scholarly journals Automatic Sorting of Dwarf Minke Whale Underwater Images

Information ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dmitry A. Konovalov ◽  
Natalie Swinhoe ◽  
Dina B. Efremova ◽  
R. Alastair Birtles ◽  
Martha Kusetic ◽  
...  

A predictable aggregation of dwarf minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata subspecies) occurs annually in the Australian waters of the northern Great Barrier Reef in June–July, which has been the subject of a long-term photo-identification study. Researchers from the Minke Whale Project (MWP) at James Cook University collect large volumes of underwater digital imagery each season (e.g., 1.8TB in 2018), much of which is contributed by citizen scientists. Manual processing and analysis of this quantity of data had become infeasible, and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) offered a potential solution. Our study sought to design and train a CNN that could detect whales from video footage in complex near-surface underwater surroundings and differentiate the whales from people, boats and recreational gear. We modified known classification CNNs to localise whales in video frames and digital still images. The required high classification accuracy was achieved by discovering an effective negative-labelling training technique. This resulted in a less than 1% false-positive classification rate and below 0.1% false-negative rate. The final operation-version CNN-pipeline processed all videos (with the interval of 10 frames) in approximately four days (running on two GPUs) delivering 1.95 million sorted images.

Methodology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-105
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Ferrer ◽  
Antonio Pardo

Abstract. In a recent paper, Ferrer and Pardo (2014) tested several distribution-based methods designed to assess when test scores obtained before and after an intervention reflect a statistically reliable change. However, we still do not know how these methods perform from the point of view of false negatives. For this purpose, we have simulated change scenarios (different effect sizes in a pre-post-test design) with distributions of different shapes and with different sample sizes. For each simulated scenario, we generated 1,000 samples. In each sample, we recorded the false-negative rate of the five distribution-based methods with the best performance from the point of view of the false positives. Our results have revealed unacceptable rates of false negatives even with effects of very large size, starting from 31.8% in an optimistic scenario (effect size of 2.0 and a normal distribution) to 99.9% in the worst scenario (effect size of 0.2 and a highly skewed distribution). Therefore, our results suggest that the widely used distribution-based methods must be applied with caution in a clinical context, because they need huge effect sizes to detect a true change. However, we made some considerations regarding the effect size and the cut-off points commonly used which allow us to be more precise in our estimates.


Author(s):  
Brian M. Katt ◽  
Casey Imbergamo ◽  
Fortunato Padua ◽  
Joseph Leider ◽  
Daniel Fletcher ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction There is a known false negative rate when using electrodiagnostic studies (EDS) to diagnose carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). This can pose a management dilemma for patients with signs and symptoms that correlate with CTS but normal EDS. While corticosteroid injection into the carpal tunnel has been used in this setting for diagnostic purposes, there is little data in the literature supporting this practice. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prognostic value of a carpal tunnel corticosteroid injection in patients with a normal electrodiagnostic study but exhibiting signs and symptoms suggestive of carpal tunnel, who proceed with a carpal tunnel release. Materials and Methods The group included 34 patients presenting to an academic orthopedic practice over the years 2010 to 2019 who had negative EDS, a carpal tunnel corticosteroid injection, and a carpal tunnel release. One patient (2.9%), where the response to the corticosteroid injection was not documented, was excluded from the study, yielding a study cohort of 33 patients. Three patients had bilateral disease, yielding 36 hands for evaluation. Statistical analysis was performed using Chi-square analysis for nonparametric data. Results Thirty-two hands (88.9%) demonstrated complete or partial relief of neuropathic symptoms after the corticosteroid injection, while four (11.1%) did not experience any improvement. Thirty-one hands (86.1%) had symptom improvement following surgery, compared with five (13.9%) which did not. Of the 32 hands that demonstrated relief following the injection, 29 hands (90.6%) improved after surgery. Of the four hands that did not demonstrate relief after the injection, two (50%) improved after surgery. This difference was statistically significant (p = 0.03). Conclusion Patients diagnosed with a high index of suspicion for CTS do well with operative intervention despite a normal electrodiagnostic test if they have had a positive response to a preoperative injection. The injection can provide reassurance to both the patient and surgeon before proceeding to surgery. Although patients with a normal electrodiagnostic test and no response to cortisone can still do well with surgical intervention, the surgeon should carefully review both the history and physical examination as surgical success may decrease when both diagnostic tests are negative. Performing a corticosteroid injection is an additional diagnostic tool to consider in the management of patients with CTS and normal electrodiagnostic testing.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-29
Author(s):  
Zubayer Ahmad ◽  
Mohammad Ali ◽  
Kazi lsrat Jahan ◽  
ABM Khurshid Alam ◽  
G M Morshed

