Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Comprehensive Cardiac Motion Estimation Framework Using Both Untagged and 3-D Tagged MR Images Based on Nonrigid Registration

In this paper, we present a novel technique based on nonrigid image registration for myocardial motion estimation using both untagged and 3-D tagged MR images. The novel aspect of our technique is its simultaneous usage of complementary information from both untagged and 3-D tagged MR images. To estimate the motion within the myocardium, we register a sequence of tagged and untagged MR images during the cardiac cycle to a set of reference tagged and untagged MR images at end-diastole. The similarity measure is spatially weighted to maximize the utility of information from both images. In addition, the proposed approach integrates a valve plane tracker and adaptive incompressibility into the framework. We have evaluated the proposed approach on 12 subjects. Our results show a clear improvement in terms of accuracy compared to approaches that use either 3-D tagged or untagged MR image information alone. The relative error compared to manually tracked landmarks is less than 15% throughout the cardiac cycle. Finally, we demonstrate the automatic analysis of cardiac function from the myocardial deformation fields.
Upper Extremity Snowboarding Injuries

A survey of snowboarding injuries was conducted over 10 seasons (1988 to 1998). A questionnaire evaluating 20 variables was used to collect data from 47 medical facilities near Colorado ski resorts. A total of 7430 snowboarding-related injuries were seen. A control group consisted of 3107 noninjured snowboarders. Most of those injured were 30 years of age or younger; 74% of injuries occurred in men and 26% in women; 39% of injured snowboarders were beginners and 61% were intermediate or experts. Men rode at more advanced levels than women. Injured snowboarders were more likely than noninjured snowboarders to be beginners. There were 3645 (49.06% of total) upper extremity injuries; 56.43% were fractures, 26.78% sprains, and 9.66% dislocations. The most common site of injury was the wrist (21.6% of all snowboarding injuries). Wrist fractures (except to the scaphoid) and sprains were more common in beginners, women, and younger age groups. Intermediate and expert men were more likely to sustain hand, elbow, and shoulder injuries, as well as more severe injuries. Falling was the predominant mechanism of upper extremity injuries. Snowboarders who wore protective wrist guards were half as likely to sustain wrist injuries as those who did not wear guards.
Mangostanaxanthone VII, a new cytotoxic xanthone from Garcinia mangostana

Abstract Garcinia mangostana L. (the queen of fruits, mangosteen, family Guttiferae) is a wealthy source of xanthones. The CHCl3 soluble fraction of the air-dried pericarps of G. mangostana provided a new xanthone: mangostanaxanthone VII (5), along with four known xanthones: mangostanaxanthones I (1) and II (2), gartanin (3) and γ-mangostin (4). The structural verification of these metabolites was achieved by different spectral techniques, including UV, IR, 1D and 2D NMR and HRESIMS. The new metabolite was assessed for cytotoxic potential, using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay towards the A549 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. Moreover, its antimicrobial effects were evaluated against various bacterial and fungal strains, using agar disc diffusion assay. Mangostanaxanthone VII showed moderate cytotoxic activity against the A549 and MCF7 cell lines with IC50s 26.1 and 34.8 μM, respectively, compared with doxorubicin (0.74 and 0.41 μM, respectively).
Is it possible to clinically differentiate erosive from nonerosive reflux disease patients? A study using an artificial neural networks-assisted algorithm

Background The use of either symptom questionnaires or artificial neural networks (ANNs) has proven to improve the accuracy in diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, the differentiation between the erosive and nonerosive reflux disease based upon symptoms at presentation still remains inconclusive. Aim To assess the capability of a combined approach, that is, the use of a novel GERD questionnaire − the QUestionario Italiano Diagnostico (QUID) questionnaire − and of an ANNs-assisted algorithm, to discriminate between nonerosive gastroesophageal reflux disease (NERD) and erosive esophagitis (EE) patients. Methods Five hundred and fifty-seven adult outpatients with typical GERD symptoms and 94 asymptomatic adult patients, were submitted to the QUID questionnaire. GERD patients were then submitted to upper gastrointestinal endoscopy to differentiate them between EE and NERD patients. Results The QUID score resulted significantly (P<0.001) higher in GERD patients versus controls, but it was not statistically significantly different between EE and NERD patients. ANNs assisted diagnosis had greater specificity, sensitivity and accuracy compared with the linear discriminant analysis only to differentiate GERD patients from controls. However, no single technique was able to satisfactorily discriminate between EE and NERD patients. Conclusion Our study suggests that the combination between QUID questionnaire and an ANNs-assisted algorithm is useful only to differentiate GERD patients from healthy individuals but fails to further discriminate erosive from nonerosive patients.
Influence of Chitosan Characteristics and Environmental Conditions on Flocculation of Anaerobic Sludge

The effects of chitosan characteristics (i.e., degree of deacetylation [DD] and molecular weight) and environmental conditions (i.e., ionic strength and pH) on the flocculation of anaerobic sludge were investigated. The results showed that chitosan enhanced the flocculation of sludge, and the flocculation efficiency depended on both the degree of deacetylation and molecular weight. Chitosan with 85%DD was more effective than that with 70%DD, as the former required a lower dose to obtain 90% flocculation at all studied pH values. In addition, low molecular weight chitosan enhanced the flocculation better than high molecular weight chitosan. The increase in ionic strength (up to 0.1 M) of the suspension helped reduce restabilization that occurred when chitosan was overdosed. In general, chitosan has potential to be used as an effective cationic bioflocculant, which is able to function either in acidic or neutral conditions, and very small amounts of chitosan (less than 4 mg/g dried sludge) are required.
Integrating structured biological data by Kernel Maximum Mean Discrepancy

MOTIVATION Many problems in data integration in bioinformatics can be posed as one common question: Are two sets of observations generated by the same distribution? We propose a kernel-based statistical test for this problem, based on the fact that two distributions are different if and only if there exists at least one function having different expectation on the two distributions. Consequently we use the maximum discrepancy between function means as the basis of a test statistic. The Maximum Mean Discrepancy (MMD) can take advantage of the kernel trick, which allows us to apply it not only to vectors, but strings, sequences, graphs, and other common structured data types arising in molecular biology. RESULTS We study the practical feasibility of an MMD-based test on three central data integration tasks: Testing cross-platform comparability of microarray data, cancer diagnosis, and data-content based schema matching for two different protein function classification schemas. In all of these experiments, including high-dimensional ones, MMD is very accurate in finding samples that were generated from the same distribution, and outperforms its best competitors. CONCLUSIONS We have defined a novel statistical test of whether two samples are from the same distribution, compatible with both multivariate and structured data, that is fast, easy to implement, and works well, as confirmed by our experiments. AVAILABILITY http://www.dbs. ifi.lmu. de/~borgward/MMD.
The first detection of Far-Infrared emission associated with an extended HI disk. The case of NGC 891

Spiral galaxies in the local universe are commonly observed to be embedded in extended disks of neutral hydro- gen - the so called "extended HI disks". Based on observations made using the ISOPHOT instrument on board the Infrared Space Observatory, we report the first detection of cold dust in the extended HI disk of a spiral galaxy. The detection was achieved through a dedicated deep Far-Infrared observation of a large field encompassing the entire HI disk of the edge-on spiral galaxy NGC 891. Our discovery indicates that the extended HI disk of NGC 891 is not primordial in origin.
The Role of Separation-Individuation Experiences and Personality in Predicting Externalizing and Internalizing Dimensions of Functional Impairment in a Rural Preadolescent and Adolescent Sample

Studied 4th- through 8th-grade students in a rural school district (N = 382, 201 girls; M age = 12.48) who, at the end of the academic year, completed self-report measures assessing functional impairment, self-concept, reactance, and autonomy experiences in relation to parents. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a distinction between 2 aspects of autonomy: mutuality (perceptions of parents as encouraging of autonomy) and conflictual dependence (negative representations of "self-in-relation-to-parent" and related feelings of anger and shame). Path analysis findings mostly were consistent with a mediated model predicting personality from autonomy experiences and functional impairment from personality. However, conflictual dependence rather than negative self-feelings directly predicted girls' emotional difficulties. Comparisons of total effects suggested that conflictual dependence may have stronger and more consistent implications for adolescent psychopathology than mutuality. In general, significant relations between conflictual dependence and psychopathology remained significant even after controlling for a measure of negative affectivity (NA).
Subspace Linear Discriminant Analysis for Face Recognition

In this paper we describe a holistic face recognition method based on subspace Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA). The method consists of two steps: (cid:12)rst we project the face image from the original vector space to a face subspace via Principal Component Analysis where the subspace dimension is carefully chosen, and then use LDA to obtain a linear classi(cid:12)er in the subspace. The criterion we use to choose the subspace dimension enables us to generate class-separable features via LDA. In addition, we employ a weighted distance metric guided by the LDA eigenvalues to improve the performance of the subspace LDA method. Finally, the improved performance of the subspace LDA approach is demonstrated through experiments using the FERET dataset for face recognition/veri(cid:12)cation, a large mugshot dataset for person veri(cid:12)cation, and the MPEG-7 dataset.
Corticosteroids Operate as a Switch between Memory Systems

Stress and corticosteroid hormones are known to affect learning and memory processes. In this study, we examined whether stress and corticosteroids are capable of facilitating the switch between multiple memory systems in mice. For this purpose, we designed a task that allowed measurement of nucleus caudate-based stimulus–response and hippocampus-based spatial learning strategies. Naive mice used spatial strategies to locate an exit hole on a circular hole board at a fixed location flagged by a proximal stimulus. When the mice were either stressed or administered corticosterone before the task, 30–50% of the mice switched to a stimulus–response strategy. This switch between learning strategies was accompanied by a rescue of performance, whereas performance declined in the stressed mice that kept using the spatial strategy. Pretreatment with a mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist prevented the switch toward the stimulus–response strategy but led to deterioration of hippocampus-dependent performance. These findings (i) show that corticosteroids promote the transition from spatial to stimulus–response memory systems, (ii) provide evidence that the mineralocorticoid receptor underlies this corticosteroid-mediated switch, and (iii) suggest that a stress-induced switch from hippocampus-based to nucleus caudate-based memory systems can rescue performance.
Visual Acuity in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants

The increased viability of extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants (those weighing less than 1000 g) and the associated increased risk of visual impairment has highlighted the need for reliable indices of visual functioning for this population. By use of the Teller Acuity Cards, we assessed grating visual acuity in 26 survivors of extreme prematurity (corrected age, 2–42 mo) and found that although most scores were within the normal range, they were significantly lower than those of full-term infants of equivalent postconceptional age, especially after 9 months of age. Moreover, the number of complications in the neonatal period (especially bronchopulmonary dysplasia) and the Neonatal Medical Index classification were associated with below-average visual acuity in infancy and early childhood.
Feature-based similarity assessment in ontology using fuzzy set theory

Semantic Web as an evolution of Web has led to the introduction of new technologies including XML-based formats of representing data on the Web: resource description framework (RDF) and ontology. Similarity assessment of the entities has a fundamental role in processing and analyzing data represented in ontology. In this paper, we propose a technique for determining semantic similarity between pieces of information defined in ontology based on features describing each piece of information. The presented method allows for considering a specific context into the similarity evaluation. The quantitative characterization of similarity at different levels of abstraction in ontology is provided using elements of fuzzy set theory. We show through experiments that the proposed method compares favorably to other measures in terms of human judgment of similarity.
Diffusion-Weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Term Perinatal Brain Injury: A Comparison With Site of Lesion and Time From Birth

