Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spatial resolution uniformity, isotropy, and the effect of depth of interaction information in a 1mm3 resolution, limited-angle PET system

Limited-angle tomography PET systems use configurations that result in incomplete and irregular sampling of projection data. In a two paneled, 1mm resolution PET system dedicated to breast imaging with 1mm depth-of-interaction (DOI) resolution, we measure both the uniformity and isotropy of the spatial resolution. Uniformity measures the variation in spatial resolution over the field of view (FOV), and isotropy measures the difference in resolution in the x, y, and z dimensions. Reconstructing data from point sources in air placed across the FOV with MLEM, we measure spatial resolution across the FOV in 3 dimensions. At the center of the FOV, the resolution was 0.775 mm, 1.296 mm, and 0.782mm in x, y, and z, respectively. We examine the impact of MLEM iterations on the measured uniformity and isotropy of spatial resolution. We compare MLEM resolutions to metrics in literature, see some correspondence, and discuss their limitations. We step a point source in 100 μm steps to show the ability of the system to resolve closely spaced points. The system separates point sources by more than one FWHM at 0.700mm spacing. DOI resolutions impact is studied by varying the binning resolution of interactions in crystals along the direction away from the region of interest. Resolution in all directions is substantially impacted by DOI rebinning. Resolution in the DOI direction (orthogonal to the panels) degrades from 1.296mm FWHM at 1mm DOI resolution to 5.908mm with 16mm DOI resolution showing the importance of DOI and sampling from oblique lines of response in limited-angle systems.
Nighttime Blood Pressure and White Matter Hyperintensities in Patients With Parkinson Disease

Increasing evidence indicates that nocturnal blood pressure level and/or loss of nocturnal blood pressure dips are sensitive markers of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Several studies have suggested that blunted heart rate variability and nocturnal decline in heart rate are also associated with target organ damage. These phenomena occur relatively commonly in patients with Parkinson disease (PD); however, few studies have assessed the consequences of these abnormalities in patients with PD. We investigated the influence of circadian changes in blood pressure and heart rate on white matter hyperintensities (WMHs) in patients with PD. The presence of nocturnal hypertension was associated with increased WMH score, and nighttime systolic pressure was closely related with white matter changes. Blunted heart rate variability and nocturnal decline in heart rate were also related to increasing WMH scores. The non-dipping phenomenon did not influence WMHs. These findings suggest that white matter changes are related to circadian autonomic dysfunction, particularly nocturnal hypertension in patients with PD. Therefore, it is important to monitor nocturnal blood pressure status, because modifying these circadian regulatory disturbances can be beneficial to protect against vascular brain damage in patients with PD. (Author correspondence: neuronet@catholic.ac.kr)
The PIP 2 binding mode of the C 2 domains of rabphilin-3 A

Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is a key player in the neurotransmitter release process. Rabphilin-3A is a neuronal C2 domain tandem containing protein that is involved in this process. Both its C2 domains (C2A and C2B) are able to bind PIP2. The investigation of the interactions of the two C2 domains with the PIP2 headgroup IP3 (inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate) by NMR showed that a well-defined binding site can be described on the concave surface of each domain. The binding modes of the two domains are different. The binding of IP3 to the C2A domain is strongly enhanced by Ca and is characterized by a KD of 55 mM in the presence of a saturating concentration of Ca 2+ (5 mM). Reciprocally, the binding of IP3 increases the apparent Ca-binding affinity of the C2A domain in agreement with a Target-Activated Messenger Affinity (TAMA) mechanism. The C2B domain binds IP3 in a Ca-independent fashion with low affinity. These different PIP2 headgroup recognition modes suggest that PIP2 is a target of the C2A domain of rabphilin-3A while this phospholipid is an effector of the C2B domain.
Optimization and Quantization Effects for Sine and Cosine Computation Using a Sum of Bit-Products

