bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Socio‐techno‐economic‐environmental sizing of hybrid renewable energy system using metaheuristic optimization approaches
Authors: Kushwaha Pawan Kumar , Bhattacharjee Chayan
Published: March 2024

Electricity supply reliability in an electricity distribution network is majorly affected due to unexpected power failures and power cuts. A hybrid renewable energy system (HRES) with the optimal size of renewable energy sources can substantially improve power reliability. Therefore, this article develops an objective function incorporating socio‐techno‐economic‐environmental (STEE) factors for HRES optimal sizing to supply reliable power to a rural village. The factors considered in the objective function are namely social (employment generation factor, human progress index, and land cost), technical (excess energy factor, renewable energy portion, and loss of power supply probability), economical (total net present cost, cost of energy, and annualized cost of system), and environmental (emission cost). In this article, for the first time, marine predators algorithm (MPA) based metaheuristic optimizer is devised to address the sizing optimization problem of HRES. Three HRES configurations, having different arrangements of diesel generator (DG), biogas generator (BG), battery (BAT), wind turbine (WT), and photovoltaic (PV), are examined utilizing MPA, particle swarm optimization (PSO), salp swarm algorithm (SSA), and genetic algorithm (GA) for optimal configuration. Due to the lowest value of economical and environmental factors and the highest value of the social factor, the PV‐WT‐BAT‐BG‐DG configuration is optimal compared to other investigated configurations with MPA. Comparing the four optimizers, MPA has the best STEE factor values, as well as stronger convergence, greater ability to escape from local minima, and higher ability to approach the global optimum. Additionally, by contrasting it with the PSO result for the three HRES configurations, the MPA result quality is confirmed. Furthermore, the cost of energy (0.1799 $/kWh) of the optimal configuration is less than the latest addressed in the literature.
Experimental and analytical studies of infill wall with sliding joints considering a door opening
Authors: Huang Weiyuan , Niu Xiaonan , Zhang Chao , Ling Bin , Wu Siyuan , Deng Xuesong , Liang Zhicheng
Published: March 2024

Semi‐rigid steel frame stands out due to its remarkable deformation capability under seismic loading, while the introduction of partitioned walls would disturb the expected seismic behavior of the infilled steel frames. Furthermore, the presence of door openings might exacerbate these negative effects. To mitigate the detrimental multiple‐diagonal strut effect of traditional infill walls around the door opening, an innovative low‐damage wall panels system: prefabricated infill wall panels with a door opening and sliding joints are presented for semi‐rigid steel frames. For testifying the effectiveness of the proposed structure, a quasi‐static test was carried out on three half‐scaled steel frames: a bare frame, a frame infilled with conventional wall panels with a door opening, and a frame infilled with the novel wall panel system with a door opening. Experimental results reveal that the developed innovative wall panels with a door opening could avoid unfavorable crack developments and opening deformation around the door area. It is mainly attributed to the releasement of the adverse multiple‐diagonal strut mechanism of traditional wall panels with door openings. Thus, the presented infilled frame showcases seismic performance similar to the bare steel frame, while having a higher energy dissipation capacity. Moreover, the developed analytical prediction method based on the superposition principle could accurately estimate the lateral load‐carrying capacity of the structures. Due to negligible deformation of the both bottom infill wall panel and the door opening, the innovative infill wall only contributes about 10% lateral load‐carrying capability to the infilled frame.
The effect of combat deployments on veteran opioid abuse
Authors: Cesur Resul , Sabia Joseph J. , Bradford W. David
Published: March 2024

Grim national statistics about the U.S. opioid crisis are increasingly well known to the American public. Far less well known is that U.S. servicemembers are at ground zero of the epidemic, with veterans facing an overdose death rate of up to twice that of civilians. Exploiting a quasi‐experiment in overseas deployment assignment, this study estimates the causal impact of combat exposure among the deployed in the Global War on Terrorism on opioid abuse. We find that exposure to war theater substantially increased the risk of prescription painkiller abuse and illicit heroin use among active duty servicemen. The magnitudes of our estimates imply lower‐bound combat exposure‐induced healthcare costs of $1.04 billion per year for prescription painkiller abuse and $470 million per year for heroin use.
Economywide impacts of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Authors: Osanya Jessica , Reimer Jeffrey J.
Published: March 2024

Most Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) research focuses on individuals who receive SNAP without examining the effects on the broader economy. We develop a general equilibrium model of the US economy to quantify SNAP's broader fiscal consequences. We find that SNAP expands the agricultural and food sectors by about 1% while slightly shrinking service sectors favored by higher income households. Effects on goods and factor prices are modest, with virtually no deadweight losses associated with the taxation needed to fund SNAP. SNAP improves the welfare of low‐income recipient households by 4.9%, while having a negligible adverse effect on high‐income households.
Reflection and projection: Inclusive and diverse texts in the English Language Arts curriculum
Authors: Stephens Kimberly R. , Allee Karyn A. , Luther Vicki L.
Published: March 2024

Engaging students in the reading process is challenging when they are unable to connect to texts. It is important to provide inclusive and diverse texts (IDTs) in the language arts curriculum. To promote a positive reading experience, all students need to read IDTs with non‐stereotypical depictions of girls, women, people of Color, and more. This is challenging when obstacles such as limited resources, a lack of teacher preparation to meet challenges, and stakeholder opposition to “non‐traditional” literature may hinder educators' efforts to include IDTs. Using effective instructional strategies, increasing home and school literacy connections, and providing focused teacher training can help overcome these obstacles. Literary texts that reflect multiple identities will promote a more equitable representation of all students within the classroom community. This paper discusses possible strategies and approaches for including and engaging with IDTs and resources educators can use to address instructional challenges and find high‐quality texts.
Cadmium neurotoxicity and therapeutic strategies
Authors: Wen Shuangquan , Wang Liang
Published: March 2024

Cadmium (Cd) is a multitarget, carcinogenic, nonessential environmental pollutant. Due to its toxic effects at very low concentrations, lengthy biological half‐life, and low excretion rate, exposure to Cd carries a concern. Prolonged exposure to Cd causes severe injury to the nervous system of both humans and animals. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms responsible for the neurotoxic effects of Cd have yet to be fully elucidated. The accurate chemical mechanism potentially entails the destruction of metal‐ion homeostasis, inducing oxidative stress, apoptosis, and autophagy. Here we review the evidence of the neurotoxic effects of Cd and corresponding strategies to protect against Cd‐induced central nervous system injury.
InR and Pi3K maintain intestinal homeostasis through STAT/EGFR and Notch signaling in enteroblasts
Authors: Wang Jiewei , Xue Hongmei , Yi Xinyu , Kim Hyonil , Hao Yangguang , Jin Li Hua
Published: March 2024

To maintain the integrity of the adult gut, the proliferation and differentiation of stem cells must be strictly controlled. Several signaling pathways control the proliferation and differentiation of Drosophila intestinal epithelial cells. Although the modulatory effects of insulin pathway components on cell proliferation have been characterized, their specific role in which cell type and how these components interact with other regulatory signaling pathways remain largely unclear. In this study, we found that InR/Pi3K has major functions in enteroblasts (EBs) that were not previously described. The absence of InR/Pi3K in progenitors leads to a decrease in the number of EBs, while it has no significant effect on intestinal stem cells (ISCs). In addition, we found that InR/Pi3K regulates Notch activity in ISCs and EBs in an opposite way. This is also the reason for the decrease in EB. On the one hand, aberrantly low levels of Notch signaling in ISCs inhibit their proper differentiation into EBs; on the other hand, the higher Notch levels in EBs promote their excessive differentiation into enterocytes (ECs), leading to marked increases in abnormal ECs and decreased proliferation. Moreover, we found that Upd/JAK/STAT signaling acts as an effector or modifier of InR/Pi3K function in the midgut and cooperates with EGFR signaling to regulate cell proliferation. Altogether, our results demonstrate that InR and Pi3K are essential for coordinating stem cell differentiation and proliferation to maintain intestinal homeostasis.
Multiyear Interval Changes in Aortic Wall Shear Stress in Patients with Bicuspid Aortic Valve Assessed by 4D Flow MRI
Authors: Maroun Anthony , Scott Michael B. , Catania Roberta , Berhane Haben , Jarvis Kelly , Allen Bradley D. , Barker Alex J. , Markl Michael
Published: March 2024

Background

In patients with bicuspid aortic valve (BAV), 4D flow MRI can quantify regions exposed to abnormal aortic hemodynamics, including high wall shear stress (WSS), a known stimulus for arterial wall dysfunction. However, the long‐term multiscan reproducibility of 4D flow MRI‐derived hemodynamic parameters is unknown.

Purpose

To investigate the long‐term stability of 4D flow MRI‐derived peak velocity, WSS, and WSS‐derived heatmaps in patients with BAV undergoing multiyear surveillance imaging.

Study Type

Retrospective.

Population

20 BAV patients (mean age 48.4 ± 13.9 years; 14 males) with five 4D flow MRI scans, with intervals of at least 6 months between scans, and 125 controls (mean age: 50.7 ± 15.8 years; 67 males).

Field Strength/Sequence

1.5 and 3.0T, prospectively ECG and respiratory navigator‐gated aortic 4D flow MRI.

Assessment

Automated AI‐based 4D flow analysis pipelines were used for data preprocessing, aorta 3D segmentation, and quantification of ascending aorta (AAo) peak velocity, peak systolic WSS, and heatmap‐derived relative area of elevated WSS compared to WSS ranges in age and sex‐matched normative control populations. Growth rate was derived from the maximum AAo diameters measured on the first and fifth MRI scans.

Statistical Tests

One‐way repeated measures analysis of variance. P < 0.05 indicated significance.

Results

One hundred 4D flow MRI exams (five per patient) were analyzed. The mean total follow‐up duration was 5.5 ± 1.1 years, and the average growth rate was 0.3 ± 0.2 mm/year. Peak velocity, peak systolic WSS, and relative area of elevated WSS did not change significantly over the follow‐up period (P = 0.64, P = 0.69, and P = 0.35, respectively). The patterns and areas of elevated WSS demonstrated good reproducibility on semiquantitative assessment.

Conclusion

4D flow MRI‐derived peak velocity, WSS, and WSS‐derived heatmaps showed good multiyear and multiscan stability in BAV patients with low aortic growth rates. These findings underscore the reliability of these metrics in monitoring BAV patients for potential risk of dilation.

