Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reduction of Coil Mass Artifacts in High-Resolution Flat Detector Conebeam CT of Cerebral Stent-Assisted Coiling

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Developments in flat panel angiographic C-arm systems have enabled visualization of both the neurovascular stents and host arteries in great detail, providing complementary spatial information in addition to conventional DSA. However, the visibility of these structures may be impeded by artifacts generated by adjacent radio-attenuating objects. We report on the use of a metal artifact reduction algorithm for high-resolution contrast-enhanced conebeam CT for follow-up imaging of stent-assisted coil embolization. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Contrast-enhanced conebeam CT data were acquired in 25 patients who underwent stent-assisted coiling. Reconstructions were generated with and without metal artifact reduction and were reviewed by 3 experienced neuroradiologists by use of a 3-point scale. RESULTS: With metal artifact reduction, the observers agreed that the visibility had improved by at least 1 point on the scoring scale in >40% of the cases (κ = 0.6) and that the streak artifact was not obscuring surrounding structures in 64% of all cases (κ = 0.6). Metal artifact reduction improved the image quality, which allowed for visibility sufficient for evaluation in 65% of the cases, and was preferred over no metal artifact reduction in 92% (κ = 0.9). Significantly higher scores were given with metal artifact reduction (P < .0001). CONCLUSIONS: Although metal artifact reduction is not capable of fully removing artifacts caused by implants with high x-ray absorption, we have shown that the image quality of contrast-enhanced conebeam CT data are improved drastically. The impact of the artifacts on the visibility varied between cases, and yet the overall visibility of the contrast-enhanced conebeam CT with metal artifact reduction improved in most the cases.
Do Protests Matter? Evidence from the 1960s Black Insurgency

How do the subordinate few persuade the dominant many? Elite theories of political influence posit marginal groups exert little power. Pluralistic accounts suggest non-elites can set agendas, sway public opinion and shape policy. This article evaluates both theories in the context of blackled protests in the 1960s. Contrary to the elite model, I find evidence of a punctuated pluralism in which subordinate groups, though protests, can temporarily break elite dominance of political communication and “lead from below” to influence national discourse and generate conditional feelings of support or opposition in the majority, depending on the type of tactics employed. In presidential elections, proximity to black-led nonviolent protests increased white Democratic voteshare whereas proximity to black-led violent protests caused substantively important declines and likely tipped the 1968 election from Hubert Humphrey to Richard Nixon. This research has important implications for existing theories of political communication, social movements and voting behavior.
Topical Application of Glycolipids from Isochrysis galbana Prevents Epidermal Hyperplasia in Mice

Chronic inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis have a significant impact on society. Currently, the major topical treatments have many side effects, making their continued use in patients difficult. Microalgae have emerged as a source of bio-active molecules such as glycolipids with potent anti-inflammatory properties. We aimed to investigate the effects of a glycolipid (MGMG-A) and a glycolipid fraction (MGDG) obtained from the microalga Isochrysis galbana on a TPA-induced epidermal hyperplasia murine model. In a first set of experiments, we examined the preventive effects of MGMG-A and MGDG dissolved in acetone on TPA-induced hyperplasia model in mice. In a second step, we performed an in vivo permeability study by using rhodamine-containing cream, ointment, or gel to determinate the formulation that preserves the skin architecture and reaches deeper. The selected formulation was assayed to ensure the stability and enhanced permeation properties of the samples in an ex vivo experiment. Finally, MGDG-containing cream was assessed in the hyperplasia murine model. The results showed that pre-treatment with acetone-dissolved glycolipids reduced skin edema, epidermal thickness, and pro-inflammatory cytokine production (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17) in epidermal tissue. The in vivo and ex vivo permeation studies showed that the cream formulation had the best permeability profile. In the same way, MGDG-cream formulation showed better permeation than acetone-dissolved preparation. MGDG-cream application attenuated TPA-induced skin edema, improved histopathological features, and showed a reduction of the inflammatory cell infiltrate. In addition, this formulation inhibited epidermal expression of COX-2 in a similar way to dexamethasone. Our results suggest that an MGDG-containing cream could be an emerging therapeutic strategy for the treatment of inflammatory skin pathologies such as psoriasis.
Black Holes and Fluid Dynamics

