Technical Details Research Articles

APPLICATION OF SMART CONTRACTS IN ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS BASED ON BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES

In the era of digitization, where information technology and business processes are closely intertwined, the development and implementation of blockchain-based smart contracts become key to achieving a new level of automation, security, and efficiency. This article deeply analyzed how blockchain smart contracts can enhance the execution of contractual obligations, making processes more transparent and efficient. The main aspect of study is the technical details of smart contracts and exploration of their practical application for optimizing business procedures, significantly reducing risks associated with fraud and the need for intermediaries. A practical demonstration of deploying a smart contract, executed in the Python programming language, is proposed as a method used in the article, highlighting the possibilities and challenges related to scalability and regulation. Results underscore a notable boost in operational efficiency and security, while also identifying barriers to broader technological adoption. Concluding, the significant role of smart contracts in evolving information systems is underlined, advocating for novel approaches to secure, autonomous contract fulfillment and emphasizing the importance of ongoing research to exploit their full capabilities in fortifying information security and operational efficacy.

Genicular Artery Embolization: A New Tool for the Management of Refractory Osteoarthritis-Related Knee Pain.

Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a prevalent cause of chronic pain and disability, particularly affecting women. While traditionally attributed to chronic wear and tear, recent evidence highlights multifactorial pathogenesis involving low-grade inflammation and neoangiogenesis. Current therapeutic options include physical therapy, pharmacotherapy, and total knee arthroplasty (TKA). However, a subset of patients remain symptomatic despite conservative measures, necessitating the development of minimally invasive interventions. Genicular artery embolization (GAE) emerges as a promising option, targeting neovascularization and inflammatory processes in OA. This paper reviews the pathophysiological basis, patient selection criteria, procedural details, and outcomes of GAE. Notably, GAE demonstrates efficacy in relieving knee pain and improving function in patients refractory to conventional therapy. While further research is warranted to elucidate its long-term outcomes and compare it with existing modalities, GAE represents a novel approach in the management of symptomatic knee OA, potentially delaying or obviating the need for surgical intervention. Here, we synthesize the relevant literature, technical details of the procedure, and future perspectives. Moreover, the success of GAE prompts the exploration of transarterial embolization in other musculoskeletal conditions, underscoring the evolving role of interventional radiology in personalized pain management strategies.

Clinical Perspectives on Surgical Reconstruction of Eccentric Tumors at the Distal Femur with Unicondylar Resection.

The distal femur is one of the most common sites for primary bone tumors. As the tumor progresses and bone destruction worsens, it can severely affect knee function and even pose a threat to life. In cases where only one condyle is affected and requires resection, preserving the healthy contralateral condyle can substantially enhance the biomechanics of the knee. Furthermore, preserving bone stock may enable future salvage procedures in the event of initial surgery failure, be it from fractures or osteoarthritis. Distal femoral unicondyle resection can offer better functional outcomes in select cases. However, it is essential to prioritize oncological safety with adequate margins over short-term knee function. Currently, the primary methods for reconstruction after the excision of a unicondylar tumor include allograft transplantation (bi- or uni-condylar) and prosthetic or allograft-prosthesis composite replacement (APC). However, there is currently some controversy regarding the optimal surgical reconstruction method, and a consensus within the academic community has yet to be reached. Moreover, due to the rarity of bone tumors, extensive clinical data from a single center is limited. Current studies are mainly retrospective and single-center, lacking sufficient cases and follow-up duration. This article reviews surgical reconstruction after solitary condylar excision in distal femoral tumors. It summarizes, compares, and analyzes mainstream reconstruction methods, exploring their technical details and clinical outcomes to highlight their potential in bone oncology.

Effective Algorithm for Biomedical Image Segmentation

Biomedical image segmentation plays an important role in quantitative analysis, clinical diagnosis, and medical manipulation. Objects in medical images have different scales, types, complex backgrounds, and similar tissue appearances, making information extraction challenging. To solve this problem, a module is proposed that takes into account the features of images, which will improve the biomedical image segmentation network FE-Net. An integral part of the FE-Net algorithm is the connection skipping mechanism, which ensures the connection and fusion of feature maps from different layers in the encoder and decoder. Features at the encoder level are combined with high-level semantic knowledge at the decoder level. The algorithm establishes connections between feature maps, which is used in medicine for image processing. The proposed method is tested on three public datasets: Kvasir-SEG, CVC-ClinicDB and 2018 Data Science Bowl. Based on the results of the study, it was found that FE-Net demonstrates better performance compared to other methods in terms of Intersection over Union and F1-score. The network under consideration copes more effectively with segmentation details and object boundaries, while maintaining high accuracy. The study was conducted jointly with the Department of Magnetic Resonance Imaging of the N. N. Alexandrov National Oncology Center. Access to the source code of the algorithm and additional technical details is available at https://github.com/tyjcbzd/FE-Net.

