Quantile-based Maximum Likelihood Training for Outlier Detection

Discriminative learning effectively predicts true object class for image classification. However, it often results in false positives for outliers, posing critical concerns in applications like autonomous driving and video surveillance systems. Previous attempts to address this challenge involved training image classifiers through contrastive learning using actual outlier data or synthesizing outliers for self-supervised learning. Furthermore, unsupervised generative modeling of inliers in pixel space has shown limited success for outlier detection. In this work, we introduce a quantile-based maximum likelihood objective for learning the inlier distribution to improve the outlier separation during inference. Our approach fits a normalizing flow to pre-trained discriminative features and detects the outliers according to the evaluated log-likelihood. The experimental evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of our method as it surpasses the performance of the state-of-the-art unsupervised methods for outlier detection. The results are also competitive compared with a recent self-supervised approach for outlier detection. Our work allows to reduce dependency on well-sampled negative training data, which is especially important for domains like medical diagnostics or remote sensing.Comment: Code available at https://github.com/taghikhah/QuantO

Evaluation of Antimicrobial Activity of Cuminum Cyminum Essential Oil and Extract against Bacterial Strains Isolated from Patients with Symptomatic Urinary Tract Infection

Background: Many efforts have been done to find effective agents against resistant pathogens. Cuminum cyminum L. (Cumin) is an aromatic plant within the Apiaceae family. It has a variety of purposes and demonstrates antimicrobial and antioxidant properties. This study evaluated the activity of C. cyminum extract and essential oil against bacterial isolates which cause urinary tract infection, including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Streptococcus agalactiae, group A streptococci, Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus saprophyticus isolated from patients with urinary tract infection.Materials and Methods: Extract was prepared by maceration and essential oil was prepared by hydrodistillation from C. cyminum seeds. The study population was 95 patients with urinary tract infection without malignant diseases, diabetes and immunosupression. After identification of organism, susceptibility testing was carried out by disc diffusion method and MIC values by broth microdilution testing.Results: C. cyminum essential oil can have a better effect on the gram-negative bacteria causing urinary tract infection than gram-positive bacteria. In addition, C. cyminum extract have good activity against both gram- positive and gram-negative bacteria. Our findings also showed that essential oil and extract of C. cyminum has better antibacterial activity on uropathogen isolates than amoxicillin and the difference was significant (P value<0.05) but the activity is not superior to other antibiotics.Conclusion: These results suggest that the essential oil and extract of C. cyminum seeds might be considered as interesting sources of antibacterial components against uropathogenic bacteria

Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis and Mycoplasma genitalium in Patients with Benign and Malignant Ovarian Cancer by Nested PCR Method

Background: Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) and Mycoplasma genitalium (M. genitalium) are considered factors in cervical and ovarian cancer and are associated with flaky cell carcinoma of the cervix. The role of steady infection, leading to chronic inflammation, in the of ovarian cancer has received very little consideration, although a background of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) is in a case-control study associate to higher risk for ovarian cancer. C. trachomatis, the most common and important cause of PID in the developed world is the genital and cervical infectious agent. The aim of this study was prevalence of C. trachomatis and M. genitalium in patients with ovarian cancer who referred to Imam Hossein Hospital of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study that was conducted from January 2014 to April 2015, 124 samples were studied which obtained from patients with ovarian cancer who referred to medical centers of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. After obtaining samples from ovarian cancer tissue by the pathologist, for extraction DNA, samples were transferred to the laboratory of university. To confirm the presence of C. trachomatis in samples of ovarian cancer, specific primers for the Major Outer Membrane Protein (MOMP) genes of C. trachomais, were designed and used Nested PCR method for detection of M. genitalium. Sequencing was performed on the PCR and Nested PCR product to confirm the presence of C. trachomatis and M. genitalium.Results: Out of 124 samples of ovarian cancer, 62 (50%) samples were malignant cancer and 62 (50%) were benign cancer as control group. From 65 malignant samples 14 (22.5%) were Chlamydia trachomatis positive. None of the tissue samples of benign cancer of ovary were positive for C. trachomatis. Notably, none of the 124 ovarian samples were positive in the M. genitalium standard PCR assay.Conclusion: The results suggest that the spread of C. trachomatis in the female with ovarian cancer may be common. This finding reflects a possible role of C. trachomatis in the carcinogenesis of ovarian tumors. C. trachomatis infection may play a relative role in the pathogenesis of ovarian carcinomas or it could facilitate its progression

How Do the Nurses Cope with Job Stress? A Study with Grounded Theory Approach

Introduction: Due to the adverse effects of job stress on health of nurses and the importance of coping process of nurses in management of job stress, the present study was carried out with the aim of exploring the experiences of the nurses in order to reveal the original coping process of the nurses in the case of encountering occupational stress. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted with grounded theory approach. Research participants were 15 clinical nurses and four directors of nursing. Sampling method of study were purposive and theoretical sampling. Data collection done with unstructured interviews and field notes and continued until data saturation. Data analysis was performed using the Strauss and Corbin 1998 constant comparative method. Results: The results of the analysis led to four axial concepts: "feeling stress at nursing work", "situational coping", "and the effect of personal and environmental factors in coping with job stress" and "Grey outcome of coping". The core variable in the nurse’s process of coping with job stress was "comprehensive effort to calm stressed condition". Conclusion: Explaining the basic and original psychosocial process of nurses to cope with job stress, revealed context-based nature of the coping processes that nurses adopt, which that can help in taking appropriate measures to lighten up the grey consequences of coping of nurses

Explaining the Chinese Pattern of Redefining International Order: Combination of Internal Capabilities and External Soft Balance

One of the distinguishing features of the current international situation is the growth of China as a great power. The growing power of China for protecting of security interests is directly tied to the US international position; As a result, China's strategic engagement with the US is one of the issues that is essential to understand the future state of international order. This article examines China's pattern of behavior toward the US under the unipolar order system. Hence, the question that the authors have tried to answer with a descriptive-analytical approach is that what pattern governs China's foreign policy to advance its interests, and strategic interactions with the US in the current international order? Findings show that due to the necessity of entangling polarity, economic factor and threat perception, China has adopted a dual pattern of behavior, like the domestic capabilities and external soft balance, in order to advance its strategic interests and interactions with the US. The first concept refers to the continuation of economic efforts along with increasing military capabilities to increase China's relative power. In the second concept, China's internationally balanced behavior toward the United States is considered. This is mostly done through multilateral institutions and economic diplomacy

EDC-Protein Network Formation in Uvea Melanoma; An Analysis of Melanoma Metastasis-Associated Genes

Abstract: Background: Melanoma is a kind of pigment cell cancer that affects the iris, ciliary body, or choroid of the eye (collectively referred to as the uvea). Tumors arise from pigment cells located inside the uvea that stain the eye. Metastasis of melanoma in the eye can damage a number of melanoma, such as the liver. Early diagnosis and treatment of melanoma can prevent possible problems, including decreased vision or complete loss of the eye. The most common manifestations of the disease are blurred vision, diplopia,  photopsia and proptosis. Material and Methods: First, the accession number GSE22138 was used to access the Gene Expression Omnibus at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (GEO). Then, 2000 metastatic and non-metastatic melanoma genes were extracted from the NCBI database together with their P-value. Then, by constructing the PPI network, we established ten modules for the genes with the highest expression levels. The comptox database was used to identify possible Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) for 17 high-expression genes. Cytoscape software was used to visualize the EDC-Protein network for these genes. Finally, we analyzed GO (Gene-Ontology) and molecular pathways using the DAVID database.  Result: In melanoma, 120 potential EDCs were identified to have regulatory effects on gene expression. We present oryzalin as a very effective EDC based on a comprehensive evaluation of various EDCs for metastatic Melanoma. Conclusion: Oryzalin is the EDC with the highest degree in our network. However, these results need to be experimentally confirmed to suggest improved prevention

Optimizing Outpatient Medication Management: The Impact of Clinical Pharmacists on Identifying and Addressing Drug-Related Problems

Medication Therapy Management Services (MTMS) are effective strategies to reduce Drug-Related Problems (DRPs) and associated healthcare costs. Given the high prevalence of DRPs in outpatient settings and the lack of an effective process to detect such problems in Iran, we decided to evaluate the type and number of DRPs identified by clinical pharmacists in a university-affiliated Pharmacotherapy Clinic in Khuzestan province, South of Iran. In this cross-sectional study, 150 eligible outpatients were included. At a university-affiliated pharmacotherapy clinic, pharmacy students took patients' histories and referred them to clinical pharmacists for DRP evaluation and detection. Appropriate interventions were then implemented in collaboration with patients and their healthcare providers to resolve the problems. Approximately 3.56 DRPs per patient were identified during a nine-month study period. The most prevalent DRPs were lack of education or information (32.40% [174/537]), undertreated indications (17.31% [93/537]), and patient compliance (15.27% [82/537]). Clinical pharmacists detected 537 DRPs, implemented 525 interventions, and performed 0.977 interventions per DRP. The provision of information (57.52% [302/525]) and change of therapy (21.71% [114/525]) were the most frequent types of clinical pharmacist interventions. This study revealed deficiencies and limitations in our healthcare services, resulting in a significant prevalence of DRPs. Implementing pharmaceutical care practice models, such as Pharmacotherapy Clinics, where clinical pharmacists integrate their experience and knowledge in a patient-centered manner, is the most effective method for preventing and managing these issue

