A Novel Approach to Breast Tumor Detection: Enhanced Speckle Reduction and Hybrid Classification in Ultrasound Imaging

Breast cancer detection heavily relies on medical imaging, particularly ultrasound, for early diagnosis and effectivetreatment. This research addresses the challenges associated with computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) of breastcancer fromultrasound images. The primary challenge is accurately distinguishing between malignant and benigntumors, complicated by factors such as speckle noise, variable image quality, and the need for precise segmentationand classification. The main objective of the research paper is to develop an advanced methodology for breastultrasound image classification, focusing on speckle noise reduction, precise segmentation, feature extraction, andmachine learning-based classification. A unique approach is introduced that combines Enhanced Speckle ReducedAnisotropic Diffusion (SRAD) filters for speckle noise reduction, U-NET-based segmentation, Genetic Algorithm(GA)-based feature selection, and Random Forest and Bagging Tree classifiers, resulting in a novel and efficientmodel. To test and validate the hybrid model, rigorous experimentations were performed and results state thatthe proposed hybrid model achieved accuracy rate of 99.9%, outperforming other existing techniques, and alsosignificantly reducing computational time. This enhanced accuracy, along with improved sensitivity and specificity,makes the proposed hybrid model a valuable addition to CAD systems in breast cancer diagnosis, ultimatelyenhancing diagnostic accuracy in clinical applications.

教师多维态度对全纳教育模式下语前聋人工耳蜗植入儿童安置效果的影响

目的探讨教师多维态度对全纳教育模式下语前聋人工耳蜗植入儿童教育安置中的作用及影响。方法选取2010年以来山西省人民医院行人工耳蜗植入术后采用随班就读安置的语前聋儿童60名,以教育安置效果是否满意划分为2组,记录全纳教育教师的多维态度量表(teacher’s multidimensional attitudes towardinclusive education scale,TMATIES)得分。结果全纳教育模式下,两组儿童教师多维态度量表得分存在显著差异(P<0.01)。其中,认知、行为维度具有极显著差异(P<0.01),情感维度无显著差异(P>0.05);教师多维态度是影响语前聋人工耳蜗植入儿童教育安置效果的正相关因素(rs=0.381,P<0.05);积极的教师态度会产生更满意的教育安置效果(X2=16.766,P<0.05),教师的多维态度越积极,儿童的视觉模拟评分量表得分越高,全纳教育效果越满意(OR=1.164>1,CI:1.069~1.268,P<0.05);而教师性别、儿童性别、年龄、手术时间及入普时间与融合教育安置成效均无相关性(P>0.05)。结论语前聋人工耳蜗植入儿童全纳教育状态下,应持续提升教师多维态度的积极性,可提高全纳教育安置效果的满意度。

Multiway Relay Based Framework for Network Coding in Multi-Hop WSNs

In today’s information technology(IT)world,the multi-hop wireless sensor networks(MHWSNs)are considered the building block for the Internet of Things(IoT)enabled communication systems for controlling everyday tasks of organizations and industry to provide quality of service(QoS)in a stipulated time slot to end-user over the Internet.Smart city(SC)is an example of one such application which can automate a group of civil services like automatic control of traffic lights,weather prediction,surveillance,etc.,in our daily life.These IoT-based networks with multi-hop communication and multiple sink nodes provide efficient communication in terms of performance parameters such as throughput,energy efficiency,and end-to-end delay,wherein low latency is considered a challenging issue in next-generation networks(NGN).This paper introduces a single and parallels stable server queuing model with amulti-class of packets and native and coded packet flowto illustrate the simple chain topology and complexmultiway relay(MWR)node with specific neighbor topology.Further,for improving data transmission capacity inMHWSNs,an analytical framework for packet transmission using network coding at the MWR node in the network layer with opportunistic listening is performed by considering bi-directional network flow at the MWR node.Finally,the accuracy of the proposed multi-server multi-class queuing model is evaluated with and without network coding at the network layer by transmitting data packets.The results of the proposed analytical framework are validated and proved effective by comparing these analytical results to simulation results.

An Improved Ensemble Learning Approach for Heart Disease Prediction Using Boosting Algorithms

Cardiovascular disease is among the top five fatal diseases that affect lives worldwide.Therefore,its early prediction and detection are crucial,allowing one to take proper and necessary measures at earlier stages.Machine learning(ML)techniques are used to assist healthcare providers in better diagnosing heart disease.This study employed three boosting algorithms,namely,gradient boost,XGBoost,and AdaBoost,to predict heart disease.The dataset contained heart disease-related clinical features and was sourced from the publicly available UCI ML repository.Exploratory data analysis is performed to find the characteristics of data samples about descriptive and inferential statistics.Specifically,it was carried out to identify and replace outliers using the interquartile range and detect and replace the missing values using the imputation method.Results were recorded before and after the data preprocessing techniques were applied.Out of all the algorithms,gradient boosting achieved the highest accuracy rate of 92.20%for the proposed model.The proposed model yielded better results with gradient boosting in terms of precision,recall,and f1-score.It attained better prediction performance than the existing works and can be used for other diseases that share common features using transfer learning.

Anticancer effect of the extracts from Polyalthia evecta against human hepatoma cell line(HepG2)

Objective:To investigate the anticancer activity of Polyalthia evecta(P.evecta)(Pierre) Finet & Gagnep against human hepatoma cell line(HepG2).Methods:The anticancer activity was based on(a) the cytotoxicity against human hepatoma cells(HepG2) assessed using a neutral red assay and(b) apoptosis induction determined by evaluation of nuclei morphological changes after DAP1 staining.Preliminary phytochemical analysis of the crude extract was assessed by HPLC analysis.Results:The 50% ethanol-water crude leaf extract of P.evecta(EW-L) showed greater potential anticancer activity with high cytotoxicity[IC_(50)=(62.8±7.3)μg/mL]and higher selectivity in HepG2 cells than normal Vero cells[selective index(SI)=7.9].The SI of EW-L was higher than the positive control,melphalan(SI=1.6) and the apoptotic cells(46.4±2.6)%induced by EW-L was higher than the melphalan(41.6±2.1)%(P<0.05).The HPLC chromatogram of the EW-L revealed the presence of various kinds of polyphenolics and flavonoids in it.Conclusions: P.evecta is a potential plant with anticancer activity.The isolation of pure compounds and determination of the bioactivity of individual compounds will be further performed.

Sulforaphene and sulforaphane in commonly consumed cruciferous plants contributed to antiproliferation in HCT116 colon cancer cells

Objective: To analyze two isothiocyanates(sulforaphene and sulforaphane) and their antiproliferative effect of 11 indigenous cruciferous vegetables.Methods: Phytoconstituents identification was conducted by high performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometer techniques. The antiproliferation was evaluated in colon cancer cell line HCT116 by MTT assay.Results: Isothiocyanate identification by high performance liquid chromatography showed that broccoli, cabbage, "Khi-Hood"(Raphanus sativus L. var. caudatus Alef) and Chinese radish contained isothiocyanates sulforaphane. Sulforaphene and sulforaphane in broccoli, cabbage and "Khi-Hood" were characterized by the gas chromatography-mass spectrometer analysis. Antiproliferation screening by MTT assay found that the potent plants which possessed IC_(50) below 50 mg/m L were cabbage and "Khi-Hood", while the others had low antiproliferation with IC_(50) higher than 50 mg/m L. Difference in antiproliferation was probably due to difference existed phytochemical constituents in each plant. "Khi-Hood" possessed the highest antiproliferation against HCT116 with the lowest IC_(50)at(9.42 ± 0.46) mg/m L. The IC_(50) of chemotherapeutic drug(mitomycin C)was(19.12 ± 1.00) mg/m L, while both melphalan and 5-fluorouracil possessed the IC_(50) value higher than 50 mg/m L.Conclusions: Commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables exerted varied antiproliferation and isothiocyanate contents. High isothiocyanate content in "Khi-Hood" was contributed to high antiproliferation. Among 11 plants studied, "Khi-Hood" could be an alternative chemopreventive diet.

