This paper proposes a novel approach of skeletonization for both binary and gray-scale images based on the Skeleton Strength Map (SSM) calculated from Euclidean distance transform. The distance transform is firstly computed based on the boundary edges, and then its gradient vector field is calculated. After that, the isotropic diffusion is performed on the gradient vector field and the SSM is c...

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality (VR) simulation versus dry lab suturing practice at improving suturing performance in robotic surgery. Nineteen novice participants with no prior robotic suturing experience were randomized to two groups, VR simulation and dry lab, which consisted of inanimate training on a da Vinci Si surgical system. Each group unde...

To estimate integrated precipitable water vapour along with liquid water path and water vapour effective profile (i.e. standard atmospheric profile approximation), utilising the SSM/I and TMI radiometers, an operative procedure was developed and assessed. This procedure is based on a fast nonlinear physical inversion algorithm (PIn) developed by the authors. A large data-set of near-coincident ...

Long-term snow depth/snow water equivalent (SWE) products derived from passive microwave remote sensing data are fundamental for climatological and hydrological studies. However, the temporal continuity of the products is affected by the updating or replacement of passive microwave sensors or satellite platforms. In this study, we inter-calibrated brightness temperature (Tb) data obtained from ...

The splice sites are essential for pre-mRNA maturation and crucial for Splice Site Modelling (SSM); however, there are gaps between the splicing signals and the computationally identified sequence features. In this paper, the Locality Sensitive Features (LSFs) are proposed to reduce the gaps by homogenising their contexts. Under the skewness-kurtosis based statistics and data analysis, SSM attr...

Stomach smooth muscle (SSM) and left ventricular muscle (LVM) express the sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) pump gene SERCA2. Alternative splicing yields two major isoforms, SERCA2a in LVM and slow twitch muscle and SERCA2b in SSM and most other tissues. The splices have different 3'-untranslated regions (UTR) and also encode proteins that differ slightly in their COOH-terminal...

Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is a framework for the exploration of ideas, beliefs, and assumptions about human activities, and it offers an innovative and effective approach to many of the problems and challenges involved in organizational learning. The underlying understanding of human activities as transformations is, however, for many of the practical purposes of IS organizations too limit...

The mitochondrion has been implicated in the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. Examination of cardiac mitochondria is complicated by the existence of spatially distinct subpopulations including subsarcolemmal (SSM) and interfibrillar (IFM). Dysfunction to cardiac SSM has been reported in murine models of type 2 diabetes mellitus; however, subpopulation-based mitochondrial analyses have no...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate a short screening sheet (SSM) for malnutrition and to investigate the nutritional status of patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer of the lungs, colon or breast at an outpatient clinic. DESIGN Full nutritional assessment was conducted to define malnutrition and validate the SSM. Additionally, weight change from earlier healthy weight was evaluated, and calculations f...

We propose a State-Space Model (SSM) for commodity prices that combines the competitive storage model with stochastic trend. This approach fits into economic rationality of decisions and adds to previous deterministic trend specifications model. For Bayesian posterior analysis SSM, which is nonlinear in latent states, we used Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm based on particle marginal Metropo...