This work re-examines Klemm and Maiorana’s 2014 paper Fluid dynamics on ultrastatic spacetimes and dual black holes by replicating and extending their findings. In that paper, the black holes in 3+1 dimensions dual (via the Anti–de Sitter/Conformal Field Theory correspondence) to equilibrium fluids in ultrastatic manifolds in 2+1 dimensions with constant curvature in the spatial sections were constructed and classified. These black holes are all found within the Carter–Plebański class of solutions. After replicating their work, a deeper analysis of the Carter–Plebański class was conducted. This deeper analysis places a black hole dual that was merely mentioned in passing in context as well as discovering a black hole dual that was missing in the earlier classification, with both then explicitly constructed. Thus, this work fully classifies the black holes in 3+1 dimensions dual to equilibrium fluids in ultrastatic manifolds in 2+1 dimensions with constant curvature in the spatial sections. Acknowledgements I would like to thank my supervisor, Associate Professor Edward Teo, and my co-supervisor, Dr Chen Yu for taking their time and energy into guiding and helping me with this project. I would also like to thank my family and friends for their encouragement and support.
Propagation characteristics of International Space Station wireless local area network

This work describes the application of the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD) for Space Station 2.4 GHz wireless local area networks (WLAN) indoor propagation characteristics analysis. The verification results indicate good correlation between UTD computed and measured signal strength. It is observed that the propagation characteristics are quite different in the Space Station modules as compared with those in the typical indoor WLAN environment, such as an office building. The existing indoor propagation models are not readily applicable to the Space Station module environment. The Space Station modules can be regarded as oversized imperfect waveguides. Two distinct propagation regions separated by a breakpoint exist. The propagation exhibits the guided wave characteristics. The propagation loss in the Space Station, thus, is much smaller than that in the typical office building. The path loss exponent inside the Space Station module is 1.72 for range distance less than 1 meter and is 0.75 for range distance between 1 and 10 meters. The path loss model developed in This work is applicable for Space Station WLAN RF coverage and link performance analysis.
Improved Imaging of Magnetically Labeled Cells Using Rotational Magnetomotive Optical Coherence Tomography

In this paper, we present a reliable and robust method for magnetomotive optical coherence tomography (MM-OCT) imaging of single cells labeled with iron oxide particles. This method employs modulated longitudinal and transverse magnetic fields to evoke alignment and rotation of anisotropic magnetic structures in the sample volume. Experimental evidence suggests that magnetic particles assemble themselves in elongated chains when exposed to a permanent magnetic field. Magnetomotion in the intracellular space was detected and visualized by means of 3D OCT as well as laser speckle reflectometry as a 2D reference imaging method. Our experiments on mesenchymal stem cells embedded in agar scaffolds show that the magnetomotive signal in rotational MM-OCT is significantly increased by a factor of ~3 compared to previous pulsed MM-OCT, although the solenoid’s power consumption was 16 times lower. Finally, we use our novel method to image ARPE-19 cells, a human retinal pigment epithelium cell line. Our results permit magnetomotive imaging with higher sensitivity and the use of low power magnetic fields or larger working distances for future three-dimensional cell tracking in target tissues and organs.
Motives for sickness presence among students at secondary school: a cross-sectional study in five European countries

Objectives This article investigates various motives for sickness presence (SP) among students in secondary school. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting 25 secondary schools in Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Italy and Latvia. Participants 5002 students between 16 and 19 years of age, 49% female. Results Almost half of the students reported two or more incidents of SP. The study indicated that the practice of SP was mainly extrinsically motivated. The most often reported motives for SP were that absence could affect grades negatively, that important curriculum material was explained at the school and attendance requirements. Some students practising SP expressed intrinsic motivation, such as maintaining their social network and interest in what was learnt at school. Conclusion The study investigated various motives for SP in secondary schools in five European countries. Extrinsic motivation for SP was more often reported than intrinsic motivation for SP. Multivariate analyses indicated that boys, students in vocational education, immigrants and students with low-educated parents more often reported intrinsic motivation for SP, while girls and students with high absence more often reported extrinsic motivation. There were also notable cross-country differences regarding reported motives for SP.
Increased levels of circulating endothelial cells in chronic periaortitis as a marker of active disease.

BACKGROUND The pathogenesis of chronic periaortitis (CP) has not been clarified. The histologic features and the association with autoimmune diseases suggest an immune-mediated disorder with marked inflammatory vascular and perivascular lesions. To clarify the role of vascular damage we looked for the presence and the surface phenotype of circulating endothelial cells (CECs) in the peripheral blood of patients with chronic periaortitis. METHODS Eleven patients with CP were evaluated for the presence of CECs; 9 patients had active and 2 inactive disease. Three patients with active disease were also evaluated 3 months after therapy. Ten atherosclerotic patients, 10 patients with renal insufficiency of variable degree and etiology, and 40 healthy subjects were evaluated as controls. Five-parameter, 3-color flow cytometry was performed with a FACScan. CECs were defined as CD45 negative, CD31, P1H12, and CD36 positive, and activated CECs as CD45 negative and P1H12, CD62 positive. RESULTS The median number of CECs in patients with CP (10(6) cells/mL) was significantly higher than in healthy controls (16 cells/mL, P= 0.0004) and atherosclerotic patients (25 cells/mL, P= 0.0005) Two patients with inactive disease had a CEC count comparable to that of normal subjects. In 2 of the 3 patients reevaluated, 3 months after therapy CEC numbers normalized. Almost all CECs were microvascular in origin and showed an activated phenotype. CONCLUSION The presence of a high number of CECs in the active phase of chronic periaortitis and their normalization during inactive disease suggest that endothelial damage may play a role in the pathogenesis of the disease.
Bench-Scale Disinfection of Bacteria and Viruses with Pulsed Arc Electrohydraulic Discharge

μsec). In the 0.7-L reactor, median E. coli, B. subtilis, and MS2 reductions of 2.4-, 4.6-, and 3.7-log, respectively, were observed after approximately 80 seconds of treatment in water with a conductivity of 14.7 mS; reductions of 2.8-, 4.0-, and 3.7-log, respectively, were observed in treated drinking water fi lter effl uent (conductivity of 610 μS). In the 3-L reactor, at a conductivity of 500 to 600 μS, 1.9- and approximately 0.9-log median reductions of E. coli and B. subtilis were achieved after 500 pulses (~3,300 sec); and, at a conductivity of 4.3 mS, median E. coli reductions of 0.5-log were achieved after 50 pulses (400 sec). Further work is necessary to elucidate the primary mechanism(s) of disinfection acting in the PAED system and how they relate to the reactor design, applied power requirements, and disinfection of specifi c target microorganisms.
Hybrid Clustering Scheme for Relaying in Multi-Cell LTE High User Density Networks

