SIRA: Scale illumination rotation affine invariant mask R-CNN for pedestrian detection

Applied Intelligence - In this paper, we resolve the challenging obstacle of detecting pedestrians with the ubiquity of irregularities in scale, rotation, and the illumination of the natural scene...     

Parity as a risk factor for cancer cervix

PURPOSE: To analyze the likelihood of perioperative transfusion using the data of the abstracted patient discharge records. MATERIAL AND METHODS: It was studied the data of the records of the pediatric patients in whom were done surgical procedures for 1996. The abstracted patient discharge records are codified according the ICD-9-CM codes. RESULTS: 1,166 pediatric patients were operated, of whom were transfused 25 (2.1%). The transfusion rate was higher in patients less than 3 years old, who were operated with three o more surgical procedures simultaneously, who were admitted newly after the admittance here studied, and patients operated of spine, dorsolumbar spine, pharynx, thorax and mediastinum, central nervous system, colon, vessels and hip. CONCLUSIONS: Given the variability of the transfusion rate, to know it will allow a better planning of the surgical transfusions, the policy of the hospital blood bank and to increase the information to patient about the risk of the elective surgery.     

Detecting Power Imbalance in Multi-Cylinder Inline Diesel Engine Genset

A model of fuel injection adjustment for balancing the 4-stroke six cylinder diesel engine coupling geneset is developed by detecting imbalance in operating engine by the frequency analysis of the crankshaft＇s speed variation. In this work, the crankshaft is considered to be a rigid body, so that the variation of its angular speed could be directly correlated to the total gas-pressure torque. By analyzing only the lower harmonic orders, the speed variation spectrum can filter out the distortions produced by the dynamic response of the crankshaft. The information carried by these harmonic orders permits to establish correlations between measurements and the average gas pressure torque of the engine, and to detect imbalance and identify faulty cylinders. Detailed experimental reading are taken on diesel engine coupling genset on the test bed of Greaves Cotton Ltd Pane, India.     

A novel catalyst for the Knoevenagel condensation of aldehydes with malononitrile and ethyl cyanoacetate under solvent free conditions

A novel, efficient and eco-friendly MgO/ZrO₂ catalyst is put forward for the Knoevenagel condensation. The as synthesized catalyst MgO/ZrO₂ was characterized by elemental analysis, XRD, FTIR, particle size, SEM–EDXS, average pore diameter, BET surface area analysis, and thermal gravimetric analysis. The Knoevenagel condensation of several aldehydes with ethyl cyanoacetate and malononitrile was carried out at 60 °C on MgO/ZrO₂ catalyst in the absence of solvent.     

Femtosecond laser-tissue interactions: Retinal injury studies

We report the first study of laser-tissue interaction in the femtosecond time regime. Retinal damage thresholds and mechanisms produced by exposure to high-intensity femtosecond laser pulses were investigated in chinchilla grey rabbits. Exposures were performed using single laser pulses of 80 fs duration at 625 nm. ED50injury thresholds of 0.75 and 4.5 μJ were measured using fluorescein angiographic and ophthalmoscopic visibility criteria evaluating 204 laser exposures. Ultrastructural studies including light and electron microscopy were performed on selected lesions. Results suggest that the primary energy deposition in the retina occurs in melanin, However, in contrast to laser injuries produced by longer pulses, exposures of more than 100 × threshold in the50-100 muJ range did not produce significantly more severe lesions or hemorrhage. This suggests the presence of a nonlinear damage limiting mechanics in tissue exposed to femtosecond laser pulses.     

Physicochemical heterogeneity controls on uranium bioreduction rates at the field scale

It has been demonstrated in laboratory systems that U(VI) can be reduced to immobile U(IV) by bacteria in natural environments. The ultimate efficacy of bioreduction at the field scale, however, is often challenging to quantify and depends on site characteristics. In this work, uranium bioreduction rates at the field scale are quantified, for the first time, using an integrated approach. The approach combines field data, inverse and forward hydrological and reactive transport modeling, and quantification of reduction rates at different spatial scales. The approach is used to explore the impact of local scale (tens of centimeters) parameters and processes on field scale (tens of meters) system responses to biostimulation treatments and the controls of physicochemical heterogeneity on bioreduction rates. Using the biostimulation experiments at the Department of Energy Old Rifle site, our results show that the spatial distribution of hydraulic conductivity and solid phase mineral (Fe(III)) play a critical role in determining the field-scale bioreduction rates. Due to the dependence on Fe-reducing bacteria, field-scale U(VI) bioreduction rates were found to be largely controlled by the abundance of Fe(III) minerals at the vicinity of the injection wells and by the presence of preferential flow paths connecting injection wells to down gradient Fe(III) abundant areas.     

Growth history influences starvation-induced expression of uspA, grpE, and rpoS and subsequent cryotolerance in Escherichia coli O157:H7

In this study, we investigated the effect of starvation on cryotolerance of Escherichia coli O157:H7 grown in tryptic soy broth (TSB) and Luria-Bertani broth (LB). Starved cells (cells suspended in water at 37 degrees C for 6 h) and control cells (cells in TSB or LB) were frozen at -18 degrees C for up to 240 h in their respective growth media. The E. coli grown in TSB showed a greater starvation effect (the difference in percent survival of starved and control cells) and cryotolerance. The starved E. coli grown in TSB showed a 30% increase in their ability to survive frozen storage for 24 h at -18 degrees C. The corresponding increase in survival for LB-grown E. coli was only 3.8%. Cryotolerance induced by starvation of TSB- and LB-grown E. coli was correlated with the expression of genes involved in general stress response pathways, such as uspA, grpE, and rpoS. The expression of uspA, grpE, and rpoS was quantified by measuring the green fluorescence generated from autofluorescent E. coli harboring puspA::gfp, pgrpE::gfp, and prpoS::gfp gene fusions. The results obtained in this study indicate that uspA, grpE, and rpoS were induced on starvation when E. coli was grown in TSB, and their expression correlated well with subsequent induction of cryotolerance developed at -18 degrees C. In contrast, cells grown in LB and subsequently exposed to starvation conditions showed no increase in expression of uspA, grpE, or rpoS, and, as expected, these cells did not exhibit increased cryotolerance at -18 degrees C. Knowledge of molecular mechanisms involved in cross-protection might make it possible to devise strategies to limit their effects and lead to ways to predict the survival of foodborne pathogens in stressful environments.     

Phosphorene: Current status,challenges and opportunities

The field of 2-dimensional (2D) materials has witnessed a sharp growth since its inception and can majorly be attributed to the substantial technical and scientific developments, leading to significant improvements in their syntheses, characterization and applications. In the list of 2D materials, the relatively newer addition is phosphorene, which ideally consists of a single layer of black phosphorous. Keeping in mind the past, and ongoing research activities, this short account offers a brief overview of the present status and the associated challenges in the field of phosphorene-related research, with special emphasis on their syntheses, properties, applications and future opportunities.     

A Novel Gd<Superscript>3+</Superscript>–Pb<Superscript>2+</Superscript> Doped LiSrPO<Subscript>4</Subscript> Phosphor for Phototherapy Lamp Applications

The phosphors LiSrPO₄:Gd³⁺ and LiSrPO₄:Gd³⁺, Pb²⁺ with different concentration of Gd³⁺ and Pb²⁺ were synthesized by combination of re-crystallization and modified solid state diffusion method. The synthesized phosphors were characterized using XRD, SEM and PL spectroscopies. The PL excitation spectra of LiSrPO₄:Gd³⁺ phosphor exhibit peak at 275 nm due to the ⁸S_7/2 →⁴I_J transition of Gd³⁺ ions and gave narrow UVB emission at 312 nm. The effect of Pb²⁺ ions on the PL properties of LiSrPO₄:Gd³⁺have also been investigated. Upon the addition of Pb²⁺ ions, the excitation of phosphors shows broad peak with maximum at 247 nm, overlapping the Hg 253.7 nm line. This addition of Pb²⁺ ions improved the emission intensity of narrow band UVB i.e. 312 nm under the excitation of 247 nm. The phosphor could be good candidate as phototherapy lamp phosphor material.