Kidney stone classification from endoscopic images is critical for personalized treatment and recurrence prevention. While convo-lutional neural networks (CNNs) have shown promise in this task, their limited ability to capture long-range dependencies can hinder performance under variable imaging conditions. This study presents a comparative analysis between Vision Transformers (ViTs) and CNN-based models, evaluating their performance on two ex vivo datasets comprising CCD camera and flexible ureteroscope images. The ViT-base model pretrained on ImageNet-21k consistently outperformed a ResNet50 baseline across multiple imaging conditions. For instance, in the most visually complex subset (Section patches from endoscopic images), the ViT model achieved 95.2% accuracy and 95.1% F1-score, compared to 64.5% and 59.3% with ResNet50. In the mixed-view subset from CCD-camera images, ViT reached 87.1% accuracy versus 78.4% with CNN. These improvements extend across precision and recall as well. The results demonstrate that ViT-based architectures provide superior classification performance and offer a scalable alternative to conventional CNNs for kidney stone image analysis.

ABSTRACT The influence of sex and age on cerebral perfusion is recognized, but the specific impacts on regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) and vascular risk remain to be fully characterized. In this study, 3D pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) MRI was used to identify sex and age related CBF patterns, and a vascular risk score (VRS) was developed based on normative perfusion profiles. Perfusion data from 186 cognitively healthy participants (89 males, 97 females; aged 8 to 92 years), obtained from a publicly available dataset, were analyzed. An extension of the 3D Simple Linear Iterative Clustering (SLIC) supervoxel algorithm was applied to CBF maps to group neighboring voxels with similar intensities into anatomically meaningful regions. Regional CBF features were extracted and used to train a convolutional neural network (CNN) for sex classification and perfusion pattern analysis. Global, age related CBF changes were also assessed. Participant specific VRS was computed by comparing individual CBF profiles to age and sex specific normative data to quantify perfusion deficits. A 95 percent accuracy in sex classification was achieved using the proposed supervoxel based method, and distinct perfusion signatures were identified. Higher CBF was observed in females in medial Brod-mann areas 6 and 10, area V5, occipital polar cortex, and insular regions. A global decline in CBF with age was observed in both sexes. Individual perfusion deficits were quantified using VRS, providing a personalized biomarker for early hy-poperfusion. Sex and age specific CBF patterns were identified, and a personalized vascular risk biomarker was proposed, contributing to advancements in precision neurology. Keywords-- 3D pCASL MRI, CBF, age-and sex-specific perfusion patterns, vascular risk score, cognitively healthy 1. INTRODUCTION Arterial Spin Labeling (ASL) is a non-invasive Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technique designed to quantitatively assess cerebral blood flow (CBF) by magnetically labeling endogenous arterial blood water protons without the need for exogenous contrast agents or ionizing radiation [1]. The ASL technique involves three key steps: (i) magnetic labeling of arterial blood proximal to the imaging region, (ii) delivery of magnetically tagged blood to brain tissue altering the local MR signal, and (iii) acquisition of paired labeled and control images whose subtraction yields perfusion-weighted maps [1].

As machine learning systems become increasingly integrated into high-stakes decision-making processes, ensuring fairness in algorithmic outcomes has become a critical concern. Methods to mitigate bias typically fall into three categories: pre-processing, in-processing, and post-processing. While significant attention has been devoted to the latter two, pre-processing methods, which operate at the data level and offer advantages such as model-agnosticism and improved privacy compliance, have received comparatively less focus and lack standardised evaluation tools. In this work, we introduce FairPrep, an extensible and modular benchmarking framework designed to evaluate fairness-aware pre-processing techniques on tabular datasets. Built on the AIF360 platform, FairPrep allows seamless integration of datasets, fairness interventions, and predictive models. It features a batch-processing interface that enables efficient experimentation and automatic reporting of fairness and utility metrics. By offering standardised pipelines and supporting reproducible evaluations, FairPrep fills a critical gap in the fairness benchmarking landscape and provides a practical foundation for advancing data-level fairness research.

