On Phase II Monitoring of the Probability Distributions of Univariate Continuous Processes

Statistical process control (SPC) charts are widely used in industry for monitoring the stability of certain sequential processes like manufacturing, health care systems etc. Most SPC charts assume that the parametric form of the “in-control” process distribution F1 is available. However, it has been demonstrated in the literature that their performances are unreliable when the pre-specified process distribution is incorrect. Moreover, most SPC charts are designed to detect any shift in mean and/or variance. In real world problems, shifts in higher moments can happen without much change in mean or variance. If we fail to detect those and let the process run, it can eventually become worse and a shift in mean or variance can creep in. Moreover, the special cause that initiated the shift can inflict further damage to the system, and it may become a financial challenge to fix it. This paper provides an efficient and easy-to-use control chart for Phase II monitoring of univariate continuous processes when the parametric form of the “in-control” process distribution is unknown, but Phase I observations that are believed to be i.i.d. realizations from unknown F1 are available. Data-driven practical guidelines are also provided to choose the tuning parameter and the corresponding control limit of the proposed SPC chart. Numerical simulations and a real-life data analysis show that it can be used in many practical applications

A Multi-Resolution and Adaptive 3-D Image Denoising Framework with Applications in Medical Imaging

Due to recent increase in the usage of 3-D magnetic resonance images (MRI) and analysis of functional magnetic resonance images (fMRI), research on 3-D image processing becomes important. Observed 3- D images often contain noise which should be removed in such a way that important image features, e.g., edges, edge structures, and other image details should be preserved, so that subsequent image analyses are reliable. Most image denoising methods in the literature are for 2-D images. However, their direct generalizations to 3- D images can not preserve complicated edge structures well. Because, the edge structures in a 3-D edge surface can be much more complicated than the edge structures in a 2-D edge curve. Moreover, the amount of smoothing should be determined locally, depending on local image features and local signal to noise ratio, which is much more challenging in 3-D images due to large number of voxels. This paper proposes an efficient 3- D image denoising procedure based on local clustering of the voxels. This method provides a framework for determining the size of bandwidth and the amount of smoothing locally by empirical procedures. Numerical studies and a real MRI denoising show that it works well in many medical image denoising problems

Air Pollution and Children: Neural and Tight Junction Antibodies and Combustion Metals, the Role of Barrier Breakdown and Brain Immunity in Neurodegeneration

Millions of children are exposed to concentrations of air pollutants, including fine particulate matter (PM2.5), above safety standards. In the Mexico City Metropolitan Area (MCMA) megacity, children show an early brain imbalance in oxidative stress, inflammation, innate and adaptive immune response-associated genes, and blood-brain barrier breakdown. We investigated serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) antibodies to neural and tight junction proteins and environmental pollutants in 139 children ages 11.91 ± 4.2 y with high versus low air pollution exposures. We also measured metals in serum and CSF. MCMA children showed significantly higher serum actin IgG, occludin/zonulin 1 IgA, IgG, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein IgG and IgM (p \u3c 0.01), myelin basic protein IgA and IgG, S-100 IgG and IgM, and cerebellar IgG (p \u3c 0.001). Serum IgG antibodies to formaldehyde, benzene, and bisphenol A, and concentrations of Ni and Cd were significantly higher in exposed children (p \u3c 0.001). CSF MBP antibodies and nickel concentrations were higher in MCMA children (p = 0.03). Air pollution exposure damages epithelial and endothelial barriers and is a robust trigger of tight junction and neural antibodies. Cryptic ‘self’ tight junction antigens can trigger an autoimmune response potentially contributing to the neuroinflammatory and Alzheimer and Parkinson’s pathology hallmarks present in megacity children. The major factor determining the impact of neural antibodies is the integrity of the blood-brain barrier. Defining the air pollution linkage of the brain/immune system interactions and damage to physical and immunological barriers with short and long term neural detrimental effects to children’s brains ought to be of pressing importance for public health

A House for Mr. Biswas: A Rueful Quest of Identity

Needless to say, “Imperialism played a key role in bringing a sense of alienation and disorder to the countries where imperialists ruled”. Homi K. Bhaba states, essentially:  Colonial discourse wants the colonized to be extremely like, but by no means identical. If there were an absolute equivalence between the two, then the ideologies justifying the colonial rule would be unable to operate. This is because these ideologies assume that there is structural non- equivalence, a split between superior and inferior, which explains why anyone groups of people can dominate another at all." The paper intends is to probe into  the V.S Naipaul's discerning to  postcolonial identity  through his marvellous book  " A House of Mr. Biswas " Naipaul stirred the world literature to focus the identity crisis in the set up of post colonial platform A House for Mr. Biswas about an immigrant’s attempt to assert his identity and independence.&nbsp

