Influence of Image Classification Accuracy on Saliency Map Estimation

Saliency map estimation in computer vision aims to estimate the locations where people gaze in images. Since people tend to look at objects in images, the parameters of the model pretrained on ImageNet for image classification are useful for the saliency map estimation. However, there is no research on the relationship between the image classification accuracy and the performance of the saliency map estimation. In this paper, it is shown that there is a strong correlation between image classification accuracy and saliency map estimation accuracy. We also investigated the effective architecture based on multi scale images and the upsampling layers to refine the saliency-map resolution. Our model achieved the state-of-the-art accuracy on the PASCAL-S, OSIE, and MIT1003 datasets. In the MIT Saliency Benchmark, our model achieved the best performance in some metrics and competitive results in the other metrics.Comment: CAAI Transactions on Intelligence Technology, accepted in 201

オウシュウ ヒカンショウ サンラン (EISCAT) レーダー カンソクジョ ノ タハチョウ フォトメータデータ ヲ モチイタ ソウジョウ デンリケン デンドウド ノ スイテイ

本研究では,多波長フォトメータデータ(427.8 nm, 557.7 nm, 630.0 nm)を利用してオーロラ発生時の高緯度電離圏における電気伝導度推定の手法開発を行った.本手法の特徴は層状の電気伝導度を導出することが可能な点である.この層構造を持つ電気伝導度を光学データから導出するためのモデル関数を,高度分解能がある欧州非干渉散乱(EISCAT)UHF レーダーデータから推定した電気伝導度を用いて決定した.本研究により,電離圏を3 層(高度95-110 km, 110-170 km, 170-300 km)に分割しても,従来の方法と同程度の信頼度を持つ電気伝導度を光学データから導出できることが確認された.This study aimed to develop a methodology for estimating ionospheric conductance at auroral latitudes using data from a multi-wavelength photometer (427.8, 557.7, and 630.0 nm). An advantage of the approach is that the ionosphere is divided into layers and conductance is computed for each layer. From optical data, the layer conductance was determined by using height-resolved conductivity derived from the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) Tromso UHF radar. The developed method can provide conductance from optical data with some confidence (at least at the same level as previous methods) even after separating the ionosphere into three layers, 95-110 km, 110-170 km, and 170-300 km

Recent Results from LHD Experiment with Emphasis on Relation to Theory from Experimentalist’s View

he Large Helical Device (LHD) has been extending an operational regime of net-current free plasmas towardsthe fusion relevant condition with taking advantage of a net current-free heliotron concept and employing a superconducting coil system. Heating capability has exceeded 10 MW and the central ion and electron temperatureshave reached 7 and 10 keV, respectively. The maximum value of β and pulse length have been extended to 3.2% and 150 s, respectively. Many encouraging physical findings have been obtained. Topics from recent experiments, which should be emphasized from the aspect of theoretical approaches, are reviewed. Those are (1) Prominent features in the inward shifted configuration, i.e., mitigation of an ideal interchange mode in the configuration with magnetic hill, and confinement improvement due to suppression of both anomalous and neoclassical transport, (2) Demonstration ofbifurcation of radial electric field and associated formation of an internal transport barrier, and (3) Dynamics of magnetic islands and clarification of the role of separatrix

COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against severe COVID-19 requiring oxygen therapy, invasive mechanical ventilation, and death in Japan: A multicenter case-control study (MOTIVATE study).

INTRODUCTION: Since the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant became dominant, assessing COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness (VE) against severe disease using hospitalization as an outcome became more challenging due to incidental infections via admission screening and variable admission criteria, resulting in a wide range of estimates. To address this, the World Health Organization (WHO) guidance recommends the use of outcomes that are more specific to severe pneumonia such as oxygen use and mechanical ventilation. METHODS: A case-control study was conducted in 24 hospitals in Japan for the Delta-dominant period (August-November 2021; "Delta") and early Omicron (BA.1/BA.2)-dominant period (January-June 2022; "Omicron"). Detailed chart review/interviews were conducted in January-May 2023. VE was measured using various outcomes including disease requiring oxygen therapy, disease requiring invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV), death, outcome restricting to "true" severe COVID-19 (where oxygen requirement is due to COVID-19 rather than another condition(s)), and progression from oxygen use to IMV or death among COVID-19 patients. RESULTS: The analysis included 2125 individuals with respiratory failure (1608 cases [75.7%]; 99.2% of vaccinees received mRNA vaccines). During Delta, 2 doses provided high protection for up to 6 months (oxygen requirement: 95.2% [95% CI:88.7-98.0%] [restricted to "true" severe COVID-19: 95.5% {89.3-98.1%}]; IMV: 99.6% [97.3-99.9%]; fatal: 98.6% [92.3-99.7%]). During Omicron, 3 doses provided high protection for up to 6 months (oxygen requirement: 85.5% [68.8-93.3%] ["true" severe COVID-19: 88.1% {73.6-94.7%}]; IMV: 97.9% [85.9-99.7%]; fatal: 99.6% [95.2-99.97]). There was a trend towards higher VE for more severe and specific outcomes. CONCLUSION: Multiple outcomes pointed towards high protection of 2 doses during Delta and 3 doses during Omicron. These results demonstrate the importance of using severe and specific outcomes to accurately measure VE against severe COVID-19, as recommended in WHO guidance in settings of intense transmission as seen during Omicron

