Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage(EUS-BD)directs bile flow into the digestive tract and has been mostly used in patients with malignant biliary obstruction(MBO)where endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreat...Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage(EUS-BD)directs bile flow into the digestive tract and has been mostly used in patients with malignant biliary obstruction(MBO)where endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography-guided biliary drainage was unsuccessful or was not feasible.Lumen apposing metal stents(LAMS)are deployed during EUS-BD,with the newer electrocautery-enhanced LAMS reducing procedure time and complication rates due to the inbuilt cautery at the catheter tip.EUS-BD with electrocautery-enhanced LAMS has high technical and clinical success rates for palliation of MBO,with bleeding,cholangitis,and stent occlusion being the most common adverse events.Recent studies have even suggested comparable efficacy between EUS-BD and endosc-opic retrograde cholangiopancreatography as the primary approach for distal MBO.In this editorial,we commented on the article by Peng et al published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery in 2024.展开更多
Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the third most prevalent cancer among Malaysian males, often diagnosed at advanced stages, leading to suboptimal outcomes. While transrectal ultrasound-guided systematic biopsy (...Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the third most prevalent cancer among Malaysian males, often diagnosed at advanced stages, leading to suboptimal outcomes. While transrectal ultrasound-guided systematic biopsy (TRUS-SB) is the primary diagnostic method, prebiopsy multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is gaining popularity in identifying suspicious lesions. This study addresses the lack of comprehensive investigations into the efficacy of cognitive registration TRUS targeted biopsy (COG-TB) compared to conventional TRUS-SB, considering the resource limitations of the Malaysian healthcare system. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in two Malaysian healthcare facilities. 116 adult patients with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of more than 4 ng/mL who underwent both COG-TB and TRUS-SB between October 2020 and March 2022 were included. Primary outcomes were cancer detection rate and histopathological outcomes, including Gleason score. Results: COG-TB showed a higher overall cancer detection rate (50%) compared to TRUS-SB (44%). Clinically significant cancer detection rates were similar between COG-TB and TRUS-SB (37.1%). Further analysis revealed that both COG-TB and TRUS-SB detected clinically significant cancer in 30.2% of patients, did not detect it in 56.0%, and had conflicting findings in 16 patients (p Conclusion: COG-TB and TRUS-SB have comparable detection rates for clinically significant prostate cancer, with COG-TB showing a higher tendency to detect insignificant prostate cancer. Further studies comparing these methods are warranted.展开更多
Thickness measurement plays an important role in the monitoring of pipeline corrosion damage. However, the requirement for prior knowledge of the shear wave velocity in the pipeline material for popular ultrasonic thi...Thickness measurement plays an important role in the monitoring of pipeline corrosion damage. However, the requirement for prior knowledge of the shear wave velocity in the pipeline material for popular ultrasonic thickness measurement limits its widespread application. This paper proposes a method that utilizes cylindrical shear horizontal(SH) guided waves to estimate pipeline thickness without prior knowledge of shear wave velocity. The inversion formulas are derived from the dispersion of higher-order modes with the high-frequency approximation. The waveform of the example problems is simulated using the real-axis integral method. The data points on the dispersion curves are processed in the frequency domain using the wave-number method. These extracted data are then substituted into the derived formulas. The results verify that employing higher-order SH guided waves for the evaluation of thickness and shear wave velocity yields less than1% error. This method can be applied to both metallic and non-metallic pipelines, thus opening new possibilities for health monitoring of pipeline structures.展开更多
Despite the success of guided wave ultrasonic inspection for internal defect detection in steel pipes,its application on polyethylene(PE)pipe remains relatively unexplored.The growth of internal cracks in PE pipe seve...Despite the success of guided wave ultrasonic inspection for internal defect detection in steel pipes,its application on polyethylene(PE)pipe remains relatively unexplored.The growth of internal cracks in PE pipe severely affects its pressure-holding capacity,hence the early detection of internal cracks is crucial for effective pipeline maintenance strategies.This study extends the scope of guided wave-based ultrasonic testing to detect the growth of internal cracks in a natural gas distribution PE pipe.Laboratory experiments and a finite element model were planned to study the wave-crack interaction at different stages of axially oriented internal crack growth with a piezoceramic transducer-based setup arranged in a pitch-catch configuration.Mode dispersion analysis supplemented with preliminary experiments was performed to isolate the optimal inspection frequency,leading to the selection of the T(0,1)mode at 50-kHz for the investigation.A transmission index based on the energy of the T(0,1)mode was developed to trace the extent of simulated crack growth.The findings revealed an inverse linear correlation between the transmission index and the crack depth for crack growth beyond 20%crack depth.展开更多
