Accommodating the multi-state constraint Kalman filter for visual-inertial navigation in a moving and stationary flight

For more than a decade, the multi-state constraint Kalman filter is used for visual-inertial navigation. Its advantages are the light-weight calculations, consistency, and similarity to the current mature GPS/INS Kalman filters. For using it in an airborne platform, an important deficiency exists. It diverges while the object stops moving. In this work, this deficiency is accounted for, by changing the state augmentation and measurement update policy from a time-based to horizontal travel-based scheme, and by reusing the oldest tracked point over and over. Besides the computational savings, it works infinitely with no extra errors in full-stops and with minor error build up in very low speeds.

Evaluating the performance characteristics of different antimicrobial susceptibility testing methodologies for testing susceptibility of gram-negative bacteria to tigecycline

Background The current emergence of multi-drug resistance among nosocomial pathogens has led to increased use of last-resort agents including Tigecycline (TGC). Availability of reliable methods for testing TGC susceptibility is crucial to accurately predict clinical outcomes. We evaluated the influence of different methodologies and type of media on TGC susceptibility of different gram-negative bacteria of clinical origin. Methods The TGC susceptibility of 84 clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae (n = 29), Escherichia coli (n = 30), and Acinetobacter baumannii (n = 25) was tested by broth microdilution (BMD), Etest, agar dilution (AD) and disk diffusion (DD) methods using Mueller Hinton agar from Difco and Mueller Hinton broth (MHB) from two different manufacturers (Difco and Condalab). FDA TGC susceptibility breakpoints issued for Enterobacteriaceae were used for interpretation of the results. Results MICs determined by BMD using MHB from two suppliers showed a good correlation with overall essential agreement (EA) and categorical agreement (CA) being 100% and 95% respectively. However, a twofold rise in BMD-Condalab MICs which was detected in 50% of the isolates, resulted in changes in susceptibility categories of few isolates with MICs close to susceptibility breakpoints leading to an overall minor error (MI) rate of 4.7%. Among the tested methods, Etest showed the best correlation with BMD, being characterized with the lowest error rates (only 1% MI) and highest overall EA (100%) and CA (98.8%) for all subsets of isolates. AD yielded the lowest overall agreement (EA 77%, CA 81%) with BMD in a species dependent manner, with the highest apparent discordance being found among the A. baumannii isolates. While the performance of DD for determination of TGC susceptibility among Enterobacteriaceae was excellent, (CA:100% with no errors), the CA was lower (84%) when it was used for A. baumannii where an unacceptably high minor-error rate was noted (16%). No major error or very major error was detected for any of the tested methods. Conclusions Etest can be reliably used for TGC susceptibility testing in the three groups of studied bacteria. For the isolates with close-to-breakpoint MICs, testing susceptibility using the reference method is recommended.

Time, Moment, Eternity: Hieroglyphs and Meditations in Yakov Druskin’s Philosophy

In this article, the author explores the interest of the interwar intellectuals in “time, death, God”. This focus on temporality as an existential problem engendered some major philosophical projects, which aimed at complete revision of how philosophy should be done, including Henri Bergson, Edmund Husserl, Franz Rosenzweig. The main part outlines a philosophical project of Yakov Druskin who addressed the problem of temporality in a highly original manner. Druskin combined philosophical reflection on time in its existential meaning with the search for intellectual methods and linguistic techniques to transcend our ordinary reality. Among these methods, in Druskin’s works present at least two major modes—meditation and “hieroglyphs”—can be identified. Both methods, however, aim at “transforming rather than informing” and at enabling us to linger in a “certain equilibrium with a minor error”.

Errata for "Unifying consensus and atomic commitment for effective cloud data management"

This errata article discusses and corrects a minor error in our work published in VLDB 2019. The discrepancy specifically pertains to Algorithms 3 and 4. The algorithms presented in the paper are biased towards a commit decision in a specific failure scenario. We explain the error using an example before correcting the algorithm.

13. Evaluation of Etest for Antibiotic Susceptibility and Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) Agreement Against pseudomonas Aeruginosa (psa) from Patients with Cystic Fibrosis (CF)

