Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motion coherent image registration and demons: practical handling of deformation boundaries

Much effort has gone into the understanding of regularization in ill-posed problems in computer vision. Yuille and Grzywacz were among the first to propose use of the Gaussian Tikhonov regularizer for image registration, illustrating the ideal properties of this regularizer for preserving motion coherence. Nielsen et al.4 later described the intricate connection between the Gaussian Tikhonov regularizer and scale space theory; this work provided the basis with which Pennec et al.8 detailed the theoretical underpinnings of the Thirion's Demons algorithm for deformable image registration. The Demons algorithm iteratively computes a force vector field to drive the deformation in the appropriate direction, and then smooths the force vector field by Gaussian convolution in order to update the deformation. The Gaussian convolution step, which can be performed in the Fourier domain or via recursive filters, explicitly incorporates motion-coherent regularization into the registration algorithm. However, these procedures do not allow for ideal treatment of the deformation at the image boundaries. Resolution in the Fourier domain forces the choice of periodic boundary conditions which do not mimic physical behavior. Recursive filters force the user to decide how to extrapolate image data, and they may yield deformations that are not endomorphic. In this article, we illustrate how to remove these limitations and define computationally efficient algorithms for motion-coherent registration under a wide variety of boundary conditions that enable endomorphic deformations and/or physically realistic behavior. The resulting algorithms enable a new degree of user control over the behavior of Demons-style motion coherent registration algorithms.
Association of glycoprotein B and immediate early-1 genotypes with human leukocyte antigen alleles in renal transplant recipients with cytomegalovirus infection

Background. Numerous risk factors for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection or disease, or both, such as serostatus of donor and recipient, immunosuppressive regimen, or intensity of viral load, have been identified in renal transplant recipients. Additional parameters may be involved, notably, genetic variability of both host and virus, which could modulate the efficacy of the immune response. Methods. Active CMV infection was analyzed retrospectively in 634 renal transplant recipients, according to human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-A, HLA-B, and HLA-DR alleles; CMV serostatus; presentation of the disease; and variations in the coding sequences of glycoprotein (g) B and IE1 proteins. Results. Active infection occurred in 141 of 634 patients: seropositivity of the donor and the recipient were identified as risk factors. Patients carrying the HLA-A11, HLA-A32, or HLA-DR11 allele developed active infection more frequently, whereas none of the patients with the HLA-B16 or HLA-B55 allele was actively infected. Significant independent associations between some genotypes and particular HLA alleles were observed: gB1 was more frequent in the HLA-A24 or HLA-B7 context and underrepresented in patients with HLA-DR11; gB2 was more frequent in HLA-A32 or HLA-DR11 carriers; and an increased frequency of gB3 was observed in the HLA-A29 context. Considering the IE1-2 genotype, increased frequency was noted for HLA-A3 carriers, whereas this type was underrepresented for patients with the HLA-DR11 allele. Conclusion. Data strongly suggest that differential presentation of polymorphic gB or IE peptides by HLA molecules or differential recognition by host CD8+ and CD4+ T lymphocytes, or both, should modulate immunologic response and then CMV pathogenesis in renal transplant patients.
The state of PPOs: results from a national survey.

Prologue: In the Spring 1985 issue, Health Affairs published an essay authored by Jon Gabel and Dan Ermann which reported that only 1.3 million Americans were eligible to use preferred provider organizations (PPOs) and that these plans placed only limited emphasis on utilization review. Gabel and Ermann concluded their rather pessimistic assessment of PPOs, which was based on a synthesis of more than 200 articles and interviews with twenty plan administrators, by saying that PPOs “play a more prominent role in health care policy debates than in the delivery of health care. ” In this essay, based on information gathered less than one year later in detailed interviews with PPO executives, the authors report a striking change in the status of such plans nationally. The number of operating PPOs has increased, their enrollment has risen dramatically, they are placing far more emphasis on utilization review as a management instrument, and the media is devoting more space to the development of alternative deliver.
Arabidopsis SHR and SCR transcription factors and AUX1 auxin influx carrier control the switch between adventitious rooting and xylogenesis in planta and in in vitro cultured thin cell layers

