bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Non-nutritive sweetened beverages versus water after a 52-week weight management programme: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Harrold Joanne A. , Hill Scott , Radu Cristina , Thomas Paul , Thorp Paula , Hardman Charlotte A. , Christiansen Paul , Halford Jason C. G.
Published: October 2023

Background/objective

Sugar-sweetened beverages are a substantial source of dietary sugar that can contribute to weight gain and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Dietary guidelines recommend non-nutritive sweetened (NNS) beverages to reduce sugar consumption, however, there is a need for long-term randomised controlled trials on their use. We aimed to compare the effects of NNS beverages and water on body weight during weight loss and maintenance in a behavioural weight management programme.

Methods

In this parallel-group, open-label, controlled equivalence trial, adults with a BMI of 27–35 kg/m2 who regularly consumed cold beverages were randomised 1:1 to water or NNS beverages. Participants underwent a group behavioural weight management programme comprising weekly (during the 12-week weight-loss phase) then monthly (during the 40-week weight-maintenance phase) meetings. The primary endpoint was weight change at week 52 (equivalence: two-sided P > 0.05). Secondary endpoints included changes in anthropometrics, cardiometabolic risk factors, appetite and activity levels.

Results

Of 493 participants randomised (water: n = 246; NNS beverages: n = 247), 24.1% were NNS-naïve. At week 52, water and NNS beverages were non-equivalent, with significantly greater weight loss in the NNS beverages group. Participants consuming water maintained a weight loss of 6.1 kg over 52 weeks versus 7.5 kg with NNS beverages (difference [90% CI]: 1.4 kg [–2.6, –0.2]; p < 0.05).

Conclusions

During a 52-week behavioural weight management programme, water and NNS beverages were non-equivalent, with weight loss maintained to a statistically greater extent with NNS beverages compared with water. However, this difference was not clinically significant.

Clinical trial registration

This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02591134
Current research status of tumor cell biomarker detection
Authors: Jiang Liying , Lin Xinyi , Chen Fenghua , Qin Xiaoyun , Yan Yanxia , Ren Linjiao , Yu Hongyu , Chang Lingqian , Wang Yang
Published: October 2023

With the annual increases in the morbidity and mortality rates of tumors, the use of biomarkers for early diagnosis and real-time monitoring of tumor cells is of great importance. Biomarkers used for tumor cell detection in body fluids include circulating tumor cells, nucleic acids, protein markers, and extracellular vesicles. Among them, circulating tumor cells, circulating tumor DNA, and exosomes have high potential for the prediction, diagnosis, and prognosis of tumor diseases due to the large amount of valuable information on tumor characteristics and evolution; in addition, in situ monitoring of telomerase and miRNA in living cells has been the topic of extensive research to understand tumor development in real time. Various techniques, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, immunoblotting, and mass spectrometry, have been widely used for the detection of these markers. Among them, the detection of tumor cell markers in body fluids based on electrochemical biosensors and fluorescence signal analysis is highly preferred because of its high sensitivity, rapid detection and portable operation. Herein, we summarize recent research progress in the detection of tumor cell biomarkers in body fluids using electrochemical and fluorescence biosensors, outline the current research status of in situ fluorescence monitoring and the analysis of tumor markers in living cells, and discuss the technical challenges for their practical clinical application to provide a reference for the development of new tumor marker detection methods.
Astrocytic β-catenin signaling via TCF7L2 regulates synapse development and social behavior
Authors: Szewczyk Lukasz Mateusz , Lipiec Marcin Andrzej , Liszewska Ewa , Meyza Ksenia , Urban-Ciecko Joanna , Kondrakiewicz Ludwika , Goncerzewicz Anna , Rafalko Kamil , Krawczyk Tomasz Grzegorz , Bogaj Karolina , Vainchtein Ilia Davidovich , Nakao-Inoue Hiromi , Puscian Alicja , Knapska Ewelina , Sanders Stephan J. , Jan Nowakowski Tomasz , Molofsky Anna Victoria , Wisniewska Marta Barbara
Published: October 2023

The Wnt/β-catenin pathway contains multiple high-confidence risk genes that are linked to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder. However, its ubiquitous roles across brain cell types and developmental stages have made it challenging to define its impact on neural circuit development and behavior. Here, we show that TCF7L2, which is a key transcriptional effector of the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, plays a cell-autonomous role in postnatal astrocyte maturation and impacts adult social behavior. TCF7L2 was the dominant Wnt effector that was expressed in both mouse and human astrocytes, with a peak during astrocyte maturation. The conditional knockout of Tcf7l2 in postnatal astrocytes led to an enlargement of astrocytes with defective tiling and gap junction coupling. These mice also exhibited an increase in the number of cortical excitatory and inhibitory synapses and a marked increase in social interaction by adulthood. These data reveal an astrocytic role for developmental Wnt/β-catenin signaling in restricting excitatory synapse numbers and regulating adult social behavior.
Spatial heterogeneity of bone marrow endothelial cells unveils a distinct subtype in the epiphysis
Authors: Iga Takahito , Kobayashi Hiroshi , Kusumoto Dai , Sanosaka Tsukasa , Fujita Nobuyuki , Tai-Nagara Ikue , Ando Tomofumi , Takahashi Tomoko , Matsuo Koichi , Hozumi Katsuto , Ito Kosei , Ema Masatsugu , Miyamoto Takeshi , Matsumoto Morio , Nakamura Masaya , Okano Hideyuki , Shibata Shinsuke , Kohyama Jun , Kim Kevin K. , Takubo Keiyo , Kubota Yoshiaki
Published: October 2023

