bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A projection‐domain correction method in CBCT reconstruction for head and neck radiotherapy using cycle‐GAN and nonlocal means filter
Authors: Wei Ran , Liu Yuxiang , Chen Xinyuan , Zhu Ji , Yang Bining , Men Kuo , Dai Jianrong
Published: April 2023

Background

In radiation treatments for head and neck tumors, cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) is employed for patient positioning and dose calculation of adaptive radiotherapy. However, the quality of CBCT is degraded by the scatter and noise, majorly impacting the accuracy of patient positioning and dose calculation.

Purpose

To improve the quality of CBCT for patients with head and neck cancer, a projection‐domain CBCT correction method was proposed using a cycle‐consistent generative adversarial network (cycle‐GAN) and a nonlocal means filter (NLMF) based on a reference digitally reconstructed radiograph (DRR).

Methods

A cycle‐GAN was initially trained to learn mapping from CBCT projections to a DRR using the data obtained from 30 patients. For each patient, 671 CBCT projections were measured for CBCT reconstruction. Moreover, 360 Digital Reconstructed Radiographs (DRR) were computed from each patient's planning computed tomography (CT), whose projection angles ranged from 0° to 359° with an interval of 1°. By applying the trained generator of the cycle‐GAN to the unseen CBCT projection, a synthetic DRR with considerably less scatter was obtained. However, annular artifacts were observed in the CBCT reconstructed with synthetic DRR. To address this issue, a NLMF based on reference DRR was used to further correct the synthetic DRR, which corrected the synthetic DRR using the calculated DRR as a reference image. Finally, the CBCT with no annular artifact and little noise was reconstructed with the corrected synthetic DRR. The proposed method was tested using the data of six patients. The corrected synthetic DRR and CBCT were compared with the corresponding real DRR and CT images. The structural preservation ability of the proposed method was evaluated using the Dice coefficients of the automatically extracted nasal cavity. Moreover, the image quality of CBCT corrected with the proposed method was objectively assessed with an five‐point human scoring system and compared with CT, original CBCT and CBCT corrected with other strategies.

Results

The mean absolute value (MAE) of the relative error between the corrected synthetic and real DRR was <8%. The MAE between the corrected CBCT and corresponding CT was <30 HU. Moreover, the Dice coefficient of nasal cavity between the corrected CBCT image and the original image exceeded 98.8 for all the patients. Last but not least, the objective assessment of image quality showed the proposed method had an average score of 4.2 in overall image quality, which was higher than that of the original CBCT, CBCT reconstructed with synthetic DRR, and CBCT reconstructed with projections filtered with NLMF only.

Conclusions

The proposed method can considerably improve the CBCT image quality with little anatomical distortion, improving the accuracy of radiotherapy for head and neck patients.
Multiplatform untargeted metabolomics
Authors: Jeppesen Micah J. , Powers Robert
Published: April 2023

Metabolomics samples like human urine or serum contain upwards of a few thousand metabolites, but individual analytical techniques can only characterize a few hundred metabolites at best. The uncertainty in metabolite identification commonly encountered in untargeted metabolomics adds to this low coverage problem. A multiplatform (multiple analytical techniques) approach can improve upon the number of metabolites reliably detected and correctly assigned. This can be further improved by applying synergistic sample preparation along with the use of combinatorial or sequential non‐destructive and destructive techniques. Similarly, peak detection and metabolite identification strategies that employ multiple probabilistic approaches have led to better annotation decisions. Applying these techniques also addresses the issues of reproducibility found in single platform methods. Nevertheless, the analysis of large data sets from disparate analytical techniques presents unique challenges. While the general data processing workflow is similar across multiple platforms, many software packages are only fully capable of processing data types from a single analytical instrument. Traditional statistical methods such as principal component analysis were not designed to handle multiple, distinct data sets. Instead, multivariate analysis requires multiblock or other model types for understanding the contribution from multiple instruments. This review summarizes the advantages, limitations, and recent achievements of a multiplatform approach to untargeted metabolomics.
Macronutrient and micronutrient requirements and therapeutic effects in critically ill patients with SARS‐CoV‐2: A narrative review
Authors: Huang Yingxiao , Li Priscilla , Lew Charles Chin Han
Published: April 2023

Background

COVID‐19 can lead to critical illness and induce hypermetabolism, protein catabolism, and inflammation. These pathological processes may alter energy and protein requirements, and certain micronutrients may attenuate the associated detriments. This narrative review summarizes the macronutrient and micronutrient requirements and therapeutic effects in critically ill patients with SARS‐CoV‐2.

Methods

We searched four databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and studies that measured macronutrient and micronutrient requirements, published from February 2020 to September 2022.

Results

Ten articles reported on energy and protein requirements, and five articles reported the therapeutic effects of ω‐3 (n = 1), group B vitamins (n = 1), and vitamin C (n = 3). Patients’ resting energy expenditure gradually increased with time, measuring approximately 20 kcal/kg body weight (BW), 25 kcal/kg BW, and 30 kcal/kg BW for the first, second, and third week onwards, respectively. Patients remained in negative nitrogen balances in the first week, and a protein intake of ≥1.5 g/kg BW may be necessary to achieve nitrogen equilibrium. Preliminary evidence suggests that ω‐3 fatty acids may protect against renal and respiratory impairments. The therapeutic effects of group B vitamins and vitamin C cannot be ascertained, although intravenous vitamin C appears promising in reducing mortality and inflammation.

