bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Non‐contact thickness measurement with multilayer radiation structure
Authors: Haroune Feddal , Mohamed Tellache , Mohamed El Afendi , Junwu Tao 
Published: September 2023

AbstractMicrowaves have proven their efficiency in the thickness measurement field. However, in certain environments, the full accessibility to the measured samples is one big challenge; an illustration of these challenging environments is the ceramic thickness monitoring in aerospace industry. Since ceramic materials are known for their ability to support high pressure and high temperature, the control of their geometries and structures is of an utmost stature. In literature, several methods have been proposed to allow a non‐contact thickness measurement. One of the well‐known methods is based on waveguide open‐end radiation. Given the need of new accurate structures, a new model that takes into account the air gap between the sensor and the material under test is proposed. Accordingly, the study of multilayered dielectric composite is unavoidable. In this paper, a new multilayer thickness measurement structure using a coaxial waveguide probe is proposed. Moreover, an artificial neural networks algorithm which estimates and corrects the reflection coefficient shift caused by the air gap effect is implemented. Experimental results show that the estimation error of the system is less than 3% for Plexiglas and less than 2% for FR4. More results, with calibration techniques, validate the proposed measurement system.
Design of dual wideband bandpass filter using stub loaded multi‐mode resonators
Authors: Turkeli Alper , Gorur Ali Kursad , Sahin Elif Gunturkun , Gorur Adnan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractIn this paper, a novel dual wideband microstrip bandpass filter is proposed. The designed filter is constructed by two different stub loaded resonators located at the upper and bottom sides of the coupling line. The coupling transmission line is also connected to input and output (IO) ports. The upper resonator creates a wide passband, whereas the bottom resonator is used to create two transmission zeros in the passband. Thus, a wide passband can be divided into dual wide passbands. The bottom resonator is also utilized to improve the insertion and return losses in the passband. The designed filter is fabricated and tested in a very good agreement with the simulated results. The measured fractional bandwidths (FBWs) of the passbands are 44.6% and 24.2% at the center frequencies of 3.4 GHz and 5.51 GHz, respectively. The measured insertion losses in the passbands are 0.51 dB and 1.13 dB.
A high efficiency on‐chip reconfigurable Doherty power amplifier for LTE communication cells
Authors: Kumar Rajesh , Kanuajia Binod Kumar , Dwari Santanu , Kumar Sandeep , song Hanjung 
Published: September 2023

AbstractIn this paper, a high efficiency on‐chip reconfigurable Doherty power amplifier (DPA) with proposed topology is proposed for LTE or 4G communication cells. The proposed DPA consists of input driver topology, hybrid coupler, asymmetric amplifiers, and 1:1 balun filtered network. The proposed input driver circuit provides wide amplified signal operation within range of 2.3GHz to 6GHz with flat gain of 33 dB. The amplified signal is unsteadily divided into two paths toward the carrier and the power amplifier by 900 hybrid couplers and demonstrates 27.6 dB and 28.3 dB of gain along with 83.2% and 84.5% of power added efficiency at average output power of 40 dBm. The high efficiency and almost flatness in gain stability of proposed DPA providing better solution in order to overcome the interference and the broadband issues for LTE communication cells. The balun‐filtered network is employed for combined the two outputs of carrier and peak amplifiers that provides more uniform desired band of operation in the frequency responses. The proposed DPA circuit are implemented and optimized by using advanced design RF simulator platform. The fabricated chip is made by using 0.13 μm GaN HEMT on Si‐Nitride monolithic microwave integrated circuit die process. The fabricated chip of DPA provides 85% of PAE with 28 dB gain which are made close agreement with simulation results. The size of chip is 2.8*1.2mm2 which occupies less die area as compared to existing DPAs.
MFA‐ICPS: Semi‐supervised medical image segmentation with improved cross pseudo supervision and multi‐dimensional feature attention
Authors: Xia En , He Jianjun , Liao Zhangquan 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundIn the medical field, medical image segmentation plays a pivotal role in facilitating disease evaluation and supporting treatment decision‐making for doctors. Recently, deep learning methods have been employed in the field of medical image segmentation. However, the manual annotation of a large number of reliable labels is a costly and time‐consuming process.PurposeTo address this challenge, a semi‐supervised learning framework is required to alleviate the burden of reliable labeling and enhance segmentation accuracy in challenging areas of medical images.MethodsTherefore, this paper presents MFA‐ICPS framework, a semi‐supervised learning framework based on the improved cross pseudo supervision (ICPS) and multi‐dimensional feature attention (MFA) modules. Medical images inevitably contain some noise that may affect the segmentation accuracy, so the proposed framework addresses this challenge by introducing noise disturbance, combining ICPS and MFA modules, and using pseudo‐segmentation maps and MFA maps to maintain the consistency at both the output and feature levels.ResultsIn the experiments, MFA‐ICPS framework accurately obtains the following performances on the left atrial dataset: Dice, Jaccard, 95HD, and ASD values are , , 6.00 and 1.94 mm, respectively. And on the pancreas‐CT dataset, the following performances are accurately obtained: Dice, Jaccard, 95HD, and ASD values are , , 7.67 and 1.65 mm, respectively.ConclusionsThe segmentation performance of MFA‐ICPS framework on different medical datasets demonstrates its remarkable capability to significantly enhance medical image segmentation.
Bounds for joint probabilities of multistate systems using preservation of log‐concavity
Authors: Sabnis Sanjeev , Majumder Priyanka , Ghosh Shyamal 
Published: September 2023

AbstractLog‐concavity of multivariate distributions is an important concept in general and has a very special place in the field of Reliability Theory. An attempt has been made in this paper to study preservation results for (i) the discrete version of multivariate log‐concavity for multistate series and multistate parallel systems consisting of independent components, states of both components and systems being represented by elements in a subset of and (ii) the continuous version of multivariate log‐concavity under multistate series and multistate parallel systems made up of independent components and states of both, systems and components, taking values in the set . These results for discrete and continuous versions of log‐concavity have also been extended to systems that are formed using both multistate series and multistate‐parallel systems. Further, the results in (ii) have been used to obtain important and useful bounds on joint probabilities related to times spent by multistate components, multistate series, multistate parallel systems, and the combinations thereof.
Educational strategies and nursing theory to prepare leaners for NCLEX‐RN
Authors: Almasloukh Khalid Bandar , Miner Melissa , Phillips Kathleen , Evans Michael 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAimTo identify teaching stategies, theories, and methods to enhance students' quality of life (QOL) that are used in preparing students for the NCLEX‐RN exam.DesignA scoping review was conducted.MethodsArksey and O'Malley's methodological framework and PRISMA‐ScR guidelines were utilized. Data were derived from four databases including CINAHL, ERIC, PsychINFO and Web of Science using specific keywords. Inclusion criteria were English language and articles published in the last 7 years.ResultsStudies (N = 25) revealed that multiple educational strategies are used to prepare students for the NCLEX‐RN exam; however, there was not a consensus on a best practice. Eight theories were utilized in more than one article. QOL concerns of psychological, social, spiritual, financial and occupational dimensions may relate to the NCLEX‐RN results.Public ContributionPatterns in educational strategies and theories were noted among articles, but there was no focus on enhancing students' QOL.
Cyclohexene‐Embedded Dicyanomethylene Merocyanines – Consecutive Three‐Component Coupling‐Addition Synthesis and Chromophore Characteristics
Authors: Papadopoulos Julian , Reiss Guido J. , Mayer Bernhard , Müller Thomas J. J. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractA concise and efficient consecutive three‐component alkynylation‐addition synthesis of cyclohexene‐embedded dicyanomethylene merocyanines furnishes a small library of dyes in moderate to excellent yield. The dyes possess strong absorption coefficients of the longest wavelength absorption bands. According to the crystal structure, the small bond length alternations account for a highly delocalized electronic ground state. The electronic structure of the absorption bands is qualitatively rationalized by TDDFT calculations, which explain that intense HOMO‐LUMO transitions along the merocyanine axis lead to cyanine similar Stokes shifts.
