Similar Principles Research Articles

Experimental Study on the Influence of Sidewall Excavation Width and Rock Wall Slope on the Stability of the Surrounding Rock in Hanging Tunnels

Hanging tunnels are a unique type of highway constructed on hard cliffs and towering mountains, renowned for their steep and distinctive characteristics. Compared to traditional full tunnels or open excavations, hanging tunnels offer significant advantages in terms of cost and construction time. However, the engineering design and construction cases of such tunnels are rarely reported, and concerns about construction safety and surrounding rock stability have become focal points. Taking the Shibanhe hanging tunnel as a case study, this paper focuses on the stability of the surrounding rock during the excavation of limestone hanging tunnels using physical analog model (PAM) experiments and numerical calculation. Firstly, based on the similarity principle and orthogonal experiments, river sand, bentonite, gypsum and P.O42.5 ordinary Portland cement were selected as the raw materials to configure similar materials from limestone. Secondly, according to the characteristics of hanging tunnels, geological models were designed, and excavation experiments with three different sidewall excavation widths and rock wall slopes were carried out. The effects of these variables on the stress and displacement behavior of the surrounding rock were analyzed, and the laws of their influence on the stability of the surrounding rock were explored. Finally, numerical simulations were employed to simulate the tunnel excavation, and the results of the numerical simulations and PAM experiments were compared and analyzed to verify the reliability of the PAM experiment. The results showed that the vertical stress on the rock pillars was significantly affected by the sidewall excavation widths, with a maximum increase rate of 53.8%. The displacement of the sidewall opening top was greatly influenced by the sidewall excavation widths, while the displacement of the sidewalls was more influenced by the rock wall slope. The experimental results of the PAM are consistent with the displacement and stress trends observed in the numerical simulation results, verifying their reliability. These findings can provide valuable guidance and reference for the design and construction of hanging tunnels.

Model test of foundation pit excavation adjacent to the existing double-lane tunnel

Abstract To study the influence of foundation pit excavation on the adjacent existing double-track tunnel, a model box test with a similarity ratio of 1/50 was carried out. In this paper, the mechanical parameters of loess around the tunnel are determined through laboratory tests, and the miscellaneous fill, loess, sand, tunnel structure, support structure, and retaining wall are prepared by similar principles. The variation of the surface settlement, the deformation of the retaining wall, and the surrounding rock and soil pressure of the tunnel were analyzed by using equipment such as the miniature earth pressure box, dial gauge, and strain gauge. The results of the study showed that the existence of the supporting structure makes the bending moment of the retaining wall show the phenomenon of negative value first, then positive value, and finally negative value. In the process of foundation pit excavation, when the horizontal distance of the model surface is 4 times the excavation depth, the foundation pit excavation has little effect on the settlement of the model surface. The earth pressure value of the surrounding rock decreases with the increase of the excavation depth of the foundation pit. The earth pressure value of the surrounding rock is the right > the left > the lower part > the upper part and the excavation of the foundation pit has the greatest influence on the upper and left sides of the surrounding rock close to the side of the foundation pit, and the least impact on the right side of the surrounding rock.

Evidence of community structure in phonological networks of multiple languages.

Thousands of phonological word forms known to a speaker can be organised as a lexical network using the tools of network science. In these networks, nodes represent words and edges are placed between phonological neighbours. Previous work has shown that phonological networks of various languages have similar macrolevel network properties. The present study aimed to investigate if phonological networks of different languages also have similar mesolevel properties, specifically, the presence of robust community structure. Prior community detection analyses revealed robust community structure for English. Community detection analyses conducted on French, German, Dutch, and Spanish networks indicate that all networks showed strong evidence of community structure-mesolevel clustering of word forms whereby larger communities tended to contain shorter, frequent words with many phonological neighbours. Words of the same community tended to share similar phonotactic structures. Results suggest that the organisation of phonological word forms in language are governed by similar principles that could have important implications for lexical processing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

A parsimonious model for springs discharge reconstruction and forecast for drought management: Lessons from a case study in Central Italy

