Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Curved planar reformation of CT spine images

Traditional techniques for visualizing anatomical structures are based on planar sections from volume images, like images obtained by computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). However, planar slices taken in the coordinate system of the 3D image often do not provide sufficient or qualitative enough diagnostic information. The reason is that because planar slices do not follow curved anatomical structures (e.g. arteries, colon, spine, etc.), not all important details can be shown simultaneously. For better visualization of curved structures, reformatted images in the coordinate system of a structure must be created (an operation called curved planar reformation). In this paper we focus on automated curved planar reformation (CPR) of CT spine data. The obtained spine-based 3D coordinate system is determined by the natural curvature of the spine, described by a curve that is parameterized by a polynomial model. The model is optimized to fit the curvature of the spine basing on the values of a pre-calculated distance map. The first coordinate is defined by the resulting spine curve, while the other two coordinates are defined by the natural rotations of the vertebrae around the spine curve. The proposed approach benefits from reduced structural complexity in favor of improved feature perception of the spine, and is not only important for extracting diagnostically important images, but also for easier navigation, manipulation and orientation in 3D space, which is helpful for morphometric analysis, automated image analysis (e.g. segmentation), and normalization of spine images.
Improvement of Menopausal Symptoms with Acupuncture Not Reflected in Changes to Heart Rate Variability

Hypothesis Studies indicate that menopausal symptoms are relieved by acupuncture. Additional studies have suggested that acupuncture may affect heart rate variability (HRV). This paper reports a pilot study that investigated whether menopausal symptoms responded to acupuncture, and if changes in the spectral analysis of HRV, either suppression of low frequency or augmentation of high frequency bands, corresponded with symptom report. Methods/interventions 12 healthy menopausal subjects were enrolled in this feasibility study. At baseline, subjects were experiencing moderately distressing menopausal symptoms, scoring at least 22 of a possible 44 points on the Menopausal Rating Scale. 10 traditional Chinese medicine-based, protocol acupuncture treatments were administered over a 4 week period, three times a week for 2 weeks, followed by twice a week for 2 weeks. Outcome measures Menopausal Rating Scale questionnaire, 11 menopausal symptoms were evaluated on a zero to four severity scale via self-administered daily checklist for 4 weeks. Dynamic measures of HRV (autoregressive model) were captured before, during and after acupuncture at each session. Spectral analysis of the heart rate was used to compute power in the low frequency and high frequency bands, and their ratio. Results All subjects complied fully with the protocol without any reported adverse events. While all 11 symptoms showed significant improvement, and one HRV measure changed, on average over the study period, there was essentially no support for a relationship between HRV, menopausal symptom report and acupuncture intervention.
Container Leasing Decision for Orders

Many companies' distribution center need to lease containers to delivery the cargos according to the received orders and cargoes need to be packed into containers before they are delivered by airplane. In this study, a dynamic programming method is brought forward to solve this problem based on the solution of a mix-integer linear programming sub-problem. The mix-integer linear programming sub-problem is used to select container selection and optimize cargo loading, and dynamic programming method is used to optimize container leasing plan for orders within a certain period. The numerical tests show the method is efficient and great cost can be saved.
Distinct Signaling Profiles of β1 and β2 Adrenergic Receptor Ligands toward Adenylyl Cyclase and Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Reveals the Pluridimensionality of Efficacy

Drug efficacy is typically considered an intrinsic property of a ligand/receptor couple. However, recent observations suggest that efficacy may also be influenced by the signaling effectors engaged by a unique receptor. To directly and systematically test this possibility, we assessed the ability of a panel of β-adrenergic ligands to modulate the activity of two effector systems, the adenylyl cyclase (AC) and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), via β1 and β2 adrenergic receptors. Although some compounds displayed similar efficacies toward the two pathways, others showed complex efficacy profiles. For example, compounds that are inverse agonists for the AC activity were found to be either agonists, neutral antagonists, or inverse agonists for the MAPK pathway. Likewise, agonists for the AC were either agonists or neutral antagonists for MAPK. Given this complexity, we propose a Cartesian representation of the efficacies that takes into account the activities of the different effectors that can be engaged by a given receptor. In addition, compounds considered as nonselective for β1 and β2 adrenergic receptors, based on their binding affinities, showed distinct relative efficacy profiles toward AC and MAPK, adding a new dimension to the concept of ligand selectivity. Taken together, the results suggest that binding of different ligands promote distinct conformational changes leading to specific signaling outcomes. Our data therefore clearly illustrate that efficacy is a pluridimensional parameter that is not an intrinsic characteristic of a ligand/receptor couple. This should have important implications for the future design of screening assays used in drug discovery campaigns.
Psychological Adjustment in Mathematically Gifted Students

