Recognition of Biometric Unlock Pattern by GMM-UBM

International audienceUnlock patterns are used for authentication in mobile smart devices, yet they are vulnerable to attacks, since only the pattern draw is required. Extra biometric data of the user while drawing the unlock pattern passwords may strengthen the authentication, such as the speed of drawing, the pressure of the finger on the touch screen. Such biometric modality is referred to as behavioral biometrics. Besides, voice is also a behavioral biometric modality, as well as a physiological one. Hence, statistical models such as Gaussian mixture models (GMM) with universal background modeling (UBM) are widely used in speaker verification systems. In this work, we propose to apply and adapt a framework usually dedicated to speaker verification to recognize the unlock patterns based on users' behavior. We evaluate the performance using equal error rate for different combinations of features and varying number of mixtures. As a result of the combination of features, an equal error rate as low as 9.25% on average is obtained, which is promising for a preliminary study on GMM-UBM applied to unlock pattern based biometric recognition

Volume CXVIII, Number 8, November 10, 2000

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the degree of variation of hydronephrosis by hydration in patients with ureteropelvic junction obstruction (UPJO). Material and Methods: Patients with antenatally diagnosed UPJO who admitted in a three months period were evaluated in terms of variation in sonographic findings for hydronephrosis. Serial renal ultrasounds were carried out before and after hydration considering parameters for hydronephrosis. Parameters evaluated on each ultrasound included degree of hydronephrosis, maximum anteroposterior diameter of the renal pelvis (mAPD) and anteroposterior pelvic diameter at hilum (hAPD), renal parenchymal thickness, dimensions of both kidneys, grade of hydronephrosis and the volume of the bladder. Results: Eleven children with unilateral hydronephrosis due to UPJO were evaluated. There were 10 males and 1 female at a mean age of 10.3 (3-30) months. The mean value of mAPD before hydration was 19.3±4.3 and increased to 21.3±4.6 mm (9.6% increase) after hydration showing a statistically significant difference (p=0.006). The corresponding measurements for hAPD before and after hydration were 14.5±3.6 mm and 14.6±3.4 mm respectively (p=0.846). Parenchymal thickness before and after hydration were 7.2±0.53 and 6.9±0.44 respectively which also showed no statistical significance (p=0.335). Hydration was found to have no significant effect on the parameters examined of contralateral kidney. Conclusion: The commonly used ultrasonographic parameters in the follow-up examination of hydronephrotic kidneys are prone to hydration effects. Among these parameters hAPD seems to be less affected. Copyright © 2013 by Türkiye Klinikleri

B12 Vitamin and Folat Prevelance of Children and Adolescents in Diyarbakır

The most common cause of megaloblastic anemia in childhood are vitamin B12 and folat deficiency. Folat and vitamin B12 play a role in DNA synthessis in gastrointestinal, urogenital,nerves and hemotopoetic cells. The diagnosis of megaloblastic anemia is easy and the treatment cost is low.In this study, the prevalence of vitamin B12 and folat deficiencies in 889 students were determined. Vitamin B12 and folat levels in blood samples were measured via RİAThe average age were betwen 12 and 22 years. Of this students 294(%33,1) were female and 595 (%66,9) were male. The incidence of vitamin B12 deficiency was found to be 2.2%, while folat deficiency was 21.8%. The mean vitamin B12 level was 331,51±144,05 pg/mL (325,60±138,91 in pg/mL male, 343,48±153,48 pg/mL in female), the mean folat level was 5,42±2,12 ng/ml (5,23±2,11 ng/ml in male, 5,80±2,10 ng/ml in female).The prevelance of folat deficiency in our region was higher than other countries, possibly due to low socioeconomical status, improper or inadequate food intake and low educational status

Ultrasound in augmented reality: a mixed-methods evaluation of head-mounted displays in image-guided interventions

Purpose: Augmented reality (AR) and head-mounted displays (HMD) in medical practice are current research topics. A commonly proposed use case of AR-HMDs is to display data in image-guided interventions. Although technical feasibility has been thoroughly shown, effects of AR-HMDs on interventions are not yet well researched, hampering clinical applicability. Therefore, the goal of this study is to better understand the benefits and limitations of this technology in ultrasound-guided interventions. Methods: We used an AR-HMD system (based on the first-generation Microsoft Hololens) which overlays live ultrasound images spatially correctly at the location of the ultrasound transducer. We chose ultrasound-guided needle placements as a representative task for image-guided interventions. To examine the effects of the AR-HMD, we used mixed methods and conducted two studies in a lab setting: (1) In a randomized crossover study, we asked participants to place needles into a training model and evaluated task duration and accuracy with the AR-HMD as compared to the standard procedure without visual overlay and (2) in a qualitative study, we analyzed the user experience with AR-HMD using think-aloud protocols during ultrasound examinations and semi-structured interviews after the task. Results: Participants (n = 20) placed needles more accurately (mean error of 7.4 mm vs. 4.9 mm, p = 0.022) but not significantly faster (mean task duration of 74.4 s vs. 66.4 s, p = 0.211) with the AR-HMD. All participants in the qualitative study (n = 6) reported limitations of and unfamiliarity with the AR-HMD, yet all but one also clearly noted benefits and/or that they would like to test the technology in practice. Conclusion: We present additional, though still preliminary, evidence that AR-HMDs provide benefits in image-guided procedures. Our data also contribute insights into potential causes underlying the benefits, such as improved spatial perception. Still, more comprehensive studies are needed to ascertain benefits for clinical applications and to clarify mechanisms underlying these benefits

