Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Combination of Rifaximin and Neomycin Is Most Effective in Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome Patients With Methane on Lactulose Breath Test

There is a growing interest in methane and its association with constipation in functional bowel disease. Neomycin-based treatment of methane-positive subjects has resulted in improvement of constipation. Rifaximin, although superior for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome compared with other antibiotics, seems less effective in methane-positive subjects. In this study, we evaluate 3 different antibiotic treatments in patients who have a methane-positive breath test: rifaximin only, neomycin only, and the combination of neomycin and rifaximin. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted on patients with methane on their lactulose breath test (≥3 ppm of methane) who received one of the following antibiotic treatments: 500 mg b.i. d. for 10 days of neomycin alone, 400 mg t.i. d. for 10 days of rifaximin alone, or a combination of both rifaximin and neomycin for 10 days. All patients must have received antibiotic treatment after their initial consultation at the medical center and, in addition, had at least 1 follow-up to evaluate the effects of the treatment. After inclusion/exclusion criteria were met, all charts were evaluated to determine if the subject was a responder to the antibiotic therapy. This included clinical symptom improvement and eradication of methane on their breath test. Results Of the subjects receiving the treatment of rifaximin and neomycin (n=27), 85% had a clinical response, compared with 63% of subjects in the neomycin only group (n=8) (P=0.15) and 56% of subjects in the rifaximin only group (n=39) (P=0.01). When comparing the neomycin group with the rifaximin group, the difference was nonsignificant. When evaluating methane eradication results, 87% of subjects taking the rifaximin and neomycin combination eradicated the methane on their breath test. This is compared with 33% of subjects in the neomycin group that eradicated the methane (P=0.001), and only 28% of subjects in the rifaximin group (P=0.001). Of the patients who did not eliminate the methane with only rifaximin treatment, 66% of those who subsequently used the rifaximin and neomycin treatment were able to normalize their breath test. Conclusions The combination of rifaximin and neomycin is more effective in treating methane-producing subjects—in both clinical response and methane elimination.
Academic and Social Barriers to Black and Latino Male Collegians’ Success in Engineering and Related STEM Fields

Dr. Terrell Strayhorn is Associate Professor of Higher Education at The Ohio State University, where he also serves as Senior Research Associate for the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race & Ethnicity, and holds courtesy appointments in Black Studies, Engineering Education, and Sociology. Recipient of a 2008 NSF CAREER Award, Professor Strayhorn studies issues of equity and diversity in education, broadening minority participation in STEM ﬁelds, and factors inﬂuencing students’ learning and development. Author of 6 books, over 75 journal articles, more than 100 conference paper and abstracts, Strayhorn is co-editor of Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men and member of several boards. and bachelor’s Mechanical Engineering at He STEM Education within the School of Teaching and Learning at Ohio State, where he studies topics including but not limited to cognitive development, learning, teaching, and the social contexts within which they occur. He is a Lead Graduate Teaching Associate with the First-Year Engineering Program and continues to work on research projects in the Movement Lab in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is American Society of Engineering Education Chapter. His research interests include diversity, inclusion, retention and success with a particular focus on students in STEM ﬁelds. Abstract Historically underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities (i.e. African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans) have experienced barriers to their success in engineering and related STEM fields. These student populations have had lower degree attainment rates, switch to non-STEM majors more frequently, and experience unique social challenges when compared to White and Asian Pacific Islander counterparts. To examine these findings, nearly 50 interviews were conducted and analyzed in the present study to better understand the academic and social experiences of African American and Latino American men in these fields. Interviews revealed that these students tend to (1) feel alone and invisible, (2) lack same race peers and faculty members, (3) have difficulty applying theory to practice, and (4) lack the pre-college preparation necessary to succeed in STEM fields.
Structured annotations for 2D-to-3D modeling

