The Biopharmaceutics Classification System: Subclasses for in vivo predictive dissolution (IPD) methodology and IVIVC

PubMed Central

Tsume, Yasuhiro; Mudie, Deanna M.; Langguth, Peter; Amidon, Greg E.; Amidon, Gordon L.

2014-01-01

The Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) has found widespread utility in drug discovery, product development and drug product regulatory sciences. The classification scheme captures the two most significant factors influencing oral drug absorption; solubility and intestinal permeability and it has proven to be a very useful and a widely accepted starting point for drug product development and drug product regulation. The mechanistic base of the BCS approach has, no doubt, contributed to its wide spread acceptance and utility. Nevertheless, underneath the simplicity of BCS are many detailed complexities, both in vitro and in vivo which must be evaluated and investigated for any given drug and drug product. In this manuscript we propose a simple extension of the BCS classes to include subspecification of acid (a), base (b) and neutral (c) for classes II and IV. Sub-classification for Classes I and III (high solubility drugs as currently defined) is generally not needed except perhaps in border line solubility cases. It is well known that the , pKa physical property of a drug (API) has a significant impact on the aqueous solubility dissolution of drug from the drug product both in vitro and in vivo for BCS Class II and IV acids and bases, and is the basis, we propose for a sub-classification extension of the original BCS classification. This BCS sub-classification is particularly important for in vivo predictive dissolution methodology development due to the complex and variable in vivo environment in the gastrointestinal tract, with its changing pH, buffer capacity, luminal volume, surfactant luminal conditions, permeability profile along the gastrointestinal tract and variable transit and fasted and fed states. We believe this sub-classification is a step toward developing a more science-based mechanistic in vivo predictive dissolution (IPD) methodology. Such a dissolution methodology can be used by development scientists to assess the likelihood of a formulation and dosage form functioning as desired in humans, can be optimized along with parallel human pharmacokinetic studies to set a dissolution methodology for Quality by Design (QbD) and in vitro–in vivo correlations (IVIVC) and ultimately can be used as a basis for a dissolution standard that will ensure continued in vivo product performance. PMID:24486482

A domains-based taxonomy of supported accommodation for people with severe and persistent mental illness.

PubMed

Siskind, Dan; Harris, Meredith; Pirkis, Jane; Whiteford, Harvey

2013-06-01

A lack of definitional clarity in supported accommodation and the absence of a widely accepted system for classifying supported accommodation models creates barriers to service planning and evaluation. We undertook a systematic review of existing supported accommodation classification systems. Using a structured system for qualitative data analysis, we reviewed the stratification features in these classification systems, identified the key elements of supported accommodation and arranged them into domains and dimensions to create a new taxonomy. The existing classification systems were mapped onto the new taxonomy to verify the domains and dimensions. Existing classification systems used either a service-level characteristic or programmatic approach. We proposed a taxonomy based around four domains: duration of tenure; patient characteristics; housing characteristics; and service characteristics. All of the domains in the taxonomy were drawn from the existing classification structures; however, none of the existing classification structures covered all of the domains in the taxonomy. Existing classification systems are regionally based, limited in scope and lack flexibility. A domains-based taxonomy can allow more accurate description of supported accommodation services, aid in identifying the service elements likely to improve outcomes for specific patient populations, and assist in service planning.

An objective and parsimonious approach for classifying natural flow regimes at a continental scale

USGS Publications Warehouse

Archfield, Stacey A.; Kennen, Jonathan G.; Carlisle, Daren M.; Wolock, David M.

2014-01-01

Hydro-ecological stream classification-the process of grouping streams by similar hydrologic responses and, by extension, similar aquatic habitat-has been widely accepted and is considered by some to be one of the first steps towards developing ecological flow targets. A new classification of 1543 streamgauges in the contiguous USA is presented by use of a novel and parsimonious approach to understand similarity in ecological streamflow response. This novel classification approach uses seven fundamental daily streamflow statistics (FDSS) rather than winnowing down an uncorrelated subset from 200 or more ecologically relevant streamflow statistics (ERSS) commonly used in hydro-ecological classification studies. The results of this investigation demonstrate that the distributions of 33 tested ERSS are consistently different among the classification groups derived from the seven FDSS. It is further shown that classification based solely on the 33 ERSS generally does a poorer job in grouping similar streamgauges than the classification based on the seven FDSS. This new classification approach has the additional advantages of overcoming some of the subjectivity associated with the selection of the classification variables and provides a set of robust continental-scale classes of US streamgauges. Published 2013. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Classification of parotidectomy: a proposed modification to the European Salivary Gland Society classification system.

PubMed

Wong, Wai Keat; Shetty, Subhaschandra

2017-08-01

Parotidectomy remains the mainstay of treatment for both benign and malignant lesions of the parotid gland. There exists a wide range of possible surgical options in parotidectomy in terms of extent of parotid tissue removed. There is increasing need for uniformity of terminology resulting from growing interest in modifications of the conventional parotidectomy. It is, therefore, of paramount importance for a standardized classification system in describing extent of parotidectomy. Recently, the European Salivary Gland Society (ESGS) proposed a novel classification system for parotidectomy. The aim of this study is to evaluate this system. A classification system proposed by the ESGS was critically re-evaluated and modified to increase its accuracy and its acceptability. Modifications mainly focused on subdividing Levels I and II into IA, IB, IIA, and IIB. From June 2006 to June 2016, 126 patients underwent 130 parotidectomies at our hospital. The classification system was tested in that cohort of patient. While the ESGS classification system is comprehensive, it does not cover all possibilities. The addition of Sublevels IA, IB, IIA, and IIB may help to address some of the clinical situations seen and is clinically relevant. We aim to test the modified classification system for partial parotidectomy to address some of the challenges mentioned.

G.L. Amidon, H. Lennernas, V.P. Shah, and J.R. Crison. A theoretical basis for a biopharmaceutic drug classification: the correlation of in vitro drug product dissolution and in vivo bioavailability, Pharm Res 12, 413-420, 1995--backstory of BCS.

PubMed

Shah, Vinod P; Amidon, Gordon L

2014-09-01

The Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS) has become widely accepted today in the academic, industrial, and regulatory world. While the initial application of the BCS was to regulatory science bioequivalence (BE) issues and related implications, it has come to be utilized widely by the pharmaceutical industry in drug discovery and development as well. This brief manuscript will relate the story of the BCS development. While much of the ground work for the BCS goes back to the pharmacokinetic and drug absorption research by Gordon Amidon (GLA) in the 1970s and 1980s, the realization of the need for a classification or categorization of drug and drug products for setting dissolution standards became apparent to GLA during his 1990-1991 sabbatical year at the FDA. Initiated at the invitation of the then CEDR director, Dr. Carl Peck, to become a visiting scientist at the FDA, the goal was to promote regulatory research at the FDA, in my case, in biopharmaceutics, and to develop a science-based system to simplify regulatory requirements.

Sexual Attitudes of Classes of College Students Who Use Pornography.

PubMed

Brown, Cameron C; Conner, Stacy; Vennum, Amber

2017-08-01

Pornography is widely accepted and used as an appropriate sexual practice. Previous literature has suggested that pornography users may be best viewed through a heterogenetic lens that indicates specific classes of pornography users. Furthering this previous research, a latent profile analysis was conducted using a sample of 635 college students (mean age men 20.22 (standard deviation [SD] = 3.10); women 19.16 [SD = 2.12]) over two time points to not only identify unique classifications of pornography users, but also examine specific sexual attitudes 3 months later of each classification. When deriving types, the Pornography Consumption Inventory, frequency of pornography use, gradation of pornography acceptance, the Brief Sexual Attitudes Scale, and religiosity were used. For men, two classes of users were statistically derived based on the above variables: permissive porn explorers (n = 102) and sexual communion and dabbling porn users (n = 55). For women, two classes emerged: nonpermissive porn abstainers (n = 421) and instrumental, integrated porn users (n = 57). These results develop greater detail of different types of pornography users by exploring various sexual attitudes associated with their pornography use patterns.

The groningen laryngomalacia classification system--based on systematic review and dynamic airway changes.

PubMed

van der Heijden, Martijn; Dikkers, Frederik G; Halmos, Gyorgy B

2015-12-01

Laryngomalacia is the most common cause of dyspnea and stridor in newborn infants. Laryngomalacia is a dynamic change of the upper airway based on abnormally pliable supraglottic structures, which causes upper airway obstruction. In the past, different classification systems have been introduced. Until now no classification system is widely accepted and applied. Our goal is to provide a simple and complete classification system based on systematic literature search and our experiences. Retrospective cohort study with literature review. All patients with laryngomalacia under the age of 5 at time of diagnosis were included. Photo and video documentation was used to confirm diagnosis and characteristics of dynamic airway change. Outcome was compared with available classification systems in literature. Eighty-five patients were included. In contrast to other classification systems, only three typical different dynamic changes have been identified in our series. Two existing classification systems covered 100% of our findings, but there was an unnecessary overlap between different types in most of the systems. Based on our finding, we propose a new a classification system for laryngomalacia, which is purely based on dynamic airway changes. The groningen laryngomalacia classification is a new, simplified classification system with three types, based on purely dynamic laryngeal changes, tested in a tertiary referral center: Type 1: inward collapse of arytenoids cartilages, Type 2: medial displacement of aryepiglottic folds, and Type 3: posterocaudal displacement of epiglottis against the posterior pharyngeal wall. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A Standardised Vocabulary for Identifying Benthic Biota and Substrata from Underwater Imagery: The CATAMI Classification Scheme

PubMed Central

Jordan, Alan; Rees, Tony; Gowlett-Holmes, Karen

2015-01-01

Imagery collected by still and video cameras is an increasingly important tool for minimal impact, repeatable observations in the marine environment. Data generated from imagery includes identification, annotation and quantification of biological subjects and environmental features within an image. To be long-lived and useful beyond their project-specific initial purpose, and to maximize their utility across studies and disciplines, marine imagery data should use a standardised vocabulary of defined terms. This would enable the compilation of regional, national and/or global data sets from multiple sources, contributing to broad-scale management studies and development of automated annotation algorithms. The classification scheme developed under the Collaborative and Automated Tools for Analysis of Marine Imagery (CATAMI) project provides such a vocabulary. The CATAMI classification scheme introduces Australian-wide acknowledged, standardised terminology for annotating benthic substrates and biota in marine imagery. It combines coarse-level taxonomy and morphology, and is a flexible, hierarchical classification that bridges the gap between habitat/biotope characterisation and taxonomy, acknowledging limitations when describing biological taxa through imagery. It is fully described, documented, and maintained through curated online databases, and can be applied across benthic image collection methods, annotation platforms and scoring methods. Following release in 2013, the CATAMI classification scheme was taken up by a wide variety of users, including government, academia and industry. This rapid acceptance highlights the scheme’s utility and the potential to facilitate broad-scale multidisciplinary studies of marine ecosystems when applied globally. Here we present the CATAMI classification scheme, describe its conception and features, and discuss its utility and the opportunities as well as challenges arising from its use. PMID:26509918

Exploring Genome-Wide Expression Profiles Using Machine Learning Techniques.

PubMed

Kebschull, Moritz; Papapanou, Panos N

2017-01-01

Although contemporary high-throughput -omics methods produce high-dimensional data, the resulting wealth of information is difficult to assess using traditional statistical procedures. Machine learning methods facilitate the detection of additional patterns, beyond the mere identification of lists of features that differ between groups.Here, we demonstrate the utility of (1) supervised classification algorithms in class validation, and (2) unsupervised clustering in class discovery. We use data from our previous work that described the transcriptional profiles of gingival tissue samples obtained from subjects suffering from chronic or aggressive periodontitis (1) to test whether the two diagnostic entities were also characterized by differences on the molecular level, and (2) to search for a novel, alternative classification of periodontitis based on the tissue transcriptomes.Using machine learning technology, we provide evidence for diagnostic imprecision in the currently accepted classification of periodontitis, and demonstrate that a novel, alternative classification based on differences in gingival tissue transcriptomes is feasible. The outlined procedures allow for the unbiased interrogation of high-dimensional datasets for characteristic underlying classes, and are applicable to a broad range of -omics data.

Balancing research and funding using value of information and portfolio tools for nanomaterial risk classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bates, Matthew E.; Keisler, Jeffrey M.; Zussblatt, Niels P.; Plourde, Kenton J.; Wender, Ben A.; Linkov, Igor

2016-02-01

Risk research for nanomaterials is currently prioritized by means of expert workshops and other deliberative processes. However, analytical techniques that quantify and compare alternative research investments are increasingly recommended. Here, we apply value of information and portfolio decision analysis—methods commonly applied in financial and operations management—to prioritize risk research for multiwalled carbon nanotubes and nanoparticulate silver and titanium dioxide. We modify the widely accepted CB Nanotool hazard evaluation framework, which combines nano- and bulk-material properties into a hazard score, to operate probabilistically with uncertain inputs. Literature is reviewed to develop uncertain estimates for each input parameter, and a Monte Carlo simulation is applied to assess how different research strategies can improve hazard classification. The relative cost of each research experiment is elicited from experts, which enables identification of efficient research portfolios—combinations of experiments that lead to the greatest improvement in hazard classification at the lowest cost. Nanoparticle shape, diameter, solubility and surface reactivity were most frequently identified within efficient portfolios in our results.

What is generalized anxiety disorder?

PubMed

Rickels, K; Rynn, M A

2001-01-01

Generalized, persistent, and free-floating anxiety was first described by Freud in 1894, although the diagnostic term generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was not included in classification systems until 1980 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders, Third Edition [DSM-III]). Initially considered a residual category to be used when no other diagnosis could be made, it is now widely accepted that GAD represents a distinct diagnostic category. Since 1980, revisions to the diagnostic criteria for GAD in the DSM-III-R and DSM-IV classifications have markedly redefined this disorder, increasing the duration criterion to 6 months and increasing the emphasis on worry and psychic symptoms. This article reviews the development of the diagnostic criteria for defining GAD from Freud to DSM-IV and compares the DSM-IV criteria with the criteria set forth in the tenth revision of the International Classification of Diseases. The impact of the changes in diagnostic criteria on research into GAD, and on diagnosis, differential diagnosis, and treatment of GAD, will be discussed.

Blood hyperviscosity identification with reflective spectroscopy of tongue tip based on principal component analysis combining artificial neural network.

PubMed

Liu, Ming; Zhao, Jing; Lu, XiaoZuo; Li, Gang; Wu, Taixia; Zhang, LiFu

2018-05-10

With spectral methods, noninvasive determination of blood hyperviscosity in vivo is very potential and meaningful in clinical diagnosis. In this study, 67 male subjects (41 health, and 26 hyperviscosity according to blood sample analysis results) participate. Reflectance spectra of subjects' tongue tips is measured, and a classification method bases on principal component analysis combined with artificial neural network model is built to identify hyperviscosity. Hold-out and Leave-one-out methods are used to avoid significant bias and lessen overfitting problem, which are widely accepted in the model validation. To measure the performance of the classification, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and F-measure are calculated, respectively. The accuracies with 100 times Hold-out method and 67 times Leave-one-out method are 88.05% and 97.01%, respectively. Experimental results indicate that the built classification model has certain practical value and proves the feasibility of using spectroscopy to identify hyperviscosity by noninvasive determination.

Balancing research and funding using value of information and portfolio tools for nanomaterial risk classification.

PubMed

Bates, Matthew E; Keisler, Jeffrey M; Zussblatt, Niels P; Plourde, Kenton J; Wender, Ben A; Linkov, Igor

2016-02-01

Risk research for nanomaterials is currently prioritized by means of expert workshops and other deliberative processes. However, analytical techniques that quantify and compare alternative research investments are increasingly recommended. Here, we apply value of information and portfolio decision analysis-methods commonly applied in financial and operations management-to prioritize risk research for multiwalled carbon nanotubes and nanoparticulate silver and titanium dioxide. We modify the widely accepted CB Nanotool hazard evaluation framework, which combines nano- and bulk-material properties into a hazard score, to operate probabilistically with uncertain inputs. Literature is reviewed to develop uncertain estimates for each input parameter, and a Monte Carlo simulation is applied to assess how different research strategies can improve hazard classification. The relative cost of each research experiment is elicited from experts, which enables identification of efficient research portfolios-combinations of experiments that lead to the greatest improvement in hazard classification at the lowest cost. Nanoparticle shape, diameter, solubility and surface reactivity were most frequently identified within efficient portfolios in our results.

Acceptance of standardized ultrasound classification, use of albendazole, and long-term follow-up in clinical management of cystic echinococcosis: a systematic review.

PubMed

Tamarozzi, Francesca; Nicoletti, Giovanni J; Neumayr, Andreas; Brunetti, Enrico

2014-10-01

Cystic echinococcosis is a chronic, complex, and neglected disease. The need for a simple classification of cyst morphology that would provide an accepted framework for scientific and clinical work on cystic echinococcosis has been addressed by two documents issued by the WHO Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis in 2003 (cyst classification) and in 2010 (Expert consensus for the diagnosis and treatment of echinococcosis). Here we evaluate the use of the WHO Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis classification of hepatic cystic echinococcosis, the acceptance by clinicians of recommendations regarding the use of albendazole, and the implementation of the long-term follow-up of patients with hepatic cystic echinococcosis in the scientific literature since the WHO Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis recommendations were issued. Of the publications included in our review, 71.2% did not indicate any classification, whereas 14% used the WHO Informal Working Group on Echinococcosis classification. Seventy-four percent reported the administration of peri-interventional albendazole, although less than half reported its modality, and 51% the length of patient follow-up. A joint effort is needed from the scientific community to encourage the acceptance and implementation of these three key issues in the clinical management of cystic echinococcosis.

46 CFR 8.250 - Acceptance of standards and functions delegated under existing regulations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... APPLICABLE TO THE PUBLIC VESSEL INSPECTION ALTERNATIVES Recognition of a Classification Society § 8.250 Acceptance of standards and functions delegated under existing regulations. (a) Classification society class... society has received authorization to conduct a related delegated function. (b) A recognized...

46 CFR 8.250 - Acceptance of standards and functions delegated under existing regulations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... APPLICABLE TO THE PUBLIC VESSEL INSPECTION ALTERNATIVES Recognition of a Classification Society § 8.250 Acceptance of standards and functions delegated under existing regulations. (a) Classification society class... society has received authorization to conduct a related delegated function. (b) A recognized...

Predicting Flood in Perlis Using Ant Colony Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nadia Sabri, Syaidatul; Saian, Rizauddin

2017-06-01

Flood forecasting is widely being studied in order to reduce the effect of flood such as loss of property, loss of life and contamination of water supply. Usually flood occurs due to continuous heavy rainfall. This study used a variant of Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm named the Ant-Miner to develop the classification prediction model to predict flood. However, since Ant-Miner only accept discrete data, while rainfall data is a time series data, a pre-processing steps is needed to discretize the rainfall data initially. This study used a technique called the Symbolic Aggregate Approximation (SAX) to convert the rainfall time series data into discrete data. As an addition, Simple K-Means algorithm was used to cluster the data produced by SAX. The findings show that the predictive accuracy of the classification prediction model is more than 80%.

Intraosseous haemangioma: semantic and medical confusion.

PubMed

Kadlub, N; Dainese, L; Coulomb-L'Hermine, A; Galmiche, L; Soupre, V; Lepointe, H Ducou; Vazquez, M-P; Picard, A

2015-06-01

The literature is rich in case reports of intraosseous haemangioma, although most of these are actually cases of venous or capillary malformations. To illustrate this confusion in terminology, we present three cases of slow-flow vascular malformations misnamed as intraosseous haemangioma. A retrospective study of children diagnosed with intraosseous haemangioma was conducted. Clinical and radiological data were evaluated. Histopathological examinations and immunohistochemical studies were redone by three independent pathologists to classify the lesions according to the International Society for the Study of Vascular Anomalies (ISSVA) and World Health Organization (WHO) classifications. Three children who had presented with jaw haemangiomas were identified. Computed tomography scan patterns were not specific. All tumours were GLUT-1-negative and D2-40-negative. The lesions were classified as central haemangiomas according to the WHO, and as slow-flow malformations according to the ISSVA. The classification of vascular anomalies is based on clinical, radiological, and histological differences between vascular tumours and malformations. Based on this classification, the evolution of the lesion can be predicted and adequate treatment applied. The binary ISSVA classification is widely accepted and should be applied for all vascular lesions. Copyright © 2015 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recommendations for liver transplantation for hepatocellular carcinoma: an international consensus conference report

PubMed Central

Clavien, Pierre-Alain; Lesurtel, Mickael; Bossuyt, Patrick M M; Gores, Gregory J; Langer, Bernard; Perrier, Arnaud

2012-01-01

Although liver transplantation is a widely accepted treatment for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), much controversy remains and there is no generally accepted set of guidelines. An international consensus conference was held on Dec 2–4, 2010, in Zurich, Switzerland, with the aim of reviewing current practice regarding liver transplantation in patients with HCC and to develop internationally accepted statements and guidelines. The format of the conference was based on the Danish model. 19 working groups of experts prepared evidence-based reviews according to the Oxford classification, and drafted recommendations answering 19 specific questions. An independent jury of nine members was appointed to review these submissions and make final recommendations, after debates with the experts and audience at the conference. This report presents the final 37 statements and recommendations, covering assessment of candidates for liver transplantation, criteria for listing in cirrhotic and non-cirrhotic patients, role of tumour downstaging, management of patients on the waiting list, role of living donation, and post-transplant management. PMID:22047762

Classification Accuracy and Acceptability of the Integrated Screening and Intervention System Teacher Rating Form

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniels, Brian; Volpe, Robert J.; Fabiano, Gregory A.; Briesch, Amy M.

2017-01-01

This study examines the classification accuracy and teacher acceptability of a problem-focused screener for academic and disruptive behavior problems, which is directly linked to evidence-based intervention. Participants included 39 classroom teachers from 2 public school districts in the Northeastern United States. Teacher ratings were obtained…

Correlation of the Rock Mass Rating (RMR) System with the Unified Soil Classification System (USCS): Introduction of the Weak Rock Mass Rating System (W-RMR)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Warren, Sean N.; Kallu, Raj R.; Barnard, Chase K.

2016-11-01

Underground gold mines in Nevada are exploiting increasingly deeper ore bodies comprised of weak to very weak rock masses. The Rock Mass Rating (RMR) classification system is widely used at underground gold mines in Nevada and is applicable in fair to good-quality rock masses, but is difficult to apply and loses reliability in very weak rock mass to soil-like material. Because very weak rock masses are transition materials that border engineering rock mass and soil classification systems, soil classification may sometimes be easier and more appropriate to provide insight into material behavior and properties. The Unified Soil Classification System (USCS) is the most likely choice for the classification of very weak rock mass to soil-like material because of its accepted use in tunnel engineering projects and its ability to predict soil-like material behavior underground. A correlation between the RMR and USCS systems was developed by comparing underground geotechnical RMR mapping to laboratory testing of bulk samples from the same locations, thereby assigning a numeric RMR value to the USCS classification that can be used in spreadsheet calculations and geostatistical analyses. The geotechnical classification system presented in this paper including a USCS-RMR correlation, RMR rating equations, and the Geo-Pick Strike Index is collectively introduced as the Weak Rock Mass Rating System (W-RMR). It is the authors' hope that this system will aid in the classification of weak rock masses and more usable design tools based on the RMR system. More broadly, the RMR-USCS correlation and the W-RMR system help define the transition between engineering soil and rock mass classification systems and may provide insight for geotechnical design in very weak rock masses.

Implementation of several mathematical algorithms to breast tissue density classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Quintana, C.; Redondo, M.; Tirao, G.

2014-02-01

The accuracy of mammographic abnormality detection methods is strongly dependent on breast tissue characteristics, where a dense breast tissue can hide lesions causing cancer to be detected at later stages. In addition, breast tissue density is widely accepted to be an important risk indicator for the development of breast cancer. This paper presents the implementation and the performance of different mathematical algorithms designed to standardize the categorization of mammographic images, according to the American College of Radiology classifications. These mathematical techniques are based on intrinsic properties calculations and on comparison with an ideal homogeneous image (joint entropy, mutual information, normalized cross correlation and index Q) as categorization parameters. The algorithms evaluation was performed on 100 cases of the mammographic data sets provided by the Ministerio de Salud de la Provincia de Córdoba, Argentina—Programa de Prevención del Cáncer de Mama (Department of Public Health, Córdoba, Argentina, Breast Cancer Prevention Program). The obtained breast classifications were compared with the expert medical diagnostics, showing a good performance. The implemented algorithms revealed a high potentiality to classify breasts into tissue density categories.

Consumer thresholds for establishing the value of beef tenderness.

PubMed

Miller, M F; Carr, M A; Ramsey, C B; Crockett, K L; Hoover, L C

2001-12-01

In the present study, a national consumer evaluation was conducted for beef tenderness on USDA Select strip loin steaks of known Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) force values, ranging from tough (> 5.7 kg) to tender (< 3.0 kg), and to assess the monetary value that consumers place on tenderness by determining the average price a consumer would pay for a steak in three tenderness categories. Three supermarkets in each of five metropolitan areas (Baltimore, MD/Washington D.C.; Chicago, IL; Dallas/Fort Worth, TX; Los Angeles, CA; and Lubbock, TX) were selected to represent a wide range of income, education, and ethnicity at each city. Five trained research teams traveled to the cities to collect data during the same 10-d period. Consumers (n = 734; minimum of 15 consumers/panel, three panels/store, three stores/city, five cities) were asked to evaluate samples from each tenderness classification (tender, intermediate, or tough) for overall and tenderness acceptability, overall quality, beef flavor, juiciness, tenderness, how much they would pay for the steak ($17.14, 14.28, or 10.98/kg), if they would pay more than current market price if guaranteed tender, and to estimate the number of meals in a 2-wk period that included beef. The consumers were 52% light beef users, consuming 0 to 8 meals containing beef in 2 wk, 41% heavy beef users (greater than 12 meals/2 wk), and 6% moderate beef users (9 to 12 meals/2 wk). Consumer tenderness acceptability increased as WBS values decreased (P < 0.05). The transition in consumer perception from tender to tough beef occurred between 4.3 and 4.9 kg of WBS based on > or = 86% consumer acceptability. Consumer acceptability for tenderness decreased from 86% at 4.3 kg for a "slightly tender" rating to 59% at 4.9 kg for a "slightly tough" rating. Data from the present study suggested that consumer WBS tenderness values of < 3.0, 3.4, 4.0, 4.3, and > 4.9 kg would result in 100, 99, 94, 86, and 25% customer satisfaction for beef tenderness, respectively. Seventy-eight percent of the consumers would purchase steaks if the retailer guaranteed them to be tender. The retail steak value differences found in this study would result in the opportunity for a premium to be paid for a guaranteed tender (< 3.0 kg WBS value) carcass of $76.26 vs the toughest (> 5.7 kg) classification. A premium of $66.96 could be paid to the tender classification carcasses vs the tough (> 4.9 kg) classification carcasses, and a premium of $36.58 could be paid for the tender classification carcasses vs the intermediate (> 3.0 to < 4.6 kg) classification carcasses. Results from the present study show that consumers can segregate differences in beef tenderness and that consumers are willing to pay more for more-tender beef.

Deep Molecular Diversity of Mammalian Synapses: Why It Matters and How to Measure It

PubMed Central

O’Rourke, Nancy A.; Weiler, Nick C.; Micheva, Kristina D.; Smith, Stephen J

2013-01-01

Summary Pioneering studies during the middle of the twentieth century revealed substantial diversity amongst mammalian chemical synapses and led to a widely accepted synapse type classification based on neurotransmitter molecule identity. Subsequently, powerful new physiological, genetic and structural methods have enabled the discovery of much deeper functional and molecular diversity within each traditional neurotransmitter type. Today, this deep diversity continues to pose both daunting challenges and exciting new opportunities for neuroscience. Our growing understanding of deep synapse diversity may transform how we think about and study neural circuit development, structure and function. PMID:22573027

Automatic segmentation and classification of gestational sac based on mean sac diameter using medical ultrasound image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khazendar, Shan; Farren, Jessica; Al-Assam, Hisham; Sayasneh, Ahmed; Du, Hongbo; Bourne, Tom; Jassim, Sabah A.

2014-05-01

Ultrasound is an effective multipurpose imaging modality that has been widely used for monitoring and diagnosing early pregnancy events. Technology developments coupled with wide public acceptance has made ultrasound an ideal tool for better understanding and diagnosing of early pregnancy. The first measurable signs of an early pregnancy are the geometric characteristics of the Gestational Sac (GS). Currently, the size of the GS is manually estimated from ultrasound images. The manual measurement involves multiple subjective decisions, in which dimensions are taken in three planes to establish what is known as Mean Sac Diameter (MSD). The manual measurement results in inter- and intra-observer variations, which may lead to difficulties in diagnosis. This paper proposes a fully automated diagnosis solution to accurately identify miscarriage cases in the first trimester of pregnancy based on automatic quantification of the MSD. Our study shows a strong positive correlation between the manual and the automatic MSD estimations. Our experimental results based on a dataset of 68 ultrasound images illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in identifying early miscarriage cases with classification accuracies comparable with those of domain experts using K nearest neighbor classifier on automatically estimated MSDs.

EAU standardised medical terminology for urologic imaging: a taxonomic approach.

PubMed

Loch, Tillmann; Carey, Brendan; Walz, Jochen; Fulgham, Pat Fox

2015-05-01

The terminology and abbreviations used in urologic imaging have generally been adopted on an ad hoc basis by different speciality groups; however, there is a need for shared nomenclature to facilitate clinical communication and collaborative research. This work reviews the current nomenclature for urologic imaging used in clinical practice and proposes a taxonomy and terminology for urologic imaging studies. A list of terms used in urologic imaging were compiled from guidelines published by the European Association of Urology and the American Urological Association and from the American College of Radiology Appropriateness Criteria. Terms searched were grouped into broad categories based on technology, and imaging terms were further stratified based on the anatomic extent, contrast or phases, technique or modifiers, and combinations or fusions. Terms that had a high degree of utilisation were classified as accepted. We propose a new taxonomy to define a more useful and acceptable nomenclature model acceptable to all health professionals involved in urology. The major advantage of a taxonomic approach to the classification of urologic imaging studies is that it provides a flexible framework for classifying the modifications of current imaging modalities and allows the incorporation of new imaging modalities. The adoption of this hierarchical classification model ranging from the most general to the most detailed descriptions should facilitate hierarchical searches of the medical literature using both general and specific terms. This work is limited in its scope, as it is not currently all-inclusive. This will hopefully be addressed by future modification as others embrace the concept and work towards uniformity in nomenclature. This paper provides a noncomprehensive list of the most widely used terms across different specialties. This list can be used as the basis for further discussion, development, and enhancement. In this paper we describe a classification system for urologic imaging terms with the aim of aiding health professionals and ensuring that the terms used are more consistent. Copyright © 2014 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Safety, effectiveness and comparability of professional skin cleansers.

PubMed

Terhaer, Flora K; Bock, Meike; Fartasch, Manigé; Gabard, Bernard; Elsner, Peter; Kleesz, Peter; Landeck, Lilla; Pohrt, Ute; Seyfarth, Florian; Schliemann, Sibylle; Diepgen, Thomas L; Zagrodnik, Fred; John, Swen Malte

2010-10-01

There are no widely-accepted methodical specifications with which to objectify cleansing effectiveness and skin compatibility of occuptional skin cleansing products in Europe. Therefore the German Social Insurance Agency (DGUV) initiated a study with the goal to evaluate such products in view of the potency and the safety of hand cleansers. A market analysis was a part of the project. The product descriptions and safety data sheets of 120 products (5-20/manufacturer) of 11 manufacturers were evaluated between 02/2008 and 04/2008. The manufacturers used mainly ingredients of low irritancy. The declaration of the applied ingredients was in the majority of the cases correctly labeled according to the INCI Declaration. Although there was documentation of skin tolerability for most products, the manufacturers used widely differing tests of skin compatibility. Evidences for cleansing effectiveness were not declared or have not been provided. One manufacturer even promised medical effects of its products. There was no uniform general classification of products making it difficult to identify characteristics of cleansers and choose between them. Presently, there are no commonly accepted criteria to classify products in view of cleansing effectiveness und skin compatibility. Generally accepted criteria and test methods are needed for the evaluation of hand cleansers in order to provide the possibility of transparency and comparability. © The Authors • Journal compilation © Blackwell Verlag GmbH, Berlin.

Noise tolerant dendritic lattice associative memories

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ritter, Gerhard X.; Schmalz, Mark S.; Hayden, Eric; Tucker, Marc

2011-09-01

Linear classifiers based on computation over the real numbers R (e.g., with operations of addition and multiplication) denoted by (R, +, x), have been represented extensively in the literature of pattern recognition. However, a different approach to pattern classification involves the use of addition, maximum, and minimum operations over the reals in the algebra (R, +, maximum, minimum) These pattern classifiers, based on lattice algebra, have been shown to exhibit superior information storage capacity, fast training and short convergence times, high pattern classification accuracy, and low computational cost. Such attributes are not always found, for example, in classical neural nets based on the linear inner product. In a special type of lattice associative memory (LAM), called a dendritic LAM or DLAM, it is possible to achieve noise-tolerant pattern classification by varying the design of noise or error acceptance bounds. This paper presents theory and algorithmic approaches for the computation of noise-tolerant lattice associative memories (LAMs) under a variety of input constraints. Of particular interest are the classification of nonergodic data in noise regimes with time-varying statistics. DLAMs, which are a specialization of LAMs derived from concepts of biological neural networks, have successfully been applied to pattern classification from hyperspectral remote sensing data, as well as spatial object recognition from digital imagery. The authors' recent research in the development of DLAMs is overviewed, with experimental results that show utility for a wide variety of pattern classification applications. Performance results are presented in terms of measured computational cost, noise tolerance, classification accuracy, and throughput for a variety of input data and noise levels.

A method for development of a system of identification for Appalachian coal-bearing rocks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ferm, J.C.; Weisenfluh, G.A.; Smith, G.C.

2002-01-01

The number of observable properties of sedimentary rocks is large and numerous classifications have been proposed for describing them. Some rock classifications, however, may be disadvantageous in situations such as logging rock core during coal exploration programs, where speed and simplicity are the essence. After experimenting with a number of formats for logging rock core in the Appalachian coal fields, a method of using color photographs accompanied by a rock name and numeric code was selected. In order to generate a representative collection of rocks to be photographed, sample methods were devised to produce a representative collection, and empirically based techniques were devised to identify repeatedly recognizable rock types. A number of cores representing the stratigraphic and geographic range of the region were sampled so that every megascopically recognizable variety was included in the collection; the frequency of samples of any variety reflects the frequency with which it would be encountered during logging. In order to generate repeatedly recognizable rock classes, the samples were sorted to display variation in grain size, mineral composition, color, and sedimentary structures. Class boundaries for each property were selected on the basis of existing, widely accepted limits and the precision with which these limits could be recognized. The process of sorting the core samples demonstrated relationships between rock properties and indicated that similar methods, applied to other groups of rocks, could yield more widely applicable field classifications. ?? 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

46 CFR 31.10-1 - Recognized classification society-TB/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Recognized classification society-TB/ALL. 31.10-1... CERTIFICATION Inspections § 31.10-1 Recognized classification society—TB/ALL. (a) In the inspection of hulls... Shipping, or other recognized classification society for classed vessels, may be accepted by the Coast...

46 CFR 31.10-1 - Recognized classification society-TB/ALL.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 1 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Recognized classification society-TB/ALL. 31.10-1... CERTIFICATION Inspections § 31.10-1 Recognized classification society—TB/ALL. (a) In the inspection of hulls... Shipping, or other recognized classification society for classed vessels, may be accepted by the Coast...

Limitations and implications of stream classification

USGS Publications Warehouse

Juracek, K.E.; Fitzpatrick, F.A.

2003-01-01

Stream classifications that are based on channel form, such as the Rosgen Level II classification, are useful tools for the physical description and grouping of streams and for providing a means of communication for stream studies involving scientists and (or) managers with different backgrounds. The Level II classification also is used as a tool to assess stream stability, infer geomorphic processes, predict future geomorphic response, and guide stream restoration or rehabilitation activities. The use of the Level II classification for these additional purposes is evaluated in this paper. Several examples are described to illustrate the limitations and management implications of the Level II classification. Limitations include: (1) time dependence, (2) uncertain applicability across physical environments, (3) difficulty in identification of a true equilibrium condition, (4) potential for incorrect determination of bankfull elevation, and (5) uncertain process significance of classification criteria. Implications of using stream classifications based on channel form, such as Rosgen's, include: (1) acceptance of the limitations, (2) acceptance of the risk of classifying streams incorrectly, and (3) classification results may be used inappropriately. It is concluded that use of the Level II classification for purposes beyond description and communication is not appropriate. Research needs are identified that, if addressed, may help improve the usefulness of the Level II classification.

46 CFR 159.001-3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... part: Classification society means an organization involved in the inspection of ships and ship... addition to commercial testing laboratories, the Commandant may also accept classification societies and...

Classification and management of extensive obstetric perineal injuries in the Czech and Slovak Republics.

PubMed

Zahumensky, Jozef; Menzlova, Erika; Korbel, Miroslav; Zmrhalova, Barbora; Vasicka, Ian; Sottner, Oldrich

2010-09-01

To assess the classification, repair, and follow up of extensive obstetric perineal injuries in the Czech and Slovak Republics. A survey conducted in 2009 using questionnaires distributed to obstetric departments regarding classification and management of obstetric perineal injuries. Although 15 centers in the Czech Republic and 2 in the Slovak Republic indicated use of a 4-degree classification system, none of these centers reported using the classification accepted by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Use of a 3-degree classification system in accordance with definitions in Czech textbooks was reported by 14 Czech and 3 Slovak maternity hospitals. There was significant heterogeneity in clinical practice regarding techniques to repair extensive obstetric perineal injuries, antibiotic prophylaxis, early postpartum care, and follow up. There is great inconsistency in the classification and management of extensive obstetric perineal injuries. Uniform recommendations should be created and accepted, not only in the Czech and Slovak Republics, but worldwide. Copyright 2010 International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a template for the classification of traditional medical knowledge in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Sungha; Kim, Boyoung; Mun, Sujeong; Park, Jeong Hwan; Kim, Min-Kyeoung; Choi, Sunmi; Lee, Sanghun

2016-02-03

Traditional Medical Knowledge (TMK) is a form of Traditional Knowledge associated with medicine that is handed down orally or by written material. There are efforts to document TMK, and make database to conserve Traditional Medicine and facilitate future research to validate traditional use. Despite of these efforts, there is no widely accepted template in data file format that is specific for TMK and, at the same time, helpful for understanding and organizing TMK. We aimed to develop a template to classify TMK. First, we reviewed books, articles, and health-related classification systems, and used focus group discussion to establish the definition, scope, and constituents of TMK. Second, we developed an initial version of the template to classify TMK, and applied it to TMK data. Third, we revised the template, based on the results of the initial template and input from experts, and applied it to the data. We developed the template for classification of TMK. The constituents of the template were summary, properties, tools/ingredients, indication/preparation/application, and international standard classification. We applied International Patent Classification, International Classification of Diseases (Korea version), and Classification of Korean Traditional Knowledge Resources to provide legal protection of TMK and facilitate academic research. The template provides standard terms for ingredients, preparation, administration route, and procedure method to assess safety and efficacy. This is the first template that is specialized for TMK for arranging and classifying TMK. The template would have important roles in preserving TMK, and protecting intellectual property. TMK data classified with the template could be used as the preliminary data to screen potential candidates for new pharmaceuticals. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Classification of high resolution remote sensing image based on geo-ontology and conditional random fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Liang

2013-10-01

The availability of high spatial resolution remote sensing data provides new opportunities for urban land-cover classification. More geometric details can be observed in the high resolution remote sensing image, Also Ground objects in the high resolution remote sensing image have displayed rich texture, structure, shape and hierarchical semantic characters. More landscape elements are represented by a small group of pixels. Recently years, the an object-based remote sensing analysis methodology is widely accepted and applied in high resolution remote sensing image processing. The classification method based on Geo-ontology and conditional random fields is presented in this paper. The proposed method is made up of four blocks: (1) the hierarchical ground objects semantic framework is constructed based on geoontology; (2) segmentation by mean-shift algorithm, which image objects are generated. And the mean-shift method is to get boundary preserved and spectrally homogeneous over-segmentation regions ;(3) the relations between the hierarchical ground objects semantic and over-segmentation regions are defined based on conditional random fields framework ;(4) the hierarchical classification results are obtained based on geo-ontology and conditional random fields. Finally, high-resolution remote sensed image data -GeoEye, is used to testify the performance of the presented method. And the experimental results have shown the superiority of this method to the eCognition method both on the effectively and accuracy, which implies it is suitable for the classification of high resolution remote sensing image.

Using Unidimensional IRT Models for Dichotomous Classification via Computerized Classification Testing with Multidimensional Data.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lau, Che-Ming Allen; And Others

This study focused on the robustness of unidimensional item response theory (UIRT) models in computerized classification testing against violation of the unidimensionality assumption. The study addressed whether UIRT models remain acceptable under various testing conditions and dimensionality strengths. Monte Carlo simulation techniques were used…

46 CFR 8.440 - Vessel enrollment in the Alternate Compliance Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... classification society and accepted by the Coast Guard, the cognizant OCMI may decline to issue a certificate of... recognized classification society authorized by the Coast Guard to determine compliance with applicable international treaties and agreements, the classification society's class rules, and the U.S. supplement...

46 CFR 8.440 - Vessel enrollment in the Alternate Compliance Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... classification society and accepted by the Coast Guard, the cognizant OCMI may decline to issue a certificate of... recognized classification society authorized by the Coast Guard to determine compliance with applicable international treaties and agreements, the classification society's class rules, and the U.S. Supplement...

46 CFR 8.440 - Vessel enrollment in the Alternate Compliance Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... classification society and accepted by the Coast Guard, the cognizant OCMI may decline to issue a certificate of... recognized classification society authorized by the Coast Guard to determine compliance with applicable international treaties and agreements, the classification society's class rules, and the U.S. supplement...

Phytotherapy management: a new intervention for nursing intervention classification.

PubMed

Paloma, Echevarria; Ovidio, Céspedes; Jessica, Rojas; Francisca, Sánchez Ayllón; Isabel, Morales; Maravillas, Gimenez

2014-01-01

We present a new nurse intervention: "Phytotherapy Management," which has been accepted by the editorial board of the Nursing Interventions Classification for inclusion in the 7th edition of the Nursing Intervention Classification. This could have implications for nursing practice and research. Content analysis, extensive search in the literature.

Evolution in diagnosis and treatment of Legg-Calve-Perthes disease

PubMed Central

Mazloumi, Seyed Mahdi; Ebrahimzadeh, Mohammad H.; Kachooei, Amir Reza

2014-01-01

Legg-Calvé-Perthes disease (LCPD) is an idiopathic osteonecrosis of the femoral head with variable complications and resultant deformity of the femoral head and osteoarthritis. Suggested risk factors are acetabular retroversion, obesity, latitude, hyperactivity, and coagulopathy. The most commonly applied classification is based on radiolucency in the lateral pillar of the femoral head, which is strongly correlated with the outcome. In the fragmentation stage of the disease involvement can be classified into three groups. After skeletal maturity, the outcome can be classified using the Stulberg classification based on the sphericity and congruence of the femoral head in relation to the acetabulum. The early goal of treatment is to prevent head deformation by weight transmitted forces during remodeling and ossification stages containment is the widely accepted principle of treatment. Although the Petrie cast still has a role in the short-term treatment of LCPD before and during the reossification stage, available data does not support additional benefits from braces during the course of LCPD. PMID:25207324

The interplay of holistic shape, local feature and color information in object categorization.

PubMed

Rokszin, Adrienn Aranka; Győri-Dani, Dóra; Linnert, Szilvia; Krajcsi, Attila; Tompa, Tamás; Csifcsák, Gábor

2015-07-01

Although it is widely accepted that colors facilitate object and scene recognition under various circumstances, several studies found no effects of color removal in tasks requiring categorization of briefly presented animals in natural scenes. In this study, three experiments were performed to test the assumption that the discrepancy between empirical data is related to variations of the available meaningful global information such as object shapes and contextual cues. Sixty-one individuals categorized chromatic and achromatic versions of intact and scrambled images containing either cars or birds. While color removal did not affect the classification of intact stimuli, the recognition of moderately scrambled achromatic images was more difficult. This effect was accompanied by amplitude modulations of occipital event-related potentials emerging from approximately 150ms post-stimulus. Our results indicate that colors facilitate stimulus classification, but this effect becomes prominent only in cases when holistic processing is not sufficient for stimulus recognition. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The definition of pneumonia, the assessment of severity, and clinical standardization in the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health study.

PubMed

Scott, J Anthony G; Wonodi, Chizoba; Moïsi, Jennifer C; Deloria-Knoll, Maria; DeLuca, Andrea N; Karron, Ruth A; Bhat, Niranjan; Murdoch, David R; Crawley, Jane; Levine, Orin S; O'Brien, Katherine L; Feikin, Daniel R

2012-04-01

To develop a case definition for the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) project, we sought a widely acceptable classification that was linked to existing pneumonia research and focused on very severe cases. We began with the World Health Organization's classification of severe/very severe pneumonia and refined it through literature reviews and a 2-stage process of expert consultation. PERCH will study hospitalized children, aged 1-59 months, with pneumonia who present with cough or difficulty breathing and have either severe pneumonia (lower chest wall indrawing) or very severe pneumonia (central cyanosis, difficulty breastfeeding/drinking, vomiting everything, convulsions, lethargy, unconsciousness, or head nodding). It will exclude patients with recent hospitalization and children with wheeze whose indrawing resolves after bronchodilator therapy. The PERCH investigators agreed upon standard interpretations of the symptoms and signs. These will be maintained by a clinical standardization monitor who conducts repeated instruction at each site and by recurrent local training and testing.

The Definition of Pneumonia, the Assessment of Severity, and Clinical Standardization in the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health Study

PubMed Central

Wonodi, Chizoba; Moïsi, Jennifer C.; Deloria-Knoll, Maria; DeLuca, Andrea N.; Karron, Ruth A.; Bhat, Niranjan; Murdoch, David R.; Crawley, Jane; Levine, Orin S.; O’Brien, Katherine L.; Feikin, Daniel R.

2012-01-01

To develop a case definition for the Pneumonia Etiology Research for Child Health (PERCH) project, we sought a widely acceptable classification that was linked to existing pneumonia research and focused on very severe cases. We began with the World Health Organization’s classification of severe/very severe pneumonia and refined it through literature reviews and a 2-stage process of expert consultation. PERCH will study hospitalized children, aged 1–59 months, with pneumonia who present with cough or difficulty breathing and have either severe pneumonia (lower chest wall indrawing) or very severe pneumonia (central cyanosis, difficulty breastfeeding/drinking, vomiting everything, convulsions, lethargy, unconsciousness, or head nodding). It will exclude patients with recent hospitalization and children with wheeze whose indrawing resolves after bronchodilator therapy. The PERCH investigators agreed upon standard interpretations of the symptoms and signs. These will be maintained by a clinical standardization monitor who conducts repeated instruction at each site and by recurrent local training and testing. PMID:22403224

The unbridged gap between clinical diagnosis and contemporary research on aphasia: A short discussion on the validity and clinical utility of taxonomic categories.

PubMed

Kasselimis, Dimitrios S; Simos, Panagiotis G; Peppas, Christos; Evdokimidis, Ioannis; Potagas, Constantin

2017-01-01

Even if the traditional aphasia classification is continuously questioned by many scholars, it remains widely accepted among clinicians and included in textbooks as the gold standard. The present study aims to investigate the validity and clinical utility of this taxonomy. For this purpose, 65 left-hemisphere stroke patients were assessed and classified with respect to aphasia type based on performance on a Greek adaptation of the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination. MRI and/or CT scans were obtained for each patient and lesions were identified and coded according to location. Results indicate that 26.5% of the aphasic profiles remained unclassified. More importantly, we failed to confirm the traditional lesion-to-syndrome correspondence for 63.5% of patients. Overall, our findings elucidate crucial vulnerabilities of the neo-associationist classification, and further support a deficit-rather than a syndrome-based approach. The issue of unclassifiable patients is also discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Drug-induced sedation endoscopy (DISE) classification systems: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

PubMed

Dijemeni, Esuabom; D'Amone, Gabriele; Gbati, Israel

2017-12-01

Drug-induced sedation endoscopy (DISE) classification systems have been used to assess anatomical findings on upper airway obstruction, and decide and plan surgical treatments and act as a predictor for surgical treatment outcome for obstructive sleep apnoea management. The first objective is to identify if there is a universally accepted DISE grading and classification system for analysing DISE findings. The second objective is to identify if there is one DISE grading and classification treatment planning framework for deciding appropriate surgical treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). The third objective is to identify if there is one DISE grading and classification treatment outcome framework for determining the likelihood of success for a given OSA surgical intervention. A systematic review was performed to identify new and significantly modified DISE classification systems: concept, advantages and disadvantages. Fourteen studies proposing a new DISE classification system and three studies proposing a significantly modified DISE classification were identified. None of the studies were based on randomised control trials. DISE is an objective method for visualising upper airway obstruction. The classification and assessment of clinical findings based on DISE is highly subjective due to the increasing number of DISE classification systems. Hence, this creates a growing divergence in surgical treatment planning and treatment outcome. Further research on a universally accepted objective DISE assessment is critically needed.

Building the United States National Vegetation Classification

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franklin, S.B.; Faber-Langendoen, D.; Jennings, M.; Keeler-Wolf, T.; Loucks, O.; Peet, R.; Roberts, D.; McKerrow, A.

2012-01-01

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Vegetation Subcommittee, the Ecological Society of America Panel on Vegetation Classification, and NatureServe have worked together to develop the United States National Vegetation Classification (USNVC). The current standard was accepted in 2008 and fosters consistency across Federal agencies and non-federal partners for the description of each vegetation concept and its hierarchical classification. The USNVC is structured as a dynamic standard, where changes to types at any level may be proposed at any time as new information comes in. But, because much information already exists from previous work, the NVC partners first established methods for screening existing types to determine their acceptability with respect to the 2008 standard. Current efforts include a screening process to assign confidence to Association and Group level descriptions, and a review of the upper three levels of the classification. For the upper levels especially, the expectation is that the review process includes international scientists. Immediate future efforts include the review of remaining levels and the development of a proposal review process.

Classification of Scaffold Hopping Approaches

PubMed Central

Sun, Hongmao; Tawa, Gregory; Wallqvist, Anders

2012-01-01

The general goal of drug discovery is to identify novel compounds that are active against a preselected biological target with acceptable pharmacological properties defined by marketed drugs. Scaffold hopping has been widely applied by medicinal chemists to discover equipotent compounds with novel backbones that have improved properties. In this review, scaffold hopping is classified into four major categories, namely heterocycle replacements, ring opening or closure, peptidomimetics, and topology-based hopping. The structural diversity of original and final scaffolds with respect to each category will be reviewed. The advantages and limitations of small, medium, and large-step scaffold hopping will also be discussed. Software that is frequently used to facilitate different kinds of scaffold hopping methods will be summarized. PMID:22056715

Erythrocytosis in children and adolescents-classification, characterization, and consensus recommendations for the diagnostic approach.

PubMed

Cario, Holger; McMullin, Mary Frances; Bento, Celeste; Pospisilova, Dagmar; Percy, Melanie J; Hussein, Kais; Schwarz, Jiri; Aström, Maria; Hermouet, Sylvie

2013-11-01

During recent years, the increasing knowledge of genetic and physiological changes in polycythemia vera (PV) and of different types of congenital erythrocytosis has led to fundamental changes in recommendations for the diagnostic approach to patients with erythrocytosis. Although widely accepted for adult patients this approach may not be appropriate with regard to children and adolescents affected by erythrocytosis. The "congenital erythrocytosis" working group established within the framework of the MPN&MPNr-EuroNet (COST action BM0902) addressed this question in a consensus finding process and developed a specific algorithm for the diagnosis of erythrocytosis in childhood and adolescence which is presented here. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Developing a contributing factor classification scheme for Rasmussen's AcciMap: Reliability and validity evaluation.

PubMed

Goode, N; Salmon, P M; Taylor, N Z; Lenné, M G; Finch, C F

2017-10-01

One factor potentially limiting the uptake of Rasmussen's (1997) Accimap method by practitioners is the lack of a contributing factor classification scheme to guide accident analyses. This article evaluates the intra- and inter-rater reliability and criterion-referenced validity of a classification scheme developed to support the use of Accimap by led outdoor activity (LOA) practitioners. The classification scheme has two levels: the system level describes the actors, artefacts and activity context in terms of 14 codes; the descriptor level breaks the system level codes down into 107 specific contributing factors. The study involved 11 LOA practitioners using the scheme on two separate occasions to code a pre-determined list of contributing factors identified from four incident reports. Criterion-referenced validity was assessed by comparing the codes selected by LOA practitioners to those selected by the method creators. Mean intra-rater reliability scores at the system (M = 83.6%) and descriptor (M = 74%) levels were acceptable. Mean inter-rater reliability scores were not consistently acceptable for both coding attempts at the system level (M T1  = 68.8%; M T2  = 73.9%), and were poor at the descriptor level (M T1  = 58.5%; M T2  = 64.1%). Mean criterion referenced validity scores at the system level were acceptable (M T1  = 73.9%; M T2  = 75.3%). However, they were not consistently acceptable at the descriptor level (M T1  = 67.6%; M T2  = 70.8%). Overall, the results indicate that the classification scheme does not currently satisfy reliability and validity requirements, and that further work is required. The implications for the design and development of contributing factors classification schemes are discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Morphological phylogeny of Tradescantia L. (Commelinaceae) sheds light on a new infrageneric classification for the genus and novelties on the systematics of subtribe Tradescantiinae

PubMed Central

Pellegrini, Marco O. O.

2017-01-01

Abstract Throughout the years, three infrageneric classifications were proposed for Tradescantia along with several informal groups and species complexes. The current infrageneric classification accepts 12 sections – with T. sect. Tradescantia being further divided into four series – and assimilates many concepts adopted by previous authors. Recent molecular-based phylogenetic studies indicate that the currently accepted sections might not represent monophyletic groups within Tradescantia. Based on newly gathered morphological data on the group, complemented with available micromorphological, cytological and phytochemical data, I present the first morphology-based evolutionary hypothesis for Tradescantia. Furthermore, I reduce subtribe Thyrsantheminae to a synonym of subtribe Tradescantiinae, and propose a new infrageneric classification for Tradescantia, based on the total evidence of the present morphological phylogeny, in accordance to the previously published molecular data. PMID:29118649

Application of statistical classification methods for predicting the acceptability of well-water quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cameron, Enrico; Pilla, Giorgio; Stella, Fabio A.

2018-06-01

The application of statistical classification methods is investigated—in comparison also to spatial interpolation methods—for predicting the acceptability of well-water quality in a situation where an effective quantitative model of the hydrogeological system under consideration cannot be developed. In the example area in northern Italy, in particular, the aquifer is locally affected by saline water and the concentration of chloride is the main indicator of both saltwater occurrence and groundwater quality. The goal is to predict if the chloride concentration in a water well will exceed the allowable concentration so that the water is unfit for the intended use. A statistical classification algorithm achieved the best predictive performances and the results of the study show that statistical classification methods provide further tools for dealing with groundwater quality problems concerning hydrogeological systems that are too difficult to describe analytically or to simulate effectively.

Assessment and classification of cancer breakthrough pain: a systematic literature review.

PubMed

Haugen, Dagny Faksvåg; Hjermstad, Marianne Jensen; Hagen, Neil; Caraceni, Augusto; Kaasa, Stein

2010-06-01

Temporal variations in cancer pain intensity are highly prevalent, and are often difficult to manage. However, the phenomenon is not well understood: several definitions and approaches to classification and bedside assessment of cancer breakthrough pain (BTP) have been described. The present study is a systematic review of published literature on cancer BTP to answer the following questions: which terms and definitions have been used; are there validated assessment tools; which domains of BTP do the tools delineate, and which items do they contain; how have assessment tools been applied within clinical studies; and are there validated classification systems for BTP. A systematic search of the peer-reviewed literature was performed using five major databases. Of 375 titles and abstracts initially identified, 51 articles were examined in detail. Analysis of these publications indicates a range of overlapping but distinct definitions have been used to characterize BTP; 42 of the included papers presented one or more ways of classifying BTP; and while 10 tools to assess patients' experience of BTP were identified, only 2 have been partially validated. We conclude that there is no widely accepted definition, classification system or well-validated assessment tool for cancer-related breakthrough pain, but there is strong concurrence on most of its key attributes. With further work in this area, an internationally agreed upon definition and classification system for cancer-related breakthrough pain, and a standard approach on how to measure it, hold the promise to improve patient care and support research in this poor-prognosis cancer pain syndrome.

[New colposcopic terminology: Rio de Janeiro--2011].

PubMed

Zlatkov, V; Kostova, P

2014-01-01

The purpose of this work is to review the new colposcopic classification of the International Federation for Cervical Pathology and Colposcopy (IFCPC) from 2011 and the possibilities for its application in diagnostic and treatment processes and research. It fulfills the necessity for a modern and widely applicable nomenclature of the findings and it is based on the latest knowledge in this area. Colposcopic terminology of the vagina, as part of the pathology of the lower genital tract, is included as well, while the vulva and perineum terminology is not yet finally adopted. Furthermore, the various cervical excisional techniques are evaluated and described. According to experts, the popularity of colposcopy will not diminish and it will continue to be used as a routine technique in daily practice. In a critical sense, despite its descriptive and punctual character, the accepted terminology classification does not give a new interpretation of the severity of changes, and as such, it does not significantly modify the diagnostic and therapeutic approach. The lack of a scoring system that would allow the dynamic comparison of the severity of symptoms and the categories over time is a serious weakness. This limits the new colposcopic classification as no more than a working sheet that descriptively assesses the findings of the lower genital tract.

Adverse events following cervical manipulative therapy: consensus on classification among Dutch medical specialists, manual therapists, and patients.

PubMed

Kranenburg, Hendrikus A; Lakke, Sandra E; Schmitt, Maarten A; Van der Schans, Cees P

2017-12-01

To obtain consensus-based agreement on a classification system of adverse events (AE) following cervical spinal manipulation. The classification system should be comprised of clear definitions, include patients' and clinicians' perspectives, and have an acceptable number of categories. Design : A three-round Delphi study. Participants : Thirty Dutch participants (medical specialists, manual therapists, and patients) participated in an online survey. Procedure : Participants inventoried AE and were asked about their preferences for either a three- or a four-category classification system. The identified AE were classified by two analysts following the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10). Participants were asked to classify the severity for all AE in relation to the time duration. Consensus occurred in a three-category classification system. There was strong consensus for 16 AE in all severities (no, minor, and major AE) and all three time durations [hours, days, weeks]. The 16 AE included anxiety, flushing, skin rash, fainting, dizziness, coma, altered sensation, muscle tenderness, pain, increased pain during movement, radiating pain, dislocation, fracture, transient ischemic attack, stroke, and death. Mild to strong consensus was reached for 13 AE. A consensus-based classification system of AE is established which includes patients' and clinicians' perspectives and has three categories. The classification comprises a precise description of potential AE in accordance with internationally accepted classifications. After international validation, clinicians and researchers may use this AE classification system to report AE in clinical practice and research.

A "TNM" classification system for cancer pain: the Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain (ECS-CP).

PubMed

Fainsinger, Robin L; Nekolaichuk, Cheryl L

2008-06-01

The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the development of a "TNM" cancer pain classification system for advanced cancer patients, the Edmonton Classification System for Cancer Pain (ECS-CP). Until we have a common international language to discuss cancer pain, understanding differences in clinical and research experience in opioid rotation and use remains problematic. The complexity of the cancer pain experience presents unique challenges for the classification of pain. To date, no universally accepted pain classification measure can accurately predict the complexity of pain management, particularly for patients with cancer pain that is difficult to treat. In response to this gap in clinical assessment, the Edmonton Staging System (ESS), a classification system for cancer pain, was developed. Difficulties in definitions and interpretation of some aspects of the ESS restricted acceptance and widespread use. Construct, inter-rater reliability, and predictive validity evidence have contributed to the development of the ECS-CP. The five features of the ECS-CP--Pain Mechanism, Incident Pain, Psychological Distress, Addictive Behavior and Cognitive Function--have demonstrated value in predicting pain management complexity. The development of a standardized classification system that is comprehensive, prognostic and simple to use could provide a common language for clinical management and research of cancer pain. An international study to assess the inter-rater reliability and predictive value of the ECS-CP is currently in progress.

Student world view as a framework for learning genetics and evolution in high school biology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCoy, Roger Wesley

Statement of the problem. Few studies in biology education have examined the underlying presuppositions which guide thinking and concept learning in adolescents. The purpose of this study was to describe and understand the biological world views of a variety of high school students before they take biology courses. Specifically, the study examined student world views in the domains of Classification, Relationship and Causation related to the concepts of heredity, evolution and biotechnology. The following served as guiding questions: (1) What are the personal world views of high school students entering biology classes, related to the domain of Classification, Relationship and Causality? (2) How do these student world views confound or enhance the learning of basic concepts in genetics and evolution? Methods. An interpretive method was chosen for this study. The six student participants were ninth graders and represented a wide range of world view backgrounds. A series of three interviews was conducted with each participant, with a focus group used for triangulation of data. The constant comparative method was used to categorize the data and facilitate the search for meaningful patterns. The analysis included a thick description of each student's personal views of classification, evolution and the appropriate use of biotechnology. Results. The study demonstrates that world view is the basis upon which students build knowledge in biology. The logic of their everyday thinking may not match that of scientists. The words they use are sometimes inconsistent with scientific terminology. This study provides evidence that students voice different opinions depending on the social situation, since they are strongly influenced by peers. Students classify animals based on behaviors. They largely believe that the natural world is unpredictable, and that humans are not really part of that world. Half are unlikely to accept the evolution of humans, but may accept it in other species. Their views on causation of evolution vary widely, focusing on intentional changes made by animals. Students who hold world views which differ from scientific world views may become marginalized unless differences in world view are addressed. Researchers and teachers must be mindful of social pressures which cause students to reject certain ideas which may appear to be in opposition to their existing world view.

