Index Parameters Research Articles

Comparative Analysis on De-Noising of MRI Uterus Image for Identification of Endometrial Carcinoma

Purpose: The anatomical and physiological processes of the human body are pictured in radiology using different modalities. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) supports capturing the images of organs using magnetic field gradients. The quality of MR images is generally affected by various noises such as Gaussian, speckle, salt and pepper, Rayleigh, Rican etc. Removal of these noises from the MR images is essential for further diagnostic procedures.
 Materials and Methods: In this article, Gaussian noise, speckle noise, and salt and pepper noise are added to the MR uterus image for which different filters are applied to remove the noise for precise identification of endometrial carcinoma.
 Results: The different filters incorporated for the additive noise removal process are the bilateral filter, Non-Local Means (NLM) filter, anisotropic diffusion filter, and Convolution Neural Network (CNN). The efficiency of the filter is calculated by evaluating the response of the filter by gradually increasing the noise intensity of the MR images.
 Conclusion: Further, peak Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), structural similarity index measure, image quality index and computational cost parameters are computed and analyzed.

Perceived sidedness and correlation to vertical movement asymmetries in young warmblood horses.

The prevalence of vertical asymmetries is high in "owner-sound" warmblood riding horses, however the origin of these asymmetries is unknown. This study investigated correlations between vertical asymmetries and motor laterality. Young warmblood riding horses (N = 65), perceived as free from lameness were evaluated on three visits, each comprising objective gait analysis (inertial measurement units system) and a rider questionnaire on perceived sidedness of the horse. A subgroup (N = 40) of horses were also subjected to a forelimb protraction preference test intended as an assessment of motor laterality. We hypothesized associations between vertical asymmetry and motor laterality as well as rider-perceived sidedness. Vertical asymmetry was quantified as trial means of the stride-by-stride difference between the vertical displacement minima and maxima of the head (HDmin, HDmax) and pelvis (PDmin, PDmax). Laterality indexes, based on counts of which limb was protracted, and binomial tests were used to draw conclusions from the preference tests. In the three visits, 60-70% of horses exhibited vertical asymmetries exceeding clinically used thresholds for ≥1 parameter, and 22% of horses exhibited a side preference in the preference test as judged by binomial tests. Linear mixed models identified a weak but statistically significant correlation between perceived hindlimb weakness and higher PDmin values attributable to either of the hindlimbs (p = 0.023). No other statistically significant correlations to vertical asymmetry were seen for any of the questionnaire answers tested. Tests of correlation between the absolute values of laterality index and asymmetry parameters (HDmin, HDmax, PDmin, PDmax) identified a weak correlation (p = 0.049) with PDmax, but when accounting for the direction of asymmetry and motor laterality, no correlations were seen for either of the asymmetry parameters. No convincing evidence of associations between vertical asymmetries and motor laterality were seen and further studies investigating motor laterality and the origin of vertical asymmetries are needed.

Prognostic value of sarcopenic visceral obesity in hepatocellular carcinoma treated with TACE.

Although Transartial chemoembolization (TACE) is one of the recommended treatments for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), there is always a dispute on the selection of the best beneficiary for treatment. We studied the prognostic value of nutritional markers, obesity, visceral obesity and sarcopenia on survival outcomes under single and different combinations. In a retrospective cohort of 235 patients with HCC at different stages, more accurate comprehensive prognostic factors were obtained by combining and comparing the multifactor hazard ratios (HR) of various parameters, including skeletal muscle index (SMI) and visceral fat index (VFI) obtained by computer tomography, laboratory index albumin-to-globulin (A/G) ratio, anthropometric body mass index (BMI) and other parameters. The study cohort was dominated by men (73.6%), with a median age of 54 years. According to the survival outcome of HCC patients, we obtained the ideal sex cutoff value of VFI: ≥40.54 cm 2 /m 2 for males (the receiver operating characteristic curve [ROC] = 0.764, P < .001) and ≥ 43.19 cm 2 /m 2 for females (ROC = 0.718, P < .05). According to the results of multifactor analysis, sarcopenic visceral obesity (HR = 8.35, 95% confidence intervals [CI] = [4.96, 14.05], P < .001) is more effective than any single or combined prognosis assessment, including sarcopenic dystrophy (HR = 2.70, 95% CI = [1.85, 3.95], P < .001), sarcopenic obesity (HR = 5.23, 95% CI = [3.41, 8.02], P < .001), sarcopenia (HR = 5.74, 95% CI = [3.61, 9.11], P < .001) and visceral obesity (HR = 3.44, 95% CI = [2.24, 5.27], P < .001). Sarcopenic visceral obesity, defined by SMI and VFI, is a more objective and accurate prognostic indicator of HCC.

