bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fish Monitoring, Sizing, and Detection Using Stereovision, Laser Technology, and Computer Vision
Authors: Rico-Diaz Angel Jose , Rodriguez Alvaro , Puertas Jeronimo , Bermudez Maria
Published: January 2018

Stereovision and laser techniques allow for getting knowledge about fish, mostly when they are combined with computer vision. This kind of techniques avoid to use traditional procedures such as direct observation, which are impractical or can affect the fish behavior, in task such as aquarium and fish farm management or fishway, like vertical slot fishway, evaluation. This chapter describes in a first stage, the use stereovision join with computer vision to fish monitoring and measure size of fishes. In the second part, using laser technology and computer vision to fish detection, especially in slot fishways. Vertical slot fishways are structures that are placed in rivers to allow fish to avoid obstacles such as dams, hydroelectric plants. Then, it shows a results section and finally authors' conclusions.
Real-Time Image and Video Processing Using High-Level Synthesis (HLS)
Authors: Qasaimeh Murad , Salahat Ehab Najeh
Published: January 2018

Implementing high-performance, low-cost hardware accelerators for the computationally intensive image and video processing algorithms has attracted a lot of attention in the last 20 years. Most of the recent research efforts were trying to figure out new design automation methods to fill the gap between the ability of realizing efficient accelerators in hardware and the tight performance requirements of the complex image processing algorithms. High-Level synthesis (HLS) is a new method to automate the design process by transforming high-level algorithmic description into digital hardware while satisfying the design constraints. This chapter focuses on evaluating the suitability of using HLS as a new tool to accelerate the most demanding image and video processing algorithms in hardware. It discusses the gained benefits and current limitations, the recent academic and commercial tools, the compiler's optimization techniques and four case studies.
Accelerating Sobel Edge Detection Using Compressor Cells Over FPGAs
Authors: Abouelfarag Ahmed , Elshenawy Marwa Ali , Khattab Esraa Alaaeldin
Published: January 2018

Recently, computer vision is playing an important role in many essential human-computer interactive applications, these applications are subject to a “real-time” constraint, and therefore it requires a fast and reliable computational system. Edge Detection is the most used approach for segmenting images based on changes in intensity. There are various kernels used to perform edge detection, such as: Sobel, Robert, and Prewitt, upon which, the most commonly used is Sobel. In this research a novel type of operator cells that perform addition is introduced to achieve computational acceleration. The novel operator cells have been employed in the chosen FPGA Zedboard which is well-suited for real-time image and video processing. Accelerating the Sobel edge detection technique is exploited using different tools such as the High-Level Synthesis tools provided by Vivado. This enhancement shows a significant improvement as it decreases the computational time by 26% compared to the conventional adder cells.
Color Acquisition, Management, Rendering, and Assessment in 3D Reality-Based Models Construction
Authors: Gaiani Marco
Published: January 2018

This chapter presents a framework and some solutions for color acquisition, management, rendering and assessment in Architectural Heritage (AH) 3D models construction from reality-based data. The aim is to illustrate easy, low-cost and rapid procedures that produce high visual accuracy of the image/model while being accessible to non-specialized users and unskilled operators, typically Heritage architects. The presented processing is developed in order to render reflectance properties with perceptual fidelity on many type of display and presents two main features: is based on an accurate color management system from acquisition to visualization and more accurate reflectance modeling; the color pipeline could be used inside well established 3D acquisition pipeline from laser scanner and/or photogrammetry. Besides it could be completely integrated in a Structure From Motion pipeline allowing simultaneous processing of color/shape data.
Fish Counting and Measurement
Authors: Westling Fredrik Anders , Sun Changming , Wang Dadong , Alam Fahim Irfan
Published: January 2018

An approach is suggested for automating fish identification and measurement using stereo Baited Remote Underwater Video footage. Simple methods for identifying fish are not sufficient for measurement, since the snout and tail points must be found, and the stereo data should be incorporated to find a true measurement. We present a modular framework that ties together various approaches in order to develop a generalized system for automated fish detection and measurement. A method is also suggested for using machine learning to improve identification. Experimental results indicate the suitability of our approach.
Applications of Image Processing in Laparoscopic Surgeries
Authors: Khatibi Toktam , Sepehri Mohammad Mehdi , Shadpour Pejman , Zegordi Seyed Hessameddin
Published: January 2018

Laparoscopy is a minimally-invasive surgery using a few small incisions on the patient's body to insert the tools and telescope and conduct the surgical operation. Laparoscopic video processing can be used to extract valuable knowledge and help the surgeons. We discuss the present and possible future role of processing laparoscopic videos. The various applications are categorized for image processing algorithms in laparoscopic surgeries including preprocessing video frames by laparoscopic image enhancement, telescope related applications (telescope position estimation, telescope motion estimation and compensation), surgical instrument related applications (surgical instrument detection and tracking), soft tissue related applications (soft tissue segmentation and deformation tracking) and high level applications such as safe actions in laparoscopic videos, summarization of laparoscopic videos, surgical task recognition and extracting knowledge using fusion techniques. Some different methods have been proposed previously for each of the mentioned applications using image processing.
Pattern Recognition and Robotics
Authors: Geethanjali P.
Published: January 2018

During the last few decades, there has been a considerable growth of interest in pattern recognition in the field of robotics. An application of pattern recognition in robotics includes mobile robots and service robots. Visual and signal recognition of patterns enables the robots to perform a variety of tasks such as object and target recognition, navigation, grasping, and manipulation, assisting physically challenged people. This chapter surveys trends in robotics with pattern recognition that focuses more on the interaction between robot assistive device and human with signal pattern recognition. This interaction helps to enhance the capability of people in rehabilitation and in the field of medicine. Finally, this chapter includes the application of pattern recognition in the development of a prosthetic hand.
Computer Vision Based Technique for Surface Defect Detection of Apples
Authors: Prabhakar C. J. , Mohana S. H.
Published: January 2018

The automatic inspection of quality in fruits is becoming of paramount importance in order to decrease production costs and increase quality standards. Computer vision techniques are used in fruit industry for fruit grading, sorting, and defect detection. In this chapter, we review recent approaches for automatic inspection of quality in fruits using computer vision techniques. Particularly, we focus on the review of advances in computer vision techniques for automatic inspection of quality of apples based on surface defects. Finally, we present our approach to estimate the defects on the surface of an apple using grow-cut and multi-threshold based segmentation technique. The experimental results show that our method effectively estimates the defects on the surface of apples significantly more effectively than color based segmentation technique.
Emotion Recognition Using Facial Expression
Authors: Kumar Santosh , Jaiswal Shubam , Kumar Rahul , Singh Sanjay Kumar
Published: January 2018

Recognition of facial expression is a challenging problem for machine in comparison to human and it has encouraged numerous advanced machine learning algorithms. It is one of the methods for emotion recognition as the emotion of a particular person can be found out by studying his or her facial expressions. In this paper, we proposes a generic algorithms for recognition of emotions and illustrates a fundamental steps of the four algorithms such as Eigenfaces (Principal Component Analysis [PCA]), Fisherfaces, Local Binary Pattern Histogram (LBP) and SURF with FLANN over two databases Cohn-kanade database and IIT BHU student face images as benchmark database.The objective of this book chapter is to recognize the emotions from facial images of individuals and compare the performances of holistic algorithms like Eigenfaces, Fisherfaces, and texture based recognition algorithms LBPH, hybrid algorithm SURF and FLANN. Matching efficiency of individual emotions from facial expression databases are labeled for training and testing phases. The set of features is extracted from labeled dataset for training purpose and test images are matched with discriminative set of feature points. Based on that comparison, we conclude that Eigenfaces and Fisherfaces yields good recognition accuracy on the benchmark database than others and the efficiency of SURF with FLANN algorithm can be enhanced significantly by changing the parameters.
Vision Enhancement in Bad Weather
Authors: Anwar Md. Imtiyaz , Khosla Arun
Published: January 2018

Road accident is a serious issue in most of the countries due to degraded visibility in bad weather such as fog, haze and rain. A better visibility is a key requirement for passenger's safety while maintaining the speed of the vehicle. Researchers throughout the world are focusing to enhance the visibility through bad weather mainly due to fog or haze to minimize accidents. Many efforts are being put up to clearly visualize the scene using computer vision. Classifications of fog and analysis of de-weathering techniques are prime motive of research. This book chapter addresses and summarizes the progress in the development of vision enhancement techniques for road safety in turbid medium, particularly with fog which greatly affects the vision. This chapter also presents a brief comparative analysis on different weather conditions and classification of fog which is important for application point of view.
Computer Vision-Based Non-Magnetic Object Detection on Moving Conveyors in Steel Industry Through Differential Techniques and Performance Evaluation
Authors: Manjunatha K. C. , Mohana H. S. , Vijaya P. A.
Published: January 2018

Intelligent process control technology in various manufacturing industries is important. Vision-based non-magnetic object detection on moving conveyor in the steel industry will play a vital role for intelligent processes and raw material handling. This chapter presents an approach for a vision-based system that performs the detection of non-magnetic objects on raw material moving conveyor in a secondary steel-making industry. At single camera level, a vision-based differential algorithm is applied to recognize an object. Image pixels-based differential techniques, optical flow, and motion-based segmentations are used for traffic parameters extraction; the proposed approach extends those futures into industrial applications. The authors implement a smart control system, since they can save the energy and control unnecessary breakdowns in a robust manner. The technique developed for non-magnetic object detection has a single static background. Establishing background and background subtraction from continuous video input frames forms the basis. Detection of non-magnetic materials, which are moving with raw materials, and taking immediate action at the same stage as the material handling system will avoid the breakdowns or power wastage. The authors achieve accuracy up to 95% with the computational time of not more than 1.5 seconds for complete system execution.
Thermal Human Face Recognition for Biometric Security System
Authors: Seal Ayan , Bhattacharjee Debotosh , Nasipuri Mita , Basu Dipak Kumar
Published: January 2018

Automatic face recognition has been comprehensively studied for more than four decades, since face recognition of individuals has many applications, particularly in human-machine interaction and security. Although face recognition systems have achieved a significant level of maturity with some realistic achievement, face recognition still remains a challenging problem due to large variation in face images. Face recognition techniques can be generally divided into three categories based on the face image acquisition methodology: methods that work on intensity images, those that deal with video sequences, and those that require other sensory (like 3D sensory or infra-red imagery) data. Researchers are using thermal infrared images for face recognition. Since thermal infrared images have some advantages over 2D images. In this chapter, an overview of some of the well-known techniques of face recognition using thermal infrared faces are discussed, and some of the drawbacks and benefits of each of these methods mentioned therein are discussed. This chapter talks about some of the most recent algorithms developed for this purpose, and tries to give a brief idea of the state of the art of face recognition technology. The authors propose one approach for evaluating the performance of face recognition algorithms using thermal infrared images. They also note the results of several classifiers on a benchmark dataset (Terravic Facial Infrared Database).
Learning Computer Vision Through the Development of a Camera-Trackable Game Controller
Authors: Albarelli Andrea , Bergamasco Filippo , Torsello Andrea
Published: January 2018

The trade-off between the available classroom time and the complexity of the proposed task is central to the design of any Computer Science laboratory lecture. Special care must be taken to build up an experimental setup that allows the students to get the most significant information from the experience without getting lost in the details. This is especially true when teaching Computer Vision concepts to prospective students that own little or no previous background in programming and a strongly diversified knowledge with respect to mathematics. In this chapter, the authors describe a setup for a laboratory lecture that has been administered through several years to prospective students of the Computer Science course at the University of Venice. The goal is to teach basic concepts such as color spaces or image transforms through a rewarding task, which is the development of a vision-based game controller similar in spirit to the recent human-machine interfaces adopted by the current generation of game consoles.
Enhanced Breast Cancer Diagnosis System Using Fuzzy Clustering Means Approach in Digital Mammography
Authors: Osman Mohammed A. , Darwish Ashraf , Khedr Ayman E. , Ghalwash Atef Z. , Hassanien Aboul Ella
Published: January 2018

Breast cancer or malignant breast neoplasm is the most common type of cancer in women. Researchers are not sure of the exact cause of breast cancer. If the cancer can be detected early, the options of treatment and the chances of total recovery will increase. Computer Aided Diagnostic (CAD) systems can help the researchers and specialists in detecting the abnormalities early. The main goal of computerized breast cancer detection in digital mammography is to identify the presence of abnormalities such as mass lesions and Micro calcification Clusters (MCCs). Early detection and diagnosis of breast cancer represent the key for breast cancer control and can increase the success of treatment. This chapter investigates a new CAD system for the diagnosis process of benign and malignant breast tumors from digital mammography. X-ray mammograms are considered the most effective and reliable method in early detection of breast cancer. In this chapter, the breast tumor is segmented from medical image using Fuzzy Clustering Means (FCM) and the features for mammogram images are extracted. The results of this work showed that these features are used to train the classifier to classify tumors. The effectiveness and performance of this work is examined using classification accuracy, sensitivity and specificity and the practical part of the proposed system distinguishes tumors with high accuracy.
A Compilation of Methods and Datasets for Group and Crowd Action Recognition
Authors: Borja Luis Felipe , Azorin-Lopez Jorge , Saval-Calvo Marcelo
Published: January 2018

The human behaviour analysis has been a subject of study in various fields of science (e.g. sociology, psychology, computer science). Specifically, the automated understanding of the behaviour of both individuals and groups remains a very challenging problem from the sensor systems to artificial intelligence techniques. Being aware of the extent of the topic, the objective of this paper is to review the state of the art focusing on machine learning techniques and computer vision as sensor system to the artificial intelligence techniques. Moreover, a lack of review comparing the level of abstraction in terms of activities duration is found in the literature. In this paper, a review of the methods and techniques based on machine learning to classify group behaviour in sequence of images is presented. The review takes into account the different levels of understanding and the number of people in the group.
Recognizing Human Actions in Basketball Video Sequences on the Basis of Global and Local Pairwise Representation
Authors: Takahashi Masaki , Naemura Masahide , Fujii Mahito , Little James J.
Published: January 2018

A feature-representation method for recognizing actions in sports videos on the basis of the relationship between human actions and camera motions is proposed. The method involves the following steps: First, keypoint trajectories are extracted as motion features in spatio-temporal sub-regions called “spatio-temporal multiscale bags” (STMBs). Global representations and local representations from one sub-region in the STMBs are then combined to create a “glocal pairwise representation” (GPR). The GPR considers the co-occurrence of camera motions and human actions. Finally, two-stage SVM classifiers are trained with STMB-based GPRs, and specified human actions in video sequences are identified. An experimental evaluation of the recognition accuracy of the proposed method (by using the public OSUPEL basketball video dataset and broadcast videos) demonstrated that the method can robustly detect specific human actions in both public and broadcast basketball video sequences.
Tradeoffs Between Forensics and Anti-Forensics of Digital Images
Authors: Shelke Priya Makarand , Prasad Rajesh Shardanand
Published: January 2018

