Temperature Compensation in pH meter-A Survey

The measurement of pH has a great significance in many applications, ranging from water quality management through the agricultural to the biomedical applications. Most of those require an accurate measurement of pH. Unfortunately the accuracy of pH measurement is affected by the temperature of the measurement sample, which leads to an error in the measured pH value. To eliminate or reduce this effect, the temperature change must be compensated or avoided. The purpose of this paper is to describe the ways that the temperature can affect the measured pH value as well as how they are to be compensated or avoided. From the sensor point of view, the sensors that are used in pH measurement have attracted researchers’ attention so as to develop and enhance those sensors which have a capability to meet an application requirement. Since the first pH sensor (glass electrode) failed to meet some application requirements, the developers have proposed a new electrode based on CMOS technique known as ISFET. This paper also aims to highlight the works which were done based on glass electrode and ISFET with concentration on advantages and disadvantages of each technique

Real-time analysis of video signals

Many practical and experimental systems employing image processing techniques have been built by other workers for various applications. Most of these systems are computer-based and very few operate in a real time environment. The objective of this work is to build a microprocessor-based system for video image processing. The system is used in conjunction with an on-line TV camera and processing is carried out in real time. The enormous storage requirement of digitized TV signals and the real time constraint suggest that some simplification of the data must take place prior to any viable processing. Data reduction is attained through the representation of objects by their edges, an approach often adopted for feature extraction in pattern recognition systems. A new technique for edge detection by applying comparison criteria to differentials at adjacent pixels of the video image is developed and implemented as a preprocessing hardware unit. A circuit for the generation of the co-ordinates of edge points is constructed to free the processing computer of this task, allowing it more time for on-line analysis of video signals. Besides the edge detector and co-ordinate generator the hardware built consists of a microprocessor system based on a Texas Instruments T.US 9900 device, a first-in-first-out buffer store and interface circuitry to a TV camera and display devices. All hardware modules and their power supplies are assembled in one unit to provide a standalone instrument. The problem chosen for investigation is analysis of motion in a visual scene. Aspects of motion studied concern the tracking of moving objects with simple geometric shapes and description of their motion. More emphasis is paid to the analysis of human eye movements and measurement of its point-of-regard which has many practical applications in the fields of physiology and psychology. This study provides a basis for the design of a processing unit attached to an oculometer to replace bulky minicomputer-based eye motion analysis systems. Programs are written for storage, analysis and display of results in real time

Differential effects of chronic iron deficiency anaemia on junctional and labyrinthine zones of placenta in Sprague dawely rat

Iron deficiency anaemia causes adverse pregnancy outcome. Studies reveal its generalized effects on histomorphometry of the placenta, without details on specific zones nor effect of gestational age. These data are important for planning  intervention. This study was, therefore, designed to describe the histomorphometric changes associated with iron deficiency anaemia on placenta of albino rat. Fourty nine (49) Sprague – Dawely albino rats were randomly separated into experimental and control groups. The  experimental group was rendered anaemic by removing 1.5 ml of blood per bleed on five alternate days. Placentas were collected on gestational days 17, 19 and 21. Five cubic milimetre segments were fixed in 10 % buffered formaldehyde solution; dehydrated in ethanol and embedded in paraffin wax. Five micron thick sections were cut, deparaffinized and stained with Hematoxylin and Eosin. Micrographs were taken using Leica ICC 50 digital photomicrographic camera attached to a computer at magnification x40 and the thickness of the labyrinth and junctional zones measured. Student t- test was used to compare values for the   experimental and control groups. The labyrinth in the chronic anaemia group was thinner than in the control group at gestational days 17, 19 and 21. The junctional zone, on the other hand, was consistently thicker in anaemic than in the control animals. The difference in thickness of junctional zone varied with  gestational age. At gestational day 17, the zone was significantly thicker in the anaemic group (628.9 μ) than in the control (381 μ). On day 19 and 21, however, the difference was not statistically  significant. In conclusion, the effects of chronic iron deficiency anaemia on the labyrinth differ from those on the junctional zone of the placenta. This differential effect appears to depend on the function and gestational age. The decrease in thickness of the  labyrinth may be designed to maintain placental diffusion capacity while increased thickness of the junctional zone constitutes a compensatory physical and nutritional adaptation to hypoxia.Key words: placenta, labyrinthine, junctional zones, thickness, anaemia