How Many Kingdoms? Current Views of Biological Classification.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Margulis, Lynn

1981-01-01

Argues for the acceptance and use of a five-kingdom classification system for biology comprised of monera, protoctista, fungi, animals, and plants. Justifies the new system based upon the difference between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Outlines each kingdom and describes its members. (DC)

Classification in Australia.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McKinlay, John

Despite some inroads by the Library of Congress Classification and short-lived experimentation with Universal Decimal Classification and Bliss Classification, Dewey Decimal Classification, with its ability in recent editions to be hospitable to local needs, remains the most widely used classification system in Australia. Although supplemented at…

Rule extraction from minimal neural networks for credit card screening.

PubMed

Setiono, Rudy; Baesens, Bart; Mues, Christophe

2011-08-01

While feedforward neural networks have been widely accepted as effective tools for solving classification problems, the issue of finding the best network architecture remains unresolved, particularly so in real-world problem settings. We address this issue in the context of credit card screening, where it is important to not only find a neural network with good predictive performance but also one that facilitates a clear explanation of how it produces its predictions. We show that minimal neural networks with as few as one hidden unit provide good predictive accuracy, while having the added advantage of making it easier to generate concise and comprehensible classification rules for the user. To further reduce model size, a novel approach is suggested in which network connections from the input units to this hidden unit are removed by a very straightaway pruning procedure. In terms of predictive accuracy, both the minimized neural networks and the rule sets generated from them are shown to compare favorably with other neural network based classifiers. The rules generated from the minimized neural networks are concise and thus easier to validate in a real-life setting.

A Review of Accelerometry-Based Wearable Motion Detectors for Physical Activity Monitoring

PubMed Central

Yang, Che-Chang; Hsu, Yeh-Liang

2010-01-01

Characteristics of physical activity are indicative of one’s mobility level, latent chronic diseases and aging process. Accelerometers have been widely accepted as useful and practical sensors for wearable devices to measure and assess physical activity. This paper reviews the development of wearable accelerometry-based motion detectors. The principle of accelerometry measurement, sensor properties and sensor placements are first introduced. Various research using accelerometry-based wearable motion detectors for physical activity monitoring and assessment, including posture and movement classification, estimation of energy expenditure, fall detection and balance control evaluation, are also reviewed. Finally this paper reviews and compares existing commercial products to provide a comprehensive outlook of current development status and possible emerging technologies. PMID:22163626

DDC19: An Indictment.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berman, Sanford

1980-01-01

Criticizes the 19th edition of "Dewey Decimal Classification" for violating traditional classification goals for library materials and ignoring the desires of libraries and other users. A total reform is proposed to eliminate Phoenix schedules and to accept only those relocations approved by an editorial board of users. (RAA)

Classification of deadlift biomechanics with wearable inertial measurement units.

PubMed

O'Reilly, Martin A; Whelan, Darragh F; Ward, Tomas E; Delahunt, Eamonn; Caulfield, Brian M

2017-06-14

The deadlift is a compound full-body exercise that is fundamental in resistance training, rehabilitation programs and powerlifting competitions. Accurate quantification of deadlift biomechanics is important to reduce the risk of injury and ensure training and rehabilitation goals are achieved. This study sought to develop and evaluate deadlift exercise technique classification systems utilising Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), recording at 51.2Hz, worn on the lumbar spine, both thighs and both shanks. It also sought to compare classification quality when these IMUs are worn in combination and in isolation. Two datasets of IMU deadlift data were collected. Eighty participants first completed deadlifts with acceptable technique and 5 distinct, deliberately induced deviations from acceptable form. Fifty-five members of this group also completed a fatiguing protocol (3-Repition Maximum test) to enable the collection of natural deadlift deviations. For both datasets, universal and personalised random-forests classifiers were developed and evaluated. Personalised classifiers outperformed universal classifiers in accuracy, sensitivity and specificity in the binary classification of acceptable or aberrant technique and in the multi-label classification of specific deadlift deviations. Whilst recent research has favoured universal classifiers due to the reduced overhead in setting them up for new system users, this work demonstrates that such techniques may not be appropriate for classifying deadlift technique due to the poor accuracy achieved. However, personalised classifiers perform very well in assessing deadlift technique, even when using data derived from a single lumbar-worn IMU to detect specific naturally occurring technique mistakes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Inter-examiner classification reliability of Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy for extremity problems - Systematic review.

PubMed

Takasaki, Hiroshi; Okuyama, Kousuke; Rosedale, Richard

2017-02-01

Mechanical Diagnosis and Therapy (MDT) is used in the treatment of extremity problems. Classifying clinical problems is one method of providing effective treatment to a target population. Classification reliability is a key factor to determine the precise clinical problem and to direct an appropriate intervention. To explore inter-examiner reliability of the MDT classification for extremity problems in three reliability designs: 1) vignette reliability using surveys with patient vignettes, 2) concurrent reliability, where multiple assessors decide a classification by observing someone's assessment, 3) successive reliability, where multiple assessors independently assess the same patient at different times. Systematic review with data synthesis in a quantitative format. Agreement of MDT subgroups was examined using the Kappa value, with the operational definition of acceptable reliability set at ≥ 0.6. The level of evidence was determined considering the methodological quality of the studies. Six studies were included and all studies met the criteria for high quality. Kappa values for the vignette reliability design (five studies) were ≥ 0.7. There was data from two cohorts in one study for the concurrent reliability design and the Kappa values ranged from 0.45 to 1.0. Kappa values for the successive reliability design (data from three cohorts in one study) were < 0.6. The current review found strong evidence of acceptable inter-examiner reliability of MDT classification for extremity problems in the vignette reliability design, limited evidence of acceptable reliability in the concurrent reliability design and unacceptable reliability in the successive reliability design. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sobre prestamos y clasificaciones linguisticas (Regarding Borrowing and Linguistic Classification).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Key, Mary Ritchie

1988-01-01

This article explores the traditionally accepted etymologies of several lexical borrowings in the indigenous languages of the Americas within the framework of comparative linguistics and linguistic classification. The first section presents a general discussion of the problem of tracing lexical borrowings in this context. The section features a…

Building a biomedical tokenizer using the token lattice design pattern and the adapted Viterbi algorithm

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Tokenization is an important component of language processing yet there is no widely accepted tokenization method for English texts, including biomedical texts. Other than rule based techniques, tokenization in the biomedical domain has been regarded as a classification task. Biomedical classifier-based tokenizers either split or join textual objects through classification to form tokens. The idiosyncratic nature of each biomedical tokenizer’s output complicates adoption and reuse. Furthermore, biomedical tokenizers generally lack guidance on how to apply an existing tokenizer to a new domain (subdomain). We identify and complete a novel tokenizer design pattern and suggest a systematic approach to tokenizer creation. We implement a tokenizer based on our design pattern that combines regular expressions and machine learning. Our machine learning approach differs from the previous split-join classification approaches. We evaluate our approach against three other tokenizers on the task of tokenizing biomedical text. Results Medpost and our adapted Viterbi tokenizer performed best with a 92.9% and 92.4% accuracy respectively. Conclusions Our evaluation of our design pattern and guidelines supports our claim that the design pattern and guidelines are a viable approach to tokenizer construction (producing tokenizers matching leading custom-built tokenizers in a particular domain). Our evaluation also demonstrates that ambiguous tokenizations can be disambiguated through POS tagging. In doing so, POS tag sequences and training data have a significant impact on proper text tokenization. PMID:21658288

Thermal bioaerosol cloud tracking with Bayesian classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smith, Christian W.; Dupuis, Julia R.; Schundler, Elizabeth C.; Marinelli, William J.

2017-05-01

The development of a wide area, bioaerosol early warning capability employing existing uncooled thermal imaging systems used for persistent perimeter surveillance is discussed. The capability exploits thermal imagers with other available data streams including meteorological data and employs a recursive Bayesian classifier to detect, track, and classify observed thermal objects with attributes consistent with a bioaerosol plume. Target detection is achieved based on similarity to a phenomenological model which predicts the scene-dependent thermal signature of bioaerosol plumes. Change detection in thermal sensor data is combined with local meteorological data to locate targets with the appropriate thermal characteristics. Target motion is tracked utilizing a Kalman filter and nearly constant velocity motion model for cloud state estimation. Track management is performed using a logic-based upkeep system, and data association is accomplished using a combinatorial optimization technique. Bioaerosol threat classification is determined using a recursive Bayesian classifier to quantify the threat probability of each tracked object. The classifier can accept additional inputs from visible imagers, acoustic sensors, and point biological sensors to improve classification confidence. This capability was successfully demonstrated for bioaerosol simulant releases during field testing at Dugway Proving Grounds. Standoff detection at a range of 700m was achieved for as little as 500g of anthrax simulant. Developmental test results will be reviewed for a range of simulant releases, and future development and transition plans for the bioaerosol early warning platform will be discussed.

A Unified Classification of Alien Species Based on the Magnitude of their Environmental Impacts

PubMed Central

Blackburn, Tim M.; Essl, Franz; Evans, Thomas; Hulme, Philip E.; Jeschke, Jonathan M.; Kühn, Ingolf; Kumschick, Sabrina; Marková, Zuzana; Mrugała, Agata; Nentwig, Wolfgang; Pergl, Jan; Pyšek, Petr; Rabitsch, Wolfgang; Ricciardi, Anthony; Richardson, David M.; Sendek, Agnieszka; Vilà, Montserrat; Wilson, John R. U.; Winter, Marten; Genovesi, Piero; Bacher, Sven

2014-01-01

Species moved by human activities beyond the limits of their native geographic ranges into areas in which they do not naturally occur (termed aliens) can cause a broad range of significant changes to recipient ecosystems; however, their impacts vary greatly across species and the ecosystems into which they are introduced. There is therefore a critical need for a standardised method to evaluate, compare, and eventually predict the magnitudes of these different impacts. Here, we propose a straightforward system for classifying alien species according to the magnitude of their environmental impacts, based on the mechanisms of impact used to code species in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Invasive Species Database, which are presented here for the first time. The classification system uses five semi-quantitative scenarios describing impacts under each mechanism to assign species to different levels of impact—ranging from Minimal to Massive—with assignment corresponding to the highest level of deleterious impact associated with any of the mechanisms. The scheme also includes categories for species that are Not Evaluated, have No Alien Population, or are Data Deficient, and a method for assigning uncertainty to all the classifications. We show how this classification system is applicable at different levels of ecological complexity and different spatial and temporal scales, and embraces existing impact metrics. In fact, the scheme is analogous to the already widely adopted and accepted Red List approach to categorising extinction risk, and so could conceivably be readily integrated with existing practices and policies in many regions. PMID:24802715

Real-time ultrasonic weld evaluation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katragadda, Gopichand; Nair, Satish; Liu, Harry; Brown, Lawrence M.

1996-11-01

Ultrasonic testing techniques are currently used as an alternative to radiography for detecting, classifying,and sizing weld defects, and for evaluating weld quality. Typically, ultrasonic weld inspections are performed manually, which require significant operator expertise and time. Thus, in recent years, the emphasis is to develop automated methods to aid or replace operators in critical weld inspections where inspection time, reliability, and operator safety are major issues. During this period, significant advances wee made in the areas of weld defect classification and sizing. Very few of these methods, however have found their way into the market, largely due to the lack of an integrated approach enabling real-time implementation. Also, not much research effort was directed in improving weld acceptance criteria. This paper presents an integrated system utilizing state-of-the-art techniques for a complete automation of the weld inspection procedure. The modules discussed include transducer tracking, classification, sizing, and weld acceptance criteria. Transducer tracking was studied by experimentally evaluating sonic and optical position tracking techniques. Details for this evaluation are presented. Classification is obtained using a multi-layer perceptron. Results from different feature extraction schemes, including a new method based on a combination of time and frequency-domain signal representations are given. Algorithms developed to automate defect registration and sizing are discussed. A fuzzy-logic acceptance criteria for weld acceptance is presented describing how this scheme provides improved robustness compared to the traditional flow-diagram standards.

A Classification Methodology and Retrieval Model to Support Software Reuse

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-01-01

Dewey Decimal Classification ( DDC 18), an enumerative scheme, occupies 40 pages [Buchanan 19791. Langridge [19731 states that the facets listed in the...sense of historical importance or wide spread use. The schemes are: Dewey Decimal Classification ( DDC ), Universal Decimal Classification (UDC...Classification Systems ..... ..... 2.3.3 Library Classification__- .52 23.3.1 Dewey Decimal Classification -53 2.33.2 Universal Decimal Classification 55 2333

Classification of close binary systems by Svechnikov

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dryomova, G. N.

The paper presents the historical overview of classification schemes of eclipsing variable stars with the foreground of advantages of the classification scheme by Svechnikov being widely appreciated for Close Binary Systems due to simplicity of classification criteria and brevity.

Usefulness and applicability of the revised dengue case classification by disease: multi-centre study in 18 countries

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background In view of the long term discussion on the appropriateness of the dengue classification into dengue fever (DF), dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) and dengue shock syndrome (DSS), the World Health Organization (WHO) has outlined in its new global dengue guidelines a revised classification into levels of severity: dengue fever with an intermediary group of "dengue fever with warning sings", and severe dengue. The objective of this paper was to compare the two classification systems regarding applicability in clinical practice and surveillance, as well as user-friendliness and acceptance by health staff. Methods A mix of quantitative (prospective and retrospective review of medical charts by expert reviewers, formal staff interviews), semi-quantitative (open questions in staff interviews) and qualitative methods (focus group discussions) were used in 18 countries. Quality control of data collected was undertaken by external monitors. Results The applicability of the DF/DHF/DSS classification was limited, even when strict DHF criteria were not applied (13.7% of dengue cases could not be classified using the DF/DHF/DSS classification by experienced reviewers, compared to only 1.6% with the revised classification). The fact that some severe dengue cases could not be classified in the DF/DHF/DSS system was of particular concern. Both acceptance and perceived user-friendliness of the revised system were high, particularly in relation to triage and case management. The applicability of the revised classification to retrospective data sets (of importance for dengue surveillance) was also favourable. However, the need for training, dissemination and further research on the warning signs was highlighted. Conclusions The revised dengue classification has a high potential for facilitating dengue case management and surveillance. PMID:21510901

Seeking order amidst chaos: a systematic review of classification systems for causes of stillbirth and neonatal death, 2009-2014.

PubMed

Leisher, Susannah Hopkins; Teoh, Zheyi; Reinebrant, Hanna; Allanson, Emma; Blencowe, Hannah; Erwich, Jan Jaap; Frøen, J Frederik; Gardosi, Jason; Gordijn, Sanne; Gülmezoglu, A Metin; Heazell, Alexander E P; Korteweg, Fleurisca; Lawn, Joy; McClure, Elizabeth M; Pattinson, Robert; Smith, Gordon C S; Tunçalp, Ӧzge; Wojcieszek, Aleena M; Flenady, Vicki

2016-10-05

Each year, about 5.3 million babies die in the perinatal period. Understanding of causes of death is critical for prevention, yet there is no globally acceptable classification system. Instead, many disparate systems have been developed and used. We aimed to identify all systems used or created between 2009 and 2014, with their key features, including extent of alignment with the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) and variation in features by region, to inform the World Health Organization's development of a new global approach to classifying perinatal deaths. A systematic literature review (CINAHL, EMBASE, Medline, Global Health, and PubMed) identified published and unpublished studies and national reports describing new classification systems or modifications of existing systems for causes of perinatal death, or that used or tested such systems, between 2009 and 2014. Studies reporting ICD use only were excluded. Data were independently double-extracted (except from non-English publications). Subgroup analyses explored variation by extent and region. Eighty-one systems were identified as new, modifications of existing systems, or having been used between 2009 and 2014, with an average of ten systems created/modified each year. Systems had widely varying characteristics: (i) comprehensiveness (40 systems classified both stillbirths and neonatal deaths); (ii) extent of use (systems were created in 28 countries and used in 40; 17 were created for national use; 27 were widely used); (iii) accessibility (three systems available in e-format); (iv) underlying cause of death (64 systems required a single cause of death); (v) reliability (10 systems tested for reliability, with overall Kappa scores ranging from .35-.93); and (vi) ICD alignment (17 systems used ICD codes). Regional databases were not searched, so system numbers may be underestimated. Some non-differential misclassification of systems was possible. The plethora of systems in use, and continuing system development, hamper international efforts to improve understanding of causes of death. Recognition of the features of currently used systems, combined with a better understanding of the drivers of continued system creation, may help the development of a truly effective global system.

Vlsi implementation of flexible architecture for decision tree classification in data mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sharma, K. Venkatesh; Shewandagn, Behailu; Bhukya, Shankar Nayak

2017-07-01

The Data mining algorithms have become vital to researchers in science, engineering, medicine, business, search and security domains. In recent years, there has been a terrific raise in the size of the data being collected and analyzed. Classification is the main difficulty faced in data mining. In a number of the solutions developed for this problem, most accepted one is Decision Tree Classification (DTC) that gives high precision while handling very large amount of data. This paper presents VLSI implementation of flexible architecture for Decision Tree classification in data mining using c4.5 algorithm.

Automated Wetland Delineation from Multi-Frequency and Multi-Polarized SAR Images in High Temporal and Spatial Resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moser, L.; Schmitt, A.; Wendleder, A.

2016-06-01

Water scarcity is one of the main challenges posed by the changing climate. Especially in semi-arid regions where water reservoirs are filled during the very short rainy season, but have to store enough water for the extremely long dry season, the intelligent handling of water resources is vital. This study focusses on Lac Bam in Burkina Faso, which is the largest natural lake of the country and of high importance for the local inhabitants for irrigated farming, animal watering, and extraction of water for drinking and sanitation. With respect to the competition for water resources an independent area-wide monitoring system is essential for the acceptance of any decision maker. The following contribution introduces a weather and illumination independent monitoring system for the automated wetland delineation with a high temporal (about two weeks) and a high spatial sampling (about five meters). The similarities of the multispectral and multi-polarized SAR acquisitions by RADARSAT-2 and TerraSAR-X are studied as well as the differences. The results indicate that even basic approaches without pre-classification time series analysis or post-classification filtering are already enough to establish a monitoring system of prime importance for a whole region.

Maxillectomy defects: a suggested classification scheme.

PubMed

Akinmoladun, V I; Dosumu, O O; Olusanya, A A; Ikusika, O F

2013-06-01

The term "maxillectomy" has been used to describe a variety of surgical procedures for a spectrum of diseases involving a diverse anatomical site. Hence, classifications of maxillectomy defects have often made communication difficult. This article highlights this problem, emphasises the need for a uniform system of classification and suggests a classification system which is simple and comprehensive. Articles related to this subject, especially those with specified classifications of maxillary surgical defects were sourced from the internet through Google, Scopus and PubMed using the search terms maxillectomy defects classification. A manual search through available literature was also done. The review of the materials revealed many classifications and modifications of classifications from the descriptive, reconstructive and prosthodontic perspectives. No globally acceptable classification exists among practitioners involved in the management of diseases in the mid-facial region. There were over 14 classifications of maxillary defects found in the English literature. Attempts made to address the inadequacies of previous classifications have tended to result in cumbersome and relatively complex classifications. A single classification that is based on both surgical and prosthetic considerations is most desirable and is hereby proposed.

Probabilistic Gait Classification in Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Bayesian Approach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Gestel, Leen; De Laet, Tinne; Di Lello, Enrico; Bruyninckx, Herman; Molenaers, Guy; Van Campenhout, Anja; Aertbelien, Erwin; Schwartz, Mike; Wambacq, Hans; De Cock, Paul; Desloovere, Kaat

2011-01-01

Three-dimensional gait analysis (3DGA) generates a wealth of highly variable data. Gait classifications help to reduce, simplify and interpret this vast amount of 3DGA data and thereby assist and facilitate clinical decision making in the treatment of CP. CP gait is often a mix of several clinically accepted distinct gait patterns. Therefore,…

Payload test philosophy. [JPL views on qualification/acceptance testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gindorf, T.

1979-01-01

The general philosophy of how JPL views payload qualification/acceptance testing for programs that are done either in-house or by contractors is described. Particular attention is given to mission risk classifications, preliminary critical design reviews, environmental design requirements, the thermal and dynamics development tests, and the flight spacecraft system test.

Classifying diseases and remedies in ethnomedicine and ethnopharmacology.

PubMed

Staub, Peter O; Geck, Matthias S; Weckerle, Caroline S; Casu, Laura; Leonti, Marco

2015-11-04

Ethnopharmacology focuses on the understanding of local and indigenous use of medicines and therefore an emic approach is inevitable. Often, however, standard biomedical disease classifications are used to describe and analyse local diseases and remedies. Standard classifications might be a valid tool for cross-cultural comparisons and bioprospecting purposes but are not suitable to understand the local perception of disease and use of remedies. Different standard disease classification systems exist but their suitability for cross-cultural comparisons of ethnomedical data has never been assessed. Depending on the research focus, (I) ethnomedical, (II) cross-cultural, and (III) bioprospecting, we provide suggestions for the use of specific classification systems. We analyse three different standard biomedical classification systems (the International Classification of Diseases (ICD); the Economic Botany Data Collection Standard (EBDCS); and the International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC)), and discuss their value for categorizing diseases of ethnomedical systems and their suitability for cross-cultural research in ethnopharmacology. Moreover, based on the biomedical uses of all approved plant derived biomedical drugs, we propose a biomedical therapy-based classification system as a guide for the discovery of drugs from ethnopharmacological sources. Widely used standards, such as the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) by the WHO and the Economic Botany Data Collection Standard (EBDCS) are either technically challenging due to a categorisation system based on clinical examinations, which are usually not possible during field research (ICD) or lack clear biomedical criteria combining disorders and medical effects in an imprecise and confusing way (EBDCS). The International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC), also accepted by the WHO, has more in common with ethnomedical reality than the ICD or the EBDCS, as the categories are designed according to patient's perceptions and are less influenced by clinical medicine. Since diagnostic tools are not required, medical ethnobotanists and ethnopharmacologists can easily classify reported symptoms and complaints with the ICPC in one of the "chapters" based on 17 body systems, psychological and social problems. Also the biomedical uses of plant-derived drugs are classifiable into 17 broad organ- and therapy-based use-categories but can easily be divided into more specific subcategories. Depending on the research focus (I-III) we propose the following classification systems: I. Ethnomedicine: Ethnomedicine is culture-bound and local classifications have to be understood from an emic perspective. Consequently, the application of prefabricated, "one-size fits all" biomedical classification schemes is of limited value. II. Cross-cultural analysis: The ICPC is a suitable standard that can be applied but modified as required. III. Bioprospecting: We suggest a biomedical therapy-driven classification system with currently 17 use-categories based on biomedical uses of all approved plant derived natural product drugs. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

CP-CHARM: segmentation-free image classification made accessible.

PubMed

Uhlmann, Virginie; Singh, Shantanu; Carpenter, Anne E

2016-01-27

Automated classification using machine learning often relies on features derived from segmenting individual objects, which can be difficult to automate. WND-CHARM is a previously developed classification algorithm in which features are computed on the whole image, thereby avoiding the need for segmentation. The algorithm obtained encouraging results but requires considerable computational expertise to execute. Furthermore, some benchmark sets have been shown to be subject to confounding artifacts that overestimate classification accuracy. We developed CP-CHARM, a user-friendly image-based classification algorithm inspired by WND-CHARM in (i) its ability to capture a wide variety of morphological aspects of the image, and (ii) the absence of requirement for segmentation. In order to make such an image-based classification method easily accessible to the biological research community, CP-CHARM relies on the widely-used open-source image analysis software CellProfiler for feature extraction. To validate our method, we reproduced WND-CHARM's results and ensured that CP-CHARM obtained comparable performance. We then successfully applied our approach on cell-based assay data and on tissue images. We designed these new training and test sets to reduce the effect of batch-related artifacts. The proposed method preserves the strengths of WND-CHARM - it extracts a wide variety of morphological features directly on whole images thereby avoiding the need for cell segmentation, but additionally, it makes the methods easily accessible for researchers without computational expertise by implementing them as a CellProfiler pipeline. It has been demonstrated to perform well on a wide range of bioimage classification problems, including on new datasets that have been carefully selected and annotated to minimize batch effects. This provides for the first time a realistic and reliable assessment of the whole image classification strategy.

[Assessment of geriatric patients' care needs based on sosia classification: the reality of the lombardy region in nursing home.

PubMed

Vanalli, Mariangela

2016-11-01

The increased demand to care that originates from demographic changes called in Italy a rapid development in Nursing Home with particular emergency the problem of programme the welfare response. It is essential the development of a classification system able to describe the stratification of the case mix on the basis of the care requirements, allowing a remuneration in function of the complexity care. Since 2003, the Lombardy region has introduced a case-mix reimbursement system for nursing homes based on the SOSIA form which classifies residents into eight classes of frailty. In the present study the agreement between SOSIA classification and other well documented instruments, including Barthel Index, Mini-Mental State Examination on the basis of three indicators (mobility, cognition, comorbidity) is evaluated in eight classes of frailty. However, it is not any research project was published in order to assess the agreement between SOSIA classification and other measuring instruments. Although various methods exist by which researchers have attempted to measure the need for nursing care, there is no nationally accepted system for determining the total amount of registered nursing resources required by residents in long-term care. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between SOSIA and filing systems widely used, such as the degree of Barthel disability rating scale, the Mini-Mental State Examination to offer care appropriate for the case-mix. Only the higher complexity care has classified in the first two classes, while the remaining levels has categorized in the lowest paid. Misclassification therefore induces an underestimation of the real care needs and, consequently, inadequate remuneration.

Classification and treatment of follicular thyroid neoplasms are discordant between and within medical specialties.

PubMed

Perrier, N D; Ituarte, P H; Treseler, P; D'Avanzo, A; Siperstein, A; Duh, Q Y; Clark, O H

1999-12-01

The histologic criteria to classify follicular thyroid neoplasms are controversial. Criteria used for diagnosis and treatment varies both within and between specialty groups. This discordance makes it difficult to compare disease and management practice. This is especially problematic in issues concerning reoperations and survival. To determine the degree of disparity, we surveyed 3 groups of specialists. A questionnaire describing 10 histologic scenarios was sent to an equal number of thyroidologists, endocrine surgeons, and endocrine pathologists. Individuals were randomly selected from rosters of 3 corresponding societies. Each item asked for a rating of a diagnosis and treatment. Questionnaires were distributed and received by facsimile, and responses were kept confidential. The response rate was 60%. Responses were analyzed by nonparametric statistical tests. Two scenarios had significant disagreement among specialties in both diagnosis and treatment: one scenario involved the assessment of neoplasms with minimal capsular invasion; the other scenario involved Hürthle cell features. In both scenarios pathologists tended to be more conservative in assigning the term carcinoma and recommending total thyroidectomy. Significant disagreement within specialty groups was also noted. Two other scenarios dealt with the distinction between minimally and widely invasive carcinoma; significantly, pathologists viewed tumors as less invasive. This study indicates that much disparity exists among specialists in pathology, endocrinology, and surgery and among experts in each of these disciplines. It highlights that there is no uniform classification. If multicenter trials to evaluate treatment options are to occur, a universal classification must be accepted.

Data Quality Evaluation and Application Potential Analysis of TIANGONG-2 Wide-Band Imaging Spectrometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qin, B.; Li, L.; Li, S.

2018-04-01

Tiangong-2 is the first space laboratory in China, which launched in September 15, 2016. Wide-band Imaging Spectrometer is a medium resolution multispectral imager on Tiangong-2. In this paper, the authors introduced the indexes and parameters of Wideband Imaging Spectrometer, and made an objective evaluation about the data quality of Wide-band Imaging Spectrometer in radiation quality, image sharpness and information content, and compared the data quality evaluation results with that of Landsat-8. Although the data quality of Wide-band Imager Spectrometer has a certain disparity with Landsat-8 OLI data in terms of signal to noise ratio, clarity and entropy. Compared with OLI, Wide-band Imager Spectrometer has more bands, narrower bandwidth and wider swath, which make it a useful remote sensing data source in classification and identification of large and medium scale ground objects. In the future, Wide-band Imaging Spectrometer data will be widely applied in land cover classification, ecological environment assessment, marine and coastal zone monitoring, crop identification and classification, and other related areas.

Comparison of Program Effects: The Use of Mastery Scores.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yeh, Jennie P.; Moy, Raymond

The setting of a cut-off score on a mastery test usually involves a consideration of one or more of the following elements: (1) the distribution of observed test scores; (2) the type of mastery criterion used; (3) the level of acceptable risks of mis-classification; (4) the loss of functions of mis-classifications; and (5) the distribution of true…

An Introduction to the Surveys of Applicants Who Accepted or Declined Admission to UMCP.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ott, Mary Diederich

Surveys of admitted students (N=309) at the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP) were conducted in order to obtain admitted applicants' views of the functioning of the Admission Office and to assess differences in responses of certain subgroups of applicants. The four classification variables defining the subgroups were: acceptance status…

Characterising Complex Enzyme Reaction Data

PubMed Central

Rahman, Syed Asad; Thornton, Janet M.

2016-01-01

The relationship between enzyme-catalysed reactions and the Enzyme Commission (EC) number, the widely accepted classification scheme used to characterise enzyme activity, is complex and with the rapid increase in our knowledge of the reactions catalysed by enzymes needs revisiting. We present a manual and computational analysis to investigate this complexity and found that almost one-third of all known EC numbers are linked to more than one reaction in the secondary reaction databases (e.g., KEGG). Although this complexity is often resolved by defining generic, alternative and partial reactions, we have also found individual EC numbers with more than one reaction catalysing different types of bond changes. This analysis adds a new dimension to our understanding of enzyme function and might be useful for the accurate annotation of the function of enzymes and to study the changes in enzyme function during evolution. PMID:26840640

Comparison of accelerometer cut points for predicting activity intensity in youth.

PubMed

Trost, Stewart G; Loprinzi, Paul D; Moore, Rebecca; Pfeiffer, Karin A

2011-07-01

The absence of comparative validity studies has prevented researchers from reaching consensus regarding the application of intensity-related accelerometer cut points for children and adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate the classification accuracy of five sets of independently developed ActiGraph cut points using energy expenditure, measured by indirect calorimetry, as a criterion reference standard. A total of 206 participants between the ages of 5 and 15 yr completed 12 standardized activity trials. Trials consisted of sedentary activities (lying down, writing, computer game), lifestyle activities (sweeping, laundry, throw and catch, aerobics, basketball), and ambulatory activities (comfortable walk, brisk walk, brisk treadmill walk, running). During each trial, participants wore an ActiGraph GT1M, and V˙O2 was measured breath-by-breath using the Oxycon Mobile portable metabolic system. Physical activity intensity was estimated using five independently developed cut points: Freedson/Trost (FT), Puyau (PU), Treuth (TR), Mattocks (MT), and Evenson (EV). Classification accuracy was evaluated via weighted κ statistics and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC). Across all four intensity levels, the EV (κ=0.68) and FT (κ=0.66) cut points exhibited significantly better agreement than TR (κ=0.62), MT (κ=0.54), and PU (κ=0.36). The EV and FT cut points exhibited significantly better classification accuracy for moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (ROC-AUC=0.90) than TR, PU, or MT cut points (ROC-AUC=0.77-0.85). Only the EV cut points provided acceptable classification accuracy for all four levels of physical activity intensity and performed well among children of all ages. The widely applied sedentary cut point of 100 counts per minute exhibited excellent classification accuracy (ROC-AUC=0.90). On the basis of these findings, we recommend that researchers use the EV ActiGraph cut points to estimate time spent in sedentary, light-, moderate-, and vigorous-intensity activity in children and adolescents.

Organ transplant AN-DRGs: modifying the exceptions hierarchy in casemix classification.

PubMed

Antioch, K; Zhang, X

2000-01-01

The study described in this article sought to develop AN-DRG Version 3 classification revisions for organ transplantation through statistical analyses of recommendations formulated by the Australian Casemix Clinical Committee. Two separate analyses of variance were undertaken for AN-DRG Version 2 and for the proposed Version 3 AN-DRGs, using average length of stay as the dependent variable. The committee made four key recommendations which were accepted and incorporated into AN-DRG Versions 3 and 3.1. This article focuses on the classification revisions for organ transplantation.

A proposal for classification of entities combining vascular malformations and deregulated growth.

PubMed

Oduber, Charlène E U; van der Horst, Chantal M A M; Sillevis Smitt, J Henk; Smeulders, Mark J C; Mendiratta, Vibhu; Harper, John I; van Steensel, Maurice A M; Hennekam, Raoul C M

2011-01-01

Agreement on terminology and nomenclature is fundamental and essential for effective exchange of information between clinicians and researchers. An adequate terminology to describe all patients showing vascular malformations combined with deregulated growth is at present not available. To propose a classification of patients with vascular malformations, not restricted to the face, and growth disturbances based on simple, clinically visible characteristics, on which clinicians and researchers can comment and which should eventually lead to an internationally accepted classification. Rooted in our joint experience we established a classification of vascular malformation not limited to the face, with growth disturbances. It is based on the nature and localization of the vascular malformations; the nature, localization and timing of growth disturbances; the nature of co-localization of the vascular malformations and growth disturbances; the presence or absence of other features. Subsequently a mixed (experienced and non-experienced) group of observers evaluated 146 patients (106 from the Netherlands; 40 from the UK) with vascular malformations and disturbed growth, using the classification. Inter-observer variability was assessed by estimating the Intra-Class Correlation (ICC) coefficient and its 95% confidence interval. We defined 6 subgroups within the group of entities with vascular malformation-deregulated growth. Scoring the patients using the proposed classification yielded a high inter-observer reproducibility (ICC varying between 0.747 and 0.895 for all levels of flow). The presently proposed classification was found to be reliable and easy to use for patients with vascular malformations with growth disturbances. We invite both clinicians and researchers to comment on the classification, in order to improve it further. This way we may obtain our final aim of an internationally accepted classification of patients, which should facilitate both clinical treatment and care of, as well as research into the molecular background of entities combining vascular malformation and deregulated growth. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Transcriptome-wide studies uncover the diversity of modes of mRNA recruitment to eukaryotic ribosomes.

PubMed

Shatsky, Ivan N; Dmitriev, Sergey E; Andreev, Dmitri E; Terenin, Ilya M

2014-01-01

The conventional paradigm of translation initiation in eukaryotes states that the cap-binding protein complex eIF4F (consisting of eIF4E, eIF4G and eIF4A) plays a central role in the recruitment of capped mRNAs to ribosomes. However, a growing body of evidence indicates that this paradigm should be revised. This review summarizes the data which have been mostly accumulated in a post-genomic era owing to revolutionary techniques of transcriptome-wide analysis. Unexpectedly, these techniques have uncovered remarkable diversity in the recruitment of cellular mRNAs to eukaryotic ribosomes. These data enable a preliminary classification of mRNAs into several groups based on their requirement for particular components of eIF4F. They challenge the widely accepted concept which relates eIF4E-dependence to the extent of secondary structure in the 5' untranslated regions of mRNAs. Moreover, some mRNA species presumably recruit ribosomes to their 5' ends without the involvement of either the 5' m(7)G-cap or eIF4F but instead utilize eIF4G or eIF4G-like auxiliary factors. The long-standing concept of internal ribosome entry site (IRES)-elements in cellular mRNAs is also discussed.

The development of the WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard*

PubMed Central

Copplestone, J. F.

1988-01-01

The WHO Recommended Classification of Pesticides by Hazard, which was originally intended as a tool to aid international harmonization of pesticide registration, is already 13 years old. Over the years, it has been refined, and it is now accepted by many countries and international organizations. The story of its development illustrates well an international approach to problems as they have arisen. PMID:3264763

Facial clefts and facial dysplasia: revisiting the classification.

PubMed

Mazzola, Riccardo F; Mazzola, Isabella C

2014-01-01

Most craniofacial malformations are identified by their appearance. The majority of the classification systems are mainly clinical or anatomical, not related to the different levels of development of the malformation, and underlying pathology is usually not taken into consideration. In 1976, Tessier first emphasized the relationship between soft tissues and the underlying bone stating that "a fissure of the soft tissue corresponds, as a general rule, with a cleft of the bony structure". He introduced a cleft numbering system around the orbit from 0 to 14 depending on its relationship to the zero line (ie, the vertical midline cleft of the face). The classification, easy to understand, became widely accepted because the recording of the malformations was simple and communication between observers facilitated. It represented a great breakthrough in identifying craniofacial malformations, named clefts by him. In the present paper, the embryological-based classification of craniofacial malformations, proposed in 1983 and in 1990 by us, has been revisited. Its aim was to clarify some unanswered questions regarding apparently atypical or bizarre anomalies and to establish as much as possible the moment when this event occurred. In our opinion, this classification system may well integrate the one proposed by Tessier and tries at the same time to find a correlation between clinical observation and morphogenesis.Terminology is important. The overused term cleft should be reserved to true clefts only, developed from disturbances in the union of the embryonic facial processes, between the lateronasal and maxillary process (or oro-naso-ocular cleft); between the medionasal and maxillary process (or cleft of the lip); between the maxillary processes (or cleft of the palate); and between the maxillary and mandibular process (or macrostomia).For the other types of defects, derived from alteration of bone production centers, the word dysplasia should be used instead. Facial dysplasias have been ranged in a helix form and named after the site of the developmental arrest. Thus, an internasal, nasal, nasomaxillary, maxillary and malar dysplasia, depending on the involved area, have been identified.The classification may provide a useful guide in better understanding the morphogenesis of rare craniofacial malformations.

Revealing Significant Relations between Chemical/Biological Features and Activity: Associative Classification Mining for Drug Discovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yu, Pulan

2012-01-01

Classification, clustering and association mining are major tasks of data mining and have been widely used for knowledge discovery. Associative classification mining, the combination of both association rule mining and classification, has emerged as an indispensable way to support decision making and scientific research. In particular, it offers a…

A New Tool for Climatic Analysis Using the Koppen Climate Classification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larson, Paul R.; Lohrengel, C. Frederick, II

2011-01-01

The purpose of climate classification is to help make order of the seemingly endless spatial distribution of climates. The Koppen classification system in a modified format is the most widely applied system in use today. This system may not be the best nor most complete climate classification that can be conceived, but it has gained widespread…

NOTE: Fluoroscopic gating without implanted fiducial markers for lung cancer radiotherapy based on support vector machines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Ying; Dy, Jennifer G.; Alexander, Brian; Jiang, Steve B.

2008-08-01

Various problems with the current state-of-the-art techniques for gated radiotherapy have prevented this new treatment modality from being widely implemented in clinical routine. These problems are caused mainly by applying various external respiratory surrogates. There might be large uncertainties in deriving the tumor position from external respiratory surrogates. While tracking implanted fiducial markers has sufficient accuracy, this procedure may not be widely accepted due to the risk of pneumothorax. Previously, we have developed a technique to generate gating signals from fluoroscopic images without implanted fiducial markers using template matching methods (Berbeco et al 2005 Phys. Med. Biol. 50 4481-90, Cui et al 2007b Phys. Med. Biol. 52 741-55). In this note, our main contribution is to provide a totally different new view of the gating problem by recasting it as a classification problem. Then, we solve this classification problem by a well-studied powerful classification method called a support vector machine (SVM). Note that the goal of an automated gating tool is to decide when to turn the beam ON or OFF. We treat ON and OFF as the two classes in our classification problem. We create our labeled training data during the patient setup session by utilizing the reference gating signal, manually determined by a radiation oncologist. We then pre-process these labeled training images and build our SVM prediction model. During treatment delivery, fluoroscopic images are continuously acquired, pre-processed and sent as an input to the SVM. Finally, our SVM model will output the predicted labels as gating signals. We test the proposed technique on five sequences of fluoroscopic images from five lung cancer patients against the reference gating signal as ground truth. We compare the performance of the SVM to our previous template matching method (Cui et al 2007b Phys. Med. Biol. 52 741-55). We find that the SVM is slightly more accurate on average (1-3%) than the template matching method, when delivering the target dose. And the average duty cycle is 4-6% longer. Given the very limited patient dataset, we cannot conclude that the SVM is more accurate and efficient than the template matching method. However, our preliminary results show that the SVM is a potentially precise and efficient algorithm for generating gating signals for radiotherapy. This work demonstrates that the gating problem can be considered as a classification problem and solved accordingly.

New insights into the classification and nomenclature of cortical GABAergic interneurons.

PubMed

DeFelipe, Javier; López-Cruz, Pedro L; Benavides-Piccione, Ruth; Bielza, Concha; Larrañaga, Pedro; Anderson, Stewart; Burkhalter, Andreas; Cauli, Bruno; Fairén, Alfonso; Feldmeyer, Dirk; Fishell, Gord; Fitzpatrick, David; Freund, Tamás F; González-Burgos, Guillermo; Hestrin, Shaul; Hill, Sean; Hof, Patrick R; Huang, Josh; Jones, Edward G; Kawaguchi, Yasuo; Kisvárday, Zoltán; Kubota, Yoshiyuki; Lewis, David A; Marín, Oscar; Markram, Henry; McBain, Chris J; Meyer, Hanno S; Monyer, Hannah; Nelson, Sacha B; Rockland, Kathleen; Rossier, Jean; Rubenstein, John L R; Rudy, Bernardo; Scanziani, Massimo; Shepherd, Gordon M; Sherwood, Chet C; Staiger, Jochen F; Tamás, Gábor; Thomson, Alex; Wang, Yun; Yuste, Rafael; Ascoli, Giorgio A

2013-03-01

A systematic classification and accepted nomenclature of neuron types is much needed but is currently lacking. This article describes a possible taxonomical solution for classifying GABAergic interneurons of the cerebral cortex based on a novel, web-based interactive system that allows experts to classify neurons with pre-determined criteria. Using Bayesian analysis and clustering algorithms on the resulting data, we investigated the suitability of several anatomical terms and neuron names for cortical GABAergic interneurons. Moreover, we show that supervised classification models could automatically categorize interneurons in agreement with experts' assignments. These results demonstrate a practical and objective approach to the naming, characterization and classification of neurons based on community consensus.

New insights into the classification and nomenclature of cortical GABAergic interneurons

PubMed Central

DeFelipe, Javier; López-Cruz, Pedro L.; Benavides-Piccione, Ruth; Bielza, Concha; Larrañaga, Pedro; Anderson, Stewart; Burkhalter, Andreas; Cauli, Bruno; Fairén, Alfonso; Feldmeyer, Dirk; Fishell, Gord; Fitzpatrick, David; Freund, Tamás F.; González-Burgos, Guillermo; Hestrin, Shaul; Hill, Sean; Hof, Patrick R.; Huang, Josh; Jones, Edward G.; Kawaguchi, Yasuo; Kisvárday, Zoltán; Kubota, Yoshiyuki; Lewis, David A.; Marín, Oscar; Markram, Henry; McBain, Chris J.; Meyer, Hanno S.; Monyer, Hannah; Nelson, Sacha B.; Rockland, Kathleen; Rossier, Jean; Rubenstein, John L. R.; Rudy, Bernardo; Scanziani, Massimo; Shepherd, Gordon M.; Sherwood, Chet C.; Staiger, Jochen F.; Tamás, Gábor; Thomson, Alex; Wang, Yun; Yuste, Rafael; Ascoli, Giorgio A.

2013-01-01

A systematic classification and accepted nomenclature of neuron types is much needed but is currently lacking. This article describes a possible taxonomical solution for classifying GABAergic interneurons of the cerebral cortex based on a novel, web-based interactive system that allows experts to classify neurons with pre-determined criteria. Using Bayesian analysis and clustering algorithms on the resulting data, we investigated the suitability of several anatomical terms and neuron names for cortical GABAergic interneurons. Moreover, we show that supervised classification models could automatically categorize interneurons in agreement with experts’ assignments. These results demonstrate a practical and objective approach to the naming, characterization and classification of neurons based on community consensus. PMID:23385869

Sub-pixel image classification for forest types in East Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Westbrook, Joey

Sub-pixel classification is the extraction of information about the proportion of individual materials of interest within a pixel. Landcover classification at the sub-pixel scale provides more discrimination than traditional per-pixel multispectral classifiers for pixels where the material of interest is mixed with other materials. It allows for the un-mixing of pixels to show the proportion of each material of interest. The materials of interest for this study are pine, hardwood, mixed forest and non-forest. The goal of this project was to perform a sub-pixel classification, which allows a pixel to have multiple labels, and compare the result to a traditional supervised classification, which allows a pixel to have only one label. The satellite image used was a Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) scene of the Stephen F. Austin Experimental Forest in Nacogdoches County, Texas and the four cover type classes are pine, hardwood, mixed forest and non-forest. Once classified, a multi-layer raster datasets was created that comprised four raster layers where each layer showed the percentage of that cover type within the pixel area. Percentage cover type maps were then produced and the accuracy of each was assessed using a fuzzy error matrix for the sub-pixel classifications, and the results were compared to the supervised classification in which a traditional error matrix was used. The overall accuracy of the sub-pixel classification using the aerial photo for both training and reference data had the highest (65% overall) out of the three sub-pixel classifications. This was understandable because the analyst can visually observe the cover types actually on the ground for training data and reference data, whereas using the FIA (Forest Inventory and Analysis) plot data, the analyst must assume that an entire pixel contains the exact percentage of a cover type found in a plot. An increase in accuracy was found after reclassifying each sub-pixel classification from nine classes with 10 percent interval each to five classes with 20 percent interval each. When compared to the supervised classification which has a satisfactory overall accuracy of 90%, none of the sub-pixel classification achieved the same level. However, since traditional per-pixel classifiers assign only one label to pixels throughout the landscape while sub-pixel classifications assign multiple labels to each pixel, the traditional 85% accuracy of acceptance for pixel-based classifications should not apply to sub-pixel classifications. More research is needed in order to define the level of accuracy that is deemed acceptable for sub-pixel classifications.

Use of topographic and climatological models in a geographical data base to improve Landsat MSS classification for Olympic National Park

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cibula, William G.; Nyquist, Maurice O.

1987-01-01

An unsupervised computer classification of vegetation/landcover of Olympic National Park and surrounding environs was initially carried out using four bands of Landsat MSS data. The primary objective of the project was to derive a level of landcover classifications useful for park management applications while maintaining an acceptably high level of classification accuracy. Initially, nine generalized vegetation/landcover classes were derived. Overall classification accuracy was 91.7 percent. In an attempt to refine the level of classification, a geographic information system (GIS) approach was employed. Topographic data and watershed boundaries (inferred precipitation/temperature) data were registered with the Landsat MSS data. The resultant boolean operations yielded 21 vegetation/landcover classes while maintaining the same level of classification accuracy. The final classification provided much better identification and location of the major forest types within the park at the same high level of accuracy, and these met the project objective. This classification could now become inputs into a GIS system to help provide answers to park management coupled with other ancillary data programs such as fire management.

[Systematization of diseases and lesions of the endometrium by etiological and pathogenetical mechanisms of development to choose an optimal treatment].

PubMed

Boroda, A M

2004-03-01

Current clinical gynecology considers pathological states of endometrium (PSE) as one of the most challenging issue of the day. Many questions of etiology, pathogenesis, diagnostics, and treatment of PSE are still under discussion. Nowadays there isn't a whole agreed classification of PSE. Morphological classification remains the most widely used one, but morphological changes occurring in the endometrium don't show a wide variety of disorders related to these pathological states. A new clinicopathogenetic classification of PSE was proposed, which is based on choosing the optimal treatment with functional state of the disease taken into account. This classification helps us to perceive the problem as a whole with choosing functionally based treatment for each patient.

Freeware Versus Commercial Office Productivity Software

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

adapting Google’s widely popular freeware for government agency usage. This study analyzes the proposed benefits of using freeware, specifically... computing , ESI 15. NUMBER OF PAGES 73 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF REPORT Unclassified 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF...announced the launch of Google Apps for Government, adapting Google’s widely popular freeware for government agency usage. This study analyzes the

Intrinsic Remediation Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis for Car Care Center at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, DC

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-01-01

supplemented using established literature values for similar aquifer materials . The groundwater sampling activities and analytical results from both...subsurface materials recovered. Observed soil classification types compared very favorably to the soil classifications determined by the CPT tests. 0 2.1.5...other similar substances were handled in a manner consistent with accepted safety procedures and standard operating practices. Well completion materials

Lessons learned from study of congenital hip disease in adults.

PubMed

Hartofilakidis, George; Lampropoulou-Adamidou, Kalliopi

2016-12-18

Orthopaedic surgeons specialising in adult hip reconstruction surgery often face the problem of osteoarthritis secondary to congenital hip disease (CHD). To achieve better communication among physicians, better treatment planning and evaluation of the results of various treatment options, an agreed terminology is needed to describe the entire pathology. Furthermore, a generally accepted classification of the deformities is necessary. Herein, the authors propose the use of the term "congenital hip disease" and its classification as dysplasia, low dislocation and high dislocation. Knowledge of the CHD natural history facilitates comprehension of the potential development and progression of the disease, which differs among the aforementioned types. This can lead to better understanding of the anatomical abnormalities found in the different CHD types and thus facilitate preoperative planning and choice of the most appropriate management for adult patients. The basic principles for improved results of total hip replacement in patients with CHD, especially those with low and high dislocation, are: Wide exposure, restoration of the normal centre of rotation and the use of special techniques and implants for the reconstruction of the acetabulum and femur. Application of these principles during total hip replacement in young female patients born with severe deformities of the hip joint has led to radical improvement of their quality of life.

Human factors analysis and classification system applied to civil aircraft accidents in India.

PubMed

Gaur, Deepak

2005-05-01

The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) has gained wide acceptance as a tool to classify human factors in aircraft accidents and incidents. This study on application of HFACS to civil aircraft accident reports at Directorate General Civil of Aviation (DGCA), India, was conducted to ascertain the practicability of applying HFACS to existing investigation reports and to analyze the trends of human factor causes of civil aircraft accidents. Accident investigation reports held at DGCA, New Delhi, for the period 1990--99 were scrutinized. In all, 83 accidents occurred during this period, of which 48 accident reports were evaluated in this study. One or more human factors contributed to 37 of the 48 (77.1%) accidents. The commonest unsafe act was 'skill based errors' followed by 'decision errors.' Violations of laid down rules were contributory in 16 cases (33.3%). 'Preconditions for unsafe acts' were seen in 23 of the 48 cases (47.9%). A fairly large number (52.1%) had 'organizational influences' contributing to the accident. These results are in consonance with larger studies of accidents in the U.S. Navy and general aviation. Such a high percentage of 'organizational influences' has not been reported in other studies. This is a healthy sign for Indian civil aviation, provided effective remedial action for the same is undertaken.

Anatomical variations of the ethmoidal roof: differences between men and women.

PubMed

Muñoz-Leija, Milton Alberto; Yamamoto-Ramos, Masao; Barrera-Flores, Francisco Jesús; Treviño-González, José Luis; Quiroga-Garza, Alejandro; Méndez-Sáenz, Marco Antonio; Campos-Coy, Mario Alberto; Elizondo-Rojas, Guillermo; Guzmán-López, Santos; Elizondo-Omaña, Rodrigo Enrique

2018-05-09

During the paranasal sinuses surgery different complications may occur, both vascular and bony. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the ethmoidal roof configuration through the Keros and Yenigun classifications, analyzing results stratified by gender and side. We retrospectively analyzed 120 high-resolution computed tomography paranasal sinus study images and measured the depth of the cribriform plate in a coronal view and the anterior-posterior length in a cross section. The Keros Type II was the most frequent and no statistically significant difference was found when comparing by gender. Yenigun type I was more prevalent, and a statistically significant difference was found between men and women in types I and II (p = 0.010 and p = 0.049, respectively). Statistical difference was observed in anterior-posterior means in the comparison between both classifications. In both, right and left side for men (p = 0.003 and p = 0.05) and women (p = 0.029 and p = 0.039). We demonstrate the morphological variability that exists in this region. Gender differences that must be considered by the surgeon to avoid complications. Further studies are needed to evaluate the value of these findings when predicting surgical complications. A CT before PNS surgery is already widely accepted.

Local classifier weighting by quadratic programming.

PubMed

Cevikalp, Hakan; Polikar, Robi

2008-10-01

It has been widely accepted that the classification accuracy can be improved by combining outputs of multiple classifiers. However, how to combine multiple classifiers with various (potentially conflicting) decisions is still an open problem. A rich collection of classifier combination procedures -- many of which are heuristic in nature -- have been developed for this goal. In this brief, we describe a dynamic approach to combine classifiers that have expertise in different regions of the input space. To this end, we use local classifier accuracy estimates to weight classifier outputs. Specifically, we estimate local recognition accuracies of classifiers near a query sample by utilizing its nearest neighbors, and then use these estimates to find the best weights of classifiers to label the query. The problem is formulated as a convex quadratic optimization problem, which returns optimal nonnegative classifier weights with respect to the chosen objective function, and the weights ensure that locally most accurate classifiers are weighted more heavily for labeling the query sample. Experimental results on several data sets indicate that the proposed weighting scheme outperforms other popular classifier combination schemes, particularly on problems with complex decision boundaries. Hence, the results indicate that local classification-accuracy-based combination techniques are well suited for decision making when the classifiers are trained by focusing on different regions of the input space.

I-CAN: the classification and prediction of support needs.

PubMed

Arnold, Samuel R C; Riches, Vivienne C; Stancliffe, Roger J

2014-03-01

Since 1992, the diagnosis and classification of intellectual disability has been dependent upon three constructs: intelligence, adaptive behaviour and support needs (Luckasson et al. 1992. Mental Retardation: Definition, Classification and Systems of Support. American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Washington, DC). While the methods and instruments to measure intelligence and adaptive behaviour are well established and generally accepted, the measurement and classification of support needs is still in its infancy. This article explores the measurement and classification of support needs. A study is presented comparing scores on the ICF (WHO, 2001) based I-CAN v4.2 support needs assessment and planning tool with expert clinical judgment using a proposed classification of support needs. A logical classification algorithm was developed and validated on a separate sample. Good internal consistency (range 0.73-0.91, N = 186) and criterion validity (κ = 0.94, n = 49) were found. Further advances in our understanding and measurement of support needs could change the way we assess, describe and classify disability. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Archaea in Organic-Lean and Organic-Rich Marine Subsurface Sediments: An Environmental Gradient Reflected in Distinct Phylogenetic Lineages

PubMed Central

Durbin, Alan M.; Teske, Andreas

2012-01-01

Examining the patterns of archaeal diversity in little-explored organic-lean marine subsurface sediments presents an opportunity to study the association of phylogenetic affiliation and habitat preference in uncultured marine Archaea. Here we have compiled and re-analyzed published archaeal 16S rRNA clone library datasets across a spectrum of sediment trophic states characterized by a wide range of terminal electron-accepting processes. Our results show that organic-lean marine sediments in deep marine basins and oligotrophic open ocean locations are inhabited by distinct lineages of archaea that are not found in the more frequently studied, organic-rich continental margin sediments. We hypothesize that different combinations of electron donor and acceptor concentrations along the organic-rich/organic-lean spectrum result in distinct archaeal communities, and propose an integrated classification of habitat characteristics and archaeal community structure. PMID:22666218

Molecular mechanisms of cell death: recommendations of the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death 2018.

PubMed

Galluzzi, Lorenzo; Vitale, Ilio; Aaronson, Stuart A; Abrams, John M; Adam, Dieter; Agostinis, Patrizia; Alnemri, Emad S; Altucci, Lucia; Amelio, Ivano; Andrews, David W; Annicchiarico-Petruzzelli, Margherita; Antonov, Alexey V; Arama, Eli; Baehrecke, Eric H; Barlev, Nickolai A; Bazan, Nicolas G; Bernassola, Francesca; Bertrand, Mathieu J M; Bianchi, Katiuscia; Blagosklonny, Mikhail V; Blomgren, Klas; Borner, Christoph; Boya, Patricia; Brenner, Catherine; Campanella, Michelangelo; Candi, Eleonora; Carmona-Gutierrez, Didac; Cecconi, Francesco; Chan, Francis K-M; Chandel, Navdeep S; Cheng, Emily H; Chipuk, Jerry E; Cidlowski, John A; Ciechanover, Aaron; Cohen, Gerald M; Conrad, Marcus; Cubillos-Ruiz, Juan R; Czabotar, Peter E; D'Angiolella, Vincenzo; Dawson, Ted M; Dawson, Valina L; De Laurenzi, Vincenzo; De Maria, Ruggero; Debatin, Klaus-Michael; DeBerardinis, Ralph J; Deshmukh, Mohanish; Di Daniele, Nicola; Di Virgilio, Francesco; Dixit, Vishva M; Dixon, Scott J; Duckett, Colin S; Dynlacht, Brian D; El-Deiry, Wafik S; Elrod, John W; Fimia, Gian Maria; Fulda, Simone; García-Sáez, Ana J; Garg, Abhishek D; Garrido, Carmen; Gavathiotis, Evripidis; Golstein, Pierre; Gottlieb, Eyal; Green, Douglas R; Greene, Lloyd A; Gronemeyer, Hinrich; Gross, Atan; Hajnoczky, Gyorgy; Hardwick, J Marie; Harris, Isaac S; Hengartner, Michael O; Hetz, Claudio; Ichijo, Hidenori; Jäättelä, Marja; Joseph, Bertrand; Jost, Philipp J; Juin, Philippe P; Kaiser, William J; Karin, Michael; Kaufmann, Thomas; Kepp, Oliver; Kimchi, Adi; Kitsis, Richard N; Klionsky, Daniel J; Knight, Richard A; Kumar, Sharad; Lee, Sam W; Lemasters, John J; Levine, Beth; Linkermann, Andreas; Lipton, Stuart A; Lockshin, Richard A; López-Otín, Carlos; Lowe, Scott W; Luedde, Tom; Lugli, Enrico; MacFarlane, Marion; Madeo, Frank; Malewicz, Michal; Malorni, Walter; Manic, Gwenola; Marine, Jean-Christophe; Martin, Seamus J; Martinou, Jean-Claude; Medema, Jan Paul; Mehlen, Patrick; Meier, Pascal; Melino, Sonia; Miao, Edward A; Molkentin, Jeffery D; Moll, Ute M; Muñoz-Pinedo, Cristina; Nagata, Shigekazu; Nuñez, Gabriel; Oberst, Andrew; Oren, Moshe; Overholtzer, Michael; Pagano, Michele; Panaretakis, Theocharis; Pasparakis, Manolis; Penninger, Josef M; Pereira, David M; Pervaiz, Shazib; Peter, Marcus E; Piacentini, Mauro; Pinton, Paolo; Prehn, Jochen H M; Puthalakath, Hamsa; Rabinovich, Gabriel A; Rehm, Markus; Rizzuto, Rosario; Rodrigues, Cecilia M P; Rubinsztein, David C; Rudel, Thomas; Ryan, Kevin M; Sayan, Emre; Scorrano, Luca; Shao, Feng; Shi, Yufang; Silke, John; Simon, Hans-Uwe; Sistigu, Antonella; Stockwell, Brent R; Strasser, Andreas; Szabadkai, Gyorgy; Tait, Stephen W G; Tang, Daolin; Tavernarakis, Nektarios; Thorburn, Andrew; Tsujimoto, Yoshihide; Turk, Boris; Vanden Berghe, Tom; Vandenabeele, Peter; Vander Heiden, Matthew G; Villunger, Andreas; Virgin, Herbert W; Vousden, Karen H; Vucic, Domagoj; Wagner, Erwin F; Walczak, Henning; Wallach, David; Wang, Ying; Wells, James A; Wood, Will; Yuan, Junying; Zakeri, Zahra; Zhivotovsky, Boris; Zitvogel, Laurence; Melino, Gerry; Kroemer, Guido

2018-03-01

Over the past decade, the Nomenclature Committee on Cell Death (NCCD) has formulated guidelines for the definition and interpretation of cell death from morphological, biochemical, and functional perspectives. Since the field continues to expand and novel mechanisms that orchestrate multiple cell death pathways are unveiled, we propose an updated classification of cell death subroutines focusing on mechanistic and essential (as opposed to correlative and dispensable) aspects of the process. As we provide molecularly oriented definitions of terms including intrinsic apoptosis, extrinsic apoptosis, mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT)-driven necrosis, necroptosis, ferroptosis, pyroptosis, parthanatos, entotic cell death, NETotic cell death, lysosome-dependent cell death, autophagy-dependent cell death, immunogenic cell death, cellular senescence, and mitotic catastrophe, we discuss the utility of neologisms that refer to highly specialized instances of these processes. The mission of the NCCD is to provide a widely accepted nomenclature on cell death in support of the continued development of the field.

Vascular Anomalies.

PubMed

Taghinia, Amir H; Upton, Joseph

2018-06-12

Vascular anomalies encompass a wide variety of clinical conditions involving the vasculature. Over the past several decades, the terminology has changed as our understanding of these conditions has improved. A well-accepted classification scheme has evolved with constant additions, updates, and revisions. Imaging techniques have also advanced with greater resolution and a better understanding of the correlation between imaging, clinical behavior, and natural history. Meanwhile, the treatment of these conditions has also changed, with greater focus on minimally invasive techniques as opposed to radical surgery. Despite these changes, surgical intervention remains a high-value option for select patients. With greater understanding of the molecular basis of these diseases, medical treatment has improved especially in severe cases where options remain limited. A multidisciplinary approach to comprehensive patient care usually yields the best outcome and is strongly encouraged. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Maximizing Sampling Efficiency and Minimizing Uncertainty in Presence/Absence Classification of Rare Salamander Populations

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-31

of the Apalachicola River drainage. Although this proposed division in classification appears to be generally accepted by the herpetological community...breeding in small forest ponds. Herpetological Review 33(4):275-280. Carle, F. L. and M. R. Strub. 1978. A new method for estimating population size...gopher frogs (Rana capito) and southern leopard frogs (Rana sphenocephala). Journal of Herpetology 42: 97-103. Grevstad, F.S. 2005. Simulating

Views on the Oberg-Manske-Tonkin Classification System for Congenital Anomalies of the Hand and Upper Limb.

PubMed

Lowry, R Brian; Bedard, Tanya; Kiefer, Gerhard N; Sass, Kimberly R

2017-05-01

A new classification system was proposed by Tonkin et al as a replacement for the Swanson/International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand system. We have reviewed their aims and have pointed out a number of problems that will make it difficult to be universally accepted. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Local tolerance testing under REACH: Accepted non-animal methods are not on equal footing with animal tests.

PubMed

Sauer, Ursula G; Hill, Erin H; Curren, Rodger D; Raabe, Hans A; Kolle, Susanne N; Teubner, Wera; Mehling, Annette; Landsiedel, Robert

2016-07-01

In general, no single non-animal method can cover the complexity of any given animal test. Therefore, fixed sets of in vitro (and in chemico) methods have been combined into testing strategies for skin and eye irritation and skin sensitisation testing, with pre-defined prediction models for substance classification. Many of these methods have been adopted as OECD test guidelines. Various testing strategies have been successfully validated in extensive in-house and inter-laboratory studies, but they have not yet received formal acceptance for substance classification. Therefore, under the European REACH Regulation, data from testing strategies can, in general, only be used in so-called weight-of-evidence approaches. While animal testing data generated under the specific REACH information requirements are per se sufficient, the sufficiency of weight-of-evidence approaches can be questioned under the REACH system, and further animal testing can be required. This constitutes an imbalance between the regulatory acceptance of data from approved non-animal methods and animal tests that is not justified on scientific grounds. To ensure that testing strategies for local tolerance testing truly serve to replace animal testing for the REACH registration 2018 deadline (when the majority of existing chemicals have to be registered), clarity on their regulatory acceptance as complete replacements is urgently required. 2016 FRAME.

78 FR 68714 - Medical Devices; Ophthalmic Devices; Classification of the Scleral Plug

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-11-15

... the device materials must be performed; (iv) Performance data must demonstrate acceptable mechanical properties under simulated clinical use conditions including insertion and removal of the device; (v...

48 CFR 49.001 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... TERMINATION OF CONTRACTS 49.001 Definitions. As used in this part— Other work means any current or scheduled... classification. The final phase of the plant clearance period means that period after receipt of acceptable...

48 CFR 49.001 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... TERMINATION OF CONTRACTS 49.001 Definitions. As used in this part— Other work means any current or scheduled... classification. The final phase of the plant clearance period means that period after receipt of acceptable...

Many Specialists for Suppressing Cortical Excitation

PubMed Central

Burkhalter, Andreas

2008-01-01

Cortical computations are critically dependent on GABA-releasing neurons for dynamically balancing excitation with inhibition that is proportional to the overall level of activity. Although it is widely accepted that there are multiple types of interneurons, defining their identities based on qualitative descriptions of morphological, molecular and physiological features has failed to produce a universally accepted ‘parts list’, which is needed to understand the roles that interneurons play in cortical processing. A list of features has been published by the Petilla Interneurons Nomenclature Group, which represents an important step toward an unbiased classification of interneurons. To this end some essential features have recently been studied quantitatively and their association was examined using multidimensional cluster analyses. These studies revealed at least 3 distinct electrophysiological, 6 morphological and 15 molecular phenotypes. This is a conservative estimate of the number of interneuron types, which almost certainly will be revised as more quantitative studies will be performed and similarities will be defined objectively. It is clear that interneurons are organized with physiological attributes representing the most general, molecular characteristics the most detailed and morphological features occupying the middle ground. By themselves, none of these features are sufficient to define classes of interneurons. The challenge will be to determine which features belong together and how cell type-specific feature combinations are genetically specified. PMID:19225588

29 CFR 5.17 - Withdrawal of approval of a training program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... CONTRACTS SUBJECT TO THE CONTRACT WORK HOURS AND SAFETY STANDARDS ACT) Davis-Bacon and Related Acts... for the classification of work actually performed until an acceptable program is approved. ...

29 CFR 5.17 - Withdrawal of approval of a training program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... NONCONSTRUCTION CONTRACTS SUBJECT TO THE CONTRACT WORK HOURS AND SAFETY STANDARDS ACT) Davis-Bacon and Related... for the classification of work actually performed until an acceptable program is approved. ...

Familial or Sporadic Idiopathic Scoliosis – classification based on artificial neural network and GAPDH and ACTB transcription profile

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Importance of hereditary factors in the etiology of Idiopathic Scoliosis is widely accepted. In clinical practice some of the IS patients present with positive familial history of the deformity and some do not. Traditionally about 90% of patients have been considered as sporadic cases without familial recurrence. However the exact proportion of Familial and Sporadic Idiopathic Scoliosis is still unknown. Housekeeping genes encode proteins that are usually essential for the maintenance of basic cellular functions. ACTB and GAPDH are two housekeeping genes encoding respectively a cytoskeletal protein β-actin, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, an enzyme of glycolysis. Although their expression levels can fluctuate between different tissues and persons, human housekeeping genes seem to exhibit a preserved tissue-wide expression ranking order. It was hypothesized that expression ranking order of two representative housekeeping genes ACTB and GAPDH might be disturbed in the tissues of patients with Familial Idiopathic Scoliosis (with positive family history of idiopathic scoliosis) opposed to the patients with no family members affected (Sporadic Idiopathic Scoliosis). An artificial neural network (ANN) was developed that could serve to differentiate between familial and sporadic cases of idiopathic scoliosis based on the expression levels of ACTB and GAPDH in different tissues of scoliotic patients. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the expression levels of ACTB and GAPDH in different tissues of idiopathic scoliosis patients could be used as a source of data for specially developed artificial neural network in order to predict the positive family history of index patient. Results The comparison of developed models showed, that the most satisfactory classification accuracy was achieved for ANN model with 18 nodes in the first hidden layer and 16 nodes in the second hidden layer. The classification accuracy for positive Idiopathic Scoliosis anamnesis only with the expression measurements of ACTB and GAPDH with the use of ANN based on 6-18-16-1 architecture was 8 of 9 (88%). Only in one case the prediction was ambiguous. Conclusions Specially designed artificial neural network model proved possible association between expression level of ACTB, GAPDH and positive familial history of Idiopathic Scoliosis. PMID:23289769

Gesteme-free context-aware adaptation of robot behavior in human-robot cooperation.

PubMed

Nessi, Federico; Beretta, Elisa; Gatti, Cecilia; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; De Momi, Elena

2016-11-01

Cooperative robotics is receiving greater acceptance because the typical advantages provided by manipulators are combined with an intuitive usage. In particular, hands-on robotics may benefit from the adaptation of the assistant behavior with respect to the activity currently performed by the user. A fast and reliable classification of human activities is required, as well as strategies to smoothly modify the control of the manipulator. In this scenario, gesteme-based motion classification is inadequate because it needs the observation of a wide signal percentage and the definition of a rich vocabulary. In this work, a system able to recognize the user's current activity without a vocabulary of gestemes, and to accordingly adapt the manipulator's dynamic behavior is presented. An underlying stochastic model fits variations in the user's guidance forces and the resulting trajectories of the manipulator's end-effector with a set of Gaussian distribution. The high-level switching between these distributions is captured with hidden Markov models. The dynamic of the KUKA light-weight robot, a torque-controlled manipulator, is modified with respect to the classified activity using sigmoidal-shaped functions. The presented system is validated over a pool of 12 näive users in a scenario that addresses surgical targeting tasks on soft tissue. The robot's assistance is adapted in order to obtain a stiff behavior during activities that require critical accuracy constraint, and higher compliance during wide movements. Both the ability to provide the correct classification at each moment (sample accuracy) and the capability of correctly identify the correct sequence of activity (sequence accuracy) were evaluated. The proposed classifier is fast and accurate in all the experiments conducted (80% sample accuracy after the observation of ∼450ms of signal). Moreover, the ability of recognize the correct sequence of activities, without unwanted transitions is guaranteed (sequence accuracy ∼90% when computed far away from user desired transitions). Finally, the proposed activity-based adaptation of the robot's dynamic does not lead to a not smooth behavior (high smoothness, i.e. normalized jerk score <0.01). The provided system is able to dynamic assist the operator during cooperation in the presented scenario. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ensemble of classifiers for ontology enrichment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Semenova, A. V.; Kureichik, V. M.

2018-05-01

A classifier is a basis of ontology learning systems. Classification of text documents is used in many applications, such as information retrieval, information extraction, definition of spam. A new ensemble of classifiers based on SVM (a method of support vectors), LSTM (neural network) and word embedding are suggested. An experiment was conducted on open data, which allows us to conclude that the proposed classification method is promising. The implementation of the proposed classifier is performed in the Matlab using the functions of the Text Analytics Toolbox. The principal difference between the proposed ensembles of classifiers is the high quality of classification of data at acceptable time costs.

Default taxonomy: Ernst Mayr's view of the microbial world

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woese, C. R.

1998-01-01

This perspective is a response to a taxonomic proposal by E. Mayr ["Two empires or three?" (1998) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 95, 9720-9723]. Mayr has suggested that the now accepted classification of life into three primary domains, Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya-originally proposed by myself and others--be abandoned in favor of the earlier Prokaryote-Eukaryote classification. Although the matter appears a taxonomic quibble, it is not that simple. At issue here are differing views as to the nature of biological classification, which are underlain by differing views as to what biology is and will be--matters of concern to all biologists.

Does ASA classification impact success rates of endovascular aneurysm repairs?

PubMed

Conners, Michael S; Tonnessen, Britt H; Sternbergh, W Charles; Carter, Glen; Yoselevitz, Moises; Money, Samuel R

2002-09-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the technical success, clinical success, postoperative complication rate, need for a secondary procedure, and mortality rate with endovascular aneurysm repair (EAR), based on the physical status classification scheme advocated by the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). At a single institution 167 patients underwent attempted EAR. Query of a prospectively maintained database supplemented with a retrospective review of medical records was used to gather statistics pertaining to patient demographics and outcome. In patients selected for EAR on the basis of acceptable anatomy, technical and clinical success rates were not significantly different among the different ASA classifications. Importantly, postoperative complication and 30-day mortality rates do not appear to significantly differ among the different ASA classifications in this patient population.

Nomenclature for congenital and paediatric cardiac disease: the International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code (IPCCC) and the Eleventh Iteration of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11).

PubMed

Franklin, Rodney C G; Béland, Marie J; Colan, Steven D; Walters, Henry L; Aiello, Vera D; Anderson, Robert H; Bailliard, Frédérique; Boris, Jeffrey R; Cohen, Meryl S; Gaynor, J William; Guleserian, Kristine J; Houyel, Lucile; Jacobs, Marshall L; Juraszek, Amy L; Krogmann, Otto N; Kurosawa, Hiromi; Lopez, Leo; Maruszewski, Bohdan J; St Louis, James D; Seslar, Stephen P; Srivastava, Shubhika; Stellin, Giovanni; Tchervenkov, Christo I; Weinberg, Paul M; Jacobs, Jeffrey P

2017-12-01

An internationally approved and globally used classification scheme for the diagnosis of CHD has long been sought. The International Paediatric and Congenital Cardiac Code (IPCCC), which was produced and has been maintained by the International Society for Nomenclature of Paediatric and Congenital Heart Disease (the International Nomenclature Society), is used widely, but has spawned many "short list" versions that differ in content depending on the user. Thus, efforts to have a uniform identification of patients with CHD using a single up-to-date and coordinated nomenclature system continue to be thwarted, even if a common nomenclature has been used as a basis for composing various "short lists". In an attempt to solve this problem, the International Nomenclature Society has linked its efforts with those of the World Health Organization to obtain a globally accepted nomenclature tree for CHD within the 11th iteration of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). The International Nomenclature Society has submitted a hierarchical nomenclature tree for CHD to the World Health Organization that is expected to serve increasingly as the "short list" for all communities interested in coding for congenital cardiology. This article reviews the history of the International Classification of Diseases and of the IPCCC, and outlines the process used in developing the ICD-11 congenital cardiac disease diagnostic list and the definitions for each term on the list. An overview of the content of the congenital heart anomaly section of the Foundation Component of ICD-11, published herein in its entirety, is also included. Future plans for the International Nomenclature Society include linking again with the World Health Organization to tackle procedural nomenclature as it relates to cardiac malformations. By doing so, the Society will continue its role in standardising nomenclature for CHD across the globe, thereby promoting research and better outcomes for fetuses, children, and adults with congenital heart anomalies.

PREDICT-CP: study protocol of implementation of comprehensive surveillance to predict outcomes for school-aged children with cerebral palsy

PubMed Central

Boyd, Roslyn N; Davies, Peter SW; Ziviani, Jenny; Trost, Stewart; Barber, Lee; Ware, Robert; Rose, Stephen; Whittingham, Koa; Bell, Kristie; Carty, Christopher; Obst, Steven; Benfer, Katherine; Reedman, Sarah; Edwards, Priya; Kentish, Megan; Copeland, Lisa; Weir, Kelly; Davenport, Camilla; Brooks, Denise; Coulthard, Alan; Pelekanos, Rebecca; Guzzetta, Andrea; Fiori, Simona; Wynter, Meredith; Finn, Christine; Burgess, Andrea; Morris, Kym; Walsh, John; Lloyd, Owen; Whitty, Jennifer A; Scuffham, Paul A

2017-01-01

Objectives Cerebral palsy (CP) remains the world’s most common childhood physical disability with total annual costs of care and lost well-being of $A3.87b. The PREDICT-CP (NHMRC 1077257 Partnership Project: Comprehensive surveillance to PREDICT outcomes for school age children with CP) study will investigate the influence of brain structure, body composition, dietary intake, oropharyngeal function, habitual physical activity, musculoskeletal development (hip status, bone health) and muscle performance on motor attainment, cognition, executive function, communication, participation, quality of life and related health resource use costs. The PREDICT-CP cohort provides further follow-up at 8–12 years of two overlapping preschool-age cohorts examined from 1.5 to 5 years (NHMRC 465128 motor and brain development; NHMRC 569605 growth, nutrition and physical activity). Methods and analyses This population-based cohort study undertakes state-wide surveillance of 245 children with CP born in Queensland (birth years 2006–2009). Children will be classified for Gross Motor Function Classification System; Manual Ability Classification System, Communication Function Classification System and Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System. Outcomes include gross motor function, musculoskeletal development (hip displacement, spasticity, muscle contracture), upper limb function, communication difficulties, oropharyngeal dysphagia, dietary intake and body composition, participation, parent-reported and child-reported quality of life and medical and allied health resource use. These detailed phenotypical data will be compared with brain macrostructure and microstructure using 3 Tesla MRI (3T MRI). Relationships between brain lesion severity and outcomes will be analysed using multilevel mixed-effects models. Ethics and dissemination The PREDICT-CP protocol is a prospectively registered and ethically accepted study protocol. The study combines data at 1.5–5 then 8–12 years of direct clinical assessment to enable prediction of outcomes and healthcare needs essential for tailoring interventions (eg, rehabilitation, orthopaedic surgery and nutritional supplements) and the projected healthcare utilisation. Trial registration number ACTRN: 12616001488493 PMID:28706091

Yarn-dyed fabric defect classification based on convolutional neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jing, Junfeng; Dong, Amei; Li, Pengfei; Zhang, Kaibing

2017-09-01

Considering that manual inspection of the yarn-dyed fabric can be time consuming and inefficient, we propose a yarn-dyed fabric defect classification method by using a convolutional neural network (CNN) based on a modified AlexNet. CNN shows powerful ability in performing feature extraction and fusion by simulating the learning mechanism of human brain. The local response normalization layers in AlexNet are replaced by the batch normalization layers, which can enhance both the computational efficiency and classification accuracy. In the training process of the network, the characteristics of the defect are extracted step by step and the essential features of the image can be obtained from the fusion of the edge details with several convolution operations. Then the max-pooling layers, the dropout layers, and the fully connected layers are employed in the classification model to reduce the computation cost and extract more precise features of the defective fabric. Finally, the results of the defect classification are predicted by the softmax function. The experimental results show promising performance with an acceptable average classification rate and strong robustness on yarn-dyed fabric defect classification.

Mortality Measures to Profile Hospital Performance for Patients With Septic Shock.

PubMed

Walkey, Allan J; Shieh, Meng-Shiou; Liu, Vincent X; Lindenauer, Peter K

2018-04-30

Sepsis care is becoming a more common target for hospital performance measurement, but few studies have evaluated the acceptability of sepsis or septic shock mortality as a potential performance measure. In the absence of a gold standard to identify septic shock in claims data, we assessed agreement and stability of hospital mortality performance under different case definitions. Retrospective cohort study. U.S. acute care hospitals. Hospitalized with septic shock at admission, identified by either implicit diagnosis criteria (charges for antibiotics, cultures, and vasopressors) or by explicit International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, codes. None. We used hierarchical logistic regression models to determine hospital risk-standardized mortality rates and hospital performance outliers. We assessed agreement in hospital mortality rankings when septic shock cases were identified by either explicit International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, codes or implicit diagnosis criteria. Kappa statistics and intraclass correlation coefficients were used to assess agreement in hospital risk-standardized mortality and hospital outlier status, respectively. Fifty-six thousand six-hundred seventy-three patients in 308 hospitals fulfilled at least one case definition for septic shock, whereas 19,136 (33.8%) met both the explicit International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, and implicit septic shock definition. Hospitals varied widely in risk-standardized septic shock mortality (interquartile range of implicit diagnosis mortality: 25.4-33.5%; International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, diagnosis: 30.2-38.0%). The median absolute difference in hospital ranking between septic shock cohorts defined by International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision, versus implicit criteria was 37 places (interquartile range, 16-70), with an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.72, p value of less than 0.001; agreement between case definitions for identification of outlier hospitals was moderate (kappa, 0.44 [95% CI, 0.30-0.58]). Risk-standardized septic shock mortality rates varied considerably between hospitals, suggesting that septic shock is an important performance target. However, efforts to profile hospital performance were sensitive to septic shock case definitions, suggesting that septic shock mortality is not currently ready for widespread use as a hospital quality measure.

Clinical, aetiological, anatomical and pathological classification (CEAP): gold standard and limits.

PubMed

Rabe, E; Pannier, F

2012-03-01

The first CEAP (clinical, aetiological, anatomical and pathological elements) consensus document was published after a consensus conference of the American Venous Forum, held at the sixth annual meeting of the AVF in February 1994 in Maui, Hawaii. In the following years the CEAP classification was published in many international journals and books which has led to widespread international use of the CEAP classification since 1995. The aim of this paper is to review the benefits and limits of CEAP from the available literature. In an actual Medline analysis with the keywords 'CEAP' and 'venous insufficiency', 266 publications using the CEAP classification in venous diseases are available. The CEAP classification was accepted in the venous community and used in scientific publications, but in most of the cases only the clinical classification was used. Limitations of the first version including a lack of clear definition of clinical signs led to a revised version. The CEAP classification is the gold standard of classification of chronic venous disorders today. Nevertheless for proper use some facts have to be taken into account: the CEAP classification is not a severity classification, C2 summarizes all kinds of varicose veins, in C3 it may be difficult to separate venous and other reasons for oedema, and corona phlebectatica is not included in the classification. Further revisions of the CEAP classification may help to overcome the still-existing deficits.

12 CFR 616.6300 - Leasing policies, procedures, and underwriting standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... at the inception of the lease; (b) Process for estimating the leased asset's market value during the...) Classification of leases in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles; and (k) Tax treatment of...

A Comparison of Computer-Based Classification Testing Approaches Using Mixed-Format Tests with the Generalized Partial Credit Model

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Jiseon

2010-01-01

Classification testing has been widely used to make categorical decisions by determining whether an examinee has a certain degree of ability required by established standards. As computer technologies have developed, classification testing has become more computerized. Several approaches have been proposed and investigated in the context of…

Comparing supervised and unsupervised multiresolution segmentation approaches for extracting buildings from very high resolution imagery.

PubMed

Belgiu, Mariana; Dr Guţ, Lucian

2014-10-01

Although multiresolution segmentation (MRS) is a powerful technique for dealing with very high resolution imagery, some of the image objects that it generates do not match the geometries of the target objects, which reduces the classification accuracy. MRS can, however, be guided to produce results that approach the desired object geometry using either supervised or unsupervised approaches. Although some studies have suggested that a supervised approach is preferable, there has been no comparative evaluation of these two approaches. Therefore, in this study, we have compared supervised and unsupervised approaches to MRS. One supervised and two unsupervised segmentation methods were tested on three areas using QuickBird and WorldView-2 satellite imagery. The results were assessed using both segmentation evaluation methods and an accuracy assessment of the resulting building classifications. Thus, differences in the geometries of the image objects and in the potential to achieve satisfactory thematic accuracies were evaluated. The two approaches yielded remarkably similar classification results, with overall accuracies ranging from 82% to 86%. The performance of one of the unsupervised methods was unexpectedly similar to that of the supervised method; they identified almost identical scale parameters as being optimal for segmenting buildings, resulting in very similar geometries for the resulting image objects. The second unsupervised method produced very different image objects from the supervised method, but their classification accuracies were still very similar. The latter result was unexpected because, contrary to previously published findings, it suggests a high degree of independence between the segmentation results and classification accuracy. The results of this study have two important implications. The first is that object-based image analysis can be automated without sacrificing classification accuracy, and the second is that the previously accepted idea that classification is dependent on segmentation is challenged by our unexpected results, casting doubt on the value of pursuing 'optimal segmentation'. Our results rather suggest that as long as under-segmentation remains at acceptable levels, imperfections in segmentation can be ruled out, so that a high level of classification accuracy can still be achieved.

An evolution of image source camera attribution approaches.

PubMed

Jahanirad, Mehdi; Wahab, Ainuddin Wahid Abdul; Anuar, Nor Badrul

2016-05-01

Camera attribution plays an important role in digital image forensics by providing the evidence and distinguishing characteristics of the origin of the digital image. It allows the forensic analyser to find the possible source camera which captured the image under investigation. However, in real-world applications, these approaches have faced many challenges due to the large set of multimedia data publicly available through photo sharing and social network sites, captured with uncontrolled conditions and undergone variety of hardware and software post-processing operations. Moreover, the legal system only accepts the forensic analysis of the digital image evidence if the applied camera attribution techniques are unbiased, reliable, nondestructive and widely accepted by the experts in the field. The aim of this paper is to investigate the evolutionary trend of image source camera attribution approaches from fundamental to practice, in particular, with the application of image processing and data mining techniques. Extracting implicit knowledge from images using intrinsic image artifacts for source camera attribution requires a structured image mining process. In this paper, we attempt to provide an introductory tutorial on the image processing pipeline, to determine the general classification of the features corresponding to different components for source camera attribution. The article also reviews techniques of the source camera attribution more comprehensively in the domain of the image forensics in conjunction with the presentation of classifying ongoing developments within the specified area. The classification of the existing source camera attribution approaches is presented based on the specific parameters, such as colour image processing pipeline, hardware- and software-related artifacts and the methods to extract such artifacts. The more recent source camera attribution approaches, which have not yet gained sufficient attention among image forensics researchers, are also critically analysed and further categorised into four different classes, namely, optical aberrations based, sensor camera fingerprints based, processing statistics based and processing regularities based, to present a classification. Furthermore, this paper aims to investigate the challenging problems, and the proposed strategies of such schemes based on the suggested taxonomy to plot an evolution of the source camera attribution approaches with respect to the subjective optimisation criteria over the last decade. The optimisation criteria were determined based on the strategies proposed to increase the detection accuracy, robustness and computational efficiency of source camera brand, model or device attribution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mare Orientale: Widely Accepted Large Impact or a Regular Tectonic Depression?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kochemasov, G. G.

2018-04-01

Mare Orientale is one of the critical features on Moon surface explaining its tectonics. The impact origin of it is widely accepted, but an attentive examination shows that this large Mare is a part of endogenous tectonic structure, not a random impact.

Selected Aspects of Soil Science History in the USA - Prehistory to the 1970s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brevik, Eric C.; Fenton, Thomas E.; Homburg, Jeffrey A.

2017-04-01

Interest in understanding America's soils originated in prehistory with Native Americans. Following European settlement, notable individuals such as Thomas Jefferson and Lewis and Clark made observations of soil resources. Moving into the 1800s, state geological surveys became involved in soil work and E.W. Hilgard started to formulate ideas similar to those that would eventually lead to V.V. Dokuchaev being recognized as the father of modern soil science. However, Hilgard's advanced ideas on soil genesis were not accepted by the wider American soil science community at the time. Moving into the 1900s, the National Cooperative Soil Survey, the first nationally organized detailed soil survey in the world, was founded under the direction of M. Whitney. Initial soil classification ideas were heavily based in geology, but over time Russian ideas of soil genesis and classification moved into the American soil science community, mainly due to the influence of C.F. Marbut. Early American efforts in scientific study of soil erosion and soil fertility were also initiated in the 1910s and university programs to educate soil scientists started. Soil erosion studies took on high priority in the 1930s as the USA was impacted by the Dust Bowl. Soil Taxonomy, one of the most widely utilized soil classification systems in the world, was developed from the 1950s through the 1970s under the guidance of G.D. Smith and with administrative support from C.E. Kellogg. American soil scientists, such as H. Jenny, R.W. Simonson, D.L. Johnson, and D. Watson-Stegner, developed influential models of soil genesis during the 20th Century, and the use of soil information expanded beyond agriculture to include issues such as land-use planning, soil geomorphology, and interactions between soils and human health.

Inferring anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) class of drugs using shortest path and random walk with restart algorithms.

PubMed

Chen, Lei; Liu, Tao; Zhao, Xian

2018-06-01

The anatomical therapeutic chemical (ATC) classification system is a widely accepted drug classification scheme. This system comprises five levels and includes several classes in each level. Drugs are classified into classes according to their therapeutic effects and characteristics. The first level includes 14 main classes. In this study, we proposed two network-based models to infer novel potential chemicals deemed to belong in the first level of ATC classification. To build these models, two large chemical networks were constructed using the chemical-chemical interaction information retrieved from the Search Tool for Interactions of Chemicals (STITCH). Two classic network algorithms, shortest path (SP) and random walk with restart (RWR) algorithms, were executed on the corresponding network to mine novel chemicals for each ATC class using the validated drugs in a class as seed nodes. Then, the obtained chemicals yielded by these two algorithms were further evaluated by a permutation test and an association test. The former can exclude chemicals produced by the structure of the network, i.e., false positive discoveries. By contrast, the latter identifies the most important chemicals that have strong associations with the ATC class. Comparisons indicated that the two models can provide quite dissimilar results, suggesting that the results yielded by one model can be essential supplements for those obtained by the other model. In addition, several representative inferred chemicals were analyzed to confirm the reliability of the results generated by the two models. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Accelerating Precision Medicine through Genetic and Genomic Big Data Analysis edited by Yudong Cai & Tao Huang. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I: historical perspective and critical issues.

PubMed

Iolascon, Giovanni; de Sire, Alessandro; Moretti, Antimo; Gimigliano, Francesca

2015-01-01

The history of algodystrophy is controversial and its denomination has changed significantly over time. Silas Weir Mitchell described several cases of causalgia due to gunshot wounds that occurred during the American Civil War, increasing knowledge about this clinical condition. A later key milestone in the history of CRPS is tied to the name of Paul Sudeck that, using X-ray examinations, described findings of bone atrophy following a traumatic event or infection of the upper limb. The most widely accepted pathogenic hypothesis, proposed by Rene Leriche, supported a key role of the sympathetic nervous system in the onset of the typical clinical picture of the disease, which was thus defined as "reflex sympathetic dystrophy". In the 50s John J. Bonica proposed a staging of CRPS. In a consensus conference held in Budapest in 2003, it was proposed a new classification system that included the presence of at least two clinical signs included in the four categories and at least three symptoms in its four categories. There have been other classification systems proposed for the diagnosis of CRPS, such as Veldman diagnostic criteria based on the presence of at least 4 signs and symptoms of the disease associated with a worsening of the same following the use of the limb and their location in the same area distal to the one that suffered the injury. On the other hand, the Atkins diagnostic criteria are much more objective than those proposed by IASP and are specifically applicable to an orthopaedic context. However, current classification systems and related criteria proposed to make a diagnosis of CRPS, do not include instrumental evaluations and imaging, but rely solely on clinical findings. This approach does not allow an optimal disease staging especially in orthopaedics.

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) type I: historical perspective and critical issues

PubMed Central

Iolascon, Giovanni; de Sire, Alessandro; Moretti, Antimo; Gimigliano, Francesca

2015-01-01

Summary The history of algodystrophy is controversial and its denomination has changed significantly over time. Silas Weir Mitchell described several cases of causalgia due to gunshot wounds that occurred during the American Civil War, increasing knowledge about this clinical condition. A later key milestone in the history of CRPS is tied to the name of Paul Sudeck that, using X-ray examinations, described findings of bone atrophy following a traumatic event or infection of the upper limb. The most widely accepted pathogenic hypothesis, proposed by Rene Leriche, supported a key role of the sympathetic nervous system in the onset of the typical clinical picture of the disease, which was thus defined as “reflex sympathetic dystrophy”. In the 50s John J. Bonica proposed a staging of CRPS. In a consensus conference held in Budapest in 2003, it was proposed a new classification system that included the presence of at least two clinical signs included in the four categories and at least three symptoms in its four categories. There have been other classification systems proposed for the diagnosis of CRPS, such as Veldman diagnostic criteria based on the presence of at least 4 signs and symptoms of the disease associated with a worsening of the same following the use of the limb and their location in the same area distal to the one that suffered the injury. On the other hand, the Atkins diagnostic criteria are much more objective than those proposed by IASP and are specifically applicable to an orthopaedic context. However, current classification systems and related criteria proposed to make a diagnosis of CRPS, do not include instrumental evaluations and imaging, but rely solely on clinical findings. This approach does not allow an optimal disease staging especially in orthopaedics. PMID:27134625

Parasites as biological tags of fish stocks: a meta-analysis of their discriminatory power.

PubMed

Poulin, Robert; Kamiya, Tsukushi

2015-01-01

The use of parasites as biological tags to discriminate among marine fish stocks has become a widely accepted method in fisheries management. Here, we first link this approach to its unstated ecological foundation, the decay in the similarity of the species composition of assemblages as a function of increasing distance between them, a phenomenon almost universal in nature. We explain how distance decay of similarity can influence the use of parasites as biological tags. Then, we perform a meta-analysis of 61 uses of parasites as tags of marine fish populations in multivariate discriminant analyses, obtained from 29 articles. Our main finding is that across all studies, the observed overall probability of correct classification of fish based on parasite data was about 71%. This corresponds to a two-fold improvement over the rate of correct classification expected by chance alone, and the average effect size (Zr = 0·463) computed from the original values was also indicative of a medium-to-large effect. However, none of the moderator variables included in the meta-analysis had a significant effect on the proportion of correct classification; these moderators included the total number of fish sampled, the number of parasite species used in the discriminant analysis, the number of localities from which fish were sampled, the minimum and maximum distance between any pair of sampling localities, etc. Therefore, there are no clear-cut situations in which the use of parasites as tags is more useful than others. Finally, we provide recommendations for the future usage of parasites as tags for stock discrimination, to ensure that future applications of the method achieve statistical rigour and a high discriminatory power.

7 CFR 658.5 - Criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... information from several sources including national cooperative soil surveys or other acceptable soil surveys, NRCS field office technical guides, soil potential ratings or soil productivity ratings, land capability classifications, and important farmland determinations. Based on this information, groups of soils...

7 CFR 658.5 - Criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... information from several sources including national cooperative soil surveys or other acceptable soil surveys, NRCS field office technical guides, soil potential ratings or soil productivity ratings, land capability classifications, and important farmland determinations. Based on this information, groups of soils...

Medical risk assessment in dentistry: use of the American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status Classification.

PubMed

Clough, S; Shehabi, Z; Morgan, C

2016-02-12

Medical risk assessment is essential to safe patient management and the delivery of appropriate dental care. The American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status (ASA PS) Classification is widely used within medicine and dentistry, but has received significant criticism. This is the first UK survey to assess the consistency of medical risk assessment in dentistry. (i) To determine the use and consistency of the ASA PS among dentists and anaesthetists. (ii) To consider the appropriateness of the ASA PS in relation to dental treatment planning and delivery of care. A cross-sectional online questionnaire was distributed to anaesthetists and dental practitioners in general practice, community and hospital dental services. Questions focused on professional backgrounds, use of the ASA PS, alternative approaches to risk assessment in everyday practice and scoring of eight hypothetical patients using ASA PS. There were 101 responses, 82 were complete. Anaesthetists recorded ASA PS score more frequently than dental practitioners and found it more useful. Inconsistencies were evident in the assignment of ASA PS scores both between and within professional groups. Many dental practitioners did not use or find ASA PS helpful, with significant inconsistencies in its use. An awareness of alternative assessment scales may be useful across settings. Accepting its limitations, it would be helpful for all dentists to be educated in ASA PS and its use in medical risk assessment, particularly in relation to conscious sedation.

Multispectral Resampling of Seagrass Species Spectra: WorldView-2, Quickbird, Sentinel-2A, ASTER VNIR, and Landsat 8 OLI

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wicaksono, Pramaditya; Salivian Wisnu Kumara, Ignatius; Kamal, Muhammad; Afif Fauzan, Muhammad; Zhafarina, Zhafirah; Agus Nurswantoro, Dwi; Noviaris Yogyantoro, Rifka

2017-12-01

Although spectrally different, seagrass species may not be able to be mapped from multispectral remote sensing images due to the limitation of their spectral resolution. Therefore, it is important to quantitatively assess the possibility of mapping seagrass species using multispectral images by resampling seagrass species spectra to multispectral bands. Seagrass species spectra were measured on harvested seagrass leaves. Spectral resolution of multispectral images used in this research was adopted from WorldView-2, Quickbird, Sentinel-2A, ASTER VNIR, and Landsat 8 OLI. These images are widely available and can be a good representative and baseline for previous or future remote sensing images. Seagrass species considered in this research are Enhalus acoroides (Ea), Thalassodendron ciliatum (Tc), Thalassia hemprichii (Th), Cymodocea rotundata (Cr), Cymodocea serrulata (Cs), Halodule uninervis (Hu), Halodule pinifolia (Hp), Syringodum isoetifolium (Si), Halophila ovalis (Ho), and Halophila minor (Hm). Multispectral resampling analysis indicate that the resampled spectra exhibit similar shape and pattern with the original spectra but less precise, and they lose the unique absorption feature of seagrass species. Relying on spectral bands alone, multispectral image is not effective in mapping these seagrass species individually, which is shown by the poor and inconsistent result of Spectral Angle Mapper (SAM) classification technique in classifying seagrass species using seagrass species spectra as pure endmember. Only Sentinel-2A produced acceptable classification result using SAM.

Genetic diversity and classification of Oryza sativa with emphasis on Chinese rice germplasm

PubMed Central

Wang, C-H; Zheng, X-M; Xu, Q; Yuan, X-P; Huang, L; Zhou, H-F; Wei, X-H; Ge, S

2014-01-01

Despite extensive studies on cultivated rice, the genetic structure and subdivision of this crop remain unclear at both global and local scales. Using 84 nuclear simple sequence repeat markers, we genotyped a panel of 153 global rice cultivars covering all previously recognized groups and 826 cultivars representing the diversity of Chinese rice germplasm. On the basis of model-based grouping, neighbour-joining tree and principal coordinate analysis, we confirmed the widely accepted five major groups of rice cultivars (indica, aus, aromatic, temperate japonica and tropical japonica), and demonstrated that rayada rice was unique in genealogy and should be treated as a new (the sixth) major group of rice germplasm. With reference to the global classification of rice cultivars, we identified three major groups (indica, temperate japonica and tropical japonica) in Chinese rice germplasm and showed that Chinese temperate japonica contained higher diversity than that of global samples, whereas Chinese indica and tropical japonica maintained slightly lower diversity than that present in the global samples. Particularly, we observed that all seasonal, drought-tolerant and endosperm types occurred within each of three major groups of Chinese cultivars, which does not support previous claims that seasonal differentiation exists in Indica and drought-tolerant differentiation is present in Japonica. It is most likely that differentiation of cultivar types arose multiple times stemming from artificial selection for adaptation to local environments. PMID:24326293

Global Similarity Predicts Dissociation of Classification and Recognition: Evidence Questioning the Implicit-Explicit Learning Distinction in Amnesia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jamieson, Randall K.; Holmes, Signy; Mewhort, D. J. K.

2010-01-01

Dissociation of classification and recognition in amnesia is widely taken to imply 2 functional systems: an implicit procedural-learning system that is spared in amnesia and an explicit episodic-learning system that is compromised. We argue that both tasks reflect the global similarity of probes to memory. In classification, subjects sort…

Specification for wide channel bandwidth one-inch video tape

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perry, Jimmy L.

1988-01-01

Standards and controls are established for the procurement of wide channel bandwidth one inch video magnetic recording tapes for Very Long Base Interferometer (VLBI) system applications. The Magnetic Tape Certification Facility (MTCF) currently maintains three specifications for the Quality Products List (QPL) and acceptance testing of magnetic tapes. NASA-TM-79724 is used for the QPL and acceptance testing of new analog tapes; NASA-TM-80599 is used for QPL and acceptance testing of new digital tapes; and NASA-TM-100702 is used for the QPL and acceptance testing of new IBM/IBM compatible 3480 magnetic tape cartridges. This specification will be used for the QPL and acceptance testing of new wide channel bandwidth one inch video magnetic recording tapes. The one inch video tapes used by the Jet Propulsion Lab., the Deep Space Network and the Haystack Observatory will be covered by this specification. These NASA stations will use the video tapes for their VLBI system applications. The VLBI system is used for the tracking of quasars and the support of interplanetary exploration.

Lacie phase 1 Classification and Mensuration Subsystem (CAMS) rework experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chhikara, R. S.; Hsu, E. M.; Liszcz, C. J.

1976-01-01

An experiment was designed to test the ability of the Classification and Mensuration Subsystem rework operations to improve wheat proportion estimates for segments that had been processed previously. Sites selected for the experiment included three in Kansas and three in Texas, with the remaining five distributed in Montana and North and South Dakota. The acquisition dates were selected to be representative of imagery available in actual operations. No more than one acquisition per biophase were used, and biophases were determined by actual crop calendars. All sites were worked by each of four Analyst-Interpreter/Data Processing Analyst Teams who reviewed the initial processing of each segment and accepted or reworked it for an estimate of the proportion of small grains in the segment. Classification results, acquisitions and classification errors and performance results between CAMS regular and ITS rework are tabulated.

Orientation selectivity based structure for texture classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jinjian; Lin, Weisi; Shi, Guangming; Zhang, Yazhong; Lu, Liu

2014-10-01

Local structure, e.g., local binary pattern (LBP), is widely used in texture classification. However, LBP is too sensitive to disturbance. In this paper, we introduce a novel structure for texture classification. Researches on cognitive neuroscience indicate that the primary visual cortex presents remarkable orientation selectivity for visual information extraction. Inspired by this, we investigate the orientation similarities among neighbor pixels, and propose an orientation selectivity based pattern for local structure description. Experimental results on texture classification demonstrate that the proposed structure descriptor is quite robust to disturbance.

Predicting human decisions in socioeconomic interaction using real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollmann, Maurice; Mönch, Tobias; Müller, Charles; Bernarding, Johannes

2009-02-01

A major field in cognitive neuroscience investigates neuronal correlates of human decision-making processes [1, 2]. Is it possible to predict a decision before it is actually revealed by the volunteer? In the presented manuscript we use a standard paradigm from economic behavioral research that proved emotional influences on human decision making: the Ultimatum Game (UG). In the UG, two players have the opportunity to split a sum of money. One player is deemed the proposer and the other, the responder. The proposer makes an offer as to how this money should be split between the two. The second player can either accept or reject this offer. If it is accepted, the money is split as proposed. If rejected, then neither player receives anything. In the presented study a real-time fMRI system was used to derive the brain activation of the responder. Using a Relevance-Vector-Machine classifier it was possible to predict if the responder will accept or reject an offer. The classification result was presented to the operator 1-2 seconds before the volunteer pressed a button to convey his decision. The classification accuracy reached about 70% averaged over six subjects.

An evaluation of classification systems for stillbirth

PubMed Central

Flenady, Vicki; Frøen, J Frederik; Pinar, Halit; Torabi, Rozbeh; Saastad, Eli; Guyon, Grace; Russell, Laurie; Charles, Adrian; Harrison, Catherine; Chauke, Lawrence; Pattinson, Robert; Koshy, Rachel; Bahrin, Safiah; Gardener, Glenn; Day, Katie; Petersson, Karin; Gordon, Adrienne; Gilshenan, Kristen

2009-01-01

Background Audit and classification of stillbirths is an essential part of clinical practice and a crucial step towards stillbirth prevention. Due to the limitations of the ICD system and lack of an international approach to an acceptable solution, numerous disparate classification systems have emerged. We assessed the performance of six contemporary systems to inform the development of an internationally accepted approach. Methods We evaluated the following systems: Amended Aberdeen, Extended Wigglesworth; PSANZ-PDC, ReCoDe, Tulip and CODAC. Nine teams from 7 countries applied the classification systems to cohorts of stillbirths from their regions using 857 stillbirth cases. The main outcome measures were: the ability to retain the important information about the death using the InfoKeep rating; the ease of use according to the Ease rating (both measures used a five-point scale with a score <2 considered unsatisfactory); inter-observer agreement and the proportion of unexplained stillbirths. A randomly selected subset of 100 stillbirths was used to assess inter-observer agreement. Results InfoKeep scores were significantly different across the classifications (p ≤ 0.01) due to low scores for Wigglesworth and Aberdeen. CODAC received the highest mean (SD) score of 3.40 (0.73) followed by PSANZ-PDC, ReCoDe and Tulip [2.77 (1.00), 2.36 (1.21), 1.92 (1.24) respectively]. Wigglesworth and Aberdeen resulted in a high proportion of unexplained stillbirths and CODAC and Tulip the lowest. While Ease scores were different (p ≤ 0.01), all systems received satisfactory scores; CODAC received the highest score. Aberdeen and Wigglesworth showed poor agreement with kappas of 0.35 and 0.25 respectively. Tulip performed best with a kappa of 0.74. The remainder had good to fair agreement. Conclusion The Extended Wigglesworth and Amended Aberdeen systems cannot be recommended for classification of stillbirths. Overall, CODAC performed best with PSANZ-PDC and ReCoDe performing well. Tulip was shown to have the best agreement and a low proportion of unexplained stillbirths. The virtues of these systems need to be considered in the development of an international solution to classification of stillbirths. Further studies are required on the performance of classification systems in the context of developing countries. Suboptimal agreement highlights the importance of instituting measures to ensure consistency for any classification system. PMID:19538759

An evaluation of classification systems for stillbirth.

PubMed

Flenady, Vicki; Frøen, J Frederik; Pinar, Halit; Torabi, Rozbeh; Saastad, Eli; Guyon, Grace; Russell, Laurie; Charles, Adrian; Harrison, Catherine; Chauke, Lawrence; Pattinson, Robert; Koshy, Rachel; Bahrin, Safiah; Gardener, Glenn; Day, Katie; Petersson, Karin; Gordon, Adrienne; Gilshenan, Kristen

2009-06-19

Audit and classification of stillbirths is an essential part of clinical practice and a crucial step towards stillbirth prevention. Due to the limitations of the ICD system and lack of an international approach to an acceptable solution, numerous disparate classification systems have emerged. We assessed the performance of six contemporary systems to inform the development of an internationally accepted approach. We evaluated the following systems: Amended Aberdeen, Extended Wigglesworth; PSANZ-PDC, ReCoDe, Tulip and CODAC. Nine teams from 7 countries applied the classification systems to cohorts of stillbirths from their regions using 857 stillbirth cases. The main outcome measures were: the ability to retain the important information about the death using the InfoKeep rating; the ease of use according to the Ease rating (both measures used a five-point scale with a score <2 considered unsatisfactory); inter-observer agreement and the proportion of unexplained stillbirths. A randomly selected subset of 100 stillbirths was used to assess inter-observer agreement. InfoKeep scores were significantly different across the classifications (p < or = 0.01) due to low scores for Wigglesworth and Aberdeen. CODAC received the highest mean (SD) score of 3.40 (0.73) followed by PSANZ-PDC, ReCoDe and Tulip [2.77 (1.00), 2.36 (1.21), 1.92 (1.24) respectively]. Wigglesworth and Aberdeen resulted in a high proportion of unexplained stillbirths and CODAC and Tulip the lowest. While Ease scores were different (p < or = 0.01), all systems received satisfactory scores; CODAC received the highest score. Aberdeen and Wigglesworth showed poor agreement with kappas of 0.35 and 0.25 respectively. Tulip performed best with a kappa of 0.74. The remainder had good to fair agreement. The Extended Wigglesworth and Amended Aberdeen systems cannot be recommended for classification of stillbirths. Overall, CODAC performed best with PSANZ-PDC and ReCoDe performing well. Tulip was shown to have the best agreement and a low proportion of unexplained stillbirths. The virtues of these systems need to be considered in the development of an international solution to classification of stillbirths. Further studies are required on the performance of classification systems in the context of developing countries. Suboptimal agreement highlights the importance of instituting measures to ensure consistency for any classification system.

EPA Releases Guidance on a Voluntary Pilot Program to Reduce Animal Testing

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA is announcing the start of a voluntary pilot program to evaluate the usefulness and acceptability of a mathematical tool that estimates the toxicological classification of a chemical, which is used in the GHS.

IN SILICO MODELLING OF HAZARDOUS ENDPOINTS: CURRENT PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTIVES

EPA Science Inventory

The primary hurdles for Quantitative Structure-Activity Relationships (QSARs) to overcome their acceptance for regulatory purposes will be discussed. They include (a) the development of more mechanistic representations of chemical structure, (b) the classification of toxicity pa...

46 CFR 298.11 - Vessel requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... with accepted commercial experience and practice. (g) Metric Usage. Our preferred system of measurement and weights for Vessels and Shipyard Projects is the metric system. ...), classification societies to be ISO 9000 series registered or Quality Systems Certificate Scheme qualified IACS...

46 CFR 298.11 - Vessel requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... with accepted commercial experience and practice. (g) Metric Usage. Our preferred system of measurement and weights for Vessels and Shipyard Projects is the metric system. ...), classification societies to be ISO 9000 series registered or Quality Systems Certificate Scheme qualified IACS...

46 CFR 298.11 - Vessel requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... with accepted commercial experience and practice. (g) Metric Usage. Our preferred system of measurement and weights for Vessels and Shipyard Projects is the metric system. ...), classification societies to be ISO 9000 series registered or Quality Systems Certificate Scheme qualified IACS...

46 CFR 298.11 - Vessel requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... with accepted commercial experience and practice. (g) Metric Usage. Our preferred system of measurement and weights for Vessels and Shipyard Projects is the metric system. ...), classification societies to be ISO 9000 series registered or Quality Systems Certificate Scheme qualified IACS...

46 CFR 298.11 - Vessel requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... with accepted commercial experience and practice. (g) Metric Usage. Our preferred system of measurement and weights for Vessels and Shipyard Projects is the metric system. ...), classification societies to be ISO 9000 series registered or Quality Systems Certificate Scheme qualified IACS...

Mixtures Equation Pilot Program to Reduce Animal Testing

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

EPA is announcing the start of a pilot program to evaluate the usefulness and acceptability of a mathematical tool (the GHS Mixtures Equation), which is used in the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS).

Effects of Digitization and JPEG Compression on Land Cover Classification Using Astronaut-Acquired Orbital Photographs

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robinson, Julie A.; Webb, Edward L.; Evangelista, Arlene

2000-01-01

Studies that utilize astronaut-acquired orbital photographs for visual or digital classification require high-quality data to ensure accuracy. The majority of images available must be digitized from film and electronically transferred to scientific users. This study examined the effect of scanning spatial resolution (1200, 2400 pixels per inch [21.2 and 10.6 microns/pixel]), scanning density range option (Auto, Full) and compression ratio (non-lossy [TIFF], and lossy JPEG 10:1, 46:1, 83:1) on digital classification results of an orbital photograph from the NASA - Johnson Space Center archive. Qualitative results suggested that 1200 ppi was acceptable for visual interpretive uses for major land cover types. Moreover, Auto scanning density range was superior to Full density range. Quantitative assessment of the processing steps indicated that, while 2400 ppi scanning spatial resolution resulted in more classified polygons as well as a substantially greater proportion of polygons < 0.2 ha, overall agreement between 1200 ppi and 2400 ppi was quite high. JPEG compression up to approximately 46:1 also did not appear to have a major impact on quantitative classification characteristics. We conclude that both 1200 and 2400 ppi scanning resolutions are acceptable options for this level of land cover classification, as well as a compression ratio at or below approximately 46:1. Auto range density should always be used during scanning because it acquires more of the information from the film. The particular combination of scanning spatial resolution and compression level will require a case-by-case decision and will depend upon memory capabilities, analytical objectives and the spatial properties of the objects in the image.

Clinical Application of Six Current Classification Systems for Iatrogenic Bile Duct Injuries after Cholecystectomy.

PubMed

Velidedeoglu, Mehmet; Arikan, Akif Enes; Uludag, Sezgin Server; Olgun, Deniz Cebi; Kilic, Fahrettin; Kapan, Metin

2015-05-01

Due to being a severe complication, iatrogenic bile duct injury is still a challenging issue for surgeons in gallbladder surgery. However, a commonly accepted classification describing the type of injury has not been available yet. This study aims to evaluate ability of six current classification systems to discriminate bile duct injury patterns. Twelve patients, who were referred to our clinic because of iatrogenic bile duct injury after laparoscopic cholecystectomy were reviewed retrospectively. We described type of injury for each patient according to current six different classifications. 9 patients underwent definitive biliary reconstruction. Bismuth, Strasberg-Bismuth, Stewart-Way and Neuhaus classifications do not consider vascular involvement, Siewert system does, but only for the tangential lesions without structural loss of duct and lesion with a structural defect of hepatic or common bile duct. Siewert, Neuhaus and Stewart-Way systems do not discriminate between lesions at or above bifurcation of the hepatic duct. The Hannover classification may resolve the missing aspects of other systems by describing additional vascular involvement and location of the lesion at or above bifurcation.

Comparative analysis of the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) short scale and the five categories of vaccine acceptance identified by Gust et al.

PubMed

Oladejo, Omolade; Allen, Kristen; Amin, Avnika; Frew, Paula M; Bednarczyk, Robert A; Omer, Saad B

2016-09-22

There is a need to develop a standardized tool to aid in identifying, measuring and classifying the unique needs of vaccine-hesitant parents (VHPs). This will also assist in designing tailored interventions to address these needs. The Parental Attitude about Childhood Vaccines (PACV) short scale developed by Opel et al., and the Gust et al. vaccine acceptance categories have been acknowledged as potentially useful tools to measure parental vaccine hesitancy. The PACV short scale requires further validation. In our study, we evaluated how the Gust et al. vaccine acceptance categories correspond with the PACV short scale. As part of a larger study on vaccine attitudes, using the PACV short scale and Gust et al. vaccine acceptance categories, we assessed the correlation between the two measures using Spearman correlation coefficient, and the association between the two measures using the Cochran-Mantel-Haentszel test of association. We used logistic regression modelling to compare the association between a child's up-to-date immunization status and (a) PACV short scale and (b) Gust et al. vaccine acceptance categories. The PACV short scale and Gust et al. vaccine acceptance categories were positively correlated (r=0.6, df=198, p<0.05), and the Cochran-Mantel-Haentszel test of association yielded a statistically significant association (p<0.05). The two scales similarly predicted children's up-to-date immunization status for all recommended childhood vaccines. The ability of the PACV short scale to identify and classify parental vaccine hesitancy is similar to classification using Gust et al. vaccine acceptance categories, and both measure linear entities. The PACV short scale is recommended for screening parents at their first pediatric visit because it is easier to administer. A clearer understanding of how to classify parental vaccine hesitancy can be used to design tailored interventions based on these classifications, to address their specific needs. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Adipose Tissue Quantification by Imaging Methods: A Proposed Classification

PubMed Central

Shen, Wei; Wang, ZiMian; Punyanita, Mark; Lei, Jianbo; Sinav, Ahmet; Kral, John G.; Imielinska, Celina; Ross, Robert; Heymsfield, Steven B.

2007-01-01

Recent advances in imaging techniques and understanding of differences in the molecular biology of adipose tissue has rendered classical anatomy obsolete, requiring a new classification of the topography of adipose tissue. Adipose tissue is one of the largest body compartments, yet a classification that defines specific adipose tissue depots based on their anatomic location and related functions is lacking. The absence of an accepted taxonomy poses problems for investigators studying adipose tissue topography and its functional correlates. The aim of this review was to critically examine the literature on imaging of whole body and regional adipose tissue and to create the first systematic classification of adipose tissue topography. Adipose tissue terminology was examined in over 100 original publications. Our analysis revealed inconsistencies in the use of specific definitions, especially for the compartment termed “visceral” adipose tissue. This analysis leads us to propose an updated classification of total body and regional adipose tissue, providing a well-defined basis for correlating imaging studies of specific adipose tissue depots with molecular processes. PMID:12529479

Performance of fusion algorithms for computer-aided detection and classification of mines in very shallow water obtained from testing in navy Fleet Battle Exercise-Hotel 2000

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciany, Charles M.; Zurawski, William; Kerfoot, Ian

2001-10-01

The performance of Computer Aided Detection/Computer Aided Classification (CAD/CAC) Fusion algorithms on side-scan sonar images was evaluated using data taken at the Navy's's Fleet Battle Exercise-Hotel held in Panama City, Florida, in August 2000. A 2-of-3 binary fusion algorithm is shown to provide robust performance. The algorithm accepts the classification decisions and associated contact locations form three different CAD/CAC algorithms, clusters the contacts based on Euclidian distance, and then declares a valid target when a clustered contact is declared by at least 2 of the 3 individual algorithms. This simple binary fusion provided a 96 percent probability of correct classification at a false alarm rate of 0.14 false alarms per image per side. The performance represented a 3.8:1 reduction in false alarms over the best performing single CAD/CAC algorithm, with no loss in probability of correct classification.

Comparing drug classification systems.

PubMed

Mahoney, Anne; Evans, Jonathan

2008-11-06

An essential quality of drug classification systems is the ability to assign medications to a structured hierarchy for categories such as mechanism of action, physiological effects, and therapeutic indications. No single classification system can meet all of these needs; however, there should be consistency among those that group by the same underlying principals. We discovered discrepancies in how drugs with multiple therapeutic indications are classified among four widely used schemas.

Shifting syndromes: Sex chromosome variations and intersex classifications

PubMed Central

Griffiths, David Andrew

2018-01-01

The 2006 ‘Consensus statement on management of intersex disorders’ recommended moving to a new classification of intersex variations, framed in terms of ‘disorders of sex development’ or DSD. Part of the rationale for this change was to move away from associations with gender, and to increase clarity by grounding the classification system in genetics. While the medical community has largely accepted the move, some individuals from intersex activist communities have condemned it. In addition, people both inside and outside the medical community have disagreed about what should be covered by the classification system, in particular whether sex chromosome variations and the related diagnoses of Turner and Klinefelter’s syndromes should be included. This article explores initial descriptions of Turner and Klinefelter’s syndromes and their subsequent inclusion in intersex classifications, which were increasingly grounded in scientific understandings of sex chromosomes that emerged in the 1950s. The article questions the current drive to stabilize and ‘sort out’ intersex classifications through a grounding in genetics. Alternative social and historical definitions of intersex – such as those proposed by the intersex activists – have the potential to do more justice to the lived experience of those affected by such classifications and their consequences. PMID:29424285

Development and content validity testing of a comprehensive classification of diagnoses for pediatric nurse practitioners.

PubMed

Burns, C

1991-01-01

Pediatric nurse practitioners (PNPs) need an integrated, comprehensive classification that includes nursing, disease, and developmental diagnoses to effectively describe their practice. No such classification exists. Further, methodologic studies to help evaluate the content validity of any nursing taxonomy are unavailable. A conceptual framework was derived. Then 178 diagnoses from the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA) 1986 list, selected diagnoses from the International Classification of Diseases, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Third Revision, and others were selected. This framework identified and listed, with definitions, three domains of diagnoses: Developmental Problems, Diseases, and Daily Living Problems. The diagnoses were ranked using a 4-point scale (4 = highly related to 1 = not related) and were placed into the three domains. The rating scale was assigned by a panel of eight expert pediatric nurses. Diagnoses that were assigned to the Daily Living Problems domain were then sorted into the 11 Functional Health patterns described by Gordon (1987). Reliability was measured using proportions of agreement and Kappas. Content validity of the groups created was measured using indices of content validity and average congruency percentages. The experts used a new method to sort the diagnoses in a new way that decreased overlaps among the domains. The Developmental and Disease domains were judged reliable and valid. The Daily Living domain of nursing diagnoses showed marginally acceptable validity with acceptable reliability. Six Functional Health Patterns were judged reliable and valid, mixed results were determined for four categories, and the Coping/Stress Tolerance category was judged reliable but not valid using either test. There were considerable differences between the panel's, Gordon's (1987), and NANDA's clustering of NANDA diagnoses. This study defines the diagnostic practice of nurses from a holistic, patient-centered perspective. It is the first study to use quantitative methods to test a diagnostic classification system for nursing. The classification model could also be adapted for other nurse specialties.

The history of female genital tract malformation classifications and proposal of an updated system.

PubMed

Acién, Pedro; Acién, Maribel I

2011-01-01

A correct classification of malformations of the female genital tract is essential to prevent unnecessary and inadequate surgical operations and to compare reproductive results. An ideal classification system should be based on aetiopathogenesis and should suggest the appropriate therapeutic strategy. We conducted a systematic review of relevant articles found in PubMed, Scopus, Scirus and ISI webknowledge, and analysis of historical collections of 'female genital malformations' and 'classifications'. Of 124 full-text articles assessed for eligibility, 64 were included because they contained original general, partial or modified classifications. All the existing classifications were analysed and grouped. The unification of terms and concepts was also analysed. Traditionally, malformations of the female genital tract have been catalogued and classified as Müllerian malformations due to agenesis, lack of fusion, the absence of resorption and lack of posterior development of the Müllerian ducts. The American Fertility Society classification of the late 1980s included seven basic groups of malformations also considering the Müllerian development and the relationship of the malformations to fertility. Other classifications are based on different aspects: functional, defects in vertical fusion, embryological or anatomical (Vagina, Cervix, Uterus, Adnex and Associated Malformation: VCUAM classification). However, an embryological-clinical classification system seems to be the most appropriate. Accepting the need for a new classification system of genitourinary malformations that considers the experience gained from the application of the current classification systems, the aetiopathogenesis and that also suggests the appropriate treatment, we proposed an update of our embryological-clinical classification as a new system with six groups of female genitourinary anomalies.

Viral dark matter and virus–host interactions resolved from publicly available microbial genomes

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

Roux, Simon; Hallam, Steven J.; Woyke, Tanja

The ecological importance of viruses is now widely recognized, yet our limited knowledge of viral sequence space and virus–host interactions precludes accurate prediction of their roles and impacts. In this study, we mined publicly available bacterial and archaeal genomic data sets to identify 12,498 high-confidence viral genomes linked to their microbial hosts. These data augment public data sets 10-fold, provide first viral sequences for 13 new bacterial phyla including ecologically abundant phyla, and help taxonomically identify 7–38% of ‘unknown’ sequence space in viromes. Genome- and network-based classification was largely consistent with accepted viral taxonomy and suggested that (i) 264 newmore » viral genera were identified (doubling known genera) and (ii) cross-taxon genomic recombination is limited. Further analyses provided empirical data on extrachromosomal prophages and coinfection prevalences, as well as evaluation of in silico virus–host linkage predictions. Together these findings illustrate the value of mining viral signal from microbial genomes.« less

Viral dark matter and virus-host interactions resolved from publicly available microbial genomes.

PubMed

Roux, Simon; Hallam, Steven J; Woyke, Tanja; Sullivan, Matthew B

2015-07-22

The ecological importance of viruses is now widely recognized, yet our limited knowledge of viral sequence space and virus-host interactions precludes accurate prediction of their roles and impacts. In this study, we mined publicly available bacterial and archaeal genomic data sets to identify 12,498 high-confidence viral genomes linked to their microbial hosts. These data augment public data sets 10-fold, provide first viral sequences for 13 new bacterial phyla including ecologically abundant phyla, and help taxonomically identify 7-38% of 'unknown' sequence space in viromes. Genome- and network-based classification was largely consistent with accepted viral taxonomy and suggested that (i) 264 new viral genera were identified (doubling known genera) and (ii) cross-taxon genomic recombination is limited. Further analyses provided empirical data on extrachromosomal prophages and coinfection prevalences, as well as evaluation of in silico virus-host linkage predictions. Together these findings illustrate the value of mining viral signal from microbial genomes.

Wavelet neural networks: a practical guide.

PubMed

Alexandridis, Antonios K; Zapranis, Achilleas D

2013-06-01

Wavelet networks (WNs) are a new class of networks which have been used with great success in a wide range of applications. However a general accepted framework for applying WNs is missing from the literature. In this study, we present a complete statistical model identification framework in order to apply WNs in various applications. The following subjects were thoroughly examined: the structure of a WN, training methods, initialization algorithms, variable significance and variable selection algorithms, model selection methods and finally methods to construct confidence and prediction intervals. In addition the complexity of each algorithm is discussed. Our proposed framework was tested in two simulated cases, in one chaotic time series described by the Mackey-Glass equation and in three real datasets described by daily temperatures in Berlin, daily wind speeds in New York and breast cancer classification. Our results have shown that the proposed algorithms produce stable and robust results indicating that our proposed framework can be applied in various applications. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Viral dark matter and virus–host interactions resolved from publicly available microbial genomes

DOE PAGES

Roux, Simon; Hallam, Steven J.; Woyke, Tanja; ...