In the process of launching guided projectile under the conventional system, it is difficult to effectively obtain the precise navigation parameters of the projectile in the high dynamic environment. Aiming at this pr...In the process of launching guided projectile under the conventional system, it is difficult to effectively obtain the precise navigation parameters of the projectile in the high dynamic environment. Aiming at this problem, this paper describes a new system of guided ammunition based on tail spin reduction. After analyzing the mechanism of the ammunition's tail spin reduction, a navigation method of large scale difference tail control simple guided ammunition based on speed constraint is proposed. In this method,the corresponding navigation constraints can be carried out by combining the rotation speed state of the ammunition itself, and the optimal solution of navigation parameters during the flight of the missile can be obtained by Extended Kalman Filter(EKF). Finally, the performance of the proposed method was verified by the simulation environment, and the hardware-in-the-loop simulation test and flight test were carried out to verify the performance of the method in the real environment. The experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve the optimal estimation of navigation parameters for simple guided ammunition with large-scale difference tail control. Under the conditions of simulation test and hardware-in-loop simulation test, the position and velocity errors calculated by the method in this paper converged. Under the condition of flight test, the spatial average error calculated by the method described in this paper is 6.17 m, and the spatial error of the final landing point is 3.50 m.Through this method, the accurate acquisition of navigation parameters in the process of projectile launching is effectively realized.展开更多
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer(CFRP)is widely used in aerospace applications.This kind of material may face the threat of high-velocity impact in the process of dedicated service,and the relevant research mainly cons...Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer(CFRP)is widely used in aerospace applications.This kind of material may face the threat of high-velocity impact in the process of dedicated service,and the relevant research mainly considers the impact resistance of the material,and lacks the high-velocity impact damage monitoring research of CFRP.To solve this problem,a real high-velocity impact damage experiment and structural health monitoring(SHM)method of CFRP plate based on piezoelectric guided wave is proposed.The results show that CFRP has obvious perforation damage and fiber breakage when high-velocity impact occurs.It is also proved that guided wave SHM technology can be effectively used in the monitoring of such damage,and the damage can be reflected by quantifying the signal changes and damage index(DI).It provides a reference for further research on guided wave structure monitoring of high/hyper-velocity impact damage of CFRP.展开更多
Background: The diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) relies on clinical assessment with digital rectal examination, serum PSA and histological examination. Limitations in our technical facilities, high financial cost of...Background: The diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) relies on clinical assessment with digital rectal examination, serum PSA and histological examination. Limitations in our technical facilities, high financial cost of ultrasound-guided biopsy often prevent us from implementing the guidelines on the practice of prostate biopsy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective and cross-sectional descriptive study comparing digital-guided and ultrasound-guided transrectal prostate biopsy of 400 patients over a period of 12 years in the Yaounde Central Hospital. We reviewed files of patients who underwent digital and ultrasound guided biopsy procedures. Data was analyzed using EPI info 7.0. Parametric variables were reported as means and standard deviations and percentages and counts were used to report categorical variables. Results: Out of the 400 patients, 292 digital-guided transrectal biopsies (73%) and 108 ultrasound-guided transrectal biopsies (27%) were performed in patients who were suspected of having prostate cancer (PCa). Patients were aged between 39 to 90 years. Both procedures were effective in identifying prostate cancer. Gleason score between 2 to 10 detected prostate adenocarcinoma for 301 patients (75.2%). The complications included anal pain, rectal bleeding, hematuria and urinary tract infections, with an occurrence rate similar for both ultrasound-guided (2.25%) and digitally-guided techniques (2.5%). Seven patients (1.75%) required hospitalization for management of complications. The mortality rate was null. Conclusion: Both techniques are effective in detecting PCa with the similar complication rates. Digital-guided trans-rectal prostate biopsy still has its place in a resource-limited setting like ours.展开更多
Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of the guided bone regeneration(GBR)technique combined with temporary bridgework-guided gingival contouring in treating upper anterior tooth loss with labial bone defects.M...Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of the guided bone regeneration(GBR)technique combined with temporary bridgework-guided gingival contouring in treating upper anterior tooth loss with labial bone defects.Methods:From July 2023 to April 2024,80 patients with upper anterior tooth loss and labial bone defects were admitted to the hospital and selected as evaluation samples.They were divided into an observation group(n=40)and a control group(n=40)using a numerical table lottery scheme.The control group received treatment with the GBR technique,while the observation group received treatment with the GBR technique combined with temporary bridges to guide gingival contouring.The two groups were compared in terms of clinical red aesthetic scores(PES),labial alveolar bone density,labial bone wall thickness,gingival papillae,gingival margin levels,and patient satisfaction.Results:The PES scores of patients in the observation group were higher than those in the control group after surgery(P<0.05).The bone density of the labial alveolar bone and the thickness of the labial bone wall in the observation group were higher than those in the control group.The levels of gingival papillae and gingival margins were lower in the observation group after surgery(P<0.05).Additionally,patient satisfaction in the observation group was higher than in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:The GBR technique combined with temporary bridge-guided gingival contouring for treating upper anterior tooth loss with labial bone defects can improve the aesthetic effect of gingival soft tissue,increase alveolar bone density and the thickness of the labial bone wall,and enhance patient satisfaction.This approach is suitable for widespread application in healthcare institutions.展开更多
