shape recognition using oriented-polar representation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Neng-Chung; Yu, Kuo-Kan; Hsu, Yung-Li

1997-10-01

To deal with such a problem as object recognition of position, scale, and rotation invariance (PSRI), we utilize some PSRI properties of images obtained from objects, for example, the centroid of the image. The corresponding position of the centroid to the boundary of the image is invariant in spite of rotation, scale, and translation of the image. To obtain the information of the image, we use the technique similar to Radon transform, called the oriented-polar representation of a 2D image. In this representation, two specific points, the centroid and the weighted mean point, are selected to form an initial ray, then the image is sampled with N angularly equispaced rays departing from the initial rays. Each ray contains a number of intersections and the distance information obtained from the centroid to the intersections. The shape recognition algorithm is based on the least total error of these two items of information. Together with a simple noise removal and a typical backpropagation neural network, this algorithm is simple, but the PSRI is achieved with a high recognition rate.

Probing hydrogen positions in hydrous compounds: information from parametric neutron powder diffraction studies.

PubMed

Ting, Valeska P; Henry, Paul F; Schmidtmann, Marc; Wilson, Chick C; Weller, Mark T

2012-05-21

We demonstrate the extent to which modern detector technology, coupled with a high flux constant wavelength neutron source, can be used to obtain high quality diffraction data from short data collections, allowing the refinement of the full structures (including hydrogen positions) of hydrous compounds from in situ neutron powder diffraction measurements. The in situ thermodiffractometry and controlled humidity studies reported here reveal that important information on the reorientations of structural water molecules with changing conditions can be easily extracted, providing insight into the effects of hydrogen bonding on bulk physical properties. Using crystalline BaCl2·2H2O as an example system, we analyse the structural changes in the compound and its dehydration intermediates with changing temperature and humidity levels to demonstrate the quality of the dynamic structural information on the hydrogen atoms and associated hydrogen bonding that can be obtained without resorting to sample deuteration.

Preface: High-rate GNSS: Theory, methods and engineering/geophysical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Peiliang

2017-06-01

Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) have revolutionized the science and engineering of positioning, timing and navigation and have become an indispensable means to rapidly obtain precise positioning-related information, profoundly affecting our daily life and infrastructure. With GNSS, the position of an object, either stationary or moving, can be determined anywhere, anytime and under any weather condition. In addition to providing a positioning and timing information service, GNSS are now also used to reconstruct physical properties of media through which GNSS signals travel. The utilization of additional GNSS systems such as the European Galileo and the Chinese Beidou (both expected to complete their final global constellations in 2020) will contribute to positioning/navigation science and engineering, provide more industrial opportunities and surely open more challenges.

The Florida Position and Career Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee.

The document was published to inform the public of Florida activities in career education. Eight components are briefly described, the funding or coordinating organization or institution is identified, and contact for obtaining additional information about each one is given. Described are: Project Pro-CESS, the Professional Career Educator's…

Quantum-enhanced spectroscopy with entangled multiphoton states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinani, Hossein T.; Gupta, Manish K.; Dowling, Jonathan P.; Berry, Dominic W.

2016-06-01

Traditionally, spectroscopy is performed by examining the position of absorption lines. However, at frequencies near the transition frequency, additional information can be obtained from the phase shift. In this work we consider the information about the transition frequency obtained from both the absorption and the phase shift, as quantified by the Fisher information in an interferometric measurement. We examine the use of multiple single-photon states, NOON states, and numerically optimized states that are entangled and have multiple photons. We find the optimized states that improve over the standard quantum limit set by independent single photons for some atom number densities.

Earth and space science - Oceans

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stewart, R. H.

1983-01-01

Satellite observations of the oceans are now being used to obtain new information about the oceanic geoid, currents, winds, tides and the interaction of the ocean with the atmosphere. In addition, satellites routinely relay information from the sea surface to laboratories on land, and determine the position of instruments drifting on the sea surface.

The Shannon entropy information for mixed Manning Rosen potential in D-dimensional Schrodinger equation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suparmi, A.; Cari, C.; Nur Pratiwi, Beta; Arya Nugraha, Dewanta

2017-01-01

D dimensional Schrodinger equation for the mixed Manning Rosen potential was investigated using supersymmetric quantum mechanics. We obtained the energy eigenvalues from radial part solution and wavefunctions in radial and angular parts solution. From the lowest radial wavefunctions, we evaluated the Shannon entropy information using Matlab software. Based on the entropy densities demonstrated graphically, we obtained that the wave of position information entropy density moves right when the value of potential parameter q increases, while its wave moves left with the increase of parameter α. The wave of momentum information entropy densities were expressed in graphs. We observe that its amplitude increase with increasing parameter q and α

Improved navigation by combining VOR/DME information with air or inertial data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bobick, J. C.; Bryson, A. E., Jr.

1972-01-01

The improvement was determined in navigational accuracy obtainable by combining VOR/DME information (from one or two stations) with air data (airspeed and heading) or with data from an inertial navigation system (INS) by means of a maximum-likelihood filter. It was found that the addition of air data to the information from one VOR/DME station reduces the RMS position error by a factor of about 2, whereas the addition of inertial data from a low-quality INS reduces the RMS position error by a factor of about 3. The use of information from two VOR/DME stations with air or inertial data yields large factors of improvement in RMS position accuracy over the use of a single VOR/DME station, roughly 15 to 20 for the air-data case and 25 to 35 for the inertial-data case. As far as position accuracy is concerned, at most one VOR station need be used. When continuously updating an INS with VOR/DME information, the use of a high-quality INS (0.01 deg/hr gyro drift) instead of a low-quality INS (1.0 deg/hr gyro drift) does not substantially improve position accuracy.

Topography reconstruction of specular surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kammel, Soren; Horbach, Jan

2005-01-01

Specular surfaces are used in a wide variety of industrial and consumer products like varnished or chrome plated parts of car bodies, dies, molds or optical components. Shape deviations of these products usually reduce their quality regarding visual appearance and/or technical performance. One reliable method to inspect such surfaces is deflectometry. It can be employed to obtain highly accurate values representing the local curvature of the surfaces. In a deflectometric measuring system, a series of illumination patterns is reflected at the specular surface and is observed by a camera. The distortions of the patterns in the acquired images contain information about the shape of the surface. This information is suited for the detection and measurement of surface defects like bumps, dents and waviness with depths in the range of a few microns. However, without additional information about the distances between the camera and each observed surface point, a shape reconstruction is only possible in some special cases. Therefore, the reconstruction approach described in this paper uses data observed from at least two different camera positions. The data obtained is used separately to estimate the local surface curvature for each camera position. From the curvature values, the epipolar geometry for the different camera positions is recovered. Matching the curvature values along the epipolar lines yields an estimate of the 3d position of the corresponding surface points. With this additional information, the deflectometric gradient data can be integrated to represent the surface topography.

Impression of multiple implants using photogrammetry: description of technique and case presentation.

PubMed

Peñarrocha-Oltra, David; Agustín-Panadero, Rubén; Bagán, Leticia; Giménez, Beatriz; Peñarrocha, María

2014-07-01

To describe a technique for registering the positions of multiple dental implants using a system based on photogrammetry. A case is presented in which a prosthetic treatment was performed using this technique. Three Euroteknika® dental implants were placed to rehabilitate a 55-year-old male patient with right posterior maxillary edentulism. Three months later, the positions of the implants were registered using a photogrammetry-based stereo-camera (PICcamera®). After processing patient and implant data, special abutments (PICabutment®) were screwed onto each implant. The PICcamera® was then used to capture images of the implant positions, automatically taking 150 images in less than 60 seconds. From this information a file was obtained describing the relative positions - angles and distances - of each implant in vector form. Information regarding the soft tissues was obtained from an alginate impression that was cast in plaster and scanned. A Cr-Co structure was obtained using CAD/CAM, and its passive fit was verified in the patient's mouth using the Sheffield test and the screw resistance test. Twelve months after loading, peri-implant tissues were healthy and no marginal bone loss was observed. The clinical application of this new system using photogrammetry to record the position of multiple dental implants facilitated the rehabilitation of a patient with posterior maxillary edentulism by means of a prosthesis with optimal fit. The prosthetic process was accurate, fast, simple to apply and comfortable for the patient.

Theorizing the Pathways From Seeking and Scanning to Mammography Screening.

PubMed

Lee, Chul-Joo; Zhao, Xiaoquan; Pena-y-Lillo, Macarena

2016-01-01

This study combines insights from existing theories in mass communication and health communication, and builds an integrated model accounting for the mechanisms by which an individual's acquisition of mammogram-related media information becomes associated with intentions to obtain a mammogram. Our model was largely supported by a survey with a nationally representative sample of American females between the ages of 40 and 70 years. As expected, seeking and scanning mammogram-related information from the media were both positively associated with reflective integration of media health information, which in turn was positively related to behavioral attitudes and perceived normative pressures. Attitudes and normative pressures were then positively linked to the intention to get a mammogram. Based on these findings, we offer some suggestions for future research in this area.

Fusion of Hierarchical Identity Declaration for Naval Command and Control

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-09-06

potential threat. Deductive reasoning plays a key role in determining behavioral information (Wilson, Ref. 1 ). In warfare, no one piece of...identity information can be obtained. P499630.PDF [Page: 17 of 122] UNCLASSIFIED 6 FIGURE 2- Examples ofinformation Sources and Co:rresponding...with more accurate and timely information concerning the position and identity of detected objects. Examples of such technology advancement follow

Confidentiality, Informed Consent, and Ethical Considerations in Reviewing the Client's Psychotherapy Records

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Blunt, David R.

2006-01-01

Ethical dilemmas that break the confidentiality of the client eventually test the psychologist's boundaries such that not taking action may place the patient in a position where they suffer, hurt themselves, or others. The effectiveness in obtaining a valid informed consent might depend upon the therapists training, experience, and sound judgment…

An Upper Bound on Orbital Debris Collision Probability When Only One Object has Position Uncertainty Information

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frisbee, Joseph H., Jr.

2015-01-01

Upper bounds on high speed satellite collision probability, P (sub c), have been investigated. Previous methods assume an individual position error covariance matrix is available for each object. The two matrices being combined into a single, relative position error covariance matrix. Components of the combined error covariance are then varied to obtain a maximum P (sub c). If error covariance information for only one of the two objects was available, either some default shape has been used or nothing could be done. An alternative is presented that uses the known covariance information along with a critical value of the missing covariance to obtain an approximate but useful P (sub c) upper bound. There are various avenues along which an upper bound on the high speed satellite collision probability has been pursued. Typically, for the collision plane representation of the high speed collision probability problem, the predicted miss position in the collision plane is assumed fixed. Then the shape (aspect ratio of ellipse), the size (scaling of standard deviations) or the orientation (rotation of ellipse principal axes) of the combined position error ellipse is varied to obtain a maximum P (sub c). Regardless as to the exact details of the approach, previously presented methods all assume that an individual position error covariance matrix is available for each object and the two are combined into a single, relative position error covariance matrix. This combined position error covariance matrix is then modified according to the chosen scheme to arrive at a maximum P (sub c). But what if error covariance information for one of the two objects is not available? When error covariance information for one of the objects is not available the analyst has commonly defaulted to the situation in which only the relative miss position and velocity are known without any corresponding state error covariance information. The various usual methods of finding a maximum P (sub c) do no good because the analyst defaults to no knowledge of the combined, relative position error covariance matrix. It is reasonable to think, given an assumption of no covariance information, an analyst might still attempt to determine the error covariance matrix that results in an upper bound on the P (sub c). Without some guidance on limits to the shape, size and orientation of the unknown covariance matrix, the limiting case is a degenerate ellipse lying along the relative miss vector in the collision plane. Unless the miss position is exceptionally large or the at-risk object is exceptionally small, this method results in a maximum P (sub c) too large to be of practical use. For example, assuming that the miss distance is equal to the current ISS alert volume along-track (+ or -) distance of 25 kilometers and that the at-risk area has a 70 meter radius. The maximum (degenerate ellipse) P (sub c) is about 0.00136. At 40 kilometers, the maximum P (sub c) would be 0.00085 which is still almost an order of magnitude larger than the ISS maneuver threshold of 0.0001. In fact, a miss distance of almost 340 kilometers is necessary to reduce the maximum P (sub c) associated with this degenerate ellipse to the ISS maneuver threshold value. Such a result is frequently of no practical value to the analyst. Some improvement may be made with respect to this problem by realizing that while the position error covariance matrix of one of the objects (usually the debris object) may not be known the position error covariance matrix of the other object (usually the asset) is almost always available. Making use of the position error covariance information for the one object provides an improvement in finding a maximum P (sub c) which, in some cases, may offer real utility. The equations to be used are presented and their use discussed.

New method for obtaining position and time structure of source in HDR remote afterloading brachytherapy unit utilizing light emission from scintillator

PubMed Central

Hanada, Takashi; Katsuta, Shoichi; Yorozu, Atsunori; Maruyama, Koichi

2009-01-01

When using a HDR remote afterloading brachytherapy unit, results of treatment can be greatly influenced by both source position and treatment time. The purpose of this study is to obtain information on the source of the HDR remote afterloading unit, such as its position and time structure, with the use of a simple system consisting of a plastic scintillator block and a charge‐coupled device (CCD) camera. The CCD camera was used for recording images of scintillation luminescence at a fixed rate of 30 frames per second in real time. The source position and time structure were obtained by analyzing the recorded images. For a preset source‐step‐interval of 5 mm, the measured value of the source position was 5.0±1.0mm, with a pixel resolution of 0.07 mm in the recorded images. For a preset transit time of 30 s, the measured value was 30.0±0.6 s, when the time resolution of the CCD camera was 1/30 s. This system enabled us to obtain the source dwell time and movement time. Therefore, parameters such as I192r source position, transit time, dwell time, and movement time at each dwell position can be determined quantitatively using this plastic scintillator‐CCD camera system. PACS number: 87.53.Jw

Physical pendulum—a simple experiment can give comprehensive information about a rigid body

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kladivová, Mária; Mucha, L'ubomír

2014-03-01

A simple experiment with a physical pendulum examining some aspects of rigid body motion is presented in this paper. The experiment consists of measuring the period of oscillation of a rod with non-homogeneous mass distribution used as a physical pendulum, dependent upon the position of the pivot axis. The obtained dependence provides sufficient information to calculate the position of the centre of mass, moment of inertia of the rigid body and local gravitational acceleration. This experiment is intended for secondary school and undergraduate students.

Proceedings of the Meeting of the Coordinating Group on Modern Control Theory (4th) Held at Rochester, Michigan on 27-28 October 1982. Part 1

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-10-01

and time-to-go (T60) are provided from the Estimation Algorithm. The gimbal angle commands used in the first two phases are applied to the gimbal...lighting techniques are also used to simplify image understanding or to extract additional information about position, range, or shape of objects in the...motion or firing dis- turbances. Since useful muzzle position and rate information is difficult to obtain, conventional feedback techniques 447 cannot

Information Content Moderates Positivity and Negativity Biases in Memory

PubMed Central

Hess, Thomas M.; Popham, Lauren E.; Dennis, Paul A.; Emery, Lisa

2014-01-01

Two experiments examined the impact of encoding conditions and information content in memory for positive, neutral, and negative pictures. We examined the hypotheses that the positivity effect in memory (i.e., a bias in favor of positive or against negative information in later life) would be reduced when (a) pictures were viewed under structured as opposed to unstructured conditions, and (b) contained social as opposed to nonsocial content. Both experiments found that the positivity effect observed with nonsocial stimuli was absent with social stimuli. In addition, little evidence was obtained that encoding conditions affected the strength of the positivity effect. We argue that some types of social stimuli may engage different types of processing than nonsocial stimuli, perhaps encouraging self-referential processing that engages attention and supports memory. This processing may then conflict with the goal-driven, top-down processing that is hypothesized to drive the positivity effect. Thus, our results identify further boundary conditions associated with the positivity effect in memory, arguing that stimulus factors as well as situational goals may affect its occurrence. Further research awaits to determine if this effect is specific to all social stimuli or specific subsets. PMID:23421322

Information content moderates positivity and negativity biases in memory.

PubMed

Hess, Thomas M; Popham, Lauren E; Dennis, Paul A; Emery, Lisa

2013-09-01

Two experiments examined the impact of encoding conditions and information content in memory for positive, neutral, and negative pictures. We examined the hypotheses that the positivity effect in memory (i.e., a bias in favor of positive or against negative information in later life) would be reduced when (a) pictures were viewed under structured as opposed to unstructured conditions, and (b) contained social as opposed to nonsocial content. Both experiments found that the positivity effect observed with nonsocial stimuli was absent with social stimuli. In addition, little evidence was obtained that encoding conditions affected the strength of the positivity effect. We argue that some types of social stimuli may engage different types of processing than nonsocial stimuli, perhaps encouraging self-referential processing that engages attention and supports memory. This processing may then conflict with the goal-driven, top-down processing that is hypothesized to drive the positivity effect. Thus, our results identify further boundary conditions associated with the positivity effect in memory, arguing that stimulus factors as well as situational goals may affect its occurrence. Further research awaits to determine if this effect is specific to all social stimuli or specific subsets.

Indoor Map Aided Wi-Fi Integrated Lbs on Smartphone Platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, C.; El-Sheimy, N.

2017-09-01

In this research, an indoor map aided INS/Wi-Fi integrated location based services (LBS) applications is proposed and implemented on smartphone platforms. Indoor map information together with measurements from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value from Wi-Fi are collected to obtain an accurate, continuous, and low-cost position solution. The main challenge of this research is to make effective use of various measurements that complement each other without increasing the computational burden of the system. The integrated system in this paper includes three modules: INS, Wi-Fi (if signal available) and indoor maps. A cascade structure Particle/Kalman filter framework is applied to combine the different modules. Firstly, INS position and Wi-Fi fingerprint position integrated through Kalman filter for estimating positioning information. Then, indoor map information is applied to correct the error of INS/Wi-Fi estimated position through particle filter. Indoor tests show that the proposed method can effectively reduce the accumulation positioning errors of stand-alone INS systems, and provide stable, continuous and reliable indoor location service.

Estimation of positive semidefinite correlation matrices by using convex quadratic semidefinite programming.

PubMed

Fushiki, Tadayoshi

2009-07-01

The correlation matrix is a fundamental statistic that is used in many fields. For example, GroupLens, a collaborative filtering system, uses the correlation between users for predictive purposes. Since the correlation is a natural similarity measure between users, the correlation matrix may be used in the Gram matrix in kernel methods. However, the estimated correlation matrix sometimes has a serious defect: although the correlation matrix is originally positive semidefinite, the estimated one may not be positive semidefinite when not all ratings are observed. To obtain a positive semidefinite correlation matrix, the nearest correlation matrix problem has recently been studied in the fields of numerical analysis and optimization. However, statistical properties are not explicitly used in such studies. To obtain a positive semidefinite correlation matrix, we assume the approximate model. By using the model, an estimate is obtained as the optimal point of an optimization problem formulated with information on the variances of the estimated correlation coefficients. The problem is solved by a convex quadratic semidefinite program. A penalized likelihood approach is also examined. The MovieLens data set is used to test our approach.

Talking about Kidney Transplants.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Solomon, Joan; Swift, Julia

1990-01-01

Described is a project in which information about the moral issues surrounding tissue transplants was obtained and videotaped for classroom use. Moral positions and possible educational strategies are discussed. Examples of student statements are presented. (CW)

HIV and the epidemiologist.

PubMed

Gillett, G

1989-11-18

The need for reliable epidemiological data on HIV seropositivity rates in a general population appears to conflict with the ethical requirement that consent be obtained from persons whose blood is screened for HIV antibodies. Gillet contends that informed consent is not necessary for epidemiological screening since there is no reason to link blood samples and test results with identifiable individuals. He argues that it is ethical to test blood drawn from hospital patients who have given a very general and "non-informative sort of consent" that their blood can be used anonymously for research. Even this degree of consent may be unnecessary since it would be impossible to trace an HIV positive anonymous blood sample to its source. Gillet also argues that this method of obtaining samples relieves epidemiologists of the obligation to notify individuals whose blood tests positive for HIV.

[Tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis in workers of bovine tuberculosis sanitation farms in Antioquia, Boyacá and Cundinamarca].

PubMed

Leal-Bohórquez, Andrés F; Castro-Osorio, Claudia M; Wintaco-Martínez, Luz M; Villalobos, Rafael; Puerto-Castro, Gloria M

2016-01-01

To perform classic and molecular epidemiological surveillance of human tuberculosis caused by Mycobacterium bovis in bovine supply chains at farms with PPD positive bovines in the departments of Antioquia, Boyacá and Cundinamarca during a one-year period. Livestock farms with PPD positive bovines or buffalos were visited in the study departments according to information obtained in the "Programa Nacional de Tuberculosis bovina" (National program on bovine Tuberculosis) released by ICA (Colombian Agriculture and Livestock Institute). Data on socio-demographic information and tuberculosis risk factors associated to the occupation were collected through a survey applied to all workers at the visited farms. Sputum samples were obtained after informed consent. The sputa underwent microbiological and molecular testing to identify members of the M. tuberculosis complex. Thirty-three livestock farms were visited and information of 164 workers from the bovine supply chain was collected. Staying in a PPD positive farm for more than a year, ignorance about the disease and the presence of possible vectors, like dogs and cats, were identified as possible risk factors for developing tuberculosis. No cases of tuberculosis caused by M. bovis or M. tuberculosis in workers of the visited farms were found. No cases of the disease caused by this zoonotic agent were documented in the departments of Antioquia, Boyacá and Cundinamarca.

Real-time wideband cylindrical holographic surveillance system

DOEpatents

Sheen, David M.; McMakin, Douglas L.; Hall, Thomas E.; Severtsen, Ronald H.

1999-01-01

A wideband holographic cylindrical surveillance system including a transceiver for generating a plurality of electromagnetic waves; antenna for transmitting the electromagnetic waves toward a target at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; the transceiver also receiving and converting electromagnetic waves reflected from the target to electrical signals at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; a computer for processing the electrical signals to obtain signals corresponding to a holographic reconstruction of the target; and a display for displaying the processed information to determine nature of the target. The computer has instructions to apply Fast Fourier Transforms and obtain a three dimensional cylindrical image.

Impression of multiple implants using photogrammetry: Description of technique and case presentation

PubMed Central

Peñarrocha-Oltra, David; Agustín-Panadero, Rubén; Bagán, Leticia; Giménez, Beatriz

2014-01-01

Aim: To describe a technique for registering the positions of multiple dental implants using a system based on photogrammetry. A case is presented in which a prosthetic treatment was performed using this technique. Study Design: Three Euroteknika® dental implants were placed to rehabilitate a 55-year-old male patient with right posterior maxillary edentulism. Three months later, the positions of the implants were registered using a photogrammetry-based stereo-camera (PICcamera®). After processing patient and implant data, special abutments (PICabutment®) were screwed onto each implant. The PICcamera® was then used to capture images of the implant positions, automatically taking 150 images in less than 60 seconds. From this information a file was obtained describing the relative positions – angles and distances – of each implant in vector form. Information regarding the soft tissues was obtained from an alginate impression that was cast in plaster and scanned. A Cr-Co structure was obtained using CAD/CAM, and its passive fit was verified in the patient’s mouth using the Sheffield test and the screw resistance test. Results and Conclusions: Twelve months after loading, peri-implant tissues were healthy and no marginal bone loss was observed. The clinical application of this new system using photogrammetry to record the position of multiple dental implants facilitated the rehabilitation of a patient with posterior maxillary edentulism by means of a prosthesis with optimal fit. The prosthetic process was accurate, fast, simple to apply and comfortable for the patient. Key words:Dental implants, photogrammetry, dental impression technique, CAD/CAM. PMID:24608216

Aerodynamic study of different cyclist positions: CFD analysis and full-scale wind-tunnel tests.

PubMed

Defraeye, Thijs; Blocken, Bert; Koninckx, Erwin; Hespel, Peter; Carmeliet, Jan

2010-05-07

Three different cyclist positions were evaluated with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind-tunnel experiments were used to provide reliable data to evaluate the accuracy of the CFD simulations. Specific features of this study are: (1) both steady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) and unsteady flow modelling, with more advanced turbulence modelling techniques (Large-Eddy Simulation - LES), were evaluated; (2) the boundary layer on the cyclist's surface was resolved entirely with low-Reynolds number modelling, instead of modelling it with wall functions; (3) apart from drag measurements, also surface pressure measurements on the cyclist's body were performed in the wind-tunnel experiment, which provided the basis for a more detailed evaluation of the predicted flow field by CFD. The results show that the simulated and measured drag areas differed about 11% (RANS) and 7% (LES), which is considered to be a close agreement in CFD studies. A fair agreement with wind-tunnel data was obtained for the predicted surface pressures, especially with LES. Despite the higher accuracy of LES, its much higher computational cost could make RANS more attractive for practical use in some situations. CFD is found to be a valuable tool to evaluate the drag of different cyclist positions and to investigate the influence of small adjustments in the cyclist's position. A strong advantage of CFD is that detailed flow field information is obtained, which cannot easily be obtained from wind-tunnel tests. This detailed information allows more insight in the causes of the drag force and provides better guidance for position improvements. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Information-Driven Active Audio-Visual Source Localization

PubMed Central

Schult, Niclas; Reineking, Thomas; Kluss, Thorsten; Zetzsche, Christoph

2015-01-01

We present a system for sensorimotor audio-visual source localization on a mobile robot. We utilize a particle filter for the combination of audio-visual information and for the temporal integration of consecutive measurements. Although the system only measures the current direction of the source, the position of the source can be estimated because the robot is able to move and can therefore obtain measurements from different directions. These actions by the robot successively reduce uncertainty about the source’s position. An information gain mechanism is used for selecting the most informative actions in order to minimize the number of actions required to achieve accurate and precise position estimates in azimuth and distance. We show that this mechanism is an efficient solution to the action selection problem for source localization, and that it is able to produce precise position estimates despite simplified unisensory preprocessing. Because of the robot’s mobility, this approach is suitable for use in complex and cluttered environments. We present qualitative and quantitative results of the system’s performance and discuss possible areas of application. PMID:26327619

Sample Selection for Training Cascade Detectors.

PubMed

Vállez, Noelia; Deniz, Oscar; Bueno, Gloria

2015-01-01

Automatic detection systems usually require large and representative training datasets in order to obtain good detection and false positive rates. Training datasets are such that the positive set has few samples and/or the negative set should represent anything except the object of interest. In this respect, the negative set typically contains orders of magnitude more images than the positive set. However, imbalanced training databases lead to biased classifiers. In this paper, we focus our attention on a negative sample selection method to properly balance the training data for cascade detectors. The method is based on the selection of the most informative false positive samples generated in one stage to feed the next stage. The results show that the proposed cascade detector with sample selection obtains on average better partial AUC and smaller standard deviation than the other compared cascade detectors.

An Information-Theoretical Approach to Image Resolution Applied to Neutron Imaging Detectors Based Upon Individual Discriminator Signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clergeau, Jean-François; Ferraton, Matthieu; Guérard, Bruno; Khaplanov, Anton; Piscitelli, Francesco; Platz, Martin; Rigal, Jean-Marie; Van Esch, Patrick; Daullé, Thibault

2017-01-01

1D or 2D neutron position sensitive detectors with individual wire or strip readout using discriminators have the advantage of being able to treat several neutron impacts partially overlapping in time, hence reducing global dead time. A single neutron impact usually gives rise to several discriminator signals. In this paper, we introduce an information-theoretical definition of image resolution. Two point-like spots of neutron impacts with a given distance between them act as a source of information (each neutron hit belongs to one spot or the other), and the detector plus signal treatment is regarded as an imperfect communication channel that transmits this information. The maximal mutual information obtained from this channel as a function of the distance between the spots allows to define a calibration-independent measure of position resolution. We then apply this measure to quantify the power of position resolution of different algorithms treating these individual discriminator signals which can be implemented in firmware. The method is then applied to different detectors existing at the ILL. Center-of-gravity methods usually improve the position resolution over best-wire algorithms which are the standard way of treating these signals.

Curiosity and reward: Valence predicts choice and information prediction errors enhance learning.

PubMed

Marvin, Caroline B; Shohamy, Daphna

2016-03-01

Curiosity drives many of our daily pursuits and interactions; yet, we know surprisingly little about how it works. Here, we harness an idea implied in many conceptualizations of curiosity: that information has value in and of itself. Reframing curiosity as the motivation to obtain reward-where the reward is information-allows one to leverage major advances in theoretical and computational mechanisms of reward-motivated learning. We provide new evidence supporting 2 predictions that emerge from this framework. First, we find an asymmetric effect of positive versus negative information, with positive information enhancing both curiosity and long-term memory for information. Second, we find that it is not the absolute value of information that drives learning but, rather, the gap between the reward expected and reward received, an "information prediction error." These results support the idea that information functions as a reward, much like money or food, guiding choices and driving learning in systematic ways. (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Coupling of replisome movement with nucleosome dynamics can contribute to the parent-daughter information transfer.

PubMed

Bameta, Tripti; Das, Dibyendu; Padinhateeri, Ranjith

2018-06-01

Positioning of nucleosomes along the genomic DNA is crucial for many cellular processes that include gene regulation and higher order packaging of chromatin. The question of how nucleosome-positioning information from a parent chromatin gets transferred to the daughter chromatin is highly intriguing. Accounting for experimentally known coupling between replisome movement and nucleosome dynamics, we propose a model that can obtain de novo nucleosome assembly similar to what is observed in recent experiments. Simulating nucleosome dynamics during replication, we argue that short pausing of the replication fork, associated with nucleosome disassembly, can be a event crucial for communicating nucleosome positioning information from parent to daughter. We show that the interplay of timescales between nucleosome disassembly (τp) at the replication fork and nucleosome sliding behind the fork (τs) can give rise to a rich 'phase diagram' having different inherited patterns of nucleosome organization. Our model predicts that only when τp ≥ τs the daughter chromatin can inherit nucleosome positioning of the parent.

Bayesian Geostatistical Analysis and Ecoclimatic Determinants of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Infection among Horses

PubMed Central

Boysen, Courtney; Davis, Elizabeth G.; Beard, Laurie A.; Lubbers, Brian V.; Raghavan, Ram K.

2015-01-01

Kansas witnessed an unprecedented outbreak in Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection among horses, a disease commonly referred to as pigeon fever during fall 2012. Bayesian geostatistical models were developed to identify key environmental and climatic risk factors associated with C. pseudotuberculosis infection in horses. Positive infection status among horses (cases) was determined by positive test results for characteristic abscess formation, positive bacterial culture on purulent material obtained from a lanced abscess (n = 82), or positive serologic evidence of exposure to organism (≥1:512)(n = 11). Horses negative for these tests (n = 172)(controls) were considered free of infection. Information pertaining to horse demographics and stabled location were obtained through review of medical records and/or contact with horse owners via telephone. Covariate information for environmental and climatic determinants were obtained from USDA (soil attributes), USGS (land use/land cover), and NASA MODIS and NASA Prediction of Worldwide Renewable Resources (climate). Candidate covariates were screened using univariate regression models followed by Bayesian geostatistical models with and without covariates. The best performing model indicated a protective effect for higher soil moisture content (OR = 0.53, 95% CrI = 0.25, 0.71), and detrimental effects for higher land surface temperature (≥35°C) (OR = 2.81, 95% CrI = 2.21, 3.85) and habitat fragmentation (OR = 1.31, 95% CrI = 1.27, 2.22) for C. pseudotuberculosis infection status in horses, while age, gender and breed had no effect. Preventative and ecoclimatic significance of these findings are discussed. PMID:26473728

Bayesian Geostatistical Analysis and Ecoclimatic Determinants of Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis Infection among Horses.

PubMed

Boysen, Courtney; Davis, Elizabeth G; Beard, Laurie A; Lubbers, Brian V; Raghavan, Ram K

2015-01-01

Kansas witnessed an unprecedented outbreak in Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection among horses, a disease commonly referred to as pigeon fever during fall 2012. Bayesian geostatistical models were developed to identify key environmental and climatic risk factors associated with C. pseudotuberculosis infection in horses. Positive infection status among horses (cases) was determined by positive test results for characteristic abscess formation, positive bacterial culture on purulent material obtained from a lanced abscess (n = 82), or positive serologic evidence of exposure to organism (≥ 1:512)(n = 11). Horses negative for these tests (n = 172)(controls) were considered free of infection. Information pertaining to horse demographics and stabled location were obtained through review of medical records and/or contact with horse owners via telephone. Covariate information for environmental and climatic determinants were obtained from USDA (soil attributes), USGS (land use/land cover), and NASA MODIS and NASA Prediction of Worldwide Renewable Resources (climate). Candidate covariates were screened using univariate regression models followed by Bayesian geostatistical models with and without covariates. The best performing model indicated a protective effect for higher soil moisture content (OR = 0.53, 95% CrI = 0.25, 0.71), and detrimental effects for higher land surface temperature (≥ 35°C) (OR = 2.81, 95% CrI = 2.21, 3.85) and habitat fragmentation (OR = 1.31, 95% CrI = 1.27, 2.22) for C. pseudotuberculosis infection status in horses, while age, gender and breed had no effect. Preventative and ecoclimatic significance of these findings are discussed.

An investigation on task-technology fit of mobile nursing information systems for nursing performance.

PubMed

Hsiao, Ju-Ling; Chen, Rai-Fu

2012-05-01

This study investigates factors affecting the fit between nursing tasks and mobile nursing information systems and the relationships between the task-technology fit of mobile nursing information systems and nurse performance from the perspective of task-technology fit. Survey research recruited nursing staffs as subjects from selected case hospital. A total of 310 questionnaires were sent out, and 219 copies were obtained, indicating a valid response rate of 70.6%. Collected data were analyzed using the structural equation modeling technique. Our study found that dependence tasks have positive effects on information acquisition (γ=0.234, P<.05) and information identification (γ=0.478, P<.001), and independent tasks have significant effects on information acquisition (γ=0.213, P<.05). Therefore, the introduction of mobile nursing information systems in assisting nursing practices can help facilitate both independent and dependent nursing tasks. Our study discovered that the supporting functions of mobile nursing information systems have positive effects on information integration and interpretation (γ=0.365, P<.001), as well as information acquisition (γ=0.253, P<.05). The service supports of mobile nursing information systems have positive effects on information acquisition (γ=0.318, P<.001) and information integration and interpretation (γ=0.143, P<.01). Furthermore, information identification (β=.055, P<.05), information acquisition (β=.176, P<.001), and information integration and interpretation (β=.706, P<.001) provided using mobile nursing information systems have positive effects on nursing performance, indicating 83.2% of totally explained variance. As shown, the use of mobile nursing information systems could provide nursing staffs with real-time and accurate information to increase efficiency and effectiveness in patient-care duties, further improving nursing performance.

Prevalence and correlates of health information-seeking among Hispanic and non-Hispanic childhood cancer survivors.

PubMed

Miller, Kimberly A; Ramirez, Cynthia N; Wojcik, Katherine Y; Ritt-Olson, Anamara; Baezconde-Garbanati, Lourdes; Thomas, Stefanie M; Freyer, David R; Hamilton, Ann S; Milam, Joel E

2018-04-01

Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) report high unmet information needs. This study examined the prevalence of cancer-related information-seeking among CCS and investigated associations between information-seeking behavior and positive health outcomes such as follow-up care. Participants (n = 193) were young adult CCS diagnosed with cancer in Los Angeles County, 54% of Hispanic ethnicity, with a mean age of 19.87, in remission, and at least 2 years from completion of treatment. CCS were asked where they accessed health information related to their cancer with response options categorized into four information domains: hospital resources, social media, other survivors, and family members. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess variables associated with each information domain, including sociodemographics, post-traumatic growth (i.e., reporting positive changes since cancer diagnosis), health care engagement, level of education, and health insurance status. Hospital resources were the most commonly accessed information domain (65.3%), and CCS of Hispanic ethnicity (vs. non-Hispanic) were more likely to access this source. Seeking information from other cancer survivors was positively associated with follow-up care and post-traumatic growth. Hispanic CCS were marginally less likely to seek information from other survivors and family than non-Hispanics. While CCS obtain information from a variety of sources, hospital resources are an important site for access, particularly for individuals of Hispanic ethnicity. Information sharing between survivors may promote positive health care engagement; however, Hispanic CCS may be less likely to utilize this resource and may face barriers in information sharing with other cancer survivors.

Fragmentation study of iridoid glucosides through positive and negative electrospray ionization, collision-induced dissociation and tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Es-Safi, Nour-Eddine; Kerhoas, Lucien; Ducrot, Paul-Henri

2007-01-01

Mass spectrometric methodology based on the combined use of positive and negative electrospray ionization, collision-induced dissociation (CID) and tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) has been applied to the mass spectral study of a series of six naturally occurring iridoids through in-source fragmentation of the protonated [M+H]+, deprotonated [M--H]- and sodiated [M+Na]+ ions. This led to the unambiguous determination of the molecular masses of the studied compounds and allowed CID spectra of the molecular ions to be obtained. Valuable structural information regarding the nature of both the glycoside and the aglycone moiety was thus obtained. Glycosidic cleavage and ring cleavages of both aglycone and sugar moieties were the major fragmentation pathways observed during CID, where the losses of small molecules, the cinnamoyl and the cinnamate parts were also observed. The formation of the ionized aglycones, sugars and their product ions was thus obtained giving information on their basic skeleton. The protonated, i.e. [M+H]+ and deprotonated [M--H]-, ions were found to fragment mainly by glycosidic cleavages. MS/MS spectra of the [M+Na]+ ions gave complementary information for the structural characterization of the studied compounds. Unlike the dissociation of protonated molecular ions, that of sodiated molecules also provided sodiated sugar fragments where the C0+ fragment corresponding to the glucose ion was obtained as base peak for all the studied compounds. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Experimental and theoretical study of the structural environment of magnesium in minerals and silicate glasses using X-ray absorption near-edge structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trcera, Nicolas; Cabaret, Delphine; Rossano, Stéphanie; Farges, François; Flank, Anne-Marie; Lagarde, Pierre

2009-05-01

X-ray absorption spectroscopy at the Mg K-edge is used to obtain information on magnesium environment in minerals, silicate and alumino-silicate glasses. First-principles XANES calculations are performed for minerals using a plane-wave density functional formalism with core-hole effects treated in a supercell approach. The good agreement obtained between experimental and theoretical spectra provides useful information to interpret the spectral features. With the help of calculation, the position of the first peak of XANES spectra is related to both coordination and polyhedron distortion changes. In alumino-silicate glasses, magnesium is found to be mainly 5-fold coordinated to oxygen whatever the aluminum saturation index value. In silicate glasses, magnesium coordination increases from 4 in Cs-, Rb- and K-bearing glasses to 5 in Na- and Li-bearing glasses but remains equal as the polymerization degree of the glass varies. The variation of the C feature (position and intensity) is strongly related to the alkali type providing information on the medium range order.

Endoscopic pulsed digital holography for 3D measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saucedo, A. Tonatiuh; Mendoza Santoyo, Fernando; de La Torre-Ibarra, Manuel; Pedrini, Giancarlo; Osten, Wolfgang

2006-02-01

A rigid endoscope and three different object illumination source positions are used in pulsed digital holography to measure the three orthogonal displacement components from hidden areas of a harmonically vibrating metallic cylinder. In order to obtain simultaneous 3D information from the optical set up, it is necessary to match the optical paths of each of the reference object beam pairs, but to incoherently mismatch the three reference object beam pairs, such that three pulsed digital holograms are incoherently recorded within a single frame of the CCD sensor. The phase difference is obtained using the Fourier method and by subtracting two digital holograms captured for two different object positions.

Real-time wideband cylindrical holographic surveillance system

DOEpatents

Sheen, D.M.; McMakin, D.L.; Hall, T.E.; Severtsen, R.H.

1999-01-12

A wideband holographic cylindrical surveillance system is disclosed including a transceiver for generating a plurality of electromagnetic waves; antenna for transmitting the electromagnetic waves toward a target at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; the transceiver also receiving and converting electromagnetic waves reflected from the target to electrical signals at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; a computer for processing the electrical signals to obtain signals corresponding to a holographic reconstruction of the target; and a display for displaying the processed information to determine nature of the target. The computer has instructions to apply Fast Fourier Transforms and obtain a three dimensional cylindrical image. 13 figs.

Characteristics, of TIROS, GOES, DMSP and LANDSAT Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gray, T. I., Jr.; Mccrary, D. G.; Armstrong, T. A. (Principal Investigator)

1981-01-01

The characteristics of the TIROS, GOES, DMSP and LANDSAT systems of satellites are described. The data listed for each system are altitude of orbit, inclination/position, orbit type, orbits per day, expected operational lifetime and the sensor systems. The sensor systems are described as to wavelength of each channel, resolution, field of view and other pertinent information. Data information such as availability rate, collection method, primary use/application and how to obtain additional information is also given.

Indoor high precision three-dimensional positioning system based on visible light communication using modified genetic algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hao; Guan, Weipeng; Li, Simin; Wu, Yuxiang

2018-04-01

To improve the precision of indoor positioning and actualize three-dimensional positioning, a reversed indoor positioning system based on visible light communication (VLC) using genetic algorithm (GA) is proposed. In order to solve the problem of interference between signal sources, CDMA modulation is used. Each light-emitting diode (LED) in the system broadcasts a unique identity (ID) code using CDMA modulation. Receiver receives mixed signal from every LED reference point, by the orthogonality of spreading code in CDMA modulation, ID information and intensity attenuation information from every LED can be obtained. According to positioning principle of received signal strength (RSS), the coordinate of the receiver can be determined. Due to system noise and imperfection of device utilized in the system, distance between receiver and transmitters will deviate from the real value resulting in positioning error. By introducing error correction factors to global parallel search of genetic algorithm, coordinates of the receiver in three-dimensional space can be determined precisely. Both simulation results and experimental results show that in practical application scenarios, the proposed positioning system can realize high precision positioning service.

Using electronic data to predict the probability of true bacteremia from positive blood cultures.

PubMed

Wang, S J; Kuperman, G J; Ohno-Machado, L; Onderdonk, A; Sandige, H; Bates, D W

2000-01-01

As part of a project to help physicians make more appropriate treatment decisions, we implemented a clinical prediction rule that computes the probability of true bacteremia for positive blood cultures and displays this information when culture results are viewed online. Prior to implementing the rule, we performed a revalidation study to verify the accuracy of the previously published logistic regression model. We randomly selected 114 cases of positive blood cultures from a recent one-year period and performed a paper chart review with the help of infectious disease experts to determine whether the cultures were true positives or contaminants. Based on the results of this revalidation study, we updated the probabilities reported by the model and made additional enhancements to improve the accuracy of the rule. Next, we implemented the rule into our hospital's laboratory computer system so that the probability information was displayed with all positive blood culture results. We displayed the prediction rule information on approximately half of the 2184 positive blood cultures at our hospital that were randomly selected during a 6-month period. During the study, we surveyed 54 housestaff to obtain their opinions about the usefulness of this intervention. Fifty percent (27/54) indicated that the information had influenced their belief of the probability of bacteremia in their patients, and in 28% (15/54) of cases it changed their treatment decision. Almost all (98% (53/54)) indicated that they wanted to continue receiving this information. We conclude that the probability information provided by this clinical prediction rule is considered useful to physicians when making treatment decisions.

Extremal equilibria for reaction-diffusion equations in bounded domains and applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Bernal, Aníbal; Vidal-López, Alejandro

We show the existence of two special equilibria, the extremal ones, for a wide class of reaction-diffusion equations in bounded domains with several boundary conditions, including non-linear ones. They give bounds for the asymptotic dynamics and so for the attractor. Some results on the existence and/or uniqueness of positive solutions are also obtained. As a consequence, several well-known results on the existence and/or uniqueness of solutions for elliptic equations are revisited in a unified way obtaining, in addition, information on the dynamics of the associated parabolic problem. Finally, we ilustrate the use of the general results by applying them to the case of logistic equations. In fact, we obtain a detailed picture of the positive dynamics depending on the parameters appearing in the equation.

Prototyping context-aware nursing support mobile system.

PubMed

Esashi, Misa; Nakano, Tomohiro; Onose, Nao; Sato, Kikue; Hikita, Tomoko; Hoya, Reiko; Okamoto, Kazuya; Ohboshi, Naoki; Kuroda, Tomohiro

2016-08-01

A context aware nursing support system to push right information to the right person at the right moment is the key to increase clinical safety under a computerized hospital. We prototyped a system which obtains context from positions of nurses and list of expected clinical procedures. A WoZ test showed that the proposed approach has potential to decrease incidents caused by information delivery error.

Algebraic criteria for positive realness relative to the unit circle.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Siljak, D. D.

1973-01-01

A definition is presented of the circle positive realness of real rational functions relative to the unit circle in the complex variable plane. The problem of testing this kind of positive reality is reduced to the algebraic problem of determining the distribution of zeros of a real polynomial with respect to and on the unit circle. Such reformulation of the problem avoids the search for explicit information about imaginary poles of rational functions. The stated algebraic problem is solved by applying the polynomial criteria of Marden (1966) and Jury (1964), and a completely recursive algorithm for circle positive realness is obtained.

Cardiac phase detection in intravascular ultrasound images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matsumoto, Monica M. S.; Lemos, Pedro Alves; Yoneyama, Takashi; Furuie, Sergio Shiguemi

2008-03-01

Image gating is related to image modalities that involve quasi-periodic moving organs. Therefore, during intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) examination, there is cardiac movement interference. In this paper, we aim to obtain IVUS gated images based on the images themselves. This would allow the reconstruction of 3D coronaries with temporal accuracy for any cardiac phase, which is an advantage over the ECG-gated acquisition that shows a single one. It is also important for retrospective studies, as in existing IVUS databases there are no additional reference signals (ECG). From the images, we calculated signals based on average intensity (AI), and, from consecutive frames, average intensity difference (AID), cross-correlation coefficient (CC) and mutual information (MI). The process includes a wavelet-based filter step and ascendant zero-cross detection in order to obtain the phase information. Firstly, we tested 90 simulated sequences with 1025 frames each. Our method was able to achieve more than 95.0% of true positives and less than 2.3% of false positives ratio, for all signals. Afterwards, we tested in a real examination, with 897 frames and ECG as gold-standard. We achieved 97.4% of true positives (CC and MI), and 2.5% of false positives. For future works, methodology should be tested in wider range of IVUS examinations.

The obtaining relative position of lunar centre masses and centre of the figure in selenocentric catalogues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nefedjev, Yu. A.; Valeev, S. G.; Rizvanov, N. G.; Mikeev, R. R.; Varaksina, N. Yu.

2010-05-01

The relative position of lunar center masses relative to center of the figure in Kazan and Kiev selenocentric catalogues was customized. The expansions by spherical harmonics N=5 degree and order of the lunar function h(λ, β) with using the package ASNI USTU were executed. Module of the expansion of the local area to surfaces to full sphere was used. The parameters of cosmic missions are given for comparison (SAI; Bills, Ferrari). The normalized coefficients from expansions for eight sources hypsometric information are obtained: - Clementine (N=40), - Kazan (N=5), - Kiev (N=5), - SAI (N=10; Chuikova (1975)), - Bills, Ferrari, - Каguуа (Selena, Japan mission), - ULCN (The Uuified Lunaz Control Network 2005). The displacements of the lunar centre figure relative to lunar centre of the masses were defined from equations (Chuikova (1975)). The results of the obtaining relative position of the lunar centre masses and centre of the figure in Kazan selenocentric catalogue give good agreement with modern cosmic mission data.

Kinematic Model-Based Pedestrian Dead Reckoning for Heading Correction and Lower Body Motion Tracking.

PubMed

Lee, Min Su; Ju, Hojin; Song, Jin Woo; Park, Chan Gook

2015-11-06

In this paper, we present a method for finding the enhanced heading and position of pedestrians by fusing the Zero velocity UPdaTe (ZUPT)-based pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) and the kinematic constraints of the lower human body. ZUPT is a well known algorithm for PDR, and provides a sufficiently accurate position solution for short term periods, but it cannot guarantee a stable and reliable heading because it suffers from magnetic disturbance in determining heading angles, which degrades the overall position accuracy as time passes. The basic idea of the proposed algorithm is integrating the left and right foot positions obtained by ZUPTs with the heading and position information from an IMU mounted on the waist. To integrate this information, a kinematic model of the lower human body, which is calculated by using orientation sensors mounted on both thighs and calves, is adopted. We note that the position of the left and right feet cannot be apart because of the kinematic constraints of the body, so the kinematic model generates new measurements for the waist position. The Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) on the waist data that estimates and corrects error states uses these measurements and magnetic heading measurements, which enhances the heading accuracy. The updated position information is fed into the foot mounted sensors, and reupdate processes are performed to correct the position error of each foot. The proposed update-reupdate technique consequently ensures improved observability of error states and position accuracy. Moreover, the proposed method provides all the information about the lower human body, so that it can be applied more effectively to motion tracking. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified via experimental results, which show that a 1.25% Return Position Error (RPE) with respect to walking distance is achieved.

The Narcissim of Baron Dominique-Jean Larrey

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-04-01

defeated Grand Armée was retreating from Russia back to France, the battle-fatigued, tired, and ragged army upon seeing Dr. Larrey struggling to cross the...service from the Muir S. Fairchild Research Information Center (MSFRIC) to obtain three books, I received no other assistance. iii ABSTRACT...punishment to pursue the reward that comes from obtaining a narcissists quest for a positive outcome. The reward being to achieve greatness, power, and

System Wide Joint Position Sensor Fault Tolerance in Robot Systems Using Cartesian Accelerometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Aldridge, Hal A.; Juang, Jer-Nan

1997-01-01

Joint position sensors are necessary for most robot control systems. A single position sensor failure in a normal robot system can greatly degrade performance. This paper presents a method to obtain position information from Cartesian accelerometers without integration. Depending on the number and location of the accelerometers. the proposed system can tolerate the loss of multiple position sensors. A solution technique suitable for real-time implementation is presented. Simulations were conducted using 5 triaxial accelerometers to recover from the loss of up to 4 joint position sensors on a 7 degree of freedom robot moving in general three dimensional space. The simulations show good estimation performance using non-ideal accelerometer measurements.

Informed consent: Part II.

PubMed

Murphy, E K

1988-05-01

Although the legal responsibility to inform and obtain the patient's consent lies with the surgeon, the agency may have a duty to ensure that the patient's consent has been obtained. Agency liability is limited to those cases in which the agency knew (or should have known) that informed consent was not obtained. It is still unclear whether agencies have an affirmative duty to ensure that consent has been obtained. If this duty does exist, it appears that a policy requiring documentation in the medical record of the patient's consent meets this requirement. It is clear that whatever the extent of the agency's duty, it does not include the duty to give the patient information or assess his or her level of understanding. Court opinions discourage anyone but the physician from doing so. A nurse's legal responsibility is limited to following agency policy. Courts have not recognized any independent nurse duty beyond that which accrues to them as employees of the agency. Perioperative nurses often provide the final checkpoint that consent has been obtained and documented before the procedure begins. This unique position raises additional legal concerns if the agency's policy is not followed or if the premedicated patient arrives without proper consent documentation in the record. Perioperative nursing concerns will be discussed next month in Part III.

Evaluation of the functional performance and technical quality of an Electronic Documentation System of the Nursing Process.

PubMed

de Oliveira, Neurilene Batista; Peres, Heloisa Helena Ciqueto

2015-01-01

To evaluate the functional performance and the technical quality of the Electronic Documentation System of the Nursing Process of the Teaching Hospital of the University of São Paulo. exploratory-descriptive study. The Quality Model of regulatory standard 25010 and the Evaluation Process defined under regulatory standard 25040, both of the International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission. The quality characteristics evaluated were: functional suitability, reliability, usability, performance efficiency, compatibility, security, maintainability and portability. The sample was made up of 37 evaluators. in the evaluation of the specialists in information technology, only the characteristic of usability obtained a rate of positive responses of less than 70%. For the nurse lecturers, all the quality characteristics obtained a rate of positive responses of over 70%. The staff nurses of the medical and surgical clinics with experience in using the system) and staff nurses from other units of the hospital and from other health institutions (without experience in using the system) obtained rates of positive responses of more than 70% referent to the functional suitability, usability, and security. However, performance efficiency, reliability and compatibility all obtained rates below the parameter established. the software achieved rates of positive responses of over 70% for the majority of the quality characteristics evaluated.

High resolution optical shaft encoder for motor speed control based on an optical disk pick-up

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Wei-Hung; Bletscher, Warren; Mansuripur, M.

1998-08-01

Using a three-beam optical pick-up from a compact disk player and a flexible, shaft-mounted diffraction grating, we obtain information about the rotation speed and angular position of the motor's spindle. This information may be used for feedback to the motor for smooth operation. Due to the small size of the focused spot and the built-in auto-focus mechanism of the optical head, the proposed encoder can achieve submicrometer resolution. With high resolution, reliable operation, and low-cost elements, the proposed method is suitable for rotary and linear motion control where accurate positioning of an object is required.

Addendum to the article: Misuse of null hypothesis significance testing: Would estimation of positive and negative predictive values improve certainty of chemical risk assessment?

PubMed

Bundschuh, Mirco; Newman, Michael C; Zubrod, Jochen P; Seitz, Frank; Rosenfeldt, Ricki R; Schulz, Ralf

2015-03-01

We argued recently that the positive predictive value (PPV) and the negative predictive value (NPV) are valuable metrics to include during null hypothesis significance testing: They inform the researcher about the probability of statistically significant and non-significant test outcomes actually being true. Although commonly misunderstood, a reported p value estimates only the probability of obtaining the results or more extreme results if the null hypothesis of no effect was true. Calculations of the more informative PPV and NPV require a priori estimate of the probability (R). The present document discusses challenges of estimating R.

[From the AOR estimations to the AOR measurements].

PubMed

Dario, Rita; Uva, Jessica; Di Lecce, Vincenzo

2012-01-01

This paper presents an innovative device for measuring artificial optic radiations (AOR). AOR are required to be measured in accordance with both Italian and European regulations. The traditional measurement methods do not provide a quantitative measurement of the energy affecting the retina and in particular the fovea. Hence, they are not suitable to assess the real risk to the eye. Furthermore traditional methods are not even able to measure the exposure time (in relation to the position of the head with respect to the source). The device permits the acquisition of essential information about AOR source direction and position so as to obtain an evaluation of the relative impact on worker's everyday activity. The device acts as both a wearable personal dosimeter and an instantaneous radiance detector. The main components are: a colour light sensor mounted at the centre of a pair of safety goggles (placed on the same line of the worker's sight) used to determine AOR intensity; an inertial/position sensor used for measuring head position/movement, and lastly a video camera to localize emission sources and generate the background in augmented reality visualization. The device is connected by means of a thin, flexible cable to a datalogger and/or netbook? for recording data. the experiments were carried out in order to evaluate AOR sources during work activity; the results obtained and duly processed are presented in the paper. the aims are to achieve work place safety zoning so as to distinguish unsafe from safe areas, and not only specific dangerous areas, via analysis and integration of the overlapping pieces of information obtained with the proposed device.

Neurolinguistic Programming Examined: Imagery, Sensory Mode, and Communication.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fromme, Donald K.; Daniell, Jennifer

1984-01-01

Tested Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP) assumptions by examining intercorrelations among response times of students (N=64) for extracting visual, auditory, and kinesthetic information from alphabetic images. Large positive intercorrelations were obtained, the only outcome not compatible with NLP. Good visualizers were significantly better in…

Coding of position by simultaneously recorded sensory neurones in the cat dorsal root ganglion

PubMed Central

Stein, R B; Weber, D J; Aoyagi, Y; Prochazka, A; Wagenaar, J B M; Shoham, S; Normann, R A

2004-01-01

Muscle, cutaneous and joint afferents continuously signal information about the position and movement of individual joints. How does the nervous system extract more global information, for example about the position of the foot in space? To study this question we used microelectrode arrays to record impulses simultaneously from up to 100 discriminable nerve cells in the L6 and L7 dorsal root ganglia (DRG) of the anaesthetized cat. When the hindlimb was displaced passively with a random trajectory, the firing rate of the neurones could be predicted from a linear sum of positions and velocities in Cartesian (x, y), polar or joint angular coordinates. The process could also be reversed to predict the kinematics of the limb from the firing rates of the neurones with an accuracy of 1–2 cm. Predictions of position and velocity could be combined to give an improved fit to limb position. Decoders trained using random movements successfully predicted cyclic movements and movements in which the limb was displaced from a central point to various positions in the periphery. A small number of highly informative neurones (6–8) could account for over 80% of the variance in position and a similar result was obtained in a realistic limb model. In conclusion, this work illustrates how populations of sensory receptors may encode a sense of limb position and how the firing of even a small number of neurones can be used to decode the position of the limb in space. PMID:15331686

Controversy matters: Impacts of topic and solution controversy on the perceived credibility of a scientist who advocates.

PubMed

Beall, Lindsey; Myers, Teresa A; Kotcher, John E; Vraga, Emily K; Maibach, Edward W

2017-01-01

In this article, we focus on the potential influence of a scientist's advocacy position on the public's perceived credibility of scientists as a whole. Further, we examine how the scientist's solution position (information only, non-controversial, and controversial) affects the public's perception of the scientist's motivation for sharing information about specific issues (flu, marijuana, climate change, severe weather). Finally, we assess how perceived motivations mediate the relationship between solution position and credibility. Using data from a quota sample of American adults obtained by Qualtrics (n = 2,453), we found that in some conditions advocating for a solution positively predicted credibility, while in one condition, it negatively predicted scientist credibility. We also found that the influence of solution position on perceived credibility was mediated by several motivation perceptions; most notably through perception that the scientist was motivated to: (a) serve the public and (b) persuade the public. Further results and implications are discussed.

Controversy matters: Impacts of topic and solution controversy on the perceived credibility of a scientist who advocates

PubMed Central

Myers, Teresa A.; Kotcher, John E.; Vraga, Emily K.; Maibach, Edward W.

2017-01-01

In this article, we focus on the potential influence of a scientist’s advocacy position on the public’s perceived credibility of scientists as a whole. Further, we examine how the scientist’s solution position (information only, non-controversial, and controversial) affects the public’s perception of the scientist’s motivation for sharing information about specific issues (flu, marijuana, climate change, severe weather). Finally, we assess how perceived motivations mediate the relationship between solution position and credibility. Using data from a quota sample of American adults obtained by Qualtrics (n = 2,453), we found that in some conditions advocating for a solution positively predicted credibility, while in one condition, it negatively predicted scientist credibility. We also found that the influence of solution position on perceived credibility was mediated by several motivation perceptions; most notably through perception that the scientist was motivated to: (a) serve the public and (b) persuade the public. Further results and implications are discussed. PMID:29136643

Stability analysis of an autocatalytic protein model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Julian

2016-05-01

A self-regulatory genetic circuit, where a protein acts as a positive regulator of its own production, is known to be the simplest biological network with a positive feedback loop. Although at least three components—DNA, RNA, and the protein—are required to form such a circuit, stability analysis of the fixed points of this self-regulatory circuit has been performed only after reducing the system to a two-component system, either by assuming a fast equilibration of the DNA component or by removing the RNA component. Here, stability of the fixed points of the three-component positive feedback loop is analyzed by obtaining eigenvalues of the full three-dimensional Hessian matrix. In addition to rigorously identifying the stable fixed points and saddle points, detailed information about the system can be obtained, such as the existence of complex eigenvalues near a fixed point.

iss055e008318

NASA Image and Video Library

2018-04-02

iss055e008318 (April 2, 2018) --- Expedition 55 Flight Engineer Drew Feustel works inside the Japanese Kibo laboratory module with tiny internal satellites known as SPHERES, or Synchronized Position Hold, Engage, Reorient, Experimental Satellites. Feustel was operating the SPHERES for the Smoothing-Based Relative Navigation (SmoothNav) experiment which is developing an algorithm to obtain the most probable estimate of the relative positions and velocities between all spacecraft using all available sensor information, including past measurements.

Negative Ion In-Source Decay Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Sequencing Acidic Peptides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McMillen, Chelsea L.; Wright, Patience M.; Cassady, Carolyn J.

2016-05-01

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) in-source decay was studied in the negative ion mode on deprotonated peptides to determine its usefulness for obtaining extensive sequence information for acidic peptides. Eight biological acidic peptides, ranging in size from 11 to 33 residues, were studied by negative ion mode ISD (nISD). The matrices 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2-aminobenzoic acid, 2-aminobenzamide, 1,5-diaminonaphthalene, 5-amino-1-naphthol, 3-aminoquinoline, and 9-aminoacridine were used with each peptide. Optimal fragmentation was produced with 1,5-diaminonphthalene (DAN), and extensive sequence informative fragmentation was observed for every peptide except hirudin(54-65). Cleavage at the N-Cα bond of the peptide backbone, producing c' and z' ions, was dominant for all peptides. Cleavage of the N-Cα bond N-terminal to proline residues was not observed. The formation of c and z ions is also found in electron transfer dissociation (ETD), electron capture dissociation (ECD), and positive ion mode ISD, which are considered to be radical-driven techniques. Oxidized insulin chain A, which has four highly acidic oxidized cysteine residues, had less extensive fragmentation. This peptide also exhibited the only charged localized fragmentation, with more pronounced product ion formation adjacent to the highly acidic residues. In addition, spectra were obtained by positive ion mode ISD for each protonated peptide; more sequence informative fragmentation was observed via nISD for all peptides. Three of the peptides studied had no product ion formation in ISD, but extensive sequence informative fragmentation was found in their nISD spectra. The results of this study indicate that nISD can be used to readily obtain sequence information for acidic peptides.

Negative Ion In-Source Decay Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Mass Spectrometry for Sequencing Acidic Peptides.

