Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volume-of-interest (VOI) imaging in C-arm flat-detector CT for high image quality at reduced dose.

PURPOSE A novel method for flat-detector computed tomography was developed to enable volume-of-interest (VOI) imaging at high resolution, low noise, and reduced dose. For this, a full low-dose overview (OV) scan and a local high-dose scan of a VOI are combined. METHODS The first scan yields an overview of the whole object and enables the selection of an arbitrary VOI. The second scan of that VOI assures high image quality within the interesting volume. The combination of the two consecutive scans is based on a forward projection of the reconstructed OV volume that was registered to the VOI. The artificial projection data of the OV scan are combined with the measured VOI data in the raw data domain. Different projection values are matched by an appropriate transformation and weighting. The reconstruction is performed with a standard Feldkamp-type algorithm. In simulations, the combination of OV scan and VOI scan was investigated on a mathematically described phantom. In measurements, spatial resolution and noise were evaluated with image quality phantoms. Modulation transfer functions and noise values were calculated. Measurements of an anthropomorphic head phantom were used to validate the proposed method for realistic applications, e.g., imaging stents. In Monte Carlo simulations, 3D dose distributions were calculated and dose values were assessed quantitatively. RESULTS By the proposed combination method, an image is generated which covers the whole object and provides the VOI at high image quality. In the OV image, a resolution of 0.7 lp/mm (line pairs per millimeter) and noise of 63.5 HU were determined. Inside the VOI, resolution was increased to 2.4 lp/mm and noise was decreased to 18.7 HU. For the performed measurements, the cumulative dose was significantly reduced in comparison to conventional scans by up to 93%. The dose of a high-quality scan, for example, was reduced from 97 to less than 7 mGy, while keeping image quality constant within the VOI. CONCLUSIONS The proposed VOI application with two scans is an effective way to ensure high image quality within the VOI while simultaneously reducing the cumulative patient dose.
H∞ model reduction of singularly perturbed control systems

In this paper, the problem of H∞ model reduction for singularly perturbed control systems is investigated. A new algorithm based on the slow-fast decomposition of the original system is suggested to obtain the reduced-order model. The associated model reduction error meets a prescribed H∞ norm bound constraint and the two-time-scale property of the original singularly perturbed control system is retained in the reduced-order model. A numerical example is presented to show the effectiveness of the model reduction method.
A QoE Perspective on HTTP/2 Server Push

HTTP/2 was recently standardized to optimize the Web by promising faster Page Load Times (PLT) as compared to the widely deployed HTTP/1.1. One promising feature is HTTP/2 server push, which turns the former pull-only into a push-enabled Web. By enabling servers to preemptively push resources to the clients without explicit request, it promises further improvements of the overall PLT. Despite this potential, it remains unknown if server push can indeed yield human perceivable improvements. In this paper, we address this open question by assessing server push in both i) a laboratory and ii) a crowdsourcing study. Our study assesses the question if server push can lead to perceivable faster PLTs as compared to HTTP/1.1 and HTTP/2 without push. We base this study on a set of 28 push-enabled real-word websites selected in an Internet-wide measurement. Our results reveal that our subjects are able to perceive utilization of server push. However, its usage does not necessarily accomplish perceived PLT improvements and can sometimes even be noticeably detrimental.
Expression of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 MicroRNAs in Cell Culture Models of Quiescent and Latent Infection

ABSTRACT To facilitate studies of herpes simplex virus 1 latency, cell culture models of quiescent or latent infection have been developed. Using deep sequencing, we analyzed the expression of viral microRNAs (miRNAs) in two models employing human fibroblasts and one using rat neurons. In all cases, the expression patterns differed from that in productively infected cells, with the rat neuron pattern most closely resembling that found in latently infected human or mouse ganglia in vivo.
The ecological validity of everyday cognition in hospitalized patients with serious mental illness

In 47 tertiary inpatients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, we report on the extent to which everyday cognition (EC), as represented by tasks utilizing naturalistic stimuli or commonly encountered problems, accounts for variation in daily functioning. Patients underwent interview-based measures of psychiatric symptoms, nurses' observations of functioning, and measures of EC and traditional cognition (TC). Our results indicate that EC accounts for “real-world” functioning above that of TC and psychiatric symptoms. This observation supports the utility of incorporating salient measures that rely upon common experience and accumulated knowledge structure into existent test batteries.
Brain SPECT evaluation of the visual cortex in amblyopia.

UNLABELLED In amblyopia, the number of visual cortical neurons are reduced and abnormal or absent sensitivity to retinal light stimulation of the amblyopic eye is demonstrated. Ten amblyopic patients were studied to evaluate the response of the visual cortex to visual stimulation. METHODS All patients with unilateral amblyopia received 500-550 MBq 99mTc-HMPAO during visual stimulation. Strobe light flashing was used as the stimulus for five patients and a checkerboard pattern reversal was used in the other five patients, closing one eye. For both groups a 2-Hz frequency was used. One week later, the same procedure was repeated with the opposite eye closed. SPECT images were reconstructed with prefiltering techniques and sliced along the orbitomeatal line. RESULTS For all patients, the amblyopic eye demonstrated less radioactivity in the visual cortex than in the normal eye. The mean cerebral-to-cerebellar ratios were 0.95 +/- 0.05 and 1.09 +/- 0.07 for amblyopic and normal eyes, respectively (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION Visual cortex response of the amblyopic eye to light stimulation was severely reduced when compared to the normal eye.
Online Variable Topology-Type Photovoltaic Grid-Connected Inverter

In photovoltaic (PV) grid-connected generation system, the key focus is how to expand the generation range of the PV array and enhance the total efficiency of the system. This paper originally derived expressions of the total loss and grid current total harmonics distortions of cascaded inverter and H-bridge inverter under the conditions of variable output voltage and power of the PV array. It is proved that, compared with the H-bridge inverter, the operation range of the cascaded inverter is wider, whereas the total loss is larger. Furthermore, a novel online variable topology-type grid-connected inverter is proposed. A bidirectional power switch is introduced into the conventional cascaded inverter to connect the negative terminals of the PV arrays. When the output voltages of the PV arrays are lower, the proposed inverter works under cascaded inverter mode to obtain wider generation range. When the output voltages of the PV arrays are higher, the proposed inverter is transformed into equivalent H-bridge inverter mode to reduce the total loss. Thus, wider generation range and higher efficiency are both implemented. Specific demonstration of the proposed inverter based on five-level cascaded inverter is presented. The detailed experimental results verify the accuracy and feasibility of the theoretical analysis and the proposed inverter topology.
High-Order Differentiation Filters that Work

Reliable derivatives of digital images have always been hard to obtain, especially (but not only) at high orders. We analyze the sources of errors in traditional filters, such as derivatives of the Gaussian, that are used for differentiation. We then study a class of filters which is much more suitable for our purpose, namely filters that preserve polynomials up to a given order. We show that the errors in differentiation can be corrected using these filters. We derive a condition for the validity domain of these filters, involving some characteristics of the filter and of the shape. Our experiments show a very good performance for smooth functions. >
Adaptation of enhanced TSV capacitance as membrane property in 3D brain-inspired computing system

Neurophysiological architecture using 3D integration technology offers a high device interconnection density as well as fast and energy efficient links among the neuron and synapses layers. In this paper, we propose to reconfigure the Through-Silicon-Vias (TSVs) to serve as the neuronal membrane capacitors that map the membrane electrical activities in a hybrid 3D neuromorphic system. We also investigate new methodology that could significantly enhance the TSV capacitance to achieve a high efficiency of signal processing through membrane. An optimal CAD framework is designed to optimally utilize such TSV devices, and resolve the signal-integrity issues arising at fast data rates during massively parallel data transmissions. The electrical performance of the 3D neuromorphic chip is compared against the ones of the 2D counterpart design to demonstrate the advantages of our design and methodology.
Prognostic significance of mammographic density change after initiation of tamoxifen for ER-positive breast cancer.

