With the revolution of generative AI, video-related tasks have been widely studied. However, current state-of-the-art video models still lag behind image models in visual quality and user control over generated content. In this paper, we introduce TokenWarping, a novel framework for temporally coherent video translation. Existing diffusion-based video editing approaches rely solely on key and value patches in self-attention to ensure temporal consistency, often sacrificing the preservation of local and structural regions. Critically, these methods overlook the significance of the query patches in achieving accurate feature aggregation and temporal coherence. In contrast, TokenWarping leverages complementary token priors by constructing temporal correlations across different frames. Our method begins by extracting optical flows from source videos. During the denoising process of the diffusion model, these optical flows are used to warp the previous frame's query, key, and value patches, aligning them with the current frame's patches. By directly warping the query patches, we enhance feature aggregation in self-attention, while warping the key and value patches ensures temporal consistency across frames. This token warping imposes explicit constraints on the self-attention layer outputs, effectively ensuring temporally coherent translation. Our framework does not require any additional training or fine-tuning and can be seamlessly integrated with existing text-to-image editing methods. We conduct extensive experiments on various video translation tasks, demonstrating that TokenWarping surpasses state-of-the-art methods both qualitatively and quantitatively. Video demonstrations are available in supplementary materials.
The global incidence of rotator-cuff injuries demands mechanically robust and bioresorbable patches to address the high failure rates of surgical repair. Here, we present a digitally fabricated, warp-knitted silk patch designed to meet this need. Through systematic modulation of key parameters (guide-bar configuration, needle pitch, and gauge), we engineered 17 distinct scaffolds from extra-coarse, degummed silk. Among them, the 4 × 1 tricot-stitch architecture (sample #14) emerged as the optimal candidate, exhibiting an balanced combination of high porosity (70.2 ± 0.1 %), high strength (Longitudinal tensile strength: 274 ± 8 N; Transverse tensile strength: 634 ± 33 N; Longitudinal tear strength: 270 ± 52 N; Transverse tear strength: 125 ± 14 N; Burst strength: 1 554 ± 33 N; Suture-pullout strength: > 46 N.), and controlled biodegradability (retaining 93 ± 3 % mass after 42 days). Critically, these properties not only exceed established mechanical benchmarks for tendon repair but are maintained under wet conditions simulating the in vivo environment. The patch further demonstrated good hemocompatibility (hemolysis rate 1.2 ± 0.1 %) and supported robust cell adhesion, spreading, and proliferation. Collectively, these data demonstrate that digital warp-knitting of coarse silk yarns enables single-step fabrication of lightweight, highly porous, and mechanically anisotropic patches that combine long-term strength retention with favorable biocompatibility-offering a promising off-the-shelf solution for tendon reconstruction. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Recurrent tears after rotator cuff repair remain a significant clinical challenge, often due to inadequate mechanical strength and poor tissue integration of existing patches. We address this by digitally warp-knitting a bioresorbable silk patch that uniquely combines high tensile and burst strength, exceeding native tendon requirements, with a high-porosity architecture conducive to cell infiltration. This patch provides durable mechanical support in a wet physiological environment while degrading controllably. It represents a clinically promising, off-the-shelf solution to enhance repair outcomes, bridging the critical gap between robust mechanical performance and effective biological integration for tendon reconstruction.
In this study, biosurfactant-producing bacterial isolates were screened and isolated from a hydrocarbon-rich automobile workshop, marine water, agarwood, and ayurvedic industrial waste. The efficient bacterial isolate Pseudomonas aeruginosa WARP_W1 reduced surface tension to 35.21 mN/m and emulsified 64.32% of olive oil. The biosurfactant production was attempted using different oil sources, with coconut oil producing 899.69 mg/L biosurfactant, which is 35.8% more than olive oil. Logistic kinetic models accurately predicted microbial growth rate (R2 > 0.975) and biosurfactant production rate at 0.348h-1 and 0.201h-1, respectively. These data suggest that coconut oil could be a suitable substrate for biosurfactant. The physicochemical properties were also found to be efficient, with a low critical micelle concentration of 110.60 mg/L and a lowered surface tension of 26.99 mN/m in coconut oil. FTIR and NMR spectroscopy confirmed the glycolipid in the produced biosurfactant by showing rhamnolipid-like structural features. P. aeruginosa WARP_W1 is ideal for large-scale biosurfactant production because of its versatile utilization of carbon sources. This study provides the growth and product kinetic information on the substrate-specific production of biosurfactants.
