Towards a Strawberry Harvest Prediction System Using Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition

Farmers require advance notice when a harvest is approaching, so they can allocate resources and hire workers as efficiently as possible. Existing methods are subjective and labor intensive, and require the expertise of a professional forecaster. Cal Poly’s EE department has been collaborating with the Cal Poly Strawberry Center to investigate the potential in using digital imaging processing to predict harvests more reliably. This paper shows the progress of that ongoing project, as well as what aspects could still be improved. Three main blocks comprise this system: data acquisition, which obtains and catalogues images of the strawberry plants; computer vision, which extracts information from the images and constructs a time-series model of the field as a whole; and prediction, which uses the field’s history to guess when the most likely harvest window will be. The best method of data acquisition is determined through a decision matrix to be a small autonomous rover. Several challenges specific to images captured via drone, such as fisheye distortion and dirt masking, are examined and mitigated. Using thresholding, the nRGB color space is shown to be the most promising for image segmentation of red strawberries. Data from field 25 at the Cal Poly Strawberry Center is tabulated, analyzed, and compared against industry trends across California. Ultimately, this work serves as a strong benchmark towards a full strawberry yield prediction system

Uncertainty-Aware Organ Classification for Surgical Data Science Applications in Laparoscopy

Objective: Surgical data science is evolving into a research field that aims to observe everything occurring within and around the treatment process to provide situation-aware data-driven assistance. In the context of endoscopic video analysis, the accurate classification of organs in the field of view of the camera proffers a technical challenge. Herein, we propose a new approach to anatomical structure classification and image tagging that features an intrinsic measure of confidence to estimate its own performance with high reliability and which can be applied to both RGB and multispectral imaging (MI) data. Methods: Organ recognition is performed using a superpixel classification strategy based on textural and reflectance information. Classification confidence is estimated by analyzing the dispersion of class probabilities. Assessment of the proposed technology is performed through a comprehensive in vivo study with seven pigs. Results: When applied to image tagging, mean accuracy in our experiments increased from 65% (RGB) and 80% (MI) to 90% (RGB) and 96% (MI) with the confidence measure. Conclusion: Results showed that the confidence measure had a significant influence on the classification accuracy, and MI data are better suited for anatomical structure labeling than RGB data. Significance: This work significantly enhances the state of art in automatic labeling of endoscopic videos by introducing the use of the confidence metric, and by being the first study to use MI data for in vivo laparoscopic tissue classification. The data of our experiments will be released as the first in vivo MI dataset upon publication of this paper.Comment: 7 pages, 6 images, 2 table

Nationwide Survey Reveals High Prevalence of Non-Swimmers among Children with Congenital Heart Defects

Background: Physical activity is important for children with congenital heart defects (CHD), not only for somatic health, but also for neurologic, emotional, and psychosocial development. Swimming is a popular endurance sport which is in general suitable for most children with CHD. Since we have previously shown that children with CHD are less frequently physically active than their healthy peers, we hypothesized that the prevalence of non-swimmers is higher in CHD patients than in healthy children. Methods: To obtain representative data, we performed a nationwide survey in collaboration with the German National Register of Congenital Heart Defects (NRCHD) and the Institute for Sport Sciences of the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT). The questionnaire included questions capturing the prevalence of swimming skills and the timing of swim learning and was part of the “Motorik-Modul” (MoMo) from the German Health Interview and Examination Survey for Children and Adolescents (KiGGS). A representative age-matched subset of 4569 participants of the MoMo wave two study served as a healthy control group. Results: From 894 CHD-patients (mean age of 12.5 ± 3.1 years), the proportion of non-swimmers in children with CHD was significantly higher (16% versus 4.3%; p < 0.001) compared to healthy children and was dependent on CHD severity: Children with complex CHD had an almost five-fold increased risk (20.4%) of being unable to swim, whereas in children with simple CHD, the ability to swim did not differ significantly from their healthy reference group (5.6% vs. 4.3% non-swimmers (p = not significant). Conclusions: According to our results, one in five patients with complex CHD are non-swimmers, a situation that is concerning in regard of motoric development, inclusion and integration, as well as prevention of drowning accidents. Implementation of swim learning interventions for children with CHD would be a reasonable approach

Hemodynamic and prognostic impact of the diastolic pulmonary arterial pressure in children with pulmonary arterial hypertension-a registry-based analysis