PD‐L1 and PD‐1 expression in pediatric post‐transplant Burkitt lymphoma and other monomorphic post‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorders
Authors: Geerlinks Ashley V. , Allen Upton , Ngan Bo‐Yee , Punnett Angela 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackgroundPost‐transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) develop as a consequence of immune suppression. Programmed death protein 1 (PD‐1), a regulator of host immune activation, binds to programmed death‐ligand 1 (PD‐L1) to suppress the T‐cell immune response. PD‐1/PD‐L1 pathway may play a role in PTLD. The objective was to describe intratumoral expression of PD‐L1 and PD‐1 in pediatric monomorphic PTLD, and assess if density of these cells is associated with progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS).ProcedureClinical variables and outcome data were collected on B‐cell monomorphic PTLD treated in Toronto, Canada between 2000 and 2017. Diagnostic area from tumor tissue was identified to count CD3‐positive or PD‐1‐positive cells and CD3‐negative lymphoma B cells or PD‐L1‐positive cells. CD3+, PD‐1+, and PD‐L1+ cell densities were compared between cases of PTLD. OS and PFS were analyzed.ResultsWe identified 25 cases of B‐cell monomorphic PTLD; majority Burkitt lymphoma (32%) and diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (56%). All cases had CD3+ cells infiltrating the tumor, and median percentage of CD3+ cells was 14% (interquartile range: 6.2%–25%). Twelve cases (48%) had PD‐1+ cell infiltrating (range: 1%–83%) and 13 cases (52%) had no PD‐1+ cells infiltrating. Sixteen cases (64%) had PD‐L1+ cells present; however, there was no PD‐L1 expression on any Burkitt lymphoma tissue. When comparing PD‐1 and PD‐L1 expression, there was no difference in OS or PFS.ConclusionIntratumoral presence of PD‐1+ and PD‐L1+ cells varied in pediatric patients with monomorphic PTLD; however, no relationship to OS and PFS was identified.
Altered liver function test after Covid‐19 vaccines: A retrospective control group study
Authors: Jabif Fernando Ezequiel , Vallone Marcelo Gabriel , Stanek Vanina Cecilia , Lopez Marlene Padilla , Sobenko Natalia , Villamil Alejandra Maria , Ratti Maria Florencia Grande 
Published: September 2023

AbstractBackground and PurposeLiver injury after Covid‐19 vaccine has been described, although the incidence was not well established. We aimed to compare cumulative incidence of new onset liver test alteration after Covid‐19 vaccination, and to compare with an historical control of influenza vaccination.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study which included adults who received at least one dose of Covid‐19 vaccine from January 1 to May 30, 2021 and a control group who received a single dose of influenza vaccine during 2019, in a tertiary medical center from Argentina.ResultsWe included 29 798 patients in Covid‐19 vaccine group and 24 605 in influenza vaccine group. Liver function tests were performed in 7833 (26.9%) in Covid‐19 vaccine group and 8459 (34.37%) in influenza vaccine group. Cumulative incidence at 90 days of new onset liver enzyme test alteration was 4.7 per 1000 (95% 4.0–5.5) for Covid‐19 group, and 5.1 per 1000 (95% 4.3–6.1) for the influenza vaccine group (p value = 0.489). Two patients in the Covid‐19 vaccine group developed immune mediated liver injury.ConclusionsWe found no difference in liver test alteration between groups. These findings support the safety of Covid‐19 vaccines. While we have identified two cases that are consistent with immune mediated liver injury following COVID‐19 vaccination, we believe that the available data is insufficient to attribute them solely to the vaccination.
