Automatic method for detection of characteristic areas in thermal face images

The use of thermal images of a selected area of the head in screening systems, which perform fast and accurate analysis of the temperature distribution of individual areas, requires the use of profiled image analysis methods. There exist methods for automated face analysis which are used at airports or train stations and are designed to detect people with fever. However, they do not enable automatic separation of specific areas of the face. This paper presents an algorithm for image analysis which enables localization of characteristic areas of the face in thermograms. The algorithm is resistant to subjects’ variability and also to changes in the position and orientation of the head. In addition, an attempt was made to eliminate the impact of background and interference caused by hair and hairline. The algorithm automatically adjusts its operation parameters to suit the prevailing room conditions. Compared to previous studies (Marzec et al., J Med Inform Tech 16:151–159, 2010), the set of thermal images was expanded by 34 images. As a result, the research material was a total of 125 patients’ thermograms performed in the Department of Pediatrics and Child and Adolescent Neurology in Katowice, Poland. The images were taken interchangeably with several thermal cameras: AGEMA 590 PAL (sensitivity of 0.1 °C), ThermaCam S65 (sensitivity of 0.08 °C), A310 (sensitivity of 0.05 °C), T335 (sensitivity of 0.05 °C) with a 320×240 pixel optical resolution of detectors, maintaining the principles related to taking thermal images for medical thermography. In comparison to (Marzec et al., J Med Inform Tech 16:151–159, 2010), the approach presented there has been extended and modified. Based on the comparison with other methods presented in the literature, it was demonstrated that this method is more complex as it enables to determine the approximate areas of selected parts of the face including anthropometry. As a result of this comparison, better results were obtained in terms of localization accuracy of the center of the eye sockets and nostrils, giving an accuracy of 87 % for the eyes and 93 % for the nostrils

Mobile sailing robot for automatic estimation of fish density and monitoring water quality

Introduction: The paper presents the methodology and the algorithm developed to analyze sonar images focused on fish detection in small water bodies and measurement of their parameters: volume, depth and the GPS location. The final results are stored in a table and can be exported to any numerical environment for further analysis.Material and method: The measurement method for estimating the number of fish using the automatic robot is based on a sequential calculation of the number of occurrences of fish on the set trajectory. The data analysis from the sonar concerned automatic recognition of fish using the methods of image analysis and processing.Results: Image analysis algorithm, a mobile robot together with its control in the 2.4 GHz band and full cryptographic communication with the data archiving station was developed as part of this study. For the three model fish ponds where verification of fish catches was carried out (548, 171 and 226 individuals), the measurement error for the described method was not exceeded 8%.Summary: Created robot together with the developed software has features for remote work also in the variety of harsh weather and environmental conditions, is fully automated and can be remotely controlled using Internet. Designed system enables fish spatial location (GPS coordinates and the depth). The purpose of the robot is a non-invasive measurement of the number of fish in water reservoirs and a measurement of the quality of drinking water consumed by humans, especially in situations where local sources of pollution could have a significant impact on the quality of water collected for water treatment for people and when getting to these places is difficult. The systematically used robot equipped with the appropriate sensors, can be part of early warning system against the pollution of water used by humans (drinking water, natural swimming pools) which can be dangerous for their health

"Cladonia uncialis" as a valuable raw material of biosynthetic compounds against clinical strains of bacteria and fungi

Cladonia uncialis is a lichen species with confirmed antibacterial activity and whose genome has been recently sequenced, enabling first attempts in its functional characterization. In this work, we investigated activity of the C. uncialis acetone extract (CUE) and usnic acid (UA) enantiomers against ten clinical microbial strains causing skin infections. The results showed that CUE, containing (–)-UA and squamatic acid, assayed at the same concentrations as UA, was noticeably more active than (–)-UA alone, in its pure form. The studied CUE displayed an activity that was comparable to that of (+)-UA observed for Staphylococcus epidermidis and Enterococcus faecium (18–24 mm zone of growth inhibition), but did not display any activity against fungal strains. The CUE demonstrated low cytotoxicity against HaCaT cells, in comparison to UA enantiomers, which is important for its therapeutic use. Results of the antioxidant assay (DPPH) indicated low antioxidant activity (IC50>200 µg/mL) of CUE, while the total phenolic content was 70.36 mg Gallic Acid Equivalent/g of the dry extrac

The Wnt Signaling Pathway Inhibitors Improve the Therapeutic Activity of Glycolysis Modulators against Tongue Cancer Cells

Excessive glucose metabolism and disruptions in Wnt signaling are important molecular changes present in oral cancer cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the combinatorial use of glycolysis and Wnt signaling inhibitors on viability, cytotoxicity, apoptosis induction, cell cycle distribution and the glycolytic activity of tongue carcinoma cells. CAL 27, SCC-25 and BICR 22 tongue cancer cell lines were used. Cells were treated with inhibitors of glycolysis (2-deoxyglucose and lonidamine) and of Wnt signaling (PRI-724 and IWP-O1). The effects of the compounds on cell viability and cytotoxicity were evaluated with MTS and CellTox Green tests, respectively. Apoptosis was evaluated by MitoPotential Dye staining and cell cycle distribution by staining with propidium iodide, followed by flow cytometric cell analysis. Glucose and lactate concentrations in a culture medium were evaluated luminometrically. Combinations of 2-deoxyglucose and lonidamine with Wnt pathway inhibitors were similarly effective in the impairment of oral cancer cells’ survival. However, the inhibition of the canonical Wnt pathway by PRI-724 was more beneficial, based on the glycolytic activity of the cells. The results point to the therapeutic potential of the combination of low concentrations of glycolytic modulators with Wnt pathway inhibitors in oral cancer cells

The Wnt Signaling Pathway Inhibitors Improve the Therapeutic Activity of Glycolysis Modulators against Tongue Cancer Cells

Excessive glucose metabolism and disruptions in Wnt signaling are important molecular changes present in oral cancer cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the combinatorial use of glycolysis and Wnt signaling inhibitors on viability, cytotoxicity, apoptosis induction, cell cycle distribution and the glycolytic activity of tongue carcinoma cells. CAL 27, SCC-25 and BICR 22 tongue cancer cell lines were used. Cells were treated with inhibitors of glycolysis (2-deoxyglucose and lonidamine) and of Wnt signaling (PRI-724 and IWP-O1). The effects of the compounds on cell viability and cytotoxicity were evaluated with MTS and CellTox Green tests, respectively. Apoptosis was evaluated by MitoPotential Dye staining and cell cycle distribution by staining with propidium iodide, followed by flow cytometric cell analysis. Glucose and lactate concentrations in a culture medium were evaluated luminometrically. Combinations of 2-deoxyglucose and lonidamine with Wnt pathway inhibitors were similarly effective in the impairment of oral cancer cells’ survival. However, the inhibition of the canonical Wnt pathway by PRI-724 was more beneficial, based on the glycolytic activity of the cells. The results point to the therapeutic potential of the combination of low concentrations of glycolytic modulators with Wnt pathway inhibitors in oral cancer cells

Implementation of lean instruments in ceramics industries

The article presents the results of the research on the level of implementation of Lean instruments in the ceramics industry. The research was carried out in ceramic factories in Poland and Germany. Based on the results obtained, the most commonly used Lean instruments in the ceramics industry were defined. The dependence of the use of Lean instruments on the size of the enterprise was also determined. It was established that the Lean activities undertaken in the ceramics industry are focused solely on the implementation of individual methods and tools, without a pre-defined goal. This approach in the ceramics industry is ineffective, but unfortunately it is most often used in the implementation of the Lean philosophy, especially in small ceramics enterprises

Triple Combinations of Histone Lysine Demethylase Inhibitors with PARP1 Inhibitor–Olaparib and Cisplatin Lead to Enhanced Cytotoxic Effects in Head and Neck Cancer Cells

PARP inhibitors are used to treat cancers with a deficient homologous recombination (HR) DNA repair pathway. Interestingly, recent studies revealed that HR repair could be pharmacologically impaired by the inhibition of histone lysine demethylases (KDM). Thus, we investigated whether KDM inhibitors could sensitize head and neck cancer cells, which are usually HR proficient, to PARP inhibition or cisplatin. Therefore, we explored the effects of double combinations of KDM4–6 inhibitors (ML324, CPI-455, GSK-J4, and JIB-04) with olaparib or cisplatin, or their triple combinations with both drugs, on the level of DNA damage and apoptosis. FaDu and SCC-040 cells were treated with individual compounds and their combinations, and cell viability, apoptosis, DNA damage, and gene expression were assessed using the resazurin assay, Annexin V staining, H2A.X activation, and qPCR, respectively. Combinations of KDM inhibitors with cisplatin enhanced cytotoxic effects, unlike combinations with olaparib. Triple combinations of KDM inhibitors with cisplatin and olaparib exhibited the best cytotoxic activity, which was associated with DNA damage accumulation and altered expression of genes associated with apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest. In conclusion, triple combinations of KDM inhibitors (especially GSK-J4 and JIB-04) with cisplatin and olaparib represent a promising strategy for head and neck cancer treatment

Lean Manufacturing in the ceramic industry

The problem of implementation of the concept of Lean Manufacturing in the ceramic industry, based on the enterprise manufacturing ceramic fancy goods, is presented in this article. The most important information about the concept of Lean Manufacturing, as well as the current state of implementation of the Lean concept in the ceramic industry. Major barriers in the implementation of the Lean concept are identified and selected instruments of the Lean concept applied in individual areas of the waste elimination are assigned

THE EFFECT OF NICLOSAMIDE ON THE HEAD AND NECK CARCINOMA CELLS SURVIVAL AND THE EXPRESSION OF WNT/β-CATENIN SIGNALING AND GLYCOLYSIS PATHWAY COMPONENTS

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of niclosamide, an antihelminthic drug recently identified as potential anti-cancer agent, on head and neck squamous carcinoma cells (HNSCC) viability, cell cycle distribution and apoptosis. The expression of key components of Wnt (CTNNB1, GSK-3β, CCND1, c-MYC, MMP7, BIRC5, Axin2) and glycolysis (GLUT1, MCT1, HK2, PFKM, PKM2, PDHA1, PDK1, LDHA) pathways was also examined to assess possible involvement in niclosamide anti-carcinogenic activity. HNSCC cells (FaDu, BICR6, H314 lines) were used in the research. Niclosamide treatment affected hypopharyngeal FaDu cells to the most extent (IC50 = 0.40 µM), while H314 cells derived from the floor of mouth were the least sensitive (IC50 = 0.94 µM). In FaDu cells the increased percentage of the cells in the S phase was observed along with the induction of apoptosis. Treatment with niclosamide in FaDu cells reduced the expression of MMP7 and the majority of glycolytic genes except increased LDHA. These results indicate that niclosamide is efficient inhibitor of HNSCC cells viability, however this effect depends on the cell type. In FaDu cells, the most sensitive to its anti-proliferative effect and prone to cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, this effect might be related to slightly modulation of canonical Wnt signaling and increased expression of LDHA