bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Proton Therapy for Prostate Cancer in the Setting of Hip Prosthesis
Authors: Moteabbed Maryam , Bobić Mislav , Paganetti Harald , Efstathiou Jason A.
Published: January 2024

Purpose: Given that the current standard of proton therapy (PT) for prostate cancer is through bilateral beams, this modality is typically avoided when it comes to treatment of patients with hip prosthesis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether novel PT methods, i.e., anterior proton beams and proton arc therapy (PArc), could be feasible options to treat this patient subpopulation. We evaluate PT methods in the context of dosimetry and robustness and compare with standard of practice volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) to explore any potential benefits. Methods: Two PT and one VMAT treatment plans were retrospectively created for 10 patients who participated in a clinical trial with a weekly repeat CT (rCT) imaging component. All plans were robustly optimized and featured: (1) combination anterior oblique and lateral proton beams (AoL), (2) PArc, and (3) VMAT. All patients had hydrogel spacers in place, which enabled safe application of anterior proton beams. The planned dose was 70 Gy (RBE) to the entire prostate gland and 50 Gy (RBE) to the proximal seminal vesicles in 28 fractions. Along with plan dose–volume metrics, robustness to setup and interfractional variations were evaluated using the weekly rCT images. The linear energy transfer (LET)-weighted dose was evaluated for PArc plans to ensure urethra sparing given the typical high-LET region at the end of range. Results: Both PT methods were dosimetrically feasible and provided reduction of some key OAR metrics compared to VMAT except for penile bulb, while providing equally good target coverage. Significant differences in median rectum V35 (22–25%), penile bulb Dmean (5 Gy), rectum V61 (2%), right femoral head Dmean (5 Gy), and bladder V39 (4%) were found between PT and VMAT. All plans were equally robust to variations. LET-weighted dose in urethra was equivalent to the physical dose for PArc plans and hence no added urethral toxicity was expected. Conclusions: PT for treatment of prostate cancer patients with hip prosthesis is feasible and equivalent or potentially superior to VMAT in quality in some cases. The choice of radiotherapy regimen can be personalized based on patient characteristics to achieve the best treatment outcome.
The Role of Progranulin (PGRN) in the Pathogenesis of Glioblastoma Multiforme
Authors: Poniatowski Łukasz A. , Woźnica Michał , Wojdasiewicz Piotr , Mela-Kalicka Aneta , Romanowska-Próchnicka Katarzyna , Purrahman Daryush , Żurek Grzegorz , Krawczyk Maciej , Nameh Goshay Fard Najmeh , Furtak-Niczyporuk Marzena , Jaroszyński Janusz , Mahmoudian-Sani Mohammad-Reza , Joniec-Maciejak Ilona
Published: January 2024

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) represents the most common and aggressive malignant form of brain tumour in adults and is characterized by an extremely poor prognosis with dismal survival rates. Currently, expanding concepts concerning the pathophysiology of GBM are inextricably linked with neuroinflammatory phenomena. On account of this fact, the identification of novel pathomechanisms targeting neuroinflammation seems to be crucial in terms of yielding successful individual therapeutic strategies. In recent years, the pleiotropic growth factor progranulin (PGRN) has attracted significant attention in the neuroscience and oncological community regarding its neuroimmunomodulatory and oncogenic functions. This review of the literature summarizes and updates contemporary knowledge about PGRN, its associated receptors and signalling pathway involvement in GBM pathogenesis, indicating possible cellular and molecular mechanisms with potential diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic targets in order to yield successful individual therapeutic strategies. After a review of the literature, we found that there are possible PGRN-targeted therapeutic approaches for implementation in GBM treatment algorithms both in preclinical and future clinical studies. Furthermore, PGRN-targeted therapies exerted their highest efficacy in combination with other established chemotherapeutic agents, such as temozolomide. The results of the analysis suggested that the possible implementation of routine determinations of PGRN and its associated receptors in tumour tissue and biofluids could serve as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker of GBM. Furthermore, promising preclinical applications of PGRN-related findings should be investigated in clinical studies in order to create new diagnostic and therapeutic algorithms for GBM treatment.
Development of Innate-Immune-Cell-Based Immunotherapy for Adult T-Cell Leukemia–Lymphoma
Authors: Nakashima Maho , Tanaka Yoshimasa , Okamura Haruki , Kato Takeharu , Imaizumi Yoshitaka , Nagai Kazuhiro , Miyazaki Yasushi , Murota Hiroyuki
Published: January 2024

