Applications of Improved Ant Colony Optimization Clustering Algorithm in Image Segmentation

When expressing the data feature extraction of the interesting objectives, image segmentation is to transform the data set of the features of the original image into more tight and general data set. This paper explores the image segmentation technology based on ant colony optimization clustering algorithm and proposes an improved ant colony clustering algorithm (ACCA). It improves and analyzes the computational formula of the similarity function and improves parameter selection and setting by setting ant clustering rules. Through this algorithm, it can not only accelerate the clustering speed, but it can also have a better clustering partitioning result. The experimental result shows that the method of this paper is better than the original OTSU image segmentation method in accuracy, rapidity and stability

Empirical analysis of the ship-transport network of China

Structural properties of the ship-transport network of China (STNC) are studied in the light of recent investigations of complex networks. STNC is composed of a set of routes and ports located along the sea or river. Network properties including the degree distribution, degree correlations, clustering, shortest path length, centrality and betweenness are studied in different definition of network topology. It is found that geographical constraint plays an important role in the network topology of STNC. We also study the traffic flow of STNC based on the weighted network representation, and demonstrate the weight distribution can be described by power law or exponential function depending on the assumed definition of network topology. Other features related to STNC are also investigated.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, 1 tabl

Single-breath-hold photoacoustic computed tomography of the breast

We have developed a single-breath-hold photoacoustic computed tomography (SBH-PACT) system to reveal detailed angiographic structures in human breasts. SBH-PACT features a deep penetration depth (4 cm in vivo) with high spatial and temporal resolutions (255 µm in-plane resolution and a 10 Hz 2D frame rate). By scanning the entire breast within a single breath hold (~15 s), a volumetric image can be acquired and subsequently reconstructed utilizing 3D back-projection with negligible breathing-induced motion artifacts. SBH-PACT clearly reveals tumors by observing higher blood vessel densities associated with tumors at high spatial resolution, showing early promise for high sensitivity in radiographically dense breasts. In addition to blood vessel imaging, the high imaging speed enables dynamic studies, such as photoacoustic elastography, which identifies tumors by showing less compliance. We imaged breast cancer patients with breast sizes ranging from B cup to DD cup, and skin pigmentations ranging from light to dark. SBH-PACT identified all the tumors without resorting to ionizing radiation or exogenous contrast, posing no health risks

Development of an environmentally friendly gel foam and assessment of its thermal stability and fire suppression properties in liquid pool fires

Large-scale tank fires are one of the most challenging firefighting scenarios and pose significant threats to the safety of personnel and the integrity of equipment. The development of effective extinguishing agents is thus of both fundamental and practical importance in the controlling, mitigation, and suppression of tank fires. In this study, a novel environmentally friendly fire suppression foam based on gel-glycoside was developed using alpha-olefin sulfonate (AOS) and alkyl ethoxy polyglycosides (AEG) as the foaming agents, and sodium silicate, and sodium bicarbonate as the gelling and cross-linking agents respectively. The optimal ratios of the foaming agents were determined firstly by examining the foam expansion ratio and foam comprehensive value. Subsequently, the foamability, thermal stability, cross-linking time, and spreadability of the optimized formulations were analyzed. Finally, the fire extinguishing effects and performance in suppressing burnback of these formulations were examined and compared with those of a traditional film-forming fluoroprotein foam (FFFP). The experimental results indicated that the gel-glycoside foam, consisting of a composite foaming agent (AOS:AEG=1:9), sodium silicate, and sodium bicarbonate at concentrations of 0.6, 2.4 and 3.7wt%, respectively, exhibited the best spreadability and thermal stability. This formulation also showed excellent performance in cooling and suppressing burnback in the fire extinguishing tests, with a 90% burnback time of 485s, 45% higher than that of FFFP. The present results clearly demonstrated that gel-glycoside foams can effectively control and suppress liquid pool fires and hence reduce the risk in potential re-ignition. These findings are also important for the further development of gel foams for extinguishing large-scale oil storage tank fires

Endoglin Is Essential for the Maintenance of Self-Renewal and Chemoresistance in Renal Cancer Stem Cells.

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a deadly malignancy due to its tendency to metastasize and resistance to chemotherapy. Stem-like tumor cells often confer these aggressive behaviors. We discovered an endoglin (CD105)-expressing subpopulation in human RCC xenografts and patient samples with a greater capability to form spheres in vitro and tumors in mice at low dilutions than parental cells. Knockdown of CD105 by short hairpin RNA and CRISPR/cas9 reduced stemness markers and sphere-formation ability while accelerating senescence in vitro. Importantly, downregulation of CD105 significantly decreased the tumorigenicity and gemcitabine resistance. This loss of stem-like properties can be rescued by CDA, MYC, or NANOG, and CDA might act as a demethylase maintaining MYC and NANOG. In this study, we showed that Endoglin (CD105) expression not only demarcates a cancer stem cell subpopulation but also confers self-renewal ability and contributes to chemoresistance in RCC

CRISPR-Mediated VHL Knockout Generates an Improved Model for Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma.

Metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) is nearly incurable and accounts for most of the mortality associated with RCC. Von Hippel Lindau (VHL) is a tumour suppressor that is lost in the majority of clear cell RCC (ccRCC) cases. Its role in regulating hypoxia-inducible factors-1α (HIF-1α) and -2α (HIF-2α) is well-studied. Recent work has demonstrated that VHL knock down induces an epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) phenotype. In this study we showed that a CRISPR/Cas9-mediated knock out of VHL in the RENCA model leads to morphologic and molecular changes indicative of EMT, which in turn drives increased metastasis to the lungs. RENCA cells deficient in HIF-1α failed to undergo EMT changes upon VHL knockout. RNA-seq revealed several HIF-1α-regulated genes that are upregulated in our VHL knockout cells and whose overexpression signifies an aggressive form of ccRCC in the cancer genome atlas (TCGA) database. Independent validation in a new clinical dataset confirms the upregulation of these genes in ccRCC samples compared to adjacent normal tissue. Our findings indicate that loss of VHL could be driving tumour cell dissemination through stabilization of HIF-1α in RCC. A better understanding of the mechanisms involved in this phenomenon can guide the search for more effective treatments to combat mRCC