Sulforaphene in Raphanus sativus L. var. caudatus Alef increased in late-bolting stage as well as anticancer activity

Objectives: To evaluate the concentration differences of sulforaphene and sulforaphane at various ages and in different parts of Raphanus sativus L. var. caudatus with respect to their potential cancer preventive effect on HCT116 colon cancer cells.Methods: FTIR–ATR and GC–MS were used to characterize the isothiocyanates in the plant extracts followed by HPLC for quantification. Antiproliferation and apoptosis induction were determined by using MTT assay and flow cytometry, respectively.Results: The respective rank of anticancer activity of Raphanus sativus were as follows:vegetative(3 week) < older rosette(4 week) < early-bolting(5 week) < senescence(7 week) < late-bolting(6 week). The low to high concentration of sulforaphene and sulforaphane occurred in the same stage order.Conclusions: The reproductive parts(flower, pod, and dry seed) of Raphanus sativus have the greatest isothiocyanate concentration, evidenced by a sulforaphene concentration higher than the sulforaphane. This result should inform the selection of the most appropriate harvesting stage and plant part for use as a potential chemopreventive agent.

Synergistic anticancer effect of the extracts from Polyalthia evecta caused apoptosis in human hepatoma(HepG2)cells

Objective:To evaluate the anticancer activity of the extract fraction of Polyalthia evecta(P. evecta)(Pierre) Finet & Gagnep and the synergistic anticancer effect of the extracts from P.evecta by using the ATR/FT-IR spectroscopy.Methods:The 50%ethanol-water crude leaf extract of P.evecta(EW-L) was prepared and was further fractionated to isolate various fractions.The anticancer activity was investigated from cytotoxicity against HepG2 using a neutral red assay and apoptosis induction by evaluation of nuclei morphological changes after DAPI staining. Synergistic anticancer effects of the extracts from P.evecta were performed using the ATR/FTIR spectroscopy.Results:The result showed that the EW-L showed higher cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction in HepG2 cells than its fractionated extracts.The hexane extract exhibited higher cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction than the water extracts,but less than the EW-L. The combined water and hexane extracts apparently increased cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction.The%apoptotic cells induced by the extract mixture were increased about 2-fold compared to the single hexane extract Conclusions:The polar extract fraction is necessary for the anticancer activity of the non-polar extract fraction.The ATR/FT-IR spectra illustrates the physical interaction among the constituents in the extract mixture and reveals the presence of polyphenolic constituents in the EW-L,which might play a role for the synergistic anticancer effect.

Honokiol-enhanced cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity against cholangiocarcinoma cells mediated by dendritic cells pulsed with damage-associated molecular patterns

BACKGROUND Cholangiocarcinoma or biliary tract cancer has a high mortality rate resulting from late presentation and ineffective treatment strategy. Since immunotherapy by dendritic cells (DC) may be beneficial for cholangiocarcinoma treatment but their efficacy against cholangiocarcinoma was low. We suggest how such antitumor activity can be increased using cell lysates derived from an honokioltreated cholangiocarcinoma cell line (KKU-213L5). AIM To increase antitumour activity of DCs pulsed with cell lysates derived from honokiol-treated cholangiocarcinoma cell line (KKU-213L5). METHODS The effect of honokiol, a phenolic compound isolated from Magnolia officinalis, on choangiocarcinoma cells was investigated in terms of the cytotoxicity and the expression of damage-associated molecular patterns (DAMPs). DCs were loaded with tumour cell lysates derived from honokiol-treated cholangiocarcinoma cells their efficacy including induction of T lymphocyte proliferation, proinflammatory cytokine production and cytotoxicity effect on target cholangiocarcinoma cells were evaluated. RESULTS Honokiol can effectively activate cholangiocarcinoma apoptosis and increase the release of damage-associated molecular patterns. DCs loaded with cell lysates derived from honokiol-treated tumour cells enhanced priming and stimulated T lymphocyte proliferation and type I cytokine production. T lymphocytes stimulated with DCs pulsed with cell lysates of honokiol-treated tumour cells significantly increased specific killing of human cholangiocarcinoma cells compared to those associated with DCs pulsed with cell lysates of untreated cholangiocarcinoma cells. CONCLUSION The present findings suggested that honokiol was able to enhance the immunogenicity of cholangiocarcinoma cells associated with increased effectiveness of DC-based vaccine formulation. Treatment of tumour cells with honokiol offers a promising approach as an ex vivo DC-based anticancer vaccine.

