Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Laboratory implementation of edge illumination X-ray phase-contrast imaging with energy-resolved detectors

Edge illumination (EI) X-ray phase-contrast imaging (XPCI) has potential for applications in different fields of research, including materials science, non-destructive industrial testing, small-animal imaging, and medical imaging. One of its main advantages is the compatibility with laboratory equipment, in particular with conventional non-microfocal sources, which makes its exploitation in normal research laboratories possible. In this work, we demonstrate that the signal in laboratory implementations of EI can be correctly described with the use of the simplified geometrical optics. Besides enabling the derivation of simple expressions for the sensitivity and spatial resolution of a given EI setup, this model also highlights the EI’s achromaticity. With the aim of improving image quality, as well as to take advantage of the fact that all energies in the spectrum contribute to the image contrast, we carried out EI acquisitions using a photon-counting energy-resolved detector. The obtained results demonstrate that this approach has great potential for future laboratory implementations of EI.
Chemistry Challenges in SNP Typing

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are gene variations that result from a single nucleotide difference. A single Watson–Crick base pair in wild-type DNA is replaced by any one of the other three base pairs in mutant DNA. When an SNP site is located in a protein-encoding region, the amino acid sequence of the produced protein may have a chance to be changed. SNPs in a promoter region may modulate the transcriptional efficiency of proteins encoded downstream. As a consequence, a small difference in DNA sequence can result in a much larger difference in the phenotype of each individual. SNP typing that identifies the base at predetermined polymorphic sites in any given DNA sample is envisioned as an essential technology in the near feature for realizing personalized medicine. Several methods for SNP typing have been studied, and some of them have already become commercially available. Because there is only a one-base-pair difference between the mutant and wild-type DNAs, it is difficult to differentiate the two DNAs. Most current SNP-typing techniques are indebted to the high fidelity of DNA polymerase in primer extension and flap endonuclease in the digestion reaction of a specific DNA structure. While the difference between the two DNAs is only subtle, increasing knowledge and improving technologies in chemistry and associated fields should lead to a conceptually new solution in SNP typing. Developing nonenzymatic methods for SNP typing offers great opportunities and challenges in chemistry. Among the numerous reports on new methods of SNP typing, this minireview focuses primarily on the chemistry basis of newly developed and developing technologies for SNP typing that do not make use of enzymes, except for PCR amplification. The methods of nonenzymatic SNP typing described here show only the tip of the large number of studies that have appeared in recent scientific journals. Readers who are interested in general methods of SNP typing should consult the comprehensive reviews. The SNP typing strategies described in this review were compared to the principles for allele discrimination, detection signals, and detection platforms (Table 1). While there is no standard condition to compare the sensitivity, accuracy, and performance of each typing method with the others, the amounts of genome, PCR products, or oligonucleotides described for demonstrating the performance of the nonenzymatic methods in the literature are briefly mentioned in Table 1.
Automatic generation of models for abdominal aortic aneurysms and intraluminal thrombus based on hexahedral meshes

To propose an automated patient-specific algorithm for the creation of accurate and smooth meshes of the aortic anatomy, to be used for evaluating rupture risk factors of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Finite element (FE) analyses and simulations require meshes to be smooth and anatomically accurate, capturing both the artery wall and the intraluminal thrombus (ILT). The two main difficulties are the modeling of the arterial bifurcations, and of the ILT, which has an arbitrary shape that is conforming to the aortic wall.
Improved detection scheme for non-coherent UWB communications

An improved detection scheme is proposed for noncoherent impulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) receivers. The peak amplitude of impulse and RMS value of noise are considered as detection parameters in the proposed method. The receiver based on this method, unlike conventional energy detection (ED) based receivers, does not collect the energy and uses UWB pulses as time triggers. Furthermore, we propose the digital signal processing technique to simplify UWB networking and enhance detection. Proposed solution simplifies the threshold setting and allows to decrease bit-error-rate (BER) for additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel.
The COPD Assessment Test (CAT): Short- and Medium-term Response to Pulmonary Rehabilitation

Abstract Background: The COPD Assessment Test (CAT) is a recently introduced instrument to assess health-related quality of life in COPD. We aimed to evaluate the longitudinal change in CAT following Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR), and test the relationship between CAT and CRQ-Self Report (SR) over time. We hypothesised that the CAT would show similar responsiveness to PR as the CRQ-SR both in the short and medium-term. Methods: 118 COPD patients completed an eight-week outpatient multidisciplinary PR programme. CAT, CRQ-SR and the incremental shuttle walk (ISW) were measured prior to starting PR (T1), completion of PR (T2) and 6 months after completion of PR (T3). Results: There was a significant improvement in CAT, CRQ-SR and ISW immediately following PR (p < 0.001). Although there was decline between T2 and T3, CAT, CRQ-SR and ISW remained significantly better at T3 compared with T1 (ANOVA p < 0.001). Both between T1-T2 and between T2-T3, change in CAT correlated significantly with change in CRQ (both r = -0.44 and p < 0.001). The slope of the relationship between CAT change and CRQ-SR change at T1-T2 and T2-T3 was not significantly different (ANCOVA: intercept p = 0.79, interaction effect p = 0.95). Conclusions: In COPD, the CAT score is immediately responsive to PR and remains improved at 6 months. There is no significant difference in the short and medium term changes in the CAT and CRQ-SR following PR. We propose that for most clinical indications for assessing health-related quality of life in COPD, the CAT is a robust and practical alternative to longer-established instruments such as the CRQ-SR.
X-Band Reflectarray Antenna With Switching-Beam Using PIN Diodes and Gathered Elements

An electronically switching-beam reflectarray antenna to be used in X-band has been designed, manufactured and tested, using PIN diodes as switching device. The antenna has 244 elements arranged in a circular aperture. With the aim of saving electronic devices and reducing both manufacturing complexity and cost, the phase control has been implemented at sub-array level, using aperture-coupled patches gathered by pairs to a common delay line. The antenna was designed to switch the beam between ±5°, in a scanning plane tilted 18.3° with respect to the YZ plane. Each state was obtained by forward biasing one half of the diodes, while the other half remains in reverse biasing. A third state with the beam pointing to 0° was obtained when all the diodes are in reverse biasing. The concept has been demonstrated by manufacturing and testing a breadboard. The measured radiation patterns fulfill the design requirements.
Table 3 : Reflective Analysis : Questions to Ask " What " questions

A diverse body of educational research provides strong theoretical support for the development of higher order cognitive learning skills through case teaching. Case study teachers can improve their questioning skills to enhance students' critical thinking. The theoretical background for questioning in case method teaching and learning is traceable to the functionalism and pragmatism of John Dewey and William James, the cognitive domain classification system of Benjamin Bloom, the cognitivists' conception of metacognition, and the reflective thinking of existentialists. The diathesis theory of human predisposition to either healthy wholeness or diseased fragmentation can be applied effectively to case study teaching. For anyone using the case study method (particularly cases involving ethical or other social issues), several factors should be considered: opportunities occur for both low and high levels of cognitive experiences, the writing-to-learn questionnaire leads to clear and succinct responses, and teachers should prepare a series of open-ended and probing discussion questions. An appendix presents a sample case involving a new teacher on the first day of the job facing a group of difficult students. The students were violent, the environment hostile, the fellow teachers belittling, and the teacher had to handle the challenge of the situation (Contains 17 references and 3 tables.) (SM) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization originating it. CV 0 Minor changes have been made to Cv improve reproduction quality. kr) kr) Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy. 1 PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
MR tractography for the evaluation of functional recovery from lenticulostriate infarcts

Objective: To evaluate the anatomic and clinical relationship between the lenticulostriate artery (LSA) territory and the corticospinal tract (CST) in patients with acute infarcts in this territory using MR tractography. Methods: Thirteen consecutive patients who presented with acute infarcts in the LSA territory and who also had undergone an MRI study within 3 days after symptom onset were studied. Visualization of the CST was achieved by postprocessing the acquired diffusion tensor imaging data. To classify lesion location, the LSA territory was divided into four subsegments, the boundaries of which were drawn by axial and coronal planes crossing through the foramen of Monro. Infarct volume and extent of CST involvement were measured and compared with neurologic findings. Results: All of the infarcts were located in the posterior segment. All of the depicted CSTs crossed the LSA territory only at the posterosuperior quadrant. The extent of CST involvement within the infarcts was correlated with the severity of the patient’s motor deficit (p < 0.01) and with the clinical outcome (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The corticospinal tracts (CSTs) crossed the lenticulostriate artery territory exclusively at the posterosuperior quadrant, and the degree of CST involvement within the infarcts was directly related to stroke severity and functional recovery.
Aesthetic quality assessment of headshots

An automated system that can provide feedback about aesthetic value or quality of headshot photos based on learned rules could be a very useful support in photo searching, sorting and editing. This is a challenging problem as it requires semantic understanding of photos, which is beyond the state-of-the-art in computer vision. In this paper, we present a method built on most important rules or guidelines used by professional photographers to assess aesthetic quality of headshots. Proposed method uses low-level features and face-related high-level features. We make use of popular machine learning algorithms, support vector machines and Real AdaBoost, to determine whether a headshot is aesthetically appealing or unappealing. The results of extensive experiments indicate that proposed method is valid and effective: the overall classification accuracy for binary classification is greater than 86 %. This work is difficult to compare with previous attempts to assess aesthetic quality as no other research group studied this particular field of photography before.
Case ascertainment in stroke studies: the risk of selection bias

