Underwater Fish Detection with Weak Multi-Domain Supervision

Given a sufficiently large training dataset, it is relatively easy to train a modern convolution neural network (CNN) as a required image classifier. However, for the task of fish classification and/or fish detection, if a CNN was trained to detect or classify particular fish species in particular background habitats, the same CNN exhibits much lower accuracy when applied to new/unseen fish species and/or fish habitats. Therefore, in practice, the CNN needs to be continuously fine-tuned to improve its classification accuracy to handle new project-specific fish species or habitats. In this work we present a labelling-efficient method of training a CNN-based fish-detector (the Xception CNN was used as the base) on relatively small numbers (4,000) of project-domain underwater fish/no-fish images from 20 different habitats. Additionally, 17,000 of known negative (that is, missing fish) general-domain (VOC2012) above-water images were used. Two publicly available fish-domain datasets supplied additional 27,000 of above-water and underwater positive/fish images. By using this multi-domain collection of images, the trained Xception-based binary (fish/not-fish) classifier achieved 0.17% false-positives and 0.61% false-negatives on the project's 20,000 negative and 16,000 positive holdout test images, respectively. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) was 99.94%.Comment: Published in the 2019 International Joint Conference on Neural Networks (IJCNN-2019), Budapest, Hungary, July 14-19, 2019, https://www.ijcnn.org/ , https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/885190

A study of recent contributions on simulation tools for Network-on-Chip (NoC)

The growth in the number of Intellectual Properties (IPs) or the number of cores on the same chip becomes a critical issue in System-on-Chip (SoC) due to the intra-communication problem between the chip elements. As a result, Network-on-Chip (NoC) has emerged as a new system architecture to overcome intra-communication issues. New approaches and methodologies have been developed by many researchers to improve NoC. Also, many NoC simulation tools have been proposed and adopted by both academia and industry. This paper presents a study of recent contributions on simulation tools for NoC. Furthermore, an overview of NoC is covered as well as a comparison between some NoC simulators to help facilitate research in on-chip communication

A case study in open source innovation: developing the Tidepool Platform for interoperability in type 1 diabetes management.

OBJECTIVE:Develop a device-agnostic cloud platform to host diabetes device data and catalyze an ecosystem of software innovation for type 1 diabetes (T1D) management. MATERIALS AND METHODS:An interdisciplinary team decided to establish a nonprofit company, Tidepool, and build open-source software. RESULTS:Through a user-centered design process, the authors created a software platform, the Tidepool Platform, to upload and host T1D device data in an integrated, device-agnostic fashion, as well as an application ("app"), Blip, to visualize the data. Tidepool's software utilizes the principles of modular components, modern web design including REST APIs and JavaScript, cloud computing, agile development methodology, and robust privacy and security. DISCUSSION:By consolidating the currently scattered and siloed T1D device data ecosystem into one open platform, Tidepool can improve access to the data and enable new possibilities and efficiencies in T1D clinical care and research. The Tidepool Platform decouples diabetes apps from diabetes devices, allowing software developers to build innovative apps without requiring them to design a unique back-end (e.g., database and security) or unique ways of ingesting device data. It allows people with T1D to choose to use any preferred app regardless of which device(s) they use. CONCLUSION:The authors believe that the Tidepool Platform can solve two current problems in the T1D device landscape: 1) limited access to T1D device data and 2) poor interoperability of data from different devices. If proven effective, Tidepool's open source, cloud model for health data interoperability is applicable to other healthcare use cases

Ten-Year Survival after Liver Resection for Colorectal Metastases: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background. Liver resection in metastatic colorectal cancer is proved to result in five-year survival of 25–40%. Several factors have been investigated to look for prognostic factors stratifications such as resection margins, node involvement in the primary disease, and interval between the primary disease and liver metastases. Methods. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE for studies that reported ten-year survival. Metaanalysis was performed to analyse the effect of recognised prognostic factors on cure rate for colorectal metastases. The meta-analysis was performed according to Ottawa-Newcastle method of analysis for nonrandomised trials and according to the guidelines of the PRISMA. Results. Eleven studies were included in the analysis, which showed a ten-year survival rate of 12–36%. Factors that have favourable impact are clear resection margin, low level of CEA, single metastatic deposit, and node negative disease. The only factor that excluded patients from cure is the positive status of the resection margin. Conclusion. Predicted ten-year survival after liver resection for colorectal metastases varies from 12 to 36%. Only positive resection margins resulted in no 10-year survivors. No patient can be excluded from consideration for liver resection so long the result is negative margins

A well-posed numerical method to track isolated conformal map singularities in Hele-Shaw flow

We present a new numerical method for calculating an evolving 2D Hele-Shaw interface when surface tension effects are neglected. In the case where the flow is directed from the less viscous fluid into the more viscous fluid, the motion of the interface is ill-posed; small deviations in the initial condition will produce significant changes in the ensuing motion. This situation is disastrous for numerical computation, as small round-off errors can quickly lead to large inaccuracies in the computed solution. Our method of computation is most easily formulated using a conformal map from the fluid domain into a unit disk. The method relies on analytically continuing the initial data and equations of motion into the region exterior to the disk, where the evolution problem becomes well-posed. The equations are then numerically solved in the extended domain. The presence of singularities in the conformal map outside of the disk introduces specific structures along the fluid interface. Our method can explicitly track the location of isolated pole and branch point singularities, allowing us to draw connections between the development of interfacial patterns and the motion of singularities as they approach the unit disk. In particular, we are able to relate physical features such as finger shape, side-branch formation, and competition between fingers to the nature and location of the singularities. The usefulness of this method in studying the formation of topological singularities (self-intersections of the interface) is also pointed out

