Hand gesture recognition for human computer interaction : a comparative study of different image features

Hand gesture recognition for human computer interaction, being a natural way of human computer interaction, is an area of active research in computer vision and machine learning. This is an area with many different possible applications, giving users a simpler and more natural way to communicate with robots/systems interfaces, without the need for extra devices. So, the primary goal of gesture recognition research is to create systems, which can identify specific human gestures and use them to convey information or for device control. For that, vision-based hand gesture interfaces require fast and extremely robust hand detection, and gesture recognition in real time. In this study we try to identify hand features that, isolated, respond better in various situations in human-computer interaction. The extracted features are used to train a set of classifiers with the help of RapidMiner in order to find the best learner. A dataset with our own gesture vocabulary consisted of 10 gestures, recorded from 20 users was created for later processing. Experimental results show that the radial signature and the centroid distance are the features that when used separately obtain better results, with an accuracy of 91% and 90,1% respectively obtained with a Neural Network classifier. These to methods have also the advantage of being simple in terms of computational complexity, which make them good candidates for real-time hand gesture recognition.

Generic system for human-computer gesture interaction

Hand gestures are a powerful way for human communication, with lots of potential applications in the area of human computer interaction. Vision-based hand gesture recognition techniques have many proven advantages compared with traditional devices, giving users a simpler and more natural way to communicate with electronic devices. This work proposes a generic system architecture based in computer vision and machine learning, able to be used with any interface for humancomputer interaction. The proposed solution is mainly composed of three modules: a pre-processing and hand segmentation module, a static gesture interface module and a dynamic gesture interface module. The experiments showed that the core of vision-based interaction systems can be the same for all applications and thus facilitate the implementation. In order to test the proposed solutions, three prototypes were implemented. For hand posture recognition, a SVM model was trained and used, able to achieve a final accuracy of 99.4%. For dynamic gestures, an HMM model was trained for each gesture that the system could recognize with a final average accuracy of 93.7%. The proposed solution as the advantage of being generic enough with the trained models able to work in real-time, allowing its application in a wide range of human-machine applications.

Bidirectional battery charger with grid-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-grid and vehicle-to-home technologies

This paper presents the development of na on-board bidirectional battery charger for Electric Vehicles (EVs) targeting Grid-to-Vehicle (G2V), Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G), and Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) technologies. During the G2V operation mode the batteries are charged from the power grid with sinusoidal current and unitary power factor. During the V2G operation mode the energy stored in the batteries can be delivered back to the power grid contributing to the power system stability. In the V2H operation mode the energy stored in the batteries can be used to supply home loads during power outages, or to supply loads in places without connection to the power grid. Along the paper the hardware topology of the bidirectional battery charger is presented and the control algorithms are explained. Some considerations about the sizing of the AC side passive filter are taken into account in order to improve the performance in the three operation modes. The adopted topology and control algorithms are accessed through computer simulations and validated by experimental results achieved with a developed laboratory prototype operating in the different scenarios.

An R package for the integrated analysis of metabolomics and spectral data

Recently, there has been a growing interest in the field of metabolomics, materialized by a remarkable growth in experimental techniques, available data and related biological applications. Indeed, techniques as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Gas or Liquid Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry, Infrared and UV-visible spectroscopies have provided extensive datasets that can help in tasks as biological and biomedical discovery, biotechnology and drug development. However, as it happens with other omics data, the analysis of metabolomics datasets provides multiple challenges, both in terms of methodologies and in the development of appropriate computational tools. Indeed, from the available software tools, none addresses the multiplicity of existing techniques and data analysis tasks. In this work, we make available a novel R package, named specmine, which provides a set of methods for metabolomics data analysis, including data loading in different formats, pre-processing, metabolite identification, univariate and multivariate data analysis, machine learning, and feature selection. Importantly, the implemented methods provide adequate support for the analysis of data from diverse experimental techniques, integrating a large set of functions from several R packages in a powerful, yet simple to use environment. The package, already available in CRAN, is accompanied by a web site where users can deposit datasets, scripts and analysis reports to be shared with the community, promoting the efficient sharing of metabolomics data analysis pipelines.

BIOMedical search engine framework: lightweight and customized implementation of domain-specific biomedical search engines

The Smart Drug Search is publicly accessible at http://sing.ei.uvigo.es/sds/. The BIOMedical Search Engine Framework is freely available for non-commercial use at https://github.com/agjacome/biomsef

Cytochemical study of Rhodnius neglectus and Rhodnius prolixus salivary gland cells (Hemiptera, Triatominae)

Triatomines are hematophagous bugs of medical interest in South and Central America, where they may act as invertebrate hosts of the hemoflagellate protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi (the causative of Chagas’ disease) and Trypanosoma rangeli (Tejera, 1920). Triatomines of Rhodnius genus have salivary gland formed by two close and independent units: the principal and the accessory. This gland secretes saliva that abounds in substances that facilitate and permit feeding. Despite this importance, there are few reports on its cytochemistry. In purpose of amplifying this understanding, in this work it was investigated the nuclear structures (chromatin and nucleolar corpuscles) of salivary gland cells of Rhodnius neglectus (Lent, 1954) and Rhodnius prolixus (Stål, 1859). The salivary glands were removed from adult insects, fixed and submitted to different cytochemical methods: lacto-acetic orcein, silver ion impregnation, Feulgen reaction, Toluidine Blue, Variant method of critical electrolyte concentration and C-banding. The results evidenced predominance of binucleated cells, with bulky and polyploid nucleus, decondensed chromatin and a large nucleolar area. In addition, cytoplasmic metachromasy and a clear association between nucleolar and heterochromatic corpuscles were observed. Such characteristics were associated with intense synthesis activity to produce saliva. Besides, the heterochromatic corpuscles observed with C Banding permitted the differentiation of sexes and species.

The role of ceramide trihexoside (globotriaosylceramide) in the diagnosis and follow-up of the efficacy of treatment of Fabry disease: a review of the literature.

Fabry disease is caused by a deficiency of a-galactosidase A which leads to the progressive intra-lysosomal accumulation of ceramide trihexoside (CTH), also known as globotriaosylceramide (Gb3), in different cell types and body fluids. The clinical manifestations are multisystemic and predominantly affect the heart, kidney and central nervous system. The role of CTH in the pathophysiological process of Fabry disease is not established, and the link between the degree of accumulation and disease manifestations is not systematic. The use of CTH as a diagnostic tool has been proposed for several decades. The recent introduction of a specific treatment for Fabry disease in the form of enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) has led to the need for a biological marker, in place of a clinical sign, for evaluating the efficacy of treatment and also as a tool for following the long term effects of treatment. The ideal biomarker must adhere to strict criteria, and there should be a correlation between the degree of clinical efficacy of treatment and a change in its concentration. This review of the literature assesses the utility of CTH as a diagnostic tool and as a marker of the efficacy of ERT in patients with Fabry disease. Several techniques have been developed for measuring CTH; the principles and the sensitivity thresholds of these methods and the units used to express the results should be taken into consideration when interpreting data. The use of CTH measurement in Fabry disease should be re-evaluated in light of recent published data.

National Study of Turnover in Nursing and Midwifery

The report provides information to assist the Department of Health and Children and the Nursing and Midwifery Planning and Development Units in each Health Board/Health Authority region, to prepare and develop strategic plans for nursing workforce requirements. Download the document here.  

PHA urges 'freshers' to be smart and know their alcohol limits

As 'fresher's week' commences, the Public Health Agency is encouraging students across Northern Ireland to avoid binge drinking and to know their limits if they do choose to drink alcohol.Enjoying new freedoms, at college or university, means taking care of yourself and others and, if you choose to drink, staying within safe alcohol limits. Owen O'Neill, PHA Health and Social Wellbeing Improvement Manager for drugs and alcohol, said: "Some young people may drink more when they leave home, or join their friends in college or university for the first time. They might think that, as young people, they don't have to take care with alcohol, but staying within the safe drinking limits is important for everyone who drinks. Excessive and binge drinking can have lasting effects on health, such as damage to the liver, heart, brain and stomach. Drinking too much can also increase the risk of accidents and antisocial behaviour as well as sexually transmitted infections and unplanned pregnancy"."We would also strongly advise against drinking games. Although they are regarded as a 'bit of fun', in reality they can be very dangerous. As an extreme form of binge drinking, where large quantities of alcohol are consumed in a very short time, drinking games can result in alcohol poisoning, leading to brain damage, coma or death. The PHA encourages students to enjoy their new student life, but urges them to be aware of their alcohol intake and drink responsibly, especially throughout fresher's week, with the many cheap drink promotions currently available."Daily alcohol limits are recommended by the government in order to avoid the risks of excessive and binge drinking in any one session. These are:Men: No more than 3 to 4 units of alcohol a day and no more than 21 units over the course of the week.Women: No more than 2 to 3 units of alcohol a day and no more than 14 units over the course of the week.Examples of units:Can of extra strong lager - 4 unitsBottle of lager - 1.5 unitsPint of standard lager - 2.5 unitsPint of premium larger - 3 unitsSmall pub bottle of wine - 2.25 units70cl bottle of wine - 7 to 10 unitsStandard 275ml of alcopops - 1.5 to 1.8 units70cl bottle of alcopops - 3.75 to 4.5 unitsPub measure of spirits - 1.5 unitsPint of cider - 3 unitsPint of stout - 2.5 unitsIf you do choose to drink alcohol:DON'T:Ever drink and driveDrink on an empty stomachMix alcohol with other drugsDrink in rounds as this may speed up your drinkingLeave your drinks unattendedDO:Take sips rather than gulpsAlternate each alcoholic drink with a non alcoholic drink e.g. water or a soft drinkSet yourself a limit and try to stick to it (refer to daily alcohol limits) Take frequent breaks from drinking to give your body time to recoverTell friends and family where you are going and who you will be withRemember, that for each unit you drink over the daily limit, the risk to your health increases. It's important to spread the units throughout the week - you can't 'save up' your units for the weekend or your holiday. It is also important to drink plenty of water, ideally matching the amount of alcohol you have consumed.So students make smart choices this term - drink sensibly and know your limits!For further information on sensible drinking and alcohol units visit the Public Health Agency's website www.knowyourlimits.info

