Epithelial Layer Estimation Using Curvatures and Textural Features for Dysplastic Tissue Detection

Boundary effect in digital pathology is a phenomenon where the tissue shapes of biopsy samples get distorted during the sampling process. The morphological pattern of an epithelial layer is greatly affected. Theoretically, the shape deformation model can normalise the distortions, but it needs a 2D image. Curvatures theory, on the other hand, is not yet tested on digital pathology images. Therefore, this work proposed a curvature detection to reduce the boundary effects and estimates the epithelial layer. The boundary effect on the tissue surfaces is normalised using the frequency of a curve deviates from being a straight line. The epithelial layer’s depth is estimated from the tissue edges and the connected nucleolus only. Then, the textural and spatial features along the estimated layer are used for dysplastic tissue detection. The proposed method achieved better performance compared to the whole tissue regions in terms of detecting dysplastic tissue. The result shows a leap of kappa points from fair to a substantial agreement with the expert’s ground truth classification. The improved results demonstrate that curvatures have been effective in reducing the boundary effects on the epithelial layer of tissue. Thus, quantifying and classifying the morphological patterns for dysplasia can be automated. The textural and spatial features on the detected epithelial layer can capture the changes in tissue.     

Influence of copper doping on structural and dielectric response on sodium lithium tri titanates (Na1.9Li0.1)Ti3O7:X Cu (0.0?≤?X?≤?0.1)

Pure and Cu-doped [(Na_1.9Li_0.1) Ti₃O₇XCu (0.01?≤?X?≤?1.0)] layered ceramics are prepared via the conventional solid state reaction method. The microstructure, dielectric properties and ac conductivity of copper doped (Na_1.9Li_0.1) Ti₃O₇ have been investigated. The XRD results indicate that copper ions enter the unit cell maintaining the layered structure of solid solution. The dependence of loss tangent (tanδ) and relative permittivity (ε_r) on temperature range (373–573?K) and frequency ranges (100?kHz–1?MHz) have been repeated for [(Na_1.9Li_0.1) Ti₃O₇]XCu (0.01?≤?X?≤?1.0)]. The dielectric losses in copper doped derivatives of layered (Na_2-xLi_xTi₃O₇) (where X?=?0.1) ceramic are the cooperative contribution of electrical conductions, dipole orientation and space change polarization. The peaks of relative permittivity at high temperature indicate a possible ferroelectric phase transition. It is observed that low doping of paramagnetic ions (Cu²⁺) enhances electron hopping (polaron) conduction and impedes the interlayer ionic conduction. However, electron hopping conduction is dominant over lower temperature region, but as temperature raises interlayer ionic conduction begins to prevail.     

Feasibility study of the tactical design justification for reconfigurable manufacturing systems using the fuzzy analytical hierarchical process

Reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMSs) are designed based on the current and future requirements of the market and the manufacturing system (MS). The first stage of designing an RMS at the tactical level is the evaluation of economic and manufacturing/operational feasibility. Because of risk and uncertainty in an RMS environment, this major task must be performed precisely before investment in the detailed design. The present paper highlights the importance of manufacturing capacity and functionality for the feasibility of an RMS design during reconfiguration processes. Due to uncertain demands of product families, the RMS key-design factors, i.e. capacity value, functionality degree and reconfiguration time, are characterized by the identified fuzzy sets. Consequently, an integrated structure of the analytical hierarchical process and fuzzy set theory is presented. The proposed model provides additional insights into a feasibility study of an RMS design by considering both technical and economical aspects. The fuzzy analytical hierarchical process model is examined in an industrial case study by means of Expert Choice software. Finally, the fuzzy multicriteria model is sensitively analysed within the fuzzy domains of those attributes, which are considered to be critical for the case study.     

Phase Transformation Kinetics During Annealing of Cold-Rolled AISI 309Si Stainless Steel

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The effects of cold rolling and the subsequent annealing were studied for the AISI 309Si stainless steel. During annealing of cold-rolled sheets, the...     