Image Denoising by a Local Clustering Framework

Images often contain noise due to imperfections in various image acquisition techniques. Noise should be removed from images so that the details of image objects (e.g., blood vessels, inner foldings, or tumors in the human brain) can be clearly seen, and the subsequent image analyses are reliable. With broad usage of images in many disciplines—for example, medical science—image denoising has become an important research area. In the literature, there are many different types of image denoising techniques, most of which aim to preserve image features, such as edges and edge structures, by estimating them explicitly or implicitly. Techniques based on explicit edge detection usually require certain assumptions on the smoothness of the image intensity surface and the edge curves which are often invalid especially when the image resolution is low. Methods that are based on implicit edge detection often use multiresolution smoothing, weighted local smoothing, and so forth. For such methods, the task of determining the correct image resolution or choosing a reasonable weight function is challenging. If the edge structure of an image is complicated or the image has many details, then these methods would blur such details. This article presents a novel image denoising framework based on local clustering of image intensities and adaptive smoothing. The new denoising method can preserve complicated edge structures well even if the image resolution is low. Theoretical properties and numerical studies show that it works well in various applications

The Prevalence of Antibodies Against Wheat and Milk Proteins in Blood Donors and Their Contribution to Neuroimmune Reactivities

The aim of this study was to look for the presence of IgG, IgM, and IgA antibodies against two widely consumed foods, wheat and milk, in a relatively large number of specimens. As wheat, milk, and their antigens have been found to be involved in neuroimmune disorders, we measured the co-occurrence of their antibodies against various neural antigens. We assessed the reactivity of sera from 400 donors to wheat and milk proteins, GAD-65, cerebellar, MBP, and MOG. Statistical analysis showed significant clustering when certain wheat and milk protein antibodies were cross-referenced with neural antibodies. Approximately half of the sera with antibody elevation against gliadin reacted significantly with GAD-65 and cerebellar peptides; about half of the sera with elevated antibodies against α + β-casein and milk butyrophilin also showed antibody elevation against MBP and MOG. Inhibition studies showed that only two out of four of the samples with elevated cerebellar or MOG antibodies could be inhibited by gliadin or α + β-casein, confirming individual variation in epitope recognition. We conclude that a subgroup of blood donors, due to a breakdown in immunological tolerance, may react and produce significant levels of antibodies (p-values less than 0.05) against wheat and milk antigens that cross-react with different neural antigens, which may have broader implications in the induction of neuroimmune reactivities

Detection of Antibodies against Human and Plant Aquaporins in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease that affects the body’s central nervous system. Around 90% of MS sufferers are diagnosed with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS). We used ELISA to measure IgG, IgA, and IgM antibodies against linear epitopes of human and plant aquaporins (AQP4) as well as neural antigens in RRMS patients and controls to determine whether patients suffering from RRMS have simultaneous elevations in antibodies against these peptides and antigens. In comparison to controls, significant elevations in isotype-specific antibodies against human and plant AQP4 and neural antigens such as MBP, MOG, and S100B were detected in RRMS patients, indicating a high correlation in antibody reaction between plant aquaporins and brain antigens. This correlation between the reactivities of RRMS patients with various tested antigens was the most significant for the IgM isotype. We conclude that a subclass of patients with RRMS reacts to both plant and human AQP4 peptides. This immune reaction against different plant aquaporins may help in the development of dietary modifications for patients with MS and other neuroimmune disorders

Barriers and facilitators to informal healthcare provider engagement in the national tuberculosis elimination program of India: An exploratory study from West Bengal

India has a high burden of Tuberculosis (TB), accounting for a significant portion of global cases. While efforts are being made to engage the formal private sector in the National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) of India, there remains a significant gap in addressing the engagement of Informal Healthcare Providers (IPs), who serve as the first point of contact for healthcare in many communities. Recognizing the increasing evidence of IPs' importance in TB care, it is crucial to enhance their engagement in the NTEP. Therefore, this study explored various factors influencing the engagement of IPs in the program. A qualitative study was conducted in West Bengal, India, involving 23 IPs and 11 Formal Providers (FPs) from different levels of the formal health system. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted following a six-step approach outlined by Braun and Clarke. Three overarching themes were identified in the analysis, encompassing barriers and facilitators to IPs' engagement in the NTEP. The first theme focused on IPs' position and capacity as care providers, highlighting their role as primary care providers and the trust and acceptance extended by the community. The second theme explored policy and system-level drivers and prohibitors, revealing barriers such as role ambiguity, competing tasks, and quality of care issues. Facilitators such as growing recognition of IPs' importance in the health system, an inclusive incentive system, and willingness to collaborate were also identified. The third theme focused on the relationship between the formal and informal systems, highlighting a need to strengthen the relationship between the two. This study sheds light on factors influencing the engagement of IPs in the NTEP of India. It emphasizes the need for role clarity, knowledge enhancement, and improved relationships between formal and informal systems. By addressing these factors, policymakers and stakeholders can strengthen the engagement of IPs in the NTEP