NeBLa: Neural Beer-Lambert for 3D Reconstruction of Oral Structures from Panoramic Radiographs

Panoramic radiography (panoramic X-ray, PX) is a widely used imaging modality for dental examination. However, its applicability is limited as compared to 3D Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), because PX only provides 2D flattened images of the oral structure. In this paper, we propose a new framework which estimates 3D oral structure from real-world PX images. Since there are not many matching PX and CBCT data, we used simulated PX from CBCT for training, however, we used real-world panoramic radiographs at the inference time. We propose a new ray-sampling method to make simulated panoramic radiographs inspired by the principle of panoramic radiography along with the rendering function derived from the Beer-Lambert law. Our model consists of three parts: translation module, generation module, and refinement module. The translation module changes the real-world panoramic radiograph to the simulated training image style. The generation module makes the 3D structure from the input image without any prior information such as a dental arch. Our ray-based generation approach makes it possible to reverse the process of generating PX from oral structure in order to reconstruct CBCT data. Lastly, the refinement module enhances the quality of the 3D output. Results show that our approach works better for simulated and real-world images compared to other state-of-the-art methods.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Results of Low Distal Femur Periprosthetic Fractures

Objectives- To compare retrograde intramedullary nail (RIMN) and open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) in very distal periprosthetic distal femur fractures (PDFF) to determine if RIMN is an acceptable option for these fractures that are often considered too distal for IMN due to limited bone stock. Design- Retrospective comparative series Setting- Level One trauma center Patients- Patients treated with fracture fixation for a very distal PDFF, defined as the fracture extending to the anterior flange of the implant or distal. Fifty-six patients met inclusion criteria, with eight excluded for less than twelve months of follow-up. Intervention- Fracture fixation with RIMN or ORIF Main Outcome Measurements- The primary outcome was unplanned return to surgery. Secondary outcomes included fracture union, radiographic alignment, Visual Analog Score (VAS) and Patient-Reported Outcome Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Physical Function (PF) and Pain Interference (PI). Results- Mean follow up was 27 months. Twelve patients were treated with ORIF and 36 with RIMN. Twenty-one fractures were at the flange and 27 extended distal to the flange. There were no differences between fixation methods with respect to reoperation, deep infection, nonunion, malunion, VAS pain score, and PROMIS PI score. Mean PROMIS PF score was higher in the RIMN group compared to ORIF. There were five reoperations in the RIMN group (14%) and three in the ORIF group (25%). Conclusion- This is the largest series, to our knowledge, of a subset of very distal PDFFs. The results suggest that RIMN may be an acceptable treatment option for these very difficult fractures

Translators of galaxy morphology indicators between observation and simulation

Based on the recent advancements in the numerical simulations of galaxy formation, we anticipate the achievement of realistic models of galaxies in the near future. Morphology is the most basic and fundamental property of galaxies, yet observations and simulations still use different methods to determine galaxy morphology, making it difficult to compare them. We hereby perform a test on the recent NewHorizon simulation which has spatial and mass resolutions that are remarkably high for a large-volume simulation, to resolve the situation. We generate mock images for the simulated galaxies using SKIRT that calculates complex radiative transfer processes in each galaxy. We measure morphological indicators using photometric and spectroscopic methods following observer's techniques. We also measure the kinematic disk-to-total ratios using the Gaussian mixture model and assume that they represent the true structural composition of galaxies. We found that spectroscopic indicators such as $V/{\sigma}$ and ${\lambda}_{R}$ closely trace the kinematic disk-to-total ratios. In contrast, photometric disk-to-total ratios based on the radial profile fitting method often fail to recover the true kinematic structure of galaxies, especially for small galaxies. We provide translating equations between various morphological indicators.Comment: 15 pages, 14 figures (including appendix), submitted to ApJ; comments welcom

Grid-Connected Inverter for a PV-Powered Electric Vehicle Charging Station to Enhance the Stability of a Microgrid