γδ T cells and natural killer (NK) cells have attracted much attention as promising effector cell subsets for adoptive transfer for use in the treatment of malignant and infectious diseases, because they exhibit potent cytotoxic activity against a variety of malignant tumors, as well as virus-infected cells, in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC)-unrestricted manner. In addition, γδ T cells and NK cells express a high level of CD16, a receptor required for antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity. Adult T-cell leukemia–lymphoma (ATL) is caused by human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-1) and is characterized by the proliferation of malignant peripheral CD4+ T cells. Although several treatments, such as chemotherapy, monoclonal antibodies, and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, are currently available, their efficacy is limited. In order to develop alternative therapeutic modalities, we considered the possibility of infusion therapy harnessing γδ T cells and NK cells expanded using a novel nitrogen-containing bisphosphonate prodrug (PTA) and interleukin (IL)-2/IL-18, and we examined the efficacy of the cell-based therapy for ATL in vitro. Peripheral blood samples were collected from 55 patients with ATL and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were stimulated with PTA and IL-2/IL-18 for 11 days to expand γδ T cells and NK cells. To expand NK cells alone, CD3+ T-cell-depleted PBMCs were cultured with IL-2/IL-18 for 10 days. Subsequently, the expanded cells were examined for cytotoxicity against ATL cell lines in vitro. The proportion of γδ T cells in PBMCs was markedly low in elderly ATL patients. The median expansion rate of the γδ T cells was 1998-fold, and it was 12-fold for the NK cells, indicating that γδ T cells derived from ATL patients were efficiently expanded ex vivo, irrespective of aging and HTLV-1 infection status. Anti-CCR4 antibodies enhanced the cytotoxic activity of the γδ T cells and NK cells against HTLV-1-infected CCR4-expressing CD4+ T cells in an antibody concentration-dependent manner. Taken together, the adoptive transfer of γδ T cells and NK cells expanded with PTA/IL-2/IL-18 is a promising alternative therapy for ATL.
Modeling of Retina and Optic Nerve Ischemia–Reperfusion Injury through Hypoxia–Reoxygenation in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Retinal Ganglion Cells
Authors: Yoshida Tomoyo , Yokoi Tadashi , Tanaka Taku , Matsuzaka Emiko , Saida Yuki , Nishina Sachiko , Takada Shuji , Shimizu Shigeomi , Azuma Noriyuki
Published: January 2024

Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are specialized projection neurons that constitute part of the retina, and the death of RGCs causes various eye diseases, but the mechanism of RGC death is still unclear. Here, we induced cell death in human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived RGC-rich retinal tissues using hypoxia–reoxygenation in vitro. Flow cytometry, immunochemistry, and Western blotting showed the apoptosis and necrosis of RGCs under hypoxia–reoxygenation, and they were rescued by an apoptosis inhibitor but not by a necrosis inhibitor. This revealed that the cell death induced in our model was mainly due to apoptosis. To our knowledge, this is the first model to reproduce ischemia–reperfusion in hiPSC-derived RGCs. Thus, the efficacy of apoptosis inhibitors and neuroprotective agents can be evaluated using this model, bringing us closer to clinical applications.
Factors Affecting Properties of Polymer Grouted Sands
Authors: Anagnostopoulos Costas , Aggelidis Vasilios
Published: January 2024

The aim of this research was to undertake laboratory testing to investigate the beneficial effects of epoxy resin grouts on the physical and mechanical properties of sands with a wide range of granulometric characteristics. Six sands of different particle size and uniformity coefficients were grouted using epoxy resin solutions with three ratios of epoxy resin to water (3.0, 2.0 and 1.5). A set of unconfined compressive strength tests were conducted on the grouted samples at different curing periods and a set of long-term unconfined compressive creep tests in dry and wet conditions after 180 days of curing were also carried out in order to evaluate the development of the mechanical properties of the sands, as well as the impact of water on them. The findings of the investigation showed that epoxy resin resulted in appreciable strength values in the specimens, especially those of fine sands or well graded sands, grouted with the different epoxy resin grouts. Whilst the higher compressive strength and elastic modulus values at the age of 180 days were obtained for the finer sand, which ranged from 2.6 to 5.6 MPa and 216 to 430 MPa, respectively, the lower compressive strength and elastic modulus values were attained for the coarser sand with low values of the coefficient of uniformity, which varied from 0.68 to 2.2 MPa and 75 to 185 MPa, respectively. Moreover, all grouted sands showed stable long-term creep behaviour, with high values of the creep limit ranging from 67.5 to 80% of compressive strength. The presence of water had a negative marginal effect in the majority of the grouted specimens. In terms of physical properties, the permeability and porosity were estimated. The permeability of fine sands or well graded sands was decreased by two to four orders of magnitude. Using laboratory results and regression analysis, three mathematical equations were developed that relate each of the dependent variables of compressive strength, elastic modulus and coefficient of permeability to particular explanatory variables.
Enhancement of Machine-Learning-Based Flash Calculations near Criticality Using a Resampling Approach
Authors: Kanakaki Eirini Maria , Samnioti Anna , Gaganis Vassilis
Published: January 2024

Flash calculations are essential in reservoir engineering applications, most notably in compositional flow simulation and separation processes, to provide phase distribution factors, known as k-values, at a given pressure and temperature. The calculation output is subsequently used to estimate composition-dependent properties of interest, such as the equilibrium phases’ molar fraction, composition, density, and compressibility. However, when the flash conditions approach criticality, minor inaccuracies in the computed k-values may lead to significant deviation in the dependent properties, which is eventually inherited to the simulator, leading to large errors in the simulation. Although several machine-learning-based regression approaches have emerged to drastically accelerate flash calculations, the criticality issue persists. To address this problem, a novel resampling technique of the ML models’ training data population is proposed, which aims to fine-tune the training dataset distribution and optimally exploit the models’ learning capacity across various flash conditions. The results demonstrate significantly improved accuracy in predicting phase behavior results near criticality, offering valuable contributions not only to the subsurface reservoir engineering industry but also to the broader field of thermodynamics. By understanding and optimizing the model’s training, this research enables more precise predictions and better-informed decision-making processes in domains involving phase separation phenomena. The proposed technique is applicable to every ML-dominated regression problem, where properties dependent on the machine output are of interest rather than the model output itself.
Two Years of COVID: The Journey to Discover a New Disease
Authors: Novelli Giuseppe
Published: January 2024

