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Real World (real + world)
Selected AbstractsTEACHING PERSONAL JURISDICTION: A "REAL WORLD" EXAMPLE OF THE EVOLUTION OF THE LAWJOURNAL OF LEGAL STUDIES EDUCATION, Issue 1 2002Jordan M. Blanke [source] Virtual Water in the Real WorldCONSERVATION BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2009J. A. Tony Allan No abstract is available for this article. [source] Epilepsy Guidelines in the Real World: The Sound of Music?EPILEPSIA, Issue 1 2004Linda J. Stephen No abstract is available for this article. [source] Use of Bone Turnover Markers in the Real World: Are We There Yet?,JOURNAL OF BONE AND MINERAL RESEARCH, Issue 3 2009Christian Meier No abstract is available for this article. [source] Experience with the Hansen Robotic System for Atrial Fibrillation Ablation,Lessons Learned and Techniques Modified: Hansen in the Real WorldJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 11 2009OUSSAMA M. WAZNI M.D. Introduction: The Hansen robotic system has only recently been used in the United States for catheter ablation procedures in humans. Atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation may be performed utilizing this system. We report our management of complications with early experience of this system. Methods and Results: All 71 patients in whom the system was utilized were included. In all patients, a 2-operator technique was to be employed; one operator manipulates the ablation catheter via the robot and the other manipulates the circular mapping and intracardiac echocardiogram catheters. There was no procedure-related mortality. All vascular complications occurred in the first 25 procedures performed. There were 6 intraoperative procedural-related complications. These included significant vascular complications (n = 4), one of whom required iliac vein stenting, and 2 cardiac tamponade (one related to a pop-phenomenon),successfully treated by pericardiocentesis. Early complications (n = 3) were 1 tamponade several hours post-procedure, 1 vascular complication, and 1 pericarditis. Late complications included 5 patients with severe pulmonary vein stenosis (all in first 27 patients) and 1 patient with gastroparesis. All complications were successfully managed without persistent morbidity and occurred earlier in our experience. This led to specific alterations in our vascular access and ablation techniques. These include the use of a longer 14 Fr sheath, through which the robotic sheath is more safely advanced. The choice of ablation catheter and titration of power, particularly when the catheter has a perpendicular orientation to the atrial wall, is also important. Conclusions: The suggested modifications may make the system easier to use with the potential to reduce complications. [source] Real World, Long-Term Outcomes Comparison Between Paclitaxel-Eluting and Sirolimus-Eluting Stent PlatformsJOURNAL OF INTERVENTIONAL CARDIOLOGY, Issue 2 2010M.B.A., MANDEEP S. SIDHU M.D. We compare real-world, extended target vessel revascularization (TVR)-free survival following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for patients receiving either sirolimus-eluting stents (SES) or paclitaxel-eluting stents (PES) following an index drug-eluting stent (DES) supported procedure. We analyzed 2,363 consecutive patients having first DES-supported PCI at receiving PES (n = 1,012) or SES (n = 1,332) from April 2004 to July 2006. Baseline clinical and procedural characteristics and in-hospital outcomes were recorded during the time of the index procedure and extended clinical outcomes data were obtained thereafter. TVR and all cause mortality were identified during the study period. Adjusted Kaplan-Meier and Cox's proportional hazard survival methods were performed. TVR-free survival at 2.3 years was 91.3% for SES compared with 88.9% for PES (P = 0.06). Kaplan-Meier survival curves did not significantly differ (adjusted hazard ratio ,1.39 [95% CI 0.99,1.97]) between the SES and PES patient cohorts. TVR was similar between the stent platforms at one (96.6% for SES [95% CI 95.3,97.6] vs. 95.7% for PES [95% CI 94.1,96.9]) and two (95.0%[95% CI 93.0,96.4] for SES vs. 93.7% for PES [95% CI 91.6,95.3]) years. Overall survival at 2 years was 96.2% for SES (95% CI 94.7,97.3) and 95.3% for PES (95% CI 93.7,96.5). SES and PES drug-eluting stent platforms have good and similar extended outcomes in this real world registry of unselected patients having PCI. (J Interven Cardiol 2010;23:167-175) [source] Translating Effective Web-Based Self-Help for Problem Drinking Into the Real WorldALCOHOLISM, Issue 8 2009Heleen Riper Background:, Drinking Less (DL) is a 24/7 free-access anonymous interactive web-based self-help intervention without therapeutic guidance for adult problem drinkers in the community. In a randomized controlled trial (referred to here as DL-RCT), DL has been shown effective in reducing risky alcohol consumption. Objective:, To assess whether the findings of DL-RCT are generalizable to a naturalistic setting (DL-RW) in terms of ability to reach the target group and alcohol treatment response. Methods:, Pretest,posttest study with 6-month follow-up. An online survey was conducted of 378 of the 1,625 people who used DL-RW from May to November 2007. Primary outcome measures were (1) problem drinking, defined as alcohol consumption in the previous 