Activity Report of Open Application Course vol.32
Joint Research on Medical Image Analysis with Indonesian Graduate Students and Faculty
Report from the Akinobu Shimizu Laboratory
Institute of Engineering, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology
During the 21-day period from November 11 to December 1, 2018, our laboratory invited graduate student Rasyiqah 'Annani Binti Mohd Rosidi and Assistant Professor Gan Hong Seng from the British Malaysian Institute, Universiti Kuala Lumpur.
The research theme for our project is “fusion of deep learning and semi-automatic segmentation for computer-aided diagnosis of progression patterns in knee osteoarthritis.” Osteoarthritis is a serious diseases that affects the knee joint. The number of osteoarthritic patients in Japan is expected to increase. Image recognition of knee cartilage in MR images is an important process for supporting diagnosis. While at the Tokyo Univ. of Agriculture and Technology, the invitees worked to increase the accuracy of their image recognition by adding processes utilizing deep learning to their existing research. Furthermore, during their stay in Japan, the invitees went to the Nara Institute of Science and Technology to tour the Yoshinobu Sato Laboratory, a leading Japanese research institution in medical image analysis. The invitees interacted with laboratory staff to acquire a broad range of new knowledge.
An introduction of activities held at the Tokyo Univ. of Agriculture and Technology is as follows.
After arriving in Japan, the invitees gave a presentation on research which they conducted in Malaysia. Based on this presentation, all members of the research laboratory participated in a discussion on the contents of joint research and formulated a plan for the invitation period. Specifically, overall joint research was divided into the three steps listed below and a plan was created for each step.
- Create learning labels for knee cartilage
- Study the U-Net network
- Use U-Net to evaluate results of recognition for knee cartilage
Furthermore, students from our laboratory were allocated to each of the three steps to enable participation by as many students as possible. For laboratory students, it was an invaluable opportunity to give explanations and hold discussions in English.
On the day before the invitees returned to Malaysia, they gave an approximately 20-minute presentation on what they had learned at our laboratory. The presentation was held in front of all laboratory members and included a Q&A session. We also held a ceremony to confer completion certificates to our invitees. At the farewell party, the invitees and laboratory members enjoyed cooking and dining together—of course, we were careful to observe the rules of halal food.
Overall, the invitees were able to perform their research according to plan. They spent a fulfilling time at our university and were healthy throughout the duration of their stay.
In closing, I would like to offer my sincere thanks towards all the faculty and staff at our university who cooperated in the implementation of this plan, as well as to all members of our laboratory. Finally, I would like to express my deep gratitude to the Sakura Science Exchange Program for making their support.
