Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Robust Denoising for Medical Ultrasound Image Based on SVR Estimation in Wavelet Domain

In this paper, we propose a robust method for the suppression of noise in medical ultrasound image by fusing the wavelet denoising technique with support vector regression (SVR). Based on the least squares support vector regression (LS- SVR), a new denoising operator and a new manipulation algorithm of wavelet coefficients are presented by incorporating neighboring coefficients. The proposed method adapts itself to various types of image noise as well as to the preference of the medical expert: a single parameter can be used to balance the preservation of relevant details against the degree of noise reduction. Simulated noise images and real medical ultrasound images are used to evaluate the denoising performance of our proposed algorithm along with another wavelet-based denoising algorithm. Experimental results show that the proposed denoising method outperforms standard wavelet denoising techniques in terms of the signal-to-noise ratio and the prevented details information in most cases.
Association of GABRG3 with alcohol dependence.

BACKGROUND Evidence from human, animal, and in vitro cell models suggests that gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the human central nervous system, is involved in many of the neurochemical pathways that affect alcohol use, abuse, and dependence. Both linkage and association to the region on chromosome 15q that contains a cluster of GABAA receptor genes have previously been reported, but the role of these genes in alcoholism remains inconclusive. METHODS We conducted family-based association analyses by using a large sample of multiplex alcoholic families collected as part of the Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism, to test for an association between alcohol dependence and the GABAA receptor genes clustered on chromosome 15q. Multiple single-nucleotide polymorphisms were tested in each of the three chromosome 15q GABAA receptor genes: GABRA5, GABRB3, and GABRG3. RESULTS Using both classic trio-based analyses and extended-family analyses, we found consistent evidence of association between alcohol dependence and GABRG3. Nearly all single-nucleotide polymorphisms across the gene yielded evidence of association, and haplotype analyses were highly significant. No consistent evidence of association was observed with either GABRA5 or GABRB3, nor was there evidence for parent-of-origin effects with any of the genes. CONCLUSIONS These analyses suggest that GABRG3 may be involved in the risk for alcohol dependence. These findings support the theory that the predisposition to alcoholism may be inherited as a general state of central nervous system disinhibition/hyperexcitability that results from an altered responsiveness to GABA.
Co-infection of human immunodeficiency virus, hepatitis C and hepatitis B virus among injection drug users in Drop in centers

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are the three prevalent viral and bloodborne infections worldwide. Considering the similar route of transmission in these infections, their co-infections would be more challenging for health care professionals. Therefore, we investigated the rate of HIV/HBV/HCV co-infection among injection drug users (IDUs) referred to Drop in centers (DICs). Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study (2008-2009), IDUs referred to DICs in Isfahan province were evaluated. Venous blood samples were obtained and HBsAg, HBcAb, HCVAb, and HIVAb measured by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay method. Demographic data and risk factors in patients with HBV/HCV, HIV/HCV, and HIV/HBV co-infections were obtained by a trained social worker using a structured checklist. Data were analyzed using Chi-square test, t-test, and multiple logistic regressions. Results: Totally, 539 IDUs with mean (standard deviation [SD]) age of 35.3 (7.9) were studied. HBV/HCV, HCV/HIV, and HBV/HIV co-infections were presented in 65 (12.1%), 6 (1.1%), and 0 (0%) of IDUs, respectively. All HIV infected IDUs were infected with HCV as well. There was a significant association between HBV/HCV co-infection and behaviors related to sharing needle (odds ratio [OR] = 2.06, 95% confidence interval [CI]; 1.23-3.45) and imprisonment (OR = 1.01, 95% CI; 1.04-1.06). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, history of imprisonment and needle sharing were the only adjusted risk factors for HCV/HBV co-infection in IDUs. This might be a warning for national health system and needs to urgent paying attention. It seems that expanded harm reduction strategies can be useful to reduce this co-infection and its mortality and morbidity rate among IDUs.
Sparse sampling for sensing temporal data — building an optimized envelope

IoT systems collect vast amounts of data which can be used in order to track and analyze the structure of future recorded data. However, due to limited computational power, bandwith, and storage capabilities, this data cannot be stored as is, but rather must be reduced in such a way so that the abilities to analyze future data, based on past data, will not be compromised. We propose a parameterized method of sampling the data in an optimal way. Our method has three parameters — an averaging method for constructing an average data cycle from past observations, an envelope method for defining an interval around the average data cycle, and an entropy method for comparing new data cycles to the constructed envelope. These parameters can be adjusted according to the nature of the data, in order to find the optimal representation for classifying new cycles as well as for identifying anomalies and predicting future cycle behavior. In this work we concentrate on finding the optimal envelope, given an averaging method and an entropy method. We demonstrate with a case study of meteorological data regarding El Ninio years.
Solving Principal-Agent Problem with Dynamic Programming Method

