Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiparametric [18F]Fluorodeoxyglucose/ [18F]Fluoromisonidazole Positron Emission Tomography/ Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer for the Non-Invasive Detection of Tumor Heterogeneity: A Pilot Study

Objectives To investigate fused multiparametric positron emission tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (MP PET/MRI) at 3T in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer, using high-resolution T2-weighted, contrast-enhanced MRI (CE-MRI), diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and the radiotracers [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) and [18F]fluoromisonidazol ([18F]FMISO) for the non-invasive detection of tumor heterogeneity for an improved planning of chemo-radiation therapy (CRT). Materials and Methods Sixteen patients with locally advanced cervix were enrolled in this IRB approved and were examined with fused MP [18F]FDG/ [18F]FMISO PET/MRI and in eleven patients complete data sets were acquired. MP PET/MRI was assessed for tumor volume, enhancement (EH)-kinetics, diffusivity, and [18F]FDG/ [18F]FMISO-avidity. Descriptive statistics and voxel-by-voxel analysis of MRI and PET parameters were performed. Correlations were assessed using multiple correlation analysis. Results All tumors displayed imaging parameters concordant with cervix cancer, i.e. type II/III EH-kinetics, restricted diffusivity (median ADC 0.80x10-3mm2/sec), [18F]FDG- (median SUVmax16.2) and [18F]FMISO-avidity (median SUVmax3.1). In all patients, [18F]FMISO PET identified the hypoxic tumor subvolume, which was independent of tumor volume. A voxel-by-voxel analysis revealed only weak correlations between the MRI and PET parameters (0.05–0.22), indicating that each individual parameter yields independent information and the presence of tumor heterogeneity. Conclusion MP [18F]FDG/ [18F]FMISO PET/MRI in patients with cervical cancer facilitates the acquisition of independent predictive and prognostic imaging parameters. MP [18F]FDG/ [18F]FMISO PET/MRI enables insights into tumor biology on multiple levels and provides information on tumor heterogeneity, which has the potential to improve the planning of CRT.
Highly-Smooth Zero-th Order Online Optimization

The minimization of convex functions which are only available through partial and noisy information is a key methodological problem in many disciplines. In this paper we consider convex optimization with noisy zero-th order information, that is noisy function evaluations at any desired point. We focus on problems with high degrees of smoothness, such as logistic regression. We show that as opposed to gradient-based algorithms, high-order smoothness may be used to improve estimation rates, with a precise dependence of our upper-bounds on the degree of smoothness. In particular, we show that for infinitely differentiable functions, we recover the same dependence on sample size as gradient-based algorithms, with an extra dimension-dependent factor. This is done for both convex and strongly-convex functions, with finite horizon and anytime algorithms. Finally, we also recover similar results in the online optimization setting.
Learning Detailed Face Reconstruction from a Single Image

Reconstructing the detailed geometric structure of a face from a given image is a key to many computer vision and graphics applications, such as motion capture and reenactment. The reconstruction task is challenging as human faces vary extensively when considering expressions, poses, textures, and intrinsic geometries. While many approaches tackle this complexity by using additional data to reconstruct the face of a single subject, extracting facial surface from a single image remains a difficult problem. As a result, single-image based methods can usually provide only a rough estimate of the facial geometry. In contrast, we propose to leverage the power of convolutional neural networks to produce a highly detailed face reconstruction from a single image. For this purpose, we introduce an end-to-end CNN framework which derives the shape in a coarse-to-fine fashion. The proposed architecture is composed of two main blocks, a network that recovers the coarse facial geometry (CoarseNet), followed by a CNN that refines the facial features of that geometry (FineNet). The proposed networks are connected by a novel layer which renders a depth image given a mesh in 3D. Unlike object recognition and detection problems, there are no suitable datasets for training CNNs to perform face geometry reconstruction. Therefore, our training regime begins with a supervised phase, based on synthetic images, followed by an unsupervised phase that uses only unconstrained facial images. The accuracy and robustness of the proposed model is demonstrated by both qualitative and quantitative evaluation tests.
A synthesis method for static anti-windup compensators

Synthesis of static anti-windup compensators is considered. LMI conditions are established for stability and performance analysis of the closed loop system. The performance criterion describes the servo problem for the resulting closed-loop piece-wise linear system. The synthesis of the anti-windup compensators will be given by some bilinear matrix inequalities.
Awareness and Acquisition of New Dialect Features

