Patterns of behavior in lodgings exposed to traffic noise

Threshold values for public services interferent on the attenuation to noise nuisance were defined. Daily life at home was described and collected on the use of residences, the effects of noise on health and sleep, and the incidence of running away from home. A correlation was made with the equipment and noise insulation of homes. It is shown that there are behavior patterns in the modification of considerable manner in the way of life for people who live in apartments and in individual houses, above 66 dB during daytime

Implicit search trails for video recommendation

In this demo paper we demonstrate our approach and system for using implicit actions involved in video search to provide recommendations to users. The goal of this system is to improve the quality of the results that users find, and in doing so, help users to explore a large and difficult information space and help them consider search options that they may not have considered otherwise. Results of a user evaluation show that this approach achieves all of these goals

Search trails using user feedback to improve video search

In this paper we present an innovative approach for aiding users in the difficult task of video search. We use community based feedback mined from the interactions of previous users of our video search system to aid users in their search tasks. This feedback is the basis for providing recommendations to users of our video retrieval system. The ultimate goal of this system is to improve the quality of the results that users find, and in doing so, help users to explore a large and difficult information space and help them consider search options that they may not have considered otherwise. In particular we wish to make the difficult task of search for video much easier for users. The results of a user evaluation indicate that we achieved our goals, the performance of the users in retrieving relevant videos improved, and users were able to explore the collection to a greater extent

Collaborative search trails for video search

In this paper we present an approach for supporting users in the difficult task of searching for video. We use collaborative feedback mined from the interactions of earlier users of a video search system to help users in their current search tasks. Our objective is to improve the quality of the results that users find, and in doing so also assist users to explore a large and complex information space. It is hoped that this will lead to them considering search options that they may not have considered otherwise. We performed a user centred evaluation. The results of our evaluation indicate that we achieved our goals, the performance of the users in finding relevant video clips was enhanced with our system; users were able to explore the collection of video clips more and users demonstrated a preference for our system that provided recommendations

Mode-locking of incommensurate phase by quantum zero point energy in the Frenkel-Kontorova model

In this paper, it is shown that a configuration modulated system described by the Frenkel-Kontorova model can be locked at an incommensurate phase when the quantum zero point energy is taken into account. It is also found that the specific heat for an incommensurate phase shows different parameter-dependence in sliding phase and pinning phase. These findings provide a possible way for experimentalists to verify the phase transition by breaking of analyticity.Comment: 6 pages in Europhys style, 3 eps figure

Identification of diabetes self-management profiles in adults: A cluster analysis using selected self-reported outcomes.

The present study describes adult diabetes self-management (DSM) profiles using self-reported outcomes associated with the engagement in diabetes care activities and psychological adjustment to the disease. We used self-reported data from a community-based cohort of adults with diabetes (N = 316) and conducted a cluster analysis of selected self-reported DSM outcomes (i.e., DSM behaviors, self-efficacy and perceived empowerment, diabetes distress and quality of life). We tested whether clusters differed according to sociodemographic, clinical, and care delivery processes variables. Cluster analysis revealed four distinct DSM profiles that combined high/low levels of engagement in diabetes care activities and good/poor psychological adjustment to the disease. The profiles were differently associated with the variables of perceived financial insecurity, taking insulin treatment, having depression, and the congruence of the care received with the Chronic Care Model. The results could help health professionals gain a better understanding of the different realities facing people living with diabetes, identify patients at risk of poor outcomes related to their DSM, and lead to the development of profile-specific DSM interventions

Renormalization and Quantum Scaling of Frenkel-Kontorova Models

We generalise the classical Transition by Breaking of Analyticity for the class of Frenkel-Kontorova models studied by Aubry and others to non-zero Planck's constant and temperature. This analysis is based on the study of a renormalization operator for the case of irrational mean spacing using Feynman's functional integral approach. We show how existing classical results extend to the quantum regime. In particular we extend MacKay's renormalization approach for the classical statistical mechanics to deduce scaling of low frequency effects and quantum effects. Our approach extends the phenomenon of hierarchical melting studied by Vallet, Schilling and Aubry to the quantum regime.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure, submitted to J.Stat.Phy

The Ceramic Tile District, its Evolution and Possible Future Alternatives - a Comparison of Italy and Spain

Territorial agglomerations have been paradigmatic examples of localised knowledge and endogenous development that are capable of containing the whole value chain of the respective production processes [1, 2]. Nevertheless, it is a widely acknowledged fact that they are currently going through a period of uncertainty and at the same time are undergoing important changes. In order to further our understanding of what may happen in the near future and bearing in mind the context in which industrial districts currently find themselves, we conducted an analysis and comparison of two industrial districts in Spain and Italy with the aim of establishing exactly how they have evolved in recent years and the kinds of relations they have developed. Our aim is to prove that the development of one cannot be explained without taking the other into account. Therefore, any attempt to understand the future of the districts should be based on this consideration

Using score differences for search result diversification

We investigate the application of a light-weight approach to result list clustering for the purposes of diversifying search results. We introduce a novel post-retrieval approach, which is independent of external information or even the full-text content of retrieved documents; only the retrieval score of a document is used. Our experiments show that this novel approach is bene cial to e ectiveness, albeit only on certain baseline systems. The fact that the method works indicates that the retrieval score is potentially exploitable in diversity

Variational segmentation framework in prolate spheroidal coordinates for 3D real-time echocardiography

This paper presents a new formulation of a deformable model segmentation in prolate spheroidal coordinates for segmentation of 3D cardiac echocardiography data. The prolate spheroidal coordinate system enables a representation of the segmented surface with descriptors specifically adapted to the "ellipsoidal" shape of the ventricle. A simple data energy term, based on gray-level information, guides the segmentation. The segmentation framework provides a very fast and simple algorithm to evolve an initial ellipsoidal object towards the endocardial surface of the myocardium with near real-time deformations. With near real-time performance, additional constraints on landmark points, can be used interactively to prevent leakage of the surface