Determining the similarity of deformable shapes

Determining the similarity of two shapes is a significant task in both machine and human vision systems that must recognize or classify objects. The exact properties of human shape similarity judgements are not well understood yet, and this task is particularly difficult in domains where the shapes are not related by rigid transformation. In this paper we identify a number of possibly desirable properties of a shape similarity method, and determine the extent to which these properties can be captured by approaches that compare local properties of the contours of the shapes, through elastic matching. Special attention is devoted to objects that possess articulations, i.e. articulated parts. Elastic matching evaluates the similarity of two shapes as the sum of local deformations needed to change one shape into another. We show that similarities of part structure can be captured by such an approach, without the explicit computation of part structure. This may be of importance, since although parts appear to play a significant role in visual recognition, it is difficult to stably determine part structure. We also show novel results about how one can evaluate smooth and polyhedral shapes with the same method. Finally, we describe shape similarity effects that cannot be handled by current approaches.

The role of convexity in perceptual completion: beyond good continuation

Since the seminal work of the Gestalt psychologists, there has been great interest in understanding what factors determine the perceptual organization of images. While the Gestaltists demonstrated the significance of grouping cues such as similarity, proximity and good continuation, it has not been well understood whether their catalog of grouping cues is complete--in part due to the paucity of effective methodologies for examining the significance of various grouping cues. We describe a novel, objective method to study perceptual grouping of planar regions separated by an occluder. We demonstrate that the stronger the grouping between two such regions, the harder it will be to resolve their relative stereoscopic depth. We use this new method to call into question many existing theories of perceptual completion (Ullman, S. (1976). Biological Cybernetics, 25, 1-6; Shashua, A., & Ullman, S. (1988). 2nd International Conference on Computer Vision (pp. 321-327); Parent, P., & Zucker, S. (1989). IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence, 11, 823-839; Kellman, P. J., & Shipley, T. F. (1991). Cognitive psychology, Liveright, New York; Heitger, R., & von der Heydt, R. (1993). A computational model of neural contour processing, figure-ground segregation and illusory contours. In Internal Conference Computer Vision (pp. 32-40); Mumford, D. (1994). Algebraic geometry and its applications, Springer, New York; Williams, L. R., & Jacobs, D. W. (1997). Neural Computation, 9, 837-858) that are based on Gestalt grouping cues by demonstrating that convexity plays a strong role in perceptual completion. In some cases convexity dominates the effects of the well known Gestalt cue of good continuation. While convexity has been known to play a role in figure/ground segmentation (Rubin, 1927; Kanizsa & Gerbino, 1976), this is the first demonstration of its importance in perceptual completion.

Analysis of structural polypeptides of the lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) of turkeys

The polypeptide composition of the lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) of turkeys was shown to comprise several polypeptides with apparent molecular weights of 76, 31, 28, 20 and 15 kDa. This polypeptide pattern is distinctly different from the protein profiles of avian leukosis viruses, reticuloendotheliosis virus, or murine leukemia viruses. Moreover, LPD virions contain 2 major structural proteins (p31 and p28), in contrast to only one major internal protein present in most other retroviruses. The 76 kDa protein was established as the major viral envelope glycoprotein. The uniqueness of the LPDV polypeptide pattern is consistent with the lack of genetic relatedness of LPDV genome to other retroviruses, establishing LPDV as a representative of a distinct group of retroviridae.

Sleep duration, sleep quality and the risk of being obese: Evidence from the Australian panel survey

BACKGROUND

Sleep difficulty is an unmet public health concern affecting a vast proportion of the world's population. Poor sleep duration (short or long sleep length) and quality affect more than half of older people. Sleep difficulty is associated with negative health outcomes such as obesity and reduced longevity. We aimed to assess whether poor sleep duration and quality are significant risk factors for obesity in adults aged 15 and over in Australia by examining a nationally representative panel data.

METHODS

We used three waves (waves 13, 17, and 21) of the nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) survey data. The study applied generalized estimating equations (GEE) logistic regression model to assess the relationship between sleep duration and quality with obesity.

RESULTS

The study found that the odds of being obese was significantly higher amongst the study participants with poor sleep duration (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-1.32) and poor sleep quality (aOR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.02-1.38) compared with their counterparts who had good sleep duration and quality, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Having short or long sleep at night and poor sleep quality are associated with an increased risk of obesity. Obesity poses a significant threat to the health of Australian adults. Enacting policies that raise public awareness of the significance of good sleep hygiene and encouraging healthy sleeping habits should be considered to address the alarming rise in the obesity rate.