PubMed

McMillen, Chelsea L; Wright, Patience M; Cassady, Carolyn J

2016-05-01

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) in-source decay was studied in the negative ion mode on deprotonated peptides to determine its usefulness for obtaining extensive sequence information for acidic peptides. Eight biological acidic peptides, ranging in size from 11 to 33 residues, were studied by negative ion mode ISD (nISD). The matrices 2,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid, 2-aminobenzoic acid, 2-aminobenzamide, 1,5-diaminonaphthalene, 5-amino-1-naphthol, 3-aminoquinoline, and 9-aminoacridine were used with each peptide. Optimal fragmentation was produced with 1,5-diaminonphthalene (DAN), and extensive sequence informative fragmentation was observed for every peptide except hirudin(54-65). Cleavage at the N-Cα bond of the peptide backbone, producing c' and z' ions, was dominant for all peptides. Cleavage of the N-Cα bond N-terminal to proline residues was not observed. The formation of c and z ions is also found in electron transfer dissociation (ETD), electron capture dissociation (ECD), and positive ion mode ISD, which are considered to be radical-driven techniques. Oxidized insulin chain A, which has four highly acidic oxidized cysteine residues, had less extensive fragmentation. This peptide also exhibited the only charged localized fragmentation, with more pronounced product ion formation adjacent to the highly acidic residues. In addition, spectra were obtained by positive ion mode ISD for each protonated peptide; more sequence informative fragmentation was observed via nISD for all peptides. Three of the peptides studied had no product ion formation in ISD, but extensive sequence informative fragmentation was found in their nISD spectra. The results of this study indicate that nISD can be used to readily obtain sequence information for acidic peptides.

The Mystery of the Mars North Polar Gravity-Topography Correlation(Or Lack Thereof)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Phillips, R. J.; Sjogren, W. L.; Johnson, C. L.

1999-01-01

Maps of moderately high resolution gravity data obtained from the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) gravity calibration orbit campaign and high precision topography obtained from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) experiment reveal relationships between gravity and topography in high northern latitudes of Mars. Figure 1 shows the results of a JPL spherical harmonic gravity model bandpass filtered between degrees 6 and 50 contoured over a MOLA topographic image. A positive gravity anomaly exists over the main North Polar cap, but there are at least six additional positive gravity anomalies, as well as a number of smaller negative anomalies, with no obvious correlation to topography. Additional information is contained in the original extended abstract.

[Two cases of personal identification from dental information].

PubMed

Yamaguchi, T; Yamada, Y; Ohtani, S; Kogure, T; Nagao, M; Takatori, T; Ohira, H; Yamamoto, I; Watanabe, A

1997-08-01

We describe two cases in which unknown bodies were positively identified from dental information and biochemical examination using tooth materials. In one case, a charred body was positively identified with little effort by comparison of antemortem dental records (dental chart and dental X-ray film) with postmortem data. In the other case, although the unknown individual had dental treatment, the police were unable to obtain the antemortem dental records of the victim. We then conducted biochemical analysis of teeth, facilitating personal identification using DNA analysis and age estimation based on aspartic acid racemization. The mutation obtained from the sequence of mtDNA and the genotypes of HLADQ alpha, HPRTB and ABO blood groups including the data for estimated age supported the kinship between the unknown individual and his mother. The data for maternally inherited mtDNA were of great importance in this case, since it was possible to obtain DNA from the mother. Dental identification in one of the most accurate methods of personal identification if suitable antemortem records are available. In the absence of such records, biochemical analysis of teeth also makes it possible to increase the probability of correct personal identification.

Neither the internist nor the Internet: use of and trust in health information sources by people with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Maguire, Paul A; Reay, Rebecca E; Looi, Jeffrey C L; Cubis, Jeff; Byrne, Gerard J; Raphael, Beverley

2011-06-01

The aim of this study was to explore health information sources accessed by people with schizophrenia and the level of trust invested in them. A cross-sectional survey was performed comparing the responses of 71 adults with schizophrenia (recruited from both community and inpatient settings) with 238 general practice attendees on their use of television, radio, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, family and friends, and doctor to obtain information on health matters, and their levels of trust in these sources. People with schizophrenia most commonly reported using a doctor, family and friends, and television to obtain information on health matters. However, compared with general practice attendees, they gained less health information from doctors and the Internet, and had less trust in doctors. Within-group analysis revealed that in people with schizophrenia: living alone increased the likelihood of obtaining health information from television; a higher level of education increased the odds of trusting the Internet as a health information source; a higher estimated household income was associated with an increased likelihood of trusting newspapers; and women with schizophrenia were considerably more likely than men with schizophrenia to trust family and friends as providers of health information. For both groups, there were significant positive correlations between the amount of health information obtained from a given information source and the level of trust invested in it. There are significant differences in the reported utilization and trust of health information sources between people with schizophrenia and attendees at general practice settings. Those with schizophrenia are less likely to trust and obtain information from a doctor, and less likely to access the Internet. Further research is required to explore this disparity. This is critical given the high rates of comorbid physical illness and reduced longevity in people suffering from schizophrenia.

Prediction of subsurface fracture in mining zone of Papua using passive seismic tomography based on Fresnel zone

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Setiadi, Herlan; Nurhandoko, Bagus Endar B.; Wely, Woen

Fracture prediction in a block cave of underground mine is very important to monitor the structure of the fracture that can be harmful to the mining activities. Many methods can be used to obtain such information, such as TDR (Time Domain Relectometry) and open hole. Both of them have limitations in range measurement. Passive seismic tomography is one of the subsurface imaging method. It has advantage in terms of measurements, cost, and rich of rock physical information. This passive seismic tomography studies using Fresnel zone to model the wavepath by using frequency parameter. Fresnel zone was developed by Nurhandoko inmore » 2000. The result of this study is tomography of P and S wave velocity which can predict position of fracture. The study also attempted to use sum of the wavefronts to obtain position and time of seismic event occurence. Fresnel zone tomography and the summation wavefront can predict location of geological structure of mine area as well.« less

Health professionals' use of documents obtained through the Regional Medical Library Network.

PubMed

Lovas, I; Graham, E; Flack, V

1991-01-01

The Pacific Southwest Regional Medical Library Service (PSRMLS) studied how health professionals use documents obtained through the regional medical library (RML) network and how various factors, such as delivery time, affected that use. A random sample of libraries in Region 7 of the RML network was selected to survey health professionals who had received documents through the interlibrary loan (ILL) network. The survey provided data about the purposes for which health professionals requested documents, how the immediacy of need for the items affected their usefulness, what effect the obtained information had on the health professionals' work, and whether the illustrations represented an important part of the information content of the items. Survey results provided a positive assessment of the ILL network. Results also verified the basic value of the materials provided to health professionals through ILL and identified some areas for consideration in future network development. Users of the documents indicated that the network works efficiently and effectively to provide timely and useful information needed by health professionals. Technological developments in electronic information transmission and imaging will further enhance network operation in the future.

Precise orbit determination for NASA's earth observing system using GPS (Global Positioning System)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, B. G.

1988-01-01

An application of a precision orbit determination technique for NASA's Earth Observing System (EOS) using the Global Positioning System (GPS) is described. This technique allows the geometric information from measurements of GPS carrier phase and P-code pseudo-range to be exploited while minimizing requirements for precision dynamical modeling. The method combines geometric and dynamic information to determine the spacecraft trajectory; the weight on the dynamic information is controlled by adjusting fictitious spacecraft accelerations in three dimensions which are treated as first order exponentially time correlated stochastic processes. By varying the time correlation and uncertainty of the stochastic accelerations, the technique can range from purely geometric to purely dynamic. Performance estimates for this technique as applied to the orbit geometry planned for the EOS platforms indicate that decimeter accuracies for EOS orbit position may be obtainable. The sensitivity of the predicted orbit uncertainties to model errors for station locations, nongravitational platform accelerations, and Earth gravity is also presented.

Position and orientation determination system and method

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harpring, Lawrence J.; Farfan, Eduardo B.; Gordon, John R.

A position determination system and method is provided that may be used for obtaining position and orientation information of a detector in a contaminated room. The system includes a detector, a sensor operably coupled to the detector, and a motor coupled to the sensor to move the sensor around the detector. A CPU controls the operation of the motor to move the sensor around the detector and determines distance and angle data from the sensor to an object. The method includes moving a sensor around the detector and measuring distance and angle data from the sensor to an object atmore » incremental positions around the detector.« less

High-rate RTK and PPP multi-GNSS positioning for small-scale dynamic displacements monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paziewski, Jacek; Sieradzki, Rafał; Baryła, Radosław; Wielgosz, Pawel

2017-04-01

The monitoring of dynamic displacements and deformations of engineering structures such as buildings, towers and bridges is of great interest due to several practical and theoretical reasons. The most important is to provide information required for safe maintenance of the constructions. High temporal resolution and precision of GNSS observations predestine this technology to be applied to most demanding application in terms of accuracy, availability and reliability. GNSS technique supported by appropriate processing methodology may meet the specific demands and requirements of ground and structures monitoring. Thus, high-rate multi-GNSS signals may be used as reliable source of information on dynamic displacements of ground and engineering structures, also in real time applications. In this study we present initial results of application of precise relative GNSS positioning for detection of small scale (cm level) high temporal resolution dynamic displacements. Methodology and algorithms applied in self-developed software allowing for relative positioning using high-rate dual-frequency phase and pseudorange GPS+Galileo observations are also given. Additionally, an approach was also made to use the Precise Point Positioning technique to such application. In the experiment were used the observations obtained from high-rate (20 Hz) geodetic receivers. The dynamic displacements were simulated using specially constructed device moving GNSS antenna with dedicated amplitude and frequency. The obtained results indicate on possibility of detection of dynamic displacements of the GNSS antenna even at the level of few millimetres using both relative and Precise Point Positioning techniques after suitable signals processing.

Incongruence between Verbal and Non-Verbal Information Enhances the Late Positive Potential.

PubMed

Morioka, Shu; Osumi, Michihiro; Shiotani, Mayu; Nobusako, Satoshi; Maeoka, Hiroshi; Okada, Yohei; Hiyamizu, Makoto; Matsuo, Atsushi

2016-01-01

Smooth social communication consists of both verbal and non-verbal information. However, when presented with incongruence between verbal information and nonverbal information, the relationship between an individual judging trustworthiness in those who present the verbal-nonverbal incongruence and the brain activities observed during judgment for trustworthiness are not clear. In the present study, we attempted to identify the impact of incongruencies between verbal information and facial expression on the value of trustworthiness and brain activity using event-related potentials (ERP). Combinations of verbal information [positive/negative] and facial expressions [smile/angry] expressions were presented randomly on a computer screen to 17 healthy volunteers. The value of trustworthiness of the presented facial expression was evaluated by the amount of donation offered by the observer to the person depicted on the computer screen. In addition, the time required to judge the value of trustworthiness was recorded for each trial. Using electroencephalography, ERP were obtained by averaging the wave patterns recorded while the participants judged the value of trustworthiness. The amount of donation offered was significantly lower when the verbal information and facial expression were incongruent, particularly for [negative × smile]. The amplitude of the early posterior negativity (EPN) at the temporal lobe showed no significant difference between all conditions. However, the amplitude of the late positive potential (LPP) at the parietal electrodes for the incongruent condition [negative × smile] was higher than that for the congruent condition [positive × smile]. These results suggest that the LPP amplitude observed from the parietal cortex is involved in the processing of incongruence between verbal information and facial expression.

The Global Positioning System: Theory and operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tucker, Lester Plunkett

Scope and method of study. The purpose of this study is to document the theory, development, and training needs of the United States Global Positioning System for the United States Air Force. This subject area had very little information and to assess the United States Air Force training needs required an investigation into existing training accomplished on the Global Positioning System. The United States Air Force has only one place to obtain the data at Headquarters Air Education and Training Command. Findings and conclusion. The United States Air Force, at the time of this study, does not have a theory and operations course dealing with the newest technology advancement in world navigation. Although this new technology is being provided on aircraft in the form of new navigation hardware, no official course of study is provided by the United States Air Force to it's pilots and navigators dealing with theory and operation. Based on the latest reports dealing with the Global Positioning System, a course on the Global Positioning System was developed in the Instructional Systems Design format to provide background information and understanding of this new technology. Readers of this study must be aware that the information contained in this study is very dynamic. Technology is advancing so fast in this area that it might make this information obsolete in a short amount of time.

Cognitive coping style (monitoring and blunting) and the need for information, information satisfaction and shared decision making among patients with haematological malignancies.

PubMed

Rood, Janneke A J; Van Zuuren, Florence J; Stam, Frank; van der Ploeg, Tjeerd; Huijgens, Peter C; Verdonck-de Leeuw, Irma M

2015-05-01

A haematological malignancy is a serious, life-altering disease and may be characterised as an uncontrollable and unpredictable stress situation. In dealing with potentially threatening information, individuals generally utilise two main cognitive coping styles: monitoring (the tendency to seek threat-relevant information) and blunting (avoiding threatening information and seeking distraction). The aim of this study was to obtain insight into the association between cognitive coping style and (a) need for information, (b) satisfaction with information, (c) involvement in decision making, and (d) quality of life (QoL). In this cross-sectional study, coping style was assessed among adult patients diagnosed with a haematological malignancy, using an adapted version of the Threatening Medical Situations Inventory. Information need, information satisfaction, decision-making preference and QoL were measured with validated questionnaires. In total, 458 patients returned the questionnaire (66%). A monitoring coping style was positively related to need for both general and specific information. Blunting was positively and QoL was negatively related to need for information. Monitoring was positively related to involvement in decision-making and negatively to information satisfaction. Using multivariate analysis, this relation between monitoring and information satisfaction disappeared, and for blunting, we found a negatively significant relation. QoL was not related to coping style. Among patients with haematological malignancies, coping style is related to a need for information, information satisfaction, and involvement in treatment decision-making. Therefore, it is important for health care professionals to be aware of individual differences in cognitive coping style. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Making a difference: incorporating theories of autonomy into models of informed consent.

PubMed

Delany, C

2008-09-01

Obtaining patients' informed consent is an ethical and legal obligation in healthcare practice. Whilst the law provides prescriptive rules and guidelines, ethical theories of autonomy provide moral foundations. Models of practice of consent, have been developed in the bioethical literature to assist in understanding and integrating the ethical theory of autonomy and legal obligations into the clinical process of obtaining a patient's informed consent to treatment. To review four models of consent and analyse the way each model incorporates the ethical meaning of autonomy and how, as a consequence, they might change the actual communicative process of obtaining informed consent within clinical contexts. An iceberg framework of consent is used to conceptualise how ethical theories of autonomy are positioned and underpin the above surface, and visible clinical communication, including associated legal guidelines and ethical rules. Each model of consent is critically reviewed from the perspective of how it might shape the process of informed consent. All four models would alter the process of obtaining consent. Two models provide structure and guidelines for the content and timing of obtaining patients' consent. The two other models rely on an attitudinal shift in clinicians. They provide ideas for consent by focusing on underlying values, attitudes and meaning associated with the ethical meaning of autonomy. The paper concludes that models of practice that explicitly incorporate the underlying ethical meaning of autonomy as their basis, provide less prescriptive, but more theoretically rich guidance for healthcare communicative practices.

Highly informative multiclass profiling of lipids by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography - Low resolution (quadrupole) mass spectrometry by using electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interfaces.

PubMed

Beccaria, Marco; Inferrera, Veronica; Rigano, Francesca; Gorynski, Krzysztof; Purcaro, Giorgia; Pawliszyn, Janusz; Dugo, Paola; Mondello, Luigi

2017-08-04

A simple, fast, and versatile method, using an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography system coupled with a low resolution (single quadrupole) mass spectrometer was optimized to perform multiclass lipid profiling of human plasma. Particular attention was made to develop a method suitable for both electrospray ionization and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interfaces (sequentially in positive- and negative-ion mode), without any modification of the chromatographic conditions (mobile phase, flow-rate, gradient, etc.). Emphasis was given to the extrapolation of the structural information based on the fragmentation pattern obtained using atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface, under each different ionization condition, highlighting the complementary information obtained using the electrospray ionization interface, of support for related molecule ions identification. Furthermore, mass spectra of phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol obtained using the atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface are reported and discussed for the first time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Measuring Epistemic Curiosity in Young Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Piotrowski, Jessica Taylor; Litman, Jordan A.; Valkenburg, Patti

2014-01-01

Epistemic curiosity (EC) is the desire to obtain new knowledge capable of either producing positive experiences of intellectual interest (I-type) or of reducing undesirable conditions of informational deprivation (D-type). Although researchers acknowledge that there are individual differences in young children's epistemic curiosity, there are…

Schools and Cable Television.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Education Association, Washington, DC. Educational Technology Div.

The papers gathered here are designed to provide a foundation of background information for those charged with the responsibility of formulating school district goals regarding cable television (CATV) and of obtaining the necessary cooperation from the local CATV franchise operators to reach these goals. The position of the National Education…

24 CFR 574.625 - Conflict of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... functions or responsibilities with respect to assisted activities, or who is in a position to participate in a decision making process or gain inside information with regard to such activities, may obtain a... the affected person has withdrawn from his or her functions or responsibilities, or the decisionmaking...

24 CFR 574.625 - Conflict of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... functions or responsibilities with respect to assisted activities, or who is in a position to participate in a decision making process or gain inside information with regard to such activities, may obtain a... the affected person has withdrawn from his or her functions or responsibilities, or the decisionmaking...

24 CFR 574.625 - Conflict of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... functions or responsibilities with respect to assisted activities, or who is in a position to participate in a decision making process or gain inside information with regard to such activities, may obtain a... the affected person has withdrawn from his or her functions or responsibilities, or the decisionmaking...

24 CFR 574.625 - Conflict of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... functions or responsibilities with respect to assisted activities, or who is in a position to participate in a decision making process or gain inside information with regard to such activities, may obtain a... the affected person has withdrawn from his or her functions or responsibilities, or the decisionmaking...

A Proposed Methodology for the Control of a Semi-Robotic Convoy

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-01-01

verifies that the convoy is controlled within the specifications of the system. 0 Acknowledgements There are numerous people to whom I owe a great deal of...insurmountable problems almost * trivial. Thanks. It would not be complete without thanking the people who kept the world in per- iii 0 spective. Steve... succesive position samples of the lead vehicle, the velocity information is obtained. With this information, the trailing vehicles can repeat the learned

Information Entropy Analysis of the H1N1 Genetic Code

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martwick, Andy

2010-03-01

During the current H1N1 pandemic, viral samples are being obtained from large numbers of infected people world-wide and are being sequenced on the NCBI Influenza Virus Resource Database. The information entropy of the sequences was computed from the probability of occurrence of each nucleotide base at every position of each set of sequences using Shannon's definition of information entropy, [ H=∑bpb,2( 1pb ) ] where H is the observed information entropy at each nucleotide position and pb is the probability of the base pair of the nucleotides A, C, G, U. Information entropy of the current H1N1 pandemic is compared to reference human and swine H1N1 entropy. As expected, the current H1N1 entropy is in a low entropy state and has a very large mutation potential. Using the entropy method in mature genes we can identify low entropy regions of nucleotides that generally correlate to critical protein function.

On the Relationship Between Neighborhood Perception, Length of Residence and Co-Ethnic Concentration

PubMed Central

Saenz, Joseph

2014-01-01

We investigate how co-ethnic concentration and length of residence are related to neighborhood perception in aged Mexican Americans, and discuss sources of information for measuring social environments. Neighborhood perception scale, length of residence in current home, and all individual-level covariates in a hierarchical linear model are derived from data on community-dwelling older adults. Tract-level measures are obtained from Census data. We find no relationship between co-ethnic concentration and positive neighborhood perception, and find a direct relationship between length of residence and positive neighborhood perception. Until further evidence is found, different sources of information when measuring place should be treated equally. PMID:25057331

Knowledge and Attitude of Patients with Psychiatric Disorders and their Relatives Toward Electroconvulsive Therapy

PubMed Central

Dan, Amitava; Grover, Sandeep; Chakrabarti, Subho

2014-01-01

Objective: Knowledge and attitude regarding electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is one of the important parameters for acceptance of ECT as a safe and effective treatment option. Several factors shape the knowledge and attitude of general people such as previous experience of ECT, sources of their information about ECT and prevailing myths about ECT. The present study attempted to examine the knowledge and attitude concerning ECT among patients with psychiatric disorders and their relatives. Materials and Methods: Knowledge and attitudes regarding ECT were assessed using the Bengali version of the ECT knowledge and attitude questionnaires, between 100 clinically stable patients with mental illnesses and their healthy relatives. Results: Majority of the patients and relatives were unaware of the basic facts about ECT. Relatives were somewhat better informed and more positive about ECT than patients, but the differences between the two groups were not significant. Previous experience of ECT did not have any major impact in knowledge and attitude in both patients and relative groups. Patients obtained information, mostly from media (44%), doctors (23%), and from personal experiences (13%). On the other hand, relatives obtained information almost equally from media (26%), doctors (27%), and experience of friends or relatives (28%). No significant difference was observed in knowledge and attitude in patients who had obtained their facts from doctors (n=23) and from other sources (n=77). Among relatives, those who had obtained their information from doctors (n=27) were better informed than those who had obtained so from other sources (n=73). Conclusions: Since patients and relatives have poor knowledge and negative attitude toward ECT, medical professionals should impart proper information about ECT to patients and relatives to increase the acceptability of this treatment. PMID:25035549

An analysis of age-prevalence data by catalytic models

PubMed Central

Hairston, Nelson G.

1965-01-01

The analysis of age-prevalence curves obtained from bilharziasis surveys is not usually carried out to the maximum depth the data allow for. With a view to obtaining greater value from the available information, the author analyses age-prevalence data for three common human schistosomes by Muench's catalytic models. The two-stage model is found the most appropriate. Use of this model assumes constant rates of becoming positive and of becoming negative. Two separate analyses are required, one for the first few years of life of the human host and one for the remainder. Satisfactory fits to the data are obtained only when the proportion of older people who remain positive is determined. This proportion varies with the intensity of transmission. The calculated rates of becoming positive agree very well with rates obtained by observing originally negative children for 12 months or longer. The parameters in the model are used in interpreting data from skin-test surveys. It is concluded tentatively that in order to be positive by the skin test, a person must have had both sexes of worms at some time in the past and to be carrying living female worms or to have been exposed recently to female cercariae. It may become possible to use the model to predict the entire age-prevalence curve from data on children, thus saving much effort in parasitological surveys. PMID:5294588

A method for automatic feature points extraction of human vertebrae three-dimensional model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhen; Wu, Junsheng

2017-05-01

A method for automatic extraction of the feature points of the human vertebrae three-dimensional model is presented. Firstly, the statistical model of vertebrae feature points is established based on the results of manual vertebrae feature points extraction. Then anatomical axial analysis of the vertebrae model is performed according to the physiological and morphological characteristics of the vertebrae. Using the axial information obtained from the analysis, a projection relationship between the statistical model and the vertebrae model to be extracted is established. According to the projection relationship, the statistical model is matched with the vertebrae model to get the estimated position of the feature point. Finally, by analyzing the curvature in the spherical neighborhood with the estimated position of feature points, the final position of the feature points is obtained. According to the benchmark result on multiple test models, the mean relative errors of feature point positions are less than 5.98%. At more than half of the positions, the error rate is less than 3% and the minimum mean relative error is 0.19%, which verifies the effectiveness of the method.

Correlation between doctor's belief on the patient's self-determination and medical outcomes in obtaining informed consent.

PubMed

Yoshihara, Keisuke; Takase, Kozo

2013-03-01

We employed a questionnaire survey to assess attitudes toward informed consent (IC) among hospital doctors. Based on the result of the correlation analysis, the following two hypotheses were identified. The first hypothesis is that "the doctor's belief that the patient's self-determination is possible promotes cure of illness by obtaining IC." The second hypothesis is that "the doctor's belief that the patient's self-determination is possible has a positive influence on patient's quality of life by obtaining IC." We clarified the rationale for explaining these two hypotheses by applying cross tabulation analysis, discriminant analysis and principal component analysis (PCA). The doctors were divided into two groups in terms of their position on the patient's self-determination. One group of doctors believed the possibility of patient's self-determination, and the other did not. Through our statistical analyses, the characteristics that discriminate these two groups were identified. It was revealed that the former group placed a great importance on the hospitality value, while the latter placed an importance on the service value. Agreement or rejection of the concept of IC has been demonstrated as a key distinguishing factor between the two groups. The results of PCA showed that the doctor's belief on the patient's self-determination in obtaining IC had a significant effect on medical outcomes, and the two above-mentioned hypotheses were revealed.

Visual navigation in insects: coupling of egocentric and geocentric information

PubMed

Wehner; Michel; Antonsen

1996-01-01

Social hymenopterans such as bees and ants are central-place foragers; they regularly depart from and return to fixed positions in their environment. In returning to the starting point of their foraging excursion or to any other point, they could resort to two fundamentally different ways of navigation by using either egocentric or geocentric systems of reference. In the first case, they would rely on information continuously collected en route (path integration, dead reckoning), i.e. integrate all angles steered and all distances covered into a mean home vector. In the second case, they are expected, at least by some authors, to use a map-based system of navigation, i.e. to obtain positional information by virtue of the spatial position they occupy within a larger environmental framework. In bees and ants, path integration employing a skylight compass is the predominant mechanism of navigation, but geocentred landmark-based information is used as well. This information is obtained while the animal is dead-reckoning and, hence, added to the vector course. For example, the image of the horizon skyline surrounding the nest entrance is retinotopically stored while the animal approaches the goal along its vector course. As shown in desert ants (genus Cataglyphis), there is neither interocular nor intraocular transfer of landmark information. Furthermore, this retinotopically fixed, and hence egocentred, neural snapshot is linked to an external (geocentred) system of reference. In this way, geocentred information might more and more complement and potentially even supersede the egocentred information provided by the path-integration system. In competition experiments, however, Cataglyphis never frees itself of its homeward-bound vector - its safety-line, so to speak - by which it is always linked to home. Vector information can also be transferred to a longer-lasting (higher-order) memory. There is no need to invoke the concept of the mental analogue of a topographic map - a metric map - assembled by the insect navigator. The flexible use of vectors, snapshots and landmark-based routes suffices to interpret the insect's behaviour. The cognitive-map approach in particular, and the representational paradigm in general, are discussed.

A path analysis of Internet health information seeking behaviors among older adults.

PubMed

Chang, Sun Ju; Im, Eun-Ok

2014-01-01

The Internet has emerged as an innovative tool that older adults can use to obtain health-related information. However, the relationships among predictors of Internet health information seeking behaviors (IHISB) in this population are not well understood. To fill this gap, this study examined the direct and indirect pathways of potential predictors of IHISB among older South Korean adults, using the modified Technology Acceptance Model 3. Participants were 300 older South Korean adults who had used the Internet to obtain health information within the past month. Data were collected via a self-report questionnaire and were analyzed through structural equation modeling. Two variables-prior experience and behavioral intention to use-had positive direct effects on IHISB. These findings imply that health care providers promoting IHISB among older adults should consider these individuals' prior experience with the Internet and their willingness to use the Internet as a source of health information. Copyright © 2014 Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Design and construction of a multi-layer CsI(Tl) telescope for high-energy reaction studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, D.; Sun, Z. Y.; Yue, K.; Wang, S. T.; Zhang, X. H.; Yu, Y. H.; Chen, J. L.; Tang, S. W.; Fang, F.; Zhou, Y.; Sun, Y.; Wang, Z. M.; Sun, Y. Z.

2017-01-01

A prototype of a new CsI(Tl) telescope, which will be used in the reaction studies of light isotopes with energy of several hundred AMeV, was constructed and tested at the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. The telescope has a multi-layer structure, and the range information was obtained to improve the particle identification performance. This prototype has seven layers of different thickness. An energy resolution of 5.0% (FWHM) was obtained for one of the layers in a beam test experiment. Positive improvement for the identification of 14O and 15O isotopes was achieved using the range information.

Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing: Helping Patients Make Informed Choices
.

PubMed

Mahon, Suzanne M

2018-02-01

Using direct-to-consumer genetic testing (DTCGT), individuals can order a genetic test, collect and submit a saliva sample, and obtain results about their genetic risk for a variety of traits and health conditions without involving a healthcare provider. Potential benefits of DTCGT include personal control over genetic information and health management decisions, whereas potential risks include misinterpretation of results, psychosocial distress, and lack of informed consent. Oncology nurses can provide education, support, and advocacy to enable patients to truly understand the positives and negatives associated with DTCGT.
.

Gyroscope-driven mouse pointer with an EMOTIV® EEG headset and data analysis based on Empirical Mode Decomposition.

PubMed

Rosas-Cholula, Gerardo; Ramirez-Cortes, Juan Manuel; Alarcon-Aquino, Vicente; Gomez-Gil, Pilar; Rangel-Magdaleno, Jose de Jesus; Reyes-Garcia, Carlos

2013-08-14

This paper presents a project on the development of a cursor control emulating the typical operations of a computer-mouse, using gyroscope and eye-blinking electromyographic signals which are obtained through a commercial 16-electrode wireless headset, recently released by Emotiv. The cursor position is controlled using information from a gyroscope included in the headset. The clicks are generated through the user's blinking with an adequate detection procedure based on the spectral-like technique called Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD). EMD is proposed as a simple and quick computational tool, yet effective, aimed to artifact reduction from head movements as well as a method to detect blinking signals for mouse control. Kalman filter is used as state estimator for mouse position control and jitter removal. The detection rate obtained in average was 94.9%. Experimental setup and some obtained results are presented.

Gyroscope-Driven Mouse Pointer with an EMOTIV® EEG Headset and Data Analysis Based on Empirical Mode Decomposition

PubMed Central

Rosas-Cholula, Gerardo; Ramirez-Cortes, Juan Manuel; Alarcon-Aquino, Vicente; Gomez-Gil, Pilar; Rangel-Magdaleno, Jose de Jesus; Reyes-Garcia, Carlos

2013-01-01

This paper presents a project on the development of a cursor control emulating the typical operations of a computer-mouse, using gyroscope and eye-blinking electromyographic signals which are obtained through a commercial 16-electrode wireless headset, recently released by Emotiv. The cursor position is controlled using information from a gyroscope included in the headset. The clicks are generated through the user's blinking with an adequate detection procedure based on the spectral-like technique called Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD). EMD is proposed as a simple and quick computational tool, yet effective, aimed to artifact reduction from head movements as well as a method to detect blinking signals for mouse control. Kalman filter is used as state estimator for mouse position control and jitter removal. The detection rate obtained in average was 94.9%. Experimental setup and some obtained results are presented. PMID:23948873

A Context-Aware Model to Provide Positioning in Disaster Relief Scenarios

PubMed Central

Moreno, Daniel; Ochoa, Sergio F.; Meseguer, Roc

2015-01-01

The effectiveness of the work performed during disaster relief efforts is highly dependent on the coordination of activities conducted by the first responders deployed in the affected area. Such coordination, in turn, depends on an appropriate management of geo-referenced information. Therefore, enabling first responders to count on positioning capabilities during these activities is vital to increase the effectiveness of the response process. The positioning methods used in this scenario must assume a lack of infrastructure-based communication and electrical energy, which usually characterizes affected areas. Although positioning systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) have been shown to be useful, we cannot assume that all devices deployed in the area (or most of them) will have positioning capabilities by themselves. Typically, many first responders carry devices that are not capable of performing positioning on their own, but that require such a service. In order to help increase the positioning capability of first responders in disaster-affected areas, this paper presents a context-aware positioning model that allows mobile devices to estimate their position based on information gathered from their surroundings. The performance of the proposed model was evaluated using simulations, and the obtained results show that mobile devices without positioning capabilities were able to use the model to estimate their position. Moreover, the accuracy of the positioning model has been shown to be suitable for conducting most first response activities. PMID:26437406

Cooperative Localization for Multi-AUVs Based on GM-PHD Filters and Information Entropy Theory

PubMed Central

Zhang, Lichuan; Wang, Tonghao; Xu, Demin

2017-01-01

Cooperative localization (CL) is considered a promising method for underwater localization with respect to multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (multi-AUVs). In this paper, we proposed a CL algorithm based on information entropy theory and the probability hypothesis density (PHD) filter, aiming to enhance the global localization accuracy of the follower. In the proposed framework, the follower carries lower cost navigation systems, whereas the leaders carry better ones. Meanwhile, the leaders acquire the followers’ observations, including both measurements and clutter. Then, the PHD filters are utilized on the leaders and the results are communicated to the followers. The followers then perform weighted summation based on all received messages and obtain a final positioning result. Based on the information entropy theory and the PHD filter, the follower is able to acquire a precise knowledge of its position. PMID:28991191

Efficient structure from motion on large scenes using UAV with position and pose information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teng, Xichao; Yu, Qifeng; Shang, Yang; Luo, Jing; Wang, Gang

2018-04-01

In this paper, we exploit prior information from global positioning systems and inertial measurement units to speed up the process of large scene reconstruction from images acquired by Unmanned Aerial Vehicles. We utilize weak pose information and intrinsic parameter to obtain the projection matrix for each view. As compared to unmanned aerial vehicles' flight altitude, topographic relief can usually be ignored, we assume that the scene is flat and use weak perspective camera to get projective transformations between two views. Furthermore, we propose an overlap criterion and select potentially matching view pairs between projective transformed views. A robust global structure from motion method is used for image based reconstruction. Our real world experiments show that the approach is accurate, scalable and computationally efficient. Moreover, projective transformations between views can also be used to eliminate false matching.

Method and system for determining depth distribution of radiation-emitting material located in a source medium and radiation detector system for use therein

DOEpatents

Benke, Roland R.; Kearfott, Kimberlee J.; McGregor, Douglas S.

2004-04-27

A radiation detector system includes detectors having different properties (sensitivity, energy resolution) which are combined so that excellent spectral information may be obtained along with good determinations of the radiation field as a function of position.

Consumer Guide New Job Opportunities for Women.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lederer, Muriel; And Others

Combining actual interviews with job information, the author explores current job opportunities for women without college degrees who are entering the job market for the first time, returning to work, or changing positions. The book supplies the reader with guidelines on locating job openings, obtaining inexpensive job training, and advancing up…

Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy based on a line-scan hyperspectral Raman system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SORS) is a technique that can obtain subsurface layered information by collecting Raman spectra from a series of surface positions laterally offset from the excitation laser. The current methods of SORS measurement are typically either slow due to mechanical move...

24 CFR 585.503 - Conflict of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... any functions or responsibilities with respect to assisted activities, or who is in a position to participate in a decision-making process or gain inside information with regard to such activities, may obtain... withdrawn from his or her functions or responsibilities, or the decision-making process, with respect to the...

24 CFR 585.503 - Conflict of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... any functions or responsibilities with respect to assisted activities, or who is in a position to participate in a decision-making process or gain inside information with regard to such activities, may obtain... withdrawn from his or her functions or responsibilities, or the decision-making process, with respect to the...

24 CFR 585.503 - Conflict of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... any functions or responsibilities with respect to assisted activities, or who is in a position to participate in a decision-making process or gain inside information with regard to such activities, may obtain... withdrawn from his or her functions or responsibilities, or the decision-making process, with respect to the...

24 CFR 585.503 - Conflict of interest.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... any functions or responsibilities with respect to assisted activities, or who is in a position to participate in a decision-making process or gain inside information with regard to such activities, may obtain... withdrawn from his or her functions or responsibilities, or the decision-making process, with respect to the...

The effect orientation of features in reconstructed atom probe data on the resolution and measured composition of T1 plates in an A2198 aluminium alloy.

PubMed

Mullin, Maria A; Araullo-Peters, Vicente J; Gault, Baptiste; Cairney, Julie M

2015-12-01

Artefacts in atom probe tomography can impact the compositional analysis of microstructure in atom probe studies. To determine the integrity of information obtained, it is essential to understand how the positioning of features influences compositional analysis. By investigating the influence of feature orientation within atom probe data on measured composition in microstructural features within an AA2198 Al alloy, this study shows differences in the composition of T1 (Al2CuLi) plates that indicates imperfections in atom probe reconstructions. The data fits a model of an exponentially-modified Gaussian that scales with the difference in evaporation field between solutes and matrix. This information provides a guide for obtaining the most accurate information possible. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Positions of minor planets and Comet Panther (1980 u) obtained at the Chorzow Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wlodarczyk, I.

Photographic observations of 17 asteroids and Comet Panther were made between 1977 and 1982 with a 200/1000 mm photographic camera coupled to a 300/4500 mm refractor. The Turner method with the complete second-order polynomial was used to reduce the 16 x 16 cm ORWO ZU-2 plates that were obtained. The tabulated information for each asteroid and the comet include the number of the observation, the time of the observation in Universal Time, the topocentric position of the object referred to the mean epoch 1950.0, the dispersion in right ascension and declination, the duration of the exposure in minutes, and the symbol of the observer. Ten observers participated in the program.

Health professionals' reports of information given to parents following the prenatal diagnosis of sex chromosome anomalies and outcomes of pregnancies: a pilot study.

PubMed

Hall, Sue; Abramsky, Lenore; Marteau, Theresa M

2003-07-01

To examine the association between the information health professionals report providing parents about sex chromosome anomalies (SCAs) and the outcomes of affected pregnancies. Telephone interviews were conducted with health professionals who disclosed the prenatal diagnosis of an SCA to parents. The statements they reported providing to parents about the condition were coded as positive, neutral or negative. Outcomes of the pregnancies were obtained from medical records. Six of the 23 pregnancies were terminated. Health professionals reported giving parents of these six cases a greater amount of negative information about an SCA than did the health professionals reporting on the information given to the parents who continued with their pregnancies. Health professionals reported giving a similar amount of positive and neutral information to both groups of parents. The results of this pilot study suggest that there is a positive association between the amount of negative information parents are given initially about a sex chromosome anomaly and the decision to terminate the affected pregnancy. This study is limited by its small sample size and reliance on health professionals' self-reports of information provided to parents. Larger, prospective studies in which consultations are tape-recorded and linked to parents' subsequent decision making and adjustment are needed. Copyright 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Three-dimensional high-precision indoor positioning strategy using Tabu search based on visible light communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Qi; Guan, Weipeng; Wu, Yuxiang; Cai, Ye; Xie, Canyu; Wang, Pengfei

2018-01-01

This paper proposes a three-dimensional (3-D) high-precision indoor positioning strategy using Tabu search based on visible light communication. Tabu search is a powerful global optimization algorithm, and the 3-D indoor positioning can be transformed into an optimal solution problem. Therefore, in the 3-D indoor positioning, the optimal receiver coordinate can be obtained by the Tabu search algorithm. For all we know, this is the first time the Tabu search algorithm is applied to visible light positioning. Each light-emitting diode (LED) in the system broadcasts a unique identity (ID) and transmits the ID information. When the receiver detects optical signals with ID information from different LEDs, using the global optimization of the Tabu search algorithm, the 3-D high-precision indoor positioning can be realized when the fitness value meets certain conditions. Simulation results show that the average positioning error is 0.79 cm, and the maximum error is 5.88 cm. The extended experiment of trajectory tracking also shows that 95.05% positioning errors are below 1.428 cm. It can be concluded from the data that the 3-D indoor positioning based on the Tabu search algorithm achieves the requirements of centimeter level indoor positioning. The algorithm used in indoor positioning is very effective and practical and is superior to other existing methods for visible light indoor positioning.

Automated facial recognition and candidate list rank change of computer generated facial approximations generated with multiple eye orb positions.

PubMed

Parks, Connie L; Monson, Keith L

2016-09-01

Expanding on research previously reported by the authors, this study further examines the recognizability of ReFace facial approximations generated with the following eye orb positions: (i) centrally within the bony eye socket, (ii) 1.0mm superior and 2.0mm lateral relative to center, and (iii) 1.0mm superior and 2.5mm lateral relative to center. Overall, 81% of the test subjects' approximation ranks improved with the use of either of the two supero-lateral eye orbs. Highly significant performance differences (p<0.01) were observed between the approximations with centrally positioned eye orbs (i) and approximations with the eye orbs placed in the supero-laterally positions (ii and iii). Noteworthy was the observation that in all cases when the best rank for an approximation was obtained with the eye orbs in position (iii), the second best rank was achieved with the eye orbs in position (ii). A similar pattern was also observed when the best rank was obtained with the eye orbs in position (ii), with 60% of the second best ranks observed in position (iii). It is argued, therefore, that an approximation constructed with the eye orbs placed in either of the two supero-lateral positions may be more effective and operationally informative than centrally positioned orbs. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Informed cytology for triaging HPV-positive women: substudy nested in the NTCC randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Bergeron, Christine; Giorgi-Rossi, Paolo; Cas, Frederic; Schiboni, Maria Luisa; Ghiringhello, Bruno; Dalla Palma, Paolo; Minucci, Daria; Rosso, Stefano; Zorzi, Manuel; Naldoni, Carlo; Segnan, Nereo; Confortini, Massimo; Ronco, Guglielmo

2015-02-01

Human papillomavirus (HPV)-based screening needs triage. In most randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on HPV testing with cytological triage, cytology interpretation has been blind to HPV status. Women age 25 to 60 years enrolled in the New Technology in Cervical Cancer (NTCC) RCT comparing HPV testing with cytology were referred to colposcopy if HPV positive and, if no cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) was detected, followed up until HPV negativity. Cytological slides taken at the first colposcopy were retrieved and independently interpreted by an external laboratory, which was only aware of patients' HPV positivity. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values were computed for histologically proven CIN2+ with HPV status-informed cytology for women with a determination of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) or more severe. All statistical tests were two-sided. Among HPV-positive women, informed cytology had cross-sectional sensitivity, specificity, PPV and 1-NPV for CIN2+ of 85.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 76.6 to 92.1), 65.9% (95% CI = 63.1 to 68.6), 16.2% (95% CI = 13.0 to 19.8), and 1.7 (95% CI = 0.9 to 2.8), respectively. Cytology was also associated with subsequent risk of newly diagnosed CIN2+ and CIN3+. The cross-sectional relative sensitivity for CIN2+ vs blind cytology obtained by referring to colposcopy and following up only HPV positive women who had HPV status-informed cytology greater than or equal to ASCUS was 1.58 (95% CI = 1.22 to 2.01), while the corresponding relative referral to colposcopy was 0.95 (95% CI = 0.86 to 1.04). Cytology informed of HPV positivity is more sensitive than blind cytology and could allow longer intervals before retesting HPV-positive, cytology-negative women. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press.

Informed Cytology for Triaging HPV-Positive Women: Substudy Nested in the NTCC Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Bergeron, Christine; Giorgi-Rossi, Paolo; Cas, Frederic; Schiboni, Maria Luisa; Ghiringhello, Bruno; Dalla Palma, Paolo; Minucci, Daria; Rosso, Stefano; Zorzi, Manuel; Naldoni, Carlo; Segnan, Nereo; Confortini, Massimo

2015-01-01

Background: Human papillomavirus (HPV)–based screening needs triage. In most randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on HPV testing with cytological triage, cytology interpretation has been blind to HPV status. Methods: Women age 25 to 60 years enrolled in the New Technology in Cervical Cancer (NTCC) RCT comparing HPV testing with cytology were referred to colposcopy if HPV positive and, if no cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) was detected, followed up until HPV negativity. Cytological slides taken at the first colposcopy were retrieved and independently interpreted by an external laboratory, which was only aware of patients’ HPV positivity. Sensitivity, specificity, and positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values were computed for histologically proven CIN2+ with HPV status–informed cytology for women with a determination of atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) or more severe. All statistical tests were two-sided. Results: Among HPV-positive women, informed cytology had cross-sectional sensitivity, specificity, PPV and 1-NPV for CIN2+ of 85.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 76.6 to 92.1), 65.9% (95% CI = 63.1 to 68.6), 16.2% (95% CI = 13.0 to 19.8), and 1.7 (95% CI = 0.9 to 2.8), respectively. Cytology was also associated with subsequent risk of newly diagnosed CIN2+ and CIN3+. The cross-sectional relative sensitivity for CIN2+ vs blind cytology obtained by referring to colposcopy and following up only HPV positive women who had HPV status–informed cytology greater than or equal to ASCUS was 1.58 (95% CI = 1.22 to 2.01), while the corresponding relative referral to colposcopy was 0.95 (95% CI = 0.86 to 1.04). Conclusions: Cytology informed of HPV positivity is more sensitive than blind cytology and could allow longer intervals before retesting HPV-positive, cytology-negative women. PMID:25568167

Association between perceived social support and anxiety in pregnant adolescents.

PubMed

Peter, Patrícia J; de Mola, Christian L; de Matos, Mariana B; Coelho, Fábio M; Pinheiro, Karen A; da Silva, Ricardo A; Castelli, Rochele D; Pinheiro, Ricardo T; Quevedo, Luciana A

2017-01-01

To evaluate the association between perceived social support and anxiety disorders in pregnant adolescents. We conducted a cross-sectional study with a sample of 871 pregnant women aged 10 to 19 years who received prenatal care in the national public health care system in the urban area of Pelotas, state of Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil. We assessed perceived social support and anxiety disorders using the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey and the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. A self-report questionnaire was used to obtain sociodemographic information. The prevalence of any anxiety disorder was 13.6%. Pregnant adolescents with an anxiety disorder reported less perceived social support in all domains (affectionate, emotional, tangible, informational, and positive social interaction). Older teenagers reported lower perceived support in the emotional, informational, and positive social interaction domains, whereas those with low socioeconomic status reported lower perceived social support in the material domain. Women who did not live with a partner had less perceived social support in the affectionate and positive social interaction domains. Perceived social support seems to be a protective factor against anxiety disorders in pregnant adolescents, with a positive effect on mental health.

Calibration of Magnetometers with GNSS Receivers and Magnetometer-Aided GNSS Ambiguity Fixing

PubMed Central

Henkel, Patrick

2017-01-01

Magnetometers provide compass information, and are widely used for navigation, orientation and alignment of objects. As magnetometers are affected by sensor biases and eventually by systematic distortions of the Earth magnetic field, a calibration is needed. In this paper, a method for calibration of magnetometers with three Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers is presented. We perform a least-squares estimation of the magnetic flux and sensor biases using GNSS-based attitude information. The attitude is obtained from the relative positions between the GNSS receivers in the North-East-Down coordinate frame and prior knowledge of these relative positions in the platform’s coordinate frame. The relative positions and integer ambiguities of the periodic carrier phase measurements are determined with an integer least-squares estimation using an integer decorrelation and sequential tree search. Prior knowledge on the relative positions is used to increase the success rate of ambiguity fixing. We have validated the proposed method with low-cost magnetometers and GNSS receivers on a vehicle in a test drive. The calibration enabled a consistent heading determination with an accuracy of five degrees. This precise magnetometer-based attitude information allows an instantaneous GNSS integer ambiguity fixing. PMID:28594369

Calibration of Magnetometers with GNSS Receivers and Magnetometer-Aided GNSS Ambiguity Fixing.

PubMed

Henkel, Patrick

2017-06-08

Magnetometers provide compass information, and are widely used for navigation, orientation and alignment of objects. As magnetometers are affected by sensor biases and eventually by systematic distortions of the Earth magnetic field, a calibration is needed. In this paper, a method for calibration of magnetometers with three Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receivers is presented. We perform a least-squares estimation of the magnetic flux and sensor biases using GNSS-based attitude information. The attitude is obtained from the relative positions between the GNSS receivers in the North-East-Down coordinate frame and prior knowledge of these relative positions in the platform's coordinate frame. The relative positions and integer ambiguities of the periodic carrier phase measurements are determined with an integer least-squares estimation using an integer decorrelation and sequential tree search. Prior knowledge on the relative positions is used to increase the success rate of ambiguity fixing. We have validated the proposed method with low-cost magnetometers and GNSS receivers on a vehicle in a test drive. The calibration enabled a consistent heading determination with an accuracy of five degrees. This precise magnetometer-based attitude information allows an instantaneous GNSS integer ambiguity fixing.

Modeling the filament winding process

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Calius, E. P.; Springer, G. S.

1985-01-01

A model is presented which can be used to determine the appropriate values of the process variables for filament winding a cylinder. The model provides the cylinder temperature, viscosity, degree of cure, fiber position and fiber tension as functions of position and time during the filament winding and subsequent cure, and the residual stresses and strains within the cylinder during and after the cure. A computer code was developed to obtain quantitative results. Sample results are given which illustrate the information that can be generated with this code.

Sonic-boom measurements in the focus region during the ascent of Apollo 17. [maximum positive overpressure, positive impulse, signature duration, and bow-shock rise time

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henderson, H. R.; Hilton, D. A.

1974-01-01

Sonic-boom pressure signatures recorded during the ascent phase of Apollo 17 are presented. The measurements were obtained onboard six U.S. Navy ships positioned along the ground track of the spacecraft vehicle in the area of expected focus resulting from the flight path and acceleration of the vehicle. Tracings of the measured signatures are presented along with values of the maximum positive overpressure, positive impulse, signature duration, and bowshock rise time. Also included are brief descriptions of the ships and their location, the deployment of the sonic-boom instrumentation, flight profiles and operating conditions for the launch vehicle and spacecraft, surface-weather and sea-state information at the measuring sites, and high-altitude weather information for the general measurement areas. Comparisons of the measured and predicted sonic-boom overpressures for the Apollo 17 mission are presented. The measured data are also compared with data from the Apollo 15 and 16 missions and data from flight test programs of various aircraft.

Automatic lumen segmentation in IVOCT images using binary morphological reconstruction

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Atherosclerosis causes millions of deaths, annually yielding billions in expenses round the world. Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography (IVOCT) is a medical imaging modality, which displays high resolution images of coronary cross-section. Nonetheless, quantitative information can only be obtained with segmentation; consequently, more adequate diagnostics, therapies and interventions can be provided. Since it is a relatively new modality, many different segmentation methods, available in the literature for other modalities, could be successfully applied to IVOCT images, improving accuracies and uses. Method An automatic lumen segmentation approach, based on Wavelet Transform and Mathematical Morphology, is presented. The methodology is divided into three main parts. First, the preprocessing stage attenuates and enhances undesirable and important information, respectively. Second, in the feature extraction block, wavelet is associated with an adapted version of Otsu threshold; hence, tissue information is discriminated and binarized. Finally, binary morphological reconstruction improves the binary information and constructs the binary lumen object. Results The evaluation was carried out by segmenting 290 challenging images from human and pig coronaries, and rabbit iliac arteries; the outcomes were compared with the gold standards made by experts. The resultant accuracy was obtained: True Positive (%) = 99.29 ± 2.96, False Positive (%) = 3.69 ± 2.88, False Negative (%) = 0.71 ± 2.96, Max False Positive Distance (mm) = 0.1 ± 0.07, Max False Negative Distance (mm) = 0.06 ± 0.1. Conclusions In conclusion, by segmenting a number of IVOCT images with various features, the proposed technique showed to be robust and more accurate than published studies; in addition, the method is completely automatic, providing a new tool for IVOCT segmentation. PMID:23937790

Accurate position estimation methods based on electrical impedance tomography measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vergara, Samuel; Sbarbaro, Daniel; Johansen, T. A.

2017-08-01

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a technology that estimates the electrical properties of a body or a cross section. Its main advantages are its non-invasiveness, low cost and operation free of radiation. The estimation of the conductivity field leads to low resolution images compared with other technologies, and high computational cost. However, in many applications the target information lies in a low intrinsic dimensionality of the conductivity field. The estimation of this low-dimensional information is addressed in this work. It proposes optimization-based and data-driven approaches for estimating this low-dimensional information. The accuracy of the results obtained with these approaches depends on modelling and experimental conditions. Optimization approaches are sensitive to model discretization, type of cost function and searching algorithms. Data-driven methods are sensitive to the assumed model structure and the data set used for parameter estimation. The system configuration and experimental conditions, such as number of electrodes and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), also have an impact on the results. In order to illustrate the effects of all these factors, the position estimation of a circular anomaly is addressed. Optimization methods based on weighted error cost functions and derivate-free optimization algorithms provided the best results. Data-driven approaches based on linear models provided, in this case, good estimates, but the use of nonlinear models enhanced the estimation accuracy. The results obtained by optimization-based algorithms were less sensitive to experimental conditions, such as number of electrodes and SNR, than data-driven approaches. Position estimation mean squared errors for simulation and experimental conditions were more than twice for the optimization-based approaches compared with the data-driven ones. The experimental position estimation mean squared error of the data-driven models using a 16-electrode setup was less than 0.05% of the tomograph radius value. These results demonstrate that the proposed approaches can estimate an object’s position accurately based on EIT measurements if enough process information is available for training or modelling. Since they do not require complex calculations it is possible to use them in real-time applications without requiring high-performance computers.

Positional Accuracy Assessment of Googleearth in Riyadh

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farah, Ashraf; Algarni, Dafer

2014-06-01

Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that is controlled by Google corporation. It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite imagery, aerial photography and GIS 3D globe. With millions of users all around the globe, GoogleEarth® has become the ultimate source of spatial data and information for private and public decision-support systems besides many types and forms of social interactions. Many users mostly in developing countries are also using it for surveying applications, the matter that raises questions about the positional accuracy of the Google Earth program. This research presents a small-scale assessment study of the positional accuracy of GoogleEarth® Imagery in Riyadh; capital of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The results show that the RMSE of the GoogleEarth imagery is 2.18 m and 1.51 m for the horizontal and height coordinates respectively.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: New gamma-ray blazar candidates in the 3PBC (Maselli+, 2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maselli, A.; Massaro, F.; Cusumano, G.; D'Abrusco, R.; La Parola, V.; Paggi, A.; Segreto, A.; Smith, H. A.; Tosti, G.

2013-06-01

We searched for γ-ray blazar candidates among the 382 unidentified hard X-ray sources of the third Palermo BAT Catalog (3PBC) obtained from the analysis of 66 months of Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey data and listing 1586 sources. We adopted a recently developed association method based on the peculiar infrared colors that characterize the γ-ray blazars included in the second catalog of active galactic nuclei detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We used this method exploiting the data of the all-sky survey performed by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to establish correspondences between unidentified 3PBC sources and WISE γ-ray blazar candidates located within the BAT positional uncertainty region at a 99% confidence level. We obtained a preliminary list of candidates for which we analyzed all the available data in the Swift archive to complement the information in the literature and in the radio, infrared, and optical catalogs with the information on their optical-UV and soft X-ray emission. Requiring the presence of radio and soft X-ray counterparts consistent with the infrared positions of the selected WISE sources, as well as a blazar-like radio morphology, we finally obtained a list of 24 γ-ray blazar candidates. (2 data files).

Searching for New γ-Ray Blazar Candidates in the Third Palermo BAT Hard X-Ray Catalog with WISE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maselli, A.; Massaro, F.; Cusumano, G.; D'Abrusco, R.; La Parola, V.; Paggi, A.; Segreto, A.; Smith, Howard A.; Tosti, G.

2013-06-01

We searched for γ-ray blazar candidates among the 382 unidentified hard X-ray sources of the third Palermo BAT Catalog (3PBC) obtained from the analysis of 66 months of Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey data and listing 1586 sources. We adopted a recently developed association method based on the peculiar infrared colors that characterize the γ-ray blazars included in the second catalog of active galactic nuclei detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We used this method exploiting the data of the all-sky survey performed by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to establish correspondences between unidentified 3PBC sources and WISE γ-ray blazar candidates located within the BAT positional uncertainty region at a 99% confidence level. We obtained a preliminary list of candidates for which we analyzed all the available data in the Swift archive to complement the information in the literature and in the radio, infrared, and optical catalogs with the information on their optical-UV and soft X-ray emission. Requiring the presence of radio and soft X-ray counterparts consistent with the infrared positions of the selected WISE sources, as well as a blazar-like radio morphology, we finally obtained a list of 24 γ-ray blazar candidates.

Free energy profiles from single-molecule pulling experiments.

PubMed

Hummer, Gerhard; Szabo, Attila

2010-12-14

Nonequilibrium pulling experiments provide detailed information about the thermodynamic and kinetic properties of molecules. We show that unperturbed free energy profiles as a function of molecular extension can be obtained rigorously from such experiments without using work-weighted position histograms. An inverse Weierstrass transform is used to relate the system free energy obtained from the Jarzynski equality directly to the underlying molecular free energy surface. An accurate approximation for the free energy surface is obtained by using the method of steepest descent to evaluate the inverse transform. The formalism is applied to simulated data obtained from a kinetic model of RNA folding, in which the dynamics consists of jumping between linker-dominated folded and unfolded free energy surfaces.

Multi-target detection and positioning in crowds using multiple camera surveillance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Jiahu; Zhu, Qiuyu; Xing, Yufeng

2018-04-01

In this study, we propose a pixel correspondence algorithm for positioning in crowds based on constraints on the distance between lines of sight, grayscale differences, and height in a world coordinates system. First, a Gaussian mixture model is used to obtain the background and foreground from multi-camera videos. Second, the hair and skin regions are extracted as regions of interest. Finally, the correspondences between each pixel in the region of interest are found under multiple constraints and the targets are positioned by pixel clustering. The algorithm can provide appropriate redundancy information for each target, which decreases the risk of losing targets due to a large viewing angle and wide baseline. To address the correspondence problem for multiple pixels, we construct a pixel-based correspondence model based on a similar permutation matrix, which converts the correspondence problem into a linear programming problem where a similar permutation matrix is found by minimizing an objective function. The correct pixel correspondences can be obtained by determining the optimal solution of this linear programming problem and the three-dimensional position of the targets can also be obtained by pixel clustering. Finally, we verified the algorithm with multiple cameras in experiments, which showed that the algorithm has high accuracy and robustness.

Finding the position of tumor inhomogeneities in a gel-like model of a human breast using 3-D pulsed digital holography.

PubMed

Hernández-Montes, Maria del Socorro; Pérez-López, Carlos; Santoyo, Fernando Mendoza

2007-01-01

3-D pulsed digital holography is a noninvasive optical method used to measure the depth position of breast tumor tissue immersed in a semisolid gel model. A master gel without inhomogeneities is set to resonate at an 810 Hz frequency; then, an identically prepared gel with an inhomogeneity is interrogated with the same resonant frequency in the original setup. Comparatively, and using only an out-of-plane sensitive setup, gel surface displacement can be measured, evidencing an internal inhomogeneity. However, the depth position cannot be measured accurately, since the out-of-plane component has the contribution of in-plane surface displacements. With the information gathered, three sensitivity vectors can be obtained to separate contributions from x, y, and z vibration displacement components, individual displacement maps for the three orthogonal axes can be built, and the inhomogeneity's depth position can be accurately measured. Then, the displacement normal to the gel surface is used to find the depth profile and its cross section. Results from the optical data obtained are compared and correlated to the inhomogeneity's physically measured position. Depth position is found with an error smaller than 1%. The inhomogeneity and its position within the gel can be accurately found, making the method a promising noninvasive alternative to study mammary tumors.

Health information-seeking behavior and older African American women.

PubMed Central

Gollop, C J

1997-01-01

This study explored the ways in which urban, older, African American women obtain health information and some of the factors that influence such activity. Among the possible determinants examined were self-perceived literacy, access to health information, and mobility. The findings suggest that respondents receive health information from their physicians, the mass media, and members of their social networks. The results of this research also indicated that members of this population have a highly positive perception of the public library, although only a small segment use the library regularly, and that it may be in the interest of the library to investigate the role it could play in providing health information to older adults. PMID:9160150

Health information-seeking behavior and older African American women.

PubMed

Gollop, C J

1997-04-01

This study explored the ways in which urban, older, African American women obtain health information and some of the factors that influence such activity. Among the possible determinants examined were self-perceived literacy, access to health information, and mobility. The findings suggest that respondents receive health information from their physicians, the mass media, and members of their social networks. The results of this research also indicated that members of this population have a highly positive perception of the public library, although only a small segment use the library regularly, and that it may be in the interest of the library to investigate the role it could play in providing health information to older adults.

PhosphoBase: a database of phosphorylation sites.

PubMed Central

Blom, N; Kreegipuu, A; Brunak, S

1998-01-01

PhosphoBase is a database of experimentally verified phosphorylation sites. Version 1.0 contains 156 entries and 398 experimentally determined phosphorylation sites. Entries are compiled and revised from the literature and from major protein sequence databases such as SwissProt and PIR. The entries provide information about the phosphoprotein and the exact position of its phosphorylation sites. Furthermore, part of the entries contain information about kinetic data obtained from enzyme assays on specific peptides. To illustrate the use of data extracted from PhosphoBase we present a sequence logo displaying the overall conservation of positions around serines phosphorylated by protein kinase A (PKA). PhosphoBase is available on the WWW at http://www.cbs.dtu.dk/databases/PhosphoBase/ PMID:9399879

Indoor Photogrammetry Aided with Uwb Navigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masiero, A.; Fissore, F.; Guarnieri, A.; Vettore, A.

2018-05-01

The subject of photogrammetric surveying with mobile devices, in particular smartphones, is becoming of significant interest in the research community. Nowadays, the process of providing 3D point clouds with photogrammetric procedures is well known. However, external information is still typically needed in order to move from the point cloud obtained from images to a 3D metric reconstruction. This paper investigates the integration of information provided by an UWB positioning system with visual based reconstruction to produce a metric reconstruction. Furthermore, the orientation (with respect to North-East directions) of the obtained model is assessed thanks to the use of inertial sensors included in the considered UWB devices. Results of this integration are shown on two case studies in indoor environments.

Advertisements and information objects' positioning technologies based on the territorial zoning of the city of Tomsk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solovyev, R.; Seryakov, V.

2014-10-01

The main results obtained in the analysis of existing advertising facilities in the city of Tomsk were considered as a basis for media planning while choosing the most effective advertising medium and its location depending on the area of territorial and functional purpose of the city.

Animal-Assisted Activities for Students with Disabilities: Obtaining Stakeholders' Approval and Planning Strategies for Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baumgartner, Erin; Cho, Jeong-il

2014-01-01

Animal-human interactions have been found to have positive influences on children across the world. In particular, research supports the benefits of animal-assisted activities in addressing students' social and behavioral problems within the classroom environment. The general information about animal-assisted activities provided in this…

Precise FIA plot registration using field and dense LIDAR data

Treesearch

Demetrios Gatziolis

2009-01-01

Precise registration of forest inventory and analysis (FIA) plots is a prerequisite for an effective fusion of field data with ancillary spatial information, which is an approach commonly employed in the mapping of various forest parameters. Although the adoption of Global Positioning System technology has improved the precision of plot coordinates obtained during...

Six-Position, Frontal View Photography in Blepharoplasty: A Simple Method.

