StarGAN-v2 compression using knowledge distillation

Image-to-image translation is used in a broad variety of machine vision and computer graphics applications. These involve mapping grey-scale images to RGB images, deblurring of images, style transfer, transfiguring objects, to name a couple. In addressing complex image-to-image translation issues, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are at the forefront. StarGAN-v2 is a state of the art method for multi-modal multi-domain image-to-image translation that produces different images from a single input image over multiple domains. However, at a parameter count of more than 50M, StarGAN-v2 has a computation bottleneck and consumes more than 60G MACs (Multiply-Accumulate Operations to calculatecomputation expense, 1 MAC = 2 FLOPs) to create one 256×256 image, preventing its widespread adoption. This thesis focuses on the task of compressing StarGAN-v2 using knowledge distillation. Using depthwise separable convolutional layers and reduced channels for intermediate layers, we develop efficient architectures for different StarGAN-v2 modules. In a GAN mini-max optimization environment, the efficient networks are trained with a combination of different distillation losses along with the original objective of StarGAN-v2. Without losing image quality, we reduce the size of the original framework by more than 20× and the computation requirement by more than 5×. The feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated by experiments on CelebA-HQ and AFHQ datasets

Effect of crystal nature on upconversion luminescence in Er<SUP>3+</SUP>:ZrO<SUB>2</SUB> nanocrystals

The effects of crystal size and crystal phase on the upconverted emission of Er3+ in ZrO2 oxide nanocrystals are reported. Green (550 nm) and red (670 nm) upconversion emission were observed at room temperature from the 4S3/2 and 4F9/2 levels of Er3+:ZrO2 nanocrystals. It is found that at 850 mW of cw excitation power, the total luminescence was 11960 Cd/m2 for 1000 °C heated sample. We observed that the overall upconversion luminescence intensity depends on crystal structure and particle size. We have also confirmed that upconversion process in all these samples results from a two-photon excited-state absorption process

Upconversion in Er<SUP>3+</SUP>:ZrO<SUB>2</SUB> Nanocrystals

Erbium-doped ZrO<SUB>2</SUB> nanoparticles are prepared by a sol−emulsion−gel technique. The effects of the Er<SUP>3+</SUP> concentration and different codopants (Yb<SUP>3+</SUP> and Y<SUP>3+</SUP>) in the ZrO<SUB>2</SUB> matrix on the upconverted emission are reported. Green and red upconversion emission at 550 and 670 nm were observed from these oxide nanocrystals with 980 nm excitation. The overall intensity decreases with an increasing concentration of erbium in zirconia. The presence of codopants (Y<SUP>3+</SUP> and Yb<SUP>3+</SUP>) also increases the overall intensity of the upconverted emission. The emission spectra and the pump intensity dependence of the luminescence intensities are used to understand the excitation mechanism. These results confirm that upconverted emission in these materials is due to a two-photon excited-state absorption (ESA)/energy transfer upconversion (ETU) process

Fluorescence Upconversion Properties of Er<SUP>3+</SUP>-Doped TiO<SUB>2</SUB> and BaTiO<SUB>3</SUB> Nanocrystallites

The effects of the erbium concentration, crystal size, crystal phase, and different processing temperatures on the upconverted emission of Er3+ in BaTiO3 and TiO2 nanocrystals are reported. A cw diode laser at 975 nm was used as a pump source for resonant sequential excitation of the 4&#8739; 11/2 and 4F7/2 levels. Green and red upconversion emission at 550 and 670 nm were observed from these oxide nanocrystals with 975 nm excitation. With the same Er3+ concentration, the upconversion emission intensity from BaTiO3 was higher than that observed in the TiO2 host. In the TiO2 matrix, the maximum upconversion emission intensity of Er3+ was found for samples calcined at 800 °C where both the anatase and the rutile phases were present. The observed emission characteristics and the pump intensity dependence of the luminescence intensity confirm that the upconverted emission in these materials is produced by two-photon excited-state absorption (ESA) processes

