An Automated, Clip-Type, Small Internet of Things Camera-Based Tomato Flower and Fruit Monitoring and Harvest Prediction System.

Automated crop monitoring using image analysis is commonly used in horticulture. Image-processing technologies have been used in several studies to monitor growth, determine harvest time, and estimate yield. However, accurate monitoring of flowers and fruits in addition to tracking their movements is difficult because of their location on an individual plant among a cluster of plants. In this study, an automated clip-type Internet of Things (IoT) camera-based growth monitoring and harvest date prediction system was proposed and designed for tomato cultivation. Multiple clip-type IoT cameras were installed on trusses inside a greenhouse, and the growth of tomato flowers and fruits was monitored using deep learning-based blooming flower and immature fruit detection. In addition, the harvest date was calculated using these data and temperatures inside the greenhouse. Our system was tested over three months. Harvest dates measured using our system were comparable with the data manually recorded. These results suggest that the system could accurately detect anthesis, number of immature fruits, and predict the harvest date within an error range of ±2.03 days in tomato plants. This system can be used to support crop growth management in greenhouses.

Comparative radiographic analysis of three-dimensional innate mobility of the foot bones under axial loading of humans and African great apes.

The human foot is considered to be morphologically adapted for habitual bipedal locomotion. However, how the mobility and mechanical interaction of the human foot with the ground under a weight-bearing condition differ from those of African great apes is not well understood. We compared three-dimensional (3D) bone kinematics of cadaver feet under axial loading of humans and African great apes using a biplanar X-ray fluoroscopy system. The calcaneus was everted and the talus and tibia were internally rotated in the human foot, but such coupling motion was much smaller in the feet of African great apes, possibly due to the difference in morphology of the foot bones and articular surfaces. This study also found that the changes in the length of the longitudinal arch were larger in the human foot than in the feet of chimpanzees and gorillas, indicating that the human foot is more deformable, possibly to allow storage and release of the elastic energy during locomotion. The coupling motion of the calcaneus and the tibia, and the larger capacity to be flattened due to axial loading observed in the human foot are possibly morphological adaptations for habitual bipedal locomotion that has evolved in the human lineage.

Three-dimensional kinematic change of hindfoot during full weightbearing in standing: an analysis using upright computed tomography and 3D-3D surface registration.

BACKGROUND: Weightbearing of the hindfoot affects positional changes of the ankle joint and subtalar joint (ankle-joint complex [AJC]). However, it is difficult to assess the kinematic changes in the hindfoot in a natural full weightbearing condition using conventional CT or cone beam computed tomography (CT) due to limitations of acquiring foot images under a physiological weightbearing condition using those imaging modalities. Analysis of AJC kinematics using fluoroscopy and 2D-3D registration technique requires data on the number of steps and amount of time to build and match the bones. This study aimed to analyze the effect of full weightbearing on hindfoot motion when standing using upright CT and 3D-3D surface registration. METHODS: Forty-eight AJCs of 24 asymptomatic volunteers (13 women, 11 men) were examined under no weightbearing, 50% weightbearing, and single leg full weightbearing conditions while standing. The CT images were acquired from the distal femur to the whole foot using a 320-row upright CT scanner. The condition of each weightbearing stance was measured using a pressure mat. Bone-to-bone rotations of the talus relative to the tibia and calcaneus relative to the talus were evaluated using the surface registration technique. Image quality of the CT and intra- and interobserver reliabilities of the rotation angle were also evaluated. RESULTS: All CT images were excellent or good quality and the intra- and interobserver correlation coefficients for the angle were 0.996 and 0.995, respectively. The motion of the ankle joint and subtalar joint under 50% and 100% weightbearing were as follows (in degrees); the talus plantarflexed (5.1 ± 4.5 and 6.8 ± 4.8), inverted (1.3 ± 1.4 and 2.0 ± 1.6), and internally rotated (2.4 ± 4.2 and 4.3 ± 4.6) relative to the tibia, and the calcaneus dorsiflexed (2.8 ± 1.4 and 3.8 ± 1.7), everted (5.3 ± 2.6 and 8.0 ± 3.6), and externally rotated (3.0 ± 2.0 and 4.1 ± 2.4) relative to the talus, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The effect of weightbearing was clearly identified using an upright CT and the 3D-3D registration technique. Three-dimensional kinematics under static full weightbearing were opposite between the ankle and subtalar joints on their respective axes.

Anthracycline could be essential for triple-negative breast cancer: A randomised phase II study by the Kanagawa Breast Oncology Group (KBOG) 1101.

