Classification of geometric forms in mosaics using deep neural network

The paper addresses an image processing problem in the field of fine arts. In particular, a deep learning-based technique to classify geometric forms of artworks, such as paintings and mosaics, is presented. We proposed and tested a convolutional neural network (CNN)-based framework that autonomously quantifies the feature map and classifies it. Convolution, pooling and dense layers are three distinct categories of levels that generate attributes from the dataset images by introducing certain specified filters. As a case study, a Roman mosaic is considered, which is digitally reconstructed by close-range photogrammetry based on standard photos. During the digital transformation from a 2D perspective view of the mosaic into an orthophoto, each photo is rectified (i.e., it is an orthogonal projection of the real photo on the plane of the mosaic). Image samples of the geometric forms, e.g., triangles, squares, circles, octagons and leaves, even if they are partially deformed, were extracted from both the original and the rectified photos and originated the dataset for testing the CNN-based approach. The proposed method has proved to be robust enough to analyze the mosaic geometric forms, with an accuracy higher than 97%. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed method was compared with standard deep learning frameworks. Due to the promising results, this method can be applied to many other pattern identification problems related to artworks

Inhibition of the platelet glycoprotein VI receptor as a potential treatment for acute coronary syndromes

Aspirin and a P2Y$_{12}$ inhibitor, such as ticagrelor, are routine treatments for myocardial infarction. However, these drugs are not always sufficient for heavy coronary thrombus burden during ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). More potent antiplatelet drugs (glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors) may help in this setting but are limited by excessive bleeding. As glycoprotein VI (GPVI) plays major roles in thrombosis, this thesis aimed to investigate whether a novel platelet GPVI inhibitor, glenzocimab (Acticor Biotech), provides additional antithrombotic effects when combined with aspirin and ticagrelor. Glenzocimab showed an amplified antiplatelet effect on collagen and atherosclerotic plaque-induced platelet aggregation without showing off-target effects on platelet activation mediated by non-GPVI agonists. Glenzocimab and eptifibatide (a glycoprotein IIb/IIIa antagonist) both exhibited similar inhibitory effects on collagen- and atherosclerotic plaque-induced platelet aggregation when used in combination with aspirin and ticagrelor. Glenzocimab also reduced fibrin-stimulated platelet aggregation more than aspirin and ticagrelor. Glenzocimab provided additional antiplatelet effects on platelet aggregation and adhesion and thrombus formation in blood sampled from patients with acute coronary syndromes treated with aspirin and ticagrelor. Glenzocimab blocked platelet procoagulant activity and reduced tissue factor-mediated peak thrombin generation. Glenzocimab did not affect early phases of coagulation (initiation, formation, and strength), which were greatly affected by eptifibatide, but it exerted some effects on clot lysis (late phases of coagulation) as assessed by ROTEM. This is the first work to show that the addition of a novel GPVI inhibitor, glenzocimab, to aspirin and ticagrelor provides greater inhibition of multiple critical mechanisms of arterial thrombosis. This is a promising strategy for the further development of treatment for STEMI due to the minimal role of GPVI in haemostasis

Study on CCB (Chromated Copper Boric Acid) DipPreservation of Golpata (Nypa fruticans)

Golpata (Nypa fruticans) is a cheap source of roof thatches in Bangladesh. However, its short life span of 2-3 years makes it unsuitable for long-term use. This study was carried out to investigate the treatability of Golpata by dipping in CCB (Chromated Copper Boric acid) mixture. Samples of leaves and midribs of Golpata with moisture contents ranging from 16.63% to 70.67% at the start of the experiment, were dipped into CCB solution of four different concentrations for 2, 4, 6 and 8 hours and examined for CCB penetration and retention. Penetration was determined by using a copper and boron indicator whereas retention was calculated by X-ray spectroscopy. Results revealed that two factor chemical (CCB) concentrations and duration of dipping period have considerable effect on the preservation of Golpata but not the moisture content. Better CCB penetration was observed after 6 hours of dipping time in both leaves and midribs but better CCB retention was found for both 6 and 8 hours dipping time for both specimen types respectively. Treatment time showed a significant effect at 5% level of confidence. Chemical (CCB) concentration had a significant effect on penetration of Golpata leaves but had no effect on the retention

VARIABLES IMPACTING GFR ESTIMATION METHOD FOR DRUG DOSING IN CKD: ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORK PREDICTION MODEL

Objective: This study aimed to measure concordance between different renal function estimates in terms of drug doses and determine the potential significant clinical differences. Methods: Around one hundred and eighty patients (≥ 18 y) with chronic kidney disease (CKD) were eligible for inclusion in this study. A paired-proportion cohort design was utilized using an artificial intelligence model. CKD patients refined into those who have drugs adjusted for renal function. For superiority of Cockcroft-Gault (CG) vs. modified diet in renal disease (MDRD) guided with references for concordance or discordance of the two equations and determined the dosing tiers of each drug. Validated artificial neural networks (ANN) was one outcome of interest. Variable impacts and performed reassignments were compared to evaluate the factors that affect the accuracy in estimating the kidney function for a better drug dosing. Results: The best ANN model classified most cases to CG as the best dosing method (79 vs. 72). The probability was 85% and the top performance was slightly above 93%. Creatinine levels and CKD staging were the most important factors in determining the best dosing method of CG versus MDRD. Ideal and actual body weights were second (24%). Whereas drug class or the specific drug was an important third factor (14%). Conclusion: Among many variables that affect the optimal dosing method, the top three are probably CKD staging, weight, and the drug. The contrasting CKD stages from the different methods can be used to recognize patterns, identify and predict the best dosing tactics in CKD patients

