Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Energy response of EBT3 radiochromic films: implications for dosimetry in kilovoltage range

The objective of this study is to evaluate the suitability of recently introduced radiochromic film EBT3 for clinical dosimetry in the kilovoltage (kV) range. For this purpose, a kV X‐ray irradiator, X RAD 320ix in the range 70 to 300 kVp, a clinical 60Co source, a 6 MV and an 18 MV X‐ray clinical beam from a Varian linear accelerator were calibrated following AAPM dosimetry protocols. EBT3 films from two different EBT3 batches were placed side‐by‐side on the surface of a water phantom; doses from 0.5 to 4 Gy were delivered. Similarly, irradiations were performed for 60Co and 6 and 18 MV beams in a water‐equivalent phantom. Films were reproducibly placed at the center of a flatbed scanner and 48‐bit RGB scans were obtained both pre‐ and postirradiations. Net optical density (netOD) and response for a given radiation quality relative to 60Co was determined for each EBT3 film. The netOD of the red color showed reproducible response (within 1%) for both batches when irradiated using the 60Co source. For a given dose of 1 Gy of kVp X‐ray, the response relative to 60Co using the three color channels (red, green, and blue) decreases with decrease in kVp, reaching a maximum underresponse of ∼20% for the 70 kVp. A significant underresponse of ∼5% was observed at 300 kVp. Responses of MV X‐ray beams with respect to 60Co at the 1 Gy dose level showed no statistically significant difference. A relatively small difference in the response was observed between the two EBT3 batches used in this study in the kV X‐ray range. PACS numbers: 87.56. B, 87.57. uq
Estimating Missing Temporal Meta-Information using Knowledge-Based-Trust

A large number of HTML Tables on the Web contain relational data which can be used to augment knowledge bases such as DBpedia, Yago, or Wikidata. A large part of this data is time-dependent, i.e., the correctness of a fact depends on a specific temporal scope. In order to use this data for knowledge base augmentation, we need temporal meta-information. Existing methods rely on timestamps within the table itself or its context as temporal meta-information. Yet, the relationship between these timestamps and data within a table is often unclear. Additionally, timestamps are rather sparse, and there are many web tables for which no timestamps exist. Knowledge-Based-Trust (KBT) uses the overlap with ground-truth to estimate the trustworthiness of a dataset. This paper introduces TimedKBT, which overcomes the dependence on sparse and possibly misinterpreted timestamps by propagating temporal meta-information from a knowledge base to web table data using KBT. It also derives a trust score that estimates the correctness of the data and the assigned temporal meta-information. We evaluate Timed-KBT on the use case of fusing data from a large corpus of web tables for filling missing facts in a knowledge base. Our evaluation shows that Timed-KBT yields an increase in F0.25-Measure of 19.01 % when compared to KBT and 9.44 % when compared to a method that relies solely on timestamps extracted from the table and its context.
Clinical course of dengue fever and its impact on renal function in renal transplant recipients and patients with chronic kidney disease

Dengue fever is a mosquito‐borne viral disease endemic in many tropical and sub‐tropical countries. There are only limited data in the literature about dengue fever in renal transplant recipients and patients with chronic kidney disease. This study compares the clinical course of dengue fever and its impact on renal function in renal transplant recipients, patients with chronic kidney disease and patients with normal baseline renal function.
Automating the initial physics chart‐checking process

The initial physics chart check, an essential quality assurance process, verifies that the physician intent is properly expressed in the treatment plan, the treatment plan is reasonable, and the Record and Verify (RV) system properly captures the plan parameters. In this work the process was automated by characterizing the initial physics chart check as a universal set of steps, compartmentalized into intra‐plan and inter‐plan reviews. The intra‐plan review confirms the diagnosis‐prescription‐plan correlation, and verifies transfer accuracy of the signed treatment plan parameters into the RV system. The inter‐plan review tabulates all RV parameters for similar cases, and highlights outliers. The tabulation of RV parameters for similar cases enables a summation of experience across staff members, and facilitates a comparison using the Statistical Process Control (SPC) formalism. A summary sheet, added to each reviewed chart, automatically documents deviations noted during the review process. Forty‐five patient charts were analyzed using the software. The length of time for the entire initial chart‐checking process was reduced from about an hour to a few minutes. The code developed in this work allows the user to consider the big picture, trusting the software to track details. PACS number 89.20. Bb
On the Query Complexity of Black-Peg AB-Mastermind

