bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Micromorphological evaluation of Daphne mucronata Royle and Myrtus communis L. using scanning electron microscopic techniques
Authors: Dastagir Ghulam , Ahmad Imran , Uza Noor Ul
Published: November 2021

The present study was undertaken to establish micromorphological standards of Daphne mucronata Royle and Myrtus communis (L.). Daphne mucronata Royle is a xerophytic perennial shrub while, Myrtus communis is an evergreen shrub or small tree. Micromorphological investigation is one of the cheapest methods. It will be helpful in the accurate identification of these plants from other species. Results of macroscopic evaluation showed various organoleptic features. Anatomy of the selected plant parts was carried out. It showed a typical dicot structure as it revealed the presence of epidermal cells, crystals, trichomes, cuticle, mesophyll tissues, xylem, phloem, paracytic, and dicytic stomata. Anatomical study facilitates the detection of adulteration with inferior commercial varieties, exhausted drugs, cheaper natural substances, and chemicals. Stomatal number, types, and size of stomata, and palisade ratio of Myrtus communis were observed. These observations will be helpful in the preparation of taxonomic key for the identification of selected species. Powder drug study [scanning electron microscopy (SEM)] showed characteristics histological differentiation. The methods cited here can be measured as characteristics to identify and validate these drugs.
Shifting paths to avoidable ones
Authors: Gurvich Vladimir , Krnc Matjaž , Milanič Martin , Vyalyi Mikhail
Published: November 2021

An extension of an induced path in a graph is an induced path such that deleting the endpoints of results in . An induced path in a graph is said to be avoidable if each of its extensions is contained in an induced cycle. In 2019, Beisegel, Chudovsky, Gurvich, Milanič, and Servatius conjectured that every graph that contains an induced ‐vertex path also contains an avoidable induced path of the same length, and proved the result for . The case was known much earlier, due to a work of Ohtsuki, Cheung, and Fujisawa in 1976. The conjecture was proved for all in 2020 by Bonamy, Defrain, Hatzel, and Thiebaut. In the present paper, using a similar approach, we strengthen their result from a reconfiguration point of view. Namely, we show that in every graph, each induced path can be transformed to an avoidable one by a sequence of shifts, where two induced ‐vertex paths are shifts of each other if their union is an induced path with vertices. We also obtain analogous results for not necessarily induced paths and for walks. In contrast, the statement cannot be extended to trails or to isometric paths.
SARS‐CoV‐2 AY.4.2 variant circulating in Italy: Genomic preliminary insight
Authors: Angeletti Silvia , Giovanetti Marta , Fogolari Marta , Cella Eleonora , De Florio Lucia , Lintas Carla , Veralli Roberta , Francesconi Maria , Caccuri Francesca , De Cesaris Marina , De Flora Cecilia , Ceccarelli Giancarlo , Spoto Silvia , Caruso Arnaldo , Pascarella Stefano , Riva Elisabetta , Ciccozzi Massimo
Published: November 2021

The appearance of emerging variants of SARS‐CoV‐2 carrying mutations into the spike protein has recently raised concern with respect to tracking their transmission and mitigating the impact in the evolving pandemic across countries. AY.4.2, a recently detected Delta variant sublineage, is considered a new variant under investigation (VUI) as it carries specific genetic signatures present in the spike protein, called Y145H and A222V. Here, using genomic epidemiology, we provide the first preliminary insight regarding the circulation of this emerging VUI in Italy.
Microstructural profiles of thalamus and thalamocortical connectivity in patients with disorder of consciousness
Authors: Yu Yamei , Zheng Weihao , Tan Xufei , Li Xiaoxia , Zhang Xiaotong , Gao Jian , Pan Gang , Wu Dan , Luo Benyan
Published: November 2021

Thalamus and thalamocortical connectivity are crucial for consciousness; however, their microstructural changes in patients with a disorder of consciousness (DOC) have not yet been thoroughly characterized. In the present study, we applied the novel fixel‐based analysis to comprehensively investigate the thalamus‐related microstructural abnormalities in 10 patients with DOC using 7‐T diffusion‐weighted imaging data. We found that compared to healthy controls, patients with DOC showed reduced fiber density (FD) and fiber density and cross‐section (FDC) in the mediodorsal, anterior, and ventral anterior thalamic nuclei, while fiber‐bundle cross‐section (FC) was not significantly altered in the thalamus. Impaired thalamocortical connectivity in the DOC cohort was mainly connected to the middle frontal gyrus, anterior cingulate gyrus, fusiform gyrus, and sensorimotor cortices, including the precentral gyrus and postcentral gyrus, with predominant microstructural abnormalities in FD and FDC. Correlation analysis showed that FC of the right mediodorsal thalamus was negatively correlated with the level of consciousness. Our results suggest that microstructural abnormalities of thalamus and thalamocortical connectivity in DOC were mainly attributed to axonal injury. In particular, the microstructural integrity of the thalamus is a vital factor in consciousness generation.
Extraction and characterization of microalgae‐derived phenolics for pharmaceutical applications: A systematic review
Authors: Kapoor Sahil , Singh Meenakshi , Srivastava Atul , Chavali Murthy , Chandrasekhar K. , Verma Pradeep
Published: November 2021

