bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
From Shape from Shading to Object Recognition
Authors: Ortega Ana , Shah Mubarak 
Published: July 2003

Recognition of objects is one of the main goals of computer vision. Several approaches have been proposed to solve this problem using 3-D shapes. In most of them it is assumed that the 3-D shape (depth map) is available. Several object recognition systems use range images to extract the 3-D shape. We present a method that uses a shape from shading algorithm to perform 3-D object recognition for simple objects. This method extracts the 3-D information from a single intensity image, then segments the object into regions. After computing the properties of the regions, it compares the input object with the model objects in the database. To test our method, several images with slightly different viewing angles of single objects are matched against five models in the database.
Empirical Comparison of Various Discretization Procedures
Authors: Berka Petr , Bruha Ivan 
Published: July 2003

The genuine symbolic machine learning (ML) algorithms are capable of processing symbolic, categorial data only. However, real-world problems, e.g. in medicine or finance, involve both symbolic and numerical attributes. Therefore, there is an important issue of ML to discretize (categorize) numerical attributes. There exist quite a few discretization procedures in the ML field. This paper describes two newer algorithms for categorization (discretization) of numerical attributes. The first one is implemented in the KEX (Knowledge EXplorer) as its preprocessing procedure. Its idea is to discretize the numerical attributes in such a way that the resulting categorization corresponds to KEX knowledge acquisition algorithm. Since the categorization for KEX is done "off-line" before using the KEX machine learning algorithm, it can be used as a preprocessing step for other machine learning algorithms, too. The other discretization procedure is implemented in CN4, a large extension of the well-known CN2 machine learning algorithm. The range of numerical attributes is divided into intervals that may form a complex generated by the algorithm as a part of the class description. Experimental results show a comparison of performance of KEX and CN4 on some well-known ML databases. To make the comparison more exhibitory, we also used the discretization procedure of the MLC++ library. Other ML algorithms such as ID3 and C4.5 were run under our experiments, too. Then, the results are compared and discussed.
Recent Developments in Chaotic Time Series Analysis
Authors: Lai Ying-Cheng , Ye Nong 
Published: July 2003

In this paper, two issues are addressed: (1) the applicability of the delay-coordinate embedding method to transient chaotic time series analysis, and (2) the Hilbert transform methodology for chaotic signal processing.A common practice in chaotic time series analysis has been to reconstruct the phase space by utilizing the delay-coordinate embedding technique, and then to compute dynamical invariant quantities of interest such as unstable periodic orbits, the fractal dimension of the underlying chaotic set, and its Lyapunov spectrum. As a large body of literature exists on applying the technique to time series from chaotic attractors, a relatively unexplored issue is its applicability to dynamical systems that exhibit transient chaos. Our focus will be on the analysis of transient chaotic time series. We will argue and provide numerical support that the current delay-coordinate embedding techniques for extracting unstable periodic orbits, for estimating the fractal dimension, and for computing the Lyapunov exponents can be readily adapted to transient chaotic time series.A technique that is gaining an increasing attention is the Hilbert transform method for signal processing in nonlinear systems. The general goal of the Hilbert method is to assess the spectrum of the instantaneous frequency associated with the underlying dynamical process. To obtain physically meaningful results, it is necessary for the signal to possess a proper rotational structure in the complex plane of the analytic signal constructed by the original signal and its Hilbert transform. We will describe a recent decomposition procedure for this task and apply the technique to chaotic signals. We will also provide an example to demonstrate that the methodology can be useful for addressing some fundamental problems in chaotic dynamics.
Vantages in a Word Field: Variably Distributed Attention to Similarity
Authors: MacLaury Robert 
Published: July 2003

AbstractDistributed attention to similarity and difference is critical to maintaining relations among categories in a semantic field. And this distribution determines the lower and upper number of such categories, although numbers will differ in accord with selected properties on which the categories are based. The determining constraint is the total amount of attention that a person will normally devote to similarity and difference, which is proposed to be universal. Vantage theory provides the explanatory framework, by which the distribution is actively managed by a person who, as with any system so managed, will perform effectively or dysfunctionally. Occasional aberration suggests that people indeed are involved in their cognitive systems. Vantage theory, too, then models how distributed attention may go amiss.
Situatedness: The Interplay between Context(s) and Situation
Authors: Rohlfing Katharina , Rehm Matthias , Goecke Karl Ulrich 
Published: July 2003

Abstract
In order to interpret the behaviour of cognitive systems, the integration into their specific cultural environment must be considered. The phenomenon of situatedness is a crucial determinant of this behaviour. We derive the notion of situatedness from the interplay between agent, situation, and context (divided into inter- and intracontext). The main objective of this paper is to connect a theoretical analysis of situatedness with its implications for empirical research. In particular, we consider processes of situated learning in natural and artificial systems.
Essentialism, Power and Cultural Psychology of Gender
Authors: Mahalingam Ramaswami , Rodriguez Joel 
Published: July 2003

