Copyright Protection of Color Imaging Using Robust-Encoded Watermarking

In this paper we present a robust-encoded watermarking method applied to color images for copyright protection, which presents robustness against several geometric and signal processing distortions. Trade-off between payload, robustness and imperceptibility is a very important aspect which has to be considered when a watermark algorithm is designed. In our proposed scheme, previously to be embedded into the image, the watermark signal is encoded using a convolutional encoder, which can perform forward error correction achieving better robustness performance. Then, the embedding process is carried out through the discrete cosine transform domain (DCT) of an image using the image normalization technique to accomplish robustness against geometric and signal processing distortions. The embedded watermark coded bits are extracted and decoded using the Viterbi algorithm. In order to determine the presence or absence of the watermark into the image we compute the bit error rate (BER) between the recovered and the original watermark data sequence. The quality of the watermarked image is measured using the well-known indices: Peak Signal to Noise Ratio (PSNR), Visual Information Fidelity (VIF) and Structural Similarity Index (SSIM). The color difference between the watermarked and original images is obtained by using the Normalized Color Difference (NCD) measure. The experimental results show that the proposed method provides good performance in terms of imperceptibility and robustness. The comparison among the proposed and previously reported methods based on different techniques is also provided

COMPUTATION OF THE REFLECTANCE AND TRANSMITTANCE FOR AN INHOMOGENEOUS LAYERED MEDIUM WITH TURNING POINT S USING THE WKB AND SPPS METHODS

Electromagnetic wave propagation is currently present in the vast majority of situations which occur in veryday life, whether in mobile communications, DTV, satellite tracking, broadcasting, etc. Because of this the study of increasingly complex means of propagation of lectromagnetic waves has become necessary in order to optimize resources and increase the capabilities of the devices as required by the growing demand for such services. Within the electromagnetic wave propagation different parameters are considered that characterize it under various circumstances and of particular importance are the reflectance and transmittance. There are several methods or the analysis of the reflectance and transmittance such as the method of approximation by boundary condition, the plane wave expansion method (PWE), etc., but this work focuses on the WKB and SPPS methods. The implementation of the WKB method is relatively simple but is found to be relatively efficient only when working at high frequencies. The SPPS method (Spectral Parameter Powers Series) based on the theory of pseudoanalytic functions, is used to solve this problem through a new representation for solutions of Sturm Liouville equations and has recently proven to be a powerful tool to solve different boundary value and eigenvalue problems. Moreover, it has a very suitable structure for numerical implementation, which in this case took place in the Matlab software for the valuation of both conventional and turning points profiles. The comparison between the two methods allows us to obtain valuable information about their perfor mance which is useful for determining the validity and propriety of their application for solving problems where these parameters are calculated in real life applications

Factores que afectan algunas de las pruebas del tamiz neonatal

Introducción: los métodos analíticos del tamiz metabólico, adaptados al estudio de sangre impregnada en un papel fi ltro, pueden afectarse por factores externos que alteran falsamente los resultados. Objetivo: identificar los factores que afectan las pruebas y el control de calidad del tamiz neonatal. Material y métodos: se realizó análisis retrospectivo y observacional, desde junio del 2002 hasta octubre del 2004, y se estudió el tamiz neonatal de 632 pacientes para identificar los factores que alteran los resultados y determinar cuáles son las pruebas más susceptibles. Se evaluó la calidad de la muestra, y las condiciones de almacenamiento y transporte. Resultados: entre los 632 estudios, en 42 pacientes (6.6%) estuvieron alterados uno o varios de los analitos; en 11 de estos últimos (1.7% del total y 26% de los estudios con resultados anormales) se comprobó un defecto metabólico y en los restantes 31 alguna interferencia. Las pruebas más susceptibles al efecto de la interferencia fueron glucosa-6-fosfato deshidrogenasa (13 casos), uridil galactosa transferasa (nueve casos) y tripsinógeno inmunoreactivo (cinco casos). Las causas más frecuentes de interferencia fueron muestras mal conservadas y administración de medicamentos anticonvulsivantes (ácido valproico). Discusión: la elevada frecuencia de resultados falsos positivos en el tamiz neonatal hace imperativo establecer acciones preventivas para disminuir el número de muestras rechazadas y obliga a descartar las fuentes comunes de interferencia antes de emitir algún diagnóstico presuntivo