Conclusion

There are no RCTs to guide the optimal dose of energy and protein in critically ill patients with SARS‐CoV‐2. Additional larger‐scale, well‐designed RCTs are needed to elucidate the therapeutic effects of ω‐3, group B vitamins, and vitamin C.
A non‐linear non‐intrusive reduced order model of fluid flow by auto‐encoder and self‐attention deep learning methods
Authors: Fu R. , Xiao D. , Navon I.M. , Fang F. , Yang L. , Wang C. , Cheng S.
Published: April 2023

This paper presents a new nonlinear non‐intrusive reduced‐order model (NL‐NIROM) that outperforms traditional proper orthogonal decomposition (POD)‐based reduced order model (ROM). This improvement is achieved through the use of auto‐encoder (AE) and self‐attention based deep learning methods. The novelty of this work is that it uses stacked auto‐encoder (SAE) network to project the original high‐dimensional dynamical systems onto a low dimensional nonlinear subspace and predict fluid dynamics using an self‐attention based deep learning method. This paper introduces a new model reduction neural network architecture for fluid flow problem, as well as, a linear non‐intrusive reduced order model (L‐NIROM) based on POD and self‐attention mechanism. In the NL‐NIROM, the SAE network compresses high‐dimensional physical information into several much smaller sized representations in a reduced latent space. These representations are expressed by a number of codes in the middle layer of SAE neural network. Then, those codes at different time levels are trained to construct a set of hyper‐surfaces using self‐attention based deep learning methods. The inputs of the self‐attention based network are previous time levels' codes and the outputs of the network are current time levels' codes. The codes at current time level are then projected back to the original full space by the decoder layers in the SAE network. The capability of the new model, NL‐NIROM, is demonstrated through two test cases: flow past a cylinder, and a lock exchange. The results show that the NL‐NIROM is more accurate than the popular model reduction method namely POD based L‐NIROM.
Development and preliminary testing of a questionnaire to measure mobile health information‐seeking behaviour in people with cancer
Authors: Zhang Ruolin , Li Shuaini , Hong Meirong , Zhou Yao , Lin Ying , Gao Yating , Hu Wenyi , Ni Xiaosha , Wu Wanying , Lou Yan
Published: April 2023

Aim

The aim of the study was to develop and psychologically test the mobile health information‐seeking behaviour (MHISB) questionnaire in people with cancer.

Design

Instrument development.

Methods

The study was conducted in three phases in a southeastern city of China from May 2017 to April 2018. In phase one, an item pool was constructed based on a literature review and semistructured interviews. In phase two, expert evaluation and cognitive interviews were used to evaluate the content validity of the questionnaire. In phase three, a cross‐sectional study was conducted with people with cancer. Cronbach's α was calculated for reliability analysis. Validity evaluation included content validity and construct validity.

Results

The developed MHISB questionnaire has four dimensions (information‐seeking frequency, information‐seeking self‐efficacy, health information evaluation and information‐seeking willingness) and 25 items. Psychometric findings were satisfactory and supported the questionnaire's reliability.

Conclusions

The construction process of the MHISB questionnaire was scientific and feasible. The MHISB questionnaire had acceptable validity and reliability, and it requires further improvement in future studies.
Process optimization of nanosecond pulsed packed‐bed discharge plasma for SF6 degradation based on response surface methodology
Authors: Jiang Nan , Zhou Youchi , Peng Bangfa , Li Jie , Lu Na , Shang Kefeng
Published: April 2023

In this work, a nanosecond pulsed packed‐bed discharge (PBD) plasma was developed for SF6 degradation under different dilution gases. The discharge form transfers from filamentary discharge to the combination of surface discharge and microdischarge after introducing the packing material regardless of the dilution gas used, and the local electric field strength and SF6 degradation performance are promoted. The mean electron energy and rate coefficient for SF6 excitation in SF6/Ar system are significantly higher than those in SF6/N2 or SF6/air system, which results in higher SF6 degradation efficiency in SF6/Ar system. Moreover, the response surface methodology based on the Box–Behnken design model was constructed to optimize several key process parameters including pulsed voltage, gas flow rate, oxygen content, and relative humidity, as well as assess the contribution of each parameter to SF6 degradation. The proposed optimization model shows a satisfactory correlation between the predicted and the experimental results. The energy yield concerning SF6 degradation in nanosecond pulsed PBD plasma achieves approximately 75.3 g/kWh with nearly complete degradation. This work is expected to provide an efficient and energy‐saving plasma technique for SF6 degradation.
Effective inactivation of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa sp. in high‐frequency driven electrosurgery
Authors: Jiang Fei , Chen Chao , Xing Duo , Sun Yuan , Liu Weifeng , Liu Dongping
Published: April 2023

Wound infection must be avoided in high‐frequency (HF) driven electrosurgery. In this study, the plasma treatment of bacterial solution is characterized by means of voltage‐current measurements, chemical activity analysis, microphotography, and numerical simulation. Here, we have found that the plasma‐activated physiological saline in HF‐driven electrosurgery is very effective in the inactivation of main human pathogenic bacteria. Our analysis shows that the effective inactivation of Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa sp. in the HF‐driven electrosurgery is due to the generation of hypochlorous acid (HClO) by the electrolysis of saline solution in the electrosurgery. The simulation indicates the very effective inactivation of human pathogenic bacteria by HClO in HF‐driven electrosurgery.
Inhibitor and Activator: Dual Role of Subsurface Sulfide Enables Selective and Efficient Electro‐Oxidation of Methanol to Formate on CuS@CuO Core‐Shell Nanosheet Arrays
Authors: Khan Mustafa , Abdullah Muhammad Imran , Samad Abdus , Shao Zhiang , Mushiana Talifhani , Akhtar Asma , Hameed Asima , Zhang Ning , Schwingenschlögl Udo , Ma Mingming
Published: April 2023

Selective electro‐oxidation of aliphatic alcohols into value‐added carboxylates at lower potentials than that of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is an environmentally and economically desirable anode reaction for clean energy storage and conversion technologies. However, it is challenging to achieve both high selectivity and high activity of the catalysts for the electro‐oxidation of alcohols, such as the methanol oxidation reaction (MOR). Herein, a monolithic CuS@CuO/copper‐foam electrode for the MOR with superior catalytic activity and almost 100% selectivity for formate is reported. In the core‐shell CuS@CuO nanosheet arrays, the surface CuO directly catalyzes MOR, while the subsurface sulfide not only serves as an inhibitor to attenuate the oxidative power of the surface CuO to achieve selective oxidation of methanol to formate and prevent over‐oxidation of formate to CO2 but also serves as an activator to form more surface O defects as active sites and enhances the methanol adsorption and charge transfer to achieve superior catalytic activity. CuS@CuO/copper‐foam electrodes can be prepared on a large scale by electro‐oxidation of copper‐foam at ambient conditions and can be readily utilized in clean energy technologies.
Carrier Modulation in 2D Transistors by Inserting Interfacial Dielectric Layer for Area‐Efficient Computation
Authors: Bian Zheng , Miao Jialei , Zhang Tianjiao , Chen Haohan , Zhu Qinghai , Chai Jian , Tian Feng , Wu Shaoxiong , Xu Yang , Yu Bin , Chai Yang , Zhao Yuda
Published: April 2023

2D materials with atomic thickness display strong gate controllability and emerge as promising materials to build area‐efficient electronic circuits. However, achieving the effective and nondestructive modulation of carrier density/type in 2D materials is still challenging because the introduction of dopants will greatly degrade the carrier transport via Coulomb scattering. Here, a strategy to control the polarity of tungsten diselenide (WSe2) field‐effect transistors (FETs) via introducing hexagonal boron nitride (h‐BN) as the interfacial dielectric layer is devised. By modulating the h‐BN thickness, the carrier type of WSe2 FETs has been switched from hole to electron. The ultrathin body of WSe2, combined with the effective polarity control, together contribute to the versatile single‐transistor logic gates, including NOR, AND, and XNOR gates, and the operation of only two transistors as a half adder in logic circuits. Compared with the use of 12 transistors based on static Si CMOS technology, the transistor number of the half adder is reduced by 83.3%. The unique carrier modulation approach has general applicability toward 2D logic gates and circuits for the improvement of area efficiency in logic computation.
Interfacial Engineering of CoN/Co3O4 Heterostructured Hollow Nanoparticles Embedded in N‐Doped Carbon Nanowires as a Bifunctional Oxygen Electrocatalyst for Rechargeable Liquid and Flexible all‐Solid‐State Zn‐Air Batteries
Authors: Zhou Qixing , Zhang Sike , Zhou Guangyao , Pang Huan , Zhang Mingyi , Xu Lin , Sun Kang , Tang Yawen , Huang Kai
Published: April 2023

The design of economical, efficient, and robust bifunctional oxygen electrocatalysts is greatly imperative for the large‐scale commercialization of rechargeable Zn‐air battery (ZAB) technology. Herein, the neoteric design of an advanced bifunctional electrocatalyst composed of CoN/Co3O4 heterojunction hollow nanoparticles in situ encapsulated in porous N‐doped carbon nanowires (denoted as CoN/Co3O4 HNPs@NCNWs hereafter) is reported. The simultaneous implementation of interfacial engineering, nanoscale hollowing design, and carbon‐support hybridization renders the synthesized CoN/Co3O4 HNPs@NCNWs with modified electronic structure, improved electric conductivity, enriched active sites, and shortened electron/reactant transport pathways. Density functional theory computations further demonstrate that the construction of a CoN/Co3O4 heterojunction can optimize the reaction pathways and reduce the overall reaction barriers. Thanks to the composition and architectural superiorities, the CoN/Co3O4 HNPs@NCNWs exhibit distinguished oxygen reduction reaction and oxygen evolution reaction performance with a low reversible overpotential of 0.725 V and outstanding stability in KOH medium. More encouragingly, the homemade rechargeable liquid and flexible all‐solid‐state ZABs utilizing CoN/Co3O4 HNPs@NCNWs as the air‐cathode deliver higher peak power densities, larger specific capacities, and robust cycling stability, exceeding the commercial Pt/C + RuO2 benchmark counterparts. The concept of heterostructure‐induced electronic modification herein may shed light on the rational design of advanced electrocatalysts for sustainable energy applications.
Mo2N–ZrO2 Heterostructure Engineering in Freestanding Carbon Nanofibers for Upgrading Cycling Stability and Energy Efficiency of Li–CO2 Batteries
Authors: Cheng Zhibin , Wu Ziyuan , Chen Jiazhen , Fang Yanlong , Lin Si , Zhang Jindan , Xiang Shengchang , Zhou Yao , Zhang Zhangjing
Published: April 2023