BACKGROUND A prior analysis of postmenopausal breast cancer patients linked a decline in mammographic density (MD) following the initiation of tamoxifen treatment with improved survival, but excluded premenopausal women, for whom tamoxifen is the primary anti-endocrine therapy. Therefore, we evaluated change in MD after tamoxifen and breast cancer death among patients age 32 to 87 years. METHODS This case-control study included 349 estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer patients who were treated with tamoxifen at Kaiser Permanente Northwest (1990-2008): 97 who died from breast cancer (case patients) and 252 who did not (control patients), matched on age and year at diagnosis and disease stage. Percent MD in the unaffected breast was measured at baseline (mean six months before tamoxifen initiation) and follow-up (mean 12 months after initiation). Associations between change in MD and breast cancer death were estimated using conditional logistic regression. RESULTS Patients in the highest tertile of MD decline had a lower risk of breast cancer death when compared with women in the lowest tertile (odds ratio [OR] = 0.44, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.22 to 0.88); results were similar after adjustment for baseline MD (OR = 0.49, 95% CI = 0.23 to 1.02). Reductions in death were observed only among patients in the middle and upper tertiles of baseline MD. Associations did not differ by age, tamoxifen use duration, estrogen and/or progestin use, body mass index, or receipt of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. CONCLUSION These data suggest that younger and older ER-positive breast cancer patients who experience large reductions in MD following tamoxifen initiation have an improved prognosis.
Fast QR code detection

Quick Response (QR) code is introduced by the Denso Wave in 1994 [7]. It can encode alphanumeric characters, a rich set of information can be made available through encoded URL addresses [2]. Nowadays, with the rich development of Mobile Internet and Internet of Things, it is desired to have a quick and efficient QR code recognition method. However, QR code detection is not an easy job. In this paper, a set of novel approaches to detecting QR code in arbitrarily acquired images are proposed. The proposed method has been evaluated with arbitrarily acquired images. The experimental results show that the proposed methods are effective way to detect QR code position.
Clinical features of Sjogren’s syndrome in patients with multiple sclerosis

Annunziata P, De Santi L, Di Rezze S, Millefiorini E, Capello E, Mancardi G, De Riz M, Scarpini E, Vecchio R, Patti F. Clinical features of Sjogren’s syndrome in patients with multiple sclerosis. Acta Neurol Scand: 2011: 124: 109–114. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.
New mre genes mreC and mreD, responsible for formation of the rod shape of Escherichia coli cells

New shape-determining genes in the mre cluster at 71 min on the Escherichia coli chromosome map, named mreC and mreD, were identified by complementation experiments using delta mre-678 mutant cells, which have a 5-kilobase-pair deletion encompassing the mre region, and by DNA sequencing. The delta mre-678 mutant cells required three genes, the previously reported mreB gene and the two new genes, to restore the normal rod shape of the cells and normal sensitivity of growth to mecillinam. The mreC gene is preceded by the mreB gene and by a 65-base-pair spacing sequence containing a palindrome sequence and a possible Shine-Dalgarno sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence of the MreC protein consists of 367 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 39,530. The initiation codon of the mreD gene overlaps the termination codon of the mreC gene by one nucleotide residue. The deduced amino acid sequence of the MreD protein consists of 162 amino acid residues with a molecular weight of 18,755. In vitro, the coding frames of mreC and mreD produced proteins with Mrs of 40,000 and 15,000, respectively, as judged by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
The Canada-United States Military Co-operation Committee and Continental Air Defence, 1946