Level of Evidence

3

Technical Efficacy

Stage 1
“Top 20” residency‐trained academic orthopaedic surgeons have higher academic productivity and funding in their careers
Authors: Mendiratta Dhruv , Herzog Isabel , Liggio Daniel F. , Ahn David , Vosbikian Michael , Kaushal Neil , Chu Alice
Published: March 2024

“Top 20” status on Doximity, an online networking service for medical professionals, is an indicator of the reputation of a residency program. The study assesses how training at a Top 20 (T20) orthopaedic residency program impacts career productivity and funding. Fellowship and Residency Electronic Interactive Database was used in 2022 to identify active orthopaedic residency programs. Demographic and training data was collected for each orthopaedic surgeon using institutional websites and Doximity. The Residency Navigator feature on Doximity was used to rank residency programs by “reputation.” Programs were categorized as either T20 or non‐T20. The relative citation ratio (RCR) was calculated using the NIH iCite tool and Hirsch index (h‐index) was calculated using Scopus. Industry funding was collected from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Open Payments Program (CMS) for all available years (2014–2020). A total of 2812 academic orthopaedic surgeons were included in the study. Among academic orthopaedic surgeons in the United States, T20 trained orthopedists had more publications and citations (p < 0.001), along with higher h‐indices (p < 0.001), RCR (p < 0.001), and industry funding (p = 0.043). Additionally, T20 trained orthopedists were 1.375 times more likely to obtain professor status (95% confidence interval: 1.150–1.645, p < 0.001). Even after propensity‐matched analysis, T20 trained orthopedists maintained these differences. Training at a T20 residency program is associated with promotion, productivity, and funding. These findings are especially of concern to medical students who must consider the importance of a residency program's reputation when deciding where to apply for residency.
Comparison of energy intake in critical illness survivors, general medical patients, and healthy volunteers: A descriptive cohort study
Authors: Viner Smith Elizabeth , Kouw Imre W. K. , Summers Matthew J. , Louis Rhea , Trahair Laurence , O'Connor Stephanie N. , Jones Karen L. , Horowitz Michael , Chapman Marianne J. , Chapple Lee‐anne S.
Published: March 2024

Background

Intensive care unit (ICU) survivors have reduced oral intake; it is unknown whether intake and associated barriers are unique to this group.

Objective

To quantify energy intake and potential barriers in ICU survivors compared with general medical (GM) patients and healthy volunteers.

Design

A descriptive cohort study in ICU survivors, GM patients, and healthy volunteers. Following an overnight fast, participants consumed a 200 ml test‐meal (213 kcal) and 180 min later an ad libitum meal to measure energy intake (primary outcome). Secondary outcomes; taste recognition, nutrition‐impacting symptoms, malnutrition, and quality of life (QoL). Data are mean ± SD, median (interquartile range [IQR]) or number [percentage]).

Results

Twelve ICU survivors (57 ± 17 years, BMI: 30 ± 6), eight GM patients (69 ± 19 years, BMI: 30 ± 6), and 25 healthy volunteers (58 ± 27 years, BMI: 25 ± 4) were included. Recruitment ceased early because of slow recruitment and SARS‐CoV‐2. Energy intake was lower in both patient groups than in health (ICU: 289 [288, 809], GM: 426 [336, 592], health: 815 [654, 1165] kcal). Loss of appetite was most common (ICU: 78%, GM: 67%). For ICU survivors, GM patients and healthy volunteers, respectively, severe malnutrition prevalence; 40%, 14%, and 0%; taste identification; 8.5 [7.0, 11.0], 8.5 [7.0, 9.5], and 8.0 [6.0, 11.0]; and QoL; 60 [40–65], 50 [31–55], and 90 [81–95] out of 100.

Conclusions

Energy intake at a buffet meal is lower in hospital patients than in healthy volunteers but similar between ICU survivors and GM patients. Appetite loss potentially contributes to reduced energy intake.
Phase‐dependent red fox expansion into the tundra: implications for management
Authors: Wilkinson Caitlin , Vigués Jan , Stoessel Marianne , Vinka Mikael , Angerbjörn Anders , Norén Karin
Published: March 2024

Expansion of boreal species into tundra ecosystems is a consequence of climate change and human exploitation that threatens local species through increased predation, competition, and pathogen transmission. Under these circumstances, efficient control of expanding boreal species may be necessary, but the efficiency of such action depends on understanding the ecological influences of expansion. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is expanding into the tundra across the Arctic. In Scandinavia, red foxes threaten local tundra species and communities including the endangered Arctic fox (V. lagopus). The ecological dynamics in the tundra are influenced by small rodent cycles (classified into different phases based on seasonal abundance fluctuations), which can affect red fox expansion, distribution, and abundance. We used a 17‐year (2004–2020) dataset from the tundra in Sweden, consisting of raw snow track data, to test how cyclic prey influenced red fox distribution and abundance, and subsequently red fox control. The winter abundance of red fox was influenced by small rodent phase, with higher abundance during high prey availability (i.e., increased number of prey numbers) with no support for a time lag between red fox and small rodent abundance. This suggests that high prey availability attracts red foxes to the tundra and that higher immigration from the boreal zone can be expected in response to increased prey abundances. There was no relationship between red fox control and small rodent availability, but control was influenced by red fox abundance during the previous year, which highlights an opportunistic control strategy. We recommend an adaptive management strategy where authorities include small rodent dynamics in the planning and execution of red fox control.
An adaptation of dual‐frame sampling for estimating bat population trends in multi‐hibernacula systems
Authors: Weller Theodore J. , Smith Katrina J. , Thomas Shawn C. , Baldwin James A.
Published: March 2024

