An improved EfficientNet model and its applications in pneumonia image classification

Since the outburst of COVID-19, the medical system has been facing great challenges due to the explosive growth in detection and treatment needs within a short period. To improve the working efficiency of doctors, an improved EfficientNet model of Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) was proposed and applied for the diagnosis of pneumonia cases and the classification of relevant images in the present study. First, the acquired images of pneumonia cases were divided to determine the zones with target features, and image size was limited to improve the training speed of the network. Meanwhile, reinforcement learning was performed to the input dataset to further improve the training effect of the model. Second, the preprocessed images were inputted into the improved EfficientNet-B4 model. The depth and width of the model, as well as the resolution of the input images, were determined by optimizing the combination coefficient. On this basis, the model was scaled, and then its ability in extracting the features of deep-layer images was strengthened by introducing the attention mechanism. Third, the learning rate was adjusted by using the Adaptive Momentum (ADAM), and the training efficiency of the model was accelerated. Finally, the test set was inputted into the trained model. Results demonstrate that the improved model could detect 98% of patients with pneumonia and 97% of patients without pneumonia. The accuracy rate, precision rate, and sensitivity of the model were generally improved. Lastly, the training and test results of VGGNet, SqueezeNet-Elus, SqueezeNet-Relu, and the improved EfficientNet-B4 models were compared and evaluated. The improved EfficientNet-B4 model achieved the highest comprehensive accuracy rate, reaching 92.95%. The proposed method provides some references to the application of the CNN model in image classification and recognition

A fast pruned‐extreme learning machine for classification problem

Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Science and Engineering Research Counci

Endogenous relapse and exogenous reinfection in recurrent pulmonary tuberculosis: A retrospective study revealed by whole genome sequencing

BackgroundTuberculosis may reoccur due to reinfection or relapse after initially successful treatment. Distinguishing the cause of TB recurrence is crucial to guide TB control and treatment. This study aimed to investigate the source of TB recurrence and risk factors related to relapse in Hunan province, a high TB burden region in southern China.MethodsA population-based retrospective study was conducted on all culture-positive TB cases in Hunan province, China from 2013 to 2020. Phenotypic drug susceptibility testing and whole-genome sequencing were used to detect drug resistance and distinguish between relapse and reinfection. Pearson chi-square test and Fisher exact test were applied to compare differences in categorical variables between relapse and reinfection. The Kaplan–Meier curve was generated in R studio (4.0.4) to describe and compare the time to recurrence between different groups. p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.ResultsOf 36 recurrent events, 27 (75.0%, 27/36) paired isolates were caused by relapse, and reinfection accounted for 25.0% (9/36) of recurrent cases. No significant difference in characteristics was observed between relapse and reinfection (all p > 0.05). In addition, TB relapse occurs earlier in patients of Tu ethnicity compared to patients of Han ethnicity (p < 0.0001), whereas no significant differences in the time interval to relapse were noted in other groups. Moreover, 83.3% (30/36) of TB recurrence occurred within 3 years. Overall, these recurrent TB isolates were predominantly pan-susceptible strains (71.0%, 49/69), followed by DR-TB (17.4%, 12/69) and MDR-TB (11.6%, 8/69), with mutations mainly in codon 450 of the rpoB gene and codon 315 of the katG gene. 11.1% (3/27) of relapse cases had acquired new resistance during treatment, with fluoroquinolone resistance occurring most frequently (7.4%, 2/27), both with mutations in codon 94 of gyrA.ConclusionEndogenous relapse is the main mechanism leading to TB recurrences in Hunan province. Given that TB recurrences can occur more than 4 years after treatment completion, it is necessary to extend the post-treatment follow-up period to achieve better management of TB patients. Moreover, the relatively high frequency of fluoroquinolone resistance in the second episode of relapse suggests that fluoroquinolones should be used with caution when treating TB cases with relapse, preferably guided by DST results

Numerical study of water level fluctuation in bull-horn surge chamber in pipe system during waterhammer

The method of characteristics was adopted to analyze the water level fluctuation existing in Bull-Horn surge chamber in reservoir-valve pipe system during waterhammer caused by valve closure operation. The Finite Difference Method (FDM) based on the method of characteristics was used to solve numerically the nonlinear two-parameter characteristic equations governing waterhammer. The finite fixed mesh was applied to obtaining the discrete form of the governing equations and discrete flow-field. The temporal trends of the y-directional flow, water level, velocity of water level and head difference for different heights of water in surge chamber, diameters of cylinder, cutting angles of surge chamber, lengths of horizontal cylinder and lengths of inclined cylinder were obtained under the condition that the air in surge chamber is compressible. The conclusions on water level fluctuation in Bull-Horn surge chamber were given based on the analyses of the obtained transient numerical results. These conclusions can play a guiding role in designing pipe system and executing surge suppression

Changes in Homogalacturonan Metabolism in Banana Peel during Fruit Development and Ripening

Though numerous studies have focused on the cell wall disassembly of bananas during the ripening process, the modification of homogalacturonan (HG) during fruit development remains exclusive. To better understand the role of HGs in controlling banana fruit growth and ripening, RNA-Seq, qPCR, immunofluorescence labeling, and biochemical methods were employed to reveal their dynamic changes in banana peels during these processes. Most HG-modifying genes in banana peels showed a decline in expression during fruit development. Four polygalacturonase and three pectin acetylesterases showing higher expression levels at later developmental stages than earlier ones might be related to fruit expansion. Six out of the 10 top genes in the Core Enrichment Gene Set were HG degradation genes, and all were upregulated after softening, paralleled to the significant increase in HG degradation enzyme activities, decline in peel firmness, and the epitope levels of 2F4, CCRC-M38, JIM7, and LM18 antibodies. Most differentially expressed alpha-1,4-galacturonosyltransferases were upregulated by ethylene treatment, suggesting active HG biosynthesis during the fruit softening process. The epitope level of the CCRC-M38 antibody was positively correlated to the firmness of banana peel during fruit development and ripening. These results have provided new insights into the role of cell wall HGs in fruit development and ripening

Chinese Citizen Satisfaction with Government Performance during COVID-19

While foreign pundits have alternatively blamed and praised the Chinese government’s handling of the COVID-19 virus, little is known about how citizens within China understand this performance. This article considers how satisfied Chinese citizens are with their government’s performance during the COVID-19 pandemic. It first considers the impact of authoritarian control, political culture, and/or actual government performance on citizen satisfaction. Then, it tests the consequences of satisfaction and specifically whether citizen satisfaction leads to greater trust. Analyzing data from the first post-COVID survey of its kind (n = 19,816) conducted from April 22 to 28 April 2020, the authors find that Chinese citizens have an overall high level of satisfaction, but that this satisfaction drops with each lower level of government. Further, authoritarian control, political culture, and awareness of government performance all contribute to citizen satisfaction and this in turn, has enhanced public support for the Chinese government