Mastermind is a two players zero sum game of imperfect information. Starting with Erdős and Renyi (1963), its combinatorics have been studied to date by several authors, e.g., Knuth (1977), Chvatal (1983), Goodrich (2009). The first player, called “codemaker”, chooses a secret code and the second player, called “codebreaker”, tries to break the secret code by making as few guesses as possible, exploiting information that is given by the codemaker after each guess. For variants that allow color repetition, Doerr et al. (2016) showed optimal results. In this paper, we consider the so called Black-Peg variant of Mastermind, where the only information concerning a guess is the number of positions in which the guess coincides with the secret code. More precisely, we deal with a special version of the Black-Peg game with n holes and k ≥ n colors where no repetition of colors is allowed. We present upper and lower bounds on the number of guesses necessary to break the secret code. For the case k = n , the secret code can be algorithmically identified within less than ( n − 3 ) ⌈ log 2 n ⌉ + 5 2 n − 1 queries. This result improves the result of Ker-I Ko and Shia-Chung Teng (1985) by almost a factor of 2. For the case k > n , we prove an upper bound of ( n − 2 ) ⌈ log 2 n ⌉ + k + 1 . Furthermore, we prove a new lower bound of n for the case k = n , which improves the recent n − log log ( n ) bound of Berger et al. (2016). We then generalize this lower bound to k queries for the case k ≥ n .
Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis in a Patient with Ulcerative Colitis Flare

Inflammatory bowel disease is characterized by a chronic inflammatory state and is therefore associated with abnormalities in coagulation and a hypercoagulable state. Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis is a rare complication of inflammatory bowel disease yet contributes significant morbidity and mortality to those affected. Early diagnosis is critical, as a delay in diagnosis portends a worse prognosis. This paper seeks to highlight the increased risk of venous sinus thrombosis in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. We start by discussing the case of a seventeen-year-old female who presented with ulcerative colitis flare and developed new-onset seizures, found to be caused by a large venous sinus thrombosis.
The Contributions of Lewis Fry Richardson to Drainage Theory, Soil Physics, and the Soil-Plant-Atmosphere Continuum

Lewis Fry Richardson (1881-1953) was an English polymath, who made important contributions to many fields, including numerical weather prediction, finite difference solutions of partial differential equations, turbulent flow and diffusion, fractals, and the cause and evolution of conflicts. In 1922 he published the book `Weather Prediction by Numerical Process'. He did the research for this book under difficult circumstances just before, during, and just after World War I. The book received a lot of attention initially, but methods like those proposed in it were not successfully implemented until the invention of fast digital computers around 1950. To model heat and mass transfer in the atmosphere, Richardson did much original work on turbulent flow and defined what is now known as the Richardson number. His technique for improving the convergence of a finite difference calculation is known as Richardson extrapolation, and was used by John Philip in his 1957 semi-analytical solution of the Richards equation for water movement in unsaturated soil. With the first draft of his book just finished, from mid-1916 the pacifist Richardson drove an ambulance in France during the later part of World War I. But even then, In his spare time, he did weather related experiments and computations, rewrote the first draft of his book, and started a new scientific career in the study of conflicts, again using existing and inventing new mathematical tools. Posthumously, most of Richardson$'$s contributions in various fields received considerable attention. But important exceptions are his contributions to soil science and hydrology, on which we focus in this paper. His first published papers in 1908 concerned the numerical solution of the free surface problem of unconfined flow of water in saturated soil, arising in the design of required ditch spacing for draining peat. He developed and used a graphical method to solve this problem. This and other practical problems stimulated his interest in numerical methods and soon led him to the challenge of numerical weather prediction. Richardson formulated an elaborate model for transport processes in the atmosphere. For the lower boundary of his atmospheric model he needed to understand the movement of liquid
Preference for Safe Over Risky Options in Binge Eating

Binge eating has been usually viewed as a loss of control and an impulsive behavior. But, little is known about the actual behavior of binging patients (prevalently women) in terms of basic decision-making under risk or under uncertainty. In healthy women, stressful cues bias behavior for safer options, raising the question of whether food cues that are perceived as threatening by binging patients may modulate patients’ behaviors towards safer options. A cross-sectional study was conducted with binging patients (20 bulimia nervosa (BN) and 23 anorexia nervosa binging (ANB) patients) and two control groups (22 non-binging restrictive (ANR) anorexia nervosa patients and 20 healthy participants), without any concomitant impulsive disorder. We assessed decisions under risk with a gambling task with known probabilities and decisions under uncertainty with the balloon analog risk taking task (BART) with unknown probabilities of winning, in three cued-conditions including neutral, binge food and stressful cues. In the gambling task, binging and ANR patients adopted similar safer attitudes and coherently elicited a higher aversion to losses when primed by food as compared to neutral cues. This held true for BN and ANR patients in the BART. After controlling for anxiety level, these safer attitudes in the food condition were similar to the ones under stress. In the BART, ANB patients exhibited a higher variability in their choices in the food compared to neutral condition. This higher variability was associated with higher difficulties to discard irrelevant information. All these results suggest that decision-making under risk and under uncertainty is not fundamentally altered in all these patients.
Measuring Faculty Perceptions of Blackboard Using the Technology Acceptance Model

