Tracking of dynamic arm motion estimation and interaction with fuzzy control

Considerable effort has been put toward the development of intelligent and natural interfaces be- tween users and computer systems. In line with this endeavor, several modes of information (e.g., visual, au- dio, and pen) that are used either individually or in combination have been proposed. Multi-projector dis- play systems are gaining popularity for use in immersive virtual reality applications and scientific visualization. While recent work has addressed the issues of human interfaces to hide the distributed nature of those sys- tems, there has been relatively little work on natural interactive modalities. In this paper, based on the dis- crete characteristics of node distribution and the spatio- temporal coherence of the users movement, we propose a non-contact interactive solution for multi-projector display system. Utilizing a virtual three-dimensional interactive rectan- gular parallelepiped, we establish correspondence be- tween the virtual scene and the users arm position in- formation. For robustly tracking the users arm position, an arm motion estimation method is designed based on the fuzzy predictive control fuzzy Mamdani algorithm theory. To verify the efficiency and accuracy of the pro- posed method, we use a Kalman filter algorithm to test stabilize the output

An effective vision technique for microchip lead inspection

A new effective method for the microchip lead inspection for the chip manufacturing industry has been developed in this work. In contrast to the gray scale pattern matching technique this approach employs selected parameters of binary blobs to perform fault detection and measurements. This leads to a significant reduction of image processing time. A special combination of gray level filtering techniques with gray morphological operations enhances the borders of the lead images. Newly developed threshold calibration technique significantly improves the measurement accuracy. A unique statistical analysis has been developed to identify all possible lead defects in the chips. This method is rotationally and scale invariant and able to detect defective leads for the chips with different specifications. The minimum required information about the microchip is the number of leads

Ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin adversely affect male infertility indicated by pharmacological, andrological and pathological evidence

Background: Drug-induced reproductive organs toxicities is an important aetiology in investigation of male infertility. The aim is to study levofloxacin effect on male reproductive system in comparison to ciprofloxacin.Methods: Twenty-five male wister rats weighted 230±20 gm and aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into five groups of five. The first group received ciprofloxacin with dose 78.23 mg/kg/day in 2 doses (therapeutic dose). The second group received the double dose of the first group ciprofloxacin. The third group received levofloxacin with dose 39.11 mg/kg/day once daily (OD) (therapeutic dose). The Fourth group received the double dose of the third group levofloxacin. However, the fifth group served as a control and received normal saline with carboxymethylcellulose OD. All treatments were administered orally for 14 days. On the 15th day, blood samples and reproductive organs were obtained from all rats. Testicular tissues were prepared for genetic testing and chemical and microscopical examination.Results: Ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin negatively altered reproductive organ weights, sperm parameters and serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH) level (p<0.05). Additionally, serum testosterone level was significantly deceased in ciprofloxacin-treated group (the double dose) (p<0.05) relative to control. The difference between ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin was significant in seminal vesicle weight and serum LH and FSH level (p<0.05). Testicular histopathological changes were also found with the two drugs with different degrees. Effects of levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin were dose-dependent.Conclusions: Both ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin adversely affect andrological function that should be monitored and controlled during application of these drugs

Gentamicin and amikacin adversely affect male infertility indicated by pharmacological, andrological and pathological evidence

Background: Many drugs are implicated in male infertility and screening for medication history is an important for diagnosis and treatment of the problem. The aim is to study amikacin effect on male reproductive system in comparison to gentamicin.Methods: Twenty-five male wister rats weighted 220±20 gm and aged 8 weeks were randomly divided into five groups of five. The first group received gentamicin in dose 18.25 mg/kg/day once daily (OD) (therapeutic dose). The second group received gentamicin with double dose of the first group. The third group received amikacin in dose 54.75 mg/kg/day OD (therapeutic dose). The Fourth group received amikacin with double dose of the third group. However, the fifth group served as a control and received normal saline (NS) OD. All treatments were administered intraperitoneally (IP) for 14 days. On the 15th day, blood samples and reproductive organs were obtained from all animals. Testicular tissues were prepared for genetic testing and chemical and microscopical examination.Results: Amikacin and gentamicin negatively affected reproductive organs weights, sperm parameters, serum follicle stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone (LH) level relative to control (p<0.05). However, serum testosterone level was only affected with gentamicin (p<0.05). A significant difference between gentamicin and amikacin was found in sperm count, testis and epididymis weights and serum testosterone and LH level (p<0.05). Testicular histopathological changes were also found with the two drugs with different degrees. Effects of both gentamicin and amikacin were dose-dependent.Conclusions: Both gentamicin and amikacin adversely affect andrological function that should be monitored and controlled during application of these drugs

Peripheral Arterial Disease in Patients Presenting with Acute Coronary Syndrome in Six Middle Eastern Countries