THE CANADA-UNITED STATES MILITARY CO-OPERATION COMMITTEE [MCC] composed chiefly of representatives from the armed forces of the two countries, met for the first time on ao May •946 to begin joint military planning for the postwar era. The conclusions reached at that session, apparently at the urging of the American members, were grave. A serious threat existed to the security of the United States and Canada: attacks on North America by manned bombers equipped with atomic weapons were possible within a few years. Thus the construction of a continental air defence system, including an effort in the Canadian Arctic, was a pressing necessity. The Canadian and us armed forces would have to work closely together to erect and operate that system. The decisiveness of the MCC recommendations disguised the fact that the American military establishment was in disarray. To be sure, the us Joint Chiefs of Staff [jcs] were determined to establish a new kind of defence posture for the United States. The chiefs believed in late •945 and early •946 that they had learned the major lesson of the two world wars. The country would not again rush late and illprepared into conflict. Henceforth the us would pursue a forward strategy. As the chiefs declared in an October •945 policy directive, 'potential enemies' would be kept at a maximum possible distance. Accomplishing this would require 'forces and installations disposed in an outer perimeter of bases from which to reconnoiter and survey possible enemy actions, to intercept his attacking forces and missiles, to deny him use of such bases and to launch counterattacks which alone can reach a decision satisfactory to us. '•
Can publication bias affect ecological research? A case study on soil respiration under elevated CO2.

Literature surveys are a prerequisite to enhance scientific knowledge as they allow us to separate systemic from idiosyncratic mechanisms and processes, and thus provide insight at a higher level than can be gained from individual studies. In ecological research, statistical synthesis of literature surveys, using meta-analysis, has become a powerful tool to quantify global mean responses to a changing climate (Curtis & Wang, 1998; Medlyn et al., 1999; Rustad et al., 2001; Treseder, 2004, 2008; Knorr et al., 2005; de Graaff et al., 2006; Luo et al., 2006; Janssens et al., 2010). Such analyses have greatly improved our understanding of ecosystem functioning and the parameterization of models. Unfortunately, there is also a downside to quantitative review methods such as meta-analysis, as they can easily be affected by publication bias (Moller & Jennions, 2001). Publication bias can be defined as the selective publication of articles showing certain types of results over those showing other types of results. The most commonly suspected publication bias is the tendency for authors and journals to only publish studies with statistically significant results, which has been termed the ‘file-drawer problem’ (Rosenthal, 1979). Moreover, researchers are under increasing pressure to publish frequently, and it is much easier to publish results that can easily be explained or support widely accepted hypotheses (Jarvis et al., 2001), than having to fight a time-consuming battle with conservative and suspicious referees (as they perhaps should be).
Flight control with amplitude and rate constraints: A Command Governor approach

In this paper we present an application of a novel constrained control technique known as Command Governor (CG) to deal with the problem of actuator amplitude and rate saturation on aircrafts. The aim of the CG strategy consists of modifying, whenever necessary, the reference signal supplied to a primal compensated system so as to guarantee the fulfillment of existing constraints. CG action is obtained solving on line an optimization procedure which embodies the future plant- evolution according to the receding horizon philosophy. To show the effectiveness of the proposed constrained control algorithm numerical simulations are carried out on a small commercial aircraft of the General Aviation class.
Single-phase Z-Source inverter: Analysis and Low-frequency Harmonics Elimination Pulse Width Modulation

Theoretical analysis and experimental tests indicate that single-phase full-bridge Z-Source inverter, compared to its three-phase counterpart, suffers greatly from low-frequency output harmonic distortion due to the 2nd harmonic component of the current drawn by the inverter bridge from the DC side. Analytic relationship between low-frequency capacitor voltage and inductor current ripple factors and Z-Source network parameters of single-phase Z-Source inverter under Simple Boost Control is derived in this paper. In addition, one novel Low-frequency Harmonics Elimination Pulse Width Modulation technique is presented, which could greatly reduce low-frequency capacitor voltage ripple for given Z-Source network. The theoretical analyses and proposed modified pulse width modulation technique have been confirmed by computer simulation and laboratory-implemented prototype.
From individual hand bone age estimates to fully automated age estimation via learning-based information fusion