Web-based education offers the combination of self-paced learning and interactivity. We are just now beginning to empirically assess the differences between online education and traditional classroom based instruction. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) has been widely used in Information Systems research to analyze user perceptions of technology. This paper describes the results of an empirical study of faculty perception of Blackboard usage, utilizing TAM as its theoretical basis.
From Young and Hot to Old and Cold: Comparing White Dwarf Cooling Theory to Main-Sequence Stellar Evolution in Open Clusters

I explore the current ability of both white dwarf cooling theory and main-sequence stellar evolution theory to accurately determine stellar population ages by comparing ages derived using both techniques for open clusters ranging from 0.1 to 4 Gyr. I find good agreement between white dwarf and main-sequence evolutionary ages over the entire age range currently available for study. I also find that directly comparing main-sequence turnoff ages to white dwarf ages is only weakly sensitive to realistic levels of errors in cluster distance, metallicity, and reddening. Additional detailed comparisons between white dwarf and main-sequence ages have tremendous potential to refine and calibrate both of these important clocks, and I present new simulations of promising open cluster targets. The most demanding requirements for these white dwarf studies are very deep (V ≥ 25-28) cluster observations made necessary by the faintness of the oldest white dwarfs.
STUDENT APPROACHES TO LEARNING: AN EXPLORATORY STUDY

In this study, the partial least square approach (PLS) is applied to investigate students’ approaches to learning in the framework of online or hybrid courses. A total of 140 valid responses from students who have finished or are currently enrolled in at least one MIS online or hybrid course were analyzed using a structural equation model and the results are presented herein.
Efficacy of robust optimization plan with partial‐arc VMAT for photon volumetric‐modulated arc therapy: A phantom study

Abstract This study investigated position dependence in planning target volume (PTV)‐based and robust optimization plans using full‐arc and partial‐arc volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT). The gantry angles at the periphery, intermediate, and center CTV positions were 181°–180° (full‐arc VMAT) and 181°–360° (partial‐arc VMAT). A PTV‐based optimization plan was defined by 5 mm margin expansion of the CTV to a PTV volume, on which the dose constraints were applied. The robust optimization plan consisted of a directly optimized dose to the CTV under a maximum‐uncertainties setup of 5 mm. The prescription dose was normalized to the CTV D99% (the minimum relative dose that covers 99% of the volume of the CTV) as an original plan. The isocenter was rigidly shifted at 1 mm intervals in the anterior‐posterior (A‐P), superior‐inferior (S‐I), and right‐left (R‐L) directions from the original position to the maximum‐uncertainties setup of 5 mm in the original plan, yielding recalculated dose distributions. It was found that for the intermediate and center positions, the uncertainties in the D99% doses to the CTV for all directions did not significantly differ when comparing the PTV‐based and robust optimization plans (P > 0.05). For the periphery position, uncertainties in the D99% doses to the CTV in the R‐L direction for the robust optimization plan were found to be lower than those in the PTV‐based optimization plan (P < 0.05). Our study demonstrated that a robust optimization plan's efficacy using partial‐arc VMAT depends on the periphery CTV position.
AdaM: Adapting Multi-User Interfaces for Collaborative Environments in Real-Time

Developing cross-device multi-user interfaces (UIs) is a challenging problem. There are numerous ways in which content and interactivity can be distributed. However, good solutions must consider multiple users, their roles, their preferences and access rights, as well as device capabilities. Manual and rule-based solutions are tedious to create and do not scale to larger problems nor do they adapt to dynamic changes, such as users leaving or joining an activity. In this paper, we cast the problem of UI distribution as an assignment problem and propose to solve it using combinatorial optimization. We present a mixed integer programming formulation which allows real-time applications in dynamically changing collaborative settings. It optimizes the allocation of UI elements based on device capabilities, user roles, preferences, and access rights. We present a proof-of-concept designer-in-the-loop tool, allowing for quick solution exploration. Finally, we compare our approach to traditional paper prototyping in a lab study.
A Decentralized Coordination Control Method for Parallel Bidirectional Power Converters in a Hybrid AC–DC Microgrid

In the hybrid ac–dc microgrid, the ac and dc subgrids are connected by bidirectional power converters (BPCs) that play an important role in the load power sharing and power interaction between the ac and dc subgrids. The coordination control and circulating current suppression for the parallel BPC system are very challenging. In this paper, a decentralized coordination control method is proposed for parallel three-phase BPCs, which can suppress the circulating currents, realize proper power interaction, and achieve overall load power sharing in both the grid-connected mode and the islanded mode. The performance of the proposed control methods is verified by the real-time hardware-in-loop tests.
Altered Ratio of T Follicular Helper Cells to T Follicular Regulatory Cells Correlates with Autoreactive Antibody Response in Simian Immunodeficiency Virus–Infected Rhesus Macaques

