Illumination robust face representation based on intrinsic geometrical information

collaboration: keywords: Illumination robust face representation; intrinsic geometrical information; naturalistic human-robot interaction system; human-computer interaction system; binary non-subsampled contourlet transform; B-NSCT; multidirectional contour information; multiscale contour information; facial texture; CMU PIE databases; Yale B databasescollaboration: keywords: Illumination robust face representation; intrinsic geometrical information; naturalistic human-robot interaction system; human-computer interaction system; binary non-subsampled contourlet transform; B-NSCT; multidirectional contour information; multiscale contour information; facial texture; CMU PIE databases; Yale B databasescollaboration: keywords: Illumination robust face representation; intrinsic geometrical information; naturalistic human-robot interaction system; human-computer interaction system; binary non-subsampled contourlet transform; B-NSCT; multidirectional contour information; multiscale contour information; facial texture; CMU PIE databases; Yale B databasescollaboration: keywords: Illumination robust face representation; intrinsic geometrical information; naturalistic human-robot interaction system; human-computer interaction system; binary non-subsampled contourlet transform; B-NSCT; multidirectional contour information; multiscale contour information; facial texture; CMU PIE databases; Yale B databasescollaboration: keywords: Illumination robust face representation; intrinsic geometrical information; naturalistic human-robot interaction system; human-computer interaction system; binary non-subsampled contourlet transform; B-NSCT; multidirectional contour information; multiscale contour information; facial texture; CMU PIE databases; Yale B database

A retrospective comparison of dental treatment under general anesthesia on children with and without mental disabilities

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to determine the properties of the dental procedures performed on children with dental problems under general anesthesia and compared between the patterns of dental  treatment provided for intellectual disability and non.cooperate healthy child.Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, the records of patients between the ages of 4 and 18 who were treated under general anesthesia were evaluated. Patients were divided into two groups: Those with  intellectual disability and healthy patients who had difficulty cooperating. A statistical analysis of the mean standard deviation was conducted with a focus on two factors: Age and dental treatment methods.Results: In this study, it was observed that restorative treatment and tooth extraction was generally higher in intellectual disability children than in their healthy children. When evaluating the health status of teeth, the value of decayed missing and filled teeth (dmf.t) was observed to be close in healthy and intellectual disability individuals in the 4.6 age groups; it was higher in individuals with intellectual disability in the 7.12 age groups.  There was no significant difference in terms of periodontal treatment and fissure sealants in the 12.18 age groups.Conclusions: By comparing the different patient groups who received dental treatment under general anesthesia, both the number of teeth extracted and DMF.T indices were higher in the disabled group. Therefore, especially more efforts should be made at encouraging these patients to visit the dentist earlier and receive primary preventive care.Key words: Dental treatment, general anesthesia, intellectual disability, oral healt

Synthesis of Nanoporous Type A and X Zeolite Mixtures from Biomass Combustion Fly Ash for Post-Combustion Carbon Capture

In this study, improved nanoporous zeolites for use in post-combustion carbon capture have been synthesised from industrial-grade biomass combustion fly ash generated in one of the largest biomass combustion power plants in the UK. The method of nanoporous zeolite synthesis follows an alkaline fusion-assisted hydrothermal procedure. The nanoporous zeolites have been characterised by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The presence of two crystalline structures, Faujasite and Linde Type A has been confirmed by the characterisation results. The CO 2 adsorption investigations were conducted via thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) to estimate the uptake capacity of the prepared adsorbents. TGA studies suggest that the improved nanoporous adsorbent, evaluated under 100 mol % CO 2 at atmospheric pressure, has an equilibrium capacity of over 1.6 mmolCO 2 /g at 50°C, a two-fold increase from our previous study with a crystalline structure confirmed by XRD.10.13039/501100000266-Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK; 10.13039/100008475-Brunel University London, UK

A retrospective evaluation of traumatic dental injury in children who applied to the dental hospital, Turkey

Objective: The purpose of this study was to analyze traumatic dental injuries in children visiting the dental hospital emergency department in Samsun of Turkey, in the period from 2007 to 2011.Materials and Methods: Data of age, gender, causes of dental trauma, injured teeth, type of dental injuries, the application period, the dental treatments, and traumatic dental injuries according to the seasons were obtained from the records at dental hospital.Results: Of all 320 patients with traumatic dental injury, 205 were boys and 115 were girls with a boys/girls ratio 1.78:1. Traumatic dental injury was observed more frequently in the 7.12 age groups: 52.5% in girls and 67.8% in boys. Falls are the major cause of traumatic dental injury in the age group 6.12 (51.4%). Sport activities are a common cause of traumatic dental injury in the 7.12 age group (34.2%). Patients visited a dentist within approximately 2 h (57.1%). The upper anterior teeth were subjected to trauma more frequently than the lower anterior teeth. The maxillary central incisors were the most commonly affected teeth, and the  mandibular canins were the least affected teeth. In primary teeth, avulsion was the most common type of dental injury (23%); on the other hand, enamel fractures were the most common type of dental injury (30.6%) observed in permanent teeth. In the primary dentition, the most commonly performed treatments were dental examination and prescribing (70%). The most common treatment choices in permanent teeth were restoration and dental examination (49.7 and 15.8%, respectively).Conclusion: The results of the study show that the emergency intervention to traumatized teeth is important for good prognosis of teeth and oral tissues. Therefore, the parents should be informed about dental trauma in schools, and dental hospital physicians should be subjected to postgraduate training.Key words: Classification, emergency treatment, teeth, traum

Inhibition of VEGF mediated corneal neovascularization by anti-angiogenic peptide nanofibers

Atypical angiogenesis is one of the major symptoms of severe eye diseases, including corneal neovascularization, and the complex nature of abnormal vascularization requires targeted methods with high biocompatibility. The targeting of VEGF is the most common approach for preventing angiogenesis, and the LPPR peptide sequence is known to strongly inhibit VEGF activity by binding to the VEGF receptor neuropilin-1. Here, the LPPR epitope is presented on a peptide amphiphile nanofiber system to benefit from multivalency and increase the anti-angiogenic function of the epitope. Peptide amphiphile nanofibers are especially useful for ocular delivery applications due to their ability to remain on the site of interest for extended periods of time, facilitating the long-term presentation of bioactive sequences. Consequently, the LPPR sequence was integrated into a self-assembled peptide amphiphile network to increase its efficiency in the prevention of neovascularization. Anti-angiogenic effects of the peptide nanofibers were investigated by using both in vitro and in vivo models. LPPR-PA nanofibers inhibited endothelial cell proliferation, tube formation, and migration to a greater extent than the soluble LPPR peptide in vitro. In addition, the LPPR-PA nanofiber system led to the prevention of vascular maturation and the regression of angiogenesis in a suture-induced corneal angiogenesis model. These results show that the anti-angiogenic activity exhibited by LPPR peptide nanofibers may be utilized as a promising approach for the treatment of corneal angiogenesis. © 2016 Elsevier Lt

Activated Carbon Derived from Biomass Combustion Bottom Ash as Solid Sorbent for CO2 Adsorption

Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Climate change and global warming, caused mainly by the anthropogenic CO2 emissions, has been recognised to be the biggest threat to global ecosystems. Replacing fossil fuels with sustainable biomass for heat and power generation is a key tool in our fight against climate change. Such combustion, however, generates large quantities of ash which, unlike the coal counterparts, are yet to find major applications in industry. This leads to challenging waste management and thus, necessitating urgent measures to valorise this increasing waste stream. However, producing activated carbon from biomass combustion ash allows for not only effective waste valorisation into value-added products, but also to prepare a sorbent for post-combustion carbon capture from an abundant and cheap source that is readily available for in-situ application (hence, minimising overall costs). This work has focused on preparation and activation of industrial-grade biomass ash-derived porous carbon via an economical direct method, followed by an extensive characterisation of its textural properties as well as an evaluation of the CO2 uptake of both the virgin and the activated carbonaceous sorbents. The final sample was selected based on an extensive optimisation campaign aiming towards maximisation of yield and CO2 uptake. The optimum activated sample adsorbed 0.69 mmol/g, thus, nearly doubling the adsorption capacity of the virgin biomass combustion bottom ash-derived carbon.This work has been funded by the UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (EP/W002841/1) through the flexible funded research programme “Investigation of Environmental and Operational Challenges of Adsorbents Synthesised from Industrial Grade Biomass Combustion Residues”. The UKCCSRC is supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), UK, as part of the UKRI Energy Programme; EPSRC Impact Accelerator Award (2022); Experimental Techniques Centre (ETC) at Brunel University London; Drax Group UK

Interaction of inflammatory cytokines and erythropoeitin in iron metabolism and erythropoiesis in anaemia of chronic disease

In chronic inflammatory conditions increased endogenous release of specific cytokines (TNFα, IL-1, IL-6, IFNγ and others) is presumed. It has been shown that those of monocyte lineage play a key role in cytokine expression and synthesis. This may be associated with changes in iron metabolism and impaired erythropoiesis and may lead to development of anaemia in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Firstly, increased synthesis of acute phase proteins, like ferritin, during chronic inflammation is proposed as the way by which the toxic effect of iron and thereby the synthesis of free oxy-radicals causing the damage on the affected joints, may be reduced. This is associated with a shift of iron towards the mononuclear phagocyte system which may participate in the development of anaemia of chronic disease. Secondly, an inhibitory action of inflammatory cytokines (TNFα, IL-1), on proliferation and differentiation of erythroid progenitors as well as on synthesis of erythropoietin has been shown, thereby also contributing to anaemia. Finally, chronic inflammation causes multiple, complex disturbances in the delicate physiologic equilibrium of interaction between cytokines and cells (erythroid progenitors, cells of mononuclear phagocyte system and erythropoietin producing cells) leading to development of anaemia of chronic disease (Fig. 1)

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Six Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence Grand Challenges

Widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies is substantially affecting the human condition in ways that are not yet well understood. Negative unintended consequences abound including the perpetuation and exacerbation of societal inequalities and divisions via algorithmic decision making. We present six grand challenges for the scientific community to create AI technologies that are human-centered, that is, ethical, fair, and enhance the human condition. These grand challenges are the result of an international collaboration across academia, industry and government and represent the consensus views of a group of 26 experts in the field of human-centered artificial intelligence (HCAI). In essence, these challenges advocate for a human-centered approach to AI that (1) is centered in human well-being, (2) is designed responsibly, (3) respects privacy, (4) follows human-centered design principles, (5) is subject to appropriate governance and oversight, and (6) interacts with individuals while respecting human’s cognitive capacities. We hope that these challenges and their associated research directions serve as a call for action to conduct research and development in AI that serves as a force multiplier towards more fair, equitable and sustainable societies