Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An investigation into factors affecting electron density calibration for a megavoltage cone‐beam CT system

There is a growing interest in the use of megavoltage cone‐beam computed tomography (MV CBCT) data for radiotherapy treatment planning. To calculate accurate dose distributions, knowledge of the electron density (ED) of the tissues being irradiated is required. In the case of MV CBCT, it is necessary to determine a calibration‐relating CT number to ED, utilizing the photon beam produced for MV CBCT. A number of different parameters can affect this calibration. This study was undertaken on the Siemens MV CBCT system, MVision, to evaluate the effect of the following parameters on the reconstructed CT pixel value to ED calibration: the number of monitor units (MUs) used (5, 8, 15 and 60 MUs), the image reconstruction filter (head and neck, and pelvis), reconstruction matrix size (256 by 256 and 512 by 512), and the addition of extra solid water surrounding the ED phantom. A Gammex electron density CT phantom containing EDs from 0.292 to 1.707 was imaged under each of these conditions. The linear relationship between MV CBCT pixel value and ED was demonstrated for all MU settings and over the range of EDs. Changes in MU number did not dramatically alter the MV CBCT ED calibration. The use of different reconstruction filters was found to affect the MV CBCT ED calibration, as was the addition of solid water surrounding the phantom. Dose distributions from treatment plans calculated with simulated image data from a 15 MU head and neck reconstruction filter MV CBCT image and a MV CBCT ED calibration curve from the image data parameters and a 15 MU pelvis reconstruction filter showed small and clinically insignificant differences. Thus, the use of a single MV CBCT ED calibration curve is unlikely to result in any clinical differences. However, to ensure minimal uncertainties in dose reporting, MV CBCT ED calibration measurements could be carried out using parameter‐specific calibration measurements. PACS number: 87.59. bd
Plate Versus Tension-Band Wire Fixation for Olecranon Fractures: A Prospective Randomized Trial

Background: The aim of this single-center, single-blinded, prospective randomized trial was to compare the outcomes of tension-band wire (TBW) and plate fixation for simple isolated, displaced fractures of the olecranon. Methods: We performed a prospective randomized trial involving 67 patients who were ≥16 to <75 years of age and had an acute isolated, displaced fracture of the olecranon. Patients were randomized to either TBW (n = 34) or plate fixation (n = 33) and were evaluated at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 1 year following surgery. The primary outcome measure was the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) score at 1 year. Results: The baseline demographic and fracture characteristics of the 2 groups were comparable, except for age, which was lower in the TBW group. The 1-year follow-up rate was 85% (n = 57), with 84% (n = 56) completing the DASH. There was a significant improvement in the DASH score over the 1-year period following surgery (p < 0.001). At 1 year, the DASH score for the TBW group (12.8) did not differ significantly from that of the plate group (8.5) (p = 0.315). The groups also did not differ significantly in terms of range of motion, the Broberg and Morrey score, the Mayo Elbow Score, or the DASH at all assessment points over the 1 year (all p ≥ 0.05). Complication rates were significantly higher in the TBW group (63% compared with 38%; p = 0.042), predominantly because of a significantly higher rate of metalwork removal in symptomatic patients (50.0% compared with 22%; p = 0.021). Four infections occurred, all in the plate group (0% versus 13%; p = 0.114), as did 3 revision surgeries (0% versus 9.4%; p = 0.238). Conclusions: Among active patients with a simple isolated, displaced fracture of the olecranon, no difference was found between TBW and plate fixation in the patient-reported outcome at 1 year following surgery. The complication rate was higher following TBW fixation and was due to a higher rate of implant removal in symptomatic patients. However, the more serious complications of infection and the need for revision surgery occurred exclusively following plate fixation in this trial. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level I. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Increased passive stiffness promotes diastolic dysfunction despite improved Ca2+ handling during left ventricular concentric hypertrophy

Abstract Aims Concentric hypertrophy following pressure-overload is linked to preserved systolic function but impaired diastolic function, and is an important substrate for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction. While increased passive stiffness of the myocardium is a suggested mechanism underlying diastolic dysfunction in these hearts, the contribution of active diastolic Ca2+ cycling in cardiomyocytes remains unclear. In this study, we sought to dissect contributions of passive and active mechanisms to diastolic dysfunction in the concentrically hypertrophied heart following pressure-overload. Methods and results Rats were subjected to aortic banding (AB), and experiments were performed 6 weeks after surgery using sham-operated rats as controls. In vivo ejection fraction and fractional shortening were normal, confirming preservation of systolic function. Left ventricular concentric hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction following AB were indicated by thickening of the ventricular wall, reduced peak early diastolic tissue velocity, and higher E/e’ values. Slowed relaxation was also observed in left ventricular muscle strips isolated from AB hearts, during both isometric and isotonic stimulation, and accompanied by increases in passive tension, viscosity, and extracellular collagen. An altered titin phosphorylation profile was observed with hypophosphorylation of the phosphosites S4080 and S3991 sites within the N2Bus, and S12884 within the PEVK region. Increased titin-based stiffness was confirmed by salt-extraction experiments. In contrast, isolated, unloaded cardiomyocytes exhibited accelerated relaxation in AB compared to sham, and less contracture at high pacing frequencies. Parallel enhancement of diastolic Ca2+ handling was observed, with augmented NCX and SERCA2 activity and lowered resting cytosolic [Ca2+]. Conclusion In the hypertrophied heart with preserved systolic function, in vivo diastolic dysfunction develops as cardiac fibrosis and alterations in titin phosphorylation compromise left ventricular compliance, and despite compensatory changes in cardiomyocyte Ca2+ homeostasis.
Effect of nanosilver on cortisol release and morphometrics in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Nanosilver (nAg) is a nanoparticle commonly incorporated into consumer products for its antimicrobial properties that has been detected in aquatic environments. Toxic effects of nAg on fish have been observed, and nAg may induce a stress response in fish in the form of increased blood plasma cortisol. Effects of nAg exposure on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were investigated over a 28‐d period using blood plasma cortisol concentrations as an indicator of stress. Several morphometric measures (growth, Fulton's condition factor, and hepatosomatic index [HSI]) were also taken during the experiment to investigate potential whole‐body effects of exposure, and concentrations of nAg in fish muscle tissue were measured. Fish were exposed to environmentally relevant (average 0.28 μg/L) and higher (average 47.60 μg/L) exposure concentrations of nAg. The results showed a significant increase in blood plasma cortisol for both exposure treatments. A significant effect on HSI by treatment dependent on exposure time was also observed, although no obvious trend was detected, whereas other morphometric measures were not affected by nAg exposure. In addition, Ag was detected in fish muscle tissue. The results indicate that although nAg did engage the stress response in fish, it did not affect growth or condition under the experimental conditions and time frame investigated. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:1606–1613. © 2016 SETAC
A New Node-to-Set Disjoint-Path Algorithm in Perfect Hierarchical Hypercubes

The perfect hierarchical hypercube (HHC) interconnection network, also known as the cube-connected cube, was introduced as a topology for large parallel computers. One of its interesting properties is that it can connect many nodes while retaining a small diameter and a low degree. The first node-to-set disjoint-path routing algorithm in perfect HHCs was previously introduced by Bossard et al. [(2011) Node-to-Set Disjoint-Path Routing in Perfect Hierarchical Hypercubes. Proc. 11th Int. Conf. Computational Science, Tsukuba, Japan, June 1–3. Elsevier, Amsterdam]. In this paper, we propose a novel solution to the node-to-set disjoint-path routing problem in HHC. Inside a (2m + m)-dimensional HHC, we shall describe an algorithm that can find disjoint paths between a source node and at most m + 1 destination nodes of maximum length O(2m), significantly shorter than the maximum path length O(m2m) of Bossard et al. [(2011) Node-to-Set Disjoint-Path Routing in Perfect Hierarchical Hypercubes. Proc. 11th Int. Conf. Computational Science, Tsukuba, Singapore, June 1–3. Elsevier, Amsterdam].
Incidence and Outbreak of Healthcare-Onset Healthcare-Associated Clostridioides difficile Infections Among Intensive Care Patients in a Large Teaching Hospital in China

Background: Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among hospitalized patients. In China, however, hospital staff do not routinely test for CDI, leading to under-diagnosis and poor patient outcomes. Locally generated CDI data can help assess the magnitude of the problem and strengthen approaches for CDI prevention and control. Methods: We prospectively monitored hospital-onset hospital-associated (HOHA) CDI in four intensive care units (ICUs) from June 2013 to September 2014 in a large teaching hospital in China. We collected clinical information from all ICU patients with ≥ 3 episodes of diarrhea occurring within a 24-h period at least 48 h following admission (suspect case definition). Stool specimens were collected from all suspect cases of CDI and cultured for C. difficile. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to detect toxin genes from positive isolates; multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) was used for typing and identifying novel strains. We estimated the incidence rate as the number of HOHA CDI cases per 10,000 patient days; 95% confidence intervals were generated to assess rate differences between the four ICUs. Results: A total of 593 hospital-onset diarrhea patients met the suspect case definition during the study period. Of these, 47 patients (8%) were positive for C. difficile and toxin genes. The HOHA-CDI incidence rate was 14.1 cases per 10,000 patient days (95% CI: 10.5–18.6). Six patients with HOHA CDI died. ST54 (n = 14, 20%) was the most common type of HOHA-CDI strain circulating in the hospital during the study period and was linked to a temporal cluster (outbreak) involving two (NICU and GICU) of the four ICUs. Conclusion: HOHA-CDI occurs among ICU patients at this teaching hospital, supporting the importance of routine testing for CDI. Information on strain distribution can help detect CDI outbreaks. Detection of ST54 strain in a temporal cluster suggests possible gaps in infection control practices that should be investigated and addressed as needed.
How consistent are we? Interlaboratory comparison study in fathead minnows using the model estrogen 17α‐ethinylestradiol to develop recommendations for environmental transcriptomics

Fundamental questions remain about the application of omics in environmental risk assessments, such as the consistency of data across laboratories. The objective of the present study was to determine the congruence of transcript data across 6 independent laboratories. Male fathead minnows were exposed to a measured concentration of 15.8 ng/L 17α‐ethinylestradiol (EE2) for 96 h. Livers were divided equally and sent to the participating laboratories for transcriptomic analysis using the same fathead minnow microarray. Each laboratory was free to apply bioinformatics pipelines of its choice. There were 12 491 transcripts that were identified by one or more of the laboratories as responsive to EE2. Of these, 587 transcripts (4.7%) were detected by all laboratories. Mean overlap for differentially expressed genes among laboratories was approximately 50%, which improved to approximately 59.0% using a standardized analysis pipeline. The dynamic range of fold change estimates was variable between laboratories, but ranking transcripts by their relative fold difference resulted in a positive relationship for comparisons between any 2 laboratories (mean R2 > 0.9, p < 0.001). Ten estrogen‐responsive genes encompassing a fold change range from dramatic (>20‐fold; e.g., vitellogenin) to subtle (∼2‐fold; i.e., block of proliferation 1) were identified as differentially expressed, suggesting that laboratories can consistently identify transcripts that are known a priori to be perturbed by a chemical stressor. Thus, attention should turn toward identifying core transcriptional networks using focused arrays for specific chemicals. In addition, agreed‐on bioinformatics pipelines and the ranking of genes based on fold change (as opposed to p value) should be considered in environmental risk assessment. These recommendations are expected to improve comparisons across laboratories and advance the use of omics in regulations. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:2593–2601. © 2017 SETAC
Nanostructured Materials - from Fundamentals to Applications

Nanostructured materials are known to possess properties, or combinations of properties, which can be novel or even outstanding. Continued interest in these materials, however, will depend not only on good properties, but also in finding applications in which those properties can be exploited. A few topics are selected from this broad field, focusing on the length scale of the microstructure in the materials - how it affects properties, how it might have optimum values, and how it is affected by processing. Some key developments for applications are briefly reviewed.
Effects of CaO and Fe2O3 on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of SiO2–CaO–MgO–Fe2O3 Ceramics from Steel Slag

Large amounts of Ca-rich or Fe-rich solid wastes, such as tailing, red mud, metallurgical slag and fly ash, have still not been efficiently utilized in the world. Steel making slag is a typical solid waste with high content of calcium and iron components. In China, 101 million tons steel slag were produced in 2013, with only 22% reused, and the stockpile of steel slag has been accumulated to more than 400 million tons.1) Such solid wastes have generated crucial problems for environment, because they not only occupy enormous land but also cause various pollutions to groundwater and soil.2) It is of urgency to find solutions of technical and financial feasibility to minimize the impacts of such solid wastes on the environment and also convert them to useful materials. Steel slag mainly consists of CaO, Fe2O3, SiO2, Al2O3, MgO, MnO and P2O5. There are a number of steel slag utilization methods, which are directed to the use of certain components or characteristic in steel slag, such as utilization in steel enterprise interior (for waste steel and CaO), utilization for production of cement and concrete (for CaO and SiO2), utilization for materials of waste water treatment Effects of CaO and Fe2O3 on the Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of SiO2–CaO–MgO–Fe2O3 Ceramics from Steel Slag
Notch-mediated lateral inhibition regulates proneural wave propagation when combined with EGF-mediated reaction diffusion