We present a system for 3D modeling of free-form surfaces from 2D sketches. Our system frees users to create 2D sketches from arbitrary angles using their preferred tool, which may include pencil and paper. A 3D model is created by placing primitives and annotations on the 2D image. Our primitives are based on commonly used sketching conventions and allow users to maintain a single view of the model. This eliminates the frequent view changes inherent to existing 3D modeling tools, both traditional and sketch-based, and enables users to match input to the 2D guide image. Our annotations---same-lengths and angles, alignment, mirror symmetry, and connection curves---allow the user to communicate higher-level semantic information; through them our system builds a consistent model even in cases where the original image is inconsistent. We present the results of a user study comparing our approach to a conventional "sketch-rotate-sketch" workflow.
Physical-Virtual Impedance Control in Ultralightweight and Compliant Dual-Arm Aerial Manipulators

Dual-arm aerial manipulation requires the design and development of high performance robotic arms in terms of safety, robustness, and force/torque/impedance control, taking into account the integration in the aerial platform, the strong weight constraints, and the technological limitations of the servo actuators. A compliant joint arm also improves the response of the aerial manipulator to collisions and external forces during the flight operation. This letter evaluates the control capabilities in a lightweight manipulator built with smart servo actuators and a spring-lever transmission mechanism that provides joint compliance and deflection measurement. The dynamic model of a compliant joint is validated through frequency identification, demonstrating how virtual variable impedance can be achieved without a second motor. Mechanical joint compliance is the base of the Cartesian impedance control scheme of the dual-arm system, integrated with the controller of the aerial platform. A stereo vision system provides the Cartesian deflection of the end effector, derived from the definition of an equivalent stiff joint manipulator, allowing the estimation and control of the contact forces. Experimental results validate the developed concepts.
Online Robust Projective Dictionary Learning: Shape Modeling for MR-TRUS Registration

Robust and effective shape prior modeling from a set of training data remains a challenging task, since the shape variation is complicated, and shape models should preserve local details as well as handle shape noises. To address these challenges, a novel robust projective dictionary learning (RPDL) scheme is proposed in this paper. Specifically, the RPDL method integrates the dimension reduction and dictionary learning into a unified framework for shape prior modeling, which can not only learn a robust and representative dictionary with the energy preservation of the training data, but also reduce the dimensionality and computational cost via the subspace learning. In addition, the proposed RPDL algorithm is regularized by using the $\ell _{1}$ norm to handle the outliers and noises, and is embedded in an online framework so that of memory and time efficiency. The proposed method is employed to model prostate shape prior for the application of magnetic resonance transrectal ultrasound registration. The experimental results demonstrate that our method provides more accurate and robust shape modeling than the state-of-the-art methods do. The proposed RPDL method is applicable for modeling other organs, and hence, a general solution for the problem of shape prior modeling.
Comparison of 16 mm OSU‐Nag and COMS eye plaques

OSU‐NAG eye plaques use fewer sources than COMS‐plaques of comparable size, and do not employ a Silastic seed carrier insert. Monte Carlo modeling was used to calculate 3D dose distributions for a 16 mm OSU‐NAG eye plaque and a 16 mm COMS eye plaque loaded with either Iodine‐125 or Cesium‐131 brachytherapy sources. The OSU‐NAG eye plaque was loaded with eight sources forming two squares, whereas the COMS eye plaque was loaded with thirteen sources approximating three isocentric circles. A spherical eyeball 24.6 mm in diameter and an ellipsoid‐like tumor 6 mm in height and 12 mm in the major and minor axes were used to evaluate the doses delivered. To establish a fair comparison, a water seed carrier was used instead of the Silastic seed carrier designed for the traditional COMS eye plaque. Calculations were performed on the dose distributions along the eye plaque axis and the DVHs of the tumor, as well as the 3D distribution. Our results indicated that, to achieve a prescription dose of 85 Gy at 6 mm from the inner sclera edge for a six‐day treatment, the OSU‐NAG eye plaque will need 6.16 U/source and 6.82 U/source for 125I and 131Cs, respectively. The COMS eye plaque will require 4.02 U/source and 4.43 U/source for the same source types. The dose profiles of the two types of eye plaques on their central axes are within 9% difference for all applicable distances. The OSU‐NAG plaque delivers about 10% and 12% more dose than the COMS for 125I and 131Cs sources, respectively, at the inner sclera edge, but 6% and 3% less dose at the opposite retina. The DVHs of the tumor for two types of plaques were within 6% difference. In conclusion, the dosimetric quality of the OSU‐NAG eye plaque used in eye plaque brachytherapy is comparable to the COMS eye plaque. PACS number: 87.56B, 87.55k, 87.55kh
Commentary: Establishing zebrafish as a model to study the anxiolytic effects of scopolamine

