Fake Indian Currency Detection App

To identify counterfeit currency and report on the findings. Using a mobile camera, the model accepts the photograph. The extracted features from the scanning image are compared to a series of models. When a match is found, the outcome is outputted, indicating whether the match was true or not. Image resizing, image filtering, sobel edge detection, and template matching are the four algorithms used in this article. Even though printing false currencies is unlawful, counterfeit currencies continue to circulate in areas where there are no forms of verifying the currency's validity. The aim of this project is to avoid illicit notes from being distributed further. The project's aim is to identify false or counterfeit currency. It is accomplished by taking a sequence of steps in the same order each time. To begin, a cell phone is used to capture a picture of the currency note (camera). Second, the captured image is resized to or scaled down to 500 x 300 pixels. After that, a bilateral filter is used to eliminate noise from the signal. The features that determine a currency note's validity are then detected using the sobel operator. Correlation regression is used to match the characteristics of the note to those of an authentic note. Finally, features are listed and shown for the genuine note

Bt Crop Effects on Functional Guilds of Non-Target Arthropods: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Uncertainty persists over the environmental effects of genetically-engineered crops that produce the insecticidal Cry proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). We performed meta-analyses on a modified public database to synthesize current knowledge about the effects of Bt cotton, maize and potato on the abundance and interactions of arthropod non-target functional guilds. Methodology/Principal Findings: We compared the abundance of predators, parasitoids, omnivores, detritivores and herbivores under scenarios in which neither, only the non-Bt crops, or both Bt and non-Bt crops received insecticide treatments. Predators were less abundant in Bt cotton compared to unsprayed non-Bt controls. As expected, fewer specialist parasitoids of the target pest occurred in Bt maize fields compared to unsprayed non-Bt controls, but no significant reduction was detected for other parasitoids. Numbers of predators and herbivores were higher in Bt crops compared to sprayed non-Bt controls, and type of insecticide influenced the magnitude of the difference. Omnivores and detritivores were more abundant in insecticide-treated controls and for the latter guild this was associated with reductions of their predators in sprayed non-Bt maize. No differences in abundance were found when both Bt and non-Bt crops were sprayed. Predator-to-prey ratios were unchanged by either Bt crops or the use of insecticides; ratios were higher in Bt maize relative to the sprayed non-Bt control

Rapid ascent of rhyolitic magma at Chaitén volcano, Chile

International audienceAlthough rhyolite magma has fuelled some of the Earth's largest explosive volcanic eruptions, our understanding of these events is incomplete due to the previous lack of direct observation of these eruptions. On 1 May 2008, Chaitén volcano in Chile erupted rhyolite magma unexpectedly and explosively. Here, petrological and experimental data are presented that indicate that the hydrous rhyolite magma at Chaitén ascended very rapidly from storage depth to near-surface, with velocities of the order of one metre per second

Amyloid-b peptide on sialyl-LewisX-selectin-mediated membrane tether mechanics at the cerebral endothelial cell surface

Increased deposition of amyloid-b peptide (Ab) at the cerebral endothelial cell (CEC) surface has been implicated in enhancement of transmigration of monocytes across the brain blood barrier (BBB) in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). In this study, quantitative immunofluorescence microscopy (QIM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) with cantilevers biofunctionalized by sialyl-Lewisx (sLex) were employed to investigate Ab-altered mechanics of membrane tethers formed by bonding between sLex and p-selectin at the CEC surface, the initial mechanical step governing the transmigration of monocytes. QIM results indicated the ability for Ab to increase p-selectin expression at the cell surface and promote actin polymerization in both bEND3 cells (immortalized mouse CECs) and human primary CECs. AFM data also showed the ability for Ab to increase cell stiffness and adhesion probability in bEND3 cells. On the contrary, Ab lowered the overall force of membrane tether formation (Fmtf), and produced a bimodal population of Fmtf, suggesting subcellular mechanical alterations in membrane tethering. The lower Fmtf population was similar to the results obtained from cells treated with an F-actin-disrupting drug, latrunculin A. Indeed, AFM results also showed that both Ab and latrunculin A decreased membrane stiffness, suggesting a lower membrane-cytoskeleton adhesion, a factor resulting in lower Fmtf. In addition, these cerebral endothelial alterations induced by Ab were abrogated by lovastatin, consistent with its anti-inflammatory effects. In sum, these results demonstrated the ability for Ab to enhance p-selectin expression at the CEC surface and induce cytoskeleton reorganization, which in turn, resulted in changes in membrane-cytoskeleton adhesion and membrane tethering, mechanical factors important in transmigration of monocytes through the BBB.This work was supported by Alzheimer Association Grant NIRG-06-24448; NIH Grant 1P01 AG18357, R21NS052385, 5R21AG032579 and in part by 1P01HL095486 and AHA 0835676N; ‘‘Bolashak’’ scholarship and Ministry of Education and Science of the Republic of Kazakhstan 1029/GF2. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Prevalence of Polypharmacy and Association to Pharmacotherapy Complexity in Older HIV-Positive Patients. The Sevihlla Study

