bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Different Diagnostic Criteria of 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT for the Classification of Primary Aldosteronism
Authors: Zhang Xiangshuang , Song Ying , Jing Ying , Hu Jinbo , Shen Hang , Zhang Aipin , He Wenwen , Feng Zhengping , Yang Yi , Pang Hua , Li Qifu , Yang Shumin ,   Chongqing Primary Aldosteronism Study (CONPASS) Group, Mei Mei , Luo Suxin , Liao Kangla , Zhang Yao , He Yunfeng , He Yihong , Xiao Ming , Peng Bin
Published: December 2024

Context

68Ga-Pentixafor positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is an emerging method for the classification diagnosis primary aldosteronism (PA). However, the diagnosis criteria are still controversial.

Objective

To compare the accuracy of different criteria of 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT in the classification diagnosis of PA.

Methods

This was a retrospective study at a tertiary hospital in China. Patients with PA who had undergone PET/CT and had classification diagnosis of unilateral PA (UPA) or bilateral PA (BPA) based on surgery or adrenal venous sampling were included. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), specificity, and sensitivity were used to analyze the accuracy of the lateralization index (LI) based on adrenal maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), dominant side SUVmax adjusted by liver, dominant side of SUVmax, and visual analysis.

Results

A total of 208 patients with PA (including 128 UPA and 80 BPA) were analyzed. The AUCs for diagnosing UPA using LI and visual analysis were both 0.82, higher than that of the dominant side of SUVmax (0.72) and dominant side SUVmax adjusted by liver (0.71). Visual analysis showed a sensitivity of 0.73 and a specificity of 0.88. The LI cutoff of 1.50 resulted in the highest Youden index of 0.59, with a sensitivity of 0.68 and a specificity of 0.91. When the LI cutoff was increased to 1.65, the sensitivity reduced to 0.61, while the specificity increased to 0.96.

Conclusion

Both LI and visual analysis could be used for interpretation the results of 68Ga-Pentixafor PET/CT; nevertheless, visual analysis is more sensitive, and LI is more advantageous in specificity.
For Emplacement
Authors: Blaser Mario
Published: December 2024

In For Emplacement, Mario Blaser proposes a new lens for contending with the momentous challenges facing the world, from anthropogenic climate change to rampant socioeconomic inequalities to the rise of neofascism. Blaser shows that the prevalent solutions to these problems—which often depend on intensifying globalization, technological development, and extractivism—only deepen these crises. Effectively addressing these issues, he suggests, might require grounding our ways of being in the specificities of place. Drawing on decades of ethnographic experience in South America and the Canadian subarctic, and engaging with material semiotics, Blaser recasts the fundamental political question of how to live together well as a cosmopolitical one: how to become emplaced with others, in divergence. Ultimately, he presents a political ontology where visions of the good life oriented to the specificities of place guide us through the promises and challenges that a journey toward emplacement holds.
Συστήματα αλγοριθμικών συναλλαγών και πρόβλεψης της τάσης στην αγορά νομισμάτων με τη χρήση μεθόδων της τεχνητής νοημοσύνης
Authors: Ζαφειρίου Θεόδωρος
Published: December 2024

H παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή εστιάζει στην ανάπτυξη συστημάτων αλγοριθμικών συναλλαγών και πρόβλεψης τάσεων στην αγορά συναλλάγματος (Forex) με τη χρήση τεχνητής νοημοσύνης (ΤΝ) και συγκεκριμένα τεχνητών νευρωνικών δικτύων (ΤΝΔ). Η συνεχής ροή δεδομένων σε πραγματικό χρόνο και η ταχεία αλλαγή των συνθηκών στην αγορά Forex δημιουργούν την ανάγκη για ακριβείς προβλέψεις και γρήγορες εκτελέσεις συναλλαγών. Στην έρευνα, αναπτύχθηκαν και συγκρίθηκαν διαφορετικές αρχιτεκτονικές ΤΝΔ με στόχο την υπερβραχυπρόθεσμη πρόβλεψη της τάσης και την εκτέλεση συναλλαγών. Τα αποτελέσματα δείχνουν ότι οι εξειδικευμένες αρχιτεκτονικές υπερέχουν των παραδοσιακών μεθόδων τεχνικής ανάλυσης και συμβατικών μοντέλων LSTM, τόσο ως προς την ποιότητα πρόβλεψης όσο και ως προς την κατανάλωση υπολογιστικών πόρων για την επίτευξη του αποτελέσματος. Η έρευνα αξιολογεί επίσης τη χρήση της μόχλευσης στις συναλλαγές Forex, προσδιορίζοντας τις προκλήσεις και τους κινδύνους που σχετίζονται με τη χρήση αυτόματων συστημάτων συναλλαγών και τη διαχείριση θέσεων. Η μελέτη αποδεικνύει ότι η ενσωμάτωση κατάλληλων αρχιτεκτονικών τεχνητής νοημοσύνης μπορεί να βελτιώσει σημαντικά την αποδοτικότητα και την ακρίβεια των συναλλαγών, ενώ παράλληλα μειώνει τους κινδύνους μέσω προηγμένων τεχνικών πρόβλεψης και αυτοματοποιημένων στρατηγικών. Τα κύρια συμπεράσματα της έρευνας περιλαμβάνουν τη σημαντική υπεροχή των εξιδεικευμένων αρχιτεκτονικών ΤΝΔ στις βραχυπρόθεσμες συναλλαγές και την ικανότητά τους να βελτιστοποιούν τις προβλέψεις τάσεων στην αγορά Forex. Οι μελλοντικές επεκτάσεις περιλαμβάνουν την εφαρμογή αυτών των αρχιτεκτονικών σε άλλες χρονοσειρές και αγορές, καθώς και την ενσωμάτωση θεμελιωδών στοιχείων και ειδήσεων για περαιτέρω βελτίωση των προβλέψεων.
Utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Criminal Justice and Policing
Authors: Alqatawna Ammar
Published: December 2024

