Possibilities of segmentation variables in relation with advertising
Erbanová, Nela
2011-01-01
The aim of this thesis is to capture significant segmentation variables that shape marketing communication with an emphasis on advertising. The theoretical part deals with the concepts of market segmentation, segmentation variables, marketing communication, advertising and research. The practical part is focused on the realization of the actual research using a questionnaire survey and the evaluation of questions from Market Media Lifestyle. Only traditional descriptive segmentation variables...
Relations between segmental and motor variability in prosodically complex nonword sequences.
Goffman, Lisa; Gerken, Louann; Lucchesi, Julie
2007-04-01
To assess how prosodic prominence and hierarchical foot structure influence segmental and articulatory aspects of speech production, specifically segmental accuracy and variability, and oral movement trajectory variability. Thirty individuals participated: 10 young adults, 10 children who are normally developing, and 10 children diagnosed with specific language impairment. Segmental error and segmental variability and movement trajectory variability were compared in low and high prosodic prominence conditions (i.e., strong and weak syllables) and in different prosodic foot structures. Between-participants findings were that both groups of children showed more segmental error and segmental variability and more movement trajectory variability than did adults. A similar within-participant pattern of results was observed for all 3 groups. Prosodic prominence influenced both segmental and motor levels of analysis, with weak syllables produced less accurately and with more lip and jaw movement trajectory variability than strong syllables. However, hierarchical foot structure affected segmental but not motor measures of speech production accuracy and variability. Motor and segmental variables were not consistently aligned. This pattern of results has clinical implications because inferences about motor variability may not directly follow from observations of segmental variability.
Alber, Hans-Dieter
1998-01-01
This book contributes to the mathematical theory of systems of differential equations consisting of the partial differential equations resulting from conservation of mass and momentum, and of constitutive equations with internal variables. The investigations are guided by the objective of proving existence and uniqueness, and are based on the idea of transforming the internal variables and the constitutive equations. A larger number of constitutive equations from the engineering sciences are presented. The book is therefore suitable not only for specialists, but also for mathematicians seeking for an introduction in the field, and for engineers with a sound mathematical background.
A constitutive equation for creep fracture under constant, variable or cyclic positive stress
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Snedden, J.D.
1977-01-01
Prediction of creep fracture of metals under variable stress is one of the most difficult problems of applied mechanics. At NEL this problem is under investigation using an approach in which creep is represented by two macroscopic components: an anelastic (reversible) component and a plastic (irreversible) component. Under variable loading conditions, the anelastic component's behaviour will be most important and, if an experimental programme is logically planned, the structural processes responsible will be implicit in the resulting constitutive equation describing the material's behaviour. The present paper deals with the development and application of a constitutive equation for creep fracture of RR58 Aluminium alloy at 180 0 C under variable stress and such a constitutive equation can be extrapolated to cover long-time behaviour just as with conventional constant stress creep fracture equations. Constant stress, in fact, is one of the boundary conditions of the general constitutive equation, representing zero prior damage. The other boundary condition is that of 'cadence loading' in which the stress is completely removed and then re-applied in a cyclic fashion. (Auth.)
Identifying market segments in consumer markets: variable selection and data interpretation
Tonks, D G
2004-01-01
Market segmentation is often articulated as being a process which displays the recognised features of classical rationalism but in part; convention, convenience, prior experience and the overarching impact of rhetoric will influence if not determine the outcomes of a segmentation exercise. Particular examples of this process are addressed critically in this paper which concentrates on the issues of variable choice for multivariate approaches to market segmentation and also the methods used fo...
A uniaxial cyclic elastoplastic constitutive law with a discrete memory variable
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Taheri, S.
1991-01-01
At present, the study on cyclic elastoplastic constitutive laws is focused on nonproportional loading, but for uniaxial loading, some problems still exist. For example, the possibility for a law to describe simultaneously the ratcheting in nonsymmetrical load-controlled test, elastic and plastic shakedown in symmetrical and nonsymmetrical ones. Here a law is presented, which in addition to previous phenomena, describes the cyclic hardening in a pushpull test, the cyclic softening after overloading and also the dependence of cyclic strain-stress curves on the history of loading. These are the usual properties of 316 stainless steel at room temperature. This law uses an internal discrete memory variable: the plastic strain at the last unloading. On the other hand, the choice of all macroscopic variables is justified by a microscopic analysis. This law has been also extended to a three-dimensional case. Regarding the microstructure under cyclic loading, plastic shakedown and ratcheting are discussed. The definition of macroscopic variables taking account of microstructure and uniaxial constitutive law are described. (K.I.)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Richert, John D [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4001 (United States); Hogstrom, Kenneth R [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4001 (United States); Fields, Robert S [Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, 4950 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809-3482 (United States); II, Kenneth L Matthews [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4001 (United States); Boyd, Robert A [Department of Physics and Astronomy, Louisiana State University, 202 Nicholson Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4001 (United States)
2007-05-07
The purpose of the present study is to demonstrate that the use of an electron applicator with energy-dependent source-to-collimator distances (SCDs) will significantly improve the dose homogeneity for abutted electron fields in segmented-field electron conformal therapy (ECT). Multiple Coulomb scattering theory was used to calculate and study the P{sub 80-20} penumbra width of off-axis dose profiles as a function of air gap and depth. Collimating insert locations with air gaps (collimator-to-isocenter distance) of 5.0, 7.5, 11.5, 17.5 and 19.5 cm were selected to provide equal P{sub 80-20} at a depth of 1.5 cm in water for energies of 6, 9, 12, 16 and 20 MeV, respectively, for a Varian 2100EX radiation therapy accelerator. A 15 x 15 cm{sup 2} applicator was modified accordingly, and collimating inserts used in the variable-SCD applicator for segmented-field ECT were constructed with diverging edges using a computer-controlled hot-wire cutter, which resulted in 0.27 mm accuracy in the abutted edges. The resulting electron beams were commissioned for the pencil-beam algorithm (PBA) on the Pinnacle{sup 3} treatment planning system. Four hypothetical planning target volumes (PTVs) and one patient were planned for segmented-field ECT using the new variable-SCD applicator, and the resulting dose distributions were compared with those calculated for the identical plans using the conventional 95 cm SCD applicator. Also, a method for quality assurance of segmented-field ECT dose plans using the variable-SCD applicator was evaluated by irradiating a polystyrene phantom using the treatment plans for the hypothetical PTVs. Treatment plans for all four of the hypothetical PTVs using the variable-SCD applicator showed significantly improved dose homogeneity in the abutment regions of the segmented-field ECT plans. This resulted in the dose spread (maximum dose-minimum dose), {sigma}, and D{sub 90-10} in the PTV being reduced by an average of 32%, 29% and 32%, respectively
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Anderson, C.A.; Smith, P.D.
1979-01-01
Numerical prediction of the behavior of prestressed concrete reactor vessels (PCRVs) under static, dynamic and long term loadings is complicated by the currently ill-defined behavior of concrete under stress and the three-dimensional nature of PCRVs. Which constitutive model most closely approximates the behavior of concrete in PCRVs under load has not yet been decided. Many equations for accurately modeling the three-dimensional behavior of PCRVs tax the capability of a most up-to-date computing system. The main purpose of this paper is to compare the characteristics of two constitutive models which have been proposed for concrete, variable modulus cracking model and elastic-plastic model. Moreover, the behavior of typical concrete structures was compared, the materials of which obey these constitutive laws. The response to internal pressure of PCRV structure, the constitutive models for concrete, the test problems using a thick-walled concrete ring and a rectangular concrete plate, and the analysis of an axisymmetric concrete pressure vessel PV-26 using the variable modulus cracking model of the ADINA code are explained. The variable modulus cracking model can predict the behavior of reinforced concrete structures well into the range of nonlinear behavior. (Kako, I.)
Study on Yang-Xu Using Body Constitution Questionnaire and Blood Variables in Healthy Volunteers
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hong-Jhang Chen
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM formulates treatment according to body constitution (BC differentiation. Different constitutions have specific metabolic characteristics and different susceptibility to certain diseases. This study aimed to assess the Yang-Xu constitution using a body constitution questionnaire (BCQ and clinical blood variables. A BCQ was employed to assess the clinical manifestation of Yang-Xu. The logistic regression model was conducted to explore the relationship between BC scores and biomarkers. Leave-one-out cross-validation (LOOCV and K-fold cross-validation were performed to evaluate the accuracy of a predictive model in practice. Decision trees (DTs were conducted to determine the possible relationships between blood biomarkers and BC scores. According to the BCQ analysis, 49% participants without any BC were classified as healthy subjects. Among them, 130 samples were selected for further analysis and divided into two groups. One group comprised healthy subjects without any BC (68%, while subjects of the other group, named as the sub-healthy group, had three BCs (32%. Six biomarkers, CRE, TSH, HB, MONO, RBC, and LH, were found to have the greatest impact on BCQ outcomes in Yang-Xu subjects. This study indicated significant biochemical differences in Yang-Xu subjects, which may provide a connection between blood variables and the Yang-Xu BC.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Kumar, V; Mukherjee, S [Cornell Univ., Ithaca, N.Y. (USA)
1977-03-01
A computational technique in terms of stress, strain and displacement rates is presented for the solution of boundary value problems for metallic structural elements at uniform elevated temperatures subjected to time varying loads. This method can accommodate any number of constitutive relations with state variables recently proposed by other researchers to model the inelastic deformation of metallic media at elevated temperatures. Numerical solutions are obtained for several structural elements subjected to steady loads. The constitutive relations used for these numerical solutions are due to Hart. The solutions are discussed in the context of the computational scheme and Hart's theory.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zheng Liu
Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Autosomal dominant non-autoimmune hyperthyroidism (ADNAH is a rare genetic disorder of the endocrine system. Molecular genetic studies in ADNAH have revealed heterozygous germline mutations in the TSHR. To data, mutations leading to an increase in the constitutive activation of the TSHR have been described in the transmembrane segments, exoloops and cytoplasmic loop of TSHR. These mutations result in constitutive activation of the G(αs/cAMP or G(αq/11/inositol phosphate (IP pathways, which stimulate thyroid hormone production and thyroid proliferation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a previous study, we reported a new TSHR mutation located in the C-terminal domain of TSHR, which results in a substitution of the conserved Ile(691 for Phe. In this study, to address the question of whether the I691F mutated receptor could be responsible for G(αs/cAMP or G(αq/11/IP constitutive activity, wild-type and TSHR mutants were expressed in COS-7 cells to determine cAMP constitutive activity and IP formation. Compared to the cell surface with expression of the A623V mutated receptor as positive control, the I691F mutated receptor showed a slight increase of cAMP accumulation. Furthermore, I691F resulted in constitutive activation of the G(αq/11/IP signaling pathway. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results indicate that Ile(691 not only contributes to keeping TSHR inactive in the G(αs/cAMP pathways but also in the G(αq/11/IP cascade.
Graph run-length matrices for histopathological image segmentation.
Tosun, Akif Burak; Gunduz-Demir, Cigdem
2011-03-01
The histopathological examination of tissue specimens is essential for cancer diagnosis and grading. However, this examination is subject to a considerable amount of observer variability as it mainly relies on visual interpretation of pathologists. To alleviate this problem, it is very important to develop computational quantitative tools, for which image segmentation constitutes the core step. In this paper, we introduce an effective and robust algorithm for the segmentation of histopathological tissue images. This algorithm incorporates the background knowledge of the tissue organization into segmentation. For this purpose, it quantifies spatial relations of cytological tissue components by constructing a graph and uses this graph to define new texture features for image segmentation. This new texture definition makes use of the idea of gray-level run-length matrices. However, it considers the runs of cytological components on a graph to form a matrix, instead of considering the runs of pixel intensities. Working with colon tissue images, our experiments demonstrate that the texture features extracted from "graph run-length matrices" lead to high segmentation accuracies, also providing a reasonable number of segmented regions. Compared with four other segmentation algorithms, the results show that the proposed algorithm is more effective in histopathological image segmentation.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Lee Sang-min
2009-03-01
Full Text Available 1. Objectives: To evaluate effects of bee venom acupuncture on cardiovascular system and differences according to each constitution. 2. Methods: Heart rate variability, pulse wave and the velocity of cerebral blood flow were measured before bee venom acupuncture(BVA, right after and after 30 minuets, had been applied to 20 subjects. 3. Results: 1. BVA did not have effects on measurement variables of heart rate variability. 2. BVA had effects on pulse wave, showing total time, radial augmentation index up and height of percussion wave, time to percussion wave, sum of pulse pressure down. 3. BVA did not have effects on the cerebral blood flow velocity when considering not Sasang Constitution 4. Considering Sasang Constitution, BVA demonstrates different responses in time to preincisura wave, mean blood flow velocity, peak systolic velocity and end diastolic velocity. 4.Conclusion: From those results, the following conclusions are obtained. Cause BVA alters pulse wave and makes differences in the cerebral blood flow velocity according to Sasang Constitution. Various methods of BVA treatment are needed considering Sasang Constitution.
On the importance of being bilingual: word stress processing in a context of segmental variability.
Abboub, Nawal; Bijeljac-Babic, Ranka; Serres, Josette; Nazzi, Thierry
2015-04-01
French-learning infants have language-specific difficulties in processing lexical stress due to the lack of lexical stress in French. These difficulties in discriminating between words with stress-initial (trochaic) and stress-final (iambic) patterns emerge by 10months of age in the easier context of low variability (using a single item pronounced with a trochaic pattern vs. an iambic pattern) as well as in the more challenging context of high segmental variability (using lists of segmentally different trochaic and iambic items). These findings raise the question of stress pattern perception in simultaneous bilinguals learning French and a second language using stress at the lexical level. Bijeljac-Babic, Serres, Höhle, and Nazzi (2012) established that at 10 months of age, in the simpler context of low variability, such bilinguals have better stress discrimination abilities than French-learning monolinguals. The current study explored whether this advantage extends to the more challenging context of high segmental variability. Results first establish stress pattern discrimination in a group of bilingual 10-month-olds learning French and one language with (variable) lexical stress, but not in French-learning 10-month-old monolinguals. Second, discrimination in bilinguals appeared not to be affected by the language balance of the infants, suggesting that sensitivity to stress patterns might be maintained in these bilingual infants provided that they hear at least 30% of a language with lexical stress. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
User-driven innovation: Do seniors constitute a segment?
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Nielsen, Niels Asger; Jørgensen, Betina
2006-01-01
Is the group of elderly living in their own home to be considered a segment? The most obvious answer is no. Elderly consumers are every bit as different as others, and differences in attitudes, eating habits, cooking practices, shopping behaviour - in short food-related lifestyle - are just as di...
Wolff, A P; Groen, G J; Crul, B J
2001-01-01
Selective spinal nerve infiltration blocks are used diagnostically in patients with chronic low back pain radiating into the leg. Generally, a segmental nerve block is considered successful if the pain is reduced substantially. Hypesthesia and elicited paresthesias coinciding with the presumed segmental level are used as controls. The interpretation depends on a standard dermatomal map. However, it is not clear if this interpretation is reliable enough, because standard dermatomal maps do not show the overlap of neighboring dermatomes. The goal of the present study is to establish if dissimilarities exist between areas of hypesthesia, spontaneous pain reported by the patient, pain reduction by local anesthetics, and paresthesias elicited by sensory electrostimulation. A secondary goal is to determine to what extent the interpretation is improved when the overlaps of neighboring dermatomes are taken into account. Patients suffering from chronic low back pain with pain radiating into the leg underwent lumbosacral segmental nerve root blocks at subsequent levels on separate days. Lidocaine (2%, 0.5 mL) mixed with radiopaque fluid (0.25 mL) was injected after verifying the target location using sensory and motor electrostimulation. Sensory changes (pinprick method), paresthesias (reported by the patient), and pain reduction (Numeric Rating Scale) were reported. Hypesthesia and paresthesias were registered in a standard dermatomal map and in an adapted map which included overlap of neighboring dermatomes. The relationships between spinal level of injection, extent of hypesthesia, location of paresthesias, and corresponding dermatome were assessed quantitatively. Comparison of the results between both dermatomal maps was done by paired t-tests. After inclusion, data were processed for 40 segmental nerve blocks (L2-S1) performed in 29 patients. Pain reduction was achieved in 43%. Hypesthetic areas showed a large variability in size and location, and also in comparison to
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Robberecht Caroline
2012-04-01
Full Text Available Abstract Structural copy number variation (CNV is a frequent cause of human variation and disease. Evidence is mounting that somatic acquired CNVs are prevalent, with mosaicisms of large segmental CNVs in blood found in up to one percent of both the healthy and patient populations. It is generally accepted that such constitutional mosaicisms are derived from postzygotic somatic mutations. However, few studies have tested this assumption. Here we determined the origin of CNVs which coexist with a normal cell line in nine individuals. We show that in 2/9 the CNV originated during meiosis. The existence of two cell lines with 46 chromosomes thus resulted from two parallel trisomy rescue events during postzygotic mitoses.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Andrieux, S.; Joussemet, M.; Lorentz, E.
1996-01-01
When they are subjected to excessive loads, some materials may exhibit a softening behaviour resulting from the deterioration of their mechanical properties. To idealize such behaviours, constitutive relations with softening are introduced, for which the size of the domain of reversibility in the stress-space decreases. These models feature a strain localization within the material, in agreement with experiments, but cannot predict the subsequent behaviour because they lead to shear bands the width of which is equal to zero, physically unacceptable and numerically troublesome. It has been proposed in the literature to overcome these difficulties by adding to the list of internal variable the spatial gradients of some of them. This procedure suffers from lack of firm methodological basis. Although, some quantitative justification have been advanced relying on some kind of microscopic analysis. Therefore, we propose to extend the classical (local) models by introducing the internal state variable first gradients. Given local model within the framework of standard generalized materials, consistent homogenization procedure is put forward to derive macroscopic free energy and dissipation potentials. The standard generalized character is preserved, with an extended set of state variables, containing not only the strain and the internal variables but also the internal variable derivatives. Nevertheless, when dealing with the whole structure, the independence between the new state variables is lost. We propose then to generalize the constitutive relations, leading to a new variational principle that ensures the Clausius-Duhem inequality at the structure scale. (authors)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Andrieux, S.; Joussemet, M.; Lorentz, E.
1996-01-01
A general framework for deriving and using a class of constitutive laws incorporating spatial gradients of internal variables is presented. It uses two basic ingredients: a derivation of such models by homogenization techniques and a reformulation of the evolution equation at the scale of the whole structure. (orig.)
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Konrad Kwiatkowski
2017-12-01
Full Text Available The presented results make an original contribution to the development of knowledge on the prediction and/or modeling of the abrasive wear properties of polyurethanes. A series of segmented linear polyurethane elastomers (PUR—In which the hard segments consist of 4,4′-methylene bis(phenylisocyanate and 1,4-butanodiol, whilst polyether, polycarbonate, or polyester polyols constitute the soft segments—Were synthesized and characterized. The hardness and wear performance as functions of the variable chemical composition of polyurethane elastomers were evaluated in order to define the relationship between studied factors. The microstructure was characterized in detail, including analysis of the hydrogen bonding by Fourier transformed infrared (FT-IR spectroscopy and the phase structure by X-ray scattering (WAXS and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC methods. The presented studies provide the key features of the polymer composition affecting the abrasive resistance as well as attempts to explain the origin of the differences in the polyurethane elastomers’ performance.
Symbolic Segmentation: A Corpus-Based Analysis of Melodic Phrases
Rodríguez López, M.E.; Volk, Anja
2014-01-01
Gestalt-based segmentation models constitute the current state of the art in automatic segmentation of melodies. These models commonly assume that segment boundary perception is mainly triggered by local discontinuities, i.e. by abrupt changes in pitch and/or duration between neighbouring notes.
Importance of fishing as a segmentation variable in the application of a social worlds model
Gigliotti, Larry M.; Chase, Loren
2017-01-01
Market segmentation is useful to understanding and classifying the diverse range of outdoor recreation experiences sought by different recreationists. Although many different segmentation methodologies exist, many are complex and difficult to measure accurately during in-person intercepts, such as that of creel surveys. To address that gap in the literature, we propose a single-item measure of the importance of fishing as a surrogate to often overly- or needlesslycomplex segmentation techniques. The importance of fishing item is a measure of the value anglers place on the activity or a coarse quantification of how central the activity is to the respondent’s lifestyle (scale: 0 = not important, 1 = slightly, 2 = moderately, 3 = very, and 4 = fishing is my most important recreational activity). We suggest the importance scale may be a proxy measurement for segmenting anglers using the social worlds model as a theoretical framework. Vaske (1980) suggested that commitment to recreational activities may be best understood in relation to social group participation and the social worlds model provides a rich theoretical framework for understanding social group segments. Unruh (1983) identified four types of actor involvement in social worlds: strangers, tourists, regulars, and insiders, differentiated by four characteristics (orientation, experiences, relationships, and commitment). We evaluated the importance of fishing as a segmentation variable using data collected by a mixed-mode survey of South Dakota anglers fishing in 2010. We contend that this straightforward measurement may be useful for segmenting outdoor recreation activities when more complicated segmentation schemes are not suitable. Further, this index, when coupled with the social worlds model, provides a valuable framework for understanding the segments and making management decisions.
Constitutive relations for nuclear reactor core materials
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zaverl, F. Jr.; Lee, D.
1978-01-01
A strain rate dependent constitutive equation is proposed which is capable of describing inelastic deformation behavior of anisotropic metals, such as Zircaloys, under complex loading conditions. The salient features of the constitutive equations are that they describe history dependent inelastic deformation behaviour of anisotropic metals under three-dimensional stress states in the presence of fast neutron flux. It is shown that the general form of the constitutive relations is consistent with experimental observations made under both unirradiated and irradiated conditions. The utility of the model is demonstrated by examining the analytical results obtained for a segment of tubing undergoing different loading histories in a reactor. (Auth.)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Schroeder, H.W. Jr.; Walter, M.A.; Hofker, M.H.; Ebens, A.; Van Dijk, K.W.; Liao, L.C.; Cox, D.W.; Milner, E.C.B.; Perlmutter, R.M.
1988-01-01
Antibody genes are assembled from a series of germ-line gene segments that are juxtaposed during the maturation of B lymphocytes. Although diversification of the adult antibody repertoire results in large part from the combinatorial joining of these gene segments, a restricted set of antibody heavy chain variable (V H ), diversity (D H ), and joining (J H ) region gene segments appears preferentially in the human fetal repertoire. The authors report here that one of these early-expressed V H elements (termed V H 6) is the most 3' V H gene segment, positioned 77 kilobases on the 5' side of the J H locus and immediately adjacent to a set of previously described D H sequences. In addition to providing a physical map linking human V H , D H , and J H elements, these results support the view that the programmed development of the antibody V H repertoire is determined in part by the chromosomal position of these gene segments
Pancreas and cyst segmentation
Dmitriev, Konstantin; Gutenko, Ievgeniia; Nadeem, Saad; Kaufman, Arie
2016-03-01
Accurate segmentation of abdominal organs from medical images is an essential part of surgical planning and computer-aided disease diagnosis. Many existing algorithms are specialized for the segmentation of healthy organs. Cystic pancreas segmentation is especially challenging due to its low contrast boundaries, variability in shape, location and the stage of the pancreatic cancer. We present a semi-automatic segmentation algorithm for pancreata with cysts. In contrast to existing automatic segmentation approaches for healthy pancreas segmentation which are amenable to atlas/statistical shape approaches, a pancreas with cysts can have even higher variability with respect to the shape of the pancreas due to the size and shape of the cyst(s). Hence, fine results are better attained with semi-automatic steerable approaches. We use a novel combination of random walker and region growing approaches to delineate the boundaries of the pancreas and cysts with respective best Dice coefficients of 85.1% and 86.7%, and respective best volumetric overlap errors of 26.0% and 23.5%. Results show that the proposed algorithm for pancreas and pancreatic cyst segmentation is accurate and stable.
Segmenting hospitals for improved management strategy.
Malhotra, N K
1989-09-01
The author presents a conceptual framework for the a priori and clustering-based approaches to segmentation and evaluates them in the context of segmenting institutional health care markets. An empirical study is reported in which the hospital market is segmented on three state-of-being variables. The segmentation approach also takes into account important organizational decision-making variables. The sophisticated Thurstone Case V procedure is employed. Several marketing implications for hospitals, other health care organizations, hospital suppliers, and donor publics are identified.
Factors that influence the realization of the constitutional – legal protection
Safet Emruli
2018-01-01
The constitutional justice system represents the main actor of the establishment and the harmonious functioning of true democracy, because it implies the spirit of the constitution, where the rules of democracy, rule of law and the protection of the rights and freedoms of the citizens are envisaged, is respected and implemented in real life. The constitutional justice, in fact, represents the key segment that guarantees the vitality and efficiency of the judicial order. As such, it emerged as...
U.S. Army Custom Segmentation System
2007-06-01
segmentation is individual or intergroup differences in response to marketing - mix variables. Presumptions about segments: •different demands in a...product or service category, •respond differently to changes in the marketing mix Criteria for segments: •The segments must exist in the environment
Vuolo, Janet; Goffman, Lisa
2017-01-01
This exploratory treatment study used phonetic transcription and speech kinematics to examine changes in segmental and articulatory variability. Nine children, ages 4 to 8 years old, served as participants, including two with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), five with speech sound disorder (SSD) and two who were typically developing. Children practised producing agent + action phrases in an imitation task (low linguistic load) and a retrieval task (high linguistic load) over five sessions. In the imitation task in session one, both participants with CAS showed high degrees of segmental and articulatory variability. After five sessions, imitation practice resulted in increased articulatory variability for five participants. Retrieval practice resulted in decreased articulatory variability in three participants with SSD. These results suggest that short-term speech production practice in rote imitation disrupts articulatory control in children with and without CAS. In contrast, tasks that require linguistic processing may scaffold learning for children with SSD but not CAS.
Market segmentation in behavioral perspective.
Wells, V.K.; Chang, S.W.; Oliveira-Castro, J.M.; Pallister, J.
2010-01-01
A segmentation approach is presented using both traditional demographic segmentation bases (age, social class/occupation, and working status) and a segmentation by benefits sought. The benefits sought in this case are utilitarian and informational reinforcement, variables developed from the Behavioral Perspective Model (BPM). Using data from 1,847 consumers and from a total of 76,682 individual purchases, brand choice and price and reinforcement responsiveness were assessed for each segment a...
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Mickley, H; Nielsen, J R; Berning, J
1998-01-01
Based on serial Holter monitoring performed 7 times within 3 years after a first acute myocardial infarction, we assessed the prevalence, variability and long-term clinical importance of transient myocardial ischemia (TMI) defined as episodes of ambulatory ST-segment depression. In all, 121...... consecutive male patients variability was found within and between patients...
Constitutional Crowdsourcing to Reconcile Demos with Aristos and Nomos
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Abat Ninet, Antoni
2017-01-01
it is framed, been liberal democracies or authoritarian states. Derrida stated there is a sort of “semantic indeterminacy” at the core of democracy and that constitutional crowdsourcing is a way to intervene in this indeterminacy. The Icelandic example enlightened that there is a way to mediate between....... The final segment of the paper aims to obtain different elements to improve the constitutional crowdsourcing to be considered in future constituent processes around the world. From a formal perspective the paper simulates a judgment between a Plaintiff Demos (representing “We the People” the entitled...
Patil, Basavaprabhu L.; Dangwal, Meenakshi; Mishra, Ritesh
2017-01-01
Sterility mosaic disease (SMD) of pigeonpea is a serious constraint for cultivation of pigeonpea in India and other South Asian countries. SMD of pigeonpea is associated with two distinct emaraviruses, Pigeonpea sterility mosaic virus 1 (PPSMV-1) and Pigeonpea sterility mosaic virus 2 (PPSMV-2), with genomes consisting of five and six negative-sense RNA segments, respectively. The recently published genome sequences of both PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2 are from a single location, Patancheru from the state of Telangana in India. However, here we present the first report of sequence variability among 23 isolates of PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2, collected from ten locations representing six states of India. Both PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2 are shown to be present across India and to exhibit considerable sequence variability. Variability of RNA3 sequences was higher than the RNA4 sequences for both PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2. Additionally, the sixth RNA segment (RNA6), previously reported to be associated with only PPSMV-2, is also associated with isolates of PPSMV-1. Multiplex reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) analyses show that PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2 frequently occur as mixed infections. Further sequence analyses indicated the presence of reassortment of RNA4 between isolates of PPSMV-1 and PPSMV-2. PMID:28696402
Market Segmentation from a Behavioral Perspective
Wells, Victoria K.; Chang, Shing Wan; Oliveira-Castro, Jorge; Pallister, John
2010-01-01
A segmentation approach is presented using both traditional demographic segmentation bases (age, social class/occupation, and working status) and a segmentation by benefits sought. The benefits sought in this case are utilitarian and informational reinforcement, variables developed from the Behavioral Perspective Model (BPM). Using data from 1,847…
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Mokrosinski, Jacek; Frimurer, Thomas M; Sivertsen, Bjoern
2012-01-01
Based on a rare, natural Glu for Ala204(C+6) variant located six residues after the conserved Cys residue in extracellular loop 2 (ECL2b) associated with selective elimination of the high constitutive signaling of the ghrelin receptor, this loop was subjected to a detailed structure functional....... Moreover, the constitutive activity of the receptor was inhibited by Zn(2+) binding in an engineered metal-ion site stabilizing an a-helical conformation of this loop segment. It is concluded that the high constitutive activity of the ghrelin receptor is dependent upon flexibility in the C-terminal segment...
Molinari, Francesco; Pirronti, Tommaso; Sverzellati, Nicola; Diciotti, Stefano; Amato, Michele; Paolantonio, Guglielmo; Gentile, Luigia; Parapatt, George K; D'Argento, Francesco; Kuhnigk, Jan-Martin
2013-01-01
We aimed to compare the intra- and interoperator variability of lobar volumetry and emphysema scores obtained by semi-automated and manual segmentation techniques in lung emphysema patients. In two sessions held three months apart, two operators performed lobar volumetry of unenhanced chest computed tomography examinations of 47 consecutive patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung emphysema. Both operators used the manual and semi-automated segmentation techniques. The intra- and interoperator variability of the volumes and emphysema scores obtained by semi-automated segmentation was compared with the variability obtained by manual segmentation of the five pulmonary lobes. The intra- and interoperator variability of the lobar volumes decreased when using semi-automated lobe segmentation (coefficients of repeatability for the first operator: right upper lobe, 147 vs. 96.3; right middle lobe, 137.7 vs. 73.4; right lower lobe, 89.2 vs. 42.4; left upper lobe, 262.2 vs. 54.8; and left lower lobe, 260.5 vs. 56.5; coefficients of repeatability for the second operator: right upper lobe, 61.4 vs. 48.1; right middle lobe, 56 vs. 46.4; right lower lobe, 26.9 vs. 16.7; left upper lobe, 61.4 vs. 27; and left lower lobe, 63.6 vs. 27.5; coefficients of reproducibility in the interoperator analysis: right upper lobe, 191.3 vs. 102.9; right middle lobe, 219.8 vs. 126.5; right lower lobe, 122.6 vs. 90.1; left upper lobe, 166.9 vs. 68.7; and left lower lobe, 168.7 vs. 71.6). The coefficients of repeatability and reproducibility of emphysema scores also decreased when using semi-automated segmentation and had ranges that varied depending on the target lobe and selected threshold of emphysema. Semi-automated segmentation reduces the intra- and interoperator variability of lobar volumetry and provides a more objective tool than manual technique for quantifying lung volumes and severity of emphysema.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Chen, Ming-Song; Li, Kuo-Kuo [Central South University, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Changsha (China); State Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing, Changsha (China); Lin, Y.C. [Central South University, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Changsha (China); State Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing, Changsha (China); Central South University, Light Alloy Research Institute, Changsha (China); Chen, Jian [Changsha University of Science and Technology, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Key Laboratory of Efficient and Clean Energy Utilization, Changsha (China)
2016-09-15
The nonlinear unloading behavior of a typical Ni-based superalloy is investigated by hot compressive experiments with intermediate unloading-reloading cycles. The experimental results show that there are at least four types of unloading curves. However, it is found that there is no essential difference among four types of unloading curves. The variation curves of instantaneous Young's modulus with stress for all types of unloading curves include four segments, i.e., three linear elastic segments (segments I, II, and III) and one subsequent nonlinear elastic segment (segment IV). The instantaneous Young's modulus of segments I and III is approximately equal to that of reloading process, while smaller than that of segment II. In the nonlinear elastic segment, the instantaneous Young's modulus linearly decreases with the decrease in stress. In addition, the relationship between stress and strain rate can be accurately expressed by the hyperbolic sine function. This study includes two parts. In the present part, the characters of unloading curves are discussed in detail, and a new elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model is proposed to describe the nonlinear unloading behavior based on the experimental findings. While in the latter part (Chen et al. in Appl Phys A. doi:10.1007/s00339-016-0385-0, 2016), the effects of deformation temperature, strain rate, and pre-strain on the parameters of this new constitutive model are analyzed, and a unified elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model is proposed to predict the unloading behavior at arbitrary deformation temperature, strain rate, and pre-strain. (orig.)
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Chen, Ming-Song; Li, Kuo-Kuo; Lin, Y.C.; Chen, Jian
2016-01-01
The nonlinear unloading behavior of a typical Ni-based superalloy is investigated by hot compressive experiments with intermediate unloading-reloading cycles. The experimental results show that there are at least four types of unloading curves. However, it is found that there is no essential difference among four types of unloading curves. The variation curves of instantaneous Young's modulus with stress for all types of unloading curves include four segments, i.e., three linear elastic segments (segments I, II, and III) and one subsequent nonlinear elastic segment (segment IV). The instantaneous Young's modulus of segments I and III is approximately equal to that of reloading process, while smaller than that of segment II. In the nonlinear elastic segment, the instantaneous Young's modulus linearly decreases with the decrease in stress. In addition, the relationship between stress and strain rate can be accurately expressed by the hyperbolic sine function. This study includes two parts. In the present part, the characters of unloading curves are discussed in detail, and a new elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model is proposed to describe the nonlinear unloading behavior based on the experimental findings. While in the latter part (Chen et al. in Appl Phys A. doi:10.1007/s00339-016-0385-0, 2016), the effects of deformation temperature, strain rate, and pre-strain on the parameters of this new constitutive model are analyzed, and a unified elasto-viscoplastic constitutive model is proposed to predict the unloading behavior at arbitrary deformation temperature, strain rate, and pre-strain. (orig.)
A dorsolateral prefrontal cortex semi-automatic segmenter
Al-Hakim, Ramsey; Fallon, James; Nain, Delphine; Melonakos, John; Tannenbaum, Allen
2006-03-01
Structural, functional, and clinical studies in schizophrenia have, for several decades, consistently implicated dysfunction of the prefrontal cortex in the etiology of the disease. Functional and structural imaging studies, combined with clinical, psychometric, and genetic analyses in schizophrenia have confirmed the key roles played by the prefrontal cortex and closely linked "prefrontal system" structures such as the striatum, amygdala, mediodorsal thalamus, substantia nigra-ventral tegmental area, and anterior cingulate cortices. The nodal structure of the prefrontal system circuit is the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), or Brodmann area 46, which also appears to be the most commonly studied and cited brain area with respect to schizophrenia. 1, 2, 3, 4 In 1986, Weinberger et. al. tied cerebral blood flow in the DLPFC to schizophrenia.1 In 2001, Perlstein et. al. demonstrated that DLPFC activation is essential for working memory tasks commonly deficient in schizophrenia. 2 More recently, groups have linked morphological changes due to gene deletion and increased DLPFC glutamate concentration to schizophrenia. 3, 4 Despite the experimental and clinical focus on the DLPFC in structural and functional imaging, the variability of the location of this area, differences in opinion on exactly what constitutes DLPFC, and inherent difficulties in segmenting this highly convoluted cortical region have contributed to a lack of widely used standards for manual or semi-automated segmentation programs. Given these implications, we developed a semi-automatic tool to segment the DLPFC from brain MRI scans in a reproducible way to conduct further morphological and statistical studies. The segmenter is based on expert neuroanatomist rules (Fallon-Kindermann rules), inspired by cytoarchitectonic data and reconstructions presented by Rajkowska and Goldman-Rakic. 5 It is semi-automated to provide essential user interactivity. We present our results and provide details on
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Penny, Robert D., E-mail: robert.d.penny@leidos.com [Leidos Inc., 10260 Campus Point Road, San Diego, CA (United States); Crowley, Tanya M.; Gardner, Barbara M.; Mandell, Myron J.; Guo, Yanlin; Haas, Eric B.; Knize, Duane J.; Kuharski, Robert A.; Ranta, Dale; Shyffer, Ryan [Leidos Inc., 10260 Campus Point Road, San Diego, CA (United States); Labov, Simon; Nelson, Karl; Seilhan, Brandon [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA (United States); Valentine, John D. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA (United States)
2015-06-01
A novel approach and algorithm have been developed to rapidly detect and localize both moving and static radiological/nuclear (R/N) sources from an airborne platform. Current aerial systems with radiological sensors are limited in their ability to compensate for variable naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) background. The proposed approach suppresses the effects of NORM background by incorporating additional information to segment the survey area into regions over which the background is likely to be uniform. The method produces pixelated Source Activity Maps (SAMs) of both target and background radionuclide activity over the survey area. The task of producing the SAMs requires (1) the development of a forward model which describes the transformation of radionuclide activity to detector measurements and (2) the solution of the associated inverse problem. The inverse problem is ill-posed as there are typically fewer measurements than unknowns. In addition the measurements are subject to Poisson statistical noise. The Maximum-Likelihood Expectation-Maximization (MLEM) algorithm is used to solve the inverse problem as it is well suited for under-determined problems corrupted by Poisson noise. A priori terrain information is incorporated to segment the reconstruction space into regions within which we constrain NORM background activity to be uniform. Descriptions of the algorithm and examples of performance with and without segmentation on simulated data are presented.
Das, Arghya; Tengattini, Alessandro; Nguyen, Giang D.; Viggiani, Gioacchino; Hall, Stephen A.; Einav, Itai
2014-10-01
We study the mechanical failure of cemented granular materials (e.g., sandstones) using a constitutive model based on breakage mechanics for grain crushing and damage mechanics for cement fracture. The theoretical aspects of this model are presented in Part I: Tengattini et al. (2014), A thermomechanical constitutive model for cemented granular materials with quantifiable internal variables, Part I - Theory (Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, 10.1016/j.jmps.2014.05.021). In this Part II we investigate the constitutive and structural responses of cemented granular materials through analyses of Boundary Value Problems (BVPs). The multiple failure mechanisms captured by the proposed model enable the behavior of cemented granular rocks to be well reproduced for a wide range of confining pressures. Furthermore, through comparison of the model predictions and experimental data, the micromechanical basis of the model provides improved understanding of failure mechanisms of cemented granular materials. In particular, we show that grain crushing is the predominant inelastic deformation mechanism under high pressures while cement failure is the relevant mechanism at low pressures. Over an intermediate pressure regime a mixed mode of failure mechanisms is observed. Furthermore, the micromechanical roots of the model allow the effects on localized deformation modes of various initial microstructures to be studied. The results obtained from both the constitutive responses and BVP solutions indicate that the proposed approach and model provide a promising basis for future theoretical studies on cemented granular materials.
Constitutional collisions of criminal law
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sergey M. Inshakov
2016-12-01
Full Text Available Objective to identify and resolve conflicts between the norms of constitutional and criminal law which regulate the issue of legal liability of senior officials of the state. Methods formallogical systematic comparativelegal. Results the article analyzes the embodiment of the principle of citizensrsquo equality under the law regarding the criminal responsibility of the President of the Russian Federation as one of the segments of the elite right other criminal and legal conflicts are considered associated with the creation of conditions for derogation from the principle of equality. Basing on this analysis the means of overcoming collisions between the norms of constitutional and criminal law are formulated. Scientific novelty in the article for the first time it has been shown that in the Russian criminal law there are exceptions to the principle of citizensrsquo equality under the law relating to the President of the Russian Federation the conflicts are identified between the norms of constitutional and criminal law regulating the issue of legal liability of senior officials of the state ways of overcoming conflicts are suggested. Practical significance the main provisions and conclusions of the article can be used in research and teaching in the consideration of issues of senior state officialsrsquo criminal liability.
Automatic segmentation of vertebrae from radiographs
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Mysling, Peter; Petersen, Peter Kersten; Nielsen, Mads
2011-01-01
Segmentation of vertebral contours is an essential task in the design of automatic tools for vertebral fracture assessment. In this paper, we propose a novel segmentation technique which does not require operator interaction. The proposed technique solves the segmentation problem in a hierarchical...... is constrained by a conditional shape model, based on the variability of the coarse spine location estimates. The technique is evaluated on a data set of manually annotated lumbar radiographs. The results compare favorably to the previous work in automatic vertebra segmentation, in terms of both segmentation...
van der Palen, Roel L F; Roest, Arno A W; van den Boogaard, Pieter J; de Roos, Albert; Blom, Nico A; Westenberg, Jos J M
2018-05-26
The aim was to investigate scan-rescan reproducibility and observer variability of segmental aortic 3D systolic wall shear stress (WSS) by phase-specific segmentation with 4D flow MRI in healthy volunteers. Ten healthy volunteers (age 26.5 ± 2.6 years) underwent aortic 4D flow MRI twice. Maximum 3D systolic WSS (WSSmax) and mean 3D systolic WSS (WSSmean) for five thoracic aortic segments over five systolic cardiac phases by phase-specific segmentations were calculated. Scan-rescan analysis and observer reproducibility analysis were performed. Scan-rescan data showed overall good reproducibility for WSSmean (coefficient of variation, COV 10-15%) with moderate-to-strong intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC 0.63-0.89). The variability in WSSmax was high (COV 16-31%) with moderate-to-good ICC (0.55-0.79) for different aortic segments. Intra- and interobserver reproducibility was good-to-excellent for regional aortic WSSmax (ICC ≥ 0.78; COV ≤ 17%) and strong-to-excellent for WSSmean (ICC ≥ 0.86; COV ≤ 11%). In general, ascending aortic segments showed more WSSmax/WSSmean variability compared to aortic arch or descending aortic segments for scan-rescan, intraobserver and interobserver comparison. Scan-rescan reproducibility was good for WSSmean and moderate for WSSmax for all thoracic aortic segments over multiple systolic phases in healthy volunteers. Intra/interobserver reproducibility for segmental WSS assessment was good-to-excellent. Variability of WSSmax is higher and should be taken into account in case of individual follow-up or in comparative rest-stress studies to avoid misinterpretation.
Lift Optimization Study of a Multi-Element Three-Segment Variable Camber Airfoil
Kaul, Upender K.; Nguyen, Nhan T.
2016-01-01
This paper reports a detailed computational high-lift study of the Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap (VCCTEF) system carried out to explore the best VCCTEF designs, in conjunction with a leading edge flap called the Variable Camber Krueger (VCK), for take-off and landing. For this purpose, a three-segment variable camber airfoil employed as a performance adaptive aeroelastic wing shaping control effector for a NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM) in landing and take-off configurations is considered. The objective of the study is to define optimal high-lift VCCTEF settings and VCK settings/configurations. A total of 224 combinations of VCK settings/configurations and VCCTEF settings are considered for the inboard GTM wing, where the VCCTEFs are configured as a Fowler flap that forms a slot between the VCCTEF and the main wing. For the VCK settings of deflection angles of 55deg, 60deg and 65deg, 18, 19 and 19 vck configurations, respectively, were considered for each of the 4 different VCCTEF deflection settings. Different vck configurations were defined by varying the horizontal and vertical distance of the vck from the main wing. A computational investigation using a Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) solver was carried out to complement a wind-tunnel experimental study covering three of these configurations with the goal of identifying the most optimal high-lift configurations. Four most optimal high-lift configurations, corresponding to each of the VCK deflection settings, have been identified out of all the different configurations considered in this study yielding the highest lift performance.
Tengattini, Alessandro; Das, Arghya; Nguyen, Giang D.; Viggiani, Gioacchino; Hall, Stephen A.; Einav, Itai
2014-10-01
This is the first of two papers introducing a novel thermomechanical continuum constitutive model for cemented granular materials. Here, we establish the theoretical foundations of the model, and highlight its novelties. At the limit of no cement, the model is fully consistent with the original Breakage Mechanics model. An essential ingredient of the model is the use of measurable and micro-mechanics based internal variables, describing the evolution of the dominant inelastic processes. This imposes a link between the macroscopic mechanical behavior and the statistically averaged evolution of the microstructure. As a consequence this model requires only a few physically identifiable parameters, including those of the original breakage model and new ones describing the cement: its volume fraction, its critical damage energy and bulk stiffness, and the cohesion.
Smith, M. C.; Perfit, M. R.; Davis, C.; Kamenov, G. D.
2011-12-01
Three spatially related volcanic eruptions along the CoAxial Segment of the Juan de Fuca Ridge (JdFR) have documented emplacements between 1981 and 1993. Two of the historic flows outcrop at the "Flow Site" and were emplaced within less than 12 years and 500 m from one another. The third was emplaced at the "Floc Site" to the south in the 1980s. Previous studies have documented that CoAxial lavas are among the most incompatible element and isotopically depleted lavas along the entire JdFR, whereas the Axial Seamount segment immediately south of CoAxial has erupted the most chemically enriched lavas south of the Endeavor Segment. Geochemical studies have shown little temporal change in the chemistry of recent Axial Seamount eruptives, whereas CoAxial lavas exhibit distinct chemical differences over short time periods. Significant chemical differences observed among depleted CoAxial lavas emplaced close to one another in space and time are in marked contrast to the relatively constant chemical characteristics of enriched lavas erupted at the magmatically more robust Axial segment only 10's of kilometers to the south and west. New trace element and isotopic (Sr, Nd, Pb) geochemical analyses of historic and older CoAxial lavas have resulted in better documentation of interflow and intraflow chemical variation providing an improved understanding of spatial/temporal chemical variability in lavas, and further insight into JdFR magmatic processes. Modeling of major and trace element abundances suggest that the observed intraflow chemical variation within CoAxial lavas is largely due to shallow-level fractional crystallization but that a single fractional crystallization model cannot account for all interflow chemical variation. In fact, elemental and isotopic data require different parental magmas for each of the three recent CoAxial Segment lava flows suggesting very short-term differences or changes in the chemical character of the mantle source region. In particular
Analysis of prestressed concrete wall segments
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Koziak, B.D.P.; Murray, D.W.
1979-06-01
An iterative numerical technique for analysing the biaxial response of reinforced and prestressed concrete wall segments subject to combinations of prestressing, creep, temperature and live loads is presented. Two concrete constitutive relations are available for this analysis. The first is a uniaxially bilinear model with a tension cut-off. The second is a nonlinear biaxial relation incorporating equivalent uniaxial strains to remove the Poissons's ratio effect under biaxial loading. Predictions from both the bilinear and nonlinear model are compared with observations from experimental wall segments tested in tension. The nonlinear model results are shown to be close to those of the test segments, while the bilinear results are good up to cracking. Further comparisons are made between the nonlinear analysis using constant membrane force-moment ratios, constant membrane force-curvature ratios, and a nonlinear finite difference analysis of a test containment structure. Neither nonlinear analysis could predict the reponse of every wall segment within the structure, but the constant membrane force-moment analysis provided lower bound results. (author)
Market Segmentation Based on the Consumers' Impulsive Buying Behaviour
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mirela Mihić
2010-12-01
Full Text Available The major purpose of this research is to determine the sufficiently different segments of consumers based on their impulsivity in the buying behaviour. The research was conducted in Splitsko-Dalmatinska county on the sample of 180 respondents. Based on the subject matter and research goals, the basic as well as four additional hypotheses were set. The used methodology comprised of the cluster analysis, which helped to divide three segments that were named as: ‘’rational’’, ‘’somewhat rational and somewhat impulsive’’ and ‘’impulsive’’ consumers. The variance analysis was used in order to describe the segments properly and to determine whether they are different enough with respect to demographic, socio-economic characteristics and individual differences variables. The findings confirmed the hypothesis based on the possibility of dividing different consumer segments according to the analysed variables. Correlating the demographics and individual differences factors with the impulse buy, the expected results were gained. When analyzing demographics the results indicate the segment differentiation solely in the case of age and working status. However, from the aspect of majority of individual differences variables the distinction among the segments is significant.
A segmentation approach for a delineation of terrestrial ecoregions
Nowosad, J.; Stepinski, T.
2017-12-01
Terrestrial ecoregions are the result of regionalization of land into homogeneous units of similar ecological and physiographic features. Terrestrial Ecoregions of the World (TEW) is a commonly used global ecoregionalization based on expert knowledge and in situ observations. Ecological Land Units (ELUs) is a global classification of 250 meters-sized cells into 4000 types on the basis of the categorical values of four environmental variables. ELUs are automatically calculated and reproducible but they are not a regionalization which makes them impractical for GIS-based spatial analysis and for comparison with TEW. We have regionalized terrestrial ecosystems on the basis of patterns of the same variables (land cover, soils, landform, and bioclimate) previously used in ELUs. Considering patterns of categorical variables makes segmentation and thus regionalization possible. Original raster datasets of the four variables are first transformed into regular grids of square-sized blocks of their cells called eco-sites. Eco-sites are elementary land units containing local patterns of physiographic characteristics and thus assumed to contain a single ecosystem. Next, eco-sites are locally aggregated using a procedure analogous to image segmentation. The procedure optimizes pattern homogeneity of all four environmental variables within each segment. The result is a regionalization of the landmass into land units characterized by uniform pattern of land cover, soils, landforms, climate, and, by inference, by uniform ecosystem. Because several disjoined segments may have very similar characteristics, we cluster the segments to obtain a smaller set of segment types which we identify with ecoregions. Our approach is automatic, reproducible, updatable, and customizable. It yields the first automatic delineation of ecoregions on the global scale. In the resulting vector database each ecoregion/segment is described by numerous attributes which make it a valuable GIS resource for
The ASAC Flight Segment and Network Cost Models
Kaplan, Bruce J.; Lee, David A.; Retina, Nusrat; Wingrove, Earl R., III; Malone, Brett; Hall, Stephen G.; Houser, Scott A.
1997-01-01
To assist NASA in identifying research art, with the greatest potential for improving the air transportation system, two models were developed as part of its Aviation System Analysis Capability (ASAC). The ASAC Flight Segment Cost Model (FSCM) is used to predict aircraft trajectories, resource consumption, and variable operating costs for one or more flight segments. The Network Cost Model can either summarize the costs for a network of flight segments processed by the FSCM or can be used to independently estimate the variable operating costs of flying a fleet of equipment given the number of departures and average flight stage lengths.
Staber, B; Guilleminot, J
2017-01-01
In this work, we address the constitutive modeling, in a probabilistic framework, of the hyperelastic response of soft biological tissues. The aim is on the one hand to mimic the mean behavior and variability that are typically encountered in the experimental characterization of such materials, and on the other hand to derive mathematical models that are almost surely consistent with the theory of nonlinear elasticity. Towards this goal, we invoke information theory and discuss a stochastic model relying on a low-dimensional parametrization. We subsequently propose a two-step methodology allowing for the calibration of the model using standard data, such as mean and standard deviation values along a given loading path. The framework is finally applied and benchmarked on three experimental databases proposed elsewhere in the literature. It is shown that the stochastic model allows experiments to be accurately reproduced, regardless of the tissue under consideration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Aklan, Bassim; Hartmann, Josefin; Zink, Diana; Siavooshhaghighi, Hadi; Merten, Ricarda; Putz, Florian; Ott, Oliver; Fietkau, Rainer; Bert, Christoph
2017-06-01
The aim of this study was to systematically investigate the influence of the inter- and intra-observer segmentation variation of tumors and organs at risk on the simulated temperature coverage of the target. CT scans of six patients with tumors in the pelvic region acquired for radiotherapy treatment planning were used for hyperthermia treatment planning. To study the effect of inter-observer variation, three observers manually segmented in the CT images of each patient the following structures: fat, muscle, bone and the bladder. The gross tumor volumes (GTV) were contoured by three radiation oncology residents and used as the hyperthermia target volumes. For intra-observer variation, one of the observers of each group contoured the structures of each patient three times with a time span of one week between the segmentations. Moreover, the impact of segmentation variations in organs at risk (OARs) between the three inter-observers was investigated on simulated temperature distributions using only one GTV. The spatial overlap between individual segmentations was assessed by the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the mean surface distance (MSD). Additionally, the temperatures T90/T10 delivered to 90%/10% of the GTV, respectively, were assessed for each observer combination. The results of the segmentation similarity evaluation showed that the DSC of the inter-observer variation of fat, muscle, the bladder, bone and the target was 0.68 ± 0.12, 0.88 ± 0.05, 0.73 ± 0.14, 0.91 ± 0.04 and 0.64 ± 0.11, respectively. Similar results were found for the intra-observer variation. The MSD results were similar to the DSCs for both observer variations. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was found for T90 and T10 in the predicted target temperature due to the observer variability. The conclusion is that intra- and inter-observer variations have a significant impact on the temperature coverage of the
Babin, D; Pižurica, A; Bellens, R; De Bock, J; Shang, Y; Goossens, B; Vansteenkiste, E; Philips, W
2012-07-01
Extraction of structural and geometric information from 3-D images of blood vessels is a well known and widely addressed segmentation problem. The segmentation of cerebral blood vessels is of great importance in diagnostic and clinical applications, with a special application in diagnostics and surgery on arteriovenous malformations (AVM). However, the techniques addressing the problem of the AVM inner structure segmentation are rare. In this work we present a novel method of pixel profiling with the application to segmentation of the 3-D angiography AVM images. Our algorithm stands out in situations with low resolution images and high variability of pixel intensity. Another advantage of our method is that the parameters are set automatically, which yields little manual user intervention. The results on phantoms and real data demonstrate its effectiveness and potentials for fine delineation of AVM structure. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Soldić-Aleksić Jasna
2009-01-01
Full Text Available Market segmentation presents one of the key concepts of the modern marketing. The main goal of market segmentation is focused on creating groups (segments of customers that have similar characteristics, needs, wishes and/or similar behavior regarding the purchase of concrete product/service. Companies can create specific marketing plan for each of these segments and therefore gain short or long term competitive advantage on the market. Depending on the concrete marketing goal, different segmentation schemes and techniques may be applied. This paper presents a predictive market segmentation model based on the application of logistic regression model and CHAID analysis. The logistic regression model was used for the purpose of variables selection (from the initial pool of eleven variables which are statistically significant for explaining the dependent variable. Selected variables were afterwards included in the CHAID procedure that generated the predictive market segmentation model. The model results are presented on the concrete empirical example in the following form: summary model results, CHAID tree, Gain chart, Index chart, risk and classification tables.
Gender differences in head-neck segment dynamic stabilization during head acceleration.
Tierney, Ryan T; Sitler, Michael R; Swanik, C Buz; Swanik, Kathleen A; Higgins, Michael; Torg, Joseph
2005-02-01
Recent epidemiological research has revealed that gender differences exist in concussion incidence but no study has investigated why females may be at greater risk of concussion. Our purpose was to determine whether gender differences existed in head-neck segment kinematic and neuromuscular control variables responses to an external force application with and without neck muscle preactivation. Forty (20 females and 20 males) physically active volunteers participated in the study. The independent variables were gender, force application (known vs unknown), and force direction (forced flexion vs forced extension). The dependent variables were kinematic and EMG variables, head-neck segment stiffness, and head-neck segment flexor and extensor isometric strength. Statistical analyses consisted of multiple multivariate and univariate analyses of variance, follow-up univariate analyses of variance, and t-tests (P Gender differences existed in head-neck segment dynamic stabilization during head angular acceleration. Females exhibited significantly greater head-neck segment peak angular acceleration (50%) and displacement (39%) than males despite initiating muscle activity significantly earlier (SCM only) and using a greater percentage of their maximum head-neck segment muscle activity (79% peak activity and 117% muscle activity area). The head-neck segment angular acceleration differences may be because females exhibited significantly less isometric strength (49%), neck girth (30%), and head mass (43%), resulting in lower levels of head-neck segment stiffness (29%). For our subject demographic, the results revealed gender differences in head-neck segment dynamic stabilization during head acceleration in response to an external force application. Females exhibited significantly greater head-neck segment peak angular acceleration and displacement than males despite initiating muscle activity earlier (SCM only) and using a greater percentage of their maximum head-neck segment
Market segmentation: Venezuelan ADRs
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Urbi Garay
2012-12-01
Full Text Available The control on foreign exchange imposed by Venezuela in 2003 constitute a natural experiment that allows researchers to observe the effects of exchange controls on stock market segmentation. This paper provides empirical evidence that although the Venezuelan capital market as a whole was highly segmented before the controls were imposed, the shares in the firm CANTV were, through their American Depositary Receipts (ADRs, partially integrated with the global market. Following the imposition of the exchange controls this integration was lost. Research also documents the spectacular and apparently contradictory rise experienced by the Caracas Stock Exchange during the serious economic crisis of 2003. It is argued that, as it happened in Argentina in 2002, the rise in share prices occurred because the depreciation of the Bolívar in the parallel currency market increased the local price of the stocks that had associated ADRs, which were negotiated in dollars.
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Kilian, Patrik; Valdés, James J.; Lecina-Casas, D.; Chrudimský, T.; Růžek, Daniel
2013-01-01
Roč. 20, 2013-Dec (2013), s. 304-311 ISSN 1567-1348 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP502/11/2116; GA MŠk(CZ) EE2.3.30.0032 Institutional support: RVO:60077344 Keywords : Tahyna virus * Orthobunyavirus * California complex * Genetic variability * Large genomic segment Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 3.264, year: 2013
Finite Element Based Response Surface Methodology to Optimize Segmental Tunnel Lining
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
A. Rastbood
2017-04-01
Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is to optimize the geometrical and engineering characteristics of concrete segments of tunnel lining using Finite Element (FE based Response Surface Methodology (RSM. Input data for RSM statistical analysis were obtained using FEM. In RSM analysis, thickness (t and elasticity modulus of concrete segments (E, tunnel height (H, horizontal to vertical stress ratio (K and position of key segment in tunnel lining ring (θ were considered as input independent variables. Maximum values of Mises and Tresca stresses and tunnel ring displacement (UMAX were set as responses. Analysis of variance (ANOVA was carried out to investigate the influence of each input variable on the responses. Second-order polynomial equations in terms of influencing input variables were obtained for each response. It was found that elasticity modulus and key segment position variables were not included in yield stresses and ring displacement equations, and only tunnel height and stress ratio variables were included in ring displacement equation. Finally optimization analysis of tunnel lining ring was performed. Due to absence of elasticity modulus and key segment position variables in equations, their values were kept to average level and other variables were floated in related ranges. Response parameters were set to minimum. It was concluded that to obtain optimum values for responses, ring thickness and tunnel height must be near to their maximum and minimum values, respectively and ground state must be similar to hydrostatic conditions.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Eriksen, Jacob; Bjørn-Yoshimoto, Walden Emil; Jørgensen, Trine Nygaard
2010-01-01
The dopamine transporter (DAT) mediates reuptake of released dopamine and is the target for psychostimulants, such as cocaine and amphetamine. DAT undergoes marked constitutive endocytosis, but little is known about the fate and sorting of the endocytosed transporter. To study DAT sorting in cells...... lines, we fused the one-transmembrane segment protein Tac to DAT, thereby generating a transporter (TacDAT) with an extracellular antibody epitope suited for trafficking studies. TacDAT was functional and endocytosed constitutively in HEK293 cells. According to an ELISA-based assay, TacDAT intracellular...
Elastic-Plastic Constitutive Equation of WC-Co Cemented Carbides with Anisotropic Damage
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hayakawa, Kunio; Nakamura, Tamotsu; Tanaka, Shigekazu
2007-01-01
Elastic-plastic constitutive equation of WC-Co cemented carbides with anisotropic damage is proposed to predict a precise service life of cold forging tools. A 2nd rank symmetric tensor damage tensor is introduced in order to express the stress unilaterality; a salient difference in uniaxial behavior between tension and compression. The conventional framework of irreversible thermodynamics is used to derive the constitutive equation. The Gibbs potential is formulated as a function of stress, damage tensor, isotropic hardening variable and kinematic hardening variable. The elastic-damage constitutive equation, conjugate forces of damage, isotropic hardening and kinematic hardening variable is derived from the potential. For the kinematic hardening variable, the superposition of three kinematic hardening laws is employed in order to improve the cyclic behavior of the material. For the evolution equation of the damage tensor, the damage is assumed to progress by fracture of the Co matrix - WC particle interface and by the mechanism of fatigue, i.e. the accumulation of microscopic plastic strain in matrix and particles. By using the constitutive equations, calculation of uniaxial tensile and compressive test is performed and the results are compared with the experimental ones in the literature. Furthermore, finite element analysis on cold forward extrusion was carried out, in which the proposed constitutive equation was employed as die insert material
Probabilistic Segmentation of Folk Music Recordings
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ciril Bohak
2016-01-01
Full Text Available The paper presents a novel method for automatic segmentation of folk music field recordings. The method is based on a distance measure that uses dynamic time warping to cope with tempo variations and a dynamic programming approach to handle pitch drifting for finding similarities and estimating the length of repeating segment. A probabilistic framework based on HMM is used to find segment boundaries, searching for optimal match between the expected segment length, between-segment similarities, and likely locations of segment beginnings. Evaluation of several current state-of-the-art approaches for segmentation of commercial music is presented and their weaknesses when dealing with folk music are exposed, such as intolerance to pitch drift and variable tempo. The proposed method is evaluated and its performance analyzed on a collection of 206 folk songs of different ensemble types: solo, two- and three-voiced, choir, instrumental, and instrumental with singing. It outperforms current commercial music segmentation methods for noninstrumental music and is on a par with the best for instrumental recordings. The method is also comparable to a more specialized method for segmentation of solo singing folk music recordings.
