Development of a Computer-Aided Diagnosis System for Early Detection of Masses Using Retrospectively Detected Cancers on Prior Mammograms

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

Hadjiiski, and N. Petrick, "Computerized nipple identification for multiple image analysis in computer-aided diagnosis," Medical Physics 31, 2871...candidates, 3 identification of suspicious objects, 4 feature extraction and analysis, and 5 FP reduc- tion by classification of normal tissue...detection of microcalcifi- cations on digitized mammograms.41 An illustration of a La- placian decomposition tree is shown on the left-hand side of Fig. 4

Kalman filter-based tracking of moving objects using linear ultrasonic sensor array for road vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Shengbo Eben; Li, Guofa; Yu, Jiaying; Liu, Chang; Cheng, Bo; Wang, Jianqiang; Li, Keqiang

2018-01-01

Detection and tracking of objects in the side-near-field has attracted much attention for the development of advanced driver assistance systems. This paper presents a cost-effective approach to track moving objects around vehicles using linearly arrayed ultrasonic sensors. To understand the detection characteristics of a single sensor, an empirical detection model was developed considering the shapes and surface materials of various detected objects. Eight sensors were arrayed linearly to expand the detection range for further application in traffic environment recognition. Two types of tracking algorithms, including an Extended Kalman filter (EKF) and an Unscented Kalman filter (UKF), for the sensor array were designed for dynamic object tracking. The ultrasonic sensor array was designed to have two types of fire sequences: mutual firing or serial firing. The effectiveness of the designed algorithms were verified in two typical driving scenarios: passing intersections with traffic sign poles or street lights, and overtaking another vehicle. Experimental results showed that both EKF and UKF had more precise tracking position and smaller RMSE (root mean square error) than a traditional triangular positioning method. The effectiveness also encourages the application of cost-effective ultrasonic sensors in the near-field environment perception in autonomous driving systems.

Familiar shapes attract attention in figure-ground displays.

PubMed

Nelson, Rolf A; Palmer, Stephen E

2007-04-01

We report five experiments that explore the effect of figure-ground factors on attention. We hypothesized that figural cues, such as familiar shape, would draw attention to the figural side in an attentional cuing task using bipartite figure-ground displays. The first two experiments used faces in profile as the familiar shape and found a perceptual advantage for targets presented on the meaningful side of the central contour in detection speed (Experiment 1) and discrimination accuracy (Experiment 2). The third experiment demonstrated the figural advantage in response time (RT) with nine other familiar shapes (including a sea horse, a guitar, a fir tree, etc.), but only when targets appeared in close proximity to the contour. A fourth experiment obtained a figural advantage in a discrimination task with the larger set of familiar shapes. The final experiment ruled out eye movements as a possible confounding factor by replicating the RT advantage for targets on the figural side of face displays when all trials containing eye movements were eliminated. The results are discussed in terms of ecological influences on attention, and are cast within the framework of Yantis and Jonides's hypothesis that attention is exogenously drawn to the onset of new perceptual objects. We argue that the figural side constitutes an "object" whereas the ground side does not, and that figural cues such as shape familiarity are effective in determining which areas represent objects.

The Effects of Compensatory Scanning Training on Mobility in Patients with Homonymous Visual Field Defects: Further Support, Predictive Variables and Follow-Up

PubMed Central

Melis-Dankers, Bart J. M.; Brouwer, Wiebo H.; Tucha, Oliver; Heutink, Joost

2016-01-01

Introduction People with homonymous visual field defects (HVFD) often report difficulty detecting obstacles in the periphery on their blind side in time when moving around. Recently, a randomized controlled trial showed that the InSight-Hemianopia Compensatory Scanning Training (IH-CST) specifically improved detection of peripheral stimuli and avoiding obstacles when moving around, especially in dual task situations. Method The within-group training effects of the previously reported IH-CST are examined in an extended patient group. Performance of patients with HVFD on a pre-assessment, post-assessment and follow-up assessment and performance of a healthy control group are compared. Furthermore, it is examined whether training effects can be predicted by demographic characteristics, variables related to the visual disorder, and neuropsychological test results. Results Performance on both subjective and objective measures of mobility-related scanning was improved after training, while no evidence was found for improvement in visual functions (including visual fields), reading, visual search and dot counting. Self-reported improvement did not correlate with improvement in objective mobility performance. According to the participants, the positive effects were still present six to ten months after training. No demographic characteristics, variables related to the visual disorder, and neuropsychological test results were found to predict the size of training effect, although some inconclusive evidence was found for more improvement in patients with left-sided HVFD than in patients with right-sided HFVD. Conclusion Further support was found for a positive effect of IH-CST on detection of visual stimuli during mobility-related activities specifically. Based on the reports given by patients, these effects appear to be long-term effects. However, no conclusions can be drawn on the objective long-term training effects. PMID:27935973

A man-made object detection for underwater TV

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Binbin; Wang, Wenwu; Chen, Yao

2018-03-01

It is a great challenging task to complete an automatic search of objects underwater. Usually the forward looking sonar is used to find the target, and then the initial identification of the target is completed by the side-scan sonar, and finally the confirmation of the target is accomplished by underwater TV. This paper presents an efficient method for automatic extraction of man-made sensitive targets in underwater TV. Firstly, the image of underwater TV is simplified with taking full advantage of the prior knowledge of the target and the background; then template matching technology is used for target detection; finally the target is confirmed by extracting parallel lines on the target contour. The algorithm is formulated for real-time execution on limited-memory commercial-of-the-shelf platforms and is capable of detection objects in underwater TV.

Semi supervised Learning of Feature Hierarchies for Object Detection in a Video (Open Access)

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-10-03

dataset: PETS2009 Dataset, Oxford Town Center dataset [3], PNNL Parking Lot datasets [25] and CAVIAR cols1 dataset [1] for human detection. Be- sides, we...level features from TownCen- ter, ParkingLot, PETS09 and CAVIAR . As we can see that, the four set of features are visually very different from each other...information is more distinguished for detecting a person in the TownCen- ter than CAVIAR . Comparing figure 5(a) with 6(a), interest- ingly, the color

Shifting attention in viewer- and object-based reference frames after unilateral brain injury.

PubMed

List, Alexandra; Landau, Ayelet N; Brooks, Joseph L; Flevaris, Anastasia V; Fortenbaugh, Francesca C; Esterman, Michael; Van Vleet, Thomas M; Albrecht, Alice R; Alvarez, Bryan D; Robertson, Lynn C; Schendel, Krista

2011-06-01

The aims of the present study were to investigate the respective roles that object- and viewer-based reference frames play in reorienting visual attention, and to assess their influence after unilateral brain injury. To do so, we studied 16 right hemisphere injured (RHI) and 13 left hemisphere injured (LHI) patients. We used a cueing design that manipulates the location of cues and targets relative to a display comprised of two rectangles (i.e., objects). Unlike previous studies with patients, we presented all cues at midline rather than in the left or right visual fields. Thus, in the critical conditions in which targets were presented laterally, reorienting of attention was always from a midline cue. Performance was measured for lateralized target detection as a function of viewer-based (contra- and ipsilesional sides) and object-based (requiring reorienting within or between objects) reference frames. As expected, contralesional detection was slower than ipsilesional detection for the patients. More importantly, objects influenced target detection differently in the contralesional and ipsilesional fields. Contralesionally, reorienting to a target within the cued object took longer than reorienting to a target in the same location but in the uncued object. This finding is consistent with object-based neglect. Ipsilesionally, the means were in the opposite direction. Furthermore, no significant difference was found in object-based influences between the patient groups (RHI vs. LHI). These findings are discussed in the context of reference frames used in reorienting attention for target detection. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Nondestructive Concrete Characterization System

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-20

Army, locate steel reinforcing bars, and identify the presence of steel fiber reinforcement . The thickness of all sides of each concrete block was...concrete compressive strength within the accuracy required by the U.S. Army, locate steel reinforcing bars, and identify the presence of steel fiber ...tolerance of ±3 ksi. 3. Detect the presence of fiber reinforcement . 4. Locate and detect the presence and density (e.g. spacing) of metallic objects

Scientific Objectives of China Chang E 4 CE-4 Lunar Far-side Exploration Mission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hongbo; Zeng, Xingguo; Chen, Wangli

2017-10-01

China has achieved great success in the recently CE-1~CE-3 lunar missions, and in the year of 2018, China Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) is going to launch the CE-4 mission. CE-4 satellite is the backup satellite of CE-3, so that it also consists of a Lander and a Rover. However, CE-4 is the first mission designed to detect the far side of the Moon in human lunar exploration history. So the biggest difference between CE-4 and CE-3 is that it will be equipped with a relay satellite in Earth-Moon-L2 Point for Earth-Moon Communication. And the scientific payloads carried on the Lander and Rover will also be different. It has been announced by the Chinese government that CE-4 mission will be equipped with some new international cooperated scientific payloads, such as the Low Frequency Radio Detector from Holland, Lunar Neutron and Radiation Dose Detector from Germany, Neutral Atom Detector from Sweden, and Lunar Miniature Optical Imaging Sounder from Saudi Arabia. The main scientific objective of CE-4 is to provide scientific data for lunar far side research, including: 1)general spatial environmental study of lunar far side；2)general research on the surface, shallow layer and deep layer of lunar far side；3)detection of low frequency radio on lunar far side using Low Frequency Radio Detector, which would be the first time of using such frequency band in lunar exploration history .

Does visual working memory represent the predicted locations of future target objects? An event-related brain potential study.

PubMed

Grubert, Anna; Eimer, Martin

2015-11-11

During the maintenance of task-relevant objects in visual working memory, the contralateral delay activity (CDA) is elicited over the hemisphere opposite to the visual field where these objects are presented. The presence of this lateralised CDA component demonstrates the existence of position-dependent object representations in working memory. We employed a change detection task to investigate whether the represented object locations in visual working memory are shifted in preparation for the known location of upcoming comparison stimuli. On each trial, bilateral memory displays were followed after a delay period by bilateral test displays. Participants had to encode and maintain three visual objects on one side of the memory display, and to judge whether they were identical or different to three objects in the test display. Task-relevant memory and test stimuli were located in the same visual hemifield in the no-shift task, and on opposite sides in the horizontal shift task. CDA components of similar size were triggered contralateral to the memorized objects in both tasks. The absence of a polarity reversal of the CDA in the horizontal shift task demonstrated that there was no preparatory shift of memorized object location towards the side of the upcoming comparison stimuli. These results suggest that visual working memory represents the locations of visual objects during encoding, and that the matching of memorized and test objects at different locations is based on a comparison process that can bridge spatial translations between these objects. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Prediction and Attention. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Laser radiography forming bremsstrahlung radiation to image an object

DOEpatents

Perry, Michael D.; Sefcik, Joseph A.

2004-01-13

A method of imaging an object by generating laser pulses with a short-pulse, high-power laser. When the laser pulse strikes a conductive target, bremsstrahlung radiation is generated such that hard ballistic high-energy electrons are formed to penetrate an object. A detector on the opposite side of the object detects these electrons. Since laser pulses are used to form the hard x-rays, multiple pulses can be used to image an object in motion, such as an exploding or compressing object, by using time gated detectors. Furthermore, the laser pulses can be directed down different tubes using mirrors and filters so that each laser pulse will image a different portion of the object.

Novel X-ray backscatter technique for detection of dangerous materials: application to aviation and port security

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolkoori, S.; Wrobel, N.; Osterloh, K.; Zscherpel, U.; Ewert, U.

2013-09-01

Radiological inspections, in general, are the nondestructive testing (NDT) methods to detect the bulk of explosives in large objects. In contrast to personal luggage, cargo or building components constitute a complexity that may significantly hinder the detection of a threat by conventional X-ray transmission radiography. In this article, a novel X-ray backscatter technique is presented for detecting suspicious objects in a densely packed large object with only a single sided access. It consists of an X-ray backscatter camera with a special twisted slit collimator for imaging backscattering objects. The new X-ray backscatter camera is not only imaging the objects based on their densities but also by including the influences of surrounding objects. This unique feature of the X-ray backscatter camera provides new insights in identifying the internal features of the inspected object. Experimental mock-ups were designed imitating containers with threats among a complex packing as they may be encountered in reality. We investigated the dependence of the quality of the X-ray backscatter image on (a) the exposure time, (b) multiple exposures, (c) the distance between object and slit camera, and (d) the width of the slit. At the end, the significant advantages of the presented X-ray backscatter camera in the context of aviation and port security are discussed.

A simulation study of detection of weapon of mass destruction based on radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharifahmadian, E.; Choi, Y.; Latifi, S.

2013-05-01

Typical systems used for detection of Weapon of Mass Destruction (WMD) are based on sensing objects using gamma rays or neutrons. Nonetheless, depending on environmental conditions, current methods for detecting fissile materials have limited distance of effectiveness. Moreover, radiation related to gamma- rays can be easily shielded. Here, detecting concealed WMD from a distance is simulated and studied based on radar, especially WideBand (WB) technology. The WB-based method capitalizes on the fact that electromagnetic waves penetrate through different materials at different rates. While low-frequency waves can pass through objects more easily, high-frequency waves have a higher rate of absorption by objects, making the object recognition easier. Measuring the penetration depth allows one to identify the sensed material. During simulation, radar waves and propagation area including free space, and objects in the scene are modeled. In fact, each material is modeled as a layer with a certain thickness. At start of simulation, a modeled radar wave is radiated toward the layers. At the receiver side, based on the received signals from every layer, each layer can be identified. When an electromagnetic wave passes through an object, the wave's power will be subject to a certain level of attenuation depending of the object's characteristics. Simulation is performed using radar signals with different frequencies (ranges MHz-GHz) and powers to identify different layers.

Psychological Consequences of Abortion among the Post Abortion Care Seeking Women in Tehran

PubMed Central

Pourreza, Abolghasem

2011-01-01

Objective Abortion either medical or criminal has distinctive physical, social, and psychological side effects. Detecting types and frequent psychological side effects of abortion among post abortion care seeking women in Tehran was the main objective of the present study. Method 278 women of reproductive age (15-49) interviewed as study population. Response rate was 93/8. Data collected through a questionnaire with 2 parts meeting broad socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and health- related abortion consequences. Tehran hospitals were the site of study. Results The results revealed that at least one-third of the respondents have experienced psychological side effects. Depression, worrying about not being able to conceive again and abnormal eating behaviors were reported as dominant psychological consequences of abortion among the respondents. Decreased self-esteem, nightmare, guilt, and regret with 43.7%, 39.5%, 37.5%, and 33.3% prevalence rates have been placed in the lower status, respectively. Conclusion Psychological consequences of abortion have considerably been neglected. Several barriers made findings limited. Different types of psychological side effects, however, experienced by the study population require more intensive attention because of chronic characteristic of psychological disorders, and women's health impact on family and population health. PMID:22952518

Search for X-ray jets from high redshift radio sources.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwartz, Daniel A.; Cheung, Teddy; Gobeille, Doug; Marshall, Herman L.; Migliori, Giulia; Siemiginowska, Aneta; Wardle, John F. C.; Worrall, Diana M.; Birkinshaw, Mark

2018-06-01

We are conducting a Chandra "snapshot" survey of 14 radio quasars at redshifts z>3. These are selected to have one sided, arc-sec scale structure, either a jet or lobe, and come from a complete, objectively-defined sample of sources with radio flux density > 70 mJy, and with a spectroscopic redshift from the SDSS. Our objectives are to find X-ray emitting jets, compare the X-ray and radio morphology, and detect X-ray emission arising from inverse Compton scattering of the cosmic microwave background even for those cases where the radio emission is no longer detectable. For this meeting, we expect 5 of the 14 sources to have been observed.

Sex pheromone source location by garter snakes: : A mechanism for detection of direction in nonvolatile trails.

PubMed

Ford, N B; Low, J R

1984-08-01

Male plains garter snakes,Thamnophis radix, tested in a 240-cm-long arena can detect directional information from a female pheromone trail only when the female is allowed to push against pegs while laying the trail. The female's normal locomotor activity apparently deposits pheromone on the anterolateral surfaces of vertical structures in her environment. The male sensorily assays the sides of these objects and from this information determines the female's direction of travel.

Radar sensitivity to human heartbeats and respiration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aardal, Øyvind; Brovoll, Sverre; Paichard, Yoann; Berger, Tor; Lande, Tor Sverre; Hamran, Svein-Erik

2015-05-01

Human heartbeats and respiration can be detected from a distance using radar. This can be used for medical applications and human being detection. It is useful to have a system independent measure of how detectable the vital signs are. In radar applications, the Radar Cross Section (RCS) is normally used to characterize the detectability of an object. Since the human vital signs are seen by the radar as movements of the torso, the modulations in the person RCS can be used as a system independent measure of the vital signs detectability. In this paper, measurements of persons seated in an anechoic chamber are presented. The measurements were calibrated using empty room and a metallic calibration sphere. A narrowband radar operating at frequencies from 500 MHz to 18 GHz in discrete steps was used. A turntable provided measurements at precise aspect angles all around the person under test. In an I & Q receiver, the heartbeat and respiration modulation is a combination of amplitude and phase mod- modulations. The measurements were filtered, leaving the modulations from the vital signs in the radar recordings. The procedure for RCS computation was applied to these filtered data, capturing the complex signatures. It was found that both the heartbeat and respiration detectability increase with increasing frequency. The heartbeat signatures are almost equal from the front and the back, while being almost undetectable from the sides of the person. The respiration signatures are slightly higher from the front than from the back, and smaller from the sides. The signature measurements presented in this paper provide an objective system independent measure of the detectability of human vital signs as a function of frequency and aspect angle. These measures are useful for example in system design and in assessing real measurement scenarios.

Shock wave boundary layer interaction on suction side of compressor profile in single passage test section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flaszynski, Pawel; Doerffer, Piotr; Szwaba, Ryszard; Kaczynski, Piotr; Piotrowicz, Michal

2015-11-01

The shock wave boundary layer interaction on the suction side of transonic compressor blade is one of the main objectives of TFAST project (Transition Location Effect on Shock Wave Boundary Layer Interaction). In order to investigate the flow structure on the suction side of a profile, a design of a generic test section in linear transonic wind tunnel was proposed. The experimental and numerical results for the flow structure investigations are shown for the flow conditions as the existing ones on the suction side of the compressor profile. Near the sidewalls the suction slots are applied for the corner flow structure control. It allows to control the Axial Velocity Density Ratio (AVDR), important parameter for compressor cascade investigations. Numerical results for Explicit Algebraic Reynolds Stress Model with transition modeling are compared with oil flow visualization, schlieren and Pressure Sensitive Paint. Boundary layer transition location is detected by Temperature Sensitive Paint.

Polarization-based and specular-reflection-based noncontact latent fingerprint imaging and lifting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Shih-Schön; Yemelyanov, Konstantin M.; Pugh, Edward N., Jr.; Engheta, Nader

2006-09-01

In forensic science the finger marks left unintentionally by people at a crime scene are referred to as latent fingerprints. Most existing techniques to detect and lift latent fingerprints require application of a certain material directly onto the exhibit. The chemical and physical processing applied to the fingerprint potentially degrades or prevents further forensic testing on the same evidence sample. Many existing methods also have deleterious side effects. We introduce a method to detect and extract latent fingerprint images without applying any powder or chemicals on the object. Our method is based on the optical phenomena of polarization and specular reflection together with the physiology of fingerprint formation. The recovered image quality is comparable to existing methods. In some cases, such as the sticky side of tape, our method shows unique advantages.

Experience of dolutegravir in HIV-infected treatment-naive patients from a tertiary care University Hospital in Ireland

PubMed Central

Waqas, Sarmad; O’Connor, Mairead; Levey, Ciara; Mallon, Paddy; Sheehan, Gerard; Patel, Anjali; Avramovic, Gordana; Lambert, John S

2016-01-01

Objective: Dolutegravir, an HIV integrase inhibitor, is a relatively new treatment option. To assess the tolerability, side effects, and time to viral decline to non-detectable in patients newly started on dolutegravir. Methods: Retrospective health care record of 61 consecutive HIV treatment-naive patients started on dolutegravir was reviewed and analysed on SPSS. Results: The mean initial viral load was 160826.05 copies/mL (range, 79–1,126,617 copies/mL). HIV viral load became non-detectable in 63.9% of patients on dolutegravir within 3 months. In all, 60.7% of patients reported no side effects on dolutegravir; 98.4% of the patients claimed full compliance to their antiretrovirals. Conclusion: Dolutegravir was found to be efficacious and well tolerated in HIV-infected treatment-naive patients. PMID:27826447

Analysis of Multiple Metabolites of Tocopherols and Tocotrienols in Mice and Humans

PubMed Central

Zhao, Yang; Lee, Mao-Jung; Cheung, Connie; Ju, Ji-Hyeung; Chen, Yu-Kuo; Liu, Ba; Hu, Long-Qin; Yang, Chung S.

2010-01-01

Tocopherols and tocotrienols, collectively known as vitamin E, are essential antioxidant nutrients. The biological fates and metabolite profiles of the different forms are not clearly understood. The objective of this study is to simultaneously analyze the metabolites of different tocopherols and tocotrienols in mouse and human samples. Using HPLC/electrochemical detection and mass spectrometry, 18 tocopherol-derived and 24 tocotrienol-derived side-chain degradation metabolites were identified in fecal samples. Short-chain degradation metabolites, in particular γ- and δ- carboxyethyl hydroxychromans (CEHCs) and carboxymethylbutyl hydroxychromans (CMBHCs) were detected in urine, serum and liver samples, with tocopherols additionally detected in serum and liver samples. The metabolite profiles of tocotrienols and tocopherols were similar, but new tocotrienol metabolites with double bonds were identified. This is the first comprehensive report describing simultaneous analysis of different side-chain metabolites of tocopherols and tocotrienols in mice and humans. Urinary metabolites may serve as useful biomarkers for nutritional assessment of vitamin E. PMID:20222730

Associated-particle sealed-tube neutron probe for characterization of materials

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

Rhodes, E.; Dickerman, C.E.; Peters, C.W.

1993-10-01

A neutron diagnostic probe system has been developed that can identify and image most elements having a larger atomic number than boron. It can satisfy van-mobile and fixed-portal requirements for nondestructive detection of contraband drugs, explosives, and nuclear and chemical warfare weapon materials, and for treaty verification of sealed munitions and remediation of radioactive waste. The probe is based on a nonpulsed associated-particle sealed-tube neutron generator (APSTNG) that interrogates the object with a 14-MeV neutrons and detects alpha-particle associated with each neutron. Gamma-ray spectra of resulting neutron reactions (primarily inelastic scattering) identify nuclides associated with drugs, explosives, and other contraband.more » Flight times determined from detection times of gamma-rays and alpha-particles yield a separate coarse tomographic image of each identified nuclide. Chemical substances are identified and imaged by comparing relative spectra fine intensities with ratios of elements in reference compounds. The High-energy neutrons in gamma-rays will penetrate large objects and dense materials. The source and emission detection systems can be on the same side, allowing measurements with access to one side only. A high signal-to-background ratio is obtained and maximum information is extracted from each detected gamma-ray, yet high-bandwidth data acquisition is not required. The APSTNG also forms the basis for a compact fast-neutron transmission imaging system. No collimators are required, and only minimal shielding is needed. The small and relatively inexpensive neutron generator tube exhibits high reliability and can be quickly replaced. The detector arrays and associated electronics can be made reliable with low maintenance cost.« less

Fast neutron sensor for detection of explosives and chemical warfare agents.

PubMed

Valkovic, Vladivoj; Sudac, Davorin; Matika, Dario

2010-01-01

Once the presence of the anomaly on the bottom of the shallow coastal sea water has been confirmed it is necessary to establish if it contains explosive or chemical warfare charge. We propose that this be performed by using neutron sensor installed within an underwater vessel. When positioned above the object, or to its side, the system can inspect the object for the presence of the threat materials by using alpha particle tagged neutrons from the sealed tube d+t neutron generator. Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multi-resolution model-based traffic sign detection and tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marinas, Javier; Salgado, Luis; Camplani, Massimo

2012-06-01

In this paper we propose an innovative approach to tackle the problem of traffic sign detection using a computer vision algorithm and taking into account real-time operation constraints, trying to establish intelligent strategies to simplify as much as possible the algorithm complexity and to speed up the process. Firstly, a set of candidates is generated according to a color segmentation stage, followed by a region analysis strategy, where spatial characteristic of previously detected objects are taken into account. Finally, temporal coherence is introduced by means of a tracking scheme, performed using a Kalman filter for each potential candidate. Taking into consideration time constraints, efficiency is achieved two-fold: on the one side, a multi-resolution strategy is adopted for segmentation, where global operation will be applied only to low-resolution images, increasing the resolution to the maximum only when a potential road sign is being tracked. On the other side, we take advantage of the expected spacing between traffic signs. Namely, the tracking of objects of interest allows to generate inhibition areas, which are those ones where no new traffic signs are expected to appear due to the existence of a TS in the neighborhood. The proposed solution has been tested with real sequences in both urban areas and highways, and proved to achieve higher computational efficiency, especially as a result of the multi-resolution approach.

QA /QC of European NOx measurements by round robin and side by side experiment at the Meteorological Observatory Hohenpeissenberg in the framework of ACTRIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gilge, Stefan; Plass-Dülmer, Christian; Weyrauch, Dietmar; Rohrer, Franz

2013-04-01

The European ACTRIS (Aerosols, Clouds, and Trace gases Research InfraStructure Network) project, Work Package 4, aims at harmonization and improvement of the measurement of volatile organic carbon and nitrogen oxides. Central tools to assess and compare the performance of European NOx monitoring stations and labs within ACTRIS are a round robin experiment (2012) and side-by-side intercomparisons (Nov 2012). While the first checked the used laboratories' scales versus a common scale, the latter investigated weather same samples are identically and artefact-free analyzed by collocated instruments. The ACTRIS-NOx-side-by-side intercomparison was realised by instruments sampling from a common manifold which was fed by zero gas, synthetic air mixtures, ambient air, and spiked ambient air. Thus, the side-by-side experiments enabled a full characterization of the detection limit, the linear range, the span, and of potential artefacts due to interfering species for each of the contributing instruments. Generally, CLD type NOx instruments were used in the comparisons supplemented by four new optical techniques, comprising LIF and cavity enhanced techniques. In the round robin exercise, some 20 monitoring sites participated, and 14 instruments were running side-by-side in the one week Nov comparison. The results of both experiments will be presented and discussed with respect to the data quality objectives of GAW and ACTRIS.

Track Detection in Railway Sidings Based on MEMS Gyroscope Sensors

PubMed Central

Broquetas, Antoni; Comerón, Adolf; Gelonch, Antoni; Fuertes, Josep M.; Castro, J. Antonio; Felip, Damià; López, Miguel A.; Pulido, José A.

2012-01-01

The paper presents a two-step technique for real-time track detection in single-track railway sidings using low-cost MEMS gyroscopes. The objective is to reliably know the path the train has taken in a switch, diverted or main road, immediately after the train head leaves the switch. The signal delivered by the gyroscope is first processed by an adaptive low-pass filter that rejects noise and converts the temporal turn rate data in degree/second units into spatial turn rate data in degree/meter. The conversion is based on the travelled distance taken from odometer data. The filter is implemented to achieve a speed-dependent cut-off frequency to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio. Although direct comparison of the filtered turn rate signal with a predetermined threshold is possible, the paper shows that better detection performance can be achieved by processing the turn rate signal with a filter matched to the rail switch curvature parameters. Implementation aspects of the track detector have been optimized for real-time operation. The detector has been tested with both simulated data and real data acquired in railway campaigns. PMID:23443376

Comparison of Helioseismic Far-Side Active Region Detections with STEREO Far-Side EUV Observations of Solar Activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liewer, P. C.; Qiu, J.; Lindsey, C.

2017-10-01

Seismic maps of the Sun's far hemisphere, computed from Doppler data from the Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) are now being used routinely to detect strong magnetic regions on the far side of the Sun (http://jsoc.stanford.edu/data/farside/). To test the reliability of this technique, the helioseismically inferred active region detections are compared with far-side observations of solar activity from the Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory (STEREO), using brightness in extreme-ultraviolet light (EUV) as a proxy for magnetic fields. Two approaches are used to analyze nine months of STEREO and HMI data. In the first approach, we determine whether new large east-limb active regions are detected seismically on the far side before they appear Earth side and study how the detectability of these regions relates to their EUV intensity. We find that while there is a range of EUV intensities for which far-side regions may or may not be detected seismically, there appears to be an intensity level above which they are almost always detected and an intensity level below which they are never detected. In the second approach, we analyze concurrent extreme-ultraviolet and helioseismic far-side observations. We find that 100% (22) of the far-side seismic regions correspond to an extreme-ultraviolet plage; 95% of these either became a NOAA-designated magnetic region when reaching the east limb or were one before crossing to the far side. A low but significant correlation is found between the seismic signature strength and the EUV intensity of a far-side region.

Blood RNA biomarker panel detects both left- and right-sided colorectal neoplasms: a case-control study.

PubMed

Chao, Samuel; Ying, Jay; Liew, Gailina; Marshall, Wayne; Liew, Choong-Chin; Burakoff, Robert

2013-07-23

Colonoscopy is widely regarded to be the gold standard for colorectal cancer (CRC) detection. Recent studies, however, suggest that the effectiveness of colonoscopy is mostly confined to tumors on the left side of the colon (descending, sigmoid, rectum), and that the technology has poor tumor detection for right-sided (cecum, ascending, transverse) lesions. A minimally invasive test that can detect both left-sided and right-sided lesions could increase the effectiveness of screening colonoscopy by revealing the potential presence of neoplasms in the right-sided "blind spot". We previously reported on a seven-gene, blood-based biomarker panel that effectively stratifies a patient's risk of having CRC. For the current study, we assessed the effectiveness of the seven-gene panel for the detection of left- and right-sided CRC lesions. Results were evaluated for 314 patients with CRC (left-sided: TNM I, 65; TNM II, 57; TNM III, 60; TNM IV, 17; unknown, 9. right-sided: TNM I, 28; TNM II, 29; TNM III, 38; TNM IV, 12; unknown, 1 and including two samples with both left and right lesions) and 328 control samples. Blood samples were obtained prior to clinical staging and therapy. Most CRC subjects had localized disease (stages I and II, 58%); regional (stage III) and systemic (stage IV) disease represented 32% and 9%, respectively, of the study population. The panel detected left-sided (74%, 154/208) and right-sided (85%, 92/108) lesions with an overall sensitivity of 78% (215/316) at a specificity of 66% (215/328). Treatable cancer (stages I to III) was detected with left-sided lesion sensitivity of 76% (138/182) and right-sided sensitivity of 84% (80/95). This seven-gene biomarker panel detected right-sided CRC lesions across all cancer stages with a sensitivity that is at least equal to that for left-sided lesions. This study supports the use of this panel as the basis for a patient-friendly, blood-based test that can be easily incorporated into a routine physical examination in advance of colonoscopy to provide a convenient companion diagnostic and a pre-screening alert, ultimately leading to enhanced CRC screening effectiveness.

Left lobe of the prostate during clinical prostate cancer screening: the dark side of the gland for right-handed examiners.

PubMed

Ploussard, G; Nicolaiew, N; Mongiat-Artus, P; Terry, S; Allory, Y; Vacherot, F; Abbou, C-C; Desgrandchamps, F; Salomon, L; de la Taille, A

2014-06-01

The predictive value of the abnormality side during digital rectal examination (DRE) has never been studied, suggesting that physicians examined the left lobe of the gland as well as the right lobe. We aimed to assess the predictive value of the side of DRE abnormality for prostate cancer (PCa) detection and aggressiveness in right-handed urologists. An analysis of a prospective database was carried out that included all consecutive men undergoing prostate biopsies between 2001 and 2012. The main end point was the predictive value of the abnormality side during DRE for cancer detection in clinically suspicious unilateral T2 disease. The diagnostic performance of left- versus right-sided abnormality was also assessed in terms of sensitivity, specificity and negative/positive predictive values. Overall, 308 patients had a suspicious unilateral clinical disease (detection rate 57.5%). The cancer detection rate was significantly higher in case of left-sided compared with right-sided clinical T2 stage (odds ratio 2.1). In case of left-sided disease, the number of positive cores, the rate of perineural invasion, the rate of primary grade 4 pattern and the percentage of cancer involvement per core were significantly higher compared with those reported for right-sided disease. The predictive value of abnormality laterality for cancer detection and aggressiveness remained statistically independent in multivariate models. The positive predictive value for cancer detection was 64.6 in case of suspicious left-sided disease versus 46.9 in case of right-sided disease. The risks of detecting PCa and aggressive disease on biopsy are significantly higher when DRE reveals a suspicious left-sided clinical disease as compared with right-sided disease. Right-handed physicians should be aware of this variance in diagnostic performance and potential underdetection of left-sided clinical disease, and should improve their examination of the left lobe of the gland by conducting longer exams or changing the patient's position.

Method and apparatus for acoustic imaging of objects in water

DOEpatents

Deason, Vance A.; Telschow, Kenneth L.

2005-01-25

A method, system and underwater camera for acoustic imaging of objects in water or other liquids includes an acoustic source for generating an acoustic wavefront for reflecting from a target object as a reflected wavefront. The reflected acoustic wavefront deforms a screen on an acoustic side and correspondingly deforms the opposing optical side of the screen. An optical processing system is optically coupled to the optical side of the screen and converts the deformations on the optical side of the screen into an optical intensity image of the target object.

The Combination of Spherical Photogrammetry and UAV for 3D Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ihsanudin, T.; Affriani, A. R.

2017-12-01

The complete of 3D models required the object that was recorded from both side and top. If the object recorded from above, then the object from the side can not be covered, and if the objects recorded from the side, it can not be covered from the top. Recording of objects from the side using spherical photogrammetry method and from the top using UAV method. The merge of both models using a conform transformation, by bringing the spherical photogrammetry coordinates system to the UAV model. The object of this research is Ratu Boko temple, Sleman, Yogyakarta. The spherical photogrammetry recording was performed by rotating the camera in 360° angle on the entire area of the temple. The area consists of 12 stations. The UAV method uses a drone with flight attitude of 20 meters. The merge of the both models produced the completeness of the temple model from the top and side.

Development of a biomimetic roughness sensor for tactile information with an elastomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Choi, Jae-Young; Kim, Sung Joon; Moon, Hyungpil; Choi, Hyouk Ryeol; Koo, Ja Choon

2016-04-01

Human uses various sensational information for identifying an object. When contacting an unidentified object with no vision, tactile sensation provides a variety of information to perceive. Tactile sensation plays an important role to recognize a shape of surfaces from touching. In robotic fields, tactile sensation is especially meaningful. Robots can perform more accurate job using comprehensive tactile information. And in case of using sensors made by soft material like silicone, sensors can be used in various situations. So we are developing a tactile sensor with soft materials. As the conventional robot operates in a controlled environment, it is a good model to make robots more available at any circumstance that sensory systems of living things. For example, there are lots of mechanoreceptors that each of them has different roles detecting simulation in side of human skin tissue. By mimicking the mechanoreceptor, a sensory system can be realized more closely to human being. It is known that human obtains roughness information through scanning the surface with fingertips. During that times, subcutaneous mechanoreceptors detect vibration. In the same way, while a robot is scanning a surface of object, a roughness sensor developed detects vibrations generated between contacting two surfaces. In this research, a roughness sensor made by an elastomer was developed and experiment for perception of objects was conducted. We describe means to compare the roughness of objects with a newly developed sensor.

Performance Analysis of a Link-16/JTIDS Compatible Waveform With Noncoherent Detection, Diversity and Side Information

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

OF A LINK-16/JTIDS COMPATIBLE WAVEFORM WITH NONCOHERENT DETECTION, DIVERSITY AND SIDE INFORMATION by Ioannis Kagioglidis September 2009... Noncoherent Detection, Diversity and Side Information. 6. AUTHOR Ioannis Kagioglidis 5. FUNDING NUMBERS 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES...baseband waveforms and detected noncoherently . For noncoherent detection, only one five bit symbol is transmitted on both the I and Q components of

Particle detection systems and methods

DOEpatents

Morris, Christopher L.; Makela, Mark F.

2010-05-11

Techniques, apparatus and systems for detecting particles such as muons and neutrons. In one implementation, a particle detection system employs a plurality of drift cells, which can be for example sealed gas-filled drift tubes, arranged on sides of a volume to be scanned to track incoming and outgoing charged particles, such as cosmic ray-produced muons. The drift cells can include a neutron sensitive medium to enable concurrent counting of neutrons. The system can selectively detect devices or materials, such as iron, lead, gold, uranium, plutonium, and/or tungsten, occupying the volume from multiple scattering of the charged particles passing through the volume and can concurrently detect any unshielded neutron sources occupying the volume from neutrons emitted therefrom. If necessary, the drift cells can be used to also detect gamma rays. The system can be employed to inspect occupied vehicles at border crossings for nuclear threat objects.

Improving the space surveillance telescope's performance using multi-hypothesis testing

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

Chris Zingarelli, J.; Cain, Stephen; Pearce, Eric

2014-05-01

The Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program designed to detect objects in space like near Earth asteroids and space debris in the geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) belt. Binary hypothesis test (BHT) methods have historically been used to facilitate the detection of new objects in space. In this paper a multi-hypothesis detection strategy is introduced to improve the detection performance of SST. In this context, the multi-hypothesis testing (MHT) determines if an unresolvable point source is in either the center, a corner, or a side of a pixel in contrast to BHT, which only testsmore » whether an object is in the pixel or not. The images recorded by SST are undersampled such as to cause aliasing, which degrades the performance of traditional detection schemes. The equations for the MHT are derived in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), which is computed by subtracting the background light level around the pixel being tested and dividing by the standard deviation of the noise. A new method for determining the local noise statistics that rejects outliers is introduced in combination with the MHT. An experiment using observations of a known GEO satellite are used to demonstrate the improved detection performance of the new algorithm over algorithms previously reported in the literature. The results show a significant improvement in the probability of detection by as much as 50% over existing algorithms. In addition to detection, the S/N results prove to be linearly related to the least-squares estimates of point source irradiance, thus improving photometric accuracy.« less

On population of hazardous celestial bodies in the near-Earth space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shustov, B. M.; Naroenkov, S. A.; Efremova, E. V.

2017-01-01

In recent years, following the Chelyabinsk event of February 15, 2013, the lower size limit for presumably dangerous near-Earth objects has been decreased manyfold (essentially, from 140 m to 10 m). This has drawn an increased attention to the properties of the population of decameter-sized bodies, in particular, the bodies that approach the Earth from the sunward side (daytime sky). The current paper is concerned with various properties of this population. The properties of the ensemble are analyzed using both observational data from other authors and theoretical estimates obtained by cloning virtual bodies. This question is of great practical importance, as the means for detecting such bodies (for example, the SODA project) need to be developed with consideration for the requirements imposed by the population properties. We have shown that the average rate of entering near-Earth space (NES), i.e., at distances less than 1 million km from the Earth, for decameter-sized and larger bodies from the daytime sky (elongation values of entry points less than 90°) is approximately 620 objects per year for elongation angles of the detection point <90° and approximately 220 objects per year for elongation angles of the detection point <45°.

Evaluating the use of side-scan sonar for detecting freshwater mussel beds in turbid river environments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powers, Jarrod; Brewer, Shannon K.; Long, James M.; Campbell, Thomas

2015-01-01

Side-scan sonar is a valuable tool for mapping habitat features in many aquatic systems suggesting it may also be useful for locating sedentary biota. The objective of this study was to determine if side-scan sonar could be used to identify freshwater mussel (unionid) beds and the required environmental conditions. We used side-scan sonar to develop a series of mussel-bed reference images by placing mussel shells within homogenous areas of fine and coarse substrates. We then used side-scan sonar to map a 32-km river reach during spring and summer. Using our mussel-bed reference images, several river locations were identified where mussel beds appeared to exist in the scanned images and we chose a subset of sites (n = 17) for field validation. The validation confirmed that ~60% of the sites had mussel beds and ~80% had some mussels or shells present. Water depth was significantly related to our ability to predict mussel-bed locations: predictive ability was greatest at depths of 1–2 m, but decreased in water >2-m deep. We determined side-scan sonar is an effective tool for preliminary assessments of mussel presence during times when they are located at or above the substrate surface and in relatively fine substrates excluding fine silt.

Airport detectors and orthopaedic implants.

PubMed

van der Wal, Bart C H; Grimm, Bernd; Heyligers, Ide C

2005-08-01

As a result of the rising threats of terrorism, airport security has become a major issue. Patients with orthopaedic implants are concerned that they may activate alarms at airport security gates. A literature overview showed that the activation rate of the alarm by hand-held detectors is higher than for arch detectors (100% versus 56%). Arch detection rate has significantly increased from 0% before 1995 up to 83.3% after 1994. Reported factors which influence detection rates are implant mass, implant combinations, implant volume, transfer speed, side of implant, detector model, sensitivity settings, material and tissue masking. Detection rate has been improved by more sensitive devices and improved filter software. Doctors should be able to objectively inform patients. A form is presented which will easily inform the airport security staff.

Validation of a side-scan sonar method for quantifying walleye spawning habitat availability in the littoral zone of northern Wisconsin Lakes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Richter, Jacob T.; Sloss, Brian L.; Isermann, Daniel A.

2016-01-01

Previous research has generally ignored the potential effects of spawning habitat availability and quality on recruitment of Walleye Sander vitreus, largely because information on spawning habitat is lacking for many lakes. Furthermore, traditional transect-based methods used to describe habitat are time and labor intensive. Our objectives were to determine if side-scan sonar could be used to accurately classify Walleye spawning habitat in the nearshore littoral zone and provide lakewide estimates of spawning habitat availability similar to estimates obtained from a transect–quadrat-based method. Based on assessments completed on 16 northern Wisconsin lakes, interpretation of side-scan sonar images resulted in correct identification of substrate size-class for 93% (177 of 191) of selected locations and all incorrect classifications were within ± 1 class of the correct substrate size-class. Gravel, cobble, and rubble substrates were incorrectly identified from side-scan images in only two instances (1% misclassification), suggesting that side-scan sonar can be used to accurately identify preferred Walleye spawning substrates. Additionally, we detected no significant differences in estimates of lakewide littoral zone substrate compositions estimated using side-scan sonar and a traditional transect–quadrat-based method. Our results indicate that side-scan sonar offers a practical, accurate, and efficient technique for assessing substrate composition and quantifying potential Walleye spawning habitat in the nearshore littoral zone of north temperate lakes.

An Interative Grahical User Interface for Maritime Security Services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reize, T.; Müller, R.; Kiefl, R.

2013-10-01

In order to analyse optical satellite images for maritime security issues in Near-Real-Time (NRT) an interactive graphical user interface (GUI) based on NASA World Wind was developed and is presented in this article. Targets or activities can be detected, measured and classified with this tool simply and quickly. The service uses optical satellite images, currently taken from 6 sensors: Worldview-1 and Worldview-2, Ikonos, Quickbird, GeoEye-1 and EROS-B. The GUI can also handle SAR-images, air-borne images or UAV images. Software configurations are provided in a job-order file and thus all preparation tasks, such as image installation are performed fully automatically. The imagery can be overlaid with vessels derived by an automatic detection processor. These potential vessel layers can be zoomed in by a single click and sorted with an adapted method. Further object properties, such as vessel type or confidence level of identification, can be added by the operator manually. The heading angle can be refined by dragging the vessel's head or switching it to 180° with a single click. Further vessels or other relevant objects can be added. The objects length, width, heading and position are calculated automatically from three clicks on top, bottom and an arbitrary point at one of the object's longer side. In case of an Activity Detection, the detected objects can be grouped in area of interests (AOI) and classified, according to the ordered activities. All relevant information is finally written to an exchange file, after quality control and necessary correction procedures are performed. If required, image thumbnails can be cut around objects or around whole areas of interest and saved as separated, geo-referenced images.

Inversion Method for Early Detection of ARES-1 Case Breach Failure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mackey, Ryan M.; Kulikov, Igor K.; Bajwa, Anupa; Berg, Peter; Smelyanskiy, Vadim

2010-01-01

A document describes research into the problem of detecting a case breach formation at an early stage of a rocket flight. An inversion algorithm for case breach allocation is proposed and analyzed. It is shown how the case breach can be allocated at an early stage of its development by using the rocket sensor data and the output data from the control block of the rocket navigation system. The results are simulated with MATLAB/Simulink software. The efficiency of an inversion algorithm for a case breach location is discussed. The research was devoted to the analysis of the ARES-l flight during the first 120 seconds after the launch and early prediction of case breach failure. During this time, the rocket is propelled by its first-stage Solid Rocket Booster (SRB). If a breach appears in SRB case, the gases escaping through it will produce the (side) thrust directed perpendicular to the rocket axis. The side thrust creates torque influencing the rocket attitude. The ARES-l control system will compensate for the side thrust until it reaches some critical value, after which the flight will be uncontrollable. The objective of this work was to obtain the start time of case breach development and its location using the rocket inertial navigation sensors and GNC data. The algorithm was effective for the detection and location of a breach in an SRB field joint at an early stage of its development.

Compton imaging tomography for nondestructive evaluation of large multilayer aircraft components and structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romanov, Volodymyr; Grubsky, Victor; Zahiri, Feraidoon

2017-02-01

We present a novel NDT/NDE tool for non-contact, single-sided 3D inspection of aerospace components, based on Compton Imaging Tomography (CIT) technique, which is applicable to large, non-uniform, and/or multilayer structures made of composites or lightweight metals. CIT is based on the registration of Compton-scattered X-rays, and permits the reconstruction of the full 3D (tomographic) image of the inspected objects. Unlike conventional computerized tomography (CT), CIT requires only single-sided access to objects, and therefore can be applied to large structures without their disassembly. The developed tool provides accurate detection, identification, and precise 3D localizations and measurements of any possible internal and surface defects (corrosions, cracks, voids, delaminations, porosity, and inclusions), and also disbonds, core and skin defects, and intrusion of foreign fluids (e.g., fresh and salt water, oil) inside of honeycomb sandwich structures. The NDE capabilities of the system were successfully demonstrated on various aerospace structure samples provided by several major aerospace companies. Such a CIT-based tool can detect and localize individual internal defects with dimensions about 1-2 mm3, and honeycomb disbond defects less than 6 mm by 6 mm area with the variations in the thickness of the adhesive by 100 m. Current maximum scanning speed of aircraft/spacecraft structures is about 5-8 min/ft2 (50-80 min/m2).

The video ocular counter-roll (vOCR): a clinical test to detect loss of otolith-ocular function

PubMed Central

Otero-Millan, Jorge; Treviño, Carolina; Winnick, Ariel; Zee, David S.; Carey, John P.; Kheradmand, Amir

2017-01-01

Conclusion vOCR can detect loss of otolith-ocular function without specifying the side of vestibular loss. Since vOCR is measured with a simple head tilt maneuver, it can be potentially used as a bedside clinical test in combination with video head impulse test. Objective Video-oculography (VOG) goggles are being integrated into the bedside assessment of patients with vestibular disorders. Lacking, however, is a method to evaluate otolith function. This study validated a VOG test for loss of otolith function. Methods VOG was used to measure ocular counter-roll (vOCR) in 12 healthy controls, 14 patients with unilateral vestibular loss (UVL), and six patients with bilateral vestibular loss (BVL) with a static lateral head tilt of 30°. The results were compared with vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (VEMP), a widely-used laboratory test of otolith function. Results The average vOCR for healthy controls (4.6°) was significantly different from UVL (2.7°) and BVL (1.6°) patients (p < 0.0001). The vOCR and VEMP measurements were correlated across subjects, especially the click and tap oVEMPs (click oVEMP R = 0.45, tap oVEMP R = 0.51; p < 0.0003). The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that vOCR and VEMPs detected loss of otolith function equally well. The best threshold for vOCR to detect vestibular loss was at 3°. The vOCR values from the side of vestibular loss and the healthy side were not different in UVL patients (2.53° vs 2.8°; p = 0.59). PMID:28084887

A group filter algorithm for sea mine detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cobb, J. Tory; An, Myoung; Tolimieri, Richard

2005-06-01

Automatic detection of sea mines in coastal regions is a difficult task due to the highly variable sea bottom conditions present in the underwater environment. Detection systems must be able to discriminate objects which vary in size, shape, and orientation from naturally occurring and man-made clutter. Additionally, these automated systems must be computationally efficient to be incorporated into unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) sensor systems characterized by high sensor data rates and limited processing abilities. Using noncommutative group harmonic analysis, a fast, robust sea mine detection system is created. A family of unitary image transforms associated to noncommutative groups is generated and applied to side scan sonar image files supplied by Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City (NSWC PC). These transforms project key image features, geometrically defined structures with orientations, and localized spectral information into distinct orthogonal components or feature subspaces of the image. The performance of the detection system is compared against the performance of an independent detection system in terms of probability of detection (Pd) and probability of false alarm (Pfa).

Improving the Space Surveillance Telescope's Performance Using Multi-Hypothesis Testing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zingarelli, J. Chris; Pearce, Eric; Lambour, Richard; Blake, Travis; Peterson, Curtis J. R.; Cain, Stephen

2014-05-01

The Space Surveillance Telescope (SST) is a Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency program designed to detect objects in space like near Earth asteroids and space debris in the geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) belt. Binary hypothesis test (BHT) methods have historically been used to facilitate the detection of new objects in space. In this paper a multi-hypothesis detection strategy is introduced to improve the detection performance of SST. In this context, the multi-hypothesis testing (MHT) determines if an unresolvable point source is in either the center, a corner, or a side of a pixel in contrast to BHT, which only tests whether an object is in the pixel or not. The images recorded by SST are undersampled such as to cause aliasing, which degrades the performance of traditional detection schemes. The equations for the MHT are derived in terms of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N), which is computed by subtracting the background light level around the pixel being tested and dividing by the standard deviation of the noise. A new method for determining the local noise statistics that rejects outliers is introduced in combination with the MHT. An experiment using observations of a known GEO satellite are used to demonstrate the improved detection performance of the new algorithm over algorithms previously reported in the literature. The results show a significant improvement in the probability of detection by as much as 50% over existing algorithms. In addition to detection, the S/N results prove to be linearly related to the least-squares estimates of point source irradiance, thus improving photometric accuracy. The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.

Vibration detecting apparatus for multi-rotor rotary piston engines

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

Fujimoto, Y.; Sasaki, H.; Karimata, Y.

1987-04-28

A multi-rotor rotary piston engine is described comprising rotor housings each having an inner wall surface of a two-lobe trochoidal form, an intermediate housing having opposite side surfaces and located between two adjacent ones of the rotor housings, a pair of side housings attached to outer surfaces of outermost rotor housings, rotors which are disposed in respective ones of the rotor housings and carried by an eccentric shaft, adjacent rotors each having a side surface adapted for sliding engagement with the side surfaces of the intermediate housing, vibration detecting means mounted on the intermediate housing for detecting engine vibrations, themore » vibration detecting means being oriented so that it has a sensitivity in the direction substantially perpendicular to the side surface of the intermediate housing.« less

Side draw control design for a high purity multi-component distillation column.

PubMed

A Udugama, Isuru; Munir, M T; Kirkpatrick, Rob; Young, Brent R; Yu, Wei

2018-05-01

Industrial methanol production involves a multi component feed containing methanol, water and trace levels of ethanol being refined to produce AA grade methanol at high product recovery. Due to practical constraints, the bottoms discharge of the column is primarily water with only trace of methanol impurities. As a result of these constraints, ethanol, which is a non-key middle boiling component gets "trapped" near the side draw of the column forming an ethanol bulge, which in turn results in non-linear, inverse, time and state varying behaviour of the side draw ethanol composition. In this work, we established that the existence of the ethanol bulge creates the complex process behaviour of the side draw ethanol composition and that this bulge needs to be explicitly controlled. This type of explicit composition bulge analysis and subsequent control has not been attempted on methanol distillation columns before. For this purpose a novel, robust and practical side draw control scheme to detect and remedy the excess ethanol bulge movement using override control is presented. The side draw controller, together with other regulatory controllers is shown to maintain on-specification operations of the column. Disturbance rejection tests carried out illustrate that the side draw control scheme will keep the column operating within commercial specification. It is also shown that a traditional DV control structure is unable to achieve this objective. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detecting special nuclear material using muon-induced neutron emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guardincerri, Elena; Bacon, Jeffrey; Borozdin, Konstantin; Matthew Durham, J.; Fabritius, Joseph, II; Hecht, Adam; Milner, Edward C.; Miyadera, Haruo; Morris, Christopher L.; Perry, John; Poulson, Daniel

2015-07-01

The penetrating ability of cosmic ray muons makes them an attractive probe for imaging dense materials. Here, we describe experimental results from a new technique that uses neutrons generated by cosmic-ray muons to identify the presence of special nuclear material (SNM). Neutrons emitted from SNM are used to tag muon-induced fission events in actinides and laminography is used to form images of the stopping material. This technique allows the imaging of SNM-bearing objects tagged using muon tracking detectors located above or to the side of the objects, and may have potential applications in warhead verification scenarios. During the experiment described here we did not attempt to distinguish the type or grade of the SNM.

Dipolar modulation in the size of galaxies: the effect of Doppler magnification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonvin, Camille; Andrianomena, Sambatra; Bacon, David; Clarkson, Chris; Maartens, Roy; Moloi, Teboho; Bull, Philip

2017-12-01

Objects falling into an overdensity appear larger on its near side and smaller on its far side than other objects at the same redshift. This produces a dipolar pattern of magnification, primarily as a consequence of the Doppler effect. At low redshift, this Doppler magnification completely dominates the usual integrated gravitational lensing contribution to the lensing magnification. We show that one can optimally observe this pattern by extracting the dipole in the cross-correlation of number counts and galaxy sizes. This dipole allows us to almost completely remove the contribution from gravitational lensing up to redshift ≲0.5, and even at high redshift z ≃ 1, the dipole picks up the Doppler magnification predominantly. Doppler magnification should be easily detectable in current and upcoming optical and radio surveys; by forecasting for telescopes such as the SKA, we show that this technique is competitive with using peculiar velocities via redshift-space distortions to constrain dark energy. It produces similar yet complementary constraints on the cosmological model to those found using measurements of the cosmic shear.

Aural localization of silent objects by active human biosonar: neural representations of virtual echo-acoustic space.

PubMed

Wallmeier, Ludwig; Kish, Daniel; Wiegrebe, Lutz; Flanagin, Virginia L

2015-03-01

Some blind humans have developed the remarkable ability to detect and localize objects through the auditory analysis of self-generated tongue clicks. These echolocation experts show a corresponding increase in 'visual' cortex activity when listening to echo-acoustic sounds. Echolocation in real-life settings involves multiple reflections as well as active sound production, neither of which has been systematically addressed. We developed a virtualization technique that allows participants to actively perform such biosonar tasks in virtual echo-acoustic space during magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Tongue clicks, emitted in the MRI scanner, are picked up by a microphone, convolved in real time with the binaural impulse responses of a virtual space, and presented via headphones as virtual echoes. In this manner, we investigated the brain activity during active echo-acoustic localization tasks. Our data show that, in blind echolocation experts, activations in the calcarine cortex are dramatically enhanced when a single reflector is introduced into otherwise anechoic virtual space. A pattern-classification analysis revealed that, in the blind, calcarine cortex activation patterns could discriminate left-side from right-side reflectors. This was found in both blind experts, but the effect was significant for only one of them. In sighted controls, 'visual' cortex activations were insignificant, but activation patterns in the planum temporale were sufficient to discriminate left-side from right-side reflectors. Our data suggest that blind and echolocation-trained, sighted subjects may recruit different neural substrates for the same active-echolocation task. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Modeling and query the uncertainty of network constrained moving objects based on RFID data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Liang; Xie, Kunqing; Ma, Xiujun; Song, Guojie

2007-06-01

The management of network constrained moving objects is more and more practical, especially in intelligent transportation system. In the past, the location information of moving objects on network is collected by GPS, which cost high and has the problem of frequent update and privacy. The RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) devices are used more and more widely to collect the location information. They are cheaper and have less update. And they interfere in the privacy less. They detect the id of the object and the time when moving object passed by the node of the network. They don't detect the objects' exact movement in side the edge, which lead to a problem of uncertainty. How to modeling and query the uncertainty of the network constrained moving objects based on RFID data becomes a research issue. In this paper, a model is proposed to describe the uncertainty of network constrained moving objects. A two level index is presented to provide efficient access to the network and the data of movement. The processing of imprecise time-slice query and spatio-temporal range query are studied in this paper. The processing includes four steps: spatial filter, spatial refinement, temporal filter and probability calculation. Finally, some experiments are done based on the simulated data. In the experiments the performance of the index is studied. The precision and recall of the result set are defined. And how the query arguments affect the precision and recall of the result set is also discussed.

Improvement of resolution in full-view linear-array photoacoustic computed tomography using a novel adaptive weighting method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Omidi, Parsa; Diop, Mamadou; Carson, Jeffrey; Nasiriavanaki, Mohammadreza

2017-03-01

Linear-array-based photoacoustic computed tomography is a popular methodology for deep and high resolution imaging. However, issues such as phase aberration, side-lobe effects, and propagation limitations deteriorate the resolution. The effect of phase aberration due to acoustic attenuation and constant assumption of the speed of sound (SoS) can be reduced by applying an adaptive weighting method such as the coherence factor (CF). Utilizing an adaptive beamforming algorithm such as the minimum variance (MV) can improve the resolution at the focal point by eliminating the side-lobes. Moreover, invisibility of directional objects emitting parallel to the detection plane, such as vessels and other absorbing structures stretched in the direction perpendicular to the detection plane can degrade resolution. In this study, we propose a full-view array level weighting algorithm in which different weighs are assigned to different positions of the linear array based on an orientation algorithm which uses the histogram of oriented gradient (HOG). Simulation results obtained from a synthetic phantom show the superior performance of the proposed method over the existing reconstruction methods.

The differences in the assessments of side effects at an oncology outpatient clinic.

PubMed

Bayraktar-Ekincioglu, A; Kucuk, E

2018-04-01

Background There is a growing interest in the use of targeted and immunotherapies in oncology. However, the assessment of side effects can be different due to interpretation of patients' health status by healthcare professionals in oncology outpatient clinics. Objective To demonstrate the differences in the assessments of side effects conducted independently by a clinical pharmacist and nurses in patients who receive targeted therapies at an oncology outpatient clinic. Setting The study was conducted at the University Oncology Hospital in an outpatient clinic from October 2015 to March 2016. Method Patients receiving ipilimumab, nivolumab, pembrolizumab, bevacizumab, panitumumab or cetuximab during study period were included. The assessment of side effects was conducted by a pharmacist and nurse independently using the NCI-CTCAE version-2. Main outcome measure To compare the severity assessments of side effects between a clinical pharmacist and nurses in an outpatient clinic. Results During the study, 204 visits for 43 patients with a total of 5508 side effect assessments were recorded where 1137 (20.64%) assessments were graded differently. Out of 1137 assessments, 473 of them were graded higher by a clinical pharmacist whereas 664 were graded higher by nurses. Statistically significant differences were detected in the assessment of vomiting, taste changes, sense changes, alopecia, fatigue, mood changes, anxiety, hearing impairment, and allergic reactions. Conclusion An assessment of side effects by healthcare providers in patients with cancer may be challenging due to an increased workload in clinics and undistinguishable symptoms of side effects and cancer itself. Therefore, a new care model which increases an interprofessional communication may improve pharmaceutical care in oncology outpatient clinics.

A serendipitous all sky survey for bright objects in the outer solar system

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

Brown, M. E.; Drake, A. J.; Djorgovski, S. G.

2015-02-01

We use seven year's worth of observations from the Catalina Sky Survey and the Siding Spring Survey covering most of the northern and southern hemisphere at galactic latitudes higher than 20° to search for serendipitously imaged moving objects in the outer solar system. These slowly moving objects would appear as stationary transients in these fast cadence asteroids surveys, so we develop methods to discover objects in the outer solar system using individual observations spaced by months, rather than spaced by hours, as is typically done. While we independently discover eight known bright objects in the outer solar system, the faintestmore » having V=19.8±0.1, no new objects are discovered. We find that the survey is nearly 100% efficient at detecting objects beyond 25 AU for V≲19.1 (V≲18.6 in the southern hemisphere) and that the probability that there is one or more remaining outer solar system object of this brightness left to be discovered in the unsurveyed regions of the galactic plane is approximately 32%.« less

A PILOT STUDY OF DIAGNOSTIC NEUROMUSCULAR ULTRASOUND IN BELL'S PALSY

PubMed Central

TAWFIK, EMAN A.; WALKER, FRANCIS O.; CARTWRIGHT, MICHAEL S.

2015-01-01

Background and purpose Neuromuscular ultrasound of the cranial nerves is an emerging field which may help in the assessment of cranial neuropathies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the role of neuromuscular ultrasound in Bell's palsy. A second objective was to assess the possibility of any associated vagus nerve abnormality. Methods Twenty healthy controls and 12 Bell's palsy patients were recruited. The bilateral facial nerves, vagus nerves, and frontalis muscles were scanned using an 18 MHz linear array transducer. Facial nerve diameter, vagus nerve cross-sectional area, and frontalis thickness were measured. Results Mean facial nerve diameter was 0.8 ± 0.2 mm in controls and 1.1 ± 0.3 mm in patients group. The facial nerve diameter was significantly larger in patients than controls (p = 0.006, 95% CI for the difference between groups of 0.12-0.48), with a significant side-to-side difference in patients as well (p = 0.004, 95% CI for side-to-side difference of 0.08-0.52). ROC curve analysis of the absolute facial nerve diameter revealed a sensitivity of 75 % and a specificity of 70 %. No significant differences in vagus nerve cross-sectional area or frontalis thickness were detected between patients and controls. Conclusions Ultrasound can detect facial nerve enlargement in Bell's palsy and may have a role in assessment, or follow-up, of Bell's palsy and other facial nerve disorders. The low sensitivity of the current technique precludes its routine use for diagnosis, however, this study demonstrates its validity and potential for future research. PMID:26076910

Quantitative measurement of radiofrequency volumetric tissue reduction by multidetector CT in patients with inferior turbinate hypertrophy.

PubMed

Bahadir, Osman; Kosucu, Polat

2012-12-01

To objectively assess the efficacy of radiofrequency thermal ablation of inferior turbinate hypertrophy. Thirty-five patients with nasal obstruction secondary to inferior turbinate hypertrophy were prospectively enrolled. Radiofrequency energy was delivered to four sites in each inferior turbinate. Patients were evaluated before and 8 weeks after intervention. Subjective evaluation of nasal obstruction was performed using a visual analogue scale (VAS), and objective evaluation of the turbinate volume reduction was calculated using multidetector CT. Volumetric measurements of the preoperative inferior turbinate were compared with postoperative values on both sides. The great majority of patients (91.4%) exhibited subjective postoperative improvement. Mean obstruction (VAS) improved significantly from 7.45±1.48 to 3.54±1.96. Significant turbinate volume reduction was achieved by the surgery on both right and left sides [(preoperative vs. postoperative, right: 6.55±1.62cm(3) vs. 5.10±1.47cm(3), (P<0.01); left: 6.72±1.53cm(3) vs. 5.00±1.37cm(3), (P<0.01)] respectively. Radiofrequency is a safe and effective surgical procedure in reducing turbinate volume in patients with inferior turbinate hypertrophy. Multidetector CT is an objective method of assessment in detecting radiofrequency turbinate volume reduction. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Laminar-turbulent transition tripped by step on transonic compressor profile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Flaszynski, Pawel; Doerffer, Piotr; Szwaba, Ryszard; Piotrowicz, Michal; Kaczynski, Piotr

2018-02-01

The shock wave boundary layer interaction on the suction side of transonic compressor blade is one of the main objectives of TFAST project (Transition Location Effect on Shock Wave Boundary Layer Interaction). The experimental and numerical results for the flow structure investigations are shown for the flow conditions as the existing ones on the suction side of the compressor profile. The two cases are investigated: without and with boundary layer tripping device. In the first case, boundary layer is laminar up to the shock wave, while in the second case the boundary layer is tripped by the step. Numerical results carried out by means of Fine/Turbo Numeca with Explicit Algebraic Reynolds Stress Model including transition modeling are compared with schlieren, Temperature Sensitive Paint and wake measurements. Boundary layer transition location is detected by Temperature Sensitive Paint.

Fish Geometry and Electric Organ Discharge Determine Functional Organization of the Electrosensory Epithelium

PubMed Central

Sanguinetti-Scheck, Juan Ignacio; Pedraja, Eduardo Federico; Cilleruelo, Esteban; Migliaro, Adriana; Aguilera, Pedro; Caputi, Angel Ariel; Budelli, Ruben

2011-01-01

Active electroreception in Gymnotus omarorum is a sensory modality that perceives the changes that nearby objects cause in a self generated electric field. The field is emitted as repetitive stereotyped pulses that stimulate skin electroreceptors. Differently from mormyriformes electric fish, gymnotiformes have an electric organ distributed along a large portion of the body, which fires sequentially. As a consequence shape and amplitude of both, the electric field generated and the image of objects, change during the electric pulse. To study how G. omarorum constructs a perceptual representation, we developed a computational model that allows the determination of the self-generated field and the electric image. We verify and use the model as a tool to explore image formation in diverse experimental circumstances. We show how the electric images of objects change in shape as a function of time and position, relative to the fish's body. We propose a theoretical framework about the organization of the different perceptive tasks made by electroreception: 1) At the head region, where the electrosensory mosaic presents an electric fovea, the field polarizing nearby objects is coherent and collimated. This favors the high resolution sampling of images of small objects and perception of electric color. Besides, the high sensitivity of the fovea allows the detection and tracking of large faraway objects in rostral regions. 2) In the trunk and tail region a multiplicity of sources illuminate different regions of the object, allowing the characterization of the shape and position of a large object. In this region, electroreceptors are of a unique type and capacitive detection should be based in the pattern of the afferents response. 3) Far from the fish, active electroreception is not possible but the collimated field is suitable to be used for electrocommunication and detection of large objects at the sides and caudally. PMID:22096578

A Powerful, Cost Effective, Web Based Engineering Solution Supporting Conjunction Detection and Visual Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novak, Daniel M.; Biamonti, Davide; Gross, Jeremy; Milnes, Martin

2013-08-01

An innovative and visually appealing tool is presented for efficient all-vs-all conjunction analysis on a large catalogue of objects. The conjunction detection uses a nearest neighbour search algorithm, based on spatial binning and identification of pairs of objects in adjacent bins. This results in the fastest all vs all filtering the authors are aware of. The tool is constructed on a server-client architecture, where the server broadcasts to the client the conjunction data and ephemerides, while the client supports the user interface through a modern browser, without plug-in. In order to make the tool flexible and maintainable, Java software technologies were used on the server side, including Spring, Camel, ActiveMQ and CometD. The user interface and visualisation are based on the latest web technologies: HTML5, WebGL, THREE.js. Importance has been given on the ergonomics and visual appeal of the software. In fact certain design concepts have been borrowed from the gaming industry.

Co-optimization of Energy and Demand-Side Reserves in Day-Ahead Electricity Markets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surender Reddy, S.; Abhyankar, A. R.; Bijwe, P. R.

2015-04-01

This paper presents a new multi-objective day-ahead market clearing (DAMC) mechanism with demand-side reserves/demand response (DR) offers, considering realistic voltage-dependent load modeling. The paper proposes objectives such as social welfare maximization (SWM) including demand-side reserves, and load served error (LSE) minimization. In this paper, energy and demand-side reserves are cleared simultaneously through co-optimization process. The paper clearly brings out the unsuitability of conventional SWM for DAMC in the presence of voltage-dependent loads, due to reduction of load served (LS). Under such circumstances multi-objective DAMC with DR offers is essential. Multi-objective Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm 2+ (SPEA 2+) has been used to solve the optimization problem. The effectiveness of the proposed scheme is confirmed with results obtained from IEEE 30 bus system.

Driving With Hemianopia VI: Peripheral Prisms and Perceptual-Motor Training Improve Detection in a Driving Simulator

PubMed Central

Houston, Kevin E.; Peli, Eli; Goldstein, Robert B.; Bowers, Alex R.

2018-01-01

Purpose Drivers with homonymous hemianopia (HH) were previously found to have impaired detection of blind-side hazards, yet in many jurisdictions they may obtain a license. We evaluated whether oblique 57Δ peripheral prisms (p-prisms) and perceptual-motor training improved blind-side detection rates. Methods Patients with HH (n = 11) wore p-prisms for 2 weeks and then received perceptual-motor training (six visits) detecting and touching stimuli in the prism-expanded vision. In a driving simulator, patients drove and pressed the horn upon detection of pedestrians who ran toward the roadway (26 from each side): (1) without p-prisms at baseline; (2) with p-prisms after 2 weeks acclimation but before training; (3) with p-prisms after training; and (4) 3 months later. Results P-prisms improved blind-side detection from 42% to 56%, which further improved after training to 72% (all P < 0.001). Blind-side timely responses (adequate time to have stopped) improved from 31% without to 44% with p-prisms (P < 0.001) and further improved with training to 55% (P = 0.02). At the 3-month follow-up, improvements from training were maintained for detection (65%; P = 0.02) but not timely responses (P = 0.725). There was wide between-subject variability in baseline detection performance and response to p-prisms. There were no negative effects of p-prisms on vehicle control or seeing-side performance. Conclusions P-prisms improved detection with no negative effects, and training may provide additional benefit. Translational Relevance In jurisdictions where people with HH are legally driving, these data aid in clinical decision making by providing evidence that p-prisms improve performance without negative effects. PMID:29359111

Foot side detection from lower lumbar spine acceleration.

PubMed

Ben Mansour, Khaireddine; Rezzoug, Nasser; Gorce, Philippe

2015-09-01

The purpose of this paper is to present a reliable algorithm to discriminate between left/right foot contact using an accelerometer located over the lower lumbar spine. With the given accelerometer frame orientation, the side detection algorithm, based on the sign of the derivative of the sinusoidal shape obtained from the filtered mediolateral (ML) acceleration, showed 100% correct side detection for all subjects at all walking velocities. From the obtained results, it is concluded that in healthy subjects, the side of subsequent foot contact can be reliably obtained from the ML acceleration pattern of the lower lumbar spine. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Optical extensometer

DOEpatents

Walker, Ray A.; Reich, Fred R.; Russell, James T.

1978-01-01

An optical extensometer is described using sequentially pulsed light beams for measuring the dimensions of objects by detecting two opposite edges of the object without contacting the object. The light beams may be of different distinguishable light characteristics, such as polarization or wave length, and are time modulated in an alternating manner at a reference frequency. The light characteristics are of substantially the same total light energy and are distributed symmetrically. In the preferred embodiment two light beam segments of one characteristic are on opposite sides of a middle segment of another characteristic. As a result, when the beam segments are scanned sequentially across two opposite edges of the object, they produce a readout signal at the output of a photoelectric detector that is compared with the reference signal by a phase comparator to produce a measurement signal with a binary level transition when the light beams cross an edge. The light beams may be of different cross sectional geometries, including two superimposed and concentric circular beam cross sections of different diameter, or two rectangular cross sections which intersect with each other substantially perpendicular so only their central portions are superimposed. Alternately, a row of three light beams can be used including two outer beams on opposite sides and separate from a middle beam. The three beams may all be of the same light characteristic. However it is preferable that the middle beam be of a different characteristic but of the same total energy as the two outer beams.

Evaluation of video detection systems, volume 3 : effects of windy conditions in the performance of video detection systems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-05-01

The performance of three Video Detection Systems (VDS), namely Autoscope, Iteris, and Peek, was evaluated : at stop bar and advance locations, at an instrumented signalized intersection located in Rantoul, Illinois, utilizing : a side-by-side install...

Flow Cytometry of Spinach Chloroplasts 1

PubMed Central

Schröder, Wolfgang P.; Petit, Patrice X.

1992-01-01

Intact spinach (Spinacia oleracea) chloroplasts, thylakoid membranes, and inside-out or right-side-out thylakoid vesicles have been characterized by flow cytometry with respect to forward angle light scatter, right angle light scatter, and chlorophyll fluorescence. Analysis of intact chloroplasts with respect to forward light scatter and the chlorophyll fluorescence parameter revealed the presence of truly “intact” and “disrupted” chloroplasts. The forward light scatter parameter, normally considered to reflect object size, was instead found to reflect the particle density. One essential advantage of flow cytometry is that additional parameters such as Ricinus communis agglutinin (linked to fluorescein isothiocyanate) fluorescence can be determined through logical conditions placed on bit-maps, amounting to an analytical purification procedure. In the present case, chloroplast subpopulations with fully preserved envelopes, thylakoid membrane, and inside-out or right-side-out thylakoid membranes vesicles can be distinguished. Flow cytometry is also a useful tool to address the question of availability of glycosyl moities on the membrane surfaces if one keeps in mind that organelle-to-organelle interactions could be partially mediated through a recognition process. A high specific binding of R. communis agglutinin and peanut lectin to the chloroplast envelope was detected. This showed that galactose residues were exposed and accessible to specific lectins on the chloroplast surface. No exposed glucose, fucose, or mannose residues could be detected by the appropriate lectins. Ricin binding to the intact chloroplasts caused a strong aggregation. Disruption of these aggregates by resuspension or during passage in the flow cytometer induced partial breakage of the chloroplasts. Only minor binding of R. communis agglutinin and peanut lectin to the purified thylakoid membranes was detected; the binding was found to be low for both inside-out and right-side-out vesicles of the thylakoid membranes. Images Figure 1 Figure 1 Figure 1 PMID:16653090

Spectroscopic detection of chemotherapeutics and antioxidants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Latka, Ines; Grüner, Roman; Matthäus, Christian; Dietzek, Benjamin; Werncke, W.; Lademann, Jürgen; Popp, Jürgen

2012-06-01

The hand-foot-syndrome presents a severe dermal side-effect of chemotherapeutic cancer treatment. The cause of this side-effect is the elimination of systemically administered chemotherapeutics with the sweat. Transported to the skin surface, the drugs subsequently penetrate into the skin in the manner of topically applied substances. Upon accumulation of the chemotherapeutics in the skin the drugs destroy cells and tissue - in the same way as they are supposed to act in cancer cells. Aiming at the development of strategies to illuminate the molecular mechanism underlying the handfoot- syndrome (and, in a second step, strategies to prevent this severe side-effect), it might be important to evaluate the concentration and distribution of chemotherapeutics and antioxidants in the human skin. The latter can be estimated by the carotenoid concentration, as carotenoids serve as marker substances for the dermal antioxidative status.Following the objectives outlined above, this contribution presents a spectroscopic study aiming at the detection and quantification of carotenoids and selected chemotherapeutics in human skin. To this end, spontaneous Raman scattering and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microspectroscopy are combined with two-photon excited fluorescence. While the latter technique is Please verify that (1) all pages are present, (2) all figures are correct, (3) all fonts and special characters are correct, and (4) all text and figures fit within the red margin lines shown on this review document. Complete formatting information is available at http://SPIE.org/manuscripts Return to your MySPIE To Do List at http://myspie.org and approve or disapprove this submission. Your manuscript will not be published without this approval.restricted to the detection of fluorescent chemotherapeutics, e.g., doxorubicin, the vibrational spectroscopic techniques can - in principle - be applied to any type of analyte molecules. Furthermore, we will present the monitoring of doxorubicin uptake during experiments.

Evaluation of a cow-side milk progesterone assay and assessment of the positive predictive value of oestrus diagnosis by dairy farmers in New South Wales.

PubMed

Ingenhoff, L; Hall, E; House, J K

2016-12-01

The three objectives of this study were to determine the positive predictive value (PPV) of oestrus diagnosis (heat detection accuracy) by dairy farmers, calculate the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the P4 Rapid milk progesterone assay for detecting a corpus luteum and evaluate the economics of using a cow-side milk progesterone assay designed to aid oestrus diagnosis. Milk samples were collected from 752 cows diagnosed in oestrus by farm personnel on 14 dairy farms. Samples were tested using the P4 Rapid milk progesterone assay to estimate the PPV of oestrus diagnosis at each farm and a crude pooled mean of PPV of oestrus diagnosis across all farms. A further 156 milk samples were collected from cows with luteal tissue status determined by transrectal ultrasound and tested by the P4 Rapid assay to enable calculation of the sensitivity and specificity of the P4 Rapid assay. For pooled farm samples, the PPV was 97.0%, with a range between farms of 88.9-100%. Sensitivity of the P4 Rapid milk progesterone assay for detecting a corpus luteum was 90.1% and specificity was 98.7%. Misclassification of oestrus in cows previously identified as pregnant was the most common cause of false-positive oestrus diagnoses by farm personnel. Routine testing of milk progesterone in all cows diagnosed in oestrus is not economically justified and may even slightly reduce submission rates; conversely, strategic use of cow-side milk progesterone assays can improve herd reproductive performance by facilitating decisions on whether to rebreed cows previously diagnosed as pregnant. © 2016 Australian Veterinary Association.

Indoor Trajectory Tracking Scheme Based on Delaunay Triangulation and Heuristic Information in Wireless Sensor Networks.

PubMed

Qin, Junping; Sun, Shiwen; Deng, Qingxu; Liu, Limin; Tian, Yonghong

2017-06-02

Object tracking and detection is one of the most significant research areas for wireless sensor networks. Existing indoor trajectory tracking schemes in wireless sensor networks are based on continuous localization and moving object data mining. Indoor trajectory tracking based on the received signal strength indicator ( RSSI ) has received increased attention because it has low cost and requires no special infrastructure. However, RSSI tracking introduces uncertainty because of the inaccuracies of measurement instruments and the irregularities (unstable, multipath, diffraction) of wireless signal transmissions in indoor environments. Heuristic information includes some key factors for trajectory tracking procedures. This paper proposes a novel trajectory tracking scheme based on Delaunay triangulation and heuristic information (TTDH). In this scheme, the entire field is divided into a series of triangular regions. The common side of adjacent triangular regions is regarded as a regional boundary. Our scheme detects heuristic information related to a moving object's trajectory, including boundaries and triangular regions. Then, the trajectory is formed by means of a dynamic time-warping position-fingerprint-matching algorithm with heuristic information constraints. Field experiments show that the average error distance of our scheme is less than 1.5 m, and that error does not accumulate among the regions.

Evaluation of video detection systems, volume 4 : effects of adverse weather conditions in the performance of video detection systems.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-03-01

The performance of three video detection systems (VDS): Iteris, Autoscope, and Peek, was evaluated : using a side-by-side installation at a signalized intersection under various adverse weather conditions including : rain and snow in both day and nig...

Measurement of neurovascular coupling in human motor cortex using simultaneous transcranial doppler (TCD) and electroencephalography (EEG).

PubMed

Alam, Monzurul; Ahmed, Ghazanfar; Ling, Yan To; Zheng, Yong-Ping

2018-05-25

Event-related desynchronization (ERD) is a relative power decrease of electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in a specific frequency band during physical motor execution, while transcranial Doppler (TCD) measures cerebral blood flow velocity. The objective of this study was to investigate the neurovascular coupling in the motor cortex by using an integrated EEG and TCD system, and to find any difference in hemodynamic responses in healthy young male and female adults. Approach: 30 healthy volunteers, aged 20-30 years were recruited for this study. The subjects were asked to perform a motor task for the duration of a provided visual cue. Simultaneous EEG and TCD recording was carried out using a new integrated system to detect the ERD arising from the EEG signals, and to measure the mean blood flow velocity of the left and right middle cerebral arteries from bilateral TCD signals. Main Results: The results showed a significant decrease in EEG power in mu band (7.5-12.5 Hz) during the motor task compared to the resting phase. It showed significant increase in desynchronization on the contralateral side of the motor task compared to the ipsilateral side. Mean blood flow velocity during the task phase was significantly higher in comparison with the resting phase at the contralateral side. The results also showed a significantly higher increase in the percentage of mean blood flow velocity in the contralateral side of motor task compared to the ipsilateral side. However, no significant difference in desynchronization, or change of mean blood flow velocity was found between males and females. Significance: A combined TCD-EEG system successfully detects ERD and blood flow velocity in cerebral arteries, and can be used as a useful tool to study neurovascular coupling in the brain. There is no significant difference in the hemodynamic responses in healthy young males and females. © 2018 Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine.

Sensitive Optical and Microfluidic Systems for Cellular Analyses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiro, Perry G.

Investigating rare cells and heterogeneous subpopulations is challenging for a myriad reasons. This dissertation describes novel techniques to analyze single molecules, synaptic vesicles, and rare circulating tumor cells. The eDAR platform for isolating rare cells in fluids provides a new method to monitor breast cancer status in patients as well as to guide research for personalized treatment and efficacy. In a side-by-side comparison with CellSearch, eDAR detected CTCs in all 20 Stage IV metastatic breast cancer patients while the CellSearch system found CTCs in just 8 patients. The single-molecule capillary electrophoresis technology is a method to characterize an entire sample one molecule at a time, providing detailed information about the absolute number and nature of molecules present in a sample. The nFASS platform has the potential to apply the advantages that currently exist in flow cytometry to the study of items on a much smaller scale such as subcellular organelles and nanometer-sized objects. For example, the isolation of subpopulations of synaptic vesicles will allow for detailed protein quantification and identification in the study of neurological diseases. These tools facilitate fundamental investigation of objects ranging from single molecules to single cells.

Magnetogate: using an iPhone magnetometer for measuring kinematic variables

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kağan Temiz, Burak; Yavuz, Ahmet

2016-01-01

This paper presents a method to measure the movement of an object from specific locations on a straight line using an iPhone’s magnetometer. In this method, called ‘magnetogate’, an iPhone is placed on a moving object (in this case a toy car) and small neodymium magnets are arranged at equal intervals on one side of a straight line. The magnetometer sensor of the iPhone is switched on and then the car starts moving. The iPhone’s magnetometer is stimulated throughout its movement along a straight line. A ‘sensor Kinetics’ application on the iPhone saves the magnetic stimulations and produces a graph of the changing magnetic field near the iPhone. At the end of motion, data from the magnetometer is interpreted and peaks on the graph are detected. Thus, position-time changes can be analysed and comments about the motion of the object can be made. The position, velocity and acceleration of the object can be easily measured with this method.

Escherichia coli biosensors for environmental, food industry and biological warfare agent detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allil, R. C. S. B.; Werneck, M. M.; da Silva-Neto, J. L.; Miguel, M. A. L.; Rodrigues, D. M. C.; Wandermur, G. L.; Rambauske, D. C.

2013-06-01

This work has the objective to research and develop a plastic optical fiber biosensor based taper and mPOF LPG techniques to detect Escherichia coli by measurements of index of refraction. Generally, cell detection is crucial in microbiological analysis of clinical, food, water or environmental samples. However, methods current employed are time consuming, taking at least 72 hours in order to produce reliable responses as they depend on sample collection and cell culture in controlled conditions. The delay in obtaining the results of the analysis can result in contamination of a great number of consumers. Plastic Optical Fiber (POF) biosensors consist in a viable alternative for rapid and inexpensive scheme for cells detection. A study the sensitivity of these sensors for microbiological detection, fiber Tapers and Long Period Grating (LPG) both in poly-methyl-methacrylate (PMMA) were realized as possible candidates to take part of a biosensor system to detect Escherichia coli in water samples. In this work we adopted the immunocapture technique, which consists of quantifying bacteria in a liquid sample, attract-ing and fixing the bacteria on the surface of the polymer optical fiber, by the antigen-antibody reaction. The results were obtained by optical setup that consists in a side of the fiber a LED coupled to a photodetector through a POF with the taper in the middle of it. On the other side of the POF a photodetector receives this light producting a photocurrent. The output voltage is fed into the microcontroller A/D input port and its output data is sent via USB to a LabView software running in a microcomputer. The results showed the possibility of the POF in biosensor application capable to detect E. coli for environmental and food industry and for detecting and identifying biological-warfare agents using a very rapid response sensor, applicable to field detection prototypes.

Semantic access occurs outside of awareness for the ground side of a figure.

PubMed

Cacciamani, Laura; Mojica, Andrew J; Sanguinetti, Joseph L; Peterson, Mary A

2014-11-01

Traditional theories of vision assume that figures and grounds are assigned early in processing, with semantics being accessed later and only by figures, not by grounds. We tested this assumption by showing observers novel silhouettes with borders that suggested familiar objects on their ground side. The ground appeared shapeless near the figure's borders; the familiar objects suggested there were not consciously perceived. Participants' task was to categorize words shown immediately after the silhouettes as naming natural versus artificial objects. The words named objects from the same or from a different superordinate category as the familiar objects suggested in the silhouette ground. In Experiment 1, participants categorized words faster when they followed silhouettes suggesting upright familiar objects from the same rather than a different category on their ground sides, whereas no category differences were observed for inverted silhouettes. This is the first study to show unequivocally that, contrary to traditional assumptions, semantics are accessed for objects that might be perceived on the side of a border that will ultimately be perceived as a shapeless ground. Moreover, although the competition for figural status results in suppression of the shape of the losing contender, its semantics are not suppressed. In Experiment 2, we used longer silhouette-to-word stimulus onset asynchronies to test whether semantics would be suppressed later in time, as might occur if semantics were accessed later than shape memories. No evidence of semantic suppression was observed; indeed, semantic activation of the objects suggested on the ground side of a border appeared to be short-lived. Implications for feedforward versus dynamical interactive theories of object perception are discussed.

Advantages of caudal block over intrarectal local anesthesia plus periprostatic nerve block for transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy

PubMed Central

Wang, Na; Fu, Yaowen; Ma, Haichun; Wang, Jinguo; Gao, Yang

2016-01-01

Objective: To compare caudal block with intrarectal local anesthesia plus periprostatic nerve block for transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy. Methods: One hundred and ninety patients scheduled for transrectal ultrasound guided prostate biopsy were randomized equally into Group-A who received caudal block (20 ml 1.2% lidocaine) and Group-B who received intrarectal local anesthesia (0.3% oxybuprocaine cream) plus periprostatic nerve block (10 ml 1% lidocaine plus 0.5% ropivacaine) before biopsy. During and after the procedure, the patients rated the level of pain/discomfort at various time points. Complications during the whole study period and the patient overall satisfaction were also evaluated. Results: More pain and discomfort was detected during periprostatic nerve block than during caudal block. Pain and discomfort was significantly lower during prostate biopsy and during the manipulation of the probe in the rectum in Group-A than in Group-B. No significant differences were detected in the pain intensity after biopsy and side effects between the two groups. Conclusions: Caudal block provides better anesthesia than periprostatic nerve block plus intrarectal local anesthesia for TRUS guided prostate biopsy without an increase of side effects. PMID:27648052

Case-based lung image categorization and retrieval for interstitial lung diseases: clinical workflows.

PubMed

Depeursinge, Adrien; Vargas, Alejandro; Gaillard, Frédéric; Platon, Alexandra; Geissbuhler, Antoine; Poletti, Pierre-Alexandre; Müller, Henning

2012-01-01

Clinical workflows and user interfaces of image-based computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) for interstitial lung diseases in high-resolution computed tomography are introduced and discussed. Three use cases are implemented to assist students, radiologists, and physicians in the diagnosis workup of interstitial lung diseases. In a first step, the proposed system shows a three-dimensional map of categorized lung tissue patterns with quantification of the diseases based on texture analysis of the lung parenchyma. Then, based on the proportions of abnormal and normal lung tissue as well as clinical data of the patients, retrieval of similar cases is enabled using a multimodal distance aggregating content-based image retrieval (CBIR) and text-based information search. The global system leads to a hybrid detection-CBIR-based CAD, where detection-based and CBIR-based CAD show to be complementary both on the user's side and on the algorithmic side. The proposed approach is in accordance with the classical workflow of clinicians searching for similar cases in textbooks and personal collections. The developed system enables objective and customizable inter-case similarity assessment, and the performance measures obtained with a leave-one-patient-out cross-validation (LOPO CV) are representative of a clinical usage of the system.

Convolutional neural network based side attack explosive hazard detection in three dimensional voxel radar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brockner, Blake; Veal, Charlie; Dowdy, Joshua; Anderson, Derek T.; Williams, Kathryn; Luke, Robert; Sheen, David

2018-04-01

The identification followed by avoidance or removal of explosive hazards in past and/or present conflict zones is a serious threat for both civilian and military personnel. This is a challenging task as variability exists with respect to the objects, their environment and emplacement context, to name a few factors. A goal is the development of automatic or human-in-the-loop sensor technologies that leverage signal processing, data fusion and machine learning. Herein, we explore the detection of side attack explosive hazards (SAEHs) in three dimensional voxel space radar via different shallow and deep convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures. Dimensionality reduction is performed by using multiple projected images versus the raw three dimensional voxel data, which leads to noteworthy savings in input size and associated network hyperparameters. Last, we explore the accuracy and interpretation of solutions learned via random versus intelligent network weight initialization. Experiments are provided on a U.S. Army data set collected over different times, weather conditions, target types and concealments. Preliminary results indicate that deep learning can perform as good as, if not better, than a skilled domain expert, even in light of limited training data with a class imbalance.

Medication adherence to oral iron therapy in patients with iron deficiency anemia

PubMed Central

Gereklioglu, Cigdem; Asma, Suheyl; Korur, Asli; Erdogan, Ferit; Kut, Altug

2016-01-01

Objective: This study aimed at investigating the factors affecting medication adherence in patients who use oral iron therapy due to iron deficiency anemia. Methods: A total of 96 female patients in fertile age with mean age of 30±10.1 years (range 18-53) who were admitted to Family Medicine Clinic between 01 January and 31 March 2015 and who had received iron therapy within the recent three years were enrolled in the study. Data were collected through a questionnaire form. Results: Of the patients, 39 (40,6%) were detected not to use the medication regularly or during the recommended period. A statistically significant relationship was found between non-adherence to therapy and gastrointestinal side effects and weight gain (p<0.05). Conclusion: Medication adherence is deficient in patients with iron deficiency anemia. The most important reason for this seems gastrointestinal side effects, in addition to weight gain under treatment. PMID:27375698

Three-dimensional image and spatial spectrum analysis of behavior of small animal erythrocytes in optical tweezers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Hui Chi; Shen, Wen-Tai; Kong, Yu-Han; Chuang, Chun-Hao

2008-02-01

Because of the softness of membrane, erythrocytes (red blood cell, RBC) have different shapes while being immersed in buffer with different osmotic pressure. While affecting by different viruses and illnesses, RBC may change its shape, or its membrane may become rigid. Moreover, RBC will ford and stretch when it is trapped by optical tweezers. Therefore, the behaviors of RBC in optical tweezers raise more discussion. In this report, we set up an optical tweezers to trap RBC of small animals like feline and canine. By adding a long working distance objective to collect the side-viewing image, a 3-D image system was constructed to detect the motion of trapped RBC. To improve the image quality for side-view, an aperture and narrow glass plate were used. From the video of these images and their spatial spectrum, the shape of trapped RBC was studied.

Cognitive context detection in UAS operators using eye-gaze patterns on computer screens

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mannaru, Pujitha; Balasingam, Balakumar; Pattipati, Krishna; Sibley, Ciara; Coyne, Joseph

2016-05-01

In this paper, we demonstrate the use of eye-gaze metrics of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operators as effective indices of their cognitive workload. Our analyses are based on an experiment where twenty participants performed pre-scripted UAS missions of three different difficulty levels by interacting with two custom designed graphical user interfaces (GUIs) that are displayed side by side. First, we compute several eye-gaze metrics, traditional eye movement metrics as well as newly proposed ones, and analyze their effectiveness as cognitive classifiers. Most of the eye-gaze metrics are computed by dividing the computer screen into "cells". Then, we perform several analyses in order to select metrics for effective cognitive context classification related to our specific application; the objective of these analyses are to (i) identify appropriate ways to divide the screen into cells; (ii) select appropriate metrics for training and classification of cognitive features; and (iii) identify a suitable classification method.

Detecting submerged bodies: controlled research using side-scan sonar to detect submerged proxy cadavers.

PubMed

Healy, Carrie A; Schultz, John J; Parker, Kenneth; Lowers, Bim

2015-05-01

Forensic investigators routinely deploy side-scan sonar for submerged body searches. This study adds to the limited body of literature by undertaking a controlled project to understand how variables affect detection of submerged bodies using side-scan sonar. Research consisted of two phases using small and medium-sized pig (Sus scrofa) carcasses as proxies for human bodies to investigate the effects of terrain, body size, frequency, swath width, and state of decomposition. Results demonstrated that a clear, flat, sandy pond floor terrain was optimal for detection of the target as irregular terrain and/or vegetation are major limitations that can obscure the target. A higher frequency towfish was preferred for small bodies, and a 20 m swath width allowed greater visibility and easier maneuverability of the boat in this environment. Also, the medium-sized carcasses were discernable throughout the 81-day study period, indicating that it is possible to detect bodies undergoing decomposition with side-scan sonar. © 2015 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Promoting ethical and objective practice in the medicolegal arena of disability evaluation.

PubMed

Martelli, M F; Zasler, N D; Johnson-Greene, D

2001-08-01

As providers of medical information and testimony, clinicians have ultimate responsibility for ethical conduct as it relates to this information. The authors offer the following recommendations for enhancing ethical relationships between expert clinicians and the courts. 1. Avoid or resist attorney efforts at enticement into joining the attorney-client team. Such compromises of scientific boundaries and ethical principles exist on a continuum ranging from standard attorney-client advocacy at the beginning of the expert consultation phase (e.g., promotional information at the forefront of retaining an expert, with either provision of selective or incomplete records or less than enthusiastic efforts to produce all records) and extending to completion of evaluation, when requests for changes in reports and documentation might be made. 2. Respect role boundaries and do not mix conflicting roles. Remember that the treating doctor possesses a bond with the patient but does not as a rule obtain complete preinjury and postinjury information in the context of assessing causality and apportionment. In contrast, the expert witness must conduct a thorough and multifaceted case analysis sans the physician-patient relationship in order to facilitate objectivity and allow optimum diagnostic formulations. Finally, the trial consultant's function in this adversarial process is to assist with critically scrutinizing and attacking positions of experts for the opposing side. These roles all represent inherently different interests, and mixing them can only reduce objectivity. 3. Insist on adequate time for thorough record review, evaluation, and report generation. Also insist on sufficient time and preparation for deposition and court appearances. 4. Work at building a reputation for general objectivity, reliance on multiple data sources, reaching opinions only after reviewing complete information from both sides, and completing the evaluation. 5. Spend a good amount of time actually treating the patient population being examined or being offered testimony about. This treatment should be current and should be of a similar frequency to treating practitioner specialists. Be able to discuss relevant research and scientific methodology issues competently and without notes. 6. Arrive at opinions only after reviewing all of the evidence from both sides of the adversarial fence, employing multiple data sources, completing the evaluation, and interpreting data within the full context of comprehensive historical, behavioral observation, and contextual information. Being otherwise favorable to retaining attorney interests suggests endorsement of "opinion prostitute," "scientific perjurer," or "hired gun" status. The only way a practitioner can reduce the likelihood of facing an "opinion prostitute" on the opposing side in future cases is to insist on establishing and maintaining a reputation for scientific objectivity. 7. Balance cases from plaintiff and defense attorneys. Predilection for one side or the other suggests bias and sets up predisposition to nonobjectivity. For example, a preponderance of plaintiff work suggests an overdiagnosis or uncritical sympathy bias, whereas a ratio that favors hiring by the defense suggests an underdiagnosis or skepticism bias. Perhaps Brodsky's suggested cut-off ratio of .8 for favorability findings would represent an initial cutoff for defense versus plaintiff ratio. That is, experts should do at least 20% work for the opposite side of the current case being represented. Further, it might be a reasonable expectation that data on these ratios be collected as an important method for ensuring objective opinions. 8. Ensure against excessive favorability to the side of the retaining attorney or firm. Objectivity demands that scientific opinions not be influenced by the position of the legal advocate. Importantly, Brodsky recommends using a ratio of .8 as a cut-off for detecting excessive bias. That is, practitioners should possess prerequisite objectivity to disagree with the referring attorney at least 20% of the time. We suggest that a more useful cut-off would be .75, where experts are expected to generate findings that do not support the referring attorney's position at least 25% of the time. 9. Never arrive at opinions that are inconsistent with plaintiff records, examination data, test data, behavioral presentation, and so forth, especially when such opinions are favorable to the side of the retaining attorney firm. Instead, use the following recommendations. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED)

Object Recognition Under Semantic Impairment: The Effects of Conceptual Regularities on Perceptual Decisions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rogers, Timothy T.; Hodges, John R.; Ralph, Matthew A. Lambon; Patterson, Karalyn

2003-01-01

Presents evidence that although patients with semantic deficits can sometimes show good performance on tests or object decisions, this pattern applies when nonsee-objects do not respect the regularities of the domain. Patients with semantic dementia viewed line drawings of a real and chimeric animals side-by-side and were asked to decide which was…

Heuristics for Multiobjective Optimization of Two-Sided Assembly Line Systems

PubMed Central

Jawahar, N.; Ponnambalam, S. G.; Sivakumar, K.; Thangadurai, V.

2014-01-01

Products such as cars, trucks, and heavy machinery are assembled by two-sided assembly line. Assembly line balancing has significant impacts on the performance and productivity of flow line manufacturing systems and is an active research area for several decades. This paper addresses the line balancing problem of a two-sided assembly line in which the tasks are to be assigned at L side or R side or any one side (addressed as E). Two objectives, minimum number of workstations and minimum unbalance time among workstations, have been considered for balancing the assembly line. There are two approaches to solve multiobjective optimization problem: first approach combines all the objectives into a single composite function or moves all but one objective to the constraint set; second approach determines the Pareto optimal solution set. This paper proposes two heuristics to evolve optimal Pareto front for the TALBP under consideration: Enumerative Heuristic Algorithm (EHA) to handle problems of small and medium size and Simulated Annealing Algorithm (SAA) for large-sized problems. The proposed approaches are illustrated with example problems and their performances are compared with a set of test problems. PMID:24790568

Conception and realization of a semiconductor based 240 GHz full 3D MIMO imaging system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weisenstein, Christian; Kahl, Matthias; Friederich, Fabian; Haring Bolívar, Peter

2017-02-01

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) imaging systems in the terahertz frequency range have a high potential in the field of non-destructive testing (NDT). With such systems it is possible to detect defects in composite materials, for example cracks or delaminations in fiber composites. To investigate mass-produced products it is necessary to study the objects in close to real-time on a conveyor without affecting the production cycle time. In this work we present the conception and realization of a 3D MIMO imaging system for in-line investigation of composite materials and structures. To achieve a lateral resolution of 1 mm, in order to detect such small defects in composite materials with a moderate number of elements, precise sensor design is crucial. In our approach we use the effective aperture concept. The designed sparse array consists of 32 transmitters and 30 receivers based on planar semiconductor components. High range resolution is achieved by an operating frequency between 220 GHz and 260 GHz in a stepped frequency continuous wave (SFCW) setup. A matched filter approach is used to simulate the reconstructed 3D image through the array. This allows the evaluation of the designed array geometry in regard of resolution and side lobe level. In contrast to earlier demonstrations, in which synthetic reconstruction is only performed in a 2D plane, an optics-free full 3D recon- struction has been implemented in our concept. Based on this simulation we designed an array geometry that enables to resolve objects with a resolution smaller than 1mm and moderate side lobe level.

Design of a lightweight, cost effective thimble-like sensor for haptic applications based on contact force sensors.

PubMed

Ferre, Manuel; Galiana, Ignacio; Aracil, Rafael

2011-01-01

This paper describes the design and calibration of a thimble that measures the forces applied by a user during manipulation of virtual and real objects. Haptic devices benefit from force measurement capabilities at their end-point. However, the heavy weight and cost of force sensors prevent their widespread incorporation in these applications. The design of a lightweight, user-adaptable, and cost-effective thimble with four contact force sensors is described in this paper. The sensors are calibrated before being placed in the thimble to provide normal and tangential forces. Normal forces are exerted directly by the fingertip and thus can be properly measured. Tangential forces are estimated by sensors strategically placed in the thimble sides. Two applications are provided in order to facilitate an evaluation of sensorized thimble performance. These applications focus on: (i) force signal edge detection, which determines task segmentation of virtual object manipulation, and (ii) the development of complex object manipulation models, wherein the mechanical features of a real object are obtained and these features are then reproduced for training by means of virtual object manipulation.

Design of a Lightweight, Cost Effective Thimble-Like Sensor for Haptic Applications Based on Contact Force Sensors

PubMed Central

Ferre, Manuel; Galiana, Ignacio; Aracil, Rafael

2011-01-01

This paper describes the design and calibration of a thimble that measures the forces applied by a user during manipulation of virtual and real objects. Haptic devices benefit from force measurement capabilities at their end-point. However, the heavy weight and cost of force sensors prevent their widespread incorporation in these applications. The design of a lightweight, user-adaptable, and cost-effective thimble with four contact force sensors is described in this paper. The sensors are calibrated before being placed in the thimble to provide normal and tangential forces. Normal forces are exerted directly by the fingertip and thus can be properly measured. Tangential forces are estimated by sensors strategically placed in the thimble sides. Two applications are provided in order to facilitate an evaluation of sensorized thimble performance. These applications focus on: (i) force signal edge detection, which determines task segmentation of virtual object manipulation, and (ii) the development of complex object manipulation models, wherein the mechanical features of a real object are obtained and these features are then reproduced for training by means of virtual object manipulation. PMID:22247677

The LCOGT Network for Solar System Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lister, Tim

2012-10-01

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) network is a planned homogeneous network of over 35 telescopes at 6 locations in the northern and southern hemispheres. This network is versatile and designed to respond rapidly to target of opportunity events and also to do long term monitoring of slowly changing astronomical phenomena. The global coverage of the network and the apertures of telescope available make LCOGT ideal for follow-up and characterization of Solar System objects (e.g. asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, comets, Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)) and ultimately for the discovery of new objects. Currently LCOGT is operating the two 2m Faulkes Telescopes at Haleakala, Maui and Siding Spring Observatory, Australia and in March 2012 completed the install of the first member of the new 1m telescope network at McDonald Observatory, Texas. Further deployments of six to eight 1m telescopes to CTIO in Chile, SAAO in South Africa and Siding Spring Observatory are expected in late 2012-early 2013. I am using the growing LCOGT network to confirm newly detected NEO candidates produced by PanSTARRS (PS1) and other sky surveys and to obtain follow-up astrometry and photometry for radar-targeted objects. I have developed an automated system to retrieve new PS1 NEOs, compute orbits, plan observations and automatically schedule them for follow-up on the robotic telescopes of the LCOGT Network. In the future, LCOGT has proposed to develop a Minor Planet Investigation Project (MPIP) that will address the existing lack of resources for minor planet follow-up, takes advantage of ever-increasing new datasets, and develops a platform for broad public participation in relevant scientific exploration. We plan to produce a cloud-based Solar System investigation environment, a citizen science project (AgentNEO), and a cyberlearning environment, all under the umbrella of MPIP.

Driving With Hemianopia: III. Detection of Stationary and Approaching Pedestrians in a Simulator

PubMed Central

Alberti, Concetta F.; Peli, Eli; Bowers, Alex R.

2014-01-01

Purpose. To compare blind-side detection performance of drivers with homonymous hemianopia (HH) for stationary and approaching pedestrians, initially appearing at small (4°) or large (14°) eccentricities in a driving simulator. While the stationary pedestrians did not represent an imminent threat, as their eccentricity increased rapidly as the vehicle advanced, the approaching pedestrians maintained a collision course with approximately constant eccentricity, walking or running, toward the travel lane as if to cross. Methods. Twelve participants with complete HH and without spatial neglect pressed the horn whenever they detected a pedestrian while driving along predetermined routes in two driving simulator sessions. Miss rates and reaction times were analyzed for 52 stationary and 52 approaching pedestrians. Results. Miss rates were higher and reaction times longer on the blind than the seeing side (P < 0.01). On the blind side, miss rates were lower for approaching than stationary pedestrians (16% vs. 29%, P = 0.01), especially at larger eccentricities (20% vs. 54%, P = 0.005), but reaction times for approaching pedestrians were longer (1.72 vs. 1.41 seconds; P = 0.03). Overall, the proportion of potential blind-side collisions (missed and late responses) was not different for the two paradigms (41% vs. 35%, P = 0.48), and significantly higher than for the seeing side (3%, P = 0.002). Conclusions. In a realistic pedestrian detection task, drivers with HH exhibited significant blind-side detection deficits. Even when approaching pedestrians were detected, responses were often too late to avoid a potential collision. PMID:24346175

Meta-heuristic algorithm to solve two-sided assembly line balancing problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wirawan, A. D.; Maruf, A.

2016-02-01

Two-sided assembly line is a set of sequential workstations where task operations can be performed at two sides of the line. This type of line is commonly used for the assembly of large-sized products: cars, buses, and trucks. This paper propose a Decoding Algorithm with Teaching-Learning Based Optimization (TLBO), a recently developed nature-inspired search method to solve the two-sided assembly line balancing problem (TALBP). The algorithm aims to minimize the number of mated-workstations for the given cycle time without violating the synchronization constraints. The correlation between the input parameters and the emergence point of objective function value is tested using scenarios generated by design of experiments. A two-sided assembly line operated in an Indonesia's multinational manufacturing company is considered as the object of this paper. The result of the proposed algorithm shows reduction of workstations and indicates that there is negative correlation between the emergence point of objective function value and the size of population used.

Compressed Sensing mm-Wave SAR for Non-Destructive Testing Applications Using Multiple Weighted Side Information.

PubMed

Becquaert, Mathias; Cristofani, Edison; Van Luong, Huynh; Vandewal, Marijke; Stiens, Johan; Deligiannis, Nikos

2018-05-31

This work explores an innovative strategy for increasing the efficiency of compressed sensing applied on mm-wave SAR sensing using multiple weighted side information. The approach is tested on synthetic and on real non-destructive testing measurements performed on a 3D-printed object with defects while taking advantage of multiple previous SAR images of the object with different degrees of similarity. The tested algorithm attributes autonomously weights to the side information at two levels: (1) between the components inside the side information and (2) between the different side information. The reconstruction is thereby almost immune to poor quality side information while exploiting the relevant components hidden inside the added side information. The presented results prove that, in contrast to common compressed sensing, good SAR image reconstruction is achieved at subsampling rates far below the Nyquist rate. Moreover, the algorithm is shown to be much more robust for low quality side information compared to coherent background subtraction.

Neurons with object-centered spatial selectivity in macaque SEF: do they represent locations or rules?

PubMed

Tremblay, Léon; Gettner, Sonya N; Olson, Carl R

2002-01-01

In macaque monkeys performing a task that requires eye movements to the leftmost or rightmost of two dots in a horizontal array, some neurons in the supplementary eye field (SEF) fire differentially according to which side of the array is the target regardless of the array's location on the screen. We refer to these neurons as exhibiting selectivity for object-centered location. This form of selectivity might arise from involvement of the neurons in either of two processes: representing the locations of targets or representing the rules by which targets are selected. To distinguish between these possibilities, we monitored neuronal activity in the SEF of two monkeys performing a task that required the selection of targets by either an object-centered spatial rule or a color rule. On each trial, a sample array consisting of two side-by-side dots appeared; then a cue flashed on one dot; then the display vanished and a delay ensued. Next a target array consisting of two side-by-side dots appeared at an unpredictable location and another delay ensued; finally the monkey had to make an eye movement to one of the target dots. On some trials, the monkey had to select the dot on the same side as the cue (right or left). On other trials, he had to select the target of the same color as the cue (red or green). Neuronal activity robustly encoded the object-centered locations first of the cue and then of the target regardless of the whether the monkey was following a rule based on object-centered location or color. Neuronal activity was at most weakly affected by the type of rule the monkey was following (object-centered-location or color) or by the color of the cue and target (red or green). On trials involving a color rule, neuronal activity was moderately enhanced when the cue and target appeared on opposite sides of their respective arrays. We conclude that the general function of SEF neurons selective for object-centered location is to represent where the cue and target are in their respective arrays rather than to represent the rule for target selection.

Development of blood vessel searching system for HMS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandani, Hirofumi; Uenoya, Toshiyuki; Uetsuji, Yasutomo; Nakamachi, Eiji

2008-08-01

In this study, we develop a new 3D miniature blood vessel searching system by using near-infrared LED light, a CMOS camera module with an image processing unit for a health monitoring system (HMS), a drug delivery system (DDS) which requires very high performance for automatic micro blood volume extraction and automatic blood examination. Our objective is to fabricate a highly reliable micro detection system by utilizing image capturing, image processing, and micro blood extraction devices. For the searching system to determine 3D blood vessel location, we employ the stereo method. The stereo method is a common photogrammetric method. It employs the optical path principle to detect 3D location of the disparity between two cameras. The principle for blood vessel visualization is derived from the ratio of hemoglobin's absorption of the near-infrared LED light. To get a high quality blood vessel image, we adopted an LED, with peak a wavelength of 940nm. The LED is set on the dorsal side of the finger and it irradiates the human finger. A blood vessel image is captured by a CMOS camera module, which is set below the palmer side of the finger. 2D blood vessel location can be detected by the luminance distribution of a one pixel line. To examine the accuracy of our detecting system, we carried out experiments using finger phantoms with blood vessel diameters of 0.5, 0.75, 1.0mm, at the depths of 0.5 ~ 2.0 mm from the phantom's surface. The experimental results of the estimated depth obtained by our detecting system shows good agreements with the given depths, and the viability of this system is confirmed.

Restricted evaluation of Trichodectes canis (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae) detection methods in Alaska gray wolves.

PubMed

Woldstad, Theresa M; Dullen, Kimberly N; Hundertmark, Kris J; Beckmen, Kimberlee B

2014-12-01

Trichodectes canis (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae) was first documented on Alaska (USA) gray wolves (Canis lupus) on the Kenai Peninsula in 1981. In subsequent years, numerous wolves exhibited visually apparent, moderate to severe infestations. Currently, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game utilizes visual inspection, histopathology, and potassium hydroxide (KOH) hide digestion for T. canis detection. Our objective was to determine optimal sampling locations for T. canis detection. Wolf hides were subjected to lice enumeration using KOH hide digestion. Thirty nine of the 120 wolves examined had lice. Of these 39, total louse burdens ranged from 14 to an extrapolated 80,000. The hides of 12 infested animals were divided into 10 cm by 10 cm subsections and the lice enumerated on a subsection from each of four regions: neck; shoulder; groin; and rump. Combining the data from these 12 wolves, the highest mean proportions of the total louse burdens on individual wolves were found on the rump and differed significantly from the lowest mean proportion on the neck. However, examination of the four subsections failed to detect all infested wolves. Hides from 16 of the 39 infested animals were cut into left and right sides, and each side then cut into four, approximately equal sections: neck and shoulder; chest; abdomen; and rump. Half hides were totally digested from 11 wolves, and whole hides from 5. For these 21 half hides, the highest mean proportions of total louse burdens were found on the rump, and this section had the highest sensitivity for louse detection, regardless of burden. However, removal of this large section from a hide would likely be opposed by hunters and trappers.

Restricted evaluation of Trichodectes canis (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae) detection methods in Alaska gray wolves

PubMed Central

Woldstad, Theresa M.; Dullen, Kimberly N.; Hundertmark, Kris J.; Beckmen, Kimberlee B.

2014-01-01

Trichodectes canis (Phthiraptera: Trichodectidae) was first documented on Alaska (USA) gray wolves (Canis lupus) on the Kenai Peninsula in 1981. In subsequent years, numerous wolves exhibited visually apparent, moderate to severe infestations. Currently, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game utilizes visual inspection, histopathology, and potassium hydroxide (KOH) hide digestion for T. canis detection. Our objective was to determine optimal sampling locations for T. canis detection. Wolf hides were subjected to lice enumeration using KOH hide digestion. Thirty nine of the 120 wolves examined had lice. Of these 39, total louse burdens ranged from 14 to an extrapolated 80,000. The hides of 12 infested animals were divided into 10 cm by 10 cm subsections and the lice enumerated on a subsection from each of four regions: neck; shoulder; groin; and rump. Combining the data from these 12 wolves, the highest mean proportions of the total louse burdens on individual wolves were found on the rump and differed significantly from the lowest mean proportion on the neck. However, examination of the four subsections failed to detect all infested wolves. Hides from 16 of the 39 infested animals were cut into left and right sides, and each side then cut into four, approximately equal sections: neck and shoulder; chest; abdomen; and rump. Half hides were totally digested from 11 wolves, and whole hides from 5. For these 21 half hides, the highest mean proportions of total louse burdens were found on the rump, and this section had the highest sensitivity for louse detection, regardless of burden. However, removal of this large section from a hide would likely be opposed by hunters and trappers. PMID:25426419

Air intake side secondary air supply system for an internal combustion engine with a duty ratio control operation

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

Kawanabe, T.; Asakura, M.; Shina, T.

1987-09-01

An air intake side secondary air supply system is described for an internal combustion engine having an air intake passage with a carburetor and an exhaust passage, comprising: an air intake side secondary air supply passage communicating with the air intake passage on the downstream side of the carburetor; an open/close valve disposed in the air intake side secondary air supply passage; an oxygen concentration sensor disposed in the exhaust passage; and detection and control means for detecting whether an air-fuel ratio of mixture to be supplied to the engine is leaner or richer with respect to a target air-fuelmore » ratio through a level of an output signal of the oxygen concentration sensor and for periodically actuating the open/close valve, the detection and control means decreasing a valve open period of the open/close valve within each cyclic period by a first predetermined amount when a detected air-fuel ratio of mixture is leaner than the target air-fuel ratio and increasing the valve open period by a second predetermined amount when the detected air-fuel ratio of mixture is richer than the target air-fuel ratio. The second predetermined amount is different from the first predetermined amount.« less

Objective assessment of actual chewing side by measurement of bilateral masseter muscle electromyography.

PubMed

Yamasaki, Yo; Kuwatsuru, Rika; Tsukiyama, Yoshihiro; Matsumoto, Hiroshi; Oki, Kyosuke; Koyano, Kiyoshi

2015-12-01

The aim of this study was to examine the validity of objective assessment of actual chewing side by measurement of electromyographic (EMG) activity of the bilateral masseter muscles upon chewing test foods. The sample consisted of 19 healthy, dentate individuals. The subjects were asked to chew three types of test foods (peanuts, beef jerky, and chewing gum) for 10 strokes on the right side and then on the left side, and instructed to perform maximum voluntary clenching for 3s, three times. EMG activity from the bilateral masseter muscles was recorded. The data were collected in three different days. The root mean square EMG amplitude obtained from the maximum clenching task was used as the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC). Then, the level of amplitude against the MVC (%MVC) was calculated for the right and left sides on each stroke. The side with the larger %MVC value was judged as the chewing side, and the concordance rates (CRs) for the instructed chewing side (ICS) and the judged chewing side (JCS) were calculated. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) of the CRs were calculated to evaluate the reproducibility of the method. High CRs between the ICS and JCS for each test food were recognized. There were significant ICCs for beef jerky (R=0.761, P<0.001) and chewing gum (R=0.785, P<0.001). The results suggested that the measurement of EMG activity from the bilateral masseter muscles may be a useful method for the objective determination of the actual chewing side during mastication. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Post-processing of auditory steady-state responses to correct spectral leakage.

PubMed

Felix, Leonardo Bonato; de Sá, Antonio Mauricio Ferreira Leite Miranda; Mendes, Eduardo Mazoni Andrade Marçal; Moraes, Márcio Flávio Dutra

2009-06-30

Auditory steady-state responses (ASSRs) are electrical manifestations of brain due to high rate sound stimulation. These evoked responses can be used to assess the hearing capabilities of a subject in an objective, automatic fashion. Usually, the detection protocol is accomplished by frequency-domain techniques, such as magnitude-squared coherence, whose estimation is based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT) of several data segments. In practice, the FFT-based spectrum may spread out the energy of a given frequency to its side bins and this escape of energy in the spectrum is called spectral leakage. The distortion of the spectrum due to leakage may severely compromise statistical significance of objective detection. This work presents an offline, a posteriori method for spectral leakage minimization in the frequency-domain analysis of ASSRs using coherent sampling criterion and interpolation in time. The technique was applied to the local field potentials of 10 Wistar rats and the results, together with those from simulated data, indicate that a leakage-free analysis of ASSRs is possible for any dataset if the methods showed in this paper were followed.

High resolution imaging of objects located within a wall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greneker, Eugene F.; Showman, Gregory A.; Trostel, John M.; Sylvester, Vincent

2006-05-01

Researchers at Georgia Tech Research Institute have developed a high resolution imaging radar technique that allows large sections of a test wall to be scanned in X and Y dimensions. The resulting images that can be obtained provide information on what is inside the wall, if anything. The scanning homodyne radar operates at a frequency of 24.1 GHz at with an output power level of approximately 10 milliwatts. An imaging technique that has been developed is currently being used to study the detection of toxic mold on the back surface of wallboard using radar as a sensor. The moisture that is associated with the mold can easily be detected. In addition to mold, the technique will image objects as small as a 4 millimeter sphere on the front or rear of the wallboard and will penetrate both sides of a wall made of studs and wallboard. Signal processing is performed on the resulting data to further sharpen the image. Photos of the scanner and images produced by the scanner are presented. A discussion of the signal processing and technical challenges are also discussed.

Extrasolar Planets & The Power of the Dark Side

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

Charbonneau, David

It is only in the last decade that we have direct evidence for planets orbiting nearby Sun-like stars. If such planets happen to pass in front of their stars, we are presented with a golden opportunity to learn about the nature of these objects. Measurements of the dimming of starlight and gravitational wobble allow us to derive the planetary radius and mass, and, by inference, its composition. Recently, we used the Hubble Telescope to detect and study the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet for the first time. I will describe what we have learned about these planets 

Accuracy for detection of simulated lesions: comparison of fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery, proton density--weighted, and T2-weighted synthetic brain MR imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herskovits, E. H.; Itoh, R.; Melhem, E. R.

2001-01-01

OBJECTIVE: The objective of our study was to determine the effects of MR sequence (fluid-attenuated inversion-recovery [FLAIR], proton density--weighted, and T2-weighted) and of lesion location on sensitivity and specificity of lesion detection. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We generated FLAIR, proton density-weighted, and T2-weighted brain images with 3-mm lesions using published parameters for acute multiple sclerosis plaques. Each image contained from zero to five lesions that were distributed among cortical-subcortical, periventricular, and deep white matter regions; on either side; and anterior or posterior in position. We presented images of 540 lesions, distributed among 2592 image regions, to six neuroradiologists. We constructed a contingency table for image regions with lesions and another for image regions without lesions (normal). Each table included the following: the reviewer's number (1--6); the MR sequence; the side, position, and region of the lesion; and the reviewer's response (lesion present or absent [normal]). We performed chi-square and log-linear analyses. RESULTS: The FLAIR sequence yielded the highest true-positive rates (p < 0.001) and the highest true-negative rates (p < 0.001). Regions also differed in reviewers' true-positive rates (p < 0.001) and true-negative rates (p = 0.002). The true-positive rate model generated by log-linear analysis contained an additional sequence-location interaction. The true-negative rate model generated by log-linear analysis confirmed these associations, but no higher order interactions were added. CONCLUSION: We developed software with which we can generate brain images of a wide range of pulse sequences and that allows us to specify the location, size, shape, and intrinsic characteristics of simulated lesions. We found that the use of FLAIR sequences increases detection accuracy for cortical-subcortical and periventricular lesions over that associated with proton density- and T2-weighted sequences.

An on-board pedestrian detection and warning system with features of side pedestrian

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Ruzhong; Zhao, Yong; Wong, ChupChung; Chan, KwokPo; Xu, Jiayao; Wang, Xin'an

2012-01-01

Automotive Active Safety(AAS) is the main branch of intelligence automobile study and pedestrian detection is the key problem of AAS, because it is related with the casualties of most vehicle accidents. For on-board pedestrian detection algorithms, the main problem is to balance efficiency and accuracy to make the on-board system available in real scenes, so an on-board pedestrian detection and warning system with the algorithm considered the features of side pedestrian is proposed. The system includes two modules, pedestrian detecting and warning module. Haar feature and a cascade of stage classifiers trained by Adaboost are first applied, and then HOG feature and SVM classifier are used to refine false positives. To make these time-consuming algorithms available in real-time use, a divide-window method together with operator context scanning(OCS) method are applied to increase efficiency. To merge the velocity information of the automotive, the distance of the detected pedestrian is also obtained, so the system could judge if there is a potential danger for the pedestrian in the front. With a new dataset captured in urban environment with side pedestrians on zebra, the embedded system and its algorithm perform an on-board available result on side pedestrian detection.

Dynamic balance abilities of collegiate men for the bench press.

PubMed

Piper, Timothy J; Radlo, Steven J; Smith, Thomas J; Woodward, Ryan W

2012-12-01

This study investigated the dynamic balance detection ability of college men for the bench press exercise. Thirty-five college men (mean ± SD: age = 22.4 ± 2.76 years, bench press experience = 8.3 ± 2.79 years, and estimated 1RM = 120.1 ± 21.8 kg) completed 1 repetition of the bench press repetitions for each of 3 bar loading arrangements. In a randomized fashion, subjects performed the bench press with a 20-kg barbell loaded with one of the following: a balanced load, one 20-kg plate on each side; an imbalanced asymmetrical load, one 20-kg plate on one side and a 20-kg plate plus a 1.25-kg plate on the other side; or an imbalanced asymmetrical center of mass, 20-kg plate on one side and sixteen 1.25-kg plates on the other side. Subjects were blindfolded and wore ear protection throughout all testing to decrease the ability to otherwise detect loads. Binomial data analysis indicated that subjects correctly detected the imbalance of the imbalanced asymmetrical center of mass condition (p[correct detection] = 0.89, p < 0.01) but did not correctly detect the balanced condition (p[correct detection] = 0.46, p = 0.74) or the imbalanced asymmetrical condition (p[correct detection] = 0.60, p = 0.31). Although it appears that a substantial shift in the center of mass of plates leads to the detection of barbell imbalance, minor changes of the addition of 1.25 kg (2.5 lb) to the asymmetrical condition did not result in consistent detection. Our data indicate that the establishment of a biofeedback loop capable of determining balance detection was only realized under a high degree of imbalance. Although balance detection was not present in either the even or the slightly uneven loading condition, the inclusion of balance training for upper body may be futile if exercises are unable to establish such a feedback loop and thus eliciting an improvement of balance performance.

Comparison between non-modulation four-sided and two-sided pyramid wavefront sensor.

PubMed

Wang, Jianxin; Bai, Fuzhong; Ning, Yu; Huang, Linhai; Wang, Shengqian

2010-12-20

Based on the diffraction theory the paper analyzes non-modulation Pyramid wavefront sensor (PWFS, namely, four-sided pyramid) and two-sided pyramid wavefront sensor (TSPWFS), and expresses the detected signals as a function of the measured wavefront. The expressions of the detected signals show that non-modulation PWFS and TSPWFS hold the same properties of both slope and direct phase sensors. We compare both sensors working in slope and phase sensing by theory and numerical simulations. The results demonstrate that the performance of TSPWFS excels that of PWFS. Additionally, the influence of interference between adjacent pupils is discussed.

iDermatoPath - a novel software tool for mitosis detection in H&E-stained tissue sections of malignant melanoma.

PubMed

Andres, C; Andres-Belloni, B; Hein, R; Biedermann, T; Schäpe, A; Brieu, N; Schönmeyer, R; Yigitsoy, M; Ring, J; Schmidt, G; Harder, N

2017-07-01

Malignant Melanoma (MM) is characterized by a growing incidence and a high malignant potential. Besides well-defined prognostic factors such as tumour thickness and ulceration, the Mitotic Rate (MR) was included in the AJCC recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of MM. In daily routine, the identification of a single mitosis can be difficult on haematoxylin and eosin slides alone. Several studies showed a big inter- and intra-individual variability in detecting the MR in MM even by very experienced investigators, thus raising the question for a computer-assisted method. The objective was to develop a software system for mitosis detection in MM on H&E slides based on machine learning for diagnostic support. We developed a computer-aided staging support system based on image analysis and machine learning on the basis of 59 MM specimens. Our approach automatically detects tumour regions, identifies mitotic nuclei and classifies them with respect to their diagnostic relevance. A convenient user interface enables the investigator to browse through the proposed mitoses for fast and efficient diagnosing. A quantitative evaluation on manually labelled ground truth data revealed that the tumour region detection yields a medium spatial overlap index (dice coefficient) of 0.72. For the mitosis detection, we obtained high accuracies of above 83%. On the technical side, the developed iDermatoPath software tool provides a novel approach for mitosis detection in MM, which can be further improved using more training data such as dermatopathologist annotations. On the practical side, a first evaluation of the clinical utility was positive, albeit this approach provides most benefit for difficult cases in a research setting. Assuming all slides to be digitally processed and reported in the near future, this method could become a helpful additional tool for the pathologist. © 2017 European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.

Memory for Medication Side Effects in Younger and Older Adults: The Role of Subjective and Objective Importance

PubMed Central

Friedman, Michael C.; McGillivray, Shannon; Murayama, Kou; Castel, Alan D.

2014-01-01

Older adults often experience memory impairments, but can sometimes use selective processing and schematic support to remember important information. The current experiments investigate to what degree younger and healthy older adults remember medication side effects that were subjectively or objectively important to remember. Participants studied a list of common side effects, and rated how negative these effects were if they were to experience them, and were then given a free recall test. In Experiment 1, the severity of the side effects ranged from mild (e.g., itching) to severe (e.g., stroke), and in Experiment 2, certain side effects were indicated as critical to remember (i.e., “contact your doctor if you experience this”). There were no age differences in terms of free recall of the side effects, and older adults remembered more severe side effects relative to mild effects. However, older adults were less likely to recognize critical side effects on a later recognition test, relative to younger adults. The findings suggest that older adults can selectively remember medication side effects, but have difficulty identifying familiar but potentially critical side effects, and this has implications for monitoring medication use in older age. PMID:25331278

Gynecological Surgery and Low Back Pain in Older Women

PubMed Central

Ericksen, Jeffery; Pidcoe, Peter E.; Ketchum-McKinney, Jessica M.; Burnet, Evie N.; Huang, Emily; Wilson, James C.; Hoogstad, Vincent

2010-01-01

Objective: To determine sacroiliac joint compliance characteristics and pelvic floor movements in older women relative to gynecological surgery history and back pain complaints. Design: Single-visit laboratory measurement. Setting: University clinical research center. Participants: Twenty-five women aged 65 years or older. Outcome Measures: Sacroiliac joint compliance measured by Doppler imaging of vibrations and ultrasound measures of pelvic floor motion during the active straight leg raise test. Results: Doppler imaging of vibrations demonstrated test reliability ranging from 0.701 to 0.898 for detecting vibration on the ilium and sacrum sides of the sacroiliac joint. The presence of low-back pain or prior gynecological surgery was not significantly associated with a difference in the compliance or laxity symmetry of the sacroiliac joints. No significant difference in pelvic floor movement was found during the active straight leg raise test between subject groups. All P values were ≥.4159. Conclusions: Prior gynecological surgery and low-back pain were not significantly associated with side-to-side differences in the compliance of the sacroiliac joints or in significant changes in pelvic floor movement during a loading maneuver in a group of older women. PMID:23569659

Contrast model for three-dimensional vehicles in natural lighting and search performance analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Witus, Gary; Gerhart, Grant R.; Ellis, R. Darin

2001-09-01

Ground vehicles in natural lighting tend to have significant and systematic variation in luminance through the presented area. This arises, in large part, from the vehicle surfaces having different orientations and shadowing relative to the source of illumination and the position of the observer. These systematic differences create the appearance of a structured 3D object. The 3D appearance is an important factor in search, figure-ground segregation, and object recognition. We present a contrast metric to predict search and detection performance that accounts for the 3D structure. The approach first computes the contrast of the front (or rear), side, and top surfaces. The vehicle contrast metric is the area-weighted sum of the absolute values of the contrasts of the component surfaces. The 3D structure contrast metric, together with target height, account for more than 80% of the variance in probability of detection and 75% of the variance in search time. When false alarm effects are discounted, they account for 89% of the variance in probability of detection and 95% of the variance in search time. The predictive power of the signature metric, when calibrated to half the data and evaluated against the other half, is 90% of the explanatory power.

Taking side effects into account for HIV medication.

PubMed

Costanza, Vicente; Rivadeneira, Pablo S; Biafore, Federico L; D'Attellis, Carlos E

2010-09-01

A control-theoretic approach to the problem of designing "low-side-effects" therapies for HIV patients based on highly active drugs is substantiated here. The evolution of side effects during treatment is modeled by an extra differential equation coupled to the dynamics of virions, healthy T-cells, and infected ones. The new equation reflects the dependence of collateral damages on the amount of each dose administered to the patient and on the evolution of the viral load detected by periodical blood analysis. The cost objective accounts for recommended bounds on healthy cells and virions, and also penalizes the appearance of collateral morbidities caused by the medication. The optimization problem is solved by a hybrid dynamic programming scheme that adhere to discrete-time observation and control actions, but by maintaining the continuous-time setup for predicting states and side effects. The resulting optimal strategies employ less drugs than those prescribed by previous optimization studies, but maintaining high doses at the beginning and the end of each period of six months. If an inverse discount rate is applied to favor early actions, and under a mild penalization of the final viral load, then the optimal doses are found to be high at the beginning and decrease afterward, thus causing an apparent stabilization of the main variables. But in this case, the final viral load turns higher than acceptable.

Rapid response radiation sensors for homeland security applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mukhopadhyay, Sanjoy; Maurer, Richard; Guss, Paul

2014-09-01

The National Security Technologies, LLC, Remote Sensing Laboratory is developing a rapid response radiation detection system for homeland security field applications. The intelligence-driven system is deployed only when non-radiological information about the target is verifiable. The survey area is often limited, so the detection range is small; in most cases covering a distance of 10 meters or less suffices. Definitive response is required in no more than 3 seconds and should minimize false negative alarms, but can err on the side of positive false alarms. The detection system is rapidly reconfigurable in terms of size, shape, and outer appearance; it is a plug-and-play system. Multiple radiation detection components (viz., two or more sodium iodide scintillators) are used to independently "over-determine" the existence of the threat object. Rapid response electronic dose rate meters are also included in the equipment suite. Carefully studied threat signatures are the basis of the decision making. The use of Rad-Detect predictive modeling provides information on the nature of the threat object. Rad-Detect provides accurate dose rate from heavily shielded large sources; for example those lost in Mexico were Category 1 radiation sources (~3,000 Ci of 60Co), the most dangerous of five categories defined by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Taken out of their shielding containers, Category 1 sources can kill anyone who is exposed to them at close range for a few minutes to an hour. Whenever possible sub-second data acquisition will be attempted, and, when deployed, the system will be characterized for false alarm rates. Although the radiation detection materials selected are fast (viz., faster scintillators), their speed is secondary to sensitivity, which is of primary importance. Results from these efforts will be discussed and demonstrated.

A highly embedded protostar in SFO 18: IRAS 05417+0907

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saha, Piyali; Gopinathan, Maheswar; Puravankara, Manoj; Sharma, Neha; Soam, Archana

2018-04-01

Bright-rimmed clouds, located at the periphery of relatively evolved HIT regions, are considered to be the sites of star formation possibly triggered by the implosion caused due to the ionizing radiation from nearby massive stars. SFO 18 is one such region showing a bright-rim on the side facing the 0-type star, A Ori. A point source, IRAS 05417+0907, is detected towards the high density region of the cloud. A molecular outflow has been found to be associated with the source. The outflow is directed towards a Herbig-Haro object, HH 175. From the Spitzer and WISE observations, we show evidence of a physical connection between the molecular outflow, IRAS 05417+0907 and the HH object. The spectral energy distribution constructed using multi-wavelength data shows that the point source is most likely a highly embedded protostar.

The image enhancement and region of interest extraction of lobster-eye X-ray dangerous material inspection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, Qi; Wang, Xin; Mu, Baozhong; Xu, Jie; Xie, Qing; Li, Yaran; Chen, Yifan; He, Yanan

2016-10-01

Dangerous materials inspection is an important technique to confirm dangerous materials crimes. It has significant impact on the prohibition of dangerous materials-related crimes and the spread of dangerous materials. Lobster-Eye Optical Imaging System is a kind of dangerous materials detection device which mainly takes advantage of backscatter X-ray. The strength of the system is its applicability to access only one side of an object, and to detect dangerous materials without disturbing the surroundings of the target material. The device uses Compton scattered x-rays to create computerized outlines of suspected objects during security detection process. Due to the grid structure of the bionic object glass, which imitate the eye of a lobster, grids contribute to the main image noise during the imaging process. At the same time, when used to inspect structured or dense materials, the image is plagued by superposition artifacts and limited by attenuation and noise. With the goal of achieving high quality images which could be used for dangerous materials detection and further analysis, we developed effective image process methods applied to the system. The first aspect of the image process is the denoising and enhancing edge contrast process, during the process, we apply deconvolution algorithm to remove the grids and other noises. After image processing, we achieve high signal-to-noise ratio image. The second part is to reconstruct image from low dose X-ray exposure condition. We developed a kind of interpolation method to achieve the goal. The last aspect is the region of interest (ROI) extraction process, which could be used to help identifying dangerous materials mixed with complex backgrounds. The methods demonstrated in the paper have the potential to improve the sensitivity and quality of x-ray backscatter system imaging.

People Detection by a Mobile Robot Using Stereo Vision in Dynamic Indoor Environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Méndez-Polanco, José Alberto; Muñoz-Meléndez, Angélica; Morales, Eduardo F.

People detection and tracking is a key issue for social robot design and effective human robot interaction. This paper addresses the problem of detecting people with a mobile robot using a stereo camera. People detection using mobile robots is a difficult task because in real world scenarios it is common to find: unpredictable motion of people, dynamic environments, and different degrees of human body occlusion. Additionally, we cannot expect people to cooperate with the robot to perform its task. In our people detection method, first, an object segmentation method that uses the distance information provided by a stereo camera is used to separate people from the background. The segmentation method proposed in this work takes into account human body proportions to segment people and provides a first estimation of people location. After segmentation, an adaptive contour people model based on people distance to the robot is used to calculate a probability of detecting people. Finally, people are detected merging the probabilities of the contour people model and by evaluating evidence over time by applying a Bayesian scheme. We present experiments on detection of standing and sitting people, as well as people in frontal and side view with a mobile robot in real world scenarios.

Restored low-dose digital breast tomosynthesis: a perception study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borges, Lucas R.; Bakic, Predrag R.; Maidment, Andrew D. A.; Vieira, Marcelo A. C.

2018-03-01

This work investigates the perception of noise from restored low-dose digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) images. First, low-dose DBT projections were generated using a dose reduction simulation algorithm. A dataset of clinical images from the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania was used for this purpose. Low-dose projections were then denoised with a denoising pipeline developed specifically for DBT images. Denoised and noisy projections were combined to generate images with signal-to-noise ratio comparable to the full-dose images. The quality of restored low-dose and full-dose projections were first compared in terms of an objective no-reference image quality metric previously validated for mammography. In the second analysis, regions of interest (ROIs) were selected from reconstructed full-dose and restored low-dose slices, and were displayed side-by-side on a high-resolution medical display. Five medical physics specialists were asked to choose the image containing less noise and less blur using a 2-AFC experiment. The objective metric shows that, after the proposed image restoration framework was applied, images with as little as 60% of the AEC dose yielded similar quality indices when compared to images acquired with the full-dose. In the 2-AFC experiments results showed that when the denoising framework was used, 30% reduction in dose was possible without any perceived difference in noise or blur. Note that this study evaluated the observers perception to noise and blur and does not claim that the dose of DBT examinations can be reduced with no harm to the detection of cancer. Future work is necessary to make any claims regarding detection, localization and characterization of lesions.

Dexmedetomidine in a surgically inserted catheter for transversus abdominis plane block in donor hepatectomy: A prospective randomized controlled study.

PubMed

Aboelela, Mohamed Adel; Kandeel, Al-Refaey; Elsayed, Usama; Elmorshedi, Mohamed; Elsarraf, Waleed; Elsayed, Eman; Elgawalby, Ahmed; Sultan, Ahmed Mohamed; Wahab, Mohamed Abdel; Yassen, Amr

2018-01-01

Transversus abdominis plane (TAP) block is a promising technique for analgesia after abdominal surgery. This prospective, randomized controlled trial assessed the effect of adding dexmedetomidine to bupivacaine in TAP block for donor hepatectomy. We hypothesized that this would improve postoperative morphine consumption and reduce analgesia related complication and inflammation. A total of 50 donor hepatectomy were enrolled in this study. Patients divided into two equal groups according to drugs used for TAP block. Group (B) received 20 ml of bupivacaine hydrochloride 0.25%, Group (BD) received 20 ml of bupivacaine hydrochloride 0.25% and 0.3 μg/kg dexmedetomidine, on both sides at the end of surgery and every 8 h for 48 h at right side only through inserted catheter. Primary outcome objective was morphine consumption at first 72 h. Secondary outcome objectives were morphine requirement, numbers of intake, time to first intake, pain score numerical analog scale (NAS), postoperative analgesia related complications, recovery of intestinal motility, and inflammatory markers. Data were analyzed, rescue morphine analgesia was significantly lower in (BD) group compared with (B) groups as considering total morphine consumption (B 4 ± 1.9, BD 1.5 ± 0.5, P = 0.03), numbers of morphine intake ( P = 0.04), morphine requirement ( P = 0.03), and first time of analgesia intake ( P = 0.04). NAS was significantly lower in group (BD) compared with group (B) group in the first 12 h (NAS 0 - P = 0.001, NAS 1 - P = 0.03). Adding dexmedetomidine improved gut motility, first oral intake without detectable anti-inflammatory effect. Adding dexmedetomidine to bupivacine in a surgically inserted catheter for TAP block in donor hepatectomy reduced morphine consumption without detectable anti-inflammatory effect.

Responses to familiar and unfamiliar objects by belugas (Delphinapterus leucas), bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), and Pacific white-sided dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obliquidens).

PubMed

Guarino, Sara; Yeater, Deirdre; Lacy, Steve; Dees, Tricia; Hill, Heather M

2017-09-01

Previous research with bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) demonstrated their ability to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar stimuli. Dolphins gazed longer at unfamiliar stimuli. The current study attempted to extend this original research by examining the responses of three species of cetaceans to objects that differed in familiarity. Eleven belugas from two facilities, five bottlenose dolphins and five Pacific white-sided dolphins housed at one facility were presented different objects in a free-swim scenario. The results indicated that the animals gazed the longest at unfamiliar objects, but these gaze durations did not significantly differ from gaze durations when viewing familiar objects. Rather, the animals gazed longer at unfamiliar objects when compared to the apparatus alone. Species differences emerged with longer gaze durations exhibited by belugas and bottlenose dolphins and significantly shorter gaze durations for Pacific white-sided dolphins. It is likely that the animals categorized objects into familiar and unfamiliar categories, but the free-swim paradigm in naturalistic social groupings did not elicit clear responses. Rather this procedure emphasized the importance of attention and individual preferences when investigating familiar and unfamiliar objects, which has implications for cognitive research and enrichment use.

Precise 3D Lug Pose Detection Sensor for Automatic Robot Welding Using a Structured-Light Vision System

PubMed Central

Park, Jae Byung; Lee, Seung Hun; Lee, Il Jae

2009-01-01

In this study, we propose a precise 3D lug pose detection sensor for automatic robot welding of a lug to a huge steel plate used in shipbuilding, where the lug is a handle to carry the huge steel plate. The proposed sensor consists of a camera and four laser line diodes, and its design parameters are determined by analyzing its detectable range and resolution. For the lug pose acquisition, four laser lines are projected on both lug and plate, and the projected lines are detected by the camera. For robust detection of the projected lines against the illumination change, the vertical threshold, thinning, Hough transform and separated Hough transform algorithms are successively applied to the camera image. The lug pose acquisition is carried out by two stages: the top view alignment and the side view alignment. The top view alignment is to detect the coarse lug pose relatively far from the lug, and the side view alignment is to detect the fine lug pose close to the lug. After the top view alignment, the robot is controlled to move close to the side of the lug for the side view alignment. By this way, the precise 3D lug pose can be obtained. Finally, experiments with the sensor prototype are carried out to verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed sensor. PMID:22400007

Single mode levitation and translation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barmatz, Martin B. (Inventor); Allen, James L. (Inventor)

1988-01-01

A single frequency resonance mode is applied by a transducer to acoustically levitate an object within a chamber. This process allows smooth movement of the object and suppression of unwanted levitation modes that would urge the object to a different levitation position. A plunger forms one end of the chamber, and the frequency changes as the plunger moves. Acoustic energy is applied to opposite sides of the chamber, with the acoustic energy on opposite sides being substantially 180 degrees out of phase.

Highly selective and sensitive method for Cu2 + detection based on chiroptical activity of L-Cysteine mediated Au nanorod assemblies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, Shahryar; Khani, Hamzeh

2017-11-01

Herein, we demonstrated a simple and efficient method to detect Cu2 + based on amplified optical activity in the chiral nanoassemblies of gold nanorods (Au NRs). L-Cysteine can induce side-by-side or end-to-end assembly of Au NRs with an evident plasmonic circular dichroism (PCD) response due to coupling between surface plasmon resonances (SPR) of Au NRs and the chiral signal of L-Cys. Because of the obvious stronger plasmonic circular dichrosim (CD) response of the side-by-side assembly compared with the end-to-end assemblies, SS assembled Au NRs was selected as a sensitive platform and used for Cu2 + detection. In the presence of Cu2 +, Cu2 + can catalyze O2 oxidation of cysteine to cystine. With an increase in Cu2 + concentration, the L-Cysteine-mediated assembly of Au NRs decreased because of decrease in the free cysteine thiol groups, and the PCD signal decreased. Taking advantage of this method, Cu2 + could be detected in the concentration range of 20 pM-5 nM. Under optimal conditions, the calculated detection limit was found to be 7 pM.

Landmine detection using two-tapped joint orthogonal matching pursuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldberg, Sean; Glenn, Taylor; Wilson, Joseph N.; Gader, Paul D.

2012-06-01

Joint Orthogonal Matching Pursuits (JOMP) is used here in the context of landmine detection using data obtained from an electromagnetic induction (EMI) sensor. The response from an object containing metal can be decomposed into a discrete spectrum of relaxation frequencies (DSRF) from which we construct a dictionary. A greedy iterative algorithm is proposed for computing successive residuals of a signal by subtracting away the highest matching dictionary element at each step. The nal condence of a particular signal is a combination of the reciprocal of this residual and the mean of the complex component. A two-tap approach comparing signals on opposite sides of the geometric location of the sensor is examined and found to produce better classication. It is found that using only a single pursuit does a comparable job, reducing complexity and allowing for real-time implementation in automated target recognition systems. JOMP is particularly highlighted in comparison with a previous EMI detection algorithm known as String Match.

HeatWave: the next generation of thermography devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moghadam, Peyman; Vidas, Stephen

2014-05-01

Energy sustainability is a major challenge of the 21st century. To reduce environmental impact, changes are required not only on the supply side of the energy chain by introducing renewable energy sources, but also on the demand side by reducing energy usage and improving energy efficiency. Currently, 2D thermal imaging is used for energy auditing, which measures the thermal radiation from the surfaces of objects and represents it as a set of color-mapped images that can be analysed for the purpose of energy efficiency monitoring. A limitation of such a method for energy auditing is that it lacks information on the geometry and location of objects with reference to each other, particularly across separate images. Such a limitation prevents any quantitative analysis to be done, for example, detecting any energy performance changes before and after retrofitting. To address these limitations, we have developed a next generation thermography device called Heat Wave. Heat Wave is a hand-held 3D thermography device that consists of a thermal camera, a range sensor and color camera, and can be used to generate precise 3D model of objects with augmented temperature and visible information. As an operator holding the device smoothly waves it around the objects of interest, Heat Wave can continuously track its own pose in space and integrate new information from the range and thermal and color cameras into a single, and precise 3D multi-modal model. Information from multiple viewpoints can be incorporated together to improve the accuracy, reliability and robustness of the global model. The approach also makes it possible to reduce any systematic errors associated with the estimation of surface temperature from the thermal images.

Nano-Mole Scale Side-Chain Signal Assignment by 1H-Detected Protein Solid-State NMR by Ultra-Fast Magic-Angle Spinning and Stereo-Array Isotope Labeling

PubMed Central

Nishiyama, Yusuke; Endo, Yuki; Nemoto, Takahiro; Yamauchi, Kazuo; Asakura, Tetsuo; Takeda, Mitsuhiro; Terauchi, Tsutomu; Kainosho, Masatsune; Ishii, Yoshitaka

2015-01-01

We present a general approach in 1H-detected 13C solid-state NMR (SSNMR) for side-chain signal assignments of 10-50 nmol quantities of proteins using a combination of a high magnetic field, ultra-fast magic-angle spinning (MAS) at ~80 kHz, and stereo-array-isotope-labeled (SAIL) proteins [Kainosho M. et al., Nature 440, 52–57, 2006]. First, we demonstrate that 1H indirect detection improves the sensitivity and resolution of 13C SSNMR of SAIL proteins for side-chain assignments in the ultra-fast MAS condition. 1H-detected SSNMR was performed for micro-crystalline ubiquitin (~55 nmol or ~0.5mg) that was SAIL-labeled at seven isoleucine (Ile) residues. Sensitivity was dramatically improved by 1H-detected 2D 1H/13C SSNMR by factors of 5.4-9.7 and 2.1-5.0, respectively, over 13C-detected 2D 1H/13C SSNMR and 1D 13C CPMAS, demonstrating that 2D 1H-detected SSNMR offers not only additional resolution but also sensitivity advantage over 1D 13C detection for the first time. High 1H resolution for the SAIL-labeled side-chain residues offered reasonable resolution even in the 2D data. A 1H-detected 3D 13C/13C/1H experiment on SAIL-ubiquitin provided nearly complete 1H and 13C assignments for seven Ile residues only within ~2.5 h. The results demonstrate the feasibility of side-chain signal assignment in this approach for as little as 10 nmol of a protein sample within ~3 days. The approach is likely applicable to a variety of proteins of biological interest without any requirements of highly efficient protein expression systems. PMID:25856081

Objective Analysis of Poly-L-Lactic Acid Injection Efficacy in Different Settings.

PubMed

Byun, Sang-Young; Seo, Koo-Il; Shin, Jung-Won; Kwon, Soon-Hyo; Park, Mi-Sook; Lee, Joshua; Park, Kyoung-Chan; Na, Jung-Im; Huh, Chang-Hun

2015-12-01

Poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) filler is known to have continuous volume effect. The objective of this study is to analyze objective volume effect of PLLA in different settings of injection schedule on the cheek. A split-face, evaluator-blind randomized study in 24 volunteers was conducted. One side was injected 3 times with 4 cc dose and the other side was injected 2 times with 6 cc dose per visit. Facial volume loss scale (FVLS) and Vectra were evaluated. Measured average FVLS showed statistically significant improvement both in 3 and 2 times injection sides and maintained efficacy until 12 months. Vectra showed volume difference (cc) between before and after injection. In 3 times injection side, it was increased 2.12 (after 1 month) to 3.17 (after 12 months). In 2 times injection side, it was increased 2.26 (after 1 month) to 3.19 (after 12 months). Gradual volume improvement over 12 months was statistically significant in both sides. There was no statistically significant difference between 3 and 2 times injection in FVLS and Vectra. There was no severe adverse event. Poly-L-lactic acid has continuous volume effect and there was no significant difference by injection times at the same total injection volume.

[An object-oriented remote sensing image segmentation approach based on edge detection].

PubMed

Tan, Yu-Min; Huai, Jian-Zhu; Tang, Zhong-Shi

2010-06-01

Satellite sensor technology endorsed better discrimination of various landscape objects. Image segmentation approaches to extracting conceptual objects and patterns hence have been explored and a wide variety of such algorithms abound. To this end, in order to effectively utilize edge and topological information in high resolution remote sensing imagery, an object-oriented algorithm combining edge detection and region merging is proposed. Susan edge filter is firstly applied to the panchromatic band of Quickbird imagery with spatial resolution of 0.61 m to obtain the edge map. Thanks to the resulting edge map, a two-phrase region-based segmentation method operates on the fusion image from panchromatic and multispectral Quickbird images to get the final partition result. In the first phase, a quad tree grid consisting of squares with sides parallel to the image left and top borders agglomerates the square subsets recursively where the uniform measure is satisfied to derive image object primitives. Before the merger of the second phrase, the contextual and spatial information, (e. g., neighbor relationship, boundary coding) of the resulting squares are retrieved efficiently by means of the quad tree structure. Then a region merging operation is performed with those primitives, during which the criterion for region merging integrates edge map and region-based features. This approach has been tested on the QuickBird images of some site in Sanxia area and the result is compared with those of ENVI Zoom Definiens. In addition, quantitative evaluation of the quality of segmentation results is also presented. Experiment results demonstrate stable convergence and efficiency.

An assessment of the impact of the JSY cash transfer program on maternal mortality reduction in Madhya Pradesh, India

PubMed Central

Ng, Marie; Misra, Archana; Diwan, Vishal; Agnani, Manohar; Levin-Rector, Alison; De Costa, Ayesha

2014-01-01

Background The Indian Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) program is a demand-side program in which the state pays women a cash incentive to deliver in an institution, with the aim of reducing maternal mortality. The JSY has had 54 million beneficiaries since inception 7 years ago. Although a number of studies have demonstrated the effect of JSY on coverage, few have examined the direct impact of the program on maternal mortality. Objective To study the impact of JSY on maternal mortality in Madhya Pradesh (MP), one of India's largest provinces. Design By synthesizing data from various sources, district-level maternal mortality ratios (MMR) from 2005 to 2010 were estimated using a Bayesian spatio-temporal model. Based on these, a mixed effects multilevel regression model was applied to assess the impact of JSY. Specifically, the association between JSY intensity, as reflected by 1) proportion of JSY-supported institutional deliveries, 2) total annual JSY expenditure, and 3) MMR, was examined. Results The proportion of all institutional deliveries increased from 23.9% in 2005 to 55.9% in 2010 province-wide. The proportion of JSY-supported institutional deliveries rose from 14% (2005) to 80% (2010). MMR declines in the districts varied from 2 to 35% over this period. Despite the marked increase in JSY-supported delivery, our multilevel models did not detect a significant association between JSY-supported delivery proportions and changes in MMR in the districts. The results from the analysis examining the association between MMR and JSY expenditure are similar. Conclusions Our analysis was unable to detect an association between maternal mortality reduction and the JSY in MP. The high proportion of institutional delivery under the program does not seem to have converted to lower mortality outcomes. The lack of significant impact could be related to supply-side constraints. Demand-side programs like JSY will have a limited effect if the supply side is unable to deliver care of adequate quality. PMID:25476929

Hippocampal histone acetylation regulates object recognition and the estradiol-induced enhancement of object recognition

PubMed Central

Zhao, Zaorui; Fan, Lu; Fortress, Ashley M.; Boulware, Marissa I.; Frick, Karyn M.

2012-01-01

Histone acetylation has recently been implicated in learning and memory processes, yet necessity of histone acetylation for such processes has not been demonstrated using pharmacological inhibitors of histone acetyltransferases (HATs). As such, the present study tested whether garcinol, a potent HAT inhibitor in vitro, could impair hippocampal memory consolidation and block the memory-enhancing effects of the modulatory hormone 17β-estradiol (E2). We first showed that bilateral infusion of garcinol (0.1, 1, or 10 μg/side) into the dorsal hippocampus (DH) immediately after training impaired object recognition memory consolidation in ovariectomized female mice. A behaviorally effective dose of garcinol (10 μg/side) also significantly decreased DH HAT activity. We next examined whether DH infusion of a behaviorally subeffective dose of garcinol (1 ng/side) could block the effects of DH E2 infusion on object recognition and epigenetic processes. Immediately after training, ovariectomized female mice received bilateral DH infusions of vehicle, E2 (5 μg/side), garcinol (1 ng/side), or E2 plus garcinol. Forty-eight hours later, garcinol blocked the memory-enhancing effects of E2. Garcinol also reversed the E2-induced increase in DH histone H3 acetylation, HAT activity, and levels of the de novo methyltransferase DNMT3B, as well as the E2-induced decrease in levels of the memory repressor protein histone deacetylase 2 (HDAC2). Collectively, these findings suggest that histone acetylation is critical for object recognition memory consolidation and the beneficial effects of E2 on object recognition. Importantly, this work demonstrates that the role of histone acetylation in memory processes can be studied using a HAT inhibitor. PMID:22396409

Tympanometric findings in superior semicircular canal dehiscence syndrome.

PubMed

Castellucci, A; Brandolini, C; Piras, G; Modugno, G C

2013-04-01

The diagnostic role of audio-impedancemetry in superior semicircular canal dehiscence (SSCD) disease is well known. In particular, since the first reports, the presence of evoked acoustic reflexes has represented a determining instrumental exhibit in differential diagnosis with other middle ear pathologies that are responsible for a mild-low frequencies air-bone gap (ABG). Even though high resolution computed tomography (HRCT) completed by parasagittal reformatted images still represents the diagnostic gold standard, several instrumental tests can support a suspect of labyrinthine capsule dehiscence when "suggestive" symptoms occur. Objective and subjective audiometry often represents the starting point of the diagnostic course aimed at investigating the cause responsible for the so-called "intra-labyrinthine conductive hearing loss". The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role of tympanometry, in particular of the inter-aural asymmetry ratio in peak compliance as a function of different mild-low frequencies ABG on the affected side, in the diagnostic work-up in patients with unilateral SSCD. The working hypothesis is that an increase in admittance of the "inner-middle ear" conduction system due to a "third mobile window" could be detected by tympanometry. A retrospective review of the clinical records of 45 patients with unilateral dehiscence selected from a pool of 140 subjects diagnosed with SSCD at our institution from 2003 to 2011 was performed. Values of ABG amplitude on the dehiscent side and tympanometric measurements of both ears were collected for each patient in the study group (n = 45). An asymmetry between tympanometric peak compliance of the involved side and that of the contralateral side was investigated by calculating the inter-aural difference and the asymmetry ratio of compliance at the eardrum. A statistically significant correlation (p = 0.015 by Fisher's test) between an asymmetry ratio ≥ 14% in favour of the pathologic ear and an ABG > 20 dB nHL on the same side was found. When "evocative" symptoms of SSCD associated with important ABG occur, the inter-aural difference in tympanometric peak compliance at the eardrum in favour of the "suspected" side could suggest an intra-labyrinthine origin for the asymmetry. Tympanometry would thus prove to be a useful instrument in clinical-instrumental diagnosis of SSCD in detection of cases associated with alterations of inner ear impedance.

Interactive High-Relief Reconstruction for Organic and Double-Sided Objects from a Photo.

PubMed

Yeh, Chih-Kuo; Huang, Shi-Yang; Jayaraman, Pradeep Kumar; Fu, Chi-Wing; Lee, Tong-Yee

2017-07-01

We introduce an interactive user-driven method to reconstruct high-relief 3D geometry from a single photo. Particularly, we consider two novel but challenging reconstruction issues: i) common non-rigid objects whose shapes are organic rather than polyhedral/symmetric, and ii) double-sided structures, where front and back sides of some curvy object parts are revealed simultaneously on image. To address these issues, we develop a three-stage computational pipeline. First, we construct a 2.5D model from the input image by user-driven segmentation, automatic layering, and region completion, handling three common types of occlusion. Second, users can interactively mark-up slope and curvature cues on the image to guide our constrained optimization model to inflate and lift up the image layers. We provide real-time preview of the inflated geometry to allow interactive editing. Third, we stitch and optimize the inflated layers to produce a high-relief 3D model. Compared to previous work, we can generate high-relief geometry with large viewing angles, handle complex organic objects with multiple occluded regions and varying shape profiles, and reconstruct objects with double-sided structures. Lastly, we demonstrate the applicability of our method on a wide variety of input images with human, animals, flowers, etc.

Spacing and length of passing sidings and the incremental capacity of single track.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2016-02-18

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effect of initial siding spacing and distribution of siding length on the incremental capacity of infrastructure investments on single-track railway lines. Previous research has shown a linear reduction ...

Results from the LCOGT Near-Earth Object Follow-up Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenstreet, Sarah; Lister, Tim; Gomez, Edward; Christensen, Eric; Larson, Steve

2015-11-01

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network (LCOGT) has deployed a homogeneous telescope network of nine 1-meter and two 2-meter telescopes to five locations in the northern and southern hemispheres, with plans to extend to twelve 1-meter telescopes at 6 locations. The versitility and design of this network allows for rapid response to target of opportunity events as well as the long-term monitoring of slowly changing astronomical phenomena. The network's global coverage and the apertures of telescopes available make LCOGT ideal for follow-up and characterization of Solar System objects (e.g. asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, comets, Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)) and ultimately for the discovery of new objects.LCOGT has completed the first phase of the deployment with the installation and commissioning of the nine 1-meter telescopes at McDonald Observatory (Texas), Cerro Tololo (Chile), SAAO (South Africa) and Siding Spring Observatory (Australia). This is complimented by the two 2-meter telescopes at Haleakala (Hawaii) and Siding Spring Observatory. The telescope network has been fully operational since May 2014, and observations are being executed remotely and robotically. Future expansion to sites in the Canary Islands and Tibet are planned for 2016.The LCOGT near-Earth object group is using the network to confirm newly detected NEO candidates produced by the major sky surveys such as Catalina Sky Survey (CSS), PanSTARRS (PS1) and NEOWISE, with several hundred targets being followed per year. Follow-up astrometry and photometry of radar-targeted objects and those on the Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) or Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM) lists are improving orbits, producing light curves and rotation periods, and better characterizing these NEOs. Recent results include the first period determinations for several of the Goldstone-targeted NEOs. In addition, we are in the process of building a NEO portal that will allow professionals, amateurs, and Citizen Scientists to plan, schedule, and analyze NEO imaging and spectroscopy observations and data using the LCOGT Network and to act as a coordination hub for the NEO follow-up efforts.

Advances in neutron based bulk explosive detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gozani, Tsahi; Strellis, Dan

2007-08-01

Neutron based explosive inspection systems can detect a wide variety of national security threats. The inspection is founded on the detection of characteristic gamma rays emitted as the result of neutron interactions with materials. Generally these are gamma rays resulting from thermal neutron capture and inelastic scattering reactions in most materials and fast and thermal neutron fission in fissile (e.g.235U and 239Pu) and fertile (e.g.238U) materials. Cars or trucks laden with explosives, drugs, chemical agents and hazardous materials can be detected. Cargo material classification via its main elements and nuclear materials detection can also be accomplished with such neutron based platforms, when appropriate neutron sources, gamma ray spectroscopy, neutron detectors and suitable decision algorithms are employed. Neutron based techniques can be used in a variety of scenarios and operational modes. They can be used as stand alones for complete scan of objects such as vehicles, or for spot-checks to clear (or validate) alarms indicated by another inspection system such as X-ray radiography. The technologies developed over the last two decades are now being implemented with good results. Further advances have been made over the last few years that increase the sensitivity, applicability and robustness of these systems. The advances range from the synchronous inspection of two sides of vehicles, increasing throughput and sensitivity and reducing imparted dose to the inspected object and its occupants (if any), to taking advantage of the neutron kinetic behavior of cargo to remove systematic errors, reducing background effects and improving fast neutron signals.

The importance of side difference in nasal obstruction and rhinomanometry: a retrospective correlation of symptoms and rhinomanometry in 1000 patients.

PubMed

Thulesius, H L; Cervin, A; Jessen, M

2012-02-01

The correlation between subjective and objective outcomes of nasal obstruction is still a matter of controversy. The aim of this study was to determine the minimal level of side difference in nasal airway resistance (NAR measured by Broms'v(2)) between the two nasal cavities, which could be discerned subjectively by the patient on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Nasal airway resistance was calculated from rhinomanometric measurements of nasal airflow and transnasal pressure after decongestion of the nasal mucosa. A retrospective study. ENT department, Vaxjo Central Hospital, Sweden. We studied 1000 active anterior rhinomanometries from patients with nasal obstructions. We compared the side difference of nasal airway resistance with the side difference of VAS estimated immediately prior to the rhinomanometry. Each measurement was performed after nasal decongestion. When the difference in nasal airway resistance between the two nasal cavities was larger than 20° (Broms'v(2)) or R(2) > 0.36 Pa/cm(3) /s, we found a significant correlation between side differences of the objective measurement and the subjective assessment (VAS). With a nasal airway resistance side difference over 20°, an additional 20° difference corresponded to a 0.9 centimetre average VAS change. The more obstructed side of the nose could be determined by VAS in 823 (82.3%) of 1000 patients. Yet, 177 (17.7%) patients had a paradoxical sensation of nasal obstruction with the low resistance side of the nose experienced as the most congested side. A significant correlation between the side differences of nasal airway resistance and VAS can serve as a supplement to rhinoscopy in decisions about nasal surgery. This study also showed that in 17.7% of patients, there was a negative correlation between subjective and objective evaluations of nasal airway resistance. But in this group, the nasal airway resistance side difference was mostly under 20°. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Alternative Packaging for Back-Illuminated Imagers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pain, Bedabrata

2009-01-01

An alternative scheme has been conceived for packaging of silicon-based back-illuminated, back-side-thinned complementary metal oxide/semiconductor (CMOS) and charge-coupled-device image-detector integrated circuits, including an associated fabrication process. This scheme and process are complementary to those described in "Making a Back-Illuminated Imager With Back-Side Connections" (NPO-42839), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 32, No. 7 (July 2008), page 38. To avoid misunderstanding, it should be noted that in the terminology of imaging integrated circuits, "front side" or "back side" does not necessarily refer to the side that, during operation, faces toward or away from a source of light or other object to be imaged. Instead, "front side" signifies that side of a semiconductor substrate upon which the pixel pattern and the associated semiconductor devices and metal conductor lines are initially formed during fabrication, and "back side" signifies the opposite side. If the imager is of the type called "back-illuminated," then the back side is the one that faces an object to be imaged. Initially, a back-illuminated, back-side-thinned image-detector is fabricated with its back side bonded to a silicon handle wafer. At a subsequent stage of fabrication, the front side is bonded to a glass wafer (for mechanical support) and the silicon handle wafer is etched away to expose the back side. The frontside integrated circuitry includes metal input/output contact pads, which are rendered inaccessible by the bonding of the front side to the glass wafer. Hence, one of the main problems is to make the input/output contact pads accessible from the back side, which is ultimately to be the side accessible to the external world. The present combination of an alternative packaging scheme and associated fabrication process constitute a solution of the problem.

Determination of the Ecological and Geographic Distributions of Armillaria Species in Missouri Ozark Forest Ecosystems

Treesearch

Johann N. Bruhn; James J. Wetteroff; Jeanne D. Mihail; Susan Burks

1997-01-01

Armillaria root rot contributes to oak decline in the Ozarks. Three Armillaria species were detected in Ecological Landtypes (ELT's) representing south- to west-facing side slopes (ELT 17), north- to east-facing side slopes (ELT 18), and ridge tops (ELT 11). Armillaria mellea was detected in 91 percent...

Seeing behind the surface: Communicative demonstration boosts category disambiguation in 12-month-olds

PubMed Central

Kovács, Ágnes M.; Téglás, Ernő; Gergely, György; Csibra, Gergely

2016-01-01

In their first years, infants acquire an incredible amount of information regarding the objects present in their environment. While often it is not clear what specific information should be prioritized in encoding from the many characteristics of an object, different types of object representations facilitate different types of generalizations. We tested the hypotheses that one-year-old infants distinctively represent familiar objects as exemplars of their kind, and that ostensive communication plays a role in determining kind membership for ambiguous objects. In the training phase of our experiment, infants were exposed to movies displaying an agent sorting objects from two categories (cups and plates) into two locations (left or right). Afterwards, different groups of infants saw either an ostensive or a non-ostensive demonstration performed by the agent revealing that a new object that looked like a plate can be transformed into a cup. A third group of infants experienced no demonstration regarding the new object. During test, infants were presented with the ambiguous object in the plate format, and we measured generalization by coding anticipatory looks to the plate or the cup side. While infants looked equally often towards the two sides when the demonstration was non-ostensive, and more often to the plate side when there was no demonstration, they performed more anticipatory eye movements to the cup side when the demonstration was ostensive. Thus, ostensive demonstration likely highlighted the hidden dispositional properties of the target object as kind-relevant, guiding infants’ categorization of the foldable cup as a cup, despite that it looked like a plate. These results suggest that infants likely encode familiar objects as exemplars of their kind and that ostensive communication can play a crucial role in disambiguating what kind an object belongs to, even when this requires disregarding salient surface features. PMID:29076269

Side-detecting optical fiber coated with Zn(OH)2 nanorods for ultraviolet sensing applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azad, S.; Parvizi, R.; Sadeghi, E.

2017-09-01

This paper presents an improved coupling efficiency and side detecting of UV radiation induced by light scattering and luminescent features of Zn(OH)2 nanorods coated multimode optical fibers. Uniform and high density Zn(OH)2 nanorods were grown hydrothermally on the core of chemically etched multimode optical fibers. The prepared samples were characterized through x-ray diffraction patterns, scanning electron microscopy and photoluminescence spectroscopy. The detecting technique was based on the intensity modulation of the side coupled light through the Zn(OH)2 nanorods. A simple and cost-effective UV radiation detecting setup has been designed. Experimentally estimated coupling efficiency of the proposed setup was obtained near 11%. The proposed device exhibited stable and reversible responses with a fast rising and decaying time of about 1.4 s and 0.85 s, respectively.

Detection of bronchial breathing caused by pneumonia.

PubMed

Gross, V; Fachinger, P; Penzel, Th; Koehler, U; von Wichert, P; Vogelmeier, C

2002-06-01

The classic auscultation with stethoscope is the established clinical method for the detection of lung diseases. The interpretation of the sounds depends on the experience of the investigating physician. Therefore, a new computer-based method has been developed to classify breath sounds from digital lung sound recordings. Lung sounds of 11 patients with one-sided pneumonia and bronchial breathing were recorded on both the pneumonia side and on contralateral healthy side simultaneously using two microphones. The spectral power for the 300-600 Hz frequency band was computed for four respiratory cycles and normalized. For each breath, the ratio R between the time-segments (duration = 0.1 s) with the highest inspiratory and highest expiratory flow was calculated and averaged. We found significant differences in R between the pneumonia side (R = 1.4 +/- 1.3) and the healthy side (R = 0.5 +/- 0.5; p = 0.003 Wilcoxon-test) of lung. In 218 healthy volunteers we found R = 0.3 +/- 0.2 as a reference-value. The differences of ratio R (delta R) between the pneumonia side and the healthy side (delta R = 1.0 +/- 0.9) were significantly higher compared to follow-up studies after recovery (delta R = 0.0 +/- 0.1, p = 0.005 Wilcoxon-test). The computer based detection of bronchial breathing can be considered useful as part of a quantitative monitoring of patients at risk to develop pneumonia.

FH/MFSK performance in multitone jamming

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levitt, B. K.

1985-01-01

The performance of frequency-hopped (FH) M-ary frequency-shift keyed (MFSK) signals in partial-band noise was analyzed in the open literature. The previous research is extended to the usually more effective class of multitone jamming. Some objectives researched are: (1) To categorize several different multitone jamming strategies; (2) To analyze the performance of FH/MSFK signaling, both uncoded with diversity, assuming a noncoherent energy detection metric with linear combining and perfect jamming state side information, in the presence of worst case interference for each of these multitone categories; and (3) To compare the effectiveness of the various multitone jamming techniques, and contrast the results with the partial band noise jamming case.

Waveform Similarity Analysis: A Simple Template Comparing Approach for Detecting and Quantifying Noisy Evoked Compound Action Potentials.

PubMed

Potas, Jason Robert; de Castro, Newton Gonçalves; Maddess, Ted; de Souza, Marcio Nogueira

2015-01-01

Experimental electrophysiological assessment of evoked responses from regenerating nerves is challenging due to the typical complex response of events dispersed over various latencies and poor signal-to-noise ratio. Our objective was to automate the detection of compound action potential events and derive their latencies and magnitudes using a simple cross-correlation template comparison approach. For this, we developed an algorithm called Waveform Similarity Analysis. To test the algorithm, challenging signals were generated in vivo by stimulating sural and sciatic nerves, whilst recording evoked potentials at the sciatic nerve and tibialis anterior muscle, respectively, in animals recovering from sciatic nerve transection. Our template for the algorithm was generated based on responses evoked from the intact side. We also simulated noisy signals and examined the output of the Waveform Similarity Analysis algorithm with imperfect templates. Signals were detected and quantified using Waveform Similarity Analysis, which was compared to event detection, latency and magnitude measurements of the same signals performed by a trained observer, a process we called Trained Eye Analysis. The Waveform Similarity Analysis algorithm could successfully detect and quantify simple or complex responses from nerve and muscle compound action potentials of intact or regenerated nerves. Incorrectly specifying the template outperformed Trained Eye Analysis for predicting signal amplitude, but produced consistent latency errors for the simulated signals examined. Compared to the trained eye, Waveform Similarity Analysis is automatic, objective, does not rely on the observer to identify and/or measure peaks, and can detect small clustered events even when signal-to-noise ratio is poor. Waveform Similarity Analysis provides a simple, reliable and convenient approach to quantify latencies and magnitudes of complex waveforms and therefore serves as a useful tool for studying evoked compound action potentials in neural regeneration studies.

Waveform Similarity Analysis: A Simple Template Comparing Approach for Detecting and Quantifying Noisy Evoked Compound Action Potentials

PubMed Central

Potas, Jason Robert; de Castro, Newton Gonçalves; Maddess, Ted; de Souza, Marcio Nogueira

2015-01-01

Experimental electrophysiological assessment of evoked responses from regenerating nerves is challenging due to the typical complex response of events dispersed over various latencies and poor signal-to-noise ratio. Our objective was to automate the detection of compound action potential events and derive their latencies and magnitudes using a simple cross-correlation template comparison approach. For this, we developed an algorithm called Waveform Similarity Analysis. To test the algorithm, challenging signals were generated in vivo by stimulating sural and sciatic nerves, whilst recording evoked potentials at the sciatic nerve and tibialis anterior muscle, respectively, in animals recovering from sciatic nerve transection. Our template for the algorithm was generated based on responses evoked from the intact side. We also simulated noisy signals and examined the output of the Waveform Similarity Analysis algorithm with imperfect templates. Signals were detected and quantified using Waveform Similarity Analysis, which was compared to event detection, latency and magnitude measurements of the same signals performed by a trained observer, a process we called Trained Eye Analysis. The Waveform Similarity Analysis algorithm could successfully detect and quantify simple or complex responses from nerve and muscle compound action potentials of intact or regenerated nerves. Incorrectly specifying the template outperformed Trained Eye Analysis for predicting signal amplitude, but produced consistent latency errors for the simulated signals examined. Compared to the trained eye, Waveform Similarity Analysis is automatic, objective, does not rely on the observer to identify and/or measure peaks, and can detect small clustered events even when signal-to-noise ratio is poor. Waveform Similarity Analysis provides a simple, reliable and convenient approach to quantify latencies and magnitudes of complex waveforms and therefore serves as a useful tool for studying evoked compound action potentials in neural regeneration studies. PMID:26325291

CAFNA{reg{underscore}sign}, coded aperture fast neutron analysis for contraband detection: Preliminary results

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

Zhang, L.; Lanza, R.C.

1999-12-01

The authors have developed a near field coded aperture imaging system for use with fast neutron techniques as a tool for the detection of contraband and hidden explosives through nuclear elemental analysis. The technique relies on the prompt gamma rays produced by fast neutron interactions with the object being examined. The position of the nuclear elements is determined by the location of the gamma emitters. For existing fast neutron techniques, in Pulsed Fast Neutron Analysis (PFNA), neutrons are used with very low efficiency; in Fast Neutron Analysis (FNS), the sensitivity for detection of the signature gamma rays is very low.more » For the Coded Aperture Fast Neutron Analysis (CAFNA{reg{underscore}sign}) the authors have developed, the efficiency for both using the probing fast neutrons and detecting the prompt gamma rays is high. For a probed volume of n{sup 3} volume elements (voxels) in a cube of n resolution elements on a side, they can compare the sensitivity with other neutron probing techniques. As compared to PFNA, the improvement for neutron utilization is n{sup 2}, where the total number of voxels in the object being examined is n{sup 3}. Compared to FNA, the improvement for gamma-ray imaging is proportional to the total open area of the coded aperture plane; a typical value is n{sup 2}/2, where n{sup 2} is the number of total detector resolution elements or the number of pixels in an object layer. It should be noted that the actual signal to noise ratio of a system depends also on the nature and distribution of background events and this comparison may reduce somewhat the effective sensitivity of CAFNA. They have performed analysis, Monte Carlo simulations, and preliminary experiments using low and high energy gamma-ray sources. The results show that a high sensitivity 3-D contraband imaging and detection system can be realized by using CAFNA.« less

Asymmetry in Object Substitution Masking Occurs Relative to the Direction of Spatial Attention Shift

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hirose, Nobuyuki; Osaka, Naoyuki

2010-01-01

A sparse mask that persists beyond the duration of a target can reduce its visibility, a phenomenon called "object substitution masking". Y. Jiang and M. M. Chun (2001a) found an asymmetric pattern of substitution masking such that a mask on the peripheral side of the target caused stronger substitution masking than on the central side.…

Server-Side JavaScript Debugging: Viewing the Contents of an Object

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

Hampton, J.; Simons, R.

1999-04-21

JavaScript allows the definition and use of large, complex objects. Unlike some other object-oriented languages, it also allows run-time modifications not only of the values of object components, but also of the very structure of the object itself. This feature is powerful and sometimes very convenient, but it can be difficult to keep track of the object's structure and values throughout program execution. What's needed is a simple way to view the current state of an object at any point during execution. There is a debug function that is included in the Netscape server-side JavaScript environment. The function outputs themore » value(s) of the expression given as the argument to the function in the JavaScript Application Manager's debug window [SSJS].« less

Detection of ICG at low concentrations by photoacoustic imaging system using LED light source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shigeta, Yusuke; Agano, Toshitaka; Sato, Naoto; Nakatsuka, Hitoshi; Kitagawa, Kazuo; Hanaoka, Takamitsu; Morisono, Koji; Tanaka, Chizuyo

2017-03-01

Recently, various type of photoacoustic imaging (PAI) that can visualize properties and distribution of light absorber have been researched. We developed PAI system using LED light source and evaluated characteristics of photoacoustic signal intensity versus Indocyanine Green (ICG) concentration. In this experiment, a linear type PZT array transducer (128-elements, 10.0MHz center frequency) was used to be able to transmit and receive ultrasound and also detect photoacoustic signal from the target object. The transducer was connected to the PAI system, and two sets of LED light source that had 850nm wavelength chip array were set to the both side of the transducer. The transducer head was placed at a distance of 20 mm from the target in the water bath. The target object was a tube filled with ICG in it. The tubes containing ICG at concentrations from 300nanomolar to 3millimolar were made by diluting original ICG solution. We measured the photoacoustic signal strength from RF signal generated from the ICG in the tube, and the results showed that the intensity of the signal was almost linear response to the concentration in log-log scale.

Highly selective and sensitive method for Cu2+ detection based on chiroptical activity of L-Cysteine mediated Au nanorod assemblies.

PubMed

Abbasi, Shahryar; Khani, Hamzeh

2017-11-05

Herein, we demonstrated a simple and efficient method to detect Cu 2+ based on amplified optical activity in the chiral nanoassemblies of gold nanorods (Au NRs). L-Cysteine can induce side-by-side or end-to-end assembly of Au NRs with an evident plasmonic circular dichroism (PCD) response due to coupling between surface plasmon resonances (SPR) of Au NRs and the chiral signal of L-Cys. Because of the obvious stronger plasmonic circular dichrosim (CD) response of the side-by-side assembly compared with the end-to-end assemblies, SS assembled Au NRs was selected as a sensitive platform and used for Cu 2+ detection. In the presence of Cu 2+ , Cu 2+ can catalyze O 2 oxidation of cysteine to cystine. With an increase in Cu 2+ concentration, the L-Cysteine-mediated assembly of Au NRs decreased because of decrease in the free cysteine thiol groups, and the PCD signal decreased. Taking advantage of this method, Cu 2+ could be detected in the concentration range of 20pM-5nM. Under optimal conditions, the calculated detection limit was found to be 7pM. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Winnek, D.F.

A method and apparatus for making X-ray photographs which can be viewed in three dimensions with the use of a lenticular screen. The apparatus includes a linear tomograph having a moving X-ray source on one side of a support on which an object is to be placed so that X-rays can pass through the object to the opposite side of the support. A movable cassette on the opposite side of the support moves in a direction opposite to the direction of travel of the X-ray source as the source moves relative to the support. The cassette has an intensifying screen,more » a grating mask provided with uniformly spaced slots for passing X-rays, a lenticular member adjacent to the mask, and a photographic emulsion adjacent to the opposite side of the lenticular member. The cassette has a power device for moving the lenticular member and the emulsion relative to the mask a distance equal to the spacing between a pair of adjacent slots in the mask. The X-rays from the source, after passing through an object on the support, pass into the cassette through the slots of the mask and are focused on the photographic emulsion to result in a continuum of X-ray views of the object. When the emulsion is developed and viewed through the lenticular member, the object can be seen in three dimensions.« less

Design of a Golf Swing Injury Detection and Evaluation open service platform with Ontology-oriented clustering case-based reasoning mechanism.

PubMed

Ku, Hao-Hsiang

2015-01-01

Nowadays, people can easily use a smartphone to get wanted information and requested services. Hence, this study designs and proposes a Golf Swing Injury Detection and Evaluation open service platform with Ontology-oritened clustering case-based reasoning mechanism, which is called GoSIDE, based on Arduino and Open Service Gateway initative (OSGi). GoSIDE is a three-tier architecture, which is composed of Mobile Users, Application Servers and a Cloud-based Digital Convergence Server. A mobile user is with a smartphone and Kinect sensors to detect the user's Golf swing actions and to interact with iDTV. An application server is with Intelligent Golf Swing Posture Analysis Model (iGoSPAM) to check a user's Golf swing actions and to alter this user when he is with error actions. Cloud-based Digital Convergence Server is with Ontology-oriented Clustering Case-based Reasoning (CBR) for Quality of Experiences (OCC4QoE), which is designed to provide QoE services by QoE-based Ontology strategies, rules and events for this user. Furthermore, GoSIDE will automatically trigger OCC4QoE and deliver popular rules for a new user. Experiment results illustrate that GoSIDE can provide appropriate detections for Golfers. Finally, GoSIDE can be a reference model for researchers and engineers.

Single-Side Two-Location Spotlight Imaging for Building Based on MIMO Through-Wall-Radar.

PubMed

Jia, Yong; Zhong, Xiaoling; Liu, Jiangang; Guo, Yong

2016-09-07

Through-wall-radar imaging is of interest for mapping the wall layout of buildings and for the detection of stationary targets within buildings. In this paper, we present an easy single-side two-location spotlight imaging method for both wall layout mapping and stationary target detection by utilizing multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) through-wall-radar. Rather than imaging for building walls directly, the images of all building corners are generated to speculate wall layout indirectly by successively deploying the MIMO through-wall-radar at two appropriate locations on only one side of the building and then carrying out spotlight imaging with two different squint-views. In addition to the ease of implementation, the single-side two-location squint-view detection also has two other advantages for stationary target imaging. The first one is the fewer multi-path ghosts, and the second one is the smaller region of side-lobe interferences from the corner images in comparison to the wall images. Based on Computer Simulation Technology (CST) electromagnetic simulation software, we provide multiple sets of validation results where multiple binary panorama images with clear images of all corners and stationary targets are obtained by combining two single-location images with the use of incoherent additive fusion and two-dimensional cell-averaging constant-false-alarm-rate (2D CA-CFAR) detection.

Inorganic nanoparticles and the immune system: detection, selective activation and tolerance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bastús, Neus G.; Sánchez-Tilló, Ester; Pujals, Silvia; Comenge, Joan; Giralt, Ernest; Celada, Antonio; Lloberas, Jorge; Puntes, Victor F.

2012-03-01

The immune system is the responsible for body integrity and prevention of external invasion. On one side, nanoparticles are no triggers that the immune system is prepared to detect, on the other side it is known that foreign bodies, not only bacteria, viruses and parasites, but also inorganic matter, can cause various pathologies such as silicosis, asbestosis or inflammatory reactions. Therefore, nanoparticles entering the body, after interaction with proteins, will be either recognized as self-agents or detected by the immune system, encompassing immunostimulation or immunosuppression responses. The nature of these interactions seems to be dictated not specially by the composition of the material but by modifications of NP coating (composition, surface charge and structure). Herein, we explore the use of gold nanoparticles as substrates to carry multifunctional ligands to manipulate the immune system in a controlled manner, from undetection to immunostimulation. Murine bone marrow macrophages can be activated with artificial nanometric objects consisting of a gold nanoparticle functionalized with peptides. In the presence of some conjugates, macrophage proliferation was stopped and pro-inflammatory cytokines were induced. The biochemical type of response depended on the type of conjugated peptide and was correlated with the degree of ordering in the peptide coating. These findings help to illustrate the basic requirements involved in medical NP conjugate design to either activate the immune system or hide from it, in order to reach their targets before being removed by phagocytes. Additionally, it opens up the possibility to modulate the immune response in order to suppress unwanted responses resulting from autoimmunity, or allergy or to stimulate protective responses against pathogens.

Smal-Scale Spatial Differences in Supply-Side Ecology of Barnacle Larvae Involves a Complex Suite of Factors (Including Surface Tide, Internal Tides And Surface Winds) in Baja California

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valencia, A.; Ladah, L. B.

2016-02-01

The objective of this study was to quantify and compare the daily settlement rate of barnacle larvae of Chthamalus spp. at small spatial scales ( 1 km) at three sites with unique geomorphology. Simultaneously, water-column temperature, currents, and coastal winds were measured to detect potential physical transport mechanisms responsible for supply of planktonic larvae to the coast. Autocorrelation artifacts in the environmental and settlement time series were removed with the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and their residuals were used to perform a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). This analysis was carried out to determine the independent modes of variability in the environmental forcing mechanisms that may explain the settlement patterns. We found synchronous settlement pulses occurring throughout the study. Settlement at the wave exposed site was only associated to the wind-forcing mode and not to internal waves, which had not been detected previously and was surprising, considering the strong semidiurnal internal tide at this site. Settlement at both the reef-bounded site and the inside-bay site associated to vertical isotherm displacements, thereby suggesting the importance of internal waves for supply-side ecology at these more southern sites. Our results suggest that a complex suite of factors may interact to result in larval supply at the same site, and that larval supply at nearby sites may be forced by different factors due to differences in geomorphology and/or bathymetry, explaining spatial heterogeneity often detected in larval supply and settlement.

Method of detecting defects in ion exchange membranes of electrochemical cells by chemochromic sensors

DOEpatents

Brooker, Robert Paul; Mohajeri, Nahid

2016-01-05

A method of detecting defects in membranes such as ion exchange membranes of electrochemical cells. The electrochemical cell includes an assembly having an anode side and a cathode side with the ion exchange membrane in between. In a configuration step a chemochromic sensor is placed above the cathode and flow isolation hardware lateral to the ion exchange membrane which prevents a flow of hydrogen (H.sub.2) between the cathode and anode side. The anode side is exposed to a first reactant fluid including hydrogen. The chemochromic sensor is examined after the exposing for a color change. A color change evidences the ion exchange membrane has at least one defect that permits H.sub.2 transmission therethrough.

Sensorimotor dysfunction of grasping in schizophrenia: a side effect of antipsychotic treatment?

PubMed Central

Nowak, D A; Connemann, B J; Alan, M; Spitzer, M

2006-01-01

Background Antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia is frequently associated with extrapyramidal side effects. Objective behavioural measures to evaluate the severity of extrapyramidal side effects in the clinical setting do not exist. Objectives This study was designed to investigate grasping movements in five drug naive and 13 medicated subjects with schizophrenia and to compare their performance with that of 18 healthy control subjects. Deficits of grip force performance were correlated with clinical scores of both parkinson‐like motor disability and psychiatric symptom severity Methods Participants performed vertical arm movements with a handheld instrumented object and caught a weight that was dropped into a handheld cup either expectedly from the opposite hand or unexpectedly from the experimenter's hand. The scaling of grip force and the temporospatial coupling between grip and load force profiles was analysed. The psychiatric symptom severity was assessed by the positive and negative symptom score of schizophrenia and the brief psychiatric rating scale. Extrapyramidal symptoms were assessed by the unified Parkinson's disease rating scale. Results Drug naive subjects with schizophrenia performed similar to healthy controls. In contrast, medicated subjects with schizophrenia exhibited excessive grip force scaling and impaired coupling between grip and load force profiles. These performance deficits were strongly correlated with the severity of both extrapyramidal side effects related to antipsychotic therapy and negative symptoms related to the underlying pathology. Conclusions These data provide preliminary evidence that deficits of sensorimotor performance in schizophrenia are, at least in part, related to the side effects of antipsychotic treatment. The investigation of grasping movements may provide a sensitive measure to objectively evaluate extrapyramidal side effects related to antipsychotic therapy. PMID:16614027

Towards smart environments using smart objects.

PubMed

Sedlmayr, Martin; Prokosch, Hans-Ulrich; Münch, Ulli

2011-01-01

Barcodes, RFID, WLAN, Bluetooth and many more technologies are used in hospitals. They are the technological bases for different applications such as patient monitoring, asset management and facility management. However, most of these applications exist side by side with hardly any integration and even interoperability is not guaranteed. Introducing the concept of smart objects inspired by the Internet of Things can improve the situation by separating the capabilities and functions of an object from the implementing technology such as RFID or WLAN. By aligning technological and business developments smart objects have the power to transform a hospital from an agglomeration of technologies into a smart environment.

A border-ownership model based on computational electromagnetism.

PubMed

Zainal, Zaem Arif; Satoh, Shunji

2018-03-01

The mathematical relation between a vector electric field and its corresponding scalar potential field is useful to formulate computational problems of lower/middle-order visual processing, specifically related to the assignment of borders to the side of the object: so-called border ownership (BO). BO coding is a key process for extracting the objects from the background, allowing one to organize a cluttered scene. We propose that the problem is solvable simultaneously by application of a theorem of electromagnetism, i.e., "conservative vector fields have zero rotation, or "curl." We hypothesize that (i) the BO signal is definable as a vector electric field with arrowheads pointing to the inner side of perceived objects, and (ii) its corresponding scalar field carries information related to perceived order in depth of occluding/occluded objects. A simple model was developed based on this computational theory. Model results qualitatively agree with object-side selectivity of BO-coding neurons, and with perceptions of object order. The model update rule can be reproduced as a plausible neural network that presents new interpretations of existing physiological results. Results of this study also suggest that T-junction detectors are unnecessary to calculate depth order. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Measurement of transepidermal water loss in localized scleroderma.

PubMed

Ďurčanská, Veronika; Jedličková, Hana; Vašků, Vladimír

2016-05-01

Localized scleroderma (LS) is a disease characterized by fibrotic changes in the dermis. Connective tissue growth factor and transforming growth factor β2 are the main mediators of fibrogenesis; this, along with excessive connective tissue production, affects epidermal keratinocytes, and thereby contributes to the changed quality of skin barrier. The objective of this article was to study the objective measurement of the skin barrier quality in LS with transepidermal water loss (TEWL) meter. The measurements of TEWL were performed on LS plaques in all three stages of various body locations. Control measurements were made on the contralateral side of healthy skin. The difference between TEWL in LS area and the contralateral side of the healthy skin was evaluated. A higher average TEWL 7.86 g/m(2) /h (SD 5.29) was observed on LS plaques compared with the control measurements on healthy skin 6.39 g/m(2) /h (SD 2.77). TEWL average values decreased from the inflammatory stage, through the sclerotic and to the atrophic stage. The mean difference 1.301 g/m(2) /h (SD 5.16) was found between TEWL on LS plaques and on the contralateral healthy skin in 82 measurements, i.e., a higher TEWL was observed in LS. The difference was statistically significant with p = 0.0250. Although fibrogenesis in scleroderma is localized in dermis, the skin barrier changes can be detected. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The darkside multiton detector for the direct dark matter search

DOE PAGES

Aalseth, C. E.; Agnes, P.; Alton, A.; ...

2015-01-01

Although the existence of dark matter is supported by many evidences, based on astrophysical measurements, its nature is still completely unknown. One major candidate is represented by weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), which could in principle be detected through their collisions with ordinary nuclei in a sensitive target, producing observable low-energy (<100 keV) nuclear recoils. The DarkSide program aims at the WIPMs detection using a liquid argon time projection chamber (LAr-TPC). In this paper we quickly review the DarkSide program focusing in particular on the next generation experiment DarkSide-G2, a 3.6-ton LAr-TPC. The different detector components are described as wellmore » as the improvements needed to scale the detector from DarkSide-50 (50 kg LAr-TPC) up to DarkSide-G2. Finally, the preliminary results on background suppression and expected sensitivity are presented.« less

Characterization of the head-twitch response induced by hallucinogens in mice: detection of the behavior based on the dynamics of head movement

PubMed Central

Halberstadt, Adam L.; Geyer, Mark A.

2013-01-01

Rationale The head-twitch response (HTR) is a rapid side-to-side rotational head movement that occurs in rats and mice after administration of serotonergic hallucinogens and other 5-HT2A agonists. The HTR is widely used as a behavioral assay for 5-HT2A activation and to probe for interactions between the 5-HT2A receptor and other transmitter systems. Objective High-speed video recordings were used to analyze the head movement that occurs during head twitches in C57BL/6J mice. Experiments were also conducted in C57BL/6J mice to determine whether a head-mounted magnet and a magnetometer coil could be used to detect the HTR induced by serotonergic hallucinations based on the dynamics of the response. Results Head movement during the HTR was highly rhythmic and occurred within a specific frequency range (mean reciprocation frequency of 90.3 Hz). Head twitches produced wave-like oscillations of magnetometer coil voltage that matched the frequency of head movement during the response. The magnetometer coil detected the HTR induced by the serotonergic hallucinogens 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI; 0.25, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg, IP) and lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD; 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/kg, IP) with extremely high sensitivity and specificity. Magnetometer coil recordings demonstrated that the non-hallucinogenic compounds (+)-amphetamine (2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg, IP) and lisuride (0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 mg/kg, IP) did not induce the HTR. Conclusions These studies confirm that a magnetometer coil can be used to detect the HTR induced by hallucinogens. The use of magnetometer-based HTR detection provides a high-throughput, semi-automated assay for this behavior, and offers several advantages over traditional assessment methods. PMID:23407781

Utilizing fluorescence hyperspectral imaging to differentiate corn inoculated with toxigenic and atoxigenic fungal strains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Haibo; Hruska, Zuzana; Kincaid, Russell; Brown, Robert L.; Bhatnagar, Deepak; Cleveland, Thomas E.

2012-05-01

Naturally occurring Aspergillus flavus strains can be either toxigenic or atoxigenic, indicating their ability to produce aflatoxin or not, under specific conditions. Corn contaminated with toxigenic strains of A. flavus can result in great losses to the agricultural industry and pose threats to public health. Past research showed that fluorescence hyperspectral imaging could be a potential tool for rapid and non-invasive detection of aflatoxin contaminated corn. The objective of the current study was to assess, with the use of a hyperspectral sensor, the difference in fluorescence emission between corn kernels inoculated with toxigenic and atoxigenic inoculums of A. flavus. Corn ears were inoculated with AF13, a toxigenic strain of A. flavus, and AF38, an atoxigenic strain of A. flavus, at dough stage of development and harvested 8 weeks after inoculation. After harvest, single corn kernels were divided into three groups prior to imaging: control, adjacent, and glowing. Both sides of the kernel, germplasm and endosperm, were imaged separately using a fluorescence hyperspectral imaging system. It was found that the classification accuracies of the three manually designated groups were not promising. However, the separation of corn kernels based on different fungal inoculums yielded better results. The best result was achieved with the germplasm side of the corn kernels. Results are expected to enhance the potential of fluorescence hyperspectral imaging for the detection of aflatoxin contaminated corn.

Differences in Left and Right Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy

PubMed Central

Rieder, Jocelyn M.; Nisbet, Alan A.; Wuerstle, Melanie C.; Tran, Viet Q.; Kwon, Eric O.

2010-01-01

Background and Objectives: The classic belief is that right-sided laparoscopic adrenalectomy is technically more difficult to perform than left-sided. The purpose of this study was to determine whether objective outcomes are different for the right- versus left- sided operation. Methods: A retrospective review of 163 laparoscopic adrenalectomies was performed to compare outcomes. Variables extracted included age, demographics, body mass index (BMI), laterality, indication, operative time, estimated blood loss (EBL), gland size, complications, open conversion rates, and length of stay. Results: Of the adrenalectomies performed, 109 were on the left and 54 on the right. Age, BMI, and indication were similar for each group. The mean EBL on the left side was 113mL (range, 2 to 3000) and 84mL (range, 10 to 700) for the right (P=0.85). The mean operative time on the left side was 187 minutes (range, 62 to 475) and on the right was 156 minutes (range, 50 to 365) (P=0.02). There was no difference in complication or conversion rate. Conclusions: There was no difference in complication or conversion rates between each side, and we observed a trend toward lower blood loss for the right side. Although we report generally similar outcomes, the mean operative time for a right-sided laparoscopic adrenalectomy was significantly less (31 minutes) than the left side. PMID:21333190

The conscientious objection: debate on emergency contraception.

PubMed

Montanari Vergallo, G; Zaami, S; Di Luca, N M; Marinelli, E

2017-01-01

The authors discuss the emergency contraception (EC) topic, assessing scientific and ethical aspects. The almost totality of the studies carried out tends to report on the use of drugs as an emergency measure to prevent pregnancy. However, it is not yet completely excluded that emergency contraceptives can induce medical abortion. The debate on side effects of EC continues to be a highly emotional and controversial issue both for advocates who believe they will lower considerably the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions, and for opponents who believe that using emergency contraception amounts to an abortion. This latter hypothesis highlights the conflicting aspect of the conscientious objection to abortion of physicians and pharmacists. This research work is aimed at investigating the emergency contraception issue, paying particular attention to the medico-legal and regulatory aspects of this subject. Particularly, the authors focus on the conscientious objection in order to assess, if any, legal protection for physicians and pharmacists who claim a right to conscientious objection. Inappropriate use of EC could be resolved through a registry of user. This registry, of course, would not have the intention of persecution, but would only serve to detect possible cases of subjugation, exploitation and harassment.

Mapping of sound scattering objects in the northern part of the Barents Sea and their geological interpretation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sokolov, S. Yu.; Moroz, E. A.; Abramova, A. S.; Zarayskaya, Yu. A.; Dobrolubova, K. O.

2017-07-01

On cruises 25 (2007) and 28 (2011) of the R/V Akademik Nikolai Strakhov in the northern part of the Barents Sea, the Geological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, conducted comprehensive research on the bottom relief and upper part of the sedimentary cover profile under the auspices of the International Polar Year program. One of the instrument components was the SeaBat 8111 shallow-water multibeam echo sounder, which can map the acoustic field similarly to a side scan sonar, which records the response both from the bottom and from the water column. In the operations area, intense sound scattering objects produced by the discharge of deep fluid flows are detected in the water column. The sound scattering objects and pockmarks in the bottom relief are related to anomalies in hydrocarbon gas concentrations in bottom sediments. The sound scattering objects are localized over Triassic sequences outcropping from the bottom. The most intense degassing processes manifest themselves near the contact of the Triassic sequences and Jurassic clay deposits, as well as over deep depressions in a field of Bouguer anomalies related to the basement of the Jurassic-Cretaceous rift system

Driving with hemianopia: IV. Head scanning and detection at intersections in a simulator.

PubMed

Bowers, Alex R; Ananyev, Egor; Mandel, Aaron J; Goldstein, Robert B; Peli, Eli

2014-03-13

Using a driving simulator, we examined the effects of homonymous hemianopia (HH) on head scanning behaviors at intersections and evaluated the role of inadequate head scanning in detection failures. Fourteen people with complete HH and without cognitive decline or visual neglect and 12 normally sighted (NV) current drivers participated. They drove in an urban environment following predetermined routes, which included multiple intersections. Head scanning behaviors were quantified at T-intersections (n = 32) with a stop or yield sign. Participants also performed a pedestrian detection task. The relationship between head scanning and detection was examined at 10 intersections. For HH drivers, the first scan was more likely to be toward the blind than the seeing hemifield. They also made a greater proportion of head scans overall to the blind side than did the NV drivers to the corresponding side (P = 0.003). However, head scan magnitudes of HH drivers were smaller than those of the NV group (P < 0.001). Drivers with HH had impaired detection of blind-side pedestrians due either to not scanning in the direction of the pedestrian or to an insufficient scan magnitude (left HH detected only 46% and right HH 8% at the extreme left and right of the intersection, respectively). Drivers with HH demonstrated compensatory head scan patterns, but not scan magnitudes. Inadequate scanning resulted in blind-side detection failures, which might place HH drivers at increased risk for collisions at intersections. Scanning training tailored to specific problem areas identified in this study might be beneficial.

Advances In Engineering Science, Volume 2.

DTIC Science & Technology

1976-11-01

UNDRAINED CLAY BEHAVIOR .... ............ .. 95 Jean-Herve Prevost and Kaare H~eg THEORY OF ORTHODONTIC MOTIONS...compo- nents at a lower level are terminal nodes of a tree. The bracketed numbers on the right hand side of the terminating nodes are the number of...primitive data objects in each instance of the defined object. The bracketed numbers on the right hand side of the non-terminal nodes in the tree are the

78 FR 52712 - Airworthiness Directives; Bombardier, Inc. Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-26

... prompted by reports of fractured rudder pedal tubes installed on the pilot-side rudder bar assembly. This... tubes, and replacement of affected pilot-side rudder bar assemblies if necessary. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct cracking of both pilot-side rudder pedal tubes, which could result in loss...

Comparison of Hand Function Between Children With Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Children Without Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus.

PubMed

Atay, Canan; Kaya Mutlu, Ebru; Taskiran, Hanifegul; Ozgen, Ilker Tolga

2018-01-01

This study compared the hand function of children between the ages of 8 and 12 years with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) with that of children without diabetes. The Modified Jebsen-Taylor Hand Function Test and the Purdue Pegboard Test were used to assess hand function. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 was used for evaluating health-related quality of life. Duration of writing was found to be significantly longer on the dominant side of the T1DM group compared with the children without T1DM. The durations of card turning, moving large, light objects, and large, heavy objects on the nondominant side of the T1DM group were also found to be significantly longer than those in the children without T1DM. The total scale score of health-related quality of life was significantly lower in the T1DM group compared with the children without T1DM. T1DM affects hand function, particularly the dominant side for writing and nondominant side for card turning and moving large objects.

Detection of genome, antigen, and antibodies in oral fluids from pigs infected with foot-and-mouth disease virus.

PubMed

Senthilkumaran, Chandrika; Yang, Ming; Bittner, Hilary; Ambagala, Aruna; Lung, Oliver; Zimmerman, Jeffrey; Giménez-Lirola, Luis G; Nfon, Charles

2017-04-01

Virus nucleic acids and antibody response to pathogens can be measured using swine oral fluids (OFs). Detection of foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) genome in swine OFs has previously been demonstrated. Virus isolation and viral antigen detection are additional confirmatory assays for diagnosing FMDV, but these methods have not been evaluated using swine OF. The objectives of this study were to further validate the molecular detection of FMDV in oral fluids, evaluate antigen detection and FMDV isolation from swine OFs, and develop an assay for isotypic anti-FMDV antibody detection in OFs. Ribonucleic acid (RNA) from FMDV was detected in OFs from experimentally infected pigs by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) from 1 day post-infection (dpi) to 21 dpi. Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) was isolated from OFs at 1 to 5 dpi. Additionally, FMDV antigens were detected in OFs from 1 to 6 dpi using a lateral flow immunochromatographic strip test (LFIST), which is a rapid pen-side test, and from 2 to 3 dpi using a double-antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS ELISA). Furthermore, FMDV-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) was detected in OFs using an isotype-specific indirect ELISA starting at dpi 14. These results further demonstrated the potential use of oral fluids for detecting FMDV genome, live virus, and viral antigens, as well as for quantifying mucosal IgA antibody response.

Evaluation of Side Stream Filtration Technology at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

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

Boyd, Brian K.

2014-08-01

This technology evaluation was performed by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Oak Ridge National Laboratory on behalf of the Federal Energy Management Program. The objective was to quantify the benefits side stream filtration provides to a cooling tower system. The evaluation assessed the performance of an existing side stream filtration system at a cooling tower system at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Spallation Neutron Source research facility. This location was selected because it offered the opportunity for a side-by-side comparison of a system featuring side stream filtration and an unfiltered system.

Control of FES thumb force using slip information obtained from the cutaneous electroneurogram in quadriplegic man.

PubMed

Haugland, M; Lickel, A; Haase, J; Sinkjaer, T

1999-06-01

A tetraplegic volunteer was implanted with percutaneous intramuscular electrodes in hand and forearm muscles. Furthermore, a sensory nerve cuff electrode was implanted on the volar digital nerve to the radial side of the index finger branching off the median nerve. In laboratory experiments a stimulation system was used to produce a lateral grasp (key grip) while the neural activity was recorded with the cuff electrode. The nerve signal contained information that could be used to detect the occurrence of slips and further to increase stimulation intensity to the thumb flexor/adductor muscles to stop the slip. Thereby the system provided a grasp that could catch an object if it started to slip due to, e.g., decreasing muscle force or changes in load forces tangential to the surface of the object. This method enabled an automatic adjustment of the stimulation intensity to the lowest possible level without loosing the grip and without any prior knowledge about the strength of the muscles and the weight and surface texture of the object.

Quantifying the effect of side branches in endothelial shear stress estimates

PubMed Central

Giannopoulos, Andreas A.; Chatzizisis, Yiannis S.; Maurovich-Horvat, Pal; Antoniadis, Antonios P.; Hoffmann, Udo; Steigner, Michael L.; Rybicki, Frank J.; Mitsouras, Dimitrios

2016-01-01

Background and aims Low and high endothelial shear stress (ESS) is associated with coronary atherosclerosis progression and high-risk plaque features. Coronary ESS is currently assessed via computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation in the lumen geometry determined from invasive imaging such as intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography. This process typically omits side branches of the target vessel in the CFD model as invasive imaging of those vessels is not clinically-indicated. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which this simplification affects the determination of those regions of the coronary endothelium subjected to pathologic ESS. Methods We determined the diagnostic accuracy of ESS profiling without side branches to detect pathologic ESS in the major coronary arteries of 5 hearts imaged ex vivo with CT angiography. ESS of the three major coronary arteries was calculated both without (test model), and with (reference model) inclusion of all side branches >1.5 mm in diameter, using previously-validated CFD approaches. Diagnostic test characteristics (accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and negative and positive predictive value [NPV/PPV]) with respect to the reference model were assessed for both the entire length as well as only the proximal portion of each major coronary artery, where the majority of high-risk plaques occur. Results Using the model without side branches overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, NPV and PPV were 83.4%, 54.0%, 96%, 95.9% and 55.1%, respectively to detect low ESS, and 87.0%, 67.7%, 90.7%, 93.7% and 57.5%, respectively to detect high ESS. When considering only the proximal arteries, test characteristics differed for low and high ESS, with low sensitivity (67.7%) and high specificity (90.7%) to detect low ESS, and low sensitivity (44.7%) and high specificity (95.5%) to detect high ESS. Conclusions The exclusion of side branches in ESS vascular profiling studies greatly reduces the ability to detect regions of the major coronary arteries subjected to pathologic ESS. Single-conduit models can in general only be used to rule out pathologic ESS. PMID:27372207

Quantifying the effect of side branches in endothelial shear stress estimates.

PubMed

Giannopoulos, Andreas A; Chatzizisis, Yiannis S; Maurovich-Horvat, Pal; Antoniadis, Antonios P; Hoffmann, Udo; Steigner, Michael L; Rybicki, Frank J; Mitsouras, Dimitrios

2016-08-01

Low and high endothelial shear stress (ESS) is associated with coronary atherosclerosis progression and high-risk plaque features. Coronary ESS is currently assessed via computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation of coronary blood flow in the lumen geometry determined from invasive imaging such as intravascular ultrasound and optical coherence tomography. This process typically omits side branches of the target vessel in the CFD model as invasive imaging of those vessels is not usually clinically-indicated. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which this simplification affects the determination of those regions of the coronary endothelium subjected to pathologic ESS. We determined the diagnostic accuracy of ESS profiling without side branches to detect pathologic ESS in the major coronary arteries of 5 hearts imaged ex vivo with computed tomography angiography (CTA). ESS of the three major coronary arteries was calculated both without (test model), and with (reference model) inclusion of all side branches >1.5 mm in diameter, using previously-validated CFD approaches. Diagnostic test characteristics (accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and negative and positive predictive value [NPV/PPV]) with respect to the reference model were assessed for both the entire length as well as only the proximal portion of each major coronary artery, where the majority of high-risk plaques occur. Using the model without side branches overall accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, NPV and PPV were 83.4%, 54.0%, 96%, 95.9% and 55.1%, respectively to detect low ESS, and 87.0%, 67.7%, 90.7%, 93.7% and 57.5%, respectively to detect high ESS. When considering only the proximal arteries, test characteristics differed for low and high ESS, with low sensitivity (67.7%) and high specificity (90.7%) to detect low ESS, and low sensitivity (44.7%) and high specificity (95.5%) to detect high ESS. The exclusion of side branches in ESS vascular profiling studies greatly reduces the ability to detect regions of the major coronary arteries subjected to pathologic ESS. Single-conduit models can in general only be used to rule out pathologic ESS. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficient Use of AUVs in the Maritime Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slămnoiu, G.; Radu, O.; Roşca, V.; Pascu, C.; Surdu, G.; Curcă, E.; Damian, R. G.; Rădulescu, A.

2017-06-01

Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) a.k.a. underwater drones are subsea vehicles which operate in the underwater environment independently of direct human input. There is a growing interest in underwater data collection by using autonomous underwater vehicles within the oceanographic research community. In this paper, the Iver 2 AUV is examined to accomplish accurate side-scan data while executing well planned missions. Therefore, this papers goal is to establish the optimal use conditions for the AUV that RCN has so that we maximize the detection probability of sea bottom objects that can be risk factors and at the same time to cover a surface as large as possible during a single mission.

False color viewing device

DOEpatents

Kronberg, J.W.

1992-10-20

A viewing device for observing objects in near-infrared false-color comprising a pair of goggles with one or more filters in the apertures, and pads that engage the face for blocking stray light from the sides so that all light reaching the user's eyes come through the filters. The filters attenuate most visible light and pass near-infrared (having wavelengths longer than approximately 700 nm) and a small amount of blue-green and blue-violet (having wavelengths in the 500 to 520 nm and shorter than 435 nm, respectively). The goggles are useful for looking at vegetation to identify different species and for determining the health of the vegetation, and to detect some forms of camouflage. 7 figs.

False color viewing device

DOEpatents

Kronberg, James W.

1992-01-01

A viewing device for observing objects in near-infrared false-color comprising a pair of goggles with one or more filters in the apertures, and pads that engage the face for blocking stray light from the sides so that all light reaching the user's eyes come through the filters. The filters attenuate most visible light and pass near-infrared (having wavelengths longer than approximately 700 nm) and a small amount of blue-green and blue-violet (having wavelengths in the 500 to 520 nm and shorter than 435 nm, respectively). The goggles are useful for looking at vegetation to identify different species and for determining the health of the vegetation, and to detect some forms of camouflage.

False color viewing device

DOEpatents

Kronberg, J.W.

1991-05-08

This invention consists of a viewing device for observing objects in near-infrared false-color comprising a pair of goggles with one or more filters in the apertures, and pads that engage the face for blocking stray light from the sides so that all light reaching, the user`s eyes come through the filters. The filters attenuate most visible light and pass near-infrared (having wavelengths longer than approximately 700 nm) and a small amount of blue-green and blue-violet (having wavelengths in the 500 to 520 nm and shorter than 435 nm, respectively). The goggles are useful for looking at vegetation to identify different species and for determining the health of the vegetation, and to detect some forms of camouflage.

Detecting the Stochastic Gravitational-Wave Background

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colacino, Carlo Nicola

2017-12-01

The stochastic gravitational-wave background (SGWB) is by far the most difficult source of gravitational radiation detect. At the same time, it is the most interesting and intriguing one. This book describes the initial detection of the SGWB and describes the underlying mathematics behind one of the most amazing discoveries of the 21st century. On the experimental side it would mean that interferometric gravitational wave detectors work even better than expected. On the observational side, such a detection could give us information about the very early Universe, information that could not be obtained otherwise. Even negative results and improved upper bounds could put constraints on many cosmological and particle physics models.

Point pattern match-based change detection in a constellation of previously detected objects

DOEpatents

Paglieroni, David W.

2016-06-07

A method and system is provided that applies attribute- and topology-based change detection to objects that were detected on previous scans of a medium. The attributes capture properties or characteristics of the previously detected objects, such as location, time of detection, detection strength, size, elongation, orientation, etc. The locations define a three-dimensional network topology forming a constellation of previously detected objects. The change detection system stores attributes of the previously detected objects in a constellation database. The change detection system detects changes by comparing the attributes and topological consistency of newly detected objects encountered during a new scan of the medium to previously detected objects in the constellation database. The change detection system may receive the attributes of the newly detected objects as the objects are detected by an object detection system in real time.

Detection of an ultraviolet and visible counterpart of the NGC 6624 X-ray burster

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

King, I. R.; Stanford, S. A.; Albrecht, R.; Barbieri, C.; Blades, J. C.; Boksenberg, A.; Crane, P.; Disney, M. J.; Deharveng, J. M.; Jakobsen, P.

1993-01-01

We have detected, in images taken with the HST FOC, the UV and optical counterpart of the X-ray source 4U 1820-30 in the globular cluster NGC 6624. Astrometric measurements place this object 2 sigma from the X-ray position of 4U 1820-30. The source dominates a far-UV FOC image and has the same flux at 1400 A as was seen through the large IUE aperture by Rich et al. (1993). It has a B magnitude of 18.7 but is not detected in V. It is 0.66 arcsec from the center of NGC 6624, a fact that may change the interpretation of the P-average of the 11 minute binary orbit. The flux drops between 1400 and 4300 A at a rate that is nearly as steep as that of a Rayleigh-Jeans curve. The flux is far too large to come from the neutron star directly but could accord with radiation from a heated accretion disk and/or the heated side of the companion star.

Driving with Hemianopia V: Do Individuals with Hemianopia Spontaneously Adapt Their Gaze Scanning to Differing Hazard Detection Demands?

PubMed Central

Alberti, Concetta F.; Goldstein, Robert B.; Peli, Eli; Bowers, Alex R.

2017-01-01

Purpose We investigated whether people with homonymous hemianopia (HH) were able to spontaneously (without training or instructions) adapt their blind-side scan magnitudes in response to differing scanning requirements for detection of pedestrians in a driving simulator when differing cues about pedestrian eccentricities and movement behaviors were available in the seeing hemifield. Methods Twelve HH participants completed two sessions in a driving simulator pressing the horn when they detected a pedestrian. Stationary pedestrians outside the driving lane were presented in one session and approaching pedestrians on a collision course in the other. Gaze data were analyzed for pedestrians initially appearing at approximately 14° in the blind hemifield. No instructions were given regarding scanning. Results After appearing, the stationary pedestrians' eccentricity increased rapidly to a median of 31° after 2.5 seconds, requiring increasingly larger blind-side gaze scans for detection, while the approaching pedestrians' eccentricity remained constant at approximately 14°, requiring a more moderate scan (∼14°) for detection. Although median scan magnitudes did not differ between the two conditions (approaching: 14° [IQR 9°–15°]; stationary: 13° [IQR 9°–20°]; P = 0.43), three participants showed evidence of adapting (increasing) their blind-side scan magnitudes in the stationary condition. Conclusions Three participants (25%) appeared to be able to apply voluntary cognitive control to modify their blind-side gaze scanning in response to the differing scanning requirements of the two conditions without explicit training. Translational Relevance Our results suggest that only a minority of people with hemianopia are likely to be able to spontaneously adapt their blind-side scanning in response to rapidly changing and unpredictable situations in on-road driving. PMID:29067219

77 FR 34870 - Airworthiness Directives; Bombardier, Inc. Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-12

... Bombardier, Inc. Model CL-600-2B19 (Regional Jet Series 100 & 440) airplanes. The existing AD currently requires a one-time inspection of the shafts of the main landing gear (MLG) side-brace fittings to detect...-brace fitting and replacing the side-brace fitting shaft with the re-designed side-brace fitting shaft...

An optical MEMS accelerometer fabricated using double-sided deep reactive ion etching on silicon-on-insulator wafer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teo, Adrian J. T.; Li, Holden; Tan, Say Hwa; Yoon, Yong-Jin

2017-06-01

Optical MEMS devices provide fast detection, electromagnetic resilience and high sensitivity. Using this technology, an optical gratings based accelerometer design concept was developed for seismic motion detection purposes that provides miniaturization, high manufacturability, low costs and high sensitivity. Detailed in-house fabrication procedures of a double-sided deep reactive ion etching (DRIE) on a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer for a micro opto electro mechanical system (MOEMS) device are presented and discussed. Experimental results obtained show that the conceptual device successfully captured motion similar to a commercial accelerometer with an average sensitivity of 13.6 mV G-1, and a highest recorded sensitivity of 44.1 mV G-1. A noise level of 13.5 mV was detected due to experimental setup limitations. This is the first MOEMS accelerometer developed using double-sided DRIE on SOI wafer for the application of seismic motion detection, and is a breakthrough technology platform to open up options for lower cost MOEMS devices.

Pilot Overmyer on middeck

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

On middeck port side, Pilot Overmyer, looks down at freefloating object. On his left, attached to port side wall, are a dessert package, a prepackaged meal, control panel ML86B, and water dispenser kit with water gun.

Experimental Investigation on the Detection of Multiple Surface Cracks Using Vibrothermography with a Low-Power Piezoceramic Actuator.

PubMed

Xu, Changhang; Xie, Jing; Zhang, Wuyang; Kong, Qingzhao; Chen, Guoming; Song, Gangbing

2017-11-23

Vibrothermography often employs a high-power actuator to generate heat on a specimen to reveal damage, however, the high-power actuator brings inconvenience to the application and possibly introduces additional damage to the inspected objects. This study uses a low-power piezoceramic transducer as the actuator of vibrothermography and explores its ability to detect multiple surface cracks in a metal part. Experiments were conducted on a thin aluminum beam with three cracks in different orientations. Detailed analyses of both thermograms and temperature data are presented to validate the proposed vibrothermography method. To further investigate the performance of the proposed vibrothermography method, we experimentally studied the effects of several critical factors, including the amplitude of excitation signal, specimen constraints, relative position between the transducer and cracks (the transducer is mounted on the same or the opposite side with the cracks). The results demonstrate that all cracks can be detected conveniently and simultaneously by using the proposed low-power vibrothermography. We also found that the magnitude of excitation signal and the specimen constraints have a great influence on detection results. Combined with effective data processing methods, such as Fourier transformation employed in this study, the proposed method provides a promising potential to detect multiple cracks on a metal surface in a safe and effective manner.

Feasibility of transcranial direct current stimulation use in children aged 5 to 12 years.

PubMed

Andrade, Agnes Carvalho; Magnavita, Guilherme Moreira; Allegro, Juleilda Valéria Brasil Nunes; Neto, Carlos Eduardo Borges Passos; Lucena, Rita de Cássia Saldanha; Fregni, Felipe

2014-10-01

Transcranial direct current stimulation is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that has been studied for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders in adults, with minimal side effects. The objective of this study is to report the feasibility, tolerability, and the short-term adverse effects of transcranial direct current stimulation in children from 5 to 12 years of age. It is a naturalistic study of 14 children who underwent 10 sessions of transcranial direct current stimulation as an alternative, off-label, and open-label treatment for various languages disorders. Frequency, intensity, adverse effects, and perception of improvement reported by parents were collected. The main side effects detected were tingling (28.6%) and itching (28.6%), acute mood changes (42.9%), and irritability (35.7%). Transcranial direct current stimulation is a feasible and tolerable technique in children, although studies regarding plastic and cognitive changes in children are needed to confirm its safety. In conclusion, this is a naturalistic report in which we considered transcranial direct current stimulation as feasible in children. © The Author(s) 2013.

Correction of erroneously packed protein's side chains in the NMR structure based on ab initio chemical shift calculations.

PubMed

Zhu, Tong; Zhang, John Z H; He, Xiao

2014-09-14

In this work, protein side chain (1)H chemical shifts are used as probes to detect and correct side-chain packing errors in protein's NMR structures through structural refinement. By applying the automated fragmentation quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (AF-QM/MM) method for ab initio calculation of chemical shifts, incorrect side chain packing was detected in the NMR structures of the Pin1 WW domain. The NMR structure is then refined by using molecular dynamics simulation and the polarized protein-specific charge (PPC) model. The computationally refined structure of the Pin1 WW domain is in excellent agreement with the corresponding X-ray structure. In particular, the use of the PPC model yields a more accurate structure than that using the standard (nonpolarizable) force field. For comparison, some of the widely used empirical models for chemical shift calculations are unable to correctly describe the relationship between the particular proton chemical shift and protein structures. The AF-QM/MM method can be used as a powerful tool for protein NMR structure validation and structural flaw detection.

Extinction is not a natural consequence of unilateral spatial neglect: evidence from contrast detection experiments.

PubMed

Pavlovskaya, Marina; Soroker, Nachum; Bonneh, Yoram

2007-06-15

To investigate whether the expression of visual extinction is dependent upon the contralesional low saliency existing in neglect, we tested stroke patients with neglect and extinction, as well as normal controls, on detection of a peripheral Gabor patch, while a competing patch was presented simultaneously on the other side. To compensate for uneven saliency we set the contrast level relative to the detection threshold on each side. Patients showed contralesional extinction even for stimuli set at threshold level. They differed from controls in their sensitivity to changes in relative contrast between sides, showing stronger tendency for extinction and requiring much higher contrast increments in the target patch in order to eliminate extinction. The differences between normal and pathological extinction, shown despite compensation for contralesional perceptual attenuation due to neglect, suggest an additional extinction-specific deficit related to an abnormal interplay between the bilaterally presented stimuli. These findings have important theoretical implications concerning the relationship between neglect and extinction. They demonstrate that the hypothetical 'attentional gradient', taken to explain reduced saliency of stimuli in the neglected side, cannot fully account for the phenomenon of extinction.

Oil Spill Detection in Terma-Side-Looking Airborne Radar Images Using Image Features and Region Segmentation

PubMed Central

Alacid, Beatriz

2018-01-01

This work presents a method for oil-spill detection on Spanish coasts using aerial Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR) images, which are captured using a Terma sensor. The proposed method uses grayscale image processing techniques to identify the dark spots that represent oil slicks on the sea. The approach is based on two steps. First, the noise regions caused by aircraft movements are detected and labeled in order to avoid the detection of false-positives. Second, a segmentation process guided by a map saliency technique is used to detect image regions that represent oil slicks. The results show that the proposed method is an improvement on the previous approaches for this task when employing SLAR images. PMID:29316716

The sophisticated visual system of a tiny Cambrian crustacean: analysis of a stalked fossil compound eye

PubMed Central

Schoenemann, Brigitte; Castellani, Christopher; Clarkson, Euan N. K.; Haug, Joachim T.; Maas, Andreas; Haug, Carolin; Waloszek, Dieter

2012-01-01

Fossilized compound eyes from the Cambrian, isolated and three-dimensionally preserved, provide remarkable insights into the lifestyle and habitat of their owners. The tiny stalked compound eyes described here probably possessed too few facets to form a proper image, but they represent a sophisticated system for detecting moving objects. The eyes are preserved as almost solid, mace-shaped blocks of phosphate, in which the original positions of the rhabdoms in one specimen are retained as deep cavities. Analysis of the optical axes reveals four visual areas, each with different properties in acuity of vision. They are surveyed by lenses directed forwards, laterally, backwards and inwards, respectively. The most intriguing of these is the putatively inwardly orientated zone, where the optical axes, like those orientated to the front, interfere with axes of the other eye of the contralateral side. The result is a three-dimensional visual net that covers not only the front, but extends also far laterally to either side. Thus, a moving object could be perceived by a two-dimensional coordinate (which is formed by two axes of those facets, one of the left and one of the right eye, which are orientated towards the moving object) in a wide three-dimensional space. This compound eye system enables small arthropods equipped with an eye of low acuity to estimate velocity, size or distance of possible food items efficiently. The eyes are interpreted as having been derived from individuals of the early crustacean Henningsmoenicaris scutula pointing to the existence of highly efficiently developed eyes in the early evolutionary lineage leading towards the modern Crustacea. PMID:22048954

Diagnostic Value of Facial Nerve Antidromic Evoked Potential in Patients With Bell's Palsy: A Preliminary Study

PubMed Central

Lee, Ji Hoon; Kim, Sun Mi; Yang, Hea Eun; Lee, Jang Woo

2014-01-01

Objective To assess the practical diagnostic value of facial nerve antidromic evoked potential (FNAEP), we compared it with the diagnostic value of the electroneurography (ENoG) test in Bell's palsy. Methods In total, 20 patients with unilateral Bell's palsy were recruited. Between the 1st and 17th days after the onset of facial palsy, FNAEP and ENoG tests were conducted. The degeneration ratio and FNAEP latency difference between the affected and unaffected sides were calculated in all subjects. Results In all patients, FNAEP showed prolonged latencies on the affected side versus the unaffected side. The difference was statistically significant. In contrast, there was no significant difference between sides in the normal control group. In 8 of 20 patients, ENoG revealed a degeneration ratio less than 50%, but FNAEP show a difference of more than 0.295±0.599 ms, the average value of normal control group. This shows FNAEP could be a more sensitive test for Bell's palsy diagnosis than ENoG. In particular, in 10 patients tested within 7 days after onset, an abnormal ENoG finding was noted in only four of them, but FNAEP showed a significant latency difference in all patients at this early stage. Thus, FANEP was more sensitive in detecting facial nerve injury than the ENoG test (p=0.031). Conclusion FNAEP has some clinical value in the diagnosis of facial nerve degeneration. It is important that FNAEP be considered in patients with facial palsy at an early stage and integrated with other relevant tests. PMID:25024963

Locating an imaging radar in Canada for identifying spaceborne objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schick, William G.

1992-12-01

This research presents a study of the maximal coverage p-median facility location problem as applied to the location of an imaging radar in Canada for imaging spaceborne objects. The classical mathematical formulation of the maximal coverage p-median problem is converted into network-flow with side constraint formulations that are developed using a scaled down version of the imaging radar location problem. Two types of network-flow with side constraint formulations are developed: a network using side constraints that simulates the gains in a generalized network; and a network resembling a multi-commodity flow problem that uses side constraints to force flow along identical arcs. These small formulations are expanded to encompass a case study using 12 candidate radar sites, and 48 satellites divided into three states. SAS/OR PROC NETFLOW was used to solve the network-flow with side constraint formulations. The case study show that potential for both formulations, although the simulated gains formulation encountered singular matrix computational difficulties as a result of the very organized nature of its side constraint matrix. The multi-commodity flow formulation, when combined with equi-distribution of flow constraints, provided solutions for various values of p, the number of facilities to be selected.

Hydrostatic force used to handle outsized, heavy objects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Craft, G. W.; Starkey, A. W.

1967-01-01

Specially fitted barge is used to load and transport large, heavy objects to a dock side site. There the barge itself can lift, rotate, and position the objects. Typical functions are economically accomplished by water buoyancy.

Neuropeptide S interacts with the basolateral amygdala noradrenergic system in facilitating object recognition memory consolidation.

PubMed

Han, Ren-Wen; Xu, Hong-Jiao; Zhang, Rui-San; Wang, Pei; Chang, Min; Peng, Ya-Li; Deng, Ke-Yu; Wang, Rui

2014-01-01

The noradrenergic activity in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) was reported to be involved in the regulation of object recognition memory. As the BLA expresses high density of receptors for Neuropeptide S (NPS), we investigated whether the BLA is involved in mediating NPS's effects on object recognition memory consolidation and whether such effects require noradrenergic activity. Intracerebroventricular infusion of NPS (1nmol) post training facilitated 24-h memory in a mouse novel object recognition task. The memory-enhancing effect of NPS could be blocked by the β-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol. Furthermore, post-training intra-BLA infusions of NPS (0.5nmol/side) improved 24-h memory for objects, which was impaired by co-administration of propranolol (0.5μg/side). Taken together, these results indicate that NPS interacts with the BLA noradrenergic system in improving object recognition memory during consolidation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of object asymmetry on visual attention.

PubMed

Maguire, Anne M; Bates, Timothy C; Boycott, Noël; Corballis, Michael C

2002-01-01

Unilateral neglect has been demonstrated relative to the intrinsic left side of objects, even when presented in the preserved hemispace. These results have been interpreted as evidence of an object-centered reference frame. In the present study, neurologically normal individuals were presented with letter stimuli having distinguishing features to the right (R) or left (J) of their intrinsic midline, shown in normal and mirror parity, and in six angle rotations. RTs confirmed that participants rotated the letters to the upright to decide parity: such rotation would align the object-centered and viewer-centered frames of reference, suggesting that not controlling for mental rotation would confound this effect. In addition, a dot, presented lateral to the main letter stimulus, resulted in quicker parity decisions when on the maximally-informative side of the letter. Together, the results suggest that apparent object-centered neglect may arise from the combined effects of mental rotation and within-object information asymmetries.

Is the HD 15115 inner disk really asymmetrical?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mazoyer, J.; Boccaletti, A.; Augereau, J.-C.; Lagrange, A.-M.; Galicher, R.; Baudoz, P.

2014-09-01

Context. Debris disks are intrinsically connected to the planetary system's formation and evolution. The development of high-contrast imaging techniques in the past 20 years is now allowing the detection of faint material around bright stars with high angular resolution, hence opening an avenue to study in detail the structures of circumstellar disks and their relation to planetary formation. Aims: The purpose of this paper is to revisit the morphology of the almost edge-on debris disk around HD 15115. Methods: We analyzed data from the Gemini science archive obtained in 2009 and 2011 with the Near-Infrared Coronagraphic Imager instrument in the H and Ks bands using coronagraphy and angular differential imaging techniques. Results: We resolved the disk in both the H and Ks bands. We confirmed the position angles inferred by previous authors, as well as the brightness asymmetry, which is the origin of the object's nickname, the blue needle. We were able to detect the bow-like shape of the disk suspected from other observations. However, these new NICI images suggest the presence of a highly inclined ring-like disk of which we see the brighter side and the ansae located at 90 AU symmetrically about the star. The inner part is likely depleted of dust. The fainter side of the disk is suspected but not firmly detected, which also indicates a large anisotropic scattering factor. Conclusions: The morphological symmetry of the disk contrasts with the obvious brightness asymmetry. This asymmetry may be explained by the coexistence of several types of grains in this disk and/or variable dust density. Interaction with the interstellar medium was invoked by previous authors as a possible explanation but other mechanisms may account for the brightness asymmetry, for instance a recent collision in the disk. Based on data retrieved from the Gemini archive.

The Effect on Colon Visualization During Colonoscopy of the Addition of Simethicone to Polyethylene Glycol-Electrolyte Solution: A Randomized Single-Blind Study

PubMed Central

Matro, Rebecca; Tupchong, Keegan; Daskalakis, Constantine; Gordon, Victoria; Katz, Leo; Kastenberg, David

2012-01-01

OBJECTIVES: Colonic bubbles associated with polyethylene glycol-electrolyte solution (PEG-ELS) are common and obscure mucosal visualization. This study aimed to determine whether adding simethicone decreases the incidence of bubbles. METHODS: Prospective, single-blind, randomized comparison of split dose PEG-ELS vs. PEG-ELS+simethicone (PEG-S) for outpatient colonoscopy. Bubble severity for colonic segments was assessed on withdrawal as A=no/minimal bubbles, B=moderate bubbles/interfere with detecting 5 mm polyp, C=severe bubbles/interfere with detecting 10 mm polyp. Primary end point was Grade B or C bubbles in any colon segment. Secondary end points were cleansing quality, incidence and severity of side effects, and polyp detection. RESULTS: One hundred and thirty nine patients enrolled; 13 withdrew before colonoscopy. Of 123 patients evaluated, 62 took PEG-S and 61 PEG-ELS. The incidence of grade B or C bubbles was much lower with PEG-S compared with PEG-ELS (2% vs. 38% P=0.001). Overall cleansing (excellent or good) quality was not significantly different for either the whole colon (89% PEG-ELS, 94% of PEG-S, P=0.529) or right colon (88% PEG-ELS, 94% PEG-S, P=0.365). More PEG-S patients had excellent rather than good preps (whole colon 53% vs. 28%, P=0.004; right colon 53% vs. 35%, P=0.044). Need for any flushing was less with PEG-S (38% vs. 70%, P=0.001). The groups were not significantly different with respect to total procedure and withdrawal times, incidence or severity of side effects, or number of polyps/patient or adenomas/patient. CONCLUSIONS: Adding simethicone to PEG-ELS effectively eliminates bubbles, substantially reduces the need for flushing, and results in more excellent preparations. PMID:23238113

Imaging, object detection, and change detection with a polarized multistatic GPR array

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

Beer, N. Reginald; Paglieroni, David W.

A polarized detection system performs imaging, object detection, and change detection factoring in the orientation of an object relative to the orientation of transceivers. The polarized detection system may operate on one of several modes of operation based on whether the imaging, object detection, or change detection is performed separately for each transceiver orientation. In combined change mode, the polarized detection system performs imaging, object detection, and change detection separately for each transceiver orientation, and then combines changes across polarizations. In combined object mode, the polarized detection system performs imaging and object detection separately for each transceiver orientation, and thenmore » combines objects across polarizations and performs change detection on the result. In combined image mode, the polarized detection system performs imaging separately for each transceiver orientation, and then combines images across polarizations and performs object detection followed by change detection on the result.« less

Gravity enhanced acoustic levitation method and apparatus

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Barmatz, M. B.; Allen, J. L.; Granett, D. (Inventor)

1985-01-01

An acoustic levitation system is provided for acoustically levitating an object by applying a single frequency from a transducer into a resonant chamber surrounding the object. The chamber includes a stabilizer location along its height, where the side walls of the chamber are angled so they converge in an upward direction. When an acoustic standing wave pattern is applied between the top and bottom of the chamber, a levitation surface within the stabilizer does not lie on a horizontal plane, but instead is curved with a lowermost portion near the vertical axis of the chamber. As a result, an acoustically levitated object is urged by gravity towards the lowermost location on the levitation surface, so the object is kept away from the side walls of the chamber.

A Novel Pretreatment-Free Duplex Chamber Digital PCR Detection System for the Absolute Quantitation of GMO Samples.

PubMed

Zhu, Pengyu; Wang, Chenguang; Huang, Kunlun; Luo, Yunbo; Xu, Wentao

2016-03-18

Digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has developed rapidly since it was first reported in the 1990s. However, pretreatments are often required during preparation for digital PCR, which can increase operation error. The single-plex amplification of both the target and reference genes may cause uncertainties due to the different reaction volumes and the matrix effect. In the current study, a quantitative detection system based on the pretreatment-free duplex chamber digital PCR was developed. The dynamic range, limit of quantitation (LOQ), sensitivity and specificity were evaluated taking the GA21 event as the experimental object. Moreover, to determine the factors that may influence the stability of the duplex system, we evaluated whether the pretreatments, the primary and secondary structures of the probes and the SNP effect influence the detection. The results showed that the LOQ was 0.5% and the sensitivity was 0.1%. We also found that genome digestion and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites affect the detection results, whereas the unspecific hybridization within different probes had little side effect. This indicated that the detection system was suited for both chamber-based and droplet-based digital PCR. In conclusion, we have provided a simple and flexible way of achieving absolute quantitation for genetically modified organism (GMO) genome samples using commercial digital PCR detection systems.

A Novel Pretreatment-Free Duplex Chamber Digital PCR Detection System for the Absolute Quantitation of GMO Samples

PubMed Central

Zhu, Pengyu; Wang, Chenguang; Huang, Kunlun; Luo, Yunbo; Xu, Wentao

2016-01-01

Digital polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has developed rapidly since it was first reported in the 1990s. However, pretreatments are often required during preparation for digital PCR, which can increase operation error. The single-plex amplification of both the target and reference genes may cause uncertainties due to the different reaction volumes and the matrix effect. In the current study, a quantitative detection system based on the pretreatment-free duplex chamber digital PCR was developed. The dynamic range, limit of quantitation (LOQ), sensitivity and specificity were evaluated taking the GA21 event as the experimental object. Moreover, to determine the factors that may influence the stability of the duplex system, we evaluated whether the pretreatments, the primary and secondary structures of the probes and the SNP effect influence the detection. The results showed that the LOQ was 0.5% and the sensitivity was 0.1%. We also found that genome digestion and single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sites affect the detection results, whereas the unspecific hybridization within different probes had little side effect. This indicated that the detection system was suited for both chamber-based and droplet-based digital PCR. In conclusion, we have provided a simple and flexible way of achieving absolute quantitation for genetically modified organism (GMO) genome samples using commercial digital PCR detection systems. PMID:26999129

Commercial-off-the-Shelf Vehicles for Towed Array Magnetometry

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

dump bed on the back, has upright seating for two adults, has the seats oriented side-by-side, and has a steering wheel and brake and accelerator... pedals like a car. By way of example, a ubiquitous side-by-side UTV is the John Deere Gator. The objective of this project was to test a number of...different angle , and one set of biases will not be able to take out all of the streaks. This raises the second issue. Because the bidirectional

Method and system for detecting polygon boundaries of structures in images as particle tracks through fields of corners and pixel gradients

DOEpatents

Paglieroni, David W [Pleasanton, CA; Manay, Siddharth [Livermore, CA

2011-12-20

A stochastic method and system for detecting polygon structures in images, by detecting a set of best matching corners of predetermined acuteness .alpha. of a polygon model from a set of similarity scores based on GDM features of corners, and tracking polygon boundaries as particle tracks using a sequential Monte Carlo approach. The tracking involves initializing polygon boundary tracking by selecting pairs of corners from the set of best matching corners to define a first side of a corresponding polygon boundary; tracking all intermediate sides of the polygon boundaries using a particle filter, and terminating polygon boundary tracking by determining the last side of the tracked polygon boundaries to close the polygon boundaries. The particle tracks are then blended to determine polygon matches, which may be made available, such as to a user, for ranking and inspection.

Voltage Based Detection Method for High Impedance Fault in a Distribution System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thomas, Mini Shaji; Bhaskar, Namrata; Prakash, Anupama

2016-09-01

High-impedance faults (HIFs) on distribution feeders cannot be detected by conventional protection schemes, as HIFs are characterized by their low fault current level and waveform distortion due to the nonlinearity of the ground return path. This paper proposes a method to identify the HIFs in distribution system and isolate the faulty section, to reduce downtime. This method is based on voltage measurements along the distribution feeder and utilizes the sequence components of the voltages. Three models of high impedance faults have been considered and source side and load side breaking of the conductor have been studied in this work to capture a wide range of scenarios. The effect of neutral grounding of the source side transformer is also accounted in this study. The results show that the algorithm detects the HIFs accurately and rapidly. Thus, the faulty section can be isolated and service can be restored to the rest of the consumers.

Object integration requires attention: Visual search for Kanizsa figures in parietal extinction.

PubMed

Gögler, Nadine; Finke, Kathrin; Keller, Ingo; Müller, Hermann J; Conci, Markus

2016-11-01

The contribution of selective attention to object integration is a topic of debate: integration of parts into coherent wholes, such as in Kanizsa figures, is thought to arise either from pre-attentive, automatic coding processes or from higher-order processes involving selective attention. Previous studies have attempted to examine the role of selective attention in object integration either by employing visual search paradigms or by studying patients with unilateral deficits in selective attention. Here, we combined these two approaches to investigate object integration in visual search in a group of five patients with left-sided parietal extinction. Our search paradigm was designed to assess the effect of left- and right-grouped nontargets on detecting a Kanizsa target square. The results revealed comparable reaction time (RT) performance in patients and controls when they were presented with displays consisting of a single to-be-grouped item that had to be classified as target vs. nontarget. However, when display size increased to two items, patients showed an extinction-specific pattern of enhanced RT costs for nontargets that induced a partial shape grouping on the right, i.e., in the attended hemifield (relative to the ungrouped baseline). Together, these findings demonstrate a competitive advantage for right-grouped objects, which in turn indicates that in parietal extinction, attentional competition between objects particularly limits integration processes in the contralesional, i.e., left hemifield. These findings imply a crucial contribution of selective attentional resources to visual object integration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quantifying Muscle Asymmetries in Cervical Dystonia with Electrical Impedance: A Preliminary Assessment

PubMed Central

Lungu, Codrin; Tarulli, Andrew W; Tarsy, Daniel; Mongiovi, Phillip; Vanderhorst, Veronique G; Rutkove, Seward B

2010-01-01

Objective Cervical Dystonia (CD) lacks an objective quantitative measure. Electrical impedance myography (EIM) is a non-invasive assessment method sensitive to changes in muscle structure and physiology. We evaluate the potential role of EIM in quantifying CD, hypothesizing that patients would demonstrate differences in the symmetry of muscle electrical resistance compared to controls, and that this asymmetry would decrease after botulinum neurotoxin (BoNT) treatment. Methods EIM was performed on the sternocleidomastoid (SCM) and cervical paraspinal (PS) muscles of CD patients and age-matched controls. 50kHz Resistance was analyzed, comparing side-to-side asymmetry in patients and controls, and, in patients, before and after BoNT treatment. Results 16 patients and 10 controls were included. Resistance asymmetry was on average 3-5 times higher in patients than controls. Receiver operating characteristic analysis demonstrated 91% accuracy of discriminating CD from normal. From pre-treatment to maximum BoNT effect, asymmetry decreased from 20.8 (13.9-26.1)% to 6.2 (3.1-9.9)% (SCM), and from 16.0(14.3-16.0)% to 8.4(7.0-9.2)% (PS), p<0.05 (median, interquartile range). Conclusions EIM effectively differentiates normal subjects from CD patients by revealing asymmetries in resistance values and detects improvement in muscle symmetry after treatment. Significance These results suggest that EIM, a painless, non-invasive measure, can provide a useful quantitative metric in CD evaluation and deserves further study. PMID:20943436

Changes in nasal airflow and heat transfer correlate with symptom improvement after surgery for nasal obstruction.

PubMed

Kimbell, J S; Frank, D O; Laud, Purushottam; Garcia, G J M; Rhee, J S

2013-10-18

Surgeries to correct nasal airway obstruction (NAO) often have less than desirable outcomes, partly due to the absence of an objective tool to select the most appropriate surgical approach for each patient. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models can be used to investigate nasal airflow, but variables need to be identified that can detect surgical changes and correlate with patient symptoms. CFD models were constructed from pre- and post-surgery computed tomography scans for 10 NAO patients showing no evidence of nasal cycling. Steady-state inspiratory airflow, nasal resistance, wall shear stress, and heat flux were computed for the main nasal cavity from nostrils to posterior nasal septum both bilaterally and unilaterally. Paired t-tests indicated that all CFD variables were significantly changed by surgery when calculated on the most obstructed side, and that airflow, nasal resistance, and heat flux were significantly changed bilaterally as well. Moderate linear correlations with patient-reported symptoms were found for airflow, heat flux, unilateral allocation of airflow, and unilateral nasal resistance as a fraction of bilateral nasal resistance when calculated on the most obstructed nasal side, suggesting that these variables may be useful for evaluating the efficacy of nasal surgery objectively. Similarity in the strengths of these correlations suggests that patient-reported symptoms may represent a constellation of effects and that these variables should be tracked concurrently during future virtual surgery planning. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Unveiling the nature of INTEGRAL objects through optical spectroscopy. IX. Twenty two more identifications, and a glance into the far hard X-ray Universe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Masetti, N.; Parisi, P.; Jiménez-Bailón, E.; Palazzi, E.; Chavushyan, V.; Bassani, L.; Bazzano, A.; Bird, A. J.; Dean, A. J.; Galaz, G.; Landi, R.; Malizia, A.; Minniti, D.; Morelli, L.; Schiavone, F.; Stephen, J. B.; Ubertini, P.

2012-02-01

Since its launch in October 2002, the INTEGRAL satellite has revolutionized our knowledge of the hard X-ray sky thanks to its unprecedented imaging capabilities and source detection positional accuracy above 20 keV. Nevertheless, many of the newly-detected sources in the INTEGRAL sky surveys are of unknown nature. The combined use of available information at longer wavelengths (mainly soft X-rays and radio) and of optical spectroscopy on the putative counterparts of these new hard X-ray objects allows us to pinpoint their exact nature. Continuing our long-standing program that has been running since 2004, and using 6 different telescopes of various sizes together with data from an online spectroscopic survey, here we report the classification through optical spectroscopy of 22 more unidentified or poorly studied high-energy sources detected with the IBIS instrument onboard INTEGRAL. We found that 16 of them are active galactic nuclei (AGNs), while the remaining 6 objects are within our Galaxy. Among the identified extragalactic sources, the large majority (14) is made up of type 1 AGNs (i.e. with broad emission lines); of these, 6 lie at redshift larger than 0.5 and one (IGR J12319-0749) has z = 3.12, which makes it the second farthest object detected in the INTEGRAL surveys up to now. The remaining AGNs are of type 2 (that is, with narrow emission lines only), and one of the two cases is confirmed as a pair of interacting Seyfert 2 galaxies. The Galactic objects are identified as two cataclysmic variables, one high-mass X-ray binary, one symbiotic binary and two chromospherically active stars, possibly of RS CVn type. The main physical parameters of these hard X-ray sources were also determined using the multiwavelength information available in the literature. We thus still find that AGNs are the most abundant population among hard X-ray objects identified through optical spectroscopy. Moreover, we note that the higher sensitivity of the more recent INTEGRAL surveys is now enabling the detection of high-redshift AGNs, thus allowing the exploration of the most distant hard X-ray emitting sources and possibly of the most extreme blazars. Based on observations collected at the following observatories: Cerro Tololo Interamerican Observatory (Chile); Observatorio del Roque de los Muchachos of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (Canary Islands, Spain); Astronomical Observatory of Bologna in Loiano (Italy); Astronomical Observatory of Asiago (Italy); Observatorio Astronómico Nacional (San Pedro Mártir, Mexico); Anglo-Australian Observatory (Siding Spring, Australia).

WISDOM GPR performance assessment in a cold artificial environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dechambre, M.; Ciarletti, V.; Biancheri-Astier, M.; Saintenoy, A.; Costard, F.; Hassen-Khodja, R.

2012-04-01

The WISDOM (Water Ice Subsurface Deposit Observation on Mars) GPR is one of the instruments that have been selected as part of the Pasteur payload of ESA's 2018 ExoMars Rover mission. WISDOM has been designed to obtain information about the nature of the subsurface along the rover path with the objective to explore the first ~ 3 m of the soil with a vertical resolution of a few centimetres. The sub-surface properties that can be addressed with WISDOM are variations in composition, texture, stratification (e.g., number, thickness and orientation of layers), the presence of unconformities and other structural characteristics (such as fractures and the deformation of strata). It is then essential to quantify the performances of WISDOM in controlled conditions, and several full polarimetric measurements have been carried out with the prototype in a cold artificial environment. The main objectives are the detection of different interface between homogeneous materials with WISDOM. The characterization of the material (porosity, % of water, dielectric properties, thickness and depth, temperature ...) is well-controlled. The cold room facility of IDES at Orsay (France) has been used, the ambient temperature ranged from -7° C to -10° C. A tank laying on the metallic floor (height: 0.5m, width: 0.80 m, length: 1.20m) in macrolon can contain liquid or frozen water or layers (dielectric contrasts) of home-maid permafrost (frozen saturated sand) with and without embedded objects or fractures. The temperature inside the medium (ice or permafrost) is controlled, the radar antennas are put on a sheet of polystyrene over the tank. Frequent measurements were performed (every 2cm) along a track from one side to the other side of the tank. The experimental conditions were: (1)dry cold sand (Fontainebleau sand) : porosity 35% density 2,67 (2) saturated wet sand : 35% of water (3) permafrost (frozen saturated sand) : 35% of ice content 1 layer: 3 consecutive experiments : 10cm dry sand ( 1) 10cm saturated sand (2) 10cm permafrost(3) 2 layers :previous 10cm permafrost in the bottom +3 consecutive experiments : 10cm dry sand ( 1) 10cm saturated sand (2) 10cm permafrost(3) . Basalt rocks and air fractures are or are not embedded in the layers Values of the permittivity of dry sand and permafrost were retrieve by two different ways. 1.Retrieval of the sand and permafrost permittivity from delay measurements knowing the layer thickness d ɛr = ct/2d = n2 2. Retrieval of the sand and permafrost permittivity from amplitude measurements knowing a calibration reference (reflection over a metallic plate), R is the Fresnel coefficient between the air and the medium. Aint/ = R = n- 1-,ɛ = 1+-R-= n2 Aair n +1 r 1- R Results : Internal layering is observed. The transition between dry sand and permafrost can be detected. The permittivity can be retrieved from delay or amplitude measurements as well from delay measurements : dry sand ɛr = 2.71 permafrost ɛr = 3.72 from amplitude measurements : dry sand ɛr = 2.73 permafrost ɛr = 3.35 Embedded objects are detected, Fracture and its orientation is detected.

The Circumstellar Disk and Asymmetric Outflow of the EX Lup Outburst System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hales, A. S.; Pérez, S.; Saito, M.; Pinte, C.; Knee, L. B. G.; de Gregorio-Monsalvo, I.; Dent, B.; López, C.; Plunkett, A.; Cortés, P.; Corder, S.; Cieza, L.

2018-06-01

We present Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) observations at 0.″3 resolution of EX Lup, the prototype of the EXor class of outbursting pre-main-sequence stars. The circumstellar disk of EX Lup is resolved for the first time in 1.3 mm continuum emission and in the J = 2–1 spectral line of three isotopologues of CO. At the spatial resolution and sensitivity achieved, the compact dust continuum disk shows no indications of clumps, fragments, or asymmetries above the 5σ level. Radiative transfer modeling constrains the characteristic radius of the dust disk to 23 au and the total dust mass to 1.0 × 10‑4 M ⊙ (33 M ⊕), similar to other EXor sources. The 13CO and C18O line emissions trace the disk rotation and are used to constrain the disk geometry, kinematics, and a total gas disk mass of 5.1 × 10‑4 M ⊙. The 12CO emission extends out to a radius of 200 au and is asymmetric, with one side deviating from Keplerian rotation. We detect blueshifted, 12CO arc-like emission located 0.″8 to the northwest and spatially disconnected from the disk emission. We interpret this extended structure as the brightened walls of a cavity excavated by an outflow, which are more commonly seen in FUor sources. Such outflows have also been seen in the borderline FU/EXor object V1647 Ori, but not toward EXor objects. Our detection provides evidence that the outflow phenomenon persists into the EXor phase, suggesting that FUor and EXor objects are a continuous population in which outflow activity declines with age, with transitional objects such as EX Lup and V1647 Ori.

Permeable Pavement Monitoring at the Edison Environmental Center Demonstration Site

EPA Science Inventory

The presentation covers the following monitoring objectives at the demonstration site at Edison, NJ: Hydrologic performance, water quality performance, urban heat island effects, maintenance effects and infiltration water parameters. There will be a side by side monitoring of ...

Method for detecting organic contaminants in water supplies

DOEpatents

Dooley, K.J.; Barrie, S.L.; Buttner, W.J.

1999-08-24

A system is described for detecting organic contaminants in water supplies. A sampling unit is employed which includes a housing having at least one opening therein and a tubular member positioned within the housing having a central passageway surrounded by a side wall. The side wall is made of a composition designed to absorb the contaminants. In use, the sampling unit is immersed in a water supply. The water supply contacts the tubular member through the opening in the housing, with any contaminants being absorbed into the side wall of the tubular member. A carrier gas is then passed through the central passageway of the tubular member. The contaminants will diffuse out of the side wall and into the central passageway where they will subsequently combine with the carrier gas, thereby yielding a gaseous product. The gaseous product is then analyzed to determine the amount and type of contaminants therein. 5 figs.

Method for detecting organic contaminants in water supplies

DOEpatents

Dooley, Kirk J.; Barrie, Scott L.; Buttner, William J.

1999-01-01

A system for detecting organic contaminants in water supplies. A sampling unit is employed which includes a housing having at least one opening therein and a tubular member positioned within the housing having a central passageway surrounded by a side wall. The side wall is made of a composition designed to absorb the contaminants. In use, the sampling unit is immersed in a water supply. The water supply contacts the tubular member through the opening in the housing, with any contaminants being absorbed into the side wall of the tubular member. A carrier gas is then passed through the central passageway of the tubular member. The contaminants will diffuse out of the side wall and into the central passageway where they will subsequently combine with the carrier gas, thereby yielding a gaseous product. The gaseous product is then analyzed to determine the amount and type of contaminants therein.

Simulation of argon response and light detection in the DarkSide-50 dual phase TPC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agnes, P.; Albuquerque, I. F. M.; Alexander, T.; Alton, A. K.; Asner, D. M.; Back, H. O.; Biery, K.; Bocci, V.; Bonfini, G.; Bonivento, W.; Bossa, M.; Bottino, B.; Budano, F.; Bussino, S.; Cadeddu, M.; Cadoni, M.; Calaprice, F.; Canci, N.; Candela, A.; Caravati, M.; Cariello, M.; Carlini, M.; Catalanotti, S.; Cataudella, V.; Cavalcante, P.; Chepurnov, A.; Cicalò, C.; Cocco, A. G.; Covone, G.; D'Angelo, D.; D'Incecco, M.; Davini, S.; de Candia, A.; De Cecco, S.; De Deo, M.; De Filippis, G.; De Vincenzi, M.; Derbin, A. V.; De Rosa, G.; Devoto, A.; Di Eusanio, F.; Di Pietro, G.; Dionisi, C.; Edkins, E.; Empl, A.; Fan, A.; Fiorillo, G.; Fomenko, K.; Franco, D.; Gabriele, F.; Galbiati, C.; Giagu, S.; Giganti, C.; Giovanetti, G. K.; Goretti, A. M.; Granato, F.; Gromov, M.; Guan, M.; Guardincerri, Y.; Hackett, B. R.; Herner, K.; Hughes, D.; Humble, P.; Hungerford, E. V.; Ianni, An.; James, I.; Johnson, T. N.; Keeter, K.; Kendziora, C. L.; Koh, G.; Korablev, D.; Korga, G.; Kubankin, A.; Li, X.; Lissia, M.; Loer, B.; Longo, G.; Ma, Y.; Machado, A. A.; Machulin, I. N.; Mandarano, A.; Mari, S. M.; Maricic, J.; Martoff, C. J.; Meyers, P. D.; Milincic, R.; Monte, A.; Mount, B. J.; Muratova, V. N.; Musico, P.; Napolitano, J.; Navrer Agasson, A.; Oleinik, A.; Orsini, M.; Ortica, F.; Pagani, L.; Pallavicini, M.; Pantic, E.; Pelczar, K.; Pelliccia, N.; Pocar, A.; Pordes, S.; Pugachev, D. A.; Qian, H.; Randle, K.; Razeti, M.; Razeto, A.; Reinhold, B.; Renshaw, A. L.; Rescigno, M.; Riffard, Q.; Romani, A.; Rossi, B.; Rossi, N.; Sablone, D.; Sands, W.; Sanfilippo, S.; Savarese, C.; Schlitzer, B.; Segreto, E.; Semenov, D. A.; Singh, P. N.; Skorokhvatov, M. D.; Smirnov, O.; Sotnikov, A.; Stanford, C.; Suvorov, Y.; Tartaglia, R.; Testera, G.; Tonazzo, A.; Trinchese, P.; Unzhakov, E. V.; Verducci, M.; Vishneva, A.; Vogelaar, B.; Wada, M.; Walker, S.; Wang, H.; Wang, Y.; Watson, A. W.; Westerdale, S.; Wilhelmi, J.; Wojcik, M. M.; Xiang, X.; Xiao, X.; Yang, C.; Ye, Z.; Zhu, C.; Zuzel, G.

2017-10-01

A Geant4-based Monte Carlo package named G4DS has been developed to simulate the response of DarkSide-50, an experiment operating since 2013 at LNGS, designed to detect WIMP interactions in liquid argon. In the process of WIMP searches, DarkSide-50 has achieved two fundamental milestones: the rejection of electron recoil background with a power of ~107, using the pulse shape discrimination technique, and the measurement of the residual 39Ar contamination in underground argon, ~3 orders of magnitude lower with respect to atmospheric argon. These results rely on the accurate simulation of the detector response to the liquid argon scintillation, its ionization, and electron-ion recombination processes. This work provides a complete overview of the DarkSide Monte Carlo and of its performance, with a particular focus on PARIS, the custom-made liquid argon response model.

Prototype of a Muon Tomography Station with GEM detectors for Detection of Shielded Nuclear Contraband

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staib, Michael; Bhopatkar, Vallary; Bittner, William; Hohlmann, Marcus; Locke, Judson; Twigger, Jessie; Gnanvo, Kondo

2012-03-01

Muon tomography for homeland security aims at detecting well-shielded nuclear contraband in cargo and imaging it in 3D. The technique exploits multiple scattering of atmospheric cosmic ray muons, which is stronger in dense, high-Z materials, e.g. enriched uranium, than in low-Z and medium-Z shielding materials. We have constructed and are operating a compact Muon Tomography Station (MTS) that tracks muons with eight 30 cm x 30 cm Triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors placed on the sides of a cubic-foot imaging volume. A point-of-closest-approach algorithm applied to reconstructed incident and exiting tracks is used to create a tomographic reconstruction of the material within the active volume. We discuss the performance of this MTS prototype including characterization and commissioning of the GEM detectors and the data acquisition systems. We also present experimental tomographic images of small high-Z objects including depleted uranium with and without shielding and discuss the performance of material discrimination using this method.

Mechanical signals at the base of a rat vibrissa: the effect of intrinsic vibrissa curvature and implications for tactile exploration

PubMed Central

Quist, Brian W.

2012-01-01

Rats actively tap and sweep their large mystacial vibrissae (whiskers) against objects to tactually explore their surroundings. When a vibrissa makes contact with an object, it bends, and this bending generates forces and bending moments at the vibrissa base. Researchers have only recently begun to quantify these mechanical variables. The present study quantifies the forces and bending moments at the vibrissa base with a quasi-static model of vibrissa deflection. The model was validated with experiments on real vibrissae. Initial simulations demonstrated that almost all vibrissa-object collisions during natural behavior will occur with the concave side of the vibrissa facing the object, and we therefore paid particular attention to the role of the vibrissa's intrinsic curvature in shaping the forces at the base. Both simulations and experiments showed that vibrissae with larger intrinsic curvatures will generate larger axial forces. Simulations also demonstrated that the range of forces and moments at the vibrissal base vary over approximately three orders of magnitude, depending on the location along the vibrissa at which object contact is made. Both simulations and experiments demonstrated that collisions in which the concave side of the vibrissa faces the object generate longer-duration contacts and larger net forces than collisions with the convex side. These results suggest that the orientation of the vibrissa's intrinsic curvature on the mystacial pad may increase forces during object contact and provide increased sensitivity to detailed surface features. PMID:22298834

Mining Patients' Narratives in Social Media for Pharmacovigilance: Adverse Effects and Misuse of Methylphenidate.

PubMed

Chen, Xiaoyi; Faviez, Carole; Schuck, Stéphane; Lillo-Le-Louët, Agnès; Texier, Nathalie; Dahamna, Badisse; Huot, Charles; Foulquié, Pierre; Pereira, Suzanne; Leroux, Vincent; Karapetiantz, Pierre; Guenegou-Arnoux, Armelle; Katsahian, Sandrine; Bousquet, Cédric; Burgun, Anita

2018-01-01

Background: The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) have recognized social media as a new data source to strengthen their activities regarding drug safety. Objective: Our objective in the ADR-PRISM project was to provide text mining and visualization tools to explore a corpus of posts extracted from social media. We evaluated this approach on a corpus of 21 million posts from five patient forums, and conducted a qualitative analysis of the data available on methylphenidate in this corpus. Methods: We applied text mining methods based on named entity recognition and relation extraction in the corpus, followed by signal detection using proportional reporting ratio (PRR). We also used topic modeling based on the Correlated Topic Model to obtain the list of the matics in the corpus and classify the messages based on their topics. Results: We automatically identified 3443 posts about methylphenidate published between 2007 and 2016, among which 61 adverse drug reactions (ADR) were automatically detected. Two pharmacovigilance experts evaluated manually the quality of automatic identification, and a f-measure of 0.57 was reached. Patient's reports were mainly neuro-psychiatric effects. Applying PRR, 67% of the ADRs were signals, including most of the neuro-psychiatric symptoms but also palpitations. Topic modeling showed that the most represented topics were related to Childhood and Treatment initiation , but also Side effects . Cases of misuse were also identified in this corpus, including recreational use and abuse. Conclusion: Named entity recognition combined with signal detection and topic modeling have demonstrated their complementarity in mining social media data. An in-depth analysis focused on methylphenidate showed that this approach was able to detect potential signals and to provide better understanding of patients' behaviors regarding drugs, including misuse.

Perirhinal cortical inactivation impairs object-in-place memory and disrupts task-dependent firing in hippocampal CA1, but not in CA3.

PubMed

Lee, Inah; Park, Seong-Beom

2013-01-01

Objects and their locations can associatively define an event and a conjoint representation of object-place can form an event memory. Remembering how to respond to a certain object in a spatial context is dependent on both hippocampus and perirhinal cortex (PER). However, the relative functional contributions of the two regions are largely unknown in object-place associative memory. We investigated the PER influence on hippocampal firing in a goal-directed object-place memory task by comparing the firing patterns of CA1 and CA3 of the dorsal hippocampus between conditions of PER muscimol inactivation and vehicle control infusions. Rats were required to choose one of the two objects in a specific spatial context (regardless of the object positions in the context), which was shown to be dependent on both hippocampus and PER. Inactivation of PER with muscimol (MUS) severely disrupted performance of well-trained rats, resulting in response bias (i.e., choosing any object on a particular side). MUS did not significantly alter the baseline firing rates of hippocampal neurons. We measured the similarity in firing patterns between two trial conditions in which the same target objects were chosen on opposite sides within the same arm [object-in-place (O-P) strategy] and compared the results with the similarity in firing between two trial conditions in which the rat chose any object encountered on a particular side [response-in-place (R-P) strategy]. We found that the similarity in firing patterns for O-P trials was significantly reduced with MUS compared to control conditions (CTs). Importantly, this was largely because MUS injections affected the O-P firing patterns in CA1 neurons, but not in CA3. The results suggest that PER is critical for goal-directed organization of object-place associative memory in the hippocampus presumably by influencing how object information is associated with spatial information in CA1 according to task demand.

Laparoscopic Single Site Adrenalectomy Using a Conventional Laparoscope and Instrumentation

PubMed Central

Colon, Modesto J; LeMasters, Patrick; Newell, Phillipa; Divino, Celia; Weber, Kaare J.

2011-01-01

Background and Objectives: We present a case of Laparoendoscopic Single Site Surgery (LESS) left adrenalectomy performed with a conventional laparoscope and instruments. Methods: A 45-year-old male was diagnosed with hyperaldosteronism. Computed tomography detected a left adrenal nodule. Bilateral adrenal vein sampling was consistent with a left-sided source for hyperaldosteronism. Results: Total operative time for LESS left adrenalectomy was 120 minutes. The surgery was performed with conventional instruments, a standard 5-mm laparoscope, and a SILS port, with no additional incisions or trocars needed. No complications occurred, and the patient reported an uneventful recovery. Conclusions: LESS adrenalectomy is a feasible procedure. Although articulating instruments and laparoscopes may offer advantages, LESS adrenalectomy can be done without these. PMID:21902983

Flux of Kilogram-Sized Meteoroids from Lunar Impact Monitoring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Suggs, Robert; Suggs, Ron; Cooke, William; McNamara, Heather; Diekmann, Anne; Moser, Danielle; Swift, Wesley

2008-01-01

Routine lunar impact monitoring has harvested over 110 impacts in 2 years of observations using 0.25, 0.36 and 0.5 m telescopes and low-light-level video cameras. The night side of the lunar surface provides a large collecting area for detecting these impacts and allows estimation of the flux of meteoroids down to a limiting luminous energy. In order to determine the limiting mass for these observations, models of the sporadic meteoroid environment were used to determine the velocity distribution and new measurements of luminous efficiency were made at the Ames Vertical Gun Range. The flux of meteoroids in this size range has implications for Near Earth Object populations as well as for estimating impact ejecta risk for future lunar missions.

Structured prediction models for RNN based sequence labeling in clinical text.

PubMed

Jagannatha, Abhyuday N; Yu, Hong

2016-11-01

Sequence labeling is a widely used method for named entity recognition and information extraction from unstructured natural language data. In clinical domain one major application of sequence labeling involves extraction of medical entities such as medication, indication, and side-effects from Electronic Health Record narratives. Sequence labeling in this domain, presents its own set of challenges and objectives. In this work we experimented with various CRF based structured learning models with Recurrent Neural Networks. We extend the previously studied LSTM-CRF models with explicit modeling of pairwise potentials. We also propose an approximate version of skip-chain CRF inference with RNN potentials. We use these methodologies for structured prediction in order to improve the exact phrase detection of various medical entities.

Structured prediction models for RNN based sequence labeling in clinical text

PubMed Central

Jagannatha, Abhyuday N; Yu, Hong

2016-01-01

Sequence labeling is a widely used method for named entity recognition and information extraction from unstructured natural language data. In clinical domain one major application of sequence labeling involves extraction of medical entities such as medication, indication, and side-effects from Electronic Health Record narratives. Sequence labeling in this domain, presents its own set of challenges and objectives. In this work we experimented with various CRF based structured learning models with Recurrent Neural Networks. We extend the previously studied LSTM-CRF models with explicit modeling of pairwise potentials. We also propose an approximate version of skip-chain CRF inference with RNN potentials. We use these methodologies1 for structured prediction in order to improve the exact phrase detection of various medical entities. PMID:28004040

Determining root correspondence between previously and newly detected objects

DOEpatents

Paglieroni, David W.; Beer, N Reginald

2014-06-17

A system that applies attribute and topology based change detection to networks of objects that were detected on previous scans of a structure, roadway, or area of interest. The attributes capture properties or characteristics of the previously detected objects, such as location, time of detection, size, elongation, orientation, etc. The topology of the network of previously detected objects is maintained in a constellation database that stores attributes of previously detected objects and implicitly captures the geometrical structure of the network. A change detection system detects change by comparing the attributes and topology of new objects detected on the latest scan to the constellation database of previously detected objects.

Attribute and topology based change detection in a constellation of previously detected objects

DOEpatents

Paglieroni, David W.; Beer, Reginald N.

2016-01-19

A system that applies attribute and topology based change detection to networks of objects that were detected on previous scans of a structure, roadway, or area of interest. The attributes capture properties or characteristics of the previously detected objects, such as location, time of detection, size, elongation, orientation, etc. The topology of the network of previously detected objects is maintained in a constellation database that stores attributes of previously detected objects and implicitly captures the geometrical structure of the network. A change detection system detects change by comparing the attributes and topology of new objects detected on the latest scan to the constellation database of previously detected objects.

Development of spatial preferences for counting and picture naming.

PubMed

Knudsen, Birgit; Fischer, Martin H; Aschersleben, Gisa

2015-11-01

The direction of object enumeration reflects children's enculturation but previous work on the development of such spatial preferences has been inconsistent. Therefore, we documented directional preferences in finger counting, object counting, and picture naming for children (4 groups from 3 to 6 years, N = 104) and adults (N = 56). We found a right-side preference for finger counting in 3- to 6-year-olds and a left-side preference for counting objects and naming pictures by 6 years of age. Children were consistent in their special preferences when comparing object counting and picture naming, but not in other task pairings. Finally, spatial preferences were not related to cardinality comprehension. These results, together with other recent work, suggest a gradual development of spatial-numerical associations from early non-directional mappings into culturally constrained directional mappings.

Robot Vision

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutro, L. L.; Lerman, J. B.

1973-01-01

The operation of a system is described that is built both to model the vision of primate animals, including man, and serve as a pre-prototype of possible object recognition system. It was employed in a series of experiments to determine the practicability of matching left and right images of a scene to determine the range and form of objects. The experiments started with computer generated random-dot stereograms as inputs and progressed through random square stereograms to a real scene. The major problems were the elimination of spurious matches, between the left and right views, and the interpretation of ambiguous regions, on the left side of an object that can be viewed only by the left camera, and on the right side of an object that can be viewed only by the right camera.

Visual memory in unilateral spatial neglect: immediate recall versus delayed recognition.

PubMed

Moreh, Elior; Malkinson, Tal Seidel; Zohary, Ehud; Soroker, Nachum

2014-09-01

Patients with unilateral spatial neglect (USN) often show impaired performance in spatial working memory tasks, apart from the difficulty retrieving "left-sided" spatial data from long-term memory, shown in the "piazza effect" by Bisiach and colleagues. This study's aim was to compare the effect of the spatial position of a visual object on immediate and delayed memory performance in USN patients. Specifically, immediate verbal recall performance, tested using a simultaneous presentation of four visual objects in four quadrants, was compared with memory in a later-provided recognition task, in which objects were individually shown at the screen center. Unlike healthy controls, USN patients showed a left-side disadvantage and a vertical bias in the immediate free recall task (69% vs. 42% recall for right- and left-sided objects, respectively). In the recognition task, the patients correctly recognized half of "old" items, and their correct rejection rate was 95.5%. Importantly, when the analysis focused on previously recalled items (in the immediate task), no statistically significant difference was found in the delayed recognition of objects according to their original quadrant of presentation. Furthermore, USN patients were able to recollect the correct original location of the recognized objects in 60% of the cases, well beyond chance level. This suggests that the memory trace formed in these cases was not only semantic but also contained a visuospatial tag. Finally, successful recognition of objects missed in recall trials points to formation of memory traces for neglected contralesional objects, which may become accessible to retrieval processes in explicit memory.

A comparison of moving object detection methods for real-time moving object detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roshan, Aditya; Zhang, Yun

2014-06-01

Moving object detection has a wide variety of applications from traffic monitoring, site monitoring, automatic theft identification, face detection to military surveillance. Many methods have been developed across the globe for moving object detection, but it is very difficult to find one which can work globally in all situations and with different types of videos. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate existing moving object detection methods which can be implemented in software on a desktop or laptop, for real time object detection. There are several moving object detection methods noted in the literature, but few of them are suitable for real time moving object detection. Most of the methods which provide for real time movement are further limited by the number of objects and the scene complexity. This paper evaluates the four most commonly used moving object detection methods as background subtraction technique, Gaussian mixture model, wavelet based and optical flow based methods. The work is based on evaluation of these four moving object detection methods using two (2) different sets of cameras and two (2) different scenes. The moving object detection methods have been implemented using MatLab and results are compared based on completeness of detected objects, noise, light change sensitivity, processing time etc. After comparison, it is observed that optical flow based method took least processing time and successfully detected boundary of moving objects which also implies that it can be implemented for real-time moving object detection.

Pulmonary Hypertension in Scleroderma

MedlinePlus

... the study was not designed to detect a difference in survival. Common side effects of epoprostenol therapy include headache, flushing, jaw pain with initial chewing, diarrhea, and bone pain. Other side effects include the potential for serious infection associated with the catheter. Chronic ...

Investigation Of Alternative Displays For Side Collision Avoidance Systems, Final Report

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-12-01

DRIVER-VEHICLE INTERFACE OR DVI, HUMAN FACTORS, DRIVER PREFERENCES, INTELLIGENT VEHICLE INITIATIVE OR IVI : SIDE COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEMS (SCAS) ARE DESIGNED TO WARN OF IMPENDING COLLISIONS AND CAN DETECT NOT ONLY ADJACENT VEHICLES BUT VEHICLES...

Relationship between Lateral Femoral Bowing and Varus Knee Deformity Based on Two-Dimensional Assessment of Side-to-Side Differences.

PubMed

Cho, Myung-Rae; Lee, Young Sik; Choi, Won-Kee

2018-03-01

The objective was to evaluate the relationship between side-to-side differences of lateral femoral bowing and varus knee deformity based on two-dimensional (2D) assessment in unilateral total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A total of 143 patients with varus knee osteoarthritis who underwent unilateral TKA were enrolled. We evaluated the side-to-side differences of the frontal lower limb alignment by assessing lateral femoral bowing, anatomical medial distal femoral angle, and anatomical medial proximal tibial angle (aMPTA). The average values of all anatomical indices were significantly different between the operated side and the non-operated side (p＜0.05). The side-to-side difference in hip knee ankle (HKA) angle had a statistically significant correlation with that in lateral femoral bowing (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.259; p=0.002) and that in aMPTA. Linear regression analysis showed 0.199° of side-to-side difference in lateral femoral bowing was associated with 1° of side-to-side difference in bilateral HKA angle. The side-to-side difference in lateral femoral bowing showed a tendency to increase in proportion to varus knee deformity based on 2D assessment in unilateral TKA patients.

Determining rotational dynamics of the guanidino group of arginine side chains in proteins by carbon-detected NMR.

PubMed

Gerecht, Karola; Figueiredo, Angelo Miguel; Hansen, D Flemming

2017-09-16

Arginine residues are imperative for many active sites and protein-interaction interfaces. A new NMR-based method is presented to determine the rotational dynamics around the N ε -C ζ bond of arginine side chains. An application to a 19 kDa protein shows that the strengths of interactions involving arginine side chains can be characterised.

Guided acoustic wave inspection system

DOEpatents

Chinn, Diane J.

2004-10-05

A system for inspecting a conduit for undesirable characteristics. A transducer system induces guided acoustic waves onto said conduit. The transducer system detects the undesirable characteristics of the conduit by receiving guided acoustic waves that contain information about the undesirable characteristics. The conduit has at least two sides and the transducer system utilizes flexural modes of propagation to provide inspection using access from only the one side of the conduit. Cracking is detected with pulse-echo testing using one transducer to both send and receive the guided acoustic waves. Thinning is detected in through-transmission testing where one transducer sends and another transducer receives the guided acoustic waves.

On the Crime Object

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akutaev, Rasul M.; Magomedov, Guseyn B.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the research of this problem is caused by the theoretical and practical needs of a specific concept of the crime object as one of the corpus delicti signs essentially the determining and defining its object and objective side, thereby--the nature of socially dangerous act. Besides, being a facultative sign of corpus delicti, the…

King County Nearshore Habitat Mapping Data Report: Picnic Point to Shilshole Bay Marina

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

Woodruff, Dana L.; Farley, Paul J.; Borde, Amy B.

2000-12-31

The objective of this study is to provide accurate, georeferenced maps of benthic habitats to assist in the siting of a new wastewater treatment plant outfall and the assessment of habitats of endangered, threatened, and economically important species. The mapping was conducted in the fall of 1999 using two complementary techniques: side-scan sonar and underwater videography. Products derived from these techniques include geographic information system (GIS) compatible polygon data of substrate type and vegetation cover, including eelgrass and kelp. Additional GIS overlays include underwater video track line data of total macroalgae, selected macroalgal species, fish, and macroinvertebrates. The combined toolsmore » of geo-referenced side-scan sonar and underwater video is a powerful technique for assessing and mapping of nearshore habitat in Puget Sound. Side-scan sonar offers the ability to map eelgrass with high spatial accuracy and resolution, and provides information on patch size, shape, and coverage. It also provides information on substrate change and location of specific targets (e.g., piers, docks, pilings, large boulders, debris piles). The addition of underwater video is a complementary tool providing both groundtruthing for the sonar and additional information on macro fauna and flora. As a groundtruthing technique, the video was able to confirm differences between substrate types, as well as detect subtle spatial changes in substrate. It also verified information related to eelgrass, including the density classification categories and the type of substrate associated with eelgrass, which could not be determined easily with side- scan sonar. Video is also a powerful tool for mapping the location of macroalgae, (including kelp and Ulva), fish and macroinvertebrates. The ability to geo-locate these resources in their functional habitat provides an added layer of information and analytical potential.« less

Near-infrared (0.8-4.0 m) spectroscopy of mimas, enceladus, tethys, and rhea

USGS Publications Warehouse

Emery, J.P.; Burr, D.M.; Cruikshank, D.P.; Brown, R.H.; Dalton, J.B.

2005-01-01

Spectral measurements from the ground in the time leading up to the Cassini mission at Saturn provide important context for the interpretation of the forthcoming spacecraft data. Whereas ground-based observations cannot begin to approach the spatial scales Cassini will achieve, they do possess the benefits of better spectral resolution, a broader possible time baseline, and unique veiewing geometries not obtained by spacecraft (i.e., opposition). In this spirit, we present recent NIR reflectance spectra of four icy satellites of Saturn measured with the SpeX instrument at the IRTF. These measurements cover the range 0.8-4.0 m of both the leading and trailing sides of Tethys and the leading side of Rhea. The L-band region (2.8-4.0 m) offers new opportunities for searches of minor components on these objects. Additionally, these data include 0.8-2.5 m spectra of both the leading and trailing sides of Mimas and of the (mostly) trailing side of Enceladus. The spectrum of Enceladus shows activity near 2.25 m that we interpret as a possible signature of NH3 ice. The presence of ammonia in the Saturn system is not unexpected, and may help explain the apparent recent geologic activity of Enceladus. Analysis of leading/trailing differences inH2O band depths, spectral slopes, and albedo imply a separate regime of surface modification for Mimas and Enceladus than for the more distant icy satellites (Tethys, Dione, Rhea). Aside from the potential NH3 on Enceladus, no other minor constituents are detected in these icy surfaces.

Double-blind, randomized study of the effects of influenza vaccination on the specific antibody response and clinical course of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome

PubMed Central

Sleigh, Kenna M; Danforth, Donelda G; Hall, Raymond T; Fleming, Jonathan A; Stiver, H Grant

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether influenza immunization is associated with early side effects, a deleterious impact on the illness course and depressed antibody response in patients with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo controlled trial. CFS patients and healthy volunteers filled out a questionnaire on immunization side effects and had hemagglutination-inhibiting (HI) antibody titres measured pre- and three weeks after immunization. CFS patients completed symptom and function questionnaires before and during the six-week, postimmunization period. SETTING: Ambulatory care. POPULATION STUDIED: Convenience sample of 40 CFS patients fulfilling the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria and 21 demographically matched healthy volunteers. INTERVENTIONS: CFS patients were randomly selected to receive commercially available whole virus influenza vaccine (n=19) or an injection of saline placebo (n=21). Healthy volunteers received vaccine only. MAIN RESULTS: As a group, immunized CFS patients had lower geometric mean HI antibody rises than healthy volunteers (P<0.001). However, there was no difference in the rates of fourfold titre rises, and immunization did achieve a probably protective titre (1:32 or greater) in most CFS patients. No difference could be detected between immunized and placebo CFS patients in immunization side effects, although CFS patients as a group reported four times as many side effects as healthy volunteers. Further, in the six weeks following immunization, placebo and immunized CFS patients did not demonstrate any differences in terms of functioning, symptom severity and sleep disturbance. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with CFS, influenza immunization is safe, not associated with any excess early reactions, and stimulates an immunizing response comparable with that of healthy volunteers. PMID:18159300

Masseter and temporalis muscle electromyography findings after lower third molar extraction

PubMed Central

Buesa-Bárez, José-María; Martínez-Rodríguez, Natalia; Barona-Dorado, Cristina; Sanz-Alonso, Javier; Cortés-Bretón-Brinkmann, Jorge; Martínez-González, José-María

2018-01-01

Background The main clinical application of electromyography is to detect abnormalities in muscle function, to assess muscle activity for purposes of recruitment, and in the biomechanics of movement. Objectives To analyze electromyography (EMG) findings for masticatory muscles during chewing following surgical extraction of lower third molars, and to determine any correlation between pain, inflammation, trismus, and the EMG data registered. Material and Methods This prospective study included 31 patients. Surface EMG was used to study masseter and temporalis muscle function before lower third molar extraction and 72 hours and seven days after surgery. Clinical variables, pain, inflammation, and trismus were registered before and after surgery. Results Studying the area and size of the masticatory muscles, higher values were found for temporalis than masseter muscles, regardless of the surgical side, which points to the greater involvement of the temporalis muscle in mastication. Comparing the side where surgery had been performed with the non-surgical side, a sharp and statistically significant reduction in amplitude and area were noted on the surgical side reflecting major functional affectation. One week after surgery, amplitude and area had almost returned to base-line values, indicating almost complete recovery. While pain decreased progressively after surgery, inflammation peaked at 72 hours, while mouth opening reached a minimum at this time, returning to normality within the week. Conclusions Surgical extraction of lower third molars produces changes to electromyography activity that are more evident during the first hours after surgery and closely related to the intensity of pain suffered and the patient’s inflammatory responses, although they are not related to mouth opening capacity. Key words:Third molar surgery, electromyography, pain, inflammation, trismus, masticatory muscles. PMID:29274163

Tailoring the Employment of Offshore Wind Turbine Support Structure Load Mitigation Controllers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrestha, Binita; Kühn, Martin

2016-09-01

The currently available control concepts to mitigate aerodynamic and hydrodynamic induced support structure loads reduce either fore-aft or side-to-side damage under certain operational conditions. The load reduction is achieved together with an increase in loads in other components of the turbine e.g. pitch actuators or drive train, increasing the risk of unscheduled maintenance. The main objective of this paper is to demonstrate a methodology for reduction of support structure damage equivalent loads (DEL) in fore-aft and side-to-side directions using already available control concepts. A multi-objective optimization problem is formulated to minimize the DELs, while limiting the collateral effects of the control algorithms for load reduction. The optimization gives trigger values of sea state condition for the activation or deactivation of certain control concepts. As a result, by accepting the consumption of a small fraction of the load reserve in the design load envelope of other turbine components, a considerable reduction of the support structure loads is facilitated.

Study on the expectation differences between the both sides of farmland transfer at the level of farmer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Liyong; Liu, Dejiang; Qiu, Cheng; Wu, Xianhua

2017-12-01

The expected consistency between the both sides of farmland transfer is the key to the success or failure of transfer. We use the participatory rural appraisal method, carry out a questionnaire survey of farmers in Yunnan Province, and analysis empirically the expectation differences on the will, price, duration, objects and contract between the both sides of farmland transfer. The research shows that: farmers in the suburban village tend to be willing to transfer out rather than transfer in, while farmers in the outer suburbs village tend to prefer to transfer in rather than transfer out. They are relatively small in the expectation of will, duration, objects and contract between the both sides of farmland transfer, and the transfer price "gap" is the most important factor that impedes the farmland transfer. Measures should be taken to promote the farmland transfer from three aspects, such as the promotion of farmland protection regulations, the establishment and improvement of transfer institutions and the opening of transfer price.

Evolved massive stars in W33 and in GMC 23.3-0.3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Messineo, Maria; Clark, J. Simon; Figer, Donald F.; Menten, Karl M.; Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Najarro, Francisco; Rich, Michael; Ivanov, Valentin D.; Valenti, Elena; Trombley, Christine; Chen, Rosie; Davies, Ben; MacKenty, John W.

2015-08-01

We have conducted an infrared spectroscopic survey for massive evolved stars and/or clusters in the Galactic giant molecular clouds G23.3-0.3 and W33. A large number of extraordinary sub-clumps/clusters of massive stars were detected. The spatial and temporal distribution of these massive stars yields information on the star formation history of the clouds.In G23.3-0.3, we discovered a dozen massive O-type stars, one candidate luminous blue variable, and several red supergiants. The O-type stars have masses from 25 to 50 Msun and ages of 5-8 Myr, while the RSGs belong to a burst that occurred 20-30 Myr ago. Therefore, GMC G23.3-0.3 has had one of the longest known histories of star formation (20-30 Myr). GMC G23.3-0.3 is rich in HII regions and supernova remnants; we detected massive stars in the cores of SNR W41 and of SNR G22.7-0.2.In W33, we detected a few evolved O-type stars and one Wolf-Rayet star, but none of the late-type objects has the luminosity of a red supergiant. W33 is characterized by discrete sources and has had at least 3-5 Myr of star formation history, which is now propagating from west to east. While our detections of massive evolved stars in W33 are made on the west side of the cloud, several dense molecular cores that may harbor proto clusters have recently been detected on the east side of the cloud by Immer et al. (2014).Messineo, Maria; Menten, Karl M.; Figer, Donald F.; Davies, Ben; Clark, J. Simon; Ivanov, Valentin D.Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Rich, R. Michael; MacKenty, John W.; Trombley, Christine 2014A&A...569A..20MMessineo, Maria; Clark, J. Simon; Figer, Donald F.; Kudritzki, Rolf-Peter; Francisco, Najarro; Rich, R. Michael; Menten, Karl M.; Ivanov, Valentin D.; Valenti, Elena; Trombley, Christine; Chen, C.H. Rosie; Davies, Ben; submitted to ApJ.

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

Shedlock, Daniel; Dugan, Edward T.; Jacobs, Alan M.

X-ray backscatter radiography by selective detection (RSD) is a field tested and innovative approach to non-destructive evaluation (NDE). RSD is an enhanced single-side x-ray Compton backscatter imaging (CBI) technique which selectively detects scatter components to improve image contrast and quality. Scatter component selection is accomplished through a set of specially designed detectors with fixed and movable collimators. Experimental results have shown that this NDE technique can be used to detect boric acid deposition on a metallic plate through steel foil reflective insulation commonly covering reactor pressure vessels. The current system is capable of detecting boric acid deposits with sub-millimeter resolution,more » through such insulating materials. Industrial systems have been built for Lockheed Martin Space Co. and NASA. Currently the x-ray backscatter RSD scanning systems developed by the University of Florida are being used to inspect the spray-on foam insulation (SOFI) used on the external tank of the space shuttle. RSD inspection techniques have found subsurface cracking in the SOFI thought to be responsible for the foam debris which separated from the external tank during the last shuttle launch. These industrial scanning systems can be customized for many applications, and a smaller, lighter, more compact unit design is being developed. The smaller design is approximately four inches wide, three inches high, and about 12 inches in length. This smaller RSD system can be used for NDE of areas that cannot be reached with larger equipment. X-ray backscatter RSD is a proven technology that has been tested on a wide variety of materials and applications. Currently the system has been used to inspect materials such as aluminum, plastics, honeycomb laminates, reinforced carbon composites, steel, and titanium. The focus of RSD is for one-sided detection for applications where conventional non-destructive examination methods either will not work or give poor results. Acquired images have clearly shown, for a variety of conditions, that proper selection of x-ray field scatter components leads to a significant improvement in image quality and contrast. Improvements are significant enough in some cases that objects not visible to conventional CBI or transmission radiography become readily discernable with RSD. (authors)« less

Effect of Communication Style on Perceptions of Medication Side Effect Risk among Pharmacy Students.

PubMed

Sawant, Ruta V; Beatty, Collin R; Sansgiry, Sujit S

2016-10-25

Objective. To assess the effect of communication style, and frequency and severity of medication side-effects, on pharmacy students' perception of risk of experiencing side effects. Methods. One hundred responses from pharmacy students were obtained using an online survey. Participants were presented with a drug information box containing drug name, drug usage, and one side-effect associated with the drug. Information on side-effect for each drug was presented in one of eight experimental conditions, in a 2 (side-effect frequency: low, high), X2 (side-effect severity: mild, severe) X2 (communication style: verbal, verbal + natural frequency) factorial design. Risk perception of experiencing side effects was measured. Results. Communication style was found to have a significant impact on risk perception depending on the context of frequency and severity associated with the side effect. Conclusion. Communication style plays a significant role in formulating risk perceptions of medication side effects. Training in pharmaceutical counseling should include special emphasis on effective language use.

Experimental Investigation on the Detection of Multiple Surface Cracks Using Vibrothermography with a Low-Power Piezoceramic Actuator

PubMed Central

Xu, Changhang; Xie, Jing; Zhang, Wuyang; Kong, Qingzhao; Chen, Guoming; Song, Gangbing

2017-01-01

Vibrothermography often employs a high-power actuator to generate heat on a specimen to reveal damage, however, the high-power actuator brings inconvenience to the application and possibly introduces additional damage to the inspected objects. This study uses a low-power piezoceramic transducer as the actuator of vibrothermography and explores its ability to detect multiple surface cracks in a metal part. Experiments were conducted on a thin aluminum beam with three cracks in different orientations. Detailed analyses of both thermograms and temperature data are presented to validate the proposed vibrothermography method. To further investigate the performance of the proposed vibrothermography method, we experimentally studied the effects of several critical factors, including the amplitude of excitation signal, specimen constraints, relative position between the transducer and cracks (the transducer is mounted on the same or the opposite side with the cracks). The results demonstrate that all cracks can be detected conveniently and simultaneously by using the proposed low-power vibrothermography. We also found that the magnitude of excitation signal and the specimen constraints have a great influence on detection results. Combined with effective data processing methods, such as Fourier transformation employed in this study, the proposed method provides a promising potential to detect multiple cracks on a metal surface in a safe and effective manner. PMID:29168759

Ion Fluxes in Giant Excised Cardiac Membrane Patches Detected and Quantified with Ion-selective Microelectrodes

PubMed Central

Kang, Tong Mook; Markin, Vladislav S.; Hilgemann, Donald W.

2003-01-01

We have used ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) to quantify ion fluxes across giant membrane patches by measuring and simulating ion gradients on both membrane sides. Experimental conditions are selected with low concentrations of the ions detected on the membrane side being monitored. For detection from the cytoplasmic (bath) side, the patch pipette is oscillated laterally in front of an ISE. For detection on the extracellular (pipette) side, ISEs are fabricated from flexible quartz capillary tubing (tip diameters, 2–3 microns), and an ISE is positioned carefully within the patch pipette with the tip at a controlled distance from the mouth of the patch pipette. Transport activity is then manipulated by solution changes on the cytoplasmic side. Ion fluxes can be quantified by simulating the ion gradients with appropriate diffusion models. For extracellular (intrapatch pipette) recordings, ion diffusion coefficients can be determined from the time courses of concentration changes. The sensitivity and utility of the methods are demonstrated with cardiac membrane patches by measuring (a) potassium fluxes via ion channels, valinomycin, and Na/K pumps; (b) calcium fluxes mediated by Na/Ca exchangers; (c) sodium fluxes mediated by gramicidin and Na/K pumps; and (d) proton fluxes mediated by an unknown electrogenic mechanism. The potassium flux-to-current ratio for the Na/K pump is approximately twice that determined for potassium channels and valinomycin, as expected for a 3Na/2K pump stoichiometery (i.e., 2K/charge moved). For valinomycin-mediated potassium currents and gramicidin-mediated sodium currents, the ion fluxes calculated from diffusion models are typically 10–15% smaller than expected from the membrane currents. As presently implemented, the ISE methods allow reliable detection of calcium and proton fluxes equivalent to monovalent cation currents <1 pA in magnitude, and they allow detection of sodium and potassium fluxes equivalent to <5 pA currents. The capability to monitor ion fluxes, independent of membrane currents, should facilitate studies of both electrogenic and electroneutral ion–coupled transporters in giant patches. PMID:12668735

Occult diaphragmatic injuries caused by stab wounds.

PubMed

Leppäniemi, Ari; Haapiainen, Reijo

2003-10-01

Missed diaphragmatic perforation caused by penetrating trauma can lead to subsequent strangulation of a hollow viscus, which has prompted the use of invasive diagnostic procedures to exclude occult diaphragmatic injuries in asymptomatic, high-risk patients. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of occult diaphragmatic injuries caused by stab wounds of the lower chest and upper abdomen, and to examine the natural history and consequences of missed diaphragmatic injuries. On the basis of patient data from two previous randomized studies from our institution, a retrospective analysis was performed on 97 patients treated for anterior stab wounds located between the nipple line, the umbilical level, and the posterior axillary lines not having indications for immediate surgical exploration. The patients were divided into two groups on the basis of their initial randomized management (open or laparoscopic exploration vs. expectant observation). In the exploration group (n = 47), four diaphragmatic injuries (9%) were detected (three left-sided and one right-sided). Excluding patients with associated injuries requiring surgical repair, the incidence of occult diaphragmatic injuries was 3 of 43 (7%). In the observation group (n = 50), there were two patients (4%) with delayed presentation of missed left-sided diaphragmatic injury 2 and 23 months later, respectively. Both injuries resulted from stab wounds of the left flank and presented with herniation of the stomach or small bowel and colon. The overall incidence of occult diaphragmatic injuries in left-sided thoracoabdominal stab wounds was 4 of 24 (17%), and was much lower after stab wounds of left epigastrium (0%), right lower chest (0%), and right epigastrium (4%). In asymptomatic patients with anterior or flank stab wounds of the lower chest or upper abdominal area, the risk of an occult diaphragmatic injury is approximately 7% which, if undetected, is associated with a high risk of subsequent hollow viscus herniation. Exclusion of an occult diaphragmatic injury with invasive diagnostic methods, such as laparoscopy or thoracoscopy, should be considered at least in left-sided stab wounds of the lower chest.

Effect of chlorhexidine varnish on gingival growth in orthodontic patients: a randomized prospective split-mouth study

PubMed Central

Pretti, Henrique; Barbosa, Gabriella Lopes de Rezende; Lages, Elizabeth Maria Bastos; Gala-García, Alfonso; de Magalhães, Claudia Silami; Moreira, Allyson Nogueira

2015-01-01

Introduction: Fixed orthodontic appliances patients suffer limitations on the effective control of biofilm by mechanical methods, bringing the need of a coadjutant in the control of inflammation and oral health improvement. Objective: The aim of this prospective split-mouth blind study was to analyze the effect of a 40% chlorhexidine (CHX) varnish on gingival growth of patients with orthodontic fixed appliances. Methods: Healthy teenage patients with fixed orthodontic appliances and increased gingival volume were recruited (n = 30). Each individual was his own control, having in the maxilla one control side and one treatment side. An application of varnishes occurred on the vestibular area of the upper premolars and first molar crowns, on the control side (placebo varnish) and on the experimental side (EC40(r) Biodentic CHX varnish). The varnishes and sides were randomly chosen and its identification and group was kept by a third party observer and it was not revealed to the researchers and participants until the end of study. In order to establish a baseline registration, digital photographs were taken by a trained photographer before varnish application at baseline (T0), as well as 14 days (T14) and 56 days (T56) after the application. The gingival volume was calculated indirectly using the vestibular areas (mm2) of the upper second premolars' clinical crowns by RapidSketch(r) software, at all study times. The data were analyzed using ANOVA and the Turkey-Krammer test. Results: It was observed, in the final sample of 30 individuals, that at T0, the control and treatment groups were similar. At T14 and T56, a progressive reduction of the clinical crown area was seen in the control group, and an increase in the average area was detected in the experimental group (p < 0,05). Conclusions: The use of 40% CHX varnish decreases the gingival overgrowth in patients undergoing orthodontic treatment. Further studies are necessary to set the action time and frequency of application. PMID:26560823

Cognitive effects of radiation emitted by cellular phones: the influence of exposure side and time.

PubMed

Luria, Roy; Eliyahu, Ilan; Hareuveny, Ronen; Margaliot, Menachem; Meiran, Nachshon

2009-04-01

This study examined the time dependence effects of exposure to radiofrequency radiation (RFR) emitted by standard GSM cellular phones on the cognitive functions of humans. A total of 48 healthy right-handed male subjects performed a spatial working memory task (that required either a left-hand or a right-hand response) while being exposed to one of two GSM phones placed at both sides of the head. The subjects were randomly divided into three groups. Each group was exposed to one of three exposure conditions: left-side of the head, right-side, or sham-exposure. The experiment consisted of 12 blocks of trials. Response times (RTs) and accuracy of the responses were recorded. It was found that the average RT of the right-hand responses under left-side exposure condition was significantly longer than those of the right-side and sham-exposure groups averaged together during the first two time blocks. These results confirmed the existence of an effect of exposure on RT, as well as the fact that exposure duration (together with the responding hand and the side of exposure) may play an important role in producing detectable RFR effects on performance. Differences in these parameters might be the reason for the failure of certain studies to detect or replicate RFR effects. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Neural evidence for competition-mediated suppression in the perception of a single object.

PubMed

Cacciamani, Laura; Scalf, Paige E; Peterson, Mary A

2015-11-01

Multiple objects compete for representation in visual cortex. Competition may also underlie the perception of a single object. Computational models implement object perception as competition between units on opposite sides of a border. The border is assigned to the winning side, which is perceived as an object (or "figure"), whereas the other side is perceived as a shapeless ground. Behavioral experiments suggest that the ground is inhibited to a degree that depends on the extent to which it competed for object status, and that this inhibition is relayed to low-level brain areas. Here, we used fMRI to assess activation for ground regions of task-irrelevant novel silhouettes presented in the left or right visual field (LVF or RVF) while participants performed a difficult task at fixation. Silhouettes were designed so that the insides would win the competition for object status. The outsides (grounds) suggested portions of familiar objects in half of the silhouettes and novel objects in the other half. Because matches to object memories affect the competition, these two types of silhouettes operationalized, respectively, high competition and low competition from the grounds. The results showed that activation corresponding to ground regions was reduced for high- versus low-competition silhouettes in V4, where receptive fields (RFs) are large enough to encompass the familiar objects in the grounds, and in V1/V2, where RFs are much smaller. These results support a theory of object perception involving competition-mediated ground suppression and feedback from higher to lower levels. This pattern of results was observed in the left hemisphere (RVF), but not in the right hemisphere (LVF). One explanation of the lateralized findings is that task-irrelevant silhouettes in the RVF captured attention, allowing us to observe these effects, whereas those in the LVF did not. Experiment 2 provided preliminary behavioral evidence consistent with this possibility. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Subjective experience and mental side-effects of antipsychotic treatment.

PubMed

Gerlach, J; Larsen, E B

1999-01-01

Many schizophrenic patients have a negative attitude towards antipsychotic drugs. This attitude is not only due to lack of insight into the disease, lack of recognition of the beneficial effects of the drugs, and to objective side-effects. The negative attitude is to a high degree due to mental side-effects and a sceptical opinion about antipsychotic medication in general. In a study of 53 chronic schizophrenic out-patients receiving maintenance depot antipsychotic treatment, we found that 60% were positive about the treatment, 32% were ambivalent and 8% had a negative attitude. Only 60% complained of side-effects, even though 94% had objective side-effects. Mental side-effects such as subjective akathisia, dysphoria and emotional indifference were most often observed by the patients, while hypokinesia and hyperkinesia were least noticed by them, but most often observed by the physician. No correlation was found between the patients' subjective assessment of their quality of life and the degree of psychosis and side-effects. With the new atypical antipsychotics this situation seems to be changing. These new drugs are primarily characterized by a lower level of motor extrapyramidal side-effects (EPS), and with fewer motor EPS, fewer mental EPS can be expected. In recent studies comparing the new antipsychotics with haloperidol, better effects have been observed with regard to negative symptoms and depression, and this may at least in part be a reflection of a lower level of mental side-effects of the atypical antipsychotics. This improved clinical profile of new antipsychotics is extremely valuable in the context of an integrated treatment in schizophrenia, consisting of early intervention, psychosocial rehabilitation and family/patient psycho-education.

A spatial approach of magnitude-squared coherence applied to selective attention detection.

PubMed

Bonato Felix, Leonardo; de Souza Ranaudo, Fernando; D'affonseca Netto, Aluizio; Ferreira Leite Miranda de Sá, Antonio Mauricio

2014-05-30

Auditory selective attention is the human ability of actively focusing in a certain sound stimulus while avoiding all other ones. This ability can be used, for example, in behavioral studies and brain-machine interface. In this work we developed an objective method - called Spatial Coherence - to detect the side where a subject is focusing attention to. This method takes into consideration the Magnitude Squared Coherence and the topographic distribution of responses among electroencephalogram electrodes. The individuals were stimulated with amplitude-modulated tones binaurally and were oriented to focus attention to only one of the stimuli. The results indicate a contralateral modulation of ASSR in the attention condition and are in agreement with prior studies. Furthermore, the best combination of electrodes led to a hit rate of 82% for 5.03 commands per minute. Using a similar paradigm, in a recent work, a maximum hit rate of 84.33% was achieved, but with a greater a classification time (20s, i.e. 3 commands per minute). It seems that Spatial Coherence is a useful technique for detecting focus of auditory selective attention. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An automatic alignment tool to improve repeatability of left ventricular function and dyssynchrony parameters in serial gated myocardial perfusion SPECT studies

PubMed Central

Zhou, Yanli; Faber, Tracy L.; Patel, Zenic; Folks, Russell D.; Cheung, Alice A.; Garcia, Ernest V.; Soman, Prem; Li, Dianfu; Cao, Kejiang; Chen, Ji

2013-01-01

Objective Left ventricular (LV) function and dyssynchrony parameters measured from serial gated single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) using blinded processing had a poorer repeatability than when manual side-by-side processing was used. The objective of this study was to validate whether an automatic alignment tool can reduce the variability of LV function and dyssynchrony parameters in serial gated SPECT MPI. Methods Thirty patients who had undergone serial gated SPECT MPI were prospectively enrolled in this study. Thirty minutes after the first acquisition, each patient was repositioned and a gated SPECT MPI image was reacquired. The two data sets were first processed blinded from each other by the same technologist in different weeks. These processed data were then realigned by the automatic tool, and manual side-by-side processing was carried out. All processing methods used standard iterative reconstruction and Butterworth filtering. The Emory Cardiac Toolbox was used to measure the LV function and dyssynchrony parameters. Results The automatic tool failed in one patient, who had a large, severe scar in the inferobasal wall. In the remaining 29 patients, the repeatability of the LV function and dyssynchrony parameters after automatic alignment was significantly improved from blinded processing and was comparable to manual side-by-side processing. Conclusion The automatic alignment tool can be an alternative method to manual side-by-side processing to improve the repeatability of LV function and dyssynchrony measurements by serial gated SPECT MPI. PMID:23211996

No inherent left and right side in human 'mental number line': evidence from right brain damage.

PubMed

Aiello, Marilena; Jacquin-Courtois, Sophie; Merola, Sheila; Ottaviani, Teresa; Tomaiuolo, Francesco; Bueti, Domenica; Rossetti, Yves; Doricchi, Fabrizio

2012-08-01

Spatial reasoning has a relevant role in mathematics and helps daily computational activities. It is widely assumed that in cultures with left-to-right reading, numbers are organized along the mental equivalent of a ruler, the mental number line, with small magnitudes located to the left of larger ones. Patients with right brain damage can disregard smaller numbers while mentally setting the midpoint of number intervals. This has been interpreted as a sign of spatial neglect for numbers on the left side of the mental number line and taken as a strong argument for the intrinsic left-to-right organization of the mental number line. Here, we put forward the understanding of this cognitive disability by discovering that patients with right brain damage disregard smaller numbers both when these are mapped on the left side of the mental number line and on the right side of an imagined clock face. This shows that the right hemisphere supports the representation of small numerical magnitudes independently from their mapping on the left or the right side of a spatial-mental layout. In addition, the study of the anatomical correlates through voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping and the mapping of lesion peaks on the diffusion tensor imaging-based reconstruction of white matter pathways showed that the rightward bias in the imagined clock-face was correlated with lesions of high-level middle temporal visual areas that code stimuli in object-centred spatial coordinates, i.e. stimuli that, like a clock face, have an inherent left and right side. In contrast, bias towards higher numbers on the mental number line was linked to white matter damage in the frontal component of the parietal-frontal number network. These anatomical findings show that the human brain does not represent the mental number line as an object with an inherent left and right side. We conclude that the bias towards higher numbers in the mental bisection of number intervals does not depend on left side spatial, imagery or object-centred neglect and that it rather depends on disruption of an abstract non-spatial representation of small numerical magnitudes.

Effects of feeding high protein or conventional canola meal on dry cured and conventionally cured bacon.

PubMed

Little, K L; Bohrer, B M; Stein, H H; Boler, D D

2015-05-01

Objectives were to compare belly, bacon processing, bacon slice, and sensory characteristics from pigs fed high protein canola meal (CM-HP) or conventional canola meal (CM-CV). Soybean meal was replaced with 0 (control), 33, 66, or 100% of both types of canola meal. Left side bellies from 70 carcasses were randomly assigned to conventional or dry cure treatment and matching right side bellies were assigned the opposite treatment. Secondary objectives were to test the existence of bilateral symmetry on fresh belly characteristics and fatty acid profiles of right and left side bellies originating from the same carcass. Bellies from pigs fed CM-HP were slightly lighter and thinner than bellies from pigs fed CM-CV, yet bacon processing, bacon slice, and sensory characteristics were unaffected by dietary treatment and did not differ from the control. Furthermore, testing the existence of bilateral symmetry on fresh belly characteristics revealed that bellies originating from the right side of the carcasses were slightly (P≤0.05) wider, thicker, heavier and firmer than bellies from the left side of the carcass. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Side-polished fiber immunosensor based on surface plasmon resonance for detection of Legionella pneumophila

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsao, Yu-Chia; Yang, Yi-Wen; Tsai, Woo-Hu; Yan, Tsong-Rong

2008-02-01

Side-polished fiber immunosensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) onto self-assembled protein A layer was proposed for the detection of Legionella pneumophila. A self-assembled protein A layer on gold (Au) surface was fabricated by adsorbing a mixture of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) and activated by N-Ethyl-N'-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide/ N-Hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS). The formation of self-assembled protein A and gold layer on side-polished surface and the binding of antibody and antigen in series were confirmed by SPR response on spectrum. The binding protein A layer can improve the sensitivity, which indirectly supports the configurations that antibody layer is immobilized on the binding protein A layer with a well-ordered orientation. The surface morphology analyses of self-assembled protein A layer on Au substrate and monoclonal antibody against L. pneumophila immobilized on protein A were demonstrated by SPR dip shifts on optical spectrum analyzer. The SPR fiber immunosensor for detection of L. pneumophila was developed and the detection limit was 10 CFU/ml with the SPR dip shift in wavelength from 1070 to 1105nm. The current fabrication technique of a SPR immunosensor using optical fiber for the detection of Legionella pneumophila could be applied to construct other biosensor.

Inclinometer - Time Domain Reflectometry Comparative Study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-12-01

Four pairs of inclinometers and time domain reflectometry (TDR) cables were set up to make a side-by-side : comparison of the performance of these systems in detecting slippage of soils in the shoulders of State Route 124 : and State Route 338 in Mei...

Inclinometer--time-domain reflectometry comparative study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2004-12-01

Four pairs of inclinometers and time domain reflectometry (TDR) cables were set up to make a side-by-side : comparison of the performance of these systems in detecting slippage of soils in the shoulders of State Route 124 : and State Route 338 in Mei...

Subclinical Cardiotoxicity Detected by Strain Rate Imaging up to 14 months After Breast Radiation Therapy

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

Erven, Katrien, E-mail: katrien.erven@uzleuven.be; Iridium Cancer Network, Antwerp; Florian, Anca

Purpose: Strain rate imaging (SRI) is a new echocardiographic modality that enables accurate measurement of regional myocardial function. We investigated the role of SRI and troponin I (TnI) in the detection of subclinical radiation therapy (RT)-induced cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients. Methods and Materials: This study prospectively included 75 women (51 left-sided and 24 right-sided) receiving adjuvant RT to the breast/chest wall and regional lymph nodes. Sequential echocardiographs with SRI were obtained before RT, immediately after RT, and 8 and 14 months after RT. TnI levels were measured on the first and last day of RT. Results: Mean heart andmore » left ventricle (LV) doses were both 9 ± 4 Gy for the left-sided patients and 4 ± 4 Gy and 1 ± 0.4 Gy, respectively, for the right-sided patients. A decrease in strain was observed at all post-RT time points for left-sided patients (−17.5% ± 1.9% immediately after RT, −16.6% ± 1.4% at 8 months, and −17.7% ± 1.9% at 14 months vs −19.4% ± 2.4% before RT, P<.01) but not for right-sided patients. When we considered left-sided patients only, the highest mean dose was given to the anterior left ventricular (LV) wall (25 ± 14 Gy) and the lowest to the inferior LV wall (3 ± 3 Gy). Strain of the anterior wall was reduced after RT (−16.6% ± 2.3% immediately after RT, −16% ± 2.6% at 8 months, and −16.8% ± 3% at 14 months vs −19% ± 3.5% before RT, P<.05), whereas strain of the inferior wall showed no significant change. No changes were observed with conventional echocardiography. Furthermore, mean TnI levels for the left-sided patients were significantly elevated after RT compared with before RT, whereas TnI levels of the right-sided patients remained unaffected. Conclusions: In contrast to conventional echocardiography, SRI detected a regional, subclinical decline in cardiac function up to 14 months after breast RT. It remains to be determined whether these changes are related to clinical outcome. In the meantime, we encourage the use of radiation techniques that minimize the exposure of the anterior LV wall in left-sided patients.« less

Glaucoma history and risk factors.

PubMed

McMonnies, Charles W

Apart from the risk of developing glaucoma there is also the risk that it is not detected and irreversible loss of vision ensues. Some studies of methods of glaucoma diagnosis have examined the results of instrument-based examinations with great if not complete reliance on objective findings in arriving at a diagnosis. The very valuable advances in glaucoma detection instrument technologies, and apparent increasing dependence on them, may have led to reduced consideration of information available from a patient history in those studies. Dependence on objective evidence of glaucomatous pathology may reduce the possibility of detecting glaucoma suspects or patients at risk for becoming glaucoma suspects. A valid positive family history of glaucoma is very valuable information. However, negative family histories can often be unreliable due to large numbers of glaucoma cases being undiagnosed. No evidence of family history is appropriate rather than no family history. In addition the unreliability of a negative family history is increased when patients with glaucoma fail to inform their family members. A finding of no family history can only be stated as no known family history. In examining the potential diagnostic contribution from a patient history, this review considers, age, frailty, race, type and degree of refractive error, systemic hyper- and hypotension, vasospasm, migraine, pigmentary dispersion syndrome, pseudoexfoliation syndrome, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, diabetes, medication interactions and side effects, the degree of exposure to intraocular and intracranial pressure elevations and fluctuations, smoking, and symptoms in addition to genetics and family history of the disease. Copyright © 2016 Spanish General Council of Optometry. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Consistent and robust determination of border ownership based on asymmetric surrounding contrast.

PubMed

Sakai, Ko; Nishimura, Haruka; Shimizu, Ryohei; Kondo, Keiichi

2012-09-01

Determination of the figure region in an image is a fundamental step toward surface construction, shape coding, and object representation. Localized, asymmetric surround modulation, reported neurophysiologically in early-to-intermediate-level visual areas, has been proposed as a mechanism for figure-ground segregation. We investigated, computationally, whether such surround modulation is capable of yielding consistent and robust determination of figure side for various stimuli. Our surround modulation model showed a surprisingly high consistency among pseudorandom block stimuli, with greater consistency for stimuli that yielded higher accuracy of, and shorter reaction times in, human perception. Our analyses revealed that the localized, asymmetric organization of surrounds is crucial in the detection of the contrast imbalance that leads to the determination of the direction of figure with respect to the border. The model also exhibited robustness for gray-scaled natural images, with a mean correct rate of 67%, which was similar to that of figure-side determination in human perception through a small window and of machine-vision algorithms based on local processing. These results suggest a crucial role of surround modulation in the local processing of figure-ground segregation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rapid detection of person information in a naturalistic scene.

PubMed

Fletcher-Watson, Sue; Findlay, John M; Leekam, Susan R; Benson, Valerie

2008-01-01

A preferential-looking paradigm was used to investigate how gaze is distributed in naturalistic scenes. Two scenes were presented side by side: one contained a single person (person-present) and one did not (person-absent). Eye movements were recorded, the principal measures being the time spent looking at each region of the scenes, and the latency and location of the first fixation within each trial. We studied gaze patterns during free viewing, and also in a task requiring gender discrimination of the human figure depicted. Results indicated a strong bias towards looking to the person-present scene. This bias was present on the first fixation after image presentation, confirming previous findings of ultra-rapid processing of complex information. Faces attracted disproportionately many fixations, the preference emerging in the first fixation and becoming stronger in the following ones. These biases were exaggerated in the gender-discrimination task. A tendency to look at the object being fixated by the person in the scene was shown to be strongest at a slightly later point in the gaze sequence. We conclude that human bodies and faces are subject to special perceptual processing when presented as part of a naturalistic scene.

[Study on spectral detection of green plant target].

PubMed

Deng, Wei; Zhao, Chun-jiang; He, Xiong-kui; Chen, Li-ping; Zhang, Lu-da; Wu, Guang-wei; Mueller, J; Zhai, Chang-yuan

2010-08-01

Weeds grow scatteredly in fields, where many insentient objects exist, for example, withered grasses, dry twig and barriers. In order to improve the precision level of spraying, it is important to study green plant detecting technology. The present paper discussed detecting method of green plant by using spectral recognizing technology, because of the real-time feature of spectral recognition. By analyzing the reflectivity difference between each of the two sides of the "red edge" of the spectrum from plants and surrounding environment, green plant discriminat index (GPDI) is defined as the value which equals the reflectivity ratio at the wavelength of 850 nm divided by the reflectivity ratio at the wavelength of 650 nm. The original spectral data of green plants and the background were measured by using the handhold FieldSpec 3 Spectroradiometer manufactured by ASD Inc. in USA. The spectral data were processed to get the reflectivity of each measured objects and to work out the GPDI thereof as well. The classification model of green plant and its background was built up using decision tree method in order to obtain the threshold of GPDI to distinguish green plants and the background. The threshold of GPDI was chosen as 5.54. The detected object was recognized as green plant when it is GPDI>GPDITH, and vice versa. Through another test, the accuracy rate was verified which was 100% by using the threshold. The authors designed and developed the green plant detector based on single chip microcomputer (SCM) "AT89S51" and photodiode "OPT101" to realize detecting green plants from the background. After passing through two optical filters, the center wavelengths of which are 650 and 850 nm respectively, the reflected light from measured targets was detected by two photodiodes and converted into electrical signals. These analog signals were then converted to digital signals via an analog-to-digital converter (ADS7813) after being amplified by a signal amplifier (OP400). The converted digital signal of reflected light was eventually sent to the SCM (AT89S51) and was calculated and processed there. The processing results and the control signals were given out to actuate executive device to open or close the solenoid valve. The test results show that the level of detectivity of the designed detector was affected by the species, size, and density of weeds. The detectivity of broad-leaf species is higher than that of narrow-leaf species. Broad-leaf species are more easily detected than those narrow-leaf ones; the bigger the plants and the denser the leaves are, the higher the level of detectivity is.

Changes in Morphological and Elastic Properties of Patellar Tendon in Athletes with Unilateral Patellar Tendinopathy and Their Relationships with Pain and Functional Disability

PubMed Central

Zhang, Zhi Jie; Ng, Gabriel Yin-fat; Lee, Wai Chun; Fu, Siu Ngor

2014-01-01

Background Patellar tendinopathy (PT) is one of the most common knee disorders among athletes. Changes in morphology and elasticity of the painful tendon and how these relate to the self-perceived pain and dysfunction remain unclear. Objectives To compare the morphology and elastic properties of patellar tendons between athlete with and without unilateral PT and to examine its association with self-perceived pain and dysfunction. Methods In this cross-sectional study, 33 male athletes (20 healthy and 13 with unilateral PT) were enrolled. The morphology and elastic properties of the patellar tendon were assessed by the grey and elastography mode of supersonic shear imaging (SSI) technique while the intensity of pressure pain, self-perceived pain and dysfunction were quantified with a 10-lb force to the most painful site and the Victorian Institute of Sport Assessment-patella (VISA-P) questionnaire, respectively. Results In athletes with unilateral PT, the painful tendons had higher shear elastic modulus (SEM) and larger tendon than the non-painful side (p<0.05) or the dominant side of the healthy athletes (p<0.05). Significant correlations were found between tendon SEM ratio (SEM of painful over non-painful tendon) and the intensity of pressure pain (rho  = 0.62; p = 0.024), VISA-P scores (rho  = −0.61; p = 0.026), and the sub-scores of the VISA-P scores on going down stairs, lunge, single leg hopping and squatting (rho ranged from −0.63 to −0.67; p<0.05). Conclusions Athletes with unilateral PT had stiffer and larger tendon on the painful side than the non-painful side and the dominant side of healthy athletes. No significant differences on the patellar tendon morphology and elastic properties were detected between the dominant and non-dominant knees of the healthy control. The ratio of the SEM of painful to non-painful sides was associated with pain and dysfunction among athletes with unilateral PT. PMID:25303466

Is This Object Balanced or Unbalanced? Judgments Are on the Safe Side

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Samuel, Francoise; Kerzel, Dirk

2011-01-01

Do we perceive correctly whether a 2-D object is balanced or unbalanced? What would be the cause of biased equilibrium judgments? In two psychometric studies, we varied independently the characteristics of the objects and the equilibrium states. First, we observed that observers were excessively sensitive to the eccentricity of the object top.…

Magnetically Operated Holding Plate And Ball-Lock Pin

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Monford, Leo G., Jr.

1992-01-01

Magnetically operated holding plate and ball-locking-pin mechanism part of object attached to, or detached from second object. Mechanism includes tubular housing inserted in hole in second object. Plunger moves inside tube forcing balls to protrude from sides. Balls prevent tube from sliding out of second object. Simpler, less expensive than motorized latches; suitable for robotics applications.

Effects of coke oven emissions and benzo[a]pyrene on blood pressure and electrocardiogram in coke oven workers

PubMed Central

Yang, Kai; Jiang, Xuejun; Cheng, Shuqun; Chen, Chengzhi; Cao, Xianqing; Tu, Baijie

2016-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the effects of occupational exposures to coke oven emissions (COEs) and benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P) on the prevalence of hypertension and abnormal electrocardiogram (ECG) in coke oven workers. Methods: We included 880 coke oven workers and 710 oxygen employees in the exposed and control groups, respectively. Blood pressure (BP), ECG, blood lipid levels, and glucose levels of all subjects were measured. COE and B[a]P concentrations at the bottom, side, and top of the oven and control plants were estimated by weighing and high-performance liquid chromatography. Results: The COE concentration at the top and side was higher than that at the bottom (P < 0.05). The levels of B[a]P at the top and side significantly exceeded the limit value. Abnormal BP, ECG, the detection ratio of hypertension and left ventricular high voltage were significantly greater in the exposed group than in the control group (P < 0.05). The logistic regression analysis results revealed that age and B[a]P exposure were risk factors for hypertension in coke oven workers (P < 0.05) and both were risk factors for abnormal ECG (P < 0.05). Moreover, B[a]P exposure, age, and gender were risk factors for impaired fasting glucose in coke oven workers (P < 0.05). Conclusions: B[a]P and COE exposures are risk factors for hypertension and abnormal ECG in coke oven workers. PMID:27885241

Model-based inspection of multipackage food products using a twin-beam x-ray system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palmer, Stephen C.; Batchelor, Bruce G.

1998-10-01

A twin-orthogonal-fanbeam x-ray system has been built as part of a six-partner project funded by the Commission of the European Union. The images created by this system represent plan and side views of the object to be inspected. Using such a system, it is possible to locate a point-like feature that creates a significant shadow in both beams, in a 3D space. However, the real value of such a system lies in the fact that it is often possible to see a foreign body, such as a small piece of loose glass, within a jar using one beam, when the same contaminant is invisible to the other beam. Such a situation typically arises when the foreign body is obscured by the x-ray shadow of the neck-shoulder region of a jar. The x-ray system built by our colleagues in this consortium is being used to examine, simultaneously, six jars of semi-fluid savory sauce, held together by shrink-wrapping on a cardboard tray. The inspection algorithm consists of fitting multi-part models of the image intensity function to both the plan and side-view images. Once a model has been fitted, it is possible to use image comparison, in order to highlight any foreign bodies. The pre-processed plan and side-view images are analyzed and correlated together, so that in many cases, a foreign body whose view is obscured in one image can be detected in the other.

The hindlimb in walking horses: 2. Net joint moments and joint powers.

PubMed

Clayton, H M; Hodson, E; Lanovaz, J L; Colborne, G R

2001-01-01

The objective of the study was to describe net joint moments and joint powers in the equine hindlimb during walking. The subjects were 5 sound horses. Kinematic and force data were collected synchronously and combined with morphometric information to determine net joint moments at each hindlimb joint throughout stance and swing. The results showed that the net joint moment was on the caudal/plantar side of all hindlimb joints at the start of stance when the limb was being actively retracted. It moved to the cranial/dorsal side around 24% stride at the hip and stifle and in terminal stance at the more distal joints. It remained on the cranial/dorsal side of all joints during the first half of swing to provide active limb protraction, then moved to the caudal/plantar aspect to reverse the direction of limb motion prior to ground contact. The hip joint was the main source of energy generation throughout the stride. It was assisted by the tarsal joint in both stance and swing phases and by the fetlock joint during the stance phase. The coffin joint acted as an energy damper during stance, whereas the stifle joint absorbed almost equal amounts of energy in the stance and swing phases. The coffin and fetlock joints absorbed energy as the limb was protracted and retracted during the swing phase, suggesting that their movements were driven by inertial forces. Future studies will apply these findings to detect changes in the energy profiles due to specific soft tissue injuries.

Sunny Side Up in Mathematics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LaHart, David, Ed.

Energy is a problem affecting all individuals. To help today's students understand the problem and become realistic decision-makers, materials have been developed by the Sunny Side Up (in Mathematics) program to introduce energy concepts into the mathematics curriculum. Objectives of the program are to: (1) provide highly effective practice in…

125. Pre1911. Crew on main deck, starboard side at main ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

125. Pre-1911. Crew on main deck, starboard side at main hatch, looking aft. Note dark object in center of photo that may be original main deck capstan. Fred Heick collection. (K9.9571) - Ship BALCLUTHA, 2905 Hyde Street Pier, San Francisco, San Francisco County, CA

Visualization of the diaphragm muscle with ultrasound improves diagnostic accuracy of phrenic nerve conduction studies.

PubMed

Johnson, Nicholas E; Utz, Michael; Patrick, Erica; Rheinwald, Nicole; Downs, Marlene; Dilek, Nuran; Dogra, Vikram; Logigian, Eric L

2014-05-01

Evaluation of phrenic neuropathy (PN) with phrenic nerve conduction studies (PNCS) is associated with false negatives. Visualization of diaphragmatic muscle twitch with diaphragm ultrasound (DUS) when performing PNCS may help to solve this problem. We performed bilateral, simultaneous DUS-PNCS in 10 healthy adults and 12 patients with PN. The amplitude of the diaphragm compound muscle action potential (CMAP) (on PNCS) and twitch (on DUS) was calculated. Control subjects had <38% side-to-side asymmetry in twitch amplitude (on DUS) and 53% asymmetry in phrenic CMAP (on PCNS). In the 12 patients with PN, 12 phrenic neuropathies were detected. Three of these patients had either significant side-to-side asymmetry or absolute reduction in diaphragm movement that was not detected with PNCS. There were no cases in which the PNCS showed an abnormality but the DUS did not. The addition of DUS to PNCS enhances diagnostic accuracy in PN. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Salient object detection method based on multiple semantic features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chunyang; Yu, Chunyan; Song, Meiping; Wang, Yulei

2018-04-01

The existing salient object detection model can only detect the approximate location of salient object, or highlight the background, to resolve the above problem, a salient object detection method was proposed based on image semantic features. First of all, three novel salient features were presented in this paper, including object edge density feature (EF), object semantic feature based on the convex hull (CF) and object lightness contrast feature (LF). Secondly, the multiple salient features were trained with random detection windows. Thirdly, Naive Bayesian model was used for combine these features for salient detection. The results on public datasets showed that our method performed well, the location of salient object can be fixed and the salient object can be accurately detected and marked by the specific window.

A Pilot Evaluation of On-Road Detection Performance by Drivers with Hemianopia Using Oblique Peripheral Prisms

PubMed Central

Bowers, Alex R.; Tant, Mark; Peli, Eli

2012-01-01

Aims. Homonymous hemianopia (HH), a severe visual consequence of stroke, causes difficulties in detecting obstacles on the nonseeing (blind) side. We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the effects of oblique peripheral prisms, a novel development in optical treatments for HH, on detection of unexpected hazards when driving. Methods. Twelve people with complete HH (median 49 years, range 29–68) completed road tests with sham oblique prism glasses (SP) and real oblique prism glasses (RP). A masked evaluator rated driving performance along the 25 km routes on busy streets in Ghent, Belgium. Results. The proportion of satisfactory responses to unexpected hazards on the blind side was higher in the RP than the SP drive (80% versus 30%; P = 0.001), but similar for unexpected hazards on the seeing side. Conclusions. These pilot data suggest that oblique peripheral prisms may improve responses of people with HH to blindside hazards when driving and provide the basis for a future, larger-sample clinical trial. Testing responses to unexpected hazards in areas of heavy vehicle and pedestrian traffic appears promising as a real-world outcome measure for future evaluations of HH rehabilitation interventions aimed at improving detection when driving. PMID:23316415

Object Toolkit Version 4.2 Users Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-31

48 Figure 39. Geocentric Orbit Dialog Box...Z Side at (0.44, -0.44, 1.46). ............................................ 114 Figure 133. Geocentric Orbit Dialog Box...building an object for MEM, Object Toolkit has an Orbit menu that allows the user to specify and edit a heliocentric or geocentric orbit. The dialog

Object-Oriented Dynamic Bayesian Network-Templates for Modelling Mechatronic Systems

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-05-04

daimlerchrysler.com Abstract are widespread. For modelling mechanical systems The object-oriented paradigma is a new but proven technol- ADAMS [31 or...hardware (sub-)systems. On the Software side thermal flow or hydraulics, see Figure 1. It also contains a the object-oriented paradigma is by now (at

The impact of colorectal screening program on the detection of right-sided colorectal cancer. A 5-year cohort study in the Mantua District.

PubMed

Asteria, Corrado R; Pucciarelli, Salvatore; Gerard, Leonardo; Mantovani, Nicola; Pagani, Mauro; Boccia, Luigi; Ricci, Paolo; Troiano, Luigi; Lucchini, Giuseppe; Pulica, Coriolano

2015-12-01

High rates of advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) are still diagnosed in the right side of the colon. This study aimed to investigate whether screening programs increase CRC detection and whether tumor location is associated with survival outcome. Patients affected by CRC, aged from 50 to 69 years and operated on from 2005 to 2009 were reviewed. Other than patient-, disease-, and treatment-related factors, detection mode and tumor location were recorded. Overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were investigated, using univariate and multivariate analyses. Mean age of 386 patients included was 62.0 years, 59 % were males. CRC was detected by screening in 17 % of cases, and diagnosis was made from symptoms in 67 % and emergency surgery for 16 %. Screen-detected CRCs were located in the left colon (59 %), then in rectum (25 %) and in proximal colon (16 %) (p = 0.02). Most of CRC patients urgently operated on had cancer located in proximal colon (45 %), then in the left colon (36 %) and in rectum (18 %) (p = 0.001). Right-sided CRC demonstrated higher pTNM stage (p = 0.001), adequate harvest count nodes (p = 0.0001), metastatic nodes (p = 0.02), and poor differentiation grading (p = 0.0001). With multivariate analysis, poor differentiation grade was independently associated with both worse OS (HR 3.6, p = 0.05) and worse DFS (HR 8.1, p = 0.0001), while distant recurrence was associated with worse OS (HR 20.1, p = 0.0001). Low rates of right-sided CRC are diagnosed following screening program. Proximal CRC demonstrates aggressive behavior without impact on outcome. These findings prompt concern about population awareness for CRC screening.

Real-time monitoring for detection of retained surgical sponges and team motion in the surgical operation room using radio-frequency-identification (RFID) technology: a preclinical evaluation.

PubMed

Kranzfelder, Michael; Zywitza, Dorit; Jell, Thomas; Schneider, Armin; Gillen, Sonja; Friess, Helmut; Feussner, Hubertus

2012-06-15

Technical progress in the surgical operating room (OR) increases constantly, facilitating the development of intelligent OR systems functioning as "safety backup" in the background of surgery. Precondition is comprehensive data retrieval to identify imminent risky situations and inaugurate adequate security mechanisms. Radio-frequency-identification (RFID) technology may have the potential to meet these demands. We set up a pilot study investigating feasibility and appliance reliability of a stationary RFID system for real-time surgical sponge monitoring (passive tagged sponges, position monitoring: mayo-stand/abdominal situs/waste bucket) and OR team tracking (active transponders, position monitoring: right/left side of OR table). In vitro: 20/20 sponges (100%) were detected on the mayo-stand and within the OR-phantom, however, real-time detection accuracy declined to 7/20 (33%) when the tags were moved simultaneously. All retained sponges were detected correctly. In vivo (animal): 7-10/10 sterilized sponges (70%-100%) were detected correctly within the abdominal cavity. OR-team: detection accuracy within the OR (surveillance antenna) and on both sides of the OR table (sector antenna) was 100%. Mean detection time for position change (left to right side and contrariwise) was 30-60 s. No transponder failure was noted. This is the first combined RFID system that has been developed for stationary use in the surgical OR. Preclinical evaluation revealed a reliable sponge tracking and correct detection of retained textiles (passive RFID) but also demonstrated feasibility of comprehensive data acquisition of team motion (active RFID). However, detection accuracy needs to be further improved before implementation into the surgical OR. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

External-PIXE analysis for the study of pigments from a painting from the Museum of Contemporary Art

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rizzutto, M. A.; Moro, M. V.; Silva, T. F.; Trindade, G. F.; Added, N.; Tabacniks, M. H.; Kajiya, E. M.; Campos, P. H. V.; Magalhães, A. G.; Barbosa, M.

2014-08-01

External Ion Beam Analysis is a useful tool for the characterization of cultural heritage objects. During the last decade, several significant collaborations have been established between Ion Beam Analysis (IBA) scientists and art or archeology professionals, demanding in-air IBA for a variety of different cultural heritage objects. In-air Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) analyses of an oil painting by the Italian painter, Mario Sironi, from the Museum of Contemporary Art of the University of São Paulo (MAC-USP), were examined. This painting is particularly interesting due to paintings on both sides (oil on canvas on the front and oil on wood on the back side). PIXE analysis helped the identification of the pigment similarities on both sides of the painting, suggesting the same authorship.

DIZZINESS AND HEAD INJURY.

PubMed

BARBER, H O

1965-05-01

Dizziness, whether vague or specifically rotational, is a common sequel to head injury, and is often postural. One hundred and sixty-five patients with this symptom were examined. The simple posture tests employed to detect positional nystagmus are described. This physical finding was present in one-quarter of the entire group, and in nearly one-half of cases of longitudinal fracture of temporal bone. In such cases, it is an objective finding that corresponds precisely to the patient's complaint of vertigo.Transverse fracture of temporal bone destroys the inner ear in both cochlear and vestibular parts. Longitudinal fracture is commoner and causes bleeding from the ear; inner-ear damage is usually minor.In the rare cases where persisting postural vertigo and positional nystagmus are disabling, relief of the symptom may be achieved by vestibular denervation of the affected side.

Transmission versus reflectance spectroscopy for quantitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardner, Craig M.

2018-01-01

The objective of this work was to compare the accuracy of analyte concentration estimation when using transmission versus diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of a scattering medium. Monte Carlo ray tracing of light through the medium was used in conjunction with pure component absorption spectra and Beer-Lambert absorption along each ray's pathlength to generate matched sets of pseudoabsorbance spectra, containing water and six analytes present in skin. PLS regression models revealed an improvement in accuracy when using transmission compared to reflectance for a range of medium thicknesses and instrument noise levels. An analytical expression revealed the source of the accuracy degradation with reflectance was due both to the reduced collection efficiency for a fixed instrument etendue and to the broad pathlength distribution that detected light travels in the medium before exiting from the incident side.

Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope observations of the ScI galaxy NGC 628 (M74)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Peter C.; Cornett, Robert H.; Roberts, Morton S.; Bohlin, Ralph C.; Neff, Susan G.; O'Connell, Robert W.; Parise, Ronald A.; Smith, Andrew M.; Stecher, Theodore P.

1992-01-01

Ultraviolet images of NGC 628 at 1520 and 2490 A show that the nucleus has an oblong appearance and that the arms and disk exhibit features not seen in blue or H-alpha images. Aperture photometry of the nucleus gives results that are compatible with observations in other bandpasses and with models. The spiral arms appear more symmetrical in the UV than in other colors; in particular, two gaps are seen on either side of the nucleus. Combined UV and radio data appear to support a large-scale collective phenomenon, perhaps a quasi-static spiral structure mechanism, as being the dominant mode of spiral formation in this galaxy. We report the detection of a low surface brightness object at a distance of 7.6 arcmin southwest of the nucleus.

Fallopian Tube Herniation through Left Sided Abdominal Drain Site.

PubMed

Hussain, Khalid; Masood, Jovaria

2016-06-01

Intra-abdominal drains have been used since long to prevent intra-abdominal collection, and detect any anastomotic leaks. We report a case of left sided fallopian tube herniation from a left lower abdominal drain site in a 27-year female who underwent caesarian section for breach presentation. Several complications related to drain usage has been described but left sided fallopian tube prolapse through drain site has not been reported in literature.

Fabrication and characterization of semicircular detection electrodes for contactless conductivity detector - CE microchips.

PubMed

Lee, Chia-Yen; Chen, C M; Chang, Guan-Liang; Lin, Che-Hsin; Fu, Lung-Ming

2006-12-01

This study uses simple and reliable microfabrication techniques to fabricate CE biochips, integrating a novel contactless conductivity detector in a miniaturized detection system in a microfluidic biochip. The off-channel electrodes are deposited around side channels by Au sputtering and patterned using a standard "lift-off" process. A vacuum fusion bonding process is employed to seal the lower substrate containing the microchannels and the electrodes to an upper glass cover plate. The variations in the capacitance between the semicircular detection electrodes in the side channels are measured as different samples and ions pass through the detection region of the CE separation channel. Samples of Rhodamine B, commercial sports drinks, mineral waters, and a red wine, respectively, are mixed in different buffer solutions, separated, and successfully detected using the developed device. The semicircular detection electrodes for the contactless conductivity detector have microscale dimensions and provide a valuable contribution to the realization of the lab-on-a-chip concept.

The high energy cosmic-radiation detection (HERD) facility onboard China's Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S. N.; Adriani, O.; Albergo, S.; Ambrosi, G.; An, Q.; Bao, T. W.; Battiston, R.; Bi, X. J.; Cao, Z.; Chai, J. Y.; Chang, J.; Chen, G. M.; Chen, Y.; Cui, X. H.; Dai, Z. G.; D'Alessandro, R.; Dong, Y. W.; Fan, Y. Z.; Feng, C. Q.; Feng, H.; Feng, Z. Y.; Gao, X. H.; Gargano, F.; Giglietto, N.; Gou, Q. B.; Guo, Y. Q.; Hu, B. L.; Hu, H. B.; He, H. H.; Huang, G. S.; Huang, J.; Huang, Y. F.; Li, H.; Li, L.; Li, Y. G.; Li, Z.; Liang, E. W.; Liu, H.; Liu, J. B.; Liu, J. T.; Liu, S. B.; Liu, S. M.; Liu, X.; Lu, J. G.; Mazziotta, M. N.; Mori, N.; Orsi, S.; Pearce, M.; Pohl, M.; Quan, Z.; Ryde, F.; Shi, H. L.; Spillantini, P.; Su, M.; Sun, J. C.; Sun, X. L.; Tang, Z. C.; Walter, R.; Wang, J. C.; Wang, J. M.; Wang, L.; Wang, R. J.; Wang, X. L.; Wang, X. Y.; Wang, Z. G.; Wei, D. M.; Wu, B. B.; Wu, J.; Wu, X.; Wu, X. F.; Xia, J. Q.; Xiao, H. L.; Xu, H. H.; Xu, M.; Xu, Z. Z.; Yan, H. R.; Yin, P. F.; Yu, Y. W.; Yuan, Q.; Zha, M.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, L.; Zhang, L. Y.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, Y. J.; Zhang, Y. L.; Zhao, Z. G.

2014-07-01

The High Energy cosmic-Radiation Detection (HERD) facility is one of several space astronomy payloads of the cosmic lighthouse program onboard China's Space Station, which is planned for operation starting around 2020 for about 10 years. The main scientific objectives of HERD are indirect dark matter search, precise cosmic ray spectrum and composition measurements up to the knee energy, and high energy gamma-ray monitoring and survey. HERD is composed of a 3-D cubic calorimeter (CALO) surrounded by microstrip silicon trackers (STKs) from five sides except the bottom. CALO is made of about 104 cubes of LYSO crystals, corresponding to about 55 radiation lengths and 3 nuclear interaction lengths, respectively. The top STK microstrips of seven X-Y layers are sandwiched with tungsten converters to make precise directional measurements of incoming electrons and gamma-rays. In the baseline design, each of the four side SKTs is made of only three layers microstrips. All STKs will also be used for measuring the charge and incoming directions of cosmic rays, as well as identifying back scattered tracks. With this design, HERD can achieve the following performance: energy resolution of 1% for electrons and gamma-rays beyond 100 GeV, 20% for protons from 100 GeV to 1 PeV; electron/proton separation power better than 10-5; effective geometrical factors of >3 m2sr for electron and diffuse gamma-rays, >2 m2sr for cosmic ray nuclei. R and D is under way for reading out the LYSO signals with optical fiber coupled to image intensified CCD and the prototype of one layer of CALO.

Texture analysis of MR images of patients with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Our objective was to study the effect of trauma on texture features in cerebral tissue in mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI). Our hypothesis was that a mild trauma may cause microstructural changes, which are not necessarily perceptible by visual inspection but could be detected with texture analysis (TA). Methods We imaged 42 MTBI patients by using 1.5 T MRI within three weeks of onset of trauma. TA was performed on the area of mesencephalon, cerebral white matter at the levels of mesencephalon, corona radiata and centrum semiovale and in different segments of corpus callosum (CC) which have been found to be sensitive to damage. The same procedure was carried out on a control group of ten healthy volunteers. Patients' TA data was compared with the TA results of the control group comparing the amount of statistically significantly differing TA parameters between the left and right sides of the cerebral tissue and comparing the most discriminative parameters. Results There were statistically significant differences especially in several co-occurrence and run-length matrix based parameters between left and right side in the area of mesencephalon, in cerebral white matter at the level of corona radiata and in the segments of CC in patients. Considerably less difference was observed in the healthy controls. Conclusions TA revealed significant changes in texture parameters of cerebral tissue between hemispheres and CC segments in TBI patients. TA may serve as a novel additional tool for detecting the conventionally invisible changes in cerebral tissue in MTBI and help the clinicians to make an early diagnosis. PMID:20462439

A New Moving Object Detection Method Based on Frame-difference and Background Subtraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Jiajia; Wang, Junping; Bai, Ruixue; Zhang, Yao; Li, Yong

2017-09-01

Although many methods of moving object detection have been proposed, moving object extraction is still the core in video surveillance. However, with the complex scene in real world, false detection, missed detection and deficiencies resulting from cavities inside the body still exist. In order to solve the problem of incomplete detection for moving objects, a new moving object detection method combined an improved frame-difference and Gaussian mixture background subtraction is proposed in this paper. To make the moving object detection more complete and accurate, the image repair and morphological processing techniques which are spatial compensations are applied in the proposed method. Experimental results show that our method can effectively eliminate ghosts and noise and fill the cavities of the moving object. Compared to other four moving object detection methods which are GMM, VIBE, frame-difference and a literature's method, the proposed method improve the efficiency and accuracy of the detection.

The Case of the Missing Visual Details: Occlusion and Long-Term Visual Memory

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williams, Carrick C.; Burkle, Kyle A.

2017-01-01

To investigate the critical information in long-term visual memory representations of objects, we used occlusion to emphasize 1 type of information or another. By occluding 1 solid side of the object (e.g., top 50%) or by occluding 50% of the object with stripes (like a picket fence), we emphasized visible information about the object, processing…

Competition-strength-dependent ground suppression in figure-ground perception.

PubMed

Salvagio, Elizabeth; Cacciamani, Laura; Peterson, Mary A

2012-07-01

Figure-ground segregation is modeled as inhibitory competition between objects that might be perceived on opposite sides of borders. The winner is the figure; the loser is suppressed, and its location is perceived as shapeless ground. Evidence of ground suppression would support inhibitory competition models and would contribute to explaining why grounds are shapeless near borders shared with figures, yet such evidence is scarce. We manipulated whether competition from potential objects on the ground side of figures was high (i.e., portions of familiar objects were potentially present there) or low (novel objects were potentially present). We predicted that greater competition would produce more ground suppression. The results of two experiments in which suppression was assessed via judgments of the orientation of target bars confirmed this prediction; a third experiment showed that ground suppression is short-lived. Our findings support inhibitory competition models of figure assignment, in particular, and models of visual perception entailing feedback, in general.

For the greater goods? Ownership rights and utilitarian moral judgment.

PubMed

Millar, J Charles; Turri, John; Friedman, Ori

2014-10-01

People often judge it unacceptable to directly harm a person, even when this is necessary to produce an overall positive outcome, such as saving five other lives. We demonstrate that similar judgments arise when people consider damage to owned objects. In two experiments, participants considered dilemmas where saving five inanimate objects required destroying one. Participants judged this unacceptable when it required violating another's ownership rights, but not otherwise. They also judged that sacrificing another's object was less acceptable as a means than as a side-effect; judgments did not depend on whether property damage involved personal force. These findings inform theories of moral decision-making. They show that utilitarian judgment can be decreased without physical harm to persons, and without personal force. The findings also show that the distinction between means and side-effects influences the acceptability of damaging objects, and that ownership impacts utilitarian moral judgment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Single-beam, dual-view digital holographic interferometry for biomechanical strain measurements of biological objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pantelić, Dejan V.; Grujić, Dušan Ž.; Vasiljević, Darko M.

2014-12-01

We describe a method for dual-view biomechanical strain measurements of highly asymmetrical biological objects, like teeth or bones. By using a spherical mirror, we were able to simultaneously record a digital hologram of the object itself and the mirror image of its (otherwise invisible) rear side. A single laser beam was sufficient to illuminate both sides of the object, and to provide a reference beam. As a result, the system was mechanically very stable, enabling long exposure times (up to 2 min) without the need for vibration isolation. The setup is simple to construct and adjust, and can be used to interferometrically observe any object that is smaller than the mirror diameter. Parallel data processing on a CUDA-enabled (compute unified device architecture) graphics card was used to reconstruct digital holograms and to further correct image distortion. We used the setup to measure the deformation of a tooth due to mastication forces. The finite-element method was used to compare experimental results and theoretical predictions.

Single-beam, dual-view digital holographic interferometry for biomechanical strain measurements of biological objects.

PubMed

Pantelić, Dejan V; Grujić, Dušan Ž; Vasiljević, Darko M

2014-12-01

We describe a method for dual-view biomechanical strain measurements of highly asymmetrical biological objects, like teeth or bones. By using a spherical mirror, we were able to simultaneously record a digital hologram of the object itself and the mirror image of its (otherwise invisible) rear side. A single laser beam was sufficient to illuminate both sides of the object, and to provide a reference beam. As a result, the system was mechanically very stable, enabling long exposure times (up to 2 min) without the need for vibration isolation. The setup is simple to construct and adjust, and can be used to interferometrically observe any object that is smaller than the mirror diameter. Parallel data processing on a CUDA-enabled (compute unified device architecture) graphics card was used to reconstruct digital holograms and to further correct image distortion. We used the setup to measure the deformation of a tooth due to mastication forces. The finite-element method was used to compare experimental results and theoretical predictions.

Ultra-wideband impedance sensor

DOEpatents

McEwan, Thomas E.

1999-01-01

The ultra-wideband impedance sensor (UWBZ sensor, or Z-sensor) is implemented in differential and single-ended configurations. The differential UWBZ sensor employs a sub-nanosecond impulse to determine the balance of an impedance bridge. The bridge is configured as a differential sample-and-hold circuit that has a reference impedance side and an unknown impedance side. The unknown impedance side includes a short transmission line whose impedance is a function of the near proximity of objects. The single-ended UWBZ sensor eliminates the reference side of the bridge and is formed of a sample and hold circuit having a transmission line whose impedance is a function of the near proximity of objects. The sensing range of the transmission line is bounded by the two-way travel time of the impulse, thereby eliminating spurious Doppler modes from large distant objects that would occur in a microwave CW impedance bridge. Thus, the UWBZ sensor is a range-gated proximity sensor. The Z-sensor senses the near proximity of various materials such as metal, plastic, wood, petroleum products, and living tissue. It is much like a capacitance sensor, yet it is impervious to moisture. One broad application area is the general replacement of magnetic sensors, particularly where nonferrous materials need to be sensed. Another broad application area is sensing full/empty levels in tanks, vats and silos, e.g., a full/empty switch in water or petroleum tanks.

Ultra-wideband impedance sensor

DOEpatents

McEwan, T.E.

1999-03-16

The ultra-wideband impedance sensor (UWBZ sensor, or Z-sensor) is implemented in differential and single-ended configurations. The differential UWBZ sensor employs a sub-nanosecond impulse to determine the balance of an impedance bridge. The bridge is configured as a differential sample-and-hold circuit that has a reference impedance side and an unknown impedance side. The unknown impedance side includes a short transmission line whose impedance is a function of the near proximity of objects. The single-ended UWBZ sensor eliminates the reference side of the bridge and is formed of a sample and hold circuit having a transmission line whose impedance is a function of the near proximity of objects. The sensing range of the transmission line is bounded by the two-way travel time of the impulse, thereby eliminating spurious Doppler modes from large distant objects that would occur in a microwave CW impedance bridge. Thus, the UWBZ sensor is a range-gated proximity sensor. The Z-sensor senses the near proximity of various materials such as metal, plastic, wood, petroleum products, and living tissue. It is much like a capacitance sensor, yet it is impervious to moisture. One broad application area is the general replacement of magnetic sensors, particularly where nonferrous materials need to be sensed. Another broad application area is sensing full/empty levels in tanks, vats and silos, e.g., a full/empty switch in water or petroleum tanks. 2 figs.

Road detection and buried object detection in elevated EO/IR imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kennedy, Levi; Kolba, Mark P.; Walters, Joshua R.

2012-06-01

To assist the warfighter in visually identifying potentially dangerous roadside objects, the U.S. Army RDECOM CERDEC Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) has developed an elevated video sensor system testbed for data collection. This system provides color and mid-wave infrared (MWIR) imagery. Signal Innovations Group (SIG) has developed an automated processing capability that detects the road within the sensor field of view and identifies potentially threatening buried objects within the detected road. The road detection algorithm leverages system metadata to project the collected imagery onto a flat ground plane, allowing for more accurate detection of the road as well as the direct specification of realistic physical constraints in the shape of the detected road. Once the road has been detected in an image frame, a buried object detection algorithm is applied to search for threatening objects within the detected road space. The buried object detection algorithm leverages textural and pixel intensity-based features to detect potential anomalies and then classifies them as threatening or non-threatening objects. Both the road detection and the buried object detection algorithms have been developed to facilitate their implementation in real-time in the NVESD system.

On the three-quarter view advantage of familiar object recognition.

PubMed

Nonose, Kohei; Niimi, Ryosuke; Yokosawa, Kazuhiko

2016-11-01

A three-quarter view, i.e., an oblique view, of familiar objects often leads to a higher subjective goodness rating when compared with other orientations. What is the source of the high goodness for oblique views? First, we confirmed that object recognition performance was also best for oblique views around 30° view, even when the foreshortening disadvantage of front- and side-views was minimized (Experiments 1 and 2). In Experiment 3, we measured subjective ratings of view goodness and two possible determinants of view goodness: familiarity of view, and subjective impression of three-dimensionality. Three-dimensionality was measured as the subjective saliency of visual depth information. The oblique views were rated best, most familiar, and as approximating greatest three-dimensionality on average; however, the cluster analyses showed that the "best" orientation systematically varied among objects. We found three clusters of objects: front-preferred objects, oblique-preferred objects, and side-preferred objects. Interestingly, recognition performance and the three-dimensionality rating were higher for oblique views irrespective of the clusters. It appears that recognition efficiency is not the major source of the three-quarter view advantage. There are multiple determinants and variability among objects. This study suggests that the classical idea that a canonical view has a unique advantage in object perception requires further discussion.

The LCOGT Near Earth Object (NEO) Follow-up Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lister, Tim; Gomez, Edward; Christensen, Eric; Larson, Steve

2014-11-01

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) network is a planned homogeneous network of over 35 telescopes at 6 locations in the northern and southern hemispheres. This network is versatile and designed to respond rapidly to target of opportunity events and also to do long term monitoring of slowly changing astronomical phenomena. The global coverage of the network and the apertures of telescope available make LCOGT ideal for follow-up and characterization of Solar System objects (e.g. asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, comets, Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)) and ultimately for the discovery of new objects.LCOGT has completed the first phase of the deployment with the installation and commissioning of nine 1-meter telescopes at McDonald Observatory (Texas), Cerro Tololo (Chile), SAAO (South Africa) and Siding Spring Observatory (Australia). The telescope network is now operating and observations are being executed remotely and robotically.I am using the LCOGT network to confirm newly detected NEO candidates produced by the major sky surveys such as Catalina Sky Survey (CSS), NEOWISE and PanSTARRS (PS1). Over 600 NEO candidates have been targeted so far this year with 250+ objects reported to the MPC, including 70 confirmed NEOs. An increasing amount of time is being spent to obtain follow-up astrometry and photometry for radar-targeted objects in order to improve the orbits and determine the rotation periods. This will be extended to obtain more light curves of other NEOs which could be Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) or Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM) targets. Recent results have included the first period determination for the Apollo 2002 NV16 and our first NEO spectrum from the FLOYDS spectrographs on the LCOGT 2m telescopes obtained for 2012 DA14 during the February 2013 closepass.

Multi-class geospatial object detection based on a position-sensitive balancing framework for high spatial resolution remote sensing imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Yanfei; Han, Xiaobing; Zhang, Liangpei

2018-04-01

Multi-class geospatial object detection from high spatial resolution (HSR) remote sensing imagery is attracting increasing attention in a wide range of object-related civil and engineering applications. However, the distribution of objects in HSR remote sensing imagery is location-variable and complicated, and how to accurately detect the objects in HSR remote sensing imagery is a critical problem. Due to the powerful feature extraction and representation capability of deep learning, the deep learning based region proposal generation and object detection integrated framework has greatly promoted the performance of multi-class geospatial object detection for HSR remote sensing imagery. However, due to the translation caused by the convolution operation in the convolutional neural network (CNN), although the performance of the classification stage is seldom influenced, the localization accuracies of the predicted bounding boxes in the detection stage are easily influenced. The dilemma between translation-invariance in the classification stage and translation-variance in the object detection stage has not been addressed for HSR remote sensing imagery, and causes position accuracy problems for multi-class geospatial object detection with region proposal generation and object detection. In order to further improve the performance of the region proposal generation and object detection integrated framework for HSR remote sensing imagery object detection, a position-sensitive balancing (PSB) framework is proposed in this paper for multi-class geospatial object detection from HSR remote sensing imagery. The proposed PSB framework takes full advantage of the fully convolutional network (FCN), on the basis of a residual network, and adopts the PSB framework to solve the dilemma between translation-invariance in the classification stage and translation-variance in the object detection stage. In addition, a pre-training mechanism is utilized to accelerate the training procedure and increase the robustness of the proposed algorithm. The proposed algorithm is validated with a publicly available 10-class object detection dataset.

Bronchial intubation could be detected by the visual stethoscope techniques in pediatric patients.

PubMed

Kimura, Tetsuro; Suzuki, Akira; Mimuro, Soichiro; Makino, Hiroshi; Sato, Shigehito

2012-12-01

We created a system that allows the visualization of breath sounds (visual stethoscope). We compared the visual stethoscope technique with auscultation for the detection of bronchial intubation in pediatric patients. In the auscultation group, an anesthesiologist advanced the tracheal tube, while another anesthesiologist auscultated bilateral breath sounds to detect the change and/or disappearance of unilateral breath sounds. In the visualization group, the stethoscope was used to detect changes in breath sounds and/or disappearance of unilateral breath sounds. The distance from the edge of the mouth to the carina was measured using a fiberoptic bronchoscope. Forty pediatric patients were enrolled in the study. At the point at which irregular breath sounds were auscultated, the tracheal tube was located at 0.5 ± 0.8 cm on the bronchial side from the carina. When a detectable change of shape of the visualized breath sound was observed, the tracheal tube was located 0.1 ± 1.2 cm on the bronchial side (not significant). At the point at which unilateral breath sounds were auscultated or a unilateral shape of the visualized breath sound was observed, the tracheal tube was 1.5 ± 0.8 or 1.2 ± 1.0 cm on the bronchial side, respectively (not significant). The visual stethoscope allowed to display the left and the right lung sound simultaneously and detected changes of breath sounds and unilateral breath sound as a tracheal tube was advanced. © 2012 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Method and apparatus for wavefront sensing

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

Bahk, Seung-Whan

A method for performing optical wavefront sensing includes providing an amplitude transmission mask having a light input side, a light output side, and an optical transmission axis passing from the light input side to the light output side. The amplitude transmission mask is characterized by a checkerboard pattern having a square unit cell of size .LAMBDA.. The method also includes directing an incident light field having a wavelengthmore » $$ \\lamda $$ to be incident on the light input side and propagating the incident light field through the amplitude transmission mask. The method further includes producing a plurality of diffracted light fields on the light output side and detecting, at a detector disposed a distance L from the amplitude transmission mask, an interferogram associated with the plurality of diffracted light fields.« less

Extraction of Extended Small-Scale Objects in Digital Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Volkov, V. Y.

2015-05-01

Detection and localization problem of extended small-scale objects with different shapes appears in radio observation systems which use SAR, infra-red, lidar and television camera. Intensive non-stationary background is the main difficulty for processing. Other challenge is low quality of images, blobs, blurred boundaries; in addition SAR images suffer from a serious intrinsic speckle noise. Statistics of background is not normal, it has evident skewness and heavy tails in probability density, so it is hard to identify it. The problem of extraction small-scale objects is solved here on the basis of directional filtering, adaptive thresholding and morthological analysis. New kind of masks is used which are open-ended at one side so it is possible to extract ends of line segments with unknown length. An advanced method of dynamical adaptive threshold setting is investigated which is based on isolated fragments extraction after thresholding. Hierarchy of isolated fragments on binary image is proposed for the analysis of segmentation results. It includes small-scale objects with different shape, size and orientation. The method uses extraction of isolated fragments in binary image and counting points in these fragments. Number of points in extracted fragments is normalized to the total number of points for given threshold and is used as effectiveness of extraction for these fragments. New method for adaptive threshold setting and control maximises effectiveness of extraction. It has optimality properties for objects extraction in normal noise field and shows effective results for real SAR images.

Detection of a Divot in the Scattering Population's Size Distribution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shankman, Cory; Gladman, B.; Kaib, N.; Kavelaars, J.; Petit, J.

2012-10-01

Via joint analysis of the calibrated Canada France Ecliptic Place Survey (CFEPS, Petit et al 2011, AJ 142, 131), which found scattering Kuiper Belt objects, and models of their orbital distribution, we show that there should be enough kilometer-scale scattering objects to supply the Jupiter Family Comets (JFCs). Surprisingly, our analysis favours a divot (an abrupt drop and then recovery) in the size distribution at a diameter of 100 km, which results in a temporary flattening of the cumulative size distribution until it returns to a collisional equilibrium slope. Using the absolutely calibrated CFEPS survey we estimate that there are 2 x 10**9 scattering objects with H_g < 18, which is sufficient to provide the currently estimated JFC resupply rate. We also find that the primordial disk from which the scattering objects came must have had a "hot" initial inclination distribution before the giant planets scattered it out. We find that a divot, in the absolute magnitude number distribution, with a bright-end logarithmic slope of 0.8, a drop at a g-band H magnitude of 9, and a faint side logarithmic slope of 0.5 satisfies our data and simultaneously explains several existing nagging puzzles about Kuiper Belt luminosity functions (see Gladman et al., this meeting). Multiple explanations of how such a feature could have arisen will be discussed. This research was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Vehicle and cargo container inspection system for drugs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Verbinski, Victor V.; Orphan, Victor J.

1999-06-01

A vehicle and cargo container inspection system has been developed which uses gamma-ray radiography to produce digital images useful for detection of drugs and other contraband. The system is comprised of a 1 Ci Cs137 gamma-ray source collimated into a fan beam which is aligned with a linear array of NaI gamma-ray detectors located on the opposite side of the container. The NaI detectors are operated in the pulse-counting mode. A digital image of the vehicle or container is obtained by moving the aligned source and detector array relative to the object. Systems have been demonstrated in which the object is stationary (source and detector array move on parallel tracks) and in which the object moves past a stationary source and detector array. Scanning speeds of ˜30 cm/s with a pixel size (at the object) of ˜1 cm have been achieved. Faster scanning speeds of ˜2 m/s have been demonstrated on railcars with more modest spatial resolution (4 cm pixels). Digital radiographic images are generated from the detector count rates. These images, recorded on a PC-based data acquisition and display system, are shown from several applications: 1) inspection of trucks and containers at a border crossing, 2) inspection of railcars at a border crossing, 3) inspection of outbound cargo containers for stolen automobiles, and 4) inspection of trucks and cars for terrorist bombs.

A Comparison of the Single-sided (Gen II) and Double-sided (Gen I) Combat Arms Earplugs (CAE): Acoustic Properties, Human Performance, and User Acceptance

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

results of steady-state and impulse noise attenuation objective and real-ear measurements; localization and speech intelligibility human performance... Intelligibility 12 6.1 Method...12 Figure 8. Speech intelligibility testing of Gen I CAE and Gen II CAE

Is "Object-Centred Neglect" a Homogeneous Entity?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gainotti, Guido; Ciaraffa, Francesca

2013-01-01

The nature of object-centred (allocentric) neglect and the possibility of dissociating it from egocentric (subject-centred) forms of neglect are controversial. Originally, allocentric neglect was described by and in patients who reproduced all the elements of a multi-object scene, but left unfinished the left side of one or more of them. More…

Development of a duplex lateral flow assay for simultaneous detection of antibodies against African and Classical swine fever viruses.

PubMed

Sastre, Patricia; Pérez, Teresa; Costa, Sofia; Yang, Xiaoping; Räber, Alex; Blome, Sandra; Goller, Katja V; Gallardo, Carmina; Tapia, Istar; García, Julia; Sanz, Antonio; Rueda, Paloma

2016-09-01

Classical swine fever (CSF) and African swine fever (ASF) are both highly contagious diseases of domestic pigs and wild boar and are clinically indistinguishable. For both diseases, antibody detection is an integral and crucial part of prevention and control measures. The purpose of our study was to develop and initially validate a duplex pen-side test for simultaneous detection and differentiation of specific antibodies against CSF virus (CSFV) and ASF virus (ASFV). The test was based on the major capsid protein VP72 of ASFV and the structural protein E2 of CSFV, both considered the most immunogenic proteins of these viruses. The performance of the pen-side test was evaluated using a panel of porcine samples consisting of experimental, reference, and field sera, with the latter collected from European farms free of both diseases. The new lateral flow assay was able to detect specific antibodies to ASFV or CSFV, showing good levels of sensitivity and specificity. These preliminary data indicate the potential of the newly developed pen-side test for rapid differential detection of antibodies found in the 2 diseases, which is of particular importance in the field and in front-line laboratories where equipment and skilled personnel are limited and control of ASF and CSF is crucial. © 2016 The Author(s).

UWB based low-cost and non-invasive practical breast cancer early detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vijayasarveswari, V.; Khatun, S.; Fakir, M. M.; Jusoh, M.; Ali, S.

2017-03-01

Breast cancer is one of the main causes of women death worldwide. Breast tumor is an early stage of cancer that locates in cells of a human breast. As there is no remedy, early detection is crucial. Towards this, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is a prominent candidate. It is a wireless communication technology which can achieve high bandwidth with low power utilization. UWB is suitable to be used for short range communication systems including breast cancer detection since it is secure, non-invasive and human health friendly. This paper presents the low-cost and non-invasive early breast cancer detection strategy using UWB sensor (or antenna). Emphasis is given here to detect breast tumor in 2D and 3D environments. The developed system consisted of hardware and software. Hardware included UWB transceiver and a pair of home-made directional sensor/antenna. The software included feed-forward back propagation Neural Network (NN) module to detect the tumor existence, size and location along with soft interface between software and hardware. Forward scattering technique was used by placing two sensors diagonally opposite sides of a breast phantom. UWB pulses were transmitted from one side of phantom and received from other side, controlled by the software interface in PC environment. Collected received signals were then fed into the NN module for training, testing and validation. The system exhibited detection efficiency on tumor existence, location (x, y, z), and size were approximately 100%, (78.17%, 70.66%, 92.46%), 85.86% respectively. The proposed UWB based early breast cancer detection system could be more practical with low-cost, user friendly and non-harmful features. This project may help users to monitor their breast health regularly at their home.

The radio structure of the peculiar narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxy candidate J1100+4421

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gabányi, K. É.; Frey, S.; Paragi, Z.; Järvelä, E.; Morokuma, T.; An, T.; Tanaka, M.; Tar, I.

2018-01-01

Narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1) are an intriguing subclass of active galactic nuclei. Their observed properties indicate low central black hole mass and high accretion rate. The extremely radio-loud NLS1 sources often show relativistic beaming and are usually regarded as younger counterparts of blazars. Recently, the object SDSS J110006.07+442144.3 was reported as a candidate NLS1 source. The characteristics of its dramatic optical flare indicated its jet-related origin. The spectral energy distribution of the object was similar to that of the γ-ray detected radio-loud NLS1, PMN J0948+0022. Our high-resolution European very long baseline interferometry network observations at 1.7 and 5 GHz revealed a compact core feature with a brightness temperature of ≳1010 K. Using the lowest brightness temperature value and assuming a moderate Lorentz factor of ∼9, the jet viewing angle is ≲26°. Archival Very Large Array data show a large-scale radio structure with a projected linear size of ∼150 kpc reminiscent of double-sided morphology.

Consistency of Border-Ownership Cells across Artificial Stimuli, Natural Stimuli, and Stimuli with Ambiguous Contours.

PubMed

Hesse, Janis K; Tsao, Doris Y

2016-11-02

Segmentation and recognition of objects in a visual scene are two problems that are hard to solve separately from each other. When segmenting an ambiguous scene, it is helpful to already know the present objects and their shapes. However, for recognizing an object in clutter, one would like to consider its isolated segment alone to avoid confounds from features of other objects. Border-ownership cells (Zhou et al., 2000) appear to play an important role in segmentation, as they signal the side-of-figure of artificial stimuli. The present work explores the role of border-ownership cells in dorsal macaque visual areas V2 and V3 in the segmentation of natural object stimuli and locally ambiguous stimuli. We report two major results. First, compared with previous estimates, we found a smaller percentage of cells that were consistent across artificial stimuli used previously. Second, we found that the average response of those neurons that did respond consistently to the side-of-figure of artificial stimuli also consistently signaled, as a population, the side-of-figure for borders of single faces, occluding faces and, with higher latencies, even stimuli with illusory contours, such as Mooney faces and natural faces completely missing local edge information. In contrast, the local edge or the outlines of the face alone could not always evoke a significant border-ownership signal. Our results underscore that border ownership is coded by a population of cells, and indicate that these cells integrate a variety of cues, including low-level features and global object context, to compute the segmentation of the scene. To distinguish different objects in a natural scene, the brain must segment the image into regions corresponding to objects. The so-called "border-ownership" cells appear to be dedicated to this task, as they signal for a given edge on which side the object is that owns it. Here, we report that individual border-ownership cells are unreliable when tested across a battery of artificial stimuli used previously but can signal border-ownership consistently as a population. We show that these border-ownership population signals are also suited for signaling border-ownership for natural objects and at longer latency, even for stimuli without local edge information. Our results suggest that border-ownership cells integrate both local, low-level and global, high-level cues to segment the scene. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/3611338-12$15.00/0.

Explanations for side effect aversion in preventive medical treatment decisions

PubMed Central

Waters, Erika A.; Weinstein, Neil D.; Colditz, Graham A.; Emmons, Karen

2008-01-01

Objective Many laypeople demonstrate excessive sensitivity to negative side effects of medical treatments, which may lead them to refuse beneficial therapies. This Internet-based experiment investigated three possible explanations for such “side effect aversion.” One was derived from mental accounting, one examined the mere presence of a side effect, and one focused on computational difficulties. Design Participants (N = 5,379) were presented with a hypothetical cancer preventive treatment situation that was or was not accompanied by one or two small side effects. The side effects were either beneficial or harmful. In all conditions the net absolute risk reduction associated with the treatment was 15%. Main Outcome Measures Participants indicated their willingness to accept treatment and their perceptions of the treatment’s effects on their overall cancer risk. Results Data were consistent only with the “mere presence” explanation of side effect aversion, the idea that side effects act as a strong negative cue that directly affects treatment appraisal. The number of negative side effects did not influence treatment willingness. Conclusion Side effect aversion is a challenge to informed decision making. Specific mechanisms that produce side effect aversion should be identified. PMID:19290712

Wavelet Entropy and Directed Acyclic Graph Support Vector Machine for Detection of Patients with Unilateral Hearing Loss in MRI Scanning

PubMed Central

Wang, Shuihua; Yang, Ming; Du, Sidan; Yang, Jiquan; Liu, Bin; Gorriz, Juan M.; Ramírez, Javier; Yuan, Ti-Fei; Zhang, Yudong

2016-01-01

Highlights We develop computer-aided diagnosis system for unilateral hearing loss detection in structural magnetic resonance imaging.Wavelet entropy is introduced to extract image global features from brain images. Directed acyclic graph is employed to endow support vector machine an ability to handle multi-class problems.The developed computer-aided diagnosis system achieves an overall accuracy of 95.1% for this three-class problem of differentiating left-sided and right-sided hearing loss from healthy controls. Aim: Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is correlated to many neurodegenerative disease. Now more and more computer vision based methods are using to detect it in an automatic way. Materials: We have in total 49 subjects, scanned by 3.0T MRI (Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany). The subjects contain 14 patients with right-sided hearing loss (RHL), 15 patients with left-sided hearing loss (LHL), and 20 healthy controls (HC). Method: We treat this as a three-class classification problem: RHL, LHL, and HC. Wavelet entropy (WE) was selected from the magnetic resonance images of each subjects, and then submitted to a directed acyclic graph support vector machine (DAG-SVM). Results: The 10 repetition results of 10-fold cross validation shows 3-level decomposition will yield an overall accuracy of 95.10% for this three-class classification problem, higher than feedforward neural network, decision tree, and naive Bayesian classifier. Conclusions: This computer-aided diagnosis system is promising. We hope this study can attract more computer vision method for detecting hearing loss. PMID:27807415

Wavelet Entropy and Directed Acyclic Graph Support Vector Machine for Detection of Patients with Unilateral Hearing Loss in MRI Scanning.

PubMed

Wang, Shuihua; Yang, Ming; Du, Sidan; Yang, Jiquan; Liu, Bin; Gorriz, Juan M; Ramírez, Javier; Yuan, Ti-Fei; Zhang, Yudong

2016-01-01

Highlights We develop computer-aided diagnosis system for unilateral hearing loss detection in structural magnetic resonance imaging.Wavelet entropy is introduced to extract image global features from brain images. Directed acyclic graph is employed to endow support vector machine an ability to handle multi-class problems.The developed computer-aided diagnosis system achieves an overall accuracy of 95.1% for this three-class problem of differentiating left-sided and right-sided hearing loss from healthy controls. Aim: Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is correlated to many neurodegenerative disease. Now more and more computer vision based methods are using to detect it in an automatic way. Materials: We have in total 49 subjects, scanned by 3.0T MRI (Siemens Medical Solutions, Erlangen, Germany). The subjects contain 14 patients with right-sided hearing loss (RHL), 15 patients with left-sided hearing loss (LHL), and 20 healthy controls (HC). Method: We treat this as a three-class classification problem: RHL, LHL, and HC. Wavelet entropy (WE) was selected from the magnetic resonance images of each subjects, and then submitted to a directed acyclic graph support vector machine (DAG-SVM). Results: The 10 repetition results of 10-fold cross validation shows 3-level decomposition will yield an overall accuracy of 95.10% for this three-class classification problem, higher than feedforward neural network, decision tree, and naive Bayesian classifier. Conclusions: This computer-aided diagnosis system is promising. We hope this study can attract more computer vision method for detecting hearing loss.

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

Russ, M; Shankar, A; Lau, A

Purpose: Demonstrate and quantify the augmented resolution due to focalspot size decrease in images acquired on the anode side of the field, for both small and medium (0.3 and 0.6mm) focal-spot sizes using the experimental task-based GM-ROD metric. Theoretical calculations have shown that a medium focal-spot can achieve the resolution of a small focal-spot if acquired with a tilted anode, effectively providing a higher-output small focal-spot. Methods: The MAF-CMOS (micro-angiographic fluoroscopic complementary-metal-oxide semiconductor) detector (75µm pixel pitch) imaged two copper wire segments of different diameter and a pipeline stent at the central axis and on the anode side of themore » beam, achieved by tilting the x-ray C-arm (Toshiba Infinix) to 6° and realigning the detector with the perpendicular ray to correct for x-ray obliquity. The relative gain in resolution was determined using the GM-ROD metric, which compares images on the basis of the Fourier transform of the image and the measured NNPS. To emphasize the geometric unsharpness, images were acquired at a magnification of two. Results: Images acquired on the anode side were compared to those acquired on the central axis with the same target-area focal-spot to consider the effect of an angled tube, and for all three objects the advantage of the smaller effective focal-spot was clear, showing a maximum improvement of 36% in GM-ROD. The images obtained with the small focal-spot at the central axis were compared to those of the medium focal-spot at the anode side and, for all objects, the relative performance was comparable. Conclusion: For three objects, the GM-ROD demonstrated the advantage of the anode side focal-spot. The comparable performance of the medium focal-spot on the anode side will allow for a high-output small focal-spot; a necessity in endovascular image-guided interventions. Partial support from an NIH grant R01EB002873 and an equipment grant from Toshiba Medical Systems Corp.« less

Neural Correlates of Divided Attention in Natural Scenes.

PubMed

Fagioli, Sabrina; Macaluso, Emiliano

2016-09-01

Individuals are able to split attention between separate locations, but divided spatial attention incurs the additional requirement of monitoring multiple streams of information. Here, we investigated divided attention using photos of natural scenes, where the rapid categorization of familiar objects and prior knowledge about the likely positions of objects in the real world might affect the interplay between these spatial and nonspatial factors. Sixteen participants underwent fMRI during an object detection task. They were presented with scenes containing either a person or a car, located on the left or right side of the photo. Participants monitored either one or both object categories, in one or both visual hemifields. First, we investigated the interplay between spatial and nonspatial attention by comparing conditions of divided attention between categories and/or locations. We then assessed the contribution of top-down processes versus stimulus-driven signals by separately testing the effects of divided attention in target and nontarget trials. The results revealed activation of a bilateral frontoparietal network when dividing attention between the two object categories versus attending to a single category but no main effect of dividing attention between spatial locations. Within this network, the left dorsal premotor cortex and the left intraparietal sulcus were found to combine task- and stimulus-related signals. These regions showed maximal activation when participants monitored two categories at spatially separate locations and the scene included a nontarget object. We conclude that the dorsal frontoparietal cortex integrates top-down and bottom-up signals in the presence of distractors during divided attention in real-world scenes.

Side effects from intense pulsed light: Importance of skin pigmentation, fluence level and ultraviolet radiation-A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Thaysen-Petersen, Daniel; Erlendsson, Andres M; Nash, J F; Beerwerth, Frank; Philipsen, Peter A; Wulf, Hans C; Paasch, Uwe; Haedersdal, Merete

2017-01-01

Intense pulsed light (IPL) is a mainstream treatment for hair removal. Side effects after IPL are known, but risk factors remain to be investigated. The objective of this study was to assess the contribution of skin pigmentation, fluence level, and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) on IPL-induced side effects. The study was a blinded, randomized intra-individual controlled trial including 16 healthy subjects with Fitzpatrick Skin Types (FST) II-V. Three test areas were each divided into four sites, randomized to a single IPL exposure of 22, 34, 46 J/cm 2 or triple stacking of 46 J/cm 2 . Areas were subsequently randomized to no UVR or single solar-simulated UVR exposure of 3 Standard Erythema Dose at 30 minutes or 24 hours after IPL. Each area had a corresponding control, resulting in 15 treatment sites. Follow-up visits were scheduled up to 4 weeks after IPL. Outcome measures were: (i) blinded clinical skin reactions; (ii) objectively measured erythema and pigmentation; (iii) pain measured by visual analog scale (VAS); (iv) histology (H&E, Fontana-Masson); and (v) mRNA-expression of p53. Fifteen subjects with FST II-IV completed the protocol. IPL induced a wide range of skin reactions, including erythema (87% of subjects), purpura (27%), blisters (20%), edema (13%), crusting (13%), hyper- (60%), and hypopigmentation (20%). Darker skin pigmentation and increasing IPL fluence were determinants for IPL-induced side effects (P ≤ 0.002), while a single exposure of UVR did not exacerbate side effects (P ≥ 0.180). Clinical findings were confirmed objectively by reflectance spectrometry and qualitatively by histological changes in skin architecture, inflammatory infiltration, and pigmentation. Marker of cellular DNA damage, that is, p53, did not increase after IPL (P ≥ 0.24). Skin pigmentation and IPL fluence are major determinants of side effects after IPL exposure, while a single exposure to three SED of UVR at 30 minutes or 24 hours after IPL, does not amplify such side effects. Lasers Surg. Med. 49:88-96, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Object memory and change detection: dissociation as a function of visual and conceptual similarity.

PubMed

Yeh, Yei-Yu; Yang, Cheng-Ta

2008-01-01

People often fail to detect a change between two visual scenes, a phenomenon referred to as change blindness. This study investigates how a post-change object's similarity to the pre-change object influences memory of the pre-change object and affects change detection. The results of Experiment 1 showed that similarity lowered detection sensitivity but did not affect the speed of identifying the pre-change object, suggesting that similarity between the pre- and post-change objects does not degrade the pre-change representation. Identification speed for the pre-change object was faster than naming the new object regardless of detection accuracy. Similarity also decreased detection sensitivity in Experiment 2 but improved the recognition of the pre-change object under both correct detection and detection failure. The similarity effect on recognition was greatly reduced when 20% of each pre-change stimulus was masked by random dots in Experiment 3. Together the results suggest that the level of pre-change representation under detection failure is equivalent to the level under correct detection and that the pre-change representation is almost complete. Similarity lowers detection sensitivity but improves explicit access in recognition. Dissociation arises between recognition and change detection as the two judgments rely on the match-to-mismatch signal and mismatch-to-match signal, respectively.

TROSY of side-chain amides in large proteins

PubMed Central

Liu, Aizhuo; Yao, Lishan; Li, Yue; Yan, Honggao

2012-01-01

By using the mixed solvent of 50% H2O/50% D2O and employing deuterium decoupling, TROSY experiments exclusively detect NMR signals from semideuterated isotopomers of carboxamide groups with high sensitivities for proteins with molecular weights up to 80 kDa. This isotopomer-selective strategy extends TROSY experiments from exclusively detecting backbone to both backbone and side-chain amides, particularly in large proteins. Because of differences in both TROSY effect and dynamics between 15N–HE{DZ} and 15N–HZ{DE} isotopomers of the same carboxamide, the 15N transverse magnetization of the latter relaxes significantly faster than that of the former, which provides a direct and reliable stereospecific distinction between the two configurations. The TROSY effects on the 15N–HE{DZ} isotopomers of side-chain amides are as significant as on backbone amides. PMID:17347000

Single-Axis Accelerometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, Dennis Stephen (Inventor); Capo-Lugo, Pedro A. (Inventor)

2016-01-01

A single-axis accelerometer includes a housing defining a sleeve. An object/mass is disposed in the sleeve for sliding movement therein in a direction aligned with the sleeve's longitudinal axis. A first piezoelectric strip, attached to a first side of the object and to the housing, is longitudinally aligned with the sleeve's longitudinal axis. The first piezoelectric strip includes a first strip of a piezoelectric material with carbon nanotubes substantially aligned along a length thereof. A second piezoelectric strip, attached to a second side of the object and to the housing, is longitudinally aligned with the sleeve's longitudinal axis. The second piezoelectric strip includes a second strip of the piezoelectric material with carbon nanotubes substantially aligned along a length thereof. A voltage sensor is electrically coupled to at least one of the first and second piezoelectric strips.

MILP model for integrated balancing and sequencing mixed-model two-sided assembly line with variable launching interval and assignment restrictions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azmi, N. I. L. Mohd; Ahmad, R.; Zainuddin, Z. M.

2017-09-01

This research explores the Mixed-Model Two-Sided Assembly Line (MMTSAL). There are two interrelated problems in MMTSAL which are line balancing and model sequencing. In previous studies, many researchers considered these problems separately and only few studied them simultaneously for one-sided line. However in this study, these two problems are solved simultaneously to obtain more efficient solution. The Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model with objectives of minimizing total utility work and idle time is generated by considering variable launching interval and assignment restriction constraint. The problem is analysed using small-size test cases to validate the integrated model. Throughout this paper, numerical experiment was conducted by using General Algebraic Modelling System (GAMS) with the solver CPLEX. Experimental results indicate that integrating the problems of model sequencing and line balancing help to minimise the proposed objectives function.

A Muon Tomography Station with GEM Detectors for Nuclear Threat Detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staib, Michael; Gnanvo, Kondo; Grasso, Leonard; Hohlmann, Marcus; Locke, Judson; Costa, Filippo; Martoiu, Sorin; Muller, Hans

2011-10-01

Muon tomography for homeland security aims at detecting well-shielded nuclear contraband in cargo and imaging it in 3D. The technique exploits multiple scattering of atmospheric cosmic ray muons, which is stronger in dense, high-Z nuclear materials, e.g. enriched uranium, than in low-Z and medium-Z shielding materials. We have constructed and operated a compact Muon Tomography Station (MTS) that tracks muons with six to ten 30 cm x 30 cm Triple Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors placed on the sides of a 27-liter cubic imaging volume. The 2D strip readouts of the GEMs achieve a spatial resolution of ˜130 μm in both dimensions and the station is operated at a muon trigger rate of ˜20 Hz. The 1,536 strips per GEM detector are read out with the first medium-size implementation of the Scalable Readout System (SRS) developed specifically for Micro-Pattern Gas Detectors by the RD51 collaboration at CERN. We discuss the performance of this MTS prototype and present experimental results on tomographic imaging of high-Z objects with and without shielding.

An Intelligent Architecture Based on Field Programmable Gate Arrays Designed to Detect Moving Objects by Using Principal Component Analysis

PubMed Central

Bravo, Ignacio; Mazo, Manuel; Lázaro, José L.; Gardel, Alfredo; Jiménez, Pedro; Pizarro, Daniel

2010-01-01

This paper presents a complete implementation of the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) algorithm in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices applied to high rate background segmentation of images. The classical sequential execution of different parts of the PCA algorithm has been parallelized. This parallelization has led to the specific development and implementation in hardware of the different stages of PCA, such as computation of the correlation matrix, matrix diagonalization using the Jacobi method and subspace projections of images. On the application side, the paper presents a motion detection algorithm, also entirely implemented on the FPGA, and based on the developed PCA core. This consists of dynamically thresholding the differences between the input image and the one obtained by expressing the input image using the PCA linear subspace previously obtained as a background model. The proposal achieves a high ratio of processed images (up to 120 frames per second) and high quality segmentation results, with a completely embedded and reliable hardware architecture based on commercial CMOS sensors and FPGA devices. PMID:22163406

A Novel Immunogenic Spore Coat-Associated Protein in Bacillus Anthracis: Characterization via Proteomics Approaches and a Vector-Based Vaccine System

PubMed Central

Liu, Yu-Tsueng; Lin, Shwu-Bin; Huang, Cheng-Po; Huang, Chun-Ming

2007-01-01

New generation anthrax vaccines have been actively explored with the aim of enhancing efficacies and decreasing undesirable side effects that could be caused by licensed vaccines. Targeting novel antigens and/or eliminating the requirements for multiple needle injections and adjuvants are major objectives in the development of new anthrax vaccines. Using proteomics approaches, we identified a spore coat-associated protein (SCAP) in Bacillus anthracis. An E. coli vector-based vaccine system was used to determine the immunogenicity of SCAP. Mice generated detectable SCAP antibodies three weeks after intranasal immunization with an intact particle of ultraviolet (UV)-irradiated E. coli vector overproducing SCAP. The production of SCAP antibodies was detected via western blotting and SCAP-spotted antigen-arrays. The adjuvant effect of a UV-irradiated E. coli vector eliminates the necessity of boosting and the use of other immunomodulators which will foster the screening and manufacturing of new generation anthrax vaccines. More importantly, the immunogenic SCAP may potentially be a new candidate for the development of anthrax vaccines. PMID:18029197

An intelligent architecture based on Field Programmable Gate Arrays designed to detect moving objects by using Principal Component Analysis.

PubMed

Bravo, Ignacio; Mazo, Manuel; Lázaro, José L; Gardel, Alfredo; Jiménez, Pedro; Pizarro, Daniel

2010-01-01

This paper presents a complete implementation of the Principal Component Analysis (PCA) algorithm in Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) devices applied to high rate background segmentation of images. The classical sequential execution of different parts of the PCA algorithm has been parallelized. This parallelization has led to the specific development and implementation in hardware of the different stages of PCA, such as computation of the correlation matrix, matrix diagonalization using the Jacobi method and subspace projections of images. On the application side, the paper presents a motion detection algorithm, also entirely implemented on the FPGA, and based on the developed PCA core. This consists of dynamically thresholding the differences between the input image and the one obtained by expressing the input image using the PCA linear subspace previously obtained as a background model. The proposal achieves a high ratio of processed images (up to 120 frames per second) and high quality segmentation results, with a completely embedded and reliable hardware architecture based on commercial CMOS sensors and FPGA devices.

Stress fractures of the ribs in elite competitive rowers: a report of nine cases.

PubMed

Dragoni, S; Giombini, A; Di Cesare, A; Ripani, M; Magliani, G

2007-10-01

The objective was to report the clinical and imaging patterns of nine cases of stress fractures of the rib diagnosed in Italian Olympic rowers. Nine patients with stress fractures of the rib detected from 103 (8.7%) Italian team rowers competing between May 2000 and May 2006 were identified based on the database of a sports medicine institute. All athletes were male. They were aged between 17 and 31 years (mean: 24.4). Patient weight, fracture location, rowing side and imaging methods employed were noted. The diagnosis was made based on history, clinical examination and Tc-99m MDP bone scintigraphy. Eight of the 9 fractures were located anterolaterally between the fourth and ninth rib. In 1 of the 5 athletes with standard radiographs, a fracture line was visible and in 4 there was callus formation. In 2 athletes sonography was performed, which detected discontinuity of the rib surface and callus formation (1 case each). Stress fractures of the ribs are relatively common in competitive rowers. They are characterized by increasing lateral chest pain and typical scintigraphic, radiographic and sonographic findings.

Monte Carlo Simulations for the Detection of Buried Objects Using Single Sided Backscattered Radiation.

PubMed

Yip, Mary; Saripan, M Iqbal; Wells, Kevin; Bradley, David A

2015-01-01

Detection of buried improvised explosive devices (IEDs) is a delicate task, leading to a need to develop sensitive stand-off detection technology. The shape, composition and size of the IEDs can be expected to be revised over time in an effort to overcome increasingly sophisticated detection methods. As an example, for the most part, landmines are found through metal detection which has led to increasing use of non-ferrous materials such as wood or plastic containers for chemical based explosives being developed. Monte Carlo simulations have been undertaken considering three different commercially available detector materials (hyperpure-Ge (HPGe), lanthanum(III) bromide (LaBr) and thallium activated sodium iodide (NaI(Tl)), applied at a stand-off distance of 50 cm from the surface and burial depths of 0, 5 and 10 cm, with sand as the obfuscating medium. Target materials representing medium density wood and mild steel have been considered. Each detector has been modelled as a 10 cm thick cylinder with a 20 cm diameter. It appears that HPGe represents the most promising detector for this application. Although it was not the highest density material studied, its excellent energy resolving capability leads to the highest quality spectra from which detection decisions can be inferred. The simulation work undertaken here suggests that a vehicle-born threat detection system could be envisaged using a single betatron and a series of detectors operating in parallel observing the space directly in front of the vehicle path. Furthermore, results show that non-ferrous materials such as wood can be effectively discerned in such remote-operated detection system, with the potential to apply a signature analysis template matching technique for real-time analysis of such data.

Response characterization of a fiber optic sensor array with dye-coated planar waveguide for detection of volatile organic compounds.

PubMed

Lee, Jae-Sung; Yoon, Na-Rae; Kang, Byoung-Ho; Lee, Sang-Won; Gopalan, Sai-Anand; Jeong, Hyun-Min; Lee, Seung-Ha; Kwon, Dae-Hyuk; Kang, Shin-Won

2014-07-01

We have developed a multi-array side-polished optical-fiber gas sensor for the detection of volatile organic compound (VOC) gases. The side-polished optical-fiber coupled with a polymer planar waveguide (PWG) provides high sensitivity to alterations in refractive index. The PWG was fabricated by coating a solvatochromic dye with poly(vinylpyrrolidone). To confirm the effectiveness of the sensor, five different sensing membranes were fabricated by coating the side-polished optical-fiber using the solvatochromic dyes Reinhardt's dye, Nile red, 4-aminophthalimide, 4-amino-N-methylphthalimide, and 4-(dimethylamino)cinnamaldehyde, which have different polarities that cause changes in the effective refractive index of the sensing membrane owing to evanescent field coupling. The fabricated gas detection system was tested with five types of VOC gases, namely acetic acid, benzene, dimethylamine, ethanol, and toluene at concentrations of 1, 2,…,10 ppb. Second-regression and principal component analyses showed that the response properties of the proposed VOC gas sensor were linearly shifted bathochromically, and each gas showed different response characteristics.

Fugitive methane leak detection using mid-infrared hollow-core photonic crystal fiber containing ultrafast laser drilled side-holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karp, Jason; Challener, William; Kasten, Matthias; Choudhury, Niloy; Palit, Sabarni; Pickrell, Gary; Homa, Daniel; Floyd, Adam; Cheng, Yujie; Yu, Fei; Knight, Jonathan

2016-05-01

The increase in domestic natural gas production has brought attention to the environmental impacts of persistent gas leakages. The desire to identify fugitive gas emission, specifically for methane, presents new sensing challenges within the production and distribution supply chain. A spectroscopic gas sensing solution would ideally combine a long optical path length for high sensitivity and distributed detection over large areas. Specialty micro-structured fiber with a hollow core can exhibit a relatively low attenuation at mid-infrared wavelengths where methane has strong absorption lines. Methane diffusion into the hollow core is enabled by machining side-holes along the fiber length through ultrafast laser drilling methods. The complete system provides hundreds of meters of optical path for routing along well pads and pipelines while being interrogated by a single laser and detector. This work will present transmission and methane detection capabilities of mid-infrared photonic crystal fibers. Side-hole drilling techniques for methane diffusion will be highlighted as a means to convert hollow-core fibers into applicable gas sensors.

A simple and highly sensitive spectroscopic fluorescence-detection system for multi-channel plastic-microchip electrophoresis based on side-entry laser-beam zigzag irradiation.

PubMed

Anazawa, Takashi; Uchiho, Yuichi; Yokoi, Takahide; Chalkidis, George; Yamazaki, Motohiro

2017-06-27

A five-color fluorescence-detection system for eight-channel plastic-microchip electrophoresis was developed. In the eight channels (with effective electrophoretic lengths of 10 cm), single-stranded DNA fragments were separated (with single-base resolution up to 300 bases within 10 min), and seventeen-loci STR genotyping for forensic human identification was successfully demonstrated. In the system, a side-entry laser beam is passed through the eight channels (eight A channels), with alternately arrayed seven sacrificial channels (seven B channels), by a technique called "side-entry laser-beam zigzag irradiation." Laser-induced fluorescence from the eight A channels and Raman-scattered light from the seven B channels are then simultaneously, uniformly, and spectroscopically detected, in the direction perpendicular to the channel array plane, through a transmission grating and a CCD camera. The system is therefore simple and highly sensitive. Because the microchip is fabricated by plastic-injection molding, it is inexpensive and disposable and thus suitable for actual use in various fields.

Fractional erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet laser-assisted drug delivery of hydroquinone in the treatment of melasma

PubMed Central

Badawi, Ashraf M; Osman, Mai Abdelraouf

2018-01-01

Background Melasma is a difficult-to-treat hyperpigmentary disorder. Ablative fractional laser (AFL)-assisted delivery of topically applied drugs to varied targets in the skin has been an area of ongoing study and research. Objective The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of fractional erbium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Er:YAG) laser as an assisted drug delivery for enhancing topical hydroquinone (HQ) permeation into the skin of melasma patients. Patients and methods Thirty female patients with bilateral melasma were randomly treated in a split-face controlled manner with a fractional Er:YAG laser followed by 4% HQ cream on one side and 4% HQ cream alone on the other side. All patients received six laser sessions with a 2-week interval. The efficacy of treatments was determined through photographs, dermoscopic photomicrographs and Melasma Area Severity Index (MASI) score, all performed at baseline and at 12 weeks of starting therapy. The patient’s level of satisfaction was also recorded. Results Er:YAG laser + HQ showed significantly better results (p<0.005) with regard to decrease in the degree of pigmentation as assessed on the 4-point scale than HQ alone. There was a significant decrease in MASI scores on Er:YAG laser + HQ side vs HQ side. Minor reversible side effects were observed on both sides. Conclusion AFL-assisted delivery of HQ is a safe and effective method for the treatment of melasma. PMID:29379308

Noninvasive, near-field terahertz imaging of hidden objects using a single-pixel detector.

PubMed

Stantchev, Rayko Ivanov; Sun, Baoqing; Hornett, Sam M; Hobson, Peter A; Gibson, Graham M; Padgett, Miles J; Hendry, Euan

2016-06-01

Terahertz (THz) imaging can see through otherwise opaque materials. However, because of the long wavelengths of THz radiation (λ = 400 μm at 0.75 THz), far-field THz imaging techniques suffer from low resolution compared to visible wavelengths. We demonstrate noninvasive, near-field THz imaging with subwavelength resolution. We project a time-varying, intense (>100 μJ/cm(2)) optical pattern onto a silicon wafer, which spatially modulates the transmission of synchronous pulse of THz radiation. An unknown object is placed on the hidden side of the silicon, and the far-field THz transmission corresponding to each mask is recorded by a single-element detector. Knowledge of the patterns and of the corresponding detector signal are combined to give an image of the object. Using this technique, we image a printed circuit board on the underside of a 115-μm-thick silicon wafer with ~100-μm (λ/4) resolution. With subwavelength resolution and the inherent sensitivity to local conductivity, it is possible to detect fissures in the circuitry wiring of a few micrometers in size. THz imaging systems of this type will have other uses too, where noninvasive measurement or imaging of concealed structures is necessary, such as in semiconductor manufacturing or in ex vivo bioimaging.

Object detection in natural scenes: Independent effects of spatial and category-based attention.

PubMed

Stein, Timo; Peelen, Marius V

2017-04-01

Humans are remarkably efficient in detecting highly familiar object categories in natural scenes, with evidence suggesting that such object detection can be performed in the (near) absence of attention. Here we systematically explored the influences of both spatial attention and category-based attention on the accuracy of object detection in natural scenes. Manipulating both types of attention additionally allowed for addressing how these factors interact: whether the requirement for spatial attention depends on the extent to which observers are prepared to detect a specific object category-that is, on category-based attention. The results showed that the detection of targets from one category (animals or vehicles) was better than the detection of targets from two categories (animals and vehicles), demonstrating the beneficial effect of category-based attention. This effect did not depend on the semantic congruency of the target object and the background scene, indicating that observers attended to visual features diagnostic of the foreground target objects from the cued category. Importantly, in three experiments the detection of objects in scenes presented in the periphery was significantly impaired when observers simultaneously performed an attentionally demanding task at fixation, showing that spatial attention affects natural scene perception. In all experiments, the effects of category-based attention and spatial attention on object detection performance were additive rather than interactive. Finally, neither spatial nor category-based attention influenced metacognitive ability for object detection performance. These findings demonstrate that efficient object detection in natural scenes is independently facilitated by spatial and category-based attention.

Determining rotational dynamics of the guanidino group of arginine side chains in proteins by carbon-detected NMR† †Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c7cc04821a

PubMed Central

Gerecht, Karola; Figueiredo, Angelo Miguel

2017-01-01

Arginine residues are imperative for many active sites and protein-interaction interfaces. A new NMR-based method is presented to determine the rotational dynamics around the Nε–Cζ bond of arginine side chains. An application to a 19 kDa protein shows that the strengths of interactions involving arginine side chains can be characterised. PMID:28840203

Positive Side Effects of a Job-Related Training Program for Older Adults in South Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lee, Minhong; Choi, Jae-Sung

2012-01-01

The objective of the current study was to evaluate empirically positive side effects of a job-related training program on older adults' self-esteem, depression, and social networks. A total of 70 older adults participated in the study after completing the Older Paraprofessional Training Program developed and provided by the Continuing Education…

Reflections From a Fresnel Lens

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keeports, David

2005-01-01

Reflection of light by a convex Fresnel lens gives rise to two distinct images. A highly convex inverted real reflective image forms on the object side of the lens, while an upright virtual reflective image forms on the opposite side of the lens. I describe here a set of laser experiments performed upon a Fresnel lens. These experiments provide…

Research on Daily Objects Detection Based on Deep Neural Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Sheng; Zhao, Kun

2018-03-01

With the rapid development of deep learning, great breakthroughs have been made in the field of object detection. In this article, the deep learning algorithm is applied to the detection of daily objects, and some progress has been made in this direction. Compared with traditional object detection methods, the daily objects detection method based on deep learning is faster and more accurate. The main research work of this article: 1. collect a small data set of daily objects; 2. in the TensorFlow framework to build different models of object detection, and use this data set training model; 3. the training process and effect of the model are improved by fine-tuning the model parameters.

Object Detection in Natural Backgrounds Predicted by Discrimination Performance and Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ahumada, A. J., Jr.; Watson, A. B.; Rohaly, A. M.; Null, Cynthia H. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

In object detection, an observer looks for an object class member in a set of backgrounds. In discrimination, an observer tries to distinguish two images. Discrimination models predict the probability that an observer detects a difference between two images. We compare object detection and image discrimination with the same stimuli by: (1) making stimulus pairs of the same background with and without the target object and (2) either giving many consecutive trials with the same background (discrimination) or intermixing the stimuli (object detection). Six images of a vehicle in a natural setting were altered to remove the vehicle and mixed with the original image in various proportions. Detection observers rated the images for vehicle presence. Discrimination observers rated the images for any difference from the background image. Estimated detectabilities of the vehicles were found by maximizing the likelihood of a Thurstone category scaling model. The pattern of estimated detectabilities is similar for discrimination and object detection, and is accurately predicted by a Cortex Transform discrimination model. Predictions of a Contrast- Sensitivity- Function filter model and a Root-Mean-Square difference metric based on the digital image values are less accurate. The discrimination detectabilities averaged about twice those of object detection.

Cradling Side Preference Is Associated with Lateralized Processing of Baby Facial Expressions in Females

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huggenberger, Harriet J.; Suter, Susanne E.; Reijnen, Ester; Schachinger, Hartmut

2009-01-01

Women's cradling side preference has been related to contralateral hemispheric specialization of processing emotional signals; but not of processing baby's facial expression. Therefore, 46 nulliparous female volunteers were characterized as left or non-left holders (HG) during a doll holding task. During a signal detection task they were then…

Object detection approach using generative sparse, hierarchical networks with top-down and lateral connections for combining texture/color detection and shape/contour detection

DOEpatents

Paiton, Dylan M.; Kenyon, Garrett T.; Brumby, Steven P.; Schultz, Peter F.; George, John S.

2015-07-28

An approach to detecting objects in an image dataset may combine texture/color detection, shape/contour detection, and/or motion detection using sparse, generative, hierarchical models with lateral and top-down connections. A first independent representation of objects in an image dataset may be produced using a color/texture detection algorithm. A second independent representation of objects in the image dataset may be produced using a shape/contour detection algorithm. A third independent representation of objects in the image dataset may be produced using a motion detection algorithm. The first, second, and third independent representations may then be combined into a single coherent output using a combinatorial algorithm.

Differential Rotation via Tracking of Coronal Bright Points.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McAteer, James; Boucheron, Laura E.; Osorno, Marcy

2016-05-01

The accurate computation of solar differential rotation is important both as a constraint for, and evidence towards, support of models of the solar dynamo. As such, the use of Xray and Extreme Ultraviolet bright points to elucidate differential rotation has been studied in recent years. In this work, we propose the automated detection and tracking of coronal bright points (CBPs) in a large set of SDO data for re-evaluation of solar differential rotation and comparison to other results. The big data aspects, and high cadence, of SDO data mitigate a few issues common to detection and tracking of objects in image sequences and allow us to focus on the use of CBPs to determine differential rotation. The high cadence of the data allows to disambiguate individual CBPs between subsequent images by allowing for significant spatial overlap, i.e., by the fact that the CBPs will rotate a short distance relative to their size. The significant spatial overlap minimizes the effects of incorrectly detected CBPs by reducing the occurrence of outlier values of differential rotation. The big data aspects of the data allows to be more conservative in our detection of CBPs (i.e., to err on the side of missing CBPs rather than detecting extraneous CBPs) while still maintaining statistically larger populations over which to study characteristics. The ability to compute solar differential rotation through the automated detection and tracking of a large population of CBPs will allow for further analyses such as the N-S asymmetry of differential rotation, variation of differential rotation over the solar cycle, and a detailed study of the magnetic flux underlying the CBPs.

Detecting impossible changes in infancy: a three-system account

PubMed Central

Wang, Su-hua; Baillargeon, Renée

2012-01-01

Can infants detect that an object has magically disappeared, broken apart or changed color while briefly hidden? Recent research suggests that infants detect some but not other ‘impossible’ changes; and that various contextual manipulations can induce infants to detect changes they would not otherwise detect. We present an account that includes three systems: a physical-reasoning, an object-tracking, and an object-representation system. What impossible changes infants detect depends on what object information is included in the physical-reasoning system; this information becomes subject to a principle of persistence, which states that objects can undergo no spontaneous or uncaused change. What contextual manipulations induce infants to detect impossible changes depends on complex interplays between the physical-reasoning system and the object-tracking and object-representation systems. PMID:18078778

Subvalvular pannus and thrombosis in a mitral valve prosthesis.

PubMed

Kim, Gun Ha; Yang, Dong Hyun; Kang, Joon-Won; Kim, Dae-Hee; Jung, Sung-Ho; Lim, Tae-Hwan

2016-01-01

A 69-year-old female underwent cardiac CT to evaluate prosthetic valve (PHV) dysfunction detected on echocardiography. A CT coronal and en face views of the mitral annular plane showed a low-density, mass-like lesion on the left atrial side of the PHV and a high-density, plate-like lesion on the left ventricular side of PHV. A repeat of the mitral valve replacement was performed, and preoperative CT findings of both the thrombus on the left atrial side and pannus formation on the LV side were confirmed in the operative findings. Copyright © 2016 Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Novel application of a Wii remote to measure spasticity with the pendulum test: Proof of concept

PubMed Central

Yeh, Chien-Hung; Hung, Chi-Yao; Wang, Yung-Hung; Hsu, Wei-Tai; Chang, Yi-Chung; Yeh, Jia-Rong; Lee, Po-Lei; Hu, Kun; Kang, Jiunn-Horng; Lo, Men-Tzung

2016-01-01

Background The pendulum test is a standard clinical test for quantifying the severity of spasticity. In the test, an electrogoniometer is typically used to measure the knee angular motion. The device is costly and difficult to set up such that the pendulum test is normally time consuming. Objective The goal of this study is to determine whether a Nintendo Wii remote can replace the electrogroniometer for reliable assessment of the angular motion of the knee in the pendulum test. Methods The pendulum test was performed in three control participants and 13 hemiplegic stroke patients using both a Wii remote and an electrogoniometer. The correlation coefficient and the Bland–Altman difference plot were used to compare the results obtained from the two devices. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test was used to compare the difference between hemiplegia-affected and nonaffected sides in the hemiplegic stroke patients. Results There was a fair to strong correlation between measurements from the Wii remote and the electrogoniometer (0.513 < R2 < 0.800). Small but consistent differences between the Wii remote and electrogoniometer were identified from the Bland–Altman difference plot. Within the hemiplegic stroke patients, both devices successfully distinguished the hemiplegia-affected (spastic) side from the nonaffected (nonspastic) side (both with p < .0001*). In addition, the intraclass correlation coefficient, standard error of measurement, and minimum detectable differences were highly consistent for both devices. Conclusion Our findings suggest that the Wii remote may serve as a convenient and cost-efficient tool for the assessment of spasticity. PMID:26669955

Backscatter X-Ray Development for Space Vehicle Thermal Protection Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartha, Bence B.; Hope, Dale; Vona, Paul; Born, Martin; Corak, Tony

2011-06-01

The Backscatter X-Ray (BSX) imaging technique is used for various single sided inspection purposes. Previously developed BSX techniques for spray-on-foam insulation (SOFI) have been used for detecting defects in Space Shuttle External Tank foam insulation. The developed BSX hardware and techniques are currently being enhanced to advance Non-Destructive Evaluation (NDE) methods for future space vehicle applications. Various Thermal Protection System (TPS) materials were inspected using the enhanced BSX imaging techniques, investigating the capability of the method to detect voids and other discontinuities at various locations within each material. Calibration standards were developed for the TPS materials in order to characterize and develop enhanced BSX inspection capabilities. The ability of the BSX technique to detect both manufactured and natural defects was also studied and compared to through-transmission x-ray techniques. The energy of the x-ray, source to object distance, angle of x-ray, focal spot size and x-ray detector configurations were parameters playing a significant role in the sensitivity of the BSX technique to image various materials and defects. The image processing of the results also showed significant increase in the sensitivity of the technique. The experimental results showed BSX to be a viable inspection technique for space vehicle TPS systems.

Color multiplexing method to capture front and side images with a capsule endoscope.

PubMed

Tseng, Yung-Chieh; Hsu, Hsun-Ching; Han, Pin; Tsai, Cheng-Mu

2015-10-01

This paper proposes a capsule endoscope (CE), based on color multiplexing, to simultaneously record front and side images. Only one lens associated with an X-cube prism is employed to catch the front and side view profiles in the CE. Three color filters and polarizers are placed on three sides of an X-cube prism. When objects locate at one of the X-cube's three sides, front and side view profiles of different colors will be caught through the proposed lens and recorded at the color image sensor. The proposed color multiplexing CE (CMCE) is designed with a field of view of up to 210 deg and a 180 lp/mm resolution under f-number 2.8 and overall length 13.323 mm. A ray-tracing simulation in the CMCE with the color multiplexing mechanism verifies that the CMCE not only records the front and side view profiles at the same time, but also has great image quality at a small size.

Dizziness and Head Injury

PubMed Central

Barber, H. O.

1965-01-01

Dizziness, whether vague or specifically rotational, is a common sequel to head injury, and is often postural. One hundred and sixty-five patients with this symptom were examined. The simple posture tests employed to detect positional nystagmus are described. This physical finding was present in one-quarter of the entire group, and in nearly one-half of cases of longitudinal fracture of temporal bone. In such cases, it is an objective finding that corresponds precisely to the patient's complaint of vertigo. Transverse fracture of temporal bone destroys the inner ear in both cochlear and vestibular parts. Longitudinal fracture is commoner and causes bleeding from the ear; inner-ear damage is usually minor. In the rare cases where persisting postural vertigo and positional nystagmus are disabling, relief of the symptom may be achieved by vestibular denervation of the affected side. PMID:14285289

A comparison of the performance of digital mammography systems.

PubMed

Monnin, P; Gutierrez, D; Bulling, S; Guntern, D; Verdun, F R

2007-03-01

An objective analysis of image quality parameters was performed for six digital mammography systems. The presampled modulation transfer function (MTF), normalized noise power spectrum (NNPS), and detective quantum efficiency (DQE) for the systems were determined at different doses, for 28 kVp with a Mo/Mo or W/Al target/filter combination and 2 mm of additional aluminium filtration. The flat-panel units have higher MTF and DQE in the mid to high frequency range than standard CR systems. The highest DQE, over the whole dose range, is for the slit-scanning direct photon counting system. Dual-side read CR can overcome the inherent x-ray absorption and signal collection limitations of standard CR mammography, improving the low-frequency DQE by 40%, to the same level as full-field systems, but it does not improve the poor spatial resolution of phosphor.

ISLES: Probing Extra Dimensions Using a Superconducting Accelerometer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Paik, Ho Jung; Moody, M. Vol; Prieto-Gortcheva, Violeta A.

2003-01-01

In string theories, extra dimensions must be compactified. The possibility that gravity can have large radii of compactification leads to a violation of the inverse square law at submillimeter distances. The objective of ISLES is to perform a null test of Newton s law in space with a resolution of one part in 10(exp 5) or better at 100 microns. The experiment will be cooled to less than or equal to 2 K, which permits superconducting magnetic levitation of the test masses. To minimize Newtonian errors, ISLES employs a near null source, a circular disk of large diameter-to-thickness ratio. Two test masses, also disk-shaped, are suspended on the two sides of the source mass at a nominal distance of 100 microns. The signal is detected by a superconducting differential accelerometer. A ground test apparatus is under construction.

Transmission versus reflectance spectroscopy for quantitation.

PubMed

Gardner, Craig M

2018-01-01

The objective of this work was to compare the accuracy of analyte concentration estimation when using transmission versus diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of a scattering medium. Monte Carlo ray tracing of light through the medium was used in conjunction with pure component absorption spectra and Beer-Lambert absorption along each ray's pathlength to generate matched sets of pseudoabsorbance spectra, containing water and six analytes present in skin. PLS regression models revealed an improvement in accuracy when using transmission compared to reflectance for a range of medium thicknesses and instrument noise levels. An analytical expression revealed the source of the accuracy degradation with reflectance was due both to the reduced collection efficiency for a fixed instrument etendue and to the broad pathlength distribution that detected light travels in the medium before exiting from the incident side. (2018) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE).

A Deep Convolutional Coupling Network for Change Detection Based on Heterogeneous Optical and Radar Images.

PubMed

Liu, Jia; Gong, Maoguo; Qin, Kai; Zhang, Puzhao

2018-03-01

We propose an unsupervised deep convolutional coupling network for change detection based on two heterogeneous images acquired by optical sensors and radars on different dates. Most existing change detection methods are based on homogeneous images. Due to the complementary properties of optical and radar sensors, there is an increasing interest in change detection based on heterogeneous images. The proposed network is symmetric with each side consisting of one convolutional layer and several coupling layers. The two input images connected with the two sides of the network, respectively, are transformed into a feature space where their feature representations become more consistent. In this feature space, the different map is calculated, which then leads to the ultimate detection map by applying a thresholding algorithm. The network parameters are learned by optimizing a coupling function. The learning process is unsupervised, which is different from most existing change detection methods based on heterogeneous images. Experimental results on both homogenous and heterogeneous images demonstrate the promising performance of the proposed network compared with several existing approaches.

The relationship between change detection and recognition of centrally attended objects in motion pictures.

PubMed

Angelone, Bonnie L; Levin, Daniel T; Simons, Daniel J

2003-01-01

Observers typically detect changes to central objects more readily than changes to marginal objects, but they sometimes miss changes to central, attended objects as well. However, even if observers do not report such changes, they may be able to recognize the changed object. In three experiments we explored change detection and recognition memory for several types of changes to central objects in motion pictures. Observers who failed to detect a change still performed at above chance levels on a recognition task in almost all conditions. In addition, observers who detected the change were no more accurate in their recognition than those who did not detect the change. Despite large differences in the detectability of changes across conditions, those observers who missed the change did not vary in their ability to recognize the changing object.

Object detection approach using generative sparse, hierarchical networks with top-down and lateral connections for combining texture/color detection and shape/contour detection

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

Paiton, Dylan M.; Kenyon, Garrett T.; Brumby, Steven P.

An approach to detecting objects in an image dataset may combine texture/color detection, shape/contour detection, and/or motion detection using sparse, generative, hierarchical models with lateral and top-down connections. A first independent representation of objects in an image dataset may be produced using a color/texture detection algorithm. A second independent representation of objects in the image dataset may be produced using a shape/contour detection algorithm. A third independent representation of objects in the image dataset may be produced using a motion detection algorithm. The first, second, and third independent representations may then be combined into a single coherent output using amore » combinatorial algorithm.« less

Laser-ultrasound spectroscopy apparatus and method with detection of shear resonances for measuring anisotropy, thickness, and other properties

DOEpatents

Levesque, Daniel; Moreau, Andre; Dubois, Marc; Monchalin, Jean-Pierre; Bussiere, Jean; Lord, Martin; Padioleau, Christian

2000-01-01

Apparatus and method for detecting shear resonances includes structure and steps for applying a radiation pulse from a pulsed source of radiation to an object to generate elastic waves therein, optically detecting the elastic waves generated in the object, and analyzing the elastic waves optically detected in the object. These shear resonances, alone or in combination with other information, may be used in the present invention to improve thickness measurement accuracy and to determine geometrical, microstructural, and physical properties of the object. At least one shear resonance in the object is detected with the elastic waves optically detected in the object. Preferably, laser-ultrasound spectroscopy is utilized to detect the shear resonances.

MOPRA CO OBSERVATIONS OF THE BUBBLE H II REGION RCW 120

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

Anderson, L. D.; Deharveng, L.; Zavagno, A.

2015-02-20

We use the Mopra radio telescope to test for expansion of the molecular gas associated with the bubble H II region RCW 120. A ring, or bubble, morphology is common for Galactic H II regions, but the three-dimensional geometry of such objects is still unclear. Detected near- and far-side expansion of the associated molecular material would be consistent with a three-dimensional spherical object. We map the J = 1 → 0 transitions of {sup 12}CO, {sup 13}CO, C{sup 18}O, and C{sup 17}O, and detect emission from all isotopologues. We do not detect the 0{sub 0} → 1{sub –1} E masingmore » lines of CH{sub 3}OH at 108.8939 GHz. The strongest CO emission is from the photo-dissociation region (PDR), and there is a deficit of emission toward the bubble interior. We find no evidence for expansion of the molecular material associated with RCW 120 and therefore can make no claims about its geometry. The lack of detected expansion is roughly in agreement with models for the time-evolution of an H II region like RCW 120, and is consistent with an expansion speed of ≲ 1.5 km s{sup –1}. Single-position CO spectra show signatures of expansion, which underscores the importance of mapped spectra for such work. Dust temperature enhancements outside the PDR of RCW 120 coincide with a deficit of emission in CO, confirming that these temperature enhancements are due to holes in the RCW 120 PDR. H-alpha emission shows that RCW 120 is leaking ∼5% of the ionizing photons into the interstellar medium (ISM) through PDR holes at the locations of the temperature enhancements. Hα emission also shows a diffuse 'halo' from leaked photons not associated with discrete holes in the PDR. Overall ∼25% ± 10% of all ionizing photons are leaking into the nearby ISM.« less

ExoMars WISDOM Left-Right-Evaluation of Subsurface Features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plettemeier, Dirk; Ciarletti, Valerie; Benedix, Wolf-Stefan; Clifford, Stephen; Dorizon, Sophie; Statz, Christoph

2013-04-01

The Experiment "Water Ice and Subsurface Deposit Observations on Mars" (WISDOM) is a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) selected to be part of the Pasteur payload on board the rover of the ExoMars2018 mission. This experiment has been designed to characterize the shallow subsurface structure of Mars. The radar is a gated step frequency system covering a frequency range from 0.5 GHz to 3 GHz. The antenna system consists of two antennas sending and receiving two orthogonal polarizations each. Its particular arrangement on the rover enables a classification, whether a scattering object is located on the left or the right hand side of the rover path. The setting and the procedure for the left-right-detection of off-track buried objects is described. The method is applied to data from laboratory, test site and field measurements. The capability of WISDOM left-right-evaluation of scatters is based on the performance of the fully polarimetric antenna system. The ultra-light weight antenna system consists of two crosswise arranged Vivaldi arrays, which operate over a wide bandwidth of 6:1. The antenna is placed at the rear of the ExoMars rover in a way that the E- planes of each single Vivaldi antenna is rotated by 45 degrees with respect to the direction of motion. Moreover, the pattern of this Vivaldi antenna exhibits a narrow beam at the E-plane and a wide beam at the H-plane. Besides the simple detection of objects, these particular antenna and accommodation features allow the location of objects to the left or to the right of the rover path. In a first step the left-right-evaluation of objects and subsurface features is investigated on laboratory measurements for different geometrical configurations. As expected the radargrams exhibit a strong echo at the co-polar transfer functions. At each lateral distance the echo of each scatterer produces a hyperbola but the position of the maximum of magnitude depends on the lateral distance to the rover path. In the next step measurements in artificial environment with known material parameters is carried out to estimate the performance for buried objects. Finally, the procedure is applied to measurement data gained from a field test. The data were recorded during a campaign in a cave of the Dachstein mountain area in Austria. Since the echo interpretation of lots of subsurface features at once is not easy, the gray scale data of both polarizations has been set to different color channels and combined. The different colors allow also in a realistic environment the discrimination of subsurface features located on the left from those located on the right hand side of the rover path. This technique is interesting especially for the traverse mode, where the rover is moving long distances from one place of investigation to the next rather that following a grid like pattern necessary to get a real 3D mapping of the subsurface. Even in this case where radar measurements are done on the way one can get a more detailed (3D-like) insight of the subsurface structure.

An "intelligent" approach based on side-by-side cascade-correlation neural networks for estimating thermophysical properties from photothermal responses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grieu, Stéphane; Faugeroux, Olivier; Traoré, Adama; Claudet, Bernard; Bodnar, Jean-Luc

2015-01-01

In the present paper, an artificial-intelligence-based approach dealing with the estimation of thermophysical properties is designed and evaluated. This new and "intelligent" approach makes use of photothermal responses obtained when subjecting materials to a light flux. So, the main objective of the present work was to estimate simultaneously both the thermal diffusivity and conductivity of materials, from front-face or rear-face photothermal responses to pseudo random binary signals. To this end, we used side-by-side feedforward neural networks trained with the cascade-correlation algorithm. In addition, computation time was a key point to consider. That is why the developed algorithms are computationally tractable.

Utilisation of polyurethane composit with 50% composition of roystonea regia fiber as noise reduction panel on car hood

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ikhwansyah; Mulia; Gunawan, S.; Lubis, R. D. W.

2018-02-01

The objective is to get the characteristics of noise reduction, noise reduction level, variety of measurement spaces, and knowing the process in making acoustic material of natural fiber becomes noise reduction on a car hood. The process of making noise reduction material used casting method and pressed by using molded press. The composition of noise reduction material consist of 50% roystonea regia by 32 mesh and 50% combined by gypsum and polyurethane. The result shows that the average result of noise reduction at X1- side is 5,7% and X2- side is 3,9%, X1+ side is 0,9% and X2+ side is 6,2%, Z1- side is 8,9% and Z2- side is 10,1%, Z1+ side is 9,7% and Z2+ side is 10,01%. The main conclusion of the study shows that a noise reduction which made of roystonea regia with 32 mesh mixed by matrix of polyurethane and gypsum is appropriate for noise reduction on car hood.

[Treatment side effects and compliance in patients with depression].

PubMed

Petrova, N N; Kucher, E O

2012-01-01

The impact of treatment side-effects on the compliance was studied in 85 depressive patients with different mental disorders - recurrent depressive disorder, postschizophrenic depression and organic affective disorder. The comparison of objective and subjective evaluations of compliance and a comparative analysis of the level of compliance, with its dependence on the treatment specifics, in different diseases were done. A significant role of efficacy and treatment side-effects was identified. The levels of "mental" and "autonomous" side-effects were highest in the treatment of depression: patients with postschizophrenic depression had the highest risk in respect of maintenance treatment; patients with recurrent depressive disorder and organic (affective) disorder were more tolerant to the treatment side-effects and their treatment, including the maintenance therapy, was rather effective. The compliance of all patients with depression was negatively correlated with the severity of side-effects of pharmacotherapy. The greatest side-effects and the lowest level of compliance were observed in the complex treatment with antidepressants and atypical neuroleptics. The effect of side-effects on the compliance was dependent on their severity and subjective tolerability and, to a lesser extent, on the amount of drugs.

A survey on object detection in optical remote sensing images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Gong; Han, Junwei

2016-07-01

Object detection in optical remote sensing images, being a fundamental but challenging problem in the field of aerial and satellite image analysis, plays an important role for a wide range of applications and is receiving significant attention in recent years. While enormous methods exist, a deep review of the literature concerning generic object detection is still lacking. This paper aims to provide a review of the recent progress in this field. Different from several previously published surveys that focus on a specific object class such as building and road, we concentrate on more generic object categories including, but are not limited to, road, building, tree, vehicle, ship, airport, urban-area. Covering about 270 publications we survey (1) template matching-based object detection methods, (2) knowledge-based object detection methods, (3) object-based image analysis (OBIA)-based object detection methods, (4) machine learning-based object detection methods, and (5) five publicly available datasets and three standard evaluation metrics. We also discuss the challenges of current studies and propose two promising research directions, namely deep learning-based feature representation and weakly supervised learning-based geospatial object detection. It is our hope that this survey will be beneficial for the researchers to have better understanding of this research field.

The relationship of storm severity to directionally resolved radio emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, R. L.

1986-04-01

The objective was to provide continuous observation of atmospheric electrical activity occurring in association with tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico. The observations were to include the location of all detected intracloud and cloud-to-ground lightning activity occurring in the storm. To provide synoptic scale coverage, a phase linear interferometer high frequency direction finder (HFDF) system was constructed and developed at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This was used in concert with the existing HFDF interferometer at the southwest research institute to provide lightning location data through triangulation. Atmospheric electrical events were synchronized through the use of satellite receivers at each site. The intent of the data analysis was to correlate the location of electrical centers of activity with radar and satellite imagry to identify areas of intense convection within the tropical storm system. Analysis of the hurricane Alicia data indicate a center of atmospheric electrical activity associated with the vortex of the storm. The center appears to rotate from the Northern side of the vortex to the Southern side during the period of observation. An analysis of the atmospheric electrical burst rates associated with hurrican Alicia indicates that the electrical activity appears to maximize at the time of greatest storm intensity, i.e., maximum winds and lowest central pressure.

Clinical utility of wavelet compression for resolution-enhanced chest radiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andriole, Katherine P.; Hovanes, Michael E.; Rowberg, Alan H.

2000-05-01

This study evaluates the usefulness of wavelet compression for resolution-enhanced storage phosphor chest radiographs in the detection of subtle interstitial disease, pneumothorax and other abnormalities. A wavelet compression technique, MrSIDTM (LizardTech, Inc., Seattle, WA), is implemented which compresses the images from their original 2,000 by 2,000 (2K) matrix size, and then decompresses the image data for display at optimal resolution by matching the spatial frequency characteristics of image objects using a 4,000- square matrix. The 2K-matrix computed radiography (CR) chest images are magnified to a 4K-matrix using wavelet series expansion. The magnified images are compared with the original uncompressed 2K radiographs and with two-times magnification of the original images. Preliminary results show radiologist preference for MrSIDTM wavelet-based magnification over magnification of original data, and suggest that the compressed/decompressed images may provide an enhancement to the original. Data collection for clinical trials of 100 chest radiographs including subtle interstitial abnormalities and/or subtle pneumothoraces and normal cases, are in progress. Three experienced thoracic radiologists will view images side-by- side on calibrated softcopy workstations under controlled viewing conditions, and rank order preference tests will be performed. This technique combines image compression with image enhancement, and suggests that compressed/decompressed images can actually improve the originals.

Prevalence of hypodontia in a sample of Sudanese orthodontic patients

PubMed Central

Hassan, Duaa Abdulrahman; Abuaffan, Amal H; Hashim, Hayder A

2014-01-01

Objective: The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of hypodontia in the permanent dentition in a sample of Sudanese patients who sought orthodontic treatment and to compare the results with the reported findings of other populations. Materials and Methods: Orthodontic files including orthopantomographs of 1069 patients (760 females and 309 males - more than 8 years old) were examined and inspected for evidence of hypodontia. Results: The prevalence of hypodontia of the present sample was 5.1%. Hypodontia was found considerably more frequently in the mandible than in the maxilla. The distribution of missing teeth was noticed in the left side more than in the right side. The most frequently missing teeth were the maxillary lateral incisors, followed by the mandibular second premolars, maxillary second premolars and mandibular left lateral incisor. The majority of patients had two or three teeth missing, but rarely more than 5 teeth missing. Conclusions: The prevalence of hypodontia of this study was within the range of that reported in the literature. The incidence of hypodontia in the anterior segment requires great need for orthodontic and prosthodontic treatment. With early detection of hypodontia, alternative treatment modalities can be planned and performed with a multidisciplinary team approach restoring the esthetic and function. PMID:25143929

The relationship of storm severity to directionally resolved radio emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Johnson, R. L.

1986-01-01

The objective was to provide continuous observation of atmospheric electrical activity occurring in association with tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico. The observations were to include the location of all detected intracloud and cloud-to-ground lightning activity occurring in the storm. To provide synoptic scale coverage, a phase linear interferometer high frequency direction finder (HFDF) system was constructed and developed at Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This was used in concert with the existing HFDF interferometer at the southwest research institute to provide lightning location data through triangulation. Atmospheric electrical events were synchronized through the use of satellite receivers at each site. The intent of the data analysis was to correlate the location of electrical centers of activity with radar and satellite imagry to identify areas of intense convection within the tropical storm system. Analysis of the hurricane Alicia data indicate a center of atmospheric electrical activity associated with the vortex of the storm. The center appears to rotate from the Northern side of the vortex to the Southern side during the period of observation. An analysis of the atmospheric electrical burst rates associated with hurrican Alicia indicates that the electrical activity appears to maximize at the time of greatest storm intensity, i.e., maximum winds and lowest central pressure.

SMSS J130522.47-293113.0: a high-latitude stellar X-ray source with pc-scale outflow relics?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Da Costa, G. S.; Soria, R.; Farrell, S. A.; Bayliss, D.; Bessell, M. S.; Vogt, F. P. A.; Zhou, G.; Points, S. D.; Beers, T. C.; López-Sánchez, Á. R.; Bannister, K. W.; Bell, M.; Hancock, P. J.; Burlon, D.; Gaensler, B. M.; Sadler, E. M.; Tingay, S.; Keller, S. C.; Schmidt, B. P.; Tisserand, P.

2018-06-01

We report the discovery of an unusual stellar system SMSS J130522.47-293113.0. The optical spectrum is dominated by a blue continuum together with emission lines of hydrogen, neutral, and ionized helium, and the N III, C III blend at ˜4640-4650 Å. The emission-line profiles vary in strength and position on time-scales as short as 1 d, while optical photometry reveals fluctuations of as much as ˜0.2 mag in g on time-scales as short as 10-15 min. The system is a weak X-ray source (f0.3-10 = (1.2 ± 0.1) × 10-13 ergs cm2 s-1 in the 0.3-10 keV band) but is not detected at radio wavelengths (3σ upper limit of 50 μJy at 5.5 GHz). The most intriguing property of the system, however, is the existence of two `blobs', a few arcsec in size, that are symmetrically located 3{^'.}8 (2.2 pc for our preferred system distance of ˜2 kpc) each side of the central object. The blobs are detected in optical and near-IR broad-band images but do not show any excess emission in H α images. We discuss the interpretation of the system, suggesting that the central object is most likely a nova-like CV, and that the blobs are relics of a pc-scale accretion-powered collimated outflow.

Prospective evaluation of Doppler sonography to detect the twinkling artifact versus unenhanced computed tomography for identifying urinary tract calculi.

PubMed

Kielar, Ania Z; Shabana, Wael; Vakili, Maryam; Rubin, Jonathan

2012-10-01

The twinkling artifact is an emerging tool for identifying urinary tract calculi. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the twinkling artifact compared to unenhanced computed tomography in detecting urolithasis. After Research Ethics Board approval, 51 patients with flank pain from the emergency department were enrolled between November 2009 and September 2010. Patients received an unenhanced computed tomographic scan with 1.25-mm raw data and reformatted 5-mm axial and 2-mm coronal images. Blinded assessment of the urinary tract was performed with gray-scale and color Doppler interrogation. The number of calculi, location, size, kidney distance from the skin, body mass index of the patient, and sonographic image parameters were recorded. There were 35 right-sided and 38 left-sided renal calculi, 14 right-sided and 21 left-sided ureteric calculi, and 6 bladder calculi (total, 114 calculi). Thirteen patients had no calculi. The average calculus size was 2.6 mm (range, 1-9 mm). There were 6 false-positive and 22 false-negative instances of twinkling artifacts. On gray-scale evaluation looking for an echogenic focus with shadowing, there were 8 false-positive and 40 false-negative findings. The positive predictive value (PPV) of the twinkling artifact for identifying calculi was 94%, and the sensitivity was 83%. The PPV of gray-scale sonographic shadowing was only 64.9%, and the sensitivity was 80.2%. The twinkling artifact has a high PPV for detecting renal and urinary tract calculi. Evaluation for the twinkling artifact is a complementary technique to standard gray-scale shadowing of calculi and improves detection of urolithiasis on sonography.

Population-based mammography screening: comparison of screen-film and full-field digital mammography with soft-copy reading--Oslo I study.

PubMed

Skaane, Per; Young, Kari; Skjennald, Arnulf

2003-12-01

To compare screen-film and full-field digital mammography with soft-copy reading in a population-based screening program. Full-field digital and screen-film mammography were performed in 3,683 women aged 50-69 years. Two standard views of each breast were acquired with each modality. Images underwent independent double reading with use of a five-point rating scale for probability of cancer. Recall rates and positive predictive values were calculated. Cancer detection rates determined with both modalities were compared by using the McNemar test for paired proportions. Retrospective side-by-side analysis for conspicuity of cancers was performed by an external independent radiologist group with experience in both modalities. In 3,683 cases, 31 cancers were detected. Screen-film mammography depicted 28 (0.76%) malignancies, and full-field digital mammography depicted 23 (0.62%) malignancies. The difference between cancer detection rates was not significant (P =.23). The recall rate for full-field digital mammography (4.6%; 168 of 3,683 cases) was slightly higher than that for screen-film mammography (3.5%; 128 of 3,683 cases). The positive predictive value based on needle biopsy results was 46% for screen-film mammography and 39% for full-field digital mammography. Side-by-side image comparison for cancer conspicuity led to classification of 19 cancers as equal for probability of malignancy, six cancers as slightly better demonstrated at screen-film mammography, and six cancers as slightly better demonstrated at full-field digital mammography. There was no statistically significant difference in cancer detection rate between screen-film and full-field digital mammography. Cancer conspicuity was equal with both modalities. Full-field digital mammography with soft-copy reading is comparable to screen-film mammography in population-based screening.

Side-entry laser-beam zigzag irradiation of multiple channels in a microchip for simultaneous and highly sensitive detection of fluorescent analytes.

PubMed

Anazawa, Takashi; Yokoi, Takahide; Uchiho, Yuichi

2015-09-01

A simple and highly sensitive technique for laser-induced fluorescence detection on multiple channels in a plastic microchip was developed, and its effectiveness was demonstrated by laser-beam ray-trace simulations and experiments. In the microchip, with refractive index nC, A channels and B channels are arrayed alternately and respectively filled with materials with refractive indexes nA for electrophoresis analysis and nB for laser-beam control. It was shown that a laser beam entering from the side of the channel array traveled straight and irradiated all A channels simultaneously and effectively because the refractive actions by the A and B channels were counterbalanced according to the condition nA < nC < nB. This technique is thus called "side-entry laser-beam zigzag irradiation". As a demonstration of the technique, when nC = 1.53, nA = 1.41, nB = 1.66, and the cross sections of both eight A channels and seven B channels were the same isosceles trapezoids with 97° base angle, laser-beam irradiation efficiency on the eight A channels by the simulations was 89% on average and coefficient of variation was 4.4%. These results are far superior to those achieved by other conventional methods such as laser-beam expansion and scanning. Furthermore, fluorescence intensity on the eight A channels determined by the experiments agreed well with that determined by the simulations. Therefore, highly sensitive and uniform fluorescence detection on eight A channels was achieved. It is also possible to fabricate the microchips at low cost by plastic-injection molding and to make a simple and compact detection system, thereby promoting actual use of the proposed side-entry laser-beam zigzag irradiation in various fields.

Pharmacogenetic study of second-generation antipsychotic long-term treatment metabolic side effects (the SLiM Study): rationale, objectives, design and sample description.

PubMed

Pina-Camacho, Laura; Díaz-Caneja, Covadonga M; Saiz, Pilar A; Bobes, Julio; Corripio, Iluminada; Grasa, Eva; Rodriguez-Jimenez, Roberto; Fernández, Miryam; Sanjuán, Julio; García-López, Aurelio; Tapia-Casellas, Cecilia; Álvarez-Blázquez, María; Fraguas, David; Mitjans, Marina; Arias, Bárbara; Arango, Celso

2014-01-01

Weight gain is an important and common side effect of second generation antipsychotics (SGAs). Furthermore, these drugs can induce other side effects associated with higher cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, such as insulin resistance, diabetes or metabolic syndrome. Preliminary studies show that inter-individual genetic differences produce varying degrees of vulnerability to the different SGA-induced side effects. The Second-generation antipsychotic Long-term treatment Metabolic side effects (SLiM) study aims to identify clinical, environmental and genetic factors that explain inter-individual differences in weight gain and metabolic changes in drug-naïve patients after six months of treatment with SGAs. The SLIM study is a multicenter, observational, six-month pharmacogenetic study where a cohort of 307 drug-naïve paediatric and adult patients (age range 8.8-90.1 years) and a cohort of 150 age- and sex- matched healthy controls (7.8-73.2 years) were recruited. This paper describes the rationale, objectives and design of the study and provides a description of the sample at baseline. Results from the SLiM study will provide a better understanding of the clinical, environmental, and genetic factors involved in weight gain and metabolic disturbances associated with SGA treatment. Copyright © 2014 SEP y SEPB. Published by Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

Institutional Denial about the Dark Side of Law School, and Fresh Empirical Guidance for Constructively Breaking the Silence.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Krieger, Lawrence S.

2002-01-01

Noting evidence of the "dark side" of legal education and the process of denial among faculty, describes recent psychological research on the components of happiness and life satisfaction. Asserts that this research provides an objective framework for understanding the pervasive problems in legal education settings and thus can lead to…

Mediators of a Brief Hypnosis Intervention to Control Side Effects in Breast Surgery Patients: Response Expectancies and Emotional Distress

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery, Guy H.; Hallquist, Michael N.; Schnur, Julie B.; David, Daniel; Silverstein, Jeffrey H.; Bovbjerg, Dana H.

2010-01-01

Objective: The present study was designed to test the hypotheses that response expectancies and emotional distress mediate the effects of an empirically validated presurgical hypnosis intervention on postsurgical side effects (i.e., pain, nausea, and fatigue). Method: Women (n = 200) undergoing breast-conserving surgery (mean age = 48.50 years;…

29 CFR 1915.153 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... flying objects. Detachable side protectors (e.g., a clip-on or slide-on side shield) meeting the... (Light) Less than 10 Arc cutting (Heavy) 500 11 500-1000 Plasma arc welding Less than 6 20 8 20− 10 100 11 100− 400 400− 800 Plasma arc cutting (light)** Less than 300 8 (medium)** 300-400 9 (heavy)** 400...

29 CFR 1915.153 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... flying objects. Detachable side protectors (e.g., a clip-on or slide-on side shield) meeting the... (Light) Less than 10 Arc cutting (Heavy) 500 11 500-1000 Plasma arc welding Less than 6 20 8 20− 10 100 11 100− 400 400− 800 Plasma arc cutting (light)** Less than 300 8 (medium)** 300-400 9 (heavy)** 400...

29 CFR 1915.153 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... flying objects. Detachable side protectors (e.g., a clip-on or slide-on side shield) meeting the... (Light) Less than 10 Arc cutting (Heavy) 500 11 500-1000 Plasma arc welding Less than 6 20 8 20− 10 100 11 100− 400 400− 800 Plasma arc cutting (light)** Less than 300 8 (medium)** 300-400 9 (heavy)** 400...

29 CFR 1915.153 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... flying objects. Detachable side protectors (e.g., a clip-on or slide-on side shield) meeting the... (Light) Less than 10 Arc cutting (Heavy) 500 11 500-1000 Plasma arc welding Less than 6 20 8 20− 10 100 11 100− 400 400− 800 Plasma arc cutting (light)** Less than 300 8 (medium)** 300-400 9 (heavy)** 400...

29 CFR 1915.153 - Eye and face protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... flying objects. Detachable side protectors (e.g., a clip-on or slide-on side shield) meeting the... (Light) Less than 10 Arc cutting (Heavy) 500 11 500-1000 Plasma arc welding Less than 6 20 8 20− 10 100 11 100− 400 400− 800 Plasma arc cutting (light)** Less than 300 8 (medium)** 300-400 9 (heavy)** 400...

Lift on side by side intruders of various geometries within a granular flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acevedo-Escalante, M. F.; Caballero-Robledo, G. A.

2017-06-01

Obstacles within fluids have been widely used in engineering and in physics to study hydrodynamic interactions. In granular matter, objects within a granular flow have helped to understand fundamental features of drag and lift forces. In our group, we have studied numerically the flow mediated interaction between two static disks within a vertical granular flow in a two-dimensional container where the flow velocity and the distance between obstacles were varied. Attractive and repulsive forces were found depending on flow velocity and separation between intruders. The simulations evidenced a relationship between the average flow velocity in a specific section ahead of the obstacles and the attractive-repulsive lift. On the other hand, it was showed that the lift force on an object dragged within a granular medium depends on the shape of the intruder. Here we present experimental results of the interaction between two side-by-side intruders of different shapes within a vertical granular flow. We built a quasi-two-dimensional container in which we placed the intruders and using load cells we measured lift and drag forces during the discharge process for different flow velocities.

Finding the Density of Objects without Measuring Mass and Volume

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mumba, Frackson; Tsige, Mesfin

2007-01-01

A simple method based on the moment of forces and Archimedes' principle is described for finding density without measuring the mass and volume of an object. The method involves balancing two unknown objects of masses M[subscript 1] and M[subscript 2] on each side of a pivot on a metre rule and measuring their corresponding moment arms. The object…

Detecting "Infant-Directedness" in Face and Voice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Hojin I.; Johnson, Scott P.

2014-01-01

Five- and 3-month-old infants' perception of infant-directed (ID) faces and the role of speech in perceiving faces were examined. Infants' eye movements were recorded as they viewed a series of two side-by-side talking faces, one infant-directed and one adult-directed (AD), while listening to ID speech, AD speech, or in silence. Infants…

46 CFR 161.002-10 - Automatic fire detecting system control unit.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... that part of the supply circuit on the load side of the battery transfer switch and fuses. On a system supplied by a branch circuit the “normal source” shall be construed to mean the load side of any... fire alarm shall be electrically supervised. (d) Power failure alarms—(1) Loss of potential. The loss...

75 FR 3660 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Model 757 Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-22

... airplanes. This proposed AD would require repetitive inspections for corrosion and cracking in the front... side link support fitting at WS 292. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct such corrosion and... fastener locations common to the side link support fitting at WS 292. This area is not covered by the...

Software design of control system of CCD side-scatter lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuang, Zhiqiang; Liu, Dong; Deng, Qian; Zhang, Zhanye; Wang, Zhenzhu; Yu, Siqi; Tao, Zongming; Xie, Chenbo; Wang, Yingjian

2018-03-01

Because of the existence of blind zone and transition zone, the application of backscattering lidar in near-ground is limited. The side-scatter lidar equipped with the Charge Coupled Devices (CCD) can separate the transmitting and receiving devices to avoid the impact of the geometric factors which is exited in the backscattering lidar and, detect the more precise near-ground aerosol signals continuously. Theories of CCD side-scatter lidar and the design of control system are introduced. The visible control of laser and CCD and automatic data processing method of the side-scatter lidar are developed by using the software of Visual C #. The results which are compared with the calibration of the atmospheric aerosol lidar data show that signals from the CCD side- scatter lidar are convincible.

Faecal shedding of canine parvovirus after modified-live vaccination in healthy adult dogs.

PubMed

Freisl, M; Speck, S; Truyen, U; Reese, S; Proksch, A-L; Hartmann, K

2017-01-01

Since little is known about the persistence and faecal shedding of canine parvovirus (CPV) in dogs after modified-live vaccination, diagnostic tests for CPV can be difficult to interpret in the post-vaccination period. The primary aim of this study was to determine the incidence, duration and extent of CPV vaccine virus shedding in adult dogs and to investigate related factors, including the presence of protective antibodies, increase in anti-CPV antibody titres and development of any gastrointestinal side-effects. A secondary objective was to assess prevalence of CPV field virus shedding in clinically healthy dogs due to subclinical infections. One hundred adult, healthy privately owned dogs were vaccinated with a commercial CPV-2 modified-live vaccine (MLV). Faeces were tested for the presence of CPV DNA on days 0 (prior to vaccination), 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 by quantitative real-time PCR. Pre- and post-vaccination serum titres were determined by haemagglutination inhibition on days 0, 7 and 28. Transient excretion of CPV DNA was detected in 2.0% of dogs before vaccination. About one quarter of dogs (23.0%) shed CPV DNA during the post-vaccination period, but field and vaccine virus differentiation by VP2 gene sequencing was only successful in few samples. Faecal CPV excretion occurred despite protective serum antibody titres. Post-vaccination CPV shedding was not related to adequate antibody response after vaccination or to the occurrence of gastrointestinal side-effects. Despite individual differences, CPV DNA was detectable for up to 28 days after vaccination, although the faecal CPV DNA load in these clinically healthy dogs was very low. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Whole Blood Assay for AR-V7 and ARv567es in Patients with Prostate Cancer.

PubMed

Liu, Xichun; Ledet, Elisa; Li, Dongying; Dotiwala, Ary; Steinberger, Allie; Feibus, Allison; Li, Jianzhuo; Qi, Yanfeng; Silberstein, Jonathan; Lee, Benjamin; Dong, Yan; Sartor, Oliver; Zhang, Haitao

2016-12-01

Most prostate cancer mortality can be attributed to metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer, an advanced stage that remains incurable despite recent advances. The AR (androgen receptor) signaling axis remains active in castration resistant prostate cancer. Recent studies suggest that expression of the AR-V (AR splice variant) AR-V7 may underlie resistance to abiraterone and enzalutamide. However, controversy exists over the optimal assay. Our objective was to develop a fast and sensitive assay for AR-Vs in patients. Two approaches were assessed in this study. The first approach was based on depletion of leukocytes and the second one used RNA purified directly from whole blood preserved in PAXgene® tubes. Transcript expression was analyzed by quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Through a side-by-side comparison we found that the whole blood approach was suitable to detect AR-Vs. The specificity of the assay was corroborated in a cancer-free cohort. Using the PAXgene assay samples from a cohort of 46 patients with castration resistant prostate cancer were analyzed. Overall, AR-V7 and AR v567es were detected in 67.53% and 29.87% of samples, respectively. Statistical analysis revealed a strong association of AR-V positivity with a history of second line hormonal therapies. To our knowledge this is the first study to demonstrate that PAXgene preserved whole blood can be used to obtain clinically relevant information regarding the expression of 2 AR-Vs. These data on a castration resistant prostate cancer cohort support a role for AR-Vs in resistance to therapies targeting the AR ligand-binding domain. Copyright © 2016 American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Suppression of estrus in cats with melatonin implants.

PubMed

Gimenez, F; Stornelli, M C; Tittarelli, C M; Savignone, C A; Dorna, I V; de la Sota, R L; Stornelli, M A

2009-09-01

The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of a subcutaneous melatonin implant to suppress estrus in queens (felis catus). The hypothesis was that this implant would temporarily and reversibly suppress estrus in queens without producing any clinically detectable side effects. Fourteen adult queens were maintained in cages under artificial illumination (14h light:10h dark) for 45 d and then randomly assigned to one of two treatments. At interestrus, queens received a single subcutaneous melatonin implant (18mg; Melovine [CEVA Sante Animal, Libourne, France]; MEL: n=9), or a single subcutaneous placebo implant without melatonin (0mg; PLA; n=5). At the next estrus, all queens received a second MEL (n=9) or PLA (n=5) implant. Blood samples were taken when queens displayed estrous signs and during interestrus to measure estradiol (E(2)) and progesterone (P(4)), respectively, by radioimmunoassay. There were no significant differences in duration of the interestrus interval in PLA cats, regardless of whether the implants were placed during interestrus or estrus (6.0+/-9.7 d vs. 6.0+/-9.7 d, respectively; least square means [LSM]+/-SEM). However, when MEL implants were placed during interestrus, the duration of interestrus was approximately twice as long as that occurring when MEL implants were placed during estrus (113.3+/-6.1 d vs. 61.1+/-6.8 d, respectively; P<0.01). Serum E(2) and P(4) concentrations were similar in queens with PLA and MEL implants and in queens that received implants in estrus and interestrus. In conclusion, a subcutaneous MEL implant effectively and reversibly suppressed estrus in queens for approximately 2 to 4 mo with no clinically detectable side effects.

Detection of Subsurface Material Separation in Shuttle Orbiter Slip-Side Joggle Region of the Wing Leading Edge using Infrared Imaging Data from Arc Jet Tests

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Daryabeigi, Kamran; Walker, Sandra P.

2009-01-01

The objective of the present study was to determine whether infrared imaging (IR) surface temperature data obtained during arc-jet tests of Space Shuttle Orbiter s reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC) wing leading edge panel slip-side joggle region could be used to detect presence of subsurface material separation, and if so, to determine when separation occurs during the simulated entry profile. Recent thermostructural studies have indicated thermally induced interlaminar normal stress concentrations at the substrate/coating interface in the curved joggle region can result in local subsurface material separation, with the separation predicted to occur during approach to peak heating during reentry. The present study was an attempt to determine experimentally when subsurface material separations occur. A simplified thermal model of a flat RCC panel with subsurface material separation was developed and used to infer general surface temperature trends due to the presence of subsurface material separation. IR data from previously conducted arc-jet tests on three test specimens were analyzed: one without subsurface material separation either pre or post test, one with pre test separation, and one with separation developing during test. The simplified thermal model trend predictions along with comparison of experimental IR data of the three test specimens were used to successfully infer material separation from the arc-jet test data. Furthermore, for the test specimen that had developed subsurface material separation during the arc-jet tests, the initiation of separation appeared to occur during the ramp up to the peak heating condition, where test specimen temperature went from 2500 to 2800 F.

Determinants of wheat antigen and fungal alpha-amylase exposure in bakeries.

PubMed

Burstyn, I; Teschke, K; Bartlett, K; Kennedy, S M

1998-05-01

The study's objectives were to measure flour antigen exposure in bakeries and define the determinants of exposure. Ninety-six bakery workers, employed in seven different bakeries, participated in the study. Two side-by-side full-shift inhalable dust samples were obtained from each study participant on a single occasion. The flour antigen exposure was measured as wheat antigen and fungal alpha-amylase content of the water-soluble fraction of inhalable dust, assayed via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. During the entire sampling period bakers were observed and information on 14 different tasks was recorded at 15-minute intervals. Other production characteristics were also recorded for each sampling day and used in statistical modeling to identify significant predictors of exposure. The mean alpha-amylase antigen exposure was 22.0 ng/m3 (ranging from below the limit of detection of 0.1 ng/m3 to 307.1 ng/m3) and the mean wheat antigen exposure was 109 micrograms/m3 (ranging from below the limit of detection of 1 microgram/m3 to 1018 micrograms/m3). Regression models that explained 74% of variability in wheat antigen and alpha-amylase antigen exposures were constructed. The models indicated that tasks such as weighing, pouring, and operating dough-brakers increased flour antigen exposure, while packing and decorating resulted in lower exposures. Croissant, puff-pastry, and bread/bun production lines were associated with increased exposure, while cake production and substitution of dusting with the use of divider oil were associated with decreased exposure. Exposure levels can be reduced by the automation of forming tasks, alteration of tasks requiring pouring of flour, and changes to the types of products manufactured.

A Brief Measure for Assessing Patient Perceptions of Cognitive Side Effects After Electroconvulsive Therapy: The Subjective Assessment of Memory Impairment.

PubMed

Kumar, Divya Rani; Han, Hank Ke; Tiller, John; Loo, Colleen K; Martin, Donel M

2016-12-01

Directly inquiring about patient experiences of memory problems after ECT may alert clinicians to the existence of treatment side effects and provide an impression of their intrusiveness. In this study, we examined use of a novel and brief patient-reported measure to assess perceptions of memory side effects and their functional consequences before and after an acute ECT treatment course. These outcomes were compared with objective cognitive and subjective quality of life measures. Data for 75 patients who were prescribed an acute course of ECT were analyzed. Subjective and objective measures were assessed before ECT (pretreatment) and at posttreatment. Patient perceptions were assessed using the Subjective Assessment of Memory Impairment, which consists of two items: The Memory Problems item, and The Impact of Cognitive Adverse Events item. Objective cognitive outcomes were assessed using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment. Quality of life was assessed using the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form. Patient perceptions of their memory problems did not change across the ECT course, and their functional impact were considered less intrusive after ECT. Greater functional impact of memory impairment was related to poorer quality of life at posttreatment, but not at pretreatment. Subjectively rated cognitive functioning was not associated with objective cognitive outcomes. The Subjective Assessment of Memory Impairment is a brief tool for measuring patient-rated memory function. Overall, patients did not report any change in subjective memory problems after ECT. Although perceptions of functional memory impairment and quality of life were related after ECT, there was no association with objectively assessed cognitive outcomes.

A-Track: Detecting Moving Objects in FITS images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atay, T.; Kaplan, M.; Kilic, Y.; Karapinar, N.

2017-04-01

A-Track is a fast, open-source, cross-platform pipeline for detecting moving objects (asteroids and comets) in sequential telescope images in FITS format. The moving objects are detected using a modified line detection algorithm.

Side-emitting fiber optic position sensor

DOEpatents

Weiss, Jonathan D [Albuquerque, NM

2008-02-12

A side-emitting fiber optic position sensor and method of determining an unknown position of an object by using the sensor. In one embodiment, a concentrated beam of light source illuminates the side of a side-emitting fiber optic at an unknown axial position along the fiber's length. Some of this side-illuminated light is in-scattered into the fiber and captured. As the captured light is guided down the fiber, its intensity decreases due to loss from side-emission away from the fiber and from bulk absorption within the fiber. By measuring the intensity of light emitted from one (or both) ends of the fiber with a photodetector(s), the axial position of the light source is determined by comparing the photodetector's signal to a calibrated response curve, look-up table, or by using a mathematical model. Alternatively, the side-emitting fiber is illuminated at one end, while a photodetector measures the intensity of light emitted from the side of the fiber, at an unknown position. As the photodetector moves further away from the illuminated end, the detector's signal strength decreases due to loss from side-emission and/or bulk absorption. As before, the detector's signal is correlated to a unique position along the fiber.

Sensor Tasking for Detection and Custody of HAMR Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frueh, C.; Paul, S. M.; Fiedler, H.

High area-to-mass ratio objects (HAMR) are objects that are highly perturbed especially by non-conservative forces such as drag and solar radiation pressure. As a consequence, they are population different orbital regions than low area-to-mass ratio objects. This makes the objects hard to detect. After initial detection those objects are often lost, because standard follow-up times of thirty periods are not sufficient for redetection. This paper applies a sensor tasking and follow-up strategy to the problem of detecting and keeping custody of HAMR objects.

Fusion of thermal- and visible-band video for abandoned object detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beyan, Cigdem; Yigit, Ahmet; Temizel, Alptekin

2011-07-01

Timely detection of packages that are left unattended in public spaces is a security concern, and rapid detection is important for prevention of potential threats. Because constant surveillance of such places is challenging and labor intensive, automated abandoned-object-detection systems aiding operators have started to be widely used. In many studies, stationary objects, such as people sitting on a bench, are also detected as suspicious objects due to abandoned items being defined as items newly added to the scene and remained stationary for a predefined time. Therefore, any stationary object results in an alarm causing a high number of false alarms. These false alarms could be prevented by classifying suspicious items as living and nonliving objects. In this study, a system for abandoned object detection that aids operators surveilling indoor environments such as airports, railway or metro stations, is proposed. By analysis of information from a thermal- and visible-band camera, people and the objects left behind can be detected and discriminated as living and nonliving, reducing the false-alarm rate. Experiments demonstrate that using data obtained from a thermal camera in addition to a visible-band camera also increases the true detection rate of abandoned objects.

Scapular Resting Position and Gleno-Humeral Movement Dysfunction in Asymptomatic Racquet Players: A Case-Control Study

PubMed Central

Shimpi, Apurv P.; Bhakti, Shah; Roshni, Karnik; Rairikar, Savita A.; Shyam, Ashok; Sancheti, Parag K.

2015-01-01

Background: Racquet sports, especially lawn tennis and badminton have been gaining popularity in Asian countries like India. With this increase in popularity, the injury rate in the sport has also increased. Objectives: The study will help detect the presence of gleno-humeral movement dysfunction and scapular resting position abnormality in asymptomatic racquet players, thus providing basis for screening the players and allow the clinician to determine if the asymmetry is a normal adaptation in the player or an abnormal change associated with injury. Materials and Methods: 46 asymptomatic professional players were divided into a study group of 23 players (16 tennis and 7 badminton) and control group of 23 football players. Assessment of passive gleno-humeral range of motion and distance of spine and inferior angle of scapula from corresponding spinous process were measured bilaterally and between groups. Results: There was statistically significant reduction in range of internal rotation (62.17 ± 8.09), extension (39.78 ± 4.12) and an increase in the external rotation (106.95 ± 7.49) of dominant compared to non-dominant arm of racquet players and a statistically significant decrease in internal rotation (78.69 ± 10.24), extension (44.78 ± 3.19), adduction (37.39 ± 6.54) and an increase in external rotation (102.6 ± 5.19) of dominant arm of racquet players compared to football players. Study also showed statistically significant increase in the spino-scapular distance at the level of inferior angle of scapula (10.23 ± 1.43) on dominant side compared to non-dominant. Conclusions: The dominant side scapula of asymptomatic racquet players showed increased external rotation and elevation as compared to the non-dominant side. Also, reduced shoulder internal rotation, extension and adduction and gain in shoulder external rotation was observed on the dominant side of racquet players when compared to the control group. PMID:26715968

Intravenous pamidronate versus oral and intravenous clodronate in bone metastatic breast cancer: a randomized, open-label, non-inferiority Phase III trial.

PubMed

von Au, Alexandra; Milloth, Eva; Diel, Ingo; Stefanovic, Stefan; Hennigs, Andre; Wallwiener, Markus; Heil, Joerg; Golatta, Michael; Rom, Joachim; Sohn, Christof; Schneeweiss, Andreas; Schuetz, Florian; Domschke, Christoph

2016-01-01

Patients with metastasized breast cancer often suffer from discomfort caused by metastatic bone disease. Thus, osteoprotection is an important part of therapy in breast cancer metastasized to bone, and bisphosphonates (BPs) are a major therapeutic option. In this study, our objectives were to compare the side effects of oral versus intravenous BP treatment and to assess their clinical effectiveness. In this prospective randomized, open-label, non-inferiority trial, we enrolled breast cancer patients with at least one bone metastasis and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0-2. Patients were randomly assigned to one of the three treatment groups: A, 60 mg pamidronate intravenously q3w; B-iv, 900 mg clodronate intravenously q3w; and B-o, 2,400 mg oral clodronate daily. Assessments were performed at baseline and every 3 months thereafter. Between 1995 and 1999, 321 patients with confirmed bone metastases from breast cancer were included in the study. At first follow-up, gastrointestinal (GI) tract side effects were most common, and adverse effects on the GI tract were more frequent in the oral treatment group (P=0.002 and P<0.001, respectively). There were no statistically significant differences among the treatment cohorts for other documented side effects (skin, serum electrolytes, urinary tract, immune system, and others). No significant differences in clinical effectiveness of BP treatment, as assessed by pain score, were detected among the groups; however, pathologic fractures were more effectively prevented by intravenous than oral BP administration (P=0.03). Noncompliance rates were similar among the study cohorts. We conclude that oral BP treatment is significantly associated with higher rates of adverse GI side effects. Additionally, our data indicate that intravenous BP administration is more effective than oral treatment in prevention of pathologic fractures; hence, oral administration should be considered with caution.

Inducement of tissue regeneration of harvested hamstring tendons in a rabbit model

PubMed Central

Soejima, T.; Murakami, H.; Noguchi, K.; Shiba, N.; Nagata, K.

2016-01-01

Objectives The objective of this study was to determine if the use of fascia lata as a tendon regeneration guide (placed into the tendon canal following harvesting the semitendinosus tendon) would improve the incidence of tissue regeneration and prevent fatty degeneration of the semitendinosus muscle. Materials and Methods Bilateral semitendinosus tendons were harvested from rabbits using a tendon stripper. On the inducing graft (IG) side, the tendon canal and semitendinosus tibial attachment site were connected by the fascia lata, which was harvested at the same width as the semitendinosus tendon. On the control side, no special procedures were performed. Two groups of six rabbits were killed at post-operative weeks 4 and 8, respectively. In addition, three healthy rabbits were killed to obtain normal tissue. We evaluated the incidence of tendon tissue regeneration, cross-sectional area of the regenerated tendon tissue and proportion of fatty tissue in the semitendinosus muscle. Results At post-operative week 8, the distal end of the regenerated tissue reached the vicinity of the tibial insertion on the control side in two of six specimens. On the IG side, the regenerated tissue maintained continuity with the tibial insertion in all specimens. The cross-sectional area of the IG side was significantly greater than that of the control side. The proportion of fatty tissue in the semitendinosus muscle on the IG side was comparable with that of the control side, but was significantly greater than that of the normal muscle. Conclusions Tendon tissue regenerated with the fascia lata graft was thicker than naturally occurring regenerated tissue. However, the proportion of fatty tissue in the semitendinosus muscle was greater than that of normal muscle. Cite this article: K. Tabuchi, T. Soejima, H. Murakami, K. Noguchi, N. Shiba, K. Nagata. Inducement of tissue regeneration of harvested hamstring tendons in a rabbit model. Bone Joint Res 2016;5:247–252. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.56.2000585. PMID:27340141

Learned filters for object detection in multi-object visual tracking

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stamatescu, Victor; Wong, Sebastien; McDonnell, Mark D.; Kearney, David

2016-05-01

We investigate the application of learned convolutional filters in multi-object visual tracking. The filters were learned in both a supervised and unsupervised manner from image data using artificial neural networks. This work follows recent results in the field of machine learning that demonstrate the use learned filters for enhanced object detection and classification. Here we employ a track-before-detect approach to multi-object tracking, where tracking guides the detection process. The object detection provides a probabilistic input image calculated by selecting from features obtained using banks of generative or discriminative learned filters. We present a systematic evaluation of these convolutional filters using a real-world data set that examines their performance as generic object detectors.

Multi-Frame Convolutional Neural Networks for Object Detection in Temporal Data

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-01

maximum 200 words) Given the problem of detecting objects in video , existing neural-network solutions rely on a post-processing step to combine...information across frames and strengthen conclusions. This technique has been successful for videos with simple, dominant objects but it cannot detect objects...Computer Science iii THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK iv ABSTRACT Given the problem of detecting objects in video , existing neural-network solutions rely

Automated object detection and tracking with a flash LiDAR system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammer, Marcus; Hebel, Marcus; Arens, Michael

2016-10-01

The detection of objects, or persons, is a common task in the fields of environment surveillance, object observation or danger defense. There are several approaches for automated detection with conventional imaging sensors as well as with LiDAR sensors, but for the latter the real-time detection is hampered by the scanning character and therefore by the data distortion of most LiDAR systems. The paper presents a solution for real-time data acquisition of a flash LiDAR sensor with synchronous raw data analysis, point cloud calculation, object detection, calculation of the next best view and steering of the pan-tilt head of the sensor. As a result the attention is always focused on the object, independent of the behavior of the object. Even for highly volatile and rapid changes in the direction of motion the object is kept in the field of view. The experimental setup used in this paper is realized with an elementary person detection algorithm in medium distances (20 m to 60 m) to show the efficiency of the system for objects with a high angular speed. It is easy to replace the detection part by any other object detection algorithm and thus it is easy to track nearly any object, for example a car or a boat or an UAV in various distances.

Influence of the oscillation frequency of different side-to-side toothbrushes on noncontact biofilm removal.

PubMed

Schmidt, Julia C; Astasov-Frauenhoffer, Monika; Waltimo, Tuomas; Weiger, Roland; Walter, Clemens

2018-01-22

The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of different oscillation frequencies of three powered toothbrushes with side-to-side action for noncontact biofilm removal in an artificial interdental space model. A three-species biofilm (Porphyromonas gingivalis, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Streptococcus sanguinis) was formed in vitro on protein-coated titanium disks using a flow chamber system combined with a static biofilm growth model. The oscillation frequencies of three commercial side-to-side toothbrushes were evaluated by means of a dose response. The frequency was decreased in steps (100, 85, 70, 55, and 40%). Subsequently, the biofilm-coated substrates were exposed to the side-to-side toothbrushes. The biofilm volumes were measured using volumetric analyses (Imaris 8.1.2) with confocal laser scanning microscope images (Zeiss LSM700). Compared to maximum oscillation frequency (100%), lower oscillation frequencies (up to 40%) resulted in reduced median percentages of biofilm reduction (median biofilm reduction up to 53% for maximum oscillation frequency, and up to 13% for 40% oscillation frequency) (p ≥ 0.03). In addition, decreasing the oscillation frequencies of the side-to-side toothbrushes showed an enhanced variety in the results of repeated experiments. The oscillation frequency of the tested side-to-side toothbrushes affected the biofilm reduction in an interdental space model. Within a toothbrush, higher oscillation frequencies may lead to beneficial effects on interdental biofilm removal by noncontact brushing.

Object Detection and Classification by Decision-Level Fusion for Intelligent Vehicle Systems.

PubMed

Oh, Sang-Il; Kang, Hang-Bong

2017-01-22

To understand driving environments effectively, it is important to achieve accurate detection and classification of objects detected by sensor-based intelligent vehicle systems, which are significantly important tasks. Object detection is performed for the localization of objects, whereas object classification recognizes object classes from detected object regions. For accurate object detection and classification, fusing multiple sensor information into a key component of the representation and perception processes is necessary. In this paper, we propose a new object-detection and classification method using decision-level fusion. We fuse the classification outputs from independent unary classifiers, such as 3D point clouds and image data using a convolutional neural network (CNN). The unary classifiers for the two sensors are the CNN with five layers, which use more than two pre-trained convolutional layers to consider local to global features as data representation. To represent data using convolutional layers, we apply region of interest (ROI) pooling to the outputs of each layer on the object candidate regions generated using object proposal generation to realize color flattening and semantic grouping for charge-coupled device and Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) sensors. We evaluate our proposed method on a KITTI benchmark dataset to detect and classify three object classes: cars, pedestrians and cyclists. The evaluation results show that the proposed method achieves better performance than the previous methods. Our proposed method extracted approximately 500 proposals on a 1226 × 370 image, whereas the original selective search method extracted approximately 10 6 × n proposals. We obtained classification performance with 77.72% mean average precision over the entirety of the classes in the moderate detection level of the KITTI benchmark dataset.

Object Detection and Classification by Decision-Level Fusion for Intelligent Vehicle Systems

PubMed Central

Oh, Sang-Il; Kang, Hang-Bong

2017-01-01

To understand driving environments effectively, it is important to achieve accurate detection and classification of objects detected by sensor-based intelligent vehicle systems, which are significantly important tasks. Object detection is performed for the localization of objects, whereas object classification recognizes object classes from detected object regions. For accurate object detection and classification, fusing multiple sensor information into a key component of the representation and perception processes is necessary. In this paper, we propose a new object-detection and classification method using decision-level fusion. We fuse the classification outputs from independent unary classifiers, such as 3D point clouds and image data using a convolutional neural network (CNN). The unary classifiers for the two sensors are the CNN with five layers, which use more than two pre-trained convolutional layers to consider local to global features as data representation. To represent data using convolutional layers, we apply region of interest (ROI) pooling to the outputs of each layer on the object candidate regions generated using object proposal generation to realize color flattening and semantic grouping for charge-coupled device and Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) sensors. We evaluate our proposed method on a KITTI benchmark dataset to detect and classify three object classes: cars, pedestrians and cyclists. The evaluation results show that the proposed method achieves better performance than the previous methods. Our proposed method extracted approximately 500 proposals on a 1226×370 image, whereas the original selective search method extracted approximately 106×n proposals. We obtained classification performance with 77.72% mean average precision over the entirety of the classes in the moderate detection level of the KITTI benchmark dataset. PMID:28117742

Object Occlusion Detection Using Automatic Camera Calibration for a Wide-Area Video Surveillance System

PubMed Central

Jung, Jaehoon; Yoon, Inhye; Paik, Joonki

2016-01-01

This paper presents an object occlusion detection algorithm using object depth information that is estimated by automatic camera calibration. The object occlusion problem is a major factor to degrade the performance of object tracking and recognition. To detect an object occlusion, the proposed algorithm consists of three steps: (i) automatic camera calibration using both moving objects and a background structure; (ii) object depth estimation; and (iii) detection of occluded regions. The proposed algorithm estimates the depth of the object without extra sensors but with a generic red, green and blue (RGB) camera. As a result, the proposed algorithm can be applied to improve the performance of object tracking and object recognition algorithms for video surveillance systems. PMID:27347978

THE GRAY NEEDLE: LARGE GRAINS IN THE HD 15115 DEBRIS DISK FROM LBT /PISCES/Ks AND LBTI /LMIRcam/L' ADAPTIVE OPTICS IMAGING

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

Rodigas, Timothy J.; Hinz, Philip M.; Vaitheeswaran, Vidhya

We present diffraction-limited Ks band and L' adaptive optics images of the edge-on debris disk around the nearby F2 star HD 15115, obtained with a single 8.4 m primary mirror at the Large Binocular Telescope. At the Ks band, the disk is detected at signal-to-noise per resolution element (SNRE) {approx} 3-8 from {approx}1 to 2.''5 (45-113 AU) on the western side and from {approx}1.''2 to 2.''1 (63-90 AU) on the east. At L' the disk is detected at SNRE {approx} 2.5 from {approx}1 to 1.''45 (45-90 AU) on both sides, implying more symmetric disk structure at 3.8 {mu}m. At bothmore » wavelengths the disk has a bow-like shape and is offset from the star to the north by a few AU. A surface brightness asymmetry exists between the two sides of the disk at the Ks band, but not at L'. The surface brightness at the Ks band declines inside 1'' ({approx}45 AU), which may be indicative of a gap in the disk near 1''. The Ks - L' disk color, after removal of the stellar color, is mostly gray for both sides of the disk. This suggests that scattered light is coming from large dust grains, with 3-10 {mu}m sized grains on the east side and 1-10 {mu}m dust grains on the west. This may suggest that the west side is composed of smaller dust grains than the east side, which would support the interpretation that the disk is being dynamically affected by interactions with the local interstellar medium.« less

DARKDROID: Exposing the Dark Side of Android Marketplaces

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-01

Moreover, our approaches can detect apps containing both intentional and unintentional vulnerabilities, such as unsafe code loading mechanisms and...Security, Static Analysis, Dynamic Analysis, Malware Detection , Vulnerability Scanning 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT UU 18...applications in a DoD context. ................... 1 1.2.2 Develop sophisticated whole-system static analyses to detect malicious Android applications

SU-C-209-05: Monte Carlo Model of a Prototype Backscatter X-Ray (BSX) Imager for Projective and Selective Object-Plane Imaging

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

Rolison, L; Samant, S; Baciak, J

Purpose: To develop a Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) model for the validation of a prototype backscatter x-ray (BSX) imager, and optimization of BSX technology for medical applications, including selective object-plane imaging. Methods: BSX is an emerging technology that represents an alternative to conventional computed tomography (CT) and projective digital radiography (DR). It employs detectors located on the same side as the incident x-ray source, making use of backscatter and avoiding ring geometry to enclose the imaging object. Current BSX imagers suffer from low spatial resolution. A MCNP model was designed to replicate a BSX prototype used for flaw detection inmore » industrial materials. This prototype consisted of a 1.5mm diameter 60kVp pencil beam surrounded by a ring of four 5.0cm diameter NaI scintillation detectors. The imaging phantom consisted of a 2.9cm thick aluminum plate with five 0.6cm diameter holes drilled halfway. The experimental image was created using a raster scanning motion (in 1.5mm increments). Results: A qualitative comparison between the physical and simulated images showed very good agreement with 1.5mm spatial resolution in plane perpendicular to incident x-ray beam. The MCNP model developed the concept of radiography by selective plane detection (RSPD) for BSX, whereby specific object planes can be imaged by varying kVp. 10keV increments in mean x-ray energy yielded 4mm thick slice resolution in the phantom. Image resolution in the MCNP model can be further increased by increasing the number of detectors, and decreasing raster step size. Conclusion: MCNP modelling was used to validate a prototype BSX imager and introduce the RSPD concept, allowing for selective object-plane imaging. There was very good visual agreement between the experimental and MCNP imaging. Beyond optimizing system parameters for the existing prototype, new geometries can be investigated for volumetric image acquisition in medical applications. This material is based upon work supported under an Integrated University Program Graduate Fellowship sponsored by the Department of Energy Office of Nuclear Energy.« less

Incidence and severity of self-reported chemotherapy side effects in routine care: A prospective cohort study

PubMed Central

Haas, Marion; Viney, Rosalie; Pearson, Sallie-Anne; Haywood, Philip; Brown, Chris; Ward, Robyn

2017-01-01

Aim Chemotherapy side effects are often reported in clinical trials; however, there is little evidence about their incidence in routine clinical care. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency and severity of patient-reported chemotherapy side effects in routine care across treatment centres in Australia. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study of individuals with breast, lung or colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Side effects were identified by patient self-report. The frequency, prevalence and incidence rates of side effects were calculated by cancer type and grade, and cumulative incidence curves for each side effect computed. Frequencies of side effects were compared between demographic subgroups using chi-squared statistics. Results Side effect data were available for 449 eligible individuals, who had a median follow-up of 5.64 months. 86% of participants reported at least one side effect during the study period and 27% reported a grade IV side effect, most commonly fatigue or dyspnoea. Fatigue was the most common side effect overall (85%), followed by diarrhoea (74%) and constipation (74%). Prevalence and incidence rates were similar across side effects and cancer types. Age was the only demographic factor associated with the incidence of side effects, with older people less likely to report side effects. Conclusion This research has produced the first Australian estimates of self-reported incidence of chemotherapy side effects in routine clinical care. Chemotherapy side effects in routine care are common, continue throughout chemotherapy and can be serious. This work confirms the importance of observational data in providing clinical practice-relevant information to decision-makers. PMID:29016607

Incidence and severity of self-reported chemotherapy side effects in routine care: A prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Pearce, Alison; Haas, Marion; Viney, Rosalie; Pearson, Sallie-Anne; Haywood, Philip; Brown, Chris; Ward, Robyn

2017-01-01

Chemotherapy side effects are often reported in clinical trials; however, there is little evidence about their incidence in routine clinical care. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency and severity of patient-reported chemotherapy side effects in routine care across treatment centres in Australia. We conducted a prospective cohort study of individuals with breast, lung or colorectal cancer undergoing chemotherapy. Side effects were identified by patient self-report. The frequency, prevalence and incidence rates of side effects were calculated by cancer type and grade, and cumulative incidence curves for each side effect computed. Frequencies of side effects were compared between demographic subgroups using chi-squared statistics. Side effect data were available for 449 eligible individuals, who had a median follow-up of 5.64 months. 86% of participants reported at least one side effect during the study period and 27% reported a grade IV side effect, most commonly fatigue or dyspnoea. Fatigue was the most common side effect overall (85%), followed by diarrhoea (74%) and constipation (74%). Prevalence and incidence rates were similar across side effects and cancer types. Age was the only demographic factor associated with the incidence of side effects, with older people less likely to report side effects. This research has produced the first Australian estimates of self-reported incidence of chemotherapy side effects in routine clinical care. Chemotherapy side effects in routine care are common, continue throughout chemotherapy and can be serious. This work confirms the importance of observational data in providing clinical practice-relevant information to decision-makers.

Natural and artificial spectral edges in exoplanets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lingam, Manasvi; Loeb, Abraham

2017-09-01

Technological civilizations may rely upon large-scale photovoltaic arrays to harness energy from their host star. Photovoltaic materials, such as silicon, possess distinctive spectral features, including an 'artificial edge' that is characteristically shifted in wavelength shortwards of the 'red edge' of vegetation. Future observations of reflected light from exoplanets would be able to detect both natural and artificial edges photometrically, if a significant fraction of the planet's surface is covered by vegetation or photovoltaic arrays, respectively. The stellar energy thus tapped can be utilized for terraforming activities by transferring heat and light from the day side to the night side on tidally locked exoplanets, thereby producing detectable artefacts.

Tactile functions after cerebral hemispherectomy.

PubMed

Backlund, H; Morin, C; Ptito, A; Bushnell, M C; Olausson, H

2005-01-01

Patients that were hemispherectomized due to brain lesions early in life sometimes have remarkably well-preserved tactile functions on their paretic body half. This has been attributed to developmental neuroplasticity. However, the tactile examinations generally have been fairly crude, and subtle deficits may not have been revealed. We investigated monofilament detection and three types of tactile directional sensibility in four hemispherectomized patients and six healthy controls. Patients were examined bilaterally on the face, forearm and lower leg. Normal subjects were examined unilaterally. Following each test of directional sensibility, subjects were asked to rate the intensity of the stimulation. On the nonparetic side, results were almost always in the normal range. On the paretic side, the patients' capacity for monofilament detection was less impaired than their directional sensibility. Despite the disturbed directional sensibility on their paretic side the patients rated tactile sensations evoked by the stimuli, on both their paretic and nonparetic body halves, as more intense than normals. Thus, mechanisms of plasticity seem adequate for tactile detection and intensity coding but not for more complex tactile functions such as directional sensibility. The reason for the high vulnerability of tactile directional sensibility may be that it depends on spatially and temporally precise afferent information processed in a distributed cortical network.

Follow-up and Characterization of NEOs with the LCOGT Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lister, Tim

2013-10-01

Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope (LCOGT) network is a planned homogeneous network of over 35 telescopes at 6 locations in the northern and southern hemispheres. This network is versatile and designed to respond rapidly to target of opportunity events and also to do long term monitoring of slowly changing astronomical phenomena. The global coverage of the network and the apertures of telescope available make LCOGT ideal for follow-up and characterization of Solar System objects (e.g. asteroids, Kuiper Belt Objects, comets, Near-Earth Objects (NEOs)) and ultimately for the discovery of new objects. LCOGT has completed the first phase of the deployment with the installation and commissioning of nine 1-meter telescopes at McDonald Observatory (Texas), Cerro Tololo (Chile), SAAO (South Africa) and Siding Spring Observatory (Australia). The telescope network is now operating and observations are being executed remotely and robotically. I am using the LCOGT network to confirm newly detected NEO candidates produced by the major sky surveys such as Catalina Sky Survey (CSS) and PanSTARRS (PS1). An increasing amount of time is being spent to obtain follow-up astrometry and photometry for radar-targeted objects in order to improve the orbits and determine the rotation periods. This will be extended to obtain more light curves of other NEOs which could be Near-Earth Object Human Space Flight Accessible Targets Study (NHATS) or Asteroid Retrieval Mission (ARM) targets. Recent results have included the first period determination for the Apollo 2002 NV16 and our first NEO spectrum from the FLOYDS spectrographs on the LCOGT 2m telescopes obtained for 2012 DA14 during the February 2013 closepass.

Thorax, pelvis and hip pattern in the frontal plane during walking in unilateral transtibial amputees: biomechanical analysis

PubMed Central

Molina-Rueda, Francisco; Alguacil-Diego, Isabel M.; Cuesta-Gómez, Alicia; Iglesias-Giménez, Javier; Martín-Vivaldi, Andrés; Miangolarra-Page, Juan C.

2014-01-01

Background: Lower limb amputees exhibit postural control deficits during standing which can affect their walking ability. Objectives: The primary purpose of the present study was to analyze the thorax, pelvis, and hip kinematics and the hip internal moment in the frontal plane during gait in subjects with Unilateral Transtibial Amputation (UTA). Method: The participants included 25 people with UTA and 25 non-amputees as control subjects. Gait analysis was performed using the Vicon(r) Motion System. We analyzed the motion of the thorax, pelvis, and hip (kinematics) as well as the hip internal moment in the frontal plane. Results: The second peak of the hip abductor moment was significantly lower on the prosthetic side than on the sound side (p=.01) and the control side (right: p=.01; left: p=.01). During middle stance, the opposite side of the pelvis was higher on the prosthetic side compared to the control side (right: p=.01: left: p=.01). Conclusions: The joint internal moment at the hip in the frontal plane was lower on the prosthetic side than on the sound side or the control side. Thorax and pelvis kinematics were altered during the stance phase on the prosthetic side, presumably because there are mechanisms which affect postural control during walking. PMID:25003278

Temporal analysis of the frequency and duration of low and high streamflow: Years of record needed to characterize streamflow variability

USGS Publications Warehouse

Huh, S.; Dickey, D.A.; Meador, M.R.; Ruhl, K.E.

2005-01-01

A temporal analysis of the number and duration of exceedences of high- and low-flow thresholds was conducted to determine the number of years required to detect a level shift using data from Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Two methods were used - ordinary least squares assuming a known error variance and generalized least squares without a known error variance. Using ordinary least squares, the mean number of years required to detect a one standard deviation level shift in measures of low-flow variability was 57.2 (28.6 on either side of the break), compared to 40.0 years for measures of high-flow variability. These means become 57.6 and 41.6 when generalized least squares is used. No significant relations between years and elevation or drainage area were detected (P>0.05). Cluster analysis did not suggest geographic patterns in years related to physiography or major hydrologic regions. Referring to the number of observations required to detect a one standard deviation shift as 'characterizing' the variability, it appears that at least 20 years of record on either side of a shift may be necessary to adequately characterize high-flow variability. A longer streamflow record (about 30 years on either side) may be required to characterize low-flow variability. ?? 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A case of right-sided Bochdalek hernia incidentally diagnosed in a gastric cancer patient.

PubMed

Kikuchi, Satoru; Nishizaki, Masahiko; Kuroda, Shinji; Kagawa, Shunsuke; Fujiwara, Toshiyoshi

2016-06-01

Bochdalek hernia (BH) is generally congenital, presenting with respiratory distress. However, this pathology is rarely detected in adults. Some adult cases of BH present with symptoms attributed to the hernia, but incidental detection of BH is increasing among asymptomatic adults due to advances in imaging modalities. This report presents the management of incidental BH patients detected in the preoperative period of gastric cancer. An asymptomatic 76-year-old woman was diagnosed with advanced gastric cancer during follow-up after radiotherapy for uterine cervical cancer. Computed tomography (CT) was performed to exclude metastatic gastric cancer, incidentally detecting right-sided BH. We planned distal gastrectomy with lymph node dissection for gastric cancer and simultaneous repair of BH using a laparoscopic approach. We performed laparoscopic gastrectomy for gastric cancer and investigated the right-sided BH to assess whether repair during surgery was warranted. Herniation of the liver into the right hemithorax was observed, but was followed-up without surgical repair because the right hepatic lobe was adherent to the remnant right anterior hemidiaphragm and covered the huge defect in the right hemidiaphragm. No intra- or postoperative pneumothorax was observed during pneumoperitoneum. Regardless of symptoms, repair of adult BH is generally recommended to prevent visceral incarceration. However, BH in asymptomatic adults appears to be more common than previously reported in the literature. Surgeons need to consider the management of incidental BH encountered during thoracic or abdominal surgery.

Discreet passive explosive detection through 2-sided waveguided fluorescence

DOEpatents

Harper, Ross James [Stillwater, OK; la Grone, Marcus [Cushing, OK; Fisher, Mark [Stillwater, OK

2011-10-18

The current invention provides a passive sampling device suitable for collecting and detecting the presence of target analytes. In particular, the passive sampling device is suitable for detecting nitro-aromatic compounds. The current invention further provides a passive sampling device reader suitable for determining the collection of target analytes. Additionally, the current invention provides methods for detecting target analytes using the passive sampling device and the passive sampling device reader.

Research on Operation Strategy for Bundled Wind-thermal Generation Power Systems Based on Two-Stage Optimization Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Congcong; Wang, Zhijie; Liu, Sanming; Jiang, Xiuchen; Sheng, Gehao; Liu, Tianyu

2017-05-01

Wind power has the advantages of being clean and non-polluting and the development of bundled wind-thermal generation power systems (BWTGSs) is one of the important means to improve wind power accommodation rate and implement “clean alternative” on generation side. A two-stage optimization strategy for BWTGSs considering wind speed forecasting results and load characteristics is proposed. By taking short-term wind speed forecasting results of generation side and load characteristics of demand side into account, a two-stage optimization model for BWTGSs is formulated. By using the environmental benefit index of BWTGSs as the objective function, supply-demand balance and generator operation as the constraints, the first-stage optimization model is developed with the chance-constrained programming theory. By using the operation cost for BWTGSs as the objective function, the second-stage optimization model is developed with the greedy algorithm. The improved PSO algorithm is employed to solve the model and numerical test verifies the effectiveness of the proposed strategy.

Civil commitment and the criminal insanity plea in Israeli law.

PubMed

Toib, Josef A

2008-01-01

In Israeli jurisprudence there is a substantial difference towards mentally ill patients between the civil and penal law systems that goes well beyond differences required by their separate objectives. Mentally ill people dangerous to others due to their illness belong in the hospital, not in the community or in jail. The data gathered especially for this paper make it hard to escape the conclusion that contemporary practice in Israel does not accord with this objective. On the civil front, inaccuracy in predicting who is dangerous may lead to involuntary commitment of people who are not dangerous. On the criminal side, too few people are sent to the hospital in Israel and correspondingly too many to jail. Comparison with US data and practice shows that on the civil side prediction has been improved by using actuarial methods, while on the penal side more up to date definitions of mental illness have been adopted. Whatever the appropriate solution for Israel, surely the first requirement is recognition of the problem.

Assessing Online Learning Objects: Student Evaluation of a Guide on the Side Interactive Learning Tutorial Designed by SRJC Libraries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Virtue, Alicia; Dean, Ellen; Matheson, Molly

2014-01-01

More and more of today's scholars conduct their research in a digital realm rather than using a print collection. The University of Arizona Libraries Guide on the Side tutorial software offers an opportunity to apply the principles of active learning with real world research scenarios. This paper reports on the design and introduction of…

Development of an ultrasonic nondestructive inspection method for impact damage detection in composite aircraft structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Capriotti, M.; Kim, H. E.; Lanza di Scalea, F.; Kim, H.

2017-04-01

High Energy Wide Area Blunt Impact (HEWABI) due to ground service equipment can often occur in aircraft structures causing major damages. These Wide Area Impact Damages (WAID) can affect the internal components of the structure, hence are usually not visible nor detectable by typical one-sided NDE techniques and can easily compromise the structural safety of the aircraft. In this study, the development of an NDI method is presented together with its application to impacted aircraft frames. The HEWABI from a typical ground service scenario has been previously tested and the desired type of damages have been generated, so that the aircraft panels could become representative study cases. The need of the aircraft industry for a rapid, ramp-friendly system to detect such WAID is here approached with guided ultrasonic waves (GUW) and a scanning tool that accesses the whole structure from the exterior side only. The wide coverage of the specimen provided by GUW has been coupled to a differential detection approach and is aided by an outlier statistical analysis to be able to inspect and detect faults in the challenging composite material and complex structure. The results will be presented and discussed with respect to the detection capability of the system and its response to the different damage types. Receiving Operating Characteristics curves (ROC) are also produced to quantify and assess the performance of the proposed method. Ongoing work is currently aimed at the penetration of the inner components of the structure, such as shear ties and C-frames, exploiting different frequency ranges and signal processing techniques. From the hardware and tool development side, different transducers and coupling methods, such as air-coupled transducers, are under investigation together with the design of a more suitable scanning technique.

Turbine heat transfer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rohde, J. E.

1982-01-01

Objectives and approaches to research in turbine heat transfer are discussed. Generally, improvements in the method of determining the hot gas flow through the turbine passage is one area of concern, as is the cooling air flow inside the airfoil, and the methods of predicting the heat transfer rates on the hot gas side and on the coolant side of the airfoil. More specific areas of research are: (1) local hot gas recovery temperatures along the airfoil surfaces; (2) local airfoil wall temperature; (3) local hot gas side heat transfer coefficients on the airfoil surfaces; (4) local coolant side heat transfer coefficients inside the airfoils; (5) local hot gas flow velocities and secondary flows at real engine conditions; and (6) local delta strain range of the airfoil walls.

Effects of boundary-layer separation controllers on a desktop fume hood.

PubMed

Huang, Rong Fung; Chen, Jia-Kun; Hsu, Ching Min; Hung, Shuo-Fu

2016-10-02

A desktop fume hood installed with an innovative design of flow boundary-layer separation controllers on the leading edges of the side plates, work surface, and corners was developed and characterized for its flow and containment leakage characteristics. The geometric features of the developed desktop fume hood included a rearward offset suction slot, two side plates, two side-plate boundary-layer separation controllers on the leading edges of the side plates, a slanted surface on the leading edge of the work surface, and two small triangular plates on the upper left and right corners of the hood face. The flow characteristics were examined using the laser-assisted smoke flow visualization technique. The containment leakages were measured by the tracer gas (sulphur hexafluoride) detection method on the hood face plane with a mannequin installed in front of the hood. The results of flow visualization showed that the smoke dispersions induced by the boundary-layer separations on the leading edges of the side plates and work surface, as well as the three-dimensional complex flows on the upper-left and -right corners of the hood face, were effectively alleviated by the boundary-layer separation controllers. The results of the tracer gas detection method with a mannequin standing in front of the hood showed that the leakage levels were negligibly small (≤0.003 ppm) at low face velocities (≥0.19 m/s).

Investigating the visual span in comparative search: the effects of task difficulty and divided attention.

PubMed

Pomplun, M; Reingold, E M; Shen, J

2001-09-01

In three experiments, participants' visual span was measured in a comparative visual search task in which they had to detect a local match or mismatch between two displays presented side by side. Experiment 1 manipulated the difficulty of the comparative visual search task by contrasting a mismatch detection task with a substantially more difficult match detection task. In Experiment 2, participants were tested in a single-task condition involving only the visual task and a dual-task condition in which they concurrently performed an auditory task. Finally, in Experiment 3, participants performed two dual-task conditions, which differed in the difficulty of the concurrent auditory task. Both the comparative search task difficulty (Experiment 1) and the divided attention manipulation (Experiments 2 and 3) produced strong effects on visual span size.

40 CFR 63.1084 - What heat exchange systems are exempt from the requirements of this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... requires monitoring of a parameter or condition to detect a leak of process fluids to cooling water. (2... you to report and correct leaks to the cooling water when the parameter or condition exceeds the... the cooling water side at least 35 kilopascals greater than the maximum pressure on the process side...

[Machine Learning-based Prediction of Seizure-inducing Action as an Adverse Drug Effect].

PubMed

Gao, Mengxuan; Sato, Motoshige; Ikegaya, Yuji

2018-01-01

　During the preclinical research period of drug development, animal testing is widely used to help screen out a drug's dangerous side effects. However, it remains difficult to predict side effects within the central nervous system. Here, we introduce a machine learning-based in vitro system designed to detect seizure-inducing side effects before clinical trial. We recorded local field potentials from the CA1 alveus in acute mouse neocortico-hippocampal slices that were bath-perfused with each of 14 different drugs, and at 5 different concentrations of each drug. For each of these experimental conditions, we collected seizure-like neuronal activity and merged their waveforms as one graphic image, which was further converted into a feature vector using Caffe, an open framework for deep learning. In the space of the first two principal components, the support vector machine completely separated the vectors (i.e., doses of individual drugs) that induced seizure-like events, and identified diphenhydramine, enoxacin, strychnine and theophylline as "seizure-inducing" drugs, which have indeed been reported to induce seizures in clinical situations. Thus, this artificial intelligence-based classification may provide a new platform to pre-clinically detect seizure-inducing side effects of drugs.

Machine learning-based prediction of adverse drug effects: An example of seizure-inducing compounds.

PubMed

Gao, Mengxuan; Igata, Hideyoshi; Takeuchi, Aoi; Sato, Kaoru; Ikegaya, Yuji

2017-02-01

Various biological factors have been implicated in convulsive seizures, involving side effects of drugs. For the preclinical safety assessment of drug development, it is difficult to predict seizure-inducing side effects. Here, we introduced a machine learning-based in vitro system designed to detect seizure-inducing side effects. We recorded local field potentials from the CA1 alveus in acute mouse neocortico-hippocampal slices, while 14 drugs were bath-perfused at 5 different concentrations each. For each experimental condition, we collected seizure-like neuronal activity and merged their waveforms as one graphic image, which was further converted into a feature vector using Caffe, an open framework for deep learning. In the space of the first two principal components, the support vector machine completely separated the vectors (i.e., doses of individual drugs) that induced seizure-like events and identified diphenhydramine, enoxacin, strychnine and theophylline as "seizure-inducing" drugs, which indeed were reported to induce seizures in clinical situations. Thus, this artificial intelligence-based classification may provide a new platform to detect the seizure-inducing side effects of preclinical drugs. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Algorithm for Automatic Behavior Quantification of Laboratory Mice Using High-Frame-Rate Videos

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nie, Yuman; Takaki, Takeshi; Ishii, Idaku; Matsuda, Hiroshi

In this paper, we propose an algorithm for automatic behavior quantification in laboratory mice to quantify several model behaviors. The algorithm can detect repetitive motions of the fore- or hind-limbs at several or dozens of hertz, which are too rapid for the naked eye, from high-frame-rate video images. Multiple repetitive motions can always be identified from periodic frame-differential image features in four segmented regions — the head, left side, right side, and tail. Even when a mouse changes its posture and orientation relative to the camera, these features can still be extracted from the shift- and orientation-invariant shape of the mouse silhouette by using the polar coordinate system and adjusting the angle coordinate according to the head and tail positions. The effectiveness of the algorithm is evaluated by analyzing long-term 240-fps videos of four laboratory mice for six typical model behaviors: moving, rearing, immobility, head grooming, left-side scratching, and right-side scratching. The time durations for the model behaviors determined by the algorithm have detection/correction ratios greater than 80% for all the model behaviors. This shows good quantification results for actual animal testing.

Reduced somatosensory impairment by piezosurgery during orthognathic surgery of the mandible.

PubMed

Brockmeyer, Phillipp; Hahn, Wolfram; Fenge, Stefan; Moser, Norman; Schliephake, Henning; Gruber, Rudolf Matthias

2015-09-01

This clinical trial aimed to test the hypothesis that piezosurgery causes reduced nerval irritations and, thus, reduced somatosensory impairment when used in orthognathic surgery of the mandible. To this end, 37 consecutive patients with Angle Class II and III malocclusion were treated using bilateral sagittal split osteotomies (BSSO) of the mandible. In a split mouth design, randomized one side of the mandible was operated using a conventional saw, while a piezosurgery device was used on the contralateral side. In order to test the individual qualities of somatosensory function, quantitative sensory testings (QSTs) were performed 1 month, 6 months and 1 year after surgery. A comparison of the data using a two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) revealed a significant reduction in postoperative impairment in warm detection threshold (WDT) (P = 0.046), a decreased dynamic mechanical allodynia (ALL) (P = 0.002) and a decreased vibration detection threshold (VDT) (P = 0.030) on the piezosurgery side of the mandible as opposed to the conventionally operated control side. In the remaining QSTs, minor deviations from the preoperative baseline conditions and a more rapid regression could be observed. Piezosurgery caused reduced somatosensory impairment and a faster recovery of somatosensory functions in the present investigation.

Shadow detection of moving objects based on multisource information in Internet of things

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Zhen; Zhang, De-gan; Chen, Jie; Hou, Yue-xian

2017-05-01

Moving object detection is an important part in intelligent video surveillance under the banner of Internet of things. The detection of moving target's shadow is also an important step in moving object detection. On the accuracy of shadow detection will affect the detection results of the object directly. Based on the variety of shadow detection method, we find that only using one feature can't make the result of detection accurately. Then we present a new method for shadow detection which contains colour information, the invariance of optical and texture feature. Through the comprehensive analysis of the detecting results of three kinds of information, the shadow was effectively determined. It gets ideal effect in the experiment when combining advantages of various methods.

Drug side effect extraction from clinical narratives of psychiatry and psychology patients

PubMed Central

Kocher, Jean-Pierre A; Chute, Christopher G; Savova, Guergana K

2011-01-01

Objective To extract physician-asserted drug side effects from electronic medical record clinical narratives. Materials and methods Pattern matching rules were manually developed through examining keywords and expression patterns of side effects to discover an individual side effect and causative drug relationship. A combination of machine learning (C4.5) using side effect keyword features and pattern matching rules was used to extract sentences that contain side effect and causative drug pairs, enabling the system to discover most side effect occurrences. Our system was implemented as a module within the clinical Text Analysis and Knowledge Extraction System. Results The system was tested in the domain of psychiatry and psychology. The rule-based system extracting side effects and causative drugs produced an F score of 0.80 (0.55 excluding allergy section). The hybrid system identifying side effect sentences had an F score of 0.75 (0.56 excluding allergy section) but covered more side effect and causative drug pairs than individual side effect extraction. Discussion The rule-based system was able to identify most side effects expressed by clear indication words. More sophisticated semantic processing is required to handle complex side effect descriptions in the narrative. We demonstrated that our system can be trained to identify sentences with complex side effect descriptions that can be submitted to a human expert for further abstraction. Conclusion Our system was able to extract most physician-asserted drug side effects. It can be used in either an automated mode for side effect extraction or semi-automated mode to identify side effect sentences that can significantly simplify abstraction by a human expert. PMID:21946242

Side Effects of Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists in Asthmatic Children.

PubMed

Erdem, Semiha Bahceci; Nacaroglu, Hikmet Tekin; Unsal Karkiner, Canan Sule; Gunay, Ilker; Can, Demet

2015-10-01

Leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRAs) are drugs which have been widely used more than ten years. As the use of LTRAs increases, our knowledge with respect to their side effects increases as well. The objective of our study was to evaluat the observed side effects of LTRAs used in patients with astma. 1024 patients treated only with LTRAs owing to asthma or early wheezing were included in the study for a five-year period. The observed side effects of LTRAs in these patients were retrospectively investigated. The side effects were divided into two parts as psychiatric and non-psychiatric. Among the 1024 cases included in the study, 67.5% of the patients out of 41 with side effects were male, 32.5% were female and the average age was 6.5 years. The rate of patients with asthma was 63.41% and 36.58% of the patients had early wheezing. It was determined that sex, age and diagnosis (early wheezing or asthma) of the patients were ineffective in the emergence of side effects. The average period for the emergence of side effects was the first month. It was observed that hyperactivity was the most frequently observed psychiatric side effect and that abdominal pain was the non-psychiatric side effect. The side effects of LTRAs were common in children. Therefore, patients must be informed at the beginning of the treatment and they must be evaluated at certain intervals.

Acoustic mapping of shallow water gas releases using shipborne multibeam systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urban, Peter; Köser, Kevin; Weiß, Tim; Greinert, Jens

2015-04-01

Water column imaging (WCI) shipborne multibeam systems are effective tools for investigating marine free gas (bubble) release. Like single- and splitbeam systems they are very sensitive towards gas bubbles in the water column, and have the advantage of the wide swath opening angle, 120° or more allowing a better mapping and possible 3D investigations of targets in the water column. On the downside, WCI data are degraded by specific noise from side-lobe effects and are usually not calibrated for target backscattering strength analysis. Most approaches so far concentrated on manual investigations of bubbles in the water column data. Such investigations allow the detection of bubble streams (flares) and make it possible to get an impression about the strength of detected flares/the gas release. Because of the subjective character of these investigations it is difficult to understand how well an area has been investigated by a flare mapping survey and subjective impressions about flare strength can easily be fooled by the many acoustic effects multibeam systems create. Here we present a semi-automated approach that uses the behavior of bubble streams in varying water currents to detect and map their exact source positions. The focus of the method is application of objective rules for flare detection, which makes it possible to extract information about the quality of the seepage mapping survey, perform automated noise reduction and create acoustic maps with quality discriminators indicating how well an area has been mapped.

Objective assessment of mastication predominance in healthy dentate subjects and patients with unilateral posterior missing teeth.

PubMed

Yamasaki, Y; Kuwatsuru, R; Tsukiyama, Y; Oki, K; Koyano, K

2016-08-01

We aimed to investigate mastication predominance in healthy dentate individuals and patients with unilateral posterior missing teeth using objective and subjective methods. The sample comprised 50 healthy dentate individuals (healthy dentate group) and 30 patients with unilateral posterior missing teeth (partially edentulous group). Subjects were asked to freely chew three kinds of test foods (peanuts, beef jerky and chewing gum). Electromyographic activity of the bilateral masseter muscles was recorded. The chewing side (right side or left side) was judged by the level of root mean square electromyographic amplitude. Mastication predominance was then objectively assessed using the mastication predominant score and the mastication predominant index. Self-awareness of mastication predominance was evaluated using a modified visual analogue scale. Mastication predominance scores of the healthy dentate and partially edentulous groups for each test food were analysed. There was a significant difference in the distribution of the mastication predominant index between the two groups (P < 0·05). The mastication predominant score was weakly correlated with self-awareness of mastication predominance in the healthy dentate group, whereas strong correlation was observed in the partially edentulous group (P < 0·05). The results suggest that the individuals with missing unilateral posterior teeth exhibited greater mastication predominance and were more aware of mastication predominance than healthy dentate individuals. Our findings suggest that an objective evaluation of mastication predominance is more precise than a subjective method. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Performance of High-Flow-Rate Samplers for Respirable Crystalline Silica Measurement Under Field Conditions: Preliminary Study.

PubMed

Coggins, Marie A; Healy, Catherine B; Lee, Taekhee; Harper, Martin

2014-01-01

Restoration stone work regularly involves work with high-silica-content materials (e.g., sandstone), but low-silica-content materials (<2 % quartz) such as limestone and lime mortar are also used. A combination of short sample duration and low silica content makes the quantification of worker exposure to respirable crystalline silica (RCS) difficult. This problem will be further compounded by the introduction of lower occupational exposure standards for RCS. The objective of this work was to determine whether higher-flow samplers might be an effective tool in characterizing lower RCS concentrations. A short study was performed to evaluate the performance of three high-flow samplers (FSP10, CIP10-R, and GK2.69) using side-by-side sampling with low-flow samplers (SIMPEDS and 10-mm nylon cyclones) for RCS exposure measurement at a restoration stonemasonry field site. A total of 19 side-by-side sample replicates for each high-flow and low-flow sampler pair were collected from work tasks involving limestone and sandstone. Most of the RCS (quartz) masses collected with the high-flow-rate samplers were above the limit of detection (62 % to 84 %) relative to the low-flow-rate samplers (58 % to 78 %). The average of the respirable mass concentration ratios for CIP10-R/SIMPEDS, GK2.69/10-mm nylon, FSP10/SIMPEDS, and FSP10/10-mm nylon pairs and the range of the quartz concentration ratios for the CIP10-R/SIMPEDS, CIP10-R/10-mm nylon, GK2.69/10-mm nylon, FSP10/SIMPEDS, and FSP10/10-mm nylon pairs included unity with an average close to unity, indicating no likely difference between the reported values for each sampler. Workers reported problems related to the weight of the sampling pumps for the high-flow-rate samplers. Respirable mass concentration data suggest that the high-flow-rate samplers evaluated would be appropriate for sampling respirable dust concentrations during restoration stone work. Results from the comparison of average quartz concentration ratios between high-and low-flow samplers suggest that the higher mass collected by the high-flow-rate samplers did not interfere with the quartz measurement. A sig-nificant portion of the data collected with the high-flow-rate samplers (>82 %) were greater than the limit of detection, which indicates that these samplers are suitable for quantifying exposures, even with low-quartz materials.

Vision-based object detection and recognition system for intelligent vehicles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ran, Bin; Liu, Henry X.; Martono, Wilfung

1999-01-01

Recently, a proactive crash mitigation system is proposed to enhance the crash avoidance and survivability of the Intelligent Vehicles. Accurate object detection and recognition system is a prerequisite for a proactive crash mitigation system, as system component deployment algorithms rely on accurate hazard detection, recognition, and tracking information. In this paper, we present a vision-based approach to detect and recognize vehicles and traffic signs, obtain their information, and track multiple objects by using a sequence of color images taken from a moving vehicle. The entire system consist of two sub-systems, the vehicle detection and recognition sub-system and traffic sign detection and recognition sub-system. Both of the sub- systems consist of four models: object detection model, object recognition model, object information model, and object tracking model. In order to detect potential objects on the road, several features of the objects are investigated, which include symmetrical shape and aspect ratio of a vehicle and color and shape information of the signs. A two-layer neural network is trained to recognize different types of vehicles and a parameterized traffic sign model is established in the process of recognizing a sign. Tracking is accomplished by combining the analysis of single image frame with the analysis of consecutive image frames. The analysis of the single image frame is performed every ten full-size images. The information model will obtain the information related to the object, such as time to collision for the object vehicle and relative distance from the traffic sings. Experimental results demonstrated a robust and accurate system in real time object detection and recognition over thousands of image frames.

Foreign object detection and removal to improve automated analysis of chest radiographs

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

Hogeweg, Laurens; Sanchez, Clara I.; Melendez, Jaime

2013-07-15

Purpose: Chest radiographs commonly contain projections of foreign objects, such as buttons, brassier clips, jewellery, or pacemakers and wires. The presence of these structures can substantially affect the output of computer analysis of these images. An automated method is presented to detect, segment, and remove foreign objects from chest radiographs.Methods: Detection is performed using supervised pixel classification with a kNN classifier, resulting in a probability estimate per pixel to belong to a projected foreign object. Segmentation is performed by grouping and post-processing pixels with a probability above a certain threshold. Next, the objects are replaced by texture inpainting.Results: The methodmore » is evaluated in experiments on 257 chest radiographs. The detection at pixel level is evaluated with receiver operating characteristic analysis on pixels within the unobscured lung fields and an A{sub z} value of 0.949 is achieved. Free response operator characteristic analysis is performed at the object level, and 95.6% of objects are detected with on average 0.25 false positive detections per image. To investigate the effect of removing the detected objects through inpainting, a texture analysis system for tuberculosis detection is applied to images with and without pathology and with and without foreign object removal. Unprocessed, the texture analysis abnormality score of normal images with foreign objects is comparable to those with pathology. After removing foreign objects, the texture score of normal images with and without foreign objects is similar, while abnormal images, whether they contain foreign objects or not, achieve on average higher scores.Conclusions: The authors conclude that removal of foreign objects from chest radiographs is feasible and beneficial for automated image analysis.« less

Wavelet Fusion for Concealed Object Detection Using Passive Millimeter Wave Sequence Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Y.; Pang, L.; Liu, H.; Xu, X.

2018-04-01

PMMW imaging system can create interpretable imagery on the objects concealed under clothing, which gives the great advantage to the security check system. Paper addresses wavelet fusion to detect concealed objects using passive millimeter wave (PMMW) sequence images. According to PMMW real-time imager acquired image characteristics and storage methods firstly, using the sum of squared difference (SSD) as the image-related parameters to screen the sequence images. Secondly, the selected images are optimized using wavelet fusion algorithm. Finally, the concealed objects are detected by mean filter, threshold segmentation and edge detection. The experimental results show that this method improves the detection effect of concealed objects by selecting the most relevant images from PMMW sequence images and using wavelet fusion to enhance the information of the concealed objects. The method can be effectively applied to human body concealed object detection in millimeter wave video.

Portable fixture facilitates pressure testing of instrumentation fittings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olson, G. A.

1967-01-01

Portable fixture facilitates pressure testing to detect possible leaks in instrumentation fittings mounted on tank bulkheads. It uses a vacuum cup which seals a pressure regulator adapter around one side of the fitting to be pressure tested. Leakage is detected with a gas sniffer.

The lateralized smell test for detecting Alzheimer's disease: failure to replicate.

PubMed

Doty, Richard L; Bayona, Edgardo A; Leon-Ariza, Daniel S; Cuadros, Juan; Chung, Inna; Vazquez, Britney; Leon-Sarmiento, Fidias E

2014-05-15

A widely publicized study by Stamps, Bartoshuk and Heilman (2013) reported that a simple measure of left:right naris differences in the ability to detect the odor of peanut butter is a sensitive marker of Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD patients were said to have abnormal smell function on the left side of the nose and normal function on right side of the nose. In light of its implications for medical practice and the world-wide publicity that it engendered, we sought to replicate and expand this work. Two studies were performed. In the first, 15 AD patients were tested according to the procedures described by Stamps et al. in which the nostril contralateral to the tested side was occluded by the patient using lateral pressure from the index finger. Since this can potentially distort the contralateral naris, we repeated the testing using tape for naris occlusion. In the second, 20 AD patients were administered 20 odors of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) to each side of the nose, with the contralateral naris being closed with tape. In both studies, the order of the side of testing was systematically counterbalanced. No evidence of a left:right asymmetry on any test measure was observed. Although hyposmia is well-established in AD, no meaningful asymmetry in smell perception is apparent. If olfactory function on the right side of the nose was normal as claimed, then AD patients should exhibit normal function when tested bilaterally, a phenomenon not seen in dozens of AD-related olfactory studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Finite element analysis-based study of fiber Bragg grating sensor for cracks detection in reinforced concrete

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Lili; Xin, Xiangjun; Song, Jun; Wang, Honggang; Sai, Yaozhang

2018-02-01

Fiber Bragg sensor is applied for detecting and monitoring the cracks that occur in the reinforced concrete. We use the three-dimensional finite element model to provide the three-axial stresses along the fiber Bragg sensor and then converted the stresses as a wavelength deformation of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) reflected spectrum. For the crack detection, an FBG sensor with 10-mm length is embedded in the reinforced concrete, and its reflection spectrum is measured after loading is applied to the concrete slab. As a result, the main peak wavelength and the ratio of the peak reflectivity to the maximal side-mode reflectivity of the optic-fiber grating represent the fracture severity. The fact that the sharp decreasing of the ratio of the peak reflectivity to the maximal side-mode reflectivity represents the early crack is confirmed by the theoretical calculation. The method can be used to detect the cracks in the reinforced concrete and give safety evaluation of large-scale infrastructure.

Applications of thermoelectric modules on heat flow detection.

PubMed

Leephakpreeda, Thananchai

2012-03-01

This paper presents quantitative analysis and practical scenarios of implementation of the thermoelectric module for heat flow detection. Mathematical models of the thermoelectric effects are derived to describe the heat flow from/to the detected media. It is observed that the amount of the heat flow through the thermoelectric module proportionally induces the conduction heat owing to the temperature difference between the hot side and the cold side of the thermoelectric module. In turn, the Seebeck effect takes place in the thermoelectric module where the temperature difference is converted to the electric voltage. Hence, the heat flow from/to the detected media can be observed from both the amount and the polarity of the voltage across the thermoelectric module. Two experiments are demonstrated for viability of the proposed technique by the measurements of the heat flux through the building wall and thermal radiation from the outdoor environment during daytime. Copyright © 2011 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Compatibility problems in frontal, side, single car collisions and car-to-pedestrian accidents in Japan.

PubMed

Mizuno, K; Kajzer, J

1999-07-01

Compatibility problems in car-to-car frontal, side, single car and car-to-pedestrian collisions in Japan are discussed using traffic accident data. The number of serious and fatal injuries is investigated for the subject car and other cars, which are categorized by their class and mass. The aggressivity of the cars is calculated by the number of fatalities, fatality rates and by the number of car registrations. The results show that in car-to-car frontal collisions, cars with a mass of 1150 kg are the most compatible among the current car population. In both car-to-car frontal and side collisions, the sports utility vehicle and mini car are found to be the most incompatible car types with high and low aggressivity, respectively. On the other hand, the accident data show that the wagon and midsize sedan are the most compatible car types. The compatibility of fixed objects in the road environment with cars and cars with pedestrians is also discussed. In a single car collision with a fixed object, the guardrail is the most compatible object and can reduce the fatality rate on prefecture roads by about 60%. The front geometry of the car has large effect on compatibility with a pedestrian.

Research on moving object detection based on frog's eyes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Hongwei; Li, Dongguang; Zhang, Xinyuan

2008-12-01

On the basis of object's information processing mechanism with frog's eyes, this paper discussed a bionic detection technology which suitable for object's information processing based on frog's vision. First, the bionics detection theory by imitating frog vision is established, it is an parallel processing mechanism which including pick-up and pretreatment of object's information, parallel separating of digital image, parallel processing, and information synthesis. The computer vision detection system is described to detect moving objects which has special color, special shape, the experiment indicates that it can scheme out the detecting result in the certain interfered background can be detected. A moving objects detection electro-model by imitating biologic vision based on frog's eyes is established, the video simulative signal is digital firstly in this system, then the digital signal is parallel separated by FPGA. IN the parallel processing, the video information can be caught, processed and displayed in the same time, the information fusion is taken by DSP HPI ports, in order to transmit the data which processed by DSP. This system can watch the bigger visual field and get higher image resolution than ordinary monitor systems. In summary, simulative experiments for edge detection of moving object with canny algorithm based on this system indicate that this system can detect the edge of moving objects in real time, the feasibility of bionic model was fully demonstrated in the engineering system, and it laid a solid foundation for the future study of detection technology by imitating biologic vision.

Object detection from images obtained through underwater turbulence medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Furhad, Md. Hasan; Tahtali, Murat; Lambert, Andrew

2017-09-01

Imaging through underwater experiences severe distortions due to random fluctuations of temperature and salinity in water, which produces underwater turbulence through diffraction limited blur. Lights reflecting from objects perturb and attenuate contrast, making the recognition of objects of interest difficult. Thus, the information available for detecting underwater objects of interest becomes a challenging task as they have inherent confusion among the background, foreground and other image properties. In this paper, a saliency-based approach is proposed to detect the objects acquired through an underwater turbulent medium. This approach has drawn attention among a wide range of computer vision applications, such as image retrieval, artificial intelligence, neuro-imaging and object detection. The image is first processed through a deblurring filter. Next, a saliency technique is used on the image for object detection. In this step, a saliency map that highlights the target regions is generated and then a graph-based model is proposed to extract these target regions for object detection.

A morphometric analysis of the superior cervical ganglion and its surrounding structures.

PubMed

Fazliogullari, Zeliha; Kilic, Cenk; Karabulut, Ahmet Kagan; Yazar, Fatih

2016-04-01

The aim of this cadaveric study was to detect the superior cervical ganglion (SCG) in a topographic manner according to vertebrae and to determine the relationship between the vertebrae, mandibular angle and longus colli muscle through morphometric analysis. The present study was performed on 40 SCG of 20 human cadavers (16 males, 4 females). The level of the SCG was determined based on the vertebrae. Ganglion length, width and thickness were detected. Distance to the adjacent vertebra, the mandibular angle and medial side of the longus colli muscle were measured. The results were evaluated statistically. The SCG existing in all cadavers was detected at the C2 vertebra level in 34 cadavers and at the C3 vertebra level in 6 cadavers. The average length, width and thickness of the SCG were 15.18 ± 1.12, 4.62 ± 0.25, and 1.83 ± 0.10 mm, respectively. No statistically significant difference was detected in terms of the distances between the ganglion and anterior tubercle of transverse processes of the vertebrae as well as the mandibular angle on either side. The distance between the SCG and the medial edge of the longus colli muscle was significantly greater on the left side in both men (p < 0.001) and women (p < 0.01). Recognition of morphometric characteristics of the SCG and detection of its location according to adjacent formations may serve as a guide for nerve blockage studies and help surgeons to preserve the ganglion in both anterior and anterolateral cervical approaches.

Transient Three-Dimensional Analysis of Side Load in Liquid Rocket Engine Nozzles

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Ten-See

2004-01-01

Three-dimensional numerical investigations on the nozzle start-up side load physics were performed. The objective of this study is to identify the three-dimensional side load physics and to compute the associated aerodynamic side load using an anchored computational methodology. The computational methodology is based on an unstructured-grid, and pressure-based computational fluid dynamics formulation, and a simulated inlet condition based on a system calculation. Finite-rate chemistry was used throughout the study so that combustion effect is always included, and the effect of wall cooling on side load physics is studied. The side load physics captured include the afterburning wave, transition from free- shock to restricted-shock separation, and lip Lambda shock oscillation. With the adiabatic nozzle, free-shock separation reappears after the transition from free-shock separation to restricted-shock separation, and the subsequent flow pattern of the simultaneous free-shock and restricted-shock separations creates a very asymmetric Mach disk flow. With the cooled nozzle, the more symmetric restricted-shock separation persisted throughout the start-up transient after the transition, leading to an overall lower side load than that of the adiabatic nozzle. The tepee structures corresponding to the maximum side load were addressed.

Detection and Tracking of Dynamic Objects by Using a Multirobot System: Application to Critical Infrastructures Surveillance

PubMed Central

Rodríguez-Canosa, Gonzalo; Giner, Jaime del Cerro; Barrientos, Antonio

2014-01-01

The detection and tracking of mobile objects (DATMO) is progressively gaining importance for security and surveillance applications. This article proposes a set of new algorithms and procedures for detecting and tracking mobile objects by robots that work collaboratively as part of a multirobot system. These surveillance algorithms are conceived of to work with data provided by long distance range sensors and are intended for highly reliable object detection in wide outdoor environments. Contrary to most common approaches, in which detection and tracking are done by an integrated procedure, the approach proposed here relies on a modular structure, in which detection and tracking are carried out independently, and the latter might accept input data from different detection algorithms. Two movement detection algorithms have been developed for the detection of dynamic objects by using both static and/or mobile robots. The solution to the overall problem is based on the use of a Kalman filter to predict the next state of each tracked object. Additionally, new tracking algorithms capable of combining dynamic objects lists coming from either one or various sources complete the solution. The complementary performance of the separated modular structure for detection and identification is evaluated and, finally, a selection of test examples discussed. PMID:24526305

[Contamination of health care institutions environmental objects by Legionella pneumophila].

PubMed

Shkarin, V V; Blagonravova, A S; Chubukova, O A; Korotaeva, S V

2011-01-01

AIM. The extent of environmental objects contamination by Legionella pneumophila in Nizhny Novgorod and Nizhny Novgorod region hospitals evaluation, and detection of potentially hazardous objects. 433 swabs of environmental objects, and 43 hot water supply and pool water samples from various departments of 4 multi-disciplinary hospitals were studies. DNA from environmental samples was detected by using real time PCR. L. pneumophila DNA was detected in 41 (9,47%) samples from environmental objects and in 2 (4,65%) samples from hot water supply. These bacteria were more frequently detected in environmental samples from physiotherapy departments. Repeated detection of legionellae from the same objects was registered. Circulation of legionellae in multidisciplinary hospitals was determined. Circulation high risk departments and risk objects--reservoirs of L. pneumophila in health care institutions were determined.

Tailoring particle translocation via dielectrophoresis in pore channels

PubMed Central

Tanaka, Shoji; Tsutsui, Makusu; Theodore, Hu; Yuhui, He; Arima, Akihide; Tsuji, Tetsuro; Doi, Kentaro; Kawano, Satoyuki; Taniguchi, Masateru; Kawai, Tomoji

2016-01-01

Understanding and controlling electrophoretic motions of nanoscopic objects in fluidic channels are a central challenge in developing nanopore technology for molecular analyses. Although progress has been made in slowing the translocation velocity to meet the requirement for electrical detections of analytes via picoampere current measurements, there exists no method useful for regulating particle flows in the transverse directions. Here, we report the use of dielectrophoresis to manipulate the single-particle passage through a solid-state pore. We created a trap field by applying AC voltage between electrodes embedded in a low-aspect-ratio micropore. We demonstrated a traffic control of particles to go through center or near side surface via the voltage frequency. We also found enhanced capture efficiency along with faster escaping speed of particles by virtue of the AC-mediated electroosmosis. This method is compatible with nanopore sensing and would be widely applied for reducing off-axis effects to achieve single-molecule identification. PMID:27527126

Computer image processing: Geologic applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Abrams, M. J.

1978-01-01

Computer image processing of digital data was performed to support several geological studies. The specific goals were to: (1) relate the mineral content to the spectral reflectance of certain geologic materials, (2) determine the influence of environmental factors, such as atmosphere and vegetation, and (3) improve image processing techniques. For detection of spectral differences related to mineralogy, the technique of band ratioing was found to be the most useful. The influence of atmospheric scattering and methods to correct for the scattering were also studied. Two techniques were used to correct for atmospheric effects: (1) dark object subtraction, (2) normalization of use of ground spectral measurements. Of the two, the first technique proved to be the most successful for removing the effects of atmospheric scattering. A digital mosaic was produced from two side-lapping LANDSAT frames. The advantages were that the same enhancement algorithm can be applied to both frames, and there is no seam where the two images are joined.

Biomechanical patterns of text-message distraction.

PubMed

Le, Peter; Hwang, Jaejin; Grawe, Sarah; Li, Jing; Snyder, Alison; Lee, Christina; Marras, William S

2015-01-01

The objective of this study was to identify biomechanical measures that can distinguish texting distraction in a laboratory-simulated driving environment. The goal would be to use this information to provide an intervention for risky driving behaviour. Sixteen subjects participated in this study. Three independent variables were tested: task (texting, visual targeting, weighted and non-weighted movements), task direction (front and side) and task distance (close and far). Dependent variables consisted of biomechanical moments, head displacement and the length of time to complete each task. Results revealed that the time to complete each task was higher for texting compared to other tasks. Peak moments during texting were only distinguishable from visual targeting. Peak head displacement and cumulative biomechanical exposure measures indicated that texting can be distinguished from other tasks. Therefore, it may be useful to take into account both temporal and biomechanical measures when considering warning systems to detect texting distraction.

VizieR Online Data Catalog: Photometry of LBGs, LAEs and GNBs at z~2.85 (Mostardi+, 2013)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mostardi, R. E.; Shapley, A. E.; Nestor, D. B.; Steidel, C. C.; Reddy, N. A.; Trainor, R. F.

2017-11-01

We performed multi-object spectroscopy in 2011 May on the Keck 1 telescope, using the blue side of LRIS. We observed four slitmasks with exposure times of 16560, 9000, 8400, and 8100 s, respectively. For all masks, we used the 400 line/mm grism blazed at 3400 Å, achieving a spectral resolution of R=800 for 1.2" slits. The "d500" dichroic beam splitter was used for the first mask (originally designed for deep LyC spectroscopy) and the "d560" dichroic was used for the three additional masks (designed to acquire redshifts). The conditions during the observing run were suboptimal, with intermittent clouds and a seeing FWHM of 0.7"-1.0" during clear spells. When designing the slitmasks, we targeted both LBGs and LAEs with NB3420 detections. Slits were centered on the coordinates of the V (NB4670) centroid for LBGs (LAEs). While most LAEs were selected using the V-band image as the continuum band, a small fraction (20%) were selected using the G-band (henceforth referred to as GNBs). Overall, we observed 46 objects on the four slitmasks, 29 of which had repeat observations. (4 data files).

Decoupling Object Detection and Categorization

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mack, Michael L.; Palmeri, Thomas J.

2010-01-01

We investigated whether there exists a behavioral dependency between object detection and categorization. Previous work (Grill-Spector & Kanwisher, 2005) suggests that object detection and basic-level categorization may be the very same perceptual mechanism: As objects are parsed from the background they are categorized at the basic level. In…

Side effects of beta-blocker treatments as related to the central nervous system.

PubMed

Dahlöf, C; Dimenäs, E

1990-04-01

During the last decade beta-adrenoceptor antagonists have become one of the first-line treatments for hypertension. Generally, they have been shown to be safe with a low frequency of serious side effects. However, minor subjective symptoms, usually considered to be CNS-related, have been reported for all beta-blockers used. Thus, all beta-blockers on the market seem to have a high benefit:risk ratio; independent of their physicochemical properties and pharmacodynamic profile, however, they seem to cause CNS-related side effects to about the same extent. These minor side effects, the mechanisms of which are unclear, consist of subtle effects on general well being, decreased initiative, a depressed frame of mind, and disturbed sleep. Generally, however, beta-blockers in therapeutic dosages do not affect the qualitative functions of the brain. The results so far available have been obtained primarily by using objective methods. Further comparison has now been initiated using documented subjective methods to investigate whether the objectively documented differences are of any clinical relevance to the patient's quality of life. Although it cannot be claimed with certainty, nonselective beta-blockers seem to cause CNS-related side effects to a greater extent than beta 1-selective blockers. Differences in the degree of hydrophilicity of the beta-blocker are apparently of no clinical relevance in this respect. Rather, the plasma concentration of the beta-blocking drug (degree of beta-blockade) seems to be the major determinant of whether or not CNS-related symptoms appear in susceptible patients.

Side-Specificity of Olfactory Learning in the Honeybee: Generalization between Odors and Sides

PubMed Central

Sandoz, Jean-Christophe; Menzel, Randolf

2001-01-01

Honeybees (Apis mellifera) can be trained to associate an odor stimulus with a sucrose reward. The neural structures involved in the detection and integration of olfactory stimuli are represented bilaterally in the brain. Little is known about the respective roles of the two sides of the brain in olfactory learning. Does each side learn independently of the other, or do they communicate, and if so, to what extent and at what level of neural integration? We addressed these questions using the proboscis extension response (PER) conditioning paradigm applied in a preparation that allows the separation of the two input sides during olfactory stimulations. Bees conditioned to two odorants A and B, one being learned on each side (A+/B+ training), showed in extinction tests rather unspecific responses: They responded to both odorants on both sides. This could be attributable to either a transfer of the learned information between sides, or to a generalization between odorants on each side. By subjecting bees to conditioning on one side only (A+/0 training), we found that the learned information is indeed transferred between sides. However, when bees were trained explicitly to give opposite values to the two odorants on the two sides (A+B−/B+A− training), they showed clear side-specific response patterns to these odorants. These results are used in the elaboration of a functional model of laterality of olfactory learning and memory processing in the honeybee brain. PMID:11584076

Discreet passive explosive detection through 2-sided wave guided fluorescence

DOEpatents

Harper, Ross James; la Grone, Marcus; Fisher, Mark

2012-10-16

The current invention provides a passive sampling device suitable for collecting and detecting the presence of target analytes. In particular, the passive sampling device is suitable for detecting nitro-aromatic compounds. The current invention further provides a passive sampling device reader suitable for determining the collection of target analytes. Additionally, the current invention provides methods for detecting target analytes using the passive sampling device and the passive sampling device reader.

Optical Observation, Image-processing, and Detection of Space Debris in Geosynchronous Earth Orbit

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oda, H.; Yanagisawa, T.; Kurosaki, H.; Tagawa, M.

2014-09-01

We report on optical observations and an efficient detection method of space debris in the geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO). We operate our new Australia Remote Observatory (ARO) where an 18 cm optical telescope with a charged-coupled device (CCD) camera covering a 3.14-degree field of view is used for GEO debris survey, and analyse datasets of successive CCD images using the line detection method (Yanagisawa and Nakajima 2005). In our operation, the exposure time of each CCD image is set to be 3 seconds (or 5 seconds), and the time interval of CCD shutter open is about 4.7 seconds (or 6.7 seconds). In the line detection method, a sufficient number of sample objects are taken from each image based on their shape and intensity, which includes not only faint signals but also background noise (we take 500 sample objects from each image in this paper). Then we search a sequence of sample objects aligning in a straight line in the successive images to exclude the noise sample. We succeed in detecting faint signals (down to about 1.8 sigma of background noise) by applying the line detection method to 18 CCD images. As a result, we detected about 300 GEO objects up to magnitude of 15.5 among 5 nights data. We also calculate orbits of objects detected using the Simplified General Perturbations Satellite Orbit Model 4(SGP4), and identify the objects listed in the two-line-element (TLE) data catalogue publicly provided by the U.S. Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM). We found that a certain amount of our detections are new objects that are not contained in the catalogue. We conclude that our ARO and detection method posse a high efficiency detection of GEO objects despite the use of comparatively-inexpensive observation and analysis system. We also describe the image-processing specialized for the detection of GEO objects (not for usual astronomical objects like stars) in this paper.

Oscillations in a Sunspot with Light Bridges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Ding; Nakariakov, Valery M.; Huang, Zhenghua; Li, Bo; Su, Jiangtao; Yan, Yihua; Tan, Baolin

2014-09-01

The Solar Optical Telescope on board Hinode observed a sunspot (AR 11836) with two light bridges (LBs) on 2013 August 31. We analyzed a two-hour Ca II H emission intensity data set and detected strong five-minute oscillation power on both LBs and in the inner penumbra. The time-distance plot reveals that the five-minute oscillation phase does not vary significantly along the thin bridge, indicating that the oscillations are likely to originate from underneath it. The slit taken along the central axis of the wide LB exhibits a standing wave feature. However, at the center of the wide bridge, the five-minute oscillation power is found to be stronger than at its sides. Moreover, the time-distance plot across the wide bridge exhibits a herringbone pattern that indicates a counter-stream of two running waves, which originated at the bridge's sides. Thus, the five-minute oscillations on the wide bridge also resemble the properties of running penumbral waves. The five-minute oscillations are suppressed in the umbra, while the three-minute oscillations occupy all three cores of the sunspot's umbra, separated by the LBs. The three-minute oscillations were found to be in phase at both sides of the LBs. This may indicate that either LBs do not affect umbral oscillations, or that umbral oscillations at different umbral cores share the same source. It also indicates that LBs are rather shallow objects situated in the upper part of the umbra. We found that umbral flashes (UFs) follow the life cycles of umbral oscillations with much larger amplitudes. They cannot propagate across LBs. UFs dominate the three-minute oscillation power within each core; however, they do not disrupt the phase of umbral oscillation.

Real-time windowing in imaging radar using FPGA technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponomaryov, Volodymyr I.; Escamilla-Hernandez, Enrique

2005-02-01

The imaging radar uses the high frequency electromagnetic waves reflected from different objects for estimating of its parameters. Pulse compression is a standard signal processing technique used to minimize the peak transmission power and to maximize SNR, and to get a better resolution. Usually the pulse compression can be achieved using a matched filter. The level of the side-lobes in the imaging radar can be reduced using the special weighting function processing. There are very known different weighting functions: Hamming, Hanning, Blackman, Chebyshev, Blackman-Harris, Kaiser-Bessel, etc., widely used in the signal processing applications. Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) offers great benefits like instantaneous implementation, dynamic reconfiguration, design, and field programmability. This reconfiguration makes FPGAs a better solution over custom-made integrated circuits. This work aims at demonstrating a reasonably flexible implementation of FM-linear signal and pulse compression using Matlab, Simulink, and System Generator. Employing FPGA and mentioned software we have proposed the pulse compression design on FPGA using classical and novel windows technique to reduce the side-lobes level. This permits increasing the detection ability of the small or nearly placed targets in imaging radar. The advantage of FPGA that can do parallelism in real time processing permits to realize the proposed algorithms. The paper also presents the experimental results of proposed windowing procedure in the marine radar with such the parameters: signal is linear FM (Chirp); frequency deviation DF is 9.375MHz; the pulse width T is 3.2μs taps number in the matched filter is 800 taps; sampling frequency 253.125*106 MHz. It has been realized the reducing of side-lobes levels in real time permitting better resolution of the small targets.

Oscillations in a sunspot with light bridges

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

Yuan, Ding; Su, Jiangtao; Yan, Yihua

2014-09-01

The Solar Optical Telescope on board Hinode observed a sunspot (AR 11836) with two light bridges (LBs) on 2013 August 31. We analyzed a two-hour Ca II H emission intensity data set and detected strong five-minute oscillation power on both LBs and in the inner penumbra. The time-distance plot reveals that the five-minute oscillation phase does not vary significantly along the thin bridge, indicating that the oscillations are likely to originate from underneath it. The slit taken along the central axis of the wide LB exhibits a standing wave feature. However, at the center of the wide bridge, the five-minutemore » oscillation power is found to be stronger than at its sides. Moreover, the time-distance plot across the wide bridge exhibits a herringbone pattern that indicates a counter-stream of two running waves, which originated at the bridge's sides. Thus, the five-minute oscillations on the wide bridge also resemble the properties of running penumbral waves. The five-minute oscillations are suppressed in the umbra, while the three-minute oscillations occupy all three cores of the sunspot's umbra, separated by the LBs. The three-minute oscillations were found to be in phase at both sides of the LBs. This may indicate that either LBs do not affect umbral oscillations, or that umbral oscillations at different umbral cores share the same source. It also indicates that LBs are rather shallow objects situated in the upper part of the umbra. We found that umbral flashes (UFs) follow the life cycles of umbral oscillations with much larger amplitudes. They cannot propagate across LBs. UFs dominate the three-minute oscillation power within each core; however, they do not disrupt the phase of umbral oscillation.« less

X-ray radiation detectors of ``scintillator-photoreceiving device type'' for industrial digital radiography with improved spatial resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ryzhykov, V. D.; Lysetska, O. K.; Opolonin, O. D.; Kozin, D. N.

2003-06-01

Main types of photoreceivers used in X-ray digital radiography systems are luminescent screens that transfer the optical image onto charge collection instruments, which require cooling, and semiconductor silicon detectors, which limit the contrast sensitivity. We have developed and produced X-ray radiation detectors of "scintillator-photoreceiving device" (S-PRD) type, which are integrally located on the inverse side of the photodiode (PD). The receiving-converting circuit (RCC) is designed for data conversion into digital form and their input into PC. Software is provided for RCC control and image visualization. Main advantages of these detectors are high industrial resolution (3-5 line pairs per mm), detecting activity up to 20 μm, controlled sensitivity, low weight and small size, imaging low (0.1-0.3 mrad) object dose in real time. In this work, main characteristics of 32-, 64- and 1024-channel detectors of S-PRD type were studied and compared for X-ray sensitivity with S-PD detectors. Images of the tested objects have been obtained. Recommendations are given on the use of different scintillation materials, depending upon the purpose of a digital radiographic system. The detectors operate in a broad energy range of ionizing radiation, hence the size of the controlled object is not limited. The system is sufficiently powerful to ensure frontal (through two walls) observation of pipelines with wall thickness up to 10 cm.

Mechanical characteristics of rat vibrissae: resonant frequencies and damping in isolated whiskers and in the awake behaving animal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hartmann, Mitra J.; Johnson, Nicholas J.; Towal, R. Blythe; Assad, Christopher

2003-01-01

We investigated the natural resonance properties and damping characteristics of rat macrovibrissae (whiskers). Isolated whiskers rigidly fixed at the base showed first-mode resonance peaks between 27 and 260 Hz, principally depending on whisker length. These experimentally measured resonant frequencies were matched using a theoretical model of the whisker as a conical cantilever beam, with Young's modulus as the only free parameter. The best estimate for Young's modulus was approximately 3-4 GPa. Results of both vibration and impulse experiments showed that the whiskers are strongly damped, with damping ratios between 0.11 and 0.17. In the behaving animal, whiskers that deflected past an object were observed to resonate but were damped significantly more than isolated whiskers. The time course of damping varied depending on the individual whisker and the phase of the whisking cycle, which suggests that the rat may modulate biomechanical parameters that affect damping. No resonances were observed for whiskers that did not contact the object or during free whisking in air. Finally, whiskers on the same side of the face were sometimes observed to move in opposite directions over the full duration of a whisk. We discuss the potential roles of resonance during natural exploratory behavior and specifically suggest that resonant oscillations may be important in the rat's tactile detection of object boundaries.

Jupiter Night and Day

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2001-01-01

Day and night side narrow angle images taken on January 1, 2001 illustrating storms visible on the day side which are the sources of visible lightning when viewed on the night side. The images have been enhanced in contrast. Note the two day-side occurrences of high clouds, in the upper and lower parts of the image, are coincident with lightning storms seen on the darkside. The storms occur at 34.5 degrees and 23.5 degrees North latitude, within one degree of the latitudes at which similar lightning features were detected by the Galileo spacecraft. The images were taken at different times. The storms' longitudinal separation changes from one image to the next because the winds carrying them blow at different speeds at the two latitudes.

The Effect of Hock Injury Laterality and Lameness on Lying Behaviors and Lying Laterality in Holstein Dairy Cows

PubMed Central

Krawczel, Peter D.

2017-01-01

Simple Summary Dairy cattle may experience discomfort in a myriad of ways throughout their life cycle, particularly when sustaining hock injuries or suboptimal locomotion. Lactating dairy cattle divide their lying time equally between left and right sides; however, discomfort experienced during pregnancy or following cannulation can cause a shift in the normal lying laterality. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of hock injuries and lameness on the lying behaviors of dairy cattle, particularly lying laterality. Lying laterality did not differ from the expected 50% (left side lying time) in cattle with hock injuries, lameness, or both. The current results suggest that lying laterality does not differ between varying levels of hock injury or lameness severity. Going forward, further research could determine if lying laterality shifts over the course of the animal developing a hock injury or lameness. Abstract Lactating dairy cattle divide their lying equally between their left side and their right side. However, discomfort, such as pregnancy and cannulation, can cause a cow to shift lying side preference. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of lameness and hock injuries on lying behaviors, particularly lying laterality, of lactating dairy cows. Cows from four commercial farms in eastern Croatia that had lying behavior data, health score data, and production records were used in the study. Health scores including hock injuries and locomotion were collected once per cow. Severely lame cows had greater daily lying time compared to sound cows and moderately lame cows. Overall, cows spent 51.3 ± 1.2% of their daily lying time on the left side. Maximum hock score, locomotion score, hock injury laterality, or parity did not result in lying laterality differing from 50%. PMID:29149044

Association of Type D personality to perceived side effects and adherence in CPAP-treated patients with OSAS.

PubMed

Broström, Anders; Strömberg, Anna; Mårtensson, Jan; Ulander, Martin; Harder, Lena; Svanborg, Eva

2007-12-01

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the treatment of choice for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), but side effects are common and long-term adherence low. The Type D (distressed) personality is defined as a combination of negative affectivity and social inhibition. The association of Type D personality with adherence has not been studied in CPAP-treated patients with OSAS. This study aimed to describe the prevalence of Type D personality in OSAS patients with CPAP treatment longer than 6 months and the association with self-reported side effects and adherence. A cross-sectional descriptive design was used. A total of 247 OSAS patients with a mean use of CPAP treatment for 55 months (6-182 months) were included. Data collection was achieved by two questionnaires; the Type D scale 14 (DS14) (Type D personality), SECI (side effects of CPAP), as well as from medical records (clinical variables and objective adherence to CPAP treatment). Type D personality occurred in 30% of the patients with OSAS and significantly (P < 0.05-0.001) increased the perceived frequency and severity of a broad range of side effects. The objective adherence was significantly lower (P < 0.001) for OSAS patients with Type D compared to OSAS patients without Type D, both with regard to a mean use of 4 h per night and 85% of the self-rated sleep time per night. The additional effect of a Type D personality on perceived side effects and adherence to CPAP treatment found in this study could be used by healthcare personnel when evaluating patients waiting for treatment.

Development and Validation of a Collocated Exposure Monitoring Methodology using Portable Air Monitors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Z.; Che, W.; Frey, H. C.; Lau, A. K. H.

2016-12-01

Portable air monitors are currently being developed and used to enable a move towards exposure monitoring as opposed to fixed site monitoring. Reliable methods are needed regarding capturing spatial and temporal variability in exposure concentration to obtain credible data from which to develop efficient exposure mitigation measures. However, there are few studies that quantify the validity and repeatability of the collected data. The objective of this study is to present and evaluate a collocated exposure monitoring (CEM) methodology including the calibration of portable air monitors against stationary reference equipment, side-by-side comparison of portable air monitors, personal or microenvironmental exposure monitoring and the processing and interpretation of the collected data. The CEM methodology was evaluated based on application to portable monitors TSI DustTrak II Aerosol Monitor 8530 for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and TSI Q-Trak model 7575 with probe model 982 for CO, CO2, temperature and relative humidity. Taking a school sampling campaign in Hong Kong in January and June, 2015 as an example, the calibrated side-by-side measured 1 Hz PM2.5 concentrations showed good consistency between two sets of portable air monitors. Confidence in side-by-side comparison, PM2.5 concentrations of which most of the time were within 2 percent, enabled robust inference regarding differences when the monitors measured in classroom and pedestrian during school hour. The proposed CEM methodology can be widely applied in sampling campaigns with the objective of simultaneously characterizing pollutant concentrations in two or more locations or microenvironments. The further application of the CEM methodology to transportation exposure will be presented and discussed.

Haptic Exploration in Humans and Machines: Attribute Integration and Machine Recognition/Implementation.

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-04-30

side it necessary and Identify’ by’ block n~nmbot) haptic hand, touch , vision, robot, object recognition, categorization 20. AGSTRPACT (Continue an...established that the haptic system has remarkable capabilities for object recognition. We define haptics as purposive touch . The basic tactual system...gathered ratings of the importance of dimensions for categorizing common objects by touch . Texture and hardness ratings strongly co-vary, which is

Real-time object detection, tracking and occlusion reasoning

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

Divakaran, Ajay; Yu, Qian; Tamrakar, Amir

A system for object detection and tracking includes technologies to, among other things, detect and track moving objects, such as pedestrians and/or vehicles, in a real-world environment, handle static and dynamic occlusions, and continue tracking moving objects across the fields of view of multiple different cameras.

Development of the My Medicines and Me (M3Q) side effect questionnaire for mental health patients: a qualitative study

PubMed Central

Ashoorian, Deena M.; Davidson, Rowan M.; Rock, Daniel J. T.; Seubert, Liza J.; Clifford, Rhonda M.

2015-01-01

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the acceptability, content validity and usability of the My Medicines and Me (M3Q) self-report side effect questionnaire. Methods: Eight focus groups consisting of mental health patients, carers, general practitioners, psychiatrists, mental health nurses and pharmacists were conducted, involving 78 participants. Two researchers independently examined the transcriptions and analysed the data thematically using an inductive method. Results: The findings supported changes to the formatting, length and phrasing of questions in the original version of the questionnaire. Although the groups provided differing views on the usability of the M3Q in clinical practice, the patient and carer groups were unconditionally in favour of such a tool to be used systematically to describe patients’ subjective experiences with side effects. Conclusion: The differing contribution made by all groups involved in the administration and completion of the M3Q assisted with content validity of the questionnaire. The acceptability and usability of this novel side effect questionnaire was also explored, with many participants agreeing it was a necessary tool for a patient centred approach to treatment. Following implementation of the changes to the current format of the questionnaire, investigation into the uptake and use in clinical practice should be carried out. PMID:26557985

Making scents: improvement of olfactory profile after botulinum toxin-A treatment in healthy individuals.

PubMed

Heckmann, Marc; Kütt, Sandra; Dittmar, Sabine; Hamm, Henning

2007-01-01

The axilla is particularly associated with body odor and putative pheromone production in humans. Although botulinum toxin type A (BT-A) is injected increasingly into the axillary skin to stop excessive sweating, its potential to control body odor is largely unexplored. The objective was to measure the impact of BT-A on human axillary odor in an objective and reproducible fashion. This study was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with 51 healthy volunteers receiving 50 U of BOTOX (Allergan, Inc.) in one axilla and placebo in the other. Odor quality was assessed by treated subjects (questionnaire) as well as by independent raters who were exposed to blinded T-shirt samples. No major side effects occurred, and no subject withdrew from the study for medical reasons. Samples from the BT-A-treated side smelled less intense (p<.001) and better (p<.001) according to self-assessments. Likewise, independent raters found the BT-A-treated samples to smell less intense and better (p<.001). They preferred "to work together with the respective person" and found the odor "more erotic" (p<.001). Side-by-side comparison of odor samples (T-shirt sniff test) by independent raters showed that axillary odor in healthy individuals is significantly more appealing after BT-A injection.

Application of speed-enhanced spatial domain correlation filters for real-time security monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardezi, Akber; Bangalore, Nagachetan; Al-Kandri, Ahmed; Birch, Philip; Young, Rupert; Chatwin, Chris

2011-11-01

A speed enhanced space variant correlation filer which has been designed to be invariant to change in orientation and scale of the target object but also to be spatially variant, i.e. the filter function becoming dependant on local clutter conditions within the image. The speed enhancement of the filter is due to the use of optimization techniques employing low-pass filtering to restrict kernel movement to be within regions of interest. The detection and subsequent identification capability of the two-stage process has been evaluated in highly cluttered backgrounds using both visible and thermal imagery acquired from civil and defense domains along with associated training data sets for target detection and classification. In this paper a series of tests have been conducted in multiple scenarios relating to situations that pose a security threat. Performance matrices comprised of peak-to-correlation energy (PCE) and peak-to-side lobe ratio (PSR) measurements of the correlation output have been calculated to allow the definition of a recognition criterion. The hardware implementation of the system has been discussed in terms of Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) chipsets with implementation bottle necks and their solution being considered.

GIS Integration for Quantitatively Determining the Capabilities of Five Remote Sensors for Resource Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pascucci, R. F.; Smith, A.

1982-01-01

To assist the U.S. Geological Survey in carrying out a Congressional mandate to investigate the use of side-looking airborne radar (SLAR) for resources exploration, a research program was conducted to define the contribution of SLAR imagery to structural geologic mapping and to compare this with contributions from other remote sensing systems. Imagery from two SLAR systems and from three other remote sensing systems was interpreted, and the resulting information was digitized, quantified and intercompared using a computer-assisted geographic information system (GIS). The study area covers approximately 10,000 square miles within the Naval Petroleum Reserve, Alaska, and is situated between the foothills of the Brooks Range and the North Slope. The principal objectives were: (1) to establish quantitatively, the total information contribution of each of the five remote sensing systems to the mapping of structural geology; (2) to determine the amount of information detected in common when the sensors are used in combination; and (3) to determine the amount of unique, incremental information detected by each sensor when used in combination with others. The remote sensor imagery that was investigated included real-aperture and synthetic-aperture radar imagery, standard and digitally enhanced LANDSAT MSS imagery, and aerial photos.

Ultrasound guided electrical impedance tomography for 2D free-interface reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Guanghui; Ren, Shangjie; Dong, Feng

2017-07-01

The free-interface detection problem is normally seen in industrial or biological processes. Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a non-invasive technique with advantages of high-speed and low cost, and is a promising solution for free-interface detection problems. However, due to the ill-posed and nonlinear characteristics, the spatial resolution of EIT is low. To deal with the issue, an ultrasound guided EIT is proposed to directly reconstruct the geometric configuration of the target free-interface. In the method, the position of the central point of the target interface is measured by a pair of ultrasound transducers mounted at the opposite side of the objective domain, and then the position measurement is used as the prior information for guiding the EIT-based free-interface reconstruction. During the process, a constrained least squares framework is used to fuse the information from different measurement modalities, and the Lagrange multiplier-based Levenberg-Marquardt method is adopted to provide the iterative solution of the constraint optimization problem. The numerical results show that the proposed ultrasound guided EIT method for the free-interface reconstruction is more accurate than the single modality method, especially when the number of valid electrodes is limited.

Dynamics of hepatitis C under optimal therapy and sampling based analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pachpute, Gaurav; Chakrabarty, Siddhartha P.

2013-08-01

We examine two models for hepatitis C viral (HCV) dynamics, one for monotherapy with interferon (IFN) and the other for combination therapy with IFN and ribavirin. Optimal therapy for both the models is determined using the steepest gradient method, by defining an objective functional which minimizes infected hepatocyte levels, virion population and side-effects of the drug(s). The optimal therapies for both the models show an initial period of high efficacy, followed by a gradual decline. The period of high efficacy coincides with a significant decrease in the viral load, whereas the efficacy drops after hepatocyte levels are restored. We use the Latin hypercube sampling technique to randomly generate a large number of patient scenarios and study the dynamics of each set under the optimal therapy already determined. Results show an increase in the percentage of responders (indicated by drop in viral load below detection levels) in case of combination therapy (72%) as compared to monotherapy (57%). Statistical tests performed to study correlations between sample parameters and time required for the viral load to fall below detection level, show a strong monotonic correlation with the death rate of infected hepatocytes, identifying it to be an important factor in deciding individual drug regimens.

History of Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

NASA Image and Video Library

1990-04-25

In this photograph, the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) was being deployed on April 25, 1990. The photograph was taken by the IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC) mounted in a container on the port side of the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery (STS-31 mission). The purpose of the HST, the most complex and sensitive optical telescope ever made, is to study the cosmos from a low-Earth orbit for 15 years or more. The HST provides fine detail imaging, produces ultraviolet images and spectra, and detects very faint objects. Two months after its deployment in space, scientists detected a 2-micron spherical aberration in the primary mirror of the HST that affected the telescope's ability to focus faint light sources into a precise point. This imperfection was very slight, one-fiftieth of the width of a human hair. A scheduled Space Service servicing mission (STS-61) in 1993 permitted scientists to correct the problem. During four spacewalks, new instruments were installed into the HST that had optical corrections. The Marshall Space Flight Center had responsibility for design, development, and construction of the HST. The Perkin-Elmer Corporation, in Danbury, Cornecticut, developed the optical system and guidance sensors. Photo Credit: NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Lockheed Corporation.

Calibration between Color Camera and 3D LIDAR Instruments with a Polygonal Planar Board

PubMed Central

Park, Yoonsu; Yun, Seokmin; Won, Chee Sun; Cho, Kyungeun; Um, Kyhyun; Sim, Sungdae

2014-01-01

Calibration between color camera and 3D Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) equipment is an essential process for data fusion. The goal of this paper is to improve the calibration accuracy between a camera and a 3D LIDAR. In particular, we are interested in calibrating a low resolution 3D LIDAR with a relatively small number of vertical sensors. Our goal is achieved by employing a new methodology for the calibration board, which exploits 2D-3D correspondences. The 3D corresponding points are estimated from the scanned laser points on the polygonal planar board with adjacent sides. Since the lengths of adjacent sides are known, we can estimate the vertices of the board as a meeting point of two projected sides of the polygonal board. The estimated vertices from the range data and those detected from the color image serve as the corresponding points for the calibration. Experiments using a low-resolution LIDAR with 32 sensors show robust results. PMID:24643005

Method for manufacturing solid-state thermal neutron detectors with simultaneous high thermal neutron detection efficiency (>50%) and neutron to gamma discrimination (>1.0E4)

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

Nikolic, Rebecca J.; Conway, Adam M.; Heineck, Daniel

2013-10-15

Methods for manufacturing solid-state thermal neutron detectors with simultaneous high thermal neutron detection efficiency (>50%) and neutron to gamma discrimination (>10.sup.4) are provided. A structure is provided that includes a p+ region on a first side of an intrinsic region and an n+ region on a second side of the intrinsic region. The thickness of the intrinsic region is minimized to achieve a desired gamma discrimination factor of at least 1.0E+04. Material is removed from one of the p+ region or the n+ region and into the intrinsic layer to produce pillars with open space between each pillar. The openmore » space is filed with a neutron sensitive material. An electrode is placed in contact with the pillars and another electrode is placed in contact with the side that is opposite of the intrinsic layer with respect to the first electrode.« less

DarkSide-20k: A 20 Tonne Two-Phase LAr TPC for Direct Dark Matter Detection at LNGS

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

Aalseth, C.E.; et al.

Building on the successful experience in operating the DarkSide-50 detector, the DarkSide Collaboration is going to construct DarkSide-20k, a direct WIMP search detector using a two-phase Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) with an active (fiducial) mass of 23 t (20 t). The DarkSide-20k LArTPC will be deployed within a shield/veto with a spherical Liquid Scintillator Veto (LSV) inside a cylindrical Water Cherenkov Veto (WCV). Operation of DarkSide-50 demonstrated a major reduction in the dominantmore » $$^{39}$$Ar background when using argon extracted from an underground source, before applying pulse shape analysis. Data from DarkSide-50, in combination with MC simulation and analytical modeling, shows that a rejection factor for discrimination between electron and nuclear recoils of $$\\gt3\\times10^9$$ is achievable. This, along with the use of the veto system, is the key to unlocking the path to large LArTPC detector masses, while maintaining an "instrumental background-free" experiment, an experiment in which less than 0.1 events (other than $$\

The veto system of the DarkSide-50 experiment

DOE PAGES

Agnes, P.

2016-03-16

Here, nuclear recoil events produced by neutron scatters form one of the most important classes of background in WIMP direct detection experiments, as they may produce nuclear recoils that look exactly like WIMP interactions. In DarkSide-50, we both actively suppress and measure the rate of neutron-induced background events using our neutron veto, composed of a boron-loaded liquid scintillator detector within a water Cherenkov detector. This paper is devoted to the description of the neutron veto system of DarkSide-50, including the detector structure, the fundamentals of event reconstruction and data analysis, and basic performance parameters.

The veto system of the DarkSide-50 experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agnes, P.; Agostino, L.; Albuquerque, I. F. M.; Alexander, T.; Alton, A. K.; Arisaka, K.; Back, H. O.; Baldin, B.; Biery, K.; Bonfini, G.; Bossa, M.; Bottino, B.; Brigatti, A.; Brodsky, J.; Budano, F.; Bussino, S.; Cadeddu, M.; Cadonati, L.; Cadoni, M.; Calaprice, F.; Canci, N.; Candela, A.; Cao, H.; Cariello, M.; Carlini, M.; Catalanotti, S.; Cavalcante, P.; Chepurnov, A.; Cocco, A. G.; Covone, G.; Crippa, L.; D'Angelo, D.; D'Incecco, M.; Davini, S.; De Cecco, S.; De Deo, M.; De Vincenzi, M.; Derbin, A.; Devoto, A.; Di Eusanio, F.; Di Pietro, G.; Edkins, E.; Empl, A.; Fan, A.; Fiorillo, G.; Fomenko, K.; Foster, G.; Franco, D.; Gabriele, F.; Galbiati, C.; Giganti, C.; Goretti, A. M.; Granato, F.; Grandi, L.; Gromov, M.; Guan, M.; Guardincerri, Y.; Hackett, B. R.; Herner, K. R.; Hungerford, E. V.; Ianni, Aldo; Ianni, Andrea; James, I.; Johnson, T.; Jollet, C.; Keeter, K.; Kendziora, C. L.; Kobychev, V.; Koh, G.; Korablev, D.; Korga, G.; Kubankin, A.; Li, X.; Lissia, M.; Lombardi, P.; Luitz, S.; Ma, Y.; Machulin, I. N.; Mandarano, A.; Mari, S. M.; Maricic, J.; Marini, L.; Martoff, C. J.; Meregaglia, A.; Meyers, P. D.; Miletic, T.; Milincic, R.; Montanari, D.; Monte, A.; Montuschi, M.; Monzani, M. E.; Mosteiro, P.; Mount, B. J.; Muratova, V. N.; Musico, P.; Napolitano, J.; Nelson, A.; Odrowski, S.; Orsini, M.; Ortica, F.; Pagani, L.; Pallavicini, M.; Pantic, E.; Parmeggiano, S.; Pelczar, K.; Pelliccia, N.; Perasso, S.; Pocar, A.; Pordes, S.; Pugachev, D. A.; Qian, H.; Randle, K.; Ranucci, G.; Razeto, A.; Reinhold, B.; Renshaw, A. L.; Romani, A.; Rossi, B.; Rossi, N.; Rountree, S. D.; Sablone, D.; Saggese, P.; Saldanha, R.; Sands, W.; Sangiorgio, S.; Savarese, C.; Segreto, E.; Semenov, D. A.; Shields, E.; Singh, P. N.; Skorokhvatov, M. D.; Smirnov, O.; Sotnikov, A.; Stanford, C.; Suvorov, Y.; Tartaglia, R.; Tatarowicz, J.; Testera, G.; Tonazzo, A.; Trinchese, P.; Unzhakov, E. V.; Vishneva, A.; Vogelaar, R. B.; Wada, M.; Walker, S.; Wang, H.; Wang, Y.; Watson, A. W.; Westerdale, S.; Wilhelmi, J.; Wojcik, M. M.; Xiang, X.; Xu, J.; Yang, C.; Yoo, J.; Zavatarelli, S.; Zec, A.; Zhong, W.; Zhu, C.; Zuzel, G.

2016-03-01

Nuclear recoil events produced by neutron scatters form one of the most important classes of background in WIMP direct detection experiments, as they may produce nuclear recoils that look exactly like WIMP interactions. In DarkSide-50, we both actively suppress and measure the rate of neutron-induced background events using our neutron veto, composed of a boron-loaded liquid scintillator detector within a water Cherenkov detector. This paper is devoted to the description of the neutron veto system of DarkSide-50, including the detector structure, the fundamentals of event reconstruction and data analysis, and basic performance parameters.

'RAT' Leaves a Fine Mess

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2004-01-01

This graph shows the light signatures, or spectra, of two sides of the rock dubbed 'Bounce,' located at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The spectra were taken by the miniature thermal emission spectrometer on the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity. The left side of this rock is covered by fine dust created when the rover drilled into the rock with its rock abrasion tool. These 'fines' produce a layer of pyroxene dust that can be detected here in the top spectrum. The right side of the rock has fewer fines and was used to investigate the composition of this basaltic rock.

Arc fault detection system

DOEpatents

Jha, Kamal N.

1999-01-01

An arc fault detection system for use on ungrounded or high-resistance-grounded power distribution systems is provided which can be retrofitted outside electrical switchboard circuits having limited space constraints. The system includes a differential current relay that senses a current differential between current flowing from secondary windings located in a current transformer coupled to a power supply side of a switchboard, and a total current induced in secondary windings coupled to a load side of the switchboard. When such a current differential is experienced, a current travels through a operating coil of the differential current relay, which in turn opens an upstream circuit breaker located between the switchboard and a power supply to remove the supply of power to the switchboard.

Method and system for detecting explosives

DOEpatents

Reber, Edward L [Idaho Falls, ID; Jewell, James K [Idaho Falls, ID; Rohde, Kenneth W [Idaho Falls, ID; Seabury, Edward H [Idaho Falls, ID; Blackwood, Larry G [Idaho Falls, ID; Edwards, Andrew J [Idaho Falls, ID; Derr, Kurt W [Idaho Falls, ID

2009-03-10

A method of detecting explosives in a vehicle includes providing a first rack on one side of the vehicle, the rack including a neutron generator and a plurality of gamma ray detectors; providing a second rack on another side of the vehicle, the second rack including a neutron generator and a plurality of gamma ray detectors; providing a control system, remote from the first and second racks, coupled to the neutron generators and gamma ray detectors; using the control system, causing the neutron generators to generate neutrons; and performing gamma ray spectroscopy on spectra read by the gamma ray detectors to look for a signature indicative of presence of an explosive. Various apparatus and other methods are also provided.

Explosives detection system and method

DOEpatents

Reber, Edward L.; Jewell, James K.; Rohde, Kenneth W.; Seabury, Edward H.; Blackwood, Larry G.; Edwards, Andrew J.; Derr, Kurt W.

2007-12-11

A method of detecting explosives in a vehicle includes providing a first rack on one side of the vehicle, the rack including a neutron generator and a plurality of gamma ray detectors; providing a second rack on another side of the vehicle, the second rack including a neutron generator and a plurality of gamma ray detectors; providing a control system, remote from the first and second racks, coupled to the neutron generators and gamma ray detectors; using the control system, causing the neutron generators to generate neutrons; and performing gamma ray spectroscopy on spectra read by the gamma ray detectors to look for a signature indicative of presence of an explosive. Various apparatus and other methods are also provided.

Electron launching voltage monitor

DOEpatents

Mendel, Clifford W.; Savage, Mark E.

1992-01-01

An electron launching voltage monitor measures MITL voltage using a relationship between anode electric field and electron current launched from a cathode-mounted perturbation. An electron launching probe extends through and is spaced from the edge of an opening in a first MITL conductor, one end of the launching probe being in the gap between the MITL conductor, the other end being adjacent a first side of the first conductor away from the second conductor. A housing surrounds the launching probe and electrically connects the first side of the first conductor to the other end of the launching probe. A detector detects the current passing through the housing to the launching probe, the detected current being representative of the voltage between the conductors.

Figure-ground segregation by motion contrast and by luminance contrast.

PubMed

Regan, D; Beverley, K I

1984-05-01

Some naturally camouflaged objects are invisible unless they move; their boundaries are then defined by motion contrast between object and background. We compared the visual detection of such camouflaged objects with the detection of objects whose boundaries were defined by luminance contrast. The summation field area is 0.16 deg2 , and the summation time constant is 750 msec for parafoveally viewed objects whose boundaries are defined by motion contrast; these values are, respectively, about 5 and 12 times larger than the corresponding values for objects defined by luminance contrast. The log detection threshold is proportional to the eccentricity for a camouflaged object of constant area. The effect of eccentricity on threshold is less for large objects than for small objects. The log summation field diameter for detecting camouflaged objects is roughly proportional to the eccentricity, increasing to about 20 deg at 32-deg eccentricity. In contrast to the 100:1 increase of summation area for detecting camouflaged objects, the temporal summation time constant changes by only 40% between eccentricities of 0 and 16 deg.

Detection and Tracking of Moving Objects with Real-Time Onboard Vision System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erokhin, D. Y.; Feldman, A. B.; Korepanov, S. E.

2017-05-01

Detection of moving objects in video sequence received from moving video sensor is a one of the most important problem in computer vision. The main purpose of this work is developing set of algorithms, which can detect and track moving objects in real time computer vision system. This set includes three main parts: the algorithm for estimation and compensation of geometric transformations of images, an algorithm for detection of moving objects, an algorithm to tracking of the detected objects and prediction their position. The results can be claimed to create onboard vision systems of aircraft, including those relating to small and unmanned aircraft.

Reconciling change blindness with long-term memory for objects.

PubMed

Wood, Katherine; Simons, Daniel J

2017-02-01

How can we reconcile remarkably precise long-term memory for thousands of images with failures to detect changes to similar images? We explored whether people can use detailed, long-term memory to improve change detection performance. Subjects studied a set of images of objects and then performed recognition and change detection tasks with those images. Recognition memory performance exceeded change detection performance, even when a single familiar object in the postchange display consistently indicated the change location. In fact, participants were no better when a familiar object predicted the change location than when the displays consisted of unfamiliar objects. When given an explicit strategy to search for a familiar object as a way to improve performance on the change detection task, they performed no better than in a 6-alternative recognition memory task. Subjects only benefited from the presence of familiar objects in the change detection task when they had more time to view the prechange array before it switched. Once the cost to using the change detection information decreased, subjects made use of it in conjunction with memory to boost performance on the familiar-item change detection task. This suggests that even useful information will go unused if it is sufficiently difficult to extract.