Remedies and the Supreme Court\u27s October 2007 Term

For this third annual review of Supreme Court decisions, I have identified three cases from very different areas all of which involve the remedies available for violations of federal law. These cases deal with the following issues: (a) federal remedies for state violations of federal labor policy (Chamber of Commerce); (b) state remedies for violations of the federal Bill of Rights (Danforth) and (c) federal common law standards for awarding punitive damages (Exxon Shipping)

Information-theoretic active contour model for microscopy image segmentation using texture

High throughput technologies have increased the need for automated image analysis in a wide variety of microscopy techniques. Geometric active contour models provide a solution to automated image segmentation by incorporating statistical information in the detection of object boundaries. A statistical active contour may be defined by taking into account the optimisation of an information-theoretic measure between object and background. We focus on a product-type measure of divergence known as Cauchy-Schwartz distance which has numerical advantages over ratio-type measures. By using accurate shape derivation techniques, we define a new geometric active contour model for image segmentation combining Cauchy-Schwartz distance and Gabor energy texture filters. We demonstrate the versatility of this approach on images from the Brodatz dataset and phase-contrast microscopy images of cells

Analysis of cardiac signals using spatial filling index and time-frequency domain

BACKGROUND: Analysis of heart rate variation (HRV) has become a popular noninvasive tool for assessing the activities of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). HRV analysis is based on the concept that fast fluctuations may specifically reflect changes of sympathetic and vagal activity. It shows that the structure generating the signal is not simply linear, but also involves nonlinear contributions. These signals are essentially non-stationary; may contain indicators of current disease, or even warnings about impending diseases. The indicators may be present at all times or may occur at random in the time scale. However, to study and pinpoint abnormalities in voluminous data collected over several hours is strenuous and time consuming. METHODS: This paper presents the spatial filling index and time-frequency analysis of heart rate variability signal for disease identification. Renyi's entropy is evaluated for the signal in the Wigner-Ville and Continuous Wavelet Transformation (CWT) domain. RESULTS: This Renyi's entropy gives lower 'p' value for scalogram than Wigner-Ville distribution and also, the contours of scalogram visually show the features of the diseases. And in the time-frequency analysis, the Renyi's entropy gives better result for scalogram than the Wigner-Ville distribution. CONCLUSION: Spatial filling index and Renyi's entropy has distinct regions for various diseases with an accuracy of more than 95%

Physiological basis and image processing in functional magnetic resonance imaging: Neuronal and motor activity in brain

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is recently developing as imaging modality used for mapping hemodynamics of neuronal and motor event related tissue blood oxygen level dependence (BOLD) in terms of brain activation. Image processing is performed by segmentation and registration methods. Segmentation algorithms provide brain surface-based analysis, automated anatomical labeling of cortical fields in magnetic resonance data sets based on oxygen metabolic state. Registration algorithms provide geometric features using two or more imaging modalities to assure clinically useful neuronal and motor information of brain activation. This review article summarizes the physiological basis of fMRI signal, its origin, contrast enhancement, physical factors, anatomical labeling by segmentation, registration approaches with examples of visual and motor activity in brain. Latest developments are reviewed for clinical applications of fMRI along with other different neurophysiological and imaging modalities

Ten steps for successful breast feeding: Assessment of hospital performance, its determinants and planning for improvement

This paper discusses results from a project which aims to document the maternity hospital practices in Istanbul within the context of Ten Steps for Successful Breastfeeding, Instruments developed for use in hospital level implementation of the WHO/UNICEF baby friendly hospital initiative were used in five hospitals (two public and three private), No hospital was implementing all Ten Steps, A core hospital team on lactation management and a sufficient number of health personnel skillful in breastfeeding counselling and adequate delivery room conditions are required to implement the Ten Steps, It is very difficult to provide these conditions in public hospitals with an excessive patient load, On the other hand, the fee for service system and the policy of changing practices according to the wishes of the clients can also become barriers to successful breastfeeding, as may occur in some private hospitals

Female health workers: An obstetric risk group

Objective: The aim of the study was to gather information about the pregnancies of female health workers and to compare them with those of another group of working women with different working conditions, namely bank workers. Methods: Using a cross-sectional comparative design, physicians (184), nurses (197) and bank-workers (192) were interviewed about their previous pregnancies and working conditions during those pregnancies. Results: The majority of physicians (70.6%) and nurses (81.2%) had night work during their pregnancies and two-thirds of them continued this work until the last month of pregnancy, even though they have a legal right not to work during the night after the 7th month of pregnancy. Health workers had shorter maternity leaves than bank workers (P < 0.001) and complained more about the negative attitudes of managers and colleagues during their pregnancy (P < 0.001). Health workers had more preterm deliveries (P < 0.05) compared with bank workers, and nurses had more low birth weight babies compared with bank workers (P < 0.05). Conclusion: There is a need for a change in the climate in hospitals in terms of the working conditions of pregnant health staff and the attitudes towards them