Real time lane detection for autonomous vehicles

An increasing safety and reducing road accidents, thereby saving lives are one of great interest in the context of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. Apparently, among the complex and challenging tasks of future road vehicles is road lane detection or road boundaries detection. It is based on lane detection (which includes the localization of the road, the determination of the relative position between vehicle and road, and the analysis of the vehicle’s heading direction). One of the principal approaches to detect road boundaries and lanes using vision system on the vehicle. However, lane detection is a difficult problem because of the varying road conditions that one can encounter while driving. In this paper, a vision-based lane detection approach capable of reaching real time operation with robustness to lighting change and shadows is presented. The system acquires the front view using a camera mounted on the vehicle then applying few processes in order to detect the lanes. Using a pair of hyperbolas which are fitting to the edges of the lane, those lanes are extracted using Hough transform. The proposed lane detection system can be applied on both painted and unpainted road as well as curved and straight road in different weather conditions. This approach was tested and the experimental results show that the proposed scheme was robust and fast enough for real time requirements. Eventually, a critical overview of the methods were discussed, their potential for future deployment were assis

Experimental study of formwork tightness as a function of rheological properties of SCC

Several studies relating formwork pressure to rheology exist, however the relationship between rheology and leakage through formwork joints remains to be investigated. In practice, standard documents are used to define formwork tightness requirements, typically using a qualitative approach. To try bridge this gap in knowledge, we developed a test set-up to study tightness of formwork joints under pressure as a function of varying rheological properties. Coupled with standard rheology tests, this new test set-up provides means of linking flow rate, formwork pressure, flow area, and the rheological properties. The study seeks to provide insight on measurable governing parameters and thus inform formwork tightness requirements in a more quantifiable manner. This paper presents a test set-up designed to study the flow of fresh paste through small openings. It highlights a preliminary study on the pressure-driven flow of limestone paste through a bottom orifice in a cylindrical container. While this new device may not be directly representative of the actual conditions in formwork, it provides a good base for a fundamental study that can then be extrapolated to a more representative test operation. Preliminary results show a linear relationship between the flow rate and the applied pressure. The results also show that increasing the flow area by a factor of 2.33 had a higher impact than an increase in yield stress and viscosity by a factor of 2.54 and 3.80 respectively. However, more tests need to be carried out to obtain clear trends

Hungry Bone Syndrome Associated with Transient Hypoparathyroidism

We report on an infant who presented at 50 days old of age with hypocalcemic seizure, who proved to have transient hypoparathyroidism, biochemically. During the course of his therapy, he developed severe hungry bone syndrome. Hungry bone syndrome and transient hypoparathyroidism is highlighted

The impact of metabolic endotoxaemia on the browning process in human adipocytes

Background: Dysfunctional adipose tissue (AT) is known to contribute to the pathophysiology of metabolic disease, including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This dysfunction may occur, in part, as a consequence of gut-derived endotoxaemia inducing changes in adipocyte mitochondrial function and reducing the proportion of BRITE (brown-in-white) adipocytes. Therefore, the present study investigated whether endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide; LPS) directly contributes to impaired human adipocyte mitochondrial function and browning in human adipocytes, and the relevant impact of obesity status pre and post bariatric surgery. Methods: Human differentiated abdominal subcutaneous (AbdSc) adipocytes from participants with obesity and normal-weight participants were treated with endotoxin to assess in vitro changes in mitochondrial function and BRITE phenotype. Ex vivo human AbdSc AT from different groups of participants (normal-weight, obesity, pre-and 6 months post-bariatric surgery) were assessed for similar analyses including circulating endotoxin levels. Results: Ex vivo AT analysis (lean & obese, weight loss post-bariatric surgery) identified that systemic endotoxin negatively correlated with BAT gene expression (p < 0.05). In vitro endotoxin treatment of AbdSc adipocytes (lean & obese) reduced mitochondrial dynamics (74.6% reduction; p < 0.0001), biogenesis (81.2% reduction; p < 0.0001) and the BRITE phenotype (93.8% reduction; p < 0.0001). Lean AbdSc adipocytes were more responsive to adrenergic signalling than obese AbdSc adipocytes; although endotoxin mitigated this response (92.6% reduction; p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Taken together, these data suggest that systemic gut-derived endotoxaemia contributes to both individual adipocyte dysfunction and reduced browning capacity of the adipocyte cell population, exacerbating metabolic consequences. As bariatric surgery reduces endotoxin levels and is associated with improving adipocyte functionality, this may provide further evidence regarding the metabolic benefits of such surgical interventions

