Cats or CAT scans: transfer learning from natural or medical image source datasets?

Transfer learning is a widely used strategy in medical image analysis. Instead of only training a network with a limited amount of data from the target task of interest, we can first train the network with other, potentially larger source datasets, creating a more robust model. The source datasets do not have to be related to the target task. For a classification task in lung CT images, we could use both head CT images, or images of cats, as the source. While head CT images appear more similar to lung CT images, the number and diversity of cat images might lead to a better model overall. In this survey we review a number of papers that have performed similar comparisons. Although the answer to which strategy is best seems to be "it depends", we discuss a number of research directions we need to take as a community, to gain more understanding of this topic.Comment: Accepted to Current Opinion in Biomedical Engineerin

Poultry: Ethical Problems and Breeding Goals

Poultry lines are highly specialized and used either for egg or meat production

Development of integrated livestock breeding and management strategies to improve animal health, product quality and performance in European organic and ‘low input’ milk, meat and egg production

The LowInputBreeds project has four main objectives: - To develop and evaluate innovative breeding concepts to deliver genotypes with ‘robustness’ and quality traits required under ‘low input’ conditions. - To integrate the use of improved genotypes with innovative management approaches. These will focus on issues where breeding or management innovations alone are unlikely to provide satisfactory solutions e.g. mastitis and parasite control. - To identify the potential economic, environmental and ethical impacts of the project’s results. The project needs to ensure that the results are in line with society’s different needs, priorities and consumer expectations. - To establish an effi cient training and dissemination programme aimed at rapid application of project results in organic and ‘low input’ livestock farming

Vitalistic Approaches to Life in Early Modern England

Vitalism has been given different definitions and diverse figures have been labelled as vitalists throughout the history of ideas. Concentrating on the seventeenth century, we find that scholars identify as vitalists authors who endorse notions that are in diametrical opposition with each other. I briefly present the ideas of dualist vitalists and monist vitalists and the philosophical and theological considerations informing their thought. In all these varied forms of vitalism the identifiable common motives are the essential irreducibility of life and the universality of life