SYSTEM-ON-A-CHIP (SOC)-BASED HARDWARE ACCELERATION FOR HUMAN ACTION RECOGNITION WITH CORE COMPONENTS

Today, the implementation of machine vision algorithms on embedded platforms or in portable systems is growing rapidly due to the demand for machine vision in daily human life. Among the applications of machine vision, human action and activity recognition has become an active research area, and market demand for providing integrated smart security systems is growing rapidly. Among the available approaches, embedded vision is in the top tier; however, current embedded platforms may not be able to fully exploit the potential performance of machine vision algorithms, especially in terms of low power consumption. Complex algorithms can impose immense computation and communication demands, especially action recognition algorithms, which require various stages of preprocessing, processing and machine learning blocks that need to operate concurrently. The market demands embedded platforms that operate with a power consumption of only a few watts. Attempts have been mad to improve the performance of traditional embedded approaches by adding more powerful processors; this solution may solve the computation problem but increases the power consumption. System-on-a-chip eld-programmable gate arrays (SoC-FPGAs) have emerged as a major architecture approach for improving power eciency while increasing computational performance. In a SoC-FPGA, an embedded processor and an FPGA serving as an accelerator are fabricated in the same die to simultaneously improve power consumption and performance. Still, current SoC-FPGA-based vision implementations either shy away from supporting complex and adaptive vision algorithms or operate at very limited resolutions due to the immense communication and computation demands. The aim of this research is to develop a SoC-based hardware acceleration workflow for the realization of advanced vision algorithms. Hardware acceleration can improve performance for highly complex mathematical calculations or repeated functions. The performance of a SoC system can thus be improved by using hardware acceleration method to accelerate the element that incurs the highest performance overhead. The outcome of this research could be used for the implementation of various vision algorithms, such as face recognition, object detection or object tracking, on embedded platforms. The contributions of SoC-based hardware acceleration for hardware-software codesign platforms include the following: (1) development of frameworks for complex human action recognition in both 2D and 3D; (2) realization of a framework with four main implemented IPs, namely, foreground and background subtraction (foreground probability), human detection, 2D/3D point-of-interest detection and feature extraction, and OS-ELM as a machine learning algorithm for action identication; (3) use of an FPGA-based hardware acceleration method to resolve system bottlenecks and improve system performance; and (4) measurement and analysis of system specications, such as the acceleration factor, power consumption, and resource utilization. Experimental results show that the proposed SoC-based hardware acceleration approach provides better performance in terms of the acceleration factor, resource utilization and power consumption among all recent works. In addition, a comparison of the accuracy of the framework that runs on the proposed embedded platform (SoCFPGA) with the accuracy of other PC-based frameworks shows that the proposed approach outperforms most other approaches

Association of Family History of Epilepsy with Earlier Age Onset of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy

How to Cite This Article: Najafi MR, Najafi MA, Safaei A. Association of Family History of Epilepsy with Earlier Age Onset of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy. Iran J Child Neurol. Spring 2016; 10(2):10-15.AbstractObjectiveJuvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is supposedly the most frequent subtype of idiopathic generalized epilepsies (IGE). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of JME and comparison of patients’ demographics as well as timeline of the disease between positive family history epileptic patients (PFHE) and negative family history epileptic patients (NFHE) among sample of Iranian epileptic patients.Materials & MethodsFrom Feb. 2006 to Oct. 2009, 1915 definite epileptic patients (873 females) referred to epilepsy clinics in Isfahan, central Iran, were surveyed and among them, 194 JME patients were diagnosed. JME was diagnosed by its specific clinical and EEG criteria. Patients were divided into two groups as PFHE and NFHE and data were compared between them.ResultsJME was responsible for 10% (194 patients) of all types of epilepsies. Of JME patients, 53% were female. In terms of family history of epilepsy, 40% were positive. No significant differences was found between PFHE and NFHE groups as for gender (P>0.05). Age of epilepsy onset was significantly earlier in PFHE patients (15 vs. 22 yr, P<0.001). Occurrence of JME before 18 yr old among PFHE patients was significantly higher (OR=2.356, P=0.007).ConclusionA family history of epilepsy might be associated with an earlier age of onset in patients with JME. References1. Banerjee PN, Filippi D, Allen Hauser W. The descriptive epidemiology of epilepsy—a review. Epilepsy Res 2009;85(1):31-45.2. Khedr EM, Shawky OA, Ahmed MA, Elfetoh NA, Al Attar G, Ali AM, et al. A community based epidemiological study of epilepsy in Assiut Governorate/Egypt. Epilepsy Res 2013;103(2):294-302.3. Rektor I, Schachter SC, Arzy S, Baloyannis SJ, Bazil C, Brázdil M, et al. Epilepsy, behavior, and art (Epilepsy, Brain, and Mind, part 1). Epilepsy Behav 2013;28(2):261-82.4. Steinlein OK. Genetics and epilepsy. Dialogues Clin Neurosci 2008;10(1):29-38.5. Engel Jr J. ILAE classification of epilepsy syndromes. Epilepsy Res 2006;70:5-10.6. Janz D. Epilepsy with impulsive petit mal (juvenile myoclonic epilepsy). Acta Neurol Scandinavica 1985;72(5):449-59.7. Alfradique I, Vasconcelos MM. Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. Arquivos de Neuro-Psiquiatria 2007;65(4B):1266-71.8. Vijai J, Cherian P, Sylaja P, Anand A, Radhakrishnan K. Clinical characteristics of a South Indian cohort of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy probands. Seizure 2003;12(7):490-6.9. Babtain FA. Impact of a family history of epilepsy on the diagnosis of epilepsy in southern Saudi Arabia. Seizure 2013;22(7):542-7.10. Montenegro MA, Guerreiro MM, Lopes-Cendes I, Guerreiro CA, Li LM, Cendes F, editors. Association of family history of epilepsy with earlier age at seizure onset in patients with focal cortical dysplasia. Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2002;77(12): 1291–94.11. Berg AT, Berkovic SF, Brodie MJ, Buchhalter J, Cross JH, Van Emde Boas W, et al. Revised terminology and concepts for organization of seizures and epilepsies: report of the ILAE Commission on Classification and Terminology, 2005–2009. Epilepsia 2010;51(4):676-85.12. Janz D. Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. Epilepsy with impulsive petit mal. Cleveland Clin J Med 1989;56 Suppl Pt 1:S23-33; discussion S40-2. Epub 1989/01/01.13. Najafi MR, Sonbolestan F, Sonbolestan SA, Zare M, Mehvari J, Meshkati SN. The course and outcome of pregnancy and neonatal situation in epileptic women. Adv Biomed Res 2012;1:4. Epub 2012/12/05. 14. Bittles AH. Consanguinity and its relevance to clinical genetics. Clin Genetics 2001;60(2):89-98.15. Johnston MV. Nelson’s Textbook of Pediatrics. 