Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sparse Matrix Beamforming and Image Reconstruction for 2-D HIFU Monitoring Using Harmonic Motion Imaging for Focused Ultrasound (HMIFU) With In Vitro Validation

Harmonic motion imaging for focused ultrasound (HMIFU) utilizes an amplitude-modulated HIFU beam to induce a localized focal oscillatory motion simultaneously estimated. The objective of this study is to develop and show the feasibility of a novel fast beamforming algorithm for image reconstruction using GPU-based sparse-matrix operation with real-time feedback. In this study, the algorithm was implemented onto a fully integrated, clinically relevant HMIFU system. A single divergent transmit beam was used while fast beamforming was implemented using a GPU-based delay-and-sum method and a sparse-matrix operation. Axial HMI displacements were then estimated from the RF signals using a 1-D normalized cross-correlation method and streamed to a graphic user interface with frame rates up to 15 Hz, a 100-fold increase compared to conventional CPU-based processing. The real-time feedback rate does not require interrupting the HIFU treatment. Results in phantom experiments showed reproducible HMI images and monitoring of 22 in vitro HIFU treatments using the new 2-D system demonstrated reproducible displacement imaging, and monitoring of 22 in vitro HIFU treatments using the new 2-D system showed a consistent average focal displacement decrease of 46.7 ±14.6% during lesion formation. Complementary focal temperature monitoring also indicated an average rate of displacement increase and decrease with focal temperature at 0.84±1.15%/°C, and 2.03±0.93%/°C, respectively. These results reinforce the HMIFU capability of estimating and monitoring stiffness related changes in real time. Current ongoing studies include clinical translation of the presented system for monitoring of HIFU treatment for breast and pancreatic tumor applications.
Bifurcations and chaotic dynamics in a linear switched reluctance motor

This paper presents first computed results of a switched linear variable reluctance motor showing nonlinear phenomena as bifurcations and chaotic dynamics. Performances of two models of the motor, operating in open loop, are compared by the mean of bifurcation diagrams and Poincare sections. The first one is a permeance model based on the flux tubes method. It is accurate but complex. The second one is simplified by using a harmonic method. The objective of this study is double. In a first time, the precise model is used to point out bifurcations and chaos. Then, qualitatively similar results obtained from the simplified model are presented to prove that non linear dynamics arise from the main non linearity of the motor and do not result from some details of motor manufacturing.
Radon 222 from the ocean surface

The flux of $sup 222$Rn from the ocean surface has been measured by the accumulation method off the windward coast of the island of Hawaii. A figure of 74 +- 8 atoms m$sup -2$ s$sup -1$ was obtained, compared with a range of values from 11 to 116 atoms m$sup -2$ s$sup -1$ calculated from near-surface $sup 222$Rn concentration profiles in seawater obtained by other investigators. If these results are representative, the total oceanic contribution to $sup 222$Rn in the global atmosphere is only about 2% of all $sup 222$Rn exhaled from continents. Fluxes obtained by the accumulation method in shallow bay waters nearshore were intermediate between the very low value measured in the open ocean and the values obtained onshore.
Loss of the low-frequency component of the global-flash multifocal electroretinogram in primate eyes with experimental glaucoma.

PURPOSE To study relationships between glaucoma-sensitive components identified with frequency-domain analysis of global-flash multifocal electroretinogram (mfERG), regional retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT), and local visual field sensitivity (VS). METHODS Eleven macaque monkeys, including four controls and seven with unilateral laser-induced trabecular meshwork scarification and ocular hypertension, were observed with optical coherence tomography (OCT), full-field light-adapted flash ERG, 103-hexagon global-flash mfERG (MFOFO), and static perimetry. The effects of experimental glaucoma on mfERG were assessed in the frequency domain. Relations between root mean square (RMS) amplitude of a glaucoma-sensitive frequency range and peripapillary RNFLT (standard 12° OCT circular scan), and between RMS amplitude and VS were studied. RESULTS Experimental glaucoma led to a dramatic and consistent power loss in the low-frequency (<25 Hz) band of mfERG. The RMS of this low-frequency component (LFC) correlated significantly with the regional RNFLT. The r(2) of linear fits was 0.39 (P < 0.001) for cross-sectional group data and 0.60 after correction for intersubject variability. The r(2) of linear fits for longitudinal data from individual animals was as high as 0.78 (P < 0.001). Local LFC RMS amplitude also correlated significantly with interpolated VS for hexagons. The r(2) for exponential fits of hexagon LFC RMS amplitudes (inner three rings) versus VS (dB) was 0.29 to 0.52 (P < 0.001) for the group and up to 0.95 in individuals. CONCLUSIONS The significant correlations between regional measures of global-flash mfERG, RNFLT, and VS suggest that LFC RMS amplitude provides a useful index for objective quantification of local RGC function and monitoring of early changes in glaucoma.
The moult migration

The flight- and tail-feathers are shed simultaneously in wildfowl, auks, divers, rails and a number of other groups, thus rendering the birds flightless and rather helpless for a period each year. The birds withdraw at this critical time to special areas where they are safe, usually to secluded places in dense marshes, lakes, coastal waters or the open sea. The main requirements of such areas are sufficient food, safety from predation, and (in water birds) an adequate depth of water. If these conditions are not met on the breeding ground or its immediate vicinity, the birds make a pre-moult shift to areas further away. This has in some cases resulted in a mass transfer of individuals in a fixed direction towards localized moulting places. This so-called 'Moult Migration' is particularly highly developed in wildfowl.
Optimal power distribution in robust, passive, fiber optic local communication networks with circulant topologies

The power distribution of circulant topologies for passive fiber optic local communication networks (FOLCN) in the shot-noise limited case is analyzed. This class of topologies is chosen for its symmetries in both logical structure and power distribution, as well as for its mathematical tractability. Analysis according to a mathematical model for power distribution allows comparison of various circulant topologies, where circulance refers to a particular topological symmetry, and demonstrates that a high degree of connectivity aids even distribution of power. Appropriate topological design yields a network that can support thousands of users within a 50-dB loss budget, when low loss components are used. <<ETX>>
Syllable-aware Neural Language Models: A Failure to Beat Character-aware Ones

Syllabification does not seem to improve word-level RNN language modeling quality when compared to character-based segmentation. However, our best syllable-aware language model, achieving performance comparable to the competitive character-aware model, has 18%-33% fewer parameters and is trained 1.2-2.2 times faster.
Compound streams, magnetic clouds, and major geomagnetic storms

Data from ISEE 3, Helios A, and Helios B were used to identify the components of two compound streams and to determine their configurations. (A compound stream is a stream which has formed as a result of the interaction of two or more distinct fast flows.) In one case, ejecta containing a magnetic cloud associated with a disappearing quiescent filament were interacting with a corotating stream. In the second case, ejecta containing a magnetic cloud associated with a 2B flare were overtaking ejecta from a different source. Each of these compound streams produced an unusually large geomagnetic storm, on April 3, 1979, and on April 25, 1979, respectively. The largest geomagnetic storm in the period 1968-1986, which occurred on July 13, 1982, was associated with a compound stream. Thirty geomagnetic storms with Ap > 90 occurred between 1972 and 1983, and there are interplanetary magnetic field and plasma data for 17 of these events. The data suggest that most large geomagnetic storms are associated with compound streams and/or magnetic clouds.
Study of the Validity of a Questionnaire to Assess the Adherence to Therapy in Patients Infected by HIV