Reliable estimates of population trends are important for prioritizing and implementing wildlife management actions. Abundance estimates are the most informative metric of population status but are difficult and costly to achieve for rare or elusive species. For bat species that are highly mobile and nocturnal, abundance estimates are usually only possible at their roosts. Although they are relatively easy to census in individual roosts, it is often unclear whether observed trends are representative of broader populations trends. Dual‐frame sampling is useful for monitoring wildlife populations that exhibit site fidelity and are highly visible but where the proportion of the population in known sites is unknown. We adapted a dual‐frame sampling approach to estimate abundance of Townsend's big‐eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii) hibernating in a system of >800 caves at Lava Beds National Monument (LBNM) in northern California, USA, in 2013–2022. Beginning with a list of opportunistically discovered hibernacula, we expanded inference to the entire system by randomly selecting sites and stratifying survey effort according to number of bats observed during previous counts. Following 4 years of surveys, we began substituting survey‐informed estimates for some site types to improve efficiency of the monitoring effort. We estimated that a mean of 2,216 ± 112 (SE) bats hibernated at the study site annually and observed fluctuations of up to 22% around the mean population estimate and as much as 21% from the previous year. Despite annual fluctuations, we did not detect a trend in the number of hibernating bats at LBNM over the study period, underlining the challenges of detecting population trends in long‐lived species not exposed to pronounced stressors. Because our analytical approach generates reliable estimates of trend while accommodating annual variability in survey effort among years, it should be attractive to wildlife managers faced with shifting priorities and resources.
Evaluation of the impact of wastewater irrigation on the soil's dielectric parameters
Authors: Palta Prachi , Kumar Ankur , Kaur Prabhdeep
Published: March 2024

This study investigates the impact of wastewater irrigation on soil dielectric parameters, focusing on the often‐overlooked aspect of dielectric properties in contaminated soil. Wastewater, a significant contributor to soil and groundwater degradation, has long‐term effects on soil physical, chemical, and dielectric characteristics. Experimental measurements conducted overtime at 2.45 and 5.8 GHz frequencies reveal a correlation between wastewater irrigation and changes in dielectric properties. Emphasizing time variation as a pivotal independent variable, the study sheds light on its substantial influence on soil dielectric behavior. Notably, the research introduces an alternative methodology for the comprehensive evaluation of wastewater‐induced pollution effects on soil properties. This approach is substantiated by meticulous physicochemical analyses conducted on both pollution sources and the affected soil. The study further presents a robust response surface method‐based model, showcasing impressive accuracy with dielectric properties (ε′ and ε″) and penetration depth with R2 values of 0.9845, 0.9831, and 0.9528, respectively. Beyond unveiling crucial insights into the intricate interplay of wastewater and soil dielectric behavior, this research contributes to the development of effective strategies for pollution monitoring and management in soil ecosystems.
Proactive esophageal cooling during laser cardiac ablation: A computer modeling study
Authors: Gomez Bustamante Tatiana , Mercado Montoya Marcela , Berjano Enrique , González‐Suárez Ana , Kulstad Erik
Published: March 2024

Background and Objectives

Laser ablation is increasingly used to treat atrial fibrillation (AF). However, atrioesophageal injury remains a potentially serious complication. While proactive esophageal cooling (PEC) reduces esophageal injury during radiofrequency ablation, the effects of PEC during laser ablation have not previously been determined. We aimed to evaluate the protective effects of PEC during laser ablation of AF by means of a theoretical study based on computer modeling.

Methods

Three‐dimensional mathematical models were built for 20 different cases including a fragment of atrial wall (myocardium), epicardial fat (adipose tissue), connective tissue, and esophageal wall. The esophagus was considered with and without PEC. Laser‐tissue interaction was modeled using Beer–Lambert's law, Pennes' Bioheat equation was used to compute the resultant heating, and the Arrhenius equation was used to estimate the fraction of tissue damage (FOD), assuming a threshold of 63% to assess induced necrosis. We modeled laser irradiation power of 8.5 W over 20 s. Thermal simulations extended up to 250 s to account for thermal latency.

Results

PEC significantly altered the temperature distribution around the cooling device, resulting in lower temperatures (around 22°C less in the esophagus and 9°C in the atrial wall) compared to the case without PEC. This thermal reduction translated into the absence of transmural lesions in the esophagus. The esophagus was thermally damaged only in the cases without PEC and with a distance equal to or shorter than 3.5 mm between the esophagus and endocardium (inner boundary of the atrial wall). Furthermore, PEC demonstrated minimal impact on the lesion created across the atrial wall, either in terms of maximum temperature or FOD.

