Age Features Of Peptic And Duodenal Ulcer Disease

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Е.А. Islamova

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Peptic ulcer disease is one of the most widespread diseases. 6-10 % of adult population in Russia suffer from it. Demographic processes in the Russian Federation determine the increase of patients' number aged over 60 with peptic ulcer disease. It counts 10-35 % of all patients with this disease. The modern views on pathogenesis of peptic ulcer disease, including factor of Helicobacter pylori, in patients of different age groups have been highlighted in the article. Pathogenetic features and clinical morphological manifestations of peptic ulcer disease in young and aged patients have been considered

METHODOLOGICAL FEATURES OF HISTORICAL TYPES OF ECONOMIC THEORY'S SCIENTIFIC RATIONALITY IN TERMS OF MODERN PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

T. Gaidai

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The article studies the evolution of basic methodological features of economic theory on its different historical stages.The research highlights the fruitful usage of a new analytical approach on the basis of the achievements of modern philosophy of science. Its presents the research of main types of scientific rationality dominating at certain historical stages of science maturity. Such as historical, classical, nonclassical and postnonclassical types of scientific rationality. Structuring and research of basic methodological features of such historical types of economic theory’s scientific rationality as classical economics (end of ХVII century – 70-th of XIX century, nonclassical economics (70-th of ХІХ century – 70-th of ХХ century, postnonclassical economics (70-th of ХХст. – the beginning of ХХI century are undertaken. Methodological analysis accentuated ideological, ontological, epistemological dominants and main differences in basic techniques of the main types of economic theory’s scientific rationality. The research argues the illegality of existing in the economics literature attempts to identification or simplified reduction of more mature types of scientific rationality to the less mature. The article shows the contribution made by the leaders of classical, nonclassical and postnonclassical economics in the development of normative and positive economic methodology. It is emphasized a general tendency to methodological pluralism, pluralism of paradigmal structureand interdisciplinary of scientific economic knowledge throughout its historical development.

Current status and future expectation concerning probabilistic risk assessment of NPPs. 1. Features and issues of probabilistic risk assessment methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamashita, Masahiro

2012-01-01

Probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) of Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) could play an important role in assuring safety of NPPs. However PRA had not always effectively used, which was indicated in Japanese government's report on Fukushima Daiichi NPP accident. At the Risk Technical Committee (RTC) of Standards Committee of Atomic Energy Society of Japan, preparation of standards (implementing criteria) focusing on PRA methodology and investigation on basic philosophy for use of PRA had been in progress. Based on activities of RTC, a serial in three articles including this described current status and future expectation concerning probabilistic risk assessment of NPPs. This article introduced features and issues of PRA methodology related to the use of PRA. Features of PRA methodology could be shown as (1) systematic and comprehensive understanding of risk, (2) support of grading approach, (3) identification of effective safety upgrade measures and (4) quantitative understanding of effects of uncertainty. Issues of PRA methodology were (1) extension of PRA application area, (2) upgrade of PRA methodology, (3) quality assurance of PRA, (4) treatment of uncertainty and (5) quantitative evaluation criteria. (T. Tanaka)

On the Quantification of Aging Effects on Biometric Features

OpenAIRE

Lanitis , Andreas; Tsapatsoulis , Nicolas

2010-01-01

International audience; Biometric templates are often used in intelligent human computer interaction systems that include automated access control and personalization of user interaction. The effectiveness of biometric systems is directly linked with aging that causes modifications on biometric features. For example the long term performance of person identification systems decreases as biometric templates derived from aged subjects may display substantial differences when compared to referen...

Age-related X-ray feature of the spine in patients with achondroplasia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shevtsov, V.I.; D'yachkova, G.V.; Novikova, O.S.

1999-01-01

Age-related X-ray features of the spine in patients with achondroplasia are studied. It gives the time course of changes in the shape of vertebrae, the specific features of apophyseal ossification, provides a quantitative account of the shorter caudal lumbar vertebral arch root distance symptom. The time course of changes in the size of the lumbosacral angle was examined. The findings suggest that there are not only considerable static changes in the spine of patients with achondroplasia, but also significant age-related features of vertebral tissue growth and differentiation [ru

Age and binding within-dimension features in visual short-term memory

OpenAIRE

Parra, Mario; Abrahams, S.; Logie, R. H.; Della Sala, S.

2009-01-01

Older adults have difficulties in binding information in long-term memory (e.g. objects with colours). The effect of age on visual short-term memory (VSTM) binding is less well understood. Recent evidence has suggested that older adults' VSTM for colours bound to shapes or for locations bound in configural representations may be preserved. In two experiments we investigated whether this lack of an age effect on VSTM for bound features can be reproduced when features are drawn from the same di...

Middle-aged women's preferred theory-based features in mobile physical activity applications.

Science.gov (United States)

Ehlers, Diane K; Huberty, Jennifer L

2014-09-01

The purpose of this study was to describe which theory-based behavioral and technological features middle-aged women prefer to be included in a mobile application designed to help them adopt and maintain regular physical activity (PA). Women aged 30 to 64 years (N = 120) completed an online survey measuring their demographics and mobile PA application preferences. The survey was developed upon behavioral principles of Social Cognitive Theory, recent mobile app research, and technology adoption principles of the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology. Frequencies were calculated and content analyses conducted to identify which features women most preferred. Behavioral features that help women self-regulate their PA (PA tracking, goal-setting, progress monitoring) were most preferred. Technological features that enhance perceived effort expectancy and playfulness were most preferred. Many women reported the desire to interact and compete with others through the application. Theory-based PA self-regulation features and theory-based design features that improve perceived effort expectancy and playfulness may be most beneficial in a mobile PA application for middle-aged women. Opportunities to interact with other people and the employment of social, game-like activities may also be attractive. Interdisciplinary engagement of experts in PA behavior change, technology adoption, and software development is needed.

Methodology to analysis of aging processes of containment spray system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Borges, D. da Silva; Lava, D.D.; Moreira, M. de L.; Ferreira Guimarães, A.C.; Fernandes da Silva, L.

2015-01-01

This paper presents a contribution to the study of aging process of components in commercial plants of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs). The motivation for write this work emerged from the current perspective nuclear. Numerous nuclear power plants worldwide have an advanced operating time. This problem requires a process to ensure the confiability of the operative systems of these plants, because of this, it is necessary a methodologies capable of estimate the failure probability of the components and systems. In addition to the safety factors involved, such methodologies can to be used to search ways to ensure the extension of the life cycle of nuclear plants, which inevitably will pass by the decommissioning process after the operating time of 40 years. This process negatively affects the power generation, besides demanding an enormous investment for such. Thus, this paper aims to present modeling techniques and sensitivity analysis, which together can generate an estimate of how components, which are more sensitive to the aging process, will behave during the normal operation cycle of a nuclear power plant. (authors)

A Bayesian Approach to Multistage Fitting of the Variation of the Skeletal Age Features

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Dong Hua

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Accurate assessment of skeletal maturity is important clinically. Skeletal age assessment is usually based on features encoded in ossification centers. Therefore, it is critical to design a mechanism to capture as much as possible characteristics of features. We have observed that given a feature, there exist stages of the skeletal age such that the variation pattern of the feature differs in these stages. Based on this observation, we propose a Bayesian cut fitting to describe features in response to the skeletal age. With our approach, appropriate positions for stage separation are determined automatically by a Bayesian approach, and a model is used to fit the variation of a feature within each stage. Our experimental results show that the proposed method surpasses the traditional fitting using only one line or one curve not only in the efficiency and accuracy of fitting but also in global and local feature characterization.

MICROSTRUCTURAL FEATURES EVALUATION OF AGE-HARDENED A 226 CAST ALLOY BY IMAGE ANALYSIS

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Lenka Kuchariková

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Age-hardening provides one of the most widely used mechanisms for the strengthening of aluminum alloys. The age-hardening involves three steps: solution treatment, quenching and aging. The temperature of solution treatment and aging is very important in order to reach desired properties of castings. The optimum temperature of solution treatment and aging led to formation microstructural features in form which does not lead to decreasing properties, but increasing ones. The major microstructural features in A 226 cast alloys which are responsible for increasing properties are: eutectic Si particles, Cu-rich phases, Fe-rich phases and porosity. The increase of properties depends on morphology, size and volume of microstructural features. In order to assess age-hardening influence on microstructural features in A226 cast alloys were used as possibilities of evaluation by means of image analysis. Quantitative analysis decelerate changes in microstructure includes the spheroidization and coarsening of eutectic silicon, gradual disintegration, shortening and thinning of Fe-rich intermetallic phases, the dissolution of precipitates and the precipitation of finer hardening phase (Al2Cu further increase in the hardness and tensile strength in the alloy. Changes of mechanical properties were measured in line with STN EN ISO.

Development and application of the methodology to establish life extension and modernization plan of aged hydropower plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Sung; Kwon, Hyuck Cheon; Song, Byung Hun; Kwon, Chang Seop

2009-01-01

This paper provides how to establish an integrated plan for LE (Life Extension) and MD (MoDernization) of aged hydropower plants. The methodology is developed through review of overseas/domestic LE/MD histories, investigation of the previous overseas methodologies and consideration of domestic practices. The methodology includes reviews of the various factors such as condition, operation and maintenance history, up-to-date technology, and economic benefit. In order to establish the life extension/modernization plan, the methodology is applied to the domestic aged hydropower plants. Finally, priority rankings and draft practice plans for LE/MD are derived.

[The system theory of aging: methodological principles, basic tenets and applications].

Science.gov (United States)

Krut'ko, V N; Dontsov, V I; Zakhar'iashcheva, O V

2009-01-01

The paper deals with the system theory of aging constructed on the basis of present-day scientific methodology--the system approach. The fundamental cause for aging is discrete existence of individual life forms, i.e. living organisms which, from the thermodynamic point of view, are not completely open systems. The primary aging process (build-up of chaos and system disintegration of aging organism) obeys the second law of thermodynamics or the law of entropy increase in individual partly open systems. In living organisms the law is exhibited as synergy of four main aging mechanisms: system "pollution" of organism, loss of non-regenerative elements, accumulation of damages and deformations, generation of variability on all levels, and negative changes in regulation processes and consequent degradation of the organism systematic character. These are the general aging mechanisms; however, the regulatory mechanisms may be important equally for organism aging and search for ways to prolong active life.

An age estimation method using brain local features for T1-weighted images.

Science.gov (United States)

Kondo, Chihiro; Ito, Koichi; Kai Wu; Sato, Kazunori; Taki, Yasuyuki; Fukuda, Hiroshi; Aoki, Takafumi

2015-08-01

Previous statistical analysis studies using large-scale brain magnetic resonance (MR) image databases have examined that brain tissues have age-related morphological changes. This fact indicates that one can estimate the age of a subject from his/her brain MR image by evaluating morphological changes with healthy aging. This paper proposes an age estimation method using local features extracted from T1-weighted MR images. The brain local features are defined by volumes of brain tissues parcellated into local regions defined by the automated anatomical labeling atlas. The proposed method selects optimal local regions to improve the performance of age estimation. We evaluate performance of the proposed method using 1,146 T1-weighted images from a Japanese MR image database. We also discuss the medical implication of selected optimal local regions.

An age-related deficit in spatial-feature reference memory in homing pigeons (Columba livia).

Science.gov (United States)

Coppola, Vincent J; Flaim, Mary E; Carney, Samantha N; Bingman, Verner P

2015-03-01

Age-related memory decline in mammals has been well documented. By contrast, very little is known about memory decline in birds as they age. In the current study we trained younger and older homing pigeons on a reference memory task in which a goal location could be encoded by spatial and feature cues. Consistent with a previous working memory study, the results revealed impaired acquisition of combined spatial-feature reference memory in older compared to younger pigeons. Following memory acquisition, we used cue-conflict probe trials to provide an initial assessment of possible age-related differences in cue preference. Both younger and older pigeons displayed a similarly modest preference for feature over spatial cues. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hippocampal sclerosis in advanced age: clinical and pathological features

Science.gov (United States)

Schmitt, Frederick A.; Lin, Yushun; Abner, Erin L.; Jicha, Gregory A.; Patel, Ela; Thomason, Paula C.; Neltner, Janna H.; Smith, Charles D.; Santacruz, Karen S.; Sonnen, Joshua A.; Poon, Leonard W.; Gearing, Marla; Green, Robert C.; Woodard, John L.; Van Eldik, Linda J.; Kryscio, Richard J.

2011-01-01

Hippocampal sclerosis is a relatively common neuropathological finding (∼10% of individuals over the age of 85 years) characterized by cell loss and gliosis in the hippocampus that is not explained by Alzheimer’s disease. Hippocampal sclerosis pathology can be associated with different underlying causes, and we refer to hippocampal sclerosis in the aged brain as hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing. Much remains unknown about hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing. We combined three different large autopsy cohorts: University of Kentucky Alzheimer’s Disease Centre, the Nun Study and the Georgia Centenarian Study to obtain a pool of 1110 patients, all of whom were evaluated neuropathologically at the University of Kentucky. We focused on the subset of cases with neuropathology-confirmed hippocampal sclerosis (n = 106). For individuals aged ≥95 years at death (n = 179 in our sample), each year of life beyond the age of 95 years correlated with increased prevalence of hippocampal sclerosis pathology and decreased prevalence of ‘definite’ Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Aberrant TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry was seen in 89.9% of hippocampal sclerosis positive patients compared with 9.7% of hippocampal sclerosis negative patients. TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry can be used to demonstrate that the disease is usually bilateral even when hippocampal sclerosis pathology is not obvious by haematoxylin and eosin stains. TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry was negative on brain sections from younger individuals (n = 10) after hippocampectomy due to seizures, who had pathologically confirmed hippocampal sclerosis. There was no association between cases with hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing and apolipoprotein E genotype. Age of death and clinical features of hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing (with or without aberrant TAR DNA protein 43) were distinct from previously published cases of frontotemporal lobar

GENDER AND AGE FEATURES OF GLAUCOMA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O. V. Makarenk

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Today, the definition “glaucoma” combines a number of eye pathologies that lead to irreversible blindness, and therefore is difficult disabling disease. Glaucoma occurs in people of working age, so this problem is not only medical, but also social, because it causes disability in substantial economic costs not only for individual patients, but also for the whole country – patients become unable to work. Gender features of glaucoma are also contradictory. In European literature the basic idea is that men are more likely to suffer from glaucoma than women. Such studies have not been conducted in the Podillya region of Ukraine, that makes impossible to design a reliable global data to estimate the prevalence of glaucoma in different age groups for persons living in Vinnitsa region. Therefore, the aim of the study was a retrospective analysis of medical records of patients in Eye Microsurgery Department of Vinnitsa Regional Clinical Hospital for the period 2008-2012 years for determining the gender and age characteristics. Materials and methods 1418 patients with primary open-angle glaucoma (841 men and 577 women aged 14 to 92 years (mean age 67,12 ± 7,64, which were treated in the Eye Microsurgery Department, took part in the study. For the purpose of the study they were divided into two groups: I – male patients with glaucoma, II – female patients with glaucoma. Each group was divided into 7 subgroups according to the ontogenesis scheme: A – teens, B – youth, C – I adulthood age, D – II adulthood age, E – elderly age, F – senily age and G – centenarians. Thus was allocated 12 research groups. Results The structure of the incidence of glaucoma is 59.31% in men and 40.69% in women. Incidence of glaucoma is highest in the IE group and is 34.98%. The group IIE incidence is lower – 35.32%. In the group D the incidence of glaucoma among men and women was very different (13.89% and 2.89%, respectively. It should also be noted

Hippocampal sclerosis in advanced age: clinical and pathological features.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, Peter T; Schmitt, Frederick A; Lin, Yushun; Abner, Erin L; Jicha, Gregory A; Patel, Ela; Thomason, Paula C; Neltner, Janna H; Smith, Charles D; Santacruz, Karen S; Sonnen, Joshua A; Poon, Leonard W; Gearing, Marla; Green, Robert C; Woodard, John L; Van Eldik, Linda J; Kryscio, Richard J

2011-05-01

Hippocampal sclerosis is a relatively common neuropathological finding (∼10% of individuals over the age of 85 years) characterized by cell loss and gliosis in the hippocampus that is not explained by Alzheimer's disease. Hippocampal sclerosis pathology can be associated with different underlying causes, and we refer to hippocampal sclerosis in the aged brain as hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing. Much remains unknown about hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing. We combined three different large autopsy cohorts: University of Kentucky Alzheimer's Disease Centre, the Nun Study and the Georgia Centenarian Study to obtain a pool of 1110 patients, all of whom were evaluated neuropathologically at the University of Kentucky. We focused on the subset of cases with neuropathology-confirmed hippocampal sclerosis (n=106). For individuals aged≥95 years at death (n=179 in our sample), each year of life beyond the age of 95 years correlated with increased prevalence of hippocampal sclerosis pathology and decreased prevalence of 'definite' Alzheimer's disease pathology. Aberrant TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry was seen in 89.9% of hippocampal sclerosis positive patients compared with 9.7% of hippocampal sclerosis negative patients. TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry can be used to demonstrate that the disease is usually bilateral even when hippocampal sclerosis pathology is not obvious by haematoxylin and eosin stains. TAR DNA protein 43 immunohistochemistry was negative on brain sections from younger individuals (n=10) after hippocampectomy due to seizures, who had pathologically confirmed hippocampal sclerosis. There was no association between cases with hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing and apolipoprotein E genotype. Age of death and clinical features of hippocampal sclerosis associated with ageing (with or without aberrant TAR DNA protein 43) were distinct from previously published cases of frontotemporal lobar degeneration TAR

Gender and age features of the self-concept of a pensioner

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalia Yu. Marchuk

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Currently the Ministry of Finance is working on the issue of gradual increase of the retirement age, while various specialists are actively discussing the pros and cons of this potential change. The issue of determining the characteristics of the labour force participation of elder people and their participation in society is complex and multifaceted. A retired person’s capability for activity, willingness to get enrolled in society vary considerably depending on health, psychological well-being, self-attitude. The paper examines one’s self-concept as a generalized set of ideas about their own physical, psychological, social features As a central component of identity and self-regulation of the retired citizens. The results of the study presented in the paper reveal the retirement age as a period of human ontogenesis, during which their self-concept is undergoing a number of changes. Based on the theoretical analysis and empirical research, the following periods of the individual development at the retirement age is proposed: early retirement, mid retirement, late retirement. Each of the periods is described taking into account age peculiarities of self-awareness and the self-concept. The paper shows the crisis nature of the self-concept development in people of the retirement age. It also highlights normative age-graded crises: the retirement crisis, the crisis of self-sufficiency, the crisis of integrity. The paper also highlights gender-specific features of the self-concept in retired citizens. The study was conducted using a sample of 120 unemployed pensioners from the cities Yekaterinburg and Sverdlovsk Oblast (Sverdlovsk region, Russia. To study the features of the self-concept of the retired citizens the following methods were used: «Who am I?» (M. Kun for studying the content of the self-concept, the self-relation test (V. V. Stolin, S. R. Pantileev for analysinge self-attitude of the retired citizens, the technique of personal

License Application Design Selection Feature Report: Aging and Blending

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Coltoni, B.; Anderson, M.J.

1999-01-01

The purpose of this document is to evaluate the concepts of Aging and Blending for waste sent to the Monitored Geologic Repository (MGR). These design features are based on pre-emplacement treatment of the waste stream. The envelope of the analysis has been performed under the direction of the License Application Design Selection Team (LADST), which advocated utilizing the Viability Assessment (VA) repository design (DOE 1998c) as the basis. Therefore, this evaluation attempts to modify the VA design only to the extent that Aging and Blending can be accomplished. This modified VA design will be contrasted to the VA Design and the difference in design, costs, and performance will be presented

Thermal aging of some decommissioned reactor components and methodology for life prediction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chung, H.M.

1989-03-01

Since a realistic aging of cast stainless steel components for end-of-life or life-extension conditions cannot be produced, it is customary to simulate the thermal aging embrittlement by accelerated aging at ∼400 degree C. In this investigation, field components obtained from decommissioned reactors have been examined after service up to 22 yr to provide a benchmark of the laboratory simulation. The primary and secondary aging processes were found to be identical to those of the laboratory-aged specimens, and the kinetic characteristics were also similar. The extent of the aging embrittlement processes and other key factors that are known to influence the embrittlement kinetics have been compared for the decommissioned reactor components and materials aged under accelerated conditions. On the basis of the study, a mechanistic understanding of the causes of the complex behavior in kinetics and activation energy of aging (i.e., the temperature dependence of aging embrittlement between the accelerated and reactor-operating conditions) is presented. A mechanistic correlation developed thereon is compared with a number of available empirical correlations to provide an insight for development of a better methodology of life prediction of the reactor components. 18 refs., 18 figs., 5 tabs

Clinicopathological features of patients with breast cancer aged 70 years or over.

Science.gov (United States)

Aytekin, Aydin; Karatas, Fatih; Sahin, Suleyman; Erdem, Gokmen U; Altundag, Kadri

2017-01-01

The risk of breast cancer (BC) increases in parallel with increasing age. Despite the increased disease burden in elderly patients, there is still a great uncertainty regarding "how to manage" BC in aging-population. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinicopathological features and treatment approaches of patients with BC aged 70 years or over. The medical records of 4413 patients with BC followed between 1994-2015 were retrospectively analyzed. Of the 4413 patients, 238 with stage I to III disease aged 70 years or over at BC diagnosis were enrolled into this study. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to the age as group 1 (70-79 years, N=192) and group 2 (80 or over, N=46). Clinicopathological features of patients including tumor histology, grade, estrogen (ER) and progesterone receptor (PgR) status, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) status, tumor size, lymph node involvement (LNI), lymphovascular invasion (LVI), perineural invasion (PNI), clinical stage, type of surgery, treatments and comorbid diseases were evaluated. The median age was 74 for group 1 (range 70-79) and 82 for group 2 (range 80-92). Excluding tumor size and grade, no statictically significant difference was found between the two groups according to histopathological characteristics. Patients in group 2 had more commonly larger T stage (T4), and less frequently presented with grade I tumor (p=0.014 and p=0.044, respectively). Modified radical mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy were more commonly performed in group 1 (p=0.001 and p=0.001, respectively). In contrast, neoadjuvant treatment was more frequently applied in group 2 (p=0.003). There was no difference in disease-free survival (DFS) between the groups (p=0.012), however, median overall survival (OS) was significantly higher in group 1 (p=0.03). Excluding the tumor grade and tumor size, both groups had similar histopathological features. However, patients aged between 70-79 years were likely to

A methodology for texture feature-based quality assessment in nucleus segmentation of histopathology image

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Si Wen

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Context: Image segmentation pipelines often are sensitive to algorithm input parameters. Algorithm parameters optimized for a set of images do not necessarily produce good-quality-segmentation results for other images. Even within an image, some regions may not be well segmented due to a number of factors, including multiple pieces of tissue with distinct characteristics, differences in staining of the tissue, normal versus tumor regions, and tumor heterogeneity. Evaluation of quality of segmentation results is an important step in image analysis. It is very labor intensive to do quality assessment manually with large image datasets because a whole-slide tissue image may have hundreds of thousands of nuclei. Semi-automatic mechanisms are needed to assist researchers and application developers to detect image regions with bad segmentations efficiently. Aims: Our goal is to develop and evaluate a machine-learning-based semi-automated workflow to assess quality of nucleus segmentation results in a large set of whole-slide tissue images. Methods: We propose a quality control methodology, in which machine-learning algorithms are trained with image intensity and texture features to produce a classification model. This model is applied to image patches in a whole-slide tissue image to predict the quality of nucleus segmentation in each patch. The training step of our methodology involves the selection and labeling of regions by a pathologist in a set of images to create the training dataset. The image regions are partitioned into patches. A set of intensity and texture features is computed for each patch. A classifier is trained with the features and the labels assigned by the pathologist. At the end of this process, a classification model is generated. The classification step applies the classification model to unlabeled test images. Each test image is partitioned into patches. The classification model is applied to each patch to predict the patch

Maternal employment and Mexican school-age children overweight in 2012: the importance of households features.

Science.gov (United States)

Espinosa, Alejandro Martínez

2018-01-01

International evidence regarding the relationship between maternal employment and school-age children overweight and obesity shows divergent results. In Mexico, this relationship has not been confirmed by national data sets analysis. Consequently, the objective of this article was to evaluate the role of the mothers' participation in labor force related to excess body weight in Mexican school-age children (aged 5-11 years). A cross-sectional study was conducted on a sample of 17,418 individuals from the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2012, applying binomial logistic regression models. After controlling for individual, maternal and contextual features, the mothers' participation in labor force was associated with children body composition. However, when the household features (living arrangements, household ethnicity, size, food security and socioeconomic status) were incorporated, maternal employment was no longer statically significant. Household features are crucial factors for understanding the overweight and obesity prevalence levels in Mexican school-age children, despite the mother having a paid job. Copyright: © 2018 Permanyer.

Feature-selective attention in healthy old age: a selective decline in selective attention?

Science.gov (United States)

Quigley, Cliodhna; Müller, Matthias M

2014-02-12

Deficient selection against irrelevant information has been proposed to underlie age-related cognitive decline. We recently reported evidence for maintained early sensory selection when older and younger adults used spatial selective attention to perform a challenging task. Here we explored age-related differences when spatial selection is not possible and feature-selective attention must be deployed. We additionally compared the integrity of feedforward processing by exploiting the well established phenomenon of suppression of visual cortical responses attributable to interstimulus competition. Electroencephalogram was measured while older and younger human adults responded to brief occurrences of coherent motion in an attended stimulus composed of randomly moving, orientation-defined, flickering bars. Attention was directed to horizontal or vertical bars by a pretrial cue, after which two orthogonally oriented, overlapping stimuli or a single stimulus were presented. Horizontal and vertical bars flickered at different frequencies and thereby elicited separable steady-state visual-evoked potentials, which were used to examine the effect of feature-based selection and the competitive influence of a second stimulus on ongoing visual processing. Age differences were found in feature-selective attentional modulation of visual responses: older adults did not show consistent modulation of magnitude or phase. In contrast, the suppressive effect of a second stimulus was robust and comparable in magnitude across age groups, suggesting that bottom-up processing of the current stimuli is essentially unchanged in healthy old age. Thus, it seems that visual processing per se is unchanged, but top-down attentional control is compromised in older adults when space cannot be used to guide selection.

Effect of sex, age, and breed on genetic recombination features in cattle

Science.gov (United States)

Meiotic recombination is a fundamental biological process which generates genetic diversity, affects fertility, and influences evolvability. Here we investigate the roles of sex, age, and breed in cattle recombination features, including recombination rate, location and crossover interference. Usin...

What vehicle features are considered important when buying an automobile? An examination of driver preferences by age and gender.

Science.gov (United States)

Vrkljan, Brenda H; Anaby, Dana

2011-02-01

Certain vehicle features can help drivers avoid collisions and/or protect occupants in the event of a crash, and therefore, might play an important role when deciding which vehicle to purchase. The objective of this study was to examine the importance attributed to key vehicle features (including safety) that drivers consider when buying a car and its association with age and gender. A sample of 2,002 Canadian drivers aged 18 years and older completed a survey that asked them to rank the importance of eight vehicle features if they were to purchase a vehicle (storage, mileage, safety, price, comfort, performance, design, and reliability). ANOVA tests were performed to: (a) determine if there were differences in the level of importance between features and; (b) examine the effect of age and gender on the importance attributed to these features. Of the features examined, safety and reliability were the most highly rated in terms of importance, whereas design and performance had the lowest rating. Differences in safety and performance across age groups were dependent on gender. This effect was most evident in the youngest and oldest age groups. Safety and reliability were considered the most important features. Age and gender play a significant role in explaining the importance of certain features. Targeted efforts for translating safety-related information to the youngest and oldest consumers should be emphasized due to their high collision, injury, and fatality rates. Copyright © 2011 National Safety Council and Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Influence of tritium aging on kinetics feature of LaNi4.9Al0.1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xiong Yifu; Luo Deli; Li Rong

2001-01-01

Kinetics parameters were measured at different aging time on LaNi 4.9 Al 0.1 alloy. The influence of tritium aging on kinetics feature of LaNi 4.9 Al 0.1 alloy was assessed. The results show that tritium aging does not change deuterating-dedeuterating reaction order. Reaction rate decrease with aging time. Activation energy (E) increases with aging time

EEG features of absence seizures in idiopathic generalized epilepsy: Impact of syndrome, age, and state

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sadleir, L.G.; Scheffer, I.E.; Smith, S.

2009-01-01

Purpose: Factors influencing the electroencephalography (EEG) features of absence seizures in newly presenting children with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) have not been rigorously studied. We examined how specific factors such as state, provocation, age, and epilepsy syndrome affect the EEG...... features of absence seizures. Methods: Children with untreated absence seizures were studied using video-EEG recording. The influence of state of arousal, provocation (hyperventilation, photic stimulation), age, and epilepsy syndrome on specific EEG features was analyzed. Results: Five hundred nine...... seizures were evaluated in 70 children with the following syndromes: childhood absence epilepsy (CAE) 37, CAE+ photoparoxysmal response (PPR) 10, juvenile absence epilepsy (JAE) 8, juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) 6, and unclassified 9. Polyspikes occurred in all syndromes but were more common in JME...

Application of the RES methodology for identifying features, events and processes (FEPs) for near-field analysis of copper-steel canister

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vieno, T.; Hautojaervi, A.; Raiko, H.; Ahonen, L.; Salo, J.P.

1994-12-01

Rock Engineering Systems (RES) is an approach to discover the important characteristics and interactions of a complex problem. Recently RES has been applied to identify features, events and processes (FEPs) for performance analysis of nuclear waste repositories. The RES methodology was applied to identify FEPs for the near-field analysis of the copper-steel canister for spent fuel disposal. The aims of the exercise were to learn and test the RES methodology and, secondly, to find out how much the results differ when RES is applied by two different groups on the same problem. A similar exercise was previously carried out by a SKB group. A total of 90 potentially significant FEPs were identified. The exercise showed that the RES methodology is a practicable tool to get a comprehensive and transparent picture of a complex problem. The approach is easy to learn and use. It reveals the important characteristics and interactions and organizes them in a format easy to understand. (9 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.)

Methodology on ageing management review for main components of a PWR NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dou Yikang; He Yinbiao; Xu Xuelian; Zhang Ming; Liang Xingyun

2005-01-01

According to the requirements of NNSA, for Chinese operational NPPs periodical safety review (PSR) should be carried out every 10 years. Ageing management is one of the important safety factors to be reviewed. Entrusted by Qinshan Nuclear Power Plant (QNPP), Shanghai Nuclear Engineering Research and Design Institute (SNERDI) carried out the ageing management review (AMR), as a part of the first PSR of QNPP, from 2001 to 2003. This paper summarizes the methodology of the AMR process, including screening of critical components and structures, identification of main ageing mechanisms and their indicators and the tabulated review process, etc. 15 components and structures, hereafter referred as equipment, were selected as review objects based on their significance of safety, replaceability and cost-benefit considerations. To these objects, the main ageing mechanisms and relevant ageing indicators were identified according to specific working and environmental condition, design and manufacture information, operation and maintenance history, etc. The review can be divided into two parallel parts, the review for specific equipment and the review for overall management procedures and their implementation. To typical components, such as RPV and SG, fatigue analysis based on operational transient accounting was carried out to observe the actual safety margins. Through the review, the weaknesses in ageing management and potential threats to structural integrity were identified and thus continued improvement can be made in the next period of 10 years. (authors)

Prediction of troponin-T degradation using color image texture features in 10d aged beef longissimus steaks.

Science.gov (United States)

Sun, X; Chen, K J; Berg, E P; Newman, D J; Schwartz, C A; Keller, W L; Maddock Carlin, K R

2014-02-01

The objective was to use digital color image texture features to predict troponin-T degradation in beef. Image texture features, including 88 gray level co-occurrence texture features, 81 two-dimension fast Fourier transformation texture features, and 48 Gabor wavelet filter texture features, were extracted from color images of beef strip steaks (longissimus dorsi, n = 102) aged for 10d obtained using a digital camera and additional lighting. Steaks were designated degraded or not-degraded based on troponin-T degradation determined on d 3 and d 10 postmortem by immunoblotting. Statistical analysis (STEPWISE regression model) and artificial neural network (support vector machine model, SVM) methods were designed to classify protein degradation. The d 3 and d 10 STEPWISE models were 94% and 86% accurate, respectively, while the d 3 and d 10 SVM models were 63% and 71%, respectively, in predicting protein degradation in aged meat. STEPWISE and SVM models based on image texture features show potential to predict troponin-T degradation in meat. © 2013.

Ageing and feature binding in visual working memory: The role of presentation time.

Science.gov (United States)

Rhodes, Stephen; Parra, Mario A; Logie, Robert H

2016-01-01

A large body of research has clearly demonstrated that healthy ageing is accompanied by an associative memory deficit. Older adults exhibit disproportionately poor performance on memory tasks requiring the retention of associations between items (e.g., pairs of unrelated words). In contrast to this robust deficit, older adults' ability to form and temporarily hold bound representations of an object's surface features, such as colour and shape, appears to be relatively well preserved. However, the findings of one set of experiments suggest that older adults may struggle to form temporary bound representations in visual working memory when given more time to study objects. However, these findings were based on between-participant comparisons across experimental paradigms. The present study directly assesses the role of presentation time in the ability of younger and older adults to bind shape and colour in visual working memory using a within-participant design. We report new evidence that giving older adults longer to study memory objects does not differentially affect their immediate memory for feature combinations relative to individual features. This is in line with a growing body of research suggesting that there is no age-related impairment in immediate memory for colour-shape binding.

Scenario development methodologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eng, T.; Hudson, J.; Stephansson, O.

1994-11-01

In the period 1981-1994, SKB has studied several methodologies to systematize and visualize all the features, events and processes (FEPs) that can influence a repository for radioactive waste in the future. All the work performed is based on the terminology and basic findings in the joint SKI/SKB work on scenario development presented in the SKB Technical Report 89-35. The methodologies studied are a) Event tree analysis, b) Influence diagrams and c) Rock Engineering Systems (RES) matrices. Each one of the methodologies is explained in this report as well as examples of applications. One chapter is devoted to a comparison between the two most promising methodologies, namely: Influence diagrams and the RES methodology. In conclusion a combination of parts of the Influence diagram and the RES methodology is likely to be a promising approach. 26 refs

Relationships between abstract features and methodological quality explained variations of social media activity derived from systematic reviews about psoriasis interventions.

Science.gov (United States)

Ruano, J; Aguilar-Luque, M; Isla-Tejera, B; Alcalde-Mellado, P; Gay-Mimbrera, J; Hernandez-Romero, José Luis; Sanz-Cabanillas, J L; Maestre-López, B; González-Padilla, M; Carmona-Fernández, P J; Gómez-García, F; García-Nieto, A Vélez

2018-05-24

The aim of this study was to describe the relationship among abstract structure, readability, and completeness, and how these features may influence social media activity and bibliometric results, considering systematic reviews (SRs) about interventions in psoriasis classified by methodological quality. Systematic literature searches about psoriasis interventions were undertaken on relevant databases. For each review, methodological quality was evaluated using the Assessing the Methodological Quality of Systematic Reviews (AMSTAR) tool. Abstract extension, structure, readability, and quality and completeness of reporting were analyzed. Social media activity, which consider Twitter and Facebook mention counts, as well as Mendeley readers and Google scholar citations were obtained for each article. Analyses were conducted to describe any potential influence of abstract characteristics on review's social media diffusion. We classified 139 intervention SRs as displaying high/moderate/low methodological quality. We observed that abstract readability of SRs has been maintained high for last 20 years, although there are some differences based on their methodological quality. Free-format abstracts were most sensitive to the increase of text readability as compared with more structured abstracts (IMRAD or 8-headings), yielding opposite effects on their quality and completeness depending on the methodological quality: a worsening in low quality reviews and an improvement in those of high-quality. Both readability indices and PRISMA for Abstract total scores showed an inverse relationship with social media activity and bibliometric results in high methodological quality reviews but not in those of lower quality. Our results suggest that increasing abstract readability must be specially considered when writing free-format summaries of high-quality reviews, because this fact correlates with an improvement of their completeness and quality, and this may help to achieve broader

Estimating dose rates to organs as a function of age following internal exposure to radionuclides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leggett, R.W.; Eckerman, K.F.; Dunning, D.E. Jr.; Cristy, M.; Crawford-Brown, D.J.; Williams, L.R.

1984-03-01

The AGEDOS methodology allows estimates of dose rates, as a function of age, to radiosensitive organs and tissues in the human body at arbitrary times during or after internal exposure to radioactive material. Presently there are few, if any, radionuclides for which sufficient metabolic information is available to allow full use of all features of the methodology. The intention has been to construct the methodology so that optimal information can be gained from a mixture of the limited amount of age-dependent, nuclide-specific data and the generally plentiful age-dependent physiological data now available. Moreover, an effort has been made to design the methodology so that constantly accumulating metabolic information can be incorporated with minimal alterations in the AGEDOS computer code. Some preliminary analyses performed by the authors, using the AGEDOS code in conjunction with age-dependent risk factors developed from the A-bomb survivor data and other studies, has indicated that the doses and subsequent risks of eventually experiencing radiogenic cancers may vary substantially with age for some exposure scenarios and may be relatively invariant with age for other scenarios. We believe that the AGEDOS methodology provides a convenient and efficient means for performing the internal dosimetry

Aging linear viscoelasticity of matrix-inclusion composite materials featuring ellipsoidal inclusions

OpenAIRE

LAVERGNE, Francis; SAB, Karam; SANAHUJA, Julien; BORNERT, Michel; TOULEMONDE, Charles

2016-01-01

A multi-scale homogenization scheme is proposed to estimate the time-dependent strains of fiber-reinforced concrete. This material is modeled as an aging linear viscoelastic composite material featuring ellipsoidal inclusions embedded in a viscoelastic cementitious matrix characterized by a time-dependent Poisson's ratio. To this end, the homogenization scheme proposed in Lavergne et al. [1] is adapted to the case of a time-dependent Poisson's ratio and it is successfully validated on a non-a...

Breast cancer features in women under the age of 40 years

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Deise Santiago Girão Eugênio

Full Text Available Summary Objective: To describe the clinical features, imaging findings and pathological aspects of breast cancer diagnosed in women under the age of 40 years. Method: A retrospective, descriptive study was performed through analysis of medical records between November 2008 and August 2012. One hundred and twenty (120 patients were included, of whom 112 underwent mammography, 113 underwent ultrasonography, and 105 underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI. The histopathological data was obtained in most cases from post-surgical analysis, which was available for 113 patients. Results: The mean age at diagnosis of primary breast cancer was 34 years. Only 11 patients (9.0% had a family history of breast or ovarian cancer in first-degree relative. Ninety-two (92 patients sought medical attention after showing breast symptoms, and the presence of a palpable nodule was the main complaint. One hundred and twenty-two (122 primary tumors were diagnosed, of which 112 were invasive (95%. The most common histological type was invasive ductal carcinoma (73.8%. Luminal B was the predominant molecular subtype (42.6%. Ultrasonography was positive in 94.5% of the cases and the most common finding were nodules (94.8%. At mammography, the malignancy was observed in 92.8% and the presence of suggestive calcifications was the dominant feature. The MRI was positive in 98% of patients, and mass lesions were the most common. Conclusion: Most cases of breast cancer diagnosed in patients under the age of 40 years, in our population, had symptoms at diagnosis and tumor with more aggressive biological behavior. Despite the ultrasound has been the most widely used method, we found improved characterization of breast lesions when also used mammography and MRI.

Feature Detection, Characterization and Confirmation Methodology: Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Karasaki, Kenzi; Apps, John; Doughty, Christine; Gwatney, Hope; Onishi, Celia Tiemi; Trautz, Robert; Tsang, Chin-Fu

2007-03-01

This is the final report of the NUMO-LBNL collaborative project: Feature Detection, Characterization and Confirmation Methodology under NUMO-DOE/LBNL collaboration agreement, the task description of which can be found in the Appendix. We examine site characterization projects from several sites in the world. The list includes Yucca Mountain in the USA, Tono and Horonobe in Japan, AECL in Canada, sites in Sweden, and Olkiluoto in Finland. We identify important geologic features and parameters common to most (or all) sites to provide useful information for future repository siting activity. At first glance, one could question whether there was any commonality among the sites, which are in different rock types at different locations. For example, the planned Yucca Mountain site is a dry repository in unsaturated tuff, whereas the Swedish sites are situated in saturated granite. However, the study concludes that indeed there are a number of important common features and parameters among all the sites--namely, (1) fault properties, (2) fracture-matrix interaction (3) groundwater flux, (4) boundary conditions, and (5) the permeability and porosity of the materials. We list the lessons learned from the Yucca Mountain Project and other site characterization programs. Most programs have by and large been quite successful. Nonetheless, there are definitely 'should-haves' and 'could-haves', or lessons to be learned, in all these programs. Although each site characterization program has some unique aspects, we believe that these crosscutting lessons can be very useful for future site investigations to be conducted in Japan. One of the most common lessons learned is that a repository program should allow for flexibility, in both schedule and approach. We examine field investigation technologies used to collect site characterization data in the field. An extensive list of existing field technologies is presented, with some discussion on usage and limitations

Feature Detection, Characterization and Confirmation Methodology: Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Karasaki, Kenzi; Apps, John; Doughty, Christine; Gwatney, Hope; Onishi, Celia Tiemi; Trautz, Robert; Tsang, Chin-Fu

2007-01-01

This is the final report of the NUMO-LBNL collaborative project: Feature Detection, Characterization and Confirmation Methodology under NUMO-DOE/LBNL collaboration agreement, the task description of which can be found in the Appendix. We examine site characterization projects from several sites in the world. The list includes Yucca Mountain in the USA, Tono and Horonobe in Japan, AECL in Canada, sites in Sweden, and Olkiluoto in Finland. We identify important geologic features and parameters common to most (or all) sites to provide useful information for future repository siting activity. At first glance, one could question whether there was any commonality among the sites, which are in different rock types at different locations. For example, the planned Yucca Mountain site is a dry repository in unsaturated tuff, whereas the Swedish sites are situated in saturated granite. However, the study concludes that indeed there are a number of important common features and parameters among all the sites--namely, (1) fault properties, (2) fracture-matrix interaction (3) groundwater flux, (4) boundary conditions, and (5) the permeability and porosity of the materials. We list the lessons learned from the Yucca Mountain Project and other site characterization programs. Most programs have by and large been quite successful. Nonetheless, there are definitely 'should-haves' and 'could-haves', or lessons to be learned, in all these programs. Although each site characterization program has some unique aspects, we believe that these crosscutting lessons can be very useful for future site investigations to be conducted in Japan. One of the most common lessons learned is that a repository program should allow for flexibility, in both schedule and approach. We examine field investigation technologies used to collect site characterization data in the field. An extensive list of existing field technologies is presented, with some discussion on usage and limitations. Many of the

Age-related changes of adaptive and neuropsychological features in persons with Down Syndrome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alessandro Ghezzo

Full Text Available Down Syndrome (DS is characterised by premature aging and an accelerated decline of cognitive functions in the vast majority of cases. As the life expectancy of DS persons is rapidly increasing, this decline is becoming a dramatic health problem. The aim of this study was to thoroughly evaluate a group of 67 non-demented persons with DS of different ages (11 to 66 years, from a neuropsychological, neuropsychiatric and psychomotor point of view in order to evaluate in a cross-sectional study the age-related adaptive and neuropsychological features, and to possibly identify early signs predictive of cognitive decline. The main finding of this study is that both neuropsychological functions and adaptive skills are lower in adult DS persons over 40 years old, compared to younger ones. In particular, language and short memory skills, frontal lobe functions, visuo-spatial abilities and adaptive behaviour appear to be the more affected domains. A growing deficit in verbal comprehension, along with social isolation, loss of interest and greater fatigue in daily tasks, are the main features found in older, non demented DS persons evaluated in our study. It is proposed that these signs can be alarm bells for incipient dementia, and that neuro-cognitive rehabilitation and psycho-pharmacological interventions must start as soon as the fourth decade (or even earlier in DS persons, i.e. at an age where interventions can have the greatest efficacy.

Home and Health in the Third Age — Methodological Background and Descriptive Findings

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maya Kylén

2014-07-01

Full Text Available Background: The understanding of the complex relationship between the home environment, well-being and daily functioning in the third age is currently weak. The aim of this paper is to present the methodological background of the Home and Health in the Third Age Study, and describe a sample of men and women in relation to their home and health situation. Methods and Design: The study sample included 371 people aged 67–70, living in ordinary housing in the south of Sweden. Structured interviews and observations were conducted to collect data about objective and perceived aspects of home and health. Results: The majority of the participants were in good health and had few functional limitations. Women had more functional limitations and reported more symptoms than men. Environmental barriers were found in every home investigated; the most were found in the kitchen and hygiene area. Environmental barriers were more common in multi-family than in one-family dwellings. Discussion: This study will increase our knowledge on home and health dynamics among people in the third age. The results have potential to contribute to societal planning related to housing provision, home care and social services for senior citizens.

Home and Health in the Third Age — Methodological Background and Descriptive Findings

Science.gov (United States)

Kylén, Maya; Ekström, Henrik; Haak, Maria; Elmståhl, Sölve; Iwarsson, Susanne

2014-01-01

Background: The understanding of the complex relationship between the home environment, well-being and daily functioning in the third age is currently weak. The aim of this paper is to present the methodological background of the Home and Health in the Third Age Study, and describe a sample of men and women in relation to their home and health situation. Methods and Design: The study sample included 371 people aged 67–70, living in ordinary housing in the south of Sweden. Structured interviews and observations were conducted to collect data about objective and perceived aspects of home and health. Results: The majority of the participants were in good health and had few functional limitations. Women had more functional limitations and reported more symptoms than men. Environmental barriers were found in every home investigated; the most were found in the kitchen and hygiene area. Environmental barriers were more common in multi-family than in one-family dwellings. Discussion: This study will increase our knowledge on home and health dynamics among people in the third age. The results have potential to contribute to societal planning related to housing provision, home care and social services for senior citizens. PMID:25019267

A reverse engineering methodology for nickel alloy turbine blades with internal features

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gameros, A.; De Chiffre, Leonardo; Siller, H.R.

2015-01-01

The scope of this work is to present a reverse engineering (RE) methodology for freeform surfaces, based on a case study of a turbine blade made of Inconel, including the reconstruction of its internal cooling system. The methodology uses an optical scanner and X-ray computed tomography (CT......) equipment. Traceability of the measurements was obtained through the use of a Modular Freeform Gage (MFG). An uncertainty budget is presented for both measuring technologies and results show that the RE methodology presented is promising when comparing uncertainty values against common industrial tolerances....

National All-Age Career Guidance Services: Evidence and Issues

Science.gov (United States)

Watts, A. G.

2010-01-01

The three major national all-age career guidance services--in New Zealand, Scotland and Wales--have been reviewed using an adaptation of the methodology adopted in the OECD Career Guidance Policy Review. The main features of the three services are summarised, and some key differences and distinctive strengths are outlined. The alternative approach…

A methodology for developing distributed programs

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ramesh, S.; Mehndiratta, S.L.

1987-01-01

A methodology, different from the existing ones, for constructing distributed programs is presented. It is based on the well-known idea of developing distributed programs via synchronous and centralized programs. The distinguishing features of the methodology are: 1) specification include process

[Age-related features of neuromuscular function in rats with hyperthyroidism].

Science.gov (United States)

Nerush, P O; Makiĭ, Ie A; Rodyns'kyĭ, O H

2001-01-01

Studied features of functioning of nervous-muscular system at white rats of two age groups: preadolescent (5 weeks) and puberal (24 weeks), in conditions experimental hyperthyroidism (HT). It is established, that in conditions HT at action of the raised concentration thyroxine characteristics of excitation gastrocnemius muscles essentially changed at irritation of a sciatic nerve in groups preadolescent and puberal animals. In all age groups in conditions HT increase of a threshold of excitation gastrocnemius muscles is marked at indirect stimulation and decrease at direct stimulation; also in all age groups in conditions HT reduction of time chronaxy muscles is fixed, both at direct, and at indirect irritation. At preadolescent animals, as against puberal in conditions HT at action of the raised concentration thyroxine on nervous-muscular system it is not revealed authentic change of the latent period and amplitude of potential of action (PA). The conclusion is made, that in conditions HT change of a threshold of excitation and chronaxy gastrocnemius muscles both at direct, and at indirect irritation do not carry age specificity and have an identical orientation, both at preadolescent, and at puberal rats. At preadolescent animals in conditions HT, as against puberal the parameter of amplitude and latent period PA authentically did not change, that can testify to smaller sensitivity of the caused answers gastrocnemius muscles to the raised concentration thyroxine, probably, by virtue of immaturity peripheral neuromotor the device.

Features of high-speed and strength qualities development in young biathlonists aged 14–15 in the preparatory period

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Artem Burla

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: to substantiate a methodology of high-speed and strength qualities development of young biathlonists aged 14–15 during the preparatory period. Material and Methods: young biathlonists aged 14–15 from control and experimental groups took part in the research. There were 12 athletes in each group. Pedagogical methods and methods of mathematical statistics were used in the work. Pedagogical methods of researches were used for level definition of high-speed and strength qualities development of young biathlonists. Results: reliable increase of motive qualities and polydynamometry results testing of young biathlonists from the experimental group due to implementation of the experimental methodology in the preparatory period is established. Conclusions: application of the developed complexes in the preparatory period in the experimental group of young biathlonists aged 14–15 allows to raise indices of motive qualities and polydynamometry testing statistically significantly.

SU-D-204-01: A Methodology Based On Machine Learning and Quantum Clustering to Predict Lung SBRT Dosimetric Endpoints From Patient Specific Anatomic Features

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lafata, K; Ren, L; Wu, Q; Kelsey, C; Hong, J; Cai, J; Yin, F [Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To develop a data-mining methodology based on quantum clustering and machine learning to predict expected dosimetric endpoints for lung SBRT applications based on patient-specific anatomic features. Methods: Ninety-three patients who received lung SBRT at our clinic from 2011–2013 were retrospectively identified. Planning information was acquired for each patient, from which various features were extracted using in-house semi-automatic software. Anatomic features included tumor-to-OAR distances, tumor location, total-lung-volume, GTV and ITV. Dosimetric endpoints were adopted from RTOG-0195 recommendations, and consisted of various OAR-specific partial-volume doses and maximum point-doses. First, PCA analysis and unsupervised quantum-clustering was used to explore the feature-space to identify potentially strong classifiers. Secondly, a multi-class logistic regression algorithm was developed and trained to predict dose-volume endpoints based on patient-specific anatomic features. Classes were defined by discretizing the dose-volume data, and the feature-space was zero-mean normalized. Fitting parameters were determined by minimizing a regularized cost function, and optimization was performed via gradient descent. As a pilot study, the model was tested on two esophageal dosimetric planning endpoints (maximum point-dose, dose-to-5cc), and its generalizability was evaluated with leave-one-out cross-validation. Results: Quantum-Clustering demonstrated a strong separation of feature-space at 15Gy across the first-and-second Principle Components of the data when the dosimetric endpoints were retrospectively identified. Maximum point dose prediction to the esophagus demonstrated a cross-validation accuracy of 87%, and the maximum dose to 5cc demonstrated a respective value of 79%. The largest optimized weighting factor was placed on GTV-to-esophagus distance (a factor of 10 greater than the second largest weighting factor), indicating an intuitively strong

Emotion and Aging: Evidence from Brain and Behavior

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natalie eEbner

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Emotions play a central role in every human life from the moment we are born until we die. They prepare the body for action, highlight what should be noticed and remembered, and guide decisions and actions. As emotions are central to daily functioning, it is important to understand how aging affects perception, memory, experience, as well as regulation of emotions. The Frontiers research topic Emotion and Aging: Evidence from Brain and Behavior takes a step into uncovering emotional aging considering both brain and behavioral processes. The contributions featured in this issue adopt innovative theoretical perspectives and use novel methodological approaches to target a variety of topics that can be categorized into three overarching questions: How do cognition and emotion interact in aging in brain and behavior? What are behavioral and brain-related moderators of emotional aging? Does emotion-regulatory success as reflected in brain and behavior change with age? In this perspective paper we discuss theoretical innovation, methodological approach, and scientific advancement of the thirteen papers in the context of the broader literature on emotional aging. We conclude by reflecting on topics untouched and future directions to take.

