In literature, we can find different metrics to evaluate the detected edges in digital images, like Pratt's figure of merit (FOM), Jaccard's index (JI) and Dice's coefficient (DC). These metrics compare two images, the first one is the reference edges image, and the second one is the detected edges image. It is important to mention that all existing metrics must binarize images before their eva...

Background Questionnaires are essential for measurement of tinnitus severity and treatment-related change. Yet no standard measure is used across clinical and research settings. Current tinnitus questionnaires are limited to measuring severity or change, but not both [1,2]. The Tinnitus Functional Index (TFI) was developed as both a diagnostic measure of the functional impact of tinnitus and to...

Background Idiopathic toe walking (ITW) can present in children above the age of three, and occurs in the absence of any medically diagnosed conditions. Identification of medical conditions that are associated with toe walking can be complex and a potentially daunting task for those that infrequently assess children. In order to facilitate entry for appropriate toe walking children into an ITW ...

OBJECTIVES The phenomenon of grandparents caring for grandchildren is disproportionately observed among different racial/ethnic groups in the United States. This study examines the influence of childcare provision on older adults' health trajectories in the United States with a particular focus on racial/ethnic differentials. METHOD Analyzing nationally representative, longitudinal data on gr...

Compliance and distensibility are wall properties of large arteries, which may play a role in cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the influence of age on these vessel wall properties differs between vascular territories and is gender-dependent. In a population sample of 498 men and women 20 to 79 years of age, diameter, distensibility, and compliance coe...

OBJECTIVES To determine the value of ankle and toe blood pressure indices and pedal pulse palpation in the assessment of peripheral arterial disease in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS A convenience sample of 85 female subjects with type 2 DM underwent a series of peripheral vascular assessments at the diabetes clinic of a community hospita...

AIM Whole-body vibration exercise (WBV) acutely decreases brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), an index of systemic arterial stiffness. However, the effect of WBV on segmental PWV and aortic hemodynamics is unknown. We examined the acute effects of WBV on arterial function. METHODS Fifteen young men performed ten 1-min sets of static squat with WBV (40 Hz, 1 mm, 5.37 G) and without WBV...