PubMed

Zhang, Cheng; Guo, Xiaoshuang; Han, Xuefeng; Tian, Yi; Jin, Xiaolei

2018-02-26

Photography plays a pivotal role in patient education, photo-documentation, preoperative planning and postsurgical evaluation in plastic surgeries. It has long been serving as a bridge that facilitated communication not only between patients and doctors, but also among plastic surgeons from different countries. Although several basic principles and photographic methods have been proposed, there is no internationally accepted photography that could provide both static and dynamic information in blepharoplasty. In this article, we introduced a novel six-position, frontal view photography for thorough assessment in blepharoplasty. From October 2013 to January 2017, 1068 patients who underwent blepharoplasty were enrolled in our clinical research. All patients received six-position, frontal view photography. Pictures were taken of the patients looking up, looking down, squeezing, smiling, looking ahead and with closed eyes. Conventionally, frontal view photography only contained the last two positions. Then, both novel six-position photographs and conventional two-position photographs were used to appraise postsurgical outcomes. Compared to conventional two-position, frontal view photography, six-position, frontal view photography can provide more detailed, thorough information about the eyes. It is of clinical significance in indicating underlying adhesion of skin/muscle/fat according to individual's features and assessing preoperative and postoperative dynamic changes and aesthetic outcomes. Six-position, frontal view photography is technically uncomplicated while exhibiting static, dynamic and detailed information of the eyes. This innovative method is favorable in eye assessment, especially for revision blepharoplasty. We suggest using six-position, frontal view photography to obtain comprehensive photographs. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .

Separation and characterization of unknown impurities and isomers in flomoxef sodium by LC-IT-TOF MS and study of their negative-ion fragmentation regularities.

PubMed

Yu, Xu; Wang, Fan; Li, Jiani; Shan, Weiguang; Zhu, Bingqi; Wang, Jian

2017-06-05

Thirteen unknown impurities in flomoxef sodium were separated and characterized by liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution ion trap/time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-IT-TOF MS)with positive and negative modes of electrospray ionization method for further improvement of official monographs in pharmacopoeias. The fragmentation patterns of impurities in flomoxef in the negative ion mode were studied in detail, and new negative-ion fragmentation regularities were discovered. Chromatographic separation was performed on a Kromasil C18 column (250mm×4.6mm, 5μm). The mobile phase consisted of (A) ammonium formate aqueous solution (10mM)-methanol (84:16, v/v) and (B) ammonium formate aqueous solution (10mM)-methanol (47:53, v/v). In order to determine the m/z values of the molecular ions and formulas of all detected impurities, full scan LC-MS in both positive and negative ion modes was firstly executed to obtain the m/z value of the molecules. Then LC-MS 2 and LC-MS 3 were carried out on target compounds to obtain as much structural information as possible. Complete fragmentation patterns of impurities were studied and used to obtain information about the structures of these impurities. Structures of thirteen unknown degradation products in flomoxef sodium were deduced based on the high resolution MS n data with both positive and negative modes. The forming mechanisms of degradation products in flomoxef sodium were also studied. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

"She made up a choice for me": 22 HIV-positive women's experiences of involuntary sterilization in two South African provinces.

PubMed

Strode, Ann; Mthembu, Sethembiso; Essack, Zaynab

2012-12-01

Since 1998 South African law has provided that adults should have access to sterilization but only with their informed consent. However, the right to sterilization and other sexual and reproductive rights have not been fully realized as women struggle to access limited services, and there are allegations of discrimination and sterilization abuses. This qualitative study explores the experiences of 22 HIV-positive women in two provinces who reported being sterilized between 1996 and 2010 without their informed consent (n=18) or without their knowledge (n=4). Key issues reported by participants included failure to respect their autonomy, lack of information given about what sterilization entailed, and subtle or overt pressure to sign the consent form. Although the legal framework was intended to ensure informed decision-making regarding sterilization, these protections appear to have failed the HIV-positive women in this study. The findings suggest that some health professionals may consider a signature on a consent form as sufficient regardless of how it was obtained. Furthermore the women's perceptions that they were singled out as needing to be sterilized simply because they were HIV-positive warrants further investigation. More research is required on the nature of the problem and on other stakeholders' perceptions. Copyright © 2012 Reproductive Health Matters. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Bioelectrical impedance analysis and anthropometry in Ecuadorian children of African ancestry.

PubMed

Vienna, A; Capucci, E; De Stefano, G F; Hauser, G

1998-12-01

In the city of Esmeraldas, north-western coast of Ecuador, height, weight, and body composition of 600 male and female schoolchildren of African ancestry in the age groups four, five and six years were investigated. All the children were apparently healthy without any obvious or reported pathologies and in accordance with data from personal information were assigned to one of two socio-economic classes. The greater values for weight and height shown by children in the higher socio-economic group than in the less well off are compatible with those for more fat and water as obtained by the BIA investigation. Additional information on nutritional, muscular and general health status was obtained from positioning and degree of dispersion of the 'Biagram' ellipses. It seems that both the anthropometric and the bioelectrical impedance methods provide useful information on the differences due to belonging to one or other of the socio-economic groups.

Manipulation of Unknown Objects to Improve the Grasp Quality Using Tactile Information.

PubMed

Montaño, Andrés; Suárez, Raúl

2018-05-03

This work presents a novel and simple approach in the area of manipulation of unknown objects considering both geometric and mechanical constraints of the robotic hand. Starting with an initial blind grasp, our method improves the grasp quality through manipulation considering the three common goals of the manipulation process: improving the hand configuration, the grasp quality and the object positioning, and, at the same time, prevents the object from falling. Tactile feedback is used to obtain local information of the contacts between the fingertips and the object, and no additional exteroceptive feedback sources are considered in the approach. The main novelty of this work lies in the fact that the grasp optimization is performed on-line as a reactive procedure using the tactile and kinematic information obtained during the manipulation. Experimental results are shown to illustrate the efficiency of the approach.

Legal aspects of deaths associated with diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

PubMed

Puxon, M

1984-01-01

Informed voluntary consent in relation to the charge of assault and battery is examined. The full implication of informed consent is set out. The legal aspects of negligence is also examined in relation to obtaining consent and the possibility of a wrong diagnosis. Where reasonable doubt exist about the correctness of a diagnosis the position of a second opinion is discussed. Guidelines on the handling of errors in treatment and anaesthetic deaths in relation to negligence is clearly set out.

GPS Time Series Analysis of Southern California Associated with the 2010 M7.2 El Mayor/Cucapah Earthquake

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Granat, Robert; Donnellan, Andrea

2011-01-01

The Magnitude 7.2 El-Mayor/Cucapah earthquake the occurred in Mexico on April 4, 2012 was well instrumented with continuous GPS stations in California. Large Offsets were observed at the GPS stations as a result of deformation from the earthquake providing information about the co-seismic fault slip as well as fault slip from large aftershocks. Information can also be obtained from the position time series at each station.

Optimal Estimation of Glider’s Underwater Trajectory with Depth-Dependent Correction Using the Navy Coastal Ocean Model with Application to Antisubmarine Warfare

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

deployed simultaneously. For example, a fleet of gliders would be able to act as an intelligence network by gathering underwater target information ...and to verify our novel method, a glider’s real underwater trajectory information must be obtained by using additional sensors like ADCP or DVL (see...lacks of inexpensive and efficient localization sensors during its subsurface mission. Therefore, knowing its precise underwater position is a

Remote sensing as a source of land cover information utilized in the universal soil loss equation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris-Jones, D. R.; Morgan, K. M.; Kiefer, R. W.; Scarpace, F. L.

1979-01-01

In this study, methods for gathering the land use/land cover information required by the USLE were investigated with medium altitude, multi-date color and color infrared 70-mm positive transparencies using human and computer-based interpretation techniques. Successful results, which compare favorably with traditional field study methods, were obtained within the test site watershed with airphoto data sources and human airphoto interpretation techniques. Computer-based interpretation techniques were not capable of identifying soil conservation practices but were successful to varying degrees in gathering other types of desired land use/land cover information.

Experimental realization of a Szilard engine with a single electron.

PubMed

Koski, Jonne V; Maisi, Ville F; Pekola, Jukka P; Averin, Dmitri V

2014-09-23

The most succinct manifestation of the second law of thermodynamics is the limitation imposed by the Landauer principle on the amount of heat a Maxwell demon (MD) can convert into free energy per single bit of information obtained in a measurement. We propose and realize an electronic MD based on a single-electron box operated as a Szilard engine, where kBT ln 2 of heat is extracted from the reservoir at temperature T per one bit of created information. The information is encoded in the position of an extra electron in the box.

Improving informed consent: Stakeholder views

PubMed Central

Anderson, Emily E.; Newman, Susan B.; Matthews, Alicia K.

2017-01-01

Purpose Innovation will be required to improve the informed consent process in research. We aimed to obtain input from key stakeholders—research participants and those responsible for obtaining informed consent—to inform potential development of a multimedia informed consent “app.” Methods This descriptive study used a mixed-methods approach. Five 90-minute focus groups were conducted with volunteer samples of former research participants and researchers/research staff responsible for obtaining informed consent. Participants also completed a brief survey that measured background information and knowledge and attitudes regarding research and the use of technology. Established qualitative methods were used to conduct the focus groups and data analysis. Results We conducted five focus groups with 41 total participants: three groups with former research participants (total n = 22), and two groups with researchers and research coordinators (total n = 19). Overall, individuals who had previously participated in research had positive views regarding their experiences. However, further discussion elicited that the informed consent process often did not meet its intended objectives. Findings from both groups are presented according to three primary themes: content of consent forms, experience of the informed consent process, and the potential of technology to improve the informed consent process. A fourth theme, need for lay input on informed consent, emerged from the researcher groups. Conclusions Our findings add to previous research that suggests that the use of interactive technology has the potential to improve the process of informed consent. However, our focus-group findings provide additional insight that technology cannot replace the human connection that is central to the informed consent process. More research that incorporates the views of key stakeholders is needed to ensure that multimedia consent processes do not repeat the mistakes of paper-based consent forms. PMID:28949896

Improving informed consent: Stakeholder views.

PubMed

Anderson, Emily E; Newman, Susan B; Matthews, Alicia K

2017-01-01

Innovation will be required to improve the informed consent process in research. We aimed to obtain input from key stakeholders-research participants and those responsible for obtaining informed consent-to inform potential development of a multimedia informed consent "app." This descriptive study used a mixed-methods approach. Five 90-minute focus groups were conducted with volunteer samples of former research participants and researchers/research staff responsible for obtaining informed consent. Participants also completed a brief survey that measured background information and knowledge and attitudes regarding research and the use of technology. Established qualitative methods were used to conduct the focus groups and data analysis. We conducted five focus groups with 41 total participants: three groups with former research participants (total n = 22), and two groups with researchers and research coordinators (total n = 19). Overall, individuals who had previously participated in research had positive views regarding their experiences. However, further discussion elicited that the informed consent process often did not meet its intended objectives. Findings from both groups are presented according to three primary themes: content of consent forms, experience of the informed consent process, and the potential of technology to improve the informed consent process. A fourth theme, need for lay input on informed consent, emerged from the researcher groups. Our findings add to previous research that suggests that the use of interactive technology has the potential to improve the process of informed consent. However, our focus-group findings provide additional insight that technology cannot replace the human connection that is central to the informed consent process. More research that incorporates the views of key stakeholders is needed to ensure that multimedia consent processes do not repeat the mistakes of paper-based consent forms.

Decoding 2D-PAGE complex maps: relevance to proteomics.

PubMed

Pietrogrande, Maria Chiara; Marchetti, Nicola; Dondi, Francesco; Righetti, Pier Giorgio

2006-03-20

This review describes two mathematical approaches useful for decoding the complex signal of 2D-PAGE maps of protein mixtures. These methods are helpful for interpreting the large amount of data of each 2D-PAGE map by extracting all the analytical information hidden therein by spot overlapping. Here the basic theory and application to 2D-PAGE maps are reviewed: the means for extracting information from the experimental data and their relevance to proteomics are discussed. One method is based on the quantitative theory of statistical model of peak overlapping (SMO) using the spot experimental data (intensity and spatial coordinates). The second method is based on the study of the 2D-autocovariance function (2D-ACVF) computed on the experimental digitised map. They are two independent methods that are able to extract equal and complementary information from the 2D-PAGE map. Both methods permit to obtain fundamental information on the sample complexity and the separation performance and to single out ordered patterns present in spot positions: the availability of two independent procedures to compute the same separation parameters is a powerful tool to estimate the reliability of the obtained results. The SMO procedure is an unique tool to quantitatively estimate the degree of spot overlapping present in the map, while the 2D-ACVF method is particularly powerful in simply singling out the presence of order in the spot position from the complexity of the whole 2D map, i.e., spot trains. The procedures were validated by extensive numerical computation on computer-generated maps describing experimental 2D-PAGE gels of protein mixtures. Their applicability to real samples was tested on reference maps obtained from literature sources. The review describes the most relevant information for proteomics: sample complexity, separation performance, overlapping extent, identification of spot trains related to post-translational modifications (PTMs).

Women’s Social Communication About IUDs: A Qualitative Analysis

PubMed Central

Anderson, Nora; Steinauer, Jody; Valente, Thomas; Koblentz, Jenna; Dehlendorf, Christine

2014-01-01

CONTEXT Few U.S. women use an IUD, despite the method’s efficacy and ease of use. While studies have found that misconceptions about IUDs are prevalent, few have examined the influence of women’s social networks on perceptions of the method. METHODS Twenty-four interviews and three focus groups (comprising 14 participants) were conducted in 2013 with a diverse sample of women aged 15–45 recruited from family planning clinics and the community in San Francisco. Half of participants had used IUDs. Women were asked about their social communication concerning contraceptives, particularly IUDs, and about the content of the information they had received or given. Transcripts were analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach to identify themes of interest. RESULTS Women reported that communication with female friends and family members was a valued means of obtaining information about contraceptives, and that negative information (which often was incorrect) was more prevalent and memorable than positive information in such communication. Women heard about negative experiences with IUDs from social contacts and television commercials; clinicians were a major source of positive information. Women who had never used IUDs expressed interest in learning about potential side effects and how IUDs feel, while users reported emphasizing to friends and family the method’s efficacy and ease of use. CONCLUSIONS Misinformation and negative information about IUDs are prevalent in social communication, and the information transmitted through social networks differs from the information never-users wish to receive. Findings support the creation of peer-led interventions to encourage IUD users to share positive personal experiences and evidence-based information. PMID:24894575

The contents of dental implant patient information leaflets available within the UK.

PubMed

Barber, J; Puryer, J; McNally, L; O'Sullivan, D

2015-02-01

Patient information leaflets are designed to provide easy to follow information summaries and first point of contact information about treatment options. This survey reviewed the content of dental implant patient information leaflets, produced by implant companies and available within the UK in 2011. Dental implant companies in the UK were asked to provide samples of their patient information leaflets. The information within the leaflets was then summarised, including the quantity and the types of images used and whether the source of the information was given. Quantitative data was obtained on the amount of information provided, size of images and number of references. A response rate of 71% was obtained and 23 leaflets were studied. Great variation was found between the leaflets, with the word counts ranging from 88 to 5,434, and 44 different topics were identified. The majority of the images used were decorative, and none of the leaflets gave any reference to the sources of their information. Implant treatment was generally described in a positive way, with an emphasis on describing the treatment and the advantages. Much less information was given about the potential disadvantages and risks of complications or failure, including the relevance of periodontal disease or smoking. Implant patient information leaflets provided by dental implant companies should not be solely relied upon to provide patients with all the information they need to give informed consent to treatment.

SU-G-JeP3-05: Geometry Based Transperineal Ultrasound Probe Positioning for Image Guided Radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Camps, S; With, P de; Verhaegen, F

2016-06-15

Purpose: The use of ultrasound (US) imaging in radiotherapy is not widespread, primarily due to the need for skilled operators performing the scans. Automation of probe positioning has the potential to remove this need and minimize operator dependence. We introduce an algorithm for obtaining a US probe position that allows good anatomical structure visualization based on clinical requirements. The first application is on 4D transperineal US images of prostate cancer patients. Methods: The algorithm calculates the probe position and orientation using anatomical information provided by a reference CT scan, always available in radiotherapy workflows. As initial test, we apply themore » algorithm on a CIRS pelvic US phantom to obtain a set of possible probe positions. Subsequently, five of these positions are randomly chosen and used to acquire actual US volumes of the phantom. Visual inspection of these volumes reveal if the whole prostate, and adjacent edges of bladder and rectum are fully visualized, as clinically required. In addition, structure positions on the acquired US volumes are compared to predictions of the algorithm. Results: All acquired volumes fulfill the clinical requirements as specified in the previous section. Preliminary quantitative evaluation was performed on thirty consecutive slices of two volumes, on which the structures are easily recognizable. The mean absolute distances (MAD) between actual anatomical structure positions and positions predicted by the algorithm were calculated. This resulted in MAD of 2.4±0.4 mm for prostate, 3.2±0.9 mm for bladder and 3.3±1.3 mm for rectum. Conclusion: Visual inspection and quantitative evaluation show that the algorithm is able to propose probe positions that fulfill all clinical requirements. The obtained MAD is on average 2.9 mm. However, during evaluation we assumed no errors in structure segmentation and probe positioning. In future steps, accurate estimation of these errors will allow for better evaluation of the achieved accuracy.« less

Gaia Data Release 1. Astrometry: one billion positions, two million proper motions and parallaxes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindegren, L.; Lammers, U.; Bastian, U.; Hernández, J.; Klioner, S.; Hobbs, D.; Bombrun, A.; Michalik, D.; Ramos-Lerate, M.; Butkevich, A.; Comoretto, G.; Joliet, E.; Holl, B.; Hutton, A.; Parsons, P.; Steidelmüller, H.; Abbas, U.; Altmann, M.; Andrei, A.; Anton, S.; Bach, N.; Barache, C.; Becciani, U.; Berthier, J.; Bianchi, L.; Biermann, M.; Bouquillon, S.; Bourda, G.; Brüsemeister, T.; Bucciarelli, B.; Busonero, D.; Carlucci, T.; Castañeda, J.; Charlot, P.; Clotet, M.; Crosta, M.; Davidson, M.; de Felice, F.; Drimmel, R.; Fabricius, C.; Fienga, A.; Figueras, F.; Fraile, E.; Gai, M.; Garralda, N.; Geyer, R.; González-Vidal, J. J.; Guerra, R.; Hambly, N. C.; Hauser, M.; Jordan, S.; Lattanzi, M. G.; Lenhardt, H.; Liao, S.; Löffler, W.; McMillan, P. J.; Mignard, F.; Mora, A.; Morbidelli, R.; Portell, J.; Riva, A.; Sarasso, M.; Serraller, I.; Siddiqui, H.; Smart, R.; Spagna, A.; Stampa, U.; Steele, I.; Taris, F.; Torra, J.; van Reeven, W.; Vecchiato, A.; Zschocke, S.; de Bruijne, J.; Gracia, G.; Raison, F.; Lister, T.; Marchant, J.; Messineo, R.; Soffel, M.; Osorio, J.; de Torres, A.; O'Mullane, W.

2016-11-01

Context. Gaia Data Release 1 (DR1) contains astrometric results for more than 1 billion stars brighter than magnitude 20.7 based on observations collected by the Gaia satellite during the first 14 months of its operational phase. Aims: We give a brief overview of the astrometric content of the data release and of the model assumptions, data processing, and validation of the results. Methods: For stars in common with the Hipparcos and Tycho-2 catalogues, complete astrometric single-star solutions are obtained by incorporating positional information from the earlier catalogues. For other stars only their positions are obtained, essentially by neglecting their proper motions and parallaxes. The results are validated by an analysis of the residuals, through special validation runs, and by comparison with external data. Results: For about two million of the brighter stars (down to magnitude 11.5) we obtain positions, parallaxes, and proper motions to Hipparcos-type precision or better. For these stars, systematic errors depending for example on position and colour are at a level of ± 0.3 milliarcsecond (mas). For the remaining stars we obtain positions at epoch J2015.0 accurate to 10 mas. Positions and proper motions are given in a reference frame that is aligned with the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF) to better than 0.1 mas at epoch J2015.0, and non-rotating with respect to ICRF to within 0.03 mas yr-1. The Hipparcos reference frame is found to rotate with respect to the Gaia DR1 frame at a rate of 0.24 mas yr-1. Conclusions: Based on less than a quarter of the nominal mission length and on very provisional and incomplete calibrations, the quality and completeness of the astrometric data in Gaia DR1 are far from what is expected for the final mission products. The present results nevertheless represent a huge improvement in the available fundamental stellar data and practical definition of the optical reference frame.

Optimal Control Method of Robot End Position and Orientation Based on Dynamic Tracking Measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Dalong; Xu, Lijuan

2018-01-01

In order to improve the accuracy of robot pose positioning and control, this paper proposed a dynamic tracking measurement robot pose optimization control method based on the actual measurement of D-H parameters of the robot, the parameters is taken with feedback compensation of the robot, according to the geometrical parameters obtained by robot pose tracking measurement, improved multi sensor information fusion the extended Kalan filter method, with continuous self-optimal regression, using the geometric relationship between joint axes for kinematic parameters in the model, link model parameters obtained can timely feedback to the robot, the implementation of parameter correction and compensation, finally we can get the optimal attitude angle, realize the robot pose optimization control experiments were performed. 6R dynamic tracking control of robot joint robot with independent research and development is taken as experimental subject, the simulation results show that the control method improves robot positioning accuracy, and it has the advantages of versatility, simplicity, ease of operation and so on.

United States Air Force Research Initiation Program. 1984 Research Reports. Volume 3.

DTIC Science & Technology

1986-05-01

right terminal of lamp 13. Position the second switch below switch A such that the handle may be pulled toward you or pushed away from you. The second...position. 42. Pull the handle of s.itch B toward you to light lamp B. 47. Fush.the handle of switch B all the way forward to light both lamps A and B... goalI was to obtain information that could lead to the stabilization of a . Nd:YAG laser. III. APPROACH At the beginning of this research, some of the

'Mom, I have something to tell you'--disclosing HIV infection.

PubMed

Katz, A

1997-01-01

This paper explores the experience of disclosing HIV infection to family members. Information was obtained from secondary analysis of interviews conducted with 10 HIV-positive men and women. Learning that one is HIV-positive is a traumatic event, and disclosing this to family members can be difficult. Findings from this study suggest that family members generally overcome their own feelings and provide the infected individual with love and support. However, the resultant stress on the family may precipitate a crisis as secrets are brought into the open. Implications for nursing practice are addressed.

First Measurements of High Frequency Cross-Spectra from a Pair of Large Michelson Interferometers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chou, Aaron S.; Gustafson, Richard; Hogan, Craig

Measurements are reported of high frequency cross-spectra of signals from the Fermilab Holometer, a pair of co-located 39 m, high power Michelson interferometers. The instrument obtains differential position sensitivity to cross-correlated signals far exceeding any previous measurement in a broad frequency band extending to the 3.8 MHz inverse light crossing time of the apparatus. A model of universal exotic spatial shear correlations that matches the Planck scale holographic information bound of space-time position states is excluded to 4.6{\\sigma} significance.

A Map/INS/Wi-Fi Integrated System for Indoor Location-Based Service Applications

PubMed Central

Yu, Chunyang; Lan, Haiyu; Gu, Fuqiang; Yu, Fei; El-Sheimy, Naser

2017-01-01

In this research, a new Map/INS/Wi-Fi integrated system for indoor location-based service (LBS) applications based on a cascaded Particle/Kalman filter framework structure is proposed. Two-dimension indoor map information, together with measurements from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value, are integrated for estimating positioning information. The main challenge of this research is how to make effective use of various measurements that complement each other in order to obtain an accurate, continuous, and low-cost position solution without increasing the computational burden of the system. Therefore, to eliminate the cumulative drift caused by low-cost IMU sensor errors, the ubiquitous Wi-Fi signal and non-holonomic constraints are rationally used to correct the IMU-derived navigation solution through the extended Kalman Filter (EKF). Moreover, the map-aiding method and map-matching method are innovatively combined to constrain the primary Wi-Fi/IMU-derived position through an Auxiliary Value Particle Filter (AVPF). Different sources of information are incorporated through a cascaded structure EKF/AVPF filter algorithm. Indoor tests show that the proposed method can effectively reduce the accumulation of positioning errors of a stand-alone Inertial Navigation System (INS), and provide a stable, continuous and reliable indoor location service. PMID:28574471

A Map/INS/Wi-Fi Integrated System for Indoor Location-Based Service Applications.

PubMed

Yu, Chunyang; Lan, Haiyu; Gu, Fuqiang; Yu, Fei; El-Sheimy, Naser

2017-06-02

In this research, a new Map/INS/Wi-Fi integrated system for indoor location-based service (LBS) applications based on a cascaded Particle/Kalman filter framework structure is proposed. Two-dimension indoor map information, together with measurements from an inertial measurement unit (IMU) and Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value, are integrated for estimating positioning information. The main challenge of this research is how to make effective use of various measurements that complement each other in order to obtain an accurate, continuous, and low-cost position solution without increasing the computational burden of the system. Therefore, to eliminate the cumulative drift caused by low-cost IMU sensor errors, the ubiquitous Wi-Fi signal and non-holonomic constraints are rationally used to correct the IMU-derived navigation solution through the extended Kalman Filter (EKF). Moreover, the map-aiding method and map-matching method are innovatively combined to constrain the primary Wi-Fi/IMU-derived position through an Auxiliary Value Particle Filter (AVPF). Different sources of information are incorporated through a cascaded structure EKF/AVPF filter algorithm. Indoor tests show that the proposed method can effectively reduce the accumulation of positioning errors of a stand-alone Inertial Navigation System (INS), and provide a stable, continuous and reliable indoor location service.

Real-Time Evolution of Zika Virus Disease Outbreak, Roatán, Honduras.

PubMed

Brooks, Trevor; Roy-Burman, Arup; Tuholske, Cascade; Busch, Michael P; Bakkour, Sonia; Stone, Mars; Linnen, Jeffrey M; Gao, Kui; Coleman, Jayleen; Bloch, Evan M

2017-08-01

A Zika virus disease outbreak occurred in Roatán, Honduras, during September 2015-July 2016. Blood samples and clinical information were obtained from 183 patients given a clinical diagnosis of suspected dengue virus infection. A total of 79 patients were positive for Zika virus, 13 for chikungunya virus, and 6 for dengue virus.

XID+: Next generation XID development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hurley, Peter

2017-04-01

XID+ is a prior-based source extraction tool which carries out photometry in the Herschel SPIRE (Spectral and Photometric Imaging Receiver) maps at the positions of known sources. It uses a probabilistic Bayesian framework that provides a natural framework in which to include prior information, and uses the Bayesian inference tool Stan to obtain the full posterior probability distribution on flux estimates.

Bridging the Generation Gap across the Digital Divide: Teens Teaching Internet Skills to Senior Citizens.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kolodinsky, Jane; Cranwell, Michele; Rowe, Ellen

2002-01-01

The Teens Teaching Internet Skills Pilot Project engaged youth from 4-H Technology Teams in training senior citizens to obtain information from the Medicare website. The teens perceived an improvement in working with seniors, project management, teaching, public speaking, and leadership. The workshops had a positive effect on seniors' comfort and…

Decreasing Problem Behavior Associated with a Walking Program for an Individual with Developmental and Physical Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roane, Henry S.; Kelley, Michael E.

2008-01-01

In the current investigation, a functional analysis suggested that positive reinforcement in the form of physical contact maintained the self-injurious behavior of a girl with developmental and physical disabilities. We used the information obtained from the functional analysis to develop a treatment for noncompliance with walking in which a…

Performance Analysis of Constrained Loosely Coupled GPS/INS Integration Solutions

PubMed Central

Falco, Gianluca; Einicke, Garry A.; Malos, John T.; Dovis, Fabio

2012-01-01

The paper investigates approaches for loosely coupled GPS/INS integration. Error performance is calculated using a reference trajectory. A performance improvement can be obtained by exploiting additional map information (for example, a road boundary). A constrained solution has been developed and its performance compared with an unconstrained one. The case of GPS outages is also investigated showing how a Kalman filter that operates on the last received GPS position and velocity measurements provides a performance benefit. Results are obtained by means of simulation studies and real data. PMID:23202241

Combination of structured illumination and single molecule localization microscopy in one setup

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossberger, Sabrina; Best, Gerrit; Baddeley, David; Heintzmann, Rainer; Birk, Udo; Dithmar, Stefan; Cremer, Christoph

2013-09-01

Understanding the positional and structural aspects of biological nanostructures simultaneously is as much a challenge as a desideratum. In recent years, highly accurate (20 nm) positional information of optically isolated targets down to the nanometer range has been obtained using single molecule localization microscopy (SMLM), while highly resolved (100 nm) spatial information has been achieved using structured illumination microscopy (SIM). In this paper, we present a high-resolution fluorescence microscope setup which combines the advantages of SMLM with SIM in order to provide high-precision localization and structural information in a single setup. Furthermore, the combination of the wide-field SIM image with the SMLM data allows us to identify artifacts produced during the visualization process of SMLM data, and potentially also during the reconstruction process of SIM images. We describe the SMLM-SIM combo and software, and apply the instrument in a first proof-of-principle to the same region of H3K293 cells to achieve SIM images with high structural resolution (in the 100 nm range) in overlay with the highly accurate position information of localized single fluorophores. Thus, with its robust control software, efficient switching between the SMLM and SIM mode, fully automated and user-friendly acquisition and evaluation software, the SMLM-SIM combo is superior over existing solutions.

SEARCHING FOR NEW {gamma}-RAY BLAZAR CANDIDATES IN THE THIRD PALERMO BAT HARD X-RAY CATALOG WITH WISE

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Maselli, A.; Cusumano, G.; La Parola, V.

We searched for {gamma}-ray blazar candidates among the 382 unidentified hard X-ray sources of the third Palermo BAT Catalog (3PBC) obtained from the analysis of 66 months of Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) survey data and listing 1586 sources. We adopted a recently developed association method based on the peculiar infrared colors that characterize the {gamma}-ray blazars included in the second catalog of active galactic nuclei detected by the Fermi Large Area Telescope. We used this method exploiting the data of the all-sky survey performed by the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) to establish correspondences between unidentified 3PBC sources andmore » WISE {gamma}-ray blazar candidates located within the BAT positional uncertainty region at a 99% confidence level. We obtained a preliminary list of candidates for which we analyzed all the available data in the Swift archive to complement the information in the literature and in the radio, infrared, and optical catalogs with the information on their optical-UV and soft X-ray emission. Requiring the presence of radio and soft X-ray counterparts consistent with the infrared positions of the selected WISE sources, as well as a blazar-like radio morphology, we finally obtained a list of 24 {gamma}-ray blazar candidates.« less

Classical Information Storage in an n-Level Quantum System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frenkel, Péter E.; Weiner, Mihály

2015-12-01

A game is played by a team of two—say Alice and Bob—in which the value of a random variable x is revealed to Alice only, who cannot freely communicate with Bob. Instead, she is given a quantum n-level system, respectively a classical n-state system, which she can put in possession of Bob in any state she wishes. We evaluate how successfully they managed to store and recover the value of x by requiring Bob to specify a value z and giving a reward of value f ( x, z) to the team. We show that whatever the probability distribution of x and the reward function f are, when using a quantum n-level system, the maximum expected reward obtainable with the best possible team strategy is equal to that obtainable with the use of a classical n-state system. The proof relies on mixed discriminants of positive matrices and—perhaps surprisingly—an application of the Supply-Demand Theorem for bipartite graphs. As a corollary, we get an infinite set of new, dimension dependent inequalities regarding positive operator valued measures and density operators on complex n-space. As a further corollary, we see that the greatest value, with respect to a given distribution of x, of the mutual information I ( x; z) that is obtainable using an n-level quantum system equals the analogous maximum for a classical n-state system.

Adaptive AOA-aided TOA self-positioning for mobile wireless sensor networks.

PubMed

Wen, Chih-Yu; Chan, Fu-Kai

2010-01-01

Location-awareness is crucial and becoming increasingly important to many applications in wireless sensor networks. This paper presents a network-based positioning system and outlines recent work in which we have developed an efficient principled approach to localize a mobile sensor using time of arrival (TOA) and angle of arrival (AOA) information employing multiple seeds in the line-of-sight scenario. By receiving the periodic broadcasts from the seeds, the mobile target sensors can obtain adequate observations and localize themselves automatically. The proposed positioning scheme performs location estimation in three phases: (I) AOA-aided TOA measurement, (II) Geometrical positioning with particle filter, and (III) Adaptive fuzzy control. Based on the distance measurements and the initial position estimate, adaptive fuzzy control scheme is applied to solve the localization adjustment problem. The simulations show that the proposed approach provides adaptive flexibility and robust improvement in position estimation.

Rapid ambiguity resolution over medium-to-long baselines based on GPS/BDS multi-frequency observables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Xiaopeng; Lou, Yidong; Liu, Wanke; Zheng, Fu; Gu, Shengfeng; Wang, Hua

2017-02-01

Medium-long baseline RTK positioning generally needs a long initial time to find an accurate position due to non-negligible atmospheric delay residual. In order to shorten the initial or re-convergence time, a rapid phase ambiguity resolution method is employed based on GPS/BDS multi-frequency observables in this paper. This method is realized by two steps. First, double-differenced un-combined observables (i.e., L1/L2 and B1/B2/B3 observables) are used to obtain a float solution with atmospheric delay estimated as random walk parameter by using Kalman filter. This model enables an easy and consistent implementation for different systems and different frequency observables and can readily be extended to use more satellite navigation systems (e.g., Galileo, QZSS). Additional prior constraints for atmospheric information can be quickly added as well, because atmospheric delay is parameterized. Second, in order to fix ambiguity rapidly and reliably, ambiguities are divided into three types (extra-wide-lane (EWL), wide-lane (WL) and narrow-lane (NL)) according to their wavelengths and are to be fixed sequentially by using the LAMBDA method. Several baselines ranging from 61 km to 232 km collected by Trimble and Panda receivers are used to validate the method. The results illustrate that it only takes approximately 1, 2 and 6 epochs (30 s intervals) to fix EWL, WL and NL ambiguities, respectively. More epochs' observables are needed to fix WL and NL ambiguity around local time 14:00 than other time mainly due to more active ionosphere activity. As for the re-convergence time, the simulated results show that 90% of epochs can be fixed within 2 epochs by using prior atmospheric delay information obtained from previously 5 min. Finally, as for positioning accuracy, meter, decimeter and centimeter level positioning results are obtained according to different ambiguity resolution performances, i.e., EWL, WL and NL fixed solutions.

Motion-aware stroke volume quantification in 4D PC-MRI data of the human aorta.

PubMed

Köhler, Benjamin; Preim, Uta; Grothoff, Matthias; Gutberlet, Matthias; Fischbach, Katharina; Preim, Bernhard

2016-02-01

4D PC-MRI enables the noninvasive measurement of time-resolved, three-dimensional blood flow data that allow quantification of the hemodynamics. Stroke volumes are essential to assess the cardiac function and evolution of different cardiovascular diseases. The calculation depends on the wall position and vessel orientation, which both change during the cardiac cycle due to the heart muscle contraction and the pumped blood. However, current systems for the quantitative 4D PC-MRI data analysis neglect the dynamic character and instead employ a static 3D vessel approximation. We quantify differences between stroke volumes in the aorta obtained with and without consideration of its dynamics. We describe a method that uses the approximating 3D segmentation to automatically initialize segmentation algorithms that require regions inside and outside the vessel for each temporal position. This enables the use of graph cuts to obtain 4D segmentations, extract vessel surfaces including centerlines for each temporal position and derive motion information. The stroke volume quantification is compared using measuring planes in static (3D) vessels, planes with fixed angulation inside dynamic vessels (this corresponds to the common 2D PC-MRI) and moving planes inside dynamic vessels. Seven datasets with different pathologies such as aneurysms and coarctations were evaluated in close collaboration with radiologists. Compared to the experts' manual stroke volume estimations, motion-aware quantification performs, on average, 1.57% better than calculations without motion consideration. The mean difference between stroke volumes obtained with the different methods is 7.82%. Automatically obtained 4D segmentations overlap by 85.75% with manually generated ones. Incorporating motion information in the stroke volume quantification yields slight but not statistically significant improvements. The presented method is feasible for the clinical routine, since computation times are low and essential parts run fully automatically. The 4D segmentations can be used for other algorithms as well. The simultaneous visualization and quantification may support the understanding and interpretation of cardiac blood flow.

The Era of the Large Databases: Outcomes After Gastroesophageal Surgery According to NSQIP, NIS, and NCDB Databases. Systematic Literature Review.

PubMed

Batista Rodríguez, Gabriela; Balla, Andrea; Fernández-Ananín, Sonia; Balagué, Carmen; Targarona, Eduard M

2018-05-01

The term big data refers to databases that include large amounts of information used in various areas of knowledge. Currently, there are large databases that allow the evaluation of postoperative evolution, such as the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP), the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) National Inpatient Sample (NIS), and the National Cancer Database (NCDB). The aim of this review was to evaluate the clinical impact of information obtained from these registries regarding gastroesophageal surgery. A systematic review using the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines was performed. The research was carried out using the PubMed database identifying 251 articles. All outcomes related to gastroesophageal surgery were analyzed. A total of 34 articles published between January 2007 and July 2017 were included, for a total of 345 697 patients. Studies were analyzed and divided according to the type of surgery and main theme in (1) esophageal surgery and (2) gastric surgery. The information provided by these databases is an effective way to obtain levels of evidence not obtainable by conventional methods. Furthermore, this information is useful for the external validation of previous studies, to establish benchmarks that allow comparisons between centers and have a positive impact on the quality of care.

Multiple image encryption scheme based on pixel exchange operation and vector decomposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Y.; Quan, C.; Tay, C. J.

2018-02-01

We propose a new multiple image encryption scheme based on a pixel exchange operation and a basic vector decomposition in Fourier domain. In this algorithm, original images are imported via a pixel exchange operator, from which scrambled images and pixel position matrices are obtained. Scrambled images encrypted into phase information are imported using the proposed algorithm and phase keys are obtained from the difference between scrambled images and synthesized vectors in a charge-coupled device (CCD) plane. The final synthesized vector is used as an input in a random phase encoding (DRPE) scheme. In the proposed encryption scheme, pixel position matrices and phase keys serve as additional private keys to enhance the security of the cryptosystem which is based on a 4-f system. Numerical simulations are presented to demonstrate the feasibility and robustness of the proposed encryption scheme.

Education review: a computer-assisted instructional tool to assist students in developing an epidemiological research proposal.

PubMed

Watzlaf, V J; Addeo, L; Nous, A

1995-11-01

The development of an epidemiological research proposal can be a difficult assignment for junior health information management students. The article demonstrates how a computer-assisted instructional (CAI) tool was developed to assist students in the development of an epidemiological research proposal. Surveys were conducted to determine where students were having the most problems, information about writing a research proposal was gathered and organized into an appropriate format, appropriate software (Hypercard) was chosen, the final CAI tool (the Research and Grant Writer) was developed, and positive feedback was obtained from junior health information management students using the CAI tool.

Remote multi-position information gathering system and method

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, Tomas B.

1986-01-01

A technique for gathering specific information from various remote locations, especially fluorimetric information characteristic of particular materials at the various locations is disclosed herein. This technique uses a single source of light disposed at still a different, central location and an overall optical network including an arrangement of optical fibers cooperating with the light source for directing individual light beams into the different information bearing locations. The incoming light beams result in corresponding displays of light, e.g., fluorescent light, containing the information to be obtained. The optical network cooperates with these light displays at the various locations for directing outgoing light beams containing the same information as their cooperating displays from these locations to the central location. Each of these outgoing beams is applied to a detection arrangement, e.g., a fluorescence spectroscope, for retrieving the information contained thereby.

Remote multi-position information gathering system and method

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, Tomas B.

1986-01-01

A technique for gathering specific information from various remote locations, especially fluorimetric information characteristic of particular materials at the various locations is disclosed herein. This technique uses a single source of light disposed at still a different, central location and an overall optical network including an arrangement of optical fibers cooperating with the light source for directing individual light beams into the different information bearing locations. The incoming light beams result in corresponding displays of light, e.g., fluorescent light, containing the information to be obtained. The optical network cooperates with these light displays at the various locations for directing ongoing light beams containing the same information as their cooperating displays from these locations to the central location. Each of these outgoing beams is applied to a detection arrangement, e.g., a fluorescence spectroscope, for retrieving the information contained thereby.

Remote multi-position information gathering system and method

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, T.B.

1989-01-24

A technique for gathering specific information from various remote locations, especially fluorimetric information characteristic of particular materials at the various locations is disclosed herein. This technique uses a single source of light disposed at still a different, central location and an overall optical network including an arrangement of optical fibers cooperating with the light source for directing individual light beams into the different information bearing locations. The incoming light beams result in corresponding displays of light, e.g., fluorescent light, containing the information to be obtained. The optical network cooperates with these light displays at the various locations for directing outgoing light beams containing the same information as their cooperating displays from these locations to the central location. Each of these outgoing beams is applied to a detection arrangement, e.g., a fluorescence spectroscope, for retrieving the information contained thereby. 9 figs.

Remote multi-position information gathering system and method

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, T.B.

1986-12-02

A technique for gathering specific information from various remote locations, especially fluorimetric information characteristic of particular materials at the various locations is disclosed herein. This technique uses a single source of light disposed at still a different, central location and an overall optical network including an arrangement of optical fibers cooperating with the light source for directing individual light beams into the different information bearing locations. The incoming light beams result in corresponding displays of light, e.g., fluorescent light, containing the information to be obtained. The optical network cooperates with these light displays at the various locations for directing outgoing light beams containing the same information as their cooperating displays from these locations to the central location. Each of these outgoing beams is applied to a detection arrangement, e.g., a fluorescence spectroscope, for retrieving the information contained thereby. 9 figs.

Remote multi-position information gathering system and method

DOEpatents

Hirschfeld, Tomas B.

1989-01-01

A technique for gathering specific information from various remote locations, especially fluorimetric information characteristic of particular materials at the various locations is disclosed herein. This technique uses a single source of light disposed at still a different, central location and an overall optical network including an arrangement of optical fibers cooperating with the light source for directing individual light beams into the different information bearing locations. The incoming light beams result in corresponding displays of light, e.g., fluorescent light, containing the information to be obtained. The optical network cooperates with these light displays at the various locations for directing outgoing light beams containing the same information as their cooperating displays from these locations to the central location. Each of these outgoing beams is applied to a detection arrangement, e.g., a fluorescence spectroscope, for retrieving the information contained thereby.

[Views of Icelandic women towards genetic counseling - and testing of BRCA2 mutations].

PubMed

Jonsdottir, Thordis; Valdimarsdottir, Heiddis; Tryggvadottir, Laufey; Lund, Sigrun Helga; Thordardottir, Marianna; Magnusson, Magnus Karl; Valdimarsdottir, Unnur

2018-01-01

Introduction The aim of this study was to explore the attitudes of Icelandic women towards existing genetic information, genetic counseling and genetic testing for BRCA mutations which dramatically increase risk for aggressive cancers. Materials and methods Women attending the cancer prevention clinic in Reykjavik, capital of Iceland, from October 12th until November 20th 2015 received an invitation to participate. Participation involved answering a short online questionnaire about background, family history of cancer as well as attitudes towards genetic counseling, BRCA testing and preventive use of such information. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests were used to describe differences in attitudes towards those questions between subgroups of women. Results 1129 women (69% response rate) answered the questionnaire. Mean age was 47 years (span 21-76 years). Around half (47%) had heard fairly much about the mutations. Independent of family history of cancer, the majority of women were positive towards receiving genetic counseling (79%) and to undergo genetic testing (83%) for BRCA mutation with younger women being more interested than older women. On the other hand, only 4% of the women had already received genetic counseling and 7% undergone genetic testing. Women with family history of cancer were more knowledgeable about BRCA mutations (p<0.0001) and were less afraid of the consequence of being a mutation carrier (p<0.0001) compared to those with little or no family history. Regardless of family history, half (49%) worried that results from genetic testing could influence their health insurance. Almost all, or 97% of the women, were positive or very positive toward using existing genetic information obtained through scientific work, to inform affected indi-viduals of their mutation status. Conclusion Icelandic women are positive towards genetic counseling and testing for BRCA mutations although half of them worry that a positive result might affect their health insurance. Nevertheless, almost all women believe that existing genetic information should be used to inform carriers for preventive purposes.

Automatic brain tumor detection in MRI: methodology and statistical validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iftekharuddin, Khan M.; Islam, Mohammad A.; Shaik, Jahangheer; Parra, Carlos; Ogg, Robert

2005-04-01

Automated brain tumor segmentation and detection are immensely important in medical diagnostics because it provides information associated to anatomical structures as well as potential abnormal tissue necessary to delineate appropriate surgical planning. In this work, we propose a novel automated brain tumor segmentation technique based on multiresolution texture information that combines fractal Brownian motion (fBm) and wavelet multiresolution analysis. Our wavelet-fractal technique combines the excellent multiresolution localization property of wavelets to texture extraction of fractal. We prove the efficacy of our technique by successfully segmenting pediatric brain MR images (MRIs) from St. Jude Children"s Research Hospital. We use self-organizing map (SOM) as our clustering tool wherein we exploit both pixel intensity and multiresolution texture features to obtain segmented tumor. Our test results show that our technique successfully segments abnormal brain tissues in a set of T1 images. In the next step, we design a classifier using Feed-Forward (FF) neural network to statistically validate the presence of tumor in MRI using both the multiresolution texture and the pixel intensity features. We estimate the corresponding receiver operating curve (ROC) based on the findings of true positive fractions and false positive fractions estimated from our classifier at different threshold values. An ROC, which can be considered as a gold standard to prove the competence of a classifier, is obtained to ascertain the sensitivity and specificity of our classifier. We observe that at threshold 0.4 we achieve true positive value of 1.0 (100%) sacrificing only 0.16 (16%) false positive value for the set of 50 T1 MRI analyzed in this experiment.

Early-onset schizophrenia: Symptoms and social class of origin.

PubMed

Gallagher, Bernard J; Jones, Brian J

2017-09-01

The genesis of schizophrenia is multifactorial, including biological and environmental risk factors. We tested for an interactive effect between early-onset schizophrenia (EOS) and social class of origins (socioeconomic status (SES)). Data were further analyzed for a possible connection to type of schizophrenic symptoms. Sampling/Methods: Data for the study are taken from the medical records of 642 patients from a large state hospital in the northeastern United States. Clinical assessments were divided into positive and negative symptomatology through application of the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS), the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Detailed information about age of onset and SES of origin was obtained through Social Service Assessment interviews. We uncovered a significant impact of EOS among the poor that elevates risk for negative symptomatology. Poor SES alone does not increase the likelihood of EOS, but it magnifies the deleterious effect of EOS on negative symptoms. Future research on these variables may inform the relative contribution of each.

Deaf and hard-of-hearing students' experiences in mainstream and separate postsecondary education.

PubMed

Richardson, John T E; Marschark, Marc; Sarchet, Thomastine; Sapere, Patricia

2010-01-01

In order to better understand academic achievement among deaf and hard-of-hearing students in different educational placements, an exploratory study examined the experiences of postsecondary students enrolled in mainstream programs (with hearing students) versus separate programs (without hearing students) at the same institution. The Course Experience Questionnaire, the Revised Approaches to Studying Inventory, and the Classroom Participation Questionnaire were utilized to obtain information concerning their perceptions, participation, and access to information in the classroom. Both groups were concerned with good teaching and the acquisition of generic skills. Both were motivated by the demands of their assessments and by a fear of failure while being alert to both positive and negative affect in their classroom interactions. Overall, students in separate classes were more positive about workload expectations, instructor feedback, and the choices they had in coursework. Students in mainstream classes were more positive about their acquisition of analytic skills (rather than rote memorization) and about their instructors' interest in them, including flexibility in methods of assessment.

A New Method of High-Precision Positioning for an Indoor Pseudolite without Using the Known Point Initialization.

PubMed

Zhao, Yinzhi; Zhang, Peng; Guo, Jiming; Li, Xin; Wang, Jinling; Yang, Fei; Wang, Xinzhe

2018-06-20

Due to the great influence of multipath effect, noise, clock and error on pseudorange, the carrier phase double difference equation is widely used in high-precision indoor pseudolite positioning. The initial position is determined mostly by the known point initialization (KPI) method, and then the ambiguities can be fixed with the LAMBDA method. In this paper, a new method without using the KPI to achieve high-precision indoor pseudolite positioning is proposed. The initial coordinates can be quickly obtained to meet the accuracy requirement of the indoor LAMBDA method. The detailed processes of the method follows: Aiming at the low-cost single-frequency pseudolite system, the static differential pseudolite system (DPL) method is used to obtain the low-accuracy positioning coordinates of the rover station quickly. Then, the ambiguity function method (AFM) is used to search for the coordinates in the corresponding epoch. The real coordinates obtained by AFM can meet the initial accuracy requirement of the LAMBDA method, so that the double difference carrier phase ambiguities can be correctly fixed. Following the above steps, high-precision indoor pseudolite positioning can be realized. Several experiments, including static and dynamic tests, are conducted to verify the feasibility of the new method. According to the results of the experiments, the initial coordinates with the accuracy of decimeter level through the DPL can be obtained. For the AFM part, both a one-meter search scope and two-centimeter or four-centimeter search steps are used to ensure the precision at the centimeter level and high search efficiency. After dealing with the problem of multiple peaks caused by the ambiguity cosine function, the coordinate information of the maximum ambiguity function value (AFV) is taken as the initial value of the LAMBDA, and the ambiguities can be fixed quickly. The new method provides accuracies at the centimeter level for dynamic experiments and at the millimeter level for static ones.

Attending to suggestion and trance in the pediatric history and physical examination: a case study.

PubMed

Berberich, F Ralph

2011-07-01

Obtaining complete information lies at the heart of accurate diagnosis in all healthcare fields. Extracting information is a time-honored purpose of the history and physical examination. Practitioners may not be aware that these functions also provide opportunities to impart positive verbal and nonverbal suggestions. Paying attention to language promotes patient self-mastery and helps forge a therapeutic alliance for successful outcomes. Principles taught in hypnosis workshops can also help the practitioner avoid negative, undermining suggestions that could diminish diagnostic and therapeutic effectiveness.

Influence maximization in social networks under an independent cascade-based model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Qiyao; Jin, Yuehui; Lin, Zhen; Cheng, Shiduan; Yang, Tan

2016-02-01

The rapid growth of online social networks is important for viral marketing. Influence maximization refers to the process of finding influential users who make the most of information or product adoption. An independent cascade-based model for influence maximization, called IMIC-OC, was proposed to calculate positive influence. We assumed that influential users spread positive opinions. At the beginning, users held positive or negative opinions as their initial opinions. When more users became involved in the discussions, users balanced their own opinions and those of their neighbors. The number of users who did not change positive opinions was used to determine positive influence. Corresponding influential users who had maximum positive influence were then obtained. Experiments were conducted on three real networks, namely, Facebook, HEP-PH and Epinions, to calculate maximum positive influence based on the IMIC-OC model and two other baseline methods. The proposed model resulted in larger positive influence, thus indicating better performance compared with the baseline methods.

From disclosure to transparency: the use of company payment data.

PubMed

Chimonas, Susan; Frosch, Zachary; Rothman, David J

2011-01-10

It has become standard practice in medical journals to require authors to disclose their relationships with industry. However, these requirements vary among journals and often lack specificity. As a result, disclosures may not consistently reveal author-industry ties. We examined the 2007 physician payment information from 5 orthopedic device companies to evaluate the current journal disclosure system. We compared company payment information for recipients of $1 million or more with disclosures in the recipients' journal articles. Payment data were obtained from Biomet, DePuy, Smith & Nephew, Stryker, and Zimmer. Disclosures were obtained in the acknowledgments section, conflict of interest statements, and financial disclosures of recipients' published articles. We also assessed variations in disclosure by authorship position, payment-article relatedness, and journal disclosure policies. Of the 41 individuals who received $1 million or more in 2007, 32 had published articles relating to orthopedics between January 1, 2008, and January 15, 2009. Disclosures of company payments varied considerably. Prominent authorship position and article-payment relatedness were associated with greater disclosure, although nondisclosure rates remained high (46% among first-, sole-, and senior-authored articles and 50% among articles directly or indirectly related to payments). The accuracy of disclosures did not vary with the strength of journals' disclosure policies. Current journal disclosure practices do not yield complete or consistent information regarding authors' industry ties. Medical journals, along with other medical institutions, should consider new strategies to facilitate accurate and complete transparency.

Do positive schizotypal symptoms predict false perceptual experiences in nonclinical populations?

PubMed

Tsakanikos, Elias; Reed, Phil

2005-12-01

We examined whether positive schizotypy (i.e., reports of hallucinatory and delusional-like experiences) in nonclinical participants could predict false perceptual experiences during detection of fast-moving words beyond a possible response bias. The participants (N = 160) were assigned to one of two conditions: they were asked either to make presence/absence judgments (loose criterion) or to read aloud every detected word (strict criterion). Regression analysis showed that high levels of positive schizotypy predicted false alarms in the loose condition and false perceptions of words in the strict condition. The obtained effects were independent of detection accuracy, task order, impulsivity, and social desirability. We discuss the results in the context of information processing biases linked to the positive symptomatology of schizophrenia. Clinical and theoretical implications are also considered.

A Julia set model of field-directed morphogenesis: developmental biology and artificial life.

PubMed

Levin, M

1994-04-01

One paradigm used in understanding the control of morphogenetic events is the concept of positional information, where sub-organismic components (such as cells) act in response to positional cues. It is important to determine what kinds of spatiotemporal patterns may be obtained by such a method, and what the characteristics of such a morphogenetic process might be. This paper presents a computer model of morphogenesis based on gene activity driven by interpreting a positional information field. In this model, the interactions of mutually regulating developmental genes are viewed as a map from R2 to R2, and are modeled by the complex number algebra. Functions in complex variables are used to simulate genetic interactions resulting in position-dependent differentiation. This is shown to be equivalent to computing modified Julia sets, and is seen to be sufficient to produce a very rich set of morphologies which are similar in appearance and several important characteristics to those of real organisms. The properties of this model can be used to study the potential role of fields and positional information as guiding factors in morphogenesis, as the model facilitates the study of static images, time-series (movies) and experimental alterations of the developmental process. It is thus shown that gene interactions can be modeled as a multi-dimensional algebra, and that only two interacting genes are sufficient for (i) complex pattern formation, (ii) chaotic differentiation behavior, and (iii) production of sharp edges from a continuous positional information field. This model is meant to elucidate the properties of the process of positional information-guided biomorphogenesis, not to serve as a simulation of any particular organism's development. Good quantitative data are not currently available on the interplay of gene products in morphogenesis. Thus, no attempt is made to link the images produced with actual pictures of any particular real organism. A brief introduction to top-down models and positional information is followed by the formal definition of the model. Then, the implications of the resulting morphologies to biological development are discussed, in terms of static shapes, parametrization studies, time series (movies made from individual frames), and behavior of the model in light of experimental perturbations. All figures (in grayscale), formulas and parameter values needed to re-create the figures and movies are included.

A cooperative positioning with Kalman filters and handover mechanism for indoor microcellular visible light communication network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiong, Jieqing; Huang, Zhitong; Zhuang, Kaiyu; Ji, Yuefeng

2016-08-01

We propose a novel handover scheme for indoor microcellular visible light communication (VLC) network. With such a scheme, the room, which is fully coverage by light, is divided into several microcells according to the layout of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). However, the directionality of light arises new challenges in keeping the connectivity between the mobile devices and light source under the mobile circumstances. The simplest solution is that all LEDs broadcast data of every user simultaneously, but it wastes too much bandwidth resource, especially when the amount of users increases. To solve this key problem, we utilize the optical positioning assisting handover procedure in this paper. In the positioning stage, the network manager obtains the location information of user device via downlink and uplink signal strength information, which is white light and infrared, respectively. After that, a Kalman filter is utilized for improving the tracking performance of a mobile device. Then, the network manager decides how to initiate the handover process by the previous information. Results show that the proposed scheme can achieve low-cost, seamless data communication, and a high probability of successful handover.

Validation of an electronic device for measuring driving exposure.

PubMed

Huebner, Kyla D; Porter, Michelle M; Marshall, Shawn C

2006-03-01

This study sought to evaluate an on-board diagnostic system (CarChip) for collecting driving exposure data in older drivers. Drivers (N = 20) aged 60 to 86 years from Winnipeg and surrounding communities participated. Information on driving exposure was obtained via the CarChip and global positioning system (GPS) technology on a driving course, and obtained via the CarChip and surveys over a week of driving. Velocities and distances were measured over the road course to validate the accuracy of the CarChip compared to GPS for those parameters. The results show that the CarChip does provide valid distance measurements and slightly lower maximum velocities than GPS measures. From the results obtained in this study, it was determined that retrospective self-reports of weekly driving distances are inaccurate. Therefore, an on-board diagnostic system (OBDII) electronic device like the CarChip can provide valid and detailed information about driving exposure that would be useful for studies of crash rates or driving behavior.

Real-Time Evolution of Zika Virus Disease Outbreak, Roatán, Honduras

PubMed Central

Roy-Burman, Arup; Tuholske, Cascade; Busch, Michael P.; Bakkour, Sonia; Stone, Mars; Linnen, Jeffrey M.; Gao, Kui; Coleman, Jayleen; Bloch, Evan M.

2017-01-01

A Zika virus disease outbreak occurred in Roatán, Honduras, during September 2015–July 2016. Blood samples and clinical information were obtained from 183 patients given a clinical diagnosis of suspected dengue virus infection. A total of 79 patients were positive for Zika virus, 13 for chikungunya virus, and 6 for dengue virus. PMID:28514227

Female Superintendents in California and the Role That Mentoring and Networking Have Played in Their Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dudek, Vicky

2012-01-01

This study examined the role that mentoring, formal networking, and informal networking have played in the lives of women who have obtained the position of superintendent in the state of California. The researcher explored the access that female administrators had to mentors and networks, followed by the perceived benefits they received when they…

Tyler sands play entices operators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Stremel, K.

Encouraging seismic data and recent discoveries are causing a renewed interest in an intensive exploration effort in central Montana's Tyler play. With new subsurface information obtained from recent seismic surveys, geologists are reviewing the elusive Tyler sands from a different perspective. Several operators are competing for lease positions through farmouts and joint ventures and increased drilling activity is expected to begin within the next year.

Floor Sensing System Using Laser Reflectivity for Localizing Everyday Objects and Robot

PubMed Central

Pyo, Yoonseok; Hasegawa, Tsutomu; Tsuji, Tokuo; Kurazume, Ryo; Morooka, Ken'ichi

2014-01-01

This paper describes a new method of measuring the position of everyday objects and a robot on the floor using distance and reflectance acquired by laser range finder (LRF). The information obtained by this method is important for a service robot working in a human daily life environment. Our method uses only one LRF together with a mirror installed on the wall. Moreover, since the area of sensing is limited to a LRF scanning plane parallel to the floor and just a few centimeters above the floor, the scanning covers the whole room with minimal invasion of privacy of a resident, and occlusion problem is mitigated by using mirror. We use the reflection intensity and position information obtained from the target surface. Although it is not possible to identify all objects by additionally using reflection values, it would be easier to identify unknown objects if we can eliminate easily identifiable objects by reflectance. In addition, we propose a method for measuring the robot's pose using the tag which has the encoded reflection pattern optically identified by the LRF. Our experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. PMID:24763253

Improving the performance of lesion-based computer-aided detection schemes of breast masses using a case-based adaptive cueing method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Maxine; Aghaei, Faranak; Wang, Yunzhi; Qian, Wei; Zheng, Bin

2016-03-01

Current commercialized CAD schemes have high false-positive (FP) detection rates and also have high correlations in positive lesion detection with radiologists. Thus, we recently investigated a new approach to improve the efficacy of applying CAD to assist radiologists in reading and interpreting screening mammograms. Namely, we developed a new global feature based CAD approach/scheme that can cue the warning sign on the cases with high risk of being positive. In this study, we investigate the possibility of fusing global feature or case-based scores with the local or lesion-based CAD scores using an adaptive cueing method. We hypothesize that the information from the global feature extraction (features extracted from the whole breast regions) are different from and can provide supplementary information to the locally-extracted features (computed from the segmented lesion regions only). On a large and diverse full-field digital mammography (FFDM) testing dataset with 785 cases (347 negative and 438 cancer cases with masses only), we ran our lesion-based and case-based CAD schemes "as is" on the whole dataset. To assess the supplementary information provided by the global features, we used an adaptive cueing method to adaptively adjust the original CAD-generated detection scores (Sorg) of a detected suspicious mass region based on the computed case-based score (Scase) of the case associated with this detected region. Using the adaptive cueing method, better sensitivity results were obtained at lower FP rates (<= 1 FP per image). Namely, increases of sensitivities (in the FROC curves) of up to 6.7% and 8.2% were obtained for the ROI and Case-based results, respectively.

Decision making for position-dependent obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on the basis of patient information and physical examinations of the upper airway, acquired on an outpatient basis.

PubMed

Endo, Minoru; Kondo, Takahito; Shimada, Rie; Tsukahara, Kiyoaki

2018-06-01

Patients with body mass index (BMI) < 25 kg/m 2 and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are highly suspicious for position-dependent OSAS. Diagnosis of position-dependent/position-independent OSAS can be difficult in patients satisfying both 'BMI >25 kg/m 2 ' and 'any of tongue enlargement (TE), palatine tonsil hypertrophy (PTH) and obstruction by Muller's maneuver (OMM)'. Polysomnography is warranted in such patients. The objective was to retrospectively elucidate criteria for differentiating position-dependent OSAS on the basis of patient information and physical examinations of the upper airway obtainable in clinics. The 643 patients were categorized as positional patients (PPs) or non-positional patients (NPPs). The patient background factors examined were sex, age, BMI, and hypertension. TE, PTH, pharyngeal tonsil hypertrophy, and OMM were evaluated. Cross-validation was performed using even-numbered registrations as the training set group (Group A) and odd-numbered registrations as the test case group (Group B). In Group A, patients with BMI <25 kg/m 2 were clearly more frequent among PP than among NPP. In Group A with BMI ≥25 kg/m 2 , significant differences were found for TE, PTH and OMM. Significant differences were found between 0 and 1/2/3 for number of factors. Results generated from Group A were validated in Group B.

Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Enrollees Report Less Positive Experiences Than Their Medicare Advantage Counterparts.

