462 research outputs found

    LIPIcs, Volume 251, ITCS 2023, Complete Volume

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    LIPIcs, Volume 251, ITCS 2023, Complete Volum

    Medical Image Analysis using Deep Relational Learning

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    In the past ten years, with the help of deep learning, especially the rapid development of deep neural networks, medical image analysis has made remarkable progress. However, how to effectively use the relational information between various tissues or organs in medical images is still a very challenging problem, and it has not been fully studied. In this thesis, we propose two novel solutions to this problem based on deep relational learning. First, we propose a context-aware fully convolutional network that effectively models implicit relation information between features to perform medical image segmentation. The network achieves the state-of-the-art segmentation results on the Multi Modal Brain Tumor Segmentation 2017 (BraTS2017) and Multi Modal Brain Tumor Segmentation 2018 (BraTS2018) data sets. Subsequently, we propose a new hierarchical homography estimation network to achieve accurate medical image mosaicing by learning the explicit spatial relationship between adjacent frames. We use the UCL Fetoscopy Placenta dataset to conduct experiments and our hierarchical homography estimation network outperforms the other state-of-the-art mosaicing methods while generating robust and meaningful mosaicing result on unseen frames.Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2007.0778

    Syndromic molecular testing in adults hospitalized for suspected community-acquired pneumonia

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    Den mikrobielle etiologien hos pasienter med samfunnservervet lungebetennelse (CAP) blir ofte ikke avklart på grunn av utilstrekkelige mikrobiologiske metoder og vanskeligheter med å skaffe prøver fra nedre luftveier. Rask påvisning av luftveismikrober kan potensielt redusere unødvendig bruk av empirisk antimikrobiell behandling og øke andelen pasienter som får mikrobiologistyrt behandling. Moderne syndrombaserte PCR-paneler muliggjør rask deteksjon av både virale- og bakterielle luftveismikrober. CAPNOR Feasibility studien undersøkte gjennomførbarheten av flere viktige ledd fra vår planlagte CAPNOR RCT (Paper I). Studien viste at det var mulig å skaffe nedre luftveisprøver fra CAP pasienter allerede i akuttmottaket. Ved bruk av et syndrombasert PCR-panel, fant vi betydelig flere luftveismikrober på kortere tid, sammenliknet med bruk av standard metoder, noe som indikerer at det er mulig å oppnå mikrobiologiske resultater allerede i akuttmottaket. Vår CAPNOR RCT fokuserer på andelen som mottar mikrobiologistyrt behandling og tiden det tar. Prøver fra nedre luftveier ble randomisert til testing med kun standardmetoder eller med tillegg av et syndrombasert PCR-panel (Paper II). COVID-19 pandemien traff Norge da vi skulle starte vår RCT, noe som resulterte i forsinket start av studien og behov for justeringer av protokollen. I denne unike situasjonen valgte vi å undersøke pandemiens potensielle implikasjoner på både antall sykehusinnleggelser og detekterte mikrober hos pasienter med mistenkt CAP, ved å sammenlikne pasienter inkludert før og etter utbruddet av COVID-19 (Paper III). Smitteverntiltak relatert til COVID-19 forverret utfordringene med prøvetakning fra nedre luftveier ytterligere. Dette bidro til en studie som viste at testing av halsprøver med et syndrombasert PCR-panel oppdaget de vanligste bakterielle luftveismikrober med høy positiv og negativ prosentvis overensstemmelse sammenlignet med testing av nedre luftveisprøver (Paper IV). Dette antyder at halsprøver analysert av et syndrombasert PCR-panel kan representere en alternativ metode for rask mikrobiologisk testing i akuttmottaket. Oppsummert har våre studier demonstrert at det er mulig å oppnå omfattende mikrobiologiske resultater hos en stor andel CAP pasienter få timer etter innleggelse. Fremtidige studier av syndrombaserte PCR-paneler bør fokusere videre på kliniske endepunkter, kostnadseffektivitet og utvikling av implementeringsstrategier for innføring i klinisk praksis.The microbial etiology of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is often not established due to insufficient methods for microbial detection and difficulties in obtaining lower respiratory tract (LRT) samples. Early microbial detections could potentially reduce unnecessary empirical antimicrobial treatment and improve the proportion of patients receiving pathogen-directed treatment. Recently introduced syndromic PCR-based panels enable rapid detection of both viral- and bacterial pathogens. The CAPNOR Feasibility study (Paper I) was initiated with a view to informing the design of a planned RCT and demonstrated that obtaining LRT samples from CAP patients in the emergency department (ED) was feasible. The microbial yield and time to results improved significantly by using a syndromic PCR-based panel compared to standard methods, indicating that it is possible to obtain microbiological results already in the ED. In the CAPNOR RCT, LRT samples were randomized to testing by either standard methods alone or with the addition of syndromic PCR-based testing, focusing on the time to, and provision of pathogen-directed treatment in CAP patients (Paper II). When we were about to initiate the CAPNOR RCT, Norway faced the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a delayed start, with mandatory adjustments needed in the protocol. Faced with this unprecedented situation, we evaluated the pandemic’s potential implications on both hospital admissions and microbial detections in patients with suspected CAP, i.e., before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 and the subsequent strict infection control measures (Paper III). Moreover, the COVID-19-related infection control measures further hampered the difficulties of LRT sampling. This fostered a study where we demonstrated that syndromic PCR-based testing of oropharyngeal (OP) swabs could detect the most common bacterial CAP pathogens with high positive and negative percent agreement compared with testing of LRT samples (Paper IV). These findings suggest that OP swabs analyzed by a syndromic panel could represent an alternative approach for rapid microbiological testing in the ED. In conclusion, our studies have demonstrated an ability to provide close to real-time microbiological results for CAP patients. Future studies should focus on the impact of rapid syndromic testing in terms of clinical outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and the development of implementation strategies to facilitate integration into clinical practice.Doktorgradsavhandlin