Exploring the utility of the additional WorldView-2 bands and support vector machines in mapping land use/land cover in a fragmented ecosystem, South Africa

Land use/land cover (LULC) classification is a key research field in environmental applications of remote  sensing on the earthfs surface. The advent of new high resolution multispectral sensors with unique bands has  provided an opportunity to map the spatial distribution of detailed LULC classes over a large fragmented area. The objectives of the present study were: (1) to map LULC classes using multispectral WorldView-2 (WV-2) data and SVM in a fragmented ecosystem; and (2) to compare the accuracy of three WV-2 spectral data sets in distinguishing amongst various LULC classes in a fragmented ecosystem. WV-2 image was spectrally  resized to its four standard bands (SB: blue, green, red and near infrared-1) and four strategically located  bands (AB: coastal blue, yellow, red edge and near infrared-2). WV-2 image (8bands: 8B) together with SB and AB subsets were used to classify LULC using support vector machines. Overall classification accuracies of 78.0% (total disagreement = 22.0%) for 8B, 51.0% (total disagreement = 49.0%) for SB, and 64.0% (total disagreement = 36.0%) for AB were achieved. There were significant differences between the performance of all WV-2 subset pair comparisons (8B versus SB, 8B versus AB and SB versus AB) as demonstrated by the results of McNemarfs test (Z score .1.96). This study concludes that WV-2 multispectral data and the SVM classifier have the potential to map LULC classes in a fragmented ecosystem. The study also offers relatively accurate information that is important for the indigenous forest managers in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa for making informed decisions regarding conservation and management of LULC patterns.Keywords: land use/cover classification, fragmented ecosystem, WorldView-2, support vector  machines

How to determine Sample Size: the Design of Sample Size in Health Studies

Sample-size determination is often an important step in planning a health study—and it is usually a difficult one. Among the important hurdles to be surpassed, one must obtain an estimate of one or more error variances, and specify an effect size of importance. This paper offers some suggestions for successful and meaningful sample-size determination. Also discussed is the possibility that a sample size may not be the main issue and that the real goal is to design a high-quality study. Finally, criticism is made of some ill-advised shortcuts relating to testing power and sample size

Promising Deep Semantic Nuclei Segmentation Models for Multi-Institutional Histopathology Images of Different Organs

Nuclei segmentation in whole-slide imaging (WSI) plays a crucial role in the field of computational pathology. It is a fundamental task for different applications, such as cancer cell type classification, cancer grading, and cancer subtype classification. However, existing nuclei segmentation methods face many challenges, such as color variation in histopathological images, the overlapping and clumped nuclei, and the ambiguous boundary between different cell nuclei, that limit their performance. In this paper, we present promising deep semantic nuclei segmentation models for multi-institutional WSI images (i.e., collected from different scanners) of different organs. Specifically, we study the performance of pertinent deep learning-based models with nuclei segmentation in WSI images of different stains and various organs. We also propose a feasible deep learning nuclei segmentation model formed by combining robust deep learning architectures. A comprehensive comparative study with existing software and related methods in terms of different evaluation metrics and the number of parameters of each model, emphasizes the efficacy of the proposed nuclei segmentation models

Nano chitosan-NPK fertilizer enhances the growth and productivity of wheat plants grown in sandy soil

Nanofertilizers have become a pioneer approach in agriculture research nowadays. In this paper we investigate the delivery of chitosan nanoparticles loaded with nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) for wheat plants by foliar uptake. Chiotsan-NPK nanoparticles were easily applied to leaf surfaces and entered the stomata via gas uptake, avoiding direct interaction with soil systems. The uptake and translocation of nanoparticles inside wheat plants was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The results revealed that nano particles were taken up and transported through phloem tissues. Treatment of wheat plants grown on sandy soil with nano chitosan-NPK fertilizer induced significant increases in harvest index, crop index and mobilization index of the determined wheat yield variables, as compared with control yield variables of wheat plants treated with normal non-fertilized and normal fertilized NPK. The life cycle of the nano-fertilized wheat plants was shorter than normal-fertilized wheat plants with the ratio of 23.5% (130 days compared with 170 days for yield production from date of sowing). Thus, accelerating plant growth and productivity by application of nanofertilizers can open new perspectives in agricultural practice. However, the response of plants to nanofertilizers varies with the type of plant species, their growth stages and nature of nanomaterials

