Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dual-arrays brain imaging prototype: experimental in vitro results

Transcranial imaging of the brain is currently limited by the defocusing effect of the skull bone (absorption, diffusion and refraction of ultrasound. A noninvasive brain imaging device is presented that takes into account the defocusing effect of the skull. This device is made of two identical "twin" linear arrays located on each side of the head. It is shown how to differentiate the respective influence of the two bone windows on the path of an ultrasonic wave going from one array to the other, and how to estimate at each frequency the attenuation and phase shifts locally induced by each of the bone windows. This information is then used to perform non invasive adaptive focusing through the skull. Compared to non corrected wavefronts used in the beamforming process of commercial scanners, the spatial shift of the focal point is cancelled, the width of the focal spot is reduced, and the sidelobes level is decreased up to 15dB. The technique has been used to acquire in vitro images of tissue phantoms behind a skull wall, exhibiting the image quality enhancement with respect to images obtained with cylindrical focusing. Further refinement should lead to an improvement of the image contrast greater than 20 dB compared to conventionnal scanners.
A Comparative Study Of Shock Graph Methods For Shape Recognition

Binary images can be represented by their morphological skeleton transform also called as Medial axis transform(MAT). Shock graphs are derived from the skeleton and have emerged as powerful 2-D shape representation method. A skeleton has number of branches. A branch is a connected set of points between an end point and a joint or another end point. Every point also called as shock point on a skeleton can be labeled according to the variation of the radius function. The labeled points in a given branch are to be grouped according to their labels and connectivity, so that each group of same-label connected points will be stored in a graph node. One skeleton branch can give rise to one or more nodes. Finally we add edges between the nodes so as to produce a directed acyclic graph with edges directed according to the time of formation of shock points in each node. We have generated shock graphs using two different approaches and compared the merits and demerits.
Conservation of genomic sequences among isolates of Mycobacterium leprae

Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis has been used to assess relatedness among the genomes of four isolates of Mycobacterium leprae, the causative agent of leprosy. The M. leprae isolates were from human patients from India, a Mangabey monkey from West Africa, and an armadillo from Louisiana. A total of 16 probes were used; these were insert fragments of M. leprae DNA from plasmid recombinant libraries, 5 of which had genes with identifiable functions and 11 of which were randomly chosen recombinant molecules. In spite of the widely diverse origins of the isolates, restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis demonstrated that less than 0.3% of the nucleotides differ among the genomes.
Technical and statistical analysis of the failure of overhead lines and its impact on evaluating the quality of the power supply

The article deals with the subject of the failure of overhead power lines in south-eastern Poland. Based on data collected over the years, a technical and statistical analysis was done on the power outages that occurred in the selected area. The main purpose of this analysis was to gather information and show primarily the causes of failures, recognize tendencies, demonstrate trends over the years and perform a statistical analysis in order to assess the magnitude of the differences between the compared values in terms of the statistical indicators. The results of the technical and statistical analysis make it possible to assess the quality of the power supplied to customers located in the area covered by the analysis. This quality is closely related to the issue of the continuity of the power supply.
Estimating Denitrification in Sediments of the Parker River Estuary, Massachusetts.

This research was partially supported by grants from WHOI Sea Grant, the Plum Island Sound LMER, the Sweetwater Trust, and the NSF-REU program. We gratefully acknowledge the help of Jim Ledwell, who graciously provided both his expertise and equipment. 2. Balsis, B. R. , D. W. M. Alderman, I. D. Buffam, R. H. Garritt, C. S. Hopkinson Jr., and J. J. Vallino. 1995. Biol. Bull. 189: 252254. 3. King, D. B. , and E. S. Sal&man. 1995. I. Geophys. Res. 100: 7083-7088. 4. Upstill-Goddard, R. C. , A. J. Watson, P. S. Liss, and M. 1. Liddicoat. 1990. Tellus 42: 364-377. Literature Cited 5. Wanninkhof, R. , J. R. Ledwell, and W. S. Broecker. 1987. J. Geoph~x Res. 92: 14,567-14,580. 1. Marino, Roxanne, and R. W. Howarth. 1993. E.rfuaries 16: 4336. Clark, J. F. , R. Wanninkhof, P. Schlosser, and H. J. Simpson. 435. 1994. Tellus46: 274-285.
Associations Between Religion-Related Factors and Cervical Cancer Screening Among Muslims in Greater Chicago

