LLukas22/scidocs huggingface dataset:
Processing of noisy and small-detailed gray-scale images using cellular neural networks

the od. cted ly genof 997 Abstract. Algorithms of filtering, edge detection, and extraction of details and their implementation using cellular neural networks (CNN) are developed in this paper. The theory of CNN based on universal binary neurons (UBN) is also developed. A new learning algorithm for this type of neurons is carried out. Implementation of low-pass filtering algorithms using CNN is considered. Separate processing of the binary planes of gray-scale images is proposed. Algorithms of edge detection and impulsive noise filtering based on this approach and their implementation using CNN-UBN are presented. Algorithms of frequency correction reduced to filtering in the spatial domain are considered. These algorithms make it possible to extract details of given sizes. Implementation of such algorithms using CNN is presented. Finally, a general strategy of gray-scale image processing using CNN is considered. © 1997 SPIE and IS&T. [S1017-9909(97)00703-4]
User Requirements Analysis: A Review of Supporting Methods

Understanding user requirements is an integral part of information systems design and is critical to the success of interactive systems. However specifying these requirements is not so simple to achieve. This paper describes general methods to support user requirements analysis that can be adapted to a range of situations. Some brief case studies are described to illustrate how these methods have been applied in practice.
Camera calibration from video of a walking human

A self-calibration method to estimate a camera's intrinsic and extrinsic parameters from vertical line segments of the same height is presented. An algorithm to obtain the needed line segments by detecting the head and feet positions of a walking human in his leg-crossing phases is described. Experimental results show that the method is accurate and robust with respect to various viewing angles and subjects
Clustering ellipses for anomaly detection

Comparing, clustering and merging ellipsoids are problems that arise in various applications, e.g., anomaly detection in wireless sensor networks and motif-based patterned fabrics. We develop a theory underlying three measures of similarity that can be used to find groups of similar ellipsoids in p-space. Clusters of ellipsoids are suggested by dark blocks along the diagonal of a reordered dissimilarity image (RDI). The RDI is built with the recursive iVAT algorithm using any of the three (dis) similarity measures as input and performs two functions: (i) it is used to visually assess and estimate the number of possible clusters in the data; and (ii) it offers a means for comparing the three similarity measures. Finally, we apply the single linkage and CLODD clustering algorithms to three two-dimensional data sets using each of the three dissimilarity matrices as input. Two data sets are synthetic, and the third is a set of real WSN data that has one known second order node anomaly. We conclude that focal distance is the best measure of elliptical similarity, iVAT images are a reliable basis for estimating cluster structures in sets of ellipsoids, and single linkage can successfully extract the indicated clusters. & 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Standing the Test of Time : The Data Encryption Standard

F ast and hard, that is all that cryptographers have ever wanted: a system that encrypts quickly but is essentially impossible to break. With their reliance on elementary number theory, public-key systems have captured mathematicians' imagination. Public-key algorithms are too slow to be used for most data transmissions, and instead public-key algorithms are used for establishing a key. Then a private-key system does the encryption. Private-key algorithms are typically faster than public-key ones. The workhorse private-key algorithm is the Data Encryption Standard (DES), which relies on cryptographic design principles that predate public key. With the exception of RC4 in Web browsers and relatively insecure cable-TV signal encryption, DES is the most widely used public cryptosystem in the world. DES is the cryptographic algorithm used by banks for electronic funds transfer, DES is used for the protection of civilian satellite communications , and a variant of DES is used for UNIX password protection. Proposed in 1975 and approved in 1977 as a Federal Information Processing Standard, 1 DES was immediately attacked by those who felt that its 56-bit key length was insecure. In spite of such claims, DES remained a strong encryption algorithm until the middle of the 1990s—several times longer than the government had reason to expect. Now, however, DES is past the end of its useful lifetime. In the summer of 1998 DES's insecurity was definitively demonstrated when a $250,000 computer built by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) decrypted a DES-encoded message in 56 hours. In January 1999 this was improved to 22 hours through a combination of 100,000 networked PCs and the EFF machine. But until a substitute is found, DES remains a de facto standard. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)—whose predecessor, the National Bureau of Standards, certified DES—is currently seeking a successor to the algorithm. The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) will work in three key lengths: 128, 192, and 256 bits. Fifteen candidates were submitted in June 1998 (there were actually twenty-one submissions, but six candidates had not fulfilled NIST's requirements). In August 1999 NIST eliminated ten of the fifteen. The agency is scheduled to pick DES's successor in the summer of 2000. The winning algorithm will be one whose security should stand well into the new century. The publication of DES heralded a new era in cryptography. Academic and industrial researchers had an algorithm available for study that the National Security Agency had …
Utilizing bloom filters for detecting flooding attacks against SIP based services

