Automatic detection of diabetic foot complications with infrared thermography by asymmetric analysis

Early identification of diabetic foot complications and their precursors is essential in preventing their devastating consequences, such as foot infection and amputation. Frequent, automatic risk assessment by an intelligent telemedicine system might be feasible and cost effective. Infrared thermography is a promising modality for such a system. The temperature differences between corresponding areas on contralateral feet are the clinically significant parameters. This asymmetric analysis is hindered by (1) foot segmentation errors, especially when the foot temperature and the ambient temperature are comparable, and by (2) different shapes and sizes between contralateral feet due to deformities or minor amputations. To circumvent the first problem, we used a color image and a thermal image acquired synchronously. Foot regions, detected in the color image, were rigidly registered to the thermal image. This resulted in 97.8% ± 1.1% sensitivity and 98.4% ± 0.5% specificity over 76 high-risk diabetic patients with manual annotation as a reference. Nonrigid landmark-based registration with Bsplines solved the second problem. Corresponding points in the two feet could be found regardless of the shapes and sizes of the feet. With that, the temperature difference of the left and right feet could be obtained.

Investigating interocclusal perception in tactile teeth sensibility using symmetric and asymmetric analysis

The purpose of this clinical trial was to determine the active tactile sensibility of natural teeth and to obtain a statistical analysis method fitting a psychometric function through the observed data points. On 68 complete dentulous test persons (34 males, 34 females, mean age 45.9 ± 16.1 years), one pair of healthy natural teeth each was tested: n = 24 anterior teeth and n = 44 posterior teeth. The computer-assisted, randomized measurement was done by having the subjects bite on thin copper foils of different thickness (5-200 µm) inserted between the teeth. The threshold of active tactile sensibility was defined by the 50% value of correct answers. Additionally, the gradient of the sensibility curve and the support area (90-10% value) as a description of the shape of the sensibility curve were calculated. For modeling the sensibility curve, symmetric and asymmetric functions were used. The mean sensibility threshold was 14.2 ± 12.1 µm. The older the subject, the higher the tactile threshold (r = 0.42, p = 0.0006). The support area was 41.8 ± 43.3 µm. The higher the 50% threshold, the smaller the gradient of the curve and the larger the support area. The curves showing the active tactile sensibility of natural teeth demonstrate a tendency towards asymmetry, so that the active tactile sensibility of natural teeth can mathematically best be described by using the asymmetric Weibull function.

Asymmetric Synthesis and Absolute Configuration of (+)- and (–)-Perhexiline

Peer reviewed

Asymmetric Synthesis and Absolute Configuration of (+)- and (–)-Perhexiline

Peer reviewed

L’arbre de régression multivariable et les modèles linéaires généralisés revisités : applications à l’étude de la diversité bêta et à l’estimation de la biomasse d’arbres tropicaux

En écologie, dans le cadre par exemple d’études des services fournis par les écosystèmes, les modélisations descriptive, explicative et prédictive ont toutes trois leur place distincte. Certaines situations bien précises requièrent soit l’un soit l’autre de ces types de modélisation ; le bon choix s’impose afin de pouvoir faire du modèle un usage conforme aux objectifs de l’étude. Dans le cadre de ce travail, nous explorons dans un premier temps le pouvoir explicatif de l’arbre de régression multivariable (ARM). Cette méthode de modélisation est basée sur un algorithme récursif de bipartition et une méthode de rééchantillonage permettant l’élagage du modèle final, qui est un arbre, afin d’obtenir le modèle produisant les meilleures prédictions. Cette analyse asymétrique à deux tableaux permet l’obtention de groupes homogènes d’objets du tableau réponse, les divisions entre les groupes correspondant à des points de coupure des variables du tableau explicatif marquant les changements les plus abrupts de la réponse. Nous démontrons qu’afin de calculer le pouvoir explicatif de l’ARM, on doit définir un coefficient de détermination ajusté dans lequel les degrés de liberté du modèle sont estimés à l’aide d’un algorithme. Cette estimation du coefficient de détermination de la population est pratiquement non biaisée. Puisque l’ARM sous-tend des prémisses de discontinuité alors que l’analyse canonique de redondance (ACR) modélise des gradients linéaires continus, la comparaison de leur pouvoir explicatif respectif permet entre autres de distinguer quel type de patron la réponse suit en fonction des variables explicatives. La comparaison du pouvoir explicatif entre l’ACR et l’ARM a été motivée par l’utilisation extensive de l’ACR afin d’étudier la diversité bêta. Toujours dans une optique explicative, nous définissons une nouvelle procédure appelée l’arbre de régression multivariable en cascade (ARMC) qui permet de construire un modèle tout en imposant un ordre hiérarchique aux hypothèses à l’étude. Cette nouvelle procédure permet d’entreprendre l’étude de l’effet hiérarchisé de deux jeux de variables explicatives, principal et subordonné, puis de calculer leur pouvoir explicatif. L’interprétation du modèle final se fait comme dans une MANOVA hiérarchique. On peut trouver dans les résultats de cette analyse des informations supplémentaires quant aux liens qui existent entre la réponse et les variables explicatives, par exemple des interactions entres les deux jeux explicatifs qui n’étaient pas mises en évidence par l’analyse ARM usuelle. D’autre part, on étudie le pouvoir prédictif des modèles linéaires généralisés en modélisant la biomasse de différentes espèces d’arbre tropicaux en fonction de certaines de leurs mesures allométriques. Plus particulièrement, nous examinons la capacité des structures d’erreur gaussienne et gamma à fournir les prédictions les plus précises. Nous montrons que pour une espèce en particulier, le pouvoir prédictif d’un modèle faisant usage de la structure d’erreur gamma est supérieur. Cette étude s’insère dans un cadre pratique et se veut un exemple pour les gestionnaires voulant estimer précisément la capture du carbone par des plantations d’arbres tropicaux. Nos conclusions pourraient faire partie intégrante d’un programme de réduction des émissions de carbone par les changements d’utilisation des terres.