BACKGROUND Genetic tests are increasingly performed for the management of unresectable pancreatic cancer.For genotyping aimed samples current guidelines recommend using core specimens,although based on moderate qualit...BACKGROUND Genetic tests are increasingly performed for the management of unresectable pancreatic cancer.For genotyping aimed samples current guidelines recommend using core specimens,although based on moderate quality evidence.However,in clinical practice among the endoscopic ultrasound(EUS) guided tissue acquisition methods,fine needle aspiration(FNA) is the most widely performed.AIM To assess the adequacy for next generation sequencing(NGS) of the DNA yielded from EUS-FNA pancreatic adenocarcinoma(PDAC) samples.METHODS Between November 2018 and December 2021,105 patients with PDAC confirmed by EUS-FNA were included in the study at our tertiary gastroenterology center.Either 22 gauge(G) or 19G FNA needles were used.One pass was dedicated to DNA extraction.DNA concentration and purity(A260/280,A260/230) were assessed by spectrophotometry.We assessed the differences in DNA parameters according to needle size and tumor characteristics(size,location) and the adequacy of the extracted DNA for NGS(defined as A260/280 ≥ 1.7,and DNA yield:≥ 10 ng for amplicon based NGS,≥ 50 ng for whole exome sequencing [WES],≥ 100 ng for whole genome sequencing [WGS]) by analysis of variance and ttest respectively.Moreover,we compared DNA purity parameters across the different DNA yield categories.RESULTS Our cohort included 49% male patients,aged 67.02 ± 8.38 years.The 22G needle was used in 71%of the cases.The DNA parameters across our samples varied as follows:DNA yield:1289 ng(inter quartile range:534.75-3101),A260/280 = 1.85(1.79-1.86),A260/230 = 2.2(1.72-2.36).DNA yield was > 10 ng in all samples and > 100 ng in 93% of them(one sample < 50 ng).There were no significant differences in the concentration and A260/280 between samples by needle size.Needle size was the only independent predictor of A260/230 which was higher in the 22G samples(P =0.038).NGS adequacy rate was 90% for 19G samples regardless of NGS type,and for 22G samples it reached 89% for WGS adequacy and 91% for WES and amplicon based NGS.Samples with DNA yield > 100 ng had significantly higher A260/280(1.89 ± 0.32 vs 1.34 ± 0.42,P = 0.013).Tumor characteristics were not corelated with the DNA parameters.CONCLUSION EUS-FNA PDAC samples yield DNA adequate for subsequent NGS.DNA amount was similar between 22G and 19G FNA needles.DNA purity parameters may vary indirectly with needle size.展开更多
Automated Guided Vehicles(AGVs)have been introduced into various applications,such as automated warehouse systems,flexible manufacturing systems,and container terminal systems.However,few publications have outlined pr...Automated Guided Vehicles(AGVs)have been introduced into various applications,such as automated warehouse systems,flexible manufacturing systems,and container terminal systems.However,few publications have outlined problems in need of attention in AGV applications comprehensively.In this paper,several key issues and essential models are presented.First,the advantages and disadvantages of centralized and decentralized AGVs systems were compared;second,warehouse layout and operation optimization were introduced,including some omitted areas,such as AGVs fleet size and electrical energy management;third,AGVs scheduling algorithms in chessboardlike environments were analyzed;fourth,the classical route-planning algorithms for single AGV and multiple AGVs were presented,and some Artificial Intelligence(AI)-based decision-making algorithms were reviewed.Furthermore,a novel idea for accelerating route planning by combining Reinforcement Learning(RL)andDijkstra’s algorithm was presented,and a novel idea of the multi-AGV route-planning method of combining dynamic programming and Monte-Carlo tree search was proposed to reduce the energy cost of systems.展开更多
With the wide application of automated guided vehicles(AGVs) in large scale outdoor scenarios with complex terrain,the collaborative work of a large number of AGVs becomes the main trend.The effective multi-agent path...With the wide application of automated guided vehicles(AGVs) in large scale outdoor scenarios with complex terrain,the collaborative work of a large number of AGVs becomes the main trend.The effective multi-agent path finding(MAPF) algorithm is urgently needed to ensure the efficiency and realizability of the whole system. The complex terrain of outdoor scenarios is fully considered by using different values of passage cost to quantify different terrain types. The objective of the MAPF problem is to minimize the cost of passage while the Manhattan distance of paths and the time of passage are also evaluated for a comprehensive comparison. The pre-path-planning and real-time-conflict based greedy(PRG) algorithm is proposed as the solution. Simulation is conducted and the proposed PRG algorithm is compared with waiting-stop A^(*) and conflict based search(CBS) algorithms. Results show that the PRG algorithm outperforms the waiting-stop A^(*) algorithm in all three performance indicators,and it is more applicable than the CBS algorithm when a large number of AGVs are working collaboratively with frequent collisions.展开更多
Pancreatic pseudocyst(PPC), a common sequela of acute or chronic pancreatitis, was defined by the revised Atlanta classification as "a collection." Endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)-guided drainage is often conside...Pancreatic pseudocyst(PPC), a common sequela of acute or chronic pancreatitis, was defined by the revised Atlanta classification as "a collection." Endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)-guided drainage is often considered a standard first-line therapy for patients with symptomatic PPC. This effective approach exhibits 90%-100% technical success and 85%-98% clinical success. Bleeding is a deadly adverse event associated with EUS-guided drainage procedures, and the bleeding rate ranges from 3% to 14%. Hemostasis involves conservative treatment, endoscopy, interventional radiology-guided embolization and surgery. However, few studies have reported on EUSguided drainage with massive, multiple hemorrhages related to severe pancreatogenic portal hypertension(PPH). Thus, the aim of this case report was to present a case using a balloon dilator to achieve successful hemostasis for PPH-related massive bleeding in EUSguided drainage of PPC. To our knowledge, this method has not been previously reported.展开更多
