Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MRI-Based Nonrigid Motion Correction in Simultaneous PET/MRI

Respiratory and cardiac motion is the most serious limitation to whole-body PET, resulting in spatial resolution close to 1 cm. Furthermore, motion-induced inconsistencies in the attenuation measurements often lead to significant artifacts in the reconstructed images. Gating can remove motion artifacts at the cost of increased noise. This paper presents an approach to respiratory motion correction using simultaneous PET/MRI to demonstrate initial results in phantoms, rabbits, and nonhuman primates and discusses the prospects for clinical application. Methods: Studies with a deformable phantom, a free-breathing primate, and rabbits implanted with radioactive beads were performed with simultaneous PET/MRI. Motion fields were estimated from concurrently acquired tagged MR images using 2 B-spline nonrigid image registration methods and incorporated into a PET list-mode ordered-subsets expectation maximization algorithm. Using the measured motion fields to transform both the emission data and the attenuation data, we could use all the coincidence data to reconstruct any phase of the respiratory cycle. We compared the resulting SNR and the channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) detection signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in the motion-corrected reconstruction with the results obtained from standard gating and uncorrected studies. Results: Motion correction virtually eliminated motion blur without reducing SNR, yielding images with SNR comparable to those obtained by gating with 5–8 times longer acquisitions in all studies. The CHO study in dynamic phantoms demonstrated a significant improvement (166%–276%) in lesion detection SNR with MRI-based motion correction as compared with gating (P < 0.001). This improvement was 43%–92% for large motion compared with lesion detection without motion correction (P < 0.001). CHO SNR in the rabbit studies confirmed these results. Conclusion: Tagged MRI motion correction in simultaneous PET/MRI significantly improves lesion detection compared with respiratory gating and no motion correction while reducing radiation dose. In vivo primate and rabbit studies confirmed the improvement in PET image quality and provide the rationale for evaluation in simultaneous whole-body PET/MRI clinical studies.
Spatially Explicit Maximum Likelihood Methods for Capture–Recapture Studies

Summary Live‐trapping capture–recapture studies of animal populations with fixed trap locations inevitably have a spatial component: animals close to traps are more likely to be caught than those far away. This is not addressed in conventional closed‐population estimates of abundance and without the spatial component, rigorous estimates of density cannot be obtained. We propose new, flexible capture–recapture models that use the capture locations to estimate animal locations and spatially referenced capture probability. The models are likelihood‐based and hence allow use of Akaike's information criterion or other likelihood‐based methods of model selection. Density is an explicit parameter, and the evaluation of its dependence on spatial or temporal covariates is therefore straightforward. Additional (nonspatial) variation in capture probability may be modeled as in conventional capture–recapture. The method is tested by simulation, using a model in which capture probability depends only on location relative to traps. Point estimators are found to be unbiased and standard error estimators almost unbiased. The method is used to estimate the density of Red‐eyed Vireos (Vireo olivaceus) from mist‐netting data from the Patuxent Research Refuge, Maryland, U.S.A. Estimates agree well with those from an existing spatially explicit method based on inverse prediction. A variety of additional spatially explicit models are fitted; these include models with temporal stratification, behavioral response, and heterogeneous animal home ranges.
Anti-trojan security module for biometric authentication tasks

When implementing biometric authentication systems, several problems related to security should be faced. These problems are mostly derived from the high sensibility of biometric data, and the feeling of governmental control when central databases are used. This paper introduces the work being done by the authors, to provide new means for overcoming them. This new solutions are focused on developing secure distributed systems, where the user is the one that handles his/her own biometric template. Although this could be done with state of the art technology, like smart cards, misuse of this technology, as well as lack of relines in Point of Service Terminals, demand improvements in identification tokens. These tokens will be based on smart card basic technology, improved with the ability of performing biometric processes internally, and with enhanced security mechanisms.
Trajectories of the images in binary microlensing

