Bridging the Gap Between Computational Photography and Visual Recognition.

What is the current state-of-the-art for image restoration and enhancement applied to degraded images acquired under less than ideal circumstances? Can the application of such algorithms as a pre-processing step improve image interpretability for manual analysis or automatic visual recognition to classify scene content? While there have been important advances in the area of computational photography to restore or enhance the visual quality of an image, the capabilities of such techniques have not always translated in a useful way to visual recognition tasks. Consequently, there is a pressing need for the development of algorithms that are designed for the joint problem of improving visual appearance and recognition, which will be an enabling factor for the deployment of visual recognition tools in many real-world scenarios. To address this, we introduce the UG dataset as a large-scale benchmark composed of video imagery captured under challenging conditions, and two enhancement tasks designed to test algorithmic impact on visual quality and automatic object recognition.

Clustering Millions of Faces by Identity.

Given a large collection of unlabeled face images, we address the problem of clustering faces into an unknown number of identities. This problem is of interest in social media, law enforcement, and other applications, where the number of faces can be of the order of hundreds of million, while the number of identities (clusters) can range from a few thousand to millions. To address the challenges of run-time complexity and cluster quality, we present an approximate Rank-Order clustering algorithm that performs better than popular clustering algorithms (k-Means and Spectral).

Face Search at Scale.

Given the prevalence of social media websites, one challenge facing computer vision researchers is to devise methods to search for persons of interest among the billions of shared photos on these websites. Despite significant progress in face recognition, searching a large collection of unconstrained face images remains a difficult problem. To address this challenge, we propose a face search system which combines a fast search procedure, coupled with a state-of-the-art commercial off the shelf (COTS) matcher, in a cascaded framework.

Demographic Estimation from Face Images: Human vs. Machine Performance.

Demographic estimation entails automatic estimation of age, gender and race of a person from his face image, which has many potential applications ranging from forensics to social media. Automatic demographic estimation, particularly age estimation, remains a challenging problem because persons belonging to the same demographic group can be vastly different in their facial appearances due to intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In this paper, we present a generic framework for automatic demographic (age, gender and race) estimation.

The time dependent association of adrenaline administration and survival from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Background: Recommended for decades, the therapeutic value of adrenaline (epinephrine) in the resuscitation of patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) is controversial.

Purpose: To investigate the possible time-dependent outcomes associated with adrenaline administration by Emergency Medical Services personnel (EMS).

Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from a near statewide cardiac resuscitation database between 1 January 2005 and 30 November 2013.

Outbreak of cryptosporidiosis associated with a man-made chlorinated lake--Tarrant County, Texas, 2008.

In July 2008, clusters of laboratory-confirmed cryptosporidiosis cases and reports of gastrointestinal illness in persons who visited a lake were reported to Tarrant County Public Health. In response, epidemiologic, laboratory, and environmental health investigations were initiated. A matched case-control study determined that swallowing the lake water was associated with illness (adjusted odds ratio = 16.

Part 8: adult advanced cardiovascular life support: 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care.

The goal of therapy for bradycardia or tachycardia is to rapidly identify and treat patients who are hemodynamically unstable or symptomatic due to the arrhythmia. Drugs or, when appropriate, pacing may be used to control unstable or symptomatic bradycardia. Cardioversion or drugs or both may be used to control unstable or symptomatic tachycardia.

Part 7: CPR techniques and devices: 2010 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care.

A variety of CPR techniques and devices may improve hemodynamics or short-term survival when used by well-trained providers in selected patients. All of these techniques and devices have the potential to delay chest compressions and defibrillation. In order to prevent delays and maximize efficiency, initial training, ongoing monitoring, and retraining programs should be offered to providers on a frequent and ongoing basis.

Gasping in response to basic resuscitation efforts: observation in a Swine model of cardiac arrest.

Objective. To analyze the effect of basic resuscitation efforts on gasping and of gasping on survival. Methods.

Continued breathing followed by gasping or apnea in a swine model of ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest.

Background: Continued breathing following ventricular fibrillation has here-to-fore not been described.

Methods: We analyzed the spontaneous ventilatory activity during the first several minutes of ventricular fibrillation (VF) in our isoflurane anesthesized swine model of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. The frequency and type of ventilatory activity was monitored by pneumotachometer and main stream infrared capnometer and analyzed in 61 swine during the first 3 to 6 minutes of untreated VF.

Continuous chest compression resuscitation in arrested swine with upper airway inspiratory obstruction.

Background: This study was designed to compare 24-h survival rates and neurological function of swine in cardiac arrest treated with one of three forms of simulated basic life support CPR.