PubMed

Elliott, Marc N; Landon, Bruce E; Zaslavsky, Alan M; Edwards, Carol; Orr, Nathan; Beckett, Megan K; Mallett, Joshua; Cleary, Paul D

2016-03-01

Since 2006, Medicare beneficiaries have been able to obtain prescription drug coverage through standalone prescription drug plans or their Medicare Advantage (MA) health plan, options exercised in 2015 by 72 percent of beneficiaries. Using data from community-dwelling Medicare beneficiaries older than age sixty-four in 700 plans surveyed from 2007 to 2014, we compared beneficiaries' assessments of Medicare prescription drug coverage when provided by standalone plans or integrated into an MA plan. Beneficiaries in standalone plans consistently reported less positive experiences with prescription drug plans (ease of getting medications, getting coverage information, and getting cost information) than their MA counterparts. Because MA plans are responsible for overall health care costs, they might have more integrated systems and greater incentives than standalone prescription drug plans to provide enrollees medications and information effectively, including, since 2010, quality bonus payments to these MA plans under provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

The use of a tactile interface to convey position and motion perceptions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rupert, A. H.; Guedry, F. E.; Reschke, M. F.

1994-01-01

Under normal terrestrial conditions, perception of position and motion is determined by central nervous system integration of concordant and redundant information from multiple sensory channels (somatosensory, vestibular, visual), which collectively yield vertical perceptions. In the acceleration environment experienced by the pilots, the somatosensory and vestibular sensors frequently present false information concerning the direction of gravity. When presented with conflicting sensory information, it is normal for pilots to experience episodes of disorientation. We have developed a tactile interface that obtains vertical roll and pitch information from a gyro-stabilized attitude indicator and maps this information in a one-to-one correspondence onto the torso of the body using a matrix of vibrotactors. This enables the pilot to continuously maintain an awareness of aircraft attitude without reference to visual cues, utilizing a sensory channel that normally operates at the subconscious level. Although initially developed to improve pilot spatial awareness, this device has obvious applications to 1) simulation and training, 2) nonvisual tracking of targets, which can reduce the need for pilots to make head movements in the high-G environment of aerial combat, and 3) orientation in environments with minimal somatosensory cues (e.g., underwater) or gravitational cues (e.g., space).

The effect of environmental performance and accounting characteristics to earnings informativeness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herawaty, V.

2018-01-01

The objective of this empirical study is to analyze the influence of environmental performance and company’s accounting characteristics to earnings informativeness proxied by earnings response coefficient (ERC) on manufacturing companies listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange and consistently follow the PROPER assessment in 2010-2014. One of the company’s considerations is to create the green environment reflecting its environmental measures, drawing investors to respond to the company’s environmental performance. The data were obtained from Indonesian Capital Market Directory (ICMD), the Indonesia Stock Exchange homepage, the company’s annual reports, the decree of the Minister of Environment. The samples used in this research are 27 go public manufacturing companies listed on Indonesia Stock Exchange that consistently follow the PROPER in 2010-2014. The sampling technique used was the purposive method. This research uses multiple regression analysis. The results show that the environmental performance and profitability have a positive influence to earnings informativeness, while leverage has a negative influence to earnings informativeness. Growth opportunities as a control variable has a positive effect on earnings informativeness. This research has proved that the environmental performance is crucial through observing the investors’ reaction in the capital market.

Library and information services: impact on patient care quality.

PubMed

Marshall, Joanne Gard; Morgan, Jennifer Craft; Thompson, Cheryl A; Wells, Amber L

2014-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to explore library and information service impact on patient care quality. A large-scale critical incident survey of physicians and residents at 56 library sites serving 118 hospitals in the USA and Canada. Respondents were asked to base their answers on a recent incident in which they had used library resources to search for information related to a specific clinical case. Of 4,520 respondents, 75 percent said that they definitely or probably handled patient care differently using information obtained through the library. In a multivariate analysis, three summary clinical outcome measures were used as value and impact indicators: first, time saved; second, patient care changes; and third, adverse events avoided. The outcomes were examined in relation to four information access methods: first, asking librarian for assistance; second, performing search in a physical library; third, searching library's web site; or fourth, searching library resources on an institutional intranet. All library access methods had consistently positive relationships with the clinical outcomes, providing evidence that library services have a positive impact on patient care quality. Electronic collections and services provided by the library and the librarian contribute to patient care quality.

[Words before actions- the significance of counselling in the Praena-Test era].

PubMed

Tschudin, Sibil

2014-04-23

Due to new offers in prenatal diagnostics pregnant women are forced to make choices. In Switzerland physicians are obliged to inform previous to prenatal tests and to obtain informed consent. Considering the complexity of this information and the consequences of a positive result, counselling is challenging, especially in an intercultural context. A questionnaire-based study compared information processing, test interpretation and emotional response of pregnant women from Switzerland and adjacent countries with Turkish women. Knowledge of the latter was significantly lower and they found counselling more unsettling, but their acceptance of prenatal tests was significantly higher. An empathetic approach and the right words are decisive, and counselling will even gain importance when considering the increase in options patients are confronted with.

Satellite-map position estimation for the Mars rover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hayashi, Akira; Dean, Thomas

1989-01-01

A method for locating the Mars rover using an elevation map generated from satellite data is described. In exploring its environment, the rover is assumed to generate a local rover-centered elevation map that can be used to extract information about the relative position and orientation of landmarks corresponding to local maxima. These landmarks are integrated into a stochastic map which is then matched with the satellite map to obtain an estimate of the robot's current location. The landmarks are not explicitly represented in the satellite map. The results of the matching algorithm correspond to a probabilistic assessment of whether or not the robot is located within a given region of the satellite map. By assigning a probabilistic interpretation to the information stored in the satellite map, researchers are able to provide a precise characterization of the results computed by the matching algorithm.

An event-triggered control approach for the leader-tracking problem with heterogeneous agents

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Garcia, Eloy; Cao, Yongcan; Casbeer, David W.

2018-05-01

This paper presents an event-triggered control and communication framework for the cooperative leader-tracking problem with communication constraints. Continuous communication among agents is not assumed in this work and decentralised event-based strategies are proposed for agents with heterogeneous linear dynamics. Also, the leader dynamics are unknown and only intermittent measurements of its states are obtained by a subset of the followers. The event-based method not only represents a way to restrict communication among agents, but it also provides a decentralised scheme for scheduling information broadcasts. Notably, each agent is able to determine its own broadcasting instants independently of any other agent in the network. In an extension, the case where transmission of information is affected by time-varying communication delays is addressed. Finally, positive lower-bounds on the inter-event time intervals are obtained in order to show that Zeno behaviour does not exist and, therefore, continuous exchange of information is never needed in this framework.

Positive and negative aspects of colostomy irrigation: a patient and WOC nurse perspective.

PubMed

Carlsson, Eva; Gylin, Meta; Nilsson, Laila; Svensson, Katarina; Alverslid, Ingrid; Persson, Eva

2010-01-01

Colostomy irrigation (CI) is an effective method to achieve fecal continence in selected persons with a colostomy. The primary aims of the study were to find out to what extent the WOC nurses used CI in their practice and what kind of information the WOC nurses gave patients if they provided explanations and potential solutions when irrigation was not successful in preserving continence. A further aim was to find out, from a patients' perspective, the positive and negative aspects of practicing CI and how they perform CI. The study employed a mixed quantitative and qualitative approach. Data from WOC nurses were obtained by means of a structured questionnaire and by means of structured telephone interviews with patients who performed CI. Questionnaires were sent out to 89 WOC nurses in Sweden, and 61 (69%) questionnaires were returned. Thirty-nine patients, median age 67 years, from 5 hospitals participated in the interview study. Sixty-four percent of the WOC nurse respondent always informed patients about CI. Forty-four percent of patients did not remember all the information they had been given by the WOC nurse regarding CI before starting with the procedure. Eighty-seven percent reported changing routines from how they initially performed CI over the years. Almost all (97%) of the respondents described positive aspects of CI. The 2 primary positive aspects described by participants were (1) feeling secure and (2) having an empty pouch. Persons living with a colostomy who regularly performed CI reported positive benefits associated with the procedure including a feeling of security and having an empty pouch. Despite these potential benefits, not all patients with a colostomy who are appropriate candidates for CI are offered information about the method from the WOC nurses.

Real-time holographic surveillance system

DOEpatents

Collins, H. Dale; McMakin, Douglas L.; Hall, Thomas E.; Gribble, R. Parks

1995-01-01

A holographic surveillance system including means for generating electromagnetic waves; means for transmitting the electromagnetic waves toward a target at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; means for receiving and converting electromagnetic waves reflected from the target to electrical signals at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; means for processing the electrical signals to obtain signals corresponding to a holographic reconstruction of the target; and means for displaying the processed information to determine nature of the target. The means for processing the electrical signals includes means for converting analog signals to digital signals followed by a computer means to apply a backward wave algorithm.

Real-time wideband holographic surveillance system

DOEpatents

Sheen, David M.; Collins, H. Dale; Hall, Thomas E.; McMakin, Douglas L.; Gribble, R. Parks; Severtsen, Ronald H.; Prince, James M.; Reid, Larry D.

1996-01-01

A wideband holographic surveillance system including a transceiver for generating a plurality of electromagnetic waves; antenna for transmitting the electromagnetic waves toward a target at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; the transceiver also receiving and converting electromagnetic waves reflected from the target to electrical signals at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; a computer for processing the electrical signals to obtain signals corresponding to a holographic reconstruction of the target; and a display for displaying the processed information to determine nature of the target. The computer has instructions to apply a three dimensional backward wave algorithm.

A new method for imaging nuclear threats using cosmic ray muons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, C. L.; Bacon, Jeffrey; Borozdin, Konstantin; Miyadera, Haruo; Perry, John; Rose, Evan; Watson, Scott; White, Tim; Aberle, Derek; Green, J. Andrew; McDuff, George G.; Lukić, Zarija; Milner, Edward C.

2013-08-01

Muon tomography is a technique that uses cosmic ray muons to generate three dimensional images of volumes using information contained in the Coulomb scattering of the muons. Advantages of this technique are the ability of cosmic rays to penetrate significant overburden and the absence of any additional dose delivered to subjects under study above the natural cosmic ray flux. Disadvantages include the relatively long exposure times and poor position resolution and complex algorithms needed for reconstruction. Here we demonstrate a new method for obtaining improved position resolution and statistical precision for objects with spherical symmetry.

Real-time wideband holographic surveillance system

DOEpatents

Sheen, D.M.; Collins, H.D.; Hall, T.E.; McMakin, D.L.; Gribble, R.P.; Severtsen, R.H.; Prince, J.M.; Reid, L.D.

1996-09-17

A wideband holographic surveillance system including a transceiver for generating a plurality of electromagnetic waves; antenna for transmitting the electromagnetic waves toward a target at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; the transceiver also receiving and converting electromagnetic waves reflected from the target to electrical signals at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; a computer for processing the electrical signals to obtain signals corresponding to a holographic reconstruction of the target; and a display for displaying the processed information to determine nature of the target. The computer has instructions to apply a three dimensional backward wave algorithm. 28 figs.

GPS Modeling and Analysis. Summary of Research: GPS Satellite Axial Ratio Predictions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Axelrad, Penina; Reeh, Lisa

2002-01-01

This report outlines the algorithms developed at the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research to model yaw and predict the axial ratio as measured from a ground station. The algorithms are implemented in a collection of Matlab functions and scripts that read certain user input, such as ground station coordinates, the UTC time, and the desired GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites, and compute the above-mentioned parameters. The position information for the GPS satellites is obtained from Yuma almanac files corresponding to the prescribed date. The results are displayed graphically through time histories and azimuth-elevation plots.

A new method for imaging nuclear threats using cosmic ray muons

DOE PAGES

Morris, C. L.; Bacon, Jeffrey; Borozdin, Konstantin; ...

2013-08-29

Muon tomography is a technique that uses cosmic ray muons to generate three-dimensional images of volumes using information contained in the Coulomb scattering of the muons. Advantages of this technique are the ability of cosmic rays to penetrate significant overburden and the absence of any additional dose delivered to subjects under study beyond the natural cosmic ray flux. Disadvantages include the relatively long exposure times and poor position resolution and complex algorithms needed for reconstruction. Furthermore, we demonstrate a new method for obtaining improved position resolution and statistical precision for objects with spherical symmetry.

Mechanical and dynamic aspects of voice production as related to voice therapy and phonosurgery.

PubMed

Isshiki, N

2000-06-01

Laryngeal framework surgery can change the position and tension of the vocal folds safely without direct surgical intervention in the vocal fold proper. Some 23 years of experience with phonosurgery have proved its usefulness in treating dysphonia related to unilateral vocal fold paralysis, vocal fold atrophy, and pitch-related dysphonias. Meanwhile, much information about the mechanism of voice production has been obtained through intraoperative findings of voice and fiberscopic examination of the larynx. Based on such knowledge together with information obtained through model experiments, the human vocal organ was reconsidered mainly from the mechanical view point, and the roles of voice therapy and singing pedagogy were discussed in relation to phonosurgery. The vocal organ may not be an ideal musical organ and is rather vulnerable, but its potential is enormous.

Mechanical and dynamic aspects of voice production as related to voice therapy and phonosurgery.

PubMed

Isshiki, N

1998-06-01

Laryngeal framework surgery can change the position and tension of the vocal folds safely without direct surgical intervention in the vocal fold proper. Some 23 years of experience with phonosurgery have proved its usefulness in treating dysphonia related to unilateral vocal fold paralysis, vocal fold atrophy, and pitch-related dysphonias . Meanwhile, much information about the mechanism of voice production has been obtained through intraoperative findings of voice and fiberscopic examination of the larynx . Based on such knowledge together with information obtained through model experiments, the human vocal organ was reconsidered mainly from the mechanical view point, and the roles of voice therapy and singing pedagogy were discussed in relation to phonosurgery. The vocal organ may not be an ideal musical organ and is rather vulnerable, but its potential is enormous.

Propofol pharmacokinetics in a dwarfism patient.

PubMed

Tsubokawa, T; Yamamoto, K; Komuro, A; Ishizuka, S; Kobayashi, T

2003-04-01

Pharmacokinetic information is important to control anesthetic depth. However, there are few available pharmacokinetic data of propofol in dwarfism patients. We anesthetized a dwarfism patient who underwent spinal decompression, and investigated the pharmacokinetics of propofol. The patient was a 40-year-old man suffering from muscle weakness and numbness in the arms. The operation consisted of two stages; anterior approach in the supine position and posterior approach in the prone position. We also obtained arterial blood for pharmacokinetic analysis. Distribution volume at steady-state and clearance in the supine position was 180 and 0.92 l min- 1, respectively, and in the prone position 127 and 0.74 l min- 1, respectively, in spite of a continuous infusion of dopamine. The data in the supine position were well predicted by Gepts' parameters (used in Diprifusor Zeneca Ltd, Cheshire, UK), which means the target-controlled infusion (TCI) technique can be available in the supine position, while attention is necessary to avoid overdosing when a patient is placed in the prone position.

Attachment affects social information processing: Specific electrophysiological effects of maternal stimuli.

PubMed

Wu, Lili; Gu, Ruolei; Zhang, Jianxin

2016-01-01

Attachment is critical to each individual. It affects the cognitive-affective processing of social information. The present study examines how attachment affects the processing of social information, specifically maternal information. We assessed the behavioral and electrophysiological responses to maternal information (compared to non-specific others) in a Go/No-go Association Task (GNAT) with 22 participants. The results illustrated that attachment affected maternal information processing during three sequential stages of information processing. First, attachment affected visual perception, reflected by enhanced P100 and N170 elicited by maternal information as compared to others information. Second, compared to others, mother obtained more attentional resources, reflected by faster behavioral response to maternal information and larger P200 and P300. Finally, mother was evaluated positively, reflected by shorter P300 latency in a mother + good condition as compared to a mother + bad condition. These findings indicated that the processing of attachment-relevant information is neurologically differentiated from other types of social information from an early stage of perceptual processing to late high-level processing.

A web search on environmental topics: what is the role of ranking?

PubMed

Covolo, Loredana; Filisetti, Barbara; Mascaretti, Silvia; Limina, Rosa Maria; Gelatti, Umberto

2013-12-01

Although the Internet is easy to use, the mechanisms and logic behind a Web search are often unknown. Reliable information can be obtained, but it may not be visible as the Web site is not located in the first positions of search results. The possible risks of adverse health effects arising from environmental hazards are issues of increasing public interest, and therefore the information about these risks, particularly on topics for which there is no scientific evidence, is very crucial. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the presentation of information on some environmental health topics differed among various search engines, assuming that the most reliable information should come from institutional Web sites. Five search engines were used: Google, Yahoo!, Bing, Ask, and AOL. The following topics were searched in combination with the word "health": "nuclear energy," "electromagnetic waves," "air pollution," "waste," and "radon." For each topic three key words were used. The first 30 search results for each query were considered. The ranking variability among the search engines and the type of search results were analyzed for each topic and for each key word. The ranking of institutional Web sites was given particular consideration. Variable results were obtained when surfing the Internet on different environmental health topics. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, when searching for radon and air pollution topics, it is more likely to find institutional Web sites in the first 10 positions compared with nuclear power (odds ratio=3.4, 95% confidence interval 2.1-5.4 and odds ratio=2.9, 95% confidence interval 1.8-4.7, respectively) and also when using Google compared with Bing (odds ratio=3.1, 95% confidence interval 1.9-5.1). The increasing use of online information could play an important role in forming opinions. Web users should become more aware of the importance of finding reliable information, and health institutions should be able to make that information more visible.

Non-linear forecasting in high-frequency financial time series

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strozzi, F.; Zaldívar, J. M.

2005-08-01

A new methodology based on state space reconstruction techniques has been developed for trading in financial markets. The methodology has been tested using 18 high-frequency foreign exchange time series. The results are in apparent contradiction with the efficient market hypothesis which states that no profitable information about future movements can be obtained by studying the past prices series. In our (off-line) analysis positive gain may be obtained in all those series. The trading methodology is quite general and may be adapted to other financial time series. Finally, the steps for its on-line application are discussed.

Location of core diagnostic information across various sequences in brain MRI and implications for efficiency of MRI scanner utilization.

PubMed

Sharma, Aseem; Chatterjee, Arindam; Goyal, Manu; Parsons, Matthew S; Bartel, Seth

2015-04-01

Targeting redundancy within MRI can improve its cost-effective utilization. We sought to quantify potential redundancy in our brain MRI protocols. In this retrospective review, we aggregated 207 consecutive adults who underwent brain MRI and reviewed their medical records to document clinical indication, core diagnostic information provided by MRI, and its clinical impact. Contributory imaging abnormalities constituted positive core diagnostic information whereas absence of imaging abnormalities constituted negative core diagnostic information. The senior author selected core sequences deemed sufficient for extraction of core diagnostic information. For validating core sequences selection, four readers assessed the relative ease of extracting core diagnostic information from the core sequences. Potential redundancy was calculated by comparing the average number of core sequences to the average number of sequences obtained. Scanning had been performed using 9.4±2.8 sequences over 37.3±12.3 minutes. Core diagnostic information was deemed extractable from 2.1±1.1 core sequences, with an assumed scanning time of 8.6±4.8 minutes, reflecting a potential redundancy of 74.5%±19.1%. Potential redundancy was least in scans obtained for treatment planning (14.9%±25.7%) and highest in scans obtained for follow-up of benign diseases (81.4%±12.6%). In 97.4% of cases, all four readers considered core diagnostic information to be either easily extractable from core sequences or the ease to be equivalent to that from the entire study. With only one MRI lacking clinical impact (0.48%), overutilization did not seem to contribute to potential redundancy. High potential redundancy that can be targeted for more efficient scanner utilization exists in brain MRI protocols.

A need to simplify informed consent documents in cancer clinical trials. A position paper of the ARCAD Group

PubMed Central

Bleiberg, H.; Decoster, G.; de Gramont, A.; Rougier, P.; Sobrero, A.; Benson, A.; Chibaudel, B.; Douillard, J. Y.; Eng, C.; Fuchs, C.; Fujii, M.; Labianca, R.; Larsen, A. K.; Mitchell, E.; Schmoll, H. J.; Sprumont, D.; Zalcberg, J.

2017-01-01

Background In respect of the principle of autonomy and the right of self-determination, obtaining an informed consent of potential participants before their inclusion in a study is a fundamental ethical obligation. The variations in national laws, regulations, and cultures contribute to complex informed consent documents for patients participating in clinical trials. Currently, only few ethics committees seem willing to address the complexity and the length of these documents and to request investigators and sponsors to revise them in a way to make them understandable for potential participants. The purpose of this work is to focus on the written information in the informed consent documentation for drug development clinical trials and suggests (i) to distinguish between necessary and not essential information, (ii) to define the optimal format allowing the best legibility of those documents. Methods The Aide et Recherche en Cancérologie Digestive (ARCAD) Group, an international scientific committee involving oncologists from all over the world, addressed these issues and developed and uniformly accepted a simplified informed consent documentation for future clinical research. Results A simplified form of informed consent with the leading part of 1200–1800 words containing all of the key information necessary to meet ethical and regulatory requirements and ‘relevant supportive information appendix’ of 2000–3000 words is provided. Conclusions This position paper, on the basis of the ARCAD Group experts discussions, proposes our informed consent model and the rationale for its content. PMID:28453700

Characterization of oxidized coal surfaces: Quarterly report, January 1987-April 1987

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hercules, D.M.

1987-04-01

The work has focused on exploration of ambient temperature in-situ derivatization of aldehydes and ketones on carbon surfaces. 2,4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine, bisulfite, -ylium dichloro-iodate, and iminium perchlorate derivatizations were performed on a set of model aldehydes and ketones. Positive and negative ion laser mass spectra (LMS) of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine derivatives were obtained on zinic which is a common metal support used for LMS analysis. Although positive ion spectra were informative, negative ion spectra were more satisfactory as most compounds yielded molecular ion species in negative ion analysis. Spectra of selected preformed derivatives placed on charcoal and of benzaldehyde derivatized on charcoal weremore » also obtained. Molecular ion species that can be distinguished readily from carbon background ions were observed. Thus, the results established that in-situ derivatization followed by analysis is indeed possible. 3 refs., 8 figs.« less

Effect of protonation and deprotonation on the gas-phase reactivity of fluorinated 1,2,4-triazines.

PubMed

Giorgi, Gianluca; Palumbo Piccionello, Antonio; Pace, Andrea; Buscemi, Silvestre

2008-05-01

Positive and negative electrospray mass spectrometry (MS), in-time and in-space MS(n) experiments, high-resolution and accurate mass measurements obtained with an Orbitrap, together with density functional theory calculations have been used to study the gas-phase ion chemistry of a series of fluorinated 1,2,4-triazines. As a result of low-energy collision-induced dissociations, occurring in an ion trap and in a triple quadrupole, their protonated and deprotonated molecules show interesting features depending on the nature and structure of the precursor ions. The occurrence of elimination/hydration reactions produced by positive ions in the ion trap is noteworthy. Decompositions of deprotonated molecules, initiated by elimination of a hydroxyl radical from [M-H](-), are dominated by radical anions. Theoretical calculations have allowed us to obtain information on atom sites involved in the protonation and deprotonation reactions.

Mid-infrared interferometry of AGNs: A statistical view into the dusty nuclear environment of the Seyfert Galaxies.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Gonzaga, N.

2015-09-01

The high resolution achieved by the instrument MIDI at the VLTI allowed to obtain more detail information about the geometry and structure of the nuclear mid-infrared emission of AGNs, but due to the lack of real images, the interpretation of the results is not an easy task. To profit more from the high resolution data, we developed a statistical tool that allows interpret these data using clumpy torus models. A statistical approach is needed to overcome effects such as, the randomness in the position of the clouds and the uncertainty of the true position angle on the sky. Our results, obtained by studying the mid-infrared emission at the highest resolution currently available, suggest that the dusty environment of Type I objects is formed by a lower number of clouds than Type II objects.

Operation of a single-channel, sequential Navstar GPS receiver in a helicopter mission environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Edwards, F. G.; Hamlin, J. R.

1984-01-01

It is pointed out that the future utilization of the Navstar Global Positioning System (GPS) by civil helicopters will provide an enhanced performance not obtainable with current navigations systems. GPS will supply properly equipped users with extremely accurate three-dimensional position and velocity information anywhere in the world. Preliminary studies have been conducted to investigate differential GPS concept mechanizations and cost, and to theoretically predict navigation performance and the impact of degradation of the GPS C/A code for national security considerations. The obtained results are encouraging, but certain improvements are needed. As a second step in the program, a single-channel sequential GPS navigator was installed and operated in the NASA SH-3G helicopter. A series of flight tests were conducted. It is found that performance of the Navstar GPS Z-set is quite acceptable to support area navigation and nonprecision approach operations.

Stereo vision tracking of multiple objects in complex indoor environments.

PubMed

Marrón-Romera, Marta; García, Juan C; Sotelo, Miguel A; Pizarro, Daniel; Mazo, Manuel; Cañas, José M; Losada, Cristina; Marcos, Alvaro

2010-01-01

This paper presents a novel system capable of solving the problem of tracking multiple targets in a crowded, complex and dynamic indoor environment, like those typical of mobile robot applications. The proposed solution is based on a stereo vision set in the acquisition step and a probabilistic algorithm in the obstacles position estimation process. The system obtains 3D position and speed information related to each object in the robot's environment; then it achieves a classification between building elements (ceiling, walls, columns and so on) and the rest of items in robot surroundings. All objects in robot surroundings, both dynamic and static, are considered to be obstacles but the structure of the environment itself. A combination of a Bayesian algorithm and a deterministic clustering process is used in order to obtain a multimodal representation of speed and position of detected obstacles. Performance of the final system has been tested against state of the art proposals; test results validate the authors' proposal. The designed algorithms and procedures provide a solution to those applications where similar multimodal data structures are found.

Welfare to Work. Most AFDC Training Programs Not Emphasizing Job Placement. Report to the Ranking Minority Member, Committee on Finance, U.S. Senate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. Health, Education, and Human Services Div.

A study obtained information on examples of county or local Job Opportunities and Basic Skills (JOBS) or JOBS-like programs that emphasize job placement, subsidized employment, or work experience positions for welfare recipients. It also identified the extent to which county JOBS programs nationwide used these employment-focused activities and…

Providing Agility in C2 Environments Through Networked Information Processing: A Model of Expertise

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

personal benefits promoting self-esteem, pride, self-efficacy, personal identification with colleagues and organizations, obtaining a better...studies based on staged-event methods with “target-present” and “target-absent” lineups . The results show that when choosers make positive... identification , the correlation between confidence and accuracy was consistently high. Besides correct choosers have a higher mean confidence level than

The Hiring Process Matters: The Role of Person-Job and Person-Organization Fit in Teacher Satisfaction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Christina; Skidmore, Susan Troncoso; Combs, Julie P.

2017-01-01

Purpose: Teachers' satisfaction with their jobs has reached the lowest point in 25 years. One contributing factor is when teachers experience information-poor hiring processes and do not obtain an accurate preview of their positions, their person-organization (P-O) fit, and person-job (P-J) fit. Sparked by a renewed focus on the variables that can…

Enantioselective Synthesis of 5,7-Bicyclic Ring Systems from Axially Chiral Allenes Using a Rh(I)-Catalyzed Cyclocarbonylation Reaction

PubMed Central

Grillet, Francois; Brummond, Kay M.

2013-01-01

A transfer of chirality in an intramolecular Rh(I)-catalyzed allenic Pauson-Khand reaction (APKR) to access tetrahydroazulenones, tetrahydrocyclopenta[c]azepinones and dihydrocyclopenta[c]oxepinones enantioselectively (22 – 99% ee) is described. The substitution pattern of the allene affected the transfer of chiral information. Complete transfer of chirality was obtained for all trisubstituted allenes, but loss of chiral information was observed for disubstituted allenes. This work constitutes the first demonstration of a transfer of chiral information from an allene to the 5-position of a cyclopentenone using a cyclocarbonylation reaction. The absolute configuration of the corresponding cyclocarbonylation product was also established, something that is rarely done. PMID:23485149

Social media, surgeons, and the Internet: an era or an error?

PubMed

Azu, Michelle C; Lilley, Elizabeth J; Kolli, Aparna H

2012-05-01

According to the National Research Corporation, 1 in 5 Americans use social media sites to obtain healthcare information. Patients can easily access information on medical conditions and medical professionals; however physicians may not be aware of the nature and impact of this information. All physicians must learn to use the Internet to their advantage and be acutely aware of the disadvantages. Surgeons are in a unique position because, unlike in the primary care setting, less time is spent developing a long-term relationship with the patient. In this literature review, we discuss the impact of the Internet, social networking websites, and physician rating websites and make recommendations for surgeons about managing digital identity and maintaining professionalism.

Neural processing of recollection, familiarity and priming at encoding: evidence from a forced-choice recognition paradigm.

PubMed

Meng, Yingfang; Ye, Xiaohong; Gonsalves, Brian D

2014-10-17

The distinction between neural mechanisms of explicit and implicit expressions of memory has been well studied at the retrieval stage, but less at encoding. In addition, dissociations obtained in many studies are complicated by methodological difficulties in obtaining process-pure measures of different types of memory. In this experiment, we applied a subsequent memory paradigm and a two-stage forced-choice recognition test to classify study ERP data into four categories: subsequent remembered (later retrieved accompanied by detailed information), subsequent known (later retrieved accompanied by a feeling of familiarity), subsequent primed (later retrieved without conscious awareness) and subsequent forgotten (not retrieved). Differences in subsequent memory effects (DM effects) were measured by comparing ERP waveform associated with later memory based on recollection, familiarity or priming with ERP waveform for later forgotten items. The recollection DM effect involved a robust sustained (onset at 300 ms) prefrontal positive-going DM effect which was right-lateralized, and a later (onset at 800 ms) occipital negative-going DM effect. Familiarity involved an earlier (300-400 ms) prefrontal positive-going DM effect and a later (500-600 ms) parietal positive-going DM effect. Priming involved a negative-going DM effect which onset at 600 ms, mainly distributed over anterior brain sites. These results revealed a sequence of components that represented cognitive processes underlying the encoding of verbal information into episodic memory, and separately supported later remembering, knowing and priming. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of key technologies in geomagnetic navigation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Xiaoming; Zhao, Yan

2008-10-01

Because of the costly price and the error accumulation of high precise Inertial Navigation Systems (INS) and the vulnerability of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), the geomagnetic navigation technology, a passive autonomous navigation method, is paid attention again. Geomagnetic field is a natural spatial physical field, and is a function of position and time in near earth space. The navigation technology based on geomagnetic field is researched in a wide range of commercial and military applications. This paper presents the main features and the state-of-the-art of Geomagnetic Navigation System (GMNS). Geomagnetic field models and reference maps are described. Obtaining, modeling and updating accurate Anomaly Magnetic Field information is an important step for high precision geomagnetic navigation. In addition, the errors of geomagnetic measurement using strapdown magnetometers are analyzed. The precise geomagnetic data is obtained by means of magnetometer calibration and vehicle magnetic field compensation. According to the measurement data and reference map or model of geomagnetic field, the vehicle's position and attitude can be obtained using matching algorithm or state-estimating method. The tendency of geomagnetic navigation in near future is introduced at the end of this paper.

Research into Kinect/Inertial Measurement Units Based on Indoor Robots.

PubMed

Li, Huixia; Wen, Xi; Guo, Hang; Yu, Min

2018-03-12

As indoor mobile navigation suffers from low positioning accuracy and accumulation error, we carried out research into an integrated location system for a robot based on Kinect and an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). In this paper, the close-range stereo images are used to calculate the attitude information and the translation amount of the adjacent positions of the robot by means of the absolute orientation algorithm, for improving the calculation accuracy of the robot's movement. Relying on the Kinect visual measurement and the strap-down IMU devices, we also use Kalman filtering to obtain the errors of the position and attitude outputs, in order to seek the optimal estimation and correct the errors. Experimental results show that the proposed method is able to improve the positioning accuracy and stability of the indoor mobile robot.

The level of consumer information about health insurance in Nanjing, China.

PubMed

Xu, Weiwei; Van de Ven, Wynand P M M

2014-01-01

The Chinese government is considering a (regulated) competitive healthcare system. Sufficient consumer information is a crucial pre-condition to benefit from such a change. We conducted a survey on the level of consumer information regarding health insurance among the insured population in Nanjing, China in 2009. The results from descriptive analysis and binary logistic regression demonstrate that the current level of consumer information about health insurance is low. The level of consumer information is positively correlated with the subscribers' motivation to obtain the information and its availability. The level of searching for health insurance information is also low; moreover, even upon searching, the chance of finding relevant information is less than 25%. We conclude that the level of consumer information is currently insufficient in China. If the Chinese government is determined to adopt market mechanisms in the healthcare sector, it should take the lead in making valid and reliable information publicly available and easily accessible. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Laser positioning of four-quadrant detector based on pseudo-random sequence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Yanqin; Cao, Ercong; Hu, Xiaobo; Gu, Guohua; Qian, Weixian

2016-10-01

Nowadays the technology of laser positioning based on four-quadrant detector has the wide scope of the study and application areas. The main principle of laser positioning is that by capturing the projection of the laser spot on the photosensitive surface of the detector, and then calculating the output signal from the detector to obtain the coordinates of the spot on the photosensitive surface of the detector, the coordinate information of the laser spot in the space with respect to detector system which reflects the spatial position of the target object is calculated effectively. Given the extensive application of FPGA technology and the pseudo-random sequence has the similar correlation of white noise, the measurement process of the interference, noise has little effect on the correlation peak. In order to improve anti-jamming capability of the guided missile in tracking process, when the laser pulse emission, the laser pulse period is pseudo-random encoded which maintains in the range of 40ms-65ms so that people of interfering can't find the exact real laser pulse. Also, because the receiver knows the way to solve the pseudo-random code, when the receiver receives two consecutive laser pulses, the laser pulse period can be decoded successfully. In the FPGA hardware implementation process, around each laser pulse arrival time, the receiver can open a wave door to get location information contained the true signal. Taking into account the first two consecutive pulses received have been disturbed, so after receiving the first laser pulse, it receives all the laser pulse in the next 40ms-65ms to obtain the corresponding pseudo-random code.

Hand Pose Estimation by Fusion of Inertial and Magnetic Sensing Aided by a Permanent Magnet.

PubMed

Kortier, Henk G; Antonsson, Jacob; Schepers, H Martin; Gustafsson, Fredrik; Veltink, Peter H

2015-09-01

Tracking human body motions using inertial sensors has become a well-accepted method in ambulatory applications since the subject is not confined to a lab-bounded volume. However, a major drawback is the inability to estimate relative body positions over time because inertial sensor information only allows position tracking through strapdown integration, but does not provide any information about relative positions. In addition, strapdown integration inherently results in drift of the estimated position over time. We propose a novel method in which a permanent magnet combined with 3-D magnetometers and 3-D inertial sensors are used to estimate the global trunk orientation and relative pose of the hand with respect to the trunk. An Extended Kalman Filter is presented to fuse estimates obtained from inertial sensors with magnetic updates such that the position and orientation between the human hand and trunk as well as the global trunk orientation can be estimated robustly. This has been demonstrated in multiple experiments in which various hand tasks were performed. The most complex task in which simultaneous movements of both trunk and hand were performed resulted in an average rms position difference with an optical reference system of 19.7±2.2 mm whereas the relative trunk-hand and global trunk orientation error was 2.3±0.9 and 8.6±8.7 deg respectively.

Novel strategy for protein exploration: high-throughput screening assisted with fuzzy neural network.

PubMed

Kato, Ryuji; Nakano, Hideo; Konishi, Hiroyuki; Kato, Katsuya; Koga, Yuchi; Yamane, Tsuneo; Kobayashi, Takeshi; Honda, Hiroyuki

2005-08-19

To engineer proteins with desirable characteristics from a naturally occurring protein, high-throughput screening (HTS) combined with directed evolutional approach is the essential technology. However, most HTS techniques are simple positive screenings. The information obtained from the positive candidates is used only as results but rarely as clues for understanding the structural rules, which may explain the protein activity. In here, we have attempted to establish a novel strategy for exploring functional proteins associated with computational analysis. As a model case, we explored lipases with inverted enantioselectivity for a substrate p-nitrophenyl 3-phenylbutyrate from the wild-type lipase of Burkhorderia cepacia KWI-56, which is originally selective for (S)-configuration of the substrate. Data from our previous work on (R)-enantioselective lipase screening were applied to fuzzy neural network (FNN), bioinformatic algorithm, to extract guidelines for screening and engineering processes to be followed. FNN has an advantageous feature of extracting hidden rules that lie between sequences of variants and their enzyme activity to gain high prediction accuracy. Without any prior knowledge, FNN predicted a rule indicating that "size at position L167," among four positions (L17, F119, L167, and L266) in the substrate binding core region, is the most influential factor for obtaining lipase with inverted (R)-enantioselectivity. Based on the guidelines obtained, newly engineered novel variants, which were not found in the actual screening, were experimentally proven to gain high (R)-enantioselectivity by engineering the size at position L167. We also designed and assayed two novel variants, namely FIGV (L17F, F119I, L167G, and L266V) and FFGI (L17F, L167G, and L266I), which were compatible with the guideline obtained from FNN analysis, and confirmed that these designed lipases could acquire high inverted enantioselectivity. The results have shown that with the aid of bioinformatic analysis, high-throughput screening can expand its potential for exploring vast combinatorial sequence spaces of proteins.

The value of pathogen information in treating clinical mastitis.

PubMed

Cha, Elva; Smith, Rebecca L; Kristensen, Anders R; Hertl, Julia A; Schukken, Ynte H; Tauer, Loren W; Welcome, Frank L; Gröhn, Yrjö T

2016-11-01

The objective of this study was to determine the economic value of obtaining timely and more accurate clinical mastitis (CM) test results for optimal treatment of cows. Typically CM is first identified when the farmer observes recognisable outward signs. Further information of whether the pathogen causing CM is Gram-positive, Gram-negative or other (including no growth) can be determined by using on-farm culture methods. The most detailed level of information for mastitis diagnostics is obtainable by sending milk samples for culture to an external laboratory. Knowing the exact pathogen permits the treatment method to be specifically targeted to the causation pathogen, resulting in less discarded milk. The disadvantages are the additional waiting time to receive test results, which delays treating cows, and the cost of the culture test. Net returns per year (NR) for various levels of information were estimated using a dynamic programming model. The Value of Information (VOI) was then calculated as the difference in NR using a specific level of information as compared to more detailed information on the CM causative agent. The highest VOI was observed where the farmer assumed the pathogen causing CM was the one with the highest incidence in the herd and no pathogen specific CM information was obtained. The VOI of pathogen specific information, compared with non-optimal treatment of Staphylococcus aureus where recurrence and spread occurred due to lack of treatment efficacy, was $20.43 when the same incorrect treatment was applied to recurrent cases, and $30.52 when recurrent cases were assumed to be the next highest incidence pathogen and treated accordingly. This indicates that negative consequences associated with choosing the wrong CM treatment can make additional information cost-effective if pathogen identification is assessed at the generic information level and if the pathogen can spread to other cows if not treated appropriately.

Ethics Review Committee approval and informed consent: an analysis of biomedical publications originating from Sri Lanka

PubMed Central

Sumathipala, Athula; Siribaddana, Sisira; Hewege, Suwin; Lekamwattage, Manura; Athukorale, Manjula; Siriwardhana, Chesmal; Murray, Joanna; Prince, Martin

2008-01-01

Background International guidelines on research have focused on protecting research participants. Ethical Research Committee (ERC) approval and informed consent are the cornerstones. Externally sponsored research requires approval through ethical review in both the host and the sponsoring country. This study aimed to determine to what extent ERC approval and informed consent procedures are documented in locally and internationally published human subject research carried out in Sri Lanka. Methods We obtained ERC approval in Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom. Theses from 1985 to 2005 available at the Postgraduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM) library affiliated to the University of Colombo were scrutinised using checklists agreed in consultation with senior research collaborators. A Medline search was carried out with MeSH major and minor heading 'Sri Lanka' as the search term for international publications originating in Sri Lanka during 1999 to 2004. All research publications from CMJ during 1999 to 2005 were also scrutinized. Results Of 291 theses, 34% documented ERC approvals and 61% documented obtaining consent. From the international journal survey, 250 publications originated from Sri Lanka of which only 79 full text original research publications could be accessed electronically. Of these 38% documented ERC approval and 39% documented obtaining consent. In the Ceylon Medical Journal 36% documented ERC approval and 37% documented obtaining consent. Conclusion Only one third of the publications scrutinized recorded ERC approval and procurement of informed consent. However, there is a positive trend in documenting these ethical requirements in local postgraduate research and in the local medical journal. PMID:18267015

Prevalence of Malaria, Dengue, and Chikungunya Significantly Associated with Mosquito Breeding Sites

PubMed Central

Islam, Mohammad Nazrul; ZulKifle, Mohammad; Sherwani, Arish Mohammad Khan; Ghosh, Susanta Kumar; Tiwari, Satyanarayan

2011-01-01

Objectives: To observe the prevalence of malaria, dengue, and chikungunya and their association with mosquito breeding sites. Methods: The study was observational and analytical. A total of 162 houses and 670 subjects were observed during the study period. One hundred forty-two febrile patients were eligible for the study. After obtaining informed consent from all febrile patients, 140 blood samples were collected to diagnose malaria, dengue, and chikungunya. Larval samples were collected by the standard protocol that follows. Correlation of data was performed by Pearson correlation test. Results: Forty-seven blood samples were found positive: 33 for chikungunya, 3 for dengue, and 11 for malaria. Fifty-one out of 224 larval samples were found positive. Out of the 51 positive samples, 37 were positive for Aedes, 12 were positive for Anopheles, and two were positive for Culex larvae. Interpretation and Conclusion: Mosquito-borne fevers, especially malaria, dengue, and chikungunya, have shown a significant relationship with mosquito breeding sites. PMID:23610486

Improved specimen reconstruction by Hilbert phase contrast tomography.

PubMed

Barton, Bastian; Joos, Friederike; Schröder, Rasmus R

2008-11-01

The low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in images of unstained specimens recorded with conventional defocus phase contrast makes it difficult to interpret 3D volumes obtained by electron tomography (ET). The high defocus applied for conventional tilt series generates some phase contrast but leads to an incomplete transfer of object information. For tomography of biological weak-phase objects, optimal image contrast and subsequently an optimized SNR are essential for the reconstruction of details such as macromolecular assemblies at molecular resolution. The problem of low contrast can be partially solved by applying a Hilbert phase plate positioned in the back focal plane (BFP) of the objective lens while recording images in Gaussian focus. Images recorded with the Hilbert phase plate provide optimized positive phase contrast at low spatial frequencies, and the contrast transfer in principle extends to the information limit of the microscope. The antisymmetric Hilbert phase contrast (HPC) can be numerically converted into isotropic contrast, which is equivalent to the contrast obtained by a Zernike phase plate. Thus, in-focus HPC provides optimal structure factor information without limiting effects of the transfer function. In this article, we present the first electron tomograms of biological specimens reconstructed from Hilbert phase plate image series. We outline the technical implementation of the phase plate and demonstrate that the technique is routinely applicable for tomography. A comparison between conventional defocus tomograms and in-focus HPC volumes shows an enhanced SNR and an improved specimen visibility for in-focus Hilbert tomography.

Finding evolved stars in the inner Galactic disk with Gaia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quiroga-Nuñez, L. H.; van Langevelde, H. J.; Pihlström, Y. M.; Sjouwerman, L. O.; Brown, A. G. A.

2018-04-01

The Bulge Asymmetries and Dynamical Evolution (BAaDE) survey will provide positions and line-of-sight velocities of ~20, 000 evolved, maser bearing stars in the Galactic plane. Although this Galactic region is affected by optical extinction, BAaDE targets may have Gaia cross-matches, eventually providing additional stellar information. In an initial attempt to cross-match BAaDE targets with Gaia, we have found more than 5,000 candidates. Of these, we may expect half to show SiO emission, which will allow us to obtain velocity information. The cross-match is being refined to avoid false positives using different criteria based on distance analysis, flux variability, and color assessment in the mid- and near-IR. Once the cross-matches can be confirmed, we will have a unique sample to characterize the stellar population of evolved stars in the Galactic bulge, which can be considered fossils of the Milky Way formation.

3D atom microscopy in the presence of Doppler shift

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rahmatullah; Chuang, You-Lin; Lee, Ray-Kuang; Qamar, Sajid

2018-03-01

The interaction of hot atoms with laser fields produces a Doppler shift, which can severely affect the precise spatial measurement of an atom. We suggest an experimentally realizable scheme to address this issue in the three-dimensional position measurement of a single atom in vapors of rubidium atoms. A three-level Λ-type atom-field configuration is considered where a moving atom interacts with three orthogonal standing-wave laser fields and spatial information of the atom in 3D space is obtained via an upper-level population using a weak probe laser field. The atom moves with velocity v along the probe laser field, and due to the Doppler broadening the precision of the spatial information deteriorates significantly. It is found that via a microwave field, precision in the position measurement of a single hot rubidium atom can be attained, overcoming the limitation posed by the Doppler shift.

Automatic Summarization as a Combinatorial Optimization Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirao, Tsutomu; Suzuki, Jun; Isozaki, Hideki

We derived the oracle summary with the highest ROUGE score that can be achieved by integrating sentence extraction with sentence compression from the reference abstract. The analysis results of the oracle revealed that summarization systems have to assign an appropriate compression rate for each sentence in the document. In accordance with this observation, this paper proposes a summarization method as a combinatorial optimization: selecting the set of sentences that maximize the sum of the sentence scores from the pool which consists of the sentences with various compression rates, subject to length constrains. The score of the sentence is defined by its compression rate, content words and positional information. The parameters for the compression rates and positional information are optimized by minimizing the loss between score of oracles and that of candidates. The results obtained from TSC-2 corpus showed that our method outperformed the previous systems with statistical significance.

A Heterogeneous Wireless Identification Network for the Localization of Animals Based on Stochastic Movements

PubMed Central

Gutiérrez, Álvaro; González, Carlos; Jiménez-Leube, Javier; Zazo, Santiago; Dopico, Nelson; Raos, Ivana

2009-01-01

The improvement in the transmission range in wireless applications without the use of batteries remains a significant challenge in identification applications. In this paper, we describe a heterogeneous wireless identification network mostly powered by kinetic energy, which allows the localization of animals in open environments. The system relies on radio communications and a global positioning system. It is made up of primary and secondary nodes. Secondary nodes are kinetic-powered and take advantage of animal movements to activate the node and transmit a specific identifier, reducing the number of batteries of the system. Primary nodes are battery-powered and gather secondary-node transmitted information to provide it, along with position and time data, to a final base station in charge of the animal monitoring. The system allows tracking based on contextual information obtained from statistical data. PMID:22412344

Integrated WiFi/PDR/Smartphone Using an Unscented Kalman Filter Algorithm for 3D Indoor Localization.

PubMed

Chen, Guoliang; Meng, Xiaolin; Wang, Yunjia; Zhang, Yanzhe; Tian, Peng; Yang, Huachao

2015-09-23

Because of the high calculation cost and poor performance of a traditional planar map when dealing with complicated indoor geographic information, a WiFi fingerprint indoor positioning system cannot be widely employed on a smartphone platform. By making full use of the hardware sensors embedded in the smartphone, this study proposes an integrated approach to a three-dimensional (3D) indoor positioning system. First, an improved K-means clustering method is adopted to reduce the fingerprint database retrieval time and enhance positioning efficiency. Next, with the mobile phone's acceleration sensor, a new step counting method based on auto-correlation analysis is proposed to achieve cell phone inertial navigation positioning. Furthermore, the integration of WiFi positioning with Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR) obtains higher positional accuracy with the help of the Unscented Kalman Filter algorithm. Finally, a hybrid 3D positioning system based on Unity 3D, which can carry out real-time positioning for targets in 3D scenes, is designed for the fluent operation of mobile terminals.

Integrated WiFi/PDR/Smartphone Using an Unscented Kalman Filter Algorithm for 3D Indoor Localization

PubMed Central

Chen, Guoliang; Meng, Xiaolin; Wang, Yunjia; Zhang, Yanzhe; Tian, Peng; Yang, Huachao

2015-01-01

Because of the high calculation cost and poor performance of a traditional planar map when dealing with complicated indoor geographic information, a WiFi fingerprint indoor positioning system cannot be widely employed on a smartphone platform. By making full use of the hardware sensors embedded in the smartphone, this study proposes an integrated approach to a three-dimensional (3D) indoor positioning system. First, an improved K-means clustering method is adopted to reduce the fingerprint database retrieval time and enhance positioning efficiency. Next, with the mobile phone’s acceleration sensor, a new step counting method based on auto-correlation analysis is proposed to achieve cell phone inertial navigation positioning. Furthermore, the integration of WiFi positioning with Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR) obtains higher positional accuracy with the help of the Unscented Kalman Filter algorithm. Finally, a hybrid 3D positioning system based on Unity 3D, which can carry out real-time positioning for targets in 3D scenes, is designed for the fluent operation of mobile terminals. PMID:26404314

Decoherence by spontaneous emission: A single-atom analog of superradiance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souza, Reinaldo de Melo e.; Impens, François; Neto, Paulo A. Maia

2016-12-01

We show that the decoherence of the atomic center-of-mass induced by spontaneous emission involves interferences corresponding to a single-atom analog of superradiance. We use a decomposition of the stationary decoherence rate as a sum of local and nonlocal contributions obtained to second order in the interaction by the influence functional method. These terms are respectively related to the strength of the coupling between system and environment, and to the quality of the information about the system leaking into the environment. While the local contribution always yields a positive decoherence rate, the nonlocal one may lead to recoherence when only partial information about the system is obtained from the disturbed environment. The nonlocal contribution contains interferences between different quantum amplitudes leading to oscillations of the decoherence rate reminiscent of superradiance. These concepts, illustrated here in the framework of atom interferometry within a trap, may be applied to a variety of quantum systems.

Cost benefit analysis of the transfer of NASA remote sensing technology to the state of Georgia

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zimmer, R. P. (Principal Investigator); Wilkins, R. D.; Kelly, D. L.; Brown, D. M.

1977-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. First order benefits can generally be quantified, thus allowing quantitative comparisons of candidate land cover data systems. A meaningful dollar evaluation of LANDSAT can be made by a cost comparison with equally effective data systems. Users of LANDSAT data can be usefully categorized as performing three general functions: planning, permitting, and enforcing. The value of LANDSAT data to the State of Georgia is most sensitive to the parameters: discount rate, digitization cost, and photo acquisition cost. Under a constrained budget, LANDSAT could provide digitized land cover information roughly seven times more frequently than could otherwise be obtained. Thus on one hand, while the services derived from LANDSAT data in comparison to the baseline system has a positive net present value, on the other hand if the budget were constrained, more frequent information could be provided using the LANDSAT system than otherwise be obtained.

Cooperative Monocular-Based SLAM for Multi-UAV Systems in GPS-Denied Environments †

PubMed Central

Guerra, Edmundo

2018-01-01

This work presents a cooperative monocular-based SLAM approach for multi-UAV systems that can operate in GPS-denied environments. The main contribution of the work is to show that, using visual information obtained from monocular cameras mounted onboard aerial vehicles flying in formation, the observability properties of the whole system are improved. This fact is especially notorious when compared with other related visual SLAM configurations. In order to improve the observability properties, some measurements of the relative distance between the UAVs are included in the system. These relative distances are also obtained from visual information. The proposed approach is theoretically validated by means of a nonlinear observability analysis. Furthermore, an extensive set of computer simulations is presented in order to validate the proposed approach. The numerical simulation results show that the proposed system is able to provide a good position and orientation estimation of the aerial vehicles flying in formation. PMID:29701722

Cooperative Monocular-Based SLAM for Multi-UAV Systems in GPS-Denied Environments.

PubMed

Trujillo, Juan-Carlos; Munguia, Rodrigo; Guerra, Edmundo; Grau, Antoni

2018-04-26

This work presents a cooperative monocular-based SLAM approach for multi-UAV systems that can operate in GPS-denied environments. The main contribution of the work is to show that, using visual information obtained from monocular cameras mounted onboard aerial vehicles flying in formation, the observability properties of the whole system are improved. This fact is especially notorious when compared with other related visual SLAM configurations. In order to improve the observability properties, some measurements of the relative distance between the UAVs are included in the system. These relative distances are also obtained from visual information. The proposed approach is theoretically validated by means of a nonlinear observability analysis. Furthermore, an extensive set of computer simulations is presented in order to validate the proposed approach. The numerical simulation results show that the proposed system is able to provide a good position and orientation estimation of the aerial vehicles flying in formation.

Asteroid observations and planetary atmospheres analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baum, W. A.; Millis, R. L.; Bowell, E. L. G.

1975-01-01

Photoelectric observations of Eros and 30 other asteroids providing information on their surface characteristics, shape, and rotation axes are reported. Photographs of 18 asteroids and 4 comets yielding accurate position information on various dates were obtained. Photometric observations were made of the Saturn satellite lapetus, and electronographic images of the Uranus and Neptune satellites were obtained experimentally with a Spectracon tube to assess photometry by that method. Planetary patrol photographs of Venus and deconvolved area scans of Uranus were taken. UBV photometry of the Galilean satellites for the period 1973-1974 was completely analyzed and accepted for publication. An improved magnitude and color index for Minas were derived from 1974 area scans. A special photomultiplier tube with a suppressor grid was incorporated into a pulse-counting photometer with special added circuitry for carrying out the observations concerning the constancy of solar system dimensions over cosmic time.

A Vision-Aided 3D Path Teaching Method before Narrow Butt Joint Welding

PubMed Central

Zeng, Jinle; Chang, Baohua; Du, Dong; Peng, Guodong; Chang, Shuhe; Hong, Yuxiang; Wang, Li; Shan, Jiguo

2017-01-01

For better welding quality, accurate path teaching for actuators must be achieved before welding. Due to machining errors, assembly errors, deformations, etc., the actual groove position may be different from the predetermined path. Therefore, it is significant to recognize the actual groove position using machine vision methods and perform an accurate path teaching process. However, during the teaching process of a narrow butt joint, the existing machine vision methods may fail because of poor adaptability, low resolution, and lack of 3D information. This paper proposes a 3D path teaching method for narrow butt joint welding. This method obtains two kinds of visual information nearly at the same time, namely 2D pixel coordinates of the groove in uniform lighting condition and 3D point cloud data of the workpiece surface in cross-line laser lighting condition. The 3D position and pose between the welding torch and groove can be calculated after information fusion. The image resolution can reach 12.5 μm. Experiments are carried out at an actuator speed of 2300 mm/min and groove width of less than 0.1 mm. The results show that this method is suitable for groove recognition before narrow butt joint welding and can be applied in path teaching fields of 3D complex components. PMID:28492481

An effective and robust method for tracking multiple fish in video image based on fish head detection.

PubMed

Qian, Zhi-Ming; Wang, Shuo Hong; Cheng, Xi En; Chen, Yan Qiu

2016-06-23

Fish tracking is an important step for video based analysis of fish behavior. Due to severe body deformation and mutual occlusion of multiple swimming fish, accurate and robust fish tracking from video image sequence is a highly challenging problem. The current tracking methods based on motion information are not accurate and robust enough to track the waving body and handle occlusion. In order to better overcome these problems, we propose a multiple fish tracking method based on fish head detection. The shape and gray scale characteristics of the fish image are employed to locate the fish head position. For each detected fish head, we utilize the gray distribution of the head region to estimate the fish head direction. Both the position and direction information from fish detection are then combined to build a cost function of fish swimming. Based on the cost function, global optimization method can be applied to associate the target between consecutive frames. Results show that our method can accurately detect the position and direction information of fish head, and has a good tracking performance for dozens of fish. The proposed method can successfully obtain the motion trajectories for dozens of fish so as to provide more precise data to accommodate systematic analysis of fish behavior.

A Vision-Aided 3D Path Teaching Method before Narrow Butt Joint Welding.

PubMed

Zeng, Jinle; Chang, Baohua; Du, Dong; Peng, Guodong; Chang, Shuhe; Hong, Yuxiang; Wang, Li; Shan, Jiguo

2017-05-11

For better welding quality, accurate path teaching for actuators must be achieved before welding. Due to machining errors, assembly errors, deformations, etc., the actual groove position may be different from the predetermined path. Therefore, it is significant to recognize the actual groove position using machine vision methods and perform an accurate path teaching process. However, during the teaching process of a narrow butt joint, the existing machine vision methods may fail because of poor adaptability, low resolution, and lack of 3D information. This paper proposes a 3D path teaching method for narrow butt joint welding. This method obtains two kinds of visual information nearly at the same time, namely 2D pixel coordinates of the groove in uniform lighting condition and 3D point cloud data of the workpiece surface in cross-line laser lighting condition. The 3D position and pose between the welding torch and groove can be calculated after information fusion. The image resolution can reach 12.5 μm. Experiments are carried out at an actuator speed of 2300 mm/min and groove width of less than 0.1 mm. The results show that this method is suitable for groove recognition before narrow butt joint welding and can be applied in path teaching fields of 3D complex components.

Surgeons' preferences and practice patterns regarding intraoperative frozen section during partial nephrectomy.

PubMed

Sidana, Abhinav; Donovan, James F; Gaitonde, Krishnanath

2014-08-01

Intraoperative frozen section (FS) evaluation for tumor margin during partial nephrectomy (PN) is a matter of controversy in urologic oncology. We evaluated the preferences and practice patterns of urologists regarding intraoperative FS during PN. A 17-item questionnaire was designed to collect information on surgeons' preferences and practice patterns regarding FS during PN. The survey was sent to the members of the Society of Urologic Oncology and Endourological Society. A total of 197 responses were received. Overall, 69% and 58% of respondents chose to obtain FS (always or sometimes) during open PN (OPN) and laparoscopic PN (LPN), respectively. There was a strong correlation between the surgeons' preferences during OPN and LPN. Younger surgeons are less likely to obtain FS during OPN. For surgeons who did not routinely obtain FS, "confidence about complete resection" was the most common reason (79%), followed by "no change in management with positive margins" (35%). Most surgeons (75%) believed the margins to be negative, if surgical margin was free of tumor microscopically by a single cell layer. Older surgeons considered negative margins to be free of tumor microscopically by ≥5 mm. Overall, 54% and 42% of respondents would repeat FS for positive microscopic margins during OPN and LPN, respectively. Of the respondents, 95% would not recommend additional treatment for positive margins on final pathology. Despite recent literature pointing to low clinical utility of FS, most surgeons still obtain FS during PN. Older surgeons tend to obtain FS more often. Fellowship training and practice type do not appear to influence preferences and practice patterns in regard to FS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scarborough, Nicole M.; Godaliyadda, G. M. Dilshan P.; Ye, Dong Hye

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction,more » significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Furthermore, by usingin situtwo-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure on the crystal by limiting the dose and area exposed for image reconstruction and crystal positioning using data collection hardware present in most macromolecular crystallography end-stations.« less

Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning

DOE PAGES

Scarborough, Nicole M.; Godaliyadda, G. M. Dilshan P.; Ye, Dong Hye; ...

2017-01-01

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction,more » significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Furthermore, by usingin situtwo-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure on the crystal by limiting the dose and area exposed for image reconstruction and crystal positioning using data collection hardware present in most macromolecular crystallography end-stations.« less

Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning

PubMed Central

Scarborough, Nicole M.; Godaliyadda, G. M. Dilshan P.; Ye, Dong Hye; Kissick, David J.; Zhang, Shijie; Newman, Justin A.; Sheedlo, Michael J.; Chowdhury, Azhad U.; Fischetti, Robert F.; Das, Chittaranjan; Buzzard, Gregery T.; Bouman, Charles A.; Simpson, Garth J.

2017-01-01

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction, significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Using in situ two-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure on the crystal by limiting the dose and area exposed for image reconstruction and crystal positioning using data collection hardware present in most macromolecular crystallography end-stations. PMID:28009558

Dynamic X-ray diffraction sampling for protein crystal positioning.

PubMed

Scarborough, Nicole M; Godaliyadda, G M Dilshan P; Ye, Dong Hye; Kissick, David J; Zhang, Shijie; Newman, Justin A; Sheedlo, Michael J; Chowdhury, Azhad U; Fischetti, Robert F; Das, Chittaranjan; Buzzard, Gregery T; Bouman, Charles A; Simpson, Garth J

2017-01-01

A sparse supervised learning approach for dynamic sampling (SLADS) is described for dose reduction in diffraction-based protein crystal positioning. Crystal centering is typically a prerequisite for macromolecular diffraction at synchrotron facilities, with X-ray diffraction mapping growing in popularity as a mechanism for localization. In X-ray raster scanning, diffraction is used to identify the crystal positions based on the detection of Bragg-like peaks in the scattering patterns; however, this additional X-ray exposure may result in detectable damage to the crystal prior to data collection. Dynamic sampling, in which preceding measurements inform the next most information-rich location to probe for image reconstruction, significantly reduced the X-ray dose experienced by protein crystals during positioning by diffraction raster scanning. The SLADS algorithm implemented herein is designed for single-pixel measurements and can select a new location to measure. In each step of SLADS, the algorithm selects the pixel, which, when measured, maximizes the expected reduction in distortion given previous measurements. Ground-truth diffraction data were obtained for a 5 µm-diameter beam and SLADS reconstructed the image sampling 31% of the total volume and only 9% of the interior of the crystal greatly reducing the X-ray dosage on the crystal. Using in situ two-photon-excited fluorescence microscopy measurements as a surrogate for diffraction imaging with a 1 µm-diameter beam, the SLADS algorithm enabled image reconstruction from a 7% sampling of the total volume and 12% sampling of the interior of the crystal. When implemented into the beamline at Argonne National Laboratory, without ground-truth images, an acceptable reconstruction was obtained with 3% of the image sampled and approximately 5% of the crystal. The incorporation of SLADS into X-ray diffraction acquisitions has the potential to significantly minimize the impact of X-ray exposure on the crystal by limiting the dose and area exposed for image reconstruction and crystal positioning using data collection hardware present in most macromolecular crystallography end-stations.

