Tissue classification for laparoscopic image understanding based on multispectral texture analysis.

Intraoperative tissue classification is one of the prerequisites for providing context-aware visualization in computer-assisted minimally invasive surgeries. As many anatomical structures are difficult to differentiate in conventional RGB medical images, we propose a classification method based on multispectral image patches. In a comprehensive ex vivo study through statistical analysis, we show that (1) multispectral imaging data are superior to RGB data for organ tissue classification when used in conjunction with widely applied feature descriptors and (2) combining the tissue texture with the reflectance spectrum improves the classification performance. The classifier reaches an accuracy of 98.4% on our dataset. Multispectral tissue analysis could thus evolve as a key enabling technique in computer-assisted laparoscopy

Exponential dichotomies of evolution operators in Banach spaces

This paper considers three dichotomy concepts (exponential dichotomy, uniform exponential dichotomy and strong exponential dichotomy) in the general context of non-invertible evolution operators in Banach spaces. Connections between these concepts are illustrated. Using the notion of Green function, we give necessary conditions and sufficient ones for strong exponential dichotomy. Some illustrative examples are presented to prove that the converse of some implication type theorems are not valid

Mode I fracture toughness of optimized alkali-treated Bambusa Vulgaris bamboo by Box-Behnken design.

Alkaline treatment is widely being used to treat natural fibres and it improves the fibre surface for better bonding with the polymer matrix. The aim of this study is to optimize the alkaline treatment variables such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) concentration, soaking and drying time that influence the strength of natural fibres, including bamboo. In this study, Box-Behnken design (BBD) of the response surface method was employed to set an experimental parameter of alkaline treatment for the bamboo specimen. In order to investigate the effect of treatment conditions on crack propagation behaviour of the bamboo along the longitudinal direction, Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness (GIC) test was carried out. It can be suggested from the statistical analysis approach (ANOVA) that bamboo treated with 1wt% concentration of NaOH is able to reach fracture toughness value up to 365.86J/m2, which differs by only 0.82% from the experimental finding. It is also shown that all proposed variables for treatment in this study i.e. the concentration of the NaOH is highly significant with the soaking and drying time

Transient Phenomena in Gene Expression after Induction of Transcription

When transcription of a gene is induced by a stimulus, the number of its mRNA molecules changes with time. Here we discuss how this time evolution depends on the shape of the mRNA lifetime distribution. Analysis of the statistical properties of this change reveals transient effects on polysomes, ribosomal profiles, and rate of protein synthesis. Our studies reveal that transient phenomena in gene expression strongly depend on the specific form of the mRNA lifetime distribution

Mechanical sequential counting with liquid marbles

© 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature. Here we demonstrate the first working example of a liquid marble-operated sequential binary counting device. We have designed a lightweight gate that can be actuated by the low mass and momentum of a liquid marble. By linking a number of these gates in series, we are able to digitally count up to binary 1111 (upper limit only by our requirements). Using liquid marbles in such a system opens up new avenues of research and design, by way of modifying the coating and/or core of the liquid marbles, and thereby giving extra dimensions for calculation (e.g. a calculation that takes into consideration the progress of a chemical reaction inside a liquid marble). In addition, the new gate design has multiple uses in liquid marble rerouting

Modeling recursive RNA interference.

An important application of the RNA interference (RNAi) pathway is its use as a small RNA-based regulatory system commonly exploited to suppress expression of target genes to test their function in vivo. In several published experiments, RNAi has been used to inactivate components of the RNAi pathway itself, a procedure termed recursive RNAi in this report. The theoretical basis of recursive RNAi is unclear since the procedure could potentially be self-defeating, and in practice the effectiveness of recursive RNAi in published experiments is highly variable. A mathematical model for recursive RNAi was developed and used to investigate the range of conditions under which the procedure should be effective. The model predicts that the effectiveness of recursive RNAi is strongly dependent on the efficacy of RNAi at knocking down target gene expression. This efficacy is known to vary highly between different cell types, and comparison of the model predictions to published experimental data suggests that variation in RNAi efficacy may be the main cause of discrepancies between published recursive RNAi experiments in different organisms. The model suggests potential ways to optimize the effectiveness of recursive RNAi both for screening of RNAi components as well as for improved temporal control of gene expression in switch off-switch on experiments

Sleep quality in middle-aged and elderly Chinese: distribution, associated factors and associations with cardio-metabolic risk factors

Background Poor sleep quality has been associated with increased risk of heart disease, diabetes and mortality. However, limited information exists on the distribution and determinants of sleep quality and its associations with cardio-metabolic risk factors in Chinese populations. We aimed to evaluate this in the current study. Methods A cross-sectional survey conducted in 2005 of 1,458 men and 1,831 women aged 50–70 years from urban and rural areas of Beijing and Shanghai. Using a questionnaire, sleep quality was measured in levels of well, common and poor. Comprehensive measures of socio-demographical and health factors and biomarkers of cardio-metabolic disease were recorded. These were evaluated in association with sleep quality using logistic regression models. Results Half of the population reported good sleep quality. After adjusting for potential confounders, women and Beijing residents had almost half the probability to report good sleep quality. Good physical and mental health (good levels of self-rated health (OR 2.48; 95%CI 2.08 to 2.96) and no depression (OR 4.05; 95%CI 3.12 to 5.26)) related to an increased chance of reporting good sleep quality, whereas short sleep duration (<7 hrs OR 0.10; 95%CI 0.07 to 0.14)) decreased it substantially. There were significant associations between levels of sleep quality and concentrations of plasma insulin, total and LDL cholesterol, and index of insulin resistance. Conclusion Levels of good sleep quality in middle-age and elderly Chinese were low. Gender, geographical location, self-rated health, depression and sleep quantity were major factors associated with sleep quality. Prospective studies are required to distil the factors that determine sleep quality and the effects that sleep patterns exert on cardio-metabolic health

Plasmonically Enhanced Reflectance of Heat Radiation from Low-Bandgap Semiconductor Microinclusions

Increased reflectance from the inclusion of highly scattering particles at low volume fractions in an insulating dielectric offers a promising way to reduce radiative thermal losses at high temperatures. Here, we investigate plasmonic resonance driven enhanced scattering from microinclusions of low-bandgap semiconductors (InP, Si, Ge, PbS, InAs and Te) in an insulating composite to tailor its infrared reflectance for minimizing thermal losses from radiative transfer. To this end, we compute the spectral properties of the microcomposites using Monte Carlo modeling and compare them with results from Fresnel equations. The role of particle size-dependent Mie scattering and absorption efficiencies, and, scattering anisotropy are studied to identify the optimal microinclusion size and material parameters for maximizing the reflectance of the thermal radiation. For composites with Si and Ge microinclusions we obtain reflectance efficiencies of 57 - 65% for the incident blackbody radiation from sources at temperatures in the range 400 - 1600 {\deg}C. Furthermore, we observe a broadbanding of the reflectance spectra from the plasmonic resonances due to charge carriers generated from defect states within the semiconductor bandgap. Our results thus open up the possibility of developing efficient high-temperature thermal insulators through use of the low-bandgap semiconductor microinclusions in insulating dielectrics.Comment: Main article (8 Figures and 2 Tables) + Supporting Information (8 Figures

Evolutionary Analysis of Mitogenomes from Parasitic and Free-Living Flatworms

Copyright: © 2015 Solà et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The attached file is the published version of the article