The use of AI in criminal justice and policing has significantly increased in EU countries. AI tools are being used in various phases of a criminal case, from police tasks to those of judges. While the use of AI in criminal justice is impressive in certain areas, it poses serious challenges and concerns, including potential violations of fundamental rights. This paper examines the risks of using AI in criminal justice, addresses the current use of some AI systems, and explores how the legal framework within the EU regulates its use, including EU directive 2016/680 and the projected AI Act.
Helicobacter pylori and its effect on the body. Worldwide prevalence of Helicobacter pylori
Authors: Shukhtina I. , Shukhtin V. , Gozhenko A. , Avramenko A. , Badiuk N.
Published: December 2024

Helicobacter Pylori is one of the most common bacteria in the world's population, mainly causing chronic gastritis, which can progress to such severe complications as gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastric adenocarcinoma, and gastric MALT lymphoma.The bacterium Helicobacter Pylori is highly prevalent in a wide variety of countries around the world. Not only the adult population suffers from helicobacteriosis, but also children from birth whose parents are carriers or have symptoms of helicobacter infection. Helicobacter Pylori is a very capricious bacterium in cultivation, which requires a special composition of the nutrient medium, its optimal pH and temperature regime. Helicobacter Pylori produces a wide range of enzymes, urease is one of the many enzymes on which diagnostic methods are based.
The Image of the Iranian World in the Roman Poetry of the Imperial and Late Antique Ages
Authors: Babnis Tomasz
Published: December 2024

The present book is dedicated to presenting the image of the Iranian world emerging from the extant Roman poetry of the Imperial and Late Antique Ages. The scope of the source material stretches, thus, from the astronomical work of Manilius (1st century AD) all the way to the poems of Venantius Fortunatus (c. 530 – c. 600), covering almost six centuries of the development of Latin literature. My aim is to investigate which motifs were referred to by Roman poets, which patterns can be noticed in those texts, which elements were mentioned most often, what relations can be observed between these references and the historical, geographical, social or religious realities, and finally, what function these references serve within the scope of entire poems or parts of texts extracted from longer works. I am also interested in the “genealogy” of these motifs: their origin and how they were employed by the poets of subsequent periods. I aim at examining the degree of consistency of the overall image created from references scattered throughout the works of various authors and its changes in the course of time.
Multifactorial drivers of fodder crises in Irish temperate pastures and risks due to climate change
Authors: Wingler Astrid , Streethran Nithiya , Hickey Kieran , Leahy Paul
Published: December 2024

abstract: The temperate climate of Ireland favours a long grass growing season, which has supported the development of successful pasture-based farming. Animals are grazed outdoors for most of the year and stored fodder is used to feed animals in winter while they are housed indoors. This agricultural system is efficient from an agronomic perspective. However, the high dependence on grass fodder means that prolonged or widespread deficits in growth have led to the occurrence of so-called fodder crises, when available stocks ran too low with resulting impacts on yields, revenues and animal welfare. Fodder crises may vary in spatial and temporal extent and occur due to a multitude of environmental and management factors, some of which may interact with each other. This study reviews current fodder practices in temperate pasture systems such as Ireland's, then details the various environmental controls on grass growth including moisture availability, temperature and daily solar radiation. Stressors on grass growth from extreme, or limiting, values of these environmental controls such as droughts and heat stress are discussed in the context of the temperate climate. The influence of non-environmental drivers such as management factors are also discussed. Changes in the patterns of drivers of grass growth deficits and fodder crises under future climate scenarios are considered, and some potential mitigation measures are proposed.
The Liberalism of Burnett's A Little Princess (1905) and the Downfall of the Liberal Empire
Authors: Biro Colten
Published: December 2024