Marchand, L; Nsanganwimana, F; Lamy, J B; Quintela-Sabaris, C; Gonnelli, C; Colzi, I; Fletcher, T; Oustrière, N; Kolbas, A; Kidd, P; Bordas, F; Newell, P; Alvarenga, P; Deletic, A; Mench, M
2014-10-01
Intra-specific variability of root biomass production (RP) of six rooted macrophytes, i.e. Juncus effusus, Phragmites australis, Schoenoplectus lacustris, Typha latifolia, Phalaris arundinacea, and Iris pseudacorus grown from clones, in response to Cu exposure was investigated. Root biomass production varied widely for all these macrophytes in control conditions (0.08 μM) according to the sampling site. Root biomass production of T. latifolia and I. pseudacorus in the 2.5-25 μM Cu range depended on the sampling location but not on the Cu dose in the growth medium. For P. australis, J. effusus, S. lacustris, and P. arundinacea, an intra-specific variability of RP depending on both the sampling location and the Cu-dose was evidenced. This intra-specific variability of RP depending on the sampling location and of Cu-tolerance for these last four species suggests that Cu constitutive tolerance for all rooted macrophytes is not a species-wide trait but it exhibits variability for some species. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Geyer, P.; Proix, J.M.; Jayet-Gendrot, S.; Schoenberger, P.; Taheri, S.
1995-01-01
The study of cyclic elastoplastic constitutive law is, at the moment, focused on non proportional loadings, but for uniaxial loadings some problems remain, as for example the ability for a law to describe simultaneously ratcheting (constant increment of strain) in non symmetrical ones. We propose a law with a discrete memory variable, the plastic strain at the last unloading, and a ratchetting stress which, in addition to previous phenomena, describes the other hand the choice of all macroscopic variables is justified by a microscopic analysis. The extension to 3D situations of this law is proposed. The discrete nature of the memory leads to discontinuity problems for some loading paths, a modification is then proposed which uses a differential evolution law. For large enough uniaxial cycles, the uniaxial law is nevertheless recovered. An incremental form of he implicit evolution problem is given, and we describe the implementation of this model in the Code Aster a thermomechanical structural software using the f.e.m. developed at Electricite de France. For a 316 stainless steel we present comparisons between experiments and numerical results in uniaxial and biaxial ratchetting and non proportional strain controlled test (circular, square, stair loading). (authors). 13 refs., 10 figs
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
McGurk, Ross J. [Medical Physics Graduate Program, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Bowsher, James; Das, Shiva K. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States); Lee, John A [Molecular Imaging and Experimental Radiotherapy Unit, Universite Catholique de Louvain, 1200 Brussels (Belgium)
2013-04-15
Purpose: Many approaches have been proposed to segment high uptake objects in 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose positron emission tomography images but none provides consistent performance across the large variety of imaging situations. This study investigates the use of two methods of combining individual segmentation methods to reduce the impact of inconsistent performance of the individual methods: simple majority voting and probabilistic estimation. Methods: The National Electrical Manufacturers Association image quality phantom containing five glass spheres with diameters 13-37 mm and two irregularly shaped volumes (16 and 32 cc) formed by deforming high-density polyethylene bottles in a hot water bath were filled with 18-fluoro-deoxyglucose and iodine contrast agent. Repeated 5-min positron emission tomography (PET) images were acquired at 4:1 and 8:1 object-to-background contrasts for spherical objects and 4.5:1 and 9:1 for irregular objects. Five individual methods were used to segment each object: 40% thresholding, adaptive thresholding, k-means clustering, seeded region-growing, and a gradient based method. Volumes were combined using a majority vote (MJV) or Simultaneous Truth And Performance Level Estimate (STAPLE) method. Accuracy of segmentations relative to CT ground truth volumes were assessed using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the symmetric mean absolute surface distances (SMASDs). Results: MJV had median DSC values of 0.886 and 0.875; and SMASD of 0.52 and 0.71 mm for spheres and irregular shapes, respectively. STAPLE provided similar results with median DSC of 0.886 and 0.871; and median SMASD of 0.50 and 0.72 mm for spheres and irregular shapes, respectively. STAPLE had significantly higher DSC and lower SMASD values than MJV for spheres (DSC, p < 0.0001; SMASD, p= 0.0101) but MJV had significantly higher DSC and lower SMASD values compared to STAPLE for irregular shapes (DSC, p < 0.0001; SMASD, p= 0.0027). DSC was not significantly
Technical Safety Requirements for the B695 Segment
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Laycak, D
2008-09-11
This document contains Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs) for the Radioactive and Hazardous Waste Management (RHWM) Division's B695 Segment of the Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility (DWTF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The TSRs constitute requirements regarding the safe operation of the B695 Segment. The TSRs are derived from the Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) for the B695 Segment (LLNL 2007). The analysis presented there determined that the B695 Segment is a low-chemical hazard, Hazard Category 3, nonreactor nuclear facility. The TSRs consist primarily of inventory limits as well as controls to preserve the underlying assumptions in the hazard analyses. Furthermore, appropriate commitments to safety programs are presented in the administrative controls section of the TSRs. The B695 Segment (B695 and the west portion of B696) is a waste treatment and storage facility located in the northeast quadrant of the LLNL main site. The approximate area and boundary of the B695 Segment are shown in the B695 Segment DSA. Activities typically conducted in the B695 Segment include container storage, lab-packing, repacking, overpacking, bulking, sampling, waste transfer, and waste treatment. B695 is used to store and treat radioactive, mixed, and hazardous waste, and it also contains equipment used in conjunction with waste processing operations to treat various liquid and solid wastes. The portion of the building called Building 696 Solid Waste Processing Area (SWPA), also referred to as B696S in this report, is used primarily to manage solid radioactive, mixed, and hazardous waste. Operations specific to the SWPA include sorting and segregating waste, lab-packing, sampling, and crushing empty drums that previously contained waste. Furthermore, a Waste Packaging Unit will be permitted to treat hazardous and mixed waste. RHWM generally processes LLW with no, or extremely low, concentrations of transuranics (i.e., much less than 100 n
Technical Safety Requirements for the B695 Segment
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Laycak, D.
2008-01-01
This document contains Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs) for the Radioactive and Hazardous Waste Management (RHWM) Division's B695 Segment of the Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility (DWTF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The TSRs constitute requirements regarding the safe operation of the B695 Segment. The TSRs are derived from the Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) for the B695 Segment (LLNL 2007). The analysis presented there determined that the B695 Segment is a low-chemical hazard, Hazard Category 3, nonreactor nuclear facility. The TSRs consist primarily of inventory limits as well as controls to preserve the underlying assumptions in the hazard analyses. Furthermore, appropriate commitments to safety programs are presented in the administrative controls section of the TSRs. The B695 Segment (B695 and the west portion of B696) is a waste treatment and storage facility located in the northeast quadrant of the LLNL main site. The approximate area and boundary of the B695 Segment are shown in the B695 Segment DSA. Activities typically conducted in the B695 Segment include container storage, lab-packing, repacking, overpacking, bulking, sampling, waste transfer, and waste treatment. B695 is used to store and treat radioactive, mixed, and hazardous waste, and it also contains equipment used in conjunction with waste processing operations to treat various liquid and solid wastes. The portion of the building called Building 696 Solid Waste Processing Area (SWPA), also referred to as B696S in this report, is used primarily to manage solid radioactive, mixed, and hazardous waste. Operations specific to the SWPA include sorting and segregating waste, lab-packing, sampling, and crushing empty drums that previously contained waste. Furthermore, a Waste Packaging Unit will be permitted to treat hazardous and mixed waste. RHWM generally processes LLW with no, or extremely low, concentrations of transuranics (i.e., much less than 100 n
Constitutional changes and the dilemmas of constitutionalism
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Arsen Bačić
2009-01-01
Full Text Available The need to develop constitutional mechanisms whose aim is to resolve fundamental relations in society demands the widest possible inclusion of all of society’s active participants in the discussion on the need to adopt or revise the Constitution. The opening of every new round of constitutional changes is of great importance because it always unlocks certain new and important questions. The answers to those questions should be offered by state authority (policy and civil society including science and its disciplines. In this paper, the author mentions several topics which are of interest in the current discussion on the significance of current constitutional changes for the future of the development of constitutionalism and democracy in the Republic of Croatia. These are above all topics of political and legal constitutionalism and suggestions linked to strengthening the independence of judicial powers. The author advocates consistent application of constitutional control and check mechanisms which exclude all insularity of judicial powers in relation to democratic control.
Constitutive relations for non-elastic deformation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Hart, E.W.
1978-01-01
A new class of constitutive equations is described for non-elastic deformation of metals. The relations are embodied in a model that has had considerable experimental investigation. The model employs two deformation state variables of which one is a scalar hardness variable and the other is a stored anelastic strain. The description is entirely in terms of real time strain rates. The model and its experimental background is discussed. The relationship to mechanical calculations and a possible extension to radiation environment is also considered. (Auth.)
Faiz, Pan Mohamad
2016-01-01
A jurisdiction of the Indonesian Constitutional Court concerning constitutional adjudication is only limited to review the constitutionality of national law. There is no mechanism for challenging any decision or action made by public authorities that violate fundamental rights enshrined in the Indonesian Constitution. This article argues that constitutional complaint and constitutional question might be adopted as new jurisdictions of the Indonesian Constitutional Court in order to strengthen...
Do Culture-based Segments Predict Selection of Market Strategy?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Veronika Jadczaková
2015-01-01
Full Text Available Academists and practitioners have already acknowledged the importance of unobservable segmentation bases (such as psychographics yet still focusing on how well these bases are capable of describing relevant segments (the identifiability criterion rather than on how precisely these segments can predict (the predictability criterion. Therefore, this paper intends to add a debate to this topic by exploring whether culture-based segments do account for a selection of market strategy. To do so, a set of market strategy variables over a sample of 251 manufacturing firms was first regressed on a set of 19 cultural variables using canonical correlation analysis. Having found significant relationship in the first canonical function, it was further examined by means of correspondence analysis which cultural segments – if any – are linked to which market strategies. However, as correspondence analysis failed to find a significant relationship, it may be concluded that business culture might relate to the adoption of market strategy but not to the cultural groupings presented in the paper.
A constitutive theory of reacting electrolyte mixtures
Costa Reis, Martina; Wang, Yongqi; Bono Maurizio Sacchi Bassi, Adalberto
2013-11-01
A constitutive theory of reacting electrolyte mixtures is formulated. The intermolecular interactions among the constituents of the mixture are accounted for through additional freedom degrees to each constituent of the mixture. Balance equations for polar reacting continuum mixtures are accordingly formulated and a proper set of constitutive equations is derived with basis in the Müller-Liu formulation of the second law of thermodynamics. Moreover, the non-equilibrium and equilibrium responses of the reacting mixture are investigated in detail by emphasizing the inner and reactive structures of the medium. From the balance laws and constitutive relations, the effects of molecular structure of constituents upon the fluid flow are studied. It is also demonstrated that the local thermodynamic equilibrium state can be reached without imposing that the set of independent constitutive variables is time independent, neither spatially homogeneous nor null. The resulting constitutive relations presented throughout this work are of relevance to many practical applications, such as swelling of clays, developing of bio and polymeric membranes, and use of electrorheological fluids in industrial processes. The first author acknowledges financial support from National Counsel of Technological and Scientific Development (CNPq) and German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).
Socio-economic Classification and its Scope in Crafting Rural Segments
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rinalini Pathak Kakati
2015-12-01
Full Text Available With the liberalization of the Indian Economy in the mid 1990’s, substantial growth has been seen in the rural areas. Rural India which comprises around 70% of the total population of the country has become an emerging area for marketers. This study tries to identify key market variables that can help in crafting rural market segments. The socio-economic classification (SEC 2011 which segments the market based on education level and possession of consumer durables. This study examines income as another key market variable together with education in the creation of distinct segments or hybrid segments. It then further identifies important criteria like technical, promotional and social in influencing consumers’ behaviour in the context of the purchase of consumer durables which can thereby help to create segments. The study concludes that the increase in education level has higher impact than increase in income on the important identified purchase criteria.
Extended constitutive laws for lamellar phases
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Chi-Deuk Yoo
2013-10-01
Full Text Available Classically, stress and strain rate in linear viscoelastic materials are related by a constitutive relationship involving the viscoelastic modulus G(t. The same constitutive law, within Linear Response Theory, relates currents of conserved quantities and gradients of existing conjugate variables, and it involves the autocorrelation functions of the currents in equilibrium. We explore the consequences of the latter relationship in the case of a mesoscale model of a block copolymer, and derive the resulting relationship between viscous friction and order parameter diffusion that would result in a lamellar phase. We also explicitly consider in our derivation the fact that the dissipative part of the stress tensor must be consistent with the uniaxial symmetry of the phase. We then obtain a relationship between the stress and order parameter autocorrelation functions that can be interpreted as an extended constitutive law, one that offers a way to determine them from microscopic experiment or numerical simulation.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Hammerand, Daniel Carl; Scherzinger, William Mark
2007-09-01
The Library of Advanced Materials for Engineering (LAME) provides a common repository for constitutive models that can be used in computational solid mechanics codes. A number of models including both hypoelastic (rate) and hyperelastic (total strain) constitutive forms have been implemented in LAME. The structure and testing of LAME is described in Scherzinger and Hammerand ([3] and [4]). The purpose of the present report is to describe the material models which have already been implemented into LAME. The descriptions are designed to give useful information to both analysts and code developers. Thus far, 33 non-ITAR/non-CRADA protected material models have been incorporated. These include everything from the simple isotropic linear elastic models to a number of elastic-plastic models for metals to models for honeycomb, foams, potting epoxies and rubber. A complete description of each model is outside the scope of the current report. Rather, the aim here is to delineate the properties, state variables, functions, and methods for each model. However, a brief description of some of the constitutive details is provided for a number of the material models. Where appropriate, the SAND reports available for each model have been cited. Many models have state variable aliases for some or all of their state variables. These alias names can be used for outputting desired quantities. The state variable aliases available for results output have been listed in this report. However, not all models use these aliases. For those models, no state variable names are listed. Nevertheless, the number of state variables employed by each model is always given. Currently, there are four possible functions for a material model. This report lists which of these four methods are employed in each material model. As far as analysts are concerned, this information is included only for the awareness purposes. The analyst can take confidence in the fact that model has been properly implemented
Multivariate analysis for customer segmentation based on RFM
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Álvaro Julio Cuadros López
2018-02-01
Full Text Available Context: To build a successful relationship management (CRM, companies must start with the identification of the true value of customers, as this provides basic information to implement more targeted and customized marketing strategies. The RFM methodology, a classic analysis tool that uses three evaluation parameters, allows companies to understand customer behavior, and to establish customer segments. The addition of a new parameter in the traditional technique is an opportunity to refine the possible outcomes of a customer segmentation since it not only provides a new element of evaluation to identify the most valuable customers, but it also makes it possible to differentiate and get to know customers even better. Method: The article presents a methodology that allows to establish customer segments using an extended RFM method with new variables, selected through multivariate analysis.. Results: The proposed implementation was applied in a company in which variables such as profit, profit percentage, and billing due date were tested. Therefore, it was possible to establish a more detailed customer segmentation than with the classic RFM. Conclusions: the RFM analysis is a method widely used in the industry for its easy understanding and applicability. However, it can be improved with the use of statistical procedures and new variables, which will allow companies to have deeper information about the behavior of the clients, and will facilitate the design of specific marketing strategies.
Gadala-Maria, Daniel; Yaari, Gur; Uduman, Mohamed; Kleinstein, Steven H
2015-02-24
Individual variation in germline and expressed B-cell immunoglobulin (Ig) repertoires has been associated with aging, disease susceptibility, and differential response to infection and vaccination. Repertoire properties can now be studied at large-scale through next-generation sequencing of rearranged Ig genes. Accurate analysis of these repertoire-sequencing (Rep-Seq) data requires identifying the germline variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments used by each Ig sequence. Current V(D)J assignment methods work by aligning sequences to a database of known germline V(D)J segment alleles. However, existing databases are likely to be incomplete and novel polymorphisms are hard to differentiate from the frequent occurrence of somatic hypermutations in Ig sequences. Here we develop a Tool for Ig Genotype Elucidation via Rep-Seq (TIgGER). TIgGER analyzes mutation patterns in Rep-Seq data to identify novel V segment alleles, and also constructs a personalized germline database containing the specific set of alleles carried by a subject. This information is then used to improve the initial V segment assignments from existing tools, like IMGT/HighV-QUEST. The application of TIgGER to Rep-Seq data from seven subjects identified 11 novel V segment alleles, including at least one in every subject examined. These novel alleles constituted 13% of the total number of unique alleles in these subjects, and impacted 3% of V(D)J segment assignments. These results reinforce the highly polymorphic nature of human Ig V genes, and suggest that many novel alleles remain to be discovered. The integration of TIgGER into Rep-Seq processing pipelines will increase the accuracy of V segment assignments, thus improving B-cell repertoire analyses.
A stable computational scheme for stiff time-dependent constitutive equations
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shih, C.F.; Delorenzi, H.G.; Miller, A.K.
1977-01-01
Viscoplasticity and creep type constitutive equations are increasingly being employed in finite element codes for evaluating the deformation of high temperature structural members. These constitutive equations frequently exhibit stiff regimes which makes an analytical assessment of the structure very costly. A computational scheme for handling deformation in stiff regimes is proposed in this paper. By the finite element discretization, the governing partial differential equations in the spatial (x) and time (t) variables are reduced to a system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations in the independent variable t. The constitutive equations are expanded in a Taylor's series about selected values of t. The resulting system of differential equations are then integrated by an implicit scheme which employs a predictor technique to initiate the Newton-Raphson procedure. To examine the stability and accuracy of the computational scheme, a series of calculations were carried out for uniaxial specimens and thick wall tubes subjected to mechanical and thermal loading. (Auth.)
Constitutional judges (guarantee of the Constitution and responsibility
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Francisco Javier Ansuátegui Roig
2012-06-01
Full Text Available My aim in this paper is to propose a reflection on the position and the importance that the constitutional judge has in the legal systems of contemporary constitutionalism. The figure of the judge responsible of protecting the Constitution is a key institution, without which we cannot understand the laws of constitutional democracies, their current lines of development, and the guarantee of rights and freedoms that constitute the normative core of these systems. Moreover, the reflection on the exercise of the powers of the judge, its scope and its justification is an important part of contemporary legal discussion, still relevant, albeit not exclusively - in the field of legal philosophy. The object of attention of my reflection is the judge who has the power of judicial review, in a scheme of defense of the Constitution, regardless the specific ways of this defense.
Using data mining to segment healthcare markets from patients' preference perspectives.
Liu, Sandra S; Chen, Jie
2009-01-01
This paper aims to provide an example of how to use data mining techniques to identify patient segments regarding preferences for healthcare attributes and their demographic characteristics. Data were derived from a number of individuals who received in-patient care at a health network in 2006. Data mining and conventional hierarchical clustering with average linkage and Pearson correlation procedures are employed and compared to show how each procedure best determines segmentation variables. Data mining tools identified three differentiable segments by means of cluster analysis. These three clusters have significantly different demographic profiles. The study reveals, when compared with traditional statistical methods, that data mining provides an efficient and effective tool for market segmentation. When there are numerous cluster variables involved, researchers and practitioners need to incorporate factor analysis for reducing variables to clearly and meaningfully understand clusters. Interests and applications in data mining are increasing in many businesses. However, this technology is seldom applied to healthcare customer experience management. The paper shows that efficient and effective application of data mining methods can aid the understanding of patient healthcare preferences.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ko KiDuk
2007-06-01
Full Text Available This study was performed to determine whether a pulse analyzer was useful 1 to characterize the variables of pulse wave of cerebral infarction patieno (CI, compared with those of healthy subjects, as well as 2 to determine Sasang Constitution in CI and healthy subjects. 1. Calibrated in Gwan, the amount of energy(Energy, height of main peak(H1, height of aorticvalley(H2, height of aortic peak(H3, total area of pulse wave(At, and area of main peak width(Aw of the CI group were higher than those of the healthy group. 2. Calibrated in Cheek, Energy, H1, H2, H3, height of valve valley(H4, At, Aw, and main peak angle(MPA of the CI group were higher than those of the healthy group. 3. Among the healthy (subjects group, Taeumin showed the highest contact pressure(CP and height of valve peak(H5 calibrated in Chon. The main peak width divided by whole time of pulse wave(MPW/T calibrated in Gwan and Cheok, was highest in Soyangin and was lowest in Taeumin. The H3 divided by H1(H3/H1 and the time to valve valley minus the time to main peak and divided by T[(T4-T1/T] calibrated in Cheek were highest in Soyangin. The time to main peak(T1 was longest in Soumin. 4. Among the CI group, At calibrated in Chon was widest in Taeumin and was narrowest in Soumin The time to aortic peak(T3 calibrated in Cheek was longest in Soumin and was shortest in Soyangin. The time to valve peak(T5 was shortest in Soyangin. 5. There were main effects of cerebral infarction in the area of systolic period(As and area of diastolic period(Ad calibrated in Chon, Energy calibrated in Cwan, and Energy, H1, H2, H3, (H4+H5/Hl, and MPA calibrated in Cheek. 6. There were main effects of Sasang Constitution in (T4-T1/T, area of systolic period(As, and Ad calibrated in Chon. 7. The interactions between the cerebral infarction and Sasang Constitution were observed in H5/H1 , T, At, As, Ad, and MPA calibrated in Chon, H4, T4, (T4-T1/T, As, and Ad calibrated in Cwan, and 74,75, and MPW calibrated
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jaber, M Ben; Mehrez, S; Ghazouani, O
2014-01-01
In this paper, a new 1D constitutive model for shape memory alloy using strain and temperature as control variables is presented. The new formulation is restricted to the 1D stress case and takes into account the martensite reorientation and the asymmetry of the SMA behavior in tension and compression. Numerical implementation of the new model in a finite element code was conducted. The numerical results for superelastic behavior in tension and compression tests are presented and were compared to experimental data taken from the literature. Other numerical tests are presented, showing the model’s ability to reproduce the main aspects of SMA behavior such as the shape memory effect and the martensite reorientation under cyclic loading. Finally, to demonstrate the utility of the new constitutive model, a dynamic test of a bi-clamped SMA bending beam under forced oscillation is described. (paper)
Integration Versus Segmentation: The Istanbul Stock Exchange
Suleyman Gokçen; Ahu Ozturkmen
1997-01-01
The purpose of this paper is to analyse the integration versus segmentation issue for the Istanbul Stock Exchange vis-a-vis global developed markets. Two different classes of information variables are used. These are global and local variables. Global variables are the return of the world market portfolio, dividend yield of S&P 500 stock index, U.S. term structure premia and U.S. default risk yield spread. Local variables are the returns, price earning ratios and dividend yields of the Istanb...
Attributed relational graphs for cell nucleus segmentation in fluorescence microscopy images.
Arslan, Salim; Ersahin, Tulin; Cetin-Atalay, Rengul; Gunduz-Demir, Cigdem
2013-06-01
More rapid and accurate high-throughput screening in molecular cellular biology research has become possible with the development of automated microscopy imaging, for which cell nucleus segmentation commonly constitutes the core step. Although several promising methods exist for segmenting the nuclei of monolayer isolated and less-confluent cells, it still remains an open problem to segment the nuclei of more-confluent cells, which tend to grow in overlayers. To address this problem, we propose a new model-based nucleus segmentation algorithm. This algorithm models how a human locates a nucleus by identifying the nucleus boundaries and piecing them together. In this algorithm, we define four types of primitives to represent nucleus boundaries at different orientations and construct an attributed relational graph on the primitives to represent their spatial relations. Then, we reduce the nucleus identification problem to finding predefined structural patterns in the constructed graph and also use the primitives in region growing to delineate the nucleus borders. Working with fluorescence microscopy images, our experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm identifies nuclei better than previous nucleus segmentation algorithms.
Auto-Segmentation of Head and Neck Cancer using Textural features
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hollensen, Christian; Jørgensen, Peter Stanley; Højgaard, Liselotte
- and intra observer variability. Several automatic segmentation methods have been developed using positron emission tomography (PET) and/or computerised tomography (CT). The aim of the present study is to develop a model for 3-dimensional auto-segmentation, the level set method, to contour gross tumour...
National constitutional courts in the European Constitutional Democracy
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Komárek, Jan
2014-01-01
This article critically assesses the transformation of national constitutional courts’ place in the law and politics of the EU and its member states. This process eliminates the difference between constitutional and ordinary national courts, which is crucial for the institutional implementation...... of the discourse theory of law and democracy. It also disrupts the symbiotic relationship between national constitutional democracies established after World War II and European integration. The article argues that maintaining the special place of national constitutional courts is in the vital interest of both...... the EU and its member states, understood together as the European Constitutional Democracy—the central notion developed in this article in order to support an argument that should speak to both EU lawyers and national constitutionalists....
Shopping Effort Classification: Implications for Segmenting the College Student Market
Wright, Robert E.; Palmer, John C.; Eidson, Vicky; Griswold, Melissa
2011-01-01
Market segmentation strategies based on levels of consumer shopping effort have long been utilized by marketing professionals. Such strategies can be beneficial in assisting marketers with development of appropriate marketing mix variables for segments. However, these types of strategies have not been assessed by researchers examining segmentation…
Spinal cord grey matter segmentation challenge.
Prados, Ferran; Ashburner, John; Blaiotta, Claudia; Brosch, Tom; Carballido-Gamio, Julio; Cardoso, Manuel Jorge; Conrad, Benjamin N; Datta, Esha; Dávid, Gergely; Leener, Benjamin De; Dupont, Sara M; Freund, Patrick; Wheeler-Kingshott, Claudia A M Gandini; Grussu, Francesco; Henry, Roland; Landman, Bennett A; Ljungberg, Emil; Lyttle, Bailey; Ourselin, Sebastien; Papinutto, Nico; Saporito, Salvatore; Schlaeger, Regina; Smith, Seth A; Summers, Paul; Tam, Roger; Yiannakas, Marios C; Zhu, Alyssa; Cohen-Adad, Julien
2017-05-15
An important image processing step in spinal cord magnetic resonance imaging is the ability to reliably and accurately segment grey and white matter for tissue specific analysis. There are several semi- or fully-automated segmentation methods for cervical cord cross-sectional area measurement with an excellent performance close or equal to the manual segmentation. However, grey matter segmentation is still challenging due to small cross-sectional size and shape, and active research is being conducted by several groups around the world in this field. Therefore a grey matter spinal cord segmentation challenge was organised to test different capabilities of various methods using the same multi-centre and multi-vendor dataset acquired with distinct 3D gradient-echo sequences. This challenge aimed to characterize the state-of-the-art in the field as well as identifying new opportunities for future improvements. Six different spinal cord grey matter segmentation methods developed independently by various research groups across the world and their performance were compared to manual segmentation outcomes, the present gold-standard. All algorithms provided good overall results for detecting the grey matter butterfly, albeit with variable performance in certain quality-of-segmentation metrics. The data have been made publicly available and the challenge web site remains open to new submissions. No modifications were introduced to any of the presented methods as a result of this challenge for the purposes of this publication. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Sun, C.Y. [School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083 (China)], E-mail: suncy@me.ustb.edu.cn; Fang, G.; Lei, L.P.; Zeng, P. [Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials Processing Technology, Ministry of Education, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)
2009-01-15
Based on the crystallographic theory of martensitic transformation and internal variable constitutive theory, a micromechanical constitutive model of martensitic transformation induced plasticity was developed. Plastic strains of product and parent phases as well as the volume fraction of each martensitic variant were considered as internal variables describing the microstructure evolution. The plasticity flow both in austenite and martensitic variants domain is described by J{sub 2} flow theory. The thermodynamic driving force acting on these internal variables was obtained through the determination of the intrinsic dissipation due to plastic flow and the growth of martensitic domains. The evolution laws of the internal variables are derived, furthermore macroscopic response due to the change of internal variables is obtained. Thermomechanical behavior of armour steel under uniaxial loading was tested which showed a good agreement with experimental results.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sun, C.Y.; Fang, G.; Lei, L.P.; Zeng, P.
2009-01-01
Based on the crystallographic theory of martensitic transformation and internal variable constitutive theory, a micromechanical constitutive model of martensitic transformation induced plasticity was developed. Plastic strains of product and parent phases as well as the volume fraction of each martensitic variant were considered as internal variables describing the microstructure evolution. The plasticity flow both in austenite and martensitic variants domain is described by J 2 flow theory. The thermodynamic driving force acting on these internal variables was obtained through the determination of the intrinsic dissipation due to plastic flow and the growth of martensitic domains. The evolution laws of the internal variables are derived, furthermore macroscopic response due to the change of internal variables is obtained. Thermomechanical behavior of armour steel under uniaxial loading was tested which showed a good agreement with experimental results
Market segment derivation and profiling via a finite mixture model framework
Wedel, M; Desarbo, WS
The Marketing literature has shown how difficult it is to profile market segments derived with finite mixture models. especially using traditional descriptor variables (e.g., demographics). Such profiling is critical for the proper implementation of segmentation strategy. we propose a new finite
Strategy-Based Segmentation of Industrial Markets
Verhallen, Theo M.M.; Frambach, Ruud T.; Prabhu, Jaideep
Segmentation of industrial markets is typically based on observable characteristics of firms such as their location and size. However, such variables have been found to be poor predictors of industrial buying behavior. To improve the effectiveness and power of existing approaches to industrial
An Algorithm to Automate Yeast Segmentation and Tracking
Doncic, Andreas; Eser, Umut; Atay, Oguzhan; Skotheim, Jan M.
2013-01-01
Our understanding of dynamic cellular processes has been greatly enhanced by rapid advances in quantitative fluorescence microscopy. Imaging single cells has emphasized the prevalence of phenomena that can be difficult to infer from population measurements, such as all-or-none cellular decisions, cell-to-cell variability, and oscillations. Examination of these phenomena requires segmenting and tracking individual cells over long periods of time. However, accurate segmentation and tracking of cells is difficult and is often the rate-limiting step in an experimental pipeline. Here, we present an algorithm that accomplishes fully automated segmentation and tracking of budding yeast cells within growing colonies. The algorithm incorporates prior information of yeast-specific traits, such as immobility and growth rate, to segment an image using a set of threshold values rather than one specific optimized threshold. Results from the entire set of thresholds are then used to perform a robust final segmentation. PMID:23520484
Kaul, Upender K.; Nguyen, Nhan T.
2015-01-01
Results of a computational study carried out to explore the effects of various elastomer configurations joining spanwise contiguous Variable Camber Continuous Trailing Edge Flap (VCCTEF) segments are reported here. This research is carried out as a proof-of-concept study that will seek to push the flight envelope in cruise with drag optimization as the objective. The cruise conditions can be well off design such as caused by environmental conditions, maneuvering, etc. To handle these off-design conditions, flap deflection is used so when the flap is deflected in a given direction, the aircraft angle of attack changes accordingly to maintain a given lift. The angle of attack is also a design parameter along with the flap deflection. In a previous 2D study,1 the effect of camber was investigated and the results revealed some insight into the relative merit of various camber settings of the VCCTEF. The present state of the art has not advanced sufficiently to do a full 3-D viscous analysis of the whole NASA Generic Transport Model (GTM) wing with VCCTEF deployed with elastomers. Therefore, this study seeks to explore the local effects of three contiguous flap segments on lift and drag of a model devised here to determine possible trades among various flap deflections to achieve desired lift and drag results. Although this approach is an approximation, it provides new insights into the "local" effects of the relative deflections of the contiguous spanwise flap systems and various elastomer segment configurations. The present study is a natural extension of the 2-D study to assess these local 3-D effects. Design cruise condition at 36,000 feet at free stream Mach number of 0.797 and a mean aerodynamic chord (MAC) based Reynolds number of 30.734x10(exp 6) is simulated for an angle of attack (AoA) range of 0 to 6 deg. In the previous 2-D study, the calculations revealed that the parabolic arc camber (1x2x3) and circular arc camber (VCCTEF222) offered the best L
Minding the gaps: literacy enhances lexical segmentation in children learning to read.
Havron, Naomi; Arnon, Inbal
2017-11-01
Can emergent literacy impact the size of the linguistic units children attend to? We examined children's ability to segment multiword sequences before and after they learned to read, in order to disentangle the effect of literacy and age on segmentation. We found that early readers were better at segmenting multiword units (after controlling for age, cognitive, and linguistic variables), and that improvement in literacy skills between the two sessions predicted improvement in segmentation abilities. Together, these findings suggest that literacy acquisition, rather than age, enhanced segmentation. We discuss implications for models of language learning.
Modification of the Integrated Sasang Constitutional Diagnostic Model
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Jiho Nam
2017-01-01
Full Text Available In 2012, the Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine proposed an objective and comprehensive physical diagnostic model to address quantification problems in the existing Sasang constitutional diagnostic method. However, certain issues have been raised regarding a revision of the proposed diagnostic model. In this paper, we propose various methodological approaches to address the problems of the previous diagnostic model. Firstly, more useful variables are selected in each component. Secondly, the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator is used to reduce multicollinearity without the modification of explanatory variables. Thirdly, proportions of SC types and age are considered to construct individual diagnostic models and classify the training set and the test set for reflecting the characteristics of the entire dataset. Finally, an integrated model is constructed with explanatory variables of individual diagnosis models. The proposed integrated diagnostic model significantly improves the sensitivities for both the male SY type (36.4% → 62.0% and the female SE type (43.7% → 64.5%, which were areas of limitation of the previous integrated diagnostic model. The ideas of these new algorithms are expected to contribute not only to the scientific development of Sasang constitutional medicine in Korea but also to that of other diagnostic methods for traditional medicine.
A constitutive model for concrete under dynamic loading
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Suaris, W.; Shah, S.P.
1983-01-01
A continuous damage theory for the quasistatic and dynamic behaviour of concrete is presented. The continuous damage theory is rational choice for use in predicing the dynamic behaviour of concrete as the strain-rate effects that have been observed for concrete can to a large extent be attributed to the rate-sensitivity of the microcracking process. A vectorial representation is adopted for the damage to account for the planar nature of the microcracks in concrete. Damage is treated as an internal state variable influencing the free energy of the material and the constitutive equations and the damage evolution equations are derived consistently using thermodynamic considerations. The developed constitutive model is then calibrated by using test results in flexure and compression over a range of strain-rates. The constitutive model is also shown to be capable of predicting certain other experimentally observed characteristics of the dynamic response of concrete. (orig./HP)
Segmented Poincaré plot analysis for risk stratification in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy.
Voss, A; Fischer, C; Schroeder, R; Figulla, H R; Goernig, M
2010-01-01
The prognostic value of heart rate variability in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is limited and does not contribute to risk stratification although the dynamics of ventricular repolarization differs considerably between DCM patients and healthy subjects. Neither linear nor nonlinear methods of heart rate variability analysis could discriminate between patients at high and low risk for sudden cardiac death. The aim of this study was to analyze the suitability of the new developed segmented Poincaré plot analysis (SPPA) to enhance risk stratification in DCM. In contrast to the usual applied Poincaré plot analysis the SPPA retains nonlinear features from investigated beat-to-beat interval time series. Main features of SPPA are the rotation of cloud of points and their succeeded variability depended segmentation. Significant row and column probabilities were calculated from the segments and led to discrimination (up to pplot analysis of heart rate variability was able to contribute to risk stratification in patients suffering from DCM.
User Interaction in Semi-Automatic Segmentation of Organs at Risk: a Case Study in Radiotherapy
A. Ramkumar (Anjana); J. Dolz (Jose); H.A. Kirisli (Hortense); S. Adebahr (Sonja); T. Schimek-Jasch (Tanja); U. Nestle (Ursula); L. Massoptier (Laurent); E. Varga (Edit); P.J. Stappers (P.); W.J. Niessen (Wiro); Y. Song (Yu)
2016-01-01
textabstractAccurate segmentation of organs at risk is an important step in radiotherapy planning. Manual segmentation being a tedious procedure and prone to inter- and intra-observer variability, there is a growing interest in automated segmentation methods. However, automatic methods frequently
An algorithm to automate yeast segmentation and tracking.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Andreas Doncic
Full Text Available Our understanding of dynamic cellular processes has been greatly enhanced by rapid advances in quantitative fluorescence microscopy. Imaging single cells has emphasized the prevalence of phenomena that can be difficult to infer from population measurements, such as all-or-none cellular decisions, cell-to-cell variability, and oscillations. Examination of these phenomena requires segmenting and tracking individual cells over long periods of time. However, accurate segmentation and tracking of cells is difficult and is often the rate-limiting step in an experimental pipeline. Here, we present an algorithm that accomplishes fully automated segmentation and tracking of budding yeast cells within growing colonies. The algorithm incorporates prior information of yeast-specific traits, such as immobility and growth rate, to segment an image using a set of threshold values rather than one specific optimized threshold. Results from the entire set of thresholds are then used to perform a robust final segmentation.
Segmentation in low-penetration and low-involvement categories: an application to lottery games.
Guesalaga, Rodrigo; Marshall, Pablo
2013-09-01
Market segmentation is accepted as a fundamental concept in marketing and several authors have recently proposed a segmentation model where personal and environmental variables intersect with each other to form motivating conditions that drive behavior and preferences. This model of segmentation has been applied to packaged goods. This paper extends this literature by proposing a segmentation model for low-penetration and low involvement (LP-LI) products. An application to the lottery games in Chile supports the proposed model. The results of the study show that in this type of products (LP-LI), the attitude towards the product category is the most important factor that distinguishes consumers from non consumers, and heavy users from light users, and consequently, a critical segmentation variable. In addition, a cluster analysis shows the existence of three segments: (1) the impulsive dreamers, who believe in chance, and in that lottery games can change their life, (2) the skeptical, that do not believe in chance, nor in that lottery games can change their life and (3) the willing, who value the benefits of playing.
Bayesian automated cortical segmentation for neonatal MRI
Chou, Zane; Paquette, Natacha; Ganesh, Bhavana; Wang, Yalin; Ceschin, Rafael; Nelson, Marvin D.; Macyszyn, Luke; Gaonkar, Bilwaj; Panigrahy, Ashok; Lepore, Natasha
2017-11-01
Several attempts have been made in the past few years to develop and implement an automated segmentation of neonatal brain structural MRI. However, accurate automated MRI segmentation remains challenging in this population because of the low signal-to-noise ratio, large partial volume effects and inter-individual anatomical variability of the neonatal brain. In this paper, we propose a learning method for segmenting the whole brain cortical grey matter on neonatal T2-weighted images. We trained our algorithm using a neonatal dataset composed of 3 fullterm and 4 preterm infants scanned at term equivalent age. Our segmentation pipeline combines the FAST algorithm from the FSL library software and a Bayesian segmentation approach to create a threshold matrix that minimizes the error of mislabeling brain tissue types. Our method shows promising results with our pilot training set. In both preterm and full-term neonates, automated Bayesian segmentation generates a smoother and more consistent parcellation compared to FAST, while successfully removing the subcortical structure and cleaning the edges of the cortical grey matter. This method show promising refinement of the FAST segmentation by considerably reducing manual input and editing required from the user, and further improving reliability and processing time of neonatal MR images. Further improvement will include a larger dataset of training images acquired from different manufacturers.
User Interaction in Semi-Automatic Segmentation of Organs at Risk : A Case Study in Radiotherapy
Ramkumar, A.; Dolz, J.; Kirisli, H.A.; Adebahr, S.; Schimek-Jasch, T.; Nestle, U.; Massoptier, L.; Varga, E.; Stappers, P.J.; Niessen, W.J.; Song, Y.
2015-01-01
Accurate segmentation of organs at risk is an important step in radiotherapy planning. Manual segmentation being a tedious procedure and prone to inter- and intra-observer variability, there is a growing interest in automated segmentation methods. However, automatic methods frequently fail to
A New Theory of Non-Linear Thermo-Elastic Constitutive Equation of Isotropic Hyperelastic Materials
Li, Chen; Liao, Yufei
2018-03-01
Considering the influence of temperature and strain variables on materials. According to the relationship of conjugate stress-strain, a complete and irreducible non-linear constitutive equation of isotropic hyperelastic materials is derived and the constitutive equations of 16 types of isotropic hyperelastic materials are given we study the transformation methods and routes of 16 kinds of constitutive equations and the study proves that transformation of two forms of constitutive equation. As an example of application, the non-linear thermo-elastic constitutive equation of isotropic hyperelastic materials is combined with the natural vulcanized rubber experimental data in the existing literature base on MATLAB, The results show that the fitting accuracy is satisfactory.
Segmentation: Identification of consumer segments
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Høg, Esben
2005-01-01
It is very common to categorise people, especially in the advertising business. Also traditional marketing theory has taken in consumer segments as a favorite topic. Segmentation is closely related to the broader concept of classification. From a historical point of view, classification has its...... origin in other sciences as for example biology, anthropology etc. From an economic point of view, it is called segmentation when specific scientific techniques are used to classify consumers to different characteristic groupings. What is the purpose of segmentation? For example, to be able to obtain...... a basic understanding of grouping people. Advertising agencies may use segmentation totarget advertisements, while food companies may usesegmentation to develop products to various groups of consumers. MAPP has for example investigated the positioning of fish in relation to other food products...
"Every jack to his trade?": power, identity and market segmentation in the homosexual movement
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Isadora Lins França
Full Text Available The present article aims at exploring the relations between the homosexual movement and the segmented consumption market directed at such public in São Paulo. Starting with the social drama analyzed in the text, which involves militant homosexuals and transvestites, the so-called actors of such segmented market, and the attending public, we intend to delineate ways to understand these relations, as well as some processes related to the constitution of the political subject of the homosexual movement in a context of both multiplication of identifying categories and destabilization of this subject.
Segmentation of culturally diverse visitors' values in forest recreation management
C. Li; H.C. Zinn; G.E. Chick; J.D. Absher; A.R. Graefe; Y. Hsu
2007-01-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the potential utility of HOFSTEDEâs measure of cultural values (1980) for group segmentation in an ethnically diverse population in a forest recreation context, and to validate the values segmentation, if any, via socio-demographic and service quality related variables. In 2002, the visitors to the Angeles National Forest (ANF)...
Variational segmentation problems using prior knowledge in imaging and vision
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Fundana, Ketut
This dissertation addresses variational formulation of segmentation problems using prior knowledge. Variational models are among the most successful approaches for solving many Computer Vision and Image Processing problems. The models aim at finding the solution to a given energy functional defined......, prior knowledge is needed to obtain the desired solution. The introduction of shape priors in particular, has proven to be an effective way to segment objects of interests. Firstly, we propose a prior-based variational segmentation model to segment objects of interest in image sequences, that can deal....... Many objects have high variability in shape and orientation. This often leads to unsatisfactory results, when using a segmentation model with single shape template. One way to solve this is by using more sophisticated shape models. We propose to incorporate shape priors from a shape sub...
A novel model for product bundling and direct marketing in e-commerce based on market segmentation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Arash Beheshtian-Ardakani
2018-01-01
Full Text Available Nowadays, companies offer product bundles with special discounts in order to sell more products. However, it is important to note that customers show different levels of loyalties to companies, and each segment of the market has unique features, which influences the customers’ buying patterns. The primary purpose of this paper is to propose a novel model for product bundling in e-commerce websites by using market segmentation variables and customer loyalty analysis. RFM model is employed to calculate customer loyalty. Subsequently, the customers are grouped based on their loyalty levels. Each group is then divided into different segments based on market segmentation variables. The product bundles are determined for each market segment via clustering algorithms. Apriori algorithm is also used to determine the association rules for each product bundle. Classification models are applied in order to determine which product bundle should be recommended to each customer. The results demonstrate that the silhouette coefficient, support, confidence, and accuracy values are higher when both customer loyalty level and market segmentation variables are used in product bundling. Accordingly, the proposed model increases the chance of success in direct marketing and recommending product bundles to customers.
Segmentation of users of social networking websites
Lorenzo-Romero, C.; Alarcon-del-Amo, M.d.C.; Constantinides, Efthymios
2012-01-01
The typology of networked consumers in The Netherlands presented in this study, was based on an online survey and obtained using latent segmentation analysis. This approach is based on the frequency with which users perform different activities, their sociodemographic variables, social networking
Towards continuum models of lateral rupture propagation in a segmented megathrust
Pranger, C. C.; van Dinther, Y.; Le Pourhiet, L.; May, D.; Gerya, T.
2015-12-01
At subduction megathrusts, propagation of large ruptures may be confined between the up-dip and down-dip limits of the seismogenic zone. This opens a primary role for lateral rupture dimensions to control the magnitude and severity of megathrust earthquakes. The goal of this study is to improve our understanding of the ways in which the inherent variability of the subduction interface may influence the degree of interseismic locking, and the propensity of a rupture to propagate over regions of variable slip potential. We focus in particular on the roughness of the incoming seafloor, which we expect to be of primary importance. The global absence of a historic record sufficiently long to base risk assessment on, makes us rely on numerical modelling as a way to extend our understanding of the spatio-temporal occurrence of earthquakes. However, the complex interaction of the subduction stress environment, the variability of the subduction interface, and the structure and deformation of the crustal wedge has made it very difficult to construct comprehensive numerical models of megathrust segmentation. We intend to develop and exploit the power of a plastic 3D continuum representation of the subduction megathrust, as well as off-megathrust faulting to model the long-term tectonic build-up of stresses, and their sudden seismic release. The sheer size of the 3D problem, and the time scales covering those of tectonics as well as seismology, force us to explore efficient and accurate physical and numerical techniques. So far, we have focused our efforts on developing a staggered grid finite difference code that makes use of the PETSc library for massively parallel computing. The code incorporates a newly developed automatic discretization algorithm, which enables it to handle a wide variety of equations with relative ease. What remains now is combining the physics that act on the different spatial and temporal scales. To this end we explore new constitutive models that
Possible words and fixed stress in the segmentation of Slovak speech.
Hanulíková, Adriana; McQueen, James M; Mitterer, Holger
2010-03-01
The possible-word constraint (PWC; Norris, McQueen, Cutler, & Butterfield, 1997) has been proposed as a language-universal segmentation principle: Lexical candidates are disfavoured if the resulting segmentation of continuous speech leads to vowelless residues in the input-for example, single consonants. Three word-spotting experiments investigated segmentation in Slovak, a language with single-consonant words and fixed stress. In Experiment 1, Slovak listeners detected real words such as ruka "hand" embedded in prepositional-consonant contexts (e.g., /gruka/) faster than those in nonprepositional-consonant contexts (e.g., /truka/) and slowest in syllable contexts (e.g., /dugruka/). The second experiment controlled for effects of stress. Responses were still fastest in prepositional-consonant contexts, but were now slowest in nonprepositional-consonant contexts. In Experiment 3, the lexical and syllabic status of the contexts was manipulated. Responses were again slowest in nonprepositional-consonant contexts but equally fast in prepositional-consonant, prepositional-vowel, and nonprepositional-vowel contexts. These results suggest that Slovak listeners use fixed stress and the PWC to segment speech, but that single consonants that can be words have a special status in Slovak segmentation. Knowledge about what constitutes a phonologically acceptable word in a given language therefore determines whether vowelless stretches of speech are or are not treated as acceptable parts of the lexical parse.
Automatic Segmentation for Reach/frequency Estimation of Newspaper Sections and Internet Papers
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Mortensen, Peter Stendahl; Arnaa, Kristian
1999-01-01
segments are created, individualising the reading probabilities more than when using frequency groups. Two examples are presented: First, an experiment in which heavy users of the Internet are sampled on the Internet itself. The readers of each "Internet paper" are segmented by variables on their use...
Fluorecence modulated radiotherapy with integrated segmentation to optimization
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Baer, W.; Alber, M.; Nuesslin, F.
2003-01-01
On the basis of two clinical cases, we present fluence-modulated radiotherapy with a sequencer integrated into the optimization of our treatment-planning software HYPERION. In each case, we achieved simple relations for the dependence of the total number of segments on the complexity of the sequencing, as well as for the dependence of the dose-distribution quality on the number of segments. For both clinical cases, it was possible to obtain treatment plans that complied with the clinical demands on dose distribution and number of segments. Also, compared to the widespread concept of equidistant steps, our method of sequencing with fluence steps of variable size led to a significant reduction of the number of segments, while maintaining the quality of the dose distribution. Our findings substantiate the value of the integration of the sequencer into the optimization for the clinical efficiency of IMRT [de
Transgenic Expression of Constitutively Active RAC1 Disrupts Mouse Rod Morphogenesis
Song, Hongman; Bush, Ronald A.; Vijayasarathy, Camasamudram; Fariss, Robert N.; Kjellstrom, Sten; Sieving, Paul A.
2014-01-01
Purpose. Dominant-active RAC1 rescues photoreceptor structure in Drosophila rhodopsin-null mutants, indicating an important role in morphogenesis. This report assesses the morphogenetic effect of activated RAC1 during mammalian rod photoreceptor development using transgenic mice that express constitutively active (CA) RAC1. Methods. Transgenic mice were generated by expressing CA RAC1 under control of the Rhodopsin promoter, and morphological features of the photoreceptors were evaluated by histology, immunohistochemistry, and transmission electron microscopy. Function was evaluated by electroretinography. Potential protein partners of CA RAC1 were identified by co-immunoprecipitation of retinal extracts. Results. Constitutively active RAC1 expression in differentiating rods disrupted outer retinal lamination as early as postnatal day (P)6, and many photoreceptor cell nuclei were displaced apically into the presumptive subretinal space. These photoreceptors did not develop normal inner and outer segments and had abnormal placement of synaptic elements. Some photoreceptor nuclei were also mislocalized into the inner nuclear layer. Extensive photoreceptor degeneration was subsequently observed in the adult animal. Constitutively active RAC1 formed a complex with the polarity protein PAR6 and with microtubule motor dynein in mouse retina. The normal localization of the PAR6 complex was disrupted in CA RAC1-expressing rod photoreceptors. Conclusions. Constitutively active RAC1 had a profound negative effect on mouse rod cell viability and development. Rod photoreceptors in the CA RAC1 retina exhibited a defect in polarity and migration. Constitutively active RAC1 disrupted rod morphogenesis and gave a phenotype resembling that found in the Crumbs mutant. PAR6 and dynein are two potential downstream effectors that may be involved in CA RAC1-mediated defective mouse photoreceptor morphogenesis. PMID:24651551
Differential segmentation responses to an alcohol social marketing program.
Dietrich, Timo; Rundle-Thiele, Sharyn; Schuster, Lisa; Drennan, Judy; Russell-Bennett, Rebekah; Leo, Cheryl; Gullo, Matthew J; Connor, Jason P
2015-10-01
This study seeks to establish whether meaningful subgroups exist within a 14-16 year old adolescent population and if these segments respond differently to the Game On: Know Alcohol (GOKA) intervention, a school-based alcohol social marketing program. This study is part of a larger cluster randomized controlled evaluation of the GOKA program implemented in 14 schools in 2013/2014. TwoStep cluster analysis was conducted to segment 2,114 high school adolescents (14-16 years old) on the basis of 22 demographic, behavioral, and psychographic variables. Program effects on knowledge, attitudes, behavioral intentions, social norms, alcohol expectancies, and drinking refusal self-efficacy of identified segments were subsequently examined. Three segments were identified: (1) Abstainers, (2) Bingers, and (3) Moderate Drinkers. Program effects varied significantly across segments. The strongest positive change effects post-participation were observed for Bingers, while mixed effects were evident for Moderate Drinkers and Abstainers. These findings provide preliminary empirical evidence supporting the application of social marketing segmentation in alcohol education programs. Development of targeted programs that meet the unique needs of each of the three identified segments will extend the social marketing footprint in alcohol education. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Segmental Modification of the Mualem Model by Remolded Loess
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Le-fan Wang
2017-01-01
Full Text Available The measured diffusion coefficient and soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC of remolded loess were used to modify the Mualem model for increasing its accuracy. The obtained results show that the goodness of fit between the Mualem model and the variable parameter-modified Mualem method comparing with the test results was not high. The saturation of 0.65 was introduced as the boundary to divide the curve of the measured diffusion coefficient into two segments. When the segmentation method combined with the variable parameter method was used to modify the Mualem model, the fitting correlation coefficient was increased to 0.921–0.998. The modified parameters Ko and L corresponding to remolded loess were calculated for different dry densities. Based on the exponential function between Ko and dry density and the linear relation between L and dry density, the segmentally modified Mualem model was established for remolded loess by considering variation in dry density. The results of the study can be used for directly determining the unsaturated infiltration coefficient and for indirectly determining the SWCC through diffusion coefficient.
Landa Arroyo, César
2015-01-01
From the process of globalization of law, the comparative constitutional law has gained a leading role for a better understanding and solving old and new constitutional national and international challenges. Therefore, some assumptions and considerations to take into account are presented for the development of the national constitutional order within the framework of the comparative constitutional law, such as universality and relativism of human rights; the concept of power and cons...
A toolbox for multiple sclerosis lesion segmentation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Roura, Eloy; Oliver, Arnau; Valverde, Sergi; Llado, Xavier; Cabezas, Mariano; Pareto, Deborah; Rovira, Alex; Vilanova, Joan C.; Ramio-Torrenta, Lluis
2015-01-01
Lesion segmentation plays an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of multiple sclerosis (MS). This task is very time-consuming and subject to intra- and inter-rater variability. In this paper, we present a new tool for automated MS lesion segmentation using T1w and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Our approach is based on two main steps, initial brain tissue segmentation according to the gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) performed in T1w images, followed by a second step where the lesions are segmented as outliers to the normal apparent GM brain tissue on the FLAIR image. The tool has been validated using data from more than 100 MS patients acquired with different scanners and at different magnetic field strengths. Quantitative evaluation provided a better performance in terms of precision while maintaining similar results on sensitivity and Dice similarity measures compared with those of other approaches. Our tool is implemented as a publicly available SPM8/12 extension that can be used by both the medical and research communities. (orig.)
A toolbox for multiple sclerosis lesion segmentation
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Roura, Eloy; Oliver, Arnau; Valverde, Sergi; Llado, Xavier [University of Girona, Computer Vision and Robotics Group, Girona (Spain); Cabezas, Mariano; Pareto, Deborah; Rovira, Alex [Vall d' Hebron University Hospital, Magnetic Resonance Unit, Dept. of Radiology, Barcelona (Spain); Vilanova, Joan C. [Girona Magnetic Resonance Center, Girona (Spain); Ramio-Torrenta, Lluis [Dr. Josep Trueta University Hospital, Institut d' Investigacio Biomedica de Girona, Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Unit, Girona (Spain)
2015-10-15
Lesion segmentation plays an important role in the diagnosis and follow-up of multiple sclerosis (MS). This task is very time-consuming and subject to intra- and inter-rater variability. In this paper, we present a new tool for automated MS lesion segmentation using T1w and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. Our approach is based on two main steps, initial brain tissue segmentation according to the gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) performed in T1w images, followed by a second step where the lesions are segmented as outliers to the normal apparent GM brain tissue on the FLAIR image. The tool has been validated using data from more than 100 MS patients acquired with different scanners and at different magnetic field strengths. Quantitative evaluation provided a better performance in terms of precision while maintaining similar results on sensitivity and Dice similarity measures compared with those of other approaches. Our tool is implemented as a publicly available SPM8/12 extension that can be used by both the medical and research communities. (orig.)
UNDERSTANDING INFORMAL CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGE
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Stephen M. Griffin
2016-01-01
Full Text Available Amid much recent American work on the problem of informal constitutional change, this article stakes out a distinctive position. I argue that theories of constitutional change in the US must address the question of the relationship between the “small c” and “big C” Constitution and treat seriously the possibility of conflict between them. I stress the unavoidable role the text of the Constitution and structural doctrines of federalism and separation of powers play in this relationship and thus in constitutional change, both formal and informal. I therefore counsel against theories that rely solely on a practice-based approach or analogies between “small c” constitutional developments and British or Commonwealth traditions of the “unwritten” constitution and constitutional “conventions.” The alternative I advocate is to approach constitutional change from a historicist perspective that focuses attention on state building and the creation of new institutional capacities. This approach will allow us to make progress by highlighting that there can be multiple constitutional orders in a given historical era, thus accounting for the conflictual nature of contemporary constitutional development in the US.
Segmentation of liver tumors on CT images
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Pescia, D.
2011-01-01
This thesis is dedicated to 3D segmentation of liver tumors in CT images. This is a task of great clinical interest since it allows physicians benefiting from reproducible and reliable methods for segmenting such lesions. Accurate segmentation would indeed help them during the evaluation of the lesions, the choice of treatment and treatment planning. Such a complex segmentation task should cope with three main scientific challenges: (i) the highly variable shape of the structures being sought, (ii) their similarity of appearance compared with their surrounding medium and finally (iii) the low signal to noise ratio being observed in these images. This problem is addressed in a clinical context through a two step approach, consisting of the segmentation of the entire liver envelope, before segmenting the tumors which are present within the envelope. We begin by proposing an atlas-based approach for computing pathological liver envelopes. Initially images are pre-processed to compute the envelopes that wrap around binary masks in an attempt to obtain liver envelopes from estimated segmentation of healthy liver parenchyma. A new statistical atlas is then introduced and used to segmentation through its diffeomorphic registration to the new image. This segmentation is achieved through the combination of image matching costs as well as spatial and appearance prior using a multi-scale approach with MRF. The second step of our approach is dedicated to lesions segmentation contained within the envelopes using a combination of machine learning techniques and graph based methods. First, an appropriate feature space is considered that involves texture descriptors being determined through filtering using various scales and orientations. Then, state of the art machine learning techniques are used to determine the most relevant features, as well as the hyper plane that separates the feature space of tumoral voxels to the ones corresponding to healthy tissues. Segmentation is then
Segmenting Chinese Tourists by the Expected Experience at Theme Parks
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Shan Chen
2013-08-01
Full Text Available In this paper, we propose an experiential approach to tourist segmentation aimed at overcoming the limits of both socio-demographic and context-specific approaches widely adopted in the literature and in practice. In this study, segmentation is carried out based upon the expected experiences of Chinese tourists at the Shanghai World Exposition. The segmentation reveals four tourist clusters with different interests in relation to their experiences in visiting the World Exposition. The clusters showed insignificant differences in the demographics but proved to be powerfully discriminant in determining tourists’ satisfaction and loyalty, which affirms the potential of the tourist experience being a segmenting variable. Moreover, thanks to the analysis, an evaluation of the Shanghai World Exposition’s success in terms of visitors’ satisfaction is provided.
Transnational Constitutional Law
Zumbansen, P (Peer); K.I. Bhatt (Kinnari)
2018-01-01
textabstractThis chapter provides an overview of the emerging field of transnational constitutional law (TCL). Whilst questions of constitutional law are typically discussed in the context of a specific domestic legal setting, a salient strategy of TCL is to understand constitutional law and its
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Swoboda, C.; Barsotti, E.; Chappa, S.; Downing, R.; Goeransson, G.; Lensy, D.; Moore, G.; Rotolo, C.; Urish, J.
1985-01-01
The FASTBUS Segment Interconnect (SI) provides a communication path between two otherwise independent, asynchronous bus segments. In particular, the Segment Interconnect links a backplane crate segment to a cable segment. All standard FASTBUS address and data transactions can be passed through the SI or any number of SIs and segments in a path. Thus systems of arbitrary connection complexity can be formed, allowing simultaneous independent processing, yet still permitting devices associated with one segment to be accessed from others. The model S1 Segment Interconnect and the Cable Segment Ancillary Logic covered in this report comply with all the mandatory features stated in the FASTBUS specification document DOE/ER-0189. A block diagram of the SI is shown
Segmentation of Natural Gas Customers in Industrial Sector Using Self-Organizing Map (SOM) Method
Masbar Rus, A. M.; Pramudita, R.; Surjandari, I.
2018-03-01
The usage of the natural gas which is non-renewable energy, needs to be more efficient. Therefore, customer segmentation becomes necessary to set up a marketing strategy to be right on target or to determine an appropriate fee. This research was conducted at PT PGN using one of data mining method, i.e. Self-Organizing Map (SOM). The clustering process is based on the characteristic of its customers as a reference to create the customer segmentation of natural gas customers. The input variables of this research are variable of area, type of customer, the industrial sector, the average usage, standard deviation of the usage, and the total deviation. As a result, 37 cluster and 9 segment from 838 customer data are formed. These 9 segments then employed to illustrate the general characteristic of the natural gas customer of PT PGN.
Uwimana, B.; Smulders, M.J.M.; Hooftman, D.A.P.; Hartman, Y.; van Tienderen, P.H.; Jansen, J.; McHale, L.K.; Michelmore, R.W.; Visser, R.G.F.; van de Wiel, C.C.M.
2012-01-01
Background: After crop-wild hybridization, some of the crop genomic segments may become established in wild populations through selfing of the hybrids or through backcrosses to the wild parent. This constitutes a possible route through which crop (trans)genes could become established in natural
Uwimana, B.; Smulders, M.J.M.; Hooftman, D.A.P.; Hartman, Y.; Tienderen, van P.H.; Jansen, J.; McHale, L.K.; Michelmore, R.; Visser, R.G.F.; Wiel, van de C.C.M.
2012-01-01
After crop-wild hybridization, some of the crop genomic segments may become established in wild populations through selfing of the hybrids or through backcrosses to the wild parent. This constitutes a possible route through which crop (trans)genes could become established in natural populations. The
The use of mixed-integer programming for inverse treatment planning with pre-defined field segments
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Bednarz, Greg; Michalski, Darek; Houser, Chris; Huq, M. Saiful; Xiao Ying; Rani, Pramila Anne; Galvin, James M.
2002-01-01
Complex intensity patterns generated by traditional beamlet-based inverse treatment plans are often very difficult to deliver. In the approach presented in this work the intensity maps are controlled by pre-defining field segments to be used for dose optimization. A set of simple rules was used to define a pool of allowable delivery segments and the mixed-integer programming (MIP) method was used to optimize segment weights. The optimization problem was formulated by combining real variables describing segment weights with a set of binary variables, used to enumerate voxels in targets and critical structures. The MIP method was compared to the previously used Cimmino projection algorithm. The field segmentation approach was compared to an inverse planning system with a traditional beamlet-based beam intensity optimization. In four complex cases of oropharyngeal cancer the segmental inverse planning produced treatment plans, which competed with traditional beamlet-based IMRT plans. The mixed-integer programming provided mechanism for imposition of dose-volume constraints and allowed for identification of the optimal solution for feasible problems. Additional advantages of the segmental technique presented here are: simplified dosimetry, quality assurance and treatment delivery. (author)
Right Product, Wrong Packaging: Not 'Constitution', but 'Constitutional Charter'
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
John Law
2007-05-01
Full Text Available The article seeks to locate the principal cause of Europe’s prevailing ratification crisis in the inappropriate title arrived at in the European Convention, Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe. This over-ambitious styling led the media to characterise the text as simply an ‘EU Constitution’. Yet, the text was not a Constitution as we traditionally understand the term, i.e. the founding document of a State: scholars are agreed that the EU is not, and will not become upon ratification, a State.In terms of substance, whilst the text certainly strengthened some emerging constitutional aspects, it was not a major departure from the status quo like the Single European Act and Treaty on European Union had been; and it remained technically a treaty like all its predecessors. Arguably, therefore, it did not require referenda to ratify. However, confusion over the scale and importance of what was proposed, stemming from ambiguity in the title, pushed politicians down this unfortunate path.The article identifies a high level of consensus among commentators as to the true nature of the text: most are happy designating it a treaty (noun with constitutional (adjective aspects. The early proposed title Constitutional Treaty for Europe was arguably, therefore, the correct one; but it is now too late to choose this option, as the terms Constitution and Constitutional Treaty have already been muddled in debate. A more distinctive change is required. One idea could be to follow the principle employed elsewhere in the text of codifying the generally accepted but presently unwritten legal concepts of the European Court of Justice, as was done for example for ‘primacy’ and ‘direct effect’. The Court has characterised the EU treaties as a ‘constitutional charter’ for over twenty years now, and on this basis a modified title could read Treaty Establishing a Constitutional Charter for Europe. Importantly, the term ‘charter’ is recognised
Topology optimization for design of segmented permanent magnet arrays with ferromagnetic materials
Lee, Jaewook; Yoon, Minho; Nomura, Tsuyoshi; Dede, Ercan M.
2018-03-01
This paper presents multi-material topology optimization for the co-design of permanent magnet segments and iron material. Specifically, a co-design methodology is proposed to find an optimal border of permanent magnet segments, a pattern of magnetization directions, and an iron shape. A material interpolation scheme is proposed for material property representation among air, permanent magnet, and iron materials. In this scheme, the permanent magnet strength and permeability are controlled by density design variables, and permanent magnet magnetization directions are controlled by angle design variables. In addition, a scheme to penalize intermediate magnetization direction is proposed to achieve segmented permanent magnet arrays with discrete magnetization directions. In this scheme, permanent magnet strength is controlled depending on magnetization direction, and consequently the final permanent magnet design converges into permanent magnet segments having target discrete directions. To validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach, three design examples are provided. The examples include the design of a dipole Halbach cylinder, magnetic system with arbitrarily-shaped cavity, and multi-objective problem resembling a magnetic refrigeration device.
Wolff, A.P.; Groen, G.J.; Crul, B.J.P.
2001-01-01
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Selective spinal nerve infiltration blocks are used diagnostically in patients with chronic low back pain radiating into the leg. Generally, a segmental nerve block is considered successful if the pain is reduced substantially. Hypesthesia and elicited paresthesias
Estimating variability in placido-based topographic systems.
Kounis, George A; Tsilimbaris, Miltiadis K; Kymionis, George D; Ginis, Harilaos S; Pallikaris, Ioannis G
2007-10-01
To describe a new software tool for the detailed presentation of corneal topography measurements variability by means of color-coded maps. Software was developed in Visual Basic to analyze and process a series of 10 consecutive measurements obtained by a topographic system on calibration spheres, and individuals with emmetropic, low, high, and irregular astigmatic corneas. Corneal surface was segmented into 1200 segments and the coefficient of variance of each segment's keratometric dioptric power was used as the measure of variability. The results were presented graphically in color-coded maps (Variability Maps). Two topographic systems, the TechnoMed C-Scan and the TOMEY Topographic Modeling System (TMS-2N), were examined to demonstrate our method. Graphic representation of coefficient of variance offered a detailed representation of examination variability both in calibration surfaces and human corneas. It was easy to recognize an increase in variability, as the irregularity of examination surfaces increased. In individuals with high and irregular astigmatism, a variability pattern correlated with the pattern of corneal topography: steeper corneal areas possessed higher variability values compared with flatter areas of the same cornea. Numerical data permitted direct comparisons and statistical analysis. We propose a method that permits a detailed evaluation of the variability of corneal topography measurements. The representation of the results both graphically and quantitatively improves interpretability and facilitates a spatial correlation of variability maps with original topography maps. Given the popularity of topography based custom refractive ablations of the cornea, it is possible that variability maps may assist clinicians in the evaluation of corneal topography maps of patients with very irregular corneas, before custom ablation procedures.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Jarali, Chetan S; Raja, S; Upadhya, A R
2010-01-01
Materials design involving the thermomechanical constitutive modeling of shape memory alloy (SMA) and shape memory polymer (SMP) composites is a key topic in the development of smart adaptive shape memory composites (SASMC). In this work, a constitutive model for SASMC is developed. First, a one-dimensional SMA model, which can simulate the pseudoelastic (PE) and shape memory effects (SME) is presented. Subsequently, a one-dimensional SMP model able to reproduce the SME is addressed. Both SMA and SMP models are based on a single internal state variable, namely the martensite fraction and the frozen fraction, which can be expressed as a function of temperature. A consistent form of the analytical solution for the SMP model is obtained using the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method. Finally, the SASMC constitutive model is proposed, following two analytical homogenization approaches. One approach is based on an equivalent inclusion method and the other approach is the rule of mixtures. The SMA and SMP constitutive models are validated independently with experimental results. However, the validation of the composite model is performed using the two homogenization approaches and a close agreement in results is observed. Results regarding the isothermal and thermomechanical stress–strain responses are analyzed as a function of SMA volume fraction. Further, it is concluded that the proposed composite model is able to reproduce consistently the overall composite response by taking into consideration not only the phase transformations, variable modulus and transformation stresses in SMA but also the variable modulus, the evolution of stored strain and thermal strain in the SMP
Segmented block copolymers with monodisperse aramide end-segments
Araichimani, A.; Gaymans, R.J.
2008-01-01
Segmented block copolymers were synthesized using monodisperse diaramide (TT) as hard segments and PTMO with a molecular weight of 2 900 g · mol-1 as soft segments. The aramide: PTMO segment ratio was increased from 1:1 to 2:1 thereby changing the structure from a high molecular weight multi-block
Running the figure to the ground: figure-ground segmentation during visual search.
Ralph, Brandon C W; Seli, Paul; Cheng, Vivian O Y; Solman, Grayden J F; Smilek, Daniel
2014-04-01
We examined how figure-ground segmentation occurs across multiple regions of a visual array during a visual search task. Stimuli consisted of arrays of black-and-white figure-ground images in which roughly half of each image depicted a meaningful object, whereas the other half constituted a less meaningful shape. The colours of the meaningful regions of the targets and distractors were either the same (congruent) or different (incongruent). We found that incongruent targets took longer to locate than congruent targets (Experiments 1, 2, and 3) and that this segmentation-congruency effect decreased when the number of search items was reduced (Experiment 2). Furthermore, an analysis of eye movements revealed that participants spent more time scrutinising the target before confirming its identity on incongruent trials than on congruent trials (Experiment 3). These findings suggest that the distractor context influences target segmentation and detection during visual search. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Segmentation of consumer's markets and evaluation of market's segments
ŠVECOVÁ, Iveta
2013-01-01
The goal of this bachelor thesis was to explain a possibly segmentation of consumer´s markets for a chosen company, and to present a suitable goods offer, so it would be suitable to the needs of selected segments. The work is divided into theoretical and practical part. First part describes marketing, segmentation, segmentation of consumer's markets, consumer's market, market's segments a other terms. Second part describes an evaluation of questionnaire survey, discovering of market's segment...
Constitutional Rights in Indonesia
Judhariksawan
2018-01-01
The constitution is fundamental to the life of the modern state as a major foothold in state governance. Includes the guarantee of constitutional rights of citizens. The The constitution is the basis of state organizers to be implemented so that the state is obliged to guarantee the fulfillment of citizens' constitutional rights. Human rights have become an important part of the modern constitution. This study will describe how human rights guarantees become part of consti...
Kocsis, E; Trus, B L; Steer, C J; Bisher, M E; Steven, A C
1991-08-01
We have developed computational techniques that allow image averaging to be applied to electron micrographs of filamentous molecules that exhibit tight and variable curvature. These techniques, which involve straightening by cubic-spline interpolation, image classification, and statistical analysis of the molecules' curvature properties, have been applied to purified brain clathrin. This trimeric filamentous protein polymerizes, both in vivo and in vitro, into a wide range of polyhedral structures. Contrasted by low-angle rotary shadowing, dissociated clathrin molecules appear as distinctive three-legged structures, called "triskelions" (E. Ungewickell and D. Branton (1981) Nature 289, 420). We find triskelion legs to vary from 35 to 62 nm in total length, according to an approximately bell-shaped distribution (mu = 51.6 nm). Peaks in averaged curvature profiles mark hinges or sites of enhanced flexibility. Such profiles, calculated for each length class, show that triskelion legs are flexible over their entire lengths. However, three curvature peaks are observed in every case: their locations define a proximal segment of systematically increasing length (14.0-19.0 nm), a mid-segment of fixed length (approximately 12 nm), and a rather variable end-segment (11.6-19.5 nm), terminating in a hinge just before the globular terminal domain (approximately 7.3 nm diameter). Thus, two major factors contribute to the overall variability in leg length: (1) stretching of the proximal segment and (2) stretching of the end-segment and/or scrolling of the terminal domain. The observed elasticity of the proximal segment may reflect phosphorylation of the clathrin light chains.
Li, Wei; Chen, Ting; Zhang, Wenjun; Shi, Yunyu; Li, Jun
2012-04-01
In recent years, Music video data is increasing at an astonishing speed. Shot segmentation and keyframe extraction constitute a fundamental unit in organizing, indexing, retrieving video content. In this paper a unified framework is proposed to detect the shot boundaries and extract the keyframe of a shot. Music video is first segmented to shots by illumination-invariant chromaticity histogram in independent component (IC) analysis feature space .Then we presents a new metric, image complexity, to extract keyframe in a shot which is computed by ICs. Experimental results show the framework is effective and has a good performance.
Construction of carrier state viruses with partial genomes of the segmented dsRNA bacteriophages
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sun Yang; Qiao Xueying; Mindich, Leonard
2004-01-01
The cystoviridae are bacteriophages with genomes of three segments of dsRNA enclosed within a polyhedral capsid. Two members of this family, PHI6 and PHI8, have been shown to form carrier states in which the virus replicates as a stable episome in the host bacterium while expressing reporter genes such as kanamycin resistance or lacα. The carrier state does not require the activity of all the genes necessary for phage production. It is possible to generate carrier states by infecting cells with virus or by electroporating nonreplicating plasmids containing cDNA copies of the viral genomes into the host cells. We have found that carrier states in both PHI6 and PHI8 can be formed at high frequency with all three genomic segments or with only the large and small segments. The large genomic segment codes for the proteins that constitute the inner core of the virus, which is the structure responsible for the packaging and replication of the genome. In PHI6, a carrier state can be formed with the large and middle segment if mutations occur in the gene for the major structural protein of the inner core. In PHI8, carrier state formation requires the activity of genes 8 and 12 of segment S
The Constitutional Amendment Process
Chism, Kahlil
2005-01-01
This article discusses the constitutional amendment process. Although the process is not described in great detail, Article V of the United States Constitution allows for and provides instruction on amending the Constitution. While the amendment process currently consists of six steps, the Constitution is nevertheless quite difficult to change.…
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tufvesson, Jane; Carlsson, Marcus; Aletras, Anthony H.; Engblom, Henrik; Deux, Jean-François; Koul, Sasha; Sörensson, Peder; Pernow, John; Atar, Dan; Erlinge, David; Arheden, Håkan; Heiberg, Einar
2016-01-01
Efficacy of reperfusion therapy can be assessed as myocardial salvage index (MSI) by determining the size of myocardium at risk (MaR) and myocardial infarction (MI), (MSI = 1-MI/MaR). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) can be used to assess MI by late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) and MaR by either T2-weighted imaging or contrast enhanced SSFP (CE-SSFP). Automatic segmentation algorithms have been developed and validated for MI by LGE as well as for MaR by T2-weighted imaging. There are, however, no algorithms available for CE-SSFP. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and validate automatic segmentation of MaR in CE-SSFP. The automatic algorithm applies surface coil intensity correction and classifies myocardial intensities by Expectation Maximization to define a MaR region based on a priori regional criteria, and infarct region from LGE. Automatic segmentation was validated against manual delineation by expert readers in 183 patients with reperfused acute MI from two multi-center randomized clinical trials (RCT) (CHILL-MI and MITOCARE) and against myocardial perfusion SPECT in an additional set (n = 16). Endocardial and epicardial borders were manually delineated at end-diastole and end-systole. Manual delineation of MaR was used as reference and inter-observer variability was assessed for both manual delineation and automatic segmentation of MaR in a subset of patients (n = 15). MaR was expressed as percent of left ventricular mass (%LVM) and analyzed by bias (mean ± standard deviation). Regional agreement was analyzed by Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) (mean ± standard deviation). MaR assessed by manual and automatic segmentation were 36 ± 10 % and 37 ± 11 %LVM respectively with bias 1 ± 6 %LVM and regional agreement DSC 0.85 ± 0.08 (n = 183). MaR assessed by SPECT and CE-SSFP automatic segmentation were 27 ± 10 %LVM and 29 ± 7 %LVM respectively with bias 2 ± 7 %LVM. Inter-observer variability was 0 ± 3 %LVM for manual delineation and
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yuan Guoyong; Yang Shiping; Wang Guangrui; Chen Shigang
2008-01-01
In this paper, we consider a model system with two identical time-delayed coupled layers. Synchronization and anti-phase synchronization are exhibited in the reactive system without diffusion term. New segmented spiral waves, which are constituted by many thin trips, are found in each layer of two identical time-delayed coupled layers, and are different from the segmented spiral waves in a water-in-oil aerosol sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) micro-emulsion (ME) (BZ-AOT system), which consists of many small segments. 'Anti-phase spiral wave synchronization' can be realized between the first layer and the second one. For different excitable parameters, we also give the minimum values of the coupling strength to generate segmented spiral waves and the tip orbits of spiral waves in the whole bilayer.
Constitutional Politics, Constitutional Texts and Democratic Variety in Central and Eastern Europe
Blokker, Paul
2008-01-01
In the paper, it is argued that democratization in Central and Eastern Europe involves important forms of differentiation of democracy, rather than merely convergence to a singular – liberal-democratic, constitutional - model. One way of taking up democratic differentiation in post-communist societies is by analysing the constitutional documents of the new democratic orders, and the constitutional politics leading to the foundational documents. In a first step, the paper analyses constitution...
SpArcFiRe: Scalable automated detection of spiral galaxy arm segments
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Davis, Darren R.; Hayes, Wayne B.
2014-01-01
Given an approximately centered image of a spiral galaxy, we describe an entirely automated method that finds, centers, and sizes the galaxy (possibly masking nearby stars and other objects if necessary in order to isolate the galaxy itself) and then automatically extracts structural information about the spiral arms. For each arm segment found, we list the pixels in that segment, allowing image analysis on a per-arm-segment basis. We also perform a least-squares fit of a logarithmic spiral arc to the pixels in that segment, giving per-arc parameters, such as the pitch angle, arm segment length, location, etc. The algorithm takes about one minute per galaxies, and can easily be scaled using parallelism. We have run it on all ∼644,000 Sloan objects that are larger than 40 pixels across and classified as 'galaxies'. We find a very good correlation between our quantitative description of a spiral structure and the qualitative description provided by Galaxy Zoo humans. Our objective, quantitative measures of structure demonstrate the difficulty in defining exactly what constitutes a spiral 'arm', leading us to prefer the term 'arm segment'. We find that pitch angle often varies significantly segment-to-segment in a single spiral galaxy, making it difficult to define the pitch angle for a single galaxy. We demonstrate how our new database of arm segments can be queried to find galaxies satisfying specific quantitative visual criteria. For example, even though our code does not explicitly find rings, a good surrogate is to look for galaxies having one long, low-pitch-angle arm—which is how our code views ring galaxies. SpArcFiRe is available at http://sparcfire.ics.uci.edu.
Segmenting the Performing Arts Markets: The Case of Czech National Theater Attenders’ Motivations
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Chytková Zuzana
2012-09-01
Full Text Available Strategic marketing instruments such as segmentation and targeting can benefit performing arts institutions and render their offer more competitive. To segment classical performing arts audiences, however, the traditionally used variable is social class. In this paper, it is argued that such often suggested traditional segmentation criteria can prove to be context-insensitive and as such cannot be applied invariably across different settings. Based on an analysis of Czech National Theater audiences and its motivations, we propose the sought benefit of the theater visit as an alternative segmentation basis that may prove to be more context-sensitive.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Schaefer, A. [Saarland University Medical Centre, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Homburg (Germany); Vermandel, M. [U1189 - ONCO-THAI - Image Assisted Laser Therapy for Oncology, University of Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille (France); CHU Lille, Nuclear Medicine Department, Lille (France); Baillet, C. [CHU Lille, Nuclear Medicine Department, Lille (France); Dewalle-Vignion, A.S. [U1189 - ONCO-THAI - Image Assisted Laser Therapy for Oncology, University of Lille, Inserm, CHU Lille, Lille (France); Modzelewski, R.; Vera, P.; Gardin, I. [Centre Henri-Becquerel and LITIS EA4108, Rouen (France); Massoptier, L.; Parcq, C.; Gibon, D. [AQUILAB, Research and Innovation Department, Loos Les Lille (France); Fechter, T.; Nestle, U. [University Medical Center Freiburg, Department for Radiation Oncology, Freiburg (Germany); German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) Freiburg and German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany); Nemer, U. [University Medical Center Freiburg, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Freiburg (Germany)
2016-05-15
The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of consensus algorithms on segmentation results when applied to clinical PET images. In particular, whether the use of the majority vote or STAPLE algorithm could improve the accuracy and reproducibility of the segmentation provided by the combination of three semiautomatic segmentation algorithms was investigated. Three published segmentation methods (contrast-oriented, possibility theory and adaptive thresholding) and two consensus algorithms (majority vote and STAPLE) were implemented in a single software platform (Artiview registered). Four clinical datasets including different locations (thorax, breast, abdomen) or pathologies (primary NSCLC tumours, metastasis, lymphoma) were used to evaluate accuracy and reproducibility of the consensus approach in comparison with pathology as the ground truth or CT as a ground truth surrogate. Variability in the performance of the individual segmentation algorithms for lesions of different tumour entities reflected the variability in PET images in terms of resolution, contrast and noise. Independent of location and pathology of the lesion, however, the consensus method resulted in improved accuracy in volume segmentation compared with the worst-performing individual method in the majority of cases and was close to the best-performing method in many cases. In addition, the implementation revealed high reproducibility in the segmentation results with small changes in the respective starting conditions. There were no significant differences in the results with the STAPLE algorithm and the majority vote algorithm. This study showed that combining different PET segmentation methods by the use of a consensus algorithm offers robustness against the variable performance of individual segmentation methods and this approach would therefore be useful in radiation oncology. It might also be relevant for other scenarios such as the merging of expert recommendations in clinical routine and
Rumex acetosa Y chromosomes: constitutive or facultative heterochromatin?
Mosiołek, Magdalena; Pasierbek, Paweł; Malarz, Janusz; Moś, Maria; Joachimiak, Andrzej J
2005-01-01
Condensed Y chromosomes in Rumex acetosa L. root-tip nuclei were studied using 5-azaC treatment and immunohistochemical detection of methylated histones. Although Y chromosomes were decondensed within root meristem in vivo, they became condensed and heteropycnotic in roots cultured in vitro. 5-azacytidine (5-azaC) treatment of cultured roots caused transitional dispersion of their Y chromosome bodies, but 7 days after removal of the drug from the culture medium, Y heterochromatin recondensed and again became visible. The response of Rumex sex chromatin to 5-azaC was compared with that of condensed segments of pericentromeric heterochromatin in Rhoeo spathacea (Sw.) Steam roots. It was shown that Rhoeo chromocentres, composed of AT-rich constitutive heterochromatin, did not undergo decondensation after 5-azaC treatment. The Y-bodies observed within male nuclei of R. acetosa were globally enriched with H3 histone, demethylated at lysine 4 and methylated at lysine 9. This is the first report of histone tail-modification in condensed sex chromatin in plants. Our results suggest that the interphase condensation of Y chromosomes in Rumex is facultative rather than constitutive. Furthermore, the observed response of Y-bodies to 5-azaC may result indirectly from demethylation and the subsequent altered expression of unknown genes controlling tissue-specific Y-inactivation as opposed to the global demethylation of Y-chromosome DNA.
Shape-Tailored Features and their Application to Texture Segmentation
Khan, Naeemullah
2014-01-01
Texture Segmentation is one of the most challenging areas of computer vision. One reason for this difficulty is the huge variety and variability of textures occurring in real world, making it very difficult to quantitatively study textures. One
Mauldin, Charles R.; And Others
Ninety-six subjects were randomly chosen from 386 bank customers who responded to a questionnaire using subjective variables to segment or label respondents. A review of subjective segmentation studies revealed that the studies can be divided into three approaches--benefit segmentation, attitude segmentation, and life style segmentation. Choosing…
[Evaluation of Image Quality of Readout Segmented EPI with Readout Partial Fourier Technique].
Yoshimura, Yuuki; Suzuki, Daisuke; Miyahara, Kanae
Readout segmented EPI (readout segmentation of long variable echo-trains: RESOLVE) segmented k-space in the readout direction. By using the partial Fourier method in the readout direction, the imaging time was shortened. However, the influence on image quality due to insufficient data sampling is concerned. The setting of the partial Fourier method in the readout direction in each segment was changed. Then, we examined signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), and distortion ratio for changes in image quality due to differences in data sampling. As the number of sampling segments decreased, SNR and CNR showed a low value. In addition, the distortion ratio did not change. The image quality of minimum sampling segments is greatly different from full data sampling, and caution is required when using it.
Shape-Tailored Features and their Application to Texture Segmentation
Khan, Naeemullah
2014-04-01
Texture Segmentation is one of the most challenging areas of computer vision. One reason for this difficulty is the huge variety and variability of textures occurring in real world, making it very difficult to quantitatively study textures. One of the key tools used for texture segmentation is local invariant descriptors. Texture consists of textons, the basic building block of textures, that may vary by small nuisances like illumination variation, deformations, and noise. Local invariant descriptors are robust to these nuisances making them beneficial for texture segmentation. However, grouping dense descriptors directly for segmentation presents a problem: existing descriptors aggregate data from neighborhoods that may contain different textured regions, making descriptors from these neighborhoods difficult to group, leading to significant errors in segmentation. This work addresses this issue by proposing dense local descriptors, called Shape-Tailored Features, which are tailored to an arbitrarily shaped region, aggregating data only within the region of interest. Since the segmentation, i.e., the regions, are not known a-priori, we propose a joint problem for Shape-Tailored Features and the regions. We present a framework based on variational methods. Extensive experiments on a new large texture dataset, which we introduce, show that the joint approach with Shape-Tailored Features leads to better segmentations over the non-joint non Shape-Tailored approach, and the method out-performs existing state-of-the-art.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Andrieux, S.; Schoenberger, P.; Taheri, S.
1993-01-01
The study of cyclic elastoplastic constitutive laws is, at the moment, focused on non proportional loadings, but for uniaxial loadings some problems remain, as for example the ability for a law to describe simultaneously ratcheting in non symmetrical load-controlled test, elastic and plastic shakedown in symmetrical and non symmetrical ones. We have proposed in a law with a discrete memory variable which, in addition to previous phenomena, describes the cyclic hardening in a pushpull test, and the cyclic softening after overloading. A modified law has been proposed to take into account the dependence of cyclic strain stress curve on the history of loading. The extension to 3D situations of this law is proposed. The discrete nature of the memory leads to discontinuity problems for some loading paths, a modification is then proposed which uses a differential evolution law. For large enough uniaxial cycles, the uniaxial law is nevertheless recovered. In this paper, an incremental form of the implicit evolution problem is given, and we describe the implementation of this model in the Code Aster - a thermomechanical structural software using the finite element method (f.e.m) developed at Electricite de France. Comparison between experiment and numerical results is given for uniaxial ratcheting, non proportional strain controlled test
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Boumaaraf, Abdelâali, E-mail: aboumaaraf@yahoo.fr [Université Abbès Laghrour, Laboratoire des capteurs, Instrumentations et procédés (LCIP), Khenchela (Algeria); University of Farhat Abbas Setif1, Sétif, 19000 (Algeria); Mohamadi, Tayeb [University of Farhat Abbas Setif1, Sétif, 19000 (Algeria); Gourmat, Laïd [Université Abbès Laghrour, Khenchela, 40000 (Algeria)
2016-07-25
In this paper, we present the FPGA implementation of the multiple pulse width modulation (MPWM) signal generation with repetition of data segments, applied to the variable frequency variable voltage systems and specially at to the photovoltaic water pumping system, in order to generate a signal command very easily between 10 Hz to 60 Hz with a small frequency and reduce the cost of the control system.
Proposal of a segmentation procedure for skid resistance data
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tejeda, S. V.; Tampier, Hernan de Solominihac; Navarro, T.E.
2008-01-01
Skin resistance of pavements presents a high spatial variability along a road. This pavement characteristic is directly related to wet weather accidents; therefore, it is important to identify and characterize the skid resistance of homogeneous segments along a road in order to implement proper road safety management. Several data segmentation methods have been applied to other pavement characteristics (e.g. roughness). However, no application to skin resistance data was found during the literature review for this study. Typical segmentation methods are rather too general or too specific to ensure a detailed segmentation of skid resistance data, which can be used for managing pavement performance. The main objective of this paper is to propose a procedure for segmenting skid resistance data, based on existing data segmentation methods. The procedure needs to be efficient and to fulfill road management requirements. The proposed procedure considers the Leverage method to identify outlier data, the CUSUM method to accomplish initial data segmentation and a statistical method to group consecutive segments that are statistically similar. The statistical method applies the Student's t-test of mean equities, along with analysis of variance and the Tuckey test for the multiple comparison of means. The proposed procedure was applied to a sample of skid resistance data measured with SCRIM (Side Force Coefficient Routine Investigatory Machine) on a 4.2 km section of Chilean road and was compared to conventional segmentation methods. Results showed that the proposed procedure is more efficient than the conventional segmentation procedures, achieving the minimum weighted sum of square errors (SSEp) with all the identified segments statistically different. Due to its mathematical basis, proposed procedure can be easily adapted and programmed for use in road safety management. (author)
Variability and reliability of the vastus lateralis muscle anatomy.
D'Arpa, Salvatore; Toia, Francesca; Brenner, Erich; Melloni, Carlo; Moschella, Francesco; Cordova, Adriana
2016-08-01
The aims of this study are to investigate the variability of the morphological and neurovascular anatomy of the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle and to describe the relationships among its intramuscular partitions and with the other muscles of the quadriceps femoris. Clinical implications in its reliability as a flap donor are also discussed. In 2012, the extra- and intramuscular neurovascular anatomy of the VL was investigated in 10 cadaveric lower limbs. In three specimens, the segmental arterial pedicles were injected with latex of different colors to point out their anastomotic connections. The morphological anatomy was investigated with regard to the mutual relationship of the three muscular partitions and the relation of the VL with the other muscles of the quadriceps femoris. The VL has a segmental morphological anatomy. However, the fibers of its three partitions interconnect individually and with the other bellies of the quadriceps femoris, particularly, in several variable portions with the vastus intermedius and mainly in the posterior part of the VL. The lateral circumflex femoral artery and its branches have variable origin, but demonstrate constant segmental distribution. Intramuscular dissection and colored latex injections show a rich anastomotic vascular network among the three partitions. Moderate variability exists in both the myological and the neurovascular anatomy of the VL. Despite this variability, the anatomy of the VL always has a constant segmental pattern, which makes the VL a reliable flap donor. Detailed knowledge of the VL anatomy could have useful applications in a broad clinical field.
Treatment of breast cancer with segmental mastectomy alone or segmental mastectomy plus radiation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kantorowitz, D.A.; Poulter, C.A.; Rubin, P.; Doane, K.; Patterson, E.; Sobel, S.H.; Dvoretsky, P.M.; Michalak, W.A.
1989-01-01
A retrospective review of the outcome of treatment for primary, Stage I and II breast cancer with segmental mastectomy (SGM) alone or segmental mastectomy plus postoperative irradiation (SGM + RT) at four Rochester, New York, city hospitals is reported. Between January 1971 and March 1984, 99 women were treated with SGM and 146 with SGM + RT. Groups were similar regarding significant clinical and histologic prognostic factors; they differed, however, in that the SGM group was considerably older, average = 72, than the SGM + RT group, average = 56). Among SGM patients, local and total locoregional failure was 26.44 and 35.2%, respectively. Local and total locoregional failure (7.6 and 12.4%, respectively) was significantly reduced among patients treated with SGM + RT (p<0.0001). Among SGM patients, there was scant advantage in enlarging the extent of resection from local excision (29.5% local failure) to wide local excision (27.3%) to quadrantectomy (22.2%). Among women receiving SGM + RT, similar rates of local failure occurred among patients receiving local excision (15.5%) and wide local excisiion (12.5%). By contrast, only 2.8% of those receiving quadrantectomy failed. Results are viewed as supportive of findings of NSABP-B06. Findings suggest that SGM constitutes inadequate treatment of Stage I and II breast cancer. Locoregional failure rates of 30-40% may be reduced to around 10% with postoperative irradiation. (author). 21 refs.; 1 fig.; 6 tabs
Transnational Constitutional Law
Zumbansen, P (Peer); Bhatt, Kinnari
2018-01-01
textabstractThis chapter provides an overview of the emerging field of transnational constitutional law (TCL). Whilst questions of constitutional law are typically discussed in the context of a specific domestic legal setting, a salient strategy of TCL is to understand constitutional law and its values by placing them ‘in context’ with existing and evolving cultural norms and political, social and economic discourses and struggles. Drawing on socio-legal investigations into the relationships ...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nadirsyah Hosen
2007-06-01
Full Text Available This paper attempts to analytically examine the possibility of constitutional borrowing for the Muslim world regardless the differences in history, system, culture, language, and characteristics. It discusses this issue by looking at the arguments put forth by the opponents of comparative constitutional interpretation and their counter arguments. It will consider materials from Canada, USA, South Africa, Singapore, Malaysia, and Hungary, taking the position that constitutional borrowing can be justified. The paper argues that the 1999-2002 Indonesian constitutional reform should be taken into account by other Muslim countries in undertaking their constitutional reform. The substantive approach of the Shari‘ah that has been used in Indonesia has shown that Muslim world can reform its constitutions without the “assistance” of Western foreign policy. Indonesian constitutional reform has demonstrated that Islamic constitutionalism comes from within Islamic teaching and the Islamic community itself; it is a home grown product.
Comparison of segmentation algorithms for fluorescence microscopy images of cells.
Dima, Alden A; Elliott, John T; Filliben, James J; Halter, Michael; Peskin, Adele; Bernal, Javier; Kociolek, Marcin; Brady, Mary C; Tang, Hai C; Plant, Anne L
2011-07-01
The analysis of fluorescence microscopy of cells often requires the determination of cell edges. This is typically done using segmentation techniques that separate the cell objects in an image from the surrounding background. This study compares segmentation results from nine different segmentation techniques applied to two different cell lines and five different sets of imaging conditions. Significant variability in the results of segmentation was observed that was due solely to differences in imaging conditions or applications of different algorithms. We quantified and compared the results with a novel bivariate similarity index metric that evaluates the degree of underestimating or overestimating a cell object. The results show that commonly used threshold-based segmentation techniques are less accurate than k-means clustering with multiple clusters. Segmentation accuracy varies with imaging conditions that determine the sharpness of cell edges and with geometric features of a cell. Based on this observation, we propose a method that quantifies cell edge character to provide an estimate of how accurately an algorithm will perform. The results of this study will assist the development of criteria for evaluating interlaboratory comparability. Published 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Latent segmentation based count models: Analysis of bicycle safety in Montreal and Toronto.
Yasmin, Shamsunnahar; Eluru, Naveen
2016-10-01
The study contributes to literature on bicycle safety by building on the traditional count regression models to investigate factors affecting bicycle crashes at the Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) level. TAZ is a traffic related geographic entity which is most frequently used as spatial unit for macroscopic crash risk analysis. In conventional count models, the impact of exogenous factors is restricted to be the same across the entire region. However, it is possible that the influence of exogenous factors might vary across different TAZs. To accommodate for the potential variation in the impact of exogenous factors we formulate latent segmentation based count models. Specifically, we formulate and estimate latent segmentation based Poisson (LP) and latent segmentation based Negative Binomial (LNB) models to study bicycle crash counts. In our latent segmentation approach, we allow for more than two segments and also consider a large set of variables in segmentation and segment specific models. The formulated models are estimated using bicycle-motor vehicle crash data from the Island of Montreal and City of Toronto for the years 2006 through 2010. The TAZ level variables considered in our analysis include accessibility measures, exposure measures, sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic characteristics, road network characteristics and built environment. A policy analysis is also conducted to illustrate the applicability of the proposed model for planning purposes. This macro-level research would assist decision makers, transportation officials and community planners to make informed decisions to proactively improve bicycle safety - a prerequisite to promoting a culture of active transportation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Quantification and variability in colonic volume with a novel magnetic resonance imaging method
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Nilsson, M; Sandberg, Thomas Holm; Poulsen, Jakob Lykke
2015-01-01
Background: Segmental distribution of colorectal volume is relevant in a number of diseases, but clinical and experimental use demands robust reliability and validity. Using a novel semi-automatic magnetic resonance imaging-based technique, the aims of this study were to describe: (i) inter......-individual and intra-individual variability of segmental colorectal volumes between two observations in healthy subjects and (ii) the change in segmental colorectal volume distribution before and after defecation. Methods: The inter-individual and intra-individual variability of four colorectal volumes (cecum...... (p = 0.02). Conclusions & Inferences: Imaging of segmental colorectal volume, morphology, and fecal accumulation is advantageous to conventional methods in its low variability, high spatial resolution, and its absence of contrast-enhancing agents and irradiation. Hence, the method is suitable...
Constitutional Issues--Watergate and the Constitution. Teaching with Documents.
National Archives and Records Administration, Washington, DC.
When U.S. President Richard Nixon resigned in 1974 in the wake of the Watergate scandal, it was only the second time that impeachment of a president had been considered. Although the U.S. Constitution has provisions for a person removed from office to be indicted, there are no guidelines in the Constitution about a President who has resigned. The…
Fananapazir, Ghaneh; Bashir, Mustafa R; Marin, Daniele; Boll, Daniel T
2015-06-01
To evaluate the performance of a prototype, fully-automated post-processing solution for whole-liver and lobar segmentation based on MDCT datasets. A polymer liver phantom was used to assess accuracy of post-processing applications comparing phantom volumes determined via Archimedes' principle with MDCT segmented datasets. For the IRB-approved, HIPAA-compliant study, 25 patients were enrolled. Volumetry performance compared the manual approach with the automated prototype, assessing intraobserver variability, and interclass correlation for whole-organ and lobar segmentation using ANOVA comparison. Fidelity of segmentation was evaluated qualitatively. Phantom volume was 1581.0 ± 44.7 mL, manually segmented datasets estimated 1628.0 ± 47.8 mL, representing a mean overestimation of 3.0%, automatically segmented datasets estimated 1601.9 ± 0 mL, representing a mean overestimation of 1.3%. Whole-liver and segmental volumetry demonstrated no significant intraobserver variability for neither manual nor automated measurements. For whole-liver volumetry, automated measurement repetitions resulted in identical values; reproducible whole-organ volumetry was also achieved with manual segmentation, p(ANOVA) 0.98. For lobar volumetry, automated segmentation improved reproducibility over manual approach, without significant measurement differences for either methodology, p(ANOVA) 0.95-0.99. Whole-organ and lobar segmentation results from manual and automated segmentation showed no significant differences, p(ANOVA) 0.96-1.00. Assessment of segmentation fidelity found that segments I-IV/VI showed greater segmentation inaccuracies compared to the remaining right hepatic lobe segments. Automated whole-liver segmentation showed non-inferiority of fully-automated whole-liver segmentation compared to manual approaches with improved reproducibility and post-processing duration; automated dual-seed lobar segmentation showed slight tendencies for underestimating the right hepatic lobe
Essential Medicines in National Constitutions
Toebes, Brigit; Hogerzeil, Hans
2016-01-01
Abstract A constitutional guarantee of access to essential medicines has been identified as an important indicator of government commitment to the progressive realization of the right to the highest attainable standard of health. The objective of this study was to evaluate provisions on access to essential medicines in national constitutions, to identify comprehensive examples of constitutional text on medicines that can be used as a model for other countries, and to evaluate the evolution of constitutional medicines-related rights since 2008. Relevant articles were selected from an inventory of constitutional texts from WHO member states. References to states’ legal obligations under international human rights law were evaluated. Twenty-two constitutions worldwide now oblige governments to protect and/or to fulfill accessibility of, availability of, and/or quality of medicines. Since 2008, state responsibilities to fulfill access to essential medicines have expanded in five constitutions, been maintained in four constitutions, and have regressed in one constitution. Government commitments to essential medicines are an important foundation of health system equity and are included increasingly in state constitutions. PMID:27781006
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Robert Podolnjak
2006-01-01
Full Text Available The basic argument of the article is that the main causes of failure of the European Constitution stem from an inadequate preparation and implementation of a complex procedure of constitution-making for a federation of countries on a continental scale. This process includes the issues of temporal aspects of constitutionmaking, the subject of constitution-making, the text of the constitution, the strategy of constitutional ratifi cation and the constitution-makers themselves. The principal causes of failure of the European Constitution will be presented in the form of certain preliminary assumptions, which will then be examined in the light of certain comparative experiences of constitution-making in two federal systems – the American and the Swiss system. The primary mistakes of the European constitution-making are refl ected in the lack of an appropriate moment for making the constitution, in the vagueness of the document in terms of its constitutional or contractual quality, in the creation of a text of the Constitution which is completely incomprehensible to the average citizen, in the making of the Constitution without a vision or ambition, in the complete lack of any strategy of ratifi cation of the Constitution, in the insistence on the direct participation of the people in the adoption of the Constitution, which is legally and politically considered primarily an international treaty, and in badly managed media presentation and defence of the Constitution before the European public. The most important mistakes, crucial to the failure of the Constitution, are the ambivalent approach of the European constitutionmakers to the mode of ratifi cation of the Constitution, and their disregard of the constitution-making experience of other federal countries.
ECHR and national constitutional courts
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nastić Maja
2015-01-01
Full Text Available Comprising fundamental rights and freedoms and establishing the effective control system, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR encroaches upon the area that is traditional reserved for constitutional law. Although built on the doctrine reserved for international treaty law, the Convention goes beyond the traditional boundaries that exist between international and constitutional law. It has gradually infiltrated into the national legal systems. Constitutional courts have had the crucial role in this process. This paper will focus on the applicability of the ECHR in proceedings before national constitutional courts. Having in mind the jurisdiction of the national constitutional court, the ECHR may be applied in two ways: first, in the process of constitutional review by national constitutional courts and, second, in the process of deciding on constitutional complaints.
A regression approach for Zircaloy-2 in-reactor creep constitutive equations
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yung Liu, Y.; Bement, A.L.
1977-01-01
In this paper the methodology of multiple regressions as applied to Zircaloy-2 in-reactor creep data analysis and construction of constitutive equation are illustrated. While the resulting constitutive equation can be used in creep analysis of in-reactor Zircaloy structural components, the methodology itself is entirely general and can be applied to any creep data analysis. The promising aspects of multiple regression creep data analysis are briefly outlined as follows: (1) When there are more than one variable involved, there is no need to make the assumption that each variable affects the response independently. No separate normalizations are required either and the estimation of parameters is obtained by solving many simultaneous equations. The number of simultaneous equations is equal to the number of data sets. (2) Regression statistics such as R 2 - and F-statistics provide measures of the significance of regression creep equation in correlating the overall data. The relative weights of each variable on the response can also be obtained. (3) Special regression techniques such as step-wise, ridge, and robust regressions and residual plots, etc., provide diagnostic tools for model selections. Multiple regression analysis performed on a set of carefully selected Zircaloy-2 in-reactor creep data leads to a model which provides excellent correlations for the data. (Auth.)
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Makbule Çeço
2014-07-01
Full Text Available In its very dynamic essence, a democratic society bears the need for continuous reformation and perfection, and that is why the application of reforms represents an inseparable feature for this type of society. The consolidation of the rule of law, the institutional independence, and the cause of justice itself comprise, inter alia, the need for constitutional revision. This study puts forward a theoretical-historical comparative view of the relevant and dynamic issue of the institute of constitutional revision in the framework of the Constitution of the Republic of Albania, as a complex process accompanied by limitations on constitutional revision. The historical evolution of constitutional drafting, modern constitutions, relevant issues, political and social circumstances as well as drafting and adoption procedures, dynamism of constitutions to cope with the course of time achieved by revisions for the purpose of their stability as well as consolidation of the role of constitutions as a factor that facilitates and precedes social development, comprise the pillar of this study addressed in a comparative point of view.
Rumex acetosa Y chromosomes: constitutive or facultative heterochromatin?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Andrzej J. Joachimiak
2011-08-01
Full Text Available Condensed Y chromosomes in Rumex acetosa L. root-tip nuclei were studied using 5-azaC treatment and immunohistochemical detection of methylated histones. Although Y chromosomes were decondensed within root meristem in vivo, they became condensed and heteropycnotic in roots cultured in vitro. 5-azacytidine (5-azaC treatment of cultured roots caused transitional dispersion of their Y chromosome bodies, but 7 days after removal of the drug from the culture medium, Y heterochromatin recondensed and again became visible. The response of Rumex sex chromatin to 5-azaC was compared with that of condensed segments of pericentromeric heterochromatin in Rhoeo spathacea (Sw. Stearn roots. It was shown that Rhoeo chromocentres, composed of AT-rich constitutive heterochromatin, did not undergo decondensation after 5-azaC treatment. The Y-bodies observed within male nuclei of R. acetosa were globally enriched with H3 histone, demethylated at lysine 4 and methylated at lysine 9. This is the first report of histone tail-modification in condensed sex chromatin in plants. Our results suggest that the interphase condensation of Y chromosomes in Rumex is facultative rather than constitutive. Furthermore, the observed response of Y-bodies to 5-azaC may result indirectly from demethylation and the subsequent altered expression of unknown genes controlling tissue-specific Y-inactivation as opposed to the global demethylation of Y-chromosome DNA.
Model instruments of effective segmentation of the fast food market
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mityaeva Tetyana L.
2013-03-01
Full Text Available The article presents results of optimisation step-type calculations of economic effectiveness of promotion of fast food with consideration of key parameters of assessment of efficiency of the marketing strategy of segmentation. The article justifies development of a mathematical model on the bases of 3D-presentations and three-dimensional system of management variables. The modern applied mathematical packages allow formation not only of one-dimensional and two-dimensional arrays and analyse links of variables, but also of three-dimensional, besides, the more links and parameters are taken into account, the more adequate and adaptive are results of modelling and, as a result, more informative and strategically valuable. The article shows modelling possibilities that allow taking into account strategies and reactions on formation of the marketing strategy under conditions of entering the fast food market segments.
Sweeney, Elizabeth M; Shinohara, Russell T; Shiee, Navid; Mateen, Farrah J; Chudgar, Avni A; Cuzzocreo, Jennifer L; Calabresi, Peter A; Pham, Dzung L; Reich, Daniel S; Crainiceanu, Ciprian M
2013-01-01
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to detect lesions in the brains of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients and is essential for diagnosing the disease and monitoring its progression. In practice, lesion load is often quantified by either manual or semi-automated segmentation of MRI, which is time-consuming, costly, and associated with large inter- and intra-observer variability. We propose OASIS is Automated Statistical Inference for Segmentation (OASIS), an automated statistical method for segmenting MS lesions in MRI studies. We use logistic regression models incorporating multiple MRI modalities to estimate voxel-level probabilities of lesion presence. Intensity-normalized T1-weighted, T2-weighted, fluid-attenuated inversion recovery and proton density volumes from 131 MRI studies (98 MS subjects, 33 healthy subjects) with manual lesion segmentations were used to train and validate our model. Within this set, OASIS detected lesions with a partial area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for clinically relevant false positive rates of 1% and below of 0.59% (95% CI; [0.50%, 0.67%]) at the voxel level. An experienced MS neuroradiologist compared these segmentations to those produced by LesionTOADS, an image segmentation software that provides segmentation of both lesions and normal brain structures. For lesions, OASIS out-performed LesionTOADS in 74% (95% CI: [65%, 82%]) of cases for the 98 MS subjects. To further validate the method, we applied OASIS to 169 MRI studies acquired at a separate center. The neuroradiologist again compared the OASIS segmentations to those from LesionTOADS. For lesions, OASIS ranked higher than LesionTOADS in 77% (95% CI: [71%, 83%]) of cases. For a randomly selected subset of 50 of these studies, one additional radiologist and one neurologist also scored the images. Within this set, the neuroradiologist ranked OASIS higher than LesionTOADS in 76% (95% CI: [64%, 88%]) of cases, the neurologist 66% (95% CI: [52%, 78
Multi-atlas pancreas segmentation: Atlas selection based on vessel structure.
Karasawa, Ken'ichi; Oda, Masahiro; Kitasaka, Takayuki; Misawa, Kazunari; Fujiwara, Michitaka; Chu, Chengwen; Zheng, Guoyan; Rueckert, Daniel; Mori, Kensaku
2017-07-01
Automated organ segmentation from medical images is an indispensable component for clinical applications such as computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) and computer-assisted surgery (CAS). We utilize a multi-atlas segmentation scheme, which has recently been used in different approaches in the literature to achieve more accurate and robust segmentation of anatomical structures in computed tomography (CT) volume data. Among abdominal organs, the pancreas has large inter-patient variability in its position, size and shape. Moreover, the CT intensity of the pancreas closely resembles adjacent tissues, rendering its segmentation a challenging task. Due to this, conventional intensity-based atlas selection for pancreas segmentation often fails to select atlases that are similar in pancreas position and shape to those of the unlabeled target volume. In this paper, we propose a new atlas selection strategy based on vessel structure around the pancreatic tissue and demonstrate its application to a multi-atlas pancreas segmentation. Our method utilizes vessel structure around the pancreas to select atlases with high pancreatic resemblance to the unlabeled volume. Also, we investigate two types of applications of the vessel structure information to the atlas selection. Our segmentations were evaluated on 150 abdominal contrast-enhanced CT volumes. The experimental results showed that our approach can segment the pancreas with an average Jaccard index of 66.3% and an average Dice overlap coefficient of 78.5%. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Multi-atlas segmentation for abdominal organs with Gaussian mixture models
Burke, Ryan P.; Xu, Zhoubing; Lee, Christopher P.; Baucom, Rebeccah B.; Poulose, Benjamin K.; Abramson, Richard G.; Landman, Bennett A.
2015-03-01
Abdominal organ segmentation with clinically acquired computed tomography (CT) is drawing increasing interest in the medical imaging community. Gaussian mixture models (GMM) have been extensively used through medical segmentation, most notably in the brain for cerebrospinal fluid / gray matter / white matter differentiation. Because abdominal CT exhibit strong localized intensity characteristics, GMM have recently been incorporated in multi-stage abdominal segmentation algorithms. In the context of variable abdominal anatomy and rich algorithms, it is difficult to assess the marginal contribution of GMM. Herein, we characterize the efficacy of an a posteriori framework that integrates GMM of organ-wise intensity likelihood with spatial priors from multiple target-specific registered labels. In our study, we first manually labeled 100 CT images. Then, we assigned 40 images to use as training data for constructing target-specific spatial priors and intensity likelihoods. The remaining 60 images were evaluated as test targets for segmenting 12 abdominal organs. The overlap between the true and the automatic segmentations was measured by Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). A median improvement of 145% was achieved by integrating the GMM intensity likelihood against the specific spatial prior. The proposed framework opens the opportunities for abdominal organ segmentation by efficiently using both the spatial and appearance information from the atlases, and creates a benchmark for large-scale automatic abdominal segmentation.
When constitutional justice has the last word on health care: the case of Chile.
Zúñiga Fajuri, Alejandra
2014-01-01
The Chilean health care system is in crisis. Since the recent ruling of the Constitutional Court that declared the risk rating (actuarial insurance) of private health insurers unconstitutional, all of the social actors related to health care have tried to agree on a legislative reform that would overcome the existing highly segmented and inequitable system, which is a legacy of Pinochet's dictatorship. Here we demonstrate how the social and political demands for legislative reform in the health care sector have been supported by the decisions of the courts. To achieve its goals of reducing equity gaps in health and ending the judicialization of health care (claims for protection represent almost 70% of total resources of the courts), the National Congress of Chile is trying to create a new national health insurance system that guarantees the right to a minimum level of health care. Part of this effort involves obtaining the constitutional approval of the courts. In Chile, justice has the final word on health care.
EVOLUTION OF CUSTOMERS’ SEGMENTATION TECHNIQUES IN RETAIL BANKING
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
PASCU ADRIAN IONUT
2017-11-01
Full Text Available In the context of a highly competitive market influenced by legislative changes, the technology evolution and the changes of customer’s behavior, traditional banks must be able to provide the services and products expected by customers. The most important method in retail banking by which a bank can interact with as many customers as possible to ensure satisfaction and loyalty is the notion of customers’ segmentation. The current situation from the perspective of customers’ expectations will be brought to your attention, as well as the future situation from the perspective of legislative changes and which are the main variables and techniques that allow us a relevant customers’ segmentation in this context. The challenges and opportunities of the Directive PDS2 (Payment Service Directive [7] will be analyzed, which together with the results of a study carried out by Ernst & Young "The relevance of the challenge: what retail banks must do to remain in the game" [5], make me say that now, more than ever, commercial banks must pay special attention to customer‘ segmentation. The objective of this paper is to present the evolution of the customers’ segmentation process starting from the 50’s – 60’s, when the first segmentation techniques appeared, until now, when because of the large quantities of data, there are used increasingly advanced techniques for extracting and interpreting data.
Risk segmentation in Chilean social health insurance.
Hidalgo, Hector; Chipulu, Maxwell; Ojiako, Udechukwu
2013-01-01
The objective of this study is to identify how risk and social variables are likely to be impacted by an increase in private sector participation in health insurance provision. The study focuses on the Chilean health insurance industry, traditionally dominated by the public sector. Predictive risk modelling is conducted using a database containing over 250,000 health insurance policy records provided by the Superintendence of Health of Chile. Although perceived with suspicion in some circles, risk segmentation serves as a rational approach to risk management from a resource perspective. The variables that have considerable impact on insurance claims include the number of dependents, gender, wages and the duration a claimant has been a customer. As shown in the case study, to ensure that social benefits are realised, increased private sector participation in health insurance must be augmented by regulatory oversight and vigilance. As it is clear that a "community-rated" health insurance provision philosophy impacts on insurance firm's ability to charge "market" prices for insurance provision, the authors explore whether risk segmentation is a feasible means of predicting insurance claim behaviour in Chile's private health insurance industry.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Harboe, Theresa Larriba; Willems, Patrick; Jespersgaard, Cathrine
2011-01-01
Darier disease is an autosomal dominant genodermatosis caused by germline mutations in the ATP2A2 gene. Clinical expression is variable, including rare segmental phenotypes thought to be caused by postzygotic mosaicism. Genetic counseling of segmental Darier patients is complex, as risk of transm......Darier disease is an autosomal dominant genodermatosis caused by germline mutations in the ATP2A2 gene. Clinical expression is variable, including rare segmental phenotypes thought to be caused by postzygotic mosaicism. Genetic counseling of segmental Darier patients is complex, as risk...... of transmitting a nonsegmental phenotype to offspring is of unknown magnitude. We present the first in-depth molecular analysis of a mosaic patient with segmental disease, quantifying proportions of mutated and normal alleles in various tissues. Pyrosequence analysis of DNA from semen, affected and normal skin......, peripheral leukocytes and hair revealed an uneven distribution of the mutated allele, from 14% in semen to 37% in affected skin. We suggest a model for segmental manifestation expression where a threshold number of mutated cells is needed for manifestation development. We further recommend molecular analysis...
Bone marrow cavity segmentation using graph-cuts with wavelet-based texture feature.
Shigeta, Hironori; Mashita, Tomohiro; Kikuta, Junichi; Seno, Shigeto; Takemura, Haruo; Ishii, Masaru; Matsuda, Hideo
2017-10-01
Emerging bioimaging technologies enable us to capture various dynamic cellular activities [Formula: see text]. As large amounts of data are obtained these days and it is becoming unrealistic to manually process massive number of images, automatic analysis methods are required. One of the issues for automatic image segmentation is that image-taking conditions are variable. Thus, commonly, many manual inputs are required according to each image. In this paper, we propose a bone marrow cavity (BMC) segmentation method for bone images as BMC is considered to be related to the mechanism of bone remodeling, osteoporosis, and so on. To reduce manual inputs to segment BMC, we classified the texture pattern using wavelet transformation and support vector machine. We also integrated the result of texture pattern classification into the graph-cuts-based image segmentation method because texture analysis does not consider spatial continuity. Our method is applicable to a particular frame in an image sequence in which the condition of fluorescent material is variable. In the experiment, we evaluated our method with nine types of mother wavelets and several sets of scale parameters. The proposed method with graph-cuts and texture pattern classification performs well without manual inputs by a user.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yoo, Byung Il; Han, Ji Won; Oh, San Yeo Wool; Kim, Tae Hui; Lee, Jung Jae; Lee, Eun Young; MacFall, James R.; Payne, Martha E.; Kim, Jae Hyoung; Kim, Ki Woong
2014-01-01
White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are regions of abnormally high intensity on T2-weighted or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Accurate and reproducible automatic segmentation of WMHs is important since WMHs are often seen in the elderly and are associated with various geriatric and psychiatric disorders. We developed a fully automated monospectral segmentation method for WMHs using FLAIR MRIs. Through this method, we introduce an optimal threshold intensity (I O ) for segmenting WMHs, which varies with WMHs volume (V WMH ), and we establish the I O -V WMH relationship. Our method showed accurate validations in volumetric and spatial agreements of automatically segmented WMHs compared with manually segmented WMHs for 32 confirmatory images. Bland-Altman values of volumetric agreement were 0.96 ± 8.311 ml (bias and 95 % confidence interval), and the similarity index of spatial agreement was 0.762 ± 0.127 (mean ± standard deviation). Furthermore, similar validation accuracies were obtained in the images acquired from different scanners. The proposed segmentation method uses only FLAIR MRIs, has the potential to be accurate with images obtained from different scanners, and can be implemented with a fully automated procedure. In our study, validation results were obtained with FLAIR MRIs from only two scanner types. The design of the method may allow its use in large multicenter studies with correct efficiency. (orig.)
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Yoo, Byung Il; Han, Ji Won; Oh, San Yeo Wool; Kim, Tae Hui [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Jung Jae; Lee, Eun Young [Kyungbook National University Chilgok Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Buk-gu, Daegu (Korea, Republic of); MacFall, James R. [Duke University Medical Center, Neuropsychiatric Imaging Research Laboratory, Durham, NC (United States); Duke University Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Durham, NC (United States); Payne, Martha E. [Duke University Medical Center, Neuropsychiatric Imaging Research Laboratory, Durham, NC (United States); Duke University Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Durham, NC (United States); Kim, Jae Hyoung [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Radiology, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Radiology, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Ki Woong [Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Department of Neuropsychiatry, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, Jongno-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Seoul National University College of Natural Sciences, Department of Brain and Cognitive Science, Gwanak-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)
2014-04-15
White matter hyperintensities (WMHs) are regions of abnormally high intensity on T2-weighted or fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Accurate and reproducible automatic segmentation of WMHs is important since WMHs are often seen in the elderly and are associated with various geriatric and psychiatric disorders. We developed a fully automated monospectral segmentation method for WMHs using FLAIR MRIs. Through this method, we introduce an optimal threshold intensity (I{sub O}) for segmenting WMHs, which varies with WMHs volume (V{sub WMH}), and we establish the I{sub O} -V{sub WMH} relationship. Our method showed accurate validations in volumetric and spatial agreements of automatically segmented WMHs compared with manually segmented WMHs for 32 confirmatory images. Bland-Altman values of volumetric agreement were 0.96 ± 8.311 ml (bias and 95 % confidence interval), and the similarity index of spatial agreement was 0.762 ± 0.127 (mean ± standard deviation). Furthermore, similar validation accuracies were obtained in the images acquired from different scanners. The proposed segmentation method uses only FLAIR MRIs, has the potential to be accurate with images obtained from different scanners, and can be implemented with a fully automated procedure. In our study, validation results were obtained with FLAIR MRIs from only two scanner types. The design of the method may allow its use in large multicenter studies with correct efficiency. (orig.)
Segmenting patients and physicians using preferences from discrete choice experiments.
Deal, Ken
2014-01-01
People often form groups or segments that have similar interests and needs and seek similar benefits from health providers. Health organizations need to understand whether the same health treatments, prevention programs, services, and products should be applied to everyone in the relevant population or whether different treatments need to be provided to each of several segments that are relatively homogeneous internally but heterogeneous among segments. Our objective was to explain the purposes, benefits, and methods of segmentation for health organizations, and to illustrate the process of segmenting health populations based on preference coefficients from a discrete choice conjoint experiment (DCE) using an example study of prevention of cyberbullying among university students. We followed a two-level procedure for investigating segmentation incorporating several methods for forming segments in Level 1 using DCE preference coefficients and testing their quality, reproducibility, and usability by health decision makers. Covariates (demographic, behavioral, lifestyle, and health state variables) were included in Level 2 to further evaluate quality and to support the scoring of large databases and developing typing tools for assigning those in the relevant population, but not in the sample, to the segments. Several segmentation solution candidates were found during the Level 1 analysis, and the relationship of the preference coefficients to the segments was investigated using predictive methods. Those segmentations were tested for their quality and reproducibility and three were found to be very close in quality. While one seemed better than others in the Level 1 analysis, another was very similar in quality and proved ultimately better in predicting segment membership using covariates in Level 2. The two segments in the final solution were profiled for attributes that would support the development and acceptance of cyberbullying prevention programs among university
Abdomen and spinal cord segmentation with augmented active shape models.
Xu, Zhoubing; Conrad, Benjamin N; Baucom, Rebeccah B; Smith, Seth A; Poulose, Benjamin K; Landman, Bennett A
2016-07-01
Active shape models (ASMs) have been widely used for extracting human anatomies in medical images given their capability for shape regularization of topology preservation. However, sensitivity to model initialization and local correspondence search often undermines their performances, especially around highly variable contexts in computed-tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) images. In this study, we propose an augmented ASM (AASM) by integrating the multiatlas label fusion (MALF) and level set (LS) techniques into the traditional ASM framework. Using AASM, landmark updates are optimized globally via a region-based LS evolution applied on the probability map generated from MALF. This augmentation effectively extends the searching range of correspondent landmarks while reducing sensitivity to the image contexts and improves the segmentation robustness. We propose the AASM framework as a two-dimensional segmentation technique targeting structures with one axis of regularity. We apply AASM approach to abdomen CT and spinal cord (SC) MR segmentation challenges. On 20 CT scans, the AASM segmentation of the whole abdominal wall enables the subcutaneous/visceral fat measurement, with high correlation to the measurement derived from manual segmentation. On 28 3T MR scans, AASM yields better performances than other state-of-the-art approaches in segmenting white/gray matter in SC.
Creep-recovery constitutive equation and its time-independent limit
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Chang, S.J.
1978-01-01
The effect of strain recovery is taken into consideration in establishing a constitutive equation for metals at elevated temperatures. Internal state variables and Rice's flow potential are used in the representation. Growth law for the state variables is discussed and interpreted to be a more general form of the kinematic hardening condition. Yield condition is obtained from the flow law. Accordingly, the flow rule is established with the effect of the recovery mechanism, as a slightly general version of the time-independent theory with the kinematic hardening rule. In the discussion of the time-independent limit, the duration of time required for the inelastic strain to reach its saturated value is defined
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Fajar L. Suroso
2016-04-01
Full Text Available The debate over the vice-presidents’ authority reappeared in the administration of President Jokowi after the “authority expansion of the Chief of Presidency Staff” and the case of “Rizal Ramli vs Jusuf Kalla”. This article is intended to provide arguments for the idea of some parties to organize more explicit and detailed the authority of vice-president in the 1945 Constitution. The idea arises from the absence of further arrangement on the authority of vice-president in the 1945 Constitution. This article is systematized into 3 (three sub-theme; 1 the arrangement of the vice-presidents’ authority in the constitution for several countries; 2 The authority of the vice-president according to the 1945 Constitution, and 3 New resultant and the possibility of 1945 Constitution amendment. The result revealed a number of interesting things; 1 the constitutions of other countries do not specify the authority of the vice-president and put the vice-president as a “spare tire” when the president is absent; 2 no new resultant about the position and authority of the vice-president so that theoretically is not reason enough to regulate in detail the authority of the vice-president through the 1945 Constitution amendment; 3 arrangement in detail in the authority of vice-president in the 1945 Constitution holds the potential to confuse the presidential system design as the 1945 Constitution. Therefore, the possibility of vice-presidents’ authority arrangement in the 1945 Constitution through amendment is very small, both in terms of momentum and the substance of issues.
Brookhaven segment interconnect
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Morse, W.M.; Benenson, G.; Leipuner, L.B.
