Improvement of registration accuracy of a handheld augmented reality system for urban landscape simulation

The need for visual landscape assessment in large-scale projects for the evaluation of the effects of a particular project on the surrounding landscape has grown in recent years. Augmented reality (AR) has been considered for use as a landscape simulation system in which a landscape assessment object created by 3D models is included in the present surroundings. With the use of this system, the time and the cost needed to perform a 3DCG modeling of present surroundings, which is a major issue in virtual reality, are drastically reduced. This research presents the development of a 3D map-oriented handheld AR system that achieves geometric consistency using a 3D map to obtain position data instead of GPS, which has low position information accuracy, particularly in urban areas. The new system also features a gyroscope sensor to obtain posture data and a video camera to capture live video of the present surroundings. All these components are mounted in a smartphone and can be used for urban landscape assessment. Registration accuracy is evaluated to simulate an urban landscape from a short- to a long-range scale. The latter involves a distance of approximately 2000 m. The developed AR system enables users to simulate a landscape from multiple and long-distance viewpoints simultaneously and to walk around the viewpoint fields using only a smartphone. This result is the tolerance level of landscape assessment. In conclusion, the proposed method is evaluated as feasible and effective.     

An investigation into the relationship between processing,structure and properties for high-modulus PBO fibres: part 3: analysis of fibre microstructure using transmission electron microscopy

A detailed morphological study of the microstructure of poly(p-phenylene benzobisoxazole) (PBO) fibres (HM and HM+) and a polypyridobisimidazole (PIPD) (HT) fibre has been undertaken using transmission electron microscopy. Both PBO and PIPD fibres are composed of rigid-rod polymers having p-phenylene rings in the molecular backbone and show high modulus (280–360 GPa) and high strength (4–6 GPa). It is found that the PBO HM+ fibre has the highest degree of molecular orientation of the three fibres and the longest crystal length along the fibre axis, while the PIPD fibre shows a lower degree of orientation and a shorter crystal length than the PBO fibres. To understand the effect of crystalline size and fine structure of the fibres upon mechanical properties, dark-field and high-resolution lattice images were obtained and analysed in detail.     

Mapping of cortical areas involved in color vision in non-human primates

Foreign body (FB) injury from aspiration or ingestion is a common pediatric health problem. Diagnosis relies on clinical judgment plus medical history, physical examination, and radiographic evaluation. A multi-institutional review of 1269 FB events revealed that 85% were correctly diagnosed following a single physician encounter. However, 15% of the children had an elusive diagnosis (>1 week), despite previous evaluation. Delays in diagnosis were seven times more likely to occur in aspirations than in ingestions. Secondary injuries (e.g., pneumonia and atelectasis) occurred in 13% of airway FBs but in only 1.7% of esophageal FBs. Plain radiographs were used in 82% of children, and special studies (e.g., fluoroscopy) in only 7%. We conclude that diagnosis of FB injury in children is frequently achieved at the initial evaluation but that continued surveillance by follow-up visits to health care facilities from parents and other caretakers is important, to reduce pulmonary injuries.     

Nonlinearity correction of brain perfusion SPECT based on permeability-surface area product model

It is well known that many cerebral perfusion tracers underestimate cerebral blood flow in high flow range. A model has been proposed to correct nonlinear relationship of flow and uptake of the tracers that accounts for the permeability-surface area product (PS model). METHODS: We examined 43 patients in this study. To test the feasibility of this method for 123I-IMP, 99(m)Tc-HMPAO and 99(m)Tc-ECD, radioactivity ratios of cerebral regions to cerebellum (C/Cr) on SPECT images were compared with those of rCBF (F/Fr) measured by PET using the 15O CO2 steady-state method. Coefficient for correction in the PS model was estimated by the least squares method, and SPECT data were corrected using these coefficients. RESULTS: Estimated PS value by this method was highest in IMP (116 ml/min/100 g) followed by ECD (66 ml/min/100 g) and HMPAO (46 ml/min/100 g). The corrected SPECT data demonstrated an excellent linear relationship, which was close to unity, with rCBF. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that the PS model can be used for nonlinearity correction of brain perfusion SPECT.     

Positions of dorsal root ganglia in the cervical spine. An anatomic and clinical study

STUDY DESIGN: The authors investigated the positions of dorsal root ganglia and the relation of the location to symptoms and to the effects of nerve root infiltration in the cervical spine anatomically and clinically. OBJECTIVES: To clarify normal variation of positions of dorsal root ganglia and the relation of the location of dorsal root ganglia to symptoms and to the effects of nerve root infiltration. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: The dorsal root ganglia of the spinal nerve has attracted much attention as an important structure in the mechanisms of radicular symptoms in the lumbar spine. Although the position of the dorsal root ganglia in the lumbar spine has been classified recently, there are few reports regarding the dorsal root ganglia in the cervical spine. METHODS: The positions of dorsal root ganglia were divided into two types: proximally situated and distally situated. The positions of dorsal root ganglia in the anatomic and clinical cases were compared. The relation of the positions of dorsal root ganglia to symptoms and to the clinical effects of nerve root infiltration were analyzed. RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference in positions of dorsal root ganglia in C6 nerve roots between anatomic and clinical cases. In addition, there was no relation between symptoms and the positions of dorsal root ganglia in clinical cases. However, there was a significant difference in positions of dorsal root ganglia in C7 nerve roots between anatomic and clinical cases. Nerve root infiltration was significantly more effective in the distally situated type of dorsal root ganglia. CONCLUSIONS: This study defined the normal variation of the positions of dorsal root ganglia. The results strongly suggest that some attention should be paid to the position of dorsal root ganglia in the diagnosis and treatment of cervical radiculopathy.     

Breakaway properties of film formed on copper and copper alloys in erosion–corrosion by mass transfer equation

Erosion–corrosion tests on copper and three types of copper alloys in a 1 wt% solution of CuCl₂ were carried out at various flow velocities using a jet‐in‐slit testing apparatus, which is capable of reproducing various hydrodynamic conditions. A damage profile of a specimen was developed using a surface roughness meter to evaluate locally occurring damage. The damage depth rate for copper, beryllium copper, and a 70/30 copper nickel alloy increased with increasing flow velocity, and suddenly increased at a certain velocity, which is called the breakaway velocity. The breakaway velocities at the central and disturbed part of a specimen were different for each sample, indicating that the hydrodynamic conditions of the flowing solution had an effect. The damage depth rate, calculated from the mass transfer equation, which involved mass transfer in the concentration diffusion layer and in the corrosion product film, could be fitted to the experimental data, suggesting that the mass transfer equation can be applied to the evaluation of erosion–corrosion damage. The corrosion product film was exponentially broken away at velocities higher than the breakaway velocity. The breakaway properties of the corrosion product film were confirmed to be different for each material, since the power of the exponential equation was different for each sample.     

Degradation mechanisms of poly(ethylene terephthalate) tire yarn

In order to clarify the fatigue mechanism of PET tire cords in rubber focusing on chemical degradation, hydrolysis in saturated steam atmosphere, ammonolysis in ammonia gas, and the degradation of the cords embedded in rubber have been studied at high temperature conditions. It was found that the strength loss of polyester tire cords in rubber has linear correlation with the amount of chemically induced chain scissions mainly caused by hydrolysis catalyzed by amines.     

Crucial Role of FABP3 in αSyn-Induced Reduction of Septal GABAergic Neurons and Cognitive Decline in Mice

In synucleinopathies, while motor symptoms are thought to be attributed to the accumulation of misfolded α-synuclein (αSyn) in nigral dopaminergic neurons, it remains to be elucidated how cognitive decline arises. Here, we investigated the effects of distinct αSyn strains on cognition and the related neuropathology in the medial septum/diagonal band (MS/DB), a key region for cognitive processing. Bilateral injection of αSyn fibrils into the dorsal striatum potently impaired cognition in mice. The cognitive decline was accompanied by accumulation of phosphorylated αSyn at Ser129 and reduction of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-ergic but not cholinergic neurons in the MS/DB. Since we have demonstrated that fatty acid-binding protein 3 (FABP3) is critical for αSyn neurotoxicity in nigral dopaminergic neurons, we investigated whether FABP3 also participates in αSyn pathology in the MS/DB and cognitive decline. FABP3 was highly expressed in GABAergic but rarely in cholinergic neurons in the MS/DB. Notably, Fabp3 deletion antagonized the accumulation of phosphorylated αSyn, decrease in GABAergic neurons, and cognitive impairment caused by αSyn fibrils. Overall, the present study indicates that FABP3 mediates αSyn neurotoxicity in septal GABAergic neurons and the resultant cognitive impairment, and that FABP3 in this subpopulation could be a therapeutic target for dementia in synucleinopathies.