Spectral Pattern Recognition by a Two-Layer Perceptron: Effects of Training Set Size

Pattern recognition in urban areas is one of the most challenging issues in classifying satellite remote sensing data. Parametric pixel-by-pixel classification algorithms tend to perform poorly in this context. This is because urban areas comprise a complex spatial assemblage of disparate land cover types - including built structures, numerous vegetation types, bare soil and water bodies. Thus, there is a need for more powerful spectral pattern recognition techniques, utilizing pixel-by-pixel spectral information as the basis for automated urban land cover detection. This paper adopts the multi-layer perceptron classifier suggested and implemented in [5]. The objective of this study is to analyse the performance and stability of this classifier - trained and tested for supervised classification (8 a priori given land use classes) of a Landsat-5 TM image (270 x 360 pixels) from the city of Vienna and its northern surroundings - along with varying the training data set in the single-training-site case. The performance is measured in terms of total classification, map user's and map producer's accuracies. In addition, the stability with initial parameter conditions, classification error matrices, and error curves are analysed in some detail. (authors' abstract)Series: Discussion Papers of the Institute for Economic Geography and GIScienc

Development of a Patient-Report Measure of Psychotherapy for Depression

Despite clear indications of need to improve depression treatment, practical tools that efficiently measure psychotherapy are not available. We developed a patient-report measure of psychotherapy for depression that assesses Cognitive Behavioral (CBT), Interpersonal (IPT), and Psychodynamic therapies. 420 patients with depression from a large managed behavioral health care organization completed the measure. The three subscales measuring CBT, IPT, and Psychodynamic Therapy showed good internal consistency, appropriate item-total correlations, and were supported by a 3-factor structure. Our results suggest that a patient questionnaire is a promising approach for assessing psychotherapy in quality improvement interventions

Herbal medicine use during pregnancy in a group of Australian women

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the extent of women's use of herbal medicines during pregnancy, despite the fact that knowledge of the potential benefits or harms of many of these products is sparse, particularly with respect to their use in pregnancy. We aimed to measure the prevalence of herbal medicine use in a group of pregnant women attending a public tertiary maternity hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Secondary aims were to explore why women took the herbal medicine, where they received advice, what form the supplements took and if they perceived the supplements to be helpful. METHODS: Consecutive pregnant women were approached in the antenatal clinic and the birth centre at around 36–38 weeks gestation. A questionnaire was developed and self-administered in English, as well as being translated into the four most common languages of women attending the hospital: Cantonese, Vietnamese, Turkish and Arabic. Back translation into English was undertaken by different professional translators to verify accuracy of both words and concepts. Data collected included demographic information, model of pregnancy care and herbal supplement use. Descriptive statistics were used initially, with stratified and regression analysis to compare sub-groups. RESULTS: Of 705 eligible women, 588 (83%) agreed to participate. Of these, 88 (15%) completed the questionnaire in a language other than English. Thirty-six percent of women took at least one herbal supplement during the current pregnancy. The most common supplements taken were raspberry leaf (14%), ginger (12%) and chamomile (11%). Women were more likely to take herbal supplements if they were older, tertiary educated, English speaking, non-smokers and primiparous. CONCLUSION: Use of herbal supplements in pregnancy is likely to be relatively high and it is important to ascertain what supplements (if any) women are taking. Pregnancy care providers should be aware of the common herbal supplements used by women, and of the evidence regarding potential benefits or harm

Treatment received and treatment adequacy of depressive disorders among young adults in Finland

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