In this paper, we present a novel method for line artefacts quantification in lung ultrasound (LUS) images of COVID-19 patients. We formulate this as a non-convex regularisation problem involving a sparsity-enforcing, Cauchy-based penalty function, and the inverse Radon transform. We employ a simple local maxima detection technique in the Radon transform domain, associated with known clinical definitions of line artefacts. Despite being non-convex, the proposed method has guaranteed convergence via a proximal splitting algorithm and accurately identifies both horizontal and vertical line artefacts in LUS images. In order to reduce the number of false and missed detection, our method includes a two-stage validation mechanism, which is performed in both Radon and image domains. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method in comparison to the current state-of-the-art B-line identification method and show a considerable performance gain with 87% correctly detected B-lines in LUS images of nine COVID-19 patients. In addition, owing to its fast convergence, which takes around 12 seconds for a given frame, our proposed method is readily applicable for processing LUS image sequences.

In this paper, we continue our prior work on using imitation learning (IL) and model free reinforcement learning (RL) to learn driving policies for autonomous driving in urban scenarios, by introducing a model based RL method to drive the autonomous vehicle in the Carla urban driving simulator. Although IL and model free RL methods have been proved to be capable of solving lots of challenging tasks, including playing video games, robots, and, in our prior work, urban driving, the low sample efficiency of such methods greatly limits their applications on actual autonomous driving. In this work, we developed a model based RL algorithm of guided policy search (GPS) for urban driving tasks. The algorithm iteratively learns a parameterized dynamic model to approximate the complex and interactive driving task, and optimizes the driving policy under the nonlinear approximate dynamic model. As a model based RL approach, when applied in urban autonomous driving, the GPS has the advantages of higher sample efficiency, better interpretability, and greater stability. We provide extensive experiments validating the effectiveness of the proposed method to learn robust driving policy for urban driving in Carla. We also compare the proposed method with other policy search and model free RL baselines, showing 100x better sample efficiency of the GPS based RL method, and also that the GPS based method can learn policies for harder tasks that the baseline methods can hardly learn.

An approach is given for solving large linear systems that combines Krylov methods with use of two different grid levels. Eigenvectors are computed on the coarse grid and used to deflate eigenvalues on the fine grid. GMRES-type methods are first used on both the coarse and fine grids. Then another approach is given that has a restarted BiCGStab (or IDR) method on the fine grid. While BiCGStab is generally considered to be a non-restarted method, it works well in this context with deflating and restarting. Tests show this new approach can be very efficient for difficult linear equations problems.

The increasing ubiquity of low-cost wireless sensors in smart homes and buildings has enabled users to easily deploy systems to remotely monitor and control their environments. However, this raises privacy concerns for third-party occupants, such as a hotel room guest who may be unaware of deployed clandestine sensors. Previous methods focused on specific modalities such as detecting cameras but do not provide a generalizable and comprehensive method to capture arbitrary sensors which may be "spying" on a user. In this work, we seek to determine whether one can walk in a room and detect any wireless sensor monitoring an individual. As such, we propose SnoopDog, a framework to not only detect wireless sensors that are actively monitoring a user, but also classify and localize each device. SnoopDog works by establishing causality between patterns in observable wireless traffic and a trusted sensor in the same space, e.g., an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that captures a user's movement. Once causality is established, SnoopDog performs packet inspection to inform the user about the monitoring device. Finally, SnoopDog localizes the clandestine device in a 2D plane using a novel trial-based localization technique. We evaluated SnoopDog across several devices and various modalities and were able to detect causality 96.6% percent of the time, classify suspicious devices with 100% accuracy, and localize devices to a sufficiently reduced sub-space.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is highly contagious with limited treatment options. Early and accurate diagnosis of Covid-19 is crucial in reducing the spread of the disease and its accompanied mortality. Currently, detection by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) is the gold standard of outpatient and inpatient detection of Covid-19. RT-PCR is a rapid method, however, its accuracy in detection is only ~70-75%. Another approved strategy is computed tomography (CT) imaging. CT imaging has a much higher sensitivity of ~80-98%, but similar accuracy of 70%. To enhance the accuracy of CT imaging detection, we developed an open-source set of algorithms called CovidCTNet that successfully differentiates Covid-19 from community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) and other lung diseases. CovidCTNet increases the accuracy of CT imaging detection to 90% compared to radiologists (70%). The model is designed to work with heterogeneous and small sample sizes independent of the CT imaging hardware. In order to facilitate the detection of Covid-19 globally and assist radiologists and physicians in the screening process, we are releasing all algorithms and parametric details in an open-source format. Open-source sharing of our CovidCTNet enables developers to rapidly improve and optimize services, while preserving user privacy and data ownership.