1983-01-01
We have performed a high energy physics experiment using a multisegment Brookhaven FASTBUS system. The system was composed of three crate segments and two cable segments. We discuss the segment interconnect module which permits communication between the various segments
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kenstavičienė Kristina
2015-12-01
Full Text Available Article 139 of the Constitution of the Republic of Lithuania is one of the constitutional fundamentals of state defense and stipulates the defense of the state as the right of citizens on the one hand and the duty on the other. This article of the Constitution gives the legislative power the right of discretion to detail by law the order of the implementation of citizens’ duty to perform military or alternative country defense service. Due to the reorganization of the armed forces into a professional and volunteer army, the issue of some ordinary regulation rules concerning the constitutionality of nationwide conscription, though at present suspended but not abolished, is becoming urgent. Though the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Lithuania presented their ruling on the constitutionality of the suspension of military conscription, it does not mean that all problems related to conscription have been settled. The aim of this article is to analyze the constitutional basis of nationwide conscription as well as the constitutionality of some ordinary regulation provisions related to nationwide conscription. Therefore, the issue to be analyzed is whether nationwide conscription, if it were to be implemented, complies with the constitutional principles of human equality and military justice1. Consequently, the question is posed how the constitutional objective of ensuring the defense of the state determines conscription. Because of the growing employment of the army abroad, yet the dwindling demand for conscripts, it should be explored whether the suspension of the nationwide conscription as a part of the defense reform is further feasible in order to guarantee the defense of the state. In answering the raised questions, the author will analyze the abundant and long-lasting constitutional doctrine of Germany which provides clarifications of the Basic Law, as the legal act of the establishing power, which can doubtless be of assistance in
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Antonsen, Lisbeth; Jensen, Lisette Okkels; Terkelsen, Christian Juhl
2012-01-01
BACKGROUND: Elderly patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) constitute a particular risk group in relation to primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI). OBJECTIVE: We examined the proportion of octogenarians and nonagenarians undergoing PPCI in Western Denmark...
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Chiu, Bernard; Ukwatta, Eranga; Shavakh, Shadi; Fenster, Aaron
2013-01-01
This paper describes a framework for vascular image segmentation evaluation. Since the size of vessel wall and plaque burden is defined by the lumen and wall boundaries in vascular segmentation, these two boundaries should be considered as a pair in statistical evaluation of a segmentation algorithm. This work proposed statistical metrics to evaluate the difference of local vessel wall thickness (VWT) produced by manual and algorithm-based semi-automatic segmentation methods (ΔT) with the local segmentation standard deviation of the wall and lumen boundaries considered. ΔT was further approximately decomposed into the local wall and lumen boundary differences (ΔW and ΔL respectively) in order to provide information regarding which of the wall and lumen segmentation errors contribute more to the VWT difference. In this study, the lumen and wall boundaries in 3D carotid ultrasound images acquired for 21 subjects were each segmented five times manually and by a level-set segmentation algorithm. The (absolute) difference measures (i.e., ΔT, ΔW, ΔL and their absolute values) and the pooled local standard deviation of manually and algorithmically segmented wall and lumen boundaries were computed for each subject and represented in a 2D standardized map. The local accuracy and variability of the segmentation algorithm at each point can be quantified by the average of these metrics for the whole group of subjects and visualized on the 2D standardized map. Based on the results shown on the 2D standardized map, a variety of strategies, such as adding anchor points and adjusting weights of different forces in the algorithm, can be introduced to improve the accuracy and variability of the algorithm. (paper)
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
2009-01-01
The invention relates to a light-weight load-bearing structure, reinforced by core elements (2) of a strong material constituting one or more compression or tension zones in the structure to be cast, which core (2) is surrounded by or adjacent to a material of less strength compared to the core (2......), where the core (2) is constructed from segments (1) of core elements (2) assembled by means of one or more prestressing elements (4). The invention further relates to a method of casting of light-weight load-bearing structures, reinforced by core elements (2) of a strong material constituting one...... or more compression or tension zones in the structure to be cast, which core (2) is surrounded by or adjacent to a material of less strength compared to the core (2), where the core (2) is constructed from segments (1) of core elements (2) assembled and hold together by means of one or more prestressing...
Is STAPLE algorithm confident to assess segmentation methods in PET imaging?
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Dewalle-Vignion, Anne-Sophie; Betrouni, Nacim; Vermandel, Maximilien; Baillet, Clio
2015-01-01
Accurate tumor segmentation in [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography is crucial for tumor response assessment and target volume definition in radiation therapy. Evaluation of segmentation methods from clinical data without ground truth is usually based on physicians’ manual delineations. In this context, the simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) algorithm could be useful to manage the multi-observers variability. In this paper, we evaluated how this algorithm could accurately estimate the ground truth in PET imaging.Complete evaluation study using different criteria was performed on simulated data. The STAPLE algorithm was applied to manual and automatic segmentation results. A specific configuration of the implementation provided by the Computational Radiology Laboratory was used.Consensus obtained by the STAPLE algorithm from manual delineations appeared to be more accurate than manual delineations themselves (80% of overlap). An improvement of the accuracy was also observed when applying the STAPLE algorithm to automatic segmentations results.The STAPLE algorithm, with the configuration used in this paper, is more appropriate than manual delineations alone or automatic segmentations results alone to estimate the ground truth in PET imaging. Therefore, it might be preferred to assess the accuracy of tumor segmentation methods in PET imaging. (paper)
Is STAPLE algorithm confident to assess segmentation methods in PET imaging?
Dewalle-Vignion, Anne-Sophie; Betrouni, Nacim; Baillet, Clio; Vermandel, Maximilien
2015-12-01
Accurate tumor segmentation in [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography is crucial for tumor response assessment and target volume definition in radiation therapy. Evaluation of segmentation methods from clinical data without ground truth is usually based on physicians’ manual delineations. In this context, the simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) algorithm could be useful to manage the multi-observers variability. In this paper, we evaluated how this algorithm could accurately estimate the ground truth in PET imaging. Complete evaluation study using different criteria was performed on simulated data. The STAPLE algorithm was applied to manual and automatic segmentation results. A specific configuration of the implementation provided by the Computational Radiology Laboratory was used. Consensus obtained by the STAPLE algorithm from manual delineations appeared to be more accurate than manual delineations themselves (80% of overlap). An improvement of the accuracy was also observed when applying the STAPLE algorithm to automatic segmentations results. The STAPLE algorithm, with the configuration used in this paper, is more appropriate than manual delineations alone or automatic segmentations results alone to estimate the ground truth in PET imaging. Therefore, it might be preferred to assess the accuracy of tumor segmentation methods in PET imaging.
White matter hyperintensities segmentation: a new semi-automated method
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mariangela eIorio
2013-12-01
Full Text Available White matter hyperintensities (WMH are brain areas of increased signal on T2-weighted or fluid attenuated inverse recovery magnetic resonance imaging (MRI scans. In this study we present a new semi-automated method to measure WMH load that is based on the segmentation of the intensity histogram of fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. Thirty patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment with variable WMH load were enrolled. The semi-automated WMH segmentation included: removal of non-brain tissue, spatial normalization, removal of cerebellum and brain stem, spatial filtering, thresholding to segment probable WMH, manual editing for correction of false positives and negatives, generation of WMH map and volumetric estimation of the WMH load. Accuracy was quantitatively evaluated by comparing semi-automated and manual WMH segmentations performed by two independent raters. Differences between the two procedures were assessed using Student’s t tests and similarity was evaluated using linear regression model and Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC. The volumes of the manual and semi-automated segmentations did not statistically differ (t-value= -1.79, DF=29, p= 0.839 for rater 1; t-value= 1.113, DF=29, p= 0.2749 for rater 2, were highly correlated (R²= 0.921, F (1,29 =155,54, p
Mishra, Ajay; Aloimonos, Yiannis
2009-01-01
The human visual system observes and understands a scene/image by making a series of fixations. Every fixation point lies inside a particular region of arbitrary shape and size in the scene which can either be an object or just a part of it. We define as a basic segmentation problem the task of segmenting that region containing the fixation point. Segmenting the region containing the fixation is equivalent to finding the enclosing contour- a connected set of boundary edge fragments in the edge map of the scene - around the fixation. This enclosing contour should be a depth boundary.We present here a novel algorithm that finds this bounding contour and achieves the segmentation of one object, given the fixation. The proposed segmentation framework combines monocular cues (color/intensity/texture) with stereo and/or motion, in a cue independent manner. The semantic robots of the immediate future will be able to use this algorithm to automatically find objects in any environment. The capability of automatically segmenting objects in their visual field can bring the visual processing to the next level. Our approach is different from current approaches. While existing work attempts to segment the whole scene at once into many areas, we segment only one image region, specifically the one containing the fixation point. Experiments with real imagery collected by our active robot and from the known databases 1 demonstrate the promise of the approach.
Wiesmann, Veit; Bergler, Matthias; Palmisano, Ralf; Prinzen, Martin; Franz, Daniela; Wittenberg, Thomas
2017-03-18
Manual assessment and evaluation of fluorescent micrograph cell experiments is time-consuming and tedious. Automated segmentation pipelines can ensure efficient and reproducible evaluation and analysis with constant high quality for all images of an experiment. Such cell segmentation approaches are usually validated and rated in comparison to manually annotated micrographs. Nevertheless, manual annotations are prone to errors and display inter- and intra-observer variability which influence the validation results of automated cell segmentation pipelines. We present a new approach to simulate fluorescent cell micrographs that provides an objective ground truth for the validation of cell segmentation methods. The cell simulation was evaluated twofold: (1) An expert observer study shows that the proposed approach generates realistic fluorescent cell micrograph simulations. (2) An automated segmentation pipeline on the simulated fluorescent cell micrographs reproduces segmentation performances of that pipeline on real fluorescent cell micrographs. The proposed simulation approach produces realistic fluorescent cell micrographs with corresponding ground truth. The simulated data is suited to evaluate image segmentation pipelines more efficiently and reproducibly than it is possible on manually annotated real micrographs.
Waagepetersen, Rasmus; Toft, Egon; Prasad, Ramjee; Raturi, Lokesh
2012-01-01
In Ayurveda, pulse diagnosis and body constitution diagnosis have a long historical use; still, there is lack of quantitative measure of the reliability of these diagnostic methods. Reliability means consistency of information. Consistent diagnosis leads to consistent treatment and is important for clinical practice, education, and research. The objective of this study is to study the methodology to evaluate the test-retest reliability (repeatability) of pulse diagnosis and body constitution diagnosis. A double-blinded, controlled, clinical trial was conducted in Copenhagen. The same doctor, an expert in Ayurvedic pulse diagnosis, examined the pulse and body constitution of 17 healthy participants twice, in random order without seeing them. A metric on pulse and body constitution variables was developed. Cohen's weighted kappa statistic was used as a measure of intra-rater reliability. Permutation tests were used to test the hypothesis of homogeneous diagnosis (ie, the doctor's diagnosis does not depend on the subject). The hypothesis of homogeneous classification was rejected on the 5% significance level (P values of .02 and .001, respectively, for pulse and body constitution diagnosis). According to the Landis and Koch scale, values of the weighted kappa for pulse diagnosis (P = .42) and body constitution diagnosis (P = .65) correspond to “moderate” and “substantial” agreement, respectively. There was a reasonable level of consistency between 2 pulse and body constitution diagnoses. Further studies are required to quantify inter-subject and intra-subject agreement for greater understanding of reliability of pulse and body constitution diagnosis. PMID:27257530
Constitutive models for concrete and finite element analysis of prestressed concrete reactor vessels
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Smith, P.D.; Anderson, C.A.
1977-01-01
Two constitutive models for concrete are discussed. For short-term loads, the orthotropic variable modulus model is described, and for long-term loads a viscoelastic model utilizing a Dirichlet series approximation for the creep compliance function is summarized. The orthotropic variable modulus model is demonstrated in an analysis of a PCRV head with penetrations. The viscoelastic model is illustrated with a simulation of a prestressed concrete cylinder subject to non-uniform temperatures
Surgical Splint Design Influences Transverse Expansion in Segmental Maxillary Osteotomies
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Stokbro, Kasper; Aagaard, Esben; Torkov, Peter
2017-01-01
splint designs on achieving the planned transverse expansion in bimaxillary surgery with segmental maxillary procedures. Materials and Methods: Forty-two participants were included in a retrospective observational study. All participants had completed virtually planned bimaxillary surgery with 3-piece......Purpose: In segmental maxillary procedures, it is imperative to obtain as much of the planned expansion as possible. Lack of obtained expansion, in addition to late relapse after splint removal, can result in relapse of the posterior crossbite. This study investigated the influence of 2 surgical...... maxillary segmentation. The primary outcome variable was the transverse expansion obtained, measured as the expansion between the maxillary first molars on preoperative and postoperative cone-beam computed tomograms. The postoperative scan was performed 1 week after surgery with the splint still in place...
Atlas-based liver segmentation and hepatic fat-fraction assessment for clinical trials.
Yan, Zhennan; Zhang, Shaoting; Tan, Chaowei; Qin, Hongxing; Belaroussi, Boubakeur; Yu, Hui Jing; Miller, Colin; Metaxas, Dimitris N
2015-04-01
Automated assessment of hepatic fat-fraction is clinically important. A robust and precise segmentation would enable accurate, objective and consistent measurement of hepatic fat-fraction for disease quantification, therapy monitoring and drug development. However, segmenting the liver in clinical trials is a challenging task due to the variability of liver anatomy as well as the diverse sources the images were acquired from. In this paper, we propose an automated and robust framework for liver segmentation and assessment. It uses single statistical atlas registration to initialize a robust deformable model to obtain fine segmentation. Fat-fraction map is computed by using chemical shift based method in the delineated region of liver. This proposed method is validated on 14 abdominal magnetic resonance (MR) volumetric scans. The qualitative and quantitative comparisons show that our proposed method can achieve better segmentation accuracy with less variance comparing with two other atlas-based methods. Experimental results demonstrate the promises of our assessment framework. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
GeoSegmenter: A statistically learned Chinese word segmenter for the geoscience domain
Huang, Lan; Du, Youfu; Chen, Gongyang
2015-03-01
Unlike English, the Chinese language has no space between words. Segmenting texts into words, known as the Chinese word segmentation (CWS) problem, thus becomes a fundamental issue for processing Chinese documents and the first step in many text mining applications, including information retrieval, machine translation and knowledge acquisition. However, for the geoscience subject domain, the CWS problem remains unsolved. Although a generic segmenter can be applied to process geoscience documents, they lack the domain specific knowledge and consequently their segmentation accuracy drops dramatically. This motivated us to develop a segmenter specifically for the geoscience subject domain: the GeoSegmenter. We first proposed a generic two-step framework for domain specific CWS. Following this framework, we built GeoSegmenter using conditional random fields, a principled statistical framework for sequence learning. Specifically, GeoSegmenter first identifies general terms by using a generic baseline segmenter. Then it recognises geoscience terms by learning and applying a model that can transform the initial segmentation into the goal segmentation. Empirical experimental results on geoscience documents and benchmark datasets showed that GeoSegmenter could effectively recognise both geoscience terms and general terms.
Single-segment and double-segment INTACS for post-LASIK ectasia.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hassan Hashemi
2014-09-01
Full Text Available The objective of the present study was to compare single segment and double segment INTACS rings in the treatment of post-LASIK ectasia. In this interventional study, 26 eyes with post-LASIK ectasia were assessed. Ectasia was defined as progressive myopia regardless of astigmatism, along with topographic evidence of inferior steepening of the cornea after LASIK. We excluded those with a history of intraocular surgery, certain eye conditions, and immune disorders, as well as monocular, pregnant and lactating patients. A total of 11 eyes had double ring and 15 eyes had single ring implantation. Visual and refractive outcomes were compared with preoperative values based on the number of implanted INTACS rings. Pre and postoperative spherical equivalent were -3.92 and -2.29 diopter (P=0.007. The spherical equivalent decreased by 1 ± 3.2 diopter in the single-segment group and 2.56 ± 1.58 diopter in the double-segment group (P=0.165. Mean preoperative astigmatism was 2.38 ± 1.93 diopter which decreased to 2.14 ± 1.1 diopter after surgery (P=0.508; 0.87 ± 1.98 diopter decrease in the single-segment group and 0.67 ± 1.2 diopter increase in the double-segment group (P=0.025. Nineteen patients (75% gained one or two lines, and only three, who were all in the double-segment group, lost one or two lines of best corrected visual acuity. The spherical equivalent and vision significantly decreased in all patients. In these post-LASIK ectasia patients, the spherical equivalent was corrected better with two segments compared to single segment implantation; nonetheless, the level of astigmatism in the single-segment group was significantly better than that in the double-segment group.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Saha, Ashirbani, E-mail: as698@duke.edu; Grimm, Lars J., E-mail: lars.grimm@duke.edu; Harowicz, Michael, E-mail: michael.harowicz@duke.edu; Ghate, Sujata V., E-mail: sujata.ghate@duke.edu; Kim, Connie, E-mail: connie.kim@duke.edu; Walsh, Ruth, E-mail: ruth.walsh@duke.edu; Mazurowski, Maciej A., E-mail: maciej.mazurowski@duke.edu [Department of Radiology, Duke University Medical Center, 2424 Erwin Road, Suite 302, Durham, North Carolina 27705 (United States)
2016-08-15
Purpose: To assess the interobserver variability of readers when outlining breast tumors in MRI, study the reasons behind the variability, and quantify the effect of the variability on algorithmic imaging features extracted from breast MRI. Methods: Four readers annotated breast tumors from the MRI examinations of 50 patients from one institution using a bounding box to indicate a tumor. All of the annotated tumors were biopsy proven cancers. The similarity of bounding boxes was analyzed using Dice coefficients. An automatic tumor segmentation algorithm was used to segment tumors from the readers’ annotations. The segmented tumors were then compared between readers using Dice coefficients as the similarity metric. Cases showing high interobserver variability (average Dice coefficient <0.8) after segmentation were analyzed by a panel of radiologists to identify the reasons causing the low level of agreement. Furthermore, an imaging feature, quantifying tumor and breast tissue enhancement dynamics, was extracted from each segmented tumor for a patient. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were computed between the features for each pair of readers to assess the effect of the annotation on the feature values. Finally, the authors quantified the extent of variation in feature values caused by each of the individual reasons for low agreement. Results: The average agreement between readers in terms of the overlap (Dice coefficient) of the bounding box was 0.60. Automatic segmentation of tumor improved the average Dice coefficient for 92% of the cases to the average value of 0.77. The mean agreement between readers expressed by the correlation coefficient for the imaging feature was 0.96. Conclusions: There is a moderate variability between readers when identifying the rectangular outline of breast tumors on MRI. This variability is alleviated by the automatic segmentation of the tumors. Furthermore, the moderate interobserver variability in terms of the bounding box
A spatiotemporal-based scheme for efficient registration-based segmentation of thoracic 4-D MRI.
Yang, Y; Van Reeth, E; Poh, C L; Tan, C H; Tham, I W K
2014-05-01
Dynamic three-dimensional (3-D) (four-dimensional, 4-D) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is gaining importance in the study of pulmonary motion for respiratory diseases and pulmonary tumor motion for radiotherapy. To perform quantitative analysis using 4-D MR images, segmentation of anatomical structures such as the lung and pulmonary tumor is required. Manual segmentation of entire thoracic 4-D MRI data that typically contains many 3-D volumes acquired over several breathing cycles is extremely tedious, time consuming, and suffers high user variability. This requires the development of new automated segmentation schemes for 4-D MRI data segmentation. Registration-based segmentation technique that uses automatic registration methods for segmentation has been shown to be an accurate method to segment structures for 4-D data series. However, directly applying registration-based segmentation to segment 4-D MRI series lacks efficiency. Here we propose an automated 4-D registration-based segmentation scheme that is based on spatiotemporal information for the segmentation of thoracic 4-D MR lung images. The proposed scheme saved up to 95% of computation amount while achieving comparable accurate segmentations compared to directly applying registration-based segmentation to 4-D dataset. The scheme facilitates rapid 3-D/4-D visualization of the lung and tumor motion and potentially the tracking of tumor during radiation delivery.
Using deep learning to segment breast and fibroglandular tissue in MRI volumes.
Dalmış, Mehmet Ufuk; Litjens, Geert; Holland, Katharina; Setio, Arnaud; Mann, Ritse; Karssemeijer, Nico; Gubern-Mérida, Albert
2017-02-01
Automated segmentation of breast and fibroglandular tissue (FGT) is required for various computer-aided applications of breast MRI. Traditional image analysis and computer vision techniques, such atlas, template matching, or, edge and surface detection, have been applied to solve this task. However, applicability of these methods is usually limited by the characteristics of the images used in the study datasets, while breast MRI varies with respect to the different MRI protocols used, in addition to the variability in breast shapes. All this variability, in addition to various MRI artifacts, makes it a challenging task to develop a robust breast and FGT segmentation method using traditional approaches. Therefore, in this study, we investigated the use of a deep-learning approach known as "U-net." We used a dataset of 66 breast MRI's randomly selected from our scientific archive, which includes five different MRI acquisition protocols and breasts from four breast density categories in a balanced distribution. To prepare reference segmentations, we manually segmented breast and FGT for all images using an in-house developed workstation. We experimented with the application of U-net in two different ways for breast and FGT segmentation. In the first method, following the same pipeline used in traditional approaches, we trained two consecutive (2C) U-nets: first for segmenting the breast in the whole MRI volume and the second for segmenting FGT inside the segmented breast. In the second method, we used a single 3-class (3C) U-net, which performs both tasks simultaneously by segmenting the volume into three regions: nonbreast, fat inside the breast, and FGT inside the breast. For comparison, we applied two existing and published methods to our dataset: an atlas-based method and a sheetness-based method. We used Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) to measure the performances of the automated methods, with respect to the manual segmentations. Additionally, we computed
Segmentation of Arabic Handwritten Documents into Text Lines using Watershed Transform
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Abdelghani Souhar
2017-12-01
Full Text Available A crucial task in character recognition systems is the segmentation of the document into text lines and especially if it is handwritten. When dealing with non-Latin document such as Arabic, the challenge becomes greater since in addition to the variability of writing, the presence of diacritical points and the high number of ascender and descender characters complicates more the process of the segmentation. To remedy with this complexity and even to make this difficulty an advantage since the focus is on the Arabic language which is semi-cursive in nature, a method based on the Watershed Transform technique is proposed. Tested on «Handwritten Arabic Proximity Datasets» a segmentation rate of 93% for a 95% of matching score is achieved.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Shiffman, Smadar; Rubin, Geoffrey D.; Schraedley-Desmond, Pamela; Napel, Sandy
2003-01-01
Two-dimensional intensity-based methods for the segmentation of blood vessels from computed-tomography-angiography data often result in spurious segments that originate from other objects whose intensity distributions overlap with those of the vessels. When segmented images include spurious segments, additional methods are required to select segments that belong to the target vessels. We describe a method that allows experts to select vessel segments from sequences of segmented images with little effort. Our method uses ellipse-overlap criteria to differentiate between segments that belong to different objects and are separated in plane but are connected in the through-plane direction. To validate our method, we used it to extract vessel regions from volumes that were segmented via analysis of isolabel-contour maps, and showed that the difference between the results of our method and manually-edited results was within inter-expert variability. Although the total editing duration for our method, which included user-interaction and computer processing, exceeded that of manual editing, the extent of user interaction required for our method was about a fifth of that required for manual editing
MINI-TRAC code: a driver program for assessment of constitutive equations of two-fluid model
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Akimoto, Hajime; Abe, Yutaka; Ohnuki, Akira; Murao, Yoshio
1991-05-01
MINI-TRAC code, a driver program for assessment of constitutive equations of two-fluid model, has been developed to perform assessment and improvement of constitutive equations of two-fluid model widely and efficiently. The MINI-TRAC code uses one-dimensional conservation equations for mass, momentum and energy based on the two-fluid model. The code can work on a personal computer because it can be operated with a core memory size less than 640 KB. The MINI-TRAC code includes constitutive equations of TRAC-PF1/MOD1 code, TRAC-BF1 code and RELAP5/MOD2 code. The code is modulated so that one can easily change constitutive equations to perform a test calculation. This report is a manual of the MINI-TRAC code. The basic equations, numerics, constitutive, equations included in the MINI-TRAC code will be described. The user's manual such as input description will be presented. The program structure and contents of main variables will also be mentioned in this report. (author)
78 FR 57777 - Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution Week, 2013
2013-09-19
... strength of our common ideals. In a document that has endured for more than two and a quarter centuries, the Framers put forth their vision for a more perfect Union. Our Constitution was signed on September... citizenship, recognize the enduring strength of our Constitution, and reaffirm our commitment to the rights...
Ghanta, Sindhu; Jordan, Michael I.; Kose, Kivanc; Brooks, Dana H.; Rajadhyaksha, Milind; Dy, Jennifer G.
2016-01-01
Segmenting objects of interest from 3D datasets is a common problem encountered in biological data. Small field of view and intrinsic biological variability combined with optically subtle changes of intensity, resolution and low contrast in images make the task of segmentation difficult, especially for microscopy of unstained living or freshly excised thick tissues. Incorporating shape information in addition to the appearance of the object of interest can often help improve segmentation performance. However, shapes of objects in tissue can be highly variable and design of a flexible shape model that encompasses these variations is challenging. To address such complex segmentation problems, we propose a unified probabilistic framework that can incorporate the uncertainty associated with complex shapes, variable appearance and unknown locations. The driving application which inspired the development of this framework is a biologically important segmentation problem: the task of automatically detecting and segmenting the dermal-epidermal junction (DEJ) in 3D reflectance confocal microscopy (RCM) images of human skin. RCM imaging allows noninvasive observation of cellular, nuclear and morphological detail. The DEJ is an important morphological feature as it is where disorder, disease and cancer usually start. Detecting the DEJ is challenging because it is a 2D surface in a 3D volume which has strong but highly variable number of irregularly spaced and variably shaped “peaks and valleys”. In addition, RCM imaging resolution, contrast and intensity vary with depth. Thus a prior model needs to incorporate the intrinsic structure while allowing variability in essentially all its parameters. We propose a model which can incorporate objects of interest with complex shapes and variable appearance in an unsupervised setting by utilizing domain knowledge to build appropriate priors of the model. Our novel strategy to model this structure combines a spatial Poisson process
Change of position of constitutional judiciary
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Orlović Slobodan P.
2013-01-01
Full Text Available Constitutional judiciary is the youngest branch of authority in the horizontal level of state power. Constitutional judiciary has, during its existence - during two centuries as an ordinary court and during one century as a special authority, changed its position, role and importance. Those characteristics of constitutional judiciary had an increasing way - the position became better, in political and law sense, its role has expanded and the importance has increased. Today, constitutional judiciary is an inevitable subject of constitutional regimes in huge number of states (between them are almost all federations but, in the same time, constitutional judiciary is an authority which is at least limited by the constitution. The constitution is "soft" to the constitutional judiciary because the judiciary interpreted the constitution in accordance to its political and law attitudes, hidden by the guise of protection. Different separation of power, a rise of executive power, requests for better protections of fundamental human rights, a changed role of state and executive power, altogether, have influenced to change of position of constitutional judiciary.
de Raadt, J.B.
2009-01-01
What were the effects of constitution-making procedures on the acceptance of the new "rules of the political game" in postcommunist Central Europe? This article sets out to scrutinise the increasingly popular claim among politicians and scholars of democratisation that inclusiveness and popular
Constitutional Referendums:A Theoretical Enquiry
Tierney, Stephen
2009-01-01
In recent decades the use of referendums to settle major constitutional questions has increased dramatically. Addressing this phenomenon as a case study in the relationship between democracy and constitutional sovereignty, this article has two aims.The first is to argue that these constitutional referendums are categorically different from ordinary, legislative referendums, and that this has important implications for theories of constitutional sovereignty. Secondly, the article suggests that...
Kline, Timothy L; Korfiatis, Panagiotis; Edwards, Marie E; Blais, Jaime D; Czerwiec, Frank S; Harris, Peter C; King, Bernard F; Torres, Vicente E; Erickson, Bradley J
2017-08-01
Deep learning techniques are being rapidly applied to medical imaging tasks-from organ and lesion segmentation to tissue and tumor classification. These techniques are becoming the leading algorithmic approaches to solve inherently difficult image processing tasks. Currently, the most critical requirement for successful implementation lies in the need for relatively large datasets that can be used for training the deep learning networks. Based on our initial studies of MR imaging examinations of the kidneys of patients affected by polycystic kidney disease (PKD), we have generated a unique database of imaging data and corresponding reference standard segmentations of polycystic kidneys. In the study of PKD, segmentation of the kidneys is needed in order to measure total kidney volume (TKV). Automated methods to segment the kidneys and measure TKV are needed to increase measurement throughput and alleviate the inherent variability of human-derived measurements. We hypothesize that deep learning techniques can be leveraged to perform fast, accurate, reproducible, and fully automated segmentation of polycystic kidneys. Here, we describe a fully automated approach for segmenting PKD kidneys within MR images that simulates a multi-observer approach in order to create an accurate and robust method for the task of segmentation and computation of TKV for PKD patients. A total of 2000 cases were used for training and validation, and 400 cases were used for testing. The multi-observer ensemble method had mean ± SD percent volume difference of 0.68 ± 2.2% compared with the reference standard segmentations. The complete framework performs fully automated segmentation at a level comparable with interobserver variability and could be considered as a replacement for the task of segmentation of PKD kidneys by a human.
Constitutional trisomy 8 and Behçet syndrome.
Becker, Kristin; Fitzgerald, Oliver; Green, Andrew J; Keogan, Mary; Newbury-Ecob, Ruth; Greenhalgh, Lynn; Withers, Stephen; Hollox, Edward J; Aldred, Patricia M R; Armour, John A L
2009-05-01
The characteristic clinical features of constitutional trisomy 8 include varying degrees of developmental delay, joint contractures and deep palmar and plantar creases. There is an established literature, which describes features of Behçet syndrome occurring in phenotypically normal individuals with myelodysplastic syndromes and trisomy 8 in their bone marrow. In this article, we describe four patients with constitutional trisomy 8, all with varying clinical phenotypes, who developed features of Behçet, in particular but not exclusively mucocutaneous ulceration. In addition, we examined gene copy numbers of the variable-number neutrophil defensin genes DEFA1A3 in one of the cases (case 1) and her parents, together with 14 cases of Behçet syndrome in comparison with 121 normal controls. The gene copy number was highest in case 1 (copy number 14) and was also increased in her parents (both copy number 9). However the mean copy number for DEFA1A3 among the 14 Behçet syndrome patients was actually lower (5.1) than among the controls (mean of 6.8 copies). Thus, we conclude that patients with constitutional trisomy 8 and those with trisomy 8 confined to the bone marrow are both at increased risk of developing features of Behçet syndrome. The mechanism may relate to increased chromosome 8 gene dosage with further analysis of candidate genes on chromosome 8 required.
Constitutional reform as process
Schultze, Rainer-Olaf (Prof.)
2000-01-01
Constitutional reform as process. - In: The politics of constitutional reform in North America / Rainer-Olaf Schultze ... (eds.). - Opladen : Leske + Budrich, 2000. - S. 11-31. - (Politikwissenschaftliche paperbacks ; 30)
Rusak, Grażyna; Zawada, Elżbieta; Lemanowicz, Adam; Serafin, Zbigniew
2015-04-01
MR elastography (MRE) is a recent non-invasive technique that provides in vivo data on the viscoelasticity of the liver. Since the method is not well established, several different protocols were proposed that differ in results. The aim of the study was to analyze the variability of stiffness measurements in different regions of the liver. Twenty healthy adults aged 24-45 years were recruited. The examination was performed using a mechanical excitation of 64 Hz. MRE images were fused with axial T2WI breath-hold images (thickness 10 mm, spacing 10 mm). Stiffness was measured as a mean value of each cross section of the whole liver, on a single largest cross section, in the right lobe, and in ROIs (50 pix.) placed in the center of the left lobe, segments 5/6, 7, 8, and the parahilar region. Whole-liver stiffness ranged from 1.56 to 2.75 kPa. Mean segmental stiffness differed significantly between the tested regions (range from 1.55 ± 0.28 to 2.37 ± 0.32 kPa; P < 0.0001, ANOVA). Within-method variability of measurements ranged from 14 % for whole liver and segment 8-26 % for segment 7. Within-subject variability ranged from 13 to 31 %. Results of measurement within segment 8 were closest to the whole-liver method (ICC, 0.84). Stiffness of the liver presented significant variability depending on the region of measurement. The most reproducible method is averaging of cross sections of the whole liver. There was significant variability between stiffness in subjects considered healthy, which requires further investigation.
Radio emission from the nova-like variable AC Cancri and the symbiotic variable AG Draconis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Torbett, M.V.; Campbell, B.; Mount Wilson and Las Campanas Observatories, Pasadena, CA)
1987-01-01
Radio emission at 6 cm has been detected from the nova-like cataclysmic variable AC Cnc and the symbiotic variable AG Dra. The AC Cnc observation constitutes the first radio detection in this class of objects. The AG Dra source is probably resolved and appears to show asymmetric, extended structure. The radio emission can best be explained by thermal bremsstrahlung. 26 references
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Elsayed, Ahmed Mohamed Abdelfattah
2014-01-01
This paper seeks to address the constitutional paths that followed the Arab awakening in both Tunisia and Egypt. The Tunisian constitutional process, despite some tensions, was largely peaceful and consensual. On the other hand, the process in Egypt of establishing a new constitutional arrangement...... at identifying the factors have impacted both the constitutional drafting process and the popular perception of the produced constitutions in each of Tunisia and Egypt....
Hybridizing Differential Evolution with a Genetic Algorithm for Color Image Segmentation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
R. V. V. Krishna
2016-10-01
Full Text Available This paper proposes a hybrid of differential evolution and genetic algorithms to solve the color image segmentation problem. Clustering based color image segmentation algorithms segment an image by clustering the features of color and texture, thereby obtaining accurate prototype cluster centers. In the proposed algorithm, the color features are obtained using the homogeneity model. A new texture feature named Power Law Descriptor (PLD which is a modification of Weber Local Descriptor (WLD is proposed and further used as a texture feature for clustering. Genetic algorithms are competent in handling binary variables, while differential evolution on the other hand is more efficient in handling real parameters. The obtained texture feature is binary in nature and the color feature is a real value, which suits very well the hybrid cluster center optimization problem in image segmentation. Thus in the proposed algorithm, the optimum texture feature centers are evolved using genetic algorithms, whereas the optimum color feature centers are evolved using differential evolution.
Japanese migration in contemporary Japan: economic segmentation and interprefectural migration.
Fukurai, H
1991-01-01
This paper examines the economic segmentation model in explaining 1985-86 Japanese interregional migration. The analysis takes advantage of statistical graphic techniques to illustrate the following substantive issues of interregional migration: (1) to examine whether economic segmentation significantly influences Japanese regional migration and (2) to explain socioeconomic characteristics of prefectures for both in- and out-migration. Analytic techniques include a latent structural equation (LISREL) methodology and statistical residual mapping. The residual dispersion patterns, for instance, suggest the extent to which socioeconomic and geopolitical variables explain migration differences by showing unique clusters of unexplained residuals. The analysis further points out that extraneous factors such as high residential land values, significant commuting populations, and regional-specific cultures and traditions need to be incorporated in the economic segmentation model in order to assess the extent of the model's reliability in explaining the pattern of interprefectural migration.
Orthographic Transparency Enhances Morphological Segmentation in Children Reading Hebrew Words
Haddad, Laurice; Weiss, Yael; Katzir, Tami; Bitan, Tali
2018-01-01
, in contrast to the common hypothesis, our results show that morphemic segmentation does not compensate for the missing phonological information in a non-transparent orthography, but rather that morphological segmentation is most beneficial in the highly transparent script. These results are consistent with the idea that morphological and phonological segmentation processes occur simultaneously and do not constitute alternative pathways to visual word recognition. PMID:29403413
Orthographic Transparency Enhances Morphological Segmentation in Children Reading Hebrew Words
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Laurice Haddad
2018-01-01
readers. Moreover, in contrast to the common hypothesis, our results show that morphemic segmentation does not compensate for the missing phonological information in a non-transparent orthography, but rather that morphological segmentation is most beneficial in the highly transparent script. These results are consistent with the idea that morphological and phonological segmentation processes occur simultaneously and do not constitute alternative pathways to visual word recognition.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bismark R.D.K. Agbelie
2016-08-01
Full Text Available The present study conducted an empirical highway segment crash frequency analysis on the basis of fixed-parameters negative binomial and random-parameters negative binomial models. Using a 4-year data from a total of 158 highway segments, with a total of 11,168 crashes, the results from both models were presented, discussed, and compared. About 58% of the selected variables produced normally distributed parameters across highway segments, while the remaining produced fixed parameters. The presence of a noise barrier along a highway segment would increase mean annual crash frequency by 0.492 for 88.21% of the highway segments, and would decrease crash frequency for 11.79% of the remaining highway segments. Besides, the number of vertical curves per mile along a segment would increase mean annual crash frequency by 0.006 for 84.13% of the highway segments, and would decrease crash frequency for 15.87% of the remaining highway segments. Thus, constraining the parameters to be fixed across all highway segments would lead to an inaccurate conclusion. Although, the estimated parameters from both models showed consistency in direction, the magnitudes were significantly different. Out of the two models, the random-parameters negative binomial model was found to be statistically superior in evaluating highway segment crashes compared with the fixed-parameters negative binomial model. On average, the marginal effects from the fixed-parameters negative binomial model were observed to be significantly overestimated compared with those from the random-parameters negative binomial model.
The diffusion of constitutional rights
Goderis, B.V.G.; Versteeg, M.
Constitutions are commonly regarded as uniquely national products, shaped by domestic ideals and politics. This paper develops and empirically investigates a novel hypothesis, which is that constitutions are also shaped by transnational influence, or “diffusion.” Constitutional rights can diffuse
Accounting for segment correlations in segmented gamma-ray scans
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sheppard, G.A.; Prettyman, T.H.; Piquette, E.C.
1994-01-01
In a typical segmented gamma-ray scanner (SGS), the detector's field of view is collimated so that a complete horizontal slice or segment of the desired thickness is visible. Ordinarily, the collimator is not deep enough to exclude gamma rays emitted from sample volumes above and below the segment aligned with the collimator. This can lead to assay biases, particularly for certain radioactive-material distributions. Another consequence of the collimator's low aspect ratio is that segment assays at the top and bottom of the sample are biased low because the detector's field of view is not filled. This effect is ordinarily countered by placing the sample on a low-Z pedestal and scanning one or more segment thicknesses below and above the sample. This takes extra time, however, We have investigated a number of techniques that both account for correlated segments and correct for end effects in SGS assays. Also, we have developed an algorithm that facilitates estimates of assay precision. Six calculation methods have been compared by evaluating the results of thousands of simulated, assays for three types of gamma-ray source distribution and ten masses. We will report on these computational studies and their experimental verification
METHODOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING THE SEGMENTATION OF HOUSEHOLD ENERGY CONSUMERS
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maxim Alexandru
2013-07-01
Full Text Available Over the last decade, the World has shown increased concern for climate change and energy security. The emergence of these issues has pushed many nations to pursue the development of clean domestic electricity production via renewable energy (RE technologies. However, RE also comes with a higher production and investment cost, compared to most conventional fossil fuel based technologies. In order to analyse exactly how Romanian electricity consumers feel about the advantages and the disadvantages of RE, we have decided to perform a comprehensive study, which will constitute the core of a doctoral thesis regarding the Romanian energy sector and household consumers’ willingness to pay for the positive attributes of RE. The current paper represents one step toward achieving the objectives of the above mentioned research, specifically dealing with the issue of segmenting household energy consumers given the context of the Romanian energy sector. It is an argumentative literature review, which seeks to critically assess the methodology used for customer segmentation in general and for household energy users in particular. Building on the experience of previous studies, the paper aims to determine the most adequate segmentation procedure given the context and the objectives of the overall doctoral research. After assessing the advantages and disadvantages of various methodologies, a psychographic segmentation of household consumers based on general life practices is chosen, mainly because it provides more insights into consumers compared to traditional socio-demographic segmentation by focusing on lifestyles and not external characteristics, but it is also realistically implementable compared to more complex procedures such as the standard AIO. However, the life practice scale developed by Axsen et al. (2012 will need to be properly adapted to the specific objectives of the study and to the context of the Romanian energy sector. All modifications
Titschack, J.; Baum, D.; Matsuyama, K.; Boos, K.; Färber, C.; Kahl, W.-A.; Ehrig, K.; Meinel, D.; Soriano, C.; Stock, S. R.
2018-06-01
During the last decades, X-ray (micro-)computed tomography has gained increasing attention for the description of porous skeletal and shell structures of various organism groups. However, their quantitative analysis is often hampered by the difficulty to discriminate cavities and pores within the object from the surrounding region. Herein, we test the ambient occlusion (AO) algorithm and newly implemented optimisations for the segmentation of cavities (implemented in the software Amira). The segmentation accuracy is evaluated as a function of (i) changes in the ray length input variable, and (ii) the usage of AO (scalar) field and other AO-derived (scalar) fields. The results clearly indicate that the AO field itself outperforms all other AO-derived fields in terms of segmentation accuracy and robustness against variations in the ray length input variable. The newly implemented optimisations improved the AO field-based segmentation only slightly, while the segmentations based on the AO-derived fields improved considerably. Additionally, we evaluated the potential of the AO field and AO-derived fields for the separation and classification of cavities as well as skeletal structures by comparing them with commonly used distance-map-based segmentations. For this, we tested the zooid separation within a bryozoan colony, the stereom classification of an ophiuroid tooth, the separation of bioerosion traces within a marble block and the calice (central cavity)-pore separation within a dendrophyllid coral. The obtained results clearly indicate that the ideal input field depends on the three-dimensional morphology of the object of interest. The segmentations based on the AO-derived fields often provided cavity separations and skeleton classifications that were superior to or impossible to obtain with commonly used distance-map-based segmentations. The combined usage of various AO-derived fields by supervised or unsupervised segmentation algorithms might provide a promising
Variability and repertoire size of T-cell receptor V alpha gene segments.
Becker, D M; Pattern, P; Chien, Y; Yokota, T; Eshhar, Z; Giedlin, M; Gascoigne, N R; Goodnow, C; Wolf, R; Arai, K
The immune system of higher organisms is composed largely of two distinct cell types, B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes, each of which is independently capable of recognizing an enormous number of distinct entities through their antigen receptors; surface immunoglobulin in the case of the former, and the T-cell receptor (TCR) in the case of the latter. In both cell types, the genes encoding the antigen receptors consist of multiple gene segments which recombine during maturation to produce many possible peptides. One striking difference between B- and T-cell recognition that has not yet been resolved by the structural data is the fact that T cells generally require a major histocompatibility determinant together with an antigen whereas, in most cases, antibodies recognize antigen alone. Recently, we and others have found that a series of TCR V beta gene sequences show conservation of many of the same residues that are conserved between heavy- and light-chain immunoglobulin V regions, and these V beta sequences are predicted to have an immunoglobulin-like secondary structure. To extend these studies, we have isolated and sequenced eight additional alpha-chain complementary cDNA clones and compared them with published sequences. Analyses of these sequences, reported here, indicate that V alpha regions have many of the characteristics of V beta gene segments but differ in that they almost always occur as cross-hybridizing gene families. We conclude that there may be very different selective pressures operating on V alpha and V beta sequences and that the V alpha repertoire may be considerably larger than that of V beta.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Thaminne Nathalia Cabral Moraes e Silva
2016-12-01
Full Text Available This article has as its theme the analysis of the separation of powers and the rule of democracy, in addition to the possibility of the Constitutional Court be composed of people appointed by the President of the Republic, not fulfilling the democratic rule, and make the control of constitutionality of laws, created through democratic process. Will be answered: the separation of powers obey the democratic rule? When the Legislature fails to fulfill its function of legislating, opens the opportunity for the Supreme Court, as the Constitutional Court that is, create, through judicial activism, silent rules? That injured the democratic rule?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Corey Sparks
2009-07-01
Full Text Available This paper presents an analysis of the differential growth rates of the farming and non-farming segments of a rural Scottish community during the 19th and early 20th centuries using the variable-r method allowing for net migration. Using this method, I find that the farming population of Orkney, Scotland, showed less variability in their reproduction and growth rates than the non-farming population during a period of net population decline. I conclude by suggesting that the variable-r method can be used in general cases where the relative growth of subpopulations or subpopulation reproduction is of interest.
Legal theology in imposed constitutionalism
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Abat Ninet, Antoni
2018-01-01
The focus of this paper is the question of legitimacy, and how can we consider legitimate an imposed constitution and the subsequent constitutional principles, practices and values that go hand-in-hand with the legal and political acculturation. Constitutional texts around the world are good...
Small rural hospitals: an example of market segmentation analysis.
Mainous, A G; Shelby, R L
1991-01-01
In recent years, market segmentation analysis has shown increased popularity among health care marketers, although marketers tend to focus upon hospitals as sellers. The present analysis suggests that there is merit to viewing hospitals as a market of consumers. Employing a random sample of 741 small rural hospitals, the present investigation sought to determine, through the use of segmentation analysis, the variables associated with hospital success (occupancy). The results of a discriminant analysis yielded a model which classifies hospitals with a high degree of predictive accuracy. Successful hospitals have more beds and employees, and are generally larger and have more resources. However, there was no significant relationship between organizational success and number of services offered by the institution.
Robust segmentation of focal lesions on multi-sequence MRI in multiple sclerosis
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Garcia-Lorenzo, Daniel
2010-01-01
Multiple sclerosis (MS) affects around 80.000 people in France. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an essential tool for diagnosis of MS and MRI-derived surrogate markers such as MS lesion volumes are often used as measures in MS clinical trials for the development of new treatments. The manual segmentation of these MS lesions is a time-consuming task that shows high inter- and intra-rater variability. We developed an automatic work flow for the segmentation of focal MS lesions on MRI. The segmentation method is based on the robust estimation of a parametric model of the intensities of the brain; lesions are detected as outliers to the model. We proposed two methods to include spatial information in the segmentation using mean shift and graph cut. We performed a quantitative evaluation of our work flow using synthetic and clinical images of two different centers to verify its accuracy and robustness. (author)
Consumer evaluation of fish quality as basis for fish market segmentation
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Verbeke, Wim; Vermeir, Iris; Brunsø, Karen
2007-01-01
evaluation: personal relevance attached to fish quality and self-confidence in fish quality evaluation, which allow segmenting the market in four fish consumer segments. The segments are typified as Uninvolved, Uncertain, Self-confident and Connoisseurs, and have distinctive behavioural, attitudinal......This paper focuses on consumer evaluation of fish quality and its association with fish consumption, risk and benefit beliefs and information processing variables. Cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 429 consumers in March 2003 in Belgium. Two dimensions shape fish quality...... and socio-demographic profiles. The Uninvolved are mainly young males, have the lowest fish consumption level, weakest belief in health benefits from eating fish, and lowest interest in both search and credence information cues. Uncertain fish consumers are mainly females, with a tendency of lower education...
Large Deformation Constitutive Laws for Isotropic Thermoelastic Materials
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Plohr, Bradley J. [Los Alamos National Laboratory; Plohr, Jeeyeon N. [Los Alamos National Laboratory
2012-07-25
We examine the approximations made in using Hooke's law as a constitutive relation for an isotropic thermoelastic material subjected to large deformation by calculating the stress evolution equation from the free energy. For a general thermoelastic material, we employ the volume-preserving part of the deformation gradient to facilitate volumetric/shear strain decompositions of the free energy, its first derivatives (the Cauchy stress and entropy), and its second derivatives (the specific heat, Grueneisen tensor, and elasticity tensor). Specializing to isotropic materials, we calculate these constitutive quantities more explicitly. For deformations with limited shear strain, but possibly large changes in volume, we show that the differential equations for the stress components involve new terms in addition to the traditional Hooke's law terms. These new terms are of the same order in the shear strain as the objective derivative terms needed for frame indifference; unless the latter terms are negligible, the former cannot be neglected. We also demonstrate that accounting for the new terms requires that the deformation gradient be included as a field variable
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Brian A. Johnson
2015-10-01
Full Text Available Multi-scale/multi-level geographic object-based image analysis (MS-GEOBIA methods are becoming widely-used in remote sensing because single-scale/single-level (SS-GEOBIA methods are often unable to obtain an accurate segmentation and classification of all land use/land cover (LULC types in an image. However, there have been few comparisons between SS-GEOBIA and MS-GEOBIA approaches for the purpose of mapping a specific LULC type, so it is not well understood which is more appropriate for this task. In addition, there are few methods for automating the selection of segmentation parameters for MS-GEOBIA, while manual selection (i.e., trial-and-error approach of parameters can be quite challenging and time-consuming. In this study, we examined SS-GEOBIA and MS-GEOBIA approaches for extracting residential areas in Landsat 8 imagery, and compared naïve and parameter-optimized segmentation approaches to assess whether unsupervised segmentation parameter optimization (USPO could improve the extraction of residential areas. Our main findings were: (i the MS-GEOBIA approaches achieved higher classification accuracies than the SS-GEOBIA approach, and (ii USPO resulted in more accurate MS-GEOBIA classification results while reducing the number of segmentation levels and classification variables considerably.
Hydrophilic segmented block copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide) and monodisperse amide segments
Husken, D.; Feijen, Jan; Gaymans, R.J.
2007-01-01
Segmented block copolymers based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) flexible segments and monodisperse crystallizable bisester tetra-amide segments were made via a polycondensation reaction. The molecular weight of the PEO segments varied from 600 to 4600 g/mol and a bisester tetra-amide segment (T6T6T)
A systematic review of definitions and classification systems of adjacent segment pathology.
Kraemer, Paul; Fehlings, Michael G; Hashimoto, Robin; Lee, Michael J; Anderson, Paul A; Chapman, Jens R; Raich, Annie; Norvell, Daniel C
2012-10-15
Systematic review. To undertake a systematic review to determine how "adjacent segment degeneration," "adjacent segment disease," or clinical pathological processes that serve as surrogates for adjacent segment pathology are classified and defined in the peer-reviewed literature. Adjacent segment degeneration and adjacent segment disease are terms referring to degenerative changes known to occur after reconstructive spine surgery, most commonly at an immediately adjacent functional spinal unit. These can include disc degeneration, instability, spinal stenosis, facet degeneration, and deformity. The true incidence and clinical impact of degenerative changes at the adjacent segment is unclear because there is lack of a universally accepted classification system that rigorously addresses clinical and radiological issues. A systematic review of the English language literature was undertaken and articles were classified using the Grades of Recommendation Assessment, Development, and Evaluation criteria. RESULTS.: Seven classification systems of spinal degeneration, including degeneration at the adjacent segment, were identified. None have been evaluated for reliability or validity specific to patients with degeneration at the adjacent segment. The ways in which terms related to adjacent segment "degeneration" or "disease" are defined in the peer-reviewed literature are highly variable. On the basis of the systematic review presented in this article, no formal classification system for either cervical or thoracolumbar adjacent segment disorders currently exists. No recommendations regarding the use of current classification of degeneration at any segments can be made based on the available literature. A new comprehensive definition for adjacent segment pathology (ASP, the now preferred terminology) has been proposed in this Focus Issue, which reflects the diverse pathology observed at functional spinal units adjacent to previous spinal reconstruction and balances
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
N Mahomed
2009-06-01
Full Text Available Spinal segmental dysgenesis is a rare congenital spinal abnormality , seen in neonates and infants in which a segment of the spine and spinal cord fails to develop normally . The condition is segmental with normal vertebrae above and below the malformation. This condition is commonly associated with various abnormalities that affect the heart, genitourinary, gastrointestinal tract and skeletal system. We report two cases of spinal segmental dysgenesis and the associated abnormalities.
Surgeon and type of anesthesia predict variability in surgical procedure times.
Strum, D P; Sampson, A R; May, J H; Vargas, L G
2000-05-01
Variability in surgical procedure times increases the cost of healthcare delivery by increasing both the underutilization and overutilization of expensive surgical resources. To reduce variability in surgical procedure times, we must identify and study its sources. Our data set consisted of all surgeries performed over a 7-yr period at a large teaching hospital, resulting in 46,322 surgical cases. To study factors associated with variability in surgical procedure times, data mining techniques were used to segment and focus the data so that the analyses would be both technically and intellectually feasible. The data were subdivided into 40 representative segments of manageable size and variability based on headers adopted from the common procedural terminology classification. Each data segment was then analyzed using a main-effects linear model to identify and quantify specific sources of variability in surgical procedure times. The single most important source of variability in surgical procedure times was surgeon effect. Type of anesthesia, age, gender, and American Society of Anesthesiologists risk class were additional sources of variability. Intrinsic case-specific variability, unexplained by any of the preceding factors, was found to be highest for shorter surgeries relative to longer procedures. Variability in procedure times among surgeons was a multiplicative function (proportionate to time) of surgical time and total procedure time, such that as procedure times increased, variability in surgeons' surgical time increased proportionately. Surgeon-specific variability should be considered when building scheduling heuristics for longer surgeries. Results concerning variability in surgical procedure times due to factors such as type of anesthesia, age, gender, and American Society of Anesthesiologists risk class may be extrapolated to scheduling in other institutions, although specifics on individual surgeons may not. This research identifies factors associated
Trunk lean gait decreases multi-segmental coordination in the vertical direction.
Tokuda, Kazuki; Anan, Masaya; Sawada, Tomonori; Tanimoto, Kenji; Takeda, Takuya; Ogata, Yuta; Takahashi, Makoto; Kito, Nobuhiro; Shinkoda, Koichi
2017-11-01
[Purpose] The strategy of trunk lean gait to reduce external knee adduction moment (KAM) may affect multi-segmental synergy control of center of mass (COM) displacement. Uncontrolled manifold (UCM) analysis is an evaluation index to understand motor variability. The purpose of this study was to investigate how motor variability is affected by using UCM analysis on adjustment of the trunk lean angle. [Subjects and Methods] Fifteen healthy young adults walked at their preferred speed under two conditions: normal and trunk lean gait. UCM analysis was performed with respect to the COM displacement during the stance phase. The KAM data were analyzed at the points of the first KAM peak during the stance phase. [Results] The KAM during trunk lean gait was smaller than during normal gait. Despite a greater segmental configuration variance with respect to mediolateral COM displacement during trunk lean gait, the synergy index was not significantly different between the two conditions. The synergy index with respect to vertical COM displacement during trunk lean gait was smaller than that during normal gait. [Conclusion] These results suggest that trunk lean gait is effective in reducing KAM; however, it may decrease multi-segmental movement coordination of COM control in the vertical direction.
Political dimension of European constitutionalism
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kaplánová Patricia
2015-04-01
Full Text Available Author in the article tries to analyse different elements of document called European Constitution. Analysis is supported with theoretical framework of federalism, presented by Brezovšek. Authors is playing with idea of (confederal and international organization elements of European Constitution and their mix. They are also trying to set some connections between so called common European identity as necessary condition to give legitimacy to the European Constitution. This became important question after „votes of non-confidence“ to the European Constitution in France, despite it should be addressed already before. However, European Constitution is important document on the path of European integration and lack of support to it will slow down this process of widening and deepening European ties.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
S. Shakhray
2018-01-01
Full Text Available The article enriches the discussion on the legal reasons and conditions fostering the viability of democratic constitutions by analyzing the rich experience of the Russian Constitution of 1993. Particular attention is paid to the concept of countermajoritarian institutions. The authors elaborate the idea that countermajoritarian institutions can play an important role in ensuring the viability (put in other terms, the proper balance between stability, adaptability, and dynamic development of modern democratic constitutions as well as political regimes.The article presents evidence-based data showing that the President and the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation systematically acted as countermajoritarian institutions at the initial stage of the implementation of the “blueprint for the future” set down in the 1993 Russian Constitution. As a result of the activities of these institutions, strong legal frameworks were created that are necessary for the establishment of anew constitutional system of the Russian state and law.Today, the Russian Constitution of 1993 is one of the longest lasting democratic constitutions in the world (the average “life expectancy” of democratic constitutions adopted over the past 250 years is about seventeen years. The study of the countermajoritarian provisions in the 1993 Russian Constitution is of both theoretical and practical importance. In particular, the results of the study can be useful in creating efficient legal instruments for the maintenance of political stability and social development management both within sovereign states and within interstate communities.
Skip segment Hirschsprung's disease: a systematic review.
LENUS (Irish Health Repository)
O'Donnell, Anne-Marie
2012-02-01
PURPOSE: Hirschsprung\\'s disease is characterised by the congenital absence of ganglion cells beginning in the distal rectum and extending proximally for varying distances. \\'Zonal aganglionosis\\' is a phenomenon involving a zone of aganglionosis occurring within normally innervated intestine. \\'Skip segment\\' Hirschsprung\\'s disease (SSHD) involves a \\'skip area\\' of normally ganglionated intestine, surrounded proximally and distally by aganglionosis. While Hirschsprung\\'s disease is believed to be the result of incomplete craniocaudal migration of neural crest-derived cells, the occurrence of SSHD has no clear embryological explanation. The aim of this study was to perform a systematic review of SSHD, reported in the literature between 1954 and 2009, in order to determine the clinical characteristics of this rare entity and its significance. METHODS: The first reported case of SSHD was published in 1954. A systematic review of SSHD cases in the literature, from 1954 to 2009, was carried out using the electronic database \\'Pubmed\\'. Detailed information was recorded regarding the age, gender, presenting symptoms and location of the skip segment in each patient. RESULTS: 24 cases of SSHD have been reported in the literature to date. 18\\/24 (75%) of these cases were males and 6\\/24 (25%) were females. Of these, 22\\/24 (92%) were cases of total colonic aganglionosis (TCA), and 2\\/24 (8%) were rectosigmoid Hirschsprung\\'s disease. Of the 22 TCA cases, 9 (41%) had a skip segment in the transverse colon, 6 (27%) in the ascending colon, 2 (9%) in the caecum and 5 (23%) had multiple skip segments. In both rectosigmoid Hirschsprung\\'s disease cases, the skip segment was in the sigmoid colon. Overall, the length of the skip segment was variable, with the entire transverse colon ganglionated in some cases. CONCLUSION: SSHD occurs predominantly in patients with TCA. The existence of a skip area of normally innervated colon in TCA may influence surgical
Rodríguez López, Marcelo
2016-01-01
The work presented in this dissertation investigates music segmentation. In the field of Musicology, segmentation refers to a score analysis technique, whereby notated pieces or passages of these pieces are divided into “units” referred to as sections, periods, phrases, and so on. Segmentation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Larson, H L
2007-01-01
This document contains Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs) for the Radioactive and Hazardous Waste Management (RHWM) Division's B695 Segment of the Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility (DWTF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The TSRs constitute requirements regarding the safe operation of the B695 Segment of the DWTF. The TSRs are derived from the Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) for the B695 Segment of the DWTF (LLNL 2004). The analysis presented there determined that the B695 Segment of the DWTF is a low-chemical hazard, Hazard Category 3, nonreactor nuclear facility. The TSRs consist primarily of inventory limits as well as controls to preserve the underlying assumptions in the hazard analyses. Furthermore, appropriate commitments to safety programs are presented in the administrative controls section of the TSRs. The B695 Segment of the DWTF (B695 and the west portion of B696) is a waste treatment and storage facility located in the northeast quadrant of the LLNL main site. The approximate area and boundary of the B695 Segment of the DWTF are shown in the B695 Segment of the DWTF DSA. Activities typically conducted in the B695 Segment of the DWTF include container storage, lab-packing, repacking, overpacking, bulking, sampling, waste transfer, and waste treatment. B695 is used to store and treat radioactive, mixed, and hazardous waste, and it also contains equipment used in conjunction with waste processing operations to treat various liquid and solid wastes. The portion of the building called Building 696 Solid Waste Processing Area (SWPA), also referred to as B696S in this report, is used primarily to manage solid radioactive waste. Operations specific to the SWPA include sorting and segregating low-level waste (LLW) and transuranic (TRU) waste, lab-packing, sampling, and crushing empty drums that previously contained LLW. A permit modification for B696S was submitted to DTSC in January 2004 to store and treat hazardous and mixed
Learning from Weak and Noisy Labels for Semantic Segmentation
Lu, Zhiwu
2016-04-08
A weakly supervised semantic segmentation (WSSS) method aims to learn a segmentation model from weak (image-level) as opposed to strong (pixel-level) labels. By avoiding the tedious pixel-level annotation process, it can exploit the unlimited supply of user-tagged images from media-sharing sites such as Flickr for large scale applications. However, these ‘free’ tags/labels are often noisy and few existing works address the problem of learning with both weak and noisy labels. In this work, we cast the WSSS problem into a label noise reduction problem. Specifically, after segmenting each image into a set of superpixels, the weak and potentially noisy image-level labels are propagated to the superpixel level resulting in highly noisy labels; the key to semantic segmentation is thus to identify and correct the superpixel noisy labels. To this end, a novel L1-optimisation based sparse learning model is formulated to directly and explicitly detect noisy labels. To solve the L1-optimisation problem, we further develop an efficient learning algorithm by introducing an intermediate labelling variable. Extensive experiments on three benchmark datasets show that our method yields state-of-the-art results given noise-free labels, whilst significantly outperforming the existing methods when the weak labels are also noisy.
Learning from Weak and Noisy Labels for Semantic Segmentation
Lu, Zhiwu; Fu, Zhenyong; Xiang, Tao; Han, Peng; Wang, Liwei; Gao, Xin
2016-01-01
A weakly supervised semantic segmentation (WSSS) method aims to learn a segmentation model from weak (image-level) as opposed to strong (pixel-level) labels. By avoiding the tedious pixel-level annotation process, it can exploit the unlimited supply of user-tagged images from media-sharing sites such as Flickr for large scale applications. However, these ‘free’ tags/labels are often noisy and few existing works address the problem of learning with both weak and noisy labels. In this work, we cast the WSSS problem into a label noise reduction problem. Specifically, after segmenting each image into a set of superpixels, the weak and potentially noisy image-level labels are propagated to the superpixel level resulting in highly noisy labels; the key to semantic segmentation is thus to identify and correct the superpixel noisy labels. To this end, a novel L1-optimisation based sparse learning model is formulated to directly and explicitly detect noisy labels. To solve the L1-optimisation problem, we further develop an efficient learning algorithm by introducing an intermediate labelling variable. Extensive experiments on three benchmark datasets show that our method yields state-of-the-art results given noise-free labels, whilst significantly outperforming the existing methods when the weak labels are also noisy.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
LWH Ackermann
2000-05-01
Full Text Available Constitutional democracy recognises the ancient democratic principle that government of a country is based on and legitimated by the will and consent of the governed, which is determined by regular multi-party elections based on universal adult franchise. Constitutional democracy limits this principle by subjecting the democratically elected government and the will of the majority subject to a written constitution and the norms embodied in it. Such constitution is enshrined as the supreme law of the country in question. An almost universal feature of modern constitutionalism is a Bill of Rights that forms part of the Constitution and which is designed to protect and enforce individual rights principally, although not exclusively, against the state. Constitutionalism also embodies the principle of the separation of powers. A competent and independent judiciary, with the power to review all legislative and executive conduct that is inconsistent with the Constitution, is regarded, almost universally, as the prime and most effective check on the legislative and executive branches of government. Recently it has come to be realised that for the truly effective and meaningful operation of constitutionalism, other independent state institutions are necessary. The collective objective of these institutions is to ensure that the Constitution in fact produces what it proclaims: that constitutionalism becomes a way of life in all institutional structures. The South African Constitution has clearly designated the judiciary as the prime upholder and enforcer of the Constitution. The Constitution has, however, gone further and makes provision for a variety of independent state institutions whose purpose is to "strengthen constitutional democracy in the Republic". Apart from these state institutions the Constitution also makes provision for other independent bodies designed to play an important checking and balancing role. The regular effective functioning of
Segmented trapped vortex cavity
Grammel, Jr., Leonard Paul (Inventor); Pennekamp, David Lance (Inventor); Winslow, Jr., Ralph Henry (Inventor)
2010-01-01
An annular trapped vortex cavity assembly segment comprising includes a cavity forward wall, a cavity aft wall, and a cavity radially outer wall there between defining a cavity segment therein. A cavity opening extends between the forward and aft walls at a radially inner end of the assembly segment. Radially spaced apart pluralities of air injection first and second holes extend through the forward and aft walls respectively. The segment may include first and second expansion joint features at distal first and second ends respectively of the segment. The segment may include a forward subcomponent including the cavity forward wall attached to an aft subcomponent including the cavity aft wall. The forward and aft subcomponents include forward and aft portions of the cavity radially outer wall respectively. A ring of the segments may be circumferentially disposed about an axis to form an annular segmented vortex cavity assembly.