Background CF acute pulmonary exacerbations are often caused by PSA, including multi-drug resistant strains. Optimal antibiotic therapy is required to return lung function and should be guided by in vitro susceptibility results. There are sparse data on the performance of Etest relative to reference broth microdilution (BMD) for many newer drugs against CF PSA. Herein, we describe Etest performance with 10 anti-PSA antibiotics against CF isolates. Methods Contemporary, clinical PSA (n=105) isolated during pulmonary exacerbation from patients with CF were acquired from 3 US hospitals. MICs were assessed by BMD (reference) and Etest for aztreonam (ATM), cefepime (FEP), ceftazidime (CAZ), ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA), ceftolozane/tazobactam (C/T), ciprofloxacin (CIP), levofloxacin (LVX), meropenem (MEM), piperacillin/tazobactam (TZP), and tobramycin (TOB). Each respective MIC was completed in at least triplicate using the same inoculum between methods. Modal MICs for each method were compared by rates of essential agreement (EA), categorical agreement (CA), minor error (miE), major error (ME), and very major error (VME) rates. All miE, ME and VME were adjusted if within EA. Results Of the 105 PSA, 46% had a mucoid phenotype. Results are summarized in the Table. Median modal Etest MICs read 0–1 dilution higher (IQR: 0–1) than BMD. CA and EA ranged from 64–93% and 63–86%, respectively. Single VMEs occurred for ATM (2.9%) and CAZ (4.2%). For CZA, 2 VMEs were observed and both were within EA. Major errors were ≤3% except for ATM (3.3%), MEM (3.3%), CZA (5.3% with adjusted ME 2.1%*), and FEP (13%). Minor error rates were < 10% except for TZP, CIP, LEV, TOB, and FEP (13–29%), for which majority of miE were within EA (3/14, 11/16, 10/18, 13/19, 20/31, respectively). Performance was similar for non-mucoid and mucoid populations. Etest Performance Conclusion Etest methods performed well for most antibiotics against this challenging collection of PSA from CF patients. Laboratories should be cautious of miE and ME that may occur with certain antibiotics. Furthermore, our observations suggest laboratories confirm CZA results for isolates with MICs near the breakpoint. Disclosures Joseph L. Kuti, PharmD, Allergan (Speaker’s Bureau)bioMérieux (Research Grant or Support, Other Financial or Material Support, Speaker Honorarium)Melinta (Research Grant or Support)Merck & Co., Inc. (Research Grant or Support)Paratek (Speaker’s Bureau)Summit (Other Financial or Material Support, Research funding (clinical trials)) David P. Nicolau, PharmD, Cepheid (Other Financial or Material Support, Consultant, speaker bureau member or has received research support.)Merck & Co., Inc. (Consultant, Grant/Research Support, Speaker’s Bureau)Wockhardt (Grant/Research Support)

Management of uncomplicated malaria in private health facilities in North-West Ethiopia: a clinical audit of current practices

Background Malaria is one of the leading public health problems in sub-Saharan Africa that contributes to significant patient morbidity and mortality. The aim of the study was to investigate adherence to malaria diagnosis and treatment guidelines by private health sector providers and compare their performance against the public private partnership (PPP) status. Methods A facility-based retrospective clinical audit was conducted between October 2016 and January 2017 in 11 medium clinics in the West Gojjam zone of the Amhara Region, North-west Ethiopia. Data was extracted from patient medical records using pretested data abstraction forms. Descriptive statistics were employed to present the findings and adherence of health workers against the national and international standards were classified as ideal, acceptable, minor error and major error for both malaria diagnosis and treatment. A chi-square (X2) test was used to test for a statistically significant relationship after the data had been categorized using public private partnership status at P < 0.05. Results One thousand six hundred fifty clinical files were audited. All malaria suspected patients were investigated either with microscopy or rapid diagnostics test (RDT) for parasitological confirmation. The proportion of malaria treated cases was 23.7% (391/1650). Of which 16.6% (274/1650) were uncomplicated, 3.69% (61 /1650) were severe and complicated and the rest 3.39% (56/1650) were clinical diagnosed malaria cases. And the malaria parasite positivity rate was 20.30% (335/1650). All malaria suspected patients were not investigated with ideal malaria diagnosis recommendations; only 19.4% (320/1650) were investigated with acceptable malaria diagnosis (public private partnership (PPP) 19.4%; 176/907; and non-public private partnership (NPPP) 19.38%; 144/743, X2 (1) = 0.0With regards to treatments of malaria cases, the majority 82.9% of Plasmodium vivax cases were managed with ideal recommended treatment (X2 (1) = 0.35, P = 0.55); among Plasmodium falciparum, mixed (Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax). Conclusion The clinical audit revealed that the majority of malaria patients had received minor error malaria diagnostic services. In addition, only one fifth of malaria patients had received ideal malaria treatment services. To understand the reasons for the low levels of malaria diagnosis and treatment adherence with national guidelines, a qualitative exploratory descriptive study is recommended.