Microalgae are regarded as a rich trove of diverse secondary metabolites that exert remarkable biological activities. In particular, microalgae‐derived bioactive phenolic compounds (MBPCs) are a boon to biopharmaceutical and nutraceutical industries due to their diverse bioactivities, including antimicrobial, anticancer, antiviral, and immunomodulatory activities. The state‐of‐the‐art green technologies for extraction and purification of MBPCs, along with the modern progress in the identification and characterization of MBPCs, have accelerated the discovery of novel active pharmaceutical compounds. However, several factors regulate the production of these bioactive phenolic compounds in microalgae. Furthermore, some microalgae species produce toxic phenolic compounds that negatively impact the aquatic ecosystem, animal, and human life. Therefore, the focus of this review paper is to bring into light the current innovations in bioprospection, extraction, purification, and characterization of MBPCs. This review is also aimed at a better understanding of the physicochemical factors regulating the production of MBPCs at an industrial scale. Finally, the present review covers the recent advances in toxicological evaluation, diverse applications, and future prospects of MBPCs in biopharmaceutical industries.
Effect of increased greenhouse gas concentration on mean, extreme, and timing of precipitation over Arizona (USA)
Authors: Georgescu Matei , Broadbent Ashley Mark , Balling Robert C.
Published: November 2021

We use a combination of a regional climate model (RCM) and a global climate model (GCM) to explore potential changes to the complex precipitation regime in the semi‐arid and arid state of Arizona in the American Southwest. The RCM output for the contemporary period (2000–2009) compares well with a gridded precipitation dataset with respect to seasonality, amount, intensity, and diurnal patterns. Output from the GCM forced by the continued buildup of greenhouse gases was dynamically downscaled by the RCM for the period 2090–2099. Results indicate an increase in winter precipitation of 1–2 mm day−1 in the mountainous areas of the state with somewhat smaller increases for the summer and fall seasons; negligible changes were projected for spring precipitation. Extreme precipitation is projected to increase across much of the state in winter (10–30 mm day−1) and to a lesser extent in spring. Our results indicate an increase in the 99th percentile of winter season precipitation. However, we note there is substantial seasonal dependency: statewide‐averaged winter season precipitation is projected to undergo greater frequency of wet than dry extreme events, whereas the statewide‐averaged summer, fall, and spring seasons, broadly demonstrate an equal likelihood of increased and decreased extreme precipitation. While the RCM captured the unusual observed night‐time maximum in summer rainfall in the centre of the state, our results do not indicate any change in the diurnal character or sub‐diurnal duration (6–18 hr) of precipitation over the next 100 years.
Impact of snow‐albedo feedback termination on terrestrial surface climate at midhigh latitudes: Sensitivity experiments with an atmospheric general circulation model
Authors: Abe Manabu
Published: November 2021

To examine the effect of the snow‐albedo feedback (SAF) on the current surface climate across terrestrial regions at mid–high latitudes, we perform a series of idealized sensitivity experiments using an atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM), in which the snow albedo is assumed to be considerably smaller than that in the control experiment. When the snow albedo is reduced, the fall and spring surface air temperatures (SATs) in northern Eurasia are considerably higher than those in the control experiment. Particularly, the spring SAT at terrestrial high latitudes rises by more than 10°C, due to low snow albedo. Despite the small surface snow albedo during both fall and spring, the fall temperature difference between the two experiments is smaller than that during spring. The feedback with the hydrological effect, which accelerates snowmelt, is either nonexistent or weak during periods of seasonally low air temperatures. This result indicates that the hydrological effect significantly influences the SAF, and different magnitudes of the hydrological effect including cloud differences are a possible source of SAF uncertainty between models. The radiative albedo effect also impacts the evolution of the snow area in central Asia and eastern Europe through changes in lateral water vapour transport. Furthermore, the experiments indicate that the cooling effect of snow on land is necessary for the strength of the Siberian High and the pattern of Arctic Oscillation, suggesting that snow cover may also significantly extend the duration of Arctic Oscillation effects.
Deficit irrigation and leaf removal modulate anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin repartitioning of Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) grape and resulting wine profile
Authors: Duan Bingbing , Mei Yuan , Chen Guoqiao , Su‐Zhou Chenxing , Li Yashan , Merkeryan Hasmik , Cui Ping , Liu Wei , Liu Xu
Published: November 2021

BACKGROUND

In monsoonal climates, grape anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin (PA) accumulations are unsatisfactory for producing optimal wine. Agronomical practices are often considered to be effective means for regulating fruit components. However, there is a lack of quantitative information on the effects of deficit irrigation (DI), basal leaf removal (LR) or their combination of deficit irrigation and leaf removal (DILR) on the characteristics of anthocyanin and PA compositions and their implications on the resulting wine quality. In this study, the dynamics of grape anthocyanin and PA accumulation were investigated in DI, LR and DILR during grape ripening, and the resulting wine profile was assessed.

