We present an algorithm for identifying retinal pathologies given retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. Our approach fine-tunes a pre-trained convolutional neural network (CNN), ...GoogLeNet, to improve its prediction capability (compared to random initialization training) and identifies salient responses during prediction to understand learned filter characteristics. We considered a data set containing subjects with diabetic macular edema, or dry age-related macular degeneration, or no pathology. The fine-tuned CNN could effectively identify pathologies in comparison to classical learning. Our algorithm aims to demonstrate that models trained on non-medical images can be fine-tuned for classifying OCT images with limited training data.
The electroencephalogram (EEG) is the most promising and efficient technique to study epilepsy and record all the electrical activity going in our brain. Automated screening of epilepsy through ...data-driven algorithms reduces the manual workload of doctors to diagnose epilepsy. New algorithms are biased either towards signal processing or deep learning, which holds subjective advantages and disadvantages. The proposed pipeline is an end-to-end automated seizure prediction framework with a Fourier transform feature extraction and deep learning-based transformer model, a blend of signal processing and deep learning - this imbibes the potential features to automatically identify the attentive regions in EEG signals for effective screening. The proposed pipeline has demonstrated superior performance on the benchmark dataset with average sensitivity and false-positive rate per hour (FPR/h) as 98.46%, 94.83% and 0.12439, 0, respectively. The proposed work shows great results on the benchmark datasets and a big potential for clinics as a support system with medical experts monitoring the patients.
We present an algorithm for layer-specific edge detection in retinal optical coherence tomography images through a structured learning algorithm to reinforce traditional graph-based retinal layer ...segmentation. The proposed algorithm simultaneously identifies individual layers and their corresponding edges, resulting in the computation of layer-specific edges in 1 second. These edges augment classical dynamic programming based segmentation under layer deformation, shadow artifacts noise, and without heuristics or prior knowledge. We considered Duke's online data set containing 110 B-scans of 10 diabetic macular edema subjects with 8 retinal layers annotated by two experts for experimentation, and achieved a mean distance error of 1.38 pixels whereas that of the state-of-the-art was 1.68 pixels.
A few recent studies have shown fungal elements within the hair follicle epithelium, which may act as a reservoir and responsible for recurrent dermatophytosis.
To assess the clinical patterns, ...mycological profile, and histopathology of recurrent dermatophytosis and to determine the prevalence of fungal hyphae in the hair follicle epithelium and other appendages.
One hundred and fifty clinically diagnosed cases of recurrent dermatophytic infection were included. Skin samples were taken for direct microscopy, fungal culture, and histopathological analysis. Haematoxylin and eosin and special staining with periodic acid Schiff (PAS) and Gomori's methenamine silver (GMS) were performed to detect the fungal hyphae in the skin and hair follicle epithelium.
The most common clinical pattern observed was tinea corporis et cruris in 64 patients (42.66%). On direct microscopy and fungal culture, positive results were obtained in 116 cases (77.33%) and 78 (52%) cases, respectively. Presence of fungal hyphae in the stratum corneum, hair follicle, and acrosyringium was seen in 107 patients (71.33%), 47 patients (31.33%), and five patients (3.33%), respectively. Out of the 52 cases with hair follicle and eccrine gland involvement, history of fixed drug combinations (FDC) cream use was present in 42 cases (80.76%) and absent in ten cases (19.24%) (
= 0.000062).
Skin samples were taken only from a single skin lesion. Higher incidence of follicular invasion may have been detected if multiple biopsy samples were taken.
Hair follicle/eccrine sweat gland involvement was observed in nearly one-third of the patients, which may act as a reservoir and may be responsible for recurrence and chronicity. Histopathology should be considered as an important adjuvant tool in recurrent dermatophytosis to establish the extent of the infection, which guides the further management.
The novel traveling fluidization column, designed and built to assure identical operating conditions, was deployed to compare alternate experimental measurement techniques for hydrodynamic ...characterization of gas-fluidized beds. This paper compares measurements of particle velocity obtained by radioactive particle tracking (RPT—non-invasive at the Ecole Polytechnique), positron emission particle tracking (PEPT—non-invasive at University of Birmingham), optical fibre probes (invasive at UBC) and borescopic high speed particle image velocimetry (invasive at PSRI) carried out with FCC particles of mean diameter 107μm. All of the techniques provided similar trends with respect to time-average particle velocity profiles, but significant differences were observed in some cases. Analysis of the results, focusing on the physical principles of each measurement technique, provides valuable insights into the reasons for the observed discrepancies. The results also add to a unique hydrodynamic database for validation of CFD and other mechanistic models.