The green biorefinery concept for the valorisation of pistachio shell by high-pressure CO2/H2O system

ABSTRACT: The use of high-pressure CO2/H2O in valorisation of pistachio shell to produce hemicellulose-derived, oligomeric and monomeric sugars and their further transformation to furfural as well as enzymatic transformation of cellulose-rich solids is presented in this work. Different pre-treatment conditions i.e. temperature ranged from 160 to 200 degrees C; reaction time varied between 0 and 30 min and liquid to solid mass ratio between 4 and 8 with constant initial pressure of CO2 of 50 bars were examined. At the optimal pre-treatment conditions, the concentrations of xylose and xylo-oligosaccharide were of 1.7 and 35.5 g/L. Furthermore, this work demonstrates the high-pressure CO2 catalysed production of furfural in an aqueous/tetrahydrofuran system. For model solution containing a mixture of xylose and acetic acid, the optimised furfural yield was as high as 53.3 mol%, while for real sample of hemicellulose hydrolysate, the furfural yield of 39.6 mol% and the selectivity of 40.0 mol% were obtained. Additionally, quantitative glucan to glucose conversion by enzymatic hydrolysis of pre-treated cellulose-rich biomasses was achieved.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Secreted Frizzled-related Protein 2 (sFRP2) Redirects Non-canonical Wnt Signaling from Fz7 to Ror2 during Vertebrate Gastrulation

This is the final version of the article. Available from American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology via the DOI in this record.Convergent extension movements during vertebrate gastrulation require a balanced activity of non-canonical Wnt signaling pathways, but the factors regulating this interplay on the molecular level are poorly characterized. Here we show that sFRP2, a member of the secreted frizzled-related protein (sFRP) family, is required for morphogenesis and papc expression during Xenopus gastrulation. We further provide evidence that sFRP2 redirects non-canonical Wnt signaling from Frizzled 7 (Fz7) to the receptor tyrosine kinase-like orphan receptor 2 (Ror2). During this process, sFRP2 promotes Ror2 signal transduction by stabilizing Wnt5a-Ror2 complexes at the membrane, whereas it inhibits Fz7 signaling, probably by blocking Fz7 receptor endocytosis. The cysteine-rich domain of sFRP2 is sufficient for Ror2 activation, and related sFRPs can substitute for this function. Notably, direct interaction of the two receptors via their cysteine-rich domains also promotes Ror2-mediated papc expression but inhibits Fz7 signaling. We propose that sFRPs can act as a molecular switch, channeling the signal input for different non-canonical Wnt pathways during vertebrate gastrulation

Microbial arms race: Ballistic "nematocysts" in dinoflagellates represent a new extreme in organelle complexity

We examine the origin of harpoon-like secretory organelles (nematocysts) in dinoflagellate protists. These ballistic organelles have been hypothesized to be homologous to similarly complex structures in animals (cnidarians); but we show, using structural, functional, and phylogenomic data, that nematocysts evolved independently in both lineages. We also recorded the first high-resolution videos of nematocyst discharge in dinoflagellates. Unexpectedly, our data suggest that different types of dinoflagellate nematocysts use two fundamentally different types of ballistic mechanisms: one type relies on a single pressurized capsule for propulsion, whereas the other type launches 11 to 15 projectiles froman arrangement similar to a Gatling gun.Despite their radical structural differences, these nematocysts share a single origin within dinoflagellates and both potentially use a contraction-based mechanism to generate ballistic force. The diversity of traits in dinoflagellate nematocysts demonstrates a stepwise route by which simple secretory structures diversified to yield elaborate subcellular weaponry

Coagulation factor V gene mutation increases the risk of venous thrombosis in Behcet's disease

We investigated the prevalence of the coagulation factor V gene G1691A mutation in 64 patients with Behcet's disease (BD) and in 107 apparently healthy individuals. The mutation was present in the heterozygous state in 37.5% of the patients with a history of deep vein thrombosis (12/32) and in 9.4% of the patients without any thrombotic event (3/32). Eleven healthy individuals were also heterozygous for the mutation (10.3%). The prevalence of the mutation in BD patients with and without thrombosis was significantly different (P = 0.0079). We conclude that the factor V gene mutation may play a major role in the development of venous thrombosis in BD

Analysis of MYH Tyr165Cys and Gly382Asp variants in childhood leukemias

[No abstract available

Serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 Levels in Healthy Children Between 0 and 6 Years of Age

Objective: Along with growth hormone (GH) levels, measurements of serum insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) and IGF-binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3) are used in the diagnosis of GH deficiency and in monitoring the efficacy and safety of long-term GH treatment. The purpose of the present study was to establish reference values for serum IGF-1 and IGFBP-3 in healthy Turkish children less than 6 years of age