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LiDAR-Generated Images Derived Keypoints Assisted Point Cloud Registration Scheme in Odometry Estimation
No full textKeypoint detection and description play a pivotal role in various robotics and autonomous applications, including Visual Odometry (VO), visual navigation, and Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM). While a myriad of keypoint detectors and descriptors have been extensively studied in conventional camera images, the effectiveness of these techniques in the context of LiDARgenerated images, i.e., reflectivity and ranges images, has not been assessed. These images have gained attention due to their resilience in adverse conditions, such as rain or fog. Additionally, they contain significant textural information that supplements the geometric information provided by LiDAR point clouds in the point cloud registration phase, especially when reliant solely on LiDAR sensors. This addresses the challenge of drift encountered in LiDAR Odometry (LO) within geometrically identical scenarios or where not all the raw point cloud is informative and may even be misleading. This paper aims to analyze the applicability of conventional image keypoint extractors and descriptors on LiDAR-generated images via a comprehensive quantitative investigation. Moreover, we propose a novel approach to enhance the robustness and reliability of LO. After extracting keypoints, we proceed to downsample the point cloud, subsequently integrating it into the point cloud registration phase for the purpose of odometry estimation. Our experiment demonstrates that the proposed approach has comparable accuracy but reduced computational overhead, higher odometry publishing rate, and even superior performance in scenarios prone to drift by using the raw point cloud. This, in turn, lays a foundation for subsequent investigations into the integration of LiDAR-generated images with LO.</p
Prevalence and trend of smokeless tobacco use and its associated factors among adolescents aged 12-16 years in 138 countries/territories, 1999-2019
No full textBackground: Smokeless tobacco use is popular in some regions worldwide, but it receives less attention compared to cigarette smoking. We aimed to estimate the recent prevalence of, and trends in, smokeless tobacco use and to examine its associated factors among adolescents aged 12-16 years in 138 countries/territories (hereafter "countries") from 1999 to 2019.Methods: Data from the Global Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in 138 countries in 2010-2019 and the National Youth Tobacco Survey conducted in the United States in 2019 were used to calculate the prevalence of current smokeless tobacco use and investigate its associated factors among adolescents aged 12-16 years. We also assessed the trend in the prevalence of smokeless tobacco use in 100 countries that had conducted more than one survey from 1999 to 2019.Results: The overall prevalence of current smokeless tobacco use was 4.4% (95% confidence interval [CI] 4.0-4.9), with 5.7% (5.1-6.3) for boys, 3.1% (2.6-3.5) for girls, 3.9% (3.5-4.4) for adolescents aged 12-14 years and 5.4% (4.8-5.9) for those aged 15-16 years. The prevalence was highest in the South-East Asian region (6.1%, 4.4-7.7) and lowest in the Western Pacific region (2.0%, 1.7-2.4). The prevalence of smokeless tobacco use decreased in 57 of 100 countries, increased in 32 countries, and remained unchanged in 11 countries. Current cigarette smoking (odds ratio [OR]=2.00, 95% CI=1.68-2.39), other tobacco product use (OR=6.03, 95% CI=4.92-7.40), tobacco advertisement exposure (OR=1.44, 95% CI=1.19-1.74), being offered free tobacco products (OR=2.01, 95% CI=1.66-2.42), and not being taught about dangers of smoking (OR=1.28, 95% CI=1.09-1.50) were all positively associated with current smokeless tobacco use.Conclusions: Smokeless tobacco use among adolescents remains a public health concern worldwide. Although the prevalence among adolescents decreased in most countries, it remains high especially in the South-East Asian region. More strict and effective strategies and measures are needed to further curb the smokeless tobacco use among adolescents.</p
The role of political orientation in shaping deservingness perceptions and immigration attitudes in Europe: A multilevel analysis
No full textIn this study, we focus on European immigration attitudes in the perspective of deservingness perceptions and political orientation. Our data are conducted from the European Social Survey (2016) database, which contains 21 European countries and 39,400 participants. We used the multilevel method to study the relationship between immigration attitudes and deservingness perceptions. The results demonstrate that the more negative deservingness perceptions are, the more negative immigration attitudes more likely become. Moreover, country-level political orientation moderate the relationship between immigration attitudes and deservingness perceptions. Deservingness perceptions have a greater role in explaining immigration attitudes on countries with political left-context, which gives us a new perspective to understand the public debates about immigration.</p
