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ObjectiveIdentify infants with abnormal suckling behavior from simple non-nutritive suckling devices.BackgroundWhile it is well known breastfeeding is beneficial to the health of both mothers and infants, breastfeeding ceases in 75 percent of mother-child dyads by 6 months. The current standard of care lacks objective measurements to screen infant suckling abnormalities within the first few days of life, a critical time to establish milk supply and successful breastfeeding practices.Materials and methodsA non-nutritive suckling vacuum measurement system, previously developed by the authors, is used to gather data from 91 healthy full-term infants under thirty days old. Non-nutritive suckling was recorded for a duration of sixty seconds. We establish normative data for the mean suck vacuum, maximum suck vacuum, suckling frequency, burst duration, sucks per burst, and vacuum signal shape. We then apply computational methods (Mahalanobis distance, KNN) to detect anomalies in the data to identify infants with abnormal suckling. We finally provide case studies of healthy newborn infants and infants diagnosed with ankyloglossia.ResultsIn a series of case evaluations, we demonstrate the ability to detect abnormal suckling behavior using statistical analysis and machine learning. We evaluate cases of ankyloglossia to determine how oral dysfunction and surgical interventions affect non-nutritive suckling measurements.ConclusionsStatistical analysis (Mahalanobis Distance) and machine learning [K nearest neighbor (KNN)] can be viable approaches to rapidly interpret infant suckling measurements. Particularly in practices using the digital suck assessment with a gloved finger, it can provide a more objective, early stage screening method to identify abnormal infant suckling vacuum. This approach for identifying those at risk for breastfeeding complications is crucial to complement complex emerging clinical evaluation technology.Clinical impactBy analyzing non-nutritive suckling using computational methods, we demonstrate the ability to detect abnormal and normal behavior in infant suckling that can inform breastfeeding intervention pathways in clinic.Clinical and Translational Impact Statement: The work serves to shed light on the lack of consensus for determining appropriate intervention pathways for infant oral dysfunction. We demonstrate using statistical analysis and machine learning that normal and abnormal infant suckling can be identified and used in determining if surgical intervention is a necessary solution to resolve infant feeding difficulties.

Aim: In this study, we evaluated the effects of two types of hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticles, sharing the same surface chemistry but differing in shape, on the biological characteristics of plasma, platelets and red blood cells. Materials & methods: Initially, two different shapes (rod-shaped and sphere-shaped) of HAPs were characterized. These HAPs were then co-cultured with plasma and red blood cells to examine their impact on coagulation and hemolysis. The impact of HAPs on white blood cells count in mice were evaluated following gavage and tail vein injection. Results: Sphere-shaped HAP is more likely to adsorb onto platelet surfaces, while rod-shaped HAP is more likely to cause hemolysis. Although there are differences in the in vitro experimental results between sphere-shaped HAP and rod-shaped HAP, both types demonstrate good blood compatibility at a 20 mM concentration. Furthermore, in vivo experiments showed that sphere-shaped nano-HAP induced a more pronounced increase in white blood cell count, suggesting that it may exhibit greater toxicity. Conclusion: While differences exist in the blood compatibility test results between the two HAPs, these differences are minimal, with both results falling within a safe range. Overall, HAP demonstrates excellent blood compatibility. Article highlights Despite the increasingly widespread application of nanoparticles in the biomedical field, the impact of nanoparticle shape on the biological characteristics of blood cells and plasma components remains inadequately characterized. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted a systematic evaluation of the biological effects of two hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanoparticle suspensions with different shapes (rod-shaped and sphere-shaped) but identical surface chemical properties on various blood components, including coagulation factors, platelets and red blood cells. Our findings demonstrated that these two HAP nanoparticles did not cause adverse reactions, such as plasma coagulation, platelet activation or red blood cell hemolysis at a concentration of 20 mM, indicating their good blood compatibility at this concentration. In vivo experiments at a dose of 500 μM/kg showed that both gastric lavage and tail vein injection of HAP induced an increase in white blood cell count in the experimental animals, indicating potential early and late inflammatory responses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In addressing the critical limitations associated with platelet storage, the study investigates an innovative solution aimed at preventing the unwanted activation of platelets within storage bags. This activation is a key factor that currently restricts the shelf life of platelet products to only 72 h, leading to extreme waste production and high costs. Here, highly effective surfaces are identified for minimizing surface‐induced platelet activation. Using thermal nanoimprint lithography (T‐NIL), a new method is demonstrated for patterning reproducible agarose micro/nanostructures (a natural hydrogel with anti‐platelet adhesive properties) including dots, chains, pills, and squares. The agarose (3%) structured surfaces displayed outstanding flexibility and hydrophilic behavior that prevented platelet adhesion as confirmed by confocal microscopy. Importantly, pill‐shaped structures effectively maintained their ability to prevent platelet adhesion, even after a long cell‐contacting duration. Atomic force microscopy indicated that the effectiveness of dampening platelet adherence is determined by the shape, size, height, and aspect ratio of the structures. A model is provided to explain how the different shapes affect wettability and thereby hinder platelet adherence. The developed anti‐adhesive agarose structured surfaces show promise to revolutionize platelet storage, provide vital insights into biomaterials research, and demonstrate the potential of tailored agarose surfaces in biomedical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Perception involves the processing of content or information about the world. In what form is this content represented? I argue that perception is widely compositional. The perceptual system represents many stimulus features (including shape, orientation, and motion) in terms of combinations of other features (such as shape parts, slant and tilt, common and residual motion vectors). But compositionality can take a variety of forms. The ways in which perceptual representations compose are markedly different from the ways in which sentences or thoughts are thought to be composed. I suggest that the thesis that perception is compositional is not itself a concrete hypothesis with specific predictions; rather it affords a productive framework for developing and evaluating specific empirical hypotheses about the form and content of perceptual representations. The question is not just whether perception is compositional, but how. Answering this latter question can provide fundamental insights into perception. This article is categorized under:Philosophy > RepresentationPhilosophy > Foundations of Cognitive SciencePsychology > Perception and Psychophysics [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the subharmonic response of Lumason (also known as SonoVue; Bracco, Milan, Italy) to static and dynamic ambient pressures, with a direct comparison to Sonazoid (GE HealthCare, Oslo, Norway) and Definity (Lantheus Medical Imaging, MA, USA). The subharmonic responses of contrast agents can be exploited to perform subharmonic-aided pressure estimation. The subharmonic response of each ultrasound contrast agent was evaluated in both a static and dynamic tank using a commercially available Logiq E10 clinical ultrasound scanner (GE HealthCare) equipped with subharmonic imaging (SHI) and an acoustic power-optimization algorithm. A C1-6 curvilinear array that transmits at 2.5 MHz and receives at 1.25 MHz in SHI mode was used to acquire the subharmonic signals. Data was transferred offline into MATLAB (MathWorks) to perform linear regression analysis and statistical testing for significance of the slopes (i.e. , agent sensitivity). Sonazoid and Definity showed an inverse linear dependency between subharmonic signal and hydrostatic pressure at all pressure ranges (static and dynamic) tested, with maximum sensitivity under 50 mmHg in the static tank (−0.190 and −0.194 dB/mmHg for Sonazoid and Definity, respectively). Lumason exhibited a tri-phasic subharmonic behavior, beginning with a linear trend from 0 to 90 mmHg (sensitivity = 0.069 dB/mmHg), followed by a plateau from 100 to 130 mmHg, and an inverse linear trend from 140 to 200 mmHg (sensitivity = −0.137 dB/mmHg). The subharmonic response of Lumason is tri-phasic and differs from Sonazoid and Definity. Further investigation is needed to solidify understanding of the subharmonic behavior of Lumason to identify its usefulness for subharmonic-aided pressure estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid and repeatable characterization of individual morphology has advanced automated taxonomic classification. The most direct study of evolutionary processes is, however, not from taxonomic description, but rather of the evolution of the traits that comprise individuals and define species. Repeatable signatures of individual morphology are crucial for analysing the response to selection at scale, and thus tracking evolutionary trajectories through time and across species boundaries.Here, we introduce our 3DKMI—an open‐source MATLAB package designed for the study of morphology using three‐dimensional (3D) Krawtchouk moment invariants. The volumetric features derived from the 3D images remain stable under translation, scaling and rotation and, for an image of size 128 × 128 × 128 can be computed in less than 0.1 s.We applied our package as a case study on a collection of 300 X‐ray computed tomography scans of planktonic foraminifera specimens across five species to (1) assess the invariance of the features under different transformations and (2) analyse morphological differences among species based on the extracted characteristics.We show that 3DKMI has the capacity to efficiently and repeatedly characterize the signatures of individual morphology. In the future, we hope that the 3D feature extraction technique 3DKMI will be widely applied to digital collections to advance research in ecology and evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tandem SAM-II/SAM-V riboswitch belongs to a class of riboswitches found in the marine bacterium 'Candidatus Pelagibacter ubique'. Previous studies have demonstrated that these riboswitches have the potential for digital modulation of gene expression at both the transcriptional and translational levels. In this study, we investigate the conformational changes in the tandem SAM-II/SAM-V riboswitch binding to S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) using selective 2′-hydroxyl acylation analyzed by the primer extension (SHAPE) assay, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and oligos depressing probing. Our findings reveal that the linker between SAM-II/SAM-V aptamers blocks the SAM response of the SAM-II domain. This result proposes a new mechanism for gene expression regulation, where the ligand-binding functions of tandem riboswitches can be selectively masked or released through a linker. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood nutrition is a cornerstone of long-term health, yet many children exhibit reluctance to consume healthy foods such as vegetables. This aversion can be influenced by various factors, including food neophobia and the sensory and visual appeal of the foods that are being presented. Hence, understanding how visual cues affect children's willingness to eat can provide insights into effective strategies to enhance their dietary habits. This research explores the influence of visual cues on the dietary behaviors of children aged 9 to 12, their willingness to consume and request healthy foods such as vegetables, within the context of challenges such as food neophobia. This study examines how intrinsic cues (e.g., vegetable characteristics) and extrinsic cues (e.g., the plate's color and shape) affect children's liking and emotional responses, impacting their willingness to eat and request purchases from parents. Conducted using a sample of 420 children, this cross-sectional study reveals that attributes such as a plate's color and shape significantly affect food-related behaviors and emotions. A validated and reliable self-administered questionnaire was employed. Independent t-tests and ANOVA were used to test the differences between gender and food neophobia, while Spearman correlations were used for correlation analysis. Visual cues served as the independent variables, liking and emotional responses as the mediating variables, and willingness behaviors as the dependent variable. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to explore the relationships among intrinsic cues, extrinsic cues, and the mediating effect of liking and emotional responses. Findings show that boys prefer blue and triangular plates, while girls prefer pink plates, generating more positive emotions. Children with food neophobia initially experience aversion, but this can be reduced by enhancing sensory appeal and emotional engagement. The findings underscore the importance of leveraging visual cues and fostering positive emotional experiences to encourage healthier eating habits and increase children's acceptance and purchase of nutritious foods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the shape of the retromalleolar groove of the tibialis posterior tendon (TPT) using computed tomography (CT). CT images of patients with foot or ankle pathologies were retrospectively reviewed. The morphology of the retromalleolar groove of the TPT was assessed at two different levels: the ankle joint and 10 mm above the ankle joint. The groove shape was classified into three types; concave, flat, or irregular. In cases with concave grooves, the width and depth of the grooves were measured. Of the 116 ankles from 116 subjects included in this study, 80.2 % showed a shallow concave shape (mean depth, 1.6 mm) at the two scan levels. The shape and width of the groove differed significantly by gender, although there was no significant difference in the groove depth. Approximately 80% showed a shallow concave groove of the TPT. The groove characteristics differed by gender, although there was no significant difference in the groove depth. Cross-sectional cohort study; Level of evidence, Ⅳ [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Morphological characteristics were measured for barchan dunes on Earth (2,686 dunes in 30 barchan fields) and Mars (720 dunes in 10 barchan fields) using satellite images. The data were used to (a) develop a new barchan classification system; (b) compare characteristics of barchans on Earth and Mars; and (c) assess whether barchans, in bulk, display allometric or scale‐invariant characteristics. Dimensional metrics were obtained for the width and length of barchan bodies, the width and length of barchans including the horns, and the length of each horn. Dimensionless metrics were derived for the ratios of the body width to the width between the tips of the horns (width ratio), the length of the entire barchan to the length of the body (length ratio), and the length of the longer horn to the shorter horn (symmetry ratio). The width, length, and symmetry ratios were used to classify barchans into eight types and compare the characteristics of their distributions on the two planets. From this analysis, it was established that, statistically, barchans on Earth are distinctive from those on Mars based on the morphometrics, with terrestrial barchans being, on average, of smaller size and more often symmetrical, while Martian barchans more often have convergent horns that are short relative to the central dune body and are more often asymmetrical. The analysis further reveals that barchan planform morphology can be considered scale‐invariant, and we argue that body width is the most appropriate measure representing barchan size. Plain Language Summary: Crescent‐shaped sand dunes (barchans) are widely found on Earth and Mars. Relative variations in the shape of these bedforms are thought to reflect differences in the planetary sand transport environment in terms of sand flux magnitudes, transport modes, and wind climate (speeds and directional variability). Comparing the shapes of barchans on Mars with those on Earth can generate hypotheses on how and why sand transport conditions and dune formation under the Martian atmosphere may be different. Satellite imagery analysis of 3,406 barchan dunes on both planets yields insights on planform dimensions (width and length of the dune body, lengths and divergence of the horns) as well as three shape indices (Width Ratio, Length Ratio, Symmetry Ratio) that were used to derive a classification of eight barchan types. Analysis shows that average barchan planform geometry displays fixed proportions over several orders of magnitude in size (scale‐invariance). Significant relative differences are apparent between the two planets, with barchans on Mars generally being much larger in absolute size but having shorter, more convergent and asymmetric horns than barchans on Earth. The study further suggests that the transverse width of the dune body is the best measurement to reflect the overall size of a barchan. Key Points: A classification of barchan types is derived by applying three morphometric indices to 3,406 dunes on Earth and MarsBarchan planform morphology can be considered a scale‐invariant property over orders of magnitudeDifferences in relative morphology reflect differences in planetary sand transport conditions and dune formation [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Downstream pebble variability in river systems is assessed through various methods, with recent emphasis on efficient, time-saving semi-automatic processes involving photography and digital analysis. The Inaouène valley, however, lacked a comprehensive survey of its main channel using either manual or image-based methods. This study bridges this gap by combining both approaches to analyze the downstream evolution of surface pebbles' morphometric parameters along approximately 60 km of the Inaouène's middle reach. Our research focuses on two key aspects: grain size and particle shape. Results reveal a general downstream trend of size fining, increasing circularity and decreasing elongation, primarily attributed to abrasion and travel distance. Notably, this pattern is interrupted by localized variations associated with tributary inputs and sediment recycling processes. This study significantly contributes to the understanding of fluvial sediment dynamics in the Inaouène Valley. Its findings have broad implications, supporting ecological assessment and restoration efforts, while also informing decision-making in river engineering and management. By providing a comprehensive analysis of pebble characteristics and their downstream evolution, this research establishes a foundation for future geomorphological studies and practical applications in river system management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The major goal of this research is to develop a Deep Learning (DL) based automatic identification and classification of white blood cells (WBCs) with high accuracy and efficiency. The first phase of research is pre-processing and is accomplished by the Improved Median Wiener Filter (IMWF), which effectively eliminates the noises. The image is resized into a standard image size before filtering. The segmentation process takes place using Color Balancing Binary Threshold (CBBT) algorithm to divide the WBCs and another non-relevant background to improve the classification performance. The features like shape, texture and color of the WBCs are extracted from the segmented images. Finally, the classification takes place, and this is processed by a fine optimal deep convolution residual network (Fine Optimal DCRNet). In addition, the bionic model is introduced to improve classification accuracy. The dataset used in this research is BCCD and LISC datasets. The performance of the proposed model is validated using existing methods of Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), VGG-16, VGG-19, ResNet-50, DensetNet-121, DensetNet-169, Inception-V3, InceptionResNet-V2, Xception, MobileNet-224, Mobile NasNet, Tree, Naive Bayes, Ensemble active contour model, k-means clustering and handcraft and deep learned features-scale-invariant feature transform (HCDL-SIFT) in terms of Accuracy, Precision, Recall, Specificity, F-score, Relative Distance Error (RDE), Over-Segmentation Rate (OSR), Under-Segmentation Rate (USR) and Overall Error Rate (OER). For the LISC dataset, the detection model attains an outcome of 99%, 98%, 98%, 99%, 98%, 1.143, 0.0125, 0.056 and 0.125, respectively. For the BCCD dataset, apart from RDE, OSR, USR and OER metrics, the performance is evaluated as 98%, 96%, 98%, 99% and 97%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study envisioned to assess the physical traits of sorghum grain for selected sorghum genotypes. Seed for the genotypes was sourced from the Lupane State University Gene Bank and grown during the 2022/23 agricultural season at Lupane State University Farm experimental plots. At maturity, laboratory tests on kernel/grain hardness, 100 kernel weight, bulk density, kernel diameter, colour and determination of presence of tannins through qualitative tests were done for all the 24 sorghum genotypes. Results from analysis of variance demonstrated highly significant differences (P<0.001) on kernel weight, kernel diameter, kernel hardness and grain hardness showing a great diversity of physical traits among all the 22 genotypes and 2 commercial varieties of sorghum. Mean 100 kernel weight was 2.59g, kernel diameter was 3.49mm, bulk density was 1.23g/cm3 and kernel hardness was 28.9%. Visual assessment was done on grain colour and seed was classified under red, cream, white and brown sorghums, and mixed colours. A chi-square test found a significant relationship between grain colour and presence of tannins. Genotypes NPGRC3124, IS9405 showed moderate levels of tannins while IS13996, IS29925, NPGRC1699, NPGRC1156 and NPGRC1478 had high levels. A highly significant strong positive correlation was shown for sorghum genotype between kernel diameter and kernel weight (r=0.81 at p=0.05). Highly significant positive correlation was also observed between bulk density and kernel weight (r=0.4173 at p=0.001). Kernel hardness has a strong positive correlation with bulk density (r=0.6242). Quantification of tannins is recommended to prevent negative effects on human and livestock health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Vitis IMIDRA collection contains 3699 entries, representing a significant percentage of the variation in traditional and commercial Vitis cultivars used in Spain. The classification and identification of new entries are currently conducted based on ampelography and molecular methods. Here, we propose a new method of classification of the cultivars based on seed morphology and its application to a total of 224 varieties from the collection. Based on seed shape, fourteen groups have been defined according to the similarity of the seeds, with geometric figures used as models. The new models are Cariñena Blanca, Chardonnay, Parraleta, and Parduca, defining new groups to be added to the ten groups previously described. The study results in 14 groups comprising the Spanish cultivar's seed shape and morphological variation. Seed morphology can help to identify varieties cultivated in the past through archaeological finds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Facial nerve paralysis is a severe dysfunction after vestibular schwannoma (VS) surgery. Methods: This monocentric study analyzed 61 patients who underwent sporadic VS surgery in a standardized manner. The primary endpoint was the facial nerve outcome (FNO) at 3 months after VS surgery. FNO was dichotomized into "good" (House–Brackmann (HB) score ≤ 2) and "poor" (HB > 2). Results: Poor FNO was observed in 11 patients (18.0%) at 3 months after VS surgery. Radiomic tumor shape features were analyzed, and the AUC of elongation in the prediction of a poor HB at 3 months was 0.70 (95% CI: 0.56–0.85, p = 0.03) and the optimum threshold value (≤/>0.35) yielded a sensitivity and specificity of 64.0% and 75.4%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analyses considering the extent of resection (0.35) revealed that more elongated VSs (≤0.35; OR: 5.8; 95%CI: 1.2–28.2; p = 0.03) and those with an increased EoR (≥93.4%; OR: 6.5; 95%CI: 1.0–42.5; p = 0.05) are independently associated with poorer FNO at 3 months after surgery. Conclusions: Highly elongated VS shape seems to be a risk factor for worsened facial nerve outcome at 3 months after surgery for Koos grade 3 and 4 tumors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Microplastics (MPs) are emerging pollutants, and they can absorb and transfer chemicals, which may cause significant effects on biota and risks to human health. State parks are natural areas highly influenced by seasonal tourist activities. This study investigated the distribution and characterization of MPs, including abundance, size, shape, and color, in seven Virginia State Parks within the James River Watershed (Douthat, Natural Bridge, Holliday Lake, James River, Powhatan, Pocahontas, and Chippokes Plantation State Parks). The MP concentration among the seven locations in the watershed had a significant difference (p < 0.05) and ranged from 0–26.5 particles/L with a mean of 8.33 ± 1.39 particles/L. The mountain region water bodies (Douthat and Natural Bridge) had the lowest MP concentration (< 4 particles/L), while the mainstream water bodies had a significantly higher MP concentration than other water bodies (10–20 particles/L) (p < 0.01). The size, shape, and color of MPs were also significantly different among all locations (p < 0.05). Faded and aged fragments with sizes below 1 mm were the most abundant, suggesting that terrestrial MPs were the most influencing source at most of the State Parks, and weathering effects have played a significant role in the fragmentation of plastics. In addition, a significantly positive relationship between MP concentration and the fraction of overnight guests was found (p < 0.0001). Our study indicated that State Parks and protected areas are polluted by MPs, which may pose potential harm to the surrounding environment, including both wildlife and humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Isolating phylogenetic signal from morphological data is crucial for accurately merging fossils into the tree of life and for calibrating molecular dating. However, subjective character definition is a major limitation which can introduce biases that mislead phylogenetic inferences and divergence time estimation. The use of quantitative data, e.g., geometric morphometric (GMM; shape) data can allow for more objective integration of morphological data into phylogenetic inference. This systematic review describes the current state of the field in using continuous morphometric data (e.g., GMM data) for phylogenetic reconstruction and assesses the efficacy of these data compared to discrete characters using the PRISMA-EcoEvo v1.0. reporting guideline, and offers some pathways for approaching this task with GMM data. A comprehensive search string yielded 11,123 phylogenetic studies published in English up to Oct 2023 in the Web of Science database. Title and abstract screening removed 10,975 articles, and full-text screening was performed for 132 articles. Of these, a total of twelve articles met final inclusion criteria and were used for downstream analyses. Results Phylogenetic performance was compared between approaches that employed continuous morphometric and discrete morphological data. Overall, the reconstructed phylogenies did not show increased resolution or accuracy (i.e., benchmarked against molecular phylogenies) as continuous data alone or combined with discrete morphological datasets. Conclusions An exhaustive search of the literature for existing empirical continuous data resulted in a total of twelve articles for final inclusion following title/abstract, and full-text screening. Our study was performed under a rigorous framework for systematic reviews, which showed that the lack of available comparisons between discrete and continuous data hinders our understanding of the performance of continuous data. Our study demonstrates the problem surrounding the efficacy of continuous data as remaining relatively intractable despite an exhaustive search, due in part to the difficulty in obtaining relevant comparisons from the literature. Thus, we implore researchers to address this issue with studies that collect discrete and continuous data sets with directly comparable properties (i.e., describing shape, or size).

Downstream pebble variability in river systems is assessed through various methods, with recent emphasis on efficient, time-saving semi-automatic processes involving photography and digital analysis. The Inaouène Valley, however, lacked a comprehensive survey of its main channel using either manual or image-based methods. This study bridges this gap by combining both approaches to analyze the downstream evolution of surface pebbles' morphometric parameters along approximately 60 km of the Inaouène's middle reach. Our research focuses on two key aspects: grain size and particle shape. Results reveal a general downstream trend of size fining, increasing circularity and decreasing elongation, primarily attributed to abrasion and travel distance. Notably, this pattern is interrupted by localized variations associated with tributary inputs and sediment recycling processes. This study significantly contributes to the understanding of fluvial sediment dynamics in the Inaouène Valley. Its findings have broad implications, supporting ecological assessment and restoration efforts, while also informing decision-making in river engineering and management. By providing a comprehensive analysis of pebble characteristics and their downstream evolution, this research establishes a foundation for future geomorphological studies and practical applications in river system management.

[Objective] Aiming at the problems of low accuracy and poor robustness in the previous classification methods based on artificial features. [Methods] A strong generalization automatic classification method of potato shape and size was proposed in this study. First, two potato ViT models were built based on Transformer model to complete potato shape grading and size grading tasks in parallel. Secondly, a robust model was trained by using migration strategy and data augmentation method. Finally, the effectiveness of this method in potato grading was verified by quantitative analysis of test sets. [Results] The experimental results show that the potato ViT model achieves 96.36% and 94.75% for potato shape classification, and 89.66% and 85.16% for size grading in terms of accuracy and μF1 index. The classification accuracy was better than VGG16, ResNet50 and MobileNetV3 network models. [Conclusion] The results shows that it is feasible to apply the proposed method for the real-time and accurate detection of potato shape and size. The results of this study can provide theoretical and technical support for potato intelligent grading.

Websites commonly use visual formats to display numerical product ratings. Highlighting the overlooked notion of the "aesthetics" of product ratings, the current research examines how the shape of basic visual rating units (rectangular vs. non-rectangular) influences product preference. Seven experiments (and 23 supplementary experiments; N  =   17,994) demonstrate a visual rounding effect. Specifically, compared to the rectangular rating format (e.g. bar ratings), the non-rectangular rating format (e.g. star ratings) increases product preference when product ratings (e.g. 3.7, 3.8, 3.9) are below the nearest integer. In contrast, the non-rectangular rating format decreases product preference when product ratings (e.g. 4.1, 4.2, 4.3) are above the nearest integer. Occurring for both the overall rating and by-attribute ratings of a product, the visual rounding effect results from a visual completeness restoration process, wherein consumers perceive non-rectangular rating units to be incomplete after vertical cutting. This research contributes to the product rating and visual marketing literatures and provides actionable implications by demonstrating what visual rating format should be adopted based on rating distribution, how the visual rounding effect can be prevented if needed, and who are even more susceptible to the visual rounding effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the ability of the pressure gradient between breast lesions and adjacent normal tissue estimated by 3D subharmonic-aided pressure estimation (SHAPE) to characterize indeterminate breast lesions. This prospective study enrolled patients scheduled for ultrasound-guided needle biopsies of a breast lesion. Before the biopsy, 3D SHAPE data were collected from the breast lesion during the infusion of an ultrasound contrast agent (Definity) as well as after clearance of the agent. Direct, invasive pressure measurements in the lesion and adjacent normal tissue were then obtained using an intracompartmental pressure monitoring system (C2DX) before tissue sampling as part of the biopsy procedure. The mean SHAPE gradient and invasive measurement gradient between the lesion and adjacent normal tissue were compared to the biopsy results. The SHAPE gradients were also compared to the invasive pressure gradients. There were 8 malignant and 13 benign lesions studied. The SHAPE gradients and invasive pressure gradients were significantly different between the benign and malignant lesions (2.86 ± 3.24 vs. -0.03 ± 1.72 a.u.; p = 0.03 and 9.9 ± 8.5 vs. 20.9 ± 8.0 mmHg; p = 0.008, respectively). The area under the curves, specificities, and sensitivities for detecting malignancy by SHAPE gradients and invasive pressure gradients were 0.79 and 0.88, 77% and 92%, and 88% and 50%, respectively. A weak negative correlation was found between the SHAPE and invasive pressure gradients (r = -0.2). The pressure gradient between a breast lesion and adjacent normal tissue estimated by 3D SHAPE shows potential for characterizing indeterminate breast lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Vitis IMIDRA collection contains 3699 entries, representing a significant percentage of the variation in traditional and commercial Vitis cultivars used in Spain. The classification and identification of new entries are currently conducted based on ampelography and molecular methods. Here, we propose a new method of classification of the cultivars based on seed morphology and its application to a total of 224 varieties from the collection. Based on seed shape, fourteen groups have been defined according to the similarity of the seeds, with geometric figures used as models. The new models are Cariñena Blanca, Chardonnay, Parraleta, and Parduca, defining new groups to be added to the ten groups previously described. The study results in 14 groups comprising the Spanish cultivar’s seed shape and morphological variation. Seed morphology can help to identify varieties cultivated in the past through archaeological finds.

The three honey bee phenotypes - queens, workers, and drones differ in the size and shape of body parts. We used a large dataset to describe how the three phenotypes differed with regard to fore wings and applied the methodology of geometric morphometrics to measure the wings using the coordinates of nineteen landmarks. On average, queens had wings larger than workers, but the two castes had a broad overlap. Drones, on the other hand, had distinctly larger wings. Wing shape differed markedly among queens, workers and drones and can be used to reliably differentiate them from one other. Surprisingly, the fore wing shape of workers was more similar to that of drones than to that of queens. Small queens were not more similar to workers than large queens, and large workers were not more similar to queens than small workers. Because wing size, unlike body mass, does not change over the life of the queen, it can be used to evaluate the quality of a queen throughout its life and not only during a short period after emergence. We provide a large number of wing images of queens and drones, which can be used as a reference in future studies.

Due to the rising number of incidents of bridge failure, scouring around bridges has received a lot of attention. Accurate scour depth prediction is a challenge for researchers and experts, despite massive global research efforts. Estimation the scour depth is crucial for both a safety and economy. Numerous factors affect the scour depth. In this work, the scour depth of three distinct pier geometries – circular, oblong, and rectangular – is thoroughly investigated, and the effect of water depth and discharge on the scour depth of a given geometry is evaluated. Three pier shapes were the subject of a total of 27 trials, nine of which combined three discharges with varying flume water depth. Experimental observation of scour depth shows good agreement with analytical and numerical scour depth values. A comparative examination of analytical, experimental, and numerical findings indicates that numerical models can effectively estimate scour depth, offering a cost-effective and time-saving methodology. Results showed that circular and oblong pier geometry shows lesser scour depth than rectangular pier geometry for a specific combination of flow depth and discharge. Scour depth decreased with increasing flume water depth for the same discharge. For the constant flume water depth, higher discharge results in greater scour depth.

Simple Summary: Abatus is a genus of sea urchin that inhabits the Southern Ocean. Among the 11 described species, three shared morphological traits and live in intertidal zones in Patagonia (A. cavernosus), Kerguelen (A. cordatus), Antarctica, and Tierra del Fuego (A. agassizii). The relationships between Abatus species are complicated and have not been clarified yet. This study analyzed shape variation among these species. The shape of 72 individuals from four locations in the South Shetlands, Kerguelen, Patagonia, and Falklands/Malvinas, were evaluated. Differences in shape were found in all four locations. Especially, the Falklands/Malvinas group showed a marked difference in shape compared to other localities. The possibility that the Falklands/Malvinas group shows phenotypic plasticity or represents a distinct evolutionary unit is discussed. Finally, the methodology used in this study proved to be a powerful tool to differentiate these species, highlighting its utility in systematic studies. Abatus is a genus of irregular brooding sea urchins to the Southern Ocean. Among the 11 described species, three shared morphological traits and present an infaunal lifestyle in the infralittoral from the Subantarctic province; A. cavernosus in Patagonia, A. cordatus in Kerguelen, and A. agassizii in Tierra del Fuego and South Shetlands. The systematic of Abatus, based on morphological characters and incomplete phylogenies, is complex and largely unresolved. This study evaluates the shape variation among these species using geometric morphometrics analysis (GM). For this, 72 individuals from four locations; South Shetlands, Kerguelen, Patagonia, and Falklands/Malvinas were photographed, and 37 landmarks were digitized. To evaluate the shape differences among species, a principal component analysis and a Procrustes ANOVA were performed. Our results showed a marked difference between the Falklands/Malvinas and the other localities, characterized by a narrower and more elongated shape and a significant influence of location in shape but not sex. Additionally, the effect of allometry was evaluated using a permutation test and a regression between shape and size, showing significant shape changes during growth in all groups. The possibility that the Falklands/Malvinas group shows phenotypic plasticity or represents a distinct evolutionary unit is discussed. Finally, GM proved to be a powerful tool to differentiate these species, highlighting its utility in systematic studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we will introduce a novel argument (the “Region Argument”) that objects do not have frame‐independent shapes in special relativity. The Region Argument lacks vulnerabilities present in David Chalmers' argument for that conclusion based on length contraction. We then examine how views on persistence interact with the Region Argument. We argue that this argument and standard four‐dimensionalist assumptions entail that nothing in a relativistic world has any shape, not even stages or the regions occupied by them. We also argue that endurantists have viable ways of preserving shape despite the Region Argument. The upshot of these arguments is that contrary to conventional wisdom, considerations about shape in relativity support endurantism rather than four‐dimensionalism. We conclude by examining the implications of our discussion for the debate over Edenic shapes, noting that endurantists have a satisfying response to skeptical arguments about Edenic shapes similar to the one they have against the Region Argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The branched architecture of neuronal dendrites is a key factor in how neurons form ordered networks and discoveries continue to be made identifying proteins and protein–protein interactions that direct or execute the branching and extension of dendrites. Our prior work showed that the molecular scaffold Pdlim5 and delta-catenin, in conjunction, are two proteins that help regulate the branching and elongation of dendrites in cultured hippocampal neurons and do so through a phosphorylation-dependent mechanism triggered by upstream glutamate signaling. In this report we have focused on Pdlim5's multiple scaffolding domains and how each contributes to dendrite branching. The three identified regions within Pdlim5 are the PDZ, DUF, and a trio of LIM domains; however, unresolved is the intra-molecular conformation of Pdlim5 as well as which domains are essential to regulate dendritic branching. We address Pdlim5's structure and function by examining the role of each of the domains individually and using deletion mutants in the context of the full-length protein. Results using primary hippocampal neurons reveal that the Pdlim5 DUF domain plays a dominant role in increasing dendritic branching. Neither the PDZ domain nor the LIM domains alone support increased branching. The central role of the DUF domain was confirmed using deletion mutants in the context of full-length Pdlim5. Guided by molecular modeling, additional domain mapping studies showed that the C-terminal LIM domain forms a stable interaction with the N-terminal PDZ domain, and we identified key amino acid residues at the interface of each domain that are needed for this interaction. We posit that the central DUF domain of Pdlim5 may be subject to modulation in the context of the full-length protein by the intra-molecular interaction between the N-terminal PDZ and C-terminal LIM domains. Overall, our studies reveal a novel mechanism for the regulation of Pdlim5's function in the regulation of neuronal branching and highlight the critical role of the DUF domain in mediating these effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pulsating airflow-driven gas-solid fluidization is an effective method to segregate particles of different densities. The current article presents an elaborate computational study on the development of simulation methodology, and parametric trend identification of pulsating airflow-driven granular segregation for the first time using computational fluid dynamics (CFD), discrete element modeling (DEM) coupled analysis. The rigorous validation of the computational prediction has been produced against the experimental result reported by Li et al. (2021) and an excellent agreement has been observed. Segregation behavior for different density ratios of particles, different patterns of pulsation, and different particle shapes is presented in the current article. The segregation index improves with the density ratio of the binary mixture of particles, but the rate of increment of the segregation index is highly dependent on the airflow rate. Near the optimal value of airflow rate, the rate of increment of the segregation index reduces with the density ratio. Keeping the bed height and material property constant, different patterns of pulsation namely—sinusoidal, triangular, and exponential have been adopted. The segregation index is higher for sinusoidal patterns, whereas it reduces when the pattern is changed to triangular and exponential. Particles of constant volume with different shapes are also considered to understand the effect of particle shape on segregation. The segregation index deteriorates with the increasing surface area of the particle at constant volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of sex on shape of goat astragalus via geometric morphometry method. A total of 37 astragalus bone samples collected from 16 female and 21 male goats were used as material. Bone samples were cleaned from skin and soft tissue and then macerated by boiling. Astragalus bone samples were photographed from a distance of 20 cm dorsally by focusing on the center of the bone. The photographs were transferred to the computer in JPEG format. Principal Component Analysis, Regression Analysis, Canonical Variate Analysis, and Discriminant Function Analysis were conducted using the Cartesian coordinate values, which were obtained by homologous landmark marking. The first two principal components accounted for 75.967% of the total shape variation. Shape variation was determined in different regions of the astragalus. According to the scatter plot of male and female individuals, male individuals were completely placed within the confidence interval ellipse of female individuals. It was found that allometric effect on the shape of astragalus bone was not statistically significant. As a result of Canonical Variate Analysis, mahalanobis and procrustes distances were detected as 2.9216 (p<0.0001) and 0.0645 (p=0.0035), respectively. This test indicated two female individuals in the group of males. The proximal of male goat astragalus was wider than that of female goats. The results of the Discriminate Function Analysis revealed that 8 of the female individuals and 7 of the male individuals were incorrectly grouped according to the cross validation scores. Geometric morphometry and the related analyses allowed to examine the differences between the astragalus bone samples of male and female goats. The fact that the astragalus bone of male goats was wider than that of females supported the studies using linear measurements in the literature. Consequently, the result indicating that sex factor had a limited grouping effect on astragalus shape in goats was obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Secondary and tertiary RNA structures play key roles in genome replication of single‐stranded positive sense RNA viruses. Complex, functional structures are particularly abundant in the untranslated regions of picornaviruses, where they are involved in initiation of translation, priming of new strand synthesis and genome circularization. The 5′ UTR of foot‐and‐mouth disease virus (FMDV) is predicted to include a c. 360 nucleotide‐long stem‐loop, termed the short (S) fragment. This structure is highly conserved and essential for viral replication, but the precise function(s) are unclear. Here, we used selective 2′ hydroxyl acetylation analyzed by primer extension (SHAPE) to experimentally determine aspects of the structure, alongside comparative genomic analyses to confirm structure conservation from a wide range of field isolates. To examine its role in virus replication in cell culture, we introduced a series of deletions to the distal and proximal regions of the stem‐loop. These truncations affected genome replication in a size‐dependent and, in some cases, host cell‐dependent manner. Furthermore, during the passage of viruses incorporating the largest tolerated deletion from the proximal region of the S fragment stem‐loop, an additional mutation was selected in the viral RNA‐dependent RNA polymerase, 3Dpol. These data suggest that the S fragment and 3Dpol interact in the formation of the FMDV replication complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical processes to change the hair shape can lead to damaged hair fibre. Here, we propose benign formulations based on different types of cellulose using imidazolium ionic liquids (ILs) and a commercial serum as solvents. Formulations with concentrations at 3% and 0.5% of HEC (Hydroxyethyl cellulose) and CMC (Carboxymethylcellulose) showed the best results after washing, around 10% of curling effect. Images from fluorescence microscopy enable to observe the coating layer formed on the surface of the hair fiber. ATR-FTIR corroborate the presence of functional groups of cellulose on the coated hair fiber. SEM images revealed that the treated hair fiber preserved it structural integrity, especially for the 3% CMC formulation. Those formulations also presented good mechanical wear determined by mass loss percentage. The novelty of this work is the methodology established associated with the cellulose formulation for hair modelling up to three washes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bifidobacterium bifidum SAM-VI riboswitch undergoes dynamic conformational changes that modulate downstream gene expression. Traditional structural methods such as crystallography capture the bound conformation at high resolution, and additional efforts would reveal details from the dynamic transition. Here, we revealed a transcription-dependent conformation model for Bifidobacterium bifidum SAM-VI riboswitch. In this study, we combine small-angle X-ray scattering, chemical probing, and isothermal titration calorimetry to unveil the ligand-binding properties and conformational changes of the Bifidobacterium bifidum SAM-VI riboswitch and its variants. Our results suggest that the SAM-VI riboswitch contains a pre-organized ligand-binding pocket and stabilizes into the bound conformation upon binding to SAM. Whether the P1 stem formed and variations in length critically influence the conformational dynamics of the SAM-VI riboswitch. Our study provides the basis for artificially engineering the riboswitch by manipulating its peripheral sequences without modifying the SAM-binding core. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zhuang ethnic minority the most populous ethnic minority in China boasts a long history and splendid national culture. The evolution of Zhuang traditional costumes is an important part of the Zhuang costume culture and has become a special carrier of Zhuang culture reflecting the lifestyle of the Zhuang and containing rich information about Zhuang culture. Using a combination of historical documentary information and field research and investigation methods the article finds through the field investigation of the traditional costumes of the Zhuang women in the Qing Dynasty and the contemporary Longsheng Zhuang costumes collected by the Longji Zhuang Eco-museum of Longsheng Guangxi Province that the form structure and decoration of the contemporary Longsheng Zhuang costumes have changed significantly from those of Longsheng Zhuang costumes of the Qing Dynasty which is a typical example of the development and evolution of the traditional costumes of the Zhuang people. The article focuses on the comparative analysis of the genealogical matrix characteristics of the Longsheng Zhuang traditional costumes in Guangxi and the contemporary costumes in an attempt to analyze the characteristics of the development and evolution of the Zhuang traditional costumes and to summarize the evolutionary factors. With focus on the comparative analysis of the shape structure decoration and other clothing genealogical matrix characteristics of the traditional and contemporary costumes of Longsheng Zhuang people in Guangxi the article explores the "changing and "unchanging costume genealogical matrix factors in the process of costume evolution and discusses the coupling perspectives of social change and cultural integration life style and environmental change and common ethnic consciousness of the Zhuang people. The article initially clarifies that the motivation of the evolution of the traditional costumes of the Zhuang people is often the result of the simultaneous action of a variety of factors and it provides certain theoretical reference for in-depth research on the genealogy of the Zhuang people's traditional costumes and it is of historical and practical significance for the excavation of cultural connotations behind the Zhuang people's traditional costumes as well as for the protection inheritance development and modern evolution of the national costumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yi horn pattern an indispensable part of the Yi pattern has a strong attribute of "pattern symbol" and is widely used in the form of embroidery patterns in the Yi costumes. It is a heavy historical precipitation of the Yi sheep culture. Nowadays there are few studies on Yi horn patterns in the academic circles and they are incorporated in the comprehensive field of Yi culture research and Yi dress research. There is a lack of systematic combing and summarization and a dearth of in-depth excavation of the level of cultural connotation. From the perspective of Saussure's semiotics this paper adopted the method of corroboration between relevant literature and physical objects and then explored the causes and cultural context of the development of Yi sheep's horn patterns by examining the historical evolution of the shape of the Yi sheep's horn pattern summarizing its organizational structure features and the rules of color application. Two major conclusions are drawn. Firstly at the signifier level the Yi sheep' s horn pattern presents abstract and geometric symbolic features and balanced and unified formal characteristics and the basic shape composition is the interdependent and opposite whirlwind image composed of two whirlwind images. After the evolution on the basis of maintaining the basic features many combinations of deformations appeared which were mostly used in combination with ferns and other botanical motifs reflecting the Yi people' s inheritance and innovation of this cultural symbol. In the layout and placement of its independent pattern the pattern form and the Yi costume structure fit each other its continuous patterns are mostly organized in a two-way organization to highlight the sense of order and solemnity the use of color and the whole show the characteristics of unity of opposition. Secondly at the level of the signified of the Yi horn pattern the Yi people live in the context of the sheep-based animal husbandry mode of production and the Yi horn pattern is regarded as a symbol of a carefree peaceful and well-being life and carries the Yi people' s pursuit of wealth and good fortune. At the same time the Yi horn pattern plays an important role in the Yi rituals and rules and system culture confirming the original totem worship of the Yi people and that the sheep also plays a fair and just symbol in the legal system of the Yi ethnic group. Finally the shape and structure of the Yi horn pattern contain the traditional concept of creation of the Yi ethnic group and its symmetrical structure and double helix shape are symbolic expression of the male and female concept of the Yi ethnic group. This paper analyzes the Yi ethnic group 's horn patterns through Saussure 's semiotics and summarizes the development evolution and characteristics of its shape structure so as to study the deep cultural connotation provide practical examples for the study of Yi ethnic group' s horn patterns and contribute to promoting Yi culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When representing high-level stimuli, such as faces and animals, we tend to emphasize salient features—such as a face's prominent cheekbones or a bird's pointed beak. Such mental caricaturing leaves traces in memory, which exaggerates these distinctive qualities. How broadly does this phenomenon extend? Here, in six experiments (N = 700 adults), we explored how memory automatically caricatures basic units of visual processing—simple geometric shapes—even without task-related demands to do so. Participants saw a novel shape and then immediately adjusted a copy of that shape to match what they had seen. Surprisingly, participants reconstructed shapes in exaggerated form, amplifying curvature, enlarging salient parts, and so on. Follow-up experiments generalized this bias to new parameters, ruled out strategic responding, and amplified the effects in serial transmission. Thus, even the most basic stimuli we encounter are remembered as caricatures of themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Orofacial clefts are complex congenital anomalies that call for comprehensive treatment based on a thorough assessment of the anatomy. This study aims to examine the effect of cleft type on craniofacial morphology using geometric morphometrics. Materials and methods: We evaluated lateral cephalograms of 75 patients with bilateral cleft lip and palate, 63 patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate, and 76 patients with isolated cleft palate. Generalized Procrustes analysis was performed on 16 hard tissue landmark coordinates. Shape variability was studied with principal component analysis. In a risk model approach, the first nine principal components (PC) were used to examine the effect of cleft type. Results: We found statistically significant differences in the mean shape between cleft types. The difference is greatest between bilateral cleft lip and palate and isolated cleft palate (distance of means 0.026, P = 0.0011). Differences between cleft types are most pronounced for PC4 and PC5 (P = 0.0001), which together account for 10% of the total shape variation. PC4 and PC5 show shape differences in the ratio of the upper to the lower face, the posterior mandibular height, and the mandibular angle. Conclusions: Cleft type has a statistically significant but weak effect on craniofacial morphological variability in patients with non-syndromic orofacial clefts, mainly in the vertical dimension. Clinical relevance: Understanding the effects of clefts on craniofacial morphology is essential to providing patients with treatment tailored to their specific needs. This study contributes to the literature particularly due to our risk model approach in lieu of a prediction model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Color and shape are important quality attributes in baked goods, particularly cookies. Composition and processing conditions determine and influence color development and morphological changes in these baked goods. The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate the evolution of color and shape during baking to determine useful correlations that can be implemented during the assessment and modeling of the baking process. Cookies (AACC‐I standard protocol 10‐53.01) were baked at 185, 205, and 225°C. Moisture content, water activity, surface temperature, characteristic dimensions (radius and thickness), and color indexes (lightness, redness, blueness, and browning index [BI]) were monitored at different locations on the cookie surface and baking times. Relationships among the tested conditions were explored using correlation analysis. The cookies' dimensions and color indexes were strongly correlated with changes in moisture content over time, and those relationships were characterized using empirical models. The temperature dependence of the kinetic parameters of the changes in lightness and BI was also described and deemed independent of the location on the cookie surface. This study provides insights into the influence of heat and mass transfer on the physical and physicochemical changes of cookies during baking. The kinetic and secondary models developed in this study can serve as important components for establishing a comprehensive approach for coupling heat transfer, mass transfer, and reaction kinetics to estimate and optimize cookie‐baking processes. Practical Application: The findings from this study provide valuable information for better understanding the morphological changes and color developments during the cookie‐baking process. The quantitative data and models generated in this study will allow identifying baking conditions for better quality development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author has formulated a qualitative method to determine the effective thermal conductivity variation in nanomaterials with respect to their dimension and size. The model includes the impact of shape, size, dimension and increased phonon scattering in nanomaterial due to the thermal resistance. In the present work, Guisbier’s top-down approach is used to obtain the thermal conductivity expression in terms of size and shape factor. The effective thermal conductivity of the nanomaterial is deduced using the effective medium approach that help to find the thermal conductivity in nanomaterial based on Kapitza thermal resistance effect. The model approach predicts the increment in the thermal conductivity of nanomaterial with size increment. The Kapitza thermal resistance in nanosolids results in increase in Phonon scattering in nanosolids with size reduction to nanoregime. The effective thermal conductivity is determined in AlN, GaN, GaAs, InAs and ZnO semiconducting compounds with respect to size in spherical and tetrahedral nanoparticles; cylindrical and parallelopiped nanowires and nanofilms. The model results obtained are compared with available experimental and simulated data. Good consistency between the compared results is observed in graphical representations. The model shows a drastic drop in effective thermal conductivity in nanosolids with their size reduction that increases the figure of merit in nanomaterials for using them in thermoelectric devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) have become an important part of advanced human-computer interactions. Its essence is to infer people's ideas or purposes through brain signals to realize human-computer communication. BCI systems based on steady-state visual-evoked potentials (SSVEP) are widely used in the field of BCI because of their high information transfer rate (ITR), low training requirements, and simple system structure. To explore a reasonable design method of visual stimulation in an SSVEP-BCI interactive interface, this study completed two experiments based on the shape and presentation of visual stimulation. Experiment 1 explored the optimal shapes of different visual stimuli. The results indicated that there were significant differences in task completion times for different stimulus shapes. Combined with ergonomics experiment and subjective evaluation results, the circular was the optimal stimulus shape. Experiment 2 used different numbers of auxiliary stimuli under the condition of circular stimulus. The results showed significant differences in task completion time for various auxiliary stimuli, and the number of auxiliary stimuli negatively correlated with task completion time. Through subjective evaluation, it was found that all the median scores of the usability index increased when there were more auxiliary stimuli. The recommended number of auxiliary stimuli was eight. This research provides significant evidence for the design of visual stimulation for SSVEP-BCI systems. The experimental conclusions are of great value for improving the interaction efficiency of SSVEP-BCI systems, enhancing user experience, and expanding application fields. They will also provide new directions and ideas for the interface design of BCI systems, visual stimulation design, and application of advanced interaction technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments revealed similar neural representations across different types of two-dimensional (2-D) visual stimuli; however, real three-dimensional (3-D) objects affording action differentially affect neural activation and behavioral results relative to 2-D objects. Recruitment of multiple sensory regions during unisensory (visual, haptic, and auditory) object shape tasks suggests that shape representation may be modality invariant. This mini-review explores the overlapping neural regions involved in object shape representation, across 2-D, 3-D, visual, and haptic experiments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generative design is a technique which enables the research person or design engineer to study and apply various parameters of mechanical design to design software. This process allows the application of the information used as an input to design software, and producing various outputs in a form of CAD models with optimized results in terms of volume and mass, shape without varying the strength and other such aspects of the safe design. It is a fast process compared to traditional method, which gives us the modified design defining high strength of the structure obtained. On using a Generative Design technique the various alternatives of the target component can be achieved in an optimized form. In this article the analysis is carried on software ANSYS 18.1. On applying various constraints of design to this Generative model it has produced different unique geometries to the research person or design engineer in the form of three dimensional models. On performing various case studies one case was found most suitable and perfect alternative of the basic standard design. Which gave the best alternative result with reduction in mass of tool geometry by 57.39%.The purpose of this research is to lower the material costing, for manufacturing of the husk extracting tool of coconuts used in hydraulically operated coconut de-husking machine. On basis of thorough study and analysis of the basic design of de-husking tool we had obtained some newly modified results by applying the Generative Design and Topology optimization technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional continuous emotion prediction systems are typically trained to predict the ‘average’ of affect ratings obtained from multiple human annotators. These systems, however, ignore the ambiguity inherent in the perceived emotions, which is not captured by the ‘average rating’. This paper presents a novel ambiguity-aware continuous emotion prediction system that predicts the time-varying emotion state as a series of beta distributions. Our recent work has shown beta distributions to be an effective parametric model of a collection of affect ratings. This work develops an appropriate cost function that enables neural networks to be trained to predict beta distributions. It also investigates the choice of parameterization of the beta distribution, the choice of activation functions of the output layer, and the tractability of gradient definitions in combination with the loss function. The proposed framework is implemented using a Bag-of-Audio-Words front-end and an LSTM-based back-end and evaluated on the RECOLA dataset. In addition to comparison with baseline systems that only predict the ‘average rating’, the effectiveness with which the predictions represent ambiguity in perceived emotions is also evaluated. Experimental results reveal that the proposed approach outperforms other ambiguity-aware systems, especially when predicting valence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently audio-driven talking face video generation has attracted considerable attention. However, very few researches address the issue of emotional editing of these talking face videos with continuously controllable expressions, which is a strong demand in the industry. The challenge is that speech-related expressions and emotion-related expressions are often highly coupled. Meanwhile, traditional image-to-image translation methods cannot work well in our application due to the coupling of expressions with other attributes such as poses, i.e., translating the expression of the character in each frame may simultaneously change the head pose due to the bias of the training data distribution. In this paper, we propose a high-quality facial expression editing method for talking face videos, allowing the user to control the target emotion in the edited video continuously. We present a new perspective for this task as a special case of motion information editing, where we use a 3DMM to capture major facial movements and an associated texture map modeled by a StyleGAN to capture appearance details. Both representations (3DMM and texture map) contain emotional information and can be continuously modified by neural networks and easily smoothed by averaging in coefficient/latent spaces, making our method simple yet effective. We also introduce a mouth shape preservation loss to control the trade-off between lip synchronization and the degree of exaggeration of the edited expression. Extensive experiments and a user study show that our method achieves state-of-the-art performance across various evaluation criteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Simple Summary: Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most common malignant brain tumor in children and has a dismal prognosis. A challenge with MB is identifying patients who could be candidates for reduced doses of radiation therapy, but are still treated effectively, as well as those that need intensified doses. Recently, MB was classified into four molecular subgroups with distinct clinical outcomes (WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4). Though two of these subgroups (SHH and Group 4) are known for their intermediate prognosis, wide disparities of outcomes have been reported within each of these subgroups. This work aims to develop a prognostic signature using radiomics (computationally derived tumor measurements), acquired on MRI scans, to risk-stratify patients within the SHH and Group 4 subgroups. Our signature includes two key attributes that capture aspects of the disease microenvironment. We believe that our signature will provide a better understanding of the disease's heterogeneity and, hence, develop better personalized treatment plans. Medulloblastoma (MB) is the most frequent malignant brain tumor in children with extensive heterogeneity that results in varied clinical outcomes. Recently, MB was categorized into four molecular subgroups, WNT, SHH, Group 3, and Group 4. While SHH and Group 4 are known for their intermediate prognosis, studies have reported wide disparities in patient outcomes within these subgroups. This study aims to create a radiomic prognostic signature, medulloblastoma radiomics risk (mRRisk), to identify the risk levels within the SHH and Group 4 subgroups, individually, for reliable risk stratification. Our hypothesis is that this signature can comprehensively capture tumor characteristics that enable the accurate identification of the risk level. In total, 70 MB studies (48 Group 4, and 22 SHH) were retrospectively curated from three institutions. For each subgroup, 232 hand-crafted features that capture the entropy, surface changes, and contour characteristics of the tumor were extracted. Features were concatenated and fed into regression models for risk stratification. Contrasted with Chang stratification that did not yield any significant differences within subgroups, significant differences were observed between two risk groups in Group 4 (p = 0.04, Concordance Index (CI) = 0.82) on the cystic core and non-enhancing tumor, and SHH (p = 0.03, CI = 0.74) on the enhancing tumor. Our results indicate that radiomics may serve as a prognostic tool for refining MB risk stratification, towards improved patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tungsten carbide was manufactured by picosecond laser in this study. Shapes of the ablated craters evolved from parabolic‐like (less than 10 pulses) to Gaussian‐like (more than 500 pulses) as the pulse number increased. The shape changes were closely associated with the discontinuous diameter expansion of ablated crater. To explain these phenomena, two thresholds were identified: an upper threshold of 0.129 J/cm2 and a lower threshold of 0.099 J/cm2. When the laser energy exceeded the upper threshold, ablation occurred under the laser‐energy‐dominated mode. When the laser energy fell between the upper and lower thresholds, ablation occurred under the cumulative‐effect‐dominated mode. The transition of ablation mode contributed to the diameter expansion and shape change. In addition, elemental composition varied significantly at the ablated crater and heat‐affected zone (HAZ), which were related to the degrees of reactions that occurred at different distances from the laser. Finally, surface hardness decreased from base material (32.52 GPa) to edge of crater (11.59 GPa) due to the escape of unpaired interstitial C atoms from the grain boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]