Development of a neural network approach for the assessment of the performance of traffic sign retroreflectivity

The goal of the research was to develop a new predictive tool for assessing the performance of traffic sign retroreflectivity and to compare the developed tool with the existing linear regression models. Retroreflectivity decreases as sign sheeting ages. Currently Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) replace signs with low reflectivity based on driver complaints. This practice might have resulted in premature sign replacement (removal of signs with several years of in-service life still remaining) or in non-replacement of signs that are not in compliance with LADOTD minimum reflectivity standards. In this study, both neural network models and regression models were developed to predict reflectivity of Engineering and High Intensity Grade signs. The LADOTD traffic sign inventory data of Ascension Parish traffic signs were used for model development, validation and comparison. The performance of the developed neural network models (NN models) was compared to the developed regression models (R2 models) and also to the existing retroreflectivity regression models (R1 models) developed by Wolshon et al. The R1 models were developed for traffic signs placed along Interstate and State Highway routes in the districts of New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and Shreveport. Also, the usability of the neural network models developed in the study was analyzed based on the data collected by Wolshon et al to develop the linear regression R1 models. The results of this study demonstrated the feasibility of using ANNs in predicting the retroreflectivity of Type I and Type III sign sheeting. The independent variables found to be statistically significant variables in explaining the performance of traffic signs retroreflectivity included age of the sign, sheeting type, and background color of sign sheeting. A comparison of the models developed with two different specifications involving different sets of independent variables showed that the models including all the variables (i.e., Age, Edge of Pavement Distance, Sign Orientation, Sign Background Color, and Sheeting Type) increased the explanatory power of the models by little. However, it was recommended to use of all deterioration variables whose effects are not non-existent

Study of the efficacy of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss after child birth

Background: The aim was to study the efficacy of tranexamic acid in reducing blood loss after childbirth in normal vaginal delivery and LSCS.Methods: 200 pregnant women divided into two groups group 1 and group 2, 100 women undergoing LSCS and 100 women undergoing vaginal delivery. Study group will be given 1 g iv tranexamic acid along with active management of third stage of labor and control subjects will be given only active management of third stage. Clinical observations and laboratory examinations, measurement of blood loss were measured.Results: Distribution with respect to indication of LSCS like fetal distress, cephalopelvic disproportion, abnormal presentation, previous LSCS, arrest of descent, failed induction and onset of labor were comparable between both the groups. Study group showed marked decrease in blood loss when compared to controls from time of placental delivery to 2 hours postpartum in women undergoing vaginal delivery and caesarean section. There was a significant fall in mean Hb level among the control group when compared with the study group. There was no significant difference in the vital signs of the subjects in both the groups. The incidence of adverse effect like nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea were not increased in the study group when compared to the control group. Also the incidence of thrombosis was not increased with tranexamic acid.Conclusions: Tranexamic acid significantly reduced the amount of blood loss after vaginal delivery and lower segment caesarean section. Its use was not associated with any adverse drug reactions like nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea or thrombosis. Tranexamic acid can be safely administered in pregnant women undergoing vaginal delivery and lower segment caesarean section.

Formulation and Evaluation of Pitavastatin Nanosuspension

AIMS: The aim of this work is to formulate and develop nanosuspensions containing a hypercholesterolemia drug and carrier’s urea, PVP 30, β-cyclodextrin and Tween 80 & SLS. OBJECTIVES: The main objective of the present study is to carry out formulation and evaluation of nanosuspensions of hypercholesterolemia by using suitable polymers to improve its bioavailability. The objectives of the present study as follows 1. Preformulation studies for selection of suitable excipients to develop the dosage form based on physicochemical properties of drug and excipients. 2. Screening of excipients for compatibility and efficacy for developing the formulation. 3. Carry out Preformulation study of Pitavastatin drug. 4. Preparation of nanosuspensions drug delivery system for enhancing the solubility and thus bioavailability of drug. 5. Evaluation of nanosuspensions drug delivery system, in vitro. 6. Optimize the formulation using experimental design technique regarding particle size, particle size distribution, zeta potential, stability, release profile, etc. 7. Evaluation of formulated product and identification of defects. 8. Study the stability of the formulation following ICH guidelines. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study demonstrate that nanoprecipitation technique was employed to produce nanoparticles of pitavastatin, a poorly water-soluble drug, for the improvement of solubility and dissolution velocity. In this process, the particle size of pitavastatin can be obtained in the nano-size ranges, by adjusting the operation parameters. The best nanosuspension of pitavastatin can be obtained by 10mg, β-cyclodextrin 30mg, and 0.2% w/v Tween 80. Thus it can be concluded that the dissolution of pitavastatin is significantly increased when it is nanosized and thus the bioavailability can be increased compared with the pure pitavastatin

