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At least 541 records · Page 30Linked to original sources

PubMed2001

Enhanced 3D shape recovery using the neural-based hybrid reflectance model.

It is known that most real surfaces usually are neither perfectly Lambertian model nor ideally specular model; rather, they are formed by the hybrid structure of these two models. This hybrid reflectance model still suffers from the noise, strong specular, and unknown reflectivity conditions. In this article, these limitations are addressed, and a new neural-based hybrid reflectance model is proposed. The goal of this method is to optimize a proper reflectance model by learning the weight and parameters of the hybrid structure of feedforward neural networks and radial basis function networks and to recover the 3D object shape by the shape from shading technique with this resulting model. Experimental results, including synthetic and real images, were performed to demonstrate the performance of the proposed reflectance model in the case of different specular effects and noise environments.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Comparison of effects of bleach and cleansing tablet on reflectance and surface changes of a dental alloy used for removable partial dentures.

Proper hygienic care of removable partial dentures is important for maintaining a healthy oral mucosa. A daily home care routine is the responsibility of the patient to maintain oral hygiene. A dentist must inform the patient about denture cleansers used for plaque control. Common denture cleansers may negatively affect the surface of alloys used to make partial dentures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether bleach and cleansing tablet have deleterious effects on the surface of a dental alloy used to fabricate removable partial dentures. Nineteen test specimens were prepared from CoCr dental alloy. The specimens were cast into 10 mm long x 10 mm wide x 1 mm thick. Fresh solutions made from a commercial bleach and a commercial cleansing tablet were used for each treating. Three groups (commercial denture cleansing tablet, bleach and tap water) were tested. Six specimens were immersed in 200 mL of tap water containing a single denture cleansing tablet. Two spoons of the commercial bleach was added to 200 mL of tap water. Seven specimens were treated. The control specimens were immersed in 200 mL of tap water. Six specimens were the control group. Each specimen was immersed for 30 min per day in the solution for a period of 30 days. The specimens were analyzed for reflectance with a spectrophotometer, for surface changes with a light microscope and weight which was measured with sensitive balance before and after treatment. The SPSS program was used for the statistical analysis. The Kruskal-Wallis Test and Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was used. No significant changes of reflectance was shown in the Kruskal-Wallis Test (p > 0.05). The Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test was performed for comparison into groups. The difference between before and after treatment was statistically significant for the commercial denture cleansing tablet and the commercial bleach (p = 0.028) (p < 0.05). Reflectance was decreased after treatment. Within the limitations of this study, the commercial cleaning solutions had influenced the decrease of reflectance on the surface of the dental alloy. This solutions should not be limitlessly used on dentures with metal components, because they caused clinically significant reflectance changes on the surface of the alloy after 30 days.

Dental Alloys↗

PubMed2003

Video-cued narrative reflection: a research approach for articulating tacit, relational, and embodied understandings.

The author's purpose in this article is to describe the effectiveness of video-cued narrative reflection as a research approach for accessing relational, practice-based, and lived understandings. Video-cued narrative reflection provides moment-by-moment access to tacit experience. The immediate nature of the videotape captures emotional nuances, embodied perceptions, spatial influences, relational understandings, situational factors, and temporal manifestations. By watching videotaped interactions, participants are able to re-collect, re-experience, and interpret their life world. Video-cued narrative reflection allows participants to be simultaneously engaged and reflective while describing significant understandings. By inserting audiotaped reflective commentary of participants into the original videotape transcript, contextual meanings can be located and articulated more easily. Although not appropriate for all types of research, this approach offers promise for certain studies.

