Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Development of an Automatic Rib Sequence Labeling System on Axial Computed Tomography Images with 3-Dimensional Region Growing

This paper proposes a development of automatic rib sequence labeling systems on chest computed tomography (CT) images with two suggested methods and three-dimensional (3D) region growing. In clinical practice, radiologists usually define anatomical terms of location depending on the rib’s number. Thus, with the manual process of labeling 12 pairs of ribs and counting their sequence, it is necessary to refer to the annotations every time the radiologists read chest CT. However, the process is tedious, repetitive, and time-consuming as the demand for chest CT-based medical readings has increased. To handle the task efficiently, we proposed an automatic rib sequence labeling system and implemented comparison analysis on two methods. With 50 collected chest CT images, we implemented intensity-based image processing (IIP) and a convolutional neural network (CNN) for rib segmentation on this system. Additionally, three-dimensional (3D) region growing was used to classify each rib’s label and put in a sequence label. The IIP-based method reported a 92.0% and the CNN-based method reported a 98.0% success rate, which is the rate of labeling appropriate rib sequences over whole pairs (1st to 12th) for all slices. We hope for the applicability thereof in clinical diagnostic environments by this method-efficient automatic rib sequence labeling system.
Femtosecond Pulsed Fiber Laser Based on Graphdiyne-Modified Tapered Fiber

We report the application of saturable absorbers prepared from graphdiyne-modified tapered fibers to an erbium-doped fiber laser to achieve a femtosecond pulse output. Graphdiyne quantum dots are successfully prepared by the Glaser–Hay method. The graphdiyne-based all-fiber saturable absorber device exhibited strongly saturable absorption characteristics with a modulation depth of 18.06% and a saturation intensity of 103.5 W. The net dispersion of the erbium-doped fiber laser cavity is ~0.016 ps2, and a femtosecond pulse output with a bandwidth of 26.3 nm, a pulse width of 135.8 fs, and a single pulse capability of 54 pJ is obtained. This work lays the foundation for the application of the nonlinear optical material, graphdiyne, in ultrafast photonics.
Glucose Metabolism Intervention-Facilitated Nanomedicine Therapy

Abstract Ordinarily, cancer cells possess features of abnormally increased nutrient intake and metabolic pathways. The disorder of glucose metabolism is the most important among them. Therefore, starvation therapy targeting glucose metabolism specifically, which results in metabolic disorders, restricted synthesis, and inhibition of tumor growth, has been developed for cancer therapy. However, issues such as inadequate targeting effectiveness and drug tolerance impede their clinical transformation. In recent years, nanomaterial-assisted starvation treatment has made significant progress in addressing these challenges, whether as a monotherapy or in combination with other medications. Herein, representative researches on the construction of nanosystems conducting starvation therapy are introduced. Elaborate designs and interactions between different treatment mechanisms are meticulously mentioned. Not only are traditional treatments based on glucose oxidase involved, but also newly sprung small molecule agents targeting glucose metabolism. The obstacles and potential for advancing these anticancer therapies were also highlighted in this review.
Discrepancy in assimilated atmospheric CO over East Asia in 2015–2020 by assimilating satellite and surface CO measurements

Abstract. Satellite and surface carbon monoxide (CO) observations have been widely used to investigate the sources and variabilities of atmospheric CO. However, comparative analyses to explore the effects of satellite and surface measurements on atmospheric CO assimilations are still lacking. Here we investigate the assimilated atmospheric CO over East Asia in 2015–2020, via assimilating CO measurements from the Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere (MOPITT) instrument and Ministry of Ecology and Environment of China (MEE) monitoring network. We find noticeable inconsistencies in the assimilations: the adjusted CO columns (Xco) are about 162, 173 and 172 ppb by assimilating surface CO measurements, in contrast to 138–144, 149–155 and 144–151 ppb by assimilating MOPITT CO observations over East China, the North China Plain (NCP), and the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), respectively. These inconsistencies could be associated with possible representation errors due to differences between urban and regional CO backgrounds. Furthermore, the adjusted surface CO concentrations are about 631, 806, and 657 ppb by assimilating surface CO measurements, in contrast to 418–427, 627–639 and 500–509 ppb by assimilating MOPITT CO observations over East China, NCP, and YRD, respectively; assimilations of normalized surface CO measurements (to mitigate the influences of representation errors) indicate declines of CO columns by about 2.2, 2.1, and 1.8 ppb yr−1, in contrast to 0.63–0.86, 0.97–1.29, and 1.0–1.27 ppb yr−1 by assimilating MOPITT CO measurements over East China, South Korea, and Japan, respectively. These discrepancies reflect the different vertical sensitivities of satellite and surface observations in the lower and free troposphere. This work demonstrates the importance of integrating information from satellite and surface measurements to provide a more accurate evaluation of atmospheric CO changes.
The Mediating Effect of Traditional Gender Beliefs on the Relationship between Gender Disparities and Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration

ABSTRACT Intimate partner violence (IPV) perpetration risk may be increased or reduced within a couple depending on adherence to traditional gender roles. The purpose of this study is to determine how gender role disparities (when a woman earns more or is more educated than a man) are associated with men’s IPV perpetration and whether traditional gender belief adherence is a mediator for these associations. Survey data from the United Nations Multi-Country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific were used to examine differences in IPV perpetration among a sample of 4,303 men, for relationships where the woman earns more or is more educated than the man as well as traditional gender beliefs as a mediator between gender role disparities and perpetration. The findings indicate that gender disparities predict IPV perpetration, and the effect is mediated through traditional gender beliefs. However, the direction of the effects differed for different types of disparities, with income disparities increasing the risk of IPV perpetration and educational disparities reducing perpetration. Efforts to increase women’s education may lower their male partner’s risk of perpetrating IPV, while economic interventions increasing women’s earnings above their male partners may have the unintended consequence of increasing risk of IPV.
Leg Propulsion Mechanism Design of a Lizard Inspired Robot

Based on a previous research that verified the effects of lateral undulation of a bipedal running lizard, Callisaurus Draconoides, a novel robotic system was proposed. For this novel robotic system, the leg mechanism that resembles the running characteristics of the real lizard is the most important component in successfully developing the robot. This study focused on the synthesis of a leg propulsion mechanism of a lizard inspired robot. As a first step, data from a running lizard was acquired by a motion captured video. The four bar mechanism was utilized in mimicking the trajectory of the feet of the lizard, and optimization scheme was applied to determine the optimal lengths of the links of the proposed mechanism. Finally, running experiment was carried out with the designed leg mechanism on a treadmill, concluded with a performance analysis
Information Communication Technology and Infant Mortality in Low-Income Countries: Empirical Study Using Panel Data Models

According to the World Health Organization, lower-income countries suffer from adverse health issues more than higher-income countries. Information and communication technologies (ICT) have the potential to resolve these issues. Previous research has analyzed the theoretical and empirical causal effects of ICT on infant mortality at country-specific and global levels for a short period of time. However, the causes and results could be different in low-income countries. The objective of this paper was to examine the deficiencies through the use of panel data from 27 low-income countries from 2000–2017. We applied the predictive mean matching technique to supplement the missing data and then used panel data techniques (i.e., fixed effects (FE) and pooled common correlated effects (PCCE)), and system-GMM to estimate the causal effects. We compared the consistency and the possible heterogeneity of previous results using a set of robust techniques and empirical tests. We found that internet access and, to a lesser extent, cellular mobile subscriptions, two of the three ICT variables used in our research, had a significant positive effect on reducing infant mortality in low-income countries. In conclusion, governments and policymakers of low-income countries should consider the availability of internet-related ICT innovations and make them nationally accessible to reduce health crises such as the infant mortality rate.
Design optimization in patch feed line of a circular patch antenna array

Circular microstrip patch antennas with discontinuities in their feed line is presented in this paper. The antennas are composed of a radiating patch, and step discontinuities are given in its feed lines to improve the performance. The three circular microstrip planar array antennas through various signal excitation lines are computationally designed, and PCB etched, and their performance is analyzed based on various feed lines. The proposed array antenna operates in the ISM band at 2.45 GHz. The HFSS is used to design and perform the simulations. A prototype of an antenna effective at 2.45 GHz has been PCB etched and verified for concept demonstration. S11 [dB] at 2.45 GHz is −21.143 dB for straight feed line, −22.0 dB for one step feed line, and −24.72 dB for two-step feed line. The computational and practical outcomes illustrate that the S11 [dB] is enhanced for circular microstrip patch array antennas with two-step feed lines. The simulated and measured scattering parameters and radiation patterns show that they are in good agreement.
Understanding the fundamentals of TiO2 surfaces. Part I. The influence of defect states on the correlation between crystallographic structure, electronic structure and physical properties of single-crystal surfaces