Methods: Thirty swine were randomized equally among three experimental groups to receive either 30:2 CPR with an unobstructed endotracheal tube (ET) or continuous chest compression (CCC) CPR with an unobstructed ET or CCC CPR with a collapsable rubber sleeve on the ET allowing air outflow but completely restricting air inflow. The swine were anesthetized but not paralyzed.

Ocular and respiratory symptoms among lifeguards at a hotel indoor waterpark resort.

Objectives: To determine the cause of eye and respiratory irritation symptoms among lifeguards at an indoor waterpark.

Methods: Investigators 1) performed environmental sampling for chloramine, endotoxin, and microbials; 2) administered symptom questionnaires; 3) reviewed ventilation system designs; and 4) reviewed water chemistry.

Results: Airborne trichloramine concentrations were found at levels reported to cause irritation symptoms in other studies.

Shipshape: sanitation inspections on cruise ships, 1990-2005, Vessel Sanitation Program, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In the course of a successful collaboration between the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the cruise ship industry on reducing common-source outbreaks, CDC's Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) has expanded its training, education, and cruise ship inspection programs. The study reported here evaluated 15 years of ship sanitation inspection data from the National Center for Environmental Health and assessed performance in specific sanitation categories from 1996 to 2005. During the period 1990-2005, scores from cruise ship environmental sanitation inspections steadily improved.

Improved neurological outcome with continuous chest compressions compared with 30:2 compressions-to-ventilations cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a realistic swine model of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.

Background: The 2005 Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care changed the previous ventilations-to-chest-compression algorithm for bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from 2 ventilations before each 15 chest compressions (2:15 CPR) to 30 chest compressions before 2 ventilations (30:2 CPR). It was acknowledged in the guidelines that the change was based on a consensus rather than clear evidence. This study was designed to compare 24-hour neurologically normal survival between the initial applications of continuous chest compressions without assisted ventilations with 30:2 CPR in a swine model of witnessed out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation cardiac arrest.

Outbreaks of short-incubation ocular and respiratory illness following exposure to indoor swimming pools.

Objectives: Chlorination destroys pathogens in swimming pool water, but by-products of chlorination can cause human illness. We investigated outbreaks of ocular and respiratory symptoms associated with chlorinated indoor swimming pools at two hotels.

Measurements: We interviewed registered guests and companions who stayed at hotels X and Y within 2 days of outbreak onset.

Continuous passive oxygen insufflation results in a similar outcome to positive pressure ventilation in a swine model of out-of-hospital ventricular fibrillation.

Background: The deleterious effects of positive pressure ventilation may be prevented by substituting passive oxygen insufflation during advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Methods: We compared 24-h neurologically normal survival among three different ventilation scenarios for ACLS in a realistic swine model of out-of-hospital prolonged ventricular fibrillation (VF) cardiac arrest. No bystander CPR was provided during the first 8 min of untreated VF before the simulated arrival of an emergency medical system (EMS).

Cardiocerebral resuscitation for cardiac arrest.

Survival rates from out-of-hospital cardiac arrest continue to be low despite periodic updates in the Guidelines for Emergency Medical Services and periodic improvements such as the addition of automatic external defibrillators (AEDs). The low incidence of bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), substantial time without chest compressions throughout the resuscitation effort, and a lack of response to initial defibrillation after prolonged ventricular fibrillation contribute to these unacceptably poor results. Resuscitation guidelines are only revised every 5 to 7 years and can be difficult to change because of the lack of randomized controlled trials in humans.

Interruptions of chest compressions during emergency medical systems resuscitation.

Background: Survival after nontraumatic out-of-hospital (OOH) cardiac arrest in Tucson, Arizona, has been flat at 6% (121/2177) for the decade 1992 to 2001. We hypothesized that interruptions of chest compressions occur commonly and for substantial periods during treatment of OOH cardiac arrest and could be contributing to the lack of improvement in resuscitation outcome.

Methods And Results: Sixty-one adult OOH cardiac arrest patients treated by automated external defibrillator (AED)-equipped Tucson Fire Department first responders from November 2001 through November 2002 were retrospectively reviewed.

Use of a systems-based approach to an environmental health assessment for a waterborne disease outbreak investigation at a snowmobile lodge in Wyoming.

Investigations into disease outbreaks generally incorporate an epidemiologic investigation, laboratory analysis, and an environmental health assessment. This last component is designed to discover connections between factors in the environment and the outbreak, but is often limited, either by time and resources, or the expertise of the personnel included in outbreak investigation teams. A waterborne Norovirus outbreak investigation in Sheridan County, Wyoming, in 2001 provides an excellent example of the importance of including an in-depth, systems-based environmental health assessment in outbreak investigations.