bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fast and effective single‐scan dual‐energy cone‐beam CT reconstruction and decomposition denoising based on dual‐energy vectorization
Authors: Jiang Xiao , Fang Chengyijue , Hu Panpan , Cui Hehe , Zhu Lei , Yang Yidong 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPurposeFlat‐panel detector (FPD) based dual‐energy cone‐beam computed tomography (DE‐CBCT) is a promising imaging technique for dedicated clinical applications. In this paper, we proposed a fully analytical method for fast and effective single‐scan DE‐CBCT image reconstruction and decomposition.MethodsA rotatable Mo filter was inserted between an x‐ray source and imaged object to alternately produce low and high‐energy x‐ray spectra. First, filtered‐backprojection (FBP) method was applied on down‐sampled projections to reconstruct low and high‐energy images. Then, the two images were converted into a vectorized form represented with an amplitude and an argument image. Using amplitude image as a guide, a joint bilateral filter was applied to denoise the argument image. Then, high‐quality dual‐energy images were recovered from the amplitude image and the denoised argument image. Finally, the recovered dual‐energy images were further used for low‐noise material decomposition and electron density synthesis. Imaging was conducted on a Catphan®600 phantom and an anthropomorphic head phantom. The proposed method was evaluated via comparison with the traditional two‐scan method and a commonly used filtering method (HYPR‐LR).ResultsOn the Catphan®600 phantom, the proposed method successfully reduced streaking artifacts and preserved spatial resolution and noise‐power‐spectrum (NPS) pattern. In the electron density image, the proposed method increased contrast‐to‐noise ratio (CNR) by more than 2.5 times and achieved <1.2% error for electron density values. On the anthropomorphic head phantom, the proposed method greatly improved the soft‐tissue contrast and the fine detail differentiation ability. In the selected ROIs on different human tissues, the differences between the CT number obtained by the proposed method and that by the two‐scan method were less than 4 HU. In the material images, the proposed method suppressed noise by over 75.5% compared with two‐scan results, and by over 40.4% compared with HYPR‐LR results. Implementation of the whole algorithm took 44.5 s for volumetric imaging, including projection preprocessing, FBP reconstruction, joint bilateral filtering, and material decomposition.ConclusionsUsing down‐sampled projections in single‐scan DE‐CBCT, the proposed method could effectively and efficiently produce high‐quality DE‐CBCT images and low‐noise material decomposition images. This method demonstrated superior performance on spatial resolution enhancement, NPS preservation, noise reduction, and electron density accuracy, indicating better prospect in material differentiation and dose calculation.
Stopping‐power ratios for electron beams used in total skin electron therapy
Authors: Ding George X. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPurposeThe electron beams for total skin electron therapy (TSET) are often degraded by a scatter plate in addition to extended distances. For electron dosimetry, both the AAPM TG‐51 and IAEA TRS‐398 recommend the use of two formulas developed by Burns et al [Med. Phys. 23, 489–501 (1996)] to estimate the water‐to‐air stopping‐power ratios (SPRs). Both formulas are based on a fit to SPRs calculated for standard electron beams. This study aims to find: (1) if the formulas are applicable to beams used in TSET and (2) the impact of the ICRU report 90 recommendations on the SPRs for these beams.MethodsThe EGSnrc Monte Carlo code system is used to generate 6 MeV high dose rate total skin electron (HDTSe) beams used in TSET. The simulated beams are used to calculate dose distributions and SPRs as a function of depth in a water phantom. The fitted SPRs using the empirical formulas are compared with MC‐calculated SPRs.ResultsThe electron beam quality specifier, the depth in water at which the absorbed dose falls to 50% of its maximum value, R50, decreases approximately 1 mm for each additional 100‐cm extended distance ranging from 2.24 cm at SSD = 100 to 1.72 cm at SSD = 700 cm. For beams passing through a scatter plate, R50 is 1.76 cm (1.14) at SSD = 300 and 1.48 cm (0.85 cm) at SSD = 600 cm with an Acrylic plate thickness of 3 mm (9 mm), respectively. The discrepancy between fitted and MC‐calculated SPRs at dref as a function of R50 is <0.8%, and in many cases <0.4%. The difference between fitted and MC‐calculated SPRs as a function of depth and R50 is within 1% at depths <0.8R50 for beams with R50 ≥ 1.14 cm. The ICRU‐90 recommendations decrease SPRs by 0.3%–0.4% compared to the use of data recommended in ICRU‐37.ConclusionThe formulas used by the major protocols are accurate enough for clinical beams used in TSET and the error caused using the formulas is <1% to estimate SPRs as a function of depth and R50 for depths <0.8R50 for beams used in TSET with R50 ≥ 1.14 cm. The impact of the ICRU‐90 recommendations shows a decrease of SPRs by a fraction of a percent for beams used in TSET.
