A Two-Stage Road Segmentation Approach for Remote Sensing Images

International audienceMany road segmentation methods based on CNNs have been proposed for remote sensing images in recent years. Although these techniques show great performance in various applications, there are still problems in road segmentation, due to the existence of complex backgrounds, illumination changes, and occlusions due to trees and cars. In this paper, we propose a two-stage strategy for road segmentation. A probability map is generated in the first stage by a selected network (ResUnet is used as a case study in this paper), then we attach the probability map image to the original RGB images and feed the resulting four images to a U-Net-like network in the second stage to get a refined result. Our experiments on the Massachusetts road dataset show the average IoU can increase up to 3% from stage one to stage two, which achieves state-of-the-art results on this dataset. Moreover, from the qualitative results, obvious improvements from stage one to stage two can be seen: fewer false positives and better connection of road lines

An Unsupervised Retinal Vessel Extraction and Segmentation Method Based On a Tube Marked Point Process Model

International audienceRetinal vessel extraction and segmentation is essential for supporting diagnosis of eye-related diseases. In recent years, deep learning has been applied to vessel segmentation and achieved excellent performance. However, these supervised methods require accurate hand-labeled training data, which may not be available. In this paper, we propose an unsuper-vised segmentation method based on our previous connected tube marked point process (MPP) model. The vessel network is extracted by the connected-tube MPP model first. Then a new tube-based segmentation method is applied to the extracted tubes. We test this method on STARE and DRIVE databases and the results show that not only do we extract the retina vessel network accurately, but we also achieve high G-means score for vessel segmentation, without using labeled training data

A Connected-Tube MPP Model for Object Detection with Application to Materials and Remotely-Sensed Images

International audienceIn this paper, we propose a connected-tube model based on a Marked Point Process (MPP) for strip feature extraction in images. This model incorporates a connection prior that favors certain connections between tubes based on their mutual positional relationship. Moreover, this model can easily be combined with other geometric models to form a mixed MPP model for more complex detection tasks. The proposed tube model is applied to fiber detection in microscopy images by combining connected-tube and ellipse models. The ellipse model is used for detecting short fibers, while the longer fibers are detected by tube model. We also test the model on road and building detection in remotely sensed images

Feature extraction and tracking of CNN segmentations for improved road detection from satellite imagery

International audienceRoad detection in high-resolution satellite images is an important and popular research topic in the field of image processing. In this paper, we propose a novel road extraction and tracking method based on road segmentation results from a convolutional network, providing improved road detection. The proposed method incorporates our previously proposed connected-tube marked point process (MPP) model and a post-tracking algorithm. We present experimental results on the Massachusetts roads dataset to show the performance of our method on road detection in remotely-sensed images

Transcriptional Regulation of the GluR2 Gene: Neural-Specific Expression, Multiple Promoters, and Regulatory Elements

To understand how neurons control the expression of the AMPA receptor subunit GluR2, we cloned the 5' proximal region of the rat gene and investigated GluR2 promoter activity by transient transfection. RNase protection and primer extension of rat brain mRNA revealed multiple transcription initiation sites from -340 to -481 bases upstream of the GluR2 AUG codon. The relative use of 5' start sites was different in cortex and cerebellum, indicating complexity of GluR2 transcript expression among different sets of neurons. When GluR2 promoter activity was investigated by plasmid transfection into cultured cortical neurons, cortical glia, and C6 glioma cells, the promoter construct with the strongest activity, per transfected cell, was 29.4-fold (+/- 3.7) more active in neurons than in non-neural cells. Immunostaining of cortical cultures showed that >97% of the luciferase-positive cells also expressed the neuronal marker MAP-2. Evaluation of internal deletion and substitution mutations identified a functional repressor element I RE1-like silencer and functional Sp1 and nuclear respiratory factor-1 (NRF-1) elements within a GC-rich proximal GluR2 promoter region. The GluR2 silencer reduced promoter activity in glia and non-neuronal cell lines by two- to threefold, was without effect in cortical neurons, and could bind the RE1-silencing transcription factor (REST) because cotransfection of REST into neurons reduced GluR2 promoter activity in a silencer-dependent manner. Substitution of the GluR2 silencer by the homologous NaII RE1 silencer further reduced GluR2 promoter activity in non-neuronal cells by 30-47%. Maximal positive GluR2 promoter activity required both Sp1 and NRF-1 cis elements and an interelement nucleotide bridge sequence. These results indicate that GluR2 transcription initiates from multiple sites, is highly neuronal selective, and is regulated by three regulatory elements in the 5' proximal promoter region

Exploring cancer health disparities among formerly incarcerated African Americans

Incarcerated populations have a higher burden of chronic disease and elevated risk factors for cancer (BJS, 2012). In 2013, cancer (31%) and heart disease (26%) accounted for over half of all prisoner deaths. The Genomics Research Program of the National Cancer Institute’s Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences (2016) identified incarcerated persons as an understudied population about which there is limited data regarding cancer risks and outcomes. A majority of studies on corrections populations focus on health issues associated with reduction of infectious diseases such as HIV, Tuberculosis, and Hepatitis. Scant research has been conducted on issues associated with cancer prevention and control among African Americans with a history of incarceration. This qualitative, participatory, pilot research study explores the domains of cancer health disparities among African American men and women who were formerly incarcerated in Illinois prisons. Four qualitative focus groups will be conducted. The primary purpose of the focus groups is to collect and qualitatively analyze preliminary data on the barriers to access, utilization and treatment of cancer. This presentation seeks to: (1) describe the need for enhanced access to cancer care and treatment, (2) advocate for the inclusion of best practices in cancer care in corrections systems and, (3) identify policy recommendations and initiatives aimed at reducing cancer disparities among incarcerated and formerly incarcerated persons

The L1Md long interspersed repeat family in the mouse: almost all examples are truncated at one end

Caractérisation d'un grand élément répétitif détecté en sept localisations différentes dans le locus globine β de la souris Balb/C. Cette répétition possède la même extrémité de l'élément conservé alors que l'autre extrémité se termine en un point différent chez chaque membre de cette famille de répétitions

Flying Squirrel–associated Typhus, United States

In March 2002, typhus fever was diagnosed in two patients residing in West Virginia and Georgia. Both patients were hospitalized with severe febrile illnesses, and both had been recently exposed to or had physical contact with flying squirrels or flying squirrel nests. Laboratory results indicated Rickettsia prowazekii infection

Lack of SARS Transmission among Public Hospital Workers, Vietnam

The severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak in Vietnam was amplified by nosocomial spread within hospital A, but no transmission was reported in hospital B, the second of two designated SARS hospitals. Our study documents lack of SARS-associated coronavirus transmission to hospital B workers, despite variable infection control measures and the use of personal protective equipment