A Method for Tree Image Segmentation Combined Adaptive Mean Shifting with Image Abstraction

( Ting-ting Yang ),( Su-yin Zhou ),( Ai-jun Xu ),( Jian-xin Yin ) 한국정보처리학회 2020 Journal of information processing systems Vol.16 No.6

Although huge progress has been made in current image segmentation work, there are still no efficient segmentation strategies for tree image which is taken from natural environment and contains complex background. To improve those problems, we propose a method for tree image segmentation combining adaptive mean shifting with image abstraction. Our approach perform better than others because it focuses mainly on the background of image and characteristics of the tree itself. First, we abstract the original tree image using bilateral filtering and image pyramid from multiple perspectives, which can reduce the influence of the background and tree canopy gaps on clustering. Spatial location and gray scale features are obtained by step detection and the insertion rule method, respectively. Bandwidths calculated by spatial location and gray scale features are then used to determine the size of the Gaussian kernel function and in the mean shift clustering. Furthermore, the flood fill method is employed to fill the results of clustering and highlight the region of interest. To prove the effectiveness of tree image abstractions on image clustering, we compared different abstraction levels and achieved the optimal clustering results. For our algorithm, the average segmentation accuracy (SA), over-segmentation rate (OR), and under-segmentation rate (UR) of the crown are 91.21%, 3.54%, and 9.85%, respectively. The average values of the trunk are 92.78%, 8.16%, and 7.93%, respectively. Comparing the results of our method experimentally with other popular tree image segmentation methods, our segmentation method get rid of human interaction and shows higher SA. Meanwhile, this work shows a promising application prospect on visual reconstruction and factors measurement of tree.

Development of a Planter for Leafy Vegetable in the Greenhouse

( Xin-ting Yan ),( Li-cheng Hsieh ) 한국농업기계학회 2018 한국농업기계학회 학술발표논문집 Vol.23 No.1

At present, the cultivation area of greenhouse in Taiwan is gradually increasing, and the aged agricultural working population is growing as well. However, growing leafy vegetables in the greenhouse still require the cultivating, bedding and seeding. Seeding in the greenhouse is mainly manual work in Taiwan. Farmers are prone to occupational injuries under long-term work. Because of the constraint of the working space in the greenhouse, a small-scale machine was designed and built for consistent bedding and seeding. The power source of the machine is a 35 hp tractor. There are three functional items installed in this planter, cultivating, bedding and seeding. Two disc plows, 40 cm diameter each, are attached to both sides of the rotary plow for cultivating and bedding. There are four seeding machines attached, 2 rows of seeding for each. The row and seeding spacing are 16 cm, and 10 cm, respectively. Commercially available applications, SolidWorks and ANSYS, were applied for design and analysis. The leafy vegetables planter could choose amaranth (spring and summer) and spinach (fall and winter) seeds for experiment. Modular seed tray on the planter not only can be changed according to the seed size but also can work independently. Thus, the planter meets the requirements in the greenhouse as well as saves labor and provides multifunctional operation.

Dipole Transition Characteristics of 1s24f — 1s2ng (5 ≤ n ≤ 8) States for Li-Like Isoelectronic Sequence: Vanadium Through Zinc

Xin Liu,Jing-chao Zhang,Ting-ting Zhao,Meng Wang 한국물리학회 2020 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.76 No.1

The transition energies and wavelengths of 1s$^2$4f-1s$^2n$g ($5 \leq n \leq 8$) states of lithium-like ions starting from vanadium and ending with zinc are determined by using the full-core-plus-correlation (FCPC) method. Our calculated values are compared with other available data and found to be in good agreement with them. The oscillator strengths of the 1s$^2$4f-1s$^2n$g ($5 \leq n \leq 8$) dipole transition under three criteria are explored by using the FCPC method. The consistency of the three criteria proves the accuracy of the constructed wave function over all space. In this paper, the oscillator strength and the oscillator strength density of all discrete and continuous states from any given initial to final state are calculated, and the theoretical prediction of the spectral characteristics of the omnipotence threshold is realized.

Rapid separation and identification of 31 major saponins in Shizhu ginseng by ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-electron spray ionization-MS/MS

Ting-Ting Sun,Xin-Lei Liang,He-Yun Zhu,Xu-Ling Peng,Xing-Jie Guo,Long-Shan Zhao 고려인삼학회 2016 Journal of Ginseng Research Vol.40 No.3

Background: Among the various ginseng strains, Shizhu ginseng is endemic to China, mainly distributed in Kuandian Manchu Autonomous County (Liaoning Province, China); however, not much is known about the compounds (especially saponins) in Shizhu ginseng. Methods: A rapid, sensitive, and reliable ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled with MS/MS (UHPLCeMS/MS) method was developed to separate and identify saponins in Shizhu ginseng. Results: The separation was carried out on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC BEH C18 column (100 mm × 2.1 mm, 1.7 ㎛) with acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid aqueous solution as the mobile phase under a gradient elution at 40℃. The detection was performed on a Micromass Quattro Micro API mass spectrometer equipped with electrospray ionization source in both positive and negative modes. Under the optimized conditions, a total of 31 saponins were identified or tentatively characterized by comparing retention time and MS data with related literatures and reference substances. Conclusion: The developed UHPLCeMS/MS method was suitable for identifying and characterizing the chemical constituents in Shizhu ginseng, which provided a helpful chemical basis for further research on Shizhu ginseng.

A Study on the User Experience of Smart Speaker in China - Focused on Tmall Genie and Mi AI Speaker -

Xin-Ting Xiao,Seung-In Kim 한국디지털정책학회 2018 디지털융복합연구 Vol.16 No.10

Immune Reconstitution of CD4⁺T Cells after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation and its Correlation with Invasive Fungal Infection in Patients with Hematological Malignancies

Peng, Xin-Guo,Dong, Yan,Zhang, Ting-Ting,Wang, Kai,Ma, Yin-Jian Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2015 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.16 No.8

Objective: To explore the immune reconstitution of $CD4^+T$ cells after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Allo-HSCT) and its relationship with invasive fungal infection (IFI) in patients with hematological malignancies. Materials and Methods: Forty-seven patients with hematological malignancies undergoing Allo-HSCT in Binzhou Medical University Hospital from February, 2010 to October, 2014 were selected. At 1, 2 and 3 months after transplantation, the immune subpopulations and concentration of cytokines were assessed respectively using flow cytometry (FCM) and enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The incidence of IFI after transplantation and its correlation with immune reconstitution of $CD4^+T$ cells were investigated. Results: The number of $CD4^+T$ cells and immune subpopulations increased progressively after transplantation as time went on, but the subpopulation cell count 3 months after transplantation was still significantly lower than in the control group (p<0.01). In comparison to the control group, the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and IL-10 after transplantation rose evidently (p<0.01), while that of transforming growth factor-${beta}$ (TGF-${beta}$) was decreased (p<0.01). There was no statistically significant difference level of interferon-${\gamma}$ (IFN-${\gamma}$) (p>0.05). The incidence of IFI was 19.2% (9/47), and multivariate logistic regression revealed that IFI might be related to Th17 cell count (p<0.05), instead of Th1, Th2 and Treg cell counts as well as IL-6, IL-10, TGF-${beta}$ and IFN-${\gamma}$ levels (p>0.05). Conclusions: After Allo-HSCT, the immune reconstitution of $CD4^+T$ cells is delayed and Th17 cell count decreases obviously, which may be related to occurrence of IFI.

UHRF2 mRNA Expression is Low in Malignant Glioma but Silencing Inhibits the Growth of U251 Glioma Cells in vitro

Wu, Ting-Feng,Zhang, Wei,Su, Zuo-Peng,Chen, San-Song,Chen, Gui-Lin,Wei, Yong-Xin,Sun, Ting,Xie, Xue-Shun,Li, Bin,Zhou, You-Xin,Du, Zi-Wei Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention 2012 Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention Vol.13 No.10

UHRF2 is a member of the ubiquitin plant homeo domain RING finger family, which has been proven to be frequently up-regulated in colorectal cancer cells and play a role as an oncogene in breast cancer cells. However, the role of UHRF2 in glioma cells remains unclear. In this study, we performed real-time quantitative PCR on 32 pathologically confirmed glioma samples (grade I, 4 cases; grade II, 11 cases; grade III, 10 cases; and grade IV, 7 cases; according to the 2007 WHO classification system) and four glioma cell lines (A172, U251, U373, and U87). The expression of UHRF2 mRNA was significantly lower in the grade III and grade IV groups compared with the noncancerous brain tissue group, whereas its expression was high in A172, U251, and U373 glioma cell lines. An in vitro assay was performed to investigate the functions of UHRF2. Using a lentivirus-based RNA interference (RNAi) approach, we down-regulated UHRF2 expression in the U251 glioma cell line. This down-regulation led to the inhibition of cell proliferation, an increase in cell apoptosis, and a change of cell cycle distribution, in which S stage cells decreased and G2/M stage cells increased. Our results suggest that UHRF2 may be closely related to tumorigenesis and the development of gliomas.

Effects of Bacterial Cellulose Whisker Melting Composite on Crystallization and Mechanical Properties of PHBV Composites

Zhou Xin Ting,Liu Jin Yan 한국고분자학회 2022 Macromolecular Research Vol.30 No.5

Acetylation of bacterial cellulose whisker (BCW) with acetic anhydride can effectively improve the thermal stability of BCW and the dispersion of interface compatibility with PHBV. The influence of the modified cellulose whiskers on the crystallization and mechanical properties of the PHBV matrix was studied using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarization optical microscopy (POM), and XRD. The results show that ABCW has heterogeneous nucleation and hindrance effect on the PHBV matrix simultaneously. With the increase of ABCW content, PHBV gradually decreases from large spherulite and then increases, and the crystallinity decreases. When the content of ABCs is 1.2%, ABCW has the best strengthening effect on PHBV, and the bending strength and bending modulus are 44.7% and 34.5% higher than PHBV.

Adherence to Cancer Prevention Guidelines and Endometrial Cancer Risk: Evidence from a Systematic Review and Dose-Response Meta-analysis of Prospective Studies

Hui Sun,Qing Chang,Ya-Shu Liu,Yu-Ting Jiang,Ting-Ting Gong,Xiao-Xin Ma,Yu-Hong Zhao,Qi-Jun Wu 대한암학회 2021 Cancer Research and Treatment Vol.53 No.1

Purpose The evidence of adherence to cancer prevention guidelines and endometrial cancer (EC) risk has been limited and controversial. This study summarizes and quantifies the relationship between adherence to cancer prevention guidelines and EC risk. Materials and Methods The online databases PubMed, Web of Science, and EMBASE were searched for relevant publications up to June 2, 2020. This study had been registered at PROSPERO. The registration number is CRD42020149966. Study quality evaluation was performed based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The I2 statistic was used to estimate heterogeneity among studies. Egger’s and Begg’s tests assessed potential publication bias. Summary hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confi dence intervals (CIs) for the relationship between adherence to cancer prevention guidelines score was assigned to participants by summarizing individual scores for each lifestyle-related factor. The scores ranged from least healthy (0) to most healthy (20) and the EC risk was calculated using a random-effects model. Results Five prospective studies (four cohort studies and one case‑cohort study) consisted of 4,470 EC cases, where 597,047 participants were included. Four studies had a low bias risk and one study had a high bias risk. Summary EC HR for the highest vs. lowest score of adherence to cancer prevention guidelines was 0.54 (95% CI, 0.40 to 0.73) and had a high heterogeneity (I2=86.1%). For the dose-response analysis, an increment of 1 significantly reduced the risk of EC by 6%. No signifi cant publication bias was detected. Conclusion This study suggested that adherence to cancer prevention guidelines was negatively related to EC risk.

Risk Factors, Patterns, and Outcomes of Late Recurrence after Liver Resection for Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Analysis of a Multicenter Cohort over 15 Years)

( Xin-fei Xu ),( Jiong-jie Yu ),( Ju-dong Li ),( Hao Xing ),( Jun Han ),( Zhen-li Li ),( Han Wu ),( Han Zhang ),( Jian-hong Zhong ),( Yi- Sheng Huang ),( Ya-hao Zhou ),( Ting-hao Chen ),( Hong Wang ) 대한간학회 2018 춘·추계 학술대회 (KASL) Vol.2018 No.1

Aims: Late recurrence (> 2 years) after liver resection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is usually considered as multi-centric tumors or de novo cancer formation. We aimed to investigate risk factors, patterns and outcomes of late recurrence after HCC resection. Methods: From a multicenter database from 2001 to 2015, 734 patients who were alive and recurrence-free at 2 years after curative resection of initial HCC were enrolled into this retrospective study. Univariate and multivariate Cox-regression analysis were used to identify independent risk factors of late recurrence. Patterns, treatments and outcomes of late recurrence were investigated and analyzed. Results: During a median follow-up of 78.0 months after surgery, 303 patients (41.3%) developed late recurrence. Multivariate analysis revealed that cirrhosis, macroscopic vascular invasion, satellites, and tumor size > 5cm were independent risk factors of late recurrence. Among them, 273 (90.1%) were sole intrahepatic recurrence, 30 (9.9%) were concurrent intrahepatic and extrahepatic recurrence, and none of them was sole extrahepatic recurrence; 165 (54.4%) patients received curative treatments for recurrent HCC, including re-resection, transplantation and local ablation. Multivariate analysis showed regular postoperative surveillance and receiving curative treatments were two independent protective factors of prolonging survival for those patients with late recurrence. Conclusions: Late recurrence is correlated with cirrhosis and certain tumor-related characteristics of initial HCC. The patterns of late recurrence suggest that postoperative surveillance after 2 years of surgery could be adjusted and more targeted. Regular postoperative surveillance improves the probability to receive curative treatments again, yielding to better outcomes for patients with late recurrence.