Two years ago, MDPI launched an "Instant Journal" entitled COVID with the intention of raising awareness of research into a new disease originating from the SARS-CoV-2 infection that has affected more than 700 million individuals, with over 6 million deaths in total worldwide [...]
Lodging Variability in Sorghum Stalks Is Dependent on the Biomechanical and Chemical Composition of the Stalk Rinds
Authors: Mengistie Endalkachew , Bokros Norbert , DeBolt Seth , McDonald Armando G.
Published: January 2024

Stalk lodging contributes to significant crop yield losses. Therefore, understanding the biomechanical strength and structural rigidity of grain stalks can contribute to improving stalk lodging resistance in crops. From the structural constituents of the stalk, the rind provides the principal structure, supporting cells against tension and bending loads. In this work, the biomechanical and viscoelastic behavior of the rind from the internodes of two sweet sorghum varieties (Della and REDforGREEN (RG)), grown in two different growing seasons, were evaluated by three-point micro-bending tests using a dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). In addition, the chemical composition of rinds and the microfibril angle (MFA) of the cell wall were determined using XRD. The results revealed that the biomechanical behavior of Della varieties was stiffer and more resistant to loads than that of RG varieties. Two features of the rind biomechanical properties, flexural modulus (FM) and flexural strength (FS), showed a significant reduction for RG. Particularly, a reduction in FS of 16–37% and in FM of 22–41% were detected for RG1. Changes in the stalks’ rind biomechanical properties were attributed to cell wall components. Total lignin and glucan/cellulose contents were positively correlated with the FM and FS of the rind. Subsequently, an increase in the two cell wall components drove an increase in stiffness. Furthermore, the MFA of the rind was also found to influence the rind strength.
The Solid-Phase Transition of Carbapenem CS-023 Polymorphs and the Change in Helicity Observed in the Transition
Authors: Matsuura Shinji , Igarashi Koichi , Azuma Masayuki , Ooshima Hiroshi
Published: January 2024

Anti-solvent crystallization of carbapenem CS-023 was performed at 25 °C. The following results were obtained: (1) A solvate crystal, Form A (5/2 Ethanol·1/2 H2O), was recovered from 80 v/v% ethanol solution; (2) Form A transformed to Form H (4H2O) through solid-phase transition through the solvate-free polymorph, Form A-2, and Form A also transformed into Form C (1Ethanol·3H2O) through solvent-mediated transformation. In the present study, we found that Form C also transforms to Form H through the solid-phase transition through the solvate-free polymorph Form C-2. The three polymorphs, Forms A, H, and C, were composed of helical chain structures. However, there was an incomprehensible affair in the solid-phase transition among the three polymorphs. Namely, Form A comprised a left-handed helix. On the other hand, Form C’s and Form H’s helix chains were in a left- and right-handed helix complex, respectively. The solid-phase transition of Form A into Form H suggested a switch in helicity in the solid. We attempted to explain the helicity change in the solid-phase transition. As a result, we suggest that the over-absorption of water by Form A-2 at high humidity plays a vital role in the helicity change.
Use of Rectus Flaps in Reconstructive Surgery for Gynecologic Cancer
Authors: Dzyubak Oleksandra , Salman Lina , Covens Allan
Published: January 2024

The aim of this study was to explore the outcomes of pelvic reconstruction with a rectus abdominis myocutaneous (RAM) or rectus abdominis myoperitoneal (RAMP) flap following radical surgery for gynecologic malignancy. This is a retrospective case series of all pelvic reconstructions with RAM or RAMP flap performed in a gynecologic oncology service between 1998 and 2023. Reconstructions with other flaps were excluded. A total of 28 patients were included. Most patients had vulvar cancer (n = 15, 53.6%) and the majority had disease recurrence (n = 20, 71.4%). Exenteration was the most common procedure, being carried out in 20 (71.4%) patients. Pelvic reconstruction was carried out with a RAM flap in 24 (85.7%) cases and a RAMP flap in 4 (14.3%) cases. Flap-specific complications included cellulitis (14.3%), partial breakdown (17.9%), and necrosis (17.9%). Donor site complications included surgical site infection and necrosis occurring in seven (25.0%) and three (10.7%) patients, respectively. Neovaginal reconstruction was performed in 14 patients. Out of those, two (14.3%) had neovaginal stenosis and three (21.4%) had rectovaginal fistula. In total, 50% of patients were disease-free at the time of the last follow up. In conclusion, pelvic reconstruction with RAM/RAMP flaps, at the time of radical surgery for gynecologic cancer, is an uncommon procedure. In our case series, we had a significant complication rate with the most common being infection and necrosis. The development of a team approach, with input from services including Gynecologic Oncology and Plastic Surgery should be developed to decrease post-operative complications and improve patient outcomes.
An Informative Review of Radiomics Studies on Cancer Imaging: The Main Findings, Challenges and Limitations of the Methodologies
Authors: Fusco Roberta , Granata Vincenza , Simonetti Igino , Setola Sergio Venanzio , Iasevoli Maria Assunta Daniela , Tovecci Filippo , Lamanna Ciro Michele Paolo , Izzo Francesco , Pecori Biagio , Petrillo Antonella
Published: January 2024

