Data-Augmentation for Reducing Dataset Bias in Person Re-identification

In this paper we explore ways to address the issue of dataset bias in person re-identification by using data augmentation to increase the variability of the available datasets, and we introduce a novel data augmentation method for re-identification based on changing the image background. We show that use of data augmentation can improve the cross-dataset generalisation of convolutional network based re-identification systems, and that changing the image background yields further improvements.

Reducing Parametric Uncertainty in Limit Cycle Oscillations

The assimilation of discrete higher fidelity data points with model predictions can be used to achieve a reduction in the uncertainty of the model input parameters which generate accurate predictions. The problem investigated here involves the prediction of limit-cycle oscillations using a High-Dimensional Harmonic Balance method (HDHB). The efficiency of the HDHB method is exploited to enable calibration of structural input parameters using a Bayesian inference technique. Markov-chain Monte Carlo is employed to sample the posterior distributions. Parameter estimation is carried out on both a pitch/plunge aerofoil and Goland wing configuration. In both cases significant refinement was achieved in the distribution of possible structural parameters allowing better predictions of their
true deterministic values.

Impact of an enhanced antibiotic stewardship on reducing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in primary and secondary healthcare settings

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of restricting high-risk antibiotics on methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) incidence rates in a hospital setting. A secondary objective was to assess the impact of reducing fluoroquinolone use in the primary-care setting on MRSA incidence in the community. This was an interventional, retrospective, ecological investigation in both hospital and community (January 2006 to June 2010). Segmented regression analysis of interrupted time-series was employed to evaluate the intervention. The restriction of high-risk antibiotics was associated with a significant change in hospital MRSA incidence trend (coefficient=-0·00561, P=0·0057). Analysis showed that the intervention relating to reducing fluoroquinolone use in the community was associated with a significant trend change in MRSA incidence in community (coefficient=-0·00004, P=0·0299). The reduction in high-risk antibiotic use and fluoroquinolone use contributed to both a reduction in incidence rates of MRSA in hospital and community (primary-care) settings. 

A technique for reducing strain concentrations in FRP wrapped concrete columns

Existing studies have shown conclusively that the measured fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) rupture strain in FRP wrapped concrete columns is usually significantly smaller than the rupture strain obtained from flat coupon tests. One of the main causes for this phenomenon is the existence of geometrical discontinuities at both ends of the FRP sheets. This study proposes a new strengthening method in which continuous FRP spiral wrapping is used to eliminate strain concentrations due to the geometrical discontinuities and thus increase the FRP rupture strain at column failure. The effect of the spiral angle of FRP on the FRP rupture strain in FRP wrapped specimens was experimentally investigated. The test results indicate that the spiral wrapping with a small angle with respect to the column circumference can significantly increase the strain efficiency of FRP and thus enhance the axial compression capacity of the strengthened cylinders.

Efficiency of starfish mopping in reducing predation on cultivated benthic mussels (Mytilus edulis Linnaeus)

The starfish, Asterias rubens, preys on mussels (Mytilus edulis), which are relaid during benthic cultivation processes. Starfish mops, a modified dredge used to remove starfish from mussel cultivation beds, are used in several fisheries today but few studies have attempted to quantify the effectiveness of this method in removing starfish. This study tested the effectiveness of starfish mopping to reduce starfish numbers on mussel beds in Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland. Video surveys to determine starfish densities on mussel beds were conducted between October 2013 and December 2014 using a GoPro™ camera attached to starfish mops. This allowed us to firstly test whether starfish density varied among mussel beds and to investigate how fluctuations in starfish numbers may vary in relationship to starfish ecology. We then estimated the efficiency of mops at removing starfish from mussel beds by comparing densities of starfish on beds, as determined using video footage, with densities removed by mops. Starfish abundance was similar among different mussel beds during this study. The efficiency of mops at removing estimated starfish aggregations varied among mussel beds (4–78%) and the mean reduction in starfish abundance was 27% (± SE 3.2). The effectiveness of mops at reducing starfish abundance was shown to decline as the initial density of starfish on mussel beds increased. It can be recommended that the exact deployment technique of mops on mussel beds should vary depending on the density of starfish locally. The area of mussel bed covered by mops during a tow, for example, should be less when starfish densities are high, to maintain efficiencies throughout the full length of tows and to optimise the removal of starfish from mussel beds. This strategy, by reducing abundance of a major predator, could assist in reducing losses in the mussel cultivation industry.

Protocolized versus non-protocolized weaning for reducing the duration of invasive mechanical ventilation in newborn infants: review

Background
Mechanical ventilation is a life-saving intervention for critically ill newborn infants with respiratory failure admitted to a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Ventilating newborn infants can be challenging due to small tidal volumes, high breathing frequencies, and the use of uncuffed endotracheal tubes. Mechanical ventilation has several short-term, as well as long-term complications. To prevent complications, weaning from the ventilator is started as soon as possible. Weaning aims to support the transfer from full mechanical ventilation support to spontaneous breathing activity.