1 Bioscience Institute, University of Passo Fundo, Passo Fundo, Brazil, 2 Postgraduate Program in Pharmacology, Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, Brazil, Neuroscience Program, School of Science and Engineering, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, United States, 4 The International Zebrafish Neuroscience Research Consortium, Slidell, LA, United States, 5 Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia, 6 School of Pharmacy, Southwest University, Chongqing, China, 7 Institute of Translational Biomedicine, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg, Russia, 8 Institute of Experimental Medicine, Almazov National Medical Research Center, St. Petersburg, Russia, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia, 10 Russian National Granov’s Research Center for Radiology and Surgical Technologies, Pesochny, Russia, 11 Laboratory of Translational Biopsychiatry, Research Institute of Physiology and Basic Medicine, Novosibirsk, Russia, 12 ZENEREI Research Center, Slidell, LA, United States
Performance Optimization in Mobile-Edge Computing via Deep Reinforcement Learning

To improve the quality of computation experience for mobile devices, mobile-edge computing (MEC) is emerging as a promising paradigm by providing computing capabilities within radio access networks in close proximity. Nevertheless, the design of computation offloading policies for a MEC system remains challenging. Specifically, whether to execute an arriving computation task at local mobile device or to offload a task for cloud execution should adapt to the environmental dynamics in a smarter manner. In this paper, we consider MEC for a representative mobile user in an ultra dense network, where one of multiple base stations (BSs) can be selected for computation offloading. The problem of solving an optimal computation offloading policy is modelled as a Markov decision process, where our objective is to minimize the long-term cost and an offloading decision is made based on the channel qualities between the mobile user and the BSs, the energy queue state as well as the task queue state. To break the curse of high dimensionality in state space, we propose a deep $Q$-network-based strategic computation offloading algorithm to learn the optimal policy without having a priori knowledge of the dynamic statistics. Numerical experiments provided in this paper show that our proposed algorithm achieves a significant improvement in average cost compared with baseline policies.
Effect of output variation with dose rate on the Virtual Wedge factor

The Siemens Virtual Wedge factor (VWF: Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, PA) may drift significantly because of an increase in output as the dose rate declines. This variation in output is caused by sample and hold boards in the dosimetry circuit that become defective because of radiation damage. Here, we present a simple model based on the principle of Virtual Wedge operation and the measured output variation with dose rate to quantitatively describe VWF drift as a function of field size and wedge angle. Our results support the recommendation that VWF be measured for large field sizes (for example, 20×20 cm) and large wedge angles (for example, 60 degrees) as a part of routine quality assurance. PACS numbers: 87.55. Qr, 87.55. N‐
Validation of an electron Monte Carlo dose calculation algorithm in the presence of heterogeneities using EGSnrc and radiochromic film measurements