Abstract: Despite the optimism within nineteenth-century British liberalism, the hope for social improvement collapsed under the growing emphasis on empire and cultural hegemony. In order to explore one cause of that breakdown, this essay explores James Fitzjames Stephen's "Liberalism" (1862) as a guiding text to identify the threads of cultural, economic, and class superiority developing in midcentury British liberalism that would expand alongside the British Empire. Then, the essay examines how this manifestation of liberalism develops within Frances Hodgson Burnett's narrative of little Sara Crewe from the 1887 short story printed in St. Nicholas Magazine to the story's final expansion and novelization in A Little Princess (1905). Ultimately, the paper argues that Burnett's A Little Princess reveals the displacement of a liberal idealism interested in social reform for an imperial British cultural hegemony tied to the upper and middle classes—undermining the original narrative's liberal aspirations for social improvement.
Rhyming with the Dictionary: Poets' Responses to John Walker's Rhyming Dictionary of the English Language (1775)
Authors: Malyszek Chelsie
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACT: On the title page of his Rhyming Dictionary of the English Language (1775), John Walker asserts that the book contains "the whole language […] arranged according to its terminations." In the revised 1924 edition, the editor notes that despite judicious cuts to the entries, "no word has been omitted that could be of any use to the poet." The poet Marianne Moore disagreed. Her copy of the Rhyming Dictionary contains marginalia that no critic has written about, as she inserted words that she found lacking. However, Moore was not the only poet to talk back to Walker's Dictionary . She was only among the most recent in a long line of canonical writers to do so. In this article, I look at the long history of English-language rhyming dictionaries, beginning with Peter Levins's 1570 Manipulus Vocabulorum and ending with Walker's Dictionary , and investigate the demands for specific diction that structure a rhyming dictionary's lexicon and organization. I then scrutinize the various ways that canonical authors from the eighteenth century onwards have engaged with Walker's Dictionary —often on its very pages. The ways writers have responded to the dictionary offer insights about these writers'—and this dictionary's—theory and practice of "allowable" rhymes. Ultimately, by examining the Rhyming Dictionary 's unusual disposition and content, this article will shed light on the compositional practices of which rhyming dictionaries are born.
Thomas Hardy's Betraying Heart: Realism and Bodily Affect
Authors: Battersby Doug
Published: December 2024

Abstract: This article examines how Thomas Hardy's fiction turns to the heart as a privileged figure for grappling with one of the great philosophical challenges of the novel form: how to put the corporeality of emotional experience into words? It contextualizes Hardy's cardiac poetics in relation to historical and contemporary scientific and medical understandings of bodily affect. The conclusion argues that Hardy's heart-centered strategies of affective description can at once illuminate his uneasy relationship with realism's normative operations and pluralize critical understanding of realism and its characteristic methods for dramatizing philosophical accounts of human experience.
Thingyan Is Here! We Will Fight! Burmese Popular Sounds and Protest Verses for H5K’s “Revolutionary Thingyan Anyeint ”
Authors: Chiarofonte Lorenzo
Published: December 2024

Abstract: Traditionally performed during the water festival ( Thingyan ) for the celebration of the Burmese New Year in April, than gyat verses, accompanied by music, dance, and songs, often address social injustice and political issues. As a response to the February 2021 military coup d’état, a “boycott Thingyan ” movement emerged in April 2022. People chose not to participate in the celebrations in urban centers and the countryside, leaving the streets dry and quiet. To support this boycott movement, the exiled comedy group Har Nga Kaung (H5K), from a concealed location on the Thailand–Burma border, broadcast a Facebook performance titled “Revolutionary Thingyan Anyeint .” The performance criticized the military regime and encouraged people to stay home. After introducing the tradition of than gyat protest verses and other subversive theatrical traditions in Burma/Myanmar, this article describes the context of the H5K’s “Revolutionary Thingyan ” performance and the sociopolitical messages it conveys. Drawing from online interviews with the performers and digital ethnography, it explores the life stories that compelled the five comedians to perform in exile. The article examines how the comedy group employs protest verses, performative gestures, and references to Burmese popular culture (popular songs, poetry, and Buddhist prayers) as strategies that aim to support the revolutionary cause.
Lay Associations of Christ's Faithful and the Church's Response to Allegations of Sexual Abuse
Authors: Pagé Roch
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACT: For more than two decades, since the promulgation of the motu proprio Sacramentorum sanctitatis tutela in 2001, several official documents were published by the Holy See and different conferences of bishops (e.g., the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops) concerning sexual abuse of minors or persons having the imperfect use of reason. Only clerics were addressed under that law. Since the publication of the revised Book VI on penal law, members of religious institutes of men and women together with any member of the faithful performing a function in the Church are included among alleged perpetrators of sexual abuse of minors. After reviewing all the official documents, the author notes that members of lay associations of Christ's faithful are not mentioned anywhere as alleged perpetrators of sexual abuse of minors. Even the members of public associations of Christ's faithful whose mission is fulfilled in the name of the Church in virtue of their status of public juridical persons are not included. Some suggestions are offered to diocesan bishops for how to take into account the members of lay associations of Christ's faithful in their diocesan protocols.
The Community with Nothing in Common: On the Power of Privation in Meister Eckhart and Herman Melville's "Bartleby"
Authors: Tobias Rochelle
Published: December 2024