17th ed. Seizures in childhood. Vol. 2. Philadelphia: Saunders; 2004 p. 1993–2005.16. Sinha S, Pramod M, Dilipkumar S, Satishchandra P. Idiopathic generalized epilepsy: Phenotypic and electroencephalographic observations in a large cohort from South India. Ann Indian Academy Neurol 2013;16(2):163.17. Jallon P, Loiseau P, Loiseau J. Newly diagnosed unprovoked epileptic seizures: presentation at diagnosis in CAROLE study. Epilepsia 2001;42(4):464-75.18. Oka E, Ishida S, Ohtsuka Y, Ohtahara S. Neuroepidemiological study of childhood epilepsy by application of international classification of epilepsies and epileptic syndromes (ILAE, 1989). Epilepsia 1995;36(7):658-61.19. Murthy J, Yangala R, Srinivas M. The Syndromic Classification of the International League Against Epilepsy: A Hospital-Based Study from South India. Epilepsia 1998;39(1):48-54.20. Fittipaldi F, Curra A, Fusco L, Ruggieri S, Manfredi M. EEG discharges on awakening: a marker of idiopathic generalized epilepsy. Neurol 2001;56(1):123-6.21. Jallon P, Latour P. Epidemiology of idiopathic generalized epilepsies. Epilepsia 2005;46(s9):10-4.22. Classification Co, Epilepsy TotILA. Proposal for revised classification of epilepsies and epileptic syndromes. Epilepsia 1989;30:389-99.23. Berkovic, S. F. Genetics of epilepsy syndromes. In: Epilepsy: A Comprehensive Textbook (Eds J. Engel and T. A. Pedley). Lippincott-Raven Publ., 1997: pp. 217–224.24. Camfield CS, Striano P, Camfield PR. Epidemiology of juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. Epilepsy Behav 2013;28:S15-S7.25. Camfield CS, Camfield PR. Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy 25 years after seizure onset A population-based study. Neurol 2009;73(13):1041-5.26. Jayalakshmi SS, Mohandas S, Sailaja S, Borgohain R. Clinical and electroencephalographic study of first-degree relatives and probands with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. Seizure 2006;15(3):177-83.27. Sozmen V, Baybas S, Dirican A, Koksal A, Ozturk M. Frequency of epilepsies in family members of patients with different epileptic syndromes. European Neurol 2010;65(1):4-9.28. Mullins G, O’sullivan S, Neligan A, McCarthy A, McNamara B, Galvin R, et al. A study of idiopathic generalised epilepsy in an Irish population. Seizure 2007;16(3):204-10.29. Shahnaz KS, Sattar RA. Clinical and EEG characteristics of Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy. Pak J Med Sci 2014;30(1):12.30. Liu A, Delgado-Escueta A, Gee M, Serratosa J, Zhang Q, Alonso M, et al. Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy in chromosome 6p12-p11: Locus heterogeneity and recombinations. Am J Medi Genetics 1996;63(3):438-46. 31. Figueredo R, Trevisol-Bittencourt PC, Ferro JBdM. Estudo clínico-epidemiológico de pacientes com epilepsia mioclônica juvenil em Santa Catarina. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 1999;57(2-B):401-4.32. Obeid T, Panayiotopoulos C. Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: a study in Saudi Arabia. Epilepsia 1988;29(3):280-2.33. Nair RR, Thomas SV. Genetic liability to epilepsy in Kerala State, India. Epilepsy Res 2004;62(2):163-70. 34. Ottman R, Lee JH, Risch N, Hauser WA, Susser M. Clinical indicators of genetic susceptibility to epilepsy. Epilepsia 1996;37(4):353-61.35. Bianchi A, Viaggi S, Chiossi E. Family study of epilepsy in first degree relatives: data from the Italian Episcreen Study. Seizure 2003;12(4):203-10.36. Manganotti P, Bongiovanni LG, Fuggetta G, Zanette G, Fiaschi A. Effects of sleep deprivation on cortical excitability in patients affected by juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: a combined transcranial magnetic stimulation and EEG study. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatr 2006;77(1):56-60. Epub 2005/12/20.37. Roebling R, Scheerer N, Uttner I, Gruber O, Kraft E, Lerche H. Evaluation of cognition, structural, and functional MRI in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy. Epilepsia 2009;50(11):2456-65. Epub 2009/06/06.38. Edwards T, Scott AG, Munyoki G, Odera VMa, Chengo E, Bauni E, et al. Active convulsive epilepsy in a rural district of Kenya: a study of prevalence and possible risk factors. The Lancet Neurol 2008;7(1):50-6.

Real-time search-free multiple license plate recognition via likelihood estimation of saliency

In this paper, we propose a novel search-free localization method based on 3-D Bayesian saliency estimation. This method uses a new 3-D object tracking algorithm which includes: object detection, shadow detection and removal, and object recognition based on Bayesian methods. The algorithm is tested over three image datasets with different levels of complexities, and the results are compared with those of benchmark methods in terms of speed and accuracy. Unlike most search-based license-plate extraction methods, our proposed 3-D Bayesian saliency algorithm has lower execution time (less than 60 ms), more accuracy, and it is a search-free algorithm which works in noisy backgrounds

A Randomized Triple-Blind Clinical Trial of the Effect of Low-Level Laser Therapy on Infiltration Injection Pain in the Anterior Maxilla

Objective: To evaluate the level of pain experienced during infiltration anesthesia of the anterior maxilla following low-level laser therapy (LLLT) with 810-980 nm wavelengths. Material and Methods: In the current triple-blind clinical trial, 84 patients received a total of 168 infiltration anesthesia injections (1.8 mL of 2% lidocaine plus 1:100,000 epinephrine) in the anterior maxilla. Each patient received two injections into the buccal mucosa of the right and left central incisors with a two-week interval. One injection was performed after LLLT, while the other injection was administered conventionally without laser. The pain level was measured immediately after injection using a visual analog scale (VAS). Results: There was a significant difference in the pain level experienced with and without LLLT, such that the mean pain score following LLLT was significantly lower than that without LLLT (p<0.05). No significant difference was found in the pain level between laser and no laser groups in males, but the difference in this regard was significant in females (p<0.05) and female patients experienced a significantly lower level of pain following LLLT. Conclusion: The low-level laser therapy can be successfully used to decrease the level of pain experienced during infiltration anesthesia of the anterior maxilla

Prognostic significance of lung diffusion capacity and spirometric parameters in relation to hemodynamic status in heart transplant candidates

Introduction: Investigations have described a correlation between the severity of heart failure and the severity of pulmonary function abnormalities. In this study, we investigated the association of resting spirometric parameters, lung diffusion for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and the transfer coefficient (KCO) with hemodynamic variables and outcomes in a cohort of heart transplant candidates. Material and methods: Between January 2018 and January 2020, a total of 100 patients with advanced heart failure who were scheduled for right heart catheterization (RHC) as a pre-transplant evaluation measure were enrolled. Spirometry and DLCO were performed in all patients within 24 hours of their RHC. All selected patients were followed for a median (IQR) time of 6 (2�12) months. The end points of interest were heart failure-related mortality and a combined event involving HF-related mortality, heart transplantation (HTX), and need for the placement of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Results: Among 846 patients scheduled for RHC, a total of 100 patients (25 female) with a mean (SD) age of 38.5 (12.8) were enrolled. There was a significant correlation between FEV1/FVC and CVP (r = �0.22, p = 0.02), PCWP (r = �0.4, p < 0.001), mPAP (r = �0.45, p < 0.001), and PVR (r = �0.32, p = 0.001). The cardiac output correlated with DLCO (r = 0.3, p = 0.008). Spirometry parameters, DLCO parameters, and hemodynamic parameters did not correlate with the combined event. Among the several variables, only PVR had an independent association with the combined event. Conclusion: Both mechanical and gas diffusion parameters of the lung were not associated with outcomes in the homogeneous group of heart transplant candidates. © 2021 PTChP

Prognostic significance of lung diffusion capacity and spirometric parameters in relation to hemodynamic status in heart transplant candidates

Introduction: Investigations have described a correlation between the severity of heart failure and the severity of pulmonary function abnormalities. In this study, we investigated the association of resting spirometric parameters, lung diffusion for carbon monoxide (DLCO), and the transfer coefficient (KCO) with hemodynamic variables and outcomes in a cohort of heart transplant candidates. Material and methods: Between January 2018 and January 2020, a total of 100 patients with advanced heart failure who were scheduled for right heart catheterization (RHC) as a pre-transplant evaluation measure were enrolled. Spirometry and DLCO were performed in all patients within 24 hours of their RHC. All selected patients were followed for a median (IQR) time of 6 (2–12) months. The end points of interest were heart failure-related mortality and a combined event involving HF-related mortality, heart transplantation (HTX), and need for the placement of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD).Results: Among 846 patients scheduled for RHC, a total of 100 patients (25% female) with a mean (SD) age of 38.5 (12.8) were enrolled. There was a significant correlation between FEV1/FVC and CVP (r = –0.22, p = 0.02), PCWP (r = –0.4, p &lt; 0.001), mPAP (r = –0.45, p &lt; 0.001), and PVR (r = –0.32, p = 0.001). The cardiac output correlated with DLCO (r = 0.3, p = 0.008). Spirometry parameters, DLCO parameters, and hemodynamic parameters did not correlate with the combined event. Among the several variables, only PVR had an independent association with the combined event.Conclusion: Both mechanical and gas diffusion parameters of the lung were not associated with outcomes in the homogeneous group of heart transplant candidates