Spousal Synchrony in Allostatic Load Among Older Couples in the Health and Retirement Study.

Using national data from the Health and Retirement Study, this study examined interpartner associations of allostatic load (AL) among 2338 different-sex couples ( N = 4676 individuals) over a 4-year period among older American couples from a dyadic approach. AL was indexed by immune (C-reactive protein), metabolic (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, and glycosylated hemoglobin), renal (cystatin C), cardiovascular (systolic and diastolic blood pressures, pulse rate), and anthropometric (waist and body mass index) parameters using the traditional count-based formulation. Actor-partner interdependence models were used to assess interpartner concordance in AL. Higher partners' baseline AL was significantly associated with higher own AL both at baseline and 4 years later. In addition, partners' baseline AL was significantly associated with own AL 4 years later only in women but not men. Lastly, we did not observe any significant moderating effect of relationship quality on interpartner AL concordance. The findings suggest that older couples' physiological responses to environmental stress are not only linked concurrently, but the associations persist after 4 years, alluding to long-term impacts of couples' psychosocial context and physiology on each other.

Comparison of Ultrasound Parameters and Clinical Parameters in Airway Assessment for Prediction of Difficult Laryngoscopy and Intubation: An Observational Study.

Background and objective The primary responsibility of the anesthesiologist is to provide adequate oxygenation and ventilation to the patient by securing the airway. Prediction of Cormack-Lehane (CL) grading preoperatively helps patients' airway management during anesthesia induction, particularly in difficult intubations. Our study aims to evaluate airway assessment modalities using ultrasound and conventional clinical screening methods for predicting difficult laryngoscopy and intubation. Materials and methods This prospective observational study was conducted on 100 patients aged between 18 and 70 years belonging toASA classes I, II, and IIIscheduled for elective surgery requiring general anesthesia under endotracheal intubation was included in the study. Patients who needed rapid sequence induction and had a history of difficult intubation, obese patients with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 40, patients with notable swelling in the neck region (thyroid), pregnant patients, and patients with maxillofacial anomalies were excluded from the study. Clinical parameters such asbody mass index, neck circumference, modified Mallampatigrading, thyromental distance, and ultrasound parameters such as anterior neck soft tissue thickness at the level of the thyrohyoid membrane (ANS-TM) and anterior neck soft tissue thickness at the level of vocal cord (ANS-VC) were obtained preoperatively. After intubation, the CL grading was noted and categorized into two groups: easy (classes 1 and 2) and difficult (classes 3 and 4). Descriptive statistics included frequency and percentage for categorical variables and mean±standard deviation for continuous variables. The chi-square test was applied to find the relationship between easy and difficult laryngoscopy when compared with the outcome for categorical variables. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered significant throughout the study. The receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC curve) was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity to predict the outcomes. Results Ultrasound-guided measurements of ANS-TM and ANS-VC are independent predictors of difficult laryngoscopy compared with clinical screening tests. Of the two parameters, we found that ANS-TM has a better diagnostic value for predicting a difficult airway with an area under the ROCcurve (AUC) of 91% compared with ANS-VC, which has an AUC of 84%. Of the clinical parameters, the modified Mallampati grading has an AUC of 81%, leading to better diagnostic value in the prediction of a difficult airway. Conclusion Our study demonstrated that ANS-TM and ANS-VC are independent predictors of a difficult airway. ANS-TM has a better correlation with CL grading. Clinical screening tests should be combined with ultrasound measurements to aid in the better prediction of difficult laryngoscopy.