The Impact of a Cognitive System of Political Elites on Israeli Foreign Policy: The Case of Benyamin Netanyahu

Benyamin Netanyahu has been the main figure in the Israeli political scene for the past decade. Since he has played a major role in shaping the Israeli foreign policy in the international arena, this study seeks to examine his leadership style and personality traits as an influential and at the same time a neglected factor in the foreign policy behavior of the state of Israel. Hence, the main hypothesis is the fact that Israel’s foreign policy behavior has been more influenced by Netanyahu’s cognitive system and leadership style. The conceptual/methodological framework used in this paper is Leadership Traits Analysis (LTA) proposed by Margaret G. Hermann with a focus on the Conceptual Complexity variable in this regard. The results of this study, which itself are the quantitative content analysis of Netanyahu’s verbal material from 2009 to 2019; suggest that BIBI’s low conceptual complexity and his black and white thinking to foreign policy with high belief in ability to control events, a high desire for power, and a strong distrust to others have shaped Netanyahu’s aggressive and hawkish approach to Israeli foreign policy, which can be seen in exaggerating the Iranian threat and opposing to the idea of a Palestinian independent state

Genetic Diversity Analysis of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Strains Isolated from Intensive Care Unit in Iran

Objectives: Staphylococcus aureus has emerged as a major public health concern. It is a common pathogen in high-risk hospital intensive care units (ICUs). We analyzed the molecular characteristics on the SCCmec and spa genes of S. aureus isolates gathered from ICUs. The antibiotic resistance patterns and carriage of resistance and virulence determinants were also identified. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 84 non-duplicated S. aureus strains isolated from ICU patients in were genotyped using SCCmec and spa typing. The Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion and micro-broth dilution methods were used to determine resistance patterns. Virulence and resistance gene profiling were also determined using the polymerase chain reaction technique. Results: All isolates were methicillin-resistant S. aureus and belonged to seven spa types: t388 (36.9%), t852 (14.3%), t924 (13.1%), t790 (11.9%), t064 (10.7%), t037 (9.5%), and t084 (3.6%). They differed in the carriage of resistance and toxin genes. The most common SCCmec type was III detected in 50 isolates (59.5%), followed by type IV in 34 isolates (40.5%). The pvl gene was detected in 14.3% (n = 12) of isolates, of which 66.7% (n = 8) belonged to t852 and 33.3% (n = 4) belonged to t790. Among the tested strains, 9.5% (n = 8) carried the mupA gene and belonged to the t064 spa type. Conclusions: The data revealed a high resistance rate to antibiotics, which could be a threat to ICU patients. It is necessary to detect antimicrobial resistance and resistance and toxin-encoding of gene profiles in different molecular types

Neuropsychological function in relation to dysmenorrhea in adolescents

Objective: Hormonal variations during the menstrual cycle may affect emotional regulation. We aimed to investigate the association between dysmenorrhea (the severe abdominal pain and cramps associated with menstruation) and cognitive abilities, emotional function and sleep patterns in adolescent girls. Moreover, we evaluated the frequency of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) in our population and then divided them into 4 groups: subjects with only PMS; subjects with only dysmenorrhea; individuals with both PMS and dysmenorrhea and normal subjects. Study design: In this cross sectional study, 897 adolescent girls who had entered menarche were recruited. Of these, 35.9% had only dysmenorrhea, 14.9% had only PMS, 32.7% had both PMS and dysmenorrhea while 16.5% had no PMS and/or dysmenorrhea (Normal). We assessed the tests for cognitive, emotional function and sleep patterns were compared for these groups. Results: Individuals in the dysmenorrhea group had significantly higher depression, aggression, insomnia, daytime sleepiness and sleep apnea scores compared to normal controls and the PMS group, but did not have significantly different cognitive ability (P value < 0.05). These differences were strongly correlated to pain intensity (P < 0.001). However, there were no significant differences between those with only PMS and control subjects with regard to cognitive ability, emotional function and sleep pattern tests. Conclusions: Dysmenorrhea is highly prevalent among adolescents and appears to be associated with depressive mood, a tendency to aggressive behavior and sleep disorders among adolescent girls. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved