A novel fully automatic segmentation and counting system for metastatic lymph nodes on multimodal magnetic resonance imaging: Evaluation and prognostic implications in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: The number of metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) is crucial for the survival of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), but manual counting is laborious. This study aims to explore the feasibility and prognostic value of automatic MLNs segmentation and counting. METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 980 newly diagnosed patients in the primary cohort and 224 patients from two external cohorts. We utilized the nnUnet model for automatic MLNs segmentation on multimodal magnetic resonance imaging. MLNs counting methods, including manual delineation-assisted counting (MDAC) and fully automatic lymph node counting system (AMLNC), were compared with manual evaluation (Gold standard). RESULTS: In the internal validation group, the MLNs segmentation results showed acceptable agreement with manual delineation, with a mean Dice coefficient of 0.771. The consistency among three counting methods was as follows 0.778 (Gold vs. AMLNC), 0.638 (Gold vs. MDAC), and 0.739 (AMLNC vs. MDAC). MLNs numbers were categorized into three-category variable (1-4, 5-9, > 9) and two-category variable (<4, ≥ 4) based on the gold standard and AMLNC. These categorical variables demonstrated acceptable discriminating abilities for 5-year overall survival (OS), progression-free, and distant metastasis-free survival. Compared with base prediction model, the model incorporating two-category AMLNC-counting numbers showed improved C-indexes for 5-year OS prediction (0.658 vs. 0.675, P = 0.045). All results have been successfully validated in the external cohort. CONCLUSIONS: The AMLNC system offers a time- and labor-saving approach for fully automatic MLNs segmentation and counting in NPC. MLNs counting using AMLNC demonstrated non-inferior performance in survival discrimination compared to manual detection.

Assessment of Developmental Neurotoxicity Using Semi-automatic Behavior Analysis System for Zebrafish.

Traditionally, morphological, conventional, and toxicological approaches have been used to demonstrate neurotoxicity; however, there has been a growing interest in animal behavioral methods for assessing neurotoxicity, both at the scientific and regulatory levels. Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a small tropical freshwater fish currently recognized as a suitable model organism for investigating developmental neurotoxicity. There are many animal-tracking software programms used for behavioral analysis in biomedical research. Some of these software programms require a fee, which may exceed the laboratory budget and require detailed technical equipment. As a solution, freely available programs can be used. However, animal tracking may not be possible due to the glare from the aquatic environment of fish, and the small size of zebrafish embryos makes animal tracking difficult. In our laboratory, we developed a semi-automatic system to overcome these difficulties by using three different software available for free. This chapter explains the system for zebrafish embryos and adult zebrafish.

Sliding-mode variable structure control for complex automatic systems: a survey.

Automatic systems (ASs) can automatically control the work of controlled objects without unattended participation. They have been extensively used in industry, agriculture, automobiles, robots and other fields in recent years. However, the performance of the controller cannot meet the work requirements under complex environmental conditions. Therefore, improving the control performance is one of the difficult problems that automated systems should solve. Sliding-mode variable structure control has the advantages of fast response, insensitivity to uncertainty and interference and easy implementation; thus, it has been extensively used in the field of complex control systems. This article analyses and explains the research status of motors, microgrids, switched systems, aviation guidance, robots, mechanical systems, automobiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and prospects for the application of sliding-mode variable structure control in complex ASs.

APANICU 1.0: sistema automático para la valoración del dolor en las unidades de cuidados intensivos neonatales / APANICU 1.0: an automatic system for pain assessment at neonatal intensive care units

