A parametric study of DMS subjected to induced low-stress consolidation and heat treatment

Dredging activities are important either in the control the accessibility and navigability to harbours or the maintenance to the existing facilities. Dredged marine sediments (DMS) is the products generated from dredging activities. DMS consists mainly of clays, silts and sand mingled with rocks, debris, larger obstacles and organic matter such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and polychlorinated aromatic biphenyl (PCBs

Document summarization using transfer learning

Document summarization refers to an automation method to shortening a document into a short and meaningful article. In computing, automatic summarization can basically split to two approaches where it can be done with classical method where the rank of the text is calculated and word is extracted with respect to the word’s rank. In the other hand, the task can be completed by using modern method, deep learning. In deep learning, it is slightly different that the programming is mainly prepare a model where it will learn to summarize the document. However, som pre-processing on the data is needed before it is fit into the deep learning model. All the detailed part will be discussed in this project. For this project, the sequence to sequence model will be used as the main computing unit. On top of that, word embedding layer will helps in the summarization by providing the knowledge of word’s relationship. By combining these two design, the deep learning model is able to differentiate the word with respect to the relationship. Of course, this project included some pre-processing where the data will pre-filtered and convert to data that recognized by the model. Similarly, the output will be converted back to word that understand by the human. At the end, the summarized output will be evaluate by BLUE, a benchmark for sentence similarity. As a result, the model can achieve loss as low as 0.8% and accuracy of 32%. Overall, the accuracy is capped by the size of the model. It is due to the reason that the model does not support high number of vocabulary. The design can be further improve by increasing the vocabulary size. However, the training process need to be completed by using a better hardware. In addition, the covered text is evaluated the BLEU value with respect to the expected output summary. Overall, a trainable model is designed. The model can be further improve by adding vocabulary size as well as increasing all the training set

Pro-Cap: Leveraging a Frozen Vision-Language Model for Hateful Meme Detection

Hateful meme detection is a challenging multimodal task that requires comprehension of both vision and language, as well as cross-modal interactions. Recent studies have tried to fine-tune pre-trained vision-language models (PVLMs) for this task. However, with increasing model sizes, it becomes important to leverage powerful PVLMs more efficiently, rather than simply fine-tuning them. Recently, researchers have attempted to convert meme images into textual captions and prompt language models for predictions. This approach has shown good performance but suffers from non-informative image captions. Considering the two factors mentioned above, we propose a probing-based captioning approach to leverage PVLMs in a zero-shot visual question answering (VQA) manner. Specifically, we prompt a frozen PVLM by asking hateful content-related questions and use the answers as image captions (which we call Pro-Cap), so that the captions contain information critical for hateful content detection. The good performance of models with Pro-Cap on three benchmarks validates the effectiveness and generalization of the proposed method.Comment: Camera-ready for 23, ACM M

Geo-engineered dredged marine sediments via induced consolidation and heat treatment for reclamation works

Typically, dredged marine sediments (DMS) are soft, relatively poor in engineering properties and contaminated from upstream sources. DMS are therefore routinely discarded inland or offshore, inadvertently raising contamination risks throughout the process. However, with pre-treatment to both eliminate the contaminants and to enhance the engineering properties, DMS can be reused as backfills in reclamation works. The present study examines the combination of preloading and heating to address the aformentioned problems. 1D compressibility tests with the standard oedometer were executed at incremental loads of 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 kPa to examine the material’s consolidation behaviour. The consolidated sample from each loading was then subjected to staged heat treatment at 105, 350, 550 and 650 °C to decontaminate the DMS. The contamination level was indirectly assessed via electrical conductivity (EC) and pH measurements at predetermined time intervals of heating for 24 hours. The oedometer tests showed significant improvement in terms of settlement control under preloading of the DMS, where excess pore water was forcefully discharged to induce consolidation and stiffening of the soil. As for the heat treatment, both EC and pH readings indicated the highest chemical activity in the temperature window of 300-400oC, suggesting an optimal decontamination rate for all preloading cases within the temperature range. In summary, combined preloading and heat treatment of DMS could reduce post-construction settlement of the DMS in reclamation works as well as the contamination risks, where field application would require an incorporated removal system for the dissolved contaminants

Perioperative, functional, and oncologic outcomes after ablation or partial nephrectomy for solitary renal tumors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of comparative trials

ObjectivesThe perioperative, functional, and oncological outcomes of patients with solitary small renal tumors (SRMs) treated with ablation (AT) or partial nephrectomy (PN) remain controversial. The aim of this study was to compare the outcomes of these two surgical techniques.MethodsIn April 2023, we conducted a literature search in several widely used databases worldwide, including PubMed, Embase, and Google Scholar. Review Manager was used to compare various parameters. The study was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022377157).ResultsOur final meta-analysis included 13 cohort studies with a total of 2,107 patients. Compared to partial nephrectomy (PN), ablation (AT) had shorter hospital stays (WMD -2.37 days, 95% CI -3.05 to -1.69; p < 0.00001), shorter operating times (WMD -57.06 min, 95% CI -88.92 to -25.19; p = 0.0004), less postoperative creatinine increases (WMD -0.17 mg/dL, 95% CI -0.29 to -0.05; p = 0.006), less postoperative glomerular filtration rate decreases (WMD -9.84 mL/min/1.73 m2, 95% CI -14.25 to -5.44; p < 0.0001), less postoperative new-onset chronic kidney disease (OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.16 to 0.71; p = 0.005), and less intraoperative blood loss (WMD -285.92 ml, 95% CI -428.44 to -143.40; p < 0.0001). The transfusion rate was lower in the ablation group (OR 0.17, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.51; p = 0.001). The risk of local recurrence was higher in the ablation group (OR 2.96, 95% CI 1.27 to 6.89; p = 0.01), while the risk of distant metastasis was higher in the partial nephrectomy group (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.28 to 6.18; p = 0.01). The intraoperative and postoperative complication rates were lower in the ablation group (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.08 to 0.62; p = 0.004 and OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.11 to 0.38; p < 0.00001, respectively). However, overall survival, postoperative dialysis rate, and tumor-specific survival were not different between the two groups.ConclusionsOur data suggest that ablation and partial nephrectomy are equally safe and effective in the treatment of small solitary kidney tumors and are better options for patients with poor preoperative physical condition or poor renal function

