Smart Roadside System for Driver Assistance and Safety Warnings: Framework and Applications

The use of newly emerging sensor technologies in traditional roadway systems can provide real-time traffic services to drivers through Telematics and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITSs). This paper introduces a smart roadside system that utilizes various sensors for driver assistance and traffic safety warnings. This paper shows two road application models for a smart roadside system and sensors: a red-light violation warning system for signalized intersections, and a speed advisory system for highways. Evaluation results for the two services are then shown using a micro-simulation method. In the given real-time applications for drivers, the framework and certain algorithms produce a very efficient solution with respect to the roadway type features and sensor type use

PPM1A Controls Diabetic Gene Programming through Directly Dephosphorylating PPAR?? at Ser273

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) is a master regulator of adipose tissue biology. In obesity, phosphorylation of PPAR gamma at Ser273 (pSer273) by cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) orchestrates diabetic gene reprogramming via dysregulation of specific gene expression. Although many recent studies have focused on the development of non-classical agonist drugs that inhibit the phosphorylation of PPAR gamma at Ser273, the molecular mechanism of PPAR gamma dephosphorylation at Ser273 is not well characterized. Here, we report that protein phosphatase Mg2+/Mn2+-dependent 1A (PPM1A) is a novel PPAR gamma phosphatase that directly dephosphorylates Ser273 and restores diabetic gene expression which is dysregulated by pSer273. The expression of PPM1A significantly decreases in two models of insulin resistance: diet-induced obese (DIO) mice and db/db mice, in which it negatively correlates with pSer273. Transcriptomic analysis using microarray and genotype-tissue expression (GTEx) data in humans shows positive correlations between PPM1A and most of the genes that are dysregulated by pSer273. These findings suggest that PPM1A dephosphorylates PPAR gamma at Ser273 and represents a potential target for the treatment of obesity-linked metabolic disorders

A Factor Analysis of Urban Railway Casualty Accidents and Establishment of Preventive Response Systems

AbstractSince the commencement of urban railways in 1974 and KTX service in 2014, the use of railways has been steadily increasing. The number of people using rail transportation has been steadily rising. As a result, this has also led to an increase in the number of passenger-related accidents that are occurring within railway stations. In an effort to prevent such accidents, much of the rail operation system is now automated. Nevertheless, the potential risks of railway accidents are very much present today. This study has utilized the railway accident databases of rail operators to allow for analysis of different types of railway accidents, age of accident victims, gender of accident victims, pedestrian facilities involved in accidents, passengers involved in accidents, and underlying causes of rail accidents. Based on these statistics and analyses, this paper proposes the development of a railway safety education program and the establishment of railway safety education centers as a means of preventing railway accidents

Evaluation of the usefulness of three-dimensional optical coherence tomography in a guinea pig model of endolymphatic hydrops induced by surgical obliteration of the endolymphatic duct

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) has advanced significantly over the past two decades and is currently used extensively to monitor the internal structures of organs, particularly in ophthalmology and dermatology. We used ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) to decalcify the bony walls of the cochlea and investigated the inner structures by deep penetration of light into the cochlear tissue using OCT on a guinea pig model of endolymphatic hydrops (EH), induced by surgical obliteration of the endolymphatic duct. The structural and functional changes associated with EH were identified using OCT and auditory brainstem response tests, respectively. We also evaluated structural alterations in the cochlea using three-dimensional reconstruction of the OCT images, which clearly showed physical changes in the cochlear structures. Furthermore, we found significant anatomical variations in the EH model and conducted graphical analysis by strial atrophy for comparison. The physical changes included damage to and flattening of the organ of Corti-evidence of Reissner's membrane distention-and thinning of the lateral wall. These results indicate that observation of EDTA-decalcified cochlea using OCT is significant in examination of gradual changes in the cochlear structures that are otherwise not depicted by hematoxylin and eosin staining © The Authorsopen0

The cortical activation pattern by a rehabilitation robotic hand: a functional NIRS study

Introduction: Clarification of the relationship between external stimuli and brain response has been an important topic in neuroscience and brain rehabilitation. In the current study, using functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we attempted to investigate cortical activation patterns generated during execution of a rehabilitation robotic hand. Methods: Ten normal subjects were recruited for this study. Passive movements of the right fingers were performed using a rehabilitation robotic hand at a frequency of 0.5 Hz. We measured values of oxy-hemoglobin (HbO), deoxy-hemoglobin (HbR) and total-hemoglobin (HbT) in five regions of interest: the primary sensory-motor cortex (SM1), hand somatotopy of the contralateral SM1, supplementary motor area (SMA), premotor cortex (PMC), and prefrontal cortex (PFC). Results: HbO and HbT values indicated significant activation in the left SM1, left SMA, left PMC, and left PFC during execution of the rehabilitation robotic hand (uncorrected, p < 0.01). By contrast, HbR value indicated significant activation only in the hand somatotopic area of the left SM1 (uncorrected, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Our results appear to indicate that execution of the rehabilitation robotic hand could induce cortical activation. © 2014 Chang, Lee, Gu, Lee, Jin, Yeo, Seo and Jang.1

The effects of curcumin on the fibrous envelope surrounding silicone implants in rats

Background Capsular contracture is the most common serious breast surgery complication. The cause of capsular formation remains unknown, but chronic inflammation is commonly considered to cause excessive fibrosis. Curcumin has anti-inflammatory effects and thus can relieve the symptoms of inflammatory diseases, as demonstrated in animal studies. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of curcumin on the fibrous envelope covering silicone implants in a rat model. Methods Two solid 1.8-cm oval-shaped silicone implants were placed beneath both sides of the back in 20 Sprague-Dawley rats. The control group included 10 rats that were fed a normal diet (group A), while the experimental group (group B) included the remaining 10 rats that were fed ground curcumin. En bloc excision was conducted at 8 postoperative weeks. Capsular thickness and inflammatory cell distribution were examined using a fixed tissue sample. Results Gross findings and histologic differences between the groups were observed. The experimental group had a significantly lower mean total capsular thickness than the control group (177.4±31.4 μm vs. 145.9±32.5 μm, P=0.007). A significant decreasing tendency was found in several inflammatory cells in the experimental group (7,070±744.3/mm2 vs. 2,640±301.7/mm2, P=0.001). Conclusions Curcumin significantly reduced the inflammatory reaction, and will help to lower the risk of capsular contracture. Long-term studies are required to determine whether this hypothesis can provide a basis for a viable therapeutic strategy to reduce capsular contracture

Substrate thermal conductivity effect on heat dissipation and lifetime improvement of organic light-emitting diodes

We report substrate thermal conductivity effect on heat dissipation and lifetime improvement of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). Heat dissipation behavior of top-emission OLEDs fabricated on silicon, glass, and planarized stainless steel substrates was measured by using an infrared camera. Peak temperature measured from the backside of each substrate was saturated to be 21.4, 64.5, and 40.5 °C, 180 s after the OLED was operated at luminance of 10 000 cd/m2 and 80% luminance lifetime was about 198, 31, and 96 h, respectively. Efficient heat dissipation through the highly thermally conductive substrates reduced temperature increase, resulting in much improved OLED lifetime.This work supported by the Korea Research Foundation Grant funded by the Korean Government (MOEHRD, Basic Research Promotion Fund) (Grant No. KRF-2008-331-D00216)