Unattended baggage detection using deep neural networks

As the world becomes ever more attuned to potential security threats, the need for sophisticated surveillance system is increasing to monitor and detect any potential threats. Sophisticated surveillance system should functions as an intuitive “robotic eye” for accurate and real-time detection of threats. Unattended baggage has become a critical need for security personnel at airports, stations, malls, and in other public or crowded areas. However, an effective system for detection of objects like baggage and people with a real-time video input requires high processing power and storage to just process the video frames using the typical digital image processing technique. This will require a very high development cost and time in order to make the system work which is impractical for commercial use. Moreover, manual configuration is needed which is not flexible to be for multiple application. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to improve the object detection accuracy and flexibility compared to existing digital image processing techniques. This proposed system uses deep neural networks approach through collection of datasets thus providing a more accurate detection and flexible application. Tensorflow framework is used as the deep neural network framework for the development of this system. This system utilizes the Single Shot multibox Detection detection algorithm to the ’MobileNet’ neural network architecture which is optimized to provide a promising performance even in embedded system. This project is developed by implementing the Tensorflow Object Detection Application Programming Interface (API). This method enables 4 main classes of detection which are suitcase, backpack, handbag and person. The datasets used for benchmarking are surveillance video sample that contain unattended baggage scenario used by most existing works like AVSS2007, PETS2006 and ABODA. The overall accuracy and flexibility of the proposed system improved up to 43% thus unattended baggage is able to be detected. The system is able to be applied in various environment due to the excellent flexibility of the system

Palm oil mill effluent as alternate carbon source for ammonia removal in wastewater treatment

To address high demand in searching for carbon sources alternatives in ammonia wastewater treatment, comparison among various carbon sources in term of pollutants reduction efficiency was essential to determine the most cost-effective carbon source selection for industry scale in bulk amount. This study focuses on investigating palm oil mill effluent (POME) as the alternate carbon source for supporting ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) in ammonia removal of glove industrial wastewater treatment. Ammonia reduction efficiency was compared between POME with molasses, one of the most commonly used carbon sources. POME as carbon source in ammonia wastewater treatment had shown significant comparable reduction efficiency as compared to molasses. Furthermore, the study on various mixture ratios of POME-molasses had also shown further improvement in ammonia reduction efficiency. At the optimum ratio of 50:50 (v/v) POME-molasses as carbon source mixture, the ammonia reduction in the treatment system had achieved 53.11% reduction, which reduced ammonia content down to 10.49 mg/L NH3. In this study, the results suggested that POME showing great potential to be the new cost-effective carbon source alternative in industry scale treatment

Biosynthesis of agar in red seaweeds: a review

Agar is a jelly-like biopolymer synthesized by many red seaweeds as their major cell wall component. Due to its excellent rheological properties, it has been exploited commercially for applications in food, cosmetic, pharmaceutical, biomedical and biotechnology industries. Despite its multiple uses, the biosynthesis of this phycocolloid is not fully understood. The current knowledge on agar biosynthesis is inferred from plant biochemistry and putative pathways for ulvan and alginate biosynthesis in green and brown seaweeds, respectively. In this review, the gaps in our current knowledge on agar biosynthetic pathway are discussed, focusing on the biosynthesis of agar precursors, elongation of agar polysaccharide chain and side chain modification. The development of molecular markers for the screening of desired seaweeds for industrial exploitation is also discussed

Sulfated galactans from red seaweeds and their potential applications

Red seaweeds (Rhodophyta) produce a variety of sulfated galactans in their cell wall matrix and intercellular space, contributing up to 50-60 % of their total dry weight. These sulfated polysaccharides are made up of galactose disaccharides substituted with sulfate, methoxyl, pyruvic acid, or non-galactose monosaccharides (e.g. xylose, glucose and mannose). They are required by the Rhodophytes for protection against pathogen, desiccation, tidal waves and extreme changes in pH, temperature and salinity. Since ancient times, sulfated galactans from red seaweeds, such as agar and carrageenan, have been consumed as human foods and later being used in traditional medicine. Nowadays, some red seaweeds are cultivated and exploited for commercial uses in various fields. In this review, different types of sulfated galactans found in red seaweeds and their current and potential uses in food, biotechnology, medical and pharmaceutical industries are discussed

Factors affecting yield and gelling properties of agar

Agar, a gelatinous polysaccharide in the cell wall of many red algal species, is widely used as a gelling, thickening and stabilizing agent. The commercial value of seaweed is judged by their agar content and gel quality. Seaweed materials with higher agar yield and better gelling properties are desired due to the growing demand for agar in the global market. Agar biosynthesis in seaweeds is affected by genetic variations, developmental stages and environmental conditions, while different agar extraction techniques can also affect the yield and quality of agar. In this paper, the effects of different physiological states of seaweed, abiotic and biotic factors, seaweed storage and agar extraction techniques on the agar yield and gelling characteristics, are reviewed. This information is important as a guide for marine aquaculture of potential agarophytes and the possible effects of climate change on the stock of this natural resource

Improve Space and Manpower Utilisation

See also the data for the project http://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/researchdata/17/</p

Safety and potential efficacy of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors in coronavirus disease 2019

Objectives While the safety of non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs in COVID‐19 has been questioned, they may be beneficial given the hyper‐inflammatory immune response associated with severe disease. We aimed to assess the safety and potential efficacy of cyclooxygenase‐2 (COX‐2) selective inhibitors in high‐risk patients. Methods Retrospective study of patients with COVID‐19 pneumonia and aged ≥ 50 years who were admitted to hospital. Adverse outcomes analysed included supplemental oxygen use, intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation and mortality, with the primary endpoint a composite of any of these. Plasma levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines were measured in a subset. Results Twenty‐two of 168 (13.1%) in the cohort received COX‐2 inhibitors [median duration 3 days, interquartile range (IQR) 3–4.25]. Median age was 61 (IQR 55–67.75), 44.6% were female, and 72.6% had at least one comorbidity. A lower proportion of patients receiving COX‐2 inhibitors met the primary endpoint: 4 (18.2%) versus 57 (39.0%), P = 0.062. This difference was less pronounced after adjusting for baseline difference in age, gender and comorbidities in a multivariate logistic regression model [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 0.45, 95% CI 0.14–1.46]. The level of interleukin‐6 declined after treatment in five of six (83.3%) treatment group patients [compared to 15 of 28 (53.6%) in the control group] with a greater reduction in absolute IL‐6 levels (P‐value = 0.025). Conclusion Treatment with COX‐2 inhibitors was not associated with an increase in adverse outcomes. Its potential for therapeutic use as an immune modulator warrants further evaluation in a large randomised controlled trial

NMR structural analysis of DNA recognition by a novel Myb1 DNA-binding domain in the protozoan parasite Trichomonas vaginalis

The transcription regulator, tvMyb1, is the first Myb family protein identified in Trichomonas vaginalis. Using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay, we defined the amino-acid sequence from Lys35 to Ser141 (tvMyb135–141) as the minimal DNA-binding domain, encompassing two Myb-like DNA-binding motifs (designated as R2 and R3 motifs) and an extension of 10 residues at the C-terminus. NMR solution structures of tvMyb135–141 show that both the R2 and R3 motifs adopt helix-turn-helix conformations while helix 6 in the R3 motif is longer than its counterpart in vertebrate Myb proteins. The extension of helix 6 was then shown to play an important role in protein stability as well as in DNA-binding activity. The structural basis for the tvMyb135–141/DNA interaction was investigated using chemical shift perturbations, residual dipolar couplings, DNA specificity data and data-driven macromolecular docking by HADDOCK. Our data indicate that the orientation between R2 and R3 motifs dramatically changes upon binding to DNA so as to recognize the DNA major groove through a number of key contacts involving residues in helices 3 and 6. The tvMyb135–141/DNA complex model furthers our understanding of DNA recognition by Myb proteins and this approach could be applied in determining the complex structures involving proteins with multiple domains