Abstract: In his treatise "On Detachment," Meister Eckhart underscores that the detached soul has the power to compel God. This article draws on Eckhart's concept of detachment to explore the gravitational pull that Melville's Bartleby exerts on both the narrator and the other characters in his law practice. In abstaining from the "common usage" of the practice and in abandoning "common sense," Bartleby brings to the fore another ground for communal living, although this ground can never be claimed as an individual or collective possession. It is the ground of being, or, in the vocabulary of the tale, the premise that everyone shares provided that it never becomes a property or a predicate. Eckhart's detached soul and Melville's Bartleby are companion figures to the extent that in doing—or preferring to do—nothing they expose the nothingness of all individual inclinations and preferences.
PnP-ADMMbased efficient hardware implementation of a flexible denoising single-pixel imaging system
Authors: Li Miao , Zhang Lingqiang , Wang Xi , Wang Chenyan , Chen Chaorui , Guo Zhaohui , Zhao Xueyin , Hao Baishun , Chen Hong
Published: December 2024

Single-pixel imaging, as a novel computational imaging method, boasts high sensitivity and interference resistance, offering significant application potential. This paper addresses the noise robustness requirements for real-time imaging environments in current single-pixel imaging systems. A hardware-amenable PnP-ADMM algorithm and its corresponding IP core were developed for implementation in an SPI hardware system. A dedicated computing system, which leverages FPGA technology alongside the PnP-ADMM IP, was designed specifically for enhancing the image recovery using different denoising operators. Thorough evaluation results demonstrate that the proposed PnP-ADMM inversion reconstruction algorithm, under Gaussian noise intensity of 0.05, achieves an average PSNR of 16.7312, 19.1865, and 20.3925 dB for sampling rates of 6.25%, 12.5%, and 25%, respectively. The average SSIM values correspondingly reach 0.40 and 0.44. Experimental results of the hardware system indicate that the reconstruction time for a resolution of 256×256 images using the proximal operator, soft-thresholding operator, and TV operator as different denoising operators are approximately 0.350, 0.284, and 0.659 s, respectively. Compared with using only an ARM processor, this represents improvements of 150.1, 184.1, and 82.5 times, respectively. At a 25% sampling rate and imaging distance of 300 cm, the established PnP-ADMM single-pixel imaging system can achieve a resolution of 0.445–0.5 lp/mm. Our dedicated SPI system outperforms existing works in terms of image quality at the same sampling rate and achieves a larger image size when compared with previous work. Owing to its compact form as compared with conventional computers, the FPGA-based system is poised to expand the application scope of an SPI system into the realms of the IoT and outdoor settings.
Dynamics of a Schrödinger cat state in a photonic waveguide array
Authors: Urbieta-Maldonado Dante , Durán-Gómez Juan Samuel S. , Ramírez-Alarcón Roberto , Rosales-Zárate Laura E. C.
Published: December 2024

We report the study of the dynamics of a Schrödinger cat state (SCS) in a photonic lattice, in which two different types of coupling functions between the waveguides are considered: a constant coupling and a parabolic coupling. In addition, we investigate the inclusion of defects in the constant coupling function condition for one or three waveguides. In our study, we evaluate the average number of photons per waveguide and the fidelity in order to determine the distribution of light in the lattice for each coupling function and to find conditions to reach a perfect state transfer (PST). In the case of constant coupling, it is not possible to obtain a PST since the state distributes over all the lattice, with the inclusion of defects serving as a control mechanism in this process. In the case of parabolic coupling, we observe PST when the lattice is composed of an odd number of coupled waveguides, while, for an even number of coupled waveguides, we observe that by varying the phase of the SCS, different values of the fidelity can be obtained. Interestingly, in this last case, it is possible to achieve values of the fidelity closer to one by choosing a phase of π and a small average number of photons.
Enhancing water depth inversion accuracy in the Yangtze River's Nantong Channel using random forest and coordinate attention mechanisms
Authors: Wu Zhongqiang , Fang Siwen , Liu Yue , Li Xin , Shen WEI , Mao Zhihua , Wu Shulei
Published: December 2024

Accurate bathymetry information is crucial for safe navigation and efficient management of the Yangtze River Channel, a vital shipping corridor in China. Traditional bathymetric surveying methods are time-consuming and labor-intensive, limiting their application in large-scale and real-time monitoring. This study proposes a novel approach for bathymetry inversion in the Yangtze River Nantong Channel by integrating geolocational features obtained from the ZY-1E satellite with high-resolution multibeam data using the random forest algorithm. Our approach incorporates geographical coordinates enhancing the predictive capabilities of conventional models. The random forest with longitude/latitude (RF-Lon./Lat.) model, which incorporates geographical information, outperformed conventional methods, achieving an R2 of 0.57, MAE of 1.99 m, and RMSE of 2.96 m. The successful application of the RF-Lon./Lat. model highlights the effectiveness of integrating geolocational features with machine learning algorithms for accurate bathymetry inversion in the complex and turbid waters of the Yangtze River Channel. This innovative approach offers a promising solution for precise and efficient water depth estimation, which is essential for various applications in the Yangtze River Basin, including channel management, waterway maintenance, and hydrological studies. The insights gained from this study contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the application of machine learning and remote sensing techniques for bathymetric mapping in complex river environments, particularly in the context of the Yangtze River Channel.
Hybrid neural network-powered inverse design for implementing a highly efficient multimode interference coupler
Authors: Luo Menglong , Wang Chenxi , Lee Sang-Shin
Published: December 2024

