Automated searching of illicit drug logos and imprints

University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Science.This thesis describes solutions for the automation of illicit tablet image searching based on tablet logos, colour and edge profiles. An original aim was to develop or exploit algorithms for searching images in an existing Australian Federal Police (AFP) drug tablet database. However, the pre-existing images were found to be inadequate for use with accepted logo extraction methods, due to poor illumination and insufficient contrast between the tablet surface and the logos. Extracting a complete logo from them was difficult. New “high contrast” images were taken in a way such that the contrast between the tablet surface and the logo was maximised. This was achieved by lowering the ring light that was attached to the macroscope very close to the tablet, resulting in a very shallow angle of illumination. An in-house algorithm was designed to select the most appropriate threshold for each of these “high contrast” images to be converted to black-and-white (BW) images. Morphological and logical operations were used to segment the logos from the tablets. The final images contained only the silhouettes of the logos. The logo silhouettes were encoded by calculating the Zernike moment invariants with the Kintner method, followed by the normalisation approach. The best chance of finding matching logos in the database was by ranking these invariants using the Euclidean distance. Matching illicit tablets by colour was also investigated. The best method found involved changing the RGB colour values of the tablet photos to the CIE L*a*b* coordinates and then comparing these coordinates using the Normalised Inner Product. The side profiles of tablets were suggested as an extra feature for comparison. Although there were limitations that remained to be solved (namely the symmetry problems for the positioning of tablets with asymmetric side profiles), results were promising when comparing the derivatives of symmetric side profiles using the Euclidean distance. All of the algorithms developed or used in this project have been compiled into executable files such that any tablet database computer can run the scripts for searching logos and side profiles. In addition, the scripts can provide measurements of a tablet’s diameter and thickness in millimetres

HEALTHCARE-ASSOCIATED INFECTIONS IN PAEDIATRIC AND NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNITS: IMPACT OF UNDERLYING RISK FACTORS AND ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE ON 30-DAY CASE-FATALITY

Objectives. Our aims were (i) to describe trends in the epidemiology of Healthcare-associated Infections (HAIs) in paediatric/neonatal ICUs and (ii) to evaluate risk factors and impact of Multidrug-Resistance (MDR) in children admitted to ICUs. Design. Multicentre, retrospective, cohort study with a nested case-control study conducted between January 2010 and December 2014. Setting. Three tertiary-care paediatric hospitals in Italy and Brazil with a total of 97 ICU beds. Patients. Inclusion criteria were (i) admission to ICU during the study period (ii) age at onset <18 years and (iii) microbiologically-confirmed HAI. Results. 538 HAIs in 454 children were included. 93.3% of patients had comorbidities. Bloodstream infections (BSIs) were the leading pattern (45.4%). The cumulative incidence of HAI was 3.6/100 ICU-admission and the crude 30-day fatality rate was 5.7/1,000-admission. The most frequently isolated pathogens were Enterobacteriaceae, followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus.44% of isolates were MDR. Two multivariate logistic regressions were performed. Factors independently associated with an MDR -HAI were Country, previous antibiotics, transplantation, major surgery, and colonisation by an MDR strain. Factors independently associated with 30-day case-fatality were Country, previous transplantation, fungal infection, BSI, LRTI, and infection caused by MDR strains. Conclusions. Infection control and prevention should be a primary focus to limit the spread of MDR strains and improve the outcome of hospitalised patients. Targeted surveillance programmes collecting neonatal and paediatric HAI/BSI data and outcomes would allow global benchmarking between centres. The next step is to identify simple methods to monitor key HAIs and integrate these into affordable intervention programmes

Governing Uncertainty in a Secular Age: Rationalities of Violence, Theodicy and Torture

This article explores the problem of governing uncertainty in a secular age by focusing on the theological notion of ‘theodicy’ as the underlying rationale for the use of torture in the so-called ‘war on terror’. With God’s departure from the world, the problem of uncertainty acquires new salience as human beings can no longer explain tragic events as part of a transcendent order and must find immanent causes for the ‘evils’ that surround them. Taking a cue from Max Weber, I discuss how the problem of theodicy – how to reconcile the existence of God with the presence of evil in the world – does not disappear in the secular age but is mobilized through a Foucauldian biopolitical logic. Secular theodicy governs uncertainty through the production of economies of knowledge that rationalize processes of criminalization and securitization of entire groups and justify the use of violence. This process is particularly striking when analysing the use of torture in the so-called ‘war on terror’. Through a comparison with medieval practices and focusing on the cases of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib, the article shows how secular torture is the product of a biopolitical theodicy aimed at governing uncertainty through the construction of the tortured as immanent evils who threaten our ‘good life’ and ‘deserve’ their treatment. Secular theodicy turns torture into an extreme form of governmentality of uncertainty in which the disciplining of conduct becomes the construction of subjectivities based on essentialist, stereotypical and racist – and for these very reasons, reassuring – economies of knowledge

