Standardized evaluation methodology and reference database for evaluating IVUS image segmentation

This paper describes an evaluation framework that allows a standardized and quantitative comparison of IVUS lumen and media segmentation algorithms. This framework has been introduced at the MICCAI 2011 Computing and Visualization for (Intra)Vascular Imaging (CVII) workshop, comparing the results of eight teams that participated. We describe the available data-base comprising of multi-center, multi-vendor and multi-frequency IVUS datasets, their acquisition, the creation of the reference standard and the evaluation measures. The approaches address segmentation of the lumen, the media, or both borders; semi- or fully-automatic operation; and 2-D vs. 3-D methodology. Three performance measures for quantitative analysis have been proposed. The results of the evaluation indicate that segmentation of the vessel lumen and media is possible with an accuracy that is comparable to manual annotation when semi-automatic methods are used, as well as encouraging results can be obtained also in case of fully-automatic segmentation. The analysis performed in this paper also highlights the challenges in IVUS segmentation that remains to be solved.

Database Marketing from the Customer Relationship ManagementPerspective

Tietokantamarkkinointi voi olla vain apuväline markkinointitoimenpiteiden suorittamisessa, mutta se voidaan toisaalta nähdä myös olennaisena osana asiakassuhdehallintaa. Tietokantamarkkinointi asiakassuhdehallinnan näkökulmasta tähtää asiakastyytyväisyyteen ja asiakasuskollisuuteen, sekä asiakassuhteen tuottavuuteen ja kannattavuuteen, mikä voidaan saavuttaa tehokkaan tiedonhallinnan avulla. Tämä mahdollistaa räätälöityjen toimenpiteiden suorittamisen ja tehostaa kohdentamista ja segmentointia, myös asiakkaiden tuottavuuden perusteella. Normatiivinen case-tutkimus, joka tehtiin Alankomaissa Eurooppalaisessa tietotekniikan lisäarvoa tuottavassa jälleenmyyntikanavassa osoittaa, että tietokantamarkkinointi etenkin asiakas- suhdehallinnan näkökulmasta olisi sopiva keino lisätä asiakastyytyväisyyttä ja –tuottavuutta. Se myös tehostaisi sisäisiä tietovirtoja ja markkinointitoimenpiteitä, kuten esimerkiksi markkinointiviestintää, kampanjanhallintaa ja myyntiprosesseja yritysten välisessä kaupankäynnissä.

Offset-print mottling measurement using machine vision

Mottling is one of the key defects in offset-printing. Mottling can be defined as unwanted unevenness of print. In this work, diameter of a mottle spot is defined between 0.5-10.0 mm. There are several types of mottling, but the reason behind the problem is still not fully understood. Several commercial machine vision products for the evaluation of print unevenness have been presented. Two of these methods used in these products have been implemented in this thesis. The one is the cluster method and the other is the band-pass method. The properties of human vision system have been taken into account in the implementation of these two methods. An index produced by the cluster method is a weighted sum of the number of found spots, and an index produced by band-pass method is a weighted sum of coefficients of variations of gray-levels for each spatial band. Both methods produce larger indices for visually poor samples, so they can discern good samples from the poor ones. The difference between the indices for good and poor samples is slightly larger produced by the cluster method. 11 However, without the samples evaluated by human experts, the goodness of these results is still questionable. This comparison will be left to the next phase of the project.

Impact of round-the-clock CSF Gram stain on empirical therapy for suspected central nervous system infections.