Background and Aims Adventitious roots (ARs) are essential for vegetative propagation. The Arabidopsis thaliana transcription factors SHORT ROOT (SHR) and SCARECROW (SCR) affect primary/lateral root development, but their involvement in AR formation is uncertain. LAX3 and AUX1 auxin influx carriers contribute to primary/lateral root development. LAX3 expression is regulated by SHR, and LAX3 contributes to AR tip auxin maximum. In contrast, AUX1 involvement in AR development is unknown. Xylogenesis is induced by auxin plus cytokinin as is AR formation, but the genes involved are largely unknown. Stem thin cell layers (TCLs) form ARs and undergo xylogenesis under the same auxin plus cytokinin input. The aim of this research was to investigate SHR, SCR, AUX1 and LAX3 involvement in AR formation and xylogenesis in intact hypocotyls and stem TCLs in arabidopsis. Methods Hypocotyls of scr-1, shr-1, lax3, aux1-21 and lax3/aux1-21 Arabidopsis thaliana null mutant seedlings grown with or without auxin plus cytokinin were examined histologically, as were stem TCLs cultured with auxin plus cytokinin. SCR and AUX1 expression was monitored using pSCR::GFP and AUX1::GUS lines, and LAX3 expression and auxin localization during xylogenesis were monitored by using LAX3::GUS and DR5::GUS lines. Key Results AR formation was inhibited in all mutants, except lax3. SCR was expressed in pericycle anticlinally derived AR-forming cells of intact hypocotyls, and in cell clumps forming AR meristemoids of TCLs. The apex was anomalous in shr and scr ARs. In all mutant hypocotyls, the pericycle divided periclinally to produce xylogenesis. Xylary element maturation was favoured by auxin plus cytokinin in shr and aux1-21. Xylogenesis was enhanced in TCLs, and in aux1-21 and shr in particular. AUX1 was expressed before LAX3, i.e. in the early derivatives leading to either ARs or xylogenesis. Conclusions AR formation and xylogenesis are developmental programmes that are inversely related, but they involve fine-tuning by the same proteins, namely SHR, SCR and AUX1. Pericycle activity is central for the equilibrium between xylary development and AR formation in the hypocotyl, with a role for AUX1 in switching between, and balancing of, the two developmental programmes.
Parallel Deblocking Filtering in MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 on Massively Parallel Architectures

The deblocking filter in the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 standard is computationally complex because of its high content adaptivity, resulting in a significant number of data dependencies. These data dependencies interfere with parallel filtering of multiple macroblocks (MBs) on massively parallel architectures. In this letter, we introduce a novel MB partitioning scheme for concurrent deblocking in the MPEG-4 AVC/H.264 standard, based on our idea of deblocking filter independency, a corrected version of the limited error propagation effect proposed in the letter. Our proposed scheme enables concurrent MB deblocking of luma samples with limited synchronization effort, independently of slice configuration, and is compliant with the MPEG-4 H.264/AVC standard. We implemented the method on the massively parallel architecture of the graphics processing unit (GPU). Experimental results show that our GPU implementation achieves faster-than real-time deblocking at 1309 frames per second for 1080p video pictures. Both software-based deblocking filters and state-of-the-art GPU-enabled algorithms are outperformed in terms of speed by factors up to 10.2 and 19.5, respectively, for 1080p video pictures.
Order and Report Schema Translation in WISE-SBML Server

The Coalition Battle Management Language (C-BML) as currently implemented requires that interoperating Command and Control (C2) and Simulation systems implement an interface to a Web service, using a clearly defined schema, to propagate Orders and Reports to participating systems. Continuing progress of C-BML, both in NATO MSG-085 and in the SISO standards process, has produced a situation where various clients have implemented different generations of schemata, which, while semantically equivalent or nearly so, cannot interoperate directly because of schema mismatch. Retrofitting these clients would be a drain on scarce resources.
2016 Ieee International Conference on Big Data (big Data) Expenditure Aware Rating Prediction for Recommendation

