Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feasibility of a Single Contrast Bolus High-Pitch Pulmonary CT Angiography Protocol Followed by Low-Dose Retrospectively ECG-Gated Cardiac CT in Patients with Suspected Pulmonary Embolism

Abstract Introduction To prospectively evaluate the feasibility of single contrast bolus high-pitch CT pulmonary angiography (CTPA) subsequently followed by low-dose retrospectively ECG-gated cardiac CT (4D-cCT) in patients with suspected pulmonary embolism (PE) to accurately evaluate right ventricular (RV) function. Materials and Methods 62 patients (33 female, age 65.1 ± 17.5 years) underwent high-pitch CTPA examination with 80cc of iodinated contrast material. 5 s after the end of the high-pitch CTPA study, a low-dose retrospectively ECG-gated cardiac CT examination was automatically started. The volume CT dose index (CTDI vol) and dose length product (DLP) were recorded in all patients and the effective dose was calculated. For the assessment of image quality, attenuation was measured as Hounsfield units (HUs) within various regions of interest (ROIs). These ROIs were used to calculate the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR). Subjective image quality was assessed using a five-point Likert scale. On 4D-cCT, the ejection fraction of both ventricles (RVEF, LVEF) as well as the ratio of RVEF and LVEF (RVEF/LVEF) was assessed. The statistical difference of all parameters between the PE and non-PE group was calculated. Results The mean effective radiation dose was 4.22 ± 2.05 mSv. Attenuation measurements on CTPA showed the highest attenuation values in the main pulmonary artery (442.01 ± 187.64). On 4D-cCT attenuation values were highest in the descending aorta (560.59 ± 208.81). The CNR and SNR values on CTPA were highest within the main pulmonary artery (CNR = 12.43 ± 4.57; SNR = 15.14 ± 4.90). On 4D-cCT images, the highest SNR and CNR could be measured in the descending aorta (CNR = 10.26 ± 5.57; SNR = 10.86 ± 5.17). The mean LVEF was 60.73 %± 14.65 %, and the mean RVEF was 44.90 %± 9.54 %. The mean RVEF/LVEF was 0.79 ± 0.29. There was no significant difference between the PE and non-PE group for either of the parameters. Conclusion The investigated combined CTPA and 4D-cCT protocol is feasible using a single contrast bolus and allows the evaluation of RV function in patients with suspected PE. Further studies have to evaluate the additional value of this protocol regarding risk stratification in patients with PE. Key Points: High-pitch CTPA is fast enough to leave sufficient contrast material within the heart that can be used for an additional low-dose functional cardiac CT examination. The tube current of the evaluated 4D-cCT is reduced over the entire cardiac cycle without any full dose peak. Low-dose cardiac CT subsequently performed after high-pitch CTPA allows for detailed analysis of RV function. Citation Format Schäfer JC, Haubenreisser H, Meyer M et al. Feasibility of a Single Contrast Bolus High-Pitch Pulmonary CT Angiography Protocol Followed by Low-Dose Retrospectively ECG-Gated Cardiac CT in Patients with Suspected Pulmonary Embolism. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2018; 190: 542 – 550
OFDM channel estimation in the presence of transmitter and receiver I/Q imbalance

In this paper, we consider channel estimation for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) systems when both the transmitter and receiver suffer from in-phase and quadrature-phase (I/Q) imbalance. By exploiting the fact that the block size of an OFDM system is usually larger than the channel order, we propose a new method which can jointly estimate the transmitter and receiver I/Q mismatch and channel response. The estimates of the transmitter and receiver I/Q imbalance parameters are given in a closed form. Using only one arbitrary OFDM block for training, the proposed method can accurately estimate these parameters and a very good performance can be achieved. Simulation results show that the bit error rate (BER) performance of the proposed method is very close to the ideal case where the I/Q mismatch and channel response are perfectly known at the receiver.
Smoothness of viewpoint transitions in multiview video systems

The smoothness of viewpoint transitions in a test-bed for stereoscopic multiview systems was studied to evaluate the effect of head velocity and number of stereoscopic viewpoints. The judgments of apparent smoothness as a function of viewpoint density were scaled according to a logarithmic function. A minimum of four stereoviews per cm are required for good perceived smoothness, while exceeding six yields very little improvement. Smoothness ratings were higher at the faster head velocity, suggesting that with faster movements, lower viewpoint densities might be tolerated. A second goal was to compare methods for subjective evaluation of smoothness: the double-stimulus-continuous-quality scale (DSCQS), double stimulus impairment scale variant II (DSIS II), and magnitude estimation (ME). In order to evaluate the effect of context on different scales, each scale was used to rate the same video sequences. The least contextual effects occurred with ME, suggesting that this may be the best scale to use.
Carbon Balance and Management