Methodology for Modeling and Analysis of Business Processes (MMABP

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vaclav Repa

2015-10-01

Full Text Available This paper introduces the methodology for modeling business processes. Creation of the methodology is described in terms of the Design Science Method. Firstly, the gap in contemporary Business Process Modeling approaches is identified and general modeling principles which can fill the gap are discussed. The way which these principles have been implemented in the main features of created methodology is described. Most critical identified points of the business process modeling are process states, process hierarchy and the granularity of process description. The methodology has been evaluated by use in the real project. Using the examples from this project the main methodology features are explained together with the significant problems which have been met during the project. Concluding from these problems together with the results of the methodology evaluation the needed future development of the methodology is outlined.

A Methodology for Modeling Nuclear Power Plant Passive Component Aging in Probabilistic Risk Assessment under the Impact of Operating Conditions, Surveillance and Maintenance Activities

Science.gov (United States)

Guler Yigitoglu, Askin

In the context of long operation of nuclear power plants (NPPs) (i.e., 60-80 years, and beyond), investigation of the aging of passive systems, structures and components (SSCs) is important to assess safety margins and to decide on reactor life extension as indicated within the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program. In the traditional probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methodology, evaluating the potential significance of aging of passive SSCs on plant risk is challenging. Although passive SSC failure rates can be added as initiating event frequencies or basic event failure rates in the traditional event-tree/fault-tree methodology, these failure rates are generally based on generic plant failure data which means that the true state of a specific plant is not reflected in a realistic manner on aging effects. Dynamic PRA methodologies have gained attention recently due to their capability to account for the plant state and thus address the difficulties in the traditional PRA modeling of aging effects of passive components using physics-based models (and also in the modeling of digital instrumentation and control systems). Physics-based models can capture the impact of complex aging processes (e.g., fatigue, stress corrosion cracking, flow-accelerated corrosion, etc.) on SSCs and can be utilized to estimate passive SSC failure rates using realistic NPP data from reactor simulation, as well as considering effects of surveillance and maintenance activities. The objectives of this dissertation are twofold: The development of a methodology for the incorporation of aging modeling of passive SSC into a reactor simulation environment to provide a framework for evaluation of their risk contribution in both the dynamic and traditional PRA; and the demonstration of the methodology through its application to pressurizer surge line pipe weld and steam generator tubes in commercial nuclear power plants. In the proposed methodology, a

Crack Growth-Based Predictive Methodology for the Maintenance of the Structural Integrity of Repaired and Nonrepaired Aging Engine Stationary Components

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Barron, Michael

1999-01-01

.... Specifically, the FAA's goal was to develop "Crack Growth-Based Predictive Methodologies for the Maintenance of the Structural Integrity of Repaired and Nonrepaired Aging Engine Stationary Components...

Features of the Manufacturing Vision Development Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dukovska-Popovska, Iskra; Riis, Jens Ove; Boer, Harry

2005-01-01

of action research. The methodology recommends wide participation of people from different hierarchical and functional positions, who engage in a relatively short, playful and creative process and come up with a vision (concept) for the future manufacturing system in the company. Based on three case studies......This paper discusses the key features of the process of Manufacturing Vision Development, a process that enables companies to develop their future manufacturing concept. The basis for the process is a generic five-phase methodology (Riis and Johansen, 2003) developed as a result of ten years...... of companies going through the initial phases of the methodology, this research identified the key features of the Manufacturing Vision Development process. The paper elaborates the key features by defining them, discussing how and when they can appear, and how they influence the process....

Technical specification optimization program - engineered safety features

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Andre, G.R.; Jansen, R.L.

1986-01-01

The Westinghouse Technical Specification Program (TOP) was designed to evaluate on a quantitative basis revisions to Nuclear Power Plant Technical Specifications. The revisions are directed at simplifying plant operation, and reducing unnecessary transients, shutdowns, and manpower requirements. In conjunction with the Westinghouse Owners Group, Westinghouse initiated a program to develop a methodology to justify Technical Specification revisions; particularly revisions related to testing and maintenance requirements on plant operation for instrumentation systems. The methodology was originally developed and applied to the reactor trip features of the reactor protection system (RPS). The current study further refined the methodology and applied it to the engineered safety features of the RPS

The Mediterranean diet and age-related cognitive functioning: A systematic review of study findings and neuropsychological assessment methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Knight, Alissa; Bryan, Janet; Murphy, Karen

2017-10-01

The primary aims of this review were to identify studies investigating the association between the MedDiet pattern and age-related cognitive function, to determine the current status of knowledge, and to ascertain whether a lack of standardization with the operationalization of age-related cognitive function and differences in the chosen neuropsychological assessment methodology impacted on the results and findings. The systematic review protocol for this paper was carried out following the statement and general principles of PRISMA and the UK Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD). A systematic search of electronic databases yielded two cross-sectional studies, two cross-sectional/prospective studies, and 11 prospective studies for inclusion. Among this group of studies, conflicting results and conclusions regarding the efficacy of the MedDiet as a therapeutic approach for age-related cognitive function were found. Of importance, clear differences among studies in relation to neuropsychological assessment methodology were identified. Such disparity appeared to be one plausible factor contributing to the lack of consensus among study findings. One of the important challenges for future research will be to aim toward some kind of standardized neuropsychological assessment criteria. This type of endeavor will enable the ability to validate with greater confidence, whether or not adherence to a MedDiet does promote benefit for age-related cognitive function.

An object-oriented feature-based design system face-based detection of feature interactions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ariffin Abdul Razak

1999-01-01

This paper presents an object-oriented, feature-based design system which supports the integration of design and manufacture by ensuring that part descriptions fully account for any feature interactions. Manufacturing information is extracted from the feature descriptions in the form of volumes and Tool Access Directions, TADs. When features interact, both volumes and TADs are updated. This methodology has been demonstrated by developing a prototype system in which ACIS attributes are used to record feature information within the data structure of the solid model. The system implemented in the C++ programming language and embedded in a menu-driven X-windows user interface to the ACIS 3D Toolkit. (author)

Efficient Generation and Selection of Combined Features for Improved Classification

KAUST Repository

Shono, Ahmad N.

2014-05-01

This study contributes a methodology and associated toolkit developed to allow users to experiment with the use of combined features in classification problems. Methods are provided for efficiently generating combined features from an original feature set, for efficiently selecting the most discriminating of these generated combined features, and for efficiently performing a preliminary comparison of the classification results when using the original features exclusively against the results when using the selected combined features. The potential benefit of considering combined features in classification problems is demonstrated by applying the developed methodology and toolkit to three sample data sets where the discovery of combined features containing new discriminating information led to improved classification results.

Distinct features of trampoline-related orthopedic injuries in children aged under 6 years.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Eun Seok; Hong, Jin Heon; Sim, Jae Ang

2018-02-01

Concern has been growing about trampoline-related injuries among young children. Several published policy statements have repeatedly recommended that children younger than 6 years should not use trampolines. However, few studies have investigated the injuries caused by trampoline-related accidents among young children. This study aimed to identify the distinct features of trampoline-related orthopedic injuries in children younger than 6 years. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of pediatric patients aged between 0 and 16 years who visited our regional emergency center due to trampoline-related orthopedic injuries between 2012 and 2015. Patients were divided into two groups: a preschool group (younger than 6 years) and a school group (older than 6 years). We compared the features of the injuries in the two groups. Among 208 patients, 108 (52%) were male and 100 (48%) were female. The mean age was 5.4 years. The preschool group accounted for 66%. There were no seasonal variations. Fractures were sustained in 96 patients (46%). The anatomical locations of injuries differed significantly between the two age groups. Proximal tibia fractures were more frequent in the preschool group than the school group (34% and 6%, respectively). Distal tibia fractures were more prevalent in the school group than the preschool group (44% vs. 13%, respectively). Surgical treatment was needed more frequently in the school group (p = 0.035, hazard ratio 2.52, 95% confidence interval: 1.03-6.17). Most of the injuries (82%) occurred at trampoline parks. The anatomical locations of trampoline-related orthopedic injuries differed significantly between age groups. Fractures were more common around the knee in younger children and the ankle in older children. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low levels of serum testosterone in middle-aged men impact pathological features of prostate cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Llukani, Elton; Katz, Benjamin F; Agalliu, Ilir; Lightfoot, Andrew; Yu, Sue-Jean S; Kathrins, Martin; Lee, Ziho; Su, Yu-Kai; Monahan Agnew, Kelly; McGill, Alice; Eun, Daniel D; Lee, David I

2017-03-01

Serum testosterone deficiency increases with aging. Age is also a major risk factor for prostate cancer (PrCa) and PCa tumors are more frequently diagnosed among men >65 years old. We evaluated the relationship between preoperative serum testosterone and clinical/ pathological features of PrCa in middle-aged and elderly patients. A total of 605 PrCa patients who underwent robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy between September 2010 and January 2013 at the University of Pennsylvania, and who had serum testosterone levels measured using Elecsys Testosterone II Immunoassay were included in this IRB-approved protocol. Androgen deficiency was determined as serum free testosterone (FT) men with low vs. normal TT or FT were compared using t-test or chi-square tests. Logistic regression was used to determine associations of clinical and pathological variables with FT or TT levels. Among middle-aged men (45-64 years; n = 367), those with low FT and low TT had, on average, a higher BMI (29.7 vs. 27.4, P men with normal FT and normal TT values. Patients with low FT had also higher number of positive cores on biopsy (3.9 vs. 3.1 P = 0.019) and greater tumor volume (7.9 ml vs. 6.1 ml, P = 0.045) compared to those with normal FT. Among men ≥65 years ( n = 135) there was no difference in prostatectomy specimens of PrCa between patients with low or normal FT or TT. Among men aged 45-64 years low serum pretreatment FT and TT predicted more aggressive features of PrCa in prostatectomy specimens. In middle-aged patients low testosterone levels measured pre-operatively may indicate more aggressive disease parameters.

Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's Disease: Methodology and Baseline Sample Characteristics.

Science.gov (United States)

Byun, Min Soo; Yi, Dahyun; Lee, Jun Ho; Choe, Young Min; Sohn, Bo Kyung; Lee, Jun-Young; Choi, Hyo Jung; Baek, Hyewon; Kim, Yu Kyeong; Lee, Yun-Sang; Sohn, Chul-Ho; Mook-Jung, Inhee; Choi, Murim; Lee, Yu Jin; Lee, Dong Woo; Ryu, Seung-Ho; Kim, Shin Gyeom; Kim, Jee Wook; Woo, Jong Inn; Lee, Dong Young

2017-11-01

The Korean Brain Aging Study for the Early Diagnosis and Prediction of Alzheimer's disease (KBASE) aimed to recruit 650 individuals, aged from 20 to 90 years, to search for new biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and to investigate how multi-faceted lifetime experiences and bodily changes contribute to the brain changes or brain pathologies related to the AD process. All participants received comprehensive clinical and neuropsychological evaluations, multi-modal brain imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance angiography, [ 11 C]Pittsburgh compound B-positron emission tomography (PET), and [ 18 F]fluorodeoxyglucose-PET, blood and genetic marker analyses at baseline, and a subset of participants underwent actigraph monitoring and completed a sleep diary. Participants are to be followed annually with clinical and neuropsychological assessments, and biannually with the full KBASE assessment, including neuroimaging and laboratory tests. As of March 2017, in total, 758 individuals had volunteered for this study. Among them, in total, 591 participants-291 cognitively normal (CN) old-aged individuals, 74 CN young- and middle-aged individuals, 139 individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and 87 individuals with AD dementia (ADD)-were enrolled at baseline, after excluding 162 individuals. A subset of participants (n=275) underwent actigraph monitoring. The KBASE cohort is a prospective, longitudinal cohort study that recruited participants with a wide age range and a wide distribution of cognitive status (CN, MCI, and ADD) and it has several strengths in its design and methodologies. Details of the recruitment, study methodology, and baseline sample characteristics are described in this paper.

Age-related distance esotropia: Clinical features and therapeutic outcomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Gómez de Liaño Sánchez, P; Olavarri González, G; Merino Sanz, P; Escribano Villafruela, J C

2016-12-01

To describe the clinical characteristics and surgical outcomes of a group of patients with age-related distance esotropia (ARDE). A retrospective study was conducted on a consecutive case series of 16 adult patients diagnosed with ARDE between 2008 and 2015. The clinical features evaluated included mean age and gender, primary position deviations at distance and near, measured in prism dioptres (pd), treatment offered in each case, and post-surgical deviations. Ductions and versions were full, with no evidence of lateral rectus paresis. None of these patients had any obvious underlying neurological disorder, such as, high myopia or thyroid disease. A good result is considered to be the disappearance of diplopia in all positions of gaze. A total of 16 patients (11 females [68.8%]) were identified. The mean age at diagnosis was 78.19±6.77 years. The mean initial esodeviation was 2.25±3.08 pd at near (-4 to +8 pd) and 9.5±4.18 pd at distance (2 to 18 pd). Treatment was not necessary in 5 cases because the symptoms were intermittent or well-tolerated. Of the 11 patients with symptoms, one was corrected with an external base therapeutic prism. Botulinum toxin was administered in another patient, without satisfactory results. Unilateral medial rectus muscle recession was performed on one patient, and unilateral lateral rectus plication on 7 patients, indicating prisms before surgery. One patient refused surgery despite continuous diplopia in far vision. After a mean follow-up of 16.5 months, all operated patients were asymptomatic. Not all patients with ARDE require treatment, as the tolerance to diplopia varies from one subject to another. Both medial rectus weakening and lateral rectus strengthening provides excellent results. Crown Copyright © 2016. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Learning Motion Features for Example-Based Finger Motion Estimation for Virtual Characters

Science.gov (United States)

Mousas, Christos; Anagnostopoulos, Christos-Nikolaos

2017-09-01

This paper presents a methodology for estimating the motion of a character's fingers based on the use of motion features provided by a virtual character's hand. In the presented methodology, firstly, the motion data is segmented into discrete phases. Then, a number of motion features are computed for each motion segment of a character's hand. The motion features are pre-processed using restricted Boltzmann machines, and by using the different variations of semantically similar finger gestures in a support vector machine learning mechanism, the optimal weights for each feature assigned to a metric are computed. The advantages of the presented methodology in comparison to previous solutions are the following: First, we automate the computation of optimal weights that are assigned to each motion feature counted in our metric. Second, the presented methodology achieves an increase (about 17%) in correctly estimated finger gestures in comparison to a previous method.

Aging and feature binding in visual working memory: The role of presentation time.

OpenAIRE

Rhodes, Stephen; Parra, Mario; Logie, Robert

2015-01-01

A large body of research has clearly demonstrated that healthy ageing is accompanied by an associative memory deficit. Older adults exhibit disproportionately poor performance on memory tasks requiring the retention of associations between items (e.g. pairs of unrelated words). In contrast to this robust deficit, older adults’ ability to form and temporarily hold bound representations of an object’s surface features, such as colour and shape, appears to be relatively well preserved. However, ...

Key Features of the Manufacturing Vision Development Process

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dukovska-Popovska, Iskra; Riis, Jens Ove; Boer, Harry

2005-01-01

of action research. The methodology recommends wide participation of people from different hierarchical and functional positions, who engage in a relatively short, playful and creative process and come up with a vision (concept) for the future manufacturing system in the company. Based on three case studies......This paper discusses the key features of the process of Manufacturing Vision Development, a process that enables companies to develop their future manufacturing concept. The basis for the process is a generic five-phase methodology (Riis and Johansen 2003) developed as a result of ten years...... of companies going through the initial phases of the methodology, this research identified the key features of the Manufacturing Vision Development process. The paper elaborates the key features by defining them, discussing how and when they can appear, and how they influence the process....

[Acromegaly features in the aging population].

Science.gov (United States)

Anoun, Nadia; El Ouahabi, Hanan

2017-01-01

Somatotroph adenomas are rare in the aging population. Diagnosis of somatotroph adenomas is often long delayed and they are characterized by atypical clinical picture. Their diagnostic criteria are similar to those used for younger patients. Surgery, if possible, is the treatment of choice for acromegaly in the elderly. Somatostatin analogues have shown to be effective in these patients. Prognosis is inversely correlated with patient's age, duration of disease and last GH level under treatment. Beside evolution of disease, age is a major determinant of mortality. We report three cases of elderly patients with acromegaly aged 75, 70 and 66 years respectively with a literature review.

The verification methodologies for a software modeling of Engineered Safety Features- Component Control System (ESF-CCS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Young-Jun; Cheon, Se-Woo; Cha, Kyung-Ho; Park, Gee-Yong; Kwon, Kee-Choon

2007-01-01

The safety of a software is not guaranteed through a simple testing of the software. The testing reviews only the static functions of a software. The behavior, dynamic state of a software is not reviewed by a software testing. The Ariane5 rocket accident and the failure of the Virtual Case File Project are determined by a software fault. Although this software was tested thoroughly, the potential errors existed internally. There are a lot of methods to solve these problems. One of the methods is a formal methodology. It describes the software requirements as a formal specification during a software life cycle and verifies a specified design. This paper suggests the methods which verify the design to be described as a formal specification. We adapt these methods to the software of a ESF-CCS (Engineered Safety Features-Component Control System) and use the SCADE (Safety Critical Application Development Environment) tool for adopting the suggested verification methods

Interactive music composition driven by feature evolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaliakatsos-Papakostas, Maximos A; Floros, Andreas; Vrahatis, Michael N

2016-01-01

Evolutionary music composition is a prominent technique for automatic music generation. The immense adaptation potential of evolutionary algorithms has allowed the realisation of systems that automatically produce music through feature and interactive-based composition approaches. Feature-based composition employs qualitatively descriptive music features as fitness landmarks. Interactive composition systems on the other hand, derive fitness directly from human ratings and/or selection. The paper at hand introduces a methodological framework that combines the merits of both evolutionary composition methodologies. To this end, a system is presented that is organised in two levels: the higher level of interaction and the lower level of composition. The higher level incorporates the particle swarm optimisation algorithm, along with a proposed variant and evolves musical features according to user ratings. The lower level realizes feature-based music composition with a genetic algorithm, according to the top level features. The aim of this work is not to validate the efficiency of the currently utilised setup in each level, but to examine the convergence behaviour of such a two-level technique in an objective manner. Therefore, an additional novelty in this work concerns the utilisation of artificial raters that guide the system through the space of musical features, allowing the exploration of its convergence characteristics: does the system converge to optimal melodies, is this convergence fast enough for potential human listeners and is the trajectory to convergence "interesting' and "creative" enough? The experimental results reveal that the proposed methodological framework represents a fruitful and robust, novel approach to interactive music composition.

BATSE gamma-ray burst line search. 2: Bayesian consistency methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Band, D. L.; Ford, L. A.; Matteson, J. L.; Briggs, M.; Paciesas, W.; Pendleton, G.; Preece, R.; Palmer, D.; Teegarden, B.; Schaefer, B.

1994-01-01

We describe a Bayesian methodology to evaluate the consistency between the reported Ginga and Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) detections of absorption features in gamma-ray burst spectra. Currently no features have been detected by BATSE, but this methodology will still be applicable if and when such features are discovered. The Bayesian methodology permits the comparison of hypotheses regarding the two detectors' observations and makes explicit the subjective aspects of our analysis (e.g., the quantification of our confidence in detector performance). We also present non-Bayesian consistency statistics. Based on preliminary calculations of line detectability, we find that both the Bayesian and non-Bayesian techniques show that the BATSE and Ginga observations are consistent given our understanding of these detectors.

Reference Performance Test Methodology for Degradation Assessment of Lithium-Sulfur Batteries

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Knap, Vaclav; Stroe, Daniel-Ioan; Purkayastha, Rajlakshmi

2018-01-01

Lithium-Sulfur (Li-S) is an emerging battery technology receiving a growing amount of attention due to its potentially high gravimetric energy density, safety, and low production cost. However, there are still some obstacles preventing its swift commercialization. Li-S batteries are driven...... by different electrochemical processes than commonly used Lithium-ion batteries, which often results in very different behavior. Therefore, the testing and modeling of these systems have to be adjusted to reflect their unique behavior and to prevent possible bias. A methodology for a Reference Performance Test...... (RPT) for the Li-S batteries is proposed in this study to point out Li-S battery features and provide guidance to users how to deal with them and possible results into standardization. The proposed test methodology is demonstrated for 3.4 Ah Li-S cells aged under different conditions....

Core features of suicide. Gender, age, alcohol and other putative risk factors in a low-incidence population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stora, T.; Wang, August Gabriel

2009-01-01

25-64 years, unmarried, divorced and alcohol intoxicated. The main conclusion was that a low-incidence population of suicide population confirmed some supposed core features of the suicide phenomenon. Others, related to age and psychiatric disorders, were only partially confirmed. In periods...... of increase, the most vulnerable were the young and middle-aged males, unmarried, divorced, and alcohol played a crucial role Udgivelsesdato: 2008/11/10...

Qualitative methodology in a psychoanalytic single case study

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Grünbaum, Liselotte

features and breaks in psychotherapy investigated. One aim of the study was to contribute to the development of a transparent and systematic methodology for the psychoanalytic case study by application of rigorous qualitative research methodology. To this end, inductive-deductive principles in line...

Reliability in content analysis: The case of semantic feature norms classification.

Science.gov (United States)

Bolognesi, Marianna; Pilgram, Roosmaryn; van den Heerik, Romy

2017-12-01

Semantic feature norms (e.g., STIMULUS: car → RESPONSE: ) are commonly used in cognitive psychology to look into salient aspects of given concepts. Semantic features are typically collected in experimental settings and then manually annotated by the researchers into feature types (e.g., perceptual features, taxonomic features, etc.) by means of content analyses-that is, by using taxonomies of feature types and having independent coders perform the annotation task. However, the ways in which such content analyses are typically performed and reported are not consistent across the literature. This constitutes a serious methodological problem that might undermine the theoretical claims based on such annotations. In this study, we first offer a review of some of the released datasets of annotated semantic feature norms and the related taxonomies used for content analysis. We then provide theoretical and methodological insights in relation to the content analysis methodology. Finally, we apply content analysis to a new dataset of semantic features and show how the method should be applied in order to deliver reliable annotations and replicable coding schemes. We tackle the following issues: (1) taxonomy structure, (2) the description of categories, (3) coder training, and (4) sustainability of the coding scheme-that is, comparison of the annotations provided by trained versus novice coders. The outcomes of the project are threefold: We provide methodological guidelines for semantic feature classification; we provide a revised and adapted taxonomy that can (arguably) be applied to both concrete and abstract concepts; and we provide a dataset of annotated semantic feature norms.

FEATURES OF THE USE OF INTERNATIONALISM IN THE LITERATURE OF THE EMIGRANT WRITERS IN THE AGE OF GLOBALIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2013-02-01

Full Text Available In this article the features of the use of internationalism in the literature of emigrants are considered. The functioning of international lexicon is considered at the present stage of development in the age of globalization. In the article the terms "Sovietism" and "internationalism " are analyzed and differentiated. Characteristic features of these terms are considered. Special attention is given to internationalism of the Soviet era. There is the analysis of changes in the associations, stylistic nuance and emotional assessment by examples of the Soviet internationalism in the literature of emigrants in the age of globalization. The received results can be used in making of dictionary of Sovietism, development of the programs for lexicon and stylistics study.

Notes on the evolution of feature selection methodology

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Somol, Petr; Novovičová, Jana; Pudil, Pavel

2007-01-01

Roč. 43, č. 5 (2007), s. 713-730 ISSN 0023-5954 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA102/07/1594; GA MŠk 1M0572; GA AV ČR IAA2075302 EU Projects: European Commission(XE) 507752 - MUSCLE Grant - others:GA MŠk(CZ) 2C06019 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10750506 Keywords : feature selection * branch and bound * sequential search * mixture model Subject RIV: IN - Informatics, Computer Science Impact factor: 0.552, year: 2007

Effects of Individual Differences and Situational Features on Age Differences in Mindless Reading.

Science.gov (United States)

Shake, Matthew C; Shulley, Leah J; Soto-Freita, Angelica M

2016-09-01

Mindless reading occurs when an individual shifts their attention away from the text and toward other off-task thoughts. This study examined whether previously reported age-related declines in mindless reading episodes are due primarily to (a) situational features related to the text itself (e.g., text genre or interest in the text) and/or (b) individual differences in cognitive ability. Participants read 2 texts written in different genres but about the same topic. During reading, they were randomly probed to indicate whether they were on-task or mind-wandering. They also indicated their perceptions regarding the interest and difficulty of the text, and completed a battery of cognitive ability measures. The results showed that (a) text genre may engender some age differences in mindless reading and (b) greater age and perceived interest in the text were each uniquely predictive of reduced mindless reading for both text genres. Individual differences in cognitive abilities (e.g., working memory, vocabulary) did not account for additional significant variance in mindless reading after interest and age were taken into account. Our findings are discussed in terms of implications for age differences in lapses of attention during reading and predictors of mind-wandering generally. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Clinical Features of Human Metapneumovirus Infection in Ambulatory Children Aged 5-13 Years.

Science.gov (United States)

Howard, Leigh M; Edwards, Kathryn M; Zhu, Yuwei; Griffin, Marie R; Weinberg, Geoffrey A; Szilagyi, Peter G; Staat, Mary A; Payne, Daniel C; Williams, John V

2018-05-15

We detected human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in 54 (5%) of 1055 children aged 5 to 13 years with acute respiratory illness (ARI) identified by outpatient and emergency department surveillance between November and May 2003-2009. Its clinical features were similar to those of HMPV-negative ARI, except a diagnosis of pneumonia was more likely (13% vs 4%, respectively; P = .005) and a diagnosis of pharyngitis (7% vs 24%, respectively; P = .005) was less likely in patients with HMPV- positive ARI than those with HMPV-negative ARI.

An Innovative Fuzzy-Logic-Based Methodology for Trend Identification

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Xin; Tsoukalas, Lefteri H.; Wei, Thomas Y.C.; Reifman, Jaques

2001-01-01

A new fuzzy-logic-based methodology for on-line signal trend identification is introduced. The methodology may be used for detecting the onset of nuclear power plant (NPP) transients at the earliest possible time and could be of great benefit to diagnostic, maintenance, and performance-monitoring programs. Although signal trend identification is complicated by the presence of noise, fuzzy methods can help capture important features of on-line signals, integrate the information included in these features, and classify incoming NPP signals into increasing, decreasing, and steady-state trend categories. A computer program named PROTREN is developed and tested for the purpose of verifying this methodology using NPP and simulation data. The results indicate that the new fuzzy-logic-based methodology is capable of detecting transients accurately, it identifies trends reliably and does not misinterpret a steady-state signal as a transient one

The Assessment Methodology RADAR – A Theoretical Approach of a Methodology for Coordinating the Efforts to Improve the Organizational Processes to Achieve Excellence

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Raluca Popescu

2015-05-01

Full Text Available In the paper “The Assessment Methodology RADAR – A Theoretical Approach of a Methodology for Coordinating the Efforts to Improve the Organizational Processes to Achieve Excellence” the authors present the basic features of the assessment methodology RADAR that is designed to coordinate the efforts to improve the organizational processes in order to achieve excellence.

Predicting human miRNA target genes using a novel evolutionary methodology

KAUST Repository

Aigli, Korfiati; Kleftogiannis, Dimitrios A.; Konstantinos, Theofilatos; Spiros, Likothanassis; Athanasios, Tsakalidis; Seferina, Mavroudi

2012-01-01

The discovery of miRNAs had great impacts on traditional biology. Typically, miRNAs have the potential to bind to the 3'untraslated region (UTR) of their mRNA target genes for cleavage or translational repression. The experimental identification of their targets has many drawbacks including cost, time and low specificity and these are the reasons why many computational approaches have been developed so far. However, existing computational approaches do not include any advanced feature selection technique and they are facing problems concerning their classification performance and their interpretability. In the present paper, we propose a novel hybrid methodology which combines genetic algorithms and support vector machines in order to locate the optimal feature subset while achieving high classification performance. The proposed methodology was compared with two of the most promising existing methodologies in the problem of predicting human miRNA targets. Our approach outperforms existing methodologies in terms of classification performances while selecting a much smaller feature subset. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Predicting human miRNA target genes using a novel evolutionary methodology

KAUST Repository

Aigli, Korfiati

2012-01-01

The discovery of miRNAs had great impacts on traditional biology. Typically, miRNAs have the potential to bind to the 3\\'untraslated region (UTR) of their mRNA target genes for cleavage or translational repression. The experimental identification of their targets has many drawbacks including cost, time and low specificity and these are the reasons why many computational approaches have been developed so far. However, existing computational approaches do not include any advanced feature selection technique and they are facing problems concerning their classification performance and their interpretability. In the present paper, we propose a novel hybrid methodology which combines genetic algorithms and support vector machines in order to locate the optimal feature subset while achieving high classification performance. The proposed methodology was compared with two of the most promising existing methodologies in the problem of predicting human miRNA targets. Our approach outperforms existing methodologies in terms of classification performances while selecting a much smaller feature subset. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.

Multithreaded hybrid feature tracking for markerless augmented reality.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Taehee; Höllerer, Tobias

2009-01-01

We describe a novel markerless camera tracking approach and user interaction methodology for augmented reality (AR) on unprepared tabletop environments. We propose a real-time system architecture that combines two types of feature tracking. Distinctive image features of the scene are detected and tracked frame-to-frame by computing optical flow. In order to achieve real-time performance, multiple operations are processed in a synchronized multi-threaded manner: capturing a video frame, tracking features using optical flow, detecting distinctive invariant features, and rendering an output frame. We also introduce user interaction methodology for establishing a global coordinate system and for placing virtual objects in the AR environment by tracking a user's outstretched hand and estimating a camera pose relative to it. We evaluate the speed and accuracy of our hybrid feature tracking approach, and demonstrate a proof-of-concept application for enabling AR in unprepared tabletop environments, using bare hands for interaction.

Understanding Participatory Action Research: A Qualitative Research Methodology Option

Science.gov (United States)

MacDonald, Cathy

2012-01-01

Participatory Action Research (PAR) is a qualitative research methodology option that requires further understanding and consideration. PAR is considered democratic, equitable, liberating, and life-enhancing qualitative inquiry that remains distinct from other qualitative methodologies (Kach & Kralik, 2006). Using PAR, qualitative features of an…

Diffusion tensor trace mapping in normal adult brain using single-shot EPI technique: A methodological study of the aging brain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, Z.G.; Hindmarsh, T.; Li, T.Q.

2001-01-01

Purpose: To quantify age-related changes of the average diffusion coefficient value in normal adult brain using orientation-independent diffusion tensor trace mapping and to address the methodological influences on diffusion quantification. Material and Methods: Fifty-four normal subjects (aged 20-79 years) were studied on a 1.5-T whole-body MR medical unit using a diffusion-weighted single-shot echo-planar imaging technique. Orientation-independent diffusion tensor trace maps were constructed for each subject using diffusion-weighted MR measurements in four different directions using a tetrahedral gradient combination pattern. The global average (including cerebral spinal fluid) and the tissue average of diffusion coefficients in adult brains were determined by analyzing the diffusion coefficient distribution histogram for the entire brain. Methodological influences on the measured diffusion coefficient were also investigated by comparing the results obtained using different experimental settings. Results: Both global and tissue averages of the diffusion coefficient are significantly correlated with age (p<0.03). The global average of the diffusion coefficient increases 3% per decade after the age of 40, whereas the increase in the tissue average of diffusion coefficient is about 1% per decade. Experimental settings for self-diffusion measurements, such as data acquisition methods and number of b-values, can slightly influence the statistical distribution histogram of the diffusion tensor trace and its average value. Conclusion: Increased average diffusion coefficient in adult brains with aging are consistent with findings regarding structural changes in the brain that have been associated with aging. The study also demonstrates that it is desirable to use the same experimental parameters for diffusion coefficient quantification when comparing between different subjects and groups of interest

FEATURES OF THE USE OF INTERNATIONALISM IN THE LITERATURE OF THE EMIGRANT WRITERS IN THE AGE OF GLOBALIZATION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Мария Игоревна Шкредова

2013-04-01

Full Text Available In this article the features of the use of internationalism in the literature of emigrants are considered. The functioning of international lexicon is considered at the present stage of development in the age of globalization. In the article the terms "Sovietism" and "internationalism " are analyzed and differentiated. Characteristic features of these terms are considered. Special attention is given to internationalism of the Soviet era. There is the analysis of changes in the associations, stylistic nuance and emotional assessment by examples of the Soviet internationalism in the literature of emigrants in the age of globalization.The received results can be used in making of dictionary of Sovietism, development of the programs for lexicon and stylistics study.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-2-41

Features of the methodological approach to the evaluation of the led ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article considers the issues related to research on the LED lighting efficiency in the industrial premises, the need to use the methodology to obtain meaningful scientific results. The LED lighting efficiency should be determined, primarily, based on the creation of conditions that are optimal for visual activity and safe from ...

Framework of Comprehensive Proliferation Resistance Evaluation Methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Min Su; Jo, Seong Youn; Kim, Min Soo; Kim, Jae San; Lee, Hyun Kyung

2007-01-01

Civilian nuclear programs can be used as a pretext to acquire technologies, materials, equipment for military weapon programs. Consequently, international society has a strong incentive to develop a nuclear system more proliferation resistant to assure that the civilian nuclear energy system is an unattractive and least desirable route for diversion of weapon usable material. The First step developing a more proliferation resistant nuclear energy system is to develop a systematic and standardized evaluation methodology to ensure that any future nuclear energy system satisfies the proliferation resistance goals. Many attempts to develop systematic evaluation methodology have been proposed and many systems for assessing proliferation resistance have been previously studied. However, a comprehensive proliferation resistance evaluation can not be achieved by simply applying one method since complicated proliferation resistance characteristics, including inherent features and extrinsic features, should be completely evaluated. Therefore, it is necessary to develop one incorporated evaluation methodology to make up for weak points of each evaluation method. The objective of this study is to provide a framework of comprehensive proliferation resistance evaluation methodology by incorporating two generally used evaluation methods, attribute and scenario analysis

Examining emotional expressions in discourse: methodological considerations

Science.gov (United States)

Hufnagel, Elizabeth; Kelly, Gregory J.

2017-10-01

This methodological paper presents an approach for examining emotional expressions through discourse analysis and ethnographic methods. Drawing on trends in the current literature in science education, we briefly explain the importance of emotions in science education and examine the current research methodologies used in interactional emotion studies. We put forth and substantiate a methodological approach that attends to the interactional, contextual, intertextual, and consequential aspects of emotional expressions. By examining emotional expressions in the discourse in which they are constructed, emotional expressions are identified through semantics, contextualization, and linguistic features. These features make salient four dimensions of emotional expressions: aboutness, frequency, type, and ownership. Drawing on data from a large empirical study of pre-service elementary teachers' emotional expressions about climate change in a science course, we provide illustrative examples to describe what counts as emotional expressions in situ. In doing so we explain how our approach makes salient the nuanced nature of such expressions as well as the broader discourse in which they are constructed and the implications for researching emotional expressions in science education discourse. We suggest reasons why this discourse orientated research methodology can contribute to the interactional study of emotions in science education contexts.

Dosimetric methodology of the ICRP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eckerman, K.F.

1994-01-01

Establishment of guidance for the protection of workers and members of the public from radiation exposures necessitates estimation of the radiation dose to tissues of the body at risk. The dosimetric methodology formulated by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) is intended to be responsive to this need. While developed for radiation protection, elements of the methodology are often applied in addressing other radiation issues; e.g., risk assessment. This chapter provides an overview of the methodology, discusses its recent extension to age-dependent considerations, and illustrates specific aspects of the methodology through a number of numerical examples

The methodological features of managing the value of companies introducing "green" innovations

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kharin Alexander

2012-03-01

Full Text Available Although it is a common assumption that innovations are one of the most important factors of economic development, there is a need to review some provisions of innovation methodology so that new fundamental values are taken into account more fully. Most recent business models are based on the depletion of natural environment, whose potential has been almost exhausted. It is necessary to introduce new ideas that are of use for society and create values for companies. One way of achieving this goal is “green” (environmental innovations. The next decade is expected to see a rapid growth in environmental innovations. Their organization and management will require modern — and adequate to the objectives set —technologies. One of those is the quest for value methodology. To date, the quest for value methodology has given rise to several conceptual approaches, which can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental innovations. This article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of major approaches. The author comes to a conclusion that that the modern theory and practice of corporate finance still lacks a generally accepted approach to assessing the value of companies that explicitly takes into account the impact of environmental factors on the cost. The article outlines the basic theoretical frameworks for the formation of such approach.

Different Clinical Features and Lower Scores in Clinical Scoring Systems for Appendicitis in Preschool Children: Comparison with School Age Onset

OpenAIRE

Song, Chun Woo; Kang, Joon Won; Kim, Jae Young

2018-01-01

Purpose To clarify the clinical features of appendicitis in preschool children and to explore clinical appendicitis scoring systems in this age group. Methods We retrospectively collected data on 142 children, aged 10 years or younger, with confirmed diagnosis of appendicitis based on surgical and pathologic findings. Enrolled subjects were divided into two groups: Group 1 (preschool children aged ≤5 years, n=41) and Group 2 (school children aged >5 to ≤10 years, n=101). Data analyzed include...

Bridging Minds: A Mixed Methodology to Assess Networked Flow.

Science.gov (United States)

Galimberti, Carlo; Chirico, Alice; Brivio, Eleonora; Mazzoni, Elvis; Riva, Giuseppe; Milani, Luca; Gaggioli, Andrea

2015-01-01

The main goal of this contribution is to present a methodological framework to study Networked Flow, a bio-psycho-social theory of collective creativity applying it on creative processes occurring via a computer network. First, we draw on the definition of Networked Flow to identify the key methodological requirements of this model. Next, we present the rationale of a mixed methodology, which aims at combining qualitative, quantitative and structural analysis of group dynamics to obtain a rich longitudinal dataset. We argue that this integrated strategy holds potential for describing the complex dynamics of creative collaboration, by linking the experiential features of collaborative experience (flow, social presence), with the structural features of collaboration dynamics (network indexes) and the collaboration outcome (the creative product). Finally, we report on our experience with using this methodology in blended collaboration settings (including both face-to-face and virtual meetings), to identify open issues and provide future research directions.

A bank-fund projection framework with CGE features

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Henning Tarp; Tarp, Finn

2006-01-01

In this paper, we present a SAM-based methodology for integrating standard CGE features with a macroeconomic World Bank–International Monetary Fund (IMF) modelling framework. The resulting macro–micro framework is based on optimising agents, but it retains key features from the macroeconomic model...

A Rigorous Methodology for Analyzing and Designing Plug-Ins

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fasie, Marieta V.; Haxthausen, Anne Elisabeth; Kiniry, Joseph

2013-01-01

. This paper addresses these problems by describing a rigorous methodology for analyzing and designing plug-ins. The methodology is grounded in the Extended Business Object Notation (EBON) and covers informal analysis and design of features, GUI, actions, and scenarios, formal architecture design, including...... behavioral semantics, and validation. The methodology is illustrated via a case study whose focus is an Eclipse environment for the RAISE formal method's tool suite....

Mirror on the wall: a study of women's perception of facial features as they age.

Science.gov (United States)

Sezgin, Billur; Findikcioglu, Kemal; Kaya, Basar; Sibar, Serhat; Yavuzer, Reha

2012-05-01

Facial aesthetic treatments are among the most popular cosmetic procedures worldwide, but the factors that motivate women to change their facial appearance are not fully understood. The authors examine the relationships among the facial areas on which women focus most as they age, women's general self-perception, and the effect of their personal focus on "beauty points" on their perception of other women's faces. In this prospective study, 200 women who presented to a cosmetic surgery outpatient clinic for consultation between December 2009 and February 2010 completed a questionnaire. The 200 participants were grouped by age: 20-29 years, 30-39, 40-49, and 50 or older (50 women in each group). They were asked which part of their face they focus on most when looking in the mirror, which part they notice most in other women (of different age groups), what they like/dislike most about their own face, and whether they wished to change any facial feature. A positive correlation was found between women's focal points and the areas they dislike or desire to change. Younger women focused mainly on their nose and skin, while older women focused on their periorbital area and jawline. Women focus on their personal focal points when looking at other women in their 20s and 30s, but not when looking at older women. Women presenting for cosmetic surgery consultation focus on the areas that they dislike most, which leads to a desire to change those features. The plastic surgeon must fully understand patients' expectations to select appropriate candidates and maximize satisfaction with the outcomes.

Personality and Total Health Through Life Project Eye Substudy: Methodology and Baseline Retinal Features.

Science.gov (United States)

Wijngaarden, Peter Van; Keel, Stuart; Hodgson, Lauren A B; Kumar, Dinesh K; Aliahmad, Behzad; Paim, Cistiane C; Kiely, Kim M; Cherbuin, Nicolas; Anstey, Kaarin J; Dirani, Mohamed

2017-01-01

To describe the methodology and present the retinal grading findings of an older sample of australians with well-defined indices of neurocognitive function in the Personality and total Health (PATH) through life project. A cross-sectional study. Three hundred twenty-six individuals from the PatH through life project were invited to participate. Participants completed a general questionnaire and 2-field, 45-degree nonmydriatic color digital retinal photography. Photographs were graded for retinal pathology according to established protocols. Two hundred fifty-four (77.9%) subjects, aged 72 to 78 years, agreed to participate in the eye substudy. gradable images of at least 1 eye were acquired in 211 of 254 subjects (83.1%). retinal photographic screening identified 1 or more signs of pathology in 130 of the 174 subjects (74.7%) with gradable images of both eyes. a total of 45 participants (17.7%) had self-reported diabetes and diabetic retinopathy was observed in 22 (48.9%) of these participants. This well-defined sample of older australians provides a unique opportunity to interrogate associations between retinal findings, including retinal vascular geometric parameters, and indices of neurocognitive function. Copyright 2017 Asia-Pacific Academy of Ophthalmology.

Application of Agent Methodology in Healthcare Information Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Reem Abdalla

2017-02-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a case study to describe the features and the phases of the two agent methodologies. The Gaia methodology for agent oriented analysis and design, Tropos is a detailed agent oriented software engineering methodology to explore each methodology's ability to present solutions for small problems. Also we provide an attempt to discover whether the methodology is in fact understandable and usable. In addition we were collecting and taking notes of the advantages and weaknesses of these methodologies during the study analysis for each methodology and the relationships among their models. The Guardian Angle: Patient-Centered Health Information System (GA: PCHIS is the personal system to help track, manage, and interpret the subject's health history, and give advice to both patient and provider is used as the case study throughout the paper.

Decontaminate feature for tracking: adaptive tracking via evolutionary feature subset

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Qiaoyuan; Wang, Yuru; Yin, Minghao; Ren, Jinchang; Li, Ruizhi

2017-11-01

Although various visual tracking algorithms have been proposed in the last 2-3 decades, it remains a challenging problem for effective tracking with fast motion, deformation, occlusion, etc. Under complex tracking conditions, most tracking models are not discriminative and adaptive enough. When the combined feature vectors are inputted to the visual models, this may lead to redundancy causing low efficiency and ambiguity causing poor performance. An effective tracking algorithm is proposed to decontaminate features for each video sequence adaptively, where the visual modeling is treated as an optimization problem from the perspective of evolution. Every feature vector is compared to a biological individual and then decontaminated via classical evolutionary algorithms. With the optimized subsets of features, the "curse of dimensionality" has been avoided while the accuracy of the visual model has been improved. The proposed algorithm has been tested on several publicly available datasets with various tracking challenges and benchmarked with a number of state-of-the-art approaches. The comprehensive experiments have demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed methodology.

THE ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGIES PTELR, ADRI AND CAE – THREE METHODOLOGIES FOR COORDINATING THE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE

OpenAIRE

Cristina Raluca POPESCU; Gheorghe N. POPESCU

2015-01-01

In the paper “The Assessment Methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE – Three Methodologies for Coordinating the Efforts to Improve the Organizational Processes to Achieve Excellence” the authors present the basic features of the assessment methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE that are designed to coordinate the efforts to improve the organizational processes in order to achieve excellence. In the first part of the paper (the introduction of the paper), the authors present the general background concer...

Aplastic anemia: clinico haematological features, treatment and outcome analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wali, R.; Fadoo, Z.; Naqvi, M.A.

2011-01-01

To determine the clinico haematological features, treatment and outcome of children diagnosed with aplastic anemia at a single institution. Study Design: Observational study. Place and Duration of Study: The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from January 1999 till December 2008. Methodology: Medical records of children aged less than 15 years of age diagnosed with aplastic anemia were reviewed. Clinico haematological features, treatment and its response to therapy and outcome were recorded. Results were described in percentages. Results: Ninety patients were diagnosed to have aplastic anemia (AA); 65 were male during the study period. Age ranged from 1 to 15 years. Fever in 65 patients (72.2%), pallor in 53 (58.8%), skin bleeding in 49 (54.4%) and epistaxis in 31(34.4%) were the most common and frequent presenting features. Congenital (Fanconi's) anemia was found in 15 (16.6%) and acquired idiopathic in 75 (83.4%) of patients. Very severe aplastic anemia (VSAA) was seen in 29 (32.2%), 26 (28.9%) had severe AA and 17 (18.9%) had moderate AA. Eight patients (8.9%) underwent haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), 12 (13.3%) received immunosuppressive therapy (IST) and 70 patients (77.7%) received other and supportive therapy. Five (62.5%) patients showed complete response to HSCT and 3 (37.5%) failed to engraft. IST showed complete response in 3 (25%), partial response in 5 (41.6%) and no response in 4 (33.3%). Twenty two patients (24.4%) expired either due to infection in 16 (72.7%, fungal in 6, bacterial in 10) and intracranial haemorrhage in 6 (27.3%) cases. Conclusion: Majority of cases with AA were acquired and idiopathic in etiology. VSAA and SAA were frequent. Response to HSCT and IST was sub-optimal. (author)

Effects of Normal Aging on Memory for Multiple Contextual Features

Science.gov (United States)

Gagnon, Sylvain; Soulard, Kathleen; Brasgold, Melissa; Kreller, Joshua

2007-01-01

Twenty-four younger (18-35 years) and 24 older adult participants (65 or older) were exposed to three experimental conditions involving the memorization words and their associated contextual features, with contextual feature complexity increasing from Conditions 1 to 3. In Condition 1, words presented varied only on one binary feature (color,…

Core features of suicide. Gender, age, alcohol and other putative risk factors in a low-incidence population

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, August G; Stórá, Tormódur

2009-01-01

The aim of the study was to elucidate some supposed core features of suicide through a study of suicide in a low-incidence population. The material covered all suicides and undetermined deaths 1945-2004 in the Faroe Islands (a low-incidence population) and the study made use of all available...... information. Results showed that suicide rate had been low since the Second World War. However, there was an increase throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Supposed core features of suicide, such as gender, marital status, former psychiatric admittance, former suicidal behaviour, alcohol and method preference were...... 25-64 years, unmarried, divorced and alcohol intoxicated. The main conclusion was that a low-incidence population of suicide population confirmed some supposed core features of the suicide phenomenon. Others, related to age and psychiatric disorders, were only partially confirmed. In periods...

Depth estimation of features in video frames with improved feature matching technique using Kinect sensor

Science.gov (United States)

Sharma, Kajal; Moon, Inkyu; Kim, Sung Gaun

2012-10-01

Estimating depth has long been a major issue in the field of computer vision and robotics. The Kinect sensor's active sensing strategy provides high-frame-rate depth maps and can recognize user gestures and human pose. This paper presents a technique to estimate the depth of features extracted from video frames, along with an improved feature-matching method. In this paper, we used the Kinect camera developed by Microsoft, which captured color and depth images for further processing. Feature detection and selection is an important task for robot navigation. Many feature-matching techniques have been proposed earlier, and this paper proposes an improved feature matching between successive video frames with the use of neural network methodology in order to reduce the computation time of feature matching. The features extracted are invariant to image scale and rotation, and different experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of feature matching between successive video frames. The extracted features are assigned distance based on the Kinect technology that can be used by the robot in order to determine the path of navigation, along with obstacle detection applications.

Radio drama adaptations: an approach towards an analytical methodology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Huwiler, E.

2010-01-01

This article establishes a methodology with which radio drama pieces can be analysed. It thereby integrates all features the art form has to offer: voices, music, noises, but also technical features like cutting and mixing contribute to the narrative that is being told. This approach emphasizes the

Efficient Generation and Selection of Combined Features for Improved Classification

KAUST Repository

Shono, Ahmad N.

2014-01-01

This study contributes a methodology and associated toolkit developed to allow users to experiment with the use of combined features in classification problems. Methods are provided for efficiently generating combined features from an original

Nutrient Canals of the Alveolar Process as an Anatomical Feature for Age and Gender Determination

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Prashant Gupta

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Introduction: Nutrient canals are anatomic structures of the alveolar bone through which neurovascular elements transit to supply teeth and supporting structures. Dental identification using nutrient canal of the mandibular alveolar process as the most compelling anatomic feature for antemortem–postmortem radiographic comparison can be potentially used in forensic identification. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between the appearance of nutrient canals as a potential clue to age and gender determination. Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty patients, 60 males and 60 females, were selected in the 11–60-year age group. Systemic disease, especially hypertension, was ruled out in the patients. Periapical radiographs were taken from mandibular anterior cuspid central incisor region because nutrient canals are commonly observed in this area. Data obtained was analyzed by SPSS software and various statistical analysis were carried out. Results: Study revealed nutrient canals to be commonly seen in females compared to males. Males had maximum canals in the age group of 21–30-year whereas females in the age group of 31–40 years had the maximum canals. Conclusion: Significant correlation was seen between the gender and nutrient canals whereas no significant correlation existed between the age and presence of nutrient canals.

Age-related differences in features associated with polycystic ovary syndrome in normogonadotrophic oligo-amenorrhoeic infertile women of reproductive years

NARCIS (Netherlands)

H. Bili; B. Imani (Babak); M.J.C. Eijkemans (René); B.C.J.M. Fauser (Bart); J.S.E. Laven (Joop)

2001-01-01

textabstractOBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of age on clinical, endocrine and sonographic features associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) in normogonadotrophic anovulatory infertile women of reproductive years. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. METHODS: Four hundred and

Age at onset of major depressive disorder in Han Chinese women: Relationship with clinical features and family history☆

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Fuzhong; Li, Yihan; Xie, Dong; Shao, Chunhong; Ren, Jianer; Wu, Wenyuan; Zhang, Ning; Zhang, Zhen; Zou, Ying; Zhang, Jiulong; Qiao, Dongdong; Gao, Chengge; Li, Youhui; Hu, Jian; Deng, Hong; Wang, Gang; Du, Bo; Wang, Xumei; Liu, Tiebang; Gan, Zhaoyu; Peng, Juyi; Wei, Bo; Pan, Jiyang; Chen, Honghui; Sun, Shufan; Jia, Hong; Liu, Ying; Chen, Qiaoling; Wang, Xueyi; Cao, Juling; Lv, Luxian; Chen, Yunchun; Ha, Baowei; Ning, Yuping; Chen, YiPing; Kendler, Kenneth S.; Flint, Jonathan; Shi, Shenxun

2011-01-01

Background Individuals with early-onset depression may be a clinically distinct group with particular symptom patterns, illness course, comorbidity and family history. This question has not been previously investigated in a Han Chinese population. Methods We examined the clinical features of 1970 Han Chinese women with DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) between 30 and 60 years of age across China. Analysis of linear, logistic and multiple logistic regression models was used to determine the association between age at onset (AAO) with continuous, binary and discrete characteristic clinical features of MDD. Results Earlier AAO was associated with more suicidal ideation and attempts and higher neuroticism, but fewer sleep, appetite and weight changes. Patients with an earlier AAO were more likely to suffer a chronic course (longer illness duration, more MDD episodes and longer index episode), increased rates of MDD in their parents and a lower likelihood of marriage. They tend to have higher comorbidity with anxiety disorders (general anxiety disorder, social phobia and agoraphobia) and dysthymia. Conclusions Early AAO in MDD may be an index of a more severe, highly comorbid and familial disorder. Our findings indicate that the features of MDD in China are similar to those reported elsewhere in the world. PMID:21782247

Age at onset of major depressive disorder in Han Chinese women: relationship with clinical features and family history.