Comprehension↗

PubMed1994

Comparison of prescription and medical records in reflecting patient antihypertensive drug therapy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the completeness of prescription records, and the extent to which they agreed with medical record drug entries for antihypertensive medications. SETTING: Three clinics affiliated with two staff model health maintenance organizations (HMOs). PARTICIPANTS: Randomly selected HMO enrollees (n = 982) with diagnosed hypertension. METHODS: Computer-based prescription records for antihypertensive medications were reviewed at each location using an algorithm to convert the directions-for-use codes into an amount to be consumed per day (prescribed daily dosage). The medical record was analyzed similarly for the presence of drug notations and directions for use. RESULTS: There was a high level of agreement between the medical record and prescription file with respect to identifying the drug prescribed by drug name. Between 5 and 14 percent of medical record drug entries did not have corresponding prescription records, probably reflecting patient decisions not to have prescriptions filled at HMO-affiliated pharmacies or at all. Further, 5-8 percent of dispensed prescription records did not have corresponding medical record drug entry notations, probably reflecting incomplete recording of drug information on the medical record. The percentage of agreement of medical records on dosage ranged from 68 to 70 percent across two sites. Approximately 14 percent of drug records at one location and 21 percent of records at the other had nonmatching dosage information, probably reflecting dosage changes noted on the medical record but not reflected on pharmacy records. CONCLUSIONS: In the sites studied, dispensed prescription records reasonably reflect chart drug entries for drug name, but not necessarily dosage.

Antihypertensive Agents↗

PubMed2001

Arterial elastance and wave reflection augmentation of systolic blood pressure: deleterious effects and implications for therapy.

Systolic and pulse blood pressures are stronger predictors of stroke, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, heart failure, end-stage renal disease, and cardiovascular mortality than diastolic pressure. Furthermore, diastolic pressure is inversely related to coronary heart disease and cardiovascular mortality. Increased elastance (or stiffness, inverse of compliance) of the central elastic arteries is the primary cause of increased systolic and pulse pressure with advancing age and in patients with cardiovascular disease, including hypertension, and is due to degeneration and hyperplasia of the arterial wall; diastolic pressure decreases as arterial elastance increases. As elastance increases, transmission velocity of both forward and backward (or reflected) traveling waves increases, which causes the reflected wave to arrive earlier in the central aorta and augments pressure in late systole. These changes in arterial wall properties cause an increase in left ventricular afterload and myocardial oxygen consumption and a decrease in myocardial perfusion pressure, which may induce an imbalance in the supply-demand ratio, especially in hypertrophied hearts with coronary artery disease. Also, an increase in systolic pressure increases arterial wall circumferential stress, which promotes fatigue and development of atherosclerosis. Vasodilator drugs have little direct active effect on large elastic arteries but can markedly reduce wave reflection amplitude and augmentation index by decreasing elastance of the muscular arteries and reducing pulse wave velocity of the reflected wave from the periphery to the heart. This decrease in intensity (or amplitude) and increase in travel time (or delay) of the reflected wave causes a generalized decrease in systolic pressure and arterial wall stress and an increase in ascending aortic flow during the deceleration phase. The decrease in systolic pressure brought about by this mechanism is grossly underestimated when systolic pressure is measured in the brachial artery.

Adult↗

PubMed1979

Determination of serum bilirubin by skin reflectance: effect of pigmentation.

A noninvasive optical technique by which serum bilrubin can be estimated from skin spectral reflectance measurements has been further investigated. The original work on 30 healthy, full-term white infants and an independent study on 14 white and 30 black infants demonstrate that the method has potential not only for clinical use, but also for the study of the transport of bilrubin to, from and within the skin. The objectives of the present study are to evaluate the method on a larger sample population with special attention to natural skin pigmentation effects and the development of a physical model of the tissue to explain the relationship between serum bilrubin concentration and skin reflectance. Reflectance spectra (380-800 nm) and concurrent serum bilirubin measurements were taken on a sample population of 58 white and 45 full-term black infants (1-3 days of age). Multiple linear regression analysis, comprised of six wavelengths gave a correlation coefficient, r = 0.831 for the white infant group. For the black infant group, a five wavelength analysis provided r = 0.877 with the standard error of estimate being +/- 1.46 mg/100 ml for both groups. The model for establishing a physical basis for the relationship shows that a transformed, normalized Kubelka-Monk function xi (460, 510, 420) is linearly related to serum bilrubin concentration. This function is determined from the spectral reflectance values at three wavelengths, 420, 460, and 510 nm. The wavelength combination is such that effects due to hemoglobin and melanin pigments are minimized. Regression analysis showed that r = 0.778 and r = 0.865 for the white and black infant groups, respectively, with standard error of estimates being +/- 1.4 mg/100 ml for both groups. Routine determinations of total serum bilrubin by laboratory methods have standard errors of estimate ranging from +/- 1 to 1.5 mg/100 ml. Thus, the method herein described shows that the relationship between skin reflectance and serum bilrubin in full-term infants is close to the acceptable limits for clinical use. Furthermore, this work shows that skin pigmentation does not obscure this relationship.

Bilirubin↗

PubMed1987

General electromagnetic theory of total internal reflection fluorescence: the quantitative basis for mapping cell-substratum topography.

Total internal reflection fluorescence (TIRF) has recently been used to look at the contacts made between cells and a glass surface on which they are spread. Our method utilizes the fluorescence of a water-soluble dye that acts as an extracellular aqueous volume marker. Fluorescence is stimulated by the short-range electric field near the glass surface that exists under conditions of total internal reflection. Since fluorescence is normally generated beneath a spread cell and not beyond it, the fluorescence of the image is related to the size of the cell-glass water gap. The images obtained are remarkable for their detail, contrast and the absence of confusing granularity due to cytoplasmic heterogeneity, which is commonly seen in interference reflection (IRM) images. We here develop a rigorous electromagnetic theory of total internal reflection in layered structures appropriate for cell contacts and apply it to quantitative TIRF. We show that: (1) TIRF, unlike IRM, can report cell-glass gaps in a way that is practically independent of the detailed physical properties of the cell; (2) TIRF is also far more sensitive than IRM for measuring cell-glass water gaps up to approximately equal to 100nm. These striking results explain the image quality seen by TIRF. As the initial step towards verifying our theory we show that measurement of the fluorescence stimulated by total internal reflection at a simple glass-water interface matches theoretical predictions.

Cell Adhesion↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Reflection: does it enhance professional nursing practice?

It is generally accepted that nurses who engage in reflective activity do so to develop their practice. However, there is little empirical evidence to suggest that practice development or improved patient care occurs as a direct result of reflection. The UKCC, as part of its framework for postregistration education, expects all nurses to engage in some form of reflective activity and to provide written accounts within a personal professional profile. This article examines some of the assumptions surrounding the practice of reflection and asserts that, in the main, nurses do not readily engage in reflection in a purposeful way.

Education, Nursing, Continuing↗

PubMed2003

Using a model for structured reflection on palliative care nursing: exploring the challenges raised.

Reflection on palliative care nursing practice has to encompass every dimension of the holistic care we offer. In this article a possible structured model for reflection on palliative care nursing is discussed and used to reflect on the care given during a community Macmillan nurse visit. The reflection revealed a number of challenges. These included the possible conflict between patient autonomy and quality of life for carers; the role of intuition in palliative nursing and spiritual care. The article concludes that reflection has a role to play in exploring the innate tensions in palliative care, voicing the often silent intuitive knowledge and promoting expertise in spiritual care.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMed2001

Skin reflectance in the Han Chinese and Tibetan populations.

Genetic and environmental factors are involved in the determination of skin pigmentation in humans. With the recent development of statistical and genetic tools in mapping complex traits in humans, it is becoming feasible to utilize such methods in identifying genes involved in skin pigmentation. Furthermore, the use of new portable reflectance spectroscopy instruments such as the Photovolt ColorWalk colorimeter allows researchers to measure skin reflectance of a large number of subjects with ease and accuracy. We used a new portable instrument (Photovolt ColorWalk) to study the skin reflectance of 372 Han Chinese and 274 Tibetan individuals to establish background reflectance measurements of unexposed skin of the inner upper arm in these two populations. In addition, we explored the effect of various factors such as age and gender on skin reflectance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Analytic performance analysis based on material properties for electroabsorptive asymmetric Fabry-Perot reflection modulators.

Simple and accurate analytic expressions are provided for the maximum reflectivity and tolerances of an impedance-matched asymmetric Fabry-Perot used as a high-contrast spatial light modulator when electroabsorptive quantum wells provide loss modulation. When the device geometry is optimized, these expressions depend only on material properties. The maximum reflectivity depends only on the fractional absorption change and is independent of the front-mirror reflectivity. The most important tolerance is on the flatness of crystal growth; the fractional-length tolerance is proportional to the absorption coefficient. These formulas agree with experimentally reported results from multiple-quantum-well modulators and previous numerical analyses; they are useful for quickly predicting optimized performance of possible new materials. The normally on and normally off geometries are compared. The effect of finite back-mirror reflectivity is clarified. Deviations from impedance match enable increased reflectance difference at the expense of contrast ratio, an approach which is evaluated as a function of material parameters.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Aging of reflective roofs: soot deposition.

Solar-reflective roofs remain cooler than absorptive roofs and thus conserve electricity otherwise needed for air conditioning. A currently controversial aspect of solar-reflective cool roofing is the extent to which an initially high solar reflectance decreases with time. We present experimental data on the spectral absorption of deposits that accumulate on roofs, and we attribute most of the absorption to carbon soot originally produced by combustion. The deposits absorb more at short wavelengths (e.g., in the blue) than in the red and infrared, imparting a slightly yellow tinge to formerly white surfaces. The initial rate of reflectance reduction by soot accumulation is consistent with known emission rates that are due to combustion. The long-term reflectance change appears to be determined by the ability of the soot to adhere to the roof, resisting washout by rain.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Polarization-dependent angular-optical reflectance in solar-selective SnOx:F/Al2O3/Al reflector surfaces.

Polarization-dependent angular-optical properties of spectrally selective reflector surfaces of fluorine-doped tin oxide (SnOx:F) deposited pyrolytically on anodized aluminum are reported. The angular-reflectance measurements, for which both s- and p-polarized light are used in the solar wavelength range 0.3-2.5 microm, reveal strong spectral selectivity, and the angular behavior is highly dependent on the polarizing component of the incident beam, the total film thickness, and the individual thickness of the Al2O3 and the SnO2:F layers. The anodic A12O3 layers were produced electrochemically and varied between 100 and 205 nm in thickness. The SnOx:F films were grown pyrolytically at a temperature of 400 degrees C with film thicknesses varying in the range 180-320 nm. The reflectors were aimed at silicon solar cells, and good spectrally selective reflector characteristics were achieved with these thinly preanodized, SnOx:F/Al samples; that is, high cell reflectance was obtained for wavelengths below 1.1 microm and low thermal reflectance for wavelengths above 1.1 microm, with the best samples having values of 0.80 and 0.42, respectively, at near-normal angles of incidence. This corresponds to an anodic layer thickness of 155 nm. Both the angular calculations and the experimental measurements show that the cell reflectance is relatively insensitive to the incidence angle, and a low thermal reflectance is maintained up to an angle of approximately 60 degrees.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2002

Evaluation of a reflectance model used in the SeaWiFS ocean color algorithm: implications for chlorophyll concentration retrievals.

For the atmospheric correction of ocean-color imagery obtained over Case I waters with the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) instrument the method currently used to relax the black-pixel assumption in the near infrared (NIR) relies on (1) an approximate model for the nadir NIR remote-sensing reflectance and (2) an assumption that the water-leaving radiance is isotropic over the upward hemisphere. Radiance simulations based on a comprehensive radiative-transfer model for the coupled atmosphere-ocean system and measurements of the nadir remote-sensing reflectance at 670 nm compiled in the SeaWiFS Bio-optical Algorithm Mini-Workshop (SeaBAM) database are used to assess the validity of this method. The results show that (1) it is important to improve the flexibility of the reflectance model to provide more realistic predictions of the nadir NIR water-leaving reflectance for different ocean regions and (2) the isotropic assumption should be avoided in the retrieval of ocean color, if the chlorophyll concentration is larger than approximately 6, 10, and 40 mg m(-3) when the aerosol optical depth is approximately 0.05, 0.1, and 0.3, respectively. Finally, we extend our scope to Case II ocean waters to gain insight and enhance our understanding of the NIR aspects of ocean color. The results show that the isotropic assumption is invalid in a wider range than in Case I waters owing to the enhanced water-leaving reflectance resulting from oceanic sediments in the NIR wavelengths.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2003

Reflectance-based calibration of SeaWiFS. I. Calibration coefficients.

