Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Duodenal Webs: An Experience With 18 Patients

Aim: To describe the management and outcome of patients with duodenal webs, managed over a period of 12 ½ years in our unit. Methods: It is a retrospective case series of 18 patients with congenital duodenal webs, managed in our unit, between 1999 and 2011. The medical record of these patients was retrieved and analyzed for demographic details, clinical presentation, associated anomalies, and outcome. Results: The median age of presentation was 8 days (range 1 day to 1.5 years). Antenatal diagnosis was made in only 2 (11.1%) patients. The commonest presentation was bilious vomiting. Associated anomalies were present in 8/18 patients, common being malrotation of gut. Down’s syndrome was seen in 2 patients and congenital heart disease in 1 patient. One patient had double duodenal webs. There was a delay in presentation of more than 5 days of life in 11/18 (61%) patients. Three patients who presented beyond neonatal age group had fenestrated duodenal membranes causing partial obstruction. In addition, the diagnosis was missed in patients operated for malrotation elsewhere (n=2), imperforate anus (n=2) and esophageal atresia with tracheo-esophageal fistula (n=1). A lateral duodenotomy with excision of the obstructive membrane was done in all patients. A trans-anastomotic tube (TAT) for enteral feeding was used in 8 patients The mortality rate was 4/18 (22%); the main causes being sepsis, prematurity, very low birth weight and associated congenital anomalies. The mean hospital stay for the 14 survivors was 18 days. Total parental nutrition (TPN) was not given to any patient. Conclusions: Congenital duodenal webs are different as the diagnosis is often missed especially in case of perforated webs. Outcome depends upon the time of presentation and associated anomalies. The use of TAT feeding for nutritional support is an easy alternative to TPN.
Improved EIT drive patterns for a robotics sensitive skin

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a technique used to estimate the internal conductivity of an electrically conductive body by using only measurements from its boundary. If this body is made of a thin, exible and stretchable material that responds to touch with local changes in conductivity, it can be used to create an articial sensitive skin. Mathematically, the EIT reconstruction problem is an ill-posed nonlinear inverse problem in which it is commonly assumed that electrodes are only located on the boundary. In a thin sensitive skin, however, electrodes can readily be located within the body. This paper compares existing drive patterns with new patterns in which a reference electrode is located inside the body. Simulation results demonstrate that placing a reference electrode in the centre of the body can improve both the resolution and robustness to noise of the reconstructed image.
On the Automatic Detection of Heap-Induced Data Dependencies with Interprocedural Shape Analysis

The automatic detection of heap-induced data dependencies is major challenge for current parallelizing compilers. Currently, optimizing compilers lack enough context to expose parallelism in scientific codes that make use of dynamic data structures, those allocated at runtime and stored in the heap. Traditionally, it is believed that few static assumptions can be made of runtime structures, and those that can be made are usually not useful enough for aggressive optimization. However, we show in this paper that a precise underlying shape analysis technique, which accurately captures the shape of data structures at compile-time, can provide sufficient information to identify independent heap accesses in challenging benchmarks. The result is that hard-to-find parallelism, unknown to current parallelizing compilers, is exposed and exploited thanks to our technique.
Sexual ornamentation, androgens and papillomatosis in male roach (Rutilus rutilus)

According to the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis, males with attractive sexual ornamentation are more handicapped than their less ornamented rivals because of the immunosuppressive androgens required for the production of secondary sexual characters. Here we studied the predictions of the hypothesis in a wild cyprinid fish, the roach (Rutilus rutilus). We assayed (1) sexual ornamentation (breeding tubercles), (2) circulating androgens (11-ketotestosterone and testosterone) and (3) epidermal papilloma disease of male roach at spawning. We found that elaborated sexual ornaments were associated with high circulating concentrations of testosterone and 11-ketotestosterone. Furthermore, papillomatosis was associated with high concentrations of testosterone and elaborated sexual ornaments. The results were consistent with the predictions of the immunocompetence handicap hypothesis. It had previously been shown in the present study system that breeding tubercles of males signal resistance against a predominant parasite, as predicted by the Hamilton and Zuk hypothesis. The present results suggest that male roach with high concentrations of circulating androgens express strongly secondary sexual characters, but may be at a high risk of papillomatosis. In the present system, we propose that papilloma disease, which occurs during spawning, may contribute to the honesty of the signal of sexual ornamentation in roach.
Mieux comprendre le stress au travail :
limites des méthodes quantitatives et proposition d’une méthode alternative par rétroaction vidéo

