Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Correlation of Thyroid Hormone Levels with Radioactive 99m TcThyroid Uptakes

Objective: This study aimed to study the relationship between thyroid function test and thyroid uptake using 99m Tc and to determine of the normal range of the thyroid uptake in Sudanese as well as the possibility of replacing the TFT test by thyroid uptake. Methods: Out of the 77 patients (6.2%)males and (93.5%) females who referred to the department of nuclear medicine at radio isotope center Khartoum (RICK) for thyroid function test and thyroid scan in the period fromMay to Aug 2009, were included in this study.Simple sensitive RIA wasused for the measurement of thyroid related hormones (T4, T3and TSH), and thyroid uptake value in the gamma camera (mediso). Results: The results showed that mean±SD values for T3, T4, TSH and thyroid uptake were 5.6±3.6, 79.8±6.5, 6.7±0.8 and 6.3±2.4 respectively. The normal range for thyroid uptake in this study was ranged from 5.78 to 6.12% at 20 min after injected with a dose of 3mCi 99mTc. As well as the results showed that there is strong and significant correlation at p = 0.05 between the thyroid uptake versus T3 and T4. Whereas in low uptake the correlation coefficient r = 0.87 and 0.81 for T4 and T3 respectively, and in elevated group r = 0.94 for T4 and 0.96 for T3. While in the normal uptake group r = 0.99 and 0.88 for T4 and T3 respectively. This study concluded that there was relationship between thyroid uptake and the level of the thyroid related hormones The percentage of thyroid uptake was ranging between 1.2 and 8.0 Conclusion: There were possibilities of using thyroid uptake only as a diagnostic tool for thyroid activity
Pose angular-aiding for maneuvering target tracking

With high-resolution radar sensors such as HRRR and SAR, ground targets become visible more as a rich set of radar signatures corresponding to the target geometrical details than as a single reflector with an equivalent RCS. This has enabled target classification and identification (ID). As a "by-product" of the target ID process, the pose angles are available. For ground targets, which are constrained to move on the earth surface, their velocity vector direction is aligned most of time along the body's longitudinal axis. As a result, the pose angles carry kinematic information that can be used to aid target tracking particularly during the maneuvering periods. In this paper, we investigate the potential benefits of pose angular aiding and the requirements on pose angular measurements in order to realize such benefits. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the concept and performance.
Role of NADPH Oxidase versus Neutrophil Proteases in Antimicrobial Host Defense

NADPH oxidase is a crucial enzyme in mediating antimicrobial host defense and in regulating inflammation. Patients with chronic granulomatous disease, an inherited disorder of NADPH oxidase in which phagocytes are defective in generation of reactive oxidant intermediates (ROIs), suffer from life-threatening bacterial and fungal infections. The mechanisms by which NADPH oxidase mediate host defense are unclear. In addition to ROI generation, neutrophil NADPH oxidase activation is linked to the release of sequestered proteases that are posited to be critical effectors of host defense. To definitively determine the contribution of NADPH oxidase versus neutrophil serine proteases, we evaluated susceptibility to fungal and bacterial infection in mice with engineered disruptions of these pathways. NADPH oxidase-deficient mice (p47phox−/−) were highly susceptible to pulmonary infection with Aspergillus fumigatus. In contrast, double knockout neutrophil elastase (NE)−/−×cathepsin G (CG)−/− mice and lysosomal cysteine protease cathepsin C/dipeptidyl peptidase I (DPPI)-deficient mice that are defective in neutrophil serine protease activation demonstrated no impairment in antifungal host defense. In separate studies of systemic Burkholderia cepacia infection, uniform fatality occurred in p47phox−/− mice, whereas NE−/−×CG−/− mice cleared infection. Together, these results show a critical role for NADPH oxidase in antimicrobial host defense against A. fumigatus and B. cepacia, whereas the proteases we evaluated were dispensable. Our results indicate that NADPH oxidase dependent pathways separate from neutrophil serine protease activation are required for host defense against specific pathogens.
Image Segmentation Using Component Tree and Normalized Cut

Graph partitioning, or graph cut, has been studied by several authors as a way of image segmenting. In the last years, the Normalized Cut has been widely used in order to implement graph partitioning, based on the graph spectra analysis (eigenvalues and eigenvectors). This area is known as Spectral Graph Theory. This work uses a hierarchical structure in order to represent images, the Component Tree. We provide image segmentation based on Normalized Cut, with image representation based on the Component Tree and on its scale-space analysis. Experimental results present a comparison between other image representations, as pixel grids, including multiscale graph decomposition formulation, and Watershed Transform. As the results show, the proposed approach, applied to different images, presents satisfying image segmentation.
Implementing the LZ-index: Theory versus practice

The LZ-index is a theoretical proposal of a lightweight data structure for text indexing, based on the Ziv-Lempel trie. If a text of <i>u</i> characters over an alphabet of size σ is compressible to <i>n</i> symbols using the LZ78 algorithm, then the LZ-index takes 4<i>n</i> log<sub>2</sub> <i>n</i> (1+<i>o</i>(1)) bits of space (that is, 4 times the entropy of the text) and reports the <i>R</i> occurrences of a pattern of length m in worst case time <i>O</i>(<i>m</i><sup>3</sup> log σ + (<i>m</i> + <i>R</i>)log <i>n</i>). In this paper we face the challenge of obtaining a practical implementation of the LZ-index, which is not at all straightforward from the theoretical proposal. We end up with a prototype that takes the promised space and has average search time <i>O</i>(σ <i>m</i> log <i>u</i> + &sqrt;<i>uR</i>). This prototype is shown to be faster than other competing approaches when we take into account the time to report the positions or text contexts of the occurrences found. We show in detail the process of implementing the index, which involves interesting lessons of theory versus practice.
TopCoF: A Topology Control Framework for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

Topology Control (TC) is a well known technique used in wireless ad hoc and sensor networks to reduce energy consumption. This technique coordinates the decisions of network nodes about their transmission power to save energy, prolong network lifetime, and mitigate MAC-level medium contention, while maintaining network connectivity. In order to ease the implementation and the study in systematic way of proposed TC protocols, in terms of energy usage and network graph properties, we propose a new framework based on NS-2 simulator. The framework is named TopCoF and composed of two main parts. The first one consists of a set of NS-2 extensions to support TC, while the second is a graphical user interface for statistical analysis and visualization of simulation results traced by the first part. TopCoF is modular and generic since it implements a set of basic components used by TC protocols.
Sensing keyboard input for computer activity recognition with a smartphone

Computer activities such as writing documents and playing games are becoming more and more popular in our daily life. These activities (especially if identified in a non-intrusive manner) can be used to facilitate context-aware services. In this paper, we propose to recognize computer activities through keyboard input sensing with a smart-phone. Specifically, we first utilize the microphone embedded in a smartphone to sense the acoustic signal of keystrokes on a computer keyboard. We then identify keystrokes using fingerprint identification techniques. The determined keystrokes are then corrected by using the proposed adjacent similarity matrix algorithm. Finally, by fusing both semantic and acoustic features, a classification model is constructed to recognize four typical computer activities: chatting, coding, writing documents, and playing games. We evaluated the proposed approach from multiple aspects in realistic environments. Experimental results validated the effectiveness of our approach.
Prediction Interval Construction and Optimization for Adaptive Neurofuzzy Inference Systems

The performance of an adaptive neurofuzzy inference system (ANFIS) significantly drops when uncertainty exists in the data or system operation. Prediction intervals (PIs) can quantify the uncertainty associated with ANFIS point predictions. This paper first presents a methodology to adapt the delta technique for the construction of PIs for outcomes of the ANFIS models. As the ANFIS models are linear in their consequent part, the ANFIS-based PIs are computationally less expensive than neural network (NN)-based PIs. Second, this paper proposes a method to optimize ANFIS-based PIs. A new PI-based cost function is developed for the training of the ANFIS models. A simulated annealing-based algorithm is applied to minimize the new nonlinear cost function and adjust the premise and consequent parameters of the ANFIS model. Using three real-world case studies, it is shown that ANFIS-based PIs are computationally less expensive than NN-based PIs. The application of the proposed optimization algorithm leads to better quality PIs than optimized NN-based PIs.
Multiple-Site Activation of the Cysteinyl Leukotriene Receptor 2 Is Required for Exacerbation of Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Objective—Transgenic overexpression of the human cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 2 (CysLT2R) in murine endothelium exacerbates vascular permeability and ischemia/reperfusion injury. Here, we explore the underlying mechanisms of CysLT2R activation-mediated inflammation and delineate the relative contributions of endogenous murine CysLT2R and the transgene-derived receptor. Approach and Results—We created a novel mouse with only endothelial-expressed CysLT2R (endothelium-targeted overexpression mice [EC]/CysLT2R-knockout mice [KO]) by crossing EC with KO to dissect the role of endothelial CysLT2R in tissue injury. Surprisingly, we discovered that damage in EC/KO mice was not elevated (24% versus 47% EC) after ischemia/reperfusion. We examined vascular permeability and leukocyte recruitment/rolling responses in the cremaster vasculature after cysteinyl leukotriene (cysLT) stimulation. Mice possessing transgenic endothelial CysLT2R overexpression, whether EC or EC/KO, when stimulated with cysLTs, exhibited vascular hyperpermeability, declining leukocyte flux, and a transient increase in slow-rolling leukocyte fraction. Mice lacking endogenous CysLT2R (both KO [20±3 cells/min] EC/KO [24±3]) showed lower-rolling leukocyte flux versus wild-type (38±6) and EC (35±6) mice under unstimulated conditions. EC/KO mice differed from EC counterparts in that vascular hyperpermeability was not present in the absence of exogenous cysLTs. Conclusions—These results indicate that endothelial and nonendothelial CysLT2R niches have separate roles in mediating inflammatory responses. Endothelial receptor activation results in increased vascular permeability and leukocyte slow-rolling, facilitating leukocyte transmigration. Nonendothelial receptors, likely located on resident/circulating leukocytes, facilitate endothelial receptor activation and leukocyte transit. Activation of both receptor populations is required for injury exacerbation.
Kernel estimate for image restoration using blind deconvolution

In most cases image distortions modelled by convolution and additive white noise have unknown model parameters, such as convolution kernel (point spread function — PSF) and noise power. Different methods of blind deconvolution which iteratively approximate PSF use some initial kernel estimation; their performance is sufficiently dependent on the precision of that estimate. Modelling initial PSF as a line segment we propose a hybrid method of its estimate which is based both on cepstral and gradient field analyses of distorted image. The proposed method, combined with spectral estimation of noise power, results in better performance of blind deconvolution image restoration which in our experiments was based on Bayes approach and Lucy-Richardson engine. Both visual and measured quality of restored images becomes better, computational load gets lower.
Effect of melatonin on sleep, behavior, and cognition in ADHD and chronic sleep-onset insomnia.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of melatonin treatment on sleep, behavior, cognition, and quality of life in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and chronic sleep onset insomnia. METHOD A total of 105 medication-free children, ages 6 to 12 years, with rigorously diagnosed ADHD and chronic sleep onset insomnia participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial using 3 or 6 mg melatonin (depending on body weight), or placebo for 4 weeks. Primary outcome parameters were actigraphy-derived sleep onset, total time asleep, and salivary dim light melatonin onset. RESULTS Sleep onset advanced by 26.9 +/- 47.8 minutes with melatonin and delayed by 10.5 +/- 37.4 minutes with placebo (p < .0001). There was an advance in dim light melatonin onset of 44.4 +/- 67.9 minutes in melatonin and a delay of 12.8 +/- 60.0 minutes in placebo (p < .0001). Total time asleep increased with melatonin (19.8 +/- 61.9 minutes) as compared to placebo (-13.6 +/- 50.6 minutes; p = .01). There was no significant effect on behavior, cognition, and quality of life, and significant adverse events did not occur. CONCLUSION Melatonin advanced circadian rhythms of sleep-wake and endogenous melatonin and enhanced total time asleep in children with ADHD and chronic sleep onset insomnia; however, no effect was found on problem behavior, cognitive performance, or quality of life.
Medium-Term Function of a 3D Printed TCP/HA Structure as a New Osteoconductive Scaffold for Vertical Bone Augmentation: A Simulation by BMP-2 Activation