Desarrollo de un sistema de clasificación de recursos electrónicos en el ámbito de la lógica matemática

El presente trabajo define una taxonomía para la clasificación de recursos digitales del ámbito de la lógica tradicional, y más concretamente los recursos que se podrían generar en el ámbito de la asignatura de Lógica Matemática del plan de estudios de las titulaciones de Ingeniería Técnica de Gestión y de Sistemas impartidas en la Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC).

Manufacturing and characterization of a recombinant adeno-associated virus type 8 reference standard material.

Gene therapy approaches using recombinant adeno-associated virus serotype 2 (rAAV2) and serotype 8 (rAAV8) have achieved significant clinical benefits. The generation of rAAV Reference Standard Materials (RSM) is key to providing points of reference for particle titer, vector genome titer, and infectious titer for gene transfer vectors. Following the example of the rAAV2RSM, here we have generated and characterized a novel RSM based on rAAV serotype 8. The rAAV8RSM was produced using transient transfection, and the purification was based on density gradient ultracentrifugation. The rAAV8RSM was distributed for characterization along with standard assay protocols to 16 laboratories worldwide. Mean titers and 95% confidence intervals were determined for capsid particles (mean, 5.50×10(11) pt/ml; CI, 4.26×10(11) to 6.75×10(11) pt/ml), vector genomes (mean, 5.75×10(11) vg/ml; CI, 3.05×10(11) to 1.09×10(12) vg/ml), and infectious units (mean, 1.26×10(9) IU/ml; CI, 6.46×10(8) to 2.51×10(9) IU/ml). Notably, there was a significant degree of variation between institutions for each assay despite the relatively tight correlation of assay results within an institution. This outcome emphasizes the need to use RSMs to calibrate the titers of rAAV vectors in preclinical and clinical studies at a time when the field is maturing rapidly. The rAAV8RSM has been deposited at the American Type Culture Collection (VR-1816) and is available to the scientific community.

The molecular signature of the stroma response in prostate cancer-induced osteoblastic bone metastasis highlights expansion of hematopoietic and prostate epithelial stem cell niches.

The reciprocal interaction between cancer cells and the tissue-specific stroma is critical for primary and metastatic tumor growth progression. Prostate cancer cells colonize preferentially bone (osteotropism), where they alter the physiological balance between osteoblast-mediated bone formation and osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, and elicit prevalently an osteoblastic response (osteoinduction). The molecular cues provided by osteoblasts for the survival and growth of bone metastatic prostate cancer cells are largely unknown. We exploited the sufficient divergence between human and mouse RNA sequences together with redefinition of highly species-specific gene arrays by computer-aided and experimental exclusion of cross-hybridizing oligonucleotide probes. This strategy allowed the dissection of the stroma (mouse) from the cancer cell (human) transcriptome in bone metastasis xenograft models of human osteoinductive prostate cancer cells (VCaP and C4-2B). As a result, we generated the osteoblastic bone metastasis-associated stroma transcriptome (OB-BMST). Subtraction of genes shared by inflammation, wound healing and desmoplastic responses, and by the tissue type-independent stroma responses to a variety of non-osteotropic and osteotropic primary cancers generated a curated gene signature ("Core" OB-BMST) putatively representing the bone marrow/bone-specific stroma response to prostate cancer-induced, osteoblastic bone metastasis. The expression pattern of three representative Core OB-BMST genes (PTN, EPHA3 and FSCN1) seems to confirm the bone specificity of this response. A robust induction of genes involved in osteogenesis and angiogenesis dominates both the OB-BMST and Core OB-BMST. This translates in an amplification of hematopoietic and, remarkably, prostate epithelial stem cell niche components that may function as a self-reinforcing bone metastatic niche providing a growth support specific for osteoinductive prostate cancer cells. The induction of this combinatorial stem cell niche is a novel mechanism that may also explain cancer cell osteotropism and local interference with hematopoiesis (myelophthisis). Accordingly, these stem cell niche components may represent innovative therapeutic targets and/or serum biomarkers in osteoblastic bone metastasis.

