A Real-Time Fire Detection Method from Video with Multifeature Fusion.

The threat to people's lives and property posed by fires has become increasingly serious. To address the problem of a high false alarm rate in traditional fire detection, an innovative detection method based on multifeature fusion of flame is proposed. First, we combined the motion detection and color detection of the flame as the fire preprocessing stage. This method saves a lot of computation time in screening the fire candidate pixels. Second, although the flame is irregular, it has a certain similarity in the sequence of the image. According to this feature, a novel algorithm of flame centroid stabilization based on spatiotemporal relation is proposed, and we calculated the centroid of the flame region of each frame of the image and added the temporal information to obtain the spatiotemporal information of the flame centroid. Then, we extracted features including spatial variability, shape variability, and area variability of the flame to improve the accuracy of recognition. Finally, we used support vector machine for training, completed the analysis of candidate fire images, and achieved automatic fire monitoring. Experimental results showed that the proposed method could improve the accuracy and reduce the false alarm rate compared with a state-of-the-art technique. The method can be applied to real-time camera monitoring systems, such as home security, forest fire alarms, and commercial monitoring.

A Literature Review: Geometric Methods and Their Applications in Human-Related Analysis.

Geometric features, such as the topological and manifold properties, are utilized to extract geometric properties. Geometric methods that exploit the applications of geometrics, e.g., geometric features, are widely used in computer graphics and computer vision problems. This review presents a literature review on geometric concepts, geometric methods, and their applications in human-related analysis, e.g., human shape analysis, human pose analysis, and human action analysis. This review proposes to categorize geometric methods based on the scope of the geometric properties that are extracted: object-oriented geometric methods, feature-oriented geometric methods, and routine-based geometric methods. Considering the broad applications of deep learning methods, this review also studies geometric deep learning, which has recently become a popular topic of research. Validation datasets are collected, and method performances are collected and compared. Finally, research trends and possible research topics are discussed.

Neo4j graph database realizes efficient storage performance of oilfield ontology.

The integration of oilfield multidisciplinary ontology is increasingly important for the growth of the Semantic Web. However, current methods encounter performance bottlenecks either in storing data and searching for information when processing large amounts of data. To overcome these challenges, we propose a domain-ontology process based on the Neo4j graph database. In this paper, we focus on data storage and information retrieval of oilfield ontology. We have designed mapping rules from ontology files to regulate the Neo4j database, which can greatly reduce the required storage space. A two-tier index architecture, including object and triad indexing, is used to keep loading times low and match with different patterns for accurate retrieval. Therefore, we propose a retrieval method based on this architecture. Based on our evaluation, the retrieval method can save 13.04% of the storage space and improve retrieval efficiency by more than 30 times compared with the methods of relational databases.

Spiking Neural P Systems With White Hole Neurons.

Spiking neural P systems (SN P systems) are a class of parallel and distributed spiking neural network models, which are inspired from the way biological neurons spiking and communicating by means of spikes. White hole rules, abstracted from the biological observation of neural information rejection, were recently introduced into SN P systems, by which a neuron consumes its complete contents when it fires. In this work, SN P systems with white hole neurons are proposed, in which each neuron has only white hole rules. The computational power of general and bounded SN P systems with white hole neurons are obtained. Specifically, it is achieved in a constructive way that i) general SN P systems (having both bounded and unbounded) white hole neurons are Turing universal as number generators; ii) bounded SN P systems with white hole neurons can only characterize semi-linear sets of numbers. These results show that "information storage capacity" of certain key neurons provides some "programming capacity" useful for SN P systems achieving a desired computation power.

On the Computational Power of Spiking Neural P Systems with Self-Organization.

Neural-like computing models are versatile computing mechanisms in the field of artificial intelligence. Spiking neural P systems (SN P systems for short) are one of the recently developed spiking neural network models inspired by the way neurons communicate. The communications among neurons are essentially achieved by spikes, i. e. short electrical pulses. In terms of motivation, SN P systems fall into the third generation of neural network models. In this study, a novel variant of SN P systems, namely SN P systems with self-organization, is introduced, and the computational power of the system is investigated and evaluated. It is proved that SN P systems with self-organization are capable of computing and accept the family of sets of Turing computable natural numbers. Moreover, with 87 neurons the system can compute any Turing computable recursive function, thus achieves Turing universality. These results demonstrate promising initiatives to solve an open problem arisen by Gh Paun.

NES-REBS: A novel nuclear export signal prediction method using regular expressions and biochemical properties.

