Region-Based Static Video Stitching for Reduction of Parallax Distortion.

In this paper, we propose a semantic segmentation-based static video stitching method to reduce parallax and misalignment distortion for sports stadium scenes with dynamic foreground objects. First, video frame pairs for stitching are divided into segments of different classes through semantic segmentation. Region-based stitching is performed on matched segment pairs, assuming that segments of the same semantic class are on the same plane. Second, to prevent degradation of the stitching quality of plain or noisy videos, the homography for each matched segment pair is estimated using the temporally consistent feature points. Finally, the stitched video frame is synthesized by stacking the stitched matched segment pairs and the foreground segments to the reference frame plane by descending order of the area. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated by comparing the subjective quality, geometric distortion, and pixel distortion of video sequences stitched using the proposed and conventional methods. The proposed method is shown to reduce parallax and misalignment distortion in segments with plain texture or large parallax, and significantly improve geometric distortion and pixel distortion compared to conventional methods.

Multi-Frame Based Homography Estimation for Video Stitching in Static Camera Environments.

In this paper, a multi-frame based homography estimation method is proposed for video stitching in static camera environments. A homography that is robust against spatio-temporally induced noise can be estimated by intervals, using feature points extracted during a predetermined time interval. The feature point with the largest blob response in each quantized location bin, a representative feature point, is used for matching a pair of video sequences. After matching representative feature points from each camera, the homography for the interval is estimated by random sample consensus (RANSAC) on the matched representative feature points, with their chances of being sampled proportional to their numbers of occurrences in the interval. The performance of the proposed method is compared with that of the per-frame method by investigating alignment distortion and stitching scores for daytime and noisy video sequence pairs. It is shown that alignment distortion in overlapping regions is reduced and the stitching score is improved by the proposed method. The proposed method can be used for panoramic video stitching with static video cameras and for panoramic image stitching with less alignment distortion.

A comparative study of the trends in epidemiological aspects of Lyme disease infections in Korea and Japan, 2011-2016.

Lyme disease (LD) is one of the most prevalent tick-borne emerging infections in North America, Europe, and far Eastern Asia including Korea and Japan. This study was undertaken with the aim of a comparative and quantitative analysis of the epidemiological aspects of LD infections in Korea and Japan from 2011 to 2016. The raw data analyzed in this study were obtained from the websites of the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC), Korea, and the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), Japan. In total 65 cases of LD were observed with a cumulative incidence rate (CIR) of 0.22 per million population in Korea from 2011 to 2016. During the same period in Japan, there were 75 cases of LD with a CIR of 0.10 [significantly higher than that in Korea (p <0.01)]. Further, the results showed that in Korea, LD incidence was slightly higher in women than in men; but in Japan, the case was reverse, with incidence much higher in men than women. The proportion of cases differed significantly by age-specific adjusted groups within both countries (p <0.01). In both the countries, the incidence of LD was highest among those aged ≤20 yr (93.8% cases in Korea, and 94.7% cases in Japan). Cases peaked in autumn (46.7% of total cases) in Korea and in summer (60.0%) in Japan (p <0.01). The counties in rural areas had a significantly higher proportion of cases than the capital cities in both the countries (p <0.01). The study indicates that LD in Korea and Japan is an emerging zoonosis, and pose a serious risk to public health. The results underscore the continued emergency of LD and provide a basis for targeting prevention campaigns to a population with increasing incidence. Proper information, education and communication (IEC) activities can be helpful in reducing the spread of infection.

Shadow Detection Based on Regions of Light Sources for Object Extraction in Nighttime Video.

