University of Ljubljana

About: University of Ljubljana is a education organization based out in Ljubljana, Slovenia. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Liquid crystal. The organization has 17210 authors who have published 47013 publications receiving 1082684 citations. The organization is also known as: Univerza v Ljubljani.

Human skin color clustering for face detection

Abstract: Computer vision is one of many areas that wants to understand the process of human functionality and copy that process with the intention to complement human life with intelligent machines. For better human-computer interaction it is necessary for the machine to see people. This can be achieved by employing face detection algorithms, like the one used in the installation "15 Seconds of Fame". This installation unites the areas of modern art and technology. Its algorithm is based on skin colour detection. One of the problems that this and similar algorithms have to deal with is sensitivity to the illumination conditions under which the input image is captured. Hence illumination sensitivity influences face detection results. One of the aspects from which we can observe illumination influence is the choice of proper colour space. Since some colour spaces are designed to eliminate the influence of illumination (brightness) when describing colour of an object, an idea of using such a colour space for skin-colour detection has been considered and some of the methods have been researched and tested.

Mobile phone messaging for facilitating self-management of long-term illnesses.

Abstract: Background Long-term illnesses affect a significant proportion of the population in developed and developing countries Mobile phone messaging applications, such as Short Message Service (SMS) and Multimedia Message Service (MMS), may present convenient, cost-effective ways of supporting self-management and improving patients' self-efficacy skills through, for instance, medication reminders, therapy adjustments or supportive messages Objectives To assess the effects of mobile phone messaging applications designed to facilitate self-management of long-term illnesses, in terms of impact on health outcomes and patients' capacity to self-manage their condition Secondary objectives include assessment of: user evaluation of the intervention; health service utilisation and costs; and possible risks and harms associated with the intervention Search methods We searched the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL,The Cochrane Library 2009, Issue 2), MEDLINE (OvidSP) (January 1993 to June 2009), EMBASE (OvidSP) (January 1993 to June 2009), PsycINFO (OvidSP) (January 1993 to June 2009), CINAHL (EbscoHOST) (January 1993 to June 2009), LILACS (January 1993 to June 2009) and African Health Anthology (January 1993 to June 2009) We also reviewed grey literature (including trial registers) and reference lists of articles Selection criteria We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), quasi-randomised controlled trials (QRCTs), controlled before-after (CBA) studies, or interrupted time series (ITS) studies with at least three time points before and after the intervention We selected only studies where it was possible to assess the effects of mobile phone messaging independent of other technologies or interventions Data collection and analysis Two review authors independently assessed all studies against the inclusion criteria, with any disagreements resolved by a third review author Study design features, characteristics of target populations, interventions and controls, and results data were extracted by two review authors and confirmed by a third Primary outcomes of interest were health outcomes as a result of the intervention and capacity to self-manage long-term conditions We also considered patients' and providers' evaluation of the intervention, perceptions of safety, health service utilisation and costs, and potential harms or adverse effects The included studies were heterogeneous in type of condition addressed, intervention characteristics and outcome measures Therefore, a meta-analysis to derive an overall effect size for the main outcome categories was not considered justified and findings are presented narratively Main results We included four randomised controlled trials involving 182 participants For the primary outcome of health outcomes, including physiological measures, there is moderate quality evidence from two studies involving people with diabetes showing no statistical difference from text messaging interventions compared with usual care or email reminders for glycaemic control (HbA1c), the frequency of diabetic complications, or body weight There is moderate quality evidence from one study of hypertensive patients that the mean blood pressure and the proportion of patients who achieved blood pressure control were not significantly different in the intervention and control groups, and that there was no statistically significant difference in mean body weight between the groups There is moderate quality evidence from one study that asthma patients receiving a text messaging intervention experienced greater improvements on peak expiratory flow variability (mean difference (MD) -1112, 95% confidence interval (CI) -1956 to -268) and the pooled symptom score comprising four items (cough, night symptoms, sleep quality, and maximum tolerated activity) (MD -036, 95% CI -056 to -017) compared with the control group However, the study found no significant differences between the groups in impact on forced vital capacity or forced expiratory flow in 1 second For the primary outcome of capacity to self-manage the condition, there is moderate quality evidence from one study that diabetes patients receiving the text messaging intervention demonstrated improved scores on measures of self-management capacity (Self-Efficacy for Diabetes score (MD 610, 95% CI 045 to 1175), Diabetes Social Support Interview pooled score (MD 439, 95% CI 285 to 592)), but did not show improved knowledge of diabetes There is moderate quality evidence from three studies of the effects on treatment compliance One study showed an increase in hypertensive patients' rates of medication compliance in the intervention group (MD 890, 95% CI 018 to 1762) compared with the control group, but in another study there was no statistically significant effect on rates of compliance with peak expiratory flow measurement in asthma patients Text message prompts for diabetic patients initially also resulted in a higher number of blood glucose results sent back (460) than email prompts did (235) For the secondary outcome of participants' evaluation of the intervention, there is very low quality evidence from two studies that patients receiving mobile phone messaging support reported perceived improvement in diabetes self-management, wanted to continue receiving messages, and preferred mobile phone messaging to email as a method to access a computerised reminder system For the secondary outcome of health service utilisation, there is very low quality evidence from two studies Diabetes patients receiving text messaging support made a comparable number of clinic visits and calls to an emergency hotline as patients without the support For asthma patients the total number of office visits was higher in the text messaging group, whereas the number of hospital admissions was higher for the control group Because of the small number of trials included, and the low overall number of participants, for any of the reviewed outcomes the quality of the evidence can at best be considered moderate Authors' conclusions We found some, albeit very limited, indications that in certain cases mobile phone messaging interventions may provide benefit in supporting the self-management of long-term illnesses However, there are significant information gaps regarding the long-term effects, acceptability, costs, and risks of such interventions Given the enthusiasm with which so-called mHealth interventions are currently being implemented, further research into these issues is needed

