Comments on “Editorial: fuzzy models-what are they andwhy?”

In the editorial by J.C. Bezdek (ibid., p.1), an example is presented to demonstrate differences between fuzzy membership and probability. The authors argue that probability can be used in a way much more closely analogous to this use of fuzzy membership, weakening the argument for the latter     

First break refraction event picking using fuzzy logic systems

First break picking is a pattern recognition problem in seismic signal processing, one that requires much human effort and is difficult to automate. The authors' goal is to reduce the manual effort in the picking process and accurately perform the picking. Feedforward neural network first break pickers have been developed using backpropagation training algorithms applied either to an encoded version of the raw data or to derived seismic attributes which are extracted from the raw data. The authors summarize a study in which they applied a backpropagation fuzzy logic system (BPFLS) to first break picking. The authors use derived seismic attributes as features, and take lateral variations into account by using the distance to a piecewise linear guiding function as a new feature. Experimental results indicate that the BPFLS achieves about the same picking accuracy as a feedforward neural network that is also trained using a backpropagation algorithm; however, the BPFLS is trained in a much shorter time, because there is a systematic way in which the initial parameters of the BPFLS can be chosen, versus the random way in which the weights of the neural network are chosen     

A generalized fuzzy Petri net model

The paper proposes a new model of Petri nets based on the use of logic based neurons. In contrast to the existing generalizations, this approach is aimed at neural-type modeling of the entire concept with a full exploitation of the learning capabilities of the processing units being used there. The places and transitions of the net are represented by OR and AND-type and DOMINANCE neurons, respectively. A correspondence between this model and the previous two-valued counterpart is also revealed. The learning aspects associated with the nets are investigated     

A semantic modeling approach for image retrieval by content

We introduce a semantic data model to capture the hierarchical, spatial, temporal, and evolutionary semantics of images in pictorial databases. This model mimics the user's conceptual view of the image content, providing the framework and guidelines for preprocessing to extract image features. Based on the model constructs, a spatial evolutionary query language (SEQL), which provides direct image object manipulation capabilities, is presented. With semantic information captured in the model, spatial evolutionary queries are answered efficiently. Using an object-oriented platform, a prototype medical-image management system was implemented at UCLA to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach.     

Robotica: a Mathematica package for robot analysis

Robotica is a computer aided design package for robotic manipulators developed in the Coordinated Science Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. It encapsulates over 30 functions into a Mathematica package allowing efficient symbolic and numeric calculation of kinematic and dynamic equations for multi-degree-of-freedom manipulators. An X-Windows front end that utilizes the interprocess communication features of Mathematica 2.1 has also been created for ease of use. This paper describes the most important features of the package and how they are used     

Suitable fixation condition for rat liver using microwave irradiation and its application to the immunohistochemistry of glutamate dehydrogenase

In 50 patients auditory threshold and brain stem evoked potential studies were carried out before and after myelography. Due to the analysis of amplitudes and latencies of auditory brain stem measurements, significant functional disorders of the hearing organ and the auditory pathway could be demonstrated. In most of the patients these functional disorders were found to be subclinical, whereas 12 patients showed alterations extending from a subjectively slight hearing loss to an audiometrically objectified acute hearing loss depending on its intensity in each case. The reasons of these functional disorders could not be clarified. An open cochlear aqueduct through which perilymph enters the subarachnoidal space leading to a secondary endolymphatic hydrops can be considered as the cause in cases where manifest symptoms develop. The changes in brain stem audiometry can be additionally explained by changes in osmolality of the inner ear fluids which may lead to the development of an endolymphatic hydrops.     

Partial congenital defect of the left pericardium: angiographic diagnosis and treatment by thoracoscopic pericardiectomy: case report

Twenty-six patients with an intracardiac myxoma underwent surgical resection at our institution from 1977 through 1992. Left atrial myxoma was diagnosed in 22 patients, left ventricular in 1, right atrial in 2, and right ventricular in 1. Six patients were asymptomatic; preoperative symptoms included dyspnea, arrhythmias, embolic episodes, and syncope. The diagnosis was established with transthoracic echocardiography in all cases but one. Surgery was performed in all cases with the aid of cardiopulmonary bypass with moderate hypothermia and cold crystalloid cardioplegia. One patient with a left ventricular myxoma died in a comatose state during the immediate postoperative period. Long-term clinical and echocardiographic evaluation was performed in 19 patients; results were excellent (all the patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II), and no recurrences were documented. The clinical characteristics, diagnostic methods, and surgical approach are presented and discussed.     

Assessment of annihilation anxiety from projective tests

This report details procedures to measure annihilation anxiety, a concept derived from Freud's 1926 formulation of traumatic anxiety. A 25-item pencil-and-paper inventory administered to patient and to nonpatient samples is described, along with a brief summary of earlier findings. The delineation of nine interrelated experiential components of annihilation anxiety provides the background for the construction of Rorschach and TAT measures of the concept. Findings comparing the pencil-and-paper inventory and the projective test measures are presented as well as examples of responses judged to reflect annihilation anxiety from Rorschach and TAT protocols.     

Polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocyte chemotactic hyperresponsiveness in a case of canine acromegaly

Growth hormone (GH) has recently been shown to affect polymorphonuclear neutrophil granulocyte (PMN) function and to be secreted by mononuclear cells, indicating that the hormone may be active in an immunophysiologic network, acting as an endo- or paracrine priming agent. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the chemotactic responsiveness of canine peripheral PMN in a dog with acromegaly, caused by spontaneous, progesterone-induced hypersecretion of GH and, secondary to this, a seven-fold increase in insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I). The chemotactic responsiveness towards zymosan-activated serum (ZAS) and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) was evaluated at a time when the dog suffered from acromegaly and again 57 days after corrective surgery (ovariohysterectomy). The experiments showed that PMN from the patient exhibited enhanced chemotactic migration that appeared to be associated with the hypersomatotropic condition as judged from the reversibility of the phenomenon. The glucose intolerance and elevated serum alkaline phosphatase that were observed in the acromegalic dog were also shown to be reversible following surgery.