Different state-of-the-art methods of the detection of schizophrenia symptoms based on the estimation of text coherence have been analyzed. The analysis of a text at the level of phrases has been suggested. The method based on the graph of the consistency of phrases has been proposed to evaluate the semantic coherence and the cohesion of a text. The semantic coherence, cohesion, and other linguistic features (lexical diversity, lexical density) have been taken into account to form feature vectors for the training of a model-classifier. The training of the classifier has been performed on the set of English-language interviews. According to the retrieved results, the impact of each feature on the output of the model has been analyzed. The results obtained can indicate that the proposed method based on the graph of the consistency of phrases may be used in the different tasks of the detection of mental illness.

In this paper, we present a novel MaxSAT-based technique to compute Maximum Probability Minimal Cut Sets (MPMCSs) in fault trees. We model the MPMCS problem as a Weighted Partial MaxSAT problem and solve it using a parallel SAT-solving architecture. The results obtained with our open source tool indicate that the approach is effective and efficient.

Retired soccer star Briana Scurry talks about finally finding hope and help after almost three years of being told she wouldn't get any better.

Why do some parents and coaches think it's okay to let 9-year-old kids get hit in the head over and over in football practices and games?

Flexbox is not a single property; it's a complete module that comes with a number of features. In this article, we will look at a complete guide for CSS Flexbox.

Before going into detail, I just want to answer why we should use flexbox layout instead of a traditional way of doing layout webpage using display properties, float properties, positional properties

Handling user input with forms is the cornerstone of many common applications.

Applications use forms to enable users to log in, to update a profile, to enter sensitive information, and to perform many other data-entry tasks

The Cannabis Issue People have been enjoying cannabis for recreational purposes for centuries, including in the United States since the early 1900s. That means weed was in America a good 50 years or so before the invention of rock 'n' roll.…

Summer Camps 2020 Boy Scouts Camp Easton Spend a week on the shores of Lake Coeur d'Alene at camp, which offers activities like swimming, water-skiing, boating, sailing, kayaking, paddleboarding, hiking and more.…

Summer Camps 2020 "Regional Summer Camps Hope the Pandemic Doesn't Put Activities on Pause, But Have Backup Plans Ready if it Does" …

At these gatherings in northeast Washington, the jackboot of tyranny is always said to be descending, the hand of the federal government always inches away from stealing your guns, your land, your freedom to speak or to pray.…

Coronavirus Family Tree The University of Washington Virology lab, which is testing samples for coronavirus, tweeted last night.…

After Governor Jay Inslee announced a prohibition on gatherings of 250 people or more in three Washington counties (Snohomish, King, Pierce) on Wednesday, and with public health concerns growing over the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations in Spokane are following suit. The Inlander will be frequently updating its online calendar of events to reflect local cancelations as we hear of them.…

There's one thing the Innovia Foundation can never say: That it hadn't been told.…

We at the Inlander are committed to keeping people informed and connected throughout the coronavirus outbreak. We'll continue to update this page with the latest headlines.…

UPDATE: The Department of Veterans Affairs announced after this article was first published that Spokane Veterans Home residents with COVID-19 would be moved to the Mann-Grandstaff VA Medical Center.…

Back in November, we wrote about local singer-songwriter Eliza Johnson's musical project Eliza Catastrophe and her new album You, which she released on pre-loaded MP3 players. One thing we weren't able to mention in our interview — for contractual reasons — is that she had only a couple months prior auditioned for American Idol, and her performance finally aired on the ABC reality competition show Sunday night.…

In my old life — well, who cares anymore. But in my old life, I used to travel pretty extensively.…

Put pictures of 1975-era Aerosmith and 1995-era Guided By Voices next to each other and you probably wouldn’t think the bands have anything in common.…

We've known that Hamilton was going to be part of the 2020-21 STCU Best of Broadway season for a while, but now we finally know the exact dates, as well as the rest of the featured shows for the season. Granted, the whole world has changed since WestCoast Entertainment announced Hamilton was coming to town back when they announced their 2019-20 season — a season that's been roiled, along with the rest of our lives, by the coronavirus pandemic.…

Perhaps you've heard people banging on pans to support health care workers, or howling into the abyss just to let other humans know they were alive. We've gone to some extreme measures to keep ourselves entertained since much of the country went on lockdown to combat COVID-19, and here's another one that can get you out of the house while remaining safely social-distanced and supporting local artists at the same time.…

