Fast Visual Tracking Using Spatial Temporal Background Context Learning

Visual Tracking by now has gained much provenience among researchers in recent years due to its vast variety of applications that occur in daily life. Various applications of visual tracking include counting of cars on a high way, analyzing the crowd intensity in a concert or a football ground or a surveillance camera tracking a single person to track its movements. Various techniques have been proposed and implemented in this research domain where researchers have analyzed various parameters. Still this area has a lot to offer. There are two common approaches that are currently deployed in visual tracking. One is discriminative tracking and the other one is generative tracking. Discriminative tracking requires a pre-trained model that requires the learning of the data and solves the object recognition as a binary classification problem. On the other hand, generative model in tracking makes use of the previous states so that next state can be predicted. In this paper, a novel tacking based on generative tracking method is proposed called as Illumination Inavariant Spatio Temporal Tracker (IISTC). The proposed technique takes into account of the nearby surrounding regions and performs context learning so that the state of the object under consideration and its surrounding regions can be estimated in the next frame. The learning model is deployed both in the spatial domain as well as the temporal domain. Spatial domain part of the tracker takes into consideration the nearby pixels in a frame while the temporal model takes account of the possible change of object location. The proposed tracker was tested on a set of 50 images against other state of the art four trackers. Experimental results reveal that our proposed tracker performs reasonably well as compared with other trackers. The proposed visual tracker is both efficiently with respect to computation power as well as accuracy. The proposed tracker takes only 4 fast Fourier transform computations thus making it reasonably faster. The proposed trackers perform exceptionally well when there is a sudden change in back ground illumination

Determinants of Dividend Payout: Evidence from Financial Sector of Pakistan

This study seeks to ascertain the determinants of dividend payout of financial sector in Pakistan. The dividend is an important indicator and serves as a measure of a firm’s financial performance and growth. Dividend is important decision for any firm and plays vital role in the growth and future progress of the firm. Study used quantitative approach to explore the effective determinants of DPO for the financial sector of Pakistan. The dependent variable of this research is dividend payout while the financial leverage, investments, liquidity, returns on equity and size are independent variables also functioning as determinants of DPO. The data were collected over a period of seven years from 2007 to 2013. However sample of this research is restricted to the selected listed financial firms of Pakistan. A sample of 53 financial firms is selected out of 181. For the analysis of data various statistical tools i.e. descriptive statistics, correlation matrix and panel data analysis are applied. Random effects model is selected to measure the determinants of DPO and their impact on it. The results conclude that financial leverage has a statistically significant and negative effect on dividend payout, while the advances to deposit ratio, return on equity, investment and size have a positive and statistically significant influence on dividend payout for the selected financial firms of Pakistan. Keywords: Dividend Payout Ratio, State Bank of Pakistan, Karachi Stock Exchang

Robust Visual Tracking Using Illumination Invariant Features in Adaptive Scale Model

When entering into the realm of Computer Vision, the first thing which comes in to mind is Visual tracking. Visual tracking by far comes into one of the most actively investigated research areas because of the fact that it has an extensive collection of applications in areas such as activity recognition, surveillance, motion analysis and as well as human computer interaction. Some serious challenges of this area which still create hindrance in achieving 100% accuracy are abrupt appearance and pose changes of an object along with its background blockage due to blockages called occlusion, illumination and lighting variances and changes in scale of target object in the frames. Moreover, diverse algorithms had been proposed for the resolution of said issue. Now in such cases, if we study the statistical analysis of correlation between two frames in a certain video, it can be efficiently utilized to get the most exact location of the targeted object. The algorithms in existence today do not completely exploit a strong spatio-temporal relationship that very often occurs between the two successive frames in a video sequence. Recent advances in correlation-based tracking systems have been proposed to address the problem in successive frames. In this thesis a very simple yet quite speedy and robust algorithm that in actual brings all the relevant information used for Visual Tracking. Two of the Models proposed are the “Locality Sensitive Histogram” and “Discriminative Scale Tracking Method”. These are robust enough to the variations which are based on appearance which are normally presented by blockage, pose, illumination and lighting variations alike. A scheme is proposed called scale adaptation which is very much clever to adapt variations of targeted scale in the most efficient manner. The Discriminative Scale Tracking Method is used for detection as well as scale change ultimately resulting in an effective tracking method in the end. Various different experiments with the best algorithms have demonstrated on challenging sequences that the suggested methodology attains promising results as far as robustness, accuracy, and speed is concerned

