Sparsity in Dynamics of Spontaneous Subtle Emotions: Analysis \& Application

Spontaneous subtle emotions are expressed through micro-expressions, which are tiny, sudden and short-lived dynamics of facial muscles; thus poses a great challenge for visual recognition. The abrupt but significant dynamics for the recognition task are temporally sparse while the rest, irrelevant dynamics, are temporally redundant. In this work, we analyze and enforce sparsity constrains to learn significant temporal and spectral structures while eliminate irrelevant facial dynamics of micro-expressions, which would ease the challenge in the visual recognition of spontaneous subtle emotions. The hypothesis is confirmed through experimental results of automatic spontaneous subtle emotion recognition with several sparsity levels on CASME II and SMIC, the only two publicly available spontaneous subtle emotion databases. The overall performances of the automatic subtle emotion recognition are boosted when only significant dynamics are preserved from the original sequences.Comment: IEEE Transaction of Affective Computing (2016

Typical Values of the Nguyen Dynasty’s Decorative Art on Bronze Objects in Hue

In the general relationship of culture and art, the Nguyen lords and kings made many contributions to the shaping and development of Cochinchina, enhanced the country's position and influence with other countries in the region. The decorative art on bronze objects in the Nguyen Dynasty contains many cultural, historical and aesthetic values with multi-dimensional and multi-layered symbol. This has shown the synthesis of values, in which aesthetic value is one of the outstanding points. The decorative art on bronze objects in the Nguyen Dynasty take an important role in preserving and conserving national artistic and cultural values. Besides this, the expressive value on bronze and the emotiveness from the surface of the material also enhance the values of the decorative art. The Nguyen Dynasty’s decorative art on bronze objects in Hue has shown the richness of art and culture. Through the study we can see and feel the great ingenuity and creative spirit of the artisan classes. This is one of the factors affirming the position of the Nguyen dynasty's decorative art on bronze objects in the general of Vietnamese bronze art

The Nguyen Dynasty with the Aesthetic Value of Bronze Relics in Hue

This paper aims to analyze the nguyen dynasty with the aesthetic value of bronze relics in hue. The method using observations, experience, synthesis analysis, historical and dialectical methods and draws some educational lessons for students. This study shows that Copper material is also one of the materials used a lot in objects with religious elements such as bronze bells, bronze bells, etc. Last but not elast, the aesthetic value of decorative art on bronze in Hue is also the combination of basic elements and the fusion of cultural factors

Spontaneous Subtle Expression Detection and Recognition based on Facial Strain

Optical strain is an extension of optical flow that is capable of quantifying subtle changes on faces and representing the minute facial motion intensities at the pixel level. This is computationally essential for the relatively new field of spontaneous micro-expression, where subtle expressions can be technically challenging to pinpoint. In this paper, we present a novel method for detecting and recognizing micro-expressions by utilizing facial optical strain magnitudes to construct optical strain features and optical strain weighted features. The two sets of features are then concatenated to form the resultant feature histogram. Experiments were performed on the CASME II and SMIC databases. We demonstrate on both databases, the usefulness of optical strain information and more importantly, that our best approaches are able to outperform the original baseline results for both detection and recognition tasks. A comparison of the proposed method with other existing spatio-temporal feature extraction approaches is also presented.Comment: 21 pages (including references), single column format, accepted to Signal Processing: Image Communication journa

A global analysis of COVID-19 infection fatality rate and its associated factors during the Delta and Omicron variant periods: an ecological study

