Margin Features Research Articles

Seismic Clusters and their Characteristics at the Arabian Sea Triple Junction: Supportive Evidences for Plate Margin Deformations

Abstract The plate margin features defining the Arabian Sea Triple Junction (ASTJ) are: the Aden Ridge (AR), Sheba Ridge (SR) with their intervening Alula-Fartak Transform (AFT), Carlsberg Ridge (CR) and Owen Fracture Zone (OFZ). Exact nature of ASTJ is presently debated: whether it is RRF (ridge-ridge-fault) or RRR (ridge-ridge-ridge) type. A revised seismicity map for ASTJ is given here using data for a period little more than a century. “Point density spatial statistical criterion” is applied to short-listed 742 earthquakes (mb ≥ 4.3), 10 numbers of spatio-temporal seismic clusters are identified for ASTJ and its arms. Relocated hypocentres help better constraining the cluster identification wherever such data exist. Seismic clusters actually diagnose the most intense zones of strain accumulation due to far field as well as the local stress operating at ASTJ. An earthquake swarm emanating from a prominent seismic cluster below SR provides an opportunity to investigate the pore pressure diffusion process (due to the active source) by means of “r-t plot”. Stress and faulting pattern in the active zones are deduced from 43 CMT solutions. While normal or lateral faulting is characteristic for these arms, an anomalous thrust earthquake occurs in the triangular ‘Wheatley Deep’ deformation zone proximal to ASTJ. The latter appears to have formed due to a shift of the deformational front from OFZ towards a transform that offsets SR. Though ASTJ is still in the process of evolution, available data favour that this RRF triple junction may eventually be converted to a more stable RRR type.

Representing and recognizing objects with massive local image patches

Natural image patches are fundamental elements for visual pattern modeling and recognition. By studying the intrinsic manifold structures in the space of image patches, this paper proposes an approach for representing and recognizing objects with a massive number of local image patches (e.g. 17x17 pixels). Given a large collection (>10^4) of proto image patches extracted from objects, we map them into two types of manifolds with different metrics: explicit manifolds of low dimensions for structural primitives, and implicit manifolds of high dimensions for stochastic textures. We define these manifolds grown from patches as the ''@e-balls'', where @e corresponds to the perception residual or fluctuation. Using these @e-balls as features, we present a novel generative learning algorithm by the information projection principle. This algorithm greedily stepwise pursues the object models by selecting sparse and independent @e-balls (say 10^3 for each category). During the detection and classification phase, only a small number (say 20) of features are activated by a fast KD-tree indexing technique. The proposed method owns two characters. (1) Automatically generating features (@e-balls) from local image patches rather than designing marginal feature carefully and category-specifically. (2) Unlike the weak classifiers in the boosting models, these selected @e-ball features are used to explain object in a generative way and are mutually independent. The advantage and performance of our approach is evaluated on several challenging datasets with the task of localizing objects against appearance variance, occlusion and background clutter.

Post-collisional polycyclic plutonism from the Zagros hinterland: the Shaivar Dagh plutonic complex, Alborz belt, Iran

AbstractThe petrological and geochronological study of the Cenozoic Shaivar Dagh composite intrusion in the Alborz Mountain belt (NW Iran) reveals important clues to decipher complex relations between magmatic and tectonic processes in the central sectors of the Tethyan (Alpine–Himalayan) orogenic belt. This pluton is formed by intrusion at different times of two main magmatic cycles. The older (Cycle 1) is formed by calc-alkaline silicic rocks, which range in composition from diorites to granodiorites and biotite granites, with abundant mafic microgranular enclaves. The younger cycle (Cycle 2) is formed by K-rich monzodiorite and monzonite of marked shoshonitic affinity. The latter form the larger volumes of the exposed plutonic rocks in the studied complex. Zircon geochronology (laser ablation ICP-MS analyses) gives a concordia age of 30.8 ± 2.1 Ma for the calc-alkaline rocks (Cycle 1) and a range from 23.3 ± 0.5 to 25.1 ± 0.9 Ma for the shoshonitic association (Cycle 2). Major and trace element relations strongly support distinct origins for each magmatic cycle. Rocks of Cycle 1 have all the characteristic features of active continental margins. Shoshonitic rocks (Cycle 2) define two continuous fractionation trends: one departing from a K-rich basaltic composition and the other from an intermediate, K-rich composition. A metasomatized-mantle origin for the two shoshonitic series of Cycle 2 is proposed on the basis of comparisons with experimental data. The origin of the calc-alkaline series is more controversial but it can be attributed to processes in the suprasubduction mantle wedge related to the incorporation of subducted mélanges in the form of silicic cold plumes. A time sequence can be established for the processes responsible of the generation of the two magmatic cycles: first a calc-alkaline cycle typical of active continental margins, and second a K-rich cycle formed by monzonites and monzodiorites. This sequence precludes the younger potassic magmas as precursors of the older calc-alkaline series. By contrast, the older calc-alkaline magmas may represent the metasomatic agents that modified the mantle wedge during the last stages of subduction and cooked a fertile mantle region for late potassic magmatism after continental collision.

