scholarly journals Estimation of Particulate Levels Using Deep Dehazing Network and Temporal Prior

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
SeHee Jung ◽  
SungMin Yang ◽  
Eunseok Lee ◽  
YongHak Lee ◽  
Jisun Ko ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Predictive Model ◽  
Present Method ◽  
Predictive Power ◽  
Digital Images ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Image Sequences ◽  
Particulate Matters ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Temporal Effects

Particulate matters (PM) have become one of the important pollutants that deteriorate public health. Since PM is ubiquitous in the atmosphere, it is closely related to life quality in many different ways. Thus, a system to accurately monitor PM in diverse environments is imperative. Previous studies using digital images have relied on individual atmospheric images, not benefiting from both spatial and temporal effects of image sequences. This weakness led to undermining predictive power. To address this drawback, we propose a predictive model using the deep dehazing cascaded CNN and temporal priors. The temporal prior accommodates instantaneous visual moves and estimates PM concentration from residuals between the original and dehazed images. The present method also provides, as by-product, high-quality dehazed image sequences superior to the nontemporal methods. The improvements are supported by various experiments under a range of simulation scenarios and assessments using standard metrics.

scholarly journals Mask-Ematics: Modeling the Effects of Masks in COVID-19 Transmission in High-Risk Environments

Epidemiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-226
Author(s):  
Anthony Morciglio ◽  
Bin Zhang ◽  
Gerardo Chowell ◽  
James M. Hyman ◽  
Yi Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Large Fraction ◽  
Critical Mass ◽  
Transmission Model ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Moderate Quality ◽  
Epidemic Size

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an unprecedented burden on public health and strained the worldwide economy. The rapid spread of COVID-19 has been predominantly driven by aerosol transmission, and scientific research supports the use of face masks to reduce transmission. However, a systematic and quantitative understanding of how face masks reduce disease transmission is still lacking. We used epidemic data from the Diamond Princess cruise ship to calibrate a transmission model in a high-risk setting and derive the reproductive number for the model. We explain how the terms in the reproductive number reflect the contributions of the different infectious states to the spread of the infection. We used that model to compare the infection spread within a homogeneously mixed population for different types of masks, the timing of mask policy, and compliance of wearing masks. Our results suggest substantial reductions in epidemic size and mortality rate provided by at least 75% of people wearing masks (robust for different mask types). We also evaluated the timing of the mask implementation. We illustrate how ample compliance with moderate-quality masks at the start of an epidemic attained similar mortality reductions to less compliance and the use of high-quality masks after the epidemic took off. We observed that a critical mass of 84% of the population wearing masks can completely stop the spread of the disease. These results highlight the significance of a large fraction of the population needing to wear face masks to effectively reduce the spread of the epidemic. The simulations show that early implementation of mask policy using moderate-quality masks is more effective than a later implementation with high-quality masks. These findings may inform public health mask-use policies for an infectious respiratory disease outbreak (such as one of COVID-19) in high-risk settings.

scholarly journals Evaluating the accuracy of Listeria monocytogenes assemblies from quasimetagenomic samples using long and short reads

BMC Genomics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seth Commichaux ◽  
Kiran Javkar ◽  
Padmini Ramachandran ◽  
Niranjan Nagarajan ◽  
Denis Bertrand ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Public Health Response ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Short Read ◽  
Short Reads ◽  
The Core ◽  
Long Reads ◽  
Health Response ◽  
Long Read ◽  
Core Genes

Abstract Background Whole genome sequencing of cultured pathogens is the state of the art public health response for the bioinformatic source tracking of illness outbreaks. Quasimetagenomics can substantially reduce the amount of culturing needed before a high quality genome can be recovered. Highly accurate short read data is analyzed for single nucleotide polymorphisms and multi-locus sequence types to differentiate strains but cannot span many genomic repeats, resulting in highly fragmented assemblies. Long reads can span repeats, resulting in much more contiguous assemblies, but have lower accuracy than short reads. Results We evaluated the accuracy of Listeria monocytogenes assemblies from enrichments (quasimetagenomes) of naturally-contaminated ice cream using long read (Oxford Nanopore) and short read (Illumina) sequencing data. Accuracy of ten assembly approaches, over a range of sequencing depths, was evaluated by comparing sequence similarity of genes in assemblies to a complete reference genome. Long read assemblies reconstructed a circularized genome as well as a 71 kbp plasmid after 24 h of enrichment; however, high error rates prevented high fidelity gene assembly, even at 150X depth of coverage. Short read assemblies accurately reconstructed the core genes after 28 h of enrichment but produced highly fragmented genomes. Hybrid approaches demonstrated promising results but had biases based upon the initial assembly strategy. Short read assemblies scaffolded with long reads accurately assembled the core genes after just 24 h of enrichment, but were highly fragmented. Long read assemblies polished with short reads reconstructed a circularized genome and plasmid and assembled all the genes after 24 h enrichment but with less fidelity for the core genes than the short read assemblies. Conclusion The integration of long and short read sequencing of quasimetagenomes expedited the reconstruction of a high quality pathogen genome compared to either platform alone. A new and more complete level of information about genome structure, gene order and mobile elements can be added to the public health response by incorporating long read analyses with the standard short read WGS outbreak response.

