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A bin picking task involves multiple steps, including object detection, 3D pose estimation, and path planning. Dealing with unstructured and cluttered bins presents challenges due to potential overlaps and misidentification of parts. We propose a purely mathematical approach for achieving highly precise 3D pose estimation at the millimeter level. Our method involves capturing a point-cloud image of the parts within the bin and applying a best fit algorithm to smooth the surface. Subsequently, we employ the Iterative Closest Point Method (ICP) to match a CAD model of the desired part with the smoothed surface point-cloud. Finally, we identify gripping points to enable the robot to pick up the part. The concept is validated in a use-case involving Lego sorting. It is compared with an industrial tool for performance evaluation purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is indicated that the process of modernization of the system of criminal justice bodies is underway in Ukraine, the purpose of which is to improve the system of public administration and improve mechanisms for protecting the rights and freedoms of citizens. In particular, the concept of criminal justice reform of Ukraine, approved by the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated 04/08/2008 No. 311/2008, was implemented in the aspect of updating criminal, criminal procedural and administrative tort legislation. As part of the humanization of criminal legislation, the following steps have been taken: felony crimes have been reclassified as criminal misdemeanors, the procedure for bringing to justice persons who have committed criminal misdemeanors has been simplified, and the work of criminal justice bodies has been optimized in the detection, investigation, and trial of cases. The scientific publication examines topical issues of the place and role of the investigator in criminal proceedings, including through a comparison of the procedural status of the investigator and the investigator. Taking into account the powers of the inquirer, defined by the law that introduces this institute, the burden on the specified subject of criminal proceedings is examined in comparison with the investigator on the example of a specific region, with statistical data on registered, completed and sent to court criminal proceedings. The norms of the current criminal procedural legislation are analyzed, which determine the authority of the inquirer in the process of carrying out a pre-trial investigation of criminal misdemeanors. The legal status of the inquirer as a subject of registration in the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations is outlined, the imperfection of the introduced norms is noted due to the limitation of the procedural powers of the head of the inquiry in comparison with the head of the investigative unit, and the negative procedural consequences ar e indicated due to some legislative gaps that require amendments to the current Criminal Code of the procedural code of Ukraine. Based on the results of the research, conclusions and proposals regarding the improvement of national legislation were formulated, and the prospect of further research on this t opic was determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to the topic of introducing new approaches to the provision of administrative services in Ukraine based on the approval of new principles of their provision. It is noted that administrative services are the leading means of realizing the rights of citizens in the field of public administration, because the absolute majority of cases decided by public administration bodies are initiated by citizens themselves and concern their subjective rights. The Ukrainian state quite successfully coped with the challenges in the field of administrative services after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on February 24, 2022. At the current stage, the format of “state-citizen” and “state-business” relations must be modernized taking into account modern technologies, optimization of procedures and improvement of service quality . Of great importance in he process of providing administrative services is the focus on modern, objective principles of their provision determined by socio-economic and technological development. After all, today a widespread phenomenon is the “digitalization” of the process of providing administrative services, which involves the introduction of electronic document management, the creation of online platforms for receiving services, and the automation of administrative procedures. The Center for Political and Legal Reforms developed the “Strategy for the reform of administrative services and their digitalization”. From the analysis of the document, it follows that the principles of providing administrative services today need a doctrinal update in their interpretation. In particular, the system of principles of administrative services should be supplemented with such things as decentralization of powers, simplification of procedures for the provision of administrative services, formality, integration of basic services in the Central Administrative Service, compensability for the provision of administrative services, unification of the procedure for resolving administrative cases, development of electronic public services, proactivity of public administration in in the field of provision of administrative services, protection of personal data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Why you should read this article: • To understand the importance of recognising the specific healthcare needs of children and young people • To be aware of the concerns that have been raised in response to the potential move towards a generalist approach in nursing • To learn about some of the suggestions for protecting the field of children and young people’s nursing and optimising care for this patient group. At certain points in nursing history, it has been necessary to make a case for children and young people to be cared for by specialist nurses educated to meet their specific needs. However, in 2018 the updated Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) standards of proficiency for registered nurses adopted a generic rather than field-specific approach. This article reiterates that children, young people and their families have unique needs that are best met by nurses who are trained specifically to care for them. The case is made from a historical and legal perspective, concluding with a proposal that in the best interests of children, young people and their families, the NMC should embed specific competencies for children’s nurses into its standards of proficiency to future-proof this field of practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound (US) has been introduced to computer-assisted orthopedic surgery for bone registration owing to its advantages of nonionizing radiation, low cost, and noninvasiveness. However, the registration accuracy is limited by US image distortion caused by variations in the acoustic properties of soft tissues. This paper proposes a soft-tissue sound-speed-aware registration method to overcome the above challenge. First, the feature enhancement strategy of multi-channel overlay is proposed for U2-net to improve bone segmentation performance. Secondly, the sound speed of soft tissue is estimated by simulating the bone surface distance map for the update of US-derived points. Finally, an iterative registration strategy is adopted to optimize the registration result. A phantom experiment was conducted using different registration methods for the femur and tibia/fibula. The fiducial registration error (femur, 0.98 ± 0.08 mm (mean ± SD); tibia/fibula, 1.29 ± 0.19 mm) and the target registration error (less than 2.11 mm) showed the high accuracy of the proposed method. The experimental results suggest that the proposed method can be integrated into navigation systems that provide surgeons with accurate 3D navigation information. First, multi-channel input data including the original image, phase symmetric image, and depth weighted map are fused for U2-net model training in the automatic bone segmentation of US images. When US-derived points are obtained, the sound speed of soft tissue is estimated by simulating the bone surface distance map for the update of the locations of US-derived points. An iterative registration strategy based on the cost function of corresponding point distances is adopted to optimize the registration result. Finally, a gold-standard transformation based on artificial fiducials is constructed for method evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Trial registration aims to address potential bias from selective or non-reporting of findings, and therefore has a vital role in promoting transparency and accountability of clinical research. In this study, we aim to investigate the influence of trial registration on estimated harm effects in randomized controlled trials of medication interventions. Methods: We searched PubMed for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized trials on medication harms indexed between January 1, 2015, and January 1, 2020. To be included in the analyses, eligible meta-analyses should have at least five randomized trials with distinct registration statuses (i.e., prospectively registered, retrospectively registered, and non-registered) and 2 by 2 table data for adverse events for each trial. To control for potential confounding, trials in each meta-analysis were analyzed within confounder-harmonized groups (e.g., dosage) identified using the Directed Acyclic Graph method. The harm estimates arising from the trials with different registration statuses were compared within the confounder-harmonized groups using hierarchical linear regression. Results are shown as ratio of odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The dataset consists of 629 meta-analyses of harms with 10,069 trials. Of these trials, 74.3% were registered, and 23.9% were not registered, and for those registered, 70.6% were prospectively registered, while 26.3% were retrospectively registered. In comparison to prospectively registered trials, both non-registered trials (ratio of OR = 0.82, 95%CI 0.68 to 0.98, P = 0.03) and retrospectively registered trials (ratio of OR = 0.75, 95%CI 0.66 to 0.86, P < 0.01) had lower OR for harms based on 69 and 126 confounders-harmonized groups. The OR of harms did not differ between retrospectively registered and non-registered trials (ratio of OR = 1.02, 95%CI 0.85 to 1.23, P = 0.83) based on 76 confounders-harmonized groups. Conclusions: Medication-related harms may be understated in non-registered trials, and there was no obvious evidence that retrospective registration had a demonstrable benefit in reducing such selective or absent reporting. Prospective registration is highly recommended for future trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The suite of cognitive-emotional symptoms that one experiences while subject to registration and/or community supervision for a sexual offence has recently been conceptualized as Post-Conviction Traumatic Stress (PCTS). In the current study, we present a thematic analysis of transcription data extracted from focus groups with 22 men in treatment for sexual offending. We first describe the main sources of their trauma (e.g. allegation, arrest, court, conviction, jail, prison, parole/probation, and registration). Next, we examine their reported manifestations of symptoms contained in the DSM-5 criteria for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). All the men described at least one symptom, and many endorsed symptoms in all four criteria categories. Commonly described indicators of PCTS included intrusive memories of the arrest; avoidance of certain people, situations, and environmental cues; negative thoughts about themselves and the future; hyperarousal triggered by reminders of arrest or prison; and fear of being re-arrested for a violation of probation or registration. Finally, implications for trauma-informed practice and future research are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims Methods Results Conclusion Transplant success rates can increase when organs and tissues are matched within ethnic communities, but how well are the processes around organ donation understood by discrete ethnic communities in Australia? We investigated this in relation to one ethnic group, the Australian‐Indian community in Sydney.A culturally appropriate survey and dissemination strategy was co‐created with Indian community members through an Advisory Panel. Items were informed by a thematic analysis of cultural beliefs shared through the advisory panel discussions and measured awareness and practices associated with organ donation and transplantation and beliefs about organ donation and registration. Donation information was provided at the end.Two hundred and thirty‐eight participants completed the survey. Hinduism along with Tamil and Gujarati were the most frequently identified religious and cultural backgrounds. The processes around organ donation were not well known, and Australian Organ Donor Register registration rates were below the national average. Principal component analysis revealed positive, social, medical trust, concerns, and cardiac and brain death belief factors. Doctors played a key role in generating trust in the donation system, decisions about organ donation were embedded in family and community, and family discussion was related to increased registration. Registered participants reported higher scores on medical trust beliefs, which also predicted family discussion.The information needed to understand the process of organ donation and registration in Australia is not embedded in this community, highlighting the need for programmes to be tailored to each culturally diverse community rather than culturally diverse communites in general. Doctors and the advisory panels are pivotal in this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point cloud data obtained from scanning propellant grains with 3D scanning equipment exhibit positional uncertainty in space, posing significant challenges for calculating the relevant parameters of the propellant grains. Therefore, it is essential to normalize the position of each propellant grain's point cloud. This paper proposes a normalization algorithm for propellant grain point clouds, consisting of two stages, coarse normalization and fine normalization, to achieve high-precision transformations of the point clouds. In the coarse normalization stage, a layer-by-layer feature points detection scheme based on k-dimensional trees (KD-tree) and k-means clustering (k-means) is designed to extract feature points from the propellant grain point cloud. In the fine normalization stage, a rotation angle compensation scheme is proposed to align the fitted symmetry axis of the propellant grain point cloud with the coordinate axes. Finally, comparative experiments with iterative closest point (ICP) and random sample consensus (RANSAC) validate the efficiency of the proposed normalization algorithm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the challenges of underwater Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) using multibeam sonar imaging. The widely used Iterative Closest Point (ICP) often falls into local optima due to non-convexity and the lack of features for correct registration. To overcome this, we propose a novel registration algorithm based on Gaussian clustering and Graph Matching with maximal cliques. The proposed approach enhances feature-matching accuracy and robustness in complex underwater environments. Inertial measurements and velocity estimates are also fused for global state estimation. Comprehensive tests in simulated and real-world underwater environments have demonstrated that the proposed registration method effectively addresses the issue of the ICP algorithm easily falling into local optima while also exhibiting excellent inter-frame registration performance and robustness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Conventional implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and pacemakers carry a risk of pocket- and lead-related complications in particular. To avoid these complications, extravascular devices (EVDs) have been developed, such as the subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) and leadless pacemaker (LP). However, data on patient or centre characteristics related to the actual adoption of EVDs are lacking. Objective: To assess real-world nationwide trends in EVD adoption in the Netherlands. Methods: Using the Netherlands Heart Registration, all consecutive patients with a de novo S‑ICD or conventional single-chamber ICD implantation between 2012–2020, or de novo LP or conventional single-chamber pacemaker implantation between 2014–2020 were included. Trends in adoption are described for various patient and centre characteristics. Result: From 2012–2020, 2190 S‑ICDs and 10,683 conventional ICDs were implanted; from 2014–2020, 712 LPs and 11,103 conventional pacemakers were implanted. The general use has increased (S-ICDs 8 to 21%; LPs 1 to 8%), but this increase seems to have reached a plateau. S‑ICD recipients were younger than conventional ICD recipients (p < 0.001) and more often female (p < 0.001); LP recipients were younger than conventional pacemaker recipients (p < 0.001) and more often male (p = 0.03). Both S‑ICDs and LPs were mainly implanted in high-volume centres with cardiothoracic surgery on-site, although over time S‑ICDs were increasingly implanted in centres without cardiothoracic surgery (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This nationwide study demonstrated a relatively quick adoption of innovative EVDs with a plateau after approximately 4 years. S‑ICD use is especially high in younger patients. EVDs are mainly implanted in high-volume centres with cardiothoracic surgery back-up, but S‑ICD use is expanding beyond those centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advent of biobanks with vast quantities of medical imaging and paired genetic measurements creates huge opportunities for a new generation of genotype–phenotype association studies. However, disentangling biological signals from the many sources of bias and artifacts remains difficult. Using diverse medical images and time-series (ie, magnetic resonance imagings [MRIs], electrocardiograms [ECGs], and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometries [DXAs]), we show how registration, both spatial and temporal, guided by domain knowledge or learned de novo, helps uncover biological information. A multimodal autoencoder comparison framework quantifies and characterizes how registration affects the representations that unsupervised and self-supervised encoders learn. In this study we (1) train autoencoders before and after registration with nine diverse types of medical image, (2) demonstrate how neural network-based methods (VoxelMorph, DeepCycle, and DropFuse) can effectively learn registrations allowing for more flexible and efficient processing than is possible with hand-crafted registration techniques, and (3) conduct exhaustive phenotypic screening, comprised of millions of statistical tests, to quantify how registration affects the generalizability of learned representations. Genome- and phenome-wide association studies (GWAS and PheWAS) uncover significantly more associations with registered modality representations than with equivalently trained and sized representations learned from native coordinate spaces. Specifically, registered PheWAS yielded 61 more disease associations for ECGs, 53 more disease associations for cardiac MRIs, and 10 more disease associations for brain MRIs. Registration also yields significant increases in the coefficient of determination when regressing continuous phenotypes (eg, 0.36 ± 0.01 with ECGs and 0.11 ± 0.02 for DXA scans). Our findings reveal the crucial role registration plays in enhancing the characterization of physiological states across a broad range of medical imaging data types. Importantly, this finding extends to more flexible types of registration, such as the cross-modal and the circular mapping methods presented here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), malicious nodes can infiltrate the network at any time, compromising network performance. Developing a secure routing protocol is critical for ensuring reliable data transmission. LEACH (Low-Energy Adaptive Clustering Hierarchy) is a well-established hierarchical routing protocol within the WSN paradigm. However, LEACH lacks robustness against security attacks due to the absence of integrated security mechanisms, making it vulnerable in the presence of malicious nodes. On the other hand, Blockchain, an emerging technology, is best suited for Wireless Sensor Networks due to its distributed, decentralized, immutable, and traceability features. Integrating blockchain with WSNs significantly enhances security, data integrity, and decentralization within the network. Integrating blockchain technology with WSNs significantly enhances security, data integrity, and decentralization within the network. In this paper, we introduce a Blockchain-enabled secure LEACH protocol to ensure reliable data transmission in wireless sensor networks. The proposed hybrid blockchain framework includes three phases: Registration, Authentication, and Malicious Node Detection. By utilizing the autonomous execution capabilities of smart contracts without third-party intervention, we develop specific smart contracts for the registration of cluster heads and ordinary nodes, for authentication between cluster heads and their corresponding ordinary nodes, and for the identification and elimination of malicious cluster head nodes. A detailed security analysis of the proposed BSLEACH framework is provided to provide its robustness against different network attacks such as Man-in-the-Middle attack, Sybil attack, Replay attack and non-repudiation.In performance evaluation, it is observed that the proposed Blockchain-based Secured LEACH (BSLEACH) protocol outperforms other versions of LEACH such as Sleach (Secure low-energy adaptive clustering hierarchy) and Ms-leach (A routing protocol combining multi-hop transmissions and Single-hop transmissions) in the presence of malicious cluster heads and Sybil nodes in the network. The proposed solution improves the performance of the traditional LEACH protocol by identifying and removing malicious Cluster head units from the Private Blockchain network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffusion‐based tractography in the optic nerve requires sampling strategies assisted by anatomical landmark information (regions of interest [ROIs]). We aimed to investigate the feasibility of expert‐placed, high‐resolution T1‐weighted ROI‐data transfer onto lower spatial resolution diffusion‐weighted images. Slab volumes from 20 volunteers were acquired and preprocessed including distortion bias correction and artifact reduction. Constrained spherical deconvolution was used to generate a directional diffusion information grid (fibre orientation distribution‐model [FOD]). Three neuroradiologists marked landmarks on both diffusion imaging variants and structural datasets. Structural ROI information (volumetric interpolated breath‐hold sequence [VIBE]) was respectively registered (linear with 6/12 degrees of freedom [DOF]) onto single‐shot EPI (ss‐EPI) and readout‐segmented EPI (rs‐EPI) volumes, respectively. All eight ROI/FOD‐combinations were compared in a targeted tractography task of the optic nerve pathway. Inter‐rater reliability for placed ROIs among experts was highest in VIBE images (lower confidence interval 0.84 to 0.97, mean 0.91) and lower in both ss‐EPI (0.61 to 0.95, mean 0.79) and rs‐EPI (0.59 to 0.86, mean 0.70). Tractography