Bone marrow endothelial cells (BMECs) play a key role in bone formation and haematopoiesis. Although recent studies uncovered the cellular taxonomy of stromal compartments in the bone marrow (BM), the complexity of BMECs is not fully characterized. In the present study, using single-cell RNA sequencing, we defined a spatial heterogeneity of BMECs and identified a capillary subtype, termed type S (secondary ossification) endothelial cells (ECs), exclusively existing in the epiphysis. Type S ECs possessed unique phenotypic characteristics in terms of structure, plasticity and gene expression profiles. Genetic experiments showed that type S ECs atypically contributed to the acquisition of bone strength by secreting type I collagen, the most abundant bone matrix component. Moreover, these cells formed a distinct reservoir for haematopoietic stem cells. These findings provide the landscape for the cellular architecture in the BM vasculature and underscore the importance of epiphyseal ECs during bone and haematopoietic development.
Development of a mobile-based intelligent module for identification and tracking of household appliances
Authors: Kaplun Dmitrii , Shpakovskaya Irina , Sinitca Aleksandr , Efimenko George , Alqahtani Malak S. , Ghoniem Rania M. , Abbas Mohamed , Soufiene Ben Othman , Romanov Sergey
Published: October 2023

Every year manufacturers of household appliances improve their devices, trying to make everyday life easier for users. New smart devices have many useful features, but not all users can easily cope with the complexity of the devices. One of the main tasks of household appliance manufacturers is to ensure the convenience of using appliances, taking into account the increasing complexity. Therefore, any manufacturer supplies equipment with a short but useful instruction manual. Practice shows that no printed user manual can compare with a demonstration of the device operation by a professional consultant. Instructions for home appliances using augmented reality technology will allow users to get the necessary detailed information about the device in a short period of time. As part of this work, the task of developing an artificial intelligence-based module is being solved. This module consists of developed classification, matching, and tracking submodules that can provide simple and fast visual instructions to users of household appliances in real time. The identification of household appliances is performed with more than 0.9 accuracy, and the tracking inside an unidentified object using the camera of a mobile device is processed with the success score of about 0.68 and frames per second (FPS) about 7. Mobile applications based on the proposed intelligent modules for Android and iOS were developed.
Noninvasive radiomic analysis of enhanced CT predicts CTLA4 expression and prognosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Zhu Yeping , Wu Mianhua
Published: October 2023

Developing a radiomic model to predict CTLA4 expression levels and assessing its prognostic accuracy for patients. Medical imaging data were sourced from the TCIA database, while transcriptome sequencing data were derived from the TCGA database. We utilized a linear kernel SVM algorithm to develop a radiomic model for predicting CTLA4 gene expression. We then assessed the model’s clinical relevance using survival and Cox regression analyses. Performance evaluations of the model were illustrated through ROC, PR, calibration, and decision curves. (1) Bioinformatics analysis: Kaplan–Meier curves indicated that increased CTLA4 expression correlates with enhanced overall survival (OS) (p < 0.001). Both univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that high CTLA4 expression served as a protective factor for OS (HR = 0.562, 95% CI 0.427–0.741, p < 0.001). (2) Radiomics evaluation: the ROC curve demonstrated that the AUC for the SVM radiomics model was 0.766 in the training set and 0.742 in the validation set. The calibration curve affirmed that the model's prediction probability for high gene expression aligns with the actual outcomes. Furthermore, decision curve analysis (DCA) indicated that our model boasts robust clinical applicability. CTLA4 expression level serves as an independent prognostic factor for HNSCCs. Using enhanced CT images, the SVM radiomic model effectively predicts CTLA4 expression levels. As a result, this model offers strong prognostic insights for HNSCCs, guiding precise diagnosis, treatment, and assisting in clinical decision-making.
Effects of individual differences in text exposure on sentence comprehension
Authors: Stoops Anastasia , Montag Jessica L.
Published: October 2023

Linguistic experience plays a clear role in accounting for variability in sentence comprehension behavior across individuals and across sentence types. We aimed to understand how individual differences in reading experience predict reading behavior. Corpus analyses revealed the frequencies with which our experimental items appeared in written and spoken language. We hypothesized that reading experience should affect sentence comprehension most substantially for sentence types that individuals primarily encounter through written language. Readers with more text exposure were faster and more accurate readers overall, but they read sentence types biased to written language particularly faster than did readers with less text exposure. We see clear effects of text exposure on sentence comprehension in ways that allow explicit links between written and spoken corpus statistics and behavior. We discuss theoretical implications of effects of text exposure for experience-based approaches to sentence processing.
An experimental and computational study of graphene oxide functionalized with tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane as an electrode material for supercapacitors
Authors: Mohammadi Samira , Mousavi-Khoshdel S. Morteza
Published: October 2023

In this research, graphene oxide (GO) functionalized with tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane (T) was synthesized with a simple one-pot method, and applied as an electrode material for supercapacitors. Electrochemical measurements on the synthesized tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane-functionalized graphene oxide (GO@T) indicated a specific capacitance of 549.8 F g− 1 at a specific current of 2.5 A g− 1 and a specific capacitance of 358 F g−1 at a specific current of 7 A g− 1 in the potential range of − 0.5–0.5 V versus Ag/AgCl. It also showed a high cyclic stability. According to the results, 80 and 68% of the initial capacitance was retained after 5500 and 9300 cycles, respectively. Density functional theory calculations were used to investigate the quantum capacitance, free energy change during functionalization reaction, and the layer distance of GO and GO@T.
Phenotypic and molecular characterization of novel pulmonary adenocarcinoma cell lines established from a dog
Authors: Kobayashi Kosuke , Takemura Reika Deja , Miyamae Jiro , Mitsui Ikki , Murakami Kohei , Kutara Kenji , Saeki Kohei , Kanda Teppei , Okamura Yasuhiko , Sugiyama Akihiko
Published: October 2023

