The effects of image compression on quantitative measurements of digital panoramic radiographs

Objectives: The aims of this study were to explore how image compression affects density, fractal dimension, linear and angular measurements on digital panoramic images and assess inter and intra-observer repeatability of these measurements. Study Design: Sixty-one digital panoramic images in TIFF format (Tagged Image File Format) were compressed to JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) images. Two observers measured gonial angle, antegonial angle, mandibular cortical width, coronal pulp width of maxillary and mandibular first molar, tooth length of maxillary and mandibular first molar on the left side of these images twice. Fractal dimension of the selected regions of interests were calculated and the density of each panoramic radiograph as a whole were also measured on TIFF and JPEG compressed images. Intra-observer and inter-observer consistency was evaluated with Cronbach's alpha. Paired samples t-test and Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to evaluate the difference between the measurements of TIFF and JPEG compressed images. Results: The repeatability of angular measurements had the highest Cronbach's alpha value (0.997). There was statistically significant difference for both of the observers in mandibular cortical width (MCW) measurements (1st ob. p: 0.002; 2nd ob. p: 0.003), density (p<0.001) and fractal dimension (p<0.001) between TIFF and JPEG images. There was statistically significant difference for the first observer in antegonial angle (1st ob p< 0.001) and maxillary molar coronal pulp width (1st ob. p< 0.001) between JPEG and TIFF files. Conclusions: The repeatability of angular measurements is better than linear measurements. Mandibular cortical width, fractal dimension and density are affected from compression. Observer dependent factors might also cause statistically significant differences between the measurements in TIFF and JPEG images

The Mediating Role of Teachers’ Depression Levels on The Relationship Between Emotional Labor and Burn-Out

The aim of this study is to understand the mediation effects of teachers&rsquo; depression levels on the relationship between emotional labor and burnout. The study group in this research consists of 163 teachers working at Gaziantep schools during 2013-2014 academic year. Since the research aims to analyze mediation effect of teachers&rsquo; depression levels on the relationship between emotional labor and burnout, the research design employed in this study is relational scanning model. Maslach&rsquo;s Burnout Scale, Emotional Labor Scale and Depression Scale were used as data collection tools. Regression analysis of the effect of emotional labor on burnout show that, after depression level is added to the model, the effect of emotional intelligence on burnout decreases which indicates that the depression level is a mediator variable in this relationship. Results of analysis regarding mediation effect of depression levels on the relationship between teachers&rsquo; emotional labor and burnout also illustrate that depression levels are partial mediator in this relationship. Within that context, it is recommended that activities that could decrease teachers&rsquo; depression levels at schools should be organized by school administrators. Some other recommendations are presented based on findings

Automated Data for DevSecOps Programs

Symposium PresentationApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Automated Data for DevSecOps Programs

Excerpt from the Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Acquisition Research SymposiumAutomation in DevSecOps (DSO) transforms the practice of building, deploying, and managing software intensive programs. Although this automation supports continuous delivery and rapid builds, the persistent manual collection of information delays (by weeks) the release of program status metrics and the decisions they are intended to inform. Emerging DSO metrics (e.g., deployment rates, lead times) provide insight into how software development is progressing but fall short of replacing program control metrics for assessing progress (e.g., burn rates against spend targets, integration capability tar-get dates, and schedule for the minimum viable capability release). By instrumenting the (potentially in-teracting) DSO pipelines and supporting environments, the continuous measurement of status, identifica-tion of emerging risks, and probabilistic projections are possible and practical. In this paper, we discuss our research on the information modeling, measurement, metrics, and indicators necessary to establish a continuous program control capability that can keep pace with DSO management needs. We discuss the importance of interactive visualization dashboards for addressing program information needs. We also identify and address the gaps and barriers in the current state of the practice. Finally, we recommend future research needs based on our initial findings.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Automated Data for DevSecOps Programs

Excerpt from the Proceedings of the Nineteenth Annual Acquisition Research SymposiumAutomation in DevSecOps (DSO) transforms the practice of building, deploying, and managing software intensive programs. Although this automation supports continuous delivery and rapid builds, the persistent manual collection of information delays (by weeks) the release of program status metrics and the decisions they are intended to inform. Emerging DSO metrics (e.g., deployment rates, lead times) provide insight into how software development is progressing but fall short of replacing program control metrics for assessing progress (e.g., burn rates against spend targets, integration capability tar-get dates, and schedule for the minimum viable capability release). By instrumenting the (potentially in-teracting) DSO pipelines and supporting environments, the continuous measurement of status, identifica-tion of emerging risks, and probabilistic projections are possible and practical. In this paper, we discuss our research on the information modeling, measurement, metrics, and indicators necessary to establish a continuous program control capability that can keep pace with DSO management needs. We discuss the importance of interactive visualization dashboards for addressing program information needs. We also identify and address the gaps and barriers in the current state of the practice. Finally, we recommend future research needs based on our initial findings.Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Istraživanje prisutnosti proizvodnje sluzi, VanA gena i gena za rezistenciju na antiseptike u stafilokoka izoliranih iz goveđeg mastitisa u Alžiru