The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) was adminis were identified by a national talent search and attended a summer program in precalculus. Results indicated that these students were significantly better adjusted than the adolescent normative group for the instrument Gender, grade level, and verbal abilities were not related to adjustment scores. The scores obtained by the most gifted students were not significantly different from scores obtained by the rest of the sample.
Acetylcholine and calcium signalling regulates muscle fibre formation in the zebrafish embryo

Nerve activity is known to be an important regulator of muscle phenotype in the adult, but its contribution to muscle development during embryogenesis remains unresolved. We used the zebrafish embryo and in vivo imaging approaches to address the role of activity-generated signals, acetylcholine and intracellular calcium, in vertebrate slow muscle development. We show that acetylcholine drives initial muscle contraction and embryonic movement via release of intracellular calcium from ryanodine receptors. Inhibition of this activity-dependent pathway at the level of the acetylcholine receptor or ryanodine receptor did not disrupt slow fibre number, elongation or migration but affected myofibril organisation. In mutants lacking functional acetylcholine receptors myofibre length increased and sarcomere length decreased significantly. We propose that calcium is acting via the cytoskeleton to regulate myofibril organisation. Within a myofibre, sarcomere length and number are the key parameters regulating force generation; hence our findings imply a critical role for nerve-mediated calcium signals in the formation of physiologically functional muscle units during development.
To Miss is Human: Information-Theoretic Rationale for Target Misses in Fitts' Law

In usual Fitts' law experiments the outcome of a pointing act can be either measured as an error, i.e., a distance from endpoint to target center, or categorized in an all-or-none way as a hit versus a miss. Information theory offers a useful distinction between transmission errors (the received symbol is wrong) and erasures (the received symbol is empty). Although Fitts' law research has been very much inspired by the information theoretic rationale, the error/erasure distinction has escaped attention so far: Target misses have always been treated as normally-distributed errors, through the effective index of difficulty IDe. The paper introduces a new index of difficulty based on the simple observation that a target miss conveys zero bit of information, i.e., it is an erasure. Not only is the new index more consistent with the fundamentals of information theory, it is much simpler to derive than the ISO-recommended IDe.
Adaptive H∞ Consensus Control of Multi-Agent Systems by Utilizing Neural Network Approximators

Abstract Design methods of adaptive H ∞ consensus control of multi-agent systems composed of the first-order and the second-order regression models and nonlinear terms by utilizing neural network approximators, are presented in this paper. The proposed control schemes are derived as solutions of certain H ∞ control problems, where estimation errors of tuning parameters, imperfect knowledge of the leader, and approximate and algorithmic errors in the neural network estimation schemes are regarded as external disturbances to the process.
The Telos of Information Technology in a Transitional Culture: Implications for the Globalization of Korean Higher Education

Taking Kyonggi University of Korea as a case example, the authors describe how its varied initiatives in the realm of information technology (IT) integration are affecting pedagogical and research practice, both theoretically and practically, with emphasis given to balancing access to higher education and quality. They also examine the impacts of IT in Korean society at large. They conclude with a summary consideration of the challenges to intellectual social life engendered or empowered by the embrace of high technology by academe.
Multiprobe RNase Protection Assay Analysis of mRNA Levels for the Escherichia coli Oxidative DNA Glycosylase Genes under Conditions of Oxidative Stress

ABSTRACT Escherichia coli formamidopyrimidine DNA glycosylase (Fpg), MutY DNA glycosylase, endonuclease VIII, and endonuclease III are oxidative base excision repair DNA glycosylases that remove oxidized bases from DNA, or an incorrect base paired with an oxidized base in the case of MutY. Since genes encoding other base excision repair proteins have been shown to be part of adaptive responses inE. coli, we wanted to determine whether the oxidative DNA glycosylase genes are induced in response to conditions that cause the type of damage their encoded proteins remove. The genesfpg, mutY, nei, and nthencode Fpg, MutY, endonuclease VIII, and endonuclease III, respectively. Multiprobe RNase protection assays were used to examine the transcript levels of these genes under conditions that induce the SoxRS, OxyR, and SOS regulons after a shift from anaerobic to aerobic growth and at different stages along the growth curve. Transcript levels for all four genes decreased as cells progressed from log-phase growth to stationary phase and increased after cells were shifted from anaerobic to aerobic growth. None of the genes were induced by hydrogen peroxide, paraquat, X rays, or conditions that induce the SOS response.
Epidural analgesia in cardiac surgery: an updated risk assessment.