Abstract Purpose: The purpose of our study was to examine the validity of a questionnaire to detect nonadherence in HIV-infected patients under antiretroviral treatment. Method: This was a cross-sectional study to validate a diagnostic test. Participants consisting of 242 HIV-infected patients were elected by consecutive sampling in a hospital in Madrid. The validation standard was the pharmacy dispensing records with the cut point being 80% and 90% of delivered drugs. Sensitivity (S), specificity (SP), positive predictive value (PPV), and positive likelihood ratio (PLR) of the questionnaire were estimated. Results: The mean age of the participants was 36.2 years old (SE 0.42), 55% were men, and 68.2% had used parenteral drugs. Eighty-three patients (34.3%) did not reach 80% of the prescribed dose and 129 patients (53.3%) did not reach 90%. In the 80% group, S was 25.3% (95% CI, 16.7%-36.2%),SP was 86.2% (95% CI, 79.6%-90.9%), PPV was 48.9% (95% CI, 33.5%-64.3%), and the PLR was 1.83 (95% CI, 1.07-3.13). In the 90% group, the S was 19.4% (95% CI, 13.4%-27.4%), SP was 84.0% (95% CI, 75.7%-90.0%), PPV was 58.1% (95% CI, 42.4%-72.6%), and PLR was 1.22 (95% CI, 0.70-2.12). Conclusion: The proposed questionnaire is not a reliable diagnostic method to detect nonadherence. It should only be incorporated into the daily clinical practice along with other methods of nonadherence measurement.
Pile Bearing Capacity Factors and Soil Crushabiity

The existence of large magnitude stresses at the tip of a bearing pile is a well known phenomenon leading to crushing of soil grains and thus affecting pile behavior. Classical foundation design calculations which assume that the soil fails in shear and neglect volume change can be safely used where stress levels or particle strengths prevent crushing, however in the case of weak grains or high foundation stresses consideration should be given to the effects of grain crushing and the resulting volumetric compression. Model pile tests have been carried out in two skeletal carbonate sands and a standard silica sand with the aim of examining the variation of skin friction and end bearing capacities with degree of penetration. The mobilization of the strength of crushable soils requires a much higher strain level while at the same time the end bearing pressure on the model piles exceeded 10 MPa inducing considerable particle breakage. The peak skin friction for all sands occurred at a settlement normalized by pile diameter, S/D, of less than 0.1. At this point the carbonate sands generally had lower skin friction values than the silica sand. Further displacement caused a rapid decrease in skin friction for all three materials. At higher lateral stresses the less crushable Toyoura silica sand generated higher skin frictions. Samples of Chiibishi sand were sectioned and photographed. It was observed that a spherical plastic zone was formed at the base of the pile which expanded with increasing S/D and a degraded layer of broken particles developed around the pile as S/D increased. Large values of the Marsal particle breakage factor were restricted to a zone extending outwards to one pile radius. An end bearing capacity modification factor has been proposed to adapt the conventional bearing capacity equation for soil crushability. This modification factor is a function of soil compressibility and degree of penetration. The factor was shown to decrease with increasing soil compressibility and increase with normalized penetration S/D.
Rapid-Cycle PCR Method To Detect Bordetella pertussis That Fulfills All Consensus Recommendations for Use of PCR in Diagnosis of Pertussis

ABSTRACT No standardized PCR method is available for the laboratory diagnosis of the pertussis syndrome. Consensus recommendations for the use of PCR in the diagnosis of Bordetella pertussisinfections have been proposed, and the aim of this study was to develop a method that fulfills all of these criteria. A rapid-cycle shared-primer PCR method with a microwell format and probe hybridization detection step (POR) was developed using novel oligonucleotides targeted to the outer membrane porin gene (Bordetella spp.). In specimens positive forBordetella spp. , B. pertussis was differentiated from Bordetella parapertussis andBordetella bronchiseptica by hybridization with organism-specific oligonucleotide probes. An internal control was developed using overlap extension PCR and mouse β-actin DNA. The analytical specificity was 100%. The analytical sensitivity was comparable to that of nested IS481 and IS1001PCR (∼1 organism per reaction). The clinical sensitivity and specificity were ascertained using 705 specimens (from 705 patients). The results were compared to those of a nested-PCR method targeting the insertion sequences IS481 and IS1001. Fifty-one specimens were positive for B. pertussis by POR and IS481 PCR. Two specimens which fulfilled a clinical definition of pertussis were positive by POR and negative by IS481 PCR. A total of 652 specimens were negative by both methods. B. parapertussis was not detected in any specimens. PCR inhibition was detected in 21 out of 705 specimens (2.98%). Thus, a rapid (4 h, including specimen preparation) PCR method which fulfills all of the consensus recommendations was developed and validated for the detection of B. pertussis.
Fine scale spatial variability of microbial pesticide degradation in soil: scales, controlling factors, and implications

Pesticide biodegradation is a soil microbial function of critical importance for modern agriculture and its environmental impact. While it was once assumed that this activity was homogeneously distributed at the field scale, mounting evidence indicates that this is rarely the case. Here, we critically examine the literature on spatial variability of pesticide biodegradation in agricultural soil. We discuss the motivations, methods, and main findings of the primary literature. We found significant diversity in the approaches used to describe and quantify spatial heterogeneity, which complicates inter-studies comparisons. However, it is clear that the presence and activity of pesticide degraders is often highly spatially variable with coefficients of variation often exceeding 50% and frequently displays non-random spatial patterns. A few controlling factors have tentatively been identified across pesticide classes: they include some soil characteristics (pH) and some agricultural management practices (pesticide application, tillage), while other potential controlling factors have more conflicting effects depending on the site or the pesticide. Evidence demonstrating the importance of spatial heterogeneity on the fate of pesticides in soil has been difficult to obtain but modeling and experimental systems that do not include soil's full complexity reveal that this heterogeneity must be considered to improve prediction of pesticide biodegradation rates or of leaching risks. Overall, studying the spatial heterogeneity of pesticide biodegradation is a relatively new field at the interface of agronomy, microbial ecology, and geosciences and a wealth of novel data is being collected from these different disciplinary perspectives. We make suggestions on possible avenues to take full advantage of these investigations for a better understanding and prediction of the fate of pesticides in soil.
Opening Up the Sky: A Comparison of Performance-Enhancing Features in SkyDrive and Dropbox

storage services are increasing in popularity and using a growing amount of bandwidth on the Internet. Insights on how much traffic is generated is needed for a number of reasons. Cloud storage providers are interested in serving their clients efficiently and effectively, and they want to know how their product is performing and how they can improve their service. Internet Service Providers need an indication of the amount of traffic generated by cloud storage. Lastly, users of cloud storage services might want to know how their favorite service performs. At the moment not much is known about the performance of different cloud storage providers, but this paper aims at getting a thorough understanding of those services and their impact on the Internet. This paper focuses on Microsoft SkyDrive, as this is the second most popular cloud storage service (1) and because it has been neatly integrated in the Microsoft Windows operating system. Microsoft SkyDrive will be compared to Dropbox in terms of performance-enhancing features. As shown in (1), Dropbox storage servers are all located in the United States, which is not an optimal solution for clients spread around the world. Also, the way SkyDrive manages and transfers its files will be analyzed to assert whether SkyDrive has deployed more efficient synchronization strategies than Dropbox. This research contributes to getting to know which technologies the state-of-the-art cloud storage services have or have not deployed to increase performance and to gain a thorough understanding of the performance of Microsoft SkyDrive compared to Dropbox's.
The little engine(s) that could: scaling online social networks

The difficulty of scaling Online Social Networks (OSNs) has introduced new system design challenges that has often caused costly re-architecting for services like Twitter and Facebook. The complexity of interconnection of users in social networks has introduced new scalability challenges. Conventional vertical scaling by resorting to full replication can be a costly proposition. Horizontal scaling by partitioning and distributing data among multiples servers - e.g. using DHTs - can lead to costly inter-server communication. We design, implement, and evaluate SPAR, a social partitioning and replication middle-ware that transparently leverages the social graph structure to achieve data locality while minimizing replication. SPAR guarantees that for all users in an OSN, their direct neighbor's data is co-located in the same server. The gains from this approach are multi-fold: application developers can assume local semantics, i.e., develop as they would for a single server; scalability is achieved by adding commodity servers with low memory and network I/O requirements; and redundancy is achieved at a fraction of the cost. We detail our system design and an evaluation based on datasets from Twitter, Orkut, and Facebook, with a working implementation. We show that SPAR incurs minimum overhead, and can help a well-known open-source Twitter clone reach Twitter's scale without changing a line of its application logic and achieves higher throughput than Cassandra, Facebook's DHT based key-value store database.
On the Capacity of Ad Hoc Networks Under Random Packet Losses

We consider the problem of determining asymptotic bounds on the capacity of a random <i>ad</i> <i>hoc</i> network. Previous approaches assumed a link layer model in which if a transmitter-receiver pair can communicate with each other, i.e., the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR) is above a certain threshold, then the transmitted packet is received error-free by the receiver thereby. Using this model, the per node capacity of the network was shown to be Theta(<sub>radic(n</sub> <sub>log</sub> <sub>n)</sub>/<sup>1</sup>). In reality, for any finite link SINR, there is a nonzero probability of erroneous reception of the packet. We show that in a large network, as the packet travels an asymptotically large number of hops from source to destination, the cumulative impact of packet losses over intermediate links results in a per-node throughput of only <i>O</i>(<sub>radic(n)</sub>/<sup>1</sup>) under the previously proposed routing and scheduling strategy. We then propose a new scheduling scheme to counter this effect. The proposed scheme provides tight guarantees on end-to-end packet loss probability, and improves the per-node throughput to Omega(<sub>radic(n)(log</sub> <sub>n)</sub>/<sup>1</sup>2<sub>(alpha-2)</sub>/<sup>alpha+2</sup>) where <i>alpha</i> <i>></i> <i>2</i> is the path loss exponent.
Skin Homograft Survival in Thymectomized Mice.∗

Summary The effect of thymectomy performed in mice either at birth or at 30 days of age on survival time of homologous skin grafts was studied. The results demonstrate that in certain donor-host strain combinations isogenic at the H-2 locus such as DBA/2 with (Balb/C X DBA/2)F1 and Z(C3H) with Ce, previous thymectomy of the host resulted in prolonged survival of the skin homografts. However, in other strain combinations differing at the H-2 locus such as Z(C3H) with (A X Z)F1 hybrid, thymectomy of the recipient resulted in a slight and perhaps unsignificant prolongation of skin homograft survival.
Nerve Bundles and Deep Dyspareunia in Endometriosis

The etiology of deep dyspareunia in endometriosis is unclear. Our objective was to determine whether nerve bundle density in the cul-de-sac/uterosacrals (zone II) is associated with deep dyspareunia in women with endometriosis. We conducted a blinded retrospective immunohistochemistry study (n = 58) at a tertiary referral center (2011-2013). Patients were stringently phenotyped into a study group and 2 control groups. The study group (tender endometriosis, n = 29) consisted of patients with deep dyspareunia, a tender zone II on examination, and an endometriosis lesion in zone II excised at surgery. Control group 1 (nontender endometriosis, n = 17) consisted of patients without deep dyspareunia, a nontender zone II on examination, and an endometriosis lesion in zone II excised at surgery. Control group 2 (tender nonendometriosis, n = 12) consisted of patients with deep dyspareunia, a tender zone II on examination, and a nonendometriosis lesion (eg, normal histology) in zone II excised at surgery. Protein gene product 9.5 (PGP9.5) immunohistochemistry was performed to identify nerve bundles (nerve fibers surrounded by perineurium) in the excised zone II lesion. PGP9.5 nerve bundle density (bundles/high powered field [HPF]) was then scored by a pathologist blinded to the group. We found a significant difference in PGP9.5 nerve bundle density between the 3 groups (analysis of variance, F2,55 = 6.39, P = .003). Mean PGP9.5 nerve bundle density was significantly higher in the study group (1.16 ± 0.56 bundles/HPF [±standard deviation]) compared to control group 1 (0.65 ± 0.36, Tukey test, P = .005) and control group 2 (0.72 ± 0.56, Tukey test, P = .044). This study provides evidence that neurogenesis in the cul-de-sac/uterosacrals may be an etiological factor for deep dyspareunia in endometriosis.