A nuclear export signal (NES) is a protein localization signal, which is involved in binding of cargo proteins to nuclear export receptor, thus contributes to regulate localization of cellular proteins. Consensus sequences of NES have been used to detect NES from protein sequences, but suffer from poor predictive power. Some recent peering works were proposed to use biochemical properties of experimental verified NES to refine NES candidates. Those methods can achieve high prediction rates, but their execution time will become unacceptable for large-scale NES searching if too much properties are involved. In this work, we developed a novel computational approach, named NES-REBS, to search NES from protein sequences, where biochemical properties of experimental verified NES, including secondary structure and surface accessibility, are utilized to refine NES candidates obtained by matching popular consensus sequences. We test our method by searching 262 experimental verified NES from 221 NES-containing protein sequences. It is obtained that NES-REBS runs in 2-3[Formula: see text]mins and performs well by achieving precision rate 47.2% and sensitivity 54.6%.

Nanovector for Gene Transfection and MR Imaging of Mesenchymal Stem Cells.

This study centers on the use of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with polyethylene glycol-grafted polyethylenimine (PEG-g-PEI-SPION) as an MRI-visible and efficient nanovector for the gene modification and in vivo MRI tracking of rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs). PEG-g-PEI-SPION was first condensed with plasmid DNA to form nanoparticles, demonstrating low cytotoxicity and good biocompatibility for rBMSCs. Based on a reporter gene assay, PEG-g-PEI-SPION/pDNA had the highest transfection efficiency (62.6 ± 5.5%) in rBMSCs, which was significantly higher than that obtained using the cationic liposomes in lipofectamine 2000, a commercially available and worldwide used gene transfection agent, under the most optimal conditions (13.9 ± 2.6%; P < 0.05). More excitingly, the transplantation of rBMSCs modified by our MRI-visible vector complexed with a plasmid encoding human hepatocyte growth factor into fibrotic rat livers effectively restored albumin production and significantly suppressed transaminase activities. In addition, the transplanted rBMSCs displayed a sensitive signal on T2/T2*-weighted images in vitro and in vivo, which enabled effective MRI tracking of the cells for up to 14 days post-transplantation. Although mesenchymal stem cells are well-known to be refractory in most of the current nonviral gene delivery techniques, our results demonstrate that the MRI-sensitive PEG-g-PEI-SPION is a highly efficient and readily observable nanovector for gene delivery into rBMSCs.

Biodegradable Multiamine Polymeric Vector for siRNA Delivery.

The gene silencing activity of small interfering RNA (siRNA) has led to their use as tools for target validation and as potential therapeutics for a variety of diseases. A major challenge is the development of vectors with high delivery efficiency and low toxicity. Although poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) has been regarded as the most promising polymeric vector for nucleic acid delivery, the nonbiodegradable structure greatly hinders its clinical application. In the present study, a diblock copolymer, PEG-PAsp(DIP-DETA), of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and poly(L-aspartic acid) (PAsp) randomly grafted with pH-sensitive 2-(diisopropylamino)ethylamine (DIP) and diethylenetriamine (DETA) groups was synthesized via ring-opening polymerization and aminolysis reaction. Similar to polyethylenimine (PEI), the copolymer possesses a multiamine structure that not only allows effective siRNA complexation at neutral pH but also facilitates lysosomal release of siRNA via a proton buffering effect. Moreover, the poly(L-aspartic acid) backbone renders the vector biodegradability, which is not achievable with PEI. This novel polymeric vector can mediate effective intracellular siRNA delivery in various cancer cells. Consequently, the delivery of BCL-2 siRNA resulted in target gene silencing, inducing apoptosis and inhibiting the growth of cancer cells. These results show the potential of this non-PEI based polymeric vector with proton buffering capacity and biodegradability for siRNA delivery in cancer therapy.

[Multifunctional nano-vector for gene delivery into human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells and in vitro cellular magnetic resonance imaging].