With the advent of linear echoendoscopes, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has become more operative and a new field of oncological application has been opened up. From tumor staging to tissue acquisition under EUS-guided ...With the advent of linear echoendoscopes, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has become more operative and a new field of oncological application has been opened up. From tumor staging to tissue acquisition under EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration, new operative procedures have been developed on the principle of the EUS-guided puncture. A hybrid probe combining radiofrequency with cryotechnology is now available, to be passed through the operative channel of the echoendoscope into the tumor to create an area of ablation. EUS-guided fine-needle injection is emerging as a method to deliver anti-tumoral agents inside the tumor. Ethanol lavage, with or without paclitaxel, has been proposed for the treatment of cystic tumors in non-resectable cases and complete resolution has been recorded in up to 70%-80%. Many other chemical or biological agents have been investigated for the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: activated allogenic lymphocyte culture (Cytoimplant), a replication-deficient adenovirus vector carrying the tumor necrosis factor-α gene, or an oncolytic attenuated adenovirus (ONYX-015). The potential advantage of treatment under EUS control is the real-time imaging guidance into a deep target likethe pancreas which is extremely difficult to reach by a percutaneous approach. To date there are no randomized controlled trials to confirm the real clinical benefits of these treatments compared to standard therapy so it seems wise to reserve them only for experimental protocols approved by ethics committees.展开更多
Prostate cancer(PC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men.There are a number of treatment options for PC with a different therapeutic approach between USA and Europe.Radical prostatectomy is one of th...Prostate cancer(PC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men.There are a number of treatment options for PC with a different therapeutic approach between USA and Europe.Radical prostatectomy is one of the most used therapies but focal gland therapy is an emerging approach,especially for localized tumors.In this scenario,high intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU) has been incorporated in certain medical association guidelines.HIFU has been employed for about 10 years especially for localized PC.Results are promising with a 5-year biochemical survival rate ranging from 45% to 84%.Collateral events are rare and HIFU retreatment is not common.Magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound surgery(MRgFUS) was recently presented as a method for ablation with focused ultrasound under magnetic resonance imaging guidance.It has the advantage of improved targeting and real time temperature monitoring but only a few studies have been conducted with human patients.The aim of this review is to describe the current status of HIFU and MRgFUS in the therapy of PC.展开更多
Deep convolution neural networks are going deeper and deeper.How-ever,the complexity of models is prone to overfitting in training.Dropout,one of the crucial tricks,prevents units from co-adapting too much by randomly...Deep convolution neural networks are going deeper and deeper.How-ever,the complexity of models is prone to overfitting in training.Dropout,one of the crucial tricks,prevents units from co-adapting too much by randomly drop-ping neurons during training.It effectively improves the performance of deep net-works but ignores the importance of the differences between neurons.To optimize this issue,this paper presents a new dropout method called guided dropout,which selects the neurons to switch off according to the differences between the convo-lution kernel and preserves the informative neurons.It uses an unsupervised clus-tering algorithm to cluster similar neurons in each hidden layer,and dropout uses a certain probability within each cluster.Thereby this would preserve the hidden layer neurons with different roles while maintaining the model’s scarcity and gen-eralization,which effectively improves the role of the hidden layer neurons in learning the features.We evaluated our approach compared with two standard dropout networks on three well-established public object detection datasets.Experimental results on multiple datasets show that the method proposed in this paper has been improved on false positives,precision-recall curve and average precision without increasing the amount of computation.It can be seen that the increased performance of guided dropout is thanks to shallow learning in the net-works.The concept of guided dropout would be beneficial to the other vision tasks.展开更多
A rockbolt acting in the rock mass is subjected to the combined action of the pull-out load and confining pressure, and the bond quality of the rockbolt directly affects the stability of the roadway and cavern. Theref...A rockbolt acting in the rock mass is subjected to the combined action of the pull-out load and confining pressure, and the bond quality of the rockbolt directly affects the stability of the roadway and cavern. Therefore, in this study, confining pressure and pull-out load are applied to grouted rockbolt systems with bond defects by a numerical simulation method, and the rockbolt is detected by ultrasonic guided waves to study the propagation law of ultrasonic guided waves in defective rockbolt systems and the bond quality of rockbolts under the combined action of pull-out load and confining pressure. The numerical simulation results show that the length and location of bond defects can be detected by ultrasonic guided waves under the combined action of pull-out load and confining pressure. Under no pull-out load, with increasing confining pressure, the low-frequency part of the guided wave frequency in the rockbolt increases, the high-frequency part decreases, the weakening effect of the confining pressure on the guided wave propagation law increases, and the bond quality of the rockbolt increases. The existence of defects cannot change the strengthening effect of the confining pressure on the guided wave propagation law under the same pull-out load or the weakening effect of the pull-out load on the guided wave propagation law under the same confining pressure.展开更多
文摘Endoscopic ultrasound-guided biliary drainage(EUS-BD)directs bile flow into the digestive tract and has been mostly used in patients with malignant biliary obstruction(MBO)where endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography-guided biliary drainage was unsuccessful or was not feasible.Lumen apposing metal stents(LAMS)are deployed during EUS-BD,with the newer electrocautery-enhanced LAMS reducing procedure time and complication rates due to the inbuilt cautery at the catheter tip.EUS-BD with electrocautery-enhanced LAMS has high technical and clinical success rates for palliation of MBO,with bleeding,cholangitis,and stent occlusion being the most common adverse events.Recent studies have even suggested comparable efficacy between EUS-BD and endosc-opic retrograde cholangiopancreatography as the primary approach for distal MBO.In this editorial,we commented on the article by Peng et al published in the recent issue of the World Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery in 2024.