Objectives
To assess the efficacy of protocolized versus non-protocolized ventilator weaning for newborn infants in reducing the duration of invasive mechanical ventilation, the duration of weaning, and shortening the NICU and hospital length of stay. To determine efficacy in predefined subgroups including: gestational age and birth weight; type of protocol; and type of protocol delivery. To establish whether protocolized weaning is safe and clinically effective in reducing the duration of mechanical ventilation without increasing the risk of adverse events.

Search methods
We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled trials (CENTRAL; the Cochrane Library; 2015, Issue 7); MEDLINE In-Process and other Non-Indexed Citations and OVID MEDLINE (1950 to 31 July 2015); CINAHL (1982 to 31 July 2015); EMBASE (1988 to 31 July 2015); and Web of Science (1990 to 15 July 2015). We did not restrict language of publication. We contacted authors of studies with a subgroup of newborn infants in their study, and experts in the field regarding this subject. In addition, we searched abstracts from conference proceedings, theses, dissertations, and reference lists of all identified studies for further relevant studies.

Selection criteria
Randomized, quasi-randomized or cluster-randomized controlled trials that compared protocolized with non-protocolized ventilator weaning practices in newborn infants with a gestational age of 24 weeks or more, who were enrolled in the study before the postnatal age of 28 completed days after the expected date of birth.

Data collection and analysis
Four authors, in pairs, independently reviewed titles and abstracts identified by electronic searches. We retrieved full-text versions of potentially relevant studies.

Main results
Our search yielded 1752 records. We removed duplicates (1062) and irrelevant studies (843). We did not find any randomized, quasi-randomized or cluster-randomized controlled trials conducted on weaning from mechanical ventilation in newborn infants. Two randomized controlled trials met the inclusion criteria on type of study and type of intervention, but only included a proportion of newborns. The study authors could not provide data needed for subgroup analysis; we excluded both studies.

Authors' conclusions
Based on the results of this review, there is no evidence to support or refute the superiority or inferiority of weaning by protocol over non-protocol weaning on duration of invasive mechanical ventilation in newborn infants.

An evaluation of the effectiveness of an algorithm intervention in reducing inappropriate faecal samples sent for Clostridium difficile testing.

Background: Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a leading cause of infectious diarrhoea in hospitals. Sending faecal samples for testing expedites diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Clinical suspicion of C. difficile based on patient history, signs and symptoms is the basis for sampling. Sending faecal samples from patients with diarrhoea ‘just in case’ the patient has C. difficile may be an indication of poor clinical management.

Aim: To evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention by an Infection Prevention and Control Team (IPCT) in reducing inappropriate faecal samples sent for C. difficile testing.

Method: An audit of numbers of faecal samples sent before and after a decision-making algorithm was introduced. The number of samples received in the laboratory was retrospectively counted for 12-week periods before and after an algorithm was introduced.
Findings: There was a statistically significant reduction in the mean number of faecal samples sent post the algorithm. Results were compared to a similar intervention carried out in 2009 in which the same message was delivered by a memorandum. In 2009 the memorandum had no effect on the overall number of weekly samples being sent.

Conclusion: An algorithm intervention had an effect on the number of faecal samples being sent for C. difficile testing and thus contributed to the effective use of the laboratory service.

Reducing the visual burden of glaucoma in Asia: what we know and what we need to know.

Despite great progress in elucidating risk factors and effective treatments for eye disease in the last decades, blindness prevalence in the developing and developed world is either static or rising. A research agenda is needed to develop and test specific strategies to reduce the burden of blindness from glaucoma and other common eye diseases. Current knowledge about open and closed-angle glaucoma is reviewed and a strategy to reduce glaucoma blindness in Asia is suggested. A critical component of this strategy is enhanced training in the detection of narrow angles and optic nerve damage by direct examination. Specific research topics that could inform such a strategy are outlined.

Assessing the effect of reducing agents on the selective catalytic reduction of NOx over Ag/Al2O3 catalysts

The selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx in the presence of different reducing agents over Ag/Al2O3 prepared by wet impregnation was investigated by probing catalyst activity and using NMR relaxation time analysis to probe the strength of surface interaction of the various reducing agent species and water. The results reveal that the strength of surface interaction of the reducing agent relative to water, the latter present in engine exhausts as a fuel combustion product and, in addition, produced during the SCR reaction, plays an important role in determining catalyst performance. Reducing agents with weak strength of interaction with the catalyst surface, such as hydrocarbons, show poorer catalytic performance than reducing agents with a higher strength of interaction, such as alcohols. This is attributed to the greater ability of oxygenated species to compete with water in terms of surface interaction with the catalyst surface, hence reducing the inhibiting effect of water molecules blocking catalyst sites. The results support the observations of earlier work in that the light off-temperature and maximum NOx conversion and temperature at which that occurs are sensitive to the reducing agent present during reaction, and the proposal that improved catalyst performance is caused by increased adsorption strength of the reducing agent, relative to water, at the catalyst surface. Importantly, the NMR relaxation time analysis approach to characterising the strength of adsorption more readily describes the trends in catalytic behaviour than does a straightforward consideration of the polarity (i.e., relative permittivity) of the reducing agents studied here. In summary, this paper describes a simple approach to characterising the interaction energy of water and reducing agent so as to aid the selection of reducing agent and catalyst to be used in SCR conversions.