Transfer learning for endoscopy disease detection and segmentation with mask-RCNN benchmark architecture

We proposed and implemented a disease detection and semantic segmentation pipeline using a modified mask-RCNN infrastructure model on the EDD2020 dataset1. On the images provided for the phase-I test dataset, for ’BE’, we achieved an average precision of 51.14%, for ’HGD’ and ’polyp’ it is 50%. However, the detection score for ’suspicious’ and ’cancer’ were low. For phase-I, we achieved a dice coefficient of 0.4562 and an F2 score of 0.4508. We noticed the missed and mis-classification was due to the imbalance between classes. Hence, we applied a selective and balanced augmentation stage in our architecture to provide more accurate detection and segmentation. We observed an increase in detection score to 0.29 on phase-II images after balancing the dataset from our phase-I detection score of 0.24. We achieved an improved semantic segmentation score of 0.62 from our phase-I score of 0.52

Offline-Online Design for Energy-Efficient IRS-Aided UAV Communications

In this correspondence, we consider the intelligent reflecting surface (IRS) assisted unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) uplink transmission, where a UAV collects data from ground users via an IRS. The objective is to maximize the energy efficiency (EE) by jointly optimizing the UAV trajectory, user scheduling and IRS phase shifts. Unlike existing offline designs, we propose a hybrid offline-online scheme to further improve the performance with both the statistical and instantaneous channel state information (CSI). Specifically, the UAV trajectory and user scheduling are optimized based on the statistical CSI in the offline phase, followed by the online phase in which the phase shifts are readjusted based on the instantaneous CSI. Simulation results show the EE gain of the offline-online design over benchmarks

Tagging the p n -> d phi reaction by backward protons in p d -> d phi p_{sp} processes

The reaction p d -> d phi p_{sp} is studied within the Bethe-Salpeter formalism. Under special kinematical conditions (slow backward spectator proton p_{sp} and fast forward deuteron) relevant for forthcoming experiments at COSY, the cross section and a set of polarization observables factorize in the contribution of the pure subprocess p n -> d phi and a contribution stemming from deuteron quantities and kinematical factors. This provides a theoretical basis for studying threshold-near processes at quasi-free neutrons

HPV16 E6 gene variations in invasive cervical squamous cell carcinoma and cancer in situ from Russian patients

HPV16 is frequently seen in invasive cervical cancer (ICC) and cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). Its E6 gene has frequent sequence variations. Although some E6 variants have been reported to have different biochemical or biological properties, they do not show geographical identity. Moreover, the definition of ‘variant’ has been a source of confusion because it has been based on all departures from the ‘prototype’ once isolated randomly from an ICC case. We amplified the HPV16 E6 gene by PCR from fresh-frozen tissue of 104 cases of ICC and CIN from Russian patients and sequenced it in positive cases. We found that 32 of 55 (58.2%) ICC cases and 18 of 49 (36.7%) CIN cases were HPV 16-positive and we could identify 3 groups of E6 variants: group A was characterized by G at nt 350 where group B had T, and group M was a heterogeneous mixture of unique E6 variants; no significant difference existed in the distribution of the different groups between ICC and CIN; the clinically malignant (as defined by FIGO stage) order between the groups was M > A > B in ICC; in the cases with a single HPV16 E6 sequence, coexisting ICC, CIN and normal epithelium in the same patient shared the E6 variant; and 4 cases of ICC had double/multiple E6 variants. The results did not show any importance of E6 variants for ICC progression in Russian women. The results also indicated that the original HPV16 variant persisted during ICC progression, and that at a low frequency, double infections and/or mutation of variants might occur. © 2001 Cancer Research Campaign http://www.bjcancer.co

In situ reconstruction of long-term extreme flooding magnitudes and frequencies based on geological archives

© 2019 Extreme flooding magnitudes and frequencies are essentially related to assessment of risk and reliability in hydrological design. Extreme flooding and its discharge are highly sensitive to regional climate change. Presently, its discharge can be reconstructed by a geological archive or record along the river valley. Two units of typical extreme flooding deposits (EFDs) carrying long-term information preserved in the Holocene loess–palaeosol sequence were found at Xipocun (XPC), which is located in Chengcheng County, China. It is situated in the downstream section of the Beiluohe (hereafter BLH) River. Based on multiple sedimentary proxy indices (grain-size distribution (GSD), magnetic susceptibility (MS), and loss-on-ignition (LOI), etc.), EFDs were interpreted as well-sorted clayey silt in suspension. They were then deposited as a result of riverbank flooding in a stagnant environment during high water level. Through the Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating technique and stratigraphic correlations, chronologies of two identified extreme flooding periods were 7600–7400 a B.P. and 3200–3000 a B.P. Two phases of extreme flooding occurrence under climate abnormality scenarios were characterized as having high frequencies of hydrological extremes in river systems. According to simulation and verification using the Slope–Area Method and Hydrologic Engineering Center's River Analysis System (HEC-RAS) model, the extreme flooding discharges at the XPC site were reconstructed between 9625 m 3 /s and 16,635 m 3 /s. A new long-term flooding frequency and peak discharge curve, involved gauged flooding, historical flooding at Zhuangtou station and in situ reconstructed extreme flooding events, was established for the downstream BLH River. The results improve the accuracy of low-frequency flooding risk assessment and provide evidence for predicting the response of fluvial systems to climate instability. Thus, this improves the analysis of the BLH River watershed

Effect of microwave irradiation on reactivity of metallurgical coke in CO2 atmosphere

Influence of microwave irradiation on gasification behavior and crystallite parameters of coke samples was studied in this research. The results indicated that microwave irradiation have significant influence on the carbon structure and the reactivity of coke in CO2 atmosphere. The thermogravimetric results showed that the temperature of coke at different conversion rates of 10 %, 20 % and 30 % were reduced by 20 °C, 30 °C and 50 °C respectively. Simultaneously, microwave irradiation may lead to variation in lateral size and stacking height of crystallite and subsequently reduce the gasification reaction rate of coke in CO2 atmosphere

Discrete Razumikhin-type technique and stability of the Euler-Maruyama method to stochastic functional differential equations

A discrete stochastic Razumikhin-type theorem is established to investigate whether the Euler--Maruyama (EM) scheme can reproduce the moment exponential stability of exact solutions of stochastic functional differential equations (SFDEs). In addition, the Chebyshev inequality and the Borel-Cantelli lemma are applied to show the almost sure stability of the EM approximate solutions of SFDEs. To show our idea clearly, these results are used to discuss stability of numerical solutions of two classes of special SFDEs, including stochastic delay differential equations (SDDEs) with variable delay and stochastically perturbed equations