Towards Viewpoint Invariant 3D Human Pose Estimation

We propose a viewpoint invariant model for 3D human pose estimation from a single depth image. To achieve this, our discriminative model embeds local regions into a learned viewpoint invariant feature space. Formulated as a multi-task learning problem, our model is able to selectively predict partial poses in the presence of noise and occlusion. Our approach leverages a convolutional and recurrent network architecture with a top-down error feedback mechanism to self-correct previous pose estimates in an end-to-end manner. We evaluate our model on a previously published depth dataset and a newly collected human pose dataset containing 100 K annotated depth images from extreme viewpoints. Experiments show that our model achieves competitive performance on frontal views while achieving state-of-the-art performance on alternate viewpoints

EPIC: Efficient Private Image Classification (or: Learning from the Masters)

Outsourcing an image classification task raises privacy concerns, both from the image provider\u27s perspective, who wishes to keep their images confidential, and from the classification algorithm provider\u27s perspective, who wishes to protect the intellectual property of their classifier. We propose EPIC, an efficient private image classification system based on support vector machine (SVM) learning, which is secure against malicious adversaries. The novelty of EPIC is that it builds upon transfer learning techniques known from the Machine Learning (ML) literature and minimizes the load on the privacy-preserving part. Our solution is based on Secure Multiparty Computation (MPC), it is 34 times faster than Gazelle (USENIX 2018) --the state-of-the-art in private image classification-- and it improves the total communication cost by 50 times, while achieving a 7\% higher accuracy on CIFAR-10 dataset. When benchmarked for performance, while maintaining the same CIFAR-10 accuracy as Gazelle, EPIC is 700 times faster and the communication cost is reduced by 500 times

Prevalence of low back pain in Iranian nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Low back pain (LBP) as a musculoskeletal disorder is one of the most common occupational injuries in nurses but there isn't any valid measure of the prevalence of LBP in Iranian nursing. In order to increase the power and improve the estimates of the prevalence of LBP in Iranian nurses, a comprehensive meta-analysis was carried out. A summary measure of all studies conducted in this field was found and distributions of LBP were evaluated based on different variables. Methods: Inclusion criteria included articles with prevalence of LBP in Iranian nurses, who had at least six months of work experience without any trauma, injuries to spine, or any underlying disease. The keywords" prevalence, low back pain, nurses", and "Iran" were used as part of this search. Databases such as Pubmed, Web of Science, Science direct, Scopus, IranMedex, Irandoc, Magiran, SID, CIVILICA, IMEMR and Google scholar were searched up to and including 15 June 2016. For data extraction a form was designed that included the following variables: Author names, province, sample size, age, gender, marital status, work experience, body mass index, job type, smoking status, work schedule, year of publication, type of standard questionnaire, prevalence of LBP, studies' quality score and climate classifications. Data analysis was carried out using fixed and random effects model. Heterogeneity between studies was assessed by using the I-2 and Q tests. Results: In all 1250 articles were identified and 22 articles with 9347 participants met the inclusion criteria for meta-analyses after filtering. The prevalence of low back pain during their working life and during the last year, was estimated at 63 (95 Confidence Interval (CI): 57.4-68.5) and 61.2 (95 CI: 55.7-66.7) respectively. The prevalence rate of this disorder was 58.7 (95 CI: 35.8-81.7) and 60.4 (95 CI: 52.2-68.6) among men and women respectively. Furthermore, prevalence's of LBP were 59.5 in wards nurses, 50.3 in operating room technicians, and 39.4 in aid nurses. Conclusions: The results showed the high prevalence of LBP injury in nurses, especially female nurses. The effect of musculoskeletal disorders such as LBP may be reduced by considering proper observation of the principles of ergonomics in the workplace, performing physical examinations on a regular basis, identifying risk factors in the advancement of musculoskeletal disorders and then trying to fix them

Epidemiological study of suicide by physical methods between 1993 and 2013 in Ilam province, Iran

Background: Suicide by aggressive physical methods such as firearms, hanging, and jumping is well known; however, different factors may influence a person while selecting a particular method. The aim of this study was to investigate the epidemiological factors involved in the selection and use of different physical methods for suicide over a long-term period in Ilam province, Iran. Methods: The present study was conducted retrospectively between 1993 and 2013 using recorded data from a comprehensive system for registration of suicide attempts in Ilam University of Medical Sciences. The epidemiological characteristics included person, time and place variables, and the outcomes of the suicide attempts. The chi square, univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used for data analysis. Results: Totally, 1516 suicide attempts were evaluated (the annual incidence rate: 19/100,000 individuals). The most commonly used suicide method in females (88.4) and males (38.9) was self-immolation. Furthermore, the annual incidence rate among males and females was within the age group of 15-24 years (24.6 and 47.8/100,000 individuals). The risk of death by suicide in the age group of 55-64 years was 2.93 compared with the age group of 10-14 years (OR = 2.93; 95 CI = 0.64-13.54, P = 0.168). Conclusion: This study revealed that self-immolation was the most selected physical method of suicide and had the highest incidence rate, and inflicted the survivors with severe physical and mental complications. In order to reduce the use of physical methods, especially self-immolation, life skills training becomes more important than ever