Mechanistic modeling projections of antibody persistence after homologous booster regimens of COVID‐19 vaccine Ad26.COV2.S in humans
Authors: Dari Anna , Jacqmin Philippe , Iwaki Yuki , Neyens Martine , Le Gars Mathieu , Sadoff Jerald , Hardt Karin , Ruiz‐Guiñazú Javier , Pérez‐Ruixo Juan José 
Published: September 2023

AbstractMechanistic model‐based simulations can be deployed to project the persistence of humoral immune response following vaccination. We used this approach to project the antibody persistence through 24 months from the data pooled across five clinical trials in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus‐2 (SARS‐CoV‐2)‐seronegative participants following vaccination with Ad26.COV2.S (5 × 1010 viral particles), given either as a single‐dose or a homologous booster regimen at an interval of 2, 3, or 6 months. Antibody persistence was quantified as the percentage of participants with detectable anti‐spike binding and wild‐type virus neutralizing antibodies. The projected overall 24‐month persistence after single‐dose Ad26.COV2.S was 70.5% for binding antibodies and 55.2% for neutralizing antibodies, and increased after any homologous booster regimen to greater than or equal to 89.9% for binding and greater than or equal to 80.0% for neutralizing antibodies. The estimated model parameters quantifying the rates of antibody production attributed to short‐lived and long‐lived plasma cells decreased with increasing age, whereas the rate of antibody production mediated by long‐lived plasma cells was higher in women relative to men. Accordingly, a more pronounced waning of antibody responses was predicted in men aged greater than or equal to 60 years and was markedly attenuated following any homologous boosting regimen. The findings suggest that homologous boosting might be a viable strategy for maintaining protective effects of Ad26.COV2.S for up to 24 months following prime vaccination. The estimation of mechanistic modeling parameters identified the long‐lived plasma cell pathway as a key contributor mediating antibody persistence following single‐dose and homologous booster vaccination with Ad26.COV2.S in different subgroups of recipients stratified by age and sex.
Addressing the rights and well‐being of domestic workers in Africa: Status in Malawi
Authors: Nayupe Symon Fidelis , Touray Alieu , Tembo Dalitso , Msiska Mama Tamanda , Mputeni Juliana , Muhome Allan Hans 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDomestic work continues to contribute to employment in most developing countries significantly. Over 75.6 million people are domestic workers worldwide, three‐quarters of whom are women. In Africa, many people still rely on domestic work for employment, making up 2.2% of the total workforce on the continent. With a predominant presence in the sub‐Saharan region, Africa's domestic workforce is estimated at around 9.6 million. Mirroring the global trend, most workers are women, with an estimated 15.8% of Africa's paid female employees being domestic workers. This considerable presence of domestic work contributes to domestic and intra‐continental migration in Africa, where about 80% of the domestic workers are from within. The Southern African region is a major intra‐continent destination for most workers. In Malawi, domestic labour is also common and is one of the country's primary sources of jobs, especially for poor populations who often domestically migrate from rural to urban areas. However, country estimates for the total number of domestic workers are yet to be published. Although there have been improved work conditions for domestic workers in some countries worldwide, the situation is different in many African nations, including Malawi. Domestic workers still face underpayment, long working hours, physical and psychological ill‐treatment from employers, challenging, harsh working environments and lack of access to healthcare. We discuss the status of the well‐being of domestic workers in Malawi, a country in southeastern Africa. We note that the working conditions for domestic workers continue to be unfavourable, with physical and psychological abuse and other human rights violations. To improve the well‐being and working conditions of domestic workers, government and non‐governmental organisations should, among other things, facilitate programmes to root out poverty, strengthen the legal framework that addresses domestic worker abuse and ensure social protection, including healthcare protection.
Optimization of degree of conformance for multi‐response systems considering model imprecision: A data‐driven metaheuristic approach
Authors: Hejazi Taha‐Hossein 
Published: September 2023

AbstractQuality‐based design optimization is a process consisting of factor identification, finding an empirical/physical model between responses and factors, and finding a factor setting leading to the best quality levels. Response surface methodology is a well‐grounded data‐driven approach that applies a collection of statistical‐mathematical techniques to achieve the design requirements. Today's complex systems are usually affected by nuisance factors and have more than one output characteristic with some degree of correlation. This study aims to develop two‐stage stochastic programming for a multi‐response optimization model based on the degree of conformance as the most comprehensive metric for such design problems. The proposed approach can include the model imprecision in the optimization procedure using the probabilistic properties of the estimated parameters. This method would be applied in highly sensitive processes or costly operations that require a more accurate setting to avoid extra reworks or scraps. A simulated annealing algorithm with a boosted scenario checking modification has been applied to cope with the expensive computations for problem instances with a large sample size of uncertain parameters. The proposed model has also analyzed two cases from the literature, and the results support its superiority compared to the existing approaches.
