Toyo Engineering (Japan)

This study evaluated the performance of a deep learning-based artificial intelligence (DLAI) system for detecting fusiform aortic aneurysms and measuring the diameters of the entire aorta on non-contrast CT images.We retrospectively collected 160 non-contrast CT images (130 males, 71.8 ± 9.2years) to evaluate aortic aneurysms and used them as training data. To evaluate the accuracy of the DLAI system for the automatic detection and measurement of aortic aneurysms, another 190 non-contrast CT images (153 males, 70.7 ± 10.3years) were collected and used as validation data. First, the accuracy of DLAI results was calculated by referring to the radiology reports. An expert radiologist read the test data again and calculated the final accuracy by referring to the DLAI predictions.Dice scores for aortic segmentation were 0.90, 0.94, 0.93, and 0.84 for the entire aorta, thoracic aorta, abdominal aorta, and iliac artery, respectively. The sensitivity, positive predictive value, and F-measure of the DLAI system for detecting aortic aneurysms were 0.81, 0.83, and 0.82, respectively. Eleven (4.4%) aneurysms were newly identified after the radiologist's second reading based on DLAI predictions. The final accuracy of the DLAI detection increased to 0.83, 0.87, and 0.85 for sensitivity, positive predictive value, and F-measure, respectively. The size error in the measurement of aortic aneurysms between the DLAI system and radiology reports was 0.86 ± 2.72mm, with a strong correlation (ICCs = 0.97).Our DLAI system was highly accurate in detecting aneurysms and measuring the diameters of the entire aorta on non-contrast CT images.

A bstract The General Feature Format (GFF) is widely used to represent genomic annotations, but its hierarchical, multi-attribute structure makes manual querying and analysis challenging. Existing libraries such as gffutils provide programmatic interfaces, yet they require coding proficiency. gffutilsAI is a novel AI-powered command-line agent that enables researchers to perform interactive, natural-language-driven exploration of GFF files. Built on top of the gffutils library and the Strands AI agent framework, gffutilsAI integrates local and cloud-based large language models (LLMs) such as Llama 3.1, GPT-5, and Claude 3.5 to translate human queries into executable actions. The tool supports coordinate-based queries, attribute and GO searches, hierarchical traversal, statistical summaries, and CSV export, offering a new paradigm for accessible conversational genomics.

BackgroundThe quality of volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans depends on the planner’s expertise. A feasibility dose-volume histogram (FDVH) may help reduce planning variability.Materials and methodsThis study evaluated the impact of two linear accelerators — Halcyon and TrueBeam — on FDVH in prostate VMAT planning and their effectiveness in reducing doses to organs at risk (OARs). VMAT plans were generated for 30 patients with prostate cancer, with planning target volume excluding the rectum (PTV-R) and OAR contours created by three planners. An FDVH was created, and plans were classified as “difficult” (0 < F ≤ 0.1) based on OAR dose reduction.ResultsThe D98% and D2% of PTV-R were analyzed, showing that TrueBeam had a higher mean dose at D98% and a lower mean dose at D2% compared to Halcyon, but these differences were not statistically significant (D98%: p = 0.123, D2%: p = 0.167). For the rectum, TrueBeam resulted in significantly lower doses for all dose constraints compared to Halcyon (p < 0.001). In the bladder, TrueBeam showed a significantly lower dose at V40Gy (p < 0.001). The upper limits of feasible F-values were 0.00–0.12 (TrueBeam) and 0.00–0.17 (Halcyon) for the rectum, and 0.01–0.20 (TrueBeam) and 0.00–0.20 (Halcyon) for the bladder, depending on dose parameters.ConclusionsThese findings highlight that the choice of the linear accelerator significantly impacts OAR dose reduction. In prostate VMAT, TrueBeam demonstrated superior rectal and bladder dose reduction compared to Halcyon, underscoring the importance of selecting the appropriate device to optimize treatment planning and minimize variability.

Abstract A new genus and species of gecarcinucid freshwater crab, Kasargodia sheebaen. gen., n. sp., is described from the Ranipuram Hill Station in the central Western Ghats, India. This new genus is distinguished from Vanni Bahir &amp; Yeo, 2007 and Travancoriana Bott, 1969 by several key features: the antennal article 4 is elongated, being notably longer than wide (as opposed to quadrate to subrectangular in Vanni and Travancoriana); the suborbital margin is almost smooth (rather than distinctly granular); the terminal and subterminal articles of the male first gonopod are not clearly demarcated by sutures (clearly separated in the other genera); the short male second gonopod (shorter than the male first gonopod) is relatively stout, with a short distal article that is not flagelliform (more slender, elongated, flagelliform distal article in the other genera); and the basal antennal article in the new genus is distinctly elongated, with a constricted median part (subquadrate in Vanni and more similar to the condition in Travancoriana). The relatively stout male second gonopod with a short distal article in Kasargodian. gen., is an unusual feature, shared with genera such as Barytelphusa Alcock, 1909, Cylindrotelphusa Alcock, 1909, and Barusa Pati &amp; Yeo, 2022. Unlike the new genus, the male first gonopod in these genera have the terminal and subterminal articles clearly demarcated by sutures.

The microstructure and properties of welds of duplex stainless steels are affected by cooling rate, so it is important to control welding heat input, and welding is performed in accordance with the recommended welding heat input range. In recent years, the demand for thick plates has been increasing, and there is a need to improve the efficiency of thick plate welding (high heat input). However, the range of welding heat input for welding thick plates has not been studied. The purpose of this study was to examine whether high heat input welding is possible for duplex stainless steels, and to propose a new welding heat input range that contributes to higher efficiency in welding thick plates. No sigma phase precipitation or hot cracking was confirmed in the weld metal and HAZ of 20 mm-thick duplex stainless steel (SUS329J3L) welded with heat inputs of 5 kJ/mm and 7 kJ/mm, which exceed the recommended heat input range, and good mechanical properties and pitting corrosion resistance were confirmed. Based on the TTT diagram, we examined the conditions under which sigma phase does not precipitate in SUS329J3L. As a result, the effective heat input is 3 kJ/mm, which is the upper limit of the recommended heat input range, when the plate thickness is about 10 mm. However, as the plate thickness exceeds 10 mm, the effective heat input at which sigma phase does not precipitate increases with increasing plate thickness, and the upper limit of the weldable heat input range becomes considerably larger, and good properties of welds were obtained even at a heat input of 7 kJ/mm in this study. Therefore, the upper limit of heat input to obtain sound welds in duplex stainless steel should be determined by the plate thickness, which will allow high heat input welding for welding thick plates and improve the efficiency of welding.

This paper describes the construction methods and applications of cast-in-place concrete piles invented in Europe and the United States during the dawn and early Showa Period when they were introduced to Japan. Compressol piles were first introduced to Japan. Simplex piles, Raymond piles, Pedestal piles, and Franki piles were subsequently introduced. Pedestal piles were improved in the U.S., and further improvements were made in Japan. The Tanaka-style concrete pile was also invented and has been applied to many buildings. These piles are still supporting many historical buildings more than 100 years.

Towards the realization of a low carbon society, the authors have devised a system in which CO2 separated and recovered from the emissions of work vessels is fed into cement slurry in the form of dry ice and fixed in the ground by using it as a solidifier in ground improvement by deep mixing treatment methods. In this study, the feeding methods of dry ice, such as feeding amount, form and addition method, were investigated to find the method with the highest fixation amount and the least loss. The amount of CO2 fixation in the indoor and full-scale experiments was confirmed using the Gasometric Method and TC analysis, and it was confirmed that the fixation amount in the full-scale experiment was maintained at the same level as in the indoor experiment. A simple and quick method of measuring the amount of CO2 fixation is desired as part of the daily management of the CO2 fixation system devised by the authors. Therefore, a measurement method with high analysis accuracy was investigated, focusing on the Gasometric Method, in which hydrochloric acid is added to a sample and the CO2 gas generated by the chemical reaction is measured as pressure. In this study, the optimal measurement method was investigated with regard to the stirring method of the sample and hydrochloric acid and the environment during the preparation of the analysis sample. TC analysis was also carried out and the validity of the measured values was evaluated.

A Multipath SNR equalization scheme was successfully demonstrated at four all-optical free-space optical transceiver links. With this scheme, the estimated outage probability has been mitigated by approximately 1/10 under power fluctuation caused by thermal turbulence.