Multi-Segmentation and Annotation of 3D Surface Meshes

The ShapeAnnotator is a graphical tool designed to assist an expert user in the task of annotating a surface mesh with concepts belonging to a domain of expertise. The user is first required to identify meaningful surface features; Each such feature can then be "labeled" with a concept, and the surface mesh, along with the features identified and their labels, can be saved

Quality of word and concept embeddings in targetted biomedical domains

Embeddings are fundamental resources often reused for building intelligent systems in the biomedical context. As a result, evaluating the quality of previously trained embeddings and ensuring they cover the desired information is critical for the success of applications. This paper proposes a new evaluation methodology to test the coverage of embeddings against a targetted domain of interest. It defines measures to assess the terminology, similarity, and analogy coverage, which are core aspects of the embeddings. Then, it discusses the experimentation carried out on existing biomedical embeddings in the specific context of pulmonary diseases. The proposed methodology and measures are general and may be applied to any application domain

Systemic Periodontal Risk Score Using an Innovative Machine Learning Strategy: An Observational Study

Editors: Aristotelis Chatziioannou and Yudong ZhangInternational audienceEarly diagnosis is crucial for individuals who are susceptible to tooth-supporting tissue diseases (e.g., periodontitis) that may lead to tooth loss, so as to prevent systemic implications and maintain quality of life. The aim of this study was to propose a personalized explainable machine learning algorithm, solely based on non-invasive predictors that can easily be collected in a clinic, to identify subjects at risk of developing periodontal diseases. To this end, the individual data and periodontal health of 532 subjects was assessed. A machine learning pipeline combining a feature selection step, multilayer perceptron, and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) explainability, was used to build the algorithm. The prediction scores for healthy periodontium and periodontitis gave final F1-scores of 0.74 and 0.68, respectively, while gingival inflammation was harder to predict (F1-score of 0.32). Age, body mass index, smoking habits, systemic pathologies, diet, alcohol, educational level, and hormonal status were found to be the most contributive variables for periodontal health prediction. The algorithm clearly shows different risk profiles before and after 35 years of age and suggests transition ages in the predisposition to developing gingival inflammation or periodontitis. This innovative approach to systemic periodontal disease risk profiles, combining both ML and up-to-date explainability algorithms, paves the way for new periodontal health prediction strategies

Contrast-Enhanced CT Texture Analysis in Colon Cancer: Correlation with Genetic Markers

Background: The purpose of the study was to determine whether contrast-enhanced CT texture features relate to, and can predict, the presence of specific genetic mutations involved in CRC carcinogenesis. Materials and methods: This retrospective study analyzed the pre-operative CT in the venous phase of patients with CRC, who underwent testing for mutations in the KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, and MSI genes. Using a specific software based on CT images of each patient, for each slice including the tumor a region of interest was manually drawn along the margin, obtaining the volume of interest. A total of 56 texture parameters were extracted that were compared between the wild-type gene group and the mutated gene group. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The study included 47 patients with stage III-IV CRC. Statistically significant differences between the MSS group and the MSI group were found in four parameters: GLRLM RLNU (area under the curve (AUC) 0.72, sensitivity (SE) 77.8%, specificity (SP) 65.8%), GLZLM SZHGE (AUC 0.79, SE 88.9%, SP 65.8%), GLZLM GLNU (AUC 0.74, SE 88.9%, SP 60.5%), and GLZLM ZLNU (AUC 0.77, SE 88.9%, SP 65.8%). Conclusions: The findings support the potential role of the CT texture analysis in detecting MSI in CRC based on pre-treatment CT scans

Il Mito del Nemico. Identita\u300, alterita\u300 e loro rappresentazioni. The Myth of the Enemy. Alterity, identity, and their representations.

Con un\u2019ampia gamma di saggi, il volume affronta lo studio dell\u2019alterita\u300, dal Medioevo all\u2019Eta\u300 contemporanea, attraverso una prospettiva interdisciplinare, che consente di abbracciare la categoria fluida e soggettiva del "nemico", scrutandola in specifici contesti e seguendola nei suoi diversi paradigmi e trasformazioni. Cinquanta autori si confrontano con il mito mutevole del nemico, mettendo a fuoco i processi figurativi e le dinamiche ideative, all\u2019origine delle molteplici costruzioni dell\u2019alterita\u300. Organizzato tematicamente e in maniera comparata, il volume assume, di volta in volta, focus privilegiati, quali meraviglia, fascinazione, appropriazione, satira, facendo emergere un nemico arbitrario, in cui connessioni tra finzione e fobia, gerarchie e propaganda, concorrono a determinare pericolosita\u300 strategiche e modalita\u300 di assimilazione. Un mito del nemico dunque riconoscibile nelle mistificazioni di ebrei, musulmani, turchi, mori, protestanti, convertiti, non-cattolici in genere; africani, nativi americani, orientali, non-europei, e non-bianchi in genere, come pure dissidenti, e nemici in ambito politico. Vi si ritrova inoltre il nemico diventato pretesto e linfa per giustificazioni imperialistiche e coloniali. Il volume mette al centro i ruoli del diverso nell\u2019immaginario artistico e letterario, sollevando infine interrogativi circa la definizione di identita\u300 e civilta\u300. Oltre ad analisi che si concentrano sull\u2019Europa centro-occidentale, coinvolge approfondimenti su questioni inerenti i paesi mediterranei, l\u2019Est Europa, l\u2019Asia e il continente americano. Il volume, che include scritti di storia dell\u2019arte, letteratura, storia, antropologia visuale, storia del collezionismo, iconologia politica, storia delle idee e filosofia giuridica, e\u300 pensato come visione sfaccettata e di ampio respiro, su un fenomeno sfuggente e complesso, quanto di estrema attualita\u300.With its diverse essays, this volume examines the study of otherness, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary age, through an interdisciplinary perspective that embraces the subjective and fluid category of the enemy in specific contexts and in its different paradigms and transformations. Fifty authors tackle the myth of the enemy and uncover figurative processes and intellectual dynamics behind the constructions of otherness. Thematically and comparatively structured, the book considers specific themes, such as wonder, fascination, appropriation, and satire. It reveals an arbitrary enemy, in which connections between fiction and phobia, hierarchies and propaganda determine strategic defamation and modes of assimilation. The myth of the enemy is here recognizable in the mystification of Jews, Muslims, Turks, Moors, Protestants, converts, and non-Catholics in general; Africans, Native Americans, Asians, non-Europeans, and non-whites in general; dissidents, and enemies in the political sphere. We can also see how the enemy, as a convenient device, was used for imperialist and colonial justifications. In addition, the volume focuses on the roles of diversity in the artistic and literary imagination. Finally, it raises questions about the definition of identity and civilization. The volume transcends exclusively western and central European conceptions and offers insight into the Mediterranean, Eastern European, Asian, and American viewpoints. It includes essays from art history, literature, history, collecting studies, visual anthropology, political iconology, the history of ideas, and legal philosophy. It offers a multifaceted and comprehensive exploration of an elusive, complex, and highly topical phenomenon