Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imaging the progression of Alzheimer pathology through the brain

Soon after the widespread availability of computerized x-ray tomography (CT) in clinical medicine in the 1970s, reports began to appear of the changes in the brain in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Atrophy of brain tissue was a common finding, but a critical review in 1990 concluded that “at present there is little definite evidence for clear anatomic brain changes that accurately predict the cognitive dysfunction within a group of patients suffering with AD” (1). Since then, convincing evidence that selective atrophy of particular brain regions is highly correlated with cognitive deficits characteristic of AD has been obtained. What has caused this revolution? First, it has been recognized that the diagnosis of AD was not sufficiently accurate in many early neuroimaging studies. Second, until pioneering studies from New York University (2), most early work did not examine the medial temporal lobe (MTL), the part of the brain with the highest density of AD histopathological markers (amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles) (Fig. 1). In 1992 a CT study of patients with AD, whose diagnosis was later confirmed by histopathology, showed marked atrophy of the MTL (3). Third, there were few longitudinal studies to reveal changes in the same patients over time. One of these, however, showed rapid enlargement of the fluid-filled ventricles in the brain in patients with AD (4). Enlargement of the ventricles is usually caused by loss of brain tissue. A dramatic loss of tissue from the MTL, part of which shrunk at a rate of 15% per year, was found in serial CT studies on patients with AD (5). Because the MTL in controls only shrunk at one-tenth of this rate, it was concluded that AD cannot be the result of an acceleration of normal aging, but must be the consequence of a disease process. The article by …
Experimental validation of fuzzy PID control of flexible joint system in presence of uncertainties

In this paper, a robust fuzzy-tuned PID controller is proposed for the trajectory tracking and vibration control of a flexible joint manipulator system (FJMS) with parametric uncertainties. Flexible joint manipulators are widely used in industry due to their flexibility, light in weight and fast response, low cost, and low energy consumption. The dynamic modeling via Euler-Lagrange equation for a single link flexible joint manipulator system (FJMS) is presented first. By analyzing the characteristics of the high order linear system, the Fuzzy-Tuned PID control strategy is utilized. The parameters of classical PID controller are updated by the intelligent method of fuzzy logic. With the adaptivity to the parametric uncertainties from the system stiffness and moment of inertia, the contrived approach provides more efficient results compared to existing techniques in terms of vibration suppressions, time response, and overshoot. Finally, the effectiveness of the controller is corroborated through multiple experiments on the QUANSER's flexible joint manipulator system (FJMS).
Haptobend: shape-changing passive haptic feedback in virtual reality

We present HaptoBend, a novel shape-changing input device providing passive haptic feedback (PHF) for a wide spectrum of objects in virtual reality (VR). Past research in VR shows that PHF increases presence and improves user task performance. However, providing PHF for multiple objects usually requires complex, immobile systems, or multiple props. HaptoBend addresses this problem by allowing users to bend the device into 2D plane-like shapes and multi-surface 3D shapes. We believe HaptoBend's physical approximations of virtual objects can provide realistic haptic feedback through research demonstrating the dominance of human vision over other senses in VR. To test the effectiveness of HaptoBend in matching 2D planar and 3D multi-surface shapes, we conducted an experiment modeled after gesture elicitation studies with 20 participants. High goodness and ease scores show shape-changing passive haptic devices, like HaptoBend, are an effective approach to generalized haptics. Further analysis supports the use of physical approximations for realistic haptic feedback.
Use of neural networks for sensor failure detection in a control system

The use of the back-propagation neural network for sensor failure detection in process control systems is discussed. The back-propagation paradigm and traditional fault detection algorithms such as the finite integral squared-error method and the nearest-neighbor method are discussed. The algorithm is applied to the internal model control structure for a first-order linear time-invariant plant subject to high model uncertainty. Compared with traditional methods, the back-propagation technique is shown to be able to discern accurately the supercritical failures from their subcritical counterparts. The use of online adapted back-propagation fault detection systems in nonlinear plants is also investigated. <<ETX>>
In-sleeve on-table colonic irrigation in telescopic fashion and intraoperative colonoscopy: a novel technique.