Midwife-led pandemic telemedicine services for maternal health and gender-based violence screening in Bangladesh: an implementation research case study

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted maternal and newborn health services in Bangladesh, exacerbating the large gaps in service utilization that existed prior to the pandemic. As part of its response, Bangladesh initiated remote antenatal and postnatal care telemedicine services led by midwives in 36 sub-district hospitals across five of Bangladesh's 64 districts. Gender-based violence screening and referral were integrated into the service to address a reported rise in violence following the country's pandemic lockdown.

METHODS

Mixed-methods implementation research was used to develop an intrinsic case study describing the design and implementation of the telemedicine program. Qualitative analysis comprised document review, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions. Quantitative analysis employed an interrupted time series analysis with segmented multi-variate regression to compare maternity care service use trends before and after implementation. Poisson regression analysis was used to examine the trend in number of gender-based violence remote screenings, sessions held, and cases identified.

RESULTS

A statistically significant change in trend for onsite antenatal and postpartum care as well as women seeking care at the hospital as a result of postpartum hemorrhage arising in the community was observed following the introduction of telemedicine. Facility births and cases of eclampsia appropriately identified and managed also had significant increases. In addition, over 6917 women were screened for GBV, 223 received counseling and 34 referrals were made, showing a statistically significant increase in frequency over time following the implementation of the telemedicine program. Challenges included that not all midwives adopted GBV screening, some women were reluctant to discuss GBV, there was an unanticipated need to introduce a patient visit scheduling system in all intervention hospitals, and many women were not reachable by phone due to lack of access or network coverage.

CONCLUSIONS

Maternal health and gender-based violence telemedicine led by midwives was an effective, low-cost intervention in Bangladesh for addressing pandemic and pre-pandemic gaps in service use. Other low and middle-income countries planning to implement remote maternal health interventions via midwives should consider whether a patient visit scheduling system needs to be introduced, as well as limitations around mobile phone access and connectivity. Future research should include care quality oversight and improvement, and a more well-informed strategy for facilitating effective GBV screening.

The Estimation of Health State Utility Values for Psychological Distress in Australia: Implications for Future Economic Evaluations

OBJECTIVES

Psychological distress is a state of emotional suffering and discomfort that often manifests as anxiety, depression, or other mental health symptoms, impairing daily functioning and hindering concentration, relationships, and work or school performance. We aimed to examine the disutility associated with psychological distress.

METHODS

We used longitudinal data obtained from the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey. We measured health state utility values (HSUVs) using the Short-Form 6-Dimension (SF-6D) Utility Index and psychological distress using the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale. We used longitudinal fixed-effects regression model to examine the effects of psychological distress on HSUVs.

RESULTS

The results from fixed-effects panel regression models indicate a negative effect of psychological distress on HSUVs. We found that moderate psychological distress (β = -0.057, 95% CI -0.059 to -0.055) and high psychological distress (β = -0.123, 95% CI -0.126 to -0.121) led to a significant reduction in HSUVs. These findings hold across different subsamples, such as age, gender, and race.

CONCLUSIONS

By quantifying the reduction in HSUVs due to psychological distress, our study provides valuable data for future economic evaluations of healthcare interventions. The evidence generated from future economic evaluations will assist policymakers in making informed decisions about the cost-effective interventions for treating psychological distress.

Characterization of multidrug and heavy metal resistance of carbapenemases producing Klebsiella pneumoniae from poultry samples in Bangladesh

BACKGROUND

Resistance to multiple drugs in Klebsiella pneumoniae (KPN) is an important issue in human and animal medicine. KPN phenotypic and genotypic aspects in poultry samples have not been comprehensively explored in Bangladesh.

METHODS

This research focused on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance and the characterization of KPN in Bangladeshi poultry isolates using both phenotypic and genotypic approaches.

RESULTS

A total of 32 poultry samples were randomly obtained from a commercial poultry farm in Narsingdi, Bangladesh, and 43.90% (18/41) of the isolates were confirmed to be KPN, whereas all isolates were biofilm producers. The antibiotic sensitivity test revealed the most remarkable (100%) antibiotic resistance level against Ampicillin, Doxycycline and Tetracycline while remaining susceptible to Doripenem, Meropenem, Cefoxitin and Polymyxin B. Resistance to Nalidixic acid, Nitrofurantoin, Trimethoprim, Levofloxacin, Ciprofloxacin, Cefuroxime and Chloramphenicol ranges from 18% to 70%. Minimum inhibitory concentrations for carbapenem-resistant KPN ranged from 128 to 512 g/mL for Meropenem, Imipenem, Gentamycin and Ciprofloxacin, respectively. Carbapenemase-producing KPN isolates harboured a single or multiple β-lactamase genes, bla_SIM-1 , bla_IMP-4 and bla_OXA-48 as well as one ESBL gene (bla_TEM ) and plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance gene (qnrB). Furthermore, Cr and Co outperformed Cu and Zn in antibacterial effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this investigation showed that the high prevalence of multidrug-resistant pathogenic KPN in our chosen geographic location had displayed sensitivity to FOX/PB/Cr/Co, which might be regarded as an alternate treatment to reduce pressure of use on carbapenems.