The paper studies Principal-agent problem with dynamic Programming Method. So as to find the optimal contact between a principal and an agent, we make a model in dynamic state process to maximize the expected utility of the agent and obtain the famous Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equation. Furthermore, we derive closed-form solution of HJB equation with a power utility function.
inSpace: Co-Designing the Physical and Digital Environment to Support Workplace Collaboration

In this paper, we unpack three themes for the multidisciplinary codesign of a physical and digital meeting space environment in supporting collaboration: that social practices should dictate design, the importance of supporting fluidity, and the need for technological artifacts to have a social voice. We describe a prototype meeting space named inSpace that explores how design grounded in these themes can create a user-driven, information-rich environment supporting a variety of meeting types. Our current space includes a table with integrated sensing and ambient feedback, a shared wall display that supports multiple concurrent users, and a collection of storage and infrastructure services for communication, and that also can automatically capture traces of how artifacts are used in the space.
The associations between serum leptin, adiponectin and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 in hypercholesterolemic patients

We examined the associations between adiponectin or leptin and serum ICAM-1 levels in seventy-six hypercholesterolemic patients (mean age 59 yrs, 25 males and 51 females, LDL-cholesterol>=130mg/dL at screening). Blood lipid profiles and HOMA-IR derived from fasting glucose and insulin concentrations were determined. Serum levels of adiponectin, leptin and ICAM-1 were analyzed using ELISA. The results showed that serum levels of leptin were positively associated with serum levels of ICAM-1 independent of age, sex and BMI (r =0.392, p<0.001). Serum levels of adiponectin were negatively associated with serum levels of ICAM-1 independent of age, sex and BMI (r =-0.343, p<0.005). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis showed that serum leptin was an independent factor to be associated with serum ICAM-1 levels after adjusting for age, sex, BMI, alcohol intake, smoking status, blood lipids such as total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and HOMA-IR (p<0.001). With respect to adiponectin, its association with serum ICAM-1 was attenuated but still significant when further adjustments were made for age, sex, BMI, alcohol intake, smoking status, blood lipids such as total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL cholesterol and LDL cholesterol and HOMA-IR (p<0.005). In conclusion, this study suggests that adiponectin and leptin are associated with endothelial derived inflammation.
Book review: Fiona MacArthur, José Luis Oncins-Martínez, Manuel Sánchez-García and Ana María Piquer-Píriz (eds), Metaphor in Use: Context, Culture and Communication

analysis, but also for those researchers in the field who still hover between employing Brown and Levinson’s (1987) theory – which claims the universality of politeness strategies, and drawing on emic ideologies – which see politeness behaviour as cultureand interaction-specific. What the volume does do is advocate strongly for politeness research grounded in particular times, cultures and contexts, and among specific participant groups.
Cluster‐distinguishing genotypic and phenotypic diversity of carbapenem‐resistant Gram‐negative bacteria in solid‐organ transplantation patients: a comparative study

Purpose. Solid‐organ transplant recipients may display high rates of colonization and/or infection by multidrug‐resistant bacteria. We analysed and compared the phenotypic and genotypic diversity of carbapenem‐resistant (CR) strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii isolated from patients in the Solid Organ Transplantation department of our hospital. Methodology. Between March 2012 and August 2013, 56 CR strains from various biological fluids underwent antimicrobial susceptibility testing with VITEK 2, molecular analysis by PCR amplification and genotypic analysis with pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). They were clustered according to antimicrobial drug susceptibility and genotypic profiles. Diversity analyses were performed by calculating Simpson’s diversity index and applying computed rarefaction curves. Results/Key findings. Among K. pneumoniae, KP‐producers predominated (57.1%). VIM and OXA‐23 carbapenemases prevailed among P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii (89.4 and 88.9%, respectively). KPC‐producing K. pneumoniae and OXA‐23 A. baumannii were assigned in single PFGE pulsotypes. VIM‐producing P. aeruginosa generated multiple pulsotypes. CR K. pneumoniae strains displayed phenotypic diversity in tigecycline, colistin (CS), amikacin (AMK), gentamicin (GEN) and co‐trimoxazole (SXT) (16 clusters); P. aeruginosa displayed phenotypic diversity in cefepime (FEP), ceftazidime, aztreonam, piperacillin, piperacillin‐tazobactam, AMK, GEN and CS (9 clusters); and A. baumannii displayed phenotypic diversity in AMK, GEN, SXT, FEP, tobramycin and rifampicin (8 clusters). The Simpson diversity indices for the interpretative phenotype and PFGE analysis were 0.89 and 0.6, respectively, for K. pneumoniae strains (P<0.001); 0.77 and 0.6 for P. aeruginosa (P=0.22); and 0.86 and 0.19 for A. baumannii (P=0.004). Conclusion. The presence of different antimicrobial susceptibility profiles does not preclude the possibility that two CR K. pneumoniae or A. baumannii isolates are clonally related.
Simulation of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor with Dual Closed Loop by Time-Stepping Finite Element Model

This paper presents the process of circuit and field coupled finite element (FE) modeling of permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). Compared with traditional centralized parameters model the presented model can consider many effects to the dynamic performance of PMSM, such as the effects of saturation of iron materials, the eddy current, the relative movement of teeth and slots and high-order harmonics in both time and space domains. Dual closed control loop can also be coupled into the FE model to form the global system simulation, if we make the step time very small. An application of the proposed method to a PMSM with dual closed loop is given the results validate work of this paper
Improving the discriminative power of inferred content information using segmented virtual profile

We present a novel component of a hybrid recommender system at LinkedIn, where item features are augmented by a virtual profile based on observed user-item interactions. A virtual profile is generated by representing an item in the user feature space and leveraging the overrepresented user features from users who interacted with the item. It is a way to think about Collaborative Filtering with content features. The core principle is that if the feature occurs with high probability for the users who interacted with an item (henceforth termed as relevant users) versus those who did not (henceforth termed as non-relevant users), then that feature is a good candidate to be included in the virtual profile of the item in question. However, this scheme suffers from the data imbalance problem because observed relevant users are usually an extremely small minority group compared to the whole user base. Feature selection in this skewed setting is prone to noise from the overwhelming non-relevant examples that belong to the majority group. To alleviate the problem, we propose a method to select the most relevant non-relevant examples from the majority group by segmenting users on certain intelligently selected feature dimensions. The resulting virtual profile from the method is called the segmented virtual profile. Empirical evaluation on a real-world large scale recommender system at LinkedIn shows that our strategies for segmentation yield significantly better results.
A dynamic I/O-efficient structure for one-dimensional top-k range reporting

We present a structure in external memory for top-k range reporting, which uses linear space, answers a query in O(lgB n + k/B) I/Os, and supports an update in O(lgB n) amortized I/Os, where n is the input size, and B is the block size. This improves the state of the art which incurs O(lg2B n) amortized I/Os per update.
Fungus Detection Through Optical Sensor System Using Two Different Kinds of Feature Vectors for the Classification

This revolutionary era emphasizes the need of novel, simple, automatic fungal detection system to control the devastation caused by fungal species. Fungus is highly notorious for human health, food, and archives. We have developed a device and algorithms to automatically detect fungus from air by employing optical sensor system. Several air samples were collected and examined under high magnification microscopic camera in order to take images of samples through the designed system. System collects three different types of images (dark-field, bright-field, and auto fluorescence) with the help of different light sources. This provided detailed temporal variation of fungus spores to effectively analyze fungus images. Two different algorithms were developed for fungus spore detection: hand crafted features and histogram of oriented gradients as features. Then, support vector machine was used for the purpose of classification. Furthermore, we compared the fungus spores count obtained with our algorithm and manual counting method. The performance of the proposed system on new images obtained by the optical sensor system was evaluated and all results of precision, recall, and accuracy are also presented in the paper. Convincing results were obtained in favor of the proposed approach for precision recall ratios. The obtained results proved the possibility of developing a device for early detection of several types of fungus spores. The system successfully detected the number of fungus spores present in the air and could estimate all possible threats.
Photoinitiator-Initiated Estrogenic Activity in Human Breast Cancer Cell Line MCF-7

A recent in vitro study reported that the photoinitiator 2-isopropylthioxanthone (2-ITX) is an endocrine-disrupting compound (EDC). However, it is not clear whether other photoinitiators such as 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone (1-HCHPK) and 2-methyl-4′-(methylthio)-2-morpholinopropiophenone (MTMP) produce endocrine-disrupting effects. The purpose of this study was thus to assess the association between estrogenic activity and exposure to photoinitiators. For estimation of the proliferative effect of the photoinitiators, the E-screen assay was used. Six photoinitiators, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone (2,2-DMPAP), 2-ethylhexyl 4-(dimethylamino)benzoate (2-EHDAB), 1-HCHPK, 2-ITX, methyl-2-benzoylbenzoate (MBB), and MTMP, significantly increased number of MCF-7 cells, an estrogen-sensitive human breast cancer cell line. In addition, pretreatment with estrogen receptor (ER) antagonists such as clomiphene, tamoxifen, or fulvestrant, significantly reversed the proliferative effect of each photoinitiator. Data demonstrated that the six photoinitiators produced endocrine-disrupting effects and that these photoinitiators interacted with ER as agonists. Evidence indicates that the six photoinitiators demonstrated estrogenic activity via ER as agonists.
Inside the 'Black Box' of Project Star: Estimation of Peer Effects Using Experimental Data