L’etat des connaissances disponibles sur le stress au travail est immense et repose principalement sur des approches de nature quantitative. Malgre leur force indeniable, les methodes traditionnelles utilisees se sont toutefois revelees souvent insuffisantes pour rendre pleinement compte de la complexite du stress dans le cadre du travail. Ce constat a progressivement pave la voie a des approches alternatives en prise directe avec la realite vecue par les travailleurs, laissant a ainsi une place de plus en plus importante et reconnue pour la recherche qualitative. Apres un survol de l’evolution de la recherche sur le stress seront presentes des resultats d’une etude menee aupres de directions d’etablissement scolaire au Quebec et realisee a l’aide d’observations video et d’un dispositif de retroaction video.
Super Resolution Image Created Automatically from Mosaics

In order to extract information from the images, both the resolution and its application must be observed. This resolution depends basically on the physical characteristics of the sensor responsible for capturing these images, i.e. the disposition of the lenses, radiometric resolution, positioning, dimensions of the same, which determines the pixel size acquired by the device, among other technical factors. The objective of this work is to develop efficient algorithms, robust and automated fusion image frames for mosaics and super resolution from the selection of a region in the mosaic. Image registration is a fundamental step in combining several images that make up the scene. Our research is based on the determination and extraction of characteristics defined by the SIFT algorithm (detector / descriptor) and RANSAC. Validations real data show the effectiveness of our techniques proposed. The difference of this work is the way to get the matching and merging of images because it occurs dynamically between elements common images that are stored in a sparse matrix.
Doing belonging: Meanings of home and settlement among the Karen Community in Brisbane, Australia

The phenomenon of belonging allows diasporic people to negotiate socio-cultural terrains that go beyond singular attachments to “here” or “there”. This paper interrogates doing belonging amongst members of the Karen refugee community from Burma settling in Brisbane, Australia. We use data collected over twelve months of ethnographic fieldwork using the methods of participant observation and semi-structured interviews. This paper presents an interpretation of challenges faced by Karen community members as they grapple with local and transnational complexities of belonging within their own community, whilst also establishing belonging to Australian social environments. We argue that Karen participants’ lived experiences of settlement challenge bounded notions of belonging, thereby allowing us to extend dominant constructions of settlement and social inclusion and give way to a more nuanced representation of an emerging diasporic community. We thus reposition a resettled refugee community away from disempowering and exclusionary notions that dominant constructions of belonging and inclusion tend to impose.
Modified Approach of Multimodal Medical Image Fusion Using Daubechies Wavelet Transform

2 Abstract: The multimodal medical image fusion is an important application in many medical applications. This is used for the retrieval of complementary information from medical images. The MRI and CT image provides high resolution images with structural and anatomical information. The CT image is used in tumour and anatomical detection and MRI is used to obtain information among tissues. In this paper, we have proposed a new approach of multimodal medical image fusion on Daubechies wavelet transform coefficients. The fusion process starts with comparison of block wise standard deviation values of the coefficients. Here the standard deviation can be used to characterize the local variations within the block. The performance of proposed image fusion method is compared with existing algorithms and evaluated with mutual information between input and output images, entropy, standard deviation, fusion factor metrics.
A Prototype Tool Set to Support Machine-Assisted Annotation

Manually annotating clinical document corpora to generate reference standards for Natural Language Processing (NLP) systems or Machine Learning (ML) is a time-consuming and labor-intensive endeavor. Although a variety of open source annotation tools currently exist, there is a clear opportunity to develop new tools and assess functionalities that introduce efficiencies into the process of generating reference standards. These features include: management of document corpora and batch assignment, integration of machine-assisted verification functions, semi-automated curation of annotated information, and support of machine-assisted pre-annotation. The goals of reducing annotator workload and improving the quality of reference standards are important considerations for development of new tools. An infrastructure is also needed that will support large-scale but secure annotation of sensitive clinical data as well as crowdsourcing which has proven successful for a variety of annotation tasks. We introduce the E xtensible H uman O racle S uite of T ools (eHOST) http://code.google. com/p/ehost that provides such functionalities that when coupled with server integration offer an end-to-end solution to carry out small or large scale as well as crowd sourced annotation projects.
ANALYSIS OF REFERENCE CURRENT GENERATION FOR APF USING PSO AND ACO BASED ON THD

In this thesis, Phase lock loop (PLL) circuit in conjunction with Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) based shunt active filter (APF) for power quality improvement based on THD reduction is dealt for linear and non-linear loads. The shunt APF system is implemented with three phase current controlled Voltage Source Inverter (VSI) and is connected at the Point of Common Coupling (PCC) for compensating the current harmonics by injecting equal but opposite filter currents. The compensation process is based on PLL synchronization with PSO, ACO. This optimization is capable of controlling DC side capacitor voltage and estimating reference current. Hysteresis Current Controller (HCC) is used to generate switching signals for the VSI. The active power filter gives better results for harmonic minimization. The proposed shunt APF maintains the THD well within IEEE-519 standards. This proposed technique is implemented in MATLAB 7.6 / Simulink software using optimization toolbox. Keywordsshunt active filter (APF), Phase lock loop (PLL), Hysteresis Current Controller (HCC), Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), and Ant Colony Optimization (ACO).
Performance Prediction for Parallel Numerical Software on the White Rose Grid

The development of Grid environments over recent years now a llo s scientists access to a range of shared resources which may be located across different site s. These include computational resources such as large parallel computers which may be used to produce accurate numerical simulations in a relatively short time. Since different computer architect ures have different performance characteristics, different levels of availability and different access char ges, to be able to make optimal decisions concerning their selection and utilization for a given scienti fic application, we need to be able to predict the application’s performance on each available parallel envi ro ment. In this research we seek to model the performance of typical state-of-the-art numerical sof tware, based upon multigrid techniques, on different distributed memory parallel machines for varyin g numbers of available CPUs. The goal of the work is to use these models to support decisions as to which re sou ces should be requested or reserved: including the possibility of solving a single problem acros s multiple resources when they are available.
Calibration of Spaceborne Linearly Polarized Low Frequency SAR Using Polarimetric Selective Radar Calibrators

Spaceborne synthetic aperture radar (SAR) systems operating at lower frequencies, such as P-band, are signiflcantly afiected by Faraday rotation (FR) efiects. This paper presents a novel algorithm for measuring system errors (channel imbalance and cross-talk) in the presence of Faraday rotation for spaceborne polarimetric SAR data. It uses four polarimetric selective calibrators (four polarimetric active radar calibrators (PARCs) or possibly two PARCs and two gridded trihedrals). Theoretical analysis and simulations demonstrate that the optimized calibration scheme puts tight constraints on the accuracy of the associated Faraday rotation if the cross-talk is to be accurately measured. There are also strong constraints on the allowable signal-to-noise ratio and average polarimetric noise associated with the calibration devices. The analysis suggests that, unless the calibration sites are at the magnetic equator, independent measurements of total electron content (TEC) from a direct ground-satellite line-of-sight dual-frequency system are also needed.
Early predictive factors for lower-extremity motor or sensory deficits and surgical results of patients with spinal tuberculosis

AbstractMany studies about the characteristics of spinal tuberculosis (STB) have been published, but none has investigated the predictive factors for lower-extremity motor or sensory deficits (LMSD) in patients with STB.The objective of this study was to find early predictive factors for LMSD and evaluate surgical results of patients with STB.From 2001 through 2010, 329 patients with STB were treated in our department and surgical treatment was performed in 274 patients. The factors assessed included age, sex, duration of symptoms, worsening of illness, clinical symptoms, clinical signs, imaging characteristics, kyphotic angle, Oswestry disability index (ODI), and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores.Of the 329 patients studied, 164 presented with LMSD (the LMSD group), of which 93 patients (28.3%) had motor deficits and 177 patients (53.8%) had sensory disturbance. The other 165 patients were included in the control group (the No LMSD group). Using univariate logistic regression analysis, we found that the sex (P = 0.042), age (P = 0.001), worsening of sickness (P = 0.013), location (P = 0.009), and spinal compression (P = 0.035) were the risk factors of LMSD. Furthermore, the multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that age (OR = 1.761, 95% CI: 1.227–2.526, P = 0.002), worsening of sickness (yes vs no: OR = 1.910, 95% CI: 1.161–3.141, P = 0.011), location (T vs C: OR = 0.204, 95% CI: 0.063–0.662, P = 0.008), and spinal compression (yes vs no: OR = 1.672, 95% CI: 1.020–2.741, P = 0.042) were independent risk factors of LMSD. Surgical treatment was performed in 274 patients. The kyphotic angle improved from 25.8 ± 9.1° preoperatively to 14.0 ± 7.6°, with a mean correction of 11.8 ± 4.0°, and a mean correction loss of 1.5 ± 1.8° at final visit. There were significant differences between the preoperative and the final ODI and VAS scores in both groups (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Spinal tuberculosis with cervical or lumbar vertebra involvement among the elder patients with a history of worsening of illness and spinal compression tended to cause LMSD, such as motor deficits or sensory disturbance. We should implement an appropriate treatment regimen to prevent exacerbation of STB such as operation, which can achieve thoroughness of debridement, adequate spinal stabilization, and better functional recovery.
Short-term cropland responses to temperature extreme events during late winter

In recent years, several studies have focused on terrestrial ecosystem response to extreme events. Most of this research has been conducted in natural ecosystems, but few have considered agroecosystems. In this study, we investigated the impact of a manipulated warmer or cooler late winter/early spring on the carbon budget and final harvest of a soybean crop ( Glycine max (L.) Merr. ). Soil temperature was altered by manipulating soil albedo by covering the soil surface with a layer of inert silica gravel. We tested three treatments – cooling (Co), warming (W), mix (M) – and control (C). An automated system continuously measured soil heterotrophic respiration (Rh), soil temperature profiles, and soil water content across the entire year in each plot. Phenological phases were periodically assessed and final harvest was measured in each plot. Results showed that treatments had only a transient effect on daily Rh rates, which did not result in a total annual carbon budget significantly different from control, even though cooling showed a significant reduction in final harvest. We also observed anticipation in emergence in both W and M treatments and a delay in emergence for Co. Moreover, plant density and growth increased in W and M and decreased in Co. In conclusion, from the results of our experiment we can assert that an increase in the frequency of both heat and cold waves is unlikely to have large effects on the overall annual carbon balance of irrigated croplands.
A FAST SOLUTION METHOD FOR THREE-DIMENSIONALMANY-PARTICLE PROBLEMS OF LINEAR ELASTICITYYuhong

A boundary element method for solving three-dimensional linear elasticity problems that involve a large number of particles embedded in a binder is introduced. The proposed method relies on an iterative solution strategy in which matrix-vector multiplication is performed with the fast multipole method. As a result the method is capable of solving problems with N unknowns using only O(N) memory and O(N) operations. Results are given for problems with hundreds of particles in which N = O(10 5).
I-deals, 'organizational citizenship behavior' en de invloed van de uitwisselingsrelatie tussen werknemers en werkgevers

‘Idiosyncratic deals’ (I-deals) zijn geindividualiseerde en vrijwillige regelingen waarover werknemers onderhandelen met hun werkgever. In de huidige studie wordt de invloed van verschillende typen I-deals onderzocht op twee vormen van ‘organizational citizenship behavior’ (OCB) van werknemers (individueel initiatief en interpersoonlijk hulpgedrag). Daarnaast is ook de mogelijk interacterende invloed van het soort uitwisselingsrelatie onderzocht. Hypothesen zijn getest aan de hand van data, verzameld onder 210 werknemers werkzaam bij verschillende organisaties. De resultaten laten zien dat taak- en werkverantwoordelijkheden Ideals gerelateerd waren aan OCB individueel initiatief, en schema flexibiliteit Ideals aan OCB hulpgedrag. Een sociale uitwisselingsrelatie zorgt voor een sterke positieve relatie van schemaflexibiliteit en locatieflexibiliteit met OCB. Financiele I-deals hebben een sterke positieve relatie met OCB individueel initiatief van werknemers met een economische uitwisselingsrelatie.
Pairwise Secret Key Agreement based on Location-derived Common Randomness

A source model of key sharing between three users is considered in which each pair of them wishes to agree on a secret key hidden from the remaining user. There are rate-limited public channels for communications between the users. We give an inner bound on the secret key capacity region in this framework. Moreover, we investigate a practical setup in which localization information of the users as the correlated observations are exploited to share pairwise keys between the users. The inner and outer bounds of the key capacity region are analyzed in this setup for the case of i.i. d. Gaussian observations.
A Statisitical Shape Model for Deformable Surface Registration

This short paper presents a deformable surface registration scheme which is based on the statistical shape modelling technique. The method consists of two major processing stages, model building and model fitting. A statistical shape model is first built using a set of training data. Then the model is deformed and matched to the new data by a modified iterative closest point (ICP) registration process. The proposed method is tested on real 3-D facial data from BU-3DFE database. It is shown that proposed method can achieve a reasonable result on surface registration, and can be used for patient position monitoring in radiation therapy and potentially can be used for monitoring of the radiation therapy progress for head and neck patients by analysis of facial articulation.
Neuromagnetic activation following active and passive finger movements

The detailed time courses of cortical activities and source localizations following passive finger movement were studied using whole‐head magnetoencephalography (MEG). We recorded motor‐related cortical magnetic fields following voluntary movement and somatosensory‐evoked magnetic fields following passive movement (PM) in 13 volunteers. The most prominent movement‐evoked magnetic field (MEF1) following active movement was obtained approximately 35.3 ± 8.4 msec after movement onset, and the equivalent current dipole (ECD) was estimated to be in the primary motor cortex (Brodmann area 4). Two peaks of MEG response associated with PM were recorded from 30 to 100 msec after movement onset. The earliest component (PM1) peaked at 36.2 ± 8.2 msec, and the second component (PM2) peaked at 86.1 ± 12.1 msec after movement onset. The peak latency and ECD localization of PM1, estimated to be in area 4, were the same as those of the most prominent MEF following active movement. ECDs of PM2 were estimated to be not only in area 4 but also in the supplementary motor area (SMA) and the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) over the hemisphere contralateral to the movement, and in the secondary somatosensory cortex (S2) of both hemispheres. The peak latency of each source activity was obtained at 54–109 msec in SMA, 64–114 msec in PPC, and 84–184 msec in the S2. Our results suggest that the magnetic waveforms at middle latency (50–100 msec) after PM are different from those after active movement and that these waveforms are generated by the activities of several cortical areas, that is, area 4 and SMA, PPC, and S2. In this study, the time courses of the activities in SMA, PPC, and S2 accompanying PM in humans were successfully recorded using MEG with a multiple dipole analysis system.
Path-loss modeling for on-body UWB and off-body WiMax combined-channel

An on- and off- combined body channel path loss (PL) model, along with its link realistic antennas effects, is developed in this paper. Based on a heterogeneous human body phantom and the verified antenna structures, the PL parameters of this model are extracted through the SEMCAD simulated results. This PL model is finally verified experimentally on a volunteer body.