•A novel travelling fluidized bed was built to ensure identical operating conditions.•The equipment traveled to different laboratories for hydrodynamic investigation.•The most advanced particle velocity measurement techniques are directly compared.•The reasons underlying observed discrepancies among the results are discussed.•A comprehensive experimental database for model testing is extended.
•A travelling fluidized bed ensured identical operating conditions at several sites.•Solids flux was obtained by novel analyses of invasive and non-invasive methods.•The results are directly compared ...by quantitative and qualitative analysis.•The reasons underlying observed discrepancies among the results are discussed.
A transportable fluidization column, operating under identical conditions at three different locations, was employed to compare three experimental solids flux measurement techniques for hydrodynamic characterization of gas-fluidized beds. This paper compares measurements of solids mass and momentum flux obtained by radioactive particle tracking at the Ecole Polytechnique, positron emission particle tracking at University of Birmingham, and borescopic high speed particle image velocimetry at PSRI, carried out with FCC particles of mean diameter 107μm. These techniques provided broadly similar time-average solids flux profiles, but there were significant quantitative differences. Analysis of the results, focusing on the fundamentals of each measurement technique, provides valuable insights into the reasons for the discrepancies. The results also add to a unique hydrodynamic database for validation of CFD and other models.
The novel “travelling fluidized bed” (TFB), operated under identical conditions, was deployed to compare alternate experimental measurement techniques for the investigation of solid motion in ...gas-fluidized beds operating in the square-nosed slugging regime. Measurements of particle velocity obtained by radioactive particle tracking (RPT — non-invasive at the Ecole Polytechnique de Montréal), positron emission particle tracking (PEPT — non-invasive at University of Birmingham), optical fibre probes (invasive at UBC) and borescopic high speed particle image velocimetry (invasive at PSRI) are compared for sand particles of mean diameter of 292μm. Significant differences between the time-average radial profiles of particle velocity are observed in many cases. The results provide valuable insights into the merits and challenges of advanced particle velocity measurement techniques.
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•Identical fluidization operating conditions were achieved in different locations.•The hydrodynamics of the square-nosed slugging flow regime were investigated.•Advanced particle velocity measurement techniques give different results.•The reasons for the observed discrepancies among the results are explored.
We investigated the heritability of educational attainment and how it differed between birth cohorts and cultural-geographic regions. A classical twin design was applied to pooled data from 28 ...cohorts representing 16 countries and including 193,518 twins with information on educational attainment at 25 years of age or older. Genetic factors explained the major part of individual differences in educational attainment (heritability: a
= 0.43; 0.41-0.44), but also environmental variation shared by co-twins was substantial (c
= 0.31; 0.30-0.33). The proportions of educational variation explained by genetic and shared environmental factors did not differ between Europe, North America and Australia, and East Asia. When restricted to twins 30 years or older to confirm finalized education, the heritability was higher in the older cohorts born in 1900-1949 (a
= 0.44; 0.41-0.46) than in the later cohorts born in 1950-1989 (a
= 0.38; 0.36-0.40), with a corresponding lower influence of common environmental factors (c
= 0.31; 0.29-0.33 and c
= 0.34; 0.32-0.36, respectively). In conclusion, both genetic and environmental factors shared by co-twins have an important influence on individual differences in educational attainment. The effect of genetic factors on educational attainment has decreased from the cohorts born before to those born after the 1950s.
Below a certain temperature T c (typically cryogenic), some materials lose their electric resistance R entering a superconducting state. Following the general trend toward a large scale integration ...of a greater number of electronic components, it is desirable to use superconducting elements in order to minimize heat dissipation. It is expected that the basic property of a superconductor, i.e., dissipationless electric current, will be preserved at reduced scales required by modern nanoelectronics. Unfortunately, there are indications that for a certain critical size limit of the order of ∼10 nm, below which a “superconducting” nanowire is no longer a superconductor in a sense that it acquires a finite resistance even at temperatures close to absolute zero. In the present paper we report experimental evidence for a superconductivity breakdown in ultranarrow quasi-1D aluminum nanowires.
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