Performance Analysis of Segmentation of Hyperspectral Images Based on Color Image Segmentation
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Praveen Agarwal
2017-06-01
Full Text Available Image segmentation is a fundamental approach in the field of image processing and based on user’s application .This paper propose an original and simple segmentation strategy based on the EM approach that resolves many informatics problems about hyperspectral images which are observed by airborne sensors. In a first step, to simplify the input color textured image into a color image without texture. The final segmentation is simply achieved by a spatially color segmentation using feature vector with the set of color values contained around the pixel to be classified with some mathematical equations. The spatial constraint allows taking into account the inherent spatial relationships of any image and its color. This approach provides effective PSNR for the segmented image. These results have the better performance as the segmented images are compared with Watershed & Region Growing Algorithm and provide effective segmentation for the Spectral Images & Medical Images.
Saraswat, Prabhav; MacWilliams, Bruce A; Davis, Roy B
2012-04-01
Several multi-segment foot models to measure the motion of intrinsic joints of the foot have been reported. Use of these models in clinical decision making is limited due to lack of rigorous validation including inter-clinician, and inter-lab variability measures. A model with thoroughly quantified variability may significantly improve the confidence in the results of such foot models. This study proposes a new clinical foot model with the underlying strategy of using separate anatomic and technical marker configurations and coordinate systems. Anatomical landmark and coordinate system identification is determined during a static subject calibration. Technical markers are located at optimal sites for dynamic motion tracking. The model is comprised of the tibia and three foot segments (hindfoot, forefoot and hallux) and inter-segmental joint angles are computed in three planes. Data collection was carried out on pediatric subjects at two sites (Site 1: n=10 subjects by two clinicians and Site 2: five subjects by one clinician). A plaster mold method was used to quantify static intra-clinician and inter-clinician marker placement variability by allowing direct comparisons of marker data between sessions for each subject. Intra-clinician and inter-clinician joint angle variability were less than 4°. For dynamic walking kinematics, intra-clinician, inter-clinician and inter-laboratory variability were less than 6° for the ankle and forefoot, but slightly higher for the hallux. Inter-trial variability accounted for 2-4° of the total dynamic variability. Results indicate the proposed foot model reduces the effects of marker placement variability on computed foot kinematics during walking compared to similar measures in previous models. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Roy, Snehashis; Wilkes, Sean; Diaz-Arrastia, Ramon; Butman, John A.; Pham, Dzung L.
2015-03-01
Quantification of hemorrhages in head computed tomography (CT) images from patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) has potential applications in monitoring disease progression and better understanding of the patho-physiology of TBI. Although manual segmentations can provide accurate measures of hemorrhages, the processing time and inter-rater variability make it infeasible for large studies. In this paper, we propose a fully automatic novel pipeline for segmenting intraparenchymal hemorrhages (IPH) from clinical head CT images. Unlike previous methods of model based segmentation or active contour techniques, we rely on relevant and matching examples from already segmented images by trained raters. The CT images are first skull-stripped. Then example patches from an "atlas" CT and its manual segmentation are used to learn a two-class sparse dictionary for hemorrhage and normal tissue. Next, for a given "subject" CT, a subject patch is modeled as a sparse convex combination of a few atlas patches from the dictionary. The same convex combination is applied to the atlas segmentation patches to generate a membership for the hemorrhages at each voxel. Hemorrhages are segmented from 25 subjects with various degrees of TBI. Results are compared with segmentations obtained from an expert rater. A median Dice coefficient of 0.85 between automated and manual segmentations is achieved. A linear fit between automated and manual volumes show a slope of 1.0047, indicating a negligible bias in volume estimation.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
José Carlos Castañeda Reyes
2016-01-01
world witnessed, a testament to what massive popular participation can attain. We believe the Constitution has true potential to guide the forces of change in the country. Therefore, the struggle for “bread, freedom, social justice and human dignity” will continue and is actually continuing in the Nile country via constitutional and non-constitutional means.
Nakamura, Miyoko; Kolinsky, Régine
2014-12-01
We explored the functional units of speech segmentation in Japanese using dichotic presentation and a detection task requiring no intentional sublexical analysis. Indeed, illusory perception of a target word might result from preattentive migration of phonemes, morae, or syllables from one ear to the other. In Experiment I, Japanese listeners detected targets presented in hiragana and/or kanji. Phoneme migrations did occur, suggesting that orthography-independent sublexical constituents play some role in segmentation. However, syllable and especially mora migrations were more numerous. This pattern of results was not observed in French speakers (Experiment 2), suggesting that it reflects native segmentation in Japanese. To control for the intervention of kanji representations (many words are written in kanji, and one kanji often corresponds to one syllable), in Experiment 3, Japanese listeners were presented with target loanwords that can be written only in katakana. Again, phoneme migrations occurred, while the first mora and syllable led to similar rates of illusory percepts. No migration occurred for the second, "special" mora (/J/ or/N/), probably because this constitutes the latter part of a heavy syllable. Overall, these findings suggest that multiple units, such as morae, syllables, and even phonemes, function independently of orthographic knowledge in Japanese preattentive speech segmentation.
The constitutional court review of judicial decisions
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Stojanović Dragan M.
2016-01-01
Full Text Available In principle, the constitutional precepts envisage that judicial decisions are not subject to extrajudicial control. However, in the course of deciding on constitutional complaints, the Constitutional Court reviews the compliance of individual legal acts and actions of state authorities with the Constitution, including court decisions on cases involving the constitutionally guaranteed rights. Hence, in order to eliminate tension or even contradiction between the constitutional precepts, the constitutional review of judicial decisions should be considered as a special form of judicial control, regardless of the fact that the Constitutional Court is not part of the judicial structure in the strict organizational sense. Thus, unlike the cases where the Court is involved in the normative control of the applicable law, in the process of reviewing judicial decision of lower courts the constitutional judiciary acts in the capacity of a specific judicial authority. According to another possible interpretation of the aforementioned constitutional norms, the direct constitutional protection of the constitutionally guaranteed rights may only be pursued in the process of reviewing individual legal acts and actions of state authorities, but not by pursuing a judicial review of court decisions which the Constitutional Court has no jurisdiction to decide upon. Thus, the dogma of judicial independence would prevail over the dogma of direct protection of fundamental rights. The third interpretation of this relationship maintains that that judicial decisions may be subject to control but, in this specific case, the Constitutional Court may only issue an opinion (a statement rather than a binding decision which would cancel the lower court judgment. Then, it is up to the judicial authorities of the lower instance to adjust their judicial decision, which in the opinion of the Constitutional Court constitutes a violation of the constitutionally guaranteed rights
van Geel, Nanja; Speeckaert, Reinhart
2017-04-01
Segmental vitiligo is characterized by its early onset, rapid stabilization, and unilateral distribution. Recent evidence suggests that segmental and nonsegmental vitiligo could represent variants of the same disease spectrum. Observational studies with respect to its distribution pattern point to a possible role of cutaneous mosaicism, whereas the original stated dermatomal distribution seems to be a misnomer. Although the exact pathogenic mechanism behind the melanocyte destruction is still unknown, increasing evidence has been published on the autoimmune/inflammatory theory of segmental vitiligo. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Firouzian, Azadeh; Manniesing, Rashindra; Flach, Zwenneke H.; Risselada, Roelof; Kooten, Fop van; Sturkenboom, Miriam C.J.M.; Lugt, Aad van der; Niessen, Wiro J.
2011-01-01
Intracranial aneurysm volume and shape are important factors for predicting rupture risk, for pre-surgical planning and for follow-up studies. To obtain these parameters, manual segmentation can be employed; however, this is a tedious procedure, which is prone to inter- and intra-observer variability. Therefore there is a need for an automated method, which is accurate, reproducible and reliable. This study aims to develop and validate an automated method for segmenting intracranial aneurysms in Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) data. Also, it is investigated whether prior smoothing improves segmentation robustness and accuracy. The proposed segmentation method is implemented in the level set framework, more specifically Geodesic Active Surfaces, in which a surface is evolved to capture the aneurysmal wall via an energy minimization approach. The energy term is composed of three different image features, namely; intensity, gradient magnitude and intensity variance. The method requires minimal user interaction, i.e. a single seed point inside the aneurysm needs to be placed, based on which image intensity statistics of the aneurysm are derived and used in defining the energy term. The method has been evaluated on 15 aneurysms in 11 CTA data sets by comparing the results to manual segmentations performed by two expert radiologists. Evaluation measures were Similarity Index, Average Surface Distance and Volume Difference. The results show that the automated aneurysm segmentation method is reproducible, and performs in the range of inter-observer variability in terms of accuracy. Smoothing by nonlinear diffusion with appropriate parameter settings prior to segmentation, slightly improves segmentation accuracy.
Segmental vitiligo with segmental morphea: An autoimmune link?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pravesh Yadav
2014-01-01
Full Text Available An 18-year old girl with segmental vitiligo involving the left side of the trunk and left upper limb with segmental morphea involving the right side of trunk and right upper limb without any deeper involvement is illustrated. There was no history of preceding drug intake, vaccination, trauma, radiation therapy, infection, or hormonal therapy. Family history of stable vitiligo in her brother and a history of type II diabetes mellitus in the father were elicited. Screening for autoimmune diseases and antithyroid antibody was negative. An autoimmune link explaining the co-occurrence has been proposed. Cutaneous mosiacism could explain the presence of both the pathologies in a segmental distribution.
Market Segmentation in Business Technology Base: The Case of Segmentation of Sparkling
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Valéria Riscarolli
2014-08-01
Full Text Available A common market segmentation premise for products and services rules consumer behavior as the segmentation center piece. Would this be the logic for segmentation used by small technology based companies? In this article we target at determining the principles of market segmentation used by a vitiwinery company, as research object. This company is recognized by its products excellence, either in domestic as well as in the foreign market, among 13 distinct countries. The research method used is a case study, through information from the company’s CEOs and crossed by primary information from observation and formal registries and documents of the company. In this research we look at sparkling wines market segmentation. Main results indicate that the winery studied considers only technological elements as the basis to build a market segment. One may conclude that a market segmentation for this company is based upon technological dominion of sparkling wines production, aligned with a premium-price policy. In the company, directorship believes that as sparkling wines market is still incipient in the country, sparkling wine market segments will form and consolidate after the evolution of consumers tasting preferences, depending on technologies that boost sparkling wines quality.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Rosenwald, J.-C.
2008-01-01
The lecture addressed the following topics: 'Interpreting' the fluence map; The sequencer; Reasons for difference between desired and actual fluence map; Principle of 'Step and Shoot' segmentation; Large number of solutions for given fluence map; Optimizing 'step and shoot' segmentation; The interdigitation constraint; Main algorithms; Conclusions on segmentation algorithms (static mode); Optimizing intensity levels and monitor units; Sliding window sequencing; Synchronization to avoid the tongue-and-groove effect; Accounting for physical characteristics of MLC; Importance of corrections for leaf transmission and offset; Accounting for MLC mechanical constraints; The 'complexity' factor; Incorporating the sequencing into optimization algorithm; Data transfer to the treatment machine; Interface between R and V and accelerator; and Conclusions on fluence map segmentation (Segmentation is part of the overall inverse planning procedure; 'Step and Shoot' and 'Dynamic' options are available for most TPS (depending on accelerator model; The segmentation phase tends to come into the optimization loop; The physical characteristics of the MLC have a large influence on final dose distribution; The IMRT plans (MU and relative dose distribution) must be carefully validated). (P.A.)
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Maričić Branko R.
2015-01-01
Full Text Available Strategic planning of marketing activities is the basis of business success in modern business environment. Customers are not homogenous in their preferences and expectations. Formulating an adequate marketing strategy, focused on realization of company's strategic objectives, requires segmented approach to the market that appreciates differences in expectations and preferences of customers. One of significant activities in strategic planning of marketing activities is market segmentation. Strategic planning imposes a need to plan marketing activities according to strategically important segments on the long term basis. At the same time, there is a need to revise and adapt marketing activities on the short term basis. There are number of criteria based on which market segmentation is performed. The paper will consider effectiveness and efficiency of different market segmentation criteria based on empirical research of customer expectations and preferences. The analysis will include traditional criteria and criteria based on behavioral model. The research implications will be analyzed from the perspective of selection of the most adequate market segmentation criteria in strategic planning of marketing activities.
Why segmentation matters: Experience-driven segmentation errors impair "morpheme" learning.
Finn, Amy S; Hudson Kam, Carla L
2015-09-01
We ask whether an adult learner's knowledge of their native language impedes statistical learning in a new language beyond just word segmentation (as previously shown). In particular, we examine the impact of native-language word-form phonotactics on learners' ability to segment words into their component morphemes and learn phonologically triggered variation of morphemes. We find that learning is impaired when words and component morphemes are structured to conflict with a learner's native-language phonotactic system, but not when native-language phonotactics do not conflict with morpheme boundaries in the artificial language. A learner's native-language knowledge can therefore have a cascading impact affecting word segmentation and the morphological variation that relies upon proper segmentation. These results show that getting word segmentation right early in learning is deeply important for learning other aspects of language, even those (morphology) that are known to pose a great difficulty for adult language learners. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Scherrer, B.
2008-12-01
Accurate magnetic resonance brain scan segmentation is critical in a number of clinical and neuroscience applications. This task is challenging due to artifacts, low contrast between tissues and inter-individual variability that inhibit the introduction of a priori knowledge. In this thesis, we propose a new MR brain scan segmentation approach. Unique features of this approach include (1) the coupling of tissue segmentation, structure segmentation and prior knowledge construction, and (2) the consideration of local image properties. Locality is modeled through a multi-agent framework: agents are distributed into the volume and perform a local Markovian segmentation. As an initial approach (LOCUS, Local Cooperative Unified Segmentation), intuitive cooperation and coupling mechanisms are proposed to ensure the consistency of local models. Structures are segmented via the introduction of spatial localization constraints based on fuzzy spatial relations between structures. In a second approach, (LOCUS-B, LOCUS in a Bayesian framework) we consider the introduction of a statistical atlas to describe structures. The problem is reformulated in a Bayesian framework, allowing a statistical formalization of coupling and cooperation. Tissue segmentation, local model regularization, structure segmentation and local affine atlas registration are then coupled in an EM framework and mutually improve. The evaluation on simulated and real images shows good results, and in particular, a robustness to non-uniformity and noise with low computational cost. Local distributed and cooperative MRF models then appear as a powerful and promising approach for medical image segmentation. (author)
The use of the Kalman filter in the automated segmentation of EIT lung images
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zifan, A; Chapman, B E; Liatsis, P
2013-01-01
In this paper, we present a new pipeline for the fast and accurate segmentation of impedance images of the lungs using electrical impedance tomography (EIT). EIT is an emerging, promising, non-invasive imaging modality that produces real-time, low spatial but high temporal resolution images of impedance inside a body. Recovering impedance itself constitutes a nonlinear ill-posed inverse problem, therefore the problem is usually linearized, which produces impedance-change images, rather than static impedance ones. Such images are highly blurry and fuzzy along object boundaries. We provide a mathematical reasoning behind the high suitability of the Kalman filter when it comes to segmenting and tracking conductivity changes in EIT lung images. Next, we use a two-fold approach to tackle the segmentation problem. First, we construct a global lung shape to restrict the search region of the Kalman filter. Next, we proceed with augmenting the Kalman filter by incorporating an adaptive foreground detection system to provide the boundary contours for the Kalman filter to carry out the tracking of the conductivity changes as the lungs undergo deformation in a respiratory cycle. The proposed method has been validated by using performance statistics such as misclassified area, and false positive rate, and compared to previous approaches. The results show that the proposed automated method can be a fast and reliable segmentation tool for EIT imaging. (paper)
The use of the Kalman filter in the automated segmentation of EIT lung images.
Zifan, A; Liatsis, P; Chapman, B E
2013-06-01
In this paper, we present a new pipeline for the fast and accurate segmentation of impedance images of the lungs using electrical impedance tomography (EIT). EIT is an emerging, promising, non-invasive imaging modality that produces real-time, low spatial but high temporal resolution images of impedance inside a body. Recovering impedance itself constitutes a nonlinear ill-posed inverse problem, therefore the problem is usually linearized, which produces impedance-change images, rather than static impedance ones. Such images are highly blurry and fuzzy along object boundaries. We provide a mathematical reasoning behind the high suitability of the Kalman filter when it comes to segmenting and tracking conductivity changes in EIT lung images. Next, we use a two-fold approach to tackle the segmentation problem. First, we construct a global lung shape to restrict the search region of the Kalman filter. Next, we proceed with augmenting the Kalman filter by incorporating an adaptive foreground detection system to provide the boundary contours for the Kalman filter to carry out the tracking of the conductivity changes as the lungs undergo deformation in a respiratory cycle. The proposed method has been validated by using performance statistics such as misclassified area, and false positive rate, and compared to previous approaches. The results show that the proposed automated method can be a fast and reliable segmentation tool for EIT imaging.
Golczyk, Hieronim; Massouh, Amid; Greiner, Stephan
2014-03-01
Due to reciprocal chromosomal translocations, many species of Oenothera (evening primrose) form permanent multichromosomal meiotic rings. However, regular bivalent pairing is also observed. Chiasmata are restricted to chromosomal ends, which makes homologous recombination virtually undetectable. Genetic diversity is achieved by changing linkage relations of chromosomes in rings and bivalents via hybridization and reciprocal translocations. Although the structural prerequisite for this system is enigmatic, whole-arm translocations are widely assumed to be the mechanistic driving force. We demonstrate that this prerequisite is genome compartmentation into two epigenetically defined chromatin fractions. The first one facultatively condenses in cycling cells into chromocenters negative both for histone H3 dimethylated at lysine 4 and for C-banding, and forms huge condensed middle chromosome regions on prophase chromosomes. Remarkably, it decondenses in differentiating cells. The second fraction is euchromatin confined to distal chromosome segments, positive for histone H3 lysine 4 dimethylation and for histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation. The end-segments are deprived of canonical telomeres but capped with constitutive heterochromatin. This genomic organization promotes translocation breakpoints between the two chromatin fractions, thus facilitating exchanges of end-segments. We challenge the whole-arm translocation hypothesis by demonstrating why reciprocal translocations of chromosomal end-segments should strongly promote meiotic rings and evolution toward permanent translocation heterozygosity. Reshuffled end-segments, each possessing a major crossover hot spot, can furthermore explain meiotic compatibility between genomes with different translocation histories.
ECHR and national constitutional courts
Nastić, Maja
2015-01-01
Comprising fundamental rights and freedoms and establishing the effective control system, the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) encroaches upon the area that is traditional reserved for constitutional law. Although built on the doctrine reserved for international treaty law, the Convention goes beyond the traditional boundaries that exist between international and constitutional law. It has gradually infiltrated into the national legal systems. Constitutional courts have had the cruc...
Pulmonary embolism presenting with ST segment elevation in inferior leads
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Muzaffer Kahyaoğlu
2017-03-01
Full Text Available Acute pulmonary embolism is a form of venous thromboembolism that is widespread and sometimes mortal. The clinical presentation of pulmonary embolism is variable and often nonspecific making the diagnosis challenging. In this report, we present a case of pulmonary embolism characterized by ST segment elevation in inferior leads without reciprocal changes in the electrocardiogram.
SU-E-J-129: Atlas Development for Cardiac Automatic Contouring Using Multi-Atlas Segmentation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhou, R; Yang, J; Pan, T; Milgrom, S; Pinnix, C; Shi, A; Yang, J; Liu, Y; Nguyen, Q; Gomez, D; Dabaja, B; Balter, P; Court, L; Liao, Z
2015-01-01
Purpose: To develop a set of atlases for automatic contouring of cardiac structures to determine heart radiation dose and the associated toxicity. Methods: Six thoracic cancer patients with both contrast and non-contrast CT images were acquired for this study. Eight radiation oncologists manually and independently delineated cardiac contours on the non-contrast CT by referring to the fused contrast CT and following the RTOG 1106 atlas contouring guideline. Fifteen regions of interest (ROIs) were delineated, including heart, four chambers, four coronary arteries, pulmonary artery and vein, inferior and superior vena cava, and ascending and descending aorta. Individual expert contours were fused using the simultaneous truth and performance level estimation (STAPLE) algorithm for each ROI and each patient. The fused contours became atlases for an in-house multi-atlas segmentation. Using leave-one-out test, we generated auto-segmented contours for each ROI and each patient. The auto-segmented contours were compared with the fused contours using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the mean surface distance (MSD). Results: Inter-observer variability was not obvious for heart, chambers, and aorta but was large for other structures that were not clearly distinguishable on CT image. The average DSC between individual expert contours and the fused contours were less than 50% for coronary arteries and pulmonary vein, and the average MSD were greater than 4.0 mm. The largest MSD of expert contours deviating from the fused contours was 2.5 cm. The mean DSC and MSD of auto-segmented contours were within one standard deviation of expert contouring variability except the right coronary artery. The coronary arteries, vena cava, and pulmonary vein had DSC<70% and MSD>3.0 mm. Conclusion: A set of cardiac atlases was created for cardiac automatic contouring, the accuracy of which was comparable to the variability in expert contouring. However, substantial modification may need
The U.S. Constitution in Today's World.
Patrick, John J.
A comparative study of constitutions and governments in world history is a key to deeper understanding of the U.S. Constitution. While many countries have constitutions, the United States is among a minority of nations in today's world that has a constitutional government. Many nations' constitutions truly guarantee few protections of individual…
A constitutive equation for hot deformation range of 304 stainless steel considering grain sizes
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Parsa, M.H.; Ohadi, D.
2013-01-01
Highlights: • A hot deformation constitutive equation based on invariant theory is proposed. • Deformation variables are evaluated based on objectivity, entropy principle, etc. • Using hot compression tests, coefficients of equation have been found. • The ability of equation to show the variation of stress with strain is examined. - Abstract: A general constitutive equation based on the framework of invariant theory by consideration of hot deformation key variables and also the properties of the material such as initial grain size is presented in the current work. Soundness of the considered parameters to be used in the developed formula was initially verified based on the important axioms such as objectivity, entropy principle, and thermodynamics stability. To access the prediction ability of the method, the formula was simplified for the simple hot compression test. To evaluate the simplified formula, single-hit hot compression tests were carried out at the temperature range of 900–1100 °C under true strain rate of 0.01–1 s −1 on a AISI 304 stainless steel. The capability of proposed formula for reproducing the variation of flow stress with strain and the strain hardening rate with stress for the resultant flow stress data was examined. The good agreement between model predictions and actual results signified the applicability of this method as a general constitutive equation in hot deformation studies
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Despotović Ljubiša M.
2004-01-01
Full Text Available In this paper the authors give a comparative analysis of territorial organization of authorities in five constitutional models for Serbia. The paper consists of the following chapters: Introduction, Outline of the Constitution of Kingdom of Serbia, Basic Principles of the New Constitution of Serbia - DSS, Outline of Constitution of Republic of Serbia - DS Constitutional Solutions for Serbia - BCLJP, Project of Constitution of Republic of Serbia - Forum iuris, Conclusion. The analysis of territorial organization of authorities has been seen in the context of the processes of transition and archiving the important principles of civil society and civil autonomies.
Constitution and religiosity of/in the constitutional order of the National Socialist Empire
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Velez, Pedro
2017-05-01
Full Text Available In this article, we will analyse the National Socialist regime as a politico-constitutional reality. We will do it from a new way of looking at politico-constitutional phenomena, interpreting them as registered in a religious grounding. It seeks to show that the National Socialist regime was characterised by having identified the political community – a racially interpreted and raised community to the Absolute – with an empirical historic personality regarded as eminently communitarian. It suggests that the regime constitutes a sui generis case, either in a context of regimes conventionally classified as "right-wing authoritarian and/or totalitarian" or in a larger context of contemporary politics.
Segmental stabilization and muscular strengthening in chronic low back pain: a comparative study
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Fábio Renovato França
2010-01-01
Full Text Available OBJECTIVE: To contrast the efficacy of two exercise programs, segmental stabilization and strengthening of abdominal and trunk muscles, on pain, functional disability, and activation of the transversus abdominis muscle (TrA, in individuals with chronic low back pain. DESIGN: Our sample consisted of 30 individuals, randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups: segmental stabilization, where exercises focused on the TrA and lumbar multifidus muscles, and superficial strengthening, where exercises focused on the rectus abdominis, abdominus obliquus internus, abdominus obliquus externus, and erector spinae. Groups were examined to discovere whether the exercises created contrasts regarding pain (visual analogical scale and McGill pain questionnaire, functional disability (Oswestry disability questionnaire, and TrA muscle activation capacity (Pressure Biofeedback Unit = PBU. The program lasted 6 weeks, and 30-minute sessions occurred twice a week. Analysis of variance was used for inter- and intra-group comparisons. The significance level was established at 5%. RESULTS: As compared to baseline, both treatments were effective in relieving pain and improving disability (p<0.001. Those in the segmental stabilization group had significant gains for all variables when compared to the ST group (p<0.001, including TrA activation, where relative gains were 48.3% and -5.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Both techniques lessened pain and reduced disability. Segmental stabilization is superior to superficial strengthening for all variables. Superficial strengthening does not improve TrA activation capacity.
CONSTITUTIONAL INTERPRETATION OF ROMANIA: POST MODERNITY
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P. RATHNASWAMY
2017-06-01
Full Text Available Austria had in 1920 Constitutional Court followed by Italy in 1946, Germany in 1949, Romania in 1989, South Africa in 1991, and Ethiopia in 1995. Each Constitution has its provisions on the constitutional interpretation. Romania has its own provisions and it is considered here its legality and the best possible measures and recommendations for future. Judicial power is vested in judiciary to interpret constitution, laws, and actions of other organs of government. Judicial review is the function resulted upon judicial power. Political body joins through the appointment of its members in the judicial review and it limits the independence of judiciary. It also reduces the values of separation of powers. Challenges and opportunities of growth and development do influence the spirit of separation of powers and judicial independence. The principle of inherent judicial power in judiciary inducts upon the constitutional interpretation. Thus, the principles of constitutional interpretation are varying in Romania and other similar constitutional courts of Germany, Ethiopia, and Italy but not in South Africa.
Economic Reforms and Constitutional Transition
Jeffrey D. Sachs; Wing Thye Woo; Xiaokai Yang
2000-01-01
This paper investigates the relationship between economic reforms and constitutional transition, which has been neglected by many transition economists. It is argued that assessment of reform performance might be very misleading if it is not recognized that economic reforms are just a small part of large scale of constitutional transition. Rivalry and competition between states and between political forces within each country are the driving forces for constitutional transition. We use Russia...
License agreements: segmentation within the international market of seeds
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Lina María Díaz Vera
2017-08-01
Full Text Available The self-replicating nature of seeds poses a challenge for the traditional configuration of Intellectual property rights, as it overlooks the boundary that prevents amateurs from replicating the technology embedded on it. The territorial scope of IP rights and the lack of an international consensus regarding the exhaustion of IP right aggravates the issue. This loophole enhances the segmentation of markets through license agreements of patents and plant varieties which multinationals employ to drag resources all along the market chain, by demanding payment of fees to each shackle. This might constitute an infringement of Competition Law regimes which is undertaken differently according with the tradition of each country but always with the aim of protecting the well-functioning of their internal market.
Quantifying brain tissue volume in multiple sclerosis with automated lesion segmentation and filling
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Sergi Valverde
2015-01-01
Full Text Available Lesion filling has been successfully applied to reduce the effect of hypo-intense T1-w Multiple Sclerosis (MS lesions on automatic brain tissue segmentation. However, a study of fully automated pipelines incorporating lesion segmentation and lesion filling on tissue volume analysis has not yet been performed. Here, we analyzed the % of error introduced by automating the lesion segmentation and filling processes in the tissue segmentation of 70 clinically isolated syndrome patient images. First of all, images were processed using the LST and SLS toolkits with different pipeline combinations that differed in either automated or manual lesion segmentation, and lesion filling or masking out lesions. Then, images processed following each of the pipelines were segmented into gray matter (GM and white matter (WM using SPM8, and compared with the same images where expert lesion annotations were filled before segmentation. Our results showed that fully automated lesion segmentation and filling pipelines reduced significantly the % of error in GM and WM volume on images of MS patients, and performed similarly to the images where expert lesion annotations were masked before segmentation. In all the pipelines, the amount of misclassified lesion voxels was the main cause in the observed error in GM and WM volume. However, the % of error was significantly lower when automatically estimated lesions were filled and not masked before segmentation. These results are relevant and suggest that LST and SLS toolboxes allow the performance of accurate brain tissue volume measurements without any kind of manual intervention, which can be convenient not only in terms of time and economic costs, but also to avoid the inherent intra/inter variability between manual annotations.
A coarse-to-fine approach for pericardial effusion localization and segmentation in chest CT scans
Liu, Jiamin; Chellamuthu, Karthik; Lu, Le; Bagheri, Mohammadhadi; Summers, Ronald M.
2018-02-01
Pericardial effusion on CT scans demonstrates very high shape and volume variability and very low contrast to adjacent structures. This inhibits traditional automated segmentation methods from achieving high accuracies. Deep neural networks have been widely used for image segmentation in CT scans. In this work, we present a two-stage method for pericardial effusion localization and segmentation. For the first step, we localize the pericardial area from the entire CT volume, providing a reliable bounding box for the more refined segmentation step. A coarse-scaled holistically-nested convolutional networks (HNN) model is trained on entire CT volume. The resulting HNN per-pixel probability maps are then threshold to produce a bounding box covering the pericardial area. For the second step, a fine-scaled HNN model is trained only on the bounding box region for effusion segmentation to reduce the background distraction. Quantitative evaluation is performed on a dataset of 25 CT scans of patient (1206 images) with pericardial effusion. The segmentation accuracy of our two-stage method, measured by Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), is 75.59+/-12.04%, which is significantly better than the segmentation accuracy (62.74+/-15.20%) of only using the coarse-scaled HNN model.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Larson, H L
2007-09-07
This document contains Technical Safety Requirements (TSRs) for the Radioactive and Hazardous Waste Management (RHWM) Division's B695 Segment of the Decontamination and Waste Treatment Facility (DWTF) at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). The TSRs constitute requirements regarding the safe operation of the B695 Segment of the DWTF. The TSRs are derived from the Documented Safety Analysis (DSA) for the B695 Segment of the DWTF (LLNL 2004). The analysis presented there determined that the B695 Segment of the DWTF is a low-chemical hazard, Hazard Category 3, nonreactor nuclear facility. The TSRs consist primarily of inventory limits as well as controls to preserve the underlying assumptions in the hazard analyses. Furthermore, appropriate commitments to safety programs are presented in the administrative controls section of the TSRs. The B695 Segment of the DWTF (B695 and the west portion of B696) is a waste treatment and storage facility located in the northeast quadrant of the LLNL main site. The approximate area and boundary of the B695 Segment of the DWTF are shown in the B695 Segment of the DWTF DSA. Activities typically conducted in the B695 Segment of the DWTF include container storage, lab-packing, repacking, overpacking, bulking, sampling, waste transfer, and waste treatment. B695 is used to store and treat radioactive, mixed, and hazardous waste, and it also contains equipment used in conjunction with waste processing operations to treat various liquid and solid wastes. The portion of the building called Building 696 Solid Waste Processing Area (SWPA), also referred to as B696S in this report, is used primarily to manage solid radioactive waste. Operations specific to the SWPA include sorting and segregating low-level waste (LLW) and transuranic (TRU) waste, lab-packing, sampling, and crushing empty drums that previously contained LLW. A permit modification for B696S was submitted to DTSC in January 2004 to store and treat hazardous and
An Alternative to Chaid Segmentation Algorithm Based on Entropy.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
María Purificación Galindo Villardón
2010-07-01
Full Text Available The CHAID (Chi-Squared Automatic Interaction Detection treebased segmentation technique has been found to be an effective approach for obtaining meaningful segments that are predictive of a K-category (nominal or ordinal criterion variable. CHAID was designed to detect, in an automatic way, the nteraction between several categorical or ordinal predictors in explaining a categorical response, but, this may not be true when Simpson’s paradox is present. This is due to the fact that CHAID is a forward selection algorithm based on the marginal counts. In this paper we propose a backwards elimination algorithm that starts with the full set of predictors (or full tree and eliminates predictors progressively. The elimination procedure is based on Conditional Independence contrasts using the concept of entropy. The proposed procedure is compared to CHAID.
Automated Bayesian Segmentation of Microvascular White-Matter Lesions in the ACCORD-MIND Study
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Herskovits, E. H.; Bryan, R. N.; Yang, F.
2008-01-01
Purpose: Automatic brain-lesion segmentation has the potential to greatly expand the analysis of the relationships between brain function and lesion locations in large-scale epidemiologic studies, such as the ACCORD-MIND study. In this manuscript we describe the design and evaluation of a Bayesian lesion-segmentation method, with the expectation that our approach would segment white-matter brain lesions in MR images without user intervention. Materials and Methods: Each ACCORD-MIND subject has T1-weighted, T2-weighted, spin-density-weighted, and FLAIR sequences. The training portion of our algorithm first registers training images to a standard coordinate space; then, it collects statistics that capture signal-intensity information, and residual spatial variability of normal structures and lesions. The classification portion of our algorithm then uses these statistics to segment lesions in images from new subjects, without the need for user intervention. We evaluated this algorithm using 42 subjects with primarily white-matter lesions from the ACCORD-MIND project. Results: Our experiments demonstrated high classification accuracy, using an expert neuro radiologist as a standard. Conclusions: A Bayesian lesion-segmentation algorithm that collects multi-channel signal-intensity and spatial information from MR images of the brain shows potential for accurately segmenting brain lesions in images obtained from subjects not used in training. (authors)
Mak, C.
2009-01-01
This paper analyses the potential impact of the recently published Draft Common Frame of Reference for European contract law (DCFR) on the European constitutional process. Looking at the combination of characteristics of codification and aspects of constitutionalism reflected in the DCFR, it is submitted that the further harmonisation of European contract law may contribute to the definition of the European constitutional order both on the institutional level (regarding the forms in which Eur...
Kainmueller, Dagmar
2014-01-01
? Segmentation of anatomical structures in medical image data is an essential task in clinical practice. Dagmar Kainmueller introduces methods for accurate fully automatic segmentation of anatomical structures in 3D medical image data. The author's core methodological contribution is a novel deformation model that overcomes limitations of state-of-the-art Deformable Surface approaches, hence allowing for accurate segmentation of tip- and ridge-shaped features of anatomical structures. As for practical contributions, she proposes application-specific segmentation pipelines for a range of anatom
Remission of post-transplant focal segmental glomerulosclerosis with angiotensin receptor blockers
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S B Bansal
2017-01-01
Full Text Available Recurrence of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS is common after kidney transplantation. Plasmapheresis (PP is considered to be the most effective treatment; however, results are variable and relapse is common after stopping plasmapheresis. Here, we report an unusual case of recurrent FSGS, who achieved complete remission with angiotensin receptor blocker therapy.
Fuzzy-Based Segmentation for Variable Font-Sized Text Extraction from Images/Videos
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Samabia Tehsin
2014-01-01
Full Text Available Textual information embedded in multimedia can provide a vital tool for indexing and retrieval. A lot of work is done in the field of text localization and detection because of its very fundamental importance. One of the biggest challenges of text detection is to deal with variation in font sizes and image resolution. This problem gets elevated due to the undersegmentation or oversegmentation of the regions in an image. The paper addresses this problem by proposing a solution using novel fuzzy-based method. This paper advocates postprocessing segmentation method that can solve the problem of variation in text sizes and image resolution. The methodology is tested on ICDAR 2011 Robust Reading Challenge dataset which amply proves the strength of the recommended method.
Constitutional relevance of atomic energy law
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lettow, S.
1980-01-01
In a decision publicized on December 20, 1979 the German Federal Constitutional Court rejected a claim of unconstitutionality in connection with the licensing procedure of the Muelheim-Kaerlich Nuclear Power Station currently under construction. This constitutes confirmation, by the 1st Department of the Court, of a decision in 1978 by the 2nd Department about the Kalkar fast breeder power plant, in which the peaceful utilization of nuclear energy had been found to be constitutional. However, the new decision by the Federal Constitutional Court particularly emphasizes the constitutional relevance of the rules of procedure under the Atomic Energy Act and their function with respect to the protection of civil rights. (orig.) [de
Nonlocal constitutive equations of elasto-visco-plasticity coupled with damage and temperature
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Liu Weijie
2016-01-01
Full Text Available In this paper, the nonlocal anisothermal elasto-visco-plastic constitutive equations strongly coupled with ductile isotropic damage, nonlinear isotropic hardening and kinematic hardening are developed to model the material behaviour under finite strain. The new micromorphic variable of damage is introduced into the principle of virtual power and new additional balance equations are obtained. Thermodynamically-consistent nonlocal constitutive equations are then deduced. The evolution equations are deduced from the generalized normality rule for the Norton-Hoff visco-plastic potential. This model is used to simulate various material responses under different velocities at high temperature. The micromorphic parameters of damage: micromorphic density and H moduli are studied to examine the effects of micromorphic damage. Biaxial tension is performed to make a comparison between the local damage model and the micromorphic damage model.
A non-linear elastic constitutive framework for replicating plastic deformation in solids.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Roberts, Scott Alan; Schunk, Peter Randall
2014-02-01
Ductile metals and other materials typically deform plastically under large applied loads; a behavior most often modeled using plastic deformation constitutive models. However, it is possible to capture some of the key behaviors of plastic deformation using only the framework for nonlinear elastic mechanics. In this paper, we develop a phenomenological, hysteretic, nonlinear elastic constitutive model that captures many of the features expected of a plastic deformation model. This model is based on calculating a secant modulus directly from a materials stress-strain curve. Scalar stress and strain values are obtained in three dimensions by using the von Mises invariants. Hysteresis is incorporated by tracking an additional history variable and assuming an elastic unloading response. This model is demonstrated in both single- and multi-element simulations under varying strain conditions.
Speaker segmentation and clustering
Kotti, M; Moschou, V; Kotropoulos, C
2008-01-01
07.08.13 KB. Ok to add the accepted version to Spiral, Elsevier says ok whlile mandate not enforced. This survey focuses on two challenging speech processing topics, namely: speaker segmentation and speaker clustering. Speaker segmentation aims at finding speaker change points in an audio stream, whereas speaker clustering aims at grouping speech segments based on speaker characteristics. Model-based, metric-based, and hybrid speaker segmentation algorithms are reviewed. Concerning speaker...
Moura, Felipe Arruda; Santana, Juliana Exel; Vieira, Nathália Arnosti; Santiago, Paulo Roberto Pereira; Cunha, Sergio Augusto
2015-01-01
The purpose of this study was to analyse players’ positional variability during the 2012 UEFA European Championship by applying principal component analysis (PCA) to data gathered from heat maps posted on the UEFA website. We analysed the teams that reached the finals and semi-finals of the competition. The players’ 2D coordinates from each match were obtained by applying an image-processing algorithm to the heat maps. With all the players’ 2D coordinates for each match, we applied PCA to identify the directions of greatest variability. Then, two orthogonal segments were centred on each player’s mean position for all matches. The segments’ directions were driven by the eigenvectors of the PCA, and the length of each segment was defined as one standard deviation around the mean. Finally, an ellipse was circumscribed around both segments. To represent player variability, segment lengths and elliptical areas were analysed. The results demonstrate that Portugal exhibited the lowest variability, followed by Germany, Spain and Italy. Additionally, a graphical representation of every player’s ellipse provided insight into the teams’ organisational features throughout the competition. The presented study provides important information regarding soccer teams’ tactical strategy in high-level championships that allows coaches to better control team organisation on the pitch. PMID:26557206
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Moura Felipe Arruda
2015-09-01
Full Text Available The purpose of this study was to analyse players’ positional variability during the 2012 UEFA European Championship by applying principal component analysis (PCA to data gathered from heat maps posted on the UEFA website. We analysed the teams that reached the finals and semi-finals of the competition. The players’ 2D coordinates from each match were obtained by applying an image-processing algorithm to the heat maps. With all the players’ 2D coordinates for each match, we applied PCA to identify the directions of greatest variability. Then, two orthogonal segments were centred on each player’s mean position for all matches. The segments’ directions were driven by the eigenvectors of the PCA, and the length of each segment was defined as one standard deviation around the mean. Finally, an ellipse was circumscribed around both segments. To represent player variability, segment lengths and elliptical areas were analysed. The results demonstrate that Portugal exhibited the lowest variability, followed by Germany, Spain and Italy. Additionally, a graphical representation of every player’s ellipse provided insight into the teams’ organisational features throughout the competition. The presented study provides important information regarding soccer teams’ tactical strategy in high-level championships that allows coaches to better control team organisation on the pitch.
Constitutional aneuploidy and cancer predisposition.
Ganmore, Ithamar; Smooha, Gil; Izraeli, Shai
2009-04-15
Constitutional aneuploidies are rare syndromes associated with multiple developmental abnormalities and the alterations in the risk for specific cancers. Acquired somatic chromosomal aneuploidies are the most common genetic aberrations in sporadic cancers. Thus studies of these rare constitutional aneuploidy syndromes are important not only for patient counseling and clinical management, but also for deciphering the mechanisms by which chromosomal aneuploidy affect cancer initiation and progression. Here we review the major constitutional aneuploidy syndromes and suggest some general mechanisms for the associated cancer predisposition.
Marker-controlled watershed for lymphoma segmentation in sequential CT images
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yan Jiayong; Zhao Binsheng; Wang, Liang; Zelenetz, Andrew; Schwartz, Lawrence H.
2006-01-01
Segmentation of lymphoma containing lymph nodes is a difficult task because of multiple variables associated with the tumor's location, intensity distribution, and contrast to its surrounding tissues. In this paper, we present a reliable and practical marker-controlled watershed algorithm for semi-automated segmentation of lymphoma in sequential CT images. Robust determination of internal and external markers is the key to successful use of the marker-controlled watershed transform in the segmentation of lymphoma and is the focus of this work. The external marker in our algorithm is the circle enclosing the lymphoma in a single slice. The internal marker, however, is determined automatically by combining techniques including Canny edge detection, thresholding, morphological operation, and distance map estimation. To obtain tumor volume, the segmented lymphoma in the current slice needs to be propagated to the adjacent slice to help determine the external and internal markers for delineation of the lymphoma in that slice. The algorithm was applied to 29 lymphomas (size range, 9-53 mm in diameter; mean, 23 mm) in nine patients. A blinded radiologist manually delineated all lymphomas on all slices. The manual result served as the ''gold standard'' for comparison. Several quantitative methods were applied to objectively evaluate the performance of the segmentation algorithm. The algorithm received a mean overlap, overestimation, and underestimation ratios of 83.2%, 13.5%, and 5.5%, respectively. The mean average boundary distance and Hausdorff boundary distance were 0.7 and 3.7 mm. Preliminary results have shown the potential of this computer algorithm to allow reliable segmentation and quantification of lymphomas on sequential CT images
Extended Multiscale Image Segmentation for Castellated Wall Management
Sakamoto, M.; Tsuguchi, M.; Chhatkuli, S.; Satoh, T.
2018-05-01
Castellated walls are positioned as tangible cultural heritage, which require regular maintenance to preserve their original state. For the demolition and repair work of the castellated wall, it is necessary to identify the individual stones constituting the wall. However, conventional approaches using laser scanning or integrated circuits (IC) tags were very time-consuming and cumbersome. Therefore, we herein propose an efficient approach for castellated wall management based on an extended multiscale image segmentation technique. In this approach, individual stone polygons are extracted from the castellated wall image and are associated with a stone management database. First, to improve the performance of the extraction of individual stone polygons having a convex shape, we developed a new shape criterion named convex hull fitness in the image segmentation process and confirmed its effectiveness. Next, we discussed the stone management database and its beneficial utilization in the repair work of castellated walls. Subsequently, we proposed irregular-shape indexes that are helpful for evaluating the stone shape and the stability of the stone arrangement state in castellated walls. Finally, we demonstrated an application of the proposed method for a typical castellated wall in Japan. Consequently, we confirmed that the stone polygons can be extracted with an acceptable level. Further, the condition of the shapes and the layout of the stones could be visually judged with the proposed irregular-shape indexes.
Segmentation of the Infant Food Market
Hrůzová, Daniela
2015-01-01
The theoretical part covers general market segmentation, namely the marketing importance of differences among consumers, the essence of market segmentation, its main conditions and the process of segmentation, which consists of four consecutive phases - defining the market, determining important criteria, uncovering segments and developing segment profiles. The segmentation criteria, segmentation approaches, methods and techniques for the process of market segmentation are also described in t...
Phasing multi-segment undulators
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Chavanne, J.; Elleaume, P.; Vaerenbergh, P. Van
1996-01-01
An important issue in the manufacture of multi-segment undulators as a source of synchrotron radiation or as a free-electron laser (FEL) is the phasing between successive segments. The state of the art is briefly reviewed, after which a novel pure permanent magnet phasing section that is passive and does not require any current is presented. The phasing section allows the introduction of a 6 mm longitudinal gap between each segment, resulting in complete mechanical independence and reduced magnetic interaction between segments. The tolerance of the longitudinal positioning of one segment with respect to the next is found to be 2.8 times lower than that of conventional phasing. The spectrum at all gaps and useful harmonics is almost unchanged when compared with a single-segment undulator of the same total length. (au) 3 refs
FRAMEWORK FOR COMPARING SEGMENTATION ALGORITHMS
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
G. Sithole
2015-05-01
Full Text Available The notion of a ‘Best’ segmentation does not exist. A segmentation algorithm is chosen based on the features it yields, the properties of the segments (point sets it generates, and the complexity of its algorithm. The segmentation is then assessed based on a variety of metrics such as homogeneity, heterogeneity, fragmentation, etc. Even after an algorithm is chosen its performance is still uncertain because the landscape/scenarios represented in a point cloud have a strong influence on the eventual segmentation. Thus selecting an appropriate segmentation algorithm is a process of trial and error. Automating the selection of segmentation algorithms and their parameters first requires methods to evaluate segmentations. Three common approaches for evaluating segmentation algorithms are ‘goodness methods’, ‘discrepancy methods’ and ‘benchmarks’. Benchmarks are considered the most comprehensive method of evaluation. This paper shortcomings in current benchmark methods are identified and a framework is proposed that permits both a visual and numerical evaluation of segmentations for different algorithms, algorithm parameters and evaluation metrics. The concept of the framework is demonstrated on a real point cloud. Current results are promising and suggest that it can be used to predict the performance of segmentation algorithms.
Why segmentation matters: experience-driven segmentation errors impair “morpheme” learning
Finn, Amy S.; Hudson Kam, Carla L.
2015-01-01
We ask whether an adult learner’s knowledge of their native language impedes statistical learning in a new language beyond just word segmentation (as previously shown). In particular, we examine the impact of native-language word-form phonotactics on learners’ ability to segment words into their component morphemes and learn phonologically triggered variation of morphemes. We find that learning is impaired when words and component morphemes are structured to conflict with a learner’s native-language phonotactic system, but not when native-language phonotactics do not conflict with morpheme boundaries in the artificial language. A learner’s native-language knowledge can therefore have a cascading impact affecting word segmentation and the morphological variation that relies upon proper segmentation. These results show that getting word segmentation right early in learning is deeply important for learning other aspects of language, even those (morphology) that are known to pose a great difficulty for adult language learners. PMID:25730305
Park, Joo-Hong
2009-06-01
After conducting comparative research into the process of forming the Theory of Constitution in Ancient Western Medicine and that of Four Trigrams Constitution(Sasang Constitution) in Korean Medicine and contents of two Theories of Constitution in terms of medical history, both theories were found to be formed by an interaction between philosophy and medicine, followed by a combination of the two, on a philosophical basis. The Theory of Constitution in Ancient Western Medicine began with the Theory of Four Elements presented by Empedocles, followed by the Theory of Four Humors presented by Hippocrates and the Theory of Four Temperaments by Galenos, forming and developing the Theory of Constitution. After the Middle Ages, there was no significant advance in the Theory of Constitution by modern times ; however, it developed into the theory of constitution type of Kretschmer and others after the 19th century and into the scientific theory of constitution based on genetics presented by Garrod and others early in the 20th century. The Theory of Four Trigrams Constitution began with the Theory of Constitution in Huangdi Neijing, followed by developments and influences of existing medicine called beginning, restoration, and revival periods and DongeuisoosebowonSaSangChoBonGwon based on the original philosophy of Four Trigrams presented by Lee Je-ma, which is found in GyeokChiGo, DongMuYuGo and so on, ultimately forming and developing into the Theory of Four Trigrams Constitution in Dongeuisoosebowon. Recently, a lot of research is being conducted into making it objective in order to achieve reproducibility in diagnosis and so forth of Four Trigrams Constitution.
Segment-Tube: Spatio-Temporal Action Localization in Untrimmed Videos with Per-Frame Segmentation
Le Wang; Xuhuan Duan; Qilin Zhang; Zhenxing Niu; Gang Hua; Nanning Zheng
2018-01-01
Inspired by the recent spatio-temporal action localization efforts with tubelets (sequences of bounding boxes), we present a new spatio-temporal action localization detector Segment-tube, which consists of sequences of per-frame segmentation masks. The proposed Segment-tube detector can temporally pinpoint the starting/ending frame of each action category in the presence of preceding/subsequent interference actions in untrimmed videos. Simultaneously, the Segment-tube detector produces per-fr...
Constitutional aneuploidy and cancer predisposition†
Ganmore, Ithamar; Smooha, Gil; Izraeli, Shai
2009-01-01
Constitutional aneuploidies are rare syndromes associated with multiple developmental abnormalities and the alterations in the risk for specific cancers. Acquired somatic chromosomal aneuploidies are the most common genetic aberrations in sporadic cancers. Thus studies of these rare constitutional aneuploidy syndromes are important not only for patient counseling and clinical management, but also for deciphering the mechanisms by which chromosomal aneuploidy affect cancer initiation and progression. Here we review the major constitutional aneuploidy syndromes and suggest some general mechanisms for the associated cancer predisposition. PMID:19297405
Culture (and religion in constitutional adjudication
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
C Rautenbach
2003-10-01
Full Text Available The faculty of law of the Potchefstroom University for Christian Higher Education in corroboration with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stifttung embarked on a study on Politics, Socio-Economic Issues and Culture in Constitutional Adjudication. The aim of the project is twofold. The first aim is to analyse the influence of political, socio-economic and cultural considerations on the constitutional court’s interpretation and application of the Bill of Rights. The second aim is to develop practical guidelines (based on the findings during the analysing process for South African courts confronted with issues of a political, socio-economic and cultural nature. This article is concerned with initiating discussions of the decisions of the constitutional court with regard to cultural and religious rights.Before we can explore the role of political, socio-economic and cultural (and religious rights in the decisions of the constitutional court it is important to discuss a few preliminary issues. In this article the meaning of culture and religion within the South African context receives some attention. Secondly, some preliminary comments regarding constitutional protection of culturally and religiously based rights will be made.We are well aware that this is a daunting task, not only in view of the seemingly abysmal gap between the applicable constitutional rights and values enshrined in the 1996 Constitution that, in some instances over centuries, brought about customs and practices within “traditional” communities which, seemingly, infringe on certain constitutional values and rights.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Cary, Theodore W.; Sultan, Laith R.; Sehgal, Chandra M., E-mail: sehgalc@uphs.upenn.edu [Department of Radiology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 (United States); Reamer, Courtney B.; Mohler, Emile R. [Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Section of Vascular Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104 (United States)
2014-02-15
Purpose: To use feed-forward active contours (snakes) to track and measure brachial artery vasomotion on ultrasound images recorded in both transverse and longitudinal views; and to compare the algorithm's performance in each view. Methods: Longitudinal and transverse view ultrasound image sequences of 45 brachial arteries were segmented by feed-forward active contour (FFAC). The segmented regions were used to measure vasomotion artery diameter, cross-sectional area, and distention both as peak-to-peak diameter and as area. ECG waveforms were also simultaneously extracted frame-by-frame by thresholding a running finite-difference image between consecutive images. The arterial and ECG waveforms were compared as they traced each phase of the cardiac cycle. Results: FFAC successfully segmented arteries in longitudinal and transverse views in all 45 cases. The automated analysis took significantly less time than manual tracing, but produced superior, well-behaved arterial waveforms. Automated arterial measurements also had lower interobserver variability as measured by correlation, difference in mean values, and coefficient of variation. Although FFAC successfully segmented both the longitudinal and transverse images, transverse measurements were less variable. The cross-sectional area computed from the longitudinal images was 27% lower than the area measured from transverse images, possibly due to the compression of the artery along the image depth by transducer pressure. Conclusions: FFAC is a robust and sensitive vasomotion segmentation algorithm in both transverse and longitudinal views. Transverse imaging may offer advantages over longitudinal imaging: transverse measurements are more consistent, possibly because the method is less sensitive to variations in transducer pressure during imaging.
Bashir, Usman; Azad, Gurdip; Siddique, Muhammad Musib; Dhillon, Saana; Patel, Nikheel; Bassett, Paul; Landau, David; Goh, Vicky; Cook, Gary
2017-12-01
Measures of tumour heterogeneity derived from 18-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography ( 18 F-FDG PET/CT) scans are increasingly reported as potential biomarkers of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) for classification and prognostication. Several segmentation algorithms have been used to delineate tumours, but their effects on the reproducibility and predictive and prognostic capability of derived parameters have not been evaluated. The purpose of our study was to retrospectively compare various segmentation algorithms in terms of inter-observer reproducibility and prognostic capability of texture parameters derived from non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) 18 F-FDG PET/CT images. Fifty three NSCLC patients (mean age 65.8 years; 31 males) underwent pre-chemoradiotherapy 18 F-FDG PET/CT scans. Three readers segmented tumours using freehand (FH), 40% of maximum intensity threshold (40P), and fuzzy locally adaptive Bayesian (FLAB) algorithms. Intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used to measure the inter-observer variability of the texture features derived by the three segmentation algorithms. Univariate cox regression was used on 12 commonly reported texture features to predict overall survival (OS) for each segmentation algorithm. Model quality was compared across segmentation algorithms using Akaike information criterion (AIC). 40P was the most reproducible algorithm (median ICC 0.9; interquartile range [IQR] 0.85-0.92) compared with FLAB (median ICC 0.83; IQR 0.77-0.86) and FH (median ICC 0.77; IQR 0.7-0.85). On univariate cox regression analysis, 40P found 2 out of 12 variables, i.e. first-order entropy and grey-level co-occurence matrix (GLCM) entropy, to be significantly associated with OS; FH and FLAB found 1, i.e., first-order entropy. For each tested variable, survival models for all three segmentation algorithms were of similar quality, exhibiting comparable AIC values with overlapping 95% CIs. Compared with both
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Sham, Sam; Walker, Kevin P.
2008-01-01
The expected service life of the Next Generation Nuclear Plant is 60 years. Structural analyses of the Intermediate Heat Exchanger (IHX) will require the development of unified viscoplastic constitutive models that address the material behavior of Alloy 617, a construction material of choice, over a wide range of strain rates. Many unified constitutive models employ a yield stress state variable which is used to account for cyclic hardening and softening of the material. For low stress values below the yield stress state variable these constitutive models predict that no inelastic deformation takes place which is contrary to experimental results. The ability to model creep deformation at low stresses for the IHX application is very important as the IHX operational stresses are restricted to very small values due to the low creep strengths at elevated temperatures and long design lifetime. This paper presents some preliminary work in modeling the unified viscoplastic constitutive behavior of Alloy 617 which accounts for the long term, low stress, creep behavior and the hysteretic behavior of the material at elevated temperatures. The preliminary model is presented in one-dimensional form for ease of understanding, but the intent of the present work is to produce a three-dimensional model suitable for inclusion in the user subroutines UMAT and USERPL of the ABAQUS and ANSYS nonlinear finite element codes. Further experiments and constitutive modeling efforts are planned to model the material behavior of Alloy 617 in more detail
A regression approach for zircaloy-2 in-reactor creep constitutive equations
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yung Liu, Y.; Bement, A.L.
1977-01-01
In this paper the methodology of multiple regressions as applied to zircaloy-2 in-reactor creep data analysis and construction of constitutive equation are illustrated. While the resulting constitutive equation can be used in creep analysis of in-reactor zircaloy structural components, the methodology itself is entirely general and can be applied to any creep data analysis. From data analysis and model development point of views, both the assumption of independence and prior committment to specific model forms are unacceptable. One would desire means which can not only estimate the required parameters directly from data but also provide basis for model selections, viz., one model against others. Basic understanding of the physics of deformation is important in choosing the forms of starting physical model equations, but the justifications must rely on their abilities in correlating the overall data. The promising aspects of multiple regression creep data analysis are briefly outlined as follows: (1) when there are more than one variable involved, there is no need to make the assumption that each variable affects the response independently. No separate normalizations are required either and the estimation of parameters is obtained by solving many simultaneous equations. The number of simultaneous equations is equal to the number of data sets, (2) regression statistics such as R 2 - and F-statistics provide measures of the significance of regression creep equation in correlating the overall data. The relative weights of each variable on the response can also be obtained. (3) Special regression techniques such as step-wise, ridge, and robust regressions and residual plots, etc., provide diagnostic tools for model selections
VALUATION IN THE CONSTITUTIONAL ERA
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Brimer
16 ..... stem from the pre-constitutional era, and the constitutional framework and its legitimate reform efforts. A decision on what is just ...... Carroll L Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (Digital Scanning Scituate MA. 2007). Dagan 1999 Va L Rev.
Wang, Jianing; Chen, Fuyao; Dellalana, Laura E.; Jagasia, Madan H.; Tkaczyk, Eric R.; Dawant, Benoit M.
2018-02-01
Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) is a frequent and potentially life-threatening complication of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) and commonly affects the skin, resulting in distressing patient morbidity. The percentage of involved body surface area (BSA) is commonly used for diagnosing and scoring the severity of cGVHD. However, the segmentation of the involved BSA from patient whole body serial photography is challenging because (1) it is difficult to design traditional segmentation method that rely on hand crafted features as the appearance of cGVHD lesions can be drastically different from patient to patient; (2) to the best of our knowledge, currently there is no publicavailable labelled image set of cGVHD skin for training deep networks to segment the involved BSA. In this preliminary study we create a small labelled image set of skin cGVHD, and we explore the possibility to use a fully convolutional neural network (FCN) to segment the skin lesion in the images. We use a commercial stereoscopic Vectra H1 camera (Canfield Scientific) to acquire 400 3D photographs of 17 cGVHD patients aged between 22 and 72. A rotational data augmentation process is then applied, which rotates the 3D photos through 10 predefined angles, producing one 2D projection image at each position. This results in 4000 2D images that constitute our cGVHD image set. A FCN model is trained and tested using our images. We show that our method achieves encouraging results for segmenting cGVHD skin lesion in photographic images.
A survey on constitutional justice
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kheirollah Parvin
2015-05-01
Full Text Available The idea of supervising the conformity of statutory law with constitutional law, is due to necessities rooted in two essential principles: the supremacy of constitution and the hierarchy of the law. Constitution as the supreme law in the sense of status and legal value , is placed at the top of the legal pyramid of every political system and therefore requires a special organization and discipline that will act as the sanction of the principles and the main content incorporated in this legal instrument. this special organization and discipline known as Constitutional justice in legal Literature now and have studing in two main patterns. Firs pattern based on Supervision of courts on rules and other pattern is Apply by Emphasis on role of Political Institutions in Supervision on rules. This two patterns have common purpose but have different backgrounds and methods.
Three-dimensional model-based object recognition and segmentation in cluttered scenes.
Mian, Ajmal S; Bennamoun, Mohammed; Owens, Robyn
2006-10-01
Viewpoint independent recognition of free-form objects and their segmentation in the presence of clutter and occlusions is a challenging task. We present a novel 3D model-based algorithm which performs this task automatically and efficiently. A 3D model of an object is automatically constructed offline from its multiple unordered range images (views). These views are converted into multidimensional table representations (which we refer to as tensors). Correspondences are automatically established between these views by simultaneously matching the tensors of a view with those of the remaining views using a hash table-based voting scheme. This results in a graph of relative transformations used to register the views before they are integrated into a seamless 3D model. These models and their tensor representations constitute the model library. During online recognition, a tensor from the scene is simultaneously matched with those in the library by casting votes. Similarity measures are calculated for the model tensors which receive the most votes. The model with the highest similarity is transformed to the scene and, if it aligns accurately with an object in the scene, that object is declared as recognized and is segmented. This process is repeated until the scene is completely segmented. Experiments were performed on real and synthetic data comprised of 55 models and 610 scenes and an overall recognition rate of 95 percent was achieved. Comparison with the spin images revealed that our algorithm is superior in terms of recognition rate and efficiency.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kiefer, B; Bartel, T; Menzel, A
2012-01-01
Several constitutive models for magnetic shape memory alloys (MSMAs) have been proposed in the literature. The implementation of numerical integration schemes, which allow the prediction of constitutive response for general loading cases and ultimately the incorporation of MSMA response into numerical solution algorithms for fully coupled magneto-mechanical boundary value problems, however, has received only very limited attention. In this work, we establish two algorithmic implementations of the internal variable model for MSMAs proposed in (Kiefer and Lagoudas 2005 Phil. Mag. Spec. Issue: Recent Adv. Theor. Mech. 85 4289–329, Kiefer and Lagoudas 2009 J. Intell. Mater. Syst. 20 143–70), where we restrict our attention to pure martensitic variant reorientation to limit complexity. The first updating scheme is based on the numerical integration of the reorientation strain evolution equation and represents a classical predictor–corrector-type general return mapping algorithm. In the second approach, the inequality-constrained optimization problem associated with internal variable evolution is converted into an unconstrained problem via Fischer–Burmeister complementarity functions and then iteratively solved in standard Newton–Raphson format. Simulations are verified by comparison to closed-form solutions for experimentally relevant loading cases. (paper)
How do the Constitutional Courts decide?