This study evaluates the performance of several machine learning models for predicting hazardous near-Earth objects (NEOs) through a binary classification framework, including data scaling, power transformation, and cross-validation. Six classifiers were compared, namely Random Forest Classifier (RFC), Gradient Boosting Classifier (GBC), Support Vector Classifier (SVC), Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Logistic Regression (LR), and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN). RFC and GBC performed the best, both with an impressive F2-score of 0.987 and 0.986, respectively, with very small variability. SVC followed, with a lower but reasonable score of 0.896. LDA and LR had a moderate performance with scores of around 0.749 and 0.748, respectively, while KNN had a poor performance with a score of 0.691 due to difficulty in handling complex data patterns. RFC and GBC also presented great confusion matrices with a negligible number of false positives and false negatives, which resulted in outstanding accuracy rates of 99.7% and 99.6%, respectively. These findings highlight the power of ensemble methods for high precision and recall and further point out the importance of tailored model selection with regard to dataset characteristics and chosen evaluation metrics. Future research could focus on the optimization of hyperparameters with advanced features engineering to further the accuracy and robustness of the model on NEO hazard predictions.

Distribution shift, a change in the statistical properties of data over time, poses a critical challenge for deep learning anomaly detection systems. Existing anomaly detection systems often struggle to adapt to these shifts. Specifically, systems based on supervised learning require costly manual labeling, while those based on unsupervised learning rely on clean data, which is difficult to obtain, for shift adaptation. Both of these requirements are challenging to meet in practice. In this paper, we introduce NetSight, a framework for supervised anomaly detection in network data that continually detects and adapts to distribution shifts in an online manner. NetSight eliminates manual intervention through a novel pseudo-labeling technique and uses a knowledge distillation-based adaptation strategy to prevent catastrophic forgetting. Evaluated on three long-term network datasets, NetSight demonstrates superior adaptation performance compared to state-of-the-art methods that rely on manual labeling, achieving F1-score improvements of up to 11.72%. This proves its robustness and effectiveness in dynamic networks that experience distribution shifts over time.

Existing methods for concealed visual perception (CVP) often leverage reversible strategies to decrease uncertainty, yet these are typically confined to the mask domain, leaving the potential of the RGB domain underexplored. To address this, we propose a reversible unfolding network with generative refinement, termed RUN++. Specifically, RUN++ first formulates the CVP task as a mathematical optimization problem and unfolds the iterative solution into a multi-stage deep network. This approach provides a principled way to apply reversible modeling across both mask and RGB domains while leveraging a diffusion model to resolve the resulting uncertainty. Each stage of the network integrates three purpose-driven modules: a Concealed Object Region Extraction (CORE) module applies reversible modeling to the mask domain to identify core object regions; a Context-Aware Region Enhancement (CARE) module extends this principle to the RGB domain to foster better foreground-background separation; and a Finetuning Iteration via Noise-based Enhancement (FINE) module provides a final refinement. The FINE module introduces a targeted Bernoulli diffusion model that refines only the uncertain regions of the segmentation mask, harnessing the generative power of diffusion for fine-detail restoration without the prohibitive computational cost of a full-image process. This unique synergy, where the unfolding network provides a strong uncertainty prior for the diffusion model, allows RUN++ to efficiently direct its focus toward ambiguous areas, significantly mitigating false positives and negatives. Furthermore, we introduce a new paradigm for building robust CVP systems that remain effective under real-world degradations and extend this concept into a broader bi-level optimization framework.