Prediction of Suicide Attempts Using the Box-Jenkins Model

Objective: Suicide is a preventable social harm in the field of health. The present study aimed to design a prediction model for suicide incidence based on Box-Jenkins model in Ilam province. Method : Using a retrospective method all completed and attempted suicide data were collected during 1993-2013. Then, using the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model, the time series analysis of the Box-Jenkins model was conducted to predict suicide status in the coming years (2014-2015). Results: According to the actual results obtained from the suicide data in 2014, a total of 1078 suicides were recorded and compared to the predicted results, according to the fitted model of the time series, which showed the selected model predicted 931 suicide cases, showing 86 accuracy of prediction. The series' prediction indicated 931 suicides in 2014 with a negative growth rate of 25.3 compared to 2013 and 969 suicide cases in 2015 with a positive growth rate of 3.93 compared to 2014. Conclusion: The results of this study showed the designed model provides a high diagnostic value to predict suicide rates. These types of models can help to predict suicide in future and plan to control and prevent suicide attempts

Prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders in iranian dentists: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Introduction: Dentistry is a high risk profession according to musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of these disorders in Iranian dentists using systematic review and meta-analysis. Materials and Methods: National databases including; Magiran, IranMedex, Irandoc and international databases including; Pubmed, Scopus, Web of science, ProQuest, web search engine Google scholar and the Eastern Mediterranean region base (IMEMR) with using keywords prevalence, musculoskeletal, dentists, and medical subject headings (Mesh), were searched. To assess the quality of cross-sectional studies, the JBI checklist (The Joanna Briggs Institute) was used. Considerably, heterogeneity between studies was assessed using the Cochran Q and I2 tests. Data analyzed using the random effects model. Results: A total of 12 studies with sample size n=1742 entered to the research. The point prevalence (during occupational), period prevalence (during one year) and prevalence during the seven-day of musculoskeletal disorders was estimated 73.4 (95 Confidence Interval (CI): 64.1-82.7), 77.3 (95 CI: 66.7-87.9) and 33.6 (95 CI: 6.5-60.8) respectively. The highest point prevalence 50 (95 CI: 43.8-56.3), period prevalence 63 (95 CI: 58.4-67.6) and during the seven-day prevalence 46.3 (95 CI: 7-85.6) of disorders was estimated in neck region. Conclusion: The results show high prevalence of disorders in dentists, especially in the neck area. In order to reduce musculoskeletal disorders, resulting in the improvement of the level and quality of dentists' services, comprehensive plans should be designed and implemented at the national level. © 2018, Semnan University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

Prevalence of one-year back pain in Iran: A systematic review and metaanalysis

Background and aims: Over the past decades, musculoskeletal disorders have been increasingly spread around the world. Back pain is considered as a complicated and often undetectable disease. there is no exact statistical report on such a prevalence of back pain during one year in Iran, The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of back pain during one year using the meta-analysis method. Methods: Twenty - four research papers were obtained using the keywords "prevalence of low-back pain and back pain" through the nationally available databases of Magiran - MEDLIBE - SID - IRANMEDEX and English databases of PubMed - Google scholar - Scopus. Analysis of data's was performed using meta-analysis (random model effects). Heterogeneity among the studies was investigated using the I2 test. Results: The prevalence rate of one-year low back pain in all 24 studies was found 51.6 (95 CI: 42.9-60.3) during one year with a sample size of 31039 people. The disease prevalence in pregnant and pregnancy age women was more than that of the other social groups with an average of 66.3 (95 CI: 54.5-78,1). The highest and lowest prevalence rates of one-year back pain were observed in Amol and Mazandaran respectively, with an average of 81 and 17.4. Back pain prevalence in the age group of over 24 years was the most widespread with an average of 55.2 (95 CI: 33.7-76.8). Conclusion: The results showed that considering the prevalence of back pain and its impact on health of the society, education of prevention of back pain has specific situation in the health educations of society

Investigation of the outcomes and varieties of violent suicides during a period of twenty years in Ilam, Iran

Background: Suicide is one of the main health problems in different societies and is associated with different risk factors. The result of a suicide attempt is directly related to the selected method. Invasive suicides are known as violent methods of self-harm and are usually happened in different patterns of age and gender. The aim of this study was to investigate the outcome and varieties of suicide via invasive methods in a longterm period in Ilam province, Iran. Methods: In this retrospective study, the required data, including demographic variables, outcomes and the kind of invasive method was extracted from a comprehensive registration system of suicide cases, recorded by Ilam University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), to investigate the invasive suicides during the 1993-2013 years. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Ilam University of Medical Sciences and based on this approval the permission to access the suicide data was issued. Data were entered into the SPSS 20 software (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA) and using descriptive statistical methods and chi-square were analyzed based on completed or attempted outcome of suicide. Results: Among a total of 1516 cases of invasive suicide, 643 (42.6) were attempted and 867 (57.4) were completed suicides. Self-immolation method showed the highest frequency of suicide (both completed and attempted). The highest frequency of completed suicide was occurred in females (52.8) but the attempted suicide was higher in males (63.6). The age groups of 25-34 years and above 65 years indicated the highest frequencies of attempted and completed suicides respectively. Conclusion: One of the main objectives of this study was identification of high risk groups who used the invasive methods for suicide commitments, based on their epidemiological characteristics such as gender and age. The results showed that women and elderly individuals were among the high risk groups who committed completed suicide using the invasive methods and self-immolation attributed the most frequent method among invasive methods for suicide in Ilam province which resulted in death. © 2017, Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved