Digital Inpainting for Artwork Restoration: Algorithms and Evaluation

Digital image inpainting refers to a technique used for filling in the missing or corrupted regions of an image using information from the surrounding area. Inpainting techniques have found widespread use in applications that include, but are not limited to error recovery, red-eye removal, multimedia editing. This thesis will discuss inpainting techniques in the context of digital artwork restoration. Due to an extensive research in the field of digital inpainting and to rapid advances in technology, new and improved inpainting techniques are continuously proposed. Improved digital image inpainting algorithms could provide substantial support for future artwork restoration. However, as the latter is characterised by a high demand in quality, methods for an accurate evaluation of the performance of inpainting algorithms are needed. A literature review showed however, that currently, there is an acknowledged lack of quantitative metrics for image inpainting evaluation. In this thesis the performance of eight representative inpainting algorithms will first be evaluated by means of a psychophysical experiment. Based on the obtained perceptual data, a ranking of the algorithms will be established, that confirms that exemplar based methods generally outperform Partial Differential Equation based methods. Two novel inpainting quality metrics, proposed in this thesis, eight general image quality metrics and four quality metrics specially developed for inpainting assessment will then be evaluated against human observers. Two types of evaluation will be carried out; one investigates the performance of the metrics over the entire image database considered, and the other assesses the correlation of the metrics for individual images. Results show that none of the considered metrics can adequately predict inpainting quality over the entire image database, and that the performance of the metrics is imagedependent. The two newly proposed metrics outperform some of the existent inpainting quality metrics for the first type of evaluation. However, additional work is needed to find metrics that correlate well with the percept

Aspects regarding skills and education related to Industry 4.0

People is changing. Technology is changing. Economy is changing. Society is changing. Education is changig. In the Industry 4.0 the digitalization and VR, AR, CPS, IoT, ICT, AI assures higher precisions, higher productivity, mass customisation, less waste, and less pollution and contributes to the society change. All the applied and ready to apply technologies receive digital component, as result of the rapid development of information and communication technology. The main objective of the paper is to see in specialized literature what are the skills required by Industry 4.0 (I.4.0), what are the means associated with the concept of Education 4.0 (E.4.0) to obtain them, and to what extent education systems are adapting to these new requirements, which are constantly changing. In addition, it is presented the current situation regarding education perspective and some directions of action, and at the end, a number of conclusions focused on what we could do to all benefit from technological progress in industry as well as in education

Pharmaco-Toxicological Assessment of the Combined Cytotoxic Effects of Digoxin and Betulinic Acid in Melanoma Cells

Betulinic acid, a small molecule from pentacyclic triterpenes class, has been widely studied for its antitumor activity, revealing that it induces the apoptosis of tumor cells in a selective manner. In recent years, digoxin, a cardiac glycoside found particularly in the plant species Digitalis lanata, has drawn interest for its potential antitumor properties. The present study was designed to evaluate the antimelanoma potential of betulinic acid (BA), digoxin (DG), and their association (DG + BA). In vitro assessments were performed 24 h post-treatment on two human melanoma cell lines (SK-Mel-28 and RPMI-7951). In addition, the potential irritant effects of the test samples were evaluated using the chorioallantoic membrane of hen’s eggs. BA and DG exhibit a concentration-dependent cytotoxic activity, with the combination of the two having a more marked effect on the decrease in cell viability (~17% for SK-Mel-28 cells and ~23% for RPMI-7951 cells). Further, morphological changes (rounding of the cells and their separation from the plaque) and alterations in the nucleus and actin fibers (condensation of chromatin and actin fibers, formation of apoptotic bodies) were observed, indicating an apoptotic-like process. Moreover, no irritating effects were observed in ovo. As a result, DG + BA acid may have synergistic potential in the antitumor treatment of melanoma, but future studies are needed in order to clarify the biological mechanisms involved

Influence of the Thermal Environment on Occupational Health and Safety in Automotive Industry: A Case Study

Considering thermal environment aspects have a major impact not only on occupational health and safety (OH&S) performance but also on the productivity and satisfaction of the workers, the aim of the case study was to assess the thermal comfort of a group of 33 workers in an automotive industry company, starting with collecting data about the thermal environment from different workplaces, continuing with the analytical determination and interpretation of thermal comfort using the calculation of the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Predicted Percentage of Dissatisfied (PPD) indices, according to provisions of the standard ISO 7730:2005, and comparing the results with the subjective perception of the workers revealed by applying individual questionnaires. The results of the study represent an important input element for establishing the preventive and protective measures for the analysed workplaces in correlation with the measures addressing other specific risks and, also, could serve as a model for extending and applying to other similar workplaces in future studies. Moreover, the mathematical model and the software instrument used for this study case could be used in further similar studies on larger groups of workers and in any industrial domain

PATIENT PERSPECTIVE ON ADHERENCE TO ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLES IN DENTAL PRACTICE

The clinical activity in dental offices carries a heightened risk of pathogen transmission through direct contact with contaminated products, indirectly via instruments and equipment, and through cross-infection. This study aimed to evaluate patient perceptions of adherence to organizational principles in private dental practices. Material and Methods: To gauge public attitude and knowledge about the safety of medical procedures and infection control in dental offices, a questionnaire study was conducted with 75 patients undergoing dental treatments in two private clinics in Iași, aged between 20 and 75 years. Results: Patients believe they can contract diseases such as viral hepatitis B (76.3%), HIV infection (100%), viral hepatitis C (82.5%), viral hepatitis A (12.5%), influenza (96.5%), tuberculosis (23.7%), and chickenpox, smallpox, rubella (0.5 – 2.8%) during dental treatments. 96% of patients are unwilling to visit a dental clinic that previously treated an HIV-infected patient. 27% discussed with their dentist the risk of contracting diseases from dental treatments. 65.5% believe that a dentist infected with HIV can provide dental treatments if protective equipment (mask, gloves, glasses) is used. 100% agree that gloves and masks are essential for the dentist during treatment. Conclusions: Patients have a good understanding of the causes of infection transmission in dental clinics and how medical activities should be organized to reduce this risk. Continuous medical education and the implementation of specific programs should aim to increase compliance with infection control measures among both dentists and patients

Prevalence of Rubella Antibodies among Fertile Women in the West of Romania, 18 Years after the Implementation of Immunization

Seronegative women are susceptible to primary rubella virus (RV) infection during pregnancy, which can cause fetal damage. Vaccination represents the main strategy in rubella prevention. The aim of this study was to analyze changes in the rubella seroprevalence and identify populations with a high susceptibility to RV. A cross-sectional study was performed on 6914 Caucasian fertile women who had Toxoplasma gondii, other viruses, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, and the herpes simplex virus (TORCH) screening in two distinct periods-1452 at the Timișoara Municipal Hospital, Romania (Group 1: 2008-2010) and 5462 at the laboratory Bioclinica S.A., Timișoara, Romania (Group 2: 2015-2018). The RV seroprevalence decreased (Group 1 versus Group 2; 94.1% (92.7-95.2) versus 91.4% (90.6-92.1), OR = 0.76 (p = 0.0007)). According to the year of birth and eligibility to vaccination program, RV seroprevalence rates were 82.4% (76.8-86.8)/1997-2004, 85.4% (80.5-89.3)/1995-1996, 90.1% (89.0-91.1)/<1989, and 95.8% (94.7-96.6)/1989-1994. No significant difference in the RV seropositivity according to the place of residence was found. The overall RV susceptibility increased from 2008-2010 to 2015-2018. The highest susceptibility was found in women born between 1997-2004 eligible for measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine through the family practice system and the lowest in women born between 1989-1994 eligible for monovalent rubella vaccine conducted in schools

Chronic Kidney Disease&mdash;An Underestimated Risk Factor for Antimicrobial Resistance in Patients with Urinary Tract Infections

(1) Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD), as well as antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represent major global health problems, with important social and economic implications. It was reported that CKD is a risk factor for antimicrobial resistance, but evidence is scarce. In addition, CKD is recognized to be a risk factor for complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs). (2) Methods: We conducted an observational study on 564 adult in-hospital patients diagnosed with urinary tract infections. The aim of the study was to identify the risk factors for AMR, as well as multiple drug resistance (MDR) and the implicated resistance patterns. (3) Results: The mean age was 68.63 &plusmn; 17.2 years. The most frequently isolated uropathogens were Escherichia coli strains (68.3%) followed by Klebsiella species (spp. (11.2%). In 307 cases (54.4%)), the UTIs were determined by antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARBs) and 169 cases (30%) were UTIs with MDR strains. Increased age (&ge;65) OR 2.156 (95% CI: 1.404&ndash;3.311), upper urinary tract obstruction OR 1.666 (1.083&ndash;2.564), indwelling urinary catheters OR 6.066 (3.919&ndash;9.390), chronic kidney disease OR 2.696 (1.832&ndash;3.969), chronic hemodialysis OR 4.955 (1.828&ndash;13.435) and active malignancies OR 1.962 (1.087&ndash;3.540) were independent risk factors for MDR UTIs. In a multivariate logistic regression model, only indwelling urinary catheters (OR 5.388, 95% CI: 3.294&ndash;8.814, p &lt; 0.001), CKD (OR 1.779, 95% CI: 1.153&ndash;2.745, p = 0.009) and chronic hemodialysis (OR 4.068, 95% 1.413&ndash;11.715, p = 0.009) were risk factors for UTIs caused by MDR uropathogens. (4) Conclusions: CKD is an important risk factor for overall antimicrobial resistance, but also for multiple-drug resistance