A High Performance and Robust FPGA Implementation of a Driver State Monitoring Application.

A high-performance Driver State Monitoring (DSM) application for the detection of driver drowsiness is presented in this paper. The popular Ensemble of Regression Trees (ERTs) machine learning method has been employed for the alignment of 68 facial landmarks. Open-source implementation of ERTs for facial shape alignment has been ported to different platforms and adapted for the acceleration of the frame processing speed using reconfigurable hardware. Reducing the frame processing latency saves time that can be used to apply frame-to-frame facial shape coherency rules. False face detection and false shape estimations can be ignored for higher robustness and accuracy in the operation of the DSM application without sacrificing the frame processing rate that can reach 65 frames per second. The sensitivity and precision in yawning recognition can reach 93% and 97%, respectively. The implementation of the employed DSM algorithm in reconfigurable hardware is challenging since the kernel arguments require large data transfers and the degree of data reuse in the computational kernel is low. Hence, unconventional hardware acceleration techniques have been employed that can also be useful for the acceleration of several other machine learning applications that require large data transfers to their kernels with low reusability.

Correlation of apoptosis with the distribution and composition of lymphocytic infiltrate in human breast carcinomas.

We studied the lymphocytic infiltrate in human breast carcinomas and correlated its distribution and composition with the apoptotic index of cancerous cells. Paraffin sections from 36 human breast carcinomas with prominent lymphocytic infiltration were immunohistochemically stained with L26, UCHL1 and Leu-7 antibodies. Apoptotic index was expressed as the number of cells undergoing apoptosis per 20 HPF. The lymphocytic infiltrate was composed mainly of T-cells, usually peripherally but in 17 cases intratumorally distributed. T-cells, in contact with apoptotic cells, were observed in 11 cases. B-cells formed small aggregates at the periphery of the tumor. NK cells were present isolated in the infiltrate. No correlation was found between the type and distribution of the lymphocytic infiltrate and apoptotic index. The presence of intratumoral T-lymphocytes, occasionally observed in contact with apoptotic cells, may suggest that they could be partly associated with the apoptotic death of cancerous cells.

Changes in elongation of falx cerebri during craniosacral therapy techniques applied on the skull of an embalmed cadaver.

Craniosacral therapy supports that light forces applied to the skull may be transmitted to the dura membrane having a therapeutic effect to the cranial system. This study examines the changes in elongation of falx cerebri during the application of some of the craniosacral therapy techniques to the skull of an embalmed cadaver. The study demonstrates that the relative elongation of the falx cerebri changes as follows: for the frontal lift, 1.44 mm; for the parietal lift, 1.08 mm; for the sphenobasilar compression, -0.33 mm; for the sphenobasilar decompression, 0.28 mm; and for the ear pull, inconclusive results. The present study offers validation for the scientific basis of craniosacral therapy and the contention for cranial suture mobility.

[Histological findings of the mucosa of the larynx in healthy individuals]. / Histologische Befunde an der Kehlkopfschleimhaut bei gesunden Individuen.

A histological study of the laryngeal mucosa was carried out in one hundred biopsy specimens taken out, within the first 24 hours after death, from individuals who didn't die because of laryngeal disease. The histological findings were correlated with regard to the age, sex and habits of these individuals and led to the following observations: 1. The squamous epithelium was found to line the laryngeal mucosa in other sites beyond the vocal cords and regardless of the age and sex. 2. Metaplasia and dysplasia of the laryngeal epithelium appear to develop progressively on growing. These lesions are mainly extended to the vocal cords and to the laryngeal surface of the epiglottis in individuals who live in large, crowded cities with high atmospheric pollution as well as in heavy smokers. Contrary to the men, the women show a reduced tendency towards the development of such lesions on the laryngeal epithelium. 3. Where the squamous epithelium emerges into the submucosa, forming crypt-like formations, it appears to be more hyperplastic and more dysplastic. 4. In cases where an extended laryngeal sac was observed the epithelium of the vocal cords presented an extensive squamous metaplasia and dysplasia.

[Fibrous dysplasia of the facial bones (author's transl)]. / Fibröse Dysplasie der Gesichtsknochen.

On the occasion of three cases of fibrous dysplasia (two of frontal sinus and the ethmoids and one of the upper jaw) the problem of fibrous dysplasia of the jaws is analysed. The clinical picture is characterized by a slow and gradual emergence of facial assymetric or exophathalmos. Histologically there is a variety of form. The treatment is largely a remodeling osteotomy. The writers effectively applied on all three cases a radial removal of the lesion.

[Fibrosarcoma of the head and neck. Diagnosis and therapy (author's transl)]. / Fibrosarkome an Kopf und Hals. Diagnose und Therapie.

We report about two patients with fibrosarcoma of the soft tissues of the face. We discuss the problems of biological viability of the tumor, of the diagnostics and of the etiological factors, and about the therapy. The prognosis depends on the localisation, the degree of malignancy of the tumor and the therapy.

[Schwannoma in otorhinolaryngology]. / Uber die Schwannome in der Oto-Rhino-Laryngologie

In this study 4 cases of Schwannoma are reported. The primary localisation of the tumor in the first case was thought to be near the foreamen lacerum with large areas of bone destruction in the base of the skull. Moreover the internal carotid artery was trophic and thinwalled. In the second patient the onset of the disease must have taken place in childhood as a chronic otitis media. Also in this case the tumor was not diagnosed until it reached a considerable size. The primary localisation was the nervus petrosus superficialis major. In the third patient the neurinoma was located in the facial nerve between the two lobes of the parotid gland. In the fourth case a pedunculated neurinoma of the epipharynx was found. Symptomatology, treatment and differential diagnosis of the Schwannoma are discussed.