2015-07-22

The ecological importance of viruses is now widely recognized, yet our limited knowledge of viral sequence space and virus–host interactions precludes accurate prediction of their roles and impacts. In this study, we mined publicly available bacterial and archaeal genomic data sets to identify 12,498 high-confidence viral genomes linked to their microbial hosts. These data augment public data sets 10-fold, provide first viral sequences for 13 new bacterial phyla including ecologically abundant phyla, and help taxonomically identify 7–38% of ‘unknown’ sequence space in viromes. Genome- and network-based classification was largely consistent with accepted viral taxonomy and suggested that (i) 264 newmore » viral genera were identified (doubling known genera) and (ii) cross-taxon genomic recombination is limited. Further analyses provided empirical data on extrachromosomal prophages and coinfection prevalences, as well as evaluation of in silico virus–host linkage predictions. Together these findings illustrate the value of mining viral signal from microbial genomes.« less

Guidance for Determining the Acceptability of Environmental Fate Studies Conducted with Foreign Soils

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

International and U.S. soil taxonomical classification systems, distribution of soil orders in the United States, specific criteria to help scientists determine when foreign soils are representative of U.S. soils at intended pesticide use sites.

A reliable and valid questionnaire was developed to measure computer vision syndrome at the workplace.

PubMed

Seguí, María del Mar; Cabrero-García, Julio; Crespo, Ana; Verdú, José; Ronda, Elena

2015-06-01

To design and validate a questionnaire to measure visual symptoms related to exposure to computers in the workplace. Our computer vision syndrome questionnaire (CVS-Q) was based on a literature review and validated through discussion with experts and performance of a pretest, pilot test, and retest. Content validity was evaluated by occupational health, optometry, and ophthalmology experts. Rasch analysis was used in the psychometric evaluation of the questionnaire. Criterion validity was determined by calculating the sensitivity and specificity, receiver operator characteristic curve, and cutoff point. Test-retest repeatability was tested using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and concordance by Cohen's kappa (κ). The CVS-Q was developed with wide consensus among experts and was well accepted by the target group. It assesses the frequency and intensity of 16 symptoms using a single rating scale (symptom severity) that fits the Rasch rating scale model well. The questionnaire has sensitivity and specificity over 70% and achieved good test-retest repeatability both for the scores obtained [ICC = 0.802; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.673, 0.884] and CVS classification (κ = 0.612; 95% CI: 0.384, 0.839). The CVS-Q has acceptable psychometric properties, making it a valid and reliable tool to control the visual health of computer workers, and can potentially be used in clinical trials and outcome research. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Results with OECD recommended positive control sensitizers in the maximization, Buehler and local lymph node assays.

PubMed

Basketter, D A; Selbie, E; Scholes, E W; Lees, D; Kimber, I; Botham, P A

1993-01-01

The guinea pig maximization test and the Buehler occluded patch test are used widely to identify the sensitization potential of new chemicals. This information enables toxicologists and/or regulatory authorities to determine whether a chemical should be classified formally as a skin sensitizer. Both to improve and to harmonize these assessments internationally, the OECD has recommended recently that moderate rather than strong contact sensitizers are used as positive control substances. The purpose is to ensure an adequate level of sensitivity in sensitization assays performed at specific testing establishments. Results from two laboratories reported here show that the minimum acceptable standard laid down by the OECD can be achieved and indeed commonly exceeded by a substantial margin. Furthermore, results with these positive controls in a new method, the local lymph node assay, also appear to satisfy similar criteria, suggesting results from this assay, including negative data, should be acceptable for classification purposes. However, a review of the way in which results with new chemicals will be interpreted for regulatory purposes, in the context of positive control data, reveals that considerable inadequacies still exist. It is recommended that ultimately, sensitization data can only be interpreted meaningfully (i.e. to protect humans from sensitization hazards) by considering the potency of the contact allergen in the context of the sensitivity of the assay performed at the particular testing institution.

Measuring the extent and effectiveness of protected areas as an indicator for meeting global biodiversity targets

PubMed Central

Chape, S; Harrison, J; Spalding, M; Lysenko, I

2005-01-01

There are now over 100 000 protected areas worldwide, covering over 12% of the Earth's land surface. These areas represent one of the most significant human resource use allocations on the planet. The importance of protected areas is reflected in their widely accepted role as an indicator for global targets and environmental assessments. However, measuring the number and extent of protected areas only provides a unidimensional indicator of political commitment to biodiversity conservation. Data on the geographic location and spatial extent of protected areas will not provide information on a key determinant for meeting global biodiversity targets: ‘effectiveness’ in conserving biodiversity. Although tools are being devised to assess management effectiveness, there is no globally accepted metric. Nevertheless, the numerical, spatial and geographic attributes of protected areas can be further enhanced by investigation of the biodiversity coverage of these protected areas, using species, habitats or biogeographic classifications. This paper reviews the current global extent of protected areas in terms of geopolitical and habitat coverage, and considers their value as a global indicator of conservation action or response. The paper discusses the role of the World Database on Protected Areas and collection and quality control issues, and identifies areas for improvement, including how conservation effectiveness indicators may be included in the database to improve the value of protected areas data as an indicator for meeting global biodiversity targets. PMID:15814356

10 CFR 1045.10 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Government-wide policies and procedures concerning the classification and declassification of RD and FRD information. (b) This subpart establishes procedures for classification prohibitions for RD and FRD, describes authorities and procedures for identifying RD and FRD information, and specifies the policies and criteria DOE...

10 CFR 1045.10 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Government-wide policies and procedures concerning the classification and declassification of RD and FRD information. (b) This subpart establishes procedures for classification prohibitions for RD and FRD, describes authorities and procedures for identifying RD and FRD information, and specifies the policies and criteria DOE...

10 CFR 1045.10 - Purpose and scope.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Government-wide policies and procedures concerning the classification and declassification of RD and FRD information. (b) This subpart establishes procedures for classification prohibitions for RD and FRD, describes authorities and procedures for identifying RD and FRD information, and specifies the policies and criteria DOE...

Deep Convolutional Neural Networks for Classifying Body Constitution Based on Face Image.

PubMed

Huan, Er-Yang; Wen, Gui-Hua; Zhang, Shi-Jun; Li, Dan-Yang; Hu, Yang; Chang, Tian-Yuan; Wang, Qing; Huang, Bing-Lin

2017-01-01

Body constitution classification is the basis and core content of traditional Chinese medicine constitution research. It is to extract the relevant laws from the complex constitution phenomenon and finally build the constitution classification system. Traditional identification methods have the disadvantages of inefficiency and low accuracy, for instance, questionnaires. This paper proposed a body constitution recognition algorithm based on deep convolutional neural network, which can classify individual constitution types according to face images. The proposed model first uses the convolutional neural network to extract the features of face image and then combines the extracted features with the color features. Finally, the fusion features are input to the Softmax classifier to get the classification result. Different comparison experiments show that the algorithm proposed in this paper can achieve the accuracy of 65.29% about the constitution classification. And its performance was accepted by Chinese medicine practitioners.

Classification of hyperlipidaemias and hyperlipoproteinaemias*

PubMed Central

1970-01-01

Many studies of atherosclerosis have indicated hyperlipidaemia as a predisposing factor to vascular disease. The relationship holds even for mild degrees of hyperlipidaemia, a fact that underlines the importance of this category of disorders. Both primary and secondary hyperlipidaemias represent such a variety of abnormalities that an internationally acceptable provisional classification is highly desirable in order to facilitate communication between scientists with different backgrounds. The present memorandum presents such a classification; it briefly describes the criteria for diagnosis of the main types of hyperlipidaemia as well as the methods of their determination. Because lipoproteins offer more information than analysis of plasma lipids (most of the plasma lipids being bound to various proteins), the classification is based on lipoprotein analyses by electrophoresis and ultracentrifugation. Simpler methods, however, such as the observation of plasma and measurements of cholesterol and triglycerides, are used to the fullest possible extent in determining the lipoprotein patterns. PMID:4930042

The foodscape: classification and field validation of secondary data sources.

PubMed

Lake, Amelia A; Burgoine, Thomas; Greenhalgh, Fiona; Stamp, Elaine; Tyrrell, Rachel

2010-07-01

The aims were to: develop a food environment classification tool and to test the acceptability and validity of three secondary sources of food environment data within a defined urban area of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, using a field validation method. A 21 point (with 77 sub-categories) classification tool was developed. The fieldwork recorded 617 establishments selling food and/or food products. The sensitivity analysis of the secondary sources against fieldwork for the Newcastle City Council data was good (83.6%), while Yell.com and the Yellow Pages were low (51.2% and 50.9%, respectively). To improve the quality of secondary data, multiple sources should be used in order to achieve a realistic picture of the foodscape. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[New TNM classification of lung tumors].

PubMed

Wittekind, C

2014-11-01

The TNM classification of lung tumors has undergone many changes in the seventh edition published in 2010. These changes reflect current data and are based on the findings of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) from 81,495 patients and concern definitions of the T and M categories as well as stage grouping. They include a better description of regional lymph nodes of the lungs based on uniformly accepted definitions by the IASLC. The changes can lead to problems in the use of the definitions and will be discussed.

Tissue classification for laparoscopic image understanding based on multispectral texture analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yan; Wirkert, Sebastian J.; Iszatt, Justin; Kenngott, Hannes; Wagner, Martin; Mayer, Benjamin; Stock, Christian; Clancy, Neil T.; Elson, Daniel S.; Maier-Hein, Lena

2016-03-01

Intra-operative tissue classification is one of the prerequisites for providing context-aware visualization in computer-assisted minimally invasive surgeries. As many anatomical structures are difficult to differentiate in conventional RGB medical images, we propose a classification method based on multispectral image patches. In a comprehensive ex vivo study we show (1) that multispectral imaging data is superior to RGB data for organ tissue classification when used in conjunction with widely applied feature descriptors and (2) that combining the tissue texture with the reflectance spectrum improves the classification performance. Multispectral tissue analysis could thus evolve as a key enabling technique in computer-assisted laparoscopy.

40 CFR 257.13 - Deadline for making demonstrations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...-Hazardous Waste Disposal Units Location Restrictions § 257.13 Deadline for making demonstrations. Existing..., 1998, must not accept CESQG hazardous waste for disposal. Ground-Water Monitoring and Corrective Action ... WASTES CRITERIA FOR CLASSIFICATION OF SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL FACILITIES AND PRACTICES Disposal Standards...

30 CFR 250.1910 - What safety and environmental information is required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... appropriate, a simplified process flow diagram and acceptable upper and lower limits, where applicable, for items such as temperature, pressure, flow and composition; and (3) mechanical design information including, as appropriate, piping and instrument diagrams; electrical area classifications; equipment...

30 CFR 250.1910 - What safety and environmental information is required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... appropriate, a simplified process flow diagram and acceptable upper and lower limits, where applicable, for items such as temperature, pressure, flow and composition; and (3) mechanical design information including, as appropriate, piping and instrument diagrams; electrical area classifications; equipment...

30 CFR 250.1910 - What safety and environmental information is required?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... appropriate, a simplified process flow diagram and acceptable upper and lower limits, where applicable, for items such as temperature, pressure, flow and composition; and (3) mechanical design information including, as appropriate, piping and instrument diagrams; electrical area classifications; equipment...

Bulk chemical compositions of Antarctic meteorites in the NIPR collection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kimura, M.; Imae, N.; Yamaguchi, A.; Haramura, H.; Kojima, H.

2018-03-01

Bulk chemical compositions of meteorites were traditionally analyzed by wet chemical analysis, and NIPR has data for 1162 meteorites as of September 2017. We discuss the classification of meteorites on the basis of these data. Chondrite data are distributed in an anomalously wide range of compositions on the Urey-Craig diagram. One of the reasons for such wide distribution is terrestrial weathering producing Fe2O3-bearing phases from Fe-Ni metal and sulfides. Another important factor affecting the bulk compositional data is brecciation. Our observations indicate that many brecciated chondrites contain anomalously abundant opaque minerals, or are depleted in them, resulting in unusual compositions. In case of enstatite and some carbonaceous chondrites, the bulk compositions are distributed in wider ranges than reported before. The bulk compositions of HED meteorites are consistent with their mineralogy and classification. Our study suggests that wet chemical data are still significant for the meteorite classification. However, petrographic observation is indispensable for evaluating the bulk chemistry and classification of meteorites.

Integrated resource inventory for southcentral Alaska (INTRISCA)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burns, T.; Carson-Henry, C.; Morrissey, L. A.

1981-01-01

The Integrated Resource Inventory for Southcentral Alaska (INTRISCA) Project comprised an integrated set of activities related to the land use planning and resource management requirements of the participating agencies within the southcentral region of Alaska. One subproject involved generating a region-wide land cover inventory of use to all participating agencies. Toward this end, participants first obtained a broad overview of the entire region and identified reasonable expectations of a LANDSAT-based land cover inventory through evaluation of an earlier classification generated during the Alaska Water Level B Study. Classification of more recent LANDSAT data was then undertaken by INTRISCA participants. The latter classification produced a land cover data set that was more specifically related to individual agency needs, concurrently providing a comprehensive training experience for Alaska agency personnel. Other subprojects employed multi-level analysis techniques ranging from refinement of the region-wide classification and photointerpretation, to digital edge enhancement and integration of land cover data into a geographic information system (GIS).

Is skin penetration a determining factor in skin sensitization potential and potency? Refuting the notion of a LogKow threshold for Skin Sensitization

EPA Science Inventory

Summary:Background. It is widely accepted that substances that cannot penetrate through the skin will not be sensitisers. Thresholds based on relevant physicochemical parameters such as a LogKow > 1 and a MW < 500, are assumed and widely accepted as self-evident truths. Objective...

Data mining methods in the prediction of Dementia: A real-data comparison of the accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of linear discriminant analysis, logistic regression, neural networks, support vector machines, classification trees and random forests

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background Dementia and cognitive impairment associated with aging are a major medical and social concern. Neuropsychological testing is a key element in the diagnostic procedures of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), but has presently a limited value in the prediction of progression to dementia. We advance the hypothesis that newer statistical classification methods derived from data mining and machine learning methods like Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines and Random Forests can improve accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of predictions obtained from neuropsychological testing. Seven non parametric classifiers derived from data mining methods (Multilayer Perceptrons Neural Networks, Radial Basis Function Neural Networks, Support Vector Machines, CART, CHAID and QUEST Classification Trees and Random Forests) were compared to three traditional classifiers (Linear Discriminant Analysis, Quadratic Discriminant Analysis and Logistic Regression) in terms of overall classification accuracy, specificity, sensitivity, Area under the ROC curve and Press'Q. Model predictors were 10 neuropsychological tests currently used in the diagnosis of dementia. Statistical distributions of classification parameters obtained from a 5-fold cross-validation were compared using the Friedman's nonparametric test. Results Press' Q test showed that all classifiers performed better than chance alone (p < 0.05). Support Vector Machines showed the larger overall classification accuracy (Median (Me) = 0.76) an area under the ROC (Me = 0.90). However this method showed high specificity (Me = 1.0) but low sensitivity (Me = 0.3). Random Forest ranked second in overall accuracy (Me = 0.73) with high area under the ROC (Me = 0.73) specificity (Me = 0.73) and sensitivity (Me = 0.64). Linear Discriminant Analysis also showed acceptable overall accuracy (Me = 0.66), with acceptable area under the ROC (Me = 0.72) specificity (Me = 0.66) and sensitivity (Me = 0.64). The remaining classifiers showed overall classification accuracy above a median value of 0.63, but for most sensitivity was around or even lower than a median value of 0.5. Conclusions When taking into account sensitivity, specificity and overall classification accuracy Random Forests and Linear Discriminant analysis rank first among all the classifiers tested in prediction of dementia using several neuropsychological tests. These methods may be used to improve accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of Dementia predictions from neuropsychological testing. PMID:21849043

[Review of current classification and terminology of vulvar disorders].

PubMed

Sláma, J

2012-08-01

To summarize current terminology and classification of vulvar disorders. Review article. Gynecologic oncology center, Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, General Faculty Hospital and 1st Medical School of Charles University, Prague. Vulvar disorders include wide spectrum of different diagnoses. Multidisciplinary collaboration is frequently needed in diagnostical and therapeutical process. It is essential to use unified terminology using standard dermatological terms, and unified classification for comprehensible communication between different medical professions. Current classification, which is based on Clinical-pathological criteria, was established by International Society for the Study of Vulvovaginal Disease. Recently, there was introduced Clinical classification, which groups disorders according to main morphological finding. Adequate and unified classification and terminology are necessary for effective communication during the diagnostical process.

Ensemble of classifiers for confidence-rated classification of NDE signal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Portia; Safdarnejad, Seyed; Udpa, Lalita; Udpa, Satish

2016-02-01

Ensemble of classifiers in general, aims to improve classification accuracy by combining results from multiple weak hypotheses into a single strong classifier through weighted majority voting. Improved versions of ensemble of classifiers generate self-rated confidence scores which estimate the reliability of each of its prediction and boost the classifier using these confidence-rated predictions. However, such a confidence metric is based only on the rate of correct classification. In existing works, although ensemble of classifiers has been widely used in computational intelligence, the effect of all factors of unreliability on the confidence of classification is highly overlooked. With relevance to NDE, classification results are affected by inherent ambiguity of classifica-tion, non-discriminative features, inadequate training samples and noise due to measurement. In this paper, we extend the existing ensemble classification by maximizing confidence of every classification decision in addition to minimizing the classification error. Initial results of the approach on data from eddy current inspection show improvement in classification performance of defect and non-defect indications.

Using hyperspectral remote sensing for land cover classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wendy W.; Sriharan, Shobha

2005-01-01

This project used hyperspectral data set to classify land cover using remote sensing techniques. Many different earth-sensing satellites, with diverse sensors mounted on sophisticated platforms, are currently in earth orbit. These sensors are designed to cover a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum and are generating enormous amounts of data that must be processed, stored, and made available to the user community. The Airborne Visible-Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) collects data in 224 bands that are approximately 9.6 nm wide in contiguous bands between 0.40 and 2.45 mm. Hyperspectral sensors acquire images in many, very narrow, contiguous spectral bands throughout the visible, near-IR, and thermal IR portions of the spectrum. The unsupervised image classification procedure automatically categorizes the pixels in an image into land cover classes or themes. Experiments on using hyperspectral remote sensing for land cover classification were conducted during the 2003 and 2004 NASA Summer Faculty Fellowship Program at Stennis Space Center. Research Systems Inc.'s (RSI) ENVI software package was used in this application framework. In this application, emphasis was placed on: (1) Spectrally oriented classification procedures for land cover mapping, particularly, the supervised surface classification using AVIRIS data; and (2) Identifying data endmembers.

Challenges of interoperability using HL7 v3 in Czech healthcare.

PubMed

Nagy, Miroslav; Preckova, Petra; Seidl, Libor; Zvarova, Jana

2010-01-01

The paper describes several classification systems that could improve patient safety through semantic interoperability among contemporary electronic health record systems (EHR-Ss) with support of the HL7 v3 standard. We describe a proposal and a pilot implementation of a semantic interoperability platform (SIP) interconnecting current EHR-Ss by using HL7 v3 messages and concepts mappings on most widely used classification systems. The increasing number of classification systems and nomenclatures requires designing of various conversion tools for transfer between main classification systems. We present the so-called LIM filler module and the HL7 broker, which are parts of the SIP, playing the role of such conversion tools. The analysis of suitability and usability of individual terminological thesauri has been started by mapping of clinical contents of the Minimal Data Model for Cardiology (MDMC) to various terminological classification systems. A national-wide implementation of the SIP would include adopting and translating international coding systems and nomenclatures, and developing implementation guidelines facilitating the migration from national standards to international ones. Our research showed that creation of such a platform is feasible; however, it will require a huge effort to adapt fully the Czech healthcare system to the European environment.

9 CFR 145.53 - Terminology and classification; flocks and products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... POULTRY Special Provisions for Waterfowl, Exhibition Poultry, and Game Bird Breeding Flocks and Products... typhoid infection; (vii) All poultry, including exhibition, exotic, and game birds, but excluding... examination monitoring program for game birds acceptable to the Official State Agency and approved by the...

9 CFR 145.53 - Terminology and classification; flocks and products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... POULTRY Special Provisions for Hobbyist and Exhibition Waterfowl, Exhibition Poultry, and Game Bird... typhoid infection; (vii) All poultry, including exhibition, exotic, and game birds, but excluding... examination monitoring program for game birds acceptable to the Official State Agency and approved by the...

9 CFR 145.53 - Terminology and classification; flocks and products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... POULTRY Special Provisions for Waterfowl, Exhibition Poultry, and Game Bird Breeding Flocks and Products... typhoid infection; (vii) All poultry, including exhibition, exotic, and game birds, but excluding... examination monitoring program for game birds acceptable to the Official State Agency and approved by the...

9 CFR 145.53 - Terminology and classification; flocks and products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... POULTRY Special Provisions for Hobbyist and Exhibition Waterfowl, Exhibition Poultry, and Game Bird... typhoid infection; (vii) All poultry, including exhibition, exotic, and game birds, but excluding... examination monitoring program for game birds acceptable to the Official State Agency and approved by the...

9 CFR 145.53 - Terminology and classification; flocks and products.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... POULTRY Special Provisions for Hobbyist and Exhibition Waterfowl, Exhibition Poultry, and Game Bird... typhoid infection; (vii) All poultry, including exhibition, exotic, and game birds, but excluding... examination monitoring program for game birds acceptable to the Official State Agency and approved by the...

40 CFR 164.122 - Final order and order of suspension.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... 164.122 Section 164.122 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... RODENTICIDE ACT, ARISING FROM REFUSALS TO REGISTER, CANCELLATIONS OF REGISTRATIONS, CHANGES OF CLASSIFICATIONS... Environmental Appeals Board shall issue a final decision and order. Such final order may accept or reject in...

40 CFR 164.122 - Final order and order of suspension.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... 164.122 Section 164.122 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED... RODENTICIDE ACT, ARISING FROM REFUSALS TO REGISTER, CANCELLATIONS OF REGISTRATIONS, CHANGES OF CLASSIFICATIONS... Environmental Appeals Board shall issue a final decision and order. Such final order may accept or reject in...

Facilitators and Barriers to Performing Activities and Participation in Children With Cerebral Palsy: Caregivers' Perspective.

PubMed

Earde, Pinailug Tantilipikorn; Praipruk, Aina; Rodpradit, Phanlerd; Seanjumla, Parichad

2018-01-01

To investigate contextual factors that were facilitators and barriers to performing activity and participation for children with cerebral palsy from the caregivers' perspective. Qualitative in-depth interview with primary caregivers of children with cerebral palsy aged 4 to 12 years was conducted in the metropolitan area of Thailand. Semistructured questions related to environmental and personal factors were recorded. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed for main themes on the basis of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health-Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY) classification. Twenty-seven caregivers participated. Facilitators were appropriateness of assistive devices, support and acceptance from family, friends, and society, health services, willingness, and self-acceptance. Barriers were inappropriate design and facilities, overprotection of family, nonacceptance from family, friends, and society, inconvenient transportation, financial problems, limited health services, limited access to education, frustration, and being an introvert. Contextual factors that can be facilitators and barriers to perform activities and participation should be considered for improving lives of children with cerebral palsy.

An Automated Classification Technique for Detecting Defects in Battery Cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McDowell, Mark; Gray, Elizabeth

2006-01-01

Battery cell defect classification is primarily done manually by a human conducting a visual inspection to determine if the battery cell is acceptable for a particular use or device. Human visual inspection is a time consuming task when compared to an inspection process conducted by a machine vision system. Human inspection is also subject to human error and fatigue over time. We present a machine vision technique that can be used to automatically identify defective sections of battery cells via a morphological feature-based classifier using an adaptive two-dimensional fast Fourier transformation technique. The initial area of interest is automatically classified as either an anode or cathode cell view as well as classified as an acceptable or a defective battery cell. Each battery cell is labeled and cataloged for comparison and analysis. The result is the implementation of an automated machine vision technique that provides a highly repeatable and reproducible method of identifying and quantifying defects in battery cells.

Large Area Crop Inventory Experiment (LACIE). Review of LACIE methodology, a project evaluation of technical acceptability

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. Results indicated that the LANDSAT data and the classification technology can estimate the small grains area within a sample segment accurately and reliably enough to meet the LACIE goals. Overall, the LACIE estimates in a 9 x 11 kilometer segment agree well with ground and aircraft determined area within these segments. The estimated c.v. of the random classification error was acceptably small. These analyses confirmed that bias introduced by various factors, such as LANDSAT spatial resolution, lack of spectral resolution, classifier bias, and repeatability, was not excessive in terms of the required performance criterion. Results of these tests did indicate a difficulty in differentiating wheat from other closely related small grains. However, satisfactory wheat area estimates were obtained through the reduction of the small grain area estimates in accordance with relative amounts of these crops as determined from historic data; these procedures are being further refined.

The effect of using the health smart card vs. CPOE reminder system on the prescribing practices of non-obstetric physicians during outpatient visits for pregnant women in Taiwan.

PubMed

Long, An-Jim; Chang, Polun

2012-09-01

There is an evidence that pregnant women have been prescribed a significant number of improper medications that could lead to potential damage for a developing fetus due to discontinuity of care. The safety of pregnant women raises public concern and there is a need to identify ways to prevent potential adverse events to the pregnant woman. This study used a health smart card with a clinical reminder system to keep continuous records of general outpatient visits of pregnant women to protect them from potential adverse events caused by improper prescription. The health smart card, issued to all 23 million citizens in Taiwan, was used to work with a Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) implemented at a 700-bed teaching medical center in Taipei to provide the outpatient information of pregnant women. FDA pregnancy risk classification was used to categorize the risk of pregnant women. The log file, combined with the physicians' and patients' profiles, were statistically examined using the Mantel-Haenszel technique to evaluate the impact of system in changing physician's prescription behavior. A total of 441 patients ranged in age from 15 to 50 years with 1114 prescriptions involved in FDA pregnancy risk classification C, D, and X during the study period. 144 reminders (13.1%) were accepted by physicians for further assessment and 100 (69.4%) of them were modified. Non-obstetric physicians in non-emergency setting were more intended to accept reminders (27.8%, 4.9 folds than obstetricians). Reminders triggered on patients in second trimester (15.5%) were accepted by all physicians more than third trimester (OR 1.52, p<0.05). A health smart card armed with CPOE reminder system and well-defined criteria had the potential to decrease harmful medication prescribed to pregnant patients. The results show better conformance for non-obstetric physicians (26%) and when physicians accepted the alerts they are more likely to went back and review their orders (69%). In sum, reminder criteria of FDA pregnancy risk classification C for obstetricians and reminder based on different trimesters is suggested to be refined to improve system acceptability and to decrease improper prescription. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

New Myositis Classification Criteria-What We Have Learned Since Bohan and Peter.

PubMed

Leclair, Valérie; Lundberg, Ingrid E

2018-03-17

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathy (IIM) classification criteria have been a subject of debate for many decades. Despite several limitations, the Bohan and Peter criteria are still widely used. The aim of this review is to discuss the evolution of IIM classification criteria. New IIM classification criteria are periodically proposed. The discovery of myositis-specific and myositis-associated autoantibodies led to the development of clinico-serological criteria, while in-depth description of IIM morphological features improved histopathology-based criteria. The long-awaited European League Against Rheumatism and American College of Rheumatology (EULAR/ACR) IIM classification criteria were recently published. The Bohan and Peter criteria are outdated and validated classification criteria are necessary to improve research in IIM. The new EULAR/ACR IIM classification criteria are thus a definite improvement and an important step forward in the field.

Design of partially supervised classifiers for multispectral image data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jeon, Byeungwoo; Landgrebe, David

1993-01-01

A partially supervised classification problem is addressed, especially when the class definition and corresponding training samples are provided a priori only for just one particular class. In practical applications of pattern classification techniques, a frequently observed characteristic is the heavy, often nearly impossible requirements on representative prior statistical class characteristics of all classes in a given data set. Considering the effort in both time and man-power required to have a well-defined, exhaustive list of classes with a corresponding representative set of training samples, this 'partially' supervised capability would be very desirable, assuming adequate classifier performance can be obtained. Two different classification algorithms are developed to achieve simplicity in classifier design by reducing the requirement of prior statistical information without sacrificing significant classifying capability. The first one is based on optimal significance testing, where the optimal acceptance probability is estimated directly from the data set. In the second approach, the partially supervised classification is considered as a problem of unsupervised clustering with initially one known cluster or class. A weighted unsupervised clustering procedure is developed to automatically define other classes and estimate their class statistics. The operational simplicity thus realized should make these partially supervised classification schemes very viable tools in pattern classification.

Muscle Injuries in Sports: A New Evidence-Informed and Expert Consensus-Based Classification with Clinical Application.

PubMed

Valle, Xavier; Alentorn-Geli, Eduard; Tol, Johannes L; Hamilton, Bruce; Garrett, William E; Pruna, Ricard; Til, Lluís; Gutierrez, Josep Antoni; Alomar, Xavier; Balius, Ramón; Malliaropoulos, Nikos; Monllau, Joan Carles; Whiteley, Rodney; Witvrouw, Erik; Samuelsson, Kristian; Rodas, Gil

2017-07-01

Muscle injuries are among the most common injuries in sport and continue to be a major concern because of training and competition time loss, challenging decision making regarding treatment and return to sport, and a relatively high recurrence rate. An adequate classification of muscle injury is essential for a full understanding of the injury and to optimize its management and return-to-play process. The ongoing failure to establish a classification system with broad acceptance has resulted from factors such as limited clinical applicability, and the inclusion of subjective findings and ambiguous terminology. The purpose of this article was to describe a classification system for muscle injuries with easy clinical application, adequate grouping of injuries with similar functional impairment, and potential prognostic value. This evidence-informed and expert consensus-based classification system for muscle injuries is based on a four-letter initialism system: MLG-R, respectively referring to the mechanism of injury (M), location of injury (L), grading of severity (G), and number of muscle re-injuries (R). The goal of the classification is to enhance communication between healthcare and sports-related professionals and facilitate rehabilitation and return-to-play decision making.

Why is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders so hard to revise? Path-dependence and "lock-in" in classification.

PubMed

Cooper, Rachel

2015-06-01

The latest edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the D.S.M.-5, was published in May 2013. In the lead up to publication, radical changes to the classification were anticipated; there was widespread dissatisfaction with the previous edition and it was accepted that a "paradigm shift" might be required. In the end, however, and despite huge efforts at revision, the published D.S.M.-5 differs far less than originally envisaged from its predecessor. This paper considers why it is that revising the D.S.M. has become so difficult. The D.S.M. is such an important classification that this question is worth asking in its own right. The case of the D.S.M. can also serve as a study for considering stasis in classification more broadly; why and how can classifications become resistant to change? I suggest that classifications like the D.S.M. can be thought of as forming part of the infrastructure of science, and have much in common with material infrastructure. In particular, as with material technologies, it is possible for "path dependent" development to cause a sub-optimal classification to become "locked in" and hard to replace. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A multilayered approach for the analysis of perinatal mortality using different classification systems.

PubMed

Gordijn, Sanne J; Korteweg, Fleurisca J; Erwich, Jan Jaap H M; Holm, Jozien P; van Diem, Mariet Th; Bergman, Klasien A; Timmer, Albertus

2009-06-01

Many classification systems for perinatal mortality are available, all with their own strengths and weaknesses: none of them has been universally accepted. We present a systematic multilayered approach for the analysis of perinatal mortality based on information related to the moment of death, the conditions associated with death and the underlying cause of death, using a combination of representatives of existing classification systems. We compared the existing classification systems regarding their definition of the perinatal period, level of complexity, inclusion of maternal, foetal and/or placental factors and whether they focus at a clinical or pathological viewpoint. Furthermore, we allocated the classification systems to one of three categories: 'when', 'what' or 'why', dependent on whether the allocation of the individual cases of perinatal mortality is based on the moment of death ('when'), the clinical conditions associated with death ('what'), or the underlying cause of death ('why'). A multilayered approach for the analysis and classification of perinatal mortality is possible by using combinations of existing systems; for example the Wigglesworth or Nordic Baltic ('when'), ReCoDe ('what') and Tulip ('why') classification systems. This approach is useful not only for in depth analysis of perinatal mortality in the developed world but also for analysis of perinatal mortality in the developing countries, where resources to investigate death are often limited.

Sex determination of a Tunisian population by CT scan analysis of the skull.

PubMed

Zaafrane, Malek; Ben Khelil, Mehdi; Naccache, Ines; Ezzedine, Ekbel; Savall, Frédéric; Telmon, Norbert; Mnif, Najla; Hamdoun, Moncef

2018-05-01

It is widely accepted that the estimation of biological attributes in the human skeleton is more accurate when population-specific standards are applied. With the shortage of such data for contemporary North African populations, it is duly required to establish population-specific standards. We present here the first craniometric standards for sex determination of a contemporary Tunisian population. The aim of this study was to analyze the correlation between sex and metric parameters of the skull in this population using CT scan analysis and to generate proper reliable standards for sex determination of a complete or fragmented skull. The study sample comprised cranial multislice computed tomography scans of 510 individuals equally distributed by sex. ASIR TM software in a General Electric TM workstation was used to position 37 landmarks along the volume-rendered images and the multiplanar slices, defining 27 inter-landmark distances. Frontal and parietal bone thickness was also measured for each case. The data were analyzed using basic descriptive statistics and logistic regression with cross-validation of classification results. All of the measurements were sexually dimorphic with male values being higher than female values. A nine-variable model achieved the maximum classification accuracy of 90% with -2.9% sex bias and a six-variable model yielded 85.9% sexing accuracy with -0.97% sex bias. We conclude that the skull is highly dimorphic and represents a reliable bone for sex determination in contemporary Tunisian individuals.

[Acceptance and influence factor of central slaughtering of live poultry in residents of Guangzhou].

PubMed

Yuan, Jun; Xie, Chaojun; Liu, Yufei; Ma, Xiaowei; Cai, Wenfeng; Liu, Yanhui; Liu, Jianping; Su, Wenzhe; Ma, Yu; Yang, Zhicong; Lu, Jiahai; Wang, Ming

2015-03-01

To investigate a survey about acceptance of central slaughtering of live poultry in residents of Guangzhou. We conducted a telephone survey by sampling residents with fixed-line telephone and with normal hearing, whose age is more than 15 years, by Mitofsky-Waksberg two-stage method during Jan 6(th) to 8(th), 2014. 358 residents finished the telephone questionnaire by 12 320 health hot line. We investigated the acceptance rate of city-wide central slaughtering permanently. We compared the difference between the respondents and the 2010 Guangzhou census data by Cohen's effect sizes (w) and weighted by population age and sex. We used χ(2) test to compare the acceptance rate of central slaughtering in residents with different characteristic. We used multiple logistic regression analysis to analyze the factors. The difference in gender and age was small between respondents and the 2010 Guangzhou census data (w value was 0.13, 0.28, respectively), but that in education and marital status was large (w value was 0.52, 0.31, respectively). 49.0% (95% CI: 43.7%-54.3%) accept city-wide central slaughtering permanently. The acceptance rate of city-wide central slaughtering permanently in those who bought fresh, chilled and frozen poultry in their family in previous year was 54.3% (133/245), 60.0% (57/95) and 59.8% (49/82), respectively. It was more than those who didn't buy fresh, chilled and frozen poultry (38.1% (43/113), 44.9% (118/263) and 45.7% (126/276); χ(2) values were 8.15, 6.40 and 5.03; P values were 0.004, 0.011 and 0.025, respectively). The acceptance rate of city-wide central slaughtering permanently in those who deem fresh poultry taste better than live poultry was 64.9% (24/38). It more than those who deem not (47.0%, 151/320) (χ(2) = 4.22, 6.02, P = 0.040, 0.014, respectively). The acceptance rate of city-wide central slaughtering permanently in the male (OR = 2.68, 95% CI: 1.64-4.37) and those who deem getting sick due to buying live birds from LPM (OR = 1.72, 95% CI: 1.05-2.82), who can accept only fresh poultry carcass supply (OR = 2.39, 95% CI: 1.33-4.30), Who bought live poultry in their family in previous year (OR = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.11-0.74), who will decrease the consumption after ban on live poultry sale (OR = 0.50, 95% CI: 0.30-0.83) was 58.6% (109/186), 59.0% (92/156), 60.7% (139/230), 44.9% (132/295), 36.6% (68/186), respectively. In the early stage of avian influenza A(H7N9) epidemic in Guangzhou, the rate of acceptance of central slaughtering permanently in residents was not so high. Who deem getting sick due to buying live birds from LPM, who could accept only fresh poultry carcass supply and the male more accept city-wide central slaughtering permanently.

Mapping land cover in urban residential landscapes using fine resolution imagery and object-oriented classification

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A knowledge of different types of land cover in urban residential landscapes is important for building social and economic city-wide policies including landscape ordinances and water conservation programs. Urban landscapes are typically heterogeneous, so classification of land cover in these areas ...

Estimation and Q-Matrix Validation for Diagnostic Classification Models

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Feng, Yuling

2013-01-01

Diagnostic classification models (DCMs) are structured latent class models widely discussed in the field of psychometrics. They model subjects' underlying attribute patterns and classify subjects into unobservable groups based on their mastery of attributes required to answer the items correctly. The effective implementation of DCMs depends…

Couple Graph Based Label Propagation Method for Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Data Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, X. P.; Hu, Y.; Chen, J.

2018-04-01

Graph based semi-supervised classification method are widely used for hyperspectral image classification. We present a couple graph based label propagation method, which contains both the adjacency graph and the similar graph. We propose to construct the similar graph by using the similar probability, which utilize the label similarity among examples probably. The adjacency graph was utilized by a common manifold learning method, which has effective improve the classification accuracy of hyperspectral data. The experiments indicate that the couple graph Laplacian which unite both the adjacency graph and the similar graph, produce superior classification results than other manifold Learning based graph Laplacian and Sparse representation based graph Laplacian in label propagation framework.

Inter and intra-observer concordance for the diagnosis of portal hypertension gastropathy.

PubMed

Casas, Meritxell; Vergara, Mercedes; Brullet, Enric; Junquera, Félix; Martínez-Bauer, Eva; Miquel, Mireia; Sánchez-Delgado, Jordi; Dalmau, Blai; Campo, Rafael; Calvet, Xavier

2018-03-01

At present there is no fully accepted endoscopic classification for the assessment of the severity of portal hypertensive gastropathy (PHG). Few studies have evaluated inter and intra-observer concordance or the degree of concordance between different endoscopic classifications. To evaluate inter and intra-observer agreement for the presence of portal hypertensive gastropathy and enteropathy using different endoscopic classifications. Patients with liver cirrhosis were included into the study. Enteroscopy was performed under sedation. The location of lesions and their severity was recorded. Images were videotaped and subsequently evaluated independently by three different endoscopists, one of whom was the initial endoscopist. The agreement between observations was assessed using the kappa index. Seventy-four patients (mean age 63.2 years, 53 males and 21 females) were included. The agreement between the three endoscopists regarding the presence or absence of PHG using the Tanoue and McCormack classifications was very low (kappa scores = 0.16 and 0.27, respectively). The current classifications of portal hypertensive gastropathy have a very low degree of intra and inter-observer agreement for the diagnosis and assessment of gastropathy severity.

Bridging the Gap between Social Acceptance and Ethical Acceptability.

PubMed

Taebi, Behnam

2017-10-01

New technology brings great benefits, but it can also create new and significant risks. When evaluating those risks in policymaking, there is a tendency to focus on social acceptance. By solely focusing on social acceptance, we could, however, overlook important ethical aspects of technological risk, particularly when we evaluate technologies with transnational and intergenerational risks. I argue that good governance of risky technology requires analyzing both social acceptance and ethical acceptability. Conceptually, these two notions are mostly complementary. Social acceptance studies are not capable of sufficiently capturing all the morally relevant features of risky technologies; ethical analyses do not typically include stakeholders' opinions, and they therefore lack the relevant empirical input for a thorough ethical evaluation. Only when carried out in conjunction are these two types of analysis relevant to national and international governance of risky technology. I discuss the Rawlsian wide reflective equilibrium as a method for marrying social acceptance and ethical acceptability. Although the rationale of my argument is broadly applicable, I will examine the case of multinational nuclear waste repositories in particular. This example will show how ethical issues may be overlooked if we focus only on social acceptance, and will provide a test case for demonstrating how the wide reflective equilibrium can help to bridge the proverbial acceptance-acceptability gap. © 2016 The Authors Risk Analysis published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of Society for Risk Analysis.

Parameterization of Shape and Compactness in Object-based Image Classification Using Quickbird-2 Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonbul, H.; Kavzoglu, T.

2016-12-01

In recent years, object based image analysis (OBIA) has spread out and become a widely accepted technique for the analysis of remotely sensed data. OBIA deals with grouping pixels into homogenous objects based on spectral, spatial and textural features of contiguous pixels in an image. The first stage of OBIA, named as image segmentation, is the most prominent part of object recognition. In this study, multiresolution segmentation, which is a region-based approach, was employed to construct image objects. In the application of multi-resolution, three parameters, namely shape, compactness and scale must be set by the analyst. Segmentation quality remarkably influences the fidelity of the thematic maps and accordingly the classification accuracy. Therefore, it is of great importance to search and set optimal values for the segmentation parameters. In the literature, main focus has been on the definition of scale parameter, assuming that the effect of shape and compactness parameters is limited in terms of achieved classification accuracy. The aim of this study is to deeply analyze the influence of shape/compactness parameters by varying their values while using the optimal scale parameter determined by the use of Estimation of Scale Parameter (ESP-2) approach. A pansharpened Qickbird-2 image covering Trabzon, Turkey was employed to investigate the objectives of the study. For this purpose, six different combinations of shape/compactness were utilized to make deductions on the behavior of shape and compactness parameters and optimal setting for all parameters as a whole. Objects were assigned to classes using nearest neighbor classifier in all segmentation observations and equal number of pixels was randomly selected to calculate accuracy metrics. The highest overall accuracy (92.3%) was achieved by setting the shape/compactness criteria to 0.3/0.3. The results of this study indicate that shape/compactness parameters can have significant effect on classification accuracy with 4% change in overall accuracy. Also, statistical significance of differences in accuracy was tested using the McNemar's test and found that the difference between poor and optimal setting of shape/compactness parameters was statistically significant, suggesting a search for optimal parameterization instead of default setting.

[Diagnostic criteria and risk assessment of complications after gastric cancer surgery in western countries].

PubMed

Wu, Zhouqiao; Wang, Qi; Shi, Jinyao; Cherry, Koh; Desiderio, Jacopo; Li, Ziyu; Ji, Jiafu

2017-02-25

Postoperative complications are important outcome measurements for surgical quality and safety control. However, the complication registration has always been problematic due to the lack of definition consensus and the other practical difficulties. This narrative review summarizes the data registry system for single institutional registry, national data registry, international multi-center trial registries in the western world, aiming to share the experience of complication classification and data registration. We interviewed Dr. Koh from Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Australia for single institutional experience, Dr. van der Wielen and Dr. Desideriofor, from two international multi-center trial(STOMACH) and registry (IMIGASTRIC) respectively, and Prof. Dr. Wijnhoven from the Dutch Upper GI Audit(DUCA). The major questions include which complications are obligated to report in the respective registry, what are the definitions of those complications, who perform the registration, and how are the complications evaluated or classified. Four telephone conferences were initiated to discuss the above-mentioned topics. The DUCA and IMGASTRIC provided the definition of the major complications. The consent definition provided by DUCA was based on the LOW classification which came out after a four-year discussion and consensus meeting among international experts in the according field. However, none of the four registries asked for an obligatory standardization of the diagnostic criteria among the participating centers or surgeons. Instead, all the registries required a detailed recording of the diagnostic strategy and classification of the complications with the Clavien-Dindo scoring system. Most data were registered by surgeons or data managers during or immediately after the hospitalization. The investigators or an independent third party conducted the auditing of the data quality. Standardization of complication diagnosis among different centers is a difficult task, consuming much effort and time. On top of that, standardization of the complication registration is of critical and practical importance. We encourage all centers to register complications with the diagnostic criteria and following intervention. Based on this, the Clavien-Dindo classification can be properly justified, which has been widely accepted by most centers and should be routinely used as the standard evaluation system for postoperative complications in gastric tumor surgery.

PREDICT-CP: study protocol of implementation of comprehensive surveillance to predict outcomes for school-aged children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Boyd, Roslyn N; Davies, Peter Sw; Ziviani, Jenny; Trost, Stewart; Barber, Lee; Ware, Robert; Rose, Stephen; Whittingham, Koa; Sakzewski, Leanne; Bell, Kristie; Carty, Christopher; Obst, Steven; Benfer, Katherine; Reedman, Sarah; Edwards, Priya; Kentish, Megan; Copeland, Lisa; Weir, Kelly; Davenport, Camilla; Brooks, Denise; Coulthard, Alan; Pelekanos, Rebecca; Guzzetta, Andrea; Fiori, Simona; Wynter, Meredith; Finn, Christine; Burgess, Andrea; Morris, Kym; Walsh, John; Lloyd, Owen; Whitty, Jennifer A; Scuffham, Paul A

2017-07-12

Cerebral palsy (CP) remains the world's most common childhood physical disability with total annual costs of care and lost well-being of $A3.87b. The PREDICT-CP (NHMRC 1077257 Partnership Project: Comprehensive surveillance to PREDICT outcomes for school age children with CP) study will investigate the influence of brain structure, body composition, dietary intake, oropharyngeal function, habitual physical activity, musculoskeletal development (hip status, bone health) and muscle performance on motor attainment, cognition, executive function, communication, participation, quality of life and related health resource use costs. The PREDICT-CP cohort provides further follow-up at 8-12 years of two overlapping preschool-age cohorts examined from 1.5 to 5 years (NHMRC 465128 motor and brain development; NHMRC 569605 growth, nutrition and physical activity). This population-based cohort study undertakes state-wide surveillance of 245 children with CP born in Queensland (birth years 2006-2009). Children will be classified for Gross Motor Function Classification System; Manual Ability Classification System, Communication Function Classification System and Eating and Drinking Ability Classification System. Outcomes include gross motor function, musculoskeletal development (hip displacement, spasticity, muscle contracture), upper limb function, communication difficulties, oropharyngeal dysphagia, dietary intake and body composition, participation, parent-reported and child-reported quality of life and medical and allied health resource use. These detailed phenotypical data will be compared with brain macrostructure and microstructure using 3 Tesla MRI (3T MRI). Relationships between brain lesion severity and outcomes will be analysed using multilevel mixed-effects models. The PREDICT-CP protocol is a prospectively registered and ethically accepted study protocol. The study combines data at 1.5-5 then 8-12 years of direct clinical assessment to enable prediction of outcomes and healthcare needs essential for tailoring interventions (eg, rehabilitation, orthopaedic surgery and nutritional supplements) and the projected healthcare utilisation. ACTRN: 12616001488493. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Surface plasmon resonance spectroscopy for analysis of influenza vaccines

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The hemagglutinin (HA) compounds are surface glycoproteins of a virus that can initiate an immune response from a host organism. Hemagglutinin and the related neuraminidase (NA) compounds are the basis for virus strain classification and have become part of the accepted HN taxonomy. These compounds ...

What's in a Name?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tasse, Marc J.

2013-01-01

The World Health Organization (WHO) is in the process of developing the 11th edition of the "International Classification of Diseases" ("ICD-11"). Part of this process includes replacing "mental retardation" with a more acceptable term to identify the condition. The current international consensus appears to be replacing "mental retardation" with…

From Genome-Wide Association Study to Phenome-Wide Association Study: New Paradigms in Obesity Research.

PubMed

Zhang, Y-P; Zhang, Y-Y; Duan, D D

2016-01-01

Obesity is a condition in which excess body fat has accumulated over an extent that increases the risk of many chronic diseases. The current clinical classification of obesity is based on measurement of body mass index (BMI), waist-hip ratio, and body fat percentage. However, these measurements do not account for the wide individual variations in fat distribution, degree of fatness or health risks, and genetic variants identified in the genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In this review, we will address this important issue with the introduction of phenome, phenomics, and phenome-wide association study (PheWAS). We will discuss the new paradigm shift from GWAS to PheWAS in obesity research. In the era of precision medicine, phenomics and PheWAS provide the required approaches to better definition and classification of obesity according to the association of obese phenome with their unique molecular makeup, lifestyle, and environmental impact. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Goddard Space Flight Center specification for Helical-Scan 8-millimeter (mm) magnetic digital data tape cartridge

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Perry, Jimmy L.

1992-01-01

The same kind of standard and controls are established that are currently in use for the procurement of new analog, digital, and IBM/IBM compatible 3480 tape cartridges, and 1 in wide channel video magnetic tapes. The Magnetic Tape Certification Facility (MTCF) maintains a Qualified Products List (QPL) for the procurement of new magnetic media and uses the following specifications for the QPL and Acceptance Tests: (1) NASA TM-79724 is used for the QPL and Acceptance Testing of new analog magnetic tapes; (2) NASA TM-80599 is used for the QPL and Acceptance Testing of new digital magnetic tapes; (3) NASA TM-100702 is used for the QPL and Acceptance Testing of new IBM/IBM compatible 3840 magnetic tape cartridges; and (4) NASA TM-100712 is used for the QPL and Acceptance Testing of new 1 in wide channel video magnetic tapes. This document will be used for the QPL and Acceptance Testing of new Helical Scan 8 mm digital data tape cartridges.

[Classification of memory systems: a revision].

PubMed

Agrest, M

2001-12-01

The present paper exposes the arguments against considering memory as a monolytic entity and how is it to be divided into several systems in order to understand its operation. Historically this division was acknowledge by different authors but in the last few decades it received the confirmation from the scientific research. The most accepted taxonomy establishes the existence of two major memory systems: declarative and non declarative memory. The article also presents the arguments for and against this kind of division, as well as an alternative classification in five major systems: procedural, perceptual representation, semantic, primary and episodic.

Understanding Homicide-Suicide.

PubMed

Knoll, James L

2016-12-01

Homicide-suicide is the phenomenon in which an individual kills 1 or more people and commits suicide. Research on homicide-suicide has been hampered by a lack of an accepted classification scheme and reliance on media reports. Mass murder-suicide is gaining increasing attention particularly in the United States. This article reviews the research and literature on homicide-suicide, proposing a standard classification scheme. Preventive methods are discussed and sociocultural factors explored. For a more accurate and complete understanding of homicide-suicide, it is argued that future research should use the full psychological autopsy approach, to include collateral interviews. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diagnostic discrepancies in retinopathy of prematurity classification

PubMed Central

Campbell, J. Peter; Ryan, Michael C.; Lore, Emily; Tian, Peng; Ostmo, Susan; Jonas, Karyn; Chan, R.V. Paul; Chiang, Michael F.

2016-01-01

Objective To identify the most common areas for discrepancy in retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) classification between experts. Design Prospective cohort study. Subjects, Participants, and/or Controls 281 infants were identified as part of a multi-center, prospective, ROP cohort study from 7 participating centers. Each site had participating ophthalmologists who provided the clinical classification after routine examination using binocular indirect ophthalmoscopy (BIO), and obtained wide-angle retinal images, which were independently classified by two study experts. Methods Wide-angle retinal images (RetCam; Clarity Medical Systems, Pleasanton, CA) were obtained from study subjects, and two experts evaluated each image using a secure web-based module. Image-based classifications for zone, stage, plus disease, overall disease category (no ROP, mild ROP, Type II or pre-plus, and Type I) were compared between the two experts, and to the clinical classification obtained by BIO. Main Outcome Measures Inter-expert image-based agreement and image-based vs. ophthalmoscopic diagnostic agreement using absolute agreement and weighted kappa statistic. Results 1553 study eye examinations from 281 infants were included in the study. Experts disagreed on the stage classification in 620/1553 (40%) of comparisons, plus disease classification (including pre-plus) in 287/1553 (18%), zone in 117/1553 (8%), and overall ROP category in 618/1553 (40%). However, agreement for presence vs. absence of type 1 disease was >95%. There were no differences between image-based and clinical classification except for zone III disease. Conclusions The most common area of discrepancy in ROP classification is stage, although inter-expert agreement for clinically-significant disease such as presence vs. absence of type 1 and type 2 disease is high. There were no differences between image-based grading and the clinical exam in the ability to detect clinically-significant disease. This study provides additional evidence that image-based classification of ROP reliably detects clinically significant levels of ROP with high accuracy compared to the clinical exam. PMID:27238376

Extending the Technology Acceptance Model to Explore the Intention to Use Second Life for Enhancing Healthcare Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chow, Meyrick; Herold, David Kurt; Choo, Tat-Ming; Chan, Kitty

2012-01-01

Learners need to have good reasons to engage and accept e-learning. They need to understand that unless they do, the outcomes will be less favourable. The technology acceptance model (TAM) is the most widely recognized model addressing why users accept or reject technology. This study describes the development and evaluation of a virtual…

29 CFR 14.20 - Dissemination to individuals and firms outside the executive branch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... consideration on an individual basis. (b) Secret and Confidential information. Subject to the restrictions below, Secret or Confidential information may be furnished to an individual or firm outside the executive branch... classification for another Federal department, or outside agency whose security clearances are acceptable to the...

29 CFR 14.20 - Dissemination to individuals and firms outside the executive branch.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... consideration on an individual basis. (b) Secret and Confidential information. Subject to the restrictions below, Secret or Confidential information may be furnished to an individual or firm outside the executive branch... classification for another Federal department, or outside agency whose security clearances are acceptable to the...

An NCME Instructional Module on Data Mining Methods for Classification and Regression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sinharay, Sandip

2016-01-01

Data mining methods for classification and regression are becoming increasingly popular in various scientific fields. However, these methods have not been explored much in educational measurement. This module first provides a review, which should be accessible to a wide audience in education measurement, of some of these methods. The module then…

Use of DAVID algorithms for gene functional classification in a non-model organism, rainbow trout

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Gene functional clustering is essential in transcriptome data analysis but software programs are not always suitable for use with non-model species. The DAVID Gene Functional Classification Tool has been widely used for soft clustering in model species, but requires adaptations for use in non-model ...

A hierarchical classification of freshwater mussel diversity in North America

Treesearch

Wendell R. Haag

2010-01-01

Aim North America harbours the most diverse freshwater mussel fauna on Earth. This fauna has high endemism at the continental scale and within individual river systems. Previous faunal classifications for North America were based on intuitive, subjective assessments of species distributions, primarily the occurrence of endemic species, and do not portray continent-wide...

Classification of mental disorders*

PubMed Central

Stengel, E.

1959-01-01

One of the fundamental difficulties in devising a classification of mental disorders is the lack of agreement among psychiatrists regarding the concepts upon which it should be based: diagnoses can rarely be verified objectively and the same or similar conditions are described under a confusing variety of names. This situation militates against the ready exchange of ideas and experiences and hampers progress. As a first step towards remedying this state of affairs, the author of the article below has undertaken a critical survey of existing classifications. He shows how some of the difficulties created by lack of knowledge regarding pathology and etiology may be overcome by the use of “operational definitions” and outlines the basic principles on which he believes a generally acceptable international classification might be constructed. If this can be done it should lead to a greater measure of agreement regarding the value of specific treatments for mental disorders and greatly facilitate a broad epidemiological approach to psychiatric research. PMID:13834299

Molecular Phylogeny of the Widely Distributed Marine Protists, Phaeodaria (Rhizaria, Cercozoa).

PubMed

Nakamura, Yasuhide; Imai, Ichiro; Yamaguchi, Atsushi; Tuji, Akihiro; Not, Fabrice; Suzuki, Noritoshi

2015-07-01

Phaeodarians are a group of widely distributed marine cercozoans. These plankton organisms can exhibit a large biomass in the environment and are supposed to play an important role in marine ecosystems and in material cycles in the ocean. Accurate knowledge of phaeodarian classification is thus necessary to better understand marine biology, however, phylogenetic information on Phaeodaria is limited. The present study analyzed 18S rDNA sequences encompassing all existing phaeodarian orders, to clarify their phylogenetic relationships and improve their taxonomic classification. The monophyly of Phaeodaria was confirmed and strongly supported by phylogenetic analysis with a larger data set than in previous studies. The phaeodarian clade contained 11 subclades which generally did not correspond to the families and orders of the current classification system. Two families (Challengeriidae and Aulosphaeridae) and two orders (Phaeogromida and Phaeocalpida) are possibly polyphyletic or paraphyletic, and consequently the classification needs to be revised at both the family and order levels by integrative taxonomy approaches. Two morphological criteria, 1) the scleracoma type and 2) its surface structure, could be useful markers at the family level. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

A systematic review of the Robson classification for caesarean section: what works, doesn't work and how to improve it.

PubMed

Betrán, Ana Pilar; Vindevoghel, Nadia; Souza, Joao Paulo; Gülmezoglu, A Metin; Torloni, Maria Regina

2014-01-01

Caesarean sections (CS) rates continue to increase worldwide without a clear understanding of the main drivers and consequences. The lack of a standardized internationally-accepted classification system to monitor and compare CS rates is one of the barriers to a better understanding of this trend. The Robson's 10-group classification is based on simple obstetrical parameters (parity, previous CS, gestational age, onset of labour, fetal presentation and number of fetuses) and does not involve the indication for CS. This classification has become very popular over the last years in many countries. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize the experience of users on the implementation of this classification and proposed adaptations. Four electronic databases were searched. A three-step thematic synthesis approach and a qualitative metasummary method were used. 232 unique reports were identified, 97 were selected for full-text evaluation and 73 were included. These publications reported on the use of Robson's classification in over 33 million women from 31 countries. According to users, the main strengths of the classification are its simplicity, robustness, reliability and flexibility. However, missing data, misclassification of women and lack of definition or consensus on core variables of the classification are challenges. To improve the classification for local use and to decrease heterogeneity within groups, several subdivisions in each of the 10 groups have been proposed. Group 5 (women with previous CS) received the largest number of suggestions. The use of the Robson classification is increasing rapidly and spontaneously worldwide. Despite some limitations, this classification is easy to implement and interpret. Several suggested modifications could be useful to help facilities and countries as they work towards its implementation.

A Systematic Review of the Robson Classification for Caesarean Section: What Works, Doesn't Work and How to Improve It

PubMed Central

Betrán, Ana Pilar; Vindevoghel, Nadia; Souza, Joao Paulo; Gülmezoglu, A. Metin; Torloni, Maria Regina

2014-01-01

Background Caesarean sections (CS) rates continue to increase worldwide without a clear understanding of the main drivers and consequences. The lack of a standardized internationally-accepted classification system to monitor and compare CS rates is one of the barriers to a better understanding of this trend. The Robson's 10-group classification is based on simple obstetrical parameters (parity, previous CS, gestational age, onset of labour, fetal presentation and number of fetuses) and does not involve the indication for CS. This classification has become very popular over the last years in many countries. We conducted a systematic review to synthesize the experience of users on the implementation of this classification and proposed adaptations. Methods Four electronic databases were searched. A three-step thematic synthesis approach and a qualitative metasummary method were used. Results 232 unique reports were identified, 97 were selected for full-text evaluation and 73 were included. These publications reported on the use of Robson's classification in over 33 million women from 31 countries. According to users, the main strengths of the classification are its simplicity, robustness, reliability and flexibility. However, missing data, misclassification of women and lack of definition or consensus on core variables of the classification are challenges. To improve the classification for local use and to decrease heterogeneity within groups, several subdivisions in each of the 10 groups have been proposed. Group 5 (women with previous CS) received the largest number of suggestions. Conclusions The use of the Robson classification is increasing rapidly and spontaneously worldwide. Despite some limitations, this classification is easy to implement and interpret. Several suggested modifications could be useful to help facilities and countries as they work towards its implementation. PMID:24892928

Hierarchical vs non-hierarchical audio indexation and classification for video genres

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dammak, Nouha; BenAyed, Yassine

2018-04-01

In this paper, Support Vector Machines (SVMs) are used for segmenting and indexing video genres based on only audio features extracted at block level, which has a prominent asset by capturing local temporal information. The main contribution of our study is to show the wide effect on the classification accuracies while using an hierarchical categorization structure based on Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) audio descriptor. In fact, the classification consists in three common video genres: sports videos, music clips and news scenes. The sub-classification may divide each genre into several multi-speaker and multi-dialect sub-genres. The validation of this approach was carried out on over 360 minutes of video span yielding a classification accuracy of over 99%.

Pathogenesis-related proteins and peptides as promising tools for engineering plants with multiple stress tolerance.

PubMed

Ali, Sajad; Ganai, Bashir Ahmad; Kamili, Azra N; Bhat, Ajaz Ali; Mir, Zahoor Ahmad; Bhat, Javaid Akhter; Tyagi, Anshika; Islam, Sheikh Tajamul; Mushtaq, Muntazir; Yadav, Prashant; Rawat, Sandhya; Grover, Anita

Pathogenesis-related (PR) proteins and antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are a group of diverse molecules that are induced by phytopathogens as well as defense related signaling molecules. They are the key components of plant innate immune system especially systemic acquired resistance (SAR), and are widely used as diagnostic molecular markers of defense signaling pathways. Although, PR proteins and peptides have been isolated much before but their biological function remains largely enigmatic despite the availability of new scientific tools. The earlier studies have demonstrated that PR genes provide enhanced resistance against both biotic and abiotic stresses, which make them one of the most promising candidates for developing multiple stress tolerant crop varieties. In this regard, plant genetic engineering technology is widely accepted as one of the most fascinating approach to develop the disease resistant transgenic crops using different antimicrobial genes like PR genes. Overexpression of PR genes (chitinase, glucanase, thaumatin, defensin and thionin) individually or in combination have greatly uplifted the level of defense response in plants against a wide range of pathogens. However, the detailed knowledge of signaling pathways that regulates the expression of these versatile proteins is critical for improving crop plants to multiple stresses, which is the future theme of plant stress biology. Hence, this review provides an overall overview on the PR proteins like their classification, role in multiple stresses (biotic and abiotic) as well as in various plant defense signaling cascades. We also highlight the success and snags of transgenic plants expressing PR proteins and peptides. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Hyperspectral wide gap second derivative analysis for in vivo detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Wenli; Wang, Chaojian; Chang, Shufang; Zhang, Shiwu; Xu, Ronald X.