Li–CO2 batteries have attracted considerable attention for their advantages of CO2 fixation and high energy density. However, the sluggish dynamics of CO2 reduction/evolution reactions restrict the practical application of Li–CO2 batteries. Herein, a dual‐functional Mo2N–ZrO2 heterostructure engineering in conductive freestanding carbon nanofibers (Mo2N–ZrO2@NCNF) is reported. The integration of Mo2N–ZrO2 heterostructure in porous carbons provides the opportunity to simultaneously accelerate electron transport, boost CO2 conversion, and stabilize intermediate discharge product Li2C2O4. Benefiting from the synchronous advantages, the Mo2N–ZrO2@NCNF catalyst endows the Li–CO2 batteries with excellent cycle stability, good rate capability, and high energy efficiency even under high current densities. The designed cathodes exhibit an ultrahigh energy efficiency of 89.8% and a low charging voltage below 3.3 V with a potential gap of 0.32 V. Remarkably, stable operation over 400 cycles can be achieved even at high current densities of 50 µA cm−2. This work provides valuable guidance for developing multifunctional heterostructured catalysts to upgrade longevity and energy efficiency of Li–CO2 batteries.
Introduction
Authors: Meier Henri B. , Marthinsen John E. , Gantenbein Pascal A. , Weber Samuel S.
Published: April 2023

Switzerland was once one of the poorest countries in Europe because it had generally infertile agricultural land and neither mineral resources nor access to the sea. It was only during the first decade of the twentieth century that Switzerland founded its central bank and created the Swiss franc. Switzerland’s stable monetary environment, functioning financial system, and an economy unharmed by wars allowed it to become one of the world’s wealthiest and most prosperous countries. Significant legislative, regulatory, and operational improvements aided the transformation. Unfortunately, this increasing strength encouraged certain Swiss banks’ adoption of Wall Street’s casino mentality, resulting in substantial Swiss bank losses. A wave of new regulations ensued, sacrificing financial freedoms that were once hallmarks of Switzerland’s financial, social, and economic systems.
Swiss Derivative Markets
Authors: Meier Henri B. , Marthinsen John E. , Gantenbein Pascal A. , Weber Samuel S.
Published: April 2023

Volatility is the mother of derivatives, but there is debate about whether speculation or hedging is the legitimate father. A virtual explosion of derivative activity has occurred during the past 50 years, as prices have become more volatile, contributing to a growing demand for hedging and the possibility of earning speculative profits. Derivatives are central to today’s financial markets and have grown to eclipse, in notional value, both the international equity and bond markets. Switzerland’s financial sector has actively participated in developing this global market. The key to success has been an ability to offer valued products at competitive prices with highly efficient processes, combined with trusted commitments to protect client confidentiality and assurances of liquidity and solvency, especially during stressful financial periods.
The Swiss Banking System
Authors: Meier Henri B. , Marthinsen John E. , Gantenbein Pascal A. , Weber Samuel S.
Published: April 2023

Historically, Swiss banks developed mainly to export domestic savings and act as financial turntables for foreign capital inflows. The first banking law to provide federal supervision of domestic banks was the Swiss Federal Act on Banks and Savings Banks (1934). Switzerland built its financial sector on the belief that self-regulation is the most effective way to manage financial entities. Nevertheless, federal supervision has become tighter in the twentieth century, turning Switzerland’s financial system into one of the world’s most closely regulated. Among the formidable challenges facing Switzerland’s banking system are increasing digitalization, gaining access to foreign financial markets, engaging in sustainable finance, changing anti-competitive tax rules, dealing with volatile interest rates, managing systemically important financial institutions, and protecting the financial system from paradigm-changing events.
Statistically Consistent Rooting of Species Trees Under the Multispecies Coalescent Model
Authors: Tabatabaee Yasamin , Roch Sébastien , Warnow Tandy
Published: April 2023

Rooted species trees are used in several downstream applications of phylogenetics. Most species tree estimation methods produce unrooted trees and additional methods are then used to root these unrooted trees. Recently, Quintet Rooting (QR) (Tabatabaee et al., ISMB and Bioinformatics 2022), a polynomial-time method for rooting an unrooted species tree given unrooted gene trees under the multispecies coalescent, was introduced. QR, which is based on a proof of identifiability of rooted 5-taxon trees in the presence of incomplete lineage sorting, was shown to have good accuracy, improving over other methods for rooting species trees when incomplete lineage sorting was the only cause of gene tree discordance, except when gene tree estimation error was very high. However, the statistical consistency of QR was left as an open question. Here, we present QR-STAR, a polynomial-time variant of QR that has an additional step for determining the rooted shape of each quintet tree. We prove that QR-STAR is statistically consistent under the multispecies coalescent model, and our simulation study shows that QR-STAR matches or improves on the accuracy of QR. QR-STAR is available in open source form at https://github.com/ytabatabaee/Quintet-Rooting.
Material und Werk im Urheberrecht
Authors: Ortland Eberhard
Published: April 2023