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pasquale Pasquino
2016-12-01
Full Text Available The purpose of this article is to explore the mode of production of judicial sentences drafted by constitutional courts in Europe. The natural object of study of the constitutional theory is the analysis of this final product of judicial creation of Law by Constitutional Courts. However, the doctrine has not given sufficient attention –from a comparative law perspective– to the mechanisms and procedures that lead to the decisions of these institutions. Thus, this document will classify the different types of decision-making processes in the courts, analyzing the stages that make up the «mode of production», from the study of the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States, the Constitutional Council of the French Republic, The Constitutional Court of Italy and the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany. At the end of the paper, some conclusions are made about the period of the magistrates, their party affiliation, the temporary restrictions of deliberation and institutional factors such as the number of attendees or the personalization of its members.
Kalenichenko, Valentin V.
2000-11-01
The electronic version of an extensive catalogue of the results of the fireball physics inverse problem solution for the precise observational data of the Prairie Network Fireballs (DTHM-values) obtained by local-ballistic method of a variably-sliding path-segment contains a set of the physical parameters for the 480 fireball images of the 248 cosmic body entries into the Earth's atmosphere (PNVK-values). The parameters are: the fireball velocity with the corresponding values of the mass to cross-section area ratio for the fireball-generating body a teach measured point of the fireball path, the ablation factor and the ratio of the luminous fireball energy to the drag work for the body in the Earth's atmosphere using a factor inversely proportional to the density of the body. The catalogue of all PNVK-values, about 3.1 Mbytes in ASCII is accessible from ftp://ftp2.mao.kiev.ua/pub/astro/pnvk, files pnvk.cat and pnvks.cat
Constitutionalism and Development in Nigeria: The 1999 Constitution
African Journals Online (AJOL)
Fr. Ikenga
the 3 arms of government the Executive, Legislative, Judiciary, Public Service and Marketing .... Rotation principle of a presidency position in Nigeria which will cultivate a sense of ... the issues survived inclusion in the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. 13. S. 2 of Decree No. ..... Oxford, 5th Edition p.245.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Zhang, Lei; Wu, Yang
2012-01-01
The objective of this study is to identify market segments and estimate the residents’ willingness to pay (WTP) for green electricity (green-e) in China for the large-scale promotion of energy projects from renewable sources that do not rely solely on energy policies. Based on an analysis of non-use values of green-e as well as the application of the contingent valuation (CV) method and payment card (PC) introduction technology, the average WTP ranges from RMB 7.91 yuan/month to 10.30 yuan/month (approximately US$ 1.15–1.51/month with an exchange rate of 6.83 yuan/US$ yuan/US$) for urban residents in Jiangsu Province. The current work also explores the differences in demographic variables across varying WTP amounts and the different marginal effects of demographic variables at the same level of WTP. The findings reveal that there are significant differences in demographic variables, such as level of education, household income and location of residence, across the population segments. Moreover, the finding that some respondents with high income and higher education prefer higher WTP amounts to lower WTP amounts suggests that green-e is a luxury product, and consequently, a Veblen effect exists in certain Chinese market segments. - Highlights: ► The value of green electricity manifests itself primarily in the form of non-use value. ► The average WTP for green-e ranges from RMB 7.91 yuan/month to 10.30 yuan/month. ► The differences in demographic variables across varying WTP are significant. ► The marginal effects of demographic variables at the same WTP are different. ► Green-e is still a luxury product and Veblen effect exits in particular segment.
Xiao, Xun; Geyer, Veikko F; Bowne-Anderson, Hugo; Howard, Jonathon; Sbalzarini, Ivo F
2016-08-01
Biological filaments, such as actin filaments, microtubules, and cilia, are often imaged using different light-microscopy techniques. Reconstructing the filament curve from the acquired images constitutes the filament segmentation problem. Since filaments have lower dimensionality than the image itself, there is an inherent trade-off between tracing the filament with sub-pixel accuracy and avoiding noise artifacts. Here, we present a globally optimal filament segmentation method based on B-spline vector level-sets and a generalized linear model for the pixel intensity statistics. We show that the resulting optimization problem is convex and can hence be solved with global optimality. We introduce a simple and efficient algorithm to compute such optimal filament segmentations, and provide an open-source implementation as an ImageJ/Fiji plugin. We further derive an information-theoretic lower bound on the filament segmentation error, quantifying how well an algorithm could possibly do given the information in the image. We show that our algorithm asymptotically reaches this bound in the spline coefficients. We validate our method in comprehensive benchmarks, compare with other methods, and show applications from fluorescence, phase-contrast, and dark-field microscopy. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Zhu, Hongchun; Cai, Lijie; Liu, Haiying; Huang, Wei
2016-01-01
Multi-scale image segmentation and the selection of optimal segmentation parameters are the key processes in the object-oriented information extraction of high-resolution remote sensing images. The accuracy of remote sensing special subject information depends on this extraction. On the basis of WorldView-2 high-resolution data, the optimal segmentation parameters methodof object-oriented image segmentation and high-resolution image information extraction, the following processes were conducted in this study. Firstly, the best combination of the bands and weights was determined for the information extraction of high-resolution remote sensing image. An improved weighted mean-variance method was proposed andused to calculatethe optimal segmentation scale. Thereafter, the best shape factor parameter and compact factor parameters were computed with the use of the control variables and the combination of the heterogeneity and homogeneity indexes. Different types of image segmentation parameters were obtained according to the surface features. The high-resolution remote sensing images were multi-scale segmented with the optimal segmentation parameters. Ahierarchical network structure was established by setting the information extraction rules to achieve object-oriented information extraction. This study presents an effective and practical method that can explain expert input judgment by reproducible quantitative measurements. Furthermore the results of this procedure may be incorporated into a classification scheme. PMID:27362762
Dietrich, Timo; Rundle-Thiele, Sharyn; Leo, Cheryl; Connor, Jason
2015-04-01
According to commercial marketing theory, a market orientation leads to improved performance. Drawing on the social marketing principles of segmentation and audience research, the current study seeks to identify segments to examine responses to a school-based alcohol social marketing program. A sample of 371 year 10 students (aged: 14-16 years; 51.4% boys) participated in a prospective (pre-post) multisite alcohol social marketing program. Game On: Know Alcohol (GO:KA) program included 6, student-centered, and interactive lessons to teach adolescents about alcohol and strategies to abstain or moderate drinking. A repeated measures design was used. Baseline demographics, drinking attitudes, drinking intentions, and alcohol knowledge were cluster analyzed to identify segments. Change on key program outcome measures and satisfaction with program components were assessed by segment. Three segments were identified; (1) Skeptics, (2) Risky Males, (3) Good Females. Segments 2 and 3 showed greatest change in drinking attitudes and intentions. Good Females reported highest satisfaction with all program components and Skeptics lowest program satisfaction with all program components. Three segments, each differing on psychographic and demographic variables, exhibited different change patterns following participation in GO:KA. Post hoc analysis identified that satisfaction with program components differed by segment offering opportunities for further research. © 2015, American School Health Association.
Cheetahs have a stronger constitutive innate immunity than leopards.
Heinrich, Sonja K; Hofer, Heribert; Courtiol, Alexandre; Melzheimer, Jörg; Dehnhard, Martin; Czirják, Gábor Á; Wachter, Bettina
2017-03-23
As a textbook case for the importance of genetics in conservation, absence of genetic variability at the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is thought to endanger species viability, since it is considered crucial for pathogen resistance. An alternative view of the immune system inspired by life history theory posits that a strong response should evolve in other components of the immune system if there is little variation in the MHC. In contrast to the leopard (Panthera pardus), the cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) has a relatively low genetic variability at the MHC, yet free-ranging cheetahs are healthy. By comparing the functional competence of the humoral immune system of both species in sympatric populations in Namibia, we demonstrate that cheetahs have a higher constitutive innate but lower induced innate and adaptive immunity than leopards. We conclude (1) immunocompetence of cheetahs is higher than previously thought; (2) studying both innate and adaptive components of immune systems will enrich conservation science.
A constitutive model for magnetostriction based on thermodynamic framework
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ho, Kwangsoo
2016-01-01
This work presents a general framework for the continuum-based formulation of dissipative materials with magneto–mechanical coupling in the viewpoint of irreversible thermodynamics. The thermodynamically consistent model developed for the magnetic hysteresis is extended to include the magnetostrictive effect. The dissipative and hysteretic response of magnetostrictive materials is captured through the introduction of internal state variables. The evolution rate of magnetostrictive strain as well as magnetization is derived from thermodynamic and dissipative potentials in accordance with the general principles of thermodynamics. It is then demonstrated that the constitutive model is competent to describe the magneto-mechanical behavior by comparing simulation results with the experimental data reported in the literature. - Highlights: • A thermodynamically consistent model is proposed to describe the magneto-mechanical coupling effect. • Internal state variables are introduced to capture the dissipative material response. • The evolution rate of the magnetostrictive strain is derived through thermodynamic and dissipation potentials.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Simon Serverin
2010-07-01
Full Text Available La Constitution japonaise, promulguée en novembre 1946 et entrée en vigueur en mai 1947, pose à la théorie constitutionnelle un certain nombre de problèmes qui ne sont toujours pas résolus. Adoptée sous occupation américaine, rédigée par les services du GHQ dirigés par le général MacArthur, la Constitution a en outre été promulguée comme une simple révision de la Charte impériale de 1889, dite Constitution de Meiji, alors que par les principes démocratiques nouveaux qu’elle instaurait, elle p...
Mandatory chromosomal segment balance in aneuploid tumor cells
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kost-Alimova, Maria; Stanbridge, Eric; Klein, George; Imreh, Stefan; Darai-Ramqvist, Eva; Yau, Wing Lung; Sandlund, Agneta; Fedorova, Ludmila; Yang, Ying; Kholodnyuk, Irina; Cheng, Yue; Li Lung, Maria
2007-01-01
Euploid chromosome balance is vitally important for normal development, but is profoundly changed in many tumors. Is each tumor dependent on its own structurally and numerically changed chromosome complement that has evolved during its development and progression? We have previously shown that normal chromosome 3 transfer into the KH39 renal cell carcinoma line and into the Hone1 nasopharyngeal carcinoma line inhibited their tumorigenicity. The aim of the present study was to distinguish between a qualitative and a quantitative model of this suppression. According to the former, a damaged or deleted tumor suppressor gene would be restored by the transfer of a normal chromosome. If so, suppression would be released only when the corresponding sequences of the exogenous normal chromosome are lost or inactivated. According to the alternative quantitative model, the tumor cell would not tolerate an increased dosage of the relevant gene or segment. If so, either a normal cell derived, or, a tumor derived endogenous segment could be lost. Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization based methods, as well as analysis of polymorphic microsatellite markers were used to follow chromosome 3 constitution changes in monochromosomal hybrids. In both tumor lines with introduced supernumerary chromosomes 3, the copy number of 3p21 or the entire 3p tended to fall back to the original level during both in vitro and in vivo growth. An exogenous, normal cell derived, or an endogenous, tumor derived, chromosome segment was lost with similar probability. Identification of the lost versus retained segments showed that the intolerance for increased copy number was particularly strong for 3p14-p21, and weaker for other 3p regions. Gains in copy number were, on the other hand, well tolerated in the long arm and particularly the 3q26-q27 region. The inability of the cell to tolerate an experimentally imposed gain in 3p14-p21 in contrast to the well tolerated gain in 3q26-q27 is consistent with the
Constitutive Modelling in Geomechanics Introduction
Puzrin, Alexander M
2012-01-01
The purpose of this book is to bridge the gap between the traditional Geomechanics and Numerical Geotechnical Modelling with applications in science and practice. Geomechanics is rarely taught within the rigorous context of Continuum Mechanics and Thermodynamics, while when it comes to Numerical Modelling, commercially available finite elements or finite differences software utilize constitutive relationships within the rigorous framework. As a result, young scientists and engineers have to learn the challenging subject of constitutive modelling from a program manual and often end up with using unrealistic models which violate the Laws of Thermodynamics. The book is introductory, by no means does it claim any completeness and state of the art in such a dynamically developing field as numerical and constitutive modelling of soils. The author gives basic understanding of conventional continuum mechanics approaches to constitutive modelling, which can serve as a foundation for exploring more advanced theories....
Variable dose rate single-arc IMAT delivered with a constant dose rate and variable angular spacing
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Tang, Grace; Earl, Matthew A; Yu, Cedric X
2009-01-01
Single-arc intensity-modulated arc therapy (IMAT) has gained worldwide interest in both research and clinical implementation due to its superior plan quality and delivery efficiency. Single-arc IMAT techniques such as the Varian RapidArc(TM) deliver conformal dose distributions to the target in one single gantry rotation, resulting in a delivery time in the order of 2 min. The segments in these techniques are evenly distributed within an arc and are allowed to have different monitor unit (MU) weightings. Therefore, a variable dose-rate (VDR) is required for delivery. Because the VDR requirement complicates the control hardware and software of the linear accelerators (linacs) and prevents most existing linacs from delivering IMAT, we propose an alternative planning approach for IMAT using constant dose-rate (CDR) delivery with variable angular spacing. We prove the equivalence by converting VDR-optimized RapidArc plans to CDR plans, where the evenly spaced beams in the VDR plan are redistributed to uneven spacing such that the segments with larger MU weighting occupy a greater angular interval. To minimize perturbation in the optimized dose distribution, the angular deviation of the segments was restricted to ≤± 5 deg. This restriction requires the treatment arc to be broken into multiple sectors such that the local MU fluctuation within each sector is reduced, thereby lowering the angular deviation of the segments during redistribution. The converted CDR plans were delivered with a single gantry sweep as in the VDR plans but each sector was delivered with a different value of CDR. For four patient cases, including two head-and-neck, one brain and one prostate, all CDR plans developed with the variable spacing scheme produced similar dose distributions to the original VDR plans. For plans with complex angular MU distributions, the number of sectors increased up to four in the CDR plans in order to maintain the original plan quality. Since each sector was
Endplates Changes Related to Age and Vertebral Segment
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Carlos Fernando P. S. Herrero
2014-01-01
Full Text Available Endplate separations are defined as the presence of a space between the hyaline cartilage and the cortical bone of the adjacent vertebral body. This study evaluates endplate separations from the vertebral body and intervertebral discs and verifies if endplate separation is related to age and the spinal level. Groups were formed based on age (20–40 and 41–85 years old and the vertebral segment (T7-T8 and L4-L5 segments. Histological analysis included assessment of the length of the vertebral endplates, the number and dimensions of the separations, and orientation of the collagen fibers, in the mid-sagittal slice. Two indexes were created: the separation index (number of separations/vertebral length and separation extension index (sum of all separations/vertebral length. The results of the study demonstrated a direct relationship between the density of separations in the endplate and two variables: age and spinal level.
Sequential segmental classification of feline congenital heart disease.
Scansen, Brian A; Schneider, Matthias; Bonagura, John D
2015-12-01
Feline congenital heart disease is less commonly encountered in veterinary medicine than acquired feline heart diseases such as cardiomyopathy. Understanding the wide spectrum of congenital cardiovascular disease demands a familiarity with a variety of lesions, occurring both in isolation and in combination, along with an appreciation of complex nomenclature and variable classification schemes. This review begins with an overview of congenital heart disease in the cat, including proposed etiologies and prevalence, examination approaches, and principles of therapy. Specific congenital defects are presented and organized by a sequential segmental classification with respect to their morphologic lesions. Highlights of diagnosis, treatment options, and prognosis are offered. It is hoped that this review will provide a framework for approaching congenital heart disease in the cat, and more broadly in other animal species based on the sequential segmental approach, which represents an adaptation of the common methodology used in children and adults with congenital heart disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
El-Sayed, Ahmed
2014-01-01
This paper seeks to address the constitutional paths that followed the Arab awakening in both Tunisia and Egypt. The Tunisian constitutional process, despite some tensions, was largely peaceful and consensual. On the other hand, the process in Egypt of establishing a new constitutional arrangement had been tumultuous with repercussions that are likely to linger on for a protracted period of time. Therefore, despite apparent resemblance in socio-political actors in both countries, (political I...
Consistent interactive segmentation of pulmonary ground glass nodules identified in CT studies
Zhang, Li; Fang, Ming; Naidich, David P.; Novak, Carol L.
2004-05-01
Ground glass nodules (GGNs) have proved especially problematic in lung cancer diagnosis, as despite frequently being malignant they characteristically have extremely slow rates of growth. This problem is further magnified by the small size of many of these lesions now being routinely detected following the introduction of multislice CT scanners capable of acquiring contiguous high resolution 1 to 1.25 mm sections throughout the thorax in a single breathhold period. Although segmentation of solid nodules can be used clinically to determine volume doubling times quantitatively, reliable methods for segmentation of pure ground glass nodules have yet to be introduced. Our purpose is to evaluate a newly developed computer-based segmentation method for rapid and reproducible measurements of pure ground glass nodules. 23 pure or mixed ground glass nodules were identified in a total of 8 patients by a radiologist and subsequently segmented by our computer-based method using Markov random field and shape analysis. The computer-based segmentation was initialized by a click point. Methodological consistency was assessed using the overlap ratio between 3 segmentations initialized by 3 different click points for each nodule. The 95% confidence interval on the mean of the overlap ratios proved to be [0.984, 0.998]. The computer-based method failed on two nodules that were difficult to segment even manually either due to especially low contrast or markedly irregular margins. While achieving consistent manual segmentation of ground glass nodules has proven problematic most often due to indistinct boundaries and interobserver variability, our proposed method introduces a powerful new tool for obtaining reproducible quantitative measurements of these lesions. It is our intention to further document the value of this approach with a still larger set of ground glass nodules.
Variable radius cartography - History and perspectives of a new discipline
Scalera, Giancarlo
2014-05-01
The map that Toscanelli sent to Columbus was an unconscious application of cartography at a smaller radius than the real. The first really conscious attempts to represent the geography of Earth on globes of radius less than the current one occurred after the formulation of the concept of expanding Earth through geological time. The American chemist and geologist Richard Owen (1810-1890) in his book Key to the geology of the globe (1857) described the principles of what he himself called Anatomical Geology, with the Earth growing as a biological organism. The book contained a global paleogeographic map of the Earth that would have had a radius of about 4000 kilometers. In 1928 J.A.H. Kerkhoff (under the pseudonym Aero-dilettant) published a series of paleogeographic globes on which the modern oceans disappeared. With the same artisan methods of transfer continental outlines from a sphere to a smaller one, in 1933 O.C. Hilgenberg represented three different geological epochs, and, later, for the first time mapped paleopoles with their site-pole segments of meridian. Even today the traditional method of Hilgenberg is followed by senior researchers (Klaus Vogel, 2003) and younger geologists (James Maxlow). In England Hugh Owen applied the methods of traditional cartography to the variable radius one. His Atlas of Continental Displacement was in the 70s and 80s, for this discipline, a real milestone. While in the field of constant radius paleogeography the adherents to plate tectonics created many computer codes of automatic mapping (Bullard et al., 1965; Smith & Hallam, 1970; Scotese et al., 1979; and many others), in the variable radius field few tried to reach the same task. In 1972 in United States a first very simple attempt (but was not further developed) came from a private, R.B. Perry, followed by the still not-computerized Atlas of Owen, and both them constituted inspiration for the construction of a FORTRAN variable radius mapping code at INGV, with which it
Radioactive waste disposal and constitution
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Stober, R.
1983-01-01
The radioactive waste disposal has many dimensions with regard to the constitutional law. The central problem is the corret delimitation between adequate governmental precautions against risks and or the permitted risk which the state can impose on the citizen, and the illegal danger which nobody has to accept. The solution requires to consider all aspects which are relevant to the constitutional law. Therefore, the following analysis deals not only with the constitutional risks and the risks of the nuclear energy, but also with the liberal, overall-economic, social, legal, and democratic aspects of radioactive waste disposal. (HSCH) [de
Developmental identity versus typology: Lucy has only four sacral segments.
Machnicki, Allison L; Lovejoy, C Owen; Reno, Philip L
2016-08-01
Both interspecific and intraspecific variation in vertebral counts reflect the action of patterning control mechanisms such as Hox. The preserved A.L. 288-1 ("Lucy") sacrum contains five fused elements. However, the transverse processes of the most caudal element do not contact those of the segment immediately craniad to it, leaving incomplete sacral foramina on both sides. This conforms to the traditional definition of four-segmented sacra, which are very rare in humans and African apes. It was recently suggested that fossilization damage precludes interpretation of this specimen and that additional sacral-like features of its last segment (e.g., the extent of the sacral hiatus) suggest a general Australopithecus pattern of five sacral vertebrae. We provide updated descriptions of the original Lucy sacrum. We evaluate sacral/coccygeal variation in a large sample of extant hominoids and place it within the context of developmental variation in the mammalian vertebral column. We report that fossilization damage did not shorten the transverse processes of the fifth segment of Lucy's sacrum. In addition, we find that the extent of the sacral hiatus is too variable in apes and hominids to provide meaningful information on segment identity. Most importantly, a combination of sacral and coccygeal features is to be expected in vertebrae at regional boundaries. The sacral/caudal boundary appears to be displaced cranially in early hominids relative to extant African apes and humans, a condition consistent with the likely ancestral condition for Miocene hominoids. While not definitive in itself, a four-segmented sacrum accords well with the "long-back" model for the Pan/Homo last common ancestor. Am J Phys Anthropol 160:729-739, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hezron Sabar Rotua Tinambunan
2016-06-01
Full Text Available In the process of impeachment, Constitutional Court has the obligation to give its judgement to House of Representatives’s opinion regarding allegation of violation by the President and/or Vice President. Constitutional Court checks and judges House of Representatives’s opinion on whether or not the President and/or Vice President works fulfill Article 7A of Constitution of Republic Indonesia 1945 (UUD NRI 1945. The inspection done by Constitutional Court is the judicial process whose decision is in the form of justisil. The result of this impeachment process heavily depends on the judgement of People's Consultative Assembly in its plenary meeting which is also a politics forum, where President and/or Vice President could be dismissed or not. Constitutional Court’s judgement does not apply to People's Consultative Assembly, hence, the difference of Constitutional Court and People's Consultative Assembly’s judgement in plenary meeting that is very political by its nature is very likely to happen. Involvement of Constitutional Court in the procss of impeachment is, of course, different in each country. It depends on governance system in that particular country, it also relies on how much authority that is given by Constitution to Constitutional Court in the process of impeachment itself.
Joint shape segmentation with linear programming
Huang, Qixing
2011-01-01
We present an approach to segmenting shapes in a heterogenous shape database. Our approach segments the shapes jointly, utilizing features from multiple shapes to improve the segmentation of each. The approach is entirely unsupervised and is based on an integer quadratic programming formulation of the joint segmentation problem. The program optimizes over possible segmentations of individual shapes as well as over possible correspondences between segments from multiple shapes. The integer quadratic program is solved via a linear programming relaxation, using a block coordinate descent procedure that makes the optimization feasible for large databases. We evaluate the presented approach on the Princeton segmentation benchmark and show that joint shape segmentation significantly outperforms single-shape segmentation techniques. © 2011 ACM.
Segmentation-DrivenTomographic Reconstruction
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Kongskov, Rasmus Dalgas
such that the segmentation subsequently can be carried out by use of a simple segmentation method, for instance just a thresholding method. We tested the advantages of going from a two-stage reconstruction method to a one stage segmentation-driven reconstruction method for the phase contrast tomography reconstruction......The tomographic reconstruction problem is concerned with creating a model of the interior of an object from some measured data, typically projections of the object. After reconstructing an object it is often desired to segment it, either automatically or manually. For computed tomography (CT...
Mak, C.
2009-01-01
This paper analyses the potential impact of the recently published Draft Common Frame of Reference for European contract law (DCFR) on the European constitutional process. Looking at the combination of characteristics of codification and aspects of constitutionalism reflected in the DCFR, it is
Cavity contour segmentation in chest radiographs using supervised learning and dynamic programming
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Maduskar, Pragnya; Hogeweg, Laurens; Sánchez, Clara I.; Ginneken, Bram van; Jong, Pim A. de; Peters-Bax, Liesbeth; Dawson, Rodney; Ayles, Helen
2014-01-01
Purpose: Efficacy of tuberculosis (TB) treatment is often monitored using chest radiography. Monitoring size of cavities in pulmonary tuberculosis is important as the size predicts severity of the disease and its persistence under therapy predicts relapse. The authors present a method for automatic cavity segmentation in chest radiographs. Methods: A two stage method is proposed to segment the cavity borders, given a user defined seed point close to the center of the cavity. First, a supervised learning approach is employed to train a pixel classifier using texture and radial features to identify the border pixels of the cavity. A likelihood value of belonging to the cavity border is assigned to each pixel by the classifier. The authors experimented with four different classifiers:k-nearest neighbor (kNN), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), GentleBoost (GB), and random forest (RF). Next, the constructed likelihood map was used as an input cost image in the polar transformed image space for dynamic programming to trace the optimal maximum cost path. This constructed path corresponds to the segmented cavity contour in image space. Results: The method was evaluated on 100 chest radiographs (CXRs) containing 126 cavities. The reference segmentation was manually delineated by an experienced chest radiologist. An independent observer (a chest radiologist) also delineated all cavities to estimate interobserver variability. Jaccard overlap measure Ω was computed between the reference segmentation and the automatic segmentation; and between the reference segmentation and the independent observer's segmentation for all cavities. A median overlap Ω of 0.81 (0.76 ± 0.16), and 0.85 (0.82 ± 0.11) was achieved between the reference segmentation and the automatic segmentation, and between the segmentations by the two radiologists, respectively. The best reported mean contour distance and Hausdorff distance between the reference and the automatic segmentation were
Cavity contour segmentation in chest radiographs using supervised learning and dynamic programming
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Maduskar, Pragnya, E-mail: pragnya.maduskar@radboudumc.nl; Hogeweg, Laurens; Sánchez, Clara I.; Ginneken, Bram van [Diagnostic Image Analysis Group, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6525 GA (Netherlands); Jong, Pim A. de [Department of Radiology, University Medical Center Utrecht, 3584 CX (Netherlands); Peters-Bax, Liesbeth [Department of Radiology, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, 6525 GA (Netherlands); Dawson, Rodney [University of Cape Town Lung Institute, Cape Town 7700 (South Africa); Ayles, Helen [Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT (United Kingdom)
2014-07-15
Purpose: Efficacy of tuberculosis (TB) treatment is often monitored using chest radiography. Monitoring size of cavities in pulmonary tuberculosis is important as the size predicts severity of the disease and its persistence under therapy predicts relapse. The authors present a method for automatic cavity segmentation in chest radiographs. Methods: A two stage method is proposed to segment the cavity borders, given a user defined seed point close to the center of the cavity. First, a supervised learning approach is employed to train a pixel classifier using texture and radial features to identify the border pixels of the cavity. A likelihood value of belonging to the cavity border is assigned to each pixel by the classifier. The authors experimented with four different classifiers:k-nearest neighbor (kNN), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), GentleBoost (GB), and random forest (RF). Next, the constructed likelihood map was used as an input cost image in the polar transformed image space for dynamic programming to trace the optimal maximum cost path. This constructed path corresponds to the segmented cavity contour in image space. Results: The method was evaluated on 100 chest radiographs (CXRs) containing 126 cavities. The reference segmentation was manually delineated by an experienced chest radiologist. An independent observer (a chest radiologist) also delineated all cavities to estimate interobserver variability. Jaccard overlap measure Ω was computed between the reference segmentation and the automatic segmentation; and between the reference segmentation and the independent observer's segmentation for all cavities. A median overlap Ω of 0.81 (0.76 ± 0.16), and 0.85 (0.82 ± 0.11) was achieved between the reference segmentation and the automatic segmentation, and between the segmentations by the two radiologists, respectively. The best reported mean contour distance and Hausdorff distance between the reference and the automatic segmentation were
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Khalvati, Farzad, E-mail: farzad.khalvati@uwaterloo.ca; Tizhoosh, Hamid R. [Department of Systems Design Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3G1 (Canada); Salmanpour, Aryan; Rahnamayan, Shahryar [Department of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Oshawa, Ontario L1H 7K4 (Canada); Rodrigues, George [Department of Radiation Oncology, London Regional Cancer Program, London, Ontario N6C 2R6, Canada and Department of Epidemiology/Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario N6A 3K7 (Canada)
2013-12-15
Purpose: Accurate segmentation and volume estimation of the prostate gland in magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) images are necessary steps in diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of prostate cancer. This paper presents an algorithm for the prostate gland volume estimation based on the semiautomated segmentation of individual slices in T2-weighted MR and CT image sequences. Methods: The proposedInter-Slice Bidirectional Registration-based Segmentation (iBRS) algorithm relies on interslice image registration of volume data to segment the prostate gland without the use of an anatomical atlas. It requires the user to mark only three slices in a given volume dataset, i.e., the first, middle, and last slices. Next, the proposed algorithm uses a registration algorithm to autosegment the remaining slices. We conducted comprehensive experiments to measure the performance of the proposed algorithm using three registration methods (i.e., rigid, affine, and nonrigid techniques). Results: The results with the proposed technique were compared with manual marking using prostate MR and CT images from 117 patients. Manual marking was performed by an expert user for all 117 patients. The median accuracies for individual slices measured using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) were 92% and 91% for MR and CT images, respectively. The iBRS algorithm was also evaluated regarding user variability, which confirmed that the algorithm was robust to interuser variability when marking the prostate gland. Conclusions: The proposed algorithm exploits the interslice data redundancy of the images in a volume dataset of MR and CT images and eliminates the need for an atlas, minimizing the computational cost while producing highly accurate results which are robust to interuser variability.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Khalvati, Farzad; Tizhoosh, Hamid R.; Salmanpour, Aryan; Rahnamayan, Shahryar; Rodrigues, George
2013-01-01
Purpose: Accurate segmentation and volume estimation of the prostate gland in magnetic resonance (MR) and computed tomography (CT) images are necessary steps in diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of prostate cancer. This paper presents an algorithm for the prostate gland volume estimation based on the semiautomated segmentation of individual slices in T2-weighted MR and CT image sequences. Methods: The proposedInter-Slice Bidirectional Registration-based Segmentation (iBRS) algorithm relies on interslice image registration of volume data to segment the prostate gland without the use of an anatomical atlas. It requires the user to mark only three slices in a given volume dataset, i.e., the first, middle, and last slices. Next, the proposed algorithm uses a registration algorithm to autosegment the remaining slices. We conducted comprehensive experiments to measure the performance of the proposed algorithm using three registration methods (i.e., rigid, affine, and nonrigid techniques). Results: The results with the proposed technique were compared with manual marking using prostate MR and CT images from 117 patients. Manual marking was performed by an expert user for all 117 patients. The median accuracies for individual slices measured using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) were 92% and 91% for MR and CT images, respectively. The iBRS algorithm was also evaluated regarding user variability, which confirmed that the algorithm was robust to interuser variability when marking the prostate gland. Conclusions: The proposed algorithm exploits the interslice data redundancy of the images in a volume dataset of MR and CT images and eliminates the need for an atlas, minimizing the computational cost while producing highly accurate results which are robust to interuser variability
Golczyk, Hieronim; Massouh, Amid; Greiner, Stephan
2014-01-01
Due to reciprocal chromosomal translocations, many species of Oenothera (evening primrose) form permanent multichromosomal meiotic rings. However, regular bivalent pairing is also observed. Chiasmata are restricted to chromosomal ends, which makes homologous recombination virtually undetectable. Genetic diversity is achieved by changing linkage relations of chromosomes in rings and bivalents via hybridization and reciprocal translocations. Although the structural prerequisite for this system is enigmatic, whole-arm translocations are widely assumed to be the mechanistic driving force. We demonstrate that this prerequisite is genome compartmentation into two epigenetically defined chromatin fractions. The first one facultatively condenses in cycling cells into chromocenters negative both for histone H3 dimethylated at lysine 4 and for C-banding, and forms huge condensed middle chromosome regions on prophase chromosomes. Remarkably, it decondenses in differentiating cells. The second fraction is euchromatin confined to distal chromosome segments, positive for histone H3 lysine 4 dimethylation and for histone H3 lysine 27 trimethylation. The end-segments are deprived of canonical telomeres but capped with constitutive heterochromatin. This genomic organization promotes translocation breakpoints between the two chromatin fractions, thus facilitating exchanges of end-segments. We challenge the whole-arm translocation hypothesis by demonstrating why reciprocal translocations of chromosomal end-segments should strongly promote meiotic rings and evolution toward permanent translocation heterozygosity. Reshuffled end-segments, each possessing a major crossover hot spot, can furthermore explain meiotic compatibility between genomes with different translocation histories. PMID:24681616
Rediscovering market segmentation.
Yankelovich, Daniel; Meer, David
2006-02-01
In 1964, Daniel Yankelovich introduced in the pages of HBR the concept of nondemographic segmentation, by which he meant the classification of consumers according to criteria other than age, residence, income, and such. The predictive power of marketing studies based on demographics was no longer strong enough to serve as a basis for marketing strategy, he argued. Buying patterns had become far better guides to consumers' future purchases. In addition, properly constructed nondemographic segmentations could help companies determine which products to develop, which distribution channels to sell them in, how much to charge for them, and how to advertise them. But more than 40 years later, nondemographic segmentation has become just as unenlightening as demographic segmentation had been. Today, the technique is used almost exclusively to fulfill the needs of advertising, which it serves mainly by populating commercials with characters that viewers can identify with. It is true that psychographic types like "High-Tech Harry" and "Joe Six-Pack" may capture some truth about real people's lifestyles, attitudes, self-image, and aspirations. But they are no better than demographics at predicting purchase behavior. Thus they give corporate decision makers very little idea of how to keep customers or capture new ones. Now, Daniel Yankelovich returns to these pages, with consultant David Meer, to argue the case for a broad view of nondemographic segmentation. They describe the elements of a smart segmentation strategy, explaining how segmentations meant to strengthen brand identity differ from those capable of telling a company which markets it should enter and what goods to make. And they introduce their "gravity of decision spectrum", a tool that focuses on the form of consumer behavior that should be of the greatest interest to marketers--the importance that consumers place on a product or product category.
Age and sex influences on running mechanics and coordination variability.
Boyer, Katherine A; Freedman Silvernail, Julia; Hamill, Joseph
2017-11-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of age on running mechanics separately for male and female runners and to quantify sex differences in running mechanics and coordination variability for older runners. Kinematics and kinetics were captured for 20 younger (10 male) and 20 older (10 male) adults running overground at 3.5 m · s -1 . A modified vector coding technique was used to calculate segment coordination variability. Lower extremity joint angles, moments and segment coordination variability were compared between age and sex groups. Significant sex-age interaction effects were found for heel-strike hip flexion and ankle in/eversion angles and peak ankle dorsiflexion angle. In older adults, mid-stance knee flexion angle, ankle inversion and abduction moments and hip abduction and external rotation moments differed by sex. Older compared with younger females had reduced coordination variability in the thigh-shank transverse plane couple but greater coordination variability for the shank rotation-foot eversion couple in early stance. These results suggest there may be a non-equivalent aging process in the movement mechanics for males and females. The age and sex differences in running mechanics and coordination variability highlight the need for sex-based analyses for future studies examining injury risk with age.
Automated MRI segmentation for individualized modeling of current flow in the human head.
Huang, Yu; Dmochowski, Jacek P; Su, Yuzhuo; Datta, Abhishek; Rorden, Christopher; Parra, Lucas C
2013-12-01
High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) and high-density electroencephalography require accurate models of current flow for precise targeting and current source reconstruction. At a minimum, such modeling must capture the idiosyncratic anatomy of the brain, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and skull for each individual subject. Currently, the process to build such high-resolution individualized models from structural magnetic resonance images requires labor-intensive manual segmentation, even when utilizing available automated segmentation tools. Also, accurate placement of many high-density electrodes on an individual scalp is a tedious procedure. The goal was to develop fully automated techniques to reduce the manual effort in such a modeling process. A fully automated segmentation technique based on Statical Parametric Mapping 8, including an improved tissue probability map and an automated correction routine for segmentation errors, was developed, along with an automated electrode placement tool for high-density arrays. The performance of these automated routines was evaluated against results from manual segmentation on four healthy subjects and seven stroke patients. The criteria include segmentation accuracy, the difference of current flow distributions in resulting HD-tDCS models and the optimized current flow intensities on cortical targets. The segmentation tool can segment out not just the brain but also provide accurate results for CSF, skull and other soft tissues with a field of view extending to the neck. Compared to manual results, automated segmentation deviates by only 7% and 18% for normal and stroke subjects, respectively. The predicted electric fields in the brain deviate by 12% and 29% respectively, which is well within the variability observed for various modeling choices. Finally, optimized current flow intensities on cortical targets do not differ significantly. Fully automated individualized modeling may now be feasible
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Yang, J; Balter, P; Court, L
2015-01-01
Purpose: To evaluate the performance of commercially available automatic segmentation tools built into treatment planning systems (TPS) in terms of their segmentation accuracy and flexibility in customization. Methods: Twelve head-and-neck cancer patients and twelve thoracic cancer patients were retrospectively selected to benchmark the model-based segmentation (MBS) and atlas-based segmentation (ABS) in RayStation TPS and the Smart Probabilistic Image Contouring Engine (SPICE) in Pinnacle TPS. Multi-atlas contouring service (MACS) that was developed in-house as a plug-in of Pinnacle TPS was evaluated as well. Manual contours used in clinic were reviewed and modified for consistency and served as ground truth for the evaluation. Head-and-neck evaluation included six regions of interest (ROIs): left and right parotid glands, brainstem, spinal cord, mandible, and submandibular glands. Thoracic evaluation includes seven ROIs: left and right lungs, spinal cord, heart, esophagus, and left and right brachial plexus. Auto-segmented contours were compared with the manual contours using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the mean surface distance (MSD). Results: In head- and-neck evaluation, only mandible has a high accuracy in all segmentations (DSC>85%); SPICE achieved DSC>70% for parotid glands; MACS achieved this for both parotid glands and submandibular glands; and RayStation ABS achieved this for spinal cord. In thoracic evaluation, SPICE achieved the best in lung and heart segmentation, while MACS achieved the best for all other structures. The less distinguishable structures on CT images, such as brainstem, spinal cord, parotid glands, submandibular glands, esophagus, and brachial plexus, showed great variability in different segmentation tools (mostly DSC<70% and MSD>3mm). The template for RayStation ABS can be easily customized by users, while RayStation MBS and SPICE rely on the vendors to provide the templates/models. Conclusion: Great variability was
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Yang, J; Balter, P; Court, L [MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)
2015-06-15
Purpose: To evaluate the performance of commercially available automatic segmentation tools built into treatment planning systems (TPS) in terms of their segmentation accuracy and flexibility in customization. Methods: Twelve head-and-neck cancer patients and twelve thoracic cancer patients were retrospectively selected to benchmark the model-based segmentation (MBS) and atlas-based segmentation (ABS) in RayStation TPS and the Smart Probabilistic Image Contouring Engine (SPICE) in Pinnacle TPS. Multi-atlas contouring service (MACS) that was developed in-house as a plug-in of Pinnacle TPS was evaluated as well. Manual contours used in clinic were reviewed and modified for consistency and served as ground truth for the evaluation. Head-and-neck evaluation included six regions of interest (ROIs): left and right parotid glands, brainstem, spinal cord, mandible, and submandibular glands. Thoracic evaluation includes seven ROIs: left and right lungs, spinal cord, heart, esophagus, and left and right brachial plexus. Auto-segmented contours were compared with the manual contours using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the mean surface distance (MSD). Results: In head- and-neck evaluation, only mandible has a high accuracy in all segmentations (DSC>85%); SPICE achieved DSC>70% for parotid glands; MACS achieved this for both parotid glands and submandibular glands; and RayStation ABS achieved this for spinal cord. In thoracic evaluation, SPICE achieved the best in lung and heart segmentation, while MACS achieved the best for all other structures. The less distinguishable structures on CT images, such as brainstem, spinal cord, parotid glands, submandibular glands, esophagus, and brachial plexus, showed great variability in different segmentation tools (mostly DSC<70% and MSD>3mm). The template for RayStation ABS can be easily customized by users, while RayStation MBS and SPICE rely on the vendors to provide the templates/models. Conclusion: Great variability was
HLA-E regulatory and coding region variability and haplotypes in a Brazilian population sample.
Ramalho, Jaqueline; Veiga-Castelli, Luciana C; Donadi, Eduardo A; Mendes-Junior, Celso T; Castelli, Erick C
2017-11-01
The HLA-E gene is characterized by low but wide expression on different tissues. HLA-E is considered a conserved gene, being one of the least polymorphic class I HLA genes. The HLA-E molecule interacts with Natural Killer cell receptors and T lymphocytes receptors, and might activate or inhibit immune responses depending on the peptide associated with HLA-E and with which receptors HLA-E interacts to. Variable sites within the HLA-E regulatory and coding segments may influence the gene function by modifying its expression pattern or encoded molecule, thus, influencing its interaction with receptors and the peptide. Here we propose an approach to evaluate the gene structure, haplotype pattern and the complete HLA-E variability, including regulatory (promoter and 3'UTR) and coding segments (with introns), by using massively parallel sequencing. We investigated the variability of 420 samples from a very admixed population such as Brazilians by using this approach. Considering a segment of about 7kb, 63 variable sites were detected, arranged into 75 extended haplotypes. We detected 37 different promoter sequences (but few frequent ones), 27 different coding sequences (15 representing new HLA-E alleles) and 12 haplotypes at the 3'UTR segment, two of them presenting a summed frequency of 90%. Despite the number of coding alleles, they encode mainly two different full-length molecules, known as E*01:01 and E*01:03, which corresponds to about 90% of all. In addition, differently from what has been previously observed for other non classical HLA genes, the relationship among the HLA-E promoter, coding and 3'UTR haplotypes is not straightforward because the same promoter and 3'UTR haplotypes were many times associated with different HLA-E coding haplotypes. This data reinforces the presence of only two main full-length HLA-E molecules encoded by the many HLA-E alleles detected in our population sample. In addition, this data does indicate that the distal HLA-E promoter is by
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Roberto Horácio Sá Pereira
2016-05-01
Full Text Available http://dx.doi.org/10.5007/1808-1711.2016v20n2p165 This brief paper is devoted to criticizing the widespread reading of Kant’s first Critique, according to which reference to subject-independent objects is “constituted” by higherorder cognitive abilities (concepts. Let us call this the “constitutional view”. In this paper, I argue that the constitutional reading confuses the un-Kantian problem of how we come to represent objects (which I call the intentionality thesis, with the quite different problem of how we cognize (erkennen (which I call the “cognition thesis” that we do represent objects, that is, things that exist independently of the subject.
Reflection symmetry-integrated image segmentation.
Sun, Yu; Bhanu, Bir
2012-09-01
This paper presents a new symmetry-integrated region-based image segmentation method. The method is developed to obtain improved image segmentation by exploiting image symmetry. It is realized by constructing a symmetry token that can be flexibly embedded into segmentation cues. Interesting points are initially extracted from an image by the SIFT operator and they are further refined for detecting the global bilateral symmetry. A symmetry affinity matrix is then computed using the symmetry axis and it is used explicitly as a constraint in a region growing algorithm in order to refine the symmetry of the segmented regions. A multi-objective genetic search finds the segmentation result with the highest performance for both segmentation and symmetry, which is close to the global optimum. The method has been investigated experimentally in challenging natural images and images containing man-made objects. It is shown that the proposed method outperforms current segmentation methods both with and without exploiting symmetry. A thorough experimental analysis indicates that symmetry plays an important role as a segmentation cue, in conjunction with other attributes like color and texture.
Essential Medicines in National Constitutions: Progress Since 2008.
Katrina Perehudoff, S; Toebes, Brigit; Hogerzeil, Hans
2016-06-01
A constitutional guarantee of access to essential medicines has been identified as an important indicator of government commitment to the progressive realization of the right to the highest attainable standard of health. The objective of this study was to evaluate provisions on access to essential medicines in national constitutions, to identify comprehensive examples of constitutional text on medicines that can be used as a model for other countries, and to evaluate the evolution of constitutional medicines-related rights since 2008. Relevant articles were selected from an inventory of constitutional texts from WHO member states. References to states' legal obligations under international human rights law were evaluated. Twenty-two constitutions worldwide now oblige governments to protect and/or to fulfill accessibility of, availability of, and/or quality of medicines. Since 2008, state responsibilities to fulfill access to essential medicines have expanded in five constitutions, been maintained in four constitutions, and have regressed in one constitution. Government commitments to essential medicines are an important foundation of health system equity and are included increasingly in state constitutions.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Recker, W.W.; Stevens, R.F.
1977-06-01
Market-segmentation techniques are used to capture effects of opportunity and availability constraints on urban residents' choice of mode for trips for major grocery shopping and for visiting friends and acquaintances. Attitudinal multinomial logit choice models are estimated for each market segment. Explanatory variables are individual's beliefs about attributes of four modal alternatives: bus, car, taxi and walking. Factor analysis is employed to identify latent dimensions of perception of the modal alternatives and to eliminate problems of multicollinearity in model estimation.
Unanimous Constitutional Consent and the Immigration Problem
Josten, Stefan D.; Zimmermann, Klaus W.
2004-01-01
This paper utilizes the cross-cutting cleavages approach to evaluate the probability of a unanimous constitutional consent and, based on these results, discusses the implications of immigration on an existing constitutional consent. It is shown that previous conclusions of beneficial effects stemming from a multitude of political dimensions for a unanimous constitutional consent crucially depend on the assumption of an extreme mode of intrapersonal compensation of constitutional majority and ...
Analysis on constitution of American college republicans
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Minghua Su
2017-02-01
Full Text Available This paper, based on internet survey and comparative analysis, according to the firsthand materials, comprehensively and systematically probes the formation of the constitution form and structure, and analyzes its contents of Constitution of American College Republicans among 15 colleges respectively, which includes the illustration of constitution, membership, personnel, meeting, financial amendment, etc. Finally, this essay analyzes the characteristics of constitution of college republicans and its advantages.
Automatic ultrasound image enhancement for 2D semi-automatic breast-lesion segmentation
Lu, Kongkuo; Hall, Christopher S.
2014-03-01
Breast cancer is the fastest growing cancer, accounting for 29%, of new cases in 2012, and second leading cause of cancer death among women in the United States and worldwide. Ultrasound (US) has been used as an indispensable tool for breast cancer detection/diagnosis and treatment. In computer-aided assistance, lesion segmentation is a preliminary but vital step, but the task is quite challenging in US images, due to imaging artifacts that complicate detection and measurement of the suspect lesions. The lesions usually present with poor boundary features and vary significantly in size, shape, and intensity distribution between cases. Automatic methods are highly application dependent while manual tracing methods are extremely time consuming and have a great deal of intra- and inter- observer variability. Semi-automatic approaches are designed to counterbalance the advantage and drawbacks of the automatic and manual methods. However, considerable user interaction might be necessary to ensure reasonable segmentation for a wide range of lesions. This work proposes an automatic enhancement approach to improve the boundary searching ability of the live wire method to reduce necessary user interaction while keeping the segmentation performance. Based on the results of segmentation of 50 2D breast lesions in US images, less user interaction is required to achieve desired accuracy, i.e. < 80%, when auto-enhancement is applied for live-wire segmentation.
Crushed Salt Constitutive Model
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Callahan, G.D.
1999-01-01
The constitutive model used to describe the deformation of crushed salt is presented in this report. Two mechanisms -- dislocation creep and grain boundary diffusional pressure solution -- are combined to form the basis for the constitutive model governing the deformation of crushed salt. The constitutive model is generalized to represent three-dimensional states of stress. Upon complete consolidation, the crushed-salt model reproduces the Multimechanism Deformation (M-D) model typically used for the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) host geological formation salt. New shear consolidation tests are combined with an existing database that includes hydrostatic consolidation and shear consolidation tests conducted on WIPP and southeastern New Mexico salt. Nonlinear least-squares model fitting to the database produced two sets of material parameter values for the model -- one for the shear consolidation tests and one for a combination of the shear and hydrostatic consolidation tests. Using the parameter values determined from the fitted database, the constitutive model is validated against constant strain-rate tests. Shaft seal problems are analyzed to demonstrate model-predicted consolidation of the shaft seal crushed-salt component. Based on the fitting statistics, the ability of the model to predict the test data, and the ability of the model to predict load paths and test data outside of the fitted database, the model appears to capture the creep consolidation behavior of crushed salt reasonably well
Welter, S; Stöcker, C; Dicken, V; Kühl, H; Krass, S; Stamatis, G
2012-03-01
Segmental resection in stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been well described and is considered to have similar survival rates as lobectomy but with increased rates of local tumour recurrence due to inadequate parenchymal margins. In consequence, today segmentectomy is only performed when the tumour is smaller than 2 cm. Three-dimensional reconstructions from 11 thin-slice CT scans of bronchopulmonary segments were generated, and virtual spherical tumours were placed over the segments, respecting all segmental borders. As a next step, virtual parenchymal safety margins of 2 cm and 3 cm were subtracted and the size of the remaining tumour calculated. The maximum tumour diameters with a 30-mm parenchymal safety margin ranged from 26.1 mm in right-sided segments 7 + 8 to 59.8 mm in the left apical segments 1-3. Using a three-dimensional reconstruction of lung CT scans, we demonstrated that segmentectomy or resection of segmental groups should be feasible with adequate margins, even for larger tumours in selected cases. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Julia Langton
2017-04-01
We developed population segments designed to account for patient complexity and primary health care needs; as such, segments provide more information than traditional indices of morbidity burden based on counts of chronic conditions. These segments will be used to report information on the quality of primary care. We plan to include conduct validation studies using additional variables (e.g, socio-economic factors, level of vulnerability from patient surveys so that segments more accurately represent the level of complexity and patients’ primary health care needs.
Usage rate segmentation: enriching the US wine market profile
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kelley K
2015-05-01
Full Text Available Kathleen Kelley,1 Jeffrey Hyde,2 Johan Bruwer3 1Department of Plant Science, 2Department of Agricultural Economics, Sociology, and Education, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA; 3School of Marketing, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA, Australia Abstract: The purpose of this research is to enrich our knowledge of the US wine market and provide insights into how usage rate segmentation can be enhanced by select innovative perspectives of current offerings. Data were collected through a 15-minute online survey of 910 US wine drinkers randomly selected from a panel of consumers. It was found that the “super core” segment not only drank wine more frequently, but also were more likely to drink other types of alcohol presented (beer, distilled spirits, and ready-to-drink cocktails, and at a greater frequency, “at least once a week” and “about once a week”, than “marginal” drinkers. Differences between usage rate segments existed between sex and age generations. Female millennial “super core” consumers would increase wine consumption if the number of calories were reduced to fewer than 80 per 5 oz serving. Practical implications for a winery or wine retailer might include the potential to add these beverages to their product offering or bundling these beverages to create packages (allowing for mass customization, which is used often in retail and appropriately marketing these offerings to their customers. Changes that may invoke a positive response are wine made from “sustainably farmed” or “naturally farmed” grapes, and certified carbon-free wine. From an originality viewpoint, this study is the first to investigate how usage rate segmentation can be enriched by means of variable cross-extension and examination. Keywords: consumer behavior, market segmentation, usage rate, consumption frequency, USA
Deep convolutional networks for pancreas segmentation in CT imaging
Roth, Holger R.; Farag, Amal; Lu, Le; Turkbey, Evrim B.; Summers, Ronald M.
2015-03-01
Automatic organ segmentation is an important prerequisite for many computer-aided diagnosis systems. The high anatomical variability of organs in the abdomen, such as the pancreas, prevents many segmentation methods from achieving high accuracies when compared to state-of-the-art segmentation of organs like the liver, heart or kidneys. Recently, the availability of large annotated training sets and the accessibility of affordable parallel computing resources via GPUs have made it feasible for "deep learning" methods such as convolutional networks (ConvNets) to succeed in image classification tasks. These methods have the advantage that used classification features are trained directly from the imaging data. We present a fully-automated bottom-up method for pancreas segmentation in computed tomography (CT) images of the abdomen. The method is based on hierarchical coarse-to-fine classification of local image regions (superpixels). Superpixels are extracted from the abdominal region using Simple Linear Iterative Clustering (SLIC). An initial probability response map is generated, using patch-level confidences and a two-level cascade of random forest classifiers, from which superpixel regions with probabilities larger 0.5 are retained. These retained superpixels serve as a highly sensitive initial input of the pancreas and its surroundings to a ConvNet that samples a bounding box around each superpixel at different scales (and random non-rigid deformations at training time) in order to assign a more distinct probability of each superpixel region being pancreas or not. We evaluate our method on CT images of 82 patients (60 for training, 2 for validation, and 20 for testing). Using ConvNets we achieve maximum Dice scores of an average 68% +/- 10% (range, 43-80%) in testing. This shows promise for accurate pancreas segmentation, using a deep learning approach and compares favorably to state-of-the-art methods.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Wanninger, Andreas; Kristof, Alen; Brinkmann, Nora
2009-01-01
mechanisms may act on the level of gene expression, cell proliferation, tissue differentiation and organ system formation in individual segments. Accordingly, in some polychaete annelids the first three pairs of segmental peripheral neurons arise synchronously, while the metameric commissures of the ventral...
Aortic root segmentation in 4D transesophageal echocardiography
Chechani, Shubham; Suresh, Rahul; Patwardhan, Kedar A.
2018-02-01
The Aortic Valve (AV) is an important anatomical structure which lies on the left side of the human heart. The AV regulates the flow of oxygenated blood from the Left Ventricle (LV) to the rest of the body through aorta. Pathologies associated with the AV manifest themselves in structural and functional abnormalities of the valve. Clinical management of pathologies often requires repair, reconstruction or even replacement of the valve through surgical intervention. Assessment of these pathologies as well as determination of specific intervention procedure requires quantitative evaluation of the valvular anatomy. 4D (3D + t) Transesophageal Echocardiography (TEE) is a widely used imaging technique that clinicians use for quantitative assessment of cardiac structures. However, manual quantification of 3D structures is complex, time consuming and suffers from inter-observer variability. Towards this goal, we present a semiautomated approach for segmentation of the aortic root (AR) structure. Our approach requires user-initialized landmarks in two reference frames to provide AR segmentation for full cardiac cycle. We use `coarse-to-fine' B-spline Explicit Active Surface (BEAS) for AR segmentation and Masked Normalized Cross Correlation (NCC) method for AR tracking. Our method results in approximately 0.51 mm average localization error in comparison with ground truth annotation performed by clinical experts on 10 real patient cases (139 3D volumes).
The Constitution of the Republic of Estonia
2009-01-01
Sisaldab ka: The Constitution of the Republic of Estonia Amendment Act. The Constitution of the Republic of Estonia Implementation Act. Act to Amend the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia for Election of Local Government Councils for Term of Four Years
CHAPTER FOUR LİBERTY AND TURKISH CONSTITUTIONS:
FENDOĞLU, Doç.Dr.Hasan Tahsin
2002-01-01
CHAPTER FOUR LIBERTY AND TURKISH CONSTITUTIONS: Doç.Dr.Hasan Tahsin FENDOĞLU ABSTRACT: Turkish Constitution of 1982 is the first and only Turkish Constitution that has a main purpose on strengthening the political power not the liberty or democr...
Ultima Ratio as a Constitutional Principle
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Kaarlo Tuori
2013-01-01
Full Text Available The paper argues the criminal law notion of ultima ratio is an instance of a broader constitutional law principle of proportionality. However, ultima ratio is not the only principle relevant in a constitutional assessment of criminalization. The role of ultima ratio is to impose limitations on criminalization. But constitutional doctrines also exist which call for criminalization and might even be seen as establishing a criminalization obligation. The paper examines three constitutional counter weights to ultima ratio. The first of these is discussed in the context of state constitutions. This is the cluster of the interrelated constitutional doctrines of the horizontal effect of fundamental rights and the protective duty of the state, as well as the understanding of collective security as a basic right. These doctrines are analysed in the light of the praxis of the German Constitutional Court and the Finnish Constitutional Law Committee. The two other constitutional counterweights are discussed at the level of the transnational, European constitution. These are the principles of precaution and effectiveness. Este artículo defiende que el concepto de ultima ratio es una instancia más amplia del principio de proporcionalidad dentro del derecho constitucional. Sin embargo, el ultima ratio no es el único principio relevante en la valoración constitucional de la criminalización. El papel del ultima ratio es imponer límites a la criminalización. Pero también existen doctrinas constitucionales que exigen la criminalización e incluso dan pie a entender que obligan a establecer una pena. El documento examina tres contrapesos constitucionales al ultima ratio. En primer lugar, se analiza en el contexto de las constituciones estatales. Este es el conjunto de las doctrinas constitucionales interrelacionadas entre el efecto horizontal de los derechos fundamentales y el deber de protección del Estado, así como la asunción de la seguridad colectiva
Feng, Shuo; Liu, Dejun; Cheng, Xing; Fang, Huafeng; Li, Caifang
2017-04-01
Magnetic anomalies produced by underground ferromagnetic pipelines because of the polarization of earth's magnetic field are used to obtain the information on the location, buried depth and other parameters of pipelines. In order to achieve a fast inversion and interpretation of measured data, it is necessary to develop a fast and stable forward method. Magnetic dipole reconstruction (MDR), as a kind of integration numerical method, is well suited for simulating a thin pipeline anomaly. In MDR the pipeline model must be cut into small magnetic dipoles through different segmentation methods. The segmentation method has an impact on the stability and speed of forward calculation. Rapid and accurate simulation of deep-buried pipelines has been achieved by exciting segmentation method. However, in practical measurement, the depth of underground pipe is uncertain. When it comes to the shallow-buried pipeline, the present segmentation may generate significant errors. This paper aims at solving this problem in three stages. First, the cause of inaccuracy is analyzed by simulation experiment. Secondly, new variable interval section segmentation is proposed based on the existing segmentation. It can help MDR method to obtain simulation results in a fast way under the premise of ensuring the accuracy of different depth models. Finally, the measured data is inversed based on new segmentation method. The result proves that the inversion based on the new segmentation can achieve fast and accurate inversion of depth parameters of underground pipes without being limited by pipeline depth.
Using Predictability for Lexical Segmentation.
Çöltekin, Çağrı
2017-09-01
This study investigates a strategy based on predictability of consecutive sub-lexical units in learning to segment a continuous speech stream into lexical units using computational modeling and simulations. Lexical segmentation is one of the early challenges during language acquisition, and it has been studied extensively through psycholinguistic experiments as well as computational methods. However, despite strong empirical evidence, the explicit use of predictability of basic sub-lexical units in models of segmentation is underexplored. This paper presents an incremental computational model of lexical segmentation for exploring the usefulness of predictability for lexical segmentation. We show that the predictability cue is a strong cue for segmentation. Contrary to earlier reports in the literature, the strategy yields state-of-the-art segmentation performance with an incremental computational model that uses only this particular cue in a cognitively plausible setting. The paper also reports an in-depth analysis of the model, investigating the conditions affecting the usefulness of the strategy. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.
Efficient graph-cut tattoo segmentation
Kim, Joonsoo; Parra, Albert; Li, He; Delp, Edward J.
2015-03-01
Law enforcement is interested in exploiting tattoos as an information source to identify, track and prevent gang-related crimes. Many tattoo image retrieval systems have been described. In a retrieval system tattoo segmentation is an important step for retrieval accuracy since segmentation removes background information in a tattoo image. Existing segmentation methods do not extract the tattoo very well when the background includes textures and color similar to skin tones. In this paper we describe a tattoo segmentation approach by determining skin pixels in regions near the tattoo. In these regions graph-cut segmentation using a skin color model and a visual saliency map is used to find skin pixels. After segmentation we determine which set of skin pixels are connected with each other that form a closed contour including a tattoo. The regions surrounded by the closed contours are considered tattoo regions. Our method segments tattoos well when the background includes textures and color similar to skin.
Human Rights in Indonesian Constitutional Amendments
Kharlie, Ahmad Tholabi
2013-01-01
Human Rights in Indonesian Constitutional Amendments. Indonesian constitutional amendments incorporated human rights principles into the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia 1945 (UUD NRI), especially in the second amendment in 2000. Under that amendment, the UUD NRI currently stipulates human rights principles as provided for in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). However, there are some important notes, which at its core is a lack of emphasis on the vision and mission of ...
The Constitution of the Republic of Estonia
2005-01-01
Raamat sisaldab ka: The Constitution of the Republic of Estonia amendment act ; The Constitution of the Republic of Estonia implementation act ; Act to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Estonia for election of local government councils for term of four years
Urgensi Pengaturan Perkara Constitutional Complaint Dalam Kewenangan Mahkamah Konstitusi
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Rahmat Muhajir Nugroho
2016-02-01
Full Text Available This study aimed to evaluate the mechanism for settling disputes in the Constitutional Court containing elements of constitutional complaint. In particular, this study focused on two things: first assessing the urgency/ importance of the idea of setting constitutional complaint in the Constitutional Court's authority. Secondly, to formulate recommendations on setting constitutional complaint in the Constitutional Court's authority. The method used in this research is descriptive qualitative. This type of research is a doctrinal law. This research studied the concept and implementation of the judicial settlement of cases that contain elements of constitutional complaint (complaint constitution by the Constitutional Court. The conclusion of this study is an important constitutional complaint mechanism is contained within the competence of the Constitutional Court to solve problems of injustice experienced by citizens as a result of public policies undertaken by the government in a broad sense, namely the executive, legislature and judiciary. Setting constitutional complaint within the competence of the Constitutional Court does not have to be explicitly stipulated in the constitution, but enough in the explanation of the Constitutional Court Act. That is not to add direct authority of the Court, but expand the meaning of the authority of the Court in testing the law.
