Well-defined Segments Research Articles

Impact of Niche Marketing in the Current Market

The impact of niche marketing in the current business scenario is profound and multifaceted. Niche marketing involves targeting a specific, well-defined segment of the market, allowing businesses to tailor their products or services to the unique needs and preferences of a particular audience. This approach has several implications. Keywords: Digital Marketing, Targeted Focus, Long-Term Sustainability, Niche.

Enhancing pore network extraction performance via seed-based pore region growing segmentation

Pore-scale modeling, aided by imaging advancements and computational power, is now a vital tool for comprehending fluid flow and transport in porous media. It allows detailed exploration of pore structures and analysis of fluid dynamics and mass transport at smallest scales. This work presents the Pore Region Growing (PREGO) Algorithm, a novel approach to address segmentation challenges encountered in large-sized 3D images used for pore network modeling. The algorithm overcomes limitations of traditional methods like the watershed algorithm, in both computational time and memory of the pore segmentation. Like the watershed method, the proposed work involves identifying seed points, then grows each to fill their respective basis. The algorithm differs from existing approaches in that it efficiently prioritizes and grows the seed points using a FIFO queue, resulting in well-defined segmentation with clear and smooth boundaries between neighboring regions. The output was validated by demonstrating the algorithm's robustness in predicting diffusive behavior and viscous fluid flow within the pore phase network, with excellent agreement in comparison to lattice Boltzmann simulations and experimental data. The proposed algorithm was also shown to accurately predict transport properties under varying porosity, and different types of real porous media images. The evaluation of the Intersection over Union (IoU) and Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC) metrics revealed that the PREGO technique had a maximum error of 5.44%, whereas the Watershed method exhibited a comparatively higher error rate of 22.3%. Structural analysis of physical properties revealed PREGO captures pore and throat sizes in close agreement with existing approaches. Crucially, computational performance analysis demonstrated its efficiency, significantly reducing memory consumption by 50% and CPU time speed up of 3.35X compared to the standard watershed algorithm using a priority queue.

GOSS: towards generalized open-set semantic segmentation

In this paper, we extend Open-set Semantic Segmentation (OSS) into a new image segmentation task called Generalized Open-set Semantic Segmentation (GOSS). Previously, with well-known OSS, the intelligent agents only detect unknown regions without further processing, limiting their perception capacity of the environment. It stands to reason that further analysis of the detected unknown pixels would be beneficial for agents’ decision-making. Therefore, we propose GOSS, which holistically unifies the abilities of two well-defined segmentation tasks, i.e. OSS and generic segmentation. Specifically, GOSS classifies pixels as belonging to known classes, and clusters (or groups) of pixels of unknown class are labelled as such. We propose a metric that balances the pixel classification and clustering aspects to evaluate this newly expanded task. Moreover, we build benchmark tests on existing datasets and propose neural architectures as baselines. Our experiments on multiple benchmarks demonstrate the effectiveness of our baselines. Code is made available at https://github.com/JHome1/GOSS_Segmentor.

Have we lost sleep? A reconsideration of segmented sleep in early modern England.

The theory that the people of the early modern period slept in well-defined segments of 'first' and 'second' sleeps has been highly influential in both scholarly literature and mainstream media over the past twenty years. Based on a combination of scientific, anthropological and textual evidence, the segmented sleep theory has been used to illuminate discussions regarding important aspects of early modern nocturnal culture; mainstream media reports, meanwhile, have proposed segmented sleep as a potentially 'natural' and healthier alternative to consolidated blocks of sleep. In this article, I re-examine the scientific, anthropological and early modern literary sources behind the segmented sleep theory and ask if the evidence might support other models of early modern sleep that are not characterised by segmentation, while acknowledging that construction of such models is by nature limited and uncertain. I propose a more diverse range of interpretations of early modern texts related to sleep, with important implications for medical and social history and literary scholarship.

Fabrication of PLCL Block Polymer with Tunable Structure and Properties for Biomedical Application.

