Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Latent tuberculosis infection screening in healthcare workers in four large hospitals in Santiago, Chile].

BACKGROUND It is currently unknown which is the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in healthcare workers in Chile, but this group has been described as at higher risk of developing active tuberculosis than general population. OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of latent tuberculosis infection in a sample of healthcare workers from at risk areas. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional, descriptive study, conducted in health care workers from clinical laboratories or respiratory care areas in four hospitals in Santiago. Latent tuberculosis infection detection was determined by Quantiferon® TB Gold In Tube testing (QFT). RESULTS QFT resulted positive in 20 of 76 (26.3%) of the individuals tested. Test positivity reached 62.5% among the personnel that reported history of past TB contact in the community, 50% among the personnel who belonged to the national tuberculosis control program and 38% among those doing induced sputum, acid fast smear or mycobacterial cultures. The proportion of individuals with positive QFT was significantly lower in those personnel who had no such risk factors (15.7%, p = 0.03). The proportion of latent tuberculosis infection also increased in direct relation to the age of the subject. CONCLUSION Latent tuberculosis infection as detected by QFT testing was highly prevalent in healthcare workers included in the present study. Further exploring the limitations and possible scenarios for this new diagnostic tool is needed, with emphasis on health personnel at higher-risk and younger individuals.
IaaS Implementation of a Private Cloud using Open Source Technology

Cloud Computing is a field of IT that can revolutionize the traditional computing facilities. Cloud Computing gives a new view to our hardware and software facilities by making them elastic rather than scalable. The system can be scaled up or down according to a user’s need. The use of open source technology is a turning point in providing cloud computing infrastructure to reduce the cost by a large magnitude. We can build our own private clouds and share resources viz. hardware and software without making any investment. The aim of this paper is to provide open source solution to build a private cloud. Iaas(Infrastructure as a service) implementation means to implement a private cloud wherein we can share hardware resources so as to reduce the cost of IT services of an organization.
Effect of Target Volume on Treatment Planning Parameters of Skull Base Lesions and Functional Disorders in Cyber Knife

Background: Benign and malignant tumoral growth can be controlled by several ways of which one is by irradiating the target by ionizing radiation (X-rays or gamma rays). Initially it was done by conventional radiation therapy offering fewer field orientations, thus increasing the dose to surrounding normal tissue and inability to achieve the required dose to the target, which was overcome by applying converging beams from different angles focused at a single spot (target), thus achieving higher doses with adequate normal tissue sparing. Method: A retrospective review of 270 patients treated with Cyber knife in Cyber knife stereotactic Radiosurgery department JPMC Karachi was carried out and 88 patients with skull base lesions of anterior middle and posterior cranial fossa were included. The study data included treatment planning parameters and diagnosis of the patients. Results: Data was statistically analyzed on SPSS V.22 software. Treatment planning parameters were compared with volume of the lesions as defined in the treatment planning data. On statistical analysis significant 2-tailed value at 95% confidence interval p<0.001 was obtained on correlating target volume with the homogeneity and new conformity indices. Conclusion: In this study we have appreciated that tumors with greater volumes and treated with larger and multiple collimators were subjected to increased homogeneity and new conformity indices as comparable to those lesions with lesser volumes and were treated with smaller collimator sizes. Thus we have noted a significant impact of tumor volume on homogeneity and new conformity indices.
Neural approximations for the optimal control of heating systems

This paper presents a case study of the HVAC system for a greenhouse. The optimal control of greenhouse climate entails operations on the control variables in order to maximize the economic profit of the grower and is heavily influenced by the accuracy of the greenhouse dynamics and the weather predictions, thus accurate dynamic model and good weather forecasts are required. We first address the problem of environmental temperature forecasting by using a classical linear model. We then suggest superior nonlinear prediction models based on neural networks. Finally, an optimal control is applied to the nonlinear greenhouse model and is approximately implemented by means of neural networks. <<ETX>>
USE OF LOCATION AIDED ALGORITHM USING WI-FI IN INDOOR AD-HOC SYSTEMS

Mobile Ad-Hoc networks are designed to establish a network anytime and anywhere. Unlike other networks , ad-hoc does not require a fixed infrastructure. There are various rtechniques which are related to ad-hoc netwo rking like Destination Sequenced Distance Vector Protocol (DSDV), Dynamic Source Routing Protocol (DSR) and Ad-Hoc On Demand Distance Vector Protocol (AODV). One such routing protocol named Lo cation Aided Routing uses GPS (Global Positioning S ystem) to get the coordinates of the nodes which would assist in routin g. There is a definite set of drawbacks where GPS i s used to get the location for the nodes in the ad-hoc network which is implemente d indoor. In this paper, we propose an alternative of using Wi-Fi Positioning System to get the location of the co-ordinates whic h may prove to be a better solution than GPS indoor .
Direct-conversion radio transceivers for digital communications

The current interest in portable wireless communications devices is prompting research into new IC technologies, circuit configurations, and transceiver architectures. Miniature transceivers dissipating low power are sought to sought to communicate digital data. While transistor technology scaling and improved circuit techniques will lead to the inevitable evolutionary advances towards this goal, architectural innovations in the transceiver will lead to revolutionary improvements. It is in this context that there is a resurgence of interest in direct-conversion.
A systematic review of the survival and complication rates of all-ceramic and metal-ceramic reconstructions after an observation period of at least 3 years. Part II: Fixed dental prostheses.

OBJECTIVES The objective of this systematic review was to assess the 5-year survival rates and incidences of complications of all-ceramic fixed dental prostheses (FDPs) and to compare them with those of metal-ceramic FDPs. METHODS An electronic MEDLINE and Dental Global Publication Research System search complemented by manual searching was conducted to identify prospective and retrospective cohort studies on all-ceramic and metal-ceramic reconstructions with a mean follow-up time of at least 3 years. Patients had to have been examined clinically at the follow-up visit. Assessment of the identified studies and data abstraction was performed independently by three reviewers. Failure rates were analyzed using standard and random-effects Poisson regression models to obtain summary estimates of 5-year survival proportions. RESULTS The search provided 3473 titles for single crowns and FDPs and resulted in 100 abstracts for all-ceramic FDPs. Full-text analysis was performed for 39 articles, resulting in nine studies of ceramic FDPs that met the inclusion criteria. The data on survival and complication rates of metal-ceramic FDPs were obtained from a previous systematic review of Tan et al. (2004) and the updated version from the same authors (Pjetursson et al. 2007). In Poisson regression meta-analysis, the 5-year survival of metal-ceramic FDPs was significantly (P<0.0001) higher with 94.4% [95 confidence interval (CI): 91.1-96.5%] than the survival of all-ceramic FDPs, being 88.6% (95 CI: 78.3-94.2%). The frequencies of material fractures (framework and veneering material) were significantly (P<0.0001) higher for all-ceramic FDPs (6.5% and 13.6%) compared with those of metal-ceramic FDPs (1.6% and 2.9%). Other technical complications like loss of retention and biological complications like caries and loss of pulp vitality were similar for the two types of reconstructions over the 5-year observation period. CONCLUSION Based on the present systematic review of all-ceramic FDPs, significantly lower survival rates at 5 years were seen compared with metal-ceramic FDPs. The most frequent reason for failure of FDPs made out of glass-ceramics or glass-infiltrated ceramics was fracture of the reconstruction (framework and veneering ceramic). However, when zirconia was used as framework material, the reasons for failure were primarily biological and technical complications other than framework fracture.
r-GT, A Promising Marker for HCC Development after SVR in Hepatitis C Patients?

Liver cancer is the sixth most common cancer (749,000 new cases) and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths (692,000 cases) worldwide and accounts for 7% of all deaths. Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) represents more than 90% of primary liver cancers and is a major global concern [1]. Approximately 80% of HCC cases are associated with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) or hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections [2]. In North America, Europe and Japan, infection with HCV is the main risk factor for HCC, together with alcohol abuse [2,3]. Infection with HCV increases the risk for HCC, with a 15-20 fold increased incidence compared with HCV-negative subjects in cross-sectional and case-control studies [2]. Current randomized controlled studies and meta-analysis indicate that the risk for HCC development is reduced 57% to 75% in patients with HCV who achieve a sustained virological response (SVR) with antiviral treatment such as interferon [1,2,4]. However, even after the achievement of a SVR with antiviral treatment, some patients still develop HCC. An older age, higher α fetoprotein (AFP) levels, lower platelet counts and a high fibrotic stage before antiviral treatment were reported to be independent risk factors for HCC development in patients after SVR [5]. However, the risk factors for HCC development after SVR in non-cirrhotic patients remain unclear.
Variability in Transfusion Practice for Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery Persists Despite National Consensus Guidelines: A 24‐Institution Study