Study regionKarst springs located in Central Apennine ridge (Central Italy), in the Tiber River basin. Study focusThe assessment of water availability is a key issue in a water supply system because of increasing drought and water scarcity events. Analysing and predicting the dynamic behaviour of groundwater resources is challenging to conceptualize and model, especially in poorly-monitored systems. A parsimonious model based on linear regression between the monthly spring discharge time series and Standardized Precipitation Index is proposed. The model is conceived for management purposes and suitable for users with a limited background in modelling techniques, who can take advantage from an initial knowledge of the aquifers hydrological regime. New hydrological insights for the regionThe model developed for long-term monitored springs is used to reconstruct the historical groundwater hydrographs and to make predictions for poorly-monitored springs with similar properties, exploiting the “similarity principle”. Results highlight the notable performance of this approach, which represents a useful tool for overcoming the limitations in spring discharge monitoring networks. Moreover, the tool is used to test forecast performance enabling water managers to develop a monthly early-warning system fostering a sustainable water resource exploitation and limiting the critical issues of the water supply system, especially during drought periods. Results are discussed from the perspective of the water utilities entrusted to manage their resources in the study region.

Revisiting modern campuses through spaces for leisure in Izmir, Turkey

ABSTRACT Division of working and leisure spaces as an early product of modern life has still its traces on urban context. Campus spaces, not only universities, reflect such a programmed structure related to modern everyday life. This paper aims to discuss the changing relationship between working and leisure on varying campus spaces, which embrace these two essential components of modern societies. Many campuses in early Turkey follow similar modernist organisational principles in their design and performs an original path in spatial transformation. Industry, education, and public service campuses, which were established in İzmir during the 1950s, constitute the spatial framework of this paper. The paper aims to trace the leisure areas of three campuses and examine this meticulously programmed life idea under the influence of the changing leisure spatial culture in Turkey from the 1950s to today. These spaces are articulated and examined by their dwellings and social interaction spaces. Besides, the social experience and individual perspectives of campus users are documented and merged with the physical analysis of the working and leisure spaces. Discussing those examples in socio-spatial details underlines the transformation and dissolution of campus idea in urban life and exposes the unique experience of campus spaces of İzmir.

PREDICTION OF THE PRIMARY SOURCES OF GIANT CLIPPIR DIAMONDS IN THE NORTH OF YAKUTIA BY THE METHOD OF MINERALOGICAL AND GEOCHEMICAL ANALOGY (METHOD 5E DIAGRAMS)

The finds of giant CLIPPIR-type diamonds in the placers hosted by the Ebelyakh River basin in the north of Yakutia suggest that similar diamonds can be found in the kimberlites of the Anabar region and the nearest northern deposits located within the collisional Khapchan and Daldyn terranes. To predict the discovery of such diamonds, the authors use the 5E diagram method based on the principle of similarity of the compositions of five oxides of satellite minerals (Grt, Cpx, Chr and Ilm) of diamond (DSM) with the reference diagrams for the Karowe pipe (K-6, Botswana) with the composition of those for any other pipe. It was previously shown that the convergence of the DSM compositions of the Karowe and V. Grib (Arkhangelsk diamond province) pipes is 74 %, which might indicate possible presence of CLIPPIR diamonds in the predicted pipe. The application of this technique to two kimberlite pipes of the Anabar region demonstrated that the probability of detecting such diamonds in the Leningrad pipe (Lower Devonian, medium diamond content potential) is 74 %, and in the Malokuonamskaya pipe (Lower Triassic, medium diamond content) is 20 %. A comparison of diagrams 5E and additional PTС – fO2 diagrams of reconstructed sections of the lithospheric mantle showed their efficiency in predicting favorable conditions of CLIPPIR-type diamond crystallization. It is assumed that formation of such diamonds may occur within the proto-kimberlite magmatic chamber located near the boundary of the lithosphere and associated with the asthenospheric source. It should be surrounded by low-oxidized carbon-rich mantle eclogites and dunites with high pressure and temperature, as well as magnesium-rich ilmenite-chromite metasomatites. The use of the 5E diagram method, as the approach to predict giant CLIPPIR diamonds in poorly diamondiferous kimberlites, might attract investing for exploration to audit the industrial potential of a series of such kimberlites in the Anabar region. Its implementation would significantly increase the efficiency of geological exploration and assessment of the potential of poorly diamondiferous pipes that have been suspended as subeconomic.