Educational value of a novel telestration device for surgical coaching-a randomized controlled trial.

Communication is fundamental to effective surgical coaching. This can be challenging for training during image-guided procedures where coaches and trainees need to articulate technical details on a monitor. Telestration devices that annotate on monitors remotely could potentially overcome these limitations and enhance the coaching experience. This study aims to evaluate the value of a novel telestration device in surgical coaching. A randomized-controlled trial was designed. All participants watched a video demonstrating the task followed by a baseline performance assessment and randomization into either control group (conventional verbal coaching without telestration) or telestration group (verbal coaching with telestration). Coaching for a simulated laparoscopic small bowel anastomosis on a dry lab model was done by a faculty surgeon. Following the coaching session, participants underwent a post-coaching performance assessment of the same task. Assessments were recorded and rated by blinded reviewers using a modified Global Rating Scale of the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS). Coaching sessions were also recorded and compared in terms of mentoring moments; guidance misinterpretations, questions/clarifications by trainees, and task completion time. A 5-point Likert scale was administered to obtain feedback. Twenty-four residents participated (control group 13, telestration group 11). Improvements in some elements of the OSATS scale were noted in the Telestration arm but there was no statistical significance in the overall score between the two groups. Mentoring moments were more in the telestration Group. Amongst the telestration Group, 55% felt comfortable that they could perform this task independently, compared to only 8% amongst the control group and 82% would recommend the use of telestration tools here. There is demonstrated educational value of this novel telestration device mainly in the non-technical aspects of the interaction by enhancing the coaching experience with improvement in communication and greater mentoring moments between coach and trainee.

Step selection functions with non‐linear and random effects

Abstract Step selection functions (SSFs) are used to jointly describe animal movement patterns and habitat preferences. Recent work has extended this framework to model inter‐individual differences, account for unexplained structure in animals' space use and capture temporally varying patterns of movement and habitat selection. In this paper, we formulate SSFs with penalised smooths (similar to generalised additive models) to unify new and existing extensions, and conveniently implement the models in the popular, open‐source mgcv R package. We explore non‐linear patterns of movement and habitat selection, and use the equivalence between penalised smoothing splines and random effects to implement individual‐level and spatial random effects. This framework can also be used to fit varying‐coefficient models to account for temporally or spatially heterogeneous patterns of selection (e.g. resulting from behavioural variation), or any other non‐linear interactions between drivers of the animal's movement decisions. We provide the necessary technical details to understand several key special cases of smooths and their implementation in mgcv, showcase the ecological relevance using two illustrative examples and provide R code to facilitate the adoption of these methods. This paper offers a broad overview of how smooth effects can be applied to increase the flexibility and biological realism of SSFs.

Blood pressure measurement and assessment of arterial structure and function: an expert group position paper.

Measuring blood pressure (BP) and investigating arterial hemodynamics are essential in understanding cardiovascular disease and assessing cardiovascular risk. Several methods are used to measure BP in the doctor's office, at home, or over 24 h under ambulatory conditions. Similarly, several noninvasive methods have been introduced for assessing arterial structure and function; these methods differ for the large arteries, the small ones, and the capillaries. Consequently, when studying arterial hemodynamics, the clinician is faced with a multitude of assessment methods whose technical details, advantages, and limitations are sometimes unclear. Moreover, the conditions and procedures for their optimal implementation, and/or the reference normality values for the parameters they yield are not always taken into sufficient consideration. Therefore, a practice guideline summarizing the main methods and their use in clinical practice is needed. This expert group position paper was developed by an international group of scientists after a two-day meeting during which each of the most used methods and techniques for blood pressure measurement and arterial function and structure evaluation were presented and discussed, focusing on their advantages, limitations, indications, normal values, and their pragmatic clinical application.

