Automated Analysis System Research Articles

An automated procedure for laboratory and shipboard spectrophotometric measurements of seawater alkalinity: Continuously monitored single-step acid additions

Building on the spectrophotometric procedure of Yao and Byrne (1998), an automated analysis system has been developed for laboratory and shipboard measurements of total alkalinity at a rate of 6 samples per hour. The system is based on single-point hydrochloric acid (HCl) titrations of seawater samples of a known volume with bromocresol purple as an indicator. The titration is continuously monitored using visible spectroscopy to guide the titration rate according to the real-time pH of the samples. Each titration is terminated just below the equivalence point to achieve a precision and accuracy near 1μmolkg−1.

An Intelligent and Confident System for Automatic Surface Defect Quantification in 3D

Automatic surface defect inspection within mass production of high-precision components is growing in demand and requires better measurement and automated analysis systems. Many manufacturing industries may reject manufactured parts that exhibit even minor defects, because a defect might result in an operational failure at a later stage. Defect quantification (depth, area and volume) is a key element in quality assurance in order to determine the pass or failure criterion of manufactured parts. Existing human visual analysis of surface defects is qualitative and subjective to varying interpretation. Non-contact and three dimensional (3D) analyses should provide a robust and systematic quantitative approach for defect analysis. Various 3D measuring instruments generate point cloud data as an output, although they work on different physical principles. Instrument’s native software processing of point cloud data is often subject to issues of repeatability and may be non-traceable causing significant concern with data confidence.This work reports the development of novel traceable surface defect artefacts produced using the Rockwell hardness test equipment on flat metal plate, and the development of a novel, traceable, repeatable, mathematical solution for automatic defect detection and quantification in 3D. Moreover, in order to build-up the confidence in automatic defect analysis system and generated data, mathematical simulated defect artefacts (soft-artefact) have been created. This is then extended to a surface defect on a piston crown that is measured and quantified using a parallel optical coherence tomography instrument integrated with 6 axis robot. The results show that surface defect quantification using implemented solution is efficient, robust and more repeatable than current alternative approaches.

乳腺Ki-67 計測定量化のための全自動画像解析システムの開発

乳腺Ki-67 計測定量化のための全自動画像解析システムの開発

A game of Droid and Mouse: The threat of split-personality malware on Android

In the work at hand, we first demonstrate that Android malware can bypass current automated analysis systems, including AV solutions, mobile sandboxes, and the Google Bouncer. A tool called Sand-Finger allowed us to fingerprint Android-based analysis systems. By analyzing the fingerprints of ten unique analysis environments from different vendors, we were able to find characteristics in which all tested environments differ from actual hardware. Depending on the availability of an analysis system, malware can either behave benignly or load malicious code dynamically at runtime. We also have investigated the widespread of dynamic code loading among benign and malicious apps, and found that malicious apps make use of this technique more often. About one third out of 14,885 malware samples we analyzed was found to dynamically load and execute code. To hide malicious code from analysis, it can be loaded from encrypted assets or via network connections. As we show, however, even dynamic scripts which call existing functions enable an attacker to execute arbitrary code. To demonstrate the effectiveness of both dynamic code and script loading, we create proof-of-concept malware that surpasses up-to-date malware scanners for Android and show that known samples can enter the Google Play Store by modifying them only slightly.

Studies on the drug-resistance genes and its epidemiology of the strains produced extended spectrum β-lactamases of Klebsiella neumonia in Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Objective To explore the antimicrobial resistance genotypes and molecular epidemic features of Klebsiella neumonia (K.pneumoniae) producing extended spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) of Guiyang Children's Hospital. Methods Disc diffusion technique (Kirby-Bauer method) and automatic microbiology analysis system were employed to determine the antimicrobial resistance, and Double-disk Diffusion was adopted in the phenotype confirmatory test of ESBLs, and PCR was used to determine the antimicrobial resistance genotypes. Results Among 44 straits of non-repetitive-K.pneumoniae, isolated from the children during hospitalization since April to December of 2013, 29 straits(65.9%) were detected.The findings of sensitivity tests showed that 29 strains of ESBLs-producing K. pneumoniae presented a higher rate of sensitivity to carbapenems, cephamycin and quinolones, 100% resistance to penicillin and cephalosporins of the first and the second generations.Fifteen non-ESBLs-producing K. pneumoniae presented 100% resistance to penicillin.The rate of resistance to 9 kinds of antibiotics(Ampicillin/Sulbactam, Cefazolin, Cefuroxime, Cefamandole, Ceftriaxone, Ceftazidime, Cefepime, Gentamicin, Aztreonam) in ESBLs-producing K. pneumoniae strains(79.3%, 100.0%, 100.0%, 100.0%, 100.0%, 79.3%, 65.5%, 41.4%, 79.3%) was significantly higher than that of non-ESBLs-producing K. pneumoniae trains(13.3%, 6.7%, 20.0%, 20.0%, 0, 0, 0, 6.7%, 0) (χ2=17.54, 35.51, 28.00, 28.00, 44.00, 24.93, 17.30, 4.18, 24.93, all P<0.05=. In 29 strains of ESBLs-producing K. pneumoniae, 3 genotypes were detected respectively: 93.1% of SHV (27/29 strains), 51.7% of TEM (15/29 strains) and 37.9% of CTX-M (11/29 strains). Five forms of genotype distribution were presented: 14 (43.8%) strains carrying single ESBLs gene, 5 (17.2%) strains carrying 2 types, 19 (31.0%) strains carrying 3 types, and 1 strain had not been genotyped. Conclusions ESBLs-producing K. pneumoniae had been epidemic in PICU of Guiyang Children's Hospital, with multiple antimicrobial resistances and diversification of antimicrobial resistance genotypes. Key words: Intensive Care Unit; Extended spectrum β-lactamase; Klebsiella pneumoniae; Genotype; Child

Automated retinal image analysis for diabetic retinopathy in telemedicine.

There will be an estimated 552 million persons with diabetes globally by the year 2030. Over half of these individuals will develop diabetic retinopathy, representing a nearly insurmountable burden for providing diabetes eye care. Telemedicine programmes have the capability to distribute quality eye care to virtually any location and address the lack of access to ophthalmic services. In most programmes, there is currently a heavy reliance on specially trained retinal image graders, a resource in short supply worldwide. These factors necessitate an image grading automation process to increase the speed of retinal image evaluation while maintaining accuracy and cost effectiveness. Several automatic retinal image analysis systems designed for use in telemedicine have recently become commercially available. Such systems have the potential to substantially improve the manner by which diabetes eye care is delivered by providing automated real-time evaluation to expedite diagnosis and referral if required. Furthermore, integration with electronic medical records may allow a more accurate prognostication for individual patients and may provide predictive modelling of medical risk factors based on broad population data.

30. Automated system for quantitative analysis of the eeg background

Objectives This study presents an automated quantitative EEG background analysis system in Microsoft Excel that resolves certain methodological problems in usual qualitative assessments of properties of the EEG background. Methods EEG epochs without extra-cerebral signal artifacts with duration of 2–8 s were subjected to further processing by using an automated analysis system. The trends (identified by the least square method) and the DC offsets (identified by calculating the average value of the data row) were subtracted. The onsets and the ends of the data rows were smoothed by applying the Hanning’s window and subjected to Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The power spectra over the band-pass of 0.5–45 Hz were calculated. Both the means of the spectral powers and the spectral powers of the major peaks in the rough delta to gamma spectral bands and in the more detailed narrower sub-bands (by splitting the delta into four; theta into three; alpha into three; beta into four and gamma into 3 sub-bands) were analyzed. In addition to the conventional topographic spectral band analysis, global coefficients of the following indexes were calculated: the ratios of the particular rough spectral powers, the diffused background slowing ( Gotman et al., 1973 ), the spectral moments and their centers, the topographic spectral gradients and asymmetries in the peaks powers and frequencies. The individual findings were compared with the parameters which were based on provisional database of 76 normal adult EEG (52.16 y.; 15.95; 19–83; mean age; SD; range). Conclusions The EEG analysis is based on assessment of the properties of the background and the events. The detection of events which are blowing out from the background is relatively easy and straightforward. However, an assessment of the background might be sometimes a difficult task even for a trained EEG specialist. This system which is based on the commonly used Excel environment offers several advantages. The main advantage is the possibility of the easy accomplishment according to the needs of the user, and the development of the EEG research.

Special issue on animal and insect behaviour understanding in image sequences

Imaging systems are, nowadays, used increasingly in a range of ecological monitoring applications, in particular for biological, fishery, geological and physical surveys. These technologies have improved radically the ability to capture high-resolution images in challenging environments and consequently to manage effectively natural resources. Unfortunately, advances in imaging devices have not been followed by improvements in automated analysis systems, necessary because of the need for timeconsuming and expensive inputs by human observers. This analytical ‘bottleneck’ greatly limits the potentialities of these technologies and increases demand for automatic content analysis approaches to enable proactive provision of analytical information. On the other side, the study of the behaviour by processing visual data has become an active research area in computer vision. The visual information gathered from image sequences is extremely useful to understand the behaviour of the different objects in the scene, as well as how they interact with each other or with the surrounding environment. However, whilst a large number of video analysis techniques have been developed specifically for investigating events and behaviour in human-centred applications, very little attention has been paid to the understanding of other live organisms, such as animals and insects, although a huge amount of video data are routinely recorded, e.g. the Fish4Knowledge project (www. fish4knowledge.eu) or the wide range of nest cams (http:// watch.birds.cornell.edu/nestcams/home/index) continuously monitor, respectively, underwater reef and bird nests (there exist also variants focusing on wolves, badgers, foxes etc.). The automated analysis of visual data in real-life environments for animal and insect behaviour understanding poses several challenges for computer vision researchers

Assessment of Competence in Simulated Flexible Bronchoscopy Using Motion Analysis

Background: Flexible bronchoscopy should be performed with a correct posture and a straight scope to optimize bronchoscopy performance and at the same time minimize the risk of work-related injuries and endoscope damage. Objectives: We aimed to test whether an automatic motion analysis system could be used to explore if there is a correlation in scope movements and the operator's level of experience. Our hypothesis was that experienced bronchoscopists move less and keep the flexible scope straighter than less-experienced bronchoscopists while performing procedures. Methods: Eleven novices, 9 intermediates and 9 experienced bronchoscopy operators performed 3 procedures each on a bronchoscopy simulator. The Microsoft Kinect system was used to automatically measure the total deviation of the scope from a perfectly straight, vertical line. Results: The low-cost motion analysis system could measure the accumulated deviation of the scope precisely during the procedure. The deviations were greatest for the novices and smallest for the most experienced operators for all 3 procedures (p = 0.01, p = 0.01 and p = 0.04, respectively). The total deviation from the straight scope correlated negatively with the performance on the simulator (virtual-reality simulator score; p < 0.001). Conclusion: The motion analysis system could discriminate between different levels of experience. Automatic feedback on correct movements during self-directed training on simulators might help new bronchoscopists learn how to handle the bronchoscope like an expert.

Development of an Automated System of Survey Passenger Traffics

In this article are considered the analysis of the provided techniques of survey of the main characteristics of passenger traffics in the suburban and long-distance directions. An approach to the construction of an automated analysis system of passenger traffic, which is necessary to ensure that controls urban passenger transport at all levels of analytical information on actual volumes and dynamics of passenger traffic on urban and suburban routes. It is necessary to assess the current state of the traffic and determine the needs of the population in the form of services. The system of counting passengers replaces traditional manual methods of examination of passenger traffic. To collect baseline data on the number of incoming and outgoing passengers at stops using modern technology automatically calculate based on the use of non-contact sensors that are installed in the salons of passenger vehicles (buses, trolleybuses, trams).

Automatic Group Happiness Intensity Analysis

The recent advancement of social media has given users a platform to socially engage and interact with a larger population. Millions of images and videos are being uploaded everyday by users on the web from different events and social gatherings. There is an increasing interest in designing systems capable of understanding human manifestations of emotional attributes and affective displays. As images and videos from social events generally contain multiple subjects, it is an essential step to study these groups of people. In this paper, we study the problem of happiness intensity analysis of a group of people in an image using facial expression analysis. A user perception study is conducted to understand various attributes, which affect a person's perception of the happiness intensity of a group. We identify the challenges in developing an automatic mood analysis system and propose three models based on the attributes in the study. An `in the wild' image-based database is collected. To validate the methods, both quantitative and qualitative experiments are performed and applied to the problem of shot selection, event summarisation and album creation. The experiments show that the global and local attributes defined in the paper provide useful information for theme expression analysis, with results close to human perception results.

Characteristics of subsurface inclusions in deep-drawing steel slabs at high casting speed

Deep-drawing steels are widely used in the automobile industry and macro-inclusions in continuous casting slabs should be strictly controlled because they cause surface defects in the final products. In this paper, industrial tests with different casting speeds from 1.0 m.min-1 to 2.5 m.min-1 and different tundish superheats were carried out, then subsurface inclusions in high-speed casting slabs were investigated with a large detection area by the ASPEX automatic inclusion analysis system, and the effect of the casting speed and tundish superheat was studied. The results show that there are six different types of macro-inclusions found beneath the slab surface, named cluster alumina, bubble plus cluster alumina, lump alumina, cluster TiOx-Al2O3, entrapped mold powder and CaO-Al2O3-MgO, respectively. The above first three types account for about 98% of total inclusions in the slabs cast with the mold fluctuation within ±3 mm. The size of more than 80% of such inclusions ranges from 20 to 50 μm. The number density of inclusions larger than 50 μm decreases with the increase in the casting speed and tundish superheat. The subsurface macro-inclusions in deep-drawing steel slabs are closely related to the hook structure. Increasing the casting speed and superheat is effective for reducing the hook depth and large-sized inclusions on the subsurface of slabs.

A novel automated detection system for swallowing sounds during eating and speech under everyday conditions.

The wave analysis of swallowing sounds has been receiving attention because the recording process is easy and non-invasive. However, up until now, an expert has been needed to visually examine the entire recorded wave to distinguish swallowing from other sounds. The purpose of this study was to establish a methodology to automatically distinguish the sound of swallowing from sound data recorded during a meal in the presence of everyday ambient sound. Seven healthy participants (mean age: 26·7 ± 1·3 years) participated in this study. A laryngeal microphone and a condenser microphone attached to the nostril were used for simultaneous recording. Recoding took place while participants were taking a meal and talking with a conversational partner. Participants were instructed to step on a foot pedal trigger switch when they swallowed, representing self-enumeration of swallowing, and also to achieve six additional noise-making tasks during the meal in a randomised manner. The automated analysis system correctly detected 342 out of the 352 self-enumerated swallowing events (sensitivity: 97·2%) and 479 out of the 503 semblable wave periods of swallowing (specificity: 95·2%). In this study, the automated detection system for swallowing sounds using a nostril microphone was able to detect the swallowing event with high sensitivity and specificity even under the conditions of daily life, thus showing potential utility in the diagnosis or screening of dysphagic patients in future studies.

Blood Clot Contraction Dynamics Studied with an Automated Analyzer System

Blood clot contraction plays an important role in hemostasis because it seals a vessel injury, approximates wound edges and restores blood flow past obstructive thrombi. The process is governed by contraction of activated platelets and requires the interaction of platelets with fibrin, however, many aspects of this process are not fully understood. Despite the biological and medical importance, clot contraction has been systematically studied neither in research nor in clinical laboratories. One reason for that is the lack of methodology to follow and quantify clot contraction dynamics. We have developed a novel method to assess blood clot contraction in vitro and successfully applied this technique to investigate the effects of calcium ions, factor XIIIa activity, and different thrombin concentrations and on the rate and degree of clot contraction.The new technique to quantify the kinetics of blood clot contraction is based on the continuous tracking of dynamics of clot size by sensing changes in the light scattering of the clot over time followed by computational processing of the images. The optical platform for this method is the commercially available Thrombodynamics Analyser System (HemaCore, Moscow, Russia) initially designed to monitor the directional growth of a plasma clot triggered on one side of a cuvette with immobilized tissue factor. A standard procedure to analyze clot contraction with this instrument is described next. Plastic cuvettes 12 x 7 x 1 mm are pre-lubricated with a detergent to prevent attachment of fibrin to the walls, which precludes clot contraction. Fresh citrated human blood is incubated with calcium chloride (2 mM final concentration) at 37°C for 3 minutes followed by addition of 1 U/ml of freshly thawed thrombin to initiate blood clotting and platelet activation. Thrombin-activated whole blood sample (80 µl) is quickly transferred to the cuvette, which is placed into the thermostatic chamber (37°C) between a red LED and an optical sensor (CCD camera). The clot contraction is monitored by taking images every 15 seconds over 20 minutes or more. Off-line automated computational analysis of the serial images provides a kinetic curve plotted as the degree of contraction (% retracted clot volume) as a function of time. This curve is characterized by the following parameters: lag period (min), average contraction velocity (Δ clot volume/time), final degree of contraction (%), time to reach 1/4 and 1/2 of the final contraction (min), and area under the curve (a.u.).A general conclusion based on the examination of about 100 kinetic curves is that clot contraction is a non-monotonic process and has at least two phases characterized by distinct rates. Variation of [Ca2+] from zero up to 10 mM revealed that exogenous Ca2+ was not indispensable for clot contraction to occur; however, the clots formed without addition of Ca2+ were less stable and often extruded red blood cells from the clot during contraction (likely due to impaired fibrin cross-linking with factor XIIIa). Recalcification of blood with 2 or 5 mM Ca2+ stabilized the clot, preventing the red blood cell fallout, but had no significant effect on the contraction kinetics. When added at a final concentration of 10 mM, Ca2+ partially inhibited clot contraction as confirmed by significantly reduced average velocity and the degree of retraction compared to the Ca2+-free conditions, perhaps due to suppression of platelet function. These findings indicate that 2 to 5 mM [Ca2+] is optimal for contraction of a whole blood clot in vitro. To see if clot contraction and stability depends on the cross-linking catalyzed by factor XIIIa, we studied clot contraction in the presence of 1 mM iodoacetamide, a potent inhibitor of the transglutaminase activity. Iodoacetamide did not affect blood clot formation but abolished clot shrinkage, confirming that the enzymatic activity of factor XIIIa is essential for clot contraction. As expected, blood clot contraction depended on thrombin concentration within a 0.1-1.0 U/ml range. Thrombin enhanced the rate and degree of clot contraction in a dose-dependent manner.In summary, we developed an accurate and simple assay for blood clot contraction which can be used for research and may be potentially useful for in vitro diagnostics.(Research supported by the Program of Competitive Growth of Kazan Federal University) DisclosuresAtaullakhanov:HemaCore LLC: Employment, Membership on an entity’s Board of Directors or advisory committees.

A computer vision-based approach to grade simulated cataract surgeries

To increase the timeliness, objectivity, and efficiency in evaluating ophthalmology residents' learning of cataract surgery, an automatic analysis system for cataract surgery videos is developed to assess performance, particularly in the capsulorhexis step on the Kitaro simulator. We utilize computer vision technologies to measure performance of this critical step including duration, size, centrality, circularity, as well as motion stability during the capsulorhexis procedure. Consequently, a grading mechanism is established based on either linear regression or non-linear classification via Support Vector Machine of those computed measures. Comparisons of expert graders to the computer vision-based approach have demonstrated the accuracy and consistency of the computerized technique.

Automatic Sensor System for the Continuous Analysis of the Evolution of Wine

The invention relates to a system that can be used in real time and continuously to analyse wine in containers without having to take samples, which is based on the electronic nose concept. The inventive system comprises: an array of gas sensors which are not specific to any chemical compound, but which are sensitive to wine aromas; a system for extracting aromas from containers or barrels containing wine; an instrumentation system for measuring the different system variables and the responses from the sensors, as well as for controlling and automating the entire system; and pattern-recognition techniques. In addition, using a regression between the responses from the sensors and the data from other analysis techniques, the system can be used to make predictions of the response from said techniques for samples which are unknown but measured using the inventive system. The system is completely automatic and can be remotely monitored and controlled, for example, using the Internet.

