A comparison of feature extractors for panorama stitching in an autonomous car architecture.

Panorama stitching consists on frames being put together to create a 360o view. This technique is proposed for its implementation in autonomous vehicles instead of the use of an external 360o camera, mostly due to its reduced cost and improved aerodynamics. This strategy requires a fast and robust set of features to be extracted from the images obtained by the cameras located around the inside of the car, in order to effectively compute the panoramic view in real time and avoid hazards on the road. In this paper, we compare and discuss three feature extraction methods (i.e. SIFT, BRISK and SURF) for image feature extraction, in order to decide which one is more suitable for a panorama stitching application in an autonomous car architecture. Experimental validation shows that SURF exhibits an improved performance under a variety of image transformations, and thus appears to be the most suitable of these three methods, given its accuracy when comparing features between both images, while maintaining a low time consumption. Furthermore, a comparison of the results obtained with respect to similar work allows to increase the reliability of our methodology and the reach of our conclusions

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Crisis bancarias: causas, costos, duración, efectos y opciones de política

Incluye BibliografíaResumen Este trabajo analiza las crisis bancarias de un grupo de países del Hemisferio Occidental, Europa, África y Asia. El tema de las crisis bancarias ha cobrado particular relevancia en la literatura en los años recientes, debido a los altos costos que las mismas han tenido sobre la estabilidad macroeconómica. En los últimos 17 años, las crisis en los sistemas bancarios se han generalizado en el contexto internacional. Durante ese periodo, por lo menos 120 países han experimentado algún tipo de crisis bancaria. En este contexto, este trabajo tiene como objetivo recopilar la evidencia empírica internacional relacionada con las crisis bancarias, con el fin de responder a las siguientes preguntas: ¿Cuáles fueron las causas de las crisis bancarias? ¿Qué medidas instrumentaron las autoridades? ¿Cuáles fueron los costos de las medidas instrumentadas? ¿Cuánto tiempo duraron las crisis bancarias? y ¿Cuáles fueron los efectos de las crisis bancarias? Una de las principales conclusiones del estudio es que las causas de las crisis bancarias son similares, independientemente del grado de desarrollo de un país, así como de su nivel de apertura y profundización financiera. Asimismo, las causas de las mismas han tenido como origen tanto desajustes de orden macroeconómico como problemas de carácter microeconómico, los cuales se analizan en detalle en el estudio. En el documento se presentan de manera sucinta las posibles opciones de política para hacer frente a las crisis bancarias. Se destacan, entre ellas, las medidas de asistencia a bancos, de asistencia a deudores y de reformas al marco legal. Por su parte, los costos de las crisis bancarias incluyen los de tipo fiscal y de tipo cuasi fiscal. Dentro de una muestra de 20 países que se analizan en este estudio, los costos de las crisis bancarias variaron entre un mínimo de 1.0 por ciento del PIB para el caso de Tailandia y un máximo de 33 por ciento del PIB para el caso de Chile. Finalmente, el estudio hace un análisis de la duración de las crisis bancarias y los efectos macroeconómicos de las mismas