Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantitative MRI of colonic mural enhancement: segmental differences exist in endoscopically proven normal colon.

OBJECTIVES Abnormal contrast enhancement on MRI is advocated as a biomarker for inflammation in colitis, although the enhancement kinetics of normal colon are poorly described. Our purpose was to quantitatively assess mural enhancement in normal colon and test for intersegmental differences. METHODS Eight patients without prior history of inflammatory bowel disease underwent standard MRI colonography followed by normal same-day colonoscopy. Acquired sequences included a volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination (VIBE) to encompass the whole colonic volume, performed at 5°, 10° and 35° flip angles for T(1) quantitation and then at a fixed 35° flip angle three times prior to and every 30 s following intravenous gadoterate meglumine for 220 s. Ascending colon, descending colon and rectal R(1) (1/T(1)) was plotted against time. Mean pre-contrast R(1), initial change of R(1) (ΔR(1)), early and late "plateau phase" enhancement and the area under the R(1)-time (AUC-R(1)) curve were compared between segments using the Student's paired t-test. RESULTS There was no significant difference of pre-contrast R(1) between segments (p=0.49 to 0.62). ΔR(1) was higher for ascending colon compared with descending colon (0.0023±0.0012 ms(-1) vs 0.0010±0.0011 ms(-1), p=0.03). There was no significant difference for early or late plateau phase R(1) between colonic segments (p=0.08 to 1.00). AUC-R(1) was greater for ascending than descending colon (0.54±0.19 vs 0.30±0.14, p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS Intersegmental differences in colonic enhancement are present and should be considered when interpreting differential segmental enhancement.
The assessment of fidelity in a motor speech-treatment approach

Abstract Objective To demonstrate the application of the constructs of treatment fidelity for research and clinical practice for motor speech disorders, using the Prompts for Restructuring Oral Muscular Phonetic Targets (PROMPT) Fidelity Measure (PFM). Treatment fidelity refers to a set of procedures used to monitor and improve the validity and reliability of behavioral intervention. While the concept of treatment fidelity has been emphasized in medical and allied health sciences, documentation of procedures for the systematic evaluation of treatment fidelity in Speech-Language Pathology is sparse. Methods The development and iterative process to improve the PFM, is discussed. Further, the PFM is evaluated against recommended measurement strategies documented in the literature. This includes evaluating the appropriateness of goals and objectives; and the training of speech–language pathologists, using direct and indirect procedures. Three expert raters scored the PFM to examine inter-rater reliability. Results Three raters, blinded to each other's scores, completed fidelity ratings on three separate occasions. Inter-rater reliability, using Krippendorff's Alpha, was >80% for the PFM on the final scoring occasion. This indicates strong inter-rater reliability. Conclusion The development of fidelity measures for the training of service providers and treatment delivery is important in specialized treatment approaches where certain ‘active ingredients’ (e.g. specific treatment targets and therapeutic techniques) must be present in order for treatment to be effective. The PFM reflects evidence-based practice by integrating treatment delivery and clinical skill as a single quantifiable metric. PFM enables researchers and clinicians to objectively measure treatment outcomes within the PROMPT approach.
Conservation of gene expression during embryonic lens formation and cornea‐lens transdifferentiation in Xenopus laevis

