STUDY ON THE DRIVING GAZE SHIFT CHARACTERISTICS OF VISION INTERESTING AREA ON MOUNTAINOUS ROAD

Mountainous road landscape is the main source of driving information. The characteristics of two-lane mountainous road result in real-time dynamic changes in the driver's vision interesting areas. In order to explore the dynamic gaze characteristics, a driving experiment is conducted, and the gaze data of 10 drivers are collected. Markov chain is used to analyze the change process of gaze. The results show that: (1) when the current gaze point is in the straight front area, different road landscape has no significant impact on the gaze shift probability; (2) when the current gaze point is in the near left area, next gaze will expand the search scope to obtain much more driving information; (3) when the current gaze point is in the near right area, there is a high probability that the driver's next gaze will return to the front area; (4) when the current gaze point is in the far right area, the gaze will move back and forth between the near right and the far right areas; (5) when the current gaze point is in the far left area, there is a high probability that the gaze will remain in current area; (6) the main source of traffic information obtained by the driver in mountainous road landscape is the straight front area in the vision field, and the gaze point constantly shifts between the far ahead and the near ahead. The research results can provide technical reference for the construction of landscape in mountainous two-lane road

Brucellosis in ruminants in two counties of Yunnan, China and the use of an integrated approach for effective control

Brucellosis is an increasing production and public health concern in many countries of Asia including China. Challenges for an effective control include lack of collaboration between sectors or uncontrolled animal movement (among others). Yunnan might be at particular risk as ruminants are increasingly introduced from other parts of China e.g. Inner Mongolia, a known high prevalence area in a response to a higher demand for milk. To face this challenges, new integrated approaches are needed such as Ecohealth to support transdisciplinary collaboration versus silo thinking, the latter rather common in the top down animal health control system of China. In the presented research, which was part of an IDRC funded ILRI-Ecozd project, veterinary, public health, animal science experts from five provincial institutions, practitioners from the project sites, and policy authorities worked together to achieve a more effective control of brucellosis. The research was carried out between 2011 and 2013 in two counties of Yunnan, Mangshi and Yiliang and consisted of a historical data review, biological sampling (milk) in herds/households with dairy ruminants and people at risk (serum). Questionnaires were used to collect management data (N=192) from farmers; focus group discussions (villagers) and in depth interviews (village vets and human doctors) gained information on perception and awareness on zoonoses in general and more specifically on the targeted disease. Results from the biological sampling indicate brucellosis as an existing and potentially emerging public health concern depending on the production system. Risk factors for the spread of brucellosis were reported and included risky handling of aborted fetus among others. Awareness and perception on zoonoses (including brucellosis) of all interviewed groups was in general low. The use of a “learning by doing” EcoHealth approach led to improve team member's capacity on Ecohealth and its practical realisation in a field study, e.g. by building up collaboration between those institutions but also stakeholders. Crucial was the support by the Agriculture Department and Health Department of Yunnan. Outcome mapping indicated a change of behaviour in the targeted groups in particular on zoonoses knowledge and willingness to share of information between sectors (vet and public health)

Research on spatiotemporal characteristics of urban crowd gathering based on Baidu map heat map

With the rapid development of urban transportation and the increase in per capita car ownership, the problem of urban traffic congestion is becoming increasingly prominent. Due to the uneven distribution of crowd in different regions of the city, it is difficult to determine and solve the traffic dynamics congestion. In order to solve the problem that it is difficult to determine the dynamics of traffic congestion areas caused by uneven distribution of vitality in different regions of mountainous cities, a crowded mega mountainous city is selected as research object and it proposes a model to calculate the change characteristics of regional crowd gathering. Baidu Heatmap is used as it could distinguish crowd gathering in certain urban core area. The heat map pictures in dozens of consecutive days is extracted and researchers conducted pixel statistical classification on thermal map images. Based on the pixel data of different levels of the pictures, the calculation model is established and an algorithm based on particle swarm optimization is proposed. The calibration of the relative active population equivalent density is conducted, and the distribution characteristics of crowd gathering in time and space are analyzed. The results show that there are obvious spatiotemporal characteristics for this selected city. In time, holidays have an important impact on crowd gathering. The peak time of crowd gathering on weekdays is different from that on rest days. The research in this paper has a direct practical value for the identification of traffic congestion areas and the corresponding governance measures. The dynamic identification of population gathering areas in mountainous mega cities, demand prediction for various transportation regions, and future population OD(Origin—Destination) planning are of great significance.

Efficient AM Algorithms for Stochastic ML Estimation of DOA

The estimation of direction-of-arrival (DOA) of signals is a basic and important problem in sensor array signal processing. To solve this problem, many algorithms have been proposed, among which the Stochastic Maximum Likelihood (SML) is one of the most concerned algorithms because of its high accuracy of DOA. However, the estimation of SML generally involves the multidimensional nonlinear optimization problem. As a result, its computational complexity is rather high. This paper addresses the issue of reducing computational complexity of SML estimation of DOA based on the Alternating Minimization (AM) algorithm. We have the following two contributions. First using transformation of matrix and properties of spatial projection, we propose an efficient AM (EAM) algorithm by dividing the SML criterion into two components. One depends on a single variable parameter while the other does not. Second when the array is a uniform linear array, we get the irreducible form of the EAM criterion (IAM) using polynomial forms. Simulation results show that both EAM and IAM can reduce the computational complexity of SML estimation greatly, while IAM is the best. Another advantage of IAM is that this algorithm can avoid the numerical instability problem which may happen in AM and EAM algorithms when more than one parameter converges to an identical value

Antennal transcriptomic analysis of carboxylesterases and glutathione S-transferases associated with odorant degradation in the tea gray geometrid, Ectropis grisescens (Lepidoptera, Geometridae)