Canine pulmonary adenocarcinoma (PAC) resembles human lung tumors in never-smokers, but it is rarer than human pulmonary adenocarcinoma. Therefore, research on canine PAC is challenging. In the present study, we successfully established various novel canine PAC cell lines from a single lesion in a dog, including two parent cell lines and fourteen cloned cell lines, and characterized their cellular properties in vitro. Several of these cell lines showed epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT)-like and/or cancer stem cell (CSCs)-like phenotypes. We additionally assessed the sensitivity of the cells to vinorelbine in vitro. Three clonal lines, two of which showed EMT- and CSC-like phenotypes, were resistant to vinorelbine. Furthermore, we evaluated the expression and activation status of EGFR, HER2, and Ras signaling factors. The findings indicated that the cell lines we established preserved the expression and activation of these factors to varying extents. These novel canine PAC cell lines can be utilized in future research for understanding the pathogenesis and development of treatments for canine PAC.
Human-like intuitive behavior and reasoning biases emerged in large language models but disappeared in ChatGPT
Authors: Hagendorff Thilo , Fabi Sarah , Kosinski Michal
Published: October 2023

We design a battery of semantic illusions and cognitive reflection tests, aimed to elicit intuitive yet erroneous responses. We administer these tasks, traditionally used to study reasoning and decision-making in humans, to OpenAI’s generative pre-trained transformer model family. The results show that as the models expand in size and linguistic proficiency they increasingly display human-like intuitive system 1 thinking and associated cognitive errors. This pattern shifts notably with the introduction of ChatGPT models, which tend to respond correctly, avoiding the traps embedded in the tasks. Both ChatGPT-3.5 and 4 utilize the input–output context window to engage in chain-of-thought reasoning, reminiscent of how people use notepads to support their system 2 thinking. Yet, they remain accurate even when prevented from engaging in chain-of-thought reasoning, indicating that their system-1-like next-word generation processes are more accurate than those of older models. Our findings highlight the value of applying psychological methodologies to study large language models, as this can uncover previously undetected emergent characteristics.
Natural language processing analysis of the psychosocial stressors of mental health disorders during the pandemic
Authors: Raveau María P. , Goñi Julián I. , Rodríguez José F. , Paiva-Mack Isidora , Barriga Fernanda , Hermosilla María P. , Fuentes-Bravo Claudio , Eyheramendy Susana
Published: October 2023

Over the past few years, the COVID-19 pandemic has exerted various impacts on the world, notably concerning mental health. Nevertheless, the precise influence of psychosocial stressors on this mental health crisis remains largely unexplored. In this study, we employ natural language processing to examine chat text from a mental health helpline. The data was obtained from a chat helpline called Safe Hour from the “It Gets Better” project in Chile. This dataset encompass 10,986 conversations between trained professional volunteers from the foundation and platform users from 2018 to 2020. Our analysis shows a significant increase in conversations covering issues of self-image and interpersonal relations, as well as a decrease in performance themes. Also, we observe that conversations involving themes like self-image and emotional crisis played a role in explaining both suicidal behavior and depressive symptoms. However, anxious symptoms can only be explained by emotional crisis themes. These findings shed light on the intricate connections between psychosocial stressors and various mental health aspects in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dearomative, aminocatalytic formal normal-electron-demand aza-Diels–Alder cycloaddition in the synthesis of tetrahydrofuropyridines
Authors: Dyguda Mateusz , Przydacz Artur , Albrecht Łukasz
Published: October 2023

In the manuscript a dearomative reaction cascade involving normal-electron-demand aza-Diels–Alder cycloaddition as a key step is described. The mechanism of the transformation was studied utilizing computational and experimental approach.
Controlled synthesis of cyclic helical polyisocyanides and bottlebrush polymers using a cyclic alkyne–Pd(ii) catalyst
Authors: Duan Bing-Hui , Yu Jia-Xin , Gao Run-Tan , Li Shi-Yi , Liu Na , Wu Zong-Quan
Published: October 2023

A cyclic catalyst was prepared which initiates the living polymerisation of isocyanide monomers and macromonomers, affording various well-defined cyclic polymers with predictable molar mass and low distribution.
Low-cost flexible textile electrocatalyst for overall water splitting
Authors: Liu Zhen , Lan Jiamin , Xia Xinnian , Ren Tong , Wang Xuxu , Guo Rui , Xu Weijian , Pan Shuaijun
Published: October 2023

Owing to the braidability and the richness of surface functional groups, cotton fibers can be woven into different shapes and sizes, and diverse catalytically active centers can be stably anchored.
(3̄10)-Oriented β-Ga2O3 grown on (0001) sapphire by halide vapor phase epitaxy: growth and structural characterizations
Authors: Xu Wanli , Li Yuewen , Li Bin , Xiu Xiangqian , Zhao Hong , Xie Zili , Tao Tao , Chen Peng , Liu Bin , Zhang Rong , Zheng Youdou
Published: October 2023

Unique (3̄10) β-Ga2O3 films have been obtained on off-angled sapphire substrates with the best crystal quality reported so far.
The tunable anisotropic Rashba spin–orbit coupling effect in Pb-adsorbed Janus monolayer WSeTe
Authors: Yang Can , Li Jia , Liu Xiaoli , Bai Congling
Published: October 2023

Pb atom adsorption reduces the initial symmetry of 2H-WSeTe monolayers and induce the anisotropic Rashba effect,which making it be a promising energy-efficient spin field-effect transistor material.
Atomically thin two-dimensional hybrid perovskites using hydrophobic superalkali cations with tunable electron transition type
Authors: Zhou Tingwei , Shao Bin
Published: October 2023

We found that the electron transition type of the 2D (C5NH6)2MX4 perovskites can be tuned via the different hydrogen bonding interactions. These results may be common in other atomically thin organic–inorganic hybrid perovskites as well.
Two-dimensional ion–molecule chelation reaction (2D-IMCRs) to form a two-dimensional dual optical sensor (2D-DOS): synthesis and application of Phen-SnO2 nanosheets for the fluorometric and colorimetric sensing of nitroaromatic explosives
Authors: Dabur Deepak , Chan Yen-Ting , Wu Hui-Fen
Published: October 2023

Organic precursor-modulated fluorescent 2D Sn-nanosheets are investigated for the selective detection of picric acid. The findings have potential for the environmental monitoring of nitroaromatic compounds.
Reversible and high-contrast thermal conductivity switching in a flexible covalent organic framework possessing negative Poisson's ratio
Authors: Thakur Sandip , Giri Ashutosh
Published: October 2023

A highly flexible covalent organic framework demonstrating dynamic and largest reversible thermal conductivity switching ratios shown thus far in any material system with immense potential for application in thermal management of microelectronics.
Mechanical disassembly of human picobirnavirus like particles indicates that cargo retention is tuned by the RNA–coat protein interaction
Authors: Rodríguez-Espinosa María J. , Rodríguez Javier M. , Castón José R. , de Pablo Pedro J.
Published: October 2023

By using AFM-induced mechanical disassembly we investigate the RNA-cargo retention of individual human picobirnavirus virus-like particles which differ in the N-terminal of their capsid protein, thus changing the RNA-coat protein interaction.
Aminocarbonylation of aryl halides using surfactant in water – a greener approach
Authors: Godha Atul K. , H.B Nandeesh , R Sravankumar , V.H Swathi , Shrungeshwara Vinaya , Kogale Pravin , Gavara Govindarajalu , Karthik C. S. , Ganesh Sambasivam
Published: October 2023

An environmentally benign, very efficient, highly selective and practically scalable aminocarbonylation of various aryl halides with different alkyl/aryl amines is developed using a surfactant in water.
A new cobalt(ii)–lithium(i) carboxylate complex with an N,O-donor mono-iminoacenaphthenone ligand: synthesis, structure and magnetic behavior
Authors: Yambulatov Dmitriy S. , Nikolaevskii Stanislav A. , Lukoyanov Anton N. , Shmelev Maxim A. , Voronina Julia K. , Babeshkin Konstantin A. , Matiukhina Anna K. , Efimov Nikolay N. , Kiskin Mikhail A. , Eremenko Igor L.
Published: October 2023

A new carboxylate complex [Co2Li2(Piv)6(L)2]·CH3CN (1) (Piv is the anion of pivalic acid) has been synthesized and structurally characterized. It exhibits a field induced slow magnetic relaxation.
The excellence of chemical science in achieving a sustainable world
Authors: Selvarasu Selvakumar
Published: October 2023

Global warming, ocean acidification, melting glaciers, extreme weather conditions, and biodiversity loss are mainly due to the continuous rise in CO2 level in the atmosphere. Land pollution and disruption in marine life and ecosystems are partly due of generation of a million tons of plastic waste.
Biomimetic integrated gas diffusion layer inspired by alveoli for enhanced air-breathing fuel cell performance and stability
Authors: Chai Zhi , Ning Fandi , Wen Qinglin , Liu Pei , He Can , Li Wei , Dan Xiong , Xu Pengpeng , Liu Yiyang , Li Yali , Zhou Xiaochun
Published: October 2023

Inspired by the structure of alveoli, a biomimetic integrated GDL was carefully designed. The biomimetic integrated GDL structure enhances the performance and durability of PEMFC while also making its structure more compact.
Atomic metal coordinated to nitrogen-doped carbon electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells: a perspective on progress, pitfalls and prospectives
Authors: Pedersen Angus , Bagger Alexander , Barrio Jesús , Maillard Frédéric , Stephens Ifan E. L. , Titirici Maria-Magdalena
Published: October 2023

This Perspective highlights past achievements, knowledge gaps and future research directions for M-N-C catalysts for PEMFCs.
1T and 2H mixed phase WS2 nanoflakes decorated with quasicrystal nanosheets for NO2 sensors
Authors: Kumar Sumit , Khan Mustaque A. , Mishra Shashank Shekhar , Chaurasiya Rajneesh , Sharma Nipun , Gang Meng , Tiwary Chandra S. , Biswas Krishanu , Kumar Mahesh
Published: October 2023

The optimal amount of two-dimensional quasicrystal nanosheet decoration on 1T and 2H mixed-phase WS2 significantly enhances the NO2 sensing performance.
Exploring the impact of select anchor groups for norbornadiene/quadricyclane single-molecule switches
Authors: Ghasemi Shima , Ornago Luca , Liasi Zacharias , Johansen Magnus Bukhave , von Buchwald Theo Juncker , Hillers-Bendtsen Andreas Erbs , van der Poel Sebastiaan , Hölzel Helen , Wang Zhihang , Amombo Noa Francoise M. , Öhrström Lars , Mikkelsen Kurt V. , van der Zant Herre S. J. , Lara-Avila Samuel , Moth-Poulsen Kasper
Published: October 2023

To achieve the ultimate limit of device miniaturization, it is necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of the structure–property relationship in functional molecular systems used in single-molecule electronics.
Correction: Generation of covalent organic framework-derived porous N-doped carbon nanosheets for highly efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Authors: Halder Sayan , Pradhan Anup Kumar , Khan Soumen , Chakraborty Chanchal
Published: October 2023

Correction for ‘Generation of covalent organic framework-derived porous N-doped carbon nanosheets for highly efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution’ by Sayan Halder et al., Energy Adv., 2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/d3ya00325f.
Cell organelles are retained inside pyroptotic corpses during inflammatory cell death
Authors: Hempel Anne , D'Osualdo Andrea , Snipas Scott J. , Salvesen Guy S.
Published: October 2023

Many proinflammatory proteins are released via the necrotic form of cell death known as pyroptosis. Sometimes known as gasdermin D (GSDMD) dependent cell death, pyroptosis results from the formation of pores in the plasma membrane leading to eventual cell lysis. Seeking to understand the magnitude of this cell lysis we measured the size of proteins released during pyroptosis. We demonstrate that there is no restriction on the size of soluble proteins released during pyroptosis even at early timepoints. However, even though large molecules can exit the dying cell, organelles are retained within it. This observation indicates that complete cell rupture may not be a consequence of pyroptosis, and that plasma membrane architecture is retained.
On validating a generic camera‐based blink detection system for cognitive load assessment
Authors: Biondi Francesco N. , Graf Frida , Pillai Prarthana , Balasingam Balakumar
Published: October 2023

Detecting the human operator's cognitive state is paramount in settings wherein maintaining optimal workload is necessary for task performance. Blink rate is an established metric of cognitive load, with a higher blink frequency being observed under conditions of greater workload. Measuring blink rate requires the use of eye‐trackers which limits the adoption of this metric in the real‐world. The authors aim to investigate the effectiveness of using a generic camera‐based system as a way to assess the user's cognitive load during a computer task. Participants completed a mental task while sitting in front of a computer. Blink rate was recorded via both the generic camera‐based system and a scientific‐grade eye‐tracker for validation purposes. Cognitive load was also assessed through the performance in a single stimulus detection task. The blink rate recorded via the generic camera‐based approach did not differ from the one obtained through the eye‐tracker. No meaningful changes in blink rate were however observed with increasing cognitive load. Results show the generic‐camera based system may represent a more affordable, ubiquitous means for assessing cognitive workload during computer task. Future work should further investigate ways to increase its accuracy during the completion of more realistic tasks.
Transfer learning from T1‐weighted to T2‐weighted Magnetic resonance sequences for brain image segmentation
Authors: Mecheter Imene , Abbod Maysam , Zaidi Habib , Amira Abbes
Published: October 2023

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is a widely employed medical imaging technique that produces detailed anatomical images of the human body. The segmentation of MR images plays a crucial role in medical image analysis, as it enables accurate diagnosis, treatment planning, and monitoring of various diseases and conditions. Due to the lack of sufficient medical images, it is challenging to achieve an accurate segmentation, especially with the application of deep learning networks. The aim of this work is to study transfer learning from T1‐weighted (T1‐w) to T2‐weighted (T2‐w) MR sequences to enhance bone segmentation with minimal required computation resources. With the use of an excitation‐based convolutional neural networks, four transfer learning mechanisms are proposed: transfer learning without fine tuning, open fine tuning, conservative fine tuning, and hybrid transfer learning. Moreover, a multi‐parametric segmentation model is proposed using T2‐w MR as an intensity‐based augmentation technique. The novelty of this work emerges in the hybrid transfer learning approach that overcomes the overfitting issue and preserves the features of both modalities with minimal computation time and resources. The segmentation results are evaluated using 14 clinical 3D brain MR and CT images. The results reveal that hybrid transfer learning is superior for bone segmentation in terms of performance and computation time with DSCs of 0.5393 ± 0.0007. Although T2‐w‐based augmentation has no significant impact on the performance of T1‐w MR segmentation, it helps in improving T2‐w MR segmentation and developing a multi‐sequences segmentation model.
GAMNet: Global attention via multi‐scale context for depth estimation algorithm and application
Authors: Yang Huitong , Lei Liang , Sang Haiwei
Published: October 2023

Deep neural networks significantly enhance the accuracy of the stereo‐based disparity estimation. Some current methods suffer from inefficient use of the global context information, which will lead to the loss of structural details in ill‐posed areas. To this end, a novel stereo network GAMNet is designed, composed of three core components (GDA, MPF, DCA) for estimating the depth prediction in challenging real‐world environments. First, a lightweight attention module is presented, integrating the global semantic cues for every feature position across the channel and spatial dimensions. Next, the MPF module is constructed to fuse the diverse semantic and contextual information from different levels of the feature pyramid. Finally, cost volume is aggregated with a stacked encoder‐decoder composed of the DCA module and 3D convolutions, filtering the transmission of matching clues and capturing the rich global contexts. Substantial experiments conducted on KITTI 2012, KITTI 2015, SceneFlow, and Middlebury‐v3 datasets manifest that GAMNet surpasses preceding methods with contour‐preserving disparity predictions. In addition, the first 3D scene reconstruction linear evaluation strategy on spatial grasping points for the end‐to‐end stereo networks in an unsupervised mode is proposed, and it is deployed on the designed robot vision‐guided system. In application experiments, the method can produce densely high‐precision 3D reconstructions to implement the grasping task in complex real‐world scenes, and achieve excellent robust performance with competitive inference efficiency.
DeepRoadNet: A deep residual based segmentation network for road map detection from remote aerial image
Authors: Ahmed Md. Imteaz , Foysal Md. , Chaity Manisha Das , Hossain A. B. M. Aowlad
Published: October 2023

The extraction of road networks is a critical activity in contemporary transportation networks. Deep neural networks have recently demonstrated excellent performance in the field of road segmentation. However, most of the convolutional neural network (CNN) based architectures could not verify their effectiveness in remote sensing images due to a smaller ratio of the targeted pixels, simple design, and fewer layers. In this study, a practical approach is assessed for road segmentation. The investigation was begun with basic encoder–decoder based segmentation models. Different state‐of‐the‐art segmentation models like U‐Net, V‐Net, ResUNet and SegNet were used for road network detection experiments in this research. A robust model named DeepRoadNet, a more complicated alternative, is proposed by utilizing a pre‐trained EfficientNetB7 architecture in the encoder and residual blocks as the decoder which mostly resembles the U‐Net segmentation process. The proposed model has been trained, validated as well as tested using the high‐resolution aerial image datasets and yielded good segmentation results with a mean intersection over union (mIoU) of 76%, a mean dice coefficient (mDC) of 73.18%, and an accuracy of 97.64% using Massachusetts road dataset. The proposed DeepRoadNet architecture overcomes the issues of lower mIoU, lower mDC, limited flexibility and interpretability already faced by existing models in the road segmentation field. The code is available at https://github.com/Imteaz1998/DeepRoadNet.
A CRNN‐based method for Chinese ship license plate recognition
Authors: Xu Fan , Chen Chuibin , Shang Zhigao , Peng Yuqing , Li Xinbao
Published: October 2023

Existing deep learning methods cannot achieve satisfactory ship license plate (SLP) recognition due to the harsh marine environment, such as foggy weather, unstable ship state and small targets. Therefore, a convolutional recurrent neural network (CRNN)‐based method is proposed for accurate SLP image recognition. Overall, the suggested method improves a CRNN recognition model by SLP image enhancement and data augmentation. The SLP image enhancement employs dark channel prior and Hough transform line detector to address the fog/blurriness and tilt issues existing in SLP images. As separate and joint operations, the two enhancements contribute to data augmentation for CRNN recognition. Preprocessing algorithms, including adaptive histogram equalization and image edge padding, are used to improve and unify the enlarged dataset for augmenting the CRNN model. As a final step, correction of the CRNN recognition results is made according to the character rule of SLPs, using an edit‐distance algorithm to match against a pre‐established SLP dictionary. A variety of real SLP images were collected to build an SLP image dataset for verification. The experimental results indicate that our method can reach an SLP recognition accuracy of , which is significantly superior to other text‐based deep learning methods.
Entropy‐guided contrastive learning for semi‐supervised medical image segmentation
Authors: Xie Junsong , Wu Qian , Zhu Renju
Published: October 2023

Accurately segmenting medical images is a critical step in clinical diagnosis and developing patient‐specific treatment plans. While supervised learning algorithms have achieved excellent performance in this area, they require a large amount of annotated data, which is often time‐consuming and difficult to obtain. As a result, semi‐supervised learning (SSL) has gained attention as it has the potential to alleviate this challenge by using not only limited labelled data but also a large amount of unlabelled data. A common approach in SSL is to filter out high‐entropy features and use the low‐entropy part to compute unsupervised loss. However, it is believed that the high‐entropy part is also beneficial for model training, and discarding it can lead to information loss. To address this issue, a simple yet efficient contrastive learning approach is proposed in this work for semi‐supervised medical image segmentation, called Entropy‐Guided Contrastive Learning Segmentation Network (EGCL‐Net). The proposed method separates the low‐entropy and high‐entropy features via the average of predictions, using contrastive loss to pull the intra‐class entropy representation distance close and push the inter‐class entropy representation distance away. Extensive experiments on the automated cardiac diagnosis challenge dataset, COVID‐19, and BraTS2019 datasets showed that: (1) EGCL‐Net can significantly improve performance by utilizing high‐entropy representation, and (2) the authors’ EGCL‐Net outperforms recent state‐of‐the‐art semi‐supervised methods in both qualitative and quantitative evaluations.
Power limitations of magneto‐dielectric substrate microstrip antennas
Authors: Blosser Clayton , Sigmarsson Hjalti , Ruyle Jessica
Published: October 2023

Microstrip patch antennas are broadly deployed low‐profile antennas. Unfortunately, there are some common issues with standard patch antennas, such as narrow bandwidth, low radiation efficiency, and large dimensions for low‐frequency applications. Patch antennas can simultaneously be greatly miniaturized while increasing bandwidth through the use of magneto‐dielectric substrates. However, this too could come with complications—the potential for radiation at unintended frequencies and distortion in the passband. Two patch antennas, one with a standard dielectric substrate and one with a magneto‐dielectric substrate, were fabricated and tested up to 10 dBW input power. The performance of the magneto‐dielectric substrate was compared to that of the standard substrate to test passive intermodulation and harmonic distortion. The magneto‐dielectric substrate proved to have some resilience to harmonic distortion, but not to passive intermodulation distortion.
Proficiency in Informatics and Communication Technology Application to Improve Agricultural Counseling Performance in Luwu Regency, Indonesia
Authors: Basir Adil , Sutawi Sutawi , Yudi Ariadi Bambang , Tonda Rusli , Ekawati Ida , Zainudin Zainudin , Endriani Endriani , Marhani Marhani , Paridawati Ika , Sapar Sapar , Rosa Imelda , Jani Yahya , Ali Khan Waris , Agung Pakarti Trias
Published: October 2023

Informatics and Communication Technology (ICT) provides relevant agricultural information, which is essential in agricultural development attempts, in timely fashion. Aiming to find out if it is able to improve the efficiency of agricultural counseling agents, this study examined agricultural counseling agents in Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. As explanatory quantitative research, simple random sampling was applied to respondents of google form questionnaire and the data were analyzed as per Structural Equation Model (SEM) and supported by smart PLS application. The result came out with R2value of 0.868, representing the agricultural counseling agent’s proficiency and ICT application signified agricultural counseling agent’s efficiency at 86.8 %. It is therefore conclusive that agricultural counseling agent’s efficiency in extension activities relies on both their proficiency and ICT application.
Functional Characteristics of Trash Fish in Lamongan Regency, East Java, Indonesia
Authors: Anam Choirul , Harini Noor , Damat Damat , Hendroko Setyobudi Roy , Ekawati Ida , Liblik Taavi , Dwi Purbajanti Endang , Bernedektus Hendrikus , Melani Souripet Loli , Fauzi Ahmad , Rizka Farzana Afrida , Tonda Rusli , Iswahyudi Iswahyudi , Amiroh Ana , Qibtiyah Mariyatul , Eka Kusumawati Dian , Istiqomah Istiqomah , Hamidah Emmy
Published: October 2023

Trash fish has several weaknesses, such as having tight spines, having little meat, and being highly perishable. The purpose of this study was to determine the functional characteristics of trash fish through fillet preparation techniques and types of fish. This study used a completely randomized design method. The first factor is the type of fish consisting of Orangefin ponyfish (Leiognathus bindus Valenciennes, 1835), Chacunda gizzard-shad (Anodontostoma chacunda Hamilton, 1822) and Sardine (Sardinella Fimbriata Valenciennes, 1847). The second factor was the type of preparation technique which consisted of mechanical, blanching, 1 % acid immersion and 1 % papain enzyme immersion. The data obtained were then analyzed descriptively from the preparation technique for each observation parameter and presented in tabular form and plotted in graphical form. The results of this study indicate that Orangefin ponyfish, Chacunda gizzardshad and Sardine fish have a range of functional properties of the three types of fish, namely: foaming power (17.68 % to 61.87 %), foam stability (50 % to 57.14 %), emulsifying power (3.31 % to 4.29 %), emulsion stability (1.91 % to 3.37 %), WHC (33.9 % to 46.64 %), and OHC (24.75 % to 29.57 %).
The Blood Profile of Indonesian Native Chickens that Reared in Semi-Intensive System
Authors: Zalizar Lili , Winaya Aris , Soleh Ismail Akhis , Tya Nur Iman Ady , Jaganathan Ravindran , Mariyam Dewi , Kristianingsih Mega
Published: October 2023

The objective of the study was to evaluate the blood profile of Indonesian native chickens reared in a semi-intensive raised system. A total number of 68 chickens from four strains (RedLurik,Wareng,Ranupane, andPutih) were used as samples. Chickens were challenged for 14 d in a semi-intensive raised system. Blood sampling was obtained from the pectoralis vein of the wing. The ANOVA and Duncant’s test were applied for data analysis. The observed variables consist of hemoglobin, erythrocytes, hematocrit, total blood plasma protein, leukocytes, and leukocyte differentiation. The results showed that chicken strains had a very significant difference (P< 0.01) in blood protein and hematocrit variables, a significant effect (P< 0.05) on hemoglobin levels, and no difference (P> 0.05) on the number of erythrocytes, leukocytes, and leukocyte. The highest hemoglobin level was found in theRanupanestrain (13.48 g dL-1). The highest blood protein and hematocrit values were found in thePutihstrain at 7.60 g 100 mL-1and 42.45 %, respectively. In conclusion that chicken strains ofLurik, Wareng, Ranupane, andPutihhave different blood profiles (hemoglobin, blood protein, hematocrit, erythrocytes, leukocytes, and leukocyte differentiation). Consequently, the native chicken strain was normal even in a reared semi-intensive system.
Determinant Characteristics of Stunting in Babies and Toddlers in Sungai Rengit Murni, South Sumatra, Indonesia
Authors: Syahputra Sebayang Nico , Naibaho Joncer , Tarik Ibrahim Jabal , Tonda Rusli , Latipun Latipun , Djauhari Nur Subchi Thontowi , Yuniarti Evi , Nina Mirania Ayu , Sadiq Ahmad , Febriantika Febriantika , Rosa Imelda , Yuniati Sri , Harbi Jun , Melani Souripet Loly , Bernedektus Kawer Hendrikus , Khairatunnisa Khairatunnisa , Wijayanto Wijayanto , Maya Sari Siregar Dian , Yeni Manovri , Ariyanto Anto , Sri Susanti Mardiana , Rosalina Rosalina , Agung Pakarti Trias
Published: October 2023