Another First Friday is here, and you can correctly assume that it will be all online once again. The May 1 Virtual First Friday is from 10 am to midnight.…

ON INLANDER.COM WORLD: Roughly two weeks after Canada's deadliest mass shooting, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced an immediate ban on what he called “military-style assault weapons.”…

ON INLANDER.COM NATION: Even as U.S. President Donald Trump urges states to reopen their economies, his own administration projects that the death toll from COVID-19 will spike to 3,000 people per day.…

The latest issue of the Inlander is hitting newsstands today. Find it at your local grocery store and hundreds of other locations; use this map to find a pickup point near you.…

By Adam Liptak The New York Times Company…

Two more residents who were staying at the Spokane Veterans Home have died of complications related to COVID-19, according to the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs. There have now been five residents of the home who have died following their diagnosis of COVID-19.…

Drink Local In tumultuous times, one thing remains true: People still want their spirits.…

At every level of America's food system, mandated closures and outbreaks of COVID-19 have interrupted the finely tuned network that normally gets food from farmers and food processors to restaurants, grocery stores and food banks.…

ON INLANDER.COM COVER: While Washington state forges alliances, Idaho battles coronavirus its own way.…

Every spring, audiences in Moscow are typically congregating for the Kino Short Film Festival, an evening of shorts made by the University of Idaho's senior film students. Things being as they are, the Kenworthy Theater won't be open for this year's event, but the U of I will be streaming a virtual version this Friday, May 8, at 6 pm.…

If you go to check how many people are hospitalized with COVID-19 in Spokane, the Spokane County Regional Health District website will give you an answer. Right now, it lists eight people as currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and that number has been trending downward.…

What do Arabian horses, women veterans, ceramics and the food industry have in common?…

If you've ever been compelled to visit Chewelah, it has likely been related to a trip to 49 Degrees North.…

Warm summer nights are on the way.…

Q: I recently read that a combination of the drugs hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin might be effective against COVID-19. I have diabetes and I am at risk for this viral infection.…

Growing up, Luke Parker played sports.…

The Showcase celebrity golf tournament attracts big-time athletes and pop stars each year.…

[IMAGE-1] It's not surprising the most popular destinations for Inlander readers in North Spokane involve shopping — NorthTown Mall and the Garland District were the top vote-getters in this year's poll — but looking at the overall results, one quickly realizes the region north of the river has a lot going on. Riverside State Park and the Little Spokane River were popular picks, too, along with Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park; clearly people love to get outside up north in between their trips to Bon Bon or Buffalo Wild Wings.…

[IMAGE-1] Midtown Coeur d'Alene. The pedestrian-friendly strip of restaurants and shops that runs north-south along Fourth Street in between Garden and Harrison avenues.…

For people who love playing, a day on the worst possible golf course is better than any day not swinging the clubs.…

Before my car broke down, I didn't ride the bus.…

When Washington Gov. Jay Inslee solemnly looked into the camera on Friday, May 1, he wasn't ready to declare victory yet.…

Disclosed herein is a method for producing an alcohol and an amine from an amide under an atmosphere of hydrogen with the use of, as a catalyst, a ruthenium complex that is easily prepared, easy to handle, and relatively cheaply obtained. Specifically, the method is a method for producing an alcohol and/or an amine from an amide compound under an atmosphere of hydrogen with the use of as a catalyst, a ruthenium carbonyl complex represented by the following general formula (1): RuXY(CO)(L) (1) wherein X and Y may be the same or different from each other and each represents an anionic ligand and L represents a tridentate aminodiphosphine ligand containing two phosphino groups and a —NH— group.

Novel indansulfamide derivatives or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof such as N-[(1S)-2,2,5,7-tetrafluoro-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-yl]sulfamide, N-[(1S)-2,2,4,7-tetrafluoro-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-yl]sulfamide, (+)-N-(2,2,4,6,7-pentafluoro-2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-1-yl)sulfamide, have an action of improving Seizure Severity Index (Score) in mice kindling model. Thus the compounds or the salt thereof are expected as a drug for treating epilepsy.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a compound of formula wherein: R2 is cycloalkyl or alkyl, each of which may be optionally substituted; Y is —CONR3R4, —CN or CO2R5; R3, R4 and R5 are each independently H or alkyl; n is 1 to 6; wherein said process comprising the steps of: (i) treating a compound of formula (IV), where R1 is alkyl, with a compound of formula (V) and forming a compound of formula (IIIb); (ii) treating said compound of formula (IIIb) with a compound of formula (I1) to form a compound of formula (I).