Analysis and Identification of Requirements for a System to Enhance Situational Awareness at Sea

This paper presents the research results of identifying and analyzing key requirements for the ESABALT system based on pre-defined user profile groups. These requirements have been identified through multiple sources, which include an electronic survey of potential users of the system, interviews with specialists in navigation, law and computer science, analysis of state-of-the-art in maritime safety procedures, and study of past R&D projects in this field. Finally, these requirements are classified into user level, domain level and system level requirements for easy interpretation while designing the system architecture and its function-al specifications. The presented system specification is discussed

Maritime Safety - Stakeholders in Information Exchange Process

This paper presents the methodology and research results on identification of potential users of the ESABALT system, which is targeted towards improving the situational awareness in the Baltic Sea region. We describe the technique of analysing the stakeholders involved in maritime sector processes, especially in maritime transport processes, while also taking into account their different classification criteria. The resulting list of stakeholders is used to identify system users and their classification into user profiles groups. This study will form the basis for the identification of user requirements of the ESABALT system

Image Fusion Techniques and Applications: A Review

Image fusion is characterized as the way toward joining at least two unique images into another single image holding imperative components from every image with amplified data content. The aftereffect of image fusion is another image which is more appropriate for human and machine discernment or further image handling undertakings, for example, division, highlight extraction and protest acknowledgment. This paper presents survey on a portion of the image fusion systems i.e. basic normal, basic most extreme, PCA, DCT, DWT. Similar investigation of every one of these strategies reasons that DWT is better approach

ESABALT - Improvement of Situational Awareness in the Baltic with the Use of Crowdsourcing

This paper presents the key assumptions and preliminary research on an integrated system called ESABALT, for enhancing maritime safety, which incorporates the latest technological advances in positioning, e-Navigation, Earth observation systems and multi-channel cooperative communications. The most novel part of the ESABALT concept, however, is a focus on user-driven crowdsourcing techniques for information gathering and integration. The system will consist of a situational awareness solution for real-time maritime traffic monitoring via utilizing various positioning technologies; an observation system of the marine environment relevant to transportation and accidents including assessing the sea ice, oil spread, waves, wind etc.; and a methodology for context-aware maritime communication with cooperative, multi-channel capabilities. The paper presents the intelligent, novel, user-driven solution and associated services developed in ESABALT for enhancing the maritime safety in the whole Baltic area

Effect of impact shock on extremophilic Halomonas gomseoemensis EP-3 isolated from hypersaline sulphated lake Laguna de Peña Hueca, Spain

The geologic histories of planetary surfaces reveal that Earth and Mars have been pummeled by cataclysmic impact events. The surface of Mars has been perused to have an impact origin for its hemispheric dichotomy. The spallation during impact events causes the interplanetary transfer of material from Mars to Earth or Mars to Phobos/Deimos. Assessing the survival of micro-organisms in impact conditions is critical for the development of planetary protection strategies for future missions. Shock waves are generated during such major impact events. The objective of the present investigation was to explore the microbial diversity of the hypersaline sulphated Laguna de Peña Hueca, Spain and to study the effect of shock waves on extremophilic bacteria isolated from the lake. Peña Hueca is a hypersaline sulphated lagoon rich in Mg–Na–SO4–Cl, epsomite and hexahydrate and it potentially serves as Planetary field analogue site for Martian chloride deposits and salt-rich subsurface brines of Ocean worlds like Enceladus and Europa. The microbial community structure of the lagoon was studied by 16S rRNA metagenomic sequencing. The phylogenetic studies indicated the presence of phyla Euryarchaeota, Proteobacteria, and Bacteroides in the hypersaline brines of the lagoon. The anoxic sediments of Peña Hueca showed the presence of Haloanaerobiaeta and Hadesarchaeota including the anoxic genus of Haloanaerobium, Desulfosalsimonas and Desulfovermiculum. The effect of impact shock on the halophilic bacterium Halomonas gomseomensis EP-3 isolated from Laguna de Peña Hueca was studied in a Reddy shock tube. The halophilic bacterium was exposed to shock waves at a peak shock pressure of 300 ​kPa and a temperature of 400 ​K. The results of shock recovery experiments of halophilic bacteria reveal 97% killing at 300 ​kPa and Mach number of 1.47 in comparison with Bacillus sp. This study indicates that gram-positive spore-forming Bacillus sp. are better adapted to survival in impact shock waves in comparison to non-sporulating halophiles. In the current study, we present the first report on response of halophiles in impact shock. Furthermore, we demonstrate a novel application of the simple handheld Reddy shock tube in astrobiology. The survival studies of halophiles isolated from terrestrial analogue sites in impact shock can provide valuable insights in astrobiology and microbial physiology in impact shock stress

Priprava i evaluacija mukoadhezivnih filmova glipizida

Glipizide is mainly absorbed in the proximal areas of the gastrointestinal tract. The purpose of this study was formulation and evaluation of mucoadhesive films to prolong the stay of drug in its absorption area. Glipizide was formulated in a mucoadhesive film that could be retained in the stomach for prolonged time intervals. Polymeric films were designed with various compositions of hydroxypropyl cellulose and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400). Properties of the mucoadhesive film such as tensile strength, percentage elongation, swelling index, moisture content, pH and viscosity of polymeric dispersion, film thickness, drug concentration, uniformity and mucoadhesion in a simulated gastric environment were evaluated. In addition, percentage drug retained in stomach mucosa was estimated using a simulated dynamic stomach system as a function of time. Increase in hydroxypropyl cellulose concentration resulted in a higher tensile strength and elongation at break, while increase in concentration of PEG 400 was reflected in a decrease of tensile strength and increase of elongation at break. Glipizide/hydroxypropyl cellulose/PEG 400 (2.5:1:0.5) (GF5) was found to be the optimal composition for a novel mucoadhesive stomach formulation that showed good peelability, relatively high swelling index, moderate tensile strength, and stayed on rat stomach mucosa up to 8 h. In vivo testing of the mucoadhesive films with glipizide demonstrated a potential hypoglycemic effect.Glipizid se pretežno apsorbira u proksimalnom dijelu gastrointestinalnog trakta. Cilj rada je priprava i evaluacija mukoadhezivnih filmova s kojima bi se produljilo zadržavanje lijeka u predjelu apsorpcije. Pripravljeni su mukoadhezivni filmovi glipizida koji se produljeno zadržavaju u želucu. Polimerni filmovi sadržavali su različite količine hidroksipropil celuloze i polietilen glikola 400 (PEG 400). Evaluirana su sljedeća svojstva mukoadhezivnih filmova: čvrstoća, postotak elongacije, indeks bubrenja, sadržaj vlage, pH i viskoznost polimerne disperzije, debljina filma, koncentracija lijeka, jednolikost i mukoadhezivnost u simuliranom želučanom soku. Na dinamičkom modelu želuca određivan je i postotak lijeka koji se zadržava u sluznici želuca u ovisnosti o vremenu. Povećanjem koncentracije hidroksipropil celuloze povećavaju se čvrstoća i elongacija, dok se povećanje koncentracije PEG 400 reflektira na smanjenje čvrstoće i povećanje elongacije kod loma. Omjer glipizid/hidroksipropil celuloza/PEG 400 (2,5:1:0,5) (GF5) bio je optimalan za pripravu mukoadhezivnih formulacija, s dobrom kalavošću, relativno visokim indeksom bubrenja, umjerenom čvrstoćom te zadržavanjem u sluznici želuca štakora do 8 h. U in vivo testiranjima mukoadhesivni filmovi s glipizidom pokazali su potencijalni hipoglikemijski učinak

A spitting image: molecular diagnostics applied to saliva enhance detection of Streptococcus pneumoniae and pneumococcal serotype carriage

BackgroundDespite strong historical records on the accuracy of saliva testing, oral fluids are considered poorly suited for pneumococcal carriage detection. We evaluated an approach for carriage surveillance and vaccine studies that increases the sensitivity and specificity of pneumococcus and pneumococcal serotype detection in saliva samples.MethodsQuantitative PCR (qPCR)-based methods were applied to detect pneumococcus and pneumococcal serotypes in 971 saliva samples collected from 653 toddlers and 318 adults. Results were compared with culture-based and qPCR-based detection in nasopharyngeal samples collected from children and in nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal samples collected from adults. Optimal Cq cut-offs for positivity in qPCRs were determined via receiver operating characteristic curve analysis and accuracy of different approaches was assessed using a composite reference for pneumococcal and for serotype carriage based on isolation of live pneumococcus from the person or positivity of saliva samples determined with qPCR. To evaluate the inter-laboratory reproducibility of the method, 229 culture-enriched samples were tested independently in the second center.ResultsIn total, 51.5% of saliva samples from children and 31.8% of saliva samples from adults were positive for pneumococcus. Detection of pneumococcus by qPCR in culture-enriched saliva exhibited enhanced sensitivity and higher agreement with a composite reference compared to diagnostic culture of nasopharyngeal samples in children (Cohen’s κ: 0.69–0.79 vs. 0.61–0.73) and in adults (κ: 0.84–0.95 vs. 0.04–0.33) and culture of oropharyngeal samples in adults (κ: 0.84–0.95 vs. −0.12–0.19). Similarly, detection of serotypes with qPCR in culture-enriched saliva exhibited enhanced sensitivity and higher agreement with a composite reference compared to nasopharyngeal culture in children (κ: 0.73–0.82 vs. 0.61–0.73) and adults (κ: 0.90–0.96 vs. 0.00–0.30) and oropharyngeal culture in adults (κ: 0.90–0.96 vs. −0.13 to 0.30). However, results of qPCRs targeting serotype 4, 5, and 17F and serogroups 9, 12, and 35 were excluded due to assays’ lack of specificity. We observed excellent quantitative agreement for qPCR-based detection of pneumococcus between laboratories. After exclusion of serotype/serogroup-specific assays with insufficient specificity, moderate agreement (κ 0.68, 95% CI 0.58–0.77) was observed.ConclusionMolecular testing of culture-enriched saliva samples improves the sensitivity of overall surveillance of pneumococcal carriage in children and adults, but limitations of qPCR-based approaches for pneumococcal serotypes carriage detection should be considered