Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic segmentation of the liver in computed tomography scans with voxel classification and atlas matching

A fully automatic system for segmentation of the liver from CT scans is presented. The core of the method consists of a voxel labeling procedure where the probability that each voxel is part of the liver is estimated using a statistical classifier (k-nearest-neighbor) and a set of features. Several features encode positional information, obtained from a multi-atlas registration procedure. In addition, pre-processing steps are carried out to determine the vertical scan range of the liver and to rotate the scan so that the subject is in supine position, and post-processing is applied to the voxel classification result to smooth and improve the final segmentation. The method is evaluated on 10 test scans and performs robustly, as the volumetric overlap error is 12.5% on average and 15.3% for the worst case. A careful inspection of the results reveals, however, that locally many errors are made and the localization of the border is often not precise. The causes and possible solutions for these failures are briefly discussed.
Sparse Signal Recovery via Optimized Orthogonal Matching Pursuit

The recovery algorithm is a crucial issue of the Compressed Sensing (CS). This paper presents a greedy algorithm called Optimized Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OOMP) for sparse signal recovery. The OOMP algorithm improves the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) algorithm via providing the projection onto the subspace generated by the selected measurements and minimizing the corresponding residual error at each iteration. Compared with the OMP algorithm, the simulation results show that the proposed algorithm provides a better approximation of a given signal and reduces measurements needed to recover the signal accurately.
Wang and Mendel's fuzzy rule learning method for energy consumption forecasting considering the influence of environmental temperature

Reliable consumption forecasts are crucial in several aspects of power and energy systems, e.g. to take advantage of the full potential of flexibility from consumers and to support the management from operators. With this need, several methodologies for electricity forecasting have emerged. However, the study of correlated external variables, such as temperature or luminosity, is still far from adequate. This paper presents the application of the Wang and Mendel's Fuzzy Rule Learning Method (WM) to forecast electricity consumption. The proposed approach includes two distinct strategies, the first one uses only the electricity consumption as the input of the method, and the second strategy considers a combination of the electricity consumption and the environmental temperature as the input, in order to extract value from the correlation between the two variables. A case study that considers the forecast of the energy consumption of a real office building is also presented. Results show that the WM method using the combination of energy consumption data and environmental temperature is able to provide more reliable forecasts for the energy consumption than several other methods experimented before, namely based on artificial neural networks and support vector machines. Additionally, the WM approach that considers the combination of input values achieves better results than the strategy that considers only the consumption history, hence concluding that WM is appropriate to incorporate different information sources.
Measuring the mixing time of a network

Mixing time is a global property of a network that indicates how fast a random walk gains independence from its starting point. Mixing time is an essential parameter for many distributed algorithms, but especially those based on gossip. We design, implement, and evaluate a distributed protocol to measure mixing time. The protocol extends an existing algorithm that models the diffusion of information seen from each node in the network as the impulse response of a particular dynamic system. In its original formulation, the algorithm was susceptible to topology changes (or “churn”) and was evaluated only in simulation. Here we present a concrete implementation of an enhanced version of the algorithm that exploits multiple parallel runs to obtain a robust measurement, and evaluate it using a network testbed (Emulab) in combination with a peer-to-peer system (FreePastry) to assess both its performance and its ability to deal with network churn.
Second‐order blind algorithms for adaptive recursive linear equalizers: analysis and lattice implementation

Adaptive recursive linear equalizers present important advantages in terms of performance and robustness compared to more standard finite impulse response structures, and provide a means for blindly initializing the decision feedback structure. We present an analysis of a pair of algorithms for the adaptation of the recursive part of the equalizer, which are based on the second‐order statistics of the received signal, in a multichannel complex‐valued setting with spatially coloured noise. When the number of equalizer poles is no less than the channel order, both algorithms enjoy a unique stationary point, which in addition is locally convergent; global convergence properties, on the other hand, can be quite different. When the optimum setting presents poles close to the stability boundary, the lattice structure is preferred for ease of stability monitoring. Lattice versions of the two algorithms are developed and their convergence properties discussed. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A Declarative Fine-grained Role-based Access Control Model and Mechanism for the Web Application Domain

Access control policies such as role-based access control (RBAC) enforce desirable security properties, in particular for Web-based applications with many different users. A fine-grained RBAC model gives the developers of such systems more customization and administrative power to control access to fine-granular elements such as individual cells of a table. However, the definition and deployment of such policies is not straightforward, and in many Web applications, they are hand-coded in the database or scattered throughout the application’s implementation, without taking advantage of underlying central elements, such as the data model or object types. This paper presents ΦRBAC, a fine-grained RBAC model for the Web application domain. ΦRBAC achieves separation of concerns for enforcing access to a range of objects with mixed-granularity levels. Moreover, it provides a unique testing mechanism that gives a guarantee to the developer about the correctness, completeness, and sufficiency of the defined ΦRBAC model, both internally and in the context of its target application. We use code generation techniques to compile the specification of a ΦRBAC model down to the existing tiers of an existing domain-specific Web programming language, WebDSL. We show the benefits of ΦRBAC on the development of a departmental Web site.
Access to Primary Care and Visits to Emergency Departments in England: A Cross-Sectional, Population-Based Study