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Fuzhong; Li, Yihan; Xie, Dong; Shao, Chunhong; Ren, Jianer; Wu, Wenyuan; Zhang, Ning; Zhang, Zhen; Zou, Ying; Zhang, Jiulong; Qiao, Dongdong; Gao, Chengge; Li, Youhui; Hu, Jian; Deng, Hong; Wang, Gang; Du, Bo; Wang, Xumei; Liu, Tiebang; Gan, Zhaoyu; Peng, Juyi; Wei, Bo; Pan, Jiyang; Chen, Honghui; Sun, Shufan; Jia, Hong; Liu, Ying; Chen, Qiaoling; Wang, Xueyi; Cao, Juling; Lv, Luxian; Chen, Yunchun; Ha, Baowei; Ning, Yuping; Chen, Yiping; Kendler, Kenneth S; Flint, Jonathan; Shi, Shenxun

2011-12-01

Individuals with early-onset depression may be a clinically distinct group with particular symptom patterns, illness course, comorbidity and family history. This question has not been previously investigated in a Han Chinese population. We examined the clinical features of 1970 Han Chinese women with DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD) between 30 and 60 years of age across China. Analysis of linear, logistic and multiple logistic regression models was used to determine the association between age at onset (AAO) with continuous, binary and discrete characteristic clinical features of MDD. Earlier AAO was associated with more suicidal ideation and attempts and higher neuroticism, but fewer sleep, appetite and weight changes. Patients with an earlier AAO were more likely to suffer a chronic course (longer illness duration, more MDD episodes and longer index episode), increased rates of MDD in their parents and a lower likelihood of marriage. They tend to have higher comorbidity with anxiety disorders (general anxiety disorder, social phobia and agoraphobia) and dysthymia. Early AAO in MDD may be an index of a more severe, highly comorbid and familial disorder. Our findings indicate that the features of MDD in China are similar to those reported elsewhere in the world. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A multidisciplinary systematic literature review on frailty: Overview of the methodology used by the Canadian Initiative on Frailty and Aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bergman Howard

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Over the past two decades, there has been a substantial growth in the body of literature on frailty in older persons. However, there is no consensus on its definition or the criteria used to identify frailty. In response to this lack of consensus, the Canadian Initiative on Frailty and Aging carried out a set of systematic reviews of the literature in ten areas of frailty research: biological basis; social basis; prevalence; risk factors; impact; identification; prevention and management; environment and technology; health services; health and social policy. This paper describes the methodology that was developed for the systematic reviews. Methods A Central Coordination Group (CCG was responsible for developing the methodology. This involved the development of search strategies and keywords, article selection processes, quality assessment tools, and guidelines for the synthesis of results. Each review was conducted by two experts in the content area, with the assistance of methodologists and statisticians from the CCG. Results Conducting a series of systematic literature reviews involving a range of disciplines on a concept that does not have a universally accepted definition posed several conceptual and methodological challenges. The most important conceptual challenge was determining what would qualify as literature on frailty. The methodological challenges arose from our goal of structuring a consistent methodology for reviewing literature from diverse fields of research. At the outset, certain methodological guidelines were deemed essential to ensure the validity of all the reviews. Nevertheless, it was equally important to permit flexibility in the application of the proposed methodology to capture the essence of frailty research within the given fields. Conclusion The results of these reviews allowed us to establish the status of current knowledge on frailty and promote collaboration between disciplines. Conducting

Self-Adaptive MOEA Feature Selection for Classification of Bankruptcy Prediction Data

Science.gov (United States)

Gaspar-Cunha, A.; Recio, G.; Costa, L.; Estébanez, C.

2014-01-01

Bankruptcy prediction is a vast area of finance and accounting whose importance lies in the relevance for creditors and investors in evaluating the likelihood of getting into bankrupt. As companies become complex, they develop sophisticated schemes to hide their real situation. In turn, making an estimation of the credit risks associated with counterparts or predicting bankruptcy becomes harder. Evolutionary algorithms have shown to be an excellent tool to deal with complex problems in finances and economics where a large number of irrelevant features are involved. This paper provides a methodology for feature selection in classification of bankruptcy data sets using an evolutionary multiobjective approach that simultaneously minimise the number of features and maximise the classifier quality measure (e.g., accuracy). The proposed methodology makes use of self-adaptation by applying the feature selection algorithm while simultaneously optimising the parameters of the classifier used. The methodology was applied to four different sets of data. The obtained results showed the utility of using the self-adaptation of the classifier. PMID:24707201

A Standard Bank-Fund Projection Framework with CGE Features

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Henning Tarp; Tarp, Finn

2006-01-01

In this paper, we present a SAM-based methodology for integrating standard CGE features with a macroeconomic World Bank–International Monetary Fund (IMF) modelling framework. The resulting macro–micro framework is based on optimising agents, but it retains key features from the macroeconomic model...

The Relative Importance of Family History, Gender, Mode of Onset, and Age at Onsetin Predicting Clinical Features of First-Episode Psychotic Disorders.

Science.gov (United States)

Compton, Michael T; Berez, Chantal; Walker, Elaine F

Family history of psychosis, gender, mode of onset, and age at onset are considered prognostic factors important to clinicians evaluating first-episode psychosis; yet, clinicians have little guidance as to how these four factors differentially predict early-course substance abuse, symptomatology, and functioning. We conducted a "head-to-head comparison" of these four factors regarding their associations with key clinical features at initial hospitalization. We also assessed potential interactions between gender and family history with regard to age at onset of psychosis and symptom severity. Consecutively admitted first-episode patients (n=334) were evaluated in two studies that rigorously assessed a number of early-course variables. Associations among variables of interest were examined using Pearson correlations, χ 2 tests, Student's t-tests, and 2×2 factorial analyses of variance. Substance (nicotine, alcohol, and cannabis) abuse and positive symptom severity were predicted only by male gender. Negative symptom severity and global functioning impairments were predicted by earlier age at onset of psychosis. General psychopathology symptom severity was predicted by both mode of onset and age at onset. Interaction effects were not observed with regard to gender and family history in predicting age at onset or symptom severity. The four prognostic features have differential associations with substance abuse, domains of symptom severity, and global functioning. Gender and age at onset of psychosis appear to be more predictive of clinical features at the time of initial evaluation (and thus presumably longer term outcomes) than the presence of a family history of psychosis and a more gradual mode of onset.

Application of a methodology for the development and validation of reliable process control software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramamoorthy, C.V.; Mok, Y.R.; Bastani, F.B.; Chin, G.

1980-01-01

The necessity of a good methodology for the development of reliable software, especially with respect to the final software validation and testing activities, is discussed. A formal specification development and validation methodology is proposed. This methodology has been applied to the development and validation of a pilot software, incorporating typical features of critical software for nuclear power plants safety protection. The main features of the approach include the use of a formal specification language and the independent development of two sets of specifications. 1 ref

Dynamic Features for Iris Recognition.

Science.gov (United States)

da Costa, R M; Gonzaga, A

2012-08-01

The human eye is sensitive to visible light. Increasing illumination on the eye causes the pupil of the eye to contract, while decreasing illumination causes the pupil to dilate. Visible light causes specular reflections inside the iris ring. On the other hand, the human retina is less sensitive to near infra-red (NIR) radiation in the wavelength range from 800 nm to 1400 nm, but iris detail can still be imaged with NIR illumination. In order to measure the dynamic movement of the human pupil and iris while keeping the light-induced reflexes from affecting the quality of the digitalized image, this paper describes a device based on the consensual reflex. This biological phenomenon contracts and dilates the two pupils synchronously when illuminating one of the eyes by visible light. In this paper, we propose to capture images of the pupil of one eye using NIR illumination while illuminating the other eye using a visible-light pulse. This new approach extracts iris features called "dynamic features (DFs)." This innovative methodology proposes the extraction of information about the way the human eye reacts to light, and to use such information for biometric recognition purposes. The results demonstrate that these features are discriminating features, and, even using the Euclidean distance measure, an average accuracy of recognition of 99.1% was obtained. The proposed methodology has the potential to be "fraud-proof," because these DFs can only be extracted from living irises.

DEVELOPMENT VARIABILITY OF LONGITUDINAL SPINE FEATURES IN CHILDREN AGING 7-15 YEARS OLD

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katarzyna Kochan

2010-06-01

Full Text Available Introduction. Increased body growth is connected with higher sensitivity to environmental influence and may be a cause of instability of body posture. This happens when trunk and lower limbs growth is more intense. Because body posture disorders are most often diagnosed in children and school adolescents, the sample chosen were subjects between 7 and 15 years old. Material and methods. The data was gathered in 2002 in the town of Polkowice. Examination concerned 2706 boys and girls aged 7 to 15 years old. The measurement included basic somatic features and for the body posture photogrammetric method was used. Results. It was indicated that the relative trunk length in both sexes was decreasing in early school period but in the three oldest groups of age there was a significant increase. The height of kyphosis was increasing significantly in both sexes with age. Most intensive growth of this parameter was observed between 12 and 13 years old subjects. In both sexes there could be seen significant increase of kyphosis depth between 12 and 14 years old and also the decrease of lumbar lordosis between 12 and 13 years old subjects. Conclusion. Significant increase of thoracical spine relative height and lumbar lordosis depth in adolescents in both sexes can be one of the causes of weakening spine stability and affect correct body posture development.

Methodological Behaviorism from the Standpoint of a Radical Behaviorist.

Science.gov (United States)

Moore, J

2013-01-01

Methodological behaviorism is the name for a prescriptive orientation to psychological science. Its first and original feature is that the terms and concepts deployed in psychological theories and explanations should be based on observable stimuli and behavior. I argue that the interpretation of the phrase "based on" has changed over the years because of the influence of operationism. Its second feature, which developed after the first and is prominent in contemporary psychology, is that research should emphasize formal testing of a theory that involves mediating theoretical entities from an nonbehavioral dimension according to the hypothetico-deductive method. I argue that for contemporary methodological behaviorism, explanations of the behavior of both participants and scientists appeal to the mediating entities as mental causes, if only indirectly. In contrast to methodological behaviorism is the radical behaviorism of B. F. Skinner. Unlike methodological behaviorism, radical behaviorism conceives of verbal behavior in terms of an operant process that involves antecedent circumstances and reinforcing consequences, rather than in terms of a nonbehavioral process that involves reference and symbolism. In addition, radical behaviorism recognizes private behavioral events and subscribes to research and explanatory practices that do not include testing hypotheses about supposed mediating entities from another dimension. I conclude that methodological behaviorism is actually closer to mentalism than to Skinner's radical behaviorism.

Risk-Informed Assessment Methodology Development and Application

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sung Goo Chi; Seok Jeong Park; Chul Jin Choi; Ritterbusch, S.E.; Jacob, M.C.

2002-01-01

Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) has been working with Korea Power Engineering Company (KOPEC) on a US Department of Energy (DOE) sponsored Nuclear Energy Research Initiative (NERI) project through a collaborative agreement established for the domestic NERI program. The project deals with Risk-Informed Assessment (RIA) of regulatory and design requirements of future nuclear power plants. An objective of the RIA project is to develop a risk-informed design process, which focuses on identifying and incorporating advanced features into future nuclear power plants (NPPs) that would meet risk goals in a cost-effective manner. The RIA design methodology is proposed to accomplish this objective. This paper discusses the development of this methodology and demonstrates its application in the design of plant systems for future NPPs. Advanced conceptual plant systems consisting of an advanced Emergency Core Cooling System (ECCS) and Emergency Feedwater System (EFWS) for a NPP were developed and the risk-informed design process was exercised to demonstrate the viability and feasibility of the RIA design methodology. Best estimate Loss-of-Coolant Accident (LOCA) analyses were performed to validate the PSA success criteria for the NPP. The results of the analyses show that the PSA success criteria can be met using the advanced conceptual systems and that the RIA design methodology is a viable and appropriate means of designing key features of risk-significant NPP systems. (authors)

Visual recognition of age class and preference for infantile features: implications for species-specific vs universal cognitive traits in primates.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Sato

Full Text Available Despite not knowing the exact age of individuals, humans can estimate their rough age using age-related physical features. Nonhuman primates show some age-related physical features; however, the cognitive traits underlying their recognition of age class have not been revealed. Here, we tested the ability of two species of Old World monkey, Japanese macaques (JM and Campbell's monkeys (CM, to spontaneously discriminate age classes using visual paired comparison (VPC tasks based on the two distinct categories of infant and adult images. First, VPCs were conducted in JM subjects using conspecific JM stimuli. When analyzing the side of the first look, JM subjects significantly looked more often at novel images. Based on analyses of total looking durations, JM subjects looked at a novel infant image longer than they looked at a familiar adult image, suggesting the ability to spontaneously discriminate between the two age classes and a preference for infant over adult images. Next, VPCs were tested in CM subjects using heterospecific JM stimuli. CM subjects showed no difference in the side of their first look, but looked at infant JM images longer than they looked at adult images; the fact that CMs were totally naïve to JMs suggested that the attractiveness of infant images transcends species differences. This is the first report of visual age class recognition and a preference for infant over adult images in nonhuman primates. Our results suggest not only species-specific processing for age class recognition but also the evolutionary origins of the instinctive human perception of baby cuteness schema, proposed by the ethologist Konrad Lorenz.

EVOLVING AN EMPIRICAL METHODOLOGY DOR DETERMINING ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The uniqueness of this approach, is that it can be applied to any forest or dynamic feature on the earth, and can enjoy universal application as well. KEY WORDS: Evolving empirical methodology, innovative mathematical model, appropriate interval, remote sensing, forest environment planning and management. Global Jnl ...

Fanconi Anemia: A DNA repair disorder characterized by accelerated decline of the hematopoietic stem cell compartment and other features of aging.

Science.gov (United States)

Brosh, Robert M; Bellani, Marina; Liu, Yie; Seidman, Michael M

2017-01-01

Fanconi Anemia (FA) is a rare autosomal genetic disorder characterized by progressive bone marrow failure (BMF), endocrine dysfunction, cancer, and other clinical features commonly associated with normal aging. The anemia stems directly from an accelerated decline of the hematopoietic stem cell compartment. Although FA is a complex heterogeneous disease linked to mutations in 19 currently identified genes, there has been much progress in understanding the molecular pathology involved. FA is broadly considered a DNA repair disorder and the FA gene products, together with other DNA repair factors, have been implicated in interstrand cross-link (ICL) repair. However, in addition to the defective DNA damage response, altered epigenetic regulation, and telomere defects, FA is also marked by elevated levels of inflammatory mediators in circulation, a hallmark of faster decline in not only other hereditary aging disorders but also normal aging. In this review, we offer a perspective of FA as a monogenic accelerated aging disorder, citing the latest evidence for its multi-factorial deficiencies underlying its unique clinical and cellular features. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Level Sets and Voronoi based Feature Extraction from any Imagery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sharma, O.; Anton, François; Mioc, Darka

2012-01-01

Polygon features are of interest in many GEOProcessing applications like shoreline mapping, boundary delineation, change detection, etc. This paper presents a unique new GPU-based methodology to automate feature extraction combining level sets, or mean shift based segmentation together with Voron...

Methodology for plastic fracture - a progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilkinson, J.P.D.; Smith, R.E.E.

1977-01-01

This paper describes the progress of a study to develop a methodology for plastic fracture. Such a fracture mechanics methodology, having application in the plastic region, is required to assess the margin of safety inherent in nuclear reactor pressure vessels. The initiation and growth of flaws in pressure vessels under overload conditions is distinguished by a number of unique features, such as large scale yielding, three-dimensional structural and flaw configurations, and failure instabilities that may be controlled by either toughness or plastic flow. In order to develop a broadly applicable methodology of plastic fracture, these features require the following analytical and experimental studies: development of criteria for crack initiation and growth under large scale yielding; the use of the finite element method to describe elastic-plastic behaviour of both the structure and the crack tip region; and extensive experimental studies on laboratory scale and large scale specimens, which attempt to reproduce the pertinent plastic flow and crack growth phenomena. This discussion centers on progress to date on the selection, through analysis and laboratory experiments, of viable criteria for crack initiation and growth during plastic fracture. (Auth.)

Mining Time-Resolved Functional Brain Graphs to an EEG-Based Chronnectomic Brain Aged Index (CBAI

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Stavros I. Dimitriadis

2017-09-01

Full Text Available The brain at rest consists of spatially and temporal distributed but functionally connected regions that called intrinsic connectivity networks (ICNs. Resting state electroencephalography (rs-EEG is a way to characterize brain networks without confounds associated with task EEG such as task difficulty and performance. A novel framework of how to study dynamic functional connectivity under the notion of functional connectivity microstates (FCμstates and symbolic dynamics is further discussed. Furthermore, we introduced a way to construct a single integrated dynamic functional connectivity graph (IDFCG that preserves both the strength of the connections between every pair of sensors but also the type of dominant intrinsic coupling modes (DICM. The whole methodology is demonstrated in a significant and unexplored task for EEG which is the definition of an objective Chronnectomic Brain Aged index (CBAI extracted from resting-state data (N = 94 subjects with both eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. Novel features have been defined based on symbolic dynamics and the notion of DICM and FCμstates. The transition rate of FCμstates, the symbolic dynamics based on the evolution of FCμstates (the Markovian Entropy, the complexity index, the probability distribution of DICM, the novel Flexibility Index that captures the dynamic reconfiguration of DICM per pair of EEG sensors and the relative signal power constitute a valuable pool of features that can build the proposed CBAI. Here we applied a feature selection technique and Extreme Learning Machine (ELM classifier to discriminate young adults from middle-aged and a Support Vector Regressor to build a linear model of the actual age based on EEG-based spatio-temporal features. The most significant type of features for both prediction of age and discrimination of young vs. adults age groups was the dynamic reconfiguration of dominant coupling modes derived from a subset of EEG sensor pairs. Specifically

Remember some or remember all? Ageing and strategy effects in visual working memory.

Science.gov (United States)

Atkinson, Amy L; Baddeley, Alan D; Allen, Richard J

2017-08-16

Recent research (Bengson & Luck, 2015) has indicated that visual working memory capacity for unidimensional items might be boosted by focusing on all presented items, as opposed to a subset of them. However, it is not clear whether the same outcomes would be observed if more complex items were used which require feature binding, a potentially more demanding task. The current experiments therefore examined the effects of encoding strategy using multidimensional items in tasks that required feature binding. Effects were explored across a range of different age groups (Experiment 1) and task conditions (Experiment 2). In both experiments, participants performed significantly better when focusing on a subset of items, regardless of age or methodological variations, suggesting this is the optimal strategy to employ when several multidimensional items are presented and binding is required. Implications for task interpretation and visual working memory function are discussed.

Methodology of Neural Design: Applications in Microwave Engineering

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Z. Raida

2006-06-01

Full Text Available In the paper, an original methodology for the automatic creation of neural models of microwave structures is proposed and verified. Following the methodology, neural models of the prescribed accuracy are built within the minimum CPU time. Validity of the proposed methodology is verified by developing neural models of selected microwave structures. Functionality of neural models is verified in a design - a neural model is joined with a genetic algorithm to find a global minimum of a formulated objective function. The objective function is minimized using different versions of genetic algorithms, and their mutual combinations. The verified methodology of the automated creation of accurate neural models of microwave structures, and their association with global optimization routines are the most important original features of the paper.

Methodology features and problems of definition of the term «green business»

OpenAIRE

Stepanenko, Bohdana

2010-01-01

The term «green business» is defined. Theoretical and methodological principles of functioning of this type of activity are reflected. Basic aspects and main development stages of green business are marked out. The classification of green business enterprise is shown.

CMOS Active Pixel Sensor Technology and Reliability Characterization Methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Chen, Yuan; Guertin, Steven M.; Pain, Bedabrata; Kayaii, Sammy

2006-01-01

This paper describes the technology, design features and reliability characterization methodology of a CMOS Active Pixel Sensor. Both overall chip reliability and pixel reliability are projected for the imagers.

A methodological approach to studying resilience mechanisms: demonstration of utility in age and Alzheimer's disease-related brain pathology.

Science.gov (United States)

Wolf, Dominik; Fischer, Florian Udo; Fellgiebel, Andreas

2018-05-01

The present work aims at providing a methodological approach for the investigation of resilience factors and mechanisms in normal aging, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative disorders. By expanding and re-conceptualizing traditional regression approaches, we propose an approach that not only aims at identifying potential resilience factors but also allows for a differentiation between general and dynamic resilience factors in terms of their association with pathology. Dynamic resilience factors are characterized by an increasing relevance with increasing levels of pathology, while the relevance of general resilience factors is independent of the amount of pathology. Utility of the approach is demonstrated in age and AD-related brain pathology by investigating widely accepted resilience factors, including education and brain volume. Moreover, the approach is used to test hippocampal volume as potential resilience factor. Education and brain volume could be identified as general resilience factors against age and AD-related pathology. Beyond that, analyses highlighted that hippocampal volume may not only be disease target but also serve as a potential resilience factor in age and AD-related pathology, particularly at higher levels of tau-pathology (i.e. dynamic resilience factor). Given its unspecific and superordinate nature the approach is suitable for the investigation of a wide range of potential resilience factors in normal aging, AD and other neurodegenerative disorders. Consequently, it may find a wide application and thereby promote the comparability between studies.

Using proliferation assessment methodologies for Safeguards-by-Design

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Meer, K.; Rossa, R.; Turcanu, C.; Borella, A.

2013-01-01

MYRRHA, an accelerator driven system (ADS) is designed as a proton accelerator coupled to a liquid Pb-Bi spallation target, surrounded by a Pb-Bi cooled sub-critical neutron multiplying medium in a pool type configuration. An assessment based on three methodologies was made of the proliferation risks of the MYRRHA ADS in comparison with the BR2 MTR, an existing research reactor at the Belgian Nuclear Research Centre SCK-CEN. The used methodologies were the TOPS (Technical Opportunities to Increase the Proliferation Resistance of Nuclear Power Systems), the PR-PP and the INPRO methodologies. The various features of the methodologies are described and the results of the assessments are given and discussed. It is concluded that it would be useful to define one single methodology with two options to perform a quick and a more detailed assessment. The paper is followed by the slides of the presentation

Towards A Model-based Prognostics Methodology for Electrolytic Capacitors: A Case Study Based on Electrical Overstress Accelerated Aging

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gautam Biswas

2012-12-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a model-driven methodology for predict- ing the remaining useful life of electrolytic capacitors. This methodology adopts a Kalman filter approach in conjunction with an empirical state-based degradation model to predict the degradation of capacitor parameters through the life of the capacitor. Electrolytic capacitors are important components of systems that range from power supplies on critical avion- ics equipment to power drivers for electro-mechanical actuators. These devices are known for their comparatively low reliability and given their critical role in the system, they are good candidates for component level prognostics and health management. Prognostics provides a way to assess remain- ing useful life of a capacitor based on its current state of health and its anticipated future usage and operational conditions. This paper proposes and empirical degradation model and discusses experimental results for an accelerated aging test performed on a set of identical capacitors subjected to electrical stress. The data forms the basis for developing the Kalman-filter based remaining life prediction algorithm.

RESEARCH OF CLASSIFICATION FEATURES OF THE FINANCIAL CONTROL

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Knarik K. Arabyan

2013-01-01

Full Text Available One of the major problems is an improvement of classification features in the financial control theory. There is not a consensus concerning the form classification and the methods of financial control. This factor hinders the development of methodology and investigation of other issues of the financial control theory. The author summarizes scientists’ approaches to studying the classification features of financial control in the article.

A Model-Based Prognostics Methodology For Electrolytic Capacitors Based On Electrical Overstress Accelerated Aging

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A remaining useful life prediction methodology for electrolytic capacitors is presented. This methodology is based on the Kalman filter framework and an empirical...

A Model-based Prognostics Methodology for Electrolytic Capacitors Based on Electrical Overstress Accelerated Aging

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A remaining useful life prediction methodology for elec- trolytic capacitors is presented. This methodology is based on the Kalman filter framework and an empirical...

Methodology of aging management in structures, systems and components of a nuclear power plant and its application to a pilot program in Laguna Verde

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarvio C, G.; Fernandez S, G.

2009-10-01

From its origin the nuclear power plants confront the effects of time and of environment, giving as result the aging of its structures, systems and components. In this document the general process is described for the establishment of Aging Management Program developed by IAEA. Following the program methodology is guaranteed that a nuclear power plant manages the aging effects appropriately and to make decisions for its solution, assuring the characteristic functions of structures, systems and components of same nuclear power plant. On the other hand, the implantation of an aging management program constitutes the base for development of a licence renovation program, like it can be the specific case of the Central Laguna Verde Units 1 and 2. (Author)

Application of methodological approach to selection of sportswomen to calisthenics teams for group exercises, considering compatibility factor

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O.S. Kozhanova

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Purpose: motivation of methodological approach to selection of sportswomen to calisthenics teams for group exercises considering compatibility factor. Material: in the research 40 high qualification sportswomen of 17-23 yrs age with sport experience of 11-16 years participated. With cluster analysis 10 gymnasts with morphological indicators, meeting modern standards of group exercises were selected. Results: we found 5 generalized factors, which characterize structure of selection to teams and determines 72% of dispersion. Influence of kinds and connected with them criteria of compatibility on efficiency of gymnasts’ competition functioning were also determined. The authors substantiated methodological approach to selection of sportswomen to calisthenics teams for group exercises, considering compatibility factor. Conclusions: in selection to calisthenics teams for group exercises it is purposeful to realize complex registration of compatibility kinds, considering gymnasts’ similar features by recommended indicators.

A new methodology for fault detection in rolling element bearings using singular spectrum analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bugharbee Hussein Al

2018-01-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes a vibration-based methodology for fault detection in rolling element bearings, which is based on pure data analysis via singular spectrum method. The method suggests building a baseline space from feature vectors made of the signals measured in the healthy/baseline bearing condition. The feature vectors are made using the Euclidean norms of the first three PC’s found for the signals measured. Then, the lagged version of any new signal corresponding to a new (possibly faulty condition is projected onto this baseline feature space in order to assess its similarity to the baseline condition. The category of a new signal vector is determined based on the Mahalanobis distance (MD of its feature vector to the baseline space. A validation of the methodology is suggested based on the results from an experimental test rig. The results obtained confirm the effective performance of the suggested methodology. It is made of simple steps and is easy to apply with a perspective to make it automatic and suitable for commercial applications.

Major aging-associated RNA expressions change at two distinct age-positions

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Gheorghe, M.; Snoeck, M.; Emmerich, M.; Back, T.; Goeman, J.J.; Raz, V.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Genome-wide expression profiles are altered during biological aging and can describe molecular regulation of tissue degeneration. Age-regulated mRNA expression trends from cross-sectional studies could describe how aging progresses. We developed a novel statistical methodology to

Carotid plaque age is a feature of plaque stability inversely related to levels of plasma insulin.

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Sara Hägg

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The stability of atherosclerotic plaques determines the risk for rupture, which may lead to thrombus formation and potentially severe clinical complications such as myocardial infarction and stroke. Although the rate of plaque formation may be important for plaque stability, this process is not well understood. We took advantage of the atmospheric (14C-declination curve (a result of the atomic bomb tests in the 1950s and 1960s to determine the average biological age of carotid plaques. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDING: The cores of carotid plaques were dissected from 29 well-characterized, symptomatic patients with carotid stenosis and analyzed for (14C content by accelerator mass spectrometry. The average plaque age (i.e. formation time was 9.6±3.3 years. All but two plaques had formed within 5-15 years before surgery. Plaque age was not associated with the chronological ages of the patients but was inversely related to plasma insulin levels (p = 0.0014. Most plaques were echo-lucent rather than echo-rich (2.24±0.97, range 1-5. However, plaques in the lowest tercile of plaque age (most recently formed were characterized by further instability with a higher content of lipids and macrophages (67.8±12.4 vs. 50.4±6.2, p = 0.00005; 57.6±26.1 vs. 39.8±25.7, p<0.0005, respectively, less collagen (45.3±6.1 vs. 51.1±9.8, p<0.05, and fewer smooth muscle cells (130±31 vs. 141±21, p<0.05 than plaques in the highest tercile. Microarray analysis of plaques in the lowest tercile also showed increased activity of genes involved in immune responses and oxidative phosphorylation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results show, for the first time, that plaque age, as judge by relative incorporation of (14C, can improve our understanding of carotid plaque stability and therefore risk for clinical complications. Our results also suggest that levels of plasma insulin might be involved in determining carotid plaque age.

Feature extraction through parallel Probabilistic Principal Component Analysis for heart disease diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Shah, Syed Muhammad Saqlain; Batool, Safeera; Khan, Imran; Ashraf, Muhammad Usman; Abbas, Syed Hussnain; Hussain, Syed Adnan

2017-09-01

Automatic diagnosis of human diseases are mostly achieved through decision support systems. The performance of these systems is mainly dependent on the selection of the most relevant features. This becomes harder when the dataset contains missing values for the different features. Probabilistic Principal Component Analysis (PPCA) has reputation to deal with the problem of missing values of attributes. This research presents a methodology which uses the results of medical tests as input, extracts a reduced dimensional feature subset and provides diagnosis of heart disease. The proposed methodology extracts high impact features in new projection by using Probabilistic Principal Component Analysis (PPCA). PPCA extracts projection vectors which contribute in highest covariance and these projection vectors are used to reduce feature dimension. The selection of projection vectors is done through Parallel Analysis (PA). The feature subset with the reduced dimension is provided to radial basis function (RBF) kernel based Support Vector Machines (SVM). The RBF based SVM serves the purpose of classification into two categories i.e., Heart Patient (HP) and Normal Subject (NS). The proposed methodology is evaluated through accuracy, specificity and sensitivity over the three datasets of UCI i.e., Cleveland, Switzerland and Hungarian. The statistical results achieved through the proposed technique are presented in comparison to the existing research showing its impact. The proposed technique achieved an accuracy of 82.18%, 85.82% and 91.30% for Cleveland, Hungarian and Switzerland dataset respectively.

Odor valence linearly modulates attractiveness, but not age assessment, of invariant facial features in a memory-based rating task.

Science.gov (United States)

Seubert, Janina; Gregory, Kristen M; Chamberland, Jessica; Dessirier, Jean-Marc; Lundström, Johan N

2014-01-01

Scented cosmetic products are used across cultures as a way to favorably influence one's appearance. While crossmodal effects of odor valence on perceived attractiveness of facial features have been demonstrated experimentally, it is unknown whether they represent a phenomenon specific to affective processing. In this experiment, we presented odors in the context of a face battery with systematic feature manipulations during a speeded response task. Modulatory effects of linear increases of odor valence were investigated by juxtaposing subsequent memory-based ratings tasks--one predominantly affective (attractiveness) and a second, cognitive (age). The linear modulation pattern observed for attractiveness was consistent with additive effects of face and odor appraisal. Effects of odor valence on age perception were not linearly modulated and may be the result of cognitive interference. Affective and cognitive processing of faces thus appear to differ in their susceptibility to modulation by odors, likely as a result of privileged access of olfactory stimuli to affective brain networks. These results are critically discussed with respect to potential biases introduced by the preceding speeded response task.

Corporate governance and audit features: SMEs evidence

OpenAIRE

Al-Najjar, Basil

2018-01-01

Purpose\\ud The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of corporate governance factors on audit features, namely, audit fees and the selection of Big 4 audit firms within the UK SMEs context.\\ud \\ud Design/methodology/approach\\ud The author uses different regression models to investigate the impact of corporate governance characteristics on audit features, and employs cross-sectional time series models as well as two-stage least squares technique. In addition, the author has used l...

Comparative Study of Features of Social Intelligence and Speech Behavior of Children of Primary School Age with Impaired Mental Function

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Shcherban D.

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The article discusses the concept of social intelligence and its characteristics in children of primary school age with impaired mental functions. The concept and main features, including speech, are discussed, delays of mental development, the importance of detained development for social intelligence and speech behavior are also considered. Also, the concept of speech behavior is analyzed, the author defines the phenomenon, describes its specific features, which are distinguish its structure, and consist of six components: verbal, emotional, motivational, ethical (moral, prognostic, semantic (cognitive. Particular attention is paid to the position of social intelligence in the structure of speech behavior of children of primary school age with a impaired mental functions. Indicators of social intelligence were analyzed from the point of view of speech behavior of children with different rates of mental development and compared with its components at a qualitative level. The study used both author's and well-known techniques.

Characteristic sonographic and follow up features of thyroid nodules according to children age groups

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nam, Bo Da; Chang, Yun Woo; Hong, Seong Sook; Hwang, Ji Young; Lim, Hyun Kyung; Lee, Jeong Ho; Lee, Dong Hwan

2016-01-01

We analyzed the spectrum and the significance of pediatric thyroid nodules depicted on sonography and evaluated the follow-up change according to the age group. We retrospectively reviewed the sonographic features of 82 nodules in 69 patients (6.6%) among 1282 children less than 13 years of age without a palpable lesion, from January 2006 to January 2013. Patients were divided into three age groups; infants, preschoolers, and schoolers. Thyroid nodules were evaluated according to their sonographic characteristics (simple cyst, colloid cyst, solid mass, or intrathyroid thymus) and the changes detected at follow-up (disappearance, decrease in size, no change or increase in size) were reported. There was a significant difference in the nodule patterns among the age groups (p < 0.001). The nodules in infants included a simple cyst (n = 12), a solid mass (n = 12), or an intra-thyroid thymus (n = 9). The preschoolers had a simple cyst (n = 11), a colloid cyst (n = 5), a solid mass (n = 3) or an intra-thyroid thymus (n = 5). However, the schoolers had a simple cyst (n = 2), a colloid cyst (n = 18), and a solid mass (n = 5), but there was no case of intra-thyroid thymus. Follow-up of 38 cases revealed significant differences among the age groups (p = 0.018). The nodules in infants showed findings such as disappearance of nodules (n = 9) and no change (n = 10) on follow-up sonography. In preschoolers, the nodules had disappeared (n = 2), decreased in size (n = 1), and showed no change (n = 11). However, the nodules in schoolers were found to be decreased in size (n = 1), show no change (n = 2), and increased in size (n = 2). The proven pathologic finding was benign in four patients. There were significant differences in the prevalence and the interval change of thyroid nodules among infants, preschoolers, and schoolers. A large series of intrathyroid thymus was seen in infants and preschoolers, and masses did not increase in size in these age groups. The frequency of a

BIOLOGICAL FEATURES OF TARAN (RUTILUS HECKELII OF THE DNIEPER-BUG ESTUARY SYSTEM

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K. Geina

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Purpose. To analyze morphological variability and basic biological features of the modern stock of taran of the Dnieper-Bug estuary system in the conditions of the transformed Dnieper flow. Methodology. Morphological variability was determined based on the comparison of morphological features of roach Rutilus rutilus (Linnaeus, 1758 of the Kakhovka reservoir and semi-migratory taran Rutilus rutilus heckelii (Nordmann, 1840 of the Dnieper-Bug estuary system. As a main criterion of the evaluation of the taran stock biological state, we used age, sex structure, growth characteristics, fecundity and condition factor. Fish sampling was carried out at stationary monitoring-observation stations of the Institute of Fisheries NAAS of Ukraine. Field and cameral processing of the collected materials were performed based on conventional methods and guidelines. Findings. Morphological variability analysis demonstrated significant differences between Dnieper and Bug taran. The highest differences were observed for antroventral distance (td=11.19. Significant differences were also observed for antenanal and ventroanal distances td=4.05-4.14. No significant differences were found for meristic features. There were also significant differences between Dnieper-Bug taran and Kakhovka reservoir roach, which had formed a resident form after regulating the Dnieper River flow. Kakhovka reservoir roach is more deep-bodied with Н=32.79%, t-test value was 5.65. Pelvic fins were more shifted to the caudal fin (td=5.28 that resulted in significant difference (p<0.05 in ventroanal distance (td=4.26. Taran also had somewhat smaller length of the anal fin base (td=4.73 but its height was higher – td=5.78. The main peculiarity of the current biological state of taran stock is the domination of young age groups. The small number of fish in the boundary groups of the age series right wing with relative stability of growth features indicate on intensive pressure on the

The influence of age and gender on motor and non-motor features of early Parkinson's disease: initial findings from the Oxford Parkinson Disease Center (OPDC) discovery cohort.

Science.gov (United States)

Szewczyk-Krolikowski, Konrad; Tomlinson, Paul; Nithi, Kannan; Wade-Martins, Richard; Talbot, Kevin; Ben-Shlomo, Yoav; Hu, Michele T M

2014-01-01

Identifying factors influencing phenotypic heterogeneity in Parkinson's Disease is crucial for understanding variability in disease severity and progression. Age and gender are two most basic epidemiological characteristics, yet their effect on expression of PD symptoms is not fully defined. We aimed to delineate effects of age and gender on the phenotype in an incident cohort of PD patients and healthy controls from the Oxford Parkinson Disease Centre (OPDC). Clinical features, including demographic and medical characteristics and non-motor and motor symptoms, were analyzed in a group of PD patients within 3 years of diagnosis and a group of healthy controls from the OPDC cohort. Disease features were stratified according to age and compared between genders, controlling for effects of common covariates. 490 PD patients and 176 healthy controls were analyzed. Stratification by age showed increased disease severity with age on motor scales. Some non-motor features showed similar trend, including cognition and autonomic features. Comparison across genders highlighted a pattern of increased severity and greater symptom symmetricality in the face, neck and arms in men with women having more postural problems. Amongst the non-motor symptoms, men had more cognitive impairment, greater rate of REM behavior disorder (RBD), more orthostatic hypotension and sexual dysfunction. Age in PD is a strong factor contributing to disease severity even after controlling for the effect of disease duration. Gender-related motor phenotype can be defined by a vertical split into more symmetrical upper-body disease in men and disease dominated by postural symptoms in women. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

METHODOLOGICAL ELEMENTS OF SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS

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Tetyana KOVALCHUK

2016-07-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the investigation of theoretical and methodological principles of situational analysis. The necessity of situational analysis is proved in modern conditions. The notion “situational analysis” is determined. We have concluded that situational analysis is a continuous system study which purpose is to identify dangerous situation signs, to evaluate comprehensively such signs influenced by a system of objective and subjective factors, to search for motivated targeted actions used to eliminate adverse effects of the exposure of the system to the situation now and in the future and to develop the managerial actions needed to bring the system back to norm. It is developed a methodological approach to the situational analysis, its goal is substantiated, proved the expediency of diagnostic, evaluative and searching functions in the process of situational analysis. The basic methodological elements of the situational analysis are grounded. The substantiation of the principal methodological elements of system analysis will enable the analyst to develop adaptive methods able to take into account the peculiar features of a unique object which is a situation that has emerged in a complex system, to diagnose such situation and subject it to system and in-depth analysis, to identify risks opportunities, to make timely management decisions as required by a particular period.

Design methodology of Dutch banknotes

Science.gov (United States)

de Heij, Hans A. M.

2000-04-01

Since the introduction of a design methodology for Dutch banknotes, the quality of Dutch paper currency has improved in more than one way. The methodology is question provides for (i) a design policy, which helps fix clear objectives; (ii) design management, to ensure a smooth cooperation between the graphic designer, printer, papermaker an central bank, (iii) a program of requirements, a banknote development guideline for all parties involved. This systematic approach enables an objective selection of design proposals, including security features. Furthermore, the project manager obtains regular feedback from the public by conducting market surveys. Each new design of a Netherlands Guilder banknote issued by the Nederlandsche Bank of the past 50 years has been an improvement on its predecessor in terms of value recognition, security and durability.

Features of Social Status Perception in the Youth and Student Community

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fedotova S.V.,

2015-10-01

Full Text Available The article presents socio-psychological analysis of the phenomenon of social status, which is not seen as a sociological category, but as a component of the image of the object of learning. The author hypothesized that social status defined by another person depends on a number of the social object indicators (gender, age and socio-demographic criteria and the characteristics of the subject of learning (gender, age, job, self-evaluations on various parameters. The study involved 141 people (83 female, 58 male, aged 18 to 30 years, mean=23. Methodological tools were the method of questionnaires and interviews with stimulus material. The author identified the components of the social status phenomenon and characteristics of the object and the subject of learning that are important for determining the position of the individual in society. Features of the social status assessment in the original perception were determined. The obtained data can be used in the educational process for determining group structure in the students of higher educational institutions, high-status and low-status members, as well as for understanding the value structures and important components in the social life of young people

The Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study: methodological developments and current tensions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Roberts, Chris; Freeman, John; Samdal, Oddrun

2009-01-01

OBJECTIVES: To describe the methodological development of the HBSC survey since its inception and explore methodological tensions that need to be addressed in the ongoing work on this and other large-scale cross-national surveys. METHODS: Using archival data and conversations with members...... of the network, we collaboratively analysed our joint understandings of the survey's methodology. RESULTS: We identified four tensions that are likely to be present in upcoming survey cycles: (1) maintaining quality standards against a background of rapid growth, (2) continuous improvement with limited financial...... in working through such challenges renders it likely that HBSC can provide a model of other similar studies facing these tensions....

Applications of physiological bases of ageing to forensic sciences. Estimation of age-at-death.

Science.gov (United States)

C Zapico, Sara; Ubelaker, Douglas H

2013-03-01

Age-at-death estimation is one of the main challenges in forensic sciences since it contributes to the identification of individuals. There are many anthropological techniques to estimate the age at death in children and adults. However, in adults this methodology is less accurate and requires population specific references. For that reason, new methodologies have been developed. Biochemical methods are based on the natural process of ageing, which induces different biochemical changes that lead to alterations in cells and tissues. In this review, we describe different attempts to estimate the age in adults based on these changes. Chemical approaches imply modifications in molecules or accumulation of some products. Molecular biology approaches analyze the modifications in DNA and chromosomes. Although the most accurate technique appears to be aspartic acid racemization, it is important to take into account the other techniques because the forensic context and the human remains available will determine the possibility to apply one or another methodology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A robust methodology for kinetic model parameter estimation for biocatalytic reactions

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Al-Haque, Naweed; Andrade Santacoloma, Paloma de Gracia; Lima Afonso Neto, Watson

2012-01-01

lead to globally optimized parameter values. In this article, a robust methodology to estimate parameters for biocatalytic reaction kinetic expressions is proposed. The methodology determines the parameters in a systematic manner by exploiting the best features of several of the current approaches...... parameters, which are strongly correlated with each other. State-of-the-art methodologies such as nonlinear regression (using progress curves) or graphical analysis (using initial rate data, for example, the Lineweaver-Burke plot, Hanes plot or Dixon plot) often incorporate errors in the estimates and rarely...

Age features of myocardial remodeling in men with ischemic chronic heart failure and renal dysfunction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. A. Lashkul

2014-04-01

Full Text Available In recent years, medicine has faced the problem of "dual epidemic" of heart and kidney failure. Regardless of the degree of heart failure, chronic kidney disease increases the risk of death and cardiac decompensation. Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH is a well known option of cardiac remodeling and it has higher prevalence among people with impaired renal function. Types of myocardial remodeling identify mortality risk of patients with cardiovascular complications. We know that gender and age are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. However, in most studies structural remodeling of the myocardium was analyzed without sex and age characteristics. The aim of research is to study the age features of the formation of different types of myocardial remodeling in men with ischemic chronic heart failure and renal dysfunction. Materials and methods. To investigate the age characteristics of cardiac remodeling in men with ischemic chronic heart failure and renal dysfunction structural and functional remodeling of left ventricular myocardium was studied in 277 men (mean age 58,1±9,3 years using Doppler echocardiography. Depending on the glomerular filtration rate, patients were divided into 3 groups: 58 with normal GFR (>90 ml/min/1.73m2, 182 with a slight decrease in GFR (60-90 ml/min/1.73m2 and 37 with moderately reduced GFR (<60 ml/min/1.73m2. Echocardiography was performed using the General Electric VIVID 3 system (General Electric Healthcare, USA with the 2.5–3.5 MHz transducer and Doppler technique. Descriptive statistics are presented as mean±standard deviation for continuous variables and as percentages for categorical variables. Depending on the distribution of the analyzed parameters unpaired Student's t-test or U-Mann-Whitney test were used. Comparisons among all groups for baseline clinical variables were performed with the Pearson χ2 or Fisher exact test for categorical variables. Differences were considered reliable for

Average System Cost Methodology : Administrator's Record of Decision.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

United States. Bonneville Power Administration.

1984-06-01

Significant features of average system cost (ASC) methodology adopted are: retention of the jurisdictional approach where retail rate orders of regulartory agencies provide primary data for computing the ASC for utilities participating in the residential exchange; inclusion of transmission costs; exclusion of construction work in progress; use of a utility's weighted cost of debt securities; exclusion of income taxes; simplification of separation procedures for subsidized generation and transmission accounts from other accounts; clarification of ASC methodology rules; more generous review timetable for individual filings; phase-in of reformed methodology; and each exchanging utility must file under the new methodology within 20 days of implementation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission of the ten major participating utilities, the revised ASC will substantially only affect three. (PSB)

State of the art in HGPT (Heuristically Based Generalized Perturbation) methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gandini, A.

1993-01-01

A distinctive feature of heuristically based generalized perturbation theory (HGPT) methodology consists in the systematic use of importance conservation concepts. As well known, this use leads to fundamental reciprocity relationships from which perturbation, or sensitivity, expressions can be derived. The state of the art of the HGPT methodology is here illustrated. The application to a number of specific nonlinear fields of interest is commented. (author)

Probabilistic Rule Generator: A new methodology of variable-valued logic synthesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, W.D.; Ray, S.R.

1986-01-01

A new methodology to synthesize variable-valued logic formulas from training data events is presented. Probablistic Rule Generator (PRG) employs not only information-theoretic entropy as a heuristic to capture a path expression but also multiple-valued logic to expand a captured complex. PRG is efficient for capturing major clusters in the event space, and is more general than previous methodologies in providing probabilistic features

Methodological pluralism and structure of sociological theory

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. L. Polyakova

2015-01-01

Full Text Available In the paper the historical-sociological analysis is used as a means to show the differences between theoretical and empirical sociology. There exist several, basic traditions in theoretical sociology. The investigation of their competing theoretical and methodological principles carried out in the paper; identify some fundamental features of sociological theory as a whole.

Psychohygienic estimation of features of the formation of properties of character of pupils aged 14-17 years in the dynamics of learning at modern schools

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serheta I.V.

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of scientific work was psychohygienic estimation of features of the formation of properties of character of pupils aged 14-17 years old in the dynamics of learning at modern schools. The studies were conducted on the basis of secondary schools in the city of Vinnitsya. Evaluation of the formation of properties of character was carried out using a personality questionnaire Mini-mult. It was determined that in the structure of personal profile of properties of character in girls aged 14-17 years during the period of study at school predominance of characterologic features according to schizoid scales (Se and pscychasthenia (Pt (block 1 of characterologic features, hypochondria (Hs and depression (D (block 2 of characterologic features, hypomania (Ma and hysteria (Hy (block 3 of characterologic features is registered. In the structure of personal profile of properties of character of boys of 14-17 years during the period of study at school predominance of characterologic properties according to psychasthenia (Pt and schizoid (Se (block 1 of characterologic features, hypochondria (Hs and depression (D (block 2, paranoid (Pa and hypomania (Ma (block 3 is registered. The results suggest the need to consider the properties of character of schoolchildren in development of health-saving technologies, sanitation measures and psychohygienic effect on the pupils’ organism.

Identification of Nigerian English idioms: A methodological perspective

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The task becomes more challenging when the feature of interest involves figurative meaning such as idioms and idiomatic expressions. In a recently completed project that sought to examine idioms in Nigerian English, questions and issues about methodology were raised. Among these were the questions of how idioms in ...

THE ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY PDCA/PDSA – A METHODOLOGY FOR COORDINATING THE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Raluca POPESCU

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In the paper “The Assessment Methodology PDCA/PDSA – A Methodology for Coordinating the Efforts to Improve the Organizational Processes to Achieve Excellence” the authors present the basic features of the assessment methodology PDCA/PDSA that is designed to coordinate the efforts to improve the organizational processes in order to achieve excellence. In the first part of the paper (the introduction of the paper, the authors present the general background concerning the performance of management business processes and the importance of achieving excellence and furthermore correctly assessing/evaluating it. In the second part of the paper (the assessment methodology PDCA/PDSA – as a methodology for coordinating the efforts to improve the organizational processes to achieve excellence, the authors describe the characteristics of the assessment methodology PDCA/PDSA from a theoretical point of view. We can say that in the current state of global economy, the global performance includes the economic, social and environmental issues, while, effectiveness and efficiency acquire new dimensions, both quantitative and qualitative. Performance needs to adopt a more holistic view of the interdependence of internal and external parameters, quantitative and qualitative, technical and human, physical and financial management of, thus leading to what we call today overall performance.

Unattended Monitoring System Design Methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Drayer, D.D.; DeLand, S.M.; Harmon, C.D.; Matter, J.C.; Martinez, R.L.; Smith, J.D.

1999-01-01

A methodology for designing Unattended Monitoring Systems starting at a systems level has been developed at Sandia National Laboratories. This proven methodology provides a template that describes the process for selecting and applying appropriate technologies to meet unattended system requirements, as well as providing a framework for development of both training courses and workshops associated with unattended monitoring. The design and implementation of unattended monitoring systems is generally intended to respond to some form of policy based requirements resulting from international agreements or domestic regulations. Once the monitoring requirements are established, a review of the associated process and its related facilities enables identification of strategic monitoring locations and development of a conceptual system design. The detailed design effort results in the definition of detection components as well as the supporting communications network and data management scheme. The data analyses then enables a coherent display of the knowledge generated during the monitoring effort. The resultant knowledge is then compared to the original system objectives to ensure that the design adequately addresses the fundamental principles stated in the policy agreements. Implementation of this design methodology will ensure that comprehensive unattended monitoring system designs provide appropriate answers to those critical questions imposed by specific agreements or regulations. This paper describes the main features of the methodology and discusses how it can be applied in real world situations

The association between peer, parental influence and tobacco product features and earlier age of onset of regular smoking among adults in 27 European countries.

Science.gov (United States)

Filippidis, Filippos T; Agaku, Israel T; Vardavas, Constantine I

2015-10-01

Factors that influence smoking initiation and age of smoking onset are important considerations in tobacco control. We evaluated European Union (EU)-wide differences in the age of onset of regular smoking, and the potential role of peer, parental and tobacco product design features on the earlier onset of regular smoking among adults influenced their decision to start smoking, including peer influence, parental influence and features of tobacco products. Multi-variable logistic regression, adjusted for age; geographic region; education; difficulty to pay bills; and gender, was used to assess the role of the various pro-tobacco influences on early onset of regular smoking (i.e. influenced by peers (OR = 1.70; 95%CI 1.30-2.20) or parents (OR = 1.60; 95%CI 1.21-2.12) were more likely to have started smoking regularly <18 years old. No significant association between design and marketing features of tobacco products and an early initiation of regular smoking was observed (OR = 1.04; 95%CI 0.83-1.31). We identified major differences in smoking initiation patterns among EU countries, which may warrant different approaches in the prevention of tobacco use. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Logic based feature detection on incore neutron spectra

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bende-Farkas, S.; Kiss, S.; Racz, A.