RESULTS

The contents of reducing sugar and total anthocyanins in Cabernet Sauvignon berries were significantly increased by DI, LR and DILR, while titratable acidity, total flavan‐3‐ols and tannins levels were generally decreased. Notably, the levels of 3′5′‐substituted anthocyanins, such as malvidin and its derivatives significantly increased, and 3′‐substituted anthocyanins decreased in both grape and wine under DI and DILR strategies. Skin PAs were sensitive to water deficits, whereas they were insensitive to LR. In resulting wine, PAs content and the proportion of 3′‐hydroxylated PAs, such as (+)‐catechin, (−)‐epicatechin and (−)‐epicatechin‐3‐O‐gallate units were significantly decreased under DI and DILR, while molecular mass and the proportion of 3′5′‐hydroxylated units of PAs were increased in response to DILR.

CONCLUSION

The DILR was the most favorable for the repartitioning of anthocyanin and PA metabolites, and promoted the accumulation of tri‐substituted forms contributing a higher color intensity, mouthfeel persistence, structure, and astringency of wine. This information provides an important strategy for modulating the anthocyanin and PA compositions by agricultural practices and achieving the desired quality of grapes and wines in monsoonal climates. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Mathematical model of postharvest variation in tomato color based on optimized response surface methodology
Authors: Han Jia‐Wei , Ren Qing‐Shan , Ji Zeng‐Tao , Yang Xin‐Ting
Published: November 2021

BACKGROUND

Manual inspection and instrumentation form the traditional approach to determining tomato color but these methods only determine tomato color at a given moment and cannot predict dynamically how tomato color varies during storage and transportation. Such methods thus cannot help suppliers and retailers establish good management practices for the flexible control of tomato maturity, accurate judgment of market positioning in the industry, or during distribution and marketing. To address this shortcoming, this work first investigates how tomato color parameters (a* and h°) evolve through the various stages of maturity (green, turn, and light red) under different storage conditions. Based on experimental results, it develops an optimized response‐surface model (RSM) by using differential evolution to predict how tomato color varies during storage.

RESULTS

Tomatoes are more likely to change color at high temperatures and under conditions of high humidity. Temperature affects tomato color more strongly than humidity. The accuracy of the RSM was confirmed by a good agreement with experiments. All determination coefficients R2 of the RSMs for a* and h° are greater than 0.91. The mean absolute errors for a* and h° are 3.8112 and 5.6500, respectively. The root mean square errors for a* and h° are 4.6840 and 6.9198, respectively.

CONCLUSION

This research reveals how storage temperature and humidity affect the postharvest variations in tomato color and thus establishes a dynamic model for predicting tomato color. The proposed RSM provides a reliable theoretical foundation for dynamic, nondestructive monitoring of tomato ripeness in the cold chain. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
Giant Nonlinear Response of Monolayer MoS2 Induced by Optimal Field‐Enhancement Gain Mode on the Surface of Hyperbolic Metamaterials
Authors: Zhou Zhang‐Kai , Xu Hao‐Fei , Yu Ying , Lin Limin , Wang Xue‐Hua
Published: November 2021

The electric field (EF) enhancements of resonant modes in metamaterials have been widely utilized to amplify optical response of 2D materials for advanced applications. However, for the vast majority of metamaterials, enhancing optical response of 2D materials by resonant modes seriously suffer from high loss, narrowband, and inside hot‐spot (i.e., the region with strong EF enhancements). Here, the periodic hyperbolic metamaterials (PHMM) are proposed, which can provide intensive and broadband EF enhancement on top surface with low absorption, due to theirs specific hyperbolic dispersion and geometry characteristics. Moreover, it is revealed that there exists a broadband range (defined as the high field‐enhancement gain (FEG) region), where nonlinear optical responses are stronger than those caused by the resonant mode. By integrating monolayer MoS2 with the PHMM, it is demonstrated that the largest enhancement of second harmonic generation occurs at wavelength of the optimal FEG mode, being as high as 22 145‐times with its conversion efficiency up to 1.1 × 10−6 W−1. The findings demonstrate giant nonlinear response of monolayer 2D materials, and establish an ideal platform for surface enhancement of light‐matter interactions, opening a new way for metaoptics applications.
Efficient Second Harmonic Generation in a Reverse‐Polarization Dual‐Layer Crystalline Thin Film Nanophotonic Waveguide
Authors: Wang Lei , Zhang Xiuquan , Chen Feng
Published: November 2021

Second harmonic generation (SHG), one of the most significant χ(2) nonlinear optical processes, plays a crucial role in a wide variety of optical and photonic applications. Designing various delicate schemes to achieve highly efficient SHG has become a long‐standing and challenging topic in nonlinear optics. Despite numerous success on SHG based on birefringent phase‐matching and quasi‐phase‐matching, so far, modal phase‐matching (MPM) for SHG in tightly light‐confined structures has still in its infancy. Here, a new scheme is proposed to realize efficient SHG via MPM by using a nanophotonic LiNbO3 thin‐film waveguide consists of two bonded layers with internally reversed polarizations. In such a dual‐layer ridge waveguide based on lithium niobate on insulator (LNOI), upon optical excitation at 1574.6 nm, SHG is observed at 787.3 nm with a high conversion efficiency of 5540% W−1 cm−2 experimentally. This work advances the understanding on modal phase‐matched SHG and other quadratic optical nonlinear processes, offering additional strategies for developing high‐performance nonlinear photonic devices in on‐chip platforms.
A Lightweight, Abrasion‐Resistant Polybutadiene Rubber/Styrene Butadiene Rubber Foam Prepared by Three‐Step Process for Footwear Outsole Applications
Authors: Wang Yiming , Yu Zhen , Phule Ajit Dattatray , Zhao Yongxian , Wen Shibao , Zhang Zhen Xiu
Published: November 2021