Intelligent video surveillance systems detect pre-configured surveillance events through background modeling, foreground and object extraction, object tracking, and event detection. Shadow regions inside video frames sometimes appear as foreground objects, interfere with ensuing processes, and finally degrade the event detection performance of the systems. Conventional studies have mostly used intensity, color, texture, and geometric information to perform shadow detection in daytime video, but these methods lack the capability of removing shadows in nighttime video. In this paper, a novel shadow detection algorithm for nighttime video is proposed; this algorithm partitions each foreground object based on the object's vertical histogram and screens out shadow objects by validating their orientations heading toward regions of light sources. From the experimental results, it can be seen that the proposed algorithm shows more than 93.8% shadow removal and 89.9% object extraction rates for nighttime video sequences, and the algorithm outperforms conventional shadow removal algorithms designed for daytime videos.

Unified camera tamper detection based on edge and object information.

In this paper, a novel camera tamper detection algorithm is proposed to detect three types of tamper attacks: covered, moved and defocused. The edge disappearance rate is defined in order to measure the amount of edge pixels that disappear in the current frame from the background frame while excluding edges in the foreground. Tamper attacks are detected if the difference between the edge disappearance rate and its temporal average is larger than an adaptive threshold reflecting the environmental conditions of the cameras. The performance of the proposed algorithm is evaluated for short video sequences with three types of tamper attacks and for 24-h video sequences without tamper attacks; the algorithm is shown to achieve acceptable levels of detection and false alarm rates for all types of tamper attacks in real environments.

Step Detection Robust against the Dynamics of Smartphones.

A novel algorithm is proposed for robust step detection irrespective of step mode and device pose in smartphone usage environments. The dynamics of smartphones are decoupled into a peak-valley relationship with adaptive magnitude and temporal thresholds. For extracted peaks and valleys in the magnitude of acceleration, a step is defined as consisting of a peak and its adjacent valley. Adaptive magnitude thresholds consisting of step average and step deviation are applied to suppress pseudo peaks or valleys that mostly occur during the transition among step modes or device poses. Adaptive temporal thresholds are applied to time intervals between peaks or valleys to consider the time-varying pace of human walking or running for the correct selection of peaks or valleys. From the experimental results, it can be seen that the proposed step detection algorithm shows more than 98.6% average accuracy for any combination of step mode and device pose and outperforms state-of-the-art algorithms.

Effective Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection of a Huge Esophageal Liposarcoma: A Case Report.

This case report presents the successful endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) of a well-differentiated esophageal liposarcoma in a 51-year-old male with persistent dysphagia. The cause was initially diagnosed as a 10 cm pedunculated lesion extending from the upper esophageal sphincter to the mid-esophagus. An ESD was chosen over traditional surgery because it is less invasive. The procedure involved a precise submucosal injection and excision with special techniques to manage bleeding from a central vessel. Despite the extraction challenges owing to the size of the lesion, it was successfully removed orally. A histopathological examination of the 8.3×4.2×2.3 cm specimen revealed the characteristic features of a well-differentiated liposarcoma, including MDM2 and CDK4 positivity. The follow-up revealed no recurrence, and active surveillance has been performed since. This report highlights the versatility of ESD in treating significant esophageal tumors and provides evidence for its efficacy as a minimally invasive alternative.

Epigallocatechin gallate inhibits sphere formation of neuroblastoma BE(2)-C cells.

OBJECTIVES: A growing number of epidemiological studies have demonstrated that the consumption of green tea inhibits the growth of a variety of cancers. Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), the most abundant catechin in green tea, has been shown to have an anti-cancer effect against many cancers. Most cancers are believed to be initiated from and maintained by a small population of tumor-initiating cells (TICs) that are responsible for chemotherapeutic resistance and tumor relapse. In neuroblastoma, an aggressive pediatric tumor that often relapses and has a poor prognosis, TICs were recently identified as spheres grown in a serum-free non-adherent culture used for neural crest stem cell growth. Although EGCG has been reported to induce growth arrest and apoptosis in neuroblastoma cells, its effect on neuroblastoma TICs remains to be defined. METHODS: Gene expression was analyzed by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The effects of EGCG on cell proliferation, apoptosis, and sphere formation were determined by cell counting, propidium iodide staining, and sphere (>100 µm in diameter) counting, respectively. RESULTS: Neuroblastoma BE(2)-C cells showed increased expression of stem cell markers (nanog homeobox [NANOG] and octamer-binding transcription factor 4 [OCT4]), as well as decreased expression of neuronal differentiation markers (Cu(2+)-transporting ATPase alpha polypeptide [ATP7A] and dickkopf homolog 2 [DKK2]) in spheres grown in serum-free non-adherent culture, compared to parental cells grown in conventional culture. Although EGCG induced growth arrest and apoptosis in the parental cells in a dose-dependent manner, it was not effective against spheres. However, EGCG potently inhibited sphere formation in the BE(2)-C cells. CONCLUSIONS: The present results suggest that EGCG may inhibit the development of TICs in BE(2)-C cells.

Herbal Medicine Containing Licorice May Be Contraindicated for a Patient with an HSD11B2 Mutation.

Licorice ingestion, as well as mutations in the HSD11B2 gene, inhibits 11ß-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11ßHSD2) enzyme activity, causing the syndrome of apparent mineral corticoid excess (AME). However, the combined effect of licorice ingestion and an HSD11B2 mutation has never been reported, until now. In this study, we demonstrated that licorice ingestion can produce overt hypertension in an individual without medical history of hypertension who is heterozygous for wild-type and mutant HSD11B2 genes. Our patient was a 51-year-old female with serious hypertension who had been taking herbal medicine containing licorice for more than one year. She was clinically diagnosed as having licorice intoxication, because she did not present with hypertension after ceasing the herbal medicine. Molecular analysis showed that she carried a missense mutation, c.40C>T, in HSD11B2. In conclusion, licorice ingestion is an environmental risk factor for hypertension or AME state in patients with a mutation in HSD11B2. Carrying a mutation in HSD11B2 is, conversely, a genetic risk factor for licorice-induced hypertension or AME state. Herbal medicine containing licorice may, therefore, be contraindicated in patients with an HSD11B2 mutation.

Two novel mutations in the ED1 gene in Japanese families with X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia.

X-linked hypohidrotic ectodermal dysplasia (XLHED), which is characterized by hypodontia, hypotrichosis, and hypohidrosis, is caused by mutations in ED1, the gene encoding ectodysplasin-A (EDA). This protein belongs to the tumor necrosis factor ligand superfamily. We analyzed ED1 in two Japanese patients with XLHED. In patient 1, we identified a 4-nucleotide insertion, c.119-120insTGTG, in exon 1, which led to a frameshift mutation starting from that point (p.L40fsX100). The patient's mother was heterozygous for this mutation. In patient 2, we identified a novel missense mutation, c.1141G>C, in exon 9, which led to a substitution of glycine with arginine in the TNFL domain of EDA (p.G381R). This patient's mother and siblings showed neither symptoms nor ED1 mutations, so this mutation was believed to be a de novo mutation in maternal germline cells. According to molecular simulation analysis of protein structure and electrostatic surface, p.G381R increases the distance between K375 in monomer A and K327 in monomer B, which suggests an alteration of overall structure of EDA. Thus, we identified two novel mutations, p.L40fsX100 and p.G381R, in ED1 of two XLHED patients. Simulation analysis suggested that the p.G381R mutation hampers binding of EDA to its receptor via alteration of overall EDA structure.

Cadmium exposure induces expression of the HOXB8 gene in COS-7 cells.

Cadmium (Cd) is a serious toxic metal, which is classified as a possible human carcinogen. We assessed the effects of Cd on the expression levels of homeobox genes, which are associated with carcinogenesis. Among 6 homeobox genes examined in this study, only HOXB8 exhibited increased mRNA expression in COS-7 cells treated with 10 microM CdCl(2). Semiquantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed that the HOXB8 mRNA level was increased by a maximum of 5.4-fold after 6h of Cd exposure. The levels of HOXA7, A9, C4, C9 and C10 mRNAs decreased from 0.1 to 0.3-fold. Silencing of HOXB8 mRNA expression using a siRNA increased HOXC9 and C10 mRNA expression levels by 6.6- and 1.9-fold, respectively. These results suggest that HOXB8 upregulation is associated with suppression of HOXC9 and C10, and that decreased expression of HOXC9 and C10 after Cd exposure is partly due to HOXB8 induction. In conclusion, Cd disrupts the HOX network. Comprehensive analyses of all the HOX gene expression levels in the presence of Cd may afford clues toward understanding Cd-induced carcinogenesis and teratogenesis.