Background An estimated 20% of allogeneic blood transfusions in the United States are associated with cardiac surgery. National consensus guidelines for allogeneic transfusion associated with coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery have existed since the mid‐ to late 1980s. The appropriateness and uniformity of institutional transfusion practice was questioned in 1991. An assessment of current transfusion practice patterns was warranted. Methods The Multicenter Study of Perioperative Ischemia database consists of comprehensive information on the course of surgery in 2,417 randomly selected patients undergoing CABG surgery at 24 institutions. A subset of 713 patients expected to be at low risk for transfusion was examined. Allogeneic transfusion was evaluated across institutions. Institution as an independent risk factor for allogeneic transfusion was determined in a multivariable model. Results Significant variability in institutional transfusion practice was observed for allogeneic packed red blood cells (PRBCs) (27–92% of patients transfused) and hemostatic blood components (platelets, 0–36%; fresh frozen plasma, 0–36%; cryoprecipitate, 0–17% of patients transfused). For patients at institutions with liberal rather than conservative transfusion practice, the odds ratio for transfusion of PRBCs was 6.5 (95% confidence interval [CI], 3.8–10.8) and for hemostatic blood components it was 2 (95% CI, 1.2–3.4). Institution was an independent determinant of transfusion risk associated with CABG surgery. Conclusions Institutions continue to vary significantly in their transfusion practices for CABG surgery. A more rational and conservative approach to transfusion practice at the institutional level is warranted.
Active Learning with Subsequence Sampling Strategy for Sequence Labeling Tasks

We propose an active learning framework for sequence labeling tasks. In each iteration, a set of subsequences are selected and manually labeled, while the other parts of sequences are left unannotated. The learning will stop automatically when the training data between consecutive iterations does not significantly change. We evaluate the proposed framework on chunking and named entity recognition data provided by CoNLL. Experimental results show that we succeed in obtaining the supervised F1 only with 6.98%, and 7.01% of tokens being annotated, respectively.
Centralized monitoring and virtual consultant models of tele-ICU care: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND Increasing intensivist shortages and demand coupled with the escalating cost of care have created enthusiasm for intensive care unit (ICU)-based telemedicine ("tele-ICU"). This systematic literature review compares the Centralized Monitoring and Virtual Consultant tele-ICU Models. MATERIALS AND METHODS With an experienced medical reference librarian, we identified all language publications addressing the employment and efficacy of the centralized monitoring and virtual consultant tele-ICU systems through PubMed, CINAHL, and Web of Science. We performed quantitative and qualitative reviews of documents regarding financial sustainability, clinical outcomes, and ICU staff workflow and acceptance. RESULTS Of 1,468 documents identified, 1,371 documents were excluded, with the remaining 91 documents addressing clinical outcomes (46 documents [enhanced guideline compliance, 5; mortality and length of stay, 28; and feasibility, 13]), financial sustainability (9 documents), and ICU staff workflow and acceptance (36 documents). Quantitative review showed that studies evaluating the Centralized Monitoring Model were twice as frequent, with a mean of 4,891 patients in an average of six ICUs; Virtual Consultant Model studies enrolled a mean of 372 patients in an average of one ICU. Ninety-two percent of feasibility studies evaluated the Virtual Consultant Model, of which 50% were in the last 3 years. Qualitative review largely confirmed findings in previous studies of centralized monitoring systems. Both the Centralized Monitoring and Virtual Consultant Models showed clinical practice adherence improvement. Although definitive evaluation was not possible given lack of data, the Virtual Consultant Model generally indicated lean absolute cost profile in contrast to centralized monitoring systems. CONCLUSIONS Compared with the Virtual Consultant tele-ICU Model, studies addressing the Centralized Monitoring Model of tele-ICU care were greater in quantity and sample size, with qualitative conclusions of clinical outcomes, staff satisfaction and workload, and financial sustainability largely consistent with past systematic reviews. Attention should be focused on performing more high-quality studies to allow for equitable comparisons between both models.
Fast motion detection in coded video streams for a large-scale remote video sensor system

A large number of remote video sensors are being deployed in the world to collect, store, and analyze the real-world data. Since a remote video sensor produces very large data, the total amount of video data are extremely large in size, complexity, and capacity. Important events from a remote video sensor are closely related to a motion in video. We present, in this paper, a fast motion detection method based on the number of bits used for encoding a video stream and the GOP-level motion detection. A low complexity measurement of the number of bits is performed in the coded video sequence and then, we store and process the coded video stream only if the total bits are larger than a pre-defined threshold. We also use a GOP level motion detection to reduce processing overhead compared to the conventional motion vector-based approach which processes every frame. Manipulating the number of bits is itself a much easier task than full reconstruction of each pixel of a video frame and it can save storage cost because it only stores a coded video sequence with a motion. The proposed method also contributes to reduction of computational complexity compared to the manipulation of motion vectors per 4x4 macro block. To evaluate our method, we deployed a centralized single server connected to H.264 capable remote video sensors. Results on the video sequences showed that the proposed approach can process more video sequences than the conventional compressed domain approach.
QoS Control in MANETs — A State‐of‐the‐Art Perspective