BackgroundThe Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is more highly infectious and transmissible than prior variants of concern. It was unclear which factors might have contributed to the alteration of COVID-19 cases and deaths during the Delta and Omicron variant periods. This study aimed to compare the COVID-19 average weekly infection fatality rate (AWIFR), investigate factors associated with COVID-19 AWIFR, and explore the factors linked to the increase in COVID-19 AWIFR between two periods of Delta and Omicron variants.Materials and methodsAn ecological study has been conducted among 110 countries over the first 12 weeks during two periods of Delta and Omicron variant dominance using open publicly available datasets. Our analysis included 102 countries in the Delta period and 107 countries in the Omicron period. Linear mixed-effects models and linear regression models were used to explore factors associated with the variation of AWIFR over Delta and Omicron periods.FindingsDuring the Delta period, the lower AWIFR was witnessed in countries with better government effectiveness index [β = −0.762, 95% CI (−1.238)–(−0.287)] and higher proportion of the people fully vaccinated [β = −0.385, 95% CI (−0.629)–(−0.141)]. In contrast, a higher burden of cardiovascular diseases was positively associated with AWIFR (β = 0.517, 95% CI 0.102–0.932). Over the Omicron period, while years lived with disability (YLD) caused by metabolism disorders (β = 0.843, 95% CI 0.486–1.2), the proportion of the population aged older than 65 years (β = 0.737, 95% CI 0.237–1.238) was positively associated with poorer AWIFR, and the high proportion of the population vaccinated with a booster dose [β = −0.321, 95% CI (−0.624)–(−0.018)] was linked with the better outcome. Over two periods of Delta and Omicron, the increase in government effectiveness index was associated with a decrease in AWIFR [β = −0.438, 95% CI (−0.750)–(−0.126)]; whereas, higher death rates caused by diabetes and kidney (β = 0.472, 95% CI 0.089–0.855) and percentage of population aged older than 65 years (β = 0.407, 95% CI 0.013–0.802) were associated with a significant increase in AWIFR.ConclusionThe COVID-19 infection fatality rates were strongly linked with the coverage of vaccination rate, effectiveness of government, and health burden related to chronic diseases. Therefore, proper policies for the improvement of vaccination coverage and support of vulnerable groups could substantially mitigate the burden of COVID-19

NGHIÊN CỨU ĐA DẠNG DI TRUYỀN TẬP ĐOÀN CÁC GIỐNG SẮN (Manihot esculenta Crantz) DỰA VÀO ĐA HÌNH TRÌNH TỰ GEN GBSS1

GBSS1 gene regulates the biosynthesis of starch in cassava, Manihot esculenta Crantz, and its allelic diversity relates to variation in their starch production. In this research, genetic diversity of the recent conserved cassava germplast was estimated based on DNA polymorphism of a targeted fragment on GPSS1 gene of 14 representatives selected from 44 cassava varieties, whose genetic diversity was previously determined with SSR markers. The results from analyses of boostrap values on Neighbor Joining tree, of genetic indice from DNAsp 4.10.9 software, and of typical mutated points of 612bp-fragments on GBSS1 gene of the studied varieties revealed high genetic diversity and were in agreement to previous analyses with SSR markers. All 14 varieties were separated into 3 clusters on Neighbor Joining tree, in accordance with the variation in tuber-starch percentage and fresh root yield between groups. All three groups showed high genetic diversity with 53-99% of bootstrap values, high genetic differentiation (Kst=0.74, χ2=28; P=0.036), high number of allele (A=9) and high allenic diversity (Ad=0.91). The varieties of each group had 2-5 typical alleles. Results of this study could be applied for estimation of effectiveness of cassava germplast conservation. Together with the relevant SSR markers, the typical alleles of GBSS1 gene of different groups could be used as additional markers for selection and breeding of cassava with high starch yield in their tubers. GBSS1 (Granule bound starch synthase 1) là gen điều khiển sinh tổng hợp tinh bột ở cây sắn (Manihot esculenta Crantz) và đa dạng alen của gen phản ánh đa dạng về năng suất và chất lượng tinh bột. Trong nghiên cứu này đa dạng di truyền của tập đoàn giống sắn đang lưu giữ được đánh giá dựa vào đa hình trình tự ADN dọc đoạn đích trên gen GBSS1 của 14 giống đại diện trong 44 giống sắn đã đươc đánh giá bằng chỉ thị SSR. Kết quả phân tích dựa vào giá trị bootstrap trên cây phát sinh chủng loại theo phương pháp Neighbor Joining, dựa vào hệ số di truyền trên phần mềm DNAsp4.10.9 và dựa vào đột biến điểm dọc đoạn đích 612bp trên gen GBSS1 của các giống sắn nghiên cứu đều phản ánh đa dạng di truyền cao và phù hợp với kết quả đánh giá bằng chỉ thị SSR. Các giống sắn được phân thành 3 nhánh tách biệt trên cây phát sinh chủng loại theo tỷ lệ tinh bột và năng suất củ tươi trung bình đặc trưng của từng nhóm. Giữa các nhóm có giá trị bootstrap từ 53-99% và khác biệt di truyền tin cậy (Kst= 0,74, χ2=28; P=0,036) với số lượng alen (A=9) và đa dạng alen (Ad =0,91) cao. Mỗi nhóm sắn có 2-5 alen đặc trưng. Kết quả nghiên cứu có thể áp dụng để đánh giá hiệu quả công tác lưu giữ nguồn gen các giống sắn. Các alen đặc trưng của từng nhóm có thể sử dụng kết hợp với chỉ thị SSR liên quan làm cơ sở để chọn lọc hiệu quả các dòng sắn có tỷ lệ tinh bột cao

