Fully automated segmentation and tracking of the intima media thickness in ultrasound video sequences of the common carotid artery

Abstract—The robust identification and measurement of the intima media thickness (IMT) has a high clinical relevance because it represents one of the most precise predictors used in the assessment of potential future cardiovascular events. To facilitate the analysis of arterial wall thickening in serial clinical investigations, in this paper we have developed a novel fully automatic algorithm for the segmentation, measurement, and tracking of the intima media complex (IMC) in B-mode ultrasound video sequences. The proposed algorithm entails a two-stage image analysis process that initially addresses the segmentation of the IMC in the first frame of the ultrasound video sequence using a model-based approach; in the second step, a novel customized tracking procedure is applied to robustly detect the IMC in the subsequent frames. For the video tracking procedure, we introduce a spatially coherent algorithm called adaptive normalized correlation that prevents the tracking process from converging to wrong arterial interfaces. This represents the main contribution of this paper and was developed to deal with inconsistencies in the appearance of the IMC over the cardiac cycle. The quantitative evaluation has been carried out on 40 ultrasound video sequences of the common carotid artery (CCA) by comparing the results returned by the developed algorithm with respect to ground truth data that has been manually annotated by clinical experts. The measured IMTmean ± standard deviation recorded by the proposed algorithm is 0.60 mm ± 0.10, with a mean coefficient of variation (CV) of 2.05%, whereas the corresponding result obtained for the manually annotated ground truth data is 0.60 mm ± 0.11 with a mean CV equal to 5.60%. The numerical results reported in this paper indicate that the proposed algorithm is able to correctly segment and track the IMC in ultrasound CCA video sequences, and we were encouraged by the stability of our technique when applied to data captured under different imaging conditions. Future clinical studies will focus on the evaluation of patients that are affected by advanced cardiovascular conditions such as focal thickening and arterial plaques

THE ATTITUDE TOWARDS ASSOCIATIONS OF THE FOOD PRODUCERS IN THE NORTH-WEST REGION OF ROMANIA

The article aim is to analyze food producers from the North-West region of Romania and their attitude towards association, given its major importance within the national economy. The method used consisted in a qualitative one, the structured interview among food producers from a Fair. Results indicate the very few are members of a producer association, while all of them pursue to take part from those associations which offer them promoting facilities and free access to fairs or access to information

Insights into the pathogenesis of nicotine addiction. Could a salivary biosensor be useful in Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)?

Nicotine has gained the attention of the medical community due to its insidious addictive mechanisms which lead to chronic consumption. The multitude of compounds derived from tobacco smoke have local and systemic negative impacts, resulting in a large number of smoking-related pathologies. The present review offers insights into nicotine addiction physiopathology, as well as social and medical implications, with emphasis on its correlation with Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). Therapeutic strategies and new approaches to nicotine assessment and cessation treatment are discussed, noting that such strategies could take into account the possibility of slow and gradual nicotine release from a device attached to a prosthetic piece, based on salivary nicotine-concentration feedback. This approach could offer real-time and home-based self-therapy monitoring by the physician and the patient for follow-up and improve long-term cessation treatment success- Graphical abstract

A minimal CRISPR-Cas3 system for genome engineering [preprint]

CRISPR-Cas technologies have provided programmable gene editing tools that have revolutionized research. The leading CRISPR-Cas9 and Cas12a enzymes are ideal for programmed genetic manipulation, however, they are limited for genome-scale interventions. Here, we utilized a Cas3-based system featuring a processive nuclease, expressed endogenously or heterologously, for genome engineering purposes. Using an optimized and minimal CRISPR-Cas3 system (Type I-C) programmed with a single crRNA, large deletions ranging from 7 - 424 kb were generated in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with high efficiency and speed. By comparison, Cas9 yielded small deletions and point mutations. Cas3-generated deletion boundaries were variable in the absence of a homology-directed repair (HDR) template, and successfully and efficiently specified when present. The minimal Cas3 system is also portable; large deletions were induced with high efficiency in Pseudomonas syringae and Escherichia coli using an “all-in-one” vector. Notably, Cas3 generated bi-directional deletions originating from the programmed cut site, which was exploited to iteratively reduce a P. aeruginosa genome by 837 kb (13.5%) using 10 distinct crRNAs. We also demonstrate the utility of endogenous Cas3 systems (Type I-C and I-F) and develop an “anti-anti-CRISPR” strategy to circumvent endogenous CRISPR-Cas inhibitor proteins. CRISPR-Cas3 could facilitate rapid strain manipulation for synthetic biological and metabolic engineering purposes, genome minimization, and the analysis of large regions of unknown function

The influence of the synoptic conditions in the dispersion of the air pollution indicator – the sulphur dioxide (SO2) in the Slatina area.