Biodegradable materials are pivotal in the biomedical field, where how to precisely control their structure and performance is critical for their translational application. In this study, poly(L-lactide-b-ε-caprolactone) block copolymers (bPLCL) with well-defined segment structure are obtained by a first synthesis of poly(ε-caprolactone)soft block, followed by ring opening polymerization of lactide to form poly(L-lactideacid) hard block. The pre-polymerization allows for fabrication of bPLCL with the definite compositions of soft/hard segment while preserving the individual segment of their special soft or hard segment. These priorities make the bPLCL afford biodegradable polymer with better mechanical and biodegradable controllability than the random poly(L-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) (rPLCL) synthesized via traditional one-pot polymerization. 10 mol% ε-caprolactone introduction can result in a formation of an elastic polymer with elongation at break of 286.15% ± 55.23%. Also, bPLCL preserves the unique crystalline structure of the soft andhard segments to present a more sustainable biodegradability than the rPLCL. The combinative merits make the pre-polymerization technique a promising strategy for a scalable production of PLCL materials for potential biomedical application.

Unsupervised and quantitative intestinal ischemia detection using conditional adversarial network in multimodal optical imaging.

Intraoperative evaluation of bowel perfusion is currently dependent upon subjective assessment. Thus, quantitative and objective methods of bowel viability in intestinal anastomosis are scarce. To address this clinical need, a conditional adversarial network is used to analyze the data from laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) paired with a visible-light camera to identify abnormal tissue perfusion regions. Our vision platform was based on a dual-modality bench-top imaging system with red-green-blue (RGB) and dye-free LSCI channels. Swine model studies were conducted to collect data on bowel mesenteric vascular structures with normal/abnormal microvascular perfusion to construct the control or experimental group. Subsequently, a deep-learning model based on a conditional generative adversarial network (cGAN) was utilized to perform dual-modality image alignment and learn the distribution of normal datasets for training. Thereafter, abnormal datasets were fed into the predictive model for testing. Ischemic bowel regions could be detected by monitoring the erroneous reconstruction from the latent space. The main advantage is that it is unsupervised and does not require subjective manual annotations. Compared with the conventional qualitative LSCI technique, it provides well-defined segmentation results for different levels of ischemia. We demonstrated that our model could accurately segment the ischemic intestine images, with a Dice coefficient and accuracy of 90.77% and 93.06%, respectively, in 2560 RGB/LSCI image pairs. The ground truth was labeled by multiple and independent estimations, combining the surgeons' annotations with fastest gradient descent in suspicious areas of vascular images. The total processing time was 0.05s for an image size of . The proposed cGAN can provide pixel-wise and dye-free quantitative analysis of intestinal perfusion, which is an ideal supplement to the traditional LSCI technique. It has potential to help surgeons increase the accuracy of intraoperative diagnosis and improve clinical outcomes of mesenteric ischemia and other gastrointestinal surgeries.

Profiling young internet addicts: implications for their social well-being

PurposeThis study aims to segment and profile young internet addicts in India and examine their state of well-being.Design/methodology/approachYoung’s Internet Addiction Test was adapted to identify and profile cohorts among the internet addicts. Diener’s satisfaction with life scale was used to measure the well-being. Convenience sampling was used to conduct an online survey and obtain a representative sample of 320 urban internet users. A mixed-method approach was deployed and exploratory factor analysis followed by k-means cluster analysis and discriminant analysis were used to analyse the quantitative data.FindingsData analysis revealed the existence of three distinct clusters: non-addicts (135), potential internet addicts (n = 128) and addicts (n = 57). Smartphones and tablets were the primary devices for accessing the internet. Wi-Fi and data cards were used by all groups for internet browsing, messaging and visiting social networking sites. The usage hours were higher for the potential internet addicts and internet addicts. These groups also faced considerable internal conflict and dissonance in their inability to control their addictive behaviour and online cravings. The non-addicts were more satisfied with their life conditions and better adjusted than the other two groups.Research limitations/implicationsThe incidence of diverse internet addicted groups needs to be validated through a larger sample in other regions and geographies. There is also a dire need to study other vulnerable groups, such as internet-savvy adolescents.Originality/valueThe study found the existence of well-defined segments and identified unique areas of conflict for each group, which subsequently affected their sense of well-being.

