Manual surveillance of inaccessible areas covered in trees and foliage is a difficult, labor-expensive and challenging task. On the other hand, early discovery of forest fires signs is essential in the preservation of the environment, therefore, the need for fast and efficient methods is very important. The characteristic color of the forest fire can be classified with the specific image processing techniques, especially during the late spring and summer when the color of the fire is easily distinguished from the color of trees and foliage, or generally flora. In this paper, a new method for the detection of forest fires is proposed. The method combines several predetermined and fuzzy criteria for image segmentation. A hybrid technique consists of a combination of different components of different color spaces.

Amila Akagic, University of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina Motoki Amagasaki, Kumamoto University, Japan Muhammad Alfian Amrizal, Tohoku University, Japan Hiroaki Anada, University of Nagasaki, Japan Ritu Arora, University of Texas at Austin, U.S. Thomas Austin, San Jose State University, U.S. Akram Ben Ahmed, Keio University, Japan Antoine Bossard, Kanagawa University, Japan Chen-Mou Cheng, National Taiwan University, Taiwan Franco Chiaraluce, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Italy Stéphane Devismes, VERIMAG UMR 5104, France Nguyen Anh Vu Doan, Technical University of Munich, Germany Ryusuke Egawa, Tohoku University, Japan Toshio Endo, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan Martti Forsell, VTT, Finland Naoki Fujieda, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan Noriyuki Fujimoto, Osaka Prefecture University, Japan Hiroshi Fujiwara, Shinshu University, Japan Ken-Ichi Fukui, Osaka University, Japan Masayuki Fukumitsu, Hokkaido Information University, Japan Masaru Fukushi, Yamaguchi University, Japan Junichi Funasaka, Hiroshima City University, Japan Takayasu Fushimi, University of Tsukuba, Japan Jing Gong, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden Takaaki Goto, Toyo University, Japan Andreas Grapentin, Hasso Plattner Institute, Germany Yan Gu, Carnegie Mellon University, U.S. Masafumi Hashimoto, Osaka University, Japan Kohei Hatano, Kyushu University, Japan Akihiro Hayashi, Rice University, U.S. Ramon Hermoso, University of Zaragoza, Spain Shoichi Hirose, University of Fukui, Japan Michihiro Horie, IBM, Japan Naoto Hoshikawa, National Institute of Technology, Oyama College, Japan Shuichi Ichikawa, Toyohashi University of Technology, Japan Tsutomu Inamoto, Ehime University, Japan Masaki Inamura, Tokyo Denki University, Japan Fumihiko Ino, Osaka University, Japan Takashi Ishida, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

The study investigated in vitro the effect of Porphyromonas gingivalis and its cysteine proteases (gingipains) on epithelial cell adhesion to titanium-zirconium alloy surfaces. Titanium-zirconium discs with a standard machined (M) or chemically modified hydrophilic surface (modM) were coated with lamin-5 and incubated with telomerase-inactivated gingival keratinocytes (TIGK). Three P. gingivalis strains or gingipains were either added simultaneously with TIGK or after TIGK cells were already attached to the disks. Adhered TIGK cells were counted at 24 h. All P. gingivalis strains clearly inhibited adhesion of TIGK cells to M and modM surfaces. Compared with bacteria/gingipain-free TIGK cell cultures, the number of attached TIGK cells was reduced by about 80% and 60% when P. gingivalis was added simultaneously or after TIGK cells were already attached to the disks (each p < 0.01), respectively. Counts of attached cells were similarly reduced when only gingipains were used. Adhesion molecules of TIGK cells, in particular E-cadherin, were cleaved by P. gingivalis. In conclusion, P. gingivalis and gingipains interfere with the adhesion of epithelial cells to titanium-zirconium alloy surfaces by cleaving adhesion molecules, while a chemically modified hydrophilic titanium-zirconium alloy surface did not yield any protection. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res B Part B, 2019.

Paper represents comparative analysis of SCRUM and Kanban on the example of building a Learning Management System. According to calculations Kanban gave better results when time is not limiting factor and the project would end two months earlier. On the other hand, when it is necessary to carry out detailed monitoring and focus on time Scrum has yielded slightly better results. These results provide guidance that can help decide the method for a particular project.

Software Defined Networking (SDN) is considered as a promising solution for optimizing network energy consumption. This paper analyzes possible energy savings that could be achieved by turning off underutilized network links. It presents the energy consumption of a real IP/MPLS network and issues that prevent IP/MPLS from being more energy efficient. The paper proposes the SDN as an approach with a global view of the network and easier link management. A small experiment shows how easy it is for SDN to monitor and shut down unneeded links. This could enable a significant energy saving when using an SDN solution.

Blockchains are established as the most widely used P2P distributed application for Distributed Ledger Technologies. Nevertheless, their successful existence, especially known due to the cryptocurrency of Bitcoin, gets more and more competitors. One of those competitors is IOTA, which is based on a tangle or a Directed Acyclic Graph architecture. This paper stresses potentials of such architecture,especially in future IoT applications. In particular, few of the most import security issues are analyzed.