Psychological distress and productivity loss: a longitudinal analysis of Australian working adults

By 2030, it is anticipated that poor mental health will cost the global economy approximately $6 trillion per year, primarily due to productivity loss. It is crucial to understand how psychological distress contributes to productivity loss in the workplace. We aim to investigate the relationship between psychological distress and productivity loss in the Australian working population. We utilized eight waves of longitudinal data drawn from the Household, Income, and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey (waves 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19, and 21). We compiled an unbalanced panel data set comprising 70,973 person-year observations from 18,729 unique working adults. We used Fixed-effects Poisson regression and Fixed-effects logistic regression models to investigate the within-person differences in the relationship between psychological distress and productivity loss (measured through sickness absence, presenteeism, and underemployment). We found that moderate and high psychological distress is associated with a higher rate of sickness absence, presenteeism, and underemployment when a working adult shifted from low psychological distress after controlling socio-demographic, health, and employment-related characteristics. Our study demonstrated that moderate to high psychological distress adversely affected employees' job productivity through increased sickness absence, a higher likelihood of presenteeism, and greater levels of underemployment. Our findings also revealed that employees with moderate and high psychological distress incurred additional annual sickness absence costs of AUD 60.66 and AUD 99.26, respectively, compared to peers with low psychological distress. Additionally, our study found that employees with moderate and high levels of psychological distress experienced significantly higher levels of presenteeism, which resulted in additional annual costs of AUD 1,166.30 and AUD 3,656.05, respectively, compared to their counterparts with low psychological distress. Psychological distress imposed significant costs on Australian workplaces. Implementing workplace health promotion programs should be prioritized as a policy to address psychological distress among employees, enhance their well-being, and improve overall productivity.

Vibrio cholerae O47 associated with a cholera-like diarrheal outbreak concurrent with seasonal cholera in Bangladesh

The Ganges delta of the Bay of Bengal is a recognized hotspot for the emergence and spread of novel variants of Vibrio cholerae. Despite being a diverse species, very little information is available concerning environmental and human-associated aspects of V. cholerae serogroups, other than the two major epidemic-related serogroups O1 and O139. This represents a crucial gap in understanding the spectrum of diversity, ecology, and epidemiology of the species influencing the dynamics of global cholera. In this study, we describe an emerging variant of V. cholerae displaying the antigenic property of serogroup O47, associated with a cholera-like outbreak in coastal Bangladesh where cholera has been endemic for centuries. This outbreak coincides with a rise in cases of cholera caused by V. cholerae O1, as well as frequency of isolation of serogroups O47 and O1 from the environment. The V. cholerae O47 isolates proved clonal in nature, and their genome biology revealed distinct features, with respect to multidrug resistance (MDR), serogroup-specific genes, genomic island combinations, and overall phylogenetic properties. Genome comparison confirmed the absence of canonical virulence factors of V. cholerae O1 and O139, namely, cholera toxin (CTX) and toxin-co-regulated pili (TCP), and the presence of putative virulence factors including type 3 secretion system (T3SS) and an MDR pseudo-compound transposon, carrying genes for macrolide resistance and extended spectrum beta-lactamase. Results of the study suggest that V. cholerae O47 could represent an emerging Vibrio pathogen with the potential to spread virulence and antimicrobial resistance traits impacting the management of cholera-like diseases.IMPORTANCEDespite the global insurgence of human diseases caused by Vibrios in recent years, most research focuses only on the O1 serogroup of V. cholerae, leaving a significant gap concerning the environmental and human-associated aspects of other serogroups found in nature. Although other serogroups are often found associated with sporadic diarrhea cases, in 1992-1993, a massive cholera-like diarrhea epidemic was initiated by a "non-O1" serogroup, namely, O139 that temporally displaced O1 from endemic cholera in the Bay of Bengal villages of Bangladesh and India, highlighting the potential threat they might pose. This study describes yet another emerging variant of V. cholerae, displaying the antigenic property of serogroup O47, associated with a cholera-like outbreak in a coastal locality in Bangladesh. Findings of the study offer critical insights into the genome biology of V. cholerae O47 and its potential implications for understanding their ecology and epidemiology of cholera-like diseases.