A Solute Gradient in the Tear Meniscus. II. Implications for Lid Margin Disease, including Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

We have hypothesized previously that evaporation from the tears generates a solute gradient across the tear meniscus, which delivers hyperosmolar stress to the mucocutaneous junction (MCJ) of the lid margin. This is proposed as the basis for Marx's line, a line of staining with topically applied dyes that lies directly behind the MCJ. In this article, we consider the implications of this hypothesis for progressive damage to the lid margin as an age-related phenomenon, its amplification in dry eye states, and its possible role in the etiology of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). It is suggested that a hyperosmolar or related stimulus, acting behind the MCJ over a lifetime, promotes the anterior migration of the MCJ, which is a feature of the aging lid margin. This mechanism would be amplified in dry eye states, not only by reason of increased tear molarity at the meniscus apex but also by raising the concentration of inflammatory peptides at this site. This could explain the increased width and irregularity of Marx's line in dry eye. While the presence of stem cells at the lid margin may equip this region to respond to such stress, their depletion could be the basis of irreversible lid margin damage. It is further proposed, given the proximity of the MCJ to the meibomian gland orifices, that the solute gradient mechanism could play a role in the initiation of MGD by delivering hyperosmolar and inflammatory stresses to the terminal ducts and orifices of the glands. By the same token, the presence of a zone of increased epithelial permeability in this region may provide a back door route for the delivery of drugs in the treatment of MGD.

A hybrid classifier for mammogram mass classification using various new geometric shape and margin features

In this paper, a hybrid classifier system is proposed, which combines statistical classifier analysis of variance (ANOVA) discriminant analysis (ADA) and neural network (NN)/radial basis function network (RBFN). According to breast imaging reporting and data system, the benign and malignant masses can be characterised by its shape, size and margins. Benign masses tend to have round, oval, lobular shapes and malignant masses are lobular or irregular in shape. Various 17 geometrical shape and margin features were introduced to characterise the morphology of masses. The mammogram mass is classified as either benign or malignant. The proposed features do not rely on grey values of the masses, which make it effective compared to statistical measures. The ADA classifier produces discriminant function score, which is used as extra feature combined with existing 17 features and classified using NN and RBFN. The proposed hybrid ADA?NN and ADA?RBFN classifier system shows improvement in classification accuracy over conventional single classifiers. The highest classification rate achieved is 91.56%. The results indicate that the hybrid classifier approach contributes greatly for the classification of mammogram mass into benign and malignant.

Establishment of the Outer Limits of the Continental Shelf: Is Crossing Boundaries Trespassing?

AbstractThis article examines whether State A may cross a continental shelf boundary in order to utilize a feature of the physical continental margin that is situated within the dominion of State B for the purpose of establishing the outer limits of its continental shelf. Given that a continental shelf boundary delimits, mutatis mutandis, the spatial powers of States, as a land boundary, in conjunction with the international framework as set out in the Law of the Sea Convention, it is concluded that it is not consistent with the Law of the Sea Convention for coastal State A to base its entitlement to the outer continental shelf on a generative feature that is located on a feature of the physical continental margin that is situated within the dominion of coastal State B.

Predictive Value of Sonographic Features of Extranodal Extension in Axillary Lymph Nodes

The purpose of this study was to assess the accuracy of 5 sonographic features in the prediction of extranodal extension (ENE) in axillary lymph nodes (ALNs) of patients with biopsy-proven breast cancer. A review of our institution's surgical and pathologic database was performed for patients with pathologically proven axillary ENE from October 1, 2003, to October 1, 2007. An equivalent number of patients without ENE were included. All patients had sonograms of ALNs available. A radiologist to whom the study was masked reviewed ALN images with specific attention to unclear margins, node matting, perinodal edema, and hilar effacement or replacement. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to obtain the sensitivity, specificity, and odds ratio (OR) for each feature. Our review included a total of 131 patients (64 with ENE and 67 without ENE). The respective sensitivity and specificity estimates for each feature were as follows: node matting, 52% and 84%; perinodal edema, 34% and 87%; unclear margins, 64% and 75%; hilar replacement, 71% and 42%; and hilar effacement, 74% and 60%. Univariate analysis showed a statistically significant association between features and ENE with ORs as follows: matting, 5.4; perinodal edema, 3.4; unclear margins, 5.2; and hilar replacement, 4.3. Multivariate analysis showed that matting and unclear margins were independently associated with ENE. The sonographic features of unclear margins, node matting, perinodal edema, and hilar replacement have a statistically significant association with ENE. The sonographic features of unclear margins, node matting, and perinodal edema predict ENE with high specificity.

Research of Automatic Positioning Technology for Dental Crowns Design

A novel method to automatically position the standard dental crown for the design of dental crowns is proposed. We use margin feature points to fit a plane, and the path of insertion is just a line perpendicular to the fitting plane, as well as through the centroid of the margin feature points. Besides, we can get the information of the matching points, one on the standard crown model and the other on the neighboring tooth model. According to these, the positioning datum is constructed. Finally through a series of three-dimensional transformation, automatic positioning of the standard dental crown can be implemented rapidly.

Mammogram retrieval on similar mass lesions

Enormous numbers of digital mammograms have been produced in hospitals and breast screening centers. To exploit those valuable resources in aiding diagnoses and research, content-based mammogram retrieval systems are required to effectively access the mammogram databases. This paper presents a content-based mammogram retrieval system, which allows medical professionals to seek mass lesions that are pathologically similar to a given example. In this retrieval system, shape and margin features of mass lesions are extracted to represent the characteristics of mammographic lesions. To compare the similarity between the query example and any lesion within the databases, this study proposes a similarity measure scheme which involves the hierarchical arrangement of mammographic features and a weighting distance measure. This makes similarity measure of the retrieval system consistent with the way radiologists observe mass lesions. This study used the DDSM dataset to evaluate the effectiveness of the extracted shape feature and margin feature, respectively. Experimental results demonstrate that, when Zernike moments are used, round-shape masses are the most discriminative among four types of shape; the circumscribed-margin masses can be effectively discriminated among the four types of margins. Moreover, the result also shows that, when retrieving round-shape and circumscribed margin masses, this retrieval system can achieve the highest precision among all mass lesion types.

New physical evidence of the role of stream capture in active retreat of the Blue Ridge escarpment, southern Appalachians

The Blue Ridge escarpment of the southern Appalachian Mountains is a striking and rugged topographic feature of the ancient passive margin of eastern North America. The crest of the escarpment generally coincides with an asymmetric regional drainage divide, separating steep streams of the escarpment face from low-gradient streams of the Blue Ridge Upland. Recent exhumation and erosion rate studies suggest that the escarpment has evolved by inland erosional retreat, but the mechanism, timing, and magnitude of retreat remain poorly understood. Longitudinal stream profiles and slope–drainage area relationships of several upland basins draining the divide have led to the identification of 14 previously unknown fluvial terrace deposits preserved at the escarpment crest. These relict terraces and the associated beheaded drainages indicate the role of large stream capture events in producing ongoing escarpment retreat through landward divide migration and subsequent topographic adjustment. Terrace location and preservation suggest that rectilinear drainage patterns and divide asymmetry generate discrete high order captures and episodes of rapid localized retreat that collectively produce slower evolution of the escarpment at large. While overall retreat magnitude and rate remain unknown, roundness of terrace alluvium suggests that the most recent captures have locally produced tens of kilometers of retreat within the limited preservation lifetime of the deposits. In contrast with recent numerical modeling and cosmogenic studies, these data show the potential for stream capture and divide migration to sustain passive margin escarpment evolution long after the cessation of rifting. The fluvial record of divide retreat preserved atop the Blue Ridge escarpment suggests the potential for using field methods to better constrain the histories of younger, taller, and potentially more dynamic passive margin escarpments.

