The goal of this paper is to solve the following basic problem: given discrete noisy samples from a continuous signal, compute the probability distribution of its distance from a fixed template. As opposed to the typical restoration problem, which considers a single optimal signal, the computation of the entire probability ...

This study presents a straightforward approach to computer-aided polyp detection and explores its advantages and future potential. A straightforward computer-aided polyp detection (CAD) scheme was developed that consisted of colon wall segmentation, a polyp-specific volumetric filter, and the counting and thresholding of cluster volume sizes. 65 patients had undergone the ...

Objectives:Bone-anchored hearing aid recipients experience well documented improvements in their audiometric performance and quality of life. While hearing aid recipients may understate their functional improvement, their partners may be more aware of such improvement. We sought to investigate patients' partners' perceptions of functional improvement following bone-anchored hearing aid fitting.Methods:Surveys were ...

Hearing amplification technology has been evolving since the 19th century. Currently in most audiology departments, the mainstay of hearing rehabilitation is performed with conventional air and bone conduction aids. These are cost-effective, non-invasive hearing aids but are not without their drawbacks. This chapter explores the advantages and disadvantages of conventional ...

A long-standing and profound problem in astronomy is the difficulty in obtaining deep near-infrared observations due to the extreme brightness and variability of the night sky at these wavelengths. A solution to this problem is crucial if we are to obtain the deepest possible observations of the early Universe, as ...

This study examined the heritability of problem drinking and investigated the phenotypic and genetic relationships between problem drinking and personality. In a sample of 5,870 twins and siblings and 4,420 additional family members from the Netherlands Twin Register. Data on problem drinking (assessed with the AUDIT and CAGE; 12 items) ...

To examine the process of community reintegration over the first year following stroke, from the patient's perspective. Qualitative, longitudinal, grounded theory study involving ten participants. During the first year post discharge from inpatient rehabilitation, 46 one-on-one semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten participants. Interviews were completed with participants before discharge ...

A substantial part of the pedestrian accident problem arises from intoxicated pedestrians. Possible countermeasures are reviewed, organised into: (a) prevention of high levels of intoxication in pedestrians, (b) minimising pedestrian activity in the intoxicated, and (c) minimising risk of injury among intoxicated pedestrians. It is concluded that improved safety of ...

The aim of the study is to describe disability among younger stroke patients by analyzing activity and participation and the environmental aspect as well as to compare assessed and self-perceived problems after stroke. International Classification of Functioning and Health (ICF) is a tool that provides a scientific basis for understanding ...

OBJECTIVE: To validate a measure of the carer's perspective of a stroke survivor's communication in everyday life. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, interview-based, psychometric study. SETTING: A community sample from the northwest of England, UK.Subjects: Fifty-eight carers and 58 stroke survivors with communication problems (aphasia and/or dysarthria) following a stroke within the previous ...

Stroke symptoms can be very stressful for family caregivers, but most knowledge about the prevalence and stressfulness of stroke-related patient problems is derived from convenience samples. In addition, little is known about perceived benefits of the stroke caregiving experience. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and ...

Improving the clinical outcomes of stroke patients depends on the adoption of proven new therapies throughout the broader medical community. Approximately 1% of stroke patients in community settings are receiving tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) therapy 12 years after US Food and Drug Administration approval. Knowledge translation, the process by which ...

This clinical update has identified the physiological aspects of heat acquisition and its effect on the human body. It has been shown that both classical (non exertional) and exertional heat stroke are preventable medical emergencies. Through a greater understanding of the physiological aspects of heat acquisition and the effects of ...

The accidents seen in the elderly have a remarkable impact on their family life and the society they live in. In this study, we have aimed to assess the prevalence, types and characteristics of the accidents seen among the elderly. We performed a cross-sectional study. The data was collected from ...

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have demonstrated that ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) is a useful marker for the diagnosis of ischemic events. It was also recently demonstrated that IMA levels increase in the acute phase of cerebrovascular diseases. Yet the data regarding IMA levels in various types of cerebrovascular events are insufficient. The ...

Upgrading of a stretch of the A77, a major road in South West Scotland to Highway status has resulted in a significant reduction in the incidence of serious and fatal road traffic accidents on a major international route. Notwithstanding the pain and suffering prevented, the annual economic savings amount to ...

Due to the physical effects of stroke, many stroke survivors experience difficulty clipping their nails. Much of this difficulty is due to weakness in the upper extremities, loss of dexterity, spasticity, and vision problems. Our goal was to design a device that would help stroke survivors shorten their finger nails, ...