Producing of AA5083/ZrO2 Nanocomposite by Friction Stir Processing (FSP)

In this study, friction stir processing (FSP) was used to produce AA5083/ZrO₂ nanocomposite layer. Optical microscopy and SEM were used to probe the microstructures formed in the composite layer. In addition, the mechanical properties of each sample are characterized using both tensile and hardness tests. Results showed that FSP is an effective process to fabricate AA5083/ZrO₂ nanocomposite layer with uniform distribution of ZrO₂ particles, good interfacial integrity, and significant grain refinement. On processing, in the proper combination of process parameters, the metal matrix composite layer was observed to have increased tensile and hardness properties.     

A Highly Emissive Surface Layer in Mixed‐Halide Multication Perovskites

Mixed‐halide lead perovskites have attracted significant attention in the field of photovoltaics and other optoelectronic applications due to their promising bandgap tunability and device performance. Here, the changes in photoluminescence and photoconductance of solution‐processed triple‐cation mixed‐halide (Cs_0.06MA_0.15FA_0.79)Pb(Br_0.4I_0.6)₃ perovskite films (MA: methylammonium, FA: formamidinium) are studied under solar‐equivalent illumination. It is found that the illumination leads to localized surface sites of iodide‐rich perovskite intermixed with passivating PbI₂ material. Time‐ and spectrally resolved photoluminescence measurements reveal that photoexcited charges efficiently transfer to the passivated iodide‐rich perovskite surface layer, leading to high local carrier densities on these sites. The carriers on this surface layer therefore recombine with a high radiative efficiency, with the photoluminescence quantum efficiency of the film under solar excitation densities increasing from 3% to over 45%. At higher excitation densities, nonradiative Auger recombination starts to dominate due to the extremely high concentration of charges on the surface layer. This work reveals new insight into phase segregation of mixed‐halide mixed‐cation perovskites, as well as routes to highly luminescent films by controlling charge density and transfer in novel device structures.     

An innovative fabrication of nano-HA coatings on Ti-CaP nanocomposite layer using a combination of friction stir processing and electrophoretic deposition

In the present study, a combination of friction stir processing and electrophoretic deposition was used to fabricate nano-hydroxyapatite coatings on the Ti-CaP nanocomposite surface layer. A constant tool rotation rate of 250 rpm, travel speed of 16 mm/min and plunge depth of 1.2 mm with a tool tilt angle of 3° were used to incorporate nano-hydroxyapatite particles into Ti–6Al–4V substrates. Microstructure of the stir zone was analyzed using optical and scanning electron microscopy. Microhardness profile and AFM analysis of substrates were then studied. The electrophoretic deposition of nano-HA particles was carried out at constant voltage of 30 V after 60 s. The as-deposited nano-HA coating was characterized employing scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The results of adhesion test and potentiodynamic polarization measurements showed that Ti-CaP nanocomposite layer could effectively increase the bonding strength between coating and substrate as well as corrosion resistance.     

Self-assembled micelles of well-defined pentaerythritol-centered amphiphilic A4B8 star-block copolymers based on PCL and PEG for hydrophobic drug delivery

Biodegradable star-shaped poly(?-caprolactone) (PCL) with four arms were synthesized by ring-opening polymerization (ROP) from a symmetric pentaerythritol core via the ‘‘core-first’’ strategy. Subsequently, two samples of the amphiphilic A₄B₈ star-block copolymers with symmetrical topologies [4s(PCL-b-2sPEG)] were synthesized by a macromolecular coupling reaction between carboxyl-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and 4-arm star-shaped PCL macromers with eight -OH end groups. The latter was prepared by attaching 3-hydroxy-2-(hydroxymethyl)-2-methylpropanoic acid (HHMPA) to 4sPCL using a simple two-step reaction sequence. The in vitro cytotoxicity test indicated no apparent cytotoxicity. The amphiphilic star-block copolymers are capable of self-assembling into spherical micelles in water at room temperature, and they possess low critical micelle concentrations (CMCs) of 2∼8 mg/L in aqueous solution which was determined by fluorescence spectroscopy using pyrene as a probe. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurement demonstrated that the micelles exhibit a spherical shape with a size range of 30∼50 nm in diameter. In addition, the hydrophobic and anticancer drug, quercetin, is loaded effectively in the polymeric micelles, suggesting that these new materials are appropriate candidates as hydrophobic drug nanocarriers.