Computer Engineering
ISSN: 10003428
Volume 14, Issue 7, 2025
Research Articles
Three-Dimensional Quantification of Non-Calcified Plaque in Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography Images: A Comparative Analysis with Virtual Histology Intravascular Ultrasound
Pages: 1–6
Abstract
Citation
The identification, quantification and characterization of coronary atherosclerotic plaque has a major influence on diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease (CAD). Recent studies have reported the ability of Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography (CTCA) to identify non-invasively coronary plaque features. In this study, we present a novel methodology for the identification of the plaque burden of the coronary artery and the volumetric quantification of calcified plaques (CP) and non-calcified plaques (NCP), utilizing CTCA images in comparison with virtual histology intravascular ultrasound (VHIVUS). The proposed methodology includes six steps: CTCA images pre-processing, vessel centerline extraction using Multistencil Fast Marching Method (MSFM), estimation of membership sigmoidal distribution functions, implementation of an extension of active contour models using prior shapes for the lumen, the outer wall and CP segmentation, detection and quantification of NCP and finally three-dimensional (3D) models construction. Bland–Altman analyses were performed to assess the agreement between the presented methodology and VH-IVUS. Assessment of CP and NCP volume and length of lesion length 18 lesions indicated excellent correlation with VH-IVUS, (r = 0.92, p < 0.001), (r= 0.95, p < 0.001) and (r= 0.81, p < 0.001), respectively.
Evangelia G. Lappa, Georgios K. Kontopoulos, Konstantinos G. Sotiropoulos, Ioanna N.. "Three-Dimensional Quantification of Non-Calcified Plaque in Computed Tomography Coronary Angiography Images: A Comparative Analysis with Virtual Histology Intravascular Ultrasound." Computer Engineering, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 1–6, 2025.
Download PDF
Development and Characterization of a High-Accuracy, Low-Drift pH Monitoring System for Real-Time Applications
Pages: 7–11
Abstract
Citation
: The geological storage of carbon dioxide is a practical and effective method to reduce the greenhouse effect,In order to prevent the leakage of carbon dioxide bring about a serious impact on the environment, the need to carry out in situ online monitoring of pH value to determine the dynamics of underground carbon dioxide.In this paper,a high precision and low drift pH value online monitoring instrument based on temperature compensation is designed with MSP430F5438 as the core.The software flow chart and the relationship the pH value,the electrode signal and the temperature of the measured liquid,the hardware structure of the instrument and software process are introduced.By comparing pH standard solution and field water sample test, the measurement accuracy of the instrument is about 0.05pH,this instrument can meet the needs of online monitoring,have been used for engineering monitoring and have a wide range of application prospects.
Liang Chen, Yu Liu, Jiaqi Wang, Yang Liu. "Development and Characterization of a High-Accuracy, Low-Drift pH Monitoring System for Real-Time Applications." Computer Engineering, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 7–11, 2025.
Download PDF
Investigating the Erectogenic Effects of γ-Aminobutyric Acid in Sildenafil: A Pharmacological Study
Pages: 12–20
Abstract
Citation
Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a disorder of increasing socio-economic burden. Therapeutic drugs such as sildenafil have been in use for the treatment of ED, but with their associated side effects. γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a neurotransmitter with possible vasodilatory properties. In this study, the effect of GABA on the erectogenic properties of sildenafil was investigated. Aqueous solution of GABA and sildenafil (1 mM) was separately prepared as well as the mixtures of both (75% GABA + 25% sildenafil; 50% GABA + 50% sildenafil; 25% GABA + 75% sildenafil). Thereafter, the in vitro effects of all the studied samples on the activities of arginase, angiotensin-I converting enzyme (ACE) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) were investigated. The results revealed that all the samples inhibited arginase, ACE and AChE activities. Considering the various combinations, 25% GABA + 75% sildenafil had the highest arginase inhibitory effect, 50% GABA + 50% sildenafil showed the highest ACE inhibiting effect, while 25% GABA + 75% sildenafil exhibited the highest AChE inhibitory effect. Therefore, the observed enzyme inhibiting effect of sildenafil, GABA and their various combinations on rat penile arginase, ACE and AChE activities could be part of the mechanism by which they elicit their erectogenic properties. The various combinations could thus serve as therapeutic intervention for the management of ED with a possible reduction in the side effects associated with the use of sildenafil; nevertheless, the combination of 75% GABA with 25% sildenafil exhibited the highest erectogenic potential.
Akintunde O. O., Adewumi E. O.. "Investigating the Erectogenic Effects of γ-Aminobutyric Acid in Sildenafil: A Pharmacological Study." Computer Engineering, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 12–20, 2025.
Download PDF
Robust Image Segmentation using Harmonic Global Signed Pressure Force based Active Contours.
Pages: 21–26
Abstract
Citation
—This paper presents the region-based active contours method based on the harmonic global signed pressure force (HGSPF) function. The proposed formulation improves the performance of the level set method by utilizing intensity information based on the global division function, which has the ability to segment out regions with higher intensity differences. The new energy utilizes harmonic intensity, which can better preserve the low contrast details and can segment complicated areas easily. A Gaussian kernel is adjusted to regularize level set and to escape an expensive reinitialization. Finally, a set of real and synthetic images are used for validation of the proposed method. Results demonstrate the performance of the proposed method, the accuracy values are compared to previous state- ofthe-art methods. Keywords-image segmentation; active contours; HGSPF function
complicated background variations. To minimize such. "Robust Image Segmentation using Harmonic Global Signed Pressure Force based Active Contours.." Computer Engineering, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 21–26, 2025.