Herein, a developed microcellular foam from polybutadiene rubber (BR) and styrene butadiene rubber (SBR), which is prepared by prevulcanization, supercritical foaming, and secondary vulcanization processes is reported. It has excellent abrasion resistance and with low density. The foaming process is successfully achieved with the assistance of eco‐friendly supercritical nitrogen (sc‐N2). The microstructural analysis of BR/SBR foams indicates that the cell structure of BR/SBR foams has an obvious effect with the increased prevulcanization time. The thickness of solid skin on the foam surface is observed using scanning electron microscope, which revealed that the prevulcanization time is also a direct factor influencing the thickness of solid skin, where the fundamental cause is explained from two aspects, i.e., gas escape and rubber vulcanization. The prevulcanization time to meet the abrasion resistance characteristics has determined based on the cell structure and abrasion solid skin thickness of BR/SBR foams at different time zone of prevulcanizations. As a result, BR/SBR foams prepared by this process have a low relative volume loss (62.6–117.1 mm3) and a desirable density (0.50–0.71 g cm−3) at a prevulcanization time of 15–17 min.
The next “sweet” spot for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma: Glycoprotein for early detection
Authors: Xu Yuanwei , Wang Yuefan , Höti Naseruddin , Clark David J. , Chen Shao‐Yung , Zhang Hui
Published: November 2021

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common neoplastic disease of the pancreas, accounting for more than 90% of all pancreatic malignancies. As a highly lethal malignancy, PDAC is the fourth leading cause of cancer‐related deaths worldwide with a 5‐year overall survival of less than 8%. The efficacy and outcome of PDAC treatment largely depend on the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis. Surgical resection followed by adjuvant chemotherapy remains the only possibly curative therapy, yet 80%–90% of PDAC patients present with nonresectable PDAC stages at the time of clinical presentation. Despite our advancing knowledge of PDAC, the prognosis remains strikingly poor, which is primarily due to the difficulty of diagnosing PDAC at the early stages. Recent advances in glycoproteomics and glycomics based on mass spectrometry have shown that aberrations in protein glycosylation plays a critical role in carcinogenesis, tumor progression, metastasis, chemoresistance, and immuno‐response of PDAC and other types of cancers. A growing interest has thus been placed upon protein glycosylation as a potential early detection biomarker for PDAC. We herein take stock of the advancements in the early detection of PDAC that were carried out with mass spectrometry, with special focus on protein glycosylation.
Influence of interface‐related parameters on some heat stable salts in the corrosion studies of carbon steel for post‐combustion CO2 capture
Authors: Emori W. , Jiang S.L. , Zheng Y.G. , Okonkwo P. C. , Obike A. I. , Okafor P. C.
Published: November 2021

The effect of flow and temperature on the corrosion behavior of carbon steel in an aqueous methyldiethanolamine solution containing different heat stable salts, such as sodium sulfate, sodium sulfite and sodium thiosulfate, has been studied. The introduction of flow and increase in temperature generally caused an increase in the corrosion rate of carbon steel but the presence of the heat stable salts affected the corrosion behavior to different extents. Sulfate increased the corrosivity of the aqueous methyldiethanolamine solution, thus showed accelerated corrosion behavior in the presence of flow and with increase in temperature when compared with the solution without heat stable salts. The presence of sulfite reduced the corrosivity of the methyldiethanolamine solution due to its oxygen scavenging ability. Although flow and temperature stimulated an increase in the corrosion rate of carbon steel, the corrosion inhibiting effects of sulfite ions increased with the salt concentration. Also, the presence of sodium thiosulfate caused a reduction in carbon steel corrosion. Its inhibition ability is largely the result of the formation of FeS product layer resulting from its disproportionation reaction. This layer offered a slight resistance to the influence of flow and increase in temperature when compared with the system without heat stable salts.
Fatigue life analysis of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) components in hybrid adhesive joints
Authors: Wacker J.‐D. , Tittmann K. , Koch I. , Laveuve D. , Gude M.
Published: November 2021

Hybrid adhesive joints of metal and composite parts are increasingly common features of lightweight structures. Efficient design of these joints requires computational methods for estimating the fatigue life of the adhesive as well as of the parts being joined – i. e. the adherends. The paper focuses on computational fatigue life prediction for carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) adherends in hybrid adhesive joints. After a brief description of the composite material considered, two modeling approaches for the fatigue life are presented. Subsequently, the experimental determination of the model parameters is discussed and the relevant values are presented. For validation, the models are applied to predict the fatigue lives of a multidirectional laminate as well as of the composite adherend in a hybrid single‐lap joint. Finally, the results for both models are compared and discussed with respect to the experimental results. Both models yield reasonable predictions for the cases considered here. For almost uniaxial stress states, the predictions of both models are very similar while for multiaxial stress states the difference is more pronounced.
Microstructural and chemical surface and rim zone changes of ferrite‐perlite 42CrMo4 steel after electrochemical machining
Authors: Ehle L.C. , Harst S. , Meyer H. , Schupp A. , Beyss O. , Rommes B. , Klink A. , Schwedt A. , Zander D. , Weirich T.E. , Mayer J.
Published: November 2021