A Clinical Audit of Fresh Frozen Plasma Usage

Background: To assess the appropriateness of transfusions of fresh frozen plasma (FFP).Methods: In this cross sectional study use of FFP , by different departments, was analyzed. Management details and appropriateness, for the use of FFP, was recorded. British Committee for Standards in Haematology (BCSH) guidelines were used as standards.Results: Four hundred and ninety eight units of FFP were used during the study period for 118 transfusion episodes. Only 44% episodes of FFP transfusions were deemed appropriate. The most common inappropriate uses included bleeding with no coagulation test abnormality following cardiopulmonary bypass, hypovolaemia and hypoproteinaemia. The proportion of inappropriate request was similar between surgical and non surgical units.Conclusion: FFP is frequently used inappropriatel

Role of Nigella sativa in Carbon Tetrachloride induced Hepatotoxicity

Objective: To evaluate the protective role of Nigella sativa in carbon tetrachloride induced hepatic changes in rabbits. Material and Methods: This Case control experimental study was conducted at Department of Pharmacology, ISRA University Hyderabad during July 2011 to November 2011. A total of 45 rabbits were divided into three groups consisting of 15 animals in each group A, B and C. Each group was further divided into three sub groups. Sub groups (A1,B1 and C1) received treatment for one week. Sub groups (A2, B2 and C2) received treatment for two weeks. Sub groups (A3, B3 and C3) received treatment for three weeks. The animals in group A (control) received normal saline. The animals in group B were treated with carbon tetrachloride. The animals in group C were treated with carbon tetrachloride and Nigella sativa. Result: In present study sinusoidal congestion, periportal inflammation, kupffer cell hyperplasia, steatosis, necrosis and fibrosis were seen in carbon tetrachloride intoxicated rabbits. These findings were less marked in rabbits treated with Nigella sativa. Conclusion: This study showed the hepatoprotective effects of Nigella sativa in carbon tetrachloride induced hepatotoxicity.&nbsp

Microencapsulation of fish oil using Hydroxypropyl methylcellulose as a carrier material by spray drying

Spray drying is an important method in the food industry for the production of encapsulated oil to improve the handling and flow properties of the powder. In this study, the effect of mixture of polymers on the encapsulation of fish oil by spray drying was investigated. Fish oil powder were produced using different ratios of mixtures of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) 15 cps and HPMC 5 cps. Scanning electron microscopy and the amount of extracted oil from the surface revealed that the formulation containing high concentration of polymer mixture provided the highest protective and prolonged effect on the covering of fish oil. The particle sizes of less than 60 μm were obtained for all the formulations. The powder density was very suitable, which improves the flowability of the powder. Microencapsulation efficiency (69.16–74.75%) and surface morphology of encapsulated oil showed that the stability was increased and hence increased its acceptability as alternative primary polymers

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Empirical Investigation on Blockchain Interoperability

With the emerging employment of blockchains in different fields a need for blockchain intercommunication has arisen but there is no set standard yet for blockchain development, adoption and implementation due to which its interoperability has become a challenge. Interoperability refers to the mechanism of exchange and utilization of information between two software or computer systems etc. In blockchain, interoperability is the process of data creation, transfer and storage between two blockchains or blockchain applications. Blockchain interoperability is complex as every blockchain may have a different implementation platform and protocol for consensus mechanism. Bringing together two different blockchains and enabling communication between them without modifying their underlying implementation structure is a challenge today. There has been ongoing research in this domain to achieve interoperability in blockchains effectively. Its importance is evident from the fact that blockchain interoperability is vital for promoting scalability which is another research challenge presently. Apart from this, blockchain interoperability also promotes data privacy, application flexibility and portability and provides new opportunities in business. In this paper we have discussed in detail the three approaches and the solutions they provide for implementing blockchain interoperability. An empirical based analysis has been used to strengthen our methodology, which takes into consideration the selection of known & established blockchain network with state-of-the-art tools and technology. In order to have seamless communication across different chains, light clients (representing the respective chain) have been enabled to store each other’s information such as protocol version etc. In this way, the handshake between both the chain has resulted in a successful IBC (Inter Blockchain Communication) inside the Cosmos environment. It is concluded that although blockchain interoperability is being implemented today, this implementation is highly restricted to specific organizations or software tools. Moreover interoperability between two different blockchains is still an ongoing challenge. This study will assist the future work in the domain of blockchain interoperability as it makes the understanding and implementation of blockchain interoperability easier