基于Batch Normalization的UNet视网膜血管分割算法

视网膜血管的提取可以通过卷积神经网络学习的方法,但这种方法容易受到初始图像质量的影响,存在网络学习速度慢、效率低的问题.针对这一问题,提出了一种融合Batch Normalization和UNet卷积神经网络的视网膜血管分割算法.以视网膜图像的三原色通道作为网络的输入数据,然后利用融合批归一化的UNet卷积神经网络对分割模型进行训练,进一步优化网络效率.经过测试和验证,结果表明,在DRIVE公开数据集上,该方法能够更好地提取周围血管结构,灵敏度、准确度、特异性和曲线下面积均较好.

Supervised Feature Learning for Offline Writer Identification Using VLAD and Double Power Normalization

As an indispensable part of identity authentication,offline writer identification plays a notable role in biology,forensics,and historical document analysis.However,identifying handwriting efficiently,stably,and quickly is still challenging due to the method of extracting and processing handwriting features.In this paper,we propose an efficient system to identify writers through handwritten images,which integrates local and global features from similar handwritten images.The local features are modeled by effective aggregate processing,and global features are extracted through transfer learning.Specifically,the proposed system employs a pre-trained Residual Network to mine the relationship between large image sets and specific handwritten images,while the vector of locally aggregated descriptors with double power normalization is employed in aggregating local and global features.Moreover,handwritten image segmentation,preprocessing,enhancement,optimization of neural network architecture,and normalization for local and global features are exploited,significantly improving system performance.The proposed system is evaluated on Computer Vision Lab(CVL)datasets and the International Conference on Document Analysis and Recognition(ICDAR)2013 datasets.The results show that it represents good generalizability and achieves state-of-the-art performance.Furthermore,the system performs better when training complete handwriting patches with the normalization method.The experimental result indicates that it’s significant to segment handwriting reasonably while dealing with handwriting overlap,which reduces visual burstiness.

Selection and Validation of Reference Genes for Normalization of RT-qPCR Analysis in Developing or Abiotic-Stressed Tissues of Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica)

Loquat(Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.)is a subtropical evergreen fruit tree that produces fruits with abundant nutrients and medicinal components.Confirming suitable reference genes for a set of loquat samples before qRT-PCR experiments is essential for the accurate quantification of gene expression.In this study,eight candidate reference genes were selected from our previously published RNA-seq data,and primers for each candidate reference gene were designed and evaluated.The Cq values of the candidate reference genes were calculated by RT-qPCR in 31 different loquat samples,including 12 subgroups of developing or abiotic-stressed tissues.Different combinations of stable reference genes were screened according to a comprehensive rank,which was synthesized from the results of four algorithms,including the geNorm,NormFinder,BestKeeper andΔCt methods.The screened reference genes were verified by normalizing EjLGA1 in each subgroup.The obtained suitable combinations of reference genes for accurate normalization were GAPDH,EF1αand ACT for floral development;GAPDH,UBCE and ACT for fruit setting;EF1α,GAPDH and eIF2B for fruit ripening;ACT,EF1αand UBCE for leaves under heat stress;eIF2B,UBCE and EF1αfor leaves under freezing stress;EF1α,TUA and UBCE for leaves under salt stress;ACT,EF1αand eIF2B for immature pulp under freezing stress;ACT,UBCE and eIF2B for immature seeds under freezing stress;EF1α,eIF2B and UBCE for both immature pulp and seeds under freezing stress;UBCE,TUB and TUA for red-fleshed fruits under cold-storage stress;eIF2B,RPS3 and TUB for white-fleshed fruits under coldstorage stress;and eIF2B,UBCE and RPS3 for both red-and white-fleshed fruits under cold-storage stress.This study obtained different combinations of stable reference genes for accurate normalization in twelve subgroups of developing or abiotic-stressed tissues in loquat.To our knowledge,this is the first report to obtain stable reference genes for normalizing gene expression of abiotic-stressed tissues in E.japonica.The use of the three most stable reference genes could increase the reliability of future quantification experiments.