文摘Introduction: Prostate cancer (PCa) is the third most prevalent cancer among Malaysian males, often diagnosed at advanced stages, leading to suboptimal outcomes. While transrectal ultrasound-guided systematic biopsy (TRUS-SB) is the primary diagnostic method, prebiopsy multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) is gaining popularity in identifying suspicious lesions. This study addresses the lack of comprehensive investigations into the efficacy of cognitive registration TRUS targeted biopsy (COG-TB) compared to conventional TRUS-SB, considering the resource limitations of the Malaysian healthcare system. Materials and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in two Malaysian healthcare facilities. 116 adult patients with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level of more than 4 ng/mL who underwent both COG-TB and TRUS-SB between October 2020 and March 2022 were included. Primary outcomes were cancer detection rate and histopathological outcomes, including Gleason score. Results: COG-TB showed a higher overall cancer detection rate (50%) compared to TRUS-SB (44%). Clinically significant cancer detection rates were similar between COG-TB and TRUS-SB (37.1%). Further analysis revealed that both COG-TB and TRUS-SB detected clinically significant cancer in 30.2% of patients, did not detect it in 56.0%, and had conflicting findings in 16 patients (p Conclusion: COG-TB and TRUS-SB have comparable detection rates for clinically significant prostate cancer, with COG-TB showing a higher tendency to detect insignificant prostate cancer. Further studies comparing these methods are warranted.
基金Project supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Jilin Province of China(Grant Nos.20240402081GH and 20220101012JC)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.42074139)the State Key Laboratory of Acoustics,Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.SKLA202308)。
文摘Thickness measurement plays an important role in the monitoring of pipeline corrosion damage. However, the requirement for prior knowledge of the shear wave velocity in the pipeline material for popular ultrasonic thickness measurement limits its widespread application. This paper proposes a method that utilizes cylindrical shear horizontal(SH) guided waves to estimate pipeline thickness without prior knowledge of shear wave velocity. The inversion formulas are derived from the dispersion of higher-order modes with the high-frequency approximation. The waveform of the example problems is simulated using the real-axis integral method. The data points on the dispersion curves are processed in the frequency domain using the wave-number method. These extracted data are then substituted into the derived formulas. The results verify that employing higher-order SH guided waves for the evaluation of thickness and shear wave velocity yields less than1% error. This method can be applied to both metallic and non-metallic pipelines, thus opening new possibilities for health monitoring of pipeline structures.
基金the financial support provided by USDOT Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA)through the Competitive Academic Agreement Program (CAAP)。
文摘Despite the success of guided wave ultrasonic inspection for internal defect detection in steel pipes,its application on polyethylene(PE)pipe remains relatively unexplored.The growth of internal cracks in PE pipe severely affects its pressure-holding capacity,hence the early detection of internal cracks is crucial for effective pipeline maintenance strategies.This study extends the scope of guided wave-based ultrasonic testing to detect the growth of internal cracks in a natural gas distribution PE pipe.Laboratory experiments and a finite element model were planned to study the wave-crack interaction at different stages of axially oriented internal crack growth with a piezoceramic transducer-based setup arranged in a pitch-catch configuration.Mode dispersion analysis supplemented with preliminary experiments was performed to isolate the optimal inspection frequency,leading to the selection of the T(0,1)mode at 50-kHz for the investigation.A transmission index based on the energy of the T(0,1)mode was developed to trace the extent of simulated crack growth.The findings revealed an inverse linear correlation between the transmission index and the crack depth for crack growth beyond 20%crack depth.