Purpose: To classify eyes as slow or fast glaucoma progressors in patients with primary angle closure glaucoma (PACG) using an integrated approach combining optic nerve head (ONH) structural features and sector-based visual field (VF) functional parameters. Methods: PACG patients with >5 reliable VF tests over >5 years were included. Progression was assessed in Zeiss Forum, with baseline VF within six months of OCT. Fast progression was VFI decline <-2.0% per year; slow progression >-2.0% per year. OCT volumes were AI-segmented to extract 31 ONH parameters. The Glaucoma Hemifield Test defined five regions per hemifield, aligned with RNFL distribution. Mean sensitivity per region was combined with structural parameters to train ML classifiers. Multiple models were tested, and SHAP identified key predictors. Main outcome measures: Classification of slow versus fast progressors using combined structural and functional data. Results: We analyzed 451 eyes from 299 patients. Mean VFI progression was -0.92% per year; 369 eyes progressed slowly and 82 rapidly. The Random Forest model combining structural and functional features achieved the best performance (AUC = 0.87, 2000 Monte Carlo iterations). SHAP identified six key predictors: inferior MRW, inferior and inferior-temporal RNFL thickness, nasal-temporal LC curvature, superior nasal VF sensitivity, and inferior RNFL and GCL+IPL thickness. Models using only structural or functional features performed worse with AUC of 0.82 and 0.78, respectively. Conclusions: Combining ONH structural and VF functional parameters significantly improves classification of progression risk in PACG. Inferior ONH features, MRW and RNFL thickness, were the most predictive, highlighting the critical role of ONH morphology in monitoring disease progression.

Quantum computing, with its ability to do exponentially faster computation compared to classical systems, has found novel applications in various fields such as machine learning and recommendation systems. Quantum Machine Learning (QML), which integrates quantum computing with machine learning techniques, presents powerful new tools for data processing and pattern recognition. This paper proposes a hybrid recommendation system that combines Quantum Hopfield Associative Memory (QHAM) with deep neural networks to improve the extraction and classification on the MovieLens 1M dataset. User archetypes are clustered into multiple unique groups using the K-Means algorithm and converted into polar patterns through the encoder's activation function. These polar patterns are then integrated into the variational QHAM-based hybrid recommendation model. The system was trained using the MSE loss over 35 epochs in an ideal environment, achieving an ROC value of 0.9795, an accuracy of 0.8841, and an F-1 Score of 0.8786. Trained with the same number of epochs in a noisy environment using a custom Qiskit AER noise model incorporating bit-flip and readout errors with the same probabilities as in real quantum hardware, it achieves an ROC of 0.9177, an accuracy of 0.8013, and an F-1 Score equal to 0.7866, demonstrating consistent performance. Additionally, we were able to optimize the qubit overhead present in previous QHAM architectures by efficiently updating only one random targeted qubit. This research presents a novel framework that combines variational quantum computing with deep learning, capable of dealing with real-world datasets with comparable performance compared to purely classical counterparts. Additionally, the model can perform similarly well in noisy configurations, showcasing a steady performance and proposing a promising direction for future usage in recommendation systems.

The automation of robotic tasks requires high precision and adaptability, particularly in force-based operations such as insertions. Traditional learning-based approaches either rely on static datasets, which limit their ability to generalize, or require frequent manual intervention to maintain good performances. As a result, ensuring long-term reliability without human supervision remains a significant challenge. To address this, we propose an adaptive self-supervised learning framework for insertion classification that continuously improves its precision over time. The framework operates in real-time, incrementally refining its classification decisions by integrating newly acquired force data. Unlike conventional methods, it does not rely on pre-collected datasets but instead evolves dynamically with each task execution. Through real-world experiments, we demonstrate how the system progressively reduces execution time while maintaining near-perfect precision as more samples are processed. This adaptability ensures long-term reliability in force-based robotic tasks while minimizing the need for manual intervention.

Large Language Models (LLMs) frequently generate hallucinations: statements that are syntactically plausible but lack factual grounding. This research presents KEA (Kernel-Enriched AI) Explain: a neurosymbolic framework that detects and explains such hallucinations by comparing knowledge graphs constructed from LLM outputs with ground truth data from Wikidata or contextual documents. Using graph kernels and semantic clustering, the method provides explanations for detected hallucinations, ensuring both robustness and interpretability. Our framework achieves competitive accuracy in detecting hallucinations across both open- and closed-domain tasks, and is able to generate contrastive explanations, enhancing transparency. This research advances the reliability of LLMs in high-stakes domains and provides a foundation for future work on precision improvements and multi-source knowledge integration.