    Communitarisation : from intergovernmental to community policy-making in core state powers

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    Defence date: 26 November 2019Examining Board: Professor Philipp Genschel, European University Institute (Supervisor); Professor Adrienne Héritier, European University Institute; Professor Uwe Puetter, Central European University; Professor Michael E. Smith, University of Aberdeen.Special Gold Edition on the occasion of the EUI Library celebration of the EUI's 3000th thesisIn 1970, the Foreign Ministers of the European Economic Community’s Member States began meeting in a new informal structure called European Political Co-operation (EPC). EPC followed a mode of policy-making known as the ‘intergovernmental method’, a mode with substantial differences to the more orthodox supranational mode of policy-making used in the European Economic Community (EEC). After EPC, intergovernmental policy-making was established in new areas of collaboration including fiscal policy, defence policy, and internal security. What differentiated the intergovernmental method was its emphasis on the co-ordination of national policies over the emphasis on compromise, package deals, and collective policy-making epitomised by supranational governance. This was achieved using national vetoes, allowing Member States to veto costly new policies, avoid compliance where common policies became too costly, and limit supranational agencies in their ability to cultivate further integration. Intergovernmental policy-making thus allowed Member States to protect their national interests in sensitive areas of policy closely related to state sovereignty. After nearly fifty years of intergovernmental policy-making in Europe, these distinctive characteristics of the intergovernmental method have changed; decision-making procedures emphasising collective decision-making have become more common, there has been an increase in the formalisation and legalisation of structures and decisions, and an increase in the use of supranational agencies. This thesis labels this process of institutional change as ‘communitarisation’ and asks; how and why do the EU Member States move intergovernmental policy-making processes, emphasising the co-ordination of national policies, towards more communitarised (though not strictly supranational) structures emphasising co-operation through common policies? In answering this, the thesis has three main aims. Firstly, it argues that the intergovernmental method should be understood as existing not as an alternate mode of policy-making but as part of a wider process of integration called communitarisation. Secondly, it claims that communitarisation is a general phenomenon found across differing sensitive areas of policies and offers a generalised conceptualisation of this phenomenon. Thirdly, it contends that communitarisation is primarily driven by Member State interests through a process of bargaining, reflecting the bargaining power of Member States and their attempts to balance the costs of interdependence with the potential adjustment costs associated with integration