OBJECTIVE: To examine the feasibility and efficacy of using superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with polyethylene glycol-grafted polyethylenimine (PEG-g-PEI-SPION) as a carrier for gene delivery into human adipose derived mesenchymal stem cells (hADMSCs) and in vitro cellular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS: PEG-g-PEI-SPION was synthesized as previously reported. Gel electrophoresis was performed to assess the pDNA condensation capacity of PEG-g-PEI-SPION. The particle size and zeta potential of PEG-g-PEI-SPION/pDNA complexes were determined by dynamic light scattering. Cytotoxicity of PEG-g-PEI-SPION was evaluated by CCK-8 assay with hADMSCs. Gene transfection efficiency of PEG-g-PEI-SPION in hADMSCs was quantified by flow cytometry. The cellular internalization of PEG-g-PEI-SPION/pDNA nanocomplexes was studied by confocal laser scanning microscopy and Prussian blue staining. MRI function of PEG-g-PEI-SPION was studied by in vitro cellular MRI scanning. RESULTS: PEG-g-PEI-SPION condensed pDNA to form stable complexes of 80-100 nm in diameter and showed low cytotoxicity in hADMSCs. At the optimal N/P ratio of 20, PEG-g-PEI-SPION/pDNA obtained the highest transfection efficiency of 22.8% ± 3.6% in hADMSCs. And it was higher than that obtained with lipofectamine 11.2% ± 2.6% (P < 0.05). Furthermore, hADMSCs labeled with PEG-g-PEI-SPION showed sensitive low signal intensity on MRI T2-weighted images in vitro. CONCLUSION: PEG-g-PEI-SPION is an efficient and MRI-visible nano-vector for gene delivery into hADMSCs.

An MRI-visible non-viral vector bearing GD2 single chain antibody for targeted gene delivery to human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

The neural ganglioside GD2 has recently been reported to be a novel surface marker that is only expressed on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells within normal marrow. In this study, an MRI-visible, targeted, non-viral vector for effective gene delivery to human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells was first synthesized by attaching a targeting ligand, the GD2 single chain antibody (scAbGD2), to the distal ends of PEG-g-PEI-SPION. The targeted vector was then used to condense plasmid DNA to form nanoparticles showing stable small size, low cytotoxicity, and good biocompatibility. Based on a reporter gene assay, the transfection efficiency of targeting complex reached the highest value at 59.6% ± 4.5% in human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, which was higher than those obtained using nontargeting complex and lipofectamine/pDNA (17.7% ± 2.9% and 34.9% ± 3.6%, respectively) (P<0.01). Consequently, compared with the nontargeting group, more in vivo gene expression was observed in the fibrotic rat livers of the targeting group. Furthermore, the targeting capacity of scAbGD2-PEG-g-PEI-SPION was successfully verified in vitro by confocal laser scanning microscopy, Prussian blue staining, and magnetic resonance imaging. Our results indicate that scAbGD2-PEG-g-PEI-SPION is a promising MRI-visible non-viral vector for targeted gene delivery to human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

An RGD-modified MRI-visible polymeric vector for targeted siRNA delivery to hepatocellular carcinoma in nude mice.

RNA interference (RNAi) has significant therapeutic promise for the genetic treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Targeted vectors are able to deliver small interfering RNA (siRNA) into HCC cells with high transfection efficiency and stability. The tripeptide arginine glycine aspartic acid (RGD)-modified non-viral vector, polyethylene glycol-grafted polyethylenimine functionalized with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (RGD-PEG-g-PEI-SPION), was constructed as a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-visible nanocarrier for the delivery of Survivin siRNA targeting the human HCC cell line Bel-7402. The biophysical characterization of the RGD-PEG-g-PEI-SPION was performed. The RGD-modified complexes exhibited a higher transfection efficiency in transferring Survivin siRNA into Bel-7402 cells compared with a non-targeted delivery system, which resulted in more significant gene suppression at both the Survivin mRNA and protein expression levels. Then, the level of caspase-3 activation was significantly elevated, and a remarkable level of tumor cell apoptosis was induced. As a result, the tumor growth in the nude mice Bel-7402 hepatoma model was significantly inhibited. The targeting ability of the RGD-PEG-g-PEI-SPION was successfully imaged by MRI scans performed in vitro and in vivo. Our results strongly indicated that the RGD-PEG-g-PEI-SPION can potentially be used as a targeted non-viral vector for altering gene expression in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma and for detecting the tumor in vivo as an effective MRI probe.