Objective This study aimed to assess rates of Papanicolaou (Pap) testing and associations between religion-related factors and these rates among a racially and ethnically diverse sample of American Muslim women. Materials and Methods A community-based participatory research design was used in partnering with the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago to recruit Muslim women attending mosque and community events. These participants self-administered surveys incorporating measures of fatalism, religiosity, perceived discrimination, Islamic modesty, and a marker of Pap test use. Results A total of 254 survey respondents were collected with nearly equal numbers of Arabs, South Asians, and African American respondents. Of these respondents, 84% had obtained a Pap test in their lifetime, with individuals who interpret disease as a manifestation of God’s punishment having a lower odds of having had Pap testing after controlling for sociodemographic factors (odds ratio [OR] = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.77–1.0). In multivariate models, living in the United States for more than 20 years (OR = 4.7, 95% CI = 1.4–16) and having a primary care physician (OR = 7.7, 95% CI = 2.5–23.4) were positive predictors of having had a Pap test. Ethnicity, fatalistic beliefs, perceived discrimination, and modesty levels were not significantly associated with Pap testing rates. Conclusions To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess Pap testing behaviors among a diverse sample of American Muslim women and to observe that negative religious coping (e.g., viewing health problems as a punishment from God) is associated with a lower odds of obtaining a Pap test. The relationship between religious coping and cancer screening behaviors deserves further study so that religious values can be appropriately addressed through cancer screening programs.
Source-independent Hessian-free Gauss-Newton Full-waveform Inversion

Summary The estimation of soruce wavelet is very important for implementing full-waveform inversion (FWI) successfully. Many FWI algorithms estimate the soruce signature iteratively in the inversion process. In this paper, a source-independent method is adpoted by normalizing the wavefield. Furthermore, the gradientbased methods for FWI suffer from slow local convergence rate. A Hessian-free (HF) Gauss-Newton method is implemented in this research by solving the Newton system with a conjugate-gradient (CG) method. The CG method only needs Hessian-vector products instead of constructing the Hessian matrix explicitly. In this paper, the Hessian operator in HF Gauss-Newton method is corrected combining with the source-independent method. We demonstrate with numerical examples that the proposed strategies can improve the convergence rate and reduce the computational burden.
Quality assurance of test specifications for reactive systems

Extensive testing of modern communicating systems often involves large and complex test suites that need to be maintained throughout the life cycle of the tested systems. For this purpose, quality assurance of test suites is an inevitable task that eventually may have an impact on the quality of the system under test as well.In this thesis, we present a holistic method towards the analytical quality engineering of test specifications. We cover in detail what constitutes the quality of test specifications by adapting a quality model for software to test specifications and present how to apply target-oriented static testing to test specifications. We also introduce a dynamic testing method for test specifications, including a reverse engineering approach for test behavior models, and present a method for the consistency analysis of system responses in test suites. Based on the quality assessments made, the test suites can be improved regarding specific quality characteristics of this quality model. Finally, we validate and demonstrate the applicability of our approaches in a case study by means of a prototype implementation.
Thermoelectric properties of mesoscopic superconductors.

We develop a general framework for describing thermoelectric effects in phase-coherent superconducting structures. Formulas for the electrical conductance, thermal conductance, thermopower, and Peltier coefficient are obtained and their various symmetries discussed. Numerical results for both dirty and clean Andreev interferometers are presented. We predict that giant oscillations of the thermal conductance can occur, even when oscillations in the electrical conductance are negligibly small. Results for clean, two-dimensional systems with a single superconducting inclusion are also presented, which show that normal-state oscillations arising from quasiparticle boundary scattering are suppressed by the onset of superconductivity. In contrast, for a clean system with no normal-state boundary scattering, switching on superconductivity induces oscillations in off-diagonal thermoelectric coefficients.
Indium-111 capromab pendetide in the management of recurrent prostate cancer

The provision of accurate prognostic information is a long-standing goal for effective management of prostate adenocarcinoma. Nontargeted imaging modalities are less efficient at detecting slow-growing prostate cancers. Prostate-specific membrane antigen has emerged as a superior biomarker, especially for the evaluation of metastatic spread. Advances in imaging technology have focused clinical interest on indium-111 capromab (111In capromab) pendetide, a radioimmunoconjugate that detects prostate-specific membrane antigen expression in vivo. Single-photon emission computed tomography capromab pendetide images, fused with those generated by computed tomography or magnetic resonance, have engendered improvements in localization accuracy by correlating high signal intensity with anatomic structures. In long-term outcomes studies, fused 111In capromab pendetide scans have delivered significant benefits for patient selection and improved treatment of prostate cancer.
Regulation of CD44 Alternative Splicing by SRm160 and Its Potential Role in Tumor Cell Invasion

ABSTRACT The multiple isoforms of the transmembrane glycoprotein CD44 are produced by alternative RNA splicing. Expression of CD44 isoforms containing variable 5 exon (v5) correlates with enhanced malignancy and invasiveness of some tumors. Here we demonstrate that SRm160, a splicing coactivator, regulates CD44 alternative splicing in a Ras-dependent manner. Overexpression of SRm160 stimulates inclusion of CD44 v5 when Ras is activated. Conversely, small interfering RNA (siRNA)-mediated silencing of SRm160 significantly reduces v5 inclusion. Immunoprecipitation shows association of SRm160 with Sam68, a protein that also stimulates v5 inclusion in a Ras-dependent manner, suggesting that these two proteins interact to regulate CD44 splicing. Importantly, siRNA-mediated depletion of CD44 v5 decreases tumor cell invasion. Reduction of SRm160 by siRNA transfection downregulates the endogenous levels of CD44 isoforms, including v5, and correlates with a decrease in tumor cell invasiveness.
Identification of Continuous-Time Dynamical Systems: Neural Network Based Algorithms and Parallel Implementation

Time-delay mappings constructed using neural networks have proven successful performing nonlinear system identification; however, because of their discrete nature, their use in bifurcation analysis of continuous-tune systems is limited. This shortcoming can be avoided by embedding the neural networks in a training algorithm that mimics a numerical integrator. Both explicit and implicit integrators can be used. The former case is based on repeated evaluations of the network in a feedforward implementation; the latter relies on a recurrent network implementation. Here the algorithms and their implementation on parallel machines (SIMD and MIMD architectures) are discussed.
Electrospinning Fundamentals: Optimizing Solution and Apparatus Parameters

Electrospun nanofiber scaffolds have been shown to accelerate the maturation, improve the growth, and direct the migration of cells in vitro. Electrospinning is a process in which a charged polymer jet is collected on a grounded collector; a rapidly rotating collector results in aligned nanofibers while stationary collectors result in randomly oriented fiber mats. The polymer jet is formed when an applied electrostatic charge overcomes the surface tension of the solution. There is a minimum concentration for a given polymer, termed the critical entanglement concentration, below which a stable jet cannot be achieved and no nanofibers will form - although nanoparticles may be achieved (electrospray). A stable jet has two domains, a streaming segment and a whipping segment. While the whipping jet is usually invisible to the naked eye, the streaming segment is often visible under appropriate lighting conditions. Observing the length, thickness, consistency and movement of the stream is useful to predict the alignment and morphology of the nanofibers being formed. A short, non-uniform, inconsistent, and/or oscillating stream is indicative of a variety of problems, including poor fiber alignment, beading, splattering, and curlicue or wavy patterns. The stream can be optimized by adjusting the composition of the solution and the configuration of the electrospinning apparatus, thus optimizing the alignment and morphology of the fibers being produced. In this protocol, we present a procedure for setting up a basic electrospinning apparatus, empirically approximating the critical entanglement concentration of a polymer solution and optimizing the electrospinning process. In addition, we discuss some common problems and troubleshooting techniques.
Understanding pulsed magnetization transfer

Using a two‐pool exchange model of magnetization transfer (MT), numeric simulations were developed to predict the time dependence of longitudinal magnetization in both semisolid and liquid pools for arbitrary pulsed radiofrequency (RF) irradiation. Whereas RF excitation of the liquid pool was modeled using the time‐dependent Bloch equations, RF saturation of the semi‐solid pool was described by a time‐dependent rate proportional to both the absorption lineshape of the semisolid pool and the square of the RF pulse amplitude. Simulations show good agreement with experimental results for a 4% agar gel aqueous system in which the two‐pool kinetics have been well studied previously. These simulations provide a method for interpreting pulsed MT effects, are easily extended to biologic tissues, and provide a basis for optimizing clinical imaging applications that exploit MT contrast.
Lack of Association Between ß-herpesvirus Infection and Bronchiolitis Obliterans Syndrome in Lung Transplant Recipients in the Era of Antiviral Prophylaxis

Background. Cytomegalovirus (CMV), human herpesvirus-6 and -7 (HHV-6 and -7) are &bgr;-herpesviruses that commonly reactivate and have been proposed to trigger acute rejection and chronic allograft injury. We assessed the contribution of these viruses in the development of bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) after lung transplantation. Methods. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction of bronchoalveolar lavage samples were performed for CMV, HHV-6 and -7 in a prospective cohort of lung transplant recipients. A time-dependent Cox regression analysis was used to correlate the risk of BOS and acute rejection in patients with and without &bgr;-herpesviruses infection. Results. Ninety-three patients were included in the study over a period of 3 years. A total of 581 samples from bronchoalveolar lavage were obtained. Sixty-one patients (65.6%) had at least one positive result for one of the &bgr;-herpesviruses: 48 patients (51.6%) for CMV and 19 patients (20.4%) for both HHV-6 and -7. Median peak viral load was 3419 copies/mL for CMV, 258 copies/mL for HHV-6, and 665 copies/mL for HHV-7. Acute rejection (≥grade 2) occurred in 46.2% and BOS (≥stage 1) in 19.4% of the patients. In the Cox regression model the relative risk of acute rejection or BOS was not increased in patients with any &bgr;-herpesviruses reactivation. Acute rejection was the only independently associated risk factor for BOS. Conclusions. In lung transplant recipients receiving prolonged antiviral prophylaxis, reactivation of &bgr;-herpesviruses within the allograft was common. However, despite high viral loads in many patients, virus replication was not associated with the development of rejection or BOS.
Diagnostic variability and therapeutic efficacy of ECT in Nepalese sample.