Sonographic features of breast imaging reporting and data system assessment category 4 and 5 non-palpable breast lesions

To evaluate the diagnostic value of the sonographic features of Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS) assessment category 4 and 5 non-palpable breast lesions. A total of 213 non-palpable breast lesions that were pre-operatively assessed to be BI-RADS category 4 and 5 lesions by ultrasound were enrolled in this study. The diagnostic value of their sonographic features were assessed by using pathologic results as the golden standards. Of these 213 lesions, 128 (60.1%) were pathologically confirmed to be benign and 85 (39.9%) to be malignant. The mean size was not significantly different between the benign and the malignant lesions (P=0.09). The sensitivity of "irregular shape" for diagnosing breast cancer was 89.9%, while the sensitivities of other sonographic features ranged from 7.6% to 42.4%. The diagnostic specificities were high for "angular margin", "microlobular", "spiculation" and "abundant flow" (89.0%-95.6%). The common sonographic findings of benign lesions included "irregular shape" (66.7%), "obscure margin" (35.1%), "shadowing" (27.2%), and "taller-than-wider" (26.3%). "Irregular shape" is the most sensitive sonographic feature in the diagnosis of malignant BI-RADS category 4 and 5 non-palpable breast lesions. Ultrasound can accurately identify the invasive margin features of breast cancers, which is especially useful for the diagnosis of BI-RADS category 5 lesions.

Imaging findings in mucinous breast carcinoma and correlating factors

To investigate the factors influencing mammographic and sonographic features of mucinous breast carcinoma. Forty-six patients diagnosed as mucinous breast carcinoma between March 2005 and April 2009 were studied. Mammographies of all patients and sonographies of 41 patients were analyzed retrospectively. Microscopic slides were re-evaluated by a pathologist in order to estimate the volume of extracellular mucus which was classified as: (+), less than 50% of mucus; (++), 50-80% of mucus; and (+++), more than 80% of mucus. Thirty-one (61.3%) cases of pure mucinous type and 2 (33.3%) of mixed mucinous carcinoma presented as masses had well-defined margins on mammography. No correlation was found between margin characteristics and histological type as well as extracellular mucus rates. Denser breasts and young age group had significantly higher ratios of tumors presented with ill-defined masses than its counterpart. Sonographically, 100% lesions showed a hypoechoic lesion, 76.5% lesions in pure type and 71.4% lesions in mixed type showed a heterogeneous internal echo. No correlation was found between sonographic findings and histological type as well as extracellular mucus rates. Lesions with >40 positivity PCNA had higher ratio presented as ill-defined margins than those of ≤40% positivity PCNA. The most common appearance of mucinous breast carcinoma is a mass on mammography and a hypoechoic lesion with heterogeneous internal echo on sonography. Mammographic margins and sonographic findings have no relation with histological type and extracellular mucus rate. Mammographic margin features are correlated with breast density and age and PCNA.