Tracking of Cardiorespiratory Fitness from Childhood to Mid-adulthood
No full textHigh cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) in adulthood is important for survival from major chronic diseases and preserving good health. We examined how childhood CRF tracks, or persists, into adulthood. Among a cohort of 748 school children followed over 34 years, we found child CRF correlated with young- (r = 0.30) and mid-adulthood (r = 0.16) CRF
Cutaneous Melanoma of the Lip: A SEER Analysis of Epidemiology and Survival Outcomes With Focus on Surgery and Other Treatment Options
No full textBackground/aim: Cutaneous melanoma of the lip (LM) is a rare malignancy with a low overall survival (OS). Few studies exist in the literature to aid its diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this study was to assess the different treatment modalities by collecting cases from a single database and to provide current information on the epidemiologic characteristics of cutaneous lip melanoma.Patients and methods: The SEER database was searched for demographic, clinical-pathological, and therapeutic characteristics. The Kaplan-Meier model was used to analyze the overall survival (OS) of the study population, and survival curves were modelled. Univariable analysis between subgroups was carried out using the log-rank test. Surgery was further assessed with a multivariable cox regression, where the surgical procedure was adjusted for Breslow thickness.Results: Patients aged 62.4 years on average, and 62.7% of them were males. A total of 386 melanomas of the cutaneous lip were identified. Mean OS was 155.1 months, median OS was 187 months, and 67.4% had localized disease.Conclusion: LM has a poor prognosis with a 5-year OS of 75.2%. Surgery remains the mainstay of treatment, with less invasive surgical approaches yielding a comparable overall survival to surgery with greater margins.</p
Colonialism, Finnish Exceptionalism and the Sámi in Early 1960s’ Youth Novels
No full text
In this paper, we use the term ‘Finnish
exceptionalism’ to refer to the myth that Finland was only ever a victim of
colonization and never complicit in colonial practices. We argue that cultural
adherence to this belief and consequent innocence have been inculcated into
Finnish national consciousness from the country’s inception. Using two novels
for teenagers published in 1960 and set in Sápmi (Finnish Lapland) to
illustrate our arguments, we demonstrate how the ideology of exceptionalism was
passed on to new generations of Finns. In both novels, a teenaged Finnish
protagonist travels through the Arctic landscape accompanied by a male Sámi,
who acts as a guide. Our analyses begin by examining how the novels reflect
historical events and the ideology of exceptionalism. We conclude with a more
specific focus on the novels as literature for youth, showing how the innocence
of the young protagonists synechdocically stands for the innocence of the
nation.Keywords: Finnish exceptionalism; Sápmi;
Sámi, Finnish colonialism, Finnish youth literature, innocence
</p
A polyepigenetic glucocorticoid exposure score at birth and childhood mental and behavioral disorders
No full textBackgroundMaternal depression and anxiety during pregnancy may enhance fetal exposure to glucocorticoids (GCs) and harm neurodevelopment. We tested whether a novel cross-tissue polyepigenetic biomarker indicative of in utero exposure to GC is associated with mental and behavioral disorders and their severity in children, possibly mediating the associations between maternal prenatal depressive and anxiety symptoms and these child outcomes.MethodsChildren (n = 814) from the Prediction and Prevention of Preeclampsia and Intrauterine Growth Restriction (PREDO) study were followed-up from birth to age 7.1–10.7 years. A weighted polyepigenetic GC exposure score was calculated based on the methylation profile of 24 CpGs from umbilical cord blood. Child diagnosis of mental and behavioral disorder (n = 99) and its severity, defined as the number of days the child had received treatment (all 99 had received outpatient treatment and 8 had been additionally in inpatient treatment) for mental or behavioral disorder as the primary diagnosis, came from the Care Register for Health Care. Mothers (n = 408) reported on child total behavior problems at child's age of 2.3–5.8 years and their own depressive and anxiety symptoms during pregnancy (n = 583).ResultsThe fetal polyepigenetic GC exposure score at birth was not associated with child hazard of mental and behavioral disorder (HR = 0.82, 95% CI 0.54; 1.24, p = 0.35) or total behavior problems (unstandardized beta = −0.10, 95% CI -0.31; 0.10, p = 0.33). However, for one standard deviation decrease in the polyepigenetic score, the child had spent 2.94 (95%CI 1.59; 5.45, p ConclusionsThese findings suggest that fetal polyepigenetic GC exposure score at birth was not associated with any mental or behavioral disorder diagnosis or mother-rated total behavior problems, but it may contribute to identifying children at birth who are at risk for more severe mental or behavioral disorders.</p
