Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CT attenuation correction for myocardial perfusion quantification using a PET/CT hybrid scanner.

UNLABELLED In routine PET, a 10- to 20-min transmission scan with a rotating (68)Ge source is commonly obtained for attenuation correction (AC). AC is time-consuming using this procedure and could considerably be shortened by instead using a rapid CT scan. Our aim was to evaluate the feasibility of CT AC in quantitative myocardial perfusion PET using a hybrid PET/CT scanner. METHODS (13)N-labeled NH(3) and PET were used to measure myocardial blood flow (MBF) (mL/min/g) at rest and during standard adenosine stress. In group 1 (n = 7), CT scans (0.5 s) of the heart area with different tube currents (10, 40, 80, and 120 mA) were compared with a standard (68)Ge transmission (20 min) and with no AC. In group 2 (n = 3), the repeatability of 8 consecutive CT scans at a tube current of 10 mA was assessed. In group 3 (n = 4), emission was preceded and followed by 3 CT scans (10 mA) and 1 (68)Ge scan for each patient. For reconstruction, filtered backprojection (FBP) was compared with iterative reconstruction (IT). RESULTS For group 1, no significant difference in mean MBF for resting and hyperemic scans was found when emission reconstructed with (68)Ge AC was compared with emission reconstructed with CT AC at any of the different tube currents. Only emission without any correction differed significantly from (68)Ge AC. For group 2, repeated measurements revealed a coefficient of variance ranging from 2% to 5% and from 2% to 6% at rest and at stress, respectively. For group 3, similar reproducibility coefficients (RC) for MBF were obtained when (68)Ge AC(FBP) was compared with (68)Ge AC(IT) (RC = 0.218) and when CT AC(FBP) was compared with CT AC(IT) (RC = 0.227). Even better reproducibility (lower RC) was found when (68)Ge AC(FBP) was compared with CT AC(FBP) (RC = 0.130) and when (68)Ge AC(IT) was compared with CT AC(IT) (RC = 0.146). CONCLUSION Our study shows that for the assessment of qualitative and quantitative MBF with a hybrid PET/CT scanner, the use of CT AC (with a tube current of 10 mA) instead of (68)Ge AC provides accurate results.
Security Games and Contagion (Extended Abstract)

Many real-world situations involve attempts to spread inuence through a social network. For example, viral marketing is when a marketer selects a few people to receive some initial advertisement in the hopes that these ‘seeds’ will spread the news. Even peacekeeping operations in one area have been shown to have a contagious eect on the neighboring vicinity. Each of these domains also features multiple parties seeking to maximize or mitigate a contagious eect
Socialinė politika ir filantropija Lietuvoje: teorinės interpretacijos ir empirinės įžvalgos

Teoriniu ir praktiniu aspektais straipsnyje analizuojamos dabartinės filantropijos Lietuvoje ypatybės, siekiant įvertinti, kaip jai įtaką daro valstybės socialinė politika. Svarstoma, koks gerovės valstybės modelis artimesnis pokomunistinei visuomenei. Remiantis empiriniais duomenimis, pristatomi Lietuvos visuomenės lūkesciai bei filantropijos veikėjų patirtis, atskleidžiami jų požiūriai į valstybės vaidmenį ir filantropijos vystymo galimybes Lietuvos socialinėje politikoje.
The Effect of School Experience in Developing Favorable Attitudes towards Democracy as the Best Political System: The Case of Recent High School Graduates in Peru

“Educational level” is recognized in the literature as a positive factor in developing democratic attitudes; however, the evidence seems to indicate that this is not the case in some countries of Latin America, such as Peru. In this article I propose to broaden the treatment of education as a dimension of analysis, seeking to evaluate quantitatively the effect of school experience on political socialization. Through three multiple regression models —starting from a survey of my own making— it is seen that the perception of having been exposed to participatory democratic mechanisms during school experience has a significant, positive impact on the readiness of recent secondary school graduates to consider democracy as the best political system.
Effects of diphenyl diselenide and diphenyl ditellurite on chicken embryo development

Abstract Studies of our group has demonstrated that (PhSe)2 plays some pharmacologic activities. In addition, it is possible that this compound would be an alternative source of organic selenium in animal foods. However, previous works showed that diphenyl diselenide (PhSe)2 and diphenyl ditelluride (PhTe)2 are toxic for mammals, but their undesirable effects were never tested in avian models. Then, the present study was carried to examine the possible teratogenic effects of (PhSe)2 and (PhTe)2 on chicken embryo development. The eggs were injected with (PhSe)2 at 0, 1 and 10 nmol or with (PhTe)2 at 4 nmol. The control was injected with 10 µl of soya bean oil (vehicle). In order to determine the possible toxic effect of these chemicals, we measure the embryo dimensions, the encephalon, heart and liver weight, thiobarturic acid reactive species (TBARS) level and the δ-aminonevulinate dehydratase (ALA-D) activity. (PhSe)2 and (PhTe)2 did not affect the embryo dimensions. Treatment with (PhSe)2 at 10 nmol per egg caused a increase on TBARS level and on ALA-D activity of the liver tissue, whereas (PhTe)2 decreased encephalon weight, had a tendency to increase to increase TBARS level but did not affect ALA-D activity. Taken together, these results indicate that (PhSe)2 and (PhTe)2 are slightly toxic for chicken embryos. Furthermore, (PhTe)2 caused a decrease in encephalon, which indicates its neurotoxicity. Finally, these results indicate that (PhTe)2 seems not be promissory for therapeutic applications, whereas (PhSe)2 could be of clinical and/or nutritional concern, which will be target for further researches.
Searching for p-modes in MOST Procyon data: another view

Context. Photometry of Procyon obtained by the MOST satellite in 2004 has been searched for p modes by several groups, with sometimes contradictory interpretations. Aims. We explore two possible factors that complicate the analysis and may lead to erroneous reports of p modes in these data. Methods. Two methods are used to illustrate the role of subtle instrumental effects in the photometry: time-frequency analysis, and a search for regularly spaced peaks in a Fourier spectrum based on the echelle diagramme approach. Results. We find no convincing evidence of a p-mode signal in the MOST Procyon data. We can account for an apparent excess of power close to the p-mode frequency range and signs of structure in an echelle diagramme in terms of instrumental effects.
Drusen proteome analysis: An approach to the etiology of age-related macular degeneration

Drusen are extracellular deposits that accumulate below the retinal pigment epithelium on Bruch's membrane and are risk factors for developing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The progression of AMD might be slowed or