Effect of flow regulation on streambank erosion: A perspective downstream of a flood control dam, Kansas, USA
Authors: Bigham Kari A. , Keane Tim D. , Moore Trisha L. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractWhile large dams provide society with many benefits, there are many environmental trade‐offs. One trade‐off of dam installation is the morphologic changes that ensue in the downstream channel. Channel widening due to streambank erosion is a common response to flow regulation (FR), but dominant erosion processes and rates have rarely been evaluated downstream of dams. This case study investigates how a 75‐year‐old flood control dam has affected downstream bank erosion on the Lower Smoky Hill River, located in central Kansas, USA. A one‐dimensional hydraulic, sediment transport, and bank erosion model was used to assess changes in erosion processes and rates with and without FR up to 86 river km downstream of the dam. The model showed that toe erosion was the dominant bank erosion process for both with and without FR scenarios. While toe erosion rates were significantly higher (α < 0.05) under the without FR scenario, more days of toe erosion occurred under the with FR scenario. More days of toe erosion are attributed to the change in the flow regime, with moderate flows (between 5% and 40% daily exceedance probability) increasing and hydrograph rise and fall rates decreasing since dam installation. Furthermore, it was observed that pioneer riparian vegetation may drown out during long duration, high‐flow events brought on by FR, amplifying erosion rates. These results provide broader insight into morphological responses to flood control dams, highlighting the effect changes in flow regime can have on downstream channel morphology and identifying major challenges in managing streambank erosion downstream of dams.
On difference‐based gradient estimation in nonparametric regression
Authors: Zhang Maoyu , Dai Wenlin 
Published: September 2023

AbstractWe propose a framework to directly estimate the gradient in multivariate nonparametric regression models that bypasses fitting the regression function. Specifically, we construct the estimator as a linear combination of adjacent observations with the coefficients from a vector‐valued difference sequence, so it is more flexible than existing methods. Under the equidistant designs, closed‐form solutions of the optimal sequences are derived by minimizing the estimation variance, with the estimation bias well controlled. We derive the theoretical properties of the estimators and show that they achieve the optimal convergence rate. Further, we propose a data‐driven tuning parameter‐selection criterion for practical implementation. The effectiveness of our estimators is validated via simulation studies and a real data application.
Surface Morphologies and Wettability Studies of pH‐Sensitive Nanofibrillated Membranes
Authors: Liu Hsuan‐Hung , Chin Wei‐Kuo 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe pH‐sensitive membranes have been extensively used in various fields. Through the incorporation of specific functional groups on pH‐sensitive molecules, diverse surface energies and degrees of wettability can be achieved at different pH values. In this study, we transformed pH‐sensitive copolymers into nanofibrillated membranes to increase their sensitivity to pH in terms of the contact angle formed by liquid droplets on their surface. Because N,N‐dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) contains an amino group, it is sensitive to acidic and alkaline environments. Moreover, to enhance the functionality, we selected styrene and methyl methacrylate (MMA) for random copolymerization with DMAEMA. We then used anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) templates to process the two copolymers into biomimetic fibrillated membranes. The contact angles between various‐pH aqueous droplets and different membranes were measured. Our results indicated that when the droplets were alkaline, the contact angle on the nanofibrillated membranes was large. When the pH of the droplets was decreased, the contact angle also decreased. In addition, the membranes were found to be reusable after being tested, washed, and dried. The surface free energy of nanofibrillated membranes with different molar feed ratios was also investigated in this study by using the model of Owens, Wendt, Rabel and Kaelble.
Metal‐Free Ring‐Opening of Epoxides
Authors: Kumar Vikas , Chimni Swapandeep Singh 
Published: September 2023

AbstractEpoxide ring is considered as an efficient structural toolbox to access 1,2‐difunctionalised compounds. Epoxide precursors are highly susceptible towards nucleophiles owing to its inherent ring strain. Metal free methodologies for epoxides ring opening with various nucleophiles provide an easy, economic and sustainable access to synthetically and biologically important 1,2‐difunctionalized compounds without harming the environment. This article highlights step by step development of various strategies for the ring opening of epoxides without the use of metal from last two decades. Use of water, ionic liquids, cyclodextrins and organocatalyts for the ring opening reactions of epoxide have been discussed in detail.