Robust Radiometric Normalization of the near Equatorial Satellite Images Using Feature Extraction and Remote Sensing Analysis

Relative radiometric normalization (RRN) minimizes radiometric differences among images caused by inconsistencies of acquisition conditions rather than changes in surface. Scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) has the ability to automatically extract control points (CPs) and is commonly used for remote sensing images. However, its results are mostly inaccurate and sometimes contain incorrect matching caused by generating a small number of false CP pairs. These CP pairs have high false alarm matching. This paper presents a modified method to improve the performance of SIFT CPs matching by applying sum of absolute difference (SAD) in a different manner for the new optical satellite generation called near-equatorial orbit satellite and multi-sensor images. The proposed method, which has a significantly high rate of correct matches, improves CP matching. The data in this study were obtained from the RazakSAT satellite a new near equatorial satellite system. The proposed method involves six steps: 1) data reduction, 2) applying the SIFT to automatically extract CPs, 3) refining CPs matching by using SAD algorithm with empirical threshold, and 4) calculation of true CPs intensity values over all image’ bands, 5) preforming a linear regression model between the intensity values of CPs locate in reverence and sensed image’ bands, 6) Relative radiometric normalization conducting using regression transformation functions. Different thresholds have experimentally tested and used in conducting this study (50 and 70), by followed the proposed method, and it removed the false extracted SIFT CPs to be from 775, 1125, 883, 804, 883 and 681 false pairs to 342, 424, 547, 706, 547, and 469 corrected and matched pairs, respectively.

The influence of lipid-extraction on theδ^(13)C of mesopelagic and demersal fish in the South China Sea:modification and application of lipid normalization models

Mesopelagic fish,the most important daily vertically migrating community in the oceans,are characterized by high lipid content which may obscure the interpretation of stable isotopes analysis.Demersal fish,which are important consumers in the food web dominated by mesopelagic fish,also have a high lipid content.Here we collected 127 fish samples from the South China Sea and evaluated the effect of lipid contents on△δ^(13)C of mesopelagic and demersal fish.In lipid-extracted mesopelagic fish,the C/N content ratio(<5.5)shows a clear correlation withΔδ^(13)C(the offset of bulk and lipid-extractedδ^(13)C values),especially in non-migratory and semi-migratory species;these values were less correlation in demersal fish.Based on our results,we suggest that mesopelagic and demersal fish in different regions of the South China Sea should be studied separately using appropriate correction models and less fit for the traditional model.Moreover,the C/N content ratio should be used cautiously for establishing the lipid normalization model,especially for the fish in migratory mesopelagic fish and demersal fish.Our results also reveal that mesopelagic fish across nearby regions could be analyzed together.The new models described here can be applied in future studies of mesopelagic and demersal fish in the South China Sea.

Extraction of Acoustic Normal Mode Depth Functions Using Range-Difference Method with Vertical Linear Array Data

Data-derived normal mode extraction is an effective method for extracting normal mode depth functions in the absence of marine environmental data.However,when the corresponding singular vectors become nonunique when two or more singular values obtained from the cross-spectral density matrix diagonalization are nearly equal,this results in unsatisfactory extraction outcomes for the normal mode depth functions.To address this issue,we introduced in this paper a range-difference singular value decomposition method for the extraction of normal mode depth functions.We performed the mode extraction by conducting singular value decomposition on the individual frequency components of the signal's cross-spectral density matrix.This was achieved by using pressure and its range-difference matrices constructed from vertical line array data.The proposed method was validated using simulated data.In addition,modes were successfully extracted from ambient noise.

Depth-Guided Vision Transformer With Normalizing Flows for Monocular 3D Object Detection

Monocular 3D object detection is challenging due to the lack of accurate depth information.Some methods estimate the pixel-wise depth maps from off-the-shelf depth estimators and then use them as an additional input to augment the RGB images.Depth-based methods attempt to convert estimated depth maps to pseudo-LiDAR and then use LiDAR-based object detectors or focus on the perspective of image and depth fusion learning.However,they demonstrate limited performance and efficiency as a result of depth inaccuracy and complex fusion mode with convolutions.Different from these approaches,our proposed depth-guided vision transformer with a normalizing flows(NF-DVT)network uses normalizing flows to build priors in depth maps to achieve more accurate depth information.Then we develop a novel Swin-Transformer-based backbone with a fusion module to process RGB image patches and depth map patches with two separate branches and fuse them using cross-attention to exchange information with each other.Furthermore,with the help of pixel-wise relative depth values in depth maps,we develop new relative position embeddings in the cross-attention mechanism to capture more accurate sequence ordering of input tokens.Our method is the first Swin-Transformer-based backbone architecture for monocular 3D object detection.The experimental results on the KITTI and the challenging Waymo Open datasets show the effectiveness of our proposed method and superior performance over previous counterparts.