Prolonged partial upper airway obstruction during sleep - an underdiagnosed phenotype of sleep-disordered breathing
No full textObstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a well-recognized disorder conventionally diagnosed with an elevated apnea–hypopnea index. Prolonged partial upper airway obstruction is a common phenotype of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), which however is still largely underreported. The major reasons for this are that cyclic breathing pattern coupled with arousals and arterial oxyhemoglobin saturation are easy to detect and considered more important than prolonged episodes of increased respiratory effort with increased levels of carbon dioxide in the absence of cycling breathing pattern and repetitive arousals. There is also a growing body of evidence that prolonged partial obstruction is a clinically significant form of SDB, which is associated with symptoms and co-morbidities which may partially differ from those associated with OSAS. Partial upper airway obstruction is most prevalent in women, and it is treatable with the nasal continuous positive pressure device with good adherence to therapy. This review describes the characteristics of prolonged partial upper airway obstruction during sleep in terms of diagnostics, pathophysiology, clinical presentation, and comorbidity to improve recognition of this phenotype and its timely and appropriate treatment.</p
Klinefelterin oireyhtymä
No full textKlinefelterin oireyhtymä on poikien ja miesten yleisin kromosomien lukumääräpoikkeavuus ja tarkoittaa ylimääräistä X-kromosomia miehellä. Yleisin karyotyyppi on 47,XXY. Esiintyvyys on noin 1/660 vastasyntynyttä poikaa. Merkittävä osa (arviolta 50-75 %) näistä miehistä elää elämänsä tietämättä kromosomimuutoksesta, vain noin 10 %:lla oireyhtymä todetaan lapsuus- tai nuoruusiässä. Lähes kaikki ovat hedelmättömiä ja heillä on pienet kivekset ja hypergonadotrooppinen hypogonadismi, muu oirekuva on vaihteleva. Murrosikäisen pojan kivesten pienen koon tulisi herättää oireyhtymän epäily. Vaikka 47,XXY-miehet ovat hedelmättömyyttä lukuun ottamatta usein varsin lieväoireisia, kromosomimuutokseen liittyy suurentuneita sairastumisriskejä. Terveyden säännöllinen ja sairastumisriskit huomioon ottava seuranta nuoruudessa ja läpi aikuisiän on tärkeää. Diagnosoinnista, hoidosta ja seurannasta on tuore eurooppalaisen andrologiyhdistyksen laatima suositus. Varhaisempi tunnistaminen voi auttaa estämään mahdollista sairastumista ja parantamaan elämänlaatua.</p
Investigating the role of relationship satisfaction and paternal psychological distress during pregnancy on offspring health in early life
No full textBackground: The research on the role of father in the foetal programming of health and behaviour has received increasing attention. However, the influences of paternal depressive symptoms and couple relationship satisfaction during pregnancy - potentially mediated via maternal well-being - on the offspring's risk of infections in early life is still seldom assessed.Aims: The aim was to investigate if paternal psychological distress during pregnancy is associated with elevated risk of recurrent respiratory infections (RRIs) for offspring at 12 months of age, and whether maternal distress mediates the association between paternal distress and offspring RRIs.Method: The study population was drawn from the nested case-control cohort of the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Children with RRIs (n = 50) were identified by maternal reports at the age of 12 months, whereas mothers did not report RRIs for the comparison group (n = 716). Parental depressive symptoms were measured with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and couple relationship satisfaction was measured with the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale.Results: The association between paternal depressive symptoms during pregnancy and offspring RRIs was mediated by maternal prenatal depressive symptoms. Additionally, paternal poorer relationship satisfaction was associated with child RRIs independently of maternal distress.Conclusions: The results suggest different pathways through which paternal distress during pregnancy may contribute to elevated risk of offspring RRIs, and more research is needed to study their underlying mechanisms. Paternal distress and couple relationship satisfaction during pregnancy should be assessed and screened as a contributor to offspring health.</p