We study in detail the trajectories followed by single images during binary microlensing events. Starting from perturbative resolutions of the lens equation, we explore the full parameter space by continuity arguments. We see that the images created during the caustic crossing can recombine with the others in different ways. This leads to a new classification of the microlensing events according to the behaviour of the images. We show that the images involved in these combinations depend on the folds that are crossed at the entry and at the exit from the caustic. Non-trivial trajectories can be classified into four main types. Some consequences for the motion of the center of light of the source in astrometric measurements are also examined.
Shape of a dilution curve as the consequence of stochasticity within microcirculation

Introduction. There is a problem with commonly accepted parameters for microcirculation. This problem is due to many used mathematical models. The aim of notes to reveal that hypothesis about stochasticity of microflow leads to the uniqueness of mathematical equations for passage throughout microcirculation. T hus stochasticity could be a motivation for the choice of parameters of microcirculation.
The Neural Cost of the Auditory Perception of Language Switches: An Event-Related Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study in Bilinguals

One of the most remarkable abilities of bilinguals is to produce and/or to perceive a switch from one language to the other without any apparent difficulty. However, several psycholinguistic studies indicate that producing, recognizing, and integrating a linguistic code different from the one in current use may entail a processing cost for the speaker/listener. Up to now, the underlying neural substrates of perceiving language switches are unknown. In the present study, we investigated the neural mechanisms of language switching during auditory perception in bilinguals. Event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 12 early, highly proficient Italian/French bilinguals, who were more exposed to their second language. Subjects had to listen to narratives containing “switched passages” that could either respect (i.e., regular switches) or violate (i.e., irregular switches) the constituents of sentence structure. The results indicate that switching engages an extensive neural network, including bilateral prefrontal and temporal associative regions. Moreover, a clear dissociation is observed for the types of switches. Regular switches entail a pattern of brain activity closely related to lexical processing, whereas irregular switches engage brain structures involved in syntactic and phonological aspects of language processing. Noteworthy, when switching into the less-exposed language, we observed the selective engagement of subcortical structures and of the anterior cingulate cortex, putatively involved in cognitive and executive control. This suggests that switching into a less-exposed language requires controlled processing resources. This pattern of brain activity may constitute an important neural signature of language dominance in bilinguals.
Temporal structure of consciousness and minimal self in schizophrenia

The concept of the minimal self refers to the consciousness of oneself as an immediate subject of experience. According to recent studies, disturbances of the minimal self may be a core feature of schizophrenia. They are emphasized in classical psychiatry literature and in phenomenological work. Impaired minimal self-experience may be defined as a distortion of one’s first-person experiential perspective as, for example, an “altered presence” during which the sense of the experienced self (“mineness”) is subtly affected, or “altered sense of demarcation,” i.e., a difficulty discriminating the self from the non-self. Little is known, however, about the cognitive basis of these disturbances. In fact, recent work indicates that disorders of the self are not correlated with cognitive impairments commonly found in schizophrenia such as working-memory and attention disorders. In addition, a major difficulty with exploring the minimal self experimentally lies in its definition as being non-self-reflexive, and distinct from the verbalized, explicit awareness of an “I. ” In this paper, we shall discuss the possibility that disturbances of the minimal self observed in patients with schizophrenia are related to alterations in time processing. We shall review the literature on schizophrenia and time processing that lends support to this possibility. In particular we shall discuss the involvement of temporal integration windows on different time scales (implicit time processing) as well as duration perception disturbances (explicit time processing) in disorders of the minimal self. We argue that a better understanding of the relationship between time and the minimal self as well of issues of embodiment require research that looks more specifically at implicit time processing. Some methodological issues will be discussed.
Nitrite-Reductase and Peroxynitrite Isomerization Activities of Methanosarcina acetivorans Protoglobin

Within the globin superfamily, protoglobins (Pgb) belong phylogenetically to the same cluster of two-domain globin-coupled sensors and single-domain sensor globins. Multiple functional roles have been postulated for Methanosarcina acetivorans Pgb (Ma-Pgb), since the detoxification of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species might co-exist with enzymatic activity(ies) to facilitate the conversion of CO to methane. Here, the nitrite-reductase and peroxynitrite isomerization activities of the CysE20Ser mutant of Ma-Pgb (Ma-Pgb*) are reported and analyzed in parallel with those of related heme-proteins. Kinetics of nitrite-reductase activity of ferrous Ma-Pgb* (Ma-Pgb*-Fe(II)) is biphasic and values of the second-order rate constant for the reduction of NO2 – to NO and the concomitant formation of nitrosylated Ma-Pgb*-Fe(II) (Ma-Pgb*-Fe(II)-NO) are k app1 = 9.6±0.2 M–1 s–1 and k app2 = 1.2±0.1 M–1 s–1 (at pH 7.4 and 20°C). The k app1 and k app2 values increase by about one order of magnitude for each pH unit decrease, between pH 8.3 and 6.2, indicating that the reaction requires one proton. On the other hand, kinetics of peroxynitrite isomerization catalyzed by ferric Ma-Pgb* (Ma-Pgb*-Fe(III)) is monophasic and values of the second order rate constant for peroxynitrite isomerization by Ma-Pgb*-Fe(III) and of the first order rate constant for the spontaneous conversion of peroxynitrite to nitrate are h app = 3.8×104 M–1 s–1 and h 0 = 2.8×10–1 s–1 (at pH 7.4 and 20°C). The pH-dependence of h on and h 0 values reflects the acid-base equilibrium of peroxynitrite (pK a = 6.7 and 6.9, respectively; at 20°C), indicating that HOONO is the species that reacts preferentially with the heme-Fe(III) atom. These results highlight the potential role of Pgbs in the biosynthesis and scavenging of reactive nitrogen and oxygen species.
Matters of life and death: locating the end of life in lifespan-oriented hci research

Examining developmental periods of the human lifespan has been a useful tradition for focusing HCI research (e.g., technologies for children or the elderly). In this paper, we identify the end of life as another period of the human lifespan that merits consideration by technology designers and researchers. This paper maps out current and future research in HCI at the end of life by first describing how this area raises questions concerning materiality and artifacts, social identities, temporality and methodologies. Having provided a description of the richness of this area, we then frame it against HCI traditions and practices in an orientation we term the lifespan-oriented approach. This paper maps early efforts in end of life research, structures and suggests areas for continued work, and situates the end of life among existing areas of HCI research.
Management of Streaming Body Sensor Data for Medical Information Systems

Data retrieved from body sensors such as ECG machines and new-generation multi-sensor systems such as respiratory monitors are varied and abundant. Managing and integrating this streaming data with existing types of medical information such as patient records, laboratory results, procedures, medical documents, and medical images in a logical and intuitive way is a challenge. Not only is the management of such data difficult but so is the visualization and presentation of the data to physicians, specialists, and patients. Using a new generation of lifeshirts embedded with real time monitors for respiratory and heart functions as a testbed, we propose and have initiated development of a data management system for dealing with such streaming body sensor data, under the framework of an extensible architecture that will support easy visualization of such data.
Identification of Robust Routes using Convective Weather Forcasts

Convective weather is responsible for large delays and widespread disruptions in the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS), especially during summer months when travel demand is high. This has been the motivation for Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM ) algorithms that optimize flight routes in the presence of red uced airspace and airport capacities. These models assume either the availability of reliable probabilistic weather forecasts or accurate predictions of robust routes; unfortunately, such forecasts do not currently exist. This paper adopts a data-driven approach that identifies robust routes and derives stochastic capacity fo recasts from deterministic convective weather forecasts. Using techniques from machine learning and extensive data sets of forecast and ob- served convective weather, the proposed approach classifie s routes that are likely to be viable in reality. The resultant model for route robustness can also be mapped into probabilistic airspace capacity forecasts.
Sterol homeostasis requires regulated degradation of squalene monooxygenase by the ubiquitin ligase Doa10/Teb4

