Then and Now Map

With the internet technology spreads to everywhere of the world, it is possible to find the photographs for the same location or find the current photograph based on an old photograph. It is not difficult for human beings to do it manually. Our goal is how to do it automatically. The whole automatic process includes extracting address from the website, and using CRF, Lesk Algorithm gets the most possible one. In our proposed approach, we divide all websites into 4 cases firstly as the chart shown below

Modeling the pulse signal by wave-shape function and analyzing by synchrosqueezing transform

We apply the recently developed adaptive non-harmonic model based on the wave-shape function, as well as the time-frequency analysis tool called synchrosqueezing transform (SST) to model and analyze oscillatory physiological signals. To demonstrate how the model and algorithm work, we apply them to study the pulse wave signal. By extracting features called the spectral pulse signature, {and} based on functional regression, we characterize the hemodynamics from the radial pulse wave signals recorded by the sphygmomanometer. Analysis results suggest the potential of the proposed signal processing approach to extract health-related hemodynamics features

Sequence variants of the aging gene CISD2 and the risk for Alzheimer's disease

Background/PurposeThe CISD2 gene has been related to life span control and mitochondrial dysfunction in animals. In addition, inhibition of mitochondrial enzymes due to an accumulation of beta-amyloid peptide has been related to Alzheimer's disease (AD). This study aimed to explore the association between sequence variants of the CISD2 gene and risk for AD, which has not been explored previously.MethodsThis was a case–control study involving a total of 276 patients with AD who were recruited from three teaching hospitals in Taiwan from 2007 to 2010; 460 controls were recruited from elderly individuals attending for health check-ups and volunteers in the hospital during the same period of time. All participants were aged 60 years or older. Two haplotype-tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs), rs223330 and rs223331, were selected from the CISD2 gene to test the association between their polymorphisms and the risk for dementia, and how ApoE ɛ4 status, sex, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus might modify this association.Resultsrs223330 variant carriage was not associated with risk for AD [TT versus CC: adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 0.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.59–1.62; TC versus CC: AOR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.47–1.11]. Similar findings were observed for rs223331 (AA versus TT: AOR = 1.12; AT versus TT: AOR = 0.99). In addition, hypertension significantly modified the association between rs223331 and risk for AD (p = 0.005).Three common haplotypes (with a frequency of 99.8%) were observed for CISD2. Common CISD2 haplotypes were not associated with the risk for AD.ConclusionOur findings suggested that CISD2 htSNPs are not associated with AD risk

Local Magnetic Field Role in Star Formation

We highlight distinct and systematic observational features of magnetic field morphologies in polarized submm dust continuum. We illustrate this with specific examples and show statistical trends from a sample of 50 star-forming regions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures; to appear in the EAS Proceedings of the 6th Zermatt ISM Symposium "Conditions and Impact of Star Formation from Lab to Space", September 201

Estimation of cell concentration using high-frequency ultrasonic backscattering

Abstract Cell concentration is a crucial quantity for both clinical diagnostic examinations and cell culture studies. However, typical modalities for cell concentration measurements are either time-consuming or not cost-effective. In the present study, cell concentration is estimated using high-frequency ultrasonic backscattering. Validation tests indicate that the proposed method can differentiate red blood cells (RBCs) of various hematocrits. A 50-MHz ultrasound system with appropriate sensitivity is utilized to estimate cell concentrations from a small volume of RBCs suspended in saline, with hematocrits ranging from 1.66 × 10 -4 to 10%, and fibroblasts, with concentrations ranging from 2 × 10 4 to 128 × 10 4 cells/mL. The backscatter strength and statistical distribution, characterized by the Nakagami parameter, are calculated from gated signals for quantitatively assessing the samples. Results show that the backscatter strength of RBCs linearly increases with increasing hematocrit level in the hematocrit range of 3 to 10%, which agrees well with results of previous studies. The backscatter strength of RBCS has an exponential relationship with the hematocrit level in the hematocrit range of 1.66 × 10 -4 to 3%. The corresponding Nakagami parameter is sensitive to electronic noise as long as the signal-to-noise ratio decreasing follows with the decrease of RBC hematocrits at the concentration lower than 0.85%. The backscatter strength of fibroblasts exponentially increases with increasing fibroblasts concentration, which is consistent with results obtained from typical optical density measurements. A linear relationship, with correlation coefficient of 0.99, between the results of ultrasonic backscattering and those of the optical density measurements is established. High-frequency ultrasonic backscattering can be applied to sensitively estimate the concentrations of small volumes of cells

High-Frequency Sea Level Variations Observed by GPS Buoys Using Precise Point Positioning Technique

In this study, sea level variation observed by a 1-Hz Global Positioning System (GPS) buoy system is verified by comparing with tide gauge records and is decomposed to reveal high-frequency signals that cannot be detected from 6-minute tide gauge records. Compared to tide gauges traditionally used to monitor sea level changes and affected by land motion, GPS buoys provide high-frequency geocentric measurements of sea level variations. Data from five GPS buoy campaigns near a tide gauge at Anping, Tainan, Taiwan, were processed using the Precise Point Positioning (PPP) technique with four different satellite orbit products from the International GNSS Service (IGS). The GPS buoy data were also processed by a differential GPS (DGPS) method that needs an additional GPS receiver as a reference station and the accuracy of the solution depends on the baseline length. The computation shows the average Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) difference of the GPS buoy using DGPS and tide gauge records is around 3 - 5 cm. When using the aforementioned IGS orbit products for the buoy derived by PPP, its average RMSE differences are 5 - 8 cm, 8 - 13 cm, decimeter level, and decimeter-meter level, respectively, so the accuracy of the solution derived by PPP highly depends on the accuracy of IGS orbit products. Therefore, the result indicates that the accuracy of a GPS buoy using PPP has the potential to measure the sea surface variations to several cm. Finally, high-frequency sea level signals with periods of a few seconds to a day can be successfully detected in GPS buoy observations using the Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) method and are identified as waves, meteotsunamis, and tides

Metal contact and carrier transport in single crystalline CH3NH3PbBr3 perovskite

Organic-inorganic perovskites have arrived at the forefront of solar technology due to their impressive carrier lifetimes and superior optoelectronic properties. By having the cm-sized perovskite single crystal and employing device patterning techniques, and the transfer length method (TLM), we are able to get the insight into the metal contact and carrier transport behaviors, which is necessary for maximizing device performance and efficiency. In addition to the metal work function, we found that the image force and interface charge pinning effects also affect the metal contact, and the studied single crystal CH3NH3PbBr3 features Schottky barriers of 0.17 eV, 0.38 eV, and 0.47 eV for Au, Pt, and Ti electrodes, respectively. Furthermore, the surface charges lead to the thermally activated transport from 207 K to 300 K near the perovskite surface. In contrast, from 120 K to 207 K, the material exhibited three-dimensional (3D) variable range hopping (VRH) carrier transport behavior. Understanding these fundamental contact and transport properties of perovskite will enable future electronic and optoelectronic applications