Edge detection and characterization of digitized images

Pattern Analysis and Applications - We present a method for determining which of a large set of pixels are inside or on the boundary of a polygon. The method works much quicker than the standard...     

Advanced methods for displays and remote control of robots

An in-depth evaluation of the usability and situation awareness performance of different displays and destination controls of robots are presented. In two experiments we evaluate the way information is presented to the operator and assess different means for controlling the robot. Our study compares three types of displays: a “blocks” display, a HUD (head-up display), and a radar display, and two types of controls: touch screen and hand gestures. The HUD demonstrated better performance when compared to the blocks display and was perceived to have greater usability compared to the radar display. The HUD was also found to be more useful when the operation of the robot was more difficult, i.e., when using the hand-gesture method. The experiments also pointed to the importance of using a wide viewing angle to minimize distortion and for easier coping with the difficulties of locating objects in the field of view margins. The touch screen was found to be superior in terms of both objective performance and its perceived usability. No differences were found between the displays and the controllers in terms of situation awareness. This research sheds light on the preferred display type and controlling method for operating robots from a distance, making it easier to cope with the challenges of operating such systems.     

Molecular genetics of familial hypercholesterolemia in Israel

Recreational SCUBA diving exposes individuals to environmental stresses not often encountered in other types of activity. These stresses include increased ambient pressure, raised partial pressure of O(2), increased resistance to movement, added weight and drag of diving equipment, cold stress, and a higher breathing resistance. One means to understand how such stresses affect a diver is to employ the stress-strain-adaptive response model. Physiologic adaptations, like an increase in VO(2) in response to cold stress, will minimize the strain placed on thermal balance. Nonphysiologic adaptive responses include those behavioral and equipment interventions that isolate the diver from a particular stress. Self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA) isolates the diver from the inability to extract O(2) from the water; dive garments minimize the stress of cold water immersion. This review will focus on cardiorespiratory and thermal responses to SCUBA diving, using the stress-strain-adaptive response model to illustrate the interaction between diver and environment. Some responses like hyperventilation, cardiac arrhythmias, or cold injury due to vasoconstriction are not considered adaptive but are realistic possibilities in diving environments.     

NGF involvement in pain induced by chronic constriction injury of the rat sciatic nerve

Chronic constriction injury (CCI) of the rat sciatic nerve, which within 3 days induces thermal and mechanical hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia, is used as a model for pain resulting from nerve injury. Involvement of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the development of this hyperalgesia is suggested by the increase in the level of mRNA encoding NGF in cells in the injured area and in dorsal root ganglia at the level of the lesion and the greatly increased NGF levels (determined by ELISA) in the ganglia ipsilateral to the CCI. Application of anti-serum to NGF at the site of CCI delayed the appearance of hyperalgesia, whereas pre-immune serum appeared to enhance it. These results are consistent with the view that NGF is an important factor in the appearance of hyperalgesia associated with unilateral mononeuropathy.     

Scalable,hierarchical, Ethernet transport network architecture (HETNA)

Ethernet technology is not inherently scalable, and yet, Ethernet dominates LANs, and recently has diffused to access, aggregation networks, and MANs. Ethernet is even considered for transport networks in the backbone. Many solutions from IEEE, IETF, and MEF are considered for enabling Ethernet beyond LANs and bridged LANs. In this paper we offer HETNA, a hierarchical Ethernet forwarding, which is compatible with legacy networks used by enterprises, carriers, and backbone networks, and provides scalability, mobility, protection, multicasting, and QoS support to intra- and inter-domain networks in an efficient forwarding manner. The suggested architecture can handle streaming, real-time, multicasting, and other applications as well as various addressing mechanisms (e.g., IP or URI addressing). Both connection-oriented transport services and connectionless-oriented services are possible in the suggested architecture. This architecture was simulated and prototyped, showing significant improvements over regular Ethernet in terms of buffers and control messages that enable this network to function.     