Significance Notch-mediated lateral inhibition regulates binary cell fate choice, resulting in salt and pepper patterns during various developmental processes. The wave of differentiation in the Drosophila visual center accompanies Notch activity that is propagated without the formation of a salt and pepper pattern, implying that Notch does not regulate lateral inhibition during this process. In this study, by combining mathematical modeling and genetic analysis, we showed that Notch-mediated lateral inhibition is implemented within the proneural wave. The combination of Notch-mediated lateral inhibition and EGF-mediated reaction diffusion enables a function of Notch signaling that regulates propagation of the wave of differentiation. Notch-mediated lateral inhibition regulates binary cell fate choice, resulting in salt and pepper patterns during various developmental processes. However, how Notch signaling behaves in combination with other signaling systems remains elusive. The wave of differentiation in the Drosophila visual center or “proneural wave” accompanies Notch activity that is propagated without the formation of a salt and pepper pattern, implying that Notch does not form a feedback loop of lateral inhibition during this process. However, mathematical modeling and genetic analysis clearly showed that Notch-mediated lateral inhibition is implemented within the proneural wave. Because partial reduction in EGF signaling causes the formation of the salt and pepper pattern, it is most likely that EGF diffusion cancels salt and pepper pattern formation in silico and in vivo. Moreover, the combination of Notch-mediated lateral inhibition and EGF-mediated reaction diffusion enables a function of Notch signaling that regulates propagation of the wave of differentiation.
Effects of dietary energy and protein dilution and time of feed replacement from starter to grower on broiler chickens performance

An experiment was conducted to study the effects of dietary energy and protein dilution and time of feed replacement from starter to grower on performance of broilers with a 2×3 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design with 480 day-old broilers from 1-42 day of age. Experimental treatments were 5% energy and protein diluted diets and starter diet was fed to 7, 14 or 21 days and finisher diet was fed beginning at 35 days. Grower diet was fed for variable times depending upon termination of feeding starter diet and initiation of finisher diet. Dilution of both energy and protein had no (P>0.05) significant effect on chicks performance, but significantly (P<0.05) increased breast meat yield. Reduction the time of feeding starter diet did not show any significant effects on bird\'s performance. From 1-42 days of age, the interaction between dilution of both energy and protein and changing time from starter to grower diets on body weight and feed intake was not significant(P<0.05). The results from this study suggest that diluting of both energy and protein up to 5% from 1-42 days of age and decreasing the time of starter diet had no adverse effect on broiler chickens performance and it may be beneficial economically.
Consistent Video Saliency Using Local Gradient Flow Optimization and Global Refinement

We present a novel spatiotemporal saliency detection method to estimate salient regions in videos based on the gradient flow field and energy optimization. The proposed gradient flow field incorporates two distinctive features: 1) intra-frame boundary information and 2) inter-frame motion information together for indicating the salient regions. Based on the effective utilization of both intra-frame and inter-frame information in the gradient flow field, our algorithm is robust enough to estimate the object and background in complex scenes with various motion patterns and appearances. Then, we introduce local as well as global contrast saliency measures using the foreground and background information estimated from the gradient flow field. These enhanced contrast saliency cues uniformly highlight an entire object. We further propose a new energy function to encourage the spatiotemporal consistency of the output saliency maps, which is seldom explored in previous video saliency methods. The experimental results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms state-of-the-art video saliency detection methods.
Equation Embeddings

We present an unsupervised approach for discovering semantic representations of mathematical equations. Equations are challenging to analyze because each is unique, or nearly unique. Our method, which we call equation embeddings, finds good representations of equations by using the representations of their surrounding words. We used equation embeddings to analyze four collections of scientific articles from the arXiv, covering four computer science domains (NLP, IR, AI, and ML) and $\sim$98.5k equations. Quantitatively, we found that equation embeddings provide better models when compared to existing word embedding approaches. Qualitatively, we found that equation embeddings provide coherent semantic representations of equations and can capture semantic similarity to other equations and to words.
Childhood alopecia areata—Data from the National Alopecia Areata Registry

Alopecia areata may occur at any age and is the third‐most‐common dermatosis in children. The objective of this study was to investigate the clinical and epidemiologic features of children and adolescents with alopecia areata based on the data of the National Alopecia Areata registry on children and adolescents.
Mind the Regularized GAP, for Human Action Classification and Semi-supervised Localization based on Visual Saliency

This work addresses the issue of image classification and localization of human actions based on visual data acquired from RGB sensors. Our approach is inspired by the success of deep learning in image classification. In this paper, we describe our method and how the concept of Global Average Pooling (GAP) applies in the context of semi-supervised class localization. We benchmark it with respect to Class Activation Mapping initiated in (Zhou et al., 2016), propose a regularization over the GAP maps to enhance the results, and study whether a combination of these two ideas can result in a better classification accuracy. The models are trained and tested on the Stanford 40 Action dataset (Yao et al., 2011) describing people performing 40 different actions such as drinking, cooking or watching TV. Compared to the aforementioned baseline, our model improves the classification accuracy by 5.3 percent points, achieves a localization accuracy of 50.3%, and drastically diminishes the computation needed to retrieve the class saliency from the base convolutional model.