Breast ultrasound tumor image classification using image decomposition and fusion based on adaptive multi-model spatial feature fusion.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is a fatal threat to the health of women. Ultrasonography is a common method for the detection of breast cancer. Computer-aided diagnosis of breast ultrasound images can help doctors in diagnosing benign and malignant lesions. In this paper, by combining image decomposition and fusion techniques with adaptive spatial feature fusion technology, a reliable classification method for breast ultrasound images of tumors is proposed. METHODS: First, fuzzy enhancement and bilateral filtering algorithms are used to process the original breast ultrasound image. Then, various decomposition images representing the clinical characteristics of breast tumors are obtained using the original and mask images. By considering the diversity of the benign and malignant characteristic information represented by each decomposition image, the decomposition images are fused through the RGB channel, and three types of fusion images are generated. Then, from a series of candidate deep learning models, transfer learning is used to select the best model as the base model to extract deep learning features. Finally, while training the classification network, adaptive spatial feature fusion technology is used to train the weight network to complete deep learning feature fusion and classification. RESULTS: In this study, 1328 breast ultrasound images were collected for training and testing. The experimental results show that the values of accuracy, precision, specificity, sensitivity/recall, F1 score, and area under the curve of the proposed method were 0.9548, 0.9811, 0.9833, 0.9392, 0.9571, and 0.9883, respectively. CONCLUSION: Our research can automate breast cancer detection and has strong clinical utility. When compared to previous methods, our proposed method is expected to be more effective while assisting doctors in diagnosing breast ultrasound images.

Automatic Segmentation of Left Ventricle in Echocardiography Based on YOLOv3 Model to Achieve Constraint and Positioning.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the most common type of disease and has a high fatality rate in humans. Early diagnosis is critical for the prognosis of CVD. Before using myocardial tissue strain, strain rate, and other indicators to evaluate and analyze cardiac function, accurate segmentation of the left ventricle (LV) endocardium is vital for ensuring the accuracy of subsequent diagnosis. For accurate segmentation of the LV endocardium, this paper proposes the extraction of the LV region features based on the YOLOv3 model to locate the positions of the apex and bottom of the LV, as well as that of the LV region; thereafter, the subimages of the LV can be obtained, and based on the Markov random field (MRF) model, preliminary identification and binarization of the myocardium of the LV subimages can be realized. Finally, under the constraints of the three aforementioned positions of the LV, precise segmentation and extraction of the LV endocardium can be achieved using nonlinear least-squares curve fitting and edge approximation. The experiments show that the proposed segmentation evaluation indices of the method, including computation speed (fps), Dice, mean absolute distance (MAD), and Hausdorff distance (HD), can reach 2.1-2.25 fps, 93.57 ± 1.97%, 2.57 ± 0.89 mm, and 6.68 ± 1.78 mm, respectively. This indicates that the suggested method has better segmentation accuracy and robustness than existing techniques.

Electron-Rich Twistacene-Modified Arylboron Donor-Acceptor Systems: Synthesis, Photophysics, and Electroluminescence with Hot Exciton Response.

A series of twistacene-functionalized donor (D)-π-acceptor (A) derivatives (2-5) have been designed and synthesized, in which twistacene can be regarded as a promising platform for electron-rich systems for fluorescence emitters. The connecting modes and various acceptors are also examined to investigate the effect of structural changes on the photophysical, electrochemical, and thermal properties. The strong electron-withdrawing capability of the arylboron-modified benzonitrile unit can effectively separate the HOMO and LUMO energy levels of 4/5, which is beneficial for the formation of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) molecules. Cyan and orange organic light-emitting diodes based on 4 and 5 exhibit promising electroluminescence with a maximum brightness of 7643 cd m-2 for device-4 and 14871 cd m-2 for device-5.

Dimesitylboryl-Decorated Azaarene: Synthesis, Enhanced Stability and Optoelectronic Property.

The instability of large acenes and analogues usually limits their wide potentials in organic devices. Thus, effectively constructing large acenes or heteroacenes and examining their optoelectronic properties are of great interest. We herein describe the synthesis, optoelectronic behaviors and electroluminescent property of dimesitylboryl-decorated azaarene 5 and its homologue 7. The former emits strong green fluorescence in non-polar solvents but yellow light in polar solvents. The latter emits a blue light in various organic solvents. Moreover, their electrochemical behavior, photostability and electroluminescent property were further studied in a comparative manner, and the experimental findings suggest that the desired heteroarenes are appealing materials for fabricating electroluminescent devices.

In-Situ Monitoring of a Filament Wound Pressure Vessel by the MWCNT Sensor under Hydraulic Fatigue Cycling and Pressurization.