LTE usage is rapidly increasing with the increased demand for high data rate services. LTE cells with high load would be insufficient to handle all users’ traffic. This may cause blocking for some users or degrade the quality for others. Several techniques are adopted to increase the capacity of LTE cells. This paper will address specifically the use of some users as relays to others in order to increase the capacity of a specific cell. The result is a two-hop topology network with some users connected directly to the base station (BS) and others using some of the already connected users as relays to access the BS. Different techniques could be used to configure the users in such a topology. The paper proposes a new algorithm for relay selection in a multi-cell scenario based on K-means and selection strategy.
Rotator cuff impingement: correlation between findings on MRI and outcome after fluoroscopically guided subacromial bursography and steroid injection.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to describe the use of fluoroscopically guided subacromial bursography in the management of rotator cuff impingement and to correlate clinical outcome with preprocedural MRI findings. MATERIALS AND METHODS Sixty-nine patients with clinically and MRI proven subacromial impingement referred for fluoroscopic subacromial bursography and steroid injection between January 2004 and January 2006 were included in the study. After contrast-enhanced bursography, each patient received an injection of 80 mg of methylprednisolone and 1-2 mL of 0.25% bupivacaine into the bursa. Outcome was determined retrospectively and classified as complete resolution of symptoms, partial resolution of symptoms, or no change. MRI findings of impingement were graded according to severity. Outcome was evaluated as complete resolution and as complete or partial resolution in relation to MRI findings, duration of symptoms, age, and sex. RESULTS Complete resolution of symptoms was recorded in 40 (58%) of the patients. Fifty-seven (83%) of the patients reported some relief of symptoms after a mean follow-up period of 6 months. Shorter duration of symptoms and minor-grade MRI findings were associated with complete resolution. Younger age and minor-grade MRI findings were associated with complete or partial resolution. CONCLUSION Imaging-guided subacromial steroid injection may be of benefit in the short-term management of clinically and MRI-proven subacromial impingement, with 83% of 69 patients reporting symptom relief at 6-month follow-up evaluation. Patients with shorter duration of symptoms and minor-grade MRI findings have improved outcome.
Genetic Polymorphism of the Lactoferrin Gene in Dairy and Beef Cattles at National Artificial Insemination and Embryo Transfer Stations

ANGGRAENI, A. , G.E. MUMPUNIE, R. MISRIANTI and C. SUMATRI. 2012. Genetic polymorphism of the lactoferrin gene in dairy and beef cattles at national artificial insemination and embryo transfer stations. JITV 17(4): 251-257. Lactoferrin (LTF) is a gene controlling milk protein components and having the characteristic as antimicrobial. LTF in milk has the function to prevent diarrhea, whereas its function in a cow is to prevent mastitis in udder(s). Considering the important roles of the LTF gene, improving LTF contain in milk through selection at the DNA level is necessary. Genetic polymorphism of the LTF gene was identified in dairy and beef cattles by Polymerase Chain Reaction Restricsion Fragment Length Polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method using an EcoRI restriction enzyme. Genotyping was perfomed in Holstein Friesian (HF) dairy cattle for a total number of 89 heads, respectively from Lembang AI Station (Lembang AIS) by 17 bulls, Singosari Excellent AIS (Singosari EAIS) by 32 bulls, and Cipelang Embryo Transfer Station (Cipelang ETS) by 40 heifers. Genotyping was also conducted for four breeds of heifer beef cattle, providing Limousin (14 heads), Angus (5 heads), Simmental (13 heads) and Brahman (5 heads), from the Cipelang ETS. The LTF|EcoRI gene in the observed dairy and beef cattles resulted two types of alleles, i.e. A and B alleles. Either dairy and beef cattles had only two genotypes, i.e. AA and AB genotypes, without BB genotype. It could be a good thing as the AA and AB genotypes considerably be associated to mastitis resistance. The values of heterozygosity observation (Ho) of this gene were higher than those of heterozigosity expectation (He). It was concluded that a good variation in the LTF|EcoRI gene in either HF cattle or beef cattles from these three national breeding stations.
Breaking the silence. Battered women's perspectives on medical care.