1992-09-01

A methodology is proposed to investigate neutron spectra in such a way which is similar to human thinking. The goal was to save experts from tedious, mechanical tasks of browsing a large amount of signals in order to recognize changes in the underlying mechanisms. The general framework for detecting features of incore neutron spectra with a rulebased methodology is presented. As an example, the meaningful peaks in the APSDs are determined. This method is a part of a wider project to develop a noise diagnostic expert system. (R.P.) 6 refs.; 6 figs.; 1 tab

Ghost Hunting as a Means to Illustrate Scientific Methodology and Enhance Critical Thinking

Science.gov (United States)

Rockwell, Steven C.

2012-01-01

The increasing popularity of television shows featuring paranormal investigations has led to a renewed enthusiasm in ghost hunting activities, and belief in the paranormal in general. These shows typically feature a group of investigators who, while claiming to utilize proper scientifically correct methodologies, violate many core scientific…

A study on the proliferation resistance evaluation methodology for nuclear energy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Min Su

2007-02-01

The framework of proliferation resistance evaluation methodology, based on attribute analysis and scenario analysis, for nuclear energy system is suggested in order to allow for the comprehensive assessment of proliferation resistance by addressing the intrinsic and extrinsic features of nuclear energy system. Proliferation resistance is viewed within the context of the success tree model of proliferator's diversion attempt and expressed by the value of top event probability of the success tree model. This study focused on the method that the value of top event is estimated. The methodology uses two different methods to quantify the likelihood of basic events constituting the top event. The likelihood of basic event success affected by intrinsic feature of nuclear energy system was assessed by using multi-attribute utility theory and likelihood of basic event related to the diversion detection measures was assessed by direct expert elicitation. The value of top event was calculated based on the intersection of probabilities of basic event success. Feasibility of the methodology was explored by applying it to selected reference nuclear energy systems. System-Integrated Modular Advanced Reactor (SMART) system and Light Water Reactor (LWR) were chosen as reference systems and the value proliferation resistance of SMART and LWR were evaluated. Characteristics of inherent features and hypothesized safeguards measures of both systems were identified and used as input data to evaluate proliferation resistance. The results and conclusions are applicable only within the context of subjectivity of this methodology

Methodology for studying of influence of fire factor on geosystems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yuriy Vasilovyth Buts

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Materials about the impact of emergency situations of the technogenic and natural character, caused by fires, on geosystems are presented. Methodological features of researches on fire factor influence on geosystem components are shown.

Novel methodology for pharmaceutical expenditure forecast

OpenAIRE

Vataire, Anne-Lise; Cetinsoy, Laurent; Aball?a, Samuel; R?muzat, C?cile; Urbinati, Duccio; Kornfeld, ?sa; Mzoughi, Olfa; Toumi, Mondher

2014-01-01

Background and objective: The value appreciation of new drugs across countries today features a disruption that is making the historical data that are used for forecasting pharmaceutical expenditure poorly reliable. Forecasting methods rarely addressed uncertainty. The objective of this project was to propose a methodology to perform pharmaceutical expenditure forecasting that integrates expected policy changes and uncertainty (developed for the European Commission as the ‘EU Pharmaceutical e...

Classification and methodical features of fitness and wellness facilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yu. I. Beliak

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Purpose : health and fitness use a large arsenal of different sports and physical activity. Development of fitness industry promotes its expansion and requires classification and methodological features that lead to the use of appropriate fitness programs. Material : more than 60 literature and video of 42 prestigious international fitness - conventions lessons were analyzed. Results : the evolution of species fitness and wellness, as well as the character used in those funds. Conclusions : as a means of improving classification attribute fitness appropriate to use their orientation, according to which they are divided into aerobic, strength exercises that promote flexibility and psychomotor coordination. The main methodological features fitness facilities are highlighted: the variety and interchangeability, clear regulation, the ability to transform, to exercise a selective effect on the body, the ability to solve a wide range of tasks, innovation.

Logic based feature detection on incore neutron spectra

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Racz, A.; Kiss, S.; Bende-Farkas, S. (Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest (Hungary). Central Research Inst. for Physics)

1993-04-01

A general framework for detecting features of incore neutron spectra with a rule-based methodology is presented. As an example, we determine the meaningful peaks in the APSD-s. This work is part of a larger project, aimed at developing a noise diagnostic expert system. (Author).

Features for Exploiting Black-Box Optimization Problem Structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tierney, Kevin; Malitsky, Yuri; Abell, Tinus

2013-01-01

landscape of BBO problems and show how an algorithm portfolio approach can exploit these general, problem indepen- dent features and outperform the utilization of any single minimization search strategy. We test our methodology on data from the GECCO Workshop on BBO Benchmarking 2012, which contains 21...

Aging evaluation methodology of periodic safety review in Korea

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Heung-Bae; Jung, Sung-Gyu; Jin, Tae-Eun; Jeong, Ill-Seok

2002-01-01

In Korea plant lifetime management (PLIM) study for Kori Unit 1 has been performed since 1993. Meanwhile, periodic safety review (PSR) for all operating nuclear power plants (NPPs) has been started with Kori Unit 1 since 2000 per IAEA recommendation. The evaluation period is 10 years, and safety (evaluation) factors are 11 per IAEA guidelines as represented in table 1. The relationship between PSR factors and PLIM is also represented. Among these factors evaluation of 'management of aging' is one of the most important and difficult factor. This factor is related to 'actual condition of the NPP', 'use of experience from other nuclear NPPs and of research findings', and 'management of aging'. The object of 'management of aging' is to obtain plant safety through identifying actual condition of system, structure and components (SSCs) and evaluating aging phenomena and residual life of SSCs using operating experience and research findings. The paper describes the scope and procedure of valuation of 'management of aging', such as, screening criteria of SSCs, Code and Standards, evaluation of SSCs and safety issues as represented. Evaluating SSCs are determined using final safety analysis report (FSAR) and power unit maintenance system for Nuclear Ver. III (PUMAS/N-III). The screening criteria of SSCs are safety-related items (quality class Q), safety-impact items (quality class T), backfitting rule items (fire protection (10CFR50.48), environmental qualification (10CFR50.49), pressurized thermal shock (10CFR50.61), anticipated transient without scram (10CFR50.62), and station blackout (10CFR50.63)) and regulating authority requiring items[1∼3]. The purpose of review of Code and Standards is identifying actual condition of the NPP and evaluating aging management using effective Code and Standards corresponding to reactor facilities. Code and Standards is composed of regulating laws, FSAR items, administrative actions, regulating actions, agreement items, and other

Probabilistic population aging

Science.gov (United States)

2017-01-01

We merge two methodologies, prospective measures of population aging and probabilistic population forecasts. We compare the speed of change and variability in forecasts of the old age dependency ratio and the prospective old age dependency ratio as well as the same comparison for the median age and the prospective median age. While conventional measures of population aging are computed on the basis of the number of years people have already lived, prospective measures are computed also taking account of the expected number of years they have left to live. Those remaining life expectancies change over time and differ from place to place. We compare the probabilistic distributions of the conventional and prospective measures using examples from China, Germany, Iran, and the United States. The changes over time and the variability of the prospective indicators are smaller than those that are observed in the conventional ones. A wide variety of new results emerge from the combination of methodologies. For example, for Germany, Iran, and the United States the likelihood that the prospective median age of the population in 2098 will be lower than it is today is close to 100 percent. PMID:28636675

Development of 3D pseudo pin-by-pin calculation methodology in ANC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, B.; Mayhue, L.; Huria, H.; Ivanov, B.

2012-01-01

Advanced cores and fuel assembly designs have been developed to improve operational flexibility, economic performance and further enhance safety features of nuclear power plants. The simulation of these new designs, along with strong heterogeneous fuel loading, have brought new challenges to the reactor physics methodologies currently employed in the industrial codes for core analyses. Control rod insertion during normal operation is one operational feature in the AP1000 R plant of Westinghouse next generation Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) design. This design improves its operational flexibility and efficiency but significantly challenges the conventional reactor physics methods, especially in pin power calculations. The mixture loading of fuel assemblies with significant neutron spectrums causes a strong interaction between different fuel assembly types that is not fully captured with the current core design codes. To overcome the weaknesses of the conventional methods, Westinghouse has developed a state-of-the-art 3D Pin-by-Pin Calculation Methodology (P3C) and successfully implemented in the Westinghouse core design code ANC. The new methodology has been qualified and licensed for pin power prediction. The 3D P3C methodology along with its application and validation will be discussed in the paper. (authors)

Revised INPRO Methodology in the Area of Proliferation Resistance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, J.H.; Lee, Y.D.; Yang, M.S.; Kim, J.K.; Haas, E.; Depisch, F.

2008-01-01

The official INPRO User Manual in the area of proliferation resistance is being processed for the evaluation of innovative nuclear energy systems. Proliferation resistance is one of the goals to be satisfied for future nuclear energy systems in INPRO. The features of currently updated and released INPRO methodology were introduced on basic principles, user requirements and indicators. The criteria for an acceptance limit were specified. The DUPIC fuel cycle was evaluated based on the updated INPRO methodology for the applicability of the INPRO User Manual. However, the INPRO methodology has some difficulty in quantifying the multiplicity and robustness as well as the total cost to improve proliferation resistance. Moreover, the integration method for the evaluation results still needs to be improved.

Age Differences in Attention Lapses Mask Age Differences in Memory Failures: A Methodological Note on Suppression

OpenAIRE

James Allan Cheyne; Jonathan S. A. Carriere; Dan eSmilek

2013-01-01

Although objective measures of memory performance typically indicate memory declines with age, self-reported memory failures often show no relation to age. In contrast, self-reported attention failures are reliably negatively correlated with age. This contrast suggests the possibility that age-related awareness and reporting of memory failures might be masked by a concurrent decrease in attention failures, which would reduce encoding failures with age and hence reduce perceived memory failure...

Facial Asymmetry-Based Age Group Estimation: Role in Recognizing Age-Separated Face Images.

Science.gov (United States)

Sajid, Muhammad; Taj, Imtiaz Ahmad; Bajwa, Usama Ijaz; Ratyal, Naeem Iqbal

2018-04-23

Face recognition aims to establish the identity of a person based on facial characteristics. On the other hand, age group estimation is the automatic calculation of an individual's age range based on facial features. Recognizing age-separated face images is still a challenging research problem due to complex aging processes involving different types of facial tissues, skin, fat, muscles, and bones. Certain holistic and local facial features are used to recognize age-separated face images. However, most of the existing methods recognize face images without incorporating the knowledge learned from age group estimation. In this paper, we propose an age-assisted face recognition approach to handle aging variations. Inspired by the observation that facial asymmetry is an age-dependent intrinsic facial feature, we first use asymmetric facial dimensions to estimate the age group of a given face image. Deeply learned asymmetric facial features are then extracted for face recognition using a deep convolutional neural network (dCNN). Finally, we integrate the knowledge learned from the age group estimation into the face recognition algorithm using the same dCNN. This integration results in a significant improvement in the overall performance compared to using the face recognition algorithm alone. The experimental results on two large facial aging datasets, the MORPH and FERET sets, show that the proposed age group estimation based on the face recognition approach yields superior performance compared to some existing state-of-the-art methods. © 2018 American Academy of Forensic Sciences.

Westinghouse loading pattern search methodology for complex core designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chao, Y.A.; Alsop, B.H.; Johansen, B.J.; Morita, T.

1991-01-01

Pressurized water reactor core designs have become more complex and must meet a plethora of design constraints. Trends have been toward longer cycles with increased discharge burnup, increased burnable absorber (BA) number, mixed BA types, reduced radial leakage, axially blanketed fuel, and multiple-batch feed fuel regions. Obtaining economical reload core loading patterns (LPs) that meet design criteria is a difficult task to do manually. Automated LP search tools are needed. An LP search tool cannot possibly perform an exhaustive search because of the sheer size of the combinatorial problem. On the other hand, evolving complexity of the design features and constraints often invalidates expert rules based on past design experiences. Westinghouse has developed a sophisticated loading pattern search methodology. This methodology is embodied in the LPOP code, which Westinghouse nuclear designers use extensively. The LPOP code generates a variety of LPs meeting design constraints and performs a two-cycle economic evaluation of the generated LPs. The designer selects the most appropriate patterns for fine tuning and evaluation by the design codes. This paper describes the major features of the LPOP methodology that are relevant to fulfilling the aforementioned requirements. Data and examples are also provided to demonstrate the performance of LPOP in meeting the complex design needs

Longitudinal Study of Sensory Features in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucia Perez Repetto

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background. Between 45 and 95% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD present sensory features that affect their daily functioning. However, the data in the scientific literature are not conclusive regarding the evolution of sensory features in children with ASD. The main objective of this study was to analyze the sensory features of children within the age of 3-4 (T1 when they received their ASD diagnosis and two years later (T2 when they started school. Methods. We conducted a prospective cohort study to assess sensory features in 34 children with ASD over time. The data were collected using a standardized assessment tool, the Sensory Profile. Results. Our analyses show that sensory features in children with ASD are stable from the age of three to six years. The stability of sensory scores is independent of correction by covariates, such as cognitive level and autism severity scores. Conclusions. Children with ASD have sensory features that persist from the time of diagnosis at the age of 3 to 4 years to school age. This persistence of sensory features from an early age underscores the need to support these children and their parents. Sensory features should be detected early and managed to improve functional and psychosocial outcomes.

Fusion of Multimodal Biometrics using Feature and Score Level Fusion

OpenAIRE

Mohana Prakash, S.; Betty, P.; Sivanarulselvan, K.

2016-01-01

Biometrics is used to uniquely identify a person‘s individual based on physical and behavioural characteristics. Unimodal biometric system contains various problems such as degree of freedom, spoof attacks, non-universality, noisy data and error rates. Multimodal biometrics is introduced to overcome the limitations in Unimodal biometrics. The presented methodology extracts the features of four biometric traits such as fingerprint, palm, iris and retina. Then extracted features are fused in th...

AVISE, ageing anticipation methodology using expert judgement and stimulation. Application to a nuclear power plant component: the pressurizer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bouzaiene-Marle, L.

2005-04-01

This thesis deals with components ageing anticipation in the context of life cycle management. The proposed approach, called AVISE, allows the identification of potentials problems related to ageing, to measure the risks in terms of degradation probability and degradation consequences and gives the adequate solutions to stop or to postpone ageing. This research was undertaken in a particular industrial context, the nuclear industry. Equipments used in this context are specific and particularly reliable. These characteristics result in limited feedback (low number of failures). To compensate for this limited information, two solutions are proposed in this approach. The first solution that we can consider as a classical one consists in using expert judgement. The second one, more original, consists in using the operation feedback of 'similar' components. In order to apply these solutions and to obtain the anticipation results, a set of methodological tools was developed and tested in a real industrial application on a nuclear power plant component: the pressurizer. The first tool is a generic process for expert judgement, identified thanks to a comparison between eleven existing methods using expert judgement. Two methods based on expert stimulation and called STIMEX-IMDP and STIMEX-IPP were elaborated. A reference list of degradation mechanisms and a reference list of ageing effects were constructed and used in the method STIMEX-IMDP in order to help expert stimulation. Then, the developed approach proposes the use of belief networks to model and quantify the risks related to the potential degradations. Finally, the construction of a conceptual data model and specifications are given for the creation of an ageing database. The data to capitalize was identified on the basis of the research undertaken in this thesis. (author)

Predicting borderline personality disorder features from personality traits, identity orientation, and attachment styles in Italian nonclinical adults: issues of consistency across age ranges.

Science.gov (United States)

Fossati, Andrea; Borroni, Serena; Feeney, Judith; Maffei, Cesare

2012-04-01

The aims of this study were to assess whether Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) features could be predicted by Big Five traits, impulsivity, identity orientation, and adult attachment patterns in a sample of 1,192 adult nonclinical participants, and to evaluate the consistency of these regression models across four age groups (49 years, and >50 years, respectively). In the full sample, measures of neuroticism (N), impulsivity, and anxious insecure attachment were substantial predictors of BPD features (adjusted R(2) = .38, p personality traits and disturbed attachment patterns.

Short term memory for single surface features and bindings in ageing: A replication study.

Science.gov (United States)

Isella, Valeria; Molteni, Federica; Mapelli, Cristina; Ferrarese, Carlo

2015-06-01

In the present study we replicated a previous experiment investigating visuo-spatial short term memory binding in young and older healthy individuals, in the attempt to verify the pattern of impairment that can be observed in normal elderly for short term memory for single items vs short term memory for bindings. Assessing a larger sample size (25 young and 25 older subjects), using a more appropriate measure of accuracy for a change detection task (A'), and adding the evaluation of speed of performance, we confirmed that old normals show a decline in short term memory for bindings of shape and colour that is of comparable extent, and not major, to the decline in memory for single shapes and single colours. The absence of a specific deficit of short term memory for conjunctions of surface features seems to distinguish cognitive ageing from Alzheimer's Disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

THE ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGIES PTELR, ADRI AND CAE – THREE METHODOLOGIES FOR COORDINATING THE EFFORTS TO IMPROVE THE ORGANIZATIONAL PROCESSES TO ACHIEVE EXCELLENCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cristina Raluca POPESCU

2015-07-01

Full Text Available In the paper “The Assessment Methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE – Three Methodologies for Coordinating the Efforts to Improve the Organizational Processes to Achieve Excellence” the authors present the basic features of the assessment methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE that are designed to coordinate the efforts to improve the organizational processes in order to achieve excellence. In the first part of the paper (the introduction of the paper, the authors present the general background concerning the performance of management business processes and the importance of achieving excellence and furthermore correctly assessing/evaluating it. Aspects such as quality, quality control, quality assurance, performance and excellence are brought into discussion in the context generated by globalization, new technologies and new business models. Moreover, aspects regarding the methods employed to ensure the quality, maintaining it and continuous improvements, as well as total quality management, are also main pillars of this current research. In the content of the paper (the assessment methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE – as methodologies for coordinating the efforts to improve the organizational processes to achieve excellence, the authors describe the characteristics of the assessment methodologies PTELR, ADRI and CAE from a theoretical point of view.

CO-REGISTRATION OF PHOTOGRAMMETRIC AND LIDAR DATA: METHODOLOGY AND CASE STUDY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mwafag Ghanma

2004-07-01

Full Text Available Registration activities combine data from different sources in order to attain higher accuracy and derive more information than available from one source. The increasing availability of a wide variety of sensors capable of capturing high quality and complementary data requires parallel efforts for developing accurate and robust registration techniques. Currently, photogrammetric and LIDAR systems are being incorporated in a wide spectrum of mapping applica¬tions such as city modeling, surface reconstruction, and object recognition. Photogrammetric processing of overlapping imagery provides accurate information regarding object space break-lines in addition to an explicit semantic description of the photographed objects. On the other hand, LIDAR systems supply dense geometric surface information in the form of non-selective points. Considering the properties of photogrammetric and LIDAR data, it is clear that the two technologies provide complementary information. However, the synergic characteristics of both systems can be fully utilized only after successful registration of the photogrammetric and LIDAR data relative to a common reference frame. The registration methodology has to deal with three issues: registration primitives, transformation function, and similarity measure. This paper presents two methodologies for utilizing straight-line features derived from both datasets as the registration primitives. The first methodology directly incorporates the LIDAR lines as control information in the photogrammetric triangulation. The second methodology starts by generating a photogrammetric model relative to an arbitrary datum. Then, LIDAR features are used as control information for the absolute orientation of the photogram¬metric model. In addition to the registration methodologies, the paper presents a comparative analysis between two approaches for extracting linear features from raw and processed/interpolated LIDAR data. Also, a comparative

Multicriteria methodology for decision aiding

CERN Document Server

Roy, Bernard

1996-01-01

This is the first comprehensive book to present, in English, the multicriteria methodology for decision aiding In the foreword the distinctive features and main ideas of the European School of MCDA are outlined The twelve chapters are essentially expository in nature, but scholarly in treatment Some questions, which are too often neglected in the literature on decision theory, such as how is a decision made, who are the actors, what is a decision aiding model, how to define the set of alternatives, are discussed Examples are used throughout the book to illustrate the various concepts Ways to model the consequences of each alternative and building criteria taking into account the inevitable imprecisions, uncertainties and indeterminations are described and illustrated The three classical operational approaches of MCDA synthesis in one criterion (including MAUT), synthesis by outranking relations, interactive local judgements, are studied This methodology tries to be a theoretical or intellectual framework dire...

Features of Chronic Bronchitis in Different Age Groups

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Galina L. Ignatova

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Lung diseases are assuming greater relevance and importance today. Chronic bronchitis is a self-nosology, which may precede the development of COPD, the importance of which can hardly be overestimated. The main problem in this disease is caused by late diagnosis and treatment due to the delay by patients in seeking medical help. The aim of the work was to study the distribution and exposure to tobacco smoke, especially chronic bronchitis, depending on various factors, including age. Methods: We examined 1779 persons, including 855 men and 924 women. The mean age of the population was 35.83±8.3 years. We conducted surveys and spirometry. The outcome was assessed after a bronchodilation test was performed with salbutamol 400 mcg. We performed all statistical analysis using software package Statistica 10. Results: We identified chronic bronchitis in 9.2% of the cases in the group of younger individuals and in 14.9% of the cases in the group of older individuals, during the active detection of chronic bronchitis using questionnaires. The prevalence of cigarette smoking was slightly higher among the younger (39.5% than the older persons (33.6%; the frequency of smoking in a group of chronic bronchitis was reliably higher. Also, in this group, the performance spirometry reliably decreased. Conclusions: Outpatient survey is an effective method of identifying chronic bronchitis. Smoking is a major risk factor in the group of young respondents and the prevalence of smoking is inversely related to the education level of the respondents, regardless of age. As the decline in the Forced Expiratory Volume (FEV1 and FEV1/FVC is the main criterion diagnosis of COPD, it revealed significant declines in the FEV1 of the younger smoking individuals, which may help to predict the development of COPD in the older age group.

Feature-based RNN target recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Bakircioglu, Hakan; Gelenbe, Erol

1998-09-01

Detection and recognition of target signatures in sensory data obtained by synthetic aperture radar (SAR), forward- looking infrared, or laser radar, have received considerable attention in the literature. In this paper, we propose a feature based target classification methodology to detect and classify targets in cluttered SAR images, that makes use of selective signature data from sensory data, together with a neural network technique which uses a set of trained networks based on the Random Neural Network (RNN) model (Gelenbe 89, 90, 91, 93) which is trained to act as a matched filter. We propose and investigate radial features of target shapes that are invariant to rotation, translation, and scale, to characterize target and clutter signatures. These features are then used to train a set of learning RNNs which can be used to detect targets within clutter with high accuracy, and to classify the targets or man-made objects from natural clutter. Experimental data from SAR imagery is used to illustrate and validate the proposed method, and to calculate Receiver Operating Characteristics which illustrate the performance of the proposed algorithm.

Clinicopathological and imaging features of breast cancer in Korean Women under 40 years of age

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jun Woo; Jang, Mi Jung; Kim, Sun Mi; Yun, Bo La; Lee, Jong Yoon; Kim, Eun Kyu; Kang, Eun Young; Park, So Yeon

2017-01-01

To evaluate the clinicopathological and imaging features of mammography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for breast cancer in Korean women under 40 years of age according to molecular subtypes. We included 183 breast cancers in 176 consecutive women under 40 years old who had been diagnosed with breast cancer between January 2012 and November 2014. The patients' clinical and pathologic records were available as electronic medical records. A retrospective review of the pre-operative imaging studies was performed with 177 mammographies, 183 ultrasonographies, and 178 MRIs. Eighty-six percent (158/183) of lesions were symptomatic, with masses (147/183) as the most common presentation. Eighty percent (22/25) of the asymptomatic lesions were diagnosed via screening ultrasonography. The luminal A subtype was the most common (n = 79, 43%), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-enriched subtype showed indistinct margins on mammography (p = 0.006), the triple negative subtype depicted a posterior enhancement on ultrasonography (p < 0.001) and rim enhancement on MRI (p < 0.001). Breast cancers in Korean women under 40 years of age are commonly presented with a palpable mass, and luminal A is the most common molecular subtype. In our study, the imaging and pathologic characteristics of breast cancer in younger women were similar to those previously reported for older patients

SAFETY ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY FOR AGED CANDU® 6 NUCLEAR REACTORS

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WOLFGANG HARTMANN

2013-10-01

Full Text Available This paper deals with the Safety Analysis for CANDU® 6 nuclear reactors as affected by main Heat Transport System (HTS aging. Operational and aging related changes of the HTS throughout its lifetime may lead to restrictions in certain safety system settings and hence some restriction in performance under certain conditions. A step in confirming safe reactor operation is the tracking of relevant data and their corresponding interpretation by the use of appropriate thermalhydraulic analytic models. Safety analyses ranging from the assessment of safety limits associated with the prevention of intermittent fuel sheath dryout for a slow Loss of Regulation (LOR analysis and fission gas release after a fuel failure are summarized. Specifically for fission gas release, the thermalhydraulic analysis for a fresh core and an 11 Effective Full Power Years (EFPY aged core was summarized, leading to the most severe stagnation break sizes for the inlet feeder break and the channel failure time. Associated coolant conditions provide the input data for fuel analyses. Based on the thermalhydraulic data, the fission product inventory under normal operating conditions may be calculated for both fresh and aged cores, and the fission gas release may be evaluated during the transient. This analysis plays a major role in determining possible radiation doses to the public after postulated accidents have occurred.

Prevalence of neurological disorders in Al Quseir, Egypt: methodological aspects

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El-Tallawy H

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Hamdy El-Tallawy,1 Wafa Farghaly,1 Nabil Metwally,2 Tarek Rageh,1 Ghaydaa A Shehata,1 Reda Badry,1 Esam El Moselhy,2 Mahmoud Hassan,2 Mohamed M Sayed,3 Ahmed A Abdelwarith,1 Y Hamed,2 I Shaaban,2 Talal Mohamed,4 Mohamed Abd El Hamed,1 MR Kandil1 1Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt; 2Department of Neurology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Azhar University (Assiut branch, Assiut, Egypt; 3Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Sohag University, Sohag, Egypt; 4Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medicine, Qena University, Qena, Egypt Abstract: Methodology and strategy play a very important role in epidemiological studies. Determination of the study area, geographical features, facilities, difficulties, and key personnel from the same area are important factors for successful methodology. Over 31 months (July 1, 2009 to January 31, 2012, a screening and an examination survey were carried out to ascertain the prevalence of epilepsy, stroke, dementia, cerebellar ataxia, migraine, cerebral palsy, Parkinsonism, chorea, athetosis, dystonia, trigeminal neuralgia, Bell's palsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord disorders, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorders in Al Quseir, Red Sea Governorate, Egypt. A total of 33,285 people were screened by three neurologists in a door-to-door manner, including every door, using a standardized Arabic questionnaire to detect any subject with a neurological disorder. The methodological aspects of this project were carried out through eight phases: (1 data collection; (2 preparation; (3 screening; (4 case ascertainment; (5 investigations; (6 classifications; (7 data entry; and (8 statistics and tabulations. The results of this study reveal that the total prevalence of neurological disorders in Al Quseir was 4.6% and higher among females (5.2% than males (3.9%. The highest prevalence was recorded in the elderly population (60+ years [8.0%] and among the age

Associations of clinical features and prognosis with age at disease onset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, X; Zou, Y; Pan, W; Wang, X; Wu, M; Zhang, M; Tao, J; Zhang, Y; Tan, K; Li, J; Chen, Z; Ding, X; Qian, X; Da, Z; Wang, M; Sun, L

2014-03-01

The objective of this study is to evaluate the association of clinical features and prognosis with age at disease onset in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in a large, multicenter Chinese cohort. Medical records of 1898 SLE inpatients from 15 hospitals were reviewed and classified into three groups according to their ages at disease presentation. Categorical data were analyzed by chi-square test and potentially associated factors were tested by multinomial logistic regression. Among the patients studied, 259 (13.6%) were juvenile onset (≤18 years), 1444 (76.1%) were early onset (>18 and ≤45 years) and 195 (10.3%) were late onset (>45 years). Whenever manifestations occurred, most patients (>80%) were diagnosed within two years. Juvenile-onset patients were more likely to be untreated before admission (p lupus. Interestingly, our data showed that more patients with late-onset disease had a SLEDAI score change of >7 at discharge. In conclusion, age at onset has an impact on SLE disease status, and infection is the main cause of death in those with late-onset lupus. Considering that the late-onset patients had simultaneously easily controllable diseases and high incidence of comorbidities, a different treatment strategy from younger patients should be considered.

Age effect on components of episodic memory and feature binding: A virtual reality study.

Science.gov (United States)

Plancher, Gaën; Gyselinck, Valerie; Nicolas, Serge; Piolino, Pascale

2010-05-01

The aims were (1) to explore the effects of normal aging on the main aspects of episodic memory--what, where, and when,--and on feature binding in a virtual environment; (2) to explore the influence of the mode of learning, intentional versus incidental; and (3) to benchmark virtual environment findings collected with older adults against data recorded in classical neuropsychological tests. We tested a population of 82 young adults and 78 older adults without dementia (they participated in a short battery of neuropsychological tests). All the participants drove a car in an urban virtual environment composing of 9 turns and specific areas. Half of the participants were told to drive through the virtual town; the other half were asked to drive and to memorize the environment (itinerary, elements, etc.). All aspects of episodic memory were then assessed (what, where, when, and binding). The older participants had less recollection of the spatiotemporal context of events than the younger with intentional encoding (p episodic memory.

Core analysis: new features and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Edenius, M.; Kurcyusz, E.; Molina, D.; Wiksell, G.

1995-01-01

Today, core analysis may be performed with sophisticated software capable of both steady state and transient analysis using a common methodology for BWRs and PWRs. General trends in core analysis software development are: improved accuracy, automated engineering functions; three-dimensional transient capability; graphical user interfaces. As a demonstration of such software, new features of Studsvik-CMS (Core management system) and examples of applications are discussed in this article. 2 figs., 8 refs

Methodological considerations in evaluating a proliferation resistance of innovative nuclear energy systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kikuchi, Masahiro; Takaki, Naoyuki; Murajiri, Masahiro; Nakagome, Yoshihiro; Tokiwai, Moriyasu

2004-01-01

Over 25 years ago, INFCE studied the evaluation methodology of proliferation resistance. Recently, INPRO and GEN-IV coordinated by the IAEA and the USDOE respectively seek an appropriate innovative fuel cycle system for next generation that is furnished safer, sustainable, economical and reliable features. The evaluation methodology of the proliferation resistance is also assigned as an essential part of both studies. The IAEA established and has been strictly implementing the verification measures with accurate material accountancy system from the early of the 1970s in order to detect diversion of plutonium that is individually separated from irradiated nuclear material and recycled as MOX fuel. This paper firstly identifies the impedibility of intrinsic features of innovative fuel cycles and the safeguardability of selected nonproliferation measures as two individual essential parameters for evaluation of a proliferation resistance capability. As a next step, this paper also shows methodological considerations in evaluating the proliferation resistance levels as a multiple model of several clusters that are identified the ability of each parameter. (author)

Microphysics evolution and methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dionisio, J.S.

1990-01-01

A few general features of microscopics evolution and their relationship with microscopics methodology are briefly surveyed. Several pluri-disciplinary and interdisciplinary aspects of microscopics research are also discussed in the present scientific context. The need for an equilibrium between individual tendencies and collective constraints required by team work, already formulated thirty years ago by Frederic Joliot, is particularly stressed in the present conjuncture of Nuclear Research favouring very large team projects and discouraging individual initiatives. The increasing importance of the science of science (due to their multiple social, economical, ecological aspects) and the stronger competition between national and international tendencies of scientific (and technical) cooperation are also discussed. (author)

Methodological Reflections on Working with Young Children

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Korn, Matthias

2009-01-01

This paper provides methodological reflections on an evolutionary and participatory software development process for designing interactive systems with children of very young age. The approach was put into practice for the design of a software environment for self-directed project management...

The Development of Explicit Memory for Basic Perceptual Features.

Science.gov (United States)

Gulya, Michelle; Rossi-George, Alba; Hartshorn, Kristen; Vieira, Aurora; Rovee-Collier, Carolyn; Johnson, Marcia K.; Chalfonte, Barbara L.

2002-01-01

Three experiments with 164 individuals between 4 and 80 years old examined age-related changes in explicit memory for three perceptual features: item identity, color, and location. Findings indicated that performance on explicit memory tests was not a consistent inverted U-shaped function of age across various features, but depended on the…

Issues and approaches in risk-based aging analyses of passive components

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Uryasev, S.P.; Samanta, P.K.; Vesely, W.E.

1994-01-01

In previous NRC-sponsored work a general methodology was developed to quantify the risk contributions from aging components at nuclear plants. The methodology allowed Probabilistic Risk Analyses (PRAs) to be modified to incorporate the age-dependent component failure rates and also aging maintenance models to evaluate and prioritize the aging contributions from active components using the linear aging failure rate model and empirical components aging rates. In the present paper, this methodology is extended to passive components (for example, the pipes, heat exchangers, and the vessel). The analyses of passive components bring in issues different from active components. Here, we specifically focus on three aspects that need to be addressed in risk-based aging prioritization of passive components

Architectural History and Painting Art at Ajanta: Some Salient Features

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Manager Singh

2013-08-01

Full Text Available The present paper deals with the period of India’s greatest cultural fluorescence, The Golden Age. A lively intellectual debate has been going on among historians and archaeologists on the subject of the chronology of the caves at Ajanta. The study shows addition of many iconographic styles from Ajanta to Bagh caves and vice-versa due to movement of skilled workers and craftsmen between these two Buddhist sites. Many iconographic figures were added / deleted depending on the local condition of rock at both the sites. The art and architecture of these sites reflects India’s great materials culture. The Ajanta paintings are not just a milestone in the history of development of world art but they also convey unique insights about the life of ancient Indians and their culture. This paper outlines some of the architectural features introduced from Ajanta into the other cultures. Furthermore, structural conservation measures and scientific methodology adopted for the preservation of Ajanta murals have also been highlighted.

Gluten Intolerance: Sex- and Age-Related Features

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MJ Llorente-Alonso

2006-01-01

Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: Gluten intolerance is an immune-mediated enteropathy associated with gluten-containing foods in genetically susceptible patients. The typical form mainly affecting children shows failure to thrive and/or gastrointestinal symptoms. The adult form is less typical, presenting vague gastrointestinal symptoms, iron deficiency (with or without anemia or nonspecific serum chemistry abnormalities. The present study aims to analyze clinical and biochemical differences of celiac disease (CD according to sex and age.

Feature Mining and Health Assessment for Gearboxes Using Run-Up/Coast-Down Signals

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Ming; Lin, Jing; Miao, Yonghao; Xu, Xiaoqiang

2016-01-01

Vibration signals measured in the run-up/coast-down (R/C) processes usually carry rich information about the health status of machinery. However, a major challenge in R/C signals analysis lies in how to exploit more diagnostic information, and how this information could be properly integrated to achieve a more reliable maintenance decision. Aiming at this problem, a framework of R/C signals analysis is presented for the health assessment of gearbox. In the proposed methodology, we first investigate the data preprocessing and feature selection issues for R/C signals. Based on that, a sparsity-guided feature enhancement scheme is then proposed to extract the weak phase jitter associated with gear defect. In order for an effective feature mining and integration under R/C, a generalized phase demodulation technique is further established to reveal the evolution of modulation feature with operating speed and rotation angle. The experimental results indicate that the proposed methodology could not only detect the presence of gear damage, but also offer a novel insight into the dynamic behavior of gearbox. PMID:27827831

Fisher Information Based Meteorological Factors Introduction and Features Selection for Short-Term Load Forecasting

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Shuping Cai

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Weather information is an important factor in short-term load forecasting (STLF. However, for a long time, more importance has always been attached to forecasting models instead of other processes such as the introduction of weather factors or feature selection for STLF. The main aim of this paper is to develop a novel methodology based on Fisher information for meteorological variables introduction and variable selection in STLF. Fisher information computation for one-dimensional and multidimensional weather variables is first described, and then the introduction of meteorological factors and variables selection for STLF models are discussed in detail. On this basis, different forecasting models with the proposed methodology are established. The proposed methodology is implemented on real data obtained from Electric Power Utility of Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province, in southeast China. The results show the advantages of the proposed methodology in comparison with other traditional ones regarding prediction accuracy, and it has very good practical significance. Therefore, it can be used as a unified method for introducing weather variables into STLF models, and selecting their features.

A new measure for assessing executive function across a wide age range: children and adults find happy-sad more difficult than day-night.

Science.gov (United States)

Lagattuta, Kristin Hansen; Sayfan, Liat; Monsour, Michael

2011-05-01

Two experiments examined 4- to 11-year-olds' and adults' performance (N = 350) on two variants of a Stroop-like card task: the day-night task (say 'day' when shown a moon and 'night' when shown a sun) and a new happy-sad task (say 'happy' for a sad face and 'sad' for a happy face). Experiment 1 featured colored cartoon drawings. In Experiment 2, the happy-sad task featured photographs, and pictures for both measures were gray scale. All age groups made more errors and took longer to respond to the happy-sad versus the day-night versions. Unlike the day-night task, the happy-sad task did not suffer from ceiling effects, even in adults. The happy-sad task provides a methodological advance for measuring executive function across a wide age range.

New quickest transient detection methodology. Nuclear engineering applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Xin; Jevremovic, Tatjana; Tsoukalas, Lefteri H.

2003-01-01

A new intelligent systems methodology for quickest online transient detection is presented. Based on information that includes, but is not limited to, statistical features, energy of frequency components and wavelet coefficients, the new methodology decides whether a transient has emerged. A fuzzy system makes the final decision, the membership functions of which are obtained by artificial neural networks and adjusted in an online manner. Comparisons are performed with conventional methods for transient detection using simulated and plant data. The proposed methodology could be useful in power plant operations, diagnostic and maintenance activities. It is also considered as a design tool for quick design modifications in a virtual design environment aimed at next generation University Research and Training Reactors (URTRs). (The virtual design environment is pursued as part of the Big-10 Consortium sponsored by the new Innovations in Nuclear Infrastructure and Education (INIE) program sponsored by the US Department of Energy.) (author)

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

Science.gov (United States)

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.

A Comparative Analysis of Two Software Development Methodologies: Rational Unified Process and Extreme Programming

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Marcelo Rafael Borth

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Software development methodologies were created to meet the great market demand for innovation, productivity, quality and performance. With the use of a methodology, it is possible to reduce the cost, the risk, the development time, and even increase the quality of the final product. This article compares two of these development methodologies: the Rational Unified Process and the Extreme Programming. The comparison shows the main differences and similarities between the two approaches, and highlights and comments some of their predominant features.

A hybrid approach to select features and classify diseases based on medical data

Science.gov (United States)

AbdelLatif, Hisham; Luo, Jiawei

2018-03-01

Feature selection is popular problem in the classification of diseases in clinical medicine. Here, we developing a hybrid methodology to classify diseases, based on three medical datasets, Arrhythmia, Breast cancer, and Hepatitis datasets. This methodology called k-means ANOVA Support Vector Machine (K-ANOVA-SVM) uses K-means cluster with ANOVA statistical to preprocessing data and selection the significant features, and Support Vector Machines in the classification process. To compare and evaluate the performance, we choice three classification algorithms, decision tree Naïve Bayes, Support Vector Machines and applied the medical datasets direct to these algorithms. Our methodology was a much better classification accuracy is given of 98% in Arrhythmia datasets, 92% in Breast cancer datasets and 88% in Hepatitis datasets, Compare to use the medical data directly with decision tree Naïve Bayes, and Support Vector Machines. Also, the ROC curve and precision with (K-ANOVA-SVM) Achieved best results than other algorithms

Disposal criticality analysis methodology for fissile waste forms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, J.W.; Gottlieb, P.

1998-03-01

A general methodology has been developed to evaluate the criticality potential of the wide range of waste forms planned for geologic disposal. The range of waste forms include commercial spent fuel, high level waste, DOE spent fuel (including highly enriched), MOX using weapons grade plutonium, and immobilized plutonium. The disposal of these waste forms will be in a container with sufficiently thick corrosion resistant barriers to prevent water penetration for up to 10,000 years. The criticality control for DOE spent fuel is primarily provided by neutron absorber material incorporated into the basket holding the individual assemblies. For the immobilized plutonium, the neutron absorber material is incorporated into the waste form itself. The disposal criticality analysis methodology includes the analysis of geochemical and physical processes that can breach the waste package and affect the waste forms within. The basic purpose of the methodology is to guide the criticality control features of the waste package design, and to demonstrate that the final design meets the criticality control licensing requirements. The methodology can also be extended to the analysis of criticality consequences (primarily increased radionuclide inventory), which will support the total performance assessment for the respository

Feature-Fusion Guidelines for Image-Based Multi-Modal Biometric Fusion

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Dane Brown

2017-07-01

Full Text Available The feature level, unlike the match score level, lacks multi-modal fusion guidelines. This work demonstrates a new approach for improved image-based biometric feature-fusion. The approach extracts and combines the face, fingerprint and palmprint at the feature level for improved human identification accuracy. Feature-fusion guidelines, proposed in our recent work, are extended by adding a new face segmentation method and the support vector machine classifier. The new face segmentation method improves the face identification equal error rate (EER by 10%. The support vector machine classifier combined with the new feature selection approach, proposed in our recent work, outperforms other classifiers when using a single training sample. Feature-fusion guidelines take the form of strengths and weaknesses as observed in the applied feature processing modules during preliminary experiments. The guidelines are used to implement an effective biometric fusion system at the feature level, using a novel feature-fusion methodology, reducing the EER of two groups of three datasets namely: SDUMLA face, SDUMLA fingerprint and IITD palmprint; MUCT Face, MCYT Fingerprint and CASIA Palmprint.

Selective methodology of population dynamics for optimizing a multiobjective environment of job shop production

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Santiago Ruiz

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper develops a methodology based on population genetics to improve the performance of two or more variables in job shop production systems. The methodology applies a genetic algorithm with special features in the individual selection when they pass from generation to generation. In comparison with the FIFO method, the proposed methodology showed better results in the variables makespan, idle time and energy cost. When compared with NSGA II, the methodology did not showed relevant differences in makespan and idle time; however better performance was obtained in energy cost and, especially, in the number of required iterations to get the optimal makespan.

Tourette Syndrome and Associated Features and the School Aged Child.

Science.gov (United States)

Willis, Christopher

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is described as a genetically based, chronic constellation of neurobehavioral symptoms and associated features involving repetitive, simple, and/or complex motor and phonic tics. Treatment generally involves neuroleptic medication. Symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, learning…

Seismic hazard analysis. A methodology for the Eastern United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bernreuter, D L

1980-08-01

This report presents a probabilistic approach for estimating the seismic hazard in the Central and Eastern United States. The probabilistic model (Uniform Hazard Methodology) systematically incorporates the subjective opinion of several experts in the evaluation of seismic hazard. Subjective input, assumptions and associated hazard are kept separate for each expert so as to allow review and preserve diversity of opinion. The report is organized into five sections: Introduction, Methodology Comparison, Subjective Input, Uniform Hazard Methodology (UHM), and Uniform Hazard Spectrum. Section 2 Methodology Comparison, briefly describes the present approach and compares it with other available procedures. The remainder of the report focuses on the UHM. Specifically, Section 3 describes the elicitation of subjective input; Section 4 gives details of various mathematical models (earthquake source geometry, magnitude distribution, attenuation relationship) and how these models re combined to calculate seismic hazard. The lost section, Uniform Hazard Spectrum, highlights the main features of typical results. Specific results and sensitivity analyses are not presented in this report. (author)

Computer Aided Methodology for Simultaneous Synthesis, Design & Analysis of Chemical Products-Processes

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

d'Anterroches, Loïc; Gani, Rafiqul

2006-01-01

A new combined methodology for computer aided molecular design and process flowsheet design is presented. The methodology is based on the group contribution approach for prediction of molecular properties and design of molecules. Using the same principles, process groups have been developed...... a wide range of problems. In this paper, only the computer aided flowsheet design related features are presented....... together with their corresponding flowsheet property models. To represent the process flowsheets in the same way as molecules, a unique but simple notation system has been developed. The methodology has been converted into a prototype software, which has been tested with several case studies covering...

About methodology to study plant uptake of radionuclides from soil

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tuleubaev, B.A.; Ptitskaya, L.D.

2000-01-01

This paper presents methodology for studying particular features of radionuclides uptake by plants from contaminated soil as applied to the use of the former Semipalatinsk tet site territory, which are dependent upon physical-chemical and physical-mechanical properties of soil and biological peculiarities of meadow-pasture vegetation. (author)

Microdevelopment of Complex Featural and Spatial Integration with Contextual Support

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Pamela L. Hirsch

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Complex spatial decisions involve the ability to combine featural and spatial information in a scene. In the present work, 4- through 9-year-old children completed a complex map-scene correspondence task under baseline and supported conditions. Children compared a photographed scene with a correct map and with map-foils that made salient an object feature or spatial property. Map-scene matches were analyzed for the effects of age and featural-spatial information on children’s selections. In both conditions children significantly favored maps that highlighted object detail and object perspective rather than color, landmark, and metric elements. Children’s correct performance did not differ by age and was suboptimal, but their ability to choose correct maps improved significantly when contextual support was provided. Strategy variability was prominent for all age groups, but at age 9 with support children were more likely to give up their focus on features and transition to the use of spatial strategies. These findings suggest the possibility of a U-shaped curve for children’s development of geometric knowledge: geometric coding is predominant early on, diminishes for a time in middle childhood in favor of a preference for features, and then reemerges along with the more advanced abilities to combine featural and spatial information.

A Fault Diagnosis Methodology for Gear Pump Based on EEMD and Bayesian Network.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Zengkai; Liu, Yonghong; Shan, Hongkai; Cai, Baoping; Huang, Qing

2015-01-01

This paper proposes a fault diagnosis methodology for a gear pump based on the ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD) method and the Bayesian network. Essentially, the presented scheme is a multi-source information fusion based methodology. Compared with the conventional fault diagnosis with only EEMD, the proposed method is able to take advantage of all useful information besides sensor signals. The presented diagnostic Bayesian network consists of a fault layer, a fault feature layer and a multi-source information layer. Vibration signals from sensor measurement are decomposed by the EEMD method and the energy of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) are calculated as fault features. These features are added into the fault feature layer in the Bayesian network. The other sources of useful information are added to the information layer. The generalized three-layer Bayesian network can be developed by fully incorporating faults and fault symptoms as well as other useful information such as naked eye inspection and maintenance records. Therefore, diagnostic accuracy and capacity can be improved. The proposed methodology is applied to the fault diagnosis of a gear pump and the structure and parameters of the Bayesian network is established. Compared with artificial neural network and support vector machine classification algorithms, the proposed model has the best diagnostic performance when sensor data is used only. A case study has demonstrated that some information from human observation or system repair records is very helpful to the fault diagnosis. It is effective and efficient in diagnosing faults based on uncertain, incomplete information.

Consumers’ Preferences for Electronic Nicotine Delivery System Product Features: A Structured Content Analysis

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Christine E. Kistler

2017-06-01

Full Text Available To inform potential governmental regulations, we aimed to develop a list of electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS product features important to U.S. consumers by age and gender. We employed qualitative data methods. Participants were eligible if they had used an ENDS at least once. Groups were selected by age and gender (young adult group aged 18–25, n = 11; middle-age group aged 26–64, n = 9; and women’s group aged 26–64, n = 9. We conducted five individual older adult interviews (aged 68–80. Participants discussed important ENDS features. We conducted a structured content analysis of the group and interview responses. Of 34 participants, 68% were white and 56% were female. Participants mentioned 12 important ENDS features, including: (1 user experience; (2 social acceptability; (3 cost; (4 health risks/benefits; (5 ease of use; (6 flavors; (7 smoking cessation aid; (8 nicotine content; (9 modifiability; (10 ENDS regulation; (11 bridge between tobacco cigarettes; (12 collectability. The most frequently mentioned ENDS feature was modifiability for young adults, user experience for middle-age and older adults, and flavor for the women’s group. This study identified multiple features important to ENDS consumers. Groups differed in how they viewed various features by age and gender. These results can inform ongoing regulatory efforts.

Linear feature selection in texture analysis - A PLS based method

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Marques, Joselene; Igel, Christian; Lillholm, Martin

2013-01-01

We present a texture analysis methodology that combined uncommitted machine-learning techniques and partial least square (PLS) in a fully automatic framework. Our approach introduces a robust PLS-based dimensionality reduction (DR) step to specifically address outliers and high-dimensional feature...... and considering all CV groups, the methods selected 36 % of the original features available. The diagnosis evaluation reached a generalization area-under-the-ROC curve of 0.92, which was higher than established cartilage-based markers known to relate to OA diagnosis....

THEORETICAL AND METHODOLOGICAL APPROACHES TO REGIONAL COMPETITION INVESTIGATION

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A.I. Tatarkin

2006-03-01

Full Text Available The article is dedicated to theoretical-methodological issues of regional economy competitiveness investigation. Economic essence of regional competitiveness is analyzed, its definition is given. The factors that determine relations of competition on medium and macrolevels are proved. The basic differences between world-economical and inter-regional communications are formulated. The specific features of globalization processes as form of competitive struggle are considered.

Special needs hurricane shelters and the ageing population: development of a methodology and a case study application.

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Horner, Mark W; Ozguven, Eren Erman; Marcelin, Jean Michael; Kocatepe, Ayberk

2018-01-01

Recent experience of hurricanes, particularly in the southeast United States, has heightened awareness of the multifaceted nature of and the challenges to effective disaster relief planning. One key element of this planning is providing adequate shelter at secure locations for people who evacuate. Some of these individuals will have 'special needs', yet there is little research on the relationship with shelter space. This study designed a geographic information systems-based network optimisation methodology for the siting of special needs hurricane relief shelters, with a focus on the transportation component. It sought to find new locations for shelters that maximise accessibility by vulnerable populations, given capacity constraints, concentrating on the ageing population. The framework was implemented in a medium-sized metropolitan statistical area in the state of Florida where data suggest a possible deficit in special needs shelter space. The study analysed options for increasing special needs shelter capacity, while considering potential uncertainties in transportation network availability. © 2018 The Author(s). Disasters © Overseas Development Institute, 2018.

AGE-DEPENDENT FEATURES OF EVOLVING HUMORAL IMMUNITY IN CHILDREN

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A. P. Toptygina

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract. Age dynamics of humoral immunity was studied in healthy children, i.e., 11 newborns, 33 infants of 4 to 8 months, 32 children of 1 to 2 years old,, 17 children of 4 to 5 years old, 25 children of 6 to 8 years old, 15 children of 9 to 11 years old, and 28 adolescents of 14 to 16 years old. Evaluation of membrane receptors on B cells was performed by means of three-colour fluorescent label and allowed of characterizing B1 subpopulations (CD19+CD5+CD27-, naпve B2 cells (CD19+CD5-CD27-, and B2 memory cells (CD19+CD5-CD27+. B1 cells have been shown to dominate in blood of newborns and younger children (up to 5 years old. By the contrary, B2 memory cells were nearly undetectable in newborns, and exceeded 20% in adolescents (by 15 years old. Meanwhile, it has been revealed that the amounts of IgG1 and IgG3 subclasses did progressively increase with age, whereas IgG2 remained decreased to 50% of adult values for a long time, and reached them by 11 years and later. We suggest that the age dynamics of IgG subclasses is connected with age-dependent changes in B cell subpopulations.