Multimode interference couplers have been increasingly utilized in a variety of photonic scenarios. However, manually designing a coupler with sufficiently high coupling efficiency demands substantial time and effort, without guaranteeing the required performance. In this study, we present a machine learning-driven methodology that relies on a hybrid neural network and the Nelder-Mead algorithm to inversely design an efficient 1 × 4 coupler. The maximum output power values and corresponding coupler parameters are automatically and swiftly deduced through multiple iterations. The optimized average coupling efficiency, insertion loss, and power imbalance are −6.05 dB, 0.033 dB, and 0.039 dB, respectively, over the telecommunication spectral band spanning 1530–1630 nm. In comparison to conventional design methods, our approach significantly diminishes the insertion loss by approximately 0.04–0.1 dB. Our scheme shows promise in propelling and simplifying the designs of diverse types of couplers.
Enhanced demodulation of perfect optical vortices shift keying in LDPC-coded FSO communication via conformal vision transformer
Authors: Li Zhaokun , Shang Tao , Liu Xiongchao , Qian Peiheng , Zhang Yinling
Published: December 2024

We propose a conformal vision transformer (CViT)-based demodulation for the perfect optical vortices shift keying (POV-SK) signal in the low-density parity check (LDPC) coded free-space optical (FSO) link. Despite the growing interest in POV for FSO links, atmospheric turbulence (AT) induces phase distortions, resulting in POV-SK demodulation errors and degrading POV-SK FSO communication performance. The CViT demodulator utilizes conformal mapping to reshape the circular POV-SK patterns into rectangles, enabling more efficient feature learning. Paired with ViT’s comprehensive global feature extraction capabilities, the CViT demodulator effectively counters turbulence and boosts accuracy in identifying the POV-SK modes. In this study, the CViT POV-SK demodulation method is thoroughly described. The extensive numerical simulations compare CViT, ViT, Conformal ResNet18, and the lightweight RCDT-based ’shallow’ CNN in terms of recognition accuracy, PSNR, and bit error rate (BER). Under severe turbulence (C
n
2=4.4×10−12m−2/3), conformal mapping can improve the recognition accuracy of ViT from 0.7636 to 0.8437 (CViT), while reducing the BER from 3.6 × 10−2 to 1.1 × 10−3. Under the premise of keeping recognition accuracy and BER the same, CViT significantly reduces the number of model parameters and time consumption compared to Conformal ResNet18, which is essential for meeting the system’s future real-time demands. In addition, in moderate turbulence, the performance of the RCDT-based CNN is acceptable, but it significantly lags behind CViT in severe turbulence, with the BER being an order of magnitude higher than that of CViT.
Qualitative identification of passive Fourier transform infrared spectra via an attention mechanism based deep learning approach
Authors: Zhang Yuxi , Xu Liang , Huang Chenguang , Wu Haotian
Published: December 2024

Passive Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, used to detect chemical pollutants in the air, works with extremely weak signals with complex and varying background interference. This significantly challenges gas identification in terms of precision. Consequently, limited research progress has been made in this area. To address this issue, this study proposes a model that leverages the Transformer, a self-attention-based neural network, and a coattention mechanism for gas identification. The architecture of this model facilitates joint feature learning and fusion, rendering the prediction performance robust to background interference. Extensive experiments demonstrate its significant improvements and feasibility, underlining the potential application in hazardous gas warning systems.
Continuous automatic polarization channel stabilization from heterodyne detection of coexisting dim reference signals
Authors: Chapman Joseph C. , Alshowkan Muneer , Reaz Kazi , Li Tian , Kiran Mariam
Published: December 2024

Quantum networking continues to encode information in polarization states due to ease and precision. The variable environmental polarization transformations induced by deployed fiber need correction for deployed quantum networking. Here, we present a method for automatic polarization compensation (APC) and demonstrate its performance on a metropolitan quantum network. Designing an APC involves many design decisions as indicated by the diversity of previous solutions in the literature. Our design leverages heterodyne detection of wavelength-multiplexed dim classical references for continuous high-bandwidth polarization measurements used by newly developed multi-axis (non-)linear control algorithm(s) for complete polarization channel stabilization with no downtime. This enables continuous relatively high-bandwidth correction without significant added noise from classical reference signals. We demonstrate the performance of our APC using a variety of classical and quantum characterizations. Finally, we use C-band and L-band APC versions to demonstrate continuous high-fidelity entanglement distribution on a metropolitan quantum network with an average relative fidelity of 0.94 ± 0.03 for over 30 hrs.
Efficient X-ray dark field contrast simulations using a condensed history approach
Authors: Francken Nicholas , Sanctorum Jonathan , Huyge Ben , Sijbers Jan , de Beenhouwer Jan
Published: December 2024

