Automatic Precipitation Measurement Based on Raindrop Imaging and Artificial Intelligence

Rainfall measurement is subjected to various uncertainties due to the complexity of measurement techniques and atmosphere characteristics associated with weather type. Thus, this article presents a video-based disdrometer to analyze raindrop images by introducing artificial intelligence technology for the rainfall rate. First, a high-speed CMOS camera is integrated into a planar LED as a backlight source for appropriately acquiring falling raindrops in different positions. The falling raindrops can be illuminated and used for further image analysis. Algorithms developed for raindrop detection and trajectory identification are employed. In a field test, a rainfall event of 42 continuous hours has been measured by the proposed disdrometer that is validated against a commercial PARSIVEL² disdrometer and a tipping bucket rain gauge at the same area. In the evaluation for 5-min rainfall images, the results of the trajectory identification are within the precision of 87.8%, recall of 98.4%, and F1 score of 92.8%, respectively. Furthermore, the performance exhibits that the rainfall rate and raindrop size distribution (RSD) obtained by the proposed disdrometer are remarkably consistent with those of PARSIVEL² disdrometer. The results suggest that the proposed disdrometer based on the continuous movements of the falling raindrops can achieve accurate measurements and eliminate the potential errors effectively in the real-time monitoring of rainfall

First-Line A Direct Aspiration First-Pass Technique vs. First-Line Stent Retriever for Acute Ischemic Stroke Therapy: A Meta-Analysis

Background: Recent trials have proved the efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy over medical treatment for patients with acute ischemic stroke, with the balance of equivalent rates of adverse events. Stent retrievers were applied predominantly in most trials; however, the role of other thrombectomy devices has not been well validated. A direct aspiration first-pass technique (ADAPT) is proposed to be a faster thrombectomy technique than the stent retriever technique. This meta-analysis investigated and compared the efficacy and adverse events of first-line ADAPT with those of first-line stent retrievers in patients with acute ischemic stroke.Methods: A structured search was conducted comprehensively. A total of 1623 papers were found, and 4 articles were included in our meta-analysis. The Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tools were applied to evaluate the quality of studies. The primary outcome was defined as the proportion of patients with the Thrombolysis in Cerebral Ischemia (TICI) scale of 2b/3 at the end of all procedures. Secondary outcomes were the proportion of patients with functional independence (modified Rankin scale of 0–2) at the third month, the proportion of patients with the Thrombolysis in Cerebral Ischemia (TICI) scale of 2b/3 by primary chosen device, and the proportion of patients who received rescue therapies. Safety outcomes were the symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH) rate and the mortality rate within 3 months.Results: One randomized controlled trial, one prospective cohort study, and two retrospective cohort studies were included. No significant difference between these 2 strategies of management were observed in the primary outcome (TICI scale at the end of all procedures, odds ratio [OR] = 0.78), two secondary outcomes (functional independence at the third month, OR = 1.16; TICI scale by primary chosen device, OR = 1.25), and all safety outcomes (sICH rate, OR = 1.56; mortality rate, OR = 0.91). The proportion of patients who received rescue therapies was higher in the first-line ADAPT group (OR = 0.64).Conclusions: Among first-line thrombectomy devices for patients with ischemic stroke, ADAPT with the latest thrombosuction system was as efficient and safe as stent retrievers

A novel filter wheel for multi-channel switching and polarization rotation

This study proposes an innovative filter wheel for the multi-channel switching of polarization state. The proposed device enables switching between two orthogonal linear polarization states or two orthogonal circular polarization states to achieve either linear dichroism (LD) or circular dichroism (CD). The filter wheel enables channel switching and orientation rotation with high repeatability. This paper describes in detail the methods used in the alignment of multiple polarizers and quarter-waveplates. In addition, the extinction ratio and retardation, which can be used as indications of polarimetric performance, are measured to a high degree of precision. The apparatus was applied for 6-channel polarization state switching in which three channels were used for multi-spectral broadband polarimetric applications across a range of 400–1600 nm. The remaining three channels were used for multi-wavelength precision polarimetric applications at wavelengths of 457, 532, and 632 nm in the visible range. When installed in a microspectrophotometer, the proposed apparatus can be used in multi-spectral broadband polarimetric spectroscopy as well as multi-wavelength polarimetric imaging applications to achieve LD and CD effects at the micro scale

Surface profiling of object using varifocal lens with image contrast

The measurement of automated and fast focusing on the improvement of speed and accuracy is an important issue in industrial inspection and biomedical microscopy. In this study, we developed a novel optical imaging system in which varifocal lenses are used to characterize the 3D surface topography of samples. The performance of the proposed system was evaluated using twelve focusing algorithms. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed system in the near real-time construction of multi-focus fusion images with large depth of field from which to derive 3D surface profiles

Management of ulcerative colitis in Taiwan: consensus guideline of the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease updated in 2023

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract and is characterized by alternating periods of inflammation and remission. Although UC incidence is lower in Taiwan than in Western countries, its impact remains considerable, demanding updated guidelines for addressing local healthcare challenges and patient needs. The revised guidelines employ international standards and recent research, emphasizing practical implementation within the Taiwanese healthcare system. Since the inception of the guidelines in 2017, the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease has acknowledged the need for ongoing revisions to incorporate emerging therapeutic options and evolving disease management practices. This updated guideline aims to align UC management with local contexts, ensuring comprehensive and context-specific recommendations, thereby raising the standard of care for UC patients in Taiwan. By adapting and optimizing international protocols for local relevance, these efforts seek to enhance health outcomes for patients with UC

A Single Nucleotide in Stem Loop II of 5′-Untranslated Region Contributes to Virulence of Enterovirus 71 in Mice

BACKGROUND: Enterovirus 71 (EV71) has emerged as a neuroinvasive virus responsible for several large outbreaks in the Asia-Pacific region while virulence determinant remains unexplored. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this report, we investigated increased virulence of unadapted EV71 clinical isolate 237 as compared with isolate 4643 in mice. A fragment 12 nucleotides in length in stem loop (SL) II of 237 5'-untranslated region (UTR) visibly reduced survival time and rate in mice was identified by constructing a series of infectious clones harboring chimeric 5'-UTR. In cells transfected with bicistronic plasmids, and replicon RNAs, the 12-nt fragment of isolate 237 enhanced translational activities and accelerated replication of subgenomic EV71. Finally, single nucleotide change from cytosine to uridine at base 158 in this short fragment of 5'-UTR was proven to reduce viral translation and EV71 virulence in mice. Results collectively indicated a pivotal role of novel virulence determinant C158 on virus translation in vitro and EV71 virulence in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: These results presented the first reported virulence determinant in EV71 5'-UTR and first position discovered from unadapted isolates

Management of Crohn’s disease in Taiwan: consensus guideline of the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease updated in 2023

Crohn’s disease (CD) is a chronic, fluctuating inflammatory condition that primarily affects the gastrointestinal tract. Although the incidence of CD in Taiwan is lower than that in Western countries, the severity of CD presentation appears to be similar between Asia and the West. This observation indicates the urgency for devising revised guidelines tailored to the unique reimbursement system, and patient requirements in Taiwan. The core objectives of these updated guidelines include the updated treatment choices and the integration of the treat-to-target strategy into CD management, promoting the achievement of deep remission to mitigate complications and enhance the overall quality of life. Given the diversity in disease prevalence, severity, insurance policies, and access to medical treatments in Taiwan, a customized approach is imperative for formulating these guidelines. Such tailored strategies ensure that international standards are not only adapted but also optimized to local contexts. Since the inception of its initial guidelines in 2017, the Taiwan Society of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (TSIBD) has acknowledged the importance of continuous revisions for incorporating new therapeutic options and evolving disease management practices. The latest update leverages international standards and recent research findings focused on practical implementation within the Taiwanese healthcare system

Automatic Morphological Subtyping Reveals New Roles of Caspases in Mitochondrial Dynamics

Morphological dynamics of mitochondria is associated with key cellular processes related to aging and neuronal degenerative diseases, but the lack of standard quantification of mitochondrial morphology impedes systematic investigation. This paper presents an automated system for the quantification and classification of mitochondrial morphology. We discovered six morphological subtypes of mitochondria for objective quantification of mitochondrial morphology. These six subtypes are small globules, swollen globules, straight tubules, twisted tubules, branched tubules and loops. The subtyping was derived by applying consensus clustering to a huge collection of more than 200 thousand mitochondrial images extracted from 1422 micrographs of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells treated with different drugs, and was validated by evidence of functional similarity reported in the literature. Quantitative statistics of subtype compositions in cells is useful for correlating drug response and mitochondrial dynamics. Combining the quantitative results with our biochemical studies about the effects of squamocin on CHO cells reveals new roles of Caspases in the regulatory mechanisms of mitochondrial dynamics. This system is not only of value to the mitochondrial field, but also applicable to the investigation of other subcellular organelle morphology