Ambiguity-Aware Multi-Object Pose Optimization for Visually-Assisted Robot Manipulation

6D object pose estimation aims to infer the relative pose between the object and the camera using a single image or multiple images. Most works have focused on predicting the object pose without associated uncertainty under occlusion and structural ambiguity (symmetricity). However, these works demand prior information about shape attributes, and this condition is hardly satisfied in reality; even asymmetric objects may be symmetric under the viewpoint change. In addition, acquiring and fusing diverse sensor data is challenging when extending them to robotics applications. Tackling these limitations, we present an ambiguity-aware 6D object pose estimation network, PrimA6D++, as a generic uncertainty prediction method. The major challenges in pose estimation, such as occlusion and symmetry, can be handled in a generic manner based on the measured ambiguity of the prediction. Specifically, we devise a network to reconstruct the three rotation axis primitive images of a target object and predict the underlying uncertainty along each primitive axis. Leveraging the estimated uncertainty, we then optimize multi-object poses using visual measurements and camera poses by treating it as an object SLAM problem. The proposed method shows a significant performance improvement in T-LESS and YCB-Video datasets. We further demonstrate real-time scene recognition capability for visually-assisted robot manipulation. Our code and supplementary materials are available at https://github.com/rpmsnu/PrimA6D.Comment: IEEE Robotics and Automation Letter

TRansPose: Large-Scale Multispectral Dataset for Transparent Object

Transparent objects are encountered frequently in our daily lives, yet recognizing them poses challenges for conventional vision sensors due to their unique material properties, not being well perceived from RGB or depth cameras. Overcoming this limitation, thermal infrared cameras have emerged as a solution, offering improved visibility and shape information for transparent objects. In this paper, we present TRansPose, the first large-scale multispectral dataset that combines stereo RGB-D, thermal infrared (TIR) images, and object poses to promote transparent object research. The dataset includes 99 transparent objects, encompassing 43 household items, 27 recyclable trashes, 29 chemical laboratory equivalents, and 12 non-transparent objects. It comprises a vast collection of 333,819 images and 4,000,056 annotations, providing instance-level segmentation masks, ground-truth poses, and completed depth information. The data was acquired using a FLIR A65 thermal infrared (TIR) camera, two Intel RealSense L515 RGB-D cameras, and a Franka Emika Panda robot manipulator. Spanning 87 sequences, TRansPose covers various challenging real-life scenarios, including objects filled with water, diverse lighting conditions, heavy clutter, non-transparent or translucent containers, objects in plastic bags, and multi-stacked objects. TRansPose dataset can be accessed from the following link: https://sites.google.com/view/transpose-datasetComment: Under revie

Diagnosis in a Preclinical Model of Bladder Pain Syndrome Using a Au/ZnO Nanorod-based SERS Substrate

To evaluate the feasibility of ZnO nanorod-based surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) diagnostics for disease models, particularly for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome (IC/BPS), ZnO-based SERS sensing chips were developed and applied to an animal disease model. ZnO nanorods were grown to form nano-sized porous structures and coated with gold to facilitate size-selective biomarker detection. Raman spectra were acquired on a surface enhanced Raman substrate from the urine in a rat model of IC/BPS and analyzed using a statistical analysis method called principal component analysis (PCA). The nanorods grown after the ZnO seed deposition were 30 to 50 nm in diameter and 500 to 600 nm in length. A volume of gold corresponding to a thin film thickness of 100 nm was deposited on the grown nanorod structure. Raman spectroscopic signals were measured in the scattered region for nanometer biomarker detection to indicate IC/BPS. The Raman peaks for the control group and IC/BPS group are observed at 641, 683, 723, 873, 1002, 1030, and 1355 cm(-1),which corresponded to various bonding types and compounds. The PCA results are plotted in 2D and 3D. The Raman signals and statistical analyses obtained from the nano-sized biomarkers of intractable inflammatory diseases demonstrate the possibility of an early diagnosis

CT Findings of Completely Regressed Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Main Portal Vein Tumor Thrombosis after Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine the sequential CT findings of controlled hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) with main portal vein (MPV) thrombosis with the use of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization and additional intra-arterial cisplatin infusion. Materials and Methods: From January 2004 to September 2006, 138 patients with HCC invading MPV were referred to the angiography unit of our institution for chemoembolization and additional intra-arterial cisplatin infusion. Until August 2008, seven (5%) of 138 patients were followed-up and found not to have tumor recurrence. CT scans were retrospectively reviewed by two radiologists, focusing on the following parameters: the extent of portal vein thrombosis, the diameter of the affected portal vein, and enhancement of portal vein thrombosis. Results: The extent of portal vein thrombosis at the initial presentation was variable: left portal vein (LPV) and MPV (n = 1), right portal vein (RPV) and MPV (n = 3), as well as RPV, LPV and MPV (n = 3). The extent and diameter of the affected portal vein decreased during follow-up examinations. In addition, the degree of enhancement for tumor thrombi and serum alpha-feto-protein levels decreased after the transcatheter arterial chemoembolization. Portal vein thrombosis was found to be completely resolved in one patient, whereas residual thrombus without viability was persistent in six patients. Conclusion: If chemoembolization is effective in patients with HCC that invades the portal vein, the extent and enhancement of portal vein thrombosis is reduced, but residual thrombosis frequently persists for months or years, without evidence of a viable tumor.Shin SW, 2009, KOREAN J RADIOL, V10, P425, DOI 10.3348/kjr.2009.10.5.425El-Serag HB, 2008, GASTROENTEROLOGY, V134, P1752, DOI 10.1053/j.gastro.2008.02.090Shah ZK, 2007, AM J ROENTGENOL, V188, P1320, DOI 10.2214/AJR.06.0134JEON UB, 2007, RAD SOC N AM 93 SCIObi S, 2006, CANCER, V106, P1990, DOI 10.1002/cncr.21832MYUNG SJ, 2006, KOREAN J HEPATOL, V12, P107Georgiades CS, 2005, J VASC INTERV RADIOL, V16, P1653, DOI 10.1097/01.RVI.0000182185.47500.7AKim DY, 2005, CANCER, V103, P2419, DOI 10.1002/cncr.21043Llovet JM, 2003, HEPATOLOGY, V37, P429, DOI 10.1053/jhep.2003.50047Bruix J, 2001, J HEPATOL, V35, P421Lee HS, 1997, CANCER, V79, P2087Tublin ME, 1997, AM J ROENTGENOL, V168, P719CHUNG JW, 1995, AM J ROENTGENOL, V165, P315MATHIEU D, 1984, RADIOLOGY, V152, P127YAMADA R, 1983, RADIOLOGY, V148, P397

