Abstract: This invention provides: 1) a method of treating androgen-deprivation induced osteoporosis and/or bone fractures and/or loss of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in a male subject suffering from prostate cancer; 2) a method of preventing androgen-deprivation induced osteoporosis and/or bone fractures and/or loss of Bone Mineral Density (BMD) in a male subject suffering from prostate cancer; 3) a method of suppressing or inhibiting androgen-deprivation induced osteoporosis and/or bone fractures and/or loss of BMD in a male subject suffering from prostate cancer; and 4) a method of reducing the risk of developing androgen-deprivation induced osteoporosis and/or bone fractures and/or loss of BMD in a male subject suffering from prostate cancer, by administering to the subject a pharmaceutical composition comprising an anti-estrogen agent and/or its analog, derivative, isomer, metabolite, pharmaceutically acceptable salt, pharmaceutical product, hydrate, N-oxide, or any combination thereof.

Abstract: The bottle, especially PET bottle, for storage and transportation of liquids, in particular beverages with normal or increased internal pressure, includes a neck, a crown and a thread. The crown has a wall with the external diameter equal approximately (1.08-1.10), preferably 1.09 of the internal wall diameter and is topped with a flange with the internal diameter equal approximately (1.13-1.15), preferably 1.14 of the internal wall diameter and the height equal approximately 0.1 of the internal wall diameter. On the external wall surface, the thread has an external outline diameter equal approximately (1.24-1.28), preferably 1.26 of the internal wall diameter.

Abstract: A method and apparatus are provided for removing noise from a first digital representation of data images and noise images of a document, including digitally scanning the document so as to produce the first digital representation of all the images of the document, including the data images and the noise images. After de-skewing the image representation, objects are built from a reduced-resolution representation of the scanned representation. Objects identified as picture objects are included in a mask which is logically ANDed with the de-skewed representation of the scanned document. All objects are added to an object list and initially marked as noise. Objects identified as text objects or geometric objects are marked as data objects. Objects identified as picture objects are included in a mask which is logically ANDed with the de-skewed representation to eliminate all other objects.

Abstract: An image processing apparatus and a recording medium which can improve the quality of a color document image are provided. An input image is converted into an image having low resolution. A subtractive color image is generated using the converted image having low resolution. From the subtractive color image, adjacent pixels which are allocated to the same representative color are unified so as to extract an FCR (Flat Color Region) candidate region. A region candidate is redetermined using an image having resolution which is higher than the subtractive color image. Next, a boundary of the FCR is detected and an ultimate FCR is determined. Selection of a representative color of the determined FCR is carried out, and a specific color processing which replaces a color which is close to a pure color with the pure color is effected. Finally, image regeneration is carried out by overwriting and drawing (synthesizing) the FCR on the input image.

Abstract: A system extracts a set of size invariant, rotation invariant features from pixel data of a character and sends the set of features to a statistical decision tree to effectuate automatic recognition of a character. The set of extracted features includes a group of features that is extracted by dividing a circle bounding the character into eight rings and 24 slices and counting the number of character pixels contained in each ring and in each slice. Various Fourier transforms, autocorrelations, moment calculations, and sorting operations are performed on many of the aforementioned arrays to yield further size and orientation invariant features. The distance between the centroid of the largest hole of the character and the center of the character is computed. The ratios of the perimeters of first and second holes of the character to the outer perimeter are computed.

Abstract: A pattern recognition system includes a hierarchical network of parametric pattern recognition components or algorithms of different types. During a "training" phase, distinctions among character types are gathered from a set of correctly labelled training samples. The structure of the component hierarchy is established by recursive training of various subsets of the original training set and, for each component, generation of a "decision function" that either (1) indicates a final classification by the present component the characters of the training, or (2) points to a component lower in the hierarchy, thereby establishing connectivity between components of the hierarchy. The training process continues, generating successively lower components in the hierarchy, until perfect classification is obtained on the training set.

Abstract: A technique for recognizing hand-drawn graphic symbols operates on vectorized graphic data, including lines, arcs, and circles, that have been produced by an automatic drawing recognition system. The user creates segmented rule bases for recognizing various symbols by describing the geometric structures of recognizable symbols and subsymbols. The rule bases each are compiled into a respective decision tree. Fetched input vectors and entities are placed in software "blackboards", and more particularly, into appropriate symbol slots and subsymbol slots thereof. The growing symbols and subsymbols on the blackboards are continually restructured until they form closed loops or the blackboards are filled. The decision tree then is applied to all possible permutations of the symbols and/or subsymbols to accomplish partial or complete recognition.

Abstract: Serial runlength data obtained by scanning an image includes "slices" that each include the length and an ending pixel number of a successive string of connected black pixels. The runlength data is operated upon, line-by-line, by a decision tree classifier that creates a software "object" including a first linked list of a plurality of further linked lists each of which contains all of the slices of a simple shape of the image. The slices of the object are entered into a "frame" in the same order in which they are scanned and are "filtered" to delete insignificant horizontal and vertical gaps between slices. The slopes of edges of the shapes are tested for linearity to determine which shapes can be represented as trapezoids that can be represented by four corner points and which must be represented as irregular blobs containing all of their slices.

Abstract: Serial data obtained by scanning an object including a plurality of connected shapes is encoded into "slices" consisting of colinear connected black pixels and is processed and assembled into "records" that contain compact slice data or corner points of trapezoidal shapes. For each shape, a record is fetched and recognized as to whether it is to be represented by a horizontal, vertical or diagonal vector, an arc vector, or a filled shape. The vector is entered into a table or merged with a vector already in the table, or corresponding "filled shape" data is generated and entered in the table. Merging is accomplished by determining if the input vector has an intersection number equal to that of any vector stored in the table, and merging the input vector with the stored vector if their respective end points and orientations are sufficiently close.

Abstract: A system extracts a set of size invariant, rotation invariant features from pixel data of a character and sends the set of features to a statistical decision tree to effectuate automatic recognition of a character. The set of extracted features includes a first group obtained by generating arrays representable as dimensions and other geometric qualities of six minimum bounding rectangles rotated about the character, including the distances between the center points of the rotated bounding rectangles. A second group of features is extracted by generating a group of arrays representing the perimeter pixel locations, radii lengths, and direction codes. The arrays of that group are "resampled" to generate corresponding 64 point arrays. The resampled array of direction codes is smoothed and incremental direction codes are computed and compared to preselected thresholds to obtain features that indicate prominent convex and concave portions of the character.

Abstract: A serial pixel neighborhood processor serially receives successive rows of pixels at a 10 MHz rate, and operates on three digit by three digit pixel "neighborhoods" to serially output filtered pixels at the 10 MHz rate. The processor includes first through sixth 16 kilobit memories. Odd numbered rows of pixels are serially written into the first memory and even numbered rows of pixels are serially written into the fourth memory. Odd numbered rows of pixels in the first and second memories are serially shifted into the second and third memories, respectively, while even numbered rows of pixels are being written into the fourth memory. Similarly, even numbered rows of pixels in the fourth and fifth memories are serially shifted into the fifth and sixth memories, respectively, while odd numbered rows of pixels are being written into the first memory. The outputs of all of the memories are multiplexed into three bit serial to parallel converters.

Abstract: The invention discloses a locator unit contained within footwear providing a method for GPS position determination and transmission of said location determination data to a central monitoring station which disseminates the data through the use of proprietary software, wireless communications, land based wire systems and the Internet.