Designing Automated Deployment Strategies of Face Recognition Solutions in Heterogeneous IoT Platforms

In this paper, we tackle the problem of deploying face recognition (FR) solutions in heterogeneous Internet of Things (IoT) platforms. The main challenges are the optimal deployment of deep neural networks (DNNs) in the high variety of IoT devices (e.g., robots, tablets, smartphones, etc.), the secure management of biometric data while respecting the users’ privacy, and the design of appropriate user interaction with facial verification mechanisms for all kinds of users. We analyze different approaches to solving all these challenges and propose a knowledge-driven methodology for the automated deployment of DNN-based FR solutions in IoT devices, with the secure management of biometric data, and real-time feedback for improved interaction. We provide some practical examples and experimental results with state-of-the-art DNNs for FR in Intel’s and NVIDIA’s hardware platforms as IoT devices.This work was supported by the SHAPES project, which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 857159, and in part by the Spanish Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) through the Project ÉGIDA—RED DE EXCELENCIA EN TECNOLOGIAS DE SEGURIDAD Y PRIVACIDAD under Grant CER20191012

Robust CT to US 3D-3D Registration by Using Principal Component Analysis and Kalman Filtering

Algorithms based on the unscented Kalman filter (UKF) have been proposed as an alternative for registration of point clouds obtained from vertebral ultrasound (US) and computerised tomography (CT) scans, effectively handling the US limited depth and low signaltonoise ratio -- Previously proposed methods are accurate, but their convergence rate is considerably reduced with initial misalignments of the datasets greater than or 30 mm -- We propose a novel method which increases robustness by adding a coarse alignment of the datasets’ principal components and batchbased point inclusions for the UKF -- Experiments with simulated scans with full coverage of a single vertebra show the method’s capability and accuracy to correct misalignments as large as and 90 mm -- Furthermore, the method registers datasets with varying degrees of missing data and datasets with outlier points coming from adjacent vertebraepp.52 - 6

Quantification of Tumor Hypoxia through Unsupervised Modelling of Consumption and Supply Hypoxia MR Imaging in Breast Cancer

The purpose of the present study is to investigate if consumption and supply hypoxia (CSH) MR-imaging can depict breast cancer hypoxia, using the CSH-method initially developed for prostate cancer. Furthermore, to develop a generalized pan-cancer application of the CSH-method that doesn’t require a hypoxia reference standard for training the CSH-parameters. In a cohort of 69 breast cancer patients, we generated, based on the principles of intravoxel incoherent motion modelling, images reflecting cellular density (apparent diffusion coefficient; ADC) and vascular density (perfusion fraction; fp). Combinations of the information in these images were compared to a molecular hypoxia score made from gene expression data, aiming to identify a way to apply the CSH-methodology in breast cancer. Attempts to adapt previously proposed models for prostate cancer included direct transfers and model parameter rescaling. A novel approach, based on rescaling ADC and fp data to give more nuanced response in the relevant physiologic range, was also introduced. The new CSH-method was validated in a prostate cancer cohort with known hypoxia status. The proposed CSH-method gave estimates of hypoxia that was strongly correlated to the molecular hypoxia score in breast cancer, and hypoxia as measured in pathology slices stained with pimonidazole in prostate cancer. The generalized approach to CSH-imaging depicted hypoxia in both breast and prostate cancers and requires no model training. It is easy to implement using readily available technology and encourages further investigation of CSH-imaging in other cancer entities and in other settings, with the goal being to overcome hypoxia-induced resistance to treatment

Surface characterization of feldspathic ceramic using ATR FT-IR and ellipsometry after various silanization protocols