The African continent has a large and growing role in the global carbon cycle, with potentially important climate change implications. However, the sparse observation network in and around the African continent means that Africa is one of the weakest links in our understanding of the global carbon cycle. Here, we combine data from regional and global inventories as well as forward and inverse model analyses to appraise what is known about Africa's continental-scale carbon dynamics. With low fossil emissions and productivity that largely compensates respiration, land conversion is Africa's primary net carbon release, much of it through burning of forests. Savanna fire emissions, though large, represent a short-term source that is offset by ensuing regrowth. While current data suggest a near zero decadal-scale carbon balance, interannual climate fluctuations (especially drought) induce sizeable variability in net ecosystem productivity and savanna fire emissions such that Africa is a major source of interannual variability in global atmospheric CO2. Considering the continent's sizeable carbon stocks, their seemingly high vulnerability to anticipated climate and land use change, as well as growing populations and industrialization, Africa's carbon emissions and their interannual variability are likely to undergo substantial increases through the 21st century. Background Africa stands out among continents for widespread and deeply entrenched poverty, slow economic development, and agricultural systems prone to failure during frequent and persistent droughts [1]. Africa is also home to some rapidly developing economies, tremendous natural resources and remarkable social and ecological diversity. The unique history of Africa, the close dependencies of people on natural resources and a future that will certainly include substantial industrial, agricultural and social development, suggest that Africa will become a key player in the carbon cycle of the 21st century. However, our knowledge about Africa's current role in the global carbon cycle remains remarkably limited. We currently do not know whether Africa is a net sink or source of atmospheric carbon, and have only vague indications of the continent's temporal and spatial patterns of carbon exchange. Given the current development agenda that is intended to Published: 7 March 2007 Carbon Balance and Management 2007, 2:3 doi:10.1186/1750-0680-2-3 Received: 19 January 2007 Accepted: 7 March 2007 This article is available from: http://www.cbmjournal. com/content/2/1/3 © 2007 Williams et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Effects of norepinephrine transporter gene variants on NET binding in ADHD and healthy controls investigated by PET

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous disorder with a strong genetic component. The norepinephrine transporter (NET) is a key target for ADHD treatment and the NET gene has been of high interest as a possible modulator of ADHD pathophysiology. Therefore, we conducted an imaging genetics study to examine possible effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within the NET gene on NET nondisplaceable binding potential (BPND) in patients with ADHD and healthy controls (HCs). Twenty adult patients with ADHD and 20 HCs underwent (S,S)‐[18F]FMeNER‐D2 positron emission tomography (PET) and were genotyped on a MassARRAY MALDI‐TOF platform using the Sequenom iPLEX assay. Linear mixed models analyses revealed a genotype‐dependent difference in NET BPND between groups in the thalamus and cerebellum. In the thalamus, a functional promoter SNP (−3081 A/T) and a 5′‐untranslated region (5′UTR) SNP (−182 T/C), showed higher binding in ADHD patients compared to HCs depending on the major allele. Furthermore, we detected an effect of genotype in HCs, with major allele carriers having lower binding. In contrast, for two 3′UTR SNPs (*269 T/C, *417 A/T), ADHD subjects had lower binding in the cerebellum compared to HCs depending on the major allele. Additionally, symptoms of hyperactivity and impulsivity correlated with NET BPND in the cerebellum depending on genotype. Symptoms correlated positively with cerebellar NET BPND for the major allele, while symptoms correlated negatively to NET BPND in minor allele carriers. Our findings support the role of genetic influence of the NE system on NET binding to be pertubated in ADHD. Hum Brain Mapp 37:884–895, 2016. © 2015 The Authors Human Brain Mapping Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
L-arginine Supplementation Protects Exercise Performance and Structural Integrity of Muscle Fibers after a Single Bout of Eccentric Exercise in Rats