Disinfection performance of an ultraviolet lamp: a CFD investigation

Ultraviolet (UV)-based devices have shown their effectiveness on various germicidal purposes. To serve their design optimisation, the disinfection effectiveness of a vertically cylindrical UV lamp, whose wattage ranges from P = 30 − 100 W, is numerically investigated in this work. The UV radiation is solved by the Finite Volume Method together with the Discrete Ordinates model. Various results for the UV intensity and its bactericidal effects against several popular virus types, i.e., Corona-SARS, Herpes (type 2), and HIV, are reported and analysed in detail. Results show that the UV irradiance is greatly dependent on the lamp power. Additionally, it is indicated that the higher the lamp wattage employed, the larger the bactericidal rate is observed, resulting in the greater effectiveness of the UV disinfection process. Nevertheless, the wattage of P ≤ 100W is determined to be insufficient for an effective disinfection performance in a whole room; higher values of power must hence be considered in case intensive sterilization is required. Furthermore, the germicidal effect gets reduced with the viruses less sensitive to UV rays, e.g, the bactericidal rate against the HIV virus is only ∼8.98% at the surrounding walls

Spatiotemporal evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Alpha and Delta variants during large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19, Vietnam, 2021

We analyzed 1,303 SARS-CoV-2 whole-genome sequences from Vietnam, and found the Alpha and Delta variants were responsible for a large nationwide outbreak of COVID-19 in 2021. The Delta variant was confined to the AY.57 lineage and caused >1.7 million infections and >32,000 deaths. Viral transmission was strongly affected by nonpharmaceutical interventions

Acceptance and user experiences of a wearable device for the management of hospitalized patients in COVID-19–designated wards in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: action learning project

Background: Wearable devices have been used extensively both inside and outside of the hospital setting. During the COVID-19 pandemic, in some contexts, there was an increased need to remotely monitor pulse and saturated oxygen for patients due to the lack of staff and bedside monitors. Objective: A prototype of a remote monitoring system using wearable pulse oximeter devices was implemented at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, from August to December 2021. The aim of this work was to support the ongoing implementation of the remote monitoring system. Methods: We used an action learning approach with rapid pragmatic methods, including informal discussions and observations as well as a feedback survey form designed based on the technology acceptance model to assess the use and acceptability of the system. Based on these results, we facilitated a meeting using user-centered design principles to explore user needs and ideas about its development in more detail. Results: In total, 21 users filled in the feedback form. The mean technology acceptance model scores ranged from 3.5 (for perceived ease of use) to 4.4 (for attitude) with behavioral intention (3.8) and perceived usefulness (4.2) scoring in between. Those working as nurses scored higher on perceived usefulness, attitude, and behavioral intention than did physicians. Based on informal discussions, we realized there was a mismatch between how we (ie, the research team) and the ward teams perceived the use and wider purpose of the technology. Conclusions: Designing and implementing the devices to be more nurse-centric from their introduction could have helped to increase their efficiency and use during the complex pandemic period

Spatial Organization and Molecular Correlation of Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes Using Deep Learning on Pathology Images

Beyond sample curation and basic pathologic characterization, the digitized H&E-stained images of TCGA samples remain underutilized. To highlight this resource, we present mappings of tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) based on H&E images from 13 TCGA tumor types. These TIL maps are derived through computational staining using a convolutional neural network trained to classify patches of images. Affinity propagation revealed local spatial structure in TIL patterns and correlation with overall survival. TIL map structural patterns were grouped using standard histopathological parameters. These patterns are enriched in particular T cell subpopulations derived from molecular measures. TIL densities and spatial structure were differentially enriched among tumor types, immune subtypes, and tumor molecular subtypes, implying that spatial infiltrate state could reflect particular tumor cell aberration states. Obtaining spatial lymphocytic patterns linked to the rich genomic characterization of TCGA samples demonstrates one use for the TCGA image archives with insights into the tumor-immune microenvironment