Objective. The aim of this study was to establish a more objective method for confirming tissue injury in term neonates who present with early seizures that are believed to be hypoxic-ischemic in origin. Methods. We studied the relationship between contemporaneous diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging and conventional magnetic resonance imaging in 63 symptomatic term-born neonates and 15 control term infants performed in the neonatal period. Apparent diffusion coefficients (ADC) were obtained for multiple regions of the brain. Results. ADC values in the 15 control infants were 1 (1–1.15) (median [range]) × 10−3/mm2/second in the thalami and 1.1 (1–1.3) × 10−3/mm2/second in the lentiform nuclei, 1.5 (1.3–1.7) × 10−3/mm2/second in the centrum semiovale, 1.6 (1.46–1.7) × 10−3/mm2/second in the anterior white matter (WM), and 1.55 (1.35–1.85) × 10−3/mm2/second in the posterior WM with little variation over time. ADC values were significantly reduced in the first week after severe injury to either WM or basal ganglia and thalami (BGT), but values normalized at the end of the first week and then increased during week 2. ADC values were either normal or increased in moderate BGT and WM lesions when compared with controls. ADC values < 1.1 × 10−3/mm2/second were always associated with WM infarction and values <0.8 × 10−3/mm2/second with thalamic infarction. Conclusion. A reduced ADC soon after delivery allows the presence of tissue infarction to be confirmed at a time when conventional imaging changes may be subtle. However, as both moderate WM and BGT lesions may have normal or increased ADC values, a normal ADC value during the first week does not signify normal tissue. ADC values should always be measured in combination with visual analysis of both conventional and diffusion-weighed images for maximum detection of pathologic tissue, and the timing of the scan needs to be taken into account when interpreting the results.
Effect of Fusobacterium necrophorum leukotoxoid vaccine on susceptibility to experimentally induced liver abscesses in cattle.

The efficacy and the optimum dose of Fusobacterium necrophorum crude leukotoxoid vaccine required to immunize and protect steers against experimentally induced liver abscesses were evaluated. The vaccine consisted of cell-free culture supernatant of a high leukotoxin-producing strain of F. necrophorum, inactivated with formalin and homogenized with an adjuvant. Twenty-five steers were assigned randomly to the following five treatment groups: control; three doses (1.0, 2.0, and 5.0 mL) of the culture supernatant; and 2.25 mL of the concentrated supernatant (equivalent to 5 mL of the original supernatant). Vaccine was injected subcutaneously on d 0 and 21. Blood samples were collected weekly to monitor antileukotoxin antibody titers. Three weeks after the second vaccination (d 42), all steers were injected intraportally with F. necrophorum culture to induce liver abscesses. Three weeks later (d 63), steers were euthanatized and necropsied; livers were examined and protection assessed. Antileukotoxin antibody titers in the control steers generally did not differ from the baseline (wk 0) titers. The titers in the vaccinated groups increased, more so after the second injection, and the increase was generally dose-dependent. Necropsy examination revealed that all steers in the control group had abscesses in the liver. In the vaccinated groups, two of five steers in the 1.0-mL group and one each in the 2.0-, 5.0-, and 2.25-mL (concentrated) groups had liver abscesses. Antileukotoxin antibody titers were higher (P < .05) in steers that did not develop abscesses than in steers that developed abscesses. The difference suggested a protective effect of antileukotoxin antibodies against experimentally induced liver abscesses.
Using SRI SAL model checker for combinatorial tests generation in the presence of temporal constraints

In this paper we describe an approach to use formal analysis tools in conjunction with traditional testing to improve the efficiency of the test generation process. We have developed a technique for the construction of combinatorial test suites, featuring expressive constraints over the models under test and cross coverage evaluation between multiple coverage criteria: combinatorial, structural and fault based. Our approach is tightly integrated with formal logic, since it uses formal logic to specify the system inputs (including the constraints), test predicates to formalize testing as a logic problem, and applies the SAL model checker tool to solve it, and hence to generate combinatorial test suites. Early results of experimental assessment are presented, supported by a prototype tool implementation.
Evaluation of Dermatology Practice Online Reviews: Lessons From Qualitative Analysis.