Inferior Hepatic Fissures: Anatomic Variants in Trinidad and Tobago

Classic descriptions of the visceral surface of the human liver only define three fissures: transverse, sagittal and umbilical fissures. Any additional fissures that are present on the visceral surface of the liver are considered variant inferior hepatic fissures (IHFs). This study was carried out to document the prevalence of IHFs in the Eastern Caribbean. Knowledge of these variants is important to clinicians who treat liver disorders in persons of the Caribbean diaspora.In this study, two independent researchers observed all consecutive autopsies performed at the facility over a period of 10 weeks. They examined the visceral surface of the unfixed liver in situ. Any specimen with variant IHFs was selected for detailed study. We documented the relation of the variant IHFs to nearby viscera and then explanted the livers using a standardized technique. The following details were recorded for each liver: number, location, depth, length, and width of IHFs. All measurements were checked independently by two researchers and the average measurement was used as the final dimension. Each liver was then sectioned in 1 cm sagittal slices to document the relationship of intraparenchymal structures.We observed 60 consecutive autopsies in unselected cadavers. Variant IHFs were present in 21 (35%) cadavers at a mean age of 68.25 years (range: 61 - 83; median 64.5; standard deviation (SD) ± 8.45). The variants included a deep fissure in the coronal plane between segments V and VI in 19 (31.7%) cadavers (related to the right branch of the portal vein in 63.2% of cases), a well-defined segment VI fissure running in a sagittal plane in four (6.7%) cadavers, a well-defined fissure incompletely separating the caudate process from the caudate lobe proper in five (8.3%) cadavers, a consistent fissure that arose from the left side of the transverse fissure and coursed between segments II and III in three (5%) cadavers, and a deep coronal fissure dividing the quadrate to form an accessory quadrate lobe in one (1.7%) cadaver.Almost one in three unselected persons in this population have anatomically variant fissures on the visceral surface of the liver. The variants include Rouvière’s sulci (31.7%), caudate notches (8.3%), segment VI fissures (6.7%), left medial segment fissures (5%), and quadrate fissures (1.7%). The clinical relevance of these variants is discussed. Any clinician treating liver diseases in persons of Caribbean extract should be aware of their presence.

A Worldwide Overview of the Wellness Economy Market: The Technogym and Peloton Case Studies

A stressful and unbalanced lifestyle leadsto a marked decrease in wellbeing levels from a different point of view. The generation of baby boomers and generation X have suffered more and more from this modern style. Today, generation Y (Millennials) seems to be much more interested and sensitive in this field. They also proactively seek to find an adequate solution by investing one of the most precious personal assets which is their free time. Considering the growing demand for well-being, the wellness economy is becoming more and more popular. It is a market of about $ 4.5 trillion dollars, divided into well-defined segments or macro-areas market, steadily growing from 2015 onwards. The boundaries are difficult to define today due to its numerous cross-growth opportunities. After a wide description of the wellness economy, this paper focuses on introducing the role of connected fitness to analyze its component and dynamics. Using a case study methodology, supported by a SWOT analysis, two of the most relevant players in this market were analyzed based on strengths, weakness, and future developments. The results show a situation where the two competitors are balanced and have a clear strategy for their expansion, even though they cannot count on all customer groups.