OBJECTIVES: This study characterized the feldspathic ceramic surfaces after various silanization protocols. METHODS: Ceramic bars (2 mm × 4 mm × 10 mm) (N = 18) of feldpathic ceramic (VM7, VITA Zahnfabrik) were manufactured and finished. Before silane application, the specimens were ultrasonically cleaned in distilled water for 10 min. The ceramic specimens were randomly divided into nine groups (N = 2 per group) and were treated with different silane protocols. MPS silane (ESPE-Sil, 3M ESPE) was applied to all specimens and left to react at 20°C for 2 min (G20). After drying, the specimens were subjected to heat treatment in an oven at 38°C (G38), 79°C (G79) or 100°C (G100) for 1 min. Half of the specimens of each group were rinsed with water at 80°C for 15s (G20B, G38B, G79B, G100B). The control group (GC) received no silane. Attenuated total reflection infrared Fourier transform analysis (ATR FT-IR) was performed using a spectrometer. Thickness of silane layer was measured using a spectroscopic ellipsometer working in the λ = 632.8 nm (He-Ne laser) at 70° incidence angle. Surface roughness was evaluated using an optical profilometer. Specimens were further analyzed under the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to observe the topographic patterns. RESULTS: ATR FT-IR analysis showed changes in Si-O peaks with enlarged bands around 940 cm(-1). Ellipsometry measurements showed that all post-heat treatment actions reduced the silane film thickness (30.8-33.5 nm) compared to G20 (40 nm). The groups submitted to rinsing in hot water (B groups) showed thinner silane films (9.8-14.4 nm) than those of their corresponding groups (without washing) (30.8-40 nm). Profilometer analysis showed that heat treatments (Ra ≈ 0.10-0.19 μm; Rq ≈ 0.15-0.26 μm) provided a smoother surface than the control group (Ra ≈ 0.48 μm; Rq ≈ 0.65 μm). Similar patterns were also observed in SEM images. SIGNIFICANCE: Heat treatment after MPS silane application improved the silane layer network. Rinsing with boiling water eliminated the outmost unreacted regions of the silane yielding to thinner film thicknesses

ENIGMA CHEK2gether Project : A Comprehensive Study Identifies Functionally Impaired CHEK2 Germline Missense Variants Associated with Increased Breast Cancer Risk

Purpose: Germline pathogenic variants in CHEK2 confer moderately elevated breast cancer risk (odds ratio, OR ti 2.5), qualifying carriers for enhanced breast cancer screening. Besides pathogenic variants, dozens of missense CHEK2 variants of uncertain significance (VUS) have been identified, hampering the clinical utility of germline genetic testing (GGT). Experimental Design: We collected 460 CHEK2 missense VUS identified by the ENIGMA consortium in 15 countries. Their functional characterization was performed using CHEK2-complemen-tation assays quantifying KAP1 phosphorylation and CHK2 autophosphorylation in human RPE1-CHEK2-knockout cells. Concordant results in both functional assays were used to categorize CHEK2 VUS from 12 ENIGMA case-control datasets, including 73,048 female patients with breast cancer and 88,658 ethnicity-matched controls. Results: A total of 430/460 VUS were successfully analyzed, of which 340 (79.1%) were concordant in both functional assays and categorized as functionally impaired (N = 102), functionally intermediate (N = 12), or functionally wild-type (WT)-like (N = 226). We then examined their association with breast cancer risk in the case-control analysis. The OR and 95% CI (confidence intervals) for carriers of functionally impaired, intermediate, and WT-like variants were 2.83 (95% CI, 2.35-3.41), 1.57 (95% CI, 1.41-1.75), and 1.19 (95% CI, 1.08-1.31), respectively. The meta-analysis of population-specific datasets showed similar results. Conclusions: We determined the functional consequences for the majority of CHEK2 missense VUS found in patients with breast cancer (3,660/4,436; 82.5%). Carriers of functionally impaired missense variants accounted for 0.5% of patients with breast cancer and were associated with a moderate risk similar to that of truncating CHEK2 variants. In contrast, 2.2% of all patients with breast cancer carried functionally wild-type/intermediate missense variants with no clinically relevant breast cancer risk in heterozygous carriers.Peer reviewe