scholarly journals Working towards evidence-informed policy: Public health report Stockholm

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
V Bartelink ◽  
D Yacaman Mendez ◽  
A Lager
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Scientific Literature ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Public Health Report ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Report ◽  
High Quality Evidence ◽  
Quality Evidence

Abstract Issue Public health problems and interventions are often addressed in sub-optimal ways by not prioritizing them based on the best available evidence. Description of the Problem The public health report 2019 for the Stockholm region aims to inform decision makers, politicians, and public health workers about the risk factors and diseases that account for the biggest part of the burden of disease with a clear focus on high quality evidence and communication of main messages. How did the public health report 2019 affect public health policy in the Stockholm region? Results The public health report 2019 influenced agenda setting, resource allocation and priority setting in the Stockholm region. Lessons We identified the following facilitating factors in the process, of which most also are supported in scientific literature, in chronological order: 1) understanding the policymaking context to be aware of windows of opportunity, 2) establishing relationships with relevant policymakers, engage with them routinely in the decision-making process, and being accessible for questions, 3) doing high-quality research by considering the latest scientific literature, multiple data sources and involving academic experts in the field, 4) communicating clear and relevant messages for generalists by translating research into easy-understandable texts and attractive figures, and 5) active dissemination of the report through multiple channels. In addition, the following barriers were identified: 1) the timeframe of the policymaking process was not in line with the research process, and 2) involving politicians in an early stage can potentially harm the objectivity of research in media messages. Key messages By focussing on major problems, high quality evidence and clear messages a public health report can contribute to more evidence-informed policy making. Engaging decision makers in the process of public health reporting is critical for the impact on agenda setting, resource allocation, and priority setting.

A Combined Global Coarsening Method for 3D Multigrid Applications

2012 ◽  
Vol 236-237 ◽  
pp. 1049-1053
Author(s):  
Zong Zhe Li ◽  
Zheng Hua Wang ◽  
Lu Yao ◽  
Wei Cao
Keyword(s):  
Aspect Ratio ◽  
Present Method ◽  
Unstructured Grid ◽  
Unstructured Grids ◽  
Coarse Grid ◽  
3D Flow ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Coarse Grids

An automatic agglomeration methodology to generate coarse grids for 3D flow solutions on anisotropic unstructured grids has been introduced in this paper. The algorithm combines isotropic octree based coarsening and anisotropic directional agglomeration to yield a desired coarsening ratio and high quality of coarse grids, which developed for cell-centered multigrid applications. This coarsening strategy developed is presented on an unstructured grid over 3D ONERA M6 wing. It is shown that the present method provides suitable coarsening ratio and well defined aspect ratio cells at all coarse grid levels.

Developing High Quality Public Health Services Across the Union That Are Equally Accessible to All

2018 ◽  
pp. 1924-1947
Author(s):  
Androutsou Lorena ◽  
Androutsou Foulvia
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Member State ◽  
Health Systems ◽  
Quality Standards ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Public Health Services ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Public ◽  
European Health

Health systems are facing greater demands and challenges. Access to all with high-quality standards has been a key challenge for the European health systems, however, they are engaged to take care of the rights of those in need. This article aims to identify public health areas and values. It offers many opportunities to help policy and decision makers to write “policy briefs” and to clearly outline the rationale for action. It will pursuit to enhance local capacities and skills to plan, implement, evaluate and sustain system improvements. There is a need both at Member State and European levels to support the public health services to shape the future of health and healthcare.