Over past few years, we are the spectators of the evolution in the field of information technology, telecommunication and networking. Due to the advancement of smart phones, easy and inexpensive access to the internet and popularity of social networking, capture and use of digital images has increased drastically. Image processing techniques are getting developed at rapidly and at the same time easy to use image tampering soft-wares are also getting readily available. If tampered images are misused, big troubles having deep moral, ethical and lawful allegations may arise. Due to high potential of visual media and the ease in their capture, distribution and storage, we rarely find a field where digital visual data is not used. The value of image as evidence of event must be carefully assessed and it is a call for from different fields of applications. Therefore, in this age of fantasy, image authentication has become an issue of utmost importance.
Recognition of Humans and Their Activities for Video Surveillance
Authors: Kushwaha Alok Kumar Singh , Srivastava Rajeev
Published: January 2018

Human Activity Recognition is an active area of research in computer vision with wide-scale applications in video surveillance, motion analysis, virtual reality interfaces, robot navigation and recognition, video indexing, browsing, HCI, choreography, sports video analysis, etc. The analysis of vision-based human activities in videos is an area with increasingly important consequences from security and surveillance to public place and personal archiving. Several challenges at various levels of processing-robustness against errors in low-level processing, view and rate-invariant representations at mid-level processing, and semantic representation of human activities at higher-level processing make this problem hard to solve. The task is challenging due to variations in motion performance, recording settings, and inter-personal differences. In this chapter, the authors explicitly address these challenges. They present a survey of existing work and describe some of the more well-known methods in these areas. They also describe their own research and outline future possibilities. Detailed overviews of current advances in the field are provided. Image representations and the subsequent classification processes are discussed separately to focus on the novelties of recent research. Moreover, the authors discuss the limitations of the state of the art and outline promising directions of research.
On Using Gait Biometrics for Re-Identification in Automated Visual Surveillance
Authors: Bouchrika Imed
Published: January 2018

As surveillance becomes ubiquitous in such modern society due to the immense increase of crimes and the rise of terrorism activities, various government and military funded projects are devoted to research institutions to work on improving surveillance technology for the safety of their citizens. Because of the rapid growth of security cameras and impossibility of manpower to supervise them, the integration of biometric technologies into surveillance systems would be a critical factor for the automation of identity tracking over distributed cameras with disjoint views i.e. Re-Identification. The interest of using gait biometrics to re-identify people over networks of cameras emerges from the fact that the gait pattern can be captured and perceived at a distance as well as its non-invasive and less-intrusive nature.
A Multi-Stage Framework for Classification of Unconstrained Image Data From Mobile Phones
Authors: Mujumdar Shashank , Porat Dror , Rajamani Nithya , Subramaniam L.V.
Published: January 2018

During the past decade, the number of mobile electronic devices equipped with cameras has increased dramatically and so has the number of real-world applications for image classification. In many of these applications, the image data is captured in an uncontrolled manner and in complex environments and conditions under which existing image classification techniques may not perform well. In this paper, the authors provide a detailed description of an efficient multi-stage image classification framework that is robust enough to remain effective also under challenging imaging conditions, and demonstrate its effectiveness in the context of classification of real-world images of dumpsters captured by mobile phones in the metropolitan city of Hyderabad. Their system is able to achieve accurate classification of the cleanliness state of the dumpsters by utilizing a multi-stage approach, where the first stage is the efficient detection of the dumpster and the second stage is the classification of its state. The authors provide a detailed analysis of the performance of the system as well as comprehensive experimental results on real-world image data.
Identifying the Key Success Factors in Strategic Alignment of Transport Collaboration Using a Hybrid Delphi-AHP
Authors: Kayikci Yasanur , Bartolacci Michael R. , LeBlanc Larry J.
Published: January 2018

Transport collaboration has emerged as a growing trend that creates opportunities and competitive advantages for supply chain partners by eliminating inefficiencies and thus reducing costs. As a result, it allows the more efficient utilization of available resources and mitigates greenhouse gas emissions. Ensuring a strategic alignment among different partners is necessary to sustain a long-term collaboration with respect to transport and logistics activities. This chapter studies strategic alignment within the context of supply chain partners. The 37 key criteria from the technical, risk, financial, organizational, and operational categories for the formation and maintenance of a strategic alignment for collaboration are identified by utilizing a hybrid Delphi-AHP. This methodology utilized the expertise of transport experts from different countries. Establishing such collaborative initiatives from raw materials procurement to finished products distribution throughout supply chain is important for creating an efficient and environmentally/socially sustainable transport strategy.
The Evaluation of Environmental Capital Projects
Authors: Lefley Frank , Sarkis Joseph
Published: January 2018