Few molecular comparisons have been made between the processes of embryogenesis and regeneration or transdifferentiation that lead to the formation of the same structures. In the amphibian, Xenopus laevis, the cornea can undergo transdifferentiation to form a lens when the original lens is removed during tadpole larval stages. Unlike the process of embryonic lens induction, cornea‐lens transdifferentiation is elicited via a single inductive interaction involving factors produced by the neural retina. In this study, we compared the expression of a number of genes known to be activated during various phases of embryonic lens formation, during the process of cornea‐lens transdifferentiation. mRNA expression was monitored via in situ hybridization using digoxigenin‐labeled riboprobes of pax‐6, Xotx2, xSOX3, XProx1, and γ6‐cry. We found that all of the genes studied are expressed during both embryogenesis and cornea‐lens transdifferentiation, though in some cases their relative temporal sequences are not maintained. The reiterated expression of these genes suggests that a large suite of genes activated during embryonic lens formation are also involved in cornea‐lens transdifferentiation. Ultimately functional tests will be required to determine whether they actually play similar roles in these processes. It is significant that the single inductive event responsible for initiating cornea‐lens transdifferentiation triggers the expression of genes activated during both the early and late phases of embryonic lens induction. These findings have significant implications in terms of our current understanding of the “multistep” process of lens induction. Dev Dyn 1999;215:308–318. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
TRANSMISSION SPECTRA OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL HOT JUPITER MODEL ATMOSPHERES

We compute models of the transmission spectra of planets HD 209458b, HD 189733b, and generic hot Jupiters. We examine the effects of temperature, surface gravity, and metallicity for the generic planets as a guide to understanding transmission spectra in general. We find that carbon dioxide absorption at 4.4 and 15 μm is prominent at high metallicity, and is a clear metallicity indicator. For HD 209458b and HD 189733b, we compute spectra for both one-dimensional and three-dimensional model atmospheres and examine the differences between them. The differences are usually small, but can be large if atmospheric temperatures are near important chemical abundance boundaries. The calculations for the three-dimensional atmospheres, and their comparison with data, serve as constraints on these dynamical models that complement the secondary eclipse and light curve data sets. For HD 209458b, even if TiO and VO gases are abundant on the dayside, their abundances can be considerably reduced on the cooler planetary limb. However, given the predicted limb temperatures and TiO abundances, the model's optical opacity is too high. For HD 189733b we find a good match with some infrared data sets and constrain the altitude of a postulated haze layer. For this planet, substantial differences can exist between the transmission spectra of the leading and trailing hemispheres, which are an excellent probe of carbon chemistry. In thermochemical equilibrium, the cooler leading hemisphere is methane-dominated, and the hotter trailing hemisphere is CO-dominated, but these differences may be eliminated by non-equilibrium chemistry due to vertical mixing. It may be possible to constrain the carbon chemistry of this planet, and its spatial variation, with James Webb Space Telescope.
Dead beat microprocessor control of PWM inverter for sinusoidal output waveform synthesis

A new control technique based on dead beat control theory to obtain a nearly sinusoidal PWM inverter output voltage is described. The closed loop digital feedback system measures the output and controls the inverter switches to generate the required PWM pattern to produce low total harmonic distortion (THD) sinusoidal output voltage. This scheme inherently provides very good voltage regulation, phase positioning and compensation for load disturbances and nonlinear loads. This paper presents a theoretical analysis, computer simulation and experimental results for a single-phase bridge inverter controlled by an Intel 8086 microprocessor based system.
EXSYST: Search-based GUI testing

Test generation tools commonly aim to cover structural artefacts of software, such as either the source code or the user interface. However, focusing only on source code can lead to unrealistic or irrelevant test cases, while only exploring a user interface often misses much of the underlying program behavior. Our EXSYST prototype takes a new approach by exploring user interfaces while aiming to maximize code coverage, thus combining the best of both worlds. Experiments show that such an approach can achieve high code coverage matching and exceeding the code coverage of traditional unit-based test generators; yet, by construction every test case is realistic and relevant, and every detected failure can be shown to be caused by a real sequence of input events.
Optimisation of tool wear during hard turning of AISI-H11 steel using TiN coated CBN-L tool

In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to develop and optimise models for tool wear (flank and crater wear) in terms of cutting speed, feed rate, depth of cut and work hardness based on experimentally collected data by applying RSM (response surface methodology – Box Behnken) design of experiments during hard turning of AISI-H11 steel with TiN coated CBN-L tool. The influence of input parameters on the response factors viz. flank wear, crater wear were investigated by applying ANOVA and through 3D-factor interaction graphs in RSM. The experimental data points were observed to be best fitted by non-linear quadratic models for both the response factors. All the independent factors were found to be statistically significant in determining crater wear, while cutting speed and feed were the dominant factors affecting flank wear. Numerical optimisation using desirability function was used for multiple response factors optimisation. The confirmation experiments carried out to check the validity o.
A hybrid mobility mechanism for heterogeneous networks in IMS

IMS is the new approach adopted by 3GPP towards networks convergence. It was designed to be access independent and ubiquitous. IMS already provides personal mobility for nomadic users, but still needs to deal with service continuity within non 3GPP networks. In this paper we propose a novel hybrid mobility management scheme, based on tight cooperation between fast handovers for mobile IPv6 (FMIPv6) and session initiation protocol (SIP) to ensure an uninterrupted real-time service. Moreover, the new Media Independent Handover (MIH) service is integrated into the IMS architecture in order to perform intelligent and accurate horizontal and vertical handovers. The handover is managed in two phases. The first one or the fast phase is handled by FMIPv6 protocol to preserve as soon as possible packets of the ongoing communication. The second one or the slow phase is handled by the SIP protocol to optimize packet delivery route. By doing so, we exploit the benefits of both layer 3 and application mobility protocols to ensure a continuous session over the two networks without imposing new elements to the network. Through a comparison with other mobility mechanisms, we show in the analytic analysis that our hybrid scheme presents better results in terms of handover latency and packet loss.
Through-the-wall imaging of 3D objects

We propose a unique microwave through-the-wall imaging technology for three-dimensional objects. The imaging technique is based on the Field Mapping Algorithm (FMA), which is a single-frequency direct inversion method requiring neither optimization nor iterative procedures. The imaging system is a reflective detection device consisting of a transmit antenna and a receive probe, both facing the wall under measurement in the same direction. This single-slice, single-frequency near-field data bank suffices as input to our FMA for the subsequent generation of multi-slice 3D field images of the targets behind the wall. The verification of our imaging technique was carried out by field measurements. Five measurement cases at three different frequencies are reported herein by way of demonstration. Good imaging results were obtained in all five measurement cases.
Development and parameterization of an equilibrium material model for segmented polyurea

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to develop and parameterize a time‐invariant (equilibrium) material mechanical model for segmented polyureas, a class of thermoplastically linked co‐polymeric elastomers, using experimental data available in open literature.Design/methodology/approach – The key components of the model are developed by first constructing a simple molecular‐level microstructure model and by relating the microstructural elements and intrinsic material processes to the material mechanical response. The new feature of the present material model relative to the ones currently used is that the physical origin and the evolution equation for the deformation‐induced softening and inelasticity observed in polyureas are directly linked to the associated evolution of the soft‐matrix/hard segment molecular‐level microstructure of this material. The model is first developed for the case of uniaxial loading, parameterized using one set of experimental results and finally validated using another set .
Structural Knowledge and Language Notational Properties in Program Comprehension

Several accounts of program comprehension have taken the theory of text comprehension by Kinstch as a starting point to model the mental representations built when programmers understand a computer program. A crucial point that these accounts try to explain is how these mental representations are organised. According to Kintsch's theory, the mental representations built as a product of the text comprehension process are interrelated propositional networks whose organisation is determined by the main idea of the text. In program comprehension, this main idea has been understood in terms of functionality. This paper contends this notion, proposing that in program understanding programmer's mental representations are multifaceted and organised through several criteria. Which of these is the most important one depends on the programming language employed among other factors. The fact that functional information appeared as crucial might have been because most of the empirical research that has been undertaken has employed procedural languages. This claim is tested empirically by analysing the mental representations of programmers in Prolog, a declarative programming language. The results support our claim by showing that in this case data structure information is more important than function
Strain Gradient Plasticity Solution for an Internally Pressurized Thick-Walled Spherical Shell of an Elastic Linear-Hardening Material

An elastic-plastic analytical solution is derived for an internally pressurized thick-walled spherical shell of an elastic linear-hardening material using a strain gradient plasticity theory. Closed-form expressions are obtained for the stress, strain and displacement components. The inner radius of the shell enters the solution with its own dimensional identity as well as in non-dimensional forms, unlike that in classical plasticity-based solutions. As a result, the current solution can capture the size effect at the micron scale. The classical plasticity-based solution of the same problem is shown to be a special case of the present solution. To further illustrate the capability of the newly derived solution, formulas and numerical results for the plastic limit pressure are provided. These results reveal that the load-carrying capacity of the shell indeed increases with decreasing inner radius at the micron scale. The current solution can be employed to construct improved expanding cavity models in indentation mechanics that incorporate both the strain-hardening and indentation size effects.
Photocatalytic Synthesis of Urea from in situ Generated Ammonia and Carbon Dioxide

TiO2 and Fe‐titanate (different wt%) supported on zeolite were prepared by sol‐gel and solid‐state dispersion methods. The photocatalysts prepared were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and ultraviolet (UV)–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy techniques. Photocatalytic reduction of nitrate in water and isopropanol/oxalic acid as hole scavengers are investigated in a batch reactor under UV illumination. The yield of urea increased notably when the catalysts were supported on zeolite. The Fe‐titanate supported catalyst promotes the charge separation that contributes to an increase in selective formation of urea. The product formation is because of the high adsorption of in situ generated CO2 and NH3 over shape‐selective property of the zeolite in the composite photocatalyst. The maximum yield of urea is found to be 18 ppm while 1% isopropanol containing solution over 10 wt% Fe‐titanate/HZSM‐5 photocatalyst was used.
Optimisation of ECM parameters using RSM and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA II)

Metal matrix composites (MMC) are hard to machine due to the presence of hard and brittle ceramic reinforcements. Electro chemical machining (ECM) is an important process for machining such materials. Being a complex process, it is very difficult to determine optimal parameters for improving cutting performance. The objective of this research is to study the effect of electrolyte flow rate, applied voltage, electrolyte concentration, and tool feed rate on metal removal rate (MRR) and surface roughness (Ra). In the present work, response surface methodology (RSM) and a multi-objective optimisation method based on a non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm (NSGA-II) is used to optimise ECM process. A non-dominated solution set has been obtained and reported.
Modeling to Predict Cases of Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome in Chile

Background Hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) is a life threatening disease transmitted by the rodent Oligoryzomys longicaudatus in Chile. Hantavirus outbreaks are typically small and geographically confined. Several studies have estimated risk based on spatial and temporal distribution of cases in relation to climate and environmental variables, but few have considered climatological modeling of HPS incidence for monitoring and forecasting purposes. Methodology Monthly counts of confirmed HPS cases were obtained from the Chilean Ministry of Health for 2001–2012. There were an estimated 667 confirmed HPS cases. The data suggested a seasonal trend, which appeared to correlate with changes in climatological variables such as temperature, precipitation, and humidity. We considered several Auto Regressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) time-series models and regression models with ARIMA errors with one or a combination of these climate variables as covariates. We adopted an information-theoretic approach to model ranking and selection. Data from 2001–2009 were used in fitting and data from January 2010 to December 2012 were used for one-step-ahead predictions. Results We focused on six models. In a baseline model, future HPS cases were forecasted from previous incidence; the other models included climate variables as covariates. The baseline model had a Corrected Akaike Information Criterion (AICc) of 444.98, and the top ranked model, which included precipitation, had an AICc of 437.62. Although the AICc of the top ranked model only provided a 1.65% improvement to the baseline AICc, the empirical support was 39 times stronger relative to the baseline model. Conclusions Instead of choosing a single model, we present a set of candidate models that can be used in modeling and forecasting confirmed HPS cases in Chile. The models can be improved by using data at the regional level and easily extended to other countries with seasonal incidence of HPS.
RACE-OC project: rotation and variability in the open cluster NGC 2099 (M 37)

Context. Rotation and solar-type m agnetic activity are closely related to each other in m ain-sequence stars ofG or later spectraltypes.Presence and levelofm agnetic activity depend on star's rotation and rotation itselfis strongly inuenced bystrength and topologyofthem agneticelds.O pen clustersrepresentespecially usefultargetstoinvestigate theconnection between rotation and activity. Aim s. The open clusterNG C 2099 hasbeen studied asa partofthe RACE-O C project,which isaim ed atexploring theevolution ofrotation and m agnetic activity in thelate-typem em bersofopen clustersofdierentages. M ethods. Tim eseriesCCD photom etricobservationsofthisclusterwerecollected duringJanuary 2004 and thepresence ofperiodicities in the ux variation related to the stellar rotation are determ ined by Fourier analysis.The relations between activity m anifestations,such asthelightcurveam plitude,and globalstellarparam etersare investigated. Results. W e have discovered 135 periodic variables,122 ofwhich are candidate cluster m em bers.Determ ination of rotation periods ofG -and K -type stars has allowed us to better explore evolution ofangular m om entum at an age ofabout 500 M yr.In our analysis we have also identied 3 new detached eclipsing binary candidates am ong cluster m em bers. Conclusions. A com parison with the older Hyades cluster (� 625 M yr) shows that the newly determ ined distribution ofrotation periods is consistent with the scenario ofrotationalbraking ofm ain-sequence spotted stars as they age. However,acom parison with theyoungerM 34 cluster(� 200 M yr)showsthattheG 8-K 5m em bersoftheseclustershave the sam e rotation period distribution,that is G 8-K 5 m em bers in NG C 2099 seem to have experienced no signicant braking in the age range from � 200 to � 500 M yr.Finally,NG C 2099 m em bershave a levelofphotospheric m agnetic activity,as m easured by light curve am plitude,sm aller than in younger stars ofsam e m ass and rotation,suggesting thatthe activity levelalso dependson som e otherage-dependentparam eters.
Application of Clearance Automatic Laser Inspection System to Clearance Measurement of Concrete Waste

Recently, the Clearance Automatic Laser Inspection System (CLALIS) has been developed for the clearance measurement of metal scraps. It utilizes three-dimensional (3D) laser scanning, y-ray measurement and Monte Carlo calculation, and has outstanding detection ability. For the clearance measurement of concrete segments, the effect of background (BG) gamma rays from natural radionuclides in the measurement target, such as K-40 and the radioactive decay products of Th-232 and U-238, should be compensated for to ensure adequate waste management. Since NE102A plastic scintillation detectors are used for y-ray measurement in CLALIS, it is impossible to distinguish between count rates of natural radionuclides and contaminants on the basis of gamma-ray energy information. To apply CLALIS to the clearance measurement of concrete segments, the original activity evaluation method was improved by adding a new compensation procedure. In this procedure, BG count rate due to natural radionuclides is estimated by a Monte Carlo calculation with pre-analyzed data of a representative sample of the measurement target. The activity concentration of natural radionuclides in concrete differs markedly depending on the production location of its components, such as cement and aggregates. In this study, using six mock concrete waste samples, which were composed of cement and fine aggregatemore » from various production locations, the accuracy of BG compensation was experimentally estimated. In addition, the accuracy of calibration for concrete waste was also estimated using a number of mock concrete segments of small and large triangular prisms. By considering the uncertainties of BG compensation and calibration, the detection limit of CLALIS for concrete waste was estimated. As a result, it was revealed that CLALIS could be applied to the clearance measurement of concrete segments when the mass of the measurement target is greater than approximately 1.1 kg and the key radionuclide is Co-60. (authors)« less