Adaptive Optimized Discriminative Learning based Image Deblurring using Deep CNN

Image degradation plays a major problem in many image processing applications. Due to blurring, the quality of an image is degraded and there will be a reduction in bandwidth. Blur in an image is due to variations in atmospheric turbulence, focal length, camera settings, etc. Various types of blurs include Gaussian blur, Motion blur, Out-of-focus blur. The effect of noise along with blur further corrupts the captured image. Many techniques have evolved to deblur the degraded image. The leading approach to solve various degraded images are either based on discriminative learning models or on optimization models. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages.  Learning by discriminative methods is faster but restricted to a specific task whereas optimization models handle flexibly but consume more time. Integrating optimization models suitably by learning with discriminative manner results in effective image restoration. In this paper, a set of effective and fast Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) are employed to deblur the Gaussian, motion and out-of-focus blurred images that integrate with optimization models to further avoid noise effects. The proposed methods work more efficiently for applications with low-level vision

Photodynamic Therapy – A Non-invasive Treatment Modality for Precancerous Lesions

Introduction: Oral premalignant lesions are conditions having high potential tendency for transformation into malignancy. The use of a conservative and effective treatment modality is one of the best strategies for cancer prevention. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a non-invasive method for topical and selective treatment of oral precancerous lesions. The present study was taken up to determine the efficacy of PDT in oral precancerous lesions.Methods: The study consisted 13 patients with 24 oral leukoplakia (OL) lesions and 8 with 20 oral lichen planus (OLP) lesions, divided into control and study groups. These lesions were affecting various intraoral sites, the buccal mucosa being the most common site followed by tongue and gingiva. The treatment regimen of PDT included 98% 5–aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) which is topical applied and irradiated with light emitting diode (LED) of 420 nm wavelengths at several sessions.Results: In OL 16.6% of cases showed complete response, 66.6% partial response and 16.6% no response of the lesions to the treatment. In OLP 80% and 20% of the lesions showed partial and no response respectively. The differences with control groups for OL + OLP were found to be significant (P < 0.001).Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, we can conclude that PDT appears to be a feasible alternative to conventional therapy for oral premalignant lesions

Tiny MoO3 nanocrystals self-assembled on folded molybdenum disulfide nanosheets via a hydrothermal method for supercapacitor

Coupling of two active semiconductors can easily lead to a deterioration of their intrinsic properties. In this work, tiny MoO3 nanocrystals were deposited on 3D MoS2 frameworks via a hydrothermal reaction, with heterostructures forming by oxygen-bonding interactions at their interface. When tested as a supercapacitor electrode, the MoS2/MoO3 heterostructure exhibited a high specific capacitance of 287.7 F g(-1) at a current density of 1 A g(-1), and a remarkable cycling stability after 1000 cycles at 1 A g(-1) in an aqueous solution compared to pristine MoS2. The results thus reveal the superior properties of the MoS2/MoO3 heterostructure for supercapacitor electrode

Perspectives on Adipose Tissue, Chagas Disease and Implications for the Metabolic Syndrome

The contribution of adipose tissue an autocrine and endocrine organ in the pathogenesis of infectious disease and metabolic syndrome is gaining attention. Adipose tissue and adipocytes are one of the major targets of T. cruzi infection. Parasites are detected 300 days postinfection in adipose tissue. Infection of adipose tissue and cultured adipocytes triggered local expression of inflammatory mediators resulting in the upregulation of cytokine and chemokine levels. Adipose tissue obtained from infected mice display an increased infiltration of inflammatory cells. Adiponectin, an adipocyte specific protein, which exerts antiinflammatory effects, is reduced during the acute phase of infection. The antiinflammatory regulator peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) is downregulated in infected cultured adipocytes and adipose tissue. T. cruzi infection is associated with an upregulation of signaling pathways such as MAPKs, Notch and cyclin D, and reduced caveolin-1 expression. Adiponectin null mice have a cardiomyopathy and thus we speculate that the T. cruzi-induced reduction in adiponectin contributes to the T. cruzi-induced cardiomyopathy. While T. cruzi infection causes hypoglycemia which correlates with mortality, hyperglycemia is associated with increased parasitemia and mortality. The T. cruzi-induced increase in macrophages in adipose tissue taken together with the reduction in adiponectin and the associated cardiomyopathy is reminiscent of the metabolic syndrome

