Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Access to Primary Care in US Counties Is Associated with Lower Obesity Rates

Background: Obesity causes substantial morbidity and mortality in the United States. Evidence shows that primary care physician (PCP) supply correlates positively with improved health, but its association with obesity in the United States as not been adequately characterized. Our purpose was to characterize the association between PCP supply in US counties and adult obesity. Methods: We performed a multivariate logistic regression analysis to examine the relationship between county-level PCP supply and individual obesity status. We controlled for individual variables, including sex, race, marital status, income, and insurance status, and county-level variables, including rurality and poverty. Results: Higher county-level PCP supply was associated with lower adult obesity after controlling for common confounders. Individuals living in counties with the most robust PCP supply were about 20% less likely to be obese (P ≤ .01) than those living in counties with the lowest PCP supply. Conclusions: While the observed association between the supply of PCPs and lower rates of obesity may not be causal, the association warrants further investigation. This may have important implications for restructuring the physician workforce in the context of the current PCP shortage and implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the patient-centered medical home.
Mobile Web Browsing with Aural Flows: An Exploratory Study

Existing web applications force users focus their visual attention on mobile devices while browsing content and services while on the go. To support eyes-free, mobile experiences, designers can minimize interaction with a device by leveraging the auditory channel. Whereas acoustic interfaces have proven to be effective in reducing visual attention, a perplexing challenge is designing aural information architectures for the web. To address this problem, techniques to remodel existing information architectures as linear, aural flows were introduced and evaluated. Mobile web browsing with aural flows is exemplified in ANFORA News, a semiaural mobile site designed to browse large collections of news stories. An exploratory study involving frequent news readers (n = 20) investigated the usability and navigation experience with ANFORA News in a mobile setting. Initial evidence suggests that aural flows are a promising paradigm to support eyes-free mobile navigation while on the go, but users still require assistance and additional learning to fully master the aural mechanics of the flows while on the go. Future work will improve on the mechanisms to customize content and control the aural navigation.
Analysis and Modeling of Grid Performance on Touchscreen Mobile Devices

Touchscreen mobile devices can afford rich interaction behaviors but they are complex to model. Scrollable two-dimensional grids are a common user interface on mobile devices that allow users to access a large number of items on a small screen by direct touch. By analyzing touch input and eye gaze of users during grid interaction, we reveal how multiple performance components come into play in such a task, including navigation, visual search and pointing. These findings inspired us to design a novel predictive model that combines these components for modeling grid tasks. We realized these model components by employing both traditional analytical methods and data-driven machine learning approaches. In addition to showing high accuracy achieved by our model in predicting human performance on a test dataset, we demonstrate how such a model can lead to a significant reduction in interaction time when used in a predictive user interface.
Isolated DC-DC series-resonant converter with two-step current-driven rectifier equalizing series lithium-ion battery cells

An isolated dc-dc converter with two-step current-driven rectifier is introduced. A series-resonant inverter for reducing turn off switching loss is applied which free the converter capacity to work in higher switching frequencies and it's used for a supplying sinusoidal current source to the rectifier and this included analysis and simulation results. Implementing the second step above the current-driven rectifier to utilize its switching capability for balancing series lithium-ion battery cells allows the converter to provide constant voltage with batteries due to its output capacitors paralleled with them. The negligible effect of two-step rectifier on the series-resonant inverter is discussed and rectifier efficiency along with conduction loss is expressed.
Computer-aided diagnosis for pulmonary nodules based on helical CT images

We present a computer assisted automatic diagnostic system for lung cancer that detects nodule candidates at an early stage from helical CT images of the thorax. Our diagnostic system consists of analytic and diagnostic procedures. In the analysis procedure, we extract the lung and the blood vessel regions using a fuzzy clustering algorithm, then we analyze the features of these regions. In the diagnosis procedure, we define diagnostic rules utilizing the extracted features which support the determination of the candidate nodule locations.
Prababilistic Instance-Based Learning

Traditional instance-based learning methods base their predictions directly on (training) data that has been stored in the memory. The predictions are based on weighting the contributions of the individual stored instances by a distance function implementing a domain-dependent similarity metrics. This basic approach suuers from three drawbacks: com-putationally expensive prediction when the database grows large, overrtting in the presence of noisy data, and sensitivity to the selection of a proper distance function. We address all these issues by giving a probabil-istic interpretation to instance-based learning , where the goal is to approximate pre-dictive distributions of the attributes of interest. In this probabilistic view the instances are not individual data items but probability distributions, and we perform Bayesian inference with a mixture of such prototype distributions. We demonstrate the feasibility of the method empirically for a wide variety of public domain classiication data sets.
A Comparative View on Human Somatic Cell Sources for iPSC Generation

The breakthrough of reprogramming human somatic cells was achieved in 2006 by the work of Yamanaka and Takahashi. From this point, fibroblasts are the most commonly used primary somatic cell type for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Various characteristics of fibroblasts supported their utilization for the groundbreaking experiments of iPSC generation. One major advantage is the high availability of fibroblasts which can be easily isolated from skin biopsies. Furthermore, their cultivation, propagation, and cryoconservation properties are uncomplicated with respect to nutritional requirements and viability in culture. However, the required skin biopsy remains an invasive approach, representing a major drawback for using fibroblasts as the starting material. More and more studies appeared over the last years, describing the reprogramming of other human somatic cell types. Cells isolated from blood samples or urine, as well as more unexpected cell types, like pancreatic islet beta cells, synovial cells, or mesenchymal stromal cells from wisdom teeth, show promising characteristics for a reprogramming strategy. Here, we want to highlight the advantages of keratinocytes from human plucked hair as a widely usable, noninvasive harvesting method for primary material in comparison with other commonly used cell types.
Standard setting of script concordance tests using an adapted Nedelsky approach

Background: Standard setting in assessment seeks to apply meaning of achievement to an assessment score. Appropriate standard setting for script concordance tests (SCTs) remains a challenge, with existing methods representing norm-referenced approaches. Aims: To develop a criterion-referenced standard setting approach for SCT using an adapted Nedelsky approach, to pilot feasibility, and to compare failure rates with two other methods. Methods: Second- and third-year medical students were administered a 45-question SCT and results collated. Standard setting was applied using three approaches: (1) norm-referenced (student cohorts), (2) expert-referenced (student cohort compared to expert mean), and (3) adapted Nedelsky approach using answer key normalization. Feasibility and failure rates were measured. Results: All standard setting approaches were feasible, with 60 additional minutes required for the Nedelsky standard setting exercise. Failure rates between the three approaches were similar (Year 2: 8.0–9.8% and Year 3: 2.1–7.6%), with the adapted Nedelsky approach representing an intermediate option (Year 2: 8.0% and Year 3: 3.5%). Conclusion: Standard setting SCT using the criterion-referenced method of an adapted Nedelsky approach was found to be both logically justifiable and logistically simple, and produced failure rates comparable to other currently utilized and less objective approaches.
Delineation of Carpal Bones From Hand X-Ray Images Through Prior Model, and Integration of Region-Based and Boundary-Based Segmentations

Image segmentation is critical and challenging in computer vision and medical image analysis. Despite decades of research, existing segmentation algorithms are still subject to typical segmentation problems, such as over-segmentation, under-segmentation, and non-closed and spurious edges. In this paper, taking the carpal bones from hand X-ray images as the foreground regions, we propose a segmentation approach to integrate segmentations from region-based and boundary-based methods to tackle these typical segmentation problems. First, adaptive local thresholding and adaptive Canny edge detection are explored to extract foreground regions and the edge map. Second, the integration of the edge map and foreground regions by XORing is proposed, to tackle the over-segmentation by adding a background boundary from the edge map near the carpal bone boundary so as to break the connection between the foreground and the over-segmented background, to handle under-segmentation by adding a foreground boundary from the edge map near the carpal bone boundary so as to enclose the missing foreground due to under-segmentation, and to complement non-closed edge and spurious edge from the edge map through the carpal bone regions from the local adaptive thresholding. Optionally, marker-controlled watershed segmentation or an active contour-based method is employed to refine the integrated segmentation. The segmented foreground regions are identified through exploring a prior model. The proposed approach has been validated on 30 representative X-ray hand images for non-overlapping carpal bones to yield an average Dice coefficient of 0.976 ± 0.006. The proposed method could provide a theory or tool for accurately segmenting images with discernible boundaries and non-uniform grayscale distribution both within the background and foreground.
Commissioning an in‐room mobile CT for adaptive proton therapy with a compact proton system