Staphylococcus strains are frequently associated with clinical and subclinical bovine intra-mammary infection. The virulence factors of staphylococcus have not been widely studied in Algeria. The objective of this study was to determine the frequency of slime production, VanA gene and antiseptic resistance genes in staphylococci strains isolated from bovine mastitis in Algeria. The study examined 35 Staphylococci strains obtained from the inflammatory secretion of mammary glands of cows with mastitis. Slime production was determined by detecting the icaA and icaD genes using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method and Congo red agar (CRA) method. The presence of qacAB and qac C antiseptic resistance genes and the VanA resistance gene in these isolates was investigated by PCR. The results of the current study revealed that of the 35 Staphylococci isolates, 42.85% (15/35) and 17.14% (6/35) of the isolates harboured the slime production gene by analysing icaA and icaD genes, respectively and 71.42% (25/35) by the CRA method. However, VanA and antiseptic resistance genes (qacAB and qac C) were not detected in any of the isolates. Therefore, the majority of Staphylococcus strains were capable of producing slime, and the CRA detection rate was higher than the PCR method for the biofilm-producing capacity of Staphylococcus strains. Thus, the presence of the ica genes in Staphylococcus strains confirms its role as a virulence factor in the pathogenesis of bovine mastitis.Sojevi stafilokoka često su povezani s kliničkim i supkliničkim intramamarnim infekcijama goveda. Faktori virulencije stafilokoka nisu dobro istraženi u Alžiru. Cilj ove studije bio je odrediti učestalost proizvodnje sluzi, VanA gena i gena za rezistenciju na antiseptike u sojevima stafilokoka izoliranih iz goveđeg mastitisa u Alžiru. Istraživanja su obuhvatila 35 soja stafilokoka dobivenih iz upalnog sekreta mliječnih žlijezda krava s mastitisom. Proizvodnja sluzi ustvrđena je metodom lančane reakcije polimeraze (PCR) istraživanjem ıcaA i ıcaD gena, odnosno metodom s Kongo crvenim agarom (CRA). Prisutnost qacAB i qac C gena za rezistenciju na antiseptike i VanA gena za rezistenciju u tim izolatima ispitana je pomoću PCR. Rezultati ove studije otkrili su da je od 35 izolata stafilokoka, 42,85 % (15/35) i 17,4 % (6/35) sadržavalo gen za proizvodnju sluzi putem analize ıcaA i ıcaD gena, odnosno 71,42 % (25/35) CRA metodom. Međutim, VanA i geni za rezistenciju na antiseptike (qacAB i qac C) nisu detektirani niti u jednom izolatu. Stoga se iz podataka može zaključiti da je većina sojeva stafilokoka bila sposobna proizvoditi sluz, a detekcija CRA metodom je bila više od PCR metode za kapacitet proizvodnje biofilma sojeva stafilokoka. Stoga, prisutnost ica u sojevima stafilokoka potvrđuje njegovu ulogu kao faktora virulentnosti u patogenezi goveđeg mastitisa

A Case of Viral Myocarditis Presenting With Acute Asthma Attack

Acute viral myocarditis is one of the causes of heart failure. Cardiac asthma is commonly observed in elderly patients with left heart failure. If the pulmonary manifestations are prominent it can mask the involvement of heart. We report a young case of viral myocarditis mimicking acute asthma attack. Case Presentation: A 27-year-old young man with a history of asthma presented to the pulmonary department of our hospital with dyspnea, left sided chest pain, cough, wheezing. Asthma was diagnosed and treated, however his respiratory complaints have persisted. Laboratory evaluations revealed that elevated cardiac enzymes, Echocardiogram showed global hypokinesia in the left ventricle and a decrease of ejection fraction. We concluded that viral myocarditis can present itself like an acute asthma attack

RRT*-SMART: a rapid convergence implementation of RRT*

Many sampling based algorithms have been introduced recently. Among them Rapidly Exploring Random Tree (RRT) is one of the quickest and the most efficient obstacle free path finding algorithm. Although it ensures probabilistic completeness, it cannot guarantee finding the most optimal path. Rapidly Exploring Random Tree Star (RRT*), a recently proposed extension of RRT, claims to achieve convergence towards the optimal solution thus ensuring asymptotic optimality along with probabilistic completeness. However, it has been proven to take an infinite time to do so and with a slow convergence rate. In this paper an extension of RRT*, called as RRT*-Smart, has been prposed to overcome the limitaions of RRT*. The goal of the proposecd method is to accelerate the rate of convergence, in order to reach an optimum or near optimum solution at a much faster rate, thus reducing the execution time. The novel approach of the proposed algorithm makes use of two new techniques in RRT*–Path Optimization and Intelligent Sampling. Simulation results presented in various obstacle cluttered environments along with statistical and mathematical analysis confirm the efficiency of the proposed RRT*-Smart algorithm

Determination of resilience factors in individuals who tested COVID-19 positive

The main purpose of this study was to determine the protective factors that can aid people in their recovery or help maintain their well-being in the face of collective adversity, in this case, the COVID-19 pandemic, and to examine how these factors can be further strengthened. The study included 89 participants from 14 different cities in Turkey, ranging in age from 18 to 70, 46 of them men and 43 women. In light of the findings of the study, it can be said that psychosocial support and re-adaptation programmes are needed to ease the social-emotional burden of living through a pandemic on individuals (especially those who survived the virus) even after the COVID-19 pandemic ends

High Order QCD Predictions for Inclusive Production of W

Predictions of fiducial cross sections, differential cross sections, and lepton charge asymmetry are presented for the production of W± bosons with leptonic decay up to next-to-next-to-leading order (NNLO) in perturbative QCD. Differential cross sections of W± bosons and W boson lepton charge asymmetry are computed as a function of lepton pseudorapidity for a defined fiducial region in pp collisions at s=13 TeV. Numerical results of fiducial W± cross section predictions are presented with the latest modern PDF models at next-to-leading order (NLO) and NNLO. It is found that the CT14 and NNPDF 3.0 predictions with NNLO QCD corrections are about 4% higher than the NLO CT14 and NNPDF 3.0 predictions while MMHT 2014 predictions with NLO QCD corrections are smaller than its NNLO QCD predictions by approximately 6%. In addition, the NNLO QCD corrections reduce the scale variation uncertainty on the cross section by a factor of 3.5. The prediction of central values and considered uncertainties are obtained using FEWZ 3.1 program