Interpreting the Epidemiological Characteristics of HIV-1 in Heterosexually Transmitted Population Based on Molecular Transmission Network in Kunming, Yunnan: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Heterosexuals have become the most prevalent group of HIV-1 in Kunming, Yunnan Province. Utilizing the principle of genetic similarity between their gene sequences, we built a molecular transmission network by gathering data from earlier molecular epidemiological studies. This allowed us to analyze the epidemiological features of this group and offer fresh concepts and approaches for the prevention and management of HIV-1 epidemics. Cytoscope was used to visualize and characterize the network following the processing of the sample gene sequences by BioEdit and HyPhy. The number of possible links and the size of the clusters were investigated as influencing factors using a zero-inflated Poisson model and a logistic regression model, respectively. A scikit-learn-based prediction model was developed to account for the dynamic changes in the HIV-1 molecular network. Six noteworthy modular clusters with network scores ranging from 4 to 9 were found from 150 clusters using Molecular Complex Detection analysis at a standard genetic distance threshold of 0.01. The size of the number of possible links and the network's clustering rate were significantly impacted by sampling time, marital status, and CD4+ T lymphocytes (all p < 0.05). The gradient boosting machine (GBM) model had the highest area under the curve value, 0.884 ± 0.051, according to scikit-learn. Though not all cluster subtypes grew equally, the network clusters were relatively specific and aggregated. The largest local transmission-risk group for HIV-1CRF08_BC is now the heterosexual transmission population. The most suitable model for constructing the HIV-1 molecular network dynamics prediction model was found to be the GBM model.

Phase Prediction via Crystal Structure Similarity in the Periodic Number Representation.

The periodic number (PN) representation of the chemical systems, introduced by Dmitri Mendeleev, uncovers the fundamental principle of chemical similarity in a straightforward way. In this framework, the rows correspond to the principal quantum numbers of the elements' electronic configurations when considered isolated atoms. This systematic arrangement allows for a deeper understanding of the relationships and patterns among the elements. In this study, we propose a novel strategy for structure type (prototype) prediction by utilizing the PN concept to identify possible modifications and phase stability of unexplored chemical systems. Our PN-based crystal structure prediction (PNcsp) program, which evaluates similarity through PN neighboring in the phase map, provides the most probable prototypes for unknown and unreported modifications of given phases in binary and higher order chemical systems. We applied PNcsp to 59 distinct chemical systems whose equimolar phases are indicated in the respective phase diagrams but lack accurate experimental structure determination. Our methodology identified 93 prototypes for these 59 equiatomic phases, of which 47 exhibit mechanical and dynamic stability. Notably, this approach discovered 19 entirely novel, fully stable polymorphic phases, thereby expanding the known landscape of potential materials. Furthermore, we demonstrated that this method is also effective for nonequimolar and higher order systems.

A Development and Evaluation of a Vertical Yam-Pounding Machine

A vertical yam pounding machine having a similar operational principle to the traditional method of pounding was developed. The machine consists of a shaft, pulleys, V-belts, bearings, an electric motor, a vertical pounder, a gear train and a pounding bowl. White yam was used to carry out a performance evaluation of the developed machine compared to a commercial yam pounder QASA® (LBQ041A, made in China) yam pounding machine and pounded yam from the traditional method of using mortar and pestle. It was observed that the traditional pounding operation, the developed and the QASA® yam pounding machines gave 89.73, 96.24 and 98.25% of well-pounded yam excluding lumps. However, the QASA® yam pounding machine is limited to a maximum of 4 kg mass of boiled yam. The average throughputs of the traditional pounding operation, the developed and the QASA® yam pounding machines were 20.3, 39.46 and 47.34 kg/h, while pounding times were 18 min, 10 min, and 5 min respectively. The developed machine had comparable quality with similar sensory scores with regards to the taste, aroma, stretchability, and mouldability to the one from the traditional method. It also had a comparative long-life span, and overall acceptability score and was preferred over the pounded yam produced by QASA® pounding machine.

Research on condition assessment of nuclear power systems based on fault severity and fault harmfulness

Obtaining real time quantitative condition assessment results is a focus in the field of nuclear power system PHM. The existing researches on the nuclear power system condition assessment based on the Multi-Criteria Decision-Making framework do not consider the faults perniciousness differences. This leads to the assessment results relying on the system status deviation degrees(severity), and the weighting and aggregation processes cannot effectively reflect the differences in the consequences and risks of different faults, which represent the faults harmfulness. A quantitative assessment method based on fault severity and fault harmfulness is proposed to address this issue. The novel method quantifies the fault severity based on the similarity principle while diagnosing system faults, and then analyzes the devices mainly affected by various faults to quantifies the harmfulness. Combining the system status deviation degrees(severity), the devices and parameters importance, and the differences in faults harmfulness, the novel method aggregates comprehensive system condition assessment results. Based on a widely recognized nuclear power system faults dataset, the novel method was compared with other methods. The conclusion is that the novel method considers the differences in the faults harmfulness, resulting in more reasonable assessment results and avoiding insufficient or excessive warnings.

Engineering a novel pathway for efficient biosynthesis of salicin in Escherichia coli

Salicin is a natural glycoside compound widely used to treat fever, inflammation, and analgesia. Currently, salicin is primarily extracted from willow bark, which is not only cumbersome in terms of extraction and separate steps, but also subject to seasonal and geographic limitations. In this study, a highly efficient biosynthetic pathway for salicin synthesis was designed and constructed in E. coli. The most important precursor in the synthetic pathway of salicin designed in this study is salicyl alcohol. Building on a previously constructed biosynthetic salicylic acid metabolic pathway, the production of salicyl alcohol in shake flask fermentation reached 1.7 g/L by increasing the supply of shikimic acid pathway precursor PEP and salicyl alcohol precursor chorismate. According to the principle of substrate similarity, this study identified the key enzyme OsSGT1 from Oryza sativa, which uses E. coli endogenous UDP-glucose as a glycosyl donor to glycosylate salicyl alcohol into salicin. By redefining the optimal substrate of OsSGT1, and balancing metabolic flux along with increasing the supply of UDP-glucose, salicin production in shake flasks reached 4 g/L. Finally, culturing the high-yield strain in a 3-L fermenter resulted in the synthesis of 14.62 g/L of salicin. To the best of our knowledge, this achievement marks the highest salicin production through microbial fermentation to date.

СИМФОНИЗМ ПРОИЗВЕДЕНИЙ И. Л. СЕЛЬВИНСКОГО: РОМАН-ЭПОПЕЯ «АРКТИКА» И ПОЭТИЧЕСКИЙ ЦИКЛ «АЛИСА»

The article examines the interconnection of musical and verbal arts. Using the novel «Arctic» and the poem cycle «Alice» as examples, an analysis is conducted of the artistic techniques employed by I. L. Selvinsky to create verbal analogs of musical structures. It is established that the thematic depth of the works, detailed depiction of the processes of character formation and development, their spiritual quests, and the resolution of internal conflicts indicate the symphonic nature of the poet’s thinking. The reference to the symphonic works of P.I. Tchaikovsky, the disruption of the composer’s accepted symphony order, enhances the aesthetic direction of the poetic work and reveals profound meaning. The unity of thematic and imagery material, the utilization of similar principles in the development of musical and literary works allow for the poetic cycle «Alice» to be considered as a symphonic suite, with its poetic elements assessed in the parameters of musicology correlated with literary methodology.

6574 Pheochromocytoma In A Patient With ESRD; Clinical Challenges And Lessons From A Successful Evaluation

Abstract Disclosure: S. Younes: None. A. Sayed: None. K. Selk: None. L.A. Willard: None. Introduction: Pheochromocytomas are rare tumors that arise from the chromaffin cells in the adrenal medulla, that secrete norepinephrine, epinephrine and dopamine. Common presentations include resistant hypertension (HTN) and adrenergic spells with headaches, sweating and tachycardia. The literature has few cases of pheochromocytoma in the setting of end stage renal disease (ESRD). Case: A 46-year-old male with a history of resistant HTN on amlodipine, lisinopril, and labetalol, complicated by ESRD on hemodialysis (HD) and secondary hyperparathyroidism initially presented with gross hematuria. The patient reported sporadic, intermittent headaches associated with palpitations and sweating. A renal ultrasound revealed a left-sided complex renal cystic mass. CT abdomen/pelvis demonstrated an enhancing left adrenal lesion and MRI abdomen/pelvis confirmed an enhancing 4.6 x 2.8 cm adrenal mass. Laboratory studies revealed elevated normetanephrine of 1186 pg/mL (ref &amp;lt;149 pg/mL), elevated metanephrine at 139 pg/mL (ref &amp;lt;57 pg/mL) and elevated epinephrine at 128 pg/mL (ref &amp;lt;95 pg/mL). Given the laboratory and imaging findings in conjunction with clinical presentation, an excision of the adrenal mass was set. Two weeks prior to the surgery, alpha blockade was started with doxazosin 1mg daily with a goal blood pressure &amp;lt;130/80. He was admitted to the hospital with a goal to keep him 1-1.5kg above his dry weight. His dry weight was 81.5kg close to admission weight, so he was started on gentle IV hydration. He had a left robotic assisted adrenalectomy and was given stress dose steroids and a steroid taper given no preoperative Cushing’s screen was completed. No postoperative complications reported, and doxazosin was discontinued. 2 weeks later, he reported his adrenergic spells had resolved. Surgical pathology confirmed pheochromocytoma and he was referred for genetic consultation. Conclusion: Although there is little in the literature regarding management of a pheochromocytoma in patients with ESRD, similar principles of management in patients with normal renal function apply, including blood pressure control, alpha blockade, and establishment of euvolemia with recommendation of a high-sodium diet and 1-2 liters of saline the day prior to the procedure. This case highlights successful perioperative management with traditional use of alpha blockade but also incorporated maintaining the patient 1-1.5 kg above their dry weight for surgery to limit postoperative hypotension. Presentation: 6/3/2024

Description as a Fiction-Writing Mode Between Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield and Naguib Mahfouz’s Midaq Alley: A Comparative Study

Comparative literature expounds on the areas of convergence in literature and reproduces the cultural similarities between East and West, demonstrating its results in guiding literary and intellectual renewal movements. Arabic literature takes advantage of the works of literature of other nations and is always keen to develop and enrich its awareness and culture. As the novel is a celebrated genre used in the comparative literature area, the Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz, well-known as the Dickens of Egypt, is one of the key poles of the international Arab novel. Mahfouz's novels and short stories convey Cairo, the capital of Egypt, its neighborhoods, inhabitants, and groceries to the home of every reader. The images and representations of Cairo drawn by Mahfouz are compared to the masters of English literature, namely Charles Dickens who significantly impacted Mahfouz's writings, especially his great love for describing and depicting everything his eyes see. With appropriating a comparative study of Dickens’s and Mahfouz’s selected works, this paper examines the concept of “description as a fiction-writing mode” as reflected in two literary works—Dickens’s David Copperfield (1850) and Mahfouz’s Midaq Alley (1947) following the School of Comparative Literature based on the principle of similarity in its study and analysis of literary works.

Hybrid organic - inorganic filter system for cadmium ions adsorption from aqueous solutions

The study reflects on the problem of heavy metals, namely cadmium, polluting the natural environment. The goal was to select the most efficient adsorber enabling ion exchange between calcium and cadmium in an aqueous environment and subsequently design a material hybrid organic-inorganic, particle-fiber system that adsorbs cadmium from aqueous environments and will be easily included in the technological process. The novelty of this study lies in the use of waste food material – eggshells as a source of biogenic nanoparticles. These are applied to a nanofibrous structure made of polyvinyl butyral in amounts of 8 to 10 %wt by weight by the AC electrospinning. (The experiment was performed with these boundary conditions: temperature was 23°C, and humidity was 42%. The high-electrical voltage amplifier generated a sinusoidal waveform with a frequency of 50 Hz and an amplitude of 32 kV) and were used for ion exchange. In ion exchange, cadmium ions are exchanged with calcium ions based on the principle of chemical similarity of the two elements expressed by the z/r ratio (charge/ radius ratio), the z/r ratio is 2.02 for calcium ions Ca2+ and 2.06 for cadmium Cd2. Separateted nanoparticles of calcium carbonate obtained by burning eggshells (727°C) with dimensions from 100 to 200 nm and a specific surface area of 3.9 m2/g showed the highest adsorption capacity of 99.8%, synthetic calcium carbonate at 71.8%, and ground eggshells the lowest at 25.0%. Designed and laboratory-tested filter system of nanoparticles - nanofibers captures 95.6% and 96.8% of cadmium ions from an aqueous solution within 10 minutes and 90 minutes, respectively, at a concentration of cadmium ions of 10 mg/l, and at several nanoparticles of 0.3 g. The ion exchange is carried out only on the filter surface, and after a specific time, the calcium carbonate nanoparticles are released from the filter probably due to absence of chemical bond between nanoparticles and nanostructures or the low density of the nanofibrous structure. SEM, EDX, FTIR, BET and TGA analysis were used for material evaluation. The adsorption capacity of used nanoparticles and filter adsorbers was evaluated according to residual amounts of cadmium ions in aqueous solutions using ICP-IOS.

Development of the Combined Operations Method to Improve the Efficiency of Block Encryption

Real-time information protection requires the implementation of special methods aimed at providing reliable and fast encryption algorithms to protect personal and corporate information from unauthorized access. With the growth of data volumes and the speed of their processing, the importance of effective encryption methods increases significantly. One of the common, reliable and well-known encryption algorithms is AES (Advanced Encryption Standard), also known as Rijndael, which is a symmetric block cipher. AES has high efficiency and cryptoresistance and is suitable for processing large volumes of data. The reliability and speed of encryption and decryption using the AES algorithm depends on the size of the key and the data. This paper proposes to improve algorithm of symmetric block encryption AES to provide faster data processing. The possibility of combining mathematical operations that have a similar principle of processing elements is shown. This approach made it possible to reduce the processing time for data encryption and decryption compared to known implementations. A comparative analysis of the practical implementation of the standard and optimized AES cryptoalgorithms has been carried out. The general principles of the proposed method are to transform all two-dimensional arrays into one-dimensional arrays, add auxiliary tables for ShiftRows and MixColumns operations, and combine operations with similar element processing principles. The simulation results showed that the modified implementation of the AES algorithm demonstrates a reduction in processing time of up to 50% when encrypting and up to 75% when decrypting data compared to known results

Neural Memory State Space Models for Medical Image Segmentation.

With the rapid advancement of deep learning, computer-aided diagnosis and treatment have become crucial in medicine. UNet is a widely used architecture for medical image segmentation, and various methods for improving UNet have been extensively explored. One popular approach is incorporating transformers, though their quadratic computational complexity poses challenges. Recently, State-Space Models (SSMs), exemplified by Mamba, have gained significant attention as a promising alternative due to their linear computational complexity. Another approach, neural memory Ordinary Differential Equations (nmODEs), exhibits similar principles and achieves good results. In this paper, we explore the respective strengths and weaknesses of nmODEs and SSMs and propose a novel architecture, the nmSSM decoder, which combines the advantages of both approaches. This architecture possesses powerful nonlinear representation capabilities while retaining the ability to preserve input and process global information. We construct nmSSM-UNet using the nmSSM decoder and conduct comprehensive experiments on the PH2, ISIC2018, and BU-COCO datasets to validate its effectiveness in medical image segmentation. The results demonstrate the promising application value of nmSSM-UNet. Additionally, we conducted ablation experiments to verify the effectiveness of our proposed improvements on SSMs and nmODEs.

High‐abundance and low‐cost anodes for sodium‐ion batteries

AbstractNowadays, sodium‐ion batteries are considered the most promising large‐scale energy storage systems (EESs) due to the low cost and wide distribution of sodium sources as well as the similar working principle to lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs). Therefore, screening suitable materials with high abundance, low cost, and excellent reliability and modified with different strategies based on them is the key point for the development of sodium‐ion batteries (SIBs). In addition, the ideal anodes with high abundance, and low cost elements also greatly influence the cost of SIB systems, determining the large‐scale application. Herein, recent advances in carbon, iron, manganese, and phosphorus‐based anodes of various types, such as hard carbon, iron oxides, manganese oxides, and red phosphorus, are highlighted. The various sodium storage mechanisms and structure‐function properties for these four types of materials are summarized and analyzed in detail. Considering the commercial profits that the EESs can bring and their suitability for mass electrode manufacturing, the participation of high‐abundance and low‐cost elements such as Fe, Mn, C, and P is convincing and encouraging.

Visual search and real-image similarity: An empirical assessment through the lens of deep learning.

The ability to predict how efficiently a person finds an object in the environment is a crucial goal of attention research. Central to this issue are the similarity principles initially proposed by Duncan and Humphreys, which outline how the similarity between target and distractor objects (TD) and between distractor objects themselves (DD) affect search efficiency. However, the search principles lack direct quantitative support from an ecological perspective, being a summary approximation of a wide range of lab-based results poorly generalisable to real-world scenarios. This study exploits deep convolutional neural networks to predict human search efficiency from computational estimates of similarity between objects populating, potentially, any visual scene. Our results provide ecological evidence supporting the similarity principles: search performance continuously varies across tasks and conditions and improves with decreasing TD similarity and increasing DD similarity. Furthermore, our results reveal a crucial dissociation: TD and DD similarities mainly operate at two distinct layers of the network: DD similarity at the intermediate layers of coarse object features and TD similarity at the final layers of complex features used for classification. This suggests that these different similarities exert their major effects at two distinct perceptual levels and demonstrates our methodology's potential to offer insights into the depth of visual processing on which the search relies. By combining computational techniques with visual search principles, this approach aligns with modern trends in other research areas and fulfils longstanding demands for more ecologically valid research in the field of visual search.

Perioperative outcomes of robot-assisted pancreatoduodenectomy (PD) and totally laparoscopic PD after overcoming learning curves with comparison of oncologic outcomes between open PD and minimally invasive PD.

Minimally invasive pancreatoduodenectomy (MIPD), such as totally laparoscopic pancreatoduodenectomy (TLPD) or robot-assisted pancreatoduodenectomy (RAPD), is increasingly performed worldwide. This study aimed to compare the perioperative outcomes of TLPD and RAPD, and compare the oncologic outcomes between MIPD and open pancreatoduodenectomy (OPD) for malignant disease. This retrospective study was conducted at two hospitals that followed similar oncological surgical principles, including the extent of resection. RAPD was performed at Seoul National University Hospital, and TLPD at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital. Patient demographics, perioperative outcomes, and oncological outcomes were analyzed. Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis was performed to compare oncologic outcomes between MIPD and OPD. Between 2015 and 2020, 332 RAPD and 178 TLPD were performed. The rates of Clavian-Dindo grade ≥ 3 complications (19.3% vs. 20.2%, p = 0.816), clinically relevant postoperative pancreatic fistula (9.9% vs. 11.8%, p = 0.647), and open conversions (6.6% vs. 10.5%, p = 0.163) were comparable between the two groups. The mean operation time (341 minutes vs. 414 minutes, p < 0.001) and postoperative hospital stay were shorter in the RAPD group (11 days vs. 14 days, p = 0.034). After PSM, the 5-year overall survival rate was comparable between MIPD and OPD for overall malignant disease (58.4% vs. 55.5%, p = 0.180). Both RAPD and TLPD are safe and feasible, and MIPD has clinical outcomes that are comparable to those of OPD. Although RAPD exhibits some advantages, its perioperative outcomes are similar to those associated with TLPD. A surgical method may be selected based on the convenience of surgical movements, medical costs, and operator experience.