Abstract
This paper describes the results of our study of folk theories of Americans (N = 147) and Indians (Brahmins, N = 93; Dalits, N = 93), using a brain transplant paradigm. We found significant cultural differences between Americans and Indians (p < .001). The majority of Americans believed that a brain transplant would result in change in gender behavior whereas the majority of Indians, particularly Brahmin males, believed that a brain transplant would change only the gender behavior of men not women. Qualitative analysis of open-ended responses found that American men believed in the computational model of identity, whereas American women believed in the distributed notion of identity. Among Indians, Brahmin males believed in the biological notion of identity more than any other group.
National Constitutions and Human Rights Issues in Africa
Authors: Udogu E. Ike 
Published: July 2003

AbstractPhilosophers such as Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke and Marx, in the European context, and Dubois, Cabral, Fanon, and Ake, in the African political situation investigated and worked on modalities for constructing "the good political life" for human beings in a society with some success in the Occident and limited outcome in Africa. In the latter, the postcolonial period was marked by political competition over the control of the apparatus of power, the problems of human rights and political legitimacy, inter alia. Indeed, provisions were made in the constitution intended to assuage some of these conflictive problems. One such measure was the respect for human rights. The purpose of this essay is to show, concisely, how African governments have not always implemented human rights instruments contained in their constitutions, and to suggest ways that they might, in order to further stability in the area.
Chieftaincy in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects in the 21st Century
Authors: Boafo-Arthur Kwame 
Published: July 2003

AbstractThe paper delineates what is seen as key challenges to the chieftaincy institution in Ghana. Historical challenges in the form of colonial attempts to sidestep the institution and the attempts by the immediate post independence governments to subjugate and divest them of their economic strength through drastic laws, never cowed the institution. Currently, the 1992 Fourth Republic Constitution bars chiefs from participating in partisan politics thus infringing on their inalienable right of free association. The responses of chiefs to current challenges include the setting up of education funds, participating in HIV/AIDS education, and sensitizing the people on the dangers of environmental degradation. In sum, the noted resilience of the institution will once more assist in containing the challenges to the institution in the 21st century.
The Invisible Hand of the Royal Family in the Political Dynamics of Swaziland
Authors: Sihlongonyane Mfaniseni Fana 
Published: July 2003

AbstractWhy does Swaziland remain authoritarian despite the democratic political changes that have occurred in the other parts of the African continent since the 1990s? Does it mean that Swaziland is immune to political change? The answers to these questions are diverse and wide-ranging from the international relations view to the radical perspectives and to the functionalist view. But the tendency of these views is to analyse Swazi politics according to historically constructed and particularised contexts and dynamics without fusing the wide-ranging factors that play various roles in the politics of the country. One of the major assumptions by these views is that the state (royal family) and the nation (subjects) are the same as was the case in the pre-colonial period and that the state has a sole privilege to cultural instrumentalism. These views therefore have a tendency to explain political change in terms of class structure and capital relations without taking the multifunctional dimensions of culture into consideration. This paper brings together the various views to explain political resistance in the country in terms of a cleavage between the state and the nation. It provides a historical overview of the political transformation in the country within a framework of cultural nationalism. The thrust of the paper is to look at how the royal family has survived between a primordial and constructivist perspective to political change from the colonial to the post-colonial period. It subjects both the incumbent and the opposition onto a critical analysis and points out a possible direction for political resolve.
A General Review of the Conceptual Dimensions of Quality of Leisure, Tourism, and Sports with a Particular Focus on Iran
Authors: Sheykhi Mohammad Taghi 
Published: July 2003

AbstractThe paper explores how quality of life is influenced by leisure, tourism, and sports. While these three concepts are counted as the cultural needs of the current industrial and especially urban life, they are not well-provided in many parts of the Third World. While working hours are shortened in the industrial world, followed by provision of leisure and tourism, leisure opportunities are less prevalent in the developing world including many parts of Asia. It should be kept in mind that changes in the quantitative aspects of such concepts lead to qualitative change in any society. This trinity, which also leads to modernization and development, acts as an economic multiplier as well. Today, while the industrial countries invest on employment, they simultaneously do the same on leisure time and sports. Under the overall conditions, the developing countries, including Iran, have yet a long way to go.
The Unfulfilled Project of the Model Mental Hospital in Spain: Fifty Years of the Santa Isabel Madhouse, Leganés (1851-1900)
Authors: Villasante Olga , Dening Dr Tom 
Published: July 2003