With the development of equipment specifically designed for carotid artery stenting (CAS) and a national effort to train specialists, CAS has blossomed into a viable alternative to carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in certain circumstances. Not without risks, stroke is a well-recognized complication of CAS; yet a variety of other unique problems ...

Although the effects of a stroke vary, survivors often have limited use of one side of their body. Stroke survivors may wear an ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) to prevent their weak foot from dragging and hindering ambulation. Because of the added bulk of an AFO, donning a shoe becomes difficult. The ...

The aims of the present study were to determine the current prevalence of personal car usage for holiday trips among Finnish conscripts and to analyze conscripts' fatal road accidents. The data included questionnaire data collected from 259 young conscripts at a garrison in southeastern Finland and data on 46 fatal ...

Dairy herds worldwide are experiencing a decline in reproductive efficiency at the same time as management methods are changing. This study aimed to investigate the extent to which herd-level characteristics were associated with reproductive performance. Data from herds using artificial insemination (AI) in the Swedish Official Milk Recording Scheme that ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common and distressing problem after stroke. Although there is evidence of new, effective UI poststroke rehabilitation intervention, it is unknown whether occupational therapists (OTs)' and physical therapists (PTs)' actual practices reflect best practices. We sought to determine the extent to which OTs ...

Bone-Anchored Hearing Aid (BAHA) has proven performance and advantages for patients with aural atresia or chronic ear drainage who cannot wear air-conduction hearing aids. The BAHA has both cosmetic and acoustic advantages over most conventional hearing aids and hence is becoming increasingly popular. Moreover, BAHA improves the quality of life ...

Previous research has established that caffeine consumption can reinforce changes in liking for caffeine-paired flavours, while pairing a novel flavour with a liked or dislike taste can also result in enduring changes in liking for the flavour. The present study examined how these two forms of flavour-learning interact. 72 habitual ...

OBJECTIVE: To study the effects of spasticity, sensory impairment, and type of walking aid on falls in community dwellers with chronic stroke. METHODS: Functional Independence Measure (FIM) Instrument, Joint Position Sense Evaluation (JPS), the Rivermead motor assessment scale (RMA), Ashworth Scale, Tinetti Assessment Tool were used to assess 100 cases. ...

Motorcycle accidents have somewhat different characteristics from accidents involving other classes of road user. They include in particular 'right of way' accidents, and accidents involving loss of control on curves or bends. A sample of 1790 accident cases was considered, including 1003 in detail, from UK midland police forces, involving ...

The histone variant H2AZ marks nucleosomes flanking the promoters of most genes of budding yeast. The incorporation of H2AZ into chromatin is dependent on the SWR1 complex, which catalyses the replacement of conventional histone H2A with H2AZ. In cells, the pool of unincorporated histone H2AZ has previously been found in ...

Referring to the 2005 article by Wittmann and Lehnhoff, the problem of using time metaphors for measuring awareness of time is posed. Starting from clarification of meaning, the Metaphors Slowness scale which was not homogeneous, an alternative interpretation of the result was proposed, given that metaphors refer to two separate ...

The density profile of an elastic fiber like DNA will change in space and time as ligands associate with it. This observation affords a new direction in single molecule studies provided that density profiles can be measured in space and time. In fact, this is precisely the objective of seismology, ...

Among the most devastating of accidents likely in chemical process industry is the boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE). It is accompanied by highly destructive blast waves and missiles. In most situations there is also a fireball or a toxic gas cloud. The damaging effect of BLEVEs is reflected in ...

Current and previous placement of wildlife warning signs by the Finnish Road Administration is based on suggestions from hunting associations and individuals. The problem within this practice is that the placement of warning signs is not a transparent process. Within this paper, we evaluate the current placement of wildlife warning ...

BACKGROUND: stroke is a common condition, frequently with significant effects on a patient's ability to live an active and independent life. Anything that may potentially have a beneficial effect on the rehabilitation of such patients should therefore be explored, and as ocular and visual problems are common in patients with ...

Research and analysis of braking issues for golf cars and other low speed vehicles (LSVs) are reported in this study. It is shown that many such vehicles only provide braking for their rear wheels, which can lead to a driver losing control during travel on typical steep downgrades. The braking ...