Study of luminescence properties of Er<SUP>3+</SUP>-ions in new tellurite glasses

The effects of concentration of Er3+ ions in tellurite glasses on the decay time, spectral width and weighted spectral peak are studied. A broad emission spectrum of width 121 nm peaked at wavelength of 1.5 μm is obtained in 2.5 mol% Er doped glasses. The maximum decay time of 4&#8739;13/2 → 4&#8739;15/2 transition (at wavelength 1.5 μm) is about 4.5 ms for 1.0 mol% Er doped glasses. Strong green and red upconversion emission at emission 550 nm(4S3/2 → 4&#8739; 15/2) and 670 nm (4F9/2 → 4&#8739; 15/2) are observed from Er3+-doped tellurite glasses upon continuous wave excitation at 975 nm. It is found that the upconversion efficiency goes up with the increasing concentration of the Er3+ ions

A genome-wide map of circular RNAs in adult zebrafish

Circular RNAs are a new addition to the growing list of diverse species of RNAs that are formed by covalent linked 3' and 5' end forming a closed loop structure. Circular RNAs are characteristically resistant to exonuclease treatment and are relatively stable to linear transcripts. Circular RNAs are formed by alternate splicing mechanism but do not follow the canonical order of exons. Backsplice junctions are unique to circRNAs.  CircRNAs are shown to possess potential to act as miRNA sponges and control transcription of mRNAs. CircRNAs are also reported as biomarkers for the disease like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and cancer. A huge number of circRNA transcripts have been identified in model organisms including C.elegans, mouse, Drosophila as well as human. But there are no circular RNAs reported in zebrafish that is a very good model to study developmental stages, cardiovascular and blood-related disorders. In order to use zebrafish as a model organism and study the role of circRNAs in disease, we have used in-house generated RNA-sequencing data for five tissues including blood, brain, muscle, gills and heart. We discarded the reads mapped contiguously and full length over reference genome and identified back-splice junctions for putative circRNA transcripts. We identified a total of 3428 circRNA junctions out of which 78% were tissue specific. We validated 22 selected candidates for 5 tissues based on literature significance. We quantitatively analysed 5 tissue-enriched candidates using Real-time PCR. We also observed that major proportion of circRNAs is originating from protein coding loci. These circRNAs could be used to further study their role in hematopoietic and cardiovascular diseases

Screening for subjective cognitive decline in the elderly via subjective cognitive complaints and informant-reported questionnaires: a systematic review

Abstract Background Subjective cognitive decline may represent at-risk persons progressing to mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which can be exacerbated by effects of anesthesia and surgery. The objective of this systematic review is to identify the most common questions in subjective cognitive complaint and informant-reported questionnaires used in assessing cognitive impairment of elderly patients that are correlated with standardized tests for cognitive impairment screening. Methods We searched Medline, PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database, Emcare Nursing, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, ClinicalTrials.Gov, and ICTRP between September 20, 2005 to August 31, 2020. We included studies that evaluated subjective cognitive complaints and informant-reported questions in elderly patients. Results and conclusion A total of 28,407 patients were included from 22 studies that assessed 21 subjective complaint questionnaires and nine informant-reported questionnaires. The most common subjective cognitive complaints were those assessing anterograde memory, closely followed by perceptual-motor function and executive function. The most common informant-reported questions were those assessing executive function, temporal orientation, and anterograde memory. Questions assessing learning and memory were most associated with results from standardized tests assessing cognitive impairment. Assessing learning and memory plays a key role in evaluating subjective cognitive decline in elderly patients. Delivering subjective cognitive complaints questions to elderly patient preoperatively may aid in screening for those exhibiting cognitive signs, and in turn are at risk of postoperative complications. Thus, the results from this review contribute to knowledge for healthcare professionals regarding the use of subjective cognitive complaints and informant-reported complaints in preoperative settings