Enhancing Breast Cancer Risk Prediction by Incorporating Prior Images

Recently, deep learning models have shown the potential to predict breast cancer risk and enable targeted screening strategies, but current models do not consider the change in the breast over time. In this paper, we present a new method, PRIME+, for breast cancer risk prediction that leverages prior mammograms using a transformer decoder, outperforming a state-of-the-art risk prediction method that only uses mammograms from a single time point. We validate our approach on a dataset with 16,113 exams and further demonstrate that it effectively captures patterns of changes from prior mammograms, such as changes in breast density, resulting in improved short-term and long-term breast cancer risk prediction. Experimental results show that our model achieves a statistically significant improvement in performance over the state-of-the-art based model, with a C-index increase from 0.68 to 0.73 (p < 0.05) on held-out test sets

Heading control strategy assessment for coaxial compound helicopters

The coaxial compound helicopter has two possible strategies for heading control: collective differential and rudder deflection. A flight dynamics model is developed to assess the effect of different heading control strategies. This includes the trim characteristics, steady flight performance, controllability, and manoeuvrability. The trim study demonstrates that heading control strategies are less influential on trim results, and the steady flight performance is also not significantly affected by the heading control strategy adopted. The controllability analysis shows although heading bandwidth and phase delay results at various speeds with different heading control strategies are all satisfied, the control derivative of the collective differential decreases as speed increases, and its heading aggressive agility is degraded into Level 3 in high-speed flight. In addition, using collective differential would lead to severe heading-rolling coupling as forward speed increases. On the contrary, the control derivative and aggressive agility of the rudder deflection is improved with forward speed, and there is no evidence of heading-rolling coupling. Finally, the transient turn Mission-Task-Element (MTE) is utilized to investigate the heading manoeuvre characteristics in different heading control strategies, which indicates that the collective differential would add the amplitude of control input and the power consumption during this MTE

Exploring evidence of positive selection reveals genetic basis of meat quality traits in Berkshire pigs through whole genome sequencing

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made.Abstract Background Natural and artificial selection following domestication has led to the existence of more than a hundred pig breeds, as well as incredible variation in phenotypic traits. Berkshire pigs are regarded as having superior meat quality compared to other breeds. As the meat production industry seeks selective breeding approaches to improve profitable traits such as meat quality, information about genetic determinants of these traits is in high demand. However, most of the studies have been performed using trained sensory panel analysis without investigating the underlying genetic factors. Here we investigate the relationship between genomic composition and this phenotypic trait by scanning for signatures of positive selection in whole-genome sequencing data. Results We generated genomes of 10 Berkshire pigs at a total of 100.6 coverage depth, using the Illumina Hiseq2000 platform. Along with the genomes of 11 Landrace and 13 Yorkshire pigs, we identified genomic variants of 18.9 million SNVs and 3.4 million Indels in the mapped regions. We identified several associated genes related to lipid metabolism, intramuscular fatty acid deposition, and muscle fiber type which attribute to pork quality (TG, FABP1, AKIRIN2, GLP2R, TGFBR3, JPH3, ICAM2, and ERN1) by applying between population statistical tests (XP-EHH and XP-CLR). A statistical enrichment test was also conducted to detect breed specific genetic variation. In addition, de novo short sequence read assembly strategy identified several candidate genes (SLC25A14, IGF1, PI4KA, CACNA1A) as also contributing to lipid metabolism. Conclusions Results revealed several candidate genes involved in Berkshire meat quality; most of these genes are involved in lipid metabolism and intramuscular fat deposition. These results can provide a basis for future research on the genomic characteristics of Berkshire pigs

Pengaruh Kualitas Produk, Harga, Dan Saluran Distribusi Terhadap Loyalitas Pelanggan Majalah Swa Melalui Variabel Kepuasan Pelanggan (Studi Kasus Pada Pelanggan Majalah Swa Di DKI Jakarta)