Sago Versus Rice and the Reorganisation of Ritual Spacetime: Competing Modes of Dependency in an Age of Decentralisation in Asmat, Indonesian Papua
Authors: Powell Davies Tom 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACTAsmat social worlds are permeated with multiple forms of dependency. In this paper, I ask how different modalities of dependency inter‐relate within the space and time of Asmat life, and how this is being reshaped by Asmat's increasing incorporation within broader structural orders during a period of national decentralisation. First, I describe how relations of dependency shape everyday life, through a discussion of the time and space of quotidian food distribution and concomitant claim‐making. Then, I outline how forms of inter‐clan interdependency innovate on the above pattern during ritual feasting, which generates remarkable social co‐presence through ritualised interdependent work. Finally, I explore how feasting interdependence, and its organisation in space and time, is being warped by ‘The Allocation of Village Funds’ (‘Alokasi Dana Desa’), a decentralised government grant. I do so via a case study of a ritual feast house construction project, in which Asmat villagers attempted to reckon with new forms of dependency typified, in indigenous discourse, by the distinction between ‘sago’ and ‘rice’ as local versus introduced staple foods associated with contrasting regimes of action. At stake here, in the collision between indigenous and newly emergent modes of dependency, is the viability of socially valuable modes of ritual life, which, in an age of decentralisation, are becoming shaped by and reliant on new types of forces outside of the community's own labour and control.
Interdependent Kin in Māori Marine Environments
Authors: McCormack Fiona 
Published: July 2021

ABSTRACTThis paper explores ascriptions of dependence and independence in Māori marine environments alongside the entrenchment of colonial constructions of hierarchical kinship organisation. The modelling of independence on liberal understandings of individualism is apparent in the development of the Treaty of Waitangi settlement of Māori commercial fisheries, wherein attributes of self‐reliance enabled through accumulation prevail. This articulates with a fisheries management regime whose logic is grounded in neoliberal market environmentalism, exacerbating tensions between iwi and hapū, two different levels of tribal organisation. The contemporary power ascribed to iwi, however, is more tempered than supposed, and the fluidity of hierarchical kin group positionings, noted in historical accounts, is still in existence today. Interdependence is historically continuous. It is expressed in the social relations embedded in cognatic kinship, marine tenures as well as kincentric ecologies and is inclusive of ancestors and fish species. The current claims of Māori to tribal seascapes are interpreted as an expression of interrelationships of stewardship, as a response to environmental demise and as a challenge to emergent social hierarchies.
ConquerFear‐group: Feasibility study with pilot results of a psychological intervention for fear of cancer recurrence delivered in groups
Authors: Tauber Nina M. , Zachariae Robert , Jensen Anders B. , Thewes Belinda , Skyt Ina , Elkjær Emma , Butow Phyllis N. , O’Toole Mia S. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractObjectiveConquerFear has been found to effectively reduce fear of cancer recurrence (FCR). Group interventions may be particularly effective for the treatment of FCR and could lower overall costs. Our objectives were therefore to adapt ConquerFear into a group format (ConquerFear‐Group, CF‐G), and to evaluate its feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy.MethodsEligible patients had completed treatment for breast cancer 3 months to 5 years previously, were ≥18 years, and scored ≥22 on the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Inventory‐Short Form (FCRI‐SF). The manual was first evaluated with seven patients (Pilot 1), adjusted in accordance with feedback from the patients, therapists, and the original ConquerFear developers. After further evaluation with eight patients (Pilot 2), and subsequent adjustments, the preliminary efficacy of the final manual was evaluated with 27 patients, randomized in blocks to CF‐G (N = 13) or active control (AC) (relaxation training) (N = 14) (Pilot 3). The primary outcome was the FCRI total score. Secondary outcomes included general distress, quality‐of‐life, and process outcomes pertaining to metacognitions, decentering, and worry. All measures were completed at baseline, post‐treatment, and at 3 and 6 months follow‐up.ResultsAdjustments of the original ConquerFear manual (Pilot 1 and 2) included changes in the order of treatment components, simplified exercises, and shortened homework. Compared with ACs, CF‐G participants reported greater reductions in FCRI total scores from baseline to post‐treatment (Hedges'sg = 0.59,p = 0.004), 3 months (g = 0.50,p = 0.026), and 6 months later (g = 0.93,p = 0.043). Differences corresponding to medium‐to‐large effect sizes (Pilot 3). Although non‐significant, group differences concerning reductions in general distress and maladaptive metacognitions corresponded to small‐to‐medium effect sizes (g = 0.40–0.61;ps = 0.40–0.61).ConclusionsCF‐G appears feasible and potentially efficacious in treating FCR in a breast cancer population. These preliminary results are promising but need to be confirmed in a larger randomized trial.
Characterization of a triazole scaffold compound as an inhibitor of Mycobacterium tuberculosis imidazoleglycerol‐phosphate dehydratase
Authors: Kumar Deepak , Jha Bhavya , Bhatia Indu , Ashraf Anam , Dwivedy Abhisek , Biswal Bichitra Kumar 
Published: July 2021

AbstractMycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of human tuberculosis (TB), employs ten enzymes including imidazoleglycerol‐phosphate dehydratase (IGPD) for de novo biosynthesis of histidine. The absence of histidine‐biosynthesis in humans combined with its essentiality for Mtb makes the enzymes of this pathway major anti‐TB drug targets. We explored the inhibitory potential of a small molecule β‐(1,2,4‐Triazole‐3‐yl)‐DL‐alanine (DLA) against Mtb IGPD. DLA exhibits an in vitro inhibitory efficacy in the lower micromolar range. Higher‐resolution crystal structures of native and substrate‐bound Mtb IGPD provided additional structural features of this important drug target. Crystal structure of IGPD‐DLA complex at a resolution of 1.75 Å, confirmed that DLA locks down the function of the enzyme by binding in the active site pocket of the IGPD mimicking the substrate‐binding mode to a high degree. In our biochemical study, DLA showed an efficient inhibition of Mtb IGPD. Furthermore, DLA also showed bactericidal activity against Mtb and Mycobacterium smegmatis and inhibited their growth in respective culture medium. Importantly, owing to the favorable ADME and physicochemical properties, it serves as an important lead molecule for further derivatizations.
Alteration of the soluble guanylate cyclase system in coronary arteries of high cholesterol diet‐fed rabbits
Authors: Tawa Masashi , Nakano Katsuya , Yamashita Yuka , He Qiang , Masuoka Takayoshi , Okamura Tomio , Ishibashi Takaharu 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThis study aimed to investigate how atherosclerosis affects the soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) system in coronary arteries. Rabbits were fed a normal diet for 12 weeks (N group) or a diet containing high cholesterol (1%) for 4 weeks (S‐HC group) and 12 weeks (L‐HC group). Cholesterol deposition in the intima of coronary arteries was observed in the S‐HC group, but the formation of an atherosclerotic plaque was not observed. In contrast, a major plaque developed in the L‐HC group. The relaxant response of isolated coronary arteries to sodium nitroprusside (SNP, nitric oxide donor) was not different between the N and S‐HC groups, whereas the response in the L‐HC group was markedly attenuated. The relaxation induced by BAY 60‐2770 (sGC activator) tended to be augmented in the S‐HC group, but it was significantly impaired in the L‐HC group compared to that in the N group. sGC β1 immunostaining was equally detected in the medial layer of the arteries among the N, S‐HC, and L‐HC groups. In addition, a strong staining was observed in the plaque region of the L‐HC group. cGMP levels in the arteries stimulated with SNP were identical in the N and S‐HC groups and slightly lower in the L‐HC group than the other groups. BAY 60‐2770‐stimulated cGMP formation tended to be increased in the S‐HC and L‐HC groups. These findings suggest that the sGC system was not normal in atherosclerotic coronary arteries. The redox state of sGC and the distribution pattern are likely to change with the progression of atherosclerosis.