Poor nutrition at age 3 and schizotypal personality at age 23: the mediating role of age 11 cognitive functioning.

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Venables, Peter H; Raine, Adrian

2012-08-01

Poor prenatal nutrition has been associated with schizophrenia spectrum disorders in the Netherlands and China, and it has been suggested that perinatal and postnatal nutritional factors lead to the development of schizophrenia and the exhibition of schizotypal traits later in life. There appears to be no prior research on the existence of possible factors that may mediate the relationship between malnutrition and schizophrenia spectrum disorders or whether this association is a direct one. The authors tested the hypothesis that low IQ mediates the relationship between early childhood malnutrition and adult schizotypal personality. Participants were drawn from a birth cohort of 1,795 boys and girls who were followed prospectively. Objective indicators of malnutrition (anemia and stunting) were assessed at age 3. Verbal and performance intelligence were assessed at age 11, and schizotypal personality was assessed at age 23. Both stunting and anemia at age 3 were associated with low IQ at age 11. Low performance IQ at age 11 was associated with increased interpersonal and disorganized features of schizotypal personality at age 23. Poor performance IQ was found to mediate the relationship between poor nutrition at age 3 and interpersonal and disorganized features of schizotypy at age 23. Findings in female participants were replicated in male participants. Given that poor nutrition is an alterable risk factor, these findings suggest that nutritional enhancements may improve brain functioning and possibly reduce some features of schizotypal personality disorder.

Distinguishing Features and Similarities Between Descriptive Phenomenological and Qualitative Description Research.

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Willis, Danny G; Sullivan-Bolyai, Susan; Knafl, Kathleen; Cohen, Marlene Z

2016-09-01

Scholars who research phenomena of concern to the discipline of nursing are challenged with making wise choices about different qualitative research approaches. Ultimately, they want to choose an approach that is best suited to answer their research questions. Such choices are predicated on having made distinctions between qualitative methodology, methods, and analytic frames. In this article, we distinguish two qualitative research approaches widely used for descriptive studies: descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description. Providing a clear basis that highlights the distinguishing features and similarities between descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description research will help students and researchers make more informed choices in deciding upon the most appropriate methodology in qualitative research. We orient the reader to distinguishing features and similarities associated with each approach and the kinds of research questions descriptive phenomenological and qualitative description research address. © The Author(s) 2016.

Ankle fractures have features of an osteoporotic fracture.

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Lee, K M; Chung, C Y; Kwon, S S; Won, S H; Lee, S Y; Chung, M K; Park, M S

2013-11-01

We report the bone attenuation of ankle joint measured on computed tomography (CT) and the cause of injury in patients with ankle fractures. The results showed age- and gender-dependent low bone attenuation and low-energy trauma in elderly females, which suggest the osteoporotic features of ankle fractures. This study was performed to investigate the osteoporotic features of ankle fracture in terms of bone attenuation and cause of injury. One hundred ninety-four patients (mean age 51.0 years, standard deviation 15.8 years; 98 males and 96 females) with ankle fracture were included. All patients underwent CT examination, and causes of injury (high/low-energy trauma) were recorded. Mean bone attenuations of the talus, medial malleolus, lateral malleolus, and distal tibial metaphysis were measured on CT images. Patients were divided into younger age (fractures than the younger age group. With increasing age, bone attenuations tended to decrease and the difference of bone attenuation between the genders tended to increase in the talus, medial malleolus, lateral malleolus, and distal tibial metaphysis. Ankle fracture had features of osteoporotic fracture that is characterized by age- and gender-dependent low bone attenuation. Ankle fracture should not be excluded from the clinical and research interest as well as from the benefit of osteoporosis management.

Clinicopathological and imaging features of breast cancer in Korean Women under 40 years of age

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Kim, Jun Woo; Jang, Mi Jung; Kim, Sun Mi; Yun, Bo La; Lee, Jong Yoon; Kim, Eun Kyu; Kang, Eun Young; Park, So Yeon [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam (Korea, Republic of)

2017-06-15

To evaluate the clinicopathological and imaging features of mammography, ultrasonography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for breast cancer in Korean women under 40 years of age according to molecular subtypes. We included 183 breast cancers in 176 consecutive women under 40 years old who had been diagnosed with breast cancer between January 2012 and November 2014. The patients' clinical and pathologic records were available as electronic medical records. A retrospective review of the pre-operative imaging studies was performed with 177 mammographies, 183 ultrasonographies, and 178 MRIs. Eighty-six percent (158/183) of lesions were symptomatic, with masses (147/183) as the most common presentation. Eighty percent (22/25) of the asymptomatic lesions were diagnosed via screening ultrasonography. The luminal A subtype was the most common (n = 79, 43%), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-enriched subtype showed indistinct margins on mammography (p = 0.006), the triple negative subtype depicted a posterior enhancement on ultrasonography (p < 0.001) and rim enhancement on MRI (p < 0.001). Breast cancers in Korean women under 40 years of age are commonly presented with a palpable mass, and luminal A is the most common molecular subtype. In our study, the imaging and pathologic characteristics of breast cancer in younger women were similar to those previously reported for older patients.

OBEST: The Object-Based Event Scenario Tree Methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

WYSS, GREGORY D.; DURAN, FELICIA A.

2001-01-01

Event tree analysis and Monte Carlo-based discrete event simulation have been used in risk assessment studies for many years. This report details how features of these two methods can be combined with concepts from object-oriented analysis to develop a new risk assessment methodology with some of the best features of each. The resultant Object-Based Event Scenarios Tree (OBEST) methodology enables an analyst to rapidly construct realistic models for scenarios for which an a priori discovery of event ordering is either cumbersome or impossible (especially those that exhibit inconsistent or variable event ordering, which are difficult to represent in an event tree analysis). Each scenario produced by OBEST is automatically associated with a likelihood estimate because probabilistic branching is integral to the object model definition. The OBEST method uses a recursive algorithm to solve the object model and identify all possible scenarios and their associated probabilities. Since scenario likelihoods are developed directly by the solution algorithm, they need not be computed by statistical inference based on Monte Carlo observations (as required by some discrete event simulation methods). Thus, OBEST is not only much more computationally efficient than these simulation methods, but it also discovers scenarios that have extremely low probabilities as a natural analytical result--scenarios that would likely be missed by a Monte Carlo-based method. This report documents the OBEST methodology, the demonstration software that implements it, and provides example OBEST models for several different application domains, including interactions among failing interdependent infrastructure systems, circuit analysis for fire risk evaluation in nuclear power plants, and aviation safety studies

Unique features of creative designing at the preschool age

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Bilа Iryna Mykolayivna

2017-04-01

Full Text Available The research is devoted to studying the specificity of creative designing at the preschool age. The author identifies the systematic approach on the design work and creative designing, knowledge adjustment, as well as the assessment criteria and performance indicators of creative designing by children at the preschool age. The article considers the psychological structure of the design activity, clarifies its characteristics and defines the role of each component of creative designing process at the preschool age. As a result of the empirical study it was proved that in the process of understanding the challenges pre-schoolers’s mind makes mental acts of comparison predominant. Their creative intention is determined by the focus on the structural and structural-functional characteristics of the subjects. The whole structure of the pre-schooler’s solution in the process of working with creative tasks on designing is integrated with the individual and regulatory aspect of creative designing that appears in the subjective mental actions, trends, and practice.

Methodological peculiarities of the Braun-Blanquet method used for marine bottom vegetation classification

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AFANASYEV Dmitry F.

2012-09-01

Full Text Available The features of the Brown Blanquet method application for the classification of the Black and Azov Seas bottom phytocenoses are discussed. Special attention is given to following methodological questions: term of observations, necessary for associations revealing, size of relevance area, the features of geobotanic al underwater exploration technology, description of the bottom communities with epiphytes and the peculiarities of bottom vegetation syntaxonomic analysis.

Automated age-related macular degeneration classification in OCT using unsupervised feature learning

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Venhuizen, Freerk G.; van Ginneken, Bram; Bloemen, Bart; van Grinsven, Mark J. J. P.; Philipsen, Rick; Hoyng, Carel; Theelen, Thomas; Sánchez, Clara I.

2015-03-01

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a common eye disorder with high prevalence in elderly people. The disease mainly affects the central part of the retina, and could ultimately lead to permanent vision loss. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is becoming the standard imaging modality in diagnosis of AMD and the assessment of its progression. However, the evaluation of the obtained volumetric scan is time consuming, expensive and the signs of early AMD are easy to miss. In this paper we propose a classification method to automatically distinguish AMD patients from healthy subjects with high accuracy. The method is based on an unsupervised feature learning approach, and processes the complete image without the need for an accurate pre-segmentation of the retina. The method can be divided in two steps: an unsupervised clustering stage that extracts a set of small descriptive image patches from the training data, and a supervised training stage that uses these patches to create a patch occurrence histogram for every image on which a random forest classifier is trained. Experiments using 384 volume scans show that the proposed method is capable of identifying AMD patients with high accuracy, obtaining an area under the Receiver Operating Curve of 0:984. Our method allows for a quick and reliable assessment of the presence of AMD pathology in OCT volume scans without the need for accurate layer segmentation algorithms.

Project management methodology in the public and private sector: The case of an emerging market

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Azamat Oinarov

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Application of project management methodologies in different countries is varied. The preference of a particular methodology largely depends on the specific features of a project management system in use. The aim of the paper is to draw the attention of project-involved readers to the need to develop, not a guide, but a specific project management methodology for projects in the public-private sector. The objective pursued by the paper is to provide useful recommendations for improving the existing methodologies on project management in the public-private sector. Kazakhstan’s experience in implementing project management methodologies in its public sector is sporadic while its private sector uses of modern methodologies build on external investor proven practices. At the background of the low exposure of the public sector to the best of project management methodologies, the paper reviews existing international project management methodologies and develops useful recommendations on the methodology, most suitable for a developing country’s public-private sector, on Kazakhstan’s example.

Age-related features of renal function (on radiorenographic data)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korkushko, O.V.; Frajfel'd, V.Eh.; Belyj, A.A.

1986-01-01

Renal function of 91 healthy subjects aged 18-91 has been evaluated at radionuclide renography with the use of 131 I-Hippuran. Renal excretory function, effective renal plasma and blood flows were found to decrease annually by 0.09 ml/kg in ageing men and by 0.08 ml/kg in women. The use of new indices may be useful for evaluation of renal blood circulation, especially during hypo- or hypervolaemia is proposed. These are the index of renal circulation efficiency and the mean time of circulating blood volume transfer through renal blood vessels

3-D FEATURE-BASED MATCHING BY RSTG APPROACH

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J.-J. Jaw

2012-07-01

Full Text Available 3-D feature matching is the essential kernel in a fully automated feature-based LiDAR point cloud registration. After feasible procedures of feature acquisition, connecting corresponding features in different data frames is imperative to be solved. The objective addressed in this paper is developing an approach coined RSTG to retrieve corresponding counterparts of unsorted multiple 3-D features extracted from sets of LiDAR point clouds. RSTG stands for the four major processes, "Rotation alignment"; "Scale estimation"; "Translation alignment" and "Geometric check," strategically formulated towards finding out matching solution with high efficiency and leading to accomplishing the 3-D similarity transformation among all sets. The workable types of features to RSTG comprise points, lines, planes and clustered point groups. Each type of features can be employed exclusively or combined with others, if sufficiently supplied, throughout the matching scheme. The paper gives a detailed description of the matching methodology and discusses on the matching effects based on the statistical assessment which revealed that the RSTG approach reached an average matching rate of success up to 93% with around 6.6% of statistical type 1 error. Notably, statistical type 2 error, the critical indicator of matching reliability, was kept 0% throughout all the experiments.

Oral Health and Aging

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... please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Oral Health and Aging Oral Health and Aging Past Issues / Summer 2016 Table of Contents Jerrold ... they may need. Read More "Oral Health and Aging" Articles Oral Health and Aging / 4 Myths About ...

Enhancing interpretability of automatically extracted machine learning features: application to a RBM-Random Forest system on brain lesion segmentation.

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Pereira, Sérgio; Meier, Raphael; McKinley, Richard; Wiest, Roland; Alves, Victor; Silva, Carlos A; Reyes, Mauricio

2018-02-01

Machine learning systems are achieving better performances at the cost of becoming increasingly complex. However, because of that, they become less interpretable, which may cause some distrust by the end-user of the system. This is especially important as these systems are pervasively being introduced to critical domains, such as the medical field. Representation Learning techniques are general methods for automatic feature computation. Nevertheless, these techniques are regarded as uninterpretable "black boxes". In this paper, we propose a methodology to enhance the interpretability of automatically extracted machine learning features. The proposed system is composed of a Restricted Boltzmann Machine for unsupervised feature learning, and a Random Forest classifier, which are combined to jointly consider existing correlations between imaging data, features, and target variables. We define two levels of interpretation: global and local. The former is devoted to understanding if the system learned the relevant relations in the data correctly, while the later is focused on predictions performed on a voxel- and patient-level. In addition, we propose a novel feature importance strategy that considers both imaging data and target variables, and we demonstrate the ability of the approach to leverage the interpretability of the obtained representation for the task at hand. We evaluated the proposed methodology in brain tumor segmentation and penumbra estimation in ischemic stroke lesions. We show the ability of the proposed methodology to unveil information regarding relationships between imaging modalities and extracted features and their usefulness for the task at hand. In both clinical scenarios, we demonstrate that the proposed methodology enhances the interpretability of automatically learned features, highlighting specific learning patterns that resemble how an expert extracts relevant data from medical images. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

OASIS 2: online application for survival analysis 2 with features for the analysis of maximal lifespan and healthspan in aging research.

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Han, Seong Kyu; Lee, Dongyeop; Lee, Heetak; Kim, Donghyo; Son, Heehwa G; Yang, Jae-Seong; Lee, Seung-Jae V; Kim, Sanguk

2016-08-30

Online application for survival analysis (OASIS) has served as a popular and convenient platform for the statistical analysis of various survival data, particularly in the field of aging research. With the recent advances in the fields of aging research that deal with complex survival data, we noticed a need for updates to the current version of OASIS. Here, we report OASIS 2 (http://sbi.postech.ac.kr/oasis2), which provides extended statistical tools for survival data and an enhanced user interface. In particular, OASIS 2 enables the statistical comparison of maximal lifespans, which is potentially useful for determining key factors that limit the lifespan of a population. Furthermore, OASIS 2 provides statistical and graphical tools that compare values in different conditions and times. That feature is useful for comparing age-associated changes in physiological activities, which can be used as indicators of "healthspan." We believe that OASIS 2 will serve as a standard platform for survival analysis with advanced and user-friendly statistical tools for experimental biologists in the field of aging research.

Evolving Intelligent Systems Methodology and Applications

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Angelov, Plamen; Kasabov, Nik

2010-01-01

From theory to techniques, the first all-in-one resource for EIS. There is a clear demand in advanced process industries, defense, and Internet and communication (VoIP) applications for intelligent yet adaptive/evolving systems. Evolving Intelligent Systems is the first self- contained volume that covers this newly established concept in its entirety, from a systematic methodology to case studies to industrial applications. Featuring chapters written by leading world experts, it addresses the progress, trends, and major achievements in this emerging research field, with a strong emphasis on th

Aging Methodologies and Prognostic Health Management for Electrolytic Capacitors

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National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Understanding the ageing mechanisms of electronic components critical avionics systems such as the GPS and INAV are of critical importance. Electrolytic capacitors...

Development of a methodology of evaluation of financial stability of commercial banks

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Brauers Willem Karel M.

2014-01-01

Full Text Available The field of evaluation of financial stability of commercial banks, which emanates from persistent existence of financial crisis, induces interest of researchers for over a century. The span of prevailing methodologies stretches from over-simplified risk-return approaches to ones comprising large number of economic variables on the micro- and/or macro-economic level. Methodologies of rating agencies and current methodologies reviewed and applied by the ECB are not intended for reducing information asymmetry in the market of commercial banks. In the paper it is shown that the Lithuanian financial system is bankbased with deposits of households being its primary sources, and its stability is primarily depending on behavior of depositors. A methodology of evaluation of commercial banks with features of decreasing information asymmetry in the market of commercial banks is being developed by comparing different MCDA methods.

Handwriting: Feature Correlation Analysis for Biometric Hashes

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Vielhauer, Claus; Steinmetz, Ralf

2004-12-01

In the application domain of electronic commerce, biometric authentication can provide one possible solution for the key management problem. Besides server-based approaches, methods of deriving digital keys directly from biometric measures appear to be advantageous. In this paper, we analyze one of our recently published specific algorithms of this category based on behavioral biometrics of handwriting, the biometric hash. Our interest is to investigate to which degree each of the underlying feature parameters contributes to the overall intrapersonal stability and interpersonal value space. We will briefly discuss related work in feature evaluation and introduce a new methodology based on three components: the intrapersonal scatter (deviation), the interpersonal entropy, and the correlation between both measures. Evaluation of the technique is presented based on two data sets of different size. The method presented will allow determination of effects of parameterization of the biometric system, estimation of value space boundaries, and comparison with other feature selection approaches.

Handwriting: Feature Correlation Analysis for Biometric Hashes

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Ralf Steinmetz

2004-04-01

Full Text Available In the application domain of electronic commerce, biometric authentication can provide one possible solution for the key management problem. Besides server-based approaches, methods of deriving digital keys directly from biometric measures appear to be advantageous. In this paper, we analyze one of our recently published specific algorithms of this category based on behavioral biometrics of handwriting, the biometric hash. Our interest is to investigate to which degree each of the underlying feature parameters contributes to the overall intrapersonal stability and interpersonal value space. We will briefly discuss related work in feature evaluation and introduce a new methodology based on three components: the intrapersonal scatter (deviation, the interpersonal entropy, and the correlation between both measures. Evaluation of the technique is presented based on two data sets of different size. The method presented will allow determination of effects of parameterization of the biometric system, estimation of value space boundaries, and comparison with other feature selection approaches.

Multiscale wavelet representations for mammographic feature analysis

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Laine, Andrew F.; Song, Shuwu

1992-12-01

This paper introduces a novel approach for accomplishing mammographic feature analysis through multiresolution representations. We show that efficient (nonredundant) representations may be identified from digital mammography and used to enhance specific mammographic features within a continuum of scale space. The multiresolution decomposition of wavelet transforms provides a natural hierarchy in which to embed an interactive paradigm for accomplishing scale space feature analysis. Choosing wavelets (or analyzing functions) that are simultaneously localized in both space and frequency, results in a powerful methodology for image analysis. Multiresolution and orientation selectivity, known biological mechanisms in primate vision, are ingrained in wavelet representations and inspire the techniques presented in this paper. Our approach includes local analysis of complete multiscale representations. Mammograms are reconstructed from wavelet coefficients, enhanced by linear, exponential and constant weight functions localized in scale space. By improving the visualization of breast pathology we can improve the changes of early detection of breast cancers (improve quality) while requiring less time to evaluate mammograms for most patients (lower costs).

Review of evaluation on ecological carrying capacity: The progress and trend of methodology

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Wang, S. F.; Xu, Y.; Liu, T. J.; Ye, J. M.; Pan, B. L.; Chu, C.; Peng, Z. L.

2018-02-01

The ecological carrying capacity (ECC) has been regarded as an important reference to indicate the level of regional sustainable development since the very beginning of twenty-first century. By a brief review of the main progress in ECC evaluation methodologies in recent five years, this paper systematically discusses the features and differences of these methods and expounds the current states and future development trend of ECC methodology. The result shows that further exploration in terms of the dynamic, comprehensive and intelligent assessment technologies needs to be provided in order to form a unified and scientific ECC methodology system and to produce a reliable basis for environmental-economic decision-makings.

Fault Diagnosis of Rotating Machinery Based on Multisensor Information Fusion Using SVM and Time-Domain Features

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Ling-li Jiang

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Multisensor information fusion, when applied to fault diagnosis, the time-space scope, and the quantity of information are expanded compared to what could be acquired by a single sensor, so the diagnostic object can be described more comprehensively. This paper presents a methodology of fault diagnosis in rotating machinery using multisensor information fusion that all the features are calculated using vibration data in time domain to constitute fusional vector and the support vector machine (SVM is used for classification. The effectiveness of the presented methodology is tested by three case studies: diagnostic of faulty gear, rolling bearing, and identification of rotor crack. For each case study, the sensibilities of the features are analyzed. The results indicate that the peak factor is the most sensitive feature in the twelve time-domain features for identifying gear defect, and the mean, amplitude square, root mean square, root amplitude, and standard deviation are all sensitive for identifying gear, rolling bearing, and rotor crack defect comparatively.

A database of semantic features for chosen concepts (Attested in 8- to 10-year-old Czech pupils

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Konečná Kristýna

2017-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper, a database of semantic features is presented. 104 nominal concepts from 13 semantic categories were described by young Czech school children. They were asked to respond to the question “what is it, what does it mean?” by listing different kinds of properties for concepts in writing. Their responses were broken down into semantic features and the database was prepared using a set of pre-established rules. The method of database design, with an emphasis on the way features were recorded, is described in detail within this article. The data were statistically analysed and interpreted and the results along with database usage methodologies are discussed. The goal of this research is to produce a complex database to be used in future research relating to semantic features and therefore it has been published online for use by the wider academic community. At present, databases have been published based on data gathered from adult English and Czech speakers; however participation in this study was limited specifically to young Czech-speaking children. Thus, this database is characteristically unique as it provides important insight into this specific age and language group’s conceptual knowledge. The research is inspired primarily by research papers concerning semantic feature production obtained from adult English speakers (McRae, de Sa, and Seidenberg, 1997; McRae, Cree, Seidenberg, and McNorgan, 2005; Vinson and Vigliocco, 2008.

The methodological features of teaching subject «Fundamentals of production technologies»

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Olesya Kornus

2017-11-01

Full Text Available In the article are reviews the methodical features teaching of the subject "Fundamentals of production technologies" as an example of training of students in the direction of 6.040104 Geography* and specialty 014 Secondary Education (Geography in the Sumy State A.S. Makarenko Pedagogical University. The subject «Fundamentals of production technologies» was introduced into curriculum bachelor of geography for quality training of geography teachers in pedagogical universities. This subject gives students the knowledge about the technical and economic features of the main industries, main technological schemes of production processes and the impact of industrial enterprises on the environment. The subject «Fundamentals of production technologies» is taught for second year students of natural-geographical faculty of the Sumy State A.S. Makarenko Pedagogical University. The educational process provides lectures, practical classes and self-dependent work. One of the forms of organization of training activities is the excursions to industrial enterprises of Sumy city. The organization of excursions includes preparation, conduct and report about the results of the excursion. For better learn the material excursion, preferably before the start of it to divide a group of students into small teams of 3-6 people. The report documentation includes a plan for characteristic of industrial enterprises, as well as multimedia presentation. The defense of report is passes like competition by voted. The team that wins the most votes gets the highest score. This form of subject study contributes to obtaining of positive educational outcomes and lasting knowledge, reliable formation of professional competencies of students-geographers.

[Progress in methodological characteristics of clinical practice guideline for osteoarthritis].

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Xing, D; Wang, B; Lin, J H

2017-06-01

At present, several clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of osteoarthritis have been developed by institutes or societies. The ultimate purpose of developing clinical practice guidelines is to formulate the process in the treatment of osteoarthritis effectively. However, the methodologies used in developing clinical practice guidelines may place an influence on the transformation and application of that in treating osteoarthritis. The present study summarized the methodological features of individual clinical practice guideline and presented the tools for quality evaluation of clinical practice guideline. The limitations of current osteoarthritis guidelines of China are also indicated. The review article might help relevant institutions improve the quality in developing guide and clinical transformation.

Frequency and Pattern of Documented Diagnostic Features and the Age of Autism Identification

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Maenner, Matthew J.; Schieve, Laura A.; Rice, Catherine E.; Cunniff, Christopher; Giarelli, Ellen; Kirby, Russell S.; Lee, Li-Ching; Nicholas, Joyce S.; Wingate, Martha S.; Durkin, Maureen S.

2013-01-01

Objective: The "DSM-IV-TR" specifies 12 behavioral features that can occur in hundreds of possible combinations to meet diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This paper describes the frequency and variability with which the 12 behavioral features are documented in a population-based cohort of 8-year-old children under…

Teenagers' High Arrest Rates: Features of Young Age or Youth Poverty?

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Males, Mike A.; Brown, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

The association of more crime with youthful age is widely accepted in social science. However, a literature search revealed no studies of the age-crime relationship that controlled for young ages' economic disadvantage. This research gap is addressed using the California Criminal Justice Statistics Center's arrest detail and Census poverty…

Cross-sectional analysis of the effects of age on the hormonal, metabolic, and ultrasonographic features and the prevalence of the different phenotypes of polycystic ovary syndrome.

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Panidis, Dimitrios; Tziomalos, Konstantinos; Macut, Djuro; Delkos, Dimitrios; Betsas, George; Misichronis, Georgios; Katsikis, Ilias

2012-02-01

To assess the effects of age on the hormonal, metabolic, and ultrasonographic features of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Observational study. University department of obstetrics and gynecology. Patients with PCOS (n = 1,212) and healthy women (n = 254). None. Differences in the hormonal, metabolic, and ultrasonographic features of PCOS between age groups. A progressive decline in circulating androgens was observed with advancing age. Patients 21-30 years old had lower plasma glucose and insulin levels, lower area under the oral glucose tolerance test curve and lower homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance index, and higher glucose/insulin and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index than patients 31-39 years old. The prevalence of PCOS phenotypes changed with age. More specifically, the distribution of the phenotypes did not differ substantially between patients ≤ 20 years old and patients 21-30 years old. However, a decline in the prevalence of phenotype 1 (characterized by anovulation, hyperandrogenemia, and polycystic ovaries) and an increase in the prevalence of phenotype 4 (characterized by anovulation and polycystic ovaries without hyperandrogenemia) were observed in patients 31-39 years old. In women with PCOS, hyperandrogenemia appears to diminish during reproductive life whereas insulin resistance worsens. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Comparison of Various Software Development Methodologies: Feasibility and Methods of Integration

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Samir Abou El-Seoud

2016-12-01

Full Text Available System development methodologies which have being used in the academic and commercial environments during last two decades have advantages and disadvantages. Researchers had tried to identify objectives, scope …etc. of the methodologies by following different approaches. Each approach has its Limitation, specific interest, coverage …etc. In this paper, we tried to perform a comparative study of those methodologies which are popular and commonly used in banking and commercial environment. We tried in our study to determine objectives, scope, tools and other features of the methodologies. We also, tried to determine how and to what extent the methodologies incorporate the facilities such as project management, cost benefit analysis, documentation …etc. One of the most important aspects of our study was how to integrate the methodologies and develop a global methodology which covers the complete span of the software development life cycle? A prototype system which integrates the selected methodologies has been developed. The developed system helps analysts and designers how to choose suitable tools or to obtain guidelines on what to do in a particular situation. The prototype system has been tested during the development of a software for an ATM “Auto Teller Machine” by selecting and applying SASD methodology during software development. This resulted in the development of high quality and well documented software system.

Methodology Development for Passive Component Reliability Modeling in a Multi-Physics Simulation Environment

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Aldemir, Tunc [The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States); Denning, Richard [The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States); Catalyurek, Umit [The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States); Unwin, Stephen [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)

2015-01-23

Reduction in safety margin can be expected as passive structures and components undergo degradation with time. Limitations in the traditional probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methodology constrain its value as an effective tool to address the impact of aging effects on risk and for quantifying the impact of aging management strategies in maintaining safety margins. A methodology has been developed to address multiple aging mechanisms involving large numbers of components (with possibly statistically dependent failures) within the PRA framework in a computationally feasible manner when the sequencing of events is conditioned on the physical conditions predicted in a simulation environment, such as the New Generation System Code (NGSC) concept. Both epistemic and aleatory uncertainties can be accounted for within the same phenomenological framework and maintenance can be accounted for in a coherent fashion. The framework accommodates the prospective impacts of various intervention strategies such as testing, maintenance, and refurbishment. The methodology is illustrated with several examples.

Methodology Development for Passive Component Reliability Modeling in a Multi-Physics Simulation Environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aldemir, Tunc; Denning, Richard; Catalyurek, Umit; Unwin, Stephen

2015-01-01

Reduction in safety margin can be expected as passive structures and components undergo degradation with time. Limitations in the traditional probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) methodology constrain its value as an effective tool to address the impact of aging effects on risk and for quantifying the impact of aging management strategies in maintaining safety margins. A methodology has been developed to address multiple aging mechanisms involving large numbers of components (with possibly statistically dependent failures) within the PRA framework in a computationally feasible manner when the sequencing of events is conditioned on the physical conditions predicted in a simulation environment, such as the New Generation System Code (NGSC) concept. Both epistemic and aleatory uncertainties can be accounted for within the same phenomenological framework and maintenance can be accounted for in a coherent fashion. The framework accommodates the prospective impacts of various intervention strategies such as testing, maintenance, and refurbishment. The methodology is illustrated with several examples.

Investigating the influence of product perception and geometric features

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Perez Mata, Marta; Ahmed-Kristensen, Saeema; Brockhoff, Per B.

2017-01-01

. Surveys were conducted with 71 participants to gather their perceptions of 11 vase concepts. Advanced statistical analyses, including mixed models, were applied to allow generalisation of the results beyond the data sample. Significant relations between the desire to own a product and how the product......Research in emotional design and Kansei Engineering has shown that aesthetics play a significant role in the appeal of a product. This paper contributes to establishing a methodology to identify the relationships between perceptions, aesthetic features, desire to own and background of consumers...... and was simple and tall). An automated mixed model analysis was conducted and revealed that general rules can be found between aesthetic features, perceptions and ownership, which can apply across gender and culture. The findings include design rules that link aesthetic features with perceptions...

Optimized Feature Extraction for Temperature-Modulated Gas Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alexander Vergara

2009-01-01

Full Text Available One of the most serious limitations to the practical utilization of solid-state gas sensors is the drift of their signal. Even if drift is rooted in the chemical and physical processes occurring in the sensor, improved signal processing is generally considered as a methodology to increase sensors stability. Several studies evidenced the augmented stability of time variable signals elicited by the modulation of either the gas concentration or the operating temperature. Furthermore, when time-variable signals are used, the extraction of features can be accomplished in shorter time with respect to the time necessary to calculate the usual features defined in steady-state conditions. In this paper, we discuss the stability properties of distinct dynamic features using an array of metal oxide semiconductors gas sensors whose working temperature is modulated with optimized multisinusoidal signals. Experiments were aimed at measuring the dispersion of sensors features in repeated sequences of a limited number of experimental conditions. Results evidenced that the features extracted during the temperature modulation reduce the multidimensional data dispersion among repeated measurements. In particular, the Energy Signal Vector provided an almost constant classification rate along the time with respect to the temperature modulation.

A methodological approach for designing and sequencing product families in Reconfigurable Disassembly Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ignacio Eguia

2011-10-01

Full Text Available Purpose: A Reconfigurable Disassembly System (RDS represents a new paradigm of automated disassembly system that uses reconfigurable manufacturing technology for fast adaptation to changes in the quantity and mix of products to disassemble. This paper deals with a methodology for designing and sequencing product families in RDS. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is developed in a two-phase approach, where products are first grouped into families and then families are sequenced through the RDS, computing the required machines and modules configuration for each family. Products are grouped into families based on their common features using a Hierarchical Clustering Algorithm. The optimal sequence of the product families is calculated using a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming model minimizing reconfigurability and operational costs. Findings: This paper is focused to enable reconfigurable manufacturing technologies to attain some degree of adaptability during disassembly automation design using modular machine tools. Research limitations/implications: The MILP model proposed for the second phase is similar to the well-known Travelling Salesman Problem (TSP and therefore its complexity grows exponentially with the number of products to disassemble. In real-world problems, which a higher number of products, it may be advisable to solve the model approximately with heuristics. Practical implications: The importance of industrial recycling and remanufacturing is growing due to increasing environmental and economic pressures. Disassembly is an important part of remanufacturing systems for reuse and recycling purposes. Automatic disassembly techniques have a growing number of applications in the area of electronics, aerospace, construction and industrial equipment. In this paper, a design and scheduling approach is proposed to apply in this area. Originality/value: This paper presents a new concept called Reconfigurable Disassembly System

A systematic methodology for the robust quantification of energy efficiency at wastewater treatment plants featuring Data Envelopment Analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Longo, S; Hospido, A; Lema, J M; Mauricio-Iglesias, M

2018-05-10

This article examines the potential benefits of using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) for conducting energy-efficiency assessment of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). WWTPs are characteristically heterogeneous (in size, technology, climate, function …) which limits the correct application of DEA. This paper proposes and describes the Robust Energy Efficiency DEA (REED) in its various stages, a systematic state-of-the-art methodology aimed at including exogenous variables in nonparametric frontier models and especially designed for WWTP operation. In particular, the methodology systematizes the modelling process by presenting an integrated framework for selecting the correct variables and appropriate models, possibly tackling the effect of exogenous factors. As a result, the application of REED improves the quality of the efficiency estimates and hence the significance of benchmarking. For the reader's convenience, this article is presented as a step-by-step guideline to guide the user in the determination of WWTPs energy efficiency from beginning to end. The application and benefits of the developed methodology are demonstrated by a case study related to the comparison of the energy efficiency of a set of 399 WWTPs operating in different countries and under heterogeneous environmental conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The intersections between TRIZ and forecasting methodology

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Georgeta BARBULESCU

2010-12-01

Full Text Available The authors’ intention is to correlate the basic knowledge in using the TRIZ methodology (Theory of Inventive Problem Solving or in Russian: Teoriya Resheniya Izobretatelskikh Zadatch as a problem solving tools meant to help the decision makers to perform more significant forecasting exercises. The idea is to identify the TRIZ features and instruments (40 inventive principles, i.e. for putting in evidence the noise and signal problem, for trend identification (qualitative and quantitative tendencies and support tools in technological forecasting, to make the decision-makers able to refine and to increase the level of confidence in the forecasting results. The interest in connecting TRIZ to forecasting methodology, nowadays, relates to the massive application of TRIZ methods and techniques for engineering system development world-wide and in growing application of TRIZ’s concepts and paradigms for improvements of non-engineering systems (including the business and economic applications.

A methodology for Electric Power Load Forecasting

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eisa Almeshaiei

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Electricity demand forecasting is a central and integral process for planning periodical operations and facility expansion in the electricity sector. Demand pattern is almost very complex due to the deregulation of energy markets. Therefore, finding an appropriate forecasting model for a specific electricity network is not an easy task. Although many forecasting methods were developed, none can be generalized for all demand patterns. Therefore, this paper presents a pragmatic methodology that can be used as a guide to construct Electric Power Load Forecasting models. This methodology is mainly based on decomposition and segmentation of the load time series. Several statistical analyses are involved to study the load features and forecasting precision such as moving average and probability plots of load noise. Real daily load data from Kuwaiti electric network are used as a case study. Some results are reported to guide forecasting future needs of this network.

Towards A Model-based Prognostics Methodology for Electrolytic Capacitors: A Case Study Based on Electrical Overstress Accelerated Aging

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — A remaining useful life prediction methodology for elec- trolytic capacitors is presented. This methodology adopts a Kalman filter approach in conjunction with an...

Towards A Model-Based Prognostics Methodology For Electrolytic Capacitors: A Case Study Based On Electrical Overstress Accelerated Aging

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This paper presents a model-driven methodology for predict- ing the remaining useful life of electrolytic capacitors. This methodology adopts a Kalman filter...

Volume Decomposition and Feature Recognition for Hexahedral Mesh Generation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

GADH,RAJIT; LU,YONG; TAUTGES,TIMOTHY J.

1999-09-27

Considerable progress has been made on automatic hexahedral mesh generation in recent years. Several automatic meshing algorithms have proven to be very reliable on certain classes of geometry. While it is always worth pursuing general algorithms viable on more general geometry, a combination of the well-established algorithms is ready to take on classes of complicated geometry. By partitioning the entire geometry into meshable pieces matched with appropriate meshing algorithm the original geometry becomes meshable and may achieve better mesh quality. Each meshable portion is recognized as a meshing feature. This paper, which is a part of the feature based meshing methodology, presents the work on shape recognition and volume decomposition to automatically decompose a CAD model into meshable volumes. There are four phases in this approach: (1) Feature Determination to extinct decomposition features, (2) Cutting Surfaces Generation to form the ''tailored'' cutting surfaces, (3) Body Decomposition to get the imprinted volumes; and (4) Meshing Algorithm Assignment to match volumes decomposed with appropriate meshing algorithms. The feature determination procedure is based on the CLoop feature recognition algorithm that is extended to be more general. Results are demonstrated over several parts with complicated topology and geometry.

Age-Related Features of Reactive Catecholamine Shifts in the Spinal Cord in Acute Somatic Pain: Experimental Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

V. G. Ovsyannikov

2007-01-01

Full Text Available Objective: to study the age-related features of an adrenergic response of the central nervous system to acute somatic pain (ASP.Subjects and methods: The spinal cord (SC levels of adrenaline (A, noradrenaline (NA, and dopamine (DA were studied in albino male rats of five age groups: 1 neonatal (2—4-day rats; 2 17—18-day rats that began to see; 3 monthly rats; 4 sexually mature (3—4 month ones; and 5 old ones aged over 2 years. ASP was reproduced by electrodermal stimulation of the rat tail; the levels of catecholamines (CA were measured by spectrofluorimetric microassay.Results. During postnatal ontogenesis, the rats were found to have a phase pattern of physiological changes in the spinal concentrations of CA: a decrease in their high neonatal levels (due to DA by the time the animals began to see; their progressive increase by prepuberty (due to NA and in sexually maturity (due to A and DA, and a reduction in all CA fractions in old rats. ASP was attended by a rise in the SC concentration of CA in the neonatal animals and by clearly-cut reactive shifts in all fractions in the old ones. With A and DA increases, the SC concentrations of NA halved in the rats that began to see and had ASP; the amount of CA remained unchanged as compared with the controls. In prepubertal and sexually mature male rats, there was a reduction in the spinal CA pool, but due to different components: to A and NA in 35-day rats and to A and DA in 3-month ones.Conclusion. Age-related changes in the pattern of a spinal CA response in rats with ASP show a ontogenetic trend in the development of adrenal responsiveness from the immature generalized forms of an early postnatal period to the definitive differentiated economic reactions of the hypo-to-normergic type and then to the hyperergic destructive reactions of old age. 

Reactor analysis support package (RASP). Volume 7. PWR set-point methodology. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Temple, S.M.; Robbins, T.R.

1986-09-01

This report provides an overview of the basis and methodology requirements for determining Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) technical specifications related setpoints and focuses on development of the methodology for a reload core. Additionally, the report documents the implementation and typical methods of analysis used by PWR vendors during the 1970's to develop Protection System Trip Limits (or Limiting Safety System Settings) and Limiting Conditions for Operation. The descriptions of the typical setpoint methodologies are provided for Nuclear Steam Supply Systems as designed and supplied by Babcock and Wilcox, Combustion Engineering, and Westinghouse. The description of the methods of analysis includes the discussion of the computer codes used in the setpoint methodology. Next, the report addresses the treatment of calculational and measurement uncertainties based on the extent to which such information was available for each of the three types of PWR. Finally, the major features of the setpoint methodologies are compared, and the principal effects of each particular methodology on plant operation are summarized for each of the three types of PWR

A methodology for the analysis of differential coexpression across the human lifespan.

Science.gov (United States)

Gillis, Jesse; Pavlidis, Paul

2009-09-22

Differential coexpression is a change in coexpression between genes that may reflect 'rewiring' of transcriptional networks. It has previously been hypothesized that such changes might be occurring over time in the lifespan of an organism. While both coexpression and differential expression of genes have been previously studied in life stage change or aging, differential coexpression has not. Generalizing differential coexpression analysis to many time points presents a methodological challenge. Here we introduce a method for analyzing changes in coexpression across multiple ordered groups (e.g., over time) and extensively test its validity and usefulness. Our method is based on the use of the Haar basis set to efficiently represent changes in coexpression at multiple time scales, and thus represents a principled and generalizable extension of the idea of differential coexpression to life stage data. We used published microarray studies categorized by age to test the methodology. We validated the methodology by testing our ability to reconstruct Gene Ontology (GO) categories using our measure of differential coexpression and compared this result to using coexpression alone. Our method allows significant improvement in characterizing these groups of genes. Further, we examine the statistical properties of our measure of differential coexpression and establish that the results are significant both statistically and by an improvement in semantic similarity. In addition, we found that our method finds more significant changes in gene relationships compared to several other methods of expressing temporal relationships between genes, such as coexpression over time. Differential coexpression over age generates significant and biologically relevant information about the genes producing it. Our Haar basis methodology for determining age-related differential coexpression performs better than other tested methods. The Haar basis set also lends itself to ready interpretation

Imaging features of intracerebral hemorrhage with cerebral amyloid angiopathy: Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Neshika Samarasekera

Full Text Available We sought to summarize Computed Tomography (CT/Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI features of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH associated with cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA in published observational radio-pathological studies.In November 2016, two authors searched OVID Medline (1946-, Embase (1974- and relevant bibliographies for studies of imaging features of lobar or cerebellar ICH with pathologically proven CAA ("CAA-associated ICH". Two authors assessed studies' diagnostic test accuracy methodology and independently extracted data.We identified 22 studies (21 cases series and one cross-sectional study with controls of CT features in 297 adults, two cross-sectional studies of MRI features in 81 adults and one study which reported both CT and MRI features in 22 adults. Methods of CAA assessment varied, and rating of imaging features was not masked to pathology. The most frequently reported CT features of CAA-associated ICH in 21 case series were: subarachnoid extension (pooled proportion 82%, 95% CI 69-93%, I2 = 51%, 12 studies and an irregular ICH border (64%, 95% CI 32-91%, I2 = 85%, five studies. CAA-associated ICH was more likely to be multiple on CT than non-CAA ICH in one cross-sectional study (CAA-associated ICH 7/41 vs. non-CAA ICH 0/42; χ2 = 7.8, p = 0.005. Superficial siderosis on MRI was present in 52% of CAA-associated ICH (95% CI 39-65%, I2 = 35%, 3 studies.Subarachnoid extension and an irregular ICH border are common imaging features of CAA-associated ICH, but methodologically rigorous diagnostic test accuracy studies are required to determine the sensitivity and specificity of these features.

76 FR 23603 - New Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Environmental Science Formative Research Methodology...

Science.gov (United States)

2011-04-27

...; Comment Request; Environmental Science Formative Research Methodology Studies for the National Children's... an OMB generic clearance to conduct formative research featuring biospecimen and physical measures... health and disease. Findings from the Study will be made available as the research progresses, making...

SVM-based glioma grading. Optimization by feature reduction analysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zoellner, Frank G.; Schad, Lothar R.; Emblem, Kyrre E.; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Oslo Univ. Hospital

2012-01-01

We investigated the predictive power of feature reduction analysis approaches in support vector machine (SVM)-based classification of glioma grade. In 101 untreated glioma patients, three analytic approaches were evaluated to derive an optimal reduction in features; (i) Pearson's correlation coefficients (PCC), (ii) principal component analysis (PCA) and (iii) independent component analysis (ICA). Tumor grading was performed using a previously reported SVM approach including whole-tumor cerebral blood volume (CBV) histograms and patient age. Best classification accuracy was found using PCA at 85% (sensitivity = 89%, specificity = 84%) when reducing the feature vector from 101 (100-bins rCBV histogram + age) to 3 principal components. In comparison, classification accuracy by PCC was 82% (89%, 77%, 2 dimensions) and 79% by ICA (87%, 75%, 9 dimensions). For improved speed (up to 30%) and simplicity, feature reduction by all three methods provided similar classification accuracy to literature values (∝87%) while reducing the number of features by up to 98%. (orig.)

SVM-based glioma grading. Optimization by feature reduction analysis

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zoellner, Frank G.; Schad, Lothar R. [University Medical Center Mannheim, Heidelberg Univ., Mannheim (Germany). Computer Assisted Clinical Medicine; Emblem, Kyrre E. [Massachusetts General Hospital, Charlestown, A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Boston MA (United States). Dept. of Radiology; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States); Oslo Univ. Hospital (Norway). The Intervention Center

2012-11-01

We investigated the predictive power of feature reduction analysis approaches in support vector machine (SVM)-based classification of glioma grade. In 101 untreated glioma patients, three analytic approaches were evaluated to derive an optimal reduction in features; (i) Pearson's correlation coefficients (PCC), (ii) principal component analysis (PCA) and (iii) independent component analysis (ICA). Tumor grading was performed using a previously reported SVM approach including whole-tumor cerebral blood volume (CBV) histograms and patient age. Best classification accuracy was found using PCA at 85% (sensitivity = 89%, specificity = 84%) when reducing the feature vector from 101 (100-bins rCBV histogram + age) to 3 principal components. In comparison, classification accuracy by PCC was 82% (89%, 77%, 2 dimensions) and 79% by ICA (87%, 75%, 9 dimensions). For improved speed (up to 30%) and simplicity, feature reduction by all three methods provided similar classification accuracy to literature values ({proportional_to}87%) while reducing the number of features by up to 98%. (orig.)

A multi-criteria decision aid methodology to design electric vehicles public charging networks

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

João Raposo

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This article presents a new multi-criteria decision aid methodology, dynamic-PROMETHEE, here used to design electric vehicle charging networks. In applying this methodology to a Portuguese city, results suggest that it is effective in designing electric vehicle charging networks, generating time and policy based scenarios, considering offer and demand and the city’s urban structure. Dynamic-PROMETHE adds to the already known PROMETHEE’s characteristics other useful features, such as decision memory over time, versatility and adaptability. The case study, used here to present the dynamic-PROMETHEE, served as inspiration and base to create this new methodology. It can be used to model different problems and scenarios that may present similar requirement characteristics.

A multi-criteria decision aid methodology to design electric vehicles public charging networks

Science.gov (United States)

Raposo, João; Rodrigues, Ana; Silva, Carlos; Dentinho, Tomaz

2015-05-01

This article presents a new multi-criteria decision aid methodology, dynamic-PROMETHEE, here used to design electric vehicle charging networks. In applying this methodology to a Portuguese city, results suggest that it is effective in designing electric vehicle charging networks, generating time and policy based scenarios, considering offer and demand and the city's urban structure. Dynamic-PROMETHE adds to the already known PROMETHEE's characteristics other useful features, such as decision memory over time, versatility and adaptability. The case study, used here to present the dynamic-PROMETHEE, served as inspiration and base to create this new methodology. It can be used to model different problems and scenarios that may present similar requirement characteristics.

Computed tomographic features of the feline brain change with advancing age?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Viviam R. Babicsak

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract: A better understanding of normal or expected encephalic changes with increasing age in cats is needed as a growing number of these animals is attended in veterinary clinics, and imaging data referring to normal age-associated changes are extremely scarce in the literature. The objective of this study was to identify age-related changes in feline brain using CT imaging. Fifteen non-brachycephalic healthy cats with age between 1 to 6 years (adult group and others over 12 years (geriatric group were submitted to CT scan of the brain. Statistically significant differences were found between the groups for the ability to identify the left lateral ventricle and for falx cerebri calcification, both identified in a greater number of cats of the geriatric group. A significantly higher mean width of the third ventricle was also detected in geriatric animals. There were no statistically significant differences between lateral ventricular dimensions and encephalic parenchymal attenuation on pre and post-contrast CT phases. The results of the present study show an increase in the incidence of falx cerebri calcification and a third ventricular dilatation with advancing age in cats. Future researches using MRI scanners and a greater quantity of cats are needed in order to identify supplementary age-related changes.

How Transferable are CNN-based Features for Age and Gender Classification?

OpenAIRE

Özbulak, Gökhan; Aytar, Yusuf; Ekenel, Hazım Kemal

2016-01-01

Age and gender are complementary soft biometric traits for face recognition. Successful estimation of age and gender from facial images taken under real-world conditions can contribute improving the identification results in the wild. In this study, in order to achieve robust age and gender classification in the wild, we have benefited from Deep Convolutional Neural Networks based representation. We have explored transferability of existing deep convolutional neural network (CNN) models for a...

Histological Features of Antiphospholipid Nephropathy in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naseeb, F.; Arfaj, A. A..; Hamdani, A.; Parvez, K.; Mogairen, S. A.; Kfoury, H.

2015-01-01

Objective:To determine the histological features of renal biopsies of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients with and without antiphospholipid antibodies in Saudi population. Study Design: Cross-sectional, comparative study. Place and Duration of Study: King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, from January to December 2013. Methodology: Consecutive SLE patients admitted to King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh for renal biopsy for evaluation of proteinuria or deterioration of renal function were recruited. SLE patients with renal involvement were divided in two groups. Group one included patients with positive APS antibodies and group two included patients with negative APS antibodies. The histological features of renal biopsies of the two patients groups were compared. Data was analyzed using simple statistical analysis. Results: The mean age of APS antibodies-positive patients was 30.37 ± 10.714 years while mean age of APS negative patients was 33.62 ± 11.717 years (p=0.224). Twenty five (83.33 percentage) patients were females and 5 (16.67 percentage) patients were males in APS positive patients while 42 (89.36 percentage) were females and 5 (10.63 percentage) were males in group two. Acute lesions like thrombotic microangiopathy were in 2 (6.7 percentage) of APS positive patients while chronic lesions like focal cortical atrophy was found in 6 (20 percentage) and fibrous intimal hyperplasia was found in 9 (30 percentage). Other significant histological findings in APS antibodies positive group were glomerular basement membrane wrinkling in 12 (40 percentage), glomerular double wall contour in 17 (56.7 percentage), fibrous adhesions in 11 (36.7 percentage) patients with APS antibodies. Conclusion:Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) patients with positive APS antibodies has specific histological findings suggesting an important role of APS antibodies in the pathogenesis of APS nephropathy. (author)

Methodologies for Social Life Cycle Assessment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Andreas; Le Bocq, Agathe; Nazakina, Liudmila

2008-01-01

Goal, Scope and Background. In recent years several different approaches towards Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) have been developed. The purpose of this review is to compare these approaches in order to highlight methodological differences and general shortcomings. SLCA has several similarit......Goal, Scope and Background. In recent years several different approaches towards Social Life Cycle Assessment (SLCA) have been developed. The purpose of this review is to compare these approaches in order to highlight methodological differences and general shortcomings. SLCA has several...... similarities with other social assessment tools, but in order to limit the review, only claims to address social impacts from an LCA-like framework is considered. Main Features. The review is to a large extent based on conference proceedings and reports of which some are not easily accessible, since very...... stage in the product life cycle. Another very important difference among the proposals is their position towards the use of generic data. Several of the proposals argue that social impacts are connected to the conduct of the company leading to the conclusion that each individual company in the product...

Methodology for studying social advertising: A sociological aspect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S B Kalmykov

2014-12-01

Full Text Available The article describes the author’s dynamic processual methodology for the sociological study of social advertising that combines the multiversion paradigmatic approach, legitimization procedures, methodological principles of interconnection, multilevel analysis and the principles of sociological data formalization developed by P. Lazarsfeld. The author explains the multi-stage strategy of the methodology and the research procedures that provide new sociological knowledge about the processes of social advertising. The first stage involves analysis of the social advertising as a number of institutional, communicative, socio-cultural and socio-technological processes. The second stage consists of the development of the substantive aspects of social advertising dynamics and its dependence on the features of different socio-demographic groups. The third stage of the methodology includes a comparative analysis of the social advertising theoretical and empirical aspects and the subsequent assessment of its fundamental and applied capabilities. The author identifies two types of research practices: the first one consists of three levels of complexity - the first one is to design the social advertising categories and concepts; the second one requires a higher level of generalization; the third one supposes justification of the universal categorization and the social advertising conceptualization for different social areas as well as a comparative analysis of the theory of the social advertising impact developed by O.O. Savel’eva with the research results for the aims of the promotion of the sociology of advertising. The article concludes with the demonstration of the proposed methodology universality for different spheres of social reality.

