bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Applications of Visual Attention in Image Processing, Computer Vision, and Graphics
Authors: Pal Rajarshi
Published: January 2018

Selective visual attention is an amazing capability of primate visual system to restrict the focus to few interesting objects (or portions) in a scene. Thus, primates are able to pay attention to the required visual content amidst myriads of other visual information. It enables them to interact with the external environment in real time through reduction of computational load in their brain. This inspires image and computer vision scientists to derive computational models of visual attention and to use them in varieties of applications in real-life, mainly to speed up the processing through reduction of computational burden which often characterizes image processing and vision tasks. This chapter discusses a wide variety of such applications of visual attention models in image processing, computer vision and graphics.
A Study on Different Edge Detection Techniques in Digital Image Processing
Authors: Chakraborty Shouvik , Roy Mousomi , Hore Sirshendu
Published: January 2018

Image segmentation is one of the fundamental problems in image processing. In digital image processing, there are many image segmentation techniques. One of the most important techniques is Edge detection techniques for natural image segmentation. Edge is a one of the basic feature of an image. Edge detection can be used as a fundamental tool for image segmentation. Edge detection methods transform original images into edge images benefits from the changes of grey tones in the image. The image edges include a good number of rich information that is very significant for obtaining the image characteristic by object recognition and analyzing the image. In a gray scale image, the edge is a local feature that, within a neighborhood, separates two regions, in each of which the gray level is more or less uniform with different values on the two sides of the edge. In this paper, the main objective is to study the theory of edge detection for image segmentation using various computing approaches.
Medical Video Processing
Authors: Goswami Srijan , Dey Urmimala , Roy Payel , Ashour Amira S. , Dey Nilanjan
Published: January 2018

In today's medical environments, imaging technology is extremely significant to provide information for accurate diagnosis. An increasing amount of graphical information from high resolution 3D scanners is being used for diagnoses. Improved medical data quality become one of the major aims of researchers. This leads to the development of various medical modalities supported by cameras that can provide videos for the human body internal for surgical purposes and more information for accurate diagnosis. The current chapter studied concept of the video processing, and its application in the medical domain. Based on the highlighted literatures, it is convinced that video processing and real time frame will have outstanding value in the clinical environments.
Accurate Image Retrieval With Unsupervised 2-Stage k-NN Re-Ranking
Authors: Li Dawei , Chuah Mooi Choo
Published: January 2018

Many state-of-the-art image retrieval systems include a re-ranking step to refine the suggested initial ranking list so as to improve the retrieval accuracy. In this paper, we present a novel 2-stage k-NN re-ranking algorithm. In stage one, we generate an expanded list of candidate database images for re-ranking so that lower ranked ground truth images will be included and re-ranked. In stage two, we re-rank the list of candidate images using a confidence score which is calculated based on, rRBO, a new proposed ranking list similarity measure. In addition, we propose the rLoCATe image feature, which captures robust color and texture information on salient image patches, and shows superior performance in the image retrieval task. We evaluate the proposed re-ranking algorithm on various initial ranking lists created using both SIFT and rLoCATe on two popular benchmark datasets along with a large-scale one million distraction dataset. The results show that our proposed algorithm is not sensitive for different parameter configurations and it outperforms existing k-NN re-ranking methods.
Insect Recognition Using Sparse Coding and Decision Fusion
Authors: Lu Hanqing , Hou Xinwen , Liu Cheng-Lin , Chen Xiaolin
Published: January 2018

Insect recognition is a hard problem because the difference of appearance between insects is so small that only some entomologist experts can distinguish them. Besides that, insects are often composed of several parts (multiple views) which generate more degrees of freedom. This chapter proposes several discriminative coding approaches and one decision fusion scheme of heterogeneous class sets for insect recognition. The three discriminative coding methods use class specific concatenated vectors instead of traditional global coding vectors for insect image patches. The decision fusion scheme uses an allocation matrix for classifier selection and a weight matrix for classifier fusion, which is suitable for combining classifiers of heterogeneous class sets in multi-view insect image recognition. Experimental results on a Tephritidae dataset show that the three proposed discriminative coding methods perform well in insect recognition, and the proposed fusion scheme improves the recognition accuracy significantly.
Using Pattern Recognition in Decoding Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) for Quality Assurance
Authors: Bhaskar Rahul , Vo Au
Published: January 2018

Jack Grealish is an aspiring entrepreneur. During his undergraduate in UCLA, he worked in his father's business, which focused on selling specialized foods. He became fascinated with the food industry and find out more what it entails. His investigation has unveiled the landscape of the food industry. Furthermore, he discovered that the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) system implemented in the food industry was rather disjointed and could benefit from automation. He conducted a preliminary research about current HACCP development and determine to plunge ahead. Jack ponders about the possibility of integrating different pattern recognition methodologies in HACCP processes to improve the effectiveness of overall quality control at his company.
Detection of Rarefaction of Capillaries and Avascular Region in Nailfold Capillary Images
Authors: Suma K. V.  , Rao Bheemsain
Published: January 2018

Reduction in the capillary density in the nailfold region is frequently observed in patients suffering from Hypertension (Feng J, 2010). Loss of capillaries results in avascular regions which have been well characterized in many diseases (Mariusz, 2009). Nailfold capillary images need to be pre-processed so that noise can be removed, background can be separated and the useful parameters may be computed using image processing algorithms. Smoothing filters such as Gaussian, Median and Adaptive Median filters are compared using Mean Squared Error and Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio. Otsu's thresholding is employed for segmentation. Connected Component Labeling algorithm is applied to calculate the number of capillaries per mm. This capillary density is used to identify rarefaction of capillaries and also the severity of rarefaction. Avascular region is detected by determining the distance between the peaks of the capillaries using Euclidian distance. Detection of rarefaction of capillaries and avascular regions can be used as a diagnostic tool for Hypertension and various other diseases.
Machine Vision Application on Science and Industry
Authors: Starostenko Oleg , Cruz-Perez Claudia , Alarcon-Aquino Vicente , Melnik Viktor I. , Tyrsa Vera
Published: January 2018

Face detection, tracking and recognition is still actual field of human centered technologies used for developing more natural communication between computing artefacts and users. Analyzing modern trends and advances in this field, two approaches for face sensing and recognition have been proposed. The first color/shape-based approach uses sets of fuzzy saturated color regions providing face detection by Fourier descriptors and recognition by SVM. The second approach provides fast face detection by adaptive boosting algorithm, and recognition based on SIFT key point extraction into eye-nose-mouth regions has been improved using Bayesian approach. Designed systems have been tested in order to evaluate capability of the proposed approaches to detect, trace and interpret faces of known individuals registered into facial standard databases providing correct recognition rate in range of 94.5-99.0% with recall up to 46%. The conducted tests ensure that both approaches have satisfactory performance achieving less than 3 seconds for human face detection and recognition in live video streams.
Image Enhancement and Restoration Methods for Underwater Images
Authors: Prabhakar C. J. , Kumar P. U. Praveen
Published: January 2018

In this chapter, the authors provide an overview of state-of-the-art image enhancement and restoration techniques for underwater images. Underwater imaging is one of the challenging tasks in the field of image processing and computer vision. Usually, underwater images suffer from non-uniform lighting, low contrast, diminished color, and blurring due to attenuation and scattering of light in the underwater environment. It is necessary to preprocess these images before applying computer vision techniques. Over the last few decades, many researchers have developed various image enhancement and restoration algorithms for enhancing the quality of images captured in underwater environments. The authors introduce a brief survey on image enhancement and restoration algorithms for underwater images. At the end of the chapter, we present an overview of our approach, which is well accepted by the image processing community to enhance the quality of underwater images. Our technique consists of filtering techniques such as homomorphic filtering, wavelet-based image denoising, bilateral filtering, and contrast equalization, which are applied sequentially. The proposed method increases better image visualization of objects which are captured in underwater environment compared to other existing methods.
Theoretical Concepts and Technical Aspects on Image Segmentation
Authors: Pankaj Anju , Ayyappan Sonal
Published: January 2018

Image segmentation is the process of partitioning a digital image into multiple segments (super pixels). Segmentation is typically used to locate objects and boundaries in images. The result of segmentation is a set of segments that collectively cover the entire image, or a set of contours extracted from the image. Each of the pixels in a region is similar with respect to some characteristic or computed property. Adjacent regions are significantly different with respect to the same characteristics. A predicate for measuring the evidence for a boundary between two regions using a graph-based representation of the image is defined. An important characteristic of the method is its ability to preserve detail in low-variability image regions and ignoring detail in high variability regions. This chapter discuss basic aspects of segmentation and an application and presents a detailed assessment on different methods in image segmentation and discusses a case study on it.
The Brain Tumor Segmentation Using Fuzzy C-Means Technique
Authors: Rani Jyotsna , Kumar Ram , Talukdar Fazal A. , Dey Nilanjan
Published: January 2018

Image segmentation is a technique which divides an image into its constituent regions or objects. Segmentation continues till we reach our area of interest or the specified object of target. This field offers vast future scope and challenges for the researchers. This proposal uses the fuzzy c mean technique to segment the different MRI brain tumor images. This proposal also shows the comparative results of Thresholding, K-means clustering and Fuzzy c- means clustering. Dice coefficient and Jaccards measure is used for accuracy of the segmentation in this proposal. Experimental results demonstrate the performance of the designed method.
The Effect of Supply Chain Sustainability Management in the Perspective of Suppliers
Authors: Wang Jason X.
Published: January 2018

This chapter investigates the suppliers' economic performance when their buyers force supply chain sustainability management (SCSM) on them. While generally a negative impact is proposed, this chapter identifies mediating and moderating factors fluctuating the negative performance. These factors are governance mechanisms, SCSM dimensions, economic bond, and operational slack. According to the findings, a conceptual framework is provided for supplier managers analyzing SCSM-performance link and for affecting the decision making of buyer managers and policy makers by accommodating suppliers perspectives.
Modeling Enablers of Flexible Supply Networks Using Total Interpretive Structural Modeling
Authors: Bag Surajit
Published: January 2018

The chapter aims to identify the contextual interrelationships among flexible supply network enablers for achieving supply chain sustainability. The authors have identified the enablers through a review of extant literature and further applied the popular total interpretive structural modeling (TISM)-based methodology. TISM is a well-articulated mental model interpreting both the nodes (indicating “what”) and links (indicating “how” and “why”). The mental model of the group is not well structured and is loosely defined, which serves as the basis for the theory building process. The authors finally obtained a hierarchy of enablers and findings show that innovation culture is the driving element in developing flexible systems in supplier networks. Supply chain practitioners must focus on developing an innovation culture within the boundaries of the organization and then integrate with specialist suppliers to ultimately build additional capacity for managing the fluctuations in customer demand and further manage supply risks. The chapter ends with conclusions drawn from study and directions for future research studies.
Event Studies in Logistics Research
Authors: Wood Lincoln C.
Published: January 2018

The event study method allows researchers to examine the importance of an event to firms based on the magnitude and direction of abnormal returns, and then use these results in a cross-sectional regression to understand which managerial decisions may affect these outcomes. While the method has been heavily used in some disciplines, in-management research and logistics research, in particular, the method remains little used and is often used with little thought to key assumptions and design considerations. This chapter aims to provide an overview of the method for logistics and supply chain researchers with a focus on developing the capability to design an effective study and to evaluate research articles to determine possible weaknesses.
The Value of Information Sharing
Authors: Duong Linh N. K.
Published: January 2018

This chapter proposes a model to study the effects of inventory policy, pricing decision, and product substitution on the value of information sharing. The value of information sharing has been studied widely in the literature. To simplify models, prior research usually studies a supply chain with one product. However, modern supply chain models often produce and distribute ranges of products. Moreover, manufacturers and retailers define prices for products based on demand forecast and inventory levels or they even compete by using pricing decisions. Carefully reading the extant literature, the authors found that no existing articles considers the inter-relationship of inventory policy, pricing decision, and product substitution when studying the value of information sharing. The proposed model in this chapter will help to provide insights on the value of information sharing and fill the gap in the literature.
Optimization of a Predictive Aircraft Maintenance Routing Model Using Mutated Constrained Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: El Afia Abdellatif , Sarhani Malek
Published: January 2018

Aircraft maintenance routing (AMR) is one of the most studied problems in the airline industry and has gained much attention. The aim of this chapter is to solve a mathematical formulation of the daily AMR problem, which aims to minimize the routing cost while incorporating the risk of unscheduled maintenance. This predictive model requires the optimization algorithm to both assure the feasibility of the solution and to continuously track unscheduled maintenance events. To address these issues, the authors propose a hybrid solution approach with two main contributions: it examines the use of a binary version of particle swarm optimization (PSO) adapted to this constrained optimization problem, and it consists of using an adaptive mutation operator designed to deal with unscheduled maintenance.
Damage Characteristics of Dynamically Induced Incipient Spall in Ultrapure Aluminum
Authors: Peng Hui , Pei Xiao Yang , Yu Ji Dong , Qi Mei Lan , Bai Jing Song , He Hong Liang , Li Ping
Published: January 2018

A series of plate-impact experiments were performed to study the damage characteristics of incipient spall in ultrapure aluminum (99.999%). Surface profile measurement system based on the axial chromatic aberration was used to measure the cross section of “soft-recovered” samples and reconstruct the metallographic and 3D surface topography. Statistical analyses show that the size distribution, coalescence condition and connectivity factor of the voids are regularly affected by loading conditions. Based on this finding, the mechanisms that control the damage properties and evolution process of dynamic fracture are analyzed in detail. The results of this research offer an experimental quantitative microstructure description of the ductile fracture process.
Study of Interaction between Unsteady Supersonic Jet and Vortex Rings Discharged from Elliptical Cell
Authors: Kitazono Kazumasa , Fukuoka Hiroshi , Kuniyoshi Nao , Yaga Minoru , Ueno Eri , Fukuda Naoaki , Takiya Toshio
Published: January 2018

Pulsed laser ablation with an elliptical cell gives well-defined thermodynamic conditions to the growth of high-quality thin films. The unsteady supersonic jet formed by the shock tube with small high-pressure chamber was used as a simple alternative model of pulsed laser ablation. The vortex ring formed by the shock wave is important to reveal behavior of unsteady supersonic jet discharged from elliptical cell. However, there has been little effort to investigate the interaction between the vortex ring and the jet. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the behavior of the vortex rings and the jet. The experiment and numerical calculation were carried out by schlieren method and by solving the axisymmetric two-dimensional compressible Navier-Stokes equations, respectively. The system of the calculation and the experiment is a model of laser ablation of a certain duration followed by a discharging process through the exit. Moreover, a parametric study was performed to demonstrate the effect of pressure ratio on the interaction among vortex rings and the supersonic jet. The interaction between the supersonic jet and the vortex rings increased the velocity of the supersonic jet up to the magnitude of the velocity at the center of the vortex rings. Closing a distance between the vortex ring and the jet is higher interaction between the vortex rings.
Observation of Supersonic Jet Using Small Volume High-Pressure Shock Tube
Authors: Takemura Ryohei , Fukuoka Hiroshi , Enoki Shinichi , Nakamura Shigeto , Hiro Kazuki
Published: January 2018

