Integrated Augmented and Virtual Reality Technologies for Realistic Fire Drill Training.

In this article, we propose a novel fire drill training system designed specifically to integrate augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies into a single head-mounted display device to provide realistic as well as safe and diverse experiences. Applying hybrid AR/VR technologies in fire drill training may be beneficial because they can overcome limitations such as space-time constraints, risk factors, training costs, and difficulties in real environments. The proposed system can improve training effectiveness by transforming arbitrary real spaces into real-time, realistic virtual fire situations, and by interacting with tangible training props. Moreover, the system can create intelligent and realistic fire effects in AR by estimating not only the object type but also its physical properties. Our user studies demonstrated the potential of integrated AR/VR for improving training and education.

An Efficient Model for Lungs Nodule Classification Using Supervised Learning Technique.

Lung cancer has the highest death rate of any other cancer in the world. Detecting lung cancer early can increase a patient's survival rate. The corresponding work presents the method for improving the computer-aided detection (CAD) of nodules present in the lung area in computed tomography (CT) images. The main aim was to get an overview of the latest tools and technologies used: acquisition, storage, segmentation, classification, processing, and analysis of biomedical data. After the analysis, a model is proposed consisting of three main steps. In the first step, threshold values and component labeling of 3D components were used to segment the lung volume. In the second step, candidate nodules are identified and segmented with an optimal threshold value and rule-based trimming. It also selects 2D and 3D features from the candidate segmented node. In the final step, the selected features are used to train the SVM and classify the nodes and classify the non-nodes. To assess the performance of the proposed framework, experiments were performed on the LIDC data set. As a result, it was observed that the number of false positives in the nodule candidate was reduced to 4 FP per scan with a sensitivity of 95%.

Transfer Learning Assisted Classification and Detection of Alzheimer's Disease Stages Using 3D MRI Scans.

Alzheimer's disease effects human brain cells and results in dementia. The gradual deterioration of the brain cells results in disability of performing daily routine tasks. The treatment for this disease is still not mature enough. However, its early diagnosis may allow restraining the spread of disease. For early detection of Alzheimer's through brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), an automated detection and classification system needs to be developed that can detect and classify the subject having dementia. These systems also need not only to classify dementia patients but to also identify the four progressing stages of dementia. The proposed system works on an efficient technique of utilizing transfer learning to classify the images by fine-tuning a pre-trained convolutional network, AlexNet. The architecture is trained and tested over the pre-processed segmented (Grey Matter, White Matter, and Cerebral Spinal Fluid) and un-segmented images for both binary and multi-class classification. The performance of the proposed system is evaluated over Open Access Series of Imaging Studies (OASIS) dataset. The algorithm showed promising results by giving the best overall accuracy of 92.85% for multi-class classification of un-segmented images.

Determination of C-Terminal δ-Catenin Responsible for Inducing Dendritic Morphogenesis.

δ-Catenin induces dendritic morphogenesis in several cells and it was reported that deletion of C-terminal 207 amino acid of δ-catenin completely abolished the dendritic morphogenesis. However, exact domain responsible for inducing dendritic morphogenesis in C-terminus of δ-catenin was not mapped. Here, we report that expression of ΔC47 (lacking 47 amino acid of C-terminus: 1-1200), ΔC77 (lacking 77 amino acid of C-terminus: 1-1170) deletion mutants of δ-catenin induced the dendritic morphogenesis of HEK293T and NIH3T3 cells as full-length δ-catenin did. In agreement with previous report, ΔC207 deletion mutant did not show the dendritic morphogenesis of the cells. Interestingly, introducing 107 amino acid deletion of C-terminus (ΔC107 mutant: 1-1140) and 177 amino acid deletion of C-terminus (ΔC177 mutant: 1-1070) showed limited primary and secondary dendritic process and notable spine-like process formation. These results suggest that 1140-1170 amino acid of C-terminal δ-catenin is required for primary and secondary dendrite-like process formation.

The devil is in the specificity: the negative effect of prediction specificity on prediction accuracy.

