An MRI-compatible robotic system with hybrid tracking for MRI-guided prostate intervention

This paper reports the development, evaluation, and first clinical trials of the access to the prostate tissue (APT) II system-a scanner independent system for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-guided transrectal prostate interventions. The system utilizes novel manipulator mechanics employing a steerable needle channel and a novel six degree-of-freedom hybrid tracking method, comprising passive fiducial tracking for initial registration and subsequent incremental motion measurements. Targeting accuracy of the system in prostate phantom experiments and two clinical human-subject procedures is shown to compare favorably with existing systems using passive and active tracking methods. The portable design of the APT II system, using only standard MRI image sequences and minimal custom scanner interfacing, allows the system to be easily used on different MRI scanners.     

The effect of inulin as a fat replacer on the quality of low‐fat ice cream

The influence of different levels of inulin as fat replacer on the quality of ice cream was investigated. Inulin was added at 2, 4 and 6% to replace milk fat and the experimental ice creams were compared to a control with 10% milk fat. The chemical composition, overrun, water activity, viscosity, melting rate, hardness and colour value were determined. Sensory properties of the ice cream samples were evaluated during storage. The overall acceptability of ice creams prepared with 2 and 4% substitution were similar to the control.     

Parallel Formulations of Decision-Tree Classification Algorithms

Classification decision tree algorithms are used extensively for data mining in many domains such as retail target marketing, fraud detection, etc. Highly parallel algorithms for constructing classification decision trees are desirable for dealing with large data sets in reasonable amount of time. Algorithms for building classification decision trees have a natural concurrency, but are difficult to parallelize due to the inherent dynamic nature of the computation. In this paper, we present parallel formulations of classification decision tree learning algorithm based on induction. We describe two basic parallel formulations. One is based on Synchronous Tree Construction Approach and the other is based on Partitioned Tree Construction Approach. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of using these methods and propose a hybrid method that employs the good features of these methods. We also provide the analysis of the cost of computation and communication of the proposed hybrid method. Moreover, experimental results on an IBM SP-2 demonstrate excellent speedups and scalability.     

Cancer Therapy-Induced Cardiotoxicity—A Metabolic Perspective on Pathogenesis,Diagnosis and Therapy

Long-term cardiovascular complications of cancer therapy are becoming ever more prevalent due to increased numbers of cancer survivors. Cancer therapy-induced cardiotoxicity (CTIC) is an incompletely understood consequence of various chemotherapies, targeted anti-cancer agents and radiation therapy. It is typically detected clinically by a reduction in cardiac left ventricular ejection fraction, assessed by echocardiography. However, once cardiac functional decline is apparent, this indicates irreversible cardiac damage, highlighting a need for the development of diagnostics which can detect CTIC prior to the onset of functional decline. There is increasing evidence to suggest that pathological alterations to cardiac metabolism play a crucial role in the development of CTIC. This review discusses the metabolic alterations and mechanisms which occur in the development of CTIC, with a focus on doxorubicin, trastuzumab, imatinib, ponatinib, sunitinib and radiotherapy. Potential methods to diagnose and predict CTIC prior to functional cardiac decline in the clinic are evaluated, with a view to both biomarker and imaging-based approaches. Finally, the therapeutic potential of therapies which manipulate cardiac metabolism in the context of adjuvant cardioprotection against CTIC is examined. Together, an integrated view of the role of metabolism in pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment is presented.     

Ascorbate–Glutathione Oxidant Scavengers,Metabolome Analysis and Adaptation Mechanisms of Ion Exclusion in Sorghum under Salt Stress

Salt stress is one of the major significant restrictions that hamper plant development and agriculture ecosystems worldwide. Novel climate-adapted cultivars and stress tolerance-enhancing molecules are increasingly appreciated to mitigate the detrimental impacts of adverse stressful conditions. Sorghum is a valuable source of food and a potential model for exploring and understanding salt stress dynamics in cereals and for gaining a better understanding of their physiological pathways. Herein, we evaluate the antioxidant scavengers, photosynthetic regulation, and molecular mechanism of ion exclusion transporters in sorghum genotypes under saline conditions. A pot experiment was conducted in two sorghum genotypes viz. SSG 59-3 and PC-5 in a climate-controlled greenhouse under different salt concentrations (60, 80, 100, and 120 mM NaCl). Salinity drastically affected the photosynthetic machinery by reducing the accumulation of chlorophyll pigments and carotenoids. SSG 59-3 alleviated the adverse effects of salinity by suppressing oxidative stress (H₂O₂) and stimulating enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidant activities (SOD, APX, CAT, POD, GR, GST, DHAR, MDHAR, GSH, ASC, proline, GB), as well as protecting cell membrane integrity (MDA, electrolyte leakage). Salinity also influenced Na⁺ ion efflux and maintained a lower cytosolic Na⁺/K⁺ ratio via the concomitant upregulation of SbSOS1, SbSOS2, and SbNHX-2 and SbV-Ppase-II ion transporter genes in sorghum genotypes. Overall, these results suggest that Na⁺ ions were retained and detoxified, and less stress impact was observed in mature and younger leaves. Based on the above, we deciphered that SSG 59-3 performed better by retaining higher plant water status, photosynthetic assimilates and antioxidant potential, and the upregulation of ion transporter genes and may be utilized in the development of resistant sorghum lines in saline regions.     

Environment-friendly and cost-effective solution for flexible packaging printing process by advancement in engraving process

Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy - Organic solvents have been commonly used in the printing process for a long time in gravure printing applications. Using organic solvents in...     

Remarkably Selective Propylene–Propane Separation Using a Copper Scorpionate

Propylene is a crucial building block to produce many industrial-scale chemicals including polypropylene. The separation of propylene from propane to reach the high-purity levels needed for downstream applications is a difficult task due to the close similarities in their physical properties. The olefin/paraffin separation including that involving propylene mainly relies on highly energy-intensive distillation processes and accounts for nearly 0.3% of the global energy consumption. The utility of a copper complex supported by a fluorinated bis(pyrazolyl)borate is demonstrated to accomplish the separation of propylene from propane repeatedly, under mild conditions with high selectivity. Complete characterization of a rare, copper(I) propylene complex is also reported including the molecular structure.     

Three point bending and tensile properties of bio-additive polydopamine-coated 3D printing-based distal ulna small locking bone plates: Future need of orthopedic implants

Polylactic acid (PLA)-based implants fabricated by 3D Printing process are biocompatible, porous in nature and light in weight. These biomimetic implants can be used as an alternative to metallic implants. However, such PLA-based implants lack mechanical strength, limiting their application in biomedical field. In the present study, direct immersion coating technique has been used for application of polydopamine coating followed by studying the effect of input process parameters such as infill density, immersion time, speed of incubator shaker and concentration of coating solution using response surface methodology (RSM)-based approach. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) has been applied for prediction of statistical models with respect to ultimate tensile and flexural strengths. The effect of individual process parameters has been discussed using main effect plots and the interactions occurring between significant parameters has been discussed using response surface and contour plots. From the findings, it was evident that infill density was highly significant parameter followed by immersion time, speed of incubator shaker and concentration of coating solution. Also, the mechanical properties improved with increase in infill density and immersion time. However, they initially increased and then decreased with increase in speed of incubator shaker and concentration of coating solution.     

A note on the existence and optimal control for mixed Volterra–Fredholm-type integrodifferential dispersion system of third order

The optimal control problem consists of a performance index subject to a set of differential equations that describes the path of the control and state variables. The main aim of this article is to prove the existence and uniqueness of a mild solution, optimal control, and time-optimal control of a mixed Volterra–Fredholm-type third-order dispersion system. By applying the strongly continuous semigroup theory and the Banach fixed-point theorem, we prove the existence and uniqueness of the considered system. The optimal control results are proved by using Mazur's lemma, Gronwall's inequality, and the minimizing sequence technique. The discussion on the time-optimal control of the third-order dispersion system is also presented.     

Parachute shape ultra-wideband wearable antenna for remote health care monitoring

Wireless body area networks (WBAN) is used to measure patients' health conditions continuously. Different kinds of sensors are required to measure health conditions. When such types of antennas are used on the human body, they are flexible with the movements. The usage of wearable devices is currently increasing in the biomedical field. The presented wearable antenna is suitable for biomedical applications. The presented ultra-wideband (UWB) flexible parachute shape wearable antenna is fabricated on a jeans textile substrate. The prototype antenna has a −10 dB measured impedance bandwidth of 5800 MHz (7 to 12.8 GHz) with average radiation efficiency of 75.28%. The prototype antenna's size is 40 × 40 mm² (1.32 × 1.32 ${\lambda }_0^2$ at centre frequency 9.9 GHz) and a peak gain of 4.5 dB at 12.33 GHz. The fabricated antenna is suitable for biomedical applications in X-band frequencies and can be implemented with a low-cost manufacturing process. The radiating element is made by conductive copper tape. Muscle-equivalent phantoms are used to analyze the body effect on antenna performance. The radiation effect emitted by the presented antenna on the human body is calculated by the specific absorption rate (SAR) value. The maximum SAR value of the proposed antenna is 1.84 W/kg at 12.33 GHz. This leads to promising results for wearable applications related to remote health care monitoring, such as biotelemetry and mobile health with a sensor-driven approach.