4 weeks averaging >21 or >14 standard units (male/female) per week or ,6 or ,4 units (m/f) on 1 or more days per week; and (2) mean weekly alcohol consumption. DL-RW and DL-RCT data were compared and pooled. Intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis was performed to analyze and compare changes in drinking from baseline to follow-up. Results:, In the DL-RW group, 18.8% (n = 71) were drinking successfully within the limits of the Dutch guideline for low-risk drinking (p < 0.001) 6 months after baseline (ITT). The DL-RW group also decreased its mean weekly alcohol intake by 7.4 units, t(377) = 6.67, p < 0.001, d = 0.29. Drinking reduction in DL-RW was of a similar magnitude to that in the DL-RCT condition in terms of drinking within the guideline [,2(1) = 1.83, CI: 0.82,3.00, p = 0.18, RD = 0.05, OR = 1.55] and mean weekly consumption (a negligible difference of d = 0.03 in favor of DL-RW group). Conclusion:, The results from DL-RCT and DL-RW were similar, and they demonstrate that web-based self-help without therapeutic guidance is feasible, well accepted, and effective for curbing adult problem drinking in the community. [source] Macroeconomics and the Real World: Volume 1: Econometric Techniques and Macroeconomics.THE ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 480 2002Edited by BACKHOUSE (ROGER E.), SALANTI (ANDREA). First page of article [source] "Who Watches the Watchmen?": Ideology and "Real World" SuperheroesTHE JOURNAL OF POPULAR CULTURE, Issue 4 2006JAMIE A. HUGHES First page of article [source] Transplantation Risks and the Real World: What Does ,High Risk' Really Mean?AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 1 2009R. B. Freeman Candidates for, and recipients of, transplants face numerous risks that receive varying degrees of attention from the media and transplant professionals. Characterizations such as ,high risk donor' are not necessarily accurate or informative unless they are discussed in context with the other risks patients face before and after transplantation. Moreover, such labels do not provide accurate information for informed consent discussions or decision making. Recent cases of donor-transmitted diseases from donors labeled as being at ,high risk' have engendered concern, new policy proposals and attempts to employ additional testing of donors. The publicity and policy reactions to these cases do not necessarily better inform transplant candidates and recipients about these risks. Using comparative risk analysis, we compare the various risks associated with waiting on the list, accepting donors with various risk characteristics, posttransplant survival and everyday risks we all face in modern life to provide some quantitative perspective on what ,high risk' really means for transplant patients. In our analysis, donor-transmitted disease risks are orders of magnitude less than other transplantation risks and similar to many everyday occupational and recreational risks people readily and willingly accept. These comparisons can be helpful for informing patients and guiding future policy development. [source] Applying Treatment Outcome Research in Clinical Practice: Techniques for Adapting Interventions to the Real WorldCHILD AND ADOLESCENT MENTAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2003Jennifer K. Connor-Smith Despite the growing literature on empirically supported therapies, these interventions are rarely used in clinical settings. Although researchers lament the poor transfer of techniques from controlled trials to clinics, little has been written to guide the adaptation of manualised treatments for real-life clinical practice. The goal of this paper is to provide suggestions for the clinical use of research-tested treatments, with specific examples from the treatment of child depressive disorders. Strategies for applying manuals flexibly, adapting treatments to address comorbidity, attending to individual differences, and overcoming training obstacles are highlighted. [source] The Bridge to the ,Real World': Applied Science or a ,Schizophrenic Tour de Force'?*JOURNAL OF MANAGEMENT STUDIES, Issue 6 2004Alexander T. Nicolai abstract This article concerns those publications which have received considerable attention in an academic as well as in a practical context. In these rare cases, it seems that it was possible to transfer scientific findings more or less directly into managerial implications. This widely shared view is contrasted with a socials systems perspective. From this point of view there cannot be a direct application of scientific knowledge. This also holds true for the classic examples of applied science. It is argued that even in these cases there is no evidence of linear knowledge transfer but rather ,Applied Science Fiction' (ASF). ASF comprises all techniques with which the scientific system reacts to external application pressure without having to relinquish its own self-referential logic. Different forms of ASF are introduced. These are retrofitting, reputation, symbolic labels and undisciplined eclecticism. The ASF-concept will be illustrated by Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy. Paradoxically, however, the conventional concept of application and ASF are a barrier for the sustainable relevance of management studies. [source] Augmented reality agents for user interface adaptationCOMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 1 2008István Barakonyi Abstract Most augmented reality (AR) applications are primarily concerned with letting a user browse a 3D virtual world registered with the real world. More advanced AR interfaces let the user interact with the mixed environment, but the virtual part is typically rather finite and deterministic. In contrast, autonomous behavior is often desirable in ubiquitous computing (Ubicomp), which requires the computers embedded into the environment to adapt to context and situation without explicit user intervention. We present an AR framework that is enhanced by typical Ubicomp features by dynamically and proactively exploiting previously unknown applications and hardware devices, and adapting the appearance of the user interface to persistently stored and accumulated user preferences. Our framework explores proactive computing, multi-user interface adaptation, and user interface migration. We employ mobile and autonomous agents embodied by real and virtual objects as an interface and interaction metaphor, where agent bodies are able to opportunistically migrate between multiple AR applications and computing platforms to best match the needs of the current application context. We present two pilot applications to illustrate design concepts. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The virtual interaction panel: an easy control tool in augmented reality systemsCOMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 3-4 2004M. L. Yuan Abstract In this paper, we propose and develop an easy control tool called Virtual Interaction Panel (VirIP) for Augmented Reality (AR) systems, which can be used to control AR systems. This tool is composed of two parts: the design of the VirIPs and the tracking of an interaction pen using a Restricted Coulomb Energy (RCE) neural network. The VirIP is composed of some virtual buttons, which have meaningful information that can be activated by an interaction pen during the augmentation process. The interaction pen is a general pen-like object with a certain color distribution. It is tracked using a RCE network in real-time and used to trigger the VirIPs for AR systems. In our system, only one camera is used for capturing the real world. Therefore, 2D information is used to trigger the virtual buttons to control the AR systems. The proposed method is real-time because the RCE-based image segmentation for a small region is fast. It can be used to control AR systems quite easily without any annoying sensors attached to entangling cables. This proposed method has good potential in many AR applications in manufacturing, such as assembly without the need for object recognition, collaborative product design, system control, etc. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Development of a gait rehabilitation system using a locomotion interfaceCOMPUTER ANIMATION AND VIRTUAL WORLDS (PREV: JNL OF VISUALISATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION), Issue 5 2003Hiroaki Yano Abstract A locomotion interface (LI) is a piece of equipment that can give a user the sense that he/she is walking while his/her actual position remains localized in the real world. We developed an LI system (GaitMaster2) that has two footpads, which can move to represent a virtual terrain for each user's foot. In this research, we applied our LI to gait rehabilitation. The footpads on our LI follow a pre-recorded motion sequence to move the user's feet. We conducted evaluation tests with the assistance of hemiplegic patients. The effectiveness of our system was verified through EMG, video analysis and the measurement of physical values such as average velocity. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] How fantasy benefits young children's understanding of pretenseDEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2006David M. Sobel Sobel and Lillard (2001) demonstrated that 4-year-olds' understanding of the role that the mind plays in pretending improved when children were asked questions in a fantasy context. The present study investigated whether this fantasy effect was motivated by children recognizing that fantasy contains violations of real-world causal structure. In Experiment 1, 4-year-olds were shown a fantasy character engaged in ordinary actions or actions that violated causal knowledge. Children were more likely to say that a troll doll who was acting like but ignorant of the character was not pretending to be that character when read the violation story. Experiment 2 suggested that this difference was not caused by a greater interest in the violation story. Experiment 3 demonstrated a similar difference for characters engaged in social and functional violations that were possible in the real world. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that preschoolers use actions and appearance more than mental states to make judgments about pretense, but that those judgments can be influenced by the context in which the questions are presented. [source] Preventing Type 2 diabetes and the dysmetabolic syndrome in the real world: a realistic viewDIABETIC MEDICINE, Issue 9 2003P. Zimmet The last two decades have seen an explosive increase in the number of people with diabetes globally. There is now an urgent need for strategies to prevent the emerging global epidemic. Several recent successful intervention studies, both lifestyle and pharmacological, targeting subjects with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) have stimulated enthusiasm for prevention of Type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle interventions reduced the incidence of diabetes by over 50% in the Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study and the Diabetes Prevention Program. Can the findings of these two studies be applied globally? Underpinning the enthusiasm, there needs to be a realistic approach to interventions in both developed and developing nations, and in ethnic groups where a better understanding of the socio-economic, cultural and demographic issues and perceptions surrounding chronic diseases such as diabetes is required. Whether the strategies used in these two studies can be translated into a ,real world' scenario is doubtful. In practice, it is more than likely that a number of strategies will be needed to compliment the lifestyle approach. These will include pharmacological approaches with metformin, acarbose and other agents used to treat diabetes and its complications, currently under investigation. Longer-term follow-up studies will also clarify whether both lifestyle and pharmacological interventions actually prevent Type 2 diabetes, or merely delay its onset. [source] Dilemmas of an Economic TheoristECONOMETRICA, Issue 4 2006Ariel Rubinstein What on earth are economic theorists like me trying to accomplish? This paper discusses four dilemmas encountered by an economic theorist: The dilemma of absurd conclusions: Should we abandon a model if it produces absurd conclusions or should we regard a model as a very limited set of assumptions that will inevitably fail in some contexts? The dilemma of responding to evidence: Should our models be judged according to experimental results? The dilemma of modelless regularities: Should models provide the hypothesis for testing or are they simply exercises in logic that have no use in identifying regularities? The dilemma of relevance: Do we have the right to offer advice or to make statements that are intended to influence the real world? [source] Ultralow-power CMOS/SOI circuit technologyELECTRICAL ENGINEERING IN JAPAN, Issue 3 2008Yuichi Kado Abstract We have introduced an example of a system that embodies the concept of a ubiquitous communication service and explained the importance of low power consumption in the communicator that will serve as the bridge between the real world and the network for real-time services in which sensor data is acquired every second. An effective solution to the problem of high energy efficiency is to employ the synergy of combining low-voltage analog circuit technology and FD-SOI devices. Taking advantage of that synergy to reduce the power consumption of the communicator during operation to about 10 mW and employing intermittent operation with an activity rate of less than l% would make it possible to support operation for 1 year or more with a commercial coin-type lithium battery. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 162(3): 38,43, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/eej.20543 [source] Artificial neural networks for estimating soil hydraulic parameters from dynamic flow experimentsEUROPEAN JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE, Issue 1 2005G. H. Schmitz Summary Inverse methods are often used for estimating soil hydraulic parameters from experiments on flow of water through soil. We propose here an alternative method using neural networks. We teach a problem-adapted network of radial basis functions (RBF) the relationship between soil parameters and transient flow patterns using a numerical flow model. The trained RBF network accurately identifies soil parameters from flow patterns not contained in the training scenarios. A comparison with the inverse method (Annealing-Simplex) reveals a similarly good prediction by both approaches for randomly perturbed data and data from the real world. Nonetheless, the inverse method showed dependency on initial parameter estimates not required by the RBF network. Training demands moderately more computation and manpower than the inverse technique, but the absolutely stable and simple network application requires negligible resources. Thus, for individual applications, the network approach is slightly surpassed by the Annealing-Simplex method. However, the RBF network has to be trained only once and, subsequently, it can be applied easily and without effort upon any number of laboratory experiments with standardized experimental setups. [source] Geographies of Housing Finance: The Mortgage Market in Milan, ItalyGROWTH AND CHANGE, Issue 2 2007MANUEL B. AALBERS ABSTRACT The geography of financial exclusion has mainly focused on exclusion from retail banking. Alternatively, and following the work of David Harvey, this paper presents a geography of access to and exclusion from home mortgage finance. The case of Milan shows that capital switching to the built environment is partly a sign of economic crisis and partly a sign of the intrinsic opportunities that the built environment provides. A major factor in both is the deregulation of the mortgage market that has enabled the loosening of historically stringent lending criteria, leading to a tremendous growth of the mortgage market, while leaving the co-evolution