Background: Biliary disease is one of the most common surgical problems encountered all over the world. Ultrasound is widely accepted for the diagnosis of biliary system disease. However, it is a highly operator dependent imaging modality and its diagnostic success is also influenced by the situation, such as non-fasting, obesity, intestinal gas. Objective: To compare the ultrasonographic findings with the peroperative findings in biliary surgery. Methods: This prospective study was conducted in General Hospital, comilla between the periods of July 2006 to June 2008 among 300 patients with biliary diseases for which operative treatment is planned. Comparison between sonographic findings with operative findings was performed. Results: Right hypochondriac pain and jaundice were two significant symptoms (93% and 15%). Right hypochondriac tenderness, jaundice and palpable gallbladder were most valuable physical findings (respectively, 40%, 15% and 5%). Out of 252 ultrasonically positive gallbladder, stone were confirmed in 249 cases preoperatively. Sensitivity of USG in diagnosis of gallstone disease was 100%. There was, however, 25% false positive rate detection. Specificity was, however, 75% in this case. USG could demonstrate stone in common bile duct in only 12 out of 30 cases. Sensitivity of the test in diagnosing common bile duct stone was 40%, false negative rate 60%. In the series, ultrasonography sensitivity was 100% in diagnosing stone in cystic duct. USG could detect with relatively good but less sensitivity the presence of chronic cholecystitis (92.3%) and worm inside gallbladder (50%). Conclusion: Ultrasonography is the most important investigation in the diagnosis of biliary disease and a useful test for patients undergoing operative management for planning and anticipating technical difficulties. Journal of Surgical Sciences (2018) Vol. 22 (1): 25-29


2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (Supplement_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Beige ◽  
Ralph Wendt ◽  
Despina Rüssmann ◽  
Karl-Peter Ringel

Abstract Background and Aims Incompatibility of dialysis procedure due to hypersensitivity against dialyzer material which currently is mainly based on polysulfone and derivatives can not be assessed by routine laboratory tests. Although the frequency of such symptoms is suspected to be low (below 2%) such resembles an important clinical problem because dialysis procedures are frequently accompanied by symptoms of non-tolerability with reasons not being entirely clear while circulatory reasons are suspected to play a major role. Method To enlighten the role of polysulfone hypersensitivity, we adapted known standardized material immune-toxicological tests (lymphocyte transformation test, basophil degranulation test) to the specific conditions of dialysis and polysulfone material sensitivity. We developed a method of polysulfone micronisation and measured humoral immune response of isolated patient´s lymphocytes when incubated with polysulfone dispersion. Results 39 samples from 103 patients with suspected polysulfone hypersensitivity showed positive results for type 1 (n=19), type 4 (n=18) or both type (n=2) reactions. There were no significant differences in the level of stimulation measured for DI, SI and lymphogenesis before and after dialysis (average delta -0.4; -0.28; - 1.74, p = 0.71; 0.34; 0.37) and with different dialyzer materials (Tab. 1). Patients with pos. type 4 results (LTT and lymphogenesis) showed highly correlated results in either LTT or lymphogenesis test (Fig. 1, R=0.87, p<0.0001). 8 out of 8 samples from patients with repeated test on different PS showed positive results on either PS. One patient tested positive on PS showed no hypersensitivity with another non-PS (PMMA) material. Conclusion This is the first methodological report showing plausible in-vitro results of patients samples concerning polysulfone intolerance. On the first superficial view, a “false-negative” rate of 60% looks rather disappointing, because all samples derived from patients with suspicion of PS hypersensitivity. However, due to the clinical variability of intolerance symptoms and the high prevalence of any problems after HD initiation, mainly of circulatory origin after initiating extracorporeal circuit, this rate may obviously express the true frequency of isolated PS material hypersensitivity in suspected patients. Alternative pathophysiological pathways of material sensitivity like complement activation, remain to be elucidated and incorporated into a comprehensive future testing panel. Further clinical and laboratory research is needed to define true polysulfone hypersensitivity and to enlighten the field of hypothetic subclinical material incompatibility in patients with impaired dialysis tolerability.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 1543
Author(s):  
Morwenn Le Boulc’h ◽  
Julia Gilhodes ◽  
Zara Steinmeyer ◽  
Sébastien Molière ◽  
Carole Mathelin