A possible role for Phlebotomus (Anaphlebotomus) rodhaini (Parrot, 1930) in transmission of Leishmania donovani

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Visceral leishmaniasis (VL, kala azar), caused by <it>Leishmania donovani </it>is a major health problem in Sudan and other East African countries. In this region the only proven vectors of <it>L. donovani </it>are <it>Phlebotomus orientalis </it>in eastern Sudan, Ethiopia and Upper Nile areas of Southern Sudan and <it>Phlebotomus martini </it>in Ethiopia, Kenya and Southern Sudan. In this report, we present the first evidence that <it>Phlebotomus rodhaini </it>may also play a role in maintaining transmission of <it>L. donovani </it>between animal reservoir hosts in eastern Sudan. The study was conducted in a zoonotic focus of visceral leishmaniasis in Dinder National Park, eastern Sudan, where previous work showed high infection rates of <it>L. donovani </it>in <it>P. orientalis</it>. Sand flies, captured by CDC traps were dissected and examined for infection with <it>Leishmania </it>parasites. Parasite isolates were subjected to <it>L. donovani </it>specific PCR. Field experiments were also carried out to compare efficiency of rodent baited and un-baited CDC traps in collection of <it>P. rodhaini </it>and determine its man-biting rate.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Three female <it>P. rodhain</it>i were found infected with <it>Leishmania </it>parasites in an astonishingly small number of flies captured in three separate field trips. Two of these isolates were typed by molecular methods as <it>L. donovani</it>, while the third isolate was inoculated into a hamster that was subsequently lost. Although <it>P. rodhaini is </it>generally considered a rare species, results obtained in this study indicate that it can readily be captured by rodent-baited traps. Results of human landing collection showed that it rarely bites humans in the area.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>It is concluded that <it>P. rodhaini </it>is a possible vector of <it>L. donovani </it>between animal reservoir hosts but is not responsible for infecting humans. It is suggested that the role of <it>P</it>. <it>rodhaini </it>in transmission of <it>L. donovani </it>in other zoonotic foci of visceral leishmaniasis in Africa should be re-examined.</p

The nuclear receptors of Biomphalaria glabrata and Lottia gigantea: Implications for developing new model organisms

© 2015 Kaur et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are creditedNuclear receptors (NRs) are transcription regulators involved in an array of diverse physiological functions including key roles in endocrine and metabolic function. The aim of this study was to identify nuclear receptors in the fully sequenced genome of the gastropod snail, Biomphalaria glabrata, intermediate host for Schistosoma mansoni and compare these to known vertebrate NRs, with a view to assessing the snail's potential as a invertebrate model organism for endocrine function, both as a prospective new test organism and to elucidate the fundamental genetic and mechanistic causes of disease. For comparative purposes, the genome of a second gastropod, the owl limpet, Lottia gigantea was also investigated for nuclear receptors. Thirty-nine and thirty-three putative NRs were identified from the B. glabrata and L. gigantea genomes respectively, based on the presence of a conserved DNA-binding domain and/or ligand-binding domain. Nuclear receptor transcript expression was confirmed and sequences were subjected to a comparative phylogenetic analysis, which demonstrated that these molluscs have representatives of all the major NR subfamilies (1-6). Many of the identified NRs are conserved between vertebrates and invertebrates, however differences exist, most notably, the absence of receptors of Group 3C, which includes some of the vertebrate endocrine hormone targets. The mollusc genomes also contain NR homologues that are present in insects and nematodes but not in vertebrates, such as Group 1J (HR48/DAF12/HR96). The identification of many shared receptors between humans and molluscs indicates the potential for molluscs as model organisms; however the absence of several steroid hormone receptors indicates snail endocrine systems are fundamentally different.The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research, Grant Ref:G0900802 to CSJ, LRN, SJ & EJR [www.nc3rs.org.uk]

Association of Serum Albumin with Markers of Nutritional Status among HIV-Infected and Uninfected Rwandan Women