The impact of round-the-clock cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Gram stain on overnight empirical therapy for suspected central nervous system (CNS) infections was investigated. All consecutive overnight CSF Gram stains between 2006 and 2011 were included. The impact of a positive or a negative test on empirical therapy was evaluated and compared to other clinical and biological indications based on institutional guidelines. Bacterial CNS infection was documented in 51/241 suspected cases. Overnight CSF Gram stain was positive in 24/51. Upon validation, there were two false-positive and one false-negative results. The sensitivity and specificity were 41 and 99 %, respectively. All patients but one had other indications for empirical therapy than Gram stain alone. Upon obtaining the Gram result, empirical therapy was modified in 7/24, including the addition of an appropriate agent (1), addition of unnecessary agents (3) and simplification of unnecessary combination therapy (3/11). Among 74 cases with a negative CSF Gram stain and without formal indication for empirical therapy, antibiotics were withheld in only 29. Round-the-clock CSF Gram stain had a low impact on overnight empirical therapy for suspected CNS infections and was associated with several misinterpretation errors. Clinicians showed little confidence in CSF direct examination for simplifying or withholding therapy before definite microbiological results.

How we experience immersive virtual environments: the concept of presence and its measurement

This paper reviews the concept of presence in immersive virtual environments, the sense of being there signalled by people acting and responding realistically to virtual situations and events. We argue that presence is a unique phenomenon that must be distinguished from the degree of engagement, involvement in the portrayed environment. We argue that there are three necessary conditions for presence: the (a) consistent low latency sensorimotor loop between sensory data and proprioception; (b) statistical plausibility: images must be statistically plausible in relation to the probability distribution of images over natural scenes. A constraint on this plausibility is the level of immersion;(c) behaviour-response correlations: Presence may be enhanced and maintained over time by appropriate correlations between the state and behaviour of participants and responses within the environment, correlations that show appropriate responses to the activity of the participants. We conclude with a discussion of methods for assessing whether presence occurs, and in particular recommend the approach of comparison with ground truth and give some examples of this.

Visual Measurement and Modelling of Tool Wear in Rough Turning

Huolimatta korkeasta automaatioasteesta sorvausteollisuudessa, muutama keskeinen ongelma estää sorvauksen täydellisen automatisoinnin. Yksi näistä ongelmista on työkalun kuluminen. Tämä työ keskittyy toteuttamaan automaattisen järjestelmän kulumisen, erityisesti viistekulumisen, mittaukseen konenäön avulla. Kulumisen mittausjärjestelmä poistaa manuaalisen mittauksen tarpeen ja minimoi ajan, joka käytetään työkalun kulumisen mittaukseen. Mittauksen lisäksi tutkitaan kulumisen mallinnusta sekä ennustamista. Automaattinen mittausjärjestelmä sijoitettiin sorvin sisälle ja järjestelmä integroitiin onnistuneesti ulkopuolisten järjestelmien kanssa. Tehdyt kokeet osoittivat, että mittausjärjestelmä kykenee mittaamaan työkalun kulumisen järjestelmän oikeassa ympäristössä. Mittausjärjestelmä pystyy myös kestämään häiriöitä, jotka ovat konenäköjärjestelmille yleisiä. Työkalun kulumista mallinnusta tutkittiin useilla eri menetelmillä. Näihin kuuluivat muiden muassa neuroverkot ja tukivektoriregressio. Kokeet osoittivat, että tutkitut mallit pystyivät ennustamaan työkalun kulumisasteen käytetyn ajan perusteella. Parhaan tuloksen antoivat neuroverkot Bayesiläisellä regularisoinnilla.

Revising customer profitability measurement in a paper industry company

Tämän tutkimuksen tavoitteena oli selvittää, pitäisikö trimmihävikin kustannukset lisätä case yrityksen asiakaskannattavuuslaskelmaan. Trimmihävikin vaihtelua asiakkaiden välillä tutkittiin yhdellä case yrityksen tuotantolinjalla. Myös tilaustekijöiden sekä ajankohdan vaikutusta trimmihävikin määrään selvitettiin. Teoreettinen viitekehys rakennettiin asiakaskannattavuuden ja asiakassuhteiden johtamisen ympärille. Tutkimuksen empiirisessä osassa hyödynnettiin kvantitatiivista tutkimusmenetelmää ja tilastollisissa analyyseissä käytettiin laajaa aineistoa. Tulokset osoittivat, että trimmihävikin määrä vaihteli asiakkaiden kesken. Asiakkaista muodostettiin kolme klusteria. Näiden klustereiden tarkempi tutkiminen osoitti selvän yhteyden asiakkaan ostokäyttäytymisen ja trimmihävikin välillä. Lopuksi tutkimuksen tulosten hyödyntämismahdollisuuksia pohdittiin ja myös tutkimuksen rajoitukset tunnistettiin.

Phenol-Explorer 3.0: a major update of the Phenol-Explorer database to incorporate data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content

Polyphenols are a major class of bioactive phytochemicals whose consumption may play a role in the prevention of a number of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, type II diabetes and cancers. Phenol-Explorer, launched in 2009, is the only freely available web-based database on the content of polyphenols in food and their in vivo metabolism and pharmacokinetics. Here we report the third release of the database (Phenol-Explorer 3.0), which adds data on the effects of food processing on polyphenol contents in foods. Data on >100 foods, covering 161 polyphenols or groups of polyphenols before and after processing, were collected from 129 peer-reviewed publications and entered into new tables linked to the existing relational design. The effect of processing on polyphenol content is expressed in the form of retention factor coefficients, or the proportion of a given polyphenol retained after processing, adjusted for change in water content. The result is the first database on the effects of food processing on polyphenol content and, following the model initially defined for Phenol-Explorer, all data may be traced back to original sources. The new update will allow polyphenol scientists to more accurately estimate polyphenol exposure from dietary surveys. Database URL: http://www.phenol-explorer.eu

Objectively measured physical activity and sedentary time in youth: the International children's accelerometry database (ICAD).

BACKGROUND: Physical activity and sedentary behaviour in youth have been reported to vary by sex, age, weight status and country. However, supporting data are often self-reported and/or do not encompass a wide range of ages or geographical locations. This study aimed to describe objectively-measured physical activity and sedentary time patterns in youth. METHODS: The International Children's Accelerometry Database (ICAD) consists of ActiGraph accelerometer data from 20 studies in ten countries, processed using common data reduction procedures. Analyses were conducted on 27,637 participants (2.8-18.4 years) who provided at least three days of valid accelerometer data. Linear regression was used to examine associations between age, sex, weight status, country and physical activity outcomes. RESULTS: Boys were less sedentary and more active than girls at all ages. After 5 years of age there was an average cross-sectional decrease of 4.2 % in total physical activity with each additional year of age, due mainly to lower levels of light-intensity physical activity and greater time spent sedentary. Physical activity did not differ by weight status in the youngest children, but from age seven onwards, overweight/obese participants were less active than their normal weight counterparts. Physical activity varied between samples from different countries, with a 15-20 % difference between the highest and lowest countries at age 9-10 and a 26-28 % difference at age 12-13. CONCLUSIONS: Physical activity differed between samples from different countries, but the associations between demographic characteristics and physical activity were consistently observed. Further research is needed to explore environmental and sociocultural explanations for these differences.

Long-term outcomes following functional endoscopic sinus surgery in Samter's triad.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the long-term outcome of functional endoscopic sinus surgery for Samter's triad patients using an objective visual analogue scale and nasal endoscopy. METHOD: Using a retrospective database, 33 Samter's triad patients who underwent functional endoscopic sinus surgery were evaluated pre- and post-operatively between 1987 and 2007 in Hospital of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. RESULTS: A total of 33 patients participated in the study, and the mean follow-up period was 11.6 years (range 1.2-20 years). Patients were divided into two groups based on visual analogue scale scores of the five parameters with the greatest difference in intensity of symptoms between the beginning and end of follow up. Group 1 included patients with a mean visual analogue scale score of 6 and below at the end of follow up and group 2 included patients with a mean visual analogue scale score of more than 6. The only statistically significant difference noted between the two groups was the endonasal findings: stage III-IV polyposis was present in 1 out of 24 patients (4 per cent) in group 1 and in 5 out of 9 patients (56 per cent) in group 2. CONCLUSION: The results of our study indicate that functional endoscopic sinus surgery helps stabilise disease progression. Stage III-IV polyposis had a significant adverse effect on long-term outcome.

Use of the EpiNet database for observational study of status epilepticus in Auckland, New Zealand.

The EpiNet project has been established to facilitate investigator-initiated clinical research in epilepsy, to undertake epidemiological studies, and to simultaneously improve the care of patients who have records created within the EpiNet database. The EpiNet database has recently been adapted to collect detailed information regarding status epilepticus. An incidence study is now underway in Auckland, New Zealand in which the incidence of status epilepticus in the greater Auckland area (population: 1.5 million) will be calculated. The form that has been developed for this study can be used in the future to collect information for randomized controlled trials in status epilepticus. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled "Status Epilepticus".

Lidar measurement of surface melt for a temperate Alpine glacier at the seasonal and hourly scales

This study shows how a new generation of terrestrial laser scanners can be used to investigate glacier surface ablation and other elements of glacial hydrodynamics at exceptionally high spatial and temporal resolution. The study area is an Alpine valley glacier, Haut Glacier d'Arolla, Switzerland. Here we use an ultra-long-range lidar RIEGL VZ-6000 scanner, having a laser specifically designed for measurement of snow- and ice-cover surfaces. We focus on two timescales: seasonal and daily. Our results show that a near-infrared scanning laser system can provide high-precision elevation change and ablation data from long ranges, and over relatively large sections of the glacier surface. We use it to quantify spatial variations in the patterns of surface melt at the seasonal scale, as controlled by both aspect and differential debris cover. At the daily scale, we quantify the effects of ogive-related differences in ice surface debris content on spatial patterns of ablation. Daily scale measurements point to possible hydraulic jacking of the glacier associated with short-term water pressure rises. This latter demonstration shows that this type of lidar may be used to address subglacial hydrologic questions, in addition to motion and ablation measurements.

The Measurement Invariance of Schizotypy in Europe

The short version of the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences (sO-LIFE) is a widely used measure assessing schizotypy. There is limited information, however, on how sO-LIFE scores compare across different countries. The main goal of the present study is to test the measurement invariance of the sO-LIFE scores in a large sample of non-clinical adolescents and young adults from four European countries (UK, Switzerland, Italy, and Spain). The scores were obtained from validated versions of the sO-LIFE in their respective languages. The sample comprised 4190 participants (M = 20.87 years; SD = 3.71 years). The study of the internal structure, using confirmatory factor analysis, revealed that both three (i.e., positive schizotypy, cognitive disorganisation, and introvertive anhedonia) and four-factor (i.e., positive schizotypy, cognitive disorganisation, introvertive anhedonia, and impulsive nonconformity) models fitted the data moderately well. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed that the three-factor model had partial strong measurement invariance across countries. Eight items were non-invariant across samples. Significant statistical differences in the mean scores of the s-OLIFE were found by country. Reliability scores, estimated with Ordinal alpha ranged from 0.75 to 0.87. Using the Item Response Theory framework, the sO-LIFE provides more accuracy information at the medium and high end of the latent trait. The current results show further evidence in support of the psychometric proprieties of the sO-LIFE, provide new information about the cross-cultural equivalence of schizotypy and support the use of this measure to screen for psychotic-like features and liability to psychosis in general population samples from different European countries.

Brand Authenticity: An Integrative Framework and Measurement Scale

Although brand authenticity is gaining increasing interest in consumer behavior research and managerial practice, literature on its measurement and contribution to branding theory is still limited. This article develops an integrative framework of the concept of brand authenticity and reports the development and validation of a scale measuring consumers' perceived brand authenticity (PBA). A multi-phase scale development process resulted in a 15-item PBA scale measuring four dimensions: credibility, integrity, symbolism, and continuity. This scale is reliable across different brands and cultural contexts. We find that brand authenticity perceptions are influenced by indexical, existential, and iconic cues, whereby some of the latters' influence is moderated by consumers' level of marketing skepticism. Results also suggest that PBA increases emotional brand attachment and word-of-mouth, and that it drives brand choice likelihood through self-congruence for consumers high in self-authenticity.