—The rating score prediction is widely studied in recommender system, which predicts the rating scores of users on items through making use of the user-item interaction information. Besides the rating information between users and items, lots of additional information have been employed to promote recommendations, such as social relation and geographic location. Expenditure information on each transaction between users and items is widely available on e-commerce websites, often appearing next to the rating information, while there is seldom study on the correlation between expenditures and rating scores. In this paper, we first study their correlations in real data sets and propose the expenditure aware rating prediction problem. From the data sets crawled from a well-known social media platform Dianping in China, we find some insightful correlations between expenditures and rating scores: 1) transactions or experiences with higher expenditures usually lead to higher rating scores; 2) when the real expenditures are higher than users' normal spending behavior, the users usually give higher scores; and 3) there are multiple grades of expenditure behaviors. Based on these three observations, we propose an Expenditure Aware Rating Prediction method (EARP), based on low-rank matrix factorization, to effectively incorporate the expenditure information. Extensive experiments on five real data sets show that EARP not only always outperforms other state-of-the-art baselines but also discovers the latent characteristics of users and businesses.
Leucoderma associated with flares of erythrodermic cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas: four cases

We describe four patients with erythrodermic cutaneous T‐cell lymphomas (two with erythrodermic mycosis fungoides, and two with Sézary syndrome) who presented with extensive hypopigmented lesions that occurred during flares of their cutaneous disease. These cases must be distinguished from previously described hypopigmented mycosis fungoides where hypopigmented lesions were the sole manifestation of the lymphoma. In two cases a biopsy was performed on hypopigmented skin, showing an infiltrate of atypical lymphocytes with epidermotropism and absence of melanocytes, as in vitiligo. It is suggested that the hypopigmentation could be due to the cytotoxicity of tumour or reactional lymphocytes directed against melanocytes.
Needs of People With Dementia in Long-Term Care

With the aging of the population and the projected increase of dementia in the coming years, it is crucial that we understand the needs of people with dementia (PWD) in order to provide appropriate care. The aim of this study is to determine, using the best evidence possible, the care needs of PWD living in long-term care (LTC). A total of 68 studies, published between January 2000 and September 2010, were identified from six databases. From the selected studies, 19 needs of PWD were identified. The existing evidence suggests that psychosocial needs such as the need to engage in daily individualized activities and care must not be ignored in LTC. This review aims to provide a clearer picture of the needs of this growing patient population.
The Norwegian General Practice (NORGEP) criteria for assessing potentially inappropriate prescriptions to elderly patients

Objective. To establish a clinically relevant list with explicit criteria for pharmacologically inappropriate prescriptions in general practice for elderly people ≥70 years. Design. A three-round Delphi process for validating the clinical relevance of suggested criteria (n = 37) for inappropriate prescriptions to elderly patients. Setting. A postal consensus process undertaken by a panel of specialists in general practice, clinical pharmacology, and geriatrics. Main outcome measures. The Norwegian General Practice (NORGEP) criteria, a relevance-validated list of drugs, drug dosages, and drug combinations to be avoided in the elderly (≤70 years) patients. Results. Of the 140 invited panellists, 57 accepted to participate and 47 completed all three rounds of the Delphi process. The panellists reached consensus that 36 of the 37 suggested criteria were clinically relevant for general practice. Relevance of three of the criteria was rated significantly higher in Round 3 than in Round 1. At the end of the Delphi process, a significant difference between the different specialist groups’ scores was seen for only one of the 36 criteria. Conclusion. The NORGEP criteria may serve as rules of thumb for general practitioners (GPs) related to their prescribing practice for elderly patients, and as a tool for evaluating the quality of GPs’ prescribing in settings where access to clinical information for individual patients is limited, e.g. in prescription databases and quality improvement interventions.
Long-Term Quantitative Biodistribution and Side Effects of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs) Engraftment in NOD/SCID Mice following Irradiation

There is little information on the fate of infused mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) and long-term side effects after irradiation exposure. We addressed these questions using human MSCs (hMSCs) intravenously infused to nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient (NOD/SCID) mice submitted to total body irradiation (TBI) or local irradiation (abdominal or leg irradiation). The animals were sacrificed 3 to 120 days after irradiation and the quantitative and spatial distribution of hMSCs were studied by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Following their infusion into nonirradiated animals, hMSCs homed to various tissues. Engraftment depended on the dose of irradiation and the area exposed. Total body irradiation induced an increased hMSC engraftment level compared to nonirradiated mice, while local irradiations increased hMSC engraftment locally in the area of irradiation. Long-term engraftment of systemically administered hMSCs in NOD/SCID mice increased significantly in response to tissue injuries produced by local or total body irradiation until 2 weeks then slowly decreased depending on organs and the configuration of irradiation. In all cases, no tissue abnormality or abnormal hMSCs proliferation was observed at 120 days after irradiation. This work supports the safe and efficient use of MSCs by injection as an alternative approach in the short- and long-term treatment of severe complications after radiotherapy for patients refractory to conventional treatments.
Frozen shoulder

Frozen shoulder is a disabling and sometimes severely painful condition that is commonly managed in the primary care setting. True frozen shoulder has a protracted natural history that usually ends in resolution. In this article we consider how to diagnose frozen shoulder and how to distinguish it from other painful shoulder conditions. We also look at the current aetiological theories and the effectiveness of conservative and operative management. We reviewed the current literature on this topic and discussed papers of historical interest with consultants in our department. We have also made reference to key papers cited in Clinical Evidence (www.clinicalevidence. com).
Distribution of the mutated delta 32 allele of CCR5 co-receptor gene in Iranian population

Background: The CCR5 is a chemokine receptor that serves as a co-receptor for HIV-1 attachment and entry to T lymphocytes. A 32bp deletion (∆32) in this gene is believed to be associated with resistance to infection and delay disease progression. The aim of this study was to determine the∆32 allele frequency in healthy individuals and HIV-infected individuals with AIDS. Methods: In this experiment, 530 normal individuals from healthy Iranian population and 40 HIV-infected samples from Western Clinic of Tehran were examined for∆32 in CCR5 gene using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques followed by agarose gel electrophoresis. Results: Allele frequencies of the CCR5∆32 in normal individuals were calculated to be 1.1% for heterozygous genotype and 0.19% for homozygous genotype. None of the co-receptor gene in HIV cases was found to be mutated in this study. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study and the literature in Iran, we could conclude that Iranian people similar to neighbor countries such as Arabs are susceptible to HIV virus infection.
Impact of UV Irradiation on Thermally Grown 4H-SiC MOS Devices

The impact of ultraviolet (UV) light irradiation on thermally grown SiO2/4H-SiC structures was investigated by characterizing the 4H-SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors fabricated with and without UV irradiation onto the oxide layers. The UV irradiation was found to significantly increase a hysteresis in capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics and cause a positive flatband voltage (VFB) shift, suggesting the generation of oxide charges and traps. Since the values of C-V hysteresis and VFB shift depend on the UV irradiation time, the electrical defects were considered to be induced during UV irradiation. In contrast, UV irradiation caused no marked change for the reference Si-MOS capacitors, indicating that the generation of UV-induced electrical defects was an intrinsic property of thermally grown SiO2/SiC structures. A detailed characterization of SiC-MOS capacitors with terraced SiO2 layers revealed that the UV-induced defects were located near the SiO2/SiC interface. The interfacial fixed charge density (QOX) was estimated to be 1.7×1012 cm-2 for the sample with UV irradiation, while that of the sample without UV irradiation was 1.0×1012 cm-2. Also, a slight increase was found in interface state density (Dit) due to UV irradiation. These results imply that the UV-induced defect generation correlates with residual carbon impurities at the SiO2/SiC interface.
Partitioning Tracer Tests as a Remediation Metric: Case Study at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek,

