Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic Image Slice Marking Propagation on Segmentation of Dental CBCT

Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is a radiographic technique that has been commonly used to help doctors provide more detailed information for further examination. Teeth segmentation on CBCT image has many challenges such as low contrast, blurred teeth boundary and irregular contour of the teeth. In addition, because the CBCT produces a lot of slices, in which the neighboring slices have related information, the semi-automatic image segmentation method, that needs manual marking from the user, becomes exhaustive and inefficient. In this research, we propose an automatic image slice marking propagation on segmentation of dental CBCT. The segmentation result of the first slice will be propagated as the marker for the segmentation of the next slices. The experimental results show that the proposed method is successful in segmenting the teeth on CBCT images with the value of Misclassification Error (ME) and Relative Foreground Area Error (RAE) of 0.112 and 0.478, respectively.
The ethical basis for performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation only after informed consent in selected patient groups admitted to hospital

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is frequently performed on patients who, in retrospect, had a very low chance of survival. This is because all patients are ‘For cardiopulmonary resuscitation’ on admission to hospital by default, and delays occur before cardiopulmonary resuscitation can be ‘de-prescribed’. This article reviews the nature of potential harms caused by futile cardiopulmonary resuscitation, the reasons why de-prescription may be delayed, recent legal judgements relevant to timely do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation decision making, and the possible detrimental effects of do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation discussions on end of life care. The moral and operational feasibility of a model in which informed consent must be obtained before cardiopulmonary resuscitation is attempted in some patient groups is then explored.
Intensity-modulated radiation therapy versus volumetric-modulated arc therapy in non-small cell lung cancer: assessing the risk of radiation pneumonitis

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to compare intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) regarding plan quality and healthy lung sparing, in stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Materials and methods The plans of 60 patients were allocated either to the IMRT (n=30) or the VMAT (n=30) group. The dose prescribed to the planning target volume (PTV) was evaluated at the 95% level and the mean lung dose (MLD) and the healthy lung receiving 5, 10 and 20 Gy (V5, V10 and V20, respectively) were analysed. The normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) for radiation pneumonitis was calculated with the Lyman–Kutcher–Burman model. Results Both techniques achieved comparable results for target coverage (V 95%=97·87 versus 97·18%, p>0·05) and homogeneity. The MLD (15·57 versus 16·98 Gy, p>0·05), V5 (60·35 versus 67·25%, p>0·05) and V10 (45·22 versus 53·14%, p=0·011) were lower for IMRT, whereas VMAT reduced V20 (26·44 versus 25·90%, p>0·05). The NTCP for radiation pneumonitis was higher for VMAT, but no statistical significance was observed (11·07 versus 12·75, p>0·05). Conclusion Both techniques seemed suitable for NSCLC treatment, but IMRT presented better results regarding lung sparing thus being beneficial in reducing the risk of radiation-induced pneumonitis.
Structural Properties and Oxidation Resistance of ZrN/SiNx, CrN/SiNx and AlN/SiNx Multilayered Films Deposited by Magnetron Sputtering Technique