Endosonographic features predictive of malignancy in mediastinal lymph nodes in patients with lung cancer

EUS is useful in determining mediastinal lymph node (LN) metastases in patients undergoing staging for lung cancer. However, FNA of LNs is often performed only if suspicious features are present. The utility of individual LN features in predicting malignant cytology remains unclear. To evaluate the utility of EUS-determined LN features for predicting malignant cytology. Prospective observational study. Two U.S. tertiary-care centers. This study involved 425 patients with primary lung cancer who underwent EUS. All mediastinal LNs were described according to size, shape, echogenicity, and margin characteristics. FNA was performed on LNs with any features suggestive of malignancy. EUS-guided FNA cytology was classified as benign or abnormal (suspicious/malignant). The utility of LN features in predicting malignant cytology was determined and further analyzed by logistic regression, and a predictive model was established. Accuracy of individual LN features for predicting malignancy. EUS detected 836 LNs in 425 patients, and FNA was obtained in 698 patients. On multivariable analysis, only round shape, a short axis of >8.3 mm, and sharp margins were predictive of malignant cytology. According to the predictive model, the calculated probability of having malignancy is less than 4% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.022-0.064) when none of the LN features are present and 63% (95% CI, 51%-72.2%) when all features were seen. No surgical histology as the criterion standard. Among patients with lung cancer, EUS features of round shape, sharp margins, and short axis of >8.3 mm are significant predictors of malignancy. The probability of malignancy is low when none of the features are present.

Ultrasonographic features in complications of cosmetic augmentation with autologous fat obtained by liposuction

Objective To evaluate the ultrasonographic (US) features and evolution of breast fat necrosis after cosmetic augmentation with autologous fat obtained by liposuction, to help distinguish fat necrosis from more ominous breast masses. Methods Breast sonography was performed on 38 patients underwent bilateral breast augmentation by autologous fat injection to evaluate the grafted fat tissues in interval of 3-6 month after the operation. Observations in follow up sonography included the sizes,positions, shape,echogenicity,margin features, calcifications and evolutions of the suspicious nodules in the breasts. Results Seventy-six nodules occurred in 25 of the 38 patients were detected after the fat graft. Among the 76 nodules,52 were cystic(68. 4%) ,8 were complex(10. 5%) and 16 were solid(21.1%). The analysis of the predominant features of the nodules sonographic appearances were as follows: all the nodules had no flow signal, 66 (86. 8%) had clear margins,54(71. 1%) had regular shapes,52 were cystic(68. 4%) ,63(82. 9% ) had no calcifications, 10(13. 2%) had egg-like calcifications,74(97. 4% ) had no halo,and the positions of the solid components in 8 complex nodules move following the change of the detected body position. There were 7 nodules with fat necrosis removed surgically and confirmed by pathology. Conclusions Breast ultrasound is an accurate and simple method to follow up the temporal changes of the fat nodules after autologous fat injection. It may help to avoid unnecessary biopsies. Key words: Ultrasonography; Mamaplasty; Postoperative complications

‘Pointing To’: Ostension, Trauma and the Photographic Document

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Notes A version of this essay was presented at the conference ‘Photography and the Limits of the Document’, Tate, 2003, and the ‘Conference for the Society of European Philosophy’ University of Essex, 2003. 1 The exception being, Susan Sontag's, On Photography (Harmondsworth: Penguin Books, 1979), and Regarding the Pain of Others (London: Penguin Books, 2004). 2 Rom Harré, The Philosophies of Science: An Introductory Survey (Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, 1985), p.161. 3 For example the extraordinary medical photographs, collected by Ernst Friedrich, of German WW1 soldiers with the most terrible facial injuries, at the end of Krieg dem Kriege (Frankfurt am Main: Zweitausendeins, 1980). 4 For a discussion of ostension and linguistic communication, see Dan Sperber and Deidre Wilson, Relevance (Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1986). 5 Walter Benjamin, ‘Little History of Photography’, in Selected Writings: Volume 2 – 1927-1934, ed. Michael Jennings, Howard Eiland and Gary Smith, trans. Rodney Livingstone et al (Cambridge, Mass: Harvard University Press, 1999). 6 See Salvador Dali, ‘Psychologie Non-Euclidiene d'une Photographie’, Minotaure, 7 (1935), reprinted in Qui, 2 Denoël/Gorthier (1971). 7 W.V.O. Quine, Ontological Relativity and Other Essays (New York: Columbia University, 1969). 8 Sigmund Freud and Joseph Breuer, ‘On the Psychical Mechanisms of Hysterical Phenomena: Preliminary Communication’ 1893, Studies in Hysteria (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1974), p.57. 9 In his essay ‘Psychologie Non-Euclidiene d'une Photographic’ Dali advances a theory of the centrifugal content of the photograph, in which barely seen or hidden details subvert or transform the ostensible manifest content of the image. Here the incidental detail is a barely visible – or indeed non existent – cotton spool in the gutter in front of a group of people standing in front of a Parisian shop. For Dali, this lost or ignored item threatens the empirical equanimity of the depicted scence. Dali here shares with Benjamin, and later Barthes, a post-Freudian account of the submerged fragment or detail as a psychic ‘quilting point’ (Lacan). This is indebted to the nineteenth century physician Giovanni Morelli's theory of authorship, in which the significant meaning of a painting is identified with its unnoticed or marginal features. Roland Barthes, Camera Lucida, trans. Richard Howard (London: Jonathan Cape, 1982). 10 Jean Laplanche, Essays on Otherness, trans. Luke Thurston (London: Routledge, 1999), p.80.