TiO2 is an important material for reasons that are related to fundamental research, as well as to existing and potential technological applications. There is no aspect of the chemistry and physics of TiO2, which is not decisively affected by the presence of defects. An increase in the present state of understanding of the science of TiO2-based material interfaces is essential for progress in this area; such progress is possible thanks to high purity TiO2 single crystals which are ideal for basic investigation of and on titanium dioxide surfaces under carefully controlled laboratory conditions. Surface functionalization through precise control of the nature of the defects, their concentration and arrangement, allows the modification and optimization of the material, or even the generation of completely new targeted properties of the surfaces independent from the bulk. A new generation of TiO2 surfaces with enhanced functionality and performance limits has been successfully created by the use of surface engineering. In Part I of this review, a brief description of the results is given of the experimental and theoretical investigations on the influence of the defect states on the correlation between crystallographic, electronic and atomic geometrical structures of the most technically important single low Miller index titania surfaces and their physical properties. In addition, the formation and detection techniques for surface oxygen vacancies are also considered. Special attention in this area is given to the behaviour of the electrons remaining in the system upon vacancy formation and the ability of current quantum-mechanical modelling methods to provide a precise description of the electronic structure of non-stoichiometric TiO2. These fundamental studies allow scientists to create real functional TiO2 surfaces, such as the targeted nanostructured thin films with predefined structure and properties required for the development of high-performance devices in the fields of energy, environment and health.
An Information Retrieval Algorithm for Accounting Internal Audit Using Multi-Pattern Similarity Matching

The multi-mode matching has noteworthy transformations equated with the classical multi-mode matching algorithms. It is frequently used for the policy part of the TCP connection to connect the English characters. In this article, we analyzed the features of multi-mode similarity for audit information retrieval in a cluttered environment. The proposed model analyzed the performance theorem of a multi-mode matching algorithm for audit information retrieval. It also analyzed the shortcomings of existing multi-mode similarity systems and proposed a multi-mode algorithm based on the trail hash trie matching machine suitable for mixed Chinese and English environments. The algorithm converts the set of pattern strings into multiple finite automata and then builds a state driver using the set of pattern strings. The state driver is driven by the characters of the string to be matched in turn, and each finite automaton is driven by the state driver to achieve similar multimodal matching with mixed English and Chinese characters by allowing the insertion errors. The algorithm does not need to match every character and can make full use of the information of this unsuccessful match during the matching process and skip as many characters as possible by combining the improved text window mechanism. It can control the upper limit of allowed errors for each pattern string. The matching speed is independent of the number k of allowed insertion errors. The algorithm has comprehensive application projections in the fields of information auditing, database, and information retrieval, respectively.
Impact of stratified frequency-dependent soils with variable water content on transmission power lines

This work computes the harmonic grounding impedance (HGI) and the generated Ground Potential Rise (GPR) for a cross- foot grounding system buried in distinct topologies of frequency-independent (FI) and frequency-dependent (FD) soils with variable water content. Then, the overvoltages at the transmission tower hit by two types of lightning strikes are computed for an overhead transmission line (OHTL) located above these soils. Results indicated that harmonic grounding impedance is significantly modified as the water content increases and when the frequency dependence of soil parameters is considered. It is shown that the difference between the overvoltages computed by the FI soil and those computed with the FD soil is higher when towers are located above high resistive soils. However, this difference can be neglected when these towers are located on FD soils with high humid content in comparison with those computed for the same ground modeled by FI soil electrical parameters.
Ultra-low power electronics for energy harvesting node

There face challenges to build power management circuit for microscale electrostatic vibration energy harvesting. Small capacitance variation limited by standard fabrication process is a common obstacle to obtain sufficient transduction for power conversion. The electronic circuit encounters an issue of compatibility to MEMS integration based on available techniques. A key function of the built interface circuit is able to drive and to power the whole system with only power extracted from ambient vibration. Thus, the energy harvesting system becomes completely autonomous without using any extra suppliers or biases. This work is to build an ASIC interface circuit for the MEMS electrostatic energy harvester where range of transducer capacitance is below ∼10 pF. The designed circuit is therefore proper for typical comb-drive overlapping capacitive transducers. The circuit topology consists of three main elements: double charge pump, flyback path and controlling switch. Among them, the switch plays an extremely important role to control the harvesting system. Optimization of switching sequence has significant effect on harvested power from electrostatic transducer. A control circuit is proposed to detect moments and then to turn on/off switch optimally. As a result, the designed circuit is automatic to control the switch during vibration cycles. To be the selfsustaining system, the circuit draws obtained energy stored in reservoir capacitor to power the entire interface circuit. With the current topology including clocking, a net energy of 7.97 nJ is achieved during 1 second when capacitance variation of the transducer has Cmin = 2.156pF and Cmax = 8.624 pF. Alternatively, a voltage-quadrupler circuit topology is designed to be adaptive to the comb-drive overlapping capacitive transducers. A major advantage of this self-sustaining configuration is that by integration of transducer to series-connected rectifier-capacitor combination, output voltage is boosted to infinite value in principle. For example, with an initial voltage 3 V applied for transducer with nominal capacitance of 30 pF, the obtained voltage ramps up to about 14 V after only 40 ms.
Electrically Tunable Solution-Processed Transparent Conductive Thin Films Based on Colloidally Dispersed ITO@Ag Composite Ink