Any application or service utilizing the Internet is exposed to both general Internet attacks and other specific ones. Most of the times the latter are exploiting a vulnerability or misconfiguration in the provided service and/or in the utilized protocol itself. Consequently, the employment of critical services, like Voice over IP (VoIP) services, over the Internet is vulnerable to such attacks and, on top of that, they offer a field for new attacks or variations of existing ones. Among the various threats–attacks that a service provider should consider are the flooding attacks, at the signaling level, which are very similar to those against TCP servers but have emerged at the application level of the Internet architecture. This paper examines flooding attacks against VoIP architectures that employ the Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) as their signaling protocol. The focus is on the design and implementation of the appropriate detection method. Specifically, a bloom filter based monitor is presented and a new metric, named session distance, is introduced in order to provide an effective protection scheme against flooding attacks. The proposed scheme is evaluated through experimental test bed architecture under different scenarios. The results of the evaluation demonstrate that the required time to detect such an attack is negligible and also that the number of false alarms is close to zero. a 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Self-expanding versus balloon-expandable stents in acute myocardial infarction: results from the APPOSITION II study: self-expanding stents in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES
This study sought to investigate whether self-expanding stents are more effective than balloon-expandable stents for reducing stent malapposition at 3 days after implantation in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention.


BACKGROUND
Acute myocardial infarction is associated with vasoconstriction and large thrombus burden. Resolution of vasoconstriction and thrombus load during the first hours to days after primary percutaneous coronary intervention may lead to stent undersizing and malapposition, which may subsequently lead to stent thrombosis or restenosis. In addition, aggressive stent deployment may cause distal embolization.


METHODS
Eighty patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention were randomized to receive a self-expanding stent (STENTYS, STENTYS SA, Paris, France) (n = 43) or a balloon-expandable stent (VISION, Abbott Vascular, Santa Clara, California; or Driver, Medtronic, Minneapolis, Minnesota) (n = 37) at 9 European centers. The primary endpoint was the proportion of stent strut malapposition at 3 days after implantation measured by optical coherence tomography. Secondary endpoints included major adverse cardiac events (cardiac death, recurrent myocardial infarction, emergent bypass surgery, or clinically driven target lesion revascularization).


RESULTS
At 3 days after implantation, on a per-strut basis, a lower rate of malapposed stent struts was observed by optical coherence tomography in the self-expanding stent group than in the balloon-expandable group (0.58% vs. 5.46%, p < 0.001). On a per-patient basis, none of the patients in the self-expanding stent group versus 28% in the balloon-expandable group presented ≥5% malapposed struts (p < 0.001). At 6 months, major adverse cardiac events were 2.3% versus 0% in the self-expanding and balloon-expandable groups, respectively (p = NS).


CONCLUSIONS
Strut malapposition at 3 days is significantly lower in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction patients allocated to self-expanding stents when than in those allocated to balloon-expandable stents. The impact of this difference on clinical outcome and the risk of late stent thrombosis need to be evaluated further. (Randomized Comparison Between the STENTYS Self-expanding Coronary Stent and a Balloon-expandable Stent in Acute Myocardial Infarction [APPOSITION II]; NCT01008085).
The Political Philosophy of Arnold Brecht

The purpose of this investigation is to examine the political philosophy of Arnold Brecht in order to determine the positive contributions which his thought offers to a practical science of politics and to a more rational view of the relationship between fact and value. As a political scientist, he has embodied a unique capacity for doing and teaching and for making the past meaningful for the present.
Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy or hepaticoduodenostomy for biliary reconstruction during the surgical treatment of choledochal cyst: which is better?

We reviewed our experience of Roux-en-Y hepaticojejunostomy (RYHJ) and hepaticoduodenostomy (HD) performed for the surgical repair of choledochal cyst (CC), with special emphasis on postoperative complications related to the type of biliary reconstruction performed. Eighty-six patients underwent primary cyst excision for CC from 1986 to 2002 at our institution. Forty-six cases with concurrent intrahepatic bile duct dilatation (IHBD) were excluded because HD was not used for biliary reconstruction if IHBD was present. Thus, 28 cases had RYHJ, and 12 had HD. Differences between the RYHJ and HD groups with respect to type of CC, age at cyst excision, and length of follow-up were not statistically significant. However, the incidences of postoperative complications related to biliary reconstruction, such as endoscopy-proven bilious gastritis due to duodenogastric bile reflux [4/12 (33.3%) of the HD group], and adhesive bowel obstruction/cholangitis [2/28 (7.1%) of the RYHJ group] were significantly different (p<.05). Our experience suggests that HD is not ideal for biliary reconstruction in CC because of a high incidence (33.3%) of complications due to duodenogastric bile reflux. Currently, RYHJ is our exclusive technique of choice for biliary reconstruction during the surgical repair of CC.
A theory of personal budgeting

Prominent research argues that consumers often use personal budgets to manage self-control problems. This paper analyzes the link between budgeting and selfcontrol problems in consumption-saving decisions. It shows that the use of goodspecific budgets depends on the combination of a demand for commitment and the demand for flexibility resulting from uncertainty about intratemporal trade-offs between goods. It explains the subtle mechanism which renders budgets useful commitments, their interaction with minimum-savings rules (another widely-studied form of commitment), and how budgeting depends on the intensity of self-control problems. This theory matches several empirical findings on personal budgeting. JEL CLASSIFICATION: D23, D82, D86, D91, E62, G31
A New Reconstruction Filter for Undersampled Light Fields

This paper builds on previous research in the light field area of image-based rendering. We present a new reconstruction filter that significantly reduces the “ghosting” artifacts seen in undersampled light fields, while preserving important high-fidelity features such as sharp object boundaries and view-dependent reflectance. By improving the rendering quality achievable from undersampled light fields, our method allows acceptable images to be generated from smaller image sets. We present both frequency and spatial domain justifications for our techniques. We also present a practical framework for implementing the reconstruction filter in multiple rendering passes. CR Categories: I.3.3 [Computer Graphics]: Picture/Image Generation ― Viewing algorithms; I.3.6 [Computer Graphics]: Methodologies and Techniques ― Graphics data structures and data types; I.4.1 [Image Processing and Computer Vision]: Digitization and Image Capture ― Sampling
Asparaginase pharmacokinetics after intensive polyethylene glycol-conjugated L-asparaginase therapy for children with relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

PURPOSE
Asparaginase therapy is an important component in the treatment of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Polyethylene glycol-conjugated asparaginase (PEG-ASNase) has significant pharmacological advantages over native Escherichia coli asparaginase. We investigated the pharmacokinetics of PEG-ASNase, presence of antibodies to PEG-ASNase, and concentrations of asparagine in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in combination chemotherapy for relapsed pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.


EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Twenty-eight pediatric patients with relapsed medullary (n = 16) and extramedullary (n = 11) acute lymphoblastic leukemia were enrolled at three pediatric institutions and had at least two serum and CSF samples obtained for analysis. Patients received induction therapy (including PEG-ASNase 2500 IU/m2 intramuscularly weekly on days 2, 9, 16, and 23) and intensification therapy (including PEG-ASNase 2500 IU/m2 intramuscularly once on day 7). Serum samples were obtained weekly during induction and intensification. CSF samples were obtained during therapeutic lumbar punctures during induction and intensification.


RESULTS
Weekly PEG-ASNase therapy resulted in PEG-ASNase activity of >0.1 IU/ml in 91-100% of patients throughout induction. During intensification, PEG-ASNase on day 7 resulted in PEG-ASNase activity >0.1 IU/ml in 94% and 80% of patients on days 14 and 21, respectively. Serum and CSF asparagine depletion was observed and maintained during induction and intensification in the majority of samples. PEG-ASNase antibody was observed in only 3 patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Intensive PEG-ASNase therapy in the treatment of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia reliably results in high-level serum PEG-ASNase activity, and asparagine depletion in serum and CSF is usually achieved. Incorporation of intensive PEG-ASNase in future trials for recurrent acute lymphoblastic leukemia is warranted.
Pattern of medical waste management: existing scenario in Dhaka City, Bangladesh

BACKGROUND
Medical waste is infectious and hazardous. It poses serious threats to environmental health and requires specific treatment and management prior to its final disposal. The problem is growing with an ever-increasing number of hospitals, clinics, and diagnostic laboratories in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. However, research on this critical issue has been very limited, and there is a serious dearth of information for planning. This paper seeks to document the handling practice of waste (e.g. collection, storage, transportation and disposal) along with the types and amount of wastes generated by Health Care Establishments (HCE). A total of 60 out of the existing 68 HCE in the study areas provided us with relevant information.


METHODS
The methodology for this paper includes empirical field observation and field-level data collection through inventory, questionnaire survey and formal and informal interviews. A structured questionnaire was designed to collect information addressing the generation of different medical wastes according to amount and sources from different HCE. A number of in-depth interviews were arranged to enhance our understanding of previous and existing management practice of medical wastes. A number of specific questions were asked of nurses, hospital managers, doctors, and cleaners to elicit their knowledge. The collected data with the questionnaire survey were analysed, mainly with simple descriptive statistics; while the qualitative mode of analysis is mainly in narrative form.