Correlation of Muscle Invasion in Bladder Cancer with Cell Adhesion Properties and Oncoprotein Overexpression Using E-Cadherin and HER2/neu Immunohistochemical Markers.

BACKGROUND: Most of bladder cancers are proven to be of urothelial origin (transitional cell carcinomas). Above 75% of them are of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) type at presentation and the remainder are MIBC. Recent studies suggest that both are most probably two different categories based on both the histopathological and molecular features. The comprehensive understanding of the biomarkers expression in both categories will help in understanding the molecular event underlying each of them and may provide possible chances for targeted therapeutic options. AIM: This study aims to study the differential expression of both E-cadherin and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) in the two categories of bladder cancer NMIBCs and MIBCs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 40 blocks were collected retrospectively from cases of cancer bladder, segregated as 20 cases NMIBCs and 20 cases MIBCs, subjected for E-cadherin and HER2 immunostaining. RESULTS: E-cadherin showed positive expression in 65% of cases of NMI group and in 10% of the MI group, with high statistical significance (p < 0.001). Regarding HER2, positive expression was seen in 25% of NMI cases and in 90% of MI cases, with statistical significance (p < 0.001). Comparison of the results of both markers and their correlation per case showed that 90% of tumors with muscle invasion were E-cadherin negative and HER2 positive. CONCLUSION: The significant association of loss of E-cadherin immunohistochemistry expression and positive HER2 overexpression in MIBC versus NMIBC figured out more differences between the two categories and added to the understanding of their biology. The possibility of validation of HER2-targeted therapy in MIBC cases is now strongly suggested

Expression of “Connexin 43” in Colorectal Carcinomas: Histopathological and Immunohistochemical Study

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers worldwide and leading cause of cancer related deaths. Connexins are integral membrane proteins that form channels between adjacent cells. Gap junction intercellular communication plays essential roles in tissue homoeostasis and regulation of cell growth and differentiation. Connexins can act as either tumor suppressors or tumor promoters. The human connexin protein family contains 21 members, of which the most widely studied is connexin 43 (Cx 43). OBJECTIVES: Investigation of immunohistochemical expression of Cx 43 in cases of colorectal adenoma and carcinoma and correlation of this expression with the clinico-pathological aspects of the tumors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy formalin fixed paraffin embedded BC tissue sections were randomly collected. All the available data were collected from the patients’ reports. The paraffin blocks were sectioned and stained with hematoxylin and eosin stains for histologic evaluation. Additional sections were immunostained with Cx 43. RESULTS: Cx 43 expression was negative in all studied cases. CONCLUSION: Cx 43 is a tumor suppressor that is lost early in colorectal carcinogenesis and can be considered as potential target for cancer chemoprevention and chemotherapy aiming at restoration of normal connexin expression and functional gap junctions

Evolution of an Emerging Symmetric Quantum Cryptographic Algorithm

With the rapid evolution of data exchange in network environments, information security has been the most important process for data storage and communication. In order to provide such information security, the confidentiality, data integrity, and data origin authentication must be verified based on cryptographic encryption algorithms. This paper presents a new emerging trend of modern symmetric encryption algorithm by development of the advanced encryption standard (AES) algorithm. The new development focuses on the integration between Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and an enhanced version of AES. A new quantum symmetric encryption algorithm, which is abbreviated as Quantum-AES (QAES), is the output of such integration. QAES depends on generation of dynamic quantum S-Boxes (DQS-Boxes) based quantum cipher key, instead of the ordinary used static S-Boxes. Furthermore, QAES exploits the specific selected secret key generated from the QKD cipher using two different modes (online and off-line)