Stunting is a condition where a child fails to optimally grow and develop his/her bodily organs. Due to the high rate of stunting case in Indonesia, particularly in South Sumatra, this study aimed to determine the causes of stunting in children of 0 yr to 5 yr old as the dependent variable. Independent variables of infection, birth weight, gender, and age were studied accordingly. The purposive sampling method selected 100 babies and toddlers in Sungai Rengit Murni, Banyuasin, South Sumatra, Indonesia. The cross-sectional design applied univariate, bivariate (chi-square test), and multivariate (multiple logistic regression and backward regression tests) analyses. The result showed that while age was insignificant (0.649, P > 0.25) and infection was less significant (0.077, P > 0.05), low birth weight (0.044, P < 0.05) and gender (0.045, P < 0.05) are significant in affecting stunting.Being 61 % accurate, the independent variables of this study covered 15.1 % of known stunting cause.
Amino Acid Profiles of Coffee Cherry Flour from Different Origins: A Comparative Approach
Authors: Hendroko Setyobudi Roy , Damat Damat , Anwar Shazma , Fauzi Ahmad , Liwang Tony , Zalizar Lili , Adhi Nugroho Yogo , Wedyan Mohammed , Setiawan Meddy , Husen Syarif , Hermayanti Diah , Djauhari Nur Subchi Thontowi , Gamawati Adinurani Praptiningsih , Dani Septia Erfan , Mariyam Dewi , Rahmaita Utarid Irma , Ekawati Ida , Tonda Rusli , Dwi Purbajanti Endang , Suherman Suherman , Sri Susanti Mardiana , Agung Pakarti Trias , Iswahyudi Iswahyudi , Agung Prahardika Bayu , Rizka Farzana Afrida
Published: October 2023

A popular beverage globally attributable to its energizing properties and distinctive flavor, coffee is one of the majorly produced agricultural merchandise. With the reputation, nonetheless, comes a sizeable waste in its production process. Reduce, reuse, recycle, and improve circular economy —coffee pulp and husk waste into functional food, i.e., coffee cherry flour. This study examined the amino acid composition and contents originating from four locations: Ijen Farm, Karang Ploso Farm, Mengani Farm, and La Boitê. In triplication, samples were filtrated, derivated, and analyzed through high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. The obtained data were then computed to determine the amino acid retention times and peak areas to facilitate the quantification of amino acid concentrations within the samples. ANOVA was involved in evaluating the significance of amino acid level variations, and then nonparametric correlation and cluster tests were conducted for a dendrogram presentation. The result stated that Serine, Histidine, Threonine, Alanine, Cysteine, Methionine, and Isoleucine are positively correlated to the area characteristics, while Aspartic acid, Glutamic acid, Glycine, Arginine, Proline, Tyrosine, Valine, Lysine, Leucine, and Phenylalanine are of negative association. This finding suggests that locally-grown coffee cherry flour should be feasible for functional food beneficial to health.
Simplified Cardioplegia Administration and Left Heart Venting
Authors: Kersting Jim
Published: October 2023

A new method is described which makes it easier to implement the technique of single-catheter cardioplegia administration and left heart decompression and venting. The method is potentially both simpler and safer than others commonly used in coronary artery surgery.
Rhinosporidiosis - A Case Report
Authors: Rao N Sudarshan , Prasad D L N , Reddy D Venkata Raghava
Published: October 2023

A case of Rhinosporidiosis with an unusual feature of origin in the lower eyelid with spread to the naso-maxillary area and chronicity of 22 years is presented.
To trust or not to trust? ‘Exit’ approaches in EU citizens’ attitudes after Brexit
Authors: De Luca Marino
Published: October 2023

The European Union (EU) is a unique international alliance project, successful in maintaining political stability through its institutional model and decision-making procedures. However, recent economic and border crises, and COVID-19, have shown the institution’s fragility and undermined citizens’ trust. The UK’s 2016 vote to exit the EU demonstrated this. Indeed, Brexit was the first real example of the consequences of intensifying Eurosceptic sentiments. Since then, the fear of a likely ‘contagion’ in other countries has persistently spread. This paper investigates whether and how the Brexit issue impacts on EU citizens. In particular, it aims to understand how European citizens would react to a hypothetical referendum, along UK lines, on exiting the EU. Analysing the European Election Studies (EES) Voter Study 2019, this article tries to identify clusters of European citizens according to their attitudes to European policies, their trust in the EU, and their thoughts on an exit referendum.
Changes in the ways authors refer to themselves: a diachronic study of self-mention in English research articles
Authors: Wang Hua , Hu Zhiqing
Published: October 2023

Self-mention refers to the presentation and mention of writers themselves in texts. As there has been limited research on whether authors have changed the ways they refer to themselves in their English research articles, we explored whether and to what extent self-mention and its three sub-categories have changed based on a corpus of 1200 research articles from 4 disciplines spanning the period from 1970 to 2019. The findings demonstrate that self-mention and its three sub-categories in academic writing have undergone changes over time and tend to be shaped by discipline. Writers in soft science use fewer self-mentions and first-person pronouns. They tend to present themselves in a subtle way by diverting their attention from first-person pronouns by increasing the percentages of third-person nouns and abstract subjects. Conversely, writers in hard science strive to present themselves more directly via using self-mention more frequently, especially first-person pronouns. Accordingly, the percentages of third-person nouns and abstract subjects in hard sciences are decreasing. This study provides a diachronic and cross-disciplinary overview of how self-mention has changed in English research articles throughout the 50 years and offers some pedagogical implications for self-mention in English academic writing and teaching.