Automatic fog detection and estimation of visibility distance through use of an onboard camera

In this paper, we will present a technique for measuring visibility distances under foggy weather conditions using a camera mounted onboard a moving vehicle. Our research has focused in particular on the problem of detecting daytime fog and estimating visibility distances; thanks to these efforts, an original method has been developed, tested and patented. The approach consists of dynamically implementing Koschmieder's law. Our method enables computing the meteorological visibility distance, a measure defined by the International Commission on Illumination (CIE) as the distance beyond which a black object of an appropriate dimension is perceived with a contrast of less than 5%. Our proposed solution is an original one, featuring the advantage of utilizing a single camera and necessitating the presence of just the road and sky in the scene. As opposed to other methods that require the explicit extraction of the road, this method offers fewer constraints by virtue of being applicable with no more than the extraction of a homogeneous surface containing a portion of the road and sky within the image. This image preprocessing also serves to identify the level of compatibility of the processed image with the set of Koschmieder's model hypotheses. Nicolas Hautiére graduated from the École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État, France (2002). He received his M.S. and Ph.D. degree in computer vision, respectively, in 2002 and 2005 from Saint-Étienne University (France). From 2002, he is a researcher in the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC), Paris, France. His research interests include trafic engineering, computer vision, and pattern recognition. Jean-Philippe Tarel graduated from the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, Paris, France (1991). He received his Ph.D. degree in Applied Mathematics from Paris IX-Dauphine University in 1996 and he was with the Institut National de Recherche en Informatique et Automatique (INRIA) from 1991 to 1996. From 1997 to 1998, he was a research associate at Brown University, USA. From 1999, he is a researcher in the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC), Paris, France, and from 2001 to 2003 in the INRIA. His research interests include computer vision, pattern recognition, and shape modeling. Jean Lavenant graduated from the École Nationale des Travaux Publics de l'État, Lyon, France (2001). He received the M.S. degree in Computer Vision from Jean Monnet university of Saint-Étienne in 2001. In 2001, he was a researcher in the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussées (LCPC). In 2002, he was a system engineer in Chicago (USA). He is currently an engineer for the french ministry of transports. Didier Aubert received the M.S. and Ph.D. degree, respectively, in 1985 and 1989 from the National Polytechnical Institut of Grenoble (INPG). From 1989--1990, he worked as a research scientist on the development of an automatic road following system for the NAVLAB at Carnegie Mellon University. From 1990–1994, he worked in the research department of a private company (ITMI). During this period he was the project leader of several projects dealing with computer vision. He is currently a researcher at INRETS since 1995 and works on Road traffic measurements, crowd monitoring, automated highway systems, and driving assistance systems for vehicles. He is an image processing expert for several companies, teaches at Universities (Paris VI, Paris XI, ENPC, ENST) and is at the editorial board of RTS (Research - Transport - Safety).     

Combined differentiating therapy for myelodysplastic syndromes: a phase II study

An in vitro synergism between different inducers of AML cell differentiation has been previously observed. Therefore, we treated 53 myelodysplastic (MDS) patients with a low dose combination of cis-retinoic acid (cRA, 20-40 mg/day) and 1,25 alpha (OH)2 cholecalciferol [(OH)2D3, 1-1.5 micrograms/day] +/- intermittent 6-thioguanine (30 mg/m2/day). The latter was reserved for patients with bone marrow (BM) blast excess (> or = 5%). The treatment was well tolerated, without major toxicity. Among 25 patients with BM blasts less than 5%, we observed one complete, eight partial and four minor responses (response rate 52%) with a median response duration of 8 months (2 +/- 24). Median survival, which did not correlate with response, is projected at 76 months. Thirty-one patients with BM blast excess (> or = 5%), including three of the previous group who progressed to refractory anemia with excess of blasts (RAEB), were treated with the three-drug protocol. One complete, 12 partial and six minor responses were obtained (response rate 61%) with a median response duration of 6 months (2-29+). A significant difference in survival (P < 0.005) was observed between the 19 responders (median 25 months) and the 12 non-responders (median 9 months). A reduction in the transfusion need was observed in 41% of the transfusion-dependent patients with blast excess and in 53% of those without blast excess. Therefore, combined differentiating therapy seems more effective than previously reported single agent treatments and should be considered for a larger randomized study to assess its actual impact on survival of MDS patients.     

35S]Guanosine-5''-O-(3-thio)triphosphate binding as a measure of efficacy at human recombinant dopamine D4.4 receptors: actions of antiparkinsonian and antipsychotic agents

Great progress has been made in the last 10 years in the understanding of the various types of viral hepatitis, and new viruses, concepts, therapies, preventive measures, and control strategies have been recognized. Even more agents, vaccines, and drugs will be discovered or developed in the future, and pediatricians increasingly will be expected to provide guidance to patients and to the community on the importance and use of these new tools.     

Behavioural effects induced by nitrous oxide in rats performing a vigilance task

Nitrous oxide (N2O) effects were evaluated, as a behavioural model of inert gas narcosis, in rats performing a vigilance task in which they were required to respond to a slight luminous increment of the house-light. A dose-related decrease of correct responses was produced by the tested range of concentrations of N2O (from 30 to 70% N2O), with a parallel increase of anticipatory responses up to 60% N2O and a dramatic increase of omissions at 70% N2O. The influence of preparatory period duration on hits delays suggested a 'conditional probability effect' conserved under N2O. Pretreatment of animals with flumazenil (a central benzodiazepine receptor antagonist) did not improve performance under 40% N2O. Naltrexone, an opiate receptor antagonist, however, increased the N2O-induced deficits. These results suggest that benzodiazepine receptors are not involved in N2O-induced impairments in this attentional task, but opiate mechanisms may be implicated.     

Consistency-based and abductive diagnoses as generalised stable models

If realistic systems are to be successfully modelled and efficiently diagnosed using model-based techniques, a more expressive language than classical logic is required. In this paper, we present a definition of diagnosis which allows the use of a nonmonotonic construct, negation as failure, in the modelling language. This definition is based on thegeneralised stable model semantics of abduction. Furthermore, we argue that, if negation as failure is permitted in the modelling language, the distinction between abductive and consistency-based diagnosis is no longer clear. Our definition allows both forms of diagnosis to be expressed in a single framework. It also allows a single interference procedure to perform abductive or consistency-based diagnosis, as appropriate.This paper is an extended and revised version of ref. [29].     

Synthesis and thermal properties of polyamide 6 (A)-polyimide (B) block copolymers of ABA type

Summary Polyimides (PI) having different molecular weights were prepared by condensation of oxydiphthalic anhydride with 9,9-bis-(4-aminophenyl)fluorene in nitrobenzene solution at 180°C. These polyimides carried two amino chain ends which allowed us to fix polycaprolactam chains (PA6) to obtain PA6-PI-PA6 type copolymers. The elemental analysis and infrared spectroscopic determination gave the proportion of PA6 (or PI) in the copolymers. The studies of thermal properties-DSC and TGA-allowed us to characterize the copolymers.     

Testable heuristics for the 0–1 knapsack problem

Two kinds of heuristics, fixed time and cut time, are proposed in order to use the running time available in solving 0–1 knapsack problems profitably.Translated from Kibernetika, No. 2, pp. 44–52, March–April, 1991.     

UtilisatIon D’un Processus de Renormalisation Pour L’étude Électromagnétique des Structures Fractales Bidimensionnelles

In this article, we apply the renormalization technique, used possibly in theorical physics, for electromagnetic studying of bi dimensional fractal structures. A recurrence relation based on the auto-similar nature of structures and on the model of the surface impedance, has permitted, thanks to the convergence to a fixed point, to determine the input impedance of these structures at any scale. Though, the suggested method has been validated by calculus of one-dimensional structures (Iris de Cantor) it may be applied easily to the analysis of planar circuits as the Sierpensky antenna.