2,475 research outputs found
Coplanar Repeats by Energy Minimization
This paper proposes an automated method to detect, group and rectify
arbitrarily-arranged coplanar repeated elements via energy minimization. The
proposed energy functional combines several features that model how planes with
coplanar repeats are projected into images and captures global interactions
between different coplanar repeat groups and scene planes. An inference
framework based on a recent variant of -expansion is described and fast
convergence is demonstrated. We compare the proposed method to two widely-used
geometric multi-model fitting methods using a new dataset of annotated images
containing multiple scene planes with coplanar repeats in varied arrangements.
The evaluation shows a significant improvement in the accuracy of
rectifications computed from coplanar repeats detected with the proposed method
versus those detected with the baseline methods.Comment: 14 pages with supplemental materials attache
Positivity Preserving Density Matrix Minimization for Fermi-Dirac States at Finite Temperatures
We present methods for calculating the Fermi-Dirac density matrix for
electronic structure problems at finite temperature while preserving
physicality by construction. These methods model cooling a state initially at
infinite temperature down to the desired finite temperature. We consider both
the grand canonical ensemble (constant chemical potential) and highlight
subtleties involved with treating the canonical ensemble (constant number of
electrons) that have been overlooked in previous works. We hope that the
discussion and results presented in this article reinvigorates interest in
density matrix minimization methods.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Body Integrity Identity Disorder
Introduction: Body Integrity Identity Disorder (BIID) is a rare, infrequently studied and highly secretive condition in which there is a mismatch between the mental body image and the physical body. Subjects suffering from BIID have an intense desire to amputate a major limb or severe the spinal cord in order to become paralyzed. Aim of the study is to broaden the knowledge of BIID amongst medical professionals, by describing all who deal with BIID. Methods: Somatic, psychiatric and BIID characteristic data were collected from 54 BIID individuals using a detaile
Percutaneous Drainage versus Emergency Cholecystectomy for the Treatment of Acute Cholecystitis in Critically Ill Patients: Does it Matter?
Background: The aim if this study was to compare percutaneous drainage (PD) of the gallbladder to emergency cholecystectomy (EC) in a well-defined patient group with sepsis related to acute calculous/acalculous cholecystitis (ACC/AAC). Methods: Between 2001 and 2007, all consecutive patients of our ICU treated by either PD or EC were retrospectively analyzed. Cases were collected from a prospective database. Percutaneous drainage was performed by a transhepatic route and EC by open or laparoscopic approach. Patients' general condition and organ dysfunction were assessed by two validated scoring systems (SAPS II and SOFA, respectively). Morbidity, mortality, and long-term outcome were systematically reviewed and analyzed in both groups. Results: Forty-two patients [median age=65.5years (range=32-94)] were included; 45% underwent EC (ten laparoscopic, nine open) and 55% PD (n=23). Both patient groups had similar preoperative characteristics. Percutaneous drainage and EC were successful in 91 and 100% of patients, respectively. Organ dysfunctions were similarly improved by the third postoperative/postdrainage days. Despite undergoing PD, two patients required EC due to gangrenous cholecystitis. The conversion rate after laparoscopy was 20%. Overall morbidity was 8.7% after PD and 47% after EC (P=0.011). Major morbidity was 0% after PD and 21% after EC (P=0.034). The mortality rate was not different (13% after PD and 16% after EC, P=1.0) and the deaths were all related to the patients' preexisting disease. Hospital and ICU stays were not different. Recurrent symptoms (17%) occurred only after ACC in the PD group. Conclusions: In high-risk patients, PD and EC are both efficient in the resolution of acute cholecystitis sepsis. However, EC is associated with a higher procedure-related morbidity and the laparoscopic approach is not always possible. Percutaneous drainage represents a valuable intervention, but secondary cholecystectomy is mandatory in cases of acute calculous cholecystiti
- …