The unsteady supersonic jet and the shock wave injected by the small volume shock tube are experimentally studied in this paper. The experimental was performed by the background oriented schlieren method. The main parameters for the jet are the pressure ratio by the high pressure chamber/ a back pressure 10.9-53.0 and the length of high pressure chamber/diameter ratio 1 and 10. The velocity of the shock wave and supersonic jet were estimated by using the principle of the background oriented schlieren method. The results showed that the influence of the length of the high pressure chamber on the velocity of the jet.
Blast Wave Mitigation from the Straight Tube by Using Water Part I - Small Scale Experiment
Authors: Homae Tomotaka , Sugiyama Yuta , Wakabayashi Kunihiko , Matsumura Tomoharu , Nakayama Yoshio
Published: January 2018

A subsurface magazine has an explosive storage chamber, a horizontal passageway, and a vertical shaft for vent. It was proposed and legislated in Japan. The authors found that small amount of water on the floor of its storage chamber mitigated the blast pressure remarkably. The mechanism of the mitigation has been studied, however, it is not still well understood. In this study, the explosion in a transparent, square cross section, and straight tube was carried out to examine the mechanism of blast-wave mitigation by water. The arrangement and amount of water in the tube were varied for five ways. The dependence of mitigation effect on the arrangement and amount of water was evaluated by measuring the blast pressures in the tube and outside the tube. The results of this study concluded that the mitigation of blast wave by water is mainly due to the interaction between the explosion and the water very near the explosion point. On the contrary, the water at other part of the tube was found to strengthen the blast pressure.
Dynamic Response Analysis of Mortar Block under Blast Loading Using Digital Image Correlation
Authors: Saburi Tei , Takahashi Toshiaki , Kubota Shiro , Ogata Yuji
Published: January 2018

The dynamic strain distribution behavior of a mortar block blasting was experimentally investigated. A small-scale blasting experiment using a mortar block with well-defined property was conducted and the dynamic strain distribution on the mortal block surface was analyzed using a Digital Image Correlation (DIC) method to establish the effective method for investigating the relationship between blast design and fracture mechanism. The block was blasted by simultaneous detonation of Composition C4 explosive charges with an electric detonator in two boreholes. The behavior of the block surface was observed by two high-speed cameras for three-dimensional DIC analysis and it was also measured by a strain-gauge for comparison. The three-dimensional displacements of the free surface of the block were obtained and dynamic strain distributions were computed. A point strain profile extracted from the analyzed strain distribution data was compared with a directly observed strain profile by the strain gauge.
Experimental Verification of the Softening of the Pork Using Underwater Shock Waves Generated by Wire Electrical Discharges
Authors: Shimojima Ken , Higa Osamu , Higa Yoshikazu , Takemoto Ayumi , Iyama Hirofumi , Yasuda Atsushi , Watanabe Toshiaki , Tanaka Shigeru , Fukami Ran , Vesenjak Matej , Ren Zoran , Itoh Shigeru
Published: January 2018

The National Institute of Technology, Okinawa College (OkNCT) has developed a food processing machine that generates underwater shock waves through wire electrical discharge. The machine can used for sterilization, milling flour, softening, and extraction among others. In this study, we experimentally examined the conditions for food softening using pork as the food material in experiments. Softness was revealed to be related to the distance of shock wave generation point from meat and the number of shockwave processing.
Comparison between Simple Seam Welding and Adjacent Parallel Seam Welding by Magnetic Pulse Sheet-Welding Method
Authors: Aizawa Tomokatsu , Matsuzawa Kazuo
Published: January 2018

This paper describes the comparison between simple seam welding and adjacent parallel seam welding by a magnetic pulse welding method for Al-Al sheets. In the case of the parallel seam welding, the sheets collided at high speed in two parallel along a narrow central part of a one-turn flat coil. The central part had two parallel upper parts. The width of the central part was same as that of the simple seam welding. The increase of the parallel seam-weld zones was more than double in total in comparison with the simple seam-weld zones. Two inside parallel seam-weld zones were connected each other with a small cavity.
Impact Joining of Similar and Dissimilar Metal Plates at their Edges
Authors: Yamashita Minoru , Tokushige Yuki , Nikawa Makoto
Published: January 2018

Impact joining device was developed to achieve the joining at plate edge. The sheared faces obtained by high-speed shear are availed in the joining method. The temperature remarkably elevates and the material softens in the thin severely deformed layer. The cut faces are contacted each other with sliding motion immediately after shearing process. Slight overlap for the opposed cut faces is set. In the similar material combination of mild steel (SPC), the effect of overlap length on the average joining efficiency was not clear. The data spread became smaller for the shorter overlap length. Microscopic observation discovered that there is a narrow band where the grain flow was not visible due to the remarkable temperature rise. In the dissimilar material combination of titanium (TP340C) and SPC, generation of a certain metallic compound was implied by energy dispersive X-ray analysis.
Experimental Study on the Shock Consolidation of Ti+Si Powders
Authors: Cui Nai Fu , Chen Peng Wan , Xu Chun Xiao
Published: January 2018

The research on the explosive compaction of reactive powders is a hot issue. In this work, unreacted Ti-Si block with high compactness has been successfully fabricated under explosive-driven compaction process. The precursors of Ti-Si powder with different stoichiometric ratios undergo pre-compaction shaping by hydraulic press and then shock loading treatment by using low-detonation-velocity explosives of varying loading conditions. The results show that the chemical reaction between Ti and Si powders are partly initiated even under low detonation pressures, indicating extremely low reaction threshold in the Ti-Si system. Meanwhile, optimal experimental conditions are displayed as the initial pressing compactness degree of 61%, and shock pressure of 11GPa. A compactness of 97% is achieved in the synthesized Ti-Si block with the lowest reactivity.
Experimental Study on the Explosive Welding of Thin Al/Cu Composite Plates
Authors: Yuan Yuan , Chen Peng Wan , An Er Feng , Feng Jian Rui
Published: January 2018

In this investigation, thin Aluminum alloys 2A12 and Copper T2 composite plates which are both 1mm thick were obtained successfully by the method of explosive welding. The effect of annealing on the interface microstructures of the composite plates was investigated under different temperatures. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, micro-hardness test and bending test were performed. The results demonstrated that the Al/Cu composite plates were bonded well. The bonding interface of the Al/Cu composite plates had a wavy form. Micro-hardness measurements showed that the hardness of the composite plates near the interface was higher than other parts and the hardness of the whole composite plates was lower after annealing. The bending test showed the composite plates can be deformed or shaped.
Numerical Simulation of Electrical Discharge Characteristics Induced by Underwater Wire Explosion
Authors: Henzan Ryo , Higa Yoshikazu , Higa Osamu , Shimojima Ken , Itoh Shigeru
Published: January 2018

The underwater shock-wave phenomenon has been applied in various fields such as manufacturing and food processing and was investigated using many experimental and numerical analyses in the past. An underwater shock-wave is produced by various methods, e.g., underwater wire explosion and pulse-gap electrical discharge. Therefore, clarifying the shock characteristics depending on the stored electrical energy, wire dimension and material is extremely important. However, predicting the pressure and its distribution induced by underwater electrical wire explosion is hard because the phenomena associated with an elementary process are significantly complicated. In this study, to predict the discharge characteristics induced by underwater electrical wire explosion, numerical simulation based on the “simplified model of underwater electrical discharge” was performed. The numerical results show good agreement with the experimental ones.
Basic Research on Explosive Forming of Magnesium Alloy Plate
Authors: Nishi Masatoshi , Sakaguchi Hiroko , Iyama Hirofumi , Ruan Li Qun , Fujita Masahiro
Published: January 2018

This study has investigated the plastic forming of magnesium alloys plate. It is not easy to perform the cold-worked with the usual plastic forming method although magnesium alloys have the advantages in terms of strength-to-weight ratio. Therefore, explosive forming method which is one of the plastic forming methods with a specific forming mechanism has been applied. At first, numerical simulations have been conducted to clarify the optimal combination conditions, and then we have verified practical effectiveness of this proposed method by using experimental study.
Production of IL-17 by MAIT Cells Is Increased in Multiple Sclerosis and Is Associated with IL-7 Receptor Expression
Authors: Willing Anne , Jäger Jan , Reinhardt Stefanie , Kursawe Nina , Friese Manuel A.
Published: January 2018

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a T cell–driven inflammatory disease of the CNS. Research on T cell subsets involved in MS pathogenesis has mainly focused on classical CD4+ T cells, especially Th17 cells, as they produce the proinflammatory, MS-associated cytokine IL-17. However, the abundant unconventional mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are also able to produce IL-17. MAIT cells are characterized by high CD161 expression and a semi-invariant Vα7.2 TCR, with which they recognize bacterial and yeast Ags derived from the riboflavin (vitamin B2) metabolism. In this study, we characterized MAIT cells from the peripheral blood of MS patients in comparison with healthy individuals with respect to their type-17 differentiation. We found a specific increase of IL-17+ MAIT cells as well as an increased expression of retinoic acid–related orphan receptor (ROR)γt and CCR6 in MAIT cells from MS patients, whereas the expression of T cell activation markers HLA-DR and CD38 was not different. IL-17 production by MAIT cells furthermore correlated with the surface expression level of the IL-7 receptor α-chain (CD127), which was significantly increased on MAIT cells from MS patients in comparison with healthy individuals. In summary, our findings indicate an augmented type-17 differentiation of MAIT cells in MS patients associated with their IL-7 receptor surface expression, implicating a proinflammatory role of these unconventional T cells in MS immunopathology.
Role of the NF-κB Family Member RelB in Regulation of Foxp3+ Regulatory T Cells In Vivo
Authors: Li Junhui , Chen Shuqiu , Chen Wenhao , Ye Qifa , Dou Yaling , Xiao Yue , Zhang Lei , Minze Laurie J. , Li Xian C. , Xiao Xiang
Published: January 2018

