bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of dual‐energy CBCT material decomposition in the human torso with 2D anti‐scatter grids and grid‐based scatter sampling
Authors: Altunbas Cem 
Published: July 2023

AbstractBackgroundDual‐energy (DE) imaging techniques in cone‐beam computed tomography (CBCT) have potential clinical applications, including material quantification and improved tissue visualization. However, the performance of DE CBCT is limited by the effects of scattered radiation, which restricts its use to small object imaging.PurposeThis study investigates the feasibility of DE CBCT material decomposition by reducing scatter with a 2D anti‐scatter grid and a measurement‐based scatter correction method. Specifically, the investigation focuses on iodine quantification accuracy and virtual monoenergetic (VME) imaging in phantoms that mimic head, thorax, abdomen, and pelvis anatomies.MethodsA 2D anti‐scatter grid prototype was utilized with a residual scatter correction method in a linac‐mounted CBCT system to investigate the effects of robust scatter suppression in DE CBCT. Scans were acquired at 90 and 140 kVp using phantoms that mimic head, thorax, and abdomen/pelvis anatomies. Iodine vials with varying concentrations were placed in each phantom, and CBCT images were decomposed into iodine and water basis material images. The effect of a 2D anti‐scatter grid with and without residual scatter correction on iodine concentration quantification and contrast visualization in VME images was evaluated. To benchmark iodine concentration quantification accuracy, a similar set of experiments and DE processing were also performed with a conventional multidetector CT scanner.ResultsIn CBCT images, a 2D grid with or without scatter correction can differentiate iodine and water after DE processing in human torso‐sized phantom images. However, iodine quantification errors were up to 10 mg/mL in pelvis phantoms when only the 2D grid was used. Adding scatter correction to 2D‐grid CBCT reduced iodine quantification errors below 1.5 mg/mL in pelvis phantoms, comparable to iodine quantification errors in multidetector CT. While a noticeable contrast‐to‐noise ratio improvement was not observed in VME CBCT images, contrast visualization was substantially better in 40 keV VME images in visual comparisons with 90 and 140 kVp CBCT images across all phantom sizes investigated.ConclusionsThis study indicates that accurate DE decomposition is potentially feasible in DE CBCT of the human torso if robust scatter suppression is achieved with 2D anti‐scatter grids and residual scatter correction. This approach can potentially enable better contrast visualization and tissue and contrast agent quantification in various CBCT applications.
Establishing quality control action limits for CT number accuracy in spectral images using an American College of Radiology phantom
Authors: Duan Xinhui , Zhang Yue 
Published: July 2023

AbstractBackgroundComputed tomography (CT) number accuracy is important for quality assurance in CT imaging. However, in dual‐energy CT imaging, there are no widely used action limits for CT number accuracy in spectral images, information that is urgently needed.PurposeTo establish action limits for spectral CT images using longitudinal spectral data and an American College of Radiology (ACR) phantom.MethodsAn ACR accreditation phantom was scanned routinely as part of a quality control program in our institution. We selected and analyzed 57 continuous weekly scans. The CT numbers or the density values of conventional and spectral images, including virtual monoenergetic images (40, 50, 70, 120, and 200 keV), iodine maps, calcium suppressed, and virtual non‐contrast images, were measured in the four inserts (solid water, bone, polyethylene, and acrylic) of the phantom. Longitudinal data were analyzed for correlation using Pearson's correlation coefficient (r) and standard deviation (SD). The SD ratios between spectral images and conventional images were calculated and the action limits for spectral images were established based on the action limits from the ACR.ResultsStrong to very strong correlations (r > 0.70 or r < −0.70) were found among most spectral image types except the 200 keV images using solid water, polyethylene, and acrylic inserts (r = [−0.45, 0.64]). The SD ratio was highest for the 40 keV images, ranging from 2.8 to 6.5. The action limits of the bone insert were baseline ± 5.3 mg/mL for the iodine map and ranged from baseline ± 23.0 HU to baseline ± 391.9 HU for the other image types. The action limits for solid water ranged from baseline ± 4.1 HU to baseline ± 25.3 HU. The results for the polyethylene and the acrylic insert were close to those for solid water. Baselines can be established using the average of the initial 5∼10 measurements.ConclusionsUsing longitudinal data, we estimated the action limits for CT number accuracy in the spectral images. This paves the way for establishing a comprehensive quality control program for spectral CT imaging.
High‐ and normal‐protein diets improve body composition and glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes: a randomized trial
Authors: Clina Julianne G. , Sayer R. Drew , Pan Zhaoxing , Cohen Caroline W. , McDermott Michael T. , Catenacci Victoria A. , Wyatt Holly R. , Hill James O. 
Published: July 2023

AbstractObjectiveWeight loss of ≥10% improves glucose control and may remit type 2 diabetes (T2D). High‐protein (HP) diets are commonly used for weight loss, but whether protein sources, especially red meat, impact weight loss‐induced T2D management is unknown. This trial compared an HP diet including beef and a normal‐protein (NP) diet without red meat for weight loss, body composition changes, and glucose control in individuals with T2D.MethodsA total of 106 adults (80 female) with T2D consumed an HP (40% protein) diet with ≥4 weekly servings of lean beef or an NP (21% protein) diet excluding red meat during a 52‐week weight loss intervention. Body weight, body composition, and cardiometabolic parameters were measured before and after intervention.ResultsWeight loss was not different between the HP (−10.2 ± 1.6 kg) and NP (−12.7 ± 4.8 kg, p = 0.336) groups. Both groups reduced fat mass and increased fat‐free mass percent. Hemoglobin A1c, glucose, insulin, insulin resistance, blood pressure, and triglycerides improved, with no differences between groups.ConclusionsThe lack of observed effects of dietary protein and red meat consumption on weight loss and improved cardiometabolic health suggests that achieved weight loss, rather than diet composition, should be the principal target of dietary interventions for T2D management.
Polymeric micelles as a strategy to enhance the phototoxic efficacy of phenazine photosensitizers
Authors: Vara Jimena , Gualdesi María S. , Aiassa Virginia , Fernández Mariana A. , Ortiz Cristina S. 
Published: July 2023

AbstractAntimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is a promising therapeutic strategy for treating bacterial infections resistant to conventional antibiotics. In the search for ideal photosensitizers (PSs), we became interested in phenazine compounds, such as Neutral Red (NR) and its halogenated derivative (NRBr). Although they have shown good results in the inactivation of Staphylococcus aureus in their free form, they have some undesirable properties that could be overcome by using drug delivery systems. In this work, we propose the use of polymeric micelles for the development of nanophotosensitizers from Pluronic P123 and F108. The micellar systems developed had a size close to 30–40 nm and allowed us to obtain seven nanophotosensitizers. All of them increased the chemical stability of NRBr and did not modify the stability of NR, which was already stable in buffer solution (pH = 7.4). Furthermore, the Pluronic micelles markedly decreased the aggregation of PSs and increased their photochemical reactivity. The nanophotosensitizers prepared from Pluronic P123 micelles (5% wt/vol) gave the best results and optimized the properties of NR and NRBr. In agreement with that, the new nanophotosensitizers of P123‐5% showed better photodynamic inactivation of NR and NRBr against methicillin resistant S. aureus than the free photosensitizers and the other micellar systems. Both photosensitizers loaded into the P123‐5% eradicated this microorganism using 30 min of irradiation. Therefore, it is concluded that these polymeric micelles are an excellent alternative for the vehiculization of PSs and that their combination with NR and NRBr enhances the photodynamic efficiency for their use in aPDT.
Knowledge graph aids comprehensive explanation of drug and chemical toxicity
Authors: Hao Yun , Romano Joseph D. , Moore Jason H. 
Published: July 2023

AbstractIn computational toxicology, prediction of complex endpoints has always been challenging, as they often involve multiple distinct mechanisms. State‐of‐the‐art models are either limited by low accuracy, or lack of interpretability due to their black‐box nature. Here, we introduce AIDTox, an interpretable deep learning model which incorporates curated knowledge of chemical‐gene connections, gene‐pathway annotations, and pathway hierarchy. AIDTox accurately predicts cytotoxicity outcomes in HepG2 and HEK293 cells. It also provides comprehensive explanations of cytotoxicity covering multiple aspects of drug activity, including target interaction, metabolism, and elimination. In summary, AIDTox provides a computational framework for unveiling cellular mechanisms for complex toxicity endpoints.
English language education and acculturation research: Problematic historical parallels and the path ahead
Authors: Siebold Connie 
Published: July 2023

AbstractMultilingual education and acculturation research share a parallel history of problematic research paradigms that center the majority viewpoint and view minorities through a lens of deficit. This continual pathology of cultural difference has led to the pathologization of minority individuals, and has hampered our efforts to effectively understand and educate in a nuanced and culturally sensitive manner. In our focus on quantifying stress and deficiency, we have failed to understand emic experiences of joy and agency that can better inform our teaching and research. This article asserts a model of research and teaching that prioritizes narrative reclamation, while developing the concept of acculturative joy as a lens of study.
Prospektive Untersuchung der extrakraniellen Duplexsonographie zum Nachweis des zerebralen Perfusionsstillstands bei Patienten mit irreversiblem Hirnfunktionsausfall
Authors: Lambeck Johann , Strecker Christoph , Niesen Wolf-Dirk , Bardutzky Jürgen 
Published: July 2023

Zusammenfassung
Hintergrund
Eine breitere Verfügbarkeit der bettseitig einsetzbaren farbkodierten Duplexsonographie („colour-coded duplex sonography“ [CCD]) zum Nachweis des zerebralen Perfusionsstillstands (ZP) wäre wichtig, um den Einsatz bei der Diagnostik des irreversiblen Hirnfunktionsausfalls (IHA-Dx) zu verbessern.

Fragestellung
Ist die extrakranielle CCD der üblichen transkraniellen CCD der hirnversorgenden Gefäße (ECCD vs. TCCD) zum Nachweis des ZP bei der IHA-Dx bez. Spezifität und Sensitivität gleichwertig?

Material und Methoden
Studienzeitraum 01/19 bis 06/22. Screening von 136, Einschluss von 114 Patienten mit schweren Hirnläsionen > 24 h nach dem Auftreten weiter, lichtstarrer Pupillen, Apnoe und abgeschlossener IHA-Dx. Ausschluss von Patienten ohne Hirnstammareflexie und ohne richtlinienkonforme Einsetzbarkeit der CCD. Ergänzende ECCD (und ggf. TCCD bei Einsatz einer anderen Methode zum Irreversibilitätsnachweis).

Ergebnisse
Feststellung IHA (IHA+) in 86,8 % (99/114), kein IHA (IHA−) in 13,2 % (15/114). Die ECCD war in allen Fällen vollständig durchführbar, in 94/99 IHA+-Fällen fand sich ein zum ZP passender Befund (ECCD+), in 5 Fällen nicht (ECCD−). Alle 15 Patienten mit IHA− zeigten einen ECCD−-Befund. Somit lag die Spezifität der ECCD bei 1,0, die Sensitivität bei 0,949. Die TCCD zeigte in 56 Fällen einen ZP (TCCD+), bei allen fand sich auch ECCD+. Einen inkonklusiven Befund der TCCD bei IHA+ zeigten 38 Fälle, parallel ECCD+ bei all diesen. In 20 Fällen war der TCCD ohne Nachweis des ZP (TCCD−) und auch ECCD−. 15 dieser Patienten waren IHA−, 5 IHA+.

Diskussion
Die TCCD war in einem Drittel der Fälle nicht komplett durchführbar oder inkonklusiv, die ECCD war dagegen immer durchführbar. Die ECCD zeigte eine hohe Validität bez. des Nachweises des ZP. Daher sollte ein alleiniger Einsatz der ECCD zum Nachweis des ZP bei der IHA-Dx diskutiert werden.
Interaction between depth variation and turbulent diffusion in depth-averaged vorticity equations
Authors: Sándor Balázs , Torma Péter , Szabó K. Gábor , Kalmár-Nagy Tamás 
Published: July 2023

AbstractSteady, depth-averaged, shallow water vorticity transport equations including advection, surface and bed shear stresses, and turbulent diffusion effects are written out in vorticity-velocity and stream function formalisms. The Boussinesq approximation is used to represent turbulent stresses in the effective stress tensor. We consider two different forms of the curl of the effective stress tensor: its complete form and the commonly used form neglecting the terms expressing interaction with variable water depth. After deriving the two equations in vorticity-velocity formalism, we recast the equations into stream function formalism, revealing all the internal effects associated with variable water depth. We examine the differences between the models through analytical solutions of the stream function equations for simple but realistic flows. The solutions are validated with CFD simulations.Graphical abstract
Autoencoder-enabled model portability for reducing hyperparameter tuning efforts in side-channel analysis
Authors: Krček Marina , Perin Guilherme 
Published: July 2023

AbstractHyperparameter tuning represents one of the main challenges in deep learning-based profiling side-channel analysis. For each different side-channel dataset, the typical procedure to find a profiling model is applying hyperparameter tuning from scratch. The main reason is that side-channel measurements from various targets contain different underlying leakage distributions. Consequently, the same profiling model hyperparameters are usually not equally efficient for other targets. This paper considers autoencoders for dimensionality reduction to verify if encoded datasets from different targets enable the portability of profiling models and architectures. Successful portability reduces the hyperparameter tuning efforts as profiling model tuning is eliminated for the new dataset, and tuning autoencoders is simpler. We first search for the best autoencoder for each dataset and the best profiling model when the encoded dataset becomes the training set. Our results show no significant difference in tuning efforts using original and encoded traces, meaning that encoded data reliably represents the original data. Next, we verify how portable is the best profiling model among different datasets. Our results show that tuning autoencoders enables and improves portability while reducing the effort in hyperparameter search for profiling models. Lastly, we present a transfer learning case where dimensionality reduction might be necessary if the model is tuned for a dataset with fewer features than the new dataset. In this case, tuning of the profiling model is eliminated and training time reduced.
Using Waste PET Shreds for Soil Stabilization: Efficiency and Durability Assessment
Authors: Haider Ahmed Basil , Iravanian Anoosheh , Selman Mudhafer Hameed , Ekinci Abdullah 
Published: July 2023

AbstractEncountering weak fine-grained soil presents a significant challenge during highway construction. The conventional approach to address this challenge involves incorporating calcium-based stabilizers, particularly cement, for stabilization. However, despite its widespread use, the application of cement for soil stabilization has adverse environmental consequences. Accordingly, finding alternative methods to minimize cement usage has become a prominent area of research, from researchers worldwide. This study evaluates the effectiveness of utilizing discarded polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottle shreds as soil reinforcement alongside lower cement contents. To this end, soil samples were mixed with varied contents of two grades of shredded PET. The ground PET pellets, which displayed diverse shapes, demonstrated properties resembling fibres. Compacted samples were subjected to CBR to determine optimum PET content. Strength, small-strain stiffness and durability of soils in original state, mixed with cement and PET were measured by a programme of CBR, wetting–drying cycles, and ultrasonic pulse experiments. Findings suggest a 28–91% increase in strength of soil upon its mixing with cement—PET shreds. Substituting cement with cement—PET shred led to a drop in accumulated loss of mass (ALM). In twelve cycles of wetting and drying, the small-strain stiffness initially decreased, but then stabilized at approximately the same value in the subsequent cycles. The porosity to binder ratio was adopted as an index for CBR, ALM and the maximum shear modulus. The latter was finally proposed as a measure for durability.
“I am a Child!”: Public Perceptions of Black Girls and their Punitive Consequences
Authors: Nuamah Sally A. , Mulroy Quinn 
Published: July 2023