Recently, a novel technique to compute sine and co- sine has been proposed. By rewriting the expressions using trigo- nometric equations a weighted sum of bit-products is used to compute the values. This can then be mapped onto a bit-product generator followed by an adder tree. This provides an efficient ar- chitecture that can be pipelined to an arbitrary degree. It was shown in previous work that it is possible to remove a large portion of the bit-products and still obtain accurate results. The objective of this work is to study the effects of this removal and also the finite wordlength representation of the weights. Furthermore, optimiza- tion problems are formulated that can be used to minimize the maximum absolute error, the average absolute error, and the mean square error for the output values, respectively, as well as implementation complexity under error constraints.
Relativistic Magnetron Priming by Loading the Resonators Through Dielectric Rods

A 3-D particle-in-cell code MAGIC 3-D has been used to study the output performance improvement of a relativistic magnetron through electric field priming by insertion of dielectric rods in the side resonators. The side resonators of the resonant structure have been loaded symmetrically at an angle of 120 ° with a low-loss dielectric rod to implement the electric field priming. All the simulations have been performed for 2π-mode of operation on the well-known A6 relativistic magnetron. The results show that single 2π-mode operation with 43% improvement in radiated output power can be achieved through electric field priming by insertion of low-loss dielectric rods with optimized radius in the three-symmetrical side resonators.
Use of erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein level to diagnose infection before revision total knee arthroplasty. A prospective evaluation.

BACKGROUND Despite the widespread use of several diagnostic tests, there is still no perfect test for the diagnosis of infection at the site of a total knee arthroplasty. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the diagnostic test characteristics of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and C-reactive protein level for the assessment of infection in patients presenting for revision total knee arthroplasty. METHODS One hundred and fifty-one knees in 145 patients presenting for revision total knee arthroplasty were evaluated prospectively for the presence of infection with measurement of the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the C-reactive protein level. The characteristics of these tests were assessed with use of two different techniques: first, receiver-operating-characteristic curve analysis was performed to determine the optimal positivity criterion for the diagnostic test, and, second, previously accepted criteria for establishing positivity of the tests were used. RESULTS A diagnosis of infection was established for forty-five of the 151 knees that underwent revision total knee arthroplasty. The receiver-operating-characteristic curves indicated that the optimal positivity criterion was 22.5 mm/hr for the erythrocyte sedimentation rate and 13.5 mg/L for the C-reactive protein level. Both the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (sensitivity, 0.93; specificity, 0.83; positive likelihood ratio, 5.81; accuracy, 0.86) and the C-reactive protein level (sensitivity, 0.91; specificity, 0.86; positive likelihood ratio, 6.89; accuracy, 0.88) have excellent diagnostic test performance. CONCLUSIONS The erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the C-reactive protein level provide excellent diagnostic test information for establishing the presence or absence of infection prior to surgical intervention in patients with pain at the site of a knee arthroplasty.
An empirical analysis of fault persistence through software releases

This work is based on the idea of analyzing the behavior all over the life-cycle of source files having a high number of faults at their first release. In terms of predictability, our study helps to understand if files that are faulty in their first release tend to remain faulty in later releases, and investigates the ways to assure a higher reliability to the faultiest programs, testing them carefully or lowering the complexity of their structure. The purpose of this paper is to verify empirically our hypothesis, through an experimental analysis on two different projects, and to find causes observing the structure of the faulty files. As a conclusion, we can say that the number of faults at the first release of source files is an early and significant index of its expected defect rate and reliability.
Performance investigation of three-port converter for hybrid energy systems

A three-port converter (TPC) with the topology of a full-bridge converter (FBC) is presented for hybrid energy applications. It has merits of reduced number of switches, simpler topology and control and single stage power conversion. An input port with photo-voltaic (PV) source, a storage port with battery and an output port with a dc load is considered in this paper. The input port and the output port, then, become unidirectional ports and the storage port is bidirectional. Principle, operating modes, design considerations and pulse width modulation (PWM) schemes for the FB-TPC are explained. A generalized PWM scheme and a scheme based on design consideration are presented. Modeling of PV panel, FB-TPC in MATLAB/Simulink and the simulation results are also presented.
The "Party Drug" Crystal Methamphetamine: Risk Factor for the Acquisition of HIV.

