Human face detection in video using edge projections

In this paper, a human face detection method in images and video is presented. After determining possible face candidate regions using color information, each region is filtered by a high-pass filter of a wavelet transform. In this way, edges of the region are highlighted, and a caricature-like representation of candidate regions is obtained. Horizontal, vertical and filter-like projections of the region are used as feature signals in dynamic programming (DP) and support vector machine (SVM) based classifiers. It turns out that the support vector machine based classifier provides better detection rates compared to dynamic programming in our simulation studies

Development Of PLC Based Prototype Data Acquisition And Control System For Laboratory Type Gasifiers

Bu araştırmada farklı tip gazlaştırıcılar üzerine monte edilerek gazlaştırma süreçlerinin izlenmesini sağlayacak PLC kontrollü bir veri toplama ve kontrol sistemi gerçekleştirilmiştir. Sistem, modüler yapıda olup genişletilmeye uygun analog ve dijital giriş/çıkış modülleri ile donatılmıştır. Araştırmada gerçekleştirilen prototip sistem ile termokupllar, yük hücreleri ve basınç sensörleri gibi farklı tip algılayıcılardan gelen analog ve dijital veriler algılanabilmektedir. Ayrıca PLC’nin analog çıkış kanallarından gönderilen sinyaller ile reaktörler üzerindeki fan, motor ve oransal vanaların kontrolleri sağlanarak çalışma hızları denetlenebilmektedir. Geliştirilen prototip veri toplama ve kontrol sistemi ile laboratuvar ölçekli bir gazlaştırıcıda gerçekleştirilen gazlaştırma süreçleri, bir operatör paneli üzerinden takip edilirken, süreç değişkenleri 60s periyot ile USB belleğe kaydedilebilmektedir. Sistem, genişleme modülleri ile donatılarak endüstriyel amaçlı büyük tesislerin kontrolü için de kullanılabilecek mimari yapıya sahiptir. Geliştirilen sistemin başarısı yürütülen deneysel çalışmalar ile test edilmiş ve elde edilen sıcaklık, basınç, debi ve kütle değişimi grafikleri metin içerisinde sunulmuştur.In this research, a PLC controlled data acquisition and control system has been designed which is installed on different types of gasifiers to monitor the gasification processes. It is a modular system and equipped with analog and digital input / output expansion modules. The prototype system in the research can detect analogue and digital data coming from different types of sensors such as thermocouples, load cells and pressure sensors. In addition, operating speeds of the fans, motors and proportional valves on the reactors can be controlled by providing signals from the analog output channels of the PLC. With the developed prototype data acquisition and control system, the process variables can be saved to USB memory with 60 s period and monitored on a HMI touch panelduring gasification processes performed in a laboratory scale gasifier. By equipping with expansion modules, this system can be used to control large industrial plants. The developed system has been tested successfully in experimental studies and the obtained graphs of temperature, pressure, flow and mass change are presented in the text

PD-L1, Galectin-9 and CD8+ tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes are associated with survival in hepatocellular carcinoma

Novel systemic treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are strongly needed. Immunotherapy is a promising strategy that can induce specific antitumor immune responses. Understanding the mechanisms of immune resistance by HCC is crucial for development of suitable immunotherapeutics. We used immunohistochemistry on tissue-microarrays to examine the co-expression of the immune inhibiting molecules PD-L1, Galectin-9, HVEM and IDO, as well as tumor CD8+ lymphocyte infiltration in HCC, in two independent cohorts of patients. We found that at least some expression in tumor cells was seen in 97% of cases for HVEM, 83% for PD-L1, 79% for Gal-9 and 66% for IDO. In the discovery cohort (n = 94), we found that lack of, or low, tumor expression of PD-L1 (p < 0.001), Galectin-9 (p < 0.001) and HVEM (p < 0.001), and low CD8+TIL count (p = 0.016), were associated with poor HCC-specific survival. PD-L1, Galectin-9 and CD8+TIL count were predictive of HCC-specific survival independent of baseline clinicopathologic characteristics and the combination of these markers was a powerful predictor of HCC-specific survival (HR 0.29; p <0.001). These results were confirmed in the validation cohort (n = 60). We show that low expression levels of PD-L1 and Gal-9 in combination with low CD8+TIL count predict extremely poor HCC-specific survival and it requires a change in two of these parameters to significantly improve prognosis. In conclusion, intra-tumoral expression of these immune inhibiting molecules was observed in the majority of HCC patients. Low expression of PD-L1 and Galectin-9 and low CD8+TIL count are associated with poor HCC-specific survival. Combining immune biomarkers leads to superior predictors of HCC mortality