CIRSE Standards of Practice on Portal Vein Embolization and Double Vein Embolization/Liver Venous Deprivation

This CIRSE Standards of Practice document is aimed at interventional radiologists and provides best practices for performing liver regeneration therapies prior to major hepatectomies, including portal vein embolization, double vein embolization and liver venous deprivation. It has been developed by an expert writing group under the guidance of the CIRSE Standards of Practice Committee. It encompasses all clinical and technical details required to perform liver regeneration therapies, revising the indications, contra-indications, outcome measures assessed, technique and expected outcomes.

TensorKrowch: Smooth integration of tensor networks in machine learning

Tensor networks are factorizations of high-dimensional tensors into networks of smaller tensors. They have applications in physics and mathematics, and recently have been proposed as promising machine learning architectures. To ease the integration of tensor networks in machine learning pipelines, we introduce TensorKrowch, an open source Python library built on top of PyTorch. Providing a user-friendly interface, TensorKrowch allows users to construct any tensor network, train it, and integrate it as a layer in more intricate deep learning models. In this paper, we describe the main functionality and basic usage of TensorKrowch, and provide technical details on its building blocks and the optimizations performed to achieve efficient operation.

ARGOS. La puesta en marcha de un reactor nuclear experimental en Barcelona

The article provides information about the construction and development of an experimental nuclear reactor in Barcelona, its operation, and subsequent dismantling. The influence that the conferences in Geneva in 1955 and 1958 and the experimental reactors presented there had on the selection of the Argonaut-type reactor is highlighted. Articles published between 1958 and 1962 that provide technical details about the reactor’s construction process are mentioned and described. The reactor’s dismantling process is also discussed. Additionally, the involvement of institutions and persons in the reactor’s development, as well as the training of technicians who participated in its construction, are also cited.

Willy Haas in Bombay

This archival piece presents an excerpted translation from the memoirs of Willy Haas, Die Literarische Welt (1958). Haas was a Czech-German writer and scenarist who migrated to Bombay during the Nazi purge of European Jews. The translation, by Xan Holt, offers rich atmospheric and technical details about an underdocumented period in Indian film history. The framing commentary by Debashree Mukherjee goes deeper into the histories coded in the excerpt: of Bhavnani Productions, a studio founded by film director Mohan Bhavnani, and the first film that Haas wrote for him, a controversial adaptation of Ibsen’s Ghosts, released in India as Jhoothi Sharm (1940).

Revisiting of AlphaStar

Research on StarCraft II (SC2) is considered important due to its similarity to real-life tasks and its potential to inspire game AI design. However, the complexity of SC2 presents considerable challenges. In 2019, DeepMind proposed AlphaStar (AS), an agent that achieved Grandmaster level in SC2. Nevertheless, the reasons for AS's success remain unclear. In this paper, we revisit AS by analyzing its technical details, implementation codes, and replays. We also propose the open-sourced mini-scaled AS's new versions to do ablation studies. We classify SC2 problems by difficulty level and suggest a research path for tackling them. We then identify several limitations of AS, such as its lack of strategic view, reasoning, scouting, changes in tactics, and planning. Our paper also presents the first analysis of AS's replays. In conclusion, we emphasize that there is still a long way to solve the final SC2 problem.

Reporting Sacroiliac Joint Imaging Performed for Known or Suspected Axial Spondyloarthritis: Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society Recommendations.

Whereas previous projects attempted to standardize imaging in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA), few studies have been published about the need for specific details regarding the image acquisition and lesions that may be less familiar to general radiologists. This work reports consensus recommendations developed by the Assessment of SpondyloArthritis International Society (ASAS) that aim to standardize the imaging reports in patients suspected of having or with known axSpA. A task force consisting of radiologists and rheumatologists from ASAS and one patient representative formulated two surveys that were completed by ASAS members. The results of these surveys led to the development of 10 recommendations that were endorsed by 73% (43 of 59) of ASAS members. The recommendations are targeted to the radiologist and include best practices for the inclusion of clinical information, technical details, image quality, and imaging findings in radiology reports. These recommendations also emphasize that imaging findings that indicate differential diagnoses and referral suggestions should be included in the concluding section of the radiology report. With these recommendations, ASAS aims to improve the diagnostic process and care for patients suspected of having or with known axSpA.

Securing Cloud Computing Services with an Intelligent Preventive Approach

Cloud computing is a technological marvel that transcends conventional boundaries by utilizing an Internet-based network of remote servers to store, manage, and process data and many other services. It represents a contemporary paradigm for delivering information technology services. Today, cloud computing services have become indispensable for both individuals and corporations. However, adopting cloud services presents fresh challenges in terms of service quality, resource optimization, data integration, cost governance, and operational security. The security of cloud services is of supreme importance, given the open and distributed nature of the environment, making it susceptible to various cyberattacks, such as Denial of Service (DoS) or Distributed DoS (DDoS) attacks, among others. Cyberattacks can have severe repercussions on the availability of cloud services, potentially causing complete DoS. In numerous instances, the detection of attacks is delayed, pushing cloud platforms to a breaking point. Emphasizing the importance of proactive measures, it becomes crucial to identify and alert about any suspicious access long before the latter reaches a critical stage, mitigating the risks and preventing potential service disruptions. This study introduces a preventive approach that utilizes artificial intelligence techniques to improve the security of cloud services. The proposed method aims to detect and flag potential attack behaviors well in advance before they affect service quality. To achieve this, the particular method involves periodic identification and measurement of critical information on service access and resource utilization. This can be accomplished by analyzing cloud server logs or integrating dedicated sniffing software to capture and store technical traffic details. Subsequently, the collected data are processed by analyzing traffic properties to proactively identify and report any indications of cyberattacks.

Clinical Analysis of Feeding Jejunostomy and Optimal Selection of Enteral Nutrients (Report of 238 Cases)

The objectives of this study is to summarize and analyze the clinical and pathological data of patients with feeding jejunostomy, evaluate its clinical application value and risk, and study the optimal selection of enteral nutrients. The clinical data of 238 patients who underwent feeding jejunostomy in Beijing Shijitan Hospital, Capital Medical University, from September 1, 2017 to July 31, 2021 were retrospectively studied. The serious complications and treatment of patients were summarized and analyzed. Serious complications included anastomotic fistula, postoperative bleeding, and so on. Complications related to jejunal feeding stoma included: tube folded, intestinal stenosis at the stoma, and others. The symptoms of some enteral nutrition patients with abdominal pain, abdominal distension and diarrhea were improved by changing the type of enteral nutrients and increasing dietary fiber. Feeding jejunostomy can effectively solve the enteral nutrition problems of upper gastrointestinal anastomotic leakage, perforation, obstruction and functional eating disorder, can also be used as a separate means of enhance enteral nutrition support, but also can cause severe complications, and even death. Compliance with surgical indications is as important as mastery of surgical technical details. Reasonable use of enteral nutrients can achieve better nutritional support effect.

Prostate Artery Embolization with 4D-CT.

Prostate artery embolization (PAE) is a technically challenging angiographic therapy that has been shown to have excellent clinical outcomes for men with benign prostatic hyperplasia and lower urinary tract symptoms. Although clinical outcomes have been well documented, several questions remain regarding various technical details of the procedure. This article is a brief review of indications and technical parameters of PAE as well as commonly debated topics throughout the literature. Finally, the article serves to report tips and tricks from a high-volume center.

Case-based technical remarks on patient-specific instrumentation for corrective osteotomies in hand surgery

The paper aims to comment on interdisciplinary cooperation in preoperative planning, the technical details of materials and technologies used in the production process, and the differences between them from the engineers’ and surgeons’ points of view. Also, intraoperative difficulties, technical issues, and intraoperative tips are described in detail.Four patients with forearm fracture malunions were enrolled in a retrospective study. The study group consisted of two boys with improperly healed both-bone forearm fractures (radius and ulna), a girl with a radius shaft fracture malunion, and an adult patient with a distal radius fracture malunion.All patients underwent corrective osteotomy of the forearm bones using patient-specific instrumentation made with three-dimensional printing technology to improve the function of the upper limb. The production process and technical preparation of gauges and implants were presented in detail.The paper presents in detail the intraoperative difficulties resulting from planning and creating patient-specific instrumentation. Moreover, some intraoperative difficulties, technical issues and intraoperative tips are described depending on the indications and the type of surgery. A total estimate of preoperative time needed for surgical planning, including the time needed to produce individual implants, is approximately four weeks. The estimated surgical time saved is approximately 30 minutes, but a more important aspect is the ability to achieve greater precision in osteotomy and deformation correction.The limitations of the work are the small number of patients assessed and the different profiles of the patients presented.Most published papers focus on the indications for and advantages of these procedures and the clinical results of these procedures. It is typical for developing technologies to highlight the positive aspects of the technique. We present possible drawbacks and technical issues regarding preoperative planning and intraoperative tips and difficulties, which are rarely seen in the literature.

