Multiple Potential Applications Research Articles

The Sarcopenia Index Correlates with Computed Tomography Quantified Muscle Measures in Patients with Advanced Heart Failure

<h3>Purpose</h3> Patients with heart failure (HF) and sarcopenia and/or cachexia have a high mortality. No biomarkers are proven to diagnose or screen for sarcopenia in patients with HF. The purpose of this analysis is to assess the correlation between the sarcopenia index (SI) and CT quantified muscle measurements in advanced HF patients. <h3>Methods</h3> We prospectively collected serum creatinine, cystatin C and pre-operative chest CT scans in 60 patients as part of routine LVAD evaluation between 5/19 to 3/21. The sarcopenia index was calculated using the following equation: (serum creatinine value/cystatin C value) × 100. To quantify muscle mass and quality, unilateral pectoralis muscle mass indexed to body surface area (PMI) and attenuation (approximated by mean Hounsfield units; PHUm) were measured on pre-operative chest CTs. The correlation between the SI and muscle measures was evaluated with linear regression. <h3>Results</h3> Seventy three percent were men (44/60) and 67 % (40/60) were designated as destination therapy. There was a significant correlation between the SI and both pectoralis muscle measures (Figure). Each 10 unit increase in SI was associated with a 0.43 cm²/m² increase in PMI (95 % CI 0.11-0.76 increase, p=0.009) and a 3.47 HU increase in PHUm (95 % CI 2.08-4.87, p< 0.0001). <h3>Conclusion</h3> This is the first study to demonstrate a correlation between the SI and CT derived muscle measurements in an advanced HF population. A HF sarcopenia biomarker has multiple potential clinical applications, including facilitating nutritional/rehabilitation interventions before wasting is clinically evident, as well as triggering earlier referral for advanced HF therapies.

School Attendance Registers for the Syndromic Surveillance of Infectious Intestinal Disease in UK Children: Protocol for a Retrospective Analysis.

BackgroundInfectious intestinal disease (IID) is common, and children are more likely than adults both to have IID and to transmit infection onto others. Before the introduction of the vaccine, rotavirus was the leading cause of severe childhood diarrhea, with norovirus and Campylobacter predominate pathogens. Public health surveillance of IID is primarily based on health care data, and as such, illness that is managed within the community will often go undetected. School attendance registers offer a novel data set that has the potential to identify community cases and outbreaks of IID that would otherwise be missed by current health surveillance systems. Although studies have explored the role of school attendance registers in the monitoring of influenza among children, no studies have been identified that consider this approach in the surveillance of IID.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to explore the role and utility of school attendance registers in the detection and surveillance of IID in children. The secondary aims are to estimate the burden of IID on school absenteeism and to assess the impact of the rotavirus vaccine on illness absence among school-aged children.MethodsThis study is a retrospective analysis of school attendance registers to investigate whether school absences due to illness can be used to capture seasonal trends and outbreaks of infectious intestinal disease among school-aged children. School absences in Merseyside, United Kingdom will be compared and combined with routine health surveillance data from primary care, laboratories, and telehealth services. These data will be used to model spatial and temporal variations in the incidence of IID and to apportion likely causes to changes in school absenteeism trends. This will be used to assess the potential utility of school attendance data in the surveillance of IID and to estimate the burden of IID absenteeism in schools. It will also inform an analysis of the impact of the rotavirus vaccine on disease within this age group.ResultsThis study has received ethical approval from the University of Liverpool Research Ethics Committee (reference number 1819). Use of general practice data has been approved for the evaluation of rotavirus vaccination in Merseyside by NHS Research Ethics Committee, South Central-Berkshire REC Reference 14/SC/1140.ConclusionsThis study is unique in considering whether school attendance registers could be used to enhance the surveillance of IID. Such data have multiple potential applications and could improve the identification of outbreaks within schools, allowing early intervention to reduce transmission both within and outside of school settings. These data have the potential to act as an early warning system, identifying infections circulating within the community before they enter health care settings. School attendance data could also inform the evaluation of vaccination programs, such as rotavirus and, in time, norovirus.International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/30078

Optically Transparent Tri-Wideband Mosaic Frequency Selective Surface with Low Cross-Polarisation.