Traditional capital investment appraisal models are, in many cases, biased against environmental projects. What is required is a multi-attribute approach that includes an assessment of the environmental benefits. The financial appraisal profile (FAP) model seeks to address this issue. By making the correct investment decision in the first place and by involving senior managers in the appraisal process, the organization is better placed to achieve project success. Adopting the FAP model with the inclusion of an environmental assessment in the form the “environmental score index” will help focus top management on an increasingly important corporate strategy issue. An illustrative case study is used to outline the important aspects of this new approach. The FAP approach, which is presented in this chapter, will help to fill a gap in the environmental investment literature, where there is a paucity of comprehensive, structured, and transparent methodologies that can prove acceptable to management decision makers from a variety of functions and viewpoints.
Align Hospital Drug Delivery With Supply Chain Management
Authors: Nsamzinshuti Alexis , Ndiaye Alassane Ballé
Published: January 2018

In recent years, the European hospital sector has suffered the brunt of the economic crisis. This sector is now faced with a paradox, which is to reduce costs, related to the decline in government subsidies and an increase in the quality of care required by the regulatory bodies, while maintaining the level of care. This paradox can be resolved through the optimization of the hospital supply chain. Despite hospital supply chains having a great impact on hospital budgets, many opportunities for optimization exist to improve the healthcare quality. This chapter aims to analyze the distribution of drugs within a hospital in the line of supply chain management. The SCOR model was selected as the framework for this analysis. Then, potential failures that can arise in logistics processes are identified. After reviewing the literature regarding the hospital supply chain and the performance measurement, a framework is proposed with key performance indicators that can be applied in hospital supply chains to measure and monitor their performance.
Digital Rights Management System in China
Authors: Abbas Asad , Fatima Anam , Sunguh Kenneth Khavwandiza , Avdic Anders , Zhang Xuehe
Published: January 2018

In the era of technology, the Chinese government wants to adopt the latest technologies and interlink their processes to secure information of all stakeholders. Digital rights management (DRM) is one form of computerized system of copyright to protect access and stop infringement of digital contents for commercial purposes. For this article, the authors used a secondary literature review approach to first explore the development of intellectual property rights (IPR) in China and then they moved further to highlight the challenges and opportunities of DRM application and its use. The article concludes that China, as an emerging knowledge based economy, is trying to become a part of international laws and treaties. For this they should abide with international laws, treaties and also amend and enforce their own local laws, acts, rules and regulations based on IPR by adopting the latest technology such as DRM. Finally, the authors provided recommendations to offset the challenges together with existing opportunities.
Combined Assessment of Software Safety and Security Requirements
Authors: Raspotnig Christian , Karpati Peter , Opdahl Andreas L
Published: January 2018

Safety is a fundamental concern in modern society, and security is a precondition for safety. Ensuring safety and security of complex integrated systems requires a coordinated approach that involve different stakeholder groups going beyond safety and security experts and system developers. The authors have therefore proposed CHASSIS (Combined Harm Assessment of Safety and Security for Information Systems), a method for collaborative determination of requirements for safe and secure systems. In this article, the authors evaluate CHASSIS through industrial case studies of two small-to-medium sized suppliers to the air-traffic management (ATM) sector. The results suggest that CHASSIS is easy to use, and that handling safety and security together provides benefits because techniques, information, and knowledge can be reused. The authors conclude that further exploration and development of CHASSIS is worthwhile, but that better documentation is needed—including more detailed process guidelines—to support elicitation of security and safety requirements and to systematically relate them to functional requirements.
Effect of Graphene Nanoplatelets Content on Dynamic Mechanical Property of GNPs/Ti Composites
Authors: Mu X.N. , Cai H.N. , Zhang Hong Mei , Fan Q.B. , Wu Y.
Published: January 2018

In this study, the titanium matrix composites (TiMCs) were fabricated by adding graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs). The dynamic compression test was carried out to study the effect of strain-rate and the GNPs content on dynamic mechanical properties of GNPs/Ti. Results show that the GNPs content (0wt%~0.8wt%) correspond to specific microstructure which affect the dynamic mechanical properties of the composites. Under high strain-rate (3500s-1), the 0.4wt%GNPs/Ti has the highest dynamic stress (~1860MPa) and strain (~30%). The adiabatic shearing band (ASB) microstructure of GNPs/Ti with various GNPs content has been observed under 3500s-1 strain-rate and the ASB microstructure evolution of 0.4wt%GNPs/Ti under different strain rate was investigated in particular.
Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure and Dynamic Behavior of Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al Alloy
Authors: Liu An Jin , Wang Lin , Dai Hua Xiang
Published: January 2018