The aim of this informative review was to investigate the application of radiomics in cancer imaging and to summarize the results of recent studies to support oncological imaging with particular attention to breast cancer, rectal cancer and primitive and secondary liver cancer. This review also aims to provide the main findings, challenges and limitations of the current methodologies. Clinical studies published in the last four years (2019–2022) were included in this review. Among the 19 studies analyzed, none assessed the differences between scanners and vendor-dependent characteristics, collected images of individuals at additional points in time, performed calibration statistics, represented a prospective study performed and registered in a study database, conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis, reported on the cost-effectiveness of the clinical application, or performed multivariable analysis with also non-radiomics features. Seven studies reached a high radiomic quality score (RQS), and seventeen earned additional points by using validation steps considering two datasets from two distinct institutes and open science and data domains (radiomics features calculated on a set of representative ROIs are open source). The potential of radiomics is increasingly establishing itself, even if there are still several aspects to be evaluated before the passage of radiomics into routine clinical practice. There are several challenges, including the need for standardization across all stages of the workflow and the potential for cross-site validation using real-world heterogeneous datasets. Moreover, multiple centers and prospective radiomics studies with more samples that add inter-scanner differences and vendor-dependent characteristics will be needed in the future, as well as the collecting of images of individuals at additional time points, the reporting of calibration statistics and the performing of prospective studies registered in a study database.
Crossing Old Concepts: The Ecological Advantages of New Vineyard Types
Authors: Böhm Lea , Krahner André , Porten Matthias , Maixner Michael , Schäffer Juliane , Schmitt Thomas
Published: January 2024

In times of global insect decline, agricultural ecosystems need to be designed in an as insect-friendly manner as possible to halt the progressive loss of biodiversity. This is particularly important for steep-slope viticulture being established on sites with high biodiversity potential. Therefore, we compared different vineyard types (cross-slope with greened embankments vs. down-slope or other types without greened embankments), using wild bees and butterflies as indicators for biodiversity in the lower Moselle region (SW Germany). The numbers of species and individuals in both groups were significantly higher in cross-slope vineyards with greened embankments. This also held true for the number of specialised and endangered species. The communities of wild bees and butterflies differed remarkably between the vineyard types. Three wild bee and five butterfly species were identified as indicator species and hence can be used as such for further monitoring. Our results underline that the structure of steep-slope vineyards has tremendous importance for biodiversity conservation. Since the cultivation of cross-slope vineyards on steep slopes is easier than that of down-slope vineyards, we assume the great synergistic potential to reconcile agricultural use and biodiversity conservation and, in addition, to preserve steep-slope viticulture as a structural element in landscape planning.
Surveying Bat-Hosted Adenoviruses and Herpesviruses: A Comprehensive Analysis
Authors: Méndez-Rodríguez Aline , Horta Pedro , Zarza Heliot , Constante-Pérez Luis Guillermo , Salgado-Mejia Fernando , López-Wilchis Ricardo , Juste Javier
Published: January 2024

Bats have gained cumulative attention as potential reservoirs for viruses, being crucial to increase our ability to predict viral prevalence and transmissions, as well as support the possible management of future zoonotic episodes. Following the PRISMA standard systematic review protocols, we conducted a comprehensive search worldwide for scientific papers dealing with bat-hosted viruses of the Adenoviridae and Herpesviridae families. The search was completed using the Scopus, CABI, and SciELO, databases of bat-associated viruses of these two families as well as the Google Scholar search engine. Our search comprised a total of 2656 scientific papers. After a thorough review and screening of the papers, we selected for our study a total of 90 papers published between 1996 and 2022. We found marked taxonomic and spatial biases, the most studied bats being predominantly vespertilionids, rhinolophids, phyllostomids, and pteropodids, whereas other families (e.g., Natalidae, Noctilionidae, and Furipteridae) are still lacking information. The most studied areas are southern and east Asia, although there are large areas (north Africa, the Middle East, and all the way to central or northern Asia) still overlooked. Out of the total number of papers, as many as 55 identified bat-hosted Adenovirus (AdV) and 54 papers identified Herpesvirus (HSV). Our revision reveals the presence of AdVs in a total of 97 bat species from 42 genera and 11 families. The presence of HSVs is reported also in 109 bat species from 45 genera and 10 families. Although both AdVs and HSVs in general show a clear host specificity and parallel evolution with their hosts, these results also point to the potential of these viruses to cross, in some cases, species barriers.
Wood- and Cable-Based Variable Tilt Stilt-Mounted Solar Photovoltaic Racking System
Authors: Jamil Uzair , Vandewetering Nicholas , Sadat Seyyed Ali , Pearce Joshua M.
Published: January 2024