Access to Awareness for Faces during Continuous Flash Suppression Is Not Modulated by Affective Knowledge

PubMed Central

Rabovsky, Milena; Stein, Timo; Abdel Rahman, Rasha

2016-01-01

It is a controversially debated topic whether stimuli can be analyzed up to the semantic level when they are suppressed from visual awareness during continuous flash suppression (CFS). Here, we investigated whether affective knowledge, i.e., affective biographical information about faces, influences the time it takes for initially invisible faces with neutral expressions to overcome suppression and break into consciousness. To test this, we used negative, positive, and neutral famous faces as well as initially unfamiliar faces, which were associated with negative, positive or neutral biographical information. Affective knowledge influenced ratings of facial expressions, corroborating recent evidence and indicating the success of our affective learning paradigm. Furthermore, we replicated shorter suppression durations for upright than for inverted faces, demonstrating the suitability of our CFS paradigm. However, affective biographical information did not modulate suppression durations for newly learned faces, and even though suppression durations for famous faces were influenced by affective knowledge, these effects did not differ between upright and inverted faces, indicating that they might have been due to low-level visual differences. Thus, we did not obtain unequivocal evidence for genuine influences of affective biographical information on access to visual awareness for faces during CFS. PMID:27119743

A Network Coverage Information-Based Sensor Registry System for IoT Environments

PubMed Central

Jung, Hyunjun; Jeong, Dongwon; Lee, Sukhoon; On, Byung-Won; Baik, Doo-Kwon

2016-01-01

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to provide better services through the interaction of physical objects via the Internet. However, its limitations cause an interoperability problem when the sensed data are exchanged between the sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which constitute the core infrastructure of the IoT. To address this problem, a Sensor Registry System (SRS) is used. By using a SRS, the information of the heterogeneous sensed data remains pure. If users move along a road, their mobile devices predict their next positions and obtain the sensed data for that position from the SRS. If the WSNs in the location in which the users move are unstable, the sensed data will be lost. Consider a situation where the user passes through dangerous areas. If the user’s mobile device cannot receive information, they cannot be warned about the dangerous situation. To avoid this, two novel SRSs that use network coverage information have been proposed: one uses OpenSignal and the other uses the probabilistic distribution of the users accessing SRS. The empirical study showed that the proposed method can seamlessly provide services related to sensing data under any abnormal circumstance. PMID:27463717

A Network Coverage Information-Based Sensor Registry System for IoT Environments.

PubMed

Jung, Hyunjun; Jeong, Dongwon; Lee, Sukhoon; On, Byung-Won; Baik, Doo-Kwon

2016-07-25

The Internet of Things (IoT) is expected to provide better services through the interaction of physical objects via the Internet. However, its limitations cause an interoperability problem when the sensed data are exchanged between the sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks (WSNs), which constitute the core infrastructure of the IoT. To address this problem, a Sensor Registry System (SRS) is used. By using a SRS, the information of the heterogeneous sensed data remains pure. If users move along a road, their mobile devices predict their next positions and obtain the sensed data for that position from the SRS. If the WSNs in the location in which the users move are unstable, the sensed data will be lost. Consider a situation where the user passes through dangerous areas. If the user's mobile device cannot receive information, they cannot be warned about the dangerous situation. To avoid this, two novel SRSs that use network coverage information have been proposed: one uses OpenSignal and the other uses the probabilistic distribution of the users accessing SRS. The empirical study showed that the proposed method can seamlessly provide services related to sensing data under any abnormal circumstance.

Maximum likelihood estimation in calibrating a stereo camera setup.

PubMed

Muijtjens, A M; Roos, J M; Arts, T; Hasman, A

1999-02-01

Motion and deformation of the cardiac wall may be measured by following the positions of implanted radiopaque markers in three dimensions, using two x-ray cameras simultaneously. Regularly, calibration of the position measurement system is obtained by registration of the images of a calibration object, containing 10-20 radiopaque markers at known positions. Unfortunately, an accidental change of the position of a camera after calibration requires complete recalibration. Alternatively, redundant information in the measured image positions of stereo pairs can be used for calibration. Thus, a separate calibration procedure can be avoided. In the current study a model is developed that describes the geometry of the camera setup by five dimensionless parameters. Maximum Likelihood (ML) estimates of these parameters were obtained in an error analysis. It is shown that the ML estimates can be found by application of a nonlinear least squares procedure. Compared to the standard unweighted least squares procedure, the ML method resulted in more accurate estimates without noticeable bias. The accuracy of the ML method was investigated in relation to the object aperture. The reconstruction problem appeared well conditioned as long as the object aperture is larger than 0.1 rad. The angle between the two viewing directions appeared to be the parameter that was most likely to cause major inaccuracies in the reconstruction of the 3-D positions of the markers. Hence, attempts to improve the robustness of the method should primarily focus on reduction of the error in this parameter.

Real-time holographic surveillance system

DOEpatents

Collins, H.D.; McMakin, D.L.; Hall, T.E.; Gribble, R.P.

1995-10-03

A holographic surveillance system is disclosed including means for generating electromagnetic waves; means for transmitting the electromagnetic waves toward a target at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; means for receiving and converting electromagnetic waves reflected from the target to electrical signals at a plurality of predetermined positions in space; means for processing the electrical signals to obtain signals corresponding to a holographic reconstruction of the target; and means for displaying the processed information to determine nature of the target. The means for processing the electrical signals includes means for converting analog signals to digital signals followed by a computer means to apply a backward wave algorithm. 21 figs.

Efficient atom localization via probe absorption in an inverted-Y atomic system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jianchun; Wu, Bo; Mao, Jiejian

2018-06-01

The behaviour of atom localization in an inverted-Y atomic system is theoretically investigated. For the atoms interacting with a weak probe field and several orthogonal standing-wave fields, their position information can be obtained by measuring the probe absorption. Compared with the traditional scheme, we couple the probe field to the transition between the middle and top levels. It is found that the probe absorption sensitively depends on the detuning and strength of the relevant light fields. Remarkably, the atom can be localized at a particular position in the standing-wave fields by coupling a microwave field to the transition between the two ground levels.

Employee Drug Testing. Information on Private Sector Programs. Report to the Honorable Charles Schumer, House of Representatives.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

General Accounting Office, Washington, DC. General Government Div.

At the request of Congress, the General Accounting Office studied drug testing in the private sector to determine its extent, which testing methods are most often used, who receives drug testing and why, the reasons for having a drug testing program, and what happens to those persons who test positive. Data were obtained from 10 surveys to which a…

Optimism Predicts Positive Health in Repatriated Prisoners of War

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-08

of officer rank (93%), educated (M 16 years, SD 2), and approximately 72 years old (SD 6). Informed consent was obtained from each repatriate...total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (5.9), HDL cholesterol (37 g/dl), glycosylated hemoglobin (7.1%), urine cortisol (25.7 g/g creatinine), urine...strength, nutritional status, fatigue, and overall phys- ical function (Waldo, 1996; Cooper, 2007). To assess grip strength, we used the Lafayette Hand

Effects on Fuel Consumption and Diesel Engine Deposits from Nano-Particle Oil Additive

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-07-01

Disclaimers The findings in this report are not to be construed as an official Department of the Army position unless so designated by other...authorized documents. Trade names cited in this report do not constitute an official endorsement or approval of the use of such commercial hardware or...software. DTIC Availability Notice Qualified requestors may obtain copies of this report from the Defense Technical Information Center

Telephone-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain Following Traumatic Brain Injury

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-01

suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense , Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports...quarterly progress reports to the Department of Defense (DoD). Researchers have obtained continuing IRB approval from both the UW and VAPSHCS IRBs and...should not be construed as an official Department of the Army position, policy or decision unless so designated by other documentation. REPORT

What is the risk of infecting a cerebrospinal fluid-diverting shunt with percutaneous tapping?

PubMed

Spiegelman, Lindsey; Asija, Richa; Da Silva, Stephanie L; Krieger, Mark D; McComb, J Gordon

2014-10-01

Most CSF-diverting shunt systems have an access port that can be percutaneously tapped. Tapping the shunt can yield valuable information as to its function and whether an infection is present. The fear of causing a shunt infection by tapping may limit the physician's willingness to do so. The authors of this study investigate the risk of infecting a shunt secondary to percutaneous tapping. Following institutional review board approval, CSF specimens obtained from tapping an indwelling CSF-diverting shunt during the 2011 and 2012 calendar years were identified and matched with clinical information. A culture-positive CSF sample was defined as an infection. If results were equivocal, such as a broth-only-positive culture, a repeat CSF specimen was examined. The CSF was obtained by tapping the shunt access port with a 25-gauge butterfly needle after prepping the unshaven skin with chlorhexidine. During the study period, 266 children underwent 542 shunt taps. With 541 taps, no clinical evidence of a subsequent shunt infection was found. One child's CSF went from sterile to infected 11 days later; however, this patient had redness along the shunt tract at the time of the initial sterile tap. The risk of infection from tapping a shunt is remote if the procedure is done correctly.

A g-factor puzzle for the N=38 nuclei:First measurement of the ^70Ge 41^+ magnetic moment.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boutachkov, Plamen; Kumbartzki, G.; Benczer-Koller, N.; Robinson, S.; Escuderos, A.; Stefanova, E.; Sharon, Y.; Zamick, L.; McCutchan, E.; Werner, V.; Ai, H.; Gurdal, G.; Heinz, A.; Qian, J.; Williams, E.; Winkler, R.; Garnsworthy, A.; Thompson, N.; Maier-Komor, P.

2006-10-01

The transient field technique in inverse kinematics allows g-factor studies of short-lived states. This method gives information on both the sign and the magnitude of the g factor. In a recent experiment, the g factor of the 4^+1 state of ^6830Zn38 was measured to be -0.37(17) suggesting a significant neutron g9/2 contribution to the wave function[1]. However, shell model calculations in the 0f5/2,1p3/2,1p1/2,0g9/2 space [1] predict a positive, nearly zero g factor. To obtain more information on this region we measured the magnetic moment of the 4^+1 in ^7032Ge38. The measurement was performed at WNSL, Yale, using a 275 MeV ^70Ge beam and a multilayered C+Gd+Cu target. A positive g factor was obtained. The measured magnetic moment was compared to full fp shell model calculations which we performed with the code ANTOINE using several effective interactions. The results were in good agreement with the experiment. The experiment and the implications of the new results will be discussed.1. J. Leske et al., Phys. Rev C 72, 044301 (2005).

Obtaining a more resolute teleost growth hormone phylogeny by the introduction of gaps in sequence alignment.

PubMed

Rubin, D A; Dores, R M

1995-06-01

In order to obtain a more resolute phylogeny of teleosts based on growth hormone (GH) sequences, phylogenetic analyses were performed in which deletions (gaps), which appear to be order specific, were upheld to maintain GH's structural information. Sequences were analyzed at 194 amino acid positions. In addition, the two closest genealogically related groups to the teleosts, Amia calva and Acipenser guldenstadti, were used as outgroups. Modified sequence alignments were also analyzed to determine clade stability. Analyses indicated, in the most parsimonious cladogram, that molecular and morphological relationships for the orders of fishes are congruent. With GH molecular sequence data it was possible to resolve all clades at the familial level. Analyses of the primary sequence data indicate that: (a) the halecomorphean and chondrostean GH sequences are the appropriate outgroups for generating the most parsimonious cladogram for teleosts; (b) proper alignment of teleost GH sequence by the inclusion of gaps is necessary for resolution of the Percomorpha; and (c) removal of sequence information by deleting improperly aligned sequence decreases the phylogenetic signal obtained.

Astrometric positions for 18 irregular satellites of giant planets from 23 years of observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomes-Júnior, A. R.; Assafin, M.; Vieira-Martins, R.; Arlot, J.-E.; Camargo, J. I. B.; Braga-Ribas, F.; da Silva Neto, D. N.; Andrei, A. H.; Dias-Oliveira, A.; Morgado, B. E.; Benedetti-Rossi, G.; Duchemin, Y.; Desmars, J.; Lainey, V.; Thuillot, W.

2015-08-01

Context. The irregular satellites of the giant planets are believed to have been captured during the evolution of the solar system. Knowing their physical parameters, such as size, density, and albedo is important for constraining where they came from and how they were captured. The best way to obtain these parameters are observations in situ by spacecrafts or from stellar occultations by the objects. Both techniques demand that the orbits are well known. Aims: We aimed to obtain good astrometric positions of irregular satellites to improve their orbits and ephemeris. Methods: We identified and reduced observations of several irregular satellites from three databases containing more than 8000 images obtained between 1992 and 2014 at three sites (Observatório do Pico dos Dias, Observatoire de Haute-Provence, and European Southern Observatory - La Silla). We used the software Platform for Reduction of Astronomical Images Automatically (PRAIA) to make the astrometric reduction of the CCD frames. The UCAC4 catalog represented the International Celestial Reference System in the reductions. Identification of the satellites in the frames was done through their ephemerides as determined from the SPICE/NAIF kernels. Some procedures were followed to overcome missing or incomplete information (coordinates, date), mostly for the older images. Results: We managed to obtain more than 6000 positions for 18 irregular satellites: 12 of Jupiter, 4 of Saturn, 1 of Uranus (Sycorax), and 1 of Neptune (Nereid). For some satellites the number of obtained positions is more than 50% of what was used in earlier orbital numerical integrations. Conclusions: Comparison of our positions with recent JPL ephemeris suggests there are systematic errors in the orbits for some of the irregular satellites. The most evident case was an error in the inclination of Carme. Position tables are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (ftp://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/580/A76 and IAU NSDC database at http://www.imcce.fr/nsdcPartially based on observations made at Laboratório Nacional de Astrofísica (LNA), Itajubá-MG, Brazil.Partially based on observations through the ESO runs 079.A-9202(A), 075.C-0154, 077.C-0283 and 079.C-0345.Partially based on observations made at Observatoire de Haute Provence (OHP), 04870 Saint-Michel l'observatoire, France.

Protection of Location Privacy Based on Distributed Collaborative Recommendations

PubMed Central

Wang, Peng; Yang, Jing; Zhang, Jian-Pei

2016-01-01

In the existing centralized location services system structure, the server is easily attracted and be the communication bottleneck. It caused the disclosure of users’ location. For this, we presented a new distributed collaborative recommendation strategy that is based on the distributed system. In this strategy, each node establishes profiles of their own location information. When requests for location services appear, the user can obtain the corresponding location services according to the recommendation of the neighboring users’ location information profiles. If no suitable recommended location service results are obtained, then the user can send a service request to the server according to the construction of a k-anonymous data set with a centroid position of the neighbors. In this strategy, we designed a new model of distributed collaborative recommendation location service based on the users’ location information profiles and used generalization and encryption to ensure the safety of the user’s location information privacy. Finally, we used the real location data set to make theoretical and experimental analysis. And the results show that the strategy proposed in this paper is capable of reducing the frequency of access to the location server, providing better location services and protecting better the user’s location privacy. PMID:27649308

Protection of Location Privacy Based on Distributed Collaborative Recommendations.

PubMed

Wang, Peng; Yang, Jing; Zhang, Jian-Pei

2016-01-01

In the existing centralized location services system structure, the server is easily attracted and be the communication bottleneck. It caused the disclosure of users' location. For this, we presented a new distributed collaborative recommendation strategy that is based on the distributed system. In this strategy, each node establishes profiles of their own location information. When requests for location services appear, the user can obtain the corresponding location services according to the recommendation of the neighboring users' location information profiles. If no suitable recommended location service results are obtained, then the user can send a service request to the server according to the construction of a k-anonymous data set with a centroid position of the neighbors. In this strategy, we designed a new model of distributed collaborative recommendation location service based on the users' location information profiles and used generalization and encryption to ensure the safety of the user's location information privacy. Finally, we used the real location data set to make theoretical and experimental analysis. And the results show that the strategy proposed in this paper is capable of reducing the frequency of access to the location server, providing better location services and protecting better the user's location privacy.

Mutual information as a measure of image quality for 3D dynamic lung imaging with EIT

PubMed Central

Crabb, M G; Davidson, J L; Little, R; Wright, P; Morgan, A R; Miller, C A; Naish, J H; Parker, G J M; Kikinis, R; McCann, H; Lionheart, W R B

2014-01-01

We report on a pilot study of dynamic lung electrical impedance tomography (EIT) at the University of Manchester. Low-noise EIT data at 100 frames per second (fps) were obtained from healthy male subjects during controlled breathing, followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) subsequently used for spatial validation of the EIT reconstruction. The torso surface in the MR image and electrode positions obtained using MRI fiducial markers informed the construction of a 3D finite element model extruded along the caudal-distal axis of the subject. Small changes in the boundary that occur during respiration were accounted for by incorporating the sensitivity with respect to boundary shape into a robust temporal difference reconstruction algorithm. EIT and MRI images were co-registered using the open source medical imaging software, 3D Slicer. A quantitative comparison of quality of different EIT reconstructions was achieved through calculation of the mutual information with a lung-segmented MR image. EIT reconstructions using a linear shape correction algorithm reduced boundary image artefacts, yielding better contrast of the lungs, and had 10% greater mutual information compared with a standard linear EIT reconstruction. PMID:24710978

Mutual information as a measure of image quality for 3D dynamic lung imaging with EIT.

PubMed

Crabb, M G; Davidson, J L; Little, R; Wright, P; Morgan, A R; Miller, C A; Naish, J H; Parker, G J M; Kikinis, R; McCann, H; Lionheart, W R B

2014-05-01

We report on a pilot study of dynamic lung electrical impedance tomography (EIT) at the University of Manchester. Low-noise EIT data at 100 frames per second were obtained from healthy male subjects during controlled breathing, followed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) subsequently used for spatial validation of the EIT reconstruction. The torso surface in the MR image and electrode positions obtained using MRI fiducial markers informed the construction of a 3D finite element model extruded along the caudal-distal axis of the subject. Small changes in the boundary that occur during respiration were accounted for by incorporating the sensitivity with respect to boundary shape into a robust temporal difference reconstruction algorithm. EIT and MRI images were co-registered using the open source medical imaging software, 3D Slicer. A quantitative comparison of quality of different EIT reconstructions was achieved through calculation of the mutual information with a lung-segmented MR image. EIT reconstructions using a linear shape correction algorithm reduced boundary image artefacts, yielding better contrast of the lungs, and had 10% greater mutual information compared with a standard linear EIT reconstruction.

Inequalities in the provision of paediatric speech and language therapy services across London boroughs.

PubMed

Pring, Tim

2016-07-01

The inverse-care law suggests that fewer healthcare resources are available in deprived areas where health needs are greatest. To examine the provision of paediatric speech and language services across London boroughs and to relate provision to the level of deprivation of the boroughs. Information on the employment of paediatric speech and language therapists was obtained from London boroughs by freedom-of-information requests. The relationship between the number of therapists and the index of multiple deprivation for the borough was examined. Twenty-nine of 32 boroughs responded. A positive relationship between provision and need was obtained, suggesting that the inverse-care law does not apply. However, large inequalities of provision were found particularly among the more socially deprived boroughs. In some instances boroughs had five times as many therapists per child as other boroughs. The data reveal that large differences in speech and language therapy provision exist across boroughs. The reasons for these inequalities are unclear, but the lack of comparative information across boroughs is likely to be unhelpful in planning equitable services. The use of freedom of information in assessing health inequalities is stressed and its future availability is desirable. © 2016 Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists.

Error mapping of high-speed AFM systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klapetek, Petr; Picco, Loren; Payton, Oliver; Yacoot, Andrew; Miles, Mervyn

2013-02-01

In recent years, there have been several advances in the development of high-speed atomic force microscopes (HSAFMs) to obtain images with nanometre vertical and lateral resolution at frame rates in excess of 1 fps. To date, these instruments are lacking in metrology for their lateral scan axes; however, by imaging a series of two-dimensional lateral calibration standards, it has been possible to obtain information about the errors associated with these HSAFM scan axes. Results from initial measurements are presented in this paper and show that the scan speed needs to be taken into account when performing a calibration as it can lead to positioning errors of up to 3%.

A need to simplify informed consent documents in cancer clinical trials. A position paper of the ARCAD Group.

PubMed

Bleiberg, H; Decoster, G; de Gramont, A; Rougier, P; Sobrero, A; Benson, A; Chibaudel, B; Douillard, J Y; Eng, C; Fuchs, C; Fujii, M; Labianca, R; Larsen, A K; Mitchell, E; Schmoll, H J; Sprumont, D; Zalcberg, J

2017-05-01

In respect of the principle of autonomy and the right of self-determination, obtaining an informed consent of potential participants before their inclusion in a study is a fundamental ethical obligation. The variations in national laws, regulations, and cultures contribute to complex informed consent documents for patients participating in clinical trials. Currently, only few ethics committees seem willing to address the complexity and the length of these documents and to request investigators and sponsors to revise them in a way to make them understandable for potential participants. The purpose of this work is to focus on the written information in the informed consent documentation for drug development clinical trials and suggests (i) to distinguish between necessary and not essential information, (ii) to define the optimal format allowing the best legibility of those documents. The Aide et Recherche en Cancérologie Digestive (ARCAD) Group, an international scientific committee involving oncologists from all over the world, addressed these issues and developed and uniformly accepted a simplified informed consent documentation for future clinical research. A simplified form of informed consent with the leading part of 1200-1800 words containing all of the key information necessary to meet ethical and regulatory requirements and 'relevant supportive information appendix' of 2000-3000 words is provided. This position paper, on the basis of the ARCAD Group experts discussions, proposes our informed consent model and the rationale for its content. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Society for Medical Oncology.

Human Papillomavirus Vaccine Sources of Information and Adolescents’ Knowledge and Perceptions

PubMed Central

Rosen, Brittany L.; Shew, Marcia L.; Zimet, Gregory D.; Ding, Lili; Mullins, Tanya L. K.; Kahn, Jessica A.

2017-01-01

Understanding where adolescents obtain information about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines may be helpful in designing public health interventions promoting HPV vaccination. This study assessed the following: (1) exposure to specific sources of information about HPV vaccines, (2) self-reported helpfulness of these sources of information, and (3) whether the specific source of information was associated with knowledge and perceptions about HPV vaccines among adolescent girls. There were 339 adolescent girls (mean age = 16.8 years) recruited into the study. Television advertisements, the Internet, doctors/nurses, and mothers were the most frequently reported sources of vaccine information; more than 90% of participants who received information from these sources reported they were helpful. Adolescents who received information about HPV vaccines from television advertisements, the Internet, clinicians, and mothers had higher knowledge about HPV vaccines and more positive perceptions. Assuring the accuracy of messages from these sources will be essential, given their importance in influencing adolescents’ knowledge and perceptions about HPV vaccines. PMID:29204462

Knowledge, attitudes and prescribing pattern of emergency contraceptives by health care workers in Kampala, Uganda.

PubMed

Byamugisha, Josaphat K; Mirembe, Florence M; Faxelid, Elisabeth; Gemzell-Danielsson, Kristina

2007-01-01

Health care workers (HCWs) play an important role in making emergency contraceptives (ECs) available to clients. They can influence accessibility positively through counselling, prescribing or advocating the use of ECs. However, in some settings, HCWs have been blamed for unfavourable attitudes and lack of accurate information. Objective. To assess the knowledge, attitudes and prescribing pattern of EC by HCWs in Kampala district, Uganda. The total number of health units at different levels of health care delivery in Kampala (894) was obtained. Probability proportional to size (PPS) technique of sampling was applied. Some 247 HCWs completed a self-administered questionnaire on their knowledge about EC, including methods, mechanism of action, prescription of EC, sources of information, attitudes towards EC, and if and how it should be made available. Of the HCWs, 80% had knowledge of ECs. However, 1 in every 4 was not sure about the time limit within which EC is effective. A total of 50% of the participants had obtained information from a physician (26.4%) or from a training school (24%). The Yuzpe regimen was the most commonly mentioned and prescribed method of EC. The HCWs attitudes to EC were generally positive, and it was suggested that the community should be informed and sensitised about EC. There was a significant difference between having had a family planning educational update or not in the last year and knowledge of EC (p=0.005). Most HCWs were aware of EC, but some lacked important knowledge on its use or available methods. HCWs should have regular (annual) in-service training in reproductive health issues, such as counselling on EC. This will enable them to keep up to date with the current evidence-based recommendations in the field of contraceptive technology.

Modulation of ventral striatal activity by cognitive effort

PubMed Central

Dobryakova, Ekaterina; Jessup, Ryan K; Tricomi, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

Effort discounting theory suggests that the value of a reward should be lower if it was effortful to obtain, whereas contrast theory suggests that the contrast between the costly effort and the reward makes the reward seem more valuable. To test these alternative hypotheses, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as participants engaged in feedback-based learning that required low or high cognitive effort to obtain positive feedback, while the objective amount of information provided by feedback remained constant. In the low effort condition, a single image was presented with four response options. In the high effort condition, two images were presented, each with two response options, and correct feedback was presented only when participants responded correctly to both of the images. Accuracy was significantly lower for the high effort condition, and all participants reported that the high effort condition was more difficult. A region of the ventral striatum selected for sensitivity to feedback value also showed increased activation to feedback presentation associated with the high effort condition relative to the low effort condition, when controlling for activation from corresponding control conditions where feedback was random. These results suggest that increased cognitive effort produces corresponding increases in positive feedback-related ventral striatum activity, in line with the predictions made by contrast theory. The accomplishment of obtaining a hard-earned intrinsic reward, such as positive feedback, may be particularly likely to promote reward-related brain activity. PMID:27989778

Accessibility and quality of online information for pediatric orthopaedic surgery fellowships.

PubMed

Davidson, Austin R; Murphy, Robert F; Spence, David D; Kelly, Derek M; Warner, William C; Sawyer, Jeffrey R

2014-12-01

Pediatric orthopaedic fellowship applicants commonly use online-based resources for information on potential programs. Two primary sources are the San Francisco Match (SF Match) database and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA) database. We sought to determine the accessibility and quality of information that could be obtained by using these 2 sources. The online databases of the SF Match and POSNA were reviewed to determine the availability of embedded program links or external links for the included programs. If not available in the SF Match or POSNA data, Web sites for listed programs were located with a Google search. All identified Web sites were analyzed for accessibility, content volume, and content quality. At the time of online review, 50 programs, offering 68 positions, were listed in the SF Match database. Although 46 programs had links included with their information, 36 (72%) of them simply listed http://www.sfmatch.org as their unique Web site. Ten programs (20%) had external links listed, but only 2 (4%) linked directly to the fellowship web page. The POSNA database does not list any links to the 47 programs it lists, which offer 70 positions. On the basis of a Google search of the 50 programs listed in the SF Match database, web pages were found for 35. Of programs with independent web pages, all had a description of the program and 26 (74%) described their application process. Twenty-nine (83%) listed research requirements, 22 (63%) described the rotation schedule, and 12 (34%) discussed the on-call expectations. A contact telephone number and/or email address was provided by 97% of programs. Twenty (57%) listed both the coordinator and fellowship director, 9 (26%) listed the coordinator only, 5 (14%) listed the fellowship director only, and 1 (3%) had no contact information given. The SF Match and POSNA databases provide few direct links to fellowship Web sites, and individual program Web sites either do not exist or do not effectively convey information about the programs. Improved accessibility and accurate information online would allow potential applicants to obtain information about pediatric fellowships in a more efficient manner.

Investigation of the Effects of Solar and Geomagnetic Changes on the Total Electron Content: Mid-Latitude Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulukavak, Mustafa; Yalcinkaya, Mualla

2016-04-01

The Global Positioning System (GPS) is used as an important tool for ionosphere monitoring and obtaining the Total Electron Content (TEC). GPS satellites, positioned in the Earth's orbit, are used as sensors to investigate the space weather conditions. In this study, solar and geomagnetic activity variations were investigated between the dates 1 March-30 June 2015 for the mid-latitude region. GPS-TEC variations were calculated for each selected International GNSS Service (IGS) station in Europe. GNSS data was obtained from Crustal Dynamics Data and Information System (CDDIS) archive. Solar and geomagnetic activity indices (Kp, F10.7 ve Dst) were obtained from the Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Canadian Space Weather Forecast Centre (CSWFC) and Data Analysis Center for geomagnetism and Space Magnetism Graduate School of Science, Kyoto University (WDC) archives. GPS-TEC variations were determined for the quiet periods of the solar and geomagnetic activities. GPS-TEC changes were then compared with respect to the quiet periods of the solar and geomagnetic activities. Global Ionosphere Maps (GIM) IONEX files, obtained from the IGS analysis center, was used to check the robustness of the GPS-TEC variations. The investigations revealed that it is possible to use the GPS-TEC data for monitoring the ionospheric disturbances.

Through-wafer interrogation of microstructure motion for MEMS feedback control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dawson, Jeremy M.; Chen, Jingdong; Brown, Kolin S.; Famouri, Parviz F.; Hornak, Lawrence A.

1999-09-01

Closed-loop MEMS control enables mechanical microsystems to adapt to the demands of the environment which they are actuating opening a new window of opportunity for future MEMS applications. Planar diffractive optical microsystems have the potential to enable the integrated optical interrogation of MEMS microstructure position fully decoupled from the means of mechanical actuation which is central to realization of feedback control. This paper presents the results of initial research evaluating through-wafer optical microsystems for MEMS integrated optical monitoring. Positional monitoring results obtained from a 1.3 micrometer wavelength through- wafer free-space optical probe of a lateral comb resonator fabricated using the Multi-User MEMS Process Service (MUMPS) are presented. Given the availability of positional information via probe signal feedback, a simulation of the application of nonlinear sliding control is presented illustrating position control of the lateral comb resonator structure.

Error Estimation for the Linearized Auto-Localization Algorithm

PubMed Central

Guevara, Jorge; Jiménez, Antonio R.; Prieto, Jose Carlos; Seco, Fernando

2012-01-01

The Linearized Auto-Localization (LAL) algorithm estimates the position of beacon nodes in Local Positioning Systems (LPSs), using only the distance measurements to a mobile node whose position is also unknown. The LAL algorithm calculates the inter-beacon distances, used for the estimation of the beacons’ positions, from the linearized trilateration equations. In this paper we propose a method to estimate the propagation of the errors of the inter-beacon distances obtained with the LAL algorithm, based on a first order Taylor approximation of the equations. Since the method depends on such approximation, a confidence parameter τ is defined to measure the reliability of the estimated error. Field evaluations showed that by applying this information to an improved weighted-based auto-localization algorithm (WLAL), the standard deviation of the inter-beacon distances can be improved by more than 30% on average with respect to the original LAL method. PMID:22736965

Inertial and time-of-arrival ranging sensor fusion.

PubMed

Vasilyev, Paul; Pearson, Sean; El-Gohary, Mahmoud; Aboy, Mateo; McNames, James

2017-05-01

Wearable devices with embedded kinematic sensors including triaxial accelerometers, gyroscopes, and magnetometers are becoming widely used in applications for tracking human movement in domains that include sports, motion gaming, medicine, and wellness. The kinematic sensors can be used to estimate orientation, but can only estimate changes in position over short periods of time. We developed a prototype sensor that includes ultra wideband ranging sensors and kinematic sensors to determine the feasibility of fusing the two sensor technologies to estimate both orientation and position. We used a state space model and applied the unscented Kalman filter to fuse the sensor information. Our results demonstrate that it is possible to estimate orientation and position with less error than is possible with either sensor technology alone. In our experiment we obtained a position root mean square error of 5.2cm and orientation error of 4.8° over a 15min recording. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Relationship between the sensory-determined astringency and the flavanolic composition of red wines.

PubMed

Quijada-Morín, Natalia; Regueiro, Jorge; Simal-Gándara, Jesús; Tomás, Esperanza; Rivas-Gonzalo, Julián C; Escribano-Bailón, M Teresa

2012-12-19

The relationship between the proanthocyanidin profile and the perceived astringency was assessed in 13 commercial Tempranillo red wines. The concentration and compositional information were obtained by liquid chromatography with diode array detection coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry after acid-catalyzed depolymerization of wine proanthocyanidins in the presence of excess phloroglucinol. Statistical analysis of the results showed significant correlations between sensory and chemical determinations. Astringency was more affected by the subunit composition than by the total concentration or the average degree of polymerization of wine proanthocyanidins. Higher proportions of epicatechin (EC) subunits in extension positions and gallocatechin (GC) subunits in terminal positions were shown to increase astringency. On the contrary, the amount of epigallocatechin (EGC) in both extension and terminal positions was negatively correlated with the perceived astringency.

Reconstruction of networks from one-step data by matching positions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jianshe; Dang, Ni; Jiao, Yang

2018-05-01

It is a challenge in estimating the topology of a network from short time series data. In this paper, matching positions is developed to reconstruct the topology of a network from only one-step data. We consider a general network model of coupled agents, in which the phase transformation of each node is determined by its neighbors. From the phase transformation information from one step to the next, the connections of the tail vertices are reconstructed firstly by the matching positions. Removing the already reconstructed vertices, and repeatedly reconstructing the connections of tail vertices, the topology of the entire network is reconstructed. For sparse scale-free networks with more than ten thousands nodes, we almost obtain the actual topology using only the one-step data in simulations.

HIV and travel.

PubMed

Schuhwerk, M A; Richens, J; Zuckerman, Jane N

2006-01-01

There is a high demand for travel among HIV-positive individual. This demand arises partly from those who have benefited from advances in antiretroviral therapy as well as those with disease progression. The key to a successful and uneventful holiday lies in careful pre-trip planning, yet many patients fail to obtain advice before travelling. Travel advice for HIV patients is becoming increasingly specialized. In addition to advice on common travel-related infectious diseases, HIV-positive travellers are strongly advised to carry information with them and they need specific advice regarding country entry restrictions, HIV inclusive travel insurance, safety of travel vaccinations and highly active antiretroviral therapy-related issues. A wide range of relevant issues for the HIV-positive traveller are discussed in this review and useful websites can be found at the end.

Using surface markers for MRI guided breast conserving surgery: a feasibility survey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ebrahimi, Mehran; Siegler, Peter; Modhafar, Amen; Holloway, Claire M. B.; Plewes, Donald B.; Martel, Anne L.

2014-04-01

Breast MRI is frequently performed prior to breast conserving surgery in order to assess the location and extent of the lesion. Ideally, the surgeon should also be able to use the image information during surgery to guide the excision and this requires that the MR image is co-registered to conform to the patient’s position on the operating table. Recent progress in MR imaging techniques has made it possible to obtain high quality images of the patient in the supine position which significantly reduces the complexity of the registration task. Surface markers placed on the breast during imaging can be located during surgery using an external tracking device and this information can be used to co-register the images to the patient. There remains the problem that in most clinical MR scanners the arm of the patient has to be placed parallel to the body whereas the arm is placed perpendicular to the patient during surgery. The aim of this study is to determine the accuracy of co-registration based on a surface marker approach and, in particular, to determine what effect the difference in a patient’s arm position makes on the accuracy of tumour localization. Obtaining a second MRI of the patient where the patient’s arm is perpendicular to body axes (operating room position) is not possible. Instead we obtain a secondary MRI scan where the patient’s arm is above the patient’s head to validate the registration. Five patients with enhancing lesions ranging from 1.5 to 80 cm3 in size were imaged using contrast enhanced MRI with their arms in two positions. A thin-plate spline registration scheme was used to match these two configurations. The registration algorithm uses the surface markers only and does not employ the image intensities. Tumour outlines were segmented and centre of mass (COM) displacement and Dice measures of lesion overlap were calculated. The relationship between the number of markers used and the COM-displacement was also studied. The lesion COM-displacements ranged from 0.9  to 9.3 mm and the Dice overlap score ranged from 20% to 80%. The registration procedure took less than 1 min to run on a standard PC. Alignment of pre-surgical supine MR images to the patient using surface markers on the breast for co-registration therefore appears to be feasible.

A novel imaging method for photonic crystal fiber fusion splicer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bi, Weihong; Fu, Guangwei; Guo, Xuan

2007-01-01

Because the structure of Photonic Crystal Fiber (PCF) is very complex, and it is very difficult that traditional fiber fusion splice obtains optical axial information of PCF. Therefore, we must search for a bran-new optical imaging method to get section information of Photonic Crystal Fiber. Based on complex trait of PCF, a novel high-precision optics imaging system is presented in this article. The system uses a thinned electron-bombarded CCD (EBCCD) which is a kind of image sensor as imaging element, the thinned electron-bombarded CCD can offer low light level performance superior to conventional image intensifier coupled CCD approaches, this high-performance device can provide high contrast high resolution in low light level surveillance imaging; in order to realize precision focusing of image, we use a ultra-highprecision pace motor to adjust position of imaging lens. In this way, we can obtain legible section information of PCF. We may realize further concrete analysis for section information of PCF by digital image processing technology. Using this section information may distinguish different sorts of PCF, compute some parameters such as the size of PCF ventage, cladding structure of PCF and so on, and provide necessary analysis data for PCF fixation, adjustment, regulation, fusion and cutting system.

A Driving Cycle Detection Approach Using Map Service API

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Lei; Gonder, Jeffrey D

Following advancements in smartphone and portable global positioning system (GPS) data collection, wearable GPS data have realized extensive use in transportation surveys and studies. The task of detecting driving cycles (driving or car-mode trajectory segments) from wearable GPS data has been the subject of much research. Specifically, distinguishing driving cycles from other motorized trips (such as taking a bus) is the main research problem in this paper. Many mode detection methods only focus on raw GPS speed data while some studies apply additional information, such as geographic information system (GIS) data, to obtain better detection performance. Procuring and maintaining dedicatedmore » road GIS data are costly and not trivial, whereas the technical maturity and broad use of map service application program interface (API) queries offers opportunities for mode detection tasks. The proposed driving cycle detection method takes advantage of map service APIs to obtain high-quality car-mode API route information and uses a trajectory segmentation algorithm to find the best-matched API route. The car-mode API route data combined with the actual route information, including the actual mode information, are used to train a logistic regression machine learning model, which estimates car modes and non-car modes with probability rates. The experimental results show promise for the proposed method's ability to detect vehicle mode accurately.« less

Young children's beliefs about self-disclosure of performance failure and success.

PubMed

Hicks, Catherine M; Liu, David; Heyman, Gail D

2015-03-01

Self-disclosure of performance information involves the balancing of instrumental, learning benefits (e.g., obtaining help) against social costs (e.g., diminished reputation). Little is known about young children's beliefs about performance self-disclosure. The present research investigates preschool- and early school-age children's expectations of self-disclosure in different contexts. In two experiments, 3- to 7-year-old children (total N = 252) heard vignettes about characters who succeeded or failed at solving a puzzle. Both experiments showed that children across all ages reasoned that people are more likely to self-disclose positive than negative performances, and Experiment 2 showed that children across all ages reasoned that people are more likely to self-disclose both positive and negative performances in a supportive than an unsupportive peer environment. Additionally, both experiments revealed changes with age - Younger children were less likely to expect people to withhold their performance information (of both failures and successes) than older children. These findings point to the preschool ages as a crucial beginning to children's developing recognition of people's reluctance to share performance information. © 2014 The British Psychological Society.

PPG, APG, duplex: which noninvasive tests are most appropriate for the management of patients with chronic venous insufficiency?

PubMed

Marston, William A

2002-03-01

Numerous noninvasive tests have been described for assistance in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic venous insufficiency (CVI). These tests include venous duplex ultrasound examination in the supine and standing positions, photoplethysmography (PPG), and air plethysmography (APG). The goal of these studies is to provide accurate information describing the anatomic or the hemodynamic characteristics of the patient with CVI, precluding the need for invasive studies. These tests will be reviewed including the typical information obtained, the usefulness of this information, and the relevance for clinical management of patients with CVI. Based on the clinical class, recommendations for a noninvasive testing protocol are outlined. Copyright 2002 by W.B. Saunders Company

Interferometer with Continuously Varying Path Length Measured in Wavelengths to the Reference Mirror

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ohara, Tetsuo (Inventor)

2016-01-01

An interferometer in which the path length of the reference beam, measured in wavelengths, is continuously changing in sinusoidal fashion and the interference signal created by combining the measurement beam and the reference beam is processed in real time to obtain the physical distance along the measurement beam between the measured surface and a spatial reference frame such as the beam splitter. The processing involves analyzing the Fourier series of the intensity signal at one or more optical detectors in real time and using the time-domain multi-frequency harmonic signals to extract the phase information independently at each pixel position of one or more optical detectors and converting the phase information to distance information.

[Attitudes of general practitioners to pharmaceutical sales representatives in Sousse].

PubMed

Ben Abdelaziz, A; Harrabi, I; Rahmani, S; Ghedira, A; Gaha, K; Ghannem, H

2003-01-01

The therapeutic knowledge of physicians is the corner stone to the rational use of medicines; however information about medicines is generally obtained from the pharmaceutical industry via their sales representatives (reps). We aimed to identify general practitioners' (GPs) attitudes to pharmaceutical reps and the information they provide. We surveyed 140 GPs using a self-administered questionnaire. The response rate was 78% (72 GPs from the public sector and 68 from the private sector). About 10% of the GPs said they received daily visits from pharmaceutical reps; 84% of GPs considered them an efficient source of information and 31% said they might change their therapeutic prescribing following visits from these reps. Because of their positive perception of pharmaceutical reps, GPs are susceptible to the information they provide. Controlling the validity of the therapeutic information imparted by the pharmaceutical industry is thus a fundamental component of the programme for the rational use of medicines.

Throat Swabs and Sputum Culture as Predictors of P. aeruginosa or S. aureus Lung Colonization in Adult Cystic Fibrosis Patients.

PubMed

Seidler, Darius; Griffin, Mary; Nymon, Amanda; Koeppen, Katja; Ashare, Alix

2016-01-01

Due to frequent infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, repeated respiratory cultures are obtained to inform treatment. When patients are unable to expectorate sputum, clinicians obtain throat swabs as a surrogate for lower respiratory cultures. There is no clear data in adult subjects demonstrating the adequacy of throat swabs as a surrogate for sputum or BAL. Our study was designed to determine the utility of throat swabs in identifying lung colonization with common organisms in adults with CF. Adult CF subjects (n = 20) underwent bronchoscopy with BAL. Prior to bronchoscopy, a throat swab was obtained. A sputum sample was obtained from subjects who were able to spontaneously expectorate. All samples were sent for standard microbiology culture. Using BAL as the gold standard, we found the positive predictive value for Pseudomonas aeruginosa to be 100% in both sputum and throat swab compared to BAL. However, the negative predictive value for P. aeruginosa was 60% and 50% in sputum and throat swab, respectively. Conversely, the positive predictive value for Staphylococcus aureus was 57% in sputum and only 41% in throat swab and the negative predictive value of S. aureus was 100% in sputum and throat swab compared to BAL. Our data show that positive sputum and throat culture findings of P. aeruginosa reflect results found on BAL fluid analysis, suggesting these are reasonable surrogates to determine lung colonization with P. aeruginosa. However, sputum and throat culture findings of S. aureus do not appear to reflect S. aureus colonization of the lung.

Application of polymer sensitive MRI sequence to localization of EEG electrodes.

PubMed

Butler, Russell; Gilbert, Guillaume; Descoteaux, Maxime; Bernier, Pierre-Michel; Whittingstall, Kevin

2017-02-15

The growing popularity of simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) opens up the possibility of imaging EEG electrodes while the subject is in the scanner. Such information could be useful for improving the fusion of EEG-fMRI datasets. Here, we report for the first time how an ultra-short echo time (UTE) MR sequence can image the materials of an MR-compatible EEG cap, finding that electrodes and some parts of the wiring are visible in a high resolution UTE. Using these images, we developed a segmentation procedure to obtain electrode coordinates based on voxel intensity from the raw UTE, using hand labeled coordinates as the starting point. We were able to visualize and segment 95% of EEG electrodes using a short (3.5min) UTE sequence. We provide scripts and template images so this approach can now be easily implemented to obtain precise, subject-specific EEG electrode positions while adding minimal acquisition time to the simultaneous EEG-fMRI protocol. T1 gel artifacts are not robust enough to localize all electrodes across subjects, the polymers composing Brainvision cap electrodes are not visible on a T1, and adding T1 visible materials to the EEG cap is not always possible. We therefore consider our method superior to existing methods for obtaining electrode positions in the scanner, as it is hardware free and should work on a wide range of materials (caps). EEG electrode positions are obtained with high precision and no additional hardware. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Technical note: Validation of a commercial system for the continuous and automated monitoring of dairy cow activity.

PubMed

Tullo, E; Fontana, I; Gottardo, D; Sloth, K H; Guarino, M

2016-09-01

Current farm sizes do not allow the precise identification and tracking of individual cows and their health and behavioral records. Currently, the application of information technology within intensive dairy farming takes a key role in proper routine management to improve animal welfare and to enhance the comfort of dairy cows. An existing application based on information technology is represented by the GEA CowView system (GEA Farm Technologies, Bönen, Germany). This system is able to detect and monitor animal behavioral activities based on positioning, through the creation of a virtual map of the barn that outlines all the areas where cows have access. The aim of this study was to validate the accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of data provided by the CowView system. The validation was performed by comparing data automatically obtained from the CowView system with those obtained by a manual labeling procedure performed on video recordings. Data used for the comparisons were represented by the zone-related activities performed by the selected dairy cows and were classified into 2 categories: activity and localization. The duration in seconds of each of the activities/localizations detected both with the manual labeling and with the automated system were used to evaluate the correlation coefficients among data; and subsequently the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the automated monitoring system were calculated. The results of this validation study showed that the CowView automated monitoring system is able to identify the cow localization/position (alley, trough, cubicles) with high reliability in relation to the zone-related activities performed by dairy cows (accuracy higher than 95%). The results obtained support the CowView system as an innovative potential solution for the easier management of dairy cows. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Image-guided adaptive gating of lung cancer radiotherapy: a computer simulation study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aristophanous, Michalis; Rottmann, Joerg; Park, Sang-June; Nishioka, Seiko; Shirato, Hiroki; Berbeco, Ross I.

2010-08-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect that image-guided adaptation of the gating window during treatment could have on the residual tumor motion, by simulating different gated radiotherapy techniques. There are three separate components of this simulation: (1) the 'Hokkaido Data', which are previously measured 3D data of lung tumor motion tracks and the corresponding 1D respiratory signals obtained during the entire ungated radiotherapy treatments of eight patients, (2) the respiratory gating protocol at our institution and the imaging performed under that protocol and (3) the actual simulation in which the Hokkaido Data are used to select tumor position information that could have been collected based on the imaging performed under our gating protocol. We simulated treatments with a fixed gating window and a gating window that is updated during treatment. The patient data were divided into different fractions, each with continuous acquisitions longer than 2 min. In accordance to the imaging performed under our gating protocol, we assume that we have tumor position information for the first 15 s of treatment, obtained from kV fluoroscopy, and for the rest of the fractions the tumor position is only available during the beam-on time from MV imaging. The gating window was set according to the information obtained from the first 15 s such that the residual motion was less than 3 mm. For the fixed gating window technique the gate remained the same for the entire treatment, while for the adaptive technique the range of the tumor motion during beam-on time was measured and used to adapt the gating window to keep the residual motion below 3 mm. The algorithm used to adapt the gating window is described. The residual tumor motion inside the gating window was reduced on average by 24% for the patients with regular breathing patterns and the difference was statistically significant (p-value = 0.01). The magnitude of the residual tumor motion depended on the regularity of the breathing pattern suggesting that image-guided adaptive gating should be combined with breath coaching. The adaptive gating window technique was able to track the exhale position of the breathing cycle quite successfully. Out of a total of 53 fractions the duty cycle was greater than 20% for 42 fractions for the fixed gating window technique and for 39 fractions for the adaptive gating window technique. The results of this study suggest that real-time updating of the gating window can result in reliably low residual tumor motion and therefore can facilitate safe margin reduction.

Computational time reduction for sequential batch solutions in GNSS precise point positioning technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martín Furones, Angel; Anquela Julián, Ana Belén; Dimas-Pages, Alejandro; Cos-Gayón, Fernando

2017-08-01

Precise point positioning (PPP) is a well established Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) technique that only requires information from the receiver (or rover) to obtain high-precision position coordinates. This is a very interesting and promising technique because eliminates the need for a reference station near the rover receiver or a network of reference stations, thus reducing the cost of a GNSS survey. From a computational perspective, there are two ways to solve the system of observation equations produced by static PPP either in a single step (so-called batch adjustment) or with a sequential adjustment/filter. The results of each should be the same if they are both well implemented. However, if a sequential solution (that is, not only the final coordinates, but also those observed in previous GNSS epochs), is needed, as for convergence studies, finding a batch solution becomes a very time consuming task owing to the need for matrix inversion that accumulates with each consecutive epoch. This is not a problem for the filter solution, which uses information computed in the previous epoch for the solution of the current epoch. Thus filter implementations need extra considerations of user dynamics and parameter state variations between observation epochs with appropriate stochastic update parameter variances from epoch to epoch. These filtering considerations are not needed in batch adjustment, which makes it attractive. The main objective of this research is to significantly reduce the computation time required to obtain sequential results using batch adjustment. The new method we implemented in the adjustment process led to a mean reduction in computational time by 45%.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hlond, M.; Bzowski, M.; Moebius, E.

Post-launch boresight of the IBEX-Lo instrument on board the Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) is determined based on IBEX-Lo Star Sensor observations. Accurate information on the boresight of the neutral gas camera is essential for precise determination of interstellar gas flow parameters. Utilizing spin-phase information from the spacecraft attitude control system (ACS), positions of stars observed by the Star Sensor during two years of IBEX measurements were analyzed and compared with positions obtained from a star catalog. No statistically significant differences were observed beyond those expected from the pre-launch uncertainty in the Star Sensor mounting. Based on the star observations andmore » their positions in the spacecraft reference system, pointing of the IBEX satellite spin axis was determined and compared with the pointing obtained from the ACS. Again, no statistically significant deviations were observed. We conclude that no systematic correction for boresight geometry is needed in the analysis of IBEX-Lo observations to determine neutral interstellar gas flow properties. A stack-up of uncertainties in attitude knowledge shows that the instantaneous IBEX-Lo pointing is determined to within {approx}0.{sup 0}1 in both spin angle and elevation using either the Star Sensor or the ACS. Further, the Star Sensor can be used to independently determine the spacecraft spin axis. Thus, Star Sensor data can be used reliably to correct the spin phase when the Star Tracker (used by the ACS) is disabled by bright objects in its field of view. The Star Sensor can also determine the spin axis during most orbits and thus provides redundancy for the Star Tracker.« less

A Police and Insurance Joint Management System Based on High Precision BDS/GPS Positioning

PubMed Central

Zuo, Wenwei; Guo, Chi; Liu, Jingnan; Peng, Xuan; Yang, Min

2018-01-01

Car ownership in China reached 194 million vehicles at the end of 2016. The traffic congestion index (TCI) exceeds 2.0 during rush hour in some cities. Inefficient processing for minor traffic accidents is considered to be one of the leading causes for road traffic jams. Meanwhile, the process after an accident is quite troublesome. The main reason is that it is almost always impossible to get the complete chain of evidence when the accident happens. Accordingly, a police and insurance joint management system is developed which is based on high precision BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS)/Global Positioning System (GPS) positioning to process traffic accidents. First of all, an intelligent vehicle rearview mirror terminal is developed. The terminal applies a commonly used consumer electronic device with single frequency navigation. Based on the high precision BDS/GPS positioning algorithm, its accuracy can reach sub-meter level in the urban areas. More specifically, a kernel driver is built to realize the high precision positioning algorithm in an Android HAL layer. Thus the third-party application developers can call the general location Application Programming Interface (API) of the original standard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to get high precision positioning results. Therefore, the terminal can provide lane level positioning service for car users. Next, a remote traffic accident processing platform is built to provide big data analysis and management. According to the big data analysis of information collected by BDS high precision intelligent sense service, vehicle behaviors can be obtained. The platform can also automatically match and screen the data that uploads after an accident to achieve accurate reproduction of the scene. Thus, it helps traffic police and insurance personnel to complete remote responsibility identification and survey for the accident. Thirdly, a rapid processing flow is established in this article to meet the requirements to quickly handle traffic accidents. The traffic police can remotely identify accident responsibility and the insurance personnel can remotely survey an accident. Moreover, the police and insurance joint management system has been carried out in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei Province, and Wuxi, Eastern China’s Jiangsu Province. In a word, a system is developed to obtain and analyze multisource data including precise positioning and visual information, and a solution is proposed for efficient processing of traffic accidents. PMID:29320406

A Police and Insurance Joint Management System Based on High Precision BDS/GPS Positioning.

PubMed

Zuo, Wenwei; Guo, Chi; Liu, Jingnan; Peng, Xuan; Yang, Min

2018-01-10

Car ownership in China reached 194 million vehicles at the end of 2016. The traffic congestion index (TCI) exceeds 2.0 during rush hour in some cities. Inefficient processing for minor traffic accidents is considered to be one of the leading causes for road traffic jams. Meanwhile, the process after an accident is quite troublesome. The main reason is that it is almost always impossible to get the complete chain of evidence when the accident happens. Accordingly, a police and insurance joint management system is developed which is based on high precision BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS)/Global Positioning System (GPS) positioning to process traffic accidents. First of all, an intelligent vehicle rearview mirror terminal is developed. The terminal applies a commonly used consumer electronic device with single frequency navigation. Based on the high precision BDS/GPS positioning algorithm, its accuracy can reach sub-meter level in the urban areas. More specifically, a kernel driver is built to realize the high precision positioning algorithm in an Android HAL layer. Thus the third-party application developers can call the general location Application Programming Interface (API) of the original standard Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to get high precision positioning results. Therefore, the terminal can provide lane level positioning service for car users. Next, a remote traffic accident processing platform is built to provide big data analysis and management. According to the big data analysis of information collected by BDS high precision intelligent sense service, vehicle behaviors can be obtained. The platform can also automatically match and screen the data that uploads after an accident to achieve accurate reproduction of the scene. Thus, it helps traffic police and insurance personnel to complete remote responsibility identification and survey for the accident. Thirdly, a rapid processing flow is established in this article to meet the requirements to quickly handle traffic accidents. The traffic police can remotely identify accident responsibility and the insurance personnel can remotely survey an accident. Moreover, the police and insurance joint management system has been carried out in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei Province, and Wuxi, Eastern China's Jiangsu Province. In a word, a system is developed to obtain and analyze multisource data including precise positioning and visual information, and a solution is proposed for efficient processing of traffic accidents.

Life stressors as mediators of the relation between socioeconomic position and mental health problems in early adolescence: the TRAILS study.

PubMed

Amone-P'Olak, Kennedy; Ormel, Johan; Huisman, Martijn; Verhulst, Frank C; Oldehinkel, Albertine J; Burger, Huibert

2009-10-01

Life stressors and family socioeconomic position have often been associated with mental health status. The aim of the present study is to contribute to the understanding of the pathways from low socioeconomic position and life stressors to mental problems. In a cross-sectional analysis using data from a longitudinal study of early adolescents (N = 2,149, 51% girls; mean age 13.6 years, SD 0.53, range 12-15), we assessed the extent of mediation of the association between family socioeconomic position and mental health problems by different types of life stressors in multiple regression models. Stressors were rated as environment related or person related. Information on socioeconomic position was obtained directly from parents, and internalizing and externalizing problem behaviors were assessed by reports from multiple informants (parents, self, and teachers). Low socioeconomic position was associated with more mental health problems and more life stressors. Both environment-related and person-related stressors predicted mental health problems independently of socioeconomic position. The associations between socioeconomic position and all mental health outcomes were partly mediated by environment-related life stressors. Mediation by environment-related and person-related stressors as assessed by linear regression amounted to 56% (95% confidence interval [CI] 35%-78%) and 7% (95% CI -25% to 38%) for internalizing problems and 13% (95% CI 7%-19%) and 5% (95% CI -2% to 13%) for externalizing problems, respectively. Environment-related, but not person-related, stressors partly mediated the association between socio economic position and adolescent mental problems. The extent of mediation was larger for internalizing than for externalizing problems. Because the effect sizes of the associations were relatively small, targeted interventions to prevent impaired mental health may have only modest benefits to adolescents from low socioeconomic background.

[Analysis of HIV antibody positive cases in Peking University Hospital of Stomatology during 9 years].

PubMed

Ding, Jian-fen; Qiu, Juan; Shen, Shu-ming

2016-02-01

To investigate the prevalence and characteristics of HIV patients found in Peking University Hospital of Stomatology during 9 years, and provide management strategy for early diagnosis and control of HIV in Stomatology Hospital. A retrospective study of the HIV positive patients diagnosed by HIV antibody screening was carried out. The related information about these patients found in Peking University School of Stomatology during 2005-2013 was obtained from China Disease Control Information System. 68,562 patients accepted HIV antibody screening in Peking University Hospital of Stomatology during 2005-2013. Thirty one patients were found HIV antibody positive. The ratio of HIV antibody positive was about 0.045%, which was composed of 25 males and 6 females. 61.29% patients aged between 20-40 years, and their career was mainly commercial service with a education level of junior high school. The proportion of sexual route of transmission was about 74.91%, and 34.78% of them were male homosexuality. Most of the patients with HIV antibody positive were found in the out-patient clinic, especially in the department of oral mucosal diseases, accounting for 70.97%. HIV antibody positive rate in Peking University School of Stomatology was slightly lower than that in general hospitals. Medical staff should increase their awareness of AIDS prevention and control, for higher HIV risk departments, such as oral mucosal diseases and periodontal disease, efforts should be made to increase HIV screening, expand the scope of screening, and promote provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling.

[Epidemiological surveillance of cystic echinococcosis in dogs, sheep farms and humans in the Rio Negro Province].

PubMed

Pérez, Alicia; Costa, María T; Cantoni, Gustavo; Mancini, Sergio; Mercapide, Carlos; Herrero, Eduardo; Volpe, Marcela; Araya, Daniel; Talmon, Gabriel; Chiosso, Carlos; Vázquez, Gabriela; Del Carpio, Mario; Santillan, Graciela; Larrieu, Edmundo

2006-01-01

The surveillance of infection for Echinococcus granulosus in the Province of Rio Negro during 1980-2002 included serological and ultrasonographic screening in humans and arecoline test in dogs. In lieu of the limitations of the arecoline test the proposal was to supplant that test for the copro ELISA-copro/Western Blot complex applied to feces collected from the environment. The objective was to compare the pros and cons of the two tests and to evaluate the human and the canine infection prevalence. The working area encompassed 7 Departments with systematic canine parasiticide activities (Program Area) and 4 Departments, not endemic, as Control Area. The arecoline test was applied to the dogs in assembled groups with the voluntary participation of their owners (not randomized sampling). Samples for the detection of coproantigens were obtained from sheep farms selected at random and analyzed by the complex copro-ELISA /Western Blot. Prevalence in man was determined by screening the school population (6 to 14 years old) by ultrasound, and by means of the compulsory notification of cases from the official system. Dogs (416) were tested with arecoline, 365 of which belonged to the Program Area. Of these 19 (5.2%) resulted positive, while none of 51 dogs from the Control Area were positive. Samples (748) of feces were tested to detect coproantigens, obtaining 37 positive samples within the Program Area and 4 within the Control Area. Farms (271) from the livestock estate unit were evaluated, out of which 236 belonged to the Program Area, gave 32 (13.6%) positive results, while 4 (11.4%) of 35 from the Control Area resulted positive. Sonography tests (7421) were done in the Program Area detecting 40 (0.5%) carriers, while in the Control Area, over 1732 tests, 9 (0.5%) resulted positive. The arecoline test provides information about the dog prevalence while the detection of coproantigens in feces collected from the environment allowed to enhance the quality of the information, and the identification of environments where specific control activities focusing on risk must be concentrated. Also the study allowed to recognize new transmission areas.

An evaluation of knowledge and attitudes toward epilepsy in Eastern Turkey.

PubMed

Kiyak, Emine; Dayapoglu, Nuray

2017-10-01

This study was designed to determine the knowledge and attitudes regarding epilepsy among individuals in eastern Turkey. This descriptive study involved 530 healthy individuals who came to the Research and Application Hospital of Ataturk University in Erzurum, Turkey. A questionnaire and the epilepsy knowledge and attitude scale were administered to collect data. Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman's correlation tests were used to analyze the data. The participants' epilepsy knowledge mean score was 6.34 (SD=3.71), and their attitude mean score was 50.22 (SD=11.17). There was a positive (r=0.404) correlation between the knowledge and the attitude scores (p<0.001), and negative correlations between age and the knowledge (p=0.036) and the attitude scores (p<0.001). The mean knowledge and attitude scores were higher for the participants who were high school and university graduates, had expenses equal to income, and lived in nuclear families and in the city center (p<0.001). Civil servants and housewives had significantly higher mean knowledge scores, and students had significantly higher mean attitude scores (p<0.001). Significantly higher knowledge and attitude mean scores were also found for those who knew patients with epilepsy, had witnessed epileptic seizures, obtained information from healthcare personnel, and did not believe that epilepsy was associated with religion (p<0.001). The study participants had low knowledge about epilepsy but displayed positive attitudes toward it. Higher knowledge positively affected attitude, and younger individuals had greater knowledge and, thus, more positive attitudes. Women, civil servants, and housewives had higher knowledge, whereas singles and students had better attitudes. The participants who had high educational levels and expenses equal to income and lived in nuclear families and the city center had more knowledge and displayed more positive attitudes. Greater knowledge and more positive attitudes were also found among the participants who knew patients with epilepsy, had witnessed epileptic seizures, obtained the information from healthcare personnel, and did not believe that epilepsy was associated with religion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Local markets and systems: hospital consolidations in metropolitan areas.

PubMed

Luke, R D; Ozcan, Y A; Olden, P C

1995-10-01

This study examines the formation of local hospital systems (LHSs) in urban markets by the end of 1992. We argue that a primary reason why hospitals join LHSs is to achieve improved positions of market power relative to threatening rivals. The study draws from a unique database of LHSs located in and around metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs). Data were obtained from the 1991 AHA Annual Hospital Survey, updated to the year 1992 using information obtained from multiple sources (telephone contacts of systems, systems lists of hospitals, published changes in ownership, etc.). Other measures were obtained from a variety of sources, principally the 1989 Area Resources File. The study presents cross-sectional analyses of rival threats and other factors bearing on LHS formation. Three characteristics of LHS formation are examined: LHS penetration of urban areas, LHS size, and number of LHS members located just outside the urban boundaries. LHS penetration is analyzed across urban markets, and LHS size and rural partners are examined across the LHSs. Major hypothesized findings are: (1) with the exception of the number of rural partners, all dependent variables are positively associated with the number of hospitals in the markets; the rural partner measure is negatively associated with the number of hospitals; (2) the number of doctors per capita is positively associated with all but the rural penetration measure; and (3) the percentage of the population in HMOs is positively associated with local cluster penetration and negatively associated with rural system partners. Other findings: (1) average income in the markets is negatively associated with all but the rural penetration measure; (2) LHS size and rural partners are both positively associated with nonprofit system ownership; and (3) they are also both negatively associated with the degree to which their multihospital systems are geographically concentrated in a single state. The findings generally support the argument that LHS formation is the product of hospital providers attempting to improve positions of power in their local markets.