success rate based on streamline selection performance was highest in VIBE‐drawn ROIs registered (6‐DOF) onto rs‐EPI FOD (70.0% over 5%‐threshold, capped to failed ratio 39/16) followed by both 12‐DOF‐registered (67.5%; 41/16) and nonregistered VIBE (67.5%; 40/23). On ss‐EPI FOD, VIBE‐ROI‐datasets obtained fewer streamlines overall with each at 55.0% above 5%‐threshold and with lower capped to failed ratio (6‐DOF: 35/36; 12‐DOF: 34/34, nonregistered 33/36). The combination of VIBE‐placed ROIs (highest inter‐rater reliability) with 6‐DOF registration onto rs‐EPI targets (best streamline selection performance) is most suitable for white matter template generation required in group studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional ICP algorithm has drawbacks such as low computational efficiency and susceptibility to local optima. This paper added line feature constraints to the traditional ICP algorithm and proposed an ICP algorithm with line feature constraints. The method adopted a coarse to fine registration strategy. Firstly, the SIFT algorithm was used to pair feature points in the DSM images generated from point cloud and image data. After eliminating mismatches with the RSANC algorithm, it served as the initial parameters for data registration. Then building boundary lines were extracted as line features from the original point cloud data and image DSM data, and the line features were simplified, fitted, or orthogonalized. The endpoints were used to represent the feature lines, and the endpoints of the same named feature lines were added to the ICP algorithm as line feature constraints to complete the registration of point cloud data and image dense point cloud data. Compared with the classic ICP algorithm, the new method proposed in this article fully extracts point cloud and image features without the need for operations on all point cloud data. Only a small number of points (about 3%) need to be sampled to participate in registration calculation, which can complete the registration of point cloud and image 3D-3D. The computational efficiency is greatly improved, and under the constraint of online features, it avoids the disadvantage of traditional algorithms easily falling into local optima. Through data experiments, the improved algorithm significantly increased the average point spacing of the painful ICP algorithm registration results from 0. 462 m to 0. 342 m, resulting in a significant improvement in accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistical shape models (SSMs) allow the compact description of the variability of object shapes within a given sample set. They are commonly used in medical imaging to model and analyse the shape of anatomical structures such as organs. The generation of a SSM mainly consists of the calculation of the average shape and the main directions of variation of the data set. Usually, structured point clouds are used as shape representations. A crucial step in the calculation of the average shape of the data set represents the transformation of the objects into a common reference space in order to average coordinates of corresponding points. When using unstructured point clouds without explicitly defined landmarks, the matching of correspondences remains a challenge. We propose a novel solution for a spatially-constrained keypoint matching (FPFH++). It is based on a first attempt of a feature-based registration using Fast Point Feature Histograms (FPFH) compared to a baseline approach utilizing Coherent Point Drift (CPD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiplatform fusion point clouds can effectively compensate for the disadvantages of individual platform point clouds in forest parameter extraction, maximizing the potential of LiDAR technology. However, existing registration algorithms often suffer from insufficient feature extraction and limited registration accuracy. To address these issues, we propose a ULS (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Laser Scanning)-TLS (Terrestrial Laser Scanning) point cloud data registration method based on Similar Distance Search (SDS). This method enhances coarse registration by accurately retrieving points with similar features, leading to high overlap in the rough registration stage and further improving fine registration precision. (1) The proposed method was tested on four natural forest plots, including Pinus densata Mast., Pinus yunnanensis Franch., Pices asperata Mast., Abies fabri (Mast.) Craib, and demonstrated high registration accuracy. Both coarse and fine registration achieved superior results, significantly outperforming existing algorithms, with notable improvements over the TR algorithm. (2) In addition, the study evaluated the accuracy of individual tree parameter extraction from fusion point clouds versus single-platform point clouds. While ULS point clouds performed slightly better in some metrics, the fused point clouds offered more consistent and reliable results across varying conditions. Overall, the proposed SDS method and the resulting fusion point clouds provide strong technical support for efficient and accurate forest resource management, with significant scientific implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Abstract Background Trial registration aims to address potential bias from selective or non-reporting of findings, and therefore has a vital role in promoting transparency and accountability of clinical research. In this study, we aim to investigate the influence of trial registration on estimated harm effects in randomized controlled trials of medication interventions. Methods We searched PubMed for systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized trials on medication harms indexed between January 1, 2015, and January 1, 2020. To be included in the analyses, eligible meta-analyses should have at least five randomized trials with distinct registration statuses (i.e., prospectively registered, retrospectively registered, and non-registered) and 2 by 2 table data for adverse events for each trial. To control for potential confounding, trials in each meta-analysis were analyzed within confounder-harmonized groups (e.g., dosage) identified using the Directed Acyclic Graph method. The harm estimates arising from the trials with different registration statuses were compared within the confounder-harmonized groups using hierarchical linear regression. Results are shown as ratio of odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results The dataset consists of 629 meta-analyses of harms with 10,069 trials. Of these trials, 74.3% were registered, and 23.9% were not registered, and for those registered, 70.6% were prospectively registered, while 26.3% were retrospectively registered. In comparison to prospectively registered trials, both non-registered trials (ratio of OR = 0.82, 95%CI 0.68 to 0.98, P = 0.03) and retrospectively registered trials (ratio of OR = 0.75, 95%CI 0.66 to 0.86, P

Sanat eserlerinin yegâne özelliği biricik olmasıdır, aynısının ikincisi yoktur. Dünyada tek olduğu için değerlidir. Biricik, özgün, tek olarak adlandırılanlar, kendilerinden öncekilerin farklı bir biçimde sunumudur. İçerisine her şeyi dahil eden bir karnaval ortamında “kendince” var olabilendir. NFT teknolojisinin tescillenebilme özelliği, klasik sanata özgü nitelikler olan ve dijital sanatta tartışma konusu olan biriciklik ve özgünlüğü bir anlamda yeniden teslim etmiştir. Sanat alanında NFT üzerine de çeşitli tartışmalar olmasına karşılık zaman içerisinde sanatı domine eden yapıların da bu konuya yaklaştıkları ve bir takım projeler ürettikleri, etkinlikler düzenledikleri görülmektedir. Bu çalışmada; son üç yılda (2021-2023) NFT teknolojisi üzerine yapılmış çeşitli istatistiklerden ortaya çıkan veriler ışığında genel bir bakış atılacak, NFT pazaryerleri, fiziksel, sanal ve hibrit ortamlardaki NFT sergileri incelenecek, NFT sanatının mevcut hali üzerine somut bir çerçeve çizilecek, geleceğe bir projeksiyon tutulacaktır.

Objective: To verify the effect of fiducial marker number and configuration on target registration error (TRE) for dynamic computer-aided zygomatic implant surgery. Material and Methods: All patients who underwent zygomatic implant surgery with navigation from January 2018 to December 2021 were enrolled. For each patient, 6 to 8 miniscrews were placed intraorally as fiducial markers before the surgery. After the registration procedure, the TRE, which represents the distance between the target of the image space and the real position of the fiducial markers, was calculated. SPSS (22.0) was used for statistical analysis. Results: A total of 325 titanium miniscrews were placed in 47 patients who underwent zygomatic implant placement by navigation. The lowest TRE was 0.2 mm, compared to the highest TRE of 1.9 mm. There was no significant difference in the mean TRE value among the different titanium miniscrew groups (P = .07). A total of 8 miniscrews in 7 patients were lost in the maxillary tuberosity area prior to and during navigation surgery, which resulted in an irregular polygonal distribution of fiducial markers. However, there was no statistically significant difference in TRE between a polygonal distribution (0.62 ± 0.35 mm) and an irregular polygonal distribution (0.68 ± 0.33 mm) (P = .35). Conclusion: A scattered, polygonal distribution with of a minimum of five fiducial markers in an edentulous maxilla could achieve acceptable TRE values in registration. It seems that the registration error was not influenced by the absence of one corner in a polygon distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Robotic assistance has been shown to increase instrumentation placement accuracy in open and minimally invasive spinal fusion. These gains have been achieved without increases in operative times, blood loss, or hospitalization duration. However, most work has been done in the degenerative population and little is known of the utility of robotic assistance when applied to spinal trauma. This is largely due to the uncertainty stemming from the disruption of normal anatomy by the traumatic injury. Since the robot depends upon registration for instrumentation guidance according to the fiducials it uses, trauma can introduce unique challenges. The present study sought to evaluate the safety and efficacy of robotic assistance in a consecutive cohort of spine trauma patients. METHODS: All patients with Thoracolumbar Injury Classification and Severity Scale (TLICS) >4 who underwent robot-assisted spinal fusion using the Globus ExcelsiusGPS at a single tertiary care center for trauma between 2020 and 2022 were identified. Demographic, clinical, and surgical data were collected and analyzed; the primary endpoints were operative time, fluoroscopy time, estimated blood loss, postoperative complications, admission time, and 90-day readmission rate. The paired t-test was used to compare differences between mean values when looking at the number of surgical levels. RESULTS: Forty-two patients undergoing robot-assisted spinal surgery were included (mean age 61.3±17.1 year; 47% female. Patients were stratified by the number of operative levels, 2 (n = 10), 3-4 (n = 11), 5 to 6 (n = 13), or >6 (n = 8). There appeared to be a positive correlation between number of levels instrumented and odds of postoperative complications, admission duration, fluoroscopy time, and estimated blood loss. There were no instances of screw malposition or breach. CONCLUSIONS: This initial experience suggests robotic assistance can be safely employed in the spine trauma population. Additional experiences in larger patient populations are necessary to delineate those traumatic pathologies most amenable to robotic assistance.

Spatial data fusion algorithms are widely applied in dimensional metrology for quality assessment or surface reconstruction. Multi-sensor point cloud fusion combines the advantages of multiple sensors by merging their measurements into a single coordinate system and reducing the prediction uncertainty and systematic errors. Algorithms designed for these tasks employ many methods that require thorough evaluations through a common framework. To address this need, this paper proposes a framework for simultaneous registration and approximation, and introduces a reference data generator for unbiased evaluations of data fusion algorithms with heterogeneous and anisotropic noise assumptions for applications involving multiple sensors. The bias for the generated reference data is evaluated close to floating point accuracy, which validates the generation method, and uncertainty evaluation on ICP variants reveals that reference data is more suitable to evaluate point cloud fusion algorithms. The proposed framework and data generator allows developing and validating more accurate data fusion algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This systematic review investigates of Augmented Reality (AR) systems used in minimally invasive surgery of deformable organs, focusing on initial registration, dynamic tracking, and visualization. The objective is to acquire a comprehensive understanding of the current knowledge, applications, and challenges associated with current AR-techniques, aiming to leverage these insights for developing a dedicated AR pulmonary Video or Robotic Assisted Thoracic Surgery (VATS/RATS) workflow. Methods: A systematic search was conducted within Embase, Medline (Ovid) and Web of Science on April 16, 2024, following the Preferred Reporting items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). The search focused on intraoperative AR applications and intraoperative navigational purposes for deformable organs. Quality assessment was performed and studies were categorized according to initial registration and dynamic tracking methods. Results: 33 articles were included, of which one involved pulmonary surgery. Studies used both manual and (semi-) automatic registration methods, established through anatomical landmark-based, fiducial-based, or surface-based techniques. Diverse outcome measures were considered, including surgical outcomes and registration accuracy. The majority of studies that reached an registration accuracy below 5 mm applied surface-based registration. Conclusions: AR can potentially aid surgeons with real-time navigation and decision making during anatomically complex minimally invasive procedures. Future research for pulmonary applications should focus on exploring surface-based registration methods, considering their non-invasive, marker-less nature, and promising accuracy. Additionally, vascular-labeling-based methods are worth exploring, given the importance and relative stability of broncho-vascular anatomy in pulmonary VATS/RATS. Assessing clinical feasibility of these approaches is crucial, particularly concerning registration accuracy and potential impact on surgical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To summarize the clinical registration data of endodontic diseases registered in ClinicalTrials.gov in the United States and Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR), and analyze the registration characteristics at home and abroad. Methods We searched the clinical studies related to endodontic disease registered in the two databases from January 1, 2000, to August 20, 2023. We extracted and analyzed the information from clinical studies related to endodontic diseases. The extracted content included information on the registration region, registration year, trial title, research direction, sample size, trial progress, study type, trial design, blinding method, clinical trial phase, and participating institutions. Results The two databases contained a total of 536 191 registered items, of which 634 were endodontic diseases. Clinical trials in the registry of endodontic diseases involved 43 countries, of which the top three were Egypt (188 items), China (130 items), and the America (46 items). In addition, the number of registrations of clinical trials on endodontic diseases has significantly increased since 2015. The research directions were mainly pulposis (434 items), caries (106 items), and periapical diseases (77 items), which mostly involved etiology, drug intervention, surgical intervention, new technology, and new materials. Moreover, there were 430 clinical trials (67.82%) with a sample size < 100 and 185 (29.18%) with a sample size of 100-999. The progress status at the time of registration showed the largest number of completed trials, accounting for 286 items (45.11%), followed by unknown (125 items), recruiting (110 items), and not yet recruiting (81 items). The main research types were intervention studies (546 items, 86.12%), and the main design model was randomized parallel controlled trials (473 items, 74.61%). Additionally, 423 items (66.72%) were marked using the blind method, mainly double-blind trials (195 items), followed by other/unmarked (123 items, 19.40%) and open study (88 items, 13.88%). Furthermore, the largest number of items in the study phase were marked other/unlabeled (388 items), followed by phaseⅡ study (69 items) and preliminary study (62 items). Additionally, 611 items (96.37%) were clinical trials with a number of participating institutions < 3, and 23 items (3.63%) had a number of participating institutions ≥ 3. Conclusion The number of clinical trials registered for endodontic diseases is generally on the rise, but it is still relatively small. The quality of the study design needs to be enhanced, and the registration information in the study phase needs to be improved. Moreover, the number of multicenter trials is small. In the future, we should fully mobilize the talent advantages of well-known stomatology majors in China, take the lead in conducting high-quality, multi-center clinical research, and realize the transformation of results.