AbstractHow do race and gender stereotypes affect public support for the punishment of Black girls? Across the USA, Black girls are suspended, expelled, arrested, and detained by educational and criminal justice institutions at disproportionate rates. Despite this, there is little research in political science investigating what drives this phenomenon. This paper uses original survey experimental data to examine how stereotypical public perceptions of Black girls shape support for their punishment and punitive policy more generally. We join previous research in finding race- and gender-based stereotypes intersect to produce a distinctive set of public perceptions rooted in the “adultification” of Black girls. In general, Black girls are seen as acting older than their age, more dangerous to others, and more experienced with sex than their peers. But, in an important extension, we also link these adultification stereotypes to support for harsher punishments for Black girls than for their peers and to support for punitive school policies more generally. Together, these findings point to the importance of understanding the intersectional nature of racialized and gendered public attitudes and help to draw the empirical link between the adultification of Black girls and support for their disproportionate punishment among the American public.
Contrasting seed moisture sorption behaviour between two species and the implication for seed longevity
Authors: Rezaei Shabnam , Buitink Julia , Hay Fiona R. 
Published: July 2023

AbstractUnderstanding seed moisture desorption and adsorption isotherms is important for seed quality maintenance and better predicting seed storage lifespan. Freshly harvested oilseed rape and barley seeds were dried and then rehydrated twice. Seed equilibrium relative humidity (eRH) and moisture content (MC) were determined at different humidity levels so that two cycles of desorption and adsorption could be constructed. In addition, seeds were dried to 30% RH and then rehydrated to 50% RH for five cycles to determine whether they shift to the adsorption isotherm. Monolayer MC was determined using the Gugenheim-Anderson-de Boer model. Storage experiments were conducted for seeds equilibrated at 30, 40, 50, 60 and 70% RH for two cycles of desorption and adsorption at 45°C. Isotherm curves’ shapes were similar for oilseed rape and barley, although spanning a greater MC range in barley. The hysteresis effect was observed for oilseed rape and barley seeds when dried over silica gel at <10% RH. However, this effect was only observed for barley seeds when dried to 30% RH, but not for oilseed rape seeds. Longevity was greater for adsorbing seeds than desorbing seeds at a given eRH, however, there was no significant difference in σ (the standard deviation of the normal distribution of seed deaths over time)–MC log–log relationship. The relationship shifted for seeds on the second cycle. In conclusion, if seed lots are stored at a specific RH, reaching equilibrium by desorption or adsorption can strongly influence their longevity. Also, when seeds of different species are dried to low RH, they will respond differently to a subsequent increase in RH, which could profoundly affect their longevity.
High-performance hybrid nanogenerator for self-powered wireless multi-sensing microsystems
Authors: Wen Dan-Liang , Huang Peng , Deng Hai-Tao , Zhang Xin-Ran , Wang Yi-Lin , Zhang Xiao-Sheng 
Published: July 2023

AbstractWireless sensor network nodes are widely used in wearable devices, consumer electronics, and industrial electronics and are a crucial component of the Internet of Things (IoT). Recently, advanced power technology with sustainable energy supply and pollution-free characteristics has become a popular research focus. Herein, to realize an unattended and reliable power supply unit suitable for distributed IoT systems, we develop a high-performance triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid nanogenerator (TEHNG) to harvest mechanical energy. The TEHNG achieves a high load power of 21.8 mW by implementing improvements of material optimization, configuration optimization and pyramid microstructure design. To realize a self-powered integrated microsystem, a power management module, energy storage module, sensing signal processing module, and microcontroller unit are integrated into the TEHNG. Furthermore, an all-in-one wireless multisensing microsystem comprising the TEHNG, the abovementioned integrated functional circuit and three sensors (temperature, pressure, and ultraviolet) is built. The milliwatt microsystem operates continuously with the TEHNG as the only power supply, achieving self-powered operations of sensing environmental variables and transmitting wireless data to a terminal in real time. This shows tremendous application potential in the IoT field.