This study proposes a grid-connected inverter for photovoltaic (PV)-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The significant function of the proposed inverter is to enhance the stability of a microgrid. The proposed inverter can stabilize its grid voltage and frequency by supplying or absorbing active or reactive power to or from a microgrid using EVs and PV generation. Moreover, the proposed inverter can automatically detect an abnormal condition of the grid, such as a blackout, and operate in the islanding mode, which can provide continuous power to local loads using EV vehicle-to-grid service and PV generation. These inverter functions can satisfy the requirements of the grid codes, such as IEEE Standard 1547–2018 and UL 1741 SA. In addition, the proposed inverter can not only enhance the microgrid stability but also charge EVs in an appropriate mode according to the condition of the PV array and EVs. The proposed inverter was verified through experimental results with four scenarios in a lab-scale testbed. These four scenarios include grid normal conditions, grid voltage fluctuations, grid frequency fluctuations, and a power blackout. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed inverter could enhance the microgrid stability against grid abnormal conditions, fluctuations of grid frequency and voltage, and charge EVs in an appropriate mode

Comparing Local Residents’ Willingness to Pay (WTP) and Willingness to Volunteer (WTV) for Water Onion (Crinum thaianum) Habitat Conservation

In subsistence economies where cash is scarce, non-monetary numeraires can be used instead of cash as utility measures. In this study, we investigate the values of the Thai water onion (Crinum thaianum) (WO), an endangered native wetland plant, for each service enhancement in Thailand, by using willingness to pay (WTP) money and willingness to volunteer (WTV) to measure the value of WO habitat conservation outcomes, including biodiversity, water quality, upstream conditions, and recreational opportunities. This study employs choice experiment (CE) surveys and face-to-face interviews with villagers in the WO areas of Phangnga and Ranong provinces in southern Thailand. The results show that improved upstream conditions are the most important benefit for residents, followed by biodiversity and water quality. Improving upstream conditions, biodiversity, and water quality from low to high would increase estimated annual welfare by USD 89 per person, while local residents would also provide an annual WTV of 80.2 days per person in exchange for considerable improvements in upstream conditions, biodiversity, and water quality. We found that low-income people are more likely to provide labor to improve ecosystem services. Overall, the findings suggest that the labor value, just as the monetary value, can also be used to evaluate the preferences for increased ecosystem services. This study implies that employing volunteer labor as a means of payment for accurate welfare estimations might be a practical alternative, and also allowing respondents to indicate their WTV may lead to an increase in the estimated value of ecosystem services

Ritmo Learning Lab - Joomajam: A usage, attitude and image study on e-learning focused on application downloading in selected areas in Metro Manila

This study sought to examine the extent to which downloadable application can be utilized to heighten learning and bonding amongst pre-school children and parents. Further it aims to understand the short fall in sales of Joomajam despite the increase in its awareness over the course of a four (4) month campaign targeted at Moms of pre-school children and to recommend ways of increasing the sales. The research then draws attention to the fact that in Philippines as of to date, 22.6 million children are still engaged in traditional learning. Technology is quickly changing in every aspect of the society and yet, parents still adhere to the century-old idea that traditional learning is still the best method for their children. When parents do not utilize technology in improving their child\u27s learning, they neglect to see the benefits of the resources available today. Smartphones and tablets according to various health experts and pediatricians can either be beneficial to the user or detrimental to one\u27s health. But with lack of proof to bolster the claims of these health experts and also due to the fact that research on the impacts of using smartphone apps and tablets are still at its early stages, it left parents confused whether the exposure of smartphone and tablets can be good or bad to their children. As researchers for Ritmo Learning Lab, the group sought out what potential problems could have affected the sales. Further investigations revealed that there was no local e-Book store. This formed a gap in the local e-Book market by not providing a business platform anyone can easily access. Moreover, the image-bashing claims by health experts contributed to the uncertainty the eBooks or apps. These factors coupled with a target niche market made it difficult for Joomajam to realize sales in the first few months and it appeared to be the major causes for Joomajam\u27s shortcoming to reach its expected output. Joomajam needs to be flexible in terms of compatibility with other operating systems. The study confirms that almost half of the respondents interviewed (32 of 76) used educational applications. Although that is roughly one-third of our respondents, the study suggests that marketing in iOS alone will not be sufficient to make the company sustainable. The study evaluates and concludes that there are numerous naturally occurring segments that Joomajam can venture with, and gain market share. It is recommended that Joomajam: 1. take advantage and be more focused on the potential market of android users 2. endorse their products to pre-schools that have no prescribed applications 3. create tangible products for the market of non-android and non-iOS users