Oral and maxillofacial tumors are common oral and maxillofacial surgery-related diseases. Digital surgical technology, represented by virtual surgical design and surgical navigation, is the main auxiliary means of the surgical diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillofacial tumors. However, the existing digital technology still has some problems and room for improvement in terms of 3D visualization imaging and intraoperative hand-eye coordination. At present, the application of 3D visualization technology represented by mixed-reality technology has been rapidly developing in the medical field. It assists in realizing the real-time stereoscopic presentation of medical images by superimposing 3D virtual images onto the real surgical environment. Mixed-reality technology has been gradually applied to the diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillofacial tumors. Preoperatively, mixed-reality technology can be used to construct a 3D model of the tumor and its surrounding vital structures based on imaging data, at which point the medical team can personalize the preoperative assessment and design the surgical plan in the mixed-reality environment. Intraoperatively, the combination of mixed-reality technology and surgical navigation technology can be used to display the 3D virtual model in real time in the actual environment of the operation area, overcoming the hand-eye coordination problem associated with using navigation technology alone and further improving the accuracy and safety of oral and maxillofacial tumor surgery. The combination of mixed-reality technology and internet medical technology can provide a high-quality teaching platform to promote the development of regional oral and maxillofacial surgery practices. The limitations of mixed-reality technology include image occlusion, lack of accuracy when used alone, and long alignment times. In this review, the application of mixed-reality technology to the diagnosis and treatment of oral and maxillofacial tumors will be summarized and assessed by combining information from domestic and international literature reports with the practical clinical experience of the author group.

Stroke prevention and treatment has been the focus of attention in the global medical community, and the unique advantages of acupuncture for stroke treatment are becoming increasingly prominent, Chinese guidelines for acute ischemic stroke 2018 recommend acupuncture for acute cerebral infarction patients (gradeⅡrecommendation, B-level evidence). Standardization and normalization of clinical research data can ensure the data quality of clinical research and provide assurance for data collation and mining. Case registration is a real-world study, and the consistency of data elements is one of the necessary elements to ensure plan implementation, efficient data quality, and credible clinical research evidence. Therefore, the research group developed the data elements and definitions of this project based on the national key research and development project case registration research of acupuncture and moxibustion for the treatment of stroke, in order to optimize the clinical research paradigm of acupuncture and moxibustion for the prevention and treatment of stroke.

The current implementation of polytechnic education must be adaptive to industry needs so that graduates must be equipped with digital literacy skills and project-based learning (PBL). The problem faced by polytechnics is that not all courses taught refer to PBL, so it is necessary to map the systems that must use PBL. This research was conducted to identify and analyze how the strategy and implementation of PBL are carried out in the registration course in the PNJ MICE study program in the digital era. Has the PBL, that has been carried out in the PNJ MICE study program, had any impact on improving the quality of learning? The research method used was descriptive qualitative data collection techniques using direct observation and distribution of questionnaires (using a Likert scale) to second-semester students of the PNJ MICE study program in 2023 and interviews. The results showed that learning registration courses using PBL provided practical experience (strongly agreed 81%), fostered learning motivation (strongly agreed 79%), created ideas and creativity (agreed 63%), created teamwork patterns (approved 60%), time management (strongly agree 69%), have the competence (agree 58%), project mastery (strongly agree 59%). As for the convenience of students in learning registration topics, namely: types of registration in MICE events, registration staff, designing forms, event layouts, logistical checklists, determining venues, event planner competencies, payment methods, and registration project work that is easy to understand and applied. PBL registration has impacted improving the quality of learning in the MICE study program, and responding to the needs of competent students in the digital era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Prevention & Treatment For Stomatological Diseases is the property of Journal of Prevention & Treatment For Stomatological Diseases Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Hybrid positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (PET/MR) opens new possibilities in multimodal multiparametric (m2p) image analyses. But even the simultaneous acquisition of positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) does not guarantee perfect voxel-by-voxel co-registration due to organs and distortions, especially in diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), which would be, however, crucial to derive biologically meaningful information. Thus, our aim was to optimize fusion and voxel-wise analyses of DWI and standardized uptake values (SUVs) using a novel software for m2p analyses. Using research software, we evaluated the precision of image co-registration and voxel-wise analyses including the rigid and elastic 3D registration of DWI and [18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET from an integrated PET/MR system. We analyzed DWI distortions with a volume-preserving constraint in three different 3D-printed phantom models. A total of 12 PET/MR-DWI clinical datasets (bronchial carcinoma patients) were referenced to the T1 weighted-DIXON sequence. Back mapping of scatterplots and voxel-wise registration was performed and compared to the non-optimized datasets. Fusion was rated using a 5-point Likert scale. Using the 3D-elastic co-registration algorithm, geometric shapes were restored in phantom measurements; the measured ADC values did not change significantly (F = 1.12, p = 0.34). Reader assessment showed a significant improvement in fusion precision for DWI and morphological landmarks in the 3D-registered datasets (4.3 ± 0.2 vs. 4.6 ± 0.2, p = 0.009). Most pronounced differences were noted for the chest wall (p = 0.006), tumor (p = 0.007), and skin contour (p = 0.014). Co-registration increased the number of plausible ADC and SUV combinations by 25%. The volume-preserving elastic 3D registration of DWI significantly improved the precision of fusion with anatomical sequences in phantom and clinical datasets. The research software allowed for a voxel-wise analysis and visualization of [18F]FDG-PET/MR data as a "combined diffusivity–metabolic index" (cDMI). The clinical value of the optimized PET/MR biomarker can thus be tested in future PET/MR studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Point cloud registration is a crucial technique in photogrammetry, remote sensing, etc. A generalized 3D point cloud registration framework has been developed to estimate the optimal rigid transformation between two point clouds using 3D key point correspondences. However, challenges arise due to the uncertainty in 3D key point detection techniques and the similarity of local surface features. These factors often lead to feature descriptors establishing correspondences containing significant outliers. Current point cloud registration algorithms are typically hindered by these outliers, affecting both their efficiency and accuracy. In this paper, we propose a fast and robust point cloud registration method based on a compatibility graph and accelerated guided sampling. By constructing a compatible graph with correspondences, a minimum subset sampling method combining compatible edge sampling and compatible vertex sampling is proposed to reduce the influence of outliers on the estimation of the registration parameters. Additionally, an accelerated guided sampling strategy based on preference scores is presented, which effectively utilizes model parameters generated during the iterative process to guide the sampling toward inliers, thereby enhancing computational efficiency and the probability of estimating optimal parameters. Experiments are carried out on both synthetic and real-world data. The experimental results demonstrate that our proposed algorithm achieves a significant balance between registration accuracy and efficiency