Conclusions

PEC reduces the potential for esophageal injury without degrading the intended cardiac lesions for a variety of different tissue thicknesses. Thermal latency may influence lesion formation during laser ablation and may play a part in any collateral damage.
A programmable solar‐powered radio frequency transmitter
Authors: Chen Qian , Qiao Zilin , Lv Juliang , Ye Yong , Ren Xingang , Wang Wei , Huang Zhixiang , Yang Lixia , Li Yingsong
Published: March 2024

This paper proposes a programmable solar‐powered radio frequency (RF) transmitter. It employs a novel five‐layer structure that effectively integrates solar cells, active circuits, and broadband antenna. This design can directly emit RF signals without the need for additional power supply, enabling efficient energy conversion and transmission. In addition, a U‐shaped coupling line model is introduced to evaluate the performance of the active circuit. We fabricated a sample and measured it. The results of the measurements indicate that the proposed RF transmitter can achieve self‐powering and programmable output at any frequency within the range of 2.08–4.1 GHz, with an output power of no less than 14 dBm. Moreover, the solar cells are placed on both sides of the circuits and antenna for energy harvesting, achieving 100% sunlight insolation with a 75.5% coverage ratio. This design can be used for self‐powered green wireless system applications.
Transformaer‐based model for lung adenocarcinoma subtypes
Authors: Du Fawen , Zhou Huiyu , Niu Yi , Han Zeyu , Sui Xiaodan
Published: March 2024

Background

Lung cancer has the highest morbidity and mortality rate among all types of cancer. Histological subtypes serve as crucial markers for the development of lung cancer and possess significant clinical values for cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and prediction of treatment responses. However, existing studies only dichotomize normal and cancerous tissues, failing to capture the unique characteristics of tissue sections and cancer types.

Purpose

Therefore, we have pioneered the classification of lung adenocarcinoma (LAD) cancer tissues into five subtypes (acinar, lepidic, micropapillary, papillary, and solid) based on section data in whole‐slide image sections. In addition, a novel model called HybridNet was designed to improve the classification performance.

Methods

HybridNet primarily consists of two interactive streams: a Transformer and a convolutional neural network (CNN). The Transformer stream captures rich global representations using a self‐attention mechanism, while the CNN stream extracts local semantic features to optimize image details. Specifically, during the dual‐stream parallelism, the feature maps of the Transformer stream as weights are weighted and summed with those of the CNN stream backbone; at the end of the parallelism, the respective final features are concatenated to obtain more discriminative semantic information.

Results

Experimental results on a private dataset of LAD showed that HybridNet achieved 95.12% classification accuracy, and the accuracy of five histological subtypes (acinar, lepidic, micropapillary, papillary, and solid) reached 94.5%, 97.1%, 94%, 91%, and 99% respectively; the experimental results on the public BreakHis dataset show that HybridNet achieves the best results in three evaluation metrics: accuracy, recall and F1‐score, with 92.40%, 90.63%, and 91.43%, respectively.

Conclusions

The process of classifying LAD into five subtypes assists pathologists in selecting appropriate treatments and enables them to predict tumor mutation burden (TMB) and analyze the spatial distribution of immune checkpoint proteins based on this and other clinical data. In addition, the proposed HybridNet fuses CNN and Transformer information several times and is able to improve the accuracy of subtype classification, and also shows satisfactory performance on public datasets with some generalization ability.
Two‐stage adversarial learning based unsupervised domain adaptation for retinal OCT segmentation
Authors: Diao Shengyong , Yin Ziting , Chen Xinjian , Li Menghan , Zhu Weifang , Mateen Muhammad , Xu Xun , Shi Fei , Fan Ying
Published: March 2024

Background

Deep learning based optical coherence tomography (OCT) segmentation methods have achieved excellent results, allowing quantitative analysis of large‐scale data. However, OCT images are often acquired by different devices or under different imaging protocols, which leads to serious domain shift problem. This in turn results in performance degradation of segmentation models.

Purpose

Aiming at the domain shift problem, we propose a two‐stage adversarial learning based network (TSANet) that accomplishes unsupervised cross‐domain OCT segmentation.

Methods

In the first stage, a Fourier transform based approach is adopted to reduce image style differences from the image level. Then, adversarial learning networks, including a segmenter and a discriminator, are designed to achieve inter‐domain consistency in the segmentation output. In the second stage, pseudo labels of selected unlabeled target domain training data are used to fine‐tune the segmenter, which further improves its generalization capability. The proposed method was tested on cross‐domain datasets for choroid or retinoschisis segmentation tasks. For choroid segmentation, the model was trained on 400 images and validated on 100 images from the source domain, and then trained on 1320 unlabeled images and tested on 330 images from target domain I, and also trained on 400 unlabeled images and tested on 200 images from target domain II. For retinoschisis segmentation, the model was trained on 1284 images and validated on 312 images from the source domain, and then trained on 1024 unlabeled images and tested on 200 images from the target domain.

Results

The proposed method achieved significantly improved results over that without domain adaptation, with improvement of 8.34%, 55.82% and 3.53% in intersection over union (IoU) respectively for the three test sets. The performance is better than some state‐of‐the‐art domain adaptation methods.

Conclusions

The proposed TSANet, with image level adaptation, feature level adaptation and pseudo‐label based fine‐tuning, achieved excellent cross‐domain generalization. This alleviates the burden of obtaining additional manual labels when adapting the deep learning model to new OCT data.
Pan‐cancer image segmentation based on feature pyramids and Mask R‐CNN framework
Authors: Wang Juan , Zhou Jian , Wang Man
Published: March 2024

Background

Cancer, a disease with a high mortality rate, poses a great threat to patients' physical and mental health and can lead to huge medical costs and emotional damage. With the continuous development of artificial intelligence technologies, deep learning‐based cancer image segmentation techniques are becoming increasingly important in cancer detection and accurate diagnosis. However, in segmentation tasks, there are differences in efficiency between large and small objects and limited segmentation effects on objects of individual sizes. The previous segmentation frameworks still have room for improvement in multi‐scale collaboration when segmenting objects.