The NF-κB family member RelB is an important transcription factor that is capable of regulating diverse immune and inflammatory responses. However, its role in the regulation of Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) in vivo is poorly defined. In this study, we demonstrated that germline deletion of Relb resulted in systemic autoimmunity, which is associated with significant accumulation of Foxp3+ Tregs in lymphoid and nonlymphoid organs. Foxp3+ Tregs from RelB-deficient mice were functional and capable of suppressing T effector cells in vitro and in vivo, but Foxp3− T effector cells from RelB-deficient mice showed features of hyperactivation and spontaneously produced high levels of IL-2. Surprisingly, mice with conditional deletion of Relb in T cells (Cd4CreRelbf/f mice) or specifically in Foxp3+ Tregs (Foxp3CreRelbf/f mice) did not show signs of autoimmunity and had similar frequencies of Foxp3+ Tregs in the periphery as wild-type C57BL/6 controls. Both strains of conditional knockout mice also had a normal conventional T cell compartment. However, reconstituting Rag-1−/−Relb−/− hosts with wild-type C57BL/6 bone marrow cells led to hyperactivation of T effector cells, as well as marked expansion of Foxp3+ T cells. These data suggest that the autoimmune phenotype in germline RelB-deficient mice is most likely caused by T cell–extrinsic mechanisms, and further studies are warranted to uncover such mechanisms.
A rare cause of pericardial effusion and ascites: POEMS syndrome
Authors: Katipoglu Bilal , Katipoğlu Zeynep , Ates Ihsan , Yirgin Gokhan , Demir Burak Furkan , Acehan Fatih
Published: January 2018

POEMS syndrome is an important paraneoplastic syndrome associated with multisystem involvement. Extravascular volume overload like pericardial effusion and ascites has a broad differential diagnosis. In addition, it may be initial presentation of disease. For that reason, this case report is highlight to warn of different forms of presentation of poems syndrome.
Psychometric testing of immigrants and natives in an acute psychiatry facility
Authors: Berg John E.
Published: January 2018

The diagnostic process after referral to an acute psychiatric treatment facility consists of more than the clinical investigation and laboratory tests. Psychometric tests in a broad range of languages may be such an augmentation of our diagnostic armamentarium. Whether such tests are in use, and how they are distributed among different patient categories was the aim of the study. All referrals in one calendar year (N=1168), as they are depicted in the hospital computerized medical records, were investigated. Fifty-six (6.1%) out of 926 ethnic Norwegians and six (3.0%) out of 198 non-Western immigrants were tested, whereas none of the 44 Western immigrants. The difference between ethnic Norwegians and the immigrants was significant (Z=-3.05 and P=0.002). Psychometric tests were thus almost not in use, and even lesser so in immigrants. Mean number of resident days was higher among those tested, 11.7 (SD=11.2) versus those not tested, 7.4 (SD=10.4) days, t=2.97 and P=0.004. Length of stay for ethnic Norwegians did not differ from that for non-Western immigrants 11.4 versus 11.7, respectively. The patients tested were older than those not tested. Mean age was 43.0 (SD=14.4) versus 38.8 (SD=12.1), with a t=2.65 and P=0.03. The difference in resident days between all immigrants and ethnic Norwegians was significant with a Z=- 2.232 and P=0.026. Level of testing was higher in ethnic Norwegians, and the tested patients stayed longer, maybe indicating more room for testing. Whether this low test-activity influences treatment quality is an unsettled question.
Clinical response of clozapine as a treatment for delirious mania
Authors: Wahid Nabeel , Chin Garwin , Turner Andia H. , Seegan Alexis
Published: January 2018

Delirious mania is an understudied psychiatric disorder with a mortality rate as high as 75%. Previous case studies suggest that electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) may be an effective treatment for delirious mania, though this procedure may not always be a viable option. We describe the case of a 20-year old patient, with no previous psychiatric history, who developed delirious mania over the course of four months. ECT was not a viable option for this patient due to his religious beliefs, so alternative treatment modalities were explored. After failing trials of risperidone and olanzapine, significant improvements in symptoms were exhibited with a trial of clozapine. We propose that clozapine may be an effective option in cases of delirious mania, when ECT is not a viable option. Additional research is still necessary to understand the pathology of this condition and potential treatment modalities.
Changing focus of symptoms: A rare case report of Munchhausen’s syndrome
Authors: Hagen Melanie , Faust Beatrice , Kunzelmann Nina , Tektas Ozan Y. , Kornhuber Johannes , Müller Helge H.O.
Published: January 2018