To describe prevalence and impact of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), data were collected over 5 months from 6 Middle Eastern countries. Patients were divided into 2 groups (with and without PAD). Out of 6705 consecutive ACS patients, PAD was reported in 177 patients. In comparison to non-PAD, PAD patients were older and more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors. They were more likely to have high Killip class, high GRACE risk score, and non-ST elevation ACS (NSTEACS) at presentation. Thrombolytics, antiplatelet use, and coronary intervention were comparable in both groups. When presented with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), patients with PAD had worse outcomes, while in NSTEACS; PAD was associated with higher rate of heart failure in comparison to non-PAD patients. In diabetics, PAD was associated with 2-fold increase in mortality when compared to non-PAD (P = 0.028). After adjustment, PAD was associated with high mortality in STEMI (adjusted OR 2.6; 95% CI 1.23–5.65, P = 0.01). Prevalence of PAD in ACS in the Gulf region is low. Patients with PAD and ACS constitute a high risk group and require more attention. PAD in patients with STEMI is an independent predictor of in-hospital death

Investigating the factors affecting e-procurement adoption in supply chain performance: An empirical study on Malaysia manufacturing industry

Global business is getting more and more cutthroat. Digital technology plays a significant role in giving companies a competitive advantage and improving the effectiveness of corporate processes. The Malaysian government has advanced by implementing e-government to use digital technologies to improve operations. In line with the objective of Malaysia’s government, this study examines the impact of e-procurement adoption and e-procurement determinants on supply chain performance among Malaysian manufacturing companies. Using a quantitative research design with an online survey questionnaire, 99 responses from manufacturers listed in the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers directory were obtained, representing 19.41% of the response rates. It fulfilled the minimum sample size of 92, and the data were examined using PLS-SEM. A total of 13 hypotheses are supported, accepted hypotheses one and two in which top management support and information communication technology infrastructure do not directly affect supply chain management. Besides, the findings prove this study's mediating effect on e-procurement adoption. It indicates that most Malaysian manufacturing companies have embraced e-procurement to support their supply chain operations

Polyvascular Disease in Patients Presenting with Acute Coronary Syndrome: Its Predictors and Outcomes

We evaluated prevalence and clinical outcome of polyvascular disease (PolyVD) in patients presenting with acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Data for 7689 consecutive ACS patients were collected from the 2nd Gulf Registry of Acute Coronary Events between October 2008 and June 2009. Patients were divided into 2 groups (ACS with versus without PolyVD). All-cause mortality was assessed at 1 and 12 months. Patients with PolyVD were older and more likely to have cardiovascular risk factors. On presentation, those patients were more likely to have atypical angina, high resting heart rate, high Killip class, and GRACE risk scoring. They were less likely to receive evidence-based therapies. Diabetes mellitus, renal failure, and hypertension were independent predictors for presence of PolyVD. PolyVD was associated with worse in-hospital outcomes (except for major bleedings) and all-cause mortality even after adjusting for baseline covariates. Great efforts should be directed toward primary and secondary preventive measures

Demystifying Smoker's Paradox: A Propensity Score-Weighted Analysis in Patients Hospitalized With Acute Heart Failure.

Background Smoker's paradox has been observed with several vascular disorders, yet there are limited data in patients with acute heart failure (HF). We examined the effects of smoking in patients with acute HF using data from a large multicenter registry. The objective was to determine if the design and analytic approach could explain the smoker's paradox in acute HF mortality. Methods and Results The data were sourced from the acute HF registry (Gulf CARE [Gulf Acute Heart Failure Registry]), a multicenter registry that recruited patients over 10 months admitted with a diagnosis of acute HF from 47 hospitals in 7 Middle Eastern countries. The association between smoking and mortality (in hospital) was examined using covariate adjustment, making use of mortality risk factors. A parallel analysis was performed using covariate balancing through propensity scores. Of 5005 patients hospitalized with acute HF, 1103 (22%) were current smokers. The in-hospital mortality rates were significantly lower in current smoker's before (odds ratio, 0.71; 95% CI, 0.52-0.96) and more so after (odds ratio, 0.47; 95% CI, 0.31-0.70) covariate adjustment. With the propensity score-derived covariate balance, the smoking effect became much less certain (odds ratio, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.36-1.11). Conclusions The current study illustrates the fact that the smoker's paradox is likely to be a result of residual confounding as covariate adjustment may not resolve this if there are many competing prognostic confounders. In this situation, propensity score methods for covariate balancing seem preferable. Clinical Trial Registration URL: https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/. Unique identifier: NCT01467973.Gulf CARE (Gulf Acute Heart Failure Registry) is an investigator- initiated study conducted under the auspices of the Gulf Heart Association and funded by Servier, Paris, France; and (for centers in Saudi Arabia), by the Saudi Heart Association (The Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia [research group number: RG -1436- 013]). This does not alter our adherence to policies on sharing data and materials; and the funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript. The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library