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The retina reports the visual scene to the brain through many parallel channels, each carried by a distinct population of retinal ganglion cells. Among these, the population with the smallest and densest receptive fields encodes the neural image with highest resolution. In human retina, and those of cat and macaque, these high-resolution ganglion cells act as generic pixel encoders: They serve to represent many different visual inputs and convey a neural image of the scene downstream for further processing. Here we identify and analyze high-resolution ganglion cells in the mouse retina, using a transgenic line in which these cells, called “W3”, are labeled fluorescently. Counter to the expectation, these ganglion cells do not participate in encoding generic visual scenes, but remain silent during most common visual stimuli. A detailed study of their response properties showed that W3 cells pool rectified excitation from both On and Off bipolar cells, which makes them sensitive to local motion. However, they also receive unusually strong lateral inhibition, both pre- and postsynaptically, triggered by distant motion. As a result, the W3 cell can detect small moving objects down to the receptive field size of bipolar cells, but only if the background is featureless or stationary—an unusual condition. A survey of naturalistic stimuli shows that W3 cells may serve as alarm neurons for overhead predators.

This study aims to evaluate feasibility of the two-dimensional dynamic MLC (2DDMLC) technique through analytical and experimental investigations, focusing on its potential to improve intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The leaf motion calculator (LMC), which calculates the leaf motion of the MLC during the treatment, was developed to obtain the MLC sequence including the bank’s movement and anticipate the actual fluence delivery. The effect of the y-axis MLC motion was evaluated by calculating the actual fluence distributions from the optimal fluence maps. The actual fluence maps were compared to those of the conventional MLC. The conformity index (CI) and average difference from the optimal fluence map were calculated. Subsequently, prototype of the 2DDMLC was manufactured by using the Varian Millennium 120 TM MLC to measure dose distributions according to presence of MLC’s y-axis movement. The dose distributions were compared to their optimal fluence maps according to different MLCs in terms of dose sparing to the volume outside the tumor. The beam fluences produced by the 2DDMLC technique showed better conformity to their optimal fluence distributions than the conventional MLC. The 2DDMLC technique enhanced the beam conformity compared to the conventional MLC, as indicated by a CI closer to 1, indicating better target conformity. In addition, difference between the actual and the optimal fluence maps was reduced by a factor of 2. The dose distributions were improved by the 2DDMLC as the irradiation area outside the target region was reduced by 50% in maximum. For example, the normal tissue irradiation area was reduced by 49% and 24% in the lung and head & neck cases, respectively. The 2DDMLC technique can contribute enhanced normal tissue sparing with less probability of side effects. As extension of this study, the suggested device can be employed to the volumetric modulation arc treatment.

Reducing the enzyme loadings for enzymatic saccharification of lignocellulose is required for economically feasible production of biofuels and biochemicals. One strategy is addition of small amounts of synergistic proteins to cellulase mixtures. Synergistic proteins increase the activity of cellulase without causing significant hydrolysis of cellulose. Synergistic proteins exert their activity by inducing structural modifications in cellulose. Recently, synergistic proteins from various biological sources, including bacteria, fungi, and plants, were identified based on genomic data, and their synergistic activities were investigated. Currently, an up-to-date overview of several aspects of synergistic proteins, such as their functions, action mechanisms and synergistic activity, are important for future industrial application. In this review, we summarize the current state of research on four synergistic proteins: carbohydrate-binding modules, plant expansins, expansin-like proteins, and Auxiliary Activity family 9 (formerly GH61) proteins. This review provides critical information to aid in promoting research on the development of efficient and industrially feasible synergistic proteins.

Purpose This study aims to investigate a star shot analysis using a three‐dimensional (3D) gel dosimeter for the imaging and radiation isocenter verification of a magnetic resonance linear accelerator (MR‐Linac). Methods A mixture of methacrylic acid, gelatin, and tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosphonium chloride, called MAGAT gel, was fabricated. One MAGAT gel for each Linac and MR‐Linac was irradiated under six gantry angles. A 6 MV photon beam of Linac and a 6 MV flattening filter free beam of MR‐Linac were delivered to two MAGAT gels and EBT3 films. MR images were acquired by MR‐Linac with a clinical sequence (i.e., TrueFISP). The 3D star shot analysis for seven consecutive slices of the MR images with TrueFISP was performed. The 2D star shot analysis for the central plane of the gel was compared to the results from the EBT3 films. The radius of isocircle (ICr) and the distance between the center of the circle and the center marked on the image (ICd) were evaluated. Results For MR‐Linac with MAGAT gel measurements, ICd at the central plane was 0.46 mm for TrueFISP. Compared to EBT3 film measurements, the differences in ICd and ICr for both Linac and MR‐Linac were within 0.11 and 0.13 mm, respectively. For the 3D analysis, seven consecutive slices of TrueFISP images were analyzed and the maximum radii of isocircles (ICr_max) were 0.18 mm for Linac and 0.73 mm for MR‐Linac. The tilting angles of radiation axis were 0.31° for Linac and 0.10° for MR‐Linac. Conclusion The accuracy of 3D star shot analysis using MAGAT gel was comparable to that of EBT3 film, having a capability for integrated analysis for imaging isocenter and radiation isocenter. 3D star shot analysis using MAGAT gel can provide 3D information of radiation isocenter, suggesting a quantitative extent of gantry‐tilting.

Autonomous earthwork machinery is gaining traction as a means to boost productivity and safety on space-constrained urban sites, yet the fast-growing literature has not been fully integrated. To clarify current knowledge, we systematically searched Scopus and screened 597 records, retaining 157 peer-reviewed papers (2015–March 2025) that address autonomy, integrated control, or risk mitigation for excavators, bulldozers, and loaders. Descriptive statistics, VOSviewer mapping, and qualitative synthesis show the output rising rapidly and peaking at 30 papers in 2024, led by China, Korea, and the USA. Four tightly linked themes dominate: perception-driven machine autonomy, IoT-enabled integrated control systems, multi-sensor safety strategies, and the first demonstrations of fleet-level collaboration (e.g., coordinated excavator clusters and unmanned aerial vehicle and unmanned ground vehicle (UAV–UGV) site preparation). Advances include centimeter-scale path tracking, real-time vision-light detection and ranging (LiDAR) fusion and geofenced safety envelopes, but formal validation protocols and robust inter-machine communication remain open challenges. The review distils five research priorities, including adaptive perception and artificial intelligence (AI), digital-twin integration with building information modeling (BIM), cooperative multi-robot planning, rigorous safety assurance, and human–automation partnership that must be addressed to transform isolated prototypes into connected, self-optimizing fleets capable of delivering safer, faster, and more sustainable urban construction.

The construction sector is confronted with significant challenges, such as reduced productivity, high injury rates, and labor deficits, driving research into autonomous robotics as a viable solution. This study delivers a comprehensive review of recent advancements in AI-driven autonomous construction robotics, organized within the sense–think–act (STA) framework. A rigorous bibliometric analysis of 319 selected publications from 2015 to 2024 highlights key research trends and notable contributors. A systematic content analysis elaborates on advancements in each STA component, including technologies for perception and environmental understanding, decision-making algorithms for reasoning and planning, and varied actuation methods addressing scale and collaborative robotics. The study also explores challenges such as environmental unpredictability, specialized task demands, and structural safety concerns. Finally, it underscores future research priorities, focusing on balanced robotic system design, dataset standardization, domain-specific knowledge incorporation, and enhanced robustness to support the broader implementation of autonomous construction robotics.

We applied a radiomics approach to skin surface images to objectively assess acute radiation dermatitis in patients undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer. A prospective cohort study of 20 patients was conducted. Skin surface images in normal, polarized, and ultraviolet (UV) modes were acquired using a skin analysis device before starting radiotherapy ('Before RT'), approximately 7 days after the first treatment ('RT D7'), on 'RT D14', and approximately 10 days after the radiotherapy ended ('After RT D10'). Eighteen types of radiomic feature ratios were calculated based on the values acquired 'Before RT'. We measured skin doses in ipsilateral breasts using optically stimulated luminescent dosimeters on the first day of radiotherapy. Clinical evaluation of acute radiation dermatitis was performed using the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group scoring criteria on 'RT D14' and 'After RT D10'. Several statistical analysis methods were used in this study to test the performance of radiomic features as indicators of radiodermatitis evaluation. As the skin was damaged by radiation, the energy for normal mode and sum variance for polarized and UV modes decreased significantly for ipsilateral breasts, whereas contralateral breasts exhibited a smaller decrease with statistical significance. The radiomic feature ratios at 'RT D7' had strong correlations to skin doses and those at 'RT D14' and 'after RT D10' with statistical significance. The energy for normal mode and sum variance for polarized and UV modes demonstrated the potential to evaluate and predict acute radiation, which assists in its appropriate management.

This study aimed to assess the performance of a tongue-positioning device in interfractional tongue position reproducibility by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Fifty-two patients treated with radiation therapy (RT) while using a tongue positioning device were included in the study. All patients were treated with 28 or 30 fractions using the volumetric modulated arc therapy technique. CBCT images were acquired at the 1 st , 7 th , 11 th , 15 th , 19 th , 23 th , and 27 th fractions. Tongues on planning computed tomography (pCT) and CBCT images were contoured in the treatment planning system. Geometric differences in the tongue between pCT and CBCT were assessed by the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and averaged Hausdorff distance (AHD). Two-dimensional in vivo measurements using radiochromic films were performed in 13 patients once a week during sessions. The planned dose distributions were compared with the measured dose distributions using gamma analysis with criteria of 3%/3 mm. In all patients, the mean DSC at the 1 st fraction (pCT versus 1 st CBCT) was 0.80 while the mean DSC at the 27 th fraction (pCT versus 27 th CBCT) was 0.77 with statistical significance ( p -value = 0.015). There was no statistically significant difference in DSC between the 1 st fraction and any other fraction, except for the 27 th fraction. There was statistically significant difference in AHD between the 1 st fraction and the 19 th , 23 th , and 27 th fractions ( p -value < 0.05). In vivo measurements showed an average gamma passing rate of 90.54%. There was no significant difference between measurements at the 1 st week and those at other weeks. The tongue geometry during RT was compared between pCT and CBCT. In conclusion, the novel tongue-positioning device was found to minimize interfractional variations in position and shape of the tongue.

One of the major objectives of this study is to provide more realistic and accurate results related to transit passenger’s route choice behavior by using population data of revealed preference from smartcard transaction records. The smartcard data of the Seoul city provides both boarding and alighting location and time, which can make possible to trace each passenger’s actually used path trajectory with close to 100% market penetration of smartcard usage. This study built an abstract transit network with representative nodes by aggregating all near-by bus stops within walkable distance and with abstract paths by aggregating lines for a specific OD pair that run the same trajectory links by same transit modes. This complex and huge-scale transit network allowed to analyze the route choice behavior of transit passengers in a multimodal transit system that could not be found from the data of relatively small-size cities. This study selected OD pairs which had two or more alternative paths in order to analyze choice behavior requiring a plural alternative choice set. The number of the selected OD pairs are 124,393 pairs that are 33.9% of whole OD pairs that has two or more trip records. The calibration result showed that it is good statistically and logically to include the six explanatory variables in the utility function of the multinomial Logit model. Those are in-vehicle travel time, out-of-vehicle travel time, transfer penalty index, travel time reliability measure, and path circuity index.