Restoring weight is a primary goal during anorexia nervosa (AN) treatment. Previous studies linked different weight gain profiles to treatment outcomes, but there is currently no consensus on profile shapes and numbers. We argue that heterogeneity stems from temporal distortions ("warping") in weight gain, and that similar weight improvements can stretch over different time periods. We thus favor a novel non-parametric solution that accounts for warping to identify weight trajectories. Time series clustering with dynamic time warping (DTW) was used to identify weight change trajectories among N = 518 patients with AN during inpatient treatment. Within-person body-mass-index gain (∆ BMI) served as our primary dependent variable to identify clusters. We characterized clusters based on admission psychopathology scores, and analyzed associations of cluster affiliation with changes in clinical outcomes between admission and discharge using linear and logistic models. We identified four distinct clusters, with n = 76 patients showing initial weight gain (Cluster 1), n = 329 showing continuous weight gain (Cluster 2), n = 70 showing initial weight loss and recovery (Cluster 3), and n = 43 showing weight loss (Cluster 4). The four clusters differed in terms of admission BMI, psychopathology scores, and days spent in treatment, and cluster assignment predicted treatment outcomes. Using one of the largest hitherto examined samples for weight gain profile analysis, the novel DTW-based approach provided an overall more elaborated set of outcome-predictive profiles compared to previous studies, which could help inform individualized treatment strategies and allocate therapeutic resources efficiently.
Sizing is a critical operation in woven fabric production, as it enhances weaving efficiency by improving warp yarn performance. Conventional sizing agents include maize starch, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and commercial carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). In this study, a low-cost and biodegradable carboxymethyl cellulose derived from wheat straw (CMCws) was investigated as an alternative sizing agent for cotton open-end yarns with a count of Nm 12.2. The high degree of substitution (DS = 1.23) of CMCws indicates extensive carboxymethylation, which enhances the polymer's hydrophilicity and solubility in water. This, in turn, contributes to a higher apparent viscosity (η = 903.03 cP at 300 s-1), reflecting stronger molecular chain interactions and better film-forming ability. CMCws was applied using a high-pressure squeezing technique, and its effect on yarn performance was evaluated in terms of tensile properties, film characteristics, and yarn surface morphology. The results showed that CMCws provided a tenacity gain of 28.57%, a hairiness reduction of 54.34%, and an abrasion resistance gain of 37.14%. These values fall within acceptable industrial ranges and are comparable to those obtained using conventional sizing agents. Furthermore, the optimized CMCws formulation, containing plasticizer and lubricant additives, exhibited good desizing efficiency, with effective removal achieved in hot water. The findings indicate that wheat-straw-derived CMCws is a viable, sustainable alternative to traditional sizing agents for woven fabric production.
Warp-knitted spacer fabrics (WKSFs) possess a three-dimensional porous architecture that makes them promising for impact protection and airdrop buffering, yet their lack of intrinsic conductivity and limited cyclic stability restrict intelligent monitoring applications. Here, a structure-function synergistic strategy is proposed by integrating WKSF with carbon-nanotube-modified shear-stiffening gel (cSSG) to construct a conductive, impact-adaptive composite. As a benefit from strain-rate-dependent stiffening and hierarchical energy dissipation, the WKSF-cSSG composite exhibits enhanced impact resistance while forming a stable three-dimensional conductive network. After cyclic preconditioning to suppress the Mullins effect, the composite delivers stable sensing outputs over 3200 cycles with a response time of 18 ms. Under drop-hammer impact, the electrical response shows rapid synchronization with mechanical dynamics, enabling quantitative discrimination of impact intensities. Furthermore, an intelligent airdrop buffering prototype integrating a nine-channel sensing array and deep-learning-assisted classification achieves accurate recognition of five landing postures, demonstrating a material-to-system solution for intelligent protection applications.
Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) is an emerging analytic technique that offers a flexible approach to modeling symptom dynamics in psychological and psychiatric research. Unlike traditional network models, which often rely on linear associations, DTW aligns symptom trajectories even when changes unfold at slightly different speeds or time intervals. This tutorial offers a brief introduction into DTW and demonstrates how to apply DTW to panel or time series data. We illustrate the workflow using clinical case data from patients with eating disorders, to capture temporal patterns that cannot be detected with conventional network analysis techniques, as these require more intensive time-series data. Key advantages include its applicability to non-stationary data, flexibility in handling irregular time intervals, and reduced reliance on frequent assessments, which patients often cannot maintain due to the burden. We also discuss some of the limitations such as noise, scaling decisions and lack of Granger causality associations. Finally, we outline directions for future research. By expanding the methodological toolkit available for studying therapy processes, DTW holds promise for advancing both research and clinical practice in personalized mental health care.
Pentraxins, which constitute a family of evolutionarily conserved pattern recognition molecules, are categorized into short and long branches. The long pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a key member of the long pentraxin subfamily, while the C-reactive protein and serum amyloid P represent the short pentraxins. All pentraxins share a highly conserved C-terminal motif, an 8-amino acid sequence known as the pentraxin signature. PTX3 can be produced by a wide range of cell types, including immune cells such as dendritic cells, monocytes, and macrophages, as well as various non-immune cells, underscoring its pleiotropic roles in multiple pathophysiological processes. These include inflammation, infection, tissue repair, female fertility, and cancer. Although PTX3 engages commonly recognized signaling pathways, such as TNF-α, NF-κB, FGF, and PI3K/AKT, it can exert paradoxical effects in different cellular contexts, either promoting or inhibiting the proliferation, migration, invasion, and metastasis of cancer cells. This review provides a comprehensive overview of the multifaceted roles of PTX3 in various cancers, while also summarizing its functions in other physiological or pathological contexts. Furthermore, we critically examine the challenges and translational opportunities of PTX3, aiming to inform future research directions and therapeutic strategies for cancer management.
Arthropods, the most diverse phylum on Earth, are hosts to a plethora of bacterial parasites that secrete various effectors of unknown function during infection. The most prevalent of these is the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia pipientis. The microbe infects between 40% and 60% of insect species, where it induces a variety of fitness effects ranging from nutritional supplementation to reproductive manipulations and, in some hosts, limiting virus replication. Understanding the molecular basis of Wolbachia infection and Wolbachia-induced phenotypes is critical to the use of Wolbachia in vector control. Wolbachia ankyrin repeat proteins (WARPs) represent a highly dynamic and diverse part of the Wolbachia pangenome and remain thus far largely uncharacterized. Here, we perform molecular and genetic screens to identify interactions between Wolbachia wMel WARPs and their target host proteins in Drosophila melanogaster. Our results identify strong interactions of two Wolbachia proteins, WARP434 and WARP754, with multiple host targets. Heterologous expression of these two WARPs is extremely toxic in Drosophila tissues, and the toxicity is dependent on the ankyrin repeat domain of each WARP. We use coimmunoprecipitation (coIP) and mass spectrometry to identify native targets of the WARPs, and importantly, knockdown of host targets alleviates toxicity, confirming WARP/target interactions. Antibodies targeting both WARPs show expression by Wolbachia during infection of Drosophila cells, and expression of WARP754 in adult flies increases Wolbachia titer. Understanding how Wolbachia manipulates its host biology and which host pathways it targets during infection will help us define how the most prevalent intracellular bacterial parasite on Earth interacts with its insect hosts at the molecular level. Our screen is an important step toward that goal.IMPORTANCEMolecular interactions drive co-evolutionary arms races between hosts and pathogens. These interactions shape the structure and function of both host and parasite proteins, enabling immunity or virulence during infection. Understanding the molecular details that unfold during these events illustrates not only how hosts and parasites co-evolve at the molecular level but also may help characterize the function of poorly understood proteins. The most prevalent intracellular infection on earth is Wolbachia pipientis, with between 40% and 60% of insects harboring the bacterial symbiont. Understanding how Wolbachia infects host cells and the molecular tools it uses to alter cell biology is critical to the use of the microbe in vector control. Here, we identify Wolbachia proteins used by the symbiont to interface with specific host proteins. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying this host-microbe interaction will shed light on how an important symbiont, used in the control of vector populations and disease transmission, uses Wolbachia ankyrin repeat proteins (WARPs) to interact with host targets and how targeting this host protein contributes to infection.
In this study, an assembly technique based on phytic acid-modified chitosan (PA-CS) and silicone-containing waterborne polyurethane (SiWPU) was developed to construct of a multifunctional hemp fabric integrating flame retardancy, hydrophobicity, and antibacterial properties. A stable multilayer structure was constructed via hydrogen bonding interactions between the phosphate groups of PA-CS and the urethane groups (-NHCOO-) of SiWPU. Research shows that PA-CS significantly enhances the fabric's thermal stability and decomposes at high temperatures to form a dense carbon layer, raising the limiting oxygen index (LOI) of the hemp fabric to 35.1%, achieving a UL-94 V-0 rating. Compared with the original fabric, the PHRR, HRC, and THR of the PA-CS/SiWPU coated hemp fabric were reduced by 80.7%, 80.7%, and 65.8%, respectively. Simultaneously, the silicon component in SiWPU migrates to the fabric surface, resulting in a water contact angle of 133.10°, demonstrating excellent hydrophobicity and antifouling performance. Furthermore, the coating exhibits remarkable antibacterial activity against S. aureus and E. coli. Following the coating treatment, the breaking strength of the fabric increased by 41.6% (warp) and 40.7% (weft), while the elongation at break improved by 28.6% (warp) and 27.9% (weft). Concurrently, the bending rigidity decreased from 4.93 cN/mm to 3.20 cN/mm, accompanied by a reduction in both static and dynamic friction factors. After 10 washing cycles, the fabric exhibited breaking strength retention rates of 94.2% (warp) and 89.1% (weft). This study opens a new avenue for the high-value-added and multifunctional utilization of hemp fabrics, demonstrating great application potential in fields including home, biomedical, and smart textiles.
In recent years, nanoparticles and plant-based materials have gained increasing significance in the functional finishing of textile materials. Among natural fibers, cotton is the most widely utilized textile fiber due to its excellent moisture management, superior softness, high absorbency, breathability, compatibility, and biodegradability, making it highly suitable for a broad range of textile and apparel applications. In this study, cotton fabric was successfully functionalized using biosynthesized zinc oxide nanoparticles and Senna didymobotrya leaf extract. ZnCl₂ served as a precursor, while the plant extract acted as both a reducing and functionalizing agent. The dip-dry-cure method was employed with optimized concentrations using Box-Behnken design. Characterization scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis) confirmed nanoparticle formation with an average size of 20.3 nm. The mechanical results with tensile strength of (warp: 312-318, weft: 289-295 N/mm2) and elongation at break (warp: 22.90-23.40%, weft: 16.29-16.95%), slight stiffness increase (warp: 1.8-1.9 cm, weft: 1.7-1.8 cm), there is a reduced air permeability (16.9-11.8 cm3/cm2/s), with a tear strength (533.36-554.7 g force). The functional properties of the treated cotton fabric have an antibacterial efficiency reached 99.99% (gram-negative bacteria) and 99.5% (gram-positive bacteria), with a ultraviolet radiation protection factor (UPF) of 112.6, indicating strong potential for medical and UV-protective applications.
This study systematically investigates the structural characteristics and antioxidant activities of pectic polysaccharides extracted and purified from Agastache rugosa (Fisch. & C.A.Mey.) Kuntze. Through sequential purification involving ion-exchange and gel permeation chromatography, two homogeneous pectin fractions-WARP-A2b (17.5 kDa) and WARP-A3b (51.5 kDa)-were obtained. Their structural domains, including homogalacturonan, rhamnogalacturonan I, and rhamnogalacturonan II, were characterised using FT-IR, NMR, Congo red binding, circular dichroism, and SEM. Monosaccharide composition analysis revealed both fractions to be rich in galacturonic acid, rhamnose, galactose, and arabinose. WARP-A3b exhibited stronger antioxidant capacity in scavenging ABTS, DPPH, and hydroxyl radicals, which may be attributed to its higher galacturonic acid content and distinct rhamnogalacturonan-I domain organisation. Enzymatic hydrolysis and de-esterification experiments further elucidated the contribution of specific structural domains to antioxidant performance. These results offer new insights into the structure-activity relationships of A. rugosa pectins and support their potential as natural antioxidants in pharmaceuticals.
We compared the capabilities of quantitatively assessed paired inspiratory-expiratory area-detector computed tomography (ADCT) for pulmonary functional loss and disease severity evaluations between upright and supine ADCT in matched progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF) patients. This retrospective cohort consisted of age-, sex-, and underlying disease-matched patients with PPF who underwent paired inspiratory-expiratory CT on upright ADCT (n = 40) and supine ADCT (n = 40), pulmonary function tests, and disease severity assessment. Based on CT data, the absolute values of the logarithm of the Jacobian determinant and warp-field magnitude of the whole lung and all lobes were calculated. Stepwise regression analyses were performed. On supine ADCT, both indices of the left lower lobe (LLL) were the first and only steps for pulmonary function test results and CT-assessed disease severity (absolute value of the logarithm of the Jacobian determinant: 0.139 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.175, 0.007 ≤ p ≤ 0.018; absolute value of the warp-field magnitude: 0.371 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.447, p < 0.001). However, on upright ADCT, both indices indicated that LLL was the first step and the right lower lobe was the second step for pulmonary function test results and CT-assessed disease severity (0.503 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.674, p < 0.001 or 0.000 < p ≤ 0.006 and 0.474 ≤ r2 ≤ 0.652, 0.002 ≤ p ≤ 0.045, respectively). Upright ADCT has equal to or better potential than supine ADCT for detecting pulmonary functional loss and evaluating disease severity when paired inspiratory-expiratory ADCT is applied in PPF patients. Upright ADCT has superior potential to supine ADCT for pulmonary functional loss and disease severity evaluations when paired inspiratory-expiratory ADCT is performed in patients with progressive pulmonary fibrosis (PPF). Matched progressive pulmonary fibrosis patients compared functional loss and disease severity evaluations between inspiratory-expiratory upright and supine area-detector CT. Clinical parameters demonstrated better correlations with upright than with supine inspiratory-expiratory area-detector CT. Warp-field magnitude showed better correlations with disease severities than the logarithm of the Jacobian determinant on each area-detector CT.
To achieve near-normal temperature formation of starch paste with satisfactory sizing properties for near-normal temperature sizing application of cotton warps and easy desizing, esterified-sulfonated corn starch (ESCS) samples with degrees of substitution (DSes) of 0.021-0.072 were prepared using dry processes of esterification and sulfonation to evaluate their sizing properties and desizability. It was found that, with the rise in the DSes, the solubility, water dispersibility, adhesion to cotton fibers for the ESCS, and its film elongation and endurance increased, reaching the highest values at DSes = 0.072, which were significantly higher than those of acid-treated starch (ATS). The properties of ESCS (DSes = 0.072) showed no significant variation across temperatures from 95 °C to 40 °C, attributed to only slight variations in solubility. ESCS (DSes = 0.072) could form a paste suitable for immediate use at ~40 °C, with excellent sizing properties for cotton warp sizing at 40 °C to effectively overcome the issues of high-temperature sizing, and easy desizing from cotton warps using a simplified desizing (no chemicals and boiling water used). This study provides valuable methods for the near-normal temperature sizing of starch sizes for cotton warps and easy desizing.
Textile weave structure, surface roughness, wettability, and liquid viscosity play a role in droplet spreading and the splashing behavior on commercial textiles following impact. We hypothesize that, collectively, these parameters define whether the droplet undergoes smooth spreading or splashing. In our experiments, we visualize the impact dynamics of droplets on textile samples. Experiments were conducted on eight commercial textiles featuring satin and plain weaves. Here, we used three Newtonian fluids (water, silicone oil, and a 45 wt.% aqueous glycerol solution) to investigate the post-impact behavior. High-speed shadowgraphy captured the impact at 30,000 - 50,000 frames per second. Fresh textile samples were used for each experiment to prevent contamination. In line with past works, textile samples were affixed to glass substrates to facilitate the visualization of surface-level spreading and splashing dynamics. Surface topography was quantified using high-resolution optical profilometry, revealing nearly an order of magnitude variation in root-mean-square roughness (Rrms), ranging from 4 to 35 μm. Impact velocities ranged from 1.00 to 2.98 m/s, with 3 repeats per condition. Image analysis was used to quantify spreading speeds and diameters. The droplet behavior was classified into spreading or splashing, depending on whether the droplet fragments following impact. Satin weaves promoted Cassie-Baxter wetting with high advancing and static contact angles (θmax≈130 and θstatic>115 degrees), while plain weaves favored Wenzel wetting (θmax≈121 and θstatic<100 degrees). Splashing thresholds for water decreased linearly with root-mean-square roughness (Rrms), but viscous fluids (e.g., silicone oil) showed roughness-insensitive splashing. Directional splashing emerged in satin weaves due to warp-aligned floats. An Ohnesorge-number-based scaling model unified critical splashing velocities across all textiles and fluids. These findings inform the design of performance textiles for forensics, medical coatings, and waterproofing applications.
This study analyzes the mechanical behavior of a quasi-isotropic biaxial glass fiber-vinyl ester composite in a multiaxial stress condition and the effect of the orientation of the fibers. A ply structure was created through the process of vacuum infusion using six layers of biaxial fabric that were oriented to 15°. Tensile samples were isolated at 0, 15, 30, 45 and 90 degrees relative to the warp direction. It was found that strength and stiffness strongly depend on orientation, with maximum tensile strengths of 157.2 MPa at 90° and 125 MPa at 0°, and minimum tensile strengths 59.6 MPa at 15°, showing fiber and shear failures, respectively. MAT_124 underwent finite element analysis in LS-DYNA, and the results were excellent, with a difference of less than 1.5%. Three-point bending and Charpy impact tests indicated that flexural properties were lower at 15° and 90°, whereas off-axis orientations were generally better at impact energy absorption, although at 45°, binding sites were few and far between. The results have important implications for the design of laminates subjected to complicated loads.
Sunken upper eyelids convey an impression of fatigue. Pedicled orbital fat fascia flap (POFFF) transposition has been commonly adopted as an effective technique for augmenting upper eyelid volume. Nevertheless, objective quantitative assessments of the long-term volumetric outcomes remain lacking. This study aimed to assess upper eyelid volume changes and evaluate the efficacy of POFFF transposition in restoring volume using 3D facial scanning technology. This retrospective study included 43 patients (86 upper eyelids) who underwent POFFF transposition between January 2017 and December 2024. 3D facial scanning was performed at baseline (T0), within 5 days (T1), 1 month (T2), and at least 6 months (T3) postoperative using the VECTRA imaging system. Surgical efficacy was evaluated using 3D facial data from T0, T1, T2, and T3, analyzed with GeoMagic Warp for volume change. Fat absorption rate was calculated with GeoMagic Design X. Patients' reported satisfaction was assessed using the Chinese version of the FACE-Q™ questionnaire scores for eye appearance satisfaction. All procedures were successfully performed, with effective three-dimensional correction of the sunken upper eyelids and no major complications. Deviation analysis revealed an immediate postoperative increase in upper eyelid volume. On the left upper eyelid, the volume increased by 223.98±7.01 mm3 at T2 and 197.19±5.97 mm3 at T3 (P<0.05), corresponding to a volume reduction rate of 11.96±2.7%. On the right upper eyelid, the volume increased by 225.77±6.62 mm3 at T2 and 198.67±5.69 mm3 at T3 (P<0.05), with a volume reduction rate of 12.00±3.8%. When considering both eyelids together, the volume increased by 224.87 ±6.84 mm3 at T2 and 197.93±5.85 mm3 at T3 (P<0.05), showing an overall volume reduction rate of 11.98±3.3%.. FACE-Q scores for eye satisfaction significantly improved from 46.50±10.37 to 74.16±9.67 (P<0.05), with all patients expressing satisfaction with their enhanced appearance. POFFF transposition effectively increases upper eyelid volume with minimal resorption, providing three-dimensional reconstruction for sunken eyelids. This technique shows promise, especially for patients with mild to moderate upper eyelid sunkenness, though larger studies are needed to determine optimal indications. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
This article examines how public procurement of pharmaceuticals can serve as a tool to advance both access to medicines and industrial development, in line with the Health in All Policies (HiAP) and Health for All Policies (HfIAP) agendas. We draw on four illustrative, purposefully selected cases-the pneumococcal Advance Market Commitment, emergency procurement of the Ebola vaccine, Operation Warp Speed for the accelerated production of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, and Brazil's Partnerships for Productive Development. Through configurative analysis, we identify distinct procurement models and assess their contributions to health and industrial objectives. The analysis highlights several procurement models: anticipatory, reactive, emergency-driven, innovation-enabling, and capability-building. These cases demonstrate how procurement can generate co-benefits across Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 3 (health) and 9 (industry, innovation, infrastructure), while also revealing implementation gaps and structural constraints. Realizing the potential of procurement as a dual health-industrial tool requires linking it to capability-building, tailoring instruments to local and industrial contexts, and confronting structural asymmetries that limit national ownership. By treating procurement not as an administrative task but as an industrial strategy, governments can better operationalize HiAP/HfIAP and make progress toward more equitable and sustainable health innovation systems.
Segmentation of cardiac structures is essential for cardiac function evaluation using cine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Deep learning can be used to segment cardiac structures in cine cardiac MRI with high accuracy, but this approach requires fully annotated datasets for training, which are difficult to obtain. Semi-supervised segmentation methods provide a way to alleviate the burden of manual labeling by using labeled and unlabeled data for training. However, these methods generally provide suboptimal segmentation accuracies. To develop a semi-supervised method that utilizes relatively small training datasets and under-annotations for improved cine cardiac MRI segmentation. The proposed approach consists of deformable registration, fully and weakly supervised segmentation, and a temporal attention perceiver (TAP). The registration module was trained to warp labeled frames to generate pseudo labels for unlabeled frames. The warped labeled images were used to train the fully supervised segmentation network. The unlabeled images and the pseudo label were used to train the weakly supervised segmentation model, and the segmentation prediction was compared with the input pseudo label as an auxiliary loss to the registration module. The TAP module was employed to generate optimized features for the warped labeled and the original unlabeled images both paired with the original labeled image. Consistency between the resulting features was enforced to refine cross-instance feature alignment to facilitate the registration. One hundred, twenty, and ten subjects from the Automatic Cardiac Diagnosis Challenge (ACDC) and seventy-five, thirty, and fifteen cases from the Multi-Vendor & Multi-Disease (M&Ms) Cardiac Image Segmentation Challenge were used for training, each with random end-systolic (ES)/end-diastolic (ED) frames labeled. The optimized models were used to segment the remaining 50 ACDC and 50 M&Ms subjects. The proposed approach was compared with several commonly used semi-supervised segmentation methods in terms of Dice-similarity-coefficients (DSC), average-symmetric-surface-distance (ASSD), and Hausdorff-distance (HD) for left (LV) and right (RV) ventricular cavity and myocardium (Myo). A Unet trained on the same subjects each with both frames labeled was used as an upper bound (Unet_UB). Using 100 ACDC training subjects, our approach yielded DSC = 0.910 ± $\pm$ 0.063, ASSD = 1.37 ± $\pm$ 0.63 mm, and HD = 6.38 ± $\pm$ 2.99 mm for RV, DSC = 0.894 ± $\pm$ 0.024, ASSD = 1.20 ± $\pm$ 1.12 mm, and HD = 4.67 ± $\pm$ 3.22 mm for Myo, and DSC = 0.934 ± $\pm$ 0.056, ASSD = 1.25 ± $\pm$ 1.63 mm, and HD = 3.97 ± $\pm$ 5.76 mm for LV. A bidirectional copy-paste (BCP) method performed the best among the comparative methods and generated DSC = 0.902 ± $\pm$ 0.060, ASSD = 1.45 ± $\pm$ 0.60 mm, and HD = 7.50 ± $\pm$ 3.20 mm for RV, DSC = 0.885 ± $\pm$ 0.030, ASSD = 1.28 ± $\pm$ 0.80 mm, and HD = 5.80 ± $\pm$ 2.80 mm for Myo, and DSC = 0.920 ± $\pm$ 0.068, ASSD = 1.15 ± $\pm$ 0.40 mm, and HD = 4.20 ± $\pm$ 3.30 mm for LV. For Unet_UB, these were 0.905 ± $\pm$ 0.068, 1.48 ± $\pm$ 0.61 mm, and 6.35 ± $\pm$ 2.85 mm for RV, 0.895 ± $\pm$ 0.030, 1.05 ± $\pm$ 0.45 mm, and 4.40 ± $\pm$ 3.09 mm for Myo, and 0.941 ± $\pm$ 0.044, 1.02 ± $\pm$ 0.34 mm, and 3.17 ± $\pm$ 1.63 mm for LV. Similar trends were observed when using 75 M&Ms training subjects. For all the experiments, our approach outperformed BCP in general and yielded segmentation accuracies comparable to Unet_UB. The proposed approach outperformed several commonly used semi-supervised segmentation methods and yielded segmentation accuracies on par with fully supervised Unet using various relatively small datasets and under annotations for training.