Improving Patch-Based Convolutional Neural Networks for MRI Brain Tumor Segmentation by Leveraging Location Information.

The manual brain tumor annotation process is time consuming and resource consuming, therefore, an automated and accurate brain tumor segmentation tool is greatly in demand. In this paper, we introduce a novel method to integrate location information with the state-of-the-art patch-based neural networks for brain tumor segmentation. This is motivated by the observation that lesions are not uniformly distributed across different brain parcellation regions and that a locality-sensitive segmentation is likely to obtain better segmentation accuracy. Toward this, we use an existing brain parcellation atlas in the Montreal Neurological Institute (MNI) space and map this atlas to the individual subject data. This mapped atlas in the subject data space is integrated with structural Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging data, and patch-based neural networks, including 3D U-Net and DeepMedic, are trained to classify the different brain lesions. Multiple state-of-the-art neural networks are trained and integrated with XGBoost fusion in the proposed two-level ensemble method. The first level reduces the uncertainty of the same type of models with different seed initializations, and the second level leverages the advantages of different types of neural network models. The proposed location information fusion method improves the segmentation performance of state-of-the-art networks including 3D U-Net and DeepMedic. Our proposed ensemble also achieves better segmentation performance compared to the state-of-the-art networks in BraTS 2017 and rivals state-of-the-art networks in BraTS 2018. Detailed results are provided on the public multimodal brain tumor segmentation (BraTS) benchmarks

A Research and Strategy of Remote Sensing Image Denoising Algorithms

Most raw data download from satellites are useless, resulting in transmission waste, one solution is to process data directly on satellites, then only transmit the processed results to the ground. Image processing is the main data processing on satellites, in this paper, we focus on image denoising which is the basic image processing. There are many high-performance denoising approaches at present, however, most of them rely on advanced computing resources or rich images on the ground. Considering the limited computing resources of satellites and the characteristics of remote sensing images, we do some research on these high-performance ground image denoising approaches and compare them in simulation experiments to analyze whether they are suitable for satellites. According to the analysis results, we propose two feasible image denoising strategies for satellites based on satellite TianZhi-1.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, ICNC-FSKD 201

Precipitation chemistry of Lhasa and other remote towns, Tibet

Precipitation event samples during 1987-1988 field expedition periods and 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000 have been collected at Lhasa, Dingri, Dangxiong and Amdo, Tibet. The sampling and analysis were based on WMO recommendations for a background network with some modifications according to local conditions and environmental characteristics. The following precipitation constituents and related parameters were measured: pH, conductivity, CO2 partial pressure, total suspended particles, and the content of K+, Na+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Fe, Mn, NH4 +, Cl-, NO2 -, NO3 -, SO4 2-Br-, HCO3 - and HPO4 2-. Some atmospheric dust samples have also been collected. Over 300 precipitation events have been measured for pH and conductivity. Among these, 60 have been analysed for their chemical components. The results show that Lhasa's precipitation events were constantly alkaline with weighted averages of pH 8.36 in the 1987-1988 period, and 7.5 for 1997 to 1999. Only one event was weakly acidic during 1997-1999. Although CO2 partial pressure, a major producer of acidity in natural water on the Plateau, falls with increasing elevation, the lowest measured CO2 partial pressure can only raise pH value by 0.1 units in the sampling areas. Chemical analysis indicates that the major contributor to alkaline precipitation is the continental dust, which is rich in calcium. The analysis also shows that Tibet is still one of the cleanest areas in the world with little air pollution. However, the decline of pH from the 1980s to 1990s, which was reflected by an increase of NO3 - and SO4 2- in precipitation, alerts us to the urgency of environmental protection in this fragile paradise. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin

A note on Makeev's conjectures

A counterexample is given for the Knaster-like conjecture of Makeev for functions on $S^2$. Some particular cases of another conjecture of Makeev, on inscribing a quadrangle into a smooth simple closed curve, are solved positively

Experimental data of bio self-healing concrete incubated in saturated natural soil

he provision of suitable incubation environments is vital for successful implementation of bio self-healing concrete (bio-concrete). We investigated the effect of soil incubation to examine if the self-healing process can be activated in comparison with the conventional incubation environment (water). The data was collected from laboratory-scale experiments conducted on mortar specimens. The mortar was impregnated with Bacillus subtilis and this bacteria was encapsulated in calcium alginate for protection from the production process. The mortar specimens were mechanically cracked and then incubated within fine-grained fully saturated natural soil for about 4 weeks. The cracks were inspected before and after incubation by light microscopy to evaluate the healing ratio. The mineral precipitations on crack surfaces were examined by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectrometry (EDX). The data reflects the efficiency of bio-concrete for certain structures such as tunnels and deep foundation, where concrete elements are exposed to ground conditions.This research is funded by European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No 798021 (GEOBACTICON). The research has also received funding from PGTA scholarship awarded by the University of Derby (E&T-15-PGTA-0717)

Cordycepin enhances cisplatin apoptotic effect through caspase/MAPK pathways in human head and neck tumor cells

published_or_final_versio

Laccase-catalyzed decolorization of the synthetic azo-dye diamond black PV 200 and of some structurally related derivatives

The kinetics of laccase-catalyzed transformation of the azo-dye Diamond Black PV 200 (CI Mordant Black 9) and various related synthesized derivatives were analyzed for dependence on pH and substrate structure. The reaction mixture of Diamond Black PV 200 was analyzed by HPLC/MS_/MS and it was shown that upon laccase oxidation, reactive chinoid fragments of lower molecular weight were formed. These may further oligomerize as indicated by the appearance of a number of compounds with increased molecular weight. The pH optimum for the decolorization was pH 5 for Diamond Black PV 200 which did not change significantly when the substitution pattern of its basic structure was varied. Biodegradability, however, was strongly dependent on the structure of the dyes

Valorization of Napier grass via intermediate pyrolysis: Optimization using response surface methodology and pyrolysis products characterization

This study presents first optimization report on pyrolysis oil derived from Napier grass. Effects of temperature, heating rate and nitrogen flow rate on the intermediate pyrolysis of Napier grass biomass in a vertical fixed-bed tubular reactor were investigated collectively. Response surface methodology with central composite design was used for modelling the process and optimization of the process variables. Individual second order polynomial model was found to be adequate in predicting bio-oil, bio-char and non-condensable gas yield. The optimum bio-oil yield of 50.57 wt% was recorded at 600 �C, 50 �C/min and 5 L/min nitrogen flow. The bio-oil obtained throughout this study was two-phase liquid, organic and aqueous phase. The bio-oil, bio-char and non-condensable gas were characterized using standard analytical techniques. The results revealed that the organic phase consists of hydrocarbons and various benzene derivatives, which can be further processed into fuels and valuable chemicals. The aqueous phase was predominantly water, acids, ketones, aldehydes and some phenolics and other water-soluble organics. The non-condensable gas was made up high hydrogen/carbon monoxide ratio suitable for liquid fuel synthesis via Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis. The bio-char was a porous carbonaceous material with high energy content, which can be applied as a solid fuel, adsorbent or source of biofertilizer. This study demonstrated that Napier grass biomass is a viable feedstock for production of high-value bioenergy precursors

Quantum Gravity in Everyday Life: General Relativity as an Effective Field Theory

This article is meant as a summary and introduction to the ideas of effective field theory as applied to gravitational systems. Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Effective Field Theories 3. Low-Energy Quantum Gravity 4. Explicit Quantum Calculations 5. ConclusionsComment: 56 pages, 2 figures, JHEP style, Invited review to appear in Living Reviews of Relativit

Light hadron, Charmonium(-like) and Bottomonium(-like) states

Hadron physics represents the study of strongly interacting matter in all its manifestations and the understanding of its properties and interactions. The interest on this field has been revitalized by the discovery of new light hadrons, charmonium- and bottomonium-like states. I review the most recent experimental results from different experiments.Comment: Presented at Lepton-Photon 2011, Mumbai, India; 21 pages, 18 figures; add more references; some correctio