3,493 research outputs found
Temporal Model Adaptation for Person Re-Identification
Person re-identification is an open and challenging problem in computer
vision. Majority of the efforts have been spent either to design the best
feature representation or to learn the optimal matching metric. Most approaches
have neglected the problem of adapting the selected features or the learned
model over time. To address such a problem, we propose a temporal model
adaptation scheme with human in the loop. We first introduce a
similarity-dissimilarity learning method which can be trained in an incremental
fashion by means of a stochastic alternating directions methods of multipliers
optimization procedure. Then, to achieve temporal adaptation with limited human
effort, we exploit a graph-based approach to present the user only the most
informative probe-gallery matches that should be used to update the model.
Results on three datasets have shown that our approach performs on par or even
better than state-of-the-art approaches while reducing the manual pairwise
labeling effort by about 80%
Vectorial Control of Magnetization by Light
Coherent light-matter interactions have recently extended their applications
to the ultrafast control of magnetization in solids. An important but
unrealized technique is the manipulation of magnetization vector motion to make
it follow an arbitrarily designed multi-dimensional trajectory. Furthermore,
for its realization, the phase and amplitude of degenerate modes need to be
steered independently. A promising method is to employ Raman-type nonlinear
optical processes induced by femtosecond laser pulses, where magnetic
oscillations are induced impulsively with a controlled initial phase and an
azimuthal angle that follows well defined selection rules determined by the
materials' symmetries. Here, we emphasize the fact that temporal variation of
the polarization angle of the laser pulses enables us to distinguish between
the two degenerate modes. A full manipulation of two-dimensional magnetic
oscillations is demonstrated in antiferromagnetic NiO by employing a pair of
polarization-twisted optical pulses. These results have lead to a new concept
of vectorial control of magnetization by light
Effects of a 1-Week Inpatient Course Including Information, Physical Activity, and Group Sessions for Prostate Cancer Patients
This study aims to explore the effects of a 1-week inpatient course including information, physical activity (PA), and group sessions on physical and mental health-related outcomes for prostate cancer (PCa) patients. Further to assess the patientsâ satisfaction with the course. PCa patients completed a questionnaire assessing PA, fatigue, mental distress, and quality of life 1Â month before (T0) and 3Â months after (T1) the course. Total fatigue, physical fatigue, and PSA anxiety decreased significantly from T0 to T1. No significant changes were observed in the other measures. The majority of the participants were satisfied with the course. In spite of minor reductions in fatigue and PSA anxiety and satisfied patients, the findings indicate that a 1-week inpatient course does not influence substantially on most of the health-related outcomes in PCa patients 3Â months after the course
A systematic review of biomarkers for disease progression in Parkinson's disease
Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Towards learning and verifying invariants of cyber-physical systems by code mutation
Cyber-physical systems (CPS), which integrate algorithmic control with
physical processes, often consist of physically distributed components
communicating over a network. A malfunctioning or compromised component in such
a CPS can lead to costly consequences, especially in the context of public
infrastructure. In this short paper, we argue for the importance of
constructing invariants (or models) of the physical behaviour exhibited by CPS,
motivated by their applications to the control, monitoring, and attestation of
components. To achieve this despite the inherent complexity of CPS, we propose
a new technique for learning invariants that combines machine learning with
ideas from mutation testing. We present a preliminary study on a water
treatment system that suggests the efficacy of this approach, propose
strategies for establishing confidence in the correctness of invariants, then
summarise some research questions and the steps we are taking to investigate
them.Comment: Short paper accepted by the 21st International Symposium on Formal
Methods (FM 2016
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Feasibility of use of the anxiety thermometer in antenatal services
Of the 102 women approached, 101 (99%) completed the anxiety thermometer (AnxT). The women were aged between 22â44 years (mean age 34.5 years); about half were primigravida and half multigravida. Almost two-thirds rated their current anxiety as four or above out of a maximum of 10. The most frequently reported concern was health of baby, followed by fears and worries, tiredness, and sleep problems. The high participation rate suggests that the AnxT can be developed to screen anxiety and elicit perinatal and related concerns to facilitate consultation and appropriate triaging. The problem checklist was refined based on the current results
Cancer cells exploit an orphan RNA to drive metastatic progression.