Clinical profile, surgical approach and outcomes of children with Fontan procedure in a country with limited resources

Background: For more than five decades, the Fontan or Fontan-Kreutzer procedure has been the mainstay treatment for congenital heart disease with a single functioning ventricle. Data concerning epidemiological profiles are poor, especially in countries with limited resources. Here, we present the cases of children with complex congenital heart disease (CHD) born in Kosovo who underwent some forms of Fontan palliation measuring the renal resistive index (RRI) to assess ventricular function and renal complications after the Fontan procedure. Objectives: This study aimed to describe the primary pathology, age, place of surgical intervention, and outcomes of children in Kosovo, a country with limited resources, who underwent the Fontan procedure in different countries. Results: from January 2018 to December 2021, 40 patients (28 male and 12 female) aged 6 to 19 years (mean 6.03 years) after a total Cavo-pulmonary connection were examined for renal insufficiency and thrombotic complications. The renal resistive index (RRI) and hematological parameters were analyzed as criteria for possible early and late complications. Two patients only developed complications in the cohort group. In both cases, the second and third stages of surgery were performed late, at the ages of 12 and 9 years. The first patient manifested a severe form of protein-lousing enteropathy, renal insufficiency, and plastic bronchitis, while the other patient presented with initial signs of protein-lousing enteropathy and recurrent ventricular tachycardia. Conclusion: Survival after Fontan operation in our group was excellent. Survival is closely dependent on the primary diagnosis, associated anomalies, age at palliation, and place of surgery

Vector analysis of astigmatism correction after PRK, FS-LASIK, and SMILE for myopic astigmatism.

To compare astigmatic correction among photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), femtosecond laser-assistedin situkeratomileusis(FS-LASIK), and small-incision lenticule extraction (SMILE). This prospective study enrolled 157 eyes that underwent three procedures (59 PRK, 47 FS-LASIK, and 51 SMILE) for the treatment of myopia with low to high astigmatism (- 0.25 to - 4.50 D). Ocular residual astigmatism (ORA) was calculated by vector analysis using refractive (RA) and corneal astigmatism. Vector analysis results were compared in different procedures in the two RA groups (low ≤ 1.00 D and high > 1.00 D) at 3 and 12months postoperatively. There were no significant between-group differences in postoperative safety and efficacy outcomes (all P > 0.05). No significant differences were found in postoperative cylinders between all surgical groups (all p > 0.05), except for 3months postoperative ORA in FS-LASIK (P = 0.004). At 12months, 77%, 59.2%, and 50% of eyes attainemmetropia in the FS-LASIK, SMILE, and PRK groups, respectively. Vector analysis showed comparable values for surgical induced astigmatism, target induced astigmatism, mean error, and angle of error between groups at 12months. Significant differences were observed only in the correction index and difference vector parameters in the astigmatic > 1.00 D group at 3months (P < 0.001), and FS-LASIK was preferable. One-year outcomes revealed that PRK, FS-LASIK, and SMILE were all equally effective in correcting myopic astigmatism. However, FS-LASIK demonstrated more favorable astigmatism correction in eyes with astigmatism > 1.00D in early postoperatively.

Associating craniofacial morphometry determined by photo analysis with somatotype in healthy young individuals

Objectives: Evaluation of the relationship between craniofacial parameters and somatotype provides important contributions to specialist physicians and anatomists in determining diseases and obtaining objective results of anthropometric measurements. The study was designed in line with this hypothesis and the aim was to find out how this relationship changed in healthy individuals. Methods: The study was conducted by examining 191 healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 30. The individuals’ faces were photographed from a distance of 1 meter and craniofacial parameters were measured in Image J program. Somatotype analysis was conducted by using Heath-Carter somatotype method. Results: As a result of our study, the individuals were found to be grouped in four classes according to Heath-Carter somatotype method: (1) mesomorph endomorph, (2) endomorph ectomorph, (3) endomorph mesomorph and (4) central. Significant correlation was found between the second and first somatotype groups in terms of total nasal length, while significant correlation was found between second and first/second and third/fourth and third/first and third somatotype groups in terms of body mass index (BMI) parameter (p &amp;lt; 0.05). Craniofacial parameters were also evaluated and a very high correlation was found between total facial height and mandibular height, while there was a high correlation between total facial height and the other 16 parameters. Conclusions: As a result of our study, a relationship was found between somatotype groups and craniofacial parameters, within craniofacial parameters, and between somatotype and BMI. We believe that this relationship will guide morphological studies in basic medical sciences and surgical interventions in clinical sciences.

Application of the OECT-Based In Vivo Biosensor Bioristor in Fruit Tree Monitoring to Improve Agricultural Sustainability

Water scarcity is a major concern in agriculture worldwide. Fruit trees are severely affected by water deprivation in terms of growth, fruit yield, and quality. Plant monitoring combined with efficient irrigation is pivotal to achieve good quality standards and improve agricultural sustainability. This study reports the use of in vivo sensing technology to monitor fruit tree species continuously, in real time and in vivo, through an Organic Electrochemical Transistor (OECT)-based biosensor called Bioristor. The sensor was applied to grapevines, apples, and kiwis, revealing its capability to trace the plant water status for the whole productive cycle. A correlation between the sensor response index (R) and environmental parameters such as air humidity and temperature were recorded for fruit species. The day/night oscillation of the ionic content in the transpiration stream varies during plant growth and fruit maturation and during severe drought stress. Bioristor promptly detected the occurrence of drought stress. The gate current (Igs) trend supports the reduction in the saturation of the system due to the lower water availability. The use of Bioristor-acquired indices can be used to improve precision irrigation techniques according to the real plant needs.

Optimizing energy generation in power-law nanofluid flow through curved arteries with gold nanoparticles

The investigation of blood flow into curved arteries is fascinating and essential to prevent the advancement of vascular disease. Motivated by electro-kinetic manipulation, gold nanoparticles, and their size applications, a mathematical model is developed to explain blood flow, entropy generation, and electro-kinetic energy conversion (EKEC) efficiency in curved arterial flow. To make this study more realistic, a patient-specific overlapped stenosis condition and non-Newtonian (power-law fluid) blood flow model have been considered. The effects of a magnetic field, external heating, and chemical reactions are also included. The Stone’s strongly implicit scheme has been considered to solve the system of non-linear partial differential equations (PDE’s) in the” MATLAB” software. In this numerical investigation, an error tolerance of 10 − 6 has been considered for every iteration step under Stone’s scheme. The significance of various physical parameters, such as nanoparticle volume fraction (m), their size (dp), magnetic field intensity (M), inverse Debye length ( κ ¯ ), flow behavior index (Sc), heat source (H), and chemical reaction parameter (ξ) on the blood flow velocity, temperature, concentration, EKEC efficiency, and entropy generation have been explained graphically. This study also developed stream function contours to describe flow trapping patterns. The findings of this study conclude that the blood flow EKEC efficiency reduces with the presence of nanoparticles and stenosis in the artery. In addition, both flow velocity and entropy enhance by adopting large-size nanoparticles instead of small diametric nanoparticles. Clinical researchers and biologists may use the results of this computational study to forecast endothelial cell damage and plaque deposition in curved arteries with WSS profiles, by which the severity of these conditions can be reduced.

Effect of Scaling and Root Planing in Conjunction with Antimicrobial Therapy on Glycated Hemoglobin Levels in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients.

Scaling and root planing with systemic doxycycline had an effect on blood glucose levels in type 2 diabetes patients, according to the results of a glycosylated hemoglobin assay. The trial was conducted to determine whether periodontal therapy affected blood sugar regulation as a result of this finding. A total of 60 people with type 2 diabetes (diabetes mellitus not caused by insulin deficiency) were split into three groups. Group I (control group) consists of patients who are only taking an oral anti-diabetic medication. Patients on an oral anti-diabetic drug plus scaling and root planing make up group II. Patients on an oral anti-diabetic drug, scaling, root planing, and doxycycline constitute Group III. The patients were re-evaluated for glycated hemoglobin levels and periodontal status using the clinical parameters of gingival index by Loe and Silness and clinical attachment level at baseline, 30th, 60th, and 90th day. Compared with group II, the findings showed a statistically significant decrease in glycated hemoglobin values (p =0.001) and improvements in clinical attachment level (p =0.022, 0.05) and gingival index (p = 0.009.,01) in group III. In the control group (group I), no such finding was made. The average gingival index, however, increased statistically significantly (p = 0.032, 0.05). Various studies have been showing the benefits of non-surgical periodontal therapy as a benefit for improving the overall glycemic status of the patient. Non-surgical mechanical periodontal therapy combined with systemic administration of antimicrobials such as doxycycline enhances the metabolic status of type 2 diabetes mellitus patients better than non-surgical mechanical periodontal therapy alone.

Assessment of the diagnostic accuracy of noninvasive scoring tools in predicting moderate-to-severe steatohepatitis via ultrasonography in asymptomatic healthy subjects admitted to family medicine outpatient clinics.

Efficacies of the noninvasive scoring tools in screening and diagnosing nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) remain controversial. Aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT) ratio, AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and fibrosis-4 (FIB-4) index are the most frequently used parameters for differentiating moderate and severe steatohepatitis. In this context, the objective of this study is to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of noninvasive tools in predicting moderate-to-severe steatohepatitis via ultrasonography in asymptomatic healthy subjects admitted to family medicine outpatient clinics. The population of this retrospective study consisted of healthy individuals tested within the scope of a medical check-up program between January and July 2021. All participants included in the study underwent relevant laboratory tests and liver ultrasonography (US). Steatohepatitis was graded using the US images as normal (grade 0), mild (grade 1), moderate (grade 2), and severe (grade 3). The participants with grade 0 and 1 steatohepatitis were categorized as Group 1, whereas those with grade 2 and 3 steatohepatitis (NAFLD) were categorized as Group 2. Any relationship between the aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase (AST/ALT), AST-to-platelet ratio index (APRI), and fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4) parameters and the diagnostic powers thereof were analyzed based on the collected data. The mean age of the study sample (n=408) was 46.1±12.7 years. There were 352 (86.3%) and 56 individuals in Groups 1 and 2, respectively. Platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and AST/ALT values were significantly higher, whereas APRI values were significantly lower in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p=0.004, p<0.001, and p<0.001, respectively). There were significant correlations between the presence of NAFLD and PLR values of ≤90.78 [area under the curve (AUC)=0.619, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.570-0.666, p=0.007], AST/ALT values of ≤0.91 (AUC=0.802, 95% CI: 0.760-0.840, p<0.001), and APRI values of >0.22 (AUC=0.687, 95% CI: 0.640-0.732, p<0.001). The composite noninvasive indices, including PLR, AST/ALT, and APRI, can be beneficial in predicting NAFLD in healthy individuals.

