Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Improved radial GRAPPA calibration for real‐time free‐breathing cardiac imaging

To generate real‐time, nongated, free‐breathing cardiac images, the undersampled radial trajectory combined with parallel imaging in the form of radial GRAPPA has shown promise. However, this method starts to fail at high undersampling factors due to the assumptions that must be made for the purposes of calibrating the GRAPPA weight sets. In this manuscript, a novel through‐time radial GRAPPA calibration scheme is proposed which greatly improves image quality for the high acceleration factors required for real‐time cardiac imaging. This through‐time calibration method offers better image quality than standard radial GRAPPA, but it requires many additional calibration frames to be acquired. By combining the through‐time calibration method proposed here with the standard through‐k‐space radial GRAPPA calibration method, images with high acceleration factors can be reconstructed using few calibration frames. Both the through‐time and the hybrid through‐time/through‐k‐space methods are investigated to determine the most advantageous calibration parameters for an R = 6 in vivo short‐axis cardiac image. Once the calibration parameters have been established, they are then used to reconstruct several in vivo real‐time, free‐breathing cardiac datasets with temporal resolutions better than 45 msec, including one with a temporal resolution of 35 msec and an in‐plane resolution of 1.56 mm2. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Modeling Increased Repurchase Intentions for High-Tech B2B Offerings

ABSTRACT Overall customer satisfaction for industrial buyers is correlated with repurchase intentions. Components of overall satisfaction include satisfaction with the product (offering), satisfaction with the vendor's performance, and interpersonal satisfaction (satisfaction with the relationship with the salesperson). Research shows that industrial buyers evaluate components of satisfaction non-uniformly across various purchase categories (e.g., components of satisfaction are evaluated differently for capital equipment than for production process items). The same holds true for purchases of differentiated and non-differentiated (commodity) items; satisfaction with high-tech products is evaluated differently than for products with lower levels of technology. Data collected from a cross section of industrial offerings are categorized according to their levels of technology. Items from industries characterized by high expenditures on RD Szymanski & Henard, 2001; Homburg & Rudolph, 2001). The purpose of this study is to model, in B2B sales, the impacts of various components of satisfaction on repurchase intention. In particular, we examine the effects of components of satisfaction on repurchase intention for high-tech offerings. LITERATURE REVIEW One early focus of satisfaction research was to discover how satisfaction works. Accordingly, many models of customer satisfaction were investigated, including equity (e.g., Oliver & Swan, 1989a & 1989b), comparison, expectancy disconfirmation (e.g., Bearden & Teel, 1983; Bolton & Drew, 1991; Churchill & Surprenant, 1992), assimilation (Oliver, 1977), assimilation-contrast (LaTour & Peat, 1979), and dissonance (Cardozo, 1965; Oshikawa, 1968). While support for all of these models has been found, the most widely accepted model is the expectancy-disconfirmation paradigm (Patterson, Johnson & Spreng, 1997). In this model, when a consumer's expectation of performance is met, the expectation is said to be confirmed. When actual performance is below the expected level of performance, the expectation is negatively disconfirmed and when actual performance exceeds the expected level of performance, the expectation is positively disconfirmed. …
Distant mental influence of rate of hemolysis of human red blood cells

0 mifseS l nonUence controls. For each tube, rate of hemolysis was measured ohommetricX over a 1-minute trial period. Subjects and experimenter were blmd re^r^nTmtical aspects of the procedure, and subjects and tubes were located in separate SeVrr^ ZIZ* att^i^owa^^M^^rtrfglnThe^^^W^^on^o^Addirio^al JlyL predictionsthe results of those mathematical analyses were inconclusive. This research is SmSed in tee context of methodologies for investigating a possible role of ps. m selfhealing.
Supply chain management: theory, practice and future challenges

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to critically assess current developments in the theory and practice of supply management and through such an assessment to identify barriers, possibilities and key trends.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on a three‐year detailed study of six supply chains which encompassed 72 companies in Europe. The focal firms in each instance were sophisticated, blue‐chip corporations operating on an international scale. Managers across at least four echelons of the supply chain were interviewed and the supply chains were traced and observed.Findings – The paper reveals that supply management is, at best, still emergent in terms of both theory and practice. Few practitioners were able – or even seriously aspired – to extend their reach across the supply chain in the manner prescribed in much modern theory. The paper identifies the range of key barriers and enablers to supply management and it concludes with an assessment of the main trends.Research limitations/imp.
A Python-Based Open Source System for Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA) Utilizing Raster Attribute Tables