    CERNAS: Current Evolution and Research Novelty in Agricultural Sustainability

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    Climate changes pose overwhelming impacts on primary production and, consequently, on agricultural and animal farming. Additionally, at present, agriculture still depends strongly on fossil fuels both for energy and production factors ,such as synthetized inorganic fertilizers and harmful chemicals such as pesticides. The need to feed the growing world population poses many challenges. The need to reduce environmental impacts to a minimum, maintain healthy ecosystems, and improve soil microbiota are central to ensuring a promising future for coming generations. Livestock production under cover crop systems helps to alleviate compaction so that oxygen and water can sufficiently flow in the soil, add organic matter, and help hold soil in place, reducing crusting and protecting against erosion. The use of organic plant production practices allied to the control of substances used in agriculture also decisively contributes to alleviating the pressure on ecosystems. Some of the goals of this new decade are to use enhanced sustainable production methodologies to improve the input/output ratios of primary production, reduce environmental impacts, and rely on new innovative technologies. This reprint addresses original studies and reviews focused on the current evolution and research novelty in agricultural sustainability. New developments are discussed on issues related to quality of soil, natural fertilizers, or the sustainable use of land and water. Also, crop protection techniques are pivotal for sustainable food production under the challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, allied to innovative weed control methodologies as a way to reduce the utilization of pesticides. The role of precision and smart agriculture is becoming more pertinent as communication technologies improve at a rapid rate. Waste management, reuse of agro-industrial residues, extension of shelf life, and use of new technologies are ways to reduce food waste, all contributing to higher sustainability in food supply chains, leading to a more rational use of natural resources. The unquestionable role of bees as pollinators and contributors to biodiversity is adjacent to characterizing beekeeping activities, which in turn contributes, together with the valorization of endemic varieties of plant foods, to the development of local communities. Finally, the short circuits and local food markets have a decisive role in the preservation and enhancement of rural economies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    Технология комплексной поддержки жизненного цикла семантически совместимых интеллектуальных компьютерных систем нового поколения

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    В издании представлено описание текущей версии открытой технологии онтологического проектирования, производства и эксплуатации семантически совместимых гибридных интеллектуальных компьютерных систем (Технологии OSTIS). Предложена стандартизация интеллектуальных компьютерных систем, а также стандартизация методов и средств их проектирования, что является важнейшим фактором, обеспечивающим семантическую совместимость интеллектуальных компьютерных систем и их компонентов, что существенное снижение трудоемкости разработки таких систем. Книга предназначена всем, кто интересуется проблемами искусственного интеллекта, а также специалистам в области интеллектуальных компьютерных систем и инженерии знаний. Может быть использована студентами, магистрантами и аспирантами специальности «Искусственный интеллект». Табл. 8. Ил. 223. Библиогр.: 665 назв

    CERNAS – Current Evolution and Research Novelty in Agricultural Sustainability

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    This book addresses original studies and reviews focused on the current evolution and research novelty in agricultural sustainability. New developments are discussed on issues related with quality of soil, natural fertilizers or the sustainable use of land and water. Also crop protection techniques are pivotal for the sustainable food production under the challenges of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, allied to innovative weed control methodologies, as a way to reduce the utilization of pesticides. The role of precision and smart agriculture is becoming more pertinent as the communication technologies improve at a high rate. Waste management, reuse of agro industrial residues, extension of shelf life and use of new technologies are ways to reduce food waste, all contributing to a higher sustainability of the food supply chains, leading to a more rational use of natural resources. The unquestionable role of bees as pollinators and contributors for biodiversity is subjacent to the work of characterization of beekeeping activities, which in turn contribute, together with the valorization of endemic varieties of plant foods, for the development of local communities. Finally, the short circuits and local food markets have a decisive role in the preservation and enhancement of rural economies.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    LIPIcs, Volume 274, ESA 2023, Complete Volume

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    LIPIcs, Volume 274, ESA 2023, Complete Volum
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