Introduction: A 3D-printed construct made of orthogonally layered strands of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and hydroxyapatite has recently become available. The material provides excellent osteoconductivity. We simulated a medium-term experiment in a sheep calvarial model by priming the blocks with BMP-2. Vertical bone growth/maturation and material resorption were evaluated. Materials and methods: Titanium hemispherical caps were filled with either bare- or BMP-2 primed constructs and placed onto the calvaria of adult sheep (n = 8). Histomorphometry was performed after 8 and 16 weeks. Results: After 8 weeks, relative to bare constructs, BMP-2 stimulation led to a two-fold increase in bone volume (Bare: 22% ± 2.1%; BMP-2 primed: 50% ± 3%) and a 3-fold decrease in substitute volume (Bare: 47% ± 5%; BMP-2 primed: 18% ± 2%). These rates were still observed at 16 weeks. The new bone grew and matured to a haversian-like structure while the substitute material resorbed via cell- and chemical-mediation. Conclusion: By priming the 3D construct with BMP-2, bone metabolism was physiologically accelerated, that is, enhancing vertical bone growth and maturation as well as material bioresorption. The scaffolding function of the block was maintained, leaving time for the bone to grow and mature to a haversian-like structure. In parallel, the material resorbed via cell-mediated and chemical processes. These promising results must be confirmed in clinical tests.
Fractionated ultraviolet light irradiation of cultured Chinese hamster cells.

Two cultured lines of Chinese hamster cells M3-1 (near-euploid) and V79-79 (21 chromosomes) were exposed to conditioning doses of ultraviolet light (UV) of 254 nm, and their ability to survive a second exposure was studied as a function of time after the conditioning exposure. Colony formation was used as the end-point for survival. In partially synchronous cultures, cells of line M3-1 exhibited higher survival after fractionated than after single exposures; however, the higher survival was detectable only if a DNA-synthesis phase (greatly prolonged by the conditioning exposure) was allowed to intervene between the first and second exposures. Cells of line V79-79 also exhibited higher survival when the exposure was fractionated than when it was delivered as a single dose. Caffeine, when present between exposures at 1 mM concentration, did not affect the increase in survival of M3-1 cells. Postirradiation caffeine reduced survival of M3-1 cells after single exposures. These observations are interpreted to indicate that cultured Chinese hamster cells are capable of recovering from sublethal injury by UV light if a DNA-synthesis phase occurs between exposures. Caffeine does not appear to interfere with this recovery process.
Advisory Committee: RTOS-BASED DYNAMIC VOLTAGE SCALING

Title of Thesis: RTOS-BASED DYNAMIC VOLTAGE SCALING Degree candidate: Nuengwong Tuaycharoen Degree and year: Master of Science, 2003 Thesis directed by: Professor Bruce L. Jacob Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Energy consumption of real-time embedded systems becomes more important as such systems are widely used in many applications. In those systems, the core processor consumes a large amount of the total energy. Dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) is accepted as the key technique to reduce energy dissipation of the core by lowering the supply voltage and operating frequency. Currently, most DVS heuristics are based on average values of the past utilization, either with or without real-time constraint guarantees. This thesis is aimed at exploring the possibility to apply a classical control-systems technique, namely PID controller, to a DVS heuristic. The PID controller is able to find a good average value that represents the past, the present, and the changing workload of the system. By applying the characteristics of real-time application programs, the technique can also meet the real-time constraints. The technique is integrated into μC/OS II, a multitasking preemptive real-time operating system running on a Motorola M-CORE processor model. The applications used in the experiments are all members of the MediaBench benchmark suite. The experimental results show that the technique can reduce significantly energy consumption by consuming only 5% above the PERFECT case, and consuming only half of the energy consumed by the AVGN algorithm. Besides, the technique also guarantees the real-time constraints by preserving both jitters and missdeadline rates below 5%. RTOS-BASED DYNAMIC VOLTAGE SCALING by Nuengwong Tuaycharoen Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Maryland, College Park in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science 2003 Advisory Committee: Professor Bruce L. Jacob, Chair Professor Gang Qu Professor David B. Stewart ©Copyright by Nuengwong Tuaycharoen 2003
RECOD at MediaEval 2014: Violent Scenes Detection Task