IMPORTANCE Patient satisfaction is an increasingly important component of health care quality measures. Online reviews of physicians represent a promising platform for capturing patient perspectives of care. OBJECTIVE To identify qualitative themes associated with patient reviews of dermatologic care on consumer reporting websites. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A qualitative analysis was conducted of patient-generated reviews of dermatology practices on 2 consumer review platforms. Yelp is an online consumer portal for users to review their experience with local businesses; ZocDoc is an online patient-scheduling portal that provides opportunity for patients to write reviews of physician practices. A total of 518 reviews from 45 dermatology practices on Yelp and 4921 reviews from 45 dermatology providers on ZocDoc were collected from 3 geographically diverse cities: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Houston, Texas; and Seattle, Washington. The study was conducted from January 15 to July 15, 2015. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Reviews were separated into high-scoring and low-scoring groups. An inductive qualitative method was used to code and identify key themes associated with positive and negative patient experiences. Analysis was completed upon reaching thematic saturation. RESULTS Reported as mean (95% CI), the overall Yelp score for the 45 selected practices was 3.46 of 5 stars (3.17-3.75) and overall ZocDoc score for the 45 selected practices was 4.72 of 5 stars (4.47-4.80). The proportion of individual reviews giving a score of 5.0 was significantly higher on ZocDoc (3986 [81.0%]) than on Yelp (229 [44.2%]) (P < .001). Qualitative themes centered on characteristics of the physician and the practice. Themes that emerged from the high-scoring and low-scoring reviews were similar in content but opposite in valence. Physician-specific themes included temperament, knowledge and competency, physical examination, communication abilities, and mindfulness of cost. Practice-specific themes included scheduling, staff temperament, office cleanliness, waiting room, and insurance. Patients appreciated physicians who are kind, respectful, and thorough with the physical examination; empathetic about the emotional difficulty of skin disease; and cognizant of cost. Negative experiences were frequently affected by considerations outside of the physician-patient interaction, such as curt interactions with staff, difficulty with scheduling, practice cleanliness, and insurance problems. Patients reported relying on consumer websites to identify dermatology providers. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Online consumer review websites are designed to facilitate instantaneous and public communication among patients. These platforms provide elaborate and timely data for dermatologists to garner insight into their patients' experiences. The themes identified in this study are consistent with past satisfaction studies and may aid dermatologists in optimizing the patient care experience.
The implementation of the Natural Science Outcome Three: Embedding the learning of science in societal and environmental issues

Abstract The revised National Curriculum Statements for the Natural Sciences include an outcome that expects learners to demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between science and technology, society and the environment. This study seeks to determine the extent this outcome is being realized in grades 8–9 in Mpumalanga, and to identify factors which might promote its implementation. Data were collected by means of both case studies and a survey. Results indicate that the intention of this outcome is only being achieved at very low levels, if at all. The meeting of teachers with colleagues, sharing ideas, and generally supporting each other were found to be strongly associated with higher levels of achieving this outcome, as well as a positive school ethos.
Value Line and I/B/E/S Earnings Forecasts

This paper compares Value Line and I/B/E/S analyst earnings forecasts in terms of accuracy, rationality, and as proxies for market expectations. Using more recent data and forming consensus forecasts from the I/B/E/S detail files, we reach different conclusions than Philbrick and Ricks [1991], who found that Value Line provided more reliable actual EPS data, but forecasts from the two databases were of similar quality. We find that I/B/E/S actual quarterly EPS data are no longer less reliable than Value Line EPS data, and I/B/E/S quarterly earnings forecasts significantly outperform Value Line in terms of accuracy and as proxies for market expectations. We find that I/B/E/S forecasting superiority can be explained by the combination of I/B/E/S's timing advantage and the mitigation of idiosyncratic error through consensus building. We also evaluate long-term forecasts from both databases and find that I/B/E/S forecasts are less biased and more accurate. Our results have implications for research evaluating the information content of quarterly earnings announcements, research using long-term forecasts in valuation models, and research seeking to generalize evidence regarding Value Line analysts' forecasting behavior.