Individuals with chronic HIV-1 infection have an increased prevalence of autoreactive Abs. Many of the isolated HIV broadly neutralizing Abs from these individuals are also autoreactive. However, the underlying mechanism(s) that produce these autoreactive broadly neutralizing Abs remains largely unknown. The highly regulated coordination among B cells, T follicular helper (TFH) cells, and T follicular regulatory (TFR) cells in germinal centers (GCs) of peripheral lymphatic tissues (LTs) is essential for defense against pathogens while also restricting autoreactive responses. We hypothesized that an altered ratio of TFH/TFR cells in the GC contributes to the increased prevalence of autoreactive Abs in chronic HIV infection. We tested this hypothesis using a rhesus macaque (RM) SIV model. We measured the frequency of TFH cells, TFR cells, and GC B cells in LTs and anti-dsDNA and anti-phospholipid Abs from Indian RMs, with and without SIV infection. We found that the frequency of anti-dsDNA and anti-phospholipid Abs was much higher in chronically infected RMs (83.3% [5/6] and 66.7% [4/6]) than in acutely infected RMs (33.3% [2/6] and 18.6% [1/6]) and uninfected RMs (0% [0/6] and 18.6% [1/6]). The increased ratio of TFH/TFR cells in SIV infection correlated with anti-dsDNA and anti-phospholipid autoreactive Ab levels, whereas the frequency of TFR cells alone did not correlate with the levels of autoreactive Abs. Our results provide direct evidence that the ratio of TFH/TFR cells in LTs is critical for regulating autoreactive Ab production in chronic SIV infection and possibly, by extension, in chronic HIV-1 infection.
Computations of Combustion-Powered Actuation for Dynamic Stall Suppression

A computational framework for the simulation of dynamic stall suppression with combustion-powered actuation (COMPACT) is validated against wind tunnel experimental results on a VR-12 airfoil. COMPACT slots are located at 10% chord from the leading edge of the airfoil and directed tangentially along the suction-side surface. Helicopter rotor-relevant flow conditions are used in the study. A computationally efficient two-dimensional approach, based on unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS), is compared in detail against the baseline and the modified airfoil with COMPACT, using aerodynamic forces, pressure profiles, and flow-field data. The two-dimensional RANS approach predicts baseline static and dynamic stall very well. Most of the differences between the computational and experimental results are within two standard deviations of the experimental data. The current framework demonstrates an ability to predict COMPACT efficacy across the experimental dataset. Enhanced aerodynamic lift on the downstroke of the pitching cycle due to COMPACT is well predicted, and the cycleaveraged lift enhancement computed is within 3% of the test data. Differences with experimental data are discussed with a focus on three-dimensional features not included in the simulations and the limited computational model for COMPACT.
Distinguishing the Signs of Fungal and Burial-Induced Degradation in Waterlogged Wood from Biskupin (Poland) by Scanning Electron Microscopy

Abstract A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) investigation of pine (Pinus sylvestris) and oak (Quercus sp.) wood samples exposed to various types of natural degradation is presented with the aim of discussing the correct identification of multiple degradation signs in waterlogged wood. This is part of an experiment performed at the archeological site of Biskupin (Poland) to evaluate the dynamics of short-term wood degradation during reburial and the suitability of excavated wood as substrate for the fungal attack. The final aim is to support and inform the in situ conservation strategy currently applied to archeological woods. To replicate the burial conditions, wood samples were put into lake water and peat. The samples were removed from the burial environments after 4, 6, 8, and 10 years, and then exposed to laboratory-controlled attack by a brown rot fungus Coniophora puteana and a white rot fungus Coriolus versicolor. SEM images were acquired for all samples before and after the fungal attack. The results showed a slight degradation occurred in the burial environments (soft rot and bacteria). In addition, both typical and previously neglected features of fungal attack were observed, highlighting that the extent of the fungal decay varies according to the previous degree of wood degradation. Some comparisons are provided with archeological wood samples from the Biskupin site.
Organizational reputation in firms with owner-manager conflicts

We model a professionally managed firm with a single asset — its organizational reputation. In contrast to classic economic models of reputation under incomplete information, (1) the firm’s owner and manager are distinct agents with conflicting interests, (2) reputation adheres to the firm and arises from a feature of its organization and not the “type” of its manager. The inclusion of these realistic features of modern corporations dramatically changes the calculus of firm reputation from classic economic models: Firm reputation depends on outsiders’ perceptions about the viability of its oversight system that restricts the manager’s ability to act in his own interests, and is highest when outsiders believe the firm is highly likely to be the “bad type” with a relatively ineffective oversight system. JEL Classification Codes: C91, D82, G31, G32, G34, L15