Improving geotechnical properties of soil of hillock slope using crushed recycled concrete aggregates

With the massive expansion of urbanization worldwide, a huge volume of construction and demolition waste (CDW) generation has become a common issue along with CDW from controlled demolition and earthquakes, which causes a tremendous headache for environmentalists. Moreover, sliding and failure of the slope of hillocks, hills, roads, and earthen dams raise concerns for geotechnical engineers. Among the several methods of improving the geotechnical behaviour of soil of the slopes, this research utilized CDW-based recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) to improve slopes of two hillocks named GK and BH. The crushed RCA was applied in various percentages, 5–35 %, in the soil mass and as a circular column to observe the improvement of the soil's geotechnical properties that largely influence slope stability. RCA column, a sustainable alternative to the sand, stone, or other natural materials column, can work as a vertical drain with an improved permeability of slope geo-material to improve infiltration. The soil samples with 30 % RCA mixed and RCA columns inserted into the soil mass resulted in lower consolidation settlement, compressibility index, and higher shear strength parameters. Moreover, 30 % RCA column increased the permeability by 6 and 7-times for the hillocks GK and BH, respectively, which reduces the chance of excess pore water pressure (PWP) development that can trigger the failure of a slope. Improving soil properties with recycled concrete aggregates can be a sustainable way to solve weak soil and failure issues of low-permeable low-height natural hillocks.

Calculation method of benchmark value of line loss rate in transformer district considering marketing customer portrait

In order to quantitatively analyze the benchmark value of line loss rate in the transformer district, understand the correlation and difference between samples in each transformer district, and improve the dynamic management ability of line loss in the transformer district, a method for calculating the benchmark value of line loss rate in the transformer district based on the portrait of marketing customers is proposed. The high-resolution feature quantity of the data in the transformer district is mined by the feature analysis method of marketing customer portrait, and the electrical parameters of the power grid, the operation mode of the power grid, the power flow distribution, the load and other factors are taken as the index parameters of the benchmark evaluation of the line loss rate in the transformer district, and the different characteristics of different stations are fully mined, and the static data and dynamic data of the transformer district are extracted respectively, and the abnormal data are corrected by the K nearest neighbor complementarity method. Combined with the characteristic differences of marketing customer portraits, the quantitative feature decomposition of the benchmark value of line loss rate in Transformer district is realized. According to the dynamic identification results of the benchmark value of line loss rate in Transformer district, the benchmark value of line loss rate in Transformer district with high-dimensional data is compressed into a low-dimensional space by using the feature space dimension reduction method, and the quantitative calculation of correlation and difference between samples in each Transformer district is realized. The simulation results show that the calculation complexity of this method is low, and the calculation method has a good ability to adjust the learning rate, ensuring a good local optimal solution in the learning process and high calculation accuracy.

Activity and Safety of Cinchonine Nanostructured Lipid Carriers as a Hair Growth Stimulant in Mice Model of Androgenetic Alopecia

Androgenetic alopecia (AA) is a hair growth disorder characterized by hair loss and miniaturization of the size of follicles and dermal papillae. Cinchonine is a quinoline alkaloid that can increase VEGF production and potential as a hair growth stimulant. This study aimed to determine the morphology, penetration (in vitro), as well as safety and activity of cinchonine nanostructured lipid carriers (CN-NLC) serum as a hair growth stimulant. Preparation of CN-NLC serum using a combination of micro-emulsification and ultra-sonification methods, characterization of CN-NLC serum included morphology and closed hair follicle diffusion methods. Dermal and eye irritation test using New Zealand rabbit strain with primary irritation index parameters. Hair growth stimulant activity test using Swiss Webster mice strain, induced with the hormone testosterone. Observations were performed at 7, 14, and 21 days with hair length and histology parameters. CN-NLC serum morphology is a spherical shape with size ±500 nm, diffusion of serum CN-NLC (open hair follicles) of 23.92±0.84%; (close hair follicles) of 11.37±2.29%; and CN solution of 6.00±0.72%. CN-NLC serum are non-irritant with a primary irritation index of 0.0. Activity tests showed hair length on days 7; 14 and 21 were increased by 20.24-23.74%; 33.47-36.43%, and 39.30-39.97% (P≤0.05). Histological data showed an increase in the number and size of both dermal papillae and hair follicles compared to the control group. CN-NLC serum can improve the penetration of CN into hair follicles. CN-NLC serum is safe and effective as a hair growth stimulant in the treatment of AA.