OBJECTIVE To determine the barriers to identification and management of domestic violence from the battered women's perspective. DESIGN Qualitative research methods using semistructured focus groups. SETTING Urban and suburban community-based organizations serving women and their families in the San Francisco Bay (Calif) area. PARTICIPANTS Fifty-one women with histories of domestic violence comprised eight focus groups divided as follows: two groups of Latino (n=14), two groups of white (n=14), Asian (n=14), and two groups of African-American (n=9) women. RESULTS Participants from all ethnic groups identified major factors that affect identification and management of battered women in the health care setting. Factors that interfere with patient disclosure included threats of violence from the partner, embarrassment, adherence to gender roles, concerns about police involvement and lack of trust in the health care provider. One factor that predisposed a woman to seek help from providers was a need for the providers to exhibit compassion, awareness, and respect for the patient's need to make the final decisions about her situation. Most participants said that providers should take the initiative to ask directly about domestic violence, establish a supportive patient-provider relationship, and refer battered women to available community resources. The major institutional barriers to using the health care system included the high cost of medical care and long waiting periods. CONCLUSIONS Many battered women experience social, institutional, and provider barriers to obtaining help from the health care system for problems related to domestic violence. Providers as well as institutions can overcome these barriers through an understanding of the social context of domestic violence and the victim's needs. Identification may be improved through a trusting patient-provider relationship and by direct questioning about domestic violence.
Cortical Activation to Auditory Mismatch Elicited by Frequency Deviant and Complex Novel Sounds: A PET Study

The analysis of auditory deviant events outside the focus of attention is a fundamental capacity of human information processing and has been studied in experiments on Mismatch Negativity (MMN) and the P3a component in evoked potential research. However, generators contributing to these components are still under discussion. Here we assessed cortical blood flow to auditory stimulation in three conditions. Six healthy subjects were presented with standard tones, frequency deviant tones (MMN condition), and complex novel sounds (Novelty condition), while attention was directed to a nondemanding visual task. Analysis of the MMN condition contrasted with thestandard condition revealed blood flow changes in the left and right superior temporal gyrus, right superior temporal sulcus and left inferior frontal gyrus. Complex novel sounds contrasted with the standard condition activated the left superior temporal gyrus and the left inferior and middle frontal gyrus. A small subcortical activation emerged in the left parahippocampal gyrus and an extended activation was found covering the right superior temporal gyrus. Novel sounds activated the right inferior frontal gyrus when controlling for deviance probability. In contrast to previous studies our results indicate a left hemisphere contribution to a frontotemporal network of auditory deviance processing. Our results provide further evidence for a contribution of the frontal cortex to the processing of auditory deviance outside the focus of directed attention.
Subginvival Temperature in Health and Disease — A Comparative Study

Aim: Of all the signs of inflammation rise of temperature is the most objective and reproducible. But this sign is rarely used due to nonavailability of an instrument which is easily available and also accurate. In this present study an attempt was made to devise such an instrument. So in this present study an indigenously prepared thermocouple was used to determine the subgingival temperature in healthy and diseased periodontal sites and to compare the same within various sites and regions among and within healthy and diseased periodontal sites and show that rise in subgingival temperature is an indicator of periodontal disease. Materials and Methods: 60 male subjects were selected within the age group of 19-54yrs. They were classified into STUDY GROUP which included subjects with periodontal sites having probing depth of 5mm or more with bleeding on probing and CONTROL GROUP included subjects with periodontal sites less than or equal to 4mm and which did not bleed upon probing. Only the central incisors, canine and first molars of any one quadrant of the maxillary and mandibular arch were considered. A copper-constantan thermocouple glued to a plastic probe was used to determine the potential difference between the thermocouple in periodontal site and ice. The potential difference is directly proportional to temperature and thus the temperature was determined by using a reference temperature chart or an equation.The statistical package SPSS PC+ version 4.0 was used for statistical analysis. Mean and standard deviation were estimated from the sample for each group. The mean values were compared by student’s independent t-test/ student’s paired t-test appropriately. In the present study, p <0.05 was considered as the level of significance. Results: Subgingival temperature in CONTROL group shows higher temperature difference from the sublingual temperature indicating cooler sites than STUDY group which showed smaller temperature