As a result of the high specific strength/stiffness to mass ratio, filament wound composite pressure vessels are extensively used to contain gas or fluid under pressure. The ability to in-situ monitor the composite pressure vessels for possible damage is important for high-pressure medium storage industries. This paper describes an in-situ monitoring method to permanently monitor composite pressure vessels for their structural integrity. The sensor is made of a multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWCNT) that can be embedded in the composite skin of the pressure vessels. The sensing ability of the sensor is firstly evaluated in various mechanical tests, and in-situ monitoring experiments of a full-scale composite pressure vessel during hydraulic fatigue cycling and pressurization are performed. The monitoring results of the MWCNT sensor are compared with the strains measured by the strain gauges. The results show that the measured signal by the developed sensor matches the mechanical behavior of the composite laminates under various load conditions. In the hydraulic fatigue test, the relationship between the resistance and the strain is built, and could be used to quantitative monitor the filament wound pressure vessel. The bursting of the pressure vessel can be detected by the sharp increase of the MWCNT sensor resistance. Embedding the MWCNT sensor into the composite pressure vessel is successfully demonstrated as a promising method for structural health monitoring.

LncRNA LOC728196/miR-513c axis facilitates glioma carcinogenesis by targeting TCF7.

Numerous long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are reported to be dysregulated in glioma. However, how lncRNA participates in the process of glioma development and progression still remains elusive. Here, we identified a novel lncRNA LOC728196 highly expressed in glioma tissues. LOC728196 high expression predicts low survival rate in patients. Our data proved that LOC728196 knockdown repressed cellular growth, migration and invasion in vitro. Silencing LOC728196 led to impaired growth of glioma in vivo. Mechanistic studies further demonstrated that LOC728196 acts as the sponge for miR-513c to upregulate TCF7 expression. We observed a reciprocal inhibition between LOC728196 and miR-513c. Rescue assay showed that either inhibition of miR-513c or TCF7 overexpression restored the abilities of proliferation, migration and invasion in LOC728196-silenced glioma cells. Taken together, our study provides a comprehensive investigation on the role of LOC728196 in glioma progression and contributes to understanding the vital role of competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA).

CircRNA circHIPK3 serves as a prognostic marker to promote glioma progression by regulating miR-654/IGF2BP3 signaling.

Emerging evidences show RNA back-splicing produces a new type of noncoding RNA, namely circular RNA (circRNA). Many reports demonstrate that circRNA circHIPK3 exerts oncogenic or anti-tumor roles in different cancers, such as ovarian cancer, bladder cancer, osteosarcoma, colorectal cancer and liver cancer. However, no study about circHIPK3 function in glioma exists until today. In this study, we showed that circHIPK3 was upregulated in glioma tissues. Elevated level of circHIPK3 was linked to poor prognosis. Functional investigation indicated that circHIPK3 promotes glioma cell proliferation and invasion, and tumor propagation in vivo. Furthermore, miR-654 was identified as a target of circHIPK3 while IGF2BP3 was targeted by miR-654. CircHIPK3 could promote IGF2BP3 expression via interacting with miR-654 in glioma cells. Finally, CCK8 and transwell assays illustrated that IGF2BP3 overexpression could reverse the effects of IGF2BP3 depletion. Altogether, our findings demonstrated that circHIPK3 contributes to glioma progression through targeting miR-654 from IGF2BP3 and implies circHIPK3 might be a potential target for glioma therapy.

Synthesis, Crystal Analysis, and Optoelectronic Properties of Diazole-Functionalized Acenes and Azaacenes.

Doping heteroatoms into the skeletons of parent acenes can provide more opportunities to construct novel thermally and photostable organic π-conjugated semiconductors. Herein, a family of diazole-decorated acenes (APyS and APySe) and azaacenes (PyP, PyTh, PyPy, PyPh, and PyAP) have been successfully synthesized through the classical reactions. Single-crystal X-ray analyses showed that these as-formed diazole-modified derivatives adopted a twisted topology configuration, whereas the azaacenes display reclining-chair architectures, besides a twisted structure. All these compounds displayed yellow or red light in solution. Moreover, their electrochemical behaviors were also examined. We also found that the azaacenes exhibited a positive spectroscopic response to acid.

Synthesis, Optoelectronic and Self-Assembly Properties of Diazadioxaacene Derivatives.

Two novel diazadioxaacene derivatives (ADOP and ADOQ) have been successfully synthesized and characterized. Their single crystal analyses disclose that molecule ADOP forms a twisted topology configuration, whereas ADOQ adopts reclining-chair architecture. Both of them emit strong blue fluorescence in organic solvents. Moreover, they can self-assemble to form regular nanobelts and nanowires, respectively, via a simple surfactant-assisted method.

Differential expression of six genes and correlation with fatness traits in a unique broiler population.