Engineering application of vacuum preloading combined with electroosmosis technique in excavation of soft soil on complex terrain.

This paper presents the design and construction of vacuum preloading incorporated with electroosmosis (VPE) engineering application for the treatment of soft soil on complex terrain for sluice foundation excavation in order to reduce the amount of cement used in construction. Monitoring was conducted during the VPE treatment and laboratory geotechnical tests were carried out once the treatment came to an end. Results show that the electrification mode has a significant influence on electric energy consumption. Stepped-up voltage helped in saving electric energy while electrode conversion consumed a lot of electric energy. The dispersion of soil parameters became larger after VPE treatment. The stability of physical parameters is better than the mechanical parameters, and the latter is better than the deformation parameters. Soil water content has a linear relationship with density and compression coefficient. The given linear fitting equations can help in simplifying the calculation and acquisition of these indexes. Although the mean values of the soil index parameters slightly improved, their coefficient of variation (COV) significantly increased. These locations with improved index parameters scattering in the construction site ensured that the subsequent construction tasks such as pit slope and excavation were successfully realized in this area.

Tailoring of optoelectronic and thermal properties of silver doped tin selenide alloy for optoelectronic applications

We investigated the theoretical effects of doping on the photovoltaic properties of SnₓAg₁₋ₓSe. The energy band structure and optical features of SnₓAg₁₋ₓSe (x = 4% and 8%) were calculated using density functional theory (DFT) within the full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method. For the treatment of the exchange and correlation potential, the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) was employed. We explored the orbital electronic states of the metallic atoms Sn, Se, and Ag. The statistics of the energy band dispersion as well as additional pertinent optical characteristics, such as the absorption coefficient, reflectivity, energy loss function, refractive index, extinction coefficient, and real optical conductivity parameters, were obtained using the complex dielectric function. To further examine the electrical transport (thermoelectric) characteristics, we utilized Boltzmann transport theory. Our findings suggest that these materials are promising candidates for thermoelectric power generation and cooling devices, particularly with an 8% Ag doping concentration. This concentration showed higher values of the Seebeck coefficient and lower thermal conductivity, indicating a dominance of holes over electrons. This study demonstrates the potential of these substances as promising materials with desirable properties for technological optoelectronic applications.

Nonlinear model prediction of needle chlorophyll content of Picea koraiensis Nakai at different needle ages based on hyperspectral features

Pigment content is a critical assessment indicator in the study of plant physiological metabolism, stress resistance, ornamental characteristics, and forest health. Spectral imaging technology is widely used for rapid and non-destructive determination of plant physicochemical parameters. To address the shortcomings of previous models of spectral reflectance prediction of chlorophyll content of needles only from the perspective of traditional algorithms and ignoring physical models, this research integrates variable complexity and refined classification of physical models to validate the increased accuracy of both the conventional partial least squares (PLS) method and the traditional neural network algorithm. The results of the conifer chlorophyll models of Picea koraiensis Nakai with different needle ages based on spectral reflectance and vegetation index parameters showed that the improved nonlinear state transition algorithm-backpropagation (STA-BP) neural network model approach (R2 of 0.73–0.89) and the nonlinear Stacking partial least squares (Stacking-PLS) model approach (R2 of 0. 67–0.85) is slightly more robust than the traditional algorithms nonlinear BP model (R2 of 0.63–0.82) and linear PLS model (R2 of 0.60–0.76). This finding suggests that the nonlinear fitting of chlorophyll content in needles of different needle ages in P. koraiensis Nakai surpasses the traditional linear model fitting methodology. Furthermore, the model fitting of chlorophyll content in conifers of different needle ages outperforms the mixed P. koraiensis Nakai model, suggesting that chlorophyll models using needle refinement classification help to improve model robustness. This study provides data and theoretical support for rapid and non-invasive characterization of physiological and biochemical properties of needles of different needle ages using spectral imaging techniques to predict growth and community structure productivity of forest trees in the coming years.