Silver (Ag) introduced colloidal Sn-doped In2O3 (ITO) ink for transparent conductive electrodes (TCEs) was prepared to overcome the limitation of colloidally prepared thin film; low density thin film, high resistance. ITO@Ag colloid ink was made by controlling the weight ratio of ITO and Ag nanoparticles through ball-milling and fabricated using spin coating. These films were dried at 220 °C and heat-treated at 450–750 °C in an air atmosphere to pyrolyze the organic ligand attached to the nanoparticles. All thin films showed high crystallinity. As the thermal treatment temperature increased, films showed a cracked surface, but as the weight percentage of silver increased, a flattened and smooth surface appeared, caused by the metallic silver filling the gap between the nano-particles. This worked as a bridge to allow electrical conduction, which decreases the resistivity over an order of magnitude, from 309 to 0.396, and 0.107 Ω·cm for the ITO-220 °C, ITO-750 °C, and ITO@Ag (7.5 wt.%)-750 °C, respectively. These films also exhibited >90% optical transparency. Lowered resistivity is caused due to the inclusion of silver, providing a sufficient number of charge carriers. Furthermore, the work function difference between ITO and silver builds an ohmic junction, allowing fluent electrical flow without any barrier.
In Vitro and In Vivo Cytotoxicity of Boron Nitride Nanotubes: A Systematic Review

Boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) are an exciting class of nanomaterials due to their unique chemical and physical characteristics. In recent decades, BNNTs have gained huge attention in research and development for various applications, including as nano-fillers for composites, semiconductor devices, hydrogen storage, and as an emerging material in biomedical and tissue engineering applications. However, the toxicity of BNNTs is not clear, and the biocompatibility is not proven yet. In this review, the role of BNNTs in biocompatibility studies is assessed in terms of their characteristics: cell viability, proliferation, therapeutic outcomes, and genotoxicity, which are vital elements for their prospective use in biomedical applications. A systematic review was conducted utilising the databases Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) (2008–2022). Additional findings were discovered manually by snowballing the reference lists of appropriate reviews. Only English-language articles were included. Finally, the significant analysis and discussion of the chosen articles are presented.
Compact Microwave Dual-band Bandpass Filter Design

The modern wireless communication systems require dual-band bandpass filters to support the standards that work at multiple frequency bands. This thesis demonstrates two design approaches for the development of compact microwave dual-band bandpass filters. The first approach is based on synthesising a dual-passband filter response utilising only one resonant frequency of the resonators. The second approach employs dual-band resonators that have tuneable the first and the second resonant frequencies to form the dual-passbands filter response. The dual-passband response synthesis method synthesises a response with dual passbands that is generated by a frequency transformation that places a finite frequency zero within the single- passband of a filter to split it into dual passbands. The transformed dual-passband response is characterised by the synthesised coupling matrix that consists of the coupling coefficients between coupled resonators. Two filters have been designed and fabricated using microstrip square open-loop and TE01δ mode quarter cylindrical dielectric resonators. The investigation based on simulation studies and measured results revealed that unloaded quality factor of the resonator is required to be ten times greater than the quality factor of each passband in order to realise the narrow passbands. The dual-band resonator methods employ multiple resonant modes of the resonator operating at different frequencies to implement the multiple passbands, respectively. Stepped impedance resonators in stripline and coaxial configurations have been presented and analysed for the realisation of dual-band bandpass filters. A second order dual-band bandpass filter formed by coaxial stepped impedance resonators has been designed, fabricated and tested. The measured frequency response agree well with the simulated response. The estimated breakdown power shows that the filter is capable of high power applications. Non-uniform pitch helical resonators are also proposed for the implementation of dual-band bandpass filters. Two non-uniform pitch helical resonator structures have been analytically modelled. The theoretical models of the non- uniform pitch helical resonators have been developed for accurate prediction of its dual-band characteristics. It is also employed in the general design process of the non-uniform pitch helical resonators. Resonator examples have been presented to show the applicability and validity of the analysis and simulation. Three dual-band bandpass filters have been designed and implemented using non-uniform pitch helical resonators. Their measured frequency responses agree reasonably with the ideal responses. Additionally, the simulation shows that the designed dual-band bandpass filters have relatively high power handling capability.