iKnowHow (Greece)

Due to the accelerated growth of the world’s population, food security and sustainable agricultural practices have become essential. The incorporation of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled robotic systems in cultivation, especially in greenhouse environments, represents a promising solution, where the utilization of the confined infrastructure improves the efficacy and accuracy of numerous agricultural duties. In this paper, we present a comprehensive autonomous navigation architecture for holonomic mobile robots in greenhouses. Our approach utilizes the heating system rails to navigate through the crop rows using a single stereo camera for perception and a LiDAR sensor for accurate distance measurements. A finite state machine orchestrates the sequence of required actions, enabling fully automated task execution, while semantic segmentation provides essential cognition to the robot. Our approach has been evaluated in a real-world greenhouse using a custom-made robotic platform, showing its overall efficacy for automated inspection tasks in greenhouses.

The rapid growth of nanotechnology has increased the need for fast nanoscale imaging. X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) facilities currently provide such coherent sources of directional and high-brilliance X-ray radiation. These facilities require large financial investments for development, maintenance, and manpower, and thus, only a few exist worldwide. In this article, we present an automated table-top system for XUV coherent diffraction imaging supporting the capabilities for multispectral microscopy at high repetition rates, based on laser high harmonic generation from gases. This prototype system aims towards the development of an industrial table-top system of ultrafast soft X-ray multi-spectral microscopy imaging for nanostructured materials with enormous potential and a broad range of applications in current nanotechnologies. The coherent XUV radiation is generated in a semi-infinite gas cell via the high harmonic generation of the near-infrared femtosecond laser pulses. The XUV spectral selection is performed by specially designed multilayer XUV mirrors that do not affect the XUV phase front and pulse duration.

Abstract Custom currencies (ERC-20) on Ethereum are wildly popular, but they are second class to the primary currency Ether. Custom currencies are more complex and more expensive to handle than the primary currency as their accounting is not natively performed by the underlying ledger, but instead in user-defined contract code. Furthermore, and quite importantly, transaction fees can only be paid in Ether. In this paper, we focus on being able to pay transaction fees in custom currencies. We achieve this by way of a mechanism permitting short term liabilities to pay transaction fees in conjunction with offers of custom currencies to compensate for those liabilities. This enables block producers to accept custom currencies in exchange for settling liabilities of transactions that they process.We present formal ledger rules to handle liabilities together with the concept of babel fees to pay transaction fees in custom currencies. We also discuss how clients can determine what fees they have to pay, and we present a solution to the knapsack problem variant that block producers have to solve in the presence of babel fees to optimise their profits.

Recent technological advances in computer vision and the advent of commercial RGB-D sensors have certainly boosted 3D modeling applications. This work presents an integrated system that enables the digitization of big objects, like vehicles, with low-cost RGB-D sensors. The implemented system can be used for visualization and monitoring of vehicles in large fleets that currently require a time-consuming manual inspection process. The main objective is to achieve an efficient consolidation of multiple views of a vehicle inside a moving frame, to acquire color and depth data and generate its 3D representation. The proposed integrated system denoises the acquired depth maps, aligns the produced point clouds captured in different time instances, and builds the 3D-reconstructed mesh. Finally, we apply a texture mapping algorithm to acquire realistic texture details and remove any visible seams. We evaluate all modules of the implemented system by performing several experiments with scanned vehicles.

Antibiotic cycling has been proposed as a strategy to combat the emergence of antimicrobial resistance but has been implemented with conflicting results. A cycling strategy including four broad-spectrum antimicrobial regimens administrated sequentially over 3-month cycles in patients with febrile neutropenia was implemented in a haematology unit, during a 2-year period (2001–2003). Compliance to the strategy ranged between 57 and 100% and overall successful clinical response was 83%. Resistance rates of Gram negatives remained either stable or decreased (for Pseudomonas aeruginosa) at the end of the cycling period and no rectal colonization with resistant pathogens was recorded during the study period. The incidence of Gram-negative infections showed a decreasing trend while Gram-positive infections and resistance rates remained unaffected and at low rates.

Whether response to combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) differs between those infected with HIV-1 subtype A or B remains unclear. We compared virological and immunological response to cART in individuals infected with subtype A or B in an ethnically homogeneous population. Data derived from the Athens Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (AMACS) and analysis were restricted to those of Greek origin. Time to virological response (confirmed HIV-RNA <500 copies/ml) and time to failure (>500 copies/ml at any time or no response by month 6) were analyzed using survival models and CD4 changes after cART initiation using piecewise linear mixed effects models. Of the 571 subjects included in the analysis, 412 (72.2%) were infected with subtype B and 159 (27.8%) with subtype A. After adjusting for various prognostic factors, the rate of virological response was higher for those infected with subtype A versus B (adjusted HR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.08-1.68; p=0.009). Subtype A was also marginally associated with a lower hazard of virological failure compared to subtype B (HR=0.73; 95% CI: 0.53-1.02; p=0.062). Further adjustment for treatment adherence did not substantially changed the main results. No significant differences were observed in the rates of CD4 increases by subtype. The overall median (95% CI) CD4 increase at 2 years of cART was 193 (175, 212) cells/μl. Our study, based on one of the largest homogeneous groups of subtype A and B infections in Europe, showed that individuals infected with subtype A had an improved virological but similar immunological response to cART compared to those infected with subtype B.

Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience and is the most common symptom experienced by renal patients. It can be caused by primary co-morbid diseases, renal replacement therapies, medication or treatment side effects, and its intensity varies from moderate to severe. Pain management in renal patients is difficult, since the distance between pain relief and toxicity is very small. This paper will provide an algorithm for pain management proposed using paracetamol, nonsteroid anti-inflamatory drugs (NSAIDs), mild and stronger opioids as well as complementary techniques. Quality of Life (QoL) and overall enhancement of the patient experience through better pain management are also discussed. To improve pain management it is essential that nurses recognise that they have direct responsibilities related to pain assessment and tailoring of opioid analgesics and better and more detailed education.

