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Three-dimensional Spatial Transcriptomics has revolutionized our understanding of tissue regionalization, organogenesis, and development. However, existing approaches overlook either spatial information or experiment-induced distortions, leading to significant discrepancies between reconstruction results and in vivo cell locations, causing unreliable downstream analysis. To address these challenges, we propose ST-GEARS (Spatial Transcriptomics GEospatial profile recovery system through AnchoRS). By employing innovative Distributive Constraints into the Optimization scheme, ST-GEARS retrieves anchors with exceeding precision that connect closest spots across sections in vivo. Guided by the anchors, it first rigidly aligns sections, next solves and denoises Elastic Fields to counteract distortions. Through mathematically proved Bi-sectional Fields Application, it eventually recovers the original spatial profile. Studying ST-GEARS across number of sections, sectional distances and sequencing platforms, we observed its outstanding performance on tissue, cell, and gene levels. ST-GEARS provides precise and well-explainable 'gears' between in vivo situations and in vitro analysis, powerfully fueling potential of biological discoveries. Existing 3D Spatial Transcriptomics reconstruction approaches often overlook spatial information or experiment-induced distortions. Here, authors propose ST-GEARS to bridge the gap between in vivo cell locations and in vitro analysis, accurately recovering spatial profiles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic monitoring matters both for research and for populations living in areas of seismic hazard; however, it comes with a cost that is not fully affordable for developing countries. Compared to classical approaches with very quiet sites and high-quality instrumentation, it is therefore worth investigating low-cost seismic networks and how well they perform at detecting and characterizing seismicity. We analyze 1 year of seismic data from an educational seismology network in Nepal, create our own earthquake catalog, and compare it to the publicly available national observatory catalog. We find that despite the noisier seismic station sites, the overall results are comparable and all the main features relevant for seismicity are found. We present quantitative analyses of locations, magnitudes and their frequency distribution in our catalog, as well as differences with the observatory catalog. Differences between the two catalogs primarily stem from the respective network geometries and their coverage, as well as daytime noise level differences. We conclude that if properly planned and installed, low-cost seismic networks are a viable, feasible and significant complement to monitor seismic activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is a well-known fact that mine production has shifted from the industrialised countries of Europe, North America and Japan to emerging economies in Latin America, Africa and Asia and to Australia since the mid-20th century. The lack of self-sufficiency or high import dependence, in particular of the so-called critical metals, has become an issue of great political concern in these industrialised countries over the past 15 years. This study of six metals, cobalt, copper, iron ore, lithium, manganese and rare earths, contrasts this picture of geographical location of production with an analysis of where the control over mine production around the world is based, which we call the locus of control. Production might have moved out of the industrialised countries but control over production by companies based in the industrialised countries remains and has even increased between 1985 and 2018. We measure control as share of the total value of the production of the six metals. European transnational mining companies have increased their control from 14 to 18% while mining companies based in North America have lost control, a decline from 13 to 8%. When Australian companies, that have more than tripled their control in the same period, are added, control by the industrialised countries has increased to 44% of these six metals. Companies based in Latin America, Africa and Asia excluding China, taken together have maintained their control level, roughly a third of the total value of the six metals. Inside this group of countries African share has dwindled from 12 to 3% while Asian companies have more than doubled their share from 5 to 12%. Control by mining companies based in the republics of the former Soviet Union have been reduced from 25 to 7% while in the same period Chinese companies' control has doubled from 6 to 12% of the total value of these six metals. Countries in Asia (excluding China) together with Latin American and African countries produce 51% of these six metals measured by the value at the mine stage. However, companies based in these countries control not more than 33% of the production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, wire arc additive manufactured (WAAM-ed) Inconel 617- and 625-wmo grade alloys are characterized in detail for the type and distribution of precipitates in as-built and heat-treated conditions. The analyses are carried out near (~1 mm) and away (~10 mm) from the substrate along the build direction to investigate the effect of the substrate on the nature of precipitate formation. For each analysis location, morphological and chemical information of at least 400 precipitate features was identified and classified using stoichiometric analysis of SEM-EDS data combined with feature analytics. Carbides and carbonitrides are present in both Inconel 600 series alloys but Laves phase precipitates are identified only in the case of Inconel 625 wmo alloy. It is observed that the nature of precipitates size distribution is not altered significantly when compared between the two analysed locations for a particular grade. Furthermore, Laves phase precipitates closer to the substrate (1 mm) are richer in iron because of the effect of mild steel substrate on precipitation characteristics in Inconel 625 alloy. Our novel characterization approach will pave the way for comparing the microstructures of additively manufactured samples printed using different process parameters and variations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methane emission in South Asia is poorly understood due to a lack of observations, despite being a major contributor to methane emissions globally. We present the first results of atmospheric CH4 inversions using air samples collected weekly at Nainital, India (NTL), and Comilla, Bangladesh (CLA), in addition to surface background flask measurements by NOAA, CSIRO and AGAGE using the MIROC4-ACTM. Our simulations span from 2000 to 2020 (considering the fixed "edge" effect), but the main analysis period is 2013–2020, when both the NTL and CLA datasets are available. An additional flux uncertainty reduction of up to 40% was obtained (mainly in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent), which enhanced our confidence in flux estimation and reaffirmed the significance of observations at the NTL and CLA sites. Our estimated regional flux was 64.0 ± 4.7 Tg-CH4 yr−1 in South Asia for the period 2013–2020. We considered two combinations of a priori fluxes that represented different approaches for CH4 emission from rice fields and wetlands. By the inversion, the difference in emissions between these combinations was notably reduced due to the adjustment of the CH4 emission from the agriculture, oil and gas, and waste sectors. At the same time, the discrepancy in wetland emissions, approximately 8 Tg-CH4 yr−1, remained unchanged. In addition to adjusting the annual totals, the inclusion of NTL/CLA observations in the inversion analysis modified the seasonal cycle of total fluxes, possibly due to the agricultural sector. While the a priori fluxes consisted of a single peak in August, the a posteriori values indicated double peaks in May and September. These peaks are highly likely associated with field preparation for summer crops and emissions from rice fields during the heading stage (panicle formation). The newly incorporated sites primarily exhibit sensitivity to the Indo-Gangetic Plain subregion, while coverage in southern India remains limited. Expanding the observation network is necessary, with careful analysis of potential locations using back-trajectory methods for footprint evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a well-established and highly effective treatment for patients with medically uncontrolled Parkinson's disease (PD). This study presents the outcome of patients with PD after subthalamic deep brain stimulation (STN DBS) using the microtargeting the platform (MTP) stereotactic system (the STarFixSystem, FHC Inc., Bowdoin, Me., USA) for accurate localization of the target and precise placement of DBs electrodes. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and the follow up period was 1 year utilizing the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS II and III) in on and off medication-stimulation conditions. It included 18 STN DBS procedures in 10 patients over a 2-year period. The technical features and the practical application of the STarFix system and the clinical outcome are reported. Also lead location analysis is done by doing postoperative CT to evaluate the clinical accuracy of the stereotactic system. Results: The mean age of PD patients was 67.7 years. Six patients were males (60%) and 4 patients were females (40%). The mean postoperative improvement in ADL was 83.47 ± 2.39 over Dopa therapy alone. The mean postoperative improvement in UPDRs motor score was 78.96 ± 7.74 over Dopa therapy alone. The STarFix system showed high accuracy with target error 1.89 mm (SD 0.8) without accounting for brain shift. Conclusion: Deep brain stimulation (DBS) targeting the subthalamic nucleus (STN) offers fundamental benefits for patients with advanced Parkinson's disease (PD). The usage of the STarFix system for implanting DBS electrodes in the STN provides an accurate, safe, and effective alternative to traditional stereotactic techniques. This approach simplifies the surgical procedure, boosts patient comfort, and minimizes the duration of the operation. Clinical trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03562403. Registered 19 June 2018, https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03562403. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feeding behaviors are determined by two main factors. One is the internal state, such as hunger or previous experiences; the other is external factors, such as sensory stimulation. During starvation, animals must balance food-seeking behavior with energy conservation. The fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, serves as a useful model for studying food selectivity and various behaviors related to food intake. However, few studies have directly connected food selectivity with other behaviors, such as locomotor activity and sleep. In this study, we report that flies exhibited a preference for specific positions and spent more time in the proximity of sweet sugars, such as sucrose and sucralose, but not non-sweet and nutritious sugars like xylitol and sorbitol. On the other hand, prolonged exposure to sorbitol increased the staying time of flies in the proximity of sorbitol. Additionally, after starvation, flies immediately exhibited a position preference in the proximity of sorbitol. These findings suggest that flies prefer the proximity of sweet food, and starvation alters their preference for nutritious food, which may be beneficial for their survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing the price of fossil fuels, unreliability of fossil fuels for a secure supply of demand in future and their relevant environmental concerns provide an attitude toward substituting renewable energies with fossil fuels for reaching sustainable development in societies. Biofuels as a type of renewable energies can be easily transferred between supply chain's centers and do not have limitation for transportation after their production. Among various types of biofuels, biodiesel, which can be mainly produced from the non-edible feedstocks, such as Jatropha Curcas L. (JCL), is preferred to other biofuels because biodiesel production from JCL which can be cultivated in marginal lands, improves three pillars of sustainability. Since biofuel supply chain's costs can mainly be affected by its feedstock location optimization, this paper used a common weight data envelopment analysis (CWDEA) method for location optimization of feedstock cultivation for a biodiesel supply chain by considering a comprehensive set of sustainability criteria for investigating locations. A case study of Iran is provided for assessing the model's application, and its results in ranking potential locations for JCL cultivation are validated by a numerical taxonomy (NT) approach. In fact, this paper not only specifies the optimum locations for the feedstock cultivation of a biofuel supply chain regarding to sustainability criteria, but also discuss the balanced socioeconomic development and environmental benefits which can be attained by JCL cultivation in marginal and mostly underdeveloped lands. Provided results imply that vast area of Iran's marginal lands has suitable climate for JCL cultivation and policy makers can address all aspect of sustainability simultaneously by investment on those specified lands as well as supplying countries' demand for biodiesel which will be produced from this feedstock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Most of the existing obnoxious facility location models use points to represent locations of demand centers and facilities. These points are typically centroids of geographical regions, such as cities or protected wildlife areas. Representing areas as points is convenient for the development and analysis of location models, but it may hinder the models' practical applications. In continuous models, facilities may be located far from the centroid but close to (or even inside) the boundaries of the protected area. Also, some centroids may be located outside of the areas which they represent. We propose a heuristic that leverages the existing point-based models to locate multiple obnoxious facilities around protected areas and, at the same time, minimize the negative impact on those areas. The effectiveness of our approach is illustrated with both generated and real-world instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Current research evaluating the association between tea consumption and bone health still has inconsistent findings. Materials and Methods: The electronic databases of Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were systematically searched from inception until December 2022 to identify eligible studies. The calculation of summary relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) was carried out using random-effects models. I2 statistics and Forest plots were used to assess the heterogeneity of RR values across studies. Results: The pooled relative risks for bone health-related outcomes of interest among tea drinkers, compared to non-drinkers, were 0.910 (95% confidence interval 0.845 to 0.980) for fractures, based on 20 studies, 0.332 (0.207–0.457) for BMD (13 studies), 0.800 (0.674–0.950) for osteoporosis (10 studies), and 1.006 (0.876–1.156) for osteopenia (5 studies). Subgroup analysis of locations showed that the pooled relative risks were 0.903 (0.844–0.966) for the hip, 0.735 (0.586–0.922) for the femur, 0.776 (0.610–0.988) for the lumbar, 0.980 (0.942–1.021) for the forearm and wrist, 0.804 (0.567–1.139) for the phalanges, and 0.612 (0.468–0.800) for Ward's triangle. One-stage dose–response analysis revealed that individuals who consumed less than 4.5 cups of tea per day had a lower risk of bone health-related outcomes than those who did not consume tea, with statistically significant results. Conclusion: There is an association between tea consumption and a reduced risk of fractures, osteoporosis, hip, femur, and lumbar, as well as increased BMD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A network of queueing-inventory systems is considered where the inventories are replenished by a common central server. Travel times for transport of the items send out from the center and an adaptive dispatching regime to direct transportation towards the locations with queueing-inventory systems are incorporated in the model. The stationary distribution of the system is of product form and is explicitly given. An optimization procedure is developed to find for given locations of the queueing-inventory systems an optimal location for the replenishment center. Optimization is with respect to overall utilization of the resources measured in total throughput of the queueing-inventory systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Algorithms and codes were developed that facilitate the selection of the locations of ionization chambers detecting variations in reactor power. For each time step, the nonstationary neutron transport equation is solved, and the reactivity changes are found using the inverse solution of the kinetics equation in the point approximation. At each step, a set of the best points for moment in time is determined where the reactivity deviations from the reference results are minimal. At the end of the entire calculation, such points with maximum total occurrence are selected. Then the version of the location of ionization chambers selected taking design constraints into consideration is applied to explore various scenarios of motion of control rods. The study is based on the assumption that the equations of point kinetics are used in the processing of ionization chamber readings at an operating NPP. The factors that limit the use of this methodology are the inapplicability of point kinetics at high reactivity values and the potential infeasibility of reconciling the contradictory results obtained in modeling various scenarios of control rod motion. Compromise decisions should be made by experts. The algorithms and codes developed and verified on the BN-600 test model can be used for both the BN-1200 and BREST reactors and reactors of other types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Upper gastrointestinal (GI) contrast studies are frequently requested to aid superior mesenteric artery syndrome diagnosis, a rare entity. Compression of the third duodenal part is expected to be mid-to-left of the midline where the superior mesenteric artery arises from the aorta; however, a duodenal impression to the right of the midline due to normal anatomic impression by the inferior vena cava (IVC) is often encountered and frequently misdiagnosed. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the frequencies of (1) normal right-of-midline duodenal impressions and (2) mid-to-left of midline compressions in upper GI studies in a tertiary pediatric referral center. Materials and methods: All upper GI studies performed at our institution over 2 years were retrospectively evaluated to determine whether the duodenum had vertical duodenal impression to the right of the vertebral midline, mid-to-left of the vertebral midline, or no identifiable duodenal impression at all. Results: In total, 538 upper GI studies were included in this analysis. A total of 275 male and 247 female patients between 0 and 17 years of age (median: 6 years, range: 1 month-17 years) were included. Of 538 total upper GI studies, there were 240 studies (44.6%) with a right-of-midline impression. There were only 10 studies (1.9%) with a mid-to-left of midline compression, and 9/10 also showed a concurrent right-sided impression sign. Conclusion: Right-of-midline duodenal impression is a normal anatomic finding caused by the IVC and should not be confused with superior mesenteric artery syndrome. In the presence of an appropriate clinical context, proximal duodenal dilation, "to-and-fro" motion of contrast, and duodenal impression at mid-to-left of midline, a diagnosis of superior mesenteric artery syndrome should be considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the value of coordinatized lesion location analysis (CLLA), in empowering ROI-based imaging diagnosis of gliomas by improving accuracy and generalization performances. Methods: In this retrospective study, pre-operative contrasted T1-weighted and T2-weighted MR images were obtained from patients with gliomas from three centers: Jinling Hospital, Tiantan Hospital, and the Cancer Genome Atlas Program. Based on CLLA and ROI-based radiomic analyses, a fusion location-radiomics model was constructed to predict tumor grades, isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) status, and overall survival (OS). An inter-site cross-validation strategy was used for assessing the performances of the fusion model on accuracy and generalization with the value of area under the curve (AUC) and delta accuracy (ACC) (ACCtesting—ACCtraining). Comparisons of diagnostic performances were performed between the fusion model and the other two models constructed with location and radiomics analysis using DeLong's test and Wilcoxon signed ranks test. Results: A total of 679 patients (mean age, 50 years ± 14 [standard deviation]; 388 men) were enrolled. Based on tumor location probabilistic maps, fusion location-radiomics models (averaged AUC values of grade/IDH/OS: 0.756/0.748/0.768) showed the highest accuracy in contrast to radiomics models (0.731/0.686/0.716) and location models (0.706/0.712/0.740). Notably, fusion models ([median Delta ACC: − 0.125, interquartile range: 0.130]) demonstrated improved generalization than that of radiomics model ([− 0.200, 0.195], p = 0.018). Conclusions: CLLA could empower ROI-based radiomics diagnosis of gliomas by improving the accuracy and generalization of the models. Clinical relevance statement: This study proposed a coordinatized lesion location analysis for glioma diagnosis, which could improve the performances of the conventional ROI-based radiomics model in accuracy and generalization. Key Points: • Using coordinatized lesion location analysis, we mapped anatomic distribution patterns of gliomas with specific pathological and clinical features and constructed glioma prediction models. • We integrated coordinatized lesion location analysis into ROI-based analysis of radiomics to propose new fusion location-radiomics models. • Fusion location-radiomics models, with the advantages of being less influenced by variabilities, improved accuracy, and generalization performances of ROI-based radiomics models on predicting the diagnosis of gliomas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Missing persons cases are some of the hardest investigations to solve. The lack of forensic evidence impedes an investigation and critical time can be lost attempting to find the person or body. Recently, researchers have attempted to develop new approaches to help police in these types of investigations. The current paper continues research into Winthropping as a means of assisting police investigations when searching for clandestine, hidden graves and missing persons. A novel approach, using geocachers, to help inform Winthropping processes is outlined, and support gained through a survey of geocachers. The findings are then applied to a series of real-world homicides, including several serial killers. Analyses of gravesite locations in serial killer cases matched many of the features and properties outlined by geocachers. The results also indicate the potential of using Keatley and colleagues' Winthropping as a psychological profiling as well as geographical profiling technique. Support was provided through the case of a murdered child who was later dumped. Recommendations for further research and application are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of site locations is an important component of archaeological research. Recent advances in this topic include the use of ecological models such as the ideal free distribution and its variants, which predict site locations under various conditions in relation to criteria that promote the greatest adaptive success. Such models can face problems in determining such criteria and especially their relative importance. Another approach, which can be used in conjunction with these models, uses the concept of decision trees to infer the relative ranking and the hierarchy of the role of different criteria in the actual locational decisions underlying site placement. Examples from ethnography and European archaeology demonstrate this approach and additionally allow the consideration of another issue, the contexts in which site function and location are likely to be strongly correlated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Encephaloceles are considered to result from defects in the developing skull through which meninges, and potentially brain tissue, herniate. The pathological mechanism underlying this process is incompletely understood. We aimed to describe the location of encephaloceles through the generation of a group atlas to determine whether they occur at random sites or clusters within distinct anatomical regions. Methods: Patients diagnosed with cranial encephaloceles or meningoceles were identified from a prospectively maintained database between 1984 and 2021. Images were transformed to atlas space using non-linear registration. The bone defect, encephalocele and herniated brain contents were manually segmented allowing for a 3-dimensional heat map of encephalocele locations to be generated. The centroids of the bone defects were clustered utilising a K-mean clustering machine learning algorithm in which the elbow method was used to identify the optimal number of clusters. Results: Of the 124 patients identified, 55 had volumetric imaging in the form of MRI (48/55) or CT (7/55) that could be used for atlas generation. Median encephalocele volume was 14,704 (IQR 3655–86,746) mm3 and the median surface area of the skull defect was 679 (IQR 374–765) mm2. Brain herniation into the encephalocele was found in 45% (25/55) with a median volume of 7433 (IQR 3123–14,237) mm3. Application of the elbow method revealed 3 discrete clusters: (1) anterior skull base (22%; 12/55), (2) parieto-occipital junction (45%; 25/55) and (3) peri-torcular (33%; 18/55). Cluster analysis revealed no correlation between the location of the encephalocele with gender (χ2 (2, n = 91) = 3.86, p = 0.15). Compared to expected population frequencies, encephaloceles were relatively more common in Black, Asian and Other compared to White ethnicities. A falcine sinus was identified in 51% (28/55) of cases. Falcine sinuses were more common (χ2 (2, n = 55) = 6.09, p = 0.05) whilst brain herniation was less common (χ2 (2, n = 55) =.16.24, p < 0.0003) in the parieto-occipital location. Conclusion: This analysis revealed three predominant clusters for the location of encephaloceles, with the parieto-occipital junction being the most common. The stereotypic location of encephaloceles into anatomically distinct clusters and the coexistence of distinct venous malformations at certain sites suggests that their location is not random and raises the possibility of distinct pathogenic mechanisms unique to each of these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An individual's first impression can be influenced by a number of esthetic factors, one of which is a natural hairline. The anterior hairline can be affected by various factors, such as race, age, forehead shape, and hair loss progression, similar to androgenetic alopecia. Information on the shape, hairline location on the forehead, and race are required to classify the anterior hairline. According to previous studies, the shape of the anterior hairline can be classified as round, M-shaped, rectangular, bell-shaped, or triangular. This study aimed to analyze the type of anterior hairline in Asian males without androgenetic alopecia. The subjects consisted of 461 males in China, Japan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan. We classified the shape of the anterior hairline into four types: M-shaped (M), rectangular (R), round (O), and wave-shaped (W). We classified the location of the anterior hairline into three types: high (H), middle (M) and low (L), according to the subjects' forehead ratio. Finally, we combined the shape and location types to devise a novel classification system for the anterior hairline type. The most common hairline types in our newly developed classification were MM (23.94%), RM (18.00%) and ML (11.04%). The least common types were OL (0.58%), OH (2.34%) and WH (2.74%). Our results will set standards for hairline shapes and locations, which will be helpful for evaluating hair loss treatment, establishing criteria and designs for reconstructive surgery, and developing camouflage makeups for the forehead hairline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Legnica-Głogów Copper District (LGCD) is one of the most active seismic regions in Europe. Several thousand seismic events induced by underground copper mines are recorded there each year, with the strongest reaching magnitudes above 4. Seismicity in LGCD is monitored by the LUMINEOS surface seismic network and the mine's underground networks. While the horizontal location uncertainty of the LUMINEOS network is about 300–600 m, the declared epicenter uncertainty of dense mine networks is less than 50 m. It gives us a unique opportunity to test the location accuracy of seismic events recorded by the LUMINEOS network determined with various algorithms and automatic procedure. In our work, we compared the location accuracies of traveltime-based algorithms LocSAT and NonLinLoc as well as waveform-based algorithm BackTrackBB. The iterative, Geiger-type LocSAT algorithm is used in routine daily processing for the LUMINEOS. Its downside is the need to use the S wave onset times, which in the case of the LUMINEOS network are very uncertain. As an alternative, we tested the probabilistic NonLinLoc algorithm, and the waveform based BackTrackBB algorithm. The BackTrackBB algorithm is known to work well with local, high noise seismic networks. We aimed to find out if it could be used routinely with the LUMINEOS data. In addition, we conducted a comparative analysis of the location uncertainty of these algorithms to determine the effectiveness of this parameter in assessing accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of the present study was to identify potential race- or gender-specific differences in anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tibial footprint location from the tibia anatomical coordinate system (tACS) origin, investigate the distances from the tibial footprint to the anterior root of the lateral meniscus (ARLM) and the medial tibial spine (MTS), determine how reliable the ARLM and MTS can be in locating the ACL tibial footprint, and assess the risk of iatrogenic ARLM injuries caused by using reamers with various diameters (7–10 mm). Patients and methods: Magnetic resonance images of 91 Chinese and 91 Caucasian subjects were used for the reconstruction of three-dimensional (3D) tibial and ACL tibial footprint models. The anatomical coordinate system was applied to reflect the anatomical locations of scanned samples. Results: The average anteroposterior (A/P) tibial footprint location was 17.1 ± 2.3 mm and 20.0 ± 3.4 mm in Chinese and Caucasians, respectively (P <.001). The average mediolateral (M/L) tibial footprint location was 34.2 ± 2.4 mm and 37.4 ± 3.6 mm in Chinese and Caucasians, respectively (P <.001). The average difference between men and women was 2 mm in Chinese and 3.1 mm in Caucasians. The safe zone for tibial tunnel reaming to avoid ARLM injury was 2.2 mm and 1.9 mm away from the central tibial footprint in the Chinese and Caucasians, respectively. The probability of damaging the ARLM by using reamers with various diameters ranged from 0% for Chinese males with a 7 mm reamer to 30% in Caucasian females with a 10 mm reamer. Conclusions: The significant race- and gender-specific differences in the ACL tibial footprint should be taken in consideration during anatomic ACL reconstruction. The ARLM and MTS are reliable intraoperative landmarks for identifying the tibial ACL footprint. Caucasians and females might be more prone to iatrogenic ARLM injury. Level of evidence: III, cohort study. Trial registration: This study has been approved by the ethical research committee of the General Hospital of Southern Theater Command of PLA under the code: [2019] No.10. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the problem of monitoring the technical condition of prototypes of multi-agent systems. The classical control procedure for multi-agent systems, a new type of group test objects, is analyzed. The fulfillment of the necessary control condition, that is, the observability of the states of the test object for a multi-agent system, is required to ensure a sufficiently high probability of the correct detection of each element of the object. Otherwise, the control result becomes unreliable, because the elements of the vector of measured parameters are mixed. The states of the elements of a group object act as such parameters. To ensure required observability and, consequently, correctness of the control problem, the use of additional highly informative features as regularizers is proposed. The search for these signs is performed in three directions: analysis of the hyperspectral image of elements via the search for unique forms of the spectrum corresponding to the characteristic of a particular element of the material; analysis of the location of these materials and the possibility of various combinations of features of the spectrum shape and the location of materials; and analysis of the infrared portrait of elements in the middle infrared range, in which characteristic bright areas can be distinguished, corresponding to the functional equipment location. The use of these features in terms of processing data from information and measuring systems requires some preparation and, preferably, automation. For automation, it is proposed to use single-pass neural network detectors. The results will be useful in developing a system for information collection and analysis for testing prototypes of multi-agent systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is widely known that both geography and institutions determine the location of an investment. However, little is known about the impact of these factors on entrepreneurs' future business plans. Using a questionnaire survey, this paper examines whether the 'first-' and 'second-nature' geography and institutions affect the plans of entrepreneurs to expand or sell their businesses in Greece. The analysis shows that entrepreneurs intend to expand their businesses when the importance of the country's relative geographical location to the international market increases, but that of localisation economies decreases. There is also evidence that entrepreneurs aim to sell their businesses to domestic investors when sea access, the natural environment, the agglomeration economies, the location of Greece and the local governance are ideal for the business performance in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Papilloma is a common benign epithelial tumor of the respiratory tract in adults. Its histological structure and immune environment vary from site to site. This study investigated the disease characteristics and prognostic differences of papillomas at various primary locations. Methods: Clinical data was collected from patients with adult glossal root and hypopharyngeal papilloma admitted to our tertiary referral center between January 2010 and December 2020, and compared with patients with laryngeal papilloma. Differences in age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, single or multiple lesions, surgical methods, immunohistochemical indexes, Ki-67 and p16, were analyzed in patients with different primary papilloma sites. Results: A total of 84 cases of glossal root papilloma, 51 cases of hypopharyngeal papilloma, and 51 cases of laryngeal papilloma were included. Differential analysis between groups showed that there were statistically significant differences in age, sex, smoking, single and multiple lesions, and surgical methods in the different primary sites. Ki-67 expression in laryngeal papilloma was higher than that in glossal root and hypopharyngeal papilloma. There was no significant difference in p16 expression in the three groups. In terms of prognosis, laryngeal papilloma is more likely to relapse than glossal root or hypopharyngeal papilloma, and the recurrence time is shorter. Conclusions: As the largest clinical study of papilloma in different primary locations, this study found that the clinical characteristics and postoperative recurrence of papilloma of the glossal root and hypopharynx differ from those of papilloma of the larynx. This finding supports the current clinical experience in treating papillomas in different locations and facilitates the development of clinical treatment plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SLC16A1-AS1 is a newly identified lncRNA with different roles in different cancers. MiR-5088-5p is an oncogenic miRNA in breast cancer. However, their participation in oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is unknown. We predicted the interaction between SLC16A1-AS1 and miR-5088-5p, and this study was carried out to explore the crosstalk between them in OSCC. A total of 56 OSCC patients donated OSCC and paired non-tumor tissues, which were used to detect the differential expression of SLC16A1-AS1 and miR-5088-5p (mature and premature). Analysis of the subcellular location of SLC16A1-AS1 in OSCC cells and its direct interaction with premature miR-5088-5p was performed with cellular fractionation assay and RNA pull-down assay, respectively. The involvement of SLC16A1-AS1 in miR-5088-5p maturation was studied with overexpression assay. BrdU assay was performed to detect cell proliferation after transfection. OSCC tissue samples exhibited decreased expression levels of SLC16A1-AS1 and premature miR-5088-5p, but increased the expression levels of mature miR-5088-5p. SLC16A1-AS1 was detected in both nucleus and cytoplasm samples of OSCC cells and its direct interaction with premature miR-5088-5p was confirmed. Overexpression of SLC16A1-AS1 in OSCC cells resulted in inhibited maturation of miR-5088-5p. SLC16A1-AS1 suppressed the enhancing effects of miR-5088-5p on cell proliferation. SLC16A1-AS1 was downregulated in OSCC and it may inhibit cell proliferation by suppressing maturation of miR-5088-5p. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The APETALA2/ethylene responsive AP2/ERF element-binding factors (AP2/ERFs), as a class of transcription factors (TFs), play an important role in plant growth and development as well as various biotic and/or abiotic stresses responses. AP2/ERF gene families have been widely identified in a lot of plants, but there was little known about this gene family in strawberry. To investigate the characteristics and functions of strawberry FvAP2/ERF gene family in abiotic stresses, a total of 139 FvAP2/ERF genes were identified in this study. The sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis clustered AP2/ERF gene family into four subfamilies (AP2, RAV, ERF, and DREB). Chromosome location analysis revealed that the tandem duplication and the whole-genome duplications (WGDs) may result in the expansion of FvAP2/ERF gene family. The qRT-PCR (quantitative real-time PCR) indicated 14 FvAP2/ERFs underwent up- or down-regulated expression in response to abiotic stresses. In summary, these results offered vital information for further evolutionary and functional characterization of FvAP2/ERF genes, and it also gave some guidance for improving the resistance of strawberry in the growth process. Ultimately, this study may contribute to the selection and breeding of high-yield, high-quality, and highly resistant strawberry varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BEL1-like homeodomain (BLH) family genes as homeodomain transcription factors are found ubiquitously in plants to play important regulatory roles in reproductive development, morphological development, and stress response. Although BLH proteins have been reported in some species, there is little information about BLH genes in peach. In this study, we identified 11 peach PpBLH genes based on the conserved domain. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that the PpBLH proteins could be divided into five groups, which might be involved in different aspects of morphogenesis. Genomics structure analysis revealed that there were four exons in the PpBLH gene, and the length of the third exon was 61 bp. Chromosomal location analysis showed that the PpBLH genes were not distributed uniformly on six chromosomes. Promoter analysis showed that the promoter sequences of six PpBLH genes contained multiple cis-acting elements for hormones and stress. Six PpBLH genes were cloned by RT-PCR, and PpBLH1, PpBLH4, and PpBLH7 showed different expression patterns in the tested fruits under common temperature and high temperature. Y2H results indicated that PpBLH7 andPpBLH10 interacted with the PpOFP6 protein, and PpBLH1 interacted with the PpOFP1, PpOFP2, PpOFP4, and PpOFP13 proteins. These results provide new insight for further study of PpBLH genes, and construction of regulatory networks of PpBLH proteins in the growth, development, and stress response of peach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change will likely intensify hurricane activity in coastal regions. A thorough understanding of hurricane impacts to marine fauna is necessary to prepare for and mitigate potential impacts to social systems dependent upon adjacent fauna. Yet, research attention, conservation funding, and policy all can be biased toward taxa of societal interest, potentially favoring a limited understanding of hurricane impacts. Here, we analyzed the frequency of mentions of taxa in newspaper articles in relation to hurricane activity at three coastal US locations coupled with analysis of long-term fisheries-independent data. While economically important taxa dominate media discourse, we observed long-term hurricane-related abundance declines in ecologically important taxa having little direct human utility. We conclude that there is a potential for research and policy biases related to hurricane impacts. Preparation and mitigation efforts will benefit from researchers and managers making directed efforts to identify and incorporate hurricane sensitive taxa into their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The location problem of Bundling Hubs (BHs) remains a contentious issue for efficient shared transportation systems. In this respect, the strategic configuration of BHs plays a crucial role in saving supply costs, covering demand, and minimizing the external effects of Shared Passenger and Freight Public Transportation (SPFPT). As urban areas become crowded, they show a significant increase in congestion and transport demand. Thus, sites where logistic operations, sales, or services are likely to occur, imply the final customers whose transport demand is a key factor that could affect cargo distribution using SPFPT systems. Since each BH should help efficiently to satisfy the transport demand of allocated customers, they would not play their key role if such factor of demand is not involved upstream in the long-term scheduling horizon. This paper focuses on locating BHs, using a Hybrid Robust Machine Learning-Heuristic Algorithm (HR-MLHA), among established ones and existing demand nodes while assessing a dynamic process so that the configured BH network is robust. The feature of robustness is supported by a robust command to keep BHs attractive and demand-responsive for the long-term in dynamic environments, i.e., the cities. To reduce complexity, the conceptual and computational approaches are structured in two main axes. The first axis includes a machine-learning-based zoning approach that helps with targeting the implementation area and assessing demand behavior. The second axis presents a mathematical model of the capacitated two-echelon BH location problem. When looking across the two-echelon location process, we aim at conducting dynamic location analysis using both current and predicted demand. In order to validate our approach, a set of benchmarks has been performed comparing with existing heuristics and using a whole package of experimental and real-life instances. The experimental results provided through the proposed approach have allowed valuable insights into successfully implementing our methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predator search efficiency can be enhanced by anthropogenic landscape change, leading to increased predator–prey encounters and subsequent prey population declines. Logging increases early successional vegetation, providing ungulate forage. This increased forage, however, is accompanied by linear feature networks that increase predator hunting efficiency by facilitating predator movement and increasing prey vulnerability. We used integrated step selection analyses to weigh support for multiple hypotheses representing the combined impact of logging features (cutblocks and linear features) on wolf (Canis lupus) movement and habitat selection in interior British Columbia. Further, we examine the relationship between logging and wolf kill-sites of moose (Alces alces) identified using spatiotemporal wolf location cluster analysis. Wolves selected for linear features, which increased their movement rates. New (0–8 years since harvest) cutblocks were selected by wolves. Moose kill-sites had a higher probability of occurring in areas with higher proportions of new and regenerating (9–24 years since harvest) cutblocks. The combined selection and movement responses by wolves to logging features, coupled with increased moose mortality sites associated with cutblocks, indicate that landscape change increases risk for moose. Cumulative effects of landscape change contribute to moose population declines, stressing the importance of cohesive management and restoration of anthropogenic features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: FAM230B has been characterized as an oncogenic lncRNA in papillary thyroid cancer and gastric cancer, while its role in osteosarcoma (OS) is unclear. This research was conducted to analyze the interaction between FAM230B and miR-302b in OS. Materials and methods: Paired OS and non-tumor tissues donated by 58 OS patients were subjected to RNA preparation and RT-qPCR to quantify the expression of FAM230B and miR-302b (both mature and premature). The subcellular location of FAM230B and its interaction with premature miR-320b were analyzed by cellular fractionation assay and RNA pull-down assay, respectively. The roles of FAM230B and miR-302b in OS cell movement were evaluated using Transwell assay. Results: Increased FAM230B and premature miR-302b and decreased mature miR-302b were observed in OS. FAM230B was detected in both nuclear and cytoplasm samples and directly interacted with premature miR-302b. FAM230B overexpression in OS cells 143B and HOS decreased miR-302b maturation and increased cell invasion and migration, while miR-302b overexpression suppressed cell invasion and migration. FAM230B silencing restrained cell invasion and migration, and miR-302b inhibitor accelerated cell invasion and migration. MiR-302b knockdown significantly reversed the suppressive effects of shFAM230B on migration and invasion of 143B and HOS cells. Conclusion: FAM230B is accumulated to high levels in OS and may serve as an endogenous competing RNA for premature miR-302b in the nucleus to promote OS cell invasion and migration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sprawl of distribution system towards the need of smart grid, demands better sustenance and adaptation strategies to deal with high-impact low-frequency (HILF) events. One of the predominant causes of HILF events are natural calamities. Therefore, the resilience assessment of the distribution system is inevitable. The contributions majorly focuses on hybrid data driven approach using micro-phasor measurement unit (μ-PMU), for dynamic voltage, current phasors monitoring, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) confirms structural vulnerability of nodes within network. Mesh grid approach, which analyses cyclone trajectory affecting the network, supplemented identification of most vulnerable part within network. However, priorities of vulnerable nodes are corroborated using complex network (CN) theory. This hybrid data driven approach and spatial parameters are used to estimate appropriate mitigation strategies against HILF scenarios. Hence, resilience analysis based on location parameters and dynamic network conditions are further analyzed based on degree of correlation of location dependent resilience with latitude, elevation, and probable water level. Based on susceptible vulnerable nodes, identification of optimum alleviation schemes is adopted and justified using resilience trapezoid. To validate efficacy of the proposed approach, the analysis is tested on IEEE 33-bus distribution network subjected to 5 cyclone prone geographical coordinates for 20 years cyclone data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In microseismic monitoring, accurately identifying the arrival time of the P-wave initial arrival is crucial for the precise location and analysis of microseismic sources. However, due to the typically low energy of microseismic signals and poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), existing first-arrival picking algorithms struggle with the accuracy of picking results when dealing with microseismic data of low SNR, as they are greatly affected by strong background noise. To address this issue, this study proposes a new initial arrival identification method, which first employs variational mode decomposition (VMD) and the sample entropy method for denoising microseismic data with a low SNR, and then utilizes the pruned exact linear time (PELT) algorithm to determine the time of the microseismic initial arrival. Compared with the traditional short-term average and long-term average ratio (STA/LTA) algorithm and the Akaike information criterion (AIC) method, the method proposed in this paper demonstrates significant advantages in terms of picking precision and noise resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rain events can be characterized by rain drop size distribution (DSD) that denotes the number of drops as a function of diameter per unit size interval and per unit volume of space. DSD (at ground level) describes the microstructure of precipitation during different phases of rain varying both spatially and temporally. DSD can be influenced by the nature and origin of rain. The present study investigates the role of continental and maritime airflow in influencing the precipitation features near the land-sea boundary. The data of the rain DSD used in the present analysis are collected from a ground-based disdrometer located at Kolkata, India, near land-sea boundary during the year of 2011–2017. The dataset is divided into two categories, namely, maritime and continental rainfall, based on the airflow trajectories associated with rain events exclusively from Bay of Bengal or land region in the west of Kolkata as derived from TRAJSTAT software. The events with trajectories extending both over land and sea region are excluded for the present study. Variations of the DSD parameters using the gamma model are presented showing the abundance of smaller drops during maritime rain events whereas dominance of larger rain drops in the case of the continental rain events. The Z-R relations are also found to be significantly different for these two types of rain. The present study reveals the microstructures of rain at a location where the influences of both land and sea climatic features prevail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Places with persistently high levels of crime, hot spots, are an important object of study. To some extent, the high levels of crime at such hot spots are likely to be related to flows of people. City center locations with large flows of people are quite often also hot spots, e.g., hot spots for pick pocketing at a central train station, or hot spots for assault in the nightlife district. This can be related to crime pattern theory, or to the routine activity perspective, which both suggest that flows of people can affect crime. The present study attempts to explore and quantify whether there are differences in the association between flows of people and crime for different crime types. The analysis considers locations with high crime counts for six crime types in the city of Malmö, Sweden. For each crime type, hot spots are identified and mapped, and in order to explore whether, or how, these are related to flows of people, the crime levels are then analyzed in relation to the number of people who boarded a local bus (N = 33,134,198) nearby. The paper shows that all six crime types are associated with flows of people, although less so for arson and vandalism. This is hypothesized to be due to the relatively constant target availability for these crimes as opposed to the other crime types studied. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the molecular underpinnings of pluripotency is a prerequisite for optimal maintenance and application of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). While the protein-protein interactions of core pluripotency factors have been identified in mouse ESCs, their interactome in human ESCs (hESCs) has not to date been explored. Here we mapped the OCT4 interactomes in naïve and primed hESCs, revealing extensive connections to mammalian ATP-dependent nucleosome remodeling complexes. In naïve hESCs, OCT4 is associated with both BRG1 and BRM, the two paralog ATPases of the BAF complex. Genome-wide location analyses and genetic studies reveal that these two enzymes cooperate in a functionally redundant manner in the transcriptional regulation of blastocyst-specific genes. In contrast, in primed hESCs, OCT4 cooperates with BRG1 and SOX2 to promote chromatin accessibility at ectodermal genes. This work reveals how a common transcription factor utilizes differential BAF complexes to control distinct transcriptional programs in naïve and primed hESCs. Although the interactors of pluripotency factors have been identified in mouse embryonic stem cells (ESCs), their interactors in human ESCs remain unexplored. Here the authors map OCT4 protein interactions in naïve and primed human ESCs to find specific interactions with BAF subunits that promote an open chromatin architecture at blastocyst-associated genes and ectodermal genes, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The CRISPR–Cas are adaptive immune systems found in archaea and bacteria, responsible for providing sequence-specific resistance against foreign DNA. Strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa may carry CRISPR/Cas system types I-F, I-E and/or I-C; however, several aspects related to the epidemiology and functionality of these systems have not yet been revealed. Here, we report 13 genomes of clinical strains of P. aeruginosa from Brazil that were positive for CRISPR/Cas system types I-F and I-E, a rare feature in this species. The phylogenetic tree, which was constructed with 161 other publicly available genomes, suggested no direct relationship between positive strains, and the various types of CRISPR/Cas systems were spread throughout the tree. Comparative analysis of the genetic locations of type I-F and a specific orphan CRISPR array (without cas genes), named the LES locus, showed sequence similarities between this orphan locus and type I-F, but these LES loci were inserted in a different genomic location. We also report the presence of prophages, the presence of anti-CRISPR genes, and possibly the presence of self-targeting spacers. Here, we conclude that CRISPR/Cas is highly associated with certain lineages and is spread throughout the phylogenetic tree, showing no clear pattern of evolutionary distribution. Moreover, the LES locus might be a CRISPR1 locus related to type I-F that may have been misplaced and maintained over time. Furthermore, strains carrying I-F and I-E are rare, and not all of them are closely related. Further functional work is needed to better comprehend if aspects reported in this study are functional, including the LES locus, self-targeting spacers, anti-CRISPR protection, and I-F/I-E-carrying lineages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Optimal stapler selection during laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy requires careful balance between tissue compression, hemostasis, and mechanical integrity. Junctions along a staple line can further increase the risks of technical or mechanical staple line failures. The aim of this study was to compare two commonly utilized laparoscopic linear gastrointestinal staplers (Ethicon, Medtronic) with a novel linear stapler (Titan) designed to perform a sleeve gastrectomy with a single stapler firing.Methods: Excised gastric remnants from laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy were utilized and tissue thickness was measured from fundus to antrum. An optimized experimental staple line was then created. The greater curve remnant was insufflated to determine the staple line burst pressure and location. The doubly stapled (clinical and experimental) gastric specimen underwent staple analysis for junctional location, malformation, and height.Results: The Titan stapler withstood a significantly higher burst pressure than both Ethicon and Medtronic linear cutting staplers. While the Medtronic and Ethicon staplers had a similar percentage of staples in junctions, the Titan stapler has no junctions. In considering the formation of all staples outside of junctions, the Medtronic and Titan staplers had no difference in percentage of malformed staples, while the Ethicon stapler had a significantly higher percentage. Additionally, there were no differences in mismatch between staple height and tissue thickness between experimental groups.Conclusions: The Titan stapler conveys the mechanical benefits of higher burst pressure with the advantage of single load functionality. This single staple load eliminates staple line junctions without sacrificing the integrity of staple formation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identification of appropriate location for windmills in landlocked states, like the state of Iowa requires consideration of multiple factors and analysis of a large database, which is time-consuming. Under this study, advanced remote sensing and Python-based programming language have been utilized to select three specific sites within the boundaries of Lyon and Sioux county to locate new windmills based on three crucial factors; wind speed, elevation, and physicals barriers. The entire study area has been divided into several zones and ArcGIS tools, like selection, clipping, and merging have been used to process the entire database collected from secondary sources. Python scripts have been also used to calculate zone wise mean value of all three factors. Python scripts developed under this study are easily modifiable to include more than three factors providing a cost-effective method of decision making in the case of locating new windmills. An algorithm has been developed in the end section to combine all three factors and to rank all the zones considering their energy efficiency and environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to improve the key space of color image encryption algorithm, the sensitivity to the contents of plain images, the robustness against various types of known attacks, and to achieve the tamper location analysis, a novel color image encryption algorithm based on image hashing, six-dimensional (6D) hyperchaotic and dynamic DNA coding is proposed. Firstly, the color image is pre-processed and the hash sequence is extracted by image hashing algorithm which is used as the initial value and control parameter of chaotic system. Secondly, three color channels of the color image RGB are synthesized into a two-dimensional matrix and the pixels replacement are performed by using the improved two-dimensional chaotic map. Finally, a 6D hyperchaotic system is used to generate random sequences for DNA dynamic coding and arithmetic operations of color images, the encrypted image is obtained. The experimental results show that, compared with the existing methods, the proposed algorithm has a large enough key space, better plain-image sensitivity, better statistical and differential characteristics, as well as can resistant various forms of attacks such as noise and cropping, and the tampering image can be tamper-located analyzed, which has good security and strong robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a finite element study to identify the locations of crack initiation in a homogeneous earthen dam at its post-construction and reservoir operation stages. The steady state and transient analyses, including reservoir rise-up and drawdown conditions, are simulated to identify the favorable conditions and locations of crack generation. The behavioral response of the dam is represented in terms of the developed total stress, horizontal deformations of the faces, strain accumulation in the dam, and the differential settlement of the dam base. The locations of post-construction cracks are identified based on the negative minor principal stresses developed on the dam faces. For both single-lift and multiple-lift modeling techniques, the upstream face of the dam is found to be the most favorable location for the crack generation. For transient reservoir operations (rise-up and drawdown scenarios), it is identified that hydraulic fracturing may occur on either faces of the dam at specific heights, governed by the minor principal stresses becoming lesser than the developed pore-water pressure. Depending on whether the reservoir drawdown occurs before or after the attainment of steady-state phreatic level within the body of the dam, the pore-water pressure distribution within the dam are found notably different. This results in hydraulic fracturing occurring at different faces of the dam and at different heights. It is important to have a thorough understanding of the tentative location of the cracks developed in homogeneous earthen dams so that proper mitigation measure can be adopted as per requirement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: In mCRC, disease dynamics may play a critical role in the understanding of long-term outcome. We evaluated depth of response (DpR), time to DpR, and post-DpR survival as relevant endpoints. Methods: We analyzed DpR by central review of computer tomography images (change from baseline to smallest tumor diameter), early tumor shrinkage (≥ 20% reduction in tumor diameter at first reassessment), time to DpR (study randomization to DpR-image), post-DpR progression-free survival (pPFS = DpR-image to tumor progression or death), and post-DpR overall survival (pOS = DpR-image to death) with special focus on BRAF status in 66 patients and primary tumor site in 86 patients treated within the VOLFI-trial, respectively. Results: BRAF wild-type (BRAF-WT) compared to BRAF mutant (BRAF-MT) patients had greater DpR (− 57.6% vs. − 40.8%, p = 0.013) with a comparable time to DpR [4.0 (95% CI 3.1–4.4) vs. 3.9 (95% CI 2.5–5.5) months; p = 0.8852]. pPFS was 6.5 (95% CI 4.9–8.0) versus 2.6 (95% CI 1.2–4.0) months in favor of BRAF-WT patients (HR 0.24 (95% CI 0.11–0.53); p < 0.001). This transferred into a significant difference in pOS [33.6 (95% CI 26.0–41.3) vs. 5.4 (95% CI 5.0–5.9) months; HR 0.27 (95% CI 0.13–0.55); p < 0.001]. Similar observations were made for patients stratified for primary tumor site. Conclusions: BRAF-MT patients derive a less profound treatment response compared to BRAF-WT patients. The difference in outcome according to BRAF status is evident after achievement of DpR with BRAF-MT patients hardly deriving any further disease control beyond DpR. Our observations hint towards an aggressive tumor evolution in BRAF-MT tumors, which may already be molecularly detectable at the time of DpR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the possibilities provided by smart grids in terms of communication infrastructure and information acquisition, there are new options on how to use the signals coming from meters to locate short circuits that occur in the system. This paper presents a framework for fault location in radial distribution systems based on machine learning algorithms and a multistage approach. A methodology in order to segment the system for proper identification of the outage region is presented. Studies are carried out involving the variation of the fault impedance, the fault incidence angle and the number and position of the meters. The IEEE 34-bus bar distribution feeder was considered for the tests. The results so far are promising, attesting and validating the presented methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Supply–demand analysis is an important part of the planning of urban emergency shelters. Using Pudong New Area, Shanghai, China as an example, this study estimated daytime and nighttime population of the study area based on fine-scale land use data, census data, statistical yearbook information, and Tencent user-density big data. An exponential function-based, probability density estimation method was used to analyze the spatial supply of and demand for shelters under an earthquake scenario. The results show that even if all potential available shelters are considered, they still cannot satisfy the demand of the existing population for evacuation and sheltering, especially in the northern region of Pudong, under both the daytime and the nighttime scenarios. The proposed method can reveal the spatiotemporal imbalance between shelter supply and demand. We also conducted a preliminary location selection analysis of shelters based on the supply–demand analysis results. The location selection results demonstrate the advantage of the proposed method. It can be applied to identify the areas where the supply of shelters is seriously inadequate, and provide effective decision support for the planning of urban emergency shelters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The continuously low efficiencies of flood relief service in responding to flooding disasters in Taiwan highlight a need for research. This service efficiency is negatively influenced by flood relief facility locations and their operational management structure. The Fazih River floodplain has been previously identified as a high-flood-risk area using an analytic hierarchy process. The purpose of this study is to use the location set covering problem and the maximal covering location problem to determine the number of relief facilities required and the maximum covering area of each facility for the case study area of the Fazih River floodplain. The findings showed that covering distances range from 3.0 to 6.6 km and the number of facilities required for improved service efficiency is between 1 and 4. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose an efficient computational method for converting local coordinates to world coordinates using specially structured coordinate data. The problem in question is the computation of world coordinates of an object throughout a motion, assuming that we only know the changing coordinates of some fixed surrounding reference points in the local coordinate system of the object. The proposed method is based on barycentric coordinates; by taking the aforementioned static positions as the vertices of a polyhedron, we can specify the coordinates of the object in each step with the help of barycentric coordinates. This approach can significantly help us to achieve more accurate results than by using other possible methods. In the paper, we describe the problem and barycentric coordinate-based solution in detail. We then compare the barycentric method with a technique based on transformation matrices, which we also tested for solving our problem. We also present various diagrams that demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed approach in terms of precision and performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This retrospective computed tomography (CT) study was aimed to assess the growth dynamic of the external aperture of the carotid canal (EACC) in children aged between 1 and 20 years. Methods: Two hundred patients (sex 100 females/100 males, average age 10.50 ± 5.77 years) with good head CT image quality were included in this study. CT images of the patients were used to obtain data related to the location, shape and dimension of EACC. Results: EACC shapes were identified as oval shaped, round shaped, and tear-drop shaped in 58.3% (233 sides), 24% (96 sides) and 17.8% (71 sides), respectively. EACC length, disEACC–MSP (distance between EACC and midsagittal plane), and EACC width did not change from the prepubescence period; while, the disEACC–SC (distance between EACC and supramastoid crest) seemed to reach adult size in the postpubescence period. Linear functions for EACC length and width were calculated as: y = 5.453 + 0.091 × years, and y = 5.398 + 0.059 × years, respectively. Conclusion: The regression equations of the measured parameters representing the growth dynamic of EACC in children can be helpful to estimate its size, location and angulation, which suggest that the dimension and distances to certain anatomical landmarks seemed to reach adult size in different developmental periods. In this context, the findings of this study may seem to emphasize the importance of preoperative radiological evaluation on skull base, related to EACC, for multidisciplinary surgeon teams during childhood surgeries in terms of patients' positioning, and the selection of appropriate surgical approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the huge increase in usage of smart mobiles, social media and sensors, large volumes of location-based data is available. Location based data carries important signals pertaining to user intensive information as well as population characteristics. The key analytical tool for location based analysis is multi-way spatial join. Unlike the conventional join strategies, multi-way join using map-reduce offers a scalable, distributed computational paradigm and efficient implementation through communication cost reduction strategies. Controlled Replicate (C-Rep) is a useful strategy used in the literature to perform the multi-way spatial join efficiently. Though C-Rep performance is superior compared to naive sequential join, careful analysis of its performance reveals that such a strategy is plagued by the curse of the last reducer, wherein the skew inherently present in the datasets and the skew introduced by replication operation, causes some of the reducers to take much longer time compared to others. In this work, we design an algorithm GEMS (G eneralized Communication cost E fficient M ulti-Way S patial Join) to address the skewness inherent in the connectivity of spatial objects while performing a multi-way join. We analysed all the algorithms concerned, in terms of I/O and communication costs. We prove that the communication cost of GEMS approach is better than that of C-Rep by a factor O(α) where α is the number of reducers in a single row/column of a grid of reducers. Our experimental results on different datasets indicate that GEMS approach is three times superior(in terms of turn around time) compared to C-Rep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motor imagery refers to the psychological realization of movements without movement or muscle activity; it is a research hotspot in neurophysiology, neuroimaging, neurology, and psychology; and it is used as a neurological rehabilitation of brain-computer interface technology. The foundation is widely studied. The EEG signal has a millisecond time resolution, which can facilitate the acquisition of neural signal changes in the body movement process. This article has selected the finger and thumb index finger movements as the task of motion imaging. Under the guidance of image and video, the characteristics of the brain electrical shock patterns during the finger-to-finger movement, thumb and forefinger pairing and unfolding were studied. The brain electrical signals of 15 healthy subjects were collected during the experiment, and the signals were analyzed for source location and information flow network. The result of source location analysis indicated that the activation of brain regions was mainly in the contra lateral SMA region, PMC region, and M1 region. However, the subjects were right-handed, so the characteristics of contra lateral activation were not obvious in the right-handed motor imaging process. Imagine that the opposite side of the pinching process is more powerful than the imaginary finger and the activation range is wider. The results of dynamic information flow of EEG signals at different stages of motor imaging show obvious contra lateral activation characteristics. The DTF analysis of the left-hand motion imaging finger pair pinching and unfolding shows that the information flow mainly flows from the right side of the brain to the left in the imagination process, while the right-hand motion imaging process is opposite, and the information flow mainly flows from the left side of the brain to the right side. The left hand imagines that the finger-to-pinch process is simpler and the number of connections is smaller than the information flow of the imagined finger deployment process. The right hand imagines that the finger-to-kneading process looks more complex than the imagined finger-expanding process, and the number of connections is more. However, its more connections appear mainly in the occipital region of the visual stimulus, the information flow in the frontal and parietal lobes is simple, and the number of connections is reduced. This article explores the relationship among the different movement phases of hand motion imaging and the change of EEG signals. The results show that the brain oscillation modes are similar and different, and the finger deployment process is used as a follow-up of the finger-to-kneading process. The process of knowing should be relatively simple. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a first continuous, linear, conic formulation for the discrete ordered median problem (DOMP). Starting from a binary, quadratic formulation in the original space of location and allocation variables that are common in location analysis (L.A.), we prove that there exists a transformation of that formulation, using the same space of variables, that allows us to cast DOMP as a continuous, linear programming problem in the space of completely positive matrices. This is the first positive result that states equivalence between the family of continuous, convex problems and some hard combinatorial problems in L.A. The result is of theoretical interest because it allows us to share the tools from continuous optimization to shed new light into the difficult combinatorial structure of the class of ordered median problems that combines elements of the p-median, quadratic assignment and permutation polytopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]