Efficient pavement crack detection and classification Cubero-Fernandez, A.; Rodriguez-Lozano, Fco. J.; Villatoro, Rafael ...
EURASIP journal on image and video processing,
06/2017, Letnik:
2017, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Each year, millions of dollars are invested on road maintenance and reparation all over the world. In order to minimize costs, one of the main aspects is the early detection of those flaws. Different ...types of cracks require different types of repairs; therefore, not only a crack detection is required but a crack type classification. Also, the earlier the crack is detected, the cheaper the reparation is. Once the images are captured, several processes are applied in order to extract the main characteristics for emphasizing the cracks (logarithmic transformation, bilateral filter, Canny algorithm, and a morphological filter). After image preprocessing, a decision tree heuristic algorithm is applied to finally classify the image. This work obtained an average of 88% of success detecting cracks and an 80% of success detecting the type of the crack. It could be implemented in a vehicle traveling as fast as 130 kmh or 81 mph.
NHX-type antiporters in the tonoplast have been reported to increase the salt tolerance of various plants species, and are thought to mediate the compartmentation of Na⁺ in vacuoles. However, all ...isoforms characterized so far catalyze both Na⁺/H⁺ and K⁺/H⁺ exchange. Here, we show that AtNHX1 has a critical involvement in the subcellular partitioning of K⁺, which in turn affects plant K⁺ nutrition and Na⁺ tolerance. Transgenic tomato plants overexpressing AtNHX1 had larger K⁺ vacuolar pools in all growth conditions tested, but no consistent enhancement of Na⁺ accumulation was observed under salt stress. Plants overexpressing AtNHX1 have a greater capacity to retain intracellular K⁺ and to withstand salt-shock. Under K⁺-limiting conditions, greater K⁺ compartmentation in the vacuole occurred at the expense of the cytosolic K⁺ pool, which was lower in transgenic plants. This caused the early activation of the high-affinity K⁺ uptake system, enhanced K⁺ uptake by roots, and increased the K⁺ content in plant tissues and the xylem sap of transformed plants. Our results strongly suggest that NHX proteins are likely candidates for the H⁺-linked K⁺ transport that is thought to facilitate active K⁺ uptake at the tonoplast, and the partitioning of K⁺ between vacuole and cytosol.
The aim of the present research was to investigate the influence of the application of a novel cold-pressing system in olive oil manufacturing on the characteristics of olive pomace (OP) and on its ...valorization by anaerobic digestion (AD). Green olives and olives in veraison, both from the Picual variety, were used with the objective of assessing the effect of ripening level on the performance of the AD processes. The AD processes of these OPs were assessed in biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests. The maximum methane yield (327 ± 5 mL CH
4
/g VS) and biodegradability value (90.8%) were found for the OP derived from green olives without cold-pressing, which showed the highest soluble COD (113 g O
2
/L) and the lowest total phenolic concentration (9 g gallic acid/L). The first-order and Transference Function (TF) kinetic models were employed to evaluate the variation in methane production with time and to obtain the kinetic parameters of the anaerobic processes of the four OPs tested. The kinetic constant from the first-order model,
k
, did not show significant differences for the four OPs tested and ranged between 0.23 and 0.27 day
−1
. The TF revealed that the values for the maximum methane production rate (
R
max
) were slightly higher for the OPs derived from green olives compared to those obtained from olives in veraison. For the green olives, the cold-pressing system caused a decrease in the value of
R
max
from 87 ± 7 to 73 ± 6 mL CH
4
/(g VS·d).
Intracellular NHX proteins are Na⁺,K⁺/H⁺ antiporters involved in K⁺ homeostasis, endosomal pH regulation, and salt tolerance. Proteins NHX1 and NHX2 are the two major tonoplast-localized NHX ...isoforms. Here, we show that NHX1 and NHX2 have similar expression patterns and identical biochemical activity, and together they account for a significant amount of the Na⁺,K⁺/H⁺ antiport activity in tonoplast vesicles. Reverse genetics showed functional redundancy of NHX1 and NHX2 genes. Growth of the double mutant nhx1 nhx2 was severely impaired, and plants were extremely sensitive to external K⁺. By contrast, nhx1 nhx2 mutants showed similar sensitivity to salinity stress and even greater rates of Na⁺ sequestration than the wild type. Double mutants had reduced ability to create the vacuolar K⁺ pool, which in turn provoked greater K⁺ retention in the cytosol, impaired osmoregulation, and compromised turgor generation for cell expansion. Genes NHX1 and NHX2 were highly expressed in guard cells, and stomatal function was defective in mutant plants, further compromising their ability to regulate water relations. Together, these results show that tonoplast-localized NHX proteins are essential for active K⁺ uptake at the tonoplast, for turgor regulation, and for stomatal function.
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•Natural Deep Eutectic Solvents (NADESs) were used as material base to obtain novel structuring materials based on lignin.•A crosslinked microstructural network was promoted by ...NADESs-epoxy-modified lignin chemical interactions.•The NADESs chemical nature showed a noticeable effect on the rheological properties of final structuring formulations.•The significant hydroxyl value of NADESs enabled the tunability of the ensuing formulations’ macroscopic properties.