Due to the growing interest in X-ray phase contrast imaging (XPCI), the development of XPCI simulators has become an active field of research. Efficient computer simulations are a prime tool for optimizing the XPCI setup and acquisition process. In addition to phase contrast, modern XPCI setups provide insight into the unresolvable sample micro structure distribution through the dark field signal. However, to accurately simulate XPCI dark field signals, the virtual sample model should contain many fine structures, considerably increasing the simulation time. Moreover, accurately modeling micro structure distributions is challenging and the micro structure distribution of one virtual sample cannot be easily transferred to another. In this work, we apply a condensed history approach to dark field simulations, removing the need to explicitly model the micro structures in the virtual sample. Instead, a tunable dark field material parameter, representing a measure of the material micro structure distribution, is attached to the sample. The condensed history simulation model offers a substantial increase in simulation speed and the dark field material parameter is easily transferable between samples. The implementation is validated using the edge illumination XPCI setup. Condensed history simulations are compared to real data, showing good agreement, and the simulation speed increase is presented for increasing sample thickness and field of view. The simulation model is shown to remain valid even for thick samples. Simulated computed tomography data sets, with and without explicit micro structure, are favorably compared to each other.
Point-spread-function engineering in MINFLUX: optimality of donut and half-moon excitation patterns
Authors: Liu Yan , Dong Jonathan , Augusto Maya Juan , Balzarotti Francisco , Unser Michael
Published: December 2024

Localization microscopy enables imaging with resolutions that surpass the conventional optical diffraction limit. Notably, the Maximally INFormative LUminescence eXcitation (MINFLUX) method achieves super-resolution by shaping the excitation point spread function (PSF) to minimize the required photon flux for a given precision. Various beam shapes have recently been proposed to improve localization efficiency, yet their optimality remains an open question. In this work, we deploy a numerical and theoretical framework to determine optimal excitation patterns for MINFLUX. Such a computational approach allows us to search for new beam patterns in a fast and low-cost fashion and to avoid time-consuming and expensive experimental explorations. We show that the conventional donut beam is a robust optimum when the excitation beams are all constrained to the same shape. Further, our PSF engineering framework yields two pairs of half-moon beams (orthogonal to each other), which can improve the theoretical localization precision by a factor of about two.
Rotational Doppler effect using ultra-dense vector perfect vortex beams
Authors: Gao Jianbo , Lu Xingyuan , Zhao Xuechun , Wang Zhuoyi , Zhu Junan , Hu Zhiquan , He Jingjing , Zhan Qiwen , Cai Yangjian , Zhao Chengliang
Published: December 2024

The rotational Doppler effect holds significant potential for remote sensing of rotating objects due to its real-time performance and non-contact advantages. A single-ring beam is used to measure rotation speed. To enhance the signal-to-noise ratio and measure additional parameters, multiple rings are introduced in the context of a rotational Doppler effect. However, the interference between these rings poses a challenge for multitasking detection applications. In this study, cross-polarization superposition was applied to generate an ultra-dense vector perfect vortex beam that exhibited sensitivity to spatial position and object size, and flexibility in designing topological charge combinations for generating frequency combs. A proof-of-principle experiment was conducted to demonstrate its capability in improving the signal-to-noise ratio, and accurately perceiving both the radius of rotation and radial size. An ultra-dense vector perfect vortex beam provides a general strategy for beam construction and the multi-parameter perception of rotating objects, thereby enabling potential applications in the measurement of velocity gradient measurement of fluids.
Treatment outcomes and associated factors in severe malaria patients at University of Gondar Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia: A retrospective study (2020–2023)
Authors: Anteneh Marshet , Asres Mezgebu Silamsaw , Legese Geberehiwot Lema , Alemayehu Meron Asmamaw , Woldesenbet Dagmawi , Ayalew Desalew Getahun
Published: December 2024

Background

Malaria continues to be the most prevalent life-threatening parasitic illness in Ethiopia. Its clinical spectrum ranges from mild to severe, with a propensity for death. In Ethiopia, it accounts for 10% of hospital admission. Identifying predictors of malaria-related mortality is crucial for aiding high-risk patient identification and enabling timely intervention.

Objective

Our study aimed to assess treatment outcomes and factors associated with mortality among severe malaria patients at the University of Gondar Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia.

Methods

A retrospective cross-sectional study examined 383 randomly chosen patients with severe malaria, spanning a four-year period leading up to the data collection date, encompassing July 2023 back to June 2020. Data were collected from the hospital records. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data. EpiData version 3.1 and SPSS version 20 were used to clean and analyze the data, respectively. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to determine associations and reported by the odds ratio at p < 0.05 with 95% confidence intervals.

Results

Among the 383 eligible patients, the majorities were males (56.66%) and resided in rural areas (66.32%). Over 84% of them were referred from health facilities. Plasmodium falciparum was the major parasite identified in 78% of cases. The magnitude of death among severe malaria patients was 10.97%. Impaired consciousness, convulsions, jaundice, parasitemia level >2, and creatinine level ≥3 were significantly associated with death, with adjusted odds ratios (AOR) of 3.4 (95% CI: 1.3–8.3), 2.7 (95% CI: 1.004–7.492), 3.2 (95% CI: 1.173–9.182), 3.7 (95% CI: 1.516–9.113), and 11.7 (95% CI: 4.756–29.239), respectively.