Objetivo: comprobar la conectividad del prototipo APANICU 1.0 (Automatic Pain Assessment in Neonatal Intensive Care Units) y el software de la unidad para valorar el dolor en neonatos, y determinar la concordancia en la valoración del dolor cuando se usa APANICU 1.0 frente a escalas validadas.Método: pilotaje del prototipo (APANICU) que combina y analiza parámetros conductuales y fisiológicos del neonato, adquiere datos del monitor de constantes y registra la actividad del bebé con cámara y micrófono, calculando una cifra de dolor en tiempo real. El estudio se realizó en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos Neonatales del Hospital Universitario Joan XXIII (Tarragona). Dos observadores (A y B) valoraron el dolor del neonato usando las escalas Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) y Susan Givens Bell (SGB), simultáneamente al volcado de APANICU. Se valoró la concordancia intraobservador mediante el coeficiente de correlación intraclase y concordancia entre instrumentos mediante el coeficiente de correlación Rho de Sperman.Resultados: 11 neonatos, edad gestacional media (DE) 32 (7,23) semanas. Coeficiente de correlación intraclase (IC 95%) entre A y B con PIPP fue 0,516 (- 0,800; 0,870), con SGB fue 0,079 (- 2,422; 0,752). Coeficiente de correlación de Spearman entre PIPP (A) y APANICU fue -0,144 (p= 0,67); entre SGB (A) y APANICU fue 0,115 (p= 0,74); entre PIPP (B) y APANICU fue 0,435 (p= 0,18), entre SGB (B) y APANICU fue de 0,077(p= 0,82).Conclusión: APANICU 1.0 emite una cifra de dolor, pero necesita perfeccionarse, ya que los valores obtenidos no se correlacionaron adecuadamente. Se propone mejorar el software creando una versión 2.0.(AU)

Objective: to test the connectivity of the APANICU 1.0 (Automatic Pain Assessment in Neonatal Intensive Care Units) prototype and the software used in the unit to assess pain in newborns, and to determine the consistency in pain assessment when using APANICU 1.0 vs. validated scales.Method: pilot test of the prototype (APANICU) that combines and analyzes behavioral and physiological parameters of the newborn, obtains data from the vital signs monitor, and records the activity of the baby with camera and microphone, calculating a pain figure in real time. The study was conducted in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Universitario Joan XXIII (Tarragona). Two observers (A and B) assessed the pain of the newborn using the Premature Infant Pain Profile (PIPP) and Susan Givens Bell (SGB) scales, simultaneously with APANICU data dump. Consistency between observers was assessed through the coefficient of intra-class correlation, and consistency between instruments through the Spearman’s Rho coefficient of correlation.Results: eleven (11) newborns, with mean gestational age (SD): 32 (7.23) weeks. The coefficient of intra-class correlation (CI 95%) between A and B with PIPP was 0.516 (- 0.800; 0.870): and 0.079 (- 2.422; 0.752) with SGB. The Spearman’s Coefficient of Correlation between PIPP (A) and APANICU was -0.144 (p= 0.67); between SGB (A) and APANICU: 0.115 (p= 0.74); between PIPP (B) and APANICU: 0.435 (p= 0.18), and between SGB (B) and APANICU: 0.077 (p= 0.82).Conclusion: APANICU 1.0 issues a pain figure, but it needs improvement, because the values obtained were not adequately correlated. The proposal is to improve the software by creating a 2.0 version.(AU)

Low-cost automatic temperature monitoring system with alerts for laboratory rearing units.

Monitoring accurately temperature is a key issue in biological studies involving living experimental material. It is especially true for insects which body temperature is mostly controlled by environmental temperature, with profound consequences of a few degrees variation on most physiological processes such as survival, development, fecundity, and mobility. If programmable rearing units can be purchased, it remains important to monitor and store temperature information acquired inside the rearing unit to ensure that observed phenomena are not the result of unintended and not scarily noticeable changes in temperature, and to account for the effect of temperature variation in statistical analysis. As most laboratories involved in insect rearing dispose of a large number of rearing units, the technical solution should meet the monitoring needs while being affordable and adaptable to various experimental designs. For that purpose, we designed a low cost (below 100€) and open source automatic temperature monitoring system for rearing units in laboratory. Key features providing advantage over pre-existing methods include: •Highly configurable temperature monitoring and life-time storage capacity•Email alerts based on configurable user-defined threshold•Automatic configurable reports in the form of dashboards.