A nationwide assessment of hepatocellular adenoma resection:Indications and pathological discordance

Hepatocellular adenomas (HCAs) are benign liver tumors associated with bleeding or malignant transformation. Data on the indication for surgery are scarce. We analyzed indications and outcome of patients operated for HCAs 50 mm (52%), suspicion of (pre)malignancy (28%), and (previous) bleeding (5.1%). No difference was observed in HCA-subtype distribution between small and large tumors. Ninety-six (43%) patients had a postoperative change in diagnosis. Independent risk factors for change in diagnosis were tumor size <50 mm (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.4; p < 0.01), male sex (aOR, 3.7; p = 0.03), and lack of hepatobiliary contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) (aOR, 1.8; p = 0.04). Resection for small (suspected) HCAs was mainly indicated by suspicion of (pre)malignancy, whereas for large (suspected) HCAs, tumor size was the most prevalent indication. Male sex, tumor size <50 mm, and lack of hepatobiliary CE-MRI were independent risk factors for postoperative change in tumor diagnosis

A cotton miRNA is involved in regulation of plant response to salt stress

The present study functionally identified a new microRNA (microRNA ovual line 5, miRNVL5) with its target gene GhCHR from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). The sequence of miRNVL5 precursor is 104 nt long, with a well developed secondary structure. GhCHR contains two DC1 and three PHD Cys/His-rich domains, suggesting that GhCHR encodes a zinc-finger domain-containing transcription factor. miRNVL5 and GhCHR express at various developmental stages of cotton. Under salt stress (50–400 mM NaCl), miRNVL5 expression was repressed, with concomitant high expression of GhCHR in cotton seedlings. Ectopic expression of GhCHR in Arabidopsis conferred salt stress tolerance by reducing Na+ accumulation in plants and improving primary root growth and biomass. Interestingly, Arabidopsis constitutively expressing miRNVL5 showed hypersensitivity to salt stress. A GhCHR orthorlous gene At2g44380 from Arabidopsis that can be cleaved by miRNVL5 was identified by degradome sequencing, but no confidential miRNVL5 homologs in Arabidopsis have been identified. Microarray analysis of miRNVL5 transgenic Arabidopsis showed six downstream genes (CBF1, CBF2, CBF3, ERF4, AT3G22920, and AT3G49200), which were induced by salt stress in wild-type but repressed in miRNVL5-expressing Arabidopsis. These results indicate that miRNVL5 is involved in regulation of plant response to salt stress

Effects of Salt Stress on Three Ecologically Distinct Plantago Species

Comparative studies on the responses to salt stress of taxonomically related taxa should help to elucidate relevant mechanisms of stress tolerance in plants. We have applied this strategy to three Plantago species adapted to different natural habitats, P. crassifolia and P. coronopus both halophytes and P. major, considered as salt-sensitive since it is never found in natural saline habitats. Growth inhibition measurements in controlled salt treatments indicated, however, that P. major is quite resistant to salt stress, although less than its halophytic congeners. The contents of monovalent ions and specific osmolytes were determined in plant leaves after four-week salt treatments. Salt-treated plants of the three taxa accumulated Na+ and Cl- in response to increasing external NaCl concentrations, to a lesser extent in P. major than in the halophytes; the latter species also showed higher ion contents in the non-stressed plants. In the halophytes, K+ concentration decreased at moderate salinity levels, to increase again under high salt conditions, whereas in P. major K+ contents were reduced only above 400 mM NaCl. Sorbitol contents augmented in all plants, roughly in parallel with increasing salinity, but the relative increments and the absolute values reached did not differ much in the three taxa. On the contrary, a strong (relative) accumulation of proline in response to high salt concentrations (600 800 mM NaCl) was observed in the halophytes, but not in P. major. These results indicate that the responses to salt stress triggered specifically in the halophytes, and therefore the most relevant for tolerance in the genus Plantago are: a higher efficiency in the transport of toxic ions to the leaves, the capacity to use inorganic ions as osmotica, even under low salinity conditions, and the activation, in response to very high salt concentrations, of proline accumulation and K+ transport to the leaves of the plants.MAH was a recipient of an Erasmus Mundus pre-doctoral scholarship financed by the European Commission (Welcome Consortium). AP acknowledges the Erasmus mobility programme for funding her stay in Valencia to carry out her Master Thesis.Al Hassan, M.; Pacurar, AM.; López Gresa, MP.; Donat Torres, MDP.; Llinares Palacios, JV.; Boscaiu Neagu, MT.; Vicente Meana, Ó. (2016). Effects of Salt Stress on Three Ecologically Distinct Plantago Species. PLoS ONE. 11(8):1-21. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0160236S12111