Sterol homeostasis is essential for the function of cellular membranes and requires feedback inhibition of HMGR, a rate-limiting enzyme of the mevalonate pathway. As HMGR acts at the beginning of the pathway, its regulation affects the synthesis of sterols and of other essential mevalonate-derived metabolites, such as ubiquinone or dolichol. Here, we describe a novel, evolutionarily conserved feedback system operating at a sterol-specific step of the mevalonate pathway. This involves the sterol-dependent degradation of squalene monooxygenase mediated by the yeast Doa10 or mammalian Teb4, a ubiquitin ligase implicated in a branch of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated protein degradation (ERAD) pathway. Since the other branch of ERAD is required for HMGR regulation, our results reveal a fundamental role for ERAD in sterol homeostasis, with the two branches of this pathway acting together to control sterol biosynthesis at different levels and thereby allowing independent regulation of multiple products of the mevalonate pathway. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.00953. 001
Analysis of spatial and temporal variations of carbon dioxide over China using SCIAMACHY satellite observations during 2003–2005

This study aims to assess CO2 levels in China, based on the dry air column-averaged mixing ratios of CO2 measured by the Scanning Imaging Absorption spectrometer for Atmospheric CartograpHY (SCIAMACHY) instrument on board ENVISAT and emission inventories. A land cover and statistical data set, the Regional emission inventory in Asia (REAS), was also used in this study. The results show that the spatial variations of the CO2 concentration in the whole of China are obvious, and with clear seasonal fluctuation during 2003–2005. The monthly averaged variability of CO2 over China fluctuates, with the peak occurring in April to May and the trough occurring in August to October. The largest peak-to-trough amplitude was about 16 ppm in this period. The spatial and temporal variations of CO2 had a strong correlation with anthropogenic CO2 emissions and regional terrestrial ecosystem, as well as local meteorological conditions. This paper illustrates that satellite data are promising for obtaining a comprehensive understanding of the variations of atmospheric CO2 concentrations and of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere.
Effects of Training Set Expansion in Handwriting Recognition Using Synthetic Data

A perturbation model for the generation of synthetic textlines from existing cursively handwritten lines of text produced by human writers is presented. Our goal is to improve the performance of an off-line cursive handwriting recognition system by providing it with additional synthetic training data. It can be expected that by adding synthetic training data the variability of the training set improves, which leads to a higher recognition rate. On the other hand, synthetic training data may bias a recognizer towards unnatural handwriting styles, which could lead to a deterioration of the recognition rate. In this paper we will show that for certain configurations of the parameters of the recognizer and the synthetic handwriting generation process, the recognition performance can be significantly improved.
THE EFFECTS OF THE TYPE OF EXERCISE ON LIPID PROFILES AND ADIPONECTIN LEVEL IN SEDENTARY MEN

SUMMARY The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of the type of exercise on lipid profile and adiponectin level in sedentary young men by 24-hour follow up exercise. Thirty young males with normal body mass index (BMI) were selected randomly and assigned to three groups: aerobic (30 min activity with 60 to 70% maximum oxygen uptake), resistance (3 sets of 10 repetitions at 70% of one maximum repetition), and concurrent (aerobic exercise for 20 min and resistance exercise for 2 sets) exercise. Lipid and adiponectin profiles were measured before and 24-hour after exercise. Results indicated that the type of exercise had an effect on the lipid response but did not have an effect on the concentration of adiponectin. The concentrations of cholesterol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in resistance group reduced significantly 24hour after exercise in comparison to the basic values (p<0,05). Moreover, the low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) concentration also reduced but it was not significant. The type of exercise had no effect on triglyceride (TG) response. However, when group's data combined, there was a significant reduction in TG concentration. Based on the results, it is concluded that the adiponectin responses to exercise are independent of the type of exercise but resistance exercise has more positive effects on changes in lipid profile than aerobic and concurrent exercises.
Road traffic sign detection and classification