The Effect of Gates-Glidden Drills on the Quality of Root Canal Treatment by Pre-Clinical Dental Students

AIM: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of applying Gates-Glidden (GG) drill by pre-clinical dental students on root canal treatment quality. METHOD: A total of 56 first molars consisting of 168 canals were selected in this study. For this purpose, 56 students who had been formerly trained by two methods of root canal preparation were randomly divided into two groups (n = 28). Group 1: the step-down method by GG and Group 2: step-back technique without GG. The prepared teeth were filled with gutta-percha/ZOE sealer using lateral condensation. Periapical radiographs were taken before and the following treatment to survey occurrence of preparation errors and CBCT images to determine residual dentine at furcation region. RESULTS: The findings showed that among 10 error types in specimens prepared by students, the occurrence of underfilling, overfilling, inappropriate, ledge formation, and single cone was more common without GG. There were no significant differences in residual dentine amount at furcation region between preparation with and without using GG (P &gt; 0.05). CONCLUSION: Using GG for root canal preparation by dental students resulted in low errors and not an increased dentine removal risk

The Role of Nanomaterials in the Treatment of Diseases and Their Effects on the Immune System

Nanotechnology has been widely exploited in recent years in various applications. Different sectors of medicine and treatment have also focused on the use of nanoproducts. One of the areas of interest in the treatment measures is the interaction between nanomaterials and immune system components. Engineered nanomaterials can stimulate the inhibition or enhancement of immune responses and prevent the detection ability of the immune system. Changes in immune function, in addition to the benefits, may also lead to some damage. Therefore, adequate assessment of the novel nanomaterials seems to be necessary before practical use in treatment. However, there is little information on the toxicological and biological effects of nanomaterials, especially on the potential ways of contacting and handling nanomaterials in the body and the body response to these materials. Extensive variation and different properties of nanomaterials have made it much more difficult to access their toxicological effects to the present. The present study aims to raise knowledge about the potential benefits and risks of using the nanomaterials on the immune system to design and safely employ these compounds in therapeutic purposes

Applying the Taguchi Method to the Optimization of Anticancer Activity of Bacterial Alginate-CuO Bionanocomposite

AIM: In recent decades, despite various types of cancer inflicting many people worldwide, the existing therapies are not satisfactory and have many side effects. The present study was conducted to optimise the synthesis of novel alginate-CuO nanocomposite with utmost anticancer activity. METHODS: In this study, 9 nanocomposites were designed using Taguchi method and three factors including copper oxide nanoparticles, alginate biopolymer and stirring times were assessed at three different levels. The anticancer activity of the synthesised nanocomposites was evaluated on the MCF-7 cell line using the MTT method. Using the Qulitek-4 software, we determined the optimum conditions for the synthesis of alginate-CuO nanocomposite with the highest anticancer activity. RESULTS: The results indicated that all three factors (copper oxide, alginate and stirring time) were effective on the anticancer activity of the alginate-CuO nanocomposite. Also, the nanocomposite produced under the conditions of experiment 9 (8 mg/ml of copper oxide, 2 mg/ml of alginate and 60 min of stirring time) provided the highest growth inhibition rate as 75.63% against cancer cells. CONCLUSION: The synthesised alginate-copper oxide nanocomposites in this study showed a significant anticancer effect. Therefore, the synthesised nanocomposite under optimal conditions can be used in the design of new anticancer drugs