INTRODUCTION The use of epidural anesthesia carries risks that have been known for 50 years. The debate about the use of locoregional technique in cardiac anesthesia continues. The objective of this report is to estimate the risks and their variability of a catheter-related epidural hematoma in cardiac surgery patients and to compare it with other anesthetic and medical procedures. METHODS Case series reporting the use of epidural anesthesia in cardiac surgery were researched through Medline. Additional references were retrieved from the bibliography of published articles and from the internet. Risks of complications in other anesthetic and medical activity were retrieved from recent reviews. RESULTS Based on the present evidence, the risk of epidural hematoma in cardiac surgery is 1:12,000 (95% CI of 1:2100 to 1:68,000), which is comparable to the risk in the nonobstetrical population of 1:10,000 (95% CI 1:6700 to 1:14,900). The risk of epidural hematoma is comparable to the risk of receiving a wrong blood product or the yearly risk of having a fatal road accident in Western countries. CONCLUSIONS The risk of a hematoma after epidural in cardiac surgery is comparable to other nonobstetrical surgical procedures. Its routine application in a controlled setting should be encouraged.
Clopidogrel Within Few Hours of Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting Does Significantly Increase the Risk of Bleeding

Background Postoperative bleeding after coronary artery surgery is partly related to platelet dysfunction. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of a single loading dose of clopidogrel (300 mg) before coronary angiography on bleeding and use of blood and blood products after emergency coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG). Methods This is a nonrandomized observational prospective study between January, 2006 till December 2009, at a university hospital, we compare the results of a cohort of 65 patients who received 300 mg clopidogrel during coronary angiography that was followed by emergency CABG (group A or study group) to a cohort of 206 patients who underwent elective coronary artery bypass surgery during the same period by the same surgeons in whom clopidogrel was stopped 7 days before surgery (Group B or control group). Emergency surgery was done because of critical coronary anatomy or because of ongoing chest pain. All patients in the two groups were kept on 100 mg of aspirin until the day of surgery. Outcome data used to compare the two groups, Chest tube drainage in first 12 hours (12 h), need for re-exploration and use of blood and blood product transfusion were prospectively collected. Results Postoperative bleeding, reoperation rates for bleeding and use of blood products are significantly more in those who received a loading dose of clopedogril within few hours of CABG (group A) compared to those who stopped clopedogril for a week before CABG. Conclusions Preoperative 300 mg of clopidogrel is associated with significant increase in post operative bleeding, need for surgical exploration and use of blood and blood product transfusion after CABG.
Control of walking support system based on variable center of rotation

This paper propose a new control algorithm for a robotic walking support system, which varies the kinematic structure of the system to adapt users' walking or controlling disability. Elderly who suffers from deficiencies in motor skills cannot control or steer their walkers properly. Since the applied torque is highly correlated to the heading angle of the walker, torque transformation is needed to properly steer the walker. The variation of kinematic structure would be implemented by varying the center of rotation (COR) and as a result the torque of the system is changed. In order to model the users' walking or controlling disability, the user would be asked to follow a desired path. Using a learning algorithm, errors between the desired and actual path would be used to determine the new COR. The proposed control algorithm was experimentally implemented and the result shows its validity.
[Remodeling pattern and ventricular function in rats exposed to cigarette smoke].

BACKGROUND The relevance of the remodeling pattern in the model of rats exposed to cigarette smoke is not known. OBJECTIVE Analyzing the presence of different remodeling patterns in this model and its relation with the ventricular function. METHODS Smoking rats (n=47) have been divided according to the geometry pattern, analyzed by echocardiogram: normal (normal mass index and normal relative wall thickness), concentric remodeling (normal mass index and increased relative wall thickness), concentric hypertrophy (increased mass index and increased relative wall thickness) and eccentric hypertrophy (increased mass index and normal relative wall thickness). RESULTS Smoking rats presented one of the following geometry patterns: normal pattern, 51%; eccentric hypertrophy; 32%; concentric hypertrophy, 13% and concentric remodeling, 4%. The normal and eccentric hypertrophy groups presented smaller ejection fraction values and fractional shortening than the concentric hypertrophy group. Thirteen animals (28%) presented systolic dysfunction detected by the ejection fraction and by fractional shortening. In the single regression analysis, geometry patterns and mass index could not predict ventricular dysfunction (p<). On the other hand, the increased relative thickness of the wall could predict ventricular dysfunction in the single regression analysis (p<0.001) and in the multiple regression analysis after adjustment to the mass index (p=0.003). CONCLUSION Rats exposed to cigarette smoke presented one of the four different remodeling patterns. Among the geometric variables analyzed, only the increased relative thickness of the left ventricle wall could predict ventricular dysfunction in this model.
COMPARING MODEL SIMULATIONS OF THREE BENCHMARK TSUNAMI GENERATION CASES

Three benchmark cases are proposed to study tsunamis generated by underwater landslides. Two distinct numerical models are applied to each benchmark case. Each model involves distinct center of mass motions and rates of landslide deformation. Computed tsunami amplitudes agree reasonably well for both models, although there are differences that remain to be explained. One of the benchmark cases is compared to laboratory experiments. The agreement is quite good with the models. Other researchers are encouraged to employ these benchmark cases, in future experimental or numerical work.
Method and Madness in the Arts and Sciences

