Mutual information maximizing GAN inversion for real face with identity preservation

Recent generative adversarial networks (GANs) have yielded remarkable performance in face image synthesis. GAN inversion embeds an image into the latent space of a pretrained generator, enabling it to be used for real face manipulation. However, current inversion approaches for real faces suffer the dilemma of initialization collapse and identity loss. In this paper, we propose a hierarchical GAN inversion for real faces with identity preservation based on mutual information maximization. We first use a facial domain guaranteed initialization to avoid the initialization collapse. Furthermore, we prove that maximizing the mutual information between inverted faces and their identities is equivalent to minimizing the distance between identity features from inverted and original faces. Optimization for real face inversion with identity preservation is implemented on this mutual information-maximizing constraint. Extensive experimental results show that our approach outperforms state-of-the-art solutions for inverting and editing real faces, particularly in terms of face identity preservation.     

Influence of radiation and viscous dissipation on MHD heat transfer Casson nanofluid flow along a nonlinear stretching surface with chemical reaction

The present article investigates the influence of Joule heating and chemical reaction on magneto Casson nanofluid phenomena in the occurrence of thermal radiation through a porous inclined stretching sheet. Consideration is extended to heat absorption/generation and viscous dissipation. The governing partial differential equations were transformed into nonlinear ordinary differential equations and numerically solved using the Implicit Finite Difference technique. The article analyses the effect of various physical flow parameters on velocity, heat, and mass transfer distributions. For the various involved parameters, the graphical and numerical outcomes are established. The analysis reveals that the enhancement of the radiation parameter increases the temperature and the chemical reaction parameter decreases the concentration profile. The empirical data presented were compared with previously published findings.     

Nonsimilar solution of a boundary layer flow of a Reiner–Philippoff fluid with nonlinear thermal convection

The thermodynamics modeling of a Reiner–Philippoff-type fluid is essential because it is a complex fluid with three distinct probable modifications. This fluid model can be modified to describe a shear-thinning, Newtonian, or shear-thickening fluid under varied viscoelastic conditions. This study constructs a mathematical model that describes a boundary layer flow of a Reiner–Philippoff fluid with nonlinear radiative heat flux and temperature- and concentration-induced buoyancy force. The dynamical model follows the usual conservation laws and is reduced through a nonsimilar group of transformations. The resulting equations are solved using a spectral-based local linearization method, and the accuracy of the numerical results is validated through the grid dependence and convergence tests. Detailed analyses of the effects of specific thermophysical parameters are presented through tables and graphs. The study reveals, among other results, that the buoyancy force, solute and thermal expansion coefficients, and thermal radiation increase the overall wall drag, heat, and mass fluxes. Furthermore, the study shows that amplifying the space and temperature-dependent heat source parameters allows fluid particles to lose their cohesive force and, consequently, maximize flow and heat transfer.     

Thermal properties of hierarchical YSZ and LZO ceramic microspheres with multi-scaled voids investigated by using theoretical,experimental and simulation methods

Heat transfer within ceramic feedstock powders is still unclear, which impedes optimization of the thermal and mechanical properties of the thermal sprayed coatings. The microspheres (yttria-stabilized zirconia YSZ and lanthanum zirconate LZO) were prepared via the electro-spraying assisted phase inversion method (ESP). The thermal properties of the two ESP microspheres and a commercial hollow spherical powder (HOSP) were investigated by using theoretical, experimental, and simulation methods. Thermal conductivity of the single microsphere was estimated via a novel nest model that was derived from the Maxwell-Eucken 1 and the EMT model. Thermal conductivity of a single YSZ/LZO-ESP microsphere prepared at 1100–1200 °C was within 0.36–0.75 W/m K, which was ～ 20 % lower than that of a single YSZ-HOSP microsphere with a similar porosity. Heat flux simulation showed that high tortuosity around the multi-scaled voids of the ESP microsphere led to a more efficient decrease in thermal conductivity compared with total porosity.     