BACKGROUND In the management of large bowel obstruction, on-table lavage and intraoperative colonoscopy allow a safe resection and primary anastomosis in selected patients. Previous techniques carry serious disadvantages, in the form of inconvenient drainage route and spillage. A novel technique of in-sleeve on-table colonic lavage using a camera sleeve is described. METHODS Six patients (58-80 years old, median 73) who admitted to emergency service between 2003 and 2009 with colonic obstruction due to tumor underwent colonic resection and primary anastomosis after on-table lavage. The colon was divided proximally to the obstruction, and then was introduced into a nylon sleeve and sutured. A Foley catheter was inserted to the cecum for irrigation. After irrigation, intraoperative colonoscopy was accomplished. RESULTS The technique was successfully used in all patients. The colonic irrigation took 12-16 minutes and colonoscopy was completed in 7-20 minutes. There was no contamination during the washout of the colon. Four patients underwent left hemicolectomy; extended right hemicolectomy and total colectomy was performed in the remaining two. There were no complications in the postoperative period. CONCLUSION The described technique of in-sleeve on-table lavage is safe and quick to washout the fecal load in the obstructed colon. It prevents the contamination risk and shortens the operative period for resection and primary anastomosis. This method also enables an effective intraoperative colonoscopy.
Outage Management of Distribution Systems Incorporating Information From Smart Meters

A critical function in outage management for distribution systems is to quickly detect a fault and identify the activated protective device(s). With ongoing smart grid development, numerous smart meters and fault indicators with communication capabilities provide an opportunity for accurate and efficient outage management. Using the available data, this paper proposes a new multiple-hypothesis method for identification of the faulted section on a feeder or lateral. Credibility of the multiple hypotheses is determined using the available evidence from these devices. The proposed methodology is able to handle i) multiple faults, ii) protection miscoordination, and iii) missing outage reports from smart meters and fault indicators. For each hypothesis, an optimization method based on integer programming is proposed to determine the most credible actuated protective device(s) and faulted line section(s). Simulation results based on the distribution feeders of Avista Utilities serving Pullman, WA, validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Gonado-hepatosomatic Indexes of Clarias gariepinus Sub-adult Exposed to Artrazine, Cocos nucifera Water and Phyllanthus muelarianus Extract

Success in fish culture is influenced by several factors. Elucidation of influences of some of these factors has become necessary as there is a lingering need to narrow the gap between supply and demand in the fish market in Nigeria. The influence of Atrazine (a systemic herbicide), coconut water (Cocos nucifera: also called coconut milk due to its rich nutrients content) and Phyllanthus muellerianus extract (a medicinal plant) on the gonads and liver were investigated. Ten fish were randomly selected and cultured in each tank containing 40 L of water for a particular treatment with three replicates. The average weight 76.26 ± 0.92 g and standard length 22.50 ± 0.61 cm were used for Atrazine experiment. For coconut water, the fish of weight 62.86 ±1.52 g and standard length 19.68 ± 0.73 cm were used. In Phyllanthus muellerianus experiment, fish with average weight 65.99 g and standard length 21.72. 72 ± 0.92 cm were used. Atrazine and coconut water were lethal to Clarias gariepinus and had the LC5096 hours as 6.0 mg/L and 250.0 mg/L respectively. Phyllanthus muellerianus did not kill any fish for the fourteen day period of culture. All the three factors did not change the gonadosomatic index nor the hepatosomatic index significantly compared to the control. This observation did necessarily mean lack of influence on these organs but could be attributed to short periods for which the experiment was conducted.
Genome-wide analysis suggests high level of microsynteny and purifying selection affect the evolution of EIN3/EIL family in Rosaceae

The ethylene-insensitive3/ethylene-insensitive3-like (EIN3/EIL) proteins are a type of nuclear-localized protein with DNA-binding activity in plants. Although the EIN3/EIL gene family has been studied in several plant species, little is known about comprehensive study of the EIN3/EIL gene family in Rosaceae. In this study, ten, five, four, and five EIN3/EIL genes were identified in the genomes of pear (Pyrus bretschneideri), mei (Prunus mume), peach (Prunus persica) and strawberry (Fragaria vesca), respectively. Twenty-eight chromosomal segments of EIL/EIN3 gene family were found in four Rosaceae species, and these segments could form seven orthologous or paralogous groups based on interspecies or intraspecies gene colinearity (microsynteny) analysis. Moreover, the highly conserved regions of microsynteny were found in four Rosaceae species. Subsequently it was found that both whole genome duplication and tandem duplication events significantly contributed to the EIL/EIN3 gene family expansion. Gene expression analysis of the EIL/EIN3 genes in the pear revealed subfunctionalization for several PbEIL genes derived from whole genome duplication. It is noteworthy that according to environmental selection pressure analysis, the strong purifying selection should dominate the maintenance of the EIL/EIN3 gene family in four Rosaceae species. These results provided useful information on Rosaceae EIL/EIN3 genes, as well as insights into the evolution of this gene family in four Rosaceae species. Furthermore, high level of microsynteny in the four Rosaceae plants suggested that a large-scale genome duplication event in the EIL/EIN3 gene family was predated to speciation.
Regularization of image reconstruction in ultrasound computed tomography

We propose two regularizations techniques for a bent-ray (BR) tracing algorithm to reconstruct the speed of sound maps of breast tissues in an Ultrasound Computed Tomography (USCT) system. When high frequencies are employed, the use of BR is a good approximation to describe the propagation of the front of the pressure wave. The quantitative accuracy of the images reconstructed with the BR algorithm was evaluated without any kind of regularization, and with two regularization methods. The regularizations were based on some available a priori information, namely the known higher and lower values of the speed of sound expected in the breast tissues, and the maps of the internal structures obtained from the standard reflection ultrasound (US) imaging. The use of the proposed regularizations in the implemented algorithm improves the convergence and quality of the resulting images, although further improvements are still possible. These methods will help obtaining quantitative US images in a reasonable amount of time, expanding the possibilities and applications of this technique.
Effect of mixed experimental infection with Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale and Mycoplasma gallisepticum in broiler chickens

Ornithobacterium rhinotracheale (ORT) and Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) are bacterial causes of respiratory diseases in chickens. The objective of this work was to investigate the possible interaction between ORT and MG in respiratory problem of broiler chickens. The experimental study confirmed that ORT infection alone could induced respiratory signs as (rales, nasal discharge), post mortem lesions (unilateral and bilateral pneumonia) and histopathological changes in tracheas, lungs and air sacs. Moreover, co-infection of ORT with MG induced severe respiratory signs like pneumonia, edema and severe inflammatory cell infilteration in lungs and air sacs than that observed in chickens infected with ORT or MG alone. ORT and MG were successfully re-isolated by PCR from tracheal swabs at 3, 7 and 14 days post infection. The results showed the synergistic effect of mixed infection of ORT and MG in broiler chickens regarding clinical signs, PM lesions, mortality rate, body weight, reisolation and histopathological examination.
Pediatric Pulmonologists' Perceptions of Family Socioeconomic Status in Asthma Care.