Purpose

This paper proposes a method to train a deep learning segmentation framework using a feature pyramid processing dataset to improve the average precision (AP) index, and realizes multi‐scale cooperation in target segmentation.

Objective

Pan‐Cancer Histology Dataset for Nuclei Instance Segmentation and Classification (PanNuke) dataset was selected to include approximately 7500 pathology images with cells from 19 different types of tissues, including five classifications of cancer, non‐cancer, inflammation, death, and connective tissue.

Methods

First, the method uses whole‐slide images in the pan‐cancer histology dataset for nuclei instance segmentation and classification (PanNuke) dataset, combined with the mask region convolutional neural network (Mask R‐CNN) segmentation framework and improved loss function to segment and detect each cellular tissue in cancerous sections. Second, to address the problem of non‐synergistic object segmentation at different scales in cancerous tissue segmentation, a scheme using feature pyramids to process the dataset was adopted as part of the feature extraction module.

Results

Extensive experimental results on this dataset show that the method in this paper yields 0.269 AP and a boost of about 4% compared to the original Mask R‐CNN framework.

Conclusions

It is effective and feasible to use feature pyramid to process data set to improve the effect of medical image segmentation.
The analysis of response surface optimization and performance of cross‐linked starch/tannic acid adhesive reinforced by phragmites fibers
Authors: Yu Hongjian , Xia Ying , Jin Zhixiang , Zhang Le , Liu Xueting , Chen Haozhe , Wang Zhichao , Wang Shuwei , Shi Shenglun
Published: March 2024

The present study utilizes starch as the primary raw material for preparing a water‐resistant biomass adhesive to replace formaldehyde‐based resin adhesive, which is subsequently used in plywood production. The preparation process of starch‐based adhesive (SBA) was optimized using response surface methodology (RSM), and the effects of the mass ratio of starch to tannic acid, the dosages of phragmites fiber and boric acid on wet‐bond strength were studied. The quadratic regression model of SBA showed significant results (p < 0.0001). The optimal preparation condition was that the mass ratio between starch and tannic acid was 5:2, in the dosages of 2.9% for phragmites fibers and 3.2% for boric acid. The wet‐bond strength of the plywood prepared with this adhesive was 1.73 MPa. Characterization analysis showed that the hydroxyl group on the surface of starch and tannic acid had complexation with boric acid, which improved the wet‐bond strength, water resistance, and, thermal stability of the adhesive. The alkali‐treated phragmites fibers had better compatibility with the starch matrix than the original fiber, which improved the cohesion of the SBA and increased the wet‐bond strength by 26%.

Highlights

The phragmites fibers have been used to reinforce starch‐based adhesives.

Boric acid facilitates the formation of crosslinked structures.

The phenolic hydroxyl group in tannins provides excellent water resistance.

Phragmites fiber exhibits good compatibility with the adhesive matrix.

The cured starch‐based adhesive has excellent wet‐bond strength.
Herbicidal proteins from Bacillus wiedmannii isolate ZT selectively inhibit ryegrass (Lolium temulentum L.)
Authors: Eigharlou Mahsa , Hashemi Zeinabalsadat , Mohammadi Ali , Khelghatibana Fatemeh , Nami Yousef , Sadeghi Akram
Published: March 2024

BACKGROUND

The widespread use of chemical herbicides and the growing issue of weed resistance pose significant challenges in agriculture. To address these problems, there is a pressing need to develop biological herbicides based on bacterial metabolites.

RESULTS

In this study, we investigated the impact of the cell‐free culture filtrate (CFCF) from the ZT isolate, a bacilliform bacterium obtained from diseased wheat seeds, on the germination and seedling growth of various plant species, including wild oat, ryegrass, redroot, wheat, and chickpea. The results revealed that CFCF had a detrimental effect on the fresh and dry weight of stems and roots in most of the studied plants, except chickpeas. The CFCF was further subjected to separation into aqueous and organic phases using chloroform, followed by the division of the aqueous phase into 13 fractions using an alumina column. Notably, both the aqueous phase (20%) and all 13 fractions (ranging from 50% to 83%) displayed the ability to reduce the root length of ryegrass, a monocotyledonous weed. Liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC–MS) analysis identified that fractions 3 and 7, which were effective against ryegrass but not redroot, contained Cry family proteins, including Cry10 Aa, Cry4 Ba, and Cry4 Aa. Additionally, 16s rRNA gene sequencing revealed that the ZT isolate is closely related (98.27%) to Bacillus wiedmannii.