Internet Prospective Study

The Internet is currently the largest network of communication worldwide and is where technological advances could be observed. The original creation of the Internet was based on the idea that this network would be formed mainly by multiple independent networks with an arbitrary design. The Internet is the place where all countries communicate and disseminate information in real time, this phenomenon directly affects economies, businesses, and society. This article shows what the future of the Internet is, our research carries out a qualitative prospective analysis on projects and investigations in which the scientific community is currently working, the information is analyzed, and the highlighted topics are shown

Clinical and demographic features of HIV infection in El Salvador

©2003 World Health Organization. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/. This document is the , Published, version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Pan American Journal of Public Health.ABSTRACT: Objective: To understand some of the clinical and demographic features of the epidemic of infection by HIV in El Salvador prior to the availability of antiretroviral therapy in that country. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of HIV-infected individuals who were admitted to Hospital Rosales, which is a large public teaching hospital in San Salvador, El Salvador, during the 5-year period of 1994 through 1998. Chart abstraction was done of 194 out of the 208 individuals admitted to the Infectious Diseases Unit at Hospital Rosales (14 charts could not be located). We also carried out a sampling of other HIV-infected adults treated in other parts of the hospital. Results: Of the 250 patients whose records we reviewed, 67% were men and 86% were from an urban area. The mean age at HIV diagnosis was 34 years. In terms of occupation, 50% of the men were day laborers; 76% of the women were housewives, and 8% of the women were commercial sex workers. All the women studied listed only heterosexual contact as their risk behavior. Of the men, 9% of them said they had sex only with men, 17% said with both men and women, and 65% said with female commercial sex workers. In terms of drug use, 2% of the patients reported they had used injection drugs at some point. At their initial medical visit to Hospital Rosales, over half of the 250 patients presented with a respiratory complaint or with diarrhea, 6% had pulmonary tuberculosis (TB), and 5% had extrapulmonary TB. Of the 250 patients, 177 of them (71%) had AIDS at the first medical visit. Of the 250, 138 of them (55%) were lost to follow-up. Of the remaining 112 persons, 81 of them (72%) were known to have died. Of those 81, 38 of them (47%) died of unknown causes and 21 (26%) died of TB. Conclusions: The HIV-infected adults treated at the Hospital Rosales during the 1994–1998 period were usually infected through heterosexual sex, were symptomatic at the time of presentation, and were often lost to follow-up. Utilizing the results of our study and of other research, efforts to expand early intervention, counseling and testing, and targeted prevention activities should be strengthened.RESUMEN: Objetivos: Describir las características clínicas y demográficas de la epidemia de infección por VIH en El Salvador antes de que se dispusiera de una terapia antirretroviral en ese país. Método: Estudio retrospectivo de pacientes infectados con el VIH atendidos en el Hospital Rosales —una institución hospitalaria docente de San Salvador, El Salvador— entre 1994 y 1998. Se hicieron resúmenes de las historias clínicas de 194 de los 208 pacientes ingresados en la Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas del Hospital (14 historias clínicas no pudieron ser localizadas). También se tomó una muestra de otros pacientes adultos infectados por el VIH que fueron atendidos en otras áreas del hospital. Resultados: De los 250 pacientes cuyas historias clínicas pudieron ser estudiadas, 67% eran hombres y 86% procedían de zonas urbanas. La edad promedio en el momento del diagnóstico de la infección por el VIH fue de 34 años. De los hombres, 50% eran trabajadores diurnos; 76% de las mujeres eran amas de casa y 8% se dedicaba al comercio sexual. Todas las mujeres estudiadas mencionaron el contacto heterosexual como su única conducta de riesgo. De los hombres, 9% expresaron que tenían relaciones sexuales solo con otros hombres, 17% manifestaron que lo hacían tanto con hombres como con mujeres y 65% afirmaron haber mantenido relaciones sexuales con prostitutas. En cuanto al uso de drogas, 2% de los pacientes reconocieron haber utilizado drogas intravenosas en algún momento. En su visita inicial al Hospital Rosales, más de la mitad de los pacientes presentaban problemas respiratorios o diarreas, 6% tenían tuberculosis (TB) pulmonar y 5% TB extrapulmonar. De los 250 pacientes, 177 (71%) tenía sida en el momento de su primera consulta y a 138 (55%) no se les pudo terminar el seguimiento. De los restantes 112 pacientes se sabe que 81 (72%) fall- ecieron. De ellos, 21 (26%) murieron de TB y de los restantes 38 (47%) se desconoce la causa de muerte. Conclusiones: Los adultos infectados por el VIH atendidos en el Hospital Rosales entre 1994 y 1998 adquirieron la infección mediante prácticas heterosexuales, presentaban síntomas en el momento de su primera consulta y abandonaron el seguimiento. Estos hallazgos y los resultados de otras investigaciones deben utilizarse para desarrollar acciones de intervención temprana y ampliar los servicios de asesoramiento y de laboratorio, asi como para fortalecer las acciones de prevención