Acquiring an optically transparent feature on the wideband frequency selective surface (FSS), particularly for smart city applications (building window and transportation services) and vehicle windows, is a challenging task. Hence, this study assessed the performance of optically transparent mosaic frequency selective surfaces (MFSS) with a conductive metallic element unit cell that integrated Koch fractal and double hexagonal loop fabricated on a polycarbonate substrate. The opaque and transparent features of the MFSS were studied. While the study on opaque MFSS revealed the advantage of having wideband responses, the study on transparent MFSS was performed to determine the optical transparency application with wideband feature. To comprehend the MFSS design, the evolutionary influence of the unit cell on the performance of MFSS was investigated and discussed thoroughly in this paper. Both the opaque and transparent MFSS yielded wideband bandstop and bandpass responses with low cross-polarisation (−37 dB), whereas the angular stability was limited to only 25°. The transparent MFSS displayed high-level transparency exceeding 70%. Both the simulated and measured performance comparison exhibited good correlation for both opaque and transparent MFSS. The proposed transparent MFSS with wideband frequency response and low cross-polarisation features signified a promising filtering potential in multiple applications.

High-throughput phenotypic screening of the human spermatozoon.

Despite recent advances in male reproductive health research, there remain many elements of male infertility where our understanding is incomplete. Consequently, diagnostic tools and treatments for men with sperm dysfunction, other than medically assisted reproduction, are limited. On the other hand, the gaps in our knowledge of the mechanisms which underpin sperm function have hampered the development of male non-hormonal contraceptives. The study of mature spermatozoa is inherently difficult. They are a unique and highly specialised cell type which does not actively transcribe or translate proteins and cannot be cultured for long periods of time or matured in vitro. One large-scale approach to both increasing the understanding of sperm function and the discovery and development of compounds that can modulate sperm function is to directly observe responses to compounds with phenotypic screening techniques. These target agnostic approaches can be developed into high-throughput screening platforms with the potential to drastically increase advances in the field. Here, we discuss the rationale and development of high-throughput phenotypic screening platforms for mature human spermatozoa and the multiple potential applications these present, as well as the current limitations and leaps in our understanding and the capabilities needed to overcome them. Further development and use of these technologies could lead to the identification of compounds which positively or negatively affect sperm cell motility or function or novel platforms for toxicology or environmental chemical testing among other applications. Ultimately, each of these potential applications is also likely to increase the understanding within the field of sperm biology.

Investigation into the influencing factors and adsorption characteristics in the effective capture of carbon dioxide in flue gas by chitosan grafted Leca biocomposite

ABSTRACT The main goal of this research was to evaluate the capability of chitosan (CS)-lightweight expanded clay aggregate (Leca) composite as a green adsorbent for efficient capture of carbon dioxide (CO2). The adsorption process was modelled by response surface methodology (RSM). The composite was recognised by BET, SEM, EDX, XRF, XRD, TGA, XPS and FTIR analysis. It was evidenced the CS-Leca properties attributing to its adsorption ability were eminently improved as compared to pristine Leca. Maximum removal efficiency of CO2 (91.59%) was achieved at 40°C, 40 mL/min gas flow rate and 5% moisture content. Under aforementioned provisions, the actual CO2 removal percentage was found to be 90.4%. According to uptake isotherm studies, the Toth model indicated good affinity between the sorbent and sorbate. This model declares adsorption of CO2 onto CS-Leca involves a heterogeneous and uneven adsorption behaviour. The monolayer adsorption capacity (qm) was determined to be 351.24 mg/g. The outcomes of thermodynamic studies displayed that the adsorption was physical and exothermic in nature. The exothermic isosteric heat of adsorption (IHA) was found as 37.1–48.3 kJ/mol which represented weak chemical interactions between CS-Leca and CO2 molecules. Adsorption mechanism studies revealed that multiple mechanisms are involved in the adsorption reaction of CO2. Regeneration tests of CS-Leca exhibited multiple potential applications. All these results enlightened that the CS-Leca, due to its grafting polymer, can be applied as a potential sorbent to the recycle of CO2 and other acidic gases.

Anti-Apoptosis and Autophagy Effects of Melatonin Protect Rat Chondrocytes against Oxidative Stress via Regulation of AMPK/Foxo3 Pathways

Emerging evidence has indicated that excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) have detrimental effects on osteoarthritis (OA). This study aimed to elucidate the effects of melatonin (MT), an antioxidant indolamine secreted from the pineal gland, on chondrocyte senescence and cartilage degeneration, thereby clarifying the underlying mechanisms of ROS-induced OA pathogenesis. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was used to induce oxidative stress in rat chondrocytes. ROS levels were evaluated using cytometry and immunofluorescence. Cell viability was detected using the Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Western blotting and qPCR (Quantiative Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction) were used to examine apoptosis and autophagy. For in vivo experiments, male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into a sham-operated group, DMM (destabilization of the medial meniscus) surgery group, and surgery groups that received melatonin. Knee joints were collected and stained for histological analysis. The data demonstrated that melatonin treatment significantly suppressed H2O2-induced matrix degradation and apoptosis, and maintained mitochondrial redox homeostasis. In addition, an enhancement of autophagic flux was observed through western blotting. These findings corresponded with activation of the AMPK/Foxo3 signaling pathways upon melatonin treatment. Histological staining and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) micrographs also demonstrated that melatonin alleviated cartilage ossification and chondrocyte hypertrophy in vivo. Our results indicated that melatonin protected chondrocytes via mitochondrial redox homeostasis and autophagy. The effects of melatonin on senescence may apply to other age-related diseases. Thus, melatonin may have multiple potential therapeutic applications.

Screening Criteria and Methods to Aid the Integration of Non-Wires Alternatives in Distribution Planning

There is increasing interest in using energy storage, solar photovoltaics, demand response, and other non-wires alternatives (NWA) to defer or avoid conventional distribution system investments. Detailed evaluation of NWAs, however, can require extensive engineering time – due to potentially complex analytics that must be performed and other considerations. Defining criteria and methods to screen out non-viable alternatives can streamline NWA evaluation processes. However, due to the emerging nature of NWA, and their multiple potential applications, screening or evaluation practices are not well-established and an area of ongoing development. This paper discusses NWA screening criteria and methods and provides guidance on their effective use within the distribution planning process. Various NWA screening criteria and methods developed in the United States and internationally as summarised and reviewed. Additionally, gaps and research needs related to criteria, methods, and software tools for evaluating and screening NWAs are introduced.

BODIPY dyes: Versatile building blocks to construct multiple types of self-assembled structures

More than 50 years have passed since the discovery of boradiazaindacenes by Treibs and Kreuzer [Liebigs Ann. Chem. 718, 208 (1968)]. Since then, the number of research articles related to their synthesis, properties, and applications has not stopped growing. Not without reason, borondipyrromethene (BODIPY) dyes are one of the most versatile chromophores in terms of photophysical and chemical properties and multiple potential applications. For many applications, control over the properties in the aggregated state is necessary, and understanding the interactions that take part in the self-assembly of dye molecules is crucial. In this review, recent developments on the self-assembly of BODIPY dyes, as well as their potential applications, are discussed, highlighting the versatility of the BODIPY chromophore. In the first section, recent strategies to obtain solid-state emissive BODIPY dyes based on the introduction of different non-covalent interactions are presented. In a subsequent section, we discuss recent work on self-assembly and supramolecular polymerization of BODIPY dyes in aqueous and organic media with particular focus on pathway complexity—the analysis of different aggregation pathways by the same building block. In addition, given the high relevance of BODIPY dyes in biomedicine, a short overview of new BODIPY-based structures with interesting applications in biomedicine is presented. This section is followed by the discussion of recent work on metallosupramolecular assemblies of BODIPY dyes. Finally, a brief overview of other structurally related BODIPY-based analogs is given with particular focus on self-assembled structures of aza-BODIPY dyes.

Luminescence and energy transfer of Ce3+/Gd3+/Tb3+/Eu3+ doped hexagonal fluoride

Down-shifting luminescence (DSL) of Rare Earth doped hexagonal fluoride has been utilized for multiple potential applications. However, the DSL energy transfer (ET) mechanism still remains rough sketch. In this work, we synthesized a series of hexagonal fluoride NaREF4 with different components and filled up the details of the ET mechanism by thoroughly investigating the luminescence behaviors and lifetime decay curves of Ce3+/Gd3+/Tb3+/Eu3+. All samples were identified to be pure hexagonal phase by powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). 5 ET processes including Ce3+→Gd3+, Ce3+→Tb3+, Gd3+→Tb3+, Gd3+→Eu3+ and Tb3+→Eu3+ were confirmed and the ET efficiencies could reach up to 69.41%, 61.09%, 88.03%, 83.97% and 70.72%, respectively. According to Dexter's theory, dipole-dipole interaction was found to be responsible. Multiple emission colors could be achieved due to efficient ET Tb3+→Eu3+. However, Eu3+ couldn't be sensitized by Ce3+, hence it was necessary to distribute them into different layers or introduce Gd3+ as intermediate bridge to realize the sensitization. The detailed ET mechanism supported by the lifetime decay curves were proposed. These fundamental researches could help to design novel RE activated fluorescent materials.

Dummy Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Using DNP as a Template Molecule for Explosive Sensing and Nitroaromatic Compound Discrimination

This work reports a rapid, simple and low-cost voltammetric sensor based on a dummy molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) that uses 2,4-dinitrophenol (DNP) as a template for the quantification of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and DNP, and the identification of related substances. Once the polymer was synthesised by thermal precipitation polymerisation, it was integrated onto a graphite epoxy composite (GEC) electrode via sol–gel immobilisation. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed in order to characterise the polymer and the sensor surface. Responses towards DNP and TNT were evaluated, displaying a linear response range of 1.5 to 8.0 µmol L−1 for DNP and 1.3 to 6.5 µmol L−1 for TNT; the estimated limits of detection were 0.59 µmol L−1 and 0.29 µmol L−1, for DNP and TNT, respectively. Chemometric tools, in particular principal component analysis (PCA), demonstrated the possibilities of the MIP-modified electrodes in nitroaromatic and potential interfering species discrimination with multiple potential applications in the environmental field.

Restriction of Intramolecular Vibration in Aggregation‐Induced Emission Luminogens: Applications in Multifunctional Luminescent Metal–Organic Frameworks

AbstractButterfly‐like molecules of oxacalix[2]arene[2]pyrazine (OAP) are reported, which exhibit the typical characteristics of aggregation‐induced emission (AIE) via the restriction of intramolecular vibration (RIV) mechanism. Unlike any of the reported RIV‐type AIE molecules, the synthetic procedures of which are complicated and have associated high costs, OAP AIEgens can be synthesized in a facile manner by a one‐step catalyst‐free reaction using commercially available materials. Notably, OAP AIEgens are ideal ligands for constructing metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) due to their built‐in pyrazine coordination sites. OAP‐based MOFs exhibit multiple potential applications in reversible gas response, encrypted information storage, and construction of white light‐emitting devices. This work builds on RIV‐type AIEgens, offers additional selections of bridging ligands for constructing luminescent MOFs and provides a visualized prototype to understand the effect of the RIV process on the luminescence properties of MOFs.

The Emerging Importance of Tumor Genomics in Operable Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.

Simple SummaryNext-generation sequencing (NGS) has revolutionized care for patients with advanced and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer through the identification of specific oncogenic driver mutations and pairing with matched targeted therapies. The application of NGS technologies also has the potential to improve outcomes in patients with earlier-stage disease who undergo surgery as their first line of treatment. We review clinically relevant topics in this patient cohort, for whom NGS technologies have spearheaded our understanding of tumor heterogeneity, the underlying genomic features associated with lung adenocarcinoma histologic subtypes, the prediction of recurrence after surgery, the identification of minimal residual disease by circulating tumor DNA, the discernment of intrapulmonary metastases versus synchronous or metachronous disease, and the identification of patients with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer who are likely to benefit from induction or adjuvant therapies.During the last two decades, next-generation sequencing (NGS) has played a key role in enhancing non-small cell lung cancer treatment paradigms through the application of “targeted therapy” in advanced and metastatic disease. The use of specific tyrosine kinase inhibitors in patients with oncogenic driver alterations, such as EGFR, ALK, ROS1, BRAF V600E, MET, and NTRK mutations, among others, has changed treatment approaches and improved outcomes in patients with late-stage disease. Although NGS technology has mostly been used in the setting of systemic therapy to identify targets, response to therapy, and mechanisms of resistance, it has multiple potential applications for patients with earlier-stage disease, as well. In this review, we discuss the emerging role of NGS technologies to better understand tumor biology in patients with non-small cell lung cancer who are undergoing surgery with curative intent. In this patient cohort, we examine tumor heterogeneity, the underlying tumor genomics associated with lung adenocarcinoma subtypes, the prediction of recurrence after complete surgical resection, the use of plasma circulating tumor DNA for detection of early cancers and monitoring for minimal residual disease, the differentiation of separate primaries from intrapulmonary metastases, and the use of NGS to guide induction and adjuvant therapies.

Multidimensional Morphology Control for PS‐b‐P4VP Templated Mesoporous Iron (III) Oxide Thin Films

AbstractMesoporous α‐Fe2O3 thin films with large area homogeneity demonstrate tremendous potential in multiple applications. In the present work, the synthesis of morphology‐controlled α‐Fe2O3 thin films is realized with polystyrene‐block‐poly(4‐vinyl pyridine) (PS‐b‐P4VP) diblock copolymer assisted sol‐gel chemistry. The solvent category (DMF and 1,4‐dioxane) and polymer‐to‐FeCl3 ratio used for the solution preparation are systematically varied to tune the morphology of the thin films. For both solvents, DMF and 1,4‐dioxane, nanocluster structures are obtained with low PS‐b‐P4VP concentration. When the concentration of PS‐b‐P4VP reaches the critical micelle concentration, spherical and wormlike porous structures are specifically formed in the DMF and 1,4‐dioxane solvent system, respectively. Further increasing the polymer‐to‐FeCl3 ratios leads to the enlargement of the spherical pore sizes in the DMF system, whereas the center‐to‐center distances of the wormlike structures in the 1,4‐dioxane system decrease. Moreover, DMF/1,4‐dioxane solvent mixtures with different volume ratios are applied for the sol–gel solution preparation to gain more insight into how the solvent selectivity affects the thin film morphology. By adjusting the preferential affinity of the solvent mixture to the polymer blocks, a spherical to wormlike pore shape transition is observed with a critical Δχ value of around 0.77.

Formation of CuOx Nanowires by Anodizing in Sodium Bicarbonate Solution

Mechanism of copper nanostructuring by oxides and hydroxide formation during anodizing is not fully understood. At the same time, the search for novel copper anodizing regimes and electrolytes is ongoing due to multiple potential applications. In this work copper anodizing in two electrode setups, in stirred 0.01 M solution of NaHCO3 at 20 °C and at voltages ranging from 5 to 40 V was explored. The morphology and composition of prepared materials were studied using FE-SEM imaging and XRD measurements. Anodizing at potentials in a range of 15–30 V led to formation of nanowires composed of crystalline Cu2O, CuO, Cu(OH)2 and malachite Cu2CO₃(OH)2. The latter was formed due to anion incorporation from the electrolyte. The diameter of nanowires strongly depended on the applied voltage, and was 35 ± 6 nm for samples prepared at 15 V, and 45 ± 9 nm for 30 V. At higher applied voltages oscillations of current density were observed, suggesting partial delamination of the formed oxidized layer, with subsequent self-healing.

Assembly and integration of conductive polypyrrole 2D nanofilm on protein nanolayer and the multiple potential applications

Integrating polymer with biological matters to form hybrids or conjugates is innovative in organic/organic system with significantly promise for sensor, medical, and materials science. In this work, a uniform 2D nanofilm with the hybridization of lysozyme and polypyrrole was prepared at the air/water interface. Lysozyme was employed as the biological adhesion template, and the polypyrrole conductive layer assembled onto lysozyme film, forming a hybrid and functional film with both conductivity and bio-adhesion. The functionality and potential applications of the hybrid film were investigated by detecting the conductivity, patterning and antibacterial property. The hybrid film presents refined patterning through UV lithography, and significant antibacterial property by dissolving the outer wall of bacteria. Owing to the significant conductivity, the mechanical sensor can detect the tiny airflow changes effectively, such as tiny vibrations from human throat and basic locomotion. It supplies a path to prepare functionally flexible nanofilm in organic/organic system.

A Two-Phase Fashion Apparel Detection Method Based on YOLOv4

Object detection is one of the important technologies in the field of computer vision. In the area of fashion apparel, object detection technology has various applications, such as apparel recognition, apparel detection, fashion recommendation, and online search. The recognition task is difficult for a computer because fashion apparel images have different characteristics of clothing appearance and material. Currently, fast and accurate object detection is the most important goal in this field. In this study, we proposed a two-phase fashion apparel detection method named YOLOv4-TPD (YOLOv4 Two-Phase Detection), based on the YOLOv4 algorithm, to address this challenge. The target categories for model detection were divided into the jacket, top, pants, skirt, and bag. According to the definition of inductive transfer learning, the purpose was to transfer the knowledge from the source domain to the target domain that could improve the effect of tasks in the target domain. Therefore, we used the two-phase training method to implement the transfer learning. Finally, the experimental results showed that the mAP of our model was better than the original YOLOv4 model through the two-phase transfer learning. The proposed model has multiple potential applications, such as an automatic labeling system, style retrieval, and similarity detection.

Large Animal Models in Pancreas and Biliary Disease

Rodent models, which have played important roles in preclinical research of pancreas and biliary diseases, have some limitations to translating data from rodent models to human diseases. Large animal models have recently been developed to overcome these limitations and perform translational research of medical devices and drugs in pancreas and biliary diseases. Preclinical studies using large animal models are necessary before clinical application, especially for the research and development of equipment, instrumentation, and techniques in pancreato-biliary diseases. As long as the endoscope used in humans can enter an organ, there appears to be no limitation in terms of species or organ for endoscopic experiments of large animal models. Investigators have mainly used swine for pancreas and biliary endoscopic experiments. Until now, unique swine models that investigators have been established include the normal bile duct model, bile duct dilation model, bile duct dilation+direct peroral cholangioscopy model, benign biliary stricture model, hilar biliary obstruction model, and acute pancreatitis (post-ERCP pancreatitis) model. Many preclinical studies have been performed using these established endoscopy-based large animal models to develop novel medical devices. Furthermore, porcine pancreatic cancer models induced by a transgenic or orthotopic method are currently under development. These models appear to be available for general use in the future and will have multiple potential preclinical and clinical applications.