Crustal structure of the southeastern Brazilian margin, Campos Basin, from aeromagnetic data: New kinematic constraints

The continental and adjacent marginal features along southeast Brazil were investigated, focusing on the basement structural relationships between onshore and offshore provinces. Lateral and vertical variations in the magnetic anomalies provided a good correlation with the regional tectonic features. The sin-rift dykes and faults are associated with the magnetic lineaments and lie sub parallel to the Precambrian N45E–S45W basement structure of the Ribeira Belt, but orthogonally to the Cabo Frio Tectonic Domain (CFTD) basement, implying that: (1) the upper portion of the continental crust was widely affected by Mesozoic extensional deformation; and (2) tectonic features related to the process of break up of the Gondwana at the CFTD were form regardless of the preexisting structural basement orientation being controlled by the stress orientation during the rift phase. The deep crustal structure (5 km depth) is characterized by NE–SW magnetic “provinces” related to the Ribeira Belt tectonic units, while deep suture zones are defined by magnetic lows. The offshore Campos structural framework is N30E–S30W oriented and resulted from a main WNW–ESE direction of extension in Early Cretaceous. Transfer zones are represented by NW–SE and E–W oriented discontinuities. A slight difference in orientation between onshore (N45E) and offshore (N30E) structural systems seems to reflect a re-orientation of stress during rifting. We proposed a kinematical model to explain the structural evolution of this portion of the margin, characterized by polyphase rifting, associated with the rotation of the South American plate. The Campos Magnetic High (CMH), an important tectonic feature of the Campos Basin corresponds to a wide area of high crustal magnetization. The CMH wass interpreted as a magmatic feature, mafic to ultramafic in composition that extends down to 14 km depth and constitutes an evidence of intense crustal extension at 60 km from the coast.

Sonographic Identification of Complications of Cosmetic Augmentation With Autologous Fat Obtained by Liposuction

To investigate sonographic features and evolution of breast fat nodules after cosmetic augmentation with autologous fat. Breast sonography was performed on 41 patients who underwent bilateral breast augmentation by autologous fat injection. Sonography was initiated 2 to 17 months after the operation. Follow-up sonography evaluated the size, positions, shape, echogenicity, margin features, calcifications, and evolutions of the suspicious nodules in the breasts. We visualized 118 nodules in 34 of the 41 patients after the fat graft. Echotextures in 118 nodules were cystic (73, 61.9%), complex (19, 16.1%), or solid (26, 22%). We observed that 86 of the 118 nodules (72.9%) had circumscribed margins, 94 nodules (79.7%) had regular shapes, 9 nodules (7.6%) had egg-like calcifications, and 106 nodules (98.3%) had no halo. All nodules lacked blood flow signal on color or spectral Doppler. Changes in nodule echotexture were observed during the follow-up. Four nodules changed from solid to complex, one nodule changed from solid to cystic, and one complex nodule exhibited an increased cystic component. The size of the nodules decreased in 13 cases and increased in 20 cases. There were 7 nodules with fat necrosis, which was removed surgically and confirmed by pathology. Breast ultrasound, an accurate and simple imaging technique, plays an important role in follow-up for temporal changes of fat nodules after autologous fat injection. Furthermore, breast ultrasound may avoid unnecessary biopsies.