Comparative research on epidemiological aspects of tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus) between Korea and Japan.

In order to compare the epidemiological aspects of tsutsugamushi disease (scrub typhus) between Korea and Japan, we analyzed the current state of tsutsugamushi disease outbreaks and related risk factors. The average prevalence rate of tsutsugamushi disease from 2001 to 2005 in Korea was higher than that in Japan (7.2 and 0.3 per 100,000 population, respectively) (P<0.01). The seasonal distribution in Korea showed that the incidence of tsutsugamushi disease in autumn (94.5% of total cases) was higher than in Japan (38.2%) (P<0.01), while the incidences of outbreaks in other seasons were much higher in Japan (P<0.01). In Korea, more females (64.8%) were infected than males (35.2%) (P<0.01), while there was no significant difference in Japan. The remarkable difference between the gender distribution in Korea and Japan is believed to reflect cultural differences between the two countries in terms of work, dress and ornamentation. In both countries, elderly people (over 60 years old), especially in rural areas, showed a very high prevalence rate (50%), which is possibly due to increased outdoor activities and a decreased number of young people in those areas. These differences in tsutsugamushi disease risk factors reflect the different influences of vectors/hosts, climate, and geographical and cultural characteristics between the two countries.

SMN2 and NAIP gene dosages in Vietnamese patients with spinal muscular atrophy.

BACKGROUND: The SMN1 gene is now recognized as a spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)-causing gene, while SMN2 and NAIP have been characterized as a modifying factor of the clinical severity of SMA. Gene dosage of SMN2 is associated with clinical severity of SMA. But the relationship between gene dosage of NAIP and clinical severity of SMA remains to be clarified, although complete deletion of NAIP is frequent in type I patients. METHODS: To evaluate the contribution of the SMN2 and NAIP gene dosages to SMA, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure copy numbers of SMN2 and NAIP in 34 Vietnamese SMA patients lacking SMN1 (13 type I, 11 type II and 10 type III patients). RESULTS: The SMN2 copy number in type I patients was significantly lower than that in type II-III patients, which was compatible with the previous reports. In contrast, 25 out of 34 patients had only zero or one copy of NAIP, while 50 out of 52 controls had two or more copies. For NAIP (+) genotype, six out of 13 type I patients, eight out of 11 type II patients and six out of 10 type III patients carried one NAIP copy. CONCLUSIONS: The SMN2 copy number was related to the clinical severity of SMA among Vietnamese patients. The presence of one NAIP copy, that is, heterozygous NAIP deletion, was common in Vietnamese SMA, regardless of clinical phenotype.

International Travel and Exotic Dengue Fever in South Korea from 2006 to 2015.

We analyzed reported dengue fever (DF) cases and DF-relevant characteristics in South Korea from 2006 to 2015. A total of 1,260 DF notifications were obtained during the study period that were presumably introduced from endemic foreign countries. The nationwide cumulative incidence rate (CIR) of DF was 0.25 per 100,000 population; CIR of DF among overseas travelers was 0.93. CIRs of overseas male and female travelers were 1.13 and 0.87, respectively. CIR of overseas travelers aged 20-39 years was the highest. More men (61.9%) were infected with the dengue virus than women (38.1%, P<0.01). Individuals aged 20-39 years were most infected than those of other ages (58.4%, P<0.01). About a third of reported DF cases occurred between June and November. Most of the imported DF cases were associated with traveling in Southeast Asia (86.1%). The incidence of DF was highly correlated with the total number of overseas travelers (Pearson correlation r=0.842, P<0.01). The number of reported patients with DF has been increasing in the last decade, and DF is associated with international travel. To prevent dengue virus infections, greater attention should be paid to individuals who are planning to travel to Southeast Asia.