BACKGROUND: It is important to determine whether anthracycline-containing regimens or taxane-containing regimens are more effective in individual patients. The present study compared the efficacy of six cycles of docetaxel and cyclophosphamide (TC6) with that of three cycles of 5-fluorouracil, epirubicin and cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel (FEC-D) in Japanese patients with hormone receptor (HR)-negative breast cancer (BC) to identify subtypes requiring anthracycline treatment. METHODS: The study included 103 patients with operable HR-negative BC. Of these patients 53 received FEC-D and 50 received TC6. The primary endpoint was pathological complete response (pCR). The secondary endpoints were safety, breast-conserving surgery, disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS). The predictive factors for each regimen were evaluated. RESULTS: Of the 103 patients, 97 completed the study (FEC-D, 50 patients; TC6, 47 patients). The pCR rate was higher with FEC-D (36%) than with TC6 (25.5%); however, the difference was not significant (P = 0.265). TC6 was safer than FEC-D, as the adverse events with docetaxel in the FEC-D regimen were similar to those with the TC6 regimen. Among patients with basal BC, the pCR rate was significantly higher with FEC-D (42.9%) than with TC6 (13.6%; P = 0.033). Among patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), the DFS and OS were significantly better with FEC-D than with TC6 (P = 0.016 and P = 0.034, respectively). CONCLUSION: TC6 was not as effective as FEC-D for treating HR-negative BC, as TC6 was not sufficient to treat TNBC, particularly the basal subtype. Our findings suggest that anthracyclines are better treatment options than taxanes for basal BC.

Effect of natural full weight-bearing during standing on the rotation of the first metatarsal bone.

To evaluate the rotational change in the first metatarsal bone (1MT) of the foot during natural standing using an upright computed tomography (CT) scanner with 320-detector rows. A total of 52 feet of 28 asymptomatic subjects (aged 23-39 years) were evaluated in the natural standing position with or without weight-bearing. A foot pressure plate was used to determine the non-weight-bearing (NWB) or single leg full-weight-bearing (s-FWB) conditions. CT examinations were performed using a noise index of 15 for a slice thickness of 5 mm, rotation speed of 0.5 sec, and slice thickness of 0.5 mm. The rotation of the 1MT was measured on the coronal CT image, which cut the sesamoids' bellies in the frontal slide of the first metatarsal and sesamoids perpendicular to the longitudinal bisection of the third metatarsal, and compared between the weight-bearing conditions. Intra- and inter-observer reliabilities of the rotation angle were also evaluated. The intra- and inter-observer correlation coefficients were 0.961 and 0.934, respectively. The 1MT pronation angle was significantly greater in the s-FWB condition than in the NWB condition (15.2° ± 5.4° vs. 12.5° ± 5.3°, P < 0.01). No sex difference was found in the magnitude of the 1MT pronation angle as a result of weight-bearing. This study first demonstrated that pronation of 1MT occurs due to natural full-weight-bearing in asymptomatic feet. The 1MT's rotational movement under weight-bearing conditions may relate to the onset and pathogenesis of the hallux valgus. Clin. Anat. 32:715-721, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Etiological factors in hallux valgus, a three-dimensional analysis of the first metatarsal.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that hallux valgus (HV) is associated with axial rotation of the first metatarsal (1MT). However, the association between HV and torsion of the 1MT head with respect to the base has not been previously investigated. The present study examined whether there was a significant difference in 1MT torsion between HV and control groups. METHODS: Three-dimensional (3D) computed tomography (CT) scans of 39 ft were obtained, and 3D surface models of the 1MT were generated to quantify the torsion of the head with respect to the base. The HV group consisted of 27 ft from 27 women (69.5 ± 7.5 years old). Only the feet of HV patients with an HV angle >20° on weight-bearing radiography were selected for analysis. The control group consisted of 12 ft from 12 women (67.7 ± 7.2 years old). In a virtual 3D space, two unit vectors, which describe the orientation of the 1MT head and base, were calculated. The angle formed by these two unit vectors representing 1MT torsion was compared between the control and hallux valgus groups. RESULTS: The mean (± standard deviation) of the torsional angle of the 1MT was 17.6 (± 7.7)° and 4.7 (± 4.0)° in the HV and control groups, respectively, and the difference was significant (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study, to the best of our knowledge, to investigate 1MT torsion in HV patients using CT-based 3D analysis. The 1MT showed significant eversion in hallux valgus patients compared to control group patients.