Creating National Attraction: Military Intelligence Sharing Building Foreign Military Interdependence

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-05-21

were focused on security of the information, access to desired intelligence, and access to locations favorable to collecting desired intelligence.8 The...obtain a more favorable position in the relationship. For example, a state might threaten defection due to a lack of domestic support for the...administration, the United States worked with Colombia and Mexico to reduce the flow of cocaine and marijuana into the United States.62 This action

An efficient biological pathway layout algorithm combining grid-layout and spring embedder for complicated cellular location information

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Graph drawing is one of the important techniques for understanding biological regulations in a cell or among cells at the pathway level. Among many available layout algorithms, the spring embedder algorithm is widely used not only for pathway drawing but also for circuit placement and www visualization and so on because of the harmonized appearance of its results. For pathway drawing, location information is essential for its comprehension. However, complex shapes need to be taken into account when torus-shaped location information such as nuclear inner membrane, nuclear outer membrane, and plasma membrane is considered. Unfortunately, the spring embedder algorithm cannot easily handle such information. In addition, crossings between edges and nodes are usually not considered explicitly. Results We proposed a new grid-layout algorithm based on the spring embedder algorithm that can handle location information and provide layouts with harmonized appearance. In grid-layout algorithms, the mapping of nodes to grid points that minimizes a cost function is searched. By imposing positional constraints on grid points, location information including complex shapes can be easily considered. Our layout algorithm includes the spring embedder cost as a component of the cost function. We further extend the layout algorithm to enable dynamic update of the positions and sizes of compartments at each step. Conclusions The new spring embedder-based grid-layout algorithm and a spring embedder algorithm are applied to three biological pathways; endothelial cell model, Fas-induced apoptosis model, and C. elegans cell fate simulation model. From the positional constraints, all the results of our algorithm satisfy location information, and hence, more comprehensible layouts are obtained as compared to the spring embedder algorithm. From the comparison of the number of crossings, the results of the grid-layout-based algorithm tend to contain more crossings than those of the spring embedder algorithm due to the positional constraints. For a fair comparison, we also apply our proposed method without positional constraints. This comparison shows that these results contain less crossings than those of the spring embedder algorithm. We also compared layouts of the proposed algorithm with and without compartment update and verified that latter can reach better local optima. PMID:20565884

Social representation of "music" in young adults: a cross-cultural study.

PubMed

Manchaiah, Vinaya; Zhao, Fei; Widén, Stephen; Auzenne, Jasmin; Beukes, Eldré W; Ahmadi, Tayebeh; Tomé, David; Mahadeva, Deepthi; Krishna, Rajalakshmi; Germundsson, Per

2017-01-01

This study was aimed to explore perceptions of and reactions to music in young adults (18-25 years) using the theory of social representations (TSR). The study used a cross-sectional survey design and included participants from India, Iran, Portugal, USA and UK. Data were analysed using various qualitative and quantitative methods. The study sample included 534 young adults. The Chi-square analysis showed significant differences between the countries regarding the informants' perception of music. The most positive connotations about music were found in the responses obtained from Iranian participants (82.2%), followed by Portuguese participants (80.6%), while the most negative connotations about music were found in the responses obtained from Indian participants (18.2%), followed by Iranian participants (7.3%). The participants' responses fell into 19 main categories based on their meaning; however, not all categories were found in all five countries. The co-occurrence analysis results generally indicate that the category "positive emotions or actions" was the most frequent category occurring in all five countries. The results indicate that music is generally considered to bring positive emotions for people within these societies, although a small percentage of responses indicate some negative consequences of music.

Image-Based Reconstruction and Analysis of Dynamic Scenes in a Landslide Simulation Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scaioni, M.; Crippa, J.; Longoni, L.; Papini, M.; Zanzi, L.

2017-12-01

The application of image processing and photogrammetric techniques to dynamic reconstruction of landslide simulations in a scaled-down facility is described. Simulations are also used here for active-learning purpose: students are helped understand how physical processes happen and which kinds of observations may be obtained from a sensor network. In particular, the use of digital images to obtain multi-temporal information is presented. On one side, using a multi-view sensor set up based on four synchronized GoPro 4 Black® cameras, a 4D (3D spatial position and time) reconstruction of the dynamic scene is obtained through the composition of several 3D models obtained from dense image matching. The final textured 4D model allows one to revisit in dynamic and interactive mode a completed experiment at any time. On the other side, a digital image correlation (DIC) technique has been used to track surface point displacements from the image sequence obtained from the camera in front of the simulation facility. While the 4D model may provide a qualitative description and documentation of the experiment running, DIC analysis output quantitative information such as local point displacements and velocities, to be related to physical processes and to other observations. All the hardware and software equipment adopted for the photogrammetric reconstruction has been based on low-cost and open-source solutions.

Gram-stain plus MALDI-TOF MS (Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry) for a rapid diagnosis of urinary tract infection.

PubMed

Burillo, Almudena; Rodríguez-Sánchez, Belén; Ramiro, Ana; Cercenado, Emilia; Rodríguez-Créixems, Marta; Bouza, Emilio

2014-01-01

Microbiological confirmation of a urinary tract infection (UTI) takes 24-48 h. In the meantime, patients are usually given empirical antibiotics, sometimes inappropriately. We assessed the feasibility of sequentially performing a Gram stain and MALDI-TOF MS mass spectrometry (MS) on urine samples to anticipate clinically useful information. In May-June 2012, we randomly selected 1000 urine samples from patients with suspected UTI. All were Gram stained and those yielding bacteria of a single morphotype were processed for MALDI-TOF MS. Our sequential algorithm was correlated with the standard semiquantitative urine culture result as follows: Match, the information provided was anticipative of culture result; Minor error, the information provided was partially anticipative of culture result; Major error, the information provided was incorrect, potentially leading to inappropriate changes in antimicrobial therapy. A positive culture was obtained in 242/1000 samples. The Gram stain revealed a single morphotype in 207 samples, which were subjected to MALDI-TOF MS. The diagnostic performance of the Gram stain was: sensitivity (Se) 81.3%, specificity (Sp) 93.2%, positive predictive value (PPV) 81.3%, negative predictive value (NPV) 93.2%, positive likelihood ratio (+LR) 11.91, negative likelihood ratio (-LR) 0.20 and accuracy 90.0% while that of MALDI-TOF MS was: Se 79.2%, Sp 73.5, +LR 2.99, -LR 0.28 and accuracy 78.3%. The use of both techniques provided information anticipative of the culture result in 82.7% of cases, information with minor errors in 13.4% and information with major errors in 3.9%. Results were available within 1 h. Our serial algorithm provided information that was consistent or showed minor errors for 96.1% of urine samples from patients with suspected UTI. The clinical impacts of this rapid UTI diagnosis strategy need to be assessed through indicators of adequacy of treatment such as a reduced time to appropriate empirical treatment or earlier withdrawal of unnecessary antibiotics.

[Intracardiac echocardiography during percutaneous closure of atrial septal defect and patent foramen ovale].

PubMed

Brochet, E; Habib, G

2005-06-01

Intracardiac echocardiography is a new technique based on the use of ultrasonic diagnostic catheters. The most significant current experience has been obtained with the AcuNav catheter, with a "phased array" high frequency (5.5 to 10 mHz) detector, which obtains bidimensional echocardiographic views, coupled to pulsed and colour Doppler. Image acquisition is made from an intracardiac position, usually the right atrium. This review touches on the technical aspects of this method, applied to the examination of the intra-atrial septum, as well as the results currently obtained during inter-atrial communication and patent foramen ovale closure procedures. In effect it is in this field of application that intracardiac ultrasound has now found its niche, providing equivalent information to the reference technique of transoesophageal echocardiography. Intracardiac echocardiography allows complete examination of the inter-atrial septum and septal defects, as well as accurate surveillance of the positioning of percutaneous closure devices. An important advantage of intracardiac echocardiography is the possibility of avoiding a general anaesthetic, usually necessary with the transoesophageal route. At present, the main limiting factor to its systematic use is its high cost, linked to the single use catheters.

Experimental assessment and analysis of super-resolution in fluorescence microscopy based on multiple-point spread function fitting of spectrally demultiplexed images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishimura, Takahiro; Kimura, Hitoshi; Ogura, Yusuke; Tanida, Jun

2018-06-01

This paper presents an experimental assessment and analysis of super-resolution microscopy based on multiple-point spread function fitting of spectrally demultiplexed images using a designed DNA structure as a test target. For the purpose, a DNA structure was designed to have binding sites at a certain interval that is smaller than the diffraction limit. The structure was labeled with several types of quantum dots (QDs) to acquire their spatial information as spectrally encoded images. The obtained images are analyzed with a point spread function multifitting algorithm to determine the QD locations that indicate the binding site positions. The experimental results show that the labeled locations can be observed beyond the diffraction-limited resolution using three-colored fluorescence images that were obtained with a confocal fluorescence microscope. Numerical simulations show that labeling with eight types of QDs enables the positions aligned at 27.2-nm pitches on the DNA structure to be resolved with high accuracy.

Primary Care Provider Views About Usefulness and Dissemination of a Web-Based Depression Treatment Information Decision Aid.

PubMed

Beaulac, Julie; Westmacott, Robin; Walker, John R; Vardanyan, Gohar

2016-06-08

Decisions related to mental health are often complex, problems often remain undetected and untreated, information unavailable or not used, and treatment decisions frequently not informed by best practice or patient preferences. The objective of this paper was to obtain the opinions of health professionals working in primary health care settings about a Web-based information decision aid (IDA) for patients concerning treatment options for depression and the dissemination of the resources in primary care settings. Participants were recruited from primary care clinics in Winnipeg and Ottawa, Canada, and included 48 family physicians, nurses, and primary care staff. The study design was a qualitative framework analytic approach of 5 focus groups. Focus groups were conducted during regular staff meetings, were digitally recorded, and transcripts created. Analysis involved a content and theme analysis. Seven key themes emerged including the key role of the primary care provider, common questions about treatments, treatment barriers, sources of patient information, concern about quality and quantity of available information, positive opinions about the IDA, and disseminating the IDA. The most common questions mentioned were about medication and side effects and alternatives to medication. Patients have limited access to alternative treatment options owing to cost and availability. Practitioners evaluated the IDA positively. The resources were described as useful, supportive of providers' messages, and accessible for patients. There was unanimous consensus that information needs to be available electronically through the Internet.

FISim: A new similarity measure between transcription factor binding sites based on the fuzzy integral

PubMed Central

Garcia, Fernando; Lopez, Francisco J; Cano, Carlos; Blanco, Armando

2009-01-01

Background Regulatory motifs describe sets of related transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) and can be represented as position frequency matrices (PFMs). De novo identification of TFBSs is a crucial problem in computational biology which includes the issue of comparing putative motifs with one another and with motifs that are already known. The relative importance of each nucleotide within a given position in the PFMs should be considered in order to compute PFM similarities. Furthermore, biological data are inherently noisy and imprecise. Fuzzy set theory is particularly suitable for modeling imprecise data, whereas fuzzy integrals are highly appropriate for representing the interaction among different information sources. Results We propose FISim, a new similarity measure between PFMs, based on the fuzzy integral of the distance of the nucleotides with respect to the information content of the positions. Unlike existing methods, FISim is designed to consider the higher contribution of better conserved positions to the binding affinity. FISim provides excellent results when dealing with sets of randomly generated motifs, and outperforms the remaining methods when handling real datasets of related motifs. Furthermore, we propose a new cluster methodology based on kernel theory together with FISim to obtain groups of related motifs potentially bound by the same TFs, providing more robust results than existing approaches. Conclusion FISim corrects a design flaw of the most popular methods, whose measures favour similarity of low information content positions. We use our measure to successfully identify motifs that describe binding sites for the same TF and to solve real-life problems. In this study the reliability of fuzzy technology for motif comparison tasks is proven. PMID:19615102

A Web Search on Environmental Topics: What Is the Role of Ranking?

PubMed Central

Filisetti, Barbara; Mascaretti, Silvia; Limina, Rosa Maria; Gelatti, Umberto

2013-01-01

Abstract Background: Although the Internet is easy to use, the mechanisms and logic behind a Web search are often unknown. Reliable information can be obtained, but it may not be visible as the Web site is not located in the first positions of search results. The possible risks of adverse health effects arising from environmental hazards are issues of increasing public interest, and therefore the information about these risks, particularly on topics for which there is no scientific evidence, is very crucial. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the presentation of information on some environmental health topics differed among various search engines, assuming that the most reliable information should come from institutional Web sites. Materials and Methods: Five search engines were used: Google, Yahoo!, Bing, Ask, and AOL. The following topics were searched in combination with the word “health”: “nuclear energy,” “electromagnetic waves,” “air pollution,” “waste,” and “radon.” For each topic three key words were used. The first 30 search results for each query were considered. The ranking variability among the search engines and the type of search results were analyzed for each topic and for each key word. The ranking of institutional Web sites was given particular consideration. Results: Variable results were obtained when surfing the Internet on different environmental health topics. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that, when searching for radon and air pollution topics, it is more likely to find institutional Web sites in the first 10 positions compared with nuclear power (odds ratio=3.4, 95% confidence interval 2.1–5.4 and odds ratio=2.9, 95% confidence interval 1.8–4.7, respectively) and also when using Google compared with Bing (odds ratio=3.1, 95% confidence interval 1.9–5.1). Conclusions: The increasing use of online information could play an important role in forming opinions. Web users should become more aware of the importance of finding reliable information, and health institutions should be able to make that information more visible. PMID:24083368

Psychosocial factors of caregiver burden in child caregivers: results from the new national study of caregiving.

PubMed

Cohen, Steven A; Cook, Sarah; Kelley, Lauren; Sando, Trisha; Bell, Allison E

2015-08-07

Over 50 million informal caregivers in the United States provide care to an aging adult, saving the economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually from costly hospitalization or institutionalization. Despite the benefits associated with caregiving, caregiver stress can lead to negative physical and mental health consequences, or "caregiver burden". Given these potential negative consequences of caregiver burden, it is important not only to understand the multidimensional components of burden but to also understand the experience from the perspective of the caregiver themselves. Therefore, the objectives of our study are to use exploratory factor analysis to obtain a set of latent factors among a subset of caregiver burden questions identified in previous studies and assess their reliability. All data was obtained from the 2011 National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to identify a set of latent factors assessing four domains of caregiver burden in "child caregivers": those informal caregivers who provide care to a parent or stepparent. Sensitivity analysis was also conducted by repeating the EFA on demographic subsets of caregivers. After multiple factor analyses, four consistent caregiver burden factors emerged from the 23 questions analyzed: Negative emotional, positive emotional, social, and financial. Reliability of each factor varied, and was strongest for the positive emotional domain for caregiver burden. These domains were generally consistent across demographic subsets of informal caregivers. These results provide researchers a more comprehensive understanding of caregiver burden to target interventions to protect caregiver health and maintain this vital component of the US health care system.

System and method for acquisition management of subject position information

DOEpatents

Carrender, Curt

2005-12-13

A system and method for acquisition management of subject position information that utilizes radio frequency identification (RF ID) to store position information in position tags. Tag programmers receive position information from external positioning systems, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), from manual inputs, such as keypads, or other tag programmers. The tag programmers program each position tag with the received position information. Both the tag programmers and the position tags can be portable or fixed. Implementations include portable tag programmers and fixed position tags for subject position guidance, and portable tag programmers for collection sample labeling. Other implementations include fixed tag programmers and portable position tags for subject route recordation. Position tags can contain other associated information such as destination address of an affixed subject for subject routing.

System and method for acquisition management of subject position information

DOEpatents

Carrender, Curt [Morgan Hill, CA

2007-01-23

A system and method for acquisition management of subject position information that utilizes radio frequency identification (RF ID) to store position information in position tags. Tag programmers receive position information from external positioning systems, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), from manual inputs, such as keypads, or other tag programmers. The tag programmers program each position tag with the received position information. Both the tag programmers and the position tags can be portable or fixed. Implementations include portable tag programmers and fixed position tags for subject position guidance, and portable tag programmers for collection sample labeling. Other implementations include fixed tag programmers and portable position tags for subject route recordation. Position tags can contain other associated information such as destination address of an affixed subject for subject routing.

Evaluation of Laser Based Alignment Algorithms Under Additive Random and Diffraction Noise

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

McClay, W A; Awwal, A; Wilhelmsen, K

2004-09-30

The purpose of the automatic alignment algorithm at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) is to determine the position of a laser beam based on the position of beam features from video images. The position information obtained is used to command motors and attenuators to adjust the beam lines to the desired position, which facilitates the alignment of all 192 beams. One of the goals of the algorithm development effort is to ascertain the performance, reliability, and uncertainty of the position measurement. This paper describes a method of evaluating the performance of algorithms using Monte Carlo simulation. In particular we showmore » the application of this technique to the LM1{_}LM3 algorithm, which determines the position of a series of two beam light sources. The performance of the algorithm was evaluated for an ensemble of over 900 simulated images with varying image intensities and noise counts, as well as varying diffraction noise amplitude and frequency. The performance of the algorithm on the image data set had a tolerance well beneath the 0.5-pixel system requirement.« less

System and method for the identification of radiation in contaminated rooms

DOEpatents

Coleman, Jody Rustyn; Farfan, Eduardo B.

2015-09-29

Devices and methods for the characterization of areas of radiation in contaminated rooms are provided. One such device is a collimator with a collimator shield for reducing noise when measuring radiation. A position determination system is provided that may be used for obtaining position and orientation information of the detector in the contaminated room. A radiation analysis method is included that is capable of determining the amount of radiation intensity present at known locations within the contaminated room. Also, a visual illustration system is provided that may project images onto the physical objects, which may be walls, of the contaminated room in order to identify the location of radioactive materials for decontamination.

Localization Based on Magnetic Markers for an All-Wheel Steering Vehicle

PubMed Central

Byun, Yeun Sub; Kim, Young Chol

2016-01-01

Real-time continuous localization is a key technology in the development of intelligent transportation systems. In these systems, it is very important to have accurate information about the position and heading angle of the vehicle at all times. The most widely implemented methods for positioning are the global positioning system (GPS), vision-based system, and magnetic marker system. Among these methods, the magnetic marker system is less vulnerable to indoor and outdoor environment conditions; moreover, it requires minimal maintenance expenses. In this paper, we present a position estimation scheme based on magnetic markers and odometry sensors for an all-wheel-steering vehicle. The heading angle of the vehicle is determined by using the position coordinates of the last two detected magnetic markers and odometer data. The instant position and heading angle of the vehicle are integrated with an extended Kalman filter to estimate the continuous position. GPS data with the real-time kinematics mode was obtained to evaluate the performance of the proposed position estimation system. The test results show that the performance of the proposed localization algorithm is accurate (mean error: 3 cm; max error: 9 cm) and reliable under unexpected missing markers or incorrect markers. PMID:27916827

Measurement of hand dynamics in a microsurgery environment: Preliminary data in the design of a bimanual telemicro-operation test bed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Charles, Steve; Williams, Roy

1989-01-01

Data describing the microsurgeon's hand dynamics was recorded and analyzed in order to provide an accurate model for the telemicrosurgery application of the Bimanual Telemicro-operation Test Bed. The model, in turn, will guide the development of algorithms for the control of robotic systems in bimanual telemicro-operation tasks. Measurements were made at the hand-tool interface and include position, acceleration and force between the tool-finger interface. Position information was captured using an orthogonal pulsed magnetic field positioning system resulting in measurements in all six degrees-of-freedom (DOF). Acceleration data at the hands was obtained using accelerometers positioned in a triaxial arrangement on the back of the hand allowing measurements in all three cartesian-coordinate axes. Force data was obtained by using miniature load cells positioned between the tool and the finger and included those forces experienced perpendicular to the tool shaft and those transferred from the tool-tissue site. Position data will provide a minimum/maximum reference frame for the robotic system's work space or envelope. Acceleration data will define the response times needed by the robotic system in order to emulate and subsequently outperform the human operator's tool movements. The force measurements will aid in designing a force-reflective, force-scaling system as well as defining the range of forces the robotic system will encounter. All analog data was acquired by a 16-channel analog-to-digital conversion system residing in a IBM PC/AT-compatible computer at the Center's laboratory. The same system was also used to analyze and present the data.

Geostar - Navigation location system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keyser, Donald A.

The author describes the Radiodetermination Satellite Service (RDSS). The initial phase of the RDSS provides for a unique service enabling central offices and headquarters to obtain position-location information and receive short digital messages from mobile user terminals throughout the contiguous United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. The system employs a spread-spectrum, CDMA modulation technique allowing multiple customers to use the system simultaneously, without preassigned coordination with fellow users. Position location is currently determined by employing an existing radio determination receiver, such as Loran-C, GPS, or Transit, in the mobile user terminal. In the early 1990s position location will be determined at a central earth station by time-differential ranging of the user terminals via two or more geostationary satellites. A brief overview of the RDSS system architecture is presented with emphasis on the user terminal and its diverse applications.

An Improved Indoor Positioning System Using RGB-D Cameras and Wireless Networks for Use in Complex Environments.

PubMed

Duque Domingo, Jaime; Cerrada, Carlos; Valero, Enrique; Cerrada, Jose A

2017-10-20

This work presents an Indoor Positioning System to estimate the location of people navigating in complex indoor environments. The developed technique combines WiFi Positioning Systems and depth maps , delivering promising results in complex inhabited environments, consisting of various connected rooms, where people are freely moving. This is a non-intrusive system in which personal information about subjects is not needed and, although RGB-D cameras are installed in the sensing area, users are only required to carry their smart-phones. In this article, the methods developed to combine the above-mentioned technologies and the experiments performed to test the system are detailed. The obtained results show a significant improvement in terms of accuracy and performance with respect to previous WiFi-based solutions as well as an extension in the range of operation.

OMNY—A tOMography Nano crYo stage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holler, M.; Raabe, J.; Diaz, A.; Guizar-Sicairos, M.; Wepf, R.; Odstrcil, M.; Shaik, F. R.; Panneels, V.; Menzel, A.; Sarafimov, B.; Maag, S.; Wang, X.; Thominet, V.; Walther, H.; Lachat, T.; Vitins, M.; Bunk, O.

2018-04-01

For many scientific questions gaining three-dimensional insight into a specimen can provide valuable information. We here present an instrument called "tOMography Nano crYo (OMNY)," dedicated to high resolution 3D scanning x-ray microscopy at cryogenic conditions via hard X-ray ptychography. Ptychography is a lens-less imaging method requiring accurate sample positioning. In OMNY, this in achieved via dedicated laser interferometry and closed-loop position control reaching sub-10 nm positioning accuracy. Cryogenic sample conditions are maintained via conductive cooling. 90 K can be reached when using liquid nitrogen as coolant, and 10 K is possible with liquid helium. A cryogenic sample-change mechanism permits measurements of cryogenically fixed specimens. We compare images obtained with OMNY with older measurements performed using a nitrogen gas cryo-jet of stained, epoxy-embedded retina tissue and of frozen-hydrated Chlamydomonas cells.

Red edge measurements for remotely sensing plant chlorophyll content

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horler, D. N. H.; Dockray, M.; Barber, J.; Barringer, A. R.

The feasibility of using the wavelength of the maximum slope of the red edge of leaf reflectance spectra (λre) as an indication of plant chlorophyll status was examined in the laboratory for single leaves of several species. λre for each sample was determined by derivative reflectance spectroscopy. A high positive correlation was found between λre and leaf chlorophyll content for all species, although there were some differences in the quantitative nature of the relationship for plants of different types. The position of the red edge was found to be unaffected by simulated change in ground cover, but multiple leaf layers produced a shift in its position. Appropriate spectral measurements and processing for obtaining useful information from the red edge are discussed, and the potential of the red edge in relation to other spectral measurements is considered.

Differential Binary Encoding Method for Calibrating Image Sensors Based on IOFBs

PubMed Central

Fernández, Pedro R.; Lázaro-Galilea, José Luis; Gardel, Alfredo; Espinosa, Felipe; Bravo, Ignacio; Cano, Ángel

2012-01-01

Image transmission using incoherent optical fiber bundles (IOFBs) requires prior calibration to obtain the spatial in-out fiber correspondence necessary to reconstruct the image captured by the pseudo-sensor. This information is recorded in a Look-Up Table called the Reconstruction Table (RT), used later for reordering the fiber positions and reconstructing the original image. This paper presents a very fast method based on image-scanning using spaces encoded by a weighted binary code to obtain the in-out correspondence. The results demonstrate that this technique yields a remarkable reduction in processing time and the image reconstruction quality is very good compared to previous techniques based on spot or line scanning, for example. PMID:22666023

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Heredia-Langner, Alejandro; Amidan, Brett G.; Matzner, Shari

We present results from the optimization of a re-identification process using two sets of biometric data obtained from the Civilian American and European Surface Anthropometry Resource Project (CAESAR) database. The datasets contain real measurements of features for 2378 individuals in a standing (43 features) and seated (16 features) position. A genetic algorithm (GA) was used to search a large combinatorial space where different features are available between the probe (seated) and gallery (standing) datasets. Results show that optimized model predictions obtained using less than half of the 43 gallery features and data from roughly 16% of the individuals available producemore » better re-identification rates than two other approaches that use all the information available.« less

Characterization of a Newly Developed Contrast Enhancement Material for G-line Exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nakase, Makoto; Niki, Hirokazu; Satoh, Takashi; Kumagae, Akitoshi

1987-02-01

The bleaching characteristics for a contrast enhancement layer (CEL) material were succesfully described by parameters A, B and C; these were used for the modeling of a positive photoresist exposure. As a result, it was clarified that both the A and C values should be large, but the B value must be as small as possible. According to the obtained information, a new CEL material was proposed, which consists of the diazonium compound and the alkyl modified phenol resin. Using the composed CEL material, a submicron resist pattern with a steep profile was obtained. Furthermore, it was found that the development latitude increases, but that the exposure latitude does not change upon using the CEL.

Scene text detection by leveraging multi-channel information and local context

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Runmin; Qian, Shengyou; Yang, Jianfeng; Gao, Changxin

2018-03-01

As an important information carrier, texts play significant roles in many applications. However, text detection in unconstrained scenes is a challenging problem due to cluttered backgrounds, various appearances, uneven illumination, etc.. In this paper, an approach based on multi-channel information and local context is proposed to detect texts in natural scenes. According to character candidate detection plays a vital role in text detection system, Maximally Stable Extremal Regions(MSERs) and Graph-cut based method are integrated to obtain the character candidates by leveraging the multi-channel image information. A cascaded false positive elimination mechanism are constructed from the perspective of the character and the text line respectively. Since the local context information is very valuable for us, these information is utilized to retrieve the missing characters for boosting the text detection performance. Experimental results on two benchmark datasets, i.e., the ICDAR 2011 dataset and the ICDAR 2013 dataset, demonstrate that the proposed method have achieved the state-of-the-art performance.

Evaluation of School of health students' ethics position in Turkey.

PubMed

Şen, Emine; Dal, Nursel Alp; Üstün, Çağatay; Okursoy, Algın

2017-03-01

The advances in science and technology increasingly lead to the appearance of ethical issues and to the complexity of care. Therefore, it is important to define the ethics position of students studying in health departments so that high quality patient care can be achieved. The aim of this study was to examine the ethics position of the students at Shool of Health of an University in western Turkey. The study design was descriptive and cross-sectional. The study population included 540 first, second, third, and fourth year students from the Departments of Nursing, Midwifery, and Rescue and Disaster Management in the 2013-2014 academic year. Data were collected with a Personal Identification Form and The Ethics Position Questionnaire. Obtained data were analyzed with Chi-square test, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Nested Analysis of Variance. Ethical considerations: Before conducting the research, approval was obtained from Ege University Clinical Research Ethics Committee in İzmir and written informed consent was taken from all the participants. There was no significant difference in the mean scores for the Ethics Position Questionnaire between the students in terms of years and fields of study. Although the mean scores for the subscale idealism did not differ between fields of study, the mean scores significantly differed between years of study. However, the mean scores for the subscale relativism did not differ in terms of years and fields of study. Whether students are idealistic or relativistic in terms of ethical judgment will be effective in ethical decision-making skills during patient care. Therefore, we need to define the factors that influence students' ethics position in the future. It is suggested that the courses and practices that teach students to be aware of their ethics position to create an ethical outlook can be placed in the curriculum in health schools.

The nocebo effect of drugs.

PubMed

Planès, Sara; Villier, Céline; Mallaret, Michel

2016-04-01

While the placebo effect has been studied for a long time, much less is known about its negative counterpart, named the nocebo effect. However, it may be of particular importance because of its impact on the treatment outcomes and public health. We conducted a review on the nocebo effect using PubMed and other databases up to July 2014. The nocebo effect refers by definition to the induction or the worsening of symptoms induced by sham or active therapies. Examples are numerous and concerns both clinical trials and daily practice. The underlying mechanisms are, on one hand, psychological (conditioning and negative expectations) and, on the other hand, neurobiological (role of cholecystokinin, endogenous opioids and dopamine). Nocebo effects can modulate the outcome of a given therapy in a negative way, as do placebo effects in a positive way. The verbal and nonverbal communications of physicians contain numerous unintentional negative suggestions that may trigger a nocebo response. This raises the important issue of how physicians can at the same time obtain informed consent and minimize nocebo-related risks. Every physician has to deal with this apparent contradiction between primum non nocere and to deliver truthful information about risks. Meticulous identification of patients at risk, information techniques such as positive framing, contextualized informed consent, and even noninformation, is valuable.

Using routine diagnostic data as a method of surveillance of arboviral infection in travellers: a comparative analysis with a focus on dengue.

PubMed

Cleton, Natalie; Reusken, Chantal; Murk, Jean-Luc; de Jong, Menno; Reimerink, Johan; van der Eijk, Annemiek; Koopmans, Marion

2014-01-01

In a large part of the developing world, limited infectious disease surveillance is performed. In laboratory information management systems data on diagnostic requests is available and may be amenable to trend analyses. We explored this potential, using DENV diagnostic requests as a model. Test results and anonymised information provided by clinicians were received for 8942 patients from diagnostic centres in the Netherlands from January 2000 to May 2011. The data were evaluated for completeness of a predefined minimal dataset and trends in DENV positive results by travel destination. Population travel data were obtained from a commercial registry, and dengue case notification data by country from WHO DengueNet. Vaccination history was rarely reported (0.4%); travel destination was completed for 42% of requests; trends in diagnostic requests and IgM positive tests for this subset correlated to the WHO DENV notifications for the three main travel destinations, with some discrepancies. Additionally, this approach may provide information on disease outbreaks with other pathogens causing diseases clinically similar to DENV. PCR data proved to be insufficient for trend monitoring by country. This approach is not straightforward, but shows potential for use as a source of additional information for surveillance of disease. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automatically identifying health outcome information in MEDLINE records.

PubMed

Demner-Fushman, Dina; Few, Barbara; Hauser, Susan E; Thoma, George

2006-01-01

Understanding the effect of a given intervention on the patient's health outcome is one of the key elements in providing optimal patient care. This study presents a methodology for automatic identification of outcomes-related information in medical text and evaluates its potential in satisfying clinical information needs related to health care outcomes. An annotation scheme based on an evidence-based medicine model for critical appraisal of evidence was developed and used to annotate 633 MEDLINE citations. Textual, structural, and meta-information features essential to outcome identification were learned from the created collection and used to develop an automatic system. Accuracy of automatic outcome identification was assessed in an intrinsic evaluation and in an extrinsic evaluation, in which ranking of MEDLINE search results obtained using PubMed Clinical Queries relied on identified outcome statements. The accuracy and positive predictive value of outcome identification were calculated. Effectiveness of the outcome-based ranking was measured using mean average precision and precision at rank 10. Automatic outcome identification achieved 88% to 93% accuracy. The positive predictive value of individual sentences identified as outcomes ranged from 30% to 37%. Outcome-based ranking improved retrieval accuracy, tripling mean average precision and achieving 389% improvement in precision at rank 10. Preliminary results in outcome-based document ranking show potential validity of the evidence-based medicine-model approach in timely delivery of information critical to clinical decision support at the point of service.

Validation of instrumentation to monitor dynamic performance of olympic weightlifters.

PubMed

Bruenger, Adam J; Smith, Sarah L; Sands, William A; Leigh, Michael R

2007-05-01

The purpose of this study was to validate the accuracy and reliability of the Weightlifting Video Overlay System (WVOS) used by coaches and sport biomechanists at the United States Olympic Training Center. Static trials with the bar set at specific positions and dynamic trials of a power snatch were performed. Static and dynamic values obtained by the WVOS were compared with values obtained by tape measure and standard video kinematic analysis. Coordinate positions (horizontal [X] and vertical [Y]) were compared on both ends (left and right) of the bar. Absolute technical error of measurement between WVOS and kinematic values were calculated (0.97 cm [left X], 0.98 cm [right X], 0.88 cm [left Y], and 0.53 cm [right Y]) for the static data. Pearson correlations for all dynamic trials exceeded r = 0.88. The greatest discrepancies between the 2 measuring systems were found to occur when there was twisting of the bar during the performance. This error was probably due to the location on the bar where the coordinates were measured. The WVOS appears to provide accurate position information when compared with standard kinematics; however, care must be taken in evaluating position measurements if there is a significant amount of twisting in the movement. The WVOS appears to be reliable and valid within reasonable error limits for the determination of weightlifting movement technique.

Ground target geolocation based on digital elevation model for airborne wide-area reconnaissance system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiao, Chuan; Ding, Yalin; Xu, Yongsen; Xiu, Jihong

2018-01-01

To obtain the geographical position of the ground target accurately, a geolocation algorithm based on the digital elevation model (DEM) is developed for an airborne wide-area reconnaissance system. According to the platform position and attitude information measured by the airborne position and orientation system and the gimbal angles information from the encoder, the line-of-sight pointing vector in the Earth-centered Earth-fixed coordinate frame is solved by the homogeneous coordinate transformation. The target longitude and latitude can be solved with the elliptical Earth model and the global DEM. The influences of the systematic error and measurement error on ground target geolocation calculation accuracy are analyzed by the Monte Carlo method. The simulation results show that this algorithm can improve the geolocation accuracy of ground target in rough terrain area obviously. The geolocation accuracy of moving ground target can be improved by moving average filtering (MAF). The validity of the geolocation algorithm is verified by the flight test in which the plane flies at a geodetic height of 15,000 m and the outer gimbal angle is <47°. The geolocation root mean square error of the target trajectory is <45 and <7 m after MAF.

Thermal feature extraction of servers in a datacenter using thermal image registration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Hang; Ran, Jian; Xie, Ting; Gao, Shan

2017-09-01

Thermal cameras provide fine-grained thermal information that enhances monitoring and enables automatic thermal management in large datacenters. Recent approaches employing mobile robots or thermal camera networks can already identify the physical locations of hot spots. Other distribution information used to optimize datacenter management can also be obtained automatically using pattern recognition technology. However, most of the features extracted from thermal images, such as shape and gradient, may be affected by changes in the position and direction of the thermal camera. This paper presents a method for extracting the thermal features of a hot spot or a server in a container datacenter. First, thermal and visual images are registered based on textural characteristics extracted from images acquired in datacenters. Then, the thermal distribution of each server is standardized. The features of a hot spot or server extracted from the standard distribution can reduce the impact of camera position and direction. The results of experiments show that image registration is efficient for aligning the corresponding visual and thermal images in the datacenter, and the standardization procedure reduces the impacts of camera position and direction on hot spot or server features.

Elucidation of kinematical and dynamical structure of the Galactic bulge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yano, T.; Gouda, N.; Ueda, H.; Koyama, H.; Kan-ya, Y.; Taruya, A.

2008-07-01

Future space mission of astrometric satellite, GAIA and JASMINE (Japan Astrometry Satellite Mission for Infrared Exploration), will produce astrometric parameter, such as positions, parallaxes, and proper motions of stars in the Galactic bulge. Then kinematical information will be obtained in the future. Accordingly it is expected that our understanding of the dynamical structure will be greatly improved. Therefore it is important to make a method to construct a kinematical and dynamical structure of the Galactic bulge immediately.

Comparison of patients' assessments of the quality of stroke care with audit findings.

PubMed

Howell, Esther; Graham, Chris; Hoffman, A; Lowe, D; McKevitt, Christopher; Reeves, Rachel; Rudd, A G

2007-12-01

To determine the extent of correlation between stroke patients' experiences of hospital care with the quality of services assessed in a national audit. Patients' assessments of their care derived from survey data were linked to data obtained in the National Sentinel Stroke Audit 2004 for 670 patients in 51 English NHS trusts. A measure of patients' experience of hospital stroke care was derived by summing responses to 31 survey items and grouping these into three broad concept domains: quality of care; information; and relationships with staff. Audit data were extracted from hospital admissions data and management information to assess the organisation of services, and obtained retrospectively from patient records to evaluate the delivery of care. Patient survey responses were compared with audit measures of organisation of care and compliance with clinical process standards. Patient experience scores were positively correlated with clinicians' assessment of the organisational quality of stroke care, but were largely unrelated to clinical process standards. Responses to individual questions regarding communication about diagnosis revealed a discrepancy between clinicians' and patients' reports. Better organised stroke care is associated with more positive patient experiences. Examining areas of disparity between patients' and clinicians' reports is important for understanding the complex nature of healthcare and for identifying areas for quality improvement. Future evaluations of the quality of stroke services should include a validated patient experience survey in addition to audit of clinical records.

Accurate segmenting of cervical tumors in PET imaging based on similarity between adjacent slices.

PubMed

Chen, Liyuan; Shen, Chenyang; Zhou, Zhiguo; Maquilan, Genevieve; Thomas, Kimberly; Folkert, Michael R; Albuquerque, Kevin; Wang, Jing

2018-06-01

Because in PET imaging cervical tumors are close to the bladder with high capacity for the secreted 18 FDG tracer, conventional intensity-based segmentation methods often misclassify the bladder as a tumor. Based on the observation that tumor position and area do not change dramatically from slice to slice, we propose a two-stage scheme that facilitates segmentation. In the first stage, we used a graph-cut based algorithm to obtain initial contouring of the tumor based on local similarity information between voxels; this was achieved through manual contouring of the cervical tumor on one slice. In the second stage, initial tumor contours were fine-tuned to more accurate segmentation by incorporating similarity information on tumor shape and position among adjacent slices, according to an intensity-spatial-distance map. Experimental results illustrate that the proposed two-stage algorithm provides a more effective approach to segmenting cervical tumors in 3D 18 FDG PET images than the benchmarks used for comparison. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantum theory of the structure and bonding in proteins. Part 11. A simplified method and its application to the α-amino-isobutyric acid residue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peters, David; Peters, Jane

Information about the preferred conformation of the α-amino-isobutyric acid residue (α-AIB) is obtained without explicit computation of its wave function. The conformation of lowest energy of this residue is close to the usual helical conformation and so the residue may occur at the 2 position of a type I or I' bend or in either position of a type III or III' bend. The available experimental information refers to a β bend formed from α-AIB-PRO and then the theory and experiment agree that the only possibility is a type III bend. It is predicted that a β sheet structure may be formed at rather higher energy and in the planar and not the pleated form. There is no apparent reason why this residue should not form an α helix. The simplified method used here is closely related to the partitioned potential energy methods which are widely used in this subject.

Assimilating Eulerian and Lagrangian data in traffic-flow models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Chao; Cochrane, Courtney; DeGuire, Joseph; Fan, Gaoyang; Holmes, Emma; McGuirl, Melissa; Murphy, Patrick; Palmer, Jenna; Carter, Paul; Slivinski, Laura; Sandstede, Björn

2017-05-01

Data assimilation of traffic flow remains a challenging problem. One difficulty is that data come from different sources ranging from stationary sensors and camera data to GPS and cell phone data from moving cars. Sensors and cameras give information about traffic density, while GPS data provide information about the positions and velocities of individual cars. Previous methods for assimilating Lagrangian data collected from individual cars relied on specific properties of the underlying computational model or its reformulation in Lagrangian coordinates. These approaches make it hard to assimilate both Eulerian density and Lagrangian positional data simultaneously. In this paper, we propose an alternative approach that allows us to assimilate both Eulerian and Lagrangian data. We show that the proposed algorithm is accurate and works well in different traffic scenarios and regardless of whether ensemble Kalman or particle filters are used. We also show that the algorithm is capable of estimating parameters and assimilating real traffic observations and synthetic observations obtained from microscopic models.

Flight activity of Melipona asilvai Moure (Hymenoptera: Apidae).

PubMed

Souza, B A; Carvalho, C A L; Alves, R M O

2006-05-01

Many stingless bee species are specific to their areas of occurrence. Even when adapted to their local climate and flora conditions, they are subject to modifications in the environment, directly influencing flight activity. The aim of this work is to obtain information about the flight activity of the stingless bee Melipona asilvai Moure, thus contributing to the knowledge of this species. The flow of bees entering and leaving the colony was evaluated, and the type of transported material was identified. This information was correlated with climatic data collected at the time of observations, performed between June 2002 and March 2003. It can be proved that temperature was the factor with the greatest influence on the external activity of this species, showing a significant positive correlation with the entry of bees into the colony and pollen collection. Mud collecting showed a significant positive correlation with a humidity increase. Flight activity began at a temperature of 21.0 degrees C and humidity of 84.5%, peaking at 27.4 degrees C and 60.6% RH, respectively.

Preliminary evidence of HIV seroconversion among HIV-negative men who have sex with men taking non-prescribed antiretroviral medication for HIV prevention in Miami, Florida, USA.

PubMed

Buttram, Mance E; Kurtz, Steven P

2017-04-01

Background Limited information suggests that men who have sex with men (MSM) are informally obtaining antiretroviral medication (ARVs) and using them for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Data are drawn from an on-going study examining the use of non-prescribed ARVs for PrEP. To date, 24 qualitative interviews have been conducted with HIV-negative, substance-using MSM living in Miami, Florida, USA. Data are presented from two participants who reported HIV seroconversion while using non-prescribed ARVs for PrEP. Preliminary data indicate that some young MSM: (i) lack awareness of and accurate information about the efficacious use of PrEP; (ii) obtain non-prescribed ARVs from HIV-positive sex partners and use these medications for PrEP in a way that does not provide adequate protection against HIV infection or cohere with established guidelines; and (iii) engage in multiple HIV transmission risk behaviours, including condomless anal sex and injection drug use. The informal, non-prescribed and non-medically supervised use of ARVs for HIV prevention has the potential to undermine the protective benefits of PrEP and leave men unprotected against HIV transmission and at risk for ARV resistance.

Domestic violence, single parenthood, and fathers in the setting of teenage pregnancy.

PubMed

Tan, Louisa H; Quinlivan, Julie A

2006-03-01

To explore the relative impact of demographic and early interpersonal family relationships as associations of fatherhood where the mother is a teenager, compared to where the mother is over 20 years of age. A prospective cross-sectional cohort study was undertaken. Institutional ethics committee approval and informed consent were obtained. Data were analyzed from interviews with consecutive males about to become fathers where the mother was aged less than 20 years (teenage) and compared to information from males about to become fathers where the mother was aged 20 years or more (control). Subjects were interviewed to obtain information covering their early life experiences, demographic information, drug use, opinion of the pregnancy, and future planning. In multivariate analysis, and after controlling for family income and education, the following factors had a significant independent association with fatherhood in the setting of teenage pregnancy: a history of parental separation/divorce in early childhood, exposure to family violence in early childhood, and illicit drug use (ever or in pregnancy). Fathers, in the setting of teenage pregnancy, are more likely to report adverse early family relationships, such as exposure to domestic violence or parental separation or divorce. As such, these fathers may lack a positive role model for parenting and fatherhood.

Improved Automatic Detection of New T2 Lesions in Multiple Sclerosis Using Deformation Fields.

PubMed

Cabezas, M; Corral, J F; Oliver, A; Díez, Y; Tintoré, M; Auger, C; Montalban, X; Lladó, M; Pareto, D; Rovira, À

2016-06-09

Detection of disease activity, defined as new/enlarging T2 lesions on brain MR imaging, has been proposed as a biomarker in MS. However, detection of new/enlarging T2 lesions can be hindered by several factors that can be overcome with image subtraction. The purpose of this study was to improve automated detection of new T2 lesions and reduce user interaction to eliminate inter- and intraobserver variability. Multiparametric brain MR imaging was performed at 2 time points in 36 patients with new T2 lesions. Images were registered by using an affine transformation and the Demons algorithm to obtain a deformation field. After affine registration, images were subtracted and a threshold was applied to obtain a lesion mask, which was then refined by using the deformation field, intensity, and local information. This pipeline was compared with only applying a threshold, and with a state-of-the-art approach relying only on image intensities. To assess improvements, we compared the results of the different pipelines with the expert visual detection. The multichannel pipeline based on the deformation field obtained a detection Dice similarity coefficient close to 0.70, with a false-positive detection of 17.8% and a true-positive detection of 70.9%. A statistically significant correlation (r = 0.81, P value = 2.2688e-09) was found between visual detection and automated detection by using our approach. The deformation field-based approach proposed in this study for detecting new/enlarging T2 lesions resulted in significantly fewer false-positives while maintaining most true-positives and showed a good correlation with visual detection annotations. This approach could reduce user interaction and inter- and intraobserver variability. © 2016 American Society of Neuroradiology.

Design and evaluation of a portable intra-operative unified-planning-and-guidance framework applied to distal radius fracture surgery.

PubMed

Magaraggia, Jessica; Wei, Wei; Weiten, Markus; Kleinszig, Gerhard; Vetter, Sven; Franke, Jochen; John, Adrian; Egli, Adrian; Barth, Karl; Angelopoulou, Elli; Hornegger, Joachim

2017-01-01

During a standard fracture reduction and fixation procedure of the distal radius, only fluoroscopic images are available for planning of the screw placement and monitoring of the drill bit trajectory. Our prototype intra-operative framework integrates planning and drill guidance for a simplified and improved planning transfer. Guidance information is extracted using a video camera mounted onto a surgical drill. Real-time feedback of the drill bit position is provided using an augmented view of the planning X-rays. We evaluate the accuracy of the placed screws on plastic bones and on healthy and fractured forearm specimens. We also investigate the difference in accuracy between guided screw placement versus freehand. Moreover, the accuracy of the real-time position feedback of the drill bit is evaluated. A total of 166 screws were placed. On 37 plastic bones, our obtained accuracy was [Formula: see text] mm, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] in tip position and orientation (azimuth and elevation), respectively. On the three healthy forearm specimens, our obtained accuracy was [Formula: see text] mm, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. On the two fractured specimens, we attained: [Formula: see text] mm, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. When screw plans were applied freehand (without our guidance system), the achieved accuracy was [Formula: see text] mm, [Formula: see text], while when they were transferred under guidance, we obtained [Formula: see text] mm, [Formula: see text]. Our results show that our framework is expected to increase the accuracy in screw positioning and to improve robustness w.r.t. freehand placement.

Performance study of a PET scanner based on monolithic scintillators for different DoI-dependent methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Preziosi, E.; Sánchez, S.; González, A. J.; Pani, R.; Borrazzo, C.; Bettiol, M.; Rodriguez-Alvarez, M. J.; González-Montoro, A.; Moliner, L.; Benlloch, J. M.

2016-12-01

One of the technical objectives of the MindView project is developing a brain-dedicated PET insert based on monolithic scintillation crystals. It will be inserted in MRI systems with the purpose to obtain simultaneous PET and MRI brain images. High sensitivity, high image quality performance and accurate detection of the Depth-of-Interaction (DoI) of the 511keV photons are required. We have developed a DoI estimation method, dedicated to monolithic scintillators, allowing continuous DoI estimation and a DoI-dependent algorithm for the estimation of the photon planar impact position, able to improve the single module imaging capabilities. In this work, through experimental measurements, the proposed methods have been used for the estimation of the impact positions within the monolithic crystal block. We have evaluated the PET system performance following the NEMA NU 4-2008 protocol by reconstructing the images using the STIR 3D platform. The results obtained with two different methods, providing discrete and continuous DoI information, are compared with those obtained from an algorithm without DoI capabilities and with the ideal response of the detector. The proposed DoI-dependent imaging methods show clear improvements in the spatial resolution (FWHM) of reconstructed images, allowing to obtain values from 2mm (at the center FoV) to 3mm (at the FoV edges).

Using Map Service API for Driving Cycle Detection for Wearable GPS Data: Preprint

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhu, Lei; Gonder, Jeffrey D

Following advancements in smartphone and portable global positioning system (GPS) data collection, wearable GPS data have realized extensive use in transportation surveys and studies. The task of detecting driving cycles (driving or car-mode trajectory segments) from wearable GPS data has been the subject of much research. Specifically, distinguishing driving cycles from other motorized trips (such as taking a bus) is the main research problem in this paper. Many mode detection methods only focus on raw GPS speed data while some studies apply additional information, such as geographic information system (GIS) data, to obtain better detection performance. Procuring and maintaining dedicatedmore » road GIS data are costly and not trivial, whereas the technical maturity and broad use of map service application program interface (API) queries offers opportunities for mode detection tasks. The proposed driving cycle detection method takes advantage of map service APIs to obtain high-quality car-mode API route information and uses a trajectory segmentation algorithm to find the best-matched API route. The car-mode API route data combined with the actual route information, including the actual mode information, are used to train a logistic regression machine learning model, which estimates car modes and non-car modes with probability rates. The experimental results show promise for the proposed method's ability to detect vehicle mode accurately.« less

Propriomuscular coding of kinaesthetic sensation. Experimental approach and mathematical modelling.

PubMed

Gilhodes, J C; Coiton, Y; Roll, J P; Ans, B

1993-01-01

The role of propriomuscular information in kinaesthetic sensation was studied. Experiments were carried out on human subjects in whom kinaesthetic illusions were induced by applying tendon vibration with a variable frequency. Six patterns of frequency modulation were used, four of which had an arbitrary form and the other two mimicked natural Ia discharges. The results show that the shape of the illusory movements recorded depended on the type of vibratory pattern used. A mathematical model for the propriomuscular information decoding process is proposed. It takes into account both the agonist and antagonist muscle spindle populations as sources of kinaesthetic information and is based on the assumption that position and velocity information are additively combined. The experimental data show a good fit with the theoretical data obtained by means of model simulation, thus validating our initial hypothesis. Various aspects of the experimental results and the hypotheses involved in the model are discussed.

A geographic information system applied to a malaria field study in western Kenya.

PubMed

Hightower, A W; Ombok, M; Otieno, R; Odhiambo, R; Oloo, A J; Lal, A A; Nahlen, B L; Hawley, W A

1998-03-01

This paper describes use of the global positioning system (GPS) in differential mode (DGPS) to obtain highly accurate longitudes, latitudes, and altitudes of 1,169 houses, 15 schools, 40 churches, four health care centers, 48 major mosquito breeding sites, 10 borehole wells, seven shopping areas, major roads, streams, the shore of Lake Victoria, and other geographic features of interest associated with a longitudinal study of malaria in 15 villages in western Kenya. The area mapped encompassed approximately 70 km2 and included 42.0 km of roads, 54.3 km of streams, and 15.0 km of lake shore. Location data were entered into a geographic information system for map production and linkage with various databases for spatial analyses. Spatial analyses using parasitologic and entomologic data are presented as examples. Background information on DGPS is presented along with estimates of effort and expense to produce the map information.

SU-F-I-11: Software Development for 4D-CBCT Research of Real-Time-Image Gated Spot Scanning Proton Therapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fujii, T; Fujii, Y; Shimizu, S

Purpose: To acquire correct information for inside the body in patient positioning of Real-time-image Gated spot scanning Proton Therapy (RGPT), utilization of tomographic image at exhale phase of patient respiration obtained from 4-dimensional Cone beam CT (4D-CBCT) has been desired. We developed software named “Image Analysis Platform” for 4D-CBCT researches which has technique to segment projection-images based on 3D marker position in the body. The 3D marker position can be obtained by using two axes CBCT system at Hokkaido University Hospital Proton Therapy Center. Performance verification of the software was implemented. Methods: The software calculates 3D marker position retrospectively bymore » using matching positions on pair projection-images obtained by two axes fluoroscopy mode of CBCT system. Log data of 3D marker tracking are outputted after the tracking. By linking the Log data and gantry-angle file of projection-image, all projection-images are equally segmented to spatial five-phases according to marker 3D position of SI direction and saved to specified phase folder. Segmented projection-images are used for CBCT reconstruction of each phase. As performance verification of the software, test of segmented projection-images was implemented for sample CT phantom (Catphan) image acquired by two axes fluoroscopy mode of CBCT. Dummy marker was added on the images. Motion of the marker was modeled to move in 3D space. Motion type of marker is sin4 wave function has amplitude 10.0 mm/5.0 mm/0 mm, cycle 4 s/4 s/0 s for SI/AP/RL direction. Results: The marker was tracked within 0.58 mm accuracy in 3D for all images, and it was confirmed that all projection-images were segmented and saved to each phase folder correctly. Conclusion: We developed software for 4D-CBCT research which can segment projection-image based on 3D marker position. It will be helpful to create high quality of 4D-CBCT reconstruction image for RGPT.« less

Toward better public health reporting using existing off the shelf approaches: A comparison of alternative cancer detection approaches using plaintext medical data and non-dictionary based feature selection.

PubMed

Kasthurirathne, Suranga N; Dixon, Brian E; Gichoya, Judy; Xu, Huiping; Xia, Yuni; Mamlin, Burke; Grannis, Shaun J

2016-04-01

Increased adoption of electronic health records has resulted in increased availability of free text clinical data for secondary use. A variety of approaches to obtain actionable information from unstructured free text data exist. These approaches are resource intensive, inherently complex and rely on structured clinical data and dictionary-based approaches. We sought to evaluate the potential to obtain actionable information from free text pathology reports using routinely available tools and approaches that do not depend on dictionary-based approaches. We obtained pathology reports from a large health information exchange and evaluated the capacity to detect cancer cases from these reports using 3 non-dictionary feature selection approaches, 4 feature subset sizes, and 5 clinical decision models: simple logistic regression, naïve bayes, k-nearest neighbor, random forest, and J48 decision tree. The performance of each decision model was evaluated using sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive value, and area under the receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. Decision models parameterized using automated, informed, and manual feature selection approaches yielded similar results. Furthermore, non-dictionary classification approaches identified cancer cases present in free text reports with evaluation measures approaching and exceeding 80-90% for most metrics. Our methods are feasible and practical approaches for extracting substantial information value from free text medical data, and the results suggest that these methods can perform on par, if not better, than existing dictionary-based approaches. Given that public health agencies are often under-resourced and lack the technical capacity for more complex methodologies, these results represent potentially significant value to the public health field. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Estimating Colloidal Contact Model Parameters Using Quasi-Static Compression Simulations.

PubMed

Bürger, Vincent; Briesen, Heiko

2016-10-05

For colloidal particles interacting in suspensions, clusters, or gels, contact models should attempt to include all physical phenomena experimentally observed. One critical point when formulating a contact model is to ensure that the interaction parameters can be easily obtained from experiments. Experimental determinations of contact parameters for particles either are based on bulk measurements for simulations on the macroscopic scale or require elaborate setups for obtaining tangential parameters such as using atomic force microscopy. However, on the colloidal scale, a simple method is required to obtain all interaction parameters simultaneously. This work demonstrates that quasi-static compression of a fractal-like particle network provides all the necessary information to obtain particle interaction parameters using a simple spring-based contact model. These springs provide resistances against all degrees of freedom associated with two-particle interactions, and include critical forces or moments where such springs break, indicating a bond-breakage event. A position-based cost function is introduced to show the identifiability of the two-particle contact parameters, and a discrete, nonlinear, and non-gradient-based global optimization method (simplex with simulated annealing, SIMPSA) is used to minimize the cost function calculated from deviations of particle positions. Results show that, in principle, all necessary contact parameters for an arbitrary particle network can be identified, although numerical efficiency as well as experimental noise must be addressed when applying this method. Such an approach lays the groundwork for identifying particle-contact parameters from a position-based particle analysis for a colloidal system using just one experiment. Spring constants also directly influence the time step of the discrete-element method, and a detailed knowledge of all necessary interaction parameters will help to improve the efficiency of colloidal particle simulations.

Medical informatics education needs information system practicums in health care settings--experiences and lessons learned from 32 practicums at four universities in two countries.

PubMed

Haux, R; Ammenwerth, E; Häber, A; Hübner-Bloder, G; Knaup-Gregori, P; Lechleitner, G; Leiner, F; Weber, R; Winter, A; Wolff, A C

2006-01-01

To report about the themes and about experiences with practicums in the management of information systems in health care settings (health information management) for medical informatics students. We first summarize the topics of the health information management practicums/projects that the authors organized between 1990 and 2003 for the medical informatics programs at Heidelberg/Heilbronn, Germany, UMIT, Austria, as well as for the informatics program at the University of Leipzig, Germany. Experiences and lessons learned, obtained from the faculty that organized the practicums in the past 14 years, are reported. Thirty (of 32) health information management practicums focused on the analysis of health information systems. These took place inside university medical centers. Although the practicums were time-intensive and required intensively tutoring students with regard to health information management and project management, feedback from the students and graduates was mainly positive. It is clearly recommended that students specializing in medical informatics need to be confronted with real-world problems of health information systems during their studies.

A Low Temperature Infrared Study Of Deuterated NH4VO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Waal, D.; Heyns, A. M.

1989-12-01

The existence of (NH4)2V6016 as an intermediate in the thermal decomposition of NH4V03 to V205 has been confirmed by vibrational spectroscopy, resulting in the following reaction in an open systeml: NH4VO3 1 bar, air, 50-200°C/(1) (NH4)2v6o16 1 bar, air, ca.360°C/(2) V205 The kinetics of reaction (1) was studied by means of Raman spectroscopy, and structural information on NH4V03 and (N114)V60 16 was required to obtain an accurate description of the reaction mechanism2. Information on the site symmetry of an ammonium ion and hydrogen bonding in a crystal can be obtained by considering the infrared spectra of isotopically dilute NH3D+ ions in the lattice at liquid nitrogen temperatures3, especially as the position of hydrogen atoms in (NHO2V6016 could not be determined by X-ray methods.

Using stereophotogrammetric technology for obtaining intraoral digital impressions of implants.

PubMed

Pradíes, Guillermo; Ferreiroa, Alberto; Özcan, Mutlu; Giménez, Beatriz; Martínez-Rus, Francisco

2014-04-01

The procedure for making impressions of multiple implants continues to be a challenge, despite the various techniques proposed to date. The authors' objective in this case report is to describe a novel digital impression method for multiple implants involving the use of stereophotogrammetric technology. The authors present three cases of patients who had multiple implants in which the impressions were obtained with this technology. Initially, a stereo camera with an infrared flash detects the position of special flag abutments screwed into the implants. This process is based on registering the x, y and z coordinates of each implant and the distances between them. This information is converted into a stereolithographic (STL) file. To add the soft-tissue information, the user must obtain another STL file by using an intraoral or extraoral scanner. In the first case presented, this information was acquired from the plaster model with an extraoral scanner; in the second case, from a Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) file of the plaster model obtained with cone-beam computed tomography; and in the third case, through an intraoral digital impression with a confocal scanner. In the three cases, the frameworks manufactured from this technique showed a correct clinical passive fit. At follow-up appointments held six, 12 and 24 months after insertion of the prosthesis, no complications were reported. Stereophotogrammetric technology is a viable, accurate and easy technique for making multiple implant impressions. Clinicians can use stereophotogrammetric technology to acquire reliable digital master models as a first step in producing frameworks with a correct passive fit.

Internet Use Frequency and Patient-Centered Care: Measuring Patient Preferences for Participation Using the Health Information Wants Questionnaire

PubMed Central

Wang, Mo; Feldman, Robert; Zhou, Le

2013-01-01

Background The Internet is bringing fundamental changes to medical practice through improved access to health information and participation in decision making. However, patient preferences for participation in health care vary greatly. Promoting patient-centered health care requires an understanding of the relationship between Internet use and a broader range of preferences for participation than previously measured. Objective To explore (1) whether there is a significant relationship between Internet use frequency and patients’ overall preferences for obtaining health information and decision-making autonomy, and (2) whether the relationships between Internet use frequency and information and decision-making preferences differ with respect to different aspects of health conditions. Methods The Health Information Wants Questionnaire (HIWQ) was administered to gather data about patients’ preferences for the (1) amount of information desired about different aspects of a health condition, and (2) level of decision-making autonomy desired across those same aspects. Results The study sample included 438 individuals: 226 undergraduates (mean age 20; SD 2.15) and 212 community-dwelling older adults (mean age 72; SD 9.00). A significant difference was found between the younger and older age groups’ Internet use frequencies, with the younger age group having significantly more frequent Internet use than the older age group (younger age group mean 5.98, SD 0.33; older age group mean 3.50, SD 2.00; t 436=17.42, P<.01). Internet use frequency was positively related to the overall preference rating (γ=.15, P<.05), suggesting that frequent Internet users preferred significantly more information and decision making than infrequent Internet users. The relationships between Internet use frequency and different types of preferences varied: compared with infrequent Internet users, frequent Internet users preferred more information but less decision making for diagnosis (γ=.57, P<.01); more information and more decision-making autonomy for laboratory test (γ=.15, P<.05), complementary and alternative medicine (γ=.32, P<.01), and self-care (γ=.15, P<.05); and less information but more decision-making autonomy for the psychosocial (γ=-.51, P<.01) and health care provider (γ=-.27, P<.05) aspects. No significant difference was found between frequent and infrequent Internet users in their preferences for treatment information and decision making. Conclusions Internet use frequency has a positive relationship with the overall preferences for obtaining health information and decision-making autonomy, but its relationship with different types of preferences varies. These findings have important implications for medical practice. PMID:23816979

Prediction of glutathionylation sites in proteins using minimal sequence information and their experimental validation.