As the evolving communication standards would leverage on high data rates and low power consumption, future communication systems must be able to demonstrate these strengths. Space-time block codes (STBC) and quasi-orthogonal STBC (QO-STBC) including beamforming are multiple-input multiple output (MIMO) system design techniques used to improve data rates and reduce bit error ratio (BER). STBCs for larger antenna configurations use QO-STBC schemes which suffer from self-interference problems. The self-interference in QO-STBC systems diminishes the data rates and worsen the BER. In this study, we present three (3) methods of overcoming the self-interference problems in QO-STBC systems. We implement the interference-free QO-STBC systems with directional beamforming to improve the data rates and also reduce the BER. The results show significantly improved BER performance when the interferences are eliminated. An additional 3dB gain is achieved at 10-4 BER when the interference-free QO-STBCs are operated with directional beamforming. In terms of data rates, up to 6 bits/s at reasonably low power consumption are realized when the Hadamard-based QO-STBC is operated with directional beamforming.

Partial differential equations are a branch of engineering mathematics that in the last decades in the scientific field has played a very important role in solving certain engineering problems. In this paper, we have applied a kind of partial differential equations when examining the influence of microwaves. We have observed the phenomena occurring in one part of the electromagnetic spectrum in the frequency range of 1 GHz-100 GHz as an aggravating factor in signal transmission by telecommunication water, which was the starting point for research on this topic. The reason for isolating this area is contained in the specific technique that characterizes it. One of the types of partial hyperbolic equations is the telegraphic equation, whose solution eliminates problems related to the transmission line. The graphical interpolation of the telegraph equation is given in the Matlab Engineering Matrix Laboratory. Only the parts of mathematically important functions are derived in the paper and the final results are presented in order to represent our starting differential equation as telegraphic.

Golden retriever muscular dystrophy (GRMD) is a spontaneous X‐linked canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy that resembles the human condition. Muscle percentage index (MPI) is proposed as an imaging biomarker of disease severity in GRMD.

Smart grids growing, with deployment of the renewables in European grids, active customers and new stakeholders’ roles in electric supply requires increase of secure and reliable data exchange, using public communication infrastructures. Data classification is important by designing of the sensitive data exchange. To meet these communication needs, ENTSO-E has developed a secure, confidential, comprehensive and accessible communication and connectivity platform – ECCo SP. It is designed to function as a highly reliable and secure messaging system. The ECP platform enables near real-time data exchange, including use case “Activation of DSO-connected resources for balancing purposes in market environment”. It has been demonstrated under world conditions in Slovenia.

Introduction/Background Aberrant Hedgehog (Hh) pathway signaling has been implicated in pathogenesis of several human cancers. Recent studies have indicated its active role in serous ovarian carcinomas. Smoothened protein (SMO), a transmembrane co-receptor in Hh pathway signal transduction, is inhibited in non-dividing cells, thus its disinhibition might be a trigger for uncontrolled cell proliferation and growth. Very few studies have explored the role of SMO in serous ovarian cancers. The aim of the study was to assess the expression of SMO protein and to explore the Smoothened gene promoter methylation in a cohort of serous ovarian carcinomas. Methodology SMO protein expression was immunohistochemically quantified in 40 high-grade serous carcinomas (HGSC), 12 low-grade serous carcinomas (LGSC), 20 normal ovarian and 9 normal fallopian tube samples (controls). SMO gene promoter methylation status was analyzed using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP) in randomly selected HGSCs (n=10), LGSCs (n=10), and normal fallopian tube (n=9) samples. Kaplan-Meier survival plots were used to estimate the impact of SMO expression on patients‘ overall survival (OS). Results SMO nuclear expression was significantly higher in HGSCs and LGSCs compared with the fallopian tube samples (p=0.010 and p=0.003, respectively). LGSCs, compared with normal ovarian tissue, exhibited higher total, cytoplasmic/membrane and nuclear expression (p=0.000, p=0.001 and p=0.000, respectively). Comparing HGSCs and LGSCs, significantly higher total and cytoplasmic/membrane expression was found in HGSC (p=0.026 and p=0.030, respectively). SMO gene promoter was unmethylated in both LGSCs and HGSCs as well as in fallopian tube. In addition, the SMO protein expression had no significant impact on patients‘ OS (p=0.07). Conclusion Our data indicate the lack of SMO gene promoter methylation while a significant overexpression (particularly nuclear) of SMO protein characterized a substantial proportion of serous ovarian carcinomas. Further functional studies should elucidate the clinical relevance of these findings. Disclosure Nothing to disclose.

As the majority of cancers and gestational diseases are prognostically stage- and grade-dependent, the ultimate goal of ongoing studies in precision medicine is to provide early and timely diagnosis of such disorders. These studies have enabled the development of various new diagnostic biomarkers, such as free circulating nucleic acids, and detection of their epigenetic changes. Recently, extracellular vesicles including exosomes, microvesicles, oncosomes, and apoptotic bodies have been recognized as powerful diagnostic tools. Extracellular vesicles carry specific proteins, lipids, DNAs, mRNAs, and miRNAs of the cells that produced them, thus reflecting the function of these cells. It is believed that exosomes, in particular, may be the optimal biomarkers of pathological pregnancies and cancers, especially those that are frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage, such as ovarian cancer. In the present review, we survey and critically appraise novel epigenetic biomarkers related to free circulating nucleic acids and extracellular vesicles, focusing especially on their status in trophoblasts (pregnancy) and neoplastic cells (cancers).