Customer loyalty is a goal that has to be achieved by a company. To be able to get loyal customers, SWA magazine needs to pay attention on the factors that influence customers\u27 loyalty. Moreover, business and economy themed magazines are mushrooming, leading to the opportunity for the readers to move from one magazine to another.This research aimed to ascertain the effect of product quality, price, and distribution channel on customer loyalty of SWA magazine in Jakarta through customer satisfaction variable both simultaneously and partially. The hypothesis was there was an effect of product quality, price, and distribution channel on customer loyalty of SWA magazine in Jakarta through customer satisfaction variable both simultaneously and partially. The type of this research was explanatory research with 97 respondents with multi stage sampling technique through questionnaire and interview. The data was analyzed using linear regression method with the assistance of SPSS 16.0.The result of this research showed that product quality, price and distribution channel variables had significant and positive effect partially on customer satisfaction. Product quality variable did not have partially significant effect on customer loyalty. Price and distribution channel variables had partially significant and positive effect on customer loyalty. Product quality and price variables had simultaneously positive and significant effect on customer satisfaction while distribution channel had simultaneously negative effect on customer satisfaction. Simultaneously, product quality, price, and distribution channel variables had positive effect and not significant effect on customer loyalty. Partially, customer satisfaction had positive and significant effect on customer loyalty.Based on the result of this research, a conclusion was drawn that customers\u27 perception on product quality, price, and distribution channel was good. Customers\u27 satisfaction and loyalty of SWA magazine were also good. The company was suggested to improving the product quality, adjusting the price and boosting the distribution channel of SWA magazine in accordance with customers\u27 needs and expectation, so that, customers can feel the satisfaction and decided to be loyal customers

The genome landscape of indigenous African cattle

Background: The history of African indigenous cattle and their adaptation to environmental and human selection pressure is at the root of their remarkable diversity. Characterization of this diversity is an essential step towards understanding the genomic basis of productivity and adaptation to survival under African farming systems. Results: We analyze patterns of African cattle genetic variation by sequencing 48 genomes from five indigenous populations and comparing them to the genomes of 53 commercial taurine breeds. We find the highest genetic diversity among African zebu and sanga cattle. Our search for genomic regions under selection reveals signatures of selection for environmental adaptive traits. In particular, we identify signatures of selection including genes and/ or pathways controlling anemia and feeding behavior in the trypanotolerant N’Dama, coat color and horn development in Ankole, and heat tolerance and tick resistance across African cattle especially in zebu breeds. Conclusions: Our findings unravel at the genome-wide level, the unique adaptive diversity of African cattle while emphasizing the opportunities for sustainable improvement of livestock productivity on the continent

Economic Feasibility of Achieving Net-Zero Energy in Residential Buildings in the USA

Over the past few decades, residential buildings have been one of the major sectors responsible for a large share of energy demand in the United States (EIA, 2020). However, such high energy demand from residential buildings will cause economic and environmental problems, eventually leading to the growing expectations for implementing net-zero energy buildings (NZEBs) in the near future. Therefore, this study provides a financial framework for implementing NZEBs in the United States residential sector by utilizing two popular renewable energy systems, solar P.V. and geothermal heat pumps. A two-story single residential building in Ann Arbor, Michigan was simulated using the TRNSYS software tool. Specifically, this study analyzed the discounted payback periods of the following four different heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems; these are: (1) air-source heat pump (ASHP) (2) PV-integrated ASHP (PV+ASHP) (3) ground-source heat pump (GSHP), and (4) PV-integrated GSHP (PV+ GSHP). In addition, each building’s HVAC system has been subdivided into multiple scenarios based on the level of technological (i.e., P.V. energy conversion rate) and institutional (i.e., CO2 equivalent price of ETS) improvements required to achieve the net-zero emission target by 2050. First, this study reveals high expectations for installing PV-integrated GSHP in residential buildings because PV+GSHP generates electricity using solar and geothermal heat sources. The results clearly show that technological advancements, such as improving the performance of solar panels, have a much more significant effect on reducing the payback periods of heat pump systems compared with raising the CO2 equivalent price of the emission trading scheme (ETS). More specifically, installing a PV-integrated GSHP enables the implementation of NZEB with a payback period of fewer than ten years when the technology reaches a P.V. energy conversion rate of 32.5%. Second, this study highlights the growing demand for renewable energy sources by supporting the broader application of investment tax credits (ITC) to the United States residential sector. Specifically, this study presents reasonable tax credit rates that should be supported by the U.S. federal government when applying solar and geothermal heat sources to residential heat pump systems. Results show that the current 26% solar tax credit rate is reasonable under today’s technological and institutional context. Meanwhile, the high investment cost of GSHP does not ensure economic investment but requires government subsidies that far exceed the current 26% geothermal heat pump tax credit rate. In conclusion, this research framework clarifies the ambiguous issues related to technology and policy that must be addressed to allow NZEBs to become more economically feasible in the United States residential sector. Furthermore, implementing NZEBs with reasonable payback periods requires significant improvements in technology and policy. This goal can hardly be achieved with short-term efforts. Therefore, many building engineers, technicians, and policy makers are required to play the role as a frontier of this challenge and actively contribute to achieving the net-zero emission target by 2050.PHDArchitectureUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/176509/1/hyeonsoo_1.pd