Anhand der Unterscheidung zwischen Material und Werk untersucht der Beitrag, wie das Urheberrecht Texte und Gestaltungsleistungen vergegenständlicht. Der Materialbegriff wird im Urheberrecht einerseits als Residualkategorie für all das verwendet, was gerade nicht als urheberrechtlich geschütztes Werk angesprochen werden soll, andererseits als übergreifende Kategorie, die Werke und Nicht-Werkhaftes gleichermaßen anspricht. Er findet darüber hinaus auch als abstrakte Kategorie für ‚urheberrechtlich geschütztes Material‘ ungeachtet aller Unterschiede zwischen Text, Bild, Tonaufnahme usw. Verwendung. Die rechtliche Vergegen-ständlichung von Literatur setzt insbesondere bei der Nutzung von Teilen urheber-rechtlich geschützter Werke als Material zur Schaffung neuer Werke ein. Zur Regelung der Konflikte zwischen den Interessen der Urheber geschützter Werke, die als Material oder Vorlage für fremdes Werkschaffen genutzt werden, und den Interessen derjenigen, die an der Möglichkeit der Entstehung neuer, auch referenzieller Werke interessiert sind, enthält das Urheberrecht Bestimmungen über die zustimmungsbedürftige Bearbeitung und gesetzliche Erlaubnisse u.a. für Zitate sowie Karikatur, Parodie und Pastiche.
Ver-Gegenständlichung. Zum Kunstbegriff des Grundgesetzes
Authors: Augsberg Ino
Published: April 2023

Um die Kunstfreiheit angemessen zu schützen und zu bewahren, müssen die rechtsanwendenden Institutionen wissen, was ‚Kunst‘ ist. Zugleich dürfen sie diese Bestimmung aber nicht selbst vornehmen. Sie müssen sie sich vielmehr von dem, was geschützt werden soll, vorgeben lassen. Diese Doppelbewegung benennt den Prozess der rechtlichen Ver-Gegenständlichung der Kunst: Entscheidender Teil der so vorgenommenen Bestimmung ist, dass das zu Bestimmende sich seiner Bestimmung immer schon entzogen hat und weiter entzieht.
Mapping Plant Microclimates on Building Envelope Using Environmental Analysis Tools
Authors: Zimbarg Ana
Published: April 2023

Can we build our cities not only for humans but also for all living systems? How can we consider other species occupants of the built environment? Planning cities as an element of the natural domain can reshape our relationship with nature and help redefine sustainability in architecture. Although current design strategies of reducing energy use does not rectify past/continuing im-balances in the natural environment. Landscape architect John Tillman Lyle expanded the regenerative design concept based on a range of ecological concepts. The environment's complexity, and the urge to use resources smartly, encouraged him to think about architecture and the environment as a whole system. John Lyle's regenerative design strategies scaffold a conceptual framework of treating the building as part of the landscape. Environmental tools such as Ladybug can map out the different conditions surrounding the building's envelope. This information can assist in selecting and populating a building façade with suitable plant species. The framework presents the building as a feature in the landscape, creating microclimatic conditions for various plant habitats. This conceptual workflow has the potential to become a tool to include regenerative principles in the urban context.
A Virtual Reality-Based Tool with Human Behavior Measurement and Analysis for Feedback Design of the Indoor Light Environment
Authors: Li Yunqin , Yabuki Nobuyoshi , Fukuda Tomohiro
Published: April 2023

Human behavior data provides essential feedback information for architects to improve a human-centered indoor light environment design. However, architects have difficulty capturing the complex, multidimensional, and unpredictable behavior of humans, often struggle to get users’ feedback on time in the schematic phase. This paper proposes a new virtual reality-based behavioral measurement and assessment tool that quantitatively collects and analyzes individual behavioral data, including travel trajectory, travel time, and gaze points, to reveal user experience and interaction of light, aiming to better help architects get timely feedback from users and create human-centered indoor light environment designs in the scheme optimization phase. To showcase this tool, we utilize an exhibition hall of a museum design as an illustrative example. The experiment demonstrates the feasibility of the proposed tool, and its results suggest that different lighting schemes influence human behavior patterns and that the introduction of natural light usually stimulates more movement. The developed virtual reality tool prototype provides valuable visual information and statistics for analyzing human behavior and evaluating indoor light environment design schemes.
Artificial Intelligence Prediction of Urban Spatial Risk Factors from an Epidemic Perspective
Authors: Zhang Yecheng , Zhang Qimin , Zhao Yuxuan , Deng Yunjie , Liu Feiyang , Zheng Hao
Published: April 2023

From the epidemiological perspective, previous research methods of COVID-19 are generally based on classical statistical analysis. As a result, spatial information is often not used effectively. This paper uses image-based neural networks to explore the relationship between urban spatial risk and the distribution of infected populations, and the design of urban facilities. We take the Spatio-temporal data of people infected with new coronary pneumonia before February 28 in Wuhan in 2020 as the research object. We use kriging spatial interpolation technology and core density estimation technology to establish the epidemic heat distribution on fine grid units. We further examine the distribution of nine main spatial risk factors, including agencies, hospitals, park squares, sports fields, banks, hotels, Etc., which are tested for the significant positive correlation with the heat distribution of the epidemic. The weights of the spatial risk factors are used for training Generative Adversarial Network models, which predict the heat distribution of the outbreak in a given area. According to the trained model, optimizing the relevant environment design in urban areas to control risk factors effectively prevents and manages the epidemic from dispersing. The input image of the machine learning model is a city plan converted by public infrastructures, and the output image is a map of urban spatial risk factors in the given area.
Nolli Map: Interpretation of Urban Morphology Based on Machine Learning
Authors: Dong Zhiyong , Lin Jinru
Published: April 2023