Microstructure evolution and compression property of Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al titanium alloy were studied in this paper. Solution treatments were performed at temperature ranging from 710°C to 830°C and some followed by aging treatment. Ti-10V-2Fe-3Al alloys with α+β phase show higher mechanical properties compared with single β phase alloy. With the increase of solution temperature, the content of equiaxed α phase decrease. Consequently, the strength of the alloy increases while the plasticity drops down. The highest yield strength value of 1668 MPa was obtained in the sample treated by 770°C solution treated for 2 hours then water quenched and followed by 520°C aging for 8 hours then air cooled. The stress induced martensite α'' phase appeared after SHPB dynamic compression in the sample solution treated at 830°C.
Production of Wire Mesh Reinforced Aluminium Composites through Explosive Compaction
Authors: Raghukandan Krishnamorthy , Saravanan Somasundaram
Published: January 2018

In this study, aluminum based composites with stainless steel wire-mesh as reinforcement is fabricated by explosive compaction technique. Stacks containing four layers of alternatively positioned aluminum sheets and stainless steel wire-meshes are explosively compacted at varied explosive masses and the results are reported. Microstructure of explosive compacted aluminum composite reveal a smooth interface at lower explosive mass, while formation of reacted products are observed at higher energetic conditions. Though the hardness of the post clad composite is higher than pre-clad materials, the maximum hardness is observed at the first interface.
IL-27p28 Production by XCR1+ Dendritic Cells and Monocytes Effectively Predicts Adjuvant-Elicited CD8+ T Cell Responses
Authors: Kilgore Augustus M , Welsh Seth , Cheney Elizabeth E , Chitrakar Alisha , Blain Trevor J , Kedl Benjamin J , Hunter Chris A , Pennock Nathan D , Kedl Ross M
Published: January 2018

It is well accepted that the innate response is a necessary prerequisite to the formation of the adaptive response. This is true for T cell responses against infections or adjuvanted subunit vaccination. However, specific innate parameters with predictive value for the magnitude of an adjuvant-elicited T cell response have yet to be identified. We previously reported how T cell responses induced by subunit vaccination were dependent on the cytokine IL-27. These findings were unexpected, given that T cell responses to an infection typically increase in the absence of IL-27. Using a novel IL-27p28–eGFP reporter mouse, we now show that the degree to which an adjuvant induces IL-27p28 production from dendritic cells and monocytes directly predicts the magnitude of the T cell response elicited. To our knowledge, these data are the first to identify a concrete innate correlate of vaccine-elicited cellular immunity, and they have significant practical and mechanistic implications for subunit vaccine biology.
Golgi Phosphoprotein 2 Is a Novel Regulator of IL-12 Production and Macrophage Polarization
Authors: Zhang Wei , Kim Hajeong , Lv Jiyang , Zhao Na , Ma Xiaojing
Published: January 2018

Golgi phosphoprotein 2 (GOLPH2), a widely expressed Golgi type II transmembrane protein, has been implicated in several important physiological and pathological processes, including virus infections, cancer cell proliferation, and metastasis. However, its biological functions and mechanisms, particularly in the immune system, remain highly obscure. In this study, we report the biochemical identification of GOLPH2 from B cell lymphoma culture supernatant and show that the secreted protein could inhibit IL-12 production by dendritic cells (DCs) and IL-12–induced IFN-γ production by activated T cells. Further molecular analysis revealed that GOLPH2’s IL-12–inhibiting activity was mediated through a proximal IL12p35 promoter element involving a previously identified transcriptional repressor named GC-binding protein that is induced during phagocytosis of apoptotic cells by macrophages. We subsequently generated global golph2 knockout mice, which exhibited little developmental abnormality but were more susceptible to LPS-induced endotoxic shock than were wild-type mice with elevated serum IL-12 levels. Furthermore, we found that GOLPH2 played a regulatory role in macrophage polarization toward the M2 type. A comprehensive analysis of gene expression profiles of activated wild-type and GOLPH2-deficient DCs by RNA sequencing uncovered mechanistic insights into the way GOLPH2 potentially modulates DC function during inflammatory insults. Our functional study of GOLPH2 helps advance the scientific understanding of the biological and pathogenic roles of this novel and intriguing molecule with great potential as a diagnostic and prognostic marker as well as a therapeutic target in many acute and chronic inflammatory disorders.
Haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in a myelofibrosis patient with primary graft failure
Authors: Tecchio Cristina , Andreini Angelo , Costantini Claudio , Zamò Alberto , De Sabata Donata , Aprili Fiorenza , Galavotti Roberta , Guardalben Emanuele , Benedetti Fabio
Published: January 2018

The prognosis of patients affected by myelofibrosis (MF) is usually dismal and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remains the only cure. The number of HSCTs in MF patients has recently increased. However, a major obstacle is still represented by primary graft failure (PGF). Currently there are no definitive guidelines for the treatment of PGF and a second HSCT can be performed only when an allogeneic donor is rapidly available. Herein we report on a MF patient with PGF after an unrelated HSCT, who was rescued by a non-myeloablative, unmanipulated, haploidentical HSCT that resulted in persistent engraftment and bone-marrow fibrosis regression, but not in a long-term disease control. Based on this experience we briefly review the role of different conditioning regimens and hematopoietic stem cell sources in the setting of HSCT for MF patients with PGF. The role of haploidentical donors in MF patients lacking HLAmatched relatives is also discussed.
Dasatinib-induced hemorrhagic colitis complicated with cytomegalovirus infection
Authors: Nakaya Aya , Azuma Yoshiko , Fujita Shinya , Satake Atsushi , Nakanishi Takahisa , Tsubokura Yukie , Konishi Akiko , Hotta Masaaki , Yoshimura Hideaki , Ishii Kazuyoshi , Ito Tomoki , Nomura Shosaku
Published: January 2018