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of Beijing Municipality(Grant No.4212003)the Crossdisciplinary Collaboration Project of Beijing Municipal Science and Technology New Star Program(Grant No.202111)。
文摘In the process of launching guided projectile under the conventional system, it is difficult to effectively obtain the precise navigation parameters of the projectile in the high dynamic environment. Aiming at this problem, this paper describes a new system of guided ammunition based on tail spin reduction. After analyzing the mechanism of the ammunition's tail spin reduction, a navigation method of large scale difference tail control simple guided ammunition based on speed constraint is proposed. In this method,the corresponding navigation constraints can be carried out by combining the rotation speed state of the ammunition itself, and the optimal solution of navigation parameters during the flight of the missile can be obtained by Extended Kalman Filter(EKF). Finally, the performance of the proposed method was verified by the simulation environment, and the hardware-in-the-loop simulation test and flight test were carried out to verify the performance of the method in the real environment. The experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve the optimal estimation of navigation parameters for simple guided ammunition with large-scale difference tail control. Under the conditions of simulation test and hardware-in-loop simulation test, the position and velocity errors calculated by the method in this paper converged. Under the condition of flight test, the spatial average error calculated by the method described in this paper is 6.17 m, and the spatial error of the final landing point is 3.50 m.Through this method, the accurate acquisition of navigation parameters in the process of projectile launching is effectively realized.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.51921003,52275153)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(No.NI2023001)+2 种基金the Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Mechanics and Control for Aero-space Structures(No.MCAS-I-0423G01)the Fund of Pro-spective Layout of Scientific Research for Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronauticsthe Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institu-tions of China.
文摘Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer(CFRP)is widely used in aerospace applications.This kind of material may face the threat of high-velocity impact in the process of dedicated service,and the relevant research mainly considers the impact resistance of the material,and lacks the high-velocity impact damage monitoring research of CFRP.To solve this problem,a real high-velocity impact damage experiment and structural health monitoring(SHM)method of CFRP plate based on piezoelectric guided wave is proposed.The results show that CFRP has obvious perforation damage and fiber breakage when high-velocity impact occurs.It is also proved that guided wave SHM technology can be effectively used in the monitoring of such damage,and the damage can be reflected by quantifying the signal changes and damage index(DI).It provides a reference for further research on guided wave structure monitoring of high/hyper-velocity impact damage of CFRP.
文摘Background: The diagnosis of prostate cancer (PCa) relies on clinical assessment with digital rectal examination, serum PSA and histological examination. Limitations in our technical facilities, high financial cost of ultrasound-guided biopsy often prevent us from implementing the guidelines on the practice of prostate biopsy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective and cross-sectional descriptive study comparing digital-guided and ultrasound-guided transrectal prostate biopsy of 400 patients over a period of 12 years in the Yaounde Central Hospital. We reviewed files of patients who underwent digital and ultrasound guided biopsy procedures. Data was analyzed using EPI info 7.0. Parametric variables were reported as means and standard deviations and percentages and counts were used to report categorical variables. Results: Out of the 400 patients, 292 digital-guided transrectal biopsies (73%) and 108 ultrasound-guided transrectal biopsies (27%) were performed in patients who were suspected of having prostate cancer (PCa). Patients were aged between 39 to 90 years. Both procedures were effective in identifying prostate cancer. Gleason score between 2 to 10 detected prostate adenocarcinoma for 301 patients (75.2%). The complications included anal pain, rectal bleeding, hematuria and urinary tract infections, with an occurrence rate similar for both ultrasound-guided (2.25%) and digitally-guided techniques (2.5%). Seven patients (1.75%) required hospitalization for management of complications. The mortality rate was null. Conclusion: Both techniques are effective in detecting PCa with the similar complication rates. Digital-guided trans-rectal prostate biopsy still has its place in a resource-limited setting like ours.
文摘Objective:To investigate the clinical effect of the guided bone regeneration(GBR)technique combined with temporary bridgework-guided gingival contouring in treating upper anterior tooth loss with labial bone defects.Methods:From July 2023 to April 2024,80 patients with upper anterior tooth loss and labial bone defects were admitted to the hospital and selected as evaluation samples.They were divided into an observation group(n=40)and a control group(n=40)using a numerical table lottery scheme.The control group received treatment with the GBR technique,while the observation group received treatment with the GBR technique combined with temporary bridges to guide gingival contouring.The two groups were compared in terms of clinical red aesthetic scores(PES),labial alveolar bone density,labial bone wall thickness,gingival papillae,gingival margin levels,and patient satisfaction.Results:The PES scores of patients in the observation group were higher than those in the control group after surgery(P<0.05).The bone density of the labial alveolar bone and the thickness of the labial bone wall in the observation group were higher than those in the control group.The levels of gingival papillae and gingival margins were lower in the observation group after surgery(P<0.05).Additionally,patient satisfaction in the observation group was higher than in the control group(P<0.05).Conclusion:The GBR technique combined with temporary bridge-guided gingival contouring for treating upper anterior tooth loss with labial bone defects can improve the aesthetic effect of gingival soft tissue,increase alveolar bone density and the thickness of the labial bone wall,and enhance patient satisfaction.This approach is suitable for widespread application in healthcare institutions.