Background: Increased life expectancy of older HIV-positive patients has been associated to a parallel increase in age-related comorbidities.Objectives: To ascertain the prevalence of polypharmacy and its association to pharmacotherapy complexity, as measured by the Medication Regimen Complexity Index, in older HIV-positive patients; to calculate the median value of pharmacotherapy complexity; to identify polypharmacy and multimorbidity patterns; and to address adherence to antiretroviral and concomitant drugs.Methods: A cross-sectional, observational study was conducted in patients over 50 years of age receiving active antiretroviral drugs during 2014 at outpatient pharmacy services of a tertiary hospital in Spain. Data collected from the electronic medical record included demographic, clinical and comorbidity related endpoints.The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients with polypharmacy and major polypharmacy. Polypharmacy was defined as treatment with six or more drugs (including antiretroviral). Major polypharmacy (more than 11 drugs) was also considered.Patients was categorized according to their polypharmacy pattern. Three patterns were applied based on age of participants: cardiovascular, depression-anxiety, and chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD) disease patterns. A patient was classified into a pattern when at least three drugs of the treatment were in the same pattern.Antiretroviral treatment adherence was measured using the SMAQ questionnaire and hospital dispensing records. Adherence to concomitant medication was measured using the Morisky-Green questionnaire and electronic pharmacy dispensing records.Pharmacotherapy complexity index, as assessed by MRCI, was also considered. Patients were classified as low MRCI (less than 14 points) or high MRCI (more than 14 points).Results: The study sample consisted of 223 patients (86.5% men), with a median age of 53.0 years. More than 80.0% of the patients were viro-inmunological controlled. Prevalence of polypharmacy was 56.1%. The median value of pharmacotherapy complexity was 11.0. The main contribution to this value was from the concomitant medication.The polypharmacy pattern mainly calculated was cardiovascular (60.0%) and the multimorbidity pattern was cardiometabolic (73.8%).Presence of polypharmacy was associated to greater pharmacotherapy complexity (p<0,001). Adequate adherence to the antiretroviral and to concomitant medication was found in 83.6% and 37.9% of patients respectively.Conclusions: More than a half of the older HIV-positive patients received six or more different drugs with a significant pharmacotherapy complexity showing adequate adherence to antiretroviral but not to concomitant drugs. Cardiovascular conditions were most common in terms of prescriptions and comorbidities

Compressed representation of a partially defined integer function over multiple arguments

In OLAP (OnLine Analitical Processing) data are analysed in an n-dimensional cube. The cube may be represented as a partially defined function over n arguments. Considering that often the function is not defined everywhere, we ask: is there a known way of representing the function or the points in which it is defined, in a more compact manner than the trivial one

Trust in Science: CRISPR-Cas9 and the Ban on Human Germline Editing

This is the final version of the article. Available from Springer Verlag via the DOI in this record.In 2015 scientists called for a partial ban on genome editing in human germline cells. This call was a response to the rapid development of the CRISPR-Cas9 system, a molecular tool that allows researchers to modify genomic DNA in living organisms with high precision and ease of use. Importantly, the ban was meant to be a trust-building exercise that promises a 'prudent' way forward. The goal of this paper is to analyse whether the ban can deliver on this promise. To do so the focus will be put on the precedent on which the current ban is modelled, namely the Asilomar ban on recombinant DNA technology. The analysis of this case will show (a) that the Asilomar ban was successful because of a specific two-step containment strategy it employed and (b) that this two-step approach is also key to making the current ban work. It will be argued, however, that the Asilomar strategy cannot be transferred to human genome editing and that the current ban therefore fails to deliver on its promise. The paper will close with a reflection on the reasons for this failure and on what can be learned from it about the regulation of novel molecular tools.The research leading to this paper has received funding from the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant Agreement No. 324186

Adverse Drug Reactions in Children—A Systematic Review

Adverse drug reactions in children are an important public health problem. We have undertaken a systematic review of observational studies in children in three settings: causing admission to hospital, occurring during hospital stay and occurring in the community. We were particularly interested in understanding how ADRs might be better detected, assessed and avoided

Mind the gap: connexins and cell–cell communication in the diabetic kidney

Connexins, assembled as a hexameric connexon, form a transmembrane hemichannel that provides a conduit for paracrine signalling of small molecules and ions to regulate the activity and function of adjacent cells. When hemichannels align and associate with similar channels on opposing cells, they form a continuous aqueous pore or gap junction, allowing the direct transmission of metabolic and electrical signals between coupled cells. Regulation of gap junction synthesis and channel activity is critical for cell function, and a number of diseases can be attributed to changes in the expression/function of these important proteins. Diabetic nephropathy is associated with several complex metabolic and inflammatory responses characterised by defects at the molecular, cellular and tissue level. In both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, glycaemic injury of the kidney is the leading cause of end-stage renal failure, a consequence of multiple aetiologies, including increased deposition of extracellular matrix, glomerular hyperfiltration, albuminuria and tubulointerstitial fibrosis. In diabetic nephropathy, loss of connexin mediated cell–cell communication within the nephron may represent an early sign of disease; however, our current knowledge of the role of connexins in the diabetic kidney is sparse. This review highlights recent evidence demonstrating that maintenance of connexin-mediated cell–cell communication could benefit region-specific renal function in diabetic nephropathy and suggests that these proteins should be viewed as a tantalising novel target for therapeutic intervention