Here we performed a systematic search to identify breast-cancer-specific small noncoding RNAs, which we have collectively termed orphan noncoding RNAs (oncRNAs). We subsequently discovered that one of these oncRNAs, which originates from the 3' end of TERC, acts as a regulator of gene expression and is a robust promoter of breast cancer metastasis. This oncRNA, which we have named T3p, exerts its prometastatic effects by acting as an inhibitor of RISC complex activity and increasing the expression of the prometastatic genes NUPR1 and PANX2. Furthermore, we have shown that oncRNAs are present in cancer-cell-derived extracellular vesicles, raising the possibility that these circulating oncRNAs may also have a role in non-cell autonomous disease pathogenesis. Additionally, these circulating oncRNAs present a novel avenue for cancer fingerprinting using liquid biopsies
Spatially Explicit Data: Stewardship and Ethical Challenges in Science
Scholarly communication is at an unprecedented turning point created in part by the increasing saliency of data stewardship and data sharing. Formal data management plans represent a new emphasis in research, enabling access to data at higher volumes and more quickly, and the potential for replication and augmentation of existing research. Data sharing has recently transformed the practice, scope, content, and applicability of research in several disciplines, in particular in relation to spatially specific data. This lends exciting potentiality, but the most effective ways in which to implement such changes, particularly for disciplines involving human subjects and other sensitive information, demand consideration. Data management plans, stewardship, and sharing, impart distinctive technical, sociological, and ethical challenges that remain to be adequately identified and remedied. Here, we consider these and propose potential solutions for their amelioration
Anthropometric indices of Gambian children after one or three annual rounds of mass drug administration with azithromycin for trachoma control.
BACKGROUND: Mass drug administration (MDA) with azithromycin, carried out for the control of blinding trachoma, has been linked to reduced mortality in children. While the mechanism behind this reduction is unclear, it may be due, in part, to improved nutritional status via a potential reduction in the community burden of infectious disease. To determine whether MDA with azithromycin improves anthropometric indices at the community level, we measured the heights and weights of children aged 1 to 4 years in communities where one (single MDA arm) or three annual rounds (annual MDA arm) of azithromycin had been distributed. METHODS: Data collection took place three years after treatment in the single MDA arm and one year after the final round of treatment in the annual MDA arm. Mean height-for-age, weight-for-age and weight-for-height z scores were compared between treatment arms. RESULTS: No significant differences in mean height-for-age, weight-for-age or weight-for-height z scores were found between the annual MDA and single MDA arms, nor was there a significant reduction in prevalence of stunting, wasting or underweight between arms. CONCLUSIONS: Our data do not provide evidence that community MDA with azithromycin improved anthropometric outcomes of children in The Gambia. This may suggest reductions in mortality associated with azithromycin MDA are due to a mechanism other than improved nutritional status
Nightly treatment of primary insomnia with prolonged release melatonin for 6 months: a randomized placebo controlled trial on age and endogenous melatonin as predictors of efficacy and safety
<p>Background: Melatonin is extensively used in the USA in a non-regulated manner for sleep disorders. Prolonged release melatonin (PRM) is licensed in Europe and other countries for the short term treatment of primary insomnia in patients aged 55 years and over. However, a clear definition of the target patient population and well-controlled studies of long-term efficacy and safety are lacking. It is known that melatonin production declines with age. Some young insomnia patients also may have low melatonin levels. The study investigated whether older age or low melatonin excretion is a better predictor of response to PRM, whether the efficacy observed in short-term studies is sustained during continued treatment and the long term safety of such treatment.</p>
<p>Methods: Adult outpatients (791, aged 18-80 years) with primary insomnia, were treated with placebo (2 weeks) and then randomized, double-blind to 3 weeks with PRM or placebo nightly. PRM patients continued whereas placebo completers were re-randomized 1:1 to PRM or placebo for 26 weeks with 2 weeks of single-blind placebo run-out. Main outcome measures were sleep latency derived from a sleep diary, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Quality of Life (World Health Organzaton-5) Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I) and adverse effects and vital signs recorded at each visit.</p>
<p>Results: On the primary efficacy variable, sleep latency, the effects of PRM (3 weeks) in patients with low endogenous melatonin (6-sulphatoxymelatonin [6-SMT] â¤8 Îźg/night) regardless of age did not differ from the placebo, whereas PRM significantly reduced sleep latency compared to the placebo in elderly patients regardless of melatonin levels (-19.1 versus -1.7 min; P = 0.002). The effects on sleep latency and additional sleep and daytime parameters that improved with PRM were maintained or enhanced over the 6-month period with no signs of tolerance. Most adverse events were mild in severity with no clinically relevant differences between PRM and placebo for any safety outcome.</p>
<p>Conclusions: The results demonstrate short- and long-term efficacy and safety of PRM in elderly insomnia patients. Low melatonin production regardless of age is not useful in predicting responses to melatonin therapy in insomnia. The age cut-off for response warrants further investigation.</p>
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