Improved Entropy-Based Condition Monitoring for Pressure Pipeline Through Acoustic Denoising.

During long-term operation in complex environments, the pressure pipeline systems are prone to damage and faults, and serious safety accidents may occur without real-time condition monitoring. Moreover, in traditional non-contact monitoring approaches, acoustic signals are widely employed for condition monitoring for pressure pipelines, which are easily contaminated by background noise and provide unsatisfactory accuracy. As a tool for quantifying uncertainty and complexity, signal entropy is applied to detect abnormal conditions.

Normative Values of Brainstem Auditory-Evoked Responses in Sheep.

The brainstem auditory-evoked response (BAER) is an established electrophysiological measure of neural activity from the auditory nerve up to the brain stem. The BAER is used to diagnose abnormalities in auditory pathways and in neurophysiological human and animal research. However, normative data for BAERs in sheep, which represent an adequate large animal model for translational and basic otological research, are lacking.

Peri-Traumatic Near-Infrared Light Treatment Attenuates the Severity of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss by Rescuing (Type I) Spiral Ganglion Neurons in Mice.

Background: Previous studies have shown that multiple post-traumatic irradiations of the cochlea with near-infrared light (NIR) can significantly reduce noise-induced hearing loss. However, a single NIR pre-treatment was shown to have the same effect. Extending the pre-treatment time did not result in any further reduction in hearing loss.

Regression-Based Classification of the Middle-Latency Auditory-Evoked Potentials in Vestibular Migraine and Concussion Patients with Dizziness.

Background/objectives: The auditory middle-latency responses (AMLRs) assess central sensory processing beyond the brainstem and serve as a measure of sensory gating. They have clinical relevance in the diagnosis of neurological conditions. In this study, magnitude and habituation of the AMLRs were tested for sensitivity and specificity in classifying dizzy patients with vestibular migraine (VM) and post-concussive syndrome.

Haralick Texture Analysis for Differentiating Suspicious Prostate Lesions from Normal Tissue in Low-Field MRI.

This study evaluates the feasibility of using Haralick texture analysis on low-field, T2-weighted MRI images for detecting prostate cancer, extending current research from high-field MRI to the more accessible and cost-effective low-field MRI. A total of twenty-one patients with biopsy-proven prostate cancer (Gleason score 4+3 or higher) were included. Before transperineal biopsy guided by low-field (58-74mT) MRI, a radiologist annotated suspicious regions of interest (ROIs) on high-field (3T) MRI.

Effect of Age on the Biomechanical Properties of Porcine LCL.

The Lateral Collateral Ligament (LCL), one of the four major ligaments in the knee joint, resides on the outer aspect of the knee. It forms a vital connection between the femur and the fibula. The LCL's primary role is to provide stability against Varus forces, safeguarding the knee from undue rotation and tibial displacement.

Synthetic data in generalizable, learning-based neuroimaging.

Synthetic data have emerged as an attractive option for developing machine-learning methods in human neuroimaging, particularly in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-a modality where image contrast depends enormously on acquisition hardware and parameters. This retrospective paper reviews a family of recently proposed methods, based on synthetic data, for generalizable machine learning in brain MRI analysis. Central to this framework is the concept of domain randomization, which involves training neural networks on a vastly diverse array of synthetically generated images with random contrast properties.

Rate and Timing of Progression to Total Knee Arthroplasty After Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction in Patients With Systemic Inflammatory Disease: A Long-term Propensity-Matched Cohort Study.

Background: Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) is one of the most common orthopaedic procedures and one of the most well studied. Despite extensive research dedicated to ACLR, there is limited understanding of how chronic inflammatory systemic diseases (CIDs) such as rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus affect outcomes.

Purpose: To compare the outcomes of ACLR in cohorts of patients with and without CID.

LncRNA GAS5 reduces blood glucose levels and alleviates renal fibrosis in diabetic nephropathy by regulating the miR-542-3p/ERBB4 axis.

Objective: The present study was implemented to unravel the effect of lncRNA GAS5 on renal fibrosis induced by diabetic nephropathy (DN) by regulating the miR-542-3p/ERBB4 axis.

Methods: db/db mice were injected with lncRNA GAS5 high expression or miR-542-3p low expression related vectors. Biochemical experiments were performed to assess blood glucose level and urine protein concentration.

Frequency of remission achievement in the pre-treat-to-target decade in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Background: Over the past two decades there has been a remarkable advance in the management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), which has led to considerable improvement in prognosis. In 2018, the introduction of the treat-to-target (T2T) strategy in JIA has been advocated to further ameliorate disease outcome. To provide a benchmark for comparing future outcomes in the "T2T era", this study investigates the percentage of JIA patients who achieved clinical inactive disease (CID) in the decade that preceded the publication of the T2T recommendations in JIA.

Deep Learning-Based Multi-View Projection Synthesis Approach for Improving the Quality of Sparse-View CBCT in Image-Guided Radiotherapy.

While radiation hazards induced by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) can be reduced by sparse-view sampling, the image quality is inevitably degraded. We propose a deep learning-based multi-view projection synthesis (DLMPS) approach to improve the quality of sparse-view low-dose CBCT images. In the proposed DLMPS approach, linear interpolation was first applied to sparse-view projections and the projections were rearranged into sinograms; these sinograms were processed with a sinogram restoration model and then rearranged back into projections.

Distinct pro-inflammatory/pro-angiogenetic signatures distinguish children with Long COVID from controls.

Background: Recent proteomic studies have documented that Long COVID in adults is characterized by a pro-inflammatory signature with thromboinflammation. However, if similar events happen also in children with Long COVID has never been investigated.

Methods: We performed an extensive protein analysis of blood plasma from pediatric patients younger than 19 years of age Long COVID and a control group of children with acute COVID-19, MIS-C, and healthy controls resulted similar for sex distribution and age.

Compact inverse designed vertical coupler with bottom reflector for sub-decibel fiber-to-chip coupling on silicon on insulator platform.

Inverse design via topology optimization has led to innovations in integrated photonics and offers a promising way for designing high-efficiency on-chip couplers with a minimal footprint. In this work, we exploit topology optimization to design a compact vertical coupler incorporating a bottom reflector, which achieves sub-decibel coupling efficiency on the 220-nm silicon-on-insulator platform. The final design of the vertical coupler yields a predicted coupling efficiency of -0.

Nicotinamide n-methyltransferase inhibitor synergizes with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor to protect renal tubular epithelium in experimental models of type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Aims: We aim to explore the potential of nicotinamide n-methyltransferase (NNMT) as a sensitive marker of renal tubular injury and the possibility of an NNMT inhibitor to combine with sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitor to protect proximal tubular epithelium in vivo and in vitro model of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), respectively.

Methods: In vivo, immunohistochemical staining, Masson's trichrome staining and Sirius red staining were used to observe the changes of NNMT expression, renal tubular injury and interstitial fibrosis in renal tissue from the db/db mice. Bioinformatic analysis was also conducted to broaden the range of data validation.

True cancer stem cells exhibit relative degrees of dormancy and genomic stability.

Background: Cancer stem cells in human tumors have been defined by stem cell markers, embryonal signaling pathways and characteristic biology, ie., namely the ability to repopulate the proliferating population. However, even if these properties can be demonstrated within a tumor cell subpopulation, it does not mean that they are truly hierarchical stem cells because they could have been derived from the proliferating population in a reversible manner.

Advanced low-power filter architecture for biomedical signals with adaptive tuning.

This paper presents a low-power, second-order composite source-follower-based filter architecture optimized for biomedical signal processing, particularly ECG and EEG applications. Source-follower-based filters are recommended in the literature for high-frequency applications due to their lower power consumption when compared to filters with alternative topologies. However, they are not suitable for biomedical applications requiring low cutoff frequencies as they are designed to operate in the saturation region.

Explainable Deep Learning for Glaucomatous Visual Field Prediction: Artifact Correction Enhances Transformer Models.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a deep learning approach that restores artifact-laden optical coherence tomography (OCT) scans and predicts functional loss on the 24-2 Humphrey Visual Field (HVF) test.

Methods: This cross-sectional, retrospective study used 1674 visual field (VF)-OCT pairs from 951 eyes for training and 429 pairs from 345 eyes for testing. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness map artifacts were corrected using a generative diffusion model.

Integration of Asymmetric Multi-Path Hollow Structure and Multiple Heterogeneous Interfaces in FeO@C@NiO Nanoprisms Enabling Ultra-Low and Broadband Absorption.

A reasonable construction of hollow structures to obtain high-performance absorbers is widely studied, but it is still a challenge to select suitable materials to improve the low-frequency attenuation performance. Here, the FeO@C@NiO nanoprisms with unique tip shapes, asymmetric multi-path hollow cavity, and core-shell heteroepitaxy structure are designed and synthesized based on anisotropy and intrinsic physical characteristics. Impressively, by changing the load of NiO, the composites achieve strong absorption, broadband, low-frequency absorption: the reflection loss of -55.

Broadband wireless battery-free acoustic identification tags for high data-rate underwater backscatter communication.

Developing persistent and smart underwater markers is critical for improving navigation accuracy and communication capabilities of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). A wireless acoustic identification tag, which uses a piezoelectric transducer tuned in the broadband ultrasonic range (200-500 kHz), was experimentally demonstrated to achieve highly efficient power transfer (source-to-tag electrical power efficiency of >2% at 6 m) and concurrent high data rate and backscatter level communication (>83.3 kbit s-1, >170 dB sound pressure level at 6 m) with potential operating range ≈ 10 m based on analytical extrapolations.

Investigating the influence of a bubble curtain on the underwater sound wave field generated by offshore pile driving.

Pile driving for offshore wind turbines typically generates high sound levels in the water column. Bubble curtains are frequently employed to protect marine fauna. This study aims to investigate the effect of a bubble curtain on the generated sound wave field.

Scala tympani drill-out technique for oval window atresia with malformed facial nerve:update.

Background: In some rare cases of congenital aplasia of the oval window (OW), malformed facial nerve (FN) locations covering the most or entire OW present a challenge to hearing reconstruction, there is no a highly effective surgical hearing reconstruction methods.

Aims/objectives: To update a Scala tympani drill-out technique (SDT) for abnormal FN course covering the OW.

Material And Methods: All patients of congenital atresia of the OW was recruited between August 2014 and July 2023 in a tertiary-care center.

Hearing and cognitive scores measured with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale in The HUNT Study, Norway.

Introduction: Hearing impairment is associated with dementia. We aimed to clarify the association between hearing impairment and future cognitive test performance measured by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA), adjusted for confounders, avoiding reverse causation through long follow-up.

Methods: We used the Norwegian population-based longitudinal cohort study, The Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT).

stormTB: a web-based simulator of a murine minimal-PBPK model for anti-tuberculosis treatments.

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) poses a significant threat to global health, with millions of new infections and approximately one million deaths annually. Various modeling efforts have emerged, offering tailored data-driven and physiologically-based solutions for novel and historical compounds. However, this diverse modeling panorama may lack consistency, limiting result comparability.

A fast monocular 6D pose estimation method for textureless objects based on perceptual hashing and template matching.

Object pose estimation is essential for computer vision applications such as quality inspection, robotic bin picking, and warehouse logistics. However, this task often requires expensive equipment such as 3D cameras or Lidar sensors, as well as significant computational resources. Many state-of-the-art methods for 6D pose estimation depend on deep neural networks, which are computationally demanding and require GPUs for real-time performance.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasonography as a method of monitoring focal liver lesions - initial report.

Aim Of The Study: Hepatocellular adenoma (HCA) and focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH) are benign liver tumors. Hepatocellular adenoma has potential for growth, metaplasia and rupture; therefore, it should be monitored long term. In the current guidelines biopsy is not recommended in the standard diagnostic protocol.