3DCFS : Fast and robust joint 3D semantic-instance segmentation via coupled feature selection

We propose a novel fast and robust 3D point clouds segmentation framework via coupled feature selection, named 3DCFS, that jointly performs semantic and instance segmentation. Inspired by the human scene perception process, we design a novel coupled feature selection module, named CFSM, that adaptively selects and fuses the reciprocal semantic and instance features from two tasks in a coupled manner. To further boost the performance of the instance segmentation task in our 3DCFS, we investigate a loss function that helps the model learn to balance the magnitudes of the output embedding dimensions during training, which makes calculating the Euclidean distance more reliable and enhances the generalizability of the model. Extensive experiments demonstrate that our 3DCFS outperforms state-of-the-art methods on benchmark datasets in terms of accuracy, speed and computational cost

Osimertinib inhibits brain metastases and improves long-term survival in a patient with advanced squamous cell lung cancer: a case report and literatures review

BackgroundSquamous cell carcinoma (SCC) is one of the most common subtypes of non-small cell lung cancer, but its treatment options remain limited. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)–tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) have limited efficacy in the treatment of lung SCC. Here, we report an SCC patient who developed EGFR-T790M mutation and showed gefitinib resistance achieved an extremely long survival by taking Osimertinib alternatively.Case summaryA patient, 66-year-old non-smoking and drinking male with advanced SCC who was deemed inoperable at the time of diagnosis. The first genetic testing showed deletion mutation of exon 19 of EGFR. The patient was then treated with gefitinib with no significant efficacy. EGFR-T790M mutation was found in the second genetic test. The treatment regimen was changed to radiotherapy with Osimertinib, and the patient’s primary lesion and the brain metastases were well controlled.ConclusionThis typical case highlights the important role of Osimertinib in patients with SCC carrying EGFR mutations

Influence of Zn nonstoichiometry on the phase structure,microstructure and microwave dielectric properties of Nd(Zn0.5Ti0.5)O3ceramics

The double perovskites Nd(Zn0.5+xTi0.5)O3 (x = 0.05, 0.03, 0.01, 0, −0.01, −0.03 and −0.05) have been prepared successfully by conventional route for mixing oxides. The influences of Zn nonstoichiometry on the phase composition, microstructure and microwave dielectric properties have been systematically discussed. A small amount of Zn nonstoichiometry (−0.01 ≤ x ≤ 0.03) did not change the phase composition but a large amount of Zn excess (x = 0.05) and deficient (x = -0.03 and −0.05) caused the appearances of secondary phases Zn2TiO4 and Nd2Ti2O7, respectively. A significant difference in grain size could be observed in the Zn nonstoichiometry ceramics. The sinterability and density were reduced due to the presence of the impurity phase Nd2Ti2O7 for the Zn-deficient ceramics, while Nd2Ti2O7 could adjust temperature coefficient of resonant frequency (τf) to near-zero. The τf of the Nd(Zn0.5+xTi0.5)O3 (x = −0.05-0.05) ceramics was significantly affected by the Zn nonstoichiometry. After sintered at 1360 °C for 4 h, the nonstoichiometric Nd(Zn0.51Ti0.5)O3 ceramics showed favorable microwave dielectric properties: dielectric constant εr = 36.41, quality factor Q x f = 182650 GHz, and τf = −26.5 ppm/oC and the Nd(Zn0.47Ti0.5)O3 ceramics possessed a near-zero τf value of −5.6 ppm/oC, accompanying by a high εr and a moderate Q x f (εr = 27.75, Q x f = 47820 GHz)

Robust Stereo Visual Odometry Using Improved RANSAC-Based Methods for Mobile Robot Localization

In this paper, we present a novel approach for stereo visual odometry with robust motion estimation that is faster and more accurate than standard RANSAC (Random Sample Consensus). Our method makes improvements in RANSAC in three aspects: first, the hypotheses are preferentially generated by sampling the input feature points on the order of ages and similarities of the features; second, the evaluation of hypotheses is performed based on the SPRT (Sequential Probability Ratio Test) that makes bad hypotheses discarded very fast without verifying all the data points; third, we aggregate the three best hypotheses to get the final estimation instead of only selecting the best hypothesis. The first two aspects improve the speed of RANSAC by generating good hypotheses and discarding bad hypotheses in advance, respectively. The last aspect improves the accuracy of motion estimation. Our method was evaluated in the KITTI (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and Toyota Technological Institute) and the New Tsukuba dataset. Experimental results show that the proposed method achieves better results for both speed and accuracy than RANSAC

Single RGB Image 6D Object Grasping System Using Pixel-Wise Voting Network

A robotic system that can autonomously recognize object and grasp it in a real scene with heavy occlusion would be desirable. In this paper, we integrate the techniques of object detection, pose estimation and grasping plan on Kinova Gen3 (KG3), a 7 degrees of freedom (DOF) robotic arm with a low-performance native camera sensor, to implement an autonomous real-time 6 dimensional (6D) robotic grasping system. To estimate the object 6D pose, the pixel-wise voting network (PV-net), is applied in the grasping system. However, the PV-net method can not distinguish the object from its photo through only RGB image input. To meet the demands of a real industrial environment, a rapid analytical method on a point cloud is developed to judge whether the detected object is real or not. In addition, our system shows a stable and robust performance in different installation positions with heavily cluttered scenes

Densification of high-strength B4C-TiB2 composites fabricated by pulsed electric current sintering of TiC-B mixture

The densification and mechanical properties of B4C-TiB2 composites fabricated by reactive pulsed electric current sintering from a mixture of TiC and amorphous B powders were investigated. The excess of B was essential to remove the carbon produced by the reaction. The degassing process at 1900 degrees C before applying a 50 MPa external pressure greatly improved the densification of the composites. The B4C-41 vol% TiB2 composite obtained at the optimum condition had a high 3-point bending strength of 891 MPa, a Vickers hardness of 28 GPa and a fracture toughness of 4.4 MPa m(1/2), respectively. (C) 2017 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved