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Machine learning (ML) provides a powerful tool for investigating the relationship between the large-scale flow and unresolved processes, which need to be parameterized in climate models. The current work explores the performance of the random forest regressor (RF) as a nonparametric model in the reconstruction of nonorographic gravity waves (GWs) over midlatitude oceanic areas. The ERA5 dataset from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model outputs is employed in its full resolution to derive GW variations in the lower stratosphere. Coarse-grained variables in a column-based configuration of the atmosphere are used to reconstruct the GWs variability at the target level. The first important outcome is the relative success in reconstructing the GW signal (coefficient of determination R2 ≈ 0.85 for “E3” combination). The second outcome is that the most informative explanatory variable is the local background wind speed. This questions the traditional framework of gravity wave parameterizations, for which, at these heights, one would expect more sensitivity to sources below than to local flow. Finally, to test the efficiency of a relatively simple, parametric statistical model, the efficiency of linear regression was compared to that of random forests with a restricted set of only five explanatory variables. Results were poor. Increasing the number of input variables to 15 hardly changes the performance of the linear regression (R2 changes slightly from 0.18 to 0.21), while it leads to better results with the random forests (R2 increases from 0.29 to 0.37).

There is a lack of studies on trip generation rates related to land use activities in developing countries. The absence of trip rates makes transportation planners use rates listed in the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) Trip Generation Manual, which may lead to unrealistic results. The study aims to determine trip attraction rates for banking services in Zagazig city, Egypt, and evaluate the factors affecting the attracted trips to the banks. The study has designed and implemented a comprehensive data collection and analysis program. The study sample contained nine banks. The study has conducted field surveys that counted the total number of persons entering/exiting the bank under investigation and the generated traffic volume of the adjacent street. The trip rates have been established in terms of independent variables, i.e., gross floor area, the total number of employees, and the number of tellers for different types of banks. Findings showed that average trip attraction rates for public banks were higher than for private banks. There was a strong relationship between trip attractions and the total number of employees at public banks. The most representative factor of private banks' trip attractions was the number of tellers. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2023-09-02-07 Full Text: PDF

This study aims to investigate experimentally the variation of the coefficient of discharge Cd with the rectangular notch hydraulic and geometric parameters such as water head h, notch height p, notch width B, and notch thickness t. The results show that the coefficient of discharge Cd increases with an increase of h and B while it decreases with t. There are no changes in the variation of actual discharge Qact and consequently the discharge coefficient Cd with h for notch height p more than 6 cm. An empirical formula was developed based on the dimensional analysis principle that can be used to predict the coefficient of discharge Cd value for the rectangular notch with known hydraulic and geometric data (h, B, p, and t).

Nickel–palladium bimetallic nanoparticles supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (Ni–Pd/MWCNTs) were successfully employed in Sonogashira cross-coupling reactions with functionalized aryl halides and terminal alkynes.

Background: Elastomeric chains are used to generate force in many orthodontic procedures, but this force decays over time, which could affect tooth movement. This study aimed to study the force degradation of elastomeric chains. Data and Sources: An electronic search on Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, LILACS, and PubMed was made, only articles written in English were included, up to January 2022.Study selection: Fifty original articles, systematic reviews, and RCTs were selected. Conclusion: Tooth movement, salivary enzymes, alcohol-containing mouthwash, whitening mouthwash, and alkaline and strong acidic (pH

Rapid, cost-effective genomic stratification of structural rearrangements in cancer is often of vital importance when determining treatment; however, existing diagnostic cytogenetic and molecular testing fails to deliver the required speed when deployed at scale. Next-generation sequencing-based methods are widely used, but these can lack sensitivity and require batching of samples to be cost-effective, with long turnaround times. Here we present a novel method for rearrangement detection from genomic DNA based on third-generation long-read sequencing that overcomes these time and cost issues. The utility of this approach for the genomic stratification of patients with acute myeloid leukemia is shown based on detection of four of the most prevalent structural rearrangements. The method not only determines the precise genomic breakpoint for each expected rearrangement but also discovers and validates novel translocations in one-third of the tested samples, 80% of which involve known oncogenes. This method may prove to be a powerful tool for the diagnosis, genomic stratification, and characterization of cancers.

Most previous studies have focused on adjustable complex flap gates and little research has been carried out on simple inline top-hinged plates for flow measurement. The present study investigates discharge measurement by top-hinged plates located along channels under free flow condition. The proposed simple device is a portable one. Two discharge models are proposed based on Buckingham's theorem of dimensional analysis. The first model (Model I) considers deflection angle as an independent variable while the second model (Model II) considers it as a dependent variable. A series of laboratory experiments (687 runs) were performed to calibrate the proposed models. The results showed that when the slope of the channel increases, the accuracy of the proposed model slightly decreases. The first model has an average error of 2.32%, while the second model has an average error of 3.19%, thus flow discharge through the rectangular channels with longitudinal slopes in range of [0, 0.005] can be accurately estimated using the proposed discharge models. Based on this experimental study, the plate length enhances the performance of the second model when the mass plate is unknown. The proposed device offers a simple and reliable discharge measurement approach for both horizontal and sloping rectangular channels.

This study explores the machine learning-based assessment of predisposition to colorectal cancer based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). Such a computational approach may be used as a risk indicator and an auxiliary diagnosis method that complements the traditional methods such as biopsy and CT scan. Moreover, it may be used to develop a low-cost screening test for the early detection of colorectal cancers to improve public health. We employ several supervised classification algorithms. Besides, we apply data imputation to fill in the missing genotype values. The employed dataset includes SNPs observed in particular colorectal cancer-associated genomic loci that are located within DNA regions of 11 selected genes obtained from 115 individuals. We make the following observations: (i) random forest-based classifier using one-hot encoding and K-nearest neighbor (KNN)-based imputation performs the best among the studied classifiers with an F1 score of 89% and area under the curve (AUC) score of 0.96. (ii) One-hot encoding together with K-nearest neighbor-based data imputation increases the F1 scores by around 26% in comparison to the baseline approach which does not employ them. (iii) The proposed model outperforms a commonly employed state-of-the-art approach, ColonFlag, under all evaluated settings by up to 24% in terms of the AUC score. Based on the high accuracy of the constructed predictive models, the studied 11 genes may be considered a gene panel candidate for colon cancer risk screening.

OBJECTIVE MRI-guided low-intensity focused ultrasound (FUS) has been shown to reversibly open the blood-brain barrier (BBB), with the potential to deliver therapeutic agents noninvasively to target brain regions in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative conditions. Previously, the authors reported the short-term safety and feasibility of FUS BBB opening of the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex (EC) in patients with AD. Given the need to treat larger brain regions beyond the hippocampus and EC, brain volumes and locations treated with FUS have now expanded. To evaluate any potential adverse consequences of BBB opening on disease progression, the authors report safety, imaging, and clinical outcomes among participants with mild AD at 6–12 months after FUS treatment targeted to the hippocampus, frontal lobe, and parietal lobe. METHODS In this open-label trial, participants with mild AD underwent MRI-guided FUS sonication to open the BBB in β-amyloid positive regions of the hippocampus, EC, frontal lobe, and parietal lobe. Participants underwent 3 separate FUS treatment sessions performed 2 weeks apart. Outcome assessments included safety, imaging, neurological, cognitive, and florbetaben β-amyloid PET. RESULTS Ten participants (range 55–76 years old) completed 30 separate FUS treatments at 2 participating institutions, with 6–12 months of follow-up. All participants had immediate BBB opening after FUS and BBB closure within 24–48 hours. All FUS treatments were well tolerated, with no serious adverse events related to the procedure. All 10 participants had a minimum of 6 months of follow-up, and 7 participants had a follow-up out to 1 year. Changes in the Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale–cognitive and Mini-Mental State Examination scores were comparable to those in controls from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative. PET scans demonstrated an average β-amyloid plaque of 14% in the Centiloid scale in the FUS-treated regions. CONCLUSIONS This study is the largest cohort of participants with mild AD who received FUS treatment, and has the longest follow-up to date. Safety was demonstrated in conjunction with reversible and repeated BBB opening in multiple cortical and deep brain locations, with a concomitant reduction of β-amyloid. There was no apparent cognitive worsening beyond expectations up to 1 year after FUS treatment, suggesting that the BBB opening treatment in multiple brain regions did not adversely influence AD progression. Further studies are needed to determine the clinical significance of these findings. FUS offers a unique opportunity to decrease amyloid plaque burden as well as the potential to deliver targeted therapeutics to multiple brain regions in patients with neurodegenerative disorders.

Piano Key Weirs (PKWs) have recently been used as new or rehabilitation options in the world because of their advantages in hydraulic performance and construction costs. However, designing an efficient PKW is challenging due to a large and complex set of geometric and hydraulic parameters. Therefore, reaching an optimal PKW design depends on the examination of various geometric combinations and hydraulic parameters. In this study, we applied a multi-objective optimization model known as Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm-II to determine an optimal design by maximizing hydraulic discharge while minimizing the volume of the concrete. Here, we evaluated the capability of our approach in two separate case studies, one which represented as a rehabilitated weir and other as a new design. Both studies show that the developed approach could significantly reduce the concrete volume per unit of discharge. Moreover, the results show similar patterns in terms of the hydro-economic behavior of the model, which were discussed in three distinguished regions. The unique characteristics of these regions were elaborated, and their most cost-effective values of design parameters were identified. Finally, we discussed how the proposed model and findings of this study could be used for improving the preliminary design of PKWs in practice.

Standard Parshall flumes are widely used as in-line flow measurement structures in open channels and irrigation projects. The calibration of flow measurement structures is an important issue in practical applications. At present, free-flow Parshall flumes have separate empirical discharge equations for each nominal flume size, ranging from 1 inch to 50 ft (0.0254–15.24 m). In this study, using dimensional analysis and 420 data points generated from the original rating equations of 21 standard Parshall flume sizes, different dimensionally homogeneous equations were developed to calculate discharge values in Parshall flumes. The results showed that the throat width, the contraction ratio and the Reynolds number are key parameters for deducing a generic discharge equation. A general calibration discharge equation was developed for free-flow conditions for any Parshall flume in the range of 21 standard sizes and a specified contraction ratio of 0.15–0.82 according to the original design criteria. The proposed equation also enables computation of the discharge of Parshall flumes with custom and intermediate sizes. Compared with the original values, the average error in the discharges estimated using the proposed unified discharge equation for all flume sizes was found to be 0.95%.

In this work, a novel electrochemical biosensor assisted by multivariate calibration methods was developed for simultaneous estimation of rates of DNA damage induced by doxorubicin (DX), daunorubicin (DR) and idarubicin (ID), and also to simultaneous determination of the drugs. A glassy carbon electrode was efficiently modified and used as the biosensing platform. Binding and interactions of DX, DR and ID with DNA were modeled by molecular docking methods, and theoretical information was completed by experimental results. The methylene blue was able to intercalate within the DNA structure and by incubation of the biosensor with DX or DR or ID, the methylene blue was replaced by drug and therefore, the voltammetric signal of the biosensor was changed due to the exposed DNA and repelling the electrochemical probe molecules carrying negative charge. The DNA damage induced by each drug was individually monitored by differential pulse voltammetry and then, rates of DNA damage were calibrated and validated by mixture design and multivariate calibration methods. The developed multivariate calibration model constructed based on vectorization of the data was able to simultaneous detection of the rates of DNA damage induced by all the three drugs. The change in the biosensor response in the presence of the drugs was also modeled by multivariate calibration methods to simultaneous determination of the drugs.

To report outcomes of patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with new-onset visual flashes and/or floaters following implementation of a formalized triage protocol allowing eligible patients to be discharged for prompt outpatient ophthalmic examination.Retrospective consecutive case series.Patient characteristics, protocol eligibility, and clinical outcomes were recorded for adult patients triaged within a formal "flashes and floaters" protocol at a single academic ED.A total of 457 patients presented for 471 unique ED encounters with a chief complaint of visual flashes and/or floaters between October 2014 and May 2018. In all, 61% of patient encounters (287/471) met protocol criteria for prompt outpatient ophthalmic examination, of whom 94% (269/287) were examined within 48 hours. Final diagnoses of protocol-eligible patients were posterior vitreous detachment only (73%, 197/269), retinal break(s) (10%, 26/269), migraine (5%, 14/269), and no cause or new cause found (10%, 27/269). No protocol-eligible patients had retinal detachment or diagnoses requiring emergent diagnostic or therapeutic care (0%, 95% CI = 0%-1.1%). Final diagnoses following 175 encounters not meeting criteria for deferred examination included posterior vitreous detachment only (25%, 43/175), retinal break(s) (19%, 33/175), macula-involving retinal detachment (13%, 22/175), macula-sparing retinal detachment (11%, 19/175), retinal arterial occlusion (2%, 3/175), and stroke (0.6%, 1/175). The Cohen kappa for agreement on protocol eligibility between the ED physician and ophthalmologist was 0.85.A formalized ED "flashes and floaters" triage protocol may help identify patients for whom prompt outpatient ophthalmic examination may be more safely considered.

Diffusion MRI (dMRI) is an imaging technique widely used in neuroimaging research, where the signal carries directional information of underlying neuronal fibres, based on the diffusivity of water molecules. One of the shortcomings of dMRI is that numerous images, sampled at gradient directions on a sphere, must be acquired to achieve a reliable angular resolution for model-fitting, which translates to longer scan times, higher costs, and barriers to clinical adoption. In this work we introduce gauge equivariant convolutional neural network (gCNN) layers that overcome the challenges associated with the dMRI signal being acquired on a sphere with antipodal points identified, by making it equivalent to the real projective plane, R P (2) , which is a non-euclidean and a non-orientable manifold. This is in stark contrast to a rectangular grid which typical convolutional neural networks (CNNs) are designed for. We apply our method to upsample angular resolution for predicting diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) parameters from just six diffusion gradient directions. The symmetries introduced allow gCNNs the ability to train with fewer subjects and are general enough to be applied to many dMRI related problems.

Aims Left ventricular assist devices (LVADs) improve quality of life and survival in patients with advanced heart failure, but device-related infections (DRIs) remain cumbersome. We evaluated the diagnostic capability of [18F]FDG PET/CT, factors affecting its accuracy, and the additive value of semi-quantitative analysis for the diagnosis of DRI. Methods and results LVAD recipients undergoing [18F]FDG PET/CT between 2012 and 2020 for suspected DRI were retrospectively included. [18F]FDG PET/CT was performed and evaluated in accordance with EANM guidelines. The final diagnosis of DRI, based on multidisciplinary consensus and findings during surgery, whenever performed, was used as the reference for diagnosis. 41 patients were evaluated for 59 episodes of suspected DRI. The clinical evaluation established driveline infection in 32 (55%) episodes, central device infection in 6 (11%), and combined infection in 2 (4%). Visual analysis of [18F]FDG PET/CT achieved a sensitivity and specificity for driveline infections of 0.79 and 0.71, respectively, whereas semi-quantitative analysis achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 0.94 and 0.83, respectively. For central device component infection, visual analysis of [18F]FDG PET/CT achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 0.75 and 0.60, respectively. Semi-quantitative analysis using SUVratio achieved a sensitivity and specificity of 1.0 and 0.8, respectively. The increase of specificity for central component infection was statistically significant (P = 0.05). Conclusions [18F]FDG PET/CT reliably predicts the presence of DRI in LVAD recipients. Semi-quantitative analysis may increase the specificity of [18F]FDG PET/CT for the analysis of central device component infection and should be considered in equivocal cases after visual analysis.

We call for incorporating organizations into migration scholarship, and for considering immigrants in organizational research. By centering immigrant organizations (IOs) as a unit of analysis, migration scholars can reconsider whether and how IOs affect well-being, integration, political voice, identities, globalization, and development. Migration scholars must learn from scholars of organizations, but organization scholars must in turn question assumptions of nativity and citizenship in their research. Doing so illuminates the unique challenges—and, at times, opportunities—faced by IOs, especially regarding inequities tied to legal status and stigmatization. We further argue that cross-national and transnational analyses of IOs help unpack organizational embeddedness—that is, the ways in which contexts at the local, national, binational, and geopolitical levels generate opportunities and constraints. Studying IOs raises critical questions of civic inequality and organizational stigma but also highlights IOs’ potential to give voice to and effect positive change for migrant communities.

Wastewater treatment has been widely focused on the undesirable pollutants derived from various activities such as coking, coal gasification, oil spills, and petroleum. These activities tend to release organic pollutants, however polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) happen to be highlighted as the most carcinogenic pollutant that easily comes into contact with the environment and humans. It causes major challenges due to its lingering in the environment and chemical properties. Although various techniques such as ions exchange, advanced oxidation, and reverse osmosis have been conducted, some of them have been ignored due to their cost-effectiveness and ability to produce a by-product. Therefore, there is a need to develop and implement an effective technique that will alleviate the organic pollutants (PAHs) in various water sources. In this study, a self-made flat-bed photoreactor was introduced to degrade PAHs in various water sources such as acidic mine drainage, alkaline mine drainage, and sewage wastewater. A previous study was conducted, and only 7.074 mg/L, 0.3152 mg/L and 1.069 mg/L in 4 weeks and thereafter 19.255 mg/L, 1.615 mg/L and 1.813 mg/L in 8 weeks in acidic mine drainage, alkaline mined, drainage, and sewage wastewater leachate from a 2916.47 mg/L of PAHs in coal tar, was analysed. It was found that the flat-bed photoreactor was highly effective and able to obtain a removal efficiency of 64%, 55%, and 58%, respectively; without the flat-bed photoreactor, happened the removal efficiency was of 53%, 33%, and 39%, respectively, in 60 min in acidic mine drainage, alkaline mine drainage, and sewage wastewater. The photodegradation of PAHs was favoured in the acidic mine drainage, followed by sewage wastewater and alkaline mine drainage respective, showing time and solar irradiation dependence.

The effects of rigid ditch bank vegetation on velocity distribution and water surface profile in trapezoidal open channels were investigated. Forty-eight tests were used to study the impacts of different vegetation densities. Tests were run for three vegetation densities (1,600, 400, and 178 stems/m2) along a fixed, 4.00 m reach, against four different discharges, each with three different depths. The measured water levels and velocities were analyzed and it was found that increasing the vegetation density increased the water depth upstream of the vegetated reach. while lowering it within it, when compared to the unvegetated case. The water's velocity profile as a ratio to the unvegetated case (V/u) is sigmoid, i.e., the maximum velocity (V/u) max occurs in the lower half of the water column, increasing shear stress near the bed, and, in turn, the likelihood of bed erosion along the vegetated channel's centerline. V/u increased with increasing vegetation density and Fro. A multiple regression analysis was done to assess the impact of ditch bank vegetation density on flow parameters.

The Late Pleistocene travertine outcrops from Deir Alla, Suwayma, and Az Zara were investigated, and their microfacies were identified. The microfacies of the Deir Alla travertines include micrite and spar groundmass, shrubs, crystalline crusts, a stromatolite-like structure, peloids, and cements. Shrub travertine includes spar calcite-coated stems with probably microbial micritic clumps. The crystalline crust travertine displays an alternation of micrite and sparite laminae. The micritic laminae are dark-coloured. Bundles of radial spar crystals are associated locally with micritic groundmass. The crystalline crust developed where biogenic activity is limited. Peloidal microfacies are less than 0.25 mm in diameter, cryptocrystalline, pale-dark green in colour, elliptical to spherical in shape, and usually associated with microorganisms. The microfacies of the Suwayma and Az Zara travertines include crystalline calcite rhombs and other composite scalenohedral crystals. They occur as small anhedral-subhedral crystals, monocrystalline to some polycrystalline, corroded, subrounded, and mainly coated with iron oxide and/or clay minerals. Peloids, ooids, and oncoids are common. They are dark-green coloured, cryptocrystalline to microcrystalline carbonates of spherical and ellipsoidal shape with less than 1 mm in diameter. Rich flora travertines include reed and paper-thin rafts with leaf impressions encrusted on moss cushions. The flora observed in the upper part of the Suwayma section was identified as charophyte oospores (gyrogonites). A few grains of quartz are present as small subhedral-euhedral crystals, monocrystalline, corroded, rounded, and mainly coated with iron oxide. The iron is irregularly distributed among the laminae and voids and is occasionally replaced by carbonates. The described macrophyte encrustation structures probably represent algae, cyanobacteria, or bryophytes. All samples of micrite and spar calcite appear as groundmass.

The cholinergic innervation of the cortex originates almost entirely from populations of neurons in the basal forebrain. Structurally, the ascending basal forebrain cholinergic projections are highly branched, with individual cells targeting multiple different cortical regions. However, it is not known whether the structural organization of basal forebrain projections reflects their functional integration with the cortex. We therefore used high resolution 7T diffusion and resting state functional MRI in humans to examine multimodal gradients of forebrain cholinergic connectivity with the neocortex. Moving from anteromedial to posterolateral BF, structural and functional gradients became progressively detethered, with the most pronounced dissimilarity localized in the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NbM). Structure-function tethering was shaped in part by the distance of cortical parcels from the BF and their myelin content. Functional but not structural connectivity with the BF grew stronger at shorter geodesic distances, with weakly myelinated transmodal cortical areas most strongly expressing this divergence. We then used an in vivo cell type-specific marker of the presynaptic cholinergic nerve terminals, [18F] FEOBV PET, to demonstrate that the transmodal cortical areas exhibiting highest structure-function detethering with BF gradients are also among the most densely innervated by its cholinergic projections. Altogether, multimodal gradients of basal forebrain connectivity reveal inhomogeneity in structure-function tethering which becomes most pronounced in the transition from anteromedial to posterolateral BF. Cortical cholinergic projections emanating from the NbM in particular may exhibit a broad repertoire of connections with key transmodal cortical areas associated with the ventral attention network.