A sensor for vision-based navigation in underwater path tracking with color and edge segmentation

This paper aims the design and implementation of a visionbased sensor for navigation of underwater vehicles with adaptive attributes. The objective pointed out is a sensor for tracking of underwater lines. The sensor employs a basic structure with a pixel-wise AND operation of binarized frames of separated channels HSV and an edgesegmented frame. The basic sensor performs well by good illuminated scenes. By significant drops of luminance, the efficiency falls. So an adaptive sensor is proposed over the basic structure. It operates on the brightness channel carrying out a maximization of contains in the accumulator bins of a Hough transformation. It has proven to enhanced the identification of the tracked line increasing the success rate.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

A sensor for vision-based navigation in underwater path tracking with color and edge segmentation

This paper aims the design and implementation of a visionbased sensor for navigation of underwater vehicles with adaptive attributes. The objective pointed out is a sensor for tracking of underwater lines. The sensor employs a basic structure with a pixel-wise AND operation of binarized frames of separated channels HSV and an edgesegmented frame. The basic sensor performs well by good illuminated scenes. By significant drops of luminance, the efficiency falls. So an adaptive sensor is proposed over the basic structure. It operates on the brightness channel carrying out a maximization of contains in the accumulator bins of a Hough transformation. It has proven to enhanced the identification of the tracked line increasing the success rate.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Millifluidic culture improves human midbrain organoid vitality and differentiation

Human midbrain-specific organoids (hMOs) serve as an experimental in vitro model for studying the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). In hMOs, neuroepithelial stem cells (NESCs) give rise to functional midbrain dopaminergic (mDA) neurons that are selectively degenerating during PD. A limitation of the hMO model is an under-supply of oxygen and nutrients to the densely packed core region, which leads eventually to a "dead core". To reduce this phenomenon, we applied a millifluidic culture system that ensures media supply by continuous laminar flow. We developed a computational model of oxygen transport and consumption in order to predict oxygen levels within the hMOs. The modelling predicts higher oxygen levels in the hMO core region under millifluidic conditions. In agreement with the computational model, a significantly smaller "dead core" was observed in hMOs cultured in a bioreactor system compared to those ones kept under conventional shaking conditions. Comparing the necrotic core regions in the organoids with those obtained from the model allowed an estimation of the critical oxygen concentration necessary for ensuring cell vitality. Besides the reduced "dead core" size, the differentiation efficiency from NESCs to mDA neurons was elevated in hMOs exposed to medium flow. Increased differentiation involved a metabolic maturation process that was further developed in the millifluidic culture. Overall, bioreactor conditions that improve hMO quality are worth considering in the context of advanced PD modelling

A vision-based controller for path tracking of autonomous underwater vehicles

This paper aims a design of a vision-based controller for autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). The control system performs the path following of a line on the seafloor and tunes automatically the cruise kinematics for the advance.The navigation process rests upon a sensor which estimates the relative vehicle position from the perspective of the camera directly without the need of employing camera models for estimating physical variables. For the state estimation, image processing in real time is employed. The control strategy is developed in the state space of pure vision coordinates. The strategy points to reach rapidly favorable configurations of the AUV and afterwards to pursue a perfect alignment with the line. Experiments of the real subaquatic world are presented.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

A sensor for vision-based navigation in underwater path tracking with color and edge segmentation

This paper aims the design and implementation of a visionbased sensor for navigation of underwater vehicles with adaptive attributes. The objective pointed out is a sensor for tracking of underwater lines. The sensor employs a basic structure with a pixel-wise AND operation of binarized frames of separated channels HSV and an edgesegmented frame. The basic sensor performs well by good illuminated scenes. By significant drops of luminance, the efficiency falls. So an adaptive sensor is proposed over the basic structure. It operates on the brightness channel carrying out a maximization of contains in the accumulator bins of a Hough transformation. It has proven to enhanced the identification of the tracked line increasing the success rate.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Mirroring everyday clinical practice in clinical trial design: a new concept to improve the external validity of randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials in the pharmacological treatment of major depression

Background: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials constitute the gold standard in clinical research when testing the efficacy of new psychopharmacological interventions in the treatment of major depression. However, the blinded use of placebo has been found to influence clinical trial outcomes and may bias patient selection. Discussion: To improve clinical trial design in major depression so as to reflect clinical practice more closely we propose to present patients with a balanced view of the benefits of study participation irrespective of their assignment to placebo or active treatment. In addition every participant should be given the option to finally receive the active medication. A research agenda is outlined to evaluate the impact of the proposed changes on the efficacy of the drug to be evaluated and on the demographic and clinical characteristics of the enrollment fraction with regard to its representativeness of the eligible population. Summary: We propose a list of measures to be taken to improve the external validity of double-blind, placebocontrolled trials in major depression. The recommended changes to clinical trial design may also be relevant for other psychiatric as well as medical disorders in which expectations regarding treatment outcome may affect the outcome itself

Simplified Models for LHC New Physics Searches

This document proposes a collection of simplified models relevant to the design of new-physics searches at the LHC and the characterization of their results. Both ATLAS and CMS have already presented some results in terms of simplified models, and we encourage them to continue and expand this effort, which supplements both signature-based results and benchmark model interpretations. A simplified model is defined by an effective Lagrangian describing the interactions of a small number of new particles. Simplified models can equally well be described by a small number of masses and cross-sections. These parameters are directly related to collider physics observables, making simplified models a particularly effective framework for evaluating searches and a useful starting point for characterizing positive signals of new physics. This document serves as an official summary of the results from the "Topologies for Early LHC Searches" workshop, held at SLAC in September of 2010, the purpose of which was to develop a set of representative models that can be used to cover all relevant phase space in experimental searches. Particular emphasis is placed on searches relevant for the first ~50-500 pb-1 of data and those motivated by supersymmetric models. This note largely summarizes material posted at http://lhcnewphysics.org/, which includes simplified model definitions, Monte Carlo material, and supporting contacts within the theory community. We also comment on future developments that may be useful as more data is gathered and analyzed by the experiments.Comment: 40 pages, 2 figures. This document is the official summary of results from "Topologies for Early LHC Searches" workshop (SLAC, September 2010). Supplementary material can be found at http://lhcnewphysics.or

A study of home deaths in Japan from 1951 to 2002

BACKGROUND: Several surveys in Japan have indicated that most terminally ill Japanese patients would prefer to die at home or in a homelike setting. However, there is a great disparity between this stated preference and the reality, since most Japanese die in hospital. We report here national changes in home deaths in Japan over the last 5 decades. Using prefecture data, we also examined the factors in the medical service associated with home death in Japan. METHODS: Published data on place of death was obtained from the vital statistics compiled by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare of Japan. We analyzed trends of home deaths from 1951 to 2002, and describe the changes in the proportion of home deaths by region, sex, age, and cause of death. Joinpoint regression analysis was used for trend analysis. Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify secular trends in home deaths, and the impact of age, sex, year of deaths and cause of deaths on home death. We also examined the association between home death and medical service factors by multiple regression analysis, using home death rate by prefectures in 2002 as a dependent variable. RESULTS: A significant decrease in the percentage of patients dying at home was observed in the results of joinpoint regression analysis. Older patients and males were more likely to die at home. Patients who died from cancer were less likely to die at home. The results of multiple regression analysis indicated that home death was related to the number of beds in hospital, ratio of daily occupied beds in general hospital, the number of families in which the elderly were living alone, and dwelling rooms. CONCLUSION: The pattern of the place of death has not only been determined by social and demographic characteristics of the decedent, but also associated with the medical service in the community