Evaluation of Ciprofloxacin and Levofloxacin Disk Diffusion and Etest Using the 2019EnterobacteriaceaeCLSI Breakpoints

ABSTRACTIn 2019, the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) published revisions to theEnterobacteriaceaeciprofloxacin and levofloxacin breakpoints. We evaluated the performance of disk diffusion and Etest compared to that of reference broth microdilution by use of the revised breakpoints. Fifty-eightEnterobacteriaceaeisolates with ciprofloxacin MICs of 0.5 μg/ml or 1.0 μg/ml on initial testing were specifically selected for evaluation. These MICs are susceptible by the 2018 breakpoints and not susceptible by the 2019 breakpoints. For ciprofloxacin disk diffusion, the categorical agreement (CA) was 46.6%, with 0 very major errors (VME), 4 major errors (ME) (21.1%), and 27 minor errors (mE) (46.6%) using the 2019 CLSI disk breakpoints. For levofloxacin, the CA was 72.4%, with 0 VME, 0 ME, and 16 mE (27.6%) using the 2019 CLSI disk breakpoints. Using an error rate-bound evaluation method, levofloxacin but not ciprofloxacin disk diffusion yielded an acceptable minor error rate of <40% for isolates with an MIC plus or minus 1 doubling dilution of the intermediate breakpoint. For Etest compared to the reference broth microdilution, the essential agreement was 100% for both ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin and the CA was 81.0% and 65.5%, respectively. No VME or ME were observed by Etest, and 11 minor errors for ciprofloxacin (19.0%) and 20 (34.5%) for levofloxacin were observed. By the error rate-bound method, the minor error rate for ciprofloxacin was acceptable, but minor error rates for levofloxacin remained outside the acceptance range (i.e., 42.6% for isolates with an MIC within 1 dilution of the breakpoint). In general, the disk diffusion and Etest methods performed well with this challenging collection of isolates, although laboratories must be aware of minor errors, particularly for isolates with results near the breakpoint.

Forecast of Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Energy Consumption in Industry Sectors in Thailand

The aim of this research is to forecast CO2emissions from consumption of energy in Industry sectors in Thailand. To study, input-output tables based on Thailand for the years 2000 to 2015 are deployed to estimate CO2emissions, population growth and GDP growth. Moreover, those are also used to anticipate the energy consumption for fifteen years and thirty years ahead. The ARIMAX Model is applied to two sub-models, and the result indicates that Thailand will have 14.3541 % on average higher in CO2emissions in a fifteen-year period (2016-2030), and 31.1536 % in a thirty-year period (2016-2045). This study hopes to be useful in shaping future national policies and more effective planning. The researcher uses a statistical model called the ARIMAX Model, which is a stationary data model, and is a model that eliminates the problems of autocorrelations, heteroskedasticity, and multicollinearity. Thus, the forecasts will be made with minor error.

ERROR RATE OF DISC DIFFUSION METHOD IN CEFTAZIDIME/ CEFOTAXIME SUSCEPTIBILITY TEST ON CLINICAL ISOLATES OF KLEBSIELLA PNEUMONIAE (Laju Kesalahan Uji Kepekaan Ceftazidim/Cefotaxime Metode Difusi Cakram pada Klebsiella pneumoniae)

Klebsiella pneumoniae merupakan salah satu bakteri Gram negatif yang banyak menimbulkan infeksi nosokomial. Difusi cakrammerupakan satu metode uji kepekaan antimikrobia yang banyak digunakan di laboratorium klinik yang juga dapat dipakai untuk menyaringK.pneumoniae penghasil enzim Extended-Spectrum β-Lactamase (ESBL). Antimikrobia pilihan untuk infeksi ini adalah cephalosporin generasiketiga (ceftazidime dan ceftotaxime). Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui laju kesalahan uji kepekaan ceftazidime/cefotaxime metodedifusi cakram di isolat klinis K.peumoniae. Penelitian ini merupakan kajian potong lintang yang melibatkan 53 isolat klinis K.pneumoniae.Uji kepekaan ceftazidime/cefotaxime di isolat klinis K.pneumonia dilakukan menggunakan metode difusi cakram dan uji E sebagai rujukan.Hasil memeriksa dilaporkan dalam bentuk kepekaan, intermediate dan resistensi untuk setiap obat, dianalis untuk mengetahui laju kesalahan(minor error, major error dan very major error). Isolat klinis terbanyak berasal dari darah, air kemih dan nanah, berturut-turut 32,1%, 32,1%dan 18,9%. Sebagian besar isolat didapat dari ruang perawatan non-intensif (86,8%). Minor error uji kepekaan ceftazidime/cefotaximemetode difusi cakram berturut-turut 7,55% dan 1,89%, sehingga dapat disimpulkan bahwa metode difusi cakram uji kepekaan ceftazidime/cefotaxime dapat digunakan dalam uji kepekaan terhadap isolat klinik K.pneumoniae.