基金The Executive Agency for Higher Education,Research,Development and Innovation Funding-research,No.PN-Ⅲ-P1-1.2-PCCDI-2017-0797 (PANCNGS)
文摘BACKGROUND Genetic tests are increasingly performed for the management of unresectable pancreatic cancer.For genotyping aimed samples current guidelines recommend using core specimens,although based on moderate quality evidence.However,in clinical practice among the endoscopic ultrasound(EUS) guided tissue acquisition methods,fine needle aspiration(FNA) is the most widely performed.AIM To assess the adequacy for next generation sequencing(NGS) of the DNA yielded from EUS-FNA pancreatic adenocarcinoma(PDAC) samples.METHODS Between November 2018 and December 2021,105 patients with PDAC confirmed by EUS-FNA were included in the study at our tertiary gastroenterology center.Either 22 gauge(G) or 19G FNA needles were used.One pass was dedicated to DNA extraction.DNA concentration and purity(A260/280,A260/230) were assessed by spectrophotometry.We assessed the differences in DNA parameters according to needle size and tumor characteristics(size,location) and the adequacy of the extracted DNA for NGS(defined as A260/280 ≥ 1.7,and DNA yield:≥ 10 ng for amplicon based NGS,≥ 50 ng for whole exome sequencing [WES],≥ 100 ng for whole genome sequencing [WGS]) by analysis of variance and ttest respectively.Moreover,we compared DNA purity parameters across the different DNA yield categories.RESULTS Our cohort included 49% male patients,aged 67.02 ± 8.38 years.The 22G needle was used in 71%of the cases.The DNA parameters across our samples varied as follows:DNA yield:1289 ng(inter quartile range:534.75-3101),A260/280 = 1.85(1.79-1.86),A260/230 = 2.2(1.72-2.36).DNA yield was > 10 ng in all samples and > 100 ng in 93% of them(one sample < 50 ng).There were no significant differences in the concentration and A260/280 between samples by needle size.Needle size was the only independent predictor of A260/230 which was higher in the 22G samples(P =0.038).NGS adequacy rate was 90% for 19G samples regardless of NGS type,and for 22G samples it reached 89% for WGS adequacy and 91% for WES and amplicon based NGS.Samples with DNA yield > 100 ng had significantly higher A260/280(1.89 ± 0.32 vs 1.34 ± 0.42,P = 0.013).Tumor characteristics were not corelated with the DNA parameters.CONCLUSION EUS-FNA PDAC samples yield DNA adequate for subsequent NGS.DNA amount was similar between 22G and 19G FNA needles.DNA purity parameters may vary indirectly with needle size.
文摘Automated Guided Vehicles(AGVs)have been introduced into various applications,such as automated warehouse systems,flexible manufacturing systems,and container terminal systems.However,few publications have outlined problems in need of attention in AGV applications comprehensively.In this paper,several key issues and essential models are presented.First,the advantages and disadvantages of centralized and decentralized AGVs systems were compared;second,warehouse layout and operation optimization were introduced,including some omitted areas,such as AGVs fleet size and electrical energy management;third,AGVs scheduling algorithms in chessboardlike environments were analyzed;fourth,the classical route-planning algorithms for single AGV and multiple AGVs were presented,and some Artificial Intelligence(AI)-based decision-making algorithms were reviewed.Furthermore,a novel idea for accelerating route planning by combining Reinforcement Learning(RL)andDijkstra’s algorithm was presented,and a novel idea of the multi-AGV route-planning method of combining dynamic programming and Monte-Carlo tree search was proposed to reduce the energy cost of systems.
基金Supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2020YFC1807904).
文摘With the wide application of automated guided vehicles(AGVs) in large scale outdoor scenarios with complex terrain,the collaborative work of a large number of AGVs becomes the main trend.The effective multi-agent path finding(MAPF) algorithm is urgently needed to ensure the efficiency and realizability of the whole system. The complex terrain of outdoor scenarios is fully considered by using different values of passage cost to quantify different terrain types. The objective of the MAPF problem is to minimize the cost of passage while the Manhattan distance of paths and the time of passage are also evaluated for a comprehensive comparison. The pre-path-planning and real-time-conflict based greedy(PRG) algorithm is proposed as the solution. Simulation is conducted and the proposed PRG algorithm is compared with waiting-stop A^(*) and conflict based search(CBS) algorithms. Results show that the PRG algorithm outperforms the waiting-stop A^(*) algorithm in all three performance indicators,and it is more applicable than the CBS algorithm when a large number of AGVs are working collaboratively with frequent collisions.