In the present work, the structure, stress state and phase composition of MeN/SiNx (Me = Zr, Cr, Al) multilayered films with the thickness of elementary layers in nanoscale range, as well as their stability to high temperature oxidation, were studied. Monolithic (reference) and multilayered films were deposited on Si substrates at the temperatures of 300 °C (ZrN/SiNx and AlN/SiNx systems) or 450 °C (CrN/SiNx) by reactive magnetron sputtering. The thickness ratios of MeN to SiNx were 5 nm/2 nm, 5 nm/5 nm, 5 nm/10 nm and 2 nm/5 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray Reflectivity (XRR) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) testified to the uniform alternation of MeN and SiNx layers with sharp interlayer boundaries. It was observed that MeN sublayers have a nanocrystalline structure with (001) preferred orientation at 5 nm, but are X-ray amorphous at 2 nm, while SiNx sublayers are always X-ray amorphous. The stability of the coatings to oxidation was investigated by in situ XRD analysis (at the temperature range of 400–950 °C) along with the methods of wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (WDS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after air annealing procedure. Reference ZrN and CrN films started to oxidize at the temperatures of 550 and 700 °C, respectively, while the AlN reference film was thermally stable up to 950 °C. Compared to reference monolithic films, MeN/SiNx multilayers have an improved oxidation resistance (onset of oxidation is shifted by more than 200 °C), and the performance is enhanced with increasing fraction of SiNx layer thickness. Overall, CrN/SiNx and AlN/SiNx multilayered films are characterized by noticeably higher resistance to oxidation as compared to ZrN/SiNx multilayers, the best performance being obtained for CrN/SiNx and AlN/SiNx with 5 nm/5 nm and 5 nm/10 nm periods, which remain stable at least up to 950 °C.
Integrated Behavioral Intervention and Person-Centered Therapy Within Community-Based Treatment of an Adult With Acquired Brain Injury

We present the case of a 30-year-old woman who had acquired brain injury (ABI) and demonstrated clinically challenging behaviors (verbally abusive outbursts toward care providers and elopement) within her community-based group home. Following a baseline phase of evaluation, she collaborated with clinicians and care providers in developing a treatment plan that included personal goal setting, differential token reinforcement, communication training, graphic performance feedback, and reinforcement fading. During 10 months of intervention, clinically challenging behaviors steadily decreased from baseline levels and low-frequency occurrence was maintained at 3-, 6-, and 9-month follow-up assessments. As the result of treatment, the woman also avoided prior psychiatric hospitalizations, enjoyed more frequent access to pleasurable activities outside her residence, and enrolled in a college course. The study illustrates an effective person-centered therapy approach combined with behavioral intervention for persons who have ABI and experience community-living adjustment difficulties.
Ultrasound elastography in patients with fatty liver disease

Hepatic steatosis, or fatty liver disease, occurs due to the accumulation of lipids in hepatocytes. When it becomes chronic, lobular inflammation develops and the disease can evolve to hepatic fibrosis, liver cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma. Early diagnosis is desirable because patients diagnosed in the early stage of the disease respond better to treatment. In the early stages of fatty liver disease, the physical examination is often unremarkable. Fatty liver disease and hepatic fibrosis can be diagnosed and monitored through laboratory tests, imaging, and biopsy. Among the imaging methods, ultrasound stands out as an effective means of diagnosing and following patients with liver disease. Ultrasound used in conjunction with elastography (ultrasound elastography) has recently shown great utility in the follow-up of such patients. Ultrasound elastography studies the degree of deformation (stiffness) of an organ or lesion, so that when there is hardening, fibrosis, or cirrhosis of the liver, those alterations are well demonstrated. In this review article, we discuss the application of the different types of ultrasound elastography for liver studies: transient elastography, point shear wave elastography, and two-dimensional shear wave elastography. Although magnetic resonance elastography may also be used in the analysis of liver fibrosis, it will not be addressed in this article.
Dementia reconsidered, revisited: The person still comes first Kitwood Tom (edited by Brooker Dawn) Open University Press, McGraw-Hill Education, London, Pbk, pp.215, 2019

The original Dementia Reconsidered: The Person Comes First by Tom Kitwood was published by Open University Press in 1997. It was a seminal text in the field of dementia studies and is still cited and referenced as core reading on person-centred dementia care. Tom died unexpectedly, just 12 months after the book was published. This book continues to inspire many people to challenge simplistic paradigms about dementia. Since the original book was written, however, there have been many changes in our understanding of dementia. The editor of this new edition, Dawn Brooker was mentored by Tom Kitwood. She has drawn together a remarkable group of writers to provide a commentary on Kitwood’s work. This new edition reproduces the original chapters but provides extra content from subject experts to update the book to a contemporary level. Dementia Reconsidered Re-visited is an ideal main text or supplementary text for all those studying or working in nursing, medicine, psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy, social work, adult education, gerontology and health and social care more generally.
Satellite cell depletion in early adulthood attenuates muscular dystrophy pathogenesis

Satellite cells are skeletal muscle resident stem cells that regenerate adult myofibers following an acute injury to muscle. Despite the assumption that the loss of satellite cells would be detrimental in a chronic regeneration-inducing muscle disease such as muscular dystrophy, this assumption has never been tested using mouse genetics. Here we generated a novel model of satellite cell ablation and crossed it with mouse models of muscular dystrophy to directly investigate how critical these cells are in maintaining muscle during a chronic degenerative disorder. Satellite cell deletion in 2-week-old young dystrophic mice provided noticeable improvements in histopathology and function, although at this early timepoint it was utimately detrimental because muscle size was not sufficient to permit survival. However, depletion of satellite cells beginning at 2 months of age in dystrophic mice provided similar histological and functional improvements but without compromising muscle size. The improved profile showed fewer damaged fibers, less myofiber central nucleation, increased sarcolemma integrity, decreased fibrosis and a dramatic size increase in the remaining myofibers. At the functional level, young adult dystrophic mice lacking satellite cells performed significantly better than those with satellite cells when exercised on a treadmill. Thus, loss of satellite cells during early adulthood in dystrophic mice produces an unexpected protective effect.
The Fate of Asymptotic Giant Branch Winds in Massive Galaxies and the Intracluster Medium

Winds from asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars not only provide mass and energy return, but also produce dust grains in massive elliptical galaxies. Due to the fast stellar velocity, the wind is thought to form a comet-like tail, similar to Mira in the Local Bubble. Many massive elliptical galaxies and cluster centrals host extended dusty cold filaments. We carry out both analytical and numerical studies of the interaction between an AGB wind and the surrounding hot gas. We find that the cooling time of the tail is inversely proportional to the ambient pressure. In the absence of cooling, or in low-pressure environments (e.g., the outskirts of elliptical galaxies), AGB winds are quickly mixed into the hot gas, and all the AGB winds have a similar appearance and head-to-tail ratio. In high-pressure environments, such as the Local Bubble and the central regions of massive elliptical galaxies, some of the gas in the mixing layer between the stellar wind and the surrounding hot gas can cool efficiently and cause the tail to become longer. Our simulated tail of Mira itself has a similar length and velocity to that observed, and appears similar to the simulated AGB tail in the central regions of massive galaxies. While confirmation awaits future studies, we speculate that instead of thermal instability, the induced condensation at the mixing layer of AGB winds may be the origin of cold filaments in massive galaxies and galaxy clusters. This naturally explains the existence of dust and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon in the filaments.
Assessment of Simulated Solar Irradiance on Days of High Intermittency Using WRF-Solar

Improvements in the short-term predictability of irradiance in numerical weather prediction models can assist grid operators in managing intermittent solar-generated electricity. In this study, the performance of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model when simulating different components of solar irradiance was tested under days of high intermittency at Mildura, a site located on the border of New South Wales and Victoria, Australia. Initially, four intermittent and clear case days were chosen, later extending to a full year study in 2005. A specific configuration and augmentation of the WRF model (version 3.6.1) designed for solar energy applications (WRF-Solar) with an optimum physics ensemble derived from literature over Australia was used to simulate solar irradiance with four nested domains nudged to ERA-Interim boundary conditions at grid resolutions (45, 15, 5, and 1.7 km) centred over Mildura. The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) station dataset available at minute timescales and hourly derived satellite irradiance products were used to validate the simulated products. Results showed that on days of high intermittency, simulated solar irradiance at finer resolution was affected by errors in simulated humidity and winds (speed and direction) affecting clouds and circulation, but the latter improves at coarser resolutions; this is most likely from reduced displacement errors in clouds.
In vitro evaluation of antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of algal extracts