Relations between Circular Economic “Principles” and Organic Food Purchasing Behavior in Hungary

Because of the climate change and emerging need for an environmentally sustainable production system, circular economic characteristics have come to the front in many studies. There are many challenges in this shift toward a circular value chain. Still, it is unquestionable that the analysis of consumers’ behaviour is crucial, because without their engagement, circular systems cannot work correctly. This article aimed to explore the circular characteristics of consumers’ attitude towards food purchasing in Hungary. Factor and cluster analyses were applied for market segmentation. The question to be answered was the following: “Are there any segments in the Hungarian food market that can be aimed at by different marketing tools to promote circular systems?” The hypothesis was that well-defined segments can be separated, garnering more engagement in the circular value chain in Hungary. We could separate two clusters, in which the members’ opinions were in line with the circular economic characteristics. Summing up the features of the different clusters, we can state that the members in cluster 1 (“Information-dependent”) and cluster 3 (“Direct purchasers”) were in the most local dimension; their attitude was the most adequate for the circular economic values. The “Information-dependent” consumer in particular was remarkable from the aspect of this investigation. This study showed that highly educated young people, who are very conscious consumers and live on good incomes, may be the target group for circular innovation. These young consumers usually buy organic food, are confident internet and software users, live in cities, and follow a healthy lifestyle. Finding the right marketing tools to integrate these consumers into more sustainable circular systems effectively and to be committed to the concepts of circular consumption is an essential mission in the future. Collecting from different databases and continuously analysing consumer feedback can be a huge step towards in achieving sustainable consumption and avoiding food waste. The significance of this analysis was that we found a defined segment that represents propensity towards accepting circular economy values and can be the target group of policies integrating circular systems.

Дослідження ринку споживачів жіночого одягу різних цінових сегментів

Іn today's consumer-centered world, its behavior is crucial, which significantly increases the impact on the activities of organizations of any type and requires them to further develop methods of influencing the consumer, taking into account their preferences. Іn this paper, a survey of consumer preferences with different income levels regarding women's clothing choices is conducted. Due to the complexity of the structure of the needs of the population, the targeted approach to the process of designing clothes is the most important condition for ensuring product sales. In this case, when designing clothes, businesses should take into account a well-defined market segment, its needs and expectations. Target audience - women aged 20 to 55 and older, social status - students, professionals, middle managers, heads of departments, heads of organizations. Consumer requirements of different price segments for clothing have different features. In addition, their differences in education, income, professional activity are useful guidelines for the production of clothing and its implementation. The three main price segments of the low, middle and high income consumer market are identified for women's clothing and the significance of the selection criteria for each is determined. Thus, for consumers of the low price segment one of the most important criteria for choosing a jacket is the price of the product, for the middle price segment - the quality of fit of the jacket and for the high price segment - the quality of manufacture and fit of the jacket. An expert survey was conducted to identify the significance of the product price criteria. The most significant criterion for women's outerwear when pricing is the choice of the material of the top. Therefore, a clear focus on consumer requirements should be at every stage of product design. It is suggested that, when producing clothing for a particular price segment, the requirements of the customers in that segment should be taken into account. Key words: price segment, market, consumer, quality, criterion .

Tensor Product DFT Codes vs Standard DFT Codes

We present a new class of linear error-correcting codes taking numerical data into codewords with numerical symbols. These codes can correct large random numerical errors added to codewords. The goal is for numerical data to be protected directly as numbers whether in storage or transmission. The coding structures are based on discrete Fourier transform (DFT) codes, defined by parity-check matrices where rows are consecutively indexed DFT vectors. The new tensor codes use the Kronecker product of two parity-check DFT matrices of shorter length codes. We construct all necessary processing matrices. Error correction methods involve two levels of syndromes and use several stochastic Berlekamp-Massey Algorithms (sBMA) to find big syndromes, locate and evaluate large errors. Decoding is done in two stages with stage one producing corrected syndromes. Stage two determines errors within a well-defined segment for the codewords. Tensor codes have simpler and more efficient decoding operations. The characteristics of the tensor codes are compared to standard DFT codes of equal length. The processing operations are significantly less for the tensor codes but the standard DFT codes sometimes have better correcting performance. Nevertheless, tensor product codes can have acceptable levels of correction, more efficiently.

Polyethylene Aerogels with Combined Physical and Chemical Crosslinking: Improved Mechanical Resilience and Shape-Memory Properties.