Background: Physicians' assumptions about patients' socioeconomic status (SES) have been shown to influence clinical decision making in adult patients. The goal of this study is to assess the factors associated with pediatric pulmonologists' (PPs') subjective ratings of their patients' SES, and whether these factors differ by patient race/ethnicity. Methods: Parents of children with asthma (n=171) presenting for pulmonary care reported their SES using the MacArthur Subjective SES 10-rung ladder. The PPs (n=7) also estimated each family's SES. Two-level linear regression models with random intercepts (level 1: PP's SES ratings; level 2: PPs) were used to assess the predictors of PP-estimated family SES. The analyses were then stratified by race/ethnicity. Results: Parental educational, insurance type, age, and race/ethnic background were associated with PPs' SES ratings. Black/African American families were rated lower than white families, accounting for other demographic factors (b=-0.60, p<0.01), but families of other races/ethnicities were not (b=-0.10, p=0.29). Even when comparing families with the same level of parental education, black/African American families, but not families of other backgrounds, were judged to have lower SES than white families (from 0.77 rungs lower among parents with some college, to 1.2 rungs lower among parents with high school or less; both p<0.05). Conclusions: Racial differences in PPs' ability to estimate families' subjective SES in asthma care may be a function of unconscious societal biases about race and class. Collecting subjective SES from families and PPs during the office visit could facilitate discussions about material and psychosocial needs and resources that influence treatment effectiveness.
Long‐term survival and impact of ursodeoxycholic acid treatment for recurrent primary biliary cirrhosis after liver transplantation

The recurrence of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in the hepatic allograft may impact patient and graft survival with long‐term follow‐up. The efficacy of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) for treatment of recurrent PBC after liver transplantation (LT) remains less well known. The aims of this study were as follows: 1) to determine the significance of recurrent PBC on overall survival among PBC patients who underwent LT, and 2) to determine the efficacy of UDCA treatment after LT in patients with recurrent PBC. A retrospective cohort study was conducted of 154 PBC patients who underwent LT with at least 1 yr of follow‐up after transplantation from 1985 through 2005. A total of 52 patients with recurrent PBC were identified. After adjusting for age and gender, recurrent PBC was not associated with death or liver retransplantation (hazard ratio, 0.97, 95% confidence interval, 0.41–2.31; P = 0.9). A total of 38 patients with recurrent PBC received UDCA at an average dose of 12 mg/kg/day for a mean duration of 55 months. Over a 36‐month period, an estimated 52% of UDCA‐treated patients experienced normalization of serum alkaline phosphatase and alanine aminotransferase compared to 22% of untreated patients. There was no significant difference in the rate of histological progression between subgroups. UDCA did not influence patient and graft survival. In conclusion, the development of recurrent PBC has little impact on long‐term survival or need for retransplantation. While UDCA therapy is associated with biochemical improvement, its role in delaying histologic progression remains unknown. In this short period of treatment, UDCA was not associated with improved patient and graft survival compared to untreated patients. Liver Transpl 13:1236–1245, 2007. © 2007 AASLD.
INSS : un système hybride neuro-symbolique pour l'apprentissage automatique constructif

Plusieurs methodes ont ete developpees par l'Intelligence Artificielle pour reproduire certains aspects de l'intelligence humaine. Ces methodes permettent de simuler les processus de raisonnement en s'appuyant sur les connaissances de base disponibles. Chaque methode comporte des points forts, mais aussi des limitations. La realisation de systemes hybrides est une demarche courante Qui permet de combiner les points forts de chaque approche, et d'obtenir ainsi des performances plus elevees ou un champ d'application plus large. Un autre aspect tres important du developpement des systemes hybrides intelligents est leur capacite d'acquerir de nouvelles connaissances a partir de plusieurs sources differentes et de les faire evoluer. Dans cette these, nous avons developpe des recherches sur les systemes hybrides neuro-symboliques, et en particulier sur l'acquisition incrementale de connaissances a partir de connaissances theoriques (regles) et empiriques (exemples). Un nouveau systeme hybride, nomme systeme INSS - Incremental Neuro-Symbolic System, a ete etudie et realise. Ce systeme permet le transfert de connaissances declaratives (regles symboliques) d'un module symbolique vers un module connexionniste (reseau de neurones artificiel - RNA) a travers un convertisseur de regles en reseau. Les connaissances du reseau ainsi obtenu sont affinees par un processus d'apprentissage a partir d'exemples. Ce raffinement se fait soit par ajout de nouvelles connaissances, soit par correction des incoherences, grâce a l'utilisation d'un reseau constructif de type Cascade-Correlation. Une methode d'extraction incrementale de regles a ete integree au systeme INSS, ainsi que des algorithmes de validation des connaissances qui ont permis de mieux coupler les modules connexionniste et symbolique. Le systeme d'apprentissage automatique INSS a ete concu pour l'acquisition constructive (incrementale) de connaissances. Le systeme a ete teste sur plusieurs applications, en utilisant des problemes academiques et des problemes reels (diagnostic medical, modelisation cognitive et controle d'un robot autonome). Les resultats montrent que le systeme INSS a des performances superieures et de nombreux avantages par rapport aux autres systemes hybrides du meme type.
Dynamic CCD camera calibration for traffic monitoring and vehicle applications