Abstract The aim of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant capacity, the antimicrobial proprieties of algae Ascophyllum nodosum and Schizochytrium spp. against one of major swine enteric pathogen Escherichia coli O138 by broth macro-dilution method in Luria–Bertani (LB) medium. The antimicrobial effect of the algal extracts at supplementation of 0.12%, 0.06% and 0.03% (v/v) on E. coli O138, genetically characterised by PCR, was evaluated by following the bacterial growth. The antioxidant activity was determined by the ABTS Radical Cation Decolorisation Assay. In particular, the log10 E. coli used as control resulted significantly higher than 0.12% at 3 hours (8.82 ± 0.07 and 8.18 ± 0.07 log10 cells/mL, respectively; p<.01) suggesting an inhibitory activity related to the dose. No effect activity was observed with Schizochytrium spp. against E. coli growth. A. nodosum and Schizochytrium spp. exhibited antioxidant capacity (p<.05). The combination of them (1:1) exhibited antioxidant activity suggesting a synergistic effect (p<.05). The different proprieties of algal species that can modulate the O138 E. coli growth, one of the major pathogen of swine species, together with the antioxidant capacity, make them a promising functional feed additive to improve the gut health, therefore further studies are needed to confirm these activities in vivo. Highlights The aim of the study was to evaluate the antimicrobial and antioxidant proprieties of two species of algae: Ascophyllum nodosum and Schizochytrium spp. Ascophyllum nodosum revealed antimicrobial effect against Escherichia coli O138. Both algae exhibited antioxidant capacity also with a synergistic effect.
Board Governance: Does Ownership Matter?

Good governance is crucial to achieving an organization's mission. Nevertheless, little is known about how the structure of governance is influenced by the nonprofit (NPO) or for‐profit ownership (FPO) structure of an organization, partly because they tend to be active in different sectors. In this paper we overcome this challenge by using data from a global sample of 392 microfinance institutions. The results show that the average NPO has a larger board, more female directors, and a higher number of board meetings than the average FPO. Moreover, where there are larger boards and more frequent board meetings, this has a positive effect on the financial performance of NPOs. It is thus confirmed that ownership structures influence boards’ characteristics and that some board mechanisms are more efficient in some ownership structures than in others. An effective board design should thus be based on a firm's ownership structure.
Assessment of anthropogenic activity impact on the oil-field exploitations near Moinesti city, Bacau County, Romania

Oil-field exploitations that have been done in Moinesti city over the years since 1440 have resulted in soil degradation due to accidents and residual pollution. The location of extraction wells close to the grazing areas has frequently increased questions related to the quality of soil and vegetation for these areas. The aim of the study was to assess the degree of pollution considering total petroleum hydrocarbons and heavy metals in soil and spontaneous vegetation from one of the grazing areas located under the influence of oil pipe transport and oil wells. 35 locations were considered for soil and vegetation sampling and the measured data were mapped and analysed using spatial distribution correlations. The results indicated that, the heavy metal and TPH concentrations in the investigated soils exceeded the thresholds values. They also indicated the existence of residual pollution in the investigated soils. Often, Cd and Pb determined concentrations exceeded the normal values for the spontaneous flora, thus it can be concluded that a heavy metal contamination may be manifested at the plant level. The investigated area can be estimated as being a risk zone demanding involvement for depollution.
REDUCTIONOF IRONIN INDUSTRIALWASTEWATER USINGFLOW-BY POROUS ELECTRODES