This article offers a new way to interpret the relation between mental illness and creative achievement. With some license for imagination, the author adopts the fractal metaphor to explain the "self-similarity" of results found at every level of analysis in a prior study of more than 1,000 eminent persons and a new exploratory study on 137 well-known visual artists. These results show that regardless of scale, the same pattern exists between mental disturbances and creative expression. Persons in professions that require more logical, objective, and formal forms of expression tend be more emotionally stable than those in professions that require more intuitive, subjective, and emotive forms. This same pattern even applies, for example, when we focus on the visual arts and compare persons using different artistic styles. These results, in their entirety, suggest that a powerful relation exists between the presence or absence of mental illness and particular forms of creative expression both between and wi.
Studies in Parkinson's Disease: I. Perceptual Speech Analyses

The perceptual speech characteristics of a group of 19 subjects with mild-moderate Parkinson's Disease (PD) were compared with those of a normal non-neurologically impaired control group matched for age and sex. Deficits were found in all aspects of speech production, including respiration, phonation, prosody, articulation and resonance. Observed speech deviations were most often mild. The speech deviation which contributed most to the variance in overall intelligibility of speech was imprecision of consonant articulation. Deficits in the phonatory system, including the presence of hoarseness and a strained strangled phonation with intermittent breathiness, were found to be the frequently occurring speech deviations in PD. Disturbed prosodic features were also noted, including a disturbed general stress pattern and a lack of variation in both pitch and loudness levels. The need for careful instrumentally based assessments of the physiological and acoustic features of hypokinetic dysarthria is emphasized.
Understanding representational sensitivity in the iterated prisoner's dilemma with fingerprints

The iterated prisoner's dilemma is a widely used computational model of cooperation and conflict. Many studies report emergent cooperation in populations of agents trained to play prisoner's dilemma with an evolutionary algorithm. This study varies the representation of the evolving agents resulting in levels of emergent cooperation ranging from 0% to over 90%. The representations used in this study are directly encoded finite-state machines, cellularly encoded finite-state machines, feedforward neural networks, if-skip-action lists, parse trees storing two types of Boolean functions, lookup tables, Boolean function stacks, and Markov chains. An analytic tool for rapidly identifying agent strategies and comparing across representations called a fingerprint is used to compare the more complex representations. Fingerprints provide functional signatures of an agent's strategy in a manner that is independent of the agent's representation. This study demonstrates conclusively that choice of a representation dominates agent behavior in evolutionary prisoner's dilemma. This in turn suggests that any soft computing system intended to simulate behavior must be concerned with the representation issue
A Reco figurable Dual-Band CMOS Power Amplifier With an Integrated Switchable Transformer

To overcome blind spots of an ordinary weather radar which scans horizontally at a high altitude, a weather radar which operates vertically, so called an atmospheric profiler, is needed. In this paper, a K-band radar for observing rainfall vertically is introduced, and measurement results of rainfall are shown and discussed. For better performance of the atmospheric profiler, the radar which has high resolution even with low transmitted power is designed. With this radar, a melting layer is detected and some results that show characteristics of the meting layer are measured well. Keywords—K-band; FMCW; rain radar; low transmitted power; high resolution; rainfall; melting layer
Pathloss Determination Using Okumura-Hata Model And Spline Interpolation For Missing Data For Oman

propagation models lead to networks with high co-channel interference and a waste of power. In this paper, we aim to adapt a propagation model for Salalah (OMAN) as we examine the applicability of Okumura-Hata model in Oman in GSM frequency band. The study was carried out for urban area, since measurements provided from OmanMobile were about the urban areas. The study helped to design better GSM network for the city area. We will accomplish the modification by investigating the variation in pathloss between the measured and predicted values, according to the Okumura-Hata propagation model for a cell in Salalah city and then finding the missing experimental data with spline interpolation. Then, we intend to modify the Okumura-Hata model according to the results obtained in our investigation. We will then verify our modified model by applying it for other cells and conclude the results. For the purpose the mean square error (MSE) was calculated between measured path loss values and those predicated on basis of Okumura-Hata model for an open area. The MSE is up to 6dB, which is an acceptable value for the signal prediction. Therefore, the model gave a significant difference in an open area that allowed necessary changes to be introduced in the model. That error was minimized by subtracting the calculated MSE (15.31dB) from the original equation of open area for Okumura-Hata model. Modified equation was also verified for another cell in an open area in Oman and gave acceptable results. Theoretical simulation by Okumura Hata Model and the obtained experimental data is compared and analyzed further using a piece-wise cubic spline to interpolate on the set of the experimental data and finding the missing experimental data points.