Reference Alignment Research Articles

Unlocking inherent values of manufacturing metadata through digital characteristics (DC) alignment

Data form the backbone of manufacturing sciences, initiating a revolutionary transformation in our understanding of manufacturing processes by unravelling complex scientific patterns embedded within them. Digital characteristics (DC) is defined as a strategic framework mapping the manufacturing metadata and integrates essential information across the entire spectrum spanning from the design, manufacturing, and application phases of manufactured products. By carrying these inherent distinctive features, DC serves as the ‘DNA’ for every manufacturing process. Through enormous experimental and simulation efforts, a digital characteristics space (DCS) was established to provide access to the up-to-date and information-rich DC repository containing over 140 manufacturing processes. In digital manufacturing, sensing networks play a pivotal role in metadata acquisition, contributing nearly 2000 petabytes of metadata annually. However, an overwhelming majority-nearly 100 %-of the data collected through sensing networks can be categorised as ‘fragmental data’, encompassing only a few (e.g., 1–2) essential pieces of information. Moreover, the current absence of efficient metadata identification methods presents an emerging and critical need to enable industry to unlock the full potential of manufacturing metadata. To this end, the authors of the present paper developed a physics-based alignment filter, considering DCS as an alignment reference similar to the ‘GenBank’. Specifically, the origins of naturally unattributed fragmental data were identified with an overall probability exceeding 82 % with a minimum length of 10 data points. The probability increased to 99 % when aligning the fragmental data with length of 100 data points. This was realised by comparing the thermo-mechanical DC of fragmental data with their counterparts stored in the DCS. Subsequently, we analysed the distinct DC of this identified manufacturing process to facilitate digitally-enhanced research. This study introduces a pioneering methodology developed to extract latent values embedded in manufacturing metadata derived from unattributed fragmental data. By revolutionising insights into advanced manufacturing sciences, our work provides an enabling approach for identifying and leveraging fragmental data sourced from sensing networks. This empowers the exploration of manufacturing metadata, promising transformative implications for the field.

Predicting the wear on the non-working side of the rail profile registration method and its validation

Abstract Rail cross-section profile detection can assess the wear and tear of measured rails, providing crucial references for railway maintenance and upkeep. It is challenging to use the conventional method to register only the profile of rail head detection accurately. After the rail edge adjustment in some conventional railways, it becomes difficult to determine the base point of rail profile registration. Due to the wear of non-working edge of rail, a rail profile registration method is proposed. Firstly, a wear prediction model based on the generalized regression neural network is constructed by optimizing smoothing parameters through ten-fold cross-validation to achieve the optimal values. This model predicts the wear values on the non-working rail edge, providing reliable coordinates for two wear points as alignment reference points. Secondly, an initial alignment between the measured profile and the target profile is achieved using the nearest point iterative algorithm, which ensures that both profiles are in the same region and oriented similarly. Thirdly, the weight is assigned to the wear measurement points based on their respective wear values. The predicted positions of wear points are applied for calculating the translation and rotation parameters. These parameters could align the measured profile and facilitate the final profile alignment. Lastly, the experimental profiles under rail adjustment conditions were registered, verifying the accuracy of the proposed method. The research results indicate that under rail adjustment conditions, the mean squared error (MSE) between the calculated and actual values of lateral wear is 0.094 mm2, which is lower than the MSE from manual measurements. The calculated lateral wear value for experimental profiles achieved high alignment and calculation accuracy. This method can be applied in practical projects, providing an effective solution for rail head profile alignment and serving as a reference for profile alignment on the non-working rail edge with incomplete measurement data.

Approach for Phased Sequence-Based Genotyping of the Critical Pharmacogene Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase (DPYD).