BACKGROUND Though electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been used in Nepal for last twenty years, researches regarding its use, its efficacy and other data are non-existent. AIMS The objective of this study was to know about diagnostic variability and therapeutic efficacy of the use of ECT in hospitalized patients. METHODS This is a prospective comparative study between patients who received ECT and who did not using ICD-10 as diagnostic confirmation. Psychopathology was evaluated using Brief Psychiatric Research Scale (BPRS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) between the groups at admission, at discharge, at 1st month, at 6th month and at 12th month. Functional assessment of patients was done using Global Assessment of Function (GAF). Modified ECT was performed using general anaesthetic agent. RESULTS 47 patients received ECT as compared to 78 patients who were non-receivers. The patients with most common five diagnosis were paranoid schizophrenia (14.4%); psychotic depression (13.6%) ; undifferentiated schizophrenia (8.8%) ; bipolar mania (7.2% ) ;severe depression without psychosis (5.6%) . There was significant decrease in BPRS in ECT receiver as compared to non-receivers at discharge (p=0.0001), 1st month (p=0.0001), 6th month (p=0.0001) and 12th month (p=0.0001) ; in YMRS at discharge (p=.008), 1st month (p=.002) and at 12th month (p=.015) ; in HAMD-M at discharge (p=0.0001), at 1st month (p=0.0001), at 6th month (p=0.0001) and at 12th month (p=0.0001) ; in GAF at discharge (p=0.0001), at 6th month (p=0.0001) and at 12th month (p=0.0001). CONCLUSION There was significant improvement in overall psychopathology of patients who received ECT as compared to non-receivers. The improvement was shown by decrement in scores in BPRS, YMRS, HDRS and GAF at the time of discharge, 1st month, 6th month and 12th month which were statistically significant. Day to day functional status of patients also improved as shown by GAF. The efficacy of ECT was very significantly shown in this study with all the psychiatric spectrum disorders.
Electrokinetic sample injection for high‐sensitivity CZE (part 2): Improving the quantitative repeatability and application of electrokinetic supercharging‐CZE to the detection of atmospheric electrolytes

Electrokinetic supercharging (EKS) is defined as a technique that combines electrokinetic sample injection with transient ITP. Quantitative repeatability of EKS‐CZE and the other CE methods using electrokinetic sample injection process is usually inferior in comparison with the CE methods using hydrodynamic or hydrostatic injection. This is due to some effects, such as the temperature change and the convection of the sample solution in the reservoir, as well as the change of the distance between an electrode and a capillary end (Dec). In particular, we have found that the Dec change might most seriously affect the repeatability, especially when the electrode is a thin Pt wire that could be unintentionally bent during sampling. By using a Teflon spacer to fix Dec to 1.1 mm, the RSD of peak area (n=5) was decreased from 20 to 3.4% in EKS‐CZE for several metal cations. This Dec dependence of the sample amount injected was supported by computer simulation using CFD‐ACE+ software. The improved repeatability (down to 5.1% at n=5, averaged RSD for Co2+, Li+, Ni2+, Zn2+ and Pb2+) was also experimentally attained by increasing the Dec to ca. 20 mm, which was also effective to obtain high sensitivity. Since the temperature and the convection effects on the repeatability are comparatively small in a proper laboratory environment, these effects were estimated from the EKS‐CZE experiments using conditions such as warming and agitating the sample solution during EKS process. Finally, EKS‐CZE was applied to the detection of ions from atmospheric electrolytes in high‐purity water exposed to ambient air for 2 h. The microgram per liter levels of anions (chloride, sulfate, nitrate, formate, acetate and lactate) and cations (ammonium, calcium, sodium and magnesium) could be detected using conventional UV detector.
Adaptive PU mode estimation algorithm for HEVC encoder

In this paper, adaptive PU mode estimation algorithm is proposed to achieve a fast High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) encoding. According to HEVC standard, a picture is composed of a number of Coding Tree Units (CTU's). These CTUs are further divided in quadtree structure to form Coding Units (CUs), and CUs have one or more Prediction Units (PUs). The PU mode decision processing to find a best PU mode has the most computational complexity. To reduce the computational complexity, the proposed algorithm can skip checking of both symmetric and asymmetric PU partition sizes using best PU information (i.e., partition size and mode) of temporally co-located CUs. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm using HM 16.2 achieves an average 30% reduction in encoding time for random access configuration, with a Y BD-rate loss of 0.58%.