2015-12-01

Hyperspectral reflectance imaging technique has been used for in vivo detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. However, the clinical outcome of this technique is suboptimal owing to multiple limitations such as nonuniform illumination, high-cost and bulky setup, and time-consuming data acquisition and processing. To overcome these limitations, we acquired the hyperspectral data cube in a wavelength ranging from 600 to 800 nm and processed it by a wide gap second derivative analysis method. This method effectively reduced the image artifacts caused by nonuniform illumination and background absorption. Furthermore, with second derivative analysis, only three specific wavelengths (620, 696, and 772 nm) are needed for tissue classification with optimal separability. Clinical feasibility of the proposed image analysis and classification method was tested in a clinical trial where cervical hyperspectral images from three patients were used for classification analysis. Our proposed method successfully classified the cervix tissue into three categories of normal, inflammation and high-grade lesion. These classification results were coincident with those by an experienced gynecology oncologist after applying acetic acid. Our preliminary clinical study has demonstrated the technical feasibility for in vivo and noninvasive detection of cervical neoplasia without acetic acid. Further clinical research is needed in order to establish a large-scale diagnostic database and optimize the tissue classification technique.

Hyperspectral wide gap second derivative analysis for in vivo detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

PubMed

Zheng, Wenli; Wang, Chaojian; Chang, Shufang; Zhang, Shiwu; Xu, Ronald X

2015-12-01

Hyperspectral reflectance imaging technique has been used for in vivo detection of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. However, the clinical outcome of this technique is suboptimal owing to multiple limitations such as nonuniform illumination, high-cost and bulky setup, and time-consuming data acquisition and processing. To overcome these limitations, we acquired the hyperspectral data cube in a wavelength ranging from 600 to 800 nm and processed it by a wide gap second derivative analysis method. This method effectively reduced the image artifacts caused by nonuniform illumination and background absorption. Furthermore, with second derivative analysis, only three specific wavelengths (620, 696, and 772 nm) are needed for tissue classification with optimal separability. Clinical feasibility of the proposed image analysis and classification method was tested in a clinical trial where cervical hyperspectral images from three patients were used for classification analysis. Our proposed method successfully classified the cervix tissue into three categories of normal, inflammation and high-grade lesion. These classification results were coincident with those by an experienced gynecology oncologist after applying acetic acid. Our preliminary clinical study has demonstrated the technical feasibility for in vivo and noninvasive detection of cervical neoplasia without acetic acid. Further clinical research is needed in order to establish a large-scale diagnostic database and optimize the tissue classification technique.

The Value of Ensari's Proposal in Evaluating the Mucosal Pathology of Childhood Celiac Disease: Old Classification versus New Version.

PubMed

Güreşci, Servet; Hızlı, Samil; Simşek, Gülçin Güler

2012-09-01

Small intestinal biopsy remains the gold standard in diagnosing celiac disease (CD); however, the wide spectrum of histopathological states and differential diagnosis of CD is still a diagnostic problem for pathologists. Recently, Ensari reviewed the literature and proposed an update of the histopathological diagnosis and classification for CD. In this study, the histopathological materials of 54 children in whom CD was diagnosed at our hospital were reviewed to compare the previous Marsh and Modified Marsh-Oberhuber classifications with this new proposal. In this study, we show that the Ensari classification is as accurate as the Marsh and Modified Marsh classifications in describing the consecutive states of mucosal damage seen in CD. Ensari's classification is simple, practical and facilitative in diagnosing and subtyping of mucosal pathology of CD.

University Student Perceptions of Technology Use in Mathematics Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zogheib, Bashar; Rabaa'i, Ahmad; Zogheib, Salah; Elsaheli, Ali

2015-01-01

Although most universities and educators are relying on implementing various technological tools in the curriculum, acceptance of such tools among students is still not sufficient. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been widely used by researchers to test user's acceptance of technology in business, education and other domains. This…

Building a common pipeline for rule-based document classification.

PubMed

Patterson, Olga V; Ginter, Thomas; DuVall, Scott L

2013-01-01

Instance-based classification of clinical text is a widely used natural language processing task employed as a step for patient classification, document retrieval, or information extraction. Rule-based approaches rely on concept identification and context analysis in order to determine the appropriate class. We propose a five-step process that enables even small research teams to develop simple but powerful rule-based NLP systems by taking advantage of a common UIMA AS based pipeline for classification. Our proposed methodology coupled with the general-purpose solution provides researchers with access to the data locked in clinical text in cases of limited human resources and compact timelines.

[CIRRNET® - learning from errors, a success story].

PubMed

Frank, O; Hochreutener, M; Wiederkehr, P; Staender, S

2012-06-01

CIRRNET® is the network of local error-reporting systems of the Swiss Patient Safety Foundation. The network has been running since 2006 together with the Swiss Society for Anaesthesiology and Resuscitation (SGAR), and network participants currently include 39 healthcare institutions from all four different language regions of Switzerland. Further institutions can join at any time. Local error reports in CIRRNET® are bundled at a supraregional level, categorised in accordance with the WHO classification, and analysed by medical experts. The CIRRNET® database offers a solid pool of data with error reports from a wide range of medical specialist's areas and provides the basis for identifying relevant problem areas in patient safety. These problem areas are then processed in cooperation with specialists with extremely varied areas of expertise, and recommendations for avoiding these errors are developed by changing care processes (Quick-Alerts®). Having been approved by medical associations and professional medical societies, Quick-Alerts® are widely supported and well accepted in professional circles. The CIRRNET® database also enables any affiliated CIRRNET® participant to access all error reports in the 'closed user area' of the CIRRNET® homepage and to use these error reports for in-house training. A healthcare institution does not have to make every mistake itself - it can learn from the errors of others, compare notes with other healthcare institutions, and use existing knowledge to advance its own patient safety.

A pragmatic clinicopathobiological grouping/staging system for gliomas: proposal of the Indian TNM subcommittee on brain tumors.

PubMed

Gupta, Tejpal; Sarin, Rajiv; Jalali, Rakesh; Sharma, Suash; Kurkure, Purna; Goel, Atul

2009-01-01

There is no universally accepted staging system for primary brain tumors wherein prognostication is mainly based on complex composite indices. To develop a simple, pragmatic, and widely applicable grouping/staging system for gliomas, the most common primary brain tumor. An expert neurooncology panel with representation from radiation oncology, neurosurgery, pathology, radiology, and medical oncology had several rounds of discussion on issues pertinent to brain tumor staging. The trade off was between the accuracy of prognostic categorization and a pragmatic, widely applicable approach. The Tumor-Node-Metastasis staging was considered irrelevant for gliomas that seldom metastasize to lymphatics or outside the neuraxis. Instead, a 4-point staging/grouping system is proposed, using histological grade as the main prognostic variable and at least one stage migration based on other unfavorable features such as tumor location (brainstem); age (<5 years for all grades, >50 years for high-grade, and >40 years for low-grade gliomas); poor neurological performance status (NPS 2-4); multicentricity and/or gliomatosis; and adverse biological parameters (proliferative index, angiogenesis markers, apoptotic index, cytogenetic abnormalities, and molecular markers). In absence of a grouping/staging system for primary brain tumors, prognostification is mostly based on complex composite indices. The proposed clinicopathobiological grouping/staging system for gliomas is a simple, pragmatic, and user-friendly tool with a potential to fulfill the objectives of staging classification.

Does Acceptance and Relationship Focused Behavior Therapy Contribute to Bupropion Outcomes? A Randomized Controlled Trial of Functional Analytic Psychotherapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Smoking Cessation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gifford, Elizabeth V.; Kohlenberg, Barbara S.; Hayes, Steven C.; Pierson, Heather M.; Piasecki, Melissa P.; Antonuccio, David O.; Palm, Kathleen M.

2011-01-01

This study evaluated a treatment combining bupropion with a novel acceptance and relationship focused behavioral intervention based on the acceptance and relationship context (ARC) model. Three hundred and three smokers from a community sample were randomly assigned to bupropion, a widely used smoking cessation medication, or bupropion plus…

Pathological Bases for a Robust Application of Cancer Molecular Classification

PubMed Central

Diaz-Cano, Salvador J.

2015-01-01

Any robust classification system depends on its purpose and must refer to accepted standards, its strength relying on predictive values and a careful consideration of known factors that can affect its reliability. In this context, a molecular classification of human cancer must refer to the current gold standard (histological classification) and try to improve it with key prognosticators for metastatic potential, staging and grading. Although organ-specific examples have been published based on proteomics, transcriptomics and genomics evaluations, the most popular approach uses gene expression analysis as a direct correlate of cellular differentiation, which represents the key feature of the histological classification. RNA is a labile molecule that varies significantly according with the preservation protocol, its transcription reflect the adaptation of the tumor cells to the microenvironment, it can be passed through mechanisms of intercellular transference of genetic information (exosomes), and it is exposed to epigenetic modifications. More robust classifications should be based on stable molecules, at the genetic level represented by DNA to improve reliability, and its analysis must deal with the concept of intratumoral heterogeneity, which is at the origin of tumor progression and is the byproduct of the selection process during the clonal expansion and progression of neoplasms. The simultaneous analysis of multiple DNA targets and next generation sequencing offer the best practical approach for an analytical genomic classification of tumors. PMID:25898411

Classification of diffuse lung diseases: why and how.

PubMed

Hansell, David M

2013-09-01

The understanding of complex lung diseases, notably the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias and small airways diseases, owes as much to repeated attempts over the years to classify them as to any single conceptual breakthrough. One of the many benefits of a successful classification scheme is that it allows workers, within and between disciplines, to be clear that they are discussing the same disease. This may be of particular importance in the recruitment of individuals for a clinical trial that requires a standardized and homogeneous study population. Different specialties require fundamentally different things from a classification: for epidemiologic studies, a classification that requires categorization of individuals according to histopathologic pattern is not usually practicable. Conversely, a scheme that simply divides diffuse parenchymal disease into inflammatory and noninflammatory categories is unlikely to further the understanding about the pathogenesis of disease. Thus, for some disease groupings, for example, pulmonary vasculopathies, there may be several appropriate classifications, each with its merits and demerits. There has been an interesting shift in the past few years, from the accepted primacy of histopathology as the sole basis on which the classification of parenchymal lung disease has rested, to new ways of considering how these entities relate to each other. Some inventive thinking has resulted in new classifications that undoubtedly benefit patients and clinicians in their endeavor to improve management and outcome. The challenge of understanding the logic behind current classifications and their shortcomings are explored in various examples of lung diseases.

Mappability of drug-like space: towards a polypharmacologically competent map of drug-relevant compounds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sidorov, Pavel; Gaspar, Helena; Marcou, Gilles; Varnek, Alexandre; Horvath, Dragos

2015-12-01

Intuitive, visual rendering—mapping—of high-dimensional chemical spaces (CS), is an important topic in chemoinformatics. Such maps were so far dedicated to specific compound collections—either limited series of known activities, or large, even exhaustive enumerations of molecules, but without associated property data. Typically, they were challenged to answer some classification problem with respect to those same molecules, admired for their aesthetical virtues and then forgotten—because they were set-specific constructs. This work wishes to address the question whether a general, compound set-independent map can be generated, and the claim of "universality" quantitatively justified, with respect to all the structure-activity information available so far—or, more realistically, an exploitable but significant fraction thereof. The "universal" CS map is expected to project molecules from the initial CS into a lower-dimensional space that is neighborhood behavior-compliant with respect to a large panel of ligand properties. Such map should be able to discriminate actives from inactives, or even support quantitative neighborhood-based, parameter-free property prediction (regression) models, for a wide panel of targets and target families. It should be polypharmacologically competent, without requiring any target-specific parameter fitting. This work describes an evolutionary growth procedure of such maps, based on generative topographic mapping, followed by the validation of their polypharmacological competence. Validation was achieved with respect to a maximum of exploitable structure-activity information, covering all of Homo sapiens proteins of the ChEMBL database, antiparasitic and antiviral data, etc. Five evolved maps satisfactorily solved hundreds of activity-based ligand classification challenges for targets, and even in vivo properties independent from training data. They also stood chemogenomics-related challenges, as cumulated responsibility vectors obtained by mapping of target-specific ligand collections were shown to represent validated target descriptors, complying with currently accepted target classification in biology. Therefore, they represent, in our opinion, a robust and well documented answer to the key question "What is a good CS map?"

Mappability of drug-like space: towards a polypharmacologically competent map of drug-relevant compounds.

PubMed

Sidorov, Pavel; Gaspar, Helena; Marcou, Gilles; Varnek, Alexandre; Horvath, Dragos

2015-12-01

Intuitive, visual rendering--mapping--of high-dimensional chemical spaces (CS), is an important topic in chemoinformatics. Such maps were so far dedicated to specific compound collections--either limited series of known activities, or large, even exhaustive enumerations of molecules, but without associated property data. Typically, they were challenged to answer some classification problem with respect to those same molecules, admired for their aesthetical virtues and then forgotten--because they were set-specific constructs. This work wishes to address the question whether a general, compound set-independent map can be generated, and the claim of "universality" quantitatively justified, with respect to all the structure-activity information available so far--or, more realistically, an exploitable but significant fraction thereof. The "universal" CS map is expected to project molecules from the initial CS into a lower-dimensional space that is neighborhood behavior-compliant with respect to a large panel of ligand properties. Such map should be able to discriminate actives from inactives, or even support quantitative neighborhood-based, parameter-free property prediction (regression) models, for a wide panel of targets and target families. It should be polypharmacologically competent, without requiring any target-specific parameter fitting. This work describes an evolutionary growth procedure of such maps, based on generative topographic mapping, followed by the validation of their polypharmacological competence. Validation was achieved with respect to a maximum of exploitable structure-activity information, covering all of Homo sapiens proteins of the ChEMBL database, antiparasitic and antiviral data, etc. Five evolved maps satisfactorily solved hundreds of activity-based ligand classification challenges for targets, and even in vivo properties independent from training data. They also stood chemogenomics-related challenges, as cumulated responsibility vectors obtained by mapping of target-specific ligand collections were shown to represent validated target descriptors, complying with currently accepted target classification in biology. Therefore, they represent, in our opinion, a robust and well documented answer to the key question "What is a good CS map?"

International veterinary epilepsy task force consensus report on epilepsy definition, classification and terminology in companion animals.

PubMed

Berendt, Mette; Farquhar, Robyn G; Mandigers, Paul J J; Pakozdy, Akos; Bhatti, Sofie F M; De Risio, Luisa; Fischer, Andrea; Long, Sam; Matiasek, Kaspar; Muñana, Karen; Patterson, Edward E; Penderis, Jacques; Platt, Simon; Podell, Michael; Potschka, Heidrun; Pumarola, Martí Batlle; Rusbridge, Clare; Stein, Veronika M; Tipold, Andrea; Volk, Holger A

2015-08-28

Dogs with epilepsy are among the commonest neurological patients in veterinary practice and therefore have historically attracted much attention with regard to definitions, clinical approach and management. A number of classification proposals for canine epilepsy have been published during the years reflecting always in parts the current proposals coming from the human epilepsy organisation the International League Against Epilepsy (ILAE). It has however not been possible to gain agreed consensus, "a common language", for the classification and terminology used between veterinary and human neurologists and neuroscientists, practitioners, neuropharmacologists and neuropathologists. This has led to an unfortunate situation where different veterinary publications and textbook chapters on epilepsy merely reflect individual author preferences with respect to terminology, which can be confusing to the readers and influence the definition and diagnosis of epilepsy in first line practice and research studies.In this document the International Veterinary Epilepsy Task Force (IVETF) discusses current understanding of canine epilepsy and presents our 2015 proposal for terminology and classification of epilepsy and epileptic seizures. We propose a classification system which reflects new thoughts from the human ILAE but also roots in former well accepted terminology. We think that this classification system can be used by all stakeholders.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy-based investigation and classification of pharmaceutical tablets using multivariate chemometric analysis

PubMed Central

Myakalwar, Ashwin Kumar; Sreedhar, S.; Barman, Ishan; Dingari, Narahara Chari; Rao, S. Venugopal; Kiran, P. Prem; Tewari, Surya P.; Kumar, G. Manoj

2012-01-01

We report the effectiveness of laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) in probing the content of pharmaceutical tablets and also investigate its feasibility for routine classification. This method is particularly beneficial in applications where its exquisite chemical specificity and suitability for remote and on site characterization significantly improves the speed and accuracy of quality control and assurance process. Our experiments reveal that in addition to the presence of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen, which can be primarily attributed to the active pharmaceutical ingredients, specific inorganic atoms were also present in all the tablets. Initial attempts at classification by a ratiometric approach using oxygen to nitrogen compositional values yielded an optimal value (at 746.83 nm) with the least relative standard deviation but nevertheless failed to provide an acceptable classification. To overcome this bottleneck in the detection process, two chemometric algorithms, i.e. principal component analysis (PCA) and soft independent modeling of class analogy (SIMCA), were implemented to exploit the multivariate nature of the LIBS data demonstrating that LIBS has the potential to differentiate and discriminate among pharmaceutical tablets. We report excellent prospective classification accuracy using supervised classification via the SIMCA algorithm, demonstrating its potential for future applications in process analytical technology, especially for fast on-line process control monitoring applications in the pharmaceutical industry. PMID:22099648

Novel Strength Test Battery to Permit Evidence-Based Paralympic Classification

PubMed Central

Beckman, Emma M.; Newcombe, Peter; Vanlandewijck, Yves; Connick, Mark J.; Tweedy, Sean M.

2014-01-01

Abstract Ordinal-scale strength assessment methods currently used in Paralympic athletics classification prevent the development of evidence-based classification systems. This study evaluated a battery of 7, ratio-scale, isometric tests with the aim of facilitating the development of evidence-based methods of classification. This study aimed to report sex-specific normal performance ranges, evaluate test–retest reliability, and evaluate the relationship between the measures and body mass. Body mass and strength measures were obtained from 118 participants—63 males and 55 females—ages 23.2 years ± 3.7 (mean ± SD). Seventeen participants completed the battery twice to evaluate test–retest reliability. The body mass–strength relationship was evaluated using Pearson correlations and allometric exponents. Conventional patterns of force production were observed. Reliability was acceptable (mean intraclass correlation = 0.85). Eight measures had moderate significant correlations with body size (r = 0.30–61). Allometric exponents were higher in males than in females (mean 0.99 vs 0.30). Results indicate that this comprehensive and parsimonious battery is an important methodological advance because it has psychometric properties critical for the development of evidence-based classification. Measures were interrelated with body size, indicating further research is required to determine whether raw measures require normalization in order to be validly applied in classification. PMID:25068950

Automated analysis of food-borne pathogens using a novel microbial cell culture, sensing and classification system.

PubMed

Xiang, Kun; Li, Yinglei; Ford, William; Land, Walker; Schaffer, J David; Congdon, Robert; Zhang, Jing; Sadik, Omowunmi

2016-02-21

We hereby report the design and implementation of an Autonomous Microbial Cell Culture and Classification (AMC(3)) system for rapid detection of food pathogens. Traditional food testing methods require multistep procedures and long incubation period, and are thus prone to human error. AMC(3) introduces a "one click approach" to the detection and classification of pathogenic bacteria. Once the cultured materials are prepared, all operations are automatic. AMC(3) is an integrated sensor array platform in a microbial fuel cell system composed of a multi-potentiostat, an automated data collection system (Python program, Yocto Maxi-coupler electromechanical relay module) and a powerful classification program. The classification scheme consists of Probabilistic Neural Network (PNN), Support Vector Machines (SVM) and General Regression Neural Network (GRNN) oracle-based system. Differential Pulse Voltammetry (DPV) is performed on standard samples or unknown samples. Then, using preset feature extractions and quality control, accepted data are analyzed by the intelligent classification system. In a typical use, thirty-two extracted features were analyzed to correctly classify the following pathogens: Escherichia coli ATCC#25922, Escherichia coli ATCC#11775, and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC#12228. 85.4% accuracy range was recorded for unknown samples, and within a shorter time period than the industry standard of 24 hours.

Towards affordable biomarkers of frontotemporal dementia: A classification study via network's information sharing.

PubMed

Dottori, Martin; Sedeño, Lucas; Martorell Caro, Miguel; Alifano, Florencia; Hesse, Eugenia; Mikulan, Ezequiel; García, Adolfo M; Ruiz-Tagle, Amparo; Lillo, Patricia; Slachevsky, Andrea; Serrano, Cecilia; Fraiman, Daniel; Ibanez, Agustin

2017-06-19

Developing effective and affordable biomarkers for dementias is critical given the difficulty to achieve early diagnosis. In this sense, electroencephalographic (EEG) methods offer promising alternatives due to their low cost, portability, and growing robustness. Here, we relied on EEG signals and a novel information-sharing method to study resting-state connectivity in patients with behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and controls. To evaluate the specificity of our results, we also tested Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients. The classification power of the ensuing connectivity patterns was evaluated through a supervised classification algorithm (support vector machine). In addition, we compared the classification power yielded by (i) functional connectivity, (ii) relevant neuropsychological tests, and (iii) a combination of both. BvFTD patients exhibited a specific pattern of hypoconnectivity in mid-range frontotemporal links, which showed no alterations in AD patients. These functional connectivity alterations in bvFTD were replicated with a low-density EEG setting (20 electrodes). Moreover, while neuropsychological tests yielded acceptable discrimination between bvFTD and controls, the addition of connectivity results improved classification power. Finally, classification between bvFTD and AD patients was better when based on connectivity than on neuropsychological measures. Taken together, such findings underscore the relevance of EEG measures as potential biomarker signatures for clinical settings.

A novel method to guide classification of para swimmers with limb deficiency.

PubMed

Hogarth, Luke; Payton, Carl; Van de Vliet, Peter; Connick, Mark; Burkett, Brendan

2018-05-30

The International Paralympic Committee has directed International Federations that govern Para sports to develop evidence-based classification systems. This study defined the impact of limb deficiency impairment on 100 m freestyle performance to guide an evidence-based classification system in Para Swimming, which will be implemented following the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic games. Impairment data and competitive race performances of 90 international swimmers with limb deficiency were collected. Ensemble partial least squares regression established the relationship between relative limb length measures and competitive 100 m freestyle performance. The model explained 80% of the variance in 100 m freestyle performance, and found hand length and forearm length to be the most important predictors of performance. Based on the results of this model, Para swimmers were clustered into four-, five-, six- and seven-class structures using nonparametric kernel density estimations. The validity of these classification structures, and effectiveness against the current classification system, were examined by establishing within-class variations in 100 m freestyle performance and differences between adjacent classes. The derived classification structures were found to be more effective than current classification based on these criteria. This study provides a novel method that can be used to improve the objectivity and transparency of decision-making in Para sport classification. Expert consensus from experienced coaches, Para swimmers, classifiers and sport science and medicine personnel will benefit the translation of these findings into a revised classification system that is accepted by the Para swimming community. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Chinese Nurses' Acceptance of PDA: A Cross-Sectional Survey Using a Technology Acceptance Model.

PubMed

Wang, Yanling; Xiao, Qian; Sun, Liu; Wu, Ying

2016-01-01

This study explores Chinese nurses' acceptance of PDA, using a questionnaire based on the framework of Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). 357 nurses were involved in the study. The results reveal the scores of the nurses' acceptance of PDA were means 3.18~3.36 in four dimensions. The younger of nurses, the higher nurses' title, the longer previous usage time, the more experienced using PDA, and the more acceptance of PDA. Therefore, the hospital administrators may change strategies to enhance nurses' acceptance of PDA, and promote the wide application of PDA.

Automated classification of periodic variable stars detected by the wide-field infrared survey explorer

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

Masci, Frank J.; Grillmair, Carl J.; Cutri, Roc M.

2014-07-01

We describe a methodology to classify periodic variable stars identified using photometric time-series measurements constructed from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) full-mission single-exposure Source Databases. This will assist in the future construction of a WISE Variable Source Database that assigns variables to specific science classes as constrained by the WISE observing cadence with statistically meaningful classification probabilities. We have analyzed the WISE light curves of 8273 variable stars identified in previous optical variability surveys (MACHO, GCVS, and ASAS) and show that Fourier decomposition techniques can be extended into the mid-IR to assist with their classification. Combined with other periodicmore » light-curve features, this sample is then used to train a machine-learned classifier based on the random forest (RF) method. Consistent with previous classification studies of variable stars in general, the RF machine-learned classifier is superior to other methods in terms of accuracy, robustness against outliers, and relative immunity to features that carry little or redundant class information. For the three most common classes identified by WISE: Algols, RR Lyrae, and W Ursae Majoris type variables, we obtain classification efficiencies of 80.7%, 82.7%, and 84.5% respectively using cross-validation analyses, with 95% confidence intervals of approximately ±2%. These accuracies are achieved at purity (or reliability) levels of 88.5%, 96.2%, and 87.8% respectively, similar to that achieved in previous automated classification studies of periodic variable stars.« less

Analysis on the Utility of Satellite Imagery for Detection of Agricultural Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, J.-M.; Baek, S.-H.; Jung, K.-Y.

2012-07-01

Now that the agricultural facilities are being increase owing to development of technology and diversification of agriculture and the ratio of garden crops that are imported a lot and the crops cultivated in facilities are raised in Korea, the number of vinyl greenhouses is tending upward. So, it is important to grasp the distribution of vinyl greenhouses as much as that of rice fields, dry fields and orchards, but it is difficult to collect the information of wide areas economically and correctly. Remote sensing using satellite imagery is able to obtain data of wide area at the same time, quickly and cost-effectively collect, monitor and analyze information from every object on earth. In this study, in order to analyze the utilization of satellite imagery at detection of agricultural facility, image classification was performed about the agricultural facility, vinyl greenhouse using Formosat-2 satellite imagery. The training set of sea, vegetation, building, bare ground and vinyl greenhouse was set to monitor the agricultural facilities of the object area and the training set for the vinyl greenhouses that are main monitoring object was classified and set again into 3 types according the spectral characteristics. The image classification using 4 kinds of supervise classification methods applied by the same training set were carried out to grasp the image classification method which is effective for monitoring agricultural facilities. And, in order to minimize the misclassification appeared in the classification using the spectral information, the accuracy of classification was intended to be raised by adding texture information. The results of classification were analyzed regarding the accuracy comparing with that of naked-eyed detection. As the results of classification, the method of Mahalanobis distance was shown as more efficient than other methods and the accuracy of classification was higher when adding texture information. Hence the more effective monitoring of agricultural facilities is expected to be available if the characteristics such as texture information including satellite images or spatial pattern are studied in detail.

A Data Augmentation Approach to Short Text Classification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rosario, Ryan Robert

2017-01-01

Text classification typically performs best with large training sets, but short texts are very common on the World Wide Web. Can we use resampling and data augmentation to construct larger texts using similar terms? Several current methods exist for working with short text that rely on using external data and contexts, or workarounds. Our focus is…

An Introduction to Recursive Partitioning: Rationale, Application, and Characteristics of Classification and Regression Trees, Bagging, and Random Forests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Strobl, Carolin; Malley, James; Tutz, Gerhard

2009-01-01

Recursive partitioning methods have become popular and widely used tools for nonparametric regression and classification in many scientific fields. Especially random forests, which can deal with large numbers of predictor variables even in the presence of complex interactions, have been applied successfully in genetics, clinical medicine, and…

The fuelbed: a key element of the Fuel Characteristic Classification System.

Treesearch

Cynthia L. Riccardi; Roger D. Ottmar; David V. Sandberg; Anne Andreu; Ella Elman; Karen Kopper; Jennifer Long

2007-01-01

Wildland fuelbed characteristics are temporally and spatially complex and can vary widely across regions. To capture this variability, we designed the Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS), a national system to create fuelbeds and classify those fuelbeds for their capacity to support fire and consume fuels. This paper describes the structure of the fuelbeds...

Ecological classification and management characteristics of montane forest land in southwestern Washington.

Treesearch

D.G. Brockway; C. Topik

1984-01-01

Vegetation, soil, and site data werecollectedthroughout the forested portion of the Pacific silver fir and mountain hemlock zones of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest as part of the Forest Service program to develop anecoIogicallybasedplant association classification system for the Pacific Northwest Region. The major objective of sampling was to include a wide...

Genome-Wide Association Mapping for Intelligence in Military Working Dogs: Canine Cohort, Canine Intelligence Assessment Regimen, Genome-Wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Typing, and Unsupervised Classification Algorithm for Genome-Wide Association Data Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

Almasy, L, Blangero, J. (2009) Human QTL linkage mapping. Genetica 136:333-340. Amos, CI. (2007) Successful design and conduct of genome-wide...quantitative trait loci. Genetica 136:237-243. Skol AD, Scott LJ, Abecasis GR, Boehnke M. (2006) Joint analysis is more efficient than replication

Prevention and treatment of allergic asthma in pregnancy: from conventional drugs to new therapeutical approaches.

PubMed

Cadavid, Angela P; Bannenberg, Gérard L; Arck, Petra C; Fitzgerald, Justine S; Markert, Udo R

2011-05-01

Different conventional anti-asthmatic and anti-allergic drugs are commonly used in pregnancy, including inhaled corticosteroids, long- and short-acting β-agonists, leukotriene modifiers, cromolyn, and theophylline. Alternatively, immunotherapy with allergens before and during pregnancy is accepted as a causal treatment of allergies, but the allergy specifity and severity in combination with a variety of application protocols and procedures cause wide heterogenity of this treatment principle. Furthermore, the pharmacokinetic characteristics and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) classification of conventional anti-allergic drugs and immunological implications of immunotherapy are summarized in this review, and insights on fetal programming of allergies are introduced. We propose a potential perspective of treatment with anti-inflammatory and pro-resolving mediators, such as lipoxins, resolvins and protectins; these are lipid mediators physiologically generated during the immune response from arachidonic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. This proposal fits with the recently appreciated approaches to allergy prevention for the newborn child by a balanced maternal nutrition and omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption.

On the Performance Evaluation of 3D Reconstruction Techniques from a Sequence of Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eid, Ahmed; Farag, Aly

2005-12-01

The performance evaluation of 3D reconstruction techniques is not a simple problem to solve. This is not only due to the increased dimensionality of the problem but also due to the lack of standardized and widely accepted testing methodologies. This paper presents a unified framework for the performance evaluation of different 3D reconstruction techniques. This framework includes a general problem formalization, different measuring criteria, and a classification method as a first step in standardizing the evaluation process. Performance characterization of two standard 3D reconstruction techniques, stereo and space carving, is also presented. The evaluation is performed on the same data set using an image reprojection testing methodology to reduce the dimensionality of the evaluation domain. Also, different measuring strategies are presented and applied to the stereo and space carving techniques. These measuring strategies have shown consistent results in quantifying the performance of these techniques. Additional experiments are performed on the space carving technique to study the effect of the number of input images and the camera pose on its performance.

Health care needs in end-stage COPD: a structured literature review.

PubMed

Habraken, Jolanda M; Willems, Dick L; de Kort, Susanne J; Bindels, Patrick J E

2007-10-01

To give an overview of relevant literature regarding health care needs in end-stage COPD and to identify specific areas where knowledge about needs is still lacking. We conducted a structured literature review. We used Bradshaw's classification system. Seventy-seven publications were found. Ten publications were included in the review. The results reported cover a wide range of subjects, all regarded as health care needs. Most reported on 'felt need', i.e. needs that are mentioned by patients themselves. Results on 'normative need' (based on expert judgement) were lacking. The literature about the health care needs of patients in the end-stage of COPD is sparse, and there is no commonly accepted definition of health care needs. Looking at the increasing demand for end of life care for COPD patients, there is a clear need for further research on this subject. We especially need to focus on agreement between experts and professionals so that guidelines can be developed. To attend to the unfulfilled needs of end-stage COPD patients, the delivery of health care should be re-examined carefully.

Transitioning from Acute to Chronic Pain: An Examination of Different Trajectories of Low-Back Pain.

PubMed

Gatchel, Robert J; Bevers, Kelley; Licciardone, John C; Su, Jianzhong; Du, Ying; Brotto, Marco

2018-05-17

Traditionally, there has been a widely accepted notion that the transition from acute to chronic pain follows a linear trajectory, where an injury leads to acute episodes, subacute stages, and progresses to a chronic pain condition. However, it appears that pain progression is much more complicated and individualized than this original unsupported assumption. It is now becoming apparent that, while this linear progression may occur, it is not the only path that pain, specifically low-back pain, follows. It is clear there is a definite need to evaluate how low-back pain trajectories are classified and, subsequently, how we can more effectively intervene during these progression stages. In order to better understand and manage pain conditions, we must examine the different pain trajectories, and develop a standard by which to use these classifications, so that clinicians can better identify and predict patient-needs and customize treatments for maximum efficacy. The present article examines the most recent trajectory research, and highlights the importance of developing a broader model for patient evaluation.

Versatility and nuances of the architecture of haematopoiesis - Implications for the nature of leukaemia.

PubMed

Brown, Geoffrey; Hughes, Philip J; Ceredig, Rhodri; Michell, Robert H

2012-01-01

For many years there was a widely accepted picture of how a haematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gives rise to the multiple types of blood and immune cells. This described the general nature of stem and progenitor cells and the pathways of cell development. Recent years have seen many attempts to re-draw the map of haematopoiesis. These have become increasingly complex, and they often envisage multiples routes to some cell types. The 'established' view that self-renewal in haematopoiesis only occurs in HSCs has been challenged by the recognition of self-renewing HSC-derived progenitor cells that display at least some fate restriction. This evolution of how normal haematopoiesis is viewed has inevitable implications for understanding the origins, disease progression and classification of the leukaemias. In essence, some progenitor cells are now seen as possessing a larger repertoire of routes to end-fates than was previously thought. This leads one to ask whether leukaemia stem cells are equally or less versatile than their normal counterparts? Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Psychiatry of the future: an overview of foreign scientists opinions of the position of psychiatry in the modern world].

PubMed

Makushkin, Ye V; Oskolkova, S N; Fastovtsov, G A

2017-01-01

First part of this review (Chapter 1) demonstrates an ambiguous attitude toward psychiatry among professionals and in society in recent decades. The articles of supporters and opponents of psychiatry are also quoted. The authors describe the dynamics of the reflection of psychopathology in the main widely accepted classifications and manuals. Critical and negative opinions regarding the DSM-5, due to its role in the 'medicalization' processes, for the movement 'World Mental Health', are mentioned. The history of antipsychiatry movement and its results for psychiatry and society are analyzed as well. An analysis of the articles on the scientific basis of psychiatry and its intersections with other sciences is presented. Several examples of studies on brain networks in correlation with clinical data, which may have possible implications for the future, are quoted. The authors call for the 'cure for dichotomy' between mind and brain before treatment of the patient. According to the analysis of available data, this problem seems too hard to be solved, as it requires theological knowledge, of which we probably have not enough knowledge.

Viral dark matter and virus–host interactions resolved from publicly available microbial genomes

PubMed Central

Roux, Simon; Hallam, Steven J; Woyke, Tanja; Sullivan, Matthew B

2015-01-01

The ecological importance of viruses is now widely recognized, yet our limited knowledge of viral sequence space and virus–host interactions precludes accurate prediction of their roles and impacts. In this study, we mined publicly available bacterial and archaeal genomic data sets to identify 12,498 high-confidence viral genomes linked to their microbial hosts. These data augment public data sets 10-fold, provide first viral sequences for 13 new bacterial phyla including ecologically abundant phyla, and help taxonomically identify 7–38% of ‘unknown’ sequence space in viromes. Genome- and network-based classification was largely consistent with accepted viral taxonomy and suggested that (i) 264 new viral genera were identified (doubling known genera) and (ii) cross-taxon genomic recombination is limited. Further analyses provided empirical data on extrachromosomal prophages and coinfection prevalences, as well as evaluation of in silico virus–host linkage predictions. Together these findings illustrate the value of mining viral signal from microbial genomes. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.08490.001 PMID:26200428

Automated Gene Ontology annotation for anonymous sequence data.

PubMed

Hennig, Steffen; Groth, Detlef; Lehrach, Hans

2003-07-01

Gene Ontology (GO) is the most widely accepted attempt to construct a unified and structured vocabulary for the description of genes and their products in any organism. Annotation by GO terms is performed in most of the current genome projects, which besides generality has the advantage of being very convenient for computer based classification methods. However, direct use of GO in small sequencing projects is not easy, especially for species not commonly represented in public databases. We present a software package (GOblet), which performs annotation based on GO terms for anonymous cDNA or protein sequences. It uses the species independent GO structure and vocabulary together with a series of protein databases collected from various sites, to perform a detailed GO annotation by sequence similarity searches. The sensitivity and the reference protein sets can be selected by the user. GOblet runs automatically and is available as a public service on our web server. The paper also addresses the reliability of automated GO annotations by using a reference set of more than 6000 human proteins. The GOblet server is accessible at http://goblet.molgen.mpg.de.

Schizophrenia with prominent catatonic features: A selective review.

PubMed

Ungvari, Gabor S; Gerevich, Jozsef; Takács, Rozália; Gazdag, Gábor

2017-08-14

A widely accepted consensus holds that a variety of motor symptoms subsumed under the term 'catatonia' have been an integral part of the symptomatology of schizophrenia since 1896, when Kraepelin proposed the concept of dementia praecox (schizophrenia). Until recently, psychiatric classifications included catatonic schizophrenia mainly through tradition, without compelling evidence of its validity as a schizophrenia subtype. This selective review briefly summarizes the history, psychopathology, demographic and epidemiological data, and treatment options for schizophrenia with prominent catatonic features. Although most catatonic signs and symptoms are easy to observe and measure, the lack of conceptual clarity of catatonia and consensus about the threshold and criteria for its diagnosis have hampered our understanding of how catatonia contributes to the pathophysiology of schizophrenic psychoses. Diverse study samples and methodologies have further hindered research on schizophrenia with prominent catatonic features. A focus on the motor aspects of broadly defined schizophrenia using modern methods of detecting and quantifying catatonic signs and symptoms coupled with sophisticated neuroimaging techniques offers a new approach to research in this long-overlooked field. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

[Periprosthetic knee fractures].

PubMed

Mittlmeier, T; Beck, M; Bosch, U; Wichelhaus, A

2016-01-01

The cumulative incidence of periprosthetic fractures around the knee is increasing further because of an extended indication for knee replacement, previous revision arthroplasty, rising life expectancy and comorbidities. The relevance of local parameters such as malalignment, osseous defects, neighbouring implants, aseptic loosening and low-grade infections may sometimes be hidden behind the manifestation of a traumatic fracture. A differentiated diagnostic approach before the treatment of a periprosthetic fracture is of paramount importance, while the physician in-charge should also have particular expertise in fracture treatment and in advanced techniques of revision endoprosthetics. The following work gives an overview of this topic. Valid classifications are available for categorising periprosthetic fractures of the femur, the tibia and the patella respectively, which are helpful for the selection of treatment. With the wide-ranging modern treatment portfolio bearing in mind the substantial rate of complications and the heterogeneous functional outcome, the adequate analysis of fracture aetiology and the corresponding transformation into an individualised treatment concept offer the chance of an acceptable functional restoration of the patient at early full weight-bearing and prolonged implant survival. The management of complications is crucial to the final outcome.

Psychosocial factors, psychiatric illness and functional gastrointestinal disorders: a historical perspective.

PubMed

Van Oudenhove, Lukas; Vandenberghe, Joris; Demyttenaere, Koen; Tack, Jan

2010-01-01

A new classification of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) became available recently, based on consensus in expert committees ('Rome III process'). It is widely accepted that these frequent disorders, although their pathophysiology remains incompletely understood, result from a complex reciprocal interaction between biological, psychological and social factors that can be predisposing, precipitating and/or perpetuating. Comorbidity with psychiatric disorders, especially mood and anxiety disorders, is high. Modern epidemiologic, psychophysiological and functional neuroimaging studies have partially elucidated the mechanisms underlying the relation between cognitive-affective processes on the one hand and GI function and symptom reporting on the other. The aim of this article is to provide a noncomprehensive historical review of the literature on FGID up to the mid-20th century, with special emphasis on the role of psychosocial factors and psychiatric comorbidity. We can conclude from this review that a lot of the knowledge that became available recently through modern research methodology can also be found in the historical psychosomatic and neuroscience literature, though obviously less empirically grounded. This provides further support for an integrative, multidisciplinary biopsychosocial approach to FGID.

Impact of Collaborative Work on Technology Acceptance: A Case Study from Virtual Computing

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Konak, Abdullah; Kulturel-Konak, Sadan; Nasereddin, Mahdi; Bartolacci, Michael R.

2017-01-01

Aim/Purpose: This paper utilizes the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to examine the extent to which acceptance of Remote Virtual Computer Laboratories (RVCLs) is affected by students' technological backgrounds and the role of collaborative work. Background: RVCLs are widely used in information technology and cyber security education to provide…

A decision support model for investment on P2P lending platform.

PubMed

Zeng, Xiangxiang; Liu, Li; Leung, Stephen; Du, Jiangze; Wang, Xun; Li, Tao

2017-01-01

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, as a novel economic lending model, has triggered new challenges on making effective investment decisions. In a P2P lending platform, one lender can invest N loans and a loan may be accepted by M investors, thus forming a bipartite graph. Basing on the bipartite graph model, we built an iteration computation model to evaluate the unknown loans. To validate the proposed model, we perform extensive experiments on real-world data from the largest American P2P lending marketplace-Prosper. By comparing our experimental results with those obtained by Bayes and Logistic Regression, we show that our computation model can help borrowers select good loans and help lenders make good investment decisions. Experimental results also show that the Logistic classification model is a good complement to our iterative computation model, which motivates us to integrate the two classification models. The experimental results of the hybrid classification model demonstrate that the logistic classification model and our iteration computation model are complementary to each other. We conclude that the hybrid model (i.e., the integration of iterative computation model and Logistic classification model) is more efficient and stable than the individual model alone.

Application of the SNoW machine learning paradigm to a set of transportation imaging problems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Peter; Burry, Aaron M.; Wang, Yuheng; Kozitsky, Vladimir

2012-01-01

Machine learning methods have been successfully applied to image object classification problems where there is clear distinction between classes and where a comprehensive set of training samples and ground truth are readily available. The transportation domain is an area where machine learning methods are particularly applicable, since the classification problems typically have well defined class boundaries and, due to high traffic volumes in most applications, massive roadway data is available. Though these classes tend to be well defined, the particular image noises and variations can be challenging. Another challenge is the extremely high accuracy typically required in most traffic applications. Incorrect assignment of fines or tolls due to imaging mistakes is not acceptable in most applications. For the front seat vehicle occupancy detection problem, classification amounts to determining whether one face (driver only) or two faces (driver + passenger) are detected in the front seat of a vehicle on a roadway. For automatic license plate recognition, the classification problem is a type of optical character recognition problem encompassing multiple class classification. The SNoW machine learning classifier using local SMQT features is shown to be successful in these two transportation imaging applications.

A decision support model for investment on P2P lending platform

PubMed Central

Liu, Li; Leung, Stephen; Du, Jiangze; Wang, Xun; Li, Tao

2017-01-01

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending, as a novel economic lending model, has triggered new challenges on making effective investment decisions. In a P2P lending platform, one lender can invest N loans and a loan may be accepted by M investors, thus forming a bipartite graph. Basing on the bipartite graph model, we built an iteration computation model to evaluate the unknown loans. To validate the proposed model, we perform extensive experiments on real-world data from the largest American P2P lending marketplace—Prosper. By comparing our experimental results with those obtained by Bayes and Logistic Regression, we show that our computation model can help borrowers select good loans and help lenders make good investment decisions. Experimental results also show that the Logistic classification model is a good complement to our iterative computation model, which motivates us to integrate the two classification models. The experimental results of the hybrid classification model demonstrate that the logistic classification model and our iteration computation model are complementary to each other. We conclude that the hybrid model (i.e., the integration of iterative computation model and Logistic classification model) is more efficient and stable than the individual model alone. PMID:28877234

Screening Test Items for Differential Item Functioning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longford, Nicholas T.

2014-01-01

A method for medical screening is adapted to differential item functioning (DIF). Its essential elements are explicit declarations of the level of DIF that is acceptable and of the loss function that quantifies the consequences of the two kinds of inappropriate classification of an item. Instead of a single level and a single function, sets of…

On Harnessing R&D To Advance Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whitworth, Fred E.

The role of research and development in education is considered under nine main topics: 1) the need to reach agreement on a working definition and an acceptable classification of types of research; 2) the need for a balanced program requiring specific provisions for speculative and practical research, with school research units to ensure the…

Innovation Policies from the European Union: Methods for Classification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rodriguez, Victor; Montalvo, Carlos

2007-01-01

This study focuses on taxonomic and typological methods of innovation policies in the European institutional context. Although many types of policies affect innovation, no universally accepted criteria exist to classify them. As innovation policy in a myriad of thematic areas--systemic model--has become pluralized, this article offers a method for…

Introducing Students to Rheological Classification of Foods, Cosmetics, and Pharmaceutical Excipients Using Common Viscous Materials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faustino, Ce´lia; Bettencourt, Ana F.; Alfaia, Anto´nio; Pinheiro, Lídia

2015-01-01

Rheological measurements are very important tools for the characterization of the flow and deformation of a material, as well as for optimization of the rheological parameters. The application and acceptance of pharmaceutical formulations, cosmetics, and foodstuffs depends upon their rheological characteristics, such as texture, consistency, or…

Recent advances in research on volatile aroma compounds in tomatoes and their impacting factors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aroma is an important sensory attribute of tomatoes. Tomato aroma is formed by a complex mixture of more than 400 volatile compounds, and it plays an important role in the classification and consumer acceptability of tomato products. This article provides a brief overview of the volatile aroma compo...

Learning to Live as Neighbors. 1971-1972 Annual Bulletin.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Monroe D., Ed.

The 20 articles presented are under three classifications: general philosophy, methodology, and case studies. The articles are: The World House: Building a Qualitative Environment for All the World's Children by Alice Miel; Accepting the Selves of Others: People Around the World by Leonard S. Kenworthy; Universality of Differences by Margaret L.…

International regulatory requirements for skin sensitization testing.

PubMed

Daniel, Amber B; Strickland, Judy; Allen, David; Casati, Silvia; Zuang, Valérie; Barroso, João; Whelan, Maurice; Régimbald-Krnel, M J; Kojima, Hajime; Nishikawa, Akiyoshi; Park, Hye-Kyung; Lee, Jong Kwon; Kim, Tae Sung; Delgado, Isabella; Rios, Ludmila; Yang, Ying; Wang, Gangli; Kleinstreuer, Nicole

2018-06-01

Skin sensitization test data are required or considered by chemical regulation authorities around the world. These data are used to develop product hazard labeling for the protection of consumers or workers and to assess risks from exposure to skin-sensitizing chemicals. To identify opportunities for regulatory uses of non-animal replacements for skin sensitization tests, the needs and uses for skin sensitization test data must first be clarified. Thus, we reviewed skin sensitization testing requirements for seven countries or regions that are represented in the International Cooperation on Alternative Test Methods (ICATM). We noted the type of skin sensitization data required for each chemical sector and whether these data were used in a hazard classification, potency classification, or risk assessment context; the preferred tests; and whether alternative non-animal tests were acceptable. An understanding of national and regional regulatory requirements for skin sensitization testing will inform the development of ICATM's international strategy for the acceptance and implementation of non-animal alternatives to assess the health hazards and risks associated with potential skin sensitizers. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cluster Method Analysis of K. S. C. Image

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rodriguez, Joe, Jr.; Desai, M.

1997-01-01

Information obtained from satellite-based systems has moved to the forefront as a method in the identification of many land cover types. Identification of different land features through remote sensing is an effective tool for regional and global assessment of geometric characteristics. Classification data acquired from remote sensing images have a wide variety of applications. In particular, analysis of remote sensing images have special applications in the classification of various types of vegetation. Results obtained from classification studies of a particular area or region serve towards a greater understanding of what parameters (ecological, temporal, etc.) affect the region being analyzed. In this paper, we make a distinction between both types of classification approaches although, focus is given to the unsupervised classification method using 1987 Thematic Mapped (TM) images of Kennedy Space Center.

Classification of ASKAP Vast Radio Light Curves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rebbapragada, Umaa; Lo, Kitty; Wagstaff, Kiri L.; Reed, Colorado; Murphy, Tara; Thompson, David R.

2012-01-01

The VAST survey is a wide-field survey that observes with unprecedented instrument sensitivity (0.5 mJy or lower) and repeat cadence (a goal of 5 seconds) that will enable novel scientific discoveries related to known and unknown classes of radio transients and variables. Given the unprecedented observing characteristics of VAST, it is important to estimate source classification performance, and determine best practices prior to the launch of ASKAP's BETA in 2012. The goal of this study is to identify light curve characterization and classification algorithms that are best suited for archival VAST light curve classification. We perform our experiments on light curve simulations of eight source types and achieve best case performance of approximately 90% accuracy. We note that classification performance is most influenced by light curve characterization rather than classifier algorithm.

Weakly supervised classification in high energy physics

DOE PAGES

Dery, Lucio Mwinmaarong; Nachman, Benjamin; Rubbo, Francesco; ...

2017-05-01

As machine learning algorithms become increasingly sophisticated to exploit subtle features of the data, they often become more dependent on simulations. Here, this paper presents a new approach called weakly supervised classification in which class proportions are the only input into the machine learning algorithm. Using one of the most challenging binary classification tasks in high energy physics $-$ quark versus gluon tagging $-$ we show that weakly supervised classification can match the performance of fully supervised algorithms. Furthermore, by design, the new algorithm is insensitive to any mis-modeling of discriminating features in the data by the simulation. Weakly supervisedmore » classification is a general procedure that can be applied to a wide variety of learning problems to boost performance and robustness when detailed simulations are not reliable or not available.« less

Weakly supervised classification in high energy physics

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

Dery, Lucio Mwinmaarong; Nachman, Benjamin; Rubbo, Francesco

As machine learning algorithms become increasingly sophisticated to exploit subtle features of the data, they often become more dependent on simulations. Here, this paper presents a new approach called weakly supervised classification in which class proportions are the only input into the machine learning algorithm. Using one of the most challenging binary classification tasks in high energy physics $-$ quark versus gluon tagging $-$ we show that weakly supervised classification can match the performance of fully supervised algorithms. Furthermore, by design, the new algorithm is insensitive to any mis-modeling of discriminating features in the data by the simulation. Weakly supervisedmore » classification is a general procedure that can be applied to a wide variety of learning problems to boost performance and robustness when detailed simulations are not reliable or not available.« less

The Value of Ensari’s Proposal in Evaluating the Mucosal Pathology of Childhood Celiac Disease: Old Classification versus New Version

PubMed Central

Güreşci, Servet; Hızlı, Şamil; Şimşek, Gülçin Güler

2012-01-01

Objective: Small intestinal biopsy remains the gold standard in diagnosing celiac disease (CD); however, the wide spectrum of histopathological states and differential diagnosis of CD is still a diagnostic problem for pathologists. Recently, Ensari reviewed the literature and proposed an update of the histopathological diagnosis and classification for CD. Materials and Methods: In this study, the histopathological materials of 54 children in whom CD was diagnosed at our hospital were reviewed to compare the previous Marsh and Modified Marsh-Oberhuber classifications with this new proposal. Results: In this study, we show that the Ensari classification is as accurate as the Marsh and Modified Marsh classifications in describing the consecutive states of mucosal damage seen in CD. Conclusions: Ensari’s classification is simple, practical and facilitative in diagnosing and subtyping of mucosal pathology of CD. PMID:25207015

A proposal for a CT driven classification of left colon acute diverticulitis.

PubMed

Sartelli, Massimo; Moore, Frederick A; Ansaloni, Luca; Di Saverio, Salomone; Coccolini, Federico; Griffiths, Ewen A; Coimbra, Raul; Agresta, Ferdinando; Sakakushev, Boris; Ordoñez, Carlos A; Abu-Zidan, Fikri M; Karamarkovic, Aleksandar; Augustin, Goran; Costa Navarro, David; Ulrych, Jan; Demetrashvili, Zaza; Melo, Renato B; Marwah, Sanjay; Zachariah, Sanoop K; Wani, Imtiaz; Shelat, Vishal G; Kim, Jae Il; McFarlane, Michael; Pintar, Tadaja; Rems, Miran; Bala, Miklosh; Ben-Ishay, Offir; Gomes, Carlos Augusto; Faro, Mario Paulo; Pereira, Gerson Alves; Catani, Marco; Baiocchi, Gianluca; Bini, Roberto; Anania, Gabriele; Negoi, Ionut; Kecbaja, Zurabs; Omari, Abdelkarim H; Cui, Yunfeng; Kenig, Jakub; Sato, Norio; Vereczkei, Andras; Skrovina, Matej; Das, Koray; Bellanova, Giovanni; Di Carlo, Isidoro; Segovia Lohse, Helmut A; Kong, Victor; Kok, Kenneth Y; Massalou, Damien; Smirnov, Dmitry; Gachabayov, Mahir; Gkiokas, Georgios; Marinis, Athanasios; Spyropoulos, Charalampos; Nikolopoulos, Ioannis; Bouliaris, Konstantinos; Tepp, Jaan; Lohsiriwat, Varut; Çolak, Elif; Isik, Arda; Rios-Cruz, Daniel; Soto, Rodolfo; Abbas, Ashraf; Tranà, Cristian; Caproli, Emanuele; Soldatenkova, Darija; Corcione, Francesco; Piazza, Diego; Catena, Fausto

2015-01-01

Computed tomography (CT) imaging is the most appropriate diagnostic tool to confirm suspected left colonic diverticulitis. However, the utility of CT imaging goes beyond accurate diagnosis of diverticulitis; the grade of severity on CT imaging may drive treatment planning of patients presenting with acute diverticulitis. The appropriate management of left colon acute diverticulitis remains still debated because of the vast spectrum of clinical presentations and different approaches to treatment proposed. The authors present a new simple classification system based on both CT scan results driving decisions making management of acute diverticulitis that may be universally accepted for day to day practice.

Determination of the chemical parameters and manufacturer of divins from their broadband transmission spectra

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khodasevich, M. A.; Sinitsyn, G. V.; Skorbanova, E. A.; Rogovaya, M. V.; Kambur, E. I.; Aseev, V. A.

2016-06-01

Analysis of multiparametric data on transmission spectra of 24 divins (Moldovan cognacs) in the 190-2600 nm range allows identification of outliers and their removal from a sample under study in the following consideration. The principal component analysis and classification tree with a single-rank predictor constructed in the 2D space of principal components allow classification of divin manufacturers. It is shown that the accuracy of syringaldehyde, ethyl acetate, vanillin, and gallic acid concentrations in divins calculated with the regression to latent structures depends on the sample volume and is 3, 6, 16, and 20%, respectively, which is acceptable for the application.

Can segmentation evaluation metric be used as an indicator of land cover classification accuracy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Švab Lenarčič, Andreja; Đurić, Nataša; Čotar, Klemen; Ritlop, Klemen; Oštir, Krištof

2016-10-01

It is a broadly established belief that the segmentation result significantly affects subsequent image classification accuracy. However, the actual correlation between the two has never been evaluated. Such an evaluation would be of considerable importance for any attempts to automate the object-based classification process, as it would reduce the amount of user intervention required to fine-tune the segmentation parameters. We conducted an assessment of segmentation and classification by analyzing 100 different segmentation parameter combinations, 3 classifiers, 5 land cover classes, 20 segmentation evaluation metrics, and 7 classification accuracy measures. The reliability definition of segmentation evaluation metrics as indicators of land cover classification accuracy was based on the linear correlation between the two. All unsupervised metrics that are not based on number of segments have a very strong correlation with all classification measures and are therefore reliable as indicators of land cover classification accuracy. On the other hand, correlation at supervised metrics is dependent on so many factors that it cannot be trusted as a reliable classification quality indicator. Algorithms for land cover classification studied in this paper are widely used; therefore, presented results are applicable to a wider area.

SVM-RFE based feature selection and Taguchi parameters optimization for multiclass SVM classifier.

PubMed

Huang, Mei-Ling; Hung, Yung-Hsiang; Lee, W M; Li, R K; Jiang, Bo-Ru

2014-01-01

Recently, support vector machine (SVM) has excellent performance on classification and prediction and is widely used on disease diagnosis or medical assistance. However, SVM only functions well on two-group classification problems. This study combines feature selection and SVM recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) to investigate the classification accuracy of multiclass problems for Dermatology and Zoo databases. Dermatology dataset contains 33 feature variables, 1 class variable, and 366 testing instances; and the Zoo dataset contains 16 feature variables, 1 class variable, and 101 testing instances. The feature variables in the two datasets were sorted in descending order by explanatory power, and different feature sets were selected by SVM-RFE to explore classification accuracy. Meanwhile, Taguchi method was jointly combined with SVM classifier in order to optimize parameters C and γ to increase classification accuracy for multiclass classification. The experimental results show that the classification accuracy can be more than 95% after SVM-RFE feature selection and Taguchi parameter optimization for Dermatology and Zoo databases.

SVM-RFE Based Feature Selection and Taguchi Parameters Optimization for Multiclass SVM Classifier

PubMed Central

Huang, Mei-Ling; Hung, Yung-Hsiang; Lee, W. M.; Li, R. K.; Jiang, Bo-Ru

2014-01-01

Recently, support vector machine (SVM) has excellent performance on classification and prediction and is widely used on disease diagnosis or medical assistance. However, SVM only functions well on two-group classification problems. This study combines feature selection and SVM recursive feature elimination (SVM-RFE) to investigate the classification accuracy of multiclass problems for Dermatology and Zoo databases. Dermatology dataset contains 33 feature variables, 1 class variable, and 366 testing instances; and the Zoo dataset contains 16 feature variables, 1 class variable, and 101 testing instances. The feature variables in the two datasets were sorted in descending order by explanatory power, and different feature sets were selected by SVM-RFE to explore classification accuracy. Meanwhile, Taguchi method was jointly combined with SVM classifier in order to optimize parameters C and γ to increase classification accuracy for multiclass classification. The experimental results show that the classification accuracy can be more than 95% after SVM-RFE feature selection and Taguchi parameter optimization for Dermatology and Zoo databases. PMID:25295306

Documentation of pharmaceutical care: Validation of an intervention oriented classification system.

PubMed

Maes, Karen A; Studer, Helene; Berger, Jérôme; Hersberger, Kurt E; Lampert, Markus L

2017-12-01

During the dispensing process, pharmacists may come across technical and clinical issues requiring a pharmaceutical intervention (PI). An intervention-oriented classification system is a helpful tool to document these PIs in a structured manner. Therefore, we developed the PharmDISC classification system (Pharmacists' Documentation of Interventions in Seamless Care). The aim of this study was to evaluate the PharmDISC system in the daily practice environment (in terms of interrater reliability, appropriateness, interpretability, acceptability, feasibility, and validity); to assess its user satisfaction, the descriptive manual, and the online training; and to explore first implementation aspects. Twenty-one pharmacists from different community pharmacies each classified 30 prescriptions requiring a PI with the PharmDISC system on 5 selected days within 5 weeks. Interrater reliability was determined using model PIs and Fleiss's kappa coefficients (κ) were calculated. User satisfaction was assessed by questionnaire with a 4-point Likert scale. The main outcome measures were interrater reliability (κ); appropriateness, interpretability, validity (ratio of completely classified PIs/all PIs); feasibility, and acceptability (user satisfaction and suggestions). The PharmDISC system reached an average substantial agreement (κ = 0.66). Of documented 519 PIs, 430 (82.9%) were completely classified. Most users found the system comprehensive (median user agreement 3 [2/3.25 quartiles]) and practical (3[2.75/3]). The PharmDISC system raised the awareness regarding drug-related problems for most users (n = 16). To facilitate its implementation, an electronic version that automatically connects to the prescription together with a task manager for PIs needing follow-up was suggested. Barriers could be time expenditure and lack of understanding the benefits. Substantial interrater reliability and acceptable user satisfaction indicate that the PharmDISC system is a valid system to document PIs in daily community pharmacy practice. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Contextual descriptors and neural networks for scene analysis in VHR SAR images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Del Frate, Fabio; Picchiani, Matteo; Falasco, Alessia; Schiavon, Giovanni

2016-10-01

The development of SAR technology during the last decade has made it possible to collect a huge amount of data over many regions of the world. In particular, the availability of SAR images from different sensors, with metric or sub-metric spatial resolution, offers novel opportunities in different fields as land cover, urban monitoring, soil consumption etc. On the other hand, automatic approaches become crucial for the exploitation of such a huge amount of information. In such a scenario, especially if single polarization images are considered, the main issue is to select appropriate contextual descriptors, since the backscattering coefficient of a single pixel may not be sufficient to classify an object on the scene. In this paper a comparison among three different approaches for contextual features definition is presented so as to design optimum procedures for VHR SAR scene understanding. The first approach is based on Gray Level Co- Occurrence Matrix since it is widely accepted and several studies have used it for land cover classification with SAR data. The second approach is based on the Fourier spectra and it has been already proposed with positive results for this kind of problems, the third one is based on Auto-associative Neural Networks which have been already proven effective for features extraction from polarimetric SAR images. The three methods are evaluated in terms of the accuracy of the classified scene when the features extracted using each method are considered as input to a neural network classificator and applied on different Cosmo-SkyMed spotlight products.

What Should Be the Cut Point for Classification Criteria of Studies in Gout? A Conjoint Analysis.

PubMed

Fransen, Jaap; Kievit, Wietske; Neogi, Tuhina; Schumacher, Ralph; Jansen, Tim; Dalbeth, Nicola; Taylor, William J

2016-11-01

To determine the acceptable level of positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) for classification criteria for gout, given the type of study. We conducted an international web-based survey with 91 general practitioners and rheumatologists experienced in gout. Conjoint analysis was used as the framework for designing and analyzing pairs of 2 profiles, each describing a study type, a PPV, and an NPV. There were 5 study types presented: a phase III randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug versus prednisone for acute gout flares, a phase III RCT of a biologic agent for acute gout flares, a phase II RCT of a novel uricosuric drug of unknown efficacy and limited toxicity data, a case-control, genome-wide association study of gout, and a cohort study examining long-term outcomes of gout. PPV and NPV both had 5 levels ranging from 60-99%. The panelists in majority were male (65%) rheumatologists (93%) with an average of 19 years of practice, seeing 5 to 60 gout patients monthly. PPV was most highly weighted in decision making: the relative importance was 59% for PPV, 29% for NPV, and 13% for study type. The preferred PPV was 90% or 80%, with an accompanying NPV of 70% or 80%, dependent on study type. Preferred PPVs and NPVs range between 70% and 90% and differ by study type. A single cut point can be a reasonable approach for all study types if a PPV of 90% and NPV of 80% is approximated. © 2016, American College of Rheumatology.