Theoretical exploration of global minima, magnetism, structural stability and growth pattern of holmium‐doped silicon HoSin0/− (n = 10–18) nanoclusters
Authors: Dong Xueyan , Yang Jucai , Gilani Mazhar Amjad 
Published: July 2021

AbstractThe structural growth pattern of medium‐sized holmium‐doped silicon nanoclusters HoSin0/− (n = 10–18) was systematically probed by means of unbiased structure searches and double‐hybrid density functionals. The identified global minima of the nanoclusters have been confirmed by comparing the calculated spectral properties such as photoelectron spectroscopy, adiabatic electron affinities and vertical detachment energies with the experimental data. The structural evolution reveals Ho‐linked configuration for neutral and anionic nanoclusters (starting from n = 10 and 12, respectively). In this configuration, the linker Ho atom connects two small silicon sub‐clusters. The nanoclusters starting from n = 16 prefer the configuration in which Ho atoms reside in the center of Si‐cluster. The natural population analysis interprets the involvement of 4f electron of Ho atom in bonding. The participation in bonding has been traced by a transition of an electron from 4f to 5d orbital. This also results in larger magnetic moments (4 and 5 μB) than that of an isolated Ho atom. The HoSi16− nanocluster has good thermodynamic and moderate chemical stabilities as corroborated by average bond energy analysis, highest occupied molecular orbital‐lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gap, and chemical bonding, thus suggesting it the most appropriate building block for new functional nanomaterials.
Gas‐phase structure, bonding, and fragmentation chemistry of the An (IV)–TMPDCAM complexes studied using mass spectrometry and theoretical calculation (An = Th and U)
Authors: Xiong Zhixin , Hu Jingwen , Chen Xiuting 
Published: July 2021

RationalePyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxamides (PDCAMs) exhibit a certain extraction ability for tetravalent actinide ions, but quite limited information regarding the structures and reactivities of the corresponding An4+‐PDCAMs complexes is available. Neutral diamides can form multiply charged complexes with lanthanide and actinide cations, which are well suited for gas‐phase investigations using electrospray ionization (ESI) mass spectrometry in conjunction with theoretical calculation.MethodsBinary Th (TMPDCAM)34+/U (TMPDCAM)34+(TMPDCAM = N,N,N′,N′‐tetramethylpyridine‐2,6‐dicarboxamide) complexes were generated in the gas phase via ES) of Th (ClO4)4/U (ClO4)4and TMPDCAM mixtures in acetonitrile; collision‐induced dissociation (CID) was employed to reveal their fragmentation behaviors; the structure and bonding were investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculation.ResultsAn (TMPDCAM)34+(An = Th and U) tetracations dominated the ESI mass spectra of An (ClO4)4and TMPDCAM mixtures in acetonitrile. DFT calculations indicate that the two An (TMPDCAM)34+complexes have C3geometry, and the bonding analyses demonstrate that the thorium or uranium center interacts with both Ocarbonyland Npyridine, but the latter is weaker. CID of Th (TMPDCAM)34+generated a series of multiply charged thorium‐containing products via bond cleavages of the TMPDCAM ligand, whereas U (TMPDCAM)34+yielded only oxygen extraction product UO (TMPDCAM)2+and hydrolysis product UO (OH)+.ConclusionAn4+(An = Th and U) can form stable tetrapositive complexes in the gas phase on coordination of three neutral TMPDCAM ligands. The structure and bonding analyses indicate that the two An (TMPDCAM)34+complexes possess twisted tricapped trigonal prismatic geometry and the An4+centers are coordinated by six Ocarbonyland three Npyridineatoms while the interactions between An4+and Ocarbonylare stronger. The fragmentation chemistry of Th (TMPDCAM)34+and U (TMPDCAM)34+is quite different from each other, which reveals that the gas‐phase chemistry of quadruply charged actinide–diamide complexes is affected by the metal centers with distinct properties.
Idiopathic pulmonary vein thrombosis treated with apixaban
Authors: Ngo Dallis , Aftab Ghulam , Madhavan Arjun , Bukhari Amar 
Published: July 2021

AbstractPulmonary vein thrombosis (PVT) is a rare clinical finding that is potentially fatal and with an unknown incidence rate as known cases exist predominantly in case reports. We present the case of a 58‐year‐old female who reported sudden onset of chest pain, shortness of breath, and dyspnoea on exertion. A computed tomography (CT) pulmonary angiogram was negative for evidence of pulmonary embolism; however, it did demonstrate the evidence of thrombosis of the right lower lobe segmental pulmonary vein. She had no identifiable aetiologies for her PVT; therefore, she was diagnosed with idiopathic PVT and was treated successfully with apixaban. This case represents the 14th incidence of idiopathic PVT in the current body of medical literature and the first case of successful treatment with apixaban.
