Multimodal biometrics based on identification and verification system

The need for an increase of reliability and security in a biometric system is motivated by the fact that there is no single technology that can realize multi-purpose scenarios. Experimental results showed that the recognition rate of Heart Sound Identification (HSI) model is 81.9%, while the rate for Speaker Identification (SI) model is 99.3% from 20 clients and 70 impostors. Heart Sound-Verification (HSV) provides an average Equal Error Rate (EER) of 13.8%, while the average EER for the Speaker Verification model (SV) is 2.1%. Electrocardiogram Identification (ECGI), on the other hand, provides an accuracy of 98.5% and ECG Verification (ECGV) EER of 4.5%. In order to reach a higher security level, an alternative multimodal and a fusion technique were implemented into the system. Through the performance analysis of the three biometric system and their combination using two multimodal biometric score level fusion, this paper found the optimal combination of those systems. The best performance of the work is based on simple-sum score fusion, with a piecewise-linear normalization technique which provides an EER of 0.7%

Barriers and Motivators of Appropriate Antibiotic Prescription at PHCC in Qatar: Perspective of Physicians and Pharmacists

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a serious public health problem of global concern. The Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) developed the NAP (National Action Plan) to combat AMR in Qatar in collaboration with WHO/EMRO. Tailoring Antimicrobial Resistance Program is a behavior change methodology that is utilized in this study to tailor behavior change in relation to antimicrobial use. This study explores barriers and motivators of appropriate antibiotic prescription from the physicians’ and pharmacists’ perspectives at primary healthcare centers in Qatar. Data were collected from 50 participants across two PHCCs; 30 physicians and 20 pharmacists. Two different interview guides were constructed; one for physicians and one for pharmacists. In-depth, face-to-face, five focus groups were conducted and transcribed verbatim. Inductive qualitative analysis, involving discovering the themes in the interviews, was followed. Data were analyzed using constant comparative techniques. Each transcript was coded, and new themes were added to the codebook as they emerged. The analysis revealed that factors influencing the prescription of antibiotics in PHCC were embedded within the individual, community, and organizational levels. Participants explained that patients’ demographics and practitioners’ practices in prescribing AB were among the major barriers. On the other hand, patient’s education and engagement regarding appropriate antibiotic use, physician’s ability to make the right decision, and build rapport with the patient to gain trust were among the motivators. In addition, auditing AB prescription and the enhancement and utilization of clinical diagnostic tools could play a positive role in changing behavior. The findings would help develop and pilot a behavior change intervention among physicians and pharmacists in the selected PHCCs with the aim of optimizing appropriate antibiotic prescription, which would support the implementation of the antibiotic stewardship program. Effective behavior change interventions should consider multiple factors including individual, community, and organizational factors to optimize appropriate antibiotic prescription, thus decrease the prevalence and burden of antibiotic resistance

General Modulation Transfer Function Fitting Equation for Human Eye with Contact Lens

In this research, a general equation was derived to represent the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the human eye with the presence of the contact lenses (CL) and during the vision with monochrome or multi-wavelength (polychromatic) light. This equation was used to fit the MTF's curves for the eye with pupil diameters (EPD) (2.5, 4, 6, and 8 mm). The fitting equation accuracy was revealed by using the standard deviation (STD). The results indicated that the image MTF is sensitive to (EPD). Moreover, eye vision degrades as (EPD) increases due to the increased spherical and chromatic aberrations. The new equation consists of two exponential terms in addition to a correction polynomial function (H) to fit the EPD effect. The results showed that H function with power two is sufficient to give a good accuracy when the EPD is less than 4 mm, while H with power five is necessary when the EPD is larger or equal to 5 mm. The equation gives a high accuracy also in the case of vision with white light for the eye with a contact lens.</jats:p