Comparison Of Distances Research Articles

Vertical Bone Implant Contact Around Anterior Immediate Implants and Their Stability After Using Either Alloplast or L-PRF or Both in Peri-Implant Gap: A Prospective Randomized Trial.

Various graft materials have been studied for filling peri-implant gap (PIG), but there was no similar randomized clinical trial to evaluate the effect of Platelet-rich fibrin or alloplast or their combination on vertical bone implant contact (BIC) around immediate implants and their stability over a period of 1year. Immediate implants were placed in maxillary anterior region of 30 subjects (n = 10). Either alloplast (group I) or L-PRF (group II) or both (group III) were used to fill the PIG following randomization chart. Vertical BIC was measured on peri-apical radiographs which were taken immediately after placement, after 3, 6 and 12months using Image J software. Periotest was used to measure the implant stability at the time of implant placement, at 3, 6 and 12months after implantation. The comparison of distance from implant shoulder to the first visible bone-to-implant contact (IS-BIC) in each group showed statistically significant bone formation on mesial and distal sides over a 1year period (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in IS-BIC distance among the three groups at 1year (p > 0.05). Periotest values showed that there was significant improvement in implant stability in all groups in 1-year period. On intergroup comparison, the mean difference of periotest values was statistically non-significant among three groups (p > 0.05). All the graft materials were effective in promoting osseointegration when used as PIG filling materials alone or in combination around immediate implants in maxillary anterior region. REF/2015/06/009200.

No HIV-1 molecular evolution on long-term antiretroviral therapy initiated during primary HIV-1 infection.

Most studies about HIV-1 molecular evolution have shown the lack of viral evolution on effective antiretroviral therapy (ART), although controversial results have been documented. We therefore aimed to look for evidence of HIV-1 evolution in patients who initiated ART at the time of primary HIV-1 infection (PHI). We included retrospectively 20 patients diagnosed at PHI, treated at the time of acute infection and with subsequent effective long-term suppressive ART (HIV viral load <20 copies/ml during at least 5 years without any blips). Longitudinal blood samples were deep sequenced using Illumina Miseq. Drug-resistance-associated mutations were retained at 2% cutoff and interpreted using the latest Agence Nationale de Recherches sur le Sida et les Hépatites Virales resistance algorithm. Viral evolution was established when temporal structure on maximum-likelihood phylogenetic tree and significant change over time of HIV-1 genetic diversity measured as the average pairwise distance was observed. Emergences or disappearances of drug-resistance-associated mutations were detected in the blood cells during follow-up despite sustained virological control. In all patients, tree topologies showed an absence of segregation between sequences and blood viral populations from all time-points were intermingled. Comparison of the average pairwise distance showed the absence of significant viral diversity at the time of primary infection and afterwards during 5 years of full virological control under ART. Despite a slight variation of minority resistance-associated mutation variants, there was no clear evidence of viral evolution during a prolonged period of time in this population of highly controlled adult patients treated at time of PHI.

Repot: Real‐time and privacy‐preserving online task assignment for mobile crowdsensing

AbstractRecently, the development of Internet of Things and mobile sensor technology has facilitated mobile crowdsensing (MCS) as a popular data collection paradigm. In MCS, requesters publish tasks to the sensing platform, and then the sensing platform assigns tasks to workers who carry mobile sensing devices. In general, the sensing platform matches tasks and workers according to the location and time attributes of tasks and workers. However, most current studies rarely consider location and time attributes, simultaneously. In previous work, it is difficult to achieve real‐time task assignment while protecting worker's location privacy. To tackle the above problem, in this article, we propose a real‐time and privacy‐preserving online task assignment scheme, named Repot. In Repot, the location privacy of workers is protected by using geoindistinguishability. And we design a probabilistic method to quantify the reachability between the obfuscated worker and the task. In addition, the worker‐based distance comparison mechanism and the task‐based distance comparison mechanism are designed to reduce the overall distance of workers in Repot, respectively. The experimental evaluation is performed on a real‐world data set and the results show the feasibility and effectiveness of Repot.

Comparison of Multiple Distances On Panel Data in Non-Hierarchical Clustering Method

Comparison of Multiple Distances On Panel Data in Non-Hierarchical Clustering Method

Comparison of passenger vehicle braking distance when travelling on snow and asphalt at different velocities

The objective of this paper was to determine the braking distance of a passenger vehicle when traveling at the speeds of 30, 50 and 70 km/h, on low friction surfaces (snow, deep snow) and also on asphalt. A number of tests were conducted on different surfaces. The vehicle was accelerated and then braked completely. Based on the braking distance values obtained by GPS, the adhesion coefficient was calculated for each surface for every velocity value tested.

Stretching Training Can Change Shoulder And Neck Function In Middle-aged Women With Upper Crossed Syndrome

PURPOSE: Upper Crossed Syndrome (UCS) is a syndrome of abnormal movement patterns of the upper limbs. To judge the improvement of shoulder and neck function, the changes in shoulder joint function and shoulder cervical spine angle after 8 weeks of stretching training was observed in middle-aged women with. METHODS: 12 middle-aged women (Table 1) were selected for a detailed assessment of upper crossover syndrome included in Acromion height test, the distance from the medial margin of the inferior angle of scapula to the spine, measurement of range of motion of shoulder joint, cervical the vertebra and stretching training program. RESULTS: 1. The angles related to the range of motion of the cervical vertebrae were measured and the results were shown in Table 2. It was found that the average range of movement of the cervical spine after training was significantly higher than that before training, and the difference was significant before and after training. 2. The angle related to the range of motion of the shoulder was measured, and the results shown in Table 3. It found that the average amplitudes of shoulder flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, and abduction and horizontal abduction in patients with superior crossover syndrome after training was significantly higher than those before training, and there was a significant difference before and after training (P < 0.05). 3. The height of the acromion and the distance between the inferior angle of the scapula and the spine before and after training was compared (Table 4), and the results were shown in Table 3 CONCLUSION: A long-term sedentary lifestyle may lead to muscle imbalance, weakening the primary motor function of the body, and increasing the risk of soft tissue injury. Stretching training has a significant effect on the shoulder and neck function of patients with UCS. The right joint function sequence can reduce the asymmetry of the body, prevent and reduce bone and joint wear.Table 1: Subject characteristic.Table 2: Comparison of ROM of cervical before and after training.Table 3: Comparison of ROM of shoulder joint before and after training.Table 4: Comparison of acromial height and distance from the inferior angle of the scapula to the spine before and after training.

Multiple Invasions of Visitor, a DD41D Family of Tc1/mariner Transposons, throughout the Evolution of Vertebrates

Although the DD41D (named as Visitor, VS) family of Tc1/mariner transposons was discovered in Arthropods and Mollusca, the evolution profile of this family is still largely unknown. We found that VS is widespread in the animal kingdom, including 140 species of 18 orders in invertebrates and 30 species of 12 orders in vertebrates, and one land plant species. Our data revealed multiple horizontal transfer events in both invertebrates and vertebrates and invasion into multiple lineages of mammals, including Chiroptera (seven species), Dasyuromorphia/Marsupialia (one species), Didelphimorphia/Marsupialia (one species), Diprotodontia/Marsupialia (two species), and Primates (one species). Phylogenetic analysis revealed a close relationship of VSs to DD37D/maT and DD34D/mariner and confirmed that VSs with the DD40D signature identified previously are not a distinct family but originated from DD41D/VS. Age analysis revealed that the most recent invasion of VSs was found in ray-finned fishes and a toad, followed by relatively young invasions in bats and marsupials, whereas VSs in mammals, jawless fishes, and lizards were mainly represented by ancient copies, suggesting old age. Phylogenetic analyses and comparison of pairwise distances between VSs and recombination-activating gene 1 (RAG1) support horizontal transfer events of VSs in vertebrates. The intact VSs from bats were nonfunctional as determined by the transposition activity assay. Some vertebrate lineages and species were identified as the hot hosts of Tc1/mariner transposons. Overall, our study presents the evolution profile of VSs and suggests that VSs play roles in diversifying and shaping the genomes of diverse animal lineages.

Heterogeneity of Stomatal Pore Area Is Suppressed by Ambient Aerosol in the Homobaric Species, Vicia faba.

Stomatal pore area is heterogeneous across leaf surfaces. This has been considered as “patchy stomatal conductance,” and may have substantial implications for photosynthetic efficiency. Aerosols have always been important elements of plant environments, but their effects on stomatal control of plant water relations, and stomatal heterogeneity specifically, have not been considered. Here we evaluate the spatial coordination of pore area in the glabrous and homobaric leaves of Vicia faba grown under two aerosol treatments and measured at four levels of VPD. We construct a large dataset (n > 88,000 discrete comparisons) of paired pore areas and distances between the pores. Plants were grown in ambient urban air and in filtered air (FA) to determine the effect of ambient aerosol on stomatal properties. Pore area exhibited spatial organization, as well as considerable variability among closely co-located pores. The difference between pore areas was positively correlated with the distance between the pores, in both aerosol treatments and at all VPDs. However, aerosol deposition reduced both the magnitude of variability between pores and the rate at which this variability increased with pore separation distance. These data support previous conclusions that deposition of hygroscopic aerosol may create a thin aqueous film across the leaf surface that connects neighboring stomata to each other and to the leaf interior. Aerosol impacts on stomatal heterogeneity and gas exchange are not adequately considered in current assessments of stomatal control.

The skin microbiome of elasmobranchs follows phylosymbiosis, but in teleost fishes, the microbiomes converge

BackgroundThe vertebrate clade diverged into Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, and chimeras) and Osteichthyes fishes (bony fishes) approximately 420 mya, with each group accumulating vast anatomical and physiological differences, including skin properties. The skin of Chondrichthyes fishes is covered in dermal denticles, whereas Osteichthyes fishes are covered in scales and are mucous rich. The divergence time among these two fish groups is hypothesized to result in predictable variation among symbionts. Here, using shotgun metagenomics, we test if patterns of diversity in the skin surface microbiome across the two fish clades match predictions made by phylosymbiosis theory. We hypothesize (1) the skin microbiome will be host and clade-specific, (2) evolutionary difference in elasmobranch and teleost will correspond with a concomitant increase in host-microbiome dissimilarity, and (3) the skin structure of the two groups will affect the taxonomic and functional composition of the microbiomes.ResultsWe show that the taxonomic and functional composition of the microbiomes is host-specific. Teleost fish had lower average microbiome within clade similarity compared to among clade comparison, but their composition is not different among clade in a null based model. Elasmobranch’s average similarity within clade was not different than across clade and not different in a null based model of comparison. In the comparison of host distance with microbiome distance, we found that the taxonomic composition of the microbiome was related to host distance for the elasmobranchs, but not the teleost fishes. In comparison, the gene function composition was not related to the host-organism distance for elasmobranchs but was negatively correlated with host distance for teleost fishes.ConclusionOur results show the patterns of phylosymbiosis are not consistent across both fish clades, with the elasmobranchs showing phylosymbiosis, while the teleost fish are not. The discrepancy may be linked to alternative processes underpinning microbiome assemblage, including possible historical host-microbiome evolution of the elasmobranchs and convergent evolution in the teleost which filter specific microbial groups. Our comparison of the microbiomes among fishes represents an investigation into the microbial relationships of the oldest divergence of extant vertebrate hosts and reveals that microbial relationships are not consistent across evolutionary timescales.DpgiHNVSZf5je59RqFcVvwVideo abstract

Secure third‐party data clustering using SecureCL, Φ‐data and multi‐user order preserving encryption

AbstractSecure collaborative data clustering using SecureCL is presented. SecureCL is founded on the concept of Φ‐data implemented using Super Secure Chain Distance Matrices and encrypted using Multi‐User Order Preserving Encryption. The advantage offered, unlike comparable systems, is that SecureCL does not require any user participation once the Φ‐data proxy has been encrypted; it does not require recourse to Secure Multi‐Party Computation protocols or ‘secret sharing’ mechanisms. The utility of SecureCL is illustrated using Nearest Neighbour Clustering and Density‐Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise, although it can be applied to any data clustering algorithm that involves distance comparison. The reported experiments demonstrate that SecureCL can produce securely cluster configurations comparable to those produced using standard, non‐encrypted, approaches without entailing any significant computational overhead, thus indicating its suitability in the context of Data Mining as a Service.

Analysis of 1321 Eubacterium rectale genomes from metagenomes uncovers complex phylogeographic population structure and subspecies functional adaptations

BackgroundEubacterium rectale is one of the most prevalent human gut bacteria, but its diversity and population genetics are not well understood because large-scale whole-genome investigations of this microbe have not been carried out.ResultsHere, we leverage metagenomic assembly followed by a reference-based binning strategy to screen over 6500 gut metagenomes spanning geography and lifestyle and reconstruct over 1300 E. rectale high-quality genomes from metagenomes. We extend previous results of biogeographic stratification, identifying a new subspecies predominantly found in African individuals and showing that closely related non-human primates do not harbor E. rectale. Comparison of pairwise genetic and geographic distances between subspecies suggests that isolation by distance and co-dispersal with human populations might have contributed to shaping the contemporary population structure of E. rectale. We confirm that a relatively recently diverged E. rectale subspecies specific to Europe consistently lacks motility operons and that it is immotile in vitro, probably due to ancestral genetic loss. The same subspecies exhibits expansion of its carbohydrate metabolism gene repertoire including the acquisition of a genomic island strongly enriched in glycosyltransferase genes involved in exopolysaccharide synthesis.ConclusionsOur study provides new insights into the population structure and ecology of E. rectale and shows that shotgun metagenomes can enable population genomics studies of microbiota members at a resolution and scale previously attainable only by extensive isolate sequencing.

Knowledge-based automated planning system for StereoElectroEncephaloGraphy: A center-based scenario.

Surgical planning for StereoElectroEncephaloGraphy (SEEG) is a complex and patient specific task, where the experience and medical workflow of each institution may influence the final planning choices. To account for this variability, we developed a data-based Computer Assisted Planning (CAP) solution able to exploit the knowledge extracted by past cases. By the analysis of retrospective patients' data sets, our system proposes a pool of trajectories commonly used by the institution, which can be selected to initialize a new patient plan. An optimization framework adapts those to the patient's anatomy by optimizing clinical requirements (e.g. distance from vessel, gray matter recording and insertion angle), and adapting its strategy based on the trajectory type selected.The system has been customized based on the data of a single institution. Two neurosurgeons, working in a high-volume hospital, have validated it by using 15 retrospective patient data sets, with more than 200 trajectories reviewed. Both surgeons considered ~81% of the optimized trajectories as clinically feasible (75% inter-rater reliability). Quantitative comparison of distance from vessels, insertion angle and gray matter recording index showed that the optimized trajectories reached superior or comparable values with respect to the original manual plans. The results suggest that a tailored center-based solution could increase the acceptance rate of the automated trajectories proposed.

The Relationship between Emotionally Laden Landmarks, Spatial Abilities, and Personality Traits: An Exploratory Study.

Separate research lines have shown that the way we process spatial information is influenced by individual factors, such as personality traits and basic spatial abilities. Alongside, recent studies suggest that environmental landmarks can be represented differently depending on their emotional content. However, to our knowledge, no study has addressed so far the issue of whether there is a relationship between individual factors and the way we represent and use spatial information that conveys emotional content. Therefore, this exploratory study aimed to (i) investigate the relationship between personality traits and the use of spatial strategies in relation to emotional stimuli; (ii) investigate if a different pattern emerges according to a body- or object-based spatial encodings. After watching movies of routes characterized by positive, negative, or neutral landmarks, participants performed a “route continuation” (RC, i.e., left/right decision) and a “distance comparison” task (DC, i.e., what was the landmark closest to X?). Furthermore, participants performed a mental rotation task (MR), the Corsi block tapping (CBT), and the Bergen right-left discrimination tests (B-RL). Personality traits were assessed through the Ten Item Personality Inventory (TIPI). Results showed that a better performance at the RC task was associated with higher scores at CBT tasks in the positive condition and at B-RL test and agreeableness scale from TIPI in both positive and neutral conditions. Instead, the MR task positively correlated with the DC task in all conditions. In sum, individuals’ spatial abilities, personality traits, and task requests influenced the way emotionally laden landmarks were memorized.

Comparison of shoulder muscle strength, cross-sectional area, acromiohumeral distance, and thickness of the supraspinatus tendon between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with rotator cuff tears

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the differences in shoulder muscle strength, cross-sectional area of the rotator cuff muscles, acromiohumeral distance, and supraspinatus tendon thickness between symptomatic and asymptomatic patients with rotator cuff tears. Thirty-two symptomatic patients and 23 asymptomatic patients with rotator cuff tears participated in this study. Data of the patients with any type of tear and supraspinatus tear were analyzed. We evaluated the isometric torque, cross-sectional area of the rotator cuff muscles, supraspinatus tendon thickness, acromiohumeral distance, range of motion, and Western Ontario Rotator Cuff Index. Asymptomatic patients showed greater isometric torque of shoulder abduction and internal rotation than symptomatic patients with any type of tear (P ≤ .01). Asymptomatic patients also demonstrated greater cross-sectional area of the supraspinatus (P < .01); however, there was no significant difference in the cross-sectional area of the other cuff muscles. There was also no significant difference in the supraspinatus tendon thickness (P = .10). The acromiohumeral distance at 90° of shoulder abduction was larger (P = .04) in asymptomatic patients. Additionally, similar tendencies were observed in the results of patients with supraspinatus tears, except for the isometric torque of shoulder external rotation. This torque was greater (P < .01) in asymptomatic patients. Asymptomatic patients showed greater shoulder range of motion, muscle strength of shoulder abduction and internal rotation, small occupation ratio of supraspinatus tendon thickness as a percentage of acromiohumeral distance, and large cross-sectional area of supraspinatus.

Cognitive fuzzy sets for decision making

The intuitionistic fuzzy set (IFS) is useful in information expression but the cognitive overlap of people might cause the situation where the membership degree plus non-membership degree is greater than 1. The linear programming techniques for multidimensional analysis of preference (LINMAP) method is a well-known decision-making approach but little research focused on the interactive multiple criteria decision making (MCDM) problems within the LINMAP framework. This paper aims to propose a cognitive fuzzy set (CFS) to overcome the drawbacks of IFSs, and then develop an interactive cognitive fuzzy LINMAP (CF-LINMAP) method. To achieve these goals, the joint degree, which is caused by the cognitive overlap, of an IFS is interpreted, and then the concept of the CFS is proposed. We define the distance measure and comparison of CFSs, based on which, the cognitive fuzzy consistency and inconsistency indexes are calculated. The irrational index, which represents the irrational degree of experts, is introduced to improve the consistency and inconsistency indexes at each decision-making stage. Afterwards, an interactive CF-LINMAP method is proposed to deal with MCDM problems. An illustration concerning the hospital internal supply chain selection is given to show the applicability of the interactive CF-LINMAP method. Finally, the sensitivity analysis is done to demonstrate the reliability of the results.

Sixteen overlooked open clusters in the fourth Galactic quadrant

Aims. This paper has two main objectives: (1) To determine the intrinsic properties of 16 faint and mostly unstudied open clusters in the poorly known sector of the Galaxy at 270° −300° to probe the Milky Way structure in future investigations. (2) To address previously reported systematics in Gaia DR2 parallaxes by comparing the cluster distances derived from photometry with those derived from parallaxes. Methods. Deep UBVI photometry of 16 open clusters was carried out. Observations were reduced and analyzed in an automatic way using the ASteCA package to obtain individual distances, reddening, masses, ages, and metallicities. Photometric distances were compared to those obtained from a Bayesian analysis of Gaia DR2 parallaxes. Results. Ten out of the sixteen clusters are true or highly probable open clusters. Two of them are quite young and follow the trace of the Carina Arm and the already detected warp. The remaining clusters are placed in the interarm zone between the Perseus and Carina Arms, as expected for older objects. We found that the cluster van den Berg-Hagen 85 is 7.5 × 109 yr old, which means that it is one of the oldest open clusters detected in our Galaxy so far. The relationship of these ten clusters with the Galaxy structure in the solar neighborhood is discussed. The comparison of distances from photometry and parallaxes data in turn reveals a variable level of disagreement. Conclusions. Various zero-point corrections for Gaia DR2 parallax data recently reported were considered for a comparison between photometry- and parallax-based distances. The results tend to improve with some of these corrections. Photometric distance analysis suggests an average correction of ∼+0.026 mas (to be added to the parallaxes). The correction may have a more intricate dependence on distance, but addressing this level of detail will require a larger cluster sample.

Cross-order host switches of hepatitis C-related viruses illustrated by a novel hepacivirus from sloths.

The genealogy of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the genus Hepacivirus remains elusive despite numerous recently discovered animal hepaciviruses (HVs). Viruses from evolutionarily ancient mammals might elucidate the HV macro-evolutionary patterns. Here, we investigated sixty-seven two-toed and nine three-toed sloths from Costa Rica for HVs using molecular and serological tools. A novel sloth HV was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in three-toed sloths (2/9, 22.2%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 5.3–55.7). Genomic characterization revealed typical HV features including overall polyprotein gene structure, a type 4 internal ribosomal entry site in the viral 5′-genome terminus, an A–U-rich region and X-tail structure in the viral 3′-genome terminus. Different from other animal HVs, HV seropositivity in two-toed sloths was low at 4.5 per cent (3/67; CI, 1.0–12.9), whereas the RT-PCR-positive three-toed sloths were seronegative. Limited cross-reactivity of the serological assay implied exposure of seropositive two-toed sloths to HVs of unknown origin and recent infections in RT-PCR-positive animals preceding seroconversion. Recent infections were consistent with only 9 nucleotide exchanges between the two sloth HVs, located predominantly within the E1/E2 encoding regions. Translated sequence distances of NS3 and NS5 proteins and host comparisons suggested that the sloth HV represents a novel HV species. Event- and sequence distance-based reconciliations of phylogenies of HVs and of their hosts revealed complex macro-evolutionary patterns, including both long-term evolutionary associations and host switches, most strikingly from rodents into sloths. Ancestral state reconstructions corroborated rodents as predominant sources of HV host switches during the genealogy of extant HVs. Sequence distance comparisons, partial conservation of critical amino acid residues associated with HV entry and selection pressure signatures of host genes encoding entry and antiviral protein orthologs were consistent with HV host switches between genetically divergent mammals, including the projected host switch from rodents into sloths. Structural comparison of HCV and sloth HV E2 proteins suggested conserved modes of hepaciviral entry. Our data corroborate complex macro-evolutionary patterns shaping the genus Hepacivirus, highlight that host switches are possible across highly diverse host taxa, and elucidate a prominent role of rodent hosts during the Hepacivirus genealogy.

The Utility of the Sit-to-Stand Test for Inpatients in the Acute Hospital Setting After Lung Transplantation.

Measurement of physical function is important to guide physical therapy for patients post-lung transplantation (LTx). The Sit-to-Stand (STS) test has proven utility in chronic disease, but psychometric properties post-LTx are unknown. The study aimed to assess reliability, validity, responsiveness, and feasibility of the 60-second STS post-LTx. This was a measurement study in 62 inpatients post-LTx (31 acute postoperative; 31 medical readmissions). Interrater reliability was assessed with 2 STS tests undertaken by different assessors at baseline. Known group validity was assessed by comparing STS repetitions in postoperative and medical groups. Content validity was assessed using comparisons to knee extensor and grip strength, measured with hand-held dynamometry. Criterion validity was assessed by comparison of STS repetitions and 6-minute walk distance postoperatively. Responsiveness was assessed using effect sizes over inpatient admission. Median (interquartile range) age was 62 (56-67) years; time post-LTx was 5 (5-7) days postoperative and 696 (244-1849) days for medical readmissions. Interrater reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient type 2,1 = 0.96), with a mean learning effect of 2 repetitions. Repetitions were greater for medical at baseline (mean 18 vs 8). More STS repetitions were associated with greater knee extensor strength (postoperative r=0.57; medical r=0.47) and 6-minute walk distance (postoperative r=0.68). Effect sizes were 0.94 and 0.09, with a floor effect of 23% and 3% at baseline (postoperative/medical) improving to 10% at discharge. Patients incapable of attempting a STS test were excluded, reducing generalizability to critical care. Physical rehabilitation was not standardized, possibly reducing responsiveness. The 60-second STS demonstrated excellent interrater reliability and moderate validity and was responsive to change postoperatively. The 60-second STS represents a safe, feasible functional performance tool for inpatients post-LTx. Two tests should be completed at each time point.

A semi-automated annotation algorithm based on weakly supervised learning for medical images

For medical image recognition, deep learning requires a massive training set, while annotation work is a tedious and time-consuming process because of the high technical threshold. Furthermore, it is difficult to guarantee annotation accuracy due to the knowledge, skills, and status of the annotator. In this research, we propose a semi-automated annotation model based on weakly supervised learning. Moreover, a target-level annotation method is proposed based on weakly supervised learning that is guided by machine learning. The machine learning method is used to screen the regions of interest (RoIs), whose semantic feature vectors are extracted by the deep learning method. Then, the machine learning method is used to cluster them, and the RoIs are finally classified and labeled by a distance comparison. Therefore, this model achieves target-level semi-automated annotation by only using image-level annotations. We applied this method to ultrasound imaging of thyroid papillary carcinoma. The experiments demonstrate the potential of this new methodology to reduce the workload for pathologists and increase the objectivity of diagnoses. We find that 89.8% of papillary thyroid carcinoma regions can be detected automatically, while 82.6% of benign and normal tissue can be excluded without the use of any additional immunohistochemical markers or human intervention.

Utilization of a Simple Surgical Guide for Multidirectional Cranial Distraction Osteogenesis in Craniosynostosis.

Background:Multidirectional cranial distraction osteogenesis (MCDO) can achieve a desired shape for deformities of the cranium. In the past, visual estimation was used to reflect on the actual skull, but it was time-consuming and inaccurate. Here we demonstrate an effective osteotomy navigation method using surgical guides made from a dental impression silicone.Methods:Seven patients who underwent MCDO between August 2013 and September 2016 were included in the study. Five cases involved utilization of the surgical guide for osteotomy. Three-dimensional (3D) printed cranium models were made using 3D computed tomography (3DCT) imaging data and dental impression silicone sheets were molded using the printed cranium models. These surgical guides were sterilized and used for intraoperative osteotomy design. Vertical distance between nasion/porion and osteotomy lines were calculated using 3D printed cranial models and postoperative 3DCT images to assess reproducibility.Results:The average surgical time/design time was 535/37.0 minutes for the nonsurgical guide group and 486.8/11.8 minutes for the surgical guide group (SG).Treatment using the surgical guide was significantly shorter in terms of operative time and time required for design. For the vertical distance comparison, the average distance was 5.7mm (SD = 0.3) in the non-SG and 2.5mm (SD = 0.44) in the SG, and SG was more accurate.Conclusions:Shorter operative times and higher reproducibility rates could be achieved by using the proposed surgical guide, which is accurate, low-cost, and easily accessible.