The Effectiveness Of OpenCV Based Face Detection In Low-Light Environments

A face detection experiment based on OpenCV is a technology used to identify and find human faces in digital images or videos. This technology uses algorithms and image processing techniques to analyze the pixels in an image or video frame and determine if they contain a human face. The aim of this research is to determine the effectiveness of OpenCV-based face detection using the Viola-Jones algorithm with low-intensity brightness environmental conditions. The research was conducted with light intensity levels of 10 Lux, 30 Lux, and 50 Lux and was carried out using the camera on the ASUS TUF DASH 15 FX517ZC laptop. Data in evaluation using evaluation metrics containing the formula recall, precision, F-Score, and accuracy. The results of the study showed that experiments with higher light intensities up to 50 Lux showed the best level of efficiency according to the accuracy values (99.2%), f-score(0.996), and recall (0.993), so the system is best done with a brightness of 50 Lux. Face detection is affected by the camera that used, in addition, rotation of face is important for the system to detect faces, despite video recording in high light intensity environment

Mannose Binding Lectin Levels Was Not Associated with Resistance to Tuberculosis Infection in the Population of Uyo Metropolis in Nigeria

Mannose-binding lectin (MBL2) is an important pattern recognition molecule that identifies and binds to specific sugar molecules on the surface of pathogens thereby activating its destruction by the immune system. Samples for study were recruited from Uyo metropolis of Akwa Ibom state in Nigeria. In this study, levels of MBL2 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in tuberculosis patients and healthy individuals to determine if the immune protein protects against tuberculosis infection. MBL2 levels in tuberculosis patients and healthy controls were 14.0ng/ml ± 13.9 and 19.9ng/ml ± 18.5 respectively. The results from the study showed that there was no association in MBL2 levels between tuberculosis and controls (p=0.107) as well as between the different sub-groups. Therefore, MBL2 is not a contributory factor in resistance against tuberculosis in the population under study. Keywords: Mannose binding lectin, tuberculosis, pattern recognition molecule, immune system DOI: 10.7176/JNSR/12-14-02 Publication date:July 31st 202

Preservation in Paraffin Oil: Alternative for Fungi Preservation in Simple Laboratory Concept

Background: A good collection of fungi culture can be maintained with good preservation methods. With appropriate methods, preservation can be performed in low-budget laboratories, such as with periodic subculture and preservation in either sterile water or in paraffin oil. The aim of this study was to assess the viability, morphology, contamination, and antifungal susceptibility profile of fungi preserved in sterile water or paraffin oil compared to a periodic subculture.Methods: This study was an experimental study using Aspergillus sp., Trichophyton mentagrophytes and Candida albicans. The fungi were preserved by a periodic subculture or in sterile water or in paraffin oil for six months. A comparison of viability, morphology, contamination, and antifungal susceptibility profile between methods were made before and after six months of study.Results: The viability of all the fungi was maintained in both periodic subculture and preservation with paraffin oil. However, the T. mentagrophytes was not viable in preservation using sterile water. All methods could maintain the morphology without contamination. There were reductions in the inhibition zone against antifungal drug in preservation with sterile water and paraffin oil.Conclusion: Preservation in paraffin oil is superior to preservation in sterile water in terms of maintaining fungal viability. This method is suitable for the use in a simple laboratory, albeit considerations should be given to the reduction of inhibition zone

ANALISIS METODE PRESERVASI SUBKULTUR BERKALA DAN DENGAN AIR STERIL UNTUK JAMUR Aspergillus sp. DAN Candida albicans