Objectives– The purpose was to compare the completeness of case ascertainment in two stroke registers, one local population‐based, the other a national quality register (Riks‐Stroke), and to examine if patient characteristics could be affected by selection bias. Material and methods– By the way of linking and matching computer files, the completeness of case ascertainment was evaluated. Results– In the local stroke incidence study 377 patients were included. Of them, 63% were reported to the hospital‐based national quality register. The case‐fatality was lower in the national register. A larger proportion of the patients in the national register appeared to have been treated in a stroke unit and undergone rehabilitation, and computerized tomography seemed to have been performed in a larger proportion. Conclusions– Because of selection bias, outcome data get skewed when case ascertainment does not embrace all stroke cases. A community‐based stroke register is the golden standard when measuring stroke incidence.
The IBM system/360 model 91: floating-point execution unit

The principal requirement for the Model 91 floating-point execution unit was that it be designed to support the instructionissuing rate of the processor. The chosen solution was to develop separate, instruction-oriented algorithms for the add, multiply, and divide functions. Linked together by the floating-point instruction unit, the multiple execution units provide concurrent instruction execution at the burst rate of one instruction per cycle.
Modeling of EM logging tools in arbitrary 3-D borehole geometries using PML-FDTD

We discuss the numerical modeling of logging-while-drilling (LWD) tools for hydrocarbon exploration in arbitrary three-dimensional geometries using a new finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) scheme in cylindrical coordinates. Two locally conformal FDTD (LC-FDTD) schemes are employed to simulate eccentric LWD tools in realistic logging environments. An anisotropic perfectly matched layer absorbing boundary condition extended to cylindrical coordinates is incorporated in the FDTD method to simulate unbounded geophysical formations. Frequency-domain data are obtained from the time-domain results using a ramp-modulated sinusoidal source and an efficient early-time extraction algorithm. The FDTD simulations are validated against both numerical mode matching and pseudoanalytical approaches and show very good agreement.
Human brain atlas: For high‐resolution functional and anatomical mapping

We present the new computerized Human Brain Atlas (HBA) for anatomical and functional mapping studies of the human brain. The HBA is based on many high‐resolution magnetic resonance images of normal subjects and provides continuous updating of the mean shape and position of anatomical structures of the human brain. The structures are transformable by linear and nonlinear global and local transformations applied anywhere in 3‐D pictures to fit the anatomical structures of individual brains, which, by reformatting, are transformed into a high‐resolution standard anatomical format. The power of the HBA to reduce anatomical variations was evaluated on a randomized selection of anatomical landmarks in brains of 27 young normal male volunteers who were different from those on whom the standard brain was selected. The HBA, even when based only on standard brain surface and central structures, reduced interindividual anatomical variance to the level of the variance in structure position between the right and left hemisphere in individual brains. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Selecting the Right Tool For the Job

There are competing ethical concerns when it comes to designing any clinical research study. Clinical trials of possible treatments for Ebola virus are no exception. If anything, the competing ethical concerns are exacerbated in trying to find answers to a deadly, rapidly spreading, infectious disease. The primary goal of current research is to identify experimental therapies that can cure Ebola or cure it with reasonable probability in infected individuals. Pursuit of that goal must be methodologically sound, practical and consistent with prevailing norms governing human subjects research. Some maintain that only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a placebo or standard-of-care arm can meet these conditions. We maintain that there are alternative trial designs that can do so as well and that sometimes these are preferable to RCTs.
Solvatochromic Effects in the Electronic Absorption and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectra of Hypericin in Organic Solvents and in Lipid Bilayers¶

Abstract The natural product hypericin was tested in recent years as a biological photosensitizer with a potential for viral and cellular photodamage. We thus studied extensively its spectroscopy and membrane partitioning. Absorption, fluorescence excitation and emission spectra of the sodium salt (HyNa) were measured in 36 protic and aprotic, polar and apolar, solvents. Electronic transition bands as well as vibrational progressions were identified. Aggregation in some nonpolar solvents and protonation in organic acids were demonstrated. Modeling solvatochromism was done by Lippert equation, by the ET(30) parameter and by the Taft multiparameter approach. In all cases, separation into protic and aprotic solvents gave much better fits to the models. 13C chemical shift data could also be correlated with solvent polarity. They correlated best with Lippert's Δf polarity measure, but tended to fall into two distinct solvent groups—each along different lines—corresponding to protic and aprotic media, respectively. This interesting phenomenon suggests that in the case of the charged and slightly water soluble HyNa, two mechanisms of solvation are involved, each resulting in its own line equation. In aprotic media, dipole–dipole interaction is the predominant solvation mechanism. In protic solvents, the most effective means of solvation is likely to be hydrogen bonding. When intercalated into the liposomal phospholipid bilayer, HyNa is oriented at an angle to the interface, thus experiencing a gradient of solvent polarities: a highly polar environment (similar to methanol) for C-2/5, suggesting that they lie not far from the interface; a moderately polar environment (similar to that of n-propanol) for C-6a/14a, which are somewhat deeper within the bilayer; and a more lipophilic environment (akin to n-hexanol) for C-10/11. The fluorescence excitation peak in liposomes also correlates with an aprotic medium of relatively high polarity, as might be excepted from a molecule in a shallow position in the bilayer.
Reassessing the benefits of statins in the prevention of cardiovascular disease in diabetic patients--a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES Despite the fact that statins have been prescribed widely, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death in diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to reassess the benefits of statins for CVD prevention in patients with diabetes mellitus. METHODS Two independent investigators searched for prospective, randomized statin trials that investigated the power of reducing CVD in statin-treated patients. The search was performed using Pubmed, Web of Science, and CENTRAL databases. Data was extracted from eligible studies. RESULTS A total of 7061 articles were surveyed and 22 articles were identified as eligible articles. The meta-analyses of the 22 trials showed that statin treatment was positively associated with a lowered risk of CVD in the following groups: (i) total population with pooled odds ratios (OR) of 0.791 (95 % CI: 0.74-0.846, p < 0.001), (ii) diabetic population with OR 0.792 (95% CI: 0.721-0.872, p < 0.001), and (iii) non-diabetic population with OR 0.791 (95% CI: 0.730-0.857, p < 0.001). In diabetic patients, statins were also helpful in the primary and secondary prevention of CVD, with pooled ORs of 0.757 (95% CI: 0.676 to 0.847, p < 0.001) and 0.800 (95% CI: 0.712 to 0.898, p < 0.001), respectively. However, when trials that investigated only diabetic patients (i.e., CARDS, 4D, and ASPEN) were included in the analysis, statin treatment was not found to reduce CVD significantly (OR: 0.817, 95% CI: 0.649 to 1.029, p = 0.086). Furthermore, after performing subgroup analysis, no benefit of statin treatment was found in primary prevention (OR: 0.774, 95% CI: 0.506 to 1.186, p = 0.240) or secondary prevention (OR: 0.893, 95% CI: 0.734 to 1.088, p = 0.262) of CVD in diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS Although our study may be limited by unmeasured confounders and heterogeneity among the studies included, the results suggest that the effects of statins in the prevention of CVD in diabetic patients are not only beneficial. More informative data are needed to verify the benefits of statins in the protection against CVD in diabetic patients.
The sensitivity of magnetic resonance image signals of a rat brain to changes in the cerebral venous blood oxygenation

The sensitivity of magnetic resonance image signals of the brain to the change in the cerebral blood oxygenation was measured in gradient echo images of rat brains at a field strength of 7 T. The sensitivity depended on the blood vessel volume relative to the tissue volume within the image voxel, and signal intensities in the cortical area were well correlated with the change in the venous blood de‐oxygenation level at the sagittal sinus. Tissue signals in the image (15 ms echo time) showed a sensitivity of 10‐20% change for the full range of deoxygenation level from 0‐100%. From these observations and image simulations, the extent of the signal response to some neuro‐stimulation which induces an increase in regional cerebral blood flow has been estimated for 4 T field strength.
On the Robustness of Visual Homing under Landmark Uncertainty 1

Abstract. Although a large body of literature exists on methods for landmark-based navigation of mobile robots, little has been said about their robustness in the presence of changing and wrong landmark correspondences as well as erroneous compass measurements. To this end, we investigate the practical implications of different compass-dependent approaches to 2D Bearing-Only Navigation (2D BON) under such conditions, and we suggest measures to quantify their robustness. The analysis is based on the notion of the Homing Vector Field (HVF), and carried out in simulation, since complete HVFs can not be determined otherwise. However, HVFs provide a generic framework that enables the sound comparison of different 2D BON methods. In addition, we propose a method that is based on the approximation of the gradient of an implicit objective function, which constitutes a gradient descent approach. We present practical results that show the applicability of our approach using natural visual landmarks, omni-directional vision and a compass.