Islamic labeled firms: Revisiting Dow Jones measure of compliance

Billions of dollars, across 131 countries, are invested in Islamic law‐compliant funds that are often promoted as consistent with the spirit and overall objectives of Islam (Maqasid Al‐Sharia), thereby indicating they are more socially responsible, less risky, and less prone to failure. The empirical results of this study indicate that Shariah‐compliant firms identified by the Dow Jones do not have higher corporate social responsibility (CSR) scores, lower risk, or lower likelihood of failure than non‐compliant firms. We address endogeneity using the instrumental variable (IV) approach and selection bias using propensity score matching (PSM). Our results are similar when using the Dow Jones Islamic Market World, the Financial Times Stock Exchange Islamic Index, and the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation indices and when using CSR scores provided by multiple databases. We create an index to measure compliance with Islamic law that overcomes several flaws in the binary measures currently employed in the industry. This index can help Shariah‐compliant funds to fulfill their promise by constructing portfolios that are both compliant with Islamic rulings and consistent with the spirit and objectives of Islam in being more socially responsible, less risky, and less prone to failure

Automatic lung health screening using respiratory sounds

Significant changes have been made on audio-based technologies over years in several different fields. Healthcare is no exception. One of such avenues is health screening based on respiratory sounds. In this paper, we developed a tool to detect respiratory sounds that come from respiratory infection carrying patients. Linear Predictive Cepstral Coefficient (LPCC)-based features were used to characterize such audio clips. With Multilayer Perceptron (MLP)-based classifier, in our experiment, we achieved the highest possible accuracy of 99.22% that was tested on a publicly available respiratory sounds dataset (ICBHI17) (Rocha et al. Physiol. Meas. 40(3):035,001 20) of size 6800+ clips. In addition to other popular machine learning classifiers, our results outperformed common works that exist in the literature

Effect of storage containers and lengths of storage on the germination, moisture content and pest infestation of wheat seed

A laboratory experiment was conducted at the Department of Agronomy, Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University, Dianjpur-5200, Bangladesh to evaluate the storage containers and duration of seed storage on the germinability and health of wheat seeds. The experiment was carried out in two factors, viz. three storage containers naming i) sealed tin container, ii) plastic container, iii) gunny bag, and four storage periods of i) 15 days, ii) 30 days, iii) 45 days, and iv) 60 days. Completely randomized design (CRD) was used in this experiment with eight replications. The results revealed that the germination percentages (GP) of the seeds stored in the gunny bag decreased quickly from 66.1 to 32.8% due to contained with high moisture content in seed. But, slowly decreasing trends of GP from 80.4% to 69.2% was observed in the sealed tin container seeds with lesser moisture content than that of gunny bag and plastic container. The reduction of GP was so higher of 50.38% in the seeds contained in gunny bag than that of only 13.93% in the seeds contained sealed tin container. Wheat seeds stored in sealed tin container, plastic container and gunny bag significantly increased moisture content in ambient condition for 60 DAS. The moisture content of the seeds stored in gunny bag was found to rise remarkably more than other containers. This escalation of seed moisture content was closely related to the surrounding environmental conditions, like tempera-ture and relative humidity where seeds were stored. The rate seed deterioration in gunny bag and plastic container paralleled the level of invasion by storage insect was found. During storage period, insect infected the seeds, and the insect bitten seeds were also found higher in gunny bag and plastic container, but lower in sealed container. Wheat seeds should be stored in air tight sealed container and drying should be done after some days of storage (45-60 DAS)

On intellectual capital efficiency and shariah governance in Islamic banking business model

This paper empirically investigates whether intellectual capital (IC) and shariah governance jointly affect the economic performance of Islamic banks (IBs). In contrast to prior research, this paper disaggregate IC and corporate governance features and examine whether the two are jointly related to economic performance. These relationships are further explored before, during and after the financial crisis based on a sample of 64 Islamic banks operating in different regions during the period 2007–2014. The required data to calculate different constituents of IC efficiency and governance mechanism is hand collected from 512 annual reports. After controlling for other corporate governance and bank‐specific characteristics (operational type, bank size, listing status, risk, type of auditor, accounting standard and region), we find both intellectual capital efficiency and shariah governance proxies (size and dominance of prominent scholars of shariah supervisory board) to have a significant positive relationship with accounting measure of performance. However, based on market performance measure, only one proxy for shariah governance mechanism, that is, prominent scholars on SSB, is found to be significant but in the negative direction. These results provide important insights into the relationship between IC efficiency, corporate governance and performance in Islamic banking business model and have policy and practical implications

Key factors impacting performance of a salinity gradient solar pond exposed to Mediterranean climate

Solar ponds are low cost pools of brine solutions with integrated storage zones that harvest incident solar energy and store it as thermal energy. The current study examined the performance of a salinity gradient solar pond under the Mediterranean climatic condition for ten consecutive months of operation, from October 8, 2014 to July 31, 2015. The presented results are based on the experimental data of a small-scale circular pond, 61�cm in diameter a height of 55�cm, constructed and operated at Middle East Technical University, Northern Cyprus Campus (METUNCC). The study showed the necessity of regular surface washing and having excess undissolved salt at the lower convective zone (LCZ) to maintain the pond stability. The variations in the temperature of the non-convective (NCZ) and lower convective zones (LCZ) are found to be a function of both ambient temperature and solar irradiation (insolation). The variation of the overall pond's temperature strongly follows the changes in ambient temperature while solar insolation directly affects the increase in temperature gradient by depth. During the period of this study, the pond reached the highest average temperature of 48��C in July 2015 while the average ambient temperature for this month was 30��C. � 2016 Elsevier Lt