of family and home ownership intact. In addition, capital switches within sectors of the economy and between places. In Milan, once "unattractive" but currently gentrified nineteenth-century districts underwent cycles of devalorisation and revalorisation. Even though access to mortgages has increased throughout Milan, geographical disparities in mortgage lending persist: at present, yellowlining (differential access, based on less favourable terms) is common in parts of the Milanese periphery. The creation of boundaries makes the realisation of class-monopoly rent possible; while the subsequent redrawing of these boundaries creates new submarkets in which surplus value can be extracted. Based on the Milan case, one cannot explain the timing and geography of formation and reformation of submarkets in other cities, but it helps us to see how Harvey's abstract ideas of class-monopoly rent, submarket creation, and capital switching take place in the real world. [source] Laboratory identification of factor VIII inhibitors in the real world: the experience from AustralasiaHAEMOPHILIA, Issue 4 2010E. J. FAVALORO Summary., The laboratory has a key role in the initial detection of factor inhibitors and an ongoing role in the measurement of inhibitor titres during the course of inhibitor eradication therapy. The most commonly seen factor inhibitors are those directed against factor VIII (FVIII), usually detected either using the original or Nijmegen-modified Bethesda assay. In view of previously demonstrated high variability in laboratory results for inhibitor assays, we have more extensively examined laboratory performance in the identification of FVIII inhibitors. Over the past 3 years, we conducted two questionnaire-based surveys and two wet-challenge surveys utilizing eight samples comprising no FVIII inhibitor (n = 1), or low-titre (n = 2), medium-titre (n = 3) or high-titre (n = 2) FVIII inhibitor. Four samples were tested by 42 laboratories in 2007, and four by 52 laboratories in 2009. High inter-laboratory variation was evident, with CVs around 50% not uncommon, and some 10% of all laboratories (or around 15% of laboratories using Bethesda method) failed to detect low-level inhibitors of around 1 BU mL,1. Laboratories using the Nijmegen method appeared to perform better than those using a standard Bethesda assay, with lower evident assay variation and no false negatives. There was a wide variety of laboratory practice, with no two laboratories using exactly the same process for testing and interpretation of factor inhibitor findings. In conclusion, our study indicates that there is still much need for standardization and improvement in factor inhibitor detection, and we hope that our findings provide a basis for future improvements in this area. [source] Evaluating decision aids , where next?HEALTH EXPECTATIONS, Issue 2 2004Alicia O'Cathain BSc MSc MA Abstract Decision aids have been developed to help patients become involved in decision-making about their individual health care. During the evaluation of a particular decision aid in maternity care , a set of 10 ,Informed Choice' leaflets , we considered the lessons learnt for evaluation of decision aids in the future. Decision aids have been tested mainly in explanatory trials and have been found to be effective. We argue that existing decision aids should be subjected to more pragmatic trials to test their effectiveness in the real world. The small amount of evidence on their use in the real world shows that they face challenges, resulting in poor implementation. Therefore, we propose that implementation strategies are developed which take heed of the findings of research on getting evidence into practice, and in particular address structural barriers such as the lack of time available to health professionals. We recommend that these ,decision aid implementation packages' are developed in conjunction with both health professionals and patients, and identify and address potential barriers to both the delivery of patient involvement in decision-making, and the use of decision aids, in the real world. These ,packages' can then be submitted to pragmatic evaluation. [source] Haptic motion control for physical human supportIEEJ TRANSACTIONS ON ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING, Issue 2 2009Tomoyuki Shimono Member Abstract Future robots and mechatronic systems will be required to physically support human activities. In order to reach the stage of real human-friendly physical support, they should acquire many functions such as the recognition of the real world based on complicated human actions, the transmission of the ambient information in harmony with human sensation, and so on. Since haptic sensation, as well as visual information and auditory sensation are so important for human activities, haptic motion control is one of the most important issues for the purpose. This paper now presents some haptic motion control techniques as the fundamental technology for the realization of future physical human support. Copyright © 2009 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. [source] Hepatocellular carcinoma: prevention, detection and treatment , in the real worldINTERNAL MEDICINE JOURNAL, Issue 8 2007D. Koorey No abstract is available for this article. [source] On the Relationship Between Short- and Long-term Interest Rates,INTERNATIONAL