A Fuzzy-Logic Approach to Dynamic Bayesian Severity Level Classification of Driver Distraction Using Image Recognition

open access articleDetecting and classifying driver distractions is crucial in the prevention of road accidents. These distractions impact both driver behavior and vehicle dynamics. Knowing the degree of driver distraction can aid in accident prevention techniques, including transitioning of control to a level 4 semi- autonomous vehicle, when a high distraction severity level is reached. Thus, enhancement of Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) is a critical component in the safety of vehicle drivers and other road users. In this paper, a new methodology is introduced, using an expert knowledge rule system to predict the severity of distraction in a contiguous set of video frames using the Naturalistic Driving American University of Cairo (AUC) Distraction Dataset. A multi-class distraction system comprises the face orientation, drivers’ activities, hands and previous driver distraction, a severity classification model is developed as a discrete dynamic Bayesian (DDB). Furthermore, a Mamdani-based fuzzy system was implemented to detect multi- class of distractions into a severity level of safe, careless or dangerous driving. Thus, if a high level of severity is reached the semi-autonomous vehicle will take control. The result further shows that some instances of driver’s distraction may quickly transition from a careless to dangerous driving in a multi-class distraction context

Silica-based chelating resin bearing dual 8-Hydroxyquinoline moieties and its applications for solid phase extraction of trace metals from seawater prior to their analysis by ICP-MS

Solid phase extraction (SPE) using chelating resins has been established as a convenient technique for samples pretreatment prior to trace metal analysis from complex matrices. Oxine chelating agents (e.g., 8-Hydroxyquinoline (8-HQ)) are popular moieties in the synthesis of chelating resins, due to their characteristic coordination chemistry. So far most of the reported silica-oxine chelators encompasses a single oxine molecule per spacer arm. In this work, two 8-HQ ligands have been covalently attached onto silica surface throughout a single linkage. The synthesized resin characterized with FTIR, elemental analysis and SEM. The main parameters affecting SPE procedures, such as pH, and sorption kinetics, investigated using batch experiments. The capacity exchange of the produced resin under optimized conditions was 0.219 and 0.161 mmol g−1 for Cu(II) and Mn(II) respectively. The resin packed into 10 ml standard cartridges and used with a typical SPE manifold for matrix removal prior to an ICP-MS analysis of transition metals (i.e., Cu, Cd, Ni, Pb, Zn, and Co) in seawater certified reference material samples and real samples from high saline seawater near the discharge zone of Yanbu desalination plant. The obtained results confirm the usefulness of the method.The authors are grateful for the Scientific Research Deanship, Taibah University for the generous financial support, grant No. 766/432

Molecular study of Helicobacter pylori virulence genes CagA, Hpa and BabA2 in Egyptian patients

Objective: The objective of this study was to detect virulence genes of Helicobacter pylori (H.pylori) cagA, babA2 and hpa in gastric biopsies from patients with different stages of gastritis by polymerase chain reaction to correlate the presence of genes with the severity of the diseases.Method: A total of 80 non repetitive gastric biopsies from antrum of the stomach were obtained from the patients and subjected to study for histological examination, unease activity, culture for H.pylori, and polymerase chain reaction studies of virulence genes cagA, babA2 and hpa.Results: The most frequent detected gene by PCR was hpa (66.7%) and followed by cagA and babA2 (61.6%) for each. There was significant association between the three genes (P=0.0001). The study of the association between the virulence gene of H.pylori and different clinical symptoms revealed significant association of dyspepsia with cagA(P=0.001) babA2 and hpa (P=0.0001), regurgitation with cagA and babA2( P=0.002),vomiting with cagA and babA2 (P=0.01, P=0.002, respectively) and nausea with cagA and babA2 (P=0.0001, P=0.03, respectively). The virulence genes were detected in gastric ulcer. The degree of inflammation in histopathological examination was also statistically significant associated with the presence of virulences genes cagA (P=0.01), babA2 (p=0.0001) and hpa (P=0.0001)The present study highlights the presence of virulence genes in H.pylori associated with gastric ulcer. The genes cagA, babA2 and hpa are prevalent among the strains affecting the patients. Moreover, these genes are associated with marked clinical and pathological severity. The genes are significantly associated with each other. Further studies are recommended to validate these findings.Keywords: Gastritis, Genotypes, H.pylori, cagA, babA2, hpa, PC

Gazeau-Klauder type coherent states for hypergeometric type operators

The hypergeometric type operators are shape invariant, and a factorization into a product of first order differential operators can be explicitly described in the general case. Some additional shape invariant operators depending on several parameters are defined in a natural way by starting from this general factorization. The mathematical properties of the eigenfunctions and eigenvalues of the operators thus obtained depend on the values of the involved parameters. We study the parameter dependence of orthogonality, square integrability and of the monotony of eigenvalue sequence. The obtained results allow us to define certain systems of Gazeau-Klauder coherent states and to describe some of their properties. Our systematic study recovers a number of well-known results in a natural unified way and also leads to new findings.Comment: An error occurring in Theorem 12 and Theorem 13 has been correcte

A novel sinusoidal frequency divider

A novel technique for sinusoidal frequency division, by an integer number, using analog multipliers is presented. The circuit uses no inductors or capacitors and is, therefore, suitable for integration. The circuit can operate at low frequencies over a wide frequency range. Experimental results are give

Effect of cimetidine on some hematological indices of Wistar rats: modulatory role of vitamin c

