To objectively and subjectively compare the detectability of pulmonary nodules on an ultra-high-resolution CT (UHR-CT) scanner equipped with energy-integrating detectors and a photon-counting CT (PCCT) in UHR mode. An image quality phantom and an anthropomorphic phantom were scanned on a UHR-CT and a PCCT in UHR mode at 7.5/2.5/0.4 mGy. The parameters typically used for UHR chest CT scans were selected. Noise power spectrum and task-based transfer function were computed to assess noise-magnitude, noise texture (fav), and spatial resolution (f50), respectively. Detectability indices (d’) were computed to model the detection of three chest nodules. Five radiologists subjectively evaluated their confidence in detecting these nodules available on the anthropomorphic phantom. For PCCT, noise magnitude increased, and fav values were similar as the dose decreased. For UHR-CT, noise-magnitude decreased, and fav values decreased as the dose decreased. For both inserts and CT systems, f50 values decreased as the dose decreased. For both inserts and at all dose levels, f50 values were higher with PCCT than with UHR-CT. d’ values increased as the dose increased with PCCT, and the opposite was found with UHR-CT. Confidence in nodule detection was considered clinically sufficient at all dose levels for high-contrast solid nodules at 7.5 and 2.5 mGy for subsolid nodules, and only for PCCT at 7.5 mGy for low-contrast nodules. Under UHR conditions, pulmonary nodule detectability strongly depends on the dose level and reconstruction parameters. High-contrast nodule detection can be performed at all dose levels with both CT systems, but reconstruction strategies must be optimized for low-contrast nodule detection.
Density functional theory (DFT) calculations on spin-dependent transition state (TS) activation energies for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) hydrogenation phase of Co9S8/MoS2 catalyst interface using LST/QST methodology via Halgren-Lipscomb algorithm are reported herein. These calculations were performed on the already studied catalytically active edge sites (Mo-Mo, S-S and Mo-S) of the Co9S8/MoS2 interface. Our study reports correlations between in situ observations, reaction kinetics, TSs activation energies and molecular dynamics. Finally, two additional SP (SP) computational analysis were considered: “+ 1” and “− 1” SP DFT calculation iterations which provided insight into the magnetic nature of the catalytically active sites previously suggested by several authors. Altogether with these SP calculations, electron density difference (EDD) calculations were plotted for initial, transition and final states structures to approximate the EDD redistribution all along the hydrogenation process. These plots allowed us to compare the EDD distribution on the three SP iterations, which helped us to confirm and explain our findings.
We consider the gravity-capillary water waves equations of a 2D fluid with constant vorticity. By employing variational methods we prove the bifurcation of periodic traveling water waves-which are steady in a moving frame-for all the values of gravity, surface tension, constant vorticity, depth and wavelenght, extending previous results valid for restricted values of the parameters. We parametrize the bifurcating Stokes waves either with their speed or their momentum. (c) 2025 Elsevier Inc. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies.
Music is one of the most pleasurable stimuli in humans' life, often experienced in social contexts where shared enjoyment can amplify emotional responses. Despite its significance, the neural and affective mechanisms underlying socially shared music remain largely unexplored. Using hyperscanning fNIRS, we examined shared musical pleasure in friend dyads (N = 34) who listened to favorite and experimenter-selected music either alone or together. Joint listening did not increase pleasure in general, but slightly enhanced pleasure for friend's music and increased Pleasure Similarity, defined as the correlation of continuous pleasure ratings within dyads. Musical pleasure was associated to heightened activity in the prefrontal cortex, particularly in the joint condition. In the joint (vs solo) condition, Interpersonal Neural Synchrony (INS) was greater, and significantly predicted by Pleasure Similarity. These findings reveal the neural dynamics of shared musical pleasure, emphasizing the important role of social sharing in modulating music-induced reward processing.
The description of localized surface-plasmon resonances (LSPRs) in gold clusters has been a long-standing problem for quantum calculations, complicated by the presence of the filled d shell close to the Fermi energy and the resulting strong influence of interband transitions in the visible spectral range. A full quantum-mechanical description that represents the atomistic structure and treats all relevant electrons at the same footing is needed. In this study, we demonstrate that a Hubbard U correction to the 5d electrons in the real-time TDDFT+U approach is able to model the optical response of plasmonic Au clusters and nanoparticles. The corrected LSPR energies show good agreement with "semi-quantal" calculations known to provide reliable plasmon energies, as well as with measurements when the matrix-induced/surface-induced red shifts are taken into account. Our findings establish the RT-TDDFT+U method as a valuable approach for modeling the optical properties of plasmonic Au clusters and nanoparticles, enabling calculations of clusters of up to 923 atoms, representing a 3 nm diameter nanoparticle.