Nolli map is the earliest diagram tool to simplify and quantify urban form, which most intuitively reflects the spatial layout of tangible elements in the city. The urban morphology contains its inherent evolutionary laws. Exploring the inner rules of cities is helpful for people to conduct urban research and design. Unlike the traditional research methods of urban morphology, the neural network algorithm provides us with new ideas for understanding urban morphology. In this experiment, we label 136 European cities samples in the rules of Nolli map as a training set for machine learning. We use Generative Adversarial Networks (GAN) for multiple mapping experiments. The generated images present recognizable and plausible images of the urban fabric. The results show that the machine can learn the inherent laws of complex urban fabrics, which expands a new applied method for the study of urban morphology.
Hexagonal Responsive Facade Prototype in Responding Sunlight
Authors: Ningsih Tria Amalia , Chintianto Abraham , Pratomo Cahyo , Milleza Muhammad Haikal , Rahman Muhammad Arif , Chairunnisa Intan
Published: April 2023

This paper discusses an architectural responsive façade system using hexagonal parametric forms and kinetic mechanism which responds sunlight. Its purposes are to buffer excessive sun exposure that goes through interior space and maximize the covering area with an incremental rotational joint system. The study aims to explore responsive façade system as second skin for architectural building, focusing on design, mechanism, and fabrication processes. The prototype consists of three parts: the hexagonal modules where the membranes and its frames are compacted; a series of levers to synchronize the movement of opening the membranes from each module; and a structural framework to hold each module as united kinetic façade system. As a preliminary prototype, the system can potentially be applied to several types of existing buildings and easily installed in various sizes and configuration. This kinetic mechanism can decrease sun radiation up to 50% than unprotected window façade.
Probing right-handed neutrinos dipole operators
Authors: Barducci Daniele , Bertuzzo Enrico , Taoso Marco , Toni Claudio
Published: April 2023

Abstract

We consider the minimal see-saw extension of the Standard Model with two right-handed singlet fermions N1,2 with mass at the GeV scale, augmented by an effective dipole operator between the sterile states. We firstly review current bounds on this effective interaction from fixed-target and collider experiments, as well as from astrophysical and cosmological observations. We then highlight the prospects for testing the decay N2 → N1γ induced by the dipole at future facilities targeting long-lived particles such as ANUBIS, CODEX-b, FACET, FASER 2, MAPP and SHiP.
Quantifying limits on CP violating phases from EDMs in supersymmetry
Authors: Kaneta Kunio , Nagata Natsumi , Olive Keith A. , Pospelov Maxim , Velasco-Sevilla Liliana
Published: April 2023

Abstract

We revisit the calculation of the electron, neutron, and proton electric dipole moments (EDMs) in the constrained minimal supersymmetric standard model (CMSSM). The relatively large mass of the Higgs boson, mH ≃ 125 GeV coupled with the (as yet) lack of discovery of any supersymmetric particle at the LHC, has pushed the supersymmetry breaking scale to several TeV or higher. Though one might expect this decoupling to have relaxed completely any bounds on the two CP violating phases in the CMSSM (θμ and θA), the impressive experimental improvements in the limits on the EDMs (particularly the electron EDM) still allow us to set constraints of order (0.01−0.1)π on θA and (0.001−0.1)π on θμ. We also discuss the impact of future improvements in the experimental limits on supersymmetric models.
Falling Drop in an Unbounded Liquid Reservoir: Steady-state Solutions
Authors: Eiter Thomas , Kyed Mads , Shibata Yoshihiro
Published: April 2023

The equations governing the motion of a three-dimensional liquid drop moving freely in an unbounded liquid reservoir under the influence of a gravitational force are investigated. Provided the (constant) densities in the two liquids are sufficiently close, existence of a steady-state solution is shown. The proof is based on a suitable linearization of the equations. A setting of function spaces is introduced in which the corresponding linear operator acts as a homeomorphism.
Haplotype-tagged SNPs improve genomic prediction accuracy for Fusarium head blight resistance and yield-related traits in wheat
Authors: Alemu Admas , Batista Lorena , Singh Pawan K. , Ceplitis Alf , Chawade Aakash
Published: April 2023

Key message

Linkage disequilibrium (LD)-based haplotyping with subsequent SNP tagging improved the genomic prediction accuracy up to 0.07 and 0.092 for Fusarium head blight resistance and spike width, respectively, across six different models.