Childrens' Rights in the South African Constitution
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
JA Robinson
2003-10-01
Full Text Available Children were in many respects defenceless victims of discriminatory practices in ‘apartheid South Africa’. In fact, discrimination on the basis of gender, race and other inequalities were inscribed in the social fabric of the previous constitutional dispensation. The constitutional dispensation that came into effect on the 27th April 1994 was therefore designed to innovate social, political and legal structures that would be radically different from those of the country’s past history.In this contribution the impact of the Constitution upon the rights of children are considered. In order to fathom the impact. a general overview of constitutional principles and provisions necessary for the comprehension of the rights of children is provided. Thereafter the rights of children expressly mentioned in the Constitution will be addressed. Attention is also paid to the equal protection and non-discrimination provisions of the Constitution, albeit only indirectly.
Automated seeding-based nuclei segmentation in nonlinear optical microscopy.
Medyukhina, Anna; Meyer, Tobias; Heuke, Sandro; Vogler, Nadine; Dietzek, Benjamin; Popp, Jürgen
2013-10-01
Nonlinear optical (NLO) microscopy based, e.g., on coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) or two-photon-excited fluorescence (TPEF) is a fast label-free imaging technique, with a great potential for biomedical applications. However, NLO microscopy as a diagnostic tool is still in its infancy; there is a lack of robust and durable nuclei segmentation methods capable of accurate image processing in cases of variable image contrast, nuclear density, and type of investigated tissue. Nonetheless, such algorithms specifically adapted to NLO microscopy present one prerequisite for the technology to be routinely used, e.g., in pathology or intraoperatively for surgical guidance. In this paper, we compare the applicability of different seeding and boundary detection methods to NLO microscopic images in order to develop an optimal seeding-based approach capable of accurate segmentation of both TPEF and CARS images. Among different methods, the Laplacian of Gaussian filter showed the best accuracy for the seeding of the image, while a modified seeded watershed segmentation was the most accurate in the task of boundary detection. The resulting combination of these methods followed by the verification of the detected nuclei performs high average sensitivity and specificity when applied to various types of NLO microscopy images.
Loarie, Thomas M; Applegate, David; Kuenne, Christopher B; Choi, Lawrence J; Horowitz, Diane P
2003-01-01
Market segmentation analysis identifies discrete segments of the population whose beliefs are consistent with exhibited behaviors such as purchase choice. This study applies market segmentation analysis to low myopes (-1 to -3 D with less than 1 D cylinder) in their consideration and choice of a refractive surgery procedure to discover opportunities within the market. A quantitative survey based on focus group research was sent to a demographically balanced sample of myopes using contact lenses and/or glasses. A variable reduction process followed by a clustering analysis was used to discover discrete belief-based segments. The resulting segments were validated both analytically and through in-market testing. Discontented individuals who wear contact lenses are the primary target for vision correction surgery. However, 81% of the target group is apprehensive about laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). They are nervous about the procedure and strongly desire reversibility and exchangeability. There exists a large untapped opportunity for vision correction surgery within the low myope population. Market segmentation analysis helped determine how to best meet this opportunity through repositioning existing procedures or developing new vision correction technology, and could also be applied to identify opportunities in other vision correction populations.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Rosenkilde, Mette M; David, Ralf; Oerlecke, Ilka
2006-01-01
The extracellular part of transmembrane segment V (TM-V) is expected to be involved in the activation process of 7TM receptors, but its role is far from clear. Here, we study the highly constitutively active CXC-chemokine receptor encoded by human herpesvirus 8 (ORF74-HHV8), in which a metal ion ...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Javier Ortega-Hernández
Full Text Available Trilobites have a rich and abundant fossil record, but little is known about the intrinsic mechanisms that orchestrate their body organization. To date, there is disagreement regarding the correspondence, or lack thereof, of the segmental units that constitute the trilobite trunk and their associated exoskeletal elements. The phylogenetic position of trilobites within total-group Euarthropoda, however, allows inferences about the underlying organization in these extinct taxa to be made, as some of the fundamental genetic processes for constructing the trunk segments are remarkably conserved among living arthropods. One example is the expression of the segment polarity gene engrailed, which at embryonic and early postembryonic stages is expressed in extant panarthropods (i.e. tardigrades, onychophorans, euarthropods as transverse stripes that define the posteriormost region of each trunk segment. Due to its conservative morphology and allegedly primitive trunk tagmosis, we have utilized the centipede Strigamia maritima to study the correspondence between the expression of engrailed during late embryonic to postembryonic stages, and the development of the dorsal exoskeletal plates (i.e. tergites. The results corroborate the close correlation between the formation of the tergite borders and the dorsal expression of engrailed, and suggest that this association represents a symplesiomorphy within Euarthropoda. This correspondence between the genetic and phenetic levels enables making accurate inferences about the dorsoventral expression domains of engrailed in the trunk of exceptionally preserved trilobites and their close relatives, and is suggestive of the widespread occurrence of a distinct type of genetic segmental mismatch in these extinct arthropods. The metameric organization of the digestive tract in trilobites provides further support to this new interpretation. The wider evolutionary implications of these findings suggest the presence of a
Dhasmana, Renu; Nagpal, Ramesh Chander
2016-01-01
Introduction Dry eye is one of the most common ocular diseases in this cyber era. Despite availability of multiple tests, no single test is accurate for the diagnosis of dry eye. Anterior segment optical coherence tomography is the recent tool which can be added in the armentarium of dry eye tests. Aim To evaluate tear meniscus with anterior segment optical coherence tomography and its correlation with other tear variables in normal healthy individuals. Materials and Methods In this prospective cross-sectional observational study, right eye of 203 consecutive patients were studied. All the patients were divided into three groups Group 1, 2 and 3 according to their age ≤20 years, 21-40 years and >40 years respectively. All patients underwent routine ophthalmologic examinations along with slit-lamp bio-microscopy for tear meniscus height measurement, tear film break up time, Schirmer’s I test (with anaesthesia) and optical coherence tomography imaging of inferior tear meniscus height. After focusing of the instrument with a Cross Line (CL) centered on lower tear meniscus at 6’0 clock of cornea, a 6 mm long scan was obtained. The tear meniscus height (μm) and tear meniscus area (mm2) were measured manually with help of callipers by joining upper corneo-meniscus junction to the lower lid-meniscus junction and tear meniscus height and area within the plotted line respectively and calculated by using the integrated analysis available in the custom software. Results There was significant decrease in the all tear variables with the increase in the age. According to age groups in group 1, the mean Schirmer’s (24.0±4.9)mm, tear film break up time (11.1±1.9) sec, tear meniscus height on slit lamp (600.2±167.3)mm were higher but decreased in group 2 (21.5±5.4,10.8±1.4, 597.5±186.3) and group 3 (19.8 ± 5.1, 10.2 ± 1.6, 485.6 ± 157.7) respectively. Schirmer’s test values and tear film break up time were similar in both sexes (p=0.1 and p= 0.9). Tear meniscus
Fold distributions at clover, crystal and segment levels for segmented clover detectors
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kshetri, R; Bhattacharya, P
2014-01-01
Fold distributions at clover, crystal and segment levels have been extracted for an array of segmented clover detectors for various gamma energies. A simple analysis of the results based on a model independant approach has been presented. For the first time, the clover fold distribution of an array and associated array addback factor have been extracted. We have calculated the percentages of the number of crystals and segments that fire for a full energy peak event
Intercalary bone segment transport in treatment of segmental tibial defects
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Iqbal, A.; Amin, M.S.
2002-01-01
Objective: To evaluate the results and complications of intercalary bone segment transport in the treatment of segmental tibial defects. Design: This is a retrospective analysis of patients with segmental tibial defects who were treated with intercalary bone segment transport method. Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out at Combined Military Hospital, Rawalpindi from September 1997 to April 2001. Subjects and methods: Thirteen patients were included in the study who had developed tibial defects either due to open fractures with bone loss or subsequent to bone debridement of infected non unions. The mean bone defect was 6.4 cms and there were eight associated soft tissue defects. Locally made unilateral 'Naseer-Awais' (NA) fixator was used for bone segment transport. The distraction was done at the rate of 1mm/day after 7-10 days of osteotomy. The patients were followed-up fortnightly during distraction and monthly thereafter. The mean follow-up duration was 18 months. Results: The mean time in external fixation was 9.4 months. The m ean healing index' was 1.47 months/cm. Satisfactory union was achieved in all cases. Six cases (46.2%) required bone grafting at target site and in one of them grafting was required at the level of regeneration as well. All the wounds healed well with no residual infection. There was no residual leg length discrepancy of more than 20 mm nd one angular deformity of more than 5 degrees. The commonest complication encountered was pin track infection seen in 38% of Shanz Screws applied. Loosening occurred in 6.8% of Shanz screws, requiring re-adjustment. Ankle joint contracture with equinus deformity and peroneal nerve paresis occurred in one case each. The functional results were graded as 'good' in seven, 'fair' in four, and 'poor' in two patients. Overall, thirteen patients had 31 (minor/major) complications with a ratio of 2.38 complications per patient. To treat the bone defects and associated complications, a mean of
Berkowitz, Peter
2009-01-01
After their dismal performance in election 2008, conservatives are taking stock. As they examine the causes that have driven them into the political wilderness and as they explore paths out, they should also take heart. After all, election 2008 shows that America's constitutional order is working as designed. Indeed, while sorting out their errors…
Deng, Xueting; Woods, Timothy
2014-01-01
This study explores wine expenditure driven factors for consumers in the United States by employing a four-state consumer behaviors study. A market segmentation method is applied to investigate spending patterns of wine consumers in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Determinants including market segmentation measurements, lifestyle factors and demographic variables are investigated and compared for their significance in driving local wine expenditure, local wine purchase probabilit...
The constitutional control system in Colombia
Luis Javier Moreno Ortiz
2010-01-01
The system of constitutional control in Colombia designed in the Legislative Act n.º 3 of 1910 is a milestone in a long and fruitful political and constitutional tradition owes much to his Hispanic roots and its American developments. Both the public action of unconstitutionality as the plea of unconstitutionality have clear precedents in the constitutionalism of Spain and the Colony were prepared by a Constituent Assembly acted with knowledge and faithfulness to that tradition and have been ...
A Constitutive Model for Superelastic Shape Memory Alloys Considering the Influence of Strain Rate
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Hui Qian
2013-01-01
Full Text Available Shape memory alloys (SMAs are a relatively new class of functional materials, exhibiting special thermomechanical behaviors, such as shape memory effect and superelasticity, which enable their applications in seismic engineering as energy dissipation devices. This paper investigates the properties of superelastic NiTi shape memory alloys, emphasizing the influence of strain rate on superelastic behavior under various strain amplitudes by cyclic tensile tests. A novel constitutive equation based on Graesser and Cozzarelli’s model is proposed to describe the strain-rate-dependent hysteretic behavior of superelastic SMAs at different strain levels. A stress variable including the influence of strain rate is introduced into Graesser and Cozzarelli’s model. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed constitutive equation, experiments on superelastic NiTi wires with different strain rates and strain levels are conducted. Numerical simulation results based on the proposed constitutive equation and experimental results are in good agreement. The findings in this paper will assist the future design of superelastic SMA-based energy dissipation devices for seismic protection of structures.
Constitutive Effects of Performance Indicators
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Dahler-Larsen, Peter
2014-01-01
that are demonstrably problematic. Based on a distinction between trivial and advanced measure fixation, an argument is made for constitutive effects that are based on less problematic assumptions. Through this conceptual move, the political dimension of performance indicators is appreciated. The conceptual dimensions...... of constitutive effects are carved out, empirical illustrations of their applicability are offered and implications discussed....
Dynamic Post-Earthquake Image Segmentation with an Adaptive Spectral-Spatial Descriptor
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Genyun Sun
2017-08-01
Full Text Available The region merging algorithm is a widely used segmentation technique for very high resolution (VHR remote sensing images. However, the segmentation of post-earthquake VHR images is more difficult due to the complexity of these images, especially high intra-class and low inter-class variability among damage objects. Herein two key issues must be resolved: the first is to find an appropriate descriptor to measure the similarity of two adjacent regions since they exhibit high complexity among the diverse damage objects, such as landslides, debris flow, and collapsed buildings. The other is how to solve over-segmentation and under-segmentation problems, which are commonly encountered with conventional merging strategies due to their strong dependence on local information. To tackle these two issues, an adaptive dynamic region merging approach (ADRM is introduced, which combines an adaptive spectral-spatial descriptor and a dynamic merging strategy to adapt to the changes of merging regions for successfully detecting objects scattered globally in a post-earthquake image. In the new descriptor, the spectral similarity and spatial similarity of any two adjacent regions are automatically combined to measure their similarity. Accordingly, the new descriptor offers adaptive semantic descriptions for geo-objects and thus is capable of characterizing different damage objects. Besides, in the dynamic region merging strategy, the adaptive spectral-spatial descriptor is embedded in the defined testing order and combined with graph models to construct a dynamic merging strategy. The new strategy can find the global optimal merging order and ensures that the most similar regions are merged at first. With combination of the two strategies, ADRM can identify spatially scattered objects and alleviates the phenomenon of over-segmentation and under-segmentation. The performance of ADRM has been evaluated by comparing with four state-of-the-art segmentation methods
Constitutional compatibility of energy systems
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Rossnagel, A.
1983-01-01
The paper starts from the results of the Enquiry Commission on 'Future Nuclear Energy Policy' of the 8th Federal German Parliament outlining technically feasible energy futures in four 'pathways'. For the purpose of the project, which was to establish the comparative advantages and disadvantages of different energy systems, these four scenarios were reduced to two alternatives: cases K (= nuclear energy) and S (= solar energy). The question to Ge put is: Which changes within our legal system will be ushered in by certain technological developments and how do these changes relate to the legal condition intended so far. Proceeding in this manner will not lead to the result of a nuclear energy system or a solar energy system being in conformity or in contradiction with the constitutional law, but will provide a catalogue of implications orientated to the aims of legal standards: a person deciding in favour of a nuclear energy system or a solar energy system supports this or that development of constitutional policy, and a person purishing this or that aim of legal policy should be consistent and decide in favour of this or that energy system. The investigation of constitutional compatibility leads to the question what effects different energy systems will have on the forms of political intercourse laid down in the constitutional law, which are orientated to models of a liberal constitutional tradition of citizens. (orig./HSCH) [de
Romeo, August; Arall, Marina; Supèr, Hans
2012-01-01
Figure-ground (FG) segmentation is the separation of visual information into background and foreground objects. In the visual cortex, FG responses are observed in the late stimulus response period, when neurons fire in tonic mode, and are accompanied by a switch in cortical state. When such a switch does not occur, FG segmentation fails. Currently, it is not known what happens in the brain on such occasions. A biologically plausible feedforward spiking neuron model was previously devised that performed FG segmentation successfully. After incorporating feedback the FG signal was enhanced, which was accompanied by a change in spiking regime. In a feedforward model neurons respond in a bursting mode whereas in the feedback model neurons fired in tonic mode. It is known that bursts can overcome noise, while tonic firing appears to be much more sensitive to noise. In the present study, we try to elucidate how the presence of noise can impair FG segmentation, and to what extent the feedforward and feedback pathways can overcome noise. We show that noise specifically destroys the feedback enhanced FG segmentation and leaves the feedforward FG segmentation largely intact. Our results predict that noise produces failure in FG perception. PMID:22934028
State variable theories based on Hart's formulation
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Korhonen, M.A.; Hannula, S.P.; Li, C.Y.
1985-01-01
In this paper a review of the development of a state variable theory for nonelastic deformation is given. The physical and phenomenological basis of the theory and the constitutive equations describing macroplastic, microplastic, anelastic and grain boundary sliding enhanced deformation are presented. The experimental and analytical evaluation of different parameters in the constitutive equations are described in detail followed by a review of the extensive experimental work on different materials. The technological aspects of the state variable approach are highlighted by examples of the simulative and predictive capabilities of the theory. Finally, a discussion of general capabilities, limitations and future developments of the theory and particularly the possible extensions to cover an even wider range of deformation or deformation-related phenomena is presented.
ADVANCED CLUSTER BASED IMAGE SEGMENTATION
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
D. Kesavaraja
2011-11-01
Full Text Available This paper presents efficient and portable implementations of a useful image segmentation technique which makes use of the faster and a variant of the conventional connected components algorithm which we call parallel Components. In the Modern world majority of the doctors are need image segmentation as the service for various purposes and also they expect this system is run faster and secure. Usually Image segmentation Algorithms are not working faster. In spite of several ongoing researches in Conventional Segmentation and its Algorithms might not be able to run faster. So we propose a cluster computing environment for parallel image Segmentation to provide faster result. This paper is the real time implementation of Distributed Image Segmentation in Clustering of Nodes. We demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of our method on a set of Medical CT Scan Images. Our general framework is a single address space, distributed memory programming model. We use efficient techniques for distributing and coalescing data as well as efficient combinations of task and data parallelism. The image segmentation algorithm makes use of an efficient cluster process which uses a novel approach for parallel merging. Our experimental results are consistent with the theoretical analysis and practical results. It provides the faster execution time for segmentation, when compared with Conventional method. Our test data is different CT scan images from the Medical database. More efficient implementations of Image Segmentation will likely result in even faster execution times.
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Beichel, Reinhard; Bornik, Alexander; Bauer, Christian; Sorantin, Erich [Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Internal Medicine, Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 (United States); Institute for Computer Graphics and Vision, Graz University of Technology, Inffeldgasse 16, A-8010 Graz (Austria); Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Iowa Institute for Biomedical Imaging, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242 (United States); Department of Radiology, Medical University Graz, Auenbruggerplatz 34, A-8010 Graz (Austria)
2012-03-15
Purpose: Liver segmentation is an important prerequisite for the assessment of liver cancer treatment options like tumor resection, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), radiofrequency ablation, etc. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a new approach for liver segmentation. Methods: A graph cuts segmentation method was combined with a three-dimensional virtual reality based segmentation refinement approach. The developed interactive segmentation system allowed the user to manipulate volume chunks and/or surfaces instead of 2D contours in cross-sectional images (i.e, slice-by-slice). The method was evaluated on twenty routinely acquired portal-phase contrast enhanced multislice computed tomography (CT) data sets. An independent reference was generated by utilizing a currently clinically utilized slice-by-slice segmentation method. After 1 h of introduction to the developed segmentation system, three experts were asked to segment all twenty data sets with the proposed method. Results: Compared to the independent standard, the relative volumetric segmentation overlap error averaged over all three experts and all twenty data sets was 3.74%. Liver segmentation required on average 16 min of user interaction per case. The calculated relative volumetric overlap errors were not found to be significantly different [analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, p = 0.82] between experts who utilized the proposed 3D system. In contrast, the time required by each expert for segmentation was found to be significantly different (ANOVA test, p = 0.0009). Major differences between generated segmentations and independent references were observed in areas were vessels enter or leave the liver and no accepted criteria for defining liver boundaries exist. In comparison, slice-by-slice based generation of the independent standard utilizing a live wire tool took 70.1 min on average. A standard 2D segmentation refinement approach applied to all twenty data sets required on average 38.2 min of
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Beichel, Reinhard; Bornik, Alexander; Bauer, Christian; Sorantin, Erich
2012-01-01
Purpose: Liver segmentation is an important prerequisite for the assessment of liver cancer treatment options like tumor resection, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), radiofrequency ablation, etc. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a new approach for liver segmentation. Methods: A graph cuts segmentation method was combined with a three-dimensional virtual reality based segmentation refinement approach. The developed interactive segmentation system allowed the user to manipulate volume chunks and/or surfaces instead of 2D contours in cross-sectional images (i.e, slice-by-slice). The method was evaluated on twenty routinely acquired portal-phase contrast enhanced multislice computed tomography (CT) data sets. An independent reference was generated by utilizing a currently clinically utilized slice-by-slice segmentation method. After 1 h of introduction to the developed segmentation system, three experts were asked to segment all twenty data sets with the proposed method. Results: Compared to the independent standard, the relative volumetric segmentation overlap error averaged over all three experts and all twenty data sets was 3.74%. Liver segmentation required on average 16 min of user interaction per case. The calculated relative volumetric overlap errors were not found to be significantly different [analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, p = 0.82] between experts who utilized the proposed 3D system. In contrast, the time required by each expert for segmentation was found to be significantly different (ANOVA test, p = 0.0009). Major differences between generated segmentations and independent references were observed in areas were vessels enter or leave the liver and no accepted criteria for defining liver boundaries exist. In comparison, slice-by-slice based generation of the independent standard utilizing a live wire tool took 70.1 min on average. A standard 2D segmentation refinement approach applied to all twenty data sets required on average 38.2 min of
Beichel, Reinhard; Bornik, Alexander; Bauer, Christian; Sorantin, Erich
2012-03-01
Liver segmentation is an important prerequisite for the assessment of liver cancer treatment options like tumor resection, image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT), radiofrequency ablation, etc. The purpose of this work was to evaluate a new approach for liver segmentation. A graph cuts segmentation method was combined with a three-dimensional virtual reality based segmentation refinement approach. The developed interactive segmentation system allowed the user to manipulate volume chunks and∕or surfaces instead of 2D contours in cross-sectional images (i.e, slice-by-slice). The method was evaluated on twenty routinely acquired portal-phase contrast enhanced multislice computed tomography (CT) data sets. An independent reference was generated by utilizing a currently clinically utilized slice-by-slice segmentation method. After 1 h of introduction to the developed segmentation system, three experts were asked to segment all twenty data sets with the proposed method. Compared to the independent standard, the relative volumetric segmentation overlap error averaged over all three experts and all twenty data sets was 3.74%. Liver segmentation required on average 16 min of user interaction per case. The calculated relative volumetric overlap errors were not found to be significantly different [analysis of variance (ANOVA) test, p = 0.82] between experts who utilized the proposed 3D system. In contrast, the time required by each expert for segmentation was found to be significantly different (ANOVA test, p = 0.0009). Major differences between generated segmentations and independent references were observed in areas were vessels enter or leave the liver and no accepted criteria for defining liver boundaries exist. In comparison, slice-by-slice based generation of the independent standard utilizing a live wire tool took 70.1 min on average. A standard 2D segmentation refinement approach applied to all twenty data sets required on average 38.2 min of user interaction
Cluster Ensemble-Based Image Segmentation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Xiaoru Wang
2013-07-01
Full Text Available Image segmentation is the foundation of computer vision applications. In this paper, we propose a new cluster ensemble-based image segmentation algorithm, which overcomes several problems of traditional methods. We make two main contributions in this paper. First, we introduce the cluster ensemble concept to fuse the segmentation results from different types of visual features effectively, which can deliver a better final result and achieve a much more stable performance for broad categories of images. Second, we exploit the PageRank idea from Internet applications and apply it to the image segmentation task. This can improve the final segmentation results by combining the spatial information of the image and the semantic similarity of regions. Our experiments on four public image databases validate the superiority of our algorithm over conventional single type of feature or multiple types of features-based algorithms, since our algorithm can fuse multiple types of features effectively for better segmentation results. Moreover, our method is also proved to be very competitive in comparison with other state-of-the-art segmentation algorithms.
Hoyng, Lieke L; Frings, Virginie; Hoekstra, Otto S; Kenny, Laura M; Aboagye, Eric O; Boellaard, Ronald
2015-01-01
Positron emission tomography (PET) with (18)F-3'-deoxy-3'-fluorothymidine ([(18)F]FLT) can be used to assess tumour proliferation. A kinetic-filtering (KF) classification algorithm has been suggested for segmentation of tumours in dynamic [(18)F]FLT PET data. The aim of the present study was to evaluate KF segmentation and its test-retest performance in [(18)F]FLT PET in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Nine NSCLC patients underwent two 60-min dynamic [(18)F]FLT PET scans within 7 days prior to treatment. Dynamic scans were reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP) as well as with ordered subsets expectation maximisation (OSEM). Twenty-eight lesions were identified by an experienced physician. Segmentation was performed using KF applied to the dynamic data set and a source-to-background corrected 50% threshold (A50%) was applied to the sum image of the last three frames (45- to 60-min p.i.). Furthermore, several adaptations of KF were tested. Both for KF and A50% test-retest (TRT) variability of metabolically active tumour volume and standard uptake value (SUV) were evaluated. KF performed better on OSEM- than on FBP-reconstructed PET images. The original KF implementation segmented 15 out of 28 lesions, whereas A50% segmented each lesion. Adapted KF versions, however, were able to segment 26 out of 28 lesions. In the best performing adapted versions, metabolically active tumour volume and SUV TRT variability was similar to those of A50%. KF misclassified certain tumour areas as vertebrae or liver tissue, which was shown to be related to heterogeneous [(18)F]FLT uptake areas within the tumour. For [(18)F]FLT PET studies in NSCLC patients, KF and A50% show comparable tumour volume segmentation performance. The KF method needs, however, a site-specific optimisation. The A50% is therefore a good alternative for tumour segmentation in NSCLC [(18)F]FLT PET studies in multicentre studies. Yet, it was observed that KF has the potential to subsegment
Albedo estimation for scene segmentation
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lee, C H; Rosenfeld, A
1983-03-01
Standard methods of image segmentation do not take into account the three-dimensional nature of the underlying scene. For example, histogram-based segmentation tacitly assumes that the image intensity is piecewise constant, and this is not true when the scene contains curved surfaces. This paper introduces a method of taking 3d information into account in the segmentation process. The image intensities are adjusted to compensate for the effects of estimated surface orientation; the adjusted intensities can be regarded as reflectivity estimates. When histogram-based segmentation is applied to these new values, the image is segmented into parts corresponding to surfaces of constant reflectivity in the scene. 7 references.
Model instruments of effective segmentation of the fast food market
Mityaeva Tetyana L.
2013-01-01
The article presents results of optimisation step-type calculations of economic effectiveness of promotion of fast food with consideration of key parameters of assessment of efficiency of the marketing strategy of segmentation. The article justifies development of a mathematical model on the bases of 3D-presentations and three-dimensional system of management variables. The modern applied mathematical packages allow formation not only of one-dimensional and two-dimensional arrays and analyse ...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marieta Safta
2012-11-01
Full Text Available The study wants to emphasize that Constitutional Courts belonging to the European model depart from their traditional role as ”negative legislator” – which refers to the effect of their acts consisting in removal from the legal system of those rules contrary to the Basic Law -, becoming, to a certain extent, a ”positive legislator”. Official interpreters of the Constitution, Constitutional Courts assume, sometimes, a role of co-legislators, creating provisions they deduct from the Constitution - when controlling the absence of legislation or legislative omissions -, and revealing the content of constitutional and even infraconstitutional rules accordingly with the Constitution in their case-law, whose effects are nothing but specific forms of „impulse” or „coercion” of the legislator to proceed in a certain sense, and whose continuous development guides the evolution of the entire legal system. Case – law selected presents ways in which the Constitutional Court of Romania is associated to law-making activity. Without minimizing in any way its traditional role as "negative legislator", the study refers mainly to acts and situations that give expression to the creative role of the Constitutional Court of Romania.
Constitutionalism and good governance in Nigeria (1999-2014 ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
While the country, at present, has a written constitution which in reality, was derived from a military decree, there has been constant debate as to whether what the country has is really a constitution and whether the subsequent civilian regimes are constitutional governments. This paper attempts to analyse the constitutional ...
Segmenting the Adult Education Market.
Aurand, Tim
1994-01-01
Describes market segmentation and how the principles of segmentation can be applied to the adult education market. Indicates that applying segmentation techniques to adult education programs results in programs that are educationally and financially satisfying and serve an appropriate population. (JOW)
Gamifying Video Object Segmentation.
Spampinato, Concetto; Palazzo, Simone; Giordano, Daniela
2017-10-01
Video object segmentation can be considered as one of the most challenging computer vision problems. Indeed, so far, no existing solution is able to effectively deal with the peculiarities of real-world videos, especially in cases of articulated motion and object occlusions; limitations that appear more evident when we compare the performance of automated methods with the human one. However, manually segmenting objects in videos is largely impractical as it requires a lot of time and concentration. To address this problem, in this paper we propose an interactive video object segmentation method, which exploits, on one hand, the capability of humans to identify correctly objects in visual scenes, and on the other hand, the collective human brainpower to solve challenging and large-scale tasks. In particular, our method relies on a game with a purpose to collect human inputs on object locations, followed by an accurate segmentation phase achieved by optimizing an energy function encoding spatial and temporal constraints between object regions as well as human-provided location priors. Performance analysis carried out on complex video benchmarks, and exploiting data provided by over 60 users, demonstrated that our method shows a better trade-off between annotation times and segmentation accuracy than interactive video annotation and automated video object segmentation approaches.
Veeraraghavan, Harini; Dashevsky, Brittany Z; Onishi, Natsuko; Sadinski, Meredith; Morris, Elizabeth; Deasy, Joseph O; Sutton, Elizabeth J
2018-03-19
We present a segmentation approach that combines GrowCut (GC) with cancer-specific multi-parametric Gaussian Mixture Model (GCGMM) to produce accurate and reproducible segmentations. We evaluated GCGMM using a retrospectively collected 75 invasive ductal carcinoma with ERPR+ HER2- (n = 15), triple negative (TN) (n = 9), and ER-HER2+ (n = 57) cancers with variable presentation (mass and non-mass enhancement) and background parenchymal enhancement (mild and marked). Expert delineated manual contours were used to assess the segmentation performance using Dice coefficient (DSC), mean surface distance (mSD), Hausdorff distance, and volume ratio (VR). GCGMM segmentations were significantly more accurate than GrowCut (GC) and fuzzy c-means clustering (FCM). GCGMM's segmentations and the texture features computed from those segmentations were the most reproducible compared with manual delineations and other analyzed segmentation methods. Finally, random forest (RF) classifier trained with leave-one-out cross-validation using features extracted from GCGMM segmentation resulted in the best accuracy for ER-HER2+ vs. ERPR+/TN (GCGMM 0.95, expert 0.95, GC 0.90, FCM 0.92) and for ERPR + HER2- vs. TN (GCGMM 0.92, expert 0.91, GC 0.77, FCM 0.83).
75 FR 57835 - Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution Week, 2010
2010-09-22
... four short months, delegates to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia established a... government, a protector of liberties, and a guarantee that we are all free to shape our own destiny. As we...
Power: Constitutional Update. Bar/School Partnership Programs Series.
American Bar Association, Chicago, IL. Special Committee on Youth Education for Citizenship.
The fourth in a special series of handbooks dealing with constitutional themes, this document looks at power in the context of the U.S. Constitution. "The Constitution's Prescription for Freedom" (L. Peach) examines the separation of powers provided for in the Constitution. "The Concept of Power" (C. Roach) is a series of…
Phase congruency map driven brain tumour segmentation
Szilágyi, Tünde; Brady, Michael; Berényi, Ervin
2015-03-01
Computer Aided Diagnostic (CAD) systems are already of proven value in healthcare, especially for surgical planning, nevertheless much remains to be done. Gliomas are the most common brain tumours (70%) in adults, with a survival time of just 2-3 months if detected at WHO grades III or higher. Such tumours are extremely variable, necessitating multi-modal Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI). The use of Gadolinium-based contrast agents is only relevant at later stages of the disease where it highlights the enhancing rim of the tumour. Currently, there is no single accepted method that can be used as a reference. There are three main challenges with such images: to decide whether there is tumour present and is so localize it; to construct a mask that separates healthy and diseased tissue; and to differentiate between the tumour core and the surrounding oedema. This paper presents two contributions. First, we develop tumour seed selection based on multiscale multi-modal texture feature vectors. Second, we develop a method based on a local phase congruency based feature map to drive level-set segmentation. The segmentations achieved with our method are more accurate than previously presented methods, particularly for challenging low grade tumours.
The Spanish Constitution, the Constitutional Court and the Catalan Referendum
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Abat Ninet, Antoni
2015-01-01
and politeia that Aristotle defined now clashes between two powerful symbolic and romantic phenomena. In the Spanish-Catalan binomial scenario, there are some elements that need to be analysed to obtain a complete picture of the constitutional possibilities to of accommodating a Catalan self...
Influence of biological, experiential and psychological factors in wine preference segmentation.
Pickering, Gary J; Hayes, John E
2017-06-01
We sought to determine the influence of selected biological, experiential and psychological variables on self-reported liking and consumption of wine in a sample of 329 Ontario wine consumers. Cluster analysis revealed three distinct groups, representing plausible market segments: wine lovers; dry table wine likers/sweet dislikers; and sweet wine likers/fortified dislikers. These groups differ in level of wine expertise, wine adventurousness, alcohol intake, bitterness from 6- n -propylthiouracil (PROP), and several demographic variables. PROP hypo-tasters ( n =113) and PROP hyper-tasters ( n =112) differed in liking scores for nine of the 11 wine styles [ANCOVA, P (F)branding and marketing strategies.
Separation of powers and constitutional loyalty
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marieta SAFTA
2013-06-01
Full Text Available The complexity and dynamics of political life leads to developments and reconsiderations in terms of classical theories of constitutional law. Such a process occurs also in the case of separation of powers. Many factors have a bearing on how this theory is currently translated into practice, which requires additional perspectives of analysis in order to develop improved models of cooperation and balance of powers, according to new political realities. This study aims at examining the principle of separation and balance of powers in terms of mutual respect and loyal cooperation between institutions, or, in a broader sense, of constitutional loyalty, an intrinsic value-principle of all constitutions, without which no fundamental law, no matter of how democratic it might be, could function properly2. Based on examination of concrete cases drawn from the case-law of the Constitutional Court of Romania, the study demonstrates that, in lack of constitutional loyalty, the objective pursued by enshrining the principle of separation of powers cannot be achieved effectively, i.e. compliance of public authorities and political actors with constitutional provisions is purely formal and the alleged collaboration between them is a "dialogue of the deaf" at the expense of democracy. The seriousness of the consequences of this type of behaviour requires identification of remedies. What are the limits and what solutions can be identified in this regard are questions that also we aim to answer.
Nuclear energy and the constitutional state
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Saladin, P.
1984-01-01
This article puts the main emphasis on the problems of the constitutional principles of democracy, federalism, peaceful living together of peoples and constitutional state, i.e. problems caused by the development of nuclear energy. The fact that these problems are explained by way of the example of Switzerland, does not reduce the validity of the findings also for the German constitutional system, since the problems are identical and comparable. A long-term goal is a state theory which helps to define the aims and tasks of the state under technical, social, economic and cultural conditions of the end of the 20th and perhaps of the 21st century. Nuclear technology challenges the modern Western state and puts to the test the firmness of its legitimacy basis and the efficiency of its principles. It was conceived in a time which is separated from the present by technological revolutions. Safeguarding of humanity is aim and obligation of the modern constitutional state; the constitutional state stipulates the rules of conduct and, if the state remains true to its claim, it sets the procedures and the organization which give due priority order to the development of modern technology. (orig./HSCH) [de
Loading method of core constituting elements
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kasai, Shigeo
1976-01-01
Purpose: To provide a remote-controlled replacing method for core constituting elements in a liquid-metal cooling fast breeder, wherein particularly, the core constituting elements are prevented from being loaded on the core position other than as designated. Constitution: The method comprises a first step which determines a position of a suitable neutron shielding body in order to measure a reference level of complete insertion of the core constituting elements, a second step which inserts a gripper for a fuel exchanger, a third step which decides stroke dimensions of the complete insertion, and a fourth step which discriminates the core constituting elements to begin handling of fuel rods. The method further comprises a fifth step which determines a loading position of fuel rod, and a sixth step which inserts and loads fuel rods into the core. The method still further comprises a seventh step which compares and judges the dimension of loading stroke and the dimension of complete inserting stroke so that when coincided, loading is completed, and when not coincided, loading is not completed and then the cycle of the fourth step is repeated. (Kawakami, Y.)
Johnson, Eileanoir B; Gregory, Sarah; Johnson, Hans J; Durr, Alexandra; Leavitt, Blair R; Roos, Raymund A; Rees, Geraint; Tabrizi, Sarah J; Scahill, Rachael I
2017-01-01
The selection of an appropriate segmentation tool is a challenge facing any researcher aiming to measure gray matter (GM) volume. Many tools have been compared, yet there is currently no method that can be recommended above all others; in particular, there is a lack of validation in disease cohorts. This work utilizes a clinical dataset to conduct an extensive comparison of segmentation tools. Our results confirm that all tools have advantages and disadvantages, and we present a series of considerations that may be of use when selecting a GM segmentation method, rather than a ranking of these tools. Seven segmentation tools were compared using 3 T MRI data from 20 controls, 40 premanifest Huntington's disease (HD), and 40 early HD participants. Segmented volumes underwent detailed visual quality control. Reliability and repeatability of total, cortical, and lobular GM were investigated in repeated baseline scans. The relationship between each tool was also examined. Longitudinal within-group change over 3 years was assessed via generalized least squares regression to determine sensitivity of each tool to disease effects. Visual quality control and raw volumes highlighted large variability between tools, especially in occipital and temporal regions. Most tools showed reliable performance and the volumes were generally correlated. Results for longitudinal within-group change varied between tools, especially within lobular regions. These differences highlight the need for careful selection of segmentation methods in clinical neuroimaging studies. This guide acts as a primer aimed at the novice or non-technical imaging scientist providing recommendations for the selection of cohort-appropriate GM segmentation software.
76 FR 58705 - Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, Constitution Week, 2011
2011-09-21
... vision, we resolve to stay true to their spirit of patriotism and unity. In remembrance of the signing of... citizenship, recognize the enduring strength of our Constitution, and reaffirm our commitment to the rights...
Constitutional Verbosity and Social Trust
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Bjørnskov, Christian; Voigt, Stefan
2014-01-01
A common argument in the trust literature is that high-trust cultures allow efficient commercial contracts to be shorter, covering fewer contingencies. We take this idea to the topic of social contracts. Specifically, we ask whether social trust affects the length and detail of constitutions. Cross......-country estimates suggest that national trust levels are indeed robustly and negatively associated with the length of countries’ constitutions....
A constitutive description of the thermo-viscoplastic behavior of body-centered cubic metals
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Gao, C.Y.; Lu, W.R.; Zhang, L.C.; Yan, H.X.
2012-01-01
Highlights: ► Established a new physics-based constitutive model for the plasticity of BCC crystals. ► The new model is better than the R–K, Abed, Z–A and J–C models. ► The new model is simpler and easier to use than the original MTS model. ► The material parameters are determined by a global optimization algorithm. ► Provided a precise description of the flow stress of HSLA-65 steel as well as Tantalum. -- Abstract: The Johnson–Cook (J–C) equation, which is obtained from the phenomenological observations of experimental data at relatively low strain rates, cannot well describe the dynamic thermo-mechanical response of many materials at high strain rates, especially under the situations of high or low temperatures. This paper develops a new physics-based model for the constitutive description of BCC metals through a thermal activation analysis of the dislocation motion in the plastic deformation of crystalline materials with the use of the mechanical threshold stress (MTS) as an internal state variable. It was found that the new model can effectively reflect the plastic deformation mechanism of BCC crystals because it directly relates the macroscopic state variables in the constitutive model with the micromechanical characteristics of materials. The material parameters of the model are efficiently determined by an optimization method to guarantee that the material parameters are globally optimal in their theoretically allowed ranges. The application of the model to HSLA-65 steel and Tantalum shows that it is much easier to apply than the MTS model, that its flow stress predictions are better than the Rusinek and Klepaczko (R–K), Abed, Zerilli and Armstrong (Z–A) and J–C models, and that the present model predictions are in good agreement with the experimental data in a broad range of strain rate, temperature and strain.
The constitutional control system in Colombia
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Luis Javier Moreno Ortiz
2010-12-01
Full Text Available The system of constitutional control in Colombia designed in the Legislative Act n.º 3 of 1910 is a milestone in a long and fruitful political and constitutional tradition owes much to his Hispanic roots and its American developments. Both the public action of unconstitutionality as the plea of unconstitutionality have clear precedents in the constitutionalism of Spain and the Colony were prepared by a Constituent Assembly acted with knowledge and faithfulness to that tradition and have been and are institutions of our capital social and democratic state of law.
The negotiation of The Constitution of Romania of 1923 and The Constitution of Romania of 1991
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Ivona-Arina Raef
2012-12-01
Full Text Available In the present study the author is trying to find if there was a negotiation between main parties regarding The Constitution of Romania of 1923 and The Constitution Of Romania of 1991 or if there was a project imposed by one party to the others.
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Philipp Kainz
2017-10-01
Full Text Available Segmentation of histopathology sections is a necessary preprocessing step for digital pathology. Due to the large variability of biological tissue, machine learning techniques have shown superior performance over conventional image processing methods. Here we present our deep neural network-based approach for segmentation and classification of glands in tissue of benign and malignant colorectal cancer, which was developed to participate in the GlaS@MICCAI2015 colon gland segmentation challenge. We use two distinct deep convolutional neural networks (CNN for pixel-wise classification of Hematoxylin-Eosin stained images. While the first classifier separates glands from background, the second classifier identifies gland-separating structures. In a subsequent step, a figure-ground segmentation based on weighted total variation produces the final segmentation result by regularizing the CNN predictions. We present both quantitative and qualitative segmentation results on the recently released and publicly available Warwick-QU colon adenocarcinoma dataset associated with the GlaS@MICCAI2015 challenge and compare our approach to the simultaneously developed other approaches that participated in the same challenge. On two test sets, we demonstrate our segmentation performance and show that we achieve a tissue classification accuracy of 98% and 95%, making use of the inherent capability of our system to distinguish between benign and malignant tissue. Our results show that deep learning approaches can yield highly accurate and reproducible results for biomedical image analysis, with the potential to significantly improve the quality and speed of medical diagnoses.
Shin, Myung H; Ryu, Kyeong S; Rathi, Nitesh K; Park, Chun K
2017-02-01
Segmental translation after lumbar total disc replacement (TDR) with ProDisc-L® prosthesis frequently observed radiographic findings during follow-up period. However its precise pathomechanism and relation with facet arthrosis have not been investigated yet. This study was performed to evaluate possible factors that affect postoperative segmental translation and to identify its relation with facet joint degeneration after lumbar TDR using ProDisc-L® prosthesis. Thirty-five consecutive patients, who underwent lumbar TDR using ProDisc-L®, completed minimum 24 months follow-up. Segmental translation was assessed postoperatively at 1 month and at least at 24 months by using dynamic plain radiograph. Segmental translation was assessed in relation to patient age, sex, change of functional spinal unit (FSU) height, segmental range of motion (ROM), global lumbar ROM, implanted level, relative prosthesis size and prosthesis position. The comparison of segmental translation between progressive facet arthrosis (PFA) group and non-PFA group was also made. The mean segmental translation was 0.49±0.49 mm at 1 month after surgery and showed significant increase to 0.83±0.78 mm at last follow-up (P=0.014). Change of FSU height, segmental ROM, global lumbar ROM, implanted level and relative size of prosthesis were the significant factors among the variables related to segmental translation that authors assessed (P=0.032, P=0.000, P=0.001, P=0.046 and P=0.042, respectively). There was no significant intergroup difference of mean segmental translation between PFA group and non-PFA group (P=0.586). This study demonstrates that segmental translation after TDR using ProDisc-L® has significant relations with change of FSU height, segmental ROM, global lumbar ROM, implanted level and relative size of prosthesis. With the intergroup comparison, PFA group did not show significant higher segmental translation than non-PFA group.
Poly(ether amide) segmented block copolymers with adipicacid based tetra amide segments
Biemond, G.J.E.; Feijen, Jan; Gaymans, R.J.
2007-01-01
Poly(tetramethylene oxide)-based poly(ether ester amide)s with monodisperse tetraamide segments were synthesized. The tetraamide segment was based on adipic acid, terephthalic acid, and hexamethylenediamine. The synthesis method of the copolymers and the influence of the tetraamide concentration,
Arazi, Lior; Breskin, Amos; Bressler, Shikma; Moleri, Luca; Natal da Luz, Hugo; Oliveri, Eraldo; Pitt, Michael; Rubin, Adam; Marques Ferreira dos Santos, Joaquim; Calapez Albuquerque Veloso, João Filipe; White, Andrew Paul
2013-01-01
Thick Gas Electron Multipliers (THGEMs) have the potential of constituting thin, robust sampling elements in Digital Hadron Calorimetry (DHCAL) in future colliders. We report on recent beam studies of new single- and double-THGEM-like structures; the multiplier is a Segmented Resistive WELL (SRWELL) - a single-faced THGEM in contact with a segmented resistive layer inductively coupled to readout pads. Several 10$\\times$10 cm$^2$ configurations with a total thickness of 5-6 mm (excluding electronics) with 1 cm$^2$ pads coupled to APV-SRS readout were investigated with muons and pions. Detection efficiencies in the 98$%$ range were recorded with average pad-multiplicity of $\\sim$1.1. The resistive anode resulted in efficient discharge damping, with potential drops of a few volts; discharge probabilities were $\\sim10^{-7}$ for muons and $\\sim10^{-6}$ for pions in the double-stage configuration, at rates of a few kHz/cm$^2$. Further optimization work and research on larger detectors are underway.
Metric Learning for Hyperspectral Image Segmentation
Bue, Brian D.; Thompson, David R.; Gilmore, Martha S.; Castano, Rebecca
2011-01-01
We present a metric learning approach to improve the performance of unsupervised hyperspectral image segmentation. Unsupervised spatial segmentation can assist both user visualization and automatic recognition of surface features. Analysts can use spatially-continuous segments to decrease noise levels and/or localize feature boundaries. However, existing segmentation methods use tasks-agnostic measures of similarity. Here we learn task-specific similarity measures from training data, improving segment fidelity to classes of interest. Multiclass Linear Discriminate Analysis produces a linear transform that optimally separates a labeled set of training classes. The defines a distance metric that generalized to a new scenes, enabling graph-based segmentation that emphasizes key spectral features. We describe tests based on data from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer (CRISM) in which learned metrics improve segment homogeneity with respect to mineralogical classes.
Market Segmentation for Information Services.
Halperin, Michael
1981-01-01
Discusses the advantages and limitations of market segmentation as strategy for the marketing of information services made available by nonprofit organizations, particularly libraries. Market segmentation is defined, a market grid for libraries is described, and the segmentation of information services is outlined. A 16-item reference list is…
Automated medical image segmentation techniques
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Sharma Neeraj
2010-01-01
Full Text Available Accurate segmentation of medical images is a key step in contouring during radiotherapy planning. Computed topography (CT and Magnetic resonance (MR imaging are the most widely used radiographic techniques in diagnosis, clinical studies and treatment planning. This review provides details of automated segmentation methods, specifically discussed in the context of CT and MR images. The motive is to discuss the problems encountered in segmentation of CT and MR images, and the relative merits and limitations of methods currently available for segmentation of medical images.
2012-01-01
M.Comm. Many variables exist that influence buyer behaviour in the narrow reef gold mining market. Since some variables are real but subjective in nature, such as the opinion and charisma of mine managers or influential individuals, it is difficult to quantify and analyse them. The question is ? Which variables, 8 quantifiable or not, are more dominant in shaping buyer behaviour and how should they be prioritised? What is needed is a logical segmentation model which reflects true buyer beh...
Berman, Daniel S; Abidov, Aiden; Kang, Xingping; Hayes, Sean W; Friedman, John D; Sciammarella, Maria G; Cohen, Ishac; Gerlach, James; Waechter, Parker B; Germano, Guido; Hachamovitch, Rory
2004-01-01
Recently, a 17-segment model of the left ventricle has been recommended as an optimally weighted approach for interpreting myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Methods to convert databases from previous 20- to new 17-segment data and criteria for abnormality for the 17-segment scores are needed. Initially, for derivation of the conversion algorithm, 65 patients were studied (algorithm population) (pilot group, n = 28; validation group, n = 37). Three conversion algorithms were derived: algorithm 1, which used mid, distal, and apical scores; algorithm 2, which used distal and apical scores alone; and algorithm 3, which used maximal scores of the distal septal, lateral, and apical segments in the 20-segment model for 3 corresponding segments of the 17-segment model. The prognosis population comprised 16,020 consecutive patients (mean age, 65 +/- 12 years; 41% women) who had exercise or vasodilator stress technetium 99m sestamibi myocardial perfusion SPECT and were followed up for 2.1 +/- 0.8 years. In this population, 17-segment scores were derived from 20-segment scores by use of algorithm 2, which demonstrated the best agreement with expert 17-segment reading in the algorithm population. The prognostic value of the 20- and 17-segment scores was compared by converting the respective summed scores into percent myocardium abnormal. Conversion algorithm 2 was found to be highly concordant with expert visual analysis by the 17-segment model (r = 0.982; kappa = 0.866) in the algorithm population. In the prognosis population, 456 cardiac deaths occurred during follow-up. When the conversion algorithm was applied, extent and severity of perfusion defects were nearly identical by 20- and derived 17-segment scores. The receiver operating characteristic curve areas by 20- and 17-segment perfusion scores were identical for predicting cardiac death (both 0.77 +/- 0.02, P = not significant). The optimal prognostic cutoff value for either 20
Kubo, Joshua S.; Torgersen, Christian E.; Bolton, Susan M.; Weekes, Anne A.; Gara, Robert I.
2013-01-01
1. Aquatic habitats and biotic assemblages in subalpine headwaters are sensitive to climate and human impacts. Understanding biotic responses to such perturbations and the contribution of high-elevation headwaters to riverine biodiversity requires the assessment of assemblage composition among habitat types. We compared aquatic insect assemblages among headwater stream segment types in relict glaciated subalpine basins in Mt. Rainier National Park, Washington, USA. 2. Aquatic insects were collected during summer and autumn in three headwater basins. In each basin, three different stream segment types were sampled: colluvial groundwater sources, alluvial lake inlets, and cascade-bedrock lake outlets. Ward's hierarchical cluster analysis revealed high β diversity in aquatic insect assemblages, and non-metric multidimensional scaling indicated that spatial and temporal patterns in assemblage composition differed among headwater stream segment types. Aquatic insect assemblages showed more fidelity to stream segment types than to individual basins, and the principal environmental variables associated with assemblage structure were temperature and substrate. 3. Indicator species analyses identified specific aquatic insects associated with each stream segment type. Several rare and potentially endemic aquatic insect taxa were present, including the recently described species, Lednia borealis (Baumann and Kondratieff). 4. Our results indicate that aquatic insect assemblages in relict glaciated subalpine headwaters were strongly differentiated among stream segment types. These results illustrate the contribution of headwaters to riverine biodiversity and emphasise the importance of these habitats for monitoring biotic responses to climate change. Monitoring biotic assemblages in high-elevation headwaters is needed to prevent the potential loss of unique and sensitive biota.
Comparison of different deep learning approaches for parotid gland segmentation from CT images
Hänsch, Annika; Schwier, Michael; Gass, Tobias; Morgas, Tomasz; Haas, Benjamin; Klein, Jan; Hahn, Horst K.
2018-02-01
The segmentation of target structures and organs at risk is a crucial and very time-consuming step in radiotherapy planning. Good automatic methods can significantly reduce the time clinicians have to spend on this task. Due to its variability in shape and often low contrast to surrounding structures, segmentation of the parotid gland is especially challenging. Motivated by the recent success of deep learning, we study different deep learning approaches for parotid gland segmentation. Particularly, we compare 2D, 2D ensemble and 3D U-Net approaches and find that the 2D U-Net ensemble yields the best results with a mean Dice score of 0.817 on our test data. The ensemble approach reduces false positives without the need for an automatic region of interest detection. We also apply our trained 2D U-Net ensemble to segment the test data of the 2015 MICCAI head and neck auto-segmentation challenge. With a mean Dice score of 0.861, our classifier exceeds the highest mean score in the challenge. This shows that the method generalizes well onto data from independent sites. Since appropriate reference annotations are essential for training but often difficult and expensive to obtain, it is important to know how many samples are needed to properly train a neural network. We evaluate the classifier performance after training with differently sized training sets (50-450) and find that 250 cases (without using extensive data augmentation) are sufficient to obtain good results with the 2D ensemble. Adding more samples does not significantly improve the Dice score of the segmentations.
Novel techniques for enhancement and segmentation of acne vulgaris lesions.
Malik, A S; Humayun, J; Kamel, N; Yap, F B-B
2014-08-01
More than 99% acne patients suffer from acne vulgaris. While diagnosing the severity of acne vulgaris lesions, dermatologists have observed inter-rater and intra-rater variability in diagnosis results. This is because during assessment, identifying lesion types and their counting is a tedious job for dermatologists. To make the assessment job objective and easier for dermatologists, an automated system based on image processing methods is proposed in this study. There are two main objectives: (i) to develop an algorithm for the enhancement of various acne vulgaris lesions; and (ii) to develop a method for the segmentation of enhanced acne vulgaris lesions. For the first objective, an algorithm is developed based on the theory of high dynamic range (HDR) images. The proposed algorithm uses local rank transform to generate the HDR images from a single acne image followed by the log transformation. Then, segmentation is performed by clustering the pixels based on Mahalanobis distance of each pixel from spectral models of acne vulgaris lesions. Two metrics are used to evaluate the enhancement of acne vulgaris lesions, i.e., contrast improvement factor (CIF) and image contrast normalization (ICN). The proposed algorithm is compared with two other methods. The proposed enhancement algorithm shows better result than both the other methods based on CIF and ICN. In addition, sensitivity and specificity are calculated for the segmentation results. The proposed segmentation method shows higher sensitivity and specificity than other methods. This article specifically discusses the contrast enhancement and segmentation for automated diagnosis system of acne vulgaris lesions. The results are promising that can be used for further classification of acne vulgaris lesions for final grading of the lesions. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Segmentation and classification of cell cycle phases in fluorescence imaging.
Ersoy, Ilker; Bunyak, Filiz; Chagin, Vadim; Cardoso, M Christina; Palaniappan, Kannappan
2009-01-01
Current chemical biology methods for studying spatiotemporal correlation between biochemical networks and cell cycle phase progression in live-cells typically use fluorescence-based imaging of fusion proteins. Stable cell lines expressing fluorescently tagged protein GFP-PCNA produce rich, dynamically varying sub-cellular foci patterns characterizing the cell cycle phases, including the progress during the S-phase. Variable fluorescence patterns, drastic changes in SNR, shape and position changes and abundance of touching cells require sophisticated algorithms for reliable automatic segmentation and cell cycle classification. We extend the recently proposed graph partitioning active contours (GPAC) for fluorescence-based nucleus segmentation using regional density functions and dramatically improve its efficiency, making it scalable for high content microscopy imaging. We utilize surface shape properties of GFP-PCNA intensity field to obtain descriptors of foci patterns and perform automated cell cycle phase classification, and give quantitative performance by comparing our results to manually labeled data.
Coelho, Luís Pedro; Shariff, Aabid; Murphy, Robert F.
2009-01-01
Image segmentation is an essential step in many image analysis pipelines and many algorithms have been proposed to solve this problem. However, they are often evaluated subjectively or based on a small number of examples. To fill this gap, we hand-segmented a set of 97 fluorescence microscopy images (a total of 4009 cells) and objectively evaluated some previously proposed segmentation algorithms.
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Schaap, Michiel; van Walsum, Theo; Neefjes, Lisan
2011-01-01
This paper presents a vessel segmentation method which learns the geometry and appearance of vessels in medical images from annotated data and uses this knowledge to segment vessels in unseen images. Vessels are segmented in a coarse-to-fine fashion. First, the vessel boundaries are estimated...
The Constitutional Court and the Imperative of its Reform
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Claudia Gilia
2012-12-01
Full Text Available Recent debates on the upcoming review of the Constitution have determined us to pay close attention to the basic institution in a democratic state, that is the Constitutional Court. Being caught in the crossfire between power and opposition, the Constitutional Court had a hard time lately, facing severe attacks. The aim of our study is to analyze the evolution of the Constitutional Court within the inland constitutional system, particularly bringing up the flaws describing the Court’s activity. We have also analyzed the proposals put forth by several bodies or experts regarding the constitutional contentious court. At the end of our study, following an analysis of different constitutional types of constitutional review, used by a number of states in Europe, we introduced several resolutions that may improve the role, the course and, last but not least, the activity of the Romanian Constitutional Court.
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Syed, Sammiuddin; Gupta, Abhinav
2015-01-01
Highlights: • A framework is proposed for seismic fragility assessment of Reinforced Concrete structures. • Experimentally validated finite element models are used to conduct nonlinear simulations. • Critical parameters in concrete constitutive model are identified to conduct nonlinear simulations. • Uncertainties in model parameters of concrete damage plasticity model is characterized. • Closed form expressions are used to compute the damage variables and plasticity. - Abstract: This two part manuscript proposes a framework for seismic fragility assessment of reinforced concrete structures in nuclear energy facilities. The novelty of the proposed approach lies in the characterization of uncertainties in the parameters of the material constitutive model. Concrete constitutive models that comprehensively address different damage states such as tensile cracking, compression failure, stiffness degradation, and recovery of degraded stiffness due to closing of previously formed cracks under dynamic loading are generally defined in terms of a large number of variables to characterize the plasticity and damage at material level. Over the past several years, many different studies have been presented on evaluation of fragility for reinforced concrete structures using nonlinear time history simulations. However, almost all of these studies do not consider uncertainties in the parameters of a comprehensive constitutive model. Part-I of this two-part manuscript presents a study that is used to identify uncertainties associated with the critical parameters in nonlinear concrete damage plasticity model proposed by Lubliner et al. (1989. Int. J. Solids Struct., 25(3), 299) and later modified by Lee and Fenves (1998a. J. Eng. Mech., ASCE, 124(8), 892) and Lee and Fenves (1998b. Earthquake Eng. Struct. Dyn., 27(9), 937) for the purpose of seismic fragility assessment. The limitations in implementation of the damage plasticity model within a finite element framework and
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Syed, Sammiuddin [Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, 426 Mann Hall, Campus Box 7908, Raleigh, NC 27695-7908 (United States); Gupta, Abhinav, E-mail: agupta1@ncsu.edu [Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering, North Carolina State University, 413 Mann Hall, Campus Box 7908, Raleigh, NC 27695-7908 (United States)
2015-12-15
Highlights: • A framework is proposed for seismic fragility assessment of Reinforced Concrete structures. • Experimentally validated finite element models are used to conduct nonlinear simulations. • Critical parameters in concrete constitutive model are identified to conduct nonlinear simulations. • Uncertainties in model parameters of concrete damage plasticity model is characterized. • Closed form expressions are used to compute the damage variables and plasticity. - Abstract: This two part manuscript proposes a framework for seismic fragility assessment of reinforced concrete structures in nuclear energy facilities. The novelty of the proposed approach lies in the characterization of uncertainties in the parameters of the material constitutive model. Concrete constitutive models that comprehensively address different damage states such as tensile cracking, compression failure, stiffness degradation, and recovery of degraded stiffness due to closing of previously formed cracks under dynamic loading are generally defined in terms of a large number of variables to characterize the plasticity and damage at material level. Over the past several years, many different studies have been presented on evaluation of fragility for reinforced concrete structures using nonlinear time history simulations. However, almost all of these studies do not consider uncertainties in the parameters of a comprehensive constitutive model. Part-I of this two-part manuscript presents a study that is used to identify uncertainties associated with the critical parameters in nonlinear concrete damage plasticity model proposed by Lubliner et al. (1989. Int. J. Solids Struct., 25(3), 299) and later modified by Lee and Fenves (1998a. J. Eng. Mech., ASCE, 124(8), 892) and Lee and Fenves (1998b. Earthquake Eng. Struct. Dyn., 27(9), 937) for the purpose of seismic fragility assessment. The limitations in implementation of the damage plasticity model within a finite element framework and
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mariana dos Reis Barrios
2012-08-01
Full Text Available The agricultural potential is generally assessed and managed based on a one-dimensional vision of the soil profile, however, the increased appreciation of sustainable production has stimulated studies on faster and more accurate evaluation techniques and methods of the agricultural potential on detailed scales. The objective of this study was to investigate the possibility of using soil magnetic susceptibility for the identification of landscape segments on a detailed scale in the region of Jaboticabal, São Paulo State. The studied area has two slope curvatures: linear and concave, subdivided into three landscape segments: upper slope (US, concave, middle slope (MS, linear and lower slope (LS, linear. In each of these segments, 20 points were randomly sampled from a database with 207 samples forming a regular grid installed in each landscape segment. The soil physical and chemical properties, CO2 emissions (FCO2 and magnetic susceptibility (MS of the samples were evaluated represented by: magnetic susceptibility of air-dried fine earth (MS ADFE, magnetic susceptibility of the total sand fraction (MS TS and magnetic susceptibility of the clay fraction (MS Cl in the 0.00 - 0.15 m layer. The principal component analysis showed that MS is an important property that can be used to identify landscape segments, because the correlation of this property within the first principal component was high. The hierarchical cluster analysis method identified two groups based on the variables selected by principal component analysis; of the six selected variables, three were related to magnetic susceptibility. The landscape segments were differentiated similarly by the principal component analysis and by the cluster analysis using only the properties with higher discriminatory power. The cluster analysis of MS ADFE, MS TS and MS Cl allowed the formation of three groups that agree with the segment division established in the field. The grouping by cluster
Segmentation of the hippocampus by transferring algorithmic knowledge for large cohort processing.
Thyreau, Benjamin; Sato, Kazunori; Fukuda, Hiroshi; Taki, Yasuyuki
2018-01-01
The hippocampus is a particularly interesting target for neuroscience research studies due to its essential role within the human brain. In large human cohort studies, bilateral hippocampal structures are frequently identified and measured to gain insight into human behaviour or genomic variability in neuropsychiatric disorders of interest. Automatic segmentation is performed using various algorithms, with FreeSurfer being a popular option. In this manuscript, we present a method to segment the bilateral hippocampus using a deep-learned appearance model. Deep convolutional neural networks (ConvNets) have shown great success in recent years, due to their ability to learn meaningful features from a mass of training data. Our method relies on the following key novelties: (i) we use a wide and variable training set coming from multiple cohorts (ii) our training labels come in part from the output of the FreeSurfer algorithm, and (iii) we include synthetic data and use a powerful data augmentation scheme. Our method proves to be robust, and it has fast inference (deep neural-network methods can easily encode, and even improve, existing anatomical knowledge, even when this knowledge exists in algorithmic form. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
An engineering, multiscale constitutive model for fiber-forming collagen in tension.
