MITEA: A dataset for machine learning segmentation of the left ventricle in 3D echocardiography using subject-specific labels from cardiac magnetic resonance imaging.

Segmentation of the left ventricle (LV) in echocardiography is an important task for the quantification of volume and mass in heart disease. Continuing advances in echocardiography have extended imaging capabilities into the 3D domain, subsequently overcoming the geometric assumptions associated with conventional 2D acquisitions. Nevertheless, the analysis of 3D echocardiography (3DE) poses several challenges associated with limited spatial resolution, poor contrast-to-noise ratio, complex noise characteristics, and image anisotropy.

Measurement of tissue optical properties in a wide spectral range: a review [Invited].

A distinctive feature of this review is a critical analysis of methods and results of measurements of the optical properties of tissues in a wide spectral range from deep UV to terahertz waves. Much attention is paid to measurements of the refractive index of biological tissues and liquids, the knowledge of which is necessary for the effective application of many methods of optical imaging and diagnostics. The optical parameters of healthy and pathological tissues are presented, and the reasons for their differences are discussed, which is important for the discrimination of pathologies and the demarcation of their boundaries.

Knee positioning systems for X-ray environment: a literature review.

The knee is one of the most stressed joints of the human body, being susceptible to ligament injuries and degenerative diseases. Due to the rising incidence of knee pathologies, the number of knee X-rays acquired is also increasing. Such X-rays are obtained for the diagnosis of knee injuries, the evaluation of the knee before and after surgery, and the monitoring of the knee joint's stability.

Fiber Loop Mirror Based on Optical Fiber Circulator for Sensing Applications.

In this paper, a different Fiber Loop Mirror (FLM) configuration with two circulators is presented. This configuration is demonstrated and characterized for sensing applications. This new design concept was used for strain and torsion discrimination.

Misalignment-Resilient Propagation Model for Underwater Optical Wireless Links.

This paper proposes a multiple-lens receiver scheme to increase the misalignment tolerance of an underwater optical wireless communications link between an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) and a sensor plane. An accurate model of photon propagation based on the Monte Carlo simulation is presented which accounts for the lens(es) photon refraction at the sensor interface and angular misalignment between the emitter and receiver. The results show that the ideal divergence of the beam of the emitter is around 15° for a 1 m transmission length, increasing to 22° for a shorter distance of 0.

Calcium-dependent subquantal peptide release from single docked lawn-resident vesicles of pituitary lactotrophs.

Regulated exocytosis consists of the fusion between vesicles and the plasma membranes, leading to the formation of a narrow fusion pore through which secretions exit the vesicle lumen into the extracellular space. An increase in the cytosolic concentration of free Ca ([Ca]) is considered the stimulus of this process. However, whether this mechanism can be preserved in a simplified system of membrane lawns with docked secretory vesicles, devoid of cellular components, is poorly understood.

A systematic review of ventilation conditions and airborne particulate matter levels in urban offices.

Many working activities are carried out in office buildings that are located in urban areas. Several studies have shown that these workplaces are likely to present poor indoor environmental quality (IEQ) due to inadequate ventilation rates, compromised thermal comfort conditions, and/or high concentration of air pollutants, such as particulate matter. This study aimed to review ventilation conditions, based on carbon dioxide (CO ) concentrations, and indoor airborne particulate matter (PM and PM ) levels assessed in offices worldwide.

Labeling on a Chip of Cellular Fibronectin and Matrix Metallopeptidase-9 in Human Serum.

We present a microfluidic chip for protein labeling in the human serum-based matrix. Serum is a complex sample matrix that contains a variety of proteins, and a matrix is used in many clinical tests. In this study, the device performance was tested using commercial serum samples from healthy donors spiked with the following target proteins: cellular fibronectin (c-Fn) and matrix metallopeptidase 9 (MMP9).

Feasibility of Digital Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depressed Older Adults With the Moodbuster Platform: Protocol for 2 Pilot Feasibility Studies.

Background: Internet-based interventions can be effective in the treatment of depression. However, internet-based interventions for older adults with depression are scarce, and little is known about their feasibility and effectiveness.

Objective: To present the design of 2 studies aiming to assess the feasibility of internet-based cognitive behavioral treatment for older adults with depression.

Fast calculation of spectral optical properties and pigment content detection in human normal and pathological kidney.

A fast calculation method was used to obtain the spectral optical properties of human normal and pathological (chromophobe renal cell carcinoma) kidney tissues. Using total transmittance, total reflectance and collimated transmittance spectra acquired from ex vivo kidney samples, the spectral optical properties of both tissues, namely the absorption, the scattering and the reduced scattering coefficients, as well as the scattering anisotropy, dispersion and light penetration depth, were calculated between 200 and 1000 nm. Analysis of the mean absorption coefficient spectra of the kidney tissues showed that both contain melanin and lipofuscin, and that 83 % of the melanin in the normal kidney converts into lipofuscin in the pathological kidney.

Record linkage of routine and cohort data of children in Portugal: challenges and opportunities when using record linkage as a tool for scientific research.

Linking records could serve as a useful tool for scientific research and as a facilitator for local policymaking. This article examines the challenges and opportunities for researchers to lawfully link routinely collected health and education data with cohort data of children when using it as a tool for scientific research in Portugal. Such linking can be lawfully conducted in Portugal if three requirements are met.

Optical Strain Gauge Prototype Based on a High Sensitivity Balloon-like Interferometer and Additive Manufacturing.

An optical strain gauge based on a balloon-like interferometer structure formed by a bent standard single-mode fiber combined with a 3D printer piece has been presented and demonstrated, which can be used to measure displacement. The interferometer has a simple and compact size, easy fabrication, low cost, and is repeatable. The sensor is based on the interference between the core and cladding modes.

Genetic Algorithm to Solve Optimal Sensor Placement for Underwater Vehicle Localization with Range Dependent Noises.

In source localization problems, the relative geometry between sensors and source will influence the localization performance. The optimum configuration of sensors depends on the measurements used for the source location estimation, how these measurements are affected by noise, the positions of the source, and the criteria used to evaluate the localization performance. This paper addresses the problem of optimum sensor placement in a plane for the localization of an underwater vehicle moving in 3D.

Impact of Label Noise on the Learning Based Models for a Binary Classification of Physiological Signal.

Label noise is omnipresent in the annotations process and has an impact on supervised learning algorithms. This work focuses on the impact of label noise on the performance of learning models by examining the effect of random and class-dependent label noise on a binary classification task: quality assessment for photoplethysmography (PPG). PPG signal is used to detect physiological changes and its quality can have a significant impact on the subsequent tasks, which makes PPG quality assessment a particularly good target for examining the impact of label noise in the field of biomedicine.

High Sensitivity Cryogenic Temperature Sensors Based on Arc-Induced Long-Period Fiber Gratings.

In this paper, we investigated the evolution of the dispersion curves of long-period fiber gratings (LPFGs) from room temperature down to 0 K. We considered gratings arc-induced in the SMF28 fiber and in two B/Ge co-doped fibers. Computer simulations were performed based on previously published experimental data.

A Pilot Study Testing the Effectiveness of a Mindfulness-Based Program for Portuguese School Children.

Objectives: Research into the effectiveness of mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) in school settings has grown substantially. However, studies in the field are still scarce, present methodological limitations, and fail to examine how children's characteristics influence MBPs' effects. The twofold aim of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of an MBP on children's attention and emotional regulation, writing performance, and school grades, and to evaluate the moderating role of baseline scores, age, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Using Computer Vision to Track Facial Color Changes and Predict Heart Rate.

The current technological advances have pushed the quantification of exercise intensity to new era of physical exercise sciences. Monitoring physical exercise is essential in the process of planning, applying, and controlling loads for performance optimization and health. A lot of research studies applied various statistical approaches to estimate various physiological indices, to our knowledge, no studies found to investigate the relationship of facial color changes and increased exercise intensity.

Acetabular Coverage Area Occupied by the Femoral Head as an Indicator of Hip Congruency.

Accurate radiographic screening evaluation is essential in the genetic control of canine HD, however, the qualitative assessment of hip congruency introduces some subjectivity, leading to excessive variability in scoring. The main objective of this work was to validate a method-Hip Congruency Index (HCI)-capable of objectively measuring the relationship between the acetabulum and the femoral head and associating it with the level of congruency proposed by the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI), with the aim of incorporating it into a computer vision model that classifies HD autonomously. A total of 200 dogs (400 hips) were randomly selected for the study.

Kiwi Plant Canker Diagnosis Using Hyperspectral Signal Processing and Machine Learning: Detecting Symptoms Caused by pv. .

pv. (Psa) has been responsible for numerous epidemics of bacterial canker of kiwi (BCK), resulting in high losses in kiwi production worldwide. Current diagnostic approaches for this disease usually depend on visible signs of the infection (disease symptoms) to be present.

HEROHE Challenge: Predicting HER2 Status in Breast Cancer from Hematoxylin-Eosin Whole-Slide Imaging.

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide, and is responsible for more than half a million deaths each year. The appropriate therapy depends on the evaluation of the expression of various biomarkers, such as the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) transmembrane protein, through specialized techniques, such as immunohistochemistry or in situ hybridization. In this work, we present the HER2 on hematoxylin and eosin (HEROHE) challenge, a parallel event of the 16th European Congress on Digital Pathology, which aimed to predict the HER2 status in breast cancer based only on hematoxylin-eosin-stained tissue samples, thus avoiding specialized techniques.

Life course of retrospective harmonization initiatives: key elements to consider.

Optimizing research on the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD) involves implementing initiatives maximizing the use of the available cohort study data; achieving sufficient statistical power to support subgroup analysis; and using participant data presenting adequate follow-up and exposure heterogeneity. It also involves being able to undertake comparison, cross-validation, or replication across data sets. To answer these requirements, cohort study data need to be findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable (FAIR), and more particularly, it often needs to be harmonized.

Retinal and choroidal vasoreactivity in central serous chorioretinopathy.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate retinal and choroidal vascular reactivity to carbogen in central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) patients.

Methods: An experimental pilot study including 68 eyes from 20 CSC patients and 14 age and sex-matched controls was performed. The participants inhaled carbogen (5% CO + 95% O) for 2 min through a high-concentration disposable mask.

Planning and Optimization of Software-Defined and Virtualized IoT Gateway Deployment for Smart Campuses.

The Internet of Things (IoT) is based on objects or "things" that have the ability to communicate and transfer data. Due to the large number of connected objects and devices, there has been a rapid growth in the amount of data that are transferred over the Internet. To support this increase, the heterogeneity of devices and their geographical distributions, there is a need for IoT gateways that can cope with this demand.