Moving to and settling in a region that is different from the one a person grew up in is a fairly common experience in North America. Observations that one’s native region and adopted region differ in terms of accent or dialect seem to be just as common, followed closely by claims about how one’s accent has or hasn’t changed as a result of spending time in the new community. A growing body of research has demonstrated that mobile adults do change some aspects of their speech as a result of exposure to new dialects (e.g. Munro et al. 1999, Bowie 2000, Conn and Horesh 2002, Sankoff 2004, Evans and Iverson 2007). But to what extent do such changes rely on explicit speaker awareness of dialect differences? Sociolinguists have long posited a link between speaker awareness of a linguistic variable and behavior with respect to that variable. Labov (1963) remarks that in selecting linguistic variables for sociolinguistic study “we would like the feature to be salient, for us as well as the speaker, in order to study the direct relations of social attitudes and language behavior. But on the other hand, we value immunity from conscious distortion, which greatly simplifies the problem of reliability of the data. ” (p. 8) The assumption is that if a feature is too salient, speakers are more likely to change the way they use it in erratic and generalization-muddling ways. Labov (1972a) more formally links awareness and variability, distinguishing indicators variables used by a particular group which are below the level of conscious awareness and do not vary stylistically from markers and stereotypes, which rise above the level of conscious
The Difficulties of Improvising in a Crisis Situation - A Case Study

Whereas certain crisis situations seem to favor the emergence of improvised modes of action, other situations highlight the actors' inability to improvise. So far, the literature remains unclear about what is at the origin of one or the other form of behavior. Furthermore, the studies that have dealt with the issue of improvisation in crisis situations are based on the analysis of the behavior of small groups of individuals who most often work in teams and share common referentials. But what happens when several groups of actors are involved, or when these groups have divergent methods and referentials, or different professional identities? Are the conditions for improvising, such as they occur within a small group, present in the same way when larger groups are involved? To deal with these questions, a case study of a crisis where four groups of actors were involved is presented. Even though the situation under study presents a combination of conditions that were likely to both favor and hinder improvisation, the observations of the case suggest a lack of improvisation in the management of the crisis. The analysis leads us to suggest that: (1) The emergence of improvisation depends on critical thresholds beyond which certain conditions favoring improvisation become conditions hindering improvisation; (2) the involvement of several groups with strong professional identities leads the actors to rely on their identities and to repeat the roles they have learned; and (3) the combination of an absence of interaction among the groups, and of maintenance of strong intra-group modes of interactions, hinders the process of collective sensemaking that is necessary to improvise.
Block of cardiac ATP-sensitive K+ channels by external divalent cations is modulated by intracellular ATP. Evidence for allosteric regulation of the channel protein

We have investigated the interactions between extracellular divalent cations and the ATP-sensitive potassium channel in single guinea pig ventricular cells and found that, under whole-cell patch clamp recording conditions, extracellularly applied Co2+, Cd2+, and Zn2+ block current through the ATP-sensitive K channel (IKATP). The respective Kd's for block of IKATP by Cd2+ and Zn2+ are 28 and 0.46 microM. The Kd for Co2+ is > 200 microM. Extracellular Ca2+ and Mg2+ appear to have no effect at concentrations up to 1 and 2 mM, respectively. Block of IKATP by extracellular cations is not voltage dependent, and both onset and recovery from block occur within seconds. Single-channel experiments using the inside-out patch configuration show that internally applied Cd2+ and Zn2+ are not effective blockers of IKATP. Experiments in the outside-out patch configuration confirm that the divalent cations interact directly with IKATP channel activity. Our study also shows that this block of IKATP is dependent on intracellular ATP concentrations. Under whole-cell conditions, when cells are dialyzed with [ATP]pipette = 0, the degree of cation block is reduced. This dependence on intracellular ATP was confirmed at the single-channel level by experiments in excised, inside-out patch configurations. Our results show that some, but not all, divalent cations inhibit current through IKATP channels by binding to sites that are not within the transmembrane electric field, but are on the extracellular membrane surface. The interdependence of internal ATP and external divalent cation binding is consistent with an allosteric interaction between two binding sites and is highly suggestive of a modulatory mechanism involving conformational change of the channel protein.
Historical development of the gravity method in exploration

The gravity method was the first geophysical technique to be used in oil and gas exploration. Despite being eclipsed by seismology, it has continued to be an important and sometimes crucial constraint in a number of exploration areas. In oil exploration the gravity method is particularly applicable in salt provinces, overthrust and foothills belts, underexplored basins, and targets of interest that underlie high-velocity zones. The gravity method is used frequently in mining applications to map subsurface geology and to directly calculate ore reserves for some massive sulfide orebodies. There is also a modest increase in the use of gravity techniques in specialized investigations for shallow targets. Gravimeters have undergone continuous improvement during the past 25 years, particularly in their ability to function in a dynamic environment. This and the advent of
Visual Localization Ability Influences Cross-Modal Bias

The ability of a visual signal to influence the localization of an auditory target (i.e., cross-modal bias) was examined as a function of the spatial disparity between the two stimuli and their absolute locations in space. Three experimental issues were examined: (a) the effect of a spatially disparate visual stimulus on auditory localization judgments; (b) how the ability to localize visual, auditory, and spatially aligned multi-sensory (visual-auditory) targets is related to cross-modal bias, and (c) the relationship between the magnitude of cross-modal bias and the perception that the two stimuli are spatially unified (i.e., originate from the same location). Whereas variability in localization of auditory targets was large and fairly uniform for all tested locations, variability in localizing visual or spatially aligned multisensory targets was much smaller, and increased with increasing distance from the midline. This trend proved to be strongly correlated with biasing effectiveness, for although visual-auditory bias was unexpectedly large in all conditions tested, it decreased progressively (as localization variability increased) with increasing distance from the mid-line. Thus, central visual stimuli had a substantially greater biasing effect on auditory target localization than did more peripheral visual stimuli. It was also apparent that cross-modal bias decreased as the degree of visual-auditory disparity increased. Consequently, the greatest visual-auditory biases were obtained with small disparities at central locations. In all cases, the magnitude of these biases covaried with judgments of spatial unity. The results suggest that functional properties of the visual system play the predominant role in determining these visual-auditory interactions and that cross-modal biases can be substantially greater than previously noted.
Comparison of surgically induced astigmatism between one-handed and two-handed cataract surgery techniques

Background The purpose of this study was to compare surgically induced astigmatism (SIA) between one-handed and two-handed cataract surgery techniques. Methods Eighty-eight eyes of 44 patients with no ocular disease other than cataract, who underwent cataract surgery by a single surgeon, were selected for this study. Cataract surgery was performed by coaxial phacoemulsification and intraocular lens implantation via a 2.4 mm transconjunctival single-plane sclerocorneal incision at the 12 o’clock position. In each patient, one eye was subjected to coaxial phacoemulsification using a one-handed technique while the fellow eye was subjected to coaxial phacoemulsification using a two-handed technique. For the two-handed technique, a corneal side port was created at the 2 o’clock position. The appropriate incision meridian was identified by a preoperative axis mark. SIA was calculated using the Alpins method. Results Mean SIA was 0.40 ± 0.28 diopters (D) in the one-handed technique group and 0.39 ± 0.25 D in the two-handed technique group. No statistically significant difference was found in the mean SIA score. The mean torque value was −0.05 ± 0.26 D in the one-handed technique group and 0.11 ± 0.37 D in the two-handed technique group. Mean torque was significantly lower (P<0.05) in the one-handed technique group than in the two-handed technique group. Conclusion The results indicate that the corneal side port in two-handed cataract surgery has a rotating effect on the axis of astigmatism.
Differential regulation by growth hormone (GH) of insulin-like growth factor I and GH receptor/binding protein gene expression in rat liver.

We have reported that female hypophysectomized (hypox) rats replaced with T4 and cortisone and treated for 7 days with GH injections (4 x 12.5 micrograms/day) had significantly greater growth and increase in serum insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) than did hypox rats continuously infused with GH (50 and 250 micrograms/day), whereas GH binding to liver membranes was increased only by infusion. We now report the effects of hypophysectomy, T4 and cortisone replacement, and the aforementioned continuous vs. intermittent GH treatment on liver IGF-I and GH receptor (GHR)/binding protein (GHBP) gene expression in female rats. Concentrations of IGF-I peptide were measured in acid-extracted sera and liver tissues. Total GH binding to liver membranes was determined in MgCl2-treated homogenates and serum GH binding activity was assessed by gel filtration of serum incubated with 125I-bovine GH. The abundance of messenger RNA (mRNA) transcripts encoding IGF-I, the GHR, and the GHBP was quantified by Northern hybridization analysis of liver poly(A)+ RNA. Hypophysectomy in female animals decreased serum IGF-I and liver IGF-I mRNA concentrations by 95% and 87%, respectively, serum GHBP activity, and total liver GH binding by 50% (P less than 0.001 compared with intact controls), and liver GHR and GHBP mRNA abundance by 30-35% (P less than 0.05 vs. controls). These changes were not reversed by T4 and cortisone treatment. Repeated injections of GH produced a 13-fold increase in liver IGF-I peptide and a 5-fold increase in liver IGF-I mRNA concentrations (vs. saline-treated hypox rats), whereas continuous GH infusions induced only 7-fold and 2-fold increases in IGF-I peptide and mRNA, respectively. Serum GHBP activity was not changed in the GH-injected animals, but rose 2- to 3-fold in the GH-infused rats, an increase similar to that reported for their liver GH binding sites. No major change in liver concentrations of GHR and GHBP mRNAs was seen after repeated GH injections. Differential regulation of the two GHR/GHBP gene products was observed after continuous infusion of GH, with a net 60-70% increase in liver GHBP mRNA abundance contrasting with no apparent change in the GHR mRNA transcript. These results indicate that pulsatile GH administration is more effective than continuous GH infusion in stimulating liver IGF-I gene expression, and this effect is not mediated by an increase in GHR mRNA or protein. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Dental caries experience of children in Northland/Te Tai Tokerau.

OBJECTIVE To describe the prevalence, severity and intra-oral distribution of dental caries among children from four Northland communities. DESIGN Cross-sectional epidemiological survey of a Census sample. METHODS Dental examinations were systematically conducted on all children aged 5 or 6 and all children 12 or 13 (and for whom parental consent was obtained) in Kaitaia, Kaikohe, Kawakawa/Moerewa and Dargaville. Bitewing radiography was used to aid caries diagnosis in the older age group. Data are reported for the deciduous dentition in the 5-6-year-olds, and the permanent dentition in the 12-13-year-olds. RESULTS There were 369 5-6-year-olds and 171 12-13-year-olds, approximately two-thirds of whom were Maori. Almost 88% of 5-6-year-olds had experienced dental caries, and this was lower among the Pakeha/Other group, those attending higher-decile schools, and those from Dargaville. Overall caries experience (represented by a mean dmft score of 5.6; sd 3.9) was higher among Maori children, those attending lower-decile schools, and those from Kaikohe, Kawakawa/ Moerewa or Kaitaia, as was the number of untreated decayed surfaces. Almost one in four children had lost at least one tooth due to caries, and this was higher among Maori children and those from schools in more deprived areas, and lower among children from Dargaville. Caries experience was greatest among the second molars in either arch, and lowest among the mandibular incisors. Among the 12-13-year-olds, 85% had experienced dental caries (mean DMFT = 3.7; sd 3.1). The number of untreated surfaces with decay (more than 3, on average) was considerably lower among children from Dargaville. Caries experience was greatest among the first molars in either arch (followed by the second premolars), and absent among the mandibular incisors. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence and severity of dental caries in Northland is very high in comparison to the rest of New Zealand. The problem is particularly acute among northern communities and Maori. Dealing with the problem will require a combination of population health and personal health interventions.
Opportunistic media access control and rate adaptation for wireless ad hoc networks

Many rate adaptation schemes at the medium access control (MAC) layer have been proposed to utilize the multirate capability offered by the IEEE 802.11 wireless MAC protocol through automatically adjusting the transmission rate to best match the channel conditions. In this paper, we present the Opportunistic packet Scheduling and Auto Rate (OSAR) protocol to exploit the channel variations. The basic idea of OSAR is as follows: rather than just matching the channel condition for a node pair in communications, our protocol takes advantage of the multiuser diversity as much as possible and adapt the rate accordingly, i.e., based on the channel conditions to its neighboring nodes, the sender chooses the neighboring node with channel quality better than certain level to schedule the transmissions of packets in its queue, then the overall system throughput may be increased. The key mechanisms of OSAR are channel aware media access, rate adaptation and packet bursting. We carry out several sets of ns-2 simulations and evaluate the impact of various factors such as channel condition, network topology and traffic load on the throughput of OSAR. Simulation results show that our proposed protocol can achieve much better performance than other auto rate schemes.
Farms Technical Inefficiencies in the Presence of Government Programs

We focus on determining the impacts of government programs on farms’ technical inefficiency levels. We use Kumbhakar’s stochastic frontier model that accounts for both production risks and risk preferences. Our theoretical framework shows that decoupled government transfers are likely to increase (decrease) DARA (IARA) farmers’ production inefficiencies if variable inputs are risk decreasing. However, the impacts of decoupled payments cannot be anticipated if variable inputs are risk increasing. We use farm-level data collected in Kansas to illustrate the model.
What is a systematic review?

A high-quality systematic review is described as the most reliable source of evidence to guide clinical practice. The purpose of a systematic review is to deliver a meticulous summary of all the available primary research in response to a research question. A systematic review uses all the existing research and is sometime called ‘secondary research’ (research on research). They are often required by research funders to establish the state of existing knowledge and are frequently used in guideline development. Systematic review findings are often used within the …
Male body image following acquired brain injury

The purpose of this study was to investigate body image concerns and psycho-emotional health in males with acquired brain injury (ABI). Using a between subjects study of 25 males with ABI and 25 matched controls, variables were analysed using correlations and 2 × 2 analyses of variance (ANOVAs) with head injury and injury type as independent variables. Body image and psycho-emotional health were evaluated using self-report questionnaires. Disability and cognitive impairment were measured using a mixture of self-report, cognitive testing and clinical notes. Results indicated that males with ABI had significantly lower self-esteem and body dissatisfaction on a number of items relating to physical and sexual functioning. There were significant differences in body image between stroke and TBI, but there was no corresponding relationship with psycho-emotional health. These body image differences might be explained by age. The finding that ABI has a negative effect on body image and that this relates to psycho-emotional health should be investigated further, perhaps being included in future rehabilitation strategies.