Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography Image-Assisted Diagnosis of Thyroid Diseases under Convolutional Network Neural Algorithm

The aim of this study was to investigate the value of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) based on the convolutional neural network (CNN) algorithm in thyroid diseases. Thirty-five patients with thyroid disease from the hospital were selected as the observation group, and another 35 healthy volunteers were selected as the control group. The constructed model of SPECT based on the CNN algorithm was compared with the backpropagation neural network (BPNN) algorithm, which was then applied to the SPECT of 35 patients with thyroid disease. It turned out that as the number of iterations increased, the parameter training of CNN was gradually sufficient, the network model was continuously optimized, and the accuracy gradually increased. From the data results, the Dice value of the proposed CNN algorithm was higher than that of the BPNN algorithm and the segmentation effect was relatively good. The visual index of the thyroid/neck of the observation group (2.68 ± 1.32) was remarkably inferior to that of the control group (12.347.54) ( P < 0.05 ). The visual index of the thyroid/submandibular gland in the observation group (1.02 ± 0.41) was remarkably inferior to that of the control group (8.89 ± 4.86) ( P < 0.05 ). The visual index of the thyroid/parotid gland in the observation group (1.04 ± 0.58) was remarkably inferior to that of the control group (8.53 ± 4.25) ( P < 0.05 ). In addition, 99mTcO4-SPECT had a sensitivity of 95.2%, a specificity of 90.3%, and an accuracy of 91.5% in the diagnosis of thyroid diseases. The area under the curve of the receiver operating characteristic curve for 99mTcO4-SPECT diagnosis of thyroid disease is 0.958, and the 95% confidence interval is 0.834∼1. In summary, the SPECT based on the CNN algorithm proposed in this study has a good segmentation effect and can accurately locate the anatomical information of thyroid diseases, which can replace the traditional diagnostic methods for the diagnosis of thyroid diseases.

Improved YOLO Based Detection Algorithm for Floating Debris in Waterway

Various floating debris in the waterway can be used as one kind of visual index to measure the water quality. The traditional image processing method is difficult to meet the requirements of real-time monitoring of floating debris in the waterway due to the complexity of the environment, such as reflection of sunlight, obstacles of water plants, a large difference between the near and far target scale, and so on. To address these issues, an improved YOLOv5s (FMA-YOLOv5s) algorithm by adding a feature map attention (FMA) layer at the end of the backbone is proposed. The mosaic data augmentation is applied to enhance the detection effect of small targets in training. A data expansion method is introduced to expand the training dataset from 1920 to 4800, which fuses the labeled target objects extracted from the original training dataset and the background images of the clean river surface in the actual scene. The comparisons of accuracy and rapidity of six models of this algorithm are completed. The experiment proves that it meets the standards of real-time object detection.

Construction of a Visual Saliency Model for Neighborhood Building Landmarks Based on K-Means Clustering

In this paper, firstly, based on the quantitative relationship between K-means clustering and visual saliency of neighborhood building landmarks, the weights occupied by each index of composite visual factors are obtained by using multiple statistical regression methods, and, finally, we try to construct a saliency model of multiple visual index composites and analyze and test the model. As regards decomposition and quantification of visual saliency influencing factors, to describe and quantify these visual significance factors of the landmarks, the significant factors are decomposed into several quantifiable secondary indicators. Considering that the visual saliency of the landmarks in the neighborhood is reflected by the variance of the influencing factors and that the scope of the landmarks is localized, the local outlier detection algorithm is used to solve the variance of the secondary indicators. Since the visual significance of neighborhood building landmarks is influenced by a combination of influencing factors, the overall difference degree of secondary indicators is calculated by K-means clustering. To facilitate the factor calculation, a factor-controlled virtual environment was built to carry out the experimental study of landmark perception and calculate the different degrees of each index of the building. The data of visual indicators of the neighborhood buildings for this experiment were also collected, and the significance values of the neighborhood buildings were calculated. The influence weights of the indicators were obtained by using multiple linear regression analysis, the visual significance model of the landmarks of the neighborhood buildings in the factor-controlled environment was constructed, and the model was analyzed and tested.

Fluorescent tetracycline bone labeling as an intraoperative tool to debride necrotic bone during septic hip revision: a preliminary case series

A plausible cause of persistent infection after septic hip revision may be the presence of nonviable osteomyelitic bone. Since surgical excision of these necrotic fragments is often challenging, the use of fluorescent tetracycline bone labeling (FTBL) as an intraoperative tool may pose an additional assessment aid to provide a visual index of surgical debridement. Methods: We present a single-center study performed in a university hospital from January 2018 to June 2020, in which all consecutive cases of chronic hip periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) undergoing revision using FTBL were retrospectively reviewed. In all cases, the patient was under treatment with tetracyclines at the moment of the revision surgery. During the surgery, all bone failing to fluoresce was considered nonviable and thus removed and sent for both culture and histology. Results: We include three cases in which the FTBL technique was used. In all cases, the histopathological examinations of the nonfluorescent removed bone were consistent with chronic osteomyelitis. Conclusion: The intraoperative use of FTBL successfully aided the surgeon to detect the presence of nonviable bone in all the presented cases of chronic prosthetic hip infection.

World without colour and its photographs and optical images

Photographs and optical images, whatever their contents, are imprints of the electromagnetic waves in the (human) visible range of wavelengths, we refer to as light. Furthermore, they are designed to portray different parts of the visible light in terms of different colours, in analogy with the human eyes, however imperfectly. The world outside our eyes and cameras, however, is permeated by electromagnetic waves with much wider spectrum of wavelengths than those in the visible range. Importantly also, colour is a construct of our eye–brains: the Universe itself has no colour, independently of us. I ask how does the knowledge of these facts change the way we perceive the colour in optical images and photographs, whatever their relationship to the world in a representational sense may be? By employing three images, with very different origins and vistas – one a direct photograph, the other two synthetically constructed images using real cosmological observations – I demonstrate the extent to which colour in such images can hide the underlying phenomena of which they claim to visually speak, both due to its nature as a coarse-grained visual index, and by being restricted to the visible range. The aim is not to belittle the important role that our (restricted) vision together with our perception of colour have played in the evolution of our species, and still play in the way we relate to the world informationally, aesthetically and emotionally. But rather to show that recognizing the limitations of our vision and complementing it with the knowledge of the phenomena underlying optical images and photographs can allow us to perceive them anew and provide additional tools (both conceptual and visual) to imagine and envision such images outside the bounds of the visible range and colour.

Pre-analytical quality control in hemostasis laboratories: visual evaluation of hemolysis index alone may cause unnecessary sample rejection

Background Visual inspection is the most widespread method for evaluating sample hemolysis in hemostasis laboratories. The hemolysis index (HI) was determined visually (visual index, VI) and measured on an ACL TOP 750 (IL Werfen) system with a hemolysis-icterus-lipemia index (HIL) module. These values were compared with those measured on clinical chemistry systems Unicel DXC600 and AU680 and with quantitation of free-hemoglobin (Hb) performed by a spectrophotometric measurement method (SMM). Methods The HI was measured in 356 sodium citrate plasma samples, 306 of which were visibly hemolyzed to varying degrees and 50 were not hemolyzed. The analytical performance of each method was evaluated. Results Linear regression analysis, calculated between SMM and the other systems in the study, returned coefficients of determination r2 = 0.853 (AU680), r2 = 0.893 (DXC600) and r2 = 0.917 (ACL TOP 750). An r2 = 0.648 was obtained for linear regression analysis between VI and ACL TOP 750. In addition, ACL TOP 750 showed an excellent correlation in multivariate analysis (r2 = 0.958), showing good sensitivity (0.939) and specificity (0.934) and a diagnostic accuracy of 94%. By comparison, DXC600 and AU680 showed coefficients of determination of 0.945 and 0.923, respectively. A cut-off was set at 0.15 g/L free-Hb, as determined by the automated method, such that any hemostasis samples measuring above this threshold should not be analyzed. Based on this criterion, samples were classified as accepted or rejected, and the number of samples discarded during VI or ACL TOP 750 measurements was compared. Conclusions This study confirmed that hemostasis laboratories should consider introducing an objective, automated and standardized method to check samples for hemolysis. By relying solely on visual inspection, up to 50% of samples could be unnecessarily rejected. The ACL TOP 750 system demonstrated a satisfactory analytical performance, giving results comparable to those of the reference method.

The invention of the shopping mall

Purpose The economic system of competitive capitalism strives toward liquid markets wherein the cost for transacting is minimized. Liquidity is mostly addressed in association with abstract markets (e.g. the securities market), but also consumer markets are determined by liquidity concerns. The purpose of this paper is to examine the shopping mall concept, developed by the architect and social reformer Victor Gruen during the early 1950s, as a form of production of capitalist space, intended to reduce transaction costs. As an auxiliary benefit, Gruen envisioned the shopping mall as a cultural and civic center in the midst of the satellite town of suburbia, the new site of urban expansion during the post-war boom decades. Design/methodology/approach The paper reviews secondary literature on the historical development of the shopping mall as a consumer space. In addition, relevant economic and social science literature is referenced. Findings The architecture, design, ornamentation and day-to-day management of the shopping mall were premised on a consumerist way of life, ultimately serving as an all-too-visual index of the triumph of competitive capitalism in the cold war era. However, Gruen’s accomplishments were gradually compromised by the interest of money-minded developers and construction industry actors, and the shopping mall arguably never fulfilled the social and cultural function that Gruen anticipated. Regardless of such outcomes, the production of capitalist space as scripted by Gruen is still determining everyday life in consumer society, making Gruen a key figure, albeit only limitedly recognized, in the history of late modern society and in the capitalist economy. Originality/value The paper emphasizes the role of Victor Gruen in the post-Second World War period, being one of the most influential practitioners and social reformers in the era. Furthermore, the paper stresses how market liquidity is a key concern in Gruen’s project to create a communal space for the American suburban population in the era of the expanding welfare state.