Fuzzy Image Segmentation using Suppressed Fuzzy C-Means Clustering

Clustering algorithms are highly dependent on the features used and the type of the objects in a particular image. By considering object similar surface variations (SSV) as well as the arbitrariness of the fuzzy c-means (FCM) algorithm for pixellocation, a fuzzy image segmentation considering object surface similarity (FSOS) algorithm was developed, but it was unable to segment objects having SSV satisfactorily. To improve the effectiveness of FSOS in segmenting objects with SSV, thispaper introduces a new fuzzy image segmentation using suppressed fuzzy c-means clustering (FSSC) algorithm, which directly considers object SSV and incorporates the use of suppressed-FCM (SFCM) using pixel location. The algorithmalso perceptually selects the threshold within the range of human visual perception. Both qualitative and quantitative resultsconfirm the improved segmentation performance of FSSC compared with other algorithms including FSOS, FCM,possibilistic c-means (PCM) and SFCM for many different images

Teen Parents and Abstinence Education: Research Findings 2003

Research Findings: 2003 is designed as a reference tool for practitioners, policymakers, and others interested in teen parents (and particularly their relationship to welfare programs) and abstinence education. Research Findings: 2003 pulls together research that focuses specifically on these topics, as well as selected broader studies that include findings on teen parents or abstinence education. Not included in this listing is the wealth of research on the broad topic of teen pregnancy prevention, except as it relates to welfare. The following summaries are drawn directly from or paraphrase the research papers themselves. This compilation does not evaluate the validity of the studies or their methodology. Each summary includes a link to a web posting of the full research report, article, or presentation or the e-mail address of one of the researchers. Readers are encouraged to contact CLASP ([email protected] and [email protected]) with suggestions for research released in 2003 that should be included in this summary. We also encourage researchers and others to send us research that might be included in Research Findings: 2004

Nanocrystalline iron at high pressure

X-ray diffraction measurements were performed on nanocrystalline iron up to 46 GPa. For nanocrystalline epsilon-Fe, analysis of lattice parameter data provides a bulk modulus, K, of 179±8 GPa and a pressure derivative of the bulk modulus, K[prime], of 3.6±0.7, similar to the large-grained control sample. The extrapolated zero-pressure unit cell volume of nanocrystalline epsilon-Fe is 22.9±0.2 Å^3, compared to 22.3±0.2 Å^3 for large-grained epsilon-Fe. No significant grain growth was observed to occur under pressure

The indecomposability of a certain bimodule given by the Brauer construction

Broué’s abelian defect conjecture [3, 6.2] predicts for a p-block of a finite group G with an abelian defect group P a derived equivalence between the block algebra and its Brauer correspondent. By a result of Rickard [11], such a derived equivalence would in particular imply a stable equivalence induced by tensoring with a suitable bimodule - and it appears that these stable equivalences in turn tend to be obtained by “gluing” together Morita equivalences at the local levels of the considered blocks; see e.g. [4, 6.3], [8, 3.1], [12, 4.1], and [13, 5.6, A.4.1]. This note provides a technical indecomposability result which is intended to verify in suitable circumstances the hypotheses that are necessary to apply gluing results as mentioned above. This is used in [7] to show that Broué’s abelian defect group conjecture holds for nonprincipal blocks of the simple Held group and the sporadic Suzuki group

An Analysis of Major Issues for Culturally-Minded Professionals in Women\u27s Health Care

Women\u27s health care professionals, such as general physicians, obstetricians and gynecologists, midwives, nurses, and doulas, in the US need to be aware of cultural issues and disparities. Minorities and migrant women experience cultural challenges and disparities when receiving health care in the US. Without cultural sensitivity, patient care is compromised. Pregnancy and childbirth practices vary widely by culture, and potential differences in perspectives, beliefs, and treatment of these are critical issues for women’s health care professionals to study. Female genital cutting (FGC), obstetric fistulas (OF), and female cancer are also discussed in this paper