The abuse of crystal methamphetamine (CM) has reached epidemic proportions in the US, with widespread health consequences for a wide segment of the population. Of US residents older than 12 years, almost 5% (12 million) have reported using CM at least once. Between 1993 and 2003, the rate of admissions for treatment for CM abuse in the US increased from 13 to 56 admissions per 100,000 individuals.1 CM, a stimulant street drug, is closely associated with party use in an attempt to increase the sociability of party participants. Its use is an independent risk factor for both acquisition of and propagation of HIV infection.2–4 To deal effectively with the effects of CM on patients, clinicians need to understand its use and its role in HIV risk, its neurobiologic effects, and some of the risk-intervention methods currently used with patients who abuse it.
The use of low‐molecular‐weight PEIs as gene carriers in the monkey fibroblastoma and rabbit smooth muscle cell cultures

Polyethylenimines (PEIs) and cationic polymers have been used successfully in gene delivery. In earlier reports, only large PEIs (MW>10 000) have shown significant transfection efficiency. In the present study, the roles of small PEIs (MW 700 and 2000) were studied as additional compounds to see if they can improve gene delivery with cationic liposomes.
Base complementarity in helix 2 of the central pseudoknot in 16S rRNA is essential for ribosome functioning.

Helix 2 of the central pseudoknot structure in Escherichia coli 16S rRNA is formed by a long-distance interaction between nt 17-19 and 918-916, resulting in three base pairs: U17-A918, C18-G917and A19-U916. Previous work has shown that disruption of the central base pair abolishes ribosomal activity. We have mutated the first and last base pairs and tested the mutants for their translational activity in vivo , using a specialized ribosome system. Mutations that disrupt Watson-Crick base pairing result in strongly impaired translational activity. An exception is the mutation U916-->G, creating an A.G pair, which shows almost no decrease in activity. Mutations that maintain base complementarity have little or no impact on translational efficiency. Some of the introduced base pair substitutions substantially alter the stability of helix 2, but this does not influence ribosome functioning, neither at 42 nor at 28 degrees C. Therefore, our results do not support models in which the pseudoknot is periodically disrupted. Rather, the central pseudoknot structure is suggested to function as a permanent structural element necessary for proper organization in the center of the 30S subunit.
Stabilization and L2-gain control for switched linear systems with actuator saturation

This paper considers the stabilization and L2-gain control problems for switched linear systems with actuator saturation. Based on dwell time switching signals, state feedback controller is designed to stabilize the open-loop switched systems. Moreover, under energy bounded disturbance and designed controller, the disturbance tolerance capability is estimated, and the weighted L2-gain from disturbance to controlled output is measured. Several optimization problems are given to maximize the attractive region and disturbance tolerance level, and to minimize the upper bound of weighted L2-gain. Numerical example and simulations are presented to show the effectiveness of the obtained results.
Ex Vivo‐Expanded Natural CD4+CD25+ Regulatory T Cells Synergize With Host T‐Cell Depletion to Promote Long‐Term Survival of Allografts