A modular system for performing Geographic Object-Based Image Analysis (GEOBIA), using entirely open source (General Public License compatible) software, is presented based around representing objects as raster clumps and storing attributes as a raster attribute table (RAT). The system utilizes a number of libraries, developed by the authors: The Remote Sensing and GIS Library (RSGISLib), the Raster I/O Simplification (RIOS) Python Library, the KEA image format and TuiView image viewer. All libraries are accessed through Python, providing a common interface on which to build processing chains. Three examples are presented, to demonstrate the capabilities of the system: (1) classification of mangrove extent and change in French Guiana; (2) a generic scheme for the classification of the UN-FAO land cover classification system (LCCS) and their subsequent translation to habitat categories; and (3) a national-scale segmentation for Australia. The system presented provides similar functionality to existing GEOBIA packages, but is more flexible, due to its modular environment, capable of handling complex classification processes and applying them to larger datasets.
Regional analysis of bedrock stream long profiles: evaluation of Hack's SL form, and formulation and assessment of an alternative (the DS form)

The equilibrium form of the fluvial long profile has been used to elucidate a wide range of aspects of landscape history including tectonic activity in tectonic collision zones, and in continental margin and other intraplate settings, as well as other base‐level changes such as due to sealevel fluctuations. The Hack SL form of the long profile, which describes a straight line on a log–normal plot of elevation (normal) versus distance (logarithmic), is the equilibrium long profile form that has been most widely used in such studies; slope–area analysis has also been used in recent years. We show that the SL form is a special case of a more general form of the equilibrium long profile (here called the DS form) that can be derived from the power relationship between stream discharge and downstream distance, and the dependence of stream incision on stream power. The DS form provides a better fit than the SL form to river long profiles in an intraplate setting in southeastern Australia experiencing low rates of denudation and mild surface uplift. We conclude that, if an a priori form of the long profile is to be used for investigations of regional landscape history, the DS form is preferable. In particular, the DS form in principle enables equilibrium steepening due to an increase in channel substrate lithological resistance (parallel shift in the DS plot) to be distinguished from disequilibrium steepening due to long profile rejuvenation (disordered outliers on the DS plot). Slope–area analysis and the slope–distance (DS) approach outlined here are complementary approaches, reflecting the close relationship between downstream distance and downstream catchment area. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cooperative node localization using nonlinear data projection

Cooperative node localization schemes that employ nonlinear data reduction often deliver higher network node position accuracy compared to many other approaches. Other advantages of such algorithms are that they require only a minimum number of anchor nodes (if we require absolute locations) and that they can be applied under both range-based and range-free conditions. This article presents a novel cooperative node localization scheme, applying an efficient neural network nonlinear projection method called Curvilinear Component Analysis (CCA). A thorough comparative performance study of the proposed scheme in different mission-critical operational network scenarios is conducted. Compared with another leading cooperative node localization algorithm, MDS-MAP, which employs Multi-Dimensional Scaling (MDS), the proposed CCA-MAP approach significantly improves position estimate accuracy in many of the scenarios. We also propose a new local edge model for range-free distance matrix approximation that considerably enhances the performance for both MDS-MAP and CCA-MAP in certain irregular network configurations which are very challenging for node positioning.
A new pricing mechanism for power control in multicell wireless data networks

In multicell wireless data networks, users should solve a two-dimensional optimization problem including transmit power and base station assignment to get better network service, which is hard to solve. In this paper, the strategy of dimension reduction is used to solve the optimization problem, where the base station is determined first and then the optimal power. In order to improve the fairness of utilization of the network, a novel pricing mechanism is introduced, where both the path gain and the signal-to-interference ratio are integrated together. Theoretical results give the condition for the existence of Nash Equilibrium solution. And simulations show that the introduced pricing mechanism not only leads to better performance comparing with traditional linear power pricing mechanism, but also improves the fairness of the payment on the two base station assignment.
Sex-differential brain activation during exposure to female and male faces

Sex-discriminating facial features are examples of visual information involved in guiding social behavior. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess brain responses in face-relevant brain areas in men and women during exposure to neutral male and female faces. An increased fMRI signal was found in the left amygdala and adjacent anterior temporal regions in men, but not in women, during exposure to faces of the opposite versus the same sex. These data indicate that the relationship between the sex of the subject and the sex of the face affects activity in the inferior temporal lobe. The sex-differential nature of this activation pattern may reflect sex differences in cognitive style and attentional processes when confronting faces of the opposite sex.
Patterns of Error in College Students Resulting from Semantic Generalization on Two Measures of Word Association

This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses and Dissertations at Loyola eCommons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of Loyola eCommons. For more information, please contact ecommons@luc.edu. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I acknowledge with gratitude the accessibility of and the encouragement and criticisms recieved from the members of my Thesis Committee, Drs. James Johnson and Leroy Wauck. I am also grateful to the Psychology Department for providing·the funds to buy equipment needed for the completion of this study.
Promoting Protection Against a Threat That Evokes Positive Affect: The Case of Heat Waves in the United Kingdom

Heat waves can cause death, illness, and discomfort, and are expected to become more frequent as a result of climate change. Yet, United Kingdom residents have positive feelings about hot summers that may undermine their willingness to protect themselves against heat. We randomly assigned United Kingdom participants to 1 of 3 intervention strategies intended to promote heat protection, or to a control group. The first strategy aimed to build on the availability heuristic by asking participants to remember high summer temperatures, but it elicited thoughts of pleasantly hot summer weather. The second strategy aimed to build on the affect heuristic by evoking negative affect about summer temperatures, but it evoked thoughts of unpleasantly cold summer weather. The third strategy combined these 2 approaches and succeeded in evoking thoughts of unpleasantly hot summer weather. Across 2 experiments, the third (combined) strategy increased participants’ expressed intentions to protect against heat compared with the control group, while performing at least as well as the 2 component strategies. We discuss implications for developing interventions about other “pleasant hazards. ”
The Activity of TcCYS4 Modified by Variations in pH and Temperature Can Affect Symptoms of Witches’ Broom Disease of Cocoa, Caused by the Fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa

The phytocystatins regulate various physiological processes in plants, including responses to biotic and abiotic stresses, mainly because they act as inhibitors of cysteine proteases. In this study, we have analyzed four cystatins from Theobroma cacao L. previously identified in ESTs libraries of the interaction with the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa and named TcCYS1, TcCYS2, TcCYS3 and TcCYS4. The recombinant cystatins were purified and subjected to the heat treatment, at different temperatures, and their thermostabilities were monitored using their ability to inhibit papain protease. TcCYS1 was sensitive to temperatures above 50°C, while TcCYS2, TcCYS3, and TcCYS4 were thermostable. TcCYS4 presented a decrease of inhibitory activity when it was treated at temperatures between 60 and 70°C, with the greater decrease occurring at 65°C. Analyses by native gel electrophoresis and size-exclusion chromatography showed that TcCYS4 forms oligomers at temperatures between 60 and 70°C, condition where reduction of inhibitory activity was observed. TcCYS4 oligomers remain stable for up to 20 days after heat treatment and are undone after treatment at 80°C. TcCYS4 presented approximately 90% of inhibitory activity at pH values between 5 and 9. This protein treated at temperatures above 45°C and pH 5 presented reduced inhibitory activity against papain, suggesting that the pH 5 enhances the formation of TcCYS4 oligomers. A variation in the titratable acidity was observed in tissues of T. cacao during the symptoms of witches’ broom disease. Our findings suggest that the oligomerization of TcCYS4, favored by variations in pH, is an endergonic process. We speculate that this process can be involved in the development of the symptoms of witches’ broom disease in cocoa.
Debris discs around nearby solar analogues

An unbiased search for debris discs around nearby Sun-like stars is reported. 13 G-dwarfs at 12–15 parsec distance were searched at 850 μm wavelength, and a disc is confirmed around HD 30495. The estimated dust mass is 0.008 M⊕ with a net limit ≲0.0025 M⊕ for the average disc of the other stars. The results suggest there is not a large missed population of substantial cold discs around Sun-like stars – HD 30495 is a bright rather than unusually cool disc, and may belong to a few hundred Myr old population of greater dust luminosity. The far-infrared and millimetre survey data for Sun-like stars are well fitted by either steady state or stirred models, provided that typical comet belts are comparable in size to that in the Solar system.
A Unit Quaternion Based SOM for Anatomical Joint Constraint Modelling

The accurate simulation of anatomical joint models is becoming increasingly important for both realistic animation and diagnostic medical applications. Recent models have exploited unit quaternions to eliminate singularities when modelling orientations between limbs at a joint. This has led to the development of unit quaternion based joint constraint validation and correction methods. This paper builds on previous work which suggested that Self Organizing Maps (SOMs) were capable of modelling regular spherical constraints on the orientation of the limb. Here we consider the extensions to this approach in the form of a SOM with weights in unit quaternion space and appropriate distance and update methods.
A Study on English Education of Multicultural Families’ Children