RESULTS
The paper shows that the surveyed HCE generate a total of 5,562 kg/day of wastes, of which about 77.4 per cent are non-hazardous and about 22.6 per cent are hazardous. The average waste generation rate for the surveyed HCE is 1.9 kg/bed/day or 0.5 kg/patient/day. The study reveals that there is no proper, systematic management of medical waste except in a few private HCE that segregate their infectious wastes. Some cleaners were found to salvage used sharps, saline bags, blood bags and test tubes for resale or reuse.


CONCLUSION
The paper reveals that lack of awareness, appropriate policy and laws, and willingness are responsible for the improper management of medical waste in Dhaka City. The paper also shows that a newly designed medical waste management system currently serves a limited number of HCE. New facilities should be established for the complete management of medical waste in Dhaka City.
Pattern Recognition and Image Analysis

This paper presents an enhancement to the recent framework of histogram aggregation [1], that enables to improve the matching accuracy while preserving a low computational complexity. The original algorithm uses a fronto-parallel support window for cost aggregation, which leads to inaccurate results in the presence of significant surface slant. We address the problem by considering a pre-defined set of discrete orientation hypotheses for the aggregation window. It is shown that a single orientation hypothesis in the Disparity Space Image is usually representative of a large interval of possible 3D slants, and that handling slant in the disparity space has the advantage of avoiding visibility issues. We also propose a fast recognition scheme in the Disparity Space Image volume for selecting the most likely orientation hypothesis for aggregation. The experiments clearly prove the effectiveness of the approach.
Scalar Ratings Of Contempt Expressions

This article reports two studies examining the recognition of unilateral lip raise and tighten expressions as contempt using scalar ratings on multiple emotion categories. Study 1 demonstrated that American and Japanese observers see these expressions as contempt, that the Japanese had significantly higher recognition rates, and that this difference occurred because Americans gave the anger and disgust labels higher ratings than did the Japanese. Study 2 replicated the finding that Americans see the contempt expressions as contempt, and did so regardless of whether they rated the external display of the expression or made an attribution about the internal experience of the expressor. This study is the first to show that native English speakers judge the contempt expressions as contempt using this task, although much inconsistency in judgments of contempt remains unexplained.
The effect of breathing exercises on the fatigue levels of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

AIM
to assess the effect of breathing exercises on fatigue level of the patients with COPD.


METHODS
this quasi-experimental research was conducted on 60 COPD patients hospitalized at hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The subjects were randomized into "experience" and "control" groups. Data were gathered by interview and data registration from the files. The data gathering tools were questionnaires, fatigue severity scale (FSS) and respiratory exercise usage checklist. The data were analyzed using SPSS software with the descriptive and deductive statistical methods (Paired-T, Chi-Square and Pearson correlation tests).


RESULTS
the average fatigue severity before (55.766) and after (40.166) using the respiratory exercises in the experience group (p=0%) was significantly different. While in the control group (p=0.002) before (54.166) and after (52.200) the study has a slight difference. There was a significant inverse correlation between using respiratory exercises and fatigue severity (r=-0.593, p=0.001). Mean fatigue intensity for the experience and control groups decreased to 40.916 ± 14.4 and 52.20 ± 8.539 after the study, respectively (p=0.001). There was a significant difference in fatigue severity between experience and control groups after the study.


CONCLUSION
respiratory exercise is effective in reducing the fatigue in the patients with COPD.
The California Endowment's Healthy Eating, Active Communities program: a midpoint review.

OBJECTIVES
We conducted a midpoint review of The California Endowment's Healthy Eating, Active Communities (HEAC) program, which works in 6 low-income California communities to prevent childhood obesity by changing children's environments. The HEAC program conducts interventions in 5 key childhood environments: schools, after-school programs, neighborhoods, health care, and marketing and advertising.


METHODS
We measured changes in foods and beverages sold at schools and in neighborhoods in HEAC sites; changes in school and after-school physical activity programming and equipment; individual-level changes in children's attitudes and behaviors related to food and physical activity; and HEAC-related awareness and engagement on the part of community members, stakeholders, and policymakers.


RESULTS
Children's environments changed to promote healthier lifestyles across a wide range of domains in all 5 key childhood environments for all 6 HEAC communities. Children in HEAC communities are also engaging in more healthy behaviors than they were before the program's implementation.


CONCLUSIONS
HEAC sites successfully changed children's food and physical activity environments, making a healthy lifestyle a more viable option for low-income children and their families.