Foxp3+CD4+CD25+ natural regulatory T (nTreg) cells have been shown in immunodeficient mice to suppress allograft rejection after adoptive cotransfer. We hypothesized that immunotherapy using ex vivo‐expanded nTreg could suppress allograft rejection in wild‐type mice. Donor alloantigen (alloAg) specificity of naive splenic nTreg was enriched in vitro by culturing with anti‐CD3/CD28‐coated Dynabeads plus bone marrow‐derived dendritic cells (BM‐DC) in the presence of interleukin (IL)‐2 or IL‐2 plus transforming growth factor (TGF)‐β. On average, 96.2% fresh CD4+CD25+ nTreg were intracellular Foxp3+. By d+20 in culture, 6.4% nTreg were Foxp3+ following expansion with IL‐2 alone, and 14.4% or 19.7% nTreg were Foxp3+ when expanded with IL‐2 plus 0.5 or 2.5 ng/mL TGF‐β, respectively. In vitro, alloAg‐enriched, TGF‐β/IL‐2‐conditioned nTreg exerted stronger donor alloAg‐specific suppression than cells with IL‐2 alone in mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) assays. In vivo, alloAg‐enriched, TGF‐β/IL‐2‐conditioned nTreg expressed high‐level Foxp3 following infusion, effectively overcame acute rejection and induced long‐term survival of donor but not third‐party heart allografts in peritransplant host T‐cell‐depleted mice. Long‐term surviving allografts were noted to possess Foxp3+ graft‐infiltrating cells of exogenous and endogenous origins. In conjunction with transient host T‐cell depletion, therapeutic use of ex vivo‐expanded nTreg may be a practical means of preventing acute allograft rejection.
Wireless Passive Sensors for Food Quality Monitoring: Improving the Safety of Food Products

Food waste amounts to roughly one-third of its total production every year. There is an unprecedented demand to improve long-term storage of food products while preserving quality and safety in every stage of its processing, from postharvesting to preconsumption. Different technologies, such as total viable count (TVC), metal-oxide-semiconductor sensors, fluorescence spectroscopy, dye and polymer-based colorimetric sensors as well as radio-frequency identification (RFID), are currently applied for monitoring food products. This article provides an overview of current developments in near-field and ultrahigh frequency (UHF) wireless passive sensors for monitoring of food quality indices and food spoilage indicators. Solutions based on coupled-coil resonator and UHF chipless RFID sensors with application to bacterial-count detection, volatile gas concentration, humidity, and pH monitoring are highlighted.
Antibodies to human squamous cell carcinoma

We are studying membrane antigens of human squamous cell cancer with the use of naturally occurring autologous antibodies from patients’ sera, along with a set of other serologic reagents and monoclonal antibodies raised against cultured squamous cell lines. Twenty-eight squamous cell carcinoma cell lines have been established in our laboratory from tissues obtained from 23 patients. Antibody reactivity has been found against the autologous tumor cell line in 13 of 23 patients. One of these is of sufficient titer for detailed analysis. Four cell lines are available from this patient. UM-SCC-17A is derived from the primary laryngeal carcinoma, and UM-SCC-17B is derived from a lymph node metastasis removed during the same surgical procedure. Fibroblasts have been cultured from normal mucosa, and a B-lymphoblastoid line has been developed by Epstein-Barr virus transformation of the patient's peripheral blood lymphocytes. Antibody from this patient reacts with the UM-SCC-17A and -17B tumor cell lines but does not react with the normal fibroblasts (UM-NF-17).
The Influence of Teachers on Children's Image of Mathematics.

When I was first a head of a mathematics department, the teachers of the first year classes met together for lunch each week to share what they were doing and going to do. Over time we came to share a culture and the meetings became a pleasure. One year a teacher new to the school joined the group and I can remember sharing a particular idea with which I was comfortable. I would ask the children to imagine a spider's web they had seen really picture it so clearly that they could draw it on the board or describe it in detail, the images would then be shared and we would work on the question of what was the same, what different about the images. Invariably the children's images were enlargements and we would go on to do some work related to this idea. The new teacher said: But how does a spider make its web? and thus started a process of discovery through which I found out that, in fact, spiders' webs are spirals and I have a current question: how does the spider fix the first thread of its web? This does not alter the fact that children will still produce enlargements in response to the original invitation, but suggests a difference in approach and quality of this teacher's perceptions. This same teacher was adept at using the concerns of his pupils. Taking a mixed ability group of children away for a weekend doing mathematics he had had to give way to an oncoming car whilst trying to overtake, much to the amusement of the children. On return, the children commented on this incident as they were rehearsing what had happened for those in their class who had not gone away. There was some discussion which resulted in work lasting for three weeks on the question: how long does it take to overtake? Talk of detecting most errors by the end of the lesson does not make much sense in this environment, perhaps because the teacher was not working to a pre-conceived structure. The children and the teacher were all engaged in coming to understand better. Also, the concept of error itself makes little sense in this case where the children, aged 11, are grappling with velocity, acceleration, distance, time and modelling and measuring from their own experiences and perceptions over an appreciable amount of time.
Moral Conflict in Clinical Trials*