A vision-based vehicle guidance system for road vehicles can have three main roles: (1) road detection; (2) obstacle detection; and (3) sign recognition. The first two have been studied for many years and with many good results, but traffic sign recognition is a less-studied field. Traffic signs provide drivers with very valuable information about the road, in order to make driving safer and easier. The authors think that traffic signs most play the same role for autonomous vehicles. They are designed to be easily recognized by human drivers mainly because their color and shapes are very different from natural environments. The algorithm described in this paper takes advantage of these features. It has two main parts. The first one, for the detection, uses color thresholding to segment the image and shape analysis to detect the signs. The second one, for the classification, uses a neural network. Some results from natural scenes are shown.
Prospective validation and assessment of cardiovascular and offspring risk models for pregnant women with congenital heart disease

Objectives Adequate prepregnancy prediction of maternal cardiovascular and offspring risk is important for counselling and management of pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease (CHD). Therefore we performed a study to identify the optimal assessment strategy for estimating the risk of pregnancy in women with CHD. Methods In this prospective study, we determined the outcomes of 213 pregnancies in 203 women with CHD. The ZAHARA I (Zwangerschap bij Aangeboren HARtAfwijkingen I) and CARPREG (CARdiac disease in PREGnancy) risk scores were calculated for each pregnancy, as was the total number of cardiovascular (TPc) or offspring risk predictors (TPo) from these and other studies combined. Pregnancies were also classified according to the modified WHO classification of maternal cardiovascular risk and according to disease complexity (DC). Results Maternal cardiovascular events occurred during 22 pregnancies (10.3%). Offspring events occurred during 77 pregnancies in 81 children (37.3%). Cardiovascular and offspring event rates increased with higher risk scores, higher TPc or TPo, higher WHO class and greater DC. The highest area under the curve (AUC) for maternal cardiovascular risk was achieved by the WHO class (AUC: 0.77, p<0.0001). AUC for the ZAHARA I risk score was 0.71 (p=0.001), and for the CARPREG risk score 0.57 (p=0.32). All models performed insufficiently in predicting offspring events (AUC≤0.6). Conclusions The WHO classification is the best available risk assessment model for estimating cardiovascular risk in pregnant women with CHD. None of the offspring prediction models perform adequately in our cohort.
Vulnerability in a one-dimensional transmural model of human ventricular tissue in heart failure

Heart failure (HF) induces remodeling in cellular ionic channel kinetics and calcium handling in the ventricle. In the present study, we investigated the effects of HF on rate dependent electrical activity of human ventricular myocytes by characterizing the dynamic action potential duration restitution (APDr), action potential (AP) alternans, intracellular calcium transient ([Ca2+]i) alternans, and delayed after depolarizations (DADs) AP. Conduction velocity restitution (CVr) and vulnerability window (VW) of homogeneous tissue to reentry subject to DAD was investigated. Vulnerability of transmural ventricular strand was also quantified under normal (NF) and HF conditions
Modified term weighting with relevant terms for retrieval model

This paper introduces a method that improves web search accuracy by using modified term weighting with relevant terms that are extracted from various information resources by the application of various techniques. The existing query expansion method, which is typical of the techniques that use relevant terms, offers improved search accuracy, but its weakness is that it can use only a few extension relevant terms because of its high computational cost. Our method can improve the web search accuracy without increasing the cost. Another advance is that we store weighted term frequency calculated with relevant terms in the search index, and use the index to conduct BM25 base searches. We can get highly accurate search ranking results without increasing the response time. Experiments show that the relevant terms are extracted from Wikipedia, query logs or click logs, and accuracy is improved by 17%.