PubMed

Pal, Debojyoti; Sharma, Deepak; Kumar, Mukesh; Sandur, Santosh K

2016-09-01

S-glutathionylation of proteins plays an important role in various biological processes and is known to be protective modification during oxidative stress. Since, experimental detection of S-glutathionylation is labor intensive and time consuming, bioinformatics based approach is a viable alternative. Available methods require relatively longer sequence information, which may prevent prediction if sequence information is incomplete. Here, we present a model to predict glutathionylation sites from pentapeptide sequences. It is based upon differential association of amino acids with glutathionylated and non-glutathionylated cysteines from a database of experimentally verified sequences. This data was used to calculate position dependent F-scores, which measure how a particular amino acid at a particular position may affect the likelihood of glutathionylation event. Glutathionylation-score (G-score), indicating propensity of a sequence to undergo glutathionylation, was calculated using position-dependent F-scores for each amino-acid. Cut-off values were used for prediction. Our model returned an accuracy of 58% with Matthew's correlation-coefficient (MCC) value of 0.165. On an independent dataset, our model outperformed the currently available model, in spite of needing much less sequence information. Pentapeptide motifs having high abundance among glutathionylated proteins were identified. A list of potential glutathionylation hotspot sequences were obtained by assigning G-scores and subsequent Protein-BLAST analysis revealed a total of 254 putative glutathionable proteins, a number of which were already known to be glutathionylated. Our model predicted glutathionylation sites in 93.93% of experimentally verified glutathionylated proteins. Outcome of this study may assist in discovering novel glutathionylation sites and finding candidate proteins for glutathionylation.

Determination of atomic positions from time resolved high resolution transmission electron microscopy images.

PubMed

Hussaini, Zahra; Lin, Pin Ann; Natarajan, Bharath; Zhu, Wenhui; Sharma, Renu

2018-03-01

For many reaction processes, such as catalysis, phase transformations, nanomaterial synthesis etc., nanoscale observations at high spatial (sub-nanometer) and temporal (millisecond) resolution are required to characterize and comprehend the underlying factors that favor one reaction over another. The combination of such spatial and temporal resolution (up to 600 µs), while rich in information, produces a large number of snapshots, each of which must be analyzed to obtain the structural (and thereby chemical) information. Here we present a methodology for automated quantitative measurement of real-time atomic position fluctuations in a nanoparticle. We leverage a combination of several image processing algorithms to precisely identify the positions of the atomic columns in each image. A geometric model is then used to measure the time-evolution of distances and angles between neighboring atomic columns to identify different phases and quantify local structural fluctuations. We apply this technique to determine the atomic-level fluctuations in the relative fractions of metal and metal-carbide phases in a cobalt catalyst nanoparticle during single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) growth. These measurements provided a means to obtain the number of carbon atoms incorporated into and released from the catalyst particle, thereby helping resolve carbon reaction pathways during SWCNT growth. Further we demonstrate the use of this technique to measure the reaction kinetics of iron oxide reduction. Apart from reducing the data analysis time, the statistical approach allows us to measure atomic distances with sub-pixel resolution. We show that this method can be applied universally to measure atomic positions with a precision of 0.01 nm from any set of atomic-resolution video images. With the advent of high time-resolution direct detection cameras, we anticipate such methods will be essential in addressing the metrology problem of quantifying large datasets of time-resolved images in future. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Willingness and acceptability of cervical cancer screening among HIV positive Nigerian women

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background The proven benefit of integrating cervical cancer screening programme into HIV care has led to its adoption as a standard of care. However this is not operational in most HIV clinics in Nigeria. Of the various reasons given for non-implementation, none is backed by scientific evidence. This study was conducted to assess the willingness and acceptability of cervical cancer screening among HIV positive Nigerian women. Methods A cross sectional study of HIV positive women attending a large HIV treatment centre in Lagos, Nigeria. Respondents were identified using stratified sampling method. A pretested questionnaire was used to obtain information by trained research assistants. Obtained information were coded and managed using SPSS for windows version 19. Multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine independent predictor for acceptance of cervical cancer screening. Results Of the 1517 respondents that returned completed questionnaires, 853 (56.2%) were aware of cervical cancer. Though previous cervical cancer screening was low at 9.4%, 79.8% (1210) accepted to take the test. Cost of the test (35.2%) and religious denial (14.0%) were the most common reasons given for refusal to take the test. After controlling for confounding variables in a multivariate logistic regression model, having a tertiary education (OR = 1.4; 95% CI: 1.03-1.84), no living child (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1-2.0), recent HIV diagnosis (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1-2.0) and being aware of cervical cancer (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.2-2.0) retained independent association with acceptance to screen for cervical cancer. Conclusions The study shows that HIV positive women in our environment are willing to screen for cervical cancer and that the integration of reproductive health service into existing HIV programmes will strengthen rather than disrupt the services. PMID:23327453

Lightweight, Miniature Inertial Measurement System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tang, Liang; Crassidis, Agamemnon

2012-01-01

A miniature, lighter-weight, and highly accurate inertial navigation system (INS) is coupled with GPS receivers to provide stable and highly accurate positioning, attitude, and inertial measurements while being subjected to highly dynamic maneuvers. In contrast to conventional methods that use extensive, groundbased, real-time tracking and control units that are expensive, large, and require excessive amounts of power to operate, this method focuses on the development of an estimator that makes use of a low-cost, miniature accelerometer array fused with traditional measurement systems and GPS. Through the use of a position tracking estimation algorithm, onboard accelerometers are numerically integrated and transformed using attitude information to obtain an estimate of position in the inertial frame. Position and velocity estimates are subject to drift due to accelerometer sensor bias and high vibration over time, and so require the integration with GPS information using a Kalman filter to provide highly accurate and reliable inertial tracking estimations. The method implemented here uses the local gravitational field vector. Upon determining the location of the local gravitational field vector relative to two consecutive sensors, the orientation of the device may then be estimated, and the attitude determined. Improved attitude estimates further enhance the inertial position estimates. The device can be powered either by batteries, or by the power source onboard its target platforms. A DB9 port provides the I/O to external systems, and the device is designed to be mounted in a waterproof case for all-weather conditions.

Nanoporous hard data: optical encoding of information within nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santos, Abel; Law, Cheryl Suwen; Pereira, Taj; Losic, Dusan

2016-04-01

Herein, we present a method for storing binary data within the spectral signature of nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals. A rationally designed multi-sinusoidal anodisation approach makes it possible to engineer the photonic stop band of nanoporous anodic alumina with precision. As a result, the transmission spectrum of these photonic nanostructures can be engineered to feature well-resolved and selectively positioned characteristic peaks across the UV-visible spectrum. Using this property, we implement an 8-bit binary code and assess the versatility and capability of this system by a series of experiments aiming to encode different information within the nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals. The obtained results reveal that the proposed nanosized platform is robust, chemically stable, versatile and has a set of unique properties for data storage, opening new opportunities for developing advanced nanophotonic tools for a wide range of applications, including sensing, photonic tagging, self-reporting drug releasing systems and secure encoding of information.Herein, we present a method for storing binary data within the spectral signature of nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals. A rationally designed multi-sinusoidal anodisation approach makes it possible to engineer the photonic stop band of nanoporous anodic alumina with precision. As a result, the transmission spectrum of these photonic nanostructures can be engineered to feature well-resolved and selectively positioned characteristic peaks across the UV-visible spectrum. Using this property, we implement an 8-bit binary code and assess the versatility and capability of this system by a series of experiments aiming to encode different information within the nanoporous anodic alumina photonic crystals. The obtained results reveal that the proposed nanosized platform is robust, chemically stable, versatile and has a set of unique properties for data storage, opening new opportunities for developing advanced nanophotonic tools for a wide range of applications, including sensing, photonic tagging, self-reporting drug releasing systems and secure encoding of information. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Further details about anodisation profiles, SEM cross-section images, digital pictures, transmission spectra, photonic barcodes and ASCII codes of the different NAA photonic crystals fabricated and analysed in our study. See DOI: 10.1039/c6nr01068g

Where Non-Science Majors Get Information about Science and How They Rate that Information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buxner, Sanlyn; Impey, Chris; Nieberding, Megan; Romine, James

2014-11-01

College non-science major courses represent one of the last science courses many students will ever take. We report on a study of 400 undergraduate non-majors students enrolled in introductory astronomy courses at the University of Arizona to gain insight into where they get their information about science and their perception of that information. Students completed an online survey during the 2013-2014 school year. In addition to demographic information, students reported where they obtained information about science when they want to know something both for their own knowledge as well as information for a course assignment. They reported their interest in different science topics, rated the reliability of different sources of information, and reported how important science was to their life, including their future career choice.Overall, students reported getting information from a variety of online sources when looking up a topic for their own knowledge, including internet searches (71%), Wikipedia (46%), and online science sites (e.g. NASA) (45%). When asked where they got information for course assignments, most reported from assigned readings (82%) but a large percentage still reported getting information from online sources such as internet searches (60%), Wikipedia (30%) and online science sites (e.g. NASA) (20%). Overall, students rated professors/teachers and textbooks at the most reliable sources of scientific information and rated social media sites, blogs and Wikipedia as the least reliable sources of scientific information. Additionally, friends and family members were rated as less reliable sources of scientific information than similar information found on multiple websites. Students’ interest in science and self-reported knowledge in science was positively correlated. There was a significant positive correlation between those who reported that they liked science and felt that science was important to their future career. Overall, our results are giving us insights into how our non-science majors get and evaluate scientific information.

Development of an all-in-one gamma camera/CCD system for safeguard verification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Hyun-Il; An, Su Jung; Chung, Yong Hyun; Kwak, Sung-Woo

2014-12-01

For the purpose of monitoring and verifying efforts at safeguarding radioactive materials in various fields, a new all-in-one gamma camera/charged coupled device (CCD) system was developed. This combined system consists of a gamma camera, which gathers energy and position information on gamma-ray sources, and a CCD camera, which identifies the specific location in a monitored area. Therefore, 2-D image information and quantitative information regarding gamma-ray sources can be obtained using fused images. A gamma camera consists of a diverging collimator, a 22 × 22 array CsI(Na) pixelated scintillation crystal with a pixel size of 2 × 2 × 6 mm3 and Hamamatsu H8500 position-sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT). The Basler scA640-70gc CCD camera, which delivers 70 frames per second at video graphics array (VGA) resolution, was employed. Performance testing was performed using a Co-57 point source 30 cm from the detector. The measured spatial resolution and sensitivity were 4.77 mm full width at half maximum (FWHM) and 7.78 cps/MBq, respectively. The energy resolution was 18% at 122 keV. These results demonstrate that the combined system has considerable potential for radiation monitoring.

Cervical lymphadenitis: tuberculosis or tularaemia?

PubMed

Karabay, O; Kilic, S; Gurcan, S; Pelitli, T; Karadenizli, A; Bozkurt, H; Bostanci, S

2013-02-01

Both tuberculosis cervical lymphadenitis (TCL) and oropharyngeal tularaemia (OT) have similar signs, symptoms and pathological findings. We aimed to investigate the frequency of tularaemia antibodies in patients diagnosed with TCL. Using data from the Tuberculosis Control Dispensaries between the years of 2008 and 2011 in Turkey, all patients diagnosed with TCL were informed about and included in the study. Control group subjects were selected from healthy blood donors who lived in the same region. After informed consent was obtained, the sera obtained from volunteer TCL patients and the control group were tested with a microagglutination technique for Francisella tularensis. Antibodies to Brucella were also investigated with a tube agglutination test for cross-reactivity in sera that were seropositive for tularaemia. Sera were obtained from a total of 1170 individuals in the TCL group and 596 in the control group from 67 of 81 provinces in Turkey. Francisella tularensis-positive antibodies were found in 79 (6.75%) cases in the TCL group and two (0.33%) cases in the control group with a titre of ≥1:80 (p < 0.01). When the presence of antibody of any titre was considered, the ratio became 8.2% (96/1170) in the TCL group and 0.67% (4/596) in the control group (p < 0.001). For the first time, with this study, tularaemia serology was found to be positive in a significant portion (6.75%) of diagnosed cases of TCL. In tularaemia endemic regions, it was concluded that tularaemia serology should be investigated in patients suspected of having TCL. © 2012 The Authors Clinical Microbiology and Infection © 2012 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

KSC-2015-1078

NASA Image and Video Library

2015-01-13

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA's Orion spacecraft is positioned inside the Launch Abort System Facility at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in preparation for a viewing by Kennedy workers. Orion's back shell panels have been removed. The spacecraft completed the first flight test in December, was retrieved from the Pacific Ocean, and transported 2,700 miles overland to Kennedy from Naval Base San Diego in California. Analysis of data obtained during its two-orbit, four-and-a-half hour mission Dec. 5 will provide engineers detailed information on how the spacecraft fared. Orion will be transported to the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for deservicing. For more information, visit www.nasa.gov/orion. Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett

MSAT wide-area fleet management: End-user requirements and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pedersen, Allister

1995-01-01

MSAT (Mobile SATellite) Services will become a reality in North America in 1995. MSAT will provide wide-area voice, data and fax services to land, marine and aeronautical mobile users anywhere in North America including 200 nautical miles off the coasts and into the Arctic waters. MSAT will also convey GPS position information from mobiles to dispatch centers. One broad application of MSAT is Wide Area Fleet Management (WAFM). This paper defines WAFM, outlines end-user requirements and identifies potential applications of MSAT WAFM. The paper draws from information obtained in several preMSAT WAFM field trials in land, marine and aeronautical mobile environments. The paper concludes with an outline of the potential benefits of MSAT WAFM.

Optical assessment of nonimaging concentrators.

PubMed

Timinger, A; Kribus, A; Ries, H; Smith, T; Walther, M

2000-11-01

An optical measurement method for nonimaging radiation concentrators is proposed. A Lambertian light source is placed in the exit aperture of the concentrator. Looking into the concentrator's entrance aperture from a remote position, one can photograph the transmission patterns. The patterns show the transmission of radiation through the concentrator with the full resolution of the four-dimensional phase space of geometric optics. By matching ray-tracing simulations to the measurement, one can achieve detailed and accurate information about the geometry of the concentrator. This is a remote, noncontact measurement and can be performed in situ for installed concentrators. Additional information regarding small-scale reflector waviness and surface reflectivity can also be obtained from the same measurement with additional analysis.

Architecture for multi-technology real-time location systems.

PubMed

Rodas, Javier; Barral, Valentín; Escudero, Carlos J

2013-02-07

The rising popularity of location-based services has prompted considerable research in the field of indoor location systems. Since there is no single technology to support these systems, it is necessary to consider the fusion of the information coming from heterogeneous sensors. This paper presents a software architecture designed for a hybrid location system where we can merge information from multiple sensor technologies. The architecture was designed to be used by different kinds of actors independently and with mutual transparency: hardware administrators, algorithm developers and user applications. The paper presents the architecture design, work-flow, case study examples and some results to show how different technologies can be exploited to obtain a good estimation of a target position.

Prototype design of singles processing unit for the small animal PET

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deng, P.; Zhao, L.; Lu, J.; Li, B.; Dong, R.; Liu, S.; An, Q.

2018-05-01

Position Emission Tomography (PET) is an advanced clinical diagnostic imaging technique for nuclear medicine. Small animal PET is increasingly used for studying the animal model of disease, new drugs and new therapies. A prototype of Singles Processing Unit (SPU) for a small animal PET system was designed to obtain the time, energy, and position information. The energy and position is actually calculated through high precison charge measurement, which is based on amplification, shaping, A/D conversion and area calculation in digital signal processing domian. Analysis and simulations were also conducted to optimize the key parameters in system design. Initial tests indicate that the charge and time precision is better than 3‰ FWHM and 350 ps FWHM respectively, while the position resolution is better than 3.5‰ FWHM. Commination tests of the SPU prototype with the PET detector indicate that the system time precision is better than 2.5 ns, while the flood map and energy spectra concored well with the expected.

Expanding access to transplantation with hepatitis C-positive donors: A new perspective on an old issue.

PubMed

Kling, Catherine E; Limaye, Ajit P; Landis, Charles S; Sibulesky, Lena

2017-02-01

With the need for organs far exceeding supply, donors previously exposed to hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV) viral infections should be considered for transplantation. Although many centers have protocols for transplanting organs from HBV core antibody-positive (HBcAb+) donors into select recipients, in the era of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs), a new focus should be placed on HCV-positive donors. The transmission rate from HCV antibody-positive (HCVAb+) nucleic acid testing negative (HCV NAT-) donors is expected to be very low, and we encourage use of such organs in HCV recipients provided a normal biopsy, appropriate counseling, and careful post-transplant monitoring. While transmission of HCV from HCV NAT+ donors is universal, the success of DAA in obtaining a sustained viral response in post-transplant recipients should make the use of these organs more appealing. We herein provide information to help guide the use of organs from HCV donors. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

3D TOCSY-HSQC NMR for metabolic flux analysis using non-uniform sampling

DOE PAGES

Reardon, Patrick N.; Marean-Reardon, Carrie L.; Bukovec, Melanie A.; ...

2016-02-05

13C-Metabolic Flux Analysis ( 13C-MFA) is rapidly being recognized as the authoritative method for determining fluxes through metabolic networks. Site-specific 13C enrichment information obtained using NMR spectroscopy is a valuable input for 13C-MFA experiments. Chemical shift overlaps in the 1D or 2D NMR experiments typically used for 13C-MFA frequently hinder assignment and quantitation of site-specific 13C enrichment. Here we propose the use of a 3D TOCSY-HSQC experiment for 13C-MFA. We employ Non-Uniform Sampling (NUS) to reduce the acquisition time of the experiment to a few hours, making it practical for use in 13C-MFA experiments. Our data show that the NUSmore » experiment is linear and quantitative. Identification of metabolites in complex mixtures, such as a biomass hydrolysate, is simplified by virtue of the 13C chemical shift obtained in the experiment. In addition, the experiment reports 13C-labeling information that reveals the position specific labeling of subsets of isotopomers. As a result, the information provided by this technique will enable more accurate estimation of metabolic fluxes in larger metabolic networks.« less

Does informed consent given by healthy individuals when enrolling in clinical research feel less voluntary than for ill individuals?

PubMed

Roberts, Laura; Kim, Jane Paik

2018-04-30

Clinical research is predicated ethically on the authentic voluntarism of individuals who choose to enroll in human studies. Existing literature has focused on aspects of informed consent for clinical research other than voluntarism. The objective of this study was to compare the perspectives of clinical research participants who are in good health and who are ill regarding voluntarism-related aspects of informed consent and to assess situational influences that enable voluntarism in the process of obtaining clinical research consent. A 23-item written survey, the Informed Consent Questionnaire (ICQ), was administered in a "piggyback" semi-structured interview study of ill and healthy volunteers enrolled in IRB-approved clinical research studies. A total of 150 (60 mentally ill, 43 physically ill, and 47 healthy) clinical research participants participated. Respondents expressed positive views of their experiences with the informed consent processes for their respective clinical research protocols and respondents strongly endorsed items related to voluntarism irrespective of their illness type (range of means = [3.9, 4.8]). Ill participants more highly endorsed items relating to informed consent conditions (mentally ill vs healthy: 0.54 on a 5-point scale, P value = 0.01) (physically ill vs. healthy: 0.47 on a 5-point scale, P value = 0.01). The favorable views of clinical research participants regarding their experience of giving informed consent to enroll in a study were not surprising. Contrary to our a priori hypothesis, healthy individuals did not feel as positively as their ill counterparts. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geometry of the Large Magellanic Cloud Using Multi- wavelength Photometry of Classical Cepheids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deb, Sukanta; Ngeow, Chow-Choong; Kanbur, Shashi M.; Singh, Harinder P.; Wysocki, Daniel; Kumar, Subhash

2018-05-01

We determine the geometrical and viewing angle parameters of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) using the Leavitt law based on a sample of more than 3500 common classical Cepheids (FU and FO) in optical (V, I), near-infrared (JHKs) and mid-infrared ([3.6] μm and [4.5] μm) photometric bands. Statistical reddening and distance modulus free from the effect of reddening to each of the individual Cepheids are obtained using the simultaneous multi-band fit to the apparent distance moduli from the analysis of the resulting Leavitt laws in these seven photometric bands. A reddening map of the LMC obtained from the analysis shows good agreement with the other maps available in the literature. Extinction free distance measurements along with the information of the equatorial coordinates (α, δ) for individual stars are used to obtain the corresponding Cartesian coordinates with respect to the plane of the sky. By fitting a plane solution of the form z = f(x, y) to the observed three dimensional distribution, the following viewing angle parameters of the LMC are obtained: inclination angle i = 25°.110 ± 0°.365, position angle of line of nodes θlon = 154°.702 ± 1°.378. On the other hand, modelling the observed three dimensional distribution of the Cepheids as a triaxial ellipsoid, the following values of the geometrical axes ratios of the LMC are obtained: 1.000 ± 0.003: 1.151 ± 0.003: 1.890 ± 0.014 with the viewing angle parameters: inclination angle of i = 11°.920 ± 0°.315 with respect to the longest axis from the line of sight and position angle of line of nodes θlon = 128°.871 ± 0°.569. The position angles are measured eastwards from north.

Relationship between lower limb position and pelvic floor muscle surface electromyography activity in menopausal women: a prospective observational study

PubMed Central

Halski, Tomasz; Ptaszkowski, Kuba; Słupska, Lucyna; Dymarek, Robert; Paprocka-Borowicz, Małgorzata

2017-01-01

Objectives In physiotherapeutic practice, special attention is being given to the reciprocal anatomical, physiological, and biomechanical relationship of the pelvis and the structures connected to it. However, the scientific literature shows mainly the theoretical information about their mutual connections. The lack of information about these relations from a practical aspect coupled with the paucity of scientific papers on the impact of posture changes on the pelvic floor led the authors to conduct this study. The primary aim of this study was to compare the resting and functional bioelectrical activities of pelvic floor muscles (PFMs) depending on three different positions of the lower limbs (positions A, B, and C) in the supine position. Materials and methods This was a prospective observational study evaluating resting and functional activities of the PFM depending on the position of the lower limbs. The study was carried out at the Department and Clinic of Urology, University Hospital in Wroclaw, Poland and the target group were women in the menopausal period. Bioelectrical activity of PFM was recorded using a surface electromyographic instrument in the supine position. Results of the values obtained in A, B, and C positions were compared using a one-way analysis of variance. Results In position A, the average resting surface electromyography (sEMG) activity of PFM was 6.9±2.6 µV; in position B, the result was 6.9±2.5 µV and in position C, the resting sEMG activity was 5.7±1.8 µV (P=0.0102). The results of the functional bioelectrical activity of PFM were as follows: position A – 20.3±11.8 µV, position B – 19.9±10.6 µV, and position C – 25.3±10.9 µV (P=0.0104). Conclusion The results showed that in the supine position, the PFM achieved the lowest resting activity and the highest functional activity. Therefore, the supine position can be recommended for the diagnosis and therapy of weakened PFM. PMID:28115836

Displaceability of SLAP lesion on shoulder MR arthrography with external rotation position.

PubMed

Jung, Jin Young; Ha, Doo Hoe; Lee, Sang Min; Blacksin, Marcia F; Kim, Kyung Ah; Kim, Jae Wha

2011-08-01

To investigate the usefulness of the external rotation (ER) position on magnetic resonance (MR) arthrography for the diagnosis of superior labral anterior to posterior (SLAP) lesion. Approval of institutional review board was obtained, and informed consent was waived. The MR arthrograms of 210 shoulders that were arthroscopically confirmed as SLAP lesion in 163 shoulders and intact superior labrum in 47 shoulders were retrospectively reviewed in each neutral and ER position for the diagnosis of SLAP lesion, the extent of distraction of the torn labrum, and the external rotation angle. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of MR arthrograms for determining SLAP lesion were assessed in each position. For the arthroscopically confirmed group, the diagnosis of SLAP lesion and the extent of distraction about the tear were compared between neutral and ER positions by Fisher's exact test and the paired t-test. The correlation between the external rotation angle and the diagnosis of SLAP lesion, and between the external rotation angle and the differences in the extent of distraction were evaluated in the ER position using the ANOVA test. Sensitivity and diagnostic accuracy of MR arthrography for SLAP lesion increased from 64.4% and 71.0% in the neutral position to 78.5% and 81.9% in the ER position, respectively, without change of specificity, which was 93.6% in both positions. The diagnosis of SLAP lesion was changed from negative to SLAP lesion in 16.0% of the arthroscopically confirmed group. Mean difference in the extent of distraction about the tear was 0.69 mm (range -1.40 ∼ 6.67 mm), which was statistically significant. There was no relationship between the external rotation angle and the diagnosis of SLAP lesion, and between the external rotation angle and the differences in the extent of distraction. Shoulder MR arthrography with additional ER positioning helps in the diagnosis of SLAP lesion and provides information about the displaceability of the torn labrum.

Improving the position control of a two degrees of freedom robotic sensing antenna using fractional-order controllers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feliu-Talegon, D.; Feliu-Batlle, V.

2017-06-01

Flexible links combined with force and torque sensors can be used to detect obstacles in mobile robotics, as well as for surface and object recognition. These devices, called sensing antennae, perform an active sensing strategy in which a servomotor system moves the link back and forth until it hits an object. At this instant, information of the motor angles combined with force and torque measurements allow calculating the positions of the hitting points, which are valuable information about the object surface. In order to move the antenna fast and accurately, this article proposes a new closed-loop control for driving this flexible link-based sensor. The control strategy is based on combining a feedforward term and a feedback phase-lag compensator of fractional order. We demonstrate that some drawbacks of the control of these sensing devices like the apparition of spillover effects when a very fast positioning of the antenna tip is desired, and actuator saturation caused by high-frequency sensor noise, can be significantly reduced by using our newly proposed fractional-order controllers. We have applied these controllers to the position control of a prototype of sensing antenna and experiments have shown the improvements attained with this technique in the accurate and vibration free motion of its tip (the fractional-order controller reduced ten times the residual vibration obtained with the integer-order controller).

Space Interferometry Mission: Dynamical Observations of Galaxies (SIMDOG)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shaya, Edward J.; Borne, Kirk D.; Nusser, Adi; Peebles, P. J. E.; Tonry, John; Tully, Brent R.; Vogel, Stuart; Zaritsky, Dennis

2004-01-01

Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) will be used to obtain proper motions for a sample of 27 galaxies; the first proper motion measurements of galaxies beyond the satellite system of the Milky Way. SIM measurements lead to knowledge of the full 6-dimensional position and velocity vector of each galaxy. In conjunction with new gravitational flow models, the result will be the first total mass measurements of individual galaxies. The project, includes developnient of powerful theoretical methods for orbital calculations. This SIM study will lead to vastly improved determinations of individual galaxy masses, halo sizes, and the fractional contribution of dark matter. Astronomers have struggled to calculate the orbits of galaxies with only position and redshift information. Traditional N-body techniques are unsuitable for an analysis backward in time from a present distribution if any components of velocity or position are not very precisely known.

Real-Time Phase Correction Based on FPGA in the Beam Position and Phase Measurement System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gao, Xingshun; Zhao, Lei; Liu, Jinxin; Jiang, Zouyi; Hu, Xiaofang; Liu, Shubin; An, Qi

2016-12-01

A fully digital beam position and phase measurement (BPPM) system was designed for the linear accelerator (LINAC) in Accelerator Driven Sub-critical System (ADS) in China. Phase information is obtained from the summed signals from four pick-ups of the Beam Position Monitor (BPM). Considering that the delay variations of different analog circuit channels would introduce phase measurement errors, we propose a new method to tune the digital waveforms of four channels before summation and achieve real-time error correction. The process is based on the vector rotation method and implemented within one single Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) device. Tests were conducted to evaluate this correction method and the results indicate that a phase correction precision better than ± 0.3° over the dynamic range from -60 dBm to 0 dBm is achieved.

Spectral reflectance of carbonate minerals and rocks in the visible and near infrared (0.35 - 2.55 microns) and its applications in carbonate petrology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gaffey, S. J.

1984-01-01

Reflection spectroscopy in the visible and near infrared (0.35 to 2.55 micron) offers a rapid, inexpensive, nondestructive tool for determining the mineralogy and investigating the minor element chemistry of the hard-to-discriminate carbonate minerals, and can, in one step, provide information previously obtainable only by the combined application of two or more analytical techniques. When light interacts with a mineral certain wavelengths are preferentially absorbed. The number, positions, widths and relative intensities of these absorptions are diagnostic of the mineralogy and chemical composition of the sample. At least seven bands due to vibrations of the carbonate radical occur between 1.60 and 2.55 micron. Positions of these bands vary from one carbonae mineral to another and can be used for mineral identification. Cation mass is the primary factor controlling band position; cation radius plays a secondary role.

obtain3D

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Eftink, Benjamin Paul; Maloy, Stuart Andrew

This computer code uses the concept of the parallax to compute the x, y and z coordinates of points found using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), or any transmission imaging technique, using two images, each taken at a different perspective of the region containing the points. Points correspond, but are not limited, to the center of cavities or precipitates, positions of irradiation black dot damage, positions along a dislocation line, or positions along where an interface meets a free surface. The code allows the user to visualize the features containing the points in three dimensions. Features can include dislocations, interfaces, cavities,more » precipitates, inclusions etc. The x, y and z coordinates of the points are output in a text file as well. The program can also combine the x, y and z coordinates of the points with crystallographic directional information from diffraction pattern(s) to calculate dislocation line directions and interface plane normals.« less

Research on motor rotational speed measurement in regenerative braking system of electric vehicle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, Chaofeng; Chen, Liao; Chen, Long; Jiang, Haobin; Li, Zhongxing; Wang, Shaohua

2016-01-01

Rotational speed signals acquisition and processing techniques are widely used in rotational machinery. In order to realized precise and real-time control of motor drive and regenerative braking process, rotational speed measurement techniques are needed in electric vehicles. Obtaining accurate motor rotational speed signal will contribute to the regenerative braking force control steadily and realized higher energy recovery rate. This paper aims to develop a method that provides instantaneous speed information in the form of motor rotation. It addresses principles of motor rotational speed measurement in the regenerative braking systems of electric vehicle firstly. The paper then presents ideal and actual Hall position sensor signals characteristics, the relation between the motor rotational speed and the Hall position sensor signals is revealed. Finally, Hall position sensor signals conditioning and processing circuit and program for motor rotational speed measurement have been carried out based on measurement error analysis.

Contraceptive methods: knowledge sources rated by women and men.

PubMed

Virjo, I; Kirkkola, A L; Isokoski, M; Mattila, K

1999-04-01

People today live amid a welter of information regarding contraception, and health care professionals have been the most prominent sources to which people turn. This study evaluates the relative importance of various information sources and ascertains the position of the physicians among them. Random samples (393 women and 395 men) were drawn from the Finnish population. Response rates were 56% for women and 45% for men. The respondents were asked to estimate the amount of knowledge they had obtained from various sources on a visual analog scale. The three most important sources for women were literature, physicians, and women's journals. For men, literature and the spouse/partner were the most prominent. The youngest age groups--women and men alike--had received more information from the school nurse and the teacher than older groups. Physicians have a central role as information sources. They should be aware of other information sources in the community and should adapt their own work accordingly.

Detection of radial motion depends on spatial displacement.

PubMed

de la Malla, Cristina; López-Moliner, Joan

2010-06-01

Nakayama and Tyler (1981) disentangled the use of pure motion (speed) information from spatial displacement information for the detection of lateral motion. They showed that when positional cues were removed the contribution of motion or spatial information was dependent on the temporal frequency: for temporal frequencies lower than 1Hz the mechanism used to detect motion relied on speed information while for higher temporal frequencies a mechanism based on displacement information was used. Here we test whether the same dependency is also revealed in radial motion. In order to do so, we adapted the paradigm previously used by Nakayama and Tyler to obtain detection thresholds for lateral and radial motion by using a 2-IFC procedure. Subjects had to report which of the intervals contained the signal stimulus (33% coherent motion). We replicated the temporal frequency dependency for lateral motion but results indicate, however, that the detection of radial is always consistent with detecting a spatial displacement amplitude. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A New Approach to Detect Mover Position in Linear Motors Using Magnetic Sensors

PubMed Central

Paul, Sarbajit; Chang, Junghwan

2015-01-01

A new method to detect the mover position of a linear motor is proposed in this paper. This method employs a simple cheap Hall Effect sensor-based magnetic sensor unit to detect the mover position of the linear motor. With the movement of the linear motor, Hall Effect sensor modules electrically separated 120° along with the idea of three phase balanced condition (va + vb + vc = 0) are used to produce three phase signals. The amplitude of the sensor output voltage signals are adjusted to unit amplitude to minimize the amplitude errors. With the unit amplitude signals three to two phase transformation is done to reduce the three multiples of harmonic components. The final output thus obtained is converted to position data by the use of arctangent function. The measurement accuracy of the new method is analyzed by experiments and compared with the conventional two phase method. Using the same number of sensor modules as the conventional two phase method, the proposed method gives more accurate position information compared to the conventional system where sensors are separated by 90° electrical angles. PMID:26506348

Georeferencing in Gnss-Challenged Environment: Integrating Uwb and Imu Technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toth, C. K.; Koppanyi, Z.; Navratil, V.; Grejner-Brzezinska, D.

2017-05-01

Acquiring geospatial data in GNSS compromised environments remains a problem in mapping and positioning in general. Urban canyons, heavily vegetated areas, indoor environments represent different levels of GNSS signal availability from weak to no signal reception. Even outdoors, with multiple GNSS systems, with an ever-increasing number of satellites, there are many situations with limited or no access to GNSS signals. Independent navigation sensors, such as IMU can provide high-data rate information but their initial accuracy degrades quickly, as the measurement data drift over time unless positioning fixes are provided from another source. At The Ohio State University's Satellite Positioning and Inertial Navigation (SPIN) Laboratory, as one feasible solution, Ultra- Wideband (UWB) radio units are used to aid positioning and navigating in GNSS compromised environments, including indoor and outdoor scenarios. Here we report about experiences obtained with georeferencing a pushcart based sensor system under canopied areas. The positioning system is based on UWB and IMU sensor integration, and provides sensor platform orientation for an electromagnetic inference (EMI) sensor. Performance evaluation results are provided for various test scenarios, confirming acceptable results for applications where high accuracy is not required.

Anticounterfeiting Quick Response Code with Emission Color of Invisible Metal-Organic Frameworks as Encoding Information.

PubMed

Wang, Yong-Mei; Tian, Xue-Tao; Zhang, Hui; Yang, Zhong-Rui; Yin, Xue-Bo

2018-06-21

Counterfeiting is a global epidemic that is compelling the development of new anticounterfeiting strategy. Herein, we report a novel multiple anticounterfeiting encoding strategy of invisible fluorescent quick response (QR) codes with emission color as information storage unit. The strategy requires red, green, and blue (RGB) light-emitting materials for different emission colors as encrypting information, single excitation for all of the emission for practicability, and ultraviolet (UV) excitation for invisibility under daylight. Therefore, RGB light-emitting nanoscale metal-organic frameworks (NMOFs) are designed as inks to construct the colorful light-emitting boxes for information encrypting, while three black vertex boxes were used for positioning. Full-color emissions are obtained by mixing the trichromatic NMOFs inks through inkjet printer. The encrypting information capacity is easily adjusted by the number of light-emitting boxes with the infinite emission colors. The information is decoded with specific excitation light at 275 nm, making the QR codes invisible under daylight. The composition of inks, invisibility, inkjet printing, and the abundant encrypting information all contribute to multiple anticounterfeiting. The proposed QR codes pattern holds great potential for advanced anticounterfeiting.

Does Health Information in Mass Media Help or Hurt Patients? Investigation of Potential Negative Influence of Mass Media Health Information on Patients' Beliefs and Medication Regimen Adherence.

PubMed

Im, Heewon; Huh, Jisu

2017-03-01

As an important public health issue, patient medication non-adherence has drawn much attention, but research on the impact of mass media as an information source on patient medication adherence has been scant. Given that mass media often provide confusing and contradicting information regarding health/medical issues, this study examined the potential negative influence of exposure to health information in mass media on patients' beliefs about their illnesses and medications, and medication adherence, in comparison with the effects of exposure to another primary medication information source, physicians. Survey data obtained from patients on blood thinner regimens revealed that the frequency of exposure to health information in mass media was negatively related to accuracy of patients' beliefs about their medication benefits and patient medication adherence. On the other hand, frequency of visits with physicians was positively associated with patients' beliefs about their medication benefits but had no significant relation to medication regimen adherence. The implications of the study findings are discussed, and methodological limitations and suggestion for future research are presented.

Integration of forward-looking infrared (FLIR) and traffic information for moving obstacle detection with integrity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Zhen; Vana, Sudha; Bhattacharya, Sumit; Uijt de Haag, Maarten

2009-05-01

This paper discusses the integration of Forward-looking Infrared (FLIR) and traffic information from, for example, the Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) or the Traffic Information Service-Broadcast (TIS-B). The goal of this integration method is to obtain an improved state estimate of a moving obstacle within the Field-of-View of the FLIR with added integrity. The focus of the paper will be on the approach phase of the flight. The paper will address methods to extract moving objects from the FLIR imagery and geo-reference these objects using outputs of both the onboard Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Inertial Navigation System (INS). The proposed extraction method uses a priori airport information and terrain databases. Furthermore, state information from the traffic information sources will be extracted and integrated with the state estimates from the FLIR. Finally, a method will be addressed that performs a consistency check between both sources of traffic information. The methods discussed in this paper will be evaluated using flight test data collected with a Gulfstream V in Reno, NV (GVSITE) and simulated ADS-B.

Applications of a hand-held GPS receiver in South American rain forests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baksh, Michael

1991-01-01

A hand-held Global Positioning System receiver was used to determine the precise locations of villages, houses, gardens, and other cultural and environmental features in poorly mapped South American rain forests. The Magellan NAV 1000 unit profides extremely accurate latitude and longitude information, but determination of altitude is problematical. Overall, the receiver effectively allows anthropologists to obtain essential locational data useful for categorizing land uses, mapping tribal boundaries, and other applications in regions where environmental conditions are harsh and/or accessibility is difficult.

Nonlinear Waves.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-09-23

square roots in the above equations correpond to the positive real parts. To obtain the time dependence of the scattering data e make use of (7.2). Hence...2.14), by the time x goes to - o, contains information about q(x) for all real x, and it is apparently difficult to extract the asymptotics at - 0...I LItak(e..eieadVbahnCnrl rwHill. imple the noise level usually A-weighted) at L. r ranek ied.)., t rrd Cmrll. N, w York. I9. of time . In this way

Estimation of true incidence of polio: overcoming misclassification errors due to stool culture insensitivity.

PubMed

Srinivas, V; Puliyel, Jacob M

2007-08-01

The diagnosis of polio dependents on culturing the virus in stool samples of children with AFP. Using data obtained under the "Right to Information Act" of instances where only one of the two samples was positive for polio, it was possible to estimate the sensitivity of the system to detect cases of polio. The calculations suggest that there were 1625 (95% CI 1528 to 1725) cases of polio in India in 2006 rather than the 674 reported widely!

Direct Current Amplifier. Report No. 92; AMPLIFICADOR DE CORRIENTE CONTINUA. Informe No. 92

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marazzi, C.

1963-01-01

A direct-current amplifier with low zero current and solid-state chopper for input is described. This amplifier can be used in control circuits and for general applications such as temperature measurement in thermocouples, amplifier for a photo-sensitive element, or zero amplifier in control systems. The input impedance is relatively low, serving principally as current amplifier. It is possible to obtain a symmetry characteristic for positive and negative values of the output voltage with respect to the input. (tr-auth)

Contribution of Tryptophan Residues to the Combining Site of a Monoclonal Anti Dinitrophenyl Spin-Label Antibody

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

identified in the difference spectra, implying that: there are five to seven tryptophans within 17 A of the spin-label hapten. Amino acid sequences...of the heavy, and light chains were obtained by a combination of amino acid and DNA sequencing. A molecular model’ was constructed from the sequence...Clore & acids yields detailed information about the amino acid com- Gronenborn, 1982, 1983). This technique should also identify position of the combining

A survey aimed at general citizens of the US and Japan about their attitudes toward electronic medical data handling.

PubMed

Kimura, Michio; Nakaya, Jun; Watanabe, Hiroshi; Shimizu, Toshiro; Nakayasu, Kazuyuki

2014-04-25

To clarify the views of the general population of two countries (US and Japan), concerning the handling of their medical records electronically. We contacted people nationwide in the United States at random via Random Digit Dialing (RDD) to obtain 200 eligible responders. The questionnaire was for obtaining the information on their attitudes towards handling of their medical records, disclosure of the name of disease, secondary usage of information, compiling their records into a lifelong medical record, and access to their medical records on the Internet. We had also surveyed people of Shizuoka prefecture in Japan using same questionnaires sent by mail, for which we obtained 457 valid answers. Even in an unidentifiable manner, US people feel profit-oriented usage of medical data without specific consent is not acceptable. There is a significant difference between usage of unidentifiable medical data for profit (about 50% feel negatively) and for official/research purposes (about 30% feel negatively). About 60% of the US responders have a negative view on the proposal that unidentifiable medical information be utilized for profit by private companies to attain healthcare cost savings. As regards compiling a lifelong medical record, positive answers and negative answers are almost equally divided in the US (46% vs. 38%) while more positive attitudes are seen in Japan (74% vs. 12%). However, any incentive measures aimed at changing attitudes to such a compiling including the discount of healthcare costs or insurance fees are unwelcomed by people regardless of their age or health condition in both surveys. Regarding the access to their own medical record via the Internet, 38% of the US responders feel this is unacceptable while 50.5% were willing to accept it. Participants from the US think that the extent of the sharing their identifiable medical records should be limited to the doctors-in-charge and specified doctors referred to by their own doctors. On the other hand, Japanese people find it acceptable for doctors of the same hospital to share their medical records. Even in unidentifiable manner, people in both countries think the profits resulting from the secondary use of medical records should be returned to the public or patients. With regard to compiling a lifelong medical record, participants from the US provided both positive answers and negative answers, while more positive attitudes were observed in Japan. However, any incentives or measures aimed at changing attitudes towards such a compilation, including provision of a discount on healthcare costs or insurance fees, were not welcomed by participants from US as well as those from Japan, regardless of their age or health condition.

Finding your first job in academics: interviewing strategies.

PubMed

Siegel, Jodi

2011-12-01

Successfully obtaining your first academic orthopaedic surgery position is a daunting adventure, but one in which you can succeed with proper preparation. First, you must identify specifically what you want to be doing on a daily basis at work. Then, you find places where you can potentially do those things. The interview will provide more definitive information and will allow you to assess if you can happily work in that environment. Remember that you must have balance in your life, so consider if the area is suitable to your and to your family's needs. By identifying your personal goals and desires of this initial position and thoroughly preparing for the entire interview process, you will be able to locate the most desirable opportunity available.

Movement Intention Prediction to Find a New Exoskeleton Design with Light and Comfortable Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plaza Torres, Ing. Mauricio; Fredy Bernal, Ing; Andrés Cifuentes, Ing.

2017-12-01

This paper presents a discussion about the design a novel exoskeleton and the implementation of superficial magnetic sensor and pressure sensor for find patterns and parameters in order to predicting the intention of movement for people with musculoskeletal system problem in lower limbs. The information is obtained through reading position and movement by magnetic and pressure sensor installed in different parts of the body. The advantage of this sensor is the location of the position reference of the every part of the body. Using the sensor in some parts of the body is possible to calculate the muscle contraction for the prediction of intended movement and to find a new design with light and comfortable materials.

Spin Path Integrals and Generations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brannen, Carl

2010-11-01

The spin of a free electron is stable but its position is not. Recent quantum information research by G. Svetlichny, J. Tolar, and G. Chadzitaskos have shown that the Feynman position path integral can be mathematically defined as a product of incompatible states; that is, as a product of mutually unbiased bases (MUBs). Since the more common use of MUBs is in finite dimensional Hilbert spaces, this raises the question “what happens when spin path integrals are computed over products of MUBs?” Such an assumption makes spin no longer stable. We show that the usual spin-1/2 is obtained in the long-time limit in three orthogonal solutions that we associate with the three elementary particle generations. We give applications to the masses of the elementary leptons.

Generating Stereoscopic Television Images With One Camera

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Coan, Paul P.

1996-01-01

Straightforward technique for generating stereoscopic television images involves use of single television camera translated laterally between left- and right-eye positions. Camera acquires one of images (left- or right-eye image), and video signal from image delayed while camera translated to position where it acquires other image. Length of delay chosen so both images displayed simultaneously or as nearly simultaneously as necessary to obtain stereoscopic effect. Technique amenable to zooming in on small areas within broad scenes. Potential applications include three-dimensional viewing of geological features and meteorological events from spacecraft and aircraft, inspection of workpieces moving along conveyor belts, and aiding ground and water search-and-rescue operations. Also used to generate and display imagery for public education and general information, and possible for medical purposes.

Thematic mapping, land use, geological structure and water resources in central Spain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delascuevas, N. (Principal Investigator)

1976-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The images can be positioned in an absolute reference system (geographical coordinates or polar stereographic coordinates) by means of their marginal indicators. By digital analysis of LANDSAT data and geometric positioning of pixels in UTM projection, accuracy was achieved for corrected MSS information which could be used for updating maps at scale 1:200,000 or smaller. Results show that adjustment of the UTM grid was better obtained by a first order, or even second order, algorithm of geometric correction. Digital analysis of LANDSAT data from the Madrid area showed that this line of study was promising for automatic classification of data applied to thematic cartography and soils identification.

The association between self-reported mother-child attachment and social initiative and withdrawal in Chinese school-aged children.

PubMed

Chen, Bin-Bin

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine relations between mother-child attachment and social initiative and withdrawal in Chinese urban children. Participants were 487 school-aged children (247 boys, 240 girls) in Shanghai, the People's Republic of China. Data on mother-child attachment styles were collected from children's self-reports. Information concerning social initiative and social withdrawal (i.e., shyness and social disinterest) was obtained from peer nomination. Path analyses revealed that secure attachment was positively associated with social initiative, whereas ambivalent-insecure attachment was positively associated with shyness. However, avoidant-insecure attachment was not significantly associated with social disinterest. In addition, a number of gender and developmental differences were also observed.

Genetic parameters for type classification of Nelore cattle on central performance tests at pasture in Brazil.

PubMed

Lima, Paulo Ricardo Martins; Paiva, Samuel Rezende; Cobuci, Jaime Araujo; Braccini Neto, José; Machado, Carlos Henrique Cavallari; McManus, Concepta

2013-10-01

The objective of this study was to characterize Nelore cattle on central performance tests in pasture, ranked by the visual classification method EPMURAS (structure, precocity, muscle, navel, breed, posture, and sexual characteristics), and to estimate genetic and phenotypic correlations between these parameters, including visual as well as production traits (initial and final weight on test, weight gain, and weight corrected for 550 days). The information used in the study was obtained on 21,032 Nelore bulls which were participants in the central performance test at pasture of the Brazilian Association for Zebu Breeders (ABCZ). Heritabilities obtained were from 0.19 to 0.50. Phenotypic correlations were positive from 0.70 to 0.97 between the weight traits, from 0.65 to 0.74 between visual characteristics, and from 0.29 to 0.47 between visual characteristics and weight traits. The genetic correlations were positive ranging from 0.80 to 0.98 between the characteristics of structure, precocity and musculature, from 0.13 to 0.64 between the growth characteristics, and from 0.41 to 0.97 between visual scores and weight gains. Heritability and genetic correlations indicate that the use of visual scores, along with the selection for growth characteristics, can bring positive results in selection of beef cattle for rearing on pasture.

Detection of Enteric Viruses in Shellfish from the Norwegian Coast

PubMed Central

Myrmel, M.; Berg, E. M. M.; Rimstad, E.; Grinde, B.

2004-01-01

Common blue mussels (Mytilus edulis), horse mussels (Modiolus modiolus), and flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) obtained from various harvesting and commercial production sites along the Norwegian coast were screened for the presence of norovirus by a real-time reverse transcription (RT)-nested PCR assay and for possible indicators of fecal contamination, i.e., for F-specific RNA bacteriophages (F-RNA phages) by plaque assay and for human adenoviruses and human circoviruses by nested PCR assay. The aims were to obtain relevant information for assessing the risk of transmission of enteric viruses by shellfish and to investigate the potential of various indicator viruses in routine screening. Noroviruses were detected in 6.8% of the samples, and the indicators were detected in 23.8% (F-RNA phages), 18.6% (adenoviruses), and 8.0% (circoviruses) of the samples. A seasonal variation was observed, with the exception of circoviruses, with more positive samples in the winter. A positive correlation was found between F-RNA phages and noroviruses. However, F-RNA phages were present in only 43% of the norovirus-positive samples. The results show that mussels from the Norwegian coast can constitute a risk of infection with enteric viruses and that routine testing of samples may be justified. Advantages and disadvantages of various options for screening are discussed. PMID:15128518

Public health implications of the microbial pesticide Bacillus thuringiensis: an epidemiological study, Oregon, 1985-86.

PubMed Central

Green, M; Heumann, M; Sokolow, R; Foster, L R; Bryant, R; Skeels, M

1990-01-01

Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (B.t.-k) is a microbial pesticide which has been widely used for over 30 years. Its safety for a human population living in sprayed areas has never been tested. Surveillance for human infections caused by B.t.-k among Lane County, Oregon residents was conducted during two seasons of aerial B.t.-k spraying for gypsy moth control. Bacillus isolates from cultures obtained for routine clinical purposes were tested for presence of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.). Detailed clinical information was obtained for all B.t.-positive patients. About 80,000 people lived in the first year's spray area, and 40,000 in the second year's area. A total of 55 B.t.-positive cultures were identified. The cultures had been taken from 18 different body sites or fluids. Fifty-two (95 percent) of the B.t. isolates were assessed to be probable contaminants and not the cause of clinical illness. For three patients, B.t. could neither be ruled in nor out as a pathogen. Each of these three B.t.-positive patients had preexisting medical problems. The level of risk for B.t.-k and other existing or future microbial pesticides in immunocompromised hosts deserves further study. PMID:2356910

Medical practitioners' attitudes towards animal assisted interventions. An Italian survey.

PubMed

Pinto, Anna; De Santis, Marta; Moretti, Carlo; Farina, Luca; Ravarotto, Licia

2017-08-01

The present study had a dual purpose: to obtain a comprehensive picture of the Italian medical practitioners' opinions, professional experiences, training needs and knowledge of Animal Assisted Interventions (AAI); and to provide a detailed description of the medical practitioners who are characterized by a strongly positive attitude towards AAI. An online survey addressed to Italian medical practitioners was carried out using a 35-items structured questionnaire. Data obtained from the survey were analysed through appropriate summary statistics, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and logistic regression analysis. 670 medical practitioners participated in the online survey. Among them, 508 stated that they knew of AAI. 93.7% of these described themselves fully favourable towards the use of the human-animal relationship for therapeutic purposes, 84.4% defined themselves as confident and interested in studying the theme. A positive attitude towards AAI was greater in females, in people between 45 and 54 years old, in those who are pet owners and in those who believe that conferences are the most suitable tool to share information on AAI. The chance of having a positive attitude towards AAI is higher in respondents with specific characteristics. Data collected could be used as a starting point to promote and implement communication and training activities on AAI addressed to medical practitioners. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Personal experiences of people with serious mental illness when seeking, obtaining and maintaining competitive employment in Queensland, Australia.

PubMed

Gladman, Beverley; Waghorn, Geoff

2016-02-15

High non-participation in the labour force and unemployment remain challenging for adults with serious mental illness. This study examined the personal experiences of people with serious mental illness when seeking, obtaining and maintaining competitive employment. The aim was to increase understanding of personal experiences of employment and how these experiences can be used to inform the assistance provided in support of clients' competitive employment goals. Qualitative data from a two-year period were thematically analysed from one participating site in a multi-site trial of employment services integrated with public funded community mental health treatment and care. Both positive and negative themes arose. Positive themes included: Aspirations for a better life, receiving feedback on good job performance, employment displacing preoccupation with illness, and employment improving self-esteem and reducing financial stress. Negative themes included stigma experiences, stress, and health difficulties. Both positive and negative experiences did not depend on type of employment service assistance nor key client characteristics such as age, sex, and diagnostic category. Despite its many benefits, employment can also increase the risk of negative personal experiences. These findings suggest that employment service providers could do more to assist people who commence employment, to reduce the risk of negative personal experiences and to enhance the benefits of competitive employment.

Expressed prostate secretions in the study of human papillomavirus epidemiology in the male.

PubMed

Smelov, Vitaly; Eklund, Carina; Bzhalava, Davit; Novikov, Andrey; Dillner, Joakim

2013-01-01

Exploring different sampling sites and methods is of interest for studies of the epidemiology of HPV infections in the male. Expressed prostate secretions (EPS) are obtained during digital rectal examination (DRE), a daily routine urological diagnostic procedure, following massage of the prostate. Urethral swabs and EPS samples were obtained from a consecutive sample of 752 men (mean age 32.4 years; median life-time sex partners 34) visiting urology outpatient clinics in St. Petersburg, Russia and tested for HPV DNA by general primer PCR, followed by genotyping using Luminex. Overall, 47.9% (360/752) of men were HPV-positive, with 42.0% (316/752) being positive for high-risk (HR-) HPV and 12.6% (95/752) for multiple HPV types. HPV-positivity in the EPS samples was 32.6% (27.7% HR-HPV) and in the urethral samples 25.9% (24.5% HR-HPV). 10.6% were HPV positive in both EPS and urethral samples. 6.4% had the same HPV-type in both EPS and urethral samples. 10.6% were HPV positive in both EPS and urethral samples. 6.4% had the same HPV-type in both EPS and urethral samples. The concordance between the urethral samples and EPS was 62.5% (470/752), with 80 cases double positive and 390 cases double negative in both sites. The sensitivity of urethral samples for overall HPV detection was 54.2% (195/360). Compared to analysis of urethral samples only, the analysis of EPS increased the HPV prevalence in this population with 26.2%. EPS represent informative sampling material for the study of HPV epidemiology in the male.

Remote sensing as a tool for estimating soil erosion potential

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Morris-Jones, D. R.; Morgan, K. M.; Kiefer, R. W.

1979-01-01

The Universal Soil Loss Equation is a frequently used methodology for estimating soil erosion potential. The Universal Soil Loss Equation requires a variety of types of geographic information (e.g. topographic slope, soil erodibility, land use, crop type, and soil conservation practice) in order to function. This information is traditionally gathered from topographic maps, soil surveys, field surveys, and interviews with farmers. Remote sensing data sources and interpretation techniques provide an alternative method for collecting information regarding land use, crop type, and soil conservation practice. Airphoto interpretation techniques and medium altitude, multi-date color and color infrared positive transparencies (70mm) were utilized in this study to determine their effectiveness for gathering the desired land use/land cover data. Successful results were obtained within the test site, a 6136 hectare watershed in Dane County, Wisconsin.

[AOR characterization and zoning: a dosimeter for blue light].

PubMed

Dario, R; Uva, J; Di Lecce, V; Quarto, A

2011-01-01

The paper presents the results obtained thanks to an innovative experimental device for the assessment of artificial optical radiation (AOR) exposure in workplace. This . device was developed by 'Politecnico di Bari-DIASS'. The wearable personal dosimeter has three sensors: one is used for measuring head position/movement, therefore there is a color light sensor to determine the AOR and finally there is a video camera to localize sources. Our system is connected to a netbook via USB cable that allows one to obtain the real and extimated value of worker's exposure, also with "augmented reality". The aim of this paper is realizing work place safety zoning for the classifacation of not only specific dangerous areas through the analysis of overlapping information from the device.

Using polarized muons as ultrasensitive spin labels in free radical chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McKenzie, Iain; Roduner, Emil

2009-08-01

In a chemical sense, the positive muon is a light proton. It is obtained at the ports of accelerators in beams with a spin polarization of 100%, which makes it a highly sensitive probe of matter. The muonium atom is a light hydrogen isotope, nine times lighter than H, with a muon as its nucleus. It reacts the same way as H, and by addition to double bonds it is implemented in free radicals in which the muon serves as a fully polarized spin label. It is reviewed here how the muon can be used to obtain information about muonium and radical reaction rates, radical structure, dynamics, and local environments. It can even tell us what a fragrance molecule does in a shampoo.

Monthly Maps of Sea Surface Height in the North Atlantic and Zonal Indices for the Gulf Stream Using TOPEX/Poseidon Altimeter Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Sandipa; Kelly, Kathryn A.

1997-01-01

Monthly Maps of sea surface height are constructed for the North Atlantic Ocean using TOPEX/Poseidon altimeter data. Mean sea surface height is reconstructed using a weighted combination of historical, hydrographic data and a synthetic mean obtained by fitting a Gaussian model of the Gulf Stream jet to altimeter data. The resultant mean shows increased resolution over the hydrographic mean, and incorporates recirculation information that is absent in the synthetic mean. Monthly maps, obtained by adding the mean field to altimeter sea surface height residuals, are used to derive a set of zonal indices that describe the annual cycle of meandering as well as position and strength of the Gulf Stream.

Sunspot positions, areas, and group tilt angles for 1611-1631 from observations by Christoph Scheiner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arlt, R.; Senthamizh Pavai, V.; Schmiel, C.; Spada, F.

2016-11-01

Aims: Digital images of observations printed in the books Rosa Ursina sive solis and Prodromus pro sole mobili by Christoph Scheiner, as well as the drawings from Scheiner's letters to Marcus Welser, are analysed to obtain information on the positions and sizes of sunspots that appeared before the Maunder minimum. Methods: In most cases, the given orientation of the ecliptic is used to set up the heliographic coordinate system for the drawings. Positions and sizes are measured manually on screen. Very early drawings have no indication of their orientation. A rotational matching using common spots of adjacent days is used in some cases, while in other cases, the assumption that images were aligned with a zenith-horizon coordinate system appeared to be the most probable. Results: In total, 8167 sunspots were measured. A distribution of sunspot latitudes versus time (butterfly diagram) is obtained for Scheiner's observations. The observations of 1611 are very inaccurate, the drawings of 1612 have at least an indication of their orientation, while the remaining part of the spot positions from 1618-1631 have good to very good accuracy. We also computed 697 tilt angles of apparently bipolar sunspot groups observed in the period 1618-1631. We find that the average tilt angle of nearly 4 degrees is not significantly different from 20th-century values. Data on the sunspot position and area are only available at the CDS via anonymous ftp to http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr (http://130.79.128.5) or via http://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/viz-bin/qcat?J/A+A/595/A104

Quality of Web-based Information for the 10 Most Common Fractures.

PubMed

Memon, Muzammil; Ginsberg, Lydia; Simunovic, Nicole; Ristevski, Bill; Bhandari, Mohit; Kleinlugtenbelt, Ydo Vincent

2016-06-17

In today's technologically advanced world, 75% of patients have used Google to search for health information. As a result, health care professionals fear that patients may be misinformed. Currently, there is a paucity of data on the quality and readability of Web-based health information on fractures. In this study, we assessed the quality and readability of Web-based health information related to the 10 most common fractures. Using the Google search engine, we assessed websites from the first results page for the 10 most common fractures using lay search terms. Website quality was measured using the DISCERN instrument, which scores websites as very poor (15-22.5), poor (22.5-37.5), fair (37.5-52.5), good (52.5-67.5), or excellent (67.5-75). The presence of Health on the Net code (HONcode) certification was assessed for all websites. Website readability was measured using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (0-100), where 60-69 is ideal for the general public, and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL; -3.4 to ∞), where the mean FKGL of the US adult population is 8. Overall, website quality was "fair" for all fractures, with a mean (standard deviation) DISCERN score of 50.3 (5.8). The DISCERN score correlated positively with a higher website position on the search results page (r(2)=0.1, P=.002) and with HONcode certification (P=.007). The mean (standard deviation) Flesch Reading Ease Score and FKGL for all fractures were 62.2 (9.1) and 6.7 (1.6), respectively. The quality of Web-based health information on fracture care is fair, and its readability is appropriate for the general public. To obtain higher quality information, patients should select HONcode-certified websites. Furthermore, patients should select websites that are positioned higher on the results page because the Google ranking algorithms appear to rank the websites by quality.

Quality of Web-based Information for the 10 Most Common Fractures

PubMed Central

Ginsberg, Lydia; Simunovic, Nicole; Ristevski, Bill; Bhandari, Mohit; Kleinlugtenbelt, Ydo Vincent

2016-01-01

Background In today's technologically advanced world, 75% of patients have used Google to search for health information. As a result, health care professionals fear that patients may be misinformed. Currently, there is a paucity of data on the quality and readability of Web-based health information on fractures. Objectives In this study, we assessed the quality and readability of Web-based health information related to the 10 most common fractures. Methods Using the Google search engine, we assessed websites from the first results page for the 10 most common fractures using lay search terms. Website quality was measured using the DISCERN instrument, which scores websites as very poor (15-22.5), poor (22.5-37.5), fair (37.5-52.5), good (52.5-67.5), or excellent (67.5-75). The presence of Health on the Net code (HONcode) certification was assessed for all websites. Website readability was measured using the Flesch Reading Ease Score (0-100), where 60-69 is ideal for the general public, and the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level (FKGL; −3.4 to ∞), where the mean FKGL of the US adult population is 8. Results Overall, website quality was “fair” for all fractures, with a mean (standard deviation) DISCERN score of 50.3 (5.8). The DISCERN score correlated positively with a higher website position on the search results page (r2=0.1, P=.002) and with HONcode certification (P=.007). The mean (standard deviation) Flesch Reading Ease Score and FKGL for all fractures were 62.2 (9.1) and 6.7 (1.6), respectively. Conclusion The quality of Web-based health information on fracture care is fair, and its readability is appropriate for the general public. To obtain higher quality information, patients should select HONcode-certified websites. Furthermore, patients should select websites that are positioned higher on the results page because the Google ranking algorithms appear to rank the websites by quality. PMID:27317159

Positive predictive value estimates for cell-free noninvasive prenatal screening from data of a large referral genetic diagnostic laboratory.