CONCLUSION

Conclusively, metabolites from the ZT bacterium hold promise for monocotyledonous weed‐targeted herbicides, providing a constructive strategy to confront agricultural issues tied to chemical herbicides and weed resistance. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry.
Surface Oxidation of GaN(0001) Simulated by Charge‐Transfer‐Type Molecular Dynamics
Authors: Ohuchi Yuki , Saeki Hidenori , Sakakima Hiroki , Izumi Satoshi
Published: March 2024

In this study, the oxidation of Ga–polar GaN(0001) surface simulated by using originally developed charge‐transfer‐type interatomic potential is reported on. The adjusted potential parameters reproduce the cohesive energies in the range of 0.3 eV atom−1 and atomic forces with correlation coefficient as high as 0.9, compared to the results of first‐principles calculations for more than 9000 structures associated with oxidation of GaN. The oxidation simulations reveal the formation of a periodic gallium oxide (GaOx) layer grown on GaN(0001) with O atoms replacing N atoms. The atomic distance between Ga–Ga in the GaOx layer along GaN[0001] direction is 3.05 Å, which is longer than wurtzite GaN (2.63 Å) and is quantitatively in agreement with the recent photoelectron holography measurement. The distances of the Ga atoms projected onto the GaN(11–20) plane are determined to be 3.19 Å for the GaOx layer and 2.79 Å for the interfacial GaN. These distances also align quantitatively with the scanning transmission electron microscopy imaging of the native oxide on GaN(0001). Further oxidation simulation in a larger model of 2304 atoms suggests the formation of the layered structure even in the subsequent layers away from the interface of GaN and gallium oxide.
Second trimester maternal serum progesterone and estradiol concentrations with live and demised fetuses: Secondary analysis results from a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Allanson Emma R. , Copson Sean , Spilsbury Katrina , Criddle Sonya , Jennings Belinda , Doherty Dorota A. , Wong Antonia M. , Dickinson Jan E.
Published: March 2024

Objective

To provide data on maternal levels of estradiol and progesterone in the second trimester of pregnancy with a live foetus and those complicated by a spontaneous foetal demise.

Methods

Within a randomised trial to assess efficacy of mifepristone in termination following foetal demise from 14 to 28 weeks of gestation, we measured progesterone and estradiol levels in trial patients and in women undergoing termination with a live foetus. Women admitted to King Edward Memorial Hospital (Western Australia) from 2013 to 2016 were considered for eligibility and enroled. Scatter plots with 95% confidence intervals were generated for hormone levels by gestation. Generalised linear models were used to estimate mean values of estradiol and progesterone, accounting for maternal age, gestation and parity.

Results

Overall, women with a foetal demise had lower estradiol levels compared to women with a live foetus, (mean difference of 10 460 pmol/L). With a live foetus, higher levels of estradiol were observed with increasing gestations: with a mean of 17 010 pmol/L at 14 ≤ 17 weeks, 31 180 pmol/L at 23–28 weeks and similarly progesterone with a mean of 113 nmol/L at 14 ≤ 17 weeks and 183 nmol/L at 23–28 weeks. Progesterone levels in women with foetal demise were 37 nmol/L higher than women in the live foetus group. In all women, each unit increase in parity was associated with a decrease of 10nmol/l of progesterone (95% confidence interval: 4–16, p = 0.001).

Conclusions

Estradiol and progesterone levels in the second trimester vary between pregnant women with a live and demised foetus.
The value of an extended postnatal program for contraceptive use during the first year postpartum
Authors: Kedfors Kajsa S. , Hognert Helena , Milsom Ian , Molin Mattias , Lindh Ingela
Published: March 2024

Objective

To investigate if earlier and repeated postpartum care visits (PPCVs) (3 and 7 weeks) compared to a standard visit (7 weeks) would increase early initiation of contraception and contraceptive use at 1‐year postpartum.

Design

Comparative clinical trial.

Setting

Six maternity clinics in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Population

There were 447 women in the intervention group and 511 in the standard group.

Methods

Comparing standard postpartum care with an intervention model of care.

Main Outcome Measures

Initiation of contraception and method used.

Results

From January 2019 to June 2020, 1159, participants were enrolled. Analyses included 958 subjects where the intervention group had higher use of contraception (55.5%) compared to the standard group (48.5%), (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.4–13.5), p = 0.037. Long‐acting reversible contraceptives were higher among users in the intervention group (56.9%) compared to the standard group (48%), (95% CI: −0.3 to 18.0), p = 0.059. Condom use was higher in the standard group (19%) compared to the intervention group (12.1%), (95% CI: 0.1–13.6), p = 0.047. Contraceptive use 1‐year postpartum was higher in the intervention group (55.7%) compared to the standard group (47.2%), (95% CI: 1.2–15.9), p = 0.023 and more pregnancies were reported in the standard group (7.8%) compared to the intervention group (4.1%), (95% CI: 0.5–7.0), p = 0.040.

Conclusion

These results indicate the importance of earlier and additional PPCVs to increase early start‐up of contraception and to obtain a higher frequency of contraceptive use 1‐year postpartum to reduce pregnancies close to delivery.
A Near‐IR Fluorimetric Chemosensing System for the Turn‐On Detection of Hydrogen Sulfate Anion
Authors: Teknikel Efdal
Published: March 2024

