bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Advanced prediction of multi‐leaf collimator leaf position using artificial neural network
Authors: Lv Jun , Chen Liuli , Zhu Zhiqiang , Long Pengcheng , Hu Liqin , Zhou Han , Shen Zetian ,   FDS Consortium
Published: February 2025

AbstractBackgroundMulti‐leaf collimators (MLCs) are crucial for modern radiotherapy as they ensure precise target irradiation through accurate leaf positioning. Accurate prediction of MLC leaf positions is vital for the effectiveness and safety of treatments.PurposeThis study aims to establish three neural network models for predicting the delivered positions of MLCs in radiotherapy.MethodsFifty plans with sliding window dynamic intensity‐modulated radiation therapy delivery were selected from an Elekta linear accelerator, which features a 160‐leaf MLC system. The dose fraction, gantry angle, collimator angle, X1 and X2 jaw positions, Y1 and Y2 carriage positions, planned leaf positions, adjacent leaf positions, leaf gap, leaf velocity, and leaf acceleration were extracted from the planning data in the machine's log files and used as model inputs, with the delivered leaf positional serving as the target response. This establishes the input–output relationship for the neural network, and the predicted MLC positions are obtained through training. Particle Swarm Optimization Back Propagation Neural Network (PSOBPNN), Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN), and Radial Basis Function Neural Network (RBFNN) architectures were developed to predict MLC leaf positional deviations during treatment. The training was conducted on 70% of the sample data, with the remaining 30% used for validation and testing. Model performance was assessed using metrics such as mean absolute error (MAE), mean squared error (MSE), regression plots, and error histograms.ResultsThe proposed neural network models demonstrated high accuracy in predicting MLC leaf positions. The PSOBPNN model demonstrated superior performance with an MAE of 0.0043 mm and an MSE of 0.00003 mm2. In comparison, the BPNN model achieved an MAE of 0.0241 mm and an MSE of 0.001 mm2, while the RBFNN model exhibited an MAE of 0.0331 mm and an MSE of 0.0019 mm2. The correlation coefficient (R = 0.9999) of models indicates a close match between predicted and delivered leaf positions for all MLC leaves.ConclusionThree models were evaluated for predicting the delivered MLC positions using data from an Elekta accelerator. The PSOBPNN model exhibited superior performance by achieving markedly lower MAE and MSE values while also demonstrating robust generalizability in predicting positions across various leaf indices, outperforming the conventional BPNN and RBFNN models.
Biological dose‐based fractional dose optimization of Bragg peak FLASH‐RT for lung cancer treatment
Authors: Zeng Yiling , Zhang Qi , Wang Wei , Liu Xu , Qin Bin , Pang Bo , Liu Muyu , Chen Shuoyan , Quan Hong , Chang Yu , Yang Zhiyong 
Published: February 2025

AbstractBackgroundThe FLASH effect is dose‐dependent, and fractional dose optimization may enhance it, improving normal tissue sparing.PurposeThis study investigates the performance of fractional dose optimization in enhancing normal tissue sparing for Bragg peak FLASH radiotherapy (FLASH‐RT).Methods15 lung cancer patients, including eight with peripherally located tumors and seven with centrally located tumors, were retrospectively analyzed. A uniform fractionation prescription of 50 Gy in five fractions was utilized, corresponding to a biological equivalent dose (BED) of 100 Gy, calculated using an α/β value of 10 Gy. For each patient, uniform (UFD) and nonuniform fractional dose (non‐UFD) plans were designed. In UFD FLASH plans, five multi‐energy Bragg peak beams were optimized using single‐field optimization, each delivering 10 Gy to the target. In non‐UFD FLASH plans, fractional doses were optimized to enhance sparing effects while ensuring the target received a BED comparable to UFD plans. A dose‐dependent FLASH enhancement ratio (FER) was integrated with the BED to form the FER‐BED metric to compare the UFD and non‐UFD plans. An α/β value of 3 Gy was applied for normal tissues in the calculations.ResultsBragg peak FLASH plans showed high dose conformality for both peripheral and central tumors, with all plans achieving a conformality index (the ratio of the volume receiving the prescribed dose to the CTV volume) below 1.2. In non‐UFD plans, fractional doses ranged from 5.0 Gy to 20.0 Gy. Compared to UFD plans, non‐UFD plans achieved similar BED coverage (BED98%: 96.6 Gy vs. 97.1 Gy, p = 0.256), while offering improved organ‐at‐risk sparing. Specifically, the FER‐BED15cc for the heart reduced by 10.5% (9.4 Gy vs. 10.5 Gy, p = 0.017) and the V6.7GyFER‐BED for the ipsilateral lung decreased by 4.3% (29 .1% vs. 30.4%, p = 0.008). No significant difference was observed in FER‐BED0.25cc of spinal cord (UFD: 7.1 Gy, non‐UFD: 6.9 Gy, p = 0.626) and FER‐BED5cc in esophagus (UFD: 0.4 Gy, non‐UFD: 0.4 Gy, p = 0.831).ConclusionsBragg peak FLASH‐RT achieved high dose conformality for both peripheral and central tumors. Fractional dose optimization, using a single beam per fraction delivery mode, enhanced normal tissue sparing by leveraging both fractionation and FLASH effects.
Influence of Aperture on Shear Behavior of Non‐Persistent Joint: Insights from Grain‐Based Modeling
Authors: Wang Zixin , Peng Jun , Xu Chuanhua , Wang Linfei , Dai Bibo 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTIn the field of geomechanics and geotechnical engineering, joint is crucial as a common structure or flaw in rock material. The shear deformation, strength, and failure behavior of rock are significantly influenced by the structural properties of joints, which include arrangement, persistency, dip angle, and length. The shear strength and deformation behavior, as well as the related micro‐cracking process of a collection of 2D jointed rock masses with varying joint persistency and joint apertures under various normal stresses, are numerically investigated in this study using an improved grain‐based model (GBM) considering feldspar shape. The results show that joint persistency and normal stress have a larger influence on the shear strength and micro‐cracking behavior of rock when compared with joint aperture. In particular, the crack initiation stress (CIS) is not greatly affected by joint aperture, while the direct shear strength (DSS) and the shear modulus (G) slightly decrease with the increase of joint aperture. The developed micro‐cracks initiate primarily at both ends and the center of the rock bridge at the initial loading stage. The results from quantitative analysis of vertical stress of the numerical model reveal that higher joint persistency and lower normal stress result in a more uniform stress distribution. The influence of joint aperture, joint persistency, and normal stress on shear mechanical behavior and the micro‐cracking mechanism of rock is theoretically explained through macroscopic and microscopic force analysis.
Data‐Based Estimation of Critical Time Steps for Explicit Time Integration
Authors: Willmann Tobias , Schilling Maximilian , Bischoff Manfred 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTFinding the critical time step for conditionally stable time integration methods has been a decades‐long problem. The apparently obvious option of directly computing it from a generalized eigenvalue analysis, identifying the largest eigenfrequency of the discrete system, is usually impractical because of its numerical expense and because a stiffness matrix is often unavailable in the context of explicit analysis. There exist two popular approaches to efficiently estimate the critical time step: A characteristic element length can be estimated based on heuristic formulas. The resulting estimate, however, cannot be guaranteed to be conservative. Another approach is to reformulate and simplify the underlying eigenvalue problem on the element level and to use certain inequalities to derive an upper bound for the largest eigenvalue. This is conservative but may show poor performance by significantly under‐predicting the actual critical time step. Moreover, the necessary simplifications are usually specific to the investigated element formulation. Many works that develop time step estimators demonstrate their performance only for particular element configurations, making it difficult to compare the estimators. In this paper, data‐driven approaches for time step estimation for 2d‐elements that address several of the aforementioned problems are proposed. First, the set of all possible quadrilateral element geometries and its discrete representation are described. A detailed comparison of nine existing time step estimators based on more than ten million element configurations is presented. Additionally, the concept of an optimal safety factor function is introduced. This concept allows us to generate the optimal and conservative version of an existing estimator and thus solves two problems at the same time: It can be used to make non‐conservative estimators conservative and to improve the performance of estimators that are conservative by construction. Finally, we formulate time step estimation as a function approximation problem. It allows us to derive customizable time step estimators solely based on data. Through two examples, we demonstrate that this data‐driven approach yields time step estimators that outperform state‐of‐the‐art estimators in terms of accuracy while also being efficient to evaluate.
Associations between obesity class and ambulatory blood pressure curves in African American women
Authors: Murden Raphiel J. , Fields Nicole D. , Martin Zachary T. , Risk Benjamin B. , Alonso Alvaro , Manatunga Amita , Erving Christy L. , Moore Reneé , Udaipuria Shivika , Quyyumi Arshed , Vaccarino Viola , Lewis Tené T. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractObjectiveStudies of body size and blood pressure (BP) in African American women typically focus on obesity overall or collapse obesity classes II and III into a single subgroup, ignoring potential heterogeneity in associations across categories. Moreover, ambulatory BP outcomes are primarily analyzed as mean daytime and/or nighttime BP, without examination of circadian changes during the day‐to‐night transition or the full 24‐h cycle.MethodsFunctional data analysis methods were used to examine whether obesity categories modified ambulatory monitoring‐assessed BP circadian rhythm in a cohort of 407 African American women.ResultsAge‐adjusted systolic BP (SBP) was 4 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.4–8.4) higher among women with class I or II obesity than those with normal weight or overweight from 12:30 p.m. through 8:00 a.m. Age‐adjusted differences in SBP among women with class III obesity versus those with normal weight or overweight were 6 mm Hg (95% CI: 0.7–10.8) during daytime hours and increased to 11 mm Hg (95% CI: 5.8–16.0) overnight. Compared with all other BMI categories, SBP of women with class III obesity declined more slowly from day to night.ConclusionsCircadian BP among African American women was distinct among those with class III obesity compared with those with other body weight categories, suggesting that intervention efforts in African American women should target this group.
Commingled synthetic and natural fibers preforms reinforced composites: a simultaneous comparison of mechanical properties
Authors: Karahan Mehmet , Abbas Adeel , Hussain Muzzamal 
Published: February 2025

AbstractCommingling offering efficient engineering of dry prepregs has become an important technique for thermoplastic composites fabrication. Polypropylene is among the most consumed materials while preparing commingled thermoplastic preforms. However, the overall behaviors of composites may differ depending on the nature of reinforcing fibers. The study focuses on the development of commingled thermoplastic composites using polypropylene with different natural and synthetic fibers. Carbon, glass, linen, and hemp fibers were employed to analyze the behaviors simultaneously. Polypropylene yarn was plied with reinforcing fibers and then sheets were prepared using weaving technology. Tensile and impact characterization revealed crucial influence of reinforcing fibers on mechanical properties. Carbon fiber reinforced composite exhibited highest tensile characteristics with a modulus of 23.470 GPa; however, glass offering better through thickness properties entailed viable impact behaviors. Replacing reinforcing materials with hemp, and linen shifted properties toward ductile natures. Pretreated linen reinforced composite showed about 36% decrease in tensile strength, proving the negative contribution of natural fibers' pretreatments toward mechanical characteristics. In a nutshell, the developed composites can have successful applications in automotive, sports, and aerospace depending on the nature of mechanical properties obtained for each material.Highlights
Commingled yarns were used for preparing composites.
PP yarns were used as matrix in preparing synthetic and natural fiber composites.
Carbon fiber composites showed the highest mechanical properties.
Glass fiber composites showed the highest impact behaviors.
Pretreatment of natural fibers declines the mechanical properties.
Failure analysis of blind riveted CFRP/steel hybrid joints with different rivet diameters and simplified modeling considering failure behavior
Authors: Wang Chao , Yu Wanyuan , Cheng Aiguo , He Zhicheng 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThis study aims to investigate the effect of rivet diameters on the mechanical performance, failure behavior, and fracture characteristics of blind riveted (BR) CFRP‐CFRP (CC) and steel‐CFRP (SC) joints under shear and cross‐tension loadings. Specifically, an improved simplified model of BR (BR‐ISM) is developed to represent the mechanical performance under quasi‐static loading conditions while considering its failure behavior. The effects of different ply angles and riveting directions on the mechanical performance of the BR joints are further discussed. The results indicate that the larger rivet diameter can effectively improve the shear properties, while exhibiting a smaller effect on the cross‐tension properties. The peak force and energy absorption for the shear joint with a 6.4 mm rivet diameter are approximately 43% and 90.5% higher than those of the joint with a 4.8 mm rivet diameter. The rivet pulled‐out failure under shear loading mainly leads to fiber fracture, and rivet pulled‐out failure under cross‐tension loading mainly causes delamination failure. Compared to the ply angle, the riveting direction of CFRP to steel can significantly improve the mechanical properties of BR joints. CS joints demonstrate increases of at least 50% in peak force and 45% in energy absorption compared to SC joints. The numerical model of the BR‐ISM can accurately simulate fiber failure of BR joints, with absolute average prediction errors of 4.6% for peak force and 8.9% for energy absorption.Highlights
The effect of rivet diameter on the failure behavior of CFRP/steel BR joints is studied.
The damage constitutive model MAT 58 of CFRP laminate is established.
An improved simplified model is developed to characterize the mechanical properties of BR joints.
The effects of ply angles and riveting directions on the mechanical properties of the BR joints are discussed.
Low Grade Pulmonary Spindle Cell Neoplasm in a 30‐Year‐Old Asymptomatic Female: A Diagnostic Dilemma: A Case Report
Authors: Juarez Jerica Eliesa , Rafanan Albert Lim , Yap Matthew Go 
Published: February 2025

ABSTRACTPulmonary spindle cell carcinoma is a highly malignant rare variant of sarcomatoid lung carcinomas. This is a case of an asymptomatic 30‐year‐old Filipino female with an incidental finding of pulmonary nodules on chest x‐ray. Patient was diagnosed with Wilms tumor at the age of 2, S/P nephrectomy with no documented recurrence thereafter. Computed tomography (CT) chest scan showed non‐calcified fat density nodules in her right upper, middle and lower lobe. A positron emission tomography (PET) CT scan identified lobulated pulmonary mass with low‐grade metabolic activity. Video Assisted Thoracic Surgery with wedge resection of the right lung was done. Final biopsy noted fibroepithelial lesions in the parenchyma which composed of bland spindle cells. ER, SMA, desmin, and caldesmon were diffusely positive consistent with a low‐grade spindle cell neoplasm. Genetic testing showed CTNNB1 S45F subclonal mutations. No chemotherapy nor radiotherapy were done. Repeat PET CT of the whole body showed a decrease in size of the mass.
Design and Synthesis of Kaolin/Alumina Incorporated Biopolymeric Hybrid Composites for Efficient Malachite Green Adsorption
Authors: Sathiyajothi Vellaiyapillai , Viswanathan Natrayasamy , Periyasamy Soodamani , Naushad Mu. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe toxic dyes contaminated in water resources can cause dangerous diseases and severely affect the living organisms. In this research work, kaolin (KL) clay and alumina (AO) ceramic was incorporated with alginate (Alg) and chitosan (CS) biopolymers namely KLAOAlg and KLAOCS composites were developed and utilized for adsorption of most toxic malachite green (MG) dye. The morphology and physico‐chemical nature of the developed KLAOAlg and KLAOCS composites were investigated via SEM, FTIR, elemental mapping, XRD and EDAX analysis. The batch mode experiments were performed to investigate the different factors that affecting the MG adsorption including reaction time, pH, co‐ions, adsorbent dosage, initial concentration of MG and temperature. Both KLAOAlg and KLAOCS composites reached their utmost adsorption capacity of 42.00 and 45.00 mg/g at a shaking time of 40 min with a composite dosage of 0.1 g and 100 mg/L MG solution. The equilibrium data collected for the adsorption of MG was most fit with the Langmuir isotherm, whereas the kinetic data aligned with the pseudo‐second‐order model. The results derived from thermodynamic considerations indicate that the adsorption process was endothermic, feasible, and spontaneous. The mechanism for superior adsorption of MG onto the KLAOAlg and KLAOCS composites is primarily driven by hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interaction. The regeneration test explored that the KLAOAlg and KLAOCS composites can be reused upto five cycles and utilized as promising adsorbents for MG removal.
Molecular Simulations Assisted Analysis on Improved Free Radical Removal Ability of Fullerene(C60)–Curcumin Aggregates
Authors: Fengyuan Bian , Houze Zhang , Wei Zhou , Dongsheng Bai 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe self‐aggregation of curcumin (Cur) on the surface of fullerene (C60) was induced by the ultrasonic solvent exchange method. Associating the characterization results of infrared spectrum, X‐ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy, the molecular structure and morphology of two components in the aggregates (C60/Cur) were determined unchanged essentially. By analyzing the dependence of related cosmetic effects on the aggregating ratio of C60 and Cur, the monolayer saturation was found advantageous to improve the amphiphilicity and oxidation resistance. Especially, C60/Cur showed a better performance to eliminate free radicals compared to the counterpart of simply mixing C60 and Cur. Based on molecular simulations of the Forte module, the self‐aggregation is proposed occurring through π–π stacking interactions between the benzene ring from curcumin and the spherical π bond of C60, and a molecular configuration was offered for displaying the optimal spatial arrangement of C60/Cur. Furthermore, the Mulliken charges on the phenolic hydroxyl groups of the curcumin molecules with original and aggregated state were calculated, respectively, using Gaussian software, and the charge values were found to transfer from negative to positive due to the aggregating. The dispersion of the electron cloud on the benzene ring was recognized responsible to enhance the electron absorption capacity of the phenolic hydroxyl group, thereby improving free radical removal ability of C60/Cur.
Recyclable Porous Manganese Substituted Zinc Ferrite Nanoparticles for Efficient Photocatalytic Degradation of Organic Dyes
Authors: Kadam K. V. , Malavekar D. B. , Jadhav S. B. , Magdum V. V. , Chitare Y. M. , Gunjakar J. L. , Kim Jin Hyeok , Khot V. M. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe degradation of dyes in wastewater via photocatalysis offers a sustainable and effective treatment method, requiring materials with high porosity and suitable band gaps. This study explores manganese (Mn) substitution in zinc ferrite [MnxZn1‐xFe2O4] (x = 0–1) to tune porosity and band gap. X‐ray diffraction confirmed the crystal structure and Mn incorporation, while TEM showed an average particle size of 54.32 nm. UV–vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy revealed a red shift in the absorption edge with increasing Mn content, enhancing visible‐light responsiveness. Mn substitution increased porosity and reduced the band gap due to lattice strain and new electronic states, improving optical properties. The Mn0.8Zn0.2Fe2O4 (MZ4) catalyst demonstrated outstanding performance, achieving 90%, 90%, and 88% degradation of RhB, MB, and ChT dyes, respectively, under visible‐light irradiation within 240 min. These findings highlight the potential of Mn‐substituted zinc ferrite nanoparticles for efficient photocatalytic dye degradation.
The First Case of an Aryl Imination Reaction by Direct Nucleophilic Substitution of Hydrogen: Synthesis of 2‐arylimino Derivatives for 1,2‐dihydro‐1‐methyl‐5(6,7,8)‐nitroquinolines
Authors: Pobedinskaya Diana Y. , Demidov Oleg P. , Ermolenko Artem P. , Avakyan Elena K. , Borovleva Anastasia A. , Larin Alexander N. , Borovlev Ivan V. 
Published: February 2025

AbstractThe oxidative SNH aryl imination of 1‐methyl nitro quinolinium salts is described. The first 2‐arylimino derivatives of 1,2‐dihydro‐1‐methyl‐5(6,7,8)‐nitroquinolines have been synthesized in a one‐step reaction (ONSH process) under mild conditions and without preliminary introduction of a leaving group. The resulting products are stable and cannot be obtained via direct interaction of anilines with the corresponding quinolones. The approach found is interesting due to its simplicity of implementation, since the reaction involves the nucleophilic addition of anilines induced by the base, followed by the oxidation of the σH adducts occurring in one pot. This article discusses the synthesis conditions and optimization procedures. We also noted the influence of the position of the nitro group on the reaction yield. A possible reaction mechanism is proposed, supported by the detection of an intermediate product using an NMR experiment. The method's simplicity and retaining the nitro group in the final product offer considerable potential for further structural diversification.