850 research outputs found
EXOT: Exit-aware Object Tracker for Safe Robotic Manipulation of Moving Object
Current robotic hand manipulation narrowly operates with objects in
predictable positions in limited environments. Thus, when the location of the
target object deviates severely from the expected location, a robot sometimes
responds in an unexpected way, especially when it operates with a human. For
safe robot operation, we propose the EXit-aware Object Tracker (EXOT) on a
robot hand camera that recognizes an object's absence during manipulation. The
robot decides whether to proceed by examining the tracker's bounding box output
containing the target object. We adopt an out-of-distribution classifier for
more accurate object recognition since trackers can mistrack a background as a
target object. To the best of our knowledge, our method is the first approach
of applying an out-of-distribution classification technique to a tracker
output. We evaluate our method on the first-person video benchmark dataset,
TREK-150, and on the custom dataset, RMOT-223, that we collect from the UR5e
robot. Then we test our tracker on the UR5e robot in real-time with a
conveyor-belt sushi task, to examine the tracker's ability to track target
dishes and to determine the exit status. Our tracker shows 38% higher
exit-aware performance than a baseline method. The dataset and the code will be
released at https://github.com/hskAlena/EXOT.Comment: 2023 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA
Micro- and nanofluidic technologies for epigenetic profiling
This short review provides an overview of the impact micro- and nanotechnologies can make in studying epigenetic structures. The importance of mapping histone modifications on chromatin prompts us to highlight the complexities and challenges associated with histone mapping, as compared to DNA sequencing. First, the histone code comprised over 30 variations, compared to 4 nucleotides for DNA. Second, whereas DNA can be amplified using polymerase chain reaction, chromatin cannot be amplified, creating challenges in obtaining sufficient material for analysis. Third, while every person has only a single genome, there exist multiple epigenomes in cells of different types and origins. Finally, we summarize existing technologies for performing these types of analyses. Although there are still relatively few examples of micro- and nanofluidic technologies for chromatin analysis, the unique advantages of using such technologies to address inherent challenges in epigenetic studies, such as limited sample material, complex readouts, and the need for high-content screens, make this an area of significant growth and opportunityopen4
Leveraging Speaker Embeddings with Adversarial Multi-task Learning for Age Group Classification
Recently, researchers have utilized neural network-based speaker embedding
techniques in speaker-recognition tasks to identify speakers accurately.
However, speaker-discriminative embeddings do not always represent speech
features such as age group well. In an embedding model that has been highly
trained to capture speaker traits, the task of age group classification is
closer to speech information leakage. Hence, to improve age group
classification performance, we consider the use of speaker-discriminative
embeddings derived from adversarial multi-task learning to align features and
reduce the domain discrepancy in age subgroups. In addition, we investigated
different types of speaker embeddings to learn and generalize the
domain-invariant representations for age groups. Experimental results on the
VoxCeleb Enrichment dataset verify the effectiveness of our proposed adaptive
adversarial network in multi-objective scenarios and leveraging speaker
embeddings for the domain adaptation task
Clinical features of macrocephaly at birth in Korea
PurposeThis study aimed to investigate the clinical features of macrocephaly at birth in Korea using ultrasonography.MethodsWe retrospectively investigated the medical records of full-term birth neonates in Cheil General Hospital & Women's Healthcare Center from January 2000 to June 2012. The following parameters were recorded and analyzed: gestational age, sex, birth weight, height, occipitofrontal circumference (OFC), physical examination, perinatal problems, and ultrasonography results. Macrocephaly was diagnosed when the OFC was greater than two standard deviations, based on the 2007 Korean National Growth Charts.ResultsThere were 75 neonates with macrocephaly at birth (52 boys and 23 girls), with a mean OFC of 38.1±0.49 cm. A comparison of the birth weight and height with the OFC value showed that height was correlated with OFC (r=0.35) but birth weight was not correlated with OFC (r=0.06). There were no remarkable findings in 56 cases (75%). Germinal matrix hemorrhage was identified in 10 cases (13%). An enlarged cerebrospinal fluid space was found in 5 cases (6.7%). There were 3 cases of mega-cisterna magna (4%), 1 case of ventriculomegaly, and 1 case of an enlarged interhemispheric space (6 mm) among these patients. In addition, a choroid plexus cyst was seen in 1 case. Mineralizing vasculopathy in both basal ganglia with no evidence of congenital infection was found in 2 cases and an asymptomatic subarachnoid hemorrhage was found in 1 case.ConclusionOur results indicate that macrocephaly at birth has benign ultrasonography findings and shows a pattern of male dominance
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Patient Perception of Natural Orifice Transluminal Endoscopic Surgery in an Endoscopy Screening Program in Korea
Purpose Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) is a new method of accessing intracavitary organs in order to minimize pain by avoiding incisions in the body wall. The aim of this study is to determine patients' acceptance of NOTES in Korea and to compare their views about laparoscopic surgery and NOTES for benign and malignant diseases. Materials and Methods The target number of total subjects was calculated to be 540. The subjects were classified into 18 sub-groups based on age groups, gender, and history of prior surgery. The questionnaire elicited information about demographic characteristics, medical check-ups, diseases, endoscopic and surgical histories, marital status and childbirth, the acceptance of NOTES, and the preferred routes for NOTES. In addition, the subjects chose laparoscopic surgery or NOTES for a hypothetical cholecystectomy and rectal cancer surgery, and responded to questions regarding the acceptable complication rate of NOTES, the appropriate cost of NOTES, and the reason(s) why they did not select NOTES. Results: 486 of 540 patients (90.0%) who agreed to participate in this study completed the questionnaire. NOTES was preferred by the following patients: elderly; a history of treatment due to a disease; having regular check-ups; and a history of an endoscopic procedure (p<0.05). The most preferred route for NOTES was the stomach (67.1%). Eighty-four percent of the patients choosing NOTES responded that the complication rate of the new surgical method should be the same or lower than laparoscopic surgery. Vague anxiety over a new surgical method was the most common reason why NOTES was not selected in benign and malignant diseases (64% and 73%), respectively. Conclusion: Patients appear to be interested in the potential benefits of NOTES and would embrace it if their concerns about safety are met. We believe that qualified surgical endoscopists can meet these safety concerns, and that NOTES development has the potential to flourish
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Atrophic Gastritis: A Related Factor for Osteoporosis in Elderly Women
Purpose Osteoporosis poses a great threat to the aging society. Hypochlorhydric or achlorhydric conditions are risk factors for osteoporosis. Atrophic gastritis also decreases gastric acid production; however, the role of atrophic gastritis as a related factor for osteoporosis is unclear. We investigated the relationship between atrophic gastritis and osteoporosis in postmenopausal women over 60 years of age. Subjects and Methods A total of 401 postmenopausal women were included in this cross-sectional study, which was conducted during their medical check-ups. Bone mineral densitometry was measured using a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry. Atrophic gastritis was defined endoscopically if gastric mucosa in the antrum and the body were found to be atrophied and thinned and submucosal vessels could be well visualized. Results: The proportion of people with atrophic gastritis was higher in the osteoporotic group than in the group without osteoporosis. A linear relationship was observed in the proportion of atrophic gastritis according to the categories of normal, osteopenia, and osteoporosis at the lumbar spine (p for trend = 0.039) and femur (p for trend = 0.001). A multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of atrophic gastritis was associated with an increased odds of osteoporosis after adjusting for age, body mass index, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alcohol consumption, and smoking status (odds ratio 1.89, 95% confidence interval 1.15–3.11). Conclusions: Atrophic gastritis is associated with an increased likelihood of osteoporosis in Korean elderly women
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