The interrelation between hypothyroidism and glaucoma: a critical review and meta-analyses.

PubMed

Thvilum, Marianne; Brandt, Frans; Brix, Thomas Heiberg; Hegedüs, Laszlo

2017-12-01

Data on the association between hypothyroidism and glaucoma are conflicting. We sought to shed light on this by conducting a critical review and meta-analyses. The meta-analyses were conducted in adherence with the widely accepted MOOSE guidelines. Using the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH) terms: hypothyroidism, myxoedema and glaucoma or intraocular pressure, case-control studies, cohort studies and cross-sectional studies were identified (PubMed) and reviewed. Using meta-analysis, the relative risk (RR) of coexistence of glaucoma and hypothyroidism was calculated. Based on the literature search, thirteen studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and could be categorized into two groups based on the exposure. The designs of the studies varied considerably, and there was heterogeneity related to lack of power, weak phenotype classifications and length of follow-up. Eight studies had glaucoma (5757 patients) as exposure and hypothyroidism as outcome. Among these, we found a non-significantly increased risk of hypothyroidism associated with glaucoma (RR 1.65; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.97-2.82). Based on five studies (168 006 patients) with hypothyroidism as exposure and glaucoma as outcome, we found the risk of glaucoma to be significantly increased (RR 1.33; 95% CI: 1.13-1.58). Based on these meta-analyses, there seems to be an association between hypothyroidism and glaucoma, which does not seem to be the case between glaucoma and hypothyroidism. However, larger scale studies with better phenotype classification, longer follow-up and taking comorbidity and other biases into consideration are needed to address a potential causal relationship. © 2017 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Photomask quality assessment solution for 90-nm technology node

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ohira, Katsumi; Chung, Dong Hoon P.; Nobuyuki, Yoshioka; Tateno, Motonari; Matsumura, Kenichi; Chen, Jiunn-Hung; Luk-Pat, Gerard T.; Fukui, Norio; Tanaka, Yoshio

2004-08-01

As 90 nm LSI devices are about to enter pre-production, the cost and turn-around time of photomasks for such devices will be key factors for success in device production. Such devices will be manufactured with state-of-the-art 193nm photolithography systems. Photomasks for these devices are being produced with the most advanced equipment, material and processing technologies and yet, quality assurance still remains an issue for volume production. These issues include defect classification and disposition due to the insufficient resolution of the defect inspection system at conventional review and classification processes and to aggressive RETs, uncertainty of the impact the defects have on the printed feature as well as inconsistencies of classical defect specifications as applied in the sub-wavelength era are becoming a serious problem. Simulation-based photomask qualification using the Virtual Stepper System is widely accepted today as a reliable mask quality assessment tool of mask defects for both the 180 nm and 130 nm technology nodes. This study examines the extendibility of the Virtual Stepper System to 90nm technology node. The proposed method of simulation-based mask qualification uses aerial image defect simulation in combination with a next generation DUV inspection system with shorter wavelength (266nm) and small pixel size combined with DUV high-resolution microscope for some defect cases. This paper will present experimental results that prove the applicability for enabling 90nm technology nodes. Both contact and line/space patterns with varies programmed defects on ArF Attenuated PSM will be used. This paper will also address how to make the strategy production-worthy.

Developing and Validating the Communication Function Classification System for Individuals with Cerebral Palsy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hidecker, Mary Jo Cooley; Paneth, Nigel; Rosenbaum, Peter L.; Kent, Raymond D.; Lillie, Janet; Eulenberg, John B.; Chester, Ken, Jr.; Johnson, Brenda; Michalsen, Lauren; Evatt, Morgan; Taylor, Kara

2011-01-01

Aim: The purpose of this study was to create and validate the Communication Function Classification System (CFCS) for children with cerebral palsy (CP), for use by a wide variety of individuals who are interested in CP. This paper reports the content validity, interrater reliability, and test-retest reliability of the CFCS for children with CP.…

The Impact of Multiple Types of Child Maltreatment on Subsequent Risk Behaviors among Women during the Transition from Adolescence to Young Adulthood

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hahm, Hyeouk Chris; Lee, Yoona; Ozonoff, Al; Van Wert, Michael J.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate how different types of child maltreatment, independently and collectively, impact a wide range of risk behaviors that fall into three domains: sexual risk behaviors, delinquency, and suicidality. Cumulative classification and Expanded Hierarchical Type (EHT) classification approaches were used to…

An Addendum to "A New Tool for Climatic Analysis Using Köppen Climate Classification"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Larson, Paul R.; Lohrengel, C. Frederick, II

2014-01-01

The Köppen climatic classification system in a modified format is the most widely applied system in use today. Mapping and analysis of hundreds of arid and semiarid climate stations has made the use of the additional fourth letter in BW/BS climates essential. The addition of "s," "w," or "f" to the standard…

Identification and classification of known and putative antimicrobial compounds produced by a wide variety of Bacillales species.

PubMed

Zhao, Xin; Kuipers, Oscar P

2016-11-07

Gram-positive bacteria of the Bacillales are important producers of antimicrobial compounds that might be utilized for medical, food or agricultural applications. Thanks to the wide availability of whole genome sequence data and the development of specific genome mining tools, novel antimicrobial compounds, either ribosomally- or non-ribosomally produced, of various Bacillales species can be predicted and classified. Here, we provide a classification scheme of known and putative antimicrobial compounds in the specific context of Bacillales species. We identify and describe known and putative bacteriocins, non-ribosomally synthesized peptides (NRPs), polyketides (PKs) and other antimicrobials from 328 whole-genome sequenced strains of 57 species of Bacillales by using web based genome-mining prediction tools. We provide a classification scheme for these bacteriocins, update the findings of NRPs and PKs and investigate their characteristics and suitability for biocontrol by describing per class their genetic organization and structure. Moreover, we highlight the potential of several known and novel antimicrobials from various species of Bacillales. Our extended classification of antimicrobial compounds demonstrates that Bacillales provide a rich source of novel antimicrobials that can now readily be tapped experimentally, since many new gene clusters are identified.

Comparison of GOES Cloud Classification Algorithms Employing Explicit and Implicit Physics

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bankert, Richard L.; Mitrescu, Cristian; Miller, Steven D.; Wade, Robert H.

2009-01-01

Cloud-type classification based on multispectral satellite imagery data has been widely researched and demonstrated to be useful for distinguishing a variety of classes using a wide range of methods. The research described here is a comparison of the classifier output from two very different algorithms applied to Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data over the course of one year. The first algorithm employs spectral channel thresholding and additional physically based tests. The second algorithm was developed through a supervised learning method with characteristic features of expertly labeled image samples used as training data for a 1-nearest-neighbor classification. The latter's ability to identify classes is also based in physics, but those relationships are embedded implicitly within the algorithm. A pixel-to-pixel comparison analysis was done for hourly daytime scenes within a region in the northeastern Pacific Ocean. Considerable agreement was found in this analysis, with many of the mismatches or disagreements providing insight to the strengths and limitations of each classifier. Depending upon user needs, a rule-based or other postprocessing system that combines the output from the two algorithms could provide the most reliable cloud-type classification.

Automatic age and gender classification using supervised appearance model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bukar, Ali Maina; Ugail, Hassan; Connah, David

2016-11-01

Age and gender classification are two important problems that recently gained popularity in the research community, due to their wide range of applications. Research has shown that both age and gender information are encoded in the face shape and texture, hence the active appearance model (AAM), a statistical model that captures shape and texture variations, has been one of the most widely used feature extraction techniques for the aforementioned problems. However, AAM suffers from some drawbacks, especially when used for classification. This is primarily because principal component analysis (PCA), which is at the core of the model, works in an unsupervised manner, i.e., PCA dimensionality reduction does not take into account how the predictor variables relate to the response (class labels). Rather, it explores only the underlying structure of the predictor variables, thus, it is no surprise if PCA discards valuable parts of the data that represent discriminatory features. Toward this end, we propose a supervised appearance model (sAM) that improves on AAM by replacing PCA with partial least-squares regression. This feature extraction technique is then used for the problems of age and gender classification. Our experiments show that sAM has better predictive power than the conventional AAM.

Halitosis: a new definition and classification.

PubMed

Aydin, M; Harvey-Woodworth, C N

2014-07-11

There is no universally accepted, precise definition, nor standardisation in terminology and classification of halitosis. To propose a new definition, free from subjective descriptions (faecal, fish odour, etc), one-time sulphide detector readings and organoleptic estimation of odour levels, and excludes temporary exogenous odours (for example, from dietary sources). Some terms previously used in the literature are revised. A new aetiologic classification is proposed, dividing pathologic halitosis into Type 1 (oral), Type 2 (airway), Type 3 (gastroesophageal), Type 4 (blood-borne) and Type 5 (subjective). In reality, any halitosis complaint is potentially the sum of these types in any combination, superimposed on the Type 0 (physiologic odour) present in health. This system allows for multiple diagnoses in the same patient, reflecting the multifactorial nature of the complaint. It represents the most accurate model to understand halitosis and forms an efficient and logical basis for clinical management of the complaint.

Evaluation Methodology between Globalization and Localization Features Approaches for Skin Cancer Lesions Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, H. M.; Al-azawi, R. J.; Abdulhameed, A. A.

2018-05-01

Huge efforts have been put in the developing of diagnostic methods to skin cancer disease. In this paper, two different approaches have been addressed for detection the skin cancer in dermoscopy images. The first approach uses a global method that uses global features for classifying skin lesions, whereas the second approach uses a local method that uses local features for classifying skin lesions. The aim of this paper is selecting the best approach for skin lesion classification. The dataset has been used in this paper consist of 200 dermoscopy images from Pedro Hispano Hospital (PH2). The achieved results are; sensitivity about 96%, specificity about 100%, precision about 100%, and accuracy about 97% for globalization approach while, sensitivity about 100%, specificity about 100%, precision about 100%, and accuracy about 100% for Localization Approach, these results showed that the localization approach achieved acceptable accuracy and better than globalization approach for skin cancer lesions classification.

[Categorization of uterine cervix tumors : What's new in the 2014 WHO classification].

PubMed

Lax, S F; Horn, L-C; Löning, T

2016-11-01

In the 2014 WHO classification, squamous cell precursor lesions are classified as low-grade and high-grade intraepithelial lesions. LSIL corresponds to CIN1, HSIL includes CIN2 and CIN3. Only adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) is accepted as precursor of adenocarcinoma and includes the stratified mucin-producing intraepithelial lesion (SMILE). Although relatively rare, adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma can be mixed with a poorly differentiated neuroendocrine carcinoma. Most cervical adenocarcinomas are low grade and of endocervical type. Mucinous carcinomas show marked intra- and extracellular mucin production. Almost all squamous cell carcinomas, the vast majority of adenocarcinomas, and many rare carcinoma types are HPV related. For low grade endocervical adenocarcinomas, the pattern-based classification according to Silva should be reported. Neuroendocrine tumors are rare and are classified into low-grade and high-grade, whereby the term carcinoid is still used.

An evidence-based diagnostic classification system for low back pain

PubMed Central

Vining, Robert; Potocki, Eric; Seidman, Michael; Morgenthal, A. Paige

2013-01-01

Introduction: While clinicians generally accept that musculoskeletal low back pain (LBP) can arise from specific tissues, it remains difficult to confirm specific sources. Methods: Based on evidence supported by diagnostic utility studies, doctors of chiropractic functioning as members of a research clinic created a diagnostic classification system, corresponding exam and checklist based on strength of evidence, and in-office efficiency. Results: The diagnostic classification system contains one screening category, two pain categories: Nociceptive, Neuropathic, one functional evaluation category, and one category for unknown or poorly defined diagnoses. Nociceptive and neuropathic pain categories are each divided into 4 subcategories. Conclusion: This article describes and discusses the strength of evidence surrounding diagnostic categories for an in-office, clinical exam and checklist tool for LBP diagnosis. The use of a standardized tool for diagnosing low back pain in clinical and research settings is encouraged. PMID:23997245

DockQ: A Quality Measure for Protein-Protein Docking Models

PubMed Central

Basu, Sankar

2016-01-01

The state-of-the-art to assess the structural quality of docking models is currently based on three related yet independent quality measures: Fnat, LRMS, and iRMS as proposed and standardized by CAPRI. These quality measures quantify different aspects of the quality of a particular docking model and need to be viewed together to reveal the true quality, e.g. a model with relatively poor LRMS (>10Å) might still qualify as 'acceptable' with a descent Fnat (>0.50) and iRMS (<3.0Å). This is also the reason why the so called CAPRI criteria for assessing the quality of docking models is defined by applying various ad-hoc cutoffs on these measures to classify a docking model into the four classes: Incorrect, Acceptable, Medium, or High quality. This classification has been useful in CAPRI, but since models are grouped in only four bins it is also rather limiting, making it difficult to rank models, correlate with scoring functions or use it as target function in machine learning algorithms. Here, we present DockQ, a continuous protein-protein docking model quality measure derived by combining Fnat, LRMS, and iRMS to a single score in the range [0, 1] that can be used to assess the quality of protein docking models. By using DockQ on CAPRI models it is possible to almost completely reproduce the original CAPRI classification into Incorrect, Acceptable, Medium and High quality. An average PPV of 94% at 90% Recall demonstrating that there is no need to apply predefined ad-hoc cutoffs to classify docking models. Since DockQ recapitulates the CAPRI classification almost perfectly, it can be viewed as a higher resolution version of the CAPRI classification, making it possible to estimate model quality in a more quantitative way using Z-scores or sum of top ranked models, which has been so valuable for the CASP community. The possibility to directly correlate a quality measure to a scoring function has been crucial for the development of scoring functions for protein structure prediction, and DockQ should be useful in a similar development in the protein docking field. DockQ is available at http://github.com/bjornwallner/DockQ/ PMID:27560519

Global classification and coding of hypersensitivity diseases - An EAACI - WAO survey, strategic paper and review.

PubMed

Demoly, P; Tanno, L K; Akdis, C A; Lau, S; Calderon, M A; Santos, A F; Sanchez-Borges, M; Rosenwasser, L J; Pawankar, R; Papadopoulos, N G

2014-05-01

Hypersensitivity diseases are not adequately coded in the International Coding of Diseases (ICD)-10 resulting in misclassification, leading to low visibility of these conditions and general accuracy of official statistics. To call attention to the inadequacy of the ICD-10 in relation to allergic and hypersensitivity diseases and to contribute to improvements to be made in the forthcoming revision of ICD, a web-based global survey of healthcare professionals' attitudes toward allergic disorders classification was proposed to the members of European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) (individuals) and World Allergy Organization (WAO) (representative responding on behalf of the national society), launched via internet and circulated for 6 week. As a result, we had 612 members of 144 countries from all six World Health Organization (WHO) global regions who answered the survey. ICD-10 is the most used classification worldwide, but it was not considered appropriate in clinical practice by the majority of participants. The majority indicated the EAACI-WAO classification as being easier and more accurate in the daily practice. They saw the need for a diagnostic system useful for nonallergists and endorsed the possibility of a global, cross-culturally applicable classification system of allergic disorders. This first and most broadly international survey ever conducted of health professionals' attitudes toward allergic disorders classification supports the need to update the current classifications of allergic diseases and can be useful to the WHO in improving the clinical utility of the classification and its global acceptability for the revised ICD-11. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Cluster lot quality assurance sampling: effect of increasing the number of clusters on classification precision and operational feasibility.

PubMed

Okayasu, Hiromasa; Brown, Alexandra E; Nzioki, Michael M; Gasasira, Alex N; Takane, Marina; Mkanda, Pascal; Wassilak, Steven G F; Sutter, Roland W

2014-11-01

To assess the quality of supplementary immunization activities (SIAs), the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) has used cluster lot quality assurance sampling (C-LQAS) methods since 2009. However, since the inception of C-LQAS, questions have been raised about the optimal balance between operational feasibility and precision of classification of lots to identify areas with low SIA quality that require corrective programmatic action. To determine if an increased precision in classification would result in differential programmatic decision making, we conducted a pilot evaluation in 4 local government areas (LGAs) in Nigeria with an expanded LQAS sample size of 16 clusters (instead of the standard 6 clusters) of 10 subjects each. The results showed greater heterogeneity between clusters than the assumed standard deviation of 10%, ranging from 12% to 23%. Comparing the distribution of 4-outcome classifications obtained from all possible combinations of 6-cluster subsamples to the observed classification of the 16-cluster sample, we obtained an exact match in classification in 56% to 85% of instances. We concluded that the 6-cluster C-LQAS provides acceptable classification precision for programmatic action. Considering the greater resources required to implement an expanded C-LQAS, the improvement in precision was deemed insufficient to warrant the effort. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2014. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

High-resolution manometry classifications for idiopathic achalasia in patients with Chagas' disease esophagopathy.

PubMed

Vicentine, Fernando P P; Herbella, Fernando A M; Allaix, Marco E; Silva, Luciana C; Patti, Marco G

2014-02-01

Idiopathic achalasia (IA) and Chagas' disease esophagopathy (CDE) share several similarities. The comparison between IA and CDE is important to evaluate whether treatment options and their results can be accepted universally. High-resolution manometry (HRM) has proved a better diagnostic tool compared to conventional manometry. This study aims to evaluate HRM classifications for idiopathic achalasia in patients with CDE. We studied 98 patients: 52 patients with CDE (52 % females, mean age, 57 ± 14 years) and 46 patients with IA (54 % females; mean age 48 ± 19 years). All patients underwent a HRM and barium esophagogram. The Chicago classification was distributed in IA as Chicago I, 35 %; Chicago II, 63 %; and Chicago III, 2 %, and in CDE as Chicago I, 52 %; Chicago II, 48 %; and Chicago III, 0 % (p = 0.1, 0.1, and 0.5, respectively). All patients had the classic Rochester type. CDE patients had more pronounced degrees of esophageal dilatation (p < 0.002). The degree of esophageal dilatation did not correlate with Chicago classification (p = 0.08). In nine (9 %) patients, the HRM pattern changed during the test from Chicago I to II. Our results show that (a) HRM classifications for IA can be applied in patients with CDE and (b) HRM classifications did not correlate with the degree of esophageal dilatation. HRM classifications may reflect esophageal repletion and pressurization instead of muscular contraction. The correlation between manometric findings and treatment outcomes for CDE needs to be answered in the near future.

Method and system for analyzing and classifying electronic information

DOEpatents

McGaffey, Robert W.; Bell, Michael Allen; Kortman, Peter J.; Wilson, Charles H.

2003-04-29

A data analysis and classification system that reads the electronic information, analyzes the electronic information according to a user-defined set of logical rules, and returns a classification result. The data analysis and classification system may accept any form of computer-readable electronic information. The system creates a hash table wherein each entry of the hash table contains a concept corresponding to a word or phrase which the system has previously encountered. The system creates an object model based on the user-defined logical associations, used for reviewing each concept contained in the electronic information in order to determine whether the electronic information is classified. The data analysis and classification system extracts each concept in turn from the electronic information, locates it in the hash table, and propagates it through the object model. In the event that the system can not find the electronic information token in the hash table, that token is added to a missing terms list. If any rule is satisfied during propagation of the concept through the object model, the electronic information is classified.

Multilocus resolution of Mugilidae phylogeny (Teleostei: Mugiliformes): Implications for the family's taxonomy.

PubMed

Xia, Rong; Durand, Jean-Dominique; Fu, Cuizhang

2016-03-01

The interrelationships among mugilids (Mugiliformes: Mugilidae) remain highly debated. Using a mitochondrial gene-based phylogeny as criterion, a revised classification with 25 genera in the Mugilidae has recently been proposed. However, phylogenetic relationships of major mitochondrial lineages remain unresolved and to gain a general acceptance the classification requires confirmation based on multilocus evidence and diagnostic morphological characters. Here, we construct a species-tree using twelve nuclear and three mitochondrial loci and infer the evolution of 71 morphological characters. Our multilocus phylogeny does not agree with previous morphology-based hypotheses for the relationships within Mugilidae, confirms the revised classification with 25 genera and further resolves their phylogenetic relationships. Using the well-resolved multilocus phylogeny as the criterion, we reclassify Mugilidae genera into three new subfamilies (Myxinae, Rhinomugilinae, and Cheloninae) and one new, recombined, subfamily (Mugilinae). The Rhinomugilinae subfamily is further divided into four tribes. The revised classification of Mugilidae is supported by morpho-anatomical synapomorphies or a combination of characters. These characters are used to erect a key to the subfamilies and genera. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Generalized anxiety disorder, now and the future: a perspective to the DSM-5].

PubMed

Otsubo, Tempei

2012-01-01

Generalized, persistent, and free-floating anxiety was first described by Freud in 1894. The diagnostic term generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) was not in classification systems until the publication of the diagnostic and statistical manual for mental disorders, third edition (DSM-III) in 1980. Initially considered as a residual category to be used when no other diagnosis could be made, it is not accepted that GAD represents a distinct diagnostic category yet. Since 1980, revisions to the diagnostic criteria for GAD in the DSM-III-R, DSM-IV and DSM-5 classifications have slightly redefined this disorder. The classification is fluid. The duration criterion has increased to 6 months in DSM-IV, but decreased to 3 months in DSM-5. This article reviews the development of diagnostic criteria for defining GAD from Freud to DSM-5 and compares the DSM-5 criterion with DSM-IV and the tenth revision of the International Classification of Disease. The impact of the changes in diagnostic criteria on research into GAD, and on diagnosis, differential diagnosis, will be discussed.

Classification systems for natural resource management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kleckner, Richard L.

1981-01-01

Resource managers employ various types of resource classification systems in their management activities such as inventory, mapping, and data analysis. Classification is the ordering or arranging of objects into groups or sets on the basis of their relationships, and as such, provide the resource managers with a structure for organizing their needed information. In addition of conforming to certain logical principles, resource classifications should be flexible, widely applicable to a variety of environmental conditions, and useable with minimal training. The process of classification may be approached from the bottom up (aggregation) or the top down (subdivision) or a combination of both, depending on the purpose of the classification. Most resource classification systems in use today focus on a single resource and are used for a single, limited purpose. However, resource managers now must employ the concept of multiple use in their management activities. What they need is an integrated, ecologically based approach to resource classification which would fulfill multiple-use mandates. In an effort to achieve resource-data compatibility and data sharing among Federal agencies, and interagency agreement has been signed by five Federal agencies to coordinate and cooperate in the area of resource classification and inventory.

On the Implementation of a Land Cover Classification System for SAR Images Using Khoros

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Medina Revera, Edwin J.; Espinosa, Ramon Vasquez

1997-01-01

The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensor is widely used to record data about the ground under all atmospheric conditions. The SAR acquired images have very good resolution which necessitates the development of a classification system that process the SAR images to extract useful information for different applications. In this work, a complete system for the land cover classification was designed and programmed using the Khoros, a data flow visual language environment, taking full advantages of the polymorphic data services that it provides. Image analysis was applied to SAR images to improve and automate the processes of recognition and classification of the different regions like mountains and lakes. Both unsupervised and supervised classification utilities were used. The unsupervised classification routines included the use of several Classification/Clustering algorithms like the K-means, ISO2, Weighted Minimum Distance, and the Localized Receptive Field (LRF) training/classifier. Different texture analysis approaches such as Invariant Moments, Fractal Dimension and Second Order statistics were implemented for supervised classification of the images. The results and conclusions for SAR image classification using the various unsupervised and supervised procedures are presented based on their accuracy and performance.

Classification of the Regional Ionospheric Disturbance Based on Machine Learning Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terzi, Merve Begum; Arikan, Orhan; Karatay, Secil; Arikan, Feza; Gulyaeva, Tamara

2016-08-01

In this study, Total Electron Content (TEC) estimated from GPS receivers is used to model the regional and local variability that differs from global activity along with solar and geomagnetic indices. For the automated classification of regional disturbances, a classification technique based on a robust machine learning technique that have found wide spread use, Support Vector Machine (SVM) is proposed. Performance of developed classification technique is demonstrated for midlatitude ionosphere over Anatolia using TEC estimates generated from GPS data provided by Turkish National Permanent GPS Network (TNPGN-Active) for solar maximum year of 2011. As a result of implementing developed classification technique to Global Ionospheric Map (GIM) TEC data, which is provided by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), it is shown that SVM can be a suitable learning method to detect anomalies in TEC variations.

Reinforced concrete pipe cracks : acceptance criteria [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-01-01

Reinforced concrete pipe (RCP) is widely used by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in installations expected to serve for periods of decades before replacement, and extremely slow deterioration of RCP can be accepted. However, cracks in...

8 CFR 274a.12 - Classes of aliens authorized to accept employment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... subsequent change to one of the indicated classes. Any alien who is within a class of aliens described in... a condition of their admission in, or subsequent change to, such classification. An alien in one of... per week when school is in session or full-time employment when school is not in session if the...

Accuracy of Bayes and Logistic Regression Subscale Probabilities for Educational and Certification Tests

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rudner, Lawrence

2016-01-01

In the machine learning literature, it is commonly accepted as fact that as calibration sample sizes increase, Naïve Bayes classifiers initially outperform Logistic Regression classifiers in terms of classification accuracy. Applied to subtests from an on-line final examination and from a highly regarded certification examination, this study shows…

An Investigation of Data Privacy and Utility Using Machine Learning as a Gauge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mivule, Kato

2014-01-01

The purpose of this investigation is to study and pursue a user-defined approach in preserving data privacy while maintaining an acceptable level of data utility using machine learning classification techniques as a gauge in the generation of synthetic data sets. This dissertation will deal with data privacy, data utility, machine learning…

A tree classification for the selection forests of the Sierra Nevada

Treesearch

Duncan Dunning

1928-01-01

Individuality in man is accepted without question. In domestic animals, also, good and bad individuals are generally recognized. Even in some cultivated plants —orange trees and rubber trees— the poor producers are searched out and eliminated. Indeed, individual variability is a normal condition in all groups of organisms. Yet forest trees are...

Measurement and Classification Methods Using the ASAE S572.1 Reference Nozzles

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-01

Accepted: September 17, 2012 Abstract: An increasing number of spray nozzle and agrochemical manufacturers are incorporating droplet size...are incorporating droplet size measurements into both research and development of agrochemical technologies. Each laboratory has invariably...distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT An increasing number of spray nozzle and agrochemical manufacturers are incorporating droplet

Suicide Acceptability Is Related to Suicide Planning in U.S. Adolescents and Young Adults

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joe, Sean; Romer, Daniel; Jamieson, Patrick E.

2007-01-01

The association between adolescents' and young adults' attitudes toward suicide and their own suicidality across five racial-ethnic classifications was studied in a nationally representative sample of 3,301 youth ages 14 to 22 years from the National Annenberg Risk Survey of Youth. Results indicate that adolescents and young adults who most…

Handling Imbalanced Data Sets in Multistage Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

López, M.

Multistage classification is a logical approach, based on a divide-and-conquer solution, for dealing with problems with a high number of classes. The classification problem is divided into several sequential steps, each one associated to a single classifier that works with subgroups of the original classes. In each level, the current set of classes is split into smaller subgroups of classes until they (the subgroups) are composed of only one class. The resulting chain of classifiers can be represented as a tree, which (1) simplifies the classification process by using fewer categories in each classifier and (2) makes it possible to combine several algorithms or use different attributes in each stage. Most of the classification algorithms can be biased in the sense of selecting the most populated class in overlapping areas of the input space. This can degrade a multistage classifier performance if the training set sample frequencies do not reflect the real prevalence in the population. Several techniques such as applying prior probabilities, assigning weights to the classes, or replicating instances have been developed to overcome this handicap. Most of them are designed for two-class (accept-reject) problems. In this article, we evaluate several of these techniques as applied to multistage classification and analyze how they can be useful for astronomy. We compare the results obtained by classifying a data set based on Hipparcos with and without these methods.

Determining the optimal window length for pattern recognition-based myoelectric control: balancing the competing effects of classification error and controller delay.

PubMed

Smith, Lauren H; Hargrove, Levi J; Lock, Blair A; Kuiken, Todd A

2011-04-01

Pattern recognition-based control of myoelectric prostheses has shown great promise in research environments, but has not been optimized for use in a clinical setting. To explore the relationship between classification error, controller delay, and real-time controllability, 13 able-bodied subjects were trained to operate a virtual upper-limb prosthesis using pattern recognition of electromyogram (EMG) signals. Classification error and controller delay were varied by training different classifiers with a variety of analysis window lengths ranging from 50 to 550 ms and either two or four EMG input channels. Offline analysis showed that classification error decreased with longer window lengths (p < 0.01 ). Real-time controllability was evaluated with the target achievement control (TAC) test, which prompted users to maneuver the virtual prosthesis into various target postures. The results indicated that user performance improved with lower classification error (p < 0.01 ) and was reduced with longer controller delay (p < 0.01 ), as determined by the window length. Therefore, both of these effects should be considered when choosing a window length; it may be beneficial to increase the window length if this results in a reduced classification error, despite the corresponding increase in controller delay. For the system employed in this study, the optimal window length was found to be between 150 and 250 ms, which is within acceptable controller delays for conventional multistate amplitude controllers.

Comparison of staging diagnosis by two magnifying endoscopy classification for superficial oesophageal cancer.

PubMed

Ebi, Masahide; Shimura, Takaya; Murakami, Kenji; Yamada, Tomonori; Hirata, Yoshikazu; Tsukamoto, Hironobu; Mizoshita, Tsutomu; Tanida, Satoshi; Kataoka, Hiromi; Kamiya, Takeshi; Joh, Takashi

2012-11-01

Due to the possibility of lymph node metastasis, surgical resection is indicated for superficial oesophageal cancer with invasion to a depth greater than the muscularis mucosa. Although two magnifying endoscopy classifications are currently used to diagnose the depth of invasion, which classification is more suitable remains controversial. To compare and evaluate the clinical outcomes of two classifications for superficial oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma. This cross-sectional study consists of 44 superficial oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma lesions with magnification image-enhanced endoscopy images. Only magnifying endoscopic images were displayed to two experienced endoscopists who independently diagnosed the depth of invasion according to both classifications. The sensitivity of invasion greater than the muscularis mucosa tended to be higher in Inoue's classification than Arima's classification (78.3±6.2% vs. 50.0±3.0%; P=0.144), whereas the specificity was significantly lower in Inoue's classification than in Arima's classification (61.9±0.0% vs. 97.6±3.4%; P=0.043). For both classifications, rates of concordance were 90.9% and 84.4%, and κ statistics were 0.81 and 0.66, respectively. Our results suggest that Arima's classification is suitable for general screening before treatment to avoid unnecessary surgery. Inoue's classification is appropriate for assessing wide lesion. Copyright © 2012 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

46 CFR 28.76 - Similarly qualified organizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... design and construction which are as widely available as and which are of similar content to the standards published by the ABS; (b) Performs periodic surveys in a wide range of localities during and after... its primary concern the survey and classification of vessels; (e) Has no interest in owning or...

46 CFR 28.76 - Similarly qualified organizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... design and construction which are as widely available as and which are of similar content to the standards published by the ABS; (b) Performs periodic surveys in a wide range of localities during and after... its primary concern the survey and classification of vessels; (e) Has no interest in owning or...

46 CFR 28.76 - Similarly qualified organizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... design and construction which are as widely available as and which are of similar content to the standards published by the ABS; (b) Performs periodic surveys in a wide range of localities during and after... its primary concern the survey and classification of vessels; (e) Has no interest in owning or...

46 CFR 28.76 - Similarly qualified organizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... design and construction which are as widely available as and which are of similar content to the standards published by the ABS; (b) Performs periodic surveys in a wide range of localities during and after... its primary concern the survey and classification of vessels; (e) Has no interest in owning or...

46 CFR 28.76 - Similarly qualified organizations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... design and construction which are as widely available as and which are of similar content to the standards published by the ABS; (b) Performs periodic surveys in a wide range of localities during and after... its primary concern the survey and classification of vessels; (e) Has no interest in owning or...

Advanced Combat Helmet Technical Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-05-29

Lastly, we assessed the participation of various stakeholders and industry experts such as active ACH manufacturers and test facilities. Findings... industrially accepted American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z1.4-2008, Sampling Visit us on the web at www.dodig.mil Results in Brief Advanced...statistically principled approach and the lot acceptance test protocol adopts a widely established and industrially accepted sampling procedure. We

Texture classification using autoregressive filtering

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lawton, W. M.; Lee, M.

1984-01-01

A general theory of image texture models is proposed and its applicability to the problem of scene segmentation using texture classification is discussed. An algorithm, based on half-plane autoregressive filtering, which optimally utilizes second order statistics to discriminate between texture classes represented by arbitrary wide sense stationary random fields is described. Empirical results of applying this algorithm to natural and sysnthesized scenes are presented and future research is outlined.

CANDELS Visual Classifications: Scheme, Data Release, and First Results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kartaltepe, Jeyhan S.; Mozena, Mark; Kocevski, Dale; McIntosh, Daniel H.; Lotz, Jennifer; Bell, Eric F.; Faber, Sandy; Ferguson, Harry; Koo, David; Bassett, Robert; Bernyk, Maksym; Blancato, Kirsten; Bournaud, Frederic; Cassata, Paolo; Castellano, Marco; Cheung, Edmond; Conselice, Christopher J.; Croton, Darren; Dahlen, Tomas; de Mello, Duilia F.; DeGroot, Laura; Donley, Jennifer; Guedes, Javiera; Grogin, Norman; Hathi, Nimish; Hilton, Matt; Hollon, Brett; Koekemoer, Anton; Liu, Nick; Lucas, Ray A.; Martig, Marie; McGrath, Elizabeth; McPartland, Conor; Mobasher, Bahram; Morlock, Alice; O'Leary, Erin; Peth, Mike; Pforr, Janine; Pillepich, Annalisa; Rosario, David; Soto, Emmaris; Straughn, Amber; Telford, Olivia; Sunnquist, Ben; Trump, Jonathan; Weiner, Benjamin; Wuyts, Stijn; Inami, Hanae; Kassin, Susan; Lani, Caterina; Poole, Gregory B.; Rizer, Zachary

2015-11-01

We have undertaken an ambitious program to visually classify all galaxies in the five CANDELS fields down to H < 24.5 involving the dedicated efforts of over 65 individual classifiers. Once completed, we expect to have detailed morphological classifications for over 50,000 galaxies spanning 0 < z < 4 over all the fields, with classifications from 3 to 5 independent classifiers for each galaxy. Here, we present our detailed visual classification scheme, which was designed to cover a wide range of CANDELS science goals. This scheme includes the basic Hubble sequence types, but also includes a detailed look at mergers and interactions, the clumpiness of galaxies, k-corrections, and a variety of other structural properties. In this paper, we focus on the first field to be completed—GOODS-S, which has been classified at various depths. The wide area coverage spanning the full field (wide+deep+ERS) includes 7634 galaxies that have been classified by at least three different people. In the deep area of the field, 2534 galaxies have been classified by at least five different people at three different depths. With this paper, we release to the public all of the visual classifications in GOODS-S along with the Perl/Tk GUI that we developed to classify galaxies. We present our initial results here, including an analysis of our internal consistency and comparisons among multiple classifiers as well as a comparison to the Sérsic index. We find that the level of agreement among classifiers is quite good (>70% across the full magnitude range) and depends on both the galaxy magnitude and the galaxy type, with disks showing the highest level of agreement (>50%) and irregulars the lowest (<10%). A comparison of our classifications with the Sérsic index and rest-frame colors shows a clear separation between disk and spheroid populations. Finally, we explore morphological k-corrections between the V-band and H-band observations and find that a small fraction (84 galaxies in total) are classified as being very different between these two bands. These galaxies typically have very clumpy and extended morphology or are very faint in the V-band.

Determine feasible and acceptable age 21 support programs

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1990-09-01

The objective of this project was to identify programs which are feasible, acceptable, and effective in deterring adolescent drinking. To begin the project, information was collected on 22 prevention programs using a wide range of approaches. Next, a...

7 CFR 2201.1 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Index United States Television Household Estimates. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) means a common set of accounting standards and procedures that are either promulgated by an authoritative accounting rulemaking body or accepted as appropriate due to wide-spread application in the United...

Micromachined cascade virtual impactor with a flow rate distributor for wide range airborne particle classification

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

Kim, Yong-Ho; Maeng, Jwa-Young; Park, Dongho

2007-07-23

This letter reports a module for airborne particle classification, which consists of a micromachined three-stage virtual impactor for classifying airborne particles according to their size and a flow rate distributor for supplying the required flow rate to the virtual impactor. Dioctyl sebacate particles, 100-600 nm in diameter, and carbon particles, 0.6-10 {mu}m in diameter, were used for particle classification. The collection efficiency and cutoff diameter were examined. The measured cutoff diameters of the first, second, and third stages were 135 nm, 1.9 {mu}m, and 4.8 {mu}m, respectively.

A classification of ecological boundaries

USGS Publications Warehouse

Strayer, D.L.; Power, M.E.; Fagan, W.F.; Pickett, S.T.A.; Belnap, J.

2003-01-01

Ecologists use the term boundary to refer to a wide range of real and conceptual structures. Because imprecise terminology may impede the search for general patterns and theories about ecological boundaries, we present a classification of the attributes of ecological boundaries to aid in communication and theory development. Ecological boundaries may differ in their origin and maintenance, their spatial structure, their function, and their temporal dynamics. A classification system based on these attributes should help ecologists determine whether boundaries are truly comparable. This system can be applied when comparing empirical studies, comparing theories, and testing theoretical predictions against empirical results.

Large-scale gene function analysis with the PANTHER classification system.

PubMed

Mi, Huaiyu; Muruganujan, Anushya; Casagrande, John T; Thomas, Paul D

2013-08-01

The PANTHER (protein annotation through evolutionary relationship) classification system (http://www.pantherdb.org/) is a comprehensive system that combines gene function, ontology, pathways and statistical analysis tools that enable biologists to analyze large-scale, genome-wide data from sequencing, proteomics or gene expression experiments. The system is built with 82 complete genomes organized into gene families and subfamilies, and their evolutionary relationships are captured in phylogenetic trees, multiple sequence alignments and statistical models (hidden Markov models or HMMs). Genes are classified according to their function in several different ways: families and subfamilies are annotated with ontology terms (Gene Ontology (GO) and PANTHER protein class), and sequences are assigned to PANTHER pathways. The PANTHER website includes a suite of tools that enable users to browse and query gene functions, and to analyze large-scale experimental data with a number of statistical tests. It is widely used by bench scientists, bioinformaticians, computer scientists and systems biologists. In the 2013 release of PANTHER (v.8.0), in addition to an update of the data content, we redesigned the website interface to improve both user experience and the system's analytical capability. This protocol provides a detailed description of how to analyze genome-wide experimental data with the PANTHER classification system.

Towards the system-wide implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health in routine practice: Lessons from a pilot study in China.

PubMed

Li, Jianan; Prodinger, Birgit; Reinhardt, Jan D; Stucki, Gerold

2016-06-13

In 2011 the Chinese leadership in rehabilitation, in collaboration with the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Research Branch, embarked on an effort towards the system-wide implementation of the ICF in the healthcare system in China. We report here on the lessons learned from the pilot phase of testing the ICF Generic Set, a parsimonious set of 7 ICF categories, which have been shown to best describe functioning across the general population and people with various health conditions, for use in routine clinical practice in China. The paper discusses whether classification and measurement are compatible, what number of ICF categories should be included in data collection in routine practice, and the usefulness of a functioning profile and functioning score in clinical practice and health research planning. In addition, the paper reflects on the use of ICF qualifiers in a rating scale and the particularities of certain ICF categories contained in the ICF Generic Set when used as items in the context of Chinese rehabilitation and healthcare. Finally, the steps required to enhance the utility of system-wide implementation of the ICF in rehabilitation and healthcare services are set out.

Systematic Model-in-the-Loop Test of Embedded Control Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krupp, Alexander; Müller, Wolfgang

Current model-based development processes offer new opportunities for verification automation, e.g., in automotive development. The duty of functional verification is the detection of design flaws. Current functional verification approaches exhibit a major gap between requirement definition and formal property definition, especially when analog signals are involved. Besides lack of methodical support for natural language formalization, there does not exist a standardized and accepted means for formal property definition as a target for verification planning. This article addresses several shortcomings of embedded system verification. An Enhanced Classification Tree Method is developed based on the established Classification Tree Method for Embeded Systems CTM/ES which applies a hardware verification language to define a verification environment.

A compendium of fossil marine animal families, 2nd edition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sepkoski, J. J. Jr; Sepkoski JJ, J. r. (Principal Investigator)

1992-01-01

A comprehensive listing of 4075 taxonomic families of marine animals known from the fossil record is presented. This listing covers invertebrates, vertebrates, and animal-like protists, gives time intervals of apparent origination and extinction, and provides literature sources for these data. The time intervals are mostly 81 internationally recognized stratigraphic stages; more than half of the data are resolved to one of 145 substage divisions, providing more highly resolved data for studies of taxic macroevolution. Families are classified by order, class, and phylum, reflecting current classifications in the published literature. This compendium is a new edition of the 1982 publication, correcting errors and presenting greater stratigraphic resolution and more current ideas about acceptable families and their classification.

The ICD diagnoses of fetishism and sadomasochism.

PubMed

Reiersøl, Odd; Skeid, Svein

2006-01-01

In this article we discuss psychiatric diagnoses of sexual deviation as they appear in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10), the internationally accepted classification and diagnostic system of the World Health Organization (WHO). Namely, we discuss the background of three diagnostic categories: Fetishism (F65.0), Fetishistic Transvestism (F65.1), and Sadomasochism (F65.5). Pertinent background issues regarding the above categories are followed by a critique of the usefulness of diagnosing these phenomena today. Specifically, we argue that Fetishism, Fetishistic Transvestism, and Sadomasochism, also labeled Paraphilia or perversion, should not be considered illnesses. Finally, we present the efforts of an initiative known as ReviseF65, which was established in 1997, to abolish these diagnoses.

Research on Remote Sensing Image Classification Based on Feature Level Fusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, L.; Zhu, G.

2018-04-01

Remote sensing image classification, as an important direction of remote sensing image processing and application, has been widely studied. However, in the process of existing classification algorithms, there still exists the phenomenon of misclassification and missing points, which leads to the final classification accuracy is not high. In this paper, we selected Sentinel-1A and Landsat8 OLI images as data sources, and propose a classification method based on feature level fusion. Compare three kind of feature level fusion algorithms (i.e., Gram-Schmidt spectral sharpening, Principal Component Analysis transform and Brovey transform), and then select the best fused image for the classification experimental. In the classification process, we choose four kinds of image classification algorithms (i.e. Minimum distance, Mahalanobis distance, Support Vector Machine and ISODATA) to do contrast experiment. We use overall classification precision and Kappa coefficient as the classification accuracy evaluation criteria, and the four classification results of fused image are analysed. The experimental results show that the fusion effect of Gram-Schmidt spectral sharpening is better than other methods. In four kinds of classification algorithms, the fused image has the best applicability to Support Vector Machine classification, the overall classification precision is 94.01 % and the Kappa coefficients is 0.91. The fused image with Sentinel-1A and Landsat8 OLI is not only have more spatial information and spectral texture characteristics, but also enhances the distinguishing features of the images. The proposed method is beneficial to improve the accuracy and stability of remote sensing image classification.

Mapping gully-affected areas in the region of Taroudannt, Morocco based on Object-Based Image Analysis (OBIA)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

d'Oleire-Oltmanns, Sebastian; Marzolff, Irene; Tiede, Dirk; Blaschke, Thomas

2015-04-01

The need for area-wide landform mapping approaches, especially in terms of land degradation, can be ascribed to the fact that within area-wide landform mapping approaches, the (spatial) context of erosional landforms is considered by providing additional information on the physiography neighboring the distinct landform. This study presents an approach for the detection of gully-affected areas by applying object-based image analysis in the region of Taroudannt, Morocco, which is highly affected by gully erosion while simultaneously representing a major region of agro-industry with a high demand of arable land. Various sensors provide readily available high-resolution optical satellite data with a much better temporal resolution than 3D terrain data which lead to the development of an area-wide mapping approach to extract gully-affected areas using only optical satellite imagery. The classification rule-set was developed with a clear focus on virtual spatial independence within the software environment of eCognition Developer. This allows the incorporation of knowledge about the target objects under investigation. Only optical QuickBird-2 satellite data and freely-available OpenStreetMap (OSM) vector data were used as input data. The OSM vector data were incorporated in order to mask out plantations and residential areas. Optical input data are more readily available for a broad range of users compared to terrain data, which is considered to be a major advantage. The methodology additionally incorporates expert knowledge and freely-available vector data in a cyclic object-based image analysis approach. This connects the two fields of geomorphology and remote sensing. The classification results allow conclusions on the current distribution of gullies. The results of the classification were checked against manually delineated reference data incorporating expert knowledge based on several field campaigns in the area, resulting in an overall classification accuracy of 62%. The error of omission accounts for 38% and the error of commission for 16%, respectively. Additionally, a manual assessment was carried out to assess the quality of the applied classification algorithm. The limited error of omission contributes with 23% to the overall error of omission and the limited error of commission contributes with 98% to the overall error of commission. This assessment improves the results and confirms the high quality of the developed approach for area-wide mapping of gully-affected areas in larger regions. In the field of landform mapping, the overall quality of the classification results is often assessed with more than one method to incorporate all aspects adequately.

The family structure of the Mucorales: a synoptic revision based on comprehensive multigene-genealogies.

PubMed

Hoffmann, K; Pawłowska, J; Walther, G; Wrzosek, M; de Hoog, G S; Benny, G L; Kirk, P M; Voigt, K

2013-06-01

The Mucorales (Mucoromycotina) are one of the most ancient groups of fungi comprising ubiquitous, mostly saprotrophic organisms. The first comprehensive molecular studies 11 yr ago revealed the traditional classification scheme, mainly based on morphology, as highly artificial. Since then only single clades have been investigated in detail but a robust classification of the higher levels based on DNA data has not been published yet. Therefore we provide a classification based on a phylogenetic analysis of four molecular markers including the large and the small subunit of the ribosomal DNA, the partial actin gene and the partial gene for the translation elongation factor 1-alpha. The dataset comprises 201 isolates in 103 species and represents about one half of the currently accepted species in this order. Previous family concepts are reviewed and the family structure inferred from the multilocus phylogeny is introduced and discussed. Main differences between the current classification and preceding concepts affects the existing families Lichtheimiaceae and Cunninghamellaceae, as well as the genera Backusella and Lentamyces which recently obtained the status of families along with the Rhizopodaceae comprising Rhizopus, Sporodiniella and Syzygites. Compensatory base change analyses in the Lichtheimiaceae confirmed the lower level classification of Lichtheimia and Rhizomucor while genera such as Circinella or Syncephalastrum completely lacked compensatory base changes.

Injuries from Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence: Significance and Classification Systems

PubMed Central

Sommers, Marilyn S.; Brunner, Lillian S.; Brown, Kathleen M.; Buschur, Carole; Everett, Janine S.; Fargo, Jamison D.; Fisher, Bonnie S.; Hinkle, Christina; Zink, Therese M.

2012-01-01

While intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) are highly associated with injury, the healthcare and legal significance of these injuries is controversial. Purpose: Herein we propose to explore the significance of injury in IPV and SV and examine the current status of injury classification systems from the perspectives of the healthcare and criminal justice systems. We will review current injury classification systems and suggest a typology of injury that could be tested empirically. Findings: Within the published literature, we found that no commonly-accepted injury typology exists. While nuanced and controversial issues surround the role of injury detection in the sexual assault forensic examination, enough evidence exists to support the continued pursuance of a scientific approach to injury classification. We propose an injury typology that is measureable, is applicable to the healthcare setting and criminal justice system, and allows us to use uses a matrix approach that includes a severity score, anatomic location, and injury type. We suggest a typology that might be used for further empirical testing on the validity and reliability of IPV and SV injury data. Conclusion: We recommend that the community of scientists concerned about IPV and SV develop a more rigorous injury classification system that will improve the quality of forensic evidence proffered and decisions made throughout the criminal justice process. PMID:22687765

How a national vegetation classification can help ecological research and management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franklin, Scott; Comer, Patrick; Evens, Julie; Ezcurra, Exequiel; Faber-Langendoen, Don; Franklin, Janet; Jennings, Michael; Josse, Carmen; Lea, Chris; Loucks, Orie; Muldavin, Esteban; Peet, Robert K.; Ponomarenko, Serguei; Roberts, David G.; Solomeshch, Ayzik; Keeler-Wolf, Todd; Van Kley, James; Weakley, Alan; McKerrow, Alexa; Burke, Marianne; Spurrier, Carol

2015-01-01

The elegance of classification lies in its ability to compile and systematize various terminological conventions and masses of information that are unattainable during typical research projects. Imagine a discipline without standards for collection, analysis, and interpretation; unfortunately, that describes much of 20th-century vegetation ecology. With differing methods, how do we assess community dynamics over decades, much less centuries? How do we compare plant communities from different areas? The need for a widely applied vegetation classification has long been clear. Now imagine a multi-decade effort to assimilate hundreds of disparate vegetation classifications into one common classification for the US. In this letter, we introduce the US National Vegetation Classification (USNVC; www.usnvc.org) as a powerful tool for research and conservation, analogous to the argument made by Schimel and Chadwick (2013) for soils. The USNVC provides a national framework to classify and describe vegetation; here we describe the USNVC and offer brief examples of its efficacy.

Practice, science and governance in interaction: European effort for the system-wide implementation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine.

PubMed

Stucki, Gerold; Zampolini, Mauro; Juocevicius, Alvydas; Negrini, Stefano; Christodoulou, Nicolas

2017-04-01

Since its launch in 2001, relevant international, regional and national PRM bodies have aimed to implement the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) in Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM), whereby contributing to the development of suitable practical tools. These tools are available for implementing the ICF in day-to-day clinical practice, standardized reporting of functioning outcomes in quality management and research, and guiding evidence-informed policy. Educational efforts have reinforced PRM physicians' and other rehabilitation professionals' ICF knowledge, and numerous implementation projects have explored how the ICF is applied in clinical practice, research and policy. Largely lacking though is the system-wide implementation of ICF in day-to-day practice across all rehabilitation services of national health systems. In Europe, system-wide implementation of ICF requires the interaction between practice, science and governance. Considering its mandate, the UEMS PRM Section and Board have decided to lead a European effort towards system-wide ICF implementation in PRM, rehabilitation and health care at large, in interaction with governments, non-governmental actors and the private sector, and aligned with ISPRM's collaboration plan with WHO. In this paper we present the current PRM internal and external policy agenda towards system-wide ICF implementation and the corresponding implementation action plan, while highlighting priority action steps - promotion of ICF-based standardized reporting in national quality management and assurance programs, development of unambiguous rehabilitation service descriptions using the International Classification System for Service Organization in Health-related Rehabilitation, development of Clinical Assessment Schedules, qualitative linkage and quantitative mapping of data to the ICF, and the cultural adaptation of the ICF Clinical Data Collection Tool in European languages.

Deep convolutional neural networks for automatic classification of gastric carcinoma using whole slide images in digital histopathology.

PubMed

Sharma, Harshita; Zerbe, Norman; Klempert, Iris; Hellwich, Olaf; Hufnagl, Peter

2017-11-01

Deep learning using convolutional neural networks is an actively emerging field in histological image analysis. This study explores deep learning methods for computer-aided classification in H&E stained histopathological whole slide images of gastric carcinoma. An introductory convolutional neural network architecture is proposed for two computerized applications, namely, cancer classification based on immunohistochemical response and necrosis detection based on the existence of tumor necrosis in the tissue. Classification performance of the developed deep learning approach is quantitatively compared with traditional image analysis methods in digital histopathology requiring prior computation of handcrafted features, such as statistical measures using gray level co-occurrence matrix, Gabor filter-bank responses, LBP histograms, gray histograms, HSV histograms and RGB histograms, followed by random forest machine learning. Additionally, the widely known AlexNet deep convolutional framework is comparatively analyzed for the corresponding classification problems. The proposed convolutional neural network architecture reports favorable results, with an overall classification accuracy of 0.6990 for cancer classification and 0.8144 for necrosis detection. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of Single and Multi-Scale Method for Leaf and Wood Points Classification from Terrestrial Laser Scanning Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wei, Hongqiang; Zhou, Guiyun; Zhou, Junjie

2018-04-01

The classification of leaf and wood points is an essential preprocessing step for extracting inventory measurements and canopy characterization of trees from the terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) data. The geometry-based approach is one of the widely used classification method. In the geometry-based method, it is common practice to extract salient features at one single scale before the features are used for classification. It remains unclear how different scale(s) used affect the classification accuracy and efficiency. To assess the scale effect on the classification accuracy and efficiency, we extracted the single-scale and multi-scale salient features from the point clouds of two oak trees of different sizes and conducted the classification on leaf and wood. Our experimental results show that the balanced accuracy of the multi-scale method is higher than the average balanced accuracy of the single-scale method by about 10 % for both trees. The average speed-up ratio of single scale classifiers over multi-scale classifier for each tree is higher than 30.

Automated radial basis function neural network based image classification system for diabetic retinopathy detection in retinal images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anitha, J.; Vijila, C. Kezi Selva; Hemanth, D. Jude

2010-02-01

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a chronic eye disease for which early detection is highly essential to avoid any fatal results. Image processing of retinal images emerge as a feasible tool for this early diagnosis. Digital image processing techniques involve image classification which is a significant technique to detect the abnormality in the eye. Various automated classification systems have been developed in the recent years but most of them lack high classification accuracy. Artificial neural networks are the widely preferred artificial intelligence technique since it yields superior results in terms of classification accuracy. In this work, Radial Basis function (RBF) neural network based bi-level classification system is proposed to differentiate abnormal DR Images and normal retinal images. The results are analyzed in terms of classification accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. A comparative analysis is performed with the results of the probabilistic classifier namely Bayesian classifier to show the superior nature of neural classifier. Experimental results show promising results for the neural classifier in terms of the performance measures.

Supernova Photometric Lightcurve Classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zaidi, Tayeb; Narayan, Gautham

2016-01-01

This is a preliminary report on photometric supernova classification. We first explore the properties of supernova light curves, and attempt to restructure the unevenly sampled and sparse data from assorted datasets to allow for processing and classification. The data was primarily drawn from the Dark Energy Survey (DES) simulated data, created for the Supernova Photometric Classification Challenge. This poster shows a method for producing a non-parametric representation of the light curve data, and applying a Random Forest classifier algorithm to distinguish between supernovae types. We examine the impact of Principal Component Analysis to reduce the dimensionality of the dataset, for future classification work. The classification code will be used in a stage of the ANTARES pipeline, created for use on the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope alert data and other wide-field surveys. The final figure-of-merit for the DES data in the r band was 60% for binary classification (Type I vs II).Zaidi was supported by the NOAO/KPNO Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) Program which is funded by the National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program (AST-1262829).

Malay sentiment analysis based on combined classification approaches and Senti-lexicon algorithm.

PubMed

Al-Saffar, Ahmed; Awang, Suryanti; Tao, Hai; Omar, Nazlia; Al-Saiagh, Wafaa; Al-Bared, Mohammed

2018-01-01

Sentiment analysis techniques are increasingly exploited to categorize the opinion text to one or more predefined sentiment classes for the creation and automated maintenance of review-aggregation websites. In this paper, a Malay sentiment analysis classification model is proposed to improve classification performances based on the semantic orientation and machine learning approaches. First, a total of 2,478 Malay sentiment-lexicon phrases and words are assigned with a synonym and stored with the help of more than one Malay native speaker, and the polarity is manually allotted with a score. In addition, the supervised machine learning approaches and lexicon knowledge method are combined for Malay sentiment classification with evaluating thirteen features. Finally, three individual classifiers and a combined classifier are used to evaluate the classification accuracy. In experimental results, a wide-range of comparative experiments is conducted on a Malay Reviews Corpus (MRC), and it demonstrates that the feature extraction improves the performance of Malay sentiment analysis based on the combined classification. However, the results depend on three factors, the features, the number of features and the classification approach.

Feature extraction based on extended multi-attribute profiles and sparse autoencoder for remote sensing image classification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teffahi, Hanane; Yao, Hongxun; Belabid, Nasreddine; Chaib, Souleyman

2018-02-01

The satellite images with very high spatial resolution have been recently widely used in image classification topic as it has become challenging task in remote sensing field. Due to a number of limitations such as the redundancy of features and the high dimensionality of the data, different classification methods have been proposed for remote sensing images classification particularly the methods using feature extraction techniques. This paper propose a simple efficient method exploiting the capability of extended multi-attribute profiles (EMAP) with sparse autoencoder (SAE) for remote sensing image classification. The proposed method is used to classify various remote sensing datasets including hyperspectral and multispectral images by extracting spatial and spectral features based on the combination of EMAP and SAE by linking them to kernel support vector machine (SVM) for classification. Experiments on new hyperspectral image "Huston data" and multispectral image "Washington DC data" shows that this new scheme can achieve better performance of feature learning than the primitive features, traditional classifiers and ordinary autoencoder and has huge potential to achieve higher accuracy for classification in short running time.

Malay sentiment analysis based on combined classification approaches and Senti-lexicon algorithm

PubMed Central

Awang, Suryanti; Tao, Hai; Omar, Nazlia; Al-Saiagh, Wafaa; Al-bared, Mohammed

2018-01-01

Sentiment analysis techniques are increasingly exploited to categorize the opinion text to one or more predefined sentiment classes for the creation and automated maintenance of review-aggregation websites. In this paper, a Malay sentiment analysis classification model is proposed to improve classification performances based on the semantic orientation and machine learning approaches. First, a total of 2,478 Malay sentiment-lexicon phrases and words are assigned with a synonym and stored with the help of more than one Malay native speaker, and the polarity is manually allotted with a score. In addition, the supervised machine learning approaches and lexicon knowledge method are combined for Malay sentiment classification with evaluating thirteen features. Finally, three individual classifiers and a combined classifier are used to evaluate the classification accuracy. In experimental results, a wide-range of comparative experiments is conducted on a Malay Reviews Corpus (MRC), and it demonstrates that the feature extraction improves the performance of Malay sentiment analysis based on the combined classification. However, the results depend on three factors, the features, the number of features and the classification approach. PMID:29684036

Fuzzy Classification of High Resolution Remote Sensing Scenes Using Visual Attention Features.

PubMed

Li, Linyi; Xu, Tingbao; Chen, Yun

2017-01-01

In recent years the spatial resolutions of remote sensing images have been improved greatly. However, a higher spatial resolution image does not always lead to a better result of automatic scene classification. Visual attention is an important characteristic of the human visual system, which can effectively help to classify remote sensing scenes. In this study, a novel visual attention feature extraction algorithm was proposed, which extracted visual attention features through a multiscale process. And a fuzzy classification method using visual attention features (FC-VAF) was developed to perform high resolution remote sensing scene classification. FC-VAF was evaluated by using remote sensing scenes from widely used high resolution remote sensing images, including IKONOS, QuickBird, and ZY-3 images. FC-VAF achieved more accurate classification results than the others according to the quantitative accuracy evaluation indices. We also discussed the role and impacts of different decomposition levels and different wavelets on the classification accuracy. FC-VAF improves the accuracy of high resolution scene classification and therefore advances the research of digital image analysis and the applications of high resolution remote sensing images.

Fuzzy Classification of High Resolution Remote Sensing Scenes Using Visual Attention Features

PubMed Central

Xu, Tingbao; Chen, Yun

2017-01-01

In recent years the spatial resolutions of remote sensing images have been improved greatly. However, a higher spatial resolution image does not always lead to a better result of automatic scene classification. Visual attention is an important characteristic of the human visual system, which can effectively help to classify remote sensing scenes. In this study, a novel visual attention feature extraction algorithm was proposed, which extracted visual attention features through a multiscale process. And a fuzzy classification method using visual attention features (FC-VAF) was developed to perform high resolution remote sensing scene classification. FC-VAF was evaluated by using remote sensing scenes from widely used high resolution remote sensing images, including IKONOS, QuickBird, and ZY-3 images. FC-VAF achieved more accurate classification results than the others according to the quantitative accuracy evaluation indices. We also discussed the role and impacts of different decomposition levels and different wavelets on the classification accuracy. FC-VAF improves the accuracy of high resolution scene classification and therefore advances the research of digital image analysis and the applications of high resolution remote sensing images. PMID:28761440

CANDELS Visual Classifications: Scheme, Data Release, and First Results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kartaltepe, Jeyhan S.; Mozena, Mark; Kocevski, Dale; McIntosh, Daniel H.; Lotz, Jennifer; Bell, Eric F.; Faber, Sandy; Ferguson, Henry; Koo, David; Bassett, Robert;

Classification of maxillectomy defects: a systematic review and criteria necessary for a universal description.

PubMed

Bidra, Avinash S; Jacob, Rhonda F; Taylor, Thomas D

2012-04-01

Maxillectomy defects are complex and involve a number of anatomic structures. Several maxillectomy defect classifications have been proposed with no universal acceptance among surgeons and prosthodontists. Established criteria for describing the maxillectomy defect are lacking. This systematic review aimed to evaluate classification systems in the available literature, to provide a critical appraisal, and to identify the criteria necessary for a universal description of maxillectomy and midfacial defects. An electronic search of the English language literature between the periods of 1974 and June 2011 was performed by using PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane databases with predetermined inclusion criteria. Key terms included in the search were maxillectomy classification, maxillary resection classification, maxillary removal classification, maxillary reconstruction classification, midfacial defect classification, and midfacial reconstruction classification. This was supplemented by a manual search of selected journals. After application of predetermined exclusion criteria, the final list of articles was reviewed in-depth to provide a critical appraisal and identify criteria for a universal description of a maxillectomy defect. The electronic database search yielded 261 titles. Systematic application of inclusion and exclusion criteria resulted in identification of 14 maxillectomy and midfacial defect classification systems. From these articles, 6 different criteria were identified as necessary for a universal description of a maxillectomy defect. Multiple deficiencies were noted in each classification system. Though most articles described the superior-inferior extent of the defect, only a small number of articles described the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral extent of the defect. Few articles listed dental status and soft palate involvement when describing maxillectomy defects. No classification system has accurately described the maxillectomy defect, based on criteria that satisfy both surgical and prosthodontic needs. The 6 criteria identified in this systematic review for a universal description of a maxillectomy defect are: 1) dental status; 2) oroantral/nasal communication status; 3) soft palate and other contiguous structure involvement; 4) superior-inferior extent; 5) anterior-posterior extent; and 6) medial-lateral extent of the defect. A criteria-based description appears more objective and amenable for universal use than a classification-based description. Copyright © 2012 The Editorial Council of the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Provably-Secure (Chinese Government) SM2 and Simplified SM2 Key Exchange Protocols

PubMed Central

Nam, Junghyun; Kim, Moonseong

2014-01-01

We revisit the SM2 protocol, which is widely used in Chinese commercial applications and by Chinese government agencies. Although it is by now standard practice for protocol designers to provide security proofs in widely accepted security models in order to assure protocol implementers of their security properties, the SM2 protocol does not have a proof of security. In this paper, we prove the security of the SM2 protocol in the widely accepted indistinguishability-based Bellare-Rogaway model under the elliptic curve discrete logarithm problem (ECDLP) assumption. We also present a simplified and more efficient version of the SM2 protocol with an accompanying security proof. PMID:25276863

Design of FRP systems for strengthening concrete girders in shear.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-06-01

FRP systems have been used on a project-specific basis for the last two decades. They are now becoming a widely accepted method of : strengthening concrete structures. The acceptance and utilization of these new strengthening techniques depend on the...