In the research reported here, we proposed and demonstrated the prediction-specificity effect, which states that people's prediction of the general outcome of an event (e.g., the winner of a soccer match) is less accurate when the prediction question is framed in a more specific manner (e.g., guessing the score) rather than in a less specific manner (e.g., guessing the winner). We demonstrated this effect by examining people's predictions on actual sports games both in field and laboratory studies. In Study 1, the analysis of 19 billion bets from a commercial sports-betting business provided evidence for the effect of prediction specificity. This effect was replicated in three controlled laboratory studies, in which participants predicted the outcomes of a series of soccer matches. Furthermore, the negative effect of prediction specificity was mediated by participants' underweighting of important holistic information during decision making.

Baroclinic Turbulence with Varying Density and Temperature.

The explosive or volcanic scenes in motion pictures involve complex turbulent flow as its temperature and density vary in space. To simulate this turbulent flow of an inhomogeneous fluid, we propose a simple and efficient framework. Instead of explicitly computing the complex motion of this fluid dynamical instability, we first approximate the average motion of the fluid. Then, the high-resolution dynamics is computed using our new extended version of the vortex particle method with baroclinity. This baroclinity term makes turbulent effects by generating new vortex particles according to temperature/density distributions. Using our method, we efficiently simulated a complex scene with varying density and temperature.

Derivative particles for simulating detailed movements of fluids.

We present a new fluid simulation technique that significantly reduces the nonphysical dissipation of velocity. The proposed method is based on an apt use of particles and derivative information. We note that a major source of numerical dissipation in the conventional Navier-Stokes equations solver lies in the advection step. Hence, starting with the conventional grid-based simulator, when the details of fluid movements need to be simulated, we replace the advection part with a particle simulator. When swapping between the grid-based and particle-based simulators, the physical quantities such as the level set and velocity must be converted. For this purpose, we develop a novel dissipation-suppressing conversion procedure that utilizes the derivative information stored in the particles, as well as in the grid points. For the fluid regions where such details are not needed, the advection is simulated using an octree-based constrained interpolation profile (CIP) solver, which we develop in this work. Through several experiments, we show that the proposed technique can reproduce the detailed movements of high-Reynolds-number fluids such as droplets/bubbles, thin water sheets, and whirlpools. The increased accuracy in the advection, which forms the basis of the proposed technique, can also be used to produce better results in larger scale fluid simulations.

Effect of r-interferon-gamma on inerleukin-1 production by keratinocytes / 대한피부과학회지

It now appears that in addition to being a target for immunologic injury, the epidermis actively participate in various immunologic processes and thus may serve as the peripheral limb of the immune system. For example, keratinocytes produce the cytokines including IL-1 and in certain inflammatory diseases characterized by accumulation of T lymphocytes, kerationchtes aberrantly express HLA-DR antigen. In this study, the effect of interferon-gamma on keratinocytes IL-1alpha production were invesigated by radioimmunoassay, using as a model cultured keratinocytes stimulated with 30U/ml of recombinant-Interferon-gamma(IFN), IFN and 1microgram/ml of PMA(IFN-PMA), IFN-gamma and 25microgram/ml of LPS(IFN-LPS), PMA, and LPS. The expression of HLA-DR antigen and the effect of IFN-gammaon the proliferation of kerationcytes were also evaluated. The results were as follows: 1. The proliferation of keratinocytes was significantly inhibited in the IFN, IFN-PMA, and IFN-LPS groups compared with the control. The proliferation of kerationcytes in PMA and LPS groups was not inhibited. 2. The percent of HLA-DR positive kerationcytes was 62.5+/-3.1%, and 65.8+/-2.6% in IFN, IFN-PMA, and IFN-LPS group, respectively. There were no HLA-DR expression in the control, PMA, and LPS groups. 3. The amounts of IL-lalpha were 22.58+/-8.41, 49.32+/-13.01, 57.02+/-14.99, 96.98+/-43.17, 22.30+/-4.26, and 44.60+/-20.51 fmol in supernatant of control, IFN, IFN-PMA, IFN-LPS, PMA, and LPS group, respectively. The differences between IFN and control, IFN-PMA and PMA, and IFN-LPS and LPS were significant (P<0.05). The produciton of IL-1alphawas enhanced by IFN, but not PMA and LPS. The IL-1alpha induced by IFN and PMA was higher than that induced by IFN or PMA alone. The IL-1alpha induced by IFN and LPS was higher tthan that induced by IFN or LPS alone. 4. The amounts of IL-1alpha were 59.82+/-11.57, 70.15+/-25.22, 73.50+/-17.15, 63.67+/-32.38, 48.62+/-4.81, and 50.92+/-15.01 fmol in cell lysate of control, IFN, IFN-PMA, IFN-LPS, PMA, PMA, and LPS groups, respectively. The amount of IL-1alpha in IFN-PMA was significantly increased as compared to PMA(P<0.05). 5. The total amounts of IL-1alpha were 82.40+/-8.98, 119.47+/-21.88, 130.52+/-8.12, 160.66+/-34.51, 70.92+/-1.15, and 95.53+/-27.89 fmol in the control, IFN, IFN-PMA, IFN-LPS, Pma, and LPS groups, respectively, The differences between IFN and control, control, IFN-PMA and PMA and IFN-LPS and LPS were signigicant (P<0.05) the production of IL-1alpha was enhanced by IFN, but not PMA and LPS. The IL-1alpha induced by IFN and PMA was higher than that induced by PMA. The IL-1alpha induced by IFN and LPS was higher than that induced by IFN or LPS alone. In summary, the results indicate that when kerationcytes are activated by IFN-gamma, they are actively participating in the immunologic reaction by the increasing production of IL-1alpha.