Fabrication of Sn Coatings on Alumina Balls by Mechanical Coating Technique and Relevant Process Analysis

Sn coatings were fabricated by mechanical coating technique for the first time. The coatings were characterized by XRD and SEM, among others. The SEM showed that the coatings had an irregular and uneven morphology. The influence of the rotation speed of planetary ball mill on the evolution and formation of the coatings was also investigated. The results indicated that continuous Sn coatings can be formed under a moderate rotation speed. In other words, the coatings cannot be formed when rotation speed was too high or too low. The evolution of the coatings was examined and discussed. The results showed that it followed the universal evolution law of metal coatings which included four stages. However, the exfoliation of the coatings was not seen even the milling time reached 30 h.

Antibacterial Activity of TiO₂/Ti Composite Photocatalyst Films Treated by Ultrasonic Cleaning

In this work, TiO2/Ti composite films were fabricated by 2-setp MCT and the following high temperature oxidation. Antibacterial activity of the composite films treated by ultrasonic cleaning to increase the performance reliability was examined. The prepared TiO2/Ti composite films showed high photocatalytic activity in the degradation of methylene blue solution. It is obvious that? TiO2/Ti composite films have antibacterial activity under UV irradiation.

P-ACOHONEYBEE: A Novel Load Balancer for Cloud Computing Using Mathematical Approach

Cloud computing is a collection of disparate resources or services,a web of massive infrastructures,which is aimed at achieving maximum utilization with higher availability at a minimized cost.One of the most attractive applications for cloud computing is the concept of distributed information processing.Security,privacy,energy saving,reliability and load balancing are the major challenges facing cloud computing and most information technology innovations.Load balancing is the process of redistributing workload among all nodes in a network;to improve resource utilization and job response time,while avoiding overloading some nodes when other nodes are underloaded or idle is a major challenge.Thus,this research aims to design a novel load balancing systems in a cloud computing environment.The research is based on the modification of the existing approaches,namely;particle swarm optimization(PSO),honeybee,and ant colony optimization(ACO)with mathematical expression to form a novel approach called PACOHONEYBEE.The experiments were conducted on response time and throughput.The results of the response time of honeybee,PSO,SASOS,round-robin,PSO-ACO,and P-ACOHONEYBEE are:2791,2780,2784,2767,2727,and 2599(ms)respectively.The outcome of throughput of honeybee,PSO,SASOS,round-robin,PSO-ACO,and P-ACOHONEYBEE are:7451,7425,7398,7357,7387 and 7482(bps)respectively.It is observed that P-ACOHONEYBEE approach produces the lowest response time,high throughput and overall improved performance for the 10 nodes.The research has helped in managing the imbalance drawback by maximizing throughput,and reducing response time with scalability and reliability.

The ATPase activity of molecular chaperone HSP60 is inhibited by immunosuppressant mizoribine

The molecular chaperone HSP60 is a chaperonin homolog of GroEL. We had previously shown that the immunosuppressant mizoribine is bound directly to HSP60 and inhibited its chaperone activity. However, the inhibitory mechanisms of HSP60 by mizoribine have not yet been fully understood. In the present study, we investigated the influence of mizoribine on a folding cycle of HSP60 and co-chaperone HSP10. Our results showed that mizoribine inhibited the folding cycle of HSP60/HSP10. The ATPase activity of HSP60/HSP10 was decreased in the presence of mizoribine and the dissociation of HSP10 from HSP-60 was also decreased by mizoribine. The same functions of GroEL and/or GroES were slightly affected by mizoribine. Based on our findings, we discuss the inhibitory mechanisms of HSP60 by mizoribine.