scholarly journals Morphological Characteristics of Dimples of Ductile Fracture of VT23M Titanium Alloy and Identification of Dimples on Fractograms of Different Scale

Materials ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 2051 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ihor Konovalenko ◽  
Pavlo Maruschak ◽  
Janette Brezinová ◽  
Jozef Brezina
Keyword(s):  
Titanium Alloy ◽  
Ductile Fracture ◽  
Digital Images ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Automated Detection ◽  
Fracture Mechanisms ◽  
Test Results ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Quality Requirements ◽  
Shape And Size

The authors developed a method for the automated detection and calculation of quantitative parameters of dimples of ductile fracture on the digital images of fracture surfaces obtained at different scales. The processing algorithm of fractographic images was proposed, which allowed high quality recognition of the shape and size of dimples to be achieved, taking into account the morphological features of their digital images. The developed method for identifying dimples of various physical and morphological characteristics was tested on the VT23M alloy. The test results showed that the method meets the quality requirements for the automated diagnostics of fracture mechanisms of titanium alloys.

scholarly journals Moving equilibria in the public health care sector: A low-quality trap and a resolution

2006 ◽  
Vol 2006 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmet Kara
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Policy Option ◽  
Health Care Sector ◽  
Public Health Care ◽  
High Quality ◽  
The Public ◽  
Health Care Institutions ◽  
High Welfare ◽  
Over Time

This paper demonstrates the existence, in a particular subset of the Turkish public health care sector, of equilibria moving towards a low-quality trap over time. The dynamics of the movement in question hinges, in part, on the socially necessary but demographically asymmetric burden, on some public health care institutions, of providing affordable health care to certain sections of the population. The paper formulates a policy option that could help the sector to escape the trap, moving the sector towards high quality-high welfare equilibria.

scholarly journals A Perception-Driven Transcale Display Scheme for Space Image Sequences

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Lingling Zi ◽  
Xin Cong ◽  
Yanfei Peng ◽  
Pei Yang
Keyword(s):  
Rapid Development ◽  
Visual Saliency ◽  
Image Sequences ◽  
Image Resolution ◽  
Frame Rate ◽  
Multimedia Technology ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Target Trajectory ◽  
Rate Conversion ◽  
Space Image

With the rapid development of multimedia technology, the way of obtaining high-quality motion reproduction for space targets has attracted much attention in recent years. This paper proposes a Perception-driven Transcale Display Scheme, which significantly improves the awareness of multimedia processing. This new scheme contains two important modules, transcale description based on visual saliency and perception-driven display of space image sequences. The former concentrates on describing the transcle feature of space targets, including three algorithms, attention region computing, frame rate conversion, and image resolution resizing. On this basis, the latter focuses on high-quality display of space movements under different scales, including three algorithms, namely, target trajectory computing, space transcale display, and space movement display. Extensive quantitative and qualitative experimental evaluations demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Understanding Actinides through the Role of 5f Electrons

MRS Bulletin ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 684-688 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Gouder ◽  
F. Wastin ◽  
J. Rebizant ◽  
G.H. Lander
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Power ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Nuclear Fuels ◽  
High Quality ◽  
High Quality Data ◽  
Long Term Storage ◽  
5F Electrons ◽  
Term Storage

Studies of the actinide elements and compounds were (and are) motivated by the need to characterize their structural and thermodynamic properties for the development of nuclear fuels and the treatment of waste, whether it be for long-term storage or ideas involving transmutation in high-powered accelerators. For the most part, tables giving these data exist, although the data for transuranium compounds are rather sparse. A much more difficult task is to understand the data and develop theories that have predictive power in this part of the periodic table. In doing this, however, we are confronted with the extremely complicated electronic structure of the 5f shell and the great paucity of high-quality data on materials containing transuranium isotopes.

scholarly journals The Impact of Edentulism on Oral and General Health

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elham Emami ◽  
Raphael Freitas de Souza ◽  
Marla Kabawat ◽  
Jocelyne S. Feine
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
General Health ◽  
Chronic Condition ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Major Public Health Problem ◽  
Preventive Dentistry ◽  
Disease Indicators ◽  
The Impact

An adequate dentition is of importance for well-being and life quality. Despite advances in preventive dentistry, edentulism is still a major public health problem worldwide. In this narrative review, we provide a perspective on the pathways that link oral to general health. A better understanding of disease indicators is necessary for establishing a solid strategy through an organized oral health care system to prevent and treat this morbid chronic condition.

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