Increasingly important for both clinical and forensic medicine, radiological age estimation is performed by fusing independent bone age estimates from hand images. In this work, we show that the artificial separation into bone independent age estimates as used in established fusion techniques can be overcome. Thus, we treat aging as a global developmental process, by implicitly fusing developmental information from different bones in a dedicated regression algorithm. With 0.82 ± 0.56 years absolute deviation from chronological age on a database of 132 3D MR hand images, the results of this novel automatic algorithm are inline with radiologists performing visual examinations.
Cellulose Chemistry Meets Click Chemistry: Syntheses and Properties of Cellulose-Based Glycoclusters with High Structural Homogeneity

b-1,4-Glucans having oligosaccharide appendages (O-/N-linked b-maltoside and O-/N-linked b-lactoside) at 6C positions of all repeating units can be readily prepared from cellulose through a two step strategy composed of: (1) regio-selective and quantitative bromination/azidation to afford 6-azido-6-deoxycellulose; and (2) the subsequent Cu+-catalyzed coupling with oligosaccharides having terminal alkyne. The resultant cellulose derivatives showed improved water solubility in comparison to native cellulose; they, however, bound to carbohydrate-binding proteins in a rather non-specific manner. Molecular dynamics calculations revealed that these properties are attributable to rigid sheet-like structures of the cellulose derivatives and the subsequent exposure of their hydrophobic moieties to solvents.
Anxiety Sensitivity Mediates Relations Between Attachment and Aggression Differently by Gender

The present study examined relations among attachment, aggression, and anxiety sensitivity (AS) in a sample of male and female undergraduates. Given that some individuals may use aggression to modulate negative emotional states, it was predicted that AS dimensions would mediate relations between attachment anxiety (vs. attachment avoidance) and certain forms of aggression, particularly impulsive aggression. Moreover, it was hypothesized that the relations among attachment, aggression, and AS would be moderated by gender. Participants (N = 1,042) completed measures of attachment (Experiences in Close Relationships–Revised [ECR-R]), aggression (Aggression Questionnaire [AQ]; Impulsive/Premeditated Aggression Scales [IPAS]), and AS (AS Index–3 [ASI-3]). Results indicated that AS mediated relations between attachment dimensions (both anxiety and avoidance) and most forms of aggression, with each of the AS dimensions playing a unique role differentially by gender. Cognitive concerns emerged as a significant mediator, particularly for men; physical and social concerns played more of a mediating role for women. Interestingly, none of the AS dimensions played a significant mediating role between attachment (either anxiety or avoidance) and physical aggression for men. Results are discussed in terms of their clinical implications and directions for future research.
RB-GACA: an RBAC based grid access control architecture

Grid computing is emerging as a new format of wide area distributed computing. Because the distribution of services and resources in wide-area networks are heterogeneous, dynamic, and multi-domain, security is a critical concern in grid computing. Authorisation and access control, which are important aspects of security, have obtained more and more attention. This paper proposes a universal, scalable authorisation and access control architecture, RB-GACA, for grid computing. It is based on classical access control mechanism in distributed applications, Role Based Access Control (RBAC). The paper provides a flexible policy management approach for various grid environments. We also use a standard policy language for the presentation of access control policies to provide a general and standard support for different services and resources.
A New Species Under Genus Sergentomyia and Subgenus Sergentomyia (Diptera: Psychodidae) from Puducherry Union Territory, Southern India, with Keys to the Species

ABSTRACT Sergentomyia (Sergentomyia) pondicheriiensis is a new species of phlebotomine sand fly belonging to the genus Sergentomyia and subgenus Sergentomyia is described with illustrations of adult females and males. Other six species under the subgenus Sergentomyia are Se. (Ser.) punjabensis (Sinton), Se. (Ser.) dentata (Sinton), Se. (Ser.) theodori (Parrot), Se. (Ser.) murgabiensis (Perfiliew), Se. (Ser.) mervynae Pringle, and Se. (Ser.) fallax afghanica Artemiev. Sergentomyia pondicherriensis sp. nov was collected from termite mounds, in one of the villages of Puducherry Union Territory, Southern India. A revised key to the species of the subgenus Sergentomyia is also included.