Amplification of D22S283 as a favorable prognostic indicator in liver fluke related cholangiocarcinoma

AIM： To analyze the DNA copy number of target genes NF2, TIMP3, ST13, TOB2, BIK, and TP and the reference microsatellite markers D22S283, D22S423, and D22S274 mapped on 22q12-qter in liver fluke related cholangiocarcinoma （CCA） and define its correlation with clinical parameters. METHODS： Quantitative real time PCR （qPCR） was used for determining allelic imbalances in 65 liver fluke related CCA tissues. Statistical correlations between allelic imbalances and clinicopathological parameters, i.e. age, sex, tumor stage, histological type, blood vessel invasion, nerve invasion and lymphatic invasion were evaluated by means of the X^2 test. Cox regression analysis was used for determining patient＇s survival. RESULTS： Amplifications of the TP （22q13.33）, TOB2 （22q13.2-13.31）, D22S283 （22q12.3）, TIMP3 （22q12.3） and NF2 （22q12.2） were found in 35 （53.8%）, 28 （43.1%）, 27 （41.5%）, 24 （36.9%）, and 24 （36.9%）, respectively. Losses at the D22S423 （22q13.1-13.2）and BIK （22q13.31） were detected in 26 （40%） and 23 （35.4%）, respectively. Significant correlations were observed between lymphatic invasion and allelic losses of BIK （P = 0.025） and D22S283 （P = 0.041）. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed D22S283 amplification as an independent predictor of good prognosis （P = 0.006, death hazard ratio = 0.411, 95% CI = 0.217-0.779） and blood vessel invasion as an independent poor prognostic factor （P = 0.042, death hazard ratio = 1.911, 95% CI = 1.022-3.571） in CCA patients. CONCLUSION： This study provides evidence for the involvement of gene amplification and deletion on chromosome 22q in liver fluke related CCA, This is the first report of D22S283 amplification as an independent indicator of favorable prognosis in liver fluke related CCA.

HSP70 cleavage-induced photoreceptor cell death caused by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea

Retinal degenerative diseases （RDs） such as retinitis pigmentosa （RP） are characterized by slowly progressive photoreceptor cell death, but the molecular mechanism underlying RP remains unclear. Animal models for RP have led to a better understand- ing of the disease pathological mechanisms, yet it remains difficult to identify an appropriate genetic model for RDs in general because there are many causative genes （Rossmiller et al., 2012）.

Synthesis and Solvatochromic Behavior of Hexaphenylbenzenes and Indeno[1,2-<i>b</i>]fluorene Derivatives with Hydroxy Groups

Hexakis(4-methoxyphenyl)benzene (HPB-OMe(1)) and hexakis(2,6-dimethyl-4-methoxyphenyl)benzene (HPB-OMe(2)) were synthesized via organometallic complex catalysis. The treatment of HPB-OMe(1) with FeCl3 caused cyclodehydrogenation at two positions to yield an oligophenylene with an indeno[1,2-b]fluorene structure (IF-OMe). Deprotection of the methoxy groups of these compounds was conducted by treatment with BBr3. Deprotonation of the OH groups of HPB-OH(1), HPB-OH(2), and IF-OH through treatment with NaH caused a bathochromic shift in the absorption and photoluminescence (PL) peaks. The bathochromic shift of the deprotonated species increased with the donor number (DN) of the solvents. These observations can be explained as the consequence of intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) from the ONa groups to the inner benzene rings.

Expression of Difficult-to-Express Proteins, Human IL-12 and IFN-<i>γ</i>

It is known to be that lactic acid bacteria induce the IL-12. IL-12 activates NK cells and promotes the production of IFN-γ. IFN-γ activates macrophages, resulting in enhanced phagocytosis and bactericidal activity. We have been investigating fermented foods that activate the immune function. For that purpose, a specific antibody is required. We tried to express IL-12p35 by the usual method, but IL-12p35 was not expressed at all. In the present study, we constructed, purified human IL-12p35 and obtained a specific antibody against IL-12p35. We also purified human IFN-γ and obtained specific antibody against IFN-γ. We have established a method for expressing poorly expressed proteins. The method we have established can be applied to the purification of poorly expressed proteins and antibody production.

Neuroprotective Effects of 4-phenylbutyric Acid and Its Derivatives： Possible Therapeutics for Neurodegenerative Diseases

The pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer＇s and Parkinson＇s diseases involves the aggregation of denatured and misfolded nascent proteins. Consequently, many pharmacological approaches have been developed to prevent protein aggregation. 4-Phenylbutyric acid （4-PBA） is a chemical chaperone that shows potential as a candidate drug for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The main actions of chemical chaperones are the amelioration of unfolded proteins and the suppression of their aggregation, which result in protective effects against endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced neuronal cell death. Furthermore, 4-PBA exhibits inhibitory activity against histone deacetylases （HDACs）. However, owing to the problematically high doses of 4-PBA currently required for therapeutic efficacy, the optimization of 4-PBA is crucial for its effective medicinal application. In the present review, we summarize the recent advances in research on the basic actions of 4-PBA and its derivatives. We also discuss whether these compounds could be viable therapeutic agents against neurodegenerative diseases.

Technological Parameters and Design of Bionic Integrated Honeycomb Plates

We investigated an integrated manufacturing method to develop lightweight composite materials. To design the preparation process for the integrated honeycomb plates, the shear and compressive mechanical properties of the corresponding composite materials were also investigated. The results indicate that these composite materials, with two types of resins reinforced by short basalt fibers, exhibit obvious toughness, particularly in their compressive properties. The Epoxy Resin （ER） is denser and has better bonding at the fiber and matrix interface than the vinyl ester resin matrix. Therefore, the ER exhibits better shear and compressive strengths than the vinyl ester resin matrix, thereby providing a design technology of the preparation process of the integrated honeycomb plate. The matrix material of this plate is composed of an epoxy （E51 ）, a curing agent （593）, and a thinner （501） at a ratio of 10：3：1; short basalt fibers are added as a reinforcing material at a 30% volume fraction. By increasing the curing temperature and other experimental conditions, we obtained an expected integrated honeycomb plate. This integrated honeycomb plate possesses properties such as a high fiber content, good shear and compressive performance, and high proc- essing efficiency.

Microstructure and Thermal Conductivity of As-Cast and As-Solutionized Mg–Rare Earth Binary Alloys

The microstructure and thermal conductivity of four groups of Mg–rare earth（RE） binary alloys（Mg–Ce,Mg–Nd, Mg–Y and Mg–Gd） in as-cast and as-solutionized states were systematically studied. Thermal conductivity was measured on a Netzsch LFA457 using laser flash method at room temperature. Results indicated that for as-cast alloys, the volume fraction of second phases increased with the increase of alloying elements. After solutionizing treatment, a part or most of second phases were dissolved in α-Mg matrix, except for Mg–Ce alloys. The thermal conductivity of as-cast and as-solutionized Mg–RE alloys decreased with the increase of concentrations. The thermal conductivity of as-solutionized Mg–Nd,Mg–Y and Mg–Gd alloys was lower than that of as-cast alloys. Thermal conductivity of as-solutionized Mg–Ce alloys was higher than that of as-cast alloys, because of the elimination of lattice defects and fine dispersed particles during solutionizing treatment. Different RE elements have different influences on the thermal conductivity of Mg alloys in the following order： Ce 〈 Nd 〈 Y 〈 Gd. Ce has the minimum effect on thermal conductivity of Mg alloys, because of the very low solubility of Ce in the α-Mg matrix. The variations in the atomic radius of the solute elements with Mg atom（ r）, valence, configuration of extranuclear electron of the solute atoms, and the maximum solid solubility of elements in the α-Mg matrix were suggested to be the main reasons for the differences in thermal conductivity of resulting Mg–RE alloys.