A systematic literature review of automated clinical coding and classification systems

PubMed Central

Williams, Margaret; Fenton, Susan H; Jenders, Robert A; Hersh, William R

2010-01-01

Clinical coding and classification processes transform natural language descriptions in clinical text into data that can subsequently be used for clinical care, research, and other purposes. This systematic literature review examined studies that evaluated all types of automated coding and classification systems to determine the performance of such systems. Studies indexed in Medline or other relevant databases prior to March 2009 were considered. The 113 studies included in this review show that automated tools exist for a variety of coding and classification purposes, focus on various healthcare specialties, and handle a wide variety of clinical document types. Automated coding and classification systems themselves are not generalizable, nor are the results of the studies evaluating them. Published research shows these systems hold promise, but these data must be considered in context, with performance relative to the complexity of the task and the desired outcome. PMID:20962126

Medical and Endoscopic Management of Gastric Varices

PubMed Central

Al-Osaimi, Abdullah M. S.; Caldwell, Stephen H.

2011-01-01

In the past 20 years, our understanding of the pathophysiology and management options among patients with gastric varices (GV) has changed significantly. GV are the most common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with portal hypertension after esophageal varices (EV) and generally have more severe bleeding than EV. In the United States, the majority of GV patients have underlying portal hypertension rather than splenic vein thrombosis. The widely used classifications are the Sarin Endoscopic Classification and the Japanese Vascular Classifications. The former is based on the endoscopic appearance and location of the varices, while the Japanese classification is based on the underlying vascular anatomy. In this article, the authors address the current concepts of classification, epidemiology, pathophysiology, and emerging management options of gastric varices. They describe the stepwise approach to patients with gastric varices, including the different available modalities, and the pearls, pitfalls, and stop-gap measures useful in managing patients with gastric variceal bleed. PMID:22942544

Video based object representation and classification using multiple covariance matrices.

PubMed

Zhang, Yurong; Liu, Quan

2017-01-01

Video based object recognition and classification has been widely studied in computer vision and image processing area. One main issue of this task is to develop an effective representation for video. This problem can generally be formulated as image set representation. In this paper, we present a new method called Multiple Covariance Discriminative Learning (MCDL) for image set representation and classification problem. The core idea of MCDL is to represent an image set using multiple covariance matrices with each covariance matrix representing one cluster of images. Firstly, we use the Nonnegative Matrix Factorization (NMF) method to do image clustering within each image set, and then adopt Covariance Discriminative Learning on each cluster (subset) of images. At last, we adopt KLDA and nearest neighborhood classification method for image set classification. Promising experimental results on several datasets show the effectiveness of our MCDL method.

A systematic literature review of automated clinical coding and classification systems.

PubMed

Stanfill, Mary H; Williams, Margaret; Fenton, Susan H; Jenders, Robert A; Hersh, William R

2010-01-01

Clinical coding and classification processes transform natural language descriptions in clinical text into data that can subsequently be used for clinical care, research, and other purposes. This systematic literature review examined studies that evaluated all types of automated coding and classification systems to determine the performance of such systems. Studies indexed in Medline or other relevant databases prior to March 2009 were considered. The 113 studies included in this review show that automated tools exist for a variety of coding and classification purposes, focus on various healthcare specialties, and handle a wide variety of clinical document types. Automated coding and classification systems themselves are not generalizable, nor are the results of the studies evaluating them. Published research shows these systems hold promise, but these data must be considered in context, with performance relative to the complexity of the task and the desired outcome.

Classification of Stellar Spectra with Fuzzy Minimum Within-Class Support Vector Machine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong-bao, Liu; Wen-ai, Song; Jing, Zhang; Wen-juan, Zhao

2017-06-01

Classification is one of the important tasks in astronomy, especially in spectra analysis. Support Vector Machine (SVM) is a typical classification method, which is widely used in spectra classification. Although it performs well in practice, its classification accuracies can not be greatly improved because of two limitations. One is it does not take the distribution of the classes into consideration. The other is it is sensitive to noise. In order to solve the above problems, inspired by the maximization of the Fisher's Discriminant Analysis (FDA) and the SVM separability constraints, fuzzy minimum within-class support vector machine (FMWSVM) is proposed in this paper. In FMWSVM, the distribution of the classes is reflected by the within-class scatter in FDA and the fuzzy membership function is introduced to decrease the influence of the noise. The comparative experiments with SVM on the SDSS datasets verify the effectiveness of the proposed classifier FMWSVM.

Pathological and Molecular Evaluation of Pancreatic Neoplasms

PubMed Central

Rishi, Arvind; Goggins, Michael; Wood, Laura D.; Hruban, Ralph H.

2015-01-01

Pancreatic neoplasms are morphologically and genetically heterogeneous and include wide variety of neoplasms ranging from benign to malignant with an extremely poor clinical outcome. Our understanding of these pancreatic neoplasms has improved significantly with recent advances in cancer sequencing. Awareness of molecular pathogenesis brings in new opportunities for early detection, improved prognostication, and personalized gene-specific therapies. Here we review the pathological classification of pancreatic neoplasms from their molecular and genetic perspective. All of the major tumor types that arise in the pancreas have been sequenced, and a new classification that incorporates molecular findings together with pathological findings is now possible (Table 1). This classification has significant implications for our understanding of why tumors aggregate in some families, for the development of early detection tests, and for the development of personalized therapies for patients with established cancers. Here we describe this new classification using the framework of the standard histological classification. PMID:25726050

Development of a School-Wide Behavior Program in a Public Middle School: An Illustration of Deployment-Focused Intervention Development, Stage 1

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Molina, Brooke S. G.; Smith, Bradley H.; Pelham, William E., Jr.

2005-01-01

School-wide behavior management systems can improve academic performance and behavior in middle schools, and they should have positive effects on students with ADHD. Unfortunately, evidence-based, school-wide behavior management systems have not been widely adopted because of problems with feasibility, acceptability, and sustainability. The…

A practicable approach for periodontal classification

PubMed Central

Mittal, Vishnu; Bhullar, Raman Preet K.; Bansal, Rachita; Singh, Karanprakash; Bhalodi, Anand; Khinda, Paramjit K.

2013-01-01

The Diagnosis and classification of periodontal diseases has remained a dilemma since long. Two distinct concepts have been used to define diseases: Essentialism and Nominalism. Essentialistic concept implies the real existence of disease whereas; nominalistic concept states that the names of diseases are the convenient way of stating concisely the endpoint of a diagnostic process. It generally advances from assessment of symptoms and signs toward knowledge of causation and gives a feasible option to name the disease for which etiology is either unknown or it is too complex to access in routine clinical practice. Various classifications have been proposed by the American Academy of Periodontology (AAP) in 1986, 1989 and 1999. The AAP 1999 classification is among the most widely used classification. But this classification also has demerits which provide impediment for its use in day to day practice. Hence a classification and diagnostic system is required which can help the clinician to access the patient's need and provide a suitable treatment which is in harmony with the diagnosis for that particular case. Here is an attempt to propose a practicable classification and diagnostic system of periodontal diseases for better treatment outcome. PMID:24379855

76 FR 28766 - Black Canyon Hydro, LLC; Notice of Preliminary Permit Application Accepted for Filing and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-05-18

.... The proposed project would consist of the following: (1) An approximately 35-foot-wide, 7-foot-tall inflatable dam; (2) a 90-foot- wide, 7-foot-tall diversion intake structure; (3) a 9-foot-wide, 7- foot-tall...

Cost-effectiveness of a classification-based system for sub-acute and chronic low back pain.

PubMed

Apeldoorn, Adri T; Bosmans, Judith E; Ostelo, Raymond W; de Vet, Henrica C W; van Tulder, Maurits W

2012-07-01

Identifying relevant subgroups in patients with low back pain (LBP) is considered important to guide physical therapy practice and to improve outcomes. The aim of the present study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of a modified version of Delitto's classification-based treatment approach compared with usual physical therapy care in patients with sub-acute and chronic LBP with 1 year follow-up. All patients were classified using the modified version of Delitto's classification-based system and then randomly assigned to receive either classification-based treatment or usual physical therapy care. The main clinical outcomes measured were; global perceived effect, intensity of pain, functional disability and quality of life. Costs were measured from a societal perspective. Multiple imputations were used for missing data. Uncertainty surrounding cost differences and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios was estimated using bootstrapping. Cost-effectiveness planes and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves were estimated. In total, 156 patients were included. The outcome analyses showed a significantly better outcome on global perceived effect favoring the classification-based approach, and no differences between the groups on pain, disability and quality-adjusted life-years. Mean total societal costs for the classification-based group were 2,287, and for the usual physical therapy care group 2,020. The difference was 266 (95% CI -720 to 1,612) and not statistically significant. Cost-effectiveness analyses showed that the classification-based approach was not cost-effective in comparison with usual physical therapy care for any clinical outcome measure. The classification-based treatment approach as used in this study was not cost-effective in comparison with usual physical therapy care in a population of patients with sub-acute and chronic LBP.

Criteria for solvent-induced chronic toxic encephalopathy: a systematic review.

PubMed

van der Hoek, J A; Verberk, M M; Hageman, G

2000-08-01

In 1985, a WHO Working Group presented diagnostic criteria and a classification for solvent-induced chronic toxic encephalopathy (CTE). In the same year, the "Workshop on neurobehavioral effects of solvents" in Raleigh, N.C., USA introduced a somewhat different classification for CTE. The objective of this review is to study the diagnostic procedures that are used to establish the diagnosis of CTE, and the extent to which the diagnostic criteria and classification of the WHO, and the classification of the Raleigh Working Group, are applied. A systematic search of studies on CTE was performed, and the diagnostic criteria and use of the WHO and Raleigh classifications were listed. We retrieved 30 original articles published in English from 1985 to 1998, in which CTE was diagnosed. Only two articles did not report the duration of solvent exposure. The type of solvent(s) involved was described in detail in four articles, poorly in 17 articles, and not at all in nine articles. Tests of general intelligence were used in 19 articles, and tests of both attention and mental flexibility and of learning and memory were used in 18 articles. Exclusion, by interview, of potentially confounding conditions, such as somatic diseases with central nervous effects and psychiatric diseases, was reported in 21 and 16 articles, respectively. In only six of the articles were both the WHO diagnostic criteria and the WHO or Raleigh classifications used. In the future, parameters of exposure, psychological test results, and use of medication that possibly affects psychological test results should always be described. We list some advantages and disadvantages of the Raleigh and WHO classifications. To aid inter-study comparisons, the diagnosis of CTE should be categorized and reported according to an internationally accepted classification.

Does expert knowledge improve automatic probabilistic classification of gait joint motion patterns in children with cerebral palsy?

PubMed Central

Papageorgiou, Eirini; Nieuwenhuys, Angela; Desloovere, Kaat

2017-01-01

Background This study aimed to improve the automatic probabilistic classification of joint motion gait patterns in children with cerebral palsy by using the expert knowledge available via a recently developed Delphi-consensus study. To this end, this study applied both Naïve Bayes and Logistic Regression classification with varying degrees of usage of the expert knowledge (expert-defined and discretized features). A database of 356 patients and 1719 gait trials was used to validate the classification performance of eleven joint motions. Hypotheses Two main hypotheses stated that: (1) Joint motion patterns in children with CP, obtained through a Delphi-consensus study, can be automatically classified following a probabilistic approach, with an accuracy similar to clinical expert classification, and (2) The inclusion of clinical expert knowledge in the selection of relevant gait features and the discretization of continuous features increases the performance of automatic probabilistic joint motion classification. Findings This study provided objective evidence supporting the first hypothesis. Automatic probabilistic gait classification using the expert knowledge available from the Delphi-consensus study resulted in accuracy (91%) similar to that obtained with two expert raters (90%), and higher accuracy than that obtained with non-expert raters (78%). Regarding the second hypothesis, this study demonstrated that the use of more advanced machine learning techniques such as automatic feature selection and discretization instead of expert-defined and discretized features can result in slightly higher joint motion classification performance. However, the increase in performance is limited and does not outweigh the additional computational cost and the higher risk of loss of clinical interpretability, which threatens the clinical acceptance and applicability. PMID:28570616

Ultra-wide-field angiography improves the detection and classification of diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Wessel, Matthew M; Aaker, Grant D; Parlitsis, George; Cho, Minhee; D'Amico, Donald J; Kiss, Szilárd

2012-04-01

To evaluate patients with diabetic retinopathy using ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography and to compare the visualized retinal pathology with that seen on an overly of conventional 7 standard field (7SF) imaging. Two hundred and eighteen eyes of 118 diabetic patients who underwent diagnostic fluorescein angiography using the Optos Optomap Panoramic 200A imaging system were included. The visualized area of the retina, retinal nonperfusion, retinal neovascularization, and panretinal photocoagulation were quantified by two independent masked graders. The respective areas identified on the ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography image were compared with an overly of a modified 7SF image as outlined in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study. Ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiograms imaging, on average, demonstrated 3.2 times more total retinal surface area than 7SF. When compared with 7SF, ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography showed 3.9 times more nonperfusion (P < 0.001), 1.9 times more neovascularization (P = 0.036), and 3.8 times more panretinal photocoagulation (P < 0.001). In 22 eyes (10%), ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography demonstrated retinal pathology (including nonperfusion and neovascularization) not evident in an 7SF overly. Compared with conventional 7SF imaging, ultra-wide-field fluorescein angiography reveals significantly more retinal vascular pathology in patients with diabetic retinopathy. Improved retinal visualization may alter the classification of diabetic retinopathy and may therefore influence follow-up and treatment of these patients.

Atmospheric circulation classification comparison based on wildfires in Portugal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, M. G.; Trigo, R. M.

2009-04-01

Atmospheric circulation classifications are not a simple description of atmospheric states but a tool to understand and interpret the atmospheric processes and to model the relation between atmospheric circulation and surface climate and other related variables (Radan Huth et al., 2008). Classifications were initially developed with weather forecasting purposes, however with the progress in computer processing capability, new and more robust objective methods were developed and applied to large datasets prompting atmospheric circulation classification methods to one of the most important fields in synoptic and statistical climatology. Classification studies have been extensively used in climate change studies (e.g. reconstructed past climates, recent observed changes and future climates), in bioclimatological research (e.g. relating human mortality to climatic factors) and in a wide variety of synoptic climatological applications (e.g. comparison between datasets, air pollution, snow avalanches, wine quality, fish captures and forest fires). Likewise, atmospheric circulation classifications are important for the study of the role of weather in wildfire occurrence in Portugal because the daily synoptic variability is the most important driver of local weather conditions (Pereira et al., 2005). In particular, the objective classification scheme developed by Trigo and DaCamara (2000) to classify the atmospheric circulation affecting Portugal have proved to be quite useful in discriminating the occurrence and development of wildfires as well as the distribution over Portugal of surface climatic variables with impact in wildfire activity such as maximum and minimum temperature and precipitation. This work aims to present: (i) an overview the existing circulation classification for the Iberian Peninsula, and (ii) the results of a comparison study between these atmospheric circulation classifications based on its relation with wildfires and relevant meteorological variables. To achieve these objectives we consider the main classifications for Iberia developed within the framework of COST action 733 (Radan Huth et al., 2008). This European project aims to provide a wide range of atmospheric circulation classifications for Europe and sub-regions (http://www.cost733.org/) with an ambitious objective of assessing, comparing and classifying all relevant weather situations in Europe. Pereira et al. (2005) "Synoptic patterns associated with large summer forest fires in Portugal". Agricultural and Forest Meteorology,129, 11-25. Radan Huth et al. (2008) "Classifications of Atmospheric circulation patterns. Recent advances and applications". Trends and Directions in Climate Research: Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 1146: 105-152. doi: 10.1196/annals.1446.019. Trigo R.M., DaCamara C. (2000) "Circulation Weather Types and their impact on the precipitation regime in Portugal". Int J of Climatology, 20, 1559-1581.

Development of Hazards Classification Data on Propellants and Explosives

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-11-01

scattering photometer. A near forward, dark field instrument called a Sinclair-Phoenix photometer is common- ly used for measuring a wide range of...hazardä classification pro- cedure for in-process materials, and 5) Experimental evaluation of selected small-scale tests for application in the hazards...responsible for the experimental por- tion of this work. In addition to the authors, other IITRI personnel who contributed to this program were R

Agreement between TOAST and CCS ischemic stroke classification: the NINDS SiGN study.

PubMed

McArdle, Patrick F; Kittner, Steven J; Ay, Hakan; Brown, Robert D; Meschia, James F; Rundek, Tatjana; Wassertheil-Smoller, Sylvia; Woo, Daniel; Andsberg, Gunnar; Biffi, Alessandro; Brenner, David A; Cole, John W; Corriveau, Roderick; de Bakker, Paul I W; Delavaran, Hossein; Dichgans, Martin; Grewal, Raji P; Gwinn, Katrina; Huq, Mohammed; Jern, Christina; Jimenez-Conde, Jordi; Jood, Katarina; Kaplan, Robert C; Katschnig, Petra; Katsnelson, Michael; Labovitz, Daniel L; Lemmens, Robin; Li, Linxin; Lindgren, Arne; Markus, Hugh S; Peddareddygari, Leema R; Pedersén, Annie; Pera, Joanna; Redfors, Petra; Roquer, Jaume; Rosand, Jonathan; Rost, Natalia S; Rothwell, Peter M; Sacco, Ralph L; Sharma, Pankaj; Slowik, Agnieszka; Sudlow, Cathie; Thijs, Vincent; Tiedt, Steffen; Valenti, Raffaella; Worrall, Bradford B

2014-10-28

The objective of this study was to assess the level of agreement between stroke subtype classifications made using the Trial of Org 10172 Acute Stroke Treatment (TOAST) and Causative Classification of Stroke (CCS) systems. Study subjects included 13,596 adult men and women accrued from 20 US and European genetic research centers participating in the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) Stroke Genetics Network (SiGN). All cases had independently classified TOAST and CCS stroke subtypes. Kappa statistics were calculated for the 5 major ischemic stroke subtypes common to both systems. The overall agreement between TOAST and CCS was moderate (agreement rate, 70%; κ = 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58-0.60). Agreement varied widely across study sites, ranging from 28% to 90%. Agreement on specific subtypes was highest for large-artery atherosclerosis (κ = 0.71, 95% CI 0.69-0.73) and lowest for small-artery occlusion (κ = 0.56, 95% CI 0.54-0.58). Agreement between TOAST and CCS diagnoses was moderate. Caution is warranted when comparing or combining results based on the 2 systems. Replication of study results, for example, genome-wide association studies, should utilize phenotypes determined by the same classification system, ideally applied in the same manner. © 2014 American Academy of Neurology.

A quantitative index for classification of plantar thermal changes in the diabetic foot

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernandez-Contreras, D.; Peregrina-Barreto, H.; Rangel-Magdaleno, J.; Gonzalez-Bernal, J. A.; Altamirano-Robles, L.

2017-03-01

One of the main complications caused by diabetes mellitus is the development of diabetic foot, which in turn, can lead to ulcerations. Because ulceration risks are linked to an increase in plantar temperatures, recent approaches analyze thermal changes. These approaches try to identify spatial patterns of temperature that could be characteristic of a diabetic group. However, this is a difficult task since thermal patterns have wide variations resulting on complex classification. Moreover, the measurement of contralateral plantar temperatures is important to determine whether there is an abnormal difference but, this only provides information when thermal changes are asymmetric and in absence of ulceration or amputation. Therefore, in this work is proposed a quantitative index for measuring the thermal change in the plantar region of participants diagnosed diabetes mellitus regards to a reliable reference (control) or regards to the contralateral foot (as usual). Also, a classification of the thermal changes based on a quantitative index is proposed. Such classification demonstrate the wide diversity of spatial distributions in the diabetic foot but also demonstrate that it is possible to identify common characteristics. An automatic process, based on the analysis of plantar angiosomes and image processing, is presented to quantify these thermal changes and to provide valuable information to the medical expert.

A Real-Time Systems Symposium Preprint.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-09-01

Real - Time Systems Symposium Preprint Interim Tech...estimate of the occurence of the error. Unclassii ledSECUqITY CLASSIF’ICA T" NO MI*IA If’ inDI /’rrd erter for~~ble. ’Corrputnqg A REAL - TIME SYSTEMS SYMPOSIUM...ABSTRACT This technical report contains a preprint of a paper accepted for presentation at the REAL - TIME SYSTEMS SYMPOSIUM, Arlington,

A site classification for the mixed-conifer selection forests of the Sierra Nevada

Treesearch

Duncan Dunning

1942-01-01

The site-class curves presented . . . for the irregular pine-fir forests of California, were first prepared in connection with a yield-predicting procedure . . . developed in 1933. The original curves were designed principally for administrative use of the Forest Service in Region 5. Since they have now come to be accepted by other agencies and for general purposes,...

Charging of Space Debris and Their Dynamical Consequences

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-01-08

field of plasmas and space physics . 15. SUBJECT TERMS Space Plasma Physics , Space Debris 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT...opens up potential new areas of fundamental and applied research in the field of plasmas and space physics ...object in a plasma”, accepted for publication in Physics of Plasmas. (attached as Annexure III) For details on (iv) please refer to the

Expanding the Space of Plausible Solutions in a Medical Tutoring System for Problem-Based Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kazi, Hameedullah; Haddawy, Peter; Suebnukarn, Siriwan

2009-01-01

In well-defined domains such as Physics, Mathematics, and Chemistry, solutions to a posed problem can objectively be classified as correct or incorrect. In ill-defined domains such as medicine, the classification of solutions to a patient problem as correct or incorrect is much more complex. Typical tutoring systems accept only a small set of…

Thoughts on Film: Critically Engaging with Both Adorno and Benjamin

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Olimpio, Laura

2015-01-01

There is a traditional debate in analytic aesthetics that surrounds the classification of film as Art. While much philosophy devoted to considering film has now moved beyond this debate and accepts film as a mass art, a subcategory of Art proper, it is worth reconsidering the criticism of film pre-Deleuze. Much of the criticism of film as…

Some technical aspects of trimming lumber in the planing mill

Treesearch

Peter Koch

1952-01-01

This paper discusses four classes of lumber timming machines applicable to the planning mill. The classification is made according to function as follows: Irregularity or defect removal to increase the value of residual portion. Double end trimming to a length standard acceptable by the trade, trimming to specified length of the higher grades of stock after it has been...

26 CFR 301.7701(b)-3 - Days of presence in the United States that are excluded for purposes of section 7701(b).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... have accepted unauthorized employment or to have maintained a course of study that is not considered by... the individual's spouse and unmarried children (whether by blood or adoption) but only if the spouse's or unmarried children's visa status are derived from and dependent on the visa classification of the...

26 CFR 301.7701(b)-3 - Days of presence in the United States that are excluded for purposes of section 7701(b).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... have accepted unauthorized employment or to have maintained a course of study that is not considered by... the individual's spouse and unmarried children (whether by blood or adoption) but only if the spouse's or unmarried children's visa status are derived from and dependent on the visa classification of the...

26 CFR 301.7701(b)-3 - Days of presence in the United States that are excluded for purposes of section 7701(b).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... have accepted unauthorized employment or to have maintained a course of study that is not considered by... the individual's spouse and unmarried children (whether by blood or adoption) but only if the spouse's or unmarried children's visa status are derived from and dependent on the visa classification of the...

26 CFR 301.7701(b)-3 - Days of presence in the United States that are excluded for purposes of section 7701(b).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... have accepted unauthorized employment or to have maintained a course of study that is not considered by... the individual's spouse and unmarried children (whether by blood or adoption) but only if the spouse's or unmarried children's visa status are derived from and dependent on the visa classification of the...

26 CFR 301.7701(b)-3 - Days of presence in the United States that are excluded for purposes of section 7701(b).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... have accepted unauthorized employment or to have maintained a course of study that is not considered by... the individual's spouse and unmarried children (whether by blood or adoption) but only if the spouse's or unmarried children's visa status are derived from and dependent on the visa classification of the...

Meeting the criteria of a nursing diagnosis classification: Evaluation of ICNP, ICF, NANDA and ZEFP.

PubMed

Müller-Staub, Maria; Lavin, Mary Ann; Needham, Ian; van Achterberg, Theo

2007-07-01

Few studies described nursing diagnosis classification criteria and how classifications meet these criteria. The purpose was to identify criteria for nursing diagnosis classifications and to assess how these criteria are met by different classifications. First, a literature review was conducted (N=50) to identify criteria for nursing diagnoses classifications and to evaluate how these criteria are met by the International Classification of Nursing Practice (ICNP), the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), the International Nursing Diagnoses Classification (NANDA), and the Nursing Diagnostic System of the Centre for Nursing Development and Research (ZEFP). Using literature review based general and specific criteria, the principal investigator evaluated each classification, applying a matrix. Second, a convenience sample of 20 nursing experts from different Swiss care institutions answered standardized interview forms, querying current national and international classification state and use. The first general criterion is that a diagnosis classification should describe the knowledge base and subject matter for which the nursing profession is responsible. ICNP) and NANDA meet this goal. The second general criterion is that each class fits within a central concept. The ICF and NANDA are the only two classifications built on conceptually driven classes. The third general classification criterion is that each diagnosis possesses a description, diagnostic criteria, and related etiologies. Although ICF and ICNP describe diagnostic terms, only NANDA fulfils this criterion. The analysis indicated that NANDA fulfilled most of the specific classification criteria in the matrix. The nursing experts considered NANDA to be the best-researched and most widely implemented classification in Switzerland and internationally. The international literature and the opinion of Swiss expert nurses indicate that-from the perspective of classifying comprehensive nursing diagnoses-NANDA should be recommended for nursing practice and electronic nursing documentation. Study limitations and future research needs are discussed.

Please Don't Move-Evaluating Motion Artifact From Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography Scans Using Textural Features.

PubMed

Rantalainen, Timo; Chivers, Paola; Beck, Belinda R; Robertson, Sam; Hart, Nicolas H; Nimphius, Sophia; Weeks, Benjamin K; McIntyre, Fleur; Hands, Beth; Siafarikas, Aris

Most imaging methods, including peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT), are susceptible to motion artifacts particularly in fidgety pediatric populations. Methods currently used to address motion artifact include manual screening (visual inspection) and objective assessments of the scans. However, previously reported objective methods either cannot be applied on the reconstructed image or have not been tested for distal bone sites. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to develop and validate motion artifact classifiers to quantify motion artifact in pQCT scans. Whether textural features could provide adequate motion artifact classification performance in 2 adolescent datasets with pQCT scans from tibial and radial diaphyses and epiphyses was tested. The first dataset was split into training (66% of sample) and validation (33% of sample) datasets. Visual classification was used as the ground truth. Moderate to substantial classification performance (J48 classifier, kappa coefficients from 0.57 to 0.80) was observed in the validation dataset with the novel texture-based classifier. In applying the same classifier to the second cross-sectional dataset, a slight-to-fair (κ = 0.01-0.39) classification performance was observed. Overall, this novel textural analysis-based classifier provided a moderate-to-substantial classification of motion artifact when the classifier was specifically trained for the measurement device and population. Classification based on textural features may be used to prescreen obviously acceptable and unacceptable scans, with a subsequent human-operated visual classification of any remaining scans. Copyright © 2017 The International Society for Clinical Densitometry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Threshold of toxicological concern values for non-genotoxic effects in industrial chemicals: re-evaluation of the Cramer classification.

PubMed

Kalkhof, H; Herzler, M; Stahlmann, R; Gundert-Remy, U

2012-01-01

The TTC concept employs available data from animal testing to derive a distribution of NOAELs. Taking a probabilistic view, the 5th percentile of the distribution is taken as a threshold value for toxicity. In this paper, we use 824 NOAELs from repeated dose toxicity studies of industrial chemicals to re-evaluate the currently employed TTC values, which have been derived for substances grouped according to the Cramer scheme (Cramer et al. in Food Cosm Toxicol 16:255-276, 1978) by Munro et al. (Food Chem Toxicol 34:829-867, 1996) and refined by Kroes and Kozianowski (Toxicol Lett 127:43-46, 2002), Kroes et al. 2000. In our data set, consisting of 756 NOAELs from 28-day repeated dose testing and 57 NOAELs from 90-days repeated dose testing, the experimental NOAEL had to be extrapolated to chronic TTC using regulatory accepted extrapolation factors. The TTC values derived from our data set were higher than the currently used TTC values confirming the safety of the latter. We analysed the prediction of the Cramer classification by comparing the classification by this tool with the guidance values for classification according to the Globally Harmonised System of classification and labelling of the United Nations (GHS). Nearly 90% of the chemicals were in Cramer class 3 and assumed as highly toxic compared to 22% according to the GHS. The Cramer classification does underestimate the toxicity of chemicals only in 4.6% of the cases. Hence, from a regulatory perspective, the Cramer classification scheme might be applied as it overestimates hazard of a chemical.

The effect of child characteristics on teachers' acceptability of classroom-based behavioral strategies and psychostimulant medication for the treatment of ADHD.

PubMed

Pisecco, S; Huzinec, C; Curtis, D

2001-09-01

Studied the effect of student characteristics on teachers' ratings of treatment acceptability for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants (N = 159) included experienced elementary school teachers who read 1 of 6 vignettes describing a child with symptoms representative of ADHD. Vignettes varied by sex and symptom-subtype classification. However, the number and specific type of symptoms described in the vignettes were consistent across all conditions. Next, teachers read a description of a daily report card (DRC), response cost technique, classroom lottery, and medication and rated their levels of agreement to the items of the Behavioral Intervention Rating Scale (BIRS). Teachers preferred the DRC to all other forms of treatment. However, there was a significant interaction between the type of treatment and sex of the student on the 3 factors (Treatment Acceptability, Treatment Effectiveness, and Timeliness) of the BIRS.

Facilitators and Barriers of Electronic Health Record Patient Portal Adoption by Older Adults: A Literature Study.

PubMed

Wildenbos, Gaby Anne; Peute, Linda; Jaspers, Monique

2017-01-01

Patient portal usage by older adults, patients aged 50 years old and above, is intended to improve their access and quality of care. Acceptance of patient portals by this target group is low. This paper discusses the results of a literature review to determine the facilitators and barriers that drive or inhibit older patients to adopt patient portals. Articles were included when they described an acceptance, adoption or usability evaluation study of a patient portal. From a total of 245 potentially relevant articles, 8 articles were finally included. We used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) as a classification model to analyze factors influencing older adults' acceptance of patient portals. Main facilitators for acceptance were 'performance expectancy' and 'voluntariness of use' related to a higher level of education and experienced health. Main barriers were limited health literacy and motivation related to involuntariness to use a patient portal. Poor facilitation conditions (limited technology access and no prior knowledge on existence of a patient portal) hampered access to a portal. More thorough insight into the latter is needed to improve the reach and effectiveness of patient portals among older patients.

Caries risk assessment in young adults using Public Dental Service guidelines and the Cariogram--a comparative study.

PubMed

Petersson, Gunnel Hänsel; Ericson, Ewa; Isberg, Per-Erik; Twetman, Svante

2013-01-01

To investigate the caries risk profiles in young adults and to compare the risk classification using the Public Dental Service (PDS) guidelines with a risk assessment program, the Cariogram. All 19-year-old patients registered at eight public dental clinics were invited to participate (n = 1699). The study group who completed the baseline examination consisted of 1295 subjects representing 10% of all 19 year-olds attending dental care at the PDS in Skåne, Sweden. A risk classification of each patient was made by the patient's regular team according to the PDS guidelines. A research team collected whole saliva samples and information from a questionnaire and a structured interview in order to calculate risk according to the Cariogram model. The mean DFS value was 4.9 and 23% of the patients were registered as caries-free (DFS = 0). The PDS risk classification was predominantly based on past caries and/or present caries activity. The majority was classified as 'some risk', while 16.7% were assessed as being of 'high' or 'very high risk'. The corresponding value for the two highest risk groups in the Cariogram model was 17.4%. The agreement between the two models was found acceptable (77.5%) for those assessed as low risk, while discrepancies were disclosed among those classified with higher risks. Although the proportion of subjects assessed with high or very high risk was similar using the PDS guidelines and the Cariogram model, the agreement between the models was fair. An acceptable agreement was only disclosed for the low risk category.

Mexican Hat Wavelet Kernel ELM for Multiclass Classification.

PubMed

Wang, Jie; Song, Yi-Fan; Ma, Tian-Lei

2017-01-01

Kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) is a novel feedforward neural network, which is widely used in classification problems. To some extent, it solves the existing problems of the invalid nodes and the large computational complexity in ELM. However, the traditional KELM classifier usually has a low test accuracy when it faces multiclass classification problems. In order to solve the above problem, a new classifier, Mexican Hat wavelet KELM classifier, is proposed in this paper. The proposed classifier successfully improves the training accuracy and reduces the training time in the multiclass classification problems. Moreover, the validity of the Mexican Hat wavelet as a kernel function of ELM is rigorously proved. Experimental results on different data sets show that the performance of the proposed classifier is significantly superior to the compared classifiers.

A land classification protocol for pollinator ecology research: An urbanization case study.

PubMed

Samuelson, Ash E; Leadbeater, Ellouise

2018-06-01

Land-use change is one of the most important drivers of widespread declines in pollinator populations. Comprehensive quantitative methods for land classification are critical to understanding these effects, but co-option of existing human-focussed land classifications is often inappropriate for pollinator research. Here, we present a flexible GIS-based land classification protocol for pollinator research using a bottom-up approach driven by reference to pollinator ecology, with urbanization as a case study. Our multistep method involves manually generating land cover maps at multiple biologically relevant radii surrounding study sites using GIS, with a focus on identifying land cover types that have a specific relevance to pollinators. This is followed by a three-step refinement process using statistical tools: (i) definition of land-use categories, (ii) principal components analysis on the categories, and (iii) cluster analysis to generate a categorical land-use variable for use in subsequent analysis. Model selection is then used to determine the appropriate spatial scale for analysis. We demonstrate an application of our protocol using a case study of 38 sites across a gradient of urbanization in South-East England. In our case study, the land classification generated a categorical land-use variable at each of four radii based on the clustering of sites with different degrees of urbanization, open land, and flower-rich habitat. Studies of land-use effects on pollinators have historically employed a wide array of land classification techniques from descriptive and qualitative to complex and quantitative. We suggest that land-use studies in pollinator ecology should broadly adopt GIS-based multistep land classification techniques to enable robust analysis and aid comparative research. Our protocol offers a customizable approach that combines specific relevance to pollinator research with the potential for application to a wide range of ecological questions, including agroecological studies of pest control.

GENE-07. MOLECULAR NEUROPATHOLOGY 2.0 - INCREASING DIAGNOSTIC ACCURACY IN PEDIATRIC NEUROONCOLOGY

PubMed Central

Sturm, Dominik; Jones, David T.W.; Capper, David; Sahm, Felix; von Deimling, Andreas; Rutkoswki, Stefan; Warmuth-Metz, Monika; Bison, Brigitte; Gessi, Marco; Pietsch, Torsten; Pfister, Stefan M.

2017-01-01

Abstract The classification of central nervous system (CNS) tumors into clinically and biologically distinct entities and subgroups is challenging. Children and adolescents can be affected by >100 histological variants with very variable outcomes, some of which are exceedingly rare. The current WHO classification has introduced a number of novel molecular markers to aid routine neuropathological diagnostics, and DNA methylation profiling is emerging as a powerful tool to distinguish CNS tumor classes. The Molecular Neuropathology 2.0 study aims to integrate genome wide (epi-)genetic diagnostics with reference neuropathological assessment for all newly-diagnosed pediatric brain tumors in Germany. To date, >350 patients have been enrolled. A molecular diagnosis is established by epigenetic tumor classification through DNA methylation profiling and targeted panel sequencing of >130 genes to detect diagnostically and/or therapeutically useful DNA mutations, structural alterations, and fusion events. Results are aligned with the reference neuropathological diagnosis, and discrepant findings are discussed in a multi-disciplinary tumor board including reference neuroradiological evaluation. Ten FFPE sections as input material are sufficient to establish a molecular diagnosis in >95% of tumors. Alignment with reference pathology results in four broad categories: a) concordant classification (~77%), b) discrepant classification resolvable by tumor board discussion and/or additional data (~5%), c) discrepant classification without currently available options to resolve (~8%), and d) cases currently unclassifiable by molecular diagnostics (~10%). Discrepancies are enriched in certain histopathological entities, such as histological high grade gliomas with a molecularly low grade profile. Gene panel sequencing reveals predisposing germline events in ~10% of patients. Genome wide (epi-)genetic analyses add a valuable layer of information to routine neuropathological diagnostics. Our study provides insight into CNS tumors with divergent histopathological and molecular classification, opening new avenues for research discoveries and facilitating optimization of clinical management for affected patients in the future.

LTRsift: a graphical user interface for semi-automatic classification and postprocessing of de novo detected LTR retrotransposons

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons are a class of eukaryotic mobile elements characterized by a distinctive sequence similarity-based structure. Hence they are well suited for computational identification. Current software allows for a comprehensive genome-wide de novo detection of such elements. The obvious next step is the classification of newly detected candidates resulting in (super-)families. Such a de novo classification approach based on sequence-based clustering of transposon features has been proposed before, resulting in a preliminary assignment of candidates to families as a basis for subsequent manual refinement. However, such a classification workflow is typically split across a heterogeneous set of glue scripts and generic software (for example, spreadsheets), making it tedious for a human expert to inspect, curate and export the putative families produced by the workflow. Results We have developed LTRsift, an interactive graphical software tool for semi-automatic postprocessing of de novo predicted LTR retrotransposon annotations. Its user-friendly interface offers customizable filtering and classification functionality, displaying the putative candidate groups, their members and their internal structure in a hierarchical fashion. To ease manual work, it also supports graphical user interface-driven reassignment, splitting and further annotation of candidates. Export of grouped candidate sets in standard formats is possible. In two case studies, we demonstrate how LTRsift can be employed in the context of a genome-wide LTR retrotransposon survey effort. Conclusions LTRsift is a useful and convenient tool for semi-automated classification of newly detected LTR retrotransposons based on their internal features. Its efficient implementation allows for convenient and seamless filtering and classification in an integrated environment. Developed for life scientists, it is helpful in postprocessing and refining the output of software for predicting LTR retrotransposons up to the stage of preparing full-length reference sequence libraries. The LTRsift software is freely available at http://www.zbh.uni-hamburg.de/LTRsift under an open-source license. PMID:23131050

LTRsift: a graphical user interface for semi-automatic classification and postprocessing of de novo detected LTR retrotransposons.

PubMed

Steinbiss, Sascha; Kastens, Sascha; Kurtz, Stefan

2012-11-07

Long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons are a class of eukaryotic mobile elements characterized by a distinctive sequence similarity-based structure. Hence they are well suited for computational identification. Current software allows for a comprehensive genome-wide de novo detection of such elements. The obvious next step is the classification of newly detected candidates resulting in (super-)families. Such a de novo classification approach based on sequence-based clustering of transposon features has been proposed before, resulting in a preliminary assignment of candidates to families as a basis for subsequent manual refinement. However, such a classification workflow is typically split across a heterogeneous set of glue scripts and generic software (for example, spreadsheets), making it tedious for a human expert to inspect, curate and export the putative families produced by the workflow. We have developed LTRsift, an interactive graphical software tool for semi-automatic postprocessing of de novo predicted LTR retrotransposon annotations. Its user-friendly interface offers customizable filtering and classification functionality, displaying the putative candidate groups, their members and their internal structure in a hierarchical fashion. To ease manual work, it also supports graphical user interface-driven reassignment, splitting and further annotation of candidates. Export of grouped candidate sets in standard formats is possible. In two case studies, we demonstrate how LTRsift can be employed in the context of a genome-wide LTR retrotransposon survey effort. LTRsift is a useful and convenient tool for semi-automated classification of newly detected LTR retrotransposons based on their internal features. Its efficient implementation allows for convenient and seamless filtering and classification in an integrated environment. Developed for life scientists, it is helpful in postprocessing and refining the output of software for predicting LTR retrotransposons up to the stage of preparing full-length reference sequence libraries. The LTRsift software is freely available at http://www.zbh.uni-hamburg.de/LTRsift under an open-source license.

A new classification and treatment protocol for gynecomastia.

PubMed

Ratnam, B Venkata

2009-01-01

It is not uncommon to encounter patients who have undergone surgery for gynecomastia but who were not fully satisfied with the results. Although various approaches and techniques based on presurgical classification systems aimed at yielding the best possible surgical outcomes have been offered, standardized recommendation that is generally accepted by surgeons is lacking. The author reports on a new classification system and treatment protocol for the surgical treatment of gynecomastia. A system was developed that classifies patients into 3 types based on skin elasticity, presence of an inframammary fold (IMF), and mammary ptosis. Surgical excision of the breast mass was followed by a combination of destruction of the IMF, ultrasound-assisted lipoplasty (UAL) of the chest wall, ultrasound stimulation of the breast skin, and periareolar deepithelialization, depending on the gyneocomastia classification. This classification and the treatment protocol were applied to 30 patients, 13 to 60 years of age, between January 2005 and December 2007. Among these patients, 12 were classified as type 1, 6 as type 2, and 12 as type 3. Follow-up ranged from 3 to 18 months. Complications were common to all types of cases and techniques. They included 2 hematomas, 1 wound dehiscence, 5 cases of residual gynecomastia in those patients who underwent UAL alone, and 3 minor aesthetic problems near areolae. The proposed new classification and treatment protocol were found to help solve problems associated with surgical outcomes for all types of gynecomastia, although the issue of residual gynecomastia in patients undergoing UAL alone requires further study.

Applying Classification Trees to Hospital Administrative Data to Identify Patients with Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding

PubMed Central

Siddique, Juned; Ruhnke, Gregory W.; Flores, Andrea; Prochaska, Micah T.; Paesch, Elizabeth; Meltzer, David O.; Whelan, Chad T.

2015-01-01

Background Lower gastrointestinal bleeding (LGIB) is a common cause of acute hospitalization. Currently, there is no accepted standard for identifying patients with LGIB in hospital administrative data. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a set of classification algorithms that use hospital administrative data to identify LGIB. Methods Our sample consists of patients admitted between July 1, 2001 and June 30, 2003 (derivation cohort) and July 1, 2003 and June 30, 2005 (validation cohort) to the general medicine inpatient service of the University of Chicago Hospital, a large urban academic medical center. Confirmed cases of LGIB in both cohorts were determined by reviewing the charts of those patients who had at least 1 of 36 principal or secondary International Classification of Diseases, Ninth revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis codes associated with LGIB. Classification trees were used on the data of the derivation cohort to develop a set of decision rules for identifying patients with LGIB. These rules were then applied to the validation cohort to assess their performance. Results Three classification algorithms were identified and validated: a high specificity rule with 80.1% sensitivity and 95.8% specificity, a rule that balances sensitivity and specificity (87.8% sensitivity, 90.9% specificity), and a high sensitivity rule with 100% sensitivity and 91.0% specificity. Conclusion These classification algorithms can be used in future studies to evaluate resource utilization and assess outcomes associated with LGIB without the use of chart review. PMID:26406318

Bush encroachment monitoring using multi-temporal Landsat data and random forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Symeonakis, E.; Higginbottom, T.

2014-11-01

It is widely accepted that land degradation and desertification (LDD) are serious global threats to humans and the environment. Around a third of savannahs in Africa are affected by LDD processes that may lead to substantial declines in ecosystem functioning and services. Indirectly, LDD can be monitored using relevant indicators. The encroachment of woody plants into grasslands, and the subsequent conversion of savannahs and open woodlands into shrublands, has attracted a lot of attention over the last decades and has been identified as a potential indicator of LDD. Mapping bush encroachment over large areas can only effectively be done using Earth Observation (EO) data and techniques. However, the accurate assessment of large-scale savannah degradation through bush encroachment with satellite imagery remains a formidable task due to the fact that on the satellite data vegetation variability in response to highly variable rainfall patterns might obscure the underlying degradation processes. Here, we present a methodological framework for the monitoring of bush encroachment-related land degradation in a savannah environment in the Northwest Province of South Africa. We utilise multi-temporal Landsat TM and ETM+ (SLC-on) data from 1989 until 2009, mostly from the dry-season, and ancillary data in a GIS environment. We then use the machine learning classification approach of random forests to identify the extent of encroachment over the 20-year period. The results show that in the area of study, bush encroachment is as alarming as permanent vegetation loss. The classification of the year 2009 is validated yielding low commission and omission errors and high k-statistic values for the grasses and woody vegetation classes. Our approach is a step towards a rigorous and effective savannah degradation assessment.

Biodiversity Mapping via Natura 2000 Conservation Status and Ebv Assessment Using Airborne Laser Scanning in Alkali Grasslands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zlinszky, A.; Deák, B.; Kania, A.; Schroiff, A.; Pfeifer, N.

2016-06-01

Biodiversity is an ecological concept, which essentially involves a complex sum of several indicators. One widely accepted such set of indicators is prescribed for habitat conservation status assessment within Natura 2000, a continental-scale conservation programme of the European Union. Essential Biodiversity Variables are a set of indicators designed to be relevant for biodiversity and suitable for global-scale operational monitoring. Here we revisit a study of Natura 2000 conservation status mapping via airbone LIDAR that develops individual remote sensing-derived proxies for every parameter required by the Natura 2000 manual, from the perspective of developing regional-scale Essential Biodiversity Variables. Based on leaf-on and leaf-off point clouds (10 pt/m2) collected in an alkali grassland area, a set of data products were calculated at 0.5 ×0.5 m resolution. These represent various aspects of radiometric and geometric texture. A Random Forest machine learning classifier was developed to create fuzzy vegetation maps of classes of interest based on these data products. In the next step, either classification results or LIDAR data products were selected as proxies for individual Natura 2000 conservation status variables, and fine-tuned based on field references. These proxies showed adequate performance and were summarized to deliver Natura 2000 conservation status with 80% overall accuracy compared to field references. This study draws attention to the potential of LIDAR for regional-scale Essential Biodiversity variables, and also holds implications for global-scale mapping. These are (i) the use of sensor data products together with habitat-level classification, (ii) the utility of seasonal data, including for non-seasonal variables such as grassland canopy structure, and (iii) the potential of fuzzy mapping-derived class probabilities as proxies for species presence and absence.

RAZOR: A Compression and Classification Solution for the Internet of Things

PubMed Central

Danieletto, Matteo; Bui, Nicola; Zorzi, Michele

2014-01-01

The Internet of Things is expected to increase the amount of data produced and exchanged in the network, due to the huge number of smart objects that will interact with one another. The related information management and transmission costs are increasing and becoming an almost unbearable burden, due to the unprecedented number of data sources and the intrinsic vastness and variety of the datasets. In this paper, we propose RAZOR, a novel lightweight algorithm for data compression and classification, which is expected to alleviate both aspects by leveraging the advantages offered by data mining methods for optimizing communications and by enhancing information transmission to simplify data classification. In particular, RAZOR leverages the concept of motifs, recurrent features used for signal categorization, in order to compress data streams: in such a way, it is possible to achieve compression levels of up to an order of magnitude, while maintaining the signal distortion within acceptable bounds and allowing for simple lightweight distributed classification. In addition, RAZOR is designed to keep the computational complexity low, in order to allow its implementation in the most constrained devices. The paper provides results about the algorithm configuration and a performance comparison against state-of-the-art signal processing techniques. PMID:24451454

Development of a real time activity monitoring Android application utilizing SmartStep.

PubMed

Hegde, Nagaraj; Melanson, Edward; Sazonov, Edward

2016-08-01

Footwear based activity monitoring systems are becoming popular in academic research as well as consumer industry segments. In our previous work, we had presented developmental aspects of an insole based activity and gait monitoring system-SmartStep, which is a socially acceptable, fully wireless and versatile insole. The present work describes the development of an Android application that captures the SmartStep data wirelessly over Bluetooth Low energy (BLE), computes features on the received data, runs activity classification algorithms and provides real time feedback. The development of activity classification methods was based on the the data from a human study involving 4 participants. Participants were asked to perform activities of sitting, standing, walking, and cycling while they wore SmartStep insole system. Multinomial Logistic Discrimination (MLD) was utilized in the development of machine learning model for activity prediction. The resulting classification model was implemented in an Android Smartphone. The Android application was benchmarked for power consumption and CPU loading. Leave one out cross validation resulted in average accuracy of 96.9% during model training phase. The Android application for real time activity classification was tested on a human subject wearing SmartStep resulting in testing accuracy of 95.4%.

INDOT Technical Training Plan : [Technical Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-01

A wide range of job classifications, increasing technical : performance expectations, licensing and certification requirements, : budget restrictions and frequent department : reorganization has made technical training of employees : more difficult, ...

Person detection and tracking with a 360° lidar system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hammer, Marcus; Hebel, Marcus; Arens, Michael

2017-10-01

Today it is easily possible to generate dense point clouds of the sensor environment using 360° LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) sensors which are available since a number of years. The interpretation of these data is much more challenging. For the automated data evaluation the detection and classification of objects is a fundamental task. Especially in urban scenarios moving objects like persons or vehicles are of particular interest, for instance in automatic collision avoidance, for mobile sensor platforms or surveillance tasks. In literature there are several approaches for automated person detection in point clouds. While most techniques show acceptable results in object detection, the computation time is often crucial. The runtime can be problematic, especially due to the amount of data in the panoramic 360° point clouds. On the other hand, for most applications an object detection and classification in real time is needed. The paper presents a proposal for a fast, real-time capable algorithm for person detection, classification and tracking in panoramic point clouds.

KinoHaptics: An Automated, Wearable, Haptic Assisted, Physio-therapeutic System for Post-surgery Rehabilitation and Self-care.

PubMed

Rajanna, Vijay; Vo, Patrick; Barth, Jerry; Mjelde, Matthew; Grey, Trevor; Oduola, Cassandra; Hammond, Tracy

2016-03-01

A carefully planned, structured, and supervised physiotherapy program, following a surgery, is crucial for the successful diagnosis of physical injuries. Nearly 50 % of the surgeries fail due to unsupervised, and erroneous physiotherapy. The demand for a physiotherapist for an extended period is expensive to afford, and sometimes inaccessible. Researchers have tried to leverage the advancements in wearable sensors and motion tracking by building affordable, automated, physio-therapeutic systems that direct a physiotherapy session by providing audio-visual feedback on patient's performance. There are many aspects of automated physiotherapy program which are yet to be addressed by the existing systems: a wide classification of patients' physiological conditions to be diagnosed, multiple demographics of the patients (blind, deaf, etc.), and the need to pursue patients to adopt the system for an extended period for self-care. In our research, we have tried to address these aspects by building a health behavior change support system called KinoHaptics, for post-surgery rehabilitation. KinoHaptics is an automated, wearable, haptic assisted, physio-therapeutic system that can be used by a wide variety of demographics and for various physiological conditions of the patients. The system provides rich and accurate vibro-haptic feedback that can be felt by the user, irrespective of the physiological limitations. KinoHaptics is built to ensure that no injuries are induced during the rehabilitation period. The persuasive nature of the system allows for personal goal-setting, progress tracking, and most importantly life-style compatibility. The system was evaluated under laboratory conditions, involving 14 users. Results show that KinoHaptics is highly convenient to use, and the vibro-haptic feedback is intuitive, accurate, and has shown to prevent accidental injuries. Also, results show that KinoHaptics is persuasive in nature as it supports behavior change and habit building. The successful acceptance of KinoHaptics, an automated, wearable, haptic assisted, physio-therapeutic system proves the need and future-scope of automated physio-therapeutic systems for self-care and behavior change. It also proves that such systems incorporated with vibro-haptic feedback encourage strong adherence to the physiotherapy program; can have profound impact on the physiotherapy experience resulting in higher acceptance rate.

New therapeutic solutions for Behçet's syndrome.

PubMed

Vitale, Antonio; Rigante, Donato; Lopalco, Giuseppe; Emmi, Giacomo; Bianco, Maria Teresa; Galeazzi, Mauro; Iannone, Florenzo; Cantarini, Luca

2016-07-01

Behçet's syndrome (BS) is a systemic inflammatory disorder characterized by a wide range of potential clinical manifestations with no gold-standard therapy. However, the recent classification of BS at a crossroads between autoimmune and autoinflammatory syndromes has paved the way to new further therapeutic opportunities in addition to anti-tumor necrosis factor agents. This review provides a digest of all current experience and evidence about pharmacological agents recently described as having a role in the treatment of BS, including interleukin (IL)-1 inhibitors, tocilizumab, rituximab, alemtuzumab, ustekinumab, interferon-alpha-2a, and apremilast. IL-1 inhibitors currently represent the most studied agents among the latest treatment options for BS, proving to be effective, safe and with an acceptable retention on treatment. However, since BS is a peculiar disorder with clinical features responding to certain treatments that in turn can worsen other manifestations, identifying new treatment options for patients unresponsive to the current drug armamentarium is of great relevance. A number of agents have been studied in the last decade showing changing fortunes in some cases and promising results in others. The latter will potentially provide their contribution for better clinical management of BS, improving patients' quality of life and long-term outcome.

Cachexia: clinical features when inflammation drives malnutrition.

PubMed

Laviano, Alessandro; Koverech, Angela; Mari, Alessia

2015-11-01

Cachexia is a clinically relevant syndrome which impacts on quality of life, morbidity and mortality of patients suffering from acute and chronic diseases. The hallmark of cachexia is muscle loss, which is triggered by disease-associated inflammatory response. Cachexia is a continuum and therefore a staging system is needed. Initially, a three-stage system (i.e. pre-cachexia, cachexia and refractory cachexia) was proposed. More recent evidence supports the use of a five-stage classification system, based on patient's BMI and severity of weight loss, to better predict clinical outcome. Also, large clinical trials in cancer patients demonstrated that cachexia emerging during chemotherapy has greater influence on survival than weight loss at baseline. Therefore, becoming widely accepted is the importance of routinely monitoring patients' nutritional status to detect early changes and diagnose cachexia in its early phases. Although cachexia is associated with the presence of anabolic resistance, it has been shown that sustained yet physiological hyperaminoacidaemia, as well as the use of specific nutrients, is able to overcome impaired protein synthesis and revert catabolism. More importantly, clinical evidence demonstrates that preservation of nutritional status during chemotherapy or improvement of body weight after weight loss is associated with longer survival in cancer patients.

Historical Medical Value of Donguibogam

PubMed Central

Song, Bong-Keun; Won, Jin-Hee

2016-01-01

Oriental medicine, since its origin in China, has had a long history extending over 2000 years. Today, it comprises several types of medicine predominately practiced in East Asia, including traditional Chinese, traditional Korean, and Kampo medicine. The distinctive medical system of traditional Korean medicine was established shortly after the publication of Donguibogam by Dr. Heo Jun in 1613. Donguibogam is highly acclaimed across East Asia; in 2009, in light of its historical medical value, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization registered the book on its cultural heritage list. Here, we review the historical medical value of Donguibogam. The findings confirm that Donguibogam developed a unique and independent form of traditional Korean medicine and innovatively reformed the disease classification system. Moreover, Donguibogam emphasized the importance of disease prevention and medical pragmatism. This book also accelerated the development of folk medicine. Owing to its historical medical value, Donguibogam is now considered the 'bible' of Oriental medicine. Its wide acceptance has contributed to the expansion of Korean medicine utilization among the general public. Donguibogam has also played an important role in the establishment of traditional Korean medicine as a universally valid and original form of medicine, independent of traditional Chinese medicine. PMID:27280045

WebMapping at school

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Lange, Norbert

2010-11-01

The paper discusses the position of GIS in Geography as a subject especially at German schools. It points out that students only need simple GIS-functions in order to explore digital atlases or webbased data viewers. Furthermore it is widely accepted that learning achievements improve if students make use of the idea of self-employed and explorative working on information produced by themselves. These two arguments have led to the development of the WebMapping tool "kartografix_school". It allows users to generate maps with new and individually defined content on the internet. For that purpose the tool contains generalized outlines of all countries of the world as well as of German States. As these boundaries are given users can assign new attribute data to these geoobjects. These data are transferred to a graphic presentation. It is possible to define the classification and colours for each class. Users can change and update all information (data as well as number of classes, definition of classes, colours) at any time. Moreover "kartografix_school" offers the possibility to produce maps which are composed of two layers. All data are stored at a server located in the University of Osnabrück. "kartografix_school" is integrated in an e-Learning environment.

MIPS: analysis and annotation of genome information in 2007

PubMed Central

Mewes, H. W.; Dietmann, S.; Frishman, D.; Gregory, R.; Mannhaupt, G.; Mayer, K. F. X.; Münsterkötter, M.; Ruepp, A.; Spannagl, M.; Stümpflen, V.; Rattei, T.

2008-01-01

The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF, Neuherberg, Germany) combines automatic processing of large amounts of sequences with manual annotation of selected model genomes. Due to the massive growth of the available data, the depth of annotation varies widely between independent databases. Also, the criteria for the transfer of information from known to orthologous sequences are diverse. To cope with the task of global in-depth genome annotation has become unfeasible. Therefore, our efforts are dedicated to three levels of annotation: (i) the curation of selected genomes, in particular from fungal and plant taxa (e.g. CYGD, MNCDB, MatDB), (ii) the comprehensive, consistent, automatic annotation employing exhaustive methods for the computation of sequence similarities and sequence-related attributes as well as the classification of individual sequences (SIMAP, PEDANT and FunCat) and (iii) the compilation of manually curated databases for protein interactions based on scrutinized information from the literature to serve as an accepted set of reliable annotated interaction data (MPACT, MPPI, CORUM). All databases and tools described as well as the detailed descriptions of our projects can be accessed through the MIPS web server (http://mips.gsf.de). PMID:18158298

MIPS: analysis and annotation of genome information in 2007.

PubMed

Mewes, H W; Dietmann, S; Frishman, D; Gregory, R; Mannhaupt, G; Mayer, K F X; Münsterkötter, M; Ruepp, A; Spannagl, M; Stümpflen, V; Rattei, T

2008-01-01

The Munich Information Center for Protein Sequences (MIPS-GSF, Neuherberg, Germany) combines automatic processing of large amounts of sequences with manual annotation of selected model genomes. Due to the massive growth of the available data, the depth of annotation varies widely between independent databases. Also, the criteria for the transfer of information from known to orthologous sequences are diverse. To cope with the task of global in-depth genome annotation has become unfeasible. Therefore, our efforts are dedicated to three levels of annotation: (i) the curation of selected genomes, in particular from fungal and plant taxa (e.g. CYGD, MNCDB, MatDB), (ii) the comprehensive, consistent, automatic annotation employing exhaustive methods for the computation of sequence similarities and sequence-related attributes as well as the classification of individual sequences (SIMAP, PEDANT and FunCat) and (iii) the compilation of manually curated databases for protein interactions based on scrutinized information from the literature to serve as an accepted set of reliable annotated interaction data (MPACT, MPPI, CORUM). All databases and tools described as well as the detailed descriptions of our projects can be accessed through the MIPS web server (http://mips.gsf.de).

Development of municipal solid waste classification in Korea based on fossil carbon fraction.

PubMed

Lee, Jeongwoo; Kang, Seongmin; Kim, Seungjin; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Jeon, Eui-Chan

2015-10-01

Environmental problems and climate change arising from waste incineration are taken quite seriously in the world. In Korea, the waste disposal methods are largely classified into landfill, incineration, recycling, etc. and the amount of incinerated waste has risen by 24.5% from 2002. In the analysis of CO₂emissions estimations of waste incinerators fossil carbon content are main factor by the IPCC. FCF differs depending on the characteristics of waste in each country, and a wide range of default values are proposed by the IPCC. This study conducted research on the existing classifications of the IPCC and Korean waste classification systems based on FCF for accurate greenhouse gas emissions estimation of waste incineration. The characteristics possible for sorting were classified according to FCF and form. The characteristics sorted according to fossil carbon fraction were paper, textiles, rubber, and leather. Paper was classified into pure paper and processed paper; textiles were classified into cotton and synthetic fibers; and rubber and leather were classified into artificial and natural. The analysis of FCF was implemented by collecting representative samples from each classification group, by applying the 14C method, and using AMS equipment. And the analysis values were compared with the default values proposed by the IPCC. In this study of garden and park waste and plastics, the differences were within the range of the IPCC default values or the differences were negligible. However, coated paper, synthetic textiles, natural rubber, synthetic rubber, artificial leather, and other wastes showed differences of over 10% in FCF content. IPCC is comprised of largely 9 types of qualitative classifications, in emissions estimation a great difference can occur from the combined characteristics according with the existing IPCC classification system by using the minutely classified waste characteristics as in this study. Fossil carbon fraction (FCF) differs depending on the characteristics of waste in each country; and a wide range of default values are proposed by the IPCC. This study conducted research on the existing classifications of the IPCC and Korean waste classification systems based on FCF for accurate greenhouse gas emissions estimation of waste incineration.