The prohibitive costs of small-scale solar photovoltaic (PV) racks decrease PV adoption velocity. To overcome these costs challenges, an open hardware design method is used to develop two novel variable tilt racking designs. These are the first stilt-mounted racking designs that allow for the manual change of the tilt angle from zero to 90 degrees by varying the length of cables. The racks are designed using the calculated dead, wind, and snow loads for Canada as a conservative design for most of the rest of the world. Structural capacities of the wooden members are then ascertained and the resisting bending moment, shear force, tensile force, and compressive force is calculated for them. A structural and truss analysis is performed to ensure that the racking design withstands the applicable forces. Moreover, the implications of changing the tilt angle on the wooden members/cables used to build the system are also determined. The systems offer significant economic savings ranging from one third to two thirds of the capital expenses of the commercially available alternatives. In addition, the racking designs are easy-to-build and require minimal manufacturing operations, which increases their accessibility. The stilt-mounted designs can be employed for agrivoltaic settings while allowing farm workers shaded, ergonomic access to perform planting, weeding, and harvesting.
How Can We Identify T1 or Shallow T2 Gallbladder Carcinoma Using Ultrasound? Comment on Okaniwa, S. How Can We Manage Gallbladder Lesions by Transabdominal Ultrasound? Diagnostics 2021, 11, 784
Authors: Fujimoto Taketoshi
Published: January 2024

I am keenly interested in ultrasound diagnosis of the invasion depth of gallbladder carcinoma (GBC) [...]
Linear Bayesian Estimation of Misrecorded Poisson Distribution
Authors: Gao Huiqing , Chen Zhanshou , Li Fuxiao
Published: January 2024

Parameter estimation is an important component of statistical inference, and how to improve the accuracy of parameter estimation is a key issue in research. This paper proposes a linear Bayesian estimation for estimating parameters in a misrecorded Poisson distribution. The linear Bayesian estimation method not only adopts prior information but also avoids the cumbersome calculation of posterior expectations. On the premise of ensuring the accuracy and stability of computational results, we derived the explicit solution of the linear Bayesian estimation. Its superiority was verified through numerical simulations and illustrative examples.
Secure User Pairing and Power Allocation for Downlink Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access against External Eavesdropping
Authors: Li Yuxuan , Chen Yanqiu , Ji Xiaopeng
Published: January 2024

We propose a secure user pairing (UP) and power allocation (PA) strategy for a downlink Non-Orthogonal Multiple Access (NOMA) system when there exists an external eavesdropper. The secure transmission of data through the downlink is constructed to optimize both UP and PA. This optimization aims to maximize the achievable sum secrecy rate (ASSR) while adhering to a limit on the rate for each user. However, this poses a challenge as it involves a mixed integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) problem, which cannot be efficiently solved through direct search methods due to its complexity. To handle this gracefully, we first divide the original problem into two smaller issues, i.e., an optimal PA problem for two paired users and an optimal UP problem. Next, we obtain the closed-form optimal solution for PA between two users and UP in a simplified NOMA system involving four users. Finally, the result is extended to a general 2K-user NOMA system. The proposed UP and PA method satisfies the minimum rate constraints with an optimal ASSR as shown theoretically and as validated by numerical simulations. According to the results, the proposed method outperforms random UP and that in a standard OMA system in terms of the ASSR and the average ASSR. It is also interesting to find that increasing the number of user pairs will bring more performance gain in terms of the average ASSR.
MultArtRec: A Multimodal Neural Topic Modeling for Integrating Image and Text Features in Artwork Recommendation
Authors: Wang Jiayun , Maeda Akira , Kawagoe Kyoji
Published: January 2024

Recommender systems help users obtain the content they need from massive amounts of information. Artwork recommender systems is a topic that has attracted attention. However, existing art recommender systems rarely consider user preferences and multimodal information at the same time, while utilizing all the information has the potential to help make better personalized recommendations. To better apply recommender systems to the artwork-recommendation scenario, we propose a new neural topic modeling (NTM)-based multimodal artwork recommender system (MultArtRec), that can take all the information into account at the same time and extract effective features representing user preferences from multimodal content. Also, to improve MultArtRec’s performance on monomodal feature extraction, we add a novel topic loss term to the conventional NTM loss. The first two experiments in this study compare the performances of different models with different monomodal inputs. The results show that MultArtRec can improve the performance with image modality inputs by up to 174.8% compared to the second-best model and improve the performance with text modality inputs by up to 10.7% compared to the second-best model. The third experiment is conducted to compare the performance of MultArtRec with monomodal inputs and multimodal inputs. The results show that the performance of MultArtRec with multimodal inputs can be improved by up to 15.9% compared to monomodal inputs. The last experiment preliminarily tests the versatility of MultArtRec on a fashion recommendation scenario that considers clothing image content and user preferences. The results show that MultArtRec outperforms the other methods across all the metrics.
A Reconfigurable SRAM CRP PUF with High Reliability and Randomness
Authors: Pham Van Khanh , Ngo Chi Trung , Nam Jae-Won , Hong Jong-Phil
Published: January 2024

This paper presents a novel reconfigurable SRAM CRP PUF that can achieve high reliability and randomness. In conventional reconfigurable SRAM CRP PUFs, imprecise timing control can produce a biased response output, which is typically attributed to mismatches in the connection of input control signals to the two inverter arrays in the layout floorplan. We propose a timing control scheme along with the addition of an adjunct NMOS transistor to address this issue. This eliminates the connection mismatches for the challenge and word-line inputs to the two inverter arrays. Furthermore, we employ symmetric layout techniques to achieve the randomness of response output. The symmetric arrangement of the two inverter arrays maximizes the inherent random output characteristics derived from process variation. The pre-charge input signal is symmetrically connected to each array to prevent delay mismatches. A 16 × 9-bit reconfigurable PUF array is fabricated by using a 180 nm CMOS process, with a PUF cell area of 1.2 × 104 F2/bit. The experimental results demonstrate an inter Hamming distance of 0.4949 across 40 chips and an intra Hamming distance of 0.0167 for a single chip in 5000 trials. The measured worst bit error rate (BER) is 4.86% at the nominal point (1.8 V, 25 °C). The proposed prototype exhibits good reliability and randomness, as well as a small silicon area when compared to the conventional SRAM CRP PUFs.
3D Phased Array Enabling Extended Field of View in Mobile Satcom Applications
Authors: Boulos Federico , Riemschneider Georg Frederik , Caizzone Stefano
Published: January 2024

Satellite communication (satcom) is experiencing increased interest to cover the connectivity gaps of terrestrial networks. To ensure high performance and throughput for the user—and even more so in Communications-On-The-Move(COTM) systems, e.g., in aeronautics—steerable antennas such as phased arrays are required to adjust the beam so as to follow the satellite’s trajectory. The mutual movement of terminals and satellite in COTM systems calls for a broad Field of View (FoV) and, hence, poses a challenge to common planar systems. For improving the FoV, common solutions require ad hoc designs, such as multi-mode antennas, wide half-power-beamwidth antennas or metasurfaces. By contrast, 3D arrays are able to cover a wider angular region by the 3D allocation of the antennas. In this paper, the benefits and drawbacks of moving from 2D (planar) arrays to 3D phased arrays are investigated. Multiple geometrical configurations are analyzed, keeping in mind the size requirements of aeronautic terminals. The best configuration is, hence, an array capable of enhancing the FoV of the terminal. The proposed antenna architecture offers a good trade-off between design complexity and performance, and it could be further developed to become an aeronautic-grade terminal aperture.
CrackYOLO: Rural Pavement Distress Detection Model with Complex Scenarios
Authors: Li Yuxuan , Sun Shangyu , Song Weidong , Zhang Jinhe , Teng Qiaoshuang
Published: January 2024

The maintenance level of rural roads is relatively low, and the automated detection of pavement distress is easily affected by the shadows of rows of trees, weeds, soil, and distress object scale disparities; this makes it difficult to accurately evaluate the distress conditions of the pavement. To solve the above problems, this study specifically designed a target detection network called Crack Convolution (CrackYOLO) for pavement crack extraction on rural roads. CrackYOLO is based on an improved YOLOv5. The shadow created by rows of trees leads to the loss of crack features in the feature extraction and downsampling stages of the network; therefore, CrackConv and Adapt-weight Down Sample (ADSample) were introduced to strengthen the ability to locate and identify cracks. Due to disturbances such as soil and weeds, which cause the extraction of more redundant features, the Channel And Spatial mixed attention mechanism (CAS) was introduced to enhance crack weight. To address the issue of missed detections of fine cracks due to significant scale variations in crack objects in the same image, Multi Scale Convolution (MSConv) and Multi Scale Head (MSHead) were incorporated during the feature fusion and prediction inference stages of the network, thereby improving the multi-scale detection performance. In order to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method, the detection accuracy of CrackYOLO when used on the LNTU_RDD_NC dataset was determined to be 9.99%, 12.79%, and 4.61% higher than that of the current pavement crack detection models YOLO-LWNet, Faster R-CNN, and YOLOv7. At the same time, we compare the above model on public datasets of different scenarios, and the experimental results show that CrackYOLO has the same strong performance in urban roads and other scenarios.
Classifying the Percentage of Broken Magnets in Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors Using Combined Short-Time Fourier Transform and a Pre-Trained Convolutional Neural Network
Authors: Ghafouri Matanagh Amin , Ozturk Salih Baris , Goktas Taner , Hegazy Omar
Published: January 2024

In critical applications of electrical machines, ensuring validity and safety is paramount to prevent system failures with potentially hazardous consequences. The integration of machine learning (ML) technologies plays a crucial role in monitoring system performance and averting failures. Among various motor types, permanent magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs) are widely favored for their versatile speed range, enhanced power density, and ease of control, finding applications in both industrial settings and electric vehicles. This study focuses on the detection and classification of the percentage of broken magnets in PMSMs using a pre-trained AlexNet convolutional neural network (CNN) model. The dataset was generated by combining finite element methods (FEMs) and short-time Fourier transform (STFT) applied to stator phase currents, which exhibited significant variations due to diverse broken magnet structures. Leveraging transfer learning, the pre-trained AlexNet model underwent adjustments, including the elimination and rearrangement of the final three layers and the introduction of new layers tailored for electrical machine applications. The resulting pre-trained CNN model achieved a remarkable performance, boasting a 99.94% training accuracy and 0.0004% training loss in the simulation dataset, utilizing a PMSM with 4% magnet damage for experimental validation. The model’s effectiveness was further affirmed by an impressive 99.95% area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve in the experimental dataset. These results underscore the efficacy and robustness of the proposed pre-trained CNN method in detecting and classifying the percentage of broken magnets, even with a limited dataset.
Quantification and Proxy Indicators of the Carbon Pool in Urban Tree Litterfall: A Case Study of Urban Green Spaces in Beijing
Authors: Cao Yujuan , Li Xinyu , Li Yanming , Guo Jia , Qi Yali
Published: January 2024