Comparative Study on the Epidemiological Trends and Aspects of Murine Typhus in Korea in the Last Decade (2006-2015).

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we undertook a retrospective analysis of the epidemiological aspects and risk factors of murine typhus (MT) in Korea in the last decade (2006-2015). MATERIALS AND METHODS: MT infections in Korea using a total of 411 cases obtained from the Diseases Web Statistical System of the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention. RESULTS: In a total of 411 MT infection cases, the cumulative incidence rate was 0.08/100,000 populations. Men were slightly more infected by MT as compared to women (51.3% vs. 48.7%), and a higher incidence of MT was observed in people aged over 40 years (93.4%; P < 0.01). The seasonal pattern of outbreaks revealed that most infections occurred from October to November (69.1% of the total cases) (P < 0.01). Significantly more outbreaks occurred in the southern part (53.5%) of the Korean peninsula as compared to its northern (33.3%) and central (10.7%) parts, as well as the Jeju Island (1.0%) (P < 0.01). In addition, the number of MT infections was significantly higher in rural and sea-village (87.6%) than in urban areas (12.4%; P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the rapid reemergence of MT outbreaks can be minimized through health education, and a strong enforcement of control measures against rats and their ectoparasites could markedly reduce the transmission of this infection to humans in high-risk areas.

A novel mutation at the N-terminal of SMN Tudor domain inhibits its interaction with target proteins.

Although most patients with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) are homozygous for deletion of the SMN1 gene, some patients bear one SMN1 copy with a subtle mutation. Detection of such an intragenic mutation may be helpful not only in confirming diagnosis but also in elucidating functional domains of the SMN protein. In this study, we identified a novel mutation in SMN1 of two Japanese patients with type I SMA. DHPLC and sequencing analysis revealed that they harbored a point mutation in SMN1 exon 3, 275G > C, leading to tryptophan-to-serine substitution at amino acid 92 (W92S) at the Nterminal of SMN Tudor domain. In-vitro protein binding assays showed that the mutation severely reduced interaction of the domain with SmB protein and fibrillarin, suggesting that it impairs the critical function of SMN. In conclusion, we reported here that a novel mutation, W92S, in the Tudor domain affects the interaction of SMN with the target proteins.

A Comparative Study of the Trends of Imported Dengue Cases in Korea and Japan 2011 - 2015.

BACKGROUND: Dengue is a mosquito-borne febrile disease that represents a major public health problem in tropical and subtropical areas. Even though Korea and Japan are not the regions where dengue is epidemic, there have been many imported cases in both countries, and in increasing numbers. A better understanding of the characteristics of the prevalence of dengue and the recent trends in these neighboring countries may provide information to promote improvement and control strategies for both. The present study investigated the epidemiological status of imported dengue cases in Korea and Japan between 2011 and 2015, and compared their characteristics. METHODS: We analyzed the annual transition of prevalence, geographic origin of dengue infection, and seasonal distribution of occurrence. The raw data on dengue cases in Korea were obtained from the Korea Center for Disease Control and Prevention infectious diseases surveillance website and Korean Statistical Information Service website. Data on dengue cases in Japan were obtained from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases, Japan's Infectious Disease Surveillance Center website. RESULTS: There were 893 reported cases in Korea and 1,054 in Japan between 2011 and 2015. Cumulative incidence per 100,000 overseas travelers from Japan did not substantially differ from that for Korea (1.22 vs. 1.16, respectively), despite Japan's population being roughly 2.5 times larger. These results suggest Koreans engage in overseas travel more than Japanese. For Korea and Japan, Southeast Asia was the region accounting for the most cases of infection (89.4% vs. 75.4%, respectively). Notably, the Philippines and Indonesia were, respectively, the leading origin countries for Korean (38.1%) and Japanese (23.3%) cases. Seasonal distribution shows August and September were the months in which the largest number of cases occurred in Korea and Japan, respectively. These differences evidently derive from characteristics of travel destinations and timing of holidays. CONCLUSION: Based on the recent increasing trend in imported dengue cases in both countries, a more rigorous information system that can effectively provide warning of dengue risk and means of prevention for travelers headed to at-risk areas is urgently needed in both countries.