Annovazzi, Lorella; Genna, Francesco
2010-01-01
This work proposes a nonlinear constitutive model for a single collagen fiber. Fiber-forming collagen can exhibit different hierarchies of basic units, called fascicles, bundles, fibrils, microfibrils, and so forth, down to the molecular (tropocollagen) level. Exploiting the fact that at each hierarchy level the microstructure can be seen, at least approximately, as that of a wavy, or crimped, extensible cable, the proposed stress-strain model considers a given number of levels, each of which contributes to the overall mechanical behavior according to its own geometrical features (crimp, or waviness), as well as to the basic mechanical properties of the tropocollagen. The crimp features at all levels are assumed to be random variables, whose statistical integration furnishes a stress-strain curve for a collagen fiber. The soundness of this model-the first, to the Authors' knowledge, to treat a single collagen fiber as a microstructured nonlinear structural element-is checked by its application to collagen fibers for which experimental results are available: rat tail tendon, periodontal ligament, and engineered ones. Here, no attempt is made to obtain a stress-strain law for generic collagenous tissues, which exhibit specific features, often much more complex than those of a single fiber. However, it is trivial to observe that the availability of a sound, microstructurally based constitutive law for a single collagen fiber (but applicable at any sub-level, or to any other material with a similar microstructure) is essential for assembling complex constitutive models for any collagenous fibrous tissue.
Variable Camber Continuous Aerodynamic Control Surfaces and Methods for Active Wing Shaping Control
Nguyen, Nhan T. (Inventor)
2016-01-01
An aerodynamic control apparatus for an air vehicle improves various aerodynamic performance metrics by employing multiple spanwise flap segments that jointly form a continuous or a piecewise continuous trailing edge to minimize drag induced by lift or vortices. At least one of the multiple spanwise flap segments includes a variable camber flap subsystem having multiple chordwise flap segments that may be independently actuated. Some embodiments also employ a continuous leading edge slat system that includes multiple spanwise slat segments, each of which has one or more chordwise slat segment. A method and an apparatus for implementing active control of a wing shape are also described and include the determination of desired lift distribution to determine the improved aerodynamic deflection of the wings. Flap deflections are determined and control signals are generated to actively control the wing shape to approximate the desired deflection.
Yang, Yunyun; Kong, Weibo; Yuan, Ye; Zhou, Changlin; Cai, Xufu
2018-04-01
Novel poly(carbonate-co-amide) (PCA) block copolymers are prepared with polycarbonate diol (PCD) as soft segments, polyamide-6 (PA6) as hard segments and 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) as coupling agent through reactive processing. The reactive processing strategy is eco-friendly and resolve the incompatibility between polyamide segments and PCD segments in preparation processing. The chemical structure, crystalline properties, thermal properties, mechanical properties and water resistance were extensively studied by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), Thermal gravity analysis (TGA), Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile testing, water contact angle and water absorption, respectively. The as-prepared PCAs exhibit obvious microphase separation between the crystalline hard PA6 phase and amorphous PCD soft segments. Meanwhile, PCAs showed outstanding mechanical with the maximum tensile strength of 46.3 MPa and elongation at break of 909%. The contact angle and water absorption results indicate that PCAs demonstrate outstanding water resistance even though possess the hydrophilic surfaces. The TGA measurements prove that the thermal stability of PCA can satisfy the requirement of multiple-processing without decomposition.
Elastic-plastic constitutive modeling of concrete
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Takahashi, Y.
1983-03-01
The need to understand concrete behavior under high temperatures in the nuclear industry has become rather accute. For this purpose, a constitutive model of concrete especially developed for this severe environment is indispensable. This report reviews the presently available constitutive models of concrete at standard-temperature conditions and considers their advantages and drawbacks. A rather simple but effective approach is selected to treat concrete behavior at high temperatures. Special emphasis is devoted to the modeling of concrete up to and including failure. The derived constitutive model is checked with biaxial and triaxial benchmark experimental results. Very good agreement is obtained
Sun, Shanhui; Sonka, Milan; Beichel, Reinhard R.
2013-01-01
Recently, the optimal surface finding (OSF) and layered optimal graph image segmentation of multiple objects and surfaces (LOGISMOS) approaches have been reported with applications to medical image segmentation tasks. While providing high levels of performance, these approaches may locally fail in the presence of pathology or other local challenges. Due to the image data variability, finding a suitable cost function that would be applicable to all image locations may not be feasible. This paper presents a new interactive refinement approach for correcting local segmentation errors in the automated OSF-based segmentation. A hybrid desktop/virtual reality user interface was developed for efficient interaction with the segmentations utilizing state-of-the-art stereoscopic visualization technology and advanced interaction techniques. The user interface allows a natural and interactive manipulation on 3-D surfaces. The approach was evaluated on 30 test cases from 18 CT lung datasets, which showed local segmentation errors after employing an automated OSF-based lung segmentation. The performed experiments exhibited significant increase in performance in terms of mean absolute surface distance errors (2.54 ± 0.75 mm prior to refinement vs. 1.11 ± 0.43 mm post-refinement, p ≪ 0.001). Speed of the interactions is one of the most important aspects leading to the acceptance or rejection of the approach by users expecting real-time interaction experience. The average algorithm computing time per refinement iteration was 150 ms, and the average total user interaction time required for reaching complete operator satisfaction per case was about 2 min. This time was mostly spent on human-controlled manipulation of the object to identify whether additional refinement was necessary and to approve the final segmentation result. The reported principle is generally applicable to segmentation problems beyond lung segmentation in CT scans as long as the underlying segmentation
Sun, Shanhui; Sonka, Milan; Beichel, Reinhard R
2013-01-01
Recently, the optimal surface finding (OSF) and layered optimal graph image segmentation of multiple objects and surfaces (LOGISMOS) approaches have been reported with applications to medical image segmentation tasks. While providing high levels of performance, these approaches may locally fail in the presence of pathology or other local challenges. Due to the image data variability, finding a suitable cost function that would be applicable to all image locations may not be feasible. This paper presents a new interactive refinement approach for correcting local segmentation errors in the automated OSF-based segmentation. A hybrid desktop/virtual reality user interface was developed for efficient interaction with the segmentations utilizing state-of-the-art stereoscopic visualization technology and advanced interaction techniques. The user interface allows a natural and interactive manipulation of 3-D surfaces. The approach was evaluated on 30 test cases from 18 CT lung datasets, which showed local segmentation errors after employing an automated OSF-based lung segmentation. The performed experiments exhibited significant increase in performance in terms of mean absolute surface distance errors (2.54±0.75 mm prior to refinement vs. 1.11±0.43 mm post-refinement, p≪0.001). Speed of the interactions is one of the most important aspects leading to the acceptance or rejection of the approach by users expecting real-time interaction experience. The average algorithm computing time per refinement iteration was 150 ms, and the average total user interaction time required for reaching complete operator satisfaction was about 2 min per case. This time was mostly spent on human-controlled manipulation of the object to identify whether additional refinement was necessary and to approve the final segmentation result. The reported principle is generally applicable to segmentation problems beyond lung segmentation in CT scans as long as the underlying segmentation utilizes the
Atypical Rulings of the Indonesian Constitutional Court
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Bisariyadi
2016-08-01
Full Text Available In deciding judicial review cases, the Court may issue rulings that is not in accordance to what is stipulated in the Constitutional Court Law (Law Number 8 Year 2011. Atypical rulings means that the court may reconstruct a provision, delay the legislation/rulings enactment or give instruction to lawmakers. In addition, the court also introduce the “conditionally (unconstitutional” concept. This essay attempts to identify and classify these atypical rulings, including conditionally (un constitutional rulings, by examined the constitutional court judicial review rulings from 2003 to 2015. This study will provide a ground work for advance research on typical rulings by the Indonesian constitutional court.
Cling, Jean-Pierre; Razafindrakoto, Mireille; Roubaud, François
2014-01-01
Labour market segmentation is usually defined as the division of the labour markets into separate sub-markets or segments, distinguished by different characteristics and behavioural rules (incomes, contracts, etc.). The economic debate on the segmentation issue has been focusing in developed countries, and especially in Europe, on contractual segmentation and dualism.
Segmentation by Large Scale Hypothesis Testing - Segmentation as Outlier Detection
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Darkner, Sune; Dahl, Anders Lindbjerg; Larsen, Rasmus
2010-01-01
a microscope and we show how the method can handle transparent particles with significant glare point. The method generalizes to other problems. THis is illustrated by applying the method to camera calibration images and MRI of the midsagittal plane for gray and white matter separation and segmentation......We propose a novel and efficient way of performing local image segmentation. For many applications a threshold of pixel intensities is sufficient but determine the appropriate threshold value can be difficult. In cases with large global intensity variation the threshold value has to be adapted...... locally. We propose a method based on large scale hypothesis testing with a consistent method for selecting an appropriate threshold for the given data. By estimating the background distribution we characterize the segment of interest as a set of outliers with a certain probability based on the estimated...
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Anderson, C.A.; Smith, P.D.
1978-01-01
The variable modulus-cracking model is capable of predicting the behavior of reinforced concrete structures (such as the reinforced plate under transverse pressure described previously) well into the range of nonlinear behavior including the prediction of the ultimate load. For unreinforced thick-walled concrete vessels under internal pressure the use of elastic--plastic concrete models in finite element codes enhances the apparent ductility of the vessels in contrast to variable modulus-cracking models that predict nearly instantaneous rupture whenever the tensile strength at the inner wall is exceeded. For unreinforced thick-walled end slabs representative of PCRV heads, the behavior predicted by finite element codes using variable modulus-cracking models is much stiffer in the nonlinear range than that observed experimentally. Although the shear type failures and crack patterns that are observed experimentally are predicted by such concrete models, the ultimate load carrying capacity and vessel-ductility are significantly underestimated. It appears that such models do not adequately model such features as aggregate interlock that could lead to an enhanced vessel reserve strength and ductility
A unified dislocation density-dependent physical-based constitutive model for cold metal forming
Schacht, K.; Motaman, A. H.; Prahl, U.; Bleck, W.
2017-10-01
Dislocation-density-dependent physical-based constitutive models of metal plasticity while are computationally efficient and history-dependent, can accurately account for varying process parameters such as strain, strain rate and temperature; different loading modes such as continuous deformation, creep and relaxation; microscopic metallurgical processes; and varying chemical composition within an alloy family. Since these models are founded on essential phenomena dominating the deformation, they have a larger range of usability and validity. Also, they are suitable for manufacturing chain simulations since they can efficiently compute the cumulative effect of the various manufacturing processes by following the material state through the entire manufacturing chain and also interpass periods and give a realistic prediction of the material behavior and final product properties. In the physical-based constitutive model of cold metal plasticity introduced in this study, physical processes influencing cold and warm plastic deformation in polycrystalline metals are described using physical/metallurgical internal variables such as dislocation density and effective grain size. The evolution of these internal variables are calculated using adequate equations that describe the physical processes dominating the material behavior during cold plastic deformation. For validation, the model is numerically implemented in general implicit isotropic elasto-viscoplasticity algorithm as a user-defined material subroutine (UMAT) in ABAQUS/Standard and used for finite element simulation of upsetting tests and a complete cold forging cycle of case hardenable MnCr steel family.
Constitutional orders in multinational firms
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Hull Kristensen, Peer; Morgan, Glenn
Multinationals are faced with the problem of how to coordinate different actors and stop `fiefdoms' emerging that inhibits the achievement of transnational cooperation? We identify this as a problem of `constitutional ordering' in the firm. Drawing on Varieties of Capitalism approaches, we explore...... how multinationals from different contexts seek to create constitutional orders. We argue that the models which exist appear to be destructive of coordination. We explore the implications for MNCs....
Lusk, Danielle L.; Evans, Amber D.; Jeffrey, Thomas R.; Palmer, Keith R.; Wikstrom, Chris S.; Doolittle, Peter E.
2009-01-01
Research in multimedia learning lacks an emphasis on individual difference variables, such as working memory capacity (WMC). The effects of WMC and the segmentation of multimedia instruction were examined by assessing the recall and application of low (n = 66) and high (n = 67) working memory capacity students randomly assigned to either a…
Pavement management segment consolidation
1998-01-01
Dividing roads into "homogeneous" segments has been a major problem for all areas of highway engineering. SDDOT uses Deighton Associates Limited software, dTIMS, to analyze life-cycle costs for various rehabilitation strategies on each segment of roa...
Territory in the Constitutional Standards of Unitary States
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Marina V. Markhgeym
2017-06-01
Full Text Available The article is based on the analysis of the constitutions of seven European countries (Albania, Hungary, Greece, Spain, Malta, Poland, Sweden. The research allows to reveal general and specific approaches to consolidation of norms on territories in a state and give the characteristic of the corresponding constitutional norms. Given the authors ' comprehensive approach to the definition of the territory of the state declared constitutional norms were assessed from the perspective of the fundamental principles and constituent elements of the territory. Considering the specifics of the constitutional types of state territories authors suggest typical and variative models and determine the constitutions of unitary states, distinguished by their originality in the declared group of legal relations. The original constitutional language areas associated with the introduction at the state level, these types of areas that are not typical for other countries.
Constitutionalism and Democracy in Contemporary International Community
Padjen, Ivan
1992-01-01
Starting from the insight that jurisprudence of legal theory should be concerned primarily with,on the one hand, international law, and, on the other, constitutional developments, the paper; analyzes some prominent conceptions of constitutionalism and democracy in international community and municipal legal orders; formulates a new set of criteria for the analysis of constitutionalism and democracy in international law; and argues that Laswell and McDougal's policy oriented jurisprudence offe...
On the constitutionality of dose limiting values
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Goetz, V.
1976-01-01
The fundamental right according to Art. 2 par. 2 sentence 1 of the German Constitution is relevant for the set-up and application of radiation protection law. Resulting from Art. 2 par. 2 sentence 1 of the Constitution it is a general obligation of the state to protect life (Federal Constitutional Court, judgment of 25th Feb., 1975, BVerfGE 39.1) and physical soundness. The subjective basic right of everybody to defend against official encroachments his personal integrity corresponds to the right of the individual within the framework of the official obligation for protection from the state (to ward off danger). The term of danger, as to the degree of its determination, corresponds to that of the encroachment. To speak of danger in a legal sense, the causal connection between a certain source of danger and certain damage must be ascertained and proved. Topical controversies as to the admissibility of activity discharges of low doses range in the field of risk reduction and thus in the field of the duty of the state to take precautionary steps against risks (Art. 2 par. 2 sentence 1 of the Constitution). The constitution, however, does not contain any basic right that every risk has to be avoided. On the other hand, the necessity of cautions valuation of radiation risks can be derived from the Constitution. The fixation of dose limits and their application in connection with general radiation protection principles (paragraph 28 E of the Radiation Protection Ordinance) do not contain any 'interference' with the basic right in the sense of Art. 2 par. 2 sentence 3 of the Constitution. Neither from aspects of the principle of the legal state nor from Art. 80 par. 1 of the Constitution can the use of the legal form of the Ordinance be doubted. (orig./HP) [de
Diak, Bradley James
Forming limit predictions that incorporate crystal plasticity models still cannot adequately predict the deformation performance of polycrystalline materials. The reason for the limitation in predictive power is that the constitutive equations used to connect to the atomic scale assume an affine deformation which do not have a physical basis, but give general trends. This study was undertaken to better elucidate the microplastic process and how it manifests itself phenomenologically. In this endeavour, the strain rate sensitivity of the flow stress was identified as one parameter that greatly affects the forming limit. Hence, an attempt was made to properly define and measure the strain rate sensitivity according to the dictates of thermodynamics. The thermodynamics of systems can delineate the evolution of the state of a material if the state variables can be characterized and measured. Inevitably, these variables must be determined at constant structure. Using the theory of thermally activated flow, where the movement of dislocations past obstacles is the rate controlling step, the mechanical testing techniques have been designed to statistically assess the dynamic evolution of the microstructure by controlling the temperature, T, and strain rate, dotvarepsilon, and measuring the stress, sigma, mean slip distance, lambda, and mean slip velocity, dotlambda, to define sigma=f(lambda,dotlambda, T). The apparent activation volume, which characterizes the obstacle resistance of strain centres, is determined at constant structure by applying the strain rate change technique. Strain rate sensitivity data are compared to the Cottrell-Stokes relation, and the Haasen plot is used to separate the different contributions to the flow stress. Using these precise measurements at interrupted segments of strain, the evolution of a microstructure during plastic flow can be monitored. By this examination of different rate controlling obstacles, the microstructural parameters which
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Wander, J D; Morris, D
2014-01-01
Continuous cardiac monitoring of healthy and unhealthy patients can help us understand the progression of heart disease and enable early treatment. Optical pulse sensing is an excellent candidate for continuous mobile monitoring of cardiovascular health indicators, but optical pulse signals are susceptible to corruption from a number of noise sources, including motion artifact. Therefore, before higher-level health indicators can be reliably computed, corrupted data must be separated from valid data. This is an especially difficult task in the presence of artifact caused by ambulation (e.g. walking or jogging), which shares significant spectral energy with the true pulsatile signal. In this manuscript, we present a machine-learning-based system for automated estimation of signal quality of optical pulse signals that performs well in the presence of periodic artifact. We hypothesized that signal processing methods that identified individual heart beats (segmenting approaches) would be more error-prone than methods that did not (non-segmenting approaches) when applied to data contaminated by periodic artifact. We further hypothesized that a fusion of segmenting and non-segmenting approaches would outperform either approach alone. Therefore, we developed a novel non-segmenting approach to signal quality estimation that we then utilized in combination with a traditional segmenting approach. Using this system we were able to robustly detect differences in signal quality as labeled by expert human raters (Pearson’s r = 0.9263). We then validated our original hypotheses by demonstrating that our non-segmenting approach outperformed the segmenting approach in the presence of contaminated signal, and that the combined system outperformed either individually. Lastly, as an example, we demonstrated the utility of our signal quality estimation system in evaluating the trustworthiness of heart rate measurements derived from optical pulse signals. (paper)
Rhythm-based segmentation of Popular Chinese Music
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Jensen, Karl Kristoffer
2005-01-01
We present a new method to segment popular music based on rhythm. By computing a shortest path based on the self-similarity matrix calculated from a model of rhythm, segmenting boundaries are found along the di- agonal of the matrix. The cost of a new segment is opti- mized by matching manual...... and automatic segment boundaries. We compile a small song database of 21 randomly selected popular Chinese songs which come from Chinese Mainland, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The segmenting results on the small corpus show that 78% manual segmentation points are detected and 74% auto- matic segmentation points...
Unsupervised Performance Evaluation of Image Segmentation
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Chabrier Sebastien
2006-01-01
Full Text Available We present in this paper a study of unsupervised evaluation criteria that enable the quantification of the quality of an image segmentation result. These evaluation criteria compute some statistics for each region or class in a segmentation result. Such an evaluation criterion can be useful for different applications: the comparison of segmentation results, the automatic choice of the best fitted parameters of a segmentation method for a given image, or the definition of new segmentation methods by optimization. We first present the state of art of unsupervised evaluation, and then, we compare six unsupervised evaluation criteria. For this comparative study, we use a database composed of 8400 synthetic gray-level images segmented in four different ways. Vinet's measure (correct classification rate is used as an objective criterion to compare the behavior of the different criteria. Finally, we present the experimental results on the segmentation evaluation of a few gray-level natural images.
Time and constitution of sense
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Pedro Gerardo Acosta
2014-06-01
Full Text Available This article proposes a reflection over our time-consciousness under the Phenomenology of Edmund Husserl. The idea is make a release the key role of the sense constitution like the fundament and development of the ongoing intentionality, a shape that make the possibility to catch sight of the sense of every life situation like conscience experience that displays itself over the time, and open the world of the Phenomenon World, constituted in the flux and flow of our live experience. The immanent time in which the things served in a lived-present inevitably displays to its own immediate-past of retentions, then of commemorations, constituting and enabling, not just the sense of ever present, but the sense of our own past like memory and our future like expectative. This reflection is based and supporter over the text “Phenomenology Lesson of the Internal Time-Consiusness” (Husserl, 2002.
Methods of evaluating segmentation characteristics and segmentation of major faults
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Lee, Kie Hwa; Chang, Tae Woo; Kyung, Jai Bok [Seoul National Univ., Seoul (Korea, Republic of)] (and others)
2000-03-15
Seismological, geological, and geophysical studies were made for reasonable segmentation of the Ulsan fault and the results are as follows. One- and two- dimensional electrical surveys revealed clearly the fault fracture zone enlarges systematically northward and southward from the vicinity of Mohwa-ri, indicating Mohwa-ri is at the seismic segment boundary. Field Geological survey and microscope observation of fault gouge indicates that the Quaternary faults in the area are reactivated products of the preexisting faults. Trench survey of the Chonbuk fault Galgok-ri revealed thrust faults and cumulative vertical displacement due to faulting during the late Quaternary with about 1.1-1.9 m displacement per event; the latest event occurred from 14000 to 25000 yrs. BP. The seismic survey showed the basement surface os cut by numerous reverse faults and indicated the possibility that the boundary between Kyeongsangbukdo and Kyeongsannamdo may be segment boundary.
Methods of evaluating segmentation characteristics and segmentation of major faults
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lee, Kie Hwa; Chang, Tae Woo; Kyung, Jai Bok
2000-03-01
Seismological, geological, and geophysical studies were made for reasonable segmentation of the Ulsan fault and the results are as follows. One- and two- dimensional electrical surveys revealed clearly the fault fracture zone enlarges systematically northward and southward from the vicinity of Mohwa-ri, indicating Mohwa-ri is at the seismic segment boundary. Field Geological survey and microscope observation of fault gouge indicates that the Quaternary faults in the area are reactivated products of the preexisting faults. Trench survey of the Chonbuk fault Galgok-ri revealed thrust faults and cumulative vertical displacement due to faulting during the late Quaternary with about 1.1-1.9 m displacement per event; the latest event occurred from 14000 to 25000 yrs. BP. The seismic survey showed the basement surface os cut by numerous reverse faults and indicated the possibility that the boundary between Kyeongsangbukdo and Kyeongsannamdo may be segment boundary
A new framework for interactive images segmentation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Ashraf, M.; Sarim, M.; Shaikh, A.B.
2017-01-01
Image segmentation has become a widely studied research problem in image processing. There exist different graph based solutions for interactive image segmentation but the domain of image segmentation still needs persistent improvements. The segmentation quality of existing techniques generally depends on the manual input provided in beginning, therefore, these algorithms may not produce quality segmentation with initial seed labels provided by a novice user. In this work we investigated the use of cellular automata in image segmentation and proposed a new algorithm that follows a cellular automaton in label propagation. It incorporates both the pixel's local and global information in the segmentation process. We introduced the novel global constraints in automata evolution rules; hence proposed scheme of automata evolution is more effective than the automata based earlier evolution schemes. Global constraints are also effective in deceasing the sensitivity towards small changes made in manual input; therefore proposed approach is less dependent on label seed marks. It can produce the quality segmentation with modest user efforts. Segmentation results indicate that the proposed algorithm performs better than the earlier segmentation techniques. (author)
Johnson, Eileanoir B.; Gregory, Sarah; Johnson, Hans J.; Durr, Alexandra; Leavitt, Blair R.; Roos, Raymund A.; Rees, Geraint; Tabrizi, Sarah J.; Scahill, Rachael I.
2017-01-01
The selection of an appropriate segmentation tool is a challenge facing any researcher aiming to measure gray matter (GM) volume. Many tools have been compared, yet there is currently no method that can be recommended above all others; in particular, there is a lack of validation in disease cohorts. This work utilizes a clinical dataset to conduct an extensive comparison of segmentation tools. Our results confirm that all tools have advantages and disadvantages, and we present a series of considerations that may be of use when selecting a GM segmentation method, rather than a ranking of these tools. Seven segmentation tools were compared using 3 T MRI data from 20 controls, 40 premanifest Huntington’s disease (HD), and 40 early HD participants. Segmented volumes underwent detailed visual quality control. Reliability and repeatability of total, cortical, and lobular GM were investigated in repeated baseline scans. The relationship between each tool was also examined. Longitudinal within-group change over 3 years was assessed via generalized least squares regression to determine sensitivity of each tool to disease effects. Visual quality control and raw volumes highlighted large variability between tools, especially in occipital and temporal regions. Most tools showed reliable performance and the volumes were generally correlated. Results for longitudinal within-group change varied between tools, especially within lobular regions. These differences highlight the need for careful selection of segmentation methods in clinical neuroimaging studies. This guide acts as a primer aimed at the novice or non-technical imaging scientist providing recommendations for the selection of cohort-appropriate GM segmentation software. PMID:29066997
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Eileanoir B. Johnson
2017-10-01
Full Text Available The selection of an appropriate segmentation tool is a challenge facing any researcher aiming to measure gray matter (GM volume. Many tools have been compared, yet there is currently no method that can be recommended above all others; in particular, there is a lack of validation in disease cohorts. This work utilizes a clinical dataset to conduct an extensive comparison of segmentation tools. Our results confirm that all tools have advantages and disadvantages, and we present a series of considerations that may be of use when selecting a GM segmentation method, rather than a ranking of these tools. Seven segmentation tools were compared using 3 T MRI data from 20 controls, 40 premanifest Huntington’s disease (HD, and 40 early HD participants. Segmented volumes underwent detailed visual quality control. Reliability and repeatability of total, cortical, and lobular GM were investigated in repeated baseline scans. The relationship between each tool was also examined. Longitudinal within-group change over 3 years was assessed via generalized least squares regression to determine sensitivity of each tool to disease effects. Visual quality control and raw volumes highlighted large variability between tools, especially in occipital and temporal regions. Most tools showed reliable performance and the volumes were generally correlated. Results for longitudinal within-group change varied between tools, especially within lobular regions. These differences highlight the need for careful selection of segmentation methods in clinical neuroimaging studies. This guide acts as a primer aimed at the novice or non-technical imaging scientist providing recommendations for the selection of cohort-appropriate GM segmentation software.
User Interaction in Semi-Automatic Segmentation of Organs at Risk: a Case Study in Radiotherapy.
Ramkumar, Anjana; Dolz, Jose; Kirisli, Hortense A; Adebahr, Sonja; Schimek-Jasch, Tanja; Nestle, Ursula; Massoptier, Laurent; Varga, Edit; Stappers, Pieter Jan; Niessen, Wiro J; Song, Yu
2016-04-01
Accurate segmentation of organs at risk is an important step in radiotherapy planning. Manual segmentation being a tedious procedure and prone to inter- and intra-observer variability, there is a growing interest in automated segmentation methods. However, automatic methods frequently fail to provide satisfactory result, and post-processing corrections are often needed. Semi-automatic segmentation methods are designed to overcome these problems by combining physicians' expertise and computers' potential. This study evaluates two semi-automatic segmentation methods with different types of user interactions, named the "strokes" and the "contour", to provide insights into the role and impact of human-computer interaction. Two physicians participated in the experiment. In total, 42 case studies were carried out on five different types of organs at risk. For each case study, both the human-computer interaction process and quality of the segmentation results were measured subjectively and objectively. Furthermore, different measures of the process and the results were correlated. A total of 36 quantifiable and ten non-quantifiable correlations were identified for each type of interaction. Among those pairs of measures, 20 of the contour method and 22 of the strokes method were strongly or moderately correlated, either directly or inversely. Based on those correlated measures, it is concluded that: (1) in the design of semi-automatic segmentation methods, user interactions need to be less cognitively challenging; (2) based on the observed workflows and preferences of physicians, there is a need for flexibility in the interface design; (3) the correlated measures provide insights that can be used in improving user interaction design.
Stability of non-linear constitutive formulations for viscoelastic fluids
Siginer, Dennis A
2014-01-01
Stability of Non-linear Constitutive Formulations for Viscoelastic Fluids provides a complete and up-to-date view of the field of constitutive equations for flowing viscoelastic fluids, in particular on their non-linear behavior, the stability of these constitutive equations that is their predictive power, and the impact of these constitutive equations on the dynamics of viscoelastic fluid flow in tubes. This book gives an overall view of the theories and attendant methodologies developed independently of thermodynamic considerations as well as those set within a thermodynamic framework to derive non-linear rheological constitutive equations for viscoelastic fluids. Developments in formulating Maxwell-like constitutive differential equations as well as single integral constitutive formulations are discussed in the light of Hadamard and dissipative type of instabilities.
Cicero and the Mixed Constitution (res publica mixta
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Mitja Sadek
2009-12-01
Full Text Available The story of the mixed constitution is the story of the most stable and just constitution. In theory, this is a combination of at least two of the three elementary forms of government (monarchy, aristocracy and democracy, with some advantages that elementary forms may lack. It originated with the deliberation of Greek philosophers, who wanted to draw up a constitution safeguarding against the permanent variation of elementary constitutional forms and against coups d’état. For both Plato and Aristotle, the mixed constitution was, above all, the reflection of a search for balance between the two extreme forms of government, direct (Athenian democracy on the one hand and the exclusion of the people from governing on the other. The Greek theory was applied by the historian Polybius to the traditional tripartite constitution of the Roman republic. In his view, the consuls were monarchic elements, the senate an aristocratic element, and the comitia a democratic one. Cicero’s introduction of the idea of the mixed constitution in De re publica can only be understood in the light of the author’s personal situation and contemporary political circumstances. His political engagement at a time when the republic was gradually transforming into a monarchy aimed at restoring the important role of the nobility, represented by the senate. For Cicero, the mixed constitution was mainly an instrument for restoring the lost balance between the consuls, the senate, and the comitia, a last chance to save the decaying republic. The concluding part of the article addresses Alois Riklin’s recent discussion of the modern reception of the mixed constitution idea, which advances the controversial thesis that the paradigm of power division, the foundation of modern representative democracy, originates directly from the mixed constitution.
Robust semi-automatic segmentation of pulmonary subsolid nodules in chest computed tomography scans
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Lassen, B C; Kuhnigk, J-M; Van Ginneken, B; Van Rikxoort, E M; Jacobs, C
2015-01-01
The malignancy of lung nodules is most often detected by analyzing changes of the nodule diameter in follow-up scans. A recent study showed that comparing the volume or the mass of a nodule over time is much more significant than comparing the diameter. Since the survival rate is higher when the disease is still in an early stage it is important to detect the growth rate as soon as possible. However manual segmentation of a volume is time-consuming. Whereas there are several well evaluated methods for the segmentation of solid nodules, less work is done on subsolid nodules which actually show a higher malignancy rate than solid nodules. In this work we present a fast, semi-automatic method for segmentation of subsolid nodules. As minimal user interaction the method expects a user-drawn stroke on the largest diameter of the nodule. First, a threshold-based region growing is performed based on intensity analysis of the nodule region and surrounding parenchyma. In the next step the chest wall is removed by a combination of a connected component analyses and convex hull calculation. Finally, attached vessels are detached by morphological operations. The method was evaluated on all nodules of the publicly available LIDC/IDRI database that were manually segmented and rated as non-solid or part-solid by four radiologists (Dataset 1) and three radiologists (Dataset 2). For these 59 nodules the Jaccard index for the agreement of the proposed method with the manual reference segmentations was 0.52/0.50 (Dataset 1/Dataset 2) compared to an inter-observer agreement of the manual segmentations of 0.54/0.58 (Dataset 1/Dataset 2). Furthermore, the inter-observer agreement using the proposed method (i.e. different input strokes) was analyzed and gave a Jaccard index of 0.74/0.74 (Dataset 1/Dataset 2). The presented method provides satisfactory segmentation results with minimal observer effort in minimal time and can reduce the inter-observer variability for segmentation of
Robust semi-automatic segmentation of pulmonary subsolid nodules in chest computed tomography scans
Lassen, B. C.; Jacobs, C.; Kuhnigk, J.-M.; van Ginneken, B.; van Rikxoort, E. M.
2015-02-01
The malignancy of lung nodules is most often detected by analyzing changes of the nodule diameter in follow-up scans. A recent study showed that comparing the volume or the mass of a nodule over time is much more significant than comparing the diameter. Since the survival rate is higher when the disease is still in an early stage it is important to detect the growth rate as soon as possible. However manual segmentation of a volume is time-consuming. Whereas there are several well evaluated methods for the segmentation of solid nodules, less work is done on subsolid nodules which actually show a higher malignancy rate than solid nodules. In this work we present a fast, semi-automatic method for segmentation of subsolid nodules. As minimal user interaction the method expects a user-drawn stroke on the largest diameter of the nodule. First, a threshold-based region growing is performed based on intensity analysis of the nodule region and surrounding parenchyma. In the next step the chest wall is removed by a combination of a connected component analyses and convex hull calculation. Finally, attached vessels are detached by morphological operations. The method was evaluated on all nodules of the publicly available LIDC/IDRI database that were manually segmented and rated as non-solid or part-solid by four radiologists (Dataset 1) and three radiologists (Dataset 2). For these 59 nodules the Jaccard index for the agreement of the proposed method with the manual reference segmentations was 0.52/0.50 (Dataset 1/Dataset 2) compared to an inter-observer agreement of the manual segmentations of 0.54/0.58 (Dataset 1/Dataset 2). Furthermore, the inter-observer agreement using the proposed method (i.e. different input strokes) was analyzed and gave a Jaccard index of 0.74/0.74 (Dataset 1/Dataset 2). The presented method provides satisfactory segmentation results with minimal observer effort in minimal time and can reduce the inter-observer variability for segmentation of
DCS-SVM: a novel semi-automated method for human brain MR image segmentation.
Ahmadvand, Ali; Daliri, Mohammad Reza; Hajiali, Mohammadtaghi
2017-11-27
In this paper, a novel method is proposed which appropriately segments magnetic resonance (MR) brain images into three main tissues. This paper proposes an extension of our previous work in which we suggested a combination of multiple classifiers (CMC)-based methods named dynamic classifier selection-dynamic local training local Tanimoto index (DCS-DLTLTI) for MR brain image segmentation into three main cerebral tissues. This idea is used here and a novel method is developed that tries to use more complex and accurate classifiers like support vector machine (SVM) in the ensemble. This work is challenging because the CMC-based methods are time consuming, especially on huge datasets like three-dimensional (3D) brain MR images. Moreover, SVM is a powerful method that is used for modeling datasets with complex feature space, but it also has huge computational cost for big datasets, especially those with strong interclass variability problems and with more than two classes such as 3D brain images; therefore, we cannot use SVM in DCS-DLTLTI. Therefore, we propose a novel approach named "DCS-SVM" to use SVM in DCS-DLTLTI to improve the accuracy of segmentation results. The proposed method is applied on well-known datasets of the Internet Brain Segmentation Repository (IBSR) and promising results are obtained.
Segmentation of histological images and fibrosis identification with a convolutional neural network.
Fu, Xiaohang; Liu, Tong; Xiong, Zhaohan; Smaill, Bruce H; Stiles, Martin K; Zhao, Jichao
2018-05-16
Segmentation of histological images is one of the most crucial tasks for many biomedical analyses involving quantification of certain tissue types, such as fibrosis via Masson's trichrome staining. However, challenges are posed by the high variability and complexity of structural features in such images, in addition to imaging artifacts. Further, the conventional approach of manual thresholding is labor-intensive, and highly sensitive to inter- and intra-image intensity variations. An accurate and robust automated segmentation method is of high interest. We propose and evaluate an elegant convolutional neural network (CNN) designed for segmentation of histological images, particularly those with Masson's trichrome stain. The network comprises 11 successive convolutional - rectified linear unit - batch normalization layers. It outperformed state-of-the-art CNNs on a dataset of cardiac histological images (labeling fibrosis, myocytes, and background) with a Dice similarity coefficient of 0.947. With 100 times fewer (only 300,000) trainable parameters than the state-of-the-art, our CNN is less susceptible to overfitting, and is efficient. Additionally, it retains image resolution from input to output, captures fine-grained details, and can be trained end-to-end smoothly. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first deep CNN tailored to the problem of concern, and may potentially be extended to solve similar segmentation tasks to facilitate investigations into pathology and clinical treatment. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Evaluation of potential crushed-salt constitutive models
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Callahan, G.D.; Loken, M.C.; Sambeek, L.L. Van; Chen, R.; Pfeifle, T.W.; Nieland, J.D.; Hansen, F.D.
1995-12-01
Constitutive models describing the deformation of crushed salt are presented in this report. Ten constitutive models with potential to describe the phenomenological and micromechanical processes for crushed salt were selected from a literature search. Three of these ten constitutive models, termed Sjaardema-Krieg, Zeuch, and Spiers models, were adopted as candidate constitutive models. The candidate constitutive models were generalized in a consistent manner to three-dimensional states of stress and modified to include the effects of temperature, grain size, and moisture content. A database including hydrostatic consolidation and shear consolidation tests conducted on Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and southeastern New Mexico salt was used to determine material parameters for the candidate constitutive models. Nonlinear least-squares model fitting to data from the hydrostatic consolidation tests, the shear consolidation tests, and a combination of the shear and hydrostatic tests produces three sets of material parameter values for the candidate models. The change in material parameter values from test group to test group indicates the empirical nature of the models. To evaluate the predictive capability of the candidate models, each parameter value set was used to predict each of the tests in the database. Based on the fitting statistics and the ability of the models to predict the test data, the Spiers model appeared to perform slightly better than the other two candidate models. The work reported here is a first-of-its kind evaluation of constitutive models for reconsolidation of crushed salt. Questions remain to be answered. Deficiencies in models and databases are identified and recommendations for future work are made. 85 refs
Placental fetal stem segmentation in a sequence of histology images
Athavale, Prashant; Vese, Luminita A.
2012-02-01
initial guess to obtain segmentation in the rest of the images in the sequence. This constitutes an important step in the extraction and understanding of the fetal stem vasculature.
Automatic segmentation and volumetry of multiple sclerosis brain lesions from MR images
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Saurabh Jain
2015-01-01
Full Text Available The location and extent of white matter lesions on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI are important criteria for diagnosis, follow-up and prognosis of multiple sclerosis (MS. Clinical trials have shown that quantitative values, such as lesion volumes, are meaningful in MS prognosis. Manual lesion delineation for the segmentation of lesions is, however, time-consuming and suffers from observer variability. In this paper, we propose MSmetrix, an accurate and reliable automatic method for lesion segmentation based on MRI, independent of scanner or acquisition protocol and without requiring any training data. In MSmetrix, 3D T1-weighted and FLAIR MR images are used in a probabilistic model to detect white matter (WM lesions as an outlier to normal brain while segmenting the brain tissue into grey matter, WM and cerebrospinal fluid. The actual lesion segmentation is performed based on prior knowledge about the location (within WM and the appearance (hyperintense on FLAIR of lesions. The accuracy of MSmetrix is evaluated by comparing its output with expert reference segmentations of 20 MRI datasets of MS patients. Spatial overlap (Dice between the MSmetrix and the expert lesion segmentation is 0.67 ± 0.11. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC equals 0.8 indicating a good volumetric agreement between the MSmetrix and expert labelling. The reproducibility of MSmetrix' lesion volumes is evaluated based on 10 MS patients, scanned twice with a short interval on three different scanners. The agreement between the first and the second scan on each scanner is evaluated through the spatial overlap and absolute lesion volume difference between them. The spatial overlap was 0.69 ± 0.14 and absolute total lesion volume difference between the two scans was 0.54 ± 0.58 ml. Finally, the accuracy and reproducibility of MSmetrix compare favourably with other publicly available MS lesion segmentation algorithms, applied on the same data using default
Crushed-salt constitutive model update
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Callahan, G.D.; Loken, M.C.; Mellegard, K.D.; Hansen, F.D.
1998-01-01
Modifications to the constitutive model used to describe the deformation of crushed salt are presented in this report. Two mechanisms--dislocation creep and grain boundary diffusional pressure solutioning--defined previously but used separately are combined to form the basis for the constitutive model governing the deformation of crushed salt. The constitutive model is generalized to represent three-dimensional states of stress. New creep consolidation tests are combined with an existing database that includes hydrostatic consolidation and shear consolidation tests conducted on Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and southeastern New Mexico salt to determine material parameters for the constitutive model. Nonlinear least-squares model fitting to data from the shear consolidation tests and a combination of the shear and hydrostatic consolidation tests produced two sets of material parameter values for the model. The change in material parameter values from test group to test group indicates the empirical nature of the model but demonstrates improvement over earlier work with the previous models. Key improvements are the ability to capture lateral strain reversal and better resolve parameter values. To demonstrate the predictive capability of the model, each parameter value set was used to predict each of the tests in the database. Based on the fitting statistics and the ability of the model to predict the test data, the model appears to capture the creep consolidation behavior of crushed salt quite well
Crushed-salt constitutive model update
Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)
Callahan, G.D.; Loken, M.C.; Mellegard, K.D. [RE/SPEC Inc., Rapid City, SD (United States); Hansen, F.D. [Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States)
1998-01-01
Modifications to the constitutive model used to describe the deformation of crushed salt are presented in this report. Two mechanisms--dislocation creep and grain boundary diffusional pressure solutioning--defined previously but used separately are combined to form the basis for the constitutive model governing the deformation of crushed salt. The constitutive model is generalized to represent three-dimensional states of stress. New creep consolidation tests are combined with an existing database that includes hydrostatic consolidation and shear consolidation tests conducted on Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and southeastern New Mexico salt to determine material parameters for the constitutive model. Nonlinear least-squares model fitting to data from the shear consolidation tests and a combination of the shear and hydrostatic consolidation tests produced two sets of material parameter values for the model. The change in material parameter values from test group to test group indicates the empirical nature of the model but demonstrates improvement over earlier work with the previous models. Key improvements are the ability to capture lateral strain reversal and better resolve parameter values. To demonstrate the predictive capability of the model, each parameter value set was used to predict each of the tests in the database. Based on the fitting statistics and the ability of the model to predict the test data, the model appears to capture the creep consolidation behavior of crushed salt quite well.
Human Rights under the Ethiopian Constitution: A Descriptive ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
This article summarizes human rights under the Ethiopian Constitution (mainly surrounding Chapter 3 of Constitution and related constitutional provisions on human and democratic rights), and forwards some insights. It, inter alia, covers various aspects of the application and interpretation of human rights provisions, ...
International EUREKA: Initialization Segment
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
1982-02-01
The Initialization Segment creates the starting description of the uranium market. The starting description includes the international boundaries of trade, the geologic provinces, resources, reserves, production, uranium demand forecasts, and existing market transactions. The Initialization Segment is designed to accept information of various degrees of detail, depending on what is known about each region. It must transform this information into a specific data structure required by the Market Segment of the model, filling in gaps in the information through a predetermined sequence of defaults and built in assumptions. A principal function of the Initialization Segment is to create diagnostic messages indicating any inconsistencies in data and explaining which assumptions were used to organize the data base. This permits the user to manipulate the data base until such time the user is satisfied that all the assumptions used are reasonable and that any inconsistencies are resolved in a satisfactory manner
Image Segmentation Using Minimum Spanning Tree
Dewi, M. P.; Armiati, A.; Alvini, S.
2018-04-01
This research aim to segmented the digital image. The process of segmentation is to separate the object from the background. So the main object can be processed for the other purposes. Along with the development of technology in digital image processing application, the segmentation process becomes increasingly necessary. The segmented image which is the result of the segmentation process should accurate due to the next process need the interpretation of the information on the image. This article discussed the application of minimum spanning tree on graph in segmentation process of digital image. This method is able to separate an object from the background and the image will change to be the binary images. In this case, the object that being the focus is set in white, while the background is black or otherwise.
Work Towards a (New) Definition of Peace Constitution
Gilliam, Jay R.; Jay R., Gilliam
2011-01-01
Current research on peace constitutions generally centers on Japan’s post-World War II pacifist constitution, specifically Article 9 where Japan renounces war, dissolves its military, and vows to work towards peace in the world. In fact, researching peace constitution (or 平和憲法 in Japanese) in books, academic journals, or on the Internet routinely returns only results about Japan and its Article 9. While a substantial body of work exists about Japan’s peace constitution, too often that body of...
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Su-Na Lee
2014-01-01
Full Text Available Toxic anterior segment syndrome (TASS is an acute sterile postoperative anterior segment inflammation that may occur after anterior segment surgery. I report herein a case that developed mild TASS in one eye after bilateral uneventful cataract surgery, which was masked during early postoperative period under steroid eye drop and mimicking delayed onset TASS after switching to weaker steroid eye drop.
Sonora Legislators and their Constitution, 1857-1861
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Zulema Trejo
2010-01-01
Full Text Available This paper describes the members of the Sonora constituent congress (1857-61, and analyzes the debates they held regarding the project for the state's Constitution, which would follow the lines estblished by the 1857 Federal Constitution. It also points out the relations between each legislator's trajectory and politicial affiliation (as far as available sources allow for this, and the proposals he presented during the legislative debates that gave place to the 1861 Constitution of Sonora.
Competition And Antitrust Law In Ecuadorian Constitution
Marcelo Marín Sevilla
2013-01-01
This work allows us to establish the Economic Constitution and the Competition Law (C.L) in the Constitution. Additionally, the paper analyzes whether the rules outlined in the C. L. and in doctrine are consistent and appropriate with the Constitution of Ecuador. The Competition and Antitrust Laws has rules for investigating and punishing the cartels, the abuses of power market (dominant position), the rules for merger control, the behaviors of Abuse of economic dependence, and unfair competi...
Complexities of Constitutional Change in the Philippines
Saunders, Cheryl; Yusingco, Michael Henry
2018-01-01
President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in July 2016, His party, PDP-Laban, had campaigned under the slogan: “No to Drugs, Yes to Federalism”. Duterte thus is committed to shepherding the Philippines towards a federal form of government; an undertaking that would require an extensive overhaul of the country’s constitution. The future of constitutional change under Duterte in any event is uncertain for a series of constitutional and political reasons. Critically, some of the most pressing of ...
[Etiologic spectrum of solitary constitutional syndrome].
Hernández Hernández, J L; Matorras Galán, P; Riancho Moral, J A; González-Macías, J
2002-07-01
To know the spectrum of diseases responsible for the solitary constitutional syndrome in our setting. This syndrome was defined as a clinical picture characterized by the presence of asthenia, anorexia, and weight loss of at least 5% of body weight in the last six months, not associated with any other symptom or sign suggesting the diagnosis of an organ or system disease. All patients diagnosed of the solitary constitutional syndrome (328) in a tertiary-care level teaching hospital between January 1991 and December 1996. Fifty-two (170) percent of patients with solitary constitutional syndrome were males and 48% (158) females. The mean age was 65.4%, ranging from 15 to 97 years. The average of the monthly estimated weight loss was 3 to 4 kilograms. A total of 115 (35%) malignant neoplasms and 5 (1.5%) benign tumors were diagnosed. The most common malignant tumors corresponded to the digestive tract (51.3% of the total malignant tumors). The second cause in frequency of the solitary constitutional syndrome corresponded to psychiatric diseases, with a total of 80 patients (24.3%). A total of 116 non-neoplastic organic diseases were detected, with digestive tract diseases --mainly peptic disease-- being the most common cause in this group. After follow-up, only in twenty cases were we unable to detect the underlying disease responsible for the syndrome. In nine of these, the solitary constitutional syndrome was self-limited. Forty-four percent of patients had at least another concomitant disease and in 24% of patients more than one associated condition was found. The most common diseases responsible for the solitary constitutional syndrome were, by decreasing frequency, malignant tumors, psychiatric disorders, and non-malignant organic diseases located in the digestive tract. A better knowledge of the etiological spectrum of this syndrome might be useful for a more efficient management of these patients.
Constitutional provisions regarding juristic persons | Pienaar ...
African Journals Online (AJOL)
The interim Constitution of 1993 and the final Constitution of 1996 contain specific provisions applicable to juristic persons. Juristic persons are also entitled to the fundamental rights contained in the Bill of Rights to the extent that these rights are applicable to them. It must be kept in mind that juristic persons have peculiar ...
Scorpion image segmentation system
Joseph, E.; Aibinu, A. M.; Sadiq, B. A.; Bello Salau, H.; Salami, M. J. E.
2013-12-01
Death as a result of scorpion sting has been a major public health problem in developing countries. Despite the high rate of death as a result of scorpion sting, little report exists in literature of intelligent device and system for automatic detection of scorpion. This paper proposed a digital image processing approach based on the floresencing characteristics of Scorpion under Ultra-violet (UV) light for automatic detection and identification of scorpion. The acquired UV-based images undergo pre-processing to equalize uneven illumination and colour space channel separation. The extracted channels are then segmented into two non-overlapping classes. It has been observed that simple thresholding of the green channel of the acquired RGB UV-based image is sufficient for segmenting Scorpion from other background components in the acquired image. Two approaches to image segmentation have also been proposed in this work, namely, the simple average segmentation technique and K-means image segmentation. The proposed algorithm has been tested on over 40 UV scorpion images obtained from different part of the world and results obtained show an average accuracy of 97.7% in correctly classifying the pixel into two non-overlapping clusters. The proposed 1system will eliminate the problem associated with some of the existing manual approaches presently in use for scorpion detection.
Adjacent segment disease and C-ADR: promises fulfilled?
Riew, K Daniel; Schenk-Kisser, Jeannette M.; Skelly, Andrea C.
2012-01-01
Study design: Systematic review. Clinical question: Do the rates and timing of adjacent segment disease (ASD) differ between cervical total disc arthroplasty (C-ADR) and anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) in patients treated for cervical degenerative disc disease? Methods: A systematic search of MEDLINE/PubMed and bibliographies of key articles was done to identify studies with long-term follow-up for symptomatic and/or radiographic ASD comparing C-ADR with fusion for degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine. The focus was on studies with longer follow-up (48–60 months) of primary US Food and Drug Administration trials of Prestige ST, Prodisc-C, and Bryan devices as available. Trials of other discs with a minimum of 24 months follow-up were considered for inclusion. Studies evaluating lordosis/angle changes at adjacent segments and case series were excluded. Results: From 14 citations identified, four reports from three randomized controlled trials and four nonrandomized studies are summarized. Risk differences between C-ADR and ACF for symptomatic ASD were 1.5%–2.3% and were not significant across RCT reports. Time to development of ASD did not significantly differ between treatments. Rates of radiographic ASD were variable. No meaningful comparison of ASD rates based on disc design was possible. No statistical differences in adjacent segment range of motion were noted between treatment groups. Conclusion: Our analysis reveals that, to date, there is no evidence that arthroplasty decreases ASD compared with ACDF; the promise of arthroplasty decreasing ASD has not been fulfilled. PMID:23236312
Brain Tumor Image Segmentation in MRI Image
Peni Agustin Tjahyaningtijas, Hapsari
2018-04-01
Brain tumor segmentation plays an important role in medical image processing. Treatment of patients with brain tumors is highly dependent on early detection of these tumors. Early detection of brain tumors will improve the patient’s life chances. Diagnosis of brain tumors by experts usually use a manual segmentation that is difficult and time consuming because of the necessary automatic segmentation. Nowadays automatic segmentation is very populer and can be a solution to the problem of tumor brain segmentation with better performance. The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of MRI-based brain tumor segmentation methods. There are number of existing review papers, focusing on traditional methods for MRI-based brain tumor image segmentation. this paper, we focus on the recent trend of automatic segmentation in this field. First, an introduction to brain tumors and methods for brain tumor segmentation is given. Then, the state-of-the-art algorithms with a focus on recent trend of full automatic segmentaion are discussed. Finally, an assessment of the current state is presented and future developments to standardize MRI-based brain tumor segmentation methods into daily clinical routine are addressed.
Colour application on mammography image segmentation
Embong, R.; Aziz, N. M. Nik Ab.; Karim, A. H. Abd; Ibrahim, M. R.
2017-09-01
The segmentation process is one of the most important steps in image processing and computer vision since it is vital in the initial stage of image analysis. Segmentation of medical images involves complex structures and it requires precise segmentation result which is necessary for clinical diagnosis such as the detection of tumour, oedema, and necrotic tissues. Since mammography images are grayscale, researchers are looking at the effect of colour in the segmentation process of medical images. Colour is known to play a significant role in the perception of object boundaries in non-medical colour images. Processing colour images require handling more data, hence providing a richer description of objects in the scene. Colour images contain ten percent (10%) additional edge information as compared to their grayscale counterparts. Nevertheless, edge detection in colour image is more challenging than grayscale image as colour space is considered as a vector space. In this study, we implemented red, green, yellow, and blue colour maps to grayscale mammography images with the purpose of testing the effect of colours on the segmentation of abnormality regions in the mammography images. We applied the segmentation process using the Fuzzy C-means algorithm and evaluated the percentage of average relative error of area for each colour type. The results showed that all segmentation with the colour map can be done successfully even for blurred and noisy images. Also the size of the area of the abnormality region is reduced when compare to the segmentation area without the colour map. The green colour map segmentation produced the smallest percentage of average relative error (10.009%) while yellow colour map segmentation gave the largest percentage of relative error (11.367%).
Cerebrovascular plaque segmentation using object class uncertainty snake in MR images
Das, Bipul; Saha, Punam K.; Wolf, Ronald; Song, Hee Kwon; Wright, Alexander C.; Wehrli, Felix W.
2005-04-01
Atherosclerotic cerebrovascular disease leads to formation of lipid-laden plaques that can form emboli when ruptured causing blockage to cerebral vessels. The clinical manifestation of this event sequence is stroke; a leading cause of disability and death. In vivo MR imaging provides detailed image of vascular architecture for the carotid artery making it suitable for analysis of morphological features. Assessing the status of carotid arteries that supplies blood to the brain is of primary interest to such investigations. Reproducible quantification of carotid artery dimensions in MR images is essential for plaque analysis. Manual segmentation being the only method presently makes it time consuming and sensitive to inter and intra observer variability. This paper presents a deformable model for lumen and vessel wall segmentation of carotid artery from MR images. The major challenges of carotid artery segmentation are (a) low signal-to-noise ratio, (b) background intensity inhomogeneity and (c) indistinct inner and/or outer vessel wall. We propose a new, effective object-class uncertainty based deformable model with additional features tailored toward this specific application. Object-class uncertainty optimally utilizes MR intensity characteristics of various anatomic entities that enable the snake to avert leakage through fuzzy boundaries. To strengthen the deformable model for this application, some other properties are attributed to it in the form of (1) fully arc-based deformation using a Gaussian model to maximally exploit vessel wall smoothness, (2) construction of a forbidden region for outer-wall segmentation to reduce interferences by prominent lumen features and (3) arc-based landmark for efficient user interaction. The algorithm has been tested upon T1- and PD- weighted images. Measures of lumen area and vessel wall area are computed from segmented data of 10 patient MR images and their accuracy and reproducibility are examined. These results correspond
Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database
Rakušanová, Petra
2007-01-01
Roč. 8, č. 8 (2007), s. 342-373 ISSN 1570-5854 Grant - others:VW Stiftung(DE) 218036 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70280505 Keywords : European Constitutional Treaty * European constitutional ratification * Czech Republic Subject RIV: AO - Sociology, Demography
Le Troter, Arnaud; Fouré, Alexandre; Guye, Maxime; Confort-Gouny, Sylviane; Mattei, Jean-Pierre; Gondin, Julien; Salort-Campana, Emmanuelle; Bendahan, David
2016-04-01
Atlas-based segmentation is a powerful method for automatic structural segmentation of several sub-structures in many organs. However, such an approach has been very scarcely used in the context of muscle segmentation, and so far no study has assessed such a method for the automatic delineation of individual muscles of the quadriceps femoris (QF). In the present study, we have evaluated a fully automated multi-atlas method and a semi-automated single-atlas method for the segmentation and volume quantification of the four muscles of the QF and for the QF as a whole. The study was conducted in 32 young healthy males, using high-resolution magnetic resonance images (MRI) of the thigh. The multi-atlas-based segmentation method was conducted in 25 subjects. Different non-linear registration approaches based on free-form deformable (FFD) and symmetric diffeomorphic normalization algorithms (SyN) were assessed. Optimal parameters of two fusion methods, i.e., STAPLE and STEPS, were determined on the basis of the highest Dice similarity index (DSI) considering manual segmentation (MSeg) as the ground truth. Validation and reproducibility of this pipeline were determined using another MRI dataset recorded in seven healthy male subjects on the basis of additional metrics such as the muscle volume similarity values, intraclass coefficient, and coefficient of variation. Both non-linear registration methods (FFD and SyN) were also evaluated as part of a single-atlas strategy in order to assess longitudinal muscle volume measurements. The multi- and the single-atlas approaches were compared for the segmentation and the volume quantification of the four muscles of the QF and for the QF as a whole. Considering each muscle of the QF, the DSI of the multi-atlas-based approach was high 0.87 ± 0.11 and the best results were obtained with the combination of two deformation fields resulting from the SyN registration method and the STEPS fusion algorithm. The optimal variables for FFD
What are Segments in Google Analytics
Segments find all sessions that meet a specific condition. You can then apply this segment to any report in Google Analytics (GA). Segments are a way of identifying sessions and users while filters identify specific events, like pageviews.
Segmentation-less Digital Rock Physics
Tisato, N.; Ikeda, K.; Goldfarb, E. J.; Spikes, K. T.
2017-12-01
In the last decade, Digital Rock Physics (DRP) has become an avenue to investigate physical and mechanical properties of geomaterials. DRP offers the advantage of simulating laboratory experiments on numerical samples that are obtained from analytical methods. Potentially, DRP could allow sparing part of the time and resources that are allocated to perform complicated laboratory tests. Like classic laboratory tests, the goal of DRP is to estimate accurately physical properties of rocks like hydraulic permeability or elastic moduli. Nevertheless, the physical properties of samples imaged using micro-computed tomography (μCT) are estimated through segmentation of the μCT dataset. Segmentation proves to be a challenging and arbitrary procedure that typically leads to inaccurate estimates of physical properties. Here we present a novel technique to extract physical properties from a μCT dataset without the use of segmentation. We show examples in which we use segmentation-less method to simulate elastic wave propagation and pressure wave diffusion to estimate elastic properties and permeability, respectively. The proposed method takes advantage of effective medium theories and uses the density and the porosity that are measured in the laboratory to constrain the results. We discuss the results and highlight that segmentation-less DRP is more accurate than segmentation based DRP approaches and theoretical modeling for the studied rock. In conclusion, the segmentation-less approach here presented seems to be a promising method to improve accuracy and to ease the overall workflow of DRP.
Segmentation, advertising and prices
Galeotti, Andrea; Moraga González, José
This paper explores the implications of market segmentation on firm competitiveness. In contrast to earlier work, here market segmentation is minimal in the sense that it is based on consumer attributes that are completely unrelated to tastes. We show that when the market is comprised by two
Chromosome condensation and segmentation
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Viegas-Pequignot, E.M.
1981-01-01
Some aspects of chromosome condensation in mammalians -humans especially- were studied by means of cytogenetic techniques of chromosome banding. Two further approaches were adopted: a study of normal condensation as early as prophase, and an analysis of chromosome segmentation induced by physical (temperature and γ-rays) or chemical agents (base analogues, antibiotics, ...) in order to show out the factors liable to affect condensation. Here 'segmentation' means an abnormal chromosome condensation appearing systematically and being reproducible. The study of normal condensation was made possible by the development of a technique based on cell synchronization by thymidine and giving prophasic and prometaphasic cells. Besides, the possibility of inducing R-banding segmentations on these cells by BrdU (5-bromodeoxyuridine) allowed a much finer analysis of karyotypes. Another technique was developed using 5-ACR (5-azacytidine), it allowed to induce a segmentation similar to the one obtained using BrdU and identify heterochromatic areas rich in G-C bases pairs [fr
Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)
Nešković Radomir
2012-01-01
Full Text Available Constitutional (statehood or foundation acts are those on which the establishment of a state is founded. These acts determine its statehood entities (part-owners of the state in which the foundations of state organization are defined. All other authorities (legislative, executive and administrative, and judicial are extracted from constitutional acts which are synthesized in the Constitution as the highest political and legal act. Constitutional acts in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the abovementioned period influenced each other as the domino effect, since one act caused the adoption of another, thus, each state-building act had the cause and consequence feature. Constitutional act of representatives of a nation caused the adoption of a similar act among representatives of another nation, which resulted in the statehood authority losing its unique character and being 'torn apart' into three national state-building authorities. In this text we mention the basic constitutional acts preceding the establishment of the Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
James Madison's "Public" As Interpreter of the Constitution.
Dewey, Donald O.
James Madison's thoughts on various interpretations of the Constitution maintain that public opinion is the ultimate method of legitimizing the document. The Constitution must prevail against mere public opinion, but public opinion may be used to establish the meaning of the Constitution when conflicting interpretations exist. The public good and…
A Communicatively Constituted Online Crisis
DEFF Research Database (Denmark)
Valentini, Chiara; Romenti, Stefania; Kruckeberg, Dean
2017-01-01
into specific public crisis perceptions. Drawing from a communicative constitution perspective, the authors argue that if crises are perceptions or experiences of difficult situations that exceed a person’s current resources and coping mechanisms, and if perceptions and experiences in social media are typically...... by offering suggestions on how to study online critical conversations through the lens of a communicative constitution perspective that could inform how critical issues eventually transform and become crises and how crisis perceptions evolve and are discursively shaped by communicative practices occurring...
Track segment synthesis method for NTA film
International Nuclear Information System (INIS)
Kumazawa, Shigeru
1980-03-01
A method is presented for synthesizing track segments extracted from a gray-level digital picture of NTA film in automatic counting system. In order to detect each track in an arbitrary direction, even if it has some gaps, as a set of the track segments, the method links extracted segments along the track, in succession, to the linked track segments, according to whether each extracted segment bears a similarity of direction to the track or not and whether it is connected with the linked track segments or not. In the case of a large digital picture, the method is applied to each subpicture, which is a strip of the picture, and then concatenates subsets of track segments linked at each subpicture as a set of track segments belonging to a track. The method was applied to detecting tracks in various directions over the eight 364 x 40-pixel subpictures with the gray scale of 127/pixel (picture element) of the microphotograph of NTA film. It was proved to be able to synthesize track segments correctly for every track in the picture. (author)