Download PDF
Investigating the Role of the Vadasz Number in Rotating Bidispersive Porous Media Convection
Pages: 27–42
Abstract
Citation
: The onset of thermal convection in uniformly rotating bidispersive horizontal porous layer, uniformly heated from below, is analyzed. A generalized Darcy equation for the macro-phase is considered to take the Vadasz number into account. It is proved that the presence of the Vadasz number can give rise to oscillatory motion at the loss of stability of thermal conduction solution.
Alessandra Bertolotti and Lorenzo Mancuso *. "Investigating the Role of the Vadasz Number in Rotating Bidispersive Porous Media Convection." Computer Engineering, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 27–42, 2025.
Download PDF
Scalable Wireless On-Chip Communication through Multi- Stage Interconnection Networks in Electronics
Pages: 43–66
Abstract
Citation
: The Network-on-Chip (NoC) paradigm emerged as a viable solution to provide an efficient and scalable communication backbone for next-generation Multiprocessor Systems-on- Chip. As the number of integrated cores keeps growing, alternatives to the traditional multi-hop wired NoCs, such as wireless Networks-on-Chip (WiNoCs), have been proposed to provide long- range communications in a single hop. In this work, we propose and analyze the integration of the Delta Multistage Interconnection Network (MINs) as a backbone for wireless-enabled NoCs. After extending the well-known Noxim platform to implement a cycle-accurate model of a wireless Delta MIN, we perform a comprehensive set of SystemC simulations to analyze how wireless-augmented Delta MINs can potentially lead to an improvement in both average delay and saturation. Further, we compare the results obtained with traditional mesh-based topologies, reporting energy profiles that show an overall energy cost reduced on both wired/wireless scenarios.
Leila Khaled 1, Amira Bouzidi 1, Khaled Jarraya 1, Elena G. Giardino 2, Giovanni. "Scalable Wireless On-Chip Communication through Multi- Stage Interconnection Networks in Electronics." Computer Engineering, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 43–66, 2025.
Download PDF
Optimization of Gluing Processes in the Footwear Industry through Robotic Automation
Pages: 67–86
Abstract
Citation
: Manufacturing processes in the shoe industry are still characterized to a large extent by human labour, especially in small and medium craft enterprises. Even when machinery is adopted to support manufacturing operations, in most cases an operator has to supervise or carry out the task. On the other hand, craft footwear industries are called to respond to continuous challenges to face the globalization effects, so that a rapid adaptability to customer needs is required. The industry 4.0 paradigms, which are taking place in the industrial environments, represent an excellent opportunity to improve the efficiency and quality of production, and a way to face international competitors. This paper analyses and proposes a robotic cell to automatize the process of glue deposition on shoe upper, which exploits a new means of depositing the glue compared to State-of-Art applications. While the latter mainly adopt glue gun spraying systems or pneumatic syringes, the proposed robotic cell is based on an extrusion system for the deposition of molten material originally in the form of a filament, similar to all extent to those adopted for Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM). Two cell solutions are designed and tested. In the former the extruder is the robot end effector and the shoe upper is grounded to the cell frame. In the second, being the reciprocal, the shoe last is clamped to the robot wrist and the extruder is fixed to the cell frame. The peculiarities of the two solutions are pointed out and compared in terms of cell layout, hardware, programming software and possibility to develop collaborative applications. A self developed slicing software allows designing the trajectories for glue deposition based on the CAD model of the shoe upper, also allowing driving the inclination of the extruder nozzle with respect to the vectors normal to the upper surface. Both the proposed cell layouts permit to achieve good quality and production times. The solution with the mobile extruder is able to deposit glue at highest end-effector speed (up to 200 mm/s). On the other hand, the solution with the mobile shoe upper and fixed extruder seems to be more appropriate to enhance collaborative applications.
Alessandro Bianchi, Sofia Rodriguez, Julianne. "Optimization of Gluing Processes in the Footwear Industry through Robotic Automation." Computer Engineering, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 67–86, 2025.
Download PDF
Respect for Patient's Rights in Iranian Hospital Settings: A Qualitative Analysis
Pages: 87–90
Abstract
Citation
One of the most important branches of medical science, until past time, law and consequently to medical ethics. Patients' satisfaction of their rights, one of the most important indicators of effectiveness, efficiency, productivity and quality of healthcare services. The goal of this study was to Check the Observance of the rights of patients in surgical patients admitted to Shohaday Ashayer hospital in 2015-2016 from the perspective of patients. This cross-sectional study included 800 patients admitted to Shohada Ashayer Hospital in 2015 and 2016. Respecting patient’s bill of rights from their viewpoint was determined by a questionnaire using a Likert scale from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree). The results obtained in this study showed that the rate of patients' rights in all aspects of the %15.8 patient's view was poor, from the %67.4 patient's perspective was middle, and from the %16.8 patient's view was good. Most patients' satisfaction with their rights in respect to the axis of the right to choose and decide freely and the lowest levels of satisfaction was at the core of respect for patient privacy and confidentiality principle. Level of satisfaction in all axes was significantly associated with age, type of substrate in the third axis, history of hospitalization in the fourth axis and duration of hospital stay in the second axis(P<0.O5). Between gender and place of residence and educational level found no significant relaion(P>O.O5). In total, based on the obtained results and comparing them with the results of other studies, it may be concluded that respecting patient’s bill of rights from the viewpoint of patients is considered as optimal and to enhance the implementation of the Charter as well as patient satisfaction is essential that solutions be identified barriers to implementation.
Seyed Ali Rezaei, Leila Jafari, Hanieh Ahmadi, Mohammad Rezaei, Fariba Ghorbani. "Respect for Patient's Rights in Iranian Hospital Settings: A Qualitative Analysis." Computer Engineering, vol. 14, no. 7, pp. 87–90, 2025.
Download PDF