Crystal growth and fluid mechanics problems in directional solidification

Broadly speaking, our efforts have been concentrated in two aspects of directional solidification: (A) a more complete theoretical understanding of convection effects in a Bridgman apparatus; and (B) a clear understanding of scalings of various features of dendritic crystal growth in the sensitive limit of small capillary effects. For studies that fall within class A, the principal objectives are as follows: (A1) Derive analytical formulas for segregation, interfacial shape and fluid velocities in mathematically amenable asymptotic limits. (A2) Numerically verify and extend asymptotic results to other ranges of parameter space with a view to a broader physical understanding of the general trends. With respect to studies that fall within class B, the principal objectives include answering the following questions about dendritic crystal growth: (B1) Are there unsteady dendrite solutions in 2-D to the completely nonlinear time evolving equations in the small surface tension limit with only a locally steady tip region with well defined tip radius and velocity? Is anisotropy in surface tension necessary for the existence of such solutions as it is for a true steady state needle crystal? How does the size of such a local region depend on capillary effects, anisotropy and undercooling? (B2) How do the different control parameters affect the nonlinear amplification of tip noise and dendritic side branch coarsening

Urgent Need to Strengthen the Chain of Survival in the United Arab Emirates; a Letter to the Editor

Further to our recently published findings, we have completed the analysis of our second year of prehospital data collection for the same service. We wish to expedite the availability of this data to clinicians, researchers and policy makers in the region.Our 2015/2016 out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) data displayed the following demographic results: 514 OHCA resuscitation attempts were attended by national ambulance (NA) emergency medical services (EMS) in the Northern Emirates region (75% male). Male patients continued on average to be younger than female ones (50 vs. 61 years), and the median age of OHCA cases in the United Arab Emirates remains well below that of cases in Western countries (52 years, interquartile range: 38; 69).Over half of these cases occurred at a home residence, with the next most common location being a street or highway. A total of 282 (54.5%) incidents were witnessed by a bystander, 43 (8.3%) events by NA crew, and 189 (36.7%) incidents were not witnessed. Bystander cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) was attempted in 135 (28.6%) of non-EMS-witnessed cases (n=471). A bystander or public access defibrillator was applied in only five cases (1%) and no shocks were delivered by bystanders in any case. A total of 34 (6.6%) patients had a return of spontaneous circulation in the pre-hospital setting, over twice the rate demonstrated in the first year of our study. Survival to discharge data has been collected for the first time by our hospital partners, and the publication of these results in the near future will contribute greatly to our understanding of the OHCA issue in the region.The increase in the number of OHCA responses by NA crew is notable in our findings. This may be attributable to several reasons, including greater public awareness of EMS capabilities, and improved access to EMS via the dedicated 998 emergency number and the NA mobile application. This trend is to be welcomed, as implementation of the chain of survival increases the odds for survival. However, similar to our previous findings, a large number of the cases that were witnessed still had a significant time lapse before EMS was activated.A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. As such, increasing public awareness of the need for early EMS activation, improving bystander CPR rates, and increasing the availability of public access defibrillators still remain significant challenges in implementing the chain of survival in full to address this public health issue in the United Arab Emirates

Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus: A Devastating Disease Coming Back with Vengeance or Finding Its Nemesis?

Herpes zoster ophthalmicus is a frequent, painful, and debilitating condition caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus alongside the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve. Twenty-five percent of adults will develop the disease during their lifetime with the risk increasing to one in two over the age of 50. Herpes zoster ophthalmicus presents with a plethora of ocular manifestations ranging from the characteristic rash in the distribution of the ophthalmic branch of the fifth cranial nerve to more severe keratouveitis, disciform keratitis, and even retinal necrosis. Up to 20% of affected patients develop post-herpetic neuralgia which can persist for years after the acute episode, resulting in potentially devastating consequences for the patient’s social, financial, and professional circumstances, as well as their quality of life and daily activities. Shingles prevention studies indicated that the herpes zoster vaccine markedly reduces the burden of the disease, as well as the incidence of both infection and post-herpetic neuralgia. Here we review the vaccinations available for herpes zoster, the reasons behind their limited adoption so far, as well as the future perspectives and challenges associated with this debilitating disease in the era of herpes zoster vaccination and coronavirus disease pandemic

Referral Patterns, Procedures, and Outcomes of a Large Community- Based Urology Group: a Retrospective Chart Review

In 2012 The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommended against prostate cancer (Pca) screening. The purpose of our study is to assess the effects of the USPSTF grade D recommendation for PSA based screening on new PCa diagnoses within a large-community based private practice setting. We completed a retrospective chart review of men with an elevated PSA seen in our clinic between May 2009–May 2015 who had undergone a prostate biopsy and were diagnosed with PCa. We observed that following the 2012 USPSTF recommendations, there was a significant increase in patients with clinically significant prostate cancer GG ≥ 2, with the majority being 55-65 years of age. In addition we observed a decrease in the diagnosis of very low and low risk PCa with an increased incidence of intermediate and high risk PCa