Natural deep eutectic solvents (NADESs) differing in the number of hydroxyl groups in the hydrogen bond donor (HBD) compound were investigated for usage as a matrix base in reactions involving a lignin-enriched fraction. NADESs were prepared by mixing citric acid with different HBDs (glycerol, xylitol, and sucrose). In addition, waste lignocellulose was epoxidised for use as a thickening agent for NADESs by promoting chemical crosslinking between the HBD hydroxyl groups and the epoxy rings of the lignocellulosic material. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis were used to verify the reaction between NADES and the epoxidised lignin-rich material. In addition, full rheological characterisation was performed to evaluate the effects of the viscosity of NADESs and lignin-enriched residue concentration. A heating process was applied to determine the influence of water on the viscoelastic properties of the final products. The chemical interaction between NADESs and epoxidised lignocellulose was successfully achieved, resulting in various rheological responses, from liquid-like to gel-like, depending on the HBD compound comprising NADESs and the lignin concentration. The higher the number of hydroxyl groups in the HBD, the higher was the viscosity of the lignin-structured NADESs. An analysis of the relative viscosity data reveals that the epoxidised ligninocellulose residue exerts a similar structuring role in the three different NADESs.
ABSTRACT Introduction and objectives: Chronic total coronary occlusion (CTO) of coronary arteries is frequent in heart transplant recipients (HTR). It is usually managed with medical therapy due to ...the suboptimal results shown by the percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Although the PCI of native CTOs is performed in experienced centres, in HTR we do not know PCI results or clinical efficacy. This is the first study ever to actually analyse the PCI-Target Lesion Procedure Success of CTO PCI and its angiographic and clinical follow-up in HTR. In addition, we compared the clinical follow-up of CTO vs non-CTO PCI in HTR. Methods: We retrospectively analysed the baseline characteristics, procedural outcomes and clinical events during the follow-up of HTR with CTO undergoing PCI between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2016 in 2 centres with an ongoing CTO program. Over the same period, we also compared clinical events during the follow-up of these patients vs PCI on non-CTO stenosis in HTR at one of the centres. Results: PCI was successful in 13 out of 14 patients. A systematic follow-up angiography was conducted at centre 1 (n = 10). Two patients showed in-stent restenosis (20%), and a new PCI was performed successfully in both cases. Mortality rate was 28.5%, after a median follow-up of 33.5 months interquartile range, 20-50. We found no statistical differences in the clinical events after the PCI of CTO lesions vs non-CTO lesions in HTR. Conclusions: The PCI of CTO in HTR is feasible in experienced centres and selected patients, with a high success rate and low rate of intraprocedural complications.
Abstract
Introduction
Infective endocarditis (IE) is a potentially serious complication in patients with prosthetic heart valves. The objective of this study is to analyze and describe the incidence, ...baseline characteristics, risks factors and in-hospital evolution in IE after Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation (IE-TAVI).
Methods
All the TAVI implanted in our center since the beginning of the program have been included consecutively. Patients with a confirmed diagnosis of IE according to the “ESC Guidelines for the management of infective endocarditis” are identified and analyzed.
Results
331 TAVI have been implanted in our center from June 2009 to February 2021. IE-TAVI incidence in our series is 2.7% (n=9 cases). In baseline analysis, we observed that insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, Barthel Score and Pulmonary systolic pressure >50mmHg are significantly associated with the appearance of IE-TAVI (TABLE 1).
The most frequently microorganism is Enterococcus faecalis (44.4%; n=4) followed by Staphylococcus aureus (22.2%; n=2), Coagulase-negative staphylococci (22.2%; n=2) and Streptococcus viridans (11.1%; n=1).
77.8% of IE-TAVI (n=7) are Nosocomial IE or non-nosocomial healthcare-associated IE. 2 of them have been related to implantation (1 Enterococcus faecalis and 1 Coagulase-negative staphylococci) and 5 have been related to other interventions (2 after gastroscopy, 1 after percutaneous vascular intervention, 1 hemodialysis catheter infection and 2 unknown focus).
44.4% of IE-TAVI (n=4) were confirmed after performing Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan. 3 cases (33.3%) were diagnosed with the initial Transthoracic Echocardiogram (TTE) and 2 cases (22.2%) were diagnosed after performing a Transesophageal Echocardiogram (TEE) (TABLE 2)
4 patients had an indication for surgery according to the ESC Guidelines (3 for persistent bacteremia and 1 for severe aortic regurgitation), but all were ruled out due to high surgical risk. Hospital mortality was 44.4% (n=4). The main predictor of hospital mortality was having an indication for surgery (p=0.028), which was present in 3 of the 4 deaths. The other death was due to digestive bleeding during hospitalization.
Conclusions
IE-TAVI is a serious disease with high in-hospital mortality. Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, Barthel Score and Pulmonary systolic pressure >50mmHg are risk factors for IE-TAVI. PET-scan is the imaging test of choice when there were no echocardiographic findings. The main predictor of mortality is having an indication for surgery according to the ESC Guidelines.
Funding Acknowledgement
Type of funding sources: None.
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