Estimation and prediction of the vehicle's motion basedon visual odometry and Kalman filter

Proceeding of: 14th International Conference, ACIVS 2012, Brno, Czech Republic, September 4-7, 2012The movement of the vehicle is an useful information for different applications, such as driver assistant systems or autonomous vehicles. This information can be known by different methods, for instance, by using a GPS or by means of the visual odometry. However, there are some situations where both methods do not work correctly. For example, there are areas in urban environments where the signal of the GPS is not available, as tunnels or streets with high buildings. On the other hand, the algorithms of computer vision are affected by outdoor environments, and the main source of difficulties is the variation in the ligthing conditions. A method to estimate and predict the movement of the vehicle based on visual odometry and Kalman filter is explained in this paper. The Kalman filter allows both filtering and prediction of vehicle motion, using the results from the visual odometry estimation.This work was also supported by Spanish Government through the CICYT projects FEDORA (Grant TRA2010-20255-C03-01), Driver Distraction Detector System (Grant TRA2011-29454-C03-02) and by CAM through the projects SEGVAUTO-II.Publicad

Sensitive methods for estimating the anchoring strength of nematic liquid crystals on Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of fatty acids

The anchoring of the nematic liquid crystal N-(p-methoxybenzylidene)-p-butylaniline (MBBA) on Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of fatty acids (COOHC$_{n}$H$_{2n+1}$) was studied as a function of the length of the fatty acid alkyl chains, $n$ ($n = 15, 17, 19, 21$). The monolayers were deposited onto ITO-coated glass plates which were used to assemble sandwich cells of various thickness that were filled with MBBA in the nematic phase. The mechanism of relaxation from the flow-induced quasi-planar to the surface-induced homeotropic alignment was studied for the four decreases linearly with increasing the length of the alkyl chains $n$ which suggests that the Langmuir-Blodgett film plays a role in the phenomenon. This fact was confirmed by a sensitive estimation of the anchoring strength of MBBA on the fatty acid monolayers after anchoring breaking which takes place at the transition between two electric-field--induced turbulent states, denoted as DSM1 and DSM2. It was found that the threshold electric field for the anchoring breaking, which can be considered as a measure of the anchoring strength, also decreases linearly as $n$ increases. Both methods thus possess a high sensitivity in resolving small differences in anchoring strength. In cells coated with mixed Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers of two fatty acids ($n=15$ and $n=17$) a maximum of the relaxation speed was observed when the two acids were present in equal amount. This observation homeotropic cells by changing the ratio between the components of the surfactant film.Comment: LaTeX article, 20 pages, 15 figures, 17 EPS files. 1 figure added, references moved. Submitted to Phys. Rev.

Real-time smart and standalone vision/IMU navigation sensor

In this paper, we present a smart, standalone, multi-platform stereo vision/IMU-based navigation system, providing ego-motion estimation. The real-time visual odometry algorithm is run on a nano ITX single-board computer (SBC) of 1.9 GHz CPU and 16-core GPU. High-resolution stereo images of 1.2 megapixel provide high-quality data. Tracking of up to 750 features is made possible at 5 fps thanks to a minimal, but efficient, features detection–stereo matching–feature tracking scheme runs on the GPU. Furthermore, the feature tracking algorithm benefits from assistance of a 100 Hz IMU whose accelerometer and gyroscope data provide inertial features prediction enhancing execution speed and tracking efficiency. In a space mission context, we demonstrate robustness and accuracy of the real-time generated 6-degrees-of-freedom trajectories from our visual odometry algorithm. Performance evaluations are comparable to ground truth measurements from an external motion capture system

Dual-regulated lentiviral vector for gene therapy of X-linked chronic granulomatosis

Regulated transgene expression may improve the safety and efficacy of hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapy. Clinical trials for X-linked chronic granulomatous disease (X-CGD) employing gammaretroviral vectors were limited by insertional oncogenesis or lack of persistent engraftment. Our novel strategy, based on regulated lentiviral vectors (LV), targets gp91(phox) expression to the differentiated myeloid compartment while sparing HSC, to reduce the risk of genotoxicity and potential perturbation of reactive oxygen species levels. Targeting was obtained by a myeloid-specific promoter (MSP) and posttranscriptional, microRNA-mediated regulation. We optimized both components in human bone marrow (BM) HSC and their differentiated progeny in vitro and in a xenotransplantation model, and generated therapeutic gp91(phox) expressing LVs for CGD gene therapy. All vectors restored gp91(phox) expression and function in human X-CGD myeloid cell lines, primary monocytes, and differentiated myeloid cells. While unregulated LVs ectopically expressed gp91(phox) in CD34(+) cells, transcriptionally and posttranscriptionally regulated LVs substantially reduced this off-target expression. X-CGD mice transplanted with transduced HSC restored gp91(phox) expression, and MSP-driven vectors maintained regulation during BM development. Combining transcriptional (SP146.gp91-driven) and posttranscriptional (miR-126-restricted) targeting, we achieved high levels of myeloid-specific transgene expression, entirely sparing the CD34(+) HSC compartment. This dual-targeted LV construct represents a promising candidate for further clinical development

Bio-nanotechnology application in wastewater treatment

The nanoparticles have received high interest in the field of medicine and water purification, however, the nanomaterials produced by chemical and physical methods are considered hazardous, expensive, and leave behind harmful substances to the environment. This chapter aimed to focus on green-synthesized nanoparticles and their medical applications. Moreover, the chapter highlighted the applicability of the metallic nanoparticles (MNPs) in the inactivation of microbial cells due to their high surface and small particle size. Modifying nanomaterials produced by green-methods is safe, inexpensive, and easy. Therefore, the control and modification of nanoparticles and their properties were also discussed

Combined Therapy with Insulin and Growth Hormone in 17 Patients with Type-1 Diabetes and Growth Disorders.

Combined growth hormone (GH) and insulin therapy is rarely prescribed by pediatric endocrinologists. We investigated the attitude of Italian physicians to prescribing that therapy in the case of short stature and type-1 diabetes (T1DM). Methods: A questionnaire was sent and if a patient was identified, data on growth and diabetes management were collected. Results: Data from 42 centers (84%) were obtained. Of these, 29 centers reported that the use of combined therapy was usually avoided. A total of 17 patients were treated in 13 centers (GH was started before T1DM onset in 9 patients and after the onset of T1DM in 8). Height SDS patterns during GH therapy in the 11 patients affected by GH deficiency ranged from -0.3 to +3.1 SDS. In the 8 diabetic patients in whom GH was added subsequently, mean insulin dose increased during the first 6 months of therapy from 0.7 ± 0.2 to 1.0 ± 0.2 U/kg (p = 0.004). HbA1c was unchanged during the first 6 months of combined therapy. Conclusions: Most Italian physicians do not consider prescribing the combined GH-insulin therapy in diabetic children with growth problems. However, the results of the 17 patients identified would confirm that the combined therapy was feasible and only caused mild insulin resistance. GH therapy was effective in promoting growth in most patients and did not affect diabetes metabolic contro