Many investigators who conduct clinical trials, a form of medical research with human subjects, face inevitable conflict between two moral duties. They have scientific duty: the duty to conduct any trial for which they are responsible so as to produce scientifically valid results in a timely manner, lest the participation of human subjects be in vain. They also have protective duty: the duty to protect human subjects’ medical wellbeing in the face of the medical burdens and risks of research participation. Both duties have wide scope in the context of clinical trials: they both govern an investigator’s conduct of a trial pervasively. Both have the force of the general moral obligation from which they derive, the obligation to respect other human beings. Yet, it is inherent in the structure of many clinical trials that both duties cannot be fulfilled in all particular instances.
Nucleotide sequence and characterization of a carbenicillin-hydrolyzing penicillinase gene from Proteus mirabilis

The structural gene of a carbenicillinase was cloned from the chromosomal DNA of Proteus mirabilis GN79. This gene codes for a protein of 270 amino acids. Alignment of the amino acid sequence with those of known beta-lactamases revealed that the enzyme is a novel class A beta-lactamase with a unique conserved triad, RTG. By using a DNA fragment of the structural gene, a lack of cross hybridization was confirmed between the DNA probe and total DNAs from natural isolates of P. mirabilis, suggesting that the carbenicillinase may not be a species-specific beta-lactamase of P. mirabilis.
Male partners’ involvement in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review

Abstract In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), male partners are rarely present during prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services. This systematic review aims to synthesize, from a male perspective, male partners’ perceived roles, barriers and enablers of their involvement in PMTCT, and highlights persisting gaps. We carried out a systematic search of papers published between 2002 and 2013 in English on Google Scholar and PubMed using the following terms: men, male partners, husbands, couples, involvement, participation, Antenatal Care (ANC), PMTCT, SSA countries, HIV Voluntary Counseling and Testing and disclosure. A total of 28 qualitative and quantitative original studies from 10 SSA countries were included. Men's perceived role was addressed in 28% (8/28) of the studies. Their role to provide money for ANC/PMTCT fees was stated in 62.5% (5/8) of the studies. For other men, the financial responsibilities seemed to be used as an excuse for not participating. Barriers were cited in 85.7% (24/28) of the studies and included socioeconomic factors, gender role, cultural beliefs, male unfriendly ANC/PMTCT services and providers’ abusive attitudes toward men. About 64% (18/28) of the studies reported enablers such as: older age, higher education, being employed, trustful monogamous marriages and providers’ politeness. In conclusion, comprehensive PMTCT policies that are socially and culturally sensitive to both women and men need to be developed.
Regenerative Markov Chain Importance Sampling

ABSTRACT We introduce Markov Chain Importance Sampling (MCIS), which combines importance sampling (IS) and Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to estimate some characteristics of a non-normalized multi-dimensional distribution. Especially, we introduce some importance functions whose variates are regeneratively generated by MCMC; these variates then are used to estimate the quantity of interest through IS. Because MCIS is regenerative, it overcomes the burn-in problem associated with MCMC. It could also speed up the mixing rate in MCMC.
Assessment of sensory neglect: A study using moving images

A novel modified passive line-bisection test was performed using a computer display with a moving image. In the test, the subjects were required to give verbal responses instead of limb movements. The test, consisting of two subtasks, left-to-right and right-to-left tasks, was applied to patients with unilateral neglect and controls. The patient group showed an obvious mean deviation in both tasks, and showed greater rightward deviation in the right-to-left task than in the left-to-right task. The control group showed little differences between the two tasks. This paper discusses the results obtained from the two different conditions and their correlations. This method provides useful data for the assessment of unilateral neglect.