A novel mitigation measure for normal fault-induced deformations on pile-raft systems

Evidence from recent earthquakes has shown destructive consequences of fault-induced permanent ground movement on structures.Such observations have increased the demand for improvements in the design of structures that are dramatically vulnerable to surface fault ruptures.In this study a novel connection between the raft and the piles is proposed to mitigate the hazards associated with a normal fault on pile-raft systems by means of 3D finite element(FE)modeling.Before embarking on the parametric study,the strain-softening constitutive law used for numerical modeling of the sand has been validated against centrifuge test results.The exact location of the fix-head and unconnected pile-raft systems relative to the outcropping fault rupture in the free-field is parametrically investigated,revealing different failure mechanisms.The performance of the proposed connection for protecting the pile-raft system against normal fault-induced deformations is assessed by comparing the geotechnical and structural responses of both types of foundation.The results indicate that the pocket connection can relatively reduce the cap rotation and horizontal and vertical displacements of the raft in most scenarios.The proposed connection decreases the bending moment response of the piles to their bending moment capacity,verging on a fault offset of 0.6 m at bedrock.

Neuroimaging in atypical normal tension glaucoma:debating routine implementation in the absence of classic neurological findings

●AIM:To assess the necessity of neuroimaging in patients with neurological or atypical findings of normal tension glaucoma(NTG)who do not exhibit typical glaucoma manifestations.●METHODS:A retrospective analysis was conducted on 90 atypical NTG patients who underwent cranial magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)due to atypical symptoms.The demographic characteristics,clinical parameters,and radiological findings were recorded.●RESULTS:Among the patients,66.7%had abnormal radiology results,with the most common findings being gliosis(34.4%),sequelae of cerebrovascular events and vascular malformations(14.4%),and benign intracranial mass lesions(11%).Non-glaucomatous visual field defects were more frequently observed in patients with abnormal neuroimaging results.However,there were no significant differences in intraocular pressure,optic disc parameters,retinal nerve fiber layer thickness,and visual field indices between patients with normal and abnormal radiological results.The mean age of the patients was 58.74y.Interestingly,there was a significant age difference,with the abnormal radiology group having a higher median age(P=0.021).●CONCLUSION:The study highlights the importance of cranial imaging in older NTG patients to detect underlying pathologies and prevent misdiagnosis.It suggests that neuroimaging may be warranted in NTG patients with atypical visual field defects incompatible with glaucoma.However,routine neuroimaging in all NTG patients without classic neurological signs may not be necessary.

Normalized glandular dose coefficients for digital breast tomosynthesis using detailed Chinese breast models

The rise in breast cancer diagnoses among Chinese women has necessitated the use of X-ray breast screening,which carries a radiation risk.This study aimed to provide a dosimetry protocol for the Chinese female population to replace the traditional standard that utilizes simplified breast models,for the accurate estimation of the mean glandular dose of a patient undergoing digital breast tomosynthesis(DBT).The first set of detailed Chinese female breast models and representative breast parameters was constructed.Considering backscatter radiation and computational efficiency,we improved the combination of these models and the Chinese reference adult female whole-body voxel phantom.Image acquisition for four commercial DBT systems that are widely employed in China was simulated using the Monte Carlo method to obtain the normalized glandular dose coefficients of DBT(D_(gN)^(DBT))and the glandular depth dose(D_(g)^(dep)(z))for different breast characteristics and X-ray spectra.We calculated a series of D_(gN)^(DBT) values for breasts with different percentage mass glandularities(5%,25%,50%,75%,and 100%)and compressed breast thicknesses(2,3,4,5,6,and 7 cm)at various tube potentials(25,28,30,32,35,and 49 kV)and target/filter combinations(W/Rh,W/Al,Mo/Mo,Rh/Rh,and Rh/Ag).The parameter dependence of the breast characteristics and beam conditions on D_(gN)^(DBT) in detailed breast models was investigated.The D_(gN)^(DBT) results were 14.6-51.0%lower than those of the traditional dosimetry standard in China.The difference in D_(gN)^(DBT) was mainly due to a decrease in the depth of the main energy deposition area caused by the glandular distribution along the depth direction.The results obtained in this study may be used to improve breast dosimetry in China and provide more detailed information on risk assessment during DBT.

MULTIPLICITY OF NORMALIZED SOLUTIONS FOR THE FRACTIONAL SCHR?DINGER-POISSON SYSTEM WITH DOUBLY CRITICAL GROWTH

In this paper,we are concerned with solutions to the fractional Schrodinger-Poisson system■ with prescribed mass ∫_(R^(3))|u|^(2)dx=a^(2),where a> 0 is a prescribed number,μ> 0 is a paremeter,s ∈(0,1),2 <q <2_(s)^(*),and 2_(s)^(*)=6/(3-2s) is the fractional critical Sobolev exponent.In the L2-subcritical case,we show the existence of multiple normalized solutions by using the genus theory and the truncation technique;in the L^(2)-supercritical case,we obtain a couple of normalized solutions by developing a fiber map.Under both cases,to recover the loss of compactness of the energy functional caused by the doubly critical growth,we need to adopt the concentration-compactness principle.Our results complement and improve upon some existing studies on the fractional Schrodinger-Poisson system with a nonlocal critical term.

Geometry and 3D seismic characterisation of post-rift normal faults in the Pearl River Mouth Basin,northern South China Sea

Based on high-resolution 3D seismic data acquired in the Pearl(Zhujiang)River Mouth Basin of the northern South China Sea,this study investigated the geometry,spatial extension,and throw distribution of the post-rift normal fault through detailed seismic interpretation and fault modeling.A total of 289 post-rift normal faults were identified in the study area and can be classified into four types:(1)isolated normal faults above the carbonate platform;(2)isolated normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform;(3)conjugate normal faults,and(4)connecting normal faults.Throw distribution analysis on the fault planes show that the vertical throw profiles of most normal fault exhibit flat-topped profiles.Isolated normal faults above the carbonate platform exhibit roughly concentric ellipses with maximum throw zones in the central section whereas the normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform miss the lowermost section due to the chaotic seismic reflections in the interior of the carbonate platform.The vertical throws of conjugate normal faults anomalously decrease toward their intersection region on the fault plane whereas the connecting normal faults present two maximum throw zones in the central section of the fault plane.According to the symmetric elliptical distribution model of fault throw,an estimation was made indicating that normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform extended downward between-1308 s and-1780 s(two-way travel time)in depth and may not penetrate the entire Liuhua carbonate platform.Moreover,it is observed that the distribution of karst caves on the top of the carbonate platform disaccord with those of hydrocarbon reservoirs and the post-rift normal faults cutting through the carbonate platform in the study area.We propose that these karst caves formed most probably by corrosive fluids derived from magmatic activities during the Dongsha event,rather than pore waters or hydrocarbons.

A Normalizing Flow-Based Bidirectional Mapping Residual Network for Unsupervised Defect Detection

Unsupervised methods based on density representation have shown their abilities in anomaly detection,but detection performance still needs to be improved.Specifically,approaches using normalizing flows can accurately evaluate sample distributions,mapping normal features to the normal distribution and anomalous features outside it.Consequently,this paper proposes a Normalizing Flow-based Bidirectional Mapping Residual Network(NF-BMR).It utilizes pre-trained Convolutional Neural Networks(CNN)and normalizing flows to construct discriminative source and target domain feature spaces.Additionally,to better learn feature information in both domain spaces,we propose the Bidirectional Mapping Residual Network(BMR),which maps sample features to these two spaces for anomaly detection.The two detection spaces effectively complement each other’s deficiencies and provide a comprehensive feature evaluation from two perspectives,which leads to the improvement of detection performance.Comparative experimental results on the MVTec AD and DAGM datasets against the Bidirectional Pre-trained Feature Mapping Network(B-PFM)and other state-of-the-art methods demonstrate that the proposed approach achieves superior performance.On the MVTec AD dataset,NF-BMR achieves an average AUROC of 98.7%for all 15 categories.Especially,it achieves 100%optimal detection performance in five categories.On the DAGM dataset,the average AUROC across ten categories is 98.7%,which is very close to supervised methods.

Unveiling the silent link:Normal-tension glaucoma's enigmatic bond with cardiac blood flow

This comprehensive review embarks on a captivating journey into the complex relationship between cardiology and normal-tension glaucoma(NTG),a condition that continues to baffle clinicians and researchers alike.NTG,characterized by optic nerve damage and visual field loss despite normal intraocular pressure,has long puzzled clinicians.One emerging perspective suggests that alterations in ocular blood flow,particularly within the optic nerve head,may play a pivotal role in its pathogenesis.While NTG shares commonalities with its high-tension counterpart,its unique pathogenesis and potential ties to cardiovascular health make it a fascinating subject of exploration.It navigates through the complex web of vascular dysregulation,blood pressure and perfusion pressure,neurovascular coupling,and oxidative stress,seeking to uncover the hidden threads that tie the heart and eyes together in NTG.This review explores into the intricate mechanisms connecting cardiovascular factors to NTG,shedding light on how cardiac dynamics can influence ocular health,particularly in cases where intraocular pressure remains within the normal range.NTG's enigmatic nature,often characterized by seemingly contradictory risk factors and clinical profiles,underscores the need for a holistic approach to patient care.Drawing parallels to cardiac health,we examine into the shared vascular terrain connecting the heart and the eyes.Cardiovascular factors,including systemic blood flow,endothelial dysfunction,and microcirculatory anomalies,may exert a profound influence on ocular perfusion,impacting the delicate balance within the optic nerve head.By elucidating the subtle clues and potential associations between cardiology and NTG,this review invites clinicians to consider a broader perspective in their evaluation and management of this elusive condition.As the understanding of these connections evolves,so too may the prospects for early diagnosis and tailored interventions,ultimately enhancing the quality of life for those living with NTG.

Effect of the mixing of s-wave and chiral p-wave pairings on electrical shot noise properties of normal metal/superconductor tunnel junctions

We study theoretically the electrical shot noise properties of tunnel junctions between a normal metal and a superconductor with the mixture of singlet s-wave and chiral triplet p-wave pairing due to broken inversion symmetry. We investigate how the shot noise properties vary as the relative amplitude between the two parity components in the pairing potential is changed. It is demonstrated that some characteristics of the electrical shot noise properties of such tunnel junctions may depend sensitively on the relative amplitude between the two parity components in the pairing potential, and some significant changes may occur in the electrical shot noise properties when the relative amplitude between the two parity components is varied from the singlet s-wave pairing dominated regime to the chiral triplet p-wave pairing dominated regime. In the chiral triplet p-wave pairing dominated regime, the ratio of noise power to electric current is close to 2e both in the in-gap and in the out-gap region. In the singlet s-wave pairing dominated regime, the value of this ratio is close to 4e in the inner gap region but may reduce to about 2e in the outer gap region as the relative amplitude of the chiral triplet pairing component is increased. The variations of the differential shot noise with the bias voltage also exhibit some significantly different features in different regimes. Such different features can serve as useful diagnostic tools for the determination of the relative magnitude of the two parity components in the pairing potential.

Assessment of vegetation cover changes and the contributing factors in the Al-Ahsa Oasis using Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)

The abandonment of date palm grove of the former Al-Ahsa Oasis in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia has resulted in the conversion of delicate agricultural area into urban area.The current state of the oasis is influenced by both expansion and degradation factors.Therefore,it is important to study the spatiotemporal variation of vegetation cover for the sustainable management of oasis resources.This study used Landsat satellite images in 1987,2002,and 2021 to monitor the spatiotemporal variation of vegetation cover in the Al-Ahsa Oasis,applied multi-temporal Normalized Difference Vegetation Index(NDVI)data spanning from 1987 to 2021 to assess environmental and spatiotemporal variations that have occurred in the Al-Ahsa Oasis,and investigated the factors influencing these variation.This study reveals that there is a significant improvement in the ecological environment of the oasis during 1987–2021,with increase of NDVI values being higher than 0.10.In 2021,the highest NDVI value is generally above 0.70,while the lowest value remains largely unchanged.However,there is a remarkable increase in NDVI values between 0.20 and 0.30.The area of low NDVI values(0.00–0.20)has remained almost stable,but the region with high NDVI values(above 0.70)expands during 1987–2021.Furthermore,this study finds that in 1987–2002,the increase of vegetation cover is most notable in the northern region of the study area,whereas from 2002 to 2021,the increase of vegetation cover is mainly concentrated in the northern and southern regions of the study area.From 1987 to 2021,NDVI values exhibit the most pronounced variation,with a significant increase in the“green”zone(characterized by NDVI values exceeding 0.40),indicating a substantial enhancement in the ecological environment of the oasis.The NDVI classification is validated through 50 ground validation points in the study area,demonstrating a mean accuracy of 92.00%in the detection of vegetation cover.In general,both the user’s and producer’s accuracies of NDVI classification are extremely high in 1987,2002,and 2021.Finally,this study suggests that environmental authorities should strengthen their overall forestry project arrangements to combat sand encroachment and enhance the ecological environment of the Al-Ahsa Oasis.

Normal pregnancy outcome after first-trimester exposure to semaglutide in an overweight woman: a case report

We reported a case of an overweight 34-year-old woman who unexpectedly became pregnant while undergoing semaglutide in early pregnancy and delivered a healthy male infant by caesarean section at 37 weeks and 4 days of gestation.Until now,the safety of semaglutide for use during pregnancy was unknown.This report may contribute to the limited knowledge available on pregnant women exposure to semaglutide.

基于TZ Normalization规整的话者确认阈值选取

针对说话人确认中,各目标话者模型输出评分分布不一致而导致系统确认阈值设置的困难,本文采取了通过评分规整确定系统最小检测代价函数(DCF)确认阈值的方法。在分析了已有的两种评分规整方法Z norm a l-ization和T norm a lization的基础上,提出了一种结合两者优点的组合规整方法——TZ norm a lization,并据此给出了一种阈值动态修正方法,有效地提高了系统的性能和阈值选取的鲁棒性。对历年的N IST(手机电话语音)评测语料库进行了实验,表明了该方法的有效性。

基于CNN和Group Normalization的校园垃圾图像分类

为解决大学校园的垃圾回收分类问题,提出了一种基于卷积神经网络和归一化技术的垃圾图像分类方法,不需要对输入的图像进行复杂的处理,网络模型即可根据算法提取图像特征,通过加入群组归一化(Group Normalization)和网络模型各层之间的协作,克服传统分类算法的缺点,实现对垃圾图像的分类。实验表明,该识别方法具有较高准确率,可以较好识别不可回收及可回收垃圾。

Evaluation of Two Absolute Radiometric Normalization Algorithms for Pre-processing of Landsat Imagery

In order to evaluate radiometric normalization techniques, two image normalization algorithms for absolute radiometric correction of Landsat imagery were quantitatively compared in this paper, which are the Illumination Correction Model proposed by Markham and Irish and the Illumination and Atmospheric Correction Model developed by the Remote Sensing and GIS Laboratory of the Utah State University. Relative noise, correlation coefficient and slope value were used as the criteria for the evaluation and comparison, which were derived from pseudo-invarlant features identified from multitemporal Landsat image pairs of Xiamen （厦门） and Fuzhou （福州） areas, both located in the eastern Fujian （福建） Province of China. Compared with the unnormalized image, the radiometric differences between the normalized multitemporal images were significantly reduced when the seasons of multitemporal images were different. However, there was no significant difference between the normalized and unnorrealized images with a similar seasonal condition. Furthermore, the correction results of two algorithms are similar when the images are relatively clear with a uniform atmospheric condition. Therefore, the radiometric normalization procedures should be carried out if the multitemporal images have a significant seasonal difference.