Background The number of visits to hospital emergency departments (EDs) in England has increased by 20% since 2007-08, placing unsustainable pressure on the National Health Service (NHS). Some patients attend EDs because they are unable to access primary care services. This study examined the association between access to primary care and ED visits in England. Methods A cross-sectional, population-based analysis of patients registered with 7,856 general practices in England was conducted, for the time period April 2010 to March 2011. The outcome measure was the number of self-referred discharged ED visits by the registered population of a general practice. The predictor variables were measures of patient-reported access to general practice services; these were entered into a negative binomial regression model with variables to control for the characteristics of patient populations, supply of general practitioners and travel times to health services. Main Result and Conclusion General practices providing more timely access to primary care had fewer self-referred discharged ED visits per registered patient (for the most accessible quintile of practices, RR = 0.898; P<0.001). Policy makers should consider improving timely access to primary care when developing plans to reduce ED utilisation.
Quantifying uncertainty in the trophic magnification factor related to spatial movements of organisms in a food web

Trophic magnification factors (TMFs) provide a method of assessing chemical biomagnification in food webs and are increasingly being used by policy makers to screen emerging chemicals. Recent reviews have encouraged the use of bioaccumulation models as screening tools for assessing TMFs for emerging chemicals of concern. The present study used a food web bioaccumulation model to estimate TMFs for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in a riverine system. The uncertainty associated with model predicted TMFs was evaluated against realistic ranges for model inputs (water and sediment PCB contamination) and variation in environmental, physiological, and ecological parameters included within the model. Finally, the model was used to explore interactions between spatial heterogeneity in water and sediment contaminant concentrations and theoretical movement profiles of different fish species included in the model. The model predictions of magnitude of TMFs conformed to empirical studies. There were differences in the relationship between the TMF and the octanol–water partitioning coefficient (KOW) depending on the modeling approach used; a parabolic relationship was predicted under deterministic scenarios, whereas a linear TMF–KOW relationship was predicted when the model was run stochastically. Incorporating spatial movements by fish had a major influence on the magnitude and variation of TMFs. Under conditions where organisms are collected exclusively from clean locations in highly heterogeneous systems, the results showed bias toward higher TMF estimates, for example the TMF for PCB 153 increased from 2.7 to 5.6 when fish movement was included. Small underestimations of TMFs were found where organisms were exclusively sampled in contaminated regions, although the model was found to be more robust to this sampling condition than the former for this system. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2014;X:000–000. ©2014 SETAC Integr Environ Assess Manag 2015;11:306–318. © 2014 SETAC
Evaluating the Ability of NPP-VIIRS Nighttime Light Data to Estimate the Gross Domestic Product and the Electric Power Consumption of China at Multiple Scales: A Comparison with DMSP-OLS Data

The nighttime light data records artificial light on the Earth’s surface and can be used to estimate the spatial distribution of the gross domestic product (GDP) and the electric power consumption (EPC). In early 2013, the first global NPP-VIIRS nighttime light data were released by the Earth Observation Group of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Geophysical Data Center (NOAA/NGDC). As new-generation data, NPP-VIIRS data have a higher spatial resolution and a wider radiometric detection range than the traditional DMSP-OLS nighttime light data. This study aims to investigate the potential of NPP-VIIRS data in modeling GDP and EPC at multiple scales through a case study of China. A series of preprocessing procedures are proposed to reduce the background noise of original data and to generate corrected NPP-VIIRS nighttime light images. Subsequently, linear regression is used to fit the correlation between the total nighttime light (TNL) (which is extracted from corrected NPP-VIIRS data and DMSP-OLS data) and the GDP and EPC (which is from the country’s statistical data) at provincial- and prefectural-level divisions of mainland China. The result of the linear regression shows that R2 values of TNL from NPP-VIIRS with GDP and EPC at multiple scales are all higher than those from DMSP-OLS data. This study reveals that the NPP-VIIRS data can be a powerful tool for modeling socioeconomic indicators; such as GDP and EPC.
Liposomal gel as Ocular Delivery System for Diclofenac sodium: In- Vitro and In-Vivo Studies

The aim of this work is to formulate topically effective controlled release ophthalmic liposomal gel for targeting diclofenac sodium to the eye in an attempt to heal the inflamed tissue of ocular ulcerative area. Large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) and multilamellar vesicles (MLVs) gel formulations composing of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and cholesterol (CH) in the molar ratios of (7:2; 7:4 and 7:7) with or without stearylamine (SA) or dicetylphosphate (DP) were prepared using reversed-phase evaporation and lipid film hydration methods respectively. The prepared liposomal systems were evaluated for their entrapment efficiency, morphological characters, physical stability, particle size and drug release rate . LUVs entrapped greater amount of drug than MLVs. Drug loading was increased by increasing CH content as well as by inclusion of SA into the lipid bilayer. Drug release rate showed an order of negatively > neutral > positively charged liposomes, which is the reverse of results of drug loading efficiency. Physical stability study indicated that 92.56%, 84.11%, 76.41% and 91.1%, 82.19% and 75.54% of diclofenac sodium was retained in positive, negative, and neutral MLVs and LUVs respectively after storing for 120 days at refrigeration temperature. The in vivo anti-inflammatory activity was evaluated using a thermal technique , results showed that the percentage of healed ulcers were 12.5%, 35%, 67.5%, 82.5%, 85%, 87.5% and 95% for negative control, positive control, 0.5% carbopol 934 gel, LUVs liposomes suspension, MLVs liposomes suspension, LUVs and MLVs gels, respectively. [Omaima A. Sammour, Mahmoud A. Mahdy, Hanan M. Elnahas and Ayman A.Mowafy. Liposomal gel as Ocular Delivery System for Diclofenac sodium: InVitro and In-Vivo Studies. J Am Sci 2012;8(10):104-111]. (ISSN: 1545-1003). http://www.jofamericanscience. org. 16
Sigma Models, Minimal Surfaces and Some Ricci Flat Pseudo Riemannian Geometries

: We consider the sigma models where the base metric is propor-tional to the metric of the conﬁguration space. We show that the corresponding sigma model equation admits a Lax pair. We also show that this type of sigma models in two dimensions are intimately related to the minimal surfaces in a ﬂat pseudo Riemannian 3-space. We deﬁne two dimensional surfaces conformally related to the minimal surfaces in ﬂat three dimensional geometries which enable us to give a construction of the metrics of some even dimensional Ricci ﬂat (pseudo-) Riemannian geometries.
On forecasting the term structure of credit spreads

Predictions of firm-by-firm term structures of credit spreads based on current spot and forward values can be improved upon by exploiting information contained in the shape of the credit-spread curve. However, the current credit-spread curve is not a sufficient statistic for predicting future credit spreads; the explanatory power can be increased further by exploiting information contained in the shape of the riskless-yield curve. In the presence of credit-spread and riskless factors, other macroeconomic, marketwide, and firm-specific risk variables do not significantly improve predictions of credit spreads. Current credit-spread and riskless-yield curves impound essentially all marketwide and firm-specific information necessary for predicting future credit spreads.
Design and Analysis of a 34 dBm Ka-Band GaN High Power Amplifier MMIC

This paper presents the design and analysis issues related to the use of recent GaN technologies for realizing high power millimeter wave MMICs. Two GaN Ka-band amplifier MMICs have been designed, fabricated and characterized. The small-signal and power measurement results are presented for both amplifiers, with an excellent output power of 34.1 dBm at 27 GHz for the 2-stage power amplifier MMIC. Both MMICs have a very good yield and performance, even more so in regard of the current state-of-the-art. The observed deviations between the original simulation and measurements have been explained by extensive use of 3D EM simulations of the coplanar passive structures
Incorporating Safety in Early System Architecture Trade Studies

Evaluating risk early in concept design in order to inform the early trade studies is difficult due to the lack of information available at that early stage. This paper describes the approach used to perform a preliminary risk evaluation to inform the trade studies MIT and the Draper Laboratory are doing as part of the Concept Evaluation and Refinement (CE&R) activities of the new NASA Space Exploration Initiative.
Dynamics of Niche Width and Resource Partitioning1

This article examines the effects of crowding in a market center on rates of change in organizational niche width and on organizational mortality. It proposes that, although firms with wide niches benefit from risk spreading and economies of scale, they are simultaneously exposed to intense competition. An analysis of organizational dynamics in automobile manufacturing firms in France, Germany, and Great Britain shows that competitive pressure not only increases the hazard of disbanding but also prompts organizational transformations that give rise to processes of resource partitioning. Emphasizing the content/process distinction in conceptualizing organizational change, the article finds that the process effect of changes in niche width and position increases mortality hazards. We discuss our findings in light of the processes investigated by the ecological theories of density dependence, resource partitioning, and structural inertia, and point to the theoretical links that help to integrate these theories.
Green Sustainability Using Radio Frequency Identification: Technology-Organization-Environment Perspective Using Two Case Studies

This qualitative case study seeks to understand and explain the deployment of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems in two countries (i.e., in Taiwan for the adoption of electric scooters and in Finland for supporting glass bottle recycling) using the “Technology-Organization-Environment” theoretical framework. This study also seeks to highlight the relevance and importance of pursuing environmental sustainability in firms and in society in general due to the social urgency of the issues involved. Keywords—Environmental sustainability, radio frequency identification, technology-organization-environment framework
Face hallucination revisited: A joint framework

The paper presents a joint framework for face hallucination incorporating face deblurring and registration. The joint framework not only directly hallucinates low resolution faces, but also deblurs and aligns low resolution faces iteratively to improve the performance of face hallucination. Without the need for accurate face registration and prior knowledge of blurring kernels, it is robust to errors in face registration and blurring kernel. Experimental results demonstrate the robust performance of the proposed method.
Regression of a glioblastoma multiforme: spontaneous versus a potential antineoplastic effect of dexamethasone and levetiracetam

Patients with grade IV astrocytoma or glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) have a median survival of <12 months, increased to 14.6 months by maximal safe resection with radiation and temozolamide. In the absence of chemotherapy, radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy, spontaneous regression of GBM or regression while only being on dexamethasone (DEX) and levetiracetam (LEV) have seldom been reported. Here, we present a case of a patient who had significant regression of the GBM with DEX and LEV alone. In this study, we hypothesise a plausible antineoplastic role of DEX and or LEV in GBM and highlight molecular, preclinical and clinical studies supporting this role.
NK cells promote transplant tolerance by killing donor antigen-presenting cells

Natural killer (NK) cells are programmed to kill target cells without prior antigen priming. Because of their potent cytolytic activities, NK cells are one of the key cell types involved in dismantling allografts. However, in certain transplant models, NK cells also express potent immunoregulatory properties that promote tolerance induction. The precise mechanism for such striking dichotomy remains unknown. In the present study, we showed in a skin transplant model that the skin allografts contain a subset of antigen-presenting cells (APCs) that can home to the recipient mice. We also showed that such graft-derived APCs are usually destroyed by the host NK cells. But in the absence of NK cells, donor APCs can survive and then migrate to the host lymphoid and extralymphoid sites where they directly stimulate the activation of alloreactive T cells. T cells activated in the absence of NK cells are more resistant to costimulatory blockade treatment, and under such conditions stable skin allograft survival is difficult to achieve. Our study identified a novel role for NK cells in regulating T cell priming in transplant models, and may have important clinical implications in tolerance induction.
A Still Modified Approach to PSO Using Crossover

— Many literatures show the various hybrid version of PSO and prove them efficient. There are a lot of claims in which different crossover operators have shown to perform better. In order to show the performance of hybrid algorithm, this paper throws light on the behaviour of proposed algorithm a modified approach to PSO with crossover operator. Crossover operator used in this experiment is uniform crossover operator. Here, a modified approach to PSO has been approached. A criteria to select the particles for crossover and not to just select them up randomly . So that we can systematically and efficiently calculate local maxima of the region along with the global maxima where all the particles of the search space have to be converged . Thus a merging of matrix algorithm and a crossover algorithm on which the matrix algorithm has been applied is done. Various benchmark functions have also been used to prove the efficiency of these functions.
Mathematical Ontology and a Software Tool for Semantic Retrieval of Exercise Problems

A huge number of entrance examination questions are accumulated in databases at various educational institutions and companies in education industry. These questions are valuable resources for teaching materials at schools. However, these resources are not accessible at the semantic level, that is, we can not retrieve right data by specifying concepts or teaching goals independent of the ways of presentation and terminology. Though such problems in various fields are successfully tackled by introducing ontology technologies, little is accomplished in the educational domain. In this paper, we introduce an example of ontology in the field of mathematics education and present a problem searching tool based on the ontology to prove the effectiveness of our semantic approach.
Banks & E−Commerce Network Security Threats and Best Policies in Practice

- This increase in e−commerce has driven the need to create an online payment system. Unfortunately, there are a lot of flaws and internet frauds. Cyber−criminals have benefited from on−line banking (OB). We try to predict how hacking tools might evolve. We briefly survey the state−of−the−art tools developed by black−hat hackers and conclude that they could be automated dramatically. To demonstrate the feasibility of our predictions and prove that many two−factor authentication schemes can be bypassed, we have analysed banking and modern payments system security. In this research we review different payment protocols and security methods that are being used to run banking systems. We survey some of the popular systems that are being used today, with a deeper focus on the chips, cards, NFC, authentication etc. In addition, we also discuss the weaknesses in the systems that can compromise the customer's trust.