PubMed

Petersen, Andrea K; Cheung, Sau Wai; Smith, Janice L; Bi, Weimin; Ward, Patricia A; Peacock, Sandra; Braxton, Alicia; Van Den Veyver, Ignatia B; Breman, Amy M

2017-12-01

Since its debut in 2011, cell-free fetal DNA screening has undergone rapid expansion with respect to both utilization and coverage. However, conclusive data regarding the clinical validity and utility of this screening tool, both for the originally included common autosomal and sex-chromosomal aneuploidies as well as the more recently added chromosomal microdeletion syndromes, have lagged behind. Thus, there is a continued need to educate clinicians and patients about the current benefits and limitations of this screening tool to inform pre- and posttest counseling, pre/perinatal decision making, and medical risk assessment/management. The objective of this study was to determine the positive predictive value and false-positive rates for different chromosomal abnormalities identified by cell-free fetal DNA screening using a large data set of diagnostic testing results on invasive samples submitted to the laboratory for confirmatory studies. We tested 712 patient samples sent to our laboratory to confirm a cell-free fetal DNA screening result, indicating high risk for a chromosome abnormality. We compiled data from all cases in which the indication for confirmatory testing was a positive cell-free fetal DNA screen, including the common trisomies, sex chromosomal aneuploidies, microdeletion syndromes, and other large genome-wide copy number abnormalities. Testing modalities included fluorescence in situ hybridization, G-banded karyotype, and/or chromosomal microarray analysis performed on chorionic villus samples, amniotic fluid, or postnatally obtained blood samples. Positive predictive values and false-positive rates were calculated from tabulated data. The positive predictive values for trisomy 13, 18, and 21 were consistent with previous reports at 45%, 76%, and 84%, respectively. For the microdeletion syndrome regions, positive predictive values ranged from 0% for detection of Cri-du-Chat syndrome and Prader-Willi/Angelman syndrome to 14% for 1p36 deletion syndrome and 21% for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Detection of sex chromosomal aneuploidies had positive predictive values of 26% for monosomy X, 50% for 47,XXX, and 86% for 47,XXY. The positive predictive values for detection of common autosomal and sex chromosomal aneuploidies by cell-free fetal DNA screening were comparable with other studies. Identification of microdeletions was associated with lower positive predictive values and higher false-positive rates, likely because of the low prevalence of the individual targeted microdeletion syndromes in the general population. Although the obtained positive predictive values compare favorably with those seen in traditional screening approaches for common aneuploidies, they highlight the importance of educating clinicians and patients on the limitations of cell-free fetal DNA screening tests. Improvement of the cell-free fetal DNA screening technology and continued monitoring of its performance after introduction into clinical practice will be important to fully establish its clinical utility. Nonetheless, our data provide valuable information that may aid result interpretation, patient counseling, and clinical decision making/management. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Incentive-Rewarding Mechanism for User-position Control in Mobile Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoshino, Makoto; Sato, Kenichiro; Shinkuma, Ryoichi; Takahashi, Tatsuro

When the number of users in a service area increases in mobile multimedia services, no individual user can obtain satisfactory radio resources such as bandwidth and signal power because the resources are limited and shared. A solution for such a problem is user-position control. In the user-position control, the operator informs users of better communication areas (or spots) and navigates them to these positions. However, because of subjective costs caused by subjects moving from their original to a new position, they do not always attempt to move. To motivate users to contribute their resources in network services that require resource contributions for users, incentive-rewarding mechanisms have been proposed. However, there are no mechanisms that distribute rewards appropriately according to various subjective factors involving users. Furthermore, since the conventional mechanisms limit how rewards are paid, they are applicable only for the network service they targeted. In this paper, we propose a novel incentive-rewarding mechanism to solve these problems, using an external evaluator and interactive learning agents. We also investigated ways of appropriately controlling rewards based on user contributions and system service quality. We applied the proposed mechanism and reward control to the user-position control, and demonstrated its validity.

More comprehensive forensic genetic marker analyses for accurate human remains identification using massively parallel DNA sequencing.

PubMed

Ambers, Angie D; Churchill, Jennifer D; King, Jonathan L; Stoljarova, Monika; Gill-King, Harrell; Assidi, Mourad; Abu-Elmagd, Muhammad; Buhmeida, Abdelbaset; Al-Qahtani, Mohammed; Budowle, Bruce

2016-10-17

Although the primary objective of forensic DNA analyses of unidentified human remains is positive identification, cases involving historical or archaeological skeletal remains often lack reference samples for comparison. Massively parallel sequencing (MPS) offers an opportunity to provide biometric data in such cases, and these cases provide valuable data on the feasibility of applying MPS for characterization of modern forensic casework samples. In this study, MPS was used to characterize 140-year-old human skeletal remains discovered at a historical site in Deadwood, South Dakota, United States. The remains were in an unmarked grave and there were no records or other metadata available regarding the identity of the individual. Due to the high throughput of MPS, a variety of biometric markers could be typed using a single sample. Using MPS and suitable forensic genetic markers, more relevant information could be obtained from a limited quantity and quality sample. Results were obtained for 25/26 Y-STRs, 34/34 Y SNPs, 166/166 ancestry-informative SNPs, 24/24 phenotype-informative SNPs, 102/102 human identity SNPs, 27/29 autosomal STRs (plus amelogenin), and 4/8 X-STRs (as well as ten regions of mtDNA). The Y-chromosome (Y-STR, Y-SNP) and mtDNA profiles of the unidentified skeletal remains are consistent with the R1b and H1 haplogroups, respectively. Both of these haplogroups are the most common haplogroups in Western Europe. Ancestry-informative SNP analysis also supported European ancestry. The genetic results are consistent with anthropological findings that the remains belong to a male of European ancestry (Caucasian). Phenotype-informative SNP data provided strong support that the individual had light red hair and brown eyes. This study is among the first to genetically characterize historical human remains with forensic genetic marker kits specifically designed for MPS. The outcome demonstrates that substantially more genetic information can be obtained from the same initial quantities of DNA as that of current CE-based analyses.

Evaluation of multiple muscle loads through multi-objective optimization with prediction of subjective satisfaction level: illustration by an application to handrail position for standing.

PubMed

Chihara, Takanori; Seo, Akihiko

2014-03-01

Proposed here is an evaluation of multiple muscle loads and a procedure for determining optimum solutions to ergonomic design problems. The simultaneous muscle load evaluation is formulated as a multi-objective optimization problem, and optimum solutions are obtained for each participant. In addition, one optimum solution for all participants, which is defined as the compromise solution, is also obtained. Moreover, the proposed method provides both objective and subjective information to support the decision making of designers. The proposed method was applied to the problem of designing the handrail position for the sit-to-stand movement. The height and distance of the handrails were the design variables, and surface electromyograms of four muscles were measured. The optimization results suggest that the proposed evaluation represents the impressions of participants more completely than an independent use of muscle loads. In addition, the compromise solution is determined, and the benefits of the proposed method are examined. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and The Ergonomics Society. All rights reserved.

Parafoveal preview benefit in reading is only obtained from the saccade goal.

PubMed

McDonald, Scott A

2006-12-01

Previous research has demonstrated that reading is less efficient when parafoveal visual information about upcoming words is invalid or unavailable; the benefit from a valid preview is realised as reduced reading times on the subsequently foveated word, and has been explained with reference to the allocation of attentional resources to parafoveal word(s). This paper presents eyetracking evidence that preview benefit is obtained only for words that are selected as the saccade target. Using a gaze-contingent display change paradigm (Rayner, K. (1975). The perceptual span and peripheral cues in reading. Cognitive Psychology, 7, 65-81), the position of the triggering boundary was set near the middle of the pretarget word. When a refixation saccade took the eye across the boundary in the pretarget word, there was no reliable effect of the validity of the target word preview. However, when the triggering boundary was positioned just after the pretarget word, a robust preview benefit was observed, replicating previous research. The current results complement findings from studies of basic visual function, suggesting that for the case of preview benefit in reading, attentional and oculomotor processes are obligatorily coupled.

A generic, geometric cocalibration method for a combined system of fluorescence molecular tomography and microcomputed tomography with arbitrarily shaped objects.

PubMed

Fu, Jianwei; Yang, Xiaoquan; Wang, Kan; Luo, Qingming; Gong, Hui

2011-12-01

A combined system of fluorescence molecular tomography and microcomputed tomography (FMT&mCT) can provide molecular and anatomical information of small animals in a single study with intrinsically coregistered images. The anatomical information provided by the mCT subsystem is commonly used as a reference to locate the fluorophore distribution or as a priori structural information to improve the performance of FMT. Therefore, the transformation between the coordinate systems of the subsystem needs to be determined in advanced. A cocalibration method for the combined system of FMT&mCT is proposed. First, linear models are adopted to describe the galvano mirrors and the charge-coupled device (CCD) camera in the FMT subsystem. Second, the position and orientation of the galvano mirrors are determined with the input voltages of the galvano mirrors and the markers, whose positions are predetermined. The position, orientation and normalized pixel size of the CCD camera are obtained by analysing the projections of a point-like marker at different positions. Finally, the orientation and position of sources and the corresponding relationship between the detectors and their projections on the image plane are predicted. Because the positions of the markers are acquired with mCT, the registration of the FMT and mCT could be realized by direct image fusion. The accuracy and consistency of this method in the presence of noise is evaluated by computer simulation. Next, a practical implementation for an experimental FMT&mCT system is carried out and validated. The maximum prediction error of the source positions on the surface of a cylindrical phantom is within 0.375 mm and that of the projections of a point-like marker is within 0.629 pixel. Finally, imaging experiments of the fluorophore distribution in a cylindrical phantom and a phantom with a complex shape demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. This method is universal in FMT&mCT, which could be performed with no restriction on the system geometry, calibration phantoms or imaging objects.

A generic, geometric cocalibration method for a combined system of fluorescence molecular tomography and microcomputed tomography with arbitrarily shaped objects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fu Jianwei; Yang Xiaoquan; Wang Kan

2011-12-15

Purpose: A combined system of fluorescence molecular tomography and microcomputed tomography (FMT and mCT) can provide molecular and anatomical information of small animals in a single study with intrinsically coregistered images. The anatomical information provided by the mCT subsystem is commonly used as a reference to locate the fluorophore distribution or as a priori structural information to improve the performance of FMT. Therefore, the transformation between the coordinate systems of the subsystem needs to be determined in advanced. Methods: A cocalibration method for the combined system of FMT and mCT is proposed. First, linear models are adopted to describe themore » galvano mirrors and the charge-coupled device (CCD) camera in the FMT subsystem. Second, the position and orientation of the galvano mirrors are determined with the input voltages of the galvano mirrors and the markers, whose positions are predetermined. The position, orientation and normalized pixel size of the CCD camera are obtained by analysing the projections of a point-like marker at different positions. Finally, the orientation and position of sources and the corresponding relationship between the detectors and their projections on the image plane are predicted. Because the positions of the markers are acquired with mCT, the registration of the FMT and mCT could be realized by direct image fusion. Results: The accuracy and consistency of this method in the presence of noise is evaluated by computer simulation. Next, a practical implementation for an experimental FMT and mCT system is carried out and validated. The maximum prediction error of the source positions on the surface of a cylindrical phantom is within 0.375 mm and that of the projections of a point-like marker is within 0.629 pixel. Finally, imaging experiments of the fluorophore distribution in a cylindrical phantom and a phantom with a complex shape demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed method. Conclusions: This method is universal in FMT and mCT, which could be performed with no restriction on the system geometry, calibration phantoms or imaging objects.« less

Alcohol-related hospitalisations of trauma patients in Southern Taiwan: a cross-sectional study based on a trauma registry system

PubMed Central

Rau, Cheng-Shyuan; Liu, Hang-Tsung; Hsu, Shiun-Yuan; Cho, Tzu-Yu; Hsieh, Ching-Hua

2014-01-01

Objectives To provide an overview of the demographic characteristics of patients with positive blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and to investigate the performance of brain CT scans in these patients. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Taiwan. Participants 2192 patients who had undergone a test for blood alcohol of 13 233 patients registered in the Trauma Registry System between 1 January 2009 and 31 December 2012. A BAC level of 50 mg/dL was defined as the cut-off value. Detailed information was retrieved from the patients with positive BAC (n=793) and was compared with information from those with a negative BAC (n=1399). Main outcome measures Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) and Injury Severity Score (ISS) as well as the performance and findings of obtained brain CT scans. Results Patients with positive BAC had a higher rate of face injury, but a lower GCS score, a lower rate of head and neck injury, a lower ISS and New Injury Severity Score. Alcohol use was associated with a shorter length of hospital stay (8.6 vs 11.4 days, p=0.000) in patients with an ISS of <16. Of 496 patients with positive BAC who underwent brain CT, 164 (33.1%) showed positive findings on CT scan. In contrast, of 891 patients with negative BAC who underwent brain CT, 389 (43.7%) had positive findings on CT scan. The lower percentage of positive CT scan findings in patients with positive BAC was particularly evident in patients with an ISS <16 (18.0% vs 28.8%, p=0.001). Conclusions Patients who consumed alcohol tended to have a low GCS score and injuries that were less severe. However, given the significantly low percentage of positive findings, brain CT might be overused in these patients with less severe injuries. PMID:25361838

A Two-Phase Time Synchronization-Free Localization Algorithm for Underwater Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Luo, Junhai; Fan, Liying

2017-03-30

Underwater Sensor Networks (UWSNs) can enable a broad range of applications such as resource monitoring, disaster prevention, and navigation-assistance. Sensor nodes location in UWSNs is an especially relevant topic. Global Positioning System (GPS) information is not suitable for use in UWSNs because of the underwater propagation problems. Hence, some localization algorithms based on the precise time synchronization between sensor nodes that have been proposed for UWSNs are not feasible. In this paper, we propose a localization algorithm called Two-Phase Time Synchronization-Free Localization Algorithm (TP-TSFLA). TP-TSFLA contains two phases, namely, range-based estimation phase and range-free evaluation phase. In the first phase, we address a time synchronization-free localization scheme based on the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to obtain the coordinates of the unknown sensor nodes. In the second phase, we propose a Circle-based Range-Free Localization Algorithm (CRFLA) to locate the unlocalized sensor nodes which cannot obtain the location information through the first phase. In the second phase, sensor nodes which are localized in the first phase act as the new anchor nodes to help realize localization. Hence, in this algorithm, we use a small number of mobile beacons to help obtain the location information without any other anchor nodes. Besides, to improve the precision of the range-free method, an extension of CRFLA achieved by designing a coordinate adjustment scheme is updated. The simulation results show that TP-TSFLA can achieve a relative high localization ratio without time synchronization.

Standardized synoptic cancer pathology reports - so what and who cares? A population-based satisfaction survey of 970 pathologists, surgeons, and oncologists.

PubMed

Lankshear, Sara; Srigley, John; McGowan, Thomas; Yurcan, Marta; Sawka, Carol

2013-11-01

Cancer Care Ontario implemented synoptic pathology reporting across Ontario, impacting the practice of pathologists, surgeons, and medical and radiation oncologists. The benefits of standardized synoptic pathology reporting include enhanced completeness and improved consistency in comparison with narrative reports, with reported challenges including increased workload and report turnaround time. To determine the impact of synoptic pathology reporting on physician satisfaction specific to practice and process. A descriptive, cross-sectional design was utilized involving 970 clinicians across 27 hospitals. An 11-item survey was developed to obtain information regarding timeliness, completeness, clarity, and usability. Open-ended questions were also employed to obtain qualitative comments. A 51% response rate was obtained, with descriptive statistics reporting that physicians perceive synoptic reports as significantly better than narrative reports. Correlation analysis revealed a moderately strong, positive relationship between respondents' perceptions of overall satisfaction with the level of information provided and perceptions of completeness for clinical decision making (r = 0.750, P < .001) and ease of finding information for clinical decision making (r = 0.663, P < .001). Dependent t tests showed a statistically significant difference in the satisfaction scores of pathologists and oncologists (t169 = 3.044, P = .003). Qualitative comments revealed technology-related issues as the most frequently cited factor impacting timeliness of report completion. This study provides evidence of strong physician satisfaction with synoptic cancer pathology reporting as a clinical decision support tool in the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer patients.

A Two-Phase Time Synchronization-Free Localization Algorithm for Underwater Sensor Networks

PubMed Central

Luo, Junhai; Fan, Liying

2017-01-01

Underwater Sensor Networks (UWSNs) can enable a broad range of applications such as resource monitoring, disaster prevention, and navigation-assistance. Sensor nodes location in UWSNs is an especially relevant topic. Global Positioning System (GPS) information is not suitable for use in UWSNs because of the underwater propagation problems. Hence, some localization algorithms based on the precise time synchronization between sensor nodes that have been proposed for UWSNs are not feasible. In this paper, we propose a localization algorithm called Two-Phase Time Synchronization-Free Localization Algorithm (TP-TSFLA). TP-TSFLA contains two phases, namely, range-based estimation phase and range-free evaluation phase. In the first phase, we address a time synchronization-free localization scheme based on the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm to obtain the coordinates of the unknown sensor nodes. In the second phase, we propose a Circle-based Range-Free Localization Algorithm (CRFLA) to locate the unlocalized sensor nodes which cannot obtain the location information through the first phase. In the second phase, sensor nodes which are localized in the first phase act as the new anchor nodes to help realize localization. Hence, in this algorithm, we use a small number of mobile beacons to help obtain the location information without any other anchor nodes. Besides, to improve the precision of the range-free method, an extension of CRFLA achieved by designing a coordinate adjustment scheme is updated. The simulation results show that TP-TSFLA can achieve a relative high localization ratio without time synchronization. PMID:28358342

After the withdrawal of 'informed choice': the meanings and social effects of mothers' choice for HIV prevention in Senegal.

PubMed

Desclaux, Alice

2014-01-01

To prevent HIV transmission through breastfeeding, African health services in 1998 implemented the World Health Organization's approach of 'informed choice' when recommending infant feeding options to HIV-positive mothers. In 2010, 'informed choice' was withdrawn in favour of antiretroviral prophylaxis with breastfeeding. A 2010-11 ethnographic study conducted in Senegal among HIV-positive mothers revealed three broad responses to the withdrawal of choice and formula provision: 'resistance' from association members claiming the health system was responsible for providing formula to ensure efficient prevention; 'compliance' among mothers adopting 'protected breastfeeding' without complaints; and 'self-reliance' among women trying to obtain formula through other means without mentioning choice. These three responses shed light on the meanings attributed to choice and on the social impact of formula provision during the 'informed choice era.' The analysis shows that the top-down introduction of 'informed choice' as an ethical and management imperative was appropriated and re-signified locally, making space for new forms of sociality within medical and associative social spaces. These social forms could not easily be maintained after the withdrawal of formula provision; women who continue to exert choice do so silently. By focusing on the upheaval of social care arrangements after the introduction of prophylaxis by pharmaceuticals, this paper sheds light on the understudied local consequences of changes in public health policies and the social framing of 'choice' in low-income countries' health systems.

Comparing hard and soft prior bounds in geophysical inverse problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Backus, George E.

1988-01-01

In linear inversion of a finite-dimensional data vector y to estimate a finite-dimensional prediction vector z, prior information about X sub E is essential if y is to supply useful limits for z. The one exception occurs when all the prediction functionals are linear combinations of the data functionals. Two forms of prior information are compared: a soft bound on X sub E is a probability distribution p sub x on X which describes the observer's opinion about where X sub E is likely to be in X; a hard bound on X sub E is an inequality Q sub x(X sub E, X sub E) is equal to or less than 1, where Q sub x is a positive definite quadratic form on X. A hard bound Q sub x can be softened to many different probability distributions p sub x, but all these p sub x's carry much new information about X sub E which is absent from Q sub x, and some information which contradicts Q sub x. Both stochastic inversion (SI) and Bayesian inference (BI) estimate z from y and a soft prior bound p sub x. If that probability distribution was obtained by softening a hard prior bound Q sub x, rather than by objective statistical inference independent of y, then p sub x contains so much unsupported new information absent from Q sub x that conclusions about z obtained with SI or BI would seen to be suspect.

Comparing hard and soft prior bounds in geophysical inverse problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Backus, George E.

1987-01-01

In linear inversion of a finite-dimensional data vector y to estimate a finite-dimensional prediction vector z, prior information about X sub E is essential if y is to supply useful limits for z. The one exception occurs when all the prediction functionals are linear combinations of the data functionals. Two forms of prior information are compared: a soft bound on X sub E is a probability distribution p sub x on X which describeds the observer's opinion about where X sub E is likely to be in X; a hard bound on X sub E is an inequality Q sub x(X sub E, X sub E) is equal to or less than 1, where Q sub x is a positive definite quadratic form on X. A hard bound Q sub x can be softened to many different probability distributions p sub x, but all these p sub x's carry much new information about X sub E which is absent from Q sub x, and some information which contradicts Q sub x. Both stochastic inversion (SI) and Bayesian inference (BI) estimate z from y and a soft prior bound p sub x. If that probability distribution was obtained by softening a hard prior bound Q sub x, rather than by objective statistical inference independent of y, then p sub x contains so much unsupported new information absent from Q sub x that conclusions about z obtained with SI or BI would seen to be suspect.

Modeling the Behavior of an Underwater Acoustic Relative Positioning System Based on Complementary Set of Sequences

PubMed Central

Aparicio, Joaquín; Jiménez, Ana; Álvarez, Fernando J.; Ureña, Jesús; De Marziani, Carlos; Diego, Cristina

2011-01-01

The great variability usually found in underwater media makes modeling a challenging task, but helpful for better understanding or predicting the performance of future deployed systems. In this work, an underwater acoustic propagation model is presented. This model obtains the multipath structure by means of the ray tracing technique. Using this model, the behavior of a relative positioning system is presented. One of the main advantages of relative positioning systems is that only the distances between all the buoys are needed to obtain their positions. In order to obtain the distances, the propagation times of acoustic signals coded by Complementary Set of Sequences (CSS) are used. In this case, the arrival instants are obtained by means of correlation processes. The distances are then used to obtain the position of the buoys by means of the Multidimensional Scaling Technique (MDS). As an early example of an application using this relative positioning system, a tracking of the position of the buoys at different times is performed. With this tracking, the surface current of a particular region could be studied. The performance of the system is evaluated in terms of the distance from the real position to the estimated one. PMID:22247661

Confirmation bias in human reinforcement learning: Evidence from counterfactual feedback processing

PubMed Central

Lefebvre, Germain; Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne

2017-01-01

Previous studies suggest that factual learning, that is, learning from obtained outcomes, is biased, such that participants preferentially take into account positive, as compared to negative, prediction errors. However, whether or not the prediction error valence also affects counterfactual learning, that is, learning from forgone outcomes, is unknown. To address this question, we analysed the performance of two groups of participants on reinforcement learning tasks using a computational model that was adapted to test if prediction error valence influences learning. We carried out two experiments: in the factual learning experiment, participants learned from partial feedback (i.e., the outcome of the chosen option only); in the counterfactual learning experiment, participants learned from complete feedback information (i.e., the outcomes of both the chosen and unchosen option were displayed). In the factual learning experiment, we replicated previous findings of a valence-induced bias, whereby participants learned preferentially from positive, relative to negative, prediction errors. In contrast, for counterfactual learning, we found the opposite valence-induced bias: negative prediction errors were preferentially taken into account, relative to positive ones. When considering valence-induced bias in the context of both factual and counterfactual learning, it appears that people tend to preferentially take into account information that confirms their current choice. PMID:28800597

Confirmation bias in human reinforcement learning: Evidence from counterfactual feedback processing.

PubMed

Palminteri, Stefano; Lefebvre, Germain; Kilford, Emma J; Blakemore, Sarah-Jayne

2017-08-01

Previous studies suggest that factual learning, that is, learning from obtained outcomes, is biased, such that participants preferentially take into account positive, as compared to negative, prediction errors. However, whether or not the prediction error valence also affects counterfactual learning, that is, learning from forgone outcomes, is unknown. To address this question, we analysed the performance of two groups of participants on reinforcement learning tasks using a computational model that was adapted to test if prediction error valence influences learning. We carried out two experiments: in the factual learning experiment, participants learned from partial feedback (i.e., the outcome of the chosen option only); in the counterfactual learning experiment, participants learned from complete feedback information (i.e., the outcomes of both the chosen and unchosen option were displayed). In the factual learning experiment, we replicated previous findings of a valence-induced bias, whereby participants learned preferentially from positive, relative to negative, prediction errors. In contrast, for counterfactual learning, we found the opposite valence-induced bias: negative prediction errors were preferentially taken into account, relative to positive ones. When considering valence-induced bias in the context of both factual and counterfactual learning, it appears that people tend to preferentially take into account information that confirms their current choice.

Do release-site biases reflect response to the Earth's magnetic field during position determination by homing pigeons?

PubMed

Mora, Cordula V; Walker, Michael M

2009-09-22

How homing pigeons (Columba livia) return to their loft from distant, unfamiliar sites has long been a mystery. At many release sites, untreated birds consistently vanish from view in a direction different from the home direction, a phenomenon called the release-site bias. These deviations in flight direction have been implicated in the position determination (or map) step of navigation because they may reflect local distortions in information about location that the birds obtain from the geophysical environment at the release site. Here, we performed a post hoc analysis of the relationship between vanishing bearings and local variations in magnetic intensity using previously published datasets for pigeons homing to lofts in Germany. Vanishing bearings of both experienced and naïve birds were strongly associated with magnetic intensity variations at release sites, with 90 per cent of bearings lying within +/-29 degrees of the magnetic intensity slope or contour direction. Our results (i) demonstrate that pigeons respond in an orderly manner to the local structure of the magnetic field at release sites, (ii) provide a mechanism for the occurrence of release-site biases and (iii) suggest that pigeons may derive spatial information from the magnetic field at the release site that could be used to estimate their current position relative to their loft.

Activity profile of high-level Australian lacrosse players.

PubMed

Polley, Chris S; Cormack, Stuart J; Gabbett, Tim J; Polglaze, Ted

2015-01-01

Despite lacrosse being one of the fastest growing team sports in the world, there is a paucity of information detailing the activity profile of high-level players. Microtechnology systems (global positioning systems and accelerometers) provide the opportunity to obtain detailed information on the activity profile in lacrosse. Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the activity profile of lacrosse match-play using microtechnology. Activity profile variables assessed relative to minutes of playing time included relative distance (meter per minute), distance spent standing (0-0.1 m·min), walking (0.2-1.7 m·min), jogging (1.8-3.2 m·min), running (3.3-5.6 m·min), sprinting (≥5.7 m·min), number of high, moderate, low accelerations and decelerations, and player load (PL per minute), calculated as the square root of the sum of the squared instantaneous rate of change in acceleration in 3 vectors (medio-lateral, anterior-posterior, and vertical). Activity was recorded from 14 lacrosse players over 4 matches during a national tournament. Players were separated into positions of attack, midfield, or defense. Differences (effect size [ES] ± 90% confidence interval) between positions and periods of play were considered likely positive when there was ≥75% likelihood of the difference exceeding an ES threshold of 0.2. Midfielders had likely covered higher (mean ± SD) meters per minute (100 ± 11) compared with attackers (87 ± 14; ES = 0.89 ± 1.04) and defenders (79 ± 14; ES = 1.54 ± 0.94) and more moderate and high accelerations and decelerations. Almost all variables across positions were reduced in quarter 4 compared with quarter 1. Coaches should accommodate for positional differences when preparing lacrosse players for competition.

The role of organizational context and individual nurse characteristics in explaining variation in use of information technologies in evidence based practice

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background There is growing awareness of the role of information technology in evidence-based practice. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of organizational context and nurse characteristics in explaining variation in nurses’ use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile Tablet PCs for accessing evidence-based information. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) model provided the framework for studying the impact of providing nurses with PDA-supported, evidence-based practice resources, and for studying the organizational, technological, and human resource variables that impact nurses’ use patterns. Methods A survey design was used, involving baseline and follow-up questionnaires. The setting included 24 organizations representing three sectors: hospitals, long-term care (LTC) facilities, and community organizations (home care and public health). The sample consisted of 710 participants (response rate 58%) at Time 1, and 469 for whom both Time 1 and Time 2 follow-up data were obtained (response rate 66%). A hierarchical regression model (HLM) was used to evaluate the effect of predictors from all levels simultaneously. Results The Chi square result indicated PDA users reported using their device more frequently than Tablet PC users (p = 0.001). Frequency of device use was explained by ‘breadth of device functions’ and PDA versus Tablet PC. Frequency of Best Practice Guideline use was explained by ‘willingness to implement research,’ ‘structural and electronic resources,’ ‘organizational slack time,’ ‘breadth of device functions’ (positive effects), and ‘slack staff’ (negative effect). Frequency of Nursing Plus database use was explained by ‘culture,’ ‘structural and electronic resources,’ and ‘breadth of device functions’ (positive effects), and ‘slack staff’ (negative). ‘Organizational culture’ (positive), ‘breadth of device functions’ (positive), and ‘slack staff ‘(negative) were associated with frequency of Lexi/PEPID drug dictionary use. Conclusion Access to PDAs and Tablet PCs supported nurses’ self-reported use of information resources. Several of the organizational context variables and one individual nurse variable explained variation in the frequency of information resource use. PMID:23276201

Architecture for Multi-Technology Real-Time Location Systems

PubMed Central

Rodas, Javier; Barral, Valentín; Escudero, Carlos J.

2013-01-01

The rising popularity of location-based services has prompted considerable research in the field of indoor location systems. Since there is no single technology to support these systems, it is necessary to consider the fusion of the information coming from heterogeneous sensors. This paper presents a software architecture designed for a hybrid location system where we can merge information from multiple sensor technologies. The architecture was designed to be used by different kinds of actors independently and with mutual transparency: hardware administrators, algorithm developers and user applications. The paper presents the architecture design, work-flow, case study examples and some results to show how different technologies can be exploited to obtain a good estimation of a target position. PMID:23435050

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pepper S. E.; Carbonaro J.; Hoffheins, B

The U.S. Support Program to IAEA Safeguards (USSP) has funded more than 25 Junior Professional Officer (JPO) positions in the IAEA Department of Safeguards since 2005. JPOs are college graduates with zero to two years’ work experience who work alongside experienced IAEA staff members for one to two years and assist with basic, yet essential work while obtaining valuable experience. They contribute to equipment development, testing, integration, open source information collection and analysis, and software and database development. This paper will study the trends in career progression for the JPOs who have completed assignments with the IAEA in the Departmentmore » of Safeguards. Brookhaven National Laboratory, in its role in managing the USSP, has compiled information that can be analyzed for this purpose.« less

Vibrational spectra and structure of some penicillin derivatives. Part III. Amphicillin and carboxybenzylpenicillin

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dziegielewski, J.; Hanuza, J.; Jezowska-Trzebiatowska, B.

IR spectra of sodium salts and acids of amphicillin and carboxybenzlpenicillin were investigated in the solid state over the 100-200 cm/ sup -1/ region. Interpretation of the spectra and band assignments was made on the basis of both frequency shifts caused by deuteration and the information on penicillin-like antibiotics from previous studies. The molecular configuration of such a type of antibiotics was suggested, based on the position of characteristic amide and carbonyl bands. Lactam-thiazolidine skeleton vibrations are identified and located. The information obtained will be used in studies on ir spectra of the gamma radiolysis products resulting from lactam-thiazolidine antibioticsmore » to define the radiolysis products and the mechanism of decomposition. (auth)« less

Quantifying Forearm Muscle Activity during Wrist and Finger Movements by Means of Multi-Channel Electromyography

PubMed Central

Gazzoni, Marco; Celadon, Nicolò; Mastrapasqua, Davide; Paleari, Marco; Margaria, Valentina; Ariano, Paolo

2014-01-01

The study of hand and finger movement is an important topic with applications in prosthetics, rehabilitation, and ergonomics. Surface electromyography (sEMG) is the gold standard for the analysis of muscle activation. Previous studies investigated the optimal electrode number and positioning on the forearm to obtain information representative of muscle activation and robust to movements. However, the sEMG spatial distribution on the forearm during hand and finger movements and its changes due to different hand positions has never been quantified. The aim of this work is to quantify 1) the spatial localization of surface EMG activity of distinct forearm muscles during dynamic free movements of wrist and single fingers and 2) the effect of hand position on sEMG activity distribution. The subjects performed cyclic dynamic tasks involving the wrist and the fingers. The wrist tasks and the hand opening/closing task were performed with the hand in prone and neutral positions. A sensorized glove was used for kinematics recording. sEMG signals were acquired from the forearm muscles using a grid of 112 electrodes integrated into a stretchable textile sleeve. The areas of sEMG activity have been identified by a segmentation technique after a data dimensionality reduction step based on Non Negative Matrix Factorization applied to the EMG envelopes. The results show that 1) it is possible to identify distinct areas of sEMG activity on the forearm for different fingers; 2) hand position influences sEMG activity level and spatial distribution. This work gives new quantitative information about sEMG activity distribution on the forearm in healthy subjects and provides a basis for future works on the identification of optimal electrode configuration for sEMG based control of prostheses, exoskeletons, or orthoses. An example of use of this information for the optimization of the detection system for the estimation of joint kinematics from sEMG is reported. PMID:25289669

Design and application of pulse information acquisition and analysis system with dynamic recognition in traditional Chinese medicine.

PubMed

Zhang, Jian; Niu, Xin; Yang, Xue-zhi; Zhu, Qing-wen; Li, Hai-yan; Wang, Xuan; Zhang, Zhi-guo; Sha, Hong

2014-09-01

To design the pulse information which includes the parameter of pulse-position, pulse-number, pulse-shape and pulse-force acquisition and analysis system with function of dynamic recognition, and research the digitalization and visualization of some common cardiovascular mechanism of single pulse. To use some flexible sensors to catch the radial artery pressure pulse wave and utilize the high frequency B mode ultrasound scanning technology to synchronously obtain the information of radial extension and axial movement, by the way of dynamic images, then the gathered information was analyzed and processed together with ECG. Finally, the pulse information acquisition and analysis system was established which has the features of visualization and dynamic recognition, and it was applied to serve for ten healthy adults. The new system overcome the disadvantage of one-dimensional pulse information acquisition and process method which was common used in current research area of pulse diagnosis in traditional Chinese Medicine, initiated a new way of pulse diagnosis which has the new features of dynamic recognition, two-dimensional information acquisition, multiplex signals combination and deep data mining. The newly developed system could translate the pulse signals into digital, visual and measurable motion information of vessel.

Vehicle Position Estimation Based on Magnetic Markers: Enhanced Accuracy by Compensation of Time Delays.

PubMed

Byun, Yeun-Sub; Jeong, Rag-Gyo; Kang, Seok-Won

2015-11-13

The real-time recognition of absolute (or relative) position and orientation on a network of roads is a core technology for fully automated or driving-assisted vehicles. This paper presents an empirical investigation of the design, implementation, and evaluation of a self-positioning system based on a magnetic marker reference sensing method for an autonomous vehicle. Specifically, the estimation accuracy of the magnetic sensing ruler (MSR) in the up-to-date estimation of the actual position was successfully enhanced by compensating for time delays in signal processing when detecting the vertical magnetic field (VMF) in an array of signals. In this study, the signal processing scheme was developed to minimize the effects of the distortion of measured signals when estimating the relative positional information based on magnetic signals obtained using the MSR. In other words, the center point in a 2D magnetic field contour plot corresponding to the actual position of magnetic markers was estimated by tracking the errors between pre-defined reference models and measured magnetic signals. The algorithm proposed in this study was validated by experimental measurements using a test vehicle on a pilot network of roads. From the results, the positioning error was found to be less than 0.04 m on average in an operational test.

Vehicle Position Estimation Based on Magnetic Markers: Enhanced Accuracy by Compensation of Time Delays

PubMed Central

Byun, Yeun-Sub; Jeong, Rag-Gyo; Kang, Seok-Won

2015-01-01

The real-time recognition of absolute (or relative) position and orientation on a network of roads is a core technology for fully automated or driving-assisted vehicles. This paper presents an empirical investigation of the design, implementation, and evaluation of a self-positioning system based on a magnetic marker reference sensing method for an autonomous vehicle. Specifically, the estimation accuracy of the magnetic sensing ruler (MSR) in the up-to-date estimation of the actual position was successfully enhanced by compensating for time delays in signal processing when detecting the vertical magnetic field (VMF) in an array of signals. In this study, the signal processing scheme was developed to minimize the effects of the distortion of measured signals when estimating the relative positional information based on magnetic signals obtained using the MSR. In other words, the center point in a 2D magnetic field contour plot corresponding to the actual position of magnetic markers was estimated by tracking the errors between pre-defined reference models and measured magnetic signals. The algorithm proposed in this study was validated by experimental measurements using a test vehicle on a pilot network of roads. From the results, the positioning error was found to be less than 0.04 m on average in an operational test. PMID:26580622

Modelling Single Tree Structure with Terrestrial Laser Scanner

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yurtseven, H.; Akgül, M.; Gülci, S.

2017-11-01

Recent technological developments, which has reliable accuracy and quality for all engineering works, such as remote sensing tools have wide range use in forestry applications. Last decade, sustainable use and management opportunities of forest resources are favorite topics. Thus, precision of obtained data plays an important role in evaluation of current status of forests' value. The use of aerial and terrestrial laser technology has more reliable and effective models to advance the appropriate natural resource management. This study investigates the use of terrestrial laser scanner (TLS) technology in forestry, and also the methodological data processing stages for tree volume extraction is explained. Z+F Imager 5010C TLS system was used for measure single tree information such as tree height, diameter of breast height, branch volume and canopy closure. In this context more detailed and accurate data can be obtained than conventional inventory sampling in forestry by using TLS systems. However the accuracy of obtained data is up to the experiences of TLS operator in the field. Number of scan stations and its positions are other important factors to reduce noise effect and accurate 3D modelling. The results indicated that the use of point cloud data to extract tree information for forestry applications are promising methodology for precision forestry.

Electron Spin Relaxation Rates for High-Spin Fe(III) in Iron Transferrin Carbonate and Iron Transferrin Oxalate

PubMed Central

Gaffney, Betty Jean; Eaton, Gareth R.; Eaton*, Sandra S.

2005-01-01

To optimize simulations of CW EPR spectra for high-spin Fe(III) with zero-field splitting comparable to the EPR quantum, information is needed on the factors that contribute to the line shapes and line widths. Continuous wave electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectra obtained for iron transferrin carbonate from 4 to 150 K and for iron transferrin oxalate from 4 to 100 K did not exhibit significant temperature dependence of the line shape, which suggested that the line shapes were not relaxation determined. To obtain direct information concerning the electron spin relaxation rates, electron spin echo and inversion recovery EPR were used to measure T1 and Tm for the high-spin Fe(III) in iron transferrin carbonate and iron transferrin oxalate between 5 and 20–30 K. For comparison with the data for the transferrin complexes, relaxation times were obtained for tris(oxalato)ferrate(III). The relaxation rates are similar for the three complexes and do not exhibit a strong dependence on position in the spectrum. Extrapolation of the observed temperature dependence of the relaxation rates to higher temperatures gives values consistent with the conclusion that the CW line shapes are not relaxation determined up to 150 K. PMID:16429607

21 CFR 20.109 - Data and information obtained by contract.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 21 Food and Drugs 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Data and information obtained by contract. 20.109... GENERAL PUBLIC INFORMATION Availability of Specific Categories of Records § 20.109 Data and information obtained by contract. (a) All data and information obtained by the Food and Drug Administration by contract...

Exploring Factors Influencing Smokers' Information Seeking for Smoking Cessation.

PubMed

Noh, Ghee-Young; Lee, Sun Young; Choi, Jounghwa

2016-08-01

This study addressed the factors influencing smokers' information seeking pertaining to the health risks of smoking. In particular, this study aimed to extend the risk information seeking and processing model by taking into account the role of autonomous motivations used to stimulate smokers' information-seeking behavior. The results of a Web-based survey indicated that information insufficiency was positively associated with health information-seeking behavior and that negative affective responses were positively associated with information insufficiency and health information-seeking behavior. In addition, autonomous motivations were positively associated with information insufficiency and information-seeking behavior. The results indicated that risk perception was positively related to autonomous motivations and negative affective response. Finally, informational subjective norm was positively related to autonomous motivations and negative affective responses. The implications of this study for future research are discussed.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, B.A.; Heiserman, J.E.; Drayer, B.P.

To determine the contribution of cranial MR angiography (MRA) for the evaluation of patients with acute and subacute brain infarction. MR and MRA studies performed on 78 adult patients with acute and subacute stroke were retrospectively reviewed and correlated with the clinical records. There were 50 acute and 28 subacute infarctions in our series. Five of 78 MRA exams (6%) were nondiagnostic. Sixty examinations (80%) were positive for stenosis or occlusion. The distribution of stenotic or occlusive vascular lesions correlated with the location of infarction in 56 of the 60 positive cases (93%). MRA provided information not obtained from themore » MR images in 40 cases (55%). One hundred four individual vessels in 8 patients who underwent conventional cerebral angiography were compared with the MRA appearance. The MRA interpretations correlated with the conventional angiographic evaluations for 90 vessels (87%). Vascular lesions demonstrated on intracranial MRA show a high correlation with infarct distribution. MRA provides information adjunctive to conventional MR in a majority of cases. We conclude that MRA is an important component of the complete evaluation of brain infarction. 39 refs., 3 figs., 2 tabs.« less

Automated Point Cloud Correspondence Detection for Underwater Mapping Using AUVs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hammond, Marcus; Clark, Ashley; Mahajan, Aditya; Sharma, Sumant; Rock, Stephen

2015-01-01

An algorithm for automating correspondence detection between point clouds composed of multibeam sonar data is presented. This allows accurate initialization for point cloud alignment techniques even in cases where accurate inertial navigation is not available, such as iceberg profiling or vehicles with low-grade inertial navigation systems. Techniques from computer vision literature are used to extract, label, and match keypoints between "pseudo-images" generated from these point clouds. Image matches are refined using RANSAC and information about the vehicle trajectory. The resulting correspondences can be used to initialize an iterative closest point (ICP) registration algorithm to estimate accumulated navigation error and aid in the creation of accurate, self-consistent maps. The results presented use multibeam sonar data obtained from multiple overlapping passes of an underwater canyon in Monterey Bay, California. Using strict matching criteria, the method detects 23 between-swath correspondence events in a set of 155 pseudo-images with zero false positives. Using less conservative matching criteria doubles the number of matches but introduces several false positive matches as well. Heuristics based on known vehicle trajectory information are used to eliminate these.

Sensor management in RADAR/IRST track fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hu, Shi-qiang; Jing, Zhong-liang

2004-07-01

In this paper, a novel radar management strategy technique suitable for RADAR/IRST track fusion, which is based on Fisher Information Matrix (FIM) and fuzzy stochastic decision approach, is put forward. Firstly, optimal radar measurements' scheduling is obtained by the method of maximizing determinant of the Fisher information matrix of radar and IRST measurements, which is managed by the expert system. Then, suggested a "pseudo sensor" to predict the possible target position using the polynomial method based on the radar and IRST measurements, using "pseudo sensor" model to estimate the target position even if the radar is turned off. At last, based on the tracking performance and the state of target maneuver, fuzzy stochastic decision is used to adjust the optimal radar scheduling and retrieve the module parameter of "pseudo sensor". The experiment result indicates that the algorithm can not only limit Radar activity effectively but also keep the tracking accuracy of active/passive system well. And this algorithm eliminates the drawback of traditional Radar management methods that the Radar activity is fixed and not easy to control and protect.

Prenatal Testing for Adult-Onset Conditions: the Position of the National Society of Genetic Counselors.

PubMed

Hercher, Laura; Uhlmann, Wendy R; Hoffman, Erin P; Gustafson, Shanna; Chen, Kelly M

2016-12-01

Advances in genetic testing and the availability of such testing in pregnancy allows prospective parents to test their future child for adult-onset conditions. This ability raises several complex ethical issues. Prospective parents have reproductive rights to obtain information about their fetus. This information may or may not alter pregnancy management. These rights can be in conflict with the rights of the future individual, who will be denied the right to elect or decline testing. This paper highlights the complexity of these issues, details discussions that went into the National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC) Public Policy Task Force's development of the Prenatal testing for Adult-Onset Conditions position statement adopted in November 2014, and cites relevant literature on this topic through December 2015. Issues addressed include parental rights and autonomy, rights of the future child, the right not to know, possible adverse effects on childhood and the need for genetic counseling. This paper will serve as a reference to genetic counselors and healthcare professionals when faced with this situation in clinical practice.

Quark orbital dynamics in the proton from lattice QCD: From Ji to Jaffe-Manohar orbital angular momentum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engelhardt, M.

2017-05-01

Given a Wigner distribution simultaneously characterizing quark transverse positions and momenta in a proton, one can directly evaluate their cross product, i.e., quark orbital angular momentum. The aforementioned distribution can be obtained by generalizing the proton matrix elements of quark bilocal operators which define transverse momentum-dependent parton distributions (TMDs); the transverse momentum information is supplemented with transverse position information by introducing an additional nonzero momentum transfer. A gauge connection between the quarks must be specified in the quark bilocal operators; the staple-shaped gauge link path used in TMD calculations yields the Jaffe-Manohar definition of orbital angular momentum, whereas a straight path yields the Ji definition. An exploratory lattice calculation, performed at the pion mass mπ=518 MeV , is presented which quasicontinuously interpolates between the two definitions and demonstrates that their difference can be clearly resolved. The resulting Ji orbital angular momentum is confronted with traditional evaluations based on Ji's sum rule. Jaffe-Manohar orbital angular momentum is enhanced in magnitude compared to its Ji counterpart.

A treatment program for individuals with deficient evaluative processing and consequent impaired social and risk judgement.

PubMed

Park, Norman W; Conrod, Brian; Hussain, Zahra; Murphy, Kelly J; Rewilak, Dmytro; Black, Sandra E

2003-01-01

The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a rehabilitation program developed to assist individuals such as AM who have impaired social and risk judgement. AM's difficulties developed after a severe traumatic brain injury that resulted in bilateral frontal and temporal lobe damage including damage to the amygdala. Previous work (Park et al., 2001) established that AM had impaired automatic processing of negative, but not positive evaluative information, and relatively spared processing of both types of evaluative information when using controlled or strategic processing. In the Strategic Evaluation of Alternatives (SEA) treatment program, AM was trained to compensate for his impairments by explicitly retrieving positive and negative attributes associated with potential actions prior to performing them. The SEA treatment focused specifically on improving AM's ability to obtain financial compensation for his work-related activities. Results showed improved performance on work-related activities and evidence of generalization. Analyses suggested that the process underlying improved performance was compensatory rather than restorative in nature. We discuss the implications of these results for the development of rehabilitation treatment for patients with impaired social and risk judgement.

Global positioning system survey data for active seismic and volcanic areas of eastern Sicily, 1994 to 2013

PubMed Central

Bonforte, Alessandro; Fagone, Sonia; Giardina, Carmelo; Genovese, Simone; Aiesi, Gianpiero; Calvagna, Francesco; Cantarero, Massimo; Consoli, Orazio; Consoli, Salvatore; Guglielmino, Francesco; Puglisi, Biagio; Puglisi, Giuseppe; Saraceno, Benedetto

2016-01-01

This work presents and describes a 20-year long database of GPS data collected by geodetic surveys over the seismically and volcanically active eastern Sicily, for a total of more than 6300 measurements. Raw data were initially collected from the various archives at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Catania—Osservatorio Etneo and organized in a single repository. Here, quality and completeness checks were performed, while all necessary supplementary information were searched, collected, validated and organized together with the relevant data. Once all data and information collections were completed, raw binary data were converted into the universal ASCII RINEX format; all data are provided in this format with the necessary information for precise processing. In order to make the data archive readily consultable, we developed software allowing the user to easily search and obtain the needed data by simple alphanumeric and geographic queries. PMID:27479914

Global positioning system survey data for active seismic and volcanic areas of eastern Sicily, 1994 to 2013.

PubMed

Bonforte, Alessandro; Fagone, Sonia; Giardina, Carmelo; Genovese, Simone; Aiesi, Gianpiero; Calvagna, Francesco; Cantarero, Massimo; Consoli, Orazio; Consoli, Salvatore; Guglielmino, Francesco; Puglisi, Biagio; Puglisi, Giuseppe; Saraceno, Benedetto

2016-08-01

This work presents and describes a 20-year long database of GPS data collected by geodetic surveys over the seismically and volcanically active eastern Sicily, for a total of more than 6300 measurements. Raw data were initially collected from the various archives at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Sezione di Catania-Osservatorio Etneo and organized in a single repository. Here, quality and completeness checks were performed, while all necessary supplementary information were searched, collected, validated and organized together with the relevant data. Once all data and information collections were completed, raw binary data were converted into the universal ASCII RINEX format; all data are provided in this format with the necessary information for precise processing. In order to make the data archive readily consultable, we developed software allowing the user to easily search and obtain the needed data by simple alphanumeric and geographic queries.

Nuclear surface diffuseness revealed in nucleon-nucleus diffraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hatakeyama, S.; Horiuchi, W.; Kohama, A.

2018-05-01

The nuclear surface provides useful information on nuclear radius, nuclear structure, as well as properties of nuclear matter. We discuss the relationship between the nuclear surface diffuseness and elastic scattering differential cross section at the first diffraction peak of high-energy nucleon-nucleus scattering as an efficient tool in order to extract the nuclear surface information from limited experimental data involving short-lived unstable nuclei. The high-energy reaction is described by a reliable microscopic reaction theory, the Glauber model. Extending the idea of the black sphere model, we find one-to-one correspondence between the nuclear bulk structure information and proton-nucleus elastic scattering diffraction peak. This implies that we can extract both the nuclear radius and diffuseness simultaneously, using the position of the first diffraction peak and its magnitude of the elastic scattering differential cross section. We confirm the reliability of this approach by using realistic density distributions obtained by a mean-field model.

Discovery and first models of the quadruply lensed quasar SDSS J1433+6007

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agnello, Adriano; Grillo, Claudio; Jones, Tucker; Treu, Tommaso; Bonamigo, Mario; Suyu, Sherry H.

2018-03-01

We report the discovery of the quadruply lensed quasar SDSS J1433+6007 (RA = 14:33:22.8, Dec. = +60:07:13.44), mined in the SDSS DR12 photometric catalogues using a novel outlier-selection technique, without prior spectroscopic or ultraviolet excess information. Discovery data obtained at the Nordic Optical Telescope (La Palma) show nearly identical quasar spectra at zs = 2.737 ± 0.003 and four quasar images in a fold configuration, one of which sits on a blue arc, with maximum separation 3.6 arcsec. The deflector redshift is zl = 0.407 ± 0.002, from Keck-ESI spectra. We describe the selection procedure, discovery and follow-up, image positions and BVRi magnitudes, and first results and forecasts from lens model fit to the relative image positions.

Identifying and collecting pertinent medical records for centralized abstraction in a multi-center randomized clinical trial: the model used by the American College of Radiology arm of the National Lung Screening Trial.

PubMed

Gareen, Ilana F; Sicks, JoRean D; Jain, Amanda Adams; Moline, Denise; Coffman-Kadish, Nancy

2013-01-01

In clinical trials and epidemiologic studies, information on medical care utilization and health outcomes is often obtained from medical records. For multi-center studies, this information may be gathered by personnel at individual sites or by staff at a central coordinating center. We describe the process used to develop a HIPAA-compliant centralized process to collect medical record information for a large multi-center cancer screening trial. The framework used to select, request, and track medical records incorporated a participant questionnaire with unique identifiers for each medical provider. De-identified information from the questionnaires was sent to the coordinating center indexed by these identifiers. The central coordinating center selected specific medical providers for abstraction and notified sites using these identifiers. The site personnel then linked the identifiers with medical provider information. Staff at the sites collected medical records and provided them for central abstraction. Medical records were successfully obtained and abstracted to ascertain information on outcomes and health care utilization in a study with over 18,000 study participants. Collection of records required for outcomes related to positive screening examinations and lung cancer diagnosis exceeded 90%. Collection of records for all aims was 87.32%. We designed a successful centralized medical record abstraction process that may be generalized to other research settings, including observational studies. The coordinating center received no identifying data. The process satisfied requirements imposed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and concerns of site institutional review boards with respect to protected health information. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identifying and collecting pertinent medical records for centralized abstraction in a multi-center randomized clinical trial: The model used by the American College of Radiology arm of the National Lung Screening Trial

PubMed Central

Gareen, Ilana F.; Sicks, JoRean; Adams, Amanda; Moline, Denise; Coffman-Kadish, Nancy

2012-01-01

Background In clinical trials and epidemiologic studies, information on medical care utilization and health outcomes is often obtained from medical records. For multi-center studies, this information may be gathered by personnel at individual sites or by staff at a central coordinating center. We describe the process used to develop a HIPAA-compliant centralized process to collect medical record information for a large multi-center cancer screening trial. Methods The framework used to select, request, and track medical records incorporated a participant questionnaire with unique identifiers for each medical provider. De-identified information from the questionnaires was sent to the coordinating center indexed by these identifiers. The central coordinating center selected specific medical providers for abstraction and notified sites using these identifiers. The site personnel then linked the identifiers with medical provider information. Staff at the sites collected medical records and provided them for central abstraction. Results Medical records were successfully obtained and abstracted to ascertain information on outcomes and health care utilization in a study with over 18,000 study participants. Collection of records required for outcomes related to positive screening examinations and lung cancer diagnosis exceeded 90%. Collection of records for all aims was 87.32%. Conclusions We designed a successful centralized medical record abstraction process that may be generalized to other research settings, including observational studies. The coordinating center received no identifying data. The process satisfied requirements imposed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act and concerns of site institutional review boards with respect to protected health information. PMID:22982342

Marketing information system online design for craftsmen small medium enterprises (case study: craftsmen ac)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fitriana, Rina; Kurniawan, Wawan; Barlianto, Anung; Adriansyah Putra, Rizki

2016-02-01

AC is small and medium enterprises which is engaged in the field of crafts. This SME (Small Medium Enterprise) didn't have an integrated information system for managing sales. This research aims to design a marketing Information system online as applications that built as web base. The integrated system is made to manage sales and expand its market share. This study uses a structured analysis and design in its approach to build systems and also implemented a marketing framework of STP (Segmentation, Targeting, Positioning) and 4P (Price, Product, Place, Promotion) to obtain market analysis. The main market target customer craftsmen AC is women aged 13 years to 35 years. The products produced by AC are shoes, brooch, that are typical of the archipelago. The prices is range from Rp. 2000 until Rp. 400.000. Marketing information system online can be used as a sales transaction document, promoting the goods, and for customer booking products.

DDRprot: a database of DNA damage response-related proteins.

PubMed

Andrés-León, Eduardo; Cases, Ildefonso; Arcas, Aida; Rojas, Ana M

2016-01-01

The DNA Damage Response (DDR) signalling network is an essential system that protects the genome's integrity. The DDRprot database presented here is a resource that integrates manually curated information on the human DDR network and its sub-pathways. For each particular DDR protein, we present detailed information about its function. If involved in post-translational modifications (PTMs) with each other, we depict the position of the modified residue/s in the three-dimensional structures, when resolved structures are available for the proteins. All this information is linked to the original publication from where it was obtained. Phylogenetic information is also shown, including time of emergence and conservation across 47 selected species, family trees and sequence alignments of homologues. The DDRprot database can be queried by different criteria: pathways, species, evolutionary age or involvement in (PTM). Sequence searches using hidden Markov models can be also used.Database URL: http://ddr.cbbio.es. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press.

[Evaluation of an educational website on First Aid].

PubMed

Mori, Satomi; Whitaker, Iveth Yamaguchi; Marin, Heimar de Fátima

2013-08-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate the structure, quality of information and usability of a website on First Aid. The evaluation was performed by information technology (IT) and health care professionals and by students, using specific and validated instruments. The kappa method was used to evaluate the agreement of the answers, and Cronbach's α coefficient was used to assess the reliability of the instrument. There was no agreement (0.047) among the answers obtained from the IT professionals, indicating that the structure of the website must be reviewed. There was also no agreement in the evaluation by the health care professionals (-0.062); however, the overall positive scores suggest that the quality of the information of the website is adequate. The assessment of reliability of the instrument to evaluate the navigability rendered a value of α=0.974. Although improvement of the website structure is recommended, the quality of the information is good, and its use has contributed to the apprenticeship of students.

Does positivity operate when the stakes are high? Health status and decision making among older adults.

PubMed

English, Tammy; Carstensen, Laura L

2015-06-01

Research and theory suggest that emotional goals are increasingly prioritized with age. Related empirical work has shown that, compared with younger adults, older adults attend to and remember positive information more than negative information. This age-related positivity effect has been eliminated in experiments that have explicitly demanded processing of both positive and negative information. In the present study, we explored whether a reduction of the preference for positive information over negative information appears when the material being reviewed holds personal relevance for the individual. Older participants whose health varied from poor to very good reviewed written material prior to making decisions about health related and non-health-related issues. As predicted, older adults in relatively poor health (compared with those in relatively good health) showed less positivity in review of information while making health-related decisions. In contrast, positivity emerged regardless of health status for decisions that were unrelated to health. Across decision contexts, those individuals who focused more on positive information than negative information reported better postdecisional mood and greater decision satisfaction. Results are consistent with the theoretical argument that the age-related positivity effect reflects goal-directed cognitive processing and, furthermore, suggests that personal relevance and contextual factors determine whether positivity emerges. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

Does Positivity Operate When the Stakes are High?: Health Status and Decision-Making Among Older Adults

PubMed Central

English, Tammy; Carstensen, Laura L.

2015-01-01

Research and theory suggest that emotional goals are increasingly prioritized with age. Related empirical work has shown that, compared to younger adults, older adults attend to and remember positive information more than negative information. This age-related positivity effect has been eliminated in experiments that have explicitly demanded processing of both positive and negative information. In the present study, we explored whether a reduction of the preference for positive information over negative information appears when the material being reviewed holds personal relevance for the individual. Older participants whose health varied from poor to very good reviewed written material prior to making decisions about health related and non-health related issues. As predicted, older adults in relatively poor health (compared with those in relatively good health) showed less positivity in review of information while making health-related decisions. In contrast, positivity emerged regardless of health status for decisions that were unrelated to health. Across decision contexts, those individuals who focused more on positive information than negative information reported better post-decisional mood and greater decision satisfaction. Results are consistent with the theoretical argument that the age-related positivity effect reflects goal-directed cognitive processing and, furthermore, suggests that personal relevance and contextual factors determine whether or not positivity emerges. PMID:25894484

Chemical patterning on preformed porous silicon photonic crystals: towards multiplex detection of protease activity at precise positions†Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: SEM images, XPS result and more optical reflectivity data. See DOI: 10.1039/c4tb00281dClick here for additional data file.

PubMed

Zhu, Ying; Soeriyadi, Alexander H; Parker, Stephen G; Reece, Peter J; Gooding, J Justin

2014-06-21

Porous silicon (PSi) rugate filters modified with alkyne-terminated monolayers were chemically patterned using a combination of photolithography of photoresist and click chemistry. Two chemical functionalities were obtained by conjugating, via click reactions, ethylene glycol moieties containing two different terminal groups to discrete areas towards the exterior of a PSi rugate filter. The patterning of biological species to the functionalized surface was demonstrated through the conjugation of fluorescein isothiocyanate labelled bovine serum albumin (FITC-BSA). Fluorescence microscopy showed selective positioning of FITC-BSA at discretely functionalized areas. Meanwhile, the optical information from precisely defined positions on the patterned surface was monitored by optical reflectivity measurements. The optical measurements revealed successful step-wise chemical functionalization followed by immobilization of gelatin. Multiplex detection of protease activity from different array elements on the patterned surface was demonstrated by monitoring the blue shifts in the reflectivity spectra resulted from the digestion of gelatin by subtilisin. Precise information from both individual elements and average population was acquired. This technique is important for the development of PSi into a microarray platform for highly parallel biosensing applications, especially for cell-based assays.

Healthy Aging Promotion through Neuroscientific Information-Based Strategies.

PubMed

Seinfeld, Sofia; Sanchez-Vives, Maria V

2015-09-28

To ensure the well-being of a rapidly growing elderly population, it is fundamental to find strategies to foster healthy brain aging. With this intention, we designed a program of scientific-based lectures aimed at dissemination by established neuroscientists about brain function, brain plasticity and how lifestyle influences the brain. We also carried out a pilot study on the impact of the lectures on attendees. The objective was to provide information to elderly people in order to encourage them to identify unhealthy and healthy daily habits, and more importantly, to promote behavioral changes towards healthy brain aging. Here we report on our experience. In order to determine the impact of the lectures in the daily routine of the attendees, we asked them to fill out questionnaires. Preliminary results indicate that neuroscientific information-based strategies can be a useful method to have a positive impact on the lives of elderly, increase their awareness on how to improve brain function and promote positive lifestyle modifications. Furthermore, based on self-reported data, we also found that through this strategy it is possible to promote behavioral changes related to nutrition, sleep, and realization of physical and cognitively stimulating activities. Finally, based on the results obtained, the importance of promoting self-efficacy and the empowerment of the older populations is highlighted.

A Probability-Based Algorithm Using Image Sensors to Track the LED in a Vehicle Visible Light Communication System.

PubMed

Huynh, Phat; Do, Trong-Hop; Yoo, Myungsik

2017-02-10

This paper proposes a probability-based algorithm to track the LED in vehicle visible light communication systems using a camera. In this system, the transmitters are the vehicles' front and rear LED lights. The receivers are high speed cameras that take a series of images of the LEDs. ThedataembeddedinthelightisextractedbyfirstdetectingthepositionoftheLEDsintheseimages. Traditionally, LEDs are detected according to pixel intensity. However, when the vehicle is moving, motion blur occurs in the LED images, making it difficult to detect the LEDs. Particularly at high speeds, some frames are blurred at a high degree, which makes it impossible to detect the LED as well as extract the information embedded in these frames. The proposed algorithm relies not only on the pixel intensity, but also on the optical flow of the LEDs and on statistical information obtained from previous frames. Based on this information, the conditional probability that a pixel belongs to a LED is calculated. Then, the position of LED is determined based on this probability. To verify the suitability of the proposed algorithm, simulations are conducted by considering the incidents that can happen in a real-world situation, including a change in the position of the LEDs at each frame, as well as motion blur due to the vehicle speed.

Healthy Aging Promotion through Neuroscientific Information-Based Strategies

PubMed Central

Seinfeld, Sofia; Sanchez-Vives, Maria V.

2015-01-01

To ensure the well-being of a rapidly growing elderly population, it is fundamental to find strategies to foster healthy brain aging. With this intention, we designed a program of scientific-based lectures aimed at dissemination by established neuroscientists about brain function, brain plasticity and how lifestyle influences the brain. We also carried out a pilot study on the impact of the lectures on attendees. The objective was to provide information to elderly people in order to encourage them to identify unhealthy and healthy daily habits, and more importantly, to promote behavioral changes towards healthy brain aging. Here we report on our experience. In order to determine the impact of the lectures in the daily routine of the attendees, we asked them to fill out questionnaires. Preliminary results indicate that neuroscientific information-based strategies can be a useful method to have a positive impact on the lives of elderly, increase their awareness on how to improve brain function and promote positive lifestyle modifications. Furthermore, based on self-reported data, we also found that through this strategy it is possible to promote behavioral changes related to nutrition, sleep, and realization of physical and cognitively stimulating activities. Finally, based on the results obtained, the importance of promoting self-efficacy and the empowerment of the older populations is highlighted. PMID:26426029