Electrochemical machining is based on the anodic dissolution of most metals and generates high quality polished surfaces. However, ferrite‐perlite 42CrMo4 steel reveals local optical changes at the surface after electrochemical finishing, such as a widely variable surface finish from shiny (reflective) to rough (dark) surfaces even after one processing step. The optical different surface areas of ferrite‐perlite 42CrMo4 steel (AISI 4140) are studied by different electron microscopy techniques, x‐ray diffraction and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy to gain information about the local chemistry of the reaction layers and residual stresses of the rim zone. The results show that the rim zone for the different surface areas are about 50 nm–100 nm thick and contain oxygen. Selected area diffraction reveals the formation of iron(II/III) oxide (Fe3O4) and x‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the formation of a mixed iron oxide (Fe3‐xO4) with a variation of the oxidation state for both near‐surface rim zones. Furthermore, the reflective surfaces reveal a homogeneous dissolution of ferrite and cementite lamellae whereas the rough surfaces show a preferred dissolution of cementite and an inhomogeneous dissolution of ferrite within the rim zone. X‐ray diffraction measurements do not show any introduced residual stresses in the rim zone.
Adsorption and separation of carbon dioxide and methane on carbonaceous adsorbents
Authors: Song X. , Gong J. , Zeng Y. , Zhan X. , Wang L.
Published: November 2021

Adsorption and separation of carbon dioxide and methane on different carbonaceous adsorbents were analyzed and compared. Coconut shell‐based activated carbon has the highest adsorption capacity for two gases. Sips model describes the adsorption isotherms best. The separation factor on coconut shell‐based activated carbon is the highest under various conditions, reaching about 3.8. The adsorption capacity of the two gases is closely related to the specific surface area and micropore volume of the adsorbent. The adsorbed amount of each component in the mixture is less than that of the pure component under the same condition, indicating that there is a competition in the adsorption process. The total adsorbed amount of the two gases decreases as the proportion of carbon dioxide decreases, implying that the adsorption process is dominated by carbon dioxide adsorption. Additionally, the separation factor decreases with increasing temperature. Understanding the adsorption behaviors of pure and binary carbon dioxide and methane is important in treating biomass gas using carbonaceous adsorbents.
Energy Condition of Subsistence-Harvested Fishes in Arctic Coastal Lagoons
Authors: Fraley Kevin M. , Robards Martin D. , Vollenweider Johanna , Whiting Alex , Jones Tahzay , Rogers Matthew C.
Published: November 2021

In Arctic Alaska, Indigenous and rural residents depend on wild-harvested foods for sustenance and the subsistence lifestyle is integral to their culture. Marine and diadromous fishes, which often occupy coastal lagoon habitats, are relied upon for subsistence harvest, particularly Pacific salmon, whitefishes (Coregoninae), cods (Gadidae), and flounder species (Pleuronectidae). However, little research has been conducted that assesses the energetic condition of these fishes, which are harvested by the tens of thousands annually. The effects of accelerating climate change and human development on the metabolic rates, diet, body condition, and energy density of fish is of great concern because these effects will, in turn, affect the people who depend on these species for food security. Consequently, we characterized energy density and percentage of lipid, water, and protein content of 10 fish species in four coastal lagoons within Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Alaska. We found that whitefishes, particularly Bering Cisco Coregonus laurettae and Least Cisco C. sardinella exhibited the highest energy density, percentage of lipid, and percentage of protein content, significantly greater than that of marine cod and flounder species, Fourhourn Sculpin Myoxocephalus quadricornis, freshwater Pond Smelt Hypomesus olidus, and values from other regional species that have been in published literature. Additionally, when the relative mean abundance and body weight of each species was taken into account, total energy value by availability in the lagoons was highest for whitefishes when compared with marine taxa and the freshwater Pond Smelt. Given the impending effects of climate change and coastal construction in the region, it will be important to monitor the energy condition of lagoon fishes to ensure their quality and availability for subsistence harvesters.
FMRNet: A fused network of multiple tumoral regions for breast tumor classification with ultrasound images
Authors: Cui Wenju , Peng Yunsong , Yuan Gang , Cao Weiwei , Cao Yuzhu , Lu Zhengda , Ni Xinye , Yan Zhuangzhi , Zheng Jian
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Recent studies have illustrated that the peritumoral regions of medical images have value for clinical diagnosis. However, the existing approaches using peritumoral regions mainly focus on the diagnostic capability of the single region and ignore the advantages of effectively fusing the intratumoral and peritumoral regions. In addition, these methods need accurate segmentation masks in the testing stage, which are tedious and inconvenient in clinical applications. To address these issues, we construct a deep convolutional neural network that can adaptively fuse the information of multiple tumoral‐regions (FMRNet) for breast tumor classification using ultrasound (US) images without segmentation masks in the testing stage.