A Case of Childhood Dermatomyositis / 대한피부과학회지

We report a case of childhood dermatomyositis t.hat developed in a 10-year-old boy. Skin lesion showed malar erythema, Gottron's papule, and poikiloderma those were compatible with dermatomyositis. And other clinical, laboratory, and histopathologic findings supported the diagnosis of derrnatomyositis. We treated him with oral corticosteroid, the lesion was improved and regular periodic follow up was attempted. From summary of all data of patient, this case was typical Brunsting type of childhood dermatomyositis.

Two Cases of Pseudocyst of Auricle / 대한피부과학회지

We present two cases of pseudocyst of auricle which occured in 59-year-old man and 21-year-old man. Each showed bean sized non-inflammatory cystic swelling of upper part of right auricle with slight tenderness and the cystic content was serosanguinous fluid. Cystic wall was composed of fibrovascular tissue replacing degenerated cartilage without lining epithelium.

Effect of Acupuncture on Histamine Induced Itch / 대한피부과학회지

We cairried out this study to find the possibility of itch control with acupuncture under the hypothesis that antipruritic effect also exists if the itch sensation is closely allied to pain. We evaluated the effect of acupuncture on histarnine induced itch, flare and wheal in 20 healthy male volunteers aged 24 32 years old and compared it with the effect of pseudoacupuncture on them and that of no intervention on them. The results were as follows: 1. Mans of itch intensity and duration were decreased in A(session with acupuncture) and P(session with Pseudoacupuncture), compared to those of N(session with no intervention), and A was more effective in decreasing the itch intensity and its duration than P. 2. Means of maximal sizes of flare and wheal were smaller in A and P, but there was no remarkable difference between A and P.

A Case of Xeroderma Pigmentosum / 대한피부과학회지

The role of the immune system in pathogenesis of skin cancer has been attracted increasing attention in recent years. Some limited studies and observations suggest that altered immune status may be a factor in the initiation and growth of cutaneous malignancies. Authors experienced a typical case of xeroderma pigmentosum in a 6 year-old girl, who has been suffered from hyper and hypopigmented macules on sun-exposed area, photophobia and also noted eroded lesion on the lower lip. The biopsy finding of the hyperpigmented macule showed that of freckle and the finding of actinic cheilitis was observed from the specimen of eroded 1esion on the lower lip. We performed immunologic test and obtained some evidences of immunologic defect; such as decreased numbers of total T cells, T-suppressor cell and B cell in our patient.

A Case of Epidermolysis Bullosa Dystrophica / 대한피부과학회지

Epidermolysis bullosa dystrophica(EBD) is a rare, hereditary and chronic mechanobullous disease characterized by blistering and erosions of the skin in response to even minor trauma. A 5-year old girl visited with a complaint of continuous vesicobullous skin eruptions since birth. On examination, bullae, vesicles, atrophic scars, crusts and ero:ions were scattered on whole body. Loss of finger and toe nails, partial syndactyly of all toe webs and milia on dorsa of feet were noticed. We present a case of EBD that seems to be a recessive type considering the absence of family history with histopathologic and electron microscopic findings.