본 연구의 목적은 다문화가정 자녀가 한국의 EFL (English as a Foreign Language) 상황에서의 영어교육을 어떻게 하고 있는지를 알아보고자 한다. 본 연구를 위해서 68명의 다문화가정 어머니들에게 자녀의 영어교육에 대한 설문조사를 실시했다. 응답자의 66.2%(N=45)의 다문화가정 어머니들은 자녀에게 영어를 가르치고 있지 않다고 응답하였다. 반면 응답자의 50%(N=34)의 다문화가정 어머니들은 자녀의 영어능력이 낮다고 인식하고 있었다. 그들 자녀의 영어교육의 중요성에 대해서 67.7%(N=46)의 다문화가정 어머니들이 중요하다고 여겼다. 그럼에도 불구하고 64.7%(N=44)의 어머니들은 자녀의 영어능력신장을 위해서 가정에서 도움을 주고 있지 못하다고 응답했다. 또한, 42.6%(N=29)의 어머니들은 자녀의 영어교육 신장을 할 수 있는 요소로 자녀들의 영어를 배우려는 의지와 동기의식, 27.9%(N=19)의 어머니는 그들을 사교육을 포함해서 영어를 가르칠 수 있는 경제적인 뒷받침과 22.1%(N=15)의 어머니들은 다문화가정 자녀들을 위한 지역사회의 도움이라고 응답했다. 연구결과의 심도있는 논의를 위해서 13명(6명의 다문화 가정 어머니, 6명의 그들의 자녀와 한 명의 초등 영어교사)의 인터뷰가 행하여졌다. 본 연구는 연구 결과를 토대로 앞으로 학교에서 영어교육을 실행하는데 있어서 선생님, 부모님, 학생들에게 몇 가지 제안점을 시사하고 있다.
Charting the development of sport expertise: challenges and opportunities

ABSTRACT This review poses three key issues that will progress our understanding of the sport expertise literature and its translational scientific impact. Primarily relying on research conducted in interceptive sport tasks, and to a lesser extent team sports, we review the perceptual-cognitive skills of sports experts and explore the challenge of designing a sufficiently representative task to examine expertise. We focus on the methodological challenges presented by the reciprocal relationship between players’ action capabilities and their perceptual-cognitive skill. Second, we consider the need for a paradigm shift in the experimental approach used when examining the development of sport expertise. In short, a shift from traditional expert-novice designs to more prospective longitudinal designs that cross-sectionally track the development of expertise is discussed. The final issue considers how the volume of in situ data now collected provides a rich source of information that sport expertise researchers have only begun to consider and integrate with more traditional sport psychology research. We demonstrate how statistical approaches that have described the likely trajectories of expert performers on their journey toward expertise coupled with more traditional qualitative experimental approaches can provide useful insights into the development of psychological performance skills and more broadly sport expertise.
Trends in Video Game Play through Childhood, Adolescence, and Emerging Adulthood

This study explored the relationship between video gaming and age during childhood, adolescence, and emerging adulthood. It also examined whether “role incompatibility,” the theory that normative levels of substance use decrease through young adulthood as newly acquired adult roles create competing demands, generalizes to video gaming. Emerging adult video gamers (n = 702) recruited from video gaming contexts in New York City completed a computer-assisted personal interview and life-history calendar. All four video gaming indicators—days/week played, school/work day play, nonschool/work day play, and problem play—had significant curvilinear relationships with age. The “shape” of video gaming's relationship with age is, therefore, similar to that of substance use, but video gaming appears to peak earlier in life than substance use, that is, in late adolescence rather than emerging adulthood. Of the four video gaming indicators, role incompatibility only significantly affected school/work day play, the dimension with the clearest potential to interfere with life obligations.
Discrimination of Alcoholics from Non-Alcoholics using Supervised Learning on Resting EEG

Alcoholism is a widespread problem that can have serious medical consequences. Alcoholism screening tests are used to identify patients who are at risk for complications from alcohol abuse, but accurate diagnosis of alcohol dependence must be done by structured clinical interview. Scalp Electroencephalography (EEG) is a noisy, non-stationary signal produced by an aggregate of brain activity from neurons close to the scalp. Previous research has identified a relationship between information extracted from resting scalp EEG and alcoholism, but it has not been established if this relationship is strong enough to have meaningful diagnostic utility. In this thesis, we investigate the efficacy of using supervised machine learning on resting scalp EEG data to build models that can match clinical diagnoses of alcohol dependence. We extract features from four minute eyes-closed resting scalp EEG recordings, and use these features to train discriminative models for identifying alcohol dependence. We found that we can achieve an average AUROC of . 65 in males, and . 63 in females. These results suggest that a diagnostic tool could use scalp EEG data to diagnose alcohol dependence with better than random performance. However, further investigation is required to evaluate the generalizability of our results. Thesis Supervisor: John Guttag Title: Professor, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Normalizing the Speech Modulation Spectrum for Robust Speech Recognition

This paper presents a novel feature normalization technique for robust speech recognition. The proposed technique normalizes the temporal structure of the feature to reduce the feature variation due to environmental interferences. Specifically, it normalizes the utterance-dependent feature modulation spectrum to a reference function by filtering the feature using a square-root Wiener filter in the temporal domain. We show experimentally that the proposed technique when combined with mean and variance normalization technique (MVN) reduces the word error rate significantly on the AURORA-2 task, with relative error rate reduction 69.11% compared to the baseline.