Automated Chemical Sensing Unit Integration for Parallel Optical Interrogation.

We report the integration of an automated chemical optical sensing unit for the parallel interrogation of 12 BICELLs in a sensing chip. The work was accomplished under the European Project Enviguard (FP7-OCEAN-2013-614057) with the aim of demonstrating an optical nano-biosensing unit for the in-situ detection of various chemical pollutants simultaneously in oceanic waters. In this context, we designed an optical sensing chip based on resonant nanopillars (R-NPs) transducers organized in a layout of twelve biophotonic sensing cells (BICELLs). The sensing chip is interrogated in reflection with a 12-channels optical spectrometer equipped with an embedded computer-on-chip performing image processing for the simultaneous acquisition and analysis (resonant mode fitting) of the 12 spectra. A microfluidic chip and an automated flow control system composed of four pumps and a multi-path micro-valve makes it possible to drive different complex protocols. A rack was designed ad-hoc for the integration of all the modules. As a proof of concept, fluids of different refractive index (RI) were flowed in the system in order to measure the time response (sensogram) of the R-NPs under optical reflectance, and assess the sensors' bulk sensitivity (285.9 ± 16.4 nm/RIU) and Limit of Detection (LoD) (2.95 × 10-6 RIUS). The real-time response under continuous flow of a sensor chip based on R-NP is showed for the first time, obtaining 12 sensograms simultaneously, featuring the unit as a potential excellent multiplexed detection system. These results indicate the high potential of the developed chemical sensing unit to be used for in-situ, multiplex and automatic optical biosensing.

Imaging cell picker: A morphology-based automated cell separation system on a photodegradable hydrogel culture platform.

Cellular morphology on and in a scaffold composed of extracellular matrix generally represents the cellular phenotype. Therefore, morphology-based cell separation should be interesting method that is applicable to cell separation without staining surface markers in contrast to conventional cell separation methods (e.g., fluorescence activated cell sorting and magnetic activated cell sorting). In our previous study, we have proposed a cloning technology using a photodegradable gelatin hydrogel to separate the individual cells on and in hydrogels. To further expand the applicability of this photodegradable hydrogel culture platform, we here report an image-based cell separation system imaging cell picker for the morphology-based cell separation on a photodegradable hydrogel. We have developed the platform which enables the automated workflow of image acquisition, image processing and morphology analysis, and collection of a target cells. We have shown the performance of the morphology-based cell separation through the optimization of the critical parameters that determine the system's performance, such as (i) culture conditions, (ii) imaging conditions, and (iii) the image analysis scheme, to actually clone the cells of interest. Furthermore, we demonstrated the morphology-based cloning performance of cancer cells in the mixture of cells by automated hydrogel degradation by light irradiation and pipetting.

Evaluation of the accuracy and clinical practicality of a calculation system for patient positional displacement in carbon ion radiotherapy at five sites.

PURPOSE: We developed a system for calculating patient positional displacement between digital radiography images (DRs) and digitally reconstructed radiography images (DRRs) to reduce patient radiation exposure, minimize individual differences between radiological technologists in patient positioning, and decrease positioning time. The accuracy of this system at five sites was evaluated with clinical data from cancer patients. The dependence of calculation accuracy on the size of the region of interest (ROI) and initial position was evaluated for clinical use. METHODS: For a preliminary verification, treatment planning and positioning data from eight setup patterns using a head and neck phantom were evaluated. Following this, data from 50 patients with prostate, lung, head and neck, liver, or pancreatic cancer (n = 10 each) were evaluated. Root mean square errors (RMSEs) between the results calculated by our system and the reference positions were assessed. The reference positions were manually determined by two radiological technologists to best-matching positions with orthogonal DRs and DRRs in six axial directions. The ROI size dependence was evaluated by comparing RMSEs for three different ROI sizes. Additionally, dependence on initial position parameters was evaluated by comparing RMSEs for four position patterns. RESULTS: For the phantom study, the average (± standard deviation) translation error was 0.17 ± 0.05, rotation error was 0.17 ± 0.07, and ΔD was 0.14 ± 0.05. Using the optimal ROI size for each patient site, all cases of prostate, lung, and head and neck cancer with initial position parameters of 10 mm or under were acceptable in our tolerance. However, only four liver cancer cases and three pancreatic cancer cases were acceptable, because of low-reproducibility regions in the ROIs. CONCLUSION: Our system has clinical practicality for prostate, lung, and head and neck cancer cases. Additionally, our findings suggest ROI size dependence in some cases.

A soft material for chromium speciation in water samples using a chemiluminescence automatic system.

A soft material formed by multiwall carbon nanotubes and 1-butyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride was used as sorbent material to perform the chromium speciation in natural waters. This soft material was not yet used for the speciation of metals as chromium. Thus, a multicommutated flow system containing a minicolumn packed with the soft material was designed. The procedure was based on the capacity of the sorbent to retain Cr(VI) as Cr2O7= and allow to pass Cr(III) through the column. Then, a fully automated flow-batch analysis system was developed to quantify both species using chemiluminescence detection. Thus, Cr(III) was determined as catalyst of the luminol and hydrogen peroxide reaction and Cr(VI) as oxidant of luminol reaction. This represents a new approach because the oxidation of luminol using Cr2O7= has not been reported in literature. The variables of the two systems were optimized. The limits of detection were 1.4 µg L-1 for Cr(VI) and 4.0 µg L-1 for Cr(III). The precision of the method was 3.8% and 7.0% for Cr(VI) and Cr(III), respectively. The present method was applied to real water samples with recoveries between 95% and 107%. Besides, these results were in accordance with those obtained using inductive coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry technique.

CATOS (Computer Aided Training/Observing System): Automating animal observation and training.

In animal behavioral biology, an automated observing/training system may be useful for several reasons: (a) continuous observation of animals for documentation of specific, irregular events, (b) long-term intensive training of animals in preparation for behavioral experiments, (c) elimination of potential cues and biases induced by humans during training and testing. Here, we describe an open-source-based system named CATOS (Computer Aided Training/Observing System) developed for such situations. There are several notable features in this system. CATOS is flexible and low cost because it is based on free open-source software libraries, common hardware parts, and open-system electronics based on Arduino. Automated video condensation is applied, leading to significantly reduced video data storage compared to the total active hours of the system. A data-viewing utility program helps a user browse recorded data quickly and more efficiently. With these features, CATOS has the potential to be applied to many different animal species in various environments such as laboratories, zoos, or even private homes. Also, an animal's free access to the device without constraint, and a gamified learning process, enhance the animal's welfare and enriches their environment. As a proof of concept, the system was built and tested with two different species. Initially, the system was tested for approximately 10 months with a domesticated cat. The cat was successfully and fully automatically trained to discriminate three different spoken words. Then, in order to test the system's adaptability to other species and hardware components, we used it to train a laboratory rat for 3 weeks.

Human Identification Using Automatic and Semi-Automatically Detected Facial Marks.

Continuing advancements in the field of digital cameras and surveillance imaging devices have led law enforcement and intelligence agencies to use analysis of images and videos for the investigation and prosecution of crime. When determining identity from photographic evidence, forensic analysts perform comparison of visible facial features manually, which is inefficient. In this study, we will address research efforts to use facial marks as biometric signatures to distinguish between individuals. We propose two systems to assist forensic analysts during photographic comparison: an improved multiscale facial mark system in which facial marks are detected automatically, and a semi-automatic facial mark system that integrates human knowledge within the improved multiscale facial mark system. Experiment results employ a high-resolution time-elapsed dataset acquired at the University of Notre Dame between 2009 and 2011. The results indicate that the geometric distributions of facial mark patterns can be used to distinguish between individuals.

