Open-label comparative clinical study of chlorproguanil-dapsone fixed dose combination (Lapdap) alone or with three different doses of artesunate for uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

UNLABELLED: The objective of this study was to determine the appropriate dose of artesunate for use in a fixed dose combination therapy with chlorproguanil-dapsone (CPG-DDS) for the treatment of uncomplicated falciparum malaria. METHODS: Open-label clinical trial comparing CPG-DDS alone or with artesunate 4, 2, or 1 mg/kg at medical centers in Blantyre, Malawi and Farafenni, The Gambia. The trial was conducted between June 2002 and February 2005, including 116 adults (median age 27 years) and 107 children (median age 38 months) with acute uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Subjects were randomized into 4 groups to receive CPG-DDS alone or plus 4, 2 or 1 mg/kg of artesunate once daily for 3 days. Assessments took place on Days 0-3 in hospital and follow-up on Days 7 and 14 as out-patients. Efficacy was evaluated in the Day 3 per-protocol (PP) population using mean time to reduce baseline parasitemia by 90% (PC90). A number of secondary outcomes were also included. Appropriate artesunate dose was determined using a pre-defined decision matrix based on primary and secondary outcomes. Treatment emergent adverse events were recorded from clinical assessments and blood parameters. Safety was evaluated in the intent to treat (ITT) population. RESULTS: In the Day 3 PP population for the adult group (N = 85), mean time to PC90 was 19.1 h in the CPG-DDS group, significantly longer than for the +artesunate 1 mg/kg (12.5 h; treatment difference -6.6 h [95%CI -11.8, -1.5]), 2 mg/kg (10.7 h; -8.4 h [95%CI -13.6, -3.2]) and 4 mg/kg (10.3 h; -8.7 h [95%CI -14.1, -3.2]) groups. For children in the Day 3 PP population (N = 92), mean time to PC90 was 21.1 h in the CPG-DDS group, similar to the +artesunate 1 mg/kg group (17.7 h; -3.3 h [95%CI -8.6, 2.0]), though the +artesunate 2 mg/kg and 4 mg/kg groups had significantly shorter mean times to PC90 versus CPG-DDS; 14.4 h (treatment difference -6.4 h [95%CI -11.7, -1.0]) and 12.8 h (-7.4 h [95%CI -12.9, -1.8]), respectively. An analysis of mean time to PC90 for the Day 14 PP and ITT populations was consistent with the primary analysis. Treatment emergent, drug-related adverse events were experienced in 35.3% (41/116) of adults and 70.1% (75/107) of children; mostly hematological and gastroenterological. The nature and incidence of adverse events was similar between the groups. No dose-related changes in laboratory parameters were observed. Nine serious adverse events due to any cause occurred in five subjects including two cases of hemolysis believed to be associated with drug treatment (one adult, one child). One adult died of anaphylactic shock, not associated with investigational therapy. CONCLUSIONS: CPG-DDS plus artesunate demonstrated advantages over CPG-DDS alone for the primary efficacy endpoint (mean time to PC90) except in children for the 1 mg/kg artesunate dose. Based on a pre-defined decision matrix, the primary endpoint in the child group supported an artesunate dose of 4 mg/kg. Secondary endpoints also supported a 4 mg/kg artesunate dose to take forward into the remainder of the development program. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00519467

Háromdimenziós kiértékelés lézerszkenneres felmérés alapján

A diplomadolgozatommal célom az adott projekt, a kapott adat ellenőrzésének és feldolgozásra való előkészítésének, az adatok kiértékelésének, a kiértékelési módszereknek és eszközöknek a bemutatása.MSc/MAGeográfus MScg

Kanadai aranyvessző (Solidago canadensis) kimutatása hiperspektrális felvételen, egy Sajó menti területen

Elmondható hogy egész szép eredmények születtek, a legnagyobb pontosság igaz hogy 'csak' 75%-os, de a módszerek finomhangolásával remélhetőleg elérhetővé válik a 90% fölötti teljesítmény is. A jelenlegi eredményeim alapján nagyobb területre elvégzett osztályba sorolások javíthatják az özönnövények ellen küzdő emberek hatékonyságát.BSc/BAFöldrajzg

Design Evaluation of Self-Learning Line Following Robot

The development of a line-following robot is, for many, a building block into further applications of robotics. One of the main focuses is pathfinding without prior knowledge of the route or environment. In the case of a simple line- following robots, the task is limited, allowing for much room in experimenting with different approaches. In this paper, we present our dual-control line following robot - ATR LineBot. The first control mechanism uses two series of line sensors in combination with a custom PID controller for speed optimization. The additional sensors allows for sophisticated planning and correction to be done. Our second control mechanism utilizes a double layered neural network for remote learning of optimal speed. Utilizing the output of line detection sensors and motor encoder as feature vectors, the neural network can optimize control. ATR LineBot, the dual-control line following robot, uses both PID controlling and reinforcement learning for successful navigation and serves as a platform for improving the traditional building block of robotics. Thus, we present a smart line following robot comprising a robust design, which is compatible with any circumstance as well as efficient in achieving its ideal speed to perceive its goal