Medical diagnosis system and method with multispectral imaging

A skin diagnosis system includes a scanning and optical arrangement whereby light reflected from each incremental area (pixel) of the skin is directed simultaneously to three separate light filters, e.g., IR, red, and green. As a result, the three devices simultaneously produce three signals which are directly related to the reflectance of light of different wavelengths from the corresponding pixel. These three signals for each pixel after processing are used as inputs to one or more output devices to produce a visual color display and/or a hard copy color print, for one usable as a diagnostic aid by a physician

CCD imaging instruments for planetary spacecraft applications

The development of new spacecraft camera systems to be used in conjunction with CCD sensors is reported. A brief overview of the science objectives and engineering constraints which influence the design of cameras for deep space is followed by a review of two current development programs, one leading to a line scan imager and the other to an area array frame camera. For each of these, a general description of the imager is given. It is evident that currently available CCDs fall short of requirements in some respects

Ethnic Wage Inequality in Vietnam: Empirical Evidence from 2002

This paper complements earlier studies on ethnic minority underdevelopment in Vietnam by empirically examining the ethnic wage gap in the Vietnamese labour market, using data from a large-scale household survey conducted in 2002. The paper uses the ‘index number’ decomposition method suggested by Oaxaca (1973) to decompose the ethnic wage gap into treatment and endowment effects at both the mean and at selected quantiles of the conditional wage distribution. The results confirm the existence of an ethnic wage gap in the labour market, through this gap is found to be substantially narrower than the ethnic gap observed using household living standard measures for Vietnam. Decomposition results reveal that the ethnic wage gap is largely attributable to differentials in the returns to endowments, a finding invariant to whether the mean or selected quantiles of the conditional wage distribution is examined.Wage inequality, ethnic minority, quantile regression, Vietnam

The Gender Pay Gap In Vietnam, 1993-2002: A Quantile Regression Approach

This paper uses mean and quantile regression analysis to investigate the gender pay gap for the wage employed in Vietnam over the period 1993 to 2002. It finds that the Doi moi reforms have been associated with a sharp reduction in gender wage disparities for the wage employed. The average gender pay gap in this sector halved between 1993 and 2002 with most of the contraction evident by 1998. There has also been a contraction in the gender pay at most selected points of the conditional wage distribution with the observed effect most pronounced at the top end of the distribution. However, the decomposition analysis suggests that the treatment effect is relatively stable across the conditional wage distribution and little evidence of a ?glassceiling? is detected for Vietnamese women in the wage employment sector in any of the years examined.Gender pay gap, Quantile regression, Vietnam

The Proportion of Females in the Establishment: Discrimination, Preferences and Technology

This paper examines determinants of the proportion of females in the establishment as this variable can affect the male- female wage gap in an important way. Our search for the determinants is guided by two views of the labour market, namely discrimination and coincidence of needs between firms and workers. Results suggest that establishments have higher proportion of females when employment is higher during the school year and employment turnover is higher; the more stable the demand for the output; the higher the proportion of white collar employees; and the smaller the local labour market. This suggests that public policy based on one view of how the labour market works may produce unintended results that will not necessarily improve the welfare of the very groups targeted.Gender Wage Gap, Wage Decomposition Techniques, and Determinants Proportion of Females in the Establishment

Direct measurement of the maximum tunnel rate in a radio frequency single electron transistor operated as a microwave mixer

By operating the radio frequency single electron transistor (rf-SET) as a mixer we present measurements in which the RC roll-off of the tunnel junctions is observed at high frequencies. Our technique makes use of the non-linear rf-SET transconductance to mix high frequency gate signals and produce difference-frequency components that fall within the bandwidth of the rf-SET. At gate frequencies >15GHz the induced charge on the rf-SET island is altered on time-scales faster than the inverse tunnel rate, preventing mixer operation. We suggest the possibility of utilizing this technique to sense high frequency signals beyond the usual rf-SET bandwidth.Comment: Submitted to Applied Physics Letters. Comments always very welcome, email:[email protected] (New version contains extra data and new figs

Evaluating the Roles of Rainout and Post-Condensation Processes in a Landfalling Atmospheric River with Stable Isotopes in Precipitation and Water Vapor

Atmospheric rivers (ARs), and frontal systems more broadly, tend to exhibit prominent “V” shapes in time series of stable isotopes in precipitation. Despite the magnitude and widespread nature of these “V” shapes, debate persists as to whether these shifts are driven by changes in the degree of rainout, which we determine using the Rayleigh distillation of stable isotopes, or by post-condensation processes such as below-cloud evaporation and equilibrium isotope exchange between hydrometeors and surrounding vapor. Here, we present paired precipitation and water vapor isotope time series records from the 5–7 March 2016, AR in Bodega Bay, CA. The stable isotope composition of surface vapor along with independent meteorological constraints such as temperature and relative humidity reveal that rainout and post-condensation processes dominate during different portions of the event. We find that Rayleigh distillation controls during peak AR conditions (with peak rainout of 55%) while post-condensation processes have their greatest effect during periods of decreased precipitation on the margins of the event. These results and analyses inform critical questions regarding the temporal evolution of AR events and the physical processes that control them at local scales

Ball Fair? A Quantitative Examination of Which Universities Succeed In the Men’s NCAA Tournament

Mid-major American universities spend a great deal of money on intercollegiate athletics. For example, the University of Buffalo recently spent $10-20 million to join NCAA Division One, and Southern Illinois University plans to spend$80 million to improve athletic facilities. Much of this money is spent because coaches and administrators see athletic success as a path to national recognition for their institutions. High-prestige competitions like the men’s NCAA basketball tournament are perceived as fair games that all schools have a chance to win, and regional universities invest millions in attempts to win them. This paper tests the logic of this behavior, by examining the success rates of several categories of schools over the past 10 NCAA tournaments. In fact, when examined statistically, the tournament is not a fair game. The last 10 champions have been wealthy universities from elite football conferences, as have 131 of the past 160 Sweet Sixteen entrants. Only one mid-major program has made the Final Four during the past decade. Colleges and regional universities have little chance of winning the tournament, and should consider reevaluating how they spend their limited budgets

Maximal physiological responses to deep and shallow water running.

The maximal physiological responses to treadmill running (TMR), shallow water running (SWR) and deep water running (DWR) while wearing a buoyancy vest were compared in 15 trained male runners. Measurements included oxygen consumption (VO2 max), respiratory exchange ratio (RER) and heart rate (HR). Treadmill running elicited VO2 max and HRmax, which were higher than the peaks attained in both water tests (p < 0.01). VO2 peak averaged 83.7 and 75.3% of VO2 max for SWR and DWR respectively. Peak HR for SWR and DWR were 94.1 and 87.2% of the HRmax reached in the TMR. RER responses were similar between the three modalities. The observations suggest that the training stimulus provided by water is still adequate for supplementary training. While SWR is potentially an efficient method of maintaining cardiovascular fitness, it needs to be investigated further to establish if it is a viable technique for the injured athlete to employ