As major carbon (C) pools in cities, urban green spaces play a crucial role in reducing atmospheric carbon. To determine the importance of litterfall C storage in urban green spaces, we selected the leaf area index (LAI) as a proxy indicator for litterfall C density (LCD), and established a log-linear regression model between LCD and LAI to predict the annual litterfall C pool in large-scale urban green spaces using Sentinel-2 satellite remote sensing data. Forty-five sample units were randomly selected in typical urban green spaces in Beijing, China. A high-temperature combustion method was used to measure the LCD of the sampling units, and stepwise linear regression was used to filter the proxy indicator for LCD. The annual litterfall C pool in regions within the Fifth Ring Road was also estimated with inversion using remote sensing data. From 2015 to 2021, the estimated annual litterfall C pool was in the range of 4.5–5.8 × 1010 g, i.e., approximately 18.9% of the total C storage recorded for the urban green space, which was far greater than that observed in forest ecosystems. We concluded that the litterfall C pool in urban green spaces is seriously underestimated, and that urban tree litterfall has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions if used as a carbon-neutral resource.
Linear Cutting Performance Tests and Parameter Optimization of Poplar Branches Based on RSM and NSGA-II
Authors: Zhao Liang , Yuan Weidong , Xu Linyun , Jin Shouxiang , Cui Wangbin , Xue Jiangkun , Zhou Hongping
Published: January 2024

To reduce the cutting force and cutting energy consumption during the operation of tree-climbing pruning machines for poplar trees, a linear cutting test bench device for branches was designed according to the growth characteristics of poplar branches and pruning forestry requirements in this study. Firstly, the cutting mechanical analysis of poplar branches was carried out to explore the significance parameters affecting the cutting force, and then the cutting performance test and parameter optimization of poplar branches was carried out through the response surface method (RSM). The test results indicated that cutting speed, tool edge angle and tool back angle had significant effects on the ultimate shear stress, cutting power consumption per unit area, and the branch damage rate of poplar branches, and the established regression equation demonstrated high goodness of fit. Meanwhile, a second-order regression mathematical model was developed between ultimate shear stress, cutting the power consumption per unit area of the cut and the branch damage rate, and the significance parameter. The non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) was used for multi-objective optimization computation to obtain the optimal combination of cutting parameters as 3.02 m/s for cutting speed, 15° for tool edge angle, and 3° for tool back angle. In this case, the ultimate shear stress, cutting power consumption per unit area, and branch damage rate of poplar branches were small, which were 346.63 kPa, 9.35 mJ/mm2, and 12.36%, respectively. Through the test verification, it can be seen that the relative error between the verification test and the predicted value of model was less than 7%. Moreover, under a cutting tool edge angle of 15°, the ultimate shear stress, cutting power consumption per unit area, and branch damage rate were, respectively, reduced by 17.29%, 14.98%, and 34.21% compared with those under a cutting tool edge angle of 20°, which verifies the validity and reliability of the test results and the research method. This study can provide data support and reference for the research and development of energy-efficient poplar tree-climbing pruning equipment and related branch-cutting performance tests.
Predicting Egg Storage Time with a Portable Near-Infrared Instrument: Effects of Temperature and Production System
Authors: Cozzolino Daniel , Sanal Pooja , Schreuder Jana , Williams Paul James , Assadi Soumeh Elham , Dekkers Milou Helene , Anderson Molly , Boisen Sheree , Hoffman Louwrens Christiaan
Published: January 2024

Determining egg freshness is critical for ensuring food safety and security and as such, different methods have been evaluated and implemented to accurately measure and predict it. In this study, a portable near-infrared (NIR) instrument combined with chemometrics was used to monitor and predict the storage time of eggs under two storage conditions—room temperature (RT) and cold (CT) storage—from two production systems: cage and free-range. A total of 700 egg samples were analyzed, using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares (PLS) regression to analyze the NIR spectra. The PCA score plot did not show any clear separation between egg samples from the two production systems; however, some egg samples were grouped according to storage conditions. The cross-validation statistics for predicting storage time were as follows: for cage and RT eggs, the coefficient of determination in cross validation (R2CV) was 0.67, with a standard error in cross-validation (SECV) of 7.64 days and residual predictive deviation (RPD) of 1.8; for CT cage eggs, R2CV of 0.84, SECV of 5.38 days and RPD of 3.2; for CT free-range eggs, R2CV of 0.83, SECV of 5.52 days and RPD of 3.2; and for RT free-range eggs, R2CV of 0.82, SECV of 5.61 days, and RPD of 3.0. This study demonstrated that NIR spectroscopy can predict storage time non-destructively in intact egg samples. Even though the results of the present study are promising, further research is still needed to further extend these results to other production systems, as well as to explore the potential of this technique to predict other egg quality parameters associated with freshness.
Personal Variables in Attitude toward Green Purchase Intention of Organic Products
Authors: Palomino Rivera Hector Juan , Barcellos-Paula Luciano
Published: January 2024

The present research aims to determine whether environmental awareness, green self-identity, and subjective norms influence the attitudes of consumers who identify with environmental issues and have green purchasing intentions for organic products. The research was quantitative, correlational in scope, and cross-sectional in design. It was applied to 710 Peruvian millennials. A questionnaire consisting of 20 questions was applied, which was quantified through a five-point Likert scale. The results were processed through an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Statistical analyses were developed using SPSS 24 and AMOS 24. The study identified that the personal variables influencing the environmental attitudes of millennials who intend to buy green organic products are green self-identity and subjective norms. While environmental awareness does not influence environmental attitudes, it does influence the green self-identity of Peruvian millennials. This study is one of the first to identify the personal variables influencing the environmental attitudes of Peruvian millennials who intend to buy green organic products.
Effect of Immersion Time of Chicken Breast in Potato Starch Coating Containing Lysine on PhIP Levels
Authors: Farshi Parastou , Amamcharla Jayendra , Getty Kelly , Smith J. Scott
Published: January 2024

This study investigated the effect of immersion time of chicken breasts in potato starch (PS) coating containing amino acids (AAs) on the formation of 2-amino-1-methyl-6-phenylimidazo [4,5-b] pyridine (PhIP) and to evaluate a possible mechanism to inhibit the formation of PhIP in chicken breasts during frying. The chicken breasts with standardized dimensions were dipped in the potato starch (PS) coating solution containing 0.25% w/v lysine (Lys) for different times (15 min, 30 min, 1 h, 3 h, and 6 h). After drying the coating on the chickens, samples were fried at 195 °C for 7.5 min on each side. Results showed that the immersion time does not significantly decrease (p < 0.05) the PhIP level, suggesting that 15 min immersion time is enough for PhIP reduction compared to the control chicken samples (without coating). Phenylacetaldehyde (PheAce) was increased in chicken breast coated with PS-0.25% Lys after frying, suggesting that there should be another pathway to prevent the formation of PhIP by the addition of PS-0.25% Lys. Volatile compound analysis also confirmed this and showed increases in many aroma compounds in the coated chicken. Moreover, no significant differences (p < 0.05) were shown between the cooking loss percentage, color parameters, texture profile, and tenderness of chicken with the PS-0.25% coating and chicken without coating.
Wheat Bran Polyphenols Ameliorate DSS-Induced Ulcerative Colitis in Mice by Suppressing MAPK/NF-κB Inflammasome Pathways and Regulating Intestinal Microbiota
Authors: Wen Xusheng , Peng Han , Zhang Hua , He Yangzheng , Guo Fanghua , Bi Xin , Liu Jiahua , Sun Yong
Published: January 2024

Wheat bran (WB) is the primary by-product of wheat processing and contains a high concentration of bioactive substances such as polyphenols. This study analyzed the qualitative and quantitative components of polyphenols in wheat bran and their effects on ulcerative colitis (UC) using the dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model in mice. The potential mechanism of wheat bran polyphenols (WBP) was also examined. Our findings indicate that the main polyphenol constituents of WBP were phenolic acids, including vanillic acid, ferulic acid, caffeic acid, gallic acid, and protocatechuic acid. Furthermore, WBP exerted remarkable protective effects against experimental colitis. This was achieved by reducing the severity of colitis and improving colon morphology. Additionally, WBP suppressed colonic inflammation via upregulation of the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β) in colon tissues. Mechanistically, WBP ameliorated DSS-induced colitis in mice by inhibiting activation of the MAPK/NF-κB pathway. In addition, microbiome analysis results suggested that WBP modulated the alteration of gut microbiota caused by DSS, with an enhancement in the ratio of Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes and adjustments in the number of Helicobacter, Escherichia-Shigella, Akkermansia, Lactobacillus, Lachnospiraceae_NK4A136_group at the genus level. To conclude, the findings showed that WBP has excellent prospects in reducing colonic inflammation in UC mice.
A Study of Convergence of Sixth-Order Contraharmonic-Mean Newton’s Method (CHN) with Applications and Dynamics
Authors: Singh Manoj K. , Argyros Ioannis K. , Regmi Samundra
Published: January 2024

We develop the local convergence of the six order Contraharmonic-mean Newton’s method (CHN) to solve Banach space valued equations. Our analysis approach is two fold: The first way uses Taylor’s series and derivatives of higher orders. The second one uses only the first derivatives. We examine the theoretical results by solving a boundary value problem also using the examples relating the proposed method with other’s methods such as Newton’s, Kou’s and Jarratt’s to show that the proposed method performs better. The conjugate maps for second-degree polynomial are verified. We also calculate the fixed points (extraneous). The article is completed with the study of basins of attraction, which support and further validate the theoretical and numerical results.