Genomic prediction is a powerful tool to enhance genetic gain in plant breeding. However, the method is accompanied by various complications leading to low prediction accuracy. One of the major challenges arises from the complex dimensionality of marker data. To overcome this issue, we applied two pre-selection methods for SNP markers viz. LD-based haplotype-tagging and GWAS-based trait-linked marker identification. Six different models were tested with preselected SNPs to predict the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) of four traits measured in 419 winter wheat genotypes. Ten different sets of haplotype-tagged SNPs were selected by adjusting the level of LD thresholds. In addition, various sets of trait-linked SNPs were identified with different scenarios from the training-test combined and only from the training populations. The BRR and RR-BLUP models developed from haplotype-tagged SNPs had a higher prediction accuracy for FHB and SPW by 0.07 and 0.092, respectively, compared to the corresponding models developed without marker pre-selection. The highest prediction accuracy for SPW and FHB was achieved with tagged SNPs pruned at weak LD thresholds (r2 < 0.5), while stringent LD was required for spike length (SPL) and flag leaf area (FLA). Trait-linked SNPs identified only from training populations failed to improve the prediction accuracy of the four studied traits. Pre-selection of SNPs via LD-based haplotype-tagging could play a vital role in optimizing genomic selection and reducing genotyping costs. Furthermore, the method could pave the way for developing low-cost genotyping methods through customized genotyping platforms targeting key SNP markers tagged to essential haplotype blocks.
A phenomenological perspective on AI ethical failures: The case of facial recognition technology
Authors: Wen Yuni , Holweg Matthias
Published: April 2023

As more and more companies adopt artificial intelligence to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of their products and services, they expose themselves to ethical crises and potentially damaging public controversy associated with its use. Despite the prevalence of AI ethical problems, most companies are strategically unprepared to respond effectively to the public. This paper aims to advance our empirical understanding of company responses to AI ethical crises by focusing on the rise and fall of facial recognition technology. Specifically, through a comparative case study of how four big technology companies responded to public outcry over their facial recognition programs, we not only demonstrated the unfolding and consequences of public controversies over this new technology, but also identified and described four major types of company responses—Deflection, Improvement, Validation, and Pre-emption. These findings pave the way for future research on the management of controversial technology and the ethics of AI.
Impact of the genetic improvement of fermenting yeasts on the organoleptic properties of beer
Authors: Astola Antonio , Durán-Guerrero Enrique , Díaz Ana Belén , Lasanta Cristina , Castro Remedios
Published: April 2023

The brewing industry has experienced a significant boom in recent years through the emergence of, on the one hand, craft breweries that produce beers with unique organoleptic characteristics, and, on the other hand, the brewing of a significant number of beers using hybridized or genetically modified microorganisms with the aim of improving both the brewing processes and the final products. This review covers the influence from yeast strains on the organoleptic properties of the final beers and also the main hybridization and genetic modification methods applied to such yeast strains with the aim of improving the sensory characteristics of the product obtained and/or the brewing process. Different approaches to the phenotypic modification of the yeasts used in beer brewing have arisen in recent years. These are dealt with in this work, with special emphasis on the methodology followed as well as on the effects of the same on the brewing process and/or on the final product.
Chaotic Behavior in Diffusively Coupled Systems
Authors: Nijholt Eddie , Pereira Tiago , Queiroz Fernando C. , Turaev Dmitry
Published: April 2023

We study emergent oscillatory behavior in networks of diffusively coupled nonlinear ordinary differential equations. Starting from a situation where each isolated node possesses a globally attracting equilibrium point, we give, for an arbitrary network configuration, general conditions for the existence of the diffusive coupling of a homogeneous strength which makes the network dynamics chaotic. The method is based on the theory of local bifurcations we develop for diffusively coupled networks. We, in particular, introduce the class of the so-called versatile network configurations and prove that the Taylor coefficients of the reduction to the center manifold for any versatile network can take any given value.
Predictors and Prognostic Significance of Postoperative Complications for Patients with Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Endo Yutaka , Moazzam Zorays , Woldesenbet Selamawit , Araujo Lima Henrique , Alaimo Laura , Munir Muhammad Musaab , Shaikh Chanza F. , Guglielmi Alfredo , Aldrighetti Luca , Weiss Matthew , Bauer Todd W. , Alexandrescu Sorin , Poultsides George A. , Kitago Minoru , Maithel Shishir K. , Marques Hugo P. , Martel Guillaume , Pulitano Carlo , Shen Feng , Cauchy François , Koerkamp Bas Groot , Endo Itaru , Pawlik Timothy M.
Published: April 2023

Background

The prognostic impact of major postoperative complications (POCs) for intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) remains ill‐defined. We sought to analyze the relationship between POCs and outcomes relative to lymph node metastases (LNM) and tumor burden score (TBS).

Methods

Patients who underwent resection of ICC between 1990–2020 were included from an international database. POCs were defined according to Clavien‐Dindo classification ≥ 3. The prognostic impact of POCs was estimated relative to TBS categories (i.e., high and low) and lymph node status (i.e., N0 or N1).

Results

Among 553 patients who underwent curative‐intent resection for ICC, 128 (23.1%) individuals experienced POCs. Low TBS/N0 patients who experienced POCs presented with a higher risk of recurrence and death (3‐year cumulative recurrence rate; POCs: 74.8% vs. no POCs: 43.5%, p = 0.006; 5‐year overall survival [OS], POCs 37.8% vs. no POCs 65.8%, p = 0.003), while POCs were not associated with worse outcomes among high TBS and/or N1 patients. The Cox regression analysis confirmed that POCs were significant predictors of poor outcomes in low TBS/N0 patients (OS, hazard ratio [HR] 2.91, 95%CI 1.45–5.82, p = 0.003; recurrence free survival [RFS], HR 2.42, 95%CI 1.28–4.56, p = 0.007). Among low TBS/N0 patients, POCs were associated with early recurrence (within 2 years) (Odds ratio [OR] 2.79 95%CI 1.13–6.93, p = 0.03) and extrahepatic recurrence (OR 3.13, 95%CI 1.14–8.54, p = 0.03), in contrast to patients with high TBS and/or nodal disease.

Conclusions

POCs were independent, negative prognostic determinants for both OS and RFS among low TBS/N0 patients. Perioperative strategies that minimize the risk of POCs are critical to improving prognosis, especially among patients harboring favorable clinicopathologic features.
Risk–benefit ratio of percutaneous kyphoplasty and percutaneous vertebroplasty in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma with vertebral fracture: a single-center retrospective study
Authors: Xiang Qiu-Qing , Chu Bin , Lu Min-Qiu , Shi Lei , Gao Shan , Wang Yu-Tong , Fang Li-Juan , Ding Yue-Hua , Zhao Xin , Chen Yuan , Wang Meng-Zhen , Hu Wei-Kai , Wang Li-Fang , Sun Kai , Bao Li
Published: April 2023

The indications for percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) and percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) are painful vertebral compression fractures. Our study is to assess the risk–benefit ratio of PKP/PVP surgery in the patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma (NDMM) without receiving antimyeloma therapy. The clinical data of 426 consecutive patients with NDMM admitted to our center from February 2012 to April 2022 were retrospectively analyzed. The baseline data, postoperative pain relief, the proportion of recurrent vertebral fractures, and survival time were compared between the PKP/PVP surgical group and the nonsurgical group in the NDMM patients. Of the 426 patients with NDMM, 206 patients had vertebral fractures (206/426, 48.4%). Of these, 32 (32/206, 15.5%) underwent PKP/PVP surgery for misdiagnosis of simple osteoporosis prior to diagnosis of MM (surgical group), and the other 174 (174/206, 84.5%) did not undergo surgical treatment prior to definitive diagnosis of MM (non-surgical group). The median age of patients in the surgical and nonsurgical groups was 66 and 62 years, respectively (p = 0.01). The proportion of patients with advanced ISS and RISS stages was higher in the surgical group (ISS stage II + III 96.9% vs. 71.8%, p = 0.03; RISS stage III 96.9% vs. 71%, p = 0.01). Postoperatively, 10 patients (31.3%) never experienced pain relief and 20 patients (62.5%) experienced short-term pain relief with a median duration of relief of 2.6 months (0.2–24.1 months). Postoperative fractures of vertebrae other than the surgical site occurred in 24 patients (75%) in the surgical group, with a median time of 4.4 months postoperatively (0.4–86.8 months). Vertebral fractures other than the fracture site at the first visit occurred in 5 patients (2.9%) in the nonoperative group at the time of diagnosis of MM, with a median time of 11.9 months after the first visit (3.5–12.6 months). The incidence of secondary fractures was significantly higher in the surgical group than in the nonsurgical group (75% vs. 2.9%, p = 0.001). The time interval between the first visit and definitive diagnosis of MM was longer in the surgical group than in the nonsurgical group (6.1 months vs. 1.6 months, p = 0.01). At a median follow-up of 32 months (0.3–123 months), median overall survival (OS) was significantly shorter in the surgical group than in the nonsurgical group (48.2 months vs. 66 months, p = 0.04). Application of PKP/PVP surgery for pain relief in NDMM patients without antimyeloma therapy has a limited effect and a high risk of new vertebral fractures after surgery. Therefore, patients with NDMM may need to have their disease controlled with antimyeloma therapy prior to any consideration for PKP/PVP surgery.
Drilling accuracy evaluation of a mouldable surgical targeting system for minimally invasive access to anatomic targets in the temporal bone
Authors: Geiger Lena , Zuniga M. Geraldine , Lenarz Thomas , Majdani Omid , Rau Thomas S.
Published: April 2023

Purpose

Minimally invasive cochlear implant surgery using a micro-stereotactic surgical targeting system with on-site moulding of the template aims for a reliable, less experience-dependent access to the inner ear under maximal reduction of trauma to anatomic structures. We present an accuracy evaluation of our system in ex-vivo testing.

Methods

Eleven drilling experiments were performed on four cadaveric temporal bone specimens. The process involved preoperative imaging after affixing the reference frame to the skull, planning of a safe trajectory preserving relevant anatomical structures, customization of the surgical template, execution of the guided drilling and postoperative imaging for determination of the drilling accuracy. Deviation between the drilled and desired trajectories was measured at different depths.

Results

All drilling experiments were successfully performed. Other than purposely sacrificing the chorda tympani in one experiment, no other relevant anatomy, such as facial nerve, chorda tympani, ossicles or external auditory canal were harmed. Deviation between the desired and achieved path was found to be 0.25 ± 0.16 mm at skulls’ surface and 0.51 ± 0.35 mm at the target level. The closest distance of the drilled trajectories’ outer circumference to the facial nerve was 0.44 mm.

Conclusions

We demonstrated the usability for drilling to the middle ear on human cadaveric specimen in a pre-clinical setting. Accuracy proved to be suitable for many applications such as procedures within the field of image-guided neurosurgery. Promising approaches to reach sufficient submillimetre accuracy for CI surgery have been outlined.