Artikel

J. Törrönen & I. Juslin; Alcohol in women's magazine advertisements from the 1960s to the 2000s The data for this article consist of alcohol or alcohol-related advertisements appearing in seven Finnish women's magazines: Kodin Kuvalehti (1967–2006), Kotiliesi (1967–2006), Kauneus & Terveys (1967–2006), Me Naiset (1976–2006), Gloria (1991–2006), Trend (1991–2006) and Cosmopolitan (1999–2006). We are interested, firstly, in what kind of subject positions these advertisements have contributed to construct for women's drinking from the 1960s to the present day. Secondly, we analyse the shifts and transformations that have happened in these subject positions with a view to inferring how the cultural position of drinking has changed. Our analysis is grounded in semiotic and phenomenological ways of reading visual materials. The analysis of these advertising materials indicates that in the 1960s, women were placed in the gendered position of housewife or woman responsible for managing the marital relationship. Women's drinking was confined to the private sphere of the home or associated with meals, general socializing with other couples or with their husbands’ business occasions. These same positions continue to persist in the 1970s and 1980s, taking on only marginal new features. In the 1990s and 2000s, women assume a more prominent role as active agents in public spaces, and drinking is associated with women's own time, pleasure and enjoyment. A picture emerges of a drinking, self-conscious woman who is a responsible consumer, a distinctive consumer, a consumer who toys with stereotypes, and a consumer who is oriented to independent breakaways.

Submerged reef terraces of the Maldives (Indian Ocean)

There is limited knowledge about the record of sea-level rise from the last glacial maximum (LGM) until the onset of Holocene reef growth in the Maldives archipelago. Multibeam data show that atoll slopes between 130 and 55 mbsl (meters below sea level) are characterized by a step-like morphology. In parts, these terraces show a raised rim and a crenate geometry. Atoll margin features can be interpreted as successive reef-growth and -drowning stages, which are attributable to changes in the rate of sea-level rise. These changes can tentatively be correlated to known records of global sea-level change since the LGM. In addition to terraces between 97 and 55 mbsl, which can be associated with the initiation of meltwater pulses MWP-1A and -1B, several reef-drowning stages between 94 and 68 mbsl are proposed. As the Maldives can be considered a tectonically stable, far-field site, the submerged reef terraces inferred from the first multibeam dataset for this region likely represent a valuable archive for global deglacial sea-level history in the Indian Ocean.

Craniofacial Venous Malformations: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features That Predict Treatment Outcome

Craniofacial venous malformations (VMs) are challenging lesions. Treatment is not routinely indicated unless the benefit and loss have been weighed properly. Therefore it is crucial to predict clinical outcome before treatment. This study was performed to retrospectively determine whether pretreatment magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings are predictive of outcome in patients who undergo sclerotherapy for craniofacial VMs. MRI findings and clinical results of percutaneous sclerotherapy with ethanol and bleomycin A(5) in 69 patients with craniofacial VMs were retrospectively reviewed. Lesions were categorized with MRI based on margins; 51 were limited VMs, and 18 were infiltrating VMs. We performed t test analysis to assess the difference in the number of sclerotherapy sessions between the 2 groups. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to evaluate differences in symptom improvement and satisfaction level between the groups. The difference in complication rates was assessed by chi(2) analysis. The better response to treatment was among the patients with limited VMs. The number of sclerotherapy sessions was 1.9 +/- 1.2 for limited VMs and 3.6 +/- 1.5 for infiltrating VMs, with a significant difference between the groups (P = .0001). The patients with limited VMs were significantly more likely to have better symptom improvement (P = .0001) and a higher satisfaction level (P = .0001). The complication rates of the limited and infiltrating VMs were 18.2% (18/99) and 32.8% (21/64), respectively. A significant difference was found between the groups (P = .033). The feature of lesion margin on MRI before sclerotherapy is an important predictor of treatment outcome for craniofacial VMs.