The credible identification of endogenous peer group effects -- i.e. social multiplier or feedback effects -- has long eluded social scientists. We argue that such effects are most credibly identified by a randomly assigned social program which operates at differing intensities within and between peer groups. The data we use are from Project STAR, a class size reduction experiment conducted in Tennessee elementary schools. In these data, classes were comprised of varying fractions of students who had previously been exposed to the Small class treatment, creating class groupings of varying experimentally induced quality. We use this variation in class group quality to estimate the spillover effect. We find that when allowance is made for this 'feedback' effect of prior exposure to the Small class treatment, the peer effects account for much of the total experimental effects in the later grades, and the direct class size effects are rendered substantially smaller.
Dimensions of Equality in Regulating Assisted Reproductive Technologies

Although concerns about individual liberty and the nature and extent of reproductive freedom have tended to dominate discussions regarding the proliferation of and access to reproductive technologies, questions about the implications of assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) for equality have also arisen. Despite the high number of invocations of equality in the literature regarding ARTs, to date little effort has been made to comprehensively examine the implications of ARTs for equality. This short Article seeks to highlight the variety of equality issues that ARTs present and to develop a framework for classifying different types of equality issues. Specifically, I suggest that three different types of equality concerns exist relevant to discussions about regulating ARTs: equality of access to ARTs (and thus parenthood), equal treatment in the resolution of disputes arising from the use of ARTs, and equality issues raised by trait-selection practices. My point herein is neither to condemn nor to rationalize the inequalities that close examination may reveal. This Article instead issues a challenge to scholars in the field to undertake a broader, more thorough consideration of the implications for equality that the development of, and regulation or non-regulation of, ARTs present.
Developmental and personality differences between two groups of fathers

The aim of this research was to evaluate the effect of the father's level of ego development, his level of self esteem, his marital adjustment and his perception of his role on his child. The sample population consisted of two groups of fathers with 27 subjects in each group. The experimental group was defined by having a child who had been seea in a clinic for emotional or behavioural difficulties and the control group by having a child who had never had m y therapy for emotional or behavioural difficulties. The groups were broadly matched on age of the index child, standard of the child at school, age of the father, marital status and language. The data was analysed using t-tests to compare the groups ? Pearson Product Moment Correlations to examine the relation­ ship between variables and a Discriminant Analysis in order to look at the findings from a multivariate perspective. Using a significance level of 0.05 as the criterion for significance, there were no significant differences between the groups. However there were distinct differences between the two groups when the subject variables from the biographical questionnaire were analysed. The results were discussed in the light of the negative findings and an attempt was made to account for the paucity of significant results. Finally the limitations of the study and the implications for further research were considered. I would like to express my sincere thanks to the following people: Professor Diana Shmukler, my supervisor, who was always available for support, encouragement and guidance. Rai Turbon, who helped me make sense of the statistics. Doctors C. Allwood and R. Smart of the Transvaal Memorial Child, Adolescent and Family Unit, who allowed me to distribute the questionnaires through the clinic. The headmasters, who allowed me to distribute the questionnaires through their schools. The fathers/ who so willingly answered the questionnaires. And finally, to my father, my husband and my sons: father past, father present and fathers future. I would like to acknowledge the finan-ial assistance given by the Human Sciences Research Council towards the cost of the research. The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the beliefs of the Human Sciences Research Council, TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE DECLARATION i ABSTRACT i i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS i ii TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES viii CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE 1 1.
Detecting Change for Multi-View, Long-Term Surface Inspection

We describe a system for the detection of changes in multiple views of a tunnel surface. From data gathered by a robotic inspection rig, we use a structure-from-motion pipeline to build panoramas of the surface and register images from different time instances. Reliably detecting changes such as hairline cracks, water ingress and other surface damage between the registered images is a challenging problem: achieving the best possible performance for a given set of data requires sub-pixel precision and careful modelling of the noise sources. The task is further complicated by factors such as unavoidable registration error and changes in image sensors, capture settings and lighting. Our contribution is a novel approach to change detection using a two-channel convolutional neural network. The network accepts pairs of approximately registered image patches taken at different times and classifies them to detect anomalous changes. To train the network, we take advantage of synthetically generated training examples and the homogeneity of the tunnel surfaces to eliminate most of the manual labelling effort. We evaluate our method on field data gathered from a live tunnel over several months, demonstrating it to outperform existing approaches from recent literature and industrial practice.