A Comparative Study of the Epidemiological Aspects of Legionnaires' Disease: Outbreaks in Korea and Japan, 2010 - 2014.

BACKGROUND: In the present study, we compared the epidemiological aspects of Legionnaire' disease (LD) outbreaks in Korea and Japan by analyzing the current state from 2010 to 2014. METHODS: The following factors were analyzed: nationwide cumulative incidence rate (CIR) per 100,000 populations and case-fatality rate in percentage, epidemiological aspects (i.e., case related to gender), male to female morbidity ratio (MFMR), age, seasonality and habitat distribution of LD cases. RESULTS: In total, there were 134 cases of LD with the CIR of 0.05 per 100,000 populations in Korea from 2010 to 2014. During the same period in Japan, there were 4,840 cases of LD with a CIR of 0.76 per 100,000 populations. The CIR in Japan was significantly higher than that in Korea. However, the case-fatality rates were at similar levels (3.0% vs. 5.9%). Moreover, LD affects both sexes differently, accounting for 2.05 and 4.41 of MFMR in Korea and Japan, respectively. In both countries, the incidence mainly occurred among people aged 40 years or older, and peaked in summer (37.3% vs. 33.7% of total cases). Significant differences were observed in the incidence of LD cases between the capital city and county areas in both two countries. These differences in LD risk factors reflect the different influences of reservoir/host with natural or artificial aquatic environments. CONCLUSION: This study provides a quantitative analysis of the epidemiological aspects and risk factors of LD outbreaks in Korea and Japan. We hope this study would be helpful for providing insight on effective future strategies to reduce LD outbreaks.

Evaluation of mutation effects on UGT1A1 activity toward 17beta-estradiol using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Mutations in the gene encoding UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 (UGT1A1) may reduce the glucuronidation of estradiol, bilirubin, etc. In the present study, we used a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method to assay the activities of recombinant mutated UGT1A1 toward 17beta-estradiol (E2), by determining its glucuronide (E2G) content. Direct evidence for glucuronide formation was provided by E2G-specific ion peaks. The UGT1A1 activities of G71R (exon 1), F83L (exon 1), I322V (exon 2) and G493R (exon 5) mutants were 24, 30, 18 and 0.6% of the normal UGT1A1 activity, respectively. In conclusion, our study showed that LC/MS/MS enabled accurate evaluation of the effects of mutations on recombinant UGT1A1 activity towards E2.

A Comparative Study of the Epidemiology of Human Leptospirosis in Korea and Japan between 2006 and 2012.

We undertook a comparative analysis of the epidemiology of reported human leptospirosis (HL) cases in Korea and Japan. Between 2006 and 2012, the cumulative incidence of HL in Korea was higher than that in Japan (1.26 vs. 0.14 per 100,000 population, respectively), and the total reported cases were 632 and 196, respectively. Significantly more men were infected than women in both Korea (63.0% men, P < 0.01) and Japan (87.8% men, P < 0.01). In both countries, the incidence was highest among those aged 40 years and older (60%), and peaked in autumn (78.5% cases in Korea, and 46.9% cases in Japan). However, Japan exhibited a significantly higher proportion of male cases, a younger age distribution, and less prominent seasonality. A significant difference was observed in the incidence of HL between the capital city and rural areas in Korea, but not in Japan. The differences in agricultural and forestry practices, and the efficacy or wastewater treatment infrastructure might influence the incidence level in rural areas in both countries. The differences between the 2 countries might be because of their unique geographical characteristics and variations in their levels of industrialization.