Pre-treatment genotyping of four well-characterized toxicity risk-variants in the dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase gene (DPYD) has been widely implemented in Europe to prevent serious adverse effects in cancer patients treated with fluoropyrimidines. Current genotyping practices are largely limited to selected commonly studied variants and are unable to determine phasing when more than one variant allele is detected. Recent evidence indicates that common DPYD variants modulate the functional impact of deleterious variants in a phase-dependent manner, where a cis- or a trans-configuration translates into different toxicity risks and dosing recommendations. DPYD is a large gene with 23 exons spanning nearly a mega-base of DNA, making it a challenging candidate for full-gene sequencing in the diagnostic setting. Herein, we present a time- and cost-efficient long-read sequencing approach for capturing the complete coding region of DPYD. We demonstrate that this method can reliably produce phased genotypes, overcoming a major limitation with current methods. This method was validated using 21 subjects, including two cancer patients, each of whom carried multiple DPYD variants. Genotype assignments showed complete concordance with conventional approaches. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the method is robust to technical challenges inherent in long-range sequencing of PCR products, including reference alignment bias and PCR chimerism.

General nurse competencies in disaster: A delphi study

AimThe aim of this study is to understand the significance of a disaster-related competence framework for Portuguese general nurses and identify from ICN - Core Competencies in Disaster Nursing version 2.0 core competencies description, those that are considered crucial for a competent preparedness and response in disaster scenarios. BackgroundResearch suggests that the occurrence of disasters will be more recurrent, requiring that nurses, pillars of any health system, have knowledge, skills and preparedness to face these events. DesignAn exploratory, cross-sectional qualitative study was carried out. Delphi method was used for data collection. MethodsThe study group consisted of technical-scientific council’s presidents or coordinators/directors of nursing courses, nurses integrated in the Portuguese Council of Nurses and National Nursing Specialty Colleges and nurses with experience in the field of disasters. ResultsFindings revealed that there is consensus on sixteen competencies, considered relevant for developing general nurse knowledge and competence, both at a national or international level, in the field of disasters. ConclusionsThe development of these competencies which establishes practice standards, building nurses skills and knowledge and ultimately, influencing nursing level-entry curricula’s, conferring professional autonomy and self-regulation, in the field of disaster are fundamental. Furthermore, this study may serve as a reference for future alignment of competency frameworks between European Union countries or others.

Impact of wake steering on loads of downstream wind turbines at an above-rated condition

Wake steering strategies often seek to gain power at the expense of increased fatigue loads. Here, we investigate the feasibility of applying wake steering at an above-rated condition. In such a condition, the farm is operating at rated power, and thus, increased power output is not the goal. Instead, wake steering is considered in the context of load reduction. We perform a sweep of wind directions and yaw misalignment angles, ranging from negative to positive values. This approach allows us to obtain trends and identify asymmetries in turbine response for symmetric scenarios. We use a wind farm consisting of five aligned IEA Wind 15-MW reference wind turbines, and analyze trends related to the blade-root, low-speed shaft, and tower-base moments, both in terms of standard deviation and damage equivalent loads. We show that for any given fixed wind direction, the turbines can be yawed such that the fatigue loads are reduced. Reductions of up to 5% (depending on the component) in terms of standard deviation and damage equivalent loads can be achieved by negatively yawing the turbine. A negative yaw misalignment has shown to be the direction of larger improvements. Such results contrast those found for below-rated conditions, where a positive yaw misalignment is typically preferred. However, since load reduction is not uniform across all component loads, more study and consideration is required before operational recommendations can be made.

A smoothness control method for kilometer‐span railway bridges with analysis of track characteristics

AbstractSignificant dynamic deformations during the operation of kilometer‐span high‐speed railway bridges adversely affect track maintenance. This paper proposes a three‐stage smoothness control method based on a comprehensive analysis of track alignment characteristics to address this issue. In the method, historical measured data are grouped into multicategories, and reference alignments for each category are reconstructed. Then, the reference alignment category to which the track to be adjusted belongs is accurately matched. Finally, a novel smoothness optimization algorithm is designed to use the 60 m chord as the optimization unit, and the 10 m and 30 m combined chords within the unit constrain the midchord offset and vector distance difference. The proposed method was applied to formulate the maintenance scheme for the Shanghai–Suzhou–Nantong Yangtze River Bridge. The result indicates that the track smoothness improved by more than 79.7%, and the high‐speed train operational performance improved by over 64.3%, effectively enhancing the maintenance quality.

Normal Functional Local Alignment and Segmental Motion at the Thoracolumbar Junction: A Cross-Sectional Study of Healthy Subjects

Several studies have investigated the mechanical behavior of the thoracolumbar spine. However, finding an accurate reference for the normal functional local alignment and segmental motion (SM) at the thoracolumbar junction (TLJ) is challenging. Therefore, this study aimed to assess age- and sex-related changes and differences in local alignment and SM at the TLJ. The study recruited healthy subjects aged 20 to 79 without complaints of back pain. Healthy subjects (60 males and 60 females) with appropriate imaging results were enrolled in the study. The subjects were divided into age groups (20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, and 70-79years); each group included 10 subjects of each sex. The SM at the TLJ was small but noticeable, and the motion gradually increased toward the lower level of the TLJ, closer to the lumbar region. No significant differences were observed between male and female subjects in any SM measurements at the TLJ. The SM at the TLJ gradually decreased with age, while local kyphosis of TLJ progressed. The results also showed that the thoracolumbar slope value did not change with age and remained at a mean of-12.8±7.2° (P=0.893). This study's results provide valuable guidance for appropriate surgical planning and rehabilitation of patients with spinal diseases or trauma. Furthermore, the results can be the basis for categorizing accurate criteria to evaluate the degree of disability after treatment.

Preoperative supine pelvic incidence predicts standing pelvic incidence following S2AI fixation in patients with adult spinal deformity: a prospective study.

A prospective study. The aim of this study was to investigate the PI change in different postures and before and after S2‑alar‑iliac (S2AI) screw fixation, and to investigate whether pre-op supine PI could predict post-op standing PI. Previous studies have reported PI may change with various positions. Some authors postulated that the unexpected PI change in ASD patients could be due to sacroiliac joint laxity, S2-alar-iliac (S2AI) screw placement, or aggressive sagittal cantilever technique. However, there was a lack of investigation on how to predict post-op standing PI when making surgical strategy. A prospective case series of ASD patients undergoing surgical correction with S2AI screw placement was conducted. Full-spine X-ray films were obtained at pre-op standing, pre-op supine, pre-op prone, as well as post-op standing postures. Pelvic parameters were measured. Spearman correlation analysis was used to determine relationships between each parameter. A total of 83 patients (22 males, 61females) with a mean age of 58.4 ± 9.5years were included in this study. Pre-op standing PI was significantly lower than post-op standing PI (p = 0.004). Pre-op prone PI was significantly lower than post-op standing PI (p = 0.001). By contrast, no significant difference was observed between pre-op supine and post-op standing PI (p = 0.359) with a mean absolute difference of 2.2° ± 1.9°. Correlation analysis showed supine PI was significantly correlated with post-op standing PI (r = 0.951, p < 0.001). This study revealed the PI changed after S2AI screw fixation. The pre-op supine PI can predict post-op standing PI precisely, which facilitates to provide correction surgery strategy with a good reference for ideal sagittal alignment postoperatively.

Analysis of alignment requirements for off-axis resonant cavity based on coupling efficiency

The optical path length stability of the off-axis four-reflection telescope is one of the key technical indicators for the TianQin gravitational wave detection system. In the mHz observation band, the telescope must exhibit an optical path length stability of 0.4pm/Hz1/2. As a feasible solution, the optical path length stability measurement of the off-axis four-reflection telescope based on the Pound–Drever–Hall (PDH) technique imposes stringent requirements on the alignment of the off-axis resonant cavity (ORC). Taking the off-axis two-reflection prototype as the research object, we propose a Monte Carlo analysis-based method for ORC alignment precision analysis. By considering misalignment as an intermediate function, we establish a relationship between the coupling efficiency of the ORC and the wavefront aberration of the telescope. The research results show that by considering the combined effects of multiple misalignment couplings of the primary and secondary mirrors, when the detected telescope wavefront aberration is better than 0.068λ (λ=1064nm) with a probability of 98%, the ORC coupling efficiency can achieve greater than 40% with a probability of 97.13%, which can be used as the main reference indicator for system misalignment analysis. This method simplifies the alignment difficulty of the target under test and can provide alignment reference for subsequent resonant cavities with internal off-axis telescopes.

Cartoon Animation Outpainting With Region-Guided Motion Inference.