Introduction: Carboxylesterases (CXEs) and glutathione S-transferases (GSTs) can terminate olfactory signals during chemosensation by rapid degradation of odorants in the vicinity of receptors. The tea grey geometrid, Ectropis grisescens (Lepidoptera, Geometridae), one of the most devastating insect herbivores of tea plants in China, relies heavily on plant volatiles to locate the host plants as well as the oviposition sites. However, CXEs and GSTs involved in signal termination and odorant clearance in E. grisescens remains unknown.Methods: In this study, identification and spatial expression profiles of CXEs and GSTs in this major tea pest were investigated by transcriptomics and qRT-PCR, respectively.Results: As a result, we identified 28 CXEs and 16 GSTs from female and male antennal transcriptomes. Phylogenetic analyses clustered these candidates into several clades, among which antennal CXEs, mitochondrial and cytosolic CXEs, and delta group GSTs contained genes commonly associated with odorants degradation. Spatial expression profiles showed that most CXEs (26) were expressed in antennae. In comparison, putative GSTs exhibited a diverse expression pattern across different tissues, with one GST expressed specifically in the male antennae.Disscussion: These combined results suggest that 12 CXEs (EgriCXE1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 18, 20-22, 24, 26, and 29) and 5 GSTs (EgriGST1 and EgriGST delta group) provide a major source of candidate genes for odorants degradation in E. grisescens

Selective modulation of subtype III IP3R by Akt regulates ER Ca2+ release and apoptosis

Ca2+ transfer from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to mitochondria can trigger apoptotic pathways by inducing release of mitochondrial pro-apoptotic factors. Three different types of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor (IP3R) serve to discharge Ca2+ from ER, but possess some peculiarities, especially in apoptosis induction. The anti-apoptotic protein Akt can phosphorylate all IP3R isoforms and protect cells from apoptosis, reducing ER Ca2+ release. However, it has not been elucidated which IP3R subtypes mediate these effects. Here, we show that Akt activation in COS7 cells, which lack of IP3R I, strongly suppresses IP3-mediated Ca2+ release and apoptosis. Conversely, in SH-SY 5Y cells, which are type III-deficient, Akt is unable to modulate ER Ca2+ flux, losing its anti-apoptotic activity. In SH-SY 5Y-expressing subtype III, Akt recovers its protective function on cell death, by reduction of Ca2+ release. Moreover, regulating Ca2+ flux to mitochondria, Akt maintains the mitochondrial integrity and delays the trigger of apoptosis, in a type III-dependent mechanism. These results demonstrate a specific activity of Akt on IP3R III, leading to diminished Ca2+ transfer to mitochondria and protection from apoptosis, suggesting an additional level of cell death regulation mediated by Akt

Antimicrobial resistance among migrants in Europe: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) are rising globally and there is concern that increased migration is contributing to the burden of antibiotic resistance in Europe. However, the effect of migration on the burden of AMR in Europe has not yet been comprehensively examined. Therefore, we did a systematic review and meta-analysis to identify and synthesise data for AMR carriage or infection in migrants to Europe to examine differences in patterns of AMR across migrant groups and in different settings. METHODS: For this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, and Scopus with no language restrictions from Jan 1, 2000, to Jan 18, 2017, for primary data from observational studies reporting antibacterial resistance in common bacterial pathogens among migrants to 21 European Union-15 and European Economic Area countries. To be eligible for inclusion, studies had to report data on carriage or infection with laboratory-confirmed antibiotic-resistant organisms in migrant populations. We extracted data from eligible studies and assessed quality using piloted, standardised forms. We did not examine drug resistance in tuberculosis and excluded articles solely reporting on this parameter. We also excluded articles in which migrant status was determined by ethnicity, country of birth of participants' parents, or was not defined, and articles in which data were not disaggregated by migrant status. Outcomes were carriage of or infection with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used random-effects models to calculate the pooled prevalence of each outcome. The study protocol is registered with PROSPERO, number CRD42016043681. FINDINGS: We identified 2274 articles, of which 23 observational studies reporting on antibiotic resistance in 2319 migrants were included. The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or AMR infection in migrants was 25·4% (95% CI 19·1-31·8; I2 =98%), including meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (7·8%, 4·8-10·7; I2 =92%) and antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria (27·2%, 17·6-36·8; I2 =94%). The pooled prevalence of any AMR carriage or infection was higher in refugees and asylum seekers (33·0%, 18·3-47·6; I2 =98%) than in other migrant groups (6·6%, 1·8-11·3; I2 =92%). The pooled prevalence of antibiotic-resistant organisms was slightly higher in high-migrant community settings (33·1%, 11·1-55·1; I2 =96%) than in migrants in hospitals (24·3%, 16·1-32·6; I2 =98%). We did not find evidence of high rates of transmission of AMR from migrant to host populations. INTERPRETATION: Migrants are exposed to conditions favouring the emergence of drug resistance during transit and in host countries in Europe. Increased antibiotic resistance among refugees and asylum seekers and in high-migrant community settings (such as refugee camps and detention facilities) highlights the need for improved living conditions, access to health care, and initiatives to facilitate detection of and appropriate high-quality treatment for antibiotic-resistant infections during transit and in host countries. Protocols for the prevention and control of infection and for antibiotic surveillance need to be integrated in all aspects of health care, which should be accessible for all migrant groups, and should target determinants of AMR before, during, and after migration. FUNDING: UK National Institute for Health Research Imperial Biomedical Research Centre, Imperial College Healthcare Charity, the Wellcome Trust, and UK National Institute for Health Research Health Protection Research Unit in Healthcare-associated Infections and Antimictobial Resistance at Imperial College London