Introduction: Cimetidine is a drug used in the treatment of dyspepsia, a clinical condition with widespread distribution. Many studies have reported cimetidine to cause many unwanted effects. However, in most of those studies cimetidine was administered at higher than therapeutic doses. Aim: The aim of this study was, therefore, to evaluate the effect of chronic cimetidine treatment at therapeutic dose on some hematological indices and the possible modulatory role of vitamin C on any such effect. Experimental design and Animal grouping: Forty adult male Wistar rats were divided into four groups (n = 10) and treated orally for 60 days with distilled water (control); cimetidine (30 mg kg-1); cimetidine (30 mg kg-1) + vitamin C (25 mg kg-1) and cimetidine (30 mg kg-1) + vitamin C (50 mg kg-1). At the end of the study blood was collected for analysis. Results: Total white blood cell (WBC) count (5.99 ± 0.20 x 103/mm3) of the cimetidine only-treated group was significantly lower than that of the control (7.95 ± 0.29 x 103/mm3).However, the valuesof red blood cell (RBC) count, packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb) concentration, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin(MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and color index of the experimental groups were not significantly different from that of the control. Treatment with vitamin C modulated the cimetidine-induced decrease in total WBC count. Conclusion: It was concluded that chronic cimetidine administration at therapeutic dose caused a significant decrease in WBC count and this was modulated by vitamin C. Key words: Cimetidine; WBC count; RBC count; hemoglobin and vitamin C

Seed degeneration in potato : the need for an integrated seed health strategy to mitigate the problem in developing countries

Seed potato degeneration, the reduction in yield or quality caused by an accumulation of pathogens and pests in planting material due to successive cycles of vegetative propagation, has been a long-standing production challenge for potato growers around the world. In developed countries this problem has been overcome by general access to and frequent use of seed, produced by specialized growers, that has been certified to have pathogen and pest incidence below established thresholds, often referred to as certified seed. The success of certified seed in developed countries has concentrated the research and development agenda on the establishment of similar systems in developing countries. Despite these efforts, certified seed has had little penetration into the informal seed systems currently in place in most developing countries. Small-scale farmers in these countries continue to plant seed tubers acquired through the informal seed system, i.e. produced on-farm or acquired from neighbours or local markets. Informal seed tubers frequently have poor health status, leading to significant reductions in yield and/or market value. This review emphasizes the need to refocus management efforts in developing countries on improving the health status of seed tubers in the informal system by integrating disease resistance and on-farm management tools with strategic seed replacement. This 'integrated seed health strategy' can also prolong the good health status of plants derived from certified seed, which would otherwise be diminished due to potential rapid infection from neighbouring fields. Knowledge gaps, development challenges and impacts of this integrated seed health strategy are discussed.PostprintPeer reviewe

Proximate qualities and lycopene contents of three watermelon (citrullus lanatus) fruit varieties grown with climate-smart integrated fertilizer management in sandy loam soil

The objective of the study was to determine the effect of climate-smart integrated fertilizer management on proximate qualities and lycopene contents of three watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) varieties grown in sandy loam soil. The experiment was conducted at the experimental farm of the Department of Agricultural Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka between the months of August to October 2017 cropping season. The experiment was laid out in a split-plot design, with three replications, three main plots (Citrullus lanatus varieties (Sugar baby, Koalack and Charleston grey)) and six sub-plots (fertilization treatments). Climate-smart integrated fertilizer considered was combination of Goat manure (GM) and Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium NPK 15: 15: 15 fertilizer which is regarded as most nutrient-rich fertilizer with climate change mitigation and adaptation potential. The study found that the pH of the watermelon varieties were statistically similar and that Charleston grey treated with 50 kg ha-1 NPK + 15 t ha-1 GM had the highest interactive effect on pH value which was statistically similar with 100 kg ha-1 NPK + 10 t ha-1 GM treatment. It was discovered that Koalack variety had the highest moisture contents when treated with 100 kg ha-1 NPK + 10 t ha-1 GM, crude protein content when treated with 150 kg ha-1 NPK + 5 t ha-1 GM, crude fibre content when treated with 20 t ha-1 GM, ether extract and total soluble solid contents when treated with 50 kg ha-1 NPK + 15 t ha-1 GM. For the lycopene content, it was found that Sugar baby variety had the highest mean value (0.61g/100g) when compared with Charleston grey and Koalack varieties. Sugar baby variety treated with 20t/ha-1 GM had highest (0.89g/100g) interactive effect when compared with other varieties and fertilizer treatments. In conclusion, the proximate qualities and lycopene contents of the three varieties increased with the increase in the amount of GM contents of the fertilizer combinations in sandy loam soil. Climate-smart integrated fertilizer improves the proximate qualities of Koalack variety and the lycopene contents of Sugar baby variety more than in other varieties grown in the same sandy loam soil. Therefore, climate-smart integrated fertilizer is recommended for the production of the identified Citrullus lanatus varieties as a nutrition sensitive production strategy in sandy loam soils by farmers in study area

Study of the fire performance of hybrid steel-timber connections with full-scale tests and finite element modelling

Connection design is critical in timber buildings since the connections tend to have lower strength than the structural members themselves and they tend to fail in a brittle manner. The effect of connection geometry on the fire performance of a hybrid steel-timber shear connection is investigated by full-scale testing. These tests were conducted by exposing the test specimens to the standard time-temperature curve defined by CAN/ULC-S101 (CAN/ULC-S101, 2007)