Mammogram pectoral muscle removal and classification using histo-sigmoid based ROI clustering and SDNN

Multimedia Tools and Applications - Mammograms are the images used by radiologists to diagnose breast cancer. Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women. The early detection of breast...     

Modeling of Ignition and Combustion of a Coflowing Hydrogen Jet in a Supersonic Air Flow

Combustion, Explosion, and Shock Waves - Results of a numerical study of mixing, ignition, and combustion of a cold hydrogen jet propagating along the lower wall of a channel parallel to a...     

Modern Photodetector IR-Modules

Journal of Communications Technology and Electronics - In recent years, there has been a rapid improvement in photonics products due to the use of multilayer heterostructures grown on the basis of...     

A Conversion Method for the Preparation of Calcium Formate

Theoretical Foundations of Chemical Engineering - Calcium formate is widely used in construction, tanning, and textile manufacture and as an E238 biological additive in cosmetology and the food...     

Influence of Grain Structure Features on the Thermoelectric Properties of Compounds Based on Bismuth Telluride

Glass and Ceramics - An analysis of the specific mechanisms of the influence of the state of the grain structure on the thermoelectric properties (electrical resistivity and total thermal...     

A novel ceramic matrix composite based on YNbO4–TiO2 for microwave applications

This work presents the dielectric properties of YNbO₄ (YNO)–TiO₂ composites in the microwave range. X-ray diffraction analysis demonstrates that the addition of TiO₂ to YNO results in the formation of a Y(Nb_0.5Ti_0.5)₂O₆ phase. In the microwave range, the values of permittivity and dielectric loss did not present major changes with the increment of TiO₂. Moreover, the addition of TiO₂ results in an improvement in the thermal stability of YNO, with YNO63 demonstrating a resonant frequency of ?8.96 ppm.°C^?1. We utilised numerical simulations to evaluate the behaviour of these materials as dielectric resonator antennae and it is found that they exhibit a reflection coefficient below ?10 dB at the resonant frequency, with a realised gain of 4.94 – 5.76 dBi, a bandwidth of 665–1050 MHz and a radiation efficiency above 84%. Our results indicate that YNO–TiO₂ composites are interesting candidates for microwave operating devices.     

Two-step sinter-crystallization of K2O–CaO–P2O5–SiO2 (45S5-K) bioactive glass

Bioactive glasses and glass-ceramics (GCs) effectively regenerate bone tissue, however most GCs show improved mechanical properties. In this work, we developed and tested a rarely studied bioactive glass composition (24.4K₂O-26.9CaO-46.1SiO₂-2.6P₂O₅ mol%, identified as 45S5-K) with different particle sizes and heating rates to obtain a sintered GC that combines good fracture strength, low elastic modulus, and bioactivity. We analyzed the influence of the sintering processing conditions in the elastic modulus, Vickers microhardness, density, and crystal phase formation in the GC. The best GC shows improved properties compared with its parent glass. This glass achieves a good densification degree with a two-step viscous flow sintering approach and the resulting GC shows as high bioactivity as that of the standard 45S5 Bioglass®. Furthermore, the GC elastic modulus (56 GPa) is relatively low, minimizing stress shielding. Therefore, we unveiled the glass sintering behavior with concurrent crystallization of this complex bioactive glass composition and developed a potential GC for bone regeneration.     

Multifaceted Mechanisms of Action of Metformin Which Have Been Unraveled One after Another in the Long History

While there are various kinds of drugs for type 2 diabetes mellitus at present, in this review article, we focus on metformin which is an insulin sensitizer and is often used as a first-choice drug worldwide. Metformin mainly activates adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) in the liver which leads to suppression of fatty acid synthesis and gluconeogenesis. Metformin activates AMPK in skeletal muscle as well, which increases translocation of glucose transporter 4 to the cell membrane and thereby increases glucose uptake. Further, metformin suppresses glucagon signaling in the liver by suppressing adenylate cyclase which leads to suppression of gluconeogenesis. In addition, metformin reduces autophagy failure observed in pancreatic β-cells under diabetic conditions. Furthermore, it is known that metformin alters the gut microbiome and facilitates the transport of glucose from the circulation into excrement. It is also known that metformin reduces food intake and lowers body weight by increasing circulating levels of the peptide hormone growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF15). Furthermore, much attention has been drawn to the fact that the frequency of various cancers is lower in subjects taking metformin. Metformin suppresses the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) by activating AMPK in pre-neoplastic cells, which leads to suppression of cell growth and an increase in apoptosis in pre-neoplastic cells. It has been shown recently that metformin consumption potentially influences the mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19). Taken together, metformin is an old drug, but multifaceted mechanisms of action of metformin have been unraveled one after another in its long history.     

CuxNi1-xO nanostructures and their nanocomposites with reduced graphene oxide: Synthesis,characterization, and photocatalytic applications

NiO nanostructure was synthesized using a simple co-precipitation method and was embedded on reduced graphene oxide surface via ultrasonication. Structural investigations were made through X-ray diffraction (XRD) and functional groups were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). XRD analysis revealed the grain size reduction with doping. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy confirmed the presence of metal-oxygen bond in pristine and doped NiO nanostructure as well as the presence of carbon containing groups. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) indicated that the particle size decreased when NiO nanostructure was doped with copper. BET surface area was found to increase almost up to 43 m²/g for Cu doped NiO nanostructure/rGO composite. Current-voltage measurements were performed using two probe method. UV–Visible spectroscopic profiles showed the blue and red shift for Cu doped NiO nanostructure and Cu doped NiO Nanostructure/rGO composite respectively. Rate constant for Cu doped NiO nanostructure/rGO composite found to increase 4.4 times than pristine NiO nanostructure.