While the introduction of polymers into aerogels strongly enhances their toughness, truly elastic monolithic aerogels which restore their dimensions upon extensive compression are still challenging to synthesize. In this context hydrophobic semi-crystalline polymers with low glass transition temperatures, and combined stiffness and flexibility, have only recently attracted attention. Shown here is that polyethylene aerogels with a low density, and combined chemical crosslinking and high crystallinity, display high moduli and excellent mechanical resilience. To maximize the crystallinity of these aerogels while maintaining a high crosslinking density, polyethylene networks with well-defined segments were synthesized by hydrosilylation crosslinking of telechelic, vinyl-functionalized oligomers obtained from catalyzed chain-growth polymerization. Recoverable deformations both above and below the melting temperature of polyethylene affords remarkable shape-memory properties.

Evaluation of a practical expert defined approach to patient population segmentation: a case study in Singapore

BackgroundSegmenting the population into groups that are relatively homogeneous in healthcare characteristics or needs is crucial to facilitate integrated care and resource planning. We aimed to evaluate the feasibility of segmenting the population into discrete, non-overlapping groups using a practical expert and literature driven approach. We hypothesized that this approach is feasible utilizing the electronic health record (EHR) in SingHealth.MethodsIn addition to well-defined segments of “Mostly healthy”, “Serious acute illness but curable” and “End of life” segments that are also present in the Ministry of Health Singapore framework, patients with chronic diseases were segmented into “Stable chronic disease”, “Complex chronic diseases without frequent hospital admissions”, and “Complex chronic diseases with frequent hospital admissions”. Using the electronic health record (EHR), we applied this framework to all adult patients who had a healthcare encounter in the Singapore Health Services Regional Health System in 2012. ICD-9, 10 and polyclinic codes were used to define chronic diseases with a comprehensive look-back period of 5 years. Outcomes (hospital admissions, emergency attendances, specialist outpatient clinic attendances and mortality) were analyzed for years 2012 to 2015.ResultsEight hundred twenty five thousand eight hundred seventy four patients were included in this study with the majority being healthy without chronic diseases. The most common chronic disease was hypertension. Patients with “complex chronic disease” with frequent hospital admissions segment represented 0.6% of the eligible population, but accounted for the highest hospital admissions (4.33 ± 2.12 admissions; p < 0.001) and emergency attendances (ED) (3.21 ± 3.16 ED visits; p < 0.001) per patient, and a high mortality rate (16%). Patients with metastatic disease accounted for the highest specialist outpatient clinic attendances (27.48 ± 23.68 visits; p < 0.001) per patient despite their relatively shorter course of illness and high one-year mortality rate (33%).ConclusionThis practical segmentation framework can potentially distinguish among groups of patients, and highlighted the high disease burden of patients with chronic diseases. Further research to validate this approach of population segmentation is needed.

Fabrication and Preparation of Micro-Coaxial Wires: Electrodeposition of Conductive Shields