Cartoon animation video is a popular visual entertainment form worldwide, however many classic animations were produced in a 4:3 aspect ratio that is incompatible with modern widescreen displays. Existing methods like cropping lead to information loss while retargeting causes distortion. Animation companies still rely on manual labor to renovate classic cartoon animations, which is tedious and labor-intensive, but can yield higher-quality videos. Conventional extrapolation or inpainting methods tailored for natural videos struggle with cartoon animations due to the lack of textures in anime, which affects the motion estimation of the objects. In this paper, we propose a novel framework designed to automatically outpaint 4:3 anime to 16:9 via region-guided motion inference. Our core concept is to identify the motion correspondences between frames within a sequence in order to reconstruct missing pixels. Initially, we estimate optical flow guided by region information to address challenges posed by exaggerated movements and solid-color regions in cartoon animations. Subsequently, frames are stitched to produce a pre-filled guide frame, offering structural clues for the extension of optical flow maps. Finally, a voting and fusion scheme utilizes learned fusion weights to blend the aligned neighboring reference frames, resulting in the final outpainting frame. Extensive experiments confirm the superiority of our approach over existing methods.

Determination of Groundwater Potential Areas Using Remote Sensing (RS) and GIS Techniques in Mubi North Local Government Area, Adamawa State, North Eastern Nigeria.

This study utilizes Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) techniques to determine groundwater potential areas in Mubi North Local Government Area, Adamawa State, Nigeria. The research aim to provide insights for water resource management and sustainable development. Data collected includes Landsat imagery, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), soil data, and vector layers. Preprocessing involved data format conversion, spatial reference alignment, and resolution standardization for compatibility and consistency. Spatial analysis extracted topographic parameters from the DEM and supervised classified Landsat imagery for Land Use/Land Cover (LULC) maps. Six factors, Drainage density, Slope, Soil, Elevation, LULC, and Aspect, were reclassified into low, average, and high groundwater potential indexes. ArcGIS overlay analysis integrated the factors, prioritizing Drainage density, Slope, Soil, and Elevation, to create a composite groundwater potential index. The index was calibrated and classified into five categories: Very Low, Low, Average, Marginally High, and High potential areas. Results reveal diverse groundwater potentials. Very Low areas cover 17,168.23 hectares, Average areas cover 18,534.86 hectares, Marginally High areas cover 19,362.08 hectares, Low areas cover 13,838.41 hectares, and High areas cover 12,757.44 hectares. Spatial distribution shows High potential in settlements like Sabon Gari and Bukkaji, while Very Low potential is found in Wuro Alhaji and Venda. This study contributes to water resource management and sustainable development. Findings aid targeted strategies, benefiting socio-economic development. The research enhances knowledge and informs decision-making for water resource management, fostering development and improving livelihoods in Mubi North LGA.

Benchmarking of five NGS mapping tools for the reference alignment of bacterial outer membrane vesicles-associated small RNAs.

Advances in small RNAs (sRNAs)-related studies have posed a challenge for NGS-related bioinformatics, especially regarding the correct mapping of sRNAs. Depending on the algorithms and scoring matrices on which they are based, aligners are influenced by the characteristics of the dataset and the reference genome. These influences have been studied mainly in eukaryotes and to some extent in prokaryotes. However, in bacteria, the selection of aligners depending on sRNA-seq data associated with outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) and the features of the corresponding bacterial reference genome has not yet been investigated. We selected five aligners: BBmap, Bowtie2, BWA, Minimap2 and Segemehl, known for their generally good performance, to test them in mapping OMV-associated sRNAs from Aliivibrio fischeri to the bacterial reference genome. Significant differences in the performance of the five aligners were observed, resulting in differential recognition of OMV-associated sRNA biotypes in A. fischeri. Our results suggest that aligner(s) should not be arbitrarily selected for this task, which is often done, as this can be detrimental to the biological interpretation of NGS analysis results. Since each aligner has specific advantages and disadvantages, these need to be considered depending on the characteristics of the input OMV sRNAs dataset and the corresponding bacterial reference genome to improve the detection of existing, biologically important OMV sRNAs. Until we learn more about these dependencies, we recommend using at least two, preferably three, aligners that have good metrics for the given dataset/bacterial reference genome. The overlapping results should be considered trustworthy, yet their differences should not be dismissed lightly, but treated carefully in order not to overlook any biologically important OMV sRNA. This can be achieved by applying the intersect-then-combine approach. For the mapping of OMV-associated sRNAs of A. fischeri to the reference genome organized into two circular chromosomes and one circular plasmid, containing copies of sequences with rRNA- and tRNA-related features and no copies of sequences with protein-encoding features, if the aligners are used with their default parameters, we advise avoiding Segemehl, and recommend using the intersect-then-combine approach with BBmap, BWA and Minimap2 to improve the potential for discovery of biologically important OMV-associated sRNAs.

Design and Cryogenic Performance of a Hexapod Platform for a Large Ground-based Wide Field Survey Telescope

The thermal gradient is an important factor that causes degradation to the image quality of telescopes. In order to ensure the accurate alignment of the primary focus unit and the primary mirror, the hexapod platform (as a corrector) is investigated in this paper. First, a ground-based telescope with 2.5 m aperture and 3.5 deg field of view is described. The telescope is under construction, and it is expected to be finished in 2023. Second, the hexapod platform with flexure hinges utilized to adjust the primary focus unit is proposed, which is applied as a corrector. Then, the inverse kinematics of the platform is established and an open-loop control system is built based on it. Finally, the cryogenic performance test for the hexapod platform is performed. The experimental results show that the resolution and repeatability of the translation for the hexapod platform can be achieved at the micrometer level. The resolution and repeatability of the rotation can be achieved at the arc-second level. Therefore, the cryogenic performance of the hexapod platform can meet the optical imaging requirements of the wide-field ground-based telescope. The kinematic analysis and cryogenic performance tests in the paper provide a technical reference for the precise alignment of the primary focus unit and the primary mirror, which can improve the imaging quality of the telescope.

Variation of structured laser beam pattern and optimization for an alignment reference line creation.

The alignment of particle accelerators demands a dedicated measurement system based on a straight-line reference. This straight line can be provided by a laser beam. The alignment then involves accurately measuring the offset of accelerator components with respect to this light path. In order to be efficient, the laser beam needs to serve as a stable and straight reference for distances of several hundreds of meters. The attainable accuracy depends, among other parameters, on the laser spot size, which should ideally change very little over the distances at which the alignment system needs to operate. Due to the significant divergence of Gaussian laser beams, we propose using a structured laser beam (SLB) for alignment. Its transversal intensity profile is similar to a Bessel beam and consists of an intense inner core (IC) and concentric rings. The divergence of the IC, i.e., the growth of its size with distance, can be limited to 10μrad using a favorable generator configuration. Thus an SLB may be suitable as a straight-line reference for long-distance alignment applications. However, the SLB is distorted if obstructions cover parts of the outermost ring (OR) of the beam within, which should therefore also be small. In this paper, we investigate the relationship between the size of the IC and OR depending on the design parameters of the SLB generator. We use numerical simulations and experiments with different generators over distances up to 50 m to analyze the transversal intensity profile and wavefronts of different SLBs. The results indicate the general suitability of an SLB as a reference line for long-distance alignment but also expose tradeoffs between small IC and small OR. The findings outlined in the paper help to describe the optimal SLB parameters for given conditions.

Assessment of Optical Genome Mapping for Front-Line Diagnostic Evaluation of Acute Leukemia: A Canadian Single-Center Evaluation of Added Yield in 69 Informative Cases