Abstract Purpose To describe the commissioning of AIRO mobile CT system (AIRO) for adaptive proton therapy on a compact double scattering proton therapy system. Methods A Gammex phantom was scanned with varying plug patterns, table heights, and mAs on a CT simulator (CT Sim) and on the AIRO. AIRO‐specific CT‐stopping power ratio (SPR) curves were created with a commonly used stoichiometric method using the Gammex phantom. A RANDO anthropomorphic thorax, pelvis, and head phantom, and a CIRS thorax and head phantom were scanned on the CT Sim and AIRO. Clinically realistic treatment plans and nonclinical plans were generated on the CT Sim images and subsequently copied onto the AIRO CT scans for dose recalculation and comparison for various AIRO SPR curves. Gamma analysis was used to evaluate dosimetric deviation between both plans. Results AIRO CT values skewed toward solid water when plugs were scanned surrounded by other plugs in phantom. Low‐density materials demonstrated largest differences. Dose calculated on AIRO CT scans with stoichiometric‐based SPR curves produced over‐ranged proton beams when large volumes of low‐density material were in the path of the beam. To create equivalent dose distributions on both data sets, the AIRO SPR curve's low‐density data points were iteratively adjusted to yield better proton beam range agreement based on isodose lines. Comparison of the stoichiometric‐based AIRO SPR curve and the “dose‐adjusted” SPR curve showed slight improvement on gamma analysis between the treatment plan and the AIRO plan for single‐field plans at the 1%, 1 mm level, but did not affect clinical plans indicating that HU number differences between the CT Sim and AIRO did not affect dose calculations for robust clinical beam arrangements. Conclusion Based on this study, we believe the AIRO can be used offline for adaptive proton therapy on a compact double scattering proton therapy system.
Load Balancing and Patch-Based Parallel Adaptive Mesh Refinement for Tsunami Simulation on Heterogeneous Platforms Using Xeon Phi Coprocessors

We present a patch-based approach for tsunami simulation with parallel adaptive mesh refinement on the Salomon supercomputer. The special architecture of Salomon, with two Intel Xeon CPUs (Haswell architecture) and two Intel Xeon Phi coprocessors (Knights Corner) per compute node, suggests truly heterogeneous load balancing instead of offload approaches, because host and accelerator achieve comparable performance for our simulations. We use a tree-structured mesh refinement strategy resulting from newest-vertex bisection of triangular grid cells, but introduce small uniform grid patches into the leaves of the tree to allow vectorisation of the Finite Volume solver over grid cells. In particular, we implemented vectorised versions of the approximate Riemann solvers, exploiting Fortran's array notations where possible. While large patches increase computational performance due to vectorisation, improved memory access and reduced meshing overhead, they also increase the overall number of processed cells. Thus, a trade-off must be found regarding the patch size. We experimented with different patch sizes in a study of the time-to-solution of a simulation of the 2011 Tohoku tsunami, and found that relatively small patches with 82 cells resulted in the smallest execution times. We use the Xeon Phis in symmetric mode and apply heterogeneous load balancing between hosts and coprocessors, identifying the relative load distribution either from on-the-fly runtime measurements or from a priori exhaustive testing. Both approaches perform better than homogeneous load balancing and better than using only the CPUs or only the Xeon Phi coprocessors in native mode. In all set-ups, however, the absolute speedups are impeded by the slow MPI communication between Xeon Phi coprocessors.
Non isolated ZCT DC-DC converter for high step-up, high efficiency applications using resonant PWM technique

This paper presents a new topology for DC/DC converter which satisfies the need for high gain, high efficiency, low weight and low cost for renewables application. This topology is a novel approach of Resonant PWM converters which produces high output voltage with soft switching method (ZVS). The converter can be controlled both by PWM and frequency variation method. The main characteristics of this structure are illustrated using simulation results and compared with other well-known structures.
Lopol : A Deductive Database Approach to Policy Analysis and Rewriting

This paper presents a method for deductive databasedriven analysis of Security-Enhanced Linux policies. First, it discusses how directives in an SELinux policy can be normalized and encoded as logical relations. Next, the paper describes how to use these relations in conjunction with inference rules to perform a number of simple analyses. The techniques used to detect security characteristics within a policy can then be applied to automated policy rewriting, where those characteristics (i.e. security goals) are actually projected onto the policy to generate a new one. The paper closes by discussing the use of a logical ruleset as a high-level language, allowing a policy writer to quickly tailor a large default policy (such as strict, targeted, or refpolicy) to the specific needs of a system or a class of systems.
Performance portable GPU code generation for matrix multiplication