A 69-year-old man with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia was initially treated with 100 mg dasatinib once a day. Despite a major molecular response within 9 months, he developed hemorrhagic colitis 32 months after starting dasatinib. Colonoscopy identified multiple hemorrhagic ulcers in the transverse colon. The pathological findings indicated cytomegalovirus infection. Dasatinib was stopped and he was started on ganciclovir. Three months later, colonoscopy confirmed the disappearance of the hemorrhagic ulcers. Dasatinib is a second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor used to treat chronic myeloid leukemia. As a multi-kinase inhibitor that acts on SRC-family kinases, its broader off-target kinase-inhibitory activity may account for the adverse events of dasatinib. Although gastrointestinal bleeding is common in patients taking dasatinib, the combination of cytomegalovirus infection and hemorrhagic colitis in the absence of systemic immunodeficiency is rare. Based on this case of dasatinibinduced hemorrhagic colitis with cytomegalovirus infection, we describe a possible mechanism and effective treatment.
A rare case of de novo CD5+ diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in leukemic phase and positive for CD13
Authors: Carulli Giovanni , Ciancia Eugenio Mario , Caracciolo Francesco , Sammuri Paola , Domenichini Cristiana , Ferreri Maria Immacolata , Di Vita Alessia , Ottaviano Virginia , Rousseau Martina , Petrini Mario
Published: January 2018

We report a case of de novo diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in leukemic phase, positive for both CD5 and CD13. Morphologic evaluation, flow cytometric immunophenotyping, karyotyping and polymerase chain reaction studies were performed. Neoplastic lymphocytes appeared as blast-like cells, positive for CD19, CD20, CD5, CD13, CD79a, HLADR, and with restriction for surface immunoglobulin K light chains. Rearrangement of IgH gene, BCL2/IgH translocation and complex karyotype were found. The patient was treated with RCOMP regimen and achieved complete remission. However, only one month after the first restaging of disease, the patient presented with symptoms attributable to central nervous system involvement and her clinical conditions worsened rapidly. While both CD5 expression and leukemic presentation are uncommon findings in DLBCL, positivity for CD13 is very rare. The outcome of our patient shows the poor prognosis of CD5+ DLBCL with leukemic presentation. The possible role of CD13 coexpression is discussed.
Reluctance to change and end psychotherapy
Authors: Berg John E.
Published: January 2018

Reluctance to change therapy has clinical and economic implications. Therapists are expected to deliver treatment in a oneto- one setting ending up with patient improvement. Such an achievement is difficult to overview. There is great uncertainty as to what works in psychotherapies despite research efforts. Prolonged treatment duration with little positive effect may be caused by factors inherent in therapist and patient and the external environment. Two cases are discussed illustrating the need for better surveillance of what happens in the therapy room. Responsibility for the progress in therapy rests on the shoulders of the therapist. When therapy becomes detrimental to patient and therapist, we do not have a comprehensive system to interfere or help. Delayed recovery emanates as an increase in costs to society and the family. This is the case when return to work after treatment is partly or completely retarded.
Effective and underprescribed: what about clozapine?
Authors: Müller Helge H.O.
Published: January 2018

Not available
Social cognition in schizophrenia
Authors: Torosyan Nare , Bota Robert G.
Published: January 2018

Not available
Need for appropriate specimen for microbiology diagnosis of chronic osteomyelitis
Authors: Vemu Lakshmi , Sudhaharan Sukanya , Mamidi Neeraja , Chavali Padmasri
Published: January 2018

INTRODUCTION: Chronic osteomyelitis (COM) is a common infection, especially in developing countries. An adequate bone biopsy specimen processed with appropriate microbiology culture methods for isolation and identification of the causative organisms is considered as the gold standard for the diagnosis of osteomyelitis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study is a retrospective microbiology analysis of the specimen from 219 clinically diagnosed cases of COM between January 2013 and April 2016.

RESULTS: The overall culture positivity was 111/219 (50. 6%), colonization was seen in 22/219 (10.5%), while the rest 86/219 (39.3%) were culture-negative specimen; culture positivity was highest from tissue specimen (71/113, 62.8%). Among the swabs, 40/106 (37.7%) were culture positive. About 28/40 (70%) culture-positive swabs showed significant growth of Gram-positive organisms. Colonization with skin flora such as diphtheroids and Coagulase-negative Staphylococci was seen in 22/106 (20.7%) of the swabs. Sterile cultures (44/106, 41.6%) were high among the swab specimen. Gram-positives were most common (75/111, 67.56%). Staphylococcus aureus was the predominant organism isolated in 70/111 (63%) cases. Gram-negative bacilli showed a high level of antibiotic resistance.