Many industries produce and discharge large quantities of dilute metal ion solutions from the acid treatment of alloys, electroplating rinses, and leaches and effluents from the manufacture of chemicals. This discharge is considered to be a serious environmental threat. Electrochemical treatment is used as a sustainable effective technology for removal of heavy metals. In this study, experiments were carried out using a bench-scale electrochemical cell incorporating flow-by porous graphite electrodes for deposition of iron. The effect of current density, feed flow rate, and initial iron concentration on removal efficiency and current efficiency were studied. Experimental results showed that the maximum removal efficiencies(99.7%) and (99.9%) were obtained at flow rate of 0.278 ml/s, for initial iron concentration of 100 ppm and 200 ppm respectively. For concentration of 50 ppm it was 99.48% at flow rate of 1.11 ml/s, current density of 0.98 mA/cm2 and pH of 4. and maximum current efficiencies were 53% at 100 ppm , 99.9% at 200 ppm ,at flow rate of 0.833 ml/s, and 38.05% at 50 ppm at flow rate of 1.11 ml/s all obtained at current density of 0.98 mA/cm 2 . Solution pH in the range of 3 to 5 has a little effect on the deposition of iron.
Robust Classification Method for Underwater Targets Using the Chaotic Features of the Flow Field

Fish can sense their surrounding environment by their lateral line system (LLS). In order to understand the extent to which information can be derived via LLS and to improve the adaptive ability of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), a novel strategy is presented, which directly uses the information of the flow field to distinguish the object obstacle. The flow fields around different targets are obtained by the numerical method, and the pressure signal on the virtual lateral line is studied based on the chaos theory and fast Fourier transform (FFT). The compounded parametric features, including the chaotic features (CF) and the power spectrum density (PSD), which is named CF-PSD, are used to recognize the kinds of obstacles. During the research of CF, the largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE), saturated correlation dimension (SCD), and Kolmogorov entropy (KE) are taken into account, and PSD features include the number, amplitude, and position of wave crests. A two-step support vector machine (SVM) is built and used to classify the shapes and incidence angles based on the CF-PSD. It is demonstrated that the flow fields around triangular and square targets are chaotic systems, and the new findings indicate that the object obstacle can be recognized directly based on the information of the flow field, and the consideration of a parametric feature extraction method (CF-PSD) results in considerably higher classification success.
The Relationship of Mandibular Bone Density Level to Femur Bone Density Level in Ovariectomized Female Rats given Isoflavones and 17-estradiol

Osteoporosis is a multifactorial disease, and the most common type of osteoporosis is involutional osteoporosis associated with aging and menopause. Estrogen deficiency in menopause and post-menopause is a major pathogenic factor in bone loss. Osteoporosis in the skeletal bone of the body also occurs in the mandible bone. The purpose of this study was to investigate the correlation between mandibular bone density level and femoral bone density level in ovariectomized female rats either given estrogen or phytoestrogen therapy or not given any replacement therapy. The subject of this study was a 12-month-old Sprague Dawley female rat which was ovariectomized with 50-days study duration. Examination of bone density was based on the grayscale values of digital radiographs in pixels. Pearson correlation test showed that there was a strong correlation between mandibular and femoral neck (r = 0.593); mandibular with major trochanter (r = 0.576) and mandibular with Ward’s triangle (r = 0.655). There is a strong correlation between mandibular bone density levels and femoral bone density levels in the femoral neck area, major trochanter and Ward’s triangle in ovariectomized rats. Keywords–bone density level, mandibular, femur
Integration of Flame-Assisted Fuel Cells With a Gas Turbine Running Jet-A As Fuel

In recent years, the aircraft industry is heading towards the concept of the More Electric Airplane (MEA). Previous research has investigated the possibility of integrating Dual Chamber Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (DC-SOFC) with the auxiliary power unit (APU) of the aircraft. This paper evaluates the merits of integrating the recently proposed Flame-assisted Fuel Cells (FFCs) with the APU gas turbine system. The syngas composition for fuel-rich combustion is studied using chemical equilibrium analysis of Jet-A/air at 8 Bar and 1073 K. The results show the potential for reforming Jet-A fuel to 22% Carbon Monoxide and 18% Hydrogen in the exhaust at an equivalence ratio of 2.4. The paper also reports how the efficiency of power generation changes when FFCs are placed in the combustor of a turbine in the APU. The maximum theoretical electrical efficiency of the FFC/combustor and the area and weight of the fuel cell required to generate the design power is calculated. The FFC offers a viable substitute for the DC-SOFC to be integrated with the APU.