Fusion Type Research Articles

Multi-Biometrics: Survey and Projection of a New Biometric System

Multi-biometric systems using feature-level fusion allow more accuracy and reliability in recognition performance than uni-biometric systems. But in practice, this type of fusion is difficult to implement especially when we are facing heterogeneous biometric modalities or incompatible features. The major challenge of feature fusion is to produce a representation of each modality with an excellent level of discrimination. Beyond pure biometric modalities, the use of metadata has proven to improve the performance of biometric systems. In view of these findings, our work focuses on multi-origin biometrics which allows the use of pure biometric modalities and metadata in a feature fusion strategy. The main objective of this paper is to present an overview of biometrics as bordered in the literature with a particular focus on multibiometrics and to propose a model of a multi-origin biometric system using pure biometric and soft biometric modalities in a feature-level fusion strategy. The curvelet transformation and the order statistics are proposed respectively for the extraction the feature of the pure biometric modalities, and for the selection of the relevant feature of each modality in order to ensure a good level of discrimination of the individuals. In this paper, we have presented the overview of biometrics through its concepts, modalities, advantages, disadvantages and implementation architectures. A focus has been put on multi-biometrics with the presentation of a harmonized process for feature fusion. For the experiments, we proposed a global model for feature fusion in a multi-origin system using face and iris modalities as pure biometrics, and facial skin color as metadata. This system and the results will be presented in future work.

Identification of MET fusions as novel therapeutic targets sensitive to MET inhibitors in lung cancer

IntroductionAlterations in the MET gene, including amplifications and exon 14 skipping mutations, have been identified as actionable oncogenic alterations. However, MET fusions are rarely detected in lung cancer, and their sensitivity to therapeutics has not been systematically analyzed.MethodsThe data from 30876 lung cancer patients from the LAVA database and 7966 patients from cBioPortal database were screened. Basic demographic and clinical information for the patients harboring MET fusions were collected. A lung squamous cell cancer patient harboring a novel EML4-MET fusion was treated with crizotinib. Additionally, a literature review was performed to summarize the cases of patients harboring MET fusions and their treatment information.ResultsMET fusions were found in only 0.2% to 0.3% of lung cancer patients and appeared in almost all exons of the MET gene. Intragenic MET fusions were found in 52.6% (41/78) of the included patients. Crizotinib was effective for MET fusions, including a novel identified EML4-MET fusion, even after the failure of multiple lines of treatment. This result suggested that acquired MET fusions become more regionally selective, as they usually occurred in exons encoding the extracellular region. Interestingly, the MET-fused genes in primary MET fusions or acquired MET fusions were very different, which indicated the different functions and influences of the disease.ConclusionMET fusions are rare, and half of the fusion types were intragenic fusions. Lung cancer patients harboring primary or acquired MET fusions could benefit from crizotinib. In addition, EML4-MET was first reported in this study as a novel MET fusion type.

Screening for DAX1/EWS-FLI1 functional inhibitors identified dihydroorotate dehydrogenase as a therapeutic target for Ewing's sarcoma.

EWS-FLI1 is the most common oncogenic fusion protein in Ewing's sarcoma family tumors (ESFTs). DAX1, an orphan member of the nuclear receptor superfamily, is up-regulated by EWS-FLI1 and plays a key role in the transformed phenotype of ESFTs. To discover a functional inhibitor of DAX1 and EWS-FLI1, we screened small-molecular inhibitors using a DAX1 reporter assay system. K-234 and its derivatives, which were dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) inhibitors, showed inhibitory effects in the reporter assay. K-234 inhibited the growth of Ewing's sarcoma with various fusion types, and K-234 derivatives altered the expression of EWS-FLI1-regulated genes. The DAX1 expression had no effect on the growth inhibitory effect of the K-234 derivatives, while DHODH overexpression or uridine treatment attenuated their inhibitory effects, suggesting that inhibition by K-234 derivatives occurs through DHODH inhibition. An in vivo study showed that a K-234 derivative clearly inhibited tumor growth in an Ewing's sarcoma xenograft mouse model. Taken together, the present results suggest that DHODH inhibitors can inhibit the function of DAX1/EWS-FLI1 in ESFTs and might be a therapeutic agent with potent anti-tumor activity for Ewing's sarcoma patients.

Postoperative Segmental Motion up to 1 Year Following Single-Level Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion: Plate versus Non-plate.

Retrospective observational study. This study aimed to investigate the impact of plating on postoperative serial segmental motion and its correlation with clinical outcomes in single-level anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for up to 1 year. The advantages and disadvantages of using cervical plating in ACDF have been well discussed; however, few studies compared the early serial segmental motions at the postoperative level between plating and non-plating. In retrospectively collected data, 149 patients who underwent single-level ACDF for degenerative disease were enrolled and divided into non-plating (n=66) and plating (n=83). Interspinous motion (ISM) at the arthrodesis segment, Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) for neck pain, and Neck Disability Index (NDI) were serially evaluated at 3, 6, and 12 months postoperatively. Predictable factors for fusion, including age, sex, plating, diabetes, smoking, and type of grafts, were investigated, and fusion was defined as ISM <1 mm. In both groups, ISM was the highest at 3 months and gradually decreased thereafter, and the plating group showed significantly lower serial ISM than the non-plating group at 12 months. The plating group had lower NRS and NDI scores than the nonplating group at 12 months, and the difference in the NRS scores was statistically significant, particularly at 3 and 6 months, although that of the NDI scores was not. In a multivariate analysis, plating was the most powerful predictor for fusion. Plating significantly decreases the serial ISM compared with non-plating in single-level ACDF, and such decreased motion is correlated with decreased neck pain until 12 months postoperatively, particularly at 3 and 6 months. Given that plating was the most predictive factor for fusion, we recommend plating even in single-level ACDF for better early clinical outcomes.

Analysis of Quality Control Using the Failure Mode And Effect Analysis (FMEA) Method in the Welding Process in the Feed Drum Project

PT. Xyz is a steel fabrication company located in Gresik. One of their projects undertaken by PT. XYZ is a Feed drum Project, the welding process is the most important stage in this project. At the time of product testing or testing there were still many welding points that were defective so that the product did not pass the trial, the trial was carried out by hydrotest where this test was carried out with water as the test medium to determine the strength of a material and find out whether there was a leak or not and as well as a visual check. The types of defects found in the feed drum project are spatter, overlap, porosity, undercut, incomplete fusion, slag, bad String Bead (Weaving Fault), start stop, pin hole. The research uses the FMEA (Failure Mode Effects and Analysis) the method which aims to identify and analyze the occurrence of defects. In the results, the highest RPN value is found in the Incomplate Fusion type of defect with a value of 384 so that it becomes a priority in carrying out control and repair .

Dentine thickness in maxillary fused molars depends on the fusion type: An ex vivo micro-computed tomography study.

The present study aimed to determine and compare the dentine thickness around the root canals of maxillary molars with fusion using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). A total of 120 fused maxillary molars having more than a single canal with distinct canal orifices near the cementoenamel junction were selected from a pool of extracted maxillary molars, which were scanned on a micro-CT device (SkyScan 1172, Bruker-microCT). The minimum dentine thickness around the root canals in furcal direction was measured using CTAn software (v.1.18.8 Bruker-microCT) at each millimetre. The specimens were grouped according to their fusion type, and dentine thickness around the canals was compared. The data were statistically analysed using anova and post hoc Tukey-Kramer tests following an assessment of the normality of their distribution with the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (p < .05). Dentine thickness showed a statistically significant decrease at 2 mm apical to the orifice level irrespective of fusion type. The minimum dentine thickness values were detected around the second mesiobuccal canal as 0.30 mm at 6 mm below orifice. Dentine thickness around the mesiobuccal canal was significantly greater in fusion type 1 than those of types 2 and 3 (p < .05), while those of distobuccal and palatal canals were significantly thinner in type 3 fusion compared with type 1 or 6 (pDentine thickness showed a statistically significant decrease at 2 mm apical to the orifice levelirrespective of fusion type. The minimum dentine thickness values were detected around the second mesiobuccal canal as 0.30 mm at 6 mm below orifice. Dentine thickness around the mesiobuccal canal was significantly greater in fusion type 1 than those of types 2 and 3 ( CONCLUSION: Minimum dentine thickness values at the danger zone of distobuccal and palatal canals change according to the fusion type in fused maxillary second molars.

Mesomeric Betaines Based on Adamantylated 1,2,4-Triazolo[4,3-a]pyrimidin-5-ones: Synthesis, Structure and Conversion into Anionic N-Heterocyclic Carbenes.

The C-N coupling of 1,2,4-triazolo[1,5-a]pyrimidin-7-ones with 1-adamantanol/1-bromoadamantane leads to 1,2,4-triazolo[4,3-a]pyrimidinium-5-olates, which are represented as mesomeric betaines (MBs). The formation of MBs involves not only N-alkylation of heterocyclic framework but also the rearrangement leading to a change in the type of fusion between pyrimidine and 1,2,4-triazole fragments. The structures of the obtained products were confirmed by the X-ray analysis and measurements of 13 C-13 C (JCC ) coupling constants in the 1D 13 C NMR spectra of selectively 13 C-labeled samples. Treatment of the betaines with lithium bis(trimethylsilyl)amide (LiHMDS) gave anionic carbenes, which were detected by 13 C NMR spectroscopy and were trapped by reactions with phenyl isothiocyanate and sulfur. Density functional theory (DFT) and the quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) analyses allowed for an insight into the electronic structure of the obtained betaines and N-heterocyclic carbene derivatives.

Trends, payments, and costs associated with BMP use in Medicare beneficiaries undergoing spinal fusion

Bone morphogenic protein (BMP) promotes bony fusion but increases costs. Recent trends in BMP use among Medicare patients have not been well-characterized. To assess utilization trends, complication, payments, and costs associated with BMP use in spinal fusion in a Medicare-insured population. Retrospective cohort study. Total of 316,070 patients who underwent spinal fusion in a 20% sample of Medicare-insured patients, 2006 to 2015. Utilization trends across time and geography, complications, payments, and costs. Patients were stratified by fusion type and diagnosis. Multivariable logistic and linear regression were used to adjust for the effect of baseline characteristics on complications and total payments or cost, respectively. BMP was used in 60,249 cases (19.1%). BMP utilization rates decreased from 23.1% in 2006 to 12.0% in 2015, most significantly in anterior cervical (7.5%-3.1%), posterior cervical (17.0%-8.3%), and posterior lumbar fusions (31.5%-15.8%). There are significant state- and region-level geographic differences in BMP utilization. Across all years, states with the highest BMP use were Indiana (28.5%), Colorado (26.6%), and Nevada (25.7%). States with the lowest BMP use were Maine (2.3%), Vermont (8.2%), and Mississippi (10.4%). After multivariate risk adjustment, BMP use was associated with decreased overall complications in thoracic (odds ratios [OR] [95% confidence intervals [CI]): 0.89 [0.81-0.99]) and anterior lumbar fusions (OR [95% CI]: 0.89 [0.84-0.95]), as well as increased reoperation rates in anterior cervical (OR [95% CI]: 1.11 [1.04-1.19]), posterior cervical (OR (95% CI): 1.14 (1.04-1.25)), thoracic (OR (95% CI): 1.32 (1.23-1.41)), and posterior lumbar fusions (OR (95% CI): 1.11 (1.06-1.16)). BMP use was also associated with greater total costs, independent of fusion type, after multivariate risk adjustment (p<.0001). Payments, however, were comparable between groups in anterior and posterior cervical fusion with or without BMP. BMP use was associated with greater total payments in thoracic, anterior lumbar, and posterior lumbar fusions. Notably, the difference in payments was smaller than the associated cost increase in all fusion types. BMP use has declined across all fusion types over the last decade, after a peak in 2007. While BMP is associated with greater costs, reimbursement does not increase proportionally with BMP cost.

USP6-associated soft tissue tumors with bone metaplasia: Clinicopathologic and genetic analysis and the identification of novel USP6 fusion partners.

Among those tumors with consistent USP6 rearrangement, some arise from soft tissue and show bone metaplasia, including myositis ossificans (MO), fibro-osseous pseudotumor of digits (FOPD), soft tissue aneurysmal bone cyst (ST-ABC) and fasciitis ossificans (FO). These lesions are easily confused with malignancies because they show a rapid growth rate and brisk mitoses. Here, we aim to clarify the clinicopathologic and genetic characteristics of this entity and analyze the correlations among the different subtypes in one of the largest cohorts. The clinicopathologic features of 73 cases of MO, FOPD, ST-ABC and FO diagnosed at West China Hospital, Sichuan University from January 2010 to December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Forty-three undecalcified samples were analyzed by systematic genetic studies, including fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), Sanger sequencing and next-generation-based sequencing were performed. This series included 40 males and 33 females aged 2 to 80 years old (median: 31 years). FOPD occurred in extremal soft tissue, while lower extremities (38/58, 65.5%) were the most commonly involved lesions in the other three subgroups. Histologically, proliferative myofibroblasts/fibroblasts with varying degrees of osteoid tissue were present. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) results indicated that 22 cases (22/27, 81.5%) were positive for USP6 rearrangement, and 5 cases were negative. Among those cases with positive FISH results, 18 underwent reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) detection that successfully detected common USP6 fusion types. Thirteen cases showed COL1A1::USP6 fusion, one showed MYH9::USP6 fusion, and 4 were negative for common fusion types. Next-generation-based sequencing technology was performed on two lesions with negative RT-PCR results and novel fusion partners SNHG3 and UBE2G1 were discovered. Our findings revealed that COL1A1 is the most common fusion partner in this entity, unlike primary aneurysmal bone cysts and nodular fasciitis. Notably, we believed that FO may demonstrate more similar clinicopathologic and genetic manifestations with MO/FOPD and ST-ABC instead of nodular fasciitis for involving lower limbs most frequently and showing recurrent COL1A1::USP6 fusion. Additionally, this study also found two novel USP6 fusion partners, which further expanded our knowledge of this neoplastic spectrum.

Clinico-pathological and epigenetic heterogeneity of diffuse gliomas with FGFR3::TACC3 fusion

BackgroundGliomas with FGFR3::TACC3 fusion mainly occur in adults, display pathological features of glioblastomas (GB) and are usually classified as glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype. However, cases demonstrating pathological features of low-grade glioma (LGG) lead to difficulties in classification and clinical management. We report a series of 8 GB and 14 LGG with FGFR3:TACC3 fusion in order to better characterize them.MethodsCentralized pathological examination, search for TERT promoter mutation and DNA-methylation profiling were performed in all cases. Search for prognostic factors was done by the Kaplan–Meir method.ResultsTERT promoter mutation was recorded in all GB and 6/14 LGG. Among the 7 cases with a methylation score > 0.9 in the classifier (v12.5), 2 were classified as glioblastoma, 4 as ganglioglioma (GG) and 1 as dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumor (DNET). t-SNE analysis showed that the 22 cases clustered into three groups: one included 12 cases close to glioblastoma, IDH-wildtype methylation class (MC), 5 cases each clustered with GG or DNET MC but none with PLNTY MC. Unsupervised clustering analysis revealed four groups, two of them being clearly distinct: 5 cases shared age (< 40), pathological features of LGG, lack of TERT promoter mutation, FGFR3(Exon 17)::TACC3(Exon 10) fusion type and LGG MC. In contrast, 4 cases shared age (> 40), pathological features of glioblastoma, and were TERT-mutated. Relevant factors associated with a better prognosis were age < 40 and lack of TERT promoter mutation.ConclusionAmong gliomas with FGFR3::TACC3 fusion, age, TERT promoter mutation, pathological features, DNA-methylation profiling and fusion subtype are of interest to determine patients’ risk.

Continuous exposure to isoprenaline reduced myotube size by delaying myoblast differentiation and fusion through the NFAT-MEF2C signaling pathway

We aimed to explore whether superfluous sympathetic activity affects myoblast differentiation, fusion, and myofiber types using a continuous single-dose isoprenaline exposure model in vitro and to further confirm the role of distinct NFATs in ISO-mediated effects. Compared with delivery of single and interval single, continuous single-dose ISO most obviously diminished myotube size while postponing myoblast differentiation/fusion in a time- and dose-dependent pattern, accompanied by an apparent decrease in nuclear NFATc1/c2 levels and a slight increase in nuclear NFATc3/c4 levels. Overexpression of NFATc1 or NFATc2, particularly NFATc1, markedly abolished the inhibitory effects of ISO on myoblast differentiation/fusion, myotube size and Myh7 expression, which was attributed to a remarkable increase in the nuclear NFATc1/c2 levels and a reduction in the nuclear NFATc4 levels and the associated increase in the numbers of MyoG and MEF2C positive nuclei within more than 3 nuclei myotubes, especially in MEF2C. Moreover, knockdown of NFATc3 by shRNA did not alter the inhibitory effect of ISO on myoblast differentiation/fusion or myotube size but partially recovered the expression of Myh7, which was related to the slightly increased nuclear levels of NFATc1/c2, MyoG and MEF2C. Knockdown of NFATc4 by shRNA prominently increased the number of MyHC +, MyoG or MEF2C + myoblast cells with 1 ~ 2 nuclei, causing fewer numbers and smaller myotube sizes. However, NFATc4 knockdown further deteriorated the effects of ISO on myoblast fusion and myotube size, with more than 5 nuclei and Myh1/2/4 expression, which was associated with a decrease in nuclear NFATc2/c3 levels. Therefore, ISO inhibited myoblast differentiation/fusion and myotube size through the NFAT-MyoG-MEF2C signaling pathway.

Biomechanical and clinical studies on lumbar spine fusion surgery: a review.

Low back pain is associated with degenerative disc diseases of the spine. Surgical treatment includes fusion and non-fusion types. The gold standard is fusion surgery, wherein the affected vertebral segment is fused. The common complication of fusion surgery is adjacent segment degeneration (ASD). The ASD often leads to revision surgery, calling for a further fusion of adjacent segments. The existing designs of nonfusion type implants are associated with clinical problems such as subsidence, difficulty in implantation, and the requirement of revision surgeries. Various surgical approaches have been adopted by the surgeons to insert the spinal implants into the affected segment. Over the years, extensive biomechanical investigations have been reported on various surgical approaches and prostheses to predict the outcomes of lumbar spine implantations. Computer models have been proven to be very effective in identifying the best prosthesis and surgical procedure. The objective of the study was to review the literature on biomechanical studies for the treatment of lumbar spinal degenerative diseases. A critical review of the clinical and biomechanical studies on fusion spine surgeries was undertaken. The important modeling parameters, challenges, and limitations of the current studies were identified, showing the future research directions.

Multimodal Arabic Rumors Detection

Recently, the use of social media platforms has increased with ease of use and fast accessibility, making such platforms a place of rumor proliferation owing to the lack of posting constraints and content authentication. Therefore, there is a need to leverage artificial intelligence techniques to detect rumors on social media platforms to prevent their adverse effects on society and individuals. Most existing works that detect rumors in Arabic target the textual features of the tweet content. Nevertheless, tweets contain different types of content, such as (text, images, videos, and URLs), and the visual features of tweets play an essential role in rumor diffusion. This study proposes an Arabic rumor detection model to detect rumors on Twitter using textual and visual image features through two types of multimodal fusion: early and late fusion. In addition, we leveraged the transfer learning of the pre-trained language and vision models. Different experiments were conducted to select the best textual and visual feature extractors for building a multimodal model. MARBERTv2 was used as a textual feature extractor, whereas the ensemble of VGG-19 and ResNet50 was used as a visual feature extractor to build the multimodal model. Subsequently, the language and vision models of the single models were used as a baseline to compare their results with those of multimodal models. Finally, the experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of textual features in rumor detection tasks compared to multimodal models.

Anisotropic high cycle fatigue property estimation for laser additive manufactured Ti6Al4V alloy dependence on tomographic imaging of defect population

Improvement of fatigue properties of additive manufactured metals is subject to the regulation of process-induced microstructure and defect population. Here, the high cycle fatigue properties of the annealed Ti6Al4V alloy manufactured by two types of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) processes, in orthogonal sample orientations, were studied. The fatigue performance of this alloy was also estimated dependence on the investigation of microstructure and defects using optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and micro computed tomography. The results demonstrated that the fatigue properties were degraded by the negative effect of prior-β columnar grain boundaries and defects, wherein the surface keyhole governed the pronounced fatigue scatter and anisotropy due to its geometrical parameters and anisotropy severity along the building direction. The projection size √area of keyholes was well applied in the fatigue property estimation. The theorical fatigue limits were estimated individually due to the keyhole anisotropy, and provided conservatively in the improved Kitagawa-Takahashi diagram based on the modified El-Haddad model and the extreme size of keyholes. A relation derived from Paris law was proposed for fatigue life prediction, and to well establish a linear fitting correlating fatigue life with the projection size of surface keyholes and stress amplitude range with the achievement of the alleviation of fatigue anisotropy and scatter. The research provides a reference for the non-destructive estimation of fatigue properties in terms of tomographic imaging of defect population.

Diagnosis of Fusion-Associated Sarcomas by Exon Expression Imbalance and Gene Expression

Sarcomas are a diverse group of tumors, with >70 subtypes in the current World Health Organization classification, each with distinct biological behavior requiring specific clinical management. A significant portion of sarcomas are molecularly defined by expression of a driver fusion gene; identification of such fusions is the basis of molecular diagnostics in sarcomas, which is of increasing complexity due to the ongoing discovery of new gene fusions. Recently, a multiplex NanoString platform-based assay was developed and clinically implemented, with fusion junction-spanning probes that detect the majority of sarcoma fusion types, with high sensitivity and specificity, and with lower cost and shorter turnaround time than those of targeted next-generation sequencing-based alternatives. Despite the effectiveness of this assay, there are several entities for which fusion-junction probes are not suitable due to multiple possible gene partners or excessive variability at the exon junctions. Here, the development and evaluation of a companion assay are described that uses NanoString-based gene expression analysis to detect aberrant 3'/5' exon expression imbalance and/or total gene overexpression as a surrogate marker for fusion gene rearrangement. This assay evaluates exon imbalance in 23 genes involved in over 25 mesenchymal tumor types and five genes specific to sarcomas with CIC rearrangements. Based on evaluation of 115 retrospectively and 91 prospectively collected cases, an assay sensitivity of 92.8% and specificity of 93.5% are demonstrated.

Clinicopathological significance of major fusion oncogenes in papillary thyroid carcinoma: An individual patient data meta-analysis.

Fusion oncogenes (e.g., NTRK, RET, ALK, BRAF) are rare genetic events in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). It is still unclear regarding the similarities and differences in clinicopathological manifestations and prognostic outcomes of these genetic alterations. This individual patient data (IPD) meta-analysis analyzed the clinicopathological significance and prognoses of different types of oncogenic fusions in PTC patients. Categorical variables were compared by using Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests while Wilcoxon rank-sum and analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests were utilized for continuous covariates. Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were computed using Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test. We included 27 studies for meta-analyses. NTRK-, RET-, BRAF-, and ALK-rearranged PTCs had a unique demographic/clinicopathological profile but similar PFS and OS. NTRK1-positive PTCs demonstrated more aggressive clinical behaviors and shorter PFS in comparison to NTRK3-positive PTCs whereas RET rearrangement variants shared comparable clinicopathological backgrounds. This study provides new insights and facilitates our current understanding of clinicopathological features and survival outcomes of different fusion oncogenes in PTCs. It may help clinicians better counsel the patients and tailor appropriate treatment decisions.

Survey on Image and Point-Cloud Fusion-Based Object Detection in Autonomous Vehicles

With the improvements in sensor performance (cameras, Lidars) and the application of deep learning in object detection, autonomous vehicles (AVs) are gradually becoming more notable. After 2019, AV has produced a wave of enthusiasm, and many papers on object detection were published, boasting both practicality and innovation. Due to hardware limitations, it is difficult to accomplish accurate and reliable environment perception using a single sensor. However, multi-sensor fusion technology provides an acceptable solution. Considering the AV cost and object detection accuracy, both the traditional and existing literature on object detection using image and point-cloud was reviewed in this paper. Additionally, for the fusion-based structure, the object detection method was categorized in this paper based on the image and point-cloud fusion types: early fusion, deep fusion, and late fusion. Moreover, a clear explanation of these categories was provided including both the advantages and limitations. Finally, the opportunities and challenges the environment perception may face in the future were assessed.

Biomechanical Comparison of Multilevel Lumbar Instrumented Fusions in Adult Spinal Deformity According to the Upper and Lower Fusion Levels: A Finite Element Analysis.

Multilevel lumbar fusion with posterior pedicle screw fixation is a widely performed surgical procedure for the management of adult spinal deformity. However, there has not been a comprehensive biomechanical study on the different types of fusion levels in terms of stability and possible complications. We aimed to investigate the biomechanical properties of multilevel lumbar fusion according to different types of upper and lower fusion levels. Six different types of fusions were performed using three-dimensional finite element models. Type A and B referred to the group of which upper fusion level was L1 and T10, respectively. Subtype 1, 2, and 3 referred to the group of which lower fusion level was L5, S1, and ilium, respectively (A1, L1-L5; A2, L1-S1; A3, L1-ilium; B1, T10-L5; B2, T10-S1; B3, T10-ilium). Flexion, extension, axial rotation, and lateral bending moments were applied, and the risk of screw loosening and failure and adjacent segment degeneration (ASD) was analyzed. Stress at the bone-screw interface of type B3 was lowest in overall motions. The risk of screw failure showed increasing pattern as the upper and lower levels extended in all motions. Proximal range of motion (ROM) increased as the lower fusion level changed from L5 to S1 and the ilium. For axial rotation, type B3 showed higher proximal ROM (16.2°) than type A3 (11.8°). In multilevel lumbar fusion surgery for adult spinal deformity, adding iliac screws and increasing the fusion level to T10-ilium may lower the risk of screw loosening. In terms of screw failure and proximal ASD, however, T10-ilium fusion has a higher potential risk compared with other fusion types. These results will contribute for surgeons to provide adequate patient education regarding screw failure and proximal ASD, when performing multilevel lumbar fusion.

Spatial heterogeneity automatic detection and estimation

Spatial regression is widely used for modeling the relationship between a dependent variable and explanatory covariates. Oftentimes, the linear relationships vary across space, such that some covariates have location-specific effects on the response. One fundamental question is how to detect the systematic variation in the model and identify which locations share common regression coefficients and which do not. Only a correct model structure can assure unbiased estimation of coefficients and valid inferences. A new procedure is proposed, called Spatial Heterogeneity Automatic Detection and Estimation (SHADE), for automatically and simultaneously subgrouping and estimating covariate effects for spatial regression models. The SHADE employs a class of spatially-weighted fusion type penalty on all pairs of observations, with location-specific weight constructed using spatial information, to cluster coefficients into subgroups. Under certain regularity conditions, the SHADE is shown to be able to identify the true model structure with probability approaching one and estimate regression coefficients consistently. An alternating direction method of multiplier algorithm (ADMM) is developed to compute the SHADE. In numerical studies, the empirical performance of the SHADE is demonstrated by using different choices of weights and comparing their accuracy. The results suggest that spatial information can enhance subgroup structure analysis in challenging situations when the spatial variation among regression coefficients is small or the number of repeated measures is small. Finally, the SHADE is applied to find the relationship between a natural resource survey and a land cover data layer to identify spatially interpretable groups.

Medical image fusion based on sparse representation and neighbor energy activity

Medical image fusion has become popular in recent years. The fused image can provide a more objective and comprehensive description of lesions and has significant clinical medical aid potential. In this paper, we propose a novel medical image fusion method based on sparse representation and neighbor energy activity that improves the quality of fused images and preserves key information in the source images, such as details, brightness, and color. The proposed method divides the source image into base and detail layers and adopts sparse representation to fuse the base layers. Further, a neighbor energy activity operator that effectively captures the changing features in the detail layers is utilized. The fused result is obtained by combining the selective layers. The proposed method is applicable to both grayscale and color image fusion problems. In experiments, ten sets of medical images were used as test images. The images included seven different diseases and one normal cranial image and covered five different fusion types: CT/T2, Gad/T2, PET/T1, PET/T2, and SPECT/T2. Further, it was compared with 11 state-of-the-art fusion algorithms, with six highly recognized metrics used for quantitative evaluation. The experimental results indicated that the proposed method outperformed several of the state-of-the-art methods in visual and objective evaluations. Additionally, in experiments conductedto medically analyze the fused images with eight different lesion conditions in the fused images, the fusion results were found to be practicable for medical assistance in actual clinics.