Reading Comprehension and Academic Vocabulary: Exploring Relations of Item Features and Reading Proficiency
Authors: Lawrence Joshua F. , Knoph Rebecca , McIlraith Autumn , Kulesz Paulina A. , Francis David J. 
Published: July 2021

AbstractGeneral academic words are those which are typically learned through exposure to school texts and occur across disciplines. We examined academic vocabulary assessment data from a group of English‐speaking middle school students (N = 1,747). We tested how word frequency, complexity, proximity, polysemy, and diversity related to students’ knowledge of target words across ability levels. Our results affirm the strong relation between vocabulary and reading at the individual level. Strong readers were more likely to know the meanings of words than struggling readers were, regardless of the features of the academic words tested. Words with more meanings were easier for all students, on average. The relation between word frequency and item difficulty was stronger among better readers, whereas the relation between word complexity and item difficulty was stronger among less proficient readers. Our examination of academic words’ characteristics and how these characteristics relate to word difficulty across reading performance has implications for instruction.
Spectroscopic analysis of chemically modified carbon fibres
Authors: Moraes Álvaro Gustavo de Oliveira , Haack Micheli de Souza , Rezende Mirabel Cerqueira , Amico Sandro Campos 
Published: July 2021

Chemical treatments are used to introduce active functional groups and/or to increase the surface roughness of carbon fibres (CF) aiming to improve their interaction with polar polymeric matrices in composites. Considering the new challenges in the field of composite materials, such as the processing of hybrid composites and the growing use of thermoplastic structural composites, the modification of the CF surface has been increasingly studied. In this paper, the effect of various chemical treatments (with HCl, HNO3, H2SO4, CH3COOH, NH4OH, or H2O2) on the thermal stability, chemical composition, and microstructural parameters of a polyacrylonitrile‐based carbon fibre was investigated. Raman results indicated greater degree of crystallinity at the surface for the fibres treated (at 80°C for 1 h) with HCl, HNO3, H2SO4, and H2O2. The treatment with HCl at 80°C for 1 h was effective in reducing disturbance of the carbon structure, as indicated by the higher FWHMG value compared with those of the as‐received, acetone pretreated, and the other chemically treated carbon fibres. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) showed that some treatments promoted an increase in CF polarity (H2SO4 at 80°C/1 h and NH4OH at 20°C/1 h), with the incorporation of organic polar groups (i.e., –OH). The apparent roughness of pretreated carbon fibre increased when treated with HNO3 at 80°C/1 h and H2SO4 at 80°C/1 h, as observed in the AFM analyses. AFM, FTIR, and Raman results suggest that the fibres treated with HNO3, H2SO4, and NH4OH were the most promising as reinforcement in high‐performance polymer composites.
3D Meta‐Prisms for Versatile Beam Steering by Hybridizing Plasmonic and Diffractive Effect in the Broadband Visible Regime
Authors: Wan Chengwei , Dai Chenjie , Zhang Jian , Wan Shuai , Li Zile , Zheng Guoxing , Zhang Xuefeng , Li Zhongyang 
Published: July 2021

AbstractAs two independent optical sub‐fields, diffraction optics and plasmonics both have been used for wavefront shaping and beam steering. However, the two separate concepts have always been developing as two parallel directions, which have not met for studying their structural hybridization to discover new potentials. For instance of the flat metasurfaces, even though the geometric parameters including shape, size, and periodicity have been studied, it remains mostly unexplored for the 3D spatial height variation. Here, a new type of all‐metallic 3D meta‐prism is proposed and experimentally demonstrated by hybridizing the localized surface plasmonic resonances (LSPR) and the blazed grating diffraction, which enables strong polarization‐dependent behaviors to steer broadband visible light to drastically inverse directions. The nanofabrication of 3D meta‐prism is achieved by nanostencil lithography with electron‐beam evaporation. Such meta‐prism could also enable to split different visible light (green, blue, and red) with high‐efficiency contrast (≈10). By the mirror‐symmetry arrangement, a multifunctional surface is demonstrated with polarization‐/wavelength‐multiplexing wavefront‐shaping functions (concave, convex, or flat mirror). This unique 3D meta‐prism enjoys great simplicity and versatility in broadband beam steering through the incorporation of plasmonic and diffractive effects and can be utilized in various applications including dichroic‐prism splitters, multifunctional meta‐mirrors, etc.