Introduction: A good and proper preservation can maintain all collection of culture. Periodic subculture preservation is an old technique that is less able to guarantee the genetic characteristic for a long time. Sterile water is an alternative method in various studies to ensure the genetic characteristic for a long time and can be done in a simple laboratory concept. This study aimed to examine the method of periodic subculture and with sterile water Methods: This research was a descriptive study with an experimental laboratory design on Aspergillus sp. and Candida albicans. This study examined at periodic subculture methods and with sterile water in maintaining viability, level of contamination, morphology, and antifungal resistance after six months Results: The fungus had lived after being preserved with periodic subcultures without contamination, morphological changes, and resistance. Aspergillus sp. and Candida albicans also lived after being preserved with sterile water for six months with the same morphology and without contamination. The zone of inhibition of Aspergillus sp. had decreased but in Candida albicans remains the same. Conclusion: Preservation with periodic subculture and with sterile water can be applied to Aspergillus sp. and Candida albicans.Pendahuluan: Preservasi yang baik dan tepat dapat mempertahankan koleksi kultur dengan baik. Teknik preservasi subkultur berkala merupakan teknik lama yang kurang dapat menjamin sifat-sifat genetik jamur dalam jangka waktu lama. Air steril adalah salah satu metode alternatif dalam berbagai penelitian dalam menjamin sifat-sifat genetik jamur dalam waktu lama dan dapat dilakukan pada konsep laboratorium sederhana. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat metode preservasi berkala dan dengan air steril. Metode: Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian deskriptif dengan desain eksperimental laboratorium pada jamur Aspergillus sp. dan Candida albicans.Penelitian ini melihat metode subkultur berkala dan dengan air steril dalam menjaga viabilitas, tingkat kontaminasi, morfologi dan resistensi terhadap antijamur setelah enam bulan. Hasil: Jamur dapat hidup setelah dipreservasi dengan subkultur berkala tanpa kontaminasi, perubahan morfologi dan resistensi. Aspergillus sp. dan Candida albicans juga hidup setelah dipreservasi dengan air steril selama enam bulan dengan morfologi yang sama dan tanpa kontaminasi. Zona inhibisi Aspergillus sp. mengalami penurunan namun pada Candida albicans tetap sama. Simpulan: Preservasi jamur dengan subkultur berkala dan dengan air steril dapat diterapkan pada Aspergillus sp. dan Candida albicans

Collaborative development of remote electronics laboratories in the ELVIS ilab

Remote laboratories represent a significant value to engineering curricula in a variety of cases. Whether it is a complement to a hands-on experience or a substitute when a traditional lab is not feasible, remote laboratories can be a valuable educational resource. Since 1998, the MIT iLab Project has worked to increase the quality and availability of remote laboratories. Using the iLab Shared Architecture, developers of new labs can leverage a set of generic support functions and then share those labs easily and with minimal administrative cost. More recently, the iLab Project, in partnership with Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria, Makerere University in Uganda and the University of Dar-es-Salaam in Tanzania and in coordination with the Maricopa Advanced Technology Education Center (MATEC), has focused on building iLabs around the National Instruments Educational Laboratory Virtual Instrumentation Suite (ELVIS) platform. The ELVIS is a low-cost, small-footprint unit that contains most of the common test instruments found in a typical electrical engineering lab. By coupling the ELVIS with iLabs, a variety of remote electronics laboratories can be built and shared around the world. Using this common hardware/software platform, participants in the iLab Project at different levels of the educational spectrum have developed experiments that meet their individual curricular needs and are able to host them for use by other peer institutions. Not only does this increase the variety of ELVISbased iLabs, but it also spurs the creation of teams that can then build other, more diverse iLabs and substantively participate in project-wide collaborative development efforts. Through such coordinated efforts, iLabs can provide rich practical experiences for studentsMaricopa County Community College District. Maricopa Advanced Technology Education CenterCarnegie Corporation of New YorkMicrosoft CorporationNational Science Foundation (U.S.) (award 0702735)Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Cente

Cancer history and other personal factors affect quality of life in patients with hepatitis C

