Automatic gross tumor segmentation of canine head and neck cancer using deep learning and cross-species transfer learning

BackgroundRadiotherapy (RT) is increasingly being used on dogs with spontaneous head and neck cancer (HNC), which account for a large percentage of veterinary patients treated with RT. Accurate definition of the gross tumor volume (GTV) is a vital part of RT planning, ensuring adequate dose coverage of the tumor while limiting the radiation dose to surrounding tissues. Currently the GTV is contoured manually in medical images, which is a time-consuming and challenging task.PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate the applicability of deep learning-based automatic segmentation of the GTV in canine patients with HNC.Materials and methodsContrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) images and corresponding manual GTV contours of 36 canine HNC patients and 197 human HNC patients were included. A 3D U-Net convolutional neural network (CNN) was trained to automatically segment the GTV in canine patients using two main approaches: (i) training models from scratch based solely on canine CT images, and (ii) using cross-species transfer learning where models were pretrained on CT images of human patients and then fine-tuned on CT images of canine patients. For the canine patients, automatic segmentations were assessed using the Dice similarity coefficient (Dice), the positive predictive value, the true positive rate, and surface distance metrics, calculated from a four-fold cross-validation strategy where each fold was used as a validation set and test set once in independent model runs.ResultsCNN models trained from scratch on canine data or by using transfer learning obtained mean test set Dice scores of 0.55 and 0.52, respectively, indicating acceptable auto-segmentations, similar to the mean Dice performances reported for CT-based automatic segmentation in human HNC studies. Automatic segmentation of nasal cavity tumors appeared particularly promising, resulting in mean test set Dice scores of 0.69 for both approaches.ConclusionIn conclusion, deep learning-based automatic segmentation of the GTV using CNN models based on canine data only or a cross-species transfer learning approach shows promise for future application in RT of canine HNC patients

Interpreting political identity in Côte d'Ivoire: A self-categorisation approach

Thesis (MA (Political Science))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010.See full text for abstrac

Oppsummeringsrapport fra «Evaluering av Booppfølgingsteamet i Velferdsetaten i Oslo kommune»

Bakgrunn: I senere år har det foregått en omfattende nedbygging av behandlings-og omsorgsinstitusjoner. Dette harblant annet medført at mennesker med rus-og/eller psykiske helseproblemer i større grad enn tidligere bor i egen bolig. Mange opplever utfordringer knyttet til boligforhold.I tråd med sentrale nasjonale føringer og som en følge av at Ila hybelhus ble nedlagt opprettet Velferdsetaten i Oslo kommune (VEL) et eget prosjekt «Booppfølgingsteam». For å bidra til å utvikle kunnskap rundt hvordan man best kan bidra til at beboerne får etablert seg i egen bolig over tid fikk Senter for psykisk helse og rus ved Høgskolen i Sørøst-Norgeoppdraget med å gjennomføre en evaluering av arbeidet i prosjekt «Booppfølgingsteami VEL». Metode: Evalueringen består av to delstudier. I delstudie en ble det gjennomført individuelle kvalitative intervjuer med 8 personer som mottar tjenester fra Booppfølgingsteamet. I delstudie to er det gjennomført trefokusgruppeintervjuer med fire ansatte fra teamet. Intervjuene av beboerne er transkribert i sin helhet og analysert tematisk. Fra fokusgruppeintervjuene er det utarbeidet et analytisk sammendrag med utgangspunkt i temaer som går igjen i det samlede datamaterialet. Funn: I delstudie en har vi gjennom analysen utarbeidet fire overordnede temaer som. Det første temaet omhandler deltakernes erfaringer knyttet til boforhold og bolig, mens de neste tre beskriver deres erfaringer fra samarbeidet med Booppfølgingsteamet. Det analytiske sammendraget i delstudie to resulterte i fem temaer. De første tre er knyttet til hva de ansatte beskriver som suksessfaktorer og utfordringer i tilbudet de yter. De to siste temaene omhandler teamets verdigrunnlag og de ansattes opplevelse av egen rolle i arbeidet. Konklusjon: Erfaringene fra beboerne og de ansattetyder på at tilbudet er i tråd med teamets mandat og sentrale nasjonale føringer. Teamet yter et variert og helhetlig tilbud, som tar utgangspunkt i den enkeltes behov.Rammene Booppfølgingsteamet jobber under ser ut til å muliggjøre det å jobbe på måter som harmonerer med målgruppas behov. Beboerne gir uttrykk for at Booppfølgingsteamet er viktig for dem. Teamet bidrar i forbindelse med flytting frainstitusjon, men også for at beboerne skal kunne mestre og bo i egen bolig over tid. Booppfølgingsteamet bidrar til stabilitet og trygghet for beboerne som harmye erfaring med det motsatte

Vertebral column deformity with curved cross-stitch vertebrae in Norwegian seawater-farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

Pathological changes in the vertebral column of farmed Atlantic salmon in Norway have been reported since the 1990s. Based on the characteristic radiographic findings, we here present a vertebral column deformity named “curved cross‐stitch vertebrae” that mainly affects the middle aspect of the vertebral column. Sixty fish, from the west/northwest coast of mid‐Norway, were sampled at slaughter and examined by radiography, computed tomography (CT), necropsy, macrophotography, and histology. The vertebral deformities were radiographically graded as mild, moderate, or marked. The main differences between these grades of changes were defined by increased curving of the peripheries of endplates, reduced intervertebral spaces, and vertical displacement of the vertebrae. The curved rims of endplates were located peripheral to a continuous and approximately circular borderline. The CT studies revealed small, multifocal, hypo‐attenuating, round to crescent‐shaped areas in the notochord, compatible with the presence of gas. Additionally, histology revealed that the axial parts of endplates had circular zones with perforations, through which either notochordal tissue prolapsed into the vertebrae or vascularized fibrochondroid proliferations extended from the vertebrae into the notochord. Inflammation was present in many vertebral bodies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of gas in the notochord of fish.publishedVersio

A tale from the Glass Dome: A narrative analysis of social housing, living conditions and recovery

This article explores how housing circumstances in Norway may influence recovery for persons experiencing co-occurring mental health and substance abuse problems. In Norway, the provision of housing for people who are disadvantaged in the housing market is a municipal undertaking. National guidelines state that services should be recovery-oriented and enhance quality of life. Eight persons who received services from a community outreach team participated in the study. Data were generated through individual interviews and analyzed using a narrative approach. The participants’ everyday lives seemed solitary and isolated. Their housing situation and the housing market, coupled with public guidelines and practices, appeared to result in a situation of deadlock. Referring to a glass dome, the authors propose a situation where people see themselves as secluded from others, literally and metaphorically

The use of bougie-guided insertion of a laryngeal mask airway device in neonatal piglets after unexpected complications

After marked airway obstruction with laryngeal mask (LM) placement in neonate piglets, anatomical observations in cadavers revealed a large epiglottis advancing markedly over the soft palate. CT imaging in vivo confirmed that the LM pushes the epiglottis caudally thereby obstructing the larynx. As a new approach, in 20 piglets a flexible PVC bougie placed under laryngoscopy was used to guide the LM to the correct position at the larynx. Placement of the bougie was easy and the LM was positioned successfully in all piglets at first attempt. In 14 piglets, the epiglottis was positioned dorsal to the soft palate before LM insertion and had to be pushed downwards to advance the bougie. In case of failure of LM placement with potential airway obstruction, the use of a bougie to guide the LM over the epiglottis was simple, rapid, and improved the success rate without complication