Structural Analysis of Biodiversity

PubMed Central

Sirovich, Lawrence; Stoeckle, Mark Y.; Zhang, Yu

2010-01-01

Large, recently-available genomic databases cover a wide range of life forms, suggesting opportunity for insights into genetic structure of biodiversity. In this study we refine our recently-described technique using indicator vectors to analyze and visualize nucleotide sequences. The indicator vector approach generates correlation matrices, dubbed Klee diagrams, which represent a novel way of assembling and viewing large genomic datasets. To explore its potential utility, here we apply the improved algorithm to a collection of almost 17000 DNA barcode sequences covering 12 widely-separated animal taxa, demonstrating that indicator vectors for classification gave correct assignment in all 11000 test cases. Indicator vector analysis revealed discontinuities corresponding to species- and higher-level taxonomic divisions, suggesting an efficient approach to classification of organisms from poorly-studied groups. As compared to standard distance metrics, indicator vectors preserve diagnostic character probabilities, enable automated classification of test sequences, and generate high-information density single-page displays. These results support application of indicator vectors for comparative analysis of large nucleotide data sets and raise prospect of gaining insight into broad-scale patterns in the genetic structure of biodiversity. PMID:20195371

Toward a standard lexicon for ecosystem services

EPA Science Inventory

The complex, widely dispersed, and cumulative environmental challenges currently facing society require holistic, transdisciplinary approaches to resolve. The concept of ecosystem services (ES) has become more widely accepted both as a framework that cuts across the dimensions of...

River reach classification for the Greater Mekong Region at high spatial resolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ouellet Dallaire, C.; Lehner, B.

2014-12-01

River classifications have been used in river health and ecological assessments as coarse proxies to represent aquatic biodiversity when comprehensive biological and/or species data is unavailable. Currently there are no river classifications or biological data available in a consistent format for the extent of the Greater Mekong Region (GMR; including the Irrawaddy, the Salween, the Chao Praya, the Mekong and the Red River basins). The current project proposes a new river habitat classification for the region, facilitated by the HydroSHEDS (HYDROlogical SHuttle Elevation Derivatives at multiple Scales) database at 500m pixel resolution. The classification project is based on the Global River Classification framework relying on the creation of multiple sub-classifications based on different disciplines. The resulting classes from the sub-classification are later combined into final classes to create a holistic river reach classification. For the GMR, a final habitat classification was created based on three sub-classifications: a hydrological sub-classification based only on discharge indices (river size and flow variability); a physio-climatic sub-classification based on large scale indices of climate and elevation (biomes, ecoregions and elevation); and a geomorphological sub-classification based on local morphology (presence of floodplains, reach gradient and sand transport). Key variables and thresholds were identified in collaboration with local experts to ensure that regional knowledge was included. The final classification is composed 54 unique final classes based on 3 sub-classifications with less than 15 classes each. The resulting classifications are driven by abiotic variables and do not include biological data, but they represent a state-of-the art product based on best available data (mostly global data). The most common river habitat type is the "dry broadleaf, low gradient, very small river". These classifications could be applied in a wide range of hydro-ecological assessments and useful for a variety of stakeholders such as NGO, governments and researchers.

Acceptability of HIV-Prevention Messages in Sexually Explicit Media Viewed by Men Who Have Sex with Men

PubMed Central

Wilkerson, J. Michael; Iantaffi, Alex; Smolenski, Derek J.; Horvath, Keith J.; Simon Rosser, B. R.

2014-01-01

To inform HIV/STI prevention messaging, we used cross-sectional data from 1,231 MSM to examine the acceptability of strategies for delivering prevention messages in sexually explicit media (SEM). The majority of participants (83%) found it acceptable to include prevention messages in SEM. A latent profile analysis identified three classifications of men with similar views on the acceptability of strategies. Compared to men endorsing some strategies (54%), men endorsing all strategies (29%) were younger (PORadj=0.56 [0.39, 0.79]) and preferred viewing SEM in which the actors used condoms for anal sex (PORadj=1.53 [1.05, 2.23]). Men endorsing no strategies (17%) were of similar age to men endorsing some, but were more likely to prefer viewing SEM in which the actors did not use condoms (PORadj=2.44 [1.43, 4.16]) and to report engaging in insertive unprotected anal sex within the last 3 months (PORadj=2.03 [1.11, 3.70]). Opportunities exist to use SEM for HIV/STI prevention. PMID:23837809

78 FR 23533 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Finding on a Petition To Delist the Wood Bison

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-19

... classification and our rationale for accepting wood bison as a valid subspecies below. Taxonomy is the theory and... groups of animals should be lumped together or split apart. Such is the case for wood bison. We recognize... separated by a great distance, led Boyd et al. (2010, p. 16 (American Bison Specialist Group)) to conclude...

The Classification of Tongue Colors with Standardized Acquisition and ICC Profile Correction in Traditional Chinese Medicine

PubMed Central

Tu, Li-ping; Chen, Jing-bo; Hu, Xiao-juan; Zhang, Zhi-feng

2016-01-01

Background and Goal. The application of digital image processing techniques and machine learning methods in tongue image classification in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been widely studied nowadays. However, it is difficult for the outcomes to generalize because of lack of color reproducibility and image standardization. Our study aims at the exploration of tongue colors classification with a standardized tongue image acquisition process and color correction. Methods. Three traditional Chinese medical experts are chosen to identify the selected tongue pictures taken by the TDA-1 tongue imaging device in TIFF format through ICC profile correction. Then we compare the mean value of L * a * b * of different tongue colors and evaluate the effect of the tongue color classification by machine learning methods. Results. The L * a * b * values of the five tongue colors are statistically different. Random forest method has a better performance than SVM in classification. SMOTE algorithm can increase classification accuracy by solving the imbalance of the varied color samples. Conclusions. At the premise of standardized tongue acquisition and color reproduction, preliminary objectification of tongue color classification in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is feasible. PMID:28050555

Global similarity predicts dissociation of classification and recognition: evidence questioning the implicit-explicit learning distinction in amnesia.

PubMed

Jamieson, Randall K; Holmes, Signy; Mewhort, D J K

2010-11-01

Dissociation of classification and recognition in amnesia is widely taken to imply 2 functional systems: an implicit procedural-learning system that is spared in amnesia and an explicit episodic-learning system that is compromised. We argue that both tasks reflect the global similarity of probes to memory. In classification, subjects sort unstudied grammatical exemplars from lures, whereas in recognition, they sort studied grammatical exemplars from lures. Hence, global similarity is necessarily greater in recognition than in classification. Moreover, a grammatical exemplar's similarity to studied exemplars is a nonlinear function of the integrity of the data in memory. Assuming that data integrity is better for control subjects than for subjects with amnesia, the nonlinear relation combined with the advantage for recognition over classification predicts the dissociation of recognition and classification. To illustrate the dissociation of recognition and classification in healthy undergraduates, we manipulated study time to vary the integrity of the data in memory and brought the dissociation under experimental control. We argue that the dissociation reflects a general cost in memory rather than a selective impairment of separate procedural and episodic systems. (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved

a Two-Step Classification Approach to Distinguishing Similar Objects in Mobile LIDAR Point Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, H.; Khoshelham, K.; Fraser, C.

2017-09-01

Nowadays, lidar is widely used in cultural heritage documentation, urban modeling, and driverless car technology for its fast and accurate 3D scanning ability. However, full exploitation of the potential of point cloud data for efficient and automatic object recognition remains elusive. Recently, feature-based methods have become very popular in object recognition on account of their good performance in capturing object details. Compared with global features describing the whole shape of the object, local features recording the fractional details are more discriminative and are applicable for object classes with considerable similarity. In this paper, we propose a two-step classification approach based on point feature histograms and the bag-of-features method for automatic recognition of similar objects in mobile lidar point clouds. Lamp post, street light and traffic sign are grouped as one category in the first-step classification for their inter similarity compared with tree and vehicle. A finer classification of the lamp post, street light and traffic sign based on the result of the first-step classification is implemented in the second step. The proposed two-step classification approach is shown to yield a considerable improvement over the conventional one-step classification approach.

Multi-Temporal Land Cover Classification with Long Short-Term Memory Neural Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rußwurm, M.; Körner, M.

2017-05-01

Land cover classification (LCC) is a central and wide field of research in earth observation and has already put forth a variety of classification techniques. Many approaches are based on classification techniques considering observation at certain points in time. However, some land cover classes, such as crops, change their spectral characteristics due to environmental influences and can thus not be monitored effectively with classical mono-temporal approaches. Nevertheless, these temporal observations should be utilized to benefit the classification process. After extensive research has been conducted on modeling temporal dynamics by spectro-temporal profiles using vegetation indices, we propose a deep learning approach to utilize these temporal characteristics for classification tasks. In this work, we show how long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks can be employed for crop identification purposes with SENTINEL 2A observations from large study areas and label information provided by local authorities. We compare these temporal neural network models, i.e., LSTM and recurrent neural network (RNN), with a classical non-temporal convolutional neural network (CNN) model and an additional support vector machine (SVM) baseline. With our rather straightforward LSTM variant, we exceeded state-of-the-art classification performance, thus opening promising potential for further research.

WND-CHARM: Multi-purpose image classification using compound image transforms

PubMed Central

Orlov, Nikita; Shamir, Lior; Macura, Tomasz; Johnston, Josiah; Eckley, D. Mark; Goldberg, Ilya G.

2008-01-01

We describe a multi-purpose image classifier that can be applied to a wide variety of image classification tasks without modifications or fine-tuning, and yet provide classification accuracy comparable to state-of-the-art task-specific image classifiers. The proposed image classifier first extracts a large set of 1025 image features including polynomial decompositions, high contrast features, pixel statistics, and textures. These features are computed on the raw image, transforms of the image, and transforms of transforms of the image. The feature values are then used to classify test images into a set of pre-defined image classes. This classifier was tested on several different problems including biological image classification and face recognition. Although we cannot make a claim of universality, our experimental results show that this classifier performs as well or better than classifiers developed specifically for these image classification tasks. Our classifier’s high performance on a variety of classification problems is attributed to (i) a large set of features extracted from images; and (ii) an effective feature selection and weighting algorithm sensitive to specific image classification problems. The algorithms are available for free download from openmicroscopy.org. PMID:18958301

The Classification of Tongue Colors with Standardized Acquisition and ICC Profile Correction in Traditional Chinese Medicine.

PubMed

Qi, Zhen; Tu, Li-Ping; Chen, Jing-Bo; Hu, Xiao-Juan; Xu, Jia-Tuo; Zhang, Zhi-Feng

2016-01-01

Background and Goal . The application of digital image processing techniques and machine learning methods in tongue image classification in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been widely studied nowadays. However, it is difficult for the outcomes to generalize because of lack of color reproducibility and image standardization. Our study aims at the exploration of tongue colors classification with a standardized tongue image acquisition process and color correction. Methods . Three traditional Chinese medical experts are chosen to identify the selected tongue pictures taken by the TDA-1 tongue imaging device in TIFF format through ICC profile correction. Then we compare the mean value of L * a * b * of different tongue colors and evaluate the effect of the tongue color classification by machine learning methods. Results . The L * a * b * values of the five tongue colors are statistically different. Random forest method has a better performance than SVM in classification. SMOTE algorithm can increase classification accuracy by solving the imbalance of the varied color samples. Conclusions . At the premise of standardized tongue acquisition and color reproduction, preliminary objectification of tongue color classification in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is feasible.

Comments on the 2001 WHO proposal for the classification of haematopoietic neoplasms.

PubMed

Paietta, Elisabeth

2003-12-01

In the preface, the World Health Organization (WHO) classification vows to offer pathologists, oncologists and geneticists worldwide a system of classification for human neoplasms based on histopathological and genetic features. Standardization of nomenclature and agreed-upon criteria for definition of the various types of cancer are felt to be a prerequisite for progress in clinical oncology, multicentre therapy trials and comparative studies in different countries. In fact, the WHO effort represents the first worldwide comprehensive consensus classification of the haematological malignancies. Consensus was reached among a subgroup of investigators, carefully selected for their experience and contributions to existing classifications. In the present climate of daily new discoveries that yield a constant stream of fascinating insights into the biology of leukaemias and lymphomas and, above all, resulting in an explosion of potential therapeutic targets, the WHO system has taken the stand of compiling established classification approaches and providing order to known facts. This furnishes an essential skeleton upon which to build in the future. The WHO committee decided that sorting neoplasms according to prognosis was neither practical nor necessary and could be misleading. While justifiable at the present time, it is important to realize that the classifications of the haematological malignancies are a moving target and that the trend is to move away from currently accepted gold standards, such as morphological evaluations, in favour of genetic characterizations, especially those with therapeutic relevance. The goal of this chapter is to fill in some gaps that, as per the author's opinion, exist in the WHO classification, predominantly, where it concerns the role of immunophenotyping as a complementary discipline for genotyping through its potential to generate surrogate marker profiles for molecular lesions. By introducing some state-of-the-art classification modalities, some of which are still awaiting confirmation, this chapter also aims to spark excitement and provide a glimpse at the future.

A standard lexicon for biodiversity conservation: unified classifications of threats and actions.

PubMed

Salafsky, Nick; Salzer, Daniel; Stattersfield, Alison J; Hilton-Taylor, Craig; Neugarten, Rachel; Butchart, Stuart H M; Collen, Ben; Cox, Neil; Master, Lawrence L; O'Connor, Sheila; Wilkie, David

2008-08-01

An essential foundation of any science is a standard lexicon. Any given conservation project can be described in terms of the biodiversity targets, direct threats, contributing factors at the project site, and the conservation actions that the project team is employing to change the situation. These common elements can be linked in a causal chain, which represents a theory of change about how the conservation actions are intended to bring about desired project outcomes. If project teams want to describe and share their work and learn from one another, they need a standard and precise lexicon to specifically describe each node along this chain. To date, there have been several independent efforts to develop standard classifications for the direct threats that affect biodiversity and the conservation actions required to counteract these threats. Recognizing that it is far more effective to have only one accepted global scheme, we merged these separate efforts into unified classifications of threats and actions, which we present here. Each classification is a hierarchical listing of terms and associated definitions. The classifications are comprehensive and exclusive at the upper levels of the hierarchy, expandable at the lower levels, and simple, consistent, and scalable at all levels. We tested these classifications by applying them post hoc to 1191 threatened bird species and 737 conservation projects. Almost all threats and actions could be assigned to the new classification systems, save for some cases lacking detailed information. Furthermore, the new classification systems provided an improved way of analyzing and comparing information across projects when compared with earlier systems. We believe that widespread adoption of these classifications will help practitioners more systematically identify threats and appropriate actions, managers to more efficiently set priorities and allocate resources, and most important, facilitate cross-project learning and the development of a systematic science of conservation.

Incorporating the treat-to-target concept in rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Ruderman, Eric M; Nola, Kamala M; Ferrell, Stanley; Sapir, Tamar; Cameron, Davecia R

2012-01-01

Recent publications have proposed revisions to disease classification criteria, new definitions of remission, and guidelines for implementing treat-to-target strategies for the management of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Despite developments leading to this practice-changing approach, the concept of treat to target has not yet been widely accepted or implemented in managed care. At the 24th Annual Meeting Expo of the Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP), held in San Francisco on April 18, 2012, a 4-hour activity titled Incorporating New Treat-to-Target Guidance and Strategies in RA: What Managed Care Needs to Know was conducted in association with AMCP's Continuing Professional Education Partner Program. The practicum featured didactic presentations, a roundtable session, and an expert panel discussion detailing research evidence, ideas, and discussion topics central to the treat-to target concept in RA and its applications to managed care. To (a) discuss recent advances in RA management, (b) evaluate strategies to optimize the use of disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs(DMARDs), and (c) explain how to incorporate the treat-to-target paradigm in contemporary clinical practice and clinical care models in order to improve outcomes for patients. The past decade has seen a tremendous amount of change in the field of rheumatology. The early and aggressive treatment of RA, including the use of novel biologic agents, has been shown to have favorable patient outcomes in reducing synovial inflammation, delaying joint damage,and maintaining functional status, leading to the recently published revisions in classification criteria and updated recommendations for the utilization of conventional DMARDs and biologic agents in the treatment of RA. The revised classification criteria can be used to diagnose RA patients at an earlier point in the disease course by placing greater emphasis on clinical features that manifest early in the disease process. The concept of achieving tight control of RA and treating to target has been well established and utilizes early diagnosis, aggressive treatment, and regular monitoring,leading to positive outcomes in a significant number of patients with RA who achieve current treatment goals of low levels of disease activity or clinical remission.

Age-specific discrimination of blood plasma samples of healthy and ovarian cancer prone mice using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melikechi, Noureddine; Markushin, Yuri; Connolly, Denise C.; Lasue, Jeremie; Ewusi-Annan, Ebo; Makrogiannis, Sokratis

2016-09-01

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) mortality rates are strongly correlated with the stage at which it is diagnosed. Detection of EOC prior to its dissemination from the site of origin is known to significantly improve the patient outcome. However, there are currently no effective methods for early detection of the most common and lethal subtype of EOC. We sought to determine whether laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and classification techniques such as linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and random forest (RF) could classify and differentiate blood plasma specimens from transgenic mice with ovarian carcinoma and wild type control mice. Herein we report results using this approach to distinguish blood plasma samples obtained from serially bled (at 8, 12, and 16 weeks) tumor-bearing TgMISIIR-TAg transgenic and wild type cancer-free littermate control mice. We have calculated the age-specific accuracy of classification using 18,000 laser-induced breakdown spectra of the blood plasma samples from tumor-bearing mice and wild type controls. When the analysis is performed in the spectral range 250 nm to 680 nm using LDA, these are 76.7 (± 2.6)%, 71.2 (± 1.3)%, and 73.1 (± 1.4)%, for the 8, 12 and 16 weeks. When the RF classifier is used, we obtain values of 78.5 (± 2.3)%, 76.9 (± 2.1)% and 75.4 (± 2.0)% in the spectral range of 250 nm to 680 nm, and 81.0 (± 1.8)%, 80.4 (± 2.1)% and 79.6 (± 3.5)% in 220 nm to 850 nm. In addition, we report, the positive and negative predictive values of the classification of the two classes of blood plasma samples. The approach used in this study is rapid, requires only 5 μL of blood plasma, and is based on the use of unsupervised and widely accepted multivariate analysis algorithms. These findings suggest that LIBS and multivariate analysis may be a novel approach for detecting EOC.

Object-based land cover classification based on fusion of multifrequency SAR data and THAICHOTE optical imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukawattanavijit, Chanika; Srestasathiern, Panu

2017-10-01

Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) information are significant to observe and evaluate environmental change. LULC classification applying remotely sensed data is a technique popularly employed on a global and local dimension particularly, in urban areas which have diverse land cover types. These are essential components of the urban terrain and ecosystem. In the present, object-based image analysis (OBIA) is becoming widely popular for land cover classification using the high-resolution image. COSMO-SkyMed SAR data was fused with THAICHOTE (namely, THEOS: Thailand Earth Observation Satellite) optical data for land cover classification using object-based. This paper indicates a comparison between object-based and pixel-based approaches in image fusion. The per-pixel method, support vector machines (SVM) was implemented to the fused image based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA). For the objectbased classification was applied to the fused images to separate land cover classes by using nearest neighbor (NN) classifier. Finally, the accuracy assessment was employed by comparing with the classification of land cover mapping generated from fused image dataset and THAICHOTE image. The object-based data fused COSMO-SkyMed with THAICHOTE images demonstrated the best classification accuracies, well over 85%. As the results, an object-based data fusion provides higher land cover classification accuracy than per-pixel data fusion.

Exploring Deep Learning and Transfer Learning for Colonic Polyp Classification

PubMed Central

Uhl, Andreas; Wimmer, Georg; Häfner, Michael

2016-01-01

Recently, Deep Learning, especially through Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) has been widely used to enable the extraction of highly representative features. This is done among the network layers by filtering, selecting, and using these features in the last fully connected layers for pattern classification. However, CNN training for automated endoscopic image classification still provides a challenge due to the lack of large and publicly available annotated databases. In this work we explore Deep Learning for the automated classification of colonic polyps using different configurations for training CNNs from scratch (or full training) and distinct architectures of pretrained CNNs tested on 8-HD-endoscopic image databases acquired using different modalities. We compare our results with some commonly used features for colonic polyp classification and the good results suggest that features learned by CNNs trained from scratch and the “off-the-shelf” CNNs features can be highly relevant for automated classification of colonic polyps. Moreover, we also show that the combination of classical features and “off-the-shelf” CNNs features can be a good approach to further improve the results. PMID:27847543

Evaluating multimedia chemical persistence: Classification and regression tree analysis

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

Bennett, D.H.; McKone, T.E.; Kastenberg, W.E.

2000-04-01

For the thousands of chemicals continuously released into the environment, it is desirable to make prospective assessments of those likely to be persistent. Widely distributed persistent chemicals are impossible to remove from the environment and remediation by natural processes may take decades, which is problematic if adverse health or ecological effects are discovered after prolonged release into the environment. A tiered approach using a classification scheme and a multimedia model for determining persistence is presented. Using specific criteria for persistence, a classification tree is developed to classify a chemical as persistent or nonpersistent based on the chemical properties. In thismore » approach, the classification is derived from the results of a standardized unit world multimedia model. Thus, the classifications are more robust for multimedia pollutants than classifications using a single medium half-life. The method can be readily implemented and provides insight without requiring extensive and often unavailable data. This method can be used to classify chemicals when only a few properties are known and can be used to direct further data collection. Case studies are presented to demonstrate the advantages of the approach.« less

A Global Classification System for Catchment Hydrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woods, R. A.

2004-05-01

It is a shocking state of affairs - there is no underpinning scientific taxonomy of catchments. There are widely used global classification systems for climate, river morphology, lakes and wetlands, but for river catchments there exists only a plethora of inconsistent, incomplete regional schemes. By proceeding without a common taxonomy for catchments, freshwater science has missed one of its key developmental stages, and has leapt from definition of phenomena to experiments, theories and models, without the theoretical framework of a classification. I propose the development of a global hierarchical classification system for physical aspects of river catchments, to help underpin physical science in the freshwater environment and provide a solid foundation for classification of river ecosystems. Such a classification scheme can open completely new vistas in hydrology: for example it will be possible to (i) rationally transfer experimental knowledge of hydrological processes between basins anywhere in the world, provided they belong to the same class; (ii) perform meaningful meta-analyses in order to reconcile studies that show inconsistent results (iii) generate new testable hypotheses which involve locations worldwide.

Using genetically modified tomato crop plants with purple leaves for absolute weed/crop classification.

PubMed

Lati, Ran N; Filin, Sagi; Aly, Radi; Lande, Tal; Levin, Ilan; Eizenberg, Hanan

2014-07-01

Weed/crop classification is considered the main problem in developing precise weed-management methodologies, because both crops and weeds share similar hues. Great effort has been invested in the development of classification models, most based on expensive sensors and complicated algorithms. However, satisfactory results are not consistently obtained due to imaging conditions in the field. We report on an innovative approach that combines advances in genetic engineering and robust image-processing methods to detect weeds and distinguish them from crop plants by manipulating the crop's leaf color. We demonstrate this on genetically modified tomato (germplasm AN-113) which expresses a purple leaf color. An autonomous weed/crop classification is performed using an invariant-hue transformation that is applied to images acquired by a standard consumer camera (visible wavelength) and handles variations in illumination intensities. The integration of these methodologies is simple and effective, and classification results were accurate and stable under a wide range of imaging conditions. Using this approach, we simplify the most complicated stage in image-based weed/crop classification models. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

HEp-2 cell image classification method based on very deep convolutional networks with small datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Mengchi; Gao, Long; Guo, Xifeng; Liu, Qiang; Yin, Jianping

2017-07-01

Human Epithelial-2 (HEp-2) cell images staining patterns classification have been widely used to identify autoimmune diseases by the anti-Nuclear antibodies (ANA) test in the Indirect Immunofluorescence (IIF) protocol. Because manual test is time consuming, subjective and labor intensive, image-based Computer Aided Diagnosis (CAD) systems for HEp-2 cell classification are developing. However, methods proposed recently are mostly manual features extraction with low accuracy. Besides, the scale of available benchmark datasets is small, which does not exactly suitable for using deep learning methods. This issue will influence the accuracy of cell classification directly even after data augmentation. To address these issues, this paper presents a high accuracy automatic HEp-2 cell classification method with small datasets, by utilizing very deep convolutional networks (VGGNet). Specifically, the proposed method consists of three main phases, namely image preprocessing, feature extraction and classification. Moreover, an improved VGGNet is presented to address the challenges of small-scale datasets. Experimental results over two benchmark datasets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves superior performance in terms of accuracy compared with existing methods.

Two notions of conspicuity and the classification of phyllotaxis.

PubMed

Reick, Christian H

2002-04-07

Invoking cylindrical Bravais lattices, Adler (1974, 1977) proposed a mathematically precise definition for the botanical classification of phyllotaxis. It is based on opposed pairs of parastichy families, that are conspicuous and visible. Jean (1988) generalized this concept to non-opposed pairs of parastichy families. In the present paper it is shown that this generalization implies a notion of conspicuity different from Adler's. This is made obvious by redefining the key terms of the two approaches. Both classifications are well defined. For Adler's, this is shown by presenting a general proof for his conjecture that conspicuous (in the sense of Adler) opposed pairs of parastichy families are visible. There are indications that in applications to models of phyllotaxis (van Iterson model, inhibitor models) their solutions are better characterized by Jean's classification. The differences between Adler's and Jean's classification show up only in very rare cases, so that the practice of pattern determination is only insignificantly touched by the present results. It turns out that the widely used contact parastichy method to determine phyllotactic patterns gives results according to Jean's classification rather than Adler's. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

A soil map of a large watershed in China: applying digital soil mapping in a data sparse region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barthold, F.; Blank, B.; Wiesmeier, M.; Breuer, L.; Frede, H.-G.

2009-04-01

Prediction of soil classes in data sparse regions is a major research challenge. With the advent of machine learning the possibilities to spatially predict soil classes have increased tremendously and given birth to new possibilities in soil mapping. Digital soil mapping is a research field that has been established during the last decades and has been accepted widely. We now need to develop tools to reduce the uncertainty in soil predictions. This is especially challenging in data sparse regions. One approach to do this is to implement soil taxonomic distance as a classification error criterion in classification and regression trees (CART) as suggested by Minasny et al. (Geoderma 142 (2007) 285-293). This approach assumes that the classification error should be larger between soils that are more dissimilar, i.e. differ in a larger number of soil properties, and smaller between more similar soils. Our study area is the Xilin River Basin, which is located in central Inner Mongolia in China. It is characterized by semi arid climate conditions and is representative for the natural occurring steppe ecosystem. The study area comprises 3600 km2. We applied a random, stratified sampling design after McKenzie and Ryan (Geoderma 89 (1999) 67-94) with landuse and topography as stratifying variables. We defined 10 sampling classes, from each class 14 replicates were randomly drawn and sampled. The dataset was split into 100 soil profiles for training and 40 soil profiles for validation. We then applied classification and regression trees (CART) to quantify the relationships between soil classes and environmental covariates. The classification tree explained 75.5% of the variance with land use and geology as most important predictor variables. Among the 8 soil classes that we predicted, the Kastanozems cover most of the area. They are predominantly found in steppe areas. However, even some of the soils at sand dune sites, which were thought to show only little soil formation, can be classified as Kastanozems. Besides the Kastanozems, Regosols are most common at the sand dune sites as well as at sites that are defined as bare soil which are characterized by little or no vegetation. Gleysols are mostly found at sites in the vicinity of the Xilin river, which are connected to the groundwater. They can also be found in small valleys or depressions where sub-surface waters from neighboring areas collect. The richest soils are found in mountain meadow areas. Pedogenetic conditions here are most favorable and lead to the formation of Chernozems with deep humic Ah horizons. Other soil types that occur in the study area are Arenosols, Calcisols, Cambisol and Phaeozems. In addition, soil taxonomic distance is implemented into the decision tree procedure as a measure of classification error. The results of incorporating taxonomic distance as a loss function in the decision tree will be compared with the standard application of the decision tree.

CLIMCONG: A framework-tool for assessing CLIMate CONGruency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buras, Allan; Kölling, Christian; Menzel, Annette

2016-04-01

It is widely accepted that the anticipated elevational and latitudinal shifting of climate forces living organisms (including humans) to track these changes in space over a certain time. Due to the complexity of climate change, prediction of consequent migrations is a difficult procedure afflicted with many uncertainties. To simplify climate complexity and ease respective attempts, various approaches aimed at classifying global climates. For instance, the frequently used Köppen-Geiger climate classification (Köppen, 1900) has been applied to predict the shift of climate zones throughout the 21st century (Rubel and Kottek, 2010). Another - more objective but also more complex - classification approach has recently been presented by Metzger et al. (2013). Though being comprehensive, classifications have certain drawbacks, as I) often focusing on few variables, II) having discrete borders at the margins of classes, and III) subjective selection of an arbitrary number of classes. Ecological theory suggests that when only considering temperature and precipitation (such as Köppen, 1900) particular climate features - e.g. radiation and plant water availability - may not be represented with sufficient precision. Furthermore, sharp boundaries among homogeneous classes do not reflect natural gradients. To overcome the aforementioned drawbacks, we here present CLIMCONG - a framework-tool for assessing climate congruency for quantitatively describing climate similarity through continua in space and time. CLIMCONG allows users to individually select variables for calculation of climate congruency. By this, particular foci can be specified, depending on actual research questions posed towards climate change. For instance, while ecologists focus on a multitude of parameters driving net ecosystem productivity, water managers may only be interested in variables related to drought extremes and water availability. Based on the chosen parameters CLIMCONG determines congruency of climates using Manhattan distances among locations. First applications of CLIMCONG were to I) globally cluster congruent eco-climates resulting in a classification being more objective than Köppen (1900) but at comparable complexity, II) successfully model MODIS average annual net primary productivity globally (R² = 0.69), and III) identify recent climates (with foci varying from eco-climates over water availability to extreme events) most similar to the predicted (RCP-scenarios) climate of given locations worldwide without being restricted to classifications. Using CLIMCONG it thereby becomes possible to track the 'migration' of local climate conditions throughout the 20th and 21st century. Further applications are planned and a CLIMCONG 'R'-package is under preparation. Köppen, W., 1900: Versuch einer Klassifikation der Klimate, vorzugsweise nach ihren Beziehungen zur Pflanzenwelt. - Geogr. Zeitschr. 6, 593-611, 657-679. Metzger, M.J., Bunce, R.G.H., Jongman, R.H.G, Sayre, R., Trabucco, A., and Zomer, R., 2013: A high-resolution bioclimate map of the world: a unifying framework for global biodiversity research and monitoring. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 22, 630-638. Rubel, F., and Kottek, M., 2010: Observed and projected climate shifts 1901-2100 depicted by world maps of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 19, 135-141.

Nationwide classification of forest types of India using remote sensing and GIS.

PubMed

Reddy, C Sudhakar; Jha, C S; Diwakar, P G; Dadhwal, V K

2015-12-01

India, a mega-diverse country, possesses a wide range of climate and vegetation types along with a varied topography. The present study has classified forest types of India based on multi-season IRS Resourcesat-2 Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) data. The study has characterized 29 land use/land cover classes including 14 forest types and seven scrub types. Hybrid classification approach has been used for the classification of forest types. The classification of vegetation has been carried out based on the ecological rule bases followed by Champion and Seth's (1968) scheme of forest types in India. The present classification scheme has been compared with the available global and national level land cover products. The natural vegetation cover was estimated to be 29.36% of total geographical area of India. The predominant forest types of India are tropical dry deciduous and tropical moist deciduous. Of the total forest cover, tropical dry deciduous forests occupy an area of 2,17,713 km(2) (34.80%) followed by 2,07,649 km(2) (33.19%) under tropical moist deciduous forests, 48,295 km(2) (7.72%) under tropical semi-evergreen forests and 47,192 km(2) (7.54%) under tropical wet evergreen forests. The study has brought out a comprehensive vegetation cover and forest type maps based on inputs critical in defining the various categories of vegetation and forest types. This spatially explicit database will be highly useful for the studies related to changes in various forest types, carbon stocks, climate-vegetation modeling and biogeochemical cycles.

Is Nigeria losing its natural vegetation and landscape? Assessing the landuse-landcover change trajectories and effects in Onitsha using remote sensing and GIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nwaogu, Chukwudi; Okeke, Onyedikachi J.; Fadipe, Olusola O.; Bashiru, Kehinde A.; Pechanec, Vilém

2017-12-01

Onitsha is one of the largest commercial cities in Africa with its population growth rate increasing arithmetically for the past two decades. This situation has direct and indirect effects on the natural resources including vegetation and water. The study aimed at assessing land use-land cover (LULC) change and its effects on the vegetation and landscape from 1987 to 2015 using geoinformatics. Supervised and unsupervised classifications including maximum likelihood algorithm were performed using ENVI 4.7 and ArcGIS 10.1 versions. The LULC was classified into 7 classes: built-up areas (settlement), waterbody, thick vegetation, light vegetation, riparian vegetation, sand deposit (bare soil) and floodplain. The result revealed that all the three vegetation types decreased in areas throughout the study period while, settlement, sand deposit and floodplain areas have remarkable increase of about 100% in 2015 when compared with the total in 1987. Number of dominant plant species decreased continuously during the study. The overall classification accuracies in 1987, 2002 and 2015 was 90.7%, 92.9% and 95.5% respectively. The overall kappa coefficient of the image classification for 1987, 2002 and 2015 was 0.98, 0.93 and 0.96 respectively. In general, the average classification was above 90%, a proof that the classification was reliable and acceptable.

Injuries from intimate partner and sexual violence: Significance and classification systems.

PubMed

Sommers, Marilyn S; Brown, Kathleen M; Buschur, Carole; Everett, Janine S; Fargo, Jamison D; Fisher, Bonnie S; Hinkle, Christina; Zink, Therese M

2012-07-01

While intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual violence (SV) are highly associated with injury, the healthcare and legal significance of these injuries is controversial. Herein we propose to explore the significance of injury in IPV and SV and examine the current status of injury classification systems from the perspectives of the healthcare and criminal justice systems. We will review current injury classification systems and suggest a typology of injury that could be tested empirically. Within the published literature, we found that no commonly accepted injury typology exists. While nuanced and controversial issues surround the role of injury detection in the sexual assault forensic examination, enough evidence exists to support the continued pursuance of a scientific approach to injury classification. We propose an injury typology that is measurable, is applicable to the healthcare setting and criminal justice system, and allows us to use uses a matrix approach that includes a severity score, anatomic location, and injury type. We suggest a typology that might be used for further empirical testing on the validity and reliability of IPV and SV injury data. We recommend that the community of scientists concerned about IPV and SV develop a more rigorous injury classification system that will improve the quality of forensic evidence proffered and decisions made throughout the criminal justice process. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and Faculty of Forensic and Legal Medicine. All rights reserved.

The clinical outcomes of deep gray matter injury in children with cerebral palsy in relation with brain magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Choi, Ja Young; Choi, Yoon Seong; Rha, Dong-Wook; Park, Eun Sook

2016-08-01

In the present study we investigated the nature and extent of clinical outcomes using various classifications and analyzed the relationship between brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and the extent of clinical outcomes in children with cerebral palsy (CP) with deep gray matter injury. The deep gray matter injuries of 69 children were classified into hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) and kernicterus patterns. HIE patterns were divided into four groups (I-IV) based on severity. Functional classification was investigated using the gross motor function classification system-expanded and revised, manual ability classification system, communication function classification system, and tests of cognitive function, and other associated problems. The severity of HIE pattern on brain MRI was strongly correlated with the severity of clinical outcomes in these various domains. Children with a kernicterus pattern showed a wide range of clinical outcomes in these areas. Children with severe HIE are at high risk of intellectual disability (ID) or epilepsy and children with a kernicterus pattern are at risk of hearing impairment and/or ID. Grading severity of HIE pattern on brain MRI is useful for predicting overall outcomes. The clinical outcomes of children with a kernicterus pattern range widely from mild to severe. Delineation of the clinical outcomes of children with deep gray matter injury, which are a common abnormal brain MRI finding in children with CP, is necessary. The present study provides clinical outcomes for various domains in children with deep gray matter injury on brain MRI. The deep gray matter injuries were divided into two major groups; HIE and kernicterus patterns. Our study showed that severity of HIE pattern on brain MRI was strongly associated with the severity of impairments in gross motor function, manual ability, communication function, and cognition. These findings suggest that severity of HIE pattern can be useful for predicting the severity of impairments. Conversely, children with a kernicterus pattern showed a wide range of clinical outcomes in various domains. Children with severe HIE pattern are at high risk of ID or epilepsy and children with kernicterus pattern are at risk of hearing impairment or ID. The strength of our study was the assessment of clinical outcomes after 3 years of age using standardized classification systems in various domains in children with deep gray matter injury. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Classification of Protein Domains.

PubMed

Dawson, Natalie; Sillitoe, Ian; Marsden, Russell L; Orengo, Christine A

2017-01-01

The significant expansion in protein sequence and structure data that we are now witnessing brings with it a pressing need to bring order to the protein world. Such order enables us to gain insights into the evolution of proteins, their function and the extent to which the functional repertoire can vary across the three kingdoms of life. This has lead to the creation of a wide range of protein family classifications that aim to group proteins based upon their evolutionary relationships.In this chapter we discuss the approaches and methods that are frequently used in the classification of proteins, with a specific emphasis on the classification of protein domains. The construction of both domain sequence and domain structure databases is considered and we show how the use of domain family annotations to assign structural and functional information is enhancing our understanding of genomes.

On Chinese Culture Curriculum Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wang, Catherine

2006-01-01

The importance of cultural elements in foreign language teaching has been widely accepted in recent years. This applies particularly to the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language (TCFL) to non-native Chinese speakers at tertiary level in mainland China. However, there is no commonly accepted blueprint that defines the parts of Chinese culture…

Evaluation of Subsurface Engineered Barriers at Waste Sites

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-08-01

28 3-4 MATRIX FOR EVALUATING BARRIER CQA/CQC AGAINST ACCEPTABLE INDSUTRY PRACTICES...STANDARDS................................................................. 66 4-2 MATRIX FOR EVALUATING CAP AGAINST ACCEPTABLE INDSUTRY PRACTICES...stated previously, the most widely used technique for containment is the soil-bentonite slurry wall. It is typically the most economical , utilizes low

Optical and thermal simulation for wide acceptance angle CPV module

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Nawwar; Ota, Yasuyuki; Araki, Kenji; Lee, Kan-Hua; Yamaguchi, Masafumi; Nishioka, Kensuke

2017-09-01

Concentrator photovoltaic (CPV) technology has the potential to decrease the cost of systems in the near future by using less expensive optical elements in the system which replace the receiving surface aperture and concentrate the sunlight onto small solar cells. One of the main concerns of CPV is the need for high precision tracking system and the relation to the acceptance angle. In this paper, we proposed a CPV module with concentration ratio larger than 100 times and wide acceptance angle. An optical simulation for the module with S-TIM2 glass as a lens material was conducted to estimate the optical performance of the module. Thermal and electrical simulation was also conducted using COMSOL Multiphysics and SPICE respectively to evaluate the working temperature and electrical characteristics of the multijunction solar cell under concentration conditions.

A machine learning approach to multi-level ECG signal quality classification.

PubMed

Li, Qiao; Rajagopalan, Cadathur; Clifford, Gari D

2014-12-01

Current electrocardiogram (ECG) signal quality assessment studies have aimed to provide a two-level classification: clean or noisy. However, clinical usage demands more specific noise level classification for varying applications. This work outlines a five-level ECG signal quality classification algorithm. A total of 13 signal quality metrics were derived from segments of ECG waveforms, which were labeled by experts. A support vector machine (SVM) was trained to perform the classification and tested on a simulated dataset and was validated using data from the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database (MITDB). The simulated training and test datasets were created by selecting clean segments of the ECG in the 2011 PhysioNet/Computing in Cardiology Challenge database, and adding three types of real ECG noise at different signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) levels from the MIT-BIH Noise Stress Test Database (NSTDB). The MITDB was re-annotated for five levels of signal quality. Different combinations of the 13 metrics were trained and tested on the simulated datasets and the best combination that produced the highest classification accuracy was selected and validated on the MITDB. Performance was assessed using classification accuracy (Ac), and a single class overlap accuracy (OAc), which assumes that an individual type classified into an adjacent class is acceptable. An Ac of 80.26% and an OAc of 98.60% on the test set were obtained by selecting 10 metrics while 57.26% (Ac) and 94.23% (OAc) were the numbers for the unseen MITDB validation data without retraining. By performing the fivefold cross validation, an Ac of 88.07±0.32% and OAc of 99.34±0.07% were gained on the validation fold of MITDB. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

[LiLa classification for paediatric long bone fractures. Intraobserver and interobserver reliability].

PubMed

Kamphaus, A; Rapp, M; Wessel, L M; Buchholz, M; Massalme, E; Schneidmüller, D; Roeder, C; Kaiser, M M

2015-04-01

There are two child-specific fracture classification systems for long bone fractures: the AO classification of pediatric long-bone fractures (PCCF) and the LiLa classification of pediatric fractures of long bones (LiLa classification). Both are still not widely established in comparison to the adult AO classification for long bone fractures. During a period of 12 months all long bone fractures in children were documented and classified according to the LiLa classification by experts and non-experts. Intraobserver and interobserver reliability were calculated according to Cohen (kappa). A total of 408 fractures were classified. The intraobserver reliability for location in the skeletal and bone segment showed an almost perfect agreement (K = 0.91-0.95) and also the morphology (joint/shaft fracture) (K = 0.87-0.93). Due to different judgment of the fracture displacement in the second classification round, the intraobserver reliability of the whole classification revealed moderate agreement (K = 0.53-0.58). Interobserver reliability showed moderate agreement (K = 0.55) often due to the low quality of the X-rays. Further differences occurred due to difficulties in assigning the precise transition from metaphysis to diaphysis. The LiLa classification is suitable and in most cases user-friendly for classifying long bone fractures in children. Reliability is higher than in established fracture specific classifications and comparable to the AO classification of pediatric long bone fractures. Some mistakes were due to a low quality of the X-rays and some due to difficulties to classify the fractures themselves. Improvements include a more precise definition of the metaphysis and the kind of displacement. Overall the LiLa classification should still be considered as an alternative for classifying pediatric long bone fractures.

Subliminal priming with nearly perfect performance in the prime-classification task.

PubMed

Finkbeiner, Matthew

2011-05-01

The subliminal priming paradigm is widely used by cognitive scientists, and claims of subliminal perception are common nowadays. Nevertheless, there are still those who remain skeptical. In a recent critique of subliminal priming, Pratte and Rouder (Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, 71, 1276-1283, 2009) suggested that previous claims of subliminal priming may have been due to a failure to control the task difficulty between the experiment proper and the prime-classification task. Essentially, because the prime-classification task is more difficult than the experiment proper, the prime-classification task results may underrepresent the subjects' true ability to perceive the prime stimuli. To address this possibility, prime words were here presented in color. In the experiment proper, priming was observed. In the prime-classification task, subjects reported the color of the primes very accurately, indicating almost perfect control of task difficulty, but they could not identify the primes. Thus, I conclude that controlling for task difficulty does not eliminate subliminal priming.

Resting State fMRI Functional Connectivity-Based Classification Using a Convolutional Neural Network Architecture

PubMed Central

Meszlényi, Regina J.; Buza, Krisztian; Vidnyánszky, Zoltán

2017-01-01

Machine learning techniques have become increasingly popular in the field of resting state fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) network based classification. However, the application of convolutional networks has been proposed only very recently and has remained largely unexplored. In this paper we describe a convolutional neural network architecture for functional connectome classification called connectome-convolutional neural network (CCNN). Our results on simulated datasets and a publicly available dataset for amnestic mild cognitive impairment classification demonstrate that our CCNN model can efficiently distinguish between subject groups. We also show that the connectome-convolutional network is capable to combine information from diverse functional connectivity metrics and that models using a combination of different connectivity descriptors are able to outperform classifiers using only one metric. From this flexibility follows that our proposed CCNN model can be easily adapted to a wide range of connectome based classification or regression tasks, by varying which connectivity descriptor combinations are used to train the network. PMID:29089883

Resting State fMRI Functional Connectivity-Based Classification Using a Convolutional Neural Network Architecture.

PubMed

Meszlényi, Regina J; Buza, Krisztian; Vidnyánszky, Zoltán

2017-01-01

Machine learning techniques have become increasingly popular in the field of resting state fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) network based classification. However, the application of convolutional networks has been proposed only very recently and has remained largely unexplored. In this paper we describe a convolutional neural network architecture for functional connectome classification called connectome-convolutional neural network (CCNN). Our results on simulated datasets and a publicly available dataset for amnestic mild cognitive impairment classification demonstrate that our CCNN model can efficiently distinguish between subject groups. We also show that the connectome-convolutional network is capable to combine information from diverse functional connectivity metrics and that models using a combination of different connectivity descriptors are able to outperform classifiers using only one metric. From this flexibility follows that our proposed CCNN model can be easily adapted to a wide range of connectome based classification or regression tasks, by varying which connectivity descriptor combinations are used to train the network.

Neuroendocrine tumors of colon and rectum: validation of clinical and prognostic values of the World Health Organization 2010 grading classifications and European Neuroendocrine Tumor Society staging systems.

PubMed

Shen, Chaoyong; Yin, Yuan; Chen, Huijiao; Tang, Sumin; Yin, Xiaonan; Zhou, Zongguang; Zhang, Bo; Chen, Zhixin

2017-03-28

This study evaluated and compared the clinical and prognostic values of the grading criteria used by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Neuroendocrine Tumors Society (ENETS). Moreover, this work assessed the current best prognostic model for colorectal neuroendocrine tumors (CRNETs). The 2010 WHO classifications and the ENETS systems can both stratify the patients into prognostic groups, although the 2010 WHO criteria is more applicable to CRNET patients. Along with tumor location, the 2010 WHO criteria are important independent prognostic parameters for CRNETs in both univariate and multivariate analyses through Cox regression (P<0.05). Data from 192 consecutive patients histopathologically diagnosed with CRNETs and had undergone surgical resection from January 2009 to May 2016 in a single center were retrospectively analyzed. Findings suggest that the WHO classifications are superior over the ENETS classification system in predicting the prognosis of CRNETs. Additionally, the WHO classifications can be widely used in clinical practice.

A concept analysis of voluntary active euthanasia.

PubMed

Guo, Fenglin

2006-01-01

Euthanasia has a wide range of classifications. Confusion exists in the application of specific concepts to various studies. To analyze the concept of voluntary active euthanasia using Walker and Avant's concept analysis method. A comprehensive literature review from various published literature and bibliographies. Clinical, ethical, and policy differences and similarities of euthanasia need to be debated openly, both within the medical profession and publicly. Awareness of the classifications about euthanasia may help nurses dealing with "end of life issues" properly.

Improving the Selection, Classification, and Utilization of Army Enlisted Personnel. Annual Report, 1985 Fiscal Year. Supplement

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-10-01

PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME AND ADDRESS 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT, PROJECT, TASK Human Resources Research Organization 2 P 3 QA2 79 9"INiTNUMBERS 1100...classification tests which will validly predict carefully developed measures of job performance . The project addresses the 675,000-person enlisted personnel...are to include both Army-wide job performance measures based on newly developed rating scales, and direct hands-on measures of MOS-specific task

A review of channel selection algorithms for EEG signal processing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alotaiby, Turky; El-Samie, Fathi E. Abd; Alshebeili, Saleh A.; Ahmad, Ishtiaq

2015-12-01

Digital processing of electroencephalography (EEG) signals has now been popularly used in a wide variety of applications such as seizure detection/prediction, motor imagery classification, mental task classification, emotion classification, sleep state classification, and drug effects diagnosis. With the large number of EEG channels acquired, it has become apparent that efficient channel selection algorithms are needed with varying importance from one application to another. The main purpose of the channel selection process is threefold: (i) to reduce the computational complexity of any processing task performed on EEG signals by selecting the relevant channels and hence extracting the features of major importance, (ii) to reduce the amount of overfitting that may arise due to the utilization of unnecessary channels, for the purpose of improving the performance, and (iii) to reduce the setup time in some applications. Signal processing tools such as time-domain analysis, power spectral estimation, and wavelet transform have been used for feature extraction and hence for channel selection in most of channel selection algorithms. In addition, different evaluation approaches such as filtering, wrapper, embedded, hybrid, and human-based techniques have been widely used for the evaluation of the selected subset of channels. In this paper, we survey the recent developments in the field of EEG channel selection methods along with their applications and classify these methods according to the evaluation approach.

Recruitment and retention of rural nursing students: a retrospective study.

PubMed

Bigbee, Jeri; Mixon, Diana

2013-01-01

The shortage of registered nurses is an issue globally, but particularly in rural and remote areas. Previous research in medicine suggests that recruiting students from rural backgrounds is an effective strategy to enhance the supply of rural healthcare providers. This strategy has not been widely adopted or evaluated in nursing. The purpose of this study was to compare rural and urban nursing students in relation to application, admission, and retention/graduation trends at a metropolitan state university in the Pacific Northwest area of the USA. A retrospective longitudinal descriptive design was used, analyzing existing data from 2005 to 2010. The sample included 1283 applicants, accepted students, and graduates. Rural-urban classification was made using rural urban commuting area (RUCA) codes based on high school zip codes, identifying 356 (28%) rural and 927 (72%) urban individuals. The data were analyzed quantitatively, assessing demographic characteristics along with application, admission and retention/graduation rates. The analysis indicated no significant differences between the rural and urban samples in relation to age, gender, parents' level of education, income, or retention rates. The acceptance rate for rural students (66.3%) was significantly lower than for urban students (73.1%) (p=0.015). When rural subgroups (isolated, small rural and large rural) were examined, the isolated group (n=61) had the highest acceptance rate of any rural or urban group (75%). This group was the least ethnically diverse (95% Caucasian), was the least likely to be first-generation college (22%), had the highest percentage of females (85%) and had the highest entering grade point average (3.65 on a four-point scale). In contrast, the subgroup including individuals from large rural communities (n=182) had the lowest acceptance rate (64%), the lowest retention rate 85%, the lowest entering grade point average (3.42), and the highest percentage of first-generation college individuals (50.9%). The findings suggest that students from rural backgrounds achieve similar levels of success in nursing education, despite lower acceptance rates, when compared with urban students. Addressing issues related to lower acceptance rates for rural nursing students, including targeted recruitment and support efforts with students interested in pursuing nursing at the junior and senior high school levels, may be indicated. Further research is indicated to explore differences among rural subgroups in relation to preparation for and achievement in nursing education. Greater research attention is also needed to assess if nursing students from rural backgrounds tend to practice in rural areas more than students from urban backgrounds, similar to previous research in medicine. Because students tend to practice near their place of education, nursing education programs may need to consider locating outside of large urban areas to promote rural practice. Inclusion of rural content and clinical experiences within nursing curricula is also recommended.

Engineering Near-Field Transport of Energy using Nanostructured Materials

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-12-12

increasingly important for a wide range of nanotechnology applications. Recent computational studies on near- field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) suggest...SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: The transport of heat at the nanometer scale is becoming increasingly important for a wide range of nanotechnology...applications. Recent computational studies on near- field radiative heat transfer (NFRHT) suggest that radiative energy transport between suitably chosen

Sensitivity Analysis in RIPless Compressed Sensing

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: The compressive sensing framework finds a wide range of applications in signal processing and analysis. Within this...Analysis of Compressive Sensing Solutions Report Title The compressive sensing framework finds a wide range of applications in signal processing and...compressed sensing. More specifically, we show that in a noiseless and RIP-less setting [11], the recovery process of a compressed sensing framework is

Genome-Wide Association Mapping for Intelligence in Military Working Dogs: Development of Advanced Classification Algorithm for Genome-Wide Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) Data Analysis

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-04-01

critical. 5. REFERENCES Almasy, L, Blangero, J. (2009) “Human QTL linkage mapping.” Genetica 136:333-340. Amos, CI. (2007) “Successful...quantitative trait loci.” Genetica 136:237-243. Ward, JH, Hook, ME. “A Hierarchical Grouping Procedure Applied to a Problem of Grouping Profiles

Risk perception and public acceptance toward a highly protested Waste-to-Energy facility.

PubMed

Ren, Xiangyu; Che, Yue; Yang, Kai; Tao, Yun

2016-02-01

The application of Waste-to-Energy treatment in Municipal Solid Waste faces strong protest by local communities, especially in cities with high population densities. This study introduces insight into the public awareness, acceptance and risk perception toward Waste-to-Energy through a structured questionnaire survey around a Waste-to-Energy facility in Shanghai, China. The Dichotomous-Choice contingent valuation method was applied to study the willingness to accept of residents as an indicator of risk perception and tolerance. The factors influencing risk perception and the protest response choice were analyzed. The geographical distributions of the acceptance of Waste-to-Energy facility and protest response were explored using geographical information systems. The findings of the research indicated an encouraging vision of promoting Waste-to-Energy, considering its benefits of renewable energy and the conservation of land. A high percentage of protest willingness to accept (50.94%) was highlighted with the effect of income, opinion about Waste-to-Energy, gender and perceived impact. The fuzzy classification among people with different opinions on compensation (valid 0, positive or protest willingness to accept) revealed the existing yet rejected demand of compensation among protesters. Geographical distribution in the public attitude can also be observed. Finally significant statistical relation between knowledge and risk perception indicates the need of risk communication, as well as involving public into whole management process. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Classification of EMG signals using artificial neural networks for virtual hand prosthesis control.

PubMed

Mattioli, Fernando E R; Lamounier, Edgard A; Cardoso, Alexandre; Soares, Alcimar B; Andrade, Adriano O

2011-01-01

Computer-based training systems have been widely studied in the field of human rehabilitation. In health applications, Virtual Reality presents itself as an appropriate tool to simulate training environments without exposing the patients to risks. In particular, virtual prosthetic devices have been used to reduce the great mental effort needed by patients fitted with myoelectric prosthesis, during the training stage. In this paper, the application of Virtual Reality in a hand prosthesis training system is presented. To achieve this, the possibility of exploring Neural Networks in a real-time classification system is discussed. The classification technique used in this work resulted in a 95% success rate when discriminating 4 different hand movements.

Original and Mirror Face Images and Minimum Squared Error Classification for Visible Light Face Recognition.

PubMed

Wang, Rong

2015-01-01

In real-world applications, the image of faces varies with illumination, facial expression, and poses. It seems that more training samples are able to reveal possible images of the faces. Though minimum squared error classification (MSEC) is a widely used method, its applications on face recognition usually suffer from the problem of a limited number of training samples. In this paper, we improve MSEC by using the mirror faces as virtual training samples. We obtained the mirror faces generated from original training samples and put these two kinds of samples into a new set. The face recognition experiments show that our method does obtain high accuracy performance in classification.

Seattle wide-area information for travelers (SWIFT) : consumer acceptance study

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-10-19

The Seattle Wide-area Information for Travelers (SWIFT) 0perational Test was intended to evaluate the performance of a large-scale, urban Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS) deployment in the Seattle area. With the majority of the SWIFT syste...

Misclassification Errors in Unsupervised Classification Methods. Comparison Based on the Simulation of Targeted Proteomics Data

PubMed Central

Andreev, Victor P; Gillespie, Brenda W; Helfand, Brian T; Merion, Robert M

2016-01-01

Unsupervised classification methods are gaining acceptance in omics studies of complex common diseases, which are often vaguely defined and are likely the collections of disease subtypes. Unsupervised classification based on the molecular signatures identified in omics studies have the potential to reflect molecular mechanisms of the subtypes of the disease and to lead to more targeted and successful interventions for the identified subtypes. Multiple classification algorithms exist but none is ideal for all types of data. Importantly, there are no established methods to estimate sample size in unsupervised classification (unlike power analysis in hypothesis testing). Therefore, we developed a simulation approach allowing comparison of misclassification errors and estimating the required sample size for a given effect size, number, and correlation matrix of the differentially abundant proteins in targeted proteomics studies. All the experiments were performed in silico. The simulated data imitated the expected one from the study of the plasma of patients with lower urinary tract dysfunction with the aptamer proteomics assay Somascan (SomaLogic Inc, Boulder, CO), which targeted 1129 proteins, including 330 involved in inflammation, 180 in stress response, 80 in aging, etc. Three popular clustering methods (hierarchical, k-means, and k-medoids) were compared. K-means clustering performed much better for the simulated data than the other two methods and enabled classification with misclassification error below 5% in the simulated cohort of 100 patients based on the molecular signatures of 40 differentially abundant proteins (effect size 1.5) from among the 1129-protein panel. PMID:27524871

Return to play after thigh muscle injury in elite football players: implementation and validation of the Munich muscle injury classification

PubMed Central

Ekstrand, Jan; Askling, Carl; Magnusson, Henrik; Mithoefer, Kai

2013-01-01

Background Owing to the complexity and heterogeneity of muscle injuries, a generally accepted classification system is still lacking. Aims To prospectively implement and validate a novel muscle injury classification and to evaluate its predictive value for return to professional football. Methods The recently described Munich muscle injury classification was prospectively evaluated in 31 European professional male football teams during the 2011/2012 season. Thigh muscle injury types were recorded by team medical staff and correlated to individual player exposure and resultant time-loss. Results In total, 393 thigh muscle injuries occurred. The muscle classification system was well received with a 100% response rate. Two-thirds of thigh muscle injuries were classified as structural and were associated with longer lay-off times compared to functional muscle disorders (p<0.001). Significant differences were observed between structural injury subgroups (minor partial, moderate partial and complete injuries) with increasing lay-off time associated with more severe structural injury. Median lay-off time of functional disorders was 5–8 days without significant differences between subgroups. There was no significant difference in the absence time between anterior and posterior thigh injuries. Conclusions The Munich muscle classification demonstrates a positive prognostic validity for return to play after thigh muscle injury in professional male football players. Structural injuries are associated with longer average lay-off times than functional muscle disorders. Subclassification of structural injuries correlates with return to play, while subgrouping of functional disorders shows less prognostic relevance. Functional disorders are often underestimated clinically and require further systematic study. PMID:23645834

Factors associated with presenteeism among employed Australian adults reporting lifetime major depression with 12-month symptoms.

PubMed

Cocker, Fiona; Martin, Angela; Scott, Jenn; Venn, Alison; Otahal, Petr; Sanderson, Kristy

2011-12-01

Employees experiencing depression can take a sickness absence or continue working ('presenteeism'). However, little is known about the factors associated with these behaviors within this population. This study aimed to determine the relative importance of socio-demographic, financial, work and health-related factors associated with presenteeism. The 2007 Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing provided data from employed individuals reporting lifetime major depression with 12-month symptoms (N=320). Survey adjusted multivariable logistic regression assessed classification of 12-month, depression-related presenteeism on the basis of socio-demographic, financial, work and health factors. Acceptable classification of cases was 70% or greater. Classification of cases based on socio-demographic factors, age, sex and marital status, was reasonable (62%). Adding work factors (work hours and occupation type) produced a 1% increase in successfully classified cases (63%). Health factors further increased correctly classified cases (67%). Marital status, housing tenure and co-morbid mental disorders were important indicators of presenteeism behavior. Work-related variables were restricted to available measures. Potentially important psychosocial work environment factors were unavailable. Cross-sectional data precluded causal inference. Using available factors, model discrimination did not reach an acceptable level i.e. 70% of presenteeism cases successfully classified. This highlighted the contribution of unmeasured factors to presenteeism behavior. Future research should explore the relative importance of psychosocial work environment and personality factors such as work demands, effort/reward imbalance and conscientiousness. The identified associations between socio-demographic, financial and health factors on work attendance behaviors could inform disease management guidelines for employers via recognition of employees at risk of presenteeism. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Music and natural sounds in an auditory steady-state response based brain-computer interface to increase user acceptance.

PubMed

Heo, Jeong; Baek, Hyun Jae; Hong, Seunghyeok; Chang, Min Hye; Lee, Jeong Su; Park, Kwang Suk

2017-05-01

Patients with total locked-in syndrome are conscious; however, they cannot express themselves because most of their voluntary muscles are paralyzed, and many of these patients have lost their eyesight. To improve the quality of life of these patients, there is an increasing need for communication-supporting technologies that leverage the remaining senses of the patient along with physiological signals. The auditory steady-state response (ASSR) is an electro-physiologic response to auditory stimulation that is amplitude-modulated by a specific frequency. By leveraging the phenomenon whereby ASSR is modulated by mind concentration, a brain-computer interface paradigm was proposed to classify the selective attention of the patient. In this paper, we propose an auditory stimulation method to minimize auditory stress by replacing the monotone carrier with familiar music and natural sounds for an ergonomic system. Piano and violin instrumentals were employed in the music sessions; the sounds of water streaming and cicadas singing were used in the natural sound sessions. Six healthy subjects participated in the experiment. Electroencephalograms were recorded using four electrodes (Cz, Oz, T7 and T8). Seven sessions were performed using different stimuli. The spectral power at 38 and 42Hz and their ratio for each electrode were extracted as features. Linear discriminant analysis was utilized to classify the selections for each subject. In offline analysis, the average classification accuracies with a modulation index of 1.0 were 89.67% and 87.67% using music and natural sounds, respectively. In online experiments, the average classification accuracies were 88.3% and 80.0% using music and natural sounds, respectively. Using the proposed method, we obtained significantly higher user-acceptance scores, while maintaining a high average classification accuracy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Generalizations of the subject-independent feature set for music-induced emotion recognition.

PubMed

Lin, Yuan-Pin; Chen, Jyh-Horng; Duann, Jeng-Ren; Lin, Chin-Teng; Jung, Tzyy-Ping

2011-01-01

Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based emotion recognition has been an intensely growing field. Yet, how to achieve acceptable accuracy on a practical system with as fewer electrodes as possible is less concerned. This study evaluates a set of subject-independent features, based on differential power asymmetry of symmetric electrode pairs [1], with emphasis on its applicability to subject variability in music-induced emotion classification problem. Results of this study have evidently validated the feasibility of using subject-independent EEG features to classify four emotional states with acceptable accuracy in second-scale temporal resolution. These features could be generalized across subjects to detect emotion induced by music excerpts not limited to the music database that was used to derive the emotion-specific features.