Conclusion

Our study revealed a significant number of malaria-related deaths, with predictors such as age, impaired consciousness, convulsions, jaundice, parasitemia level, and creatinine level identified. Hence, it is imperative to implement intense and timely interventions for patients exhibiting these clinical manifestations to prevent malaria-related fatalities.
Genetic coping mechanisms observed in Leishmania tropica, from the Middle East region, enhance the survival of the parasite after drug exposure
Authors: Glans Hedvig , Matos Gabriel M. , Bradley Maria , Downing Tim , Andersson Björn
Published: December 2024

Introduction

Cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. tropica is common in the Middle East and treatment failure and drug resistance are known to occur. Several genetic mechanisms: aneuploidy, recombination and loss of heterozygosity, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) changes, copy number variation (CNV), and mutation of the H locus associated with drug resistance have been described.

Materials and methods

We studied SNP and CNV patterns in 22 isolates of L. tropica from Afghanistan, Iran and Syria in a geographic, phylogenetic and antimony exposure context.

Results

A high SNP frequency was observed in isolates from Syria on chromosome 23, including the H locus, linked to different ancestry at that chromosome segment. Among the isolates from Afghanistan and Iran, an elevated frequency of nonsynonymous SNPs was observed on several chromosomes. Changes in CNV patterns were seen in isolates exposed to drug pressure, especially for the ferric iron reductase gene. Expanded genes were categorised into five functional categories: translational elongation, mitochondrial transmembrane transport, positive regulation of cellular component organisation, response to stimulus and response to hypoxia. No CNV was identified at the H locus, the MAPK1 gene, the APQ1 gene, nor chromosomes 23, 31 or 36 regardless of previous antimonial exposure.

Discussion

In our study, Leishmania tropica had a jump in the nonsynonymous SNP rates at chromosome 23, including the H locus. CNV was observed among isolates exposed to antimonials, especially involving the gene encoding a ferric iron reductase. Several essential genetic coping mechanisms in the cell were enhanced when exposed to antimony, possibly for the survival of the parasite. Our work supports the perspective that Leishmania uses several mechanisms to adapt to environmental changes and drug exposure.
Cohort profile of a prospective cohort study among middle-aged community-dwellers in rural Vietnam: The Khánh Hòa cardiovascular study
Authors: Nguyen Chau Que , Pham Thuy Thi Phuong , Phan Danh Cong , Do Hung Thai , Mizoue Tetsuya , Inoue Yosuke
Published: December 2024

Disease burden associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in low- and middle-income countries has been on an increasing trend in the past decades. Despite the worldwide genetic, cultural, and environmental variations in determinants of CVDs, few studies have attempted the identification of risk factors of CVDs in low- and middle-income countries. This article aims to introduce the Khánh Hòa Cardiovascular Study, a prospective cohort study among middle-aged community dwellers in rural Khánh Hòa, Vietnam. A total of 3000 individuals, aged 40–60 years at baseline, participated in the baseline survey conducted from June 2019 to June 2020 and will be followed up for the subsequent 10 years. The baseline survey collected information on sociodemographic variables, disease history, lifestyle, social environment, and mental health via questionnaires, physical examinations, and biochemical measurements. Information on the incidence of severe health outcomes (i.e., mortality, CVDs, and cancer) has been and will be collected using a study-specific disease registry. Results showed that the prevalences of excess body weight (body mass index ≥25 kg/m2), hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia were 25.9%, 39.6%, 10.2%, and 45.1%, respectively. Furthermore, by March 2023, 21 participants had died, including 5 CVD deaths and 12 cancer deaths. Moreover, we recorded 22 and 31 cases of nonfatal CVDs and cancer, respectively. These results suggest that many rural residents in Vietnam have high cardiometabolic risk, and underscore the importance of advancing research to identify risk factors and prevent the onset of serious health events.
MetaCONNET: A metagenomic polishing tool for long-read assemblies
Authors: Sun Bingru , Guo Jian , Jin Hao , Jin Zijie , Sun Yaping , Mao Yuanchen , Xie Fuli , He Yun , Sun Zhihong , Li Wei , Ivanov Igor , Tian Hui
Published: December 2024

Accurate and high coverage genome assemblies are the basis for downstream analysis of metagenomic studies. Long-read sequencing technology is an ideal tool to facilitate the assemblies of metagenome, except for the drawback of usually producing reads with high sequencing error rate. Many polishing tools were developed to correct the sequencing error, but most are designed on the ground of one or two species. Considering the complexity and uneven depth of metagenomic study, we present a novel deep-learning polishing tool named MetaCONNET for polishing metagenomic assemblies. We evaluate MetaCONNET against Medaka, CONNET and NextPolish in accuracy, coverage, contiguity and resource consumption. Our results demonstrate that MetaCONNET provides a valuable polishing tool and can be applied to many metagenomic studies.
Modelling the effects of intervention measures in reducing the risk of norovirus transmission in preschool settings
Authors: Lee Edward , Er Benjamin , Khoo Joanna , Chan Sheot Harn , Aung Kyaw Thu
Published: December 2024