Factitious disorder, commonly called Munchhausen’s syndrome, is a rare disorder that lacks evidence-based guidelines. Reporting clinical cases is important for sharing clinical experiences and treatment strategies. The symptoms and progression of the following case have not been previously reported in the literature. Here, we report a case involving a 41-year-old Caucasian with a suspected psychosomatic disorder. After intensive multi-professional diagnostics, we concluded that the patient had factitious disorder. The symptoms in this case changed rapidly during treatment, which posed a challenge. For factitious disorder, establishing interdisciplinary exchange is important. Symptoms that are normally treated by internists are most commonly described in the literature. This case demonstrates that psychiatrists are challenged by this diagnosis and should consider the possibility of factitious disorder when seeing patients diagnosed with somatoform disorders. The most important clinical conclusion was the importance of involving the patients’ relatives in the treatment of patients with factitious disorder.
Treatment of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome-associated schizophrenia with comorbid anxiety and panic disorder
Authors: Borders Candace B. , Suzuki Amanda , Safani David
Published: January 2018

22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS) is a risk factor for psychiatric illnesses, including schizophrenia and anxiety. Small studies have shown that several neuroleptic medications are effective in treating psychosis in this population, but are also associated with an increased risk of adverse effects - particularly, seizures. In this case, we discuss a 34-year-old patient presenting with late onset schizophrenia, which ultimately led to her diagnosis of 22q11DS. Subsequent management of the patient’s psychosis with asenapine was complicated by concurrent anxiety and panic disorder; thus, we examine the role of anxiolytic therapy in conjunction with antipsychotics in this patient population.
Fine-needle aspiration cytology of granulocytic sarcoma presenting as a breast lump – Report of a rare case with a comprehensive literature search
Authors: Sharma Abhishek , Das Anjan Kr. , Pal Subrata , Bhattacharyya Subodh
Published: January 2018

Myeloid sarcoma is a neoplasm of myeloid cells that can arise before or concurrent with or may follow acute myeloid leukemia. Very rarely, it can present as an isolated breast lump. We have diagnosed a case of myeloid sarcoma by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC), in a 52-year-old woman who presented with the right-sided breast lump. FNAC showed hypercellular smears with immature myeloid cells few neutrophils and many large round cells with high nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio, prominent nucleoli and a moderate amount of granular cytoplasm. The blast cells were myeloperoxidase positive and complete blood count, and peripheral blood examination were normal. We report this case for its rarity and as a note of caution to a pathologist to consider myeloid sarcoma in the differential diagnosis of breast lump to provide the correct diagnosis and avoid incorrect treatment of a curable disease.
Vitamin D and gastrointestinal cancer
Authors: Mahendra Ashish , Choudhury Basanta Kumar , Sharma Tamanna , Bansal Neha , Bansal Richa , Gupta Shivangi ,   Karishma
Published: January 2018

Vitamin D serves as a precursor to the potent steroid hormone calcitriol, which has widespread actions throughout the body. Calcitriol regulates numerous cellular pathways that could have a role in determining cancer risk and prognosis. Low Vitamin D levels have been implicated in numerous disease processes including fracture risk, falls, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and cancers. Metabolite of 1, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25[OH]2D3) regulates numerous genes that control gut physiology and homeostasis. 1,25(OH)2D3 serves various functions such as maintaining the integrity of epithelial barrier and absorption of calcium and phosphate, and the host's defense against pathogens, and the inflammatory response by several types of secretory and immune cells. Although epidemiological data remain inconsistent, and randomized control trials in humans do not yet exist to conclusively support a beneficial role for Vitamin D, results from some correlating studies strongly suggest that Vitamin D deficiency increases the risk of developing cancer and that avoiding deficiency and adding Vitamin D supplements might be an economical and safe way to reduce cancer incidence and improve cancer prognosis and outcome. The present review highlights the role of Vitamin D in cancer of the gastrointestinal tract including esophagus, gastric (stomach), liver, pancreas, and colon.
Hematological parameters of human immunodeficiency virus positive pregnant women on antiretroviral therapy in Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital Kano, North Western Nigeria
Authors: Abdulqadir Ibrahim , Ahmed Sagir Gumel , Kuliya Aisha Gwarzo , Tukur Jamilu , Yusuf Aminu Abba , Musa Abubakar Umar
Published: January 2018

CONTEXT: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) scourge continues to affect young women within the reproductive age group and pregnancy is a recognized indication for the use antiretroviral (ARV) drugs among HIV-positive women.

