Evaluation of Deep Learning based Pose Estimation for Sign Language Recognition

Human body pose estimation and hand detection are two important tasks for systems that perform computer vision-based sign language recognition(SLR). However, both tasks are challenging, especially when the input is color videos, with no depth information. Many algorithms have been proposed in the literature for these tasks, and some of the most successful recent algorithms are based on deep learning. In this paper, we introduce a dataset for human pose estimation for SLR domain. We evaluate the performance of two deep learning based pose estimation methods, by performing user-independent experiments on our dataset. We also perform transfer learning, and we obtain results that demonstrate that transfer learning can improve pose estimation accuracy. The dataset and results from these methods can create a useful baseline for future works

A Genetic Programming Approach to Designing Convolutional Neural Network Architectures

The convolutional neural network (CNN), which is one of the deep learning models, has seen much success in a variety of computer vision tasks. However, designing CNN architectures still requires expert knowledge and a lot of trial and error. In this paper, we attempt to automatically construct CNN architectures for an image classification task based on Cartesian genetic programming (CGP). In our method, we adopt highly functional modules, such as convolutional blocks and tensor concatenation, as the node functions in CGP. The CNN structure and connectivity represented by the CGP encoding method are optimized to maximize the validation accuracy. To evaluate the proposed method, we constructed a CNN architecture for the image classification task with the CIFAR-10 dataset. The experimental result shows that the proposed method can be used to automatically find the competitive CNN architecture compared with state-of-the-art models.Comment: This is the revised version of the GECCO 2017 paper. The code of our method is available at https://github.com/sg-nm/cgp-cn

Assessment of energy expenditure using doubly labeled water, physical activity by accelerometer and reported dietary intake in Japanese men with type 2 diabetes: A preliminary study

The aim of the present study was to determine the total energy expenditure, physical activity and dietary intake of men with type 2 diabetes mellitus and control participants without type 2 diabetes mellitus who were matched for age and body mass index. The participants in the present study were 12 well‐controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and 10 controls, aged 40–75 years, with a body mass index <30 kg/m2. Total energy expenditure under free‐living conditions was assessed using the doubly labeled water method, and physical activity was measured using a triaxial accelerometer. Dietary intake was assessed using a self‐recorded food intake diary during the measurement period. Participants were instructed to record their dietary intake over 3 days, including 2 weekdays. Total energy expenditure was not significantly different between the groups (P = 0.153), nor were energy (P = 0.969) or macronutrient intakes. In conclusion, when age and body mass index are matched, total energy expenditure and self‐reported energy intake are not significantly different between type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and healthy controls

Unexpected outcome after sclerotherapy of simple renal cyst

BACKGROUND: Simple renal cysts usually have benign clinical features. We report a rare case of papillary renal cell carcinoma (RCC) associated with a large recurrent simple cyst following sclerotherapy. CASE PRESENTATION: A 47-year-old Japanese woman received minocycline sclerotherapy for a large (9 cm in diameter) simple left renal cyst in May 2005. The cyst regrew, and second-line sclerotherapy with ethanol was performed in November 2005. Three years later, she developed papillary RCC on the wall of the recurrent renal cyst. Radical nephrectomy was performed, but the patient died of metastatic disease 15 months after surgery. CONCLUSION: Malignant transformation from recurrent simple renal cyst to RCC may occur in the years following sclerotherapy, underscoring the need for long-term follow-up

Extravasation during bladder cancer metastasis requires cortactin‑mediated invadopodia formation

弘前大学博士（医学）http://www.spandidos-publications.com/mmr/9/4/1142Molecular Medicine Reports, 9(4), 2014, p.1142-1146doctoral thesi

A case of metastatic cancer with markedly elevated PSA level that was not detected by repeat prostate biopsy

BACKGROUND: Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a widely used specific tumor marker for prostate cancer. We experienced a case of metastatic prostate cancer that was difficult to detect by repeat prostate biopsy despite a markedly elevated serum PSA level. CASE PRESENTATION: A 64-year-old man was referred to our hospital with lumbar back pain and an elevated serum PSA level of 2036 ng/mL. Computed tomography, bone scintigraphy, and magnetic resonance imaging showed systemic lymph node and osteoblastic bone metastases. Digital rectal examination revealed a small, soft prostate without nodules. Ten-core transrectal prostate biopsy yielded negative results. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) was started because of the patient’s severe symptoms. Twelve-core repeat transrectal prostate biopsy performed 2 months later, and transurethral resection biopsy performed 5 months later, both yielded negative results. The patient refused further cancer screening because ADT effectively relieved his symptoms. His PSA level initially decreased to 4.8 ng/mL, but he developed castration-resistant prostate cancer 7 months after starting ADT. He died 21 months after the initial prostate biopsy from disseminated intravascular coagulation. CONCLUSION: CUP remains a considerable challenge in clinical oncology. Biopsies of metastatic lesions and multimodal approaches were helpful in this case