Muscle Fibers Inspired High‐Performance Piezoelectric Textiles for Wearable Physiological Monitoring

AbstractThe next‐generation wearable biosensors with highly biocompatible, stretchable, and robust features are expected to enable the change of the current reactive and disease‐centric healthcare system to a personalized model with a focus on disease prevention and health promotion. Herein, a muscle‐fiber‐inspired nonwoven piezoelectric textile with tunable mechanical properties for wearable physiological monitoring is developed. To mimic the muscle fibers, polydopamine (PDA) is dispersed into the electrospun barium titanate/polyvinylidene fluoride (BTO/PVDF) nanofibers to enhance the interfacial‐adhesion, mechanical strength, and piezoelectric properties. Such improvements are both experimentally observed via mechanical characterization and theoretically verified by the phase‐field simulation. Taking the PDA@BTO/PVDF nanofibers as the building blocks, a nonwoven light‐weight piezoelectric textile is fabricated, which hold an outstanding sensitivity (3.95 V N−1) and long‐term stability (&lt;3% decline after 7,400 cycles). The piezoelectric textile demonstrates multiple potential applications, including pulse wave measurement, human motion monitoring, and active voice recognition. By creatively mimicking the muscle fibers, this work paves a cost‐effective way to develop high‐performance and self‐powered wearable bioelectronics for personalized healthcare.

Structural, electrical and optical properties of Zn1−xCuxO (x = 0.00–0.09) nanoparticles

Pure and copper doped zinc oxide nanoparticles (Zn1−xCuxO) of different concentrations (x = 0.0, 0.03, 0.06 and 0.09 wt%) were synthesized by using co precipitation method. During the next phase, effect of Cu concentration on structural, electrical and optical properties of ZnO-NPs were investigated with the multiple techniques like XRD, UV–visible spectroscopy, FTIR, and two probe methods. The XRD analysis confirmed hexagonal wurtzite crystal structure having crystallite sizes ranging between 18.3 and 24.2 nm. Rotational and vibration mode of different functional groups (OH, CH, C = O and ZnO) were calculated using FTIR spectra. Moreover, the UV visible spectroscopy identified a band gap (3.10–2.30 eV) of pure and Cu doped ZnO-NPs. Finally, electrical properties like conductivity was increased and whereas, the resistivity decreased with increasing Cu dopant concentrations. Overall, addition of Cu as doping agent improved the structural, optical and electrical properties ZnO-NPs and could enable multiple further potential applications like solar cell, energy storage and other optoelectronic devices.

Dense neural networks in knee osteoarthritis classification: a study on accuracy and fairness

Dense neural networks (DNNs) are a powerful class of learning algorithms that uses multiple layers to progressively extract higher level features from raw input. Either deep or shallow, their outstanding capabilities made a very significant impact on improving the diagnostic potential in multiple applications including medical data classification. In this research work, DNN and Machine Learning (ML) models are explored to address the diagnosis problem of knee osteoarthritis classification which is a common complex problem in older adults. Knee OA diagnosis is a highly complex problem being related to a large number of medical risk factors including advanced age, gender, hormonal status, body weight or size, family history of disease, etc. The main research objective of this study is to apply DNN in knee osteoarthritis classification and validate it for the first time with respect to both accuracy and fairness. To accomplish this, a hybrid criterion including accuracies, confusion matrix and two fairness metrics (demographic parity (DP) and balanced equalized odds (BEO)) were employed to validate the performance of the proposed methodology. Different subgroups of control participants from self-reported clinical data were considered to prove the performance of the proposed methodology. The best performing DNN method is compared with some popular and well-known machine learning techniques for classification with respect to accuracy and fairness. The results of the conducted experimental analysis show the efficacy of the proposed DNN approach improving the classification accuracy (up to 79.6%) and fairness (BEO: ~ 92% and DP: 98.5%) in the OA case study.