CONCLUSION: As per our data, the culture yield from wound swabs was low or contaminated with normal skin flora, as compared to the biopsy or tissue specimen. Hence, an appropriate sampling of the infected bone using recommended protocols is highly essential for improving microbiological yield and the outcome of COM.
Role of fine needle aspiration cytology in diagnosis of brown tumor secondary to parathyroid adenoma
Authors: Ojha Sandeep S. , Valecha Jyoti , Sharma Abhishek , Nilkanthe Ramrao
Published: January 2018

Brown tumor (BT) is caused by altered metabolism of calcium resulting from hyperparathyroidism (primary or secondary). The most common cause of hyperparathyroidism is isolated parathyroid adenoma (PA), and the most common symptoms are hypercalcemia related. BT is considered as a late manifestation of PA and usually diagnosed after surgical treatment of the bony lesion. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is a cheap, easy, and less traumatic procedure and should be performed in all lesions wherever possible as unnecessary surgeries may be avoided. We here report a rare case of PA presenting primarily as BT and diagnosed on FNAC.
A search for entrustable professional activities for the 1st year pathology postgraduate trainees
Authors: Sharma Pooja , Tanveer Nadeem , Goyal Aditi
Published: January 2018

INTRODUCTION: During the past decade, there has been a paradigm shift in medical education from the problem-based learning to competency-based training. This has forced a rethink on the way we evaluate the residents and finally give them the right to handle patients independently. This study makes the first attempt towards designing competency-based training program for pathology residents by formulating the entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for the 1st year pathology residents.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: A questionnaire comprising 18 potential EPAs in histopathology and 12 potential EPAs in cytology were circulated among the residents of Pathology Department. The respondents were asked to grade the EPAs on a scale of 0–4 based on how important they considered that activity as EPA. The cumulative score of each EPA was divided by the number of respondents to arrive at the average score. The EPAs with an average score of 3 or more qualified to be shortlisted as consensus EPAs.

RESULTS: Five activities each of histopathology and cytopathology had an average score of 3 or above and were shortlisted as EPAs for the 1st year pathology postgraduates. Each of these was also mapped to their respective competencies.

CONCLUSION: There is an urgent need to restructure the postgraduate pathology curriculum in line with competency-based training. This study is the first step in this direction.
Evaluation of new indigenous “point‑of‑care” ABO and Rh grouping device
Authors: Tiwari Aseem Kumar , Setya Divya , Aggarwal Geet , Arora Dinesh , Dara Ravi C. , Ratan Ankita , Bhardwaj Gunjan , Acharya Devi Prasad
Published: January 2018

BACKGROUND: Erycard 2.0 is a “point-of-care” device that is primarily being used for patient blood grouping before transfusion.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Erycard 2.0 was compared with conventional slide technology for accuracy and time taken for ABO and Rh forward grouping result with column agglutination technology (CAT) being the gold standard. Erycard 2.0 as a device was also evaluated for its stability under different storage conditions and stability of result till 48 h. In addition, grouping of hemolyzed samples was also tested with Erycard 2.0. Ease of use of Erycard 2.0 was evaluated with a survey among paramedical staff.

RESULTS: Erycard 2.0 demonstrated 100% concordance with CAT as compared with slide technique (98.9%). Mean time taken per test by Erycard 2.0 and slide technique was 5.13 min and 1.7 min, respectively. After pretesting storage under different temperature and humidity conditions, Erycard 2.0 did not show any deviation from the result. The result did not change even after 48 h of testing and storage under room temperature. 100% concordance was recorded between pre- and post-hemolyzed blood grouping. Ease of use survey revealed that Erycard 2.0 was more acceptable to paramedical staff for its simplicity, objectivity, and performance than conventional slide technique.

CONCLUSION: Erycard 2.0 can be used as “point-of-care” device for blood donor screening for ABO and Rh blood group and can possibly replace conventional slide technique.
Sufficient conditions of stochastic dominance for general transformations and its application in option strategy
Authors: Gao Jianwei , Zhao Feng , Gu Yundong
Published: January 2018

A counterexample is presented to show that the sufficient condition for one transformation dominating another by the second degree stochastic dominance, proposed by Theorem 5 of Levy (Stochastic dominance and expected utility: Survey and analysis, 1992), does not hold. Then, by restricting the monotone property of the dominating transformation, a revised exact sufficient condition for one transformation dominating another is given. Next, the stochastic dominance criteria, proposed by Meyer (Stochastic dominance and transformations of random variables, 1989) and developed by Levy (1992), are extended to the most general transformations. Moreover, such criteria are further generalized to transformations on discrete random variables. Finally, the authors employ this method to analyze the transformations resulting from holding a stock with the corresponding call option.