Ensuring VGI Credibility in Urban-Community Data Generation: A Methodological Research Design

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Jamie O'Brien

2016-06-01

Full Text Available In this paper we outline the methodological development of current research into urban community formations based on combinations of qualitative (volunteered and quantitative (spatial analytical and geo-statistical data. We outline a research design that addresses problems of data quality relating to credibility in volunteered geographic information (VGI intended for Web-enabled participatory planning. Here we have drawn on a dual notion of credibility in VGI data, and propose a methodological workflow to address its criteria. We propose a ‘super-positional’ model of urban community formations, and report on the combination of quantitative and participatory methods employed to underpin its integration. The objective of this methodological phase of study is to enhance confidence in the quality of data for Web-enabled participatory planning. Our participatory method has been supported by rigorous quantification of area characteristics, including participant communities’ demographic and socio-economic contexts. This participatory method provided participants with a ready and accessible format for observing and mark-making, which allowed the investigators to iterate rapidly a system design based on participants’ responses to the workshop tasks. Participatory workshops have involved secondary school-age children in socio-economically contrasting areas of Liverpool (Merseyside, UK, which offers a test-bed for comparing communities’ formations in comparative contexts, while bringing an under-represented section of the population into a planning domain, whose experience may stem from public and non-motorised transport modalities. Data has been gathered through one-day participatory workshops, featuring questionnaire surveys, local site analysis, perception mapping and brief, textual descriptions. This innovative approach will support Web-based participation among stakeholding planners, who may benefit from well-structured, community

Feature-selective attention: evidence for a decline in old age.

Science.gov (United States)

Quigley, Cliodhna; Andersen, Søren K; Schulze, Lars; Grunwald, Martin; Müller, Matthias M

2010-04-19

Although attention in older adults is an active research area, feature-selective aspects have not yet been explicitly studied. Here we report the results of an exploratory study involving directed changes in feature-selective attention. The stimuli used were two random dot kinematograms (RDKs) of different colours, superimposed and centrally presented. A colour cue with random onset after the beginning of each trial instructed young and older subjects to attend to one of the RDKs and detect short intervals of coherent motion while ignoring analogous motion events in the non-cued RDK. Behavioural data show that older adults could detect motion, but discriminated target from distracter motion less reliably than young adults. The method of frequency tagging allowed us to separate the EEG responses to the attended and ignored stimuli and directly compare steady-state visual evoked potential (SSVEP) amplitudes elicited by each stimulus before and after cue onset. We found that younger adults show a clear attentional enhancement of SSVEP amplitude in the post-cue interval, while older adults' SSVEP responses to attended and ignored stimuli do not differ. Thus, in situations where attentional selection cannot be spatially resolved, older adults show a deficit in selection that is not shared by young adults. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Ageing study of the engineered safety features actuation system of the Loviisa NPP

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Simola, K.; Maskuniitty, M.

1995-06-01

An ageing study of the engineered safety features actuation system of the Loviisa nuclear power plant has been performed. The operating experience, including failure and maintenance histories of analog measuring devices, logics for safety signal formation and individual control electronics of pumps and valves, has been collected and analysed. The safety importance of system components has been studied with a fault tree analysis of a selected safety function. Based on the results of the analysis of operating experiences and the fault tree analysis, some components were selected for deeper analyses. According to the operating experience, the amount of failures in the Loviisa plant safety system has been low and no increasing trend in the failure history can yet be observed. Only a few failures had prohibited the propagation of the safety signal, mostly the failures have caused a false alarm. The failures reported have concerned mainly limit signal units, transmitters, and priority units. According to the fault tree analysis of one safety function, the most important components of this subsystem are individual control units and pulse/DC converters. Failure modes and effect analyses were performed for priority and individual control unit, limit signal unit and comparator and pulse/DC converter in order to identify the critical failure modes of these devices. (orig.) (15 refs., 26 figs., 9 tabs.)

Standard practice for extreme value analysis of nonmetallic inclusions in steel and other microstructural features

CERN Document Server

American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

2008-01-01

1.1 This practice describes a methodology to statistically characterize the distribution of the largest indigenous nonmetallic inclusions in steel specimens based upon quantitative metallographic measurements. The practice is not suitable for assessing exogenous inclusions. 1.2 Based upon the statistical analysis, the nonmetallic content of different lots of steels can be compared. 1.3 This practice deals only with the recommended test methods and nothing in it should be construed as defining or establishing limits of acceptability. 1.4 The measured values are stated in SI units. For measurements obtained from light microscopy, linear feature parameters shall be reported as micrometers, and feature areas shall be reported as micrometers. 1.5 The methodology can be extended to other materials and to other microstructural features. 1.6 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish app...

Mikhail Geraskov (1874-1957 Methodological Concepts of Learning Physics.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mariyana Ilieva

2014-02-01

Full Text Available Mikhail Geraskov is a distinguished Bulgarian educator from the first half of the twentieth century, who developed the scientific foundations of didactics and methodology of training. His work contributed a lot to the development of the Bulgarian pedagogy. The subject of scientific research is didactical conceptions and methodological conceptions of learning. The aim of the research paper is to presents his ideas about particular methods of teaching Physics for high school. Geraskov assumes direct correlation between didactics and methodology. This paper focuses on his ideas about design, technology and methodological requirements for lessons of Physics. He believes that the appropriate methods are determined by the curriculum, set of educational goals and age characteristics, and capabilities of adolescents. In his methodical recommendations he focuses on teaching methods and forms that provoke students’ activity. Comparative analysis with publications on the issues set for development of the Bulgarian pedagogic science and the actuality in the modern education system.

Assessment methodology applicable to safe decommissioning of Romanian VVR-S research reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baniu, O.; Vladescu, G.; Vidican, D.; Penescu, M.

2002-01-01

The paper contains the results of research activity performed by CITON specialists regarding the assessment methodology intended to be applied to safe decommissioning of the research reactors, developed taking into account specific conditions of the Romanian VVR-S Research Reactor. The Romanian VVR-S Research Reactor is an old reactor (1957) and its Decommissioning Plan is under study. The main topics of paper are as follows: Safety approach of nuclear facilities decommissioning. Applicable safety principles; Main steps of the proposed assessment methodology; Generic content of Decommissioning Plan. Main decommissioning activities. Discussion about the proposed Decommissioning Plan for Romanian Research Reactor; Safety risks which may occur during decommissioning activities. Normal decommissioning operations. Fault conditions. Internal and external hazards; Typical development of a scenario. Features, Events and Processes List. Exposure pathways. Calculation methodology. (author)

Feminist approaches to social science: epistemological and methodological tenets.

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Campbell, R; Wasco, S M

2000-12-01

This paper is a primer for community psychologists on feminist research. Much like the field of community psychology, feminist scholarship is defined by its values and process. Informed by the political ideologies of the 1970s women's movement (liberal, radical, socialist feminism, and womanism), feminist scholars reinterpreted classic concepts in philosophy of science to create feminist epistemologies and methodologies. Feminist epistemologies, such as feminist empiricism, standpoint theory, and postmodernism, recognize women's lived experiences as legitimate sources of knowledge. Feminist methodologies attempt to eradicate sexist bias in research and find ways to capture women's voices that are consistent with feminist ideals. Practically, the process of feminist research is characterized by four primary features: (1) expanding methodologies to include both quantitative and qualitative methods, (2) connecting women for group-level data collection, (3) reducing the hierarchical relationship between researchers and their participants to facilitate trust and disclosure, and (4) recognizing and reflecting upon the emotionality of women's lives. Recommendations for how community psychologists can integrate feminist scholarship into their practice are discussed.

Methodology for Automatic Ontology Generation Using Database Schema Information

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

JungHyen An

2018-01-01

Full Text Available An ontology is a model language that supports the functions to integrate conceptually distributed domain knowledge and infer relationships among the concepts. Ontologies are developed based on the target domain knowledge. As a result, methodologies to automatically generate an ontology from metadata that characterize the domain knowledge are becoming important. However, existing methodologies to automatically generate an ontology using metadata are required to generate the domain metadata in a predetermined template, and it is difficult to manage data that are increased on the ontology itself when the domain OWL (Ontology Web Language individuals are continuously increased. The database schema has a feature of domain knowledge and provides structural functions to efficiently process the knowledge-based data. In this paper, we propose a methodology to automatically generate ontologies and manage the OWL individual through an interaction of the database and the ontology. We describe the automatic ontology generation process with example schema and demonstrate the effectiveness of the automatically generated ontology by comparing it with existing ontologies using the ontology quality score.

[Methodologic inconsistency in anamnesis education at medical schools].

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Zago, M A

1989-01-01

Some relevant points of the process of obtaining the medical anamnesis and physical examination, and the formulation of diagnostic hypotheses are analyzed. The main methodological features include: preponderance of qualitative data, absence of preselected hypotheses, direct involvement of the observer (physician) with the data source (patient), and selection of hypotheses and changes of the patient during the process. Thus, diagnostic investigation does not follow the paradigm of quantitative scientific method, rooted on the logic positivism, which dominates medical research and education.

Aging changes in immunity

Science.gov (United States)

... this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/article/004008.htm Aging changes in immunity To use the sharing features ... cells and antibodies that destroy these harmful substances. AGING CHANGES AND THEIR EFFECTS ON THE IMMUNE SYSTEM ...

Visual search for features and conjunctions in development.

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Lobaugh, N J; Cole, S; Rovet, J F

1998-12-01

Visual search performance was examined in three groups of children 7 to 12 years of age and in young adults. Colour and orientation feature searches and a conjunction search were conducted. Reaction time (RT) showed expected improvements in processing speed with age. Comparisons of RT's on target-present and target-absent trials were consistent with parallel search on the two feature conditions and with serial search in the conjunction condition. The RT results indicated searches for feature and conjunctions were treated similarly for children and adults. However, the youngest children missed more targets at the largest array sizes, most strikingly in conjunction search. Based on an analysis of speed/accuracy trade-offs, we suggest that low target-distractor discriminability leads to an undersampling of array elements, and is responsible for the high number of misses in the youngest children.

A Polygon and Point-Based Approach to Matching Geospatial Features

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Juan J. Ruiz-Lendínez

2017-12-01

Full Text Available A methodology for matching bidimensional entities is presented in this paper. The matching is proposed for both area and point features extracted from geographical databases. The procedure used to obtain homologous entities is achieved in a two-step process: The first matching, polygon to polygon matching (inter-element matching, is obtained by means of a genetic algorithm that allows the classifying of area features from two geographical databases. After this, we apply a point to point matching (intra-element matching based on the comparison of changes in their turning functions. This study shows that genetic algorithms are suitable for matching polygon features even if these features are quite different. Our results show up to 40% of matched polygons with differences in geometrical attributes. With regards to point matching, the vertex from homologous polygons, the function and threshold values proposed in this paper show a useful method for obtaining precise vertex matching.

Age groups related glioblastoma study based on radiomics approach.

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Li, Zeju; Wang, Yuanyuan; Yu, Jinhua; Guo, Yi; Zhang, Qi

2017-12-01

Glioblastoma is the most aggressive malignant brain tumor with poor prognosis. Radiomics is a newly emerging and promising technique to reveal the complex relationships between high-throughput medical image features and deep information of disease including pathology, biomarkers and genomics. An approach was developed to investigate the internal relationship between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features and the age-related origins of glioblastomas based on a quantitative radiomics method. A fully automatic image segmentation method was applied to segment the tumor regions from three dimensional MRI images. 555 features were then extracted from the image data. By analyzing large numbers of quantitative image features, some predictive and prognostic information could be obtained by the radiomics approach. 96 patients diagnosed with glioblastoma pathologically have been divided into two age groups (age groups (T test, p age difference (T test, p= .006). In conclusion, glioblastoma in different age groups present different radiomics-feature patterns with statistical significance, which indicates that glioblastoma in different age groups should have different pathologic, protein, or genic origins.

Methodological quality of guidelines in gastroenterology.

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Malheiro, Rui; de Monteiro-Soares, Matilde; Hassan, Cesare; Dinis-Ribeiro, Mário

2014-06-01

Clinical guidelines are a common feature in modern endoscopy practice and they are being produced faster than ever. However, their methodological quality is rarely assessed. This study evaluated the methodological quality of current clinical guidelines in the field of gastroenterology, with an emphasis on endoscopy. Practice guidelines published by the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG), American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ASGE), European Society of Gastrointestinal Endoscopy (ESGE), British Society of Gastroenterology (BSG), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), and the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) were searched between September and October 2012 and evaluated using the AGREE II (Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation) instrument (23 items, scores 1 - 7 for each item; higher scores mean better quality). A total of 100 guidelines were assessed. The mean number of items scoring 6 or 7 per guideline was 9.2 (out of 23 items). Overall, 99 % of guidelines failed to include the target population in the development process, and 96 % did not report facilitators and barriers to guideline application. In addition, 86 % did not include advice or tools, and 94 % did not present monitoring or auditing criteria. The global methodological quality of clinical guidelines in the field of gastroenterology is poor, particularly regarding involvement of the target population in the development of guidelines and in the provision of clear suggestions to practitioners. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

European nuclear features. Interview: Commissioner Piebalgs (DG TREN)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

Fifth issue of the European Nuclear Features. A joint publication of atw, Nuclear Espana, and Revue Generale Nucleaire. Contents: Frontier research in the EU Scientific Council of the European Research Council announced proactive safety management strategies; Pebble Bed Modular Reactor; New experiences applying methodologies for control room I and C modernization; Experts from Taiwan fulfil their training in Madrid; Ensa's activities in the Asian Commercial Nuclear Power Market; Clearance survey approach for scrap metals from NPP. (orig.)

A generic semi-implicit coupling methodology for use in RELAP5-3Dcopyright

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aumiller, D.L.; Tomlinson, E.T.; Weaver, W.L.

2000-01-01

A generic semi-implicit coupling methodology has been developed and implemented in the RELAP5-3Dcopyright computer program. This methodology allows RELAP5-3Dcopyright to be used with other computer programs to perform integrated analyses of nuclear power reactor systems and related experimental facilities. The coupling methodology potentially allows different programs to be used to model different portions of the system. The programs are chosen based on their capability to model the phenomena that are important in the simulation in the various portions of the system being considered. The methodology was demonstrated using a test case in which the test geometry was divided into two parts each of which was solved as a RELAP5-3Dcopyright simulation. This test problem exercised all of the semi-implicit coupling features which were installed in RELAP5-3D0. The results of this verification test case show that the semi-implicit coupling methodology produces the same answer as the simulation of the test system as a single process

On Competitiveness of Nearest-Neighbor-Based Music Classification: A Methodological Critique

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pálmason, Haukur; Jónsson, Björn Thór; Amsaleg, Laurent

2017-01-01

The traditional role of nearest-neighbor classification in music classification research is that of a straw man opponent for the learning approach of the hour. Recent work in high-dimensional indexing has shown that approximate nearest-neighbor algorithms are extremely scalable, yielding results...... of reasonable quality from billions of high-dimensional features. With such efficient large-scale classifiers, the traditional music classification methodology of aggregating and compressing the audio features is incorrect; instead the approximate nearest-neighbor classifier should be given an extensive data...... collection to work with. We present a case study, using a well-known MIR classification benchmark with well-known music features, which shows that a simple nearest-neighbor classifier performs very competitively when given ample data. In this position paper, we therefore argue that nearest...

Working in the Methodological "Outfield": The Case of Bourdieu and Occupational Therapy

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Watson, Jo; Grenfell, Michael

2016-01-01

The article reports on a study of methodological innovation involving occupational therapy (OT) students in higher education (HE). It is based on an original project which examined the experiences and outcomes of non-traditional entrants to pre-registration OT education. A feature of the original project was the application of the epistemological…

Comparison of the clinical features and outcomes in two age-groups of elderly patients with atrial fibrillation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shao XH

2014-08-01

Full Text Available Xing-Hui Shao,1 Yan-Min Yang,1 Jun Zhu,1 Han Zhang,1 Yao Liu,1 Xin Gao,1 Li-Tian Yu,1 Li-Sheng Liu,1 Li Zhao,2 Peng-Fei Yu,3 Hua Zhang,4 Qing He,5 Xiao-Dan Gu6 1Emergency and Intensive Care Center, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 2Department of Emergency, Fu Xing Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing, 3Department of Cardiology, Pingdu People’s Hospital, Pingdu, 4Department of Emergency, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao, 5Department of Emergency, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 6Department of Emergency, Sixth People’s Hospital of Chengdu, Chengdu, People’s Republic of China Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF disproportionately affects older adults. However, direct comparison of clinical features, medical therapy, and outcomes in AF patients aged 65–74 and ≥75 years is rare. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the differences in clinical characteristics and prognosis in these two age-groups of geriatric patients with AF.Materials and methods: A total of 1,336 individuals aged ≥65 years from a Chinese AF registry were assessed in the present study: 570 were in the 65- to 74-year group, and 766 were in the ≥75-year group. Multivariable Cox hazards regression was performed to analyze the major adverse cardiac events (MACEs between groups.Results: In our population, the older group were more likely to have coronary artery disease, hypertension, previous stroke, cognitive disorder, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the 65- to 74-year group were more likely to have valvular heart disease, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, or sleep apnea. The older patients had 1.2-fold higher mean CHADS2 (congestive heart failure, hypertension, age ≥75 years, diabetes, stroke scores, but less ­probability of being prescribed drugs. Compared with those aged 65–74 years, the older group had a higher risk of death (hazard ratio 2

Feature binding and attention in working memory: a resolution of previous contradictory findings.

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Allen, Richard J; Hitch, Graham J; Mate, Judit; Baddeley, Alan D

2012-01-01

We aimed to resolve an apparent contradiction between previous experiments from different laboratories, using dual-task methodology to compare effects of a concurrent executive load on immediate recognition memory for colours or shapes of items or their colour-shape combinations. Results of two experiments confirmed previous evidence that an irrelevant attentional load interferes equally with memory for features and memory for feature bindings. Detailed analyses suggested that previous contradictory evidence arose from limitations in the way recognition memory was measured. The present findings are inconsistent with an earlier suggestion that feature binding takes place within a multimodal episodic buffer Baddeley, ( 2000 ) and support a subsequent account in which binding takes place automatically prior to information entering the episodic buffer Baddeley, Allen, & Hitch, ( 2011 ). Methodologically, the results suggest that different measures of recognition memory performance (A', d', corrected recognition) give a converging picture of main effects, but are less consistent in detecting interactions. We suggest that this limitation on the reliability of measuring recognition should be taken into account in future research so as to avoid problems of replication that turn out to be more apparent than real.

The trending of aging parameters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gregor, F.E.

1989-01-01

During the last 5 years, life extension for nuclear plants has been thoroughly studied and technical as well as economic feasibility has been demonstrated. The next major step is to apply the study results and methodology in a lead plant program to achieve regulatory acceptance. Most components experience a variety of degradation mechanism at differing rates, sometimes acting in synergistic fashion. It is quite obvious that exact quantification in a power plant environment is not practical or simple for most components. This recognition led to the development of an alternative methodology to facilitate management of the aging and degradation process. This methodology is presented

Stereoscopic Feature Tracking System for Retrieving Velocity of Surface Waters

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Zuniga Zamalloa, C. C.; Landry, B. J.

2017-12-01

The present work is concerned with the surface velocity retrieval of flows using a stereoscopic setup and finding the correspondence in the images via feature tracking (FT). The feature tracking provides a key benefit of substantially reducing the level of user input. In contrast to other commonly used methods (e.g., normalized cross-correlation), FT does not require the user to prescribe interrogation window sizes and removes the need for masking when specularities are present. The results of the current FT methodology are comparable to those obtained via Large Scale Particle Image Velocimetry while requiring little to no user input which allowed for rapid, automated processing of imagery.

Feature Selection via Chaotic Antlion Optimization.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hossam M Zawbaa

Full Text Available Selecting a subset of relevant properties from a large set of features that describe a dataset is a challenging machine learning task. In biology, for instance, the advances in the available technologies enable the generation of a very large number of biomarkers that describe the data. Choosing the more informative markers along with performing a high-accuracy classification over the data can be a daunting task, particularly if the data are high dimensional. An often adopted approach is to formulate the feature selection problem as a biobjective optimization problem, with the aim of maximizing the performance of the data analysis model (the quality of the data training fitting while minimizing the number of features used.We propose an optimization approach for the feature selection problem that considers a "chaotic" version of the antlion optimizer method, a nature-inspired algorithm that mimics the hunting mechanism of antlions in nature. The balance between exploration of the search space and exploitation of the best solutions is a challenge in multi-objective optimization. The exploration/exploitation rate is controlled by the parameter I that limits the random walk range of the ants/prey. This variable is increased iteratively in a quasi-linear manner to decrease the exploration rate as the optimization progresses. The quasi-linear decrease in the variable I may lead to immature convergence in some cases and trapping in local minima in other cases. The chaotic system proposed here attempts to improve the tradeoff between exploration and exploitation. The methodology is evaluated using different chaotic maps on a number of feature selection datasets. To ensure generality, we used ten biological datasets, but we also used other types of data from various sources. The results are compared with the particle swarm optimizer and with genetic algorithm variants for feature selection using a set of quality metrics.

Relative age effect: implications for effective practice.

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Andronikos, Georgios; Elumaro, Adeboye Israel; Westbury, Tony; Martindale, Russell J J

2016-01-01

Physical and psychological differences related to birthdate amongst athletes of the same selection year have been characterised as the "relative age effects" (RAEs). RAEs have been identified in a variety of sports, both at youth and adult level, and are linked with dropout of athletes and a reduction of the talent pool. This study examined the existence, mechanisms and possible solutions to RAEs using qualitative methodology. Seven experts in the field of talent identification and development were interviewed. Inductive analysis of the data showed that, while there was mixed evidence for the existence of RAEs across sports, the eradication of RAEs was attributed to controllable features of the development environment. The factors reported included the structure of "categories" used to group athletes within the sport (e.g. age, weight, size, skills), recognition and prioritisation of long-term development over "short term win focus." Education of relevant parties (e.g. coaches, scouts, clubs) about RAEs and the nature of "talent" within a long-term context was suggested, along with careful consideration of the structure of the development environment (e.g. delayed selection, provision for late developers, focus on skills not results, use of challenge). Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Methodological exploratory study applied to occupational epidemiology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carneiro, Janete C.G. Gaburo; Vasques, MOnica Heloisa B.; Fontinele, Ricardo S.; Sordi, Gian Maria A. [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)]. E-mail: janetegc@ipen.br

2007-07-01

The utilization of epidemiologic methods and techniques has been object of practical experimentation and theoretical-methodological reflection in health planning and programming process. Occupational Epidemiology is the study of the causes and prevention of diseases and injuries from exposition and risks in the work environment. In this context, there is no intention to deplete such a complex theme but to deal with basic concepts of Occupational Epidemiology, presenting the main characteristics of the analysis methods used in epidemiology, as investigate the possible determinants of exposition (chemical, physical and biological agents). For this study, the social-demographic profile of the IPEN-CNEN/SP work force was used. The knowledge of this reference population composition is based on sex, age, educational level, marital status and different occupations, aiming to know the relation between the health aggravating factors and these variables. The methodology used refers to a non-experimental research based on a theoretical methodological practice. The work performed has an exploratory character, aiming a later survey of indicators in the health area in order to analyze possible correlations related to epidemiologic issues. (author)

Methodological exploratory study applied to occupational epidemiology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carneiro, Janete C.G. Gaburo; Vasques, MOnica Heloisa B.; Fontinele, Ricardo S.; Sordi, Gian Maria A.

2007-01-01

The utilization of epidemiologic methods and techniques has been object of practical experimentation and theoretical-methodological reflection in health planning and programming process. Occupational Epidemiology is the study of the causes and prevention of diseases and injuries from exposition and risks in the work environment. In this context, there is no intention to deplete such a complex theme but to deal with basic concepts of Occupational Epidemiology, presenting the main characteristics of the analysis methods used in epidemiology, as investigate the possible determinants of exposition (chemical, physical and biological agents). For this study, the social-demographic profile of the IPEN-CNEN/SP work force was used. The knowledge of this reference population composition is based on sex, age, educational level, marital status and different occupations, aiming to know the relation between the health aggravating factors and these variables. The methodology used refers to a non-experimental research based on a theoretical methodological practice. The work performed has an exploratory character, aiming a later survey of indicators in the health area in order to analyze possible correlations related to epidemiologic issues. (author)

UHF Signal Processing and Pattern Recognition of Partial Discharge in Gas-Insulated Switchgear Using Chromatic Methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Xiaohua; Li, Xi; Rong, Mingzhe; Xie, Dingli; Ding, Dan; Wang, Zhixiang

2017-01-18

The ultra-high frequency (UHF) method is widely used in insulation condition assessment. However, UHF signal processing algorithms are complicated and the size of the result is large, which hinders extracting features and recognizing partial discharge (PD) patterns. This article investigated the chromatic methodology that is novel in PD detection. The principle of chromatic methodologies in color science are introduced. The chromatic processing represents UHF signals sparsely. The UHF signals obtained from PD experiments were processed using chromatic methodology and characterized by three parameters in chromatic space ( H , L , and S representing dominant wavelength, signal strength, and saturation, respectively). The features of the UHF signals were studied hierarchically. The results showed that the chromatic parameters were consistent with conventional frequency domain parameters. The global chromatic parameters can be used to distinguish UHF signals acquired by different sensors, and they reveal the propagation properties of the UHF signal in the L-shaped gas-insulated switchgear (GIS). Finally, typical PD defect patterns had been recognized by using novel chromatic parameters in an actual GIS tank and good performance of recognition was achieved.

Bilingualism and Cognitive Reserve: A Critical Overview and a Plea for Methodological Innovations.

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Calvo, Noelia; García, Adolfo M; Manoiloff, Laura; Ibáñez, Agustín

2015-01-01

The decline of cognitive skills throughout healthy or pathological aging can be slowed down by experiences which foster cognitive reserve (CR). Recently, some studies on Alzheimer's disease have suggested that CR may be enhanced by life-long bilingualism. However, the evidence is inconsistent and largely based on retrospective approaches featuring several methodological weaknesses. Some studies demonstrated at least 4 years of delay in dementia symptoms, while others did not find such an effect. Moreover, various methodological aspects vary from study to study. The present paper addresses contradictory findings, identifies possible lurking variables, and outlines methodological alternatives thereof. First, we characterize possible confounding factors that may have influenced extant results. Our focus is on the criteria to establish bilingualism, differences in sample design, the instruments used to examine cognitive skills, and the role of variables known to modulate life-long cognition. Second, we propose that these limitations could be largely circumvented through experimental approaches. Proficiency in the non-native language can be successfully assessed by combining subjective and objective measures; confounding variables which have been distinctively associated with certain bilingual groups (e.g., alcoholism, sleep disorders) can be targeted through relevant instruments; and cognitive status might be better tapped via robust cognitive screenings and executive batteries. Moreover, future research should incorporate tasks yielding predictable patterns of contrastive performance between bilinguals and monolinguals. Crucially, these include instruments which reveal bilingual disadvantages in vocabulary, null effects in working memory, and advantages in inhibitory control and other executive functions. Finally, paradigms tapping proactive interference (which assess the disruptive effect of long-term memory on newly learned information) could also offer useful data

Examining Approaches to Research on Self-Regulated Learning: Conceptual and Methodological Considerations

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Karabenick, Stuart A.; Zusho, Akane

2015-01-01

We provide a conceptual commentary on the articles in this special issue, first by describing the unique features of each study, focusing on what we consider to be their theoretical and methodological contributions, and then by highlighting significant crosscutting themes and future directions in the study of SRL. Specifically, we define SRL to be…

Methodologies for Active Aging in the Manufacturing Sector

Science.gov (United States)

Fornasiero, Rosanna; Berdicchia, Domenica; Zambelli, Mario; Masino, Giovanni

The research project named “Flexibly Beyond” studied and experimented innovative models for the enhancement of the role of senior workers and prolongation of their working life. The research was based on the application of innovative methods and tools to the ageing society and in particular to the European manufacturing companies represented in the project by apparel and footwear sectors. The project was funded under the Innovative Measures of the art.6 of the European Social Fund (VS/2006/0353) and coordinated by Politecnico Calzaturiero. The real strength of the project was the large network including all the actors of the value chain which allows transferring the theoretical findings to practical level in SMEs manufacturing context.

The radiographic features of familial expansile osteolysis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crone, M.D.; Wallace, R.G.H.

1990-01-01

The radiographic features of a unique autosomal dominant bone dysplasia are presented. The features are classified as generalised and/or focal. Generalised features are either altered trabecular pattern or modelling abnormalities. Focal features comprise lytic areas which progressively enlarge, producing expansion of the bone and eventual disintegration due to fibrous and finally fatty replacement of the normal medulla. Almost 90% of these lesions occur in the appendicular skeleton. Clinically, hearing loss is the earliest manifestation of the disease, presenting sometimes as early as 4 years of age. Apical and cervical resorption of teeth is extremely common, resulting in premature loss of teeth. Radiologically, the differential diagnosis refers to Paget's disease, polyostotic fibrous dysplasia, and osteofibrous dysplasia. The progressive destruction of the bone is similar to massive osteolysis (Gorham's disease). The radiographic features in combination with the histopathology render the condition unique. (orig.)

Radiographic Features of Acute Patellar Tendon Rupture.

Science.gov (United States)

Fazal, Muhammad Ali; Moonot, Pradeep; Haddad, Fares

2015-11-01

The purpose of our study was to assess soft tissue features of acute patellar tendon rupture on lateral knee radiograph that would facilitate early diagnosis. The participants were divided into two groups of 35 patients each. There were 28 men and seven women with a mean age of 46 years in the control group and 26 men and nine women with a mean age of 47 years in the rupture group. The lateral knee radiograph of each patient was evaluated for Insall-Salvati ratio for patella alta, increased density of the infrapatellar fat pad, appearance of the soft tissue margin of the patellar tendon and bony avulsions. In the rupture group there were three consistent soft tissue radiographic features in addition to patellar alta. These were increased density of infrapatellar fat pad; loss of sharp, well-defined linear margins of the patellar tendon and angulated wavy margin of the patellar tendon while in the control group these features were not observed. The soft tissue radiographic features described in the rupture group are consistent and reliable. When coupled with careful clinical assessment, these will aid in early diagnosis and further imaging will be seldom required. © 2015 Chinese Orthopaedic Association and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

Seismic re-evaluation of Kozloduy NPP criteria, methodology, implementation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kostov, M.

2003-01-01

The paper describes some features of the methodology applied for seismic upgrading of civil structures at the site of the Kozloduy NPP. The essence of the methodology is the use of as-build data, realistic damping and inelastic reduction factors. As an example of seismic upgrading the analyses of units 3 and 4 are presented. The analyses are showing that for effective seismic upgrading detailed investigations are needed in order to understand the significant response modes of the structures. In the presented case this is the rotation of the attached flexible structures to the stiff reactor building. Based on this an upgrading approach is applied to increase the seismic resistance for the predominant motion. The second significant approach applied is the strengthening of the prefabricated element joints. Although it is very simple it allows use of the available element capacity. (author)

An automated methodology development. [software design for combat simulation

Science.gov (United States)

Hawley, L. R.

1985-01-01

The design methodology employed in testing the applicability of Ada in large-scale combat simulations is described. Ada was considered as a substitute for FORTRAN to lower life cycle costs and ease the program development efforts. An object-oriented approach was taken, which featured definitions of military targets, the capability of manipulating their condition in real-time, and one-to-one correlation between the object states and real world states. The simulation design process was automated by the problem statement language (PSL)/problem statement analyzer (PSA). The PSL/PSA system accessed the problem data base directly to enhance the code efficiency by, e.g., eliminating non-used subroutines, and provided for automated report generation, besides allowing for functional and interface descriptions. The ways in which the methodology satisfied the responsiveness, reliability, transportability, modifiability, timeliness and efficiency goals are discussed.

Towards a Multimodal Methodology for the Analysis of Translated/Localised Games

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bárbara Resende Coelho

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Multimedia materials require research methodologies that are able to comprehend all of their assets. Videogames are the epitome of multimedia, joining image, sound, video, animation, graphics and text with the interactivity factor. A methodology to conduct research into translation and localisation of videogames should be able to analyse all of its assets and features. This paper sets out to develop a research methodology for games and their translations/localisations that goes beyond the collection and analysis of “screenshots” and includes as many of their assets as possible. Using the fully localised version of the game Watchdogs, this papers shows how tools and technologies allow for transcending the mere analysis of linguistic contents within multimedia materials. Using software ELAN Language Archive to analyse Portuguese-language dubbed and English-language subtitled excerpts from the videogame, it was possible to identify patterns in both linguistic and audio-visual elements, as well as to correlate them.

Methodology for using root locus technique for mobile robots path planning

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mario Ricardo Arbulú Saavedra

2015-11-01

Full Text Available This paper shows the analysis and the implementation methodology of the technique of dynamic systems roots location used in free-obstacle path planning for mobile robots. First of all, the analysis and morphologic behavior identification of the paths depending on roots location in complex plane are performed, where paths type and their attraction and repulsion features in the presence of other roots similarly to the obtained with artificial potential fields are identified. An implementation methodology for this technique of mobile robots path planning is proposed, starting from three different methods of roots location for obstacles in the scene. Those techniques change depending on the obstacle key points selected for roots, such as borders, crossing points with original path, center and vertices. Finally, a behavior analysis of general technique and the effectiveness of each tried method is performed, doing 20 tests for each one, obtaining a value of 65% for the selected method. Modifications and possible improvements to this methodology are also proposed.

Bipolar polygenic loading and bipolar spectrum features in major depressive disorder

Science.gov (United States)

Wiste, Anna; Robinson, Elise B; Milaneschi, Yuri; Meier, Sandra; Ripke, Stephan; Clements, Caitlin C; Fitzmaurice, Garrett M; Rietschel, Marcella; Penninx, Brenda W; Smoller, Jordan W; Perlis, Roy H

2014-01-01

Objectives Family and genetic studies indicate overlapping liability for major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. The purpose of this study was to determine whether this shared genetic liability influences clinical presentation. Methods A polygenic risk score for bipolar disorder, derived from a large genome-wide association meta-analysis, was generated for each subject of European–American ancestry (n = 1,274) in the Sequential Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression study (STAR*D) outpatient major depressive disorder cohort. A hypothesis-driven approach was used to test for association between bipolar disorder risk score and features of depression associated with bipolar disorder in the literature. Follow-up analyses were performed in two additional cohorts. Results A generalized linear mixed model including seven features hypothesized to be associated with bipolar spectrum illness was significantly associated with bipolar polygenic risk score [F = 2.07, degrees of freedom (df) = 7, p = 0.04). Features included early onset, suicide attempt, recurrent depression, atypical depression, subclinical mania, subclinical psychosis, and severity. Post-hoc univariate analyses demonstrated that the major contributors to this omnibus association were onset of illness at age ≤ 18 years [odds ratio (OR) = 1.2, p = 0.003], history of suicide attempt (OR = 1.21, p = 0.03), and presence of at least one manic symptom (OR = 1.16, p = 0.02). The maximal variance in these traits explained by polygenic score ranged from 0.8–1.1%. However, analyses in two replication cohorts testing a five feature model did not support this association. Conclusions Bipolar genetic loading appeared to be associated with bipolar-like presentation in major depressive disorder in the primary analysis. However, results are at most inconclusive because of lack of replication. Replication efforts are challenged by different ascertainment and assessment strategies in the different cohorts

Fusion of geometric and texture features for finger knuckle surface recognition

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

K. Usha

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Hand-based biometrics plays a significant role in establishing security for real-time environments involving human interaction and is found to be more successful in terms of high speed and accuracy. This paper investigates on an integrated approach for personal authentication using Finger Back Knuckle Surface (FBKS based on two methodologies viz., Angular Geometric Analysis based Feature Extraction Method (AGFEM and Contourlet Transform based Feature Extraction Method (CTFEM. Based on these methods, this personal authentication system simultaneously extracts shape oriented feature information and textural pattern information of FBKS for authenticating an individual. Furthermore, the proposed geometric and textural analysis methods extract feature information from both proximal phalanx and distal phalanx knuckle regions (FBKS, while the existing works of the literature concentrate only on the features of proximal phalanx knuckle region. The finger joint region found nearer to the tip of the finger is called distal phalanx region of FBKS, which is a unique feature and has greater potentiality toward identification. Extensive experiments conducted using newly created database with 5400 FBKS images and the obtained results infer that the integration of shape oriented features with texture feature information yields excellent accuracy rate of 99.12% with lowest equal error rate of 1.04%.

Cattle identification based in biometric features of the muzzle

OpenAIRE

Monteiro, Marta; Cadavez, Vasco; Monteiro, Fernando C.

2015-01-01

Cattle identification has been a serious problem for breeding association. Muzzle pattern or nose print has the same characteristic with the human fingerprint which is the most popular biometric marker. The identification accuracy and the processing time are two key challenges of any cattle identification methodology. This paper presents a robust and fast cattle identification scheme from muzzle images using Speed-up Robust Features matching. The matching refinement technique based on the mat...

Features of formation of competitive advantages: a strategic dimension

OpenAIRE

O.Р. Pashchenko

2015-01-01

The article examines the features of formation of competitive advantages, the depth of theoretical and methodological basis for the formation of competitive advantages at an enterprise. The author has reviewed the approaches to the formation of stable and long-term competitive advantages. The author has also overviewed the requirements which are to be met by competitive advantages of a company and the factors that affect the possibility of competitive advantages. The author develops her ow...

Features of Formation of Personality Traits of School-Age Children in the Use of Measures for Psychohygienic Correction

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

O.P. Mostova

2013-09-01

Full Text Available The article describes the features of the formation of personality traits of school-age chidren in the use of diagnostic and preventive programs psychohygienic correction for disorders of psychophysiological and psychological adaptation and changes in the health of 14–17-year-old students. To assess personality characteristics of students we used personality questionnaires of Eysenck, Spielberg and Phillips. The results determine the positive impact of measures for psychohygienic correction on the state of criterion parameters of anxious-neurotic personality traits of students of school age. Implementation of the developed program provide the appearance of the positive changes in the structure of indicators that display characteristics of neuroticism (p < 0.05, situational (p < 0.001 and personal (p < 0.01 anxiety both among girls and boys, and in the structure of indicators of school anxiety, determining the existence of problems in relationships with teachers (p < 0.05 among girls. Changes recorded during the analysis of the other components of school anxiety, i.e. personality traits of anxiety, adverse changes in the structure of which are directly related to the impact of such stressor as a modern school, had to be recognized as less significant, but in this case revealed changes should be interpreted as favorable.

Safety studies on Korean fusion DEMO plant using integrated safety assessment methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oh, Kyemin; Kang, Myoung-suk; Heo, Gyunyoung; Kim, Hyoung-chan

2014-01-01

Highlights: •The purpose of this paper is to suggest methodology that can investigate safety issues and provides a case study for Korean fusion DEMO plant. •The concepts of integrated safety assessment methodology (ISAM) that can be applied in addressing regulatory requirements and recognizing safety issues for K-DEMO were emphasized. •Phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) was proposed. It can recognize vulnerabilities of systems and identify the gaps in technical areas requiring additional researches. •This work is expected to contribute on the conceptual design of safety features for K-DEMO to design engineers and the guidance for regulatory requirements to licensers. -- Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to suggest methodology that can investigate safety issues and provides a case study for Korean fusion DEMO plant (K-DEMO) as a part of R and D program through the National Fusion Research Institute of Korea. Even though nuclear regulation and licensing framework is well setup due to the operating and design experience of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) since 1970s, the regulatory authority of South Korea has concerns on the challenge of facing new nuclear facilities including K-DEMO due to the differences in systems, materials, and inherent safety feature from conventional PWRs. Even though the follow-up of the ITER license process facilitates to deal with significant safety issues of fusion facilities, a licensee as well as a licenser should identify the gaps between ITER and DEMO in terms of safety issues. First we reviewed the methods of conducting safety analysis for unprecedented nuclear facilities such as Generation IV reactors, particularly very high temperature reactor (VHTR), which is called as integrated safety assessment methodology (ISAM). Second, the analysis for the conceptual design of K-DEMO on the basis of ISAM was conducted. The ISAM consists of five analytical tools to develop the safety requirements from licensee

Safety studies on Korean fusion DEMO plant using integrated safety assessment methodology

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oh, Kyemin; Kang, Myoung-suk [Kyung Hee University, Youngin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701 (Korea, Republic of); Heo, Gyunyoung, E-mail: gheo@khu.ac.kr [Kyung Hee University, Youngin-si, Gyeonggi-do 446-701 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyoung-chan [National Fusion Research Institute, Daejeon-si 305-333 (Korea, Republic of)

2014-10-15

Highlights: •The purpose of this paper is to suggest methodology that can investigate safety issues and provides a case study for Korean fusion DEMO plant. •The concepts of integrated safety assessment methodology (ISAM) that can be applied in addressing regulatory requirements and recognizing safety issues for K-DEMO were emphasized. •Phenomena identification and ranking table (PIRT) was proposed. It can recognize vulnerabilities of systems and identify the gaps in technical areas requiring additional researches. •This work is expected to contribute on the conceptual design of safety features for K-DEMO to design engineers and the guidance for regulatory requirements to licensers. -- Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to suggest methodology that can investigate safety issues and provides a case study for Korean fusion DEMO plant (K-DEMO) as a part of R and D program through the National Fusion Research Institute of Korea. Even though nuclear regulation and licensing framework is well setup due to the operating and design experience of Pressurized Water Reactors (PWRs) since 1970s, the regulatory authority of South Korea has concerns on the challenge of facing new nuclear facilities including K-DEMO due to the differences in systems, materials, and inherent safety feature from conventional PWRs. Even though the follow-up of the ITER license process facilitates to deal with significant safety issues of fusion facilities, a licensee as well as a licenser should identify the gaps between ITER and DEMO in terms of safety issues. First we reviewed the methods of conducting safety analysis for unprecedented nuclear facilities such as Generation IV reactors, particularly very high temperature reactor (VHTR), which is called as integrated safety assessment methodology (ISAM). Second, the analysis for the conceptual design of K-DEMO on the basis of ISAM was conducted. The ISAM consists of five analytical tools to develop the safety requirements from licensee

Influence of Reinforcement Parameters and Ageing Time on Mechanical Behavior of Novel Al2024/SiC/Red Mud Composites Using Response Surface Methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Singh, Jaswinder; Chauhan, Amit

2017-12-01

This study investigates the mechanical behavior of aluminum 2024 matrix composites reinforced with silicon carbide and red mud particles. The hybrid reinforcements were successfully incorporated into the alloy matrix using the stir casting process. An orthogonal array based on Taguchi's technique was used to acquire experimental data for mechanical properties (hardness and impact energy) of the composites. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) and response surface methodology (RSM) techniques were used to evaluate the influence of test parameters (reinforcement ratio, particle size and ageing time). The morphological analysis of the surfaces (fractured during impact tests) was conducted to identify the failure mechanism. Finally, a confirmation experiment was performed to check the adequacy of the developed model. The results indicate that the ageing time is the most effective parameter as far as the hardness of the hybrid composites is concerned. It has also been revealed that red mud wt.% has maximum influence on the impact energy characteristics of the hybrid composites. The study concludes that Al2024/SiC/red mud hybrid composites possess superior mechanical performance in comparison to pure alloy under optimized conditions.

Testing methodologies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bender, M.A.

1990-01-01

Several methodologies are available for screening human populations for exposure to ionizing radiation. Of these, aberration frequency determined in peripheral blood lymphocytes is the best developed. Individual exposures to large doses can easily be quantitated, and population exposures to occupational levels can be detected. However, determination of exposures to the very low doses anticipated from a low-level radioactive waste disposal site is more problematical. Aberrations occur spontaneously, without known cause. Exposure to radiation induces no new or novel types, but only increases their frequency. The limitations of chromosomal aberration dosimetry for detecting low level radiation exposures lie mainly in the statistical ''signal to noise'' problem, the distribution of aberrations among cells and among individuals, and the possible induction of aberrations by other environmental occupational or medical exposures. However, certain features of the human peripheral lymphocyte-chromosomal aberration system make it useful in screening for certain types of exposures. Future technical developments may make chromosomal aberration dosimetry more useful for low-level radiation exposures. Other methods, measuring gene mutations or even minute changes on the DNA level, while presently less will developed techniques, may eventually become even more practical and sensitive assays for human radiation exposure. 15 refs

How age matters : Exploring contemporary Dutch debates on age and sex work

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S.V. Coumans (Sara Vida)

2014-01-01

textabstractSocial protection policies regarding sex work in The Netherlands use ‘age’ as an instrument to create binaries between adults and young people. The concept ‘chronological age’ assumes that age is a static feature and supports the process of categorization; however, age is a socially

Online feature selection with streaming features.

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Xindong; Yu, Kui; Ding, Wei; Wang, Hao; Zhu, Xingquan

2013-05-01

We propose a new online feature selection framework for applications with streaming features where the knowledge of the full feature space is unknown in advance. We define streaming features as features that flow in one by one over time whereas the number of training examples remains fixed. This is in contrast with traditional online learning methods that only deal with sequentially added observations, with little attention being paid to streaming features. The critical challenges for Online Streaming Feature Selection (OSFS) include 1) the continuous growth of feature volumes over time, 2) a large feature space, possibly of unknown or infinite size, and 3) the unavailability of the entire feature set before learning starts. In the paper, we present a novel Online Streaming Feature Selection method to select strongly relevant and nonredundant features on the fly. An efficient Fast-OSFS algorithm is proposed to improve feature selection performance. The proposed algorithms are evaluated extensively on high-dimensional datasets and also with a real-world case study on impact crater detection. Experimental results demonstrate that the algorithms achieve better compactness and higher prediction accuracy than existing streaming feature selection algorithms.

A novelty detection diagnostic methodology for gearboxes operating under fluctuating operating conditions using probabilistic techniques

Science.gov (United States)

Schmidt, S.; Heyns, P. S.; de Villiers, J. P.

2018-02-01

In this paper, a fault diagnostic methodology is developed which is able to detect, locate and trend gear faults under fluctuating operating conditions when only vibration data from a single transducer, measured on a healthy gearbox are available. A two-phase feature extraction and modelling process is proposed to infer the operating condition and based on the operating condition, to detect changes in the machine condition. Information from optimised machine and operating condition hidden Markov models are statistically combined to generate a discrepancy signal which is post-processed to infer the condition of the gearbox. The discrepancy signal is processed and combined with statistical methods for automatic fault detection and localisation and to perform fault trending over time. The proposed methodology is validated on experimental data and a tacholess order tracking methodology is used to enhance the cost-effectiveness of the diagnostic methodology.

Research methodology and epidemiology of relevance in recurrent pregnancy loss

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christiansen, Ole B; Nielsen, Henriette Svarre; Kolte, Astrid

2006-01-01

With respect to recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL), unfortunately there is very little consensus about which investigations are useful for identifying causes and evaluating the prognosis, and also about which treatments are effective. In this review, arguments are given for the claim that this lack...... background for most of the RPL cases and the importance of matching/adjusting for a series of prognostic variables when groups are mutually compared). Furthermore, many studies in RPL contain methodological flaws that are sometimes severe. A series of important epidemiological features of RPL is highlighted...... in the review and the most important methodological pitfalls, many of them specific for RPL research, are discussed. Advice is given about to how to avoid the pitfalls in order that the validity of the studies can improve for the benefit of the patients....

Understanding Legacy Features with Featureous

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olszak, Andrzej; Jørgensen, Bo Nørregaard

2011-01-01

Java programs called Featureous that addresses this issue. Featureous allows a programmer to easily establish feature-code traceability links and to analyze their characteristics using a number of visualizations. Featureous is an extension to the NetBeans IDE, and can itself be extended by third...

Methodology applied to develop the DHIE: applied methodology

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Herselman, Marlien

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This section will address the methodology that was applied to develop the South African Digital Health Innovation Ecosystem (DHIE). Each chapter under Section B represents a specific phase in the methodology....

Using activity-related behavioural features towards more effective automatic stress detection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dimitris Giakoumis

Full Text Available This paper introduces activity-related behavioural features that can be automatically extracted from a computer system, with the aim to increase the effectiveness of automatic stress detection. The proposed features are based on processing of appropriate video and accelerometer recordings taken from the monitored subjects. For the purposes of the present study, an experiment was conducted that utilized a stress-induction protocol based on the stroop colour word test. Video, accelerometer and biosignal (Electrocardiogram and Galvanic Skin Response recordings were collected from nineteen participants. Then, an explorative study was conducted by following a methodology mainly based on spatiotemporal descriptors (Motion History Images that are extracted from video sequences. A large set of activity-related behavioural features, potentially useful for automatic stress detection, were proposed and examined. Experimental evaluation showed that several of these behavioural features significantly correlate to self-reported stress. Moreover, it was found that the use of the proposed features can significantly enhance the performance of typical automatic stress detection systems, commonly based on biosignal processing.

Personality Assessment of Global Talent: Conceptual and Methodological Issues

Science.gov (United States)

van de Vijver, Fons J. R.

2008-01-01

The recruitment of managers who will operate in a culturally heterogeneous context (as expatriate managers, managers in a global company, or managers of a multicultural workforce) is increasingly important in an age of globalization. This article describes conceptual and methodological issues in the assessment of such managers, notably in the…

Statistical Feature Extraction and Recognition of Beverages Using Electronic Tongue

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. C. PANCHARIYA

2010-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes an approach for extraction of features from data generated from an electronic tongue based on large amplitude pulse voltammetry. In this approach statistical features of the meaningful selected variables from current response signals are extracted and used for recognition of beverage samples. The proposed feature extraction approach not only reduces the computational complexity but also reduces the computation time and requirement of storage of data for the development of E-tongue for field applications. With the reduced information, a probabilistic neural network (PNN was trained for qualitative analysis of different beverages. Before the qualitative analysis of the beverages, the methodology has been tested for the basic artificial taste solutions i.e. sweet, sour, salt, bitter, and umami. The proposed procedure was compared with the more conventional and linear feature extraction technique employing principal component analysis combined with PNN. Using the extracted feature vectors, highly correct classification by PNN was achieved for eight types of juices and six types of soft drinks. The results indicated that the electronic tongue based on large amplitude pulse voltammetry with reduced feature was capable of discriminating not only basic artificial taste solutions but also the various sorts of the same type of natural beverages (fruit juices, vegetable juices, soft drinks, etc..

A Co-modeling Method Based on Component Features for Mechatronic Devices in Aero-engines

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Bin; Zhao, Haocen; Ye, Zhifeng

2017-08-01

Data-fused and user-friendly design of aero-engine accessories is required because of their structural complexity and stringent reliability. This paper gives an overview of a typical aero-engine control system and the development process of key mechatronic devices used. Several essential aspects of modeling and simulation in the process are investigated. Considering the limitations of a single theoretic model, feature-based co-modeling methodology is suggested to satisfy the design requirements and compensate for diversity of component sub-models for these devices. As an example, a stepper motor controlled Fuel Metering Unit (FMU) is modeled in view of the component physical features using two different software tools. An interface is suggested to integrate the single discipline models into the synthesized one. Performance simulation of this device using the co-model and parameter optimization for its key components are discussed. Comparison between delivery testing and the simulation shows that the co-model for the FMU has a high accuracy and the absolute superiority over a single model. Together with its compatible interface with the engine mathematical model, the feature-based co-modeling methodology is proven to be an effective technical measure in the development process of the device.