Eccentric exercise is known to disrupt sarcolemmal integrity and induce damage of skeletal muscle fibers. We hypothesized that L-arginine (L-Arg; nitric oxide synthase (NOS) substrate) supplementation prior to a single bout of eccentric exercise would diminish exercise-induced damage. In addition, we used N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME; NOS inhibitor) to clarify the role of native NOS activity in the development of exercise-induced muscle damage. Rats were divided into four groups: non-treated control (C), downhill running with (RA) or without (R) L-Arg supplementation and downhill running with L-NAME supplementation (RN). Twenty four hours following eccentric exercise seven rats in each group were sacrificed and soleus muscles were dissected and frozen for further analysis. The remaining seven rats in each group were subjected to the exercise performance test. Our experiments showed that L-Arg supplementation prior to a single bout of eccentric exercise improved subsequent exercise performance capacity tests in RA rats when compared with R, RN and C rats by 37%, 27% and 13%, respectively. This outcome is mediated by L-Arg protection against post-exercise damage of sarcolemma (2.26- and 0.87-fold less than R and RN groups, respectively), reduced numbers of damaged muscle fibers indicated by the reduced loss of desmin content in the muscle (15% and 25% less than R and RN groups, respectively), and diminished µ-calpain mRNA up-regulation (42% and 30% less than R and RN groups, respectively). In conclusion, our study indicates that L-Arg supplementation prior to a single bout of eccentric exercise alleviates muscle fiber damage and preserves exercise performance capacity.
Accounting for linkage disequilibrium in genome scans for selection without individual genotypes: The local score approach

Detecting genomic footprints of selection is an important step in the understanding of evolution. Accounting for linkage disequilibrium in genome scans increases detection power, but haplotype‐based methods require individual genotypes and are not applicable on pool‐sequenced samples. We propose to take advantage of the local score approach to account for linkage disequilibrium in genome scans for selection, cumulating (possibly small) signals from single markers over a genomic segment, to clearly pinpoint a selection signal. Using computer simulations, we demonstrate that this approach detects selection with higher power than several state‐of‐the‐art single‐marker, windowing or haplotype‐based approaches. We illustrate this on two benchmark data sets including individual genotypes, for which we obtain similar results with the local score and one haplotype‐based approach. Finally, we apply the local score approach to Pool‐Seq data obtained from a divergent selection experiment on behaviour in quail and obtain precise and biologically coherent selection signals: while competing methods fail to highlight any clear selection signature, our method detects several regions involving genes known to act on social responsiveness or autistic traits. Although we focus here on the detection of positive selection from multiple population data, the local score approach is general and can be applied to other genome scans for selection or other genomewide analyses such as GWAS.
Utility of the PASE questionnaire, psoriatic arthritis (PsA) prevalence and PsA improvement with anti-TNF therapy: results from the PRISTINE trial

Abstract Objective: The authors tested the Psoriatic Arthritis Screening and Evaluation (PASE) to assess usefulness for psoriatic arthritis (PsA) screening before and after anti-TNF treatment in a clinical trial setting. Methods: Participants of the PRISTINE trial (NCT0066305) were randomized to etanercept 50 mg once weekly or twice weekly. PASE was administered at baseline and 12 weeks of treatment. Scores were compared by a paired sample t-test. Logistic regression and receiver operating curves were used to compare disease assessments against the PASE scores. Results: Participants (N = 273, once weekly, N = 137; twice weekly, N = 136) had a mean age of 44 years; 70% were male; mean PASI was 21. At baseline, 31% had a self-reported history of physician-diagnosed PsA (mean duration, 8 years); ∼25% had a PASE total score ≥47, indicating active PsA. At week 12, 14% had scores ≥47 (p =. 0143). PASE scores correlated with subject global assessment of joint pain. Conclusions: The PASE was used in a randomized controlled clinical trial in a moderate to severe psoriasis population with a high prevalence of PsA. The findings also support the use of PASE as a tool to measure treatment response for PsA.
Russian Doll Search with Tree Decomposition

Optimization in graphical models is an important problem which has been studied in many AI frameworks such as weighted CSP, maximum satisfiability or probabilistic networks. By identifying conditionally independent subproblems, which are solved independently and whose optimum is cached, recent Branch and Bound algorithms offer better asymptotic time complexity. But the locality of bounds induced by decomposition often hampers the practical effects of this result because subproblems are often uselessly solved to optimality. Following the Russian Doll Search (RDS) algorithm, a possible approach to overcome this weakness is to (inductively) solve a relaxation of each subproblem to strengthen bounds. The algorithm obtained generalizes both RDS and tree-decomposition based algorithms such as BTD or AND-OR Branch and Bound. We study its efficiency on different problems, closing a very hard frequency assignment instance which has been open for more than 10 years.
Amifostine Pretreatment Attenuates Myocardial Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury by Inhibiting Apoptosis and Oxidative Stress

The present study was aimed at investigating the effect of amifostine on myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury of mice and H9c2 cells cultured with TBHP (tert-butyl hydroperoxide). The results showed that pretreatment with amifostine significantly attenuated cell apoptosis and death, accompanied by decreased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and lower mitochondrial potential (ΔΨm). In vivo, amifostine pretreatment alleviated I/R injury and decreased myocardial apoptosis and infarct area, which was paralleled by increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) in myocardial tissues, increased Bcl2 expression, decreased Bax expression, lower cleaved caspase-3 level, fewer TUNEL positive cells, and fewer DHE-positive cells in heart. Our results indicate that amifostine pretreatment has a protective effect against myocardial I/R injury via scavenging ROS.
Mechanisms and control of water inflow to wells in gas reservoirs with bottom water drive