Correcció d'exercicis de lògica per l'ACME

La Universitat de Girona, i més concretament el Departament d’Informàtica i Matemàtica Aplicada, ja fa uns anys que ha posat en marxa el Projecte Avaluació Continuada i Millora de l’Ensenyament, també anomenat ACME. Aquest projecte és una plataforma d'e-learning, és a dir, un sistema d’aprenentatge a través de la xarxa que potencia la col•laboració digital i el bescanvi d’informació entre alumne i professor. El creixement que ha experimentat la plataforma, ha estat possible gràcies al disseny modular de l’aplicació, on cada nova funcionalitat que estava essent desenvolupada evolucionava de manera independent a la resta de la plataforma i sense comprometre’n el funcionament. Per afegir un nou mòdul a l’ACME, s’utilitzen els mòduls de base que confereixen l'estructura a la plataforma i les eines per incorporar nous mòduls, amb el que la implantació d’aquests a la plataforma és d’elevada senzillesa. Actualment, la majoria de les assignatures de primer del Grau d’Informàtica ja disposen d’exercicis adaptats a la plataforma, el que dóna una uniformitat en les eines i plataformes que utilitzen els alumnes en la seva formació. Però no hi són totes les assignatures, falta incloure l’assignatura de Lògica a la plataforma. D’aquesta manera, tant els alumnes com els professors de l’assignatura, podran treure profit dels beneficis esmentats que aporta l’ACME. Concretament, a l’assignatura de Lògica es disposava d’uns aplicatius a la plataforma Moodle de la Universitat de Girona on es guiava a l’alumne en la resolució dels exercicis. Aquest mètode és molt interessant com a mètode pedagògic per a l’aprenentatge inicial de l’assignatura, però no representa un repte real on els alumnes hagin d’aplicar els seus coneixements per a la seva realització. Els alumnes també disposaven d’un dossier on se’ls proposava uns exercicis molt complets, i a les pàgines finals d’aquest se’ls donava la solució. Aleshores, de manera voluntària els alumnes realitzaven els exercicis i comprovaven amb la solució si havien aprés a resoldre’ls. Per tant, tant els responsables de l'assignatura de Lògica com els responsables de la plataforma ACME van veure que es podrien desenvolupar eines a l'ACME per tal de corregir de forma automàtica els exercicis de l'assignatura. Incorporar l’assignatura de Lògica a l’ACME permet que els alumnes es vegin més involucrats a fer exercicis durant els curs de manera continuada, gràcies als terminis d’entrega, i facilita als professors la seva tasca deslliurant-los de les correccions i oferint-los-hi eines de seguiment

Late Labradorian metamorphism and anorthosite-granitoid intrusion, Cape-Caribou River allochthon, Grenville Province, Labrador - Evidence from U-Pb geochronology

In the Cape Caribou River allochthon (CCRA), metaigneous and gneissic units occur as a shallowly plunging synform in the hanging wall of the Grand Lake thrust system (GLTS), a Grenvillian structure that forms the boundary between the Mealy Mountains and Groswater Bay terranes. The layered rocks of the CCRA are cut by a stockwork of monzonite dykes related to the Dome Mountain suite and by metadiabase-amphibolite dykes that probably form part of the ca. 1380 Ma Mealy swarm. The mafic dykes appear to postdate much of the development of subhorizontal metamorphic layering within the lower parts of the CCRA. The uppermost (least metamorphosed) units of the CCRA, the North West River anorthosite-metagabbro and the Dome Mountain monzonite suite, have been dated at 1625 +/- 6 and 1626 +/- 2 Ma, respectively. An amphibolite unit that concordantly underlies the anorthosite-metagabbro and is intruded discordantly by monzonite dykes has given metamorphic ages of 1660 +/- 3 and 1631 +/- 2 Ma. Granitoid gneisses that form the lowest level of the CCRA have given a migmatization age of 1622 +/- 6 Ma. The effects of Grenvillian metamorphism become apparent in the lower levels of the allochthon where gneisses, amphibolite, and mafic dykes have given new generation zircon ages of 1008 +/- 2, 1012 +/- 3, and 1011 +/- 3 Ma, respectively. A posttectonic pegmatite has also given zircon and monazite ages of 1016(-3)(+7) and 1013 +/- 3 Ma, respectively. Although these results indicate new growth of Grenvillian zircon, this process was generally not accompanied by penetrative deformation or melting. Thus, the formation of gneissic fabrics and the overall layered nature of the lower CCRA are a result primarily of Labradorian (1660-1620 Ma) tectonism and intrusion, and probably reflect early movement on an ancestral GLTS. Grenvillian heating and metamorphism (up to granulite facies) was strongly concentrated towards the base of the CCRA and probably occurred during northwestward thrusting of the allochthon over the Groswater Bay terrane.