Methods

To sufficiently excavate the potential relationship, we design a fused network and two independent modules to extract and fuse features of multiple regions simultaneously. First, we introduce two enhanced combined‐tumoral (EC) region modules, aiming to enhance the combined‐tumoral features gradually. Then, we further design a three‐branch module for extracting and fusing the features of intratumoral, peritumoral, and combined‐tumoral regions, denoted as the intratumoral, peritumoral, and combined‐tumoral module. Especially, we design a novel fusion module by introducing a channel attention module to adaptively fuse the features of three regions. The model is evaluated on two public datasets including UDIAT and BUSI with breast tumor ultrasound images. Two independent groups of experiments are performed on two respective datasets using the fivefold stratified cross‐validation strategy. Finally, we conduct ablation experiments on two datasets, in which BUSI is used as the training set and UDIAT is used as the testing set.

Results

We conduct detailed ablation experiments about the proposed two modules and comparative experiments with other existing representative methods. The experimental results show that the proposed method yields state‐of‐the‐art performance on both two datasets. Especially, in the UDIAT dataset, the proposed FMRNet achieves a high accuracy of 0.945 and a specificity of 0.945, respectively. Moreover, the precision (PRE = 0.909) even dramatically improves by 21.6% on the BUSI dataset compared with the existing method of the best result.

Conclusion

The proposed FMRNet shows good performance in breast tumor classification with US images, and proves its capability of exploiting and fusing the information of multiple tumoral‐regions. Furthermore, the FMRNet has potential value in classifying other types of cancers using multiple tumoral‐regions of other kinds of medical images.
Radiomics signature for temporal evolution and recurrence patterns of glioblastoma using multimodal magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Chougule Tanay , Gupta Rakesh K. , Saini Jitender , Agrawal Shaleen , Gupta Mamta , Vakharia Nirvi , Singh Anup , Patir Rana , Vaishya Sandeep , Ingalhalikar Madhura
Published: November 2021

Glioblastoma is a highly infiltrative neoplasm with a high propensity of recurrence. The location of recurrence usually cannot be anticipated and depends on various factors, including the surgical resection margins. Currently, radiation planning utilizes the hyperintense signal from T2‐FLAIR MRI and is delivered to a limited area defined by standardized guidelines. To this end, noninvasive early prediction and delineation of recurrence can aid in tailored targeted therapy, which may potentially delay the relapse, consequently improving overall survival. In this work, we hypothesize that radiomics‐based phenotypic quantifiers may support the detection of recurrence before it is visualized on multimodal MRI. We employ retrospective longitudinal data from 29 subjects with a varying number of time points (three to 13) that includes glioblastoma recurrence. Voxelwise textural and intensity features are computed from multimodal MRI (T1‐contrast enhanced [T1CE], FLAIR, and apparent diffusion coefficient), primarily to gain insights into longitudinal radiomic changes from preoperative MRI to recurrence and subsequently to predict the region of relapse from 143 ± 42 days before recurrence using machine learning. T1CE MRI first‐order and gray‐level co‐occurrence matrix features are crucial in detecting local recurrence, while multimodal gray‐level difference matrix and first‐order features are highly predictive of the distant relapse, with a voxelwise test accuracy of 80.1% for distant recurrence and 71.4% for local recurrence. In summary, our work exemplifies a step forward in predicting glioblastoma recurrence using radiomics‐based phenotypic changes that may potentially serve as MR‐based biomarkers for customized therapeutic intervention.
Integrative multi‐omic analysis reveals neurodevelopmental gene dysregulation in CIC‐knockout and IDH1‐mutant cells
Authors: Lee Stephen D , Song Jungeun , LeBlanc Veronique G , Marra Marco A
Published: November 2021

Capicua (CIC)'s transcriptional repressor function is implicated in neurodevelopment and in oligodendroglioma (ODG) aetiology. However, CIC's role in these contexts remains obscure, primarily from our currently limited knowledge regarding its biological functions. Moreover, CIC mutations in ODG invariably co‐occur with a neomorphic IDH1/2 mutation, yet the functional relationship between these two genetic events is unknown. Here, we analysed models derived from an E6/E7/hTERT‐immortalized (i.e. p53‐ and RB‐deficient) normal human astrocyte cell line. To examine the consequences of CIC loss, we compared transcriptomic and epigenomic profiles between CIC wild‐type and knockout cell lines, with and without mutant IDH1 expression. Our analyses revealed dysregulation of neurodevelopmental genes in association with CIC loss. CIC ChIP‐seq was also performed to expand upon the currently limited ensemble of known CIC target genes. Among the newly identified direct CIC target genes were EPHA2 and ID1, whose functions are linked to neurodevelopment and the tumourigenicity of in vivo glioma tumour models. NFIA, a known mediator of gliogenesis, was discovered to be uniquely overexpressed in CIC‐knockout cells expressing mutant IDH1‐R132H protein. These results identify neurodevelopment and specific genes within this context as candidate targets through which CIC alterations may contribute to the progression of IDH‐mutant gliomas. © 2021 The Authors. The Journal of Pathology published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd on behalf of The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
Preparation and Characterization of Pour‐Casting Red Phosphorus Smoke Agents with HTPB as Binder
Authors: Yang Tsung‐Mao , Tseng Huan‐Wei , Li Jin‐Shuh , Lu Kai‐Tai , Ku Hung‐Chih , Lin Ta‐Wei
Published: November 2021