The scant attention paid to the mentally ill by the Spanish Administration in the nineteenth century was reflected in the country's run-down and overcrowded mental hospitals. It was not until the reign of Isabel II (1843-1869) that Provincial Councils (Diputaciones) officially took responsibility for the insane. In 1851 the Santa Isabel Madhouse in Leganés (Madrid), was opened as a National Mental Hospital. Several projects attempted to classify it as `a model home for the disturbed'. The aim of the paper is to offer new data on the first fifty years of the institution (1851-1900). Original manuscripts from the National Historical Archive (Madrid) and criticisms published in the press are discussed. Various plans to improve the old building - as well as requests for assistance from the institution to the Administration - were repeatedly unsuccessful, and the institution was insufficient to provide national cover. The appointment of the celebrated psychiatrist Luis Simarro (1851-1921) as department head brought no improvement. At the end of the century, the Leganés Mental Hospital was far from being a `modern and model' establishment, and it had become a charity and an asylum.
Controlling Legionnaire's Disease
Authors: Brundrett Geoffrey 
Published: July 2003

Legionnaires' disease is a rare but life threatening form of pneumonia caused by inhalation of fine water droplets contaminated with Legionella bacteria. In the urban environment the disease is usually associated with poor building design, inappropriate construction and/or negligent maintenance of the water services within buildings. It is therefore effectively a man-made disease, which is normally preventable. Fortunately, most people exposed to the bacterium do not develop the disease: it is a disease of susceptibility. Predisposing factors are age above 50 years, males (a 3-fold excess over females), smoking and the existence of an underlying illness. Britain was among the first countries to introduce legislation and technical guidance to minimise the risk of Legionellosis. This paper describes current good practice in assessing the risk. A recent review of compliance shows that employers should give more attention to the maintenance of their buildings. The starting point is to nominate a person at managerial level to accept responsibility for water hygiene within the company.
Microsporidia Infection in Immunologically Compromised Hospitalised Patients
Authors: Čisláková L. , Halánová M. 
Published: July 2003

Microsporidia Encephalitozoon cuniculi, an obligate intracellular spore-forming protozoan parasite infecting a wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate hosts, has been described as an opportunistic pathogen in severely immuno-compromised human hosts. An antibody immune response to the presence of antibodies against E. cuniculi was investigated serologically using an indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT). Of the total number of 113 sera from immunologically compromised patients examined, 16 were positive at the titre 1:32, which represented 14.1%. 11 people were positive at the titre 1:64 also, and 6 at the titre 1:256. From the 14.1% people who tested positive 12 were children and 4 adults.
Hygiene Problems in the Building and Technical Equipping of Hospital Surgery Departments
Authors: Nosková Tana , Voleková Janka , Sobotová Ĺubica 
Published: July 2003

If operations are performed in operating theatres that have been poorly rebuilt and badly technically equipped and managed there may be hygiene and technical problems that could cause considerable problems for users and their controlling authorities. These problems include the need to provide aseptic working conditions in operating theatres to prevent nosocomial infections and possible risk of damage to the health of the surgical team. It is also important to ensure good air quality, thermal and sound comfort and correct illumination within the rooms and for the various technical devices. All these factors may affect the condition and performance of operating theatres. With our long experience in this field, we would like to highlight some of the commonly repeated mistakes which building engineers and air conditioning technicians as well as surgical teams and management should avoid and which could be eliminated to improve hygienic environmental standards in surgical departments. Common problems include not keeping to the rules of zoning in operating theatres and other rooms in surgical departments. Crossing from clean to dirty areas around the operating spaces and involvement of other staff work and materials should be avoided. Technical measures for air decontamination should be devised especially for the air evacuation zone of operating rooms. Pollution of rest room indoor air by cigarette smoke from smokers in the operating team should be prevented.
Hospital Waste Treatment and Disposal in the General University Hospital - Current Situation and Future Challenges
Authors: Bencko V. , Kapek J. , Vinš O. 
Published: July 2003