Water inflow may cease production of gas wells, leaving a significant amount of gas in the reservoir. Conventional technologies of gas well dewatering remove water from inside the wellbore without controlling water at its source. This study addresses mechanisms of water inflow to gas wells and a new completion method to control it. In a vertical oil well, the water cone top is horizontal, but in a gas well, the gas/water interface tends to bend downwards. It could be economically possible to produce gas-water systems without water breakthrough. Non-Darcy flow effect (NDFE), vertical permeability, aquifer size, density of well perforation, and flow behind casing increase water coning/inflow to wells in homogeneous gas reservoirs with bottom water. NDFE is important in low-productivity gas reservoirs with low porosity and permeability. Also, NDFE should be considered in the reservoir (outside the well) to describe properly gas wells performance. A particular pattern of water rate in a gas well with leaking cement is revealed. The pattern might be used to diagnose the leak. The pattern explanation considers cement leak flow hydraulics. Water production depends on leak properties. Advanced methods at parametric experimental design and statistical analysis of regression, variance, with uncertainty (Monte Carlo) were used building economic model at gas wells with bottom water. Completion length optimization reveled that penetrating 80% of the gas zone gets the maximum net present value. The most promising Downhole Water Sink (DWS) installation in gas wells includes dual completion with an isolating packer and gravity gas-water separation at the
Selective Optogenetic Activation of Rostral Ventrolateral Medullary Catecholaminergic Neurons Produces Cardiorespiratory Stimulation in Conscious Mice

Activation of rostral ventrolateral medullary catecholaminergic (RVLM-CA) neurons e.g., by hypoxia is thought to increase sympathetic outflow thereby raising blood pressure (BP). Here we test whether these neurons also regulate breathing and cardiovascular variables other than BP. Selective expression of ChR2-mCherry by RVLM-CA neurons was achieved by injecting Cre-dependent vector AAV2-EF1α-DIO-ChR2-mCherry unilaterally into the brainstem of dopamine-β-hydroxylaseCre/0 mice. Photostimulation of RVLM-CA neurons increased breathing in anesthetized and conscious mice. In conscious mice, photostimulation primarily increased breathing frequency and this effect was fully occluded by hypoxia (10% O2). In contrast, the effects of photostimulation were largely unaffected by hypercapnia (3 and 6% CO2). The associated cardiovascular effects were complex (slight bradycardia and hypotension) and, using selective autonomic blockers, could be explained by coactivation of the sympathetic and cardiovagal outflows. ChR2-positive RVLM-CA neurons expressed VGLUT2 and their projections were mapped. Their complex cardiorespiratory effects are presumably mediated by their extensive projections to supraspinal sites such as the ventrolateral medulla, the dorsal vagal complex, the dorsolateral pons, and selected hypothalamic nuclei (dorsomedial, lateral, and paraventricular nuclei). In sum, selective optogenetic activation of RVLM-CA neurons in conscious mice revealed two important novel functions of these neurons, namely breathing stimulation and cardiovagal outflow control, effects that are attenuated or absent under anesthesia and are presumably mediated by the numerous supraspinal projections of these neurons. The results also suggest that RVLM-CA neurons may underlie some of the acute respiratory response elicited by carotid body stimulation but contribute little to the central respiratory chemoreflex.
Towards extracting 3-D structural representations of AGR core fuel channels from 2-D in-core inspection videos

Remote Visual Inspection (RVI) of Advanced Gas-cooled Reactor (AGR) nuclear power stations allows engineers to gain an understanding of the AGR graphite core health by investigating the incorporated fuel channels. During planned, periodic outages, video footage of the pre-selected fuel channels is acquired using specialist inspection tools and is subsequently taken offline for further analysis using visualization techniques. Current methods of visualization however provide limited structural information due to the loss of depth information as a direct result of the image acquisition process. This paper introduces a new bespoke 3-D reconstruction framework to recover lost depth information to produce 3-D point cloud reconstructions of fuel channels from inspection videos. We also present here a new, lab based, experimental rig setup with which we effectively captured data under lab controlled conditions to verify our 3-D reconstruction algorithms. Our proposed method is tested on 2-D in core inspection videos in addition to the footage captured within laboratory conditions and outperforms state-of-the-art incremental reconstruction frameworks whilst producing a more representative 3-D point cloud for improved in-core visualization.