The purpose of this study is to validate Eclipse's electron Monte Carlo algorithm (eMC) in heterogeneous phantoms using radiochromic films and EGSnrc as a reference Monte Carlo algorithm. Four heterogeneous phantoms are used in this study. Radiochromic films are inserted in these phantoms, including in heterogeneous media, and the measured relative dose distributions are compared to eMC calculations. Phantoms A, B, and C contain 1D heterogeneities, built with layers of lung‐ (phantom A) and bone‐ (phantoms B and C) equivalent materials sandwiched in Plastic Water. Phantom D is a thorax‐anthropomorphic phantom with 2D lung heterogeneities. Electron beams of 6, 9, 12 and 18 MeV from a Varian Clinac 2100 are delivered to these phantoms with a 10×10 cm2 applicator. Monte Carlo simulations with an independent algorithm (EGSnrc) are also used as a reference tool for two purposes: (1) as a second validation of the eMC dose calculations, and (2) to calculate the stopping power ratio between radiochromic films and bone medium, when dose is measured inside the heterogeneity. Percent depth dose (PDD) film measurements and eMC calculations agree within 2% or 3 mm for phantom A, and within 3% or 3 mm for phantoms B and C for almost all beam energies. One exception is observed with phantom B and the 6 MeV, where measured PDDs and those calculated with eMC differ by up to 4 mm. Gamma analysis of the measured and calculated 2D dose distributions in phantom D agree with criteria of 3%, 3 mm for 9, 12, and 18 MeV beams, and criteria of 5%, 3 mm for the 6 MeV beam. Dose calculations in heterogeneous media with eMC agree within 3% or 3 mm with radiochromic film measurements. Six (6) MeV beams are not modeled as accurately as other beam energies. The eMC algorithm is suitable for clinical dose calculations involving lung and bone. PACS numbers: 87.10. Rt, 87.55. km
Pilocarpine-Induced Status Epilepticus Is Associated with P-Glycoprotein Induction in Cardiomyocytes, Electrocardiographic Changes, and Sudden Death

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the major cause of death in those patients suffering from refractory epilepsy (RE), with a 24-fold higher risk relative to the normal population. SUDEP risk increases with seizure frequency and/or seizure-duration as in RE and Status Epilepticus (SE). P-glycoprotein (P-gp), the product of the multidrug resistant ABCB1-MDR-1 gene, is a detoxifying pump that extrudes drugs out of the cells and can confer pharmacoresistance to the expressing cells. Neurons and cardiomyocytes normally do not express P-gp, however, it is overexpressed in the brain of patients or in experimental models of RE and SE. P-gp was also detected after brain or cardiac hypoxia. We have previously demonstrated that repetitive pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures increase P-gp expression in the brain, which is associated with membrane depolarization in the hippocampus, and in the heart, which is associated with fatal SE. SE can produce hypoxic-ischemic altered cardiac rhythm (HIACR) and severe arrhythmias, and both are related with SUDEP. Here, we investigate whether SE induces the expression of hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF)-1α and P-gp in cardiomyocytes, which is associated with altered heart rhythm, and if these changes are related with the spontaneous death rate. SE was induced in Wistar rats once a week for 3 weeks, by lithium-pilocarpine-paradigm. Electrocardiograms, HIF-1α, and P-gp expression in cardiomyocytes, were evaluated in basal conditions and 72 h after SE. All spontaneous deaths occurred 48 h after each SE was registered. We observed that repeated SE induced HIF-1α and P-gp expression in cardiomyocytes, electrocardiographic (ECG) changes, and a high rate of spontaneous death. Our results suggest that the highly accumulated burden of convulsive stress results in a hypoxic heart insult, where P-gp expression may play a depolarizing role in cardiomyocyte membranes and in the development of the ECG changes, such as QT interval prolongation, that could be related with SUDEP. We postulate that this mechanism could explain, in part, the higher SUDEP risk in patients with RE or SE.
Negative Colossal Magnetoresistance Driven by Carrier Type in the Ferromagnetic Mott Insulator GaV4S8

We report here a study on the evolution of structural and electronic properties of the lacunar spinel compounds GaV4S8 with charge doping. In this ferromagnetic (FM) Mott insulator, the heterovalent substitutions of Ga3+ by Zn2+ or Ge4+ allow induction of charge doping either by holes or by electrons. We show that electron-doped GaV4S8 displays a bulk, negative, and colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) with a relative drop of resistivity reaching −80% at 7 T in the vicinity of the Curie temperature. Conversely, hole-doped GaV4S8 does not display any negative CMR but a classical positive magnetoresistance. This asymmetric electron–hole doping effect challenges the common view stating that CMR effects in doped FM Mott insulators depends only on the density of carrier and not on their electron/hole nature. We show that a simple model based on multiorbital effects and Hund’s rule is able to capture the presence (absence) of negative CMR in electron- (hole-) doped GaV4S8.
Tailoring of the bearing stiffness to enhance the performance of gas-lubricated bump-type foil thrust bearing

