Abstract--This study explores the application of deep learning to improve and automate pollen grain detection and classification in both optical and holographic microscopy images, with a particular focus on veterinary cytology use cases. We used YOLOv8s for object detection and MobileNetV3L for the classification task, evaluating their performance across imaging modalities. The models achieved 91.3% mAP50 for detection and 97% overall accuracy for classification on optical images, whereas the initial performance on greyscale holographic images was substantially lower . We addressed the performance gap issue through dataset expansion using automated labeling and bounding box area enlargement. These techniques, applied to holographic images, improved detection performance from 2.49% to 13.3% mAP50 and classification performance from 42% to 54%. Our work demonstrates that, at least for image classification tasks, it is possible to pair deep learning techniques with cost-effective lensless digital holographic microscopy devices. I. INTRODUCTION Microscopy is an integral part of most veterinary medicine diagnostic procedures.

We present a comprehensive study on fully automated pollen recognition across both conventional optical and digital in-line holographic microscopy (DIHM) images of sample slides. Visually recognizing pollen in unreconstructed holographic images remains challenging due to speckle noise, twin-image artifacts and substantial divergence from bright-field appearances. We establish the performance baseline by training YOLOv8s for object detection and MobileNetV3L for classification on a dual-modality dataset of automatically annotated optical and affinely aligned DIHM images. On optical data, detection mAP50 reaches 91.3% and classification accuracy reaches 97%, whereas on DIHM data, we achieve only 8.15% for detection mAP50 and 50% for classification accuracy. Expanding the bounding boxes of pollens in DIHM images over those acquired in aligned optical images achieves 13.3% for detection mAP50 and 54% for classification accuracy. To improve object detection in DIHM images, we employ a Wasserstein GAN with spectral normalization (WGAN-SN) to create synthetic DIHM images, yielding an FID score of 58.246. Mixing real-world and synthetic data at the 1.0 : 1.5 ratio for DIHM images improves object detection up to 15.4%. These results demonstrate that GAN-based augmentation can reduce the performance divide, bringing fully automated DIHM workflows for veterinary imaging a small but important step closer to practice.

Scene reconstruction is an essential capability for underwater robots navigating in close proximity to structures. Monocular vision-based reconstruction methods are unreliable in turbid waters and lack depth scale information. Sonars are robust to turbid water and non-uniform lighting conditions, however, they have low resolution and elevation ambiguity. This work proposes a real-time opti-acoustic scene reconstruction method that is specially optimized to work in turbid water. Our strategy avoids having to identify point features in visual data and instead identifies regions of interest in the data. We then match relevant regions in the image to corresponding sonar data. A reconstruction is obtained by leveraging range data from the sonar and elevation data from the camera image. Experimental comparisons against other vision-based and sonar-based approaches at varying turbidity levels, and field tests conducted in marina environments, validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. We have made our code open-source to facilitate reproducibility and encourage community engagement.

On 3 April 2024, a magnitude 7.4 quake--Taiwan's strongest in 25 years--shook the country's eastern coast. Stringent building codes spared most structures, but mountainous and remote villages were devastated by landslides. When disasters affect large and inaccessible areas, responders often turn to satellite images to pinpoint affected areas and prioritise relief efforts. But mapping landslides from satellite imagery by eye can be time-intensive, said Lorenzo Nava, who is jointly based at Cambridge's Departments of Earth Sciences and Geography. "In the aftermath of a disaster, time really matters," he said.

Leveraging advancements in artificial intelligence, we introduce a deep learning-based method for efficiently characterizing heterostructures and 2D materials, specifically MoS 2-MoSe 2 lateral heterostructures and MoS 2 flakes with varying shapes and thicknesses. By utilizing YOLO models, we achieve an accuracy rate of over 94.67% in identifying these materials. Additionally, we explore the application of transfer learning across different materials, which further enhances model performance. This model exhibits robust generalization and anti-interference ability, ensuring reliable results in diverse scenarios. To facilitate practical use, we have developed an application that enables real-time analysis directly from optical microscope images, making the process significantly faster and more cost-effective than traditional methods. This deep learning-driven approach represents a promising tool for the rapid and accurate characterization of 2D materials, opening new avenues for research and development in material science. Keywords 2D material, TMDs, lateral heterostructure, deep learning, instance segmentation, morphology characterization Introduction Two-dimensional (2D) materials have attracted significant attention due to their excellent mechanical, electrical, thermal, and optical properties, making them ideal candidates for next-generation technologies.