Automatic Window Controller

The Automatic Window Controller (AWC) is a device used for ventilation in commercial buildings and residential homes. AWCcontrols the windows and curtains based on the indoor and outdoor conditions of a building. By sensing temperature, humidity, rain, and sunlight, the AWC can adjust the position of the window and curtain in a room to improve the living environment.&nbsp

miR-196a Upregulation Contributes to Gefitinib Resistance through Inhibiting GLTP Expression

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy has greatly improved lung cancer survival in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. However, the development of TKI-acquired resistance is the major problem to be overcome. In this study, we found that miR-196a expression was greatly induced in gefitinib-resistant lung cancer cells. To understand the role and mechanism of miR-196a in TKI resistance, we found that miR-196a-forced expression alone increased cell resistance to gefitinib treatment in vitro and in vivo by inducing cell proliferation and inhibiting cell apoptosis. We identified the transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) bound to the promoter region of miR-196a and induced miR-196a expression at the transcriptional level. NRF2-forced expression also significantly increased expression levels of miR-196a, and was an upstream inducer of miR-196a to mediate gefitinib resistance. We also found that glycolipid transfer protein (GLTP) was a functional direct target of miR-196a, and downregulation of GLTP by miR-196a was responsible for gefitinib resistance. GLTP overexpression alone was sufficient to increase the sensitivity of lung cancer cells to gefitinib treatment. Our studies identified a new role and mechanism of NRF2/miR-196a/GLTP pathway in TKI resistance and lung tumor development, which may be used as a new biomarker (s) for TKI resistance or as a new therapeutic target in the future

Preventive Effect of Crocin on Osteoporosis in an Ovariectomized Rat Model

The purpose of this study was to investigate the therapeutic effects of crocin on ovariectomy-induced osteoporosis in rats. Female Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly assigned to a sham-operated group (sham) and five ovariectomy (OVX) subgroups, that is, OVX with vehicle (OVX), OVX with 17β-estradiol (E2, 25 μg/kg/day), and OVX with graded crocin doses (5, 10, or 20 mg/kg/day). Daily oral administration of E2 or crocin started 4 weeks after OVX and lasted for 16 weeks. Our results showed that crocin dose-dependently inhibited the BMD reduction of L4 vertebrae and femurs caused by OVX and prevented the deterioration of trabecular microarchitecture, which were accompanied by a significant decrease in skeletal remodeling as evidenced by the lower levels of bone turnover markers. Furthermore, crocin reversed the oxidative stress status in both serum and bone tissue. The present study indicates that the administration of crocin at higher doses over a 16-week period can prevent OVX-induced osteoporosis in rats without hyperplastic effects on the uterus, which may, at least partially, be attributed to crocin’s antioxidative property. In brief, crocin is a natural alternative for postmenopausal osteoporosis treatment in elderly women

Mechanistic aspects of photo-induced formation of peroxide ions on the surface of cubic Ln(2)O(3) (Ln = Nd, Sm, Gd) under oxygen

National Basic Research Program of China [2010CB732303]; National Natural Science Foundation of China [21173173, 21033006, 20923004]; Program for Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University [IRT1036]The photo-induced formation of peroxide ions on the surface of cubic Ln(2)O(3) (Ln = Nd, Sm, Gd) was studied by in situ microprobe Raman spectroscopy using a 325 nm laser as excitation source. It was found that the Raman bands of peroxide ions at 833-843 cm(-1) began to grow at the expense of the Ln(3+)-O-2 bands at 333-359 cm(-1) when the Ln(2)O(3) samples under O-2 were continuously irradiated with a focused 325 nm laser beam at temperatures between 25-150 degrees C. The intensity of the peroxide Raman band was found to increase with increasing O-2 partial pressure, whereas no peroxide band was detected on the Ln(2)O(3) under N-2 as well as on the samples first irradiated with laser under Ar or N-2 followed by exposure to O-2 in the dark. The experiments using O-18 as a tracer further confirmed that the peroxide ions are generated by a photo-induced reaction between O-2 and the lattice oxygen (O2-) species in Ln(2)O(3). Under the excitation of 325 nm UV light, the transformation of O-2 to peroxide ions on the surface of the above lanthanide sesquioxides can even take place at room temperature. Basicity of the lattice oxygen species on Ln(2)O(3) also has an impact on the peroxide formation. Higher temperature or laser irradiation power is required to initiate the reaction between O-2 and O2- species of weaker basicity