This study aims to tailor the bearing stiffness for enhancing the load-carrying capacity of foil thrust bearings. New architectures for the bump foil are introduced with structural stiffness tailored in the radial and circumferential directions to ensure a converging gas film under high axial loads while maintaining a reasonable bearing compliance to accommodate thermal as well as mechanical distortions. The structural stiffness of the bearing is calculated with an analytical method previously introduced by the authors, and the flow in the gas film is modeled with 2-D compressible Reynolds equation. The Couette Approximation technique is used to calculate the temperature distribution in the gas film and the small perturbations method is used to calculate its dynamic force coefficients. Enhanced load capacity could be obtained with the introduced bump foil designs.
Modeling the Agility MLC in the Monaco treatment planning system

We investigate the relationship between the various parameters in the Monaco MLC model and dose calculation accuracy for an Elekta Agility MLC. The vendor‐provided MLC modeling procedure — completed first with external vendor participation and then exclusively in‐house — was used in combination with our own procedures to investigate several sets of MLC modeling parameters to determine their effect on dose distributions and point‐dose measurements. Simple plans provided in the vendor procedure were used to elucidate specific mechanical characteristics of the MLC, while ten complex treatment plans — five IMRT and five VMAT — created using TG‐119‐based structure sets were used to test clinical dosimetric effects of particular parameter choices. EDR2 film was used for the vendor fields to give high spatial resolution, while a combination of MapCHECK and ion chambers were used for the in‐house TG‐119‐based procedures. The vendor‐determined parameter set provided a reasonable starting point for the MLC model and largely delivered acceptable gamma pass rates for clinical plans — including a passing external evaluation using the IROC H&N phantom. However, the vendor model did not provide point‐dose accuracy consistent with that seen in other treatment systems at our center. Through further internal testing it was found that there existed many sets of MLC parameters, often at opposite ends of their allowable ranges, that provided similar dosimetric characteristics and good agreement with planar and point‐dose measurements. In particular, the leaf offset and tip leakage parameters compensated for one another if adjusted in opposite directions, which provided a level curve of acceptable parameter sets across all plans. Interestingly, gamma pass rates of the plans were less dependent upon parameter choices than point‐dose measurements, suggesting that MLC modeling using only gamma evaluation may be generally an insufficient approach. It was also found that exploring all parameters of the very robust MLC model to find the best match to the vendor‐provided QA fields can reduce the pass rates of the TG‐119‐based clinical distributions as compared to simpler models. A wide variety of parameter sets produced MLC models capable of meeting RPC passing criteria for their H&N IMRT phantom. The most accurate models were achievable using a combination of vendor‐provided and in‐house procedures. The potential existed for an over‐modeling of the Agility MLC in an effort to obtain the fine structure of certain quality assurance fields, which led to a reduction in agreement between calculation and measurement of more typical clinical dose distributions. PACS number(s): 87.56. nk, 87.53. Kn, 87.55. km, 87.55. Qr
Superhard B–C–N materials synthesized in nanostructured bulks

We report here the high-pressure synthesis of well-sintered millimeter-sized bulks of superhard BC_2N and BC_4N materials in the form of a nanocrystalline composite with diamond-like amorphous carbon grain boundaries. The nanostructured superhard B–C–N material bulks were synthesized under high P–T conditions from amorphous phases of the ball-milled molar mixtures. The synthetic B–C–N samples were characterized by synchrotron x-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscope, electron energy-loss spectra, and indentation hardness measurements. These new high-pressure phases of B–C–N compound have extreme hardnesses, second only to diamond. Comparative studies of the high P – T synthetic products of BC_2N, BC_4N, and segregated phases of diamond + c BN composite confirm the existence of the single B–C–N ternary phases.