A Privacy Focused Chat Application Build Using Flutter

Abstract: In contemporary virtual age, privateness issues have grow to be more and more frequent, mainly in communique platforms where touchy statistics is exchanged. This research paper presents the development of a privacy-focused chat application built using Flutter and Firebase. The utility prioritizes person privateness by means of implementing give up-to-give up encryption, making sure that handiest the supposed recipients can get entry to the messages exchanged. Additionally, the platform consists of robust authentication mechanisms to protect consumer debts and prevent unauthorized access. Through the usage of Firebase as the backend infrastructure, the chat software guarantees scalability, reliability, and actual-time synchronization of data across gadgets. The paper discusses the technical implementation details, such as the encryption algorithms employed, authentication techniques utilized, and the mixing of Firebase offerings. Furthermore, it evaluates the effectiveness of the privacy measures carried out and explores capability regions for similarly enhancement. This studies contributes to the developing body of understanding surrounding privacy-centric software development and gives insights into growing stable verbal exchange platforms in the virtual technology.

Emotional Intelligence in Text-To-Speech Synthesis in Pali Language Using Fuzzy Logic

The field of emotional text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis is making swift progress within the realm of artificial intelligence, holding immense promise to transform our interaction with technology. By using advanced algorithms to analyze and understand the emotional content of text, these systems are able to produce spoken language that accurately conveys the intended emotional tone of the message. Despite the existence of several Text-To-Speech systems across various languages, Pali language is yet to have its own. As a result, we have taken the initiative to create a Text-To-Speech synthesizer exclusively for Pali. Our system offers an end-to-end solution for emotional speech synthesis via Text-To-Speech. We address the problem by incorporating disentangled, well-grained prosody features with global, sentence-level emotion implanting. These well-grained features learn to denote local prosodic differences disentangled from the speaker, tone, and worldwide emotion label. Prosody is usually modeled by rules, so we have implemented the fuzzy logic system to develop a controller for the prosody of Pali speech. The fuzzy controller handles different linguistic parameters in three types of sentences: interrogative, exclamatory, and declarative. The final system produces comprehensible speech that mimics the appropriate intonation for every type of sentence. In this paper, we introduce and outline the application of a fuzzy paradigm to incorporate a Text-To-Speech system for the Pali language while preserving a rule-based Concatenative synthesizer. In the outline of classic Concatenative TTS systems, we recommend a new method in order to increase Concatenative unit selection computation, directed at increasing synthetic speech perceptual superiority. In order to tackle the problem of phonemes that are prone to multiple descriptions in rule-based speech synthesis, the proposed solution involves a fuzzy system. In the introductory section, we offer a concise description of the current context surrounding the challenge of emotional speech synthesis. The second section of this paper outlines the notable advancements made in emotional speech synthesis, acknowledging the contributions of various researchers in this field. The third section delves into the technical details of implementing a fuzzy system The last section of the paper presents the main conclusions and future research scope.

Critical School Finance

ABSTRACT In this paper, we put forth a framework called Critical School Finance, articulating the framework itself and then applying it to school facilities finance. First, we go back to first principles and discuss what ‘critical’ denotes, revisiting critical theorist Max Horkheimer’s seminal essay ‘Traditional vs. Critical Theory.’ Second, we offer five central concepts with which a Critical School Finance framework might be composed: inequity/inequality, dispossession, kleptocracy, extraction/super-expropriation, and racial capitalism. Third, we present examples of Critical School Finance scholarship from the arena of school facilities. We conclude with the suggestion that school finance is not aloof from the warp and woof of injustice, struggle, and power, and that critical education researchers should not shy away from the examination thereof; recommending that scholars across disciplines engage with the typically technical details of school finance from a critical perspective.