BACKGROUND: Although patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) have been found to have reduced quality of life, little is known about how other characteristics affect their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of other characteristics, including history of cancer, on quality of life in patients with CHC. METHODS: One hundred forty patients from clinics at three hospitals in New York City completed a detailed epidemiologic interview about demographic and lifestyle characteristics and the SF-36 measuring health-related quality of life. We compared results from our patients to normative data using t-tests of differences between means. We used multivariate analyses to determine other personal and health-related factors associated with quality of life outcomes. RESULTS: Compared to normative data, these patients had reduced quality of life, particularly on physical functioning. The summary Physical Component Score (PCS) was 45.4 ± 10.6 and the Mental Component Score (MCS) was 48.2 ± 11.1, vs norms of 50 ± 10.0; p-values were <0.0001 and <0.05, respectively. In multivariate analyses, the PCS was significantly lower among those with cancer history, ≥ 2 other chronic conditions, less education, low physical activity, and higher alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels. Cancer was more important for men, while other chronic conditions were more important for women. On the MCS, history of depression, low physical activity, alcohol use, and female gender were independently associated with poorer scores. CONCLUSION: Several health and lifestyle factors independently influence quality of life in CHC patients. Different factors are important for men and women

Cacao orgánico de las comunidades nativas Awajún.

La idea del negocio surge a raíz de la posibilidad de una alianza estratégica conformada por productores de las comunidades nativas Awajún y un equipo de gestores. Éstos últimos han desarrollado el presente plan de negocios y estarán representados por la empresa asociante Jéga Bakáu S.A.C., la cual, mediante un contrato de asociación en participación tendrá como asociados a los productores. El objetivo principal de este plan de negocio es la propuesta de un modelo de gestión para el desarrollo comercial del cacao en grano de las comunidades nativas Awajún, en la oportunidad de convertir las ventajas comparativas contenidas en el conocimiento de los productores y el equipo de gestores, en una ventaja competitiva que sirva de oportunidad para incursionar en el mercado. Para ello, se conformarán dos empresas; una integrada por productores Awajún los cuales se encargarán de la siembra, producción y cosecha del cacao y otra encargada de la fermentación, secado, empaquetado y comercialización del cacao en grano. Estas trabajarán de manera colaborativa mediante un contrato de asociación, realizándose un reparto de utilidades a los productores Awajún a cambio de mantener un abastecimiento de cacao seguro. Para lograr este objetivo, el actor principal será el productor, con el cual se ha consolidado la relación interpersonal mediante visitas de campo y comunicaciones continuas. Así mismo, se cuenta con fuentes de información primaria y conocimientos adquiridos por observación, principalmente de la ideología del productor del Alto Mayo, quien reconoce un enfoque de crecimiento y sostenibilidad en sus cultivos de cacao. La premisa será, que el productor se sienta parte integrante y gestora de la apertura hacia un camino de éxito del cacao de su comunidad. En este punto, se identifican cuatro factores críticos para desarrollar el modelo: la asociatividad de la comunidad, el procesamiento tecnológico, la búsqueda de mercados más desarrollados y la gestión empresarial. Todo ello se basa en una demanda de cacao que ha presentado un aumento acelerado en los últimos años, debido a la demanda de un chocolate con mayor contenido de cacao, la cual debe satisfacer normas sociales, ecológicas y éticas. En el año 2010, se evidenció una producción mundial de 3 632 miles de t y para el 2011 se proyecta terminar con una producción mundial de 3938 miles de t. Por otro lado, para el próximo año la demanda mundial será aproximadamente un 8% mayor que el 2011. En ese sentido, diversos países, como Costa de Marfil, el mayor exportador a nivel mundial, aplicarán mejoras técnicas en sus cultivos. Del mismo modo, Perú que representa el 0.3% de la producción mundial, tecnificará su producción de manera progresiva. La producción nacional del cacao durante el año 2010 fue de 39 831, un 8.23% más que el año anterior y 56% más que el 2005, y se proyecta terminar el 2011 con una producción de 43 000 t. Así mismo, la evolución del precio marca una alta volatilidad, en el 2006 el precio fue de USD 1 650 por t y en el 2011 se llegó a USD 3 149.45 por t. Las empresas nacionales e internacionales tienen como precio de referencia, el negociado en la Bolsa de Valores de New York. El público objetivo a corto plazo será el ámbito nacional Sumaqao S.A.C., Cooperativa Agro Industrial Naranjillo y ACOPAGRO, debido a que son los principales exportadores a nivel nacional y con quienes se han concretado lazos comerciales. Al mantenerse la relación comercial con Sumaqao S.A.C, representante de Pronatec AG en el Perú, se ha planteado como objetivo exportar a largo plazo a este último, mayor importador de cacao orgánico a nivel mundial. Es importante resaltar que el procesamiento tecnológico y la evaluación económica financiera se darán en un horizonte de siete años, del 2012 al 2016 se abarcará el mercado nacional con la comercialización de cacao en grano convencional y del 2017 al 2018, el mercado internacional con la exportación de cacao en grano orgánico, debido a la gran demanda de productos sanos, ecológicos y con un alto grado de responsabilidad social. Así mismo, se parte de 40 ha cultivadas en la zona de intervención para el abastecimiento de masa fresca de cacao, lo cual conlleva a definir supuestos económicos para la implementación del modelo: una proyección de inserción de 30 ha para el año 2013, 40 ha para el año 2014, el PEAM (Programa Especial del Alto Mayo) y la Municipalidad del Distrito Awajún brindarán recursos para la habilitación de estas ha y, por último, se considera que todo lo producido se comercializará. Así, para la implementación del modelo de gestión se requerirá un nivel de inversión de S/. 79 000, obteniendo una TIR financiera de 50% en el horizonte de tiempo propuesto. Así mismo, las ganancias percibidas del productor pasan de 2% en el 2012 a 45% de las ventas en el 2018, afirmando la factibilidad de la propuesta y beneficiando económicamente al productor. Finalmente, se buscará obtener una sostenibilidad con lineamientos generales como el desarrollo de una alianza estratégica con los productores de la comunidad nativa Awajún, elevando de manera integral y sostenible la competitividad del equipo empresarial, logrando la calidad total en todas las etapas del procesamiento, posicionando a la empresa con un enfoque de responsabilidad con las comunidades nativas Awajún y lograr como fin primordial la rentabilidad de Jéga Bakáu S.A.C.Tesi