This paper presents the RECOD approaches used in the MediaEval 2014 Violent Scenes Detection task. Our system is based on the combination of visual, audio, and text features. We also evaluate the performance of a convolutional network as a feature extractor. We combined those features using a fusion scheme. We participated in the main and the generalization tasks.
Human Values – a Missing Link in Doctor Patient Relationship

The value quotient in doctor patient relationship has taken a beating as it is becoming more commercial and business oriented than human oriented. Due to this change in holistic relationship the equation between the doctor and the patient is fast changing. Doctors believe in delivering the professional service and the values in Doctor-Patient relationship is fast depleting. The doctors may be unable to spend quality time with the patients which might result in huge communication break. Spending precious time with the patients strengthens the values in doctor patient relationship. The communication rupture between the doctors and patients affects the rapport between and cannot be considered as healthy. In this respect it is interesting to notice different factors responsible for doctor-patient relationship through a research question, ‘whether human values are missing in doctor-patient relationship? ’ The study also identifies significant factors responsible for creating such a sacred relationship with the application of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA).
Would SISO IMC and SIMC tuning work for MIMO processes?

Most industrial processes being MIMO have multivariable interactions, which makes controller design a challenging task. As one input can potentially affect all outputs, a controller action in one loop could destabilize other loops. In this paper we explore the possibility of designing a decentralized PI controller for a multivariable process using SISO tuning rules. The objective is to identify if SISO IMC tuning rules would work for MIMO processes or not. It was found that under certain conditions, the SISO design is also applicable for multivariable systems. The tuning methods considered here are the internal model control (IMC) and Skogestad/ Simple IMC (SIMC). The tuning rules are simple, model based, they easily relate model parameters to controller parameters and work reasonably well for a wide range of processes. Simulations are carried out and various performance indices have been evaluated and compared against other methods to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed (IMC and SIMC) tuning methods for multivariable systems.
An SVD-based approach for ghost detection and removal in high dynamic range images

In this paper, we propose a simple method for the ghost detection problem in the context of merging multiple low dynamic range (LDR) images to form a high dynamic range (HDR) image. We show that the second biggest singular values extracted over local spatiotemporal neighbourhoods can be effectively used for ghost region detection. Furthermore, we combine the proposed method with an exposure fusion technique to generate final HDR image free of ghosting artefacts. We present experimental results to illustrate the efficiency of the proposed method and quantitative comparison with other existing approaches show the good performance of our method in detecting and removing ghosting artefacts.
Optimal management of pulmonary arterial hypertension: prognostic indicators to determine treatment course

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rapidly progressive pulmonary vascular disease with a multifactorial etiopathogenesis that can result in right-sided heart failure and death. A number of studies indicate that an early therapeutic intervention yields better results on disease progression as compared to delayed treatment. In this review, we will analyze treatment strategies that may be used for monitoring disease progression and for guiding treatment decisions. Several factors (ie, symptoms, functional class, exercise capacity as assessed by a walking test and cardiopulmonary stress testing, hemodynamic parameters, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and plasma levels of biochemical markers) have been prognostic of survival. These indicators may be used both at the time of diagnosis and during treatment follow-up. No resolutive therapy is currently available for PAH; however, in the last decade, the advent of specific pharmacological treatments has given new hope to patients suffering from this debilitating disease with a poor prognosis. Combination drug therapies offer increased benefits over monotherapy, and current guidelines recommend a sequential “add on” design approach for patients in functional class II–IV. The goal-oriented “treat to target” therapy sets the timing for treatment escalation in case of inadequate response to currently known prognostic indicators. To date, further longitudinal studies should be urgently conducted to identify new goals that may improve therapeutic strategies in order to optimize personalized treatment in PAH patients.