Optical genome mapping (OGM) is a novel method currently being evaluated internationally as a diagnostic assay for genomic profiling of malignancies. OGM uses imaging and reference alignment of fluorescently labeled ultra-long DNA molecules to detect structural and copy number variants genome-wide at significantly higher resolution than is attainable with current standard-of-care (SOC) cytogenetic analysis. OGM is nearing deployment as a first-line diagnostic test for patients with acute leukemia at Vancouver General Hospital, the largest tertiary care hospital in British Columbia. Here, we describe our experience in the evaluation of OGM as a diagnostic assay relative to SOC karyotyping and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) in newly diagnosed and relapsed acute leukemia. A selected cohort of 69 bone marrow specimens produced adequate quality OGM data for analysis: 52 acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 12 B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), 4 mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL; 2 B/myeloid, 1 B/T, and 1 T/myeloid), and 1 blast phase (T) myeloid/lymphoid neoplasm with tyrosine kinase gene fusion (M/L-N-Eo). Variants were filtered using population thresholds and with pan-cancer (669 genes) and disease targeted (myeloid: 185; B-lymphoid: 130) gene lists to facilitate detection of variants of interest. OGM results were compared to SOC to identify additional diagnostic yield and changes to risk stratification or diagnosis resulting from OGM findings. In these 69 acute leukemias, filtering to remove common polymorphisms using a manufacturer-provided control dataset yielded a median of 53 variants (interquartile range (IQR) 39-86); using a pan-cancer list yielded a median of 6 (IQR 2-16); and disease-specific lists a median of 4 (IQR 1-10.5). In 11% of cases, diagnosis or risk stratification was altered by OGM (13% of AML; 8% of B-ALL), including a complex karyotype being resolved as normal, downgrading cytogenetic risk; identification of several cryptic KMT2A rearrangements, changing diagnostic classification; and identification of cryptic MECOM::RUNX1 (class-modifying), NUP98::NSD1 (risk-upgrading), and NUP214::ABL1 (potentially targetable and class- and risk-modifying) fusions. In 26% of cases, driver rearrangements were either newly identified by OGM or novel partner genes were resolved (23% of AML; 33% of B-ALL; 40% of others), including recurrent rearrangements of the IGH locus with MIR125B1/ BLID in B-ALL; KMT2A partial tandem duplication; novel MECOM::PAN3, JAKMIP2::PDGFRB, and NUP214::FRMD4B fusions; and a cryptic deletion juxtaposing FLT3 and PAN3 known to result in FLT3 overexpression. Additional findings, including copy number changes and clarifications of complex events, were seen in 54% of cases (44% of AML; 83% of B-ALL; 80% of others), mostly accounted for by small deletions or disruptive rearrangements in key disease genes,likely resulting in loss of function, including but not limited to RUNX1, GATA2 and ETV6 in AML; CDKN2A, PAX5, and RB1 in B-ALL; and TP53 in MPAL. Several cases harboured small MLLT4 copy number abnormalities that have been reported to be linked to cancer predisposition, and one potentially germline FANCA deletion was observed. Details of comparison between SOC methods (karyotyping and pertinent FISH where applicable) are detailed in the Figure and Table (bold text: newly resolved or clarified potential driver or resolution of normal karyotype; underline: change in diagnosis or risk stratification resulting from OGM findings). Notably, OGM failed to identify one hypodiploid B-ALL clone masked by endoreduplication, and further evaluation of this technology's performance in this context and in prospective practice is required. This study demonstrates the significant potential added diagnostic yield of OGM relative to SOC as a clinical diagnostic and research assay. High-resolution genome-wide evaluation not reliant on cell culture substantially expands the scope of detectable variants, for many of which determining the biologic and clinical implications will require larger scale prospective study. Importantly, application of OGM in the clinical setting is likely to result in clinically meaningful disease reclassification and restratification of risk, and in some cases may permit patients access to previously inaccessible targeted therapies (as in the instance of cytogenetically cryptic tyrosine kinase gene fusions).

Metagenomic binning of PacBio HiFi data prior to assembly reveals a complete genome of Cosmopolites sordidus (Germar) (Coleopterea: Curculionidae, Dryophthorinae) the most damaging arthropod pest of bananas and plantains.

PacBio HiFi sequencing was employed in combination with metagenomic binning to produce a high-quality reference genome of Cosmopolites sordidus. We compared k-mer and alignment reference based pre-binning and post-binning approaches to remove contamination. We were also interested to know if the post-binning approach had interspersed bacterial contamination within intragenic regions of Arthropoda binned contigs. Our analyses identified 3,433 genes that were composed with reads identified as of putative bacterial origins. The pre-binning approach yielded a C. sordidus genome of 1.07 Gb genome composed of 3,089 contigs with 98.6% and 97.1% complete and single copy genome and protein BUSCO scores respectively. In this article we demonstrate that in this case the pre-binning approach does not sacrifice assembly quality for more stringent metagenomic filtering. We also determine post-binning allows for increased intragenic contamination increased with increasing coverage, but the frequency of gene contamination increased with lower coverage. Future work should focus on developing reference free pre-binning approaches for HiFi reads produced from eukaryotic based metagenomic samples.