We report a near‐IR fluorescence turn‐on chemosensing system for the selective detection of HSO4−anion in aqueous media. This system utilizes the equilibrium between the fluorescent pyrylium salt and its non‐fluorescent diketone form. The pyrylium compound we synthesized (λflo=674 nm) rapidly converts to its diketone form in the aqueous medium (ethanol‐water 4 : 1). HSO4−anion provides proton to diketone form inducing its conversion to pyrylium. Therefore, the sensor system responds to the presence of HSO4−by an increase in fluorescence. The change in the fluorescence increase is linear within the 20–55 μM range with a limit of detection of 12.8 μM. The system demonstrates high selectivity for HSO4−over other anions, as validated through fluorimetric titration studies. Additionally, interference studies highlight the minimal impact of common anions on bisulfate detection. Reversibility tests reveal the pronounced reversibility of the sensor system, with over 90 % recovery of fluorescence intensity achieved in subsequent iterations.
Efficient Solar‐Driven Interfacial Water Evaporator using Hydrogel Modified Carbon‐Based Biomass with Abundant Microchannels
Authors: Ge Yumeng , Wang Le , Su Zewen , Ivan Md. Nahian Al Subri , Wang Congcong , Han Keyu , Tsang Yuen Hong , Xu Shiqing , Bai Gongxun
Published: March 2024

The conventional sea water desalination technologies are not yet adopted worldwide, especially in the third world countries due to their high capital cost as well as large energy requirement. To solve this issue in a sustainable way an interfacial solar water evaporation device is designed and proposed in this article using the branches of Prunus serrulata (PB). The PB has abundant microchannels and shows excellent photothermal conversion capability after carbonization. Moreover, the easy access to raw materials and the facile fabrication process makes the solar water evaporating device very cost effective for seawater desalination application. Experiments show that in the presence of the fabricated evaporator the evaporation rate of water can reach 3.5 kg m−2 h−1 under 1 sun, which is superior to many similar experimental devices. In addition, its advantages, such as effective sewage purification capability, low cost, and environmental friendliness, make this evaporator highly competitive in the extensive promotion of this technology and can be considered as a new sustainable solution for seawater desalination with great application potential and prospects.
Implantation of Gallium into Layered WS2 Nanostructures is Facilitated by Hydrogenation
Authors: Martínez José Ignacio , Laikhtman Alex , Zak Alla , Sezen Meltem , Alonso Julio A.
Published: March 2024

Bombarding WS2 multilayered nanoparticles and nanotubes with focused ion beams of Ga+ ions at high doses, larger than 1016 cm−2, leads to drastic structural changes and melting of the material. At lower doses, when the damage is negligible or significantly smaller, the amount of implanted Ga is very small. A substantial increase in the amount of implanted Ga, and not appreciable structural damage, are observed in nanoparticles previously hydrogenated by a radio‐frequency activated hydrogen plasma. Density functional calculations reveal that the implantation of Ga in the spaces between adjacent layers of pristine WS2 nanoparticles is difficult due to the presence of activation barriers. In contrast, in hydrogenated WS2, the hydrogen molecules are able to intercalate in between adjacent layers of the WS2 nanoparticles, giving rise to the expansion of the interlayer distances, that in practice leads to the vanishing of the activation barrier for Ga implantation. This facilitates the implantation of Ga atoms in the irradiation experiments.
Dendrite‐free Zn deposition initiated by nanoscale inorganic–organic coating‐modified 3D host for stable Zn‐ion battery
Authors: Dong Jiaming , Duan Junwen , Cao Ruirui , Zhang Wang , Fang Kangkang , Yang Hao , Liu Ying , Shen Zhitao , Li Fumin , Liu Rong , Jin Mengqi , Lei Longhui , Li Huilin , Chen Chong
Published: March 2024

A 3D nanostructured scaffold as the host for zinc enables effective inhibition of anodic dendrite growth. However, the increased electrode/electrolyte interface area provided by using 3D matrices exacerbates the passivation and localized corrosion of the Zn anode, ultimately bringing about the degradation of the electrochemical performance. Herein, a nanoscale coating of inorganic–organic hybrid (α‐In2Se3‐Nafion) onto a flexible carbon nanotubes (CNTs) framework (ISNF@CNTs) is designed as a Zn plating/stripping scaffold to ensure uniform Zn nucleation, thus achieving a dendrite‐free and durable Zn anode. The introduced inorganic–organic interfacial layer is dense and sturdy, which hinders the direct exposure of deposited Zn to electrolytes and mitigates the side reactions. Meanwhile, the zincophilic nature of ISNF can largely reduce the nucleation energy barrier and promote the ion‐diffusion transportation. Consequently, the ISNF@CNTs@Zn electrode exhibits a low‐voltage hysteresis and a superior cycling life (over 1500 h), with dendrite‐free Zn‐plating behaviors in a typical symmetrical cell test. Additionally, the superior feature of ISNF@CNTs@Zn anode is further demonstrated by Zn‐MnO2 cells in both coin and flexible quasi‐solid‐state configurations. This work puts forward an inspired remedy for advanced Zn‐ion batteries.
Bio‐based nanomaterials for energy application: A review
Authors: Sezali Nur Atirah Afifah , Ong Hui Lin , Villagracia Al Rey , Hoang Tuan‐Dung
Published: March 2024

Bio‐nanomaterials have been gaining increased attention recently due to their special, nano‐specific properties such as their high specific area compared to their bulk materials and their environmentally friendly, and renewable properties. Overall, this review discusses recent advances of two nanomaterials derived from bio‐sources, which are nanocellulose and carbon‐based nanomaterials in the application of electrochemical energy storage devices, specifically batteries and supercapacitors. Besides, this review briefly analyses the challenges and perspectives of biomass utilization for the synthesis of nanomaterials. The emergence of another conductive nanomaterials such as MXene, which can be a challenge to the bio‐based nanomaterials for the application in energy storage devices, is also mentioned in this review.