The General Hospital of Prague, together with a maternity home, foundling hospital and hospice was established in 1790 under the so called “directive rules” issued by Josef II in 1781. At the time of its opening there were 300 beds and now the number varies from 1800 to 2000 beds.The present General University Hospital (GUH) is inevitably a producer of waste and must organise the management of this in all of its premises and departments in an acceptable non-noxious manner. From an ecological point of view it is important to separate the various kinds of waste produced which must then be kept in safe containers at selected places, protected against degradation, obstruction and leakage. Since, at the present time the GUH possesses neither an incinerator nor disposal site facilities. The different hospital waste fractions are taken by specialised companies responsible for its treatment and final disposal.Proper separation of waste has an important influence on the hospital budget. While the price of the mixed communal waste disposal is now approximately 2200 CZK (75 Euro) per tonne the specific sanitary hospital waste treatment costs 7800 CZK (260 Euro) per tonne. For this reason the GUH has its own internal directive with rules for handling all kinds of waste. According to this directive one person is nominated as responsible for waste treatment to manage the hospital waste at each work place, clinic and institute. The management of all of the hospital waste is the responsibility of the operational division of the hospital. The directive lists basic rules for safety, personal protection and emergency measures in case of accidents. This directive is part of the hospital operating instructions, based on the requirements of law No. 258/2000 on the Protection of Public Health, Waste Management Act No 185/2001 and the Methodological Instruction of the Ministry of Health of the Czech Republic issued in 2001. The expected development of present practices and future challenges in this field are discussed.
Allografting with nonmyeloablative conditioning following cytoreductive autografts for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma
Authors: Maloney David G. , Molina Arthur J. , Sahebi Firoozeh , Stockerl-Goldstein Keith E. , Sandmaier Brenda M. , Bensinger William , Storer Barry , Hegenbart Ute , Somlo George , Chauncey Thomas , Bruno Benedetto , Appelbaum Frederick R. , Blume Karl G. , Forman Stephen J. , McSweeney Peter , Storb Rainer 
Published: July 2003

AbstractThe full potential of a graft-versusmyeloma effect after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) for patients with multiple myeloma (MM) has not been realized because of excessive early transplantation-related mortality (TRM) with conventional HCT. Autologous HCTs have been characterized by almost universal disease recurrences. The current trial combined autologous HCT with subsequent nonmyeloablative allogeneic HCT to maintain the benefits of both approaches with acceptable toxicity. Fifty-four patients, 52 years of age (median; range, 29-71 years), with previously treated stage II or III MM (52% refractory or relapsed disease) were given melphalan 200 mg/m2 and autologous HC transplants. Regimen-related toxicities after autologous HCT were moderate with a median of 6 days of neutropenia, 7 days of hospitalization, and 1 death from infection. Forty to 229 days later (median, 62 days), 52 patients received a single fraction dose of 2 Gy total body irradiation and HC transplants from HLA-identical siblings with postgrafting immunosuppression with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and cyclosporine (CSP). Patients experienced medians of 0 days of hospitalization, neutropenia, and thrombocytopenia. Sustained engraftment was uniform. With a median follow-up of 552 days after allografting, overall survival is 78%. One patient (2%) died before day 100 from disease progression. Thirty-eight percent of patients developed acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD; grade II in all but 4 cases) and 46% chronic GVHD requiring therapy. Tumor responses occurred slowly. Thus far, 57% of patients have achieved complete remissions and 26% have achieved partial remissions for an overall response of 83%. Despite being evaluated in elderly patients with MM, this 2-step approach has reduced the acute toxicities of allogeneic HCT while achieving potent antitumor activities.
STAT1 mediates differentiation of chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells in response to Bryostatin 1
Authors: Battle Traci E. , Frank David A. 
Published: July 2003

AbstractBryostatin 1 is known to exhibit in vitro and in vivo activity against chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells by inducing their further maturation into plasmalike cells. Signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT) proteins play a central role in B-lymphocyte growth and function and are aberrantly phosphorylated on serine residues in CLL cells. To determine whether STAT transcription factors are important in Bryostatin 1–induced differentiation of CLL cells, primary CLL cells were examined for signaling events following exposure to Bryostatin 1 in vitro. Western analysis and electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that Bryostatin 1 induced tyrosine phosphorylation and DNA binding of STAT1, yet there was no effect on constitutive serine phosphorylation of STAT1. Bryostatin 1–induced STAT1 activation occurred in a manner that was dependent on protein kinase C (PKC), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and Janus tyrosine kinase (JAK) activation. Evidence indicates that Bryostatin 1 induces STAT1 activation through an interferon γ (IFNγ) autocrine loop. However, STAT1 activation by IFNγ stimulation alone was not sufficient to induce differentiation. This insufficiency is due to the broader effect on gene expression caused by Bryostatin 1 compared with IFNγ, as demonstrated by microarray analysis. Both up-regulation of CD22 expression and immunoglobulin M (IgM) production, markers of CLL differentiation, were inhibited by a decoy oligonucleotide for STAT1, indicating that STAT1 is necessary for Bryostatin 1–induced differentiation of CLL cells. This study implicates STAT transcription factors as important mediators of Bryostatin 1–induced differentiation of CLL cells and could possibly lead to improved therapeutic approaches for the treatment of CLL.