Microstructure response to shear strength deterioration in loess after freeze-thaw cycles

Shear strength deterioration owning to freeze-thaw (F-T) cycles affects loess slope stability in seasonal frozen region. The change in loess shear strength is closely related to particle microstructure. In this study, multiple F-t-tests (i.e., 0, 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 30 cycles) were performed on natural loess from Jing'yang, China. Unconsolidated-undrained triaxial tests and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were performed on the specimens after the predefined number of F-T cycles. Particle microstructure was quantitatively analyzed using fractal dimension theory. The relationship between shear strength index and particle microstructure characteristics parameters was evaluated using the grey correlation method. Changes in the loess microstructure involved two main processes: transformation and stabilization, and the particle shape, arrangement, and interparticle contact were transformed into different types. The particle shape changed from complex to round with debris detaching from the particle surface. The orderliness of particle arrangement increased and point-face intercontact was formed. The internal friction angle and cohesion decreased with an increasing number of F-T cycles, and the change pattern was similar to that of the particle microstructure characteristics, both of which changed significantly before 5 F-T cycles and stabilized after 15 F-T cycles. An evaluation of the correlation between shear strength index and particle microstructure characteristic parameters demonstrated that, the change in particle shape contributed the most to deterioration of shear strength during F-T cycles, followed by particle arrangement and particle distribution. These results provide insights into the mechanism of degradation of loess shear strength in seasonally frozen areas at the microstructural scale.

Research on rice leaf area index estimation based on fusion of texture and spectral information

Leaf Area Index (LAI) is one of the indicators used to measure the growth status of rice fields. Rapid, accurate, and large-scale monitoring of LAI plays an important role in ensuring stable grain yield increase. In recent years, the spectral saturation problem and the parameter adjustment problem of machine learning algorithms have become the main limitations to improve the accuracy of LAI estimation. High-resolution Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) images contain not only rich spectral information, but also texture information reflecting the crop canopy structure. Therefore, in order to fully understand the role of spectral information and texture information fusion in rice LAI estimation, this study used the hyperspectral sensor carried by the UAVs to obtain the spectral images of rice canopy of different varieties and different growth stages. Rice canopy reflectance and 8 basic texture features based on Gray-level Co-occurrence Matrix (GLCM) were extracted from hyperspectral images to calculate vegetation indexs (VIs) and combined texture features. Normalized difference texture index (NDTI), Non-linear texture index (NLTI), Enhanced vegetation texture index (EVTI), and Modified triangular texture index (MTTI) were calculated using two and three GLMC-based texture features to explore the effect of combinations of different basic texture features on LAI sensitivity. Two rice LAI estimation models were developed for single spectral indicators and combined with texture indicators, respectively. The results show that: (1) After preprocessing and feature band screening, the optimal spectral band, vegetation index, and trilateral parameters were obtained. When the combined spectral parameters (SP) of the three were used as the only input to the model, R2 showed an increasing trend throughout the growth period. The best results were achieved using the support vector regression (SVR) combined with the pelican optimization algorithm (POA) in the pre jointing stage: R2= 0.839, RMSE = 0.107, and MAPE = 7.02%. (2) When texture information based on hyperspectral images was incorporated into the model input, the results showed that the models based on spectral indicators combined with texture measurements were all superior to those using spectral indicators alone, with the best model having a coefficient of determination: R2 = 0.917, RMSE = 0.078, and MAPE = 4.19%, which has promising applications in crop growth index detection. This technology can quickly and effectively monitor the growth status of crops in the field, providing a theoretical basis for estimating crop yield in the later stage.