In this paper, the camera calibration approach based on the perspective model for the tilt angle, pan angle and the height of installation is proposed. Before starting the calibration, the lane information is acquired by applying the Sobel horizontal and vertical edged pixels. The calibration method only utilizes a pair of parallel lane markings without manually selecting special features. The tilt angle, pan angle and camera height are calibrated sequentially in our method. This algorithm can be widely applied in vehicle collision avoidance applications and traffic monitoring systems.
Recurrent interactions can explain the variance in single trial responses

To develop a complete description of sensory encoding, it is necessary to account for trial-to-trial variability in cortical neurons. Using a generalized linear model with terms corresponding to the visual stimulus, mouse running speed, and experimentally measured neuronal correlations, we modeled short term dynamics of L2/3 murine visual cortical neurons to evaluate the relative importance of each factor to neuronal variability within single trials. We find single trial predictions improve most when conditioning on the experimentally measured local correlations in comparison to predictions based on the stimulus or running speed. Specifically, accurate predictions are driven by positively co-varying and synchronously active functional groups of neurons. Including functional groups in the model enhances decoding accuracy of sensory information compared to a model that assumes neuronal independence. Functional groups, in encoding and decoding frameworks, provide an operational definition of Hebbian assemblies in which local correlations largely explain neuronal responses on individual trials.
A language-model-based approach for subjectivity detection

The rapid growth of opinionated text on the Web increases the demand for efficient methods for detecting subjective texts. In this paper, a subjectivity detection method is proposed which utilizes a language-model-based structure to define a subjectivity score for each document where the topic relevance of documents does not affect the subjectivity scores. In order to overcome the limited content in short documents, we further propose an expansion method to better estimate the language models. Since the lack of linguistic resources in resource-lean languages like Persian makes subjectivity detection difficult in these languages, the method is proposed in two versions: a semi-supervised version for resource-lean languages and a supervised version. Experimental evaluations on five datasets in two languages, English and Persian, demonstrate that the method performs well in distinguishing subjective documents from objective ones in both languages.
Effectiveness of Inhaler Devices in Adult Asthma and COPD

Inhalation therapy remains the cornerstone of treatment for bronchial diseases. Despite being pharmacologically efficacious, currently available inhaled drugs can have decreased real-life effectiveness due to a variety of factors, including poor inhalation technique. Each device type has its own specifications regarding the optimal way to use it, in terms of device handling and characteristics of the inhalation manoeuvre. Poor inhalation technique is associated with decreased treatment effectiveness. Choosing the optimal device, together with proper education, improves inhalation technique, adherence and outcomes or effectiveness, but has to be performed regularly and rigorously, including visual checking of the patient’s ability to use the inhaler. Some testing devices are also available, as well as various training materials. All healthcare professionals caring for the patient can be involved provided that they have also been properly trained. To optimise treatment effectiveness, healthcare providers should prescribe inhalation device(s) optimised to the patient, accounting for the specific characteristics of each individual, his/her disease, and involved healthcare professionals.