The objectives of this study are to address if and how albumin can be used as an indication of malnutrition in HIV infected and uninfected Africans.In 2005, 710 HIV-infected and 226 HIV-uninfected women enrolled in a cohort study. Clinical/demographic parameters, CD4 count, albumin, liver transaminases; anthropometric measurements and Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) were performed. Malnutrition outcomes were defined as body mass index (BMI), Fat-free mass index (FFMI) and Fat mass index (FMI). Separate linear predictive models including albumin were fit to these outcomes in HIV negative and HIV positive women by CD4 strata (CD4>350,200-350 and <200 cells/µl).In unadjusted models for each outcome in HIV-negative and HIV positive women with CD4>350 cells/µl, serum albumin was not significantly associated with BMI, FFMI or FMI. Albumin was significantly associated with all three outcomes (p<0.05) in HIV+ women with CD4 200-350 cells/µl, and highly significant in HIV+ women with CD4<200 cells/µl (P<0.001). In multivariable linear regression, albumin remained associated with FFMI in women with CD4 count<200 cells/µl (p<0.01) but not in HIV+ women with CD4>200.While serum albumin is widely used to indicate nutritional status it did not consistently predict malnutrition outcomes in HIV- women or HIV+ women with higher CD4. This result suggests that albumin may measure end stage disease as well as malnutrition and should not be used as a proxy for nutritional status without further study of its association with validated measures

Dietary and other lifestyle characteristics of Cypriot school children: results from the nationwide CYKIDS study

Dietary and lifestyle behaviors at young ages have been associated with the development of various chronic diseases. Schools are regarded as an excellent setting for lifestyle modification; there is a lack, however, of published dietary data in Cypriot school children. Thus, the objective of this work was to describe lifestyle characteristics of a representative segment of Cypriot school children and provide implications for school health education. Methods. The CYKIDS (Cyprus Kids Study) is a national, cross-sectional study conducted among 1140 school children (10.7 0.98 years). Sampling was stratified and multistage in 24 primary schools of Cyprus. Dietary assessment was based on a 154-item semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire and three supplementary questionnaires, assessing dietary patterns and behaviors. Adherence to the Mediterranean diet was evaluated by the KIDMED index (Mediterranean Diet Quality Index for children and adolescents). Physical activity was assessed by a 32-item, semi-quantitative questionnaire. Results. Analysis revealed that 6.7% of the children were classified as high adherers, whereas 37% as low adherers to the Mediterranean diet. About 20% of boys and 25% of girls reported "not having breakfast on most days of the week", while more than 80% of the children reported having meals with the family at least 5 times/week. Some food-related behaviors, such as intake of breakfast, were associated with socio-demographic factors, mostly with gender and the geomorphological characteristics of the living milieu. With respect to physical activity, boys reported higher levels compared to girls, however, one fourth of children did not report any kind of physical activity. Conclusion. A large percentage of Cypriot school children have a diet of low quality and inadequate physical activity. Public health policy makers should urgently focus their attention to primary school children and design school health education programs that target the areas that need attention in order to reduce the future burden of metabolic disorders and chronic diseases

Soluble egg antigen of Schistosoma Haematobium induces HCV replication in PBMC from patients with chronic HCV infection

BACKGROUND: This study was conducted to examine, in vitro , the effect of soluble egg antigen (SEA) of S. haematobium on intracellular HCV RNA load in peripheral mononuclear cells (PBMC) as well as on cell proliferation in patients with chronic HCV infection. METHODS: PBMC from 26 patients with chronic HCV infection were cultured for 72 hours in presence and absence of 50 μg SEA/ml medium. Intracellular HCV RNA quantification of plus and minus strands was assessed before and after stimulation. PBMC from five healthy subjects were cultured for 7 days, flow cytometric analysis of DNA content was used to assess the mitogenic effect of SEA on PBMC proliferation compared to phytoheamaglutinine (PHA). RESULTS: Quantification of the intracellular viral load showed increased copy number/cell of both or either viral strands after induction with SEA in 18 of 26 patients (69.2%) thus indicating stimulation of viral replication. Flow cytometric analysis showed that mean ± S.D. of percent values of cell proliferation was induced from 3.2 ± 1.5% in un-stimulated cells to 16.7 ± 2.5 % and 16.84 ± 1.7 % in cells stimulated with PHA and SEA respectively. CONCLUSION: the present study supports earlier reports on SEA proliferative activity on PBMC and provides a strong evidence that the higher morbidity observed in patients co-infected with schistosomiasis and HCV is related, at least in part, to direct stimulation of viral replication by SEA