AIMS: The aim is to determine the combined effect of pregnancy, HIV and ARV drugs on the hematological parameters of the pregnant women.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This was a comparative cross-sectional study conducted among 70 each of HIV-positive and negative pregnant women.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Bio-demographic and clinical data were extracted from the client folder and 4 ml of blood sample was obtained from each participant. Full blood count was generated using Swelab automatic hematology analyzer while reticulocyte count and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) were conducted manually.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data analysis was performed using SPSS version software 16 while P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: Pregnant women with HIV had statistically significant lower hematocrit and white blood cell (WBC) and higher ESR than pregnant women without HIV (P < 0.000). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of platelet and reticulocyte (P > 0.05). However, among HIV positive pregnant women, those with CD4 count <350/μL had statistically significant lower WBC and lymphocyte count than those with CD4 count ≥350/μL (P < 0.05), whereas, those on zidovudine (AZT)-containing treatment had statistically significant lower hematocrit and higher mean cell volume than those on non-AZT-containing treatment (P < 0.05), but there was no statistically significant difference in any of the hematological parameters (P > 0.050) between women on first- and second-line ARV regimens.

CONCLUSIONS: There is a significant difference in terms of hematological parameters between HIV-positive and HIV-negative pregnant women in this environment.
Thrombocytosis in children: Clinico-hematological profile from a single centre in Eastern India
Authors: Sarangi Rachita , Pradhan Sarita , Dhanawat Avantika , Patanayak Rashmi , Benia Gautam
Published: January 2018

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Thrombocytosis is not an uncommon finding in hemograms of children with an incidence of 6%–15% among hospitalized children. This study aims to determine the etiology of thrombocytosis and analyze various platelet parameters in children attending our hospital.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective observational study was carried out in a tertiary care center in Odisha, in eastern part of India, for 6 months from July 2016 to December 2016. All children of age group 1–14 years of age attending pediatrics and other pediatric super specialty outdoors and/or admitted to indoors and whose complete blood counts (CBC) were done were included in the study. The CBC parameters such as hemoglobin, red blood cell indices, and platelet indices (platelet distribution width [PDW], mean platelet volume [MPV], platelet large cell ratio [P-LCR]) were noted.

RESULTS: Out of 2500 hemograms done in pediatrics age group, 272 (10.8%) patients showed thrombocytosis. About 99.6% of cases were of secondary thrombocytosis. Only one case of primary thrombocytosis was encountered. The most common cause of secondary thrombocytosis was infection (39.5%) alone followed by iron deficiency anemia (14.1%). With increasing platelet counts, a decrease in MPV, P-LCR, and PDW was noted which was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION: Thrombocytosis is not rare (10.8%) in children. Secondary thrombocytosis is common and predominatly attributed to infection.
Measurement of Vehicle and Suspension Parameters for Directional Control Studies
Authors:   Vehicle Dynamics Standards Committee
Published: January 2018

The parameters measured according to this SAE Recommended Practice will generally be used in simulating directional control performance in the linear range. (The “linear range” is the steady-state lateral acceleration below which steering wheel angle can generally be considered to be linearly related to lateral acceleration.) But they may be used for certain other simulations (such as primary ride motions), vehicle and suspension characterization and comparison, suspension development and optimization, and processing of road test data.

This document is intended to apply to passenger cars, light trucks, and on-highway recreational and commercial vehicles, both non-articulated and articulated. Measurement techniques are intended to apply to these vehicles, with alterations primarily in the scale of facilities required. But some differences do exist between passenger cars and trucks, especially heavy trucks, such as differences in body/frame flexibility, suspension stiffness, and suspension friction. These will be addressed in this document or SAE J1574-2, where appropriate.
Effect of Levothyroxine Therapy on Hypothyroidism-induced Dyslipidemia
Authors: Chandra Shalini , Shekhar Amritanshu , Singh Hariom K , Shaifali Iram , Mehra Darshan
Published: January 2018

Objective

The aims of the present study were to determine the prevalence of hypothyroidism, both subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) and overt hypothyroidism (OH), its correlation with dyslipidemia, and whether replacement therapy with levothyroxine has an effect on plasma lipid profile, i.e., total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) of hypothyroid patients.

Materials and methods

A prospective, open-label, observational, clinical study was conducted by the Department of Pharmacology in collaboration with the Department of Medicine, Rohilkhand Medical College & Hospital, for a period of 10 months. A total of 50 patients, age 18 to 65 years, of both genders, who were newly diagnosed cases of hypothyroidism with dyslipidemia (Adult Treatment Panel III National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines) were recruited for the study. Levothyroxine replacement therapy was administered and the patients were reassessed at 6 and 36 weeks for an effect on lipid profile and body mass index.

Results

In cases of OH, baseline TC, TG, LDL, and HDL were 231.01 ± 27.84, 148.18 ± 10.72, 149.07 ± 12.38, and 35.42 ± 6.73 mg/dL, which was reduced to 177.33 ± 23.17, 123.15 ± 29.50, 118.44 ± 29.85, and 47.86 ± 8.53 mg/dL after 36 weeks of levothyroxine therapy (p < 0.05).

Conclusion

In cases of OH associated with dyslipidemia, levothyroxine therapy achieved a favorable lipid profile in significant number of cases.

How to cite this article

Shekhar A, Singh HK, Chandra S, Shaifali I, Mehra D. Effect of Levothyroxine Therapy on Hypothyroidism-induced Dyslipidemia. Int J Adv Integ Med Sci 2017;2(3):107-110.