Explaining microbial population genomics through phage predation

Abstract: Not all isolates of a species contain the same set of genes. In this Opinion article, Rodriguez-Valera and colleagues propose the constant-diversity model to account for these differences. In this model, predation by phages promotes bacterial diversity and allows more efficient use of the nutrients in the environment. The remarkable differences that have been detected by metagenomics in the genomes of strains of the same bacterial species are difficult to reconcile with the widely accepted paradigm that periodic selection within bacterial populations will regularly purge genomic diversity by clonal replacement. We have found that many of the genes that differ between strains affect regions that are potential phage recognition targets. We therefore propose the constant-diversity dynamics model, in which the diversity of prokaryotic populations is preserved by phage predation. We provide supporting evidence for this model from metagenomics, mathematical analysis and computer simulations. Periodic selection and phage predation dynamics are not mutually exclusive; we compare their predictions to shed light on the ecological circumstances under which each type of dynamics could predominate.

Research resource: Comprehensive expression atlas of the fibroblast growth factor system in adult mouse.

Abstract: Although members of the fibroblast growth factor (FGF) family and their receptors have well-established roles in embryogenesis, their contributions to adult physiology remain relatively unexplored. Here, we use real-time quantitative PCR to determine the mRNA expression patterns of all 22 FGFs, the seven principal FGF receptors (FGFRs), and the three members of the Klotho family of coreceptors in 39 different mouse tissues. Unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis of the mRNA expression data reveals that most FGFs and FGFRs fall into two groups the expression of which is enriched in either the central nervous system or reproductive and gastrointestinal tissues. Interestingly, the FGFs that can act as endocrine hormones, including FGF15/19, FGF21, and FGF23, cluster in a third group that does not include any FGFRs, underscoring their roles in signaling between tissues. We further show that the most recently identified Klotho family member, Lactase-like, is highly and selectively expressed in brown adipose tissue and eye and can function as an additional coreceptor for FGF19. This FGF atlas provides an important resource for guiding future studies to elucidate the physiological functions of FGFs in adult animals.