Targeted therapy for human hepatic carcinoma cells using folate-functionalized polymeric micelles loaded with superparamagnetic iron oxide and sorafenib in vitro.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effect of targeted folate-functionalized micelles containing superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) and sorafenib on human hepatic carcinoma (HepG2) cells in vitro, and to observe the feasibility of surveillance of this targeting therapeutic effect by magnetic resonance imaging. METHODS: Sorafenib and SPIONs were loaded into polymeric micelles. The targeted nanocarrier was synthesized by functionalizing the micelles with folate. Folate-free micelles loaded with sorafenib and SPIONs were used as control (nontargeted) micelles. Uptake of the nanocarrier by cells was assessed using Prussian blue staining after 1 hour of incubation with the polymeric micelles. The inhibitory effect of the targeted micelles on HepG2 cell proliferation at various concentrations of sorafenib was assessed in vitro using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay and apoptotic analysis using flow cytometry. Magnetic resonance imaging using a clinical 1.5 T scanner was performed to detect changes in the signal intensity of cells after incubation with the targeted micelles. RESULTS: Prussian blue staining showed significantly more intracellular SPIONs in cells incubated with the targeted micelles than those incubated with nontargeted micelles. The MTT assay showed that the average inhibitory ratio in the targeted group was significantly higher than that in the nontargeted group (38.13% versus 22.54%, P = 0.028). The mean apoptotic rate in the targeted cells, nontargeted cells, and untreated cells was 17.01%, 11.04%, and 7.89%, respectively. The apoptotic rate in the targeted cells was significantly higher than that in the nontargeted cells (P = 0.043). The T2 signal intensity on magnetic resonance imaging of cells treated with the targeted micelles decreased significantly with increasing concentrations of sorafenib in the cell culture medium, but there was no obvious decrease in signal intensity in cells treated with the nontargeted micelles. CONCLUSION: Folate-functionalized polymeric micelles loaded with SPIONs and sorafenib inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis of HepG2 cells in vitro. The inhibitory events caused by targeted micelles can be monitored using clinical magnetic resonance.

Simultaneous diagnosis and gene therapy of immuno-rejection in rat allogeneic heart transplantation model using a T-cell-targeted theranostic nanosystem.

As the final life-saving treatment option for patients with terminal organ failure, organ transplantation is far from an ideal solution. The concomitant allograft rejection, which is hardly detectable especially in the early acute rejection (AR) period characterized by an intense cellular and humoral attack on donor tissue, greatly affects the graft survival and results in rapid graft loss. Based on a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-visible and T-cell-targeted multifunctional polymeric nanocarrier developed in our lab, effective co-delivery of pDNA and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles into primary T cells expressing CD3 molecular biomarker was confirmed in vitro. In the heart transplanted rat model, this multifunctional nanocarrier showed not only a high efficiency in detecting post-transplantation acute rejection but also a great ability to mediate gene transfection in T cells. Upon intravenous injection of this MRI-visible polyplex of nanocarrier and pDNA, T-cell gathering was detected at the endocardium of the transplanted heart as linear strongly hypointense areas on the MRI T(2)*-weighted images on the third day after cardiac transplantation. Systematic histological and molecular biology studies demonstrated that the immune response in heart transplanted rats was significantly suppressed upon gene therapy using the polyplex bearing the DGKα gene. More excitingly, the therapeutic efficacy was readily monitored by noninvasive MRI during the treatment process. Our results revealed the great potential of the multifunctional nanocarrier as a highly effective imaging tool for real-time and noninvasive monitoring and a powerful nanomedicine platform for gene therapy of AR with high efficiency.

An MRI-visible non-viral vector for targeted Bcl-2 siRNA delivery to neuroblastoma.

Polyethylene glycol-grafted polyethylenimine (PEG-g-PEI) which was functionalized with a neuroblastoma cell-specific ligand, the GD2 single chain antibody (scAb(GD2)), was synthesized in order to effectively deliver Bcl-2 siRNA into neuroblastoma cells. This polymer was complexed first with superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle (SPION) to get a MRI-visible targeted non-viral vector (scAb(GD2)-PEG-g-PEI-SPION) and then with Bcl-2 siRNA to form nanoparticles showing low cytotoxicity. The targeting capacity of scAb(GD2)-PEG-g-PEI-SPION was successfully verified in vivo and in vitro by magnetic resonance imaging. The single chain antibody encoded targeted polyplex was more effective in transferring Bcl-2 siRNA than the nontargeting one in SK-N-SH cells, a human neuroblastoma cell line, resulting in a 46.34% inhibition in the expression of Bcl-2 mRNA. Consequently, a high level of cell apoptosis up to 50.76% and a significant suppression of tumor growth were achieved, which indicates that scAb(GD2)-PEG-g-PEI-SPION is a promising magnetic resonance imaging-visible non-viral vector for targeted neuroblastoma siRNA therapy and diagnosis.