A Feature Analysis of Risk Factors for Stroke in the Middle-Aged Adults

OpenAIRE

Haewon Byeon; Hyeung Woo Koh

2015-01-01

In order to maintain health during middle age and achieve successful aging, it is important to elucidate and prevent risk factors of middle-age stroke. This study investigated high risk groups of stroke in middle age population of Korea and provides basic material for establishment of stroke prevention policy by analyzing sudden perception of speech/language problems and clusters of multiple risk factors. This study analyzed 2,751 persons (1,191 males and 1,560 females) aged 40–59 who partici...

Advanced piloted aircraft flight control system design methodology. Volume 1: Knowledge base

Science.gov (United States)

Mcruer, Duane T.; Myers, Thomas T.

1988-01-01

The development of a comprehensive and electric methodology for conceptual and preliminary design of flight control systems is presented and illustrated. The methodology is focused on the design stages starting with the layout of system requirements and ending when some viable competing system architectures (feedback control structures) are defined. The approach is centered on the human pilot and the aircraft as both the sources of, and the keys to the solution of, many flight control problems. The methodology relies heavily on computational procedures which are highly interactive with the design engineer. To maximize effectiveness, these techniques, as selected and modified to be used together in the methodology, form a cadre of computational tools specifically tailored for integrated flight control system preliminary design purposes. While theory and associated computational means are an important aspect of the design methodology, the lore, knowledge and experience elements, which guide and govern applications are critical features. This material is presented as summary tables, outlines, recipes, empirical data, lists, etc., which encapsulate a great deal of expert knowledge. Much of this is presented in topical knowledge summaries which are attached as Supplements. The composite of the supplements and the main body elements constitutes a first cut at a a Mark 1 Knowledge Base for manned-aircraft flight control.

Development of methodology for separation and recovery of uranium from nuclear wastewater

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Satpati, S.K.; Roy, S.B.; Pal, Sangita; Tewari, P.K.

2015-01-01

Uranium plays a key role in nuclear power supply, demand of which is growing up with time because of its prospective features. Persistent increase in different nuclear activities leads to increase generation of nuclear wastewater containing uranium. Separation and recovery of the uranium from its unconventional source like nuclear wastewater is worth to explore for addressing the reutilisation of the uranium source. It is also necessary to improve remediation technology of nuclear industries for environmental protection. Development of a suitable process methodology is essential for the purpose to supersede the conventional methodology. In the article, recent developments in several possible methodologies for separation of uranium from dilute solution have been discussed with their merits and demerits. Sorption technique as solid phase extraction methodology has been chosen with suitable polymer matrix and functional moiety based on wastewater characteristics. Polyhydroxamic Acid, PHOA sorbent synthesized following eco-friendly procedure is a promising polymeric chelating sorbents for remediation of nuclear wastewaters and recovery of uranium. Sorption and elution characteristics of the PHOA have been evaluated and illustrated for separation and recovery of uranium from a sample nuclear wastewater. For the remediation of nuclear wastewater SPE technique applying the PHOA, a polymeric sorbent is found to be a potentially suitable methodology. (author)

Van Buchem disease: lifetime evolution of radioclinical features

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vanhoenacker, Filip M.; De Schepper, Arthur M.; Bernaerts, Anja [Department of Radiology, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem (Belgium); Balemans, Wendy; Hul, Wim Van [Department of Medical Genetics, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610, Antwerp (Belgium); Tan, Gregorius J. [Department of Radiology, Dr. Janssen Ziekenhuis, Urkerweg 1, 8303, Emmeloord (Netherlands); Dikkers, Frederik G. [Department of Otorhinolaryngology, University Hospital Groningen, Hanzeplein 1, 9713, Groningen (Netherlands); Mathysen, Danny G.P. [Department of Ophthalmology, University Hospital Antwerp, Wilrijkstraat 10, 2650, Edegem (Belgium)

2003-12-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the lifetime evolution of the radioclinical features in a large family with van Buchem disease. The study population included 13 patients, ranging between 6 and 69 years. The evolution of the clinical features has been assessed by retrospective analysis of the clinical records of the patients. The age-related evolution of the cortical hyperostosis and defective modeling at the tubular bones was evaluated by morphometric analysis of hand films in 9 patients, compared with 9 control individuals. Progression of sclerosis of the craniofacial bones was evaluated by analysis of the skull radiographs of eleven van Buchem patients, taken at different age. Radioclinical features, including sclerosis of the cranial and tubular bones and cranial nerve deficit, become more prominent in older patients. Defective modeling of tubular bones, cortical thickness and medullary width progress with age. Radioclinical abnormalities of van Buchem patients become more prominent in older patients, which suggests that the van Buchem gene is very actively involved in bone metabolism throughout life. Morphometric analysis of the plain films supports the hypothesis that the physiological function of the van Buchem gene is to inhibit bone formation and possibly to regulate bone remodeling. (orig.)

77 FR 70451 - Proposed Collection; Comment Request; Methodological Studies for the Population Assessment of...

Science.gov (United States)

2012-11-26

... are no capital, operating or maintenance costs. Table 1--Estimated Annual Reporting Burden Summary... Collection: Title: Methodological Studies for Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study. Type... concurrent basis]. Affected Public: Individuals. Type of Respondents: Youth (ages 12-17) and Adults (ages 18...

Using functional analysis in archival appraisal a practical and effective alternative to traditional appraisal methodologies

CERN Document Server

Robyns, Marcus C

2014-01-01

In an age of scarcity and the challenge of electronic records, can archivists and records managers continue to rely upon traditional methodology essentially unchanged since the early 1950s? Using Functional Analysis in Archival Appraisal: A Practical and Effective Alternative to Traditional Appraisal Methodologies shows how archivists in other countries are already using functional analysis, which offers a better, more effective, and imminently more practical alternative to traditional appraisal methodologies that rely upon an analysis of the records themselves.

Sequence-based classification using discriminatory motif feature selection.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hao Xiong

Full Text Available Most existing methods for sequence-based classification use exhaustive feature generation, employing, for example, all k-mer patterns. The motivation behind such (enumerative approaches is to minimize the potential for overlooking important features. However, there are shortcomings to this strategy. First, practical constraints limit the scope of exhaustive feature generation to patterns of length ≤ k, such that potentially important, longer (> k predictors are not considered. Second, features so generated exhibit strong dependencies, which can complicate understanding of derived classification rules. Third, and most importantly, numerous irrelevant features are created. These concerns can compromise prediction and interpretation. While remedies have been proposed, they tend to be problem-specific and not broadly applicable. Here, we develop a generally applicable methodology, and an attendant software pipeline, that is predicated on discriminatory motif finding. In addition to the traditional training and validation partitions, our framework entails a third level of data partitioning, a discovery partition. A discriminatory motif finder is used on sequences and associated class labels in the discovery partition to yield a (small set of features. These features are then used as inputs to a classifier in the training partition. Finally, performance assessment occurs on the validation partition. Important attributes of our approach are its modularity (any discriminatory motif finder and any classifier can be deployed and its universality (all data, including sequences that are unaligned and/or of unequal length, can be accommodated. We illustrate our approach on two nucleosome occupancy datasets and a protein solubility dataset, previously analyzed using enumerative feature generation. Our method achieves excellent performance results, with and without optimization of classifier tuning parameters. A Python pipeline implementing the approach is

[Post-operative analgesia in thoracic surgery: physiopathological features, therapeutic framework and methodologies].

Science.gov (United States)

Pavia, R; Barresi, P; Puliafito, M; Canciglia, A; Mondello, B

2006-01-01

Pain after surgery is a major handicap for patients as it bounds and decreases ability for spontaneous movement, cough and deep breathing, aiding the onset of complications and invalidating the recovery capabilities of operated patients. In thoracic surgery, the need to compile and employ guidelines for post-surgical pain management has become a pressing requirement in recent years. Currently available protocols include several options of treatment that are frequently a subject in the most recent scientific papers and play a key role, as they constitute the framework upon which building with changes and fixes that take account of incidental circumstances, in relation to both patients and surgery, again for both the organizational and structural features of the surgical environment. Purpose of this job is a thorough analysis of post-operating analgesic treatments for thoracic surgery, introducing the most effective ones currently available as for channels and procedures of administration, as well as possible side effects or complications.

RETAIL BANKING BUSINESS: CURRENT STATE ANDSPECIFIC FEATURES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Гузель Рефкадовна Фаизова

2013-04-01

Full Text Available The role and importance of the retail banking business in the banking sector continueto grow. The current state of the retail banking business is considered and specific features of this area in the face of growing demand for banking products and services by the public and interest from lending institutions are identified by the article.Purpose: Research of current state of retail banking business and detection specific features of this area.Methodology: In the process of analysis and researchof the question the methods of economical and statistical analysis, methods of comparison and generalizationwereused.Results: The conclusion is that interest in the retail banking business continues to grow.There were revealed the role and the importance of standardized service processes and standardized products and services delivering as one of the main line of development in the segment of retail business.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.12731/2218-7405-2013-3-2

Aging in complex interdependency networks.

Science.gov (United States)

Vural, Dervis C; Morrison, Greg; Mahadevan, L

2014-02-01

Although species longevity is subject to a diverse range of evolutionary forces, the mortality curves of a wide variety of organisms are rather similar. Here we argue that qualitative and quantitative features of aging can be reproduced by a simple model based on the interdependence of fault-prone agents on one other. In addition to fitting our theory to the empiric mortality curves of six very different organisms, we establish the dependence of lifetime and aging rate on initial conditions, damage and repair rate, and system size. We compare the size distributions of disease and death and see that they have qualitatively different properties. We show that aging patterns are independent of the details of interdependence network structure, which suggests that aging is a many-body effect, and that the qualitative and quantitative features of aging are not sensitively dependent on the details of dependency structure or its formation.

A study on HCI design strategy using emergent features and response time

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, Sung Jin; Chang, Soon Heung; Park, Jin Gyun

2001-01-01

Existing design process of user interface has some weak point that there is no feedback information and no quantitative information between each sub process. If they're such information in design process, the design time cycle will be decreased and the contentment of HCI in the aspect of user will be more easily archived. In this study, new design process with feedback information and quantitative information was proposed using emergent features and user response time. The proposed methodology was put together with three main parts. First part is to calculate distinctiveness of a user interface or expanded user interface with consideration of emergent features. Second part is to expand a prototype user interface with design option for purpose of design requirement using directed structure graph (or nodal graph) theory. Last part is to convert non-realized value, distinctiveness, into realized value, response time, by response time database or response time correlation in the form of Hick-Hyman law equation. From the present validations, the usefulness of the proposed methodology was obtained by simple validation testing. It was found that emergent features should be improved for high reflection of real user interface. For the reliability of response time database, lots of end-user experiment is necessary. Expansion algorithm and representation technique of qualitative information should be somewhat improved for more efficient design process

Feature extraction for ultrasonic sensor based defect detection in ceramic components

Science.gov (United States)

Kesharaju, Manasa; Nagarajah, Romesh

2014-02-01

High density silicon carbide materials are commonly used as the ceramic element of hard armour inserts used in traditional body armour systems to reduce their weight, while providing improved hardness, strength and elastic response to stress. Currently, armour ceramic tiles are inspected visually offline using an X-ray technique that is time consuming and very expensive. In addition, from X-rays multiple defects are also misinterpreted as single defects. Therefore, to address these problems the ultrasonic non-destructive approach is being investigated. Ultrasound based inspection would be far more cost effective and reliable as the methodology is applicable for on-line quality control including implementation of accept/reject criteria. This paper describes a recently developed methodology to detect, locate and classify various manufacturing defects in ceramic tiles using sub band coding of ultrasonic test signals. The wavelet transform is applied to the ultrasonic signal and wavelet coefficients in the different frequency bands are extracted and used as input features to an artificial neural network (ANN) for purposes of signal classification. Two different classifiers, using artificial neural networks (supervised) and clustering (un-supervised) are supplied with features selected using Principal Component Analysis(PCA) and their classification performance compared. This investigation establishes experimentally that Principal Component Analysis(PCA) can be effectively used as a feature selection method that provides superior results for classifying various defects in the context of ultrasonic inspection in comparison with the X-ray technique.

Issues and special features of animal health research

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ducrot Christian

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract In the rapidly changing context of research on animal health, INRA launched a collective discussion on the challenges facing the field, its distinguishing features, and synergies with biomedical research. As has been declared forcibly by the heads of WHO, FAO and OIE, the challenges facing animal health, beyond diseases transmissible to humans, are critically important and involve food security, agriculture economics, and the ensemble of economic activities associated with agriculture. There are in addition issues related to public health (zoonoses, xenobiotics, antimicrobial resistance, the environment, and animal welfare. Animal health research is distinguished by particular methodologies and scientific questions that stem from the specific biological features of domestic species and from animal husbandry practices. It generally does not explore the same scientific questions as research on human biology, even when the same pathogens are being studied, and the discipline is rooted in a very specific agricultural and economic context. Generic and methodological synergies nevertheless exist with biomedical research, particularly with regard to tools and biological models. Certain domestic species furthermore present more functional similarities with humans than laboratory rodents. The singularity of animal health research in relation to biomedical research should be taken into account in the organization, evaluation, and funding of the field through a policy that clearly recognizes the specific issues at stake. At the same time, the One Health approach should facilitate closer collaboration between biomedical and animal health research at the level of research teams and programmes.

Issues and special features of animal health research.

Science.gov (United States)

Ducrot, Christian; Bed'hom, Bertrand; Béringue, Vincent; Coulon, Jean-Baptiste; Fourichon, Christine; Guérin, Jean-Luc; Krebs, Stéphane; Rainard, Pascal; Schwartz-Cornil, Isabelle; Torny, Didier; Vayssier-Taussat, Muriel; Zientara, Stephan; Zundel, Etienne; Pineau, Thierry

2011-08-24

In the rapidly changing context of research on animal health, INRA launched a collective discussion on the challenges facing the field, its distinguishing features, and synergies with biomedical research. As has been declared forcibly by the heads of WHO, FAO and OIE, the challenges facing animal health, beyond diseases transmissible to humans, are critically important and involve food security, agriculture economics, and the ensemble of economic activities associated with agriculture. There are in addition issues related to public health (zoonoses, xenobiotics, antimicrobial resistance), the environment, and animal welfare.Animal health research is distinguished by particular methodologies and scientific questions that stem from the specific biological features of domestic species and from animal husbandry practices. It generally does not explore the same scientific questions as research on human biology, even when the same pathogens are being studied, and the discipline is rooted in a very specific agricultural and economic context.Generic and methodological synergies nevertheless exist with biomedical research, particularly with regard to tools and biological models. Certain domestic species furthermore present more functional similarities with humans than laboratory rodents.The singularity of animal health research in relation to biomedical research should be taken into account in the organization, evaluation, and funding of the field through a policy that clearly recognizes the specific issues at stake. At the same time, the One Health approach should facilitate closer collaboration between biomedical and animal health research at the level of research teams and programmes.

Psychological features of attention in archery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ekaterina Yu. Korobeynikova

2017-06-01

Full Text Available The issue of attention is one of the leading in sports psychology. Quite often, athletes’ failures in competitions are ultimately connected with the attention processes, i.e. distraction, switching or loss of concentration. Simultaneously, each particular kind of sport is distinguished by a specific competitive situation and accordingly presents a number of requirements to athletes, including attention features. Archery is no exception. Thus, in shooting sports, concentration and stability of attention are often deemed as the most significant features of attention. The paper is devoted to the study of the attention dynamic properties in archers. Attention features of athletes were assessed depending on the sports major, gender, age, experience and level of competence. 65 archers from different regions of Russia took part in the study, including 34 males and 31 females, the average age being 16.29 ± 1.74. Experience ranges from 1 year to 8 years, average experience is 4.46 ± 1.93. The research results showed that archers are characterized by high indicators of stability of attention, and also high efficiency of solving attention problems. The professional success of archery was associated with the ability to distribute attention when necessary. At the same time, there were no significant differences in the features of attention for recurved and compound archers, which indicates the uniformity of tasks related to attention in the sporting practice of archers. Summing up, it is necessary to include skills in the distribution of attention in the program of psychological training of archers.

Why some women look young for their age

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gunn, David A; Rexbye, Helle; Griffiths, Christopher E M

2009-01-01

The desire of many to look young for their age has led to the establishment of a large cosmetics industry. However, the features of appearance that primarily determine how old women look for their age and whether genetic or environmental factors predominately influence such features are largely u...

Features of Physical and Neuro-Psychological Development of Children with Low, Very Low and Extremely Low Birth Weight in Different Age Periods of Life

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I. A. Deev

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Analysis of features of physical and neuro-psychological development of children with low, very low and extremely low birth weight in different age periods is carried out according to cohort studies of newborns with different gestational age and birth weight, presented in electronic databases PubMed and Medscape. It is revealed that the overwhelming number of children with low, very low and extremely low birth weight, gain physical and neuro- psychological development impairments, hearing and vision disorders of varying severity, violation of motor function, intelligence and cognitive skills infringement in an older age. In this regard, it is actual not only to develop new neonatal reanimation and intensive care technologies, but also to ensure adequate prevention of preterm birth in the group of women with a high degree of perinatal risk. All this will further allow preventing increase in children with disabling conditions number among premature infants.

Evaluation of the BPMN According to the Requirements of the Enterprise Architecture Methodology

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Václav Řepa

2012-04-01

Full Text Available This article evaluates some characteristics of the Business Process Modelling Notation from the perspective of the business system modelling methodology. Firstly the enterprise architecture context of the business process management as well as the importance of standards are discussed. Then the Business System Modelling Methodology is introduced with special attention paid to the Business Process Meta-model as a basis for the evaluation of the BPMN features. Particular basic concepts from the Business Process Meta-model are mapped to the usable constructs of the BPMN and related issues are analysed. Finally the basic conclusions are made and the general context is discussed.

The development of a checklist to enhance methodological quality in intervention programs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Salvador Chacón-Moscoso

2016-11-01

Full Text Available The methodological quality of primary studies is an important issue when performing meta-analyses or systematic reviews. Nevertheless, there are no clear criteria for how methodological quality should be analyzed. Controversies emerge when considering the various theoretical and empirical definitions, especially in relation to three interrelated problems: the lack of representativeness, utility, and feasibility. In this article, we (a systematize and summarize the available literature about methodological quality in primary studies; (b propose a specific, parsimonious, 12-item checklist to empirically define the methodological quality of primary studies based on a content validity study; and (c present an inter-coder reliability study for the resulting 12 items. This paper provides a precise and rigorous description of the development of this checklist, highlighting the clearly specified criteria for the inclusion of items and a substantial inter-coder agreement in the different items. Rather than simply proposing another checklist, however, it then argues that the list constitutes an assessment tool with respect to the representativeness, utility, and feasibility of the most frequent methodological quality items in the literature, one that provides practitioners and researchers with clear criteria for choosing items that may be adequate to their needs. We propose individual methodological features as indicators of quality, arguing that these need to be taken into account when designing, implementing, or evaluating an intervention program. This enhances methodological quality of intervention programs and fosters the cumulative knowledge based on meta-analyses of these interventions. Future development of the checklist is discussed.

Methodological study of volcanic glass dating by fission track method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Araya, A.M.O.

1987-01-01

After a description of the method and from the analysis of the age equation we show the methodology used in the plotting of the correction curve and the results of the study of correction curves and corrected ages. From a study of the size correction method we see that the reactor irradiation effect on the curve is negligible and that the correction curve is independent of the thermal treatment but, it depends on chemical treatment and sample. Comparing the corrected ages obtained from both correction method and the ages given by other authors we can conclude that they are in agreement and concerning the plateau method, both isothermal and isochronic plateau give the same results. (author) [pt

Conceptual and Methodological Problems with Comparative Work on Artificial Language Learning

OpenAIRE

Jeffrey Watumull; Marc D. Hauser; Robert C. Berwick

2014-01-01

Several theoretical proposals for the evolution of language have sparked a renewed search for comparative data on human and non-human animal computational capacities. However, conceptual confusions still hinder the field, leading to experimental evidence that fails to test for comparable human competences. Here we focus on two conceptual and methodological challenges that affect the field generally: 1) properly characterizing the computational features of the faculty of language in the narrow...

Collagen type I from bovine bone. Effect of animal age, bone anatomy and drying methodology on extraction yield, self-assembly, thermal behaviour and electrokinetic potential.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferraro, Vincenza; Gaillard-Martinie, Brigitte; Sayd, Thierry; Chambon, Christophe; Anton, Marc; Santé-Lhoutellier, Véronique

2017-04-01

Natural collagen is easily available from animal tissues such as bones. Main limitations reported in the use of natural collagen are heterogeneity and loss of integrity during recovery. However, its natural complexity, functionality and bioactivity still remain to be achieved through synthetic and recombinant ways. Variability of physicochemical properties of collagen extracted from bovine bone by acetic acid was then investigated taking into account endogenous and exogenous factors. Endogenous: bovine's bones age (4 and 7 years) and anatomy (femur and tibia); exogenous: thermal treatments (spray-drying and lyophilisation). Scanning electron microscopy, spectroscopy (EDS, FTIR, UV/Vis and CD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), centesimal composition, mass spectrometry, amino acids and zeta-potential analysis were used for the purpose. Age correlated negatively with yield of recovery and positively with minerals and proteoglycans content. Comparing the anatomy, higher yields were found for tibias, and higher stability of tibias collagen in solution was noticed. Whatever the age and the anatomy, collagens were able to renature and to self-assemble into tri-dimensional structures. Nonetheless thermal stability and kinetics of renaturation were different. Variability of natural collagen with bone age and anatomy, and drying methodology, may be a crucial advantage to conceive tailor-made applications in either the biological or technical sector. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Methodological Framework of Occupational Training in Culture and Art High Schools of Kazakhstan

Science.gov (United States)

Kulbekova, ?igul K.; Tleubayeva, Balzhan S.; Tleubayev, Seraly Sh.; Saparova, Yulduz A.; Dildebayeva, Gulmira R.; Daribayeva, Raushan D.; Omar, Esen O.

2016-01-01

The purpose of this study is to examine specific features of the traditional Kazakh dances as the methodological foundation of training specialists in the culture and art universities. The article describes the main typologies of Kazakh dances, such as ritual and ceremonial, combative-hunting, work dances, household-imitative dances, festive and…

Influence of facial skin ageing characteristics on the perceived age in a Russian female population.

Science.gov (United States)

Merinville, E; Grennan, G Z; Gillbro, J M; Mathieu, J; Mavon, A

2015-10-01

The desire for a youthful look remains a powerful motivator in the purchase of cosmetics by women globally. To develop an anti-ageing solution that targets the need of end consumers, it is critical to understand which signs of ageing really matter to them and which influence their age perception. To date, such research has not been performed in a Russian population. The aim of this work was to identify the signs of ageing that contribute the most to an 'older' or 'younger' look for Russian women aged 40 years old and above. The age of 203 Russian female volunteers was estimated from their standard photographs by a total of 629 female naïve assessors aged 20-65 years old. Perceived age data were related to 23 facial skin features previously measured using linear correlation coefficients. Differences in average severity of the correlating skin ageing features were evaluated between women perceived older and women perceived younger than their chronological age. Volunteers' responses to a ranking question on their key ageing skin concerns previously collected were analysed to provide an additional view on facial ageing from the consumer perspective. Nine facial skin ageing features were found to correlate the most with perceived age out of the 23 measured. Such results showed the importance of wrinkles in the upper part of the face (crow's feet, glabellar, under eye and forehead wrinkles), but also wrinkles in the lower half of the face associated with facial sagging (upper lip, nasolabial fold). Sagging was confirmed of key importance to female volunteers aged 41-65 years old who were mostly concerned by the sagging of their jawline, ahead of under eye and crow's feet wrinkle. The severity of hyperpigmented spots, red and brown, was also found to contribute to perceived age although to a weaker extent. By providing a clear view on the signs of ageing really matter to Russian women who are aged 40 years old and above, this research offers key information for the

A new methodology to obtain wine yeast strains overproducing mannoproteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Quirós, Manuel; Gonzalez-Ramos, Daniel; Tabera, Laura; Gonzalez, Ramon

2010-04-30

Yeast mannoproteins are highly glycosylated proteins that are covalently bound to the beta-1,3-glucan present in the yeast cell wall. Among their outstanding enological properties, yeast mannoproteins contribute to several aspects of wine quality by protecting against protein haze, reducing astringency, retaining aroma compounds and stimulating growth of lactic-acid bacteria. The development of a non-recombinant method to obtain enological yeast strains overproducing mannoproteins would therefore be very useful. Our previous experience on the genetic determinants of the release of these molecules by Saccharomyces cerevisiae has allowed us to propose a new methodology to isolate and characterize wine yeast that overproduce mannoproteins. The described methodology is based on the resistance of the killer 9 toxin produced by Williopsis saturnus, a feature linked to an altered biogenesis of the yeast cell wall. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A review of anthropological approaches to ageing

OpenAIRE

Kaczmarek, Maria; Szwed, Anita

1997-01-01

It is evident that the pattern of ageing among humans has a unique character. Therefore, when undertaking any research on human ageing one has to specify a proper methodology and methods which are available in the anthropological perspective. The paper is aimed at providing a review of anthropological approaches to the study of ageing. On the basis of the meaning and scope of the concept of ageing, its sources and causal factors are discussed. Further, functional, physiological an...

Clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer in young patients

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, Shushang; Feng, Fan; Xu, Guanghui; Liu, Zhen; Tian, Yangzi; Guo, Man; Lian, Xiao; Cai, Lei; Fan, Daiming; Zhang, Hongwei

2016-01-01

The clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer in young patients are both limited and controversial. Therefore, the aim of this study was to define the clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer in young patients after curative resection. From May 2008 to December 2014, 198 young patients (age ≤ 40 years) and 1096 middle-aged patients (55 ≤ age ≤ 64 years) were enrolled in this study. The clinicopathological features and prognosis of gastric cancer in these patients were analyzed. Compared with middle-aged patients, the proportion of females, lower third tumors, tumor size less than 5 cm, poorly differentiated tumors and T1 tumors were significantly higher in young patients (all P < 0.05). The proportions of comorbidity, upper third tumors, well and moderately differentiated tumors, T4 tumors, and positive carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alpha fetoprotein (AFP) and carbohydrate antigen (CA) 19–9 were significantly lower in young patients (all P < 0.05). The distributions of N status and CA125 were comparable between young and middle-aged patients (all P > 0.05). The five-year overall survival rates were comparable between young patients and middle-aged patients (62.8 vs 54.7 %, P = 0.307). The tumor location, T status, N status and CA125 were independent predictors of prognosis in young patients. The overall survival of patients with tumors located in the upper or middle third was significantly lower than for those located in the lower third (60.8 vs 50.6 % vs 68.4 %, P = 0.016). The overall survival of CA125-positive patients was significantly lower than CA125-negative patients (49.0 vs 64.4 %, P = 0.001). The clinicopathological features were significantly different between young and middle-aged patients. The prognosis of gastric cancer in young patients was equivalent to that of middle-aged patients. Tumor location, T status, N status and CA125 were independent risk factors for prognosis in young patients. The online

Healthy Aging with Go4Life

Science.gov (United States)

... of this page please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Healthy Aging Healthy Aging with Go4Life ® Past Issues / Winter 2015 Table of ... is to make physical activity a cornerstone of healthy aging, for a simple reason. Being physically active is ...

Nuclear plant service water system aging degradation assessment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jarrell, D.B.; Larson, L.L.; Stratton, R.C.; Bohn, S.J.; Gore, M.L.

1992-10-01

This report discusses the second phase of the aging assessment of nuclear plant service water systems (SWSs) which was performed by the Pacific Northwest Laboratory (PNL) to support the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) program. The SWS was selected for study because of its essential role in the mitigation of and recovery from accident scenarios involving the potential for core-melt, and because it is subject to a variety of aging mechanisms. The objectives of the SWS task under the NPAR program are to identify and characterize the principal age-related degradation mechanisms relevant to this system, to assess the impact of aging degradation on operational readiness, and to provide a methodology for the management of aging on the service water aspect of nuclear plant safety. The primary degradation mechanism in the SWSs as stated in the Phase I assessment and confirmed by the analysis in Phase II, is corrosion compounded by biologic and inorganic accumulation. It then follows that the most effective means for mitigating degradation in these systems is to pursue appropriate programs to effectively control the water chemistry properties when possible and to use biocidal agents where necessary. A methodology for producing a complete root-cause analysis was developed as a result of needs identified in the Phase I assessment for a more formal procedure that would lend itself to a generic, standardized approach. It is recommended that this, or a similar methodology, be required as a part of the documentation for corrective maintenance performed on the safety-related portions of SWSs to provide an accurate focus for effective management of aging

Is mindfulness research methodology improving over time? A systematic review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon B Goldberg

Full Text Available Despite an exponential growth in research on mindfulness-based interventions, the body of scientific evidence supporting these treatments has been criticized for being of poor methodological quality.The current systematic review examined the extent to which mindfulness research demonstrated increased rigor over the past 16 years regarding six methodological features that have been highlighted as areas for improvement. These feature included using active control conditions, larger sample sizes, longer follow-up assessment, treatment fidelity assessment, and reporting of instructor training and intent-to-treat (ITT analyses.We searched PubMed, PsychInfo, Scopus, and Web of Science in addition to a publically available repository of mindfulness studies.Randomized clinical trials of mindfulness-based interventions for samples with a clinical disorder or elevated symptoms of a clinical disorder listed on the American Psychological Association's list of disorders with recognized evidence-based treatment.Independent raters screened 9,067 titles and abstracts, with 303 full text reviews. Of these, 171 were included, representing 142 non-overlapping samples.Across the 142 studies published between 2000 and 2016, there was no evidence for increases in any study quality indicator, although changes were generally in the direction of improved quality. When restricting the sample to those conducted in Europe and North America (continents with the longest history of scientific research in this area, an increase in reporting of ITT analyses was found. When excluding an early, high-quality study, improvements were seen in sample size, treatment fidelity assessment, and reporting of ITT analyses.Taken together, the findings suggest modest adoption of the recommendations for methodological improvement voiced repeatedly in the literature. Possible explanations for this and implications for interpreting this body of research and conducting future studies are

Millennial Expectations and Constructivist Methodologies: Their Corresponding Characteristics and Alignment

Science.gov (United States)

Carter, Timothy L.

2008-01-01

In recent years, much emphasis has been placed on constructivist methodologies and their potential benefit for learners of various ages (Brandt & Perkins, 2000; Brooks, 1990). Although certain aspects of the constructivist paradigm have replaced several aspects of the behaviorist paradigm for a large contingency of stakeholders (particularly,…

Understanding ageing in older Australians: The contribution of the Dynamic Analyses to Optimise Ageing (DYNOPTA) project to the evidenced base and policy

Science.gov (United States)

Anstey, Kaarin J; Bielak, Allison AM; Birrell, Carole L; Browning, Colette J; Burns, Richard A; Byles, Julie; Kiley, Kim M; Nepal, Binod; Ross, Lesley A; Steel, David; Windsor, Timothy D

2014-01-01

Aim To describe the Dynamic Analyses to Optimise Ageing (DYNOPTA) project and illustrate its contributions to understanding ageing through innovative methodology, and investigations on outcomes based on the project themes. DYNOPTA provides a platform and technical expertise that may be used to combine other national and international datasets. Method The DYNOPTA project has pooled and harmonized data from nine Australian longitudinal studies to create the largest available longitudinal dataset (N=50652) on ageing in Australia. Results A range of findings have resulted from the study to date, including methodological advances, prevalence rates of disease and disability, and mapping trajectories of ageing with and without increasing morbidity. DYNOPTA also forms the basis of a microsimulation model that will provide projections of future costs of disease and disability for the baby boomer cohort. Conclusion DYNOPTA contributes significantly to the Australian evidence-base on ageing to inform key social and health policy domains. PMID:22032767

Archetype modeling methodology.

Science.gov (United States)

Moner, David; Maldonado, José Alberto; Robles, Montserrat

2018-03-01

Clinical Information Models (CIMs) expressed as archetypes play an essential role in the design and development of current Electronic Health Record (EHR) information structures. Although there exist many experiences about using archetypes in the literature, a comprehensive and formal methodology for archetype modeling does not exist. Having a modeling methodology is essential to develop quality archetypes, in order to guide the development of EHR systems and to allow the semantic interoperability of health data. In this work, an archetype modeling methodology is proposed. This paper describes its phases, the inputs and outputs of each phase, and the involved participants and tools. It also includes the description of the possible strategies to organize the modeling process. The proposed methodology is inspired by existing best practices of CIMs, software and ontology development. The methodology has been applied and evaluated in regional and national EHR projects. The application of the methodology provided useful feedback and improvements, and confirmed its advantages. The conclusion of this work is that having a formal methodology for archetype development facilitates the definition and adoption of interoperable archetypes, improves their quality, and facilitates their reuse among different information systems and EHR projects. Moreover, the proposed methodology can be also a reference for CIMs development using any other formalism. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Combining morphometric features and convolutional networks fusion for glaucoma diagnosis

Science.gov (United States)

Perdomo, Oscar; Arevalo, John; González, Fabio A.

2017-11-01

Glaucoma is an eye condition that leads to loss of vision and blindness. Ophthalmoscopy exam evaluates the shape, color and proportion between the optic disc and physiologic cup, but the lack of agreement among experts is still the main diagnosis problem. The application of deep convolutional neural networks combined with automatic extraction of features such as: the cup-to-disc distance in the four quadrants, the perimeter, area, eccentricity, the major radio, the minor radio in optic disc and cup, in addition to all the ratios among the previous parameters may help with a better automatic grading of glaucoma. This paper presents a strategy to merge morphological features and deep convolutional neural networks as a novel methodology to support the glaucoma diagnosis in eye fundus images.

Age, forgiveness, and meeting behavior: A multilevel study

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schulte, E.-M.; Lehmann-Willenbrock, N.K.; Kauffeld, S.

2013-01-01

Purpose: This paper aims to examine the effects of age on counteractive team meeting behaviors (e.g. complaining). Forgiveness is included as a potential buffer against these behaviors. A multilevel model is developed to test individual and team level age effects. Design/methodology/approach: A

Smart learning objects for smart education in computer science theory, methodology and robot-based implementation

CERN Document Server

Stuikys, Vytautas

2015-01-01

This monograph presents the challenges, vision and context to design smart learning objects (SLOs) through Computer Science (CS) education modelling and feature model transformations. It presents the latest research on the meta-programming-based generative learning objects (the latter with advanced features are treated as SLOs) and the use of educational robots in teaching CS topics. The introduced methodology includes the overall processes to develop SLO and smart educational environment (SEE) and integrates both into the real education setting to provide teaching in CS using constructivist a

An algorithm for analytical solution of basic problems featuring elastostatic bodies with cavities and surface flaws

Science.gov (United States)

Penkov, V. B.; Levina, L. V.; Novikova, O. S.; Shulmin, A. S.

2018-03-01

Herein we propose a methodology for structuring a full parametric analytical solution to problems featuring elastostatic media based on state-of-the-art computing facilities that support computerized algebra. The methodology includes: direct and reverse application of P-Theorem; methods of accounting for physical properties of media; accounting for variable geometrical parameters of bodies, parameters of boundary states, independent parameters of volume forces, and remote stress factors. An efficient tool to address the task is the sustainable method of boundary states originally designed for the purposes of computerized algebra and based on the isomorphism of Hilbertian spaces of internal states and boundary states of bodies. We performed full parametric solutions of basic problems featuring a ball with a nonconcentric spherical cavity, a ball with a near-surface flaw, and an unlimited medium with two spherical cavities.

Using Digital Archives in Quantitative Discourse Studies: Methodological Reflections

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kobie Van Krieken

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This methodological essay discusses the possibilities of using digital archives in quantitative discourse studies. I illustrate these possibilities by discussing a study in which the digital archive Delpher was used to build a relatively large corpus of newspaper narratives (N=300 in order to test hypotheses about the historical development of linguistic features associated with objective and subjective reporting. The large amount of data collected in digital archives like Delpher facilitates the construction of corpora for such hypothesis-driven studies. However, the collection of newspaper articles on Delpher in fact constitutes only a small, non-random and continuously changing selection of all available data. Due to these characteristics, the use of Delpher jeopardizes two core values of quantitative empirical research: the generalizability and the replicability of findings. Although these issues cannot be easily overcome, I argue that digital archives have the potential to broaden the methodological scope of discourse studies and increase the overall significance of the field.

Modeling Age-Friendly Environment, Active Aging, and Social Connectedness in an Emerging Asian Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ming-Ming Lai

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper empirically tested eight key features of WHO guidelines to age-friendly community by surveying 211 informal caregivers and 402 self-care adults (aged 45 to 85 and above in Malaysia. We examined the associations of these eight features with active aging and social connectedness through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. A structural model with satisfactory goodness-of-fit indices (CMIN/df = 1.11, RMSEA = 0.02, NFI = 0.97, TLI = 1.00, CFI = 1.00, and GFI = 0.96 indicates that transportation and housing, community support and health services, and outdoor spaces and buildings are statistically significant in creating an age-friendly environment. We found a statistically significant positive relationship between an age-friendly environment and active aging. This relationship is mediated by social connectedness. The results indicate that built environments such as accessible public transportations and housing, affordable and accessible healthcare services, and elderly friendly outdoor spaces and buildings have to be put into place before social environment in building an age-friendly environment. Otherwise, the structural barriers would hinder social interactions for the aged. The removal of the environmental barriers and improved public transportation services provide short-term solutions to meet the varied and growing needs of the older population.

A generic semi-implicit coupling methodology for use in RELAP5-3D(c)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Weaver, W.L.; Tomlinson, E.T.; Aumiller, D.L.

2002-01-01

A generic semi-implicit coupling methodology has been developed and implemented in the RELAP5-3D (c) computer program. This methodology allows RELAP5-3D (c) to be used with other computer programs to perform integrated analyses of nuclear power reactor systems and related experimental facilities. The coupling methodology potentially allows different programs to be used to model different portions of the system. The programs are chosen based on their capability to model the phenomena that are important in the simulation in the various portions of the system being considered and may use different numbers of conservation equations to model fluid flow in their respective solution domains. The methodology was demonstrated using a test case in which the test geometry was divided into two parts, each of which was solved as a RELAP5-3D (c) simulation. This test problem exercised all of the semi-implicit coupling features that were implemented in RELAP5-3D (c) The results of this verification test case show that the semi-implicit coupling methodology produces the same answer as the simulation of the test system as a single process

Compilation and review of methodologies for estimating the comparative electric power system costs for renewable energy systems. Working material

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1993-01-01

This Working Material provides a review of methodologies for estimating the costs of renewable energy systems and the state of art knowledge on stochastic features and economic evaluation methodologies of renewable energy systems for electricity generation in a grid integrated system. It is expected that this material facilitates the wider access by interested persons to sources for relevant comparative assessment activities which are progressing in the IAEA. Refs, figs, tabs

Ensemble based system for whole-slide prostate cancer probability mapping using color texture features.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

DiFranco, Matthew D

2011-01-01

We present a tile-based approach for producing clinically relevant probability maps of prostatic carcinoma in histological sections from radical prostatectomy. Our methodology incorporates ensemble learning for feature selection and classification on expert-annotated images. Random forest feature selection performed over varying training sets provides a subset of generalized CIEL*a*b* co-occurrence texture features, while sample selection strategies with minimal constraints reduce training data requirements to achieve reliable results. Ensembles of classifiers are built using expert-annotated tiles from training images, and scores for the probability of cancer presence are calculated from the responses of each classifier in the ensemble. Spatial filtering of tile-based texture features prior to classification results in increased heat-map coherence as well as AUC values of 95% using ensembles of either random forests or support vector machines. Our approach is designed for adaptation to different imaging modalities, image features, and histological decision domains.

The Gañuelas-Mazarrón Tertiary Basin (Murcia, Spain): Features, Analogies, implications for the Safety of a CO2-DGS and Methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rodrigo-Naharro, J.; Clemente-Jul, C.; Pérez del Villar, L.

2015-01-01

This work summarizes the main features of the Gañuelas-Mazarrón Tertiary basin, emphasising on the: i) geological, hydrogeological and hydrogeochemical characteristics; ii) current carbonate precipitation related to waters from several hydrogeological and geothermal wells in the basin; and iii) dissolved and free CO2 leakages and associated gases, mainly 222Rn. Furthermore, it has been summarised the main analogies established between the natural system studied and a CO2-Deep Geological Storage (CO2-DGS) conceptual model; as well as the implications of these analogies to qualitatively analyse the behaviour and evaluate the safety, in short, medium and long term, of a CO2-DGS. Finally, a useful methodology for any sedimentary basin, similar to the Gañuelas-Mazarrón basin, capable to host a CO2-DGS is also proposed. In conclusion, the full or partial study of a natural system analogous to a CO2-DGS must not be confused with the study to characterise a site for a CO2-DGS, since natural analogues should provide information about the behaviour, evolution and safety, in long-term, of the natural system, and that this information could be applied to a CO2-DGS system.

Improved Feature Detection in Fused Intensity-Range Images with Complex SIFT (ℂSIFT

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boris Jutzi

2011-09-01

Full Text Available The real and imaginary parts are proposed as an alternative to the usual Polar representation of complex-valued images. It is proven that the transformation from Polar to Cartesian representation contributes to decreased mutual information, and hence to greater distinctiveness. The Complex Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (ℂSIFT detects distinctive features in complex-valued images. An evaluation method for estimating the uniformity of feature distributions in complex-valued images derived from intensity-range images is proposed. In order to experimentally evaluate the proposed methodology on intensity-range images, three different kinds of active sensing systems were used: Range Imaging, Laser Scanning, and Structured Light Projection devices (PMD CamCube 2.0, Z+F IMAGER 5003, Microsoft Kinect.

A Systematic Methodology for Gearbox Health Assessment and Fault Classification

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jay Lee

2011-01-01

Full Text Available A systematic methodology for gearbox health assessment and fault classification is developed and evaluated for 560 data sets of gearbox vibration data provided by the Prognostics and Health Management Society for the 2009 data challenge competition. A comprehensive set of signal processing and feature extraction methods are used to extract over 200 features, including features extracted from the raw time signal, time synchronous signal, wavelet decomposition signal, frequency domain spectrum, envelope spectrum, among others. A regime segmentation approach using the tachometer signal, a spectrum similarity metric, and gear mesh frequency peak information are used to segment the data by gear type, input shaft speed, and braking torque load. A health assessment method that finds the minimum feature vector sum in each regime is used to classify and find the 80 baseline healthy data sets. A fault diagnosis method based on a distance calculation from normal along with specific features correlated to different fault signatures is used to diagnosis specific faults. The fault diagnosis method is evaluated for the diagnosis of a gear tooth breakage, input shaft imbalance, bent shaft, bearing inner race defect, and bad key, and the method could be further extended for other faults as long as a set of features can be correlated with a known fault signature. Future work looks to further refine the distance calculation algorithm for fault diagnosis, as well as further evaluate other signal processing method such as the empirical mode decomposition to see if an improved set of features can be used to improve the fault diagnosis accuracy.

Testing methodologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bender, M.A.

1990-01-01

Several methodologies are available for screening human populations for exposure to ionizing radiation. Of these, aberration frequency determined in peripheral blood lymphocytes is the best developed. Individual exposures to large doses can easily be quantitated, and population exposures to occupational levels can be detected. However, determination of exposures to the very low doses anticipated from a low-level radioactive waste disposal site is more problematical. Aberrations occur spontaneously, without known cause. Exposure to radiation induces no new or novel types, but only increases their frequency. The limitations of chromosomal aberration dosimetry for detecting low level radiation exposures lie mainly in the statistical signal to noise'' problem, the distribution of aberrations among cells and among individuals, and the possible induction of aberrations by other environmental occupational or medical exposures. However, certain features of the human peripheral lymphocyte-chromosomal aberration system make it useful in screening for certain types of exposures. Future technical developments may make chromosomal aberration dosimetry more useful for low-level radiation exposures. Other methods, measuring gene mutations or even minute changes on the DNA level, while presently less will developed techniques, may eventually become even more practical and sensitive assays for human radiation exposure. 15 refs.

Wolfram syndrome in the Japanese population; molecular analysis of WFS1 gene and characterization of clinical features.

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Kimie Matsunaga

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Wolfram syndrome (WFS is a recessive neurologic and endocrinologic degenerative disorder, and is also known as DIDMOAD (Diabetes Insipidus, early-onset Diabetes Mellitus, progressive Optic Atrophy and Deafness syndrome. Most affected individuals carry recessive mutations in the Wolfram syndrome 1 gene (WFS1. However, the phenotypic pleiomorphism, rarity and molecular complexity of this disease complicate our efforts to understand WFS. To address this limitation, we aimed to describe complications and to elucidate the contributions of WFS1 mutations to clinical manifestations in Japanese patients with WFS. METHODOLOGY: The minimal ascertainment criterion for diagnosing WFS was having both early onset diabetes mellitus and bilateral optic atrophy. Genetic analysis for WFS1 was performed by direct sequencing. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Sixty-seven patients were identified nationally for a prevalence of one per 710,000, with 33 patients (49% having all 4 components of DIDMOAD. In 40 subjects who agreed to participate in this investigation from 30 unrelated families, the earliest manifestation was DM at a median age of 8.7 years, followed by OA at a median age of 15.8 years. However, either OA or DI was the first diagnosed feature in 6 subjects. In 10, features other than DM predated OA. Twenty-seven patients (67.5% had a broad spectrum of recessive mutations in WFS1. Two patients had mutations in only one allele. Eleven patients (27.5% had intact WFS1 alleles. Ages at onset of both DM and OA in patients with recessive WFS1 mutations were indistinguishable from those in patients without WFS1 mutations. In the patients with predicted complete loss-of-function mutations, ages at the onsets of both DM and OA were significantly earlier than those in patients with predicted partial-loss-of function mutations. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: This study emphasizes the clinical and genetic heterogeneity in patients with WFS. Genotype-phenotype correlations may

The early clinical features of dengue in adults: challenges for early clinical diagnosis.

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Jenny G H Low

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The emergence of dengue throughout the tropical world is affecting an increasing proportion of adult cases. The clinical features of dengue in different age groups have not been well examined, especially in the context of early clinical diagnosis. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We structured a prospective study of adults (≥ 18 years of age presenting with acute febrile illness within 72 hours from illness onset upon informed consent. Patients were followed up over a 3-4 week period to determine the clinical outcome. A total of 2,129 adults were enrolled in the study, of which 250 (11.7% had dengue. Differences in the rates of dengue-associated symptoms resulted in high sensitivities when the WHO 1997 or 2009 classification schemes for probable dengue fever were applied to the cohort. However, when the cases were stratified into age groups, fewer older adults reported symptoms such as myalgia, arthralgia, retro-orbital pain and mucosal bleeding, resulting in reduced sensitivity of the WHO classification schemes. On the other hand, the risks of severe dengue and hospitalization were not diminished in older adults, indicating that this group of patients can benefit from early diagnosis, especially when an antiviral drug becomes available. Our data also suggests that older adults who present with fever and leukopenia should be tested for dengue, even in the absence of other symptoms. CONCLUSION: Early clinical diagnosis based on previously defined symptoms that are associated with dengue, even when used in the schematics of both the WHO 1997 and 2009 classifications, is difficult in older adults.

Replicating distinctive facial features in lineups: identification performance in young versus older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Badham, Stephen P; Wade, Kimberley A; Watts, Hannah J E; Woods, Natalie G; Maylor, Elizabeth A

2013-04-01

Criminal suspects with distinctive facial features, such as tattoos or bruising, may stand out in a police lineup. To prevent suspects from being unfairly identified on the basis of their distinctive feature, the police often manipulate lineup images to ensure that all of the members appear similar. Recent research shows that replicating a distinctive feature across lineup members enhances eyewitness identification performance, relative to removing that feature on the target. In line with this finding, the present study demonstrated that with young adults (n = 60; mean age = 20), replication resulted in more target identifications than did removal in target-present lineups and that replication did not impair performance, relative to removal, in target-absent lineups. Older adults (n = 90; mean age = 74) performed significantly worse than young adults, identifying fewer targets and more foils; moreover, older adults showed a minimal benefit from replication over removal. This pattern is consistent with the associative deficit hypothesis of aging, such that older adults form weaker links between faces and their distinctive features. Although replication did not produce much benefit over removal for older adults, it was not detrimental to their performance. Therefore, the results suggest that replication may not be as beneficial to older adults as it is to young adults and demonstrate a new practical implication of age-related associative deficits in memory.

Toward an Integrative Science of Life-Span Development and Aging

Science.gov (United States)

Piccinin, Andrea M.

2010-01-01

The study of aging demands an integrative life-span developmental framework, involving interdisciplinary collaborations and multiple methodological approaches for understanding how and why individuals change, in both normative and idiosyncratic ways. We highlight and summarize some of the issues encountered when conducting integrative research for understanding aging-related change, including, the integration of results across different levels of analysis; the integration of theory, design, and analysis; and the synthesis of results across studies of aging. We emphasize the necessity of longitudinal designs for understanding development and aging and discuss methodological issues that should be considered for achieving reproducible research on within-person processes. It will be important that current and future studies permit opportunities for quantitative comparison across populations given the extent to which historical shifts and cultural differences influence life-span processes and aging-related outcomes. PMID:20237144

Formation of the methodological matrix of the strategic analysis of the enterprise

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N.H. Vygovskaya

2018-04-01

Full Text Available The article is devoted to the study of the methodological matrix of the strategic analysis of the enterprise. The aim of this article is to analyze the influence of methodological changes in the 20th century on the methodology of strategic analysis; critical assessment and generalization of scientific approaches to its methods. Evaluation of scientific works on analysis made it possible to identify such problems in the methodology of strategic analysis as the lack of consideration of the features of strategic analysis in the formation of its methods, which often leads to confusion of methods of financial (economic, thrifty analysis; failure to use the fact that the strategic analysis contains, besides the methods of analyzing the internal and external environment, the methods of forecast analysis aimed at forming the strategy for the development of the enterprise; identification of the concepts «image», «reception», «method» of analysis; multidirectionality and indistinctness of signs of classification of methods of strategic analysis; blind copying of foreign methods of application of techniques and methods of strategic analysis without taking into account the specifics of domestic economic conditions. The expediency of using the system approach in forming the methodological design of strategic analysis is proved, which will allow to combine the methodology as a science of methods (a broad approach to the methods of strategic analysis with methodology as a set of applied methods and methods of analysis (narrow approach to methodology. The use of the system approach allowed to distinguish three levels of the methodology of strategic analysis. The first and second levels of methodology correspond to the level of science, the third level – the practice. When developing the third level of special methods of strategic analysis, an approach is applied that differentiates them depending on the stages of strategic analysis (methods of the stage

Aging evaluation of active components by using performance evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jung, S. K.; Jin, T. E.; Kim, J. S.; Jung, I. S.; Kim, T. R.

2003-01-01

Risk analysis and performance evaluation methodology were applied to the aging evaluation of active components in the periodic safety review of Wolsung unit 1. We conclude that evaluation of performance is more effective to discriminate the aging degradation of active component than the evaluation of aging mechanism. It is essential to analyze the common cause failures of low performance components to evaluate the properness of present maintenance system. Past 10 years failure history is used for establishing the performance criteria. Past 2 years failure history is used for the evaluating the recent performance condition. We analyze the failure mode of the components to improve the maintenance system. Performance evaluation methodology is useful for the quantitative evaluation of aging degradation of active components. Analysis on the repeated failures can be useful for the feedback to maintenance plan and interval

A methodology for analyzing the detection and suppression of fires in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siu, N.; Apostolakis, G.