Silica coating for interphase bond enhancement of carbon and AR-glass Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM)

In this paper, we investigate the effect of silica nano-coating for interphase bond enhancement on the mechanical performance of Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) composite materials aimed at structural rehabilitation and strengthening. Alkali-resistant glass (ARG) and carbon fabric reinforcements are preliminarily treated via sol-gel deposition of SiO2coating to promote bond formation capability with the mortar matrix. Optical and electron microscopy provide evidence of interphase bond enhancement. Mechanical performance is assessed both in traction, through uni-axial elongation of prismatic coupons, and in flexure, by three-point bending of laminated masonry bricks. Results are given in terms of mean strength curves, ultimate and design strength and strain values, cracked and uncracked moduli, mean crack spacing, mean crack width and energy dissipation. It is shown that mean absolute performance of silica coating offers a significant improvement over uncoated fabric, yet it is inferior to that of specimens which have been treated with a liquid partially-organic adhesion promoter (polymer coating). However, when design values are considered which incorporate the dispersion of experimental data, silica coating proves superior or at least equivalent to polymer coating, respectively for carbon and ARG fabric. These promising results describe the first application of silica nano-coating to fabric reinforced composite materials

Disability-Related Diversity in Occupational Therapy: A Scoping Review

https://digitalcommons.unmc.edu/cahp_ot_pres/1000/thumbnail.jp

La EscuelaAyllu de Warisata, Bolivia y sus relaciones con México

La constitución y desarrollo de la Escuela de Warisata durante la década del 30 del siglo XX en América, como un proyecto para las comunidades originarias que partía de las tradiciones y costumbres ancestrales, se convirtió en una obra innovadora y opuesta a los proyectos pedagógicos instaurados en Latinoamérica, que produjo la simpatía de diversas naciones de la región, específicamente con la nación mexicana, que también contaba con una experiencia educativa para los pueblos originarios. Ambas naciones mantuvieron diversas relaciones e intercambios, a pesar de que sus proyectos pedagógicos eran diferentes

Industry 4.0 and smart data as enablers of the circular economy in manufacturing: Product re-engineering with circular eco-design

The digital transformation of manufacturing firms, in addition to making operations more efficient, offers important opportunities both to promote the transition to a circular economy and to experiment with new techniques for designing smarter and greener products. This study integrates Industry 4.0 technologies, smart data, Life Cycle Assessment methodology, and material microstructural analysis techniques to develop and apply a circular eco-design model that has been implemented in the Italian ceramic tile manufacturing industry. The model has been initially adopted in a simulation environment to define five different scenarios of raw material supply, alternative to the current production one. The scenarios were then validated operationally at laboratory scale and in a pilot environment, demonstrating that a proper selection of raw material transport systems significantly improves the environmental performance of the ceramic product. Both the results of the laboratory tests and of the pre-industrial experiments have demonstrated the technological feasibility of the solutions identified with circular eco-design, enabling the re-engineering of the ceramic product as the fifth of the 6Rs of the circular economy. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Effect of Impulsivity Traits on Food Choice within a Nudging Intervention

Food choices are often driven by impulsive tendencies rather than rational consideration. Some individuals may find it more difficult resisting impulses related to unhealthy food choices, and low self-control and high impulsivity have been suggested to be linked to these behaviors. Recent shifts have been made towards developing strategies that target automatic processes of decision-making and focus on adjusting the environment, referred to as nudging interventions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of impulsivity traits on food choices within a nudging intervention (increased perceived variety). A total of 83 adults participated in an experimental study consisting of a self-service intelligent buffet. Impulsivity traits were measured using the UPPS-P impulsivity scale. General linear models were fitted to evaluate the effect of the five impulsivity traits on the difference of salad consumption (g) between the control and intervention situations. Results showed that impulsivity does not affect food choices in this nudging situation, suggesting that nudging works independently of the participant’s impulsivity score. Results also showed a significantly higher consumption of salad in the nudging versus the control setting (17.6 g, p < 0.05), suggesting that nudging interventions can be effective in significantly increasing total vegetable consumption across the whole impulsivity scale