Multi-Lens Arrays (MLA)-Assisted Photothermal Effects for Enhanced Fractional Cancer Treatment: Computational and Experimental Validations

Conventional photothermal therapy (PTT) for cancer typically employs an end-firing flat fiber (Flat) to deliver laser energy, leading to the incomplete treatment of target cells due to a Gaussian-shaped non-uniform beam profile. The purpose of the current study is to evaluate the feasibility of multi-lens arrays (MLA) for enhanced PTT by delivering laser light in a fractional micro-beam pattern. Computational and experimental evaluations compare the photothermal responses of gelatin phantoms and aqueous dye solutions to irradiations with Flat and MLA. In vivo colon cancer models have been developed to validate the therapeutic capacity of MLA-assisted irradiation. MLA yields 1.6-fold wider and 1.9-fold deeper temperature development in the gelatin phantom than Flat, and temperature monitoring identified the optimal treatment condition at an irradiance of 2 W/cm2 for 180 s. In vivo tests showed that the MLA group was accompanied by complete tumor eradication, whereas the Flat group yielded incomplete removal and significant tumor regrowth 14 days after PTT. The proposed MLA-assisted PTT spatially augments photothermal effects with the fractional micro-beams on the tumor and helps achieve complete tumor removal without recurrence. Further investigations are expected to optimize treatment conditions with various wavelengths and photosensitizers to warrant treatment efficacy and safety for clinical translation

Web atmospheric qualities in luxury fashion brand web sites

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between atmospheric qualities with different levels of task relevance in luxury fashion brand web sites and their impact on consumer attitude toward the site and brand, which is essential to build valid strategies for e-retailing. Design/methodology/approach – An empirical study was conducted and quantitative analyses of 292 respondents shopping experiences yielded findings that confirm the impact of atmospherics upon the shoppers views of the web site and the brand. Structural equation modeling was used to test the research hypotheses. Findings – Both low task-relevant atmospherics (web site design, responsive customer service) and high task-relevant atmospherics (product information, convenience) affect the consumers revisit intentions toward the web site, while web site design directly affected brand attitude. The study also illustrates the mediating roles of product information and convenience to the relationships between web site design and responsive customer service and the consumers revisit intentions toward the site. Practical implications – This study provides insights for luxury e-tailing. Luxury e-tailers should understand the different effects depending upon the types of web atmospheric qualities and use them strategically. Originality/value – The main contribution of the study is to highlight the unique aspects of luxury online shopping in the Korean context. This study also contributes to e-commerce research by providing an expanded understanding of the interrelationship between types of web atmospheric qualitiesOAIID:oai:osos.snu.ac.kr:snu2015-01/102/0000008502/5ADJUST_YN:YEMP_ID:A074828DEPT_CD:353CITE_RATE:0DEPT_NM:의류학과CONFIRM:

Metamaterials and Metasurfaces for Sensor Applications

Electromagnetic metamaterials (MMs) and metasurfaces (MSs) are artificial media and surfaces with subwavelength separations of meta-atoms designed for anomalous manipulations of light properties. Owing to large scattering cross-sections of metallic/dielectric meta-atoms, it is possible to not only localize strong electromagnetic fields in deep subwavelength volume but also decompose and analyze incident light signal with ultracompact setup using MMs and MSs. Hence, by probing resonant spectral responses from extremely boosted interactions between analyte layer and optical MMs or MSs, sensing the variation of refractive index has been a popular and practical application in the field of photonics. Moreover, decomposing and analyzing incident light signal can be easily achieved with anisotropic MSs, which can scatter light to different directions according to its polarization or wavelength. In this paper, we present recent advances and potential applications of optical MMs and MSs for refractive index sensing and sensing light properties, which can be easily integrated with various electronic devices. The characteristics and performances of devices are summarized and compared qualitatively with suggestions of design guidelines