Parallel accelerators such as GPUs are notoriously hard to program; exploiting their full performance potential is a job best left for ninja programmers. High-level programming languages coupled with optimizing compilers have been proposed to attempt to address this issue. However, they rely on device-specific heuristics or hard-coded library implementations to achieve good performance resulting in non-portable solutions that need to be re-optimized for every new device. Achieving performance portability is the holy grail of high-performance computing and has so far remained an open problem even for well studied applications like matrix multiplication. We argue that what is needed is a way to describe applications at a high-level without committing to particular implementations. To this end, we developed in a previous paper a functional data-parallel language which allows applications to be expressed in a device neutral way. We use a set of well-defined rewrite rules to automatically transform programs into semantically equivalent device-specific forms, from which OpenCL code is generated. In this paper, we demonstrate how this approach produces high-performance OpenCL code for GPUs with a well-studied, well-understood application: matrix multiplication. Starting from a single high-level program, our compiler automatically generate highly optimized and specialized implementations. We group simple rewrite rules into more complex macro-rules, each describing a well-known optimization like tiling and register blocking in a composable way. Using an exploration strategy our compiler automatically generates 50,000 OpenCL kernels, each providing a differently optimized -- but provably correct -- implementation of matrix multiplication. The automatically generated code offers competitive performance compared to the manually tuned MAGMA library implementations of matrix multiplication on Nvidia and even outperforms AMD's clBLAS library.
PairRing: A Ring-Shaped Rotatable Smartwatch Controller

Smartwatch users often report usability problems despite its handiness and convenience. Fingers often block the screen, and both hands are often required to operate the gadget. To address these issues, we present PairRing, a ring-shaped rotatable smartwatch controller. PairRing allows users to scroll up and down listed items by turning the ring on their index finger with their thumb. To determine the optimal ring shape and rotation speed, we designed and conducted a user study and report the results. We found that (1) users could perform tasks better with the angular ring prototype; (2) the rapid rotation speed was better suited for browsing ordered lists; and (3) overall, participants were positive about the feasibility of the prototype. We conclude with a discussion on the design implications of PairRing as well as its future applications.
Systemic Capillary Leak Syndrome: Is Methylene Blue the Silver Bullet?

Background. Systemic capillary leak syndrome (SCLS) is a rare disorder characterized by unexplained, recurrent episodes of transient, abrupt increase in endothelial permeability, leading to severe hypotension, generalized edema, and hemoconcentration. Case Report. We report the case of a patient suffering from systemic capillary leak syndrome and present a possible interpretation of the pathophysiology of this condition. Besides the classical triad of hypotension, edema, and hemoconcentration, we recorded increased levels of methemoglobin, an index of NO overproduction. We present a possible interpretation of the pathophysiology of this condition based on the fast and complete reversal of symptoms after methylene blue administration (which opposes NO-induced effects) and speculate that increased NO levels could be implicated in the pathophysiology of the capillary leak phase. Why should an emergency physician be aware of this? The safety of this treatment and its fluid- and cathecolamine-sparing effect deserve consideration and further research.
Optimization of a 3 D Scene Reconstruction Application

The work presented in this paper is a solution for optimizing an existing 3D Scene Reconstruction application [1]. The application is aimed to match and reconstruct scenes from extremely large unstructured collections of photographs. The reconstruction process, which performs complex algorithms from image matching to large scale optimization, can take days. In this paper we propose a way to speed up the performance by porting the application on GPU computing. Our experimental results demonstrate that it is now possible to reconstruct 3D objects five times faster.
The effects of pulsed laser parameters on the photoacoustic detection of glucose aqueous solution

In this study, the photoacoustic detection system was established based on the Q switched Nd: YAG 532nm pumped optical parametric oscillator pulsed laser and the ultrasonic detector. Based on the established photoacoustic detection system, the effects of pulsed laser on the photoacoustic detection of glucose aqueous solutions were experimentally studied. The photoacoustic peak-to-peak values of glucose and pure water were obtained at different output energy of pulsed laser and at the wavelengths from 1300nm to 2200nm. Experimental results show that the photoacoustic peak-to-peak values of glucose linearly increase with the increasing of the output energy of pulsed laser. The photoacoustic peak-to-peak values were compensated because the output energy of pulsed laser exponentially decreased with the increasing of the wavelengths of pulsed laser. The characteristic wavelengths of glucose were determined according to the difference spectral between the compensated photoacoustic peak-to-peak values of glucose aqueous solution and pure water.
The relationship of physique and body composition to strength in a group of physical education students.

Fifty-three specialist women physical education students were measured anthropometrically and from these measurements somatotype and body composition were estimated. Leg, back and grip strength dynamometers were used to measure strength indices. Arm strength was calculated from each subject's pull-ups and push-ups and lung capacity was measured using a spirometer. The somatotype ratings and percent fat measurements indicate that the P.E. students are generally more muscular and less fat for their age than non-P.E. students. There was a strong relationship between percent fat and the endomorphy rating and a moderate relationship between lean body weight and mesomorphy. The moderate relationship of the strength variables with the muscular rating, whether expressed as mesomorphy or lean body weight, suggests that the higher a subject's muscular component the greater their dynamic strength.