1986-01-01

The assessment of the fire risk in nuclear power plants requires the analysis of fire scenarios within specified rooms. A methodology that integrates the fire protection features of a given room into an existing fire risk analysis framework is developed. An important component of this methodology is a model for the time required to detect and suppress a fire in a given room, called the ''hazard time.'' This model accounts for the reliability of fire detection and suppression equipment, as well as for the characteristics rates of the detection and suppression processes. Because the available evidence for fire detection and suppression in nuclear power plants is sparse and often qualitative, a second component of this methodology is a set of methods needed to employ imprecise information in a statistical analysis. These methods can be applied to a wide variety of problems

Human age estimation framework using different facial parts

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Mohamed Y. El Dib

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Human age estimation from facial images has a wide range of real-world applications in human computer interaction (HCI. In this paper, we use the bio-inspired features (BIF to analyze different facial parts: (a eye wrinkles, (b whole internal face (without forehead area and (c whole face (with forehead area using different feature shape points. The analysis shows that eye wrinkles which cover 30% of the facial area contain the most important aging features compared to internal face and whole face. Furthermore, more extensive experiments are made on FG-NET database by increasing the number of missing pictures in older age groups using MORPH database to enhance the results.

Hybrid generative-discriminative approach to age-invariant face recognition

Science.gov (United States)

Sajid, Muhammad; Shafique, Tamoor

2018-03-01

Age-invariant face recognition is still a challenging research problem due to the complex aging process involving types of facial tissues, skin, fat, muscles, and bones. Most of the related studies that have addressed the aging problem are focused on generative representation (aging simulation) or discriminative representation (feature-based approaches). Designing an appropriate hybrid approach taking into account both the generative and discriminative representations for age-invariant face recognition remains an open problem. We perform a hybrid matching to achieve robustness to aging variations. This approach automatically segments the eyes, nose-bridge, and mouth regions, which are relatively less sensitive to aging variations compared with the rest of the facial regions that are age-sensitive. The aging variations of age-sensitive facial parts are compensated using a demographic-aware generative model based on a bridged denoising autoencoder. The age-insensitive facial parts are represented by pixel average vector-based local binary patterns. Deep convolutional neural networks are used to extract relative features of age-sensitive and age-insensitive facial parts. Finally, the feature vectors of age-sensitive and age-insensitive facial parts are fused to achieve the recognition results. Extensive experimental results on morphological face database II (MORPH II), face and gesture recognition network (FG-NET), and Verification Subset of cross-age celebrity dataset (CACD-VS) demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method for age-invariant face recognition well.

Aging of concrete structures in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Naus, D.J.; Pland, C.B.; Arndt, E.G.

1991-01-01

The Structural Aging (SAG) Program, sponsored by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (USNRC) and conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), had the overall objective of providing the USNRC with an improved basis for evaluating nuclear power plant structures for continued service. The program consists of three technical tasks: materials property data base, structural component assessment/repair technology, and quantitative methodology for continued service determinations. Major accomplishments under the SAG Program during the first two years of its planned five-year duration have included: development of a Structural Materials Information Center and formulation of a Structural Aging Assessment Methodology for Concrete Structures in Nuclear Power Plants. 9 refs

Introduction to Visual Communication in the Age of Social Media: Conceptual, Theoretical and Methodological Challenges

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Uta Russmann

2017-12-01

Full Text Available This thematic issue of Media and Communication focuses attention on the shift towards visual images on social media as well as the transformation of visual communication which has occurred within the online ecology of social media platforms. The sharing of images is becoming an integral part of the social media experience today, and given that social media platforms are the prime locus for sociability—at least among young people in the West—this shift towards visuals arguably transforms how we relate to each other and the world around us, as well as how we perceive and construct our sense of self. For researchers, this raises conceptual, theoretical and methodological challenges. This thematic issue presents six articles as well as a book review on visual communication in social media focusing on developing a conceptual apparatus and precise definitions of objects and practices of study as well as contributions that address and discuss the methodological challenges as well as their potential solutions. The idea was to synergize research from a wide variety of communication-related disciplines on this rather new topic.

Features of mitral valve prolapse in young patients

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M. A. Kuznetsova

2015-06-01

Full Text Available Due to the significant increase of complications in young patients with mitral valve prolapse detection of this disease is important. Aim. With the aim of studying the features of mitral valve prolapse 135 persons with mitral valve prolapse at the age of 18–25 years were examined. Methods and results. The features of mitral valve prolapsed were studied with echocardiography, electrocardiography, cardiointervalography. It was established that mitral valve prolapse (MVP in young age had different clinical picture. Patients with MVP 1 degree mainly had autonomic instability, and with 2 degree - mostly signs of connective tissue dysplasia. Conclusion. The presence of MVP is associated with abnormalities of the rhythm and conductivity: 1 degree - sinus tachycardia; the 2nd - sinus arrhythmia, signs of left ventricular hypertrophy and impaired repolarization of the myocardium.

Going beyond a First Reader: A Machine Learning Methodology for Optimizing Cost and Performance in Breast Ultrasound Diagnosis.

Science.gov (United States)

Venkatesh, Santosh S; Levenback, Benjamin J; Sultan, Laith R; Bouzghar, Ghizlane; Sehgal, Chandra M

2015-12-01

The goal of this study was to devise a machine learning methodology as a viable low-cost alternative to a second reader to help augment physicians' interpretations of breast ultrasound images in differentiating benign and malignant masses. Two independent feature sets consisting of visual features based on a radiologist's interpretation of images and computer-extracted features when used as first and second readers and combined by adaptive boosting (AdaBoost) and a pruning classifier resulted in a very high level of diagnostic performance (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve = 0.98) at a cost of pruning a fraction (20%) of the cases for further evaluation by independent methods. AdaBoost also improved the diagnostic performance of the individual human observers and increased the agreement between their analyses. Pairing AdaBoost with selective pruning is a principled methodology for achieving high diagnostic performance without the added cost of an additional reader for differentiating solid breast masses by ultrasound. Copyright © 2015 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

UPCaD: A Methodology of Integration Between Ontology-Based Context-Awareness Modeling and Relational Domain Data

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Vinícius Maran

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Context-awareness is a key feature for ubiquitous computing scenarios applications. Currently, technologies and methodologies have been proposed for the integration of context-awareness concepts in intelligent information systems to adapt them to the execution of services, user interfaces and data retrieval. Recent research proposed conceptual modeling alternatives to the integration of the domain modeling in RDBMS and context-awareness modeling. The research described using highly expressiveness ontologies. The present work describes the UPCaD (Unified Process for Integration between Context-Awareness and Domain methodology, which is composed of formalisms and processes to guide the data integration considering RDBMS and context modeling. The methodology was evaluated in a virtual learning environment application. The evaluation shows the possibility to use a highly expressive context ontology to filter the relational data query and discusses the main contributions of the methodology compared with recent approaches.

Development of a flight software testing methodology

Science.gov (United States)

Mccluskey, E. J.; Andrews, D. M.

1985-01-01

The research to develop a testing methodology for flight software is described. An experiment was conducted in using assertions to dynamically test digital flight control software. The experiment showed that 87% of typical errors introduced into the program would be detected by assertions. Detailed analysis of the test data showed that the number of assertions needed to detect those errors could be reduced to a minimal set. The analysis also revealed that the most effective assertions tested program parameters that provided greater indirect (collateral) testing of other parameters. In addition, a prototype watchdog task system was built to evaluate the effectiveness of executing assertions in parallel by using the multitasking features of Ada.

Automated detection of qualitative spatio-temporal features in electrocardiac activation maps.

Science.gov (United States)

Ironi, Liliana; Tentoni, Stefania

2007-02-01

This paper describes a piece of work aiming at the realization of a tool for the automated interpretation of electrocardiac maps. Such maps can capture a number of electrical conduction pathologies, such as arrhytmia, that can be missed by the analysis of traditional electrocardiograms. But, their introduction into the clinical practice is still far away as their interpretation requires skills that belongs to very few experts. Then, an automated interpretation tool would bridge the gap between the established research outcome and clinical practice with a consequent great impact on health care. Qualitative spatial reasoning can play a crucial role in the identification of spatio-temporal patterns and salient features that characterize the heart electrical activity. We adopted the spatial aggregation (SA) conceptual framework and an interplay of numerical and qualitative information to extract features from epicardial maps, and to make them available for reasoning tasks. Our focus is on epicardial activation isochrone maps as they are a synthetic representation of spatio-temporal aspects of the propagation of the electrical excitation. We provide a computational SA-based methodology to extract, from 3D epicardial data gathered over time, (1) the excitation wavefront structure, and (2) the salient features that characterize wavefront propagation and visually correspond to specific geometric objects. The proposed methodology provides a robust and efficient way to identify salient pieces of information in activation time maps. The hierarchical structure of the abstracted geometric objects, crucial in capturing the prominent information, facilitates the definition of general rules necessary to infer the correlation between pathophysiological patterns and wavefront structure and propagation.

Development of a standard methodology for optimizing remote visual display for nuclear-maintenance tasks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Clarke, M.M.; Garin, J.; Preston-Anderson, A.

1981-01-01

The aim of the present study is to develop a methodology for optimizing remote viewing systems for a fuel recycle facility (HEF) being designed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). An important feature of this design involves the Remotex concept: advanced servo-controlled master/slave manipulators, with remote television viewing, will totally replace direct human contact with the radioactive environment. Therefore, the design of optimal viewing conditions is a critical component of the overall man/machine system. A methodology has been developed for optimizing remote visual displays for nuclear maintenance tasks. The usefulness of this approach has been demonstrated by preliminary specification of optimal closed circuit TV systems for such tasks

Cellular aging of mitochondrial DNA-depleted cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Park, Sun Young; Choi, Bongkun; Cheon, Hwanju; Pak, Youngmi Kim; Kulawiec, Mariola; Singh, Keshav K.; Lee, Myung-Shik

2004-01-01

We have reported that mitochondrial DNA-depleted ρ 0 cells are resistant to cell death. Because aged cells have frequent mitochondrial DNA mutations, the resistance of ρ 0 cells against cell death might be related to the apoptosis resistance of aged cells and frequent development of cancers in aged individuals. We studied if ρ 0 cells have features simulating aged cells. SK-Hep1 hepatoma ρ 0 cells showed typical morphology associated with aging such as increased size and elongated appearance. They had increased senescence-associated β-Gal activity, lipofuscin pigment, and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 expression. Consistent with their decreased proliferation, the expression of mitotic cyclins was decreased and that of cdk inhibitors was increased. Rb hypophosphorylation and decreased telomerase activity were also noted. Features simulating aged cells were also observed in MDA-MB-435 ρ 0 cells. These results support the mitochondrial theory of aging, and suggest that ρ 0 cells could serve as an in vitro model for aged cells

Kids, Adolescents, and Young Adults Cancer Study-A Methodological Approach in Cancer Epidemiology Research

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Link, N. L.; Maurer, E.; Largent, J.; Kent, E.; Sender, E.; Culver, H. A.; Morris, R. A.; Sender, E.

2009-01-01

Advances have been made in treatment and outcomes for pediatric cancer. However adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cancer have not experienced similar relative improvements. We undertook a study to develop the methodology necessary for epidemiologic cancer research in these age groups. Our goal was to create the Kids, Adolescents, and Young Adults Cancer (KAYAC) project to create a resource to address research questions relevant to this population. We used a combination of clinic and population-based ascertainment to enroll 111 cases aged 0-39 for this methodology development study. The largest groups of cancer types enrolled include: breast cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, and melanoma. The overall participation rate is 69.8% and varies by age and tumor type. The study included patients, mothers, and fathers. The methods used to establish this resource are described, and the values of the resource in studies of childhood and young adult cancer are outlined.

A ROADMAP FOR GENERATING SEMANTICALLY ENRICHED BUILDING MODELS ACCORDING TO CITYGML MODEL VIA TWO DIFFERENT METHODOLOGIES

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G. Floros

2016-10-01

Full Text Available The methodologies of 3D modeling techniques have increasingly increased due to the rapid advances of new technologies. Nowadays, the focus of 3D modeling software is focused, not only to the finest visualization of the models, but also in their semantic features during the modeling procedure. As a result, the models thus generated are both realistic and semantically enriched. Additionally, various extensions of modeling software allow for the immediate conversion of the model’s format, via semi-automatic procedures with respect to the user’s scope. The aim of this paper is to investigate the generation of a semantically enriched Citygml building model via two different methodologies. The first methodology includes the modeling in Trimble SketchUp and the transformation in FME Desktop Manager, while the second methodology includes the model’s generation in CityEngine and its transformation in the CityGML format via the 3DCitiesProject extension for ArcGIS. Finally, the two aforesaid methodologies are being compared and specific characteristics are evaluated, in order to infer the methodology that is best applied depending on the different projects’ purposes.

Age-related attitudes: the influence on relationships and performance at work

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dr. Franz Josef Gellert; R. Schalk

2012-01-01

Purpose: – This paper aims to examine the influence of age and age-related attitudes on relationship factors. In addition, it seeks to assess how both factors affect care service work performance. Design/methodology/approach: – The paper explores the influence of age and age-related attitudes on the

Bilingualism and cognitive reserve: A critical overview and a plea for methodological innovations

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Noelia eCalvo

2016-01-01

Full Text Available The decline of cognitive skills throughout healthy or pathological aging can be slowed down by experiences which foster cognitive reserve (CR. Recently, some studies on Alzheimer’s disease have suggested that CR may be enhanced by life-long bilingualism. However, the evidence is inconsistent and based on retrospective approaches featuring several methodological weaknesses. Some studies demonstrated at least four years of delay in dementia symptoms, while others did not find such an effect. Moreover, various methodological aspects vary from study to study. The present paper addresses contradictory findings, identifies possible lurking variables, and outlines methodological alternatives thereof. First, we characterize possible confounding factors that may have influenced extant results. Our focus is on the criteria to establish bilingualism, differences in sample design, the instruments used to examine cognitive skills, and the role of variables known to modulate life-long cognition. Second, we propose that these limitations could be largely circumvented through experimental approaches. Proficiency in the non-native language can be successfully assessed by combining subjective and objective measures; confounding variables which have been distinctively associated with certain bilingual groups (e.g., alcoholism, sleep disorders can be targeted through relevant instruments; and cognitive status might be better tapped via robust cognitive screenings and executive batteries. Moreover, future research should incorporate tasks yielding predictable patterns of contrastive performance between bilinguals and monolinguals. Crucially, these include instruments which reveal bilingual disadvantages in vocabulary, null effects in working memory, and advantages in inhibitory control and other executive functions. Finally, paradigms tapping proactive interference (which assess the disruptive effect of long-term memory on newly learned information could also

Bilingualism and Cognitive Reserve: A Critical Overview and a Plea for Methodological Innovations

Science.gov (United States)

Calvo, Noelia; García, Adolfo M.; Manoiloff, Laura; Ibáñez, Agustín

2016-01-01

The decline of cognitive skills throughout healthy or pathological aging can be slowed down by experiences which foster cognitive reserve (CR). Recently, some studies on Alzheimer's disease have suggested that CR may be enhanced by life-long bilingualism. However, the evidence is inconsistent and largely based on retrospective approaches featuring several methodological weaknesses. Some studies demonstrated at least 4 years of delay in dementia symptoms, while others did not find such an effect. Moreover, various methodological aspects vary from study to study. The present paper addresses contradictory findings, identifies possible lurking variables, and outlines methodological alternatives thereof. First, we characterize possible confounding factors that may have influenced extant results. Our focus is on the criteria to establish bilingualism, differences in sample design, the instruments used to examine cognitive skills, and the role of variables known to modulate life-long cognition. Second, we propose that these limitations could be largely circumvented through experimental approaches. Proficiency in the non-native language can be successfully assessed by combining subjective and objective measures; confounding variables which have been distinctively associated with certain bilingual groups (e.g., alcoholism, sleep disorders) can be targeted through relevant instruments; and cognitive status might be better tapped via robust cognitive screenings and executive batteries. Moreover, future research should incorporate tasks yielding predictable patterns of contrastive performance between bilinguals and monolinguals. Crucially, these include instruments which reveal bilingual disadvantages in vocabulary, null effects in working memory, and advantages in inhibitory control and other executive functions. Finally, paradigms tapping proactive interference (which assess the disruptive effect of long-term memory on newly learned information) could also offer useful data

Methodological aspects of clinical trials in tinnitus: A proposal for an international standard

Science.gov (United States)

Landgrebe, Michael; Azevedo, Andréia; Baguley, David; Bauer, Carol; Cacace, Anthony; Coelho, Claudia; Dornhoffer, John; Figueiredo, Ricardo; Flor, Herta; Hajak, Goeran; van de Heyning, Paul; Hiller, Wolfgang; Khedr, Eman; Kleinjung, Tobias; Koller, Michael; Lainez, Jose Miguel; Londero, Alain; Martin, William H.; Mennemeier, Mark; Piccirillo, Jay; De Ridder, Dirk; Rupprecht, Rainer; Searchfield, Grant; Vanneste, Sven; Zeman, Florian; Langguth, Berthold

2013-01-01

Chronic tinnitus is a common condition with a high burden of disease. While many different treatments are used in clinical practice, the evidence for the efficacy of these treatments is low and the variance of treatment response between individuals is high. This is most likely due to the great heterogeneity of tinnitus with respect to clinical features as well as underlying pathophysiological mechanisms. There is a clear need to find effective treatment options in tinnitus, however, clinical trials differ substantially with respect to methodological quality and design. Consequently, the conclusions that can be derived from these studies are limited and jeopardize comparison between studies. Here, we discuss our view of the most important aspects of trial design in clinical studies in tinnitus and make suggestions for an international methodological standard in tinnitus trials. We hope that the proposed methodological standard will stimulate scientific discussion and will help to improve the quality of trials in tinnitus. PMID:22789414

Association of socio-economic features, hygienic status, age group and gender with prevalence of waterborne diseases in rawalpindi and islamabad

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Siddiqui, M.S.; Amin, M.; Amber, M.; Malik, M.W.; Sherwani, S.K

2012-01-01

Prevention of waterborne illness is of great concern all over the world. Waterborne diseases represent significant burden of diseases in the globe. Nearly 4% of diseases are attributable to water, sanitation and hygiene, and approximately 2.2 million people die every year due to diarrheal diseases worldwide. This study was carried out to find association of socio-economic features, hygienic status, age groups and gender with prevalence of water borne diseases in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. A research questionnaire was designed with questions related to demographic data, drinking water data and prevalence of water borne disease. The research questionnaire was interviewed to different respondents above 18 years of age randomly selected from different settings of Rawalpindi and Islamabad belonging to different socio-economic statuses. Data was analysed by employing cross tabulation and chi-square test with help of statistical software. The more frequent age group (47%) was 30 to 45 years. Proportion of diarrhea in females and males of middle age group were calculated as 36.11 % and 11.11 %, respectively. The second more frequent reported disease was jaundice with 15.9% of the target population being males and 16.7% females. Diarrhea was observed to be the major waterborne disease constituting 41 % of the population with poor hygiene practices. The hygienic practices were significantly associated with waterborne diseases (P = <0.001). Waterborne diseases were also, associated with financial status (P=0.02) and literacy rate (p=0.03). The current study concludes that improvement in the hygienic conditions and hygienic practices will playa pivotal role to prevent faeco-oral infections and reduce the waterborne disease burden. In targeted areas due to poor economic conditions, the population failed to achieve better hygienic practices and therefore there is a need to strengthen water filtration system and awareness of hygienic routine practices in these areas. (author)

Accelerated lifetime testing methodology for lifetime estimation of Lithium-ion batteries used in augmented wind power plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stroe, Daniel Ioan; Swierczynski, Maciej Jozef; Stan, Ana-Irina

2013-01-01

The development of lifetime estimation models for Lithium-ion battery cells, which are working under highly variable mission profiles characteristic for wind power plant applications, requires a lot of expenditures and time resources. Therefore, batteries have to be tested under accelerated...... lifetime ageing conditions. This paper presents a three-stage methodology used for accelerated lifetime testing of Lithium-ion batteries. The results obtained at the end of the accelerated ageing process can be used for the parametrization of a performance-degradation lifetime model. In the proposed...... methodology both calendar and cycling lifetime tests are considered since both components are influencing the lifetime of Lithium-ion batteries. The methodology proposes also a lifetime model verification stage, where Lithium-ion battery cells are tested at normal operating conditions using an application...

Accelerated Lifetime Testing Methodology for Lifetime Estimation of Lithium-ion Batteries used in Augmented Wind Power Plants

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stroe, Daniel Ioan; Swierczynski, Maciej Jozef; Stan, Ana-Irina

2014-01-01

The development of lifetime estimation models for Lithium-ion battery cells, which are working under highly variable mission profiles characteristic for wind power plant applications, requires a lot of expenditures and time resources. Therefore, batteries have to be tested under accelerated...... lifetime ageing conditions. This paper presents a three-stage methodology used for accelerated lifetime testing of Lithium ion batteries. The results obtained at the end of the accelerated ageing process were used for the parametrization of a performance-degradation lifetime model, which is able to predict...... both the capacity fade and the power capability decrease of the selected Lithium-ion battery cells. In the proposed methodology both calendar and cycling lifetime tests were considered since both components are influencing the lifetime of Lithium-ion batteries. Furthermore, the proposed methodology...

Methodological quality and descriptive characteristics of prosthodontic-related systematic reviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Aziz, T; Compton, S; Nassar, U; Matthews, D; Ansari, K; Flores-Mir, C

2013-04-01

Ideally, healthcare systematic reviews (SRs) should be beneficial to practicing professionals in making evidence-based clinical decisions. However, the conclusions drawn from SRs are directly related to the quality of the SR and of the included studies. The aim was to investigate the methodological quality and key descriptive characteristics of SRs published in prosthodontics. Methodological quality was analysed using the Assessment of Multiple Reviews (AMSTAR) tool. Several electronic resources (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and American Dental Association's Evidence-based Dentistry website) were searched. In total 106 SRs were located. Key descriptive characteristics and methodological quality features were gathered and assessed, and descriptive and inferential statistical testing performed. Most SRs in this sample originated from the European continent followed by North America. Two to five authors conducted most SRs; the majority was affiliated with academic institutions and had prior experience publishing SRs. The majority of SRs were published in specialty dentistry journals, with implant or implant-related topics, the primary topics of interest for most. According to AMSTAR, most quality aspects were adequately fulfilled by less than half of the reviews. Publication bias and grey literature searches were the most poorly adhered components. Overall, the methodological quality of the prosthodontic-related systematic was deemed limited. Future recommendations would include authors to have prior training in conducting SRs and for journals to include a universal checklist that should be adhered to address all key characteristics of an unbiased SR process. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Machine Fault Detection Based on Filter Bank Similarity Features Using Acoustic and Vibration Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mauricio Holguín-Londoño

2016-01-01

Full Text Available Vibration and acoustic analysis actively support the nondestructive and noninvasive fault diagnostics of rotating machines at early stages. Nonetheless, the acoustic signal is less used because of its vulnerability to external interferences, hindering an efficient and robust analysis for condition monitoring (CM. This paper presents a novel methodology to characterize different failure signatures from rotating machines using either acoustic or vibration signals. Firstly, the signal is decomposed into several narrow-band spectral components applying different filter bank methods such as empirical mode decomposition, wavelet packet transform, and Fourier-based filtering. Secondly, a feature set is built using a proposed similarity measure termed cumulative spectral density index and used to estimate the mutual statistical dependence between each bandwidth-limited component and the raw signal. Finally, a classification scheme is carried out to distinguish the different types of faults. The methodology is tested in two laboratory experiments, including turbine blade degradation and rolling element bearing faults. The robustness of our approach is validated contaminating the signal with several levels of additive white Gaussian noise, obtaining high-performance outcomes that make the usage of vibration, acoustic, and vibroacoustic measurements in different applications comparable. As a result, the proposed fault detection based on filter bank similarity features is a promising methodology to implement in CM of rotating machinery, even using measurements with low signal-to-noise ratio.

A methodology for evaluating ''new'' technologies in nuclear power plants

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Korsah, K.; Clark, R.L.; Holcomb, D.E.

1994-01-01

As obsolescence and spare parts issues drive nuclear power plants to upgrade with new technology (such as optical fiber communication systems), the ability of the new technology to withstand stressors present where it is installed needs to be determined. In particular, new standards may be required to address qualification criteria and their application to the nuclear power plants of tomorrow. This paper discusses the failure modes and age-related degradation mechanisms of fiber optic communication systems, and suggests a methodology for identifying when accelerated aging should be performed during qualification testing

On-line diagnosis and recovery of adversary attack using logic flowgraph methodology simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guarro, S.B.

1986-01-01

The Logic Flowgraph Methodology (LFM) allows the construction of special graph models for simulation of complex processes of causality, including feedback loops and sequential effects. Among the most notable features of LFM is the formal inclusion in its models of causality conditioning by logic switches imbedded in the modeled process, such as faults or modes of operation. The LFM model of a process is a graph structure that captures, in one synthetic representation, the relevant success and fault space characterization of that process. LFM is very similar to an artificial intelligence expert system shell. To illustrate the utilization of LFM, an application to the assessment and on-line monitoring of a material control facility is presented. The LFM models are used to model adversary action and control response, and to generate mini-diagnostic and recovery trees in real time, as well as reliability tress for off-line evaluation. Although the case study presented is for an imaginary facility, most of the conceptual elements that would be present in a real application have been retained in order to highlight the features and capabilities of the methodology

The turning points of world history : financial and methodological interpretations

OpenAIRE

Kukliński, Antoni (ed.); Pawłowski, Krzysztof (ed.); Swianiewicz, Jan (ed.)

2012-01-01

Volumes VI and VII of the REUPUS Series “The Atlantic Community. The Titanic of the XXI Century?” and “The Turning Points of World History” can be seen as twin volumes trying to find new empirical observations, new methodological approaches and new value judgements to face the enigma of the XXI Century. Those volumes try to present some new interpretations of one of the greatest turning points of human history which is the essential feature of our times... Volume VII is the ...

Cholangiographic Features in Opium-Addicted Patients at a Tertiary Hospital in Iran

OpenAIRE

Mohammad Alizadeh, Amir Houshang; Shams Afzali, Esmaeal; Sanati, Azar; Shahnazi, Anahita; Mirsattari, Dariush; Zali, Mohammad Reza

2012-01-01

Background/Aims. Destructive and metabolic changes in hepatobiliary system have been demonstrated following opium use; however, cholangiographic features of bile ducts in opium-addicted patients with sphincter of Oddi dysfunction are not clearly determined. We described these differences and assessed the effects of opium use on postendoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography complications. Methodology. One hundred and nineteen patients with the diagnosis of sphinctre of Oddi dysfunction ac...

‘Place’ as conceptual centre: a methodological focus on the bodily relations, movements and expressions of children up to three years of age in kindergarten

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Karin Hognestad

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to show how attention on ‘place’ can be productive in methodology concerning the bodily relations, movements and expressions of children up to three years of age who are enrolled in kindergarten. While research that has adopted a hermeneutic and phenomenological approach has contributed to important knowledge concerning young children, we propose re-thinking methodology that takes children’s bodily relations, movements and expressions into concern. Using ‘place’ as a lens, we show how power relations are interrupted and allow for alternative ways for the researcher to relate to data. Inspired by Somerville (2010, elements of place are situated at the centre of the research analysis. The three key elements of place that are put to work are as follows: our relationship to place is constituted in stories and other representations; place learning is local and embodied; and place is a contact zone for cultural contact. The paper is part of a research project which explores how place can be more explicit in educational practices to strengthen kindergarten as a learning arena. We seek to explore how place relations work and what they have the possibility of producing in the analyzing process.

4 Myths about Oral Health and Aging

Science.gov (United States)

... please turn JavaScript on. Feature: Oral Health and Aging 4 Myths About Oral Health and Aging Past Issues / Summer 2016 Table of Contents Is dry mouth a natural part of the aging process? Is tooth decay just kid stuff? Separate ...

Dante and cardiology: Physiopathology and clinical features of cardiovascular diseases in the Middle Ages.

Science.gov (United States)

Riva, M A; Cambioli, L; Castagna, F; Cianci, N; Varrenti, M; Giannattasio, C; Cesana, G

2015-02-15

Ancient non-medical texts can unexpectedly provide useful information on the development of knowledge about the heart and its diseases throughout history. The 750th anniversary of the birth of the Italian poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321) provides a timely opportunity to analyze medical references in his works, in particular, focusing on literary descriptions that may be attributed to cardiovascular disorders. Dante's high level of medical knowledge, probably derived from his academic studies, is testified by his affiliation to the Florentine Guild of physicians and pharmacists. In all his works, the poet shows a deep interest for the heart. However, his anatomical and physiological knowledge of the circulatory system appears to be poor, probably due to it being based on theories and concepts brought forth by Aristotle and Galen, which were taught in medieval universities. Despite this, accurate descriptions of some symptoms (emotional syncope, orthopnea, dyspnea on exertion) and signs (ascites, paleness), which may be attributed to cardiovascular disorders, can be easily found in Dante's works, particularly in his masterpiece, the Divine Comedy. The literary and historical analysis of cardiovascular signs and symptoms allows us to assume that clinical features due to alterations of heart function were probably known by medieval physicians, but their etiology and pathophysiological mechanisms were not completely understood in that period. Historians of cardiology and clinicians should consider analysis of non-medical texts (including poetry) as an opportunity to better investigate the evolution of their discipline throughout the ages. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diode laser absorption spectroscopy for process control: Sensor system design methodology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Berzins, L.V.; Anklam, T.M.; Chambers, F.; Galanti, S.; Haynam, C.A.; Worden, E.F.

1995-03-01

A laser absorption spectroscopy (LAS) system has been developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) for process control. LAS has proven itself to be an accurate and reliable method to monitor both density and composition. In this paper the important features and components of an industrial LAS diagnostic are described. Application of this approach to vaporization processes requires careful selection of the species and transitions to be monitored The relative vapor pressure, hyperfine structure, isotopic frequency shifts, and electronic temperature all effect the selection of a particular transition. In this paper we describe the methodology for choosing the optimal transition or transitions. Coevaporation of a titanium-niobium alloy is used to illustrate the methodology. In a related paper, T.M. Anklam et al describe the application of this diagnostic to monitoring and controlling composition in a physical vapor deposition process of industrial interest

The linear trend of headache prevalence and some headache features in school children.

Science.gov (United States)

Ozge, Aynur; Buğdayci, Resul; Saşmaz, Tayyar; Kaleağasi, Hakan; Kurt, Oner; Karakelle, Ali; Siva, Aksel

2007-04-01

The objectives of this study were to determine the age and sex dependent linear trend of recurrent headache prevalence in schoolchildren in Mersin. A stratified sample composed of 5562 children; detailed characteristics were previously published. In this study the prevalence distribution of headache by age and sex showed a peak in the female population at the age of 11 (27.2%) with a plateau in the following years. The great stratified random sample results suggested that, in addition to socio-demographic features, detailed linear trend analysis showed headache features of children with headache have some specific characteristics dependent on age, gender and headache type. This study results can constitute a basis for the future epidemiological based studies.

Neural Networks Methodology and Applications

CERN Document Server

Dreyfus, Gérard

2005-01-01

Neural networks represent a powerful data processing technique that has reached maturity and broad application. When clearly understood and appropriately used, they are a mandatory component in the toolbox of any engineer who wants make the best use of the available data, in order to build models, make predictions, mine data, recognize shapes or signals, etc. Ranging from theoretical foundations to real-life applications, this book is intended to provide engineers and researchers with clear methodologies for taking advantage of neural networks in industrial, financial or banking applications, many instances of which are presented in the book. For the benefit of readers wishing to gain deeper knowledge of the topics, the book features appendices that provide theoretical details for greater insight, and algorithmic details for efficient programming and implementation. The chapters have been written by experts ands seemlessly edited to present a coherent and comprehensive, yet not redundant, practically-oriented...

HRM Practices for an Ageing Italian Workforce: The Role of Training

Science.gov (United States)

Lazazzara, Alessandra; Bombelli, Maria Cristina

2011-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore ageing trends and age stereotypes about older workers, focusing primarily on the Italian employment context. Design/methodology/approach: Beginning from a review of the literature on ageing, the paper: outlines ageing trends and discriminatory behaviours against older workers in Italy; identifies…

Progress on qualification testing methodology study of electric cables

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yoshida, K.; Seguchi, T.; Okada, S.; Ito, M.; Kusama, Y.; Yagi, T.; Yoshikawa, M.

1983-01-01

Many instrumental, control and power cables are installed in nuclear power plants, and these cables contain a large amount of organic polymers as insulating and jacketing materials. They are exposed to radiation at high dose rate, steam at high temperature and chemical (or water) spray simultaneously when a LOCA occurs. Under such conditions, the polymers tend to lose their original properties. For reactor safety, the cables should be functional even if they are subjected to a loss-of-coolant accident (LOCA) at the end of their intended service life. In Japan, cable manufacturers qualify their cables according to the proposed test standard issued from IEEJ in 1982, but the standard still has many unsolved problems or uncertainties which have been dealt with tentatively through the manufacturer-user's agreement. The objectives of this research are to study the methodologies for qualification testing of electric wires and cables, and to provide the improved technical bases for modification of the standard. Research activities are divided into the Accident (LOCA) Testing Methodology and the Accelerated Aging Methodology

FEATURES OF PROVIDING STEADY INFRASTRUCTURE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACTIVITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vitalii A. Vernikov

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The subject / topic. This article discusses the features of sustainable infrastructure of business activity. The theme of the article is very relevant at the time of transformation and the onset of a new transitional phase in the global economy. Conclusions / significance. The overall crisis in almost every sector of Russia, demanded the application of the new ideology of the organization and business management. In Russia, a new stage in the development of business management establishment of a domestic methodology, comprehensive resources and training for the professional management on the basis of domestic achievements, global experience and creativity of its processing with the actual conditions of our country. The need to use an effective methodology for enterprise management inRussiais determined by two factors: the increasing complexity of the organization, and the fact that modern management methods widely used in countries with market economies. Imperative of our time – to find a scientific management methods in order to create effective management systems. In this paper, a study of modern methods of development and management of business structures. An important condition for achieving these objectives is to ensure the sustainability of development and functioning of the business, as well as strengthening its position and role in the development of socio-economic processes, both at the national and regional levels.Methodology. Theoretical base articles were works of domestic and foreign scholars on various aspects of the theory of the world economy. As a methodological basis used methods: analysis, synthesis, analogy, comparison, induction and deduction, mathematical and statistical (cluster, factor and the method of statistical surface. 

A Methodology to Assess Ionospheric Models for GNSS

Science.gov (United States)

Rovira-Garcia, Adria; Juan, José Miguel; Sanz, Jaume; González-Casado, Guillermo; Ibánez, Deimos

2015-04-01

Testing the accuracy of the ionospheric models used in the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a long-standing issue. It is still a challenging problem due to the lack of accurate enough slant ionospheric determinations to be used as a reference. The present study proposes a methodology to assess any ionospheric model used in satellite-based applications and, in particular, GNSS ionospheric models. The methodology complements other analysis comparing the navigation based on different models to correct the code and carrier-phase observations. Specifically, the following ionospheric models are assessed: the operational models broadcast in the Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System (EGNOS), the post-process Global Ionospheric Maps (GIMs) from different analysis centers belonging to the International GNSS Service (IGS) and, finally, a new GIM computed by the gAGE/UPC research group. The methodology is based in the comparison between the predictions of the ionospheric model with actual unambiguous carrier-phase measurements from a global distribution of permanent receivers. The differences shall be separated into the hardware delays (a receiver constant plus a satellite constant) per data interval, e.g., a day. The condition that these Differential Code Biases (DCBs) are commonly shared throughout the world-wide network of receivers and satellites provides a global character to the assessment. This approach generalizes simple tests based on double differenced Slant Total Electron Contents (STECs) between pairs of satellites and receivers on a much local scale. The present study has been conducted during the entire 2014, i.e., the last Solar Maximum. The seasonal and latitudinal structures of the results clearly reflect the different strategies used by the different models. On one hand, ionospheric model corrections based on a grid (IGS-GIMs or EGNOS) are shown to be several times better than the models

NAD+ in Aging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fang, Evandro F.; Lautrup, Sofie; Hou, Yujun

2017-01-01

The coenzyme NAD+ is critical in cellular bioenergetics and adaptive stress responses. Its depletion has emerged as a fundamental feature of aging that may predispose to a wide range of chronic diseases. Maintenance of NAD+ levels is important for cells with high energy demands and for proficient...... neuronal function. NAD+ depletion is detected in major neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, cardiovascular disease and muscle atrophy. Emerging evidence suggests that NAD+ decrements occur in various tissues during aging, and that physiological and pharmacological...... interventions bolstering cellular NAD+ levels might retard aspects of aging and forestall some age-related diseases. Here, we discuss aspects of NAD+ biosynthesis, together with putative mechanisms of NAD+ action against aging, including recent preclinical and clinical trials. Recent discoveries have...

PSYCHOLOGICAL FEATURES OF CONFLICT BEHAVIOUR AMONG FEMALE INMATES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna Leonidovna Plotnikova

2017-04-01

Full Text Available In this article the results of the research concerning the special features of behaviour in the conflicts among the female inmates are given, psychological features of the female inmates are analysed, their psychological typology is presented, inmates gender differences are characterized as well as psychological reasons of interpersonal conflicts among the female inmates in the correctional facilities, the most conflict categories of female inmates are distinguished. Purpose: revealing of dominant strategies of behaviour in the conflict of the female inmates, specific features of female inmates conflict behaviour according to age and type of committed crime. Method: ascertaining experiment Results: dominant strategies of female inmates conflict behaviour are compromise and adjustment. Areas of use: the penitentiary system.

An Educational System to Help Students Assess Website Features and Identify High-Risk Websites

Science.gov (United States)

Kajiyama, Tomoko; Echizen, Isao

2015-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to propose an effective educational system to help students assess Web site risk by providing an environment in which students can better understand a Web site's features and determine the risks of accessing the Web site for themselves. Design/methodology/approach: The authors have enhanced a prototype…

Cytomorphologic features distinguishing Bethesda category IV thyroid lesions from parathyroid

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Simon Sung

2017-01-01

Full Text Available Background: Thyroid follicular cells share similar cytomorphological features with parathyroid. Without a clinical suspicion, the distinction between a thyroid neoplasm and an intrathyroidal parathyroid can be challenging. The aim of this study was to assess the distinguishing cytomorphological features of parathyroid (including intrathyroidal and Bethesda category IV (Beth-IV thyroid follicular lesions, which carry a 15%–30% risk of malignancy and are often followed up with surgical resection. Methods: A search was performed to identify “parathyroid” diagnoses in parathyroid/thyroid-designated fine-needle aspirations (FNAs and Beth-IV thyroid FNAs (follicular and Hurthle cell, all with diagnostic confirmation through surgical pathology, immunocytochemical stains, Afirma® analysis, and/or clinical correlation. Unique cytomorphologic features were scored (0-3 or noted as present versus absent. Statistical analysis was performed using R 3.3.1 software. Results: We identified five FNA cases with clinical suspicion of parathyroid neoplasm, hyperthyroidism, or thyroid lesion that had an eventual final diagnosis of the parathyroid lesion (all female; age 20–69 years and 12 Beth-IV diagnoses (11 female, 1 male; age 13–64 years. The following cytomorphologic features are useful distinguishing features (P value: overall pattern (0.001, single cells (0.001, cell size compared to red blood cell (0.01, nuclear irregularity (0.001, presence of nucleoli (0.001, nuclear-to-cytoplasmic ratio (0.007, and nuclear chromatin quality (0.028. Conclusions: There are cytomorphologic features that distinguish Beth-IV thyroid lesions and (intrathyroidal parathyroid. These features can aid in rendering correct diagnoses and appropriate management.

Review on the NEI Methodology of Debris Transport Analysis in Sump Blockage Issue for APR1400

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Jong Uk; Lee, Jeong Ik; Hong, Soon Joon; Lee, Byung Chul; Bang, Young Seok

2007-01-01

Since USNRC (United State Nuclear Regulatory Committee) initially addressed post-accident sump performance under Unresolved Safety Issue USI A-43, sump blockage issue has gone through GSI-191, Regulation Guide 1.82, Rev. 3 (RG. 1.82 Rev.3), and generic Letter 2004-02 for PWRs (Pressurized Water Reactors). As a response of these USNRC's activities, NEI 04-07 was issued in order to evaluate the post-accident performance of a plant's recirculation sump. The baseline methodology of NEI 04-07 is composed of break selection, debris generation, latent debris, debris transport, and head loss. In analytical refinement of NEI 04-07, computational fluid dynamic (CFD) is suggested for the evaluation of debris transport in emergency core cooling (ECC) recirculation mode as guided by RG. 1.82 Rev.3. In Korea nuclear industry also keeps step with international activities of this safety issue, with Kori 1 plant as a pioneering edge. Korean nuclear industry has been also pursuing development of an advanced PWR of APR1400, which incorporates several improved safety features. One of the key features, considering sump blockage issue, is the adoption of IRWST (In-containment Refueling Water Storage Tank). This device, as the acronym implies, changes the emergency core cooling water injection pattern. This fact makes us to review the applicability of NEI 04-07's methodology. In this paper we discuss the applicability of NEI 04- 07's methodology, and more over, new methodology is proposed. And finally the preliminary debris transport is analyzed

AEGIS methodology and a perspective from AEGIS methodology demonstrations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dove, F.H.

1981-03-01

Objectives of AEGIS (Assessment of Effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems) are to develop the capabilities needed to assess the post-closure safety of waste isolation in geologic formation; demonstrate these capabilities on reference sites; apply the assessment methodology to assist the NWTS program in site selection, waste package and repository design; and perform repository site analyses for the licensing needs of NWTS. This paper summarizes the AEGIS methodology, the experience gained from methodology demonstrations, and provides an overview in the following areas: estimation of the response of a repository to perturbing geologic and hydrologic events; estimation of the transport of radionuclides from a repository to man; and assessment of uncertainties

Methodology Development and Applications of Proliferation Resistance and Physical Protection Evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bari, R.A.; Peterson, P.F.; Therios, I.U.; Whitlock, J.J.

2010-01-01

We present an overview of the program on the evaluation methodology for proliferation resistance and physical protection (PR and PP) of advanced nuclear energy systems (NESs) sponsored by the Generation IV International Forum (GIF). For a proposed NES design, the methodology defines a set of challenges, analyzes system response to these challenges, and assesses outcomes. The challenges to the NES are the threats posed by potential actors (proliferant States or sub-national adversaries). The characteristics of Generation IV systems, both technical and institutional, are used to evaluate the response of the system and to determine its resistance against proliferation threats and robustness against sabotage and terrorism threats. The outcomes of the system response are expressed in terms of a set of measures, which are the high-level PR and PP characteristics of the NES. The methodology is organized to allow evaluations to be performed at the earliest stages of system design and to become more detailed and more representative as the design progresses. It can thus be used to enable a program in safeguards by design or to enhance the conceptual design process of an NES with regard to intrinsic features for PR and PP.

Aging and senescence of skin cells in culture

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rattan, Suresh

2015-01-01

Studying age-related changes in the physiology, biochemistry, and molecular biology of isolated skin cell populations in culture has greatly expanded the understanding of the fundamental aspects of skin aging. The three main cell types that have been studied extensively with respect to cellular...... aging in vitro are dermal fibroblasts, epidermal keratinocytes, and melanocytes. Serial subcultivation of normal diploid skin cells can be performed only a limited number of times, and the emerging senescent phenotype can be categorized into structural, physiological, biochemical, and molecular...... phenotypes, which can be used as biomarkers of cellular aging in vitro. The rate and phenotype of aging are different in different cell types. There are both common features and specific features of aging of skin fibroblasts, keratinocytes, melanocytes, and other cell types. A progressive accumulation...

Policy and methodology on NPP lifetime management in Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Francia, L.

1998-01-01

The objectives for Spanish electricity sector are to extend the life cycle of NPPs beyond 40 years, maintaining safety and efficiency level, and to monitor and control ageing of important components to guarantee the prolonged lifetime. A plan for plant life management including licensing and regulatory aspects is proposed together with the methodology for achieving the proposed goals. The expected results are: life management integrated system for follow-up and monitoring of degradation and ageing mechanisms of important NPP components; modular system which will enable incorporation of additional components, degradation and/or performances; interrelation and support tool for other needs of NPPs (periodic safety reviews, maintenance, optimization, etc.)

Clinical trial methodology

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Peace, Karl E; Chen, Ding-Geng

2011-01-01

... in the pharmaceutical industry, Clinical trial methodology emphasizes the importance of statistical thinking in clinical research and presents the methodology as a key component of clinical research...

Feature relevance assessment for the semantic interpretation of 3D point cloud data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Weinmann

2013-10-01

Full Text Available The automatic analysis of large 3D point clouds represents a crucial task in photogrammetry, remote sensing and computer vision. In this paper, we propose a new methodology for the semantic interpretation of such point clouds which involves feature relevance assessment in order to reduce both processing time and memory consumption. Given a standard benchmark dataset with 1.3 million 3D points, we first extract a set of 21 geometric 3D and 2D features. Subsequently, we apply a classifier-independent ranking procedure which involves a general relevance metric in order to derive compact and robust subsets of versatile features which are generally applicable for a large variety of subsequent tasks. This metric is based on 7 different feature selection strategies and thus addresses different intrinsic properties of the given data. For the example of semantically interpreting 3D point cloud data, we demonstrate the great potential of smaller subsets consisting of only the most relevant features with 4 different state-of-the-art classifiers. The results reveal that, instead of including as many features as possible in order to compensate for lack of knowledge, a crucial task such as scene interpretation can be carried out with only few versatile features and even improved accuracy.

Age and gender estimation using Region-SIFT and multi-layered SVM

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Hyunduk; Lee, Sang-Heon; Sohn, Myoung-Kyu; Hwang, Byunghun

2018-04-01

In this paper, we propose an age and gender estimation framework using the region-SIFT feature and multi-layered SVM classifier. The suggested framework entails three processes. The first step is landmark based face alignment. The second step is the feature extraction step. In this step, we introduce the region-SIFT feature extraction method based on facial landmarks. First, we define sub-regions of the face. We then extract SIFT features from each sub-region. In order to reduce the dimensions of features we employ a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and a Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). Finally, we classify age and gender using a multi-layered Support Vector Machines (SVM) for efficient classification. Rather than performing gender estimation and age estimation independently, the use of the multi-layered SVM can improve the classification rate by constructing a classifier that estimate the age according to gender. Moreover, we collect a dataset of face images, called by DGIST_C, from the internet. A performance evaluation of proposed method was performed with the FERET database, CACD database, and DGIST_C database. The experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach classifies age and performs gender estimation very efficiently and accurately.

Cancer and aging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Pedersen, Jacob K; Engholm, Gerda; Skytthe, Axel

2016-01-01

Epidemiological cancer data shed light on key questions within basic science, clinical medicine and public health. For decades, Denmark has had linkable health registers that contain individual level data on the entire population with virtually complete follow-up. This has enabled high quality...... studies of cancer epidemiology and minimized the challenges often faced in many countries, such as uncertain identification of the study base, age misreporting, and low validity of the cancer diagnoses. However, methodological challenges still remain to be addressed, especially in cancer epidemiology...... studies among the elderly and the oldest-old. For example, a characteristic pattern for many cancer types is that the incidence increases up to a maximum at about ages 75-90 years and is then followed by a decline or a leveling off at the oldest ages. It has been suggested that the oldest individuals may...

Age, job identification, and entrepreneurial intention

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hatak, Isabella; Harms, Rainer; Fink, Matthias

2015-01-01

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how age and job identification affect entrepreneurial intention. Design/methodology/approach – The researchers draw on a representative sample of the Austrian adult workforce and apply binary logistic regression on entrepreneurial intention. Findings

Why some women look young for their age.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David A Gunn

2009-12-01

Full Text Available The desire of many to look young for their age has led to the establishment of a large cosmetics industry. However, the features of appearance that primarily determine how old women look for their age and whether genetic or environmental factors predominately influence such features are largely unknown. We studied the facial appearance of 102 pairs of female Danish twins aged 59 to 81 as well as 162 British females aged 45 to 75. Skin wrinkling, hair graying and lip height were significantly and independently associated with how old the women looked for their age. The appearance of facial sun-damage was also found to be significantly correlated to how old women look for their age and was primarily due to its commonality with the appearance of skin wrinkles. There was also considerable variation in the perceived age data that was unaccounted for. Composite facial images created from women who looked young or old for their age indicated that the structure of subcutaneous tissue was partly responsible. Heritability analyses of the appearance features revealed that perceived age, pigmented age spots, skin wrinkles and the appearance of sun-damage were influenced more or less equally by genetic and environmental factors. Hair graying, recession of hair from the forehead and lip height were influenced mainly by genetic factors whereas environmental factors influenced hair thinning. These findings indicate that women who look young for their age have large lips, avoid sun-exposure and possess genetic factors that protect against the development of gray hair and skin wrinkles. The findings also demonstrate that perceived age is a better biomarker of skin, hair and facial aging than chronological age.

Imaging features of kaposiform lymphangiomatosis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goyal, Pradeep; Alomari, Ahmad I.; Shaikh, Raja; Chaudry, Gulraiz; Kozakewich, Harry P.; Perez-Atayde, Antonio R.; Trenor, Cameron C.; Fishman, Steven J.; Greene, Arin K.

2016-01-01

Kaposiform lymphangiomatosis is a rare, aggressive lymphatic disorder. The imaging and presenting features of kaposiform lymphangiomatosis can overlap with those of central conducting lymphatic anomaly and generalized lymphatic anomaly. To analyze the imaging findings of kaposiform lymphangiomatosis disorder and highlight features most suggestive of this diagnosis. We retrospectively identified and characterized 20 children and young adults with histopathological diagnosis of kaposiform lymphangiomatosis and radiologic imaging referred to the vascular anomalies center between 1995 and 2015. The median age at onset was 6.5 years (range 3 months to 27 years). The most common presenting features were respiratory compromise (dyspnea, cough, chest pain; 55.5%), swelling/mass (25%), bleeding (15%) and fracture (5%). The thoracic cavity was involved in all patients; all patients had mediastinal involvement followed by lung parenchymal disease (90%) and pleural (85%) and pericardial (50%) effusions. The most common extra-thoracic sites of disease were the retroperitoneum (80%), bone (60%), abdominal viscera (55%) and muscles (45%). There was characteristic enhancing and infiltrative soft-tissue thickening in the mediastinum and retroperitoneum extending along the lymphatic distribution. Kaposiform lymphangiomatosis has overlapping imaging features with central conducting lymphatic anomaly and generalized lymphatic anomaly. Presence of mediastinal or retroperitoneal enhancing and infiltrative soft-tissue disease along the lymphatic distribution, hemorrhagic effusions and moderate thrombocytopenia (50-100,000/μl) should favor diagnosis of kaposiform lymphangiomatosis. (orig.)

MR imaging features of peritoneal adenomatoid mesothelioma: a case report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lins, Cynthia Maria Coelho; Elias Junior, Jorge; Muglia, Valdair Francisco; Monteiro, Carlos Ribeiro; Feres, Omar

2009-01-01

Adenomatoid mesothelioma of the peritoneum (AMP) is a rare benign tumor originating from mesothelial cells.1 Most frequently, AMP occurs between 26 and 55 years of age, at a mean age of 41 years. In contrast to diffuse malignant mesothelioma, which has been linked to asbestos exposure, the etiology of AMP has not been established. Only a minority of patients have symptoms related to the tumor. AMP may present local recurrence, but it has no potential for malignant transformation. Although there are many case reports of abdominal mesotheliomas, to date, there have been no reports of MR imaging features of AMP. In this article, we present the MR imaging features of a case of AMP with histopathological correlation. (author)