There are limited and controversial data regarding the impact of 4G/5G polymorphism of the plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) gene in the pathogenesis of premature myocardial infarction (MI). We explored whether 4G/5G polymorphism of the PAI-1 gene is associated with the development of MI <or= 35 years of age. We recruited 201 consecutive patients who had survived their first acute MI <or= 35 years of age (mean age = 32.2 +/- 3.4 years). The control group consisted of 140 healthy individuals matched with cases for age and sex, without a family history of premature coronary heart disease. 4G/5G polymorphism of PAI-1 was tested with polymerase chain reaction and reverse hybridization. 4G allele carriers (4G/4G and 4G/5G genotypes) of PAI-1 were less frequent in patients than in controls (69.6 vs. 83.6%, P = 0.007). 4G carriership of the polymorphism of PAI-1 was associated with lower risk for acute MI (odds ratio 0.45, 95% confidence interval 0.23-0.88, P = 0.02) after adjusting for major cardiovascular risk factors. Patients possessing the 4G allele had higher PAI-1 plasma levels (32.2 +/- 25 vs. 22.2 +/- 11.3 ng/ml, P = 0.006) but lower lipoprotein(a) levels (10.1 [2.1-29.9] vs. 15.3 [8.2-57.1] mg/dl, P = 0.03) compared to 5G/5G homozygotes. Our data indicate that the 4G allele of the PAI-1 4G/5G polymorphism is less frequent among survivors of MI at very young age compared with matched controls.

Sir: More than ever before, the minimal scarring techniques used in mammaplasty have today become very popular.2–4 An alternative reduction mammaplasty technique is described by the authors that results in an L-shaped scar, with the nipple-areola complex based on an inferomedial pedicle flap. Sixty-three patients were operated on using this method over the past 30 months. Twenty-three of them underwent reduction mammaplasty and 40 underwent mastopexy. The average patient age was 35.8 years. In the reduction cases, the maximum weight of the removed tissue was 940 g. The incision lines were marked preoperatively, as usual, with the Wise pattern and the A, B, C, D, and E points. The new point (F) is determined on the bisector of the angle (C-E-D) by pinching the loose skin of the breast, between points B and E (Fig. 1).Fig. 1.: The marking on the right breast, with the patient lying down. The new marking points F, B1, and C1 on the up-lifted breast. The E-F line is the bisector of the C-E-D angle. The corresponding suturing points are depicted (purple).After these first markings, the corresponding points are sutured with temporary stay stitches, as follows: point F to B, point C to B1, and point C1 to A1. Then, the new areola margins are rearranged, because point A2 is now inside the new areola circle, and not in the new perimeter. After the former, the new outer and inner contours of the new pattern are drawn, which comprises an L-curve that starts from point A1 (C1) and continues through points B1 (C) and B (F), and ends at point D of the Wise pattern. Next, the temporary stitches are removed, and the inferomedial pedicle for the nipple-areola complex is marked. The skin is incised down to the muscle fascia, first in the inner pole and then in the outer one. In the inner pole, the incision is not as inferior toward the inframammary fold as in the outer one. It stops between points C and F. The two adipocutaneous flaps are unified by cutting through the mammary parenchyma just above the nipple, leaving an adequate amount of tissue on the upper pole (Fig. 2).Fig. 2.: Schematic depiction of the deepithelialized area to be removed and the extramedial perforators.In cases of reduction mammaplasty, a horseshoe-shaped section of tissue (but with a shorter medial limb) is removed from around the nipple flap.2 The upper pole flap is undermined onto the pectoralis fascia, as far as the second rib, creating space for the top of the nipple flap to come in between. When the nipple-areola complex flap is too heavy, a suspension absorbable pexy stitch is used at this point.3 Wound closure is started, in the opposite way. There were no major complications. Advantages of the method include the following: standardized easy marking; there is no medial scar; complications are rare and minor; immediate and early postoperative aesthetic results are very satisfactory; better shape and more complete projection of the breast than with inverted-T techniques because of a longer vertical scar; avoidance of the pleating of the vertical scar technique; and it has an easy learning curve for beginners. Disadvantages of the method include the distance from the areola to the submammary fold, which is longer than with other methods (7 to 13 cm).4,5 With this new method, we have not so far experienced the relatively common complications of reduction mammaplasty, related to inadequate blood perfusion of the nipple-areola complex flap. We think that the key reason is the extramedial component of the base of the inferior flap. Stratis Gabriel, M.D. Psychico General Hospital Panagiotis N. Mantalos, M.D. IKA Athens Oncologic Hospital Angelos Enchef, M.D. Evangelos Gianopoulos, M.D. Psychico General Hospital Athens, Greece

Comparing nursing interventions between different countries is helpful towards developing a common nursing culture within Europe. The aim of the study was to compare the frequency of 14 specific nursing interventions indicators across five European countries (Belgium, Scotland, Czech Republic, Greece and the North of England). Data were collected as an integral part of the European Practice Database Project across two cycles (2005 and 2006) involving 172 renal centres. Using Pearson's chi-square and descriptive statistics the frequency of 11 out of the 14 nurse intervention indicators was found to vary significantly across the five countries. Indeed specific nurse interventions such as delegation, telephone consultations and laboratory data interpretation potentially identify where nurse activity is changing in response to pressures such as advancing nurse roles, staff shortages and increased patient demand.