红外辐射联合回火与冷激杀菌技术对胡萝卜粉品质的影响

首先研究不同红外辐射温度(100,110,120℃)及辐射时间(2.5,5,10 min)对胡萝卜粉微生物及品质的影响,然后根据栅栏效应原理研究红外辐射-回火、红外辐射-冷激联合杀菌对胡萝卜粉微生物、色调值、类胡萝卜素含量等品质的影响。结果表明:100℃、10 min的红外辐射处理使细菌和真菌分别降低了1.9 lg(CFU/g)和2.32 lg(CFU/g),110℃、5 min的红外辐射处使细菌和真菌分别降低了1.58 lg(CFU/g)和2.57 lg(CFU/g)。在上述两种处理条件下胡萝卜粉的水分活度从0.238分别降至0.123和0.147,胡萝卜粉中总类胡萝卜素含量从308.8μg/g降至227.8μg/g和238.8μg/g,色差值(ΔE)为9.11和7.89。与红外辐射单独作用相比,联合回火后的处理没有显著影响细菌数目,处理后保持在5.40~5.80 CFU/g,霉菌、酵母数却在处理过程中显著减少,然而减少量较低,总数仍不低于4.5 lg(CFU/g)。红外辐射-冷激联合处理相比红外辐射单独处理,100℃、10 min联合冷激7 d处理可将细菌数量降低0.25 lg(CFU/g),可将霉菌与酵母数量降低0.28 lg(CFU/g),110℃、5 min联合冷激7 d处可将细菌数量降低0.26 lg(CFU/g),可将霉菌、酵母数量降低0.40 lg(CFU/g),且这些处理下胡萝卜粉的色调值、水分活度、类胡萝卜素含量变化不显著。本试验结果表明,红外辐射-冷激处理具有协同效应,且处理过程中胡萝卜粉的色调值及总类胡萝卜素含量不受影响,这为低水分粉体食品红外辐射联合杀菌提供了参考。     

Design and fabrication of lutetium aluminum silicate glass and nanostructured glass for radiation detection

Flexible scintillating fiber plays an important role in X-ray radiation monitoring and high-resolution medical imaging, while construction of scintillating fiber derived from the commercial material system meet with limited success. Here, we report the design and successful fabrication of the Ce-activated lutetium aluminum silicate glass, nanostructured glass, and fiber, and explore their scintillating properties. The scintillating glass with optimized composition and optical properties is determined. The crystallization behavior of lutetium aluminum silicate glass is studied and the nanostructured glass embedded with orthorhombic Lu₂Si₂O₇ phase is successfully constructed for the first time. Importantly, the crystalline layer thickness of the nanostructured glass can be finely tuned and ~172.89% enhancement in the scintillating performance can be achieved. Furthermore, the fiber with large sized core is fabricated and its radiation response properties are tested. The results show that it exhibits high sensitivity and its scintillating emission is lineally dependent on the X-ray power, indicating the potential application for radiation detection.     

Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) based diodes for ionizing radiation dosimetry applications

Accurate measurements of radiation dose are essential prerequisites for the safe and effective use of ionizing radiation in diagnostic and therapeutic medical applications. Recently, dosimeters based on organic polymers have been developed for this purpose. In this work, Poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT) based organic diodes were evaluated as potential radiation dosimeters by quantifying the radiation-induced photocurrent under various measurement conditions. Control devices were fabricated in which the P3HT was replaced by polystyrene (PS) for the purpose of quantifying the non-photocurrent contribution to the measured signal. Net photocurrent was determined by subtracting the signal from the PS devices from the signal in the P3HT devices under identical measurement conditions. The responses of these devices were tested in various beam qualities: 100 kVp, 180 kVp, 300 kVp and 6 MV, 18 MV photons. The influences of electric field, film thickness and dose rate on dosimeter sensitivity were investigated. The diodes produced a linear increase in current with increasing dose rate. They demonstrated an increase in sensitivity with increased instantaneous dose rate and an increase in sensitivity at the lowest average dose rates studied here. The sensitivities for different energies were 22.9 nC/Gy, 21.8 nC/Gy and 21.4 nC/Gy for 100 kVp, 180 kVp and 300 kVp, respectively; and 14.5 nC/Gy, 14.7 nC/Gy for 6 MV and 18 MV, respectively for device with P3HT thickness 29 μm.     

Ablative Radiotherapy Reprograms the Tumor Microenvironment of a Pancreatic Tumor in Favoring the Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy

The low overall survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer has driven research to seek a new therapeutic protocol. Radiotherapy (RT) is frequently an option in the neoadjuvant or palliative settings for pancreatic cancer treatment. This study explored the effect of RT protocols on the tumor microenvironment (TME) and their consequent impact on anti-programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1) therapy. Using a murine orthotopic pancreatic tumor model, UN-KC-6141, RT-disturbed TME was examined by immunohistochemical staining. The results showed that ablative RT is more effective than fractionated RT at recruiting T cells. On the other hand, fractionated RT induces more myeloid-derived suppressor cell infiltration than ablative RT. The RT-disturbed TME presents a higher perfusion rate per vessel. The increase in vessel perfusion is associated with a higher amount of anti-PD-L1 antibody being delivered to the tumor. Animal survival is increased by anti-PD-L1 therapy after ablative RT, with 67% of treated animals surviving more than 30 days after tumor inoculation compared to a median survival time of 16.5 days for the control group. Splenocytes isolated from surviving animals were specifically cytotoxic for UN-KC-6141 cells. We conclude that the ablative RT-induced TME is more suited than conventional RT-induced TME to combination therapy with immune checkpoint blockade.     

基于归一化水体指数及其阈值自适应算法的水体遥感反演效果分析

归一化水体指数（NDWI）是水体遥感反演的一种重要指标，其阈值及修正直接影响反演结果的精度。基于Landsat-8与GF-1光学多光谱影像，使用归一化水体指数法阈值0（TH₀）、最大类间方差法（OTSU）自适应阈值（TH_otsu）与均值漂移聚类算法（Mean-Shift）自适应阈值（TH_MS）分别对典型正常水体、云雾覆盖水体、富营养化水体、高含泥沙水体进行水体遥感提取与效果分析，结果表明：正常水体以TH₀为阈值提取精度最高，THMS提取精度次之，TH_otsu提取精度最差；而云雾覆盖水体、富营养化水体以及含泥沙水体使用THMS提取精度最高，尤其少量云雾覆盖下的水体，TH_MS具有更明显的优势，TH₀提取精度次之，TH_otsu提取精度最差；对于不同的阈值，Land?sat-8比GF-1总体表现出更高的水体提取精度。Mean-Shift算法应用于NDWI阈值修正与水体遥感反演具有快速、水质适应性强、效果稳定的优势，对尤其是复杂条件下的水体信息遥感反演具有较好的提取效果。     

An automated treatment planning strategy for highly noncoplanar radiotherapy arc trajectories

Radiation therapy is a technology-driven cancer treatment modality that has experienced significant advances over the last decades, due to multidisciplinary contributions that include engineering and computing. Recent technological developments allow the use of noncoplanar volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), one of the most recent photon treatment techniques, in clinical practice. In this work, an automated noncoplanar arc trajectory optimization framework designed in two modular phases is presented. First, a noncoplanar beam angle optimization algorithm is used to obtain a set of noncoplanar irradiation directions. Then, anchored in these directions, an optimization strategy is proposed to compute an optimal arc trajectory. The computational experiments considered a pool of twelve difficult head-and-neck tumor cases. It was possible to observe that, for some of these cases, the optimized noncoplanar arc trajectories led to significant treatment planning quality improvements, when compared with coplanar VMAT treatment plans. Although these experiments were done in a research environment treatment planning software (matRad), the conclusions can be of interest for a clinical setting: automated procedures can simplify the current treatment workflow, produce high-quality treatment plans, making better use of human resources and allowing for unbiased comparisons between different treatment techniques.