compared to state-of-the-art registration algorithms such as RANSIC and GROR. Even with up to 2000 initial correspondences and an outlier ratio of 99%, our algorithm achieves a minimum rotation error of 0.737° and a minimum translation error of 0.0201 m, completing the registration process within 1 s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ultrasound speckle tracking enables in vivo measurement of soft tissue deformation or strain, providing a non-invasive diagnostic tool to quantify tissue health. However, adoption into new fields is challenging since algorithms need to be tuned with gold-standard reference data that are expensive or impractical to acquire. Here, we present a novel optimization approach that only requires repeated measurements, which can be acquired for new applications where reference data might not be readily available or difficult to get hold of. Soft tissue motion was captured using ultrasound for the medial collateral ligament (MCL) of three quasi-statically loaded porcine stifle joints, and medial ligamentous structures of a dynamically loaded human cadaveric knee joint. Using a training subset, custom speckle tracking algorithms were created for the porcine and human ligaments using surrogate optimization, which aimed to maximize repeatability by minimizing the normalized standard deviation of calculated strain maps for repeat measurements. An unseen test subset was then used to validate the tuned algorithms by comparing the ultrasound strains to digital image correlation (DIC) surface strains (porcine specimens) and length change values of the optically tracked ligament attachments (human specimens). After 1500 iterations, the optimization routine based on the porcine and human training data converged to similar values of normalized standard deviations of repeat strain maps (porcine: 0.19, human: 0.26). Ultrasound strains calculated for the independent test sets using the tuned algorithms closely matched the DIC measurements for the porcine quasi-static measurements (R > 0.99, RMSE < 0.59%) and the length change between the tracked ligament attachments for the dynamic human dataset (RMSE < 6.28%). Furthermore, strains in the medial ligamentous structures of the human specimen during flexion showed a strong correlation with anterior/posterior position on the ligaments (R > 0.91). Adjusting ultrasound speckle tracking algorithms using an optimization routine based on repeatability led to robust and reliable results with low RMSE for the medial ligamentous structures of the knee. This tool may be equally beneficial in other soft-tissue displacement or strain measurement applications and can assist in the development of novel ultrasonic diagnostic tools to assess soft tissue biomechanics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Health & Nursing Management / Sağlık ve Hemşirelik Yönetimi Dergisi is the property of Logos Medical Publishing and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Post-Conviction Traumatic Stress (PCTS) describes the cognitive, psychological, and physiological symptoms of trauma that result from a range of experiences with the criminal justice system. This pilot study aimed to empirically validate the construct of PCTS utilizing the Post-Traumatic Checklist (PCL-5), an existing measure of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. Using mixed methods, the survey asked about the traumagenic impact of arrests, court proceedings, incarceration, probation/parole supervision, and sex offender registration requirements in a sample of people required to register as sexual offenders (RSOs; n = 290) and their family members (n = 126). The PCL-5 was used to estimate the prevalence of PTSD and to explore the unique presentation of symptoms. Findings indicated that 69% of registrants and 62% of family members reported clinically significant indicators of PTSD. Examples of specific symptom presentations are illustrated through qualitative responses. Implications for clinical treatment, policy, and future research related to PCTS are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leveraging multi‐platform laser scanning systems offers a complete solution for 3D modelling of large‐scale urban scenes. However, the spatial inconsistency of point clouds collected by heterogeneous platforms with different viewpoints presents challenges in achieving seamless fusion. To tackle this challenge, this paper proposes a coarse‐to‐fine adjustment for multi‐platform point cloud fusion. First, in the preprocessing stage, the bounding box of each point cloud block is employed to identify potential constraint association. Second, the proposed local optimisation facilitates preliminary pairwise alignment with these potential constraint relationships, and obtaining initial guess for a comprehensive global optimisation. At last, the proposed global optimisation incorporates all the local constraints for tightly coupled optimisation with raw point correspondences. We choose two study areas to conduct experiments. Study area 1 represents a fast road scene with a significant amount of vegetation, while study area 2 represents an urban scene with many buildings. Extensive experimental evaluations indicate the proposed method has increased the accuracy of study area 1 by 50.6% and the accuracy of study area 2 by 44.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relative rotation angle between two cabins should be automatically and precisely obtained during automated assembly processes for spacecraft and aircraft. This paper introduces a method to solve this problem based on distributed vision, where two groups of cameras are employed to take images of mating features, such as dowel pins and holes, in oblique directions. Then, the relative rotation between the mating flanges of two cabins is calculated. The key point is the registration of the distributed cameras; thus, a simple and practical registration process is designed. It is assumed that there are rigid and scaling transformations among the world coordinate systems (WCS) of each camera. Therefore, the rigid-correct and scaling-correct matrices are adopted to register the cameras. An auxiliary registration device with known features is designed and moved in the cameras' field of view (FOV) to obtain the matrix parameters so that each camera acquires traces of every feature. The parameters can be solved using a genetic algorithm based on the known geometric relationships between the trajectories on the registration devices. This paper designs a prototype to verify the method. The precision reaches 0.02° in the measuring space of 340 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the advancement of 3D sensing technologies, point clouds are gradually becoming the main type of data representation in applications such as autonomous driving, robotics, and augmented reality. Nevertheless, the irregularity inherent in point clouds presents numerous challenges for traditional deep learning frameworks. Graph neural networks (GNNs) have demonstrated their tremendous potential in processing graph-structured data and are widely applied in various domains including social media data analysis, molecular structure calculation, and computer vision. GNNs, with their capability to handle non-Euclidean data, offer a novel approach for addressing these challenges. Additionally, drawing inspiration from the achievements of transformers in natural language processing, graph transformers have propelled models towards global awareness, overcoming the limitations of local aggregation mechanisms inherent in early GNN architectures. This paper provides a comprehensive review of GNNs and graph-based methods in point cloud applications, adopting a task-oriented perspective to analyze this field. We categorize GNN methods for point clouds based on fundamental tasks, such as segmentation, classification, object detection, registration, and other related tasks. For each category, we summarize the existing mainstream methods, conduct a comprehensive analysis of their performance on various datasets, and discuss the development trends and future prospects of graph-based methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international space treaties of the twentieth century were developed on the strong foundations of common benefits and rights of humankind in the exploration and use of outer space. Twenty-first century space developments, especially commercial, are posing serious challenge in the practical implementation of treaty obligations. The Gateway is one such project that has taken shape in the recent past, which raises multiple questions under the provisions of the United Nations space treaties. This paper attempts to unearth some of the most significant issues that arise out of the interplay between the project Gateway and obligations of States under the international space treaties. The focal point of argument here is to protect the sanctity of the foundational principles of international space law to ensure orderly developments in the space sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article aims to map out the various meanings of security entailed by the different uses and misuses of registration in Italy. As will emerge from this analysis, population registers have been employed either as tools for observing the population and its dynamics or, on the contrary, as devices for identifying its "deserving" members. By drawing this map, this article contributes to the analysis of the "technical shaping of social outcomes" that is at the center of the special issue on the continuum between contingency and obduracy in sociotechnical practices of securitization. Theoretically, population registers are framed in the article as socio-technical and socio-legal devices which embed scripts. As will emerge, they have been historically sub-scribed, de-scribed, or de-inscribed by their users. Methodologically, this analysis relies on a research path focused on registration as a bordering device which has been conducted over the last ten years through several methodological approaches and on a research/action experience which was launched in 2020. Through the author's participation in a group of political activists, nongovernmental organization members, lawyers, and scholars who are committed to combatting discriminations, original ethnographic, documentary, and discursive data have been collected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the field of neuroimaging has undergone a paradigm shift, moving away from the traditional brain mapping approach towards the development of integrated, multivariate brain models that can predict categories of mental events. However, large interindividual differences in both brain anatomy and functional localization after standard anatomical alignment remain a major limitation in performing this type of analysis, as it leads to feature misalignment across subjects in subsequent predictive models. This article addresses this problem by developing and validating a new computational technique for reducing misalignment across individuals in functional brain systems by spatially transforming each subject's functional data to a common latent template map. Our proposed Bayesian functional group-wise registration approach allows us to assess differences in brain function across subjects and individual differences in activation topology. We achieve the probabilistic registration with inverse-consistency by utilizing the generalized Bayes framework with a loss function for the symmetric group-wise registration. It models the latent template with a Gaussian process, which helps capture spatial features in the template, producing a more precise estimation. We evaluate the method in simulation studies and apply it to data from an fMRI study of thermal pain, with the goal of using functional brain activity to predict physical pain. We find that the proposed approach allows for improved prediction of reported pain scores over conventional approaches. Received on 2 January 2017. Editorial decision on 8 June 2021 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised or has already begun to influence absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) science. It is not in the area expected – that of superior modelling of ADME data to increase its predictive power. It is influencing traditional exhaustive and careful literature research by providing almost perfect summaries of existing information. This will highly influence how people study, graduate and progress in the ADME sciences. The literature contains many flaws (protein binding influence on unbound drug concentration is one of the examples cited) and without direction AI may help to popularise them. ADME science has a relatively small number of key assays and values, but these are produced under widely varying conditions so large data sets, the best substrate for artificial intelligence, are not readily available to produce new more predictive systems. The use of AI to enrich the databases may be a near term goal. AI is already contributing in other areas such as technical skill assimilation, maintenance of complex instruments (combined with virtual reality) and the processing of pharmacovigilance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseño y Comunicación is the property of Cuadernos del Centro de Estudios de Diseno y Comunicacion and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Franchising has played a pivotal role in driving China's economic growth in recent years. With the prominent problem of franchise asymmetry, the protection of franchisees has emerged as a significant concern. This paper conducts a comparative study of franchisee protection practices under franchising regulation in China and certain jurisdictions such as the United States, Australia, and Malaysia. This paper aims to analyze three aspects of franchisee protection, including information disclosure, registration, liability, and relief for violations. To this end, the researchers adopted library data collection methods. Franchisingrelated laws, regulations, rules, and cases are the primary data sources, while journals, books, industry reports, and network resources are the secondary data sources. The results of this study show that although China's franchisee protection is generally in line with international practice, there is still room for further improvement. The authors proposed recommendations such as strictly implementing registration requirements, introducing a disclosure exemption system, specifying the exact duration of the cooling-off period, and diversifying dispute resolution. The contribution of this paper is to learn from the advanced experience of foreign franchisee protection and improve the current franchisee protection system in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyses the effects of digital labour platforms in a context characterised by high informality, exploring the way platforms may or may not imply a disruption in this respect. To do so, it examines the labour transitions that lead to platform labour, taking into account the formal status of workers before and after joining platforms, as well as their evaluation of resulting labour conditions. The article relies on a quantitative survey and in depth interviews for three on‐demand occupations in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area, ride‐hailing, home repairs and domestic service. Results show that a platform's influence on the formal status of workers (and their assessment of it) is highly contingent upon: the platform's business model, including the legal status that may be used to integrate the workforce, the pre‐existing formal/informal dynamics within the occupation and the general labour market situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are an invasive and destructive species throughout many regions of the world. A sodium nitrite (SN) toxic bait is currently used in Australia and being developed for use in the US and other countries to combat the increasing populations of wild pigs. In the US, efforts to modify the Australian SN‐toxic bait and baiting strategy have focused on reducing issues with non‐target animals accessing the SN‐toxic bait spilled outside of bait stations by wild pigs. We tested and compared modifications for efficacy (with wild pigs) and hazards (with non‐targets) in north‐central Texas, US during summer (July 2021) and winter (March 2023) seasons. RESULTS: During both seasons we found that visitation to the bait sites declined 94–99% after deploying the SN‐toxic bait, and we found a total of 106 dead wild pigs, indicating considerable lethality for the local population. Prior to deploying the SN‐toxic bait, Global Positioning System (GPS)‐collared wild pigs were more likely to cease visiting bait sites during summer when foraging resources were abundant. Farrowing decreased visitation to bait sites during the winter. We observed no dead non‐targets during summer; winter results showed an average of 5.2 dead migrating birds per bait site (primarily Dark‐eye juncos [Junco hyemalis]) from consuming SN‐toxic bait spilled by wild pigs. The presence and winter‐foraging behaviors of migrating birds appeared to increase hazards for those species. CONCLUSION: The current formulation of SN‐toxic bait was effective at removing wild pigs during both seasons, however it is clear that different baiting strategies may be required in winter when migrating birds are present. Baiting wild pigs prior to farrowing during the winter, and during drier summers, may further improve efficacy of the bait. Reducing hazards to non‐targets could be achieved by refining the SN‐toxic bait or modifying bait stations to decrease the potential for spillage, decreasing environmental persistence if spilled, or decreasing attractiveness to migrating birds. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry. This article has been contributed to by U.S. Government employees and their work is in the public domain in the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]