FINANCE, Issue 2 2004Teruyoshi KobayashiArticle first published online: 13 DEC 200 This paper addresses issues regarding the relationship between short- and long-term interest rates. In the real world, an expansionary (contractionary) policy is normally followed by a fall (rise) in long-term rates. However, there exist exceptional cases in which short- and long-term rates move in opposite directions. This paper attempts to provide a formal explanation for such unusual phenomena using a variety of new Keynesian models. It turns out that the simultaneous occurrence of different economic shocks, to which the central bank should react, can explain this behaviour of long rates. [source] Big teaspoons, little teaspoons: where pharmacology meets the real worldINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 9 2010C. Michie No abstract is available for this article. [source] Indexing, cointegration and equity market regimesINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FINANCE & ECONOMICS, Issue 3 2005Carol Alexander Abstract This paper examines, from a market efficiency perspective, the performance of a simple dynamic equity indexing strategy based on cointegration. A consistent ,abnormal' return in excess of the benchmark is demonstrated over different time horizons and in different real world and simulated stock markets. A measure of stock price dispersion is shown to be a leading indicator for the abnormal return and their relationship is modelled as a Markov switching process of two market regimes. We find that the entire abnormal return is associated with the high volatility regime as the indexing model implicitly adopts a strategic position that pays off during market crashes, whilst effectively tracking the benchmark in normal market circumstances. Therefore we find no evidence of market inefficiency. Nevertheless our results have implications for equity fund managers: we show how, without any stock selection, solely through a smart optimization that has an implicit element of market timing, the benchmark performance can be significantly enhanced. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Acetylcholinesterase treatment,modelling potential demand and auditing practiceINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GERIATRIC PSYCHIATRY, Issue 12 2001Simon Lovestone Abstract Background Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors represent an entirely novel treatment option for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). As such they represent a significant change in practice and a significant cost pressure on funding bodies. Objectives To assess the impact of cholinesterase inhibitors on routine clinical practice. Methods We estimated potential demand for the compounds taking into account eligibility criteria and prescribing practice agreed between clinicians and funders. We then audited actual prescribing practice assessing whether the estimated demand matched actual demand and whether practice and prescribing criteria were adhered to. Results Over a two-year period we estimated the demand for treatment at a total of 89 patient years for the population of the audit unit. In practice only 24.5 patient years of therapy were received, the short fall apparently being due to low referral rates for treatment. Prescribing by clinicians matched practice guidelines and a high proportion of three monthly assessments using scales for cognition, function and global state were performed. Using these assessment procedures treatment successes could be differentiated from primary and secondary treatment failures and, where apparently appropriate, treatment could be stopped. Conclusion In the real world of clinical practice demand for treatment in AD is modest but likely to grow and assessment with an aim to identifying those receiving benefit from treatment can be achieved. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Matching pursuit-based shape representation and recognition using scale-spaceINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF IMAGING SYSTEMS AND TECHNOLOGY, Issue 5 2006François Mendels Abstract In this paper, we propose an analytical low-level representation of images, obtained by a decomposition process, namely the matching pursuit (MP) algorithm, as a new way of describing objects through a general continuous description using an affine invariant dictionary of basis function (BFs). This description is used to recognize multiple objects in images. In the learning phase, a template object is decomposed, and the extracted subset of BFs, called meta-atom, gives the description of the object. This description is then naturally extended into the linear scale-space using the definition of our BFs, and thus providing a more general representation of the object. We use this enhanced description as a predefined dictionary of the object to conduct an MP-based shape recognition task into the linear scale-space. The introduction of the scale-space approach improves the robustness of our method: we avoid local minima issues encountered when minimizing a nonconvex energy function. We show results for the detection of complex synthetic shapes, as well as real world (aerial and medical) images. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Imaging Syst Technol, 16, 162,180, 2006 [source] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||