Chinese residents of Hawai'i were surveyed regarding their knowledge about aphasia. Only 14 of 85 respondents had heard the term aphasia, and only three were able to provide acceptable suggestions for facilitating communication with people who have aphasia. These findings highlight the need for community education about aphasia to facilitate ...

Young drivers, especially males, have relatively more accidents than other drivers. Young driver accidents also have somewhat different characteristics to those of other drivers; they include single vehicle accidents involving loss of control; excess speed for conditions; accidents during darkness; accidents on single carriageway rural roads; and accidents while making ...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the prevalence and range of complications following tongue piercing. METHODS: A survey of individuals with tongue piercings ('piercees') and tongue piercers was undertaken in the South West of England. One hundred and twenty-three piercees completed a self-administered questionnaire and 22 piercers took part in an interviewer-led questionnaire. ...

Finding the causes of an accident or operating problem and deciding what actions to take to prevent it happening again is rather like dismantling a set of Russian dolls (Fig. 1). Each time we ask "why?" (or a similar searching question) we find another cause besides the ones we have ...

After a sequence of serious accidents, the safety of rail track workers became an urgent and political problem in The Netherlands. It turned out that the rail track workers had one of the most dangerous jobs. The board of the Dutch Railways decided that the Dutch railway infrastructure had to ...

In 1997, a Motorcycle Safety Programme (MSP) was introduced to address the motorcycle-related accident problem. The MSP was specifically targeted at motorcyclists. In addition to the MSP, the recent economic recession has significantly contributed to a reduction of traffic-related incidents. This paper examines the effects of the recent economic crisis ...

A 3-year-old boy presented with postprandial vomiting and epigastric pain for 3 wk. Barium meal study suggested hypertrophic pyloric stenosis. Ultrasound of the stomach after water loading revealed an echogenic antral web with an eccentric aperture and distal antral hypertrophy. Subsequent endoscopy confirmed the ultrasound findings. Web resection and antropyloroplasty ...

PROBLEM: We report on trends in road rage victimization and perpetration based on population survey data. METHOD: Based on repeated cross-sectional telephone surveys of Ontario adults between July 2001 and December 2003, logistic regression analyses examined differences between years in road rage victimization and perpetration in the previous year controlling ...

The helicopter air ambulance community has been very consistent lately: about once a month, we crash. A fifth of those crashes involve weather, the biggest category by far. Suppose we had a silver bullet, aiming all our safety emphasis on this one area; could we blow a hole in our ...

The true threat of bioterrorism remains mysterious and elusive to the common citizen. It principally has become the dominion of a few "experts", many of whom have limited apparent expertise, who have failed to effectively communicate the risks and realities to society, and have instead created an air of uncertainty ...

Quite correctly, the majority of road safety speeding initiatives focus on drivers travelling at excessive speeds. This study, however, focused on the potential problem of driving too slowly. Six thousand, four hundred and eighty vehicles from around the Perth metropolitan area in Western Australia had their speeds recorded; observations were ...

People who have had a stroke and their families at every stage post-stroke state that they require more information. They wish to be informed about all aspects of their stroke and their care and be involved in decision-making. Several evidence-based reviews have found that information provision in stroke is inadequate ...

The purpose of this study was to identify the major problems and associated feelings experienced by family caregivers of stroke survivors during the first month after returning home. Safety, difficulty in managing activities of daily living, and cognitive, behavioral and emotional changes of stroke survivors (for example, mood swings, lack ...

Danish studies of traffic accidents at priority intersections have shown a particular type of accidents. In these accidents a car driver supposed to give way has collided with a bicycle rider on the priority road. Often the involved car drivers have maintained that they did not see the bicycle until ...

Sleepiness is a major public health problem associated with motor vehicle crashes, occupational accidents, decreased productivity, and interpersonal problems. It can be influenced by many factors, including the individual's circadian rhythm. The objective of this study is to assess the correlation between the morningness/eveningness dimension and daytime sleepiness in medical ...

BACKGROUND: Over the last two decades, the need for a longer-term perspective to stroke management has become increasingly recognised. This paper reports a component of a larger project aimed at developing a systematic, primary care-based service for stroke aftercare. AIM: To identify the types and prevalence of longer-term problems experienced ...

Most traffic accidents can be attributed to driver impairment, e.g. inattention, fatigue, intoxication, etc. It is now technically feasible to monitor and diagnose driver behaviour with respect to impairment with the aid of a limited number of in-vehicle sensors. However, a valid framework for the evaluation of driver impairment is ...