Colometer:A real-time quality feedback system for screening colonoscopy

AIM:To investigate the performance of a new software-based colonoscopy quality assessment system.METHODS:The software-based system employs a novel image processing algorithm which detects the levels of image clarity,withdrawal velocity,and level of the bowel preparation in a real-time fashion from live video signal.Threshold levels of image blurriness and the withdrawal velocity below which the visualization could be considered adequate have initially been determined arbitrarily by review of sample colonoscopy videos by two experienced endoscopists.Subsequently,an overall colonoscopy quality rating was computed based on the percentage of the withdrawal time with adequate visualization(scored 1-5;1,when the percentage was 1%-20%;2,when the percentage was 21%-40%,etc.).In order to test the proposed velocity and blurriness thresholds,screening colonoscopy withdrawal videos from a specialized ambulatory colon cancer screening center were collected,automatically processed and rated.Quality ratings on the withdrawal were compared to the insertion in the same patients.Then,3 experienced endoscopists reviewed the collected videos in a blinded fashion and rated the overall quality of each withdrawal(scored 1-5;1,poor;3,average;5,excellent) based on 3 major aspects:image quality,colon preparation,and withdrawal velocity.The automated quality ratings were compared to the averaged endoscopist quality ratings using Spearman correlation coefficient.RESULTS:Fourteen screening colonoscopies were assessed.Adenomatous polyps were detected in 4/14(29%) of the collected colonoscopy video samples.As a proof of concept,the Colometer software rated colonoscope withdrawal as having better visualization than the insertion in the 10 videos which did not have any polyps(average percent time with adequate visualization:79% ± 5% for withdrawal and 50% ± 14% for insertion,P < 0.01).Withdrawal times during which no polyps were removed ranged from 4-12 min.The median quality rating from the automated system and the reviewers was 3.45 [interquartile range(IQR),3.1-3.68] and 3.00(IQR,2.33-3.67) respectively for all colonoscopy video samples.The automated rating revealed a strong correlation with the reviewer's rating(ρ coefficient= 0.65,P = 0.01).There was good correlation of the automated overall quality rating and the mean endoscopist withdrawal speed rating(Spearman r coefficient= 0.59,P = 0.03).There was no correlation of automated overall quality rating with mean endoscopists image quality rating(Spearman r coefficient= 0.41,P = 0.15).CONCLUSION:The results from a novel automated real-time colonoscopy quality feedback system strongly agreed with the endoscopists' quality assessments.Further study is required to validate this approach.

Influence of Al Preflow Time on Surface Morphology and Quality of AlN and GaN on Si(111) Grown by MOCVD

We investigate the influence of A1 preflow time on surface morphology and quality of AIN and GaN. The AIN and GaN layers are grown on a Si （111） substrate by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. Scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, x-ray diffraction and optical microscopy are used for analysis. Consequently, we find significant differences in the epitaxial properties of AlN buffer and the GaN layer, which are dependent on the AI preflow time. A1 preflow layers act as nucleation sites in the case of AiN growth. Compact and uniform AIN nucleation sites are observed with optimizing A1 preflow at an early nucleation stage, which will lead to a smooth AIN surface. Trenches and AlN grain clusters appear on the AIN surface while meltoback etching occurs on the GaN surface with excessive A1 preflow. The GaN quality variation keeps a similar trend with the AIN quality, which is influenced by AI preflow. With an optimized duration orAl preflow, crystal quality and surface morphology of AIN and GaN could be improved.

Susceptible time window and endurable duration of cotton fiber development to high temperature stress

The development of the cotton fiber is very sensitive to temperature variation, and high temperature stress often causes reduced fiber yield and fiber quality. Short-term high temperature stress often occurs during cotton production, but little is known about the specific timing and duration of stress that affects fiber development. To make this clear, pot experiments were carried in 2014 and 2015 in a climate chamber using cotton cultivars HY370WR（less sensitive variety） and Sumian 15（heat sensitive variety）, which present different temperature sensitivities. Changes of the most important fiber quality indices（i.e., fiber length, fiber strength and marcironaire） and three very important fiber development components（i.e., cellulose, sucrose and callose） were analyzed to define the time window and critical duration to the high temperature stress at 34°C（max38°C/min30°C）. When developing bolls were subjected to 5 days of high temperature stress at different days post-anthesis（DPA）, the changes（Δ%） of fiber length, strength and micronire, as a function of imposed time followed square polynomial eq. as y=a＋bx＋cx^2, and the time around 15 DPA was the most sensitive period for fiber quality development in response to heat stress. When 15 DPA bolls were heat-stressed for different durations（2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 days）, the changes（Δ%） of fiber length, strength and micronire, as a function of stress duration followed logistic equations y=A_1-A_2/1＋（x/x_0）~p＋A_2. Referred to that 5, 10 and 15% are usually used as criteria to decide whether techniques are effective or changes are significant in crop culture practice and reguard to the fiber quality indices change range, we suggested that 5% changes of the major fiber quality indices（fiber length, fiber strength and micronaire） and 10% changes of fiber development components（cellulose, sucrose and callose） could be taken as criteria to judge whether fiber development and fiber quality have been significantly affected by high temperature stress. The key time window for cotton fiber development in response to the high temperature stress was 13–19 DPA, and the critical duration was about 5 days.

A novel real-time cell electronic analysis technology for the authentication and quality control of natural medicines

The study was designed to explore the potential applications of the real-time cell electronic analysis technology in the quality evaluation of natural medicines. The natural medicinal Flos Carthami was discussed as a methodological example and the specific time/dose-dependent cell response profiles （TCRPs） were produced by the real-time cell electronic analysis technology. The similarity and bioactivity were obtained by analyzing all TCRPs. Meanwhile, an HPLC method according to the Chinese Pharmacopeia （edition 2010） was used to evaluate the quality of Flos Carthami. The correlation was obtained by comparing the results produced by the two different approaches. By analyzing the data, five different samples ofFlos Carthami can produce remarkably similar TCRPs. The quality ofFlos Carthami was evaluated by both the HPLC and the TCRPs analysis-based approaches and similar results were obtained. The results suggest that the same natural medicine from different locations could produce similar TCRPs. By analyzing the TCRPs, the bioactivity and quality evaluation of natural medicines can be obtained. This technology is a physiologically relevant approach for the quality evaluation of natural medicines. The ultimate aim of our study is to establish a new standard for quality evaluation.

Oncothermia in Combination with Vitamin C Infusion for Non-small Cell Lung Cancer: a Case Report

We herein report an advanced case(T3N3M0,Stage ⅢB)of squamous cell lung cancer.The patient survived beyond 5 years only receiving intravenous vitamin C(VitC)infusion combined with modulated electrohyperthermia(mEHT,trade name:oncothermia).

Investigation into Pilot Handling Qualities in Teleoperation Rendezvous and Docking with Time Delay

Teleoperation rendezvous and docking can be used as a backup for autonomous rendezvous and docking（RVD） for an unmanned spacecraft when the autonomous system is failure or for guiding the chaser docking with an uncooperative target.The theoretical model for analyzing the handling qualities in teleoperation RVD process is established based on the previous studies conducted by National Aeronautics and Space Administration（NASA）.The predictive factor is introduced to describe the pilot＇s predictive ability in the teleoperation tasks with time delay,which interrelates with the skills of a pilot and the predictive assist approach used in the tasks such as the predictive display method.Based on the semi-physical simulation system in our laboratory,900 experiments at two levels of time delay are carried out by 18 volunteers for validating the established model.The experimental results demonstrate the correctness of the theoretical model and indicate that a skilled pilot has a predictive ability of approximately 0.9 in teleoperation RVD tasks.The theoretical analysis shows that the handling qualities are greatly affected by the time delay and the predictive factor,and it is impossible to achieve a teleoperation RVD task for the skilled pilot when the time delay is larger than 9.0 s.