Efficacy and safety of triple therapy (fluvastatin-bezafibrate-cholestyramine) for severe familial hypercholesterolemia

Familial hypercholesterolemia carries a markedly increased risk of coronary artery disease. Reduction of plasma low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels to the normal range may prevent premature atherosclerosis and usually requires a combination of cholesterol-lowering drugs such as 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors plus resins or fibrates. The current, 60-week, open-label investigation involved 22 patients whose plasma LDL-C had not reached the target level for prevention of coronary artery disease in 3 previous studies using fluvastatin alone and in combination with other cholesterol-lowering medications. At the beginning of the current study, patients were stabilized on fluvastatin monotherapy at 40 mg/day. After 6 weeks, the daily treatment changed to a combination of fluvastatin 40 mg/day in the evening and bezafibrate 400 mg/day in the morning. After a further 6 weeks, a lunchtime dose of cholestyramine 8 g/day was added, to form triple cholesterol-lowering therapy. Efficacy was determined by plasma lipid/lipoprotein analysis. Baseline levels were assessed after 4 weeks of placebo treatment, prior to active treatment, in the first fluvastatin study. Safety analyses included liver and renal function tests, creatine phosphokinase levels and blood counts. Compliance was determined by counting the fluvastatin capsules, bezafibrate tablets, and cholestyramine sachets returned by the patients at each visit. The triple-drug combination used in this study was more effective than the double therapy and resulted in stabilization of the LDL-C:high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) ratio, at a reduction from baseline ranging from -40.4 to -52.5%.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Sterol metabolism studies in rats: Effects of taurodeoxycholic acid feeding on sterol metabolism

Sterol metabolism studies using isotopic and chromatographic techniques were carried out in: (a) control rats fed stock chow +0.1% cholesterol (control group), and (b) rats fed stock chow +0.1% cholesterol and supplemented with 0.5% sodium taurodeoxycholate (taurodeoxycholate group). Feeding the bile acid enriched diet led to decreased acidic steroid synthesis, decreased cholesterol turnover, and cholesterol balance compared to nonsupplemented controls. There were no significant differences in fecal neutral sterol output, endogenous neutral sterol output, or cholesterol absorption between bile acid fed animals and controls. Tissue cholesterol levels (liver, plasma, and bile) in the two groups were also similar.     

Translational Platform for Increasing Water Use Efficiency in Agriculture: Comparative Analysis of Plantation Crops

Water Resources Management - Shortage of water drives efforts to increase water use efficiency in agriculture. However, identification of hot-spots of water use inefficiency in agriculture is...     

Hierarchical Ethernet Transport Network Architecture for backhaul cellular networks

Cellular traffic has been going through major changes in recent years. With the introduction of broadband services in 3G/4G and the continuously increasing provided data rates in high-speed packet access and Long Term Evolution (LTE), a broad range of cellular applications has emerged, changing the characteristics of cellular traffic. The traditional circuit-switched voice traffic has been taken over by packet-oriented data traffic. This shift in traffic has driven operators to prefer packet-oriented network technologies over circuit-switch technology when implementing their cellular networks. The current offered technologies, including PBB-Traffic Engineering and MPLS-TP, lack important functionality required for LTE such as automation (simple management), traffic engineering, protection, Quality of Service, and scalability. We propose a scalable Hierarchical Ethernet Transport Network Architecture (HETNA), a layer 2 transport technology that addresses these issues and brings a viable solution for cellular networks. The suggested architecture can handle streaming, real-time, multicasting, and other applications. Both connection-oriented transport services and connectionless-oriented services are supported. HETNA was simulated and prototyped, showing significant improvements over regular Ethernet in terms of buffers and control messages that enable this network to function.     

从光谱的角度看彩色显示

彩色与光谱有着密切的关系.然而,却很少有人从彩色显示角度讨论光谱特性.本文提出一个关于高精确彩色应用于显示的新概念,它被用于设计光的光谱重现而不仅是彩色重现.