The sulphur oxides are among the most common pollutants, because the sulphur can be found in various forms in most of fuels and ores. The sulphur dioxide (SO2) is a colorless, suffocating, irritating gas, which contributes significantly to the producing of the acid rains. The main objective of the study is to analyze the way of dispersion for the air pollution indicator – the sulphur dioxide (SO2), in the Slatina town area, in relation to the climatic and topographic factors, but also to the nature of the pollution sources. The analysis will highlight the atmospheric conservation role of the pollutants through the thermic inversions, the atmospheric calm and the high air moisture. At the end of the study, there are presented the authors’s conclusions formulated on the basis of the data from the German Meteorological Offenbach Service, the National Meteorological Administration and the Agency for Environmental Protection from the Olt County. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of an air pollution indicator constitutes a first step in ensuring the air quality management, which represents a component of the environmental management

Insights into the pathogenesis of nicotine addiction. Could a salivary biosensor be useful in Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)?

Nicotine has gained the attention of the medical community due to its insidious addictive mechanisms which lead to chronic consumption. The multitude of compounds derived from tobacco smoke have local and systemic negative impacts, resulting in a large number of smoking-related pathologies. The present review offers insights into nicotine addiction physiopathology, as well as social and medical implications, with emphasis on its correlation with Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs). Therapeutic strategies and new approaches to nicotine assessment and cessation treatment are discussed, noting that such strategies could take into account the possibility of slow and gradual nicotine release from a device attached to a prosthetic piece, based on salivary nicotine-concentration feedback. This approach could offer real-time and home-based self-therapy monitoring by the physician and the patient for follow-up and improve long-term cessation treatment success- Graphical abstract

Social Aspects of Livestock Waste Management in Cyprus

This work examined the social perception of the population towards the management of livestock waste in Cyprus. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to population residing relatively close to livestock waste production and management facilities. The responses showed that the greatest problems as perceived by the population are odour issues, health issues and the adverse impact on property values. The participants in the survey assessed traffic and noise as minor problems.The majority of people (73%) replied that land spreading of livestock waste is the dominant livestock waste management practice currently implemented in Cyprus. Only a small part reported not to be at all informed concerning livestock waste management. The participants in the survey believe that livestock waste management activities cannot significantly improve the employment level in Cyprus

Colorization and Automated Segmentation of Human T2 MR Brain Images for Characterization of Soft Tissues

Characterization of tissues like brain by using magnetic resonance (MR) images and colorization of the gray scale image has been reported in the literature, along with the advantages and drawbacks. Here, we present two independent methods; (i) a novel colorization method to underscore the variability in brain MR images, indicative of the underlying physical density of bio tissue, (ii) a segmentation method (both hard and soft segmentation) to characterize gray brain MR images. The segmented images are then transformed into color using the above-mentioned colorization method, yielding promising results for manual tracing. Our color transformation incorporates the voxel classification by matching the luminance of voxels of the source MR image and provided color image by measuring the distance between them. The segmentation method is based on single-phase clustering for 2D and 3D image segmentation with a new auto centroid selection method, which divides the image into three distinct regions (gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) using prior anatomical knowledge). Results have been successfully validated on human T2-weighted (T2) brain MR images. The proposed method can be potentially applied to gray-scale images from other imaging modalities, in bringing out additional diagnostic tissue information contained in the colorized image processing approach as described

To what extent does a regional dialect and accent impact on the development of reading and writing skills?

The issue of whether a regional accent and/or dialect impact(s) on the development of literacy skills remains current in the UK. For decades the issue has dogged debate about education outcomes, portable skills and employability. The article summarizes research on the topic using systematic review methodology. A scoping review was undertaken with the research question ‘To what extent does a regional dialect and accent impact on the development of reading and writing skills?’. The review covers research relevant to the teaching of 5-16 year olds in England, but also draws on research within Europe, the USA, Australia and the Caribbean. The results suggest that curricula have marginalized language variation; that the impact of regional accent and dialect on writing is relatively minor; that young people are adept at style-shifting between standard and non-standard forms; and that inappropriate pedagogical responses to regional variation can have detrimental effects on children’s educational achievement