Search results for "specificity"
showing 10 items of 2234 documents
Blood vessels and feature points detection on retinal images
2009
In this paper we present a method for the automatic extraction of blood vessels from retinal images, while capturing points of intersection/overlap and endpoints of the vascular tree. The algorithm performance is evaluated through a comparison with handmade segmented images available on the STARE project database (STructured Analysis of the REtina). The algorithm is performed on the green channel of the RGB triad. The green channel can be used to represent the illumination component. The matched filter is used to enhance vessels w.r.t. the background. The separation between vessels and background is accomplished by a threshold operator based on gaussian probability density function. The len…
Computer assisted diagnosis (CAD) in mammography. Comparison of diagnostic accuracy of a new algorithm (Cyclopus(R), Medicad) with two commercial sys…
2008
The study compares the diagnostic accuracy (correct identification of cancer) of a new computer-assisted diagnosis (CAD) system (Cyclopus) with two other commercial systems (R2 and CADx). Cyclopus was tested on a set of 120 mammograms on which the two compared commercial systems had been previously tested. The set consisted of mammograms reported as negative, preceding 31 interval cancers reviewed as screening error or minimal sign, and of 89 verified negative controls randomly selected from the same screening database. Cyclopus sensitivity was 74.1% (R2=54.8%; CADx=41.9%) and was higher for interval cancers reviewed as screening error (90.9%; R2=54.5%; CADx=81.8%) compared with those revie…
Il diritto europeo dello sport, tra specificità, rilevanza economica e motivi imperativi di interesse generale
2018
European Sports Law, between Specificity, Economic Relevance and Overriding Reasons of General Interest The most recent European case law has, once again, raised the question on whether sports law can be regarded as an original and separate branch of legal systems. At European level, sports law is deeply integrated in the legal system and, therefore, it is subject to its regula- tions. This phenomenon is however mitigated by the social function of sport, which, together with technical regulations, provides an important area of legislative, organizational and judicial autonomy to sports law. The ordering principle between sports law and the European legal system is thus identified in the pri…
Approximation through suffixation:-ḍḍu/-a in Sicilian
2023
This article investigates the use of the Sicilian suffix -ḍḍu/-afor the expression of ap-proximation. On the basis of a survey of a corpus of ethnotexts and the outputs of a translation questionnaire, we propose that approximation is a core value in the semantic network of the suffix, expressing a certain distance fromthe default values conveyed by the base. In terms of prototypi-cality, this distance may occur from the categorial centre (internal approximation): the suffix mod-ifies the semantics of the base but does not alter the categorial status of the referent. Alternatively, the suffix may impact on categorial membership tout court (external approximation), questioning the categorial …
Molecular Epidemiological Survey ofCitrobacter freundiiMisidentified asCronobacterspp. (Enterobacter sakazakii) andEnterobacter hormaecheiIsolated fr…
2011
A total of 75 powdered infant milk formula (PIF) samples collected from pharmacies and drugstores in Western Sicily, Italy, and representative of 12 different brands were analyzed in this study to evaluate their microbiological quality. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration protocol, 32 samples out of 75 were contaminated by enterobacteria. Commercial biochemical API(r) 20E-system identification method indicated that six PIF samples were presumptively contaminated by Cronobacter spp., but further characterization by alpha-glucosidase based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay identification strongly suggested that these strains did not belong to the genus Cronobacter. Phylogen…
Single tube real time PCR for detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Legionella pneumophila from …
2012
We designed a multiplex real time PCR for rapid, sensitive and specific detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, Chlamydophila pneumoniae and Mycoplasma pneumoniae. The study cases consisted of 129 patients with community acquired pneumonia (CAP). Bacteriological techniques were implemented for detection of the cultivable organisms. DNA were extracted from sputa, throat swabs, bronchoalveolar lavages and tracheal aspirates and used as templates in real time PCR. The primers and probes were designed for cbpA (S. pneumoniae), p1adhesin (M. pneumoniae), mip (L. pneumophila) and ompA (C. pneumoniae). After optimization of real time PCR for every organism, the experiments w…
Diagnostic polymorphisms in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene allow discrimination between cattle, sheep, goat, roe buck and deer by PCR-RFLP
2004
Abstract Background As an alternative to direct DNA sequencing of PCR products, random PCR-RFLP is an efficient technique to discriminate between species. The PCR-RFLP-method is an inexpensive tool in forensic science, even if the template is degraded or contains only traces of DNA from various species. Results Interspecies-specific DNA sequence polymorphisms in the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene were analyzed using PCR-RFLP technology to determine the source (i.e., species) of blood traces obtained from a leaf. Conclusions The method presented can be used for the discrimination of cattle (Bos taurus), sheep (Ovis aries), goat (Capra hircus), roe buck (Capreolus capreolus) and red deer (Ce…
Automatic differentiation of melanoma from dysplastic nevi.
2015
International audience; Malignant melanoma causes the majority of deaths related to skin cancer. Nevertheless, it is the most treatable one, depending on its early diagnosis. The early prognosis is a challenging task for both clinicians and dermatologist, due to the characteristic similarities of melanoma with other skin lesions such as dysplastic nevi. In the past decades, several computerized lesion analysis algorithms have been proposed by the research community for detection of melanoma. These algorithms mostly focus on differentiating melanoma from benign lesions and few have considered the case of melanoma against dysplastic nevi. In this paper, we consider the most challenging task a…
An Instrument-Assisted coracoid pain test: an exploratory diagnostic accuracy study
2022
The coracoid pain test (CPT) could contribute to the diagnosis of frozen shoulder (FS) with palpation. However, due to assessor performance these values might be unreliable. Therefore, the aim was to explore the diagnostic accuracy of an instrument-assisted CPT and two alternative approaches (pain severity and side comparison) for assistance in the diagnosis of FS. Patients with FS and healthy age-matched controls were recruited. All participants underwent the instrument-assisted CPT on both shoulders with a pressure algometer. Sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratios were determined for the three approaches. In total, 35 patients with FS and 35 healthy participants were included. Th…
Siderophores and related outer membrane proteins produced by pseudomonads isolated from eels and freshwater.
1992
A total of 46 environmental pseudomonads, together with six type strains, were examined for their siderophore-producing activity. All strains were able to grow under iron-limiting conditions, gave orange halos in the CAS agar assay, and produced hydroxamates, and some of them also produced phenolate-type compounds. Bioassays showed that all strains, except Pseudomonas aeruginosa, promoted growth of mutant strain Arthrobacter flavescens JG-9, deficient in hydroxamate production, and some of them promoted growth of Salmonella typhimurium enb-1, which requires enterobactin for growth. The presence of iron-regulated outer membrane proteins was observed, the molecular size of the main induced pr…