We present a calibration approach for the Sea-Viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS) based on the reflectance properties of the instrument's onboard diffuser. This technique uses SeaWiFS as a reflectometer, measuring the reflected solar irradiance from the Earth and from the onboard diffuser. Because the Sun is the common source of light for both measurements, the ratio of the SeaWiFS-measured radiances from the Earth and the diffuser provide the ratio for the reflectances of the two samples. The reflectance characterization of the onboard diffuser is the calibration reference for this approach. Knowledge of the value of the solar irradiance is not required for these measurements because it falls out of the ratio. Knowledge of the absolute calibration coefficient for the SeaWiFS measurements of each of the two samples is not required either. Instead, the result of the ratioing technique is based on the linearity of the instrument's response to the intensity of the input light. The calibration requires knowledge, however, of the reflectance of the onboard diffuser at the start of the SeaWiFS mission and the response of the instrument bands, in digital numbers, for measurements of the diffuser at that time.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Systematic errors inherent in the current modeling of the reflected downward flux term used by remote sensing models.

An underlying assumption of satellite data assimilation systems is that the radiative transfer model used to simulate observed satellite radiances has no errors. For practical reasons a fast-forward radiative transfer model is used instead of a highly accurate line-by-line model. The fast model usually replaces the spectral integration of spectral quantities with their monochromatic equivalents, and the errors due to these approximations are assumed to be negligible. The reflected downward flux term contains many approximations of this nature, which are shown to introduce systematic errors. In addition, many fast-forward radiative transfer models simulate the downward flux as the downward radiance along a path defined by the secant of the mean emergent angle, the diffusivity factor. The diffusivity factor is commonly set to 1.66 or to the secant of the satellite zenith angle. Neither case takes into account that the diffusivity factor varies with optical depth, which introduces further errors. I review the two most commonly used methods for simulating reflected downward flux by fast-forward radiative transfer models and point out their inadequacies and limitations. An alternate method of simulating the reflected downward flux is proposed. This method transforms the surface-to-satellite transmittance profile to a transmittance profile suitable for simulating the reflected downward flux by raising the former transmittance to the power of kappa, where kappa itself is a function of channel, surface pressure, and satellite zenith angle. It is demonstrated that this method reduces the fast-forward model error for low to moderate reflectivities.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2004

Gonioreflectometer for measuring spectral diffuse reflectance.

Gonioreflectometric determination of reflectance factors that involves hemispherical collection of reflected flux, which is an alternative to integrating sphere-based methods, is discussed. A detailed description of a gonioreflectometer built at the Helsinki University of Technology is presented. The instrument is used to establish an absolute scale of total diffuse reflectance factors throughout the spectral range 360-830 nm. The hemispherical reflectance factors are obtained through integration of the gonioreflectometric measurement results. The reflectance factors of white high-quality artifacts can be determined with a combined standard uncertainty of 0.20%. Results of test measurements were found to be in agreement with values traceable to other absolute scales based on integrating-sphere methods.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2006

Effect of bio-optical parameter variability and uncertainties in reflectance measurements on the remote estimation of chlorophyll-a concentration in turbid productive waters: modeling results.

Most algorithms for retrieving chlorophyll-a concentration (Chla) from reflectance spectra assume that bio-optical parameters such as the phytoplankton specific absorption coefficient (aPhi*) or the chlorophyll-a fluorescence quantum yield (eta) are constant. Yet there exist experimental data showing large ranges of variability for these quantities. The main objective of this study was to analyze the sensitivity of two Chla algorithms to variations in bio-optical parameters and to uncertainties in reflectance measurements. These algorithms are specifically designed for turbid productive waters and are based on red and near-infrared reflectances. By means of simulated data, it is shown that the spectral regions where the algorithms are maximally sensitive to Chla overlap those of maximal sensitivity to variations in the above bio-optical parameters. Thus, to increase the accuracy of Chla retrieval, we suggest using spectral regions where the algorithms are less sensitive to Chla, but also less sensitive to these interferences. aPhi* appeared to be one of the most important sources of error for retrieving Chla. However, when the phytoplankton backscattering coefficient (bb,Phi) dominates the total backscattering, as is likely during algal blooms, variations in the specific bb,Phi may introduce large systematic uncertainties in Chla estimation. Also, uncertainties in reflectance measurements, which are due to incomplete atmospheric correction or reflected skylight removal, seem to affect considerably the accuracy of Chla estimation. Instead, variations in other bio-optical parameters, such as eta or the specific backscattering coefficient of total suspended particles, appear to have minor importance. Suggestions regarding the optimal band locations to be used in the above algorithms are finally provided.

Algorithms↗