Providing Comprehensive Care to Underserved Communities

This panel shares the history, vision and programs of Philadelphia FIGHT Community Health Centers, charting their growth from 1990 to today. Originally formed as a clinical research organization committed to ending the AIDS epidemic, FIGHT expanded into an AIDS Service Organization (ASO) and has since become a large Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) incorporating dental care, behavioral health and recovery programs, and pediatric, adolescent, and adult primary care, with a special focus on treating HIV and curing Hep C. FIGHT is unique because the health services are embedded in an organization that prioritizes digital access and digital literacy while addressing the needs of formerly incarcerated persons, homeless and unstably housed individuals, and anyone at risk of HIV. In addition, the panel discusses the relationship between the Jefferson College of Population Health and Philadelphia FIGHT, particularly with the JCPH MPH students. Learning Objectives: Describe FIGHT’s history in community research and how the type of programs they offer positively affect underserved communities. Explain various successes and challenges of building a multi-disciplinary practice servicing some of Philadelphia\u27s most vulnerable citizens. List ways Federally Qualified Health Centers impact populations and how they play an important role in population health. Presentation: 56:4

Detection of illicit substances in fingerprints by infrared spectral imaging

FTIR and Raman spectral imaging can be used to simultaneously image a latent fingerprint and detect exogenous substances deposited within it. These substances might include drugs of abuse or traces of explosives or gunshot residue. In this work, spectral searching algorithms were tested for their efficacy in finding targeted substances deposited within fingerprints. "Reverse" library searching, where a large number of possibly poor-quality spectra from a spectral image are searched against a small number of high-quality reference spectra, poses problems for common search algorithms as they are usually implemented. Out of a range of algorithms which included conventional Euclidean distance searching, the spectral angle mapper (SAM) and correlation algorithms gave the best results when used with second-derivative image and reference spectra. All methods tested gave poorer performances with first derivative and undifferentiated spectra. In a search against a caffeine reference, the SAM and correlation methods were able to correctly rank a set of 40 confirmed but poor-quality caffeine spectra at the top of a dataset which also contained 4,096 spectra from an image of an uncontaminated latent fingerprint. These methods also successfully and individually detected aspirin, diazepam and caffeine that had been deposited together in another fingerprint, and they did not indicate any of these substances as a match in a search for another substance which was known not to be present. The SAM was used to successfully locate explosive components in fingerprints deposited on silicon windows. The potential of other spectral searching algorithms used in the field of remote sensing is considered, and the applicability of the methods tested in this work to other modes of spectral imaging is discussed. © 2009 Springer-Verlag

The Oslo definitions for coeliac disease and related terms.

ObjectiveThe literature suggests a lack of consensus on the use of terms related to coeliac disease (CD) and gluten.DesignA multidisciplinary task force of 16 physicians from seven countries used the electronic database PubMed to review the literature for CD-related terms up to January 2011. Teams of physicians then suggested a definition for each term, followed by feedback of these definitions through a web survey on definitions, discussions during a meeting in Oslo and phone conferences. In addition to 'CD', the following descriptors of CD were evaluated (in alphabetical order): asymptomatic, atypical, classical, latent, non-classical, overt, paediatric classical, potential, refractory, silent, subclinical, symptomatic, typical, CD serology, CD autoimmunity, genetically at risk of CD, dermatitis herpetiformis, gluten, gluten ataxia, gluten intolerance, gluten sensitivity and gliadin-specific antibodies.ResultsCD was defined as 'a chronic small intestinal immune-mediated enteropathy precipitated by exposure to dietary gluten in genetically predisposed individuals'. Classical CD was defined as 'CD presenting with signs and symptoms of malabsorption. Diarrhoea, steatorrhoea, weight loss or growth failure is required.' 'Gluten-related disorders' is the suggested umbrella term for all diseases triggered by gluten and the term gluten intolerance should not to be used. Other definitions are presented in the paper.ConclusionThis paper presents the Oslo definitions for CD-related terms

Impact of symptoms on quality of life before and after diagnosis of coeliac disease: results from a UK population survey

Background: Coeliac disease is a common chronic autoimmune disorder. Underdiagnosis is common and the quality of life impact of symptoms may be severe. We report a study of symptom duration and quality of life before and after diagnosis in a representative sample of people with diagnosed coeliac disease in the UK. Methods: Postal questionnaire of 2000 people with diagnosed coeliac disease, requesting information on date of diagnosis, type and duration of symptoms, and quality of life before and after diagnosis using the EQ-5D instrument. Results: The survey response rate was 40% (788/2000). Mean duration of symptoms prior to diagnosis was 13.2 years, with some evidence of shorter duration in recent years. Respondents reported a mean of 13 consultations with their GP about their symptoms prior to diagnosis. The mean utility value of pre-diagnosis quality of life was 0.56, compared to 0.84 at time of survey, a highly statistically significant improvement of 0.27 (95% c.i. 0.25, 0.30). Conclusions: The symptoms of undiagnosed coeliac disease are associated with a prolonged and substantial decrement to quality of life. These results strengthen the case for detailed examination of the cost-effectiveness of improved methods of detection and diagnosis, including population screening