BACKGROUND: Diastolic pulmonary arterial pressure (dPAP) is regarded to be less sensitive to flow metrics as compared to mean PAP (mPAP), and was therefore proposed for the assessment of a precapillary component in patients with postcapillary pulmonary hypertension (PH). To analyze the diagnostic and prognostic impact of dPAP in patients with pure precapillary PH, we purposed to compare the correlation between dPAP and mPAP, as well as hemodynamically-derived calculations [ratio of PAP to systemic arterial pressure (PAP/SAP), pulmonary vascular resistance index (PVRI), transpulmonary gradient (TPG)], using both dPAP and mPAP, at rest and during acute vasoreactivity testing (AVT) in children with idiopathic or heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH/HPAH). Furthermore, we aimed to assess the association of these metrics (at baseline and changes after AVT) with transplant-free survival. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the TOPP (Tracking Outcomes and Practice in Pediatric Pulmonary Hypertension) registry including 246 IPAH/HPAH patients. Of these, 45 children (18.3%) died, and 13 (5.3%) received lung transplantation during the observation period. RESULTS: dPAP and mPAP-derived variables showed almost linear relationship. Higher mPAP/mSAP, and dPAP-/mPAP-derived PVRI at rest was associated with time to death/transplantation. At maximum AVT-response, the decrease of dPAP and mPAP, diastolic pulmonary gradient (DPG) and TPG, as well as dPAP/dSAP and mPAP/mSAP was associated with time to death/transplantation, showing higher significance than corresponding baseline values. Remarkably, no predictive value was found for PVRI-reduction during AVT, neither dPAP- nor mPAP-derived. CONCLUSIONS: There is a strong relationship between dPAP and mPAP-derived variables. According to our results, hemodynamics during AVT (irrespectively of dPAP- or mPAP-derived) may have more prognostic implications than resting hemodynamics in children with IPAH/HPAH, except for PVRI

Ajoene, a garlic compound, inhibits protein prenylation and arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation

1) Ajoene is a garlic compound with anti-platelet properties and, in addition, was shown to inhibit cholesterol biosynthesis by affecting 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase and late enzymatic steps of the mevalonate (MVA) pathway. (2) MVA constitutes the precursor not only of cholesterol, but also of a number of non-sterol isoprenoids, such as farnesyl and geranylgeranyl groups. Covalent attachment of these MVA-derived isoprenoid groups (prenylation) is a required function of several proteins that regulate cell proliferation. We investigated the effect of ajoene on rat aortic smooth muscle cell proliferation as related to protein prenylation. (3) Cell counting, DNA synthesis, and cell cycle analysis showed that ajoene (1-50 micro M) interfered with the progression of the G1 phase of the cell cycle, and inhibited rat SMC proliferation. (4) Similar to the HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor simvastatin, ajoene inhibited cholesterol biosynthesis. However, in contrast to simvastatin, the antiproliferative effect of ajoene was not prevented by the addition of MVA, farnesol (FOH), and geranylgeraniol (GGOH). Labelling of smooth muscle cell cellular proteins with [3H]-FOH and [3H]-GGOH was significantly inhibited by ajoene. (5) In vitro assays for protein farnesyltransferase (PFTase) and protein geranylgeranyltransferase type I (PGGTase-I) confirmed that ajoene inhibits protein prenylation. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and mass spectrometry analyses also demonstrated that ajoene causes a covalent modification of the cysteine SH group of a peptide substrate for protein PGGTase-I. (6) Altogether, our results provide evidence that ajoene interferes with the protein prenylation reaction, an effect that may contribute to its inhibition of SMC proliferatio

Passive sampling methods for contaminated sediments: Risk assessment and management

This paper details how activity-based passive sampling methods (PSMs), which provide information on bioavailability in terms of freely dissolved contaminant concentrations (Cfree), can be used to better inform risk management decision making at multiple points in the process of assessing and managing contaminated sediment sites. PSMs can increase certainty in site investigation and management, because Cfree is a better predictor of bioavailability than total bulk sediment concentration (Ctotal) for 4 key endpoints included in conceptual site models (benthic organism toxicity, bioaccumulation, sediment flux, and water column exposures). The use of passive sampling devices (PSDs) presents challenges with respect to representative sampling for estimating average concentrations and other metrics relevant for exposure and risk assessment. These challenges can be addressed by designing studies that account for sources of variation associated with PSMs and considering appropriate spatial scales to meet study objectives. Possible applications of PSMs include: quantifying spatial and temporal trends in bioavailable contaminants, identifying and evaluating contaminant source contributions, calibrating site-specific models, and, improving weight-of-evidence based decision frameworks. PSM data can be used to assist in delineating sediment management zones based on likelihood of exposure effects, monitor remedy effectiveness, and, evaluate risk reduction after sediment treatment, disposal, or beneficial reuse after management actions. Examples are provided illustrating why PSMs and freely dissolved contaminant concentrations (Cfree) should be incorporated into contaminated sediment investigations and study designs to better focus on and understand contaminant bioavailability, more accurately estimate exposure to sediment-associated contaminants, and better inform risk management decisions. Research and communication needs for encouraging broader use are discussed. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2014;10:224–236. © 2014 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC

A systematic outbreak investigation of SARS-CoV-2 transmission clusters in a tertiary academic care center

BACKGROUND We sought to decipher transmission pathways in healthcare-associated infections with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) within our hospital by epidemiological work-up and complementary whole genome sequencing (WGS). We report the findings of the four largest epidemiologic clusters of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurring during the second wave of the pandemic from 11/2020 to 12/2020. METHODS At the University Hospital Basel, Switzerland, systematic outbreak investigation is initiated at detection of any nosocomial case of SARS-CoV-2 infection, as confirmed by polymerase chain reaction, occurring more than five days after admission. Clusters of nosocomial infections, defined as the detection of at least two positive patients and/or healthcare workers (HCWs) within one week with an epidemiological link, were further investigated by WGS on respective strains. RESULTS The four epidemiologic clusters included 40 patients and 60 HCWs. Sequencing data was available for 70% of all involved cases (28 patients and 42 HCWs), confirmed epidemiologically suspected in house transmission in 33 cases (47.1% of sequenced cases) and excluded transmission in the remaining 37 cases (52.9%). Among cases with identical strains, epidemiologic work-up suggested transmission mainly through a ward-based exposure (24/33, 72.7%), more commonly affecting HCWs (16/24, 66.7%) than patients (8/24, 33.3%), followed by transmission between patients (6/33, 18.2%), and among HCWs and patients (3/33, 9.1%, respectively two HCWs and one patient). CONCLUSIONS Phylogenetic analyses revealed important insights into transmission pathways supporting less than 50% of epidemiologically suspected SARS-CoV-2 transmissions. The remainder of cases most likely reflect community-acquired infection randomly detected by outbreak investigation. Notably, most transmissions occurred between HCWs, possibly indicating lower perception of the risk of infection during contacts among HCWs

Assessing the Conditions for Multilateral Interventions or Non-Interventions: Intervention and Non-Intervention in the Asia Pacific Region

The focus of this thesis has been on the identification of the primary conditions that attract or deter multilateral interventions into internal conflicts in the Asia Pacific region. This thesis develops a framework which is applied to four cases of internal conflict to see what roles twenty-two structural and perceptual conditions have played in determining why multilateral intervention was initiated in two of the cases, and why multilateral intervention failed to be initiated in the other two cases. The research found that multilateral organizations will accept risks and costs associated with intervention if certain structural and perceptual conditions make intervention an attractive option. These conditions are, a favourable or significant international environment or international event(s), the consent of a sovereign state (even if it is induced), sustained and critical regional and international media coverage, a complete collapse of the state in conflict tainting it with the term 'failed state', a high probability of success, potential economic benefits, a humanitarian crisis (in respect of Unregulated Population Movements and genocide/politicide), the possibility of a clear exit strategy, and a self-interested Member State who can greatly subsidize an intervention. Multilateral non-interventions, on the contrary, are driven by a combination of a lack of sustained and critically analyzed media coverage on conflict issues and consequences, generally positive tactics and strategies adopted by disputants, conflicts of a long duration, the international environment, economic factors unfavourable to intervention, resistance levels to intervention or a failure to call for intervention, lack of any clear exit points, and an escalation phase. The importance of these conditions suggest that multilateral organizations are reluctant to take risks and costs when political will, for the collective and self, are not provoked. Consequently, particular structural and perceptual conditions trigger or influence political will. The analysis of four case studies (East Timor, Solomon Islands, Philippines (Moros), and West Papua) concludes that multilateral interventions will be the exception to the rule in the foreseeable future given the obvious selection bias evident in these policies, and the project questions the ad hoc determinants of current multilateral intervention policies

Metal-macrofauna interactions determine microbial community structure and function in copper contaminated sediments

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Science-Policy Interactions in MPA Site Selection in the Dutch Part of the North Sea

At the 7th conference of the parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-COP7, Kuala Lumpur, 2004) it was agreed to establish a global network of marine and coastal protected areas by 2012. The defined objectives of this MPA-network are based on the ecosystem approach: to protect biodiversity and other ecological values, and to ensure sustainable use. The (inter)national policy guidelines state that the selection of MPAs should be based on scientific information and ecological criteria only. As a signatory to the Convention, the Netherlands is now faced with meeting this obligation, and the process of designating the first Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Dutch part of the North Sea is currently in progress. We focus on the science–policy interactions that are part of this Dutch MPA selection process. By taking a closer look at the contemporary site selection process as well as its historical background, we show that ecological, socio-economic and political considerations cannot always be easily separated. Uncertainty is high and the ultimate selection and delimitation of candidate sites rather seems to be the result of a balancing act between ecological, socio-economic and political interests, in which scientific and policy guiding procedures blend with ad-hoc political decision making, and with expert judgment in cases where data is lacking. As such, this paper presents an example of present-day environmental policy making in action