Bridging the gap: Enhancing visual indoor mapping through semantic association and reference alignment

Bridging the gap: Enhancing visual indoor mapping through semantic association and reference alignment

Accuracy of intraoral scan with prefabricated aids and stereophotogrammetry compared with open tray impressions for complete-arch implant-supported prosthesis: A clinical study.

The aim of this clinical study was to compare the accuracy of intraoral scan system (IOS) with prefabricated aids and stereophotogrammetry (SPG) compared with open tray implant impression (OI) for complete-arch implant-supported fixed dental prostheses (CIFDP). Patients needing CIFDP were enrolled in this study. OI, reference standard, IOS with prefabricated aids, and SPG were performed for each patient. Distance and angle deviations between all pairs of abutment analogs, root mean square (RMS) errors between the aligned test and reference model, and chairside time were measured. The effect of inter-abutment distance, jaw (maxilla or mandible), number of implants, and arch length on deviations was analyzed. The mixed effect model was applied to analyze deviations and RMS errors. Fifteen consecutive individuals (6 females and 9 males, 47-77 years old) with 22 arches (9 upper and 13 lower jaws) and 115 implants were included. There was no significant difference in distance deviation comparing SPG and IOS with OI (p > .05). IOS showed a significantly greater angle deviation and RMS errors than SPG (median 0.40° vs. 0.31°, 69 μm vs. 45 μm, p < .01). The inter-abutment distance was negatively correlated with the accuracy of SPG and IOS (p < .05). The chairside time for IOS, SPG, and OI was 10.49 ± 3.50, 14.71 ± 2.86, and 20.20 ± 3.01 min, respectively (p < .01). The accuracy of SPG and IOS with prefabricated aids was comparable. IOS was the most efficient workflow.

Dosimetry of a Novel 111Indium-Labeled Anti-P-Cadherin Monoclonal Antibody (FF-21101) in Non-Human Primates.

P-cadherin is associated with a wide range of tumor types, making it an attractive therapeutic target. FF-21101 is a human-mouse chimeric monoclonal antibody (mAb) directed against human P-cadherin, which has been radioconjugated with indium-111 (111In) utilizing a DOTA chelator. We investigated the biodistribution of FF-21101(111In) in cynomolgus macaques and extrapolated the results to estimate internal radiation doses of 111In- and yttrium-90 (90Y)-FF-21101 for targeted radioimmunotherapy in humans. Whole-body planar and SPECT imaging were performed at 0, 2, 24, 48, 72, 96, and 120 h post-injection, using a dual-head gamma camera. Volumes of interest of identifiable source organs of radioactivity were defined on aligned reference CT and serial SPECT images. Organs with the highest estimated dose values (mSv/MBq) for FF-21101(111In) were the lungs (0.840), spleen (0.816), liver (0.751), kidneys (0.629), and heart wall (0.451); and for FF-21101(90Y) dose values were: lungs (10.49), spleen (8.21), kidneys (5.92), liver (5.46), and heart wall (2.61). FF-21101(111In) exhibits favorable biodistribution in cynomolgus macaques and estimated human dosimetric characteristics. Data obtained in this study were used to support the filing of an investigational new drug application with the FDA for a Phase I clinical trial.

Ray tracing analysis of linear Fresnel concentrators and the effect of plant azimuth on their optical efficiency

Although for a quite small number of installations, Linear Fresnel Collectors (LFC) represent an interesting technology for efficient solar energy exploitation at medium to high temperatures thanks to their lowest land area per electric power ratio if compared to other available CSP solutions. The first prototypes were realized in the ‘60 by Professor Giovanni Francia at the University of Genova, Italy. In this research, 3D ray tracing simulations are performed employing the proprietary, literature-validated code FresnelSim. This in-house developed algorithm, which models the effect of shading, blocking and end effects based on the plant geometrical parameters, has been implemented to efficiently describe plants whose axis is oriented differently than north-south, as it is often assumed. Based on different optical efficiency definitions and real plant dimensions and parameters, a parametric analysis is here presented to investigate the effect of the plant orientation on its performance. The energy available at the receiver results to be reduced by 8.7% on a yearly basis when the system is oriented east-west instead of north-south; on the other hand, it has been observed that higher winter peak efficiencies and a more constant yearly production are achieved when the system is rotated with respect to the reference alignment.