Image resizing using saliency strength map and seam carving for white blood cell analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>A new image-resizing method using seam carving and a Saliency Strength Map (SSM) is proposed to preserve important contents, such as white blood cells included in blood cell images.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To apply seam carving to cell images, a SSM is initially generated using a visual attention model and the structural properties of white blood cells are then used to create an energy map for seam carving. As a result, the energy map maximizes the energies of the white blood cells, while minimizing the energies of the red blood cells and background. Thus, the use of a SSM allows the proposed method to reduce the image size efficiently, while preserving the important white blood cells.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Experimental results using the PSNR (Peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio) and ROD (Ratio of Distortion) of blood cell images confirm that the proposed method is able to produce better resizing results than conventional methods, as the seam carving is performed based on an SSM and energy map.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>For further improvement, a faster medical image resizing method is currently being investigated to reduce the computation time, while maintaining the same image quality.</p

Tracheal rupture after endotracheal intubation - A report of three cases -

Tracheal rupture is a rare but serious complication that occurs after endotracheal intubation. It usually presents as a linear lesion in the membranous wall of the trachea, and is more prevalent in women and patients older than 50 years. The clinical manifestations of tracheal injury include subcutaneous emphysema and respiratory distress. We report the cases of three female patients of old age presenting tracheal rupture after endotracheal intubation. Two cases received surgical repair without complication and one recovered uneventfully after conservative management. We presume that the tracheal injuries were caused by over-inflation of cuff and sudden movement of the tube by positional change. Therefore, we recommend cuff pressure monitoring during general anesthesia and minimized movement of the head and neck at positional change

Predictors for Dexmedetomidine Requirement for Sedation under Regional Anesthesia

(1) Background: This prospective observational study aimed to investigate the predictors affecting DMT requirements for sedation during regional anesthesia. (2) Method: A total of 108 patients who received regional anesthesia with intravenous DMT administration for orthopedic upper- or lower-extremity surgery were enrolled. Following successful regional anesthesia, DMT was administered at a rate of 4 µg/kg/h until reaching loss of consciousness (LOC). The administered dose of DMT per body weight until LOC (DMTLOC; µg/kg) was evaluated. The infusion was maintained at a rate of 0.2–0.7 µg/kg/h during the surgery. At the end of surgery, the elapsed time to a BIS value of 90 (TBIS90; s) was recorded. Linear regression models were used to identify potential predictors of DMTLOC and TBIS90. (3) Results: One hundred patients were analyzed. There were negative relationships between DMTLOC and age (r = −0.297, p = 0.003) and DMTLOC and body mass index (BMI) (r = −0.425, p LOC (r2 = 0.259, p BIS90. (4) Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that initial loading of DMT should be carefully titrated to minimize risk in elderly and obese surgical populations

Design Study and High-power Beam Test of the 60-MeV Linac for Femtosecond THz Radiation at the PAL

A femtosecond (fs) terahertz (THz) linac has been constructed to generate fs-THz radiation by using the ultrashort electron beam at the Pohang Accelerator Laboratory (PAL). To generate an ultrashort electron beam with 60-MeV energy, a chicane bunch compressor has been adopted. Simulation studies have been conducted to design the linac, which consists of a photocathode RF gun, two accelerating columns, two chicanes, and quadrupole magnets. The electron beam properties have been measured. In this paper, the design study and the beam test results for the linac are presented.11sciescopuskc