A Prototype Virginia Ground Station Network

This paper provides a detailed technical description of a prototype ground station network, the Virginia Ground Station Network (VGSN), developed for the Virginia Cubesat Constellation (VCC) mission. Virginia Tech (VT), University of Virginia (UVA), and Old Dominion University (ODU) have each constructed ground stations to communicate with their respective VCC spacecraft. Initially, each university was responsible for commanding its own spacecraft via its own ground station. As the mission progressed, it was decided to network the ground stations and operations centers together to provide backup communications capability for the overall mission. The NASA Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) UHF smallsat ground station was also included in this network. Implementing the VGSN led to the establishment of successful communications with UVA’s Libertas spacecraft via the VT Ground Station (VTGS), demonstrating the utility of collaboration and of the VGSN. This paper provides a technical overview of the VGSN, details concerning signal processing requirements for the mission, a discussion concerning the radio regulatory process as applied to the VCC mission, and plans for future upgrades of the network to continue to support Virginia (and partner institution) small satellite missions

Needs assessment to strengthen capacity in water and sanitation research in Africa:experiences of the African SNOWS consortium

Despite its contribution to global disease burden, diarrhoeal disease is still a relatively neglected area for research funding, especially in low-income country settings. The SNOWS consortium (Scientists Networked for Outcomes from Water and Sanitation) is funded by the Wellcome Trust under an initiative to build the necessary research skills in Africa. This paper focuses on the research training needs of the consortium as identified during the first three years of the project