The partitioning tracer test (PTT) is a characterization tool that can be used to quantify the porespace saturation (S N ) and spatial distribution of dense nonaqueous phase liquids (DNAPLs) in the subsurface. Because the method essentially eliminates data interpolation errors by directly measuring a relatively large subsurface volume, it offers significant promise as a remediation metric for DNAPL-zone remediation efforts. This article presents, in detail, the design and results of field PTTs conducted before and after a DNAPL-zone treatment at the Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Virginia Beach, Virginia. The results from different tracers yield a relatively large range in S N estimates, indicating notable uncertainty and presenting significant challenges for meaningful interpretation. Several potential interpretation methods are presented, resulting in an estimated DNAPL removal range of 15 to 109 L. While this range is large, it is consistent with the DNAPL removal (~30 L) determined from analysis of effluent concentration measurements collected during the remediation efforts. At this site, the initial and final S N values are low, and the relatively inconsistent performance of the various tracers indicates that these levels are near the lower practical quantification limit for these PTTs; however, the effective lower quantification limit for these tests is unknown. Generally, an understanding of lower quantification limits is particularly important for interpretation of post-remediation PTTs because S N values are likely to be low (due to remediation efforts) and the S N estimated from the PTT may be used to predict long-term dissolved plume behavior and assess associated environmental risk. Partitioning tracer test quantification limits are test-specific, as they are dependent on a variety of factors including analytical uncertainty, tracer breakthrough characteristics, and tracer data integration techniques. The results of this case study indicate that methods for estimating lower quantification limits for field PTTs require further development. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Expression of cytochrome P450 in rat pleural mesothelial cells in secondary cultures

Cultured rat pleural mesothelial cells (RPMC) isolated from male Sprague‐Dawley rats have been shown to metabolize polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons to more oxygenated metabolites. This capacity, which is maintained with passages, suggested the presence of monooxygenase enzymes. In order to clarify the enzymatic pathway, we investigated the expression of cytochromes P450 (CYP) in cultured RPMC by Western and Northern blot analyses. Cells were cultured in Ham's F10 medium supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. The CYP expression was studied from passage 9 to 16 on different cell strains treated for 48 hours with P450 inducers. CYP1A1 apoprotein expression was very low in untreated cells, but was markedly induced after treatment with 1 μM 3‐methylcholanthrene or 22 μM β‐naphthoflavone. CYP1A1 mRNA was not detected in untreated cells and appeared after 3‐methylcholanthrene treatment. CYP2E1 apoprotein was constitutively expressed in cultured RPMC, and markedly increased by 170 mM ethanol, and 0.1 μM or 1 μM dexamethasone treatments. Unexpectedly, whereas the amount CYP2E1 mRNA was not modified by ethanol treatment, dexamethasone has a marked inductive effect on CYP2E1 mRNA level. The CYP expression pattern was found similar in RPMC issued from different rats, and not dependent on passage number. The CYP expression and the detection of NADPH‐P450 reductase, and of epoxide hydrolase, ascertained that RPMC contain the overall enzymatic pathway required for the biotransformation and activation of procarcinogen compounds, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and nitrosamines. Both expression and regulation properties are maintained in long‐term cultures of RPMC. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Supporting the Mobile In-situ Authoring of Locative Media in Rural Places: Design and Expert Evaluation of the SMAT app

Providing users with carefully authored Locative media experiences which can be consumed via their GPS equipped smartphones or tablets has significant potential for fostering a strong engagement with their current surroundings. However, the availability of mobile tools to support the authoring of locative media experiences in-situ, and by non-technical users, remains scarce. In this article we present the design and field-trial expert evaluation of a mobile app developed under the SHARC project Investigating Technology Support for the Shared Curation of Local History in a Rural Community. The app is named SMAT SHARC Mobile Authoring Tool and supports the authoring of Locative Media experiences with a focus on the creation of POIs Points of Interest and associated geo-fences which trigger the pushed delivery of media items such as photos, audio clips, etc. One important requirement of SMAT is the ability to support authoring in places where connectivity is intermittent or unavailable, e.g. many rural areas.