Trypanosoma cruzi Utilizes the Host Low Density Lipoprotein Receptor in Invasion

Trypanosoma cruzi, an intracellular protozoan parasite that causes Chagas disease in humans and results in the development of cardiomyopathy, is a major health problem in endemic areas. This parasite can invade a wide variety of mammalian cells. The mechanisms by which these parasites invade their host cells are not completely understood. Our study highlights, for the first time, that the Low Density Lipoprotein receptor (LDLr) is important in the invasion and the subsequent fusion of the parasitophorous vacuole with host lysosomes. We demonstrate that T. cruzi directly binds to LDLr, and inhibition or disruption of LDLr significantly decreases parasite entry. Additionally, we have determined that this cross-linking triggers the accumulation of LDLr and phosphotidylinositol phosphates in coated pits, which initiates a signaling cascade that results in the recruitment of lysosomes, possibly via the sorting motif in the cytoplasmic tail of LDLr, to the site of adhesion/invasion. Studies of infected CD1 mice demonstrate that LDLs accumulate in infected heart and that LDLr co-localize with internalized parasites. Overall, this study demonstrates that LDLr and its family members, engaged mainly in lipoprotein transportation, are also involved in T. cruzi entry into host cells and this interaction likely contributes to the progression of chronic cardiomyopathy

FUEL AND ENERGY EFFICIENT MULTI-STAGE PARKING STRUCTURE FOR OPTIMUM SPACE

Multi-level Parking systems for a while also provide provided relief since they have a number of benefits - optimal usage of space, lower maintenance and operational cost, lower construction cost, secure and atmosphere-friendly nature, comfortable for that motorists, cost saving for builders by saving height or depth. Multiple Level Vehicle Parking Systems tend to be fashionable an approach to instantly parking and retrieving cars that typically make use of a system of pallets and lifts and signaling devices for retrieval. They serve advantages like safety, saving of space, some time and fuel space but should also come with an extra along with a very detailed assessment from the parking needed, space availability and traffic flow

Bradykinin B2 Receptors of Dendritic Cells, Acting as Sensors of Kinins Proteolytically Released by Trypanosoma cruzi, Are Critical for the Development of Protective Type-1 Responses

Although the concept that dendritic cells (DCs) recognize pathogens through the engagement of Toll-like receptors is widely accepted, we recently suggested that immature DCs might sense kinin-releasing strains of Trypanosoma cruzi through the triggering of G-protein-coupled bradykinin B2 receptors (B2R). Here we report that C57BL/6.B2R−/− mice infected intraperitoneally with T. cruzi display higher parasitemia and mortality rates as compared to B2R+/+ mice. qRT-PCR revealed a 5-fold increase in T. cruzi DNA (14 d post-infection [p.i.]) in B2R−/− heart, while spleen parasitism was negligible in both mice strains. Analysis of recall responses (14 d p.i.) showed high and comparable frequencies of IFN-γ-producing CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the spleen of B2R−/− and wild-type mice. However, production of IFN-γ by effector T cells isolated from B2R−/− heart was significantly reduced as compared with wild-type mice. As the infection continued, wild-type mice presented IFN-γ-producing (CD4+CD44+ and CD8+CD44+) T cells both in the spleen and heart while B2R−/− mice showed negligible frequencies of such activated T cells. Furthermore, the collapse of type-1 immune responses in B2R−/− mice was linked to upregulated secretion of IL-17 and TNF-α by antigen-responsive CD4+ T cells. In vitro analysis of tissue culture trypomastigote interaction with splenic CD11c+ DCs indicated that DC maturation (IL-12, CD40, and CD86) is controlled by the kinin/B2R pathway. Further, systemic injection of trypomastigotes induced IL-12 production by CD11c+ DCs isolated from B2R+/+ spleen, but not by DCs from B2R−/− mice. Notably, adoptive transfer of B2R+/+ CD11c+ DCs (intravenously) into B2R−/− mice rendered them resistant to acute challenge, rescued development of type-1 immunity, and repressed TH17 responses. Collectively, our results demonstrate that activation of B2R, a DC sensor of endogenous maturation signals, is critically required for development of acquired resistance to T. cruzi infection