Singapore has seen an increase in norovirus outbreaks in preschools from 2019 to 2022 primarily due to person-to-person transmission. This study describes the use of compartmental susceptible-exposed-infectious-recovered (SEIR) modelling to simulate the spread of norovirus among preschool children in a classroom setting. Different intervention measures, such as isolation of infected preschoolers, handwashing and surface decontamination were modelled to quantify their effectiveness at reducing the number of children infected. We found that isolation of the sick child was the most effective single intervention to reduce transmission risk, which was 5 times more effective than handwashing. Coupled with handwashing and surface decontamination, transmission risk could be further reduced, close to zero. Findings from our study can be used to reiterate to parents and teachers on the importance of recognizing the symptoms exhibited by their unwell children and refraining from sending them to school, as this action poses a risk of transmitting norovirus to other children. In addition, our findings can be used to educate children and staff in preschools on the importance of practising good personal hygiene and regular environmental cleaning. Through this study, decision makers would be better informed on the effectivness of various risk mitigation measures at reduce the risk of norovirus transmission in preschool settings.
Optimal Trade Policy in a Ricardian Model with Labor-Market Search-and-Matching Frictions
Authors: Suwanprasert Wisarut
Published: December 2024

I develop a dynamic general-equilibrium model that combines the Diamond–Mortensen–Pissarides labor market with the standard Ricardian model of international trade to investigate the potential role of unemployment as a justification for trade policy implementation. First, I compare a competitive equilibrium and a constrained-efficient equilibrium and then establish the condition in which the competitive equilibrium is constrained-efficient. Second, I show that free trade is optimal only when labor market inefficiency is absent. A small open economy may employ expansionary trade policies (such as export subsidies or reduced import tariffs) if it experiences inefficiently high unemployment. This study provides a rationale behind countries’ tendency to use export subsidies.
Effect of surface treatment of nickel-coated graphite on conductive rubber
Authors: Zhuang Xindi , Xing Baotong , Mao Hongda , Liu Wei , Zou Hua
Published: December 2024

In the blended conductive rubbers, good dispersion of conductive fillers and great interfacial bonding with the substrate are the keys to achieving excellent mechanical and electromagnetic shielding properties. It is found that compared with octyltriethoxysilane (A137), 3-methacryloxypropyl-trimethoxysilane (A174) and vinyltriethoxysilane (A151) with a double bond reduce the curing degree of the blends. The vinyl methyl silicone rubber/nickel-coated graphite (VMQ/NCG) composites modified by A137 shows poor tensile properties, while the composites modified by A174 shows inferior electrical properties. The presence of physical adsorption and chemical adsorption on the surface of NCG modified by A151, which effectively enhances the dispersibility of NCG and interfacial bonding strength with rubber, so that the material exhibits excellent comprehensive properties. When the content of A151 is 3% and modified by dry method, the tensile strength of VMQ/NCG composites can reach 1.6 MPa, the elongation at break can reach 162%, and the volume resistivity can reach 0.05 Ω·cm.
Appraising Regulatory Framework Towards Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Under Digital Humanism
Authors: Cheng Le , Gong Xuan
Published: December 2024

The explosive advancement of contemporary artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, typified by ChatGPT, is steering humans towards an uncontrollable trajectory to artificial general intelligence (AGI). Against the backdrop of a series of transformative breakthroughs, big tech companies such as OpenAI and Google have initiated an “AGI race” on a supranational level. As technological power becomes increasingly absolute, structural challenges may erupt with an unprecedented velocity, potentially resulting in disorderly expansion and even malignant development of AI technologies. To preserve the dignity and safety of human-beings in a brand-new AGI epoch, it is imperative to implement regulatory guidelines to limit the applications of AGI within the confines of human ethics and rules to further counteract the potential downsides. To promote the benevolent evolution of AGI, the principles of Humanism should be underscored and the connotation of Digital Humanism should be further enriched. Correspondingly, the current regulatory paradigm for generative AI may also be overhauled under the tenet of Digital Humanism to adapt to the quantum leaps and subversive shifts produced by AGI in the future. Positioned at the nexus of legal studies, computer science, and moral philosophy, this study therefore charts a course for a synthetic regulation framework of AGI under Digital Humanism.
Mechanical behavior of composite pipe structures under compressive force and its prediction using different machine learning algorithms
Authors: Bozkurt Ilyas
Published: December 2024

Thanks to machine learning algorithms, the performance of composites with high energy absorption capacity can be predicted with high accuracy rates with a small number of data. The aim of this study is to experimentally and numerically determine the crushing performances of glass/epoxy composite pipe structures under compressive force and to predict their compression behavior with the help of different machine learning algorithms. In the study, the crushing performances of composite pipes (peak force (PF), peak force displacement (PFD), mean crushing force (MCF), specific energy absorption (SEA), and total inner energy (TIE)) were determined for different specimen thicknesses, specimen lengths, mesh sizes, numbers of integration points, diameters (D), and compression directions (axial and radial). Additionally, the maximum strength values of composite pipes under force were estimated with the help of Linear Regression (LR), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), and Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) machine learning algorithms. The data taken from the ANN algorithm were found to be more reliable in estimating the PF and TIE values, with an accuracy rate of 92 %. When determining the MCF value, it was found that the data obtained from the LR algorithm was more reliable than other algorithms, with an accuracy rate of 80 %.