The Harmony Search (HS) algorithm is a new evolutionary metaheuristic algorithm based on natural musical performance processes that occur when a musician searches for a better state of harmony, such as during jazz improvisation. In the HS algorithm, the solution vector is analogous to the harmony in music, and the local and global search schemes are analogous to musician’s improvisations.The HS...

We developed a multiscale object-based classification method for detecting diseased trees (Japanese Oak Wilt and Japanese Pine Wilt) in high-resolution multispectral satellite imagery. The proposed method involved (1) a hybrid Intensity-Hue-Saturation (IHS)/Smoothing Filter-based Intensity Modulation (SFIM) pansharpening approach 10 (IHS-SFIM) to obtain more spatially and spectrally accurate im...

Melissa Strait, Sheida Rahmani, Daria Markurjev Faculty Advisor: Todd Wittman UCLA Department of Mathematics August 2008 Abstract Pan-sharpening combines a low-resolution color multispectral image with a high-resolution grayscale panchromatic image to create a high-resolution fused color image. In this paper we examine five different pan-sharpening methods: IHS, PCA, Wavelet fusion, P+XS, and V...

Infantile hemangiomas (IHs) are the most common tumors of childhood. Unlike other tumors, they have the capacity to involute after proliferation, often leading primary care providers to assume they will resolve without intervention or consequence. However, a subset of IHs may be associated with complications, resulting in pain, functional impairment, or permanent disfigurement. As a result, the...

BACKGROUND An examination of cancer incidence patterns in American Indians and Alaska Native (AI/AN) young adults may provide insight into their present and future cancer burden. METHODS To reduce racial misclassification, incidence data were linked with the Indian Health Service (IHS) patient services database. Age-adjusted cancer incidence rates per 100,000 (AAR) and corresponding rate rati...

OBJECTIVE Although the state of Oklahoma has traditionally reported very high incidence rates of Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) cases, the incidence of RMSF among the American Indian population of the state has not been studied. The authors used data from several sources to estimate the incidence of RMSF among American Indians in Oklahoma. METHODS The authors retrospectively reviewed an ...

OBJECTIVE To compare the performance of students selected for midwifery education by three methods: community mobilization in rural Afghanistan, a regional examination by the Institute of Health Sciences (IHS), and the National University Entrance Examination (NUEE). METHODS A retrospective survey was conducted in January 2009 on academic records of 178 midwives trained at the IHS in Herat, i...

BACKGROUND Epidemiological studies evaluating treatments for infantile hemangiomas have produced inconsistent results. A meta-analysis of published data was conducted to investigate the effectiveness and safety of oral propranolol versus other treatments for infantile hemangiomas. METHODS A meta-analysis was conducted based on literature (published from 1960 to December 1, 2014) found on the ...

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS To better understand the features of migraine in Meniere's disease (MD). STUDY DESIGN Retrospective review of prospectively obtained surveys in an outpatient clinic of a tertiary medical center. METHODS Detailed questionnaires on headaches and dizziness were given to consecutive patients presenting with dizziness. The responses were verified by the clinician with the p...

The natural log and categorical transformations commonly applied to wealth for meeting the statistical assumptions of research may not always be appropriate for adjusting for skewness given wealth's unique properties. Finding and applying appropriate transformations is becoming increasingly important as researchers consider wealth as a predictor of well-being. We present an alternative transfor...