Practice and Experience of the Application of Automatic Pharmacy System in Outpatient Pharmacy of Our Hospital / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To provide reference for the construction and development of hospital modernization pharmacy in Chi-na,and to promote the application of pharmacy automation system in hospital. METHODS:By introducing the change of pharma-cy management due to the debugging and application of outpatient pharmacy automation system(rapid dispensing machine,intelli-gent access machine)in our hospital,the problems of automation system and countermeasures were put forward,and the effects of automation system in our hospital were evaluated. RESULTS:With the application of automation system,the pharmacy layout was adjusted,the drugs in the machine was debugged and optimized,the procedure on adding drugs and stocktaking drugs were im-proved,the reasonable scheduling work in outpatient pharmacy was worked,the complete management plan on validity of drugs was established;referring to the problems of automation system,the procedures of adding drugs by rapid dispensing machine and intelligent access machine were formulated as well as related working guide. The adding and delivering drug failure emergency han-dling procedure of rapid dispensing machine,intelligent access machine failure emergency handling procedure were formulated ac-cording to the possible fault of automation system. Related index evaluation showed that automation system was applied and continu-ously improved,which reduced labor intensity(step count of pharmacists adding drug decreased from 5 634.6 steps/day to 4 087.8 steps/day);the work efficiency was improved greatly(the number of prescriptions increased from 226.55 sheets/h to 311.55 sheets/h during rush hours);the work error was reduced(the number of dispensing internal error decreased from 54.75 items/week to 21.50 items/week). CONCLUSIONS:After appling the automation system in outpatient pharmacy,the drug dispensing and staff manage-ment has been standardized,and it become the hospital pharmacy development inevitable trend. But it is suggested to adjust and op-timize the automation system continuously so as to exert its maximal efficacy.

A smartphone-based system for the automated management of point-of-care test results in hospitals.

OBJECTIVE: Managing test results is an important issue in hospitals because of the increasing use of point-of-care testing (POCT). Here, we propose a smartphone-based system for automatically managing POCT test results. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We developed the system to provide convenience to the medical staffs. The system recognizes the patient identification or prescription number of the test by reading barcodes and provides a countdown to indicate when the results will be ready. When the countdown in finished, a picture of the test result is transferred to the electronic medical record server using the Health Level 7 protocol. Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) kits were selected in this research because HIV is a life-threatening infectious virus, especially for the medical staff who treat undiagnosed patients. The performance of the system was verified from a survey of the users. RESULTS: The performance of the system was tested at the emergency room (ER) for 10 months using commercially available POCT kits for detecting HIV. The survey showed that, in total, 80% and 0% of users reported positive or negative feedback, respectively. The staff also reported that the system reduced total processing time by approximately 32 min, in addition to reducing workload. CONCLUSIONS: The developed automated management system was successfully tested at an ER for 10 months. The survey results show that the system is effective and that medical staff members who used the system are satisfied with using the system at the ER.

Optimization of Automatic System in Outpatient Pharmacy Based on PDCA Cycle Management / 中国药房

OBJECTIVE:To provide reference for the optimization of automatic system in outpatient pharmacy of the hospital. METHODS:Based on PDCA(Plan,Do,Check and Action)cycle management,the modules for adding and dispensing drugs of the automatic system in the outpatient pharmacy were optimized and the work records and quality indexes before (July-September in 2013) and after (May-July in 2014) the optimization were compared. RESULTS:By the optimization of the software system, hardware equipment and staff training,the error rate of adding drugs was reduced by 95%,daily box number of added drugs was increased by 30.9%,monthly box number of drugs damaged by the machine was decreased by 80%,the error rate of dropping drugs was decreased by 96.6%,and the frequency of machine fault was decreased by 87.5%,compared with before. CONCLU-SIONS:By PDCA cycle management,the work efficiency of automatic outpatient pharmacy can be improved,and the errors of prescription dispensing are reduced.