We describe the fabrication of micro-coaxial cables with diameters of 25 to 300 micrometers. Draper Laboratory is developing a new microelectronics packaging platform that relies on such microcoax, in place of copper interconnects, for both power and signal distribution among the packaged electronic components. This platform could save design time and fabrication labor over conventional packaging techniques for custom electronics with small production volumes and offers a way to rapid prototype and/or edit circuits. In this work, we focus on the fabrication of microcoax for power distribution. The fabrication process of the metal-dielectric-metal cross-section of the microcoax begins with a commercial metal wire of 18 to 150 micrometer diameter, which is either purchased with a polymer insulation of 1 to 12 micrometer thickness, or is insulated with SiO2 or Al2O3 of 0.1 to 2 micrometer thickness by PECVD or ALD processes. Next, a thin Ti/Au bilayer is applied to the insulated wire by electron beam evaporation and acts both as an adhesive layer and as electrical contact to plate the outer metal shield to its full desired thickness. The metal shield is electroplated using a cyanide-free gold sulfite chemistry that produces a soft satin to bright electrodeposit, meeting Type IIIA of Mil-G-45204 C requirements (i.e., ≥ 99.9 % gold purity and Knoop hardness 90 maximum). Straight DC, temperature of 60 °C, current density of 2 mA/cm2and mild agitation were chosen as parameters for Au electroplating conditions. Gold electrodeposits exhibit very low roughness, good corrosion resistance, excellent solderability, high shine and with evaporated seed metal, good adhesion to the polymer dielectrics. The shield thickness is chosen to give a resistance equal to or less than the resistance of the metal core, e.g., 34 micrometers of plated Au for a 127 micrometer diameter Cu core. The use of the microcoax for packaging requires lengths of microcoax of < 15 mm with the wire tips prepared for electrical connection, i.e., tips where the metal shield ends abruptly leaving the center metal wire exposed for bonding, and so we introduce at periodic intervals along the wire length regions where the outer layers are more easily stripped to expose the metal core. We have accomplished this either by ad hoc placement of a plating-resistant (nail polish or soft-baked photoresist) bead on the seed metal to pattern regions where no shield metal is electrodeposited; or by an evaporation mask during seed metal deposition to pattern regions where neither the metal seed nor the metal shield are deposited. The core metal is then exposed in the beaded or masked regions by wet etching the seed metal, if necessary, and UV laser ablation of the polymer dielectric. In addition to the fabrication processes, we will also discuss the fixturing and handling protocols required for these fine diameter wires. Fixturing is designed to accomplish four criteria: to minimize handling among the various process steps (insulating the wire, e-beam evaporation, electroplating); to pattern the microcoax lengths and abrupt edges to the electrodeposited metal; to make electrical contact to the seed metal during electroplating; and for the necessary volume and yield. We will describe our scale-up from an initial proof-of-concept process that produced 0.1 meters of microcoax of arbitrary segment lengths to a simpler process that produces 2 meters of microcoax of well-defined segment length.

Effect of solvent and protein dynamics in ligand recognition and inhibition of aminoglycoside adenyltransferase 2″-Ia.

The aminoglycoside modifying enzyme (AME) ANT(2″)-Ia is a significant target for next generation antibiotic development. Structural studies of a related aminoglycoside-modifying enzyme, ANT(3″)(9), revealed this enzyme contains dynamic, disordered, and well-defined segments that modulate thermodynamically before and after antibiotic binding. Characterizing these structural dynamics is critical for in situ screening, design, and development of contemporary antibiotics that can be implemented in a clinical setting to treat potentially lethal, antibiotic resistant, human infections. Here, the first NMR structural ensembles of ANT(2″)-Ia are presented, and suggest that ATP-aminoglycoside binding repositions the nucleotidyltransferase (NT) and C-terminal domains for catalysis to efficiently occur. Residues involved in ligand recognition were assessed by site-directed mutagenesis. In vitro activity assays indicate a critical role for I129 toward aminoglycoside modification in addition to known catalytic D44, D46, and D48 residues. These observations support previous claims that ANT aminoglycoside sub-class promiscuity is not solely due to binding cleft size, or inherent partial disorder, but can be controlled by ligand modulation on distinct dynamic and thermodynamic properties of ANTs under cellular conditions. Hydrophobic interactions in the substrate binding cleft, as well as solution dynamics in the C-terminal tail of ANT(2″)-Ia, advocate toward design of kanamycin-derived cationic lipid aminoglycoside analogs, some of which have already shown antimicrobial activity in vivo against kanamycin and gentamicin-resistant P. aeruginosa. This data will drive additional in silico, next generation antibiotic development for future human use to combat increasingly prevalent antimicrobial resistance.