文摘Pancreatic pseudocyst(PPC), a common sequela of acute or chronic pancreatitis, was defined by the revised Atlanta classification as "a collection." Endoscopic ultrasound(EUS)-guided drainage is often considered a standard first-line therapy for patients with symptomatic PPC. This effective approach exhibits 90%-100% technical success and 85%-98% clinical success. Bleeding is a deadly adverse event associated with EUS-guided drainage procedures, and the bleeding rate ranges from 3% to 14%. Hemostasis involves conservative treatment, endoscopy, interventional radiology-guided embolization and surgery. However, few studies have reported on EUSguided drainage with massive, multiple hemorrhages related to severe pancreatogenic portal hypertension(PPH). Thus, the aim of this case report was to present a case using a balloon dilator to achieve successful hemostasis for PPH-related massive bleeding in EUSguided drainage of PPC. To our knowledge, this method has not been previously reported.
文摘With the advent of linear echoendoscopes, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has become more operative and a new field of oncological application has been opened up. From tumor staging to tissue acquisition under EUS-guided fine-needle aspiration, new operative procedures have been developed on the principle of the EUS-guided puncture. A hybrid probe combining radiofrequency with cryotechnology is now available, to be passed through the operative channel of the echoendoscope into the tumor to create an area of ablation. EUS-guided fine-needle injection is emerging as a method to deliver anti-tumoral agents inside the tumor. Ethanol lavage, with or without paclitaxel, has been proposed for the treatment of cystic tumors in non-resectable cases and complete resolution has been recorded in up to 70%-80%. Many other chemical or biological agents have been investigated for the treatment of pancreatic adenocarcinoma: activated allogenic lymphocyte culture (Cytoimplant), a replication-deficient adenovirus vector carrying the tumor necrosis factor-α gene, or an oncolytic attenuated adenovirus (ONYX-015). The potential advantage of treatment under EUS control is the real-time imaging guidance into a deep target likethe pancreas which is extremely difficult to reach by a percutaneous approach. To date there are no randomized controlled trials to confirm the real clinical benefits of these treatments compared to standard therapy so it seems wise to reserve them only for experimental protocols approved by ethics committees.
文摘Prostate cancer(PC) is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in men.There are a number of treatment options for PC with a different therapeutic approach between USA and Europe.Radical prostatectomy is one of the most used therapies but focal gland therapy is an emerging approach,especially for localized tumors.In this scenario,high intensity focused ultrasound(HIFU) has been incorporated in certain medical association guidelines.HIFU has been employed for about 10 years especially for localized PC.Results are promising with a 5-year biochemical survival rate ranging from 45% to 84%.Collateral events are rare and HIFU retreatment is not common.Magnetic resonance guided focused ultrasound surgery(MRgFUS) was recently presented as a method for ablation with focused ultrasound under magnetic resonance imaging guidance.It has the advantage of improved targeting and real time temperature monitoring but only a few studies have been conducted with human patients.The aim of this review is to describe the current status of HIFU and MRgFUS in the therapy of PC.
基金This work is supported by the National Natural Science Funds of China(Project No.U19B2036).
文摘Deep convolution neural networks are going deeper and deeper.How-ever,the complexity of models is prone to overfitting in training.Dropout,one of the crucial tricks,prevents units from co-adapting too much by randomly drop-ping neurons during training.It effectively improves the performance of deep net-works but ignores the importance of the differences between neurons.To optimize this issue,this paper presents a new dropout method called guided dropout,which selects the neurons to switch off according to the differences between the convo-lution kernel and preserves the informative neurons.It uses an unsupervised clus-tering algorithm to cluster similar neurons in each hidden layer,and dropout uses a certain probability within each cluster.Thereby this would preserve the hidden layer neurons with different roles while maintaining the model’s scarcity and gen-eralization,which effectively improves the role of the hidden layer neurons in learning the features.We evaluated our approach compared with two standard dropout networks on three well-established public object detection datasets.Experimental results on multiple datasets show that the method proposed in this paper has been improved on false positives,precision-recall curve and average precision without increasing the amount of computation.It can be seen that the increased performance of guided dropout is thanks to shallow learning in the net-works.The concept of guided dropout would be beneficial to the other vision tasks.
文摘A rockbolt acting in the rock mass is subjected to the combined action of the pull-out load and confining pressure, and the bond quality of the rockbolt directly affects the stability of the roadway and cavern. Therefore, in this study, confining pressure and pull-out load are applied to grouted rockbolt systems with bond defects by a numerical simulation method, and the rockbolt is detected by ultrasonic guided waves to study the propagation law of ultrasonic guided waves in defective rockbolt systems and the bond quality of rockbolts under the combined action of pull-out load and confining pressure. The numerical simulation results show that the length and location of bond defects can be detected by ultrasonic guided waves under the combined action of pull-out load and confining pressure. Under no pull-out load, with increasing confining pressure, the low-frequency part of the guided wave frequency in the rockbolt increases, the high-frequency part decreases, the weakening effect of the confining pressure on the guided wave propagation law increases, and the bond quality of the rockbolt increases. The existence of defects cannot change the strengthening effect of the confining pressure on the guided wave propagation law under the same pull-out load or the weakening effect of the pull-out load on the guided wave propagation law under the same confining pressure.