In remote sensing scene classification, leveraging the transfer methods with well-trained optical models is an efficient way to overcome label scarcity. However, cloud contamination leads to optical information loss and significant impacts on feature distribution, challenging the reliability and stability of transferred target models. Common solutions include cloud removal for optical data or directly using Synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data in the target domain. However, cloud removal requires substantial auxiliary data for support and pre-training, while directly using SAR disregards the unobstructed portions of optical data. This study presents a scene classification transfer method that synergistically combines multi-modality data, which aims to transfer the source domain model trained on cloudfree optical data to the target domain that includes both cloudy optical and SAR data at low cost. Specifically, the framework incorporates two parts: (1) the collaborative transfer strategy, based on knowledge distillation, enables the efficient prior knowledge transfer across heterogeneous data; (2) the information regulation mechanism (IRM) is proposed to address the modality imbalance issue during transfer. It employs auxiliary models to measure the contribution discrepancy of each modality, and automatically balances the information utilization of modalities during the target model learning process at the sample-level. The transfer experiments were conducted on simulated and real cloud datasets, demonstrating the superior performance of the proposed method compared to other solutions in cloud-covered scenarios. We also verified the importance and limitations of IRM, and further discussed and visualized the modality imbalance problem during the model transfer. Codes are available at https://github.com/wangyuze-csu/ESCCS

Pressure injury (PI) detection is challenging, especially in dark skin tones, due to the unreliability of visual inspection. Thermography has been suggested as a viable alternative as temperature differences in the skin can indicate impending tissue damage. Although deep learning models have demonstrated considerable promise toward reliably detecting PI, the existing work fails to evaluate the performance on darker skin tones and varying data collection protocols. In this paper, we introduce a new thermal and optical imaging dataset of 35 participants focused on darker skin tones where temperature differences are induced through cooling and cupping protocols. We vary the image collection process to include different cameras, lighting, patient pose, and camera distance. We compare the performance of a small convolutional neural network (CNN) trained on either the thermal or the optical images on all skin tones. Our preliminary results suggest that thermography-based CNN is robust to data collection protocols for all skin tones.

The utility of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery in remote sensing and satellite image analysis is well established, offering robustness under various weather and lighting conditions. However, SAR images, characterized by their unique structural and texture characteristics, often pose interpretability challenges for analysts accustomed to electrooptical (EO) imagery. This application compares state-of-the-art Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) including Pix2Pix, CycleGan, S-CycleGan, and a novel dualgenerator GAN utilizing partial convolutions and a novel dual-generator architecture utilizing transformers. These models are designed to progressively refine the realism in the translated optical images, thereby enhancing the visual interpretability of SAR data. We demonstrate the efficacy of our approach through qualitative and quantitative evaluations, comparing the synthesized EO images with actual EO images in terms of visual fidelity and feature preservation. The results show significant improvements in interpretability, making SAR data more accessible for analysts familiar with EO imagery. Furthermore, we explore the potential of this technology in various applications, including environmental monitoring, urban planning, and military reconnaissance, where rapid, accurate interpretation of SAR data is crucial. Our research contributes to the field of remote sensing by bridging the gap between SAR and EO imagery, offering a novel tool for enhanced data interpretation and broader application of SAR technology in various domains. NTRODUCTION Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) systems are capable of creating high-resolution remote sensing images of the earths surface from satellite and aircraft. These images offer several key advantages over standard electro-optical (EO) images, most significantly, the ability to penetrate clouds and operate independently of daylight, which has led to SAR systems being deployed extensively in various fields, including environmental monitoring, natural disaster assessment, military reconnaissance, and geological mapping [1]. Figure 1 shows the benefit of a SAR image when cloud coverage is present. Despite these advantages, SAR images poses significant challenges and still has drawbacks compared to EO images, specifically regarding human interpretability.

Satellite image time series (SITS) segmentation is crucial for many applications like environmental monitoring, land cover mapping and agricultural crop type classification. However, training models for SITS segmentation remains a challenging task due to the lack of abundant training data, which requires fine grained annotation. We propose S4 a new self-supervised pre-training approach that significantly reduces the requirement for labeled training data by utilizing two new insights: (a) Satellites capture images in different parts of the spectrum such as radio frequencies, and visible frequencies. (b) Satellite imagery is geo-registered allowing for fine-grained spatial alignment. We use these insights to formulate pre-training tasks in S4. We also curate m2s2-SITS, a large-scale dataset of unlabeled, spatially-aligned, multi-modal and geographic specific SITS that serves as representative pre-training data for S4. Finally, we evaluate S4 on multiple SITS segmentation datasets and demonstrate its efficacy against competing baselines while using limited labeled data.

Fecal incontinence, arising from a myriad of pathogenic mechanisms, has attracted considerable global attention. Despite its significance, the replication of the defecatory system for studying fecal incontinence mechanisms remains limited largely due to social stigma and taboos. Inspired by the rectum's functionalities, we have developed a soft robotic system, encompassing a power supply, pressure sensing, data acquisition systems, a flushing mechanism, a stage, and a rectal module. The innovative soft rectal module includes actuators inspired by sphincter muscles, both soft and rigid covers, and soft rectum mold. The rectal mold, fabricated from materials that closely mimic human rectal tissue, is produced using the mold replication fabrication method. Both the soft and rigid components of the mold are realized through the application of 3D-printing technology. The sphincter muscles-inspired actuators featuring double-layer pouch structures are modeled and optimized based on multilayer perceptron methods aiming to obtain high contractions ratios (100 %), high generated pressure (9.8 kPa), and small recovery time (3 s). Upon assembly, this defecation robot is capable of smoothly expelling liquid faeces, performing controlled solid fecal cutting, and defecating extremely solid long faeces, thus closely replicating the human rectum and anal canal's functions. This defecation robot has the potential to assist humans in understanding the complex defecation system and contribute to the development of well-being devices related to defecation.