Influence of image classification accuracy on saliency map estimation

Saliency map estimation in computer vision aims to estimate the locations where people gaze in images. Since people tend to look at objects in images, the parameters of the model pre-trained on ImageNet for image classification are useful for the saliency map estimation. However, there is no research on the relationship between the image classification accuracy and the performance of the saliency map estimation. In this study, it is shown that there is a strong correlation between image classification accuracy and saliency map estimation accuracy. The authors also investigated the effective architecture based on multi-scale images and the up-sampling layers to refine the saliency-map resolution. The model achieved the state-of-the-art accuracy on the PASCAL-S, OSIE, and MIT1003 datasets. In the MIT saliency benchmark, the model achieved the best performance in some metrics and competitive results in the other metrics

Layered conductance in the ionosphere estimated using data from a multiwavelength photometer at the European Incoherent Scatter radar site

This study aimed to develop a methodology for estimating ionospheric conductance at auroral latitudes using data from a multi-wavelength photometer (427.8, 557.7, and 630.0 nm). An advantage of the approach is that the ionosphere is divided into layers and conductance is computed for each layer. From optical data, the layer conductance was determined by using height-resolved conductivity derived from the European Incoherent Scatter (EISCAT) Tromso UHF radar. The developed method can provide conductance from optical data with some confidence (at least at the same level as previous methods) even after separating the ionosphere into three layers, 95-110 km, 110-170 km, and 170-300 km

Cell wall N-glycan of Candida albicans ameliorates early hyper- and late hypo-immunoreactivity in sepsis

Severe infection often causes a septic cytokine storm followed by immune exhaustion/paralysis. Not surprisingly, many pathogens are equipped with various anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Such mechanisms might be leveraged clinically to control septic cytokine storms. Here we show that N-glycan from pathogenic C. albicans ameliorates mouse sepsis through immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10. In a sepsis model using lipopolysaccharide (LPS), injection of the N-glycan upregulated serum IL-10, and suppressed pro-inflammatory IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma. The N-glycan also improved the survival of mice challenged by LPS. Analyses of structurally defined N-glycans from several yeast strains revealed that the mannose core is key to the upregulation of IL-10. Knocking out the C-type lectin Dectin-2 abrogated the N-glycan-mediated IL-10 augmentation. Furthermore, C. albicans N-glycan ameliorated immune exhaustion/immune paralysis after acute inflammation. Our results suggest a strategy where the immunosuppressive mechanism of one pathogen can be applied to attenuate a severe inflammation/cytokine storm caused by another pathogen

Local Differences in the Toxin Amount and Composition of Tetrodotoxin and Related Compounds in Pufferfish (Chelonodon patoca) and Toxic Goby (Yongeichthys criniger) Juveniles

Tetrodotoxin (TTX)-bearing fish ingest TTX from their preys through the food chain and accumulate TTX in their bodies. Although a wide variety of TTX-bearing organisms have been reported, the missing link in the TTX supply chain has not been elucidated completely. Here, we investigated the composition of TTX and 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX in juveniles of the pufferfish, Chelonodon patoca, and toxic goby, Yongeichthys criniger, using LC–MS/MS, to resolve the missing link in the TTX supply chain. The TTX concentration varied among samples from different localities, sampling periods and fish species. In the samples from the same locality, the TTX concentration was significantly higher in the toxic goby juveniles than in the pufferfish juveniles. The concentration of TTX in all the pufferfish juveniles was significantly higher than that of 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX, whereas the compositional ratio of TTX and 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX in the goby was different among sampling localities. However, the TTX/5,6,11-trideoxyTTX ratio in the goby was not different among samples collected from the same locality at different periods. Based on a species-specific PCR, the detection rate of the toxic flatworm (Planocera multitentaculata)-specific sequence (cytochrome c oxidase subunit I) also varied between the intestinal contents of the pufferfish and toxic goby collected at different localities and periods. These results suggest that although the larvae of the toxic flatworm are likely to be responsible for the toxification of the pufferfish and toxic goby juveniles by TTX, these fish juveniles are also likely to feed on other TTX-bearing organisms depending on their habitat, and they also possess different accumulation mechanisms of TTX and 5,6,11-trideoxyTTX