Utjecaj desflurana i sevoflurana na razine oksidativnog stresa u tkivima štakora

General anaesthetics are often used in patients who are under oxidative stress due to a critical illness or surgical trauma. Some anaesthetics may worsen oxidative stress and some may act as antioxidants. The aim of this study was to evaluate liver, brain, kidney, and lung tissue oxidative stress in rats exposed to desflurane and sevoflurane and in unexposed rats. The animals were divided in three groups: control (received only air); sevoflurane (8 %), and desflurane (4 %). After four hours of exposure, we evaluated the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), Cu, and Zn. Exposure to either of the anaesthetics significantly increased lung MDA levels compared to control (Mann-Whitney U test; P<0.05), probably because it is the tissue directly exposed to anaesthetic gases. Oxidative stress and antioxidant activity in other tissues varied between the desflurane and sevoflurane groups. Our results suggest that anaesthesiologist should not only be aware of the oxidative or antioxidative potential of anaesthetics they use, but should also base their choices on organs which are the most affected by their oxidative actionkisikovih radikala tako i zbog smanjene aktivnosti obrambenih sustava koji se mogu oduprijeti njihovu djelovanju. Stoga su saznanja o antioksidativnom kapacitetu anestetika koji se primjenjuju prije nekoga kirurškog zahvata vrlo važna i od velikog su kliničkog značenja. Sevofl uran i desfl uran su inhalacijski anestetici koji se učestalo rabe u svrhu uvođenja bolesnika u anesteziju. Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi razine oksidativnog stresa u različitim tkivima štakora i usporediti razlike u odgovoru tkiva na izlaganje navedenim anesteticima. U tu svrhu razine oksidativnog stresa izmjerili smo u jetri, mozgu, bubrezima i plućima štakora podijeljenih u tri eksperimentalne skupine. Kontrolna skupina udisala je samo zrak, dok su druge dvije skupine izložene 8 %-tnomu sevofl uranu te 4 %-tnomu desfl uranu tijekom 4 h. Nakon završetka obrade životinje su žrtvovane i uzimani su im uzorci tkiva za biokemijske analize. Mjerena je razina malondialdehida (MDA), aktivnst enzima superoksid dismutaze (SOD) i glutation peroksidaze (GSH-Px) te razine bakra i cinka. Izloženost anesteticima izazvala je oksidativni stres u plućima, na što upućuje značajno povišena razina MDA (Mann-Whitney U-test P<0.05) izmjerena u plućnom tkivu štakora obiju izloženih skupina u odnosu na kontrolu. Plućno je tkivo u odnosu na ostala tkiva podložnije štetnim utjecajima reaktivnih kisikovih radikala vjerojatno stoga što je ono prvo izloženo plinovitim anesteticima nakon njihova ulaska u organizam. Razine oksidativnog stresa i antioksidativne aktivnosti koje smo izmjerili u ostalim tkivima bile su različite te su ovisile o primijenjenom anestetiku. Na osnovi dobivenih rezultata možemo zaključiti da bi se zbog različitog odgovora tkiva izbor anestetika trebao provoditi na individualnoj osnovi