Previous results from genome wide association studies (GWASs) in chickens divergently selected for abdominal fat content of Northeast Agricultural University (NEAUHLF) showed that many single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) variants were associated with abdominal fat content. Of them, six top significant SNPs at the genome level were located within SRD5A3, SGCZ, DLC1, GBE1, GALNT9 and DNAJB6 genes. Here, expression levels of these six candidate genes were investigated in abdominal fat and liver tissue between fat and lean broilers from the 14th generation population of NEAUHLF. The results showed that expression levels of SRD5A3, SGCZ and DNAJB6 in the abdominal fat and SRD5A3, DLC1, GALNT9, DNAJB6 and GBE1 in the liver tissue differed significantly between the fat and lean birds, and were correlated with abdominal fat traits. The findings will provide important references for further function investigation of the six candidate genes involved in abdominal fat deposition in chickens.

Hormone-sensitive lipase deficiency alters gene expression and cholesterol content of mouse testis.

Hormone-sensitive lipase-knockout (HSL-/-) mice exhibit azoospermia for unclear reasons. To explore the basis of sterility, we performed the following three experiments. First, HSL protein distribution in the testis was determined. Next, transcriptome analyses were performed on the testes of three experimental groups. Finally, the fatty acid and cholesterol levels in the testes with three different genotypes studied were determined. We found that the HSL protein was present from spermatocyte cells to mature sperm acrosomes in wild-type (HSL+/+) testes. Spermiogenesis ceased at the elongation phase of HSL-/- testes. Transcriptome analysis indicated that genes involved in lipid metabolism, cell membrane, reproduction and inflammation-related processes were disordered in HSL-/- testes. The cholesterol content was significantly higher in HSL-/- than that in HSL+/+ testis. Therefore, gene expression and cholesterol ester content differed in HSL-/- testes compared to other testes, which may explain the sterility of male HSL-/- mice.

Differential expression of six chicken genes associated with fatness traits in a divergently selected broiler population.

A genome-wide association study has shown a number of chicken (Gallus gallus) single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers to be significantly associated with abdominal fat content in Northeast Agricultural University (NEAU) broiler lines selected divergently for abdominal fat content (NEAUHLF). The six significant SNPs are located in the kinase insert domain receptor (KDR), tumor suppressor candidate 3 (TUSC3), phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate amidotransferase (PPAT), exocyst complex component 1 (EXOC1), v-myb myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog (avian)-like 2 (MYBL2) and KIAA1211 (undefined) genes. In this study, the expression levels of these genes were investigated in both abdominal fat and liver tissues using 32 14th generation chickens from the NEAUHLF. The levels of expression of KDR in abdominal fat and KDR and TUSC3 in liver differed significantly between the two lines. The expression level of KDR in the abdominal fat was significantly correlated with the abdominal fat weight (AFW) and abdominal fat percentage (AFP). The expression levels of KDR, TUSC3 and PPAT in liver were significantly correlated with AFW and AFP, indicating that the six genes, especially KDR and TUSC3, could be associated with fat traits in domestic chickens. This study could provide insight into the mechanisms underlying the formation of abdominal fat in chickens.

Layer-by-layer deposited organic/inorganic hybrid multilayer films containing noncentrosymmetrically orientated azobenzene chromophores.

Organic/inorganic hybrid multilayer films with noncentrosymmetrically orientated azobenzene chromophores were fabricated by the sequential deposition of ZrO2 layers by a surface sol-gel process and subsequent layer-by-layer (LbL) adsorption of the nonlinear optical (NLO)-active azobenzene-containing polyanion PAC-azoBNS and poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA). Noncentrosymmetric orientation of the NLO-active azobenzene chromophores was achieved because of the strong repulsion between the negatively charged ZrO(2) and the sulfonate groups of the azobenzene chromophore in PAC-azoBNS. Regular deposition of ZrO(2)/PAC-azoBNS/PDDA multilayer films was verified by UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and quartz crystal microbalance measurements. Both UV-vis absorption spectroscopy and transmission second harmonic generation (SHG) measurements confirmed the noncentrosymmetric orientation of the azobenzene chromophores in the as-prepared ZrO2/PAC-azoBNS/PDDA multilayer films. The square root of the SHG signal (I(2omega)(1/2)) increases with the increase of the azobenzene graft ratio in PAC-azoBNS as the number of deposition cycles of the ZrO(2)/PAC-azoBNS/PDDA films remains the same, while the second-order susceptibility chi(zzz)(2) of the film decreases with the increase of the azobenzene graft ratio. Furthermore, the present method was successfully extended to realize the noncentrosymmetric orientation of azobenzene chromophores in multilayer films when small organic azobenzene compounds with carboxylic acid and/or hydroxyl groups at one end and sulfonate groups at the other end were used. The present method was characterized by its simplicity and flexibility in film preparation, and it is anticipated to be a facile way to fabricate second-order nonlinear optical film materials.

A facile room temperature layer-by-layer deposition process for the fabrication of ultrathin films with noncentrosymmetrically oriented azobenzene chromophores.

Ultrathin films with noncentrosymmetrically orientated azobenzene chromophores were constructed using a combination of layer-by-layer adsorption of polyelectrolytes and the surface sol-gel process.