Background: This systematic review aimed at comparing performances of ultrasonography (US), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET) for axillary staging, with a focus on micro- or micrometastases. Methods: A search for relevant studies published between January 2002 and March 2018 was conducted in MEDLINE database. Study quality was assessed using the QUality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies checklist. Sensitivity and specificity were meta-analyzed using a bivariate random effects approach; Results: Across 62 studies (n = 10,374 patients), sensitivity and specificity to detect metastatic ALN were, respectively, 51% (95% CI: 43–59%) and 100% (95% CI: 99–100%) for US, 83% (95% CI: 72–91%) and 85% (95% CI: 72–92%) for MRI, and 49% (95% CI: 39–59%) and 94% (95% CI: 91–96%) for PET. Interestingly, US detects a significant proportion of macrometastases (false negative rate was 0.28 (0.22, 0.34) for more than 2 metastatic ALN and 0.96 (0.86, 0.99) for micrometastases). In contrast, PET tends to detect a significant proportion of micrometastases (true positive rate = 0.41 (0.29, 0.54)). Data are not available for MRI. Conclusions: In comparison with MRI and PET Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), US is an effective technique for axillary triage, especially to detect high metastatic burden without upstaging majority of micrometastases.


2011 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 1679-1683 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tessa A. Ennik ◽  
David G. Allen ◽  
Ruud L.M. Bekkers ◽  
Simon E. Hyde ◽  
Peter T. Grant

BackgroundThere is a growing interest to apply the sentinel node (SN) procedure in the treatment of vulvar cancer. Previous vulvar surgery might disrupt lymphatic patterns and thereby decrease SN detection rates, lengthen scintigraphic appearance time (SAT), and increase SN false-negative rate. The aims of this study were to evaluate the SN detection rates at the Mercy Hospital for Women in Melbourne and to investigate whether previous vulvar surgery affects SN detection rates, SAT, and SN false-negative rate.MethodsData on all patients with vulvar cancer who underwent an SN procedure (blue dye, technetium, or combined technique) from November 2000 to July 2010 were retrospectively collected.ResultsSixty-five SN procedures were performed. Overall detection rate was 94% per person and 80% per groin. Detection rates in the group of patients who underwent previous excision of the primary tumor were not lower compared with the group without previous surgery or with just an incisional biopsy. There was no statistical significant difference in SAT between the previous excision group and the other patients. None of the patients with a false-negative SN had undergone previous excision.ConclusionsResults indicate that previous excision of a primary vulvar malignancy does not decrease SN detection rates or increase SN false-negative rate. Therefore, the SN procedure appears to be a reliable technique in patients who have previously undergone vulvar surgery. Previous excision did not significantly lengthen SAT, but the sample size in this subgroup analysis was small.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine F. Jarvis ◽  
Joshua B. Kelley

AbstractColleges and other organizations are considering testing plans to return to operation as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. Pre-symptomatic spread and high false negative rates for testing may make it difficult to stop viral spread. Here, we develop a stochastic agent-based model of COVID-19 in a university sized population, considering the dynamics of both viral load and false negative rate of tests on the ability of testing to combat viral spread. Reported dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 can lead to an apparent false negative rate from ~ 17 to ~ 48%. Nonuniform distributions of viral load and false negative rate lead to higher requirements for frequency and fraction of population tested in order to bring the apparent Reproduction number (Rt) below 1. Thus, it is important to consider non-uniform dynamics of viral spread and false negative rate in order to model effective testing plans.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 259-260
Author(s):  
Laura Curtis ◽  
Lauren Opsasnick ◽  
Julia Yoshino Benavente ◽  
Cindy Nowinski ◽  
Rachel O’Conor ◽  
...  

Abstract Early detection of Cognitive impairment (CI) is imperative to identify potentially treatable underlying conditions or provide supportive services when due to progressive conditions such as Alzheimer’s Disease. While primary care settings are ideal for identifying CI, it frequently goes undetected. We developed ‘MyCog’, a brief technology-enabled, 2-step assessment to detect CI and dementia in primary care settings. We piloted MyCog in 80 participants 65 and older recruited from an ongoing cognitive aging study. Cases were identified either by a documented diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or based on a comprehensive cognitive battery. Administered via an iPad, Step 1 consists of a single self-report item indicating concern about memory or other thinking problems and Step 2 includes two cognitive assessments from the NIH Toolbox: Picture Sequence Memory (PSM) and Dimensional Change Card Sorting (DCCS). 39%(31/80) participants were considered cognitively impaired. Those who expressed concern in Step 1 (n=52, 66%) resulted in a 37% false positive and 3% false negative rate. With the addition of the PSM and DCCS assessments in Step 2, the paradigm demonstrated 91% sensitivity, 75% specificity and an area under the ROC curve (AUC)=0.82. Steps 1 and 2 had an average administration time of <7 minutes. We continue to optimize MyCog by 1) examining additional items for Step 1 to reduce the false positive rate and 2) creating a self-administered version to optimize use in clinical settings. With further validation, MyCog offers a practical, scalable paradigm for the routine detection of cognitive impairment and dementia.


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