Analysis of microstructure and texture evolution in pure magnesium during symmetric and asymmetric rolling

Asymmetric rolling of commercially pure magnesium was carried out at three different temperatures: room temperature, 200 degrees C and 350 degrees C. Systematic analysis of microstructures, grain size distributions, texture and misorientation distributions were performed using electron backscattered diffraction in a field emission gun scanning electron microscope. The results were compared with conventional (symmetric) rolling carried out under the same conditions of temperature and strain rate. Simulations of deformation texture evolution were performed using the viscoplastic self-consistent polycrystal plasticity model. The main trends of texture evolution are faithfully reproduced by the simulations for the tests at room temperature. The deviations that appear for the textures obtained at high temperature can be explained by the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization. Finally, the mechanisms of texture evolution in magnesium during asymmetric and symmetric rolling are explained with the help of ideal orientations, grain velocity fields and divergence maps displayed in orientation space.

Alkene selenenylation: A comprehensive analysis of relative reactivities, stereochemistry and asymmetric induction, and their comparisons with sulfenylation

A broad perspective of various factors influencing alkene selenenylation has been developed by concurrent detailed analysis of key experimental and theoretical data, such as asymmetric induction, stereochemistry, relative reactivities, and comparison with that of alkene sulfenylation. Alkyl group branching a to the double bond was shown to have the greatest effect on alkene reactivity and the stereochemical outcome of corresponding addition reactions. This is in sharp contrast with other additions to alkenes, which depend more on the degree of substitution on C=C or upon substituent electronic effects. Electronic and steric effects influencing asymmetric induction, stereochemistry, regiochemistry, and relative reactivities in the addition of PhSeOTf to alkenes are compared and contrasted with those of PhSCl.

Asymmetric conservation benefits of circle hooks in multispecies billfish recreational fisheries: a synthesis of hook performance and analysis of blue marlin (Makaira nigricans) postrelease survival

We evaluated the conservation benefits of the use of circle hooks compared with standard J hooks in the recreational fishery for Atlantic istiophorid billfishes, noting hooking location and the presence of trauma (bleeding) for 123 blue marlin (Makaira nigricans), 272 white marlin (Kajikia albida), and 132 sailfish (Istiophorus platypterus) caught on natural baits rigged with one of the two hook types. In addition, we used pop-up satellite archival tags (PSATs) to follow the fate of 61 blue marlin caught on natural baits rigged with circle hooks or on a combination of artificial lure and natural bait rigged with J hooks. The frequencies of internal hooking locations and bleeding were significantly lower with circle hooks than with J hooks for each of the three species and were significantly reduced for blue marlin caught on J hooks than for white marlin and sailfish taken on the same hook type. Analysis of the data received from 59 PSATs (two tags released prematurely) indicated no mortalities among the 29 blue marlin caught on circle hooks and two mortalities among the 30 blue marlin caught on J hooks (6.7%). Collectively, the hook location and PSAT data revealed that blue marlin, like white marlin and sailfish, derive substantial conservation benefits from the use of circle hooks, and the negative impacts of J hooks are significantly reduced for blue marlin relative to the other two species.

Performance analysis of a metro WDM ring networks with variable-length packets under symmetric and asymmetric traffic

In this paper, we discuss and evaluate two proposed metro wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) ring network architectures for variable-length packet traffic in storage area networks (SANs) settings. The paper begins with a brief review of the relevant architectures and protocols in the literature. Subsequently, the network architectures along with their medium access control (MAC) protocols are described. Performance of the two network architectures is studied by means of computer simulation in terms of their queuing delay, node throughput and proportion of packets dropped. The network performance is evaluated under symmetric and asymmetric traffic scenarios with Poisson and self-similar traffic. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Asymmetric information without common priors: an indirect evolutionary analysis of quantity competition

The common prior assumption justifies private beliefs as posterior probabilities when updating a common prior based on individual information. We dispose of the common prior assumption for a homogeneous oligopoly market with uncertain costs and firms entertaining arbitrary priors about other firms' cost-type. We show that true prior beliefs can not be evolutionarily stable when truly expected profit measures (reproductive) success.