This paper examines the state‐of‐the‐art of Quality of Service (QoS) control for wireless Mobile Ad‐hoc Networks (MANETs) based on an exhaustive literature search comprising over 70 journal papers and conference proceedings and standardization development, per the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Internet Engineering Task Force. Site visits to selected United States Government facilities augmented this literature search by addressing –real‐world” models for a comprehensive series of follow‐on simulations and analyses. This paper defines prominent QoS metrics, such as throughput, delay, packet delivery rate and jitter and then proposes that design parameters, such as data rate, packet size, transmitted power, etc., influence QoS in a way to formulate a Multi‐Objective Function (from the QoS metrics) subject to constraints (from design factors) that will solve an optimization problem using evolutionary computation techniques. This research will foster improvements for data link layer and network layer protocols optimizing QoS control.
The expression of time in Spanish Sign Language (LSE)

Our aim in this paper is to describe and systematize the processes used to express time in Spanish Sign Language (LSE). The conception of time as a line, as well as its nature as a deictic category, are confirmed for both spoken languages and sign languages, although in the former time has been studied mainly as inflection, while other types of resources are common in the latter, particularly the expression of time by means of time lines.In our analysis we have focused mainly on the description of the lexical processes and the time lines that participate in time marking in LSE. We have also referred to an iconic process, which involves the use of so-called "classifier" predicates.
simecol-Howto: Tips, Tricks and Building Blocks

This document is a loose collection of chapters that describe dierent aspects of modelling and model implementation in R with the simecol package. It supplements the original publication of Petzoldt and Rinke (2007) from which an updated version, simecol-introduction, is also part of this package. Please refer to this publication when citing this work.
Sociology: Computational Organization Theory

Computational organization theory is a growing interdisciplinary area centered on the development of organization theory through the use of computational techniques. Research in this area grows out of work in many scientific areas including sociology, psychology, classic organization theory, and distributed artificial intelligence. The research in this area is united by a view of organizations as collections of processes and intelligent adaptive agents that are task oriented, socially situated, and technologically bound. This paper reviews this growing area and discusses both issues involved in the development of models in this area and theoretical issues that are being explored by work in this area. Keywords' simulation, organization theory, organizational learning, social networks, expert systems, computers.
On iris detection for mobile device applications

A novel transform called Gradient Direction Transform for fast detection of naturally curved items in digital images is described in this article. This general purpose image transform is defined to suit platforms with limited memory and processing footprints by utilizing only additions and simple shift and bitwise operations. We present this unique algorithmic approach in application to real world problems of iris detection. The new approach is tested on a large data set and the experiments show promising and superior performance compared to existing techniques.
Developments in machine translation research in the US

The paper argues that the IBM statistical approach to machine translation has done rather better after a few years than many sceptics believed it could. However, it is neither as novel as its proponents suggest nor is it making claims as clear and simple as they would have us believe. The performance of the purely statistical system (and we discuss what that phrase could mean) has not equalled the performance of SYSTRAN. More importantly, the system is now being shifted to a hybrid that incorporates much of the linguistic information that it was initially claimed by IBM would not be needed for MT. Hence, one might infer that its own proponents do not believe ‘pure’ statistics sufficient for MT of a usable quality. In addition to real limits on the statistical method, there are also strong economic limits imposed by their methodology of data gathering. However, the paper concludes that the IBM group have done the field a great service in pushing these methods far further than before, and by reminding everyone of the virtues of empiricism in the field and the need for large scale gathering of data.
Representational learning for sonar ATR

Learned representations have been shown to give hopeful results for solving a multitude of novel learning tasks, even though these tasks may be unknown when the model is being trained. A few notable examples include the techniques of topic models, deep belief networks, deep Boltzmann machines, and local discriminative Gaussians, all inspired by human learning. This self-learning of new concepts via rich generative models has emerged as a promising area of research in machine learning. Although there has been recent progress, existing computational models are still far from being able to represent, identify and learn the wide variety of possible patterns and struc- ture in real-world data. An important issue for further consideration is the use of unsupervised representations for novel underwater target recognition applications. This work will discuss and demonstrate the use of latent Dirichlet allocation and autoencoders for learning unsupervised representations of objects in sonar imagery. The objective is to make these representations more abstract and invariant to noise in the training distribution and improve performance.
A Novel Embedded System Architecture for Fire Detection Based on Image Processing

This paper presents novel logic/software co-work architecture for embedded high definition image processing platform, which is built by the considerations of system level, board hardware level, and the tasks partition between CPU processing and programmable logic based on the latest launched System on Chip Field Programmable Gate Array (Soc FPGA) – Xilinx ZC7020. For this case, we comprehensive analyze of the critical data paths: the uniform Advanced Extensible Interface (AXI) processing between processing system (PS) and processing logic (PL), including high definition video pass through PL to PS and PS software processing send to PL for speed up. We have included the transplant of opensource Linux, multiprocessing cooperative control and boot loader in PS side. Since the general platform is proposed, a fire detection approach based on high definition image processing is implemented. Experiment results indicated the feasibility and universality of the embedded system architecture.