U-Net++ is one of the most prominent deep convolutional neural networks in field medical image segmentation after U-Net. However, semantic gaps between encoder and decoder subnets are still large, which will lead to fuzzy feature maps even target regions segmentation. To solve this problem, we propose an improved model utilizing channel attention mechanism Laplacian sharpening filter, SCU-Net++...

While services such as Amazon AWS make computing power abundantly available, adding more computing nodes can incur high costs in, for instance, pay-as-you-go plans while not always significantly improving the net running time (aka wall-clock time) of queries. In this work, we provide algorithms for parallel evaluation of SGF queries in MapReduce that optimize total time, while retaining low net...

There have been a number of proposals for usage-sensitive payment schemes for the Internet. This paper considers one aspect of payment for service in the Internet, which is the problem of allocating payment between the sender and the receivers of traffic. It proposed a scheme, called zone-based cost shar ing , in which the sender and the receiver can pay some proportion of the cost for use of t...

This study projects how much Medicare beneficiaries who sign up for the standard Part D drug benefit in 2006 will pay in quarterly out-of-pocket payments through 2008. In the first year we estimate that about 38 percent of enrollees will hit the benefit's no-coverage zone, known as the "doughnut hole," and that 14 percent will exceed the catastrophic threshold. Because drug spending is highly p...

BACKGROUND In view of high out-of-pocket costs and low spending even for basic healthcare for the poor employed in the unorganized sector, policy makers in India have turned their attention to developing a financing mechanism for social health insurance with the desire to provide quality care to the poor and economically disadvantaged. OBJECTIVES This study aims to assess and determine the di...

As more subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) systems are being installed throughout the plains of Texas for cotton production, irrigators are concerned about the high cost of installation and the potential benefits of alternative designs. A field study was conducted at the Texas AgriLife Research facilities at Halfway, Texas, to document the agronomic impacts of distribution uniformities on cotton ...

Approximately 85% of the water consumed in Chile is destined to agricultural irrigation and is managed by the users themselves. This study analyzed the price that irrigation water users pay to their Water User Associations (WUAs) to which they belong and the relationship of this price to the professional level and performance of the WUAs. The study included 24 WUAs: 10 River Administration Boar...

The over-exploited groundwater resources on the North China Plain have caused ecological problems, including lowering of the groundwater table, enlarging the depression zone and land subsidence. The contingent valuation method, a technique that reveals peoples’ preferences, is applied to measure the in situ value of groundwater in order to provide policy makers information on protection and res...