The main aim of this study is to develop the vacuum pour‐casting process of the red phosphorus smoke agents. The typical composition of MK 58 marine location marker prepared by tamp‐casting process is red phosphorus (RP)/magnesium (Mg)/manganese dioxide (MnO2)/zinc oxide (ZnO)/epoxy resin (ER), which was selected as the original formula. Epoxy resin (ER) was replaced by hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) as the binder. First of all, simultaneous differential scanning calorimetry‐thermogravimetric analysis (STA DSC‐TGA) and vacuum stability tester (VST) were used to analyze the thermochemical characteristics, stability and chemical compatibility of the formula. Afterwards, Taguchi's experimental design method was used to design nine experimental conditions by way of orthogonal array with four control factors and three levels, and the scaled‐down smoke pellets were prepared using the vacuum pour‐casting method. The combustion phenomenon of these smoke pellets was recorded by the visual‐image capture system, and the flame temperature was measured by the temperature measurement system. The burning rate was chosen as the quality characteristic to analyze the optimal parameter combination of minimum burning rate. In addition, scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM‐EDS), tensile testing machine (TTM) and hardness tester (HT) were employed to observe the uniformity of the composition distribution in the pellet and to measure the mechanical strength and hardness of the pellets. Smoke density test chamber (SDTC) was used to measure the specific optical density of smoke generated by RP smoke agent. Finally, the operating conditions of the optimal parameter combination determined by Taguchi method were used to prepare the full‐size smoke candle, and its burning performance was verified and the feasibility of the vacuum pour‐casting technology was evaluated. The experimental results indicated that the optimal combination of parameters was the RP mixture/HTPB mass ratio of 84 : 16, the NCO/OH ratio of IPDI to HTPB (R value) of 1.6, the additional DOA of 4.5 wt % and the curing temperature of 50 °C. The prepared scaled‐down smoke pellets had good stability, chemical compatibility, hardness, mechanical properties and burning smoke density. In addition, the burning time and performance of the full‐size smoke candles prepared by vacuum pour‐casting technology also met the requirements.
EFAMIX, a tool to decompose inline chromatography SAXS data from partially overlapping components
Authors: Konarev Petr V. , Graewert Melissa A. , Jeffries Cy M. , Fukuda Masakazu , Cheremnykh Taisiia A. , Volkov Vladimir V. , Svergun Dmitri I.
Published: November 2021

Small‐angle X‐ray scattering (SAXS) is an established technique for structural analysis of biological macromolecules in solution. During the last decade, inline chromatography setups coupling SAXS with size exclusion (SEC‐SAXS) or ion exchange (IEC‐SAXS) have become popular in the community. These setups allow one to separate individual components in the sample and to record SAXS data from isolated fractions, which is extremely important for subsequent data interpretation, analysis, and structural modeling. However, in case of partially overlapping elution peaks, inline chromatography SAXS may still yield scattering profiles from mixtures of components. The deconvolution of these scattering data into the individual fractions is nontrivial and potentially ambiguous. We describe a cross‐platform computer program, EFAMIX, for restoring the scattering and concentration profiles of the components based on the evolving factor analysis (EFA). The efficiency of the program is demonstrated in a number of simulated and experimental SEC‐SAXS data sets. Sensitivity and limitations of the method are explored, and its applicability to IEC‐SAXS data is discussed. EFAMIX requires minimal user intervention and is available to academic users through the program package ATSAS as from release 3.1.
Deprived social status is associated with decreased use of oral chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer: A retrospective cohort study on administrative databases in a French University Hospital
Authors: Gautier Gwendoline , Lucas Mélodie , Vermeulin Thomas , Di Fiore Frederic , Merle Veronique
Published: November 2021

Factors associated with the choice of oral versus intravenous CT are not clearly established. Our purpose was to evaluate the influence of social status and home distance to hospital on the use of oral CT in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). This retrospective single‐center study included mCRC patients between 2011 and 2017. Patient social status was assessed by European Deprivation Index (EDI) and home distance to the hospital was calculated. Univariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed. One hundred and seventy‐five mCRC patients were included, with 71 receiving oral CT. Most deprived patients received less oral CT (OR 0.5 [0.26, 0.96], p = .039). No association was found for road distance. Previous use of adjuvant oral CT was associated with oral CT in mCRC (OR 2.65 [1.06, 6.66], p = .038). Our results suggest that deprived social status is a factor associated with decreased use of oral CT in patients with mCRC.