Solitary Small Bowel Metastasis from Breast Cancer

The common sites of metastasis of breast cancer are bone, lung, and liver, but gastrointestinal metastasis from breast cancer is rare. We experienced a case of solitary ileal metastasis from breast cancer. A 45-years-old woman presented with melena for several weeks. She showed no other abdominal symptoms. Colonoscopy findings showed an ulcerative mucosal lesion in the terminal ileum, and biopsy was performed. Pathologic examination revealed metastatic carcinoma, originated from breast. The tumor cells were positive for estrogen receptor and negative for Cdx-2. She had had a previous medical history of bilateral breast cancer and undergone breast conserving surgery with sentinel lymph node biopsy for both breasts. The torso positron emission tomography scan at 19 months after surgery showed mildly increased uptake in the terminal ileum which was considered as inflammation. Finally, she was diagnosed with solitary ileal metastasis from breast cancer at 22 months after surgery

Molecular genetic study of novel biomarkers for early diagnosis of oral squamous cell carcinoma

Objectives: Early detection and treatment of an oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is critical because of its rapid growth, frequent lymph-node metastasis, and poor prognosis. However, no clinically-valuable methods of early diagnosis exist, and genetic analysis of OSCCs has yielded no biomarkers. Study D esign: We investigated the expression of genes associated with inflammation in OSCCs via a quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis of microarray data. Tumor and normal tissues from five patients with an OSCC were used for microarray analysis. Differentially-expressed genes, identified using permutation, local pooled error (LPE), t-tests, and significance analysis of microarrays (SAM), were selected as candidate genetic markers. Results: Two groups corresponding to tissue identity were evident, implying that their differentially-expressed genes represented biological differences between tissues. Fifteen genes were identified using the Student’s paired t-test ( p< 0.05) and the SAM, with a false discovery rate of less than 0.02. Based on gene expression, these 15 genes can be used to classify an OSCC. A genetic analysis of functional networks and ontologies, validated by using a qRT-PCR analysis of the tissue samples, identified four genes, ADAM15, CDC7, IL12RB2 and TNFRSF8, that demonstrated excellent concordance with the microarray data. Conclusions: Our study demonstrated that four genes (ADAM15, CDC7, IL12RB2 and TNFRSF8) had potential as novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and the treatment of an OSCC

Characteristics of Ba(Zr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2)O3-δ nano-powders synthesized by different wet-chemical methods for solid oxide fuel cells

This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2017R1A6A3A03004416) and (NRF-2015M1A2A2056833).Ba(Zr0.1Ce0.7Y0.2)O3-δ nano-particles were prepared by different wet-chemical synthesis, Pechini (BZCY(P)) and co-precipitation (BZCY(C)), respectively. The BZCY(C) powders have a particle size in range of about 50~150 nm, which is smaller than the BZCY(P) powders with about 500~900 nm. Both the BZCY materials show perovskite structures, but there are impurities in the BZCY (P). Moreover, the electrolyte density was higher in the BZCY (C) than the BZCY (P). The single cells with BZCY (C) electrolytes exhibited about 0.23 W cm−2 at 600 °C and about 0.31 W cm−2 at the same temperature were obtained when the anode-functional layer was introduced between the anode and electrolyte. Thus, the BZCY prepared by carbonate-derived co-precipitation method can be more favorable for high-purity and dense electrolytes in the solid oxide fuel cells than the BZCY prepared by Pechini method.PostprintPeer reviewe

An Outbreak of Trichinellosis with Detection of Trichinella Larvae in Leftover Wild Boar Meat

The clinical diagnosis of trichinellosis can be difficult due to lack of pathognomonic signs or symptoms. In Korea, since the first report of human infection by Trichinella spiralis in 1997 following the consumption of raw badger meat, there have been occasional trichinellosis outbreaks. We describe an outbreak of 12 cases of trichinellosis in Korea and implicate raw wild boar meat as the culprit. A total of 27 larvae of Trichinella (0.54 larvae per gram of meat) were recovered from the leftover raw wild boar meat

Optical Shaping of Plasma Cavity for Controlled Laser Wakefield Acceleration

Laser wakefield accelerators rely on relativistically moving micron-sized plasma cavities that provide extremely high electric field >100GV/m. Here, we demonstrate transverse shaping of the plasma cavity to produce controlled sub-GeV electron beams, adopting laser pulses with an axially rotatable ellipse-shaped focal spot. We showed the control capability on electron self-injection, charge, and transverse profile of the electron beam by rotating the focal spot. We observed that the effect of the elliptical focal spot was imprinted in the profiles of the electron beams and the electron energy increased, as compared to the case of a circular focal spot. We performed 3D particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations which reproduced the experimental results and revealed dynamics of a new asymmetric self-injection process. This simple scheme offers a novel control method on laser wakefield acceleration to produce tailored electron beams and x-rays for various applications.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure