Segmentation of Sedimentary Grain in Electron Microscopy Image

This paper describes a novel method developed for the segmentation of sedimentary grains in electron microscopy images. The algorithm utilizes the approach of region splitting and merging. In the splitting stage, the marker-based watershed segmentation is used. In the merging phase, the typical characteristics of grains in electron microscopy images are exploited for proposing special metrics, which are then used during the merging stage to obtain a correct grain segmentation. The metrics are based on the typical intensity changes on the grain borders and the compact shape of grains. The experimental part describes the optimal setting of parameter in the splitting stage and the overall results of the proposed algorithm tested on available database of grains. The results show that the proposed technique fulfills the requirements of its intended application

Occupational Gender Segregation in the light of the Segregation in Education: A Cross-National Comparison

The main aims of this article are to conduct a cross-national comparison of levels of occupational gender segregation and to examine the relation between the level of occupational gender segregation and gender segregation in education (both vertical and horizontal). The analyses include 18 European countries covered by the European Social Survey (ESS) conducted in 2004. The comparison pays a special attention to the position of the Czech Republic and differences and similarities between the EU-15 countries and the new EU member states, i.e. post-socialist countries.gender segregation ; occupational segregation ; cross-national segregatio

ADHD CHILDREN AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE USE: MATERNAL DETERMINANTS

The current study investigated maternal determinants of mental health service use, namely, individual child therapy, among preadolescent children diagnosed with ADHD. The Behavioral Model of Health Care Utilization (Andersen, 2008) was used as a theoretical framework for the study. Data from the last three rounds of ECLS-K dataset were employed to test a longitudinal model using Bayesian analysis. Socio-demographic variables and maternal mental health were tested as exogenous variables and mother-child relationship variables, discipline variables, and perceived maternal concern about child’s overall behavior and child’s emotional symptoms were tested as intervening variables. Results showed that only maternal mental health remained in the model as an exogenous variable. The effect of mental health on child therapy was mediated by maternal aggravation and maternal concern about overall behavior in one path and by maternal concern about emotional symptoms in another path, suggesting that maternal mental health needs to be considered when attempting to understand help-seeking determinants. Both concern variables were found to have large direct effects on child therapy. The results of the current study showed the importance of maternal mental health and the importance of determinants related to mother-child relationship in a mother’s decision to seek therapy for a child

Medical Ethics in the Czech Republic - Experiences in the Post-Totalitarian Country"

WAP networking & application

Pencerakinan kajian istilah dan terjemahan BERNAMA Arab ke bahasa Melayu dan Inggeris

Artikel ini membincangkan aspek kajian istilah dan terjemahan yang dilakukan pada BERNAMA Arab ke bahasa Melayu dan juga Inggeris sebagai medan pembelajaran bagi pelajar bidang pengkhususan bahasa dan kesusasteraan Arab masa kini. Objektif kajian ini adalah untuk meneliti ketepatan penggunaan istilah dari BERNAMA Arab ke bahasa Melayu dan Inggeris, di samping menterjemahkan teks BERNAMA Arab dalam semua aspek ke bahasa Melayu dan Inggeris. Artikel ini juga bertujuan untuk memaparkan padanan istilah dari BERNAMA Arab ke istilah bahasa Melayu dan Inggeris. Keseluruhan kajian ini menggunakan kaedah kualitatif dengan mengaplikasi analisis kandungan seperti rujukan bahan ilmiah utama berdasarkan buku, kamus dan jurnal, di samping bahan utama daripada internet melalui tapak web BERNAMA.com dan tapak web lain yang berkaitan dengannya. Dapatan kajian menunjukkan padanan istilah dipadankan mengikut kesesuaian makna dan secara langsung turut memaparkan istilah yang dapat membantu khalayak pembaca memahami istilah yang sering diguna pakai. Selain itu, hasil kajian menunjukkan terdapat perkataan yang mempunyai istilah yang sama dan makna yang sama, gaya bahasa yang membawa maksud yang berlainan serta kata nama khas. Hasil kajian ini diharapkan dapat memberikan impak yang positif dan menyumbang kepada pemugaran pembelajaran bahasa Arab secara maya dengan lebih efektif

Infections Are Not Increased in Scleroderma Compared to Non-Inflammatory Musculoskeletal Disorders Prior to Disease Onset

The etiology of scleroderma (SSc) is unknown; immunogenic stimuli such as infections and vaccinations could theoretically be risk factors for scleroderma. Our objective was to assess the relationship between viral and bacterial infec-tions, and vaccinations, prior to diagnosis of SSc compared to non-inflammatory controls. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to individuals with SSc (n =83) and controls (n=351) with non-inflammatory musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders (os-teoarthritis, n = 204; tendonitis, n = 58; fibromyalgia, n= 89) from a rheumatology practice. Questions ascertained past in-fections, exposure to infectious agents and vaccination history. Results: The response rate was 78% (SSc) and 56% (MSK controls). The mean age was 56 ± 1.6 (SSc) and 58 ± 0.9 (MSK); 88% (SSc) and 82% (MSK) were female. No association between prior infections and SSc was observed. In fact, controls were more likely than SSc subjects to report any infec-tion within 1-year prior to disease diagnosis (35% vs. 16%, p<0.006), or to have suffered a trauma to affected joints prior to diagnosis (44% vs. 19%, p<0.0002). Within the 1-year prior to disease diagnosis, controls reported slightly more strep-tococcal infections (p<0.2), infections with diarrhea and vomiting (p<0.3), and antibiotic use (p<0.09), although none of these results were statistically significant. Histories of any hepatitis, rubella, any bacterial infection, and having had a pre-vious positive tuberculosis skin test were not significantly different between groups and were actually more often reported by the control subjects. SSc reported slightly more hepatitis B (p<0.08), more rheumatic fever (p<0.8) in past, and herpes zoster (p<0.4), although no differences reached significance. Conclusion: This study does not support that self-report of symptomatic infections are more likely to occur ever (prior to diagnosis) or within 1-year prior to symptom onset of SSc, or that vaccinations in adulthood trigger SSc

Long-term evolution of antigen repertoires among carried meningococci

Most studies of bacterial pathogen populations have been based on isolates collected from individuals with disease, or their contacts, over short time periods. For commensal organisms that occasionally cause disease, such as Neisseria meningitidis, however, the analysis of isolates from long-term asymptomatic carriage is necessary to elucidate their evolution and population structure. Here, we use mathematical models to analyse the structuring and dynamics of three vaccine-candidate antigens among carried meningococcal isolates collected over nearly 30 years in the Czech Republic. The data indicate that stable combinations of antigenic alleles were maintained over this time period despite evidence for high rates of recombination, consistent with theoretical models in which strong immune selection can maintain non-overlapping combinations of antigenic determinants in the presence of recombination. We contrast this antigenic structure with the overlapping but relatively stable combinations of the housekeeping genes observed among the same isolates, and use a novel network approach to visualize these relationships