Clinical trial registration: no registration.
Polarization Spectroscopy of Anisotropic Plasmons in Self‐Oriented Nanoclusters of Gold on Monolayer of Nitrogen Atoms Chemisorbed at GaAs(001) Surface
Authors: Berkovits Vladimir L. , Kosobukin Vladimir A. , Ulin Vladimir P. , Alekseev Prokhor A. , Yu. Soldatenkov Fedor , Levitskii Vladimir S.
Published: November 2021

Herein, the formation of Au nanoclusters on nitridized GaAs(001) surface is described, as well as the structure diagnostics and spectroscopic studies which reveal a strong anisotropy of the plasmons localized on the clusters. Principal aspects of the work are the following. Technologically, structures of Au/N/GaAs are fabricated with a monolayer of nitrogen atoms chemisorbed preliminary onto GaAs substrate to prevent its reaction with subsequently deposited Au film. Annealing of the structures Au/N/GaAs results in the appearance of anisotropic nanoclusters of chemically clean gold on GaAs surface. Experimentally, the existence of in‐surface anisotropy of Au clusters is verified with the atomic force microscopy and it is investigated with the resonant optical spectroscopies of anisotropy reflectance and polarized reflection. All the methods are applied jointly for the detailed study of anisotropic plasmons revealed in gold nanocluster arrays. Theoretically, the plasmon‐conditioned features observed in optical polarized spectra are interpreted using an optical model of in‐surface anisotropic plasmons in Au nanospheroids. As a result, the macroscopic anisotropy and orientation of gold nanoclusters and their plasmons relative to the crystallographic axes of GaAs substrate are unambiguously established and reliably specified.
A multi‐image monitoring framework for statistical process control to improve manufacturing systems
Authors: Chen Shengfeng , Wells Lee
Published: November 2021

Machine vision system has been widely used for detecting surface defects in a manufacturing process. This paper proposes a new framework for image monitoring with control charts that aims to improve the overall performance in detecting a variety of surface‐related process shifts. Specifically, multiple images of the same object are acquired under different capturing parameters. To illustrate this framework, this paper considers two multi‐image control chart approaches: (1) fusing multiple images together with multilinear principal component analysis and monitoring with a single‐image control chart and (2) using a combined single‐image control chart. A two‐image simulation study, based upon real cross‐correlated images, is accomplished to compare the performances of these two multi‐image control chart approaches to a traditional single‐image control charts. The results indicate that multi‐image control charts outperform single‐image control charts when multiple shifts are considered. Another two‐image simulation study investigates the effect of cross‐correlations to multi‐image control charts’ performances. This study indicates that the two multi‐image control charts have similar performances at low cross‐correlation but the fused‐image control chart outperforms the combined single‐image control chart at high cross‐correlation. In addition, a case study with real images is conducted to demonstrate the proposed multi‐image monitoring framework's ability in detecting shifts.
Robust adaptive fault‐tolerant control using RBF‐based neural network for a rigid‐flexible robotic system with unknown control direction
Authors: Wang Haoping , Zhou Xingyu , Tian Yang
Published: November 2021

In this article, a radial basis function (RBF)‐based robust adaptive fault‐tolerant control (FTC) is developed for a class of rigid‐flexible robotic systems under actuator failures, unknown control direction, and uncertain external disturbances. The dynamics of the rigid‐flexible robotic over a vertical plane is governed by the hybrid ordinary differential equations–partial differential equations. The uncertain external disturbance is estimated via an RBF neural network. Meanwhile, the robust adaptive FTC law is utilized to follow the given joint angular and attenuate the vibration of the flexible structure in the case of actuator failures and unknown distributed disturbances. To handle the unknown control direction, the Nussbaum function is employed to robust FTC laws. By virtue of the Lyapunov direct approach, the trajectory tracking and vibration elimination for the controlled rigid‐flexible robotic system are proved and uniformly bounded in face of bounded external disturbances and unknown control directions. The efficacy of the developed control strategy is also illustrated via four comparison examples.
Quasirandom Latin squares
Authors: Cooper Jacob W. , Král' Daniel , Lamaison Ander , Mohr Samuel
Published: November 2021

We prove a conjecture by Garbe et al. [arXiv:2010.07854] by showing that a Latin square is quasirandom if and only if the density of every pattern is . This result is the best possible in the sense that cannot be replaced with or for any n.
Adolescent effects on mothers' bedtime cortisol: Cognitive interference as a mediating mechanism
Authors: Lippold Melissa A. , Molenaar Peter , Chandler Kelly D. , Lee Soomi , Almeida David M.
Published: November 2021

Prior studies have shown that parent and adolescent cortisol are associated across days and that this covariation may be adolescent‐driven. This study extends this literature by (a) testing whether parents' cognitive interference (i.e., distracting and ruminative thoughts potentially due to worry) mediates the linkages between adolescent and next‐day parent cortisol and (b) whether these linkages were moderated by parent gender or warmth. Daily diary data, including bedtime cortisol, were collected on two samples of employees and their adolescent‐aged children (N = 318 dyads, Myouth age = 13.18 years, 74% mothers). We tested mediation with autoregressive cross‐lagged models. Moderated mediation by parent gender was found in our bedtime cortisol models. Higher adolescent bedtime cortisol levels were associated with higher next‐day levels of mothers' cognitive interference. In turn, higher levels of mothers' cognitive interference were linked to higher mothers' same‐day bedtime cortisol levels. These linkages were not significant for fathers. Cognitive interference did not mediate the associations between child and parent area under the curve or cortisol awakening response. No moderation was evident for parental warmth. Results suggest that mothers' cognitions play a key role in the transmission of elevated bedtime cortisol levels from adolescents to their mothers.