A computer implementation of an orthonormal expansion method for digital image noise suppression

Images are usually corrupted by noise which comes from various sources: noise in the recording media (e.g. film grain noise), and noise introduced in the transmission channel. Noise degrades the visual quality of images and obscures the detail information in the images. One of the major sources of noise for images recorded on films is film grain noise. An orthonormal expansion algorithm for digital image noise suppression is implemented. The objective is to preserve as much sharpness and produce as few artifacts in the processed image as possible. The method sections an image into non-overlapping blocks. Each block is treated as a matrix which is decomposed as a sum of outer products of its singular vectors. The coefficient of each outer product is modified by a scaling function and the matrix is reconstructed. The resulting image shows a reduction of noise. The two major problems in the method are: 1. the blocking artifacts due to the sectioned processing, and, 2. the trade-off between the suppression of noise and the loss of sharpness. By separating the image into the low frequency and the high frequency components and processing only the latter component, the method is able to reduce the blocking artifacts to an invisible level. To obtain the optimal trade-off between the suppression of noise and the loss of sharpness, systematic variations of the coefficient scaling function were used to process the image. The best choice of the scaling function is found to be [ 1 - (σi / ai ) 3 ] which is a little different from the least-square-error estimate, [ 1 - (σi / ai ) 2 ]

E-Learning Nutrition Education Program for Low-Income Adults: Perspectives of Key Stakeholders

Through focus group interviews, we examined the perceptions of Extension peer nutrition educators (n = 6) and low-income adults (n = 8) regarding the feasibility of an e-learning nutrition education program, titled Food eTalk, tailored to Georgians eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed). Findings indicated two themes: (a) Participants have regular smartphone-based Internet access, and nutrition education e-learning programs should be designed to match typical smartphone use patterns and (b) recommendations to increase Food eTalk engagement involve carefully selected content and consideration to mandate SNAP-Ed participation. These findings are informing user-centered development of Food eTalk and may be of use to others creating such programs

Ego ldentity of Japanese Students and Korean Students

　水野が作成した｢社会性確立｣と｢自我確立｣を測定する質問紙｢自我同一性パターン尺度（IPS）｣と,それを李が韓国語に翻訳した質問紙（IPS-K）を用いて,日本と韓国の大学生について自我同一性のあり方について比較をおこなった｡ 　両国のデータを因子分析した結果,第 1軸が｢自我確立｣,第 2軸が｢社会性確立｣とみなせる同じような因子構造が確認できた｡クラスター分析した結果,日本のデータは｢自立｣｢自己信頼｣｢社会的責任感｣｢積極的社会志向｣のクラスターに,韓国のデータは｢自立｣｢自己信頼｣｢社会的役割取得｣｢調和的社会志向｣に分かれた｡両国大学生の平均点を比較した結束｢社会性確立｣｢自我確立｣とも韓国の大学生のほうが有意に得点が高かった

Optimizing Vancomycin Dosing in Chronic Kidney Disease by Deriving and Implementing a Web-Based Tool Using a Population Pharmacokinetics Analysis.

Background: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients requiring intravenous vancomycin bear considerable risks of adverse outcomes both from the infection and vancomycin therapy itself, necessitating especially precise dosing to avoid sub- and supratherapeutic vancomycin exposure. Methods: In this retrospective study, we performed a population pharmacokinetic analysis to construct a vancomycin dose prediction model for CKD patients who do not require renal replacement therapy. The model was externally validated on an independent cohort of patients to assess its prediction accuracy. The pharmacokinetic parameter estimates and the equations were productized into a Web application (VancApp) subsequently implemented in routine care. The association between VancApp-based dosing and time-to-target concentration attainment, 30-day mortality, and nephrotoxicity were assessed postimplementation. Results: The model constructed from an initial cohort (n = 80) revealed a population clearance and volume of distribution of 1.30 L/h and 1.23 L/kg, respectively. External model validation (n = 112) demonstrated a mean absolute prediction error of 1.25 mg/L. Following 4 months of clinical implementation of VancApp as an optional alternative to usual care [VancApp (n = 22) vs. usual care (n = 21)], patients who had received VancApp-based dosing took a shorter time to reach target concentrations (median: 66 vs. 102 h, p = 0.187) and had fewer 30-day mortalities (14% vs. 24%, p = 0.457) compared to usual care. While statistical significance was not achieved, the clinical significance of these findings appear promising. Conclusion: Clinical implementation of a population pharmacokinetic model for vancomycin in CKD can potentially improve dosing precision in CKD and could serve as a practical means to improve vital clinical outcomes

On Online Engagement: Does the Leadership Style Matter?

The news industry is facing tremendous changes. Integrating digital technologies into news practices has become the key to survival. Social media engagement editors are one of such innovations to respond to the challenge. Engagement editors are required to facilitate the functions of marketing, editing, content production, and data analysis. They thus play the role of boundary-spanner within and beyond the organizational boundaries. However, there are few studies to explore issues associated with the management of social media engagement editors. This research examines whether and how the leadership style (i.e., transformational and passive leadership style) influences engagement editors’ job performance. We collected 122 valid responses, and used the SmartPLS 3 and SPSS 19.0 to analyze the data. Our findings indicate that performance of engagement editors is influenced by the leadership style; moreover, job autonomy mediates the positive effect of transformational leadership on engagement editors’ job performance. Implications for the management of social media engagement editors are discussed