Influence of well-defined hard segment length on the properties of medical segmented polyesterurethanes based on poly(ε-caprolactone-co-L-lactide) and aliphatic urethane diisocyanates

ABSTRACTThis work describes the preparation, characterization, mechanical properties, in vitro degradability, and cytocompatibility of two aliphatic segmented polyesterurethanes (SPEU-II, SPEU-III) based on poly(ε-caprolactone-co-L-lactide) and aliphatic urethane diisocyanate chain extenders. Two novel chain extenders containing two and four urethane groups, respectively, were synthesized and used in SPEU formulation. The influences of well-defined hard segment length on the degradability and mechanical properties of SPEU films were researched. The results of differential scanning calorimeter and X-ray powder diffraction showed that the long well-defined hard segments improved the phase separation of soft and hard segments, which led to satisfactory mechanical properties of SPEU films (ultimate stress: 24.8–35.4 MPa; strain at break: 601–669%). And the initial modulus increased from 31.9 MPa (SPEU-II) to 41.7 MPa (SPEU-III) with the increasing length of hard segments. SPEU-III with longer well-defined hard segment containing more urethane groups exhibited slower hydrolytic degradation rate (∼67 days) and lower water absorption (∼4 wt%) than SPEU-II. The results could be due to the formation of more hydrogen bonds among the hard segments and between the soft and hard segments, which strengthened the interchain attraction and gave a more compact network structure. The SPEU films showed similar thermostability, indicating that the length of hard segments marginally affects the thermostability. Cytotoxicity test of film extracts was conducted using L929 mouse fibroblasts, and the relative growth rate exceeded 90% after incubation for 24, 48, and 72 h, showing excellent cytocompatibility.

A study of the mango market in the European Union

This study describes the mango market in the European Union, the largest importer of Brazilian mangos. For such, we find support in the in-depth interview method for obtaining information from importers, wholesalers and supervisors of horticultural sectors of supermarkets and fruit shops in Spain as well as import agents from other EU countries. The results showed an upward trend for mango consumption in the European Union. With regard to the market behavior of the main mango varieties, we realized that Tommy Atkins mango is classified in two stages of sales lifecycle: maturity and decline; Kent mango is found to be ascending in the maturity stage; Haden and Keitt mango are stabilized in the maturity stage, whilst Palmer, Maya and Shelly mango are classified in the growth stage. The study also showed four well-defined segments in the EU fresh mango market: 1) consumers who priorize the relationship between quality and competitive prices; 2) ‘premium-product’ consumers; 3) organic product consumers; and 4) consumers of the pre-peeled, readyto- eat product.

An easy-to-use technique to characterize cardiodynamics from first-return maps on ΔRR-intervals.

Heart rate variability analysis using 24-h Holter monitoring is frequently performed to assess the cardiovascular status of a patient. The present retrospective study is based on the beat-to-beat interval variations or ΔRR, which offer a better view of the underlying structures governing the cardiodynamics than the common RR-intervals. By investigating data for three groups of adults (with normal sinus rhythm, congestive heart failure, and atrial fibrillation, respectively), we showed that the first-return maps built on ΔRR can be classified according to three structures: (i) a moderate central disk, (ii) a reduced central disk with well-defined segments, and (iii) a large triangular shape. These three very different structures can be distinguished by computing a Shannon entropy based on a symbolic dynamics and an asymmetry coefficient, here introduced to quantify the balance between accelerations and decelerations in the cardiac rhythm. The probability P111111 of successive heart beats without large beat-to-beat fluctuations allows to assess the regularity of the cardiodynamics. A characteristic time scale, corresponding to the partition inducing the largest Shannon entropy, was also introduced to quantify the ability of the heart to modulate its rhythm: it was significantly different for the three structures of first-return maps. A blind validation was performed to validate the technique.

Simple Double Eyelid Operation (Oriental Blepharoplasty) Using Y Needle

The eyes, the saying goes, are the windows to the soul. They are the first thing you notice about a person. Therefore, many people want to possess beautiful eyelids. Surgical formation of a palpebral fold and sulcus divides the lid into two well-defined segments (palpebral and pretarsal), producing the double eyelid desired by many Oriental women as well as an increasing number of man recently. Upper lid blepharoplasty is the Oriental eye is one of the variations of standard upper lid blepharoplasty.