Siqi Chen

Siqi Chen, Shanyue Guan

The advancement of UAV technology has enabled efficient, non-contact structural health monitoring. Combined with photogrammetry, UAVs can capture high-resolution scans and reconstruct detailed 3D models of infrastructure. However, a key challenge remains in segmenting specific structural components from these models-a process traditionally reliant on time-consuming and error-prone manual labeling. To address this issue, we propose a machine learning-based framework for automated segmentation of 3D point clouds. Our approach uses the complementary strengths of real-world UAV-scanned point clouds and synthetic data generated from Building Information Modeling (BIM) to overcome the limitations associated with manual labeling. Validation on a railroad track dataset demonstrated high accuracy in identifying and segmenting major components such as rails and crossties. Moreover, by using smaller-scale datasets supplemented with BIM data, the framework significantly reduced training time while maintaining reasonable segmentation accuracy. This automated approach improves the precision and efficiency of 3D infrastructure model segmentation and advances the integration of UAV and BIM technologies in structural health monitoring and infrastructure management.

Yiwen Lu, Lu Li, Dazheng Zhang et al.

Sample size calculations for power analysis are critical for clinical research and trial design, yet their complexity and reliance on statistical expertise create barriers for many researchers. We introduce PowerGPT, an AI-powered system integrating large language models (LLMs) with statistical engines to automate test selection and sample size estimation in trial design. In a randomized trial to evaluate its effectiveness, PowerGPT significantly improved task completion rates (99.3% vs. 88.9% for test selection, 99.3% vs. 77.8% for sample size calculation) and accuracy (94.1% vs. 55.4% in sample size estimation, p < 0.001), while reducing average completion time (4.0 vs. 9.3 minutes, p < 0.001). These gains were consistent across various statistical tests and benefited both statisticians and non-statisticians as well as bridging expertise gaps. Already under deployment across multiple institutions, PowerGPT represents a scalable AI-driven approach that enhances accessibility, efficiency, and accuracy in statistical power analysis for clinical research.