Prototype-Based Modeling for &lt;newline/&gt;Facial Expression Analysis

Automatic facial expression analysis systems are aiming towards the application of computer vision techniques in human computer interaction, emotion analysis, and even medical care via a space mapping between the continuous emotion and a set of discrete expression categories. The main difficulty with these systems is the inherent problem of facial alignment due to person-specific appearance. Beside the facial representation problem, the same displayed facial expression may vary differently across humans; this can be true even for the same person in different contexts. To cope with these variable factors, we introduce the concept of prototype-based model as anchor modeling through a SIFT-flow registration. A set of prototype facial expression models is generated as a reference space of emotions on which face images are projected to generate a set of registered faces. To characterize the facial expression appearance, oriented gradients are processed on each registered image. We obtained the best results 87% with the person–independent evaluation strategy on JAFFE dataset (7-class expression recognition problem), and 83% on the complex setting of the GEMEP-FERA database (5-class problem).

Automatic Data Acquisition and Analysis System of Electron Beam Distribution Based on LabVIEW Code

Automatic data acquisition and analysis system is set up aiming at measuring and analyzing the electron beams distribution from electron gun and traveling wave tube. It can obtain electron beam parameters, such as three-dimension current density distribution, beam center, beam waist and total current etc. and it can be applied to space technology ranging from centimeter wave to millimeter wave. LabVIEW program is used to acquire data from the hardware equipment and deduce results from post-processing system. As a result, this study is significant to improve the design of electron gun and traveling wave tube in space application.

Robotic Vision for Hospital Inspection

Observation system is implementing an automatic visual for observation that has recently got a considerable interest to researchers. Nowadays, technology has reached a stage where mounting video camera is cheap and friendly-user tools causing a widespread usage of cameras in public or private areas. Finding available human resources to sit and watch the imagery is too expensive for most organizations to afford the cost of human operators. Moreover, observation process by operators is error prone due to fatigue, negligence and lack of ubiquitous surveillance. Therefore, it is important to develop an accurate and efficient automatic video analysis system for monitoring patient activity that will create good opportunities by saving the cost of human resource employment because vision system can perform observation process for 24 hours per day. The system will allow us to detect unusual events in the scene and warrant the attention of whomever in charge to take preventive actions. The purpose of visual observation is not to replace human eyes with camera, but to accomplish the entire observation task as automatic as possible

Clinical application of elevated platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase in patients with hepatitis B.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate the variation of platelet-activating factor acetylhydrolase (PAF-AH) in patients with various stages of hepatitis B infection and evaluate the association between PAF-AH activity and chronic severe hepatitis B (CSHB) and mortality in patients with hepatitis B.MethodsSerum PAF-AH activity was measured in 216 patients with hepatitis B and in 152 healthy controls using an automatic biochemical analysis system. Spearman correlation was used to investigate the correlation between PAF-AH activity and other biochemical indicators. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve and multivariable logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the ability of PAF-AH activity to predict CSHB and mortality in patients with hepatitis B.ResultsThe PAF-AH activities in patients with CSHB (1320 ± 481 U/L) were significantly higher than those in healthy controls and in other hepatitis B groups (all P < 0.01). In patients with hepatitis B, PAF-AH activity correlated with total bilirubin (r = 0.633), total bile acid (r = 0.559), aspartate aminotransferase (r = 0.332), apolipoprotein B (r = 0.348), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = −0.493), and apolipoprotein AI (r = −0.530). The areas under the ROC curves for the ability of PAF-AH activity to predict CSHB and mortality in patients with hepatitis B were 0.881 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.824–0.937, P < 0.001) and 0.757 (95% CI: 0.677–0.837, P < 0.001), respectively. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed PAF-AH activity to be an independent factor predicting CSHB with an odds ratio of 1.003 (95% CI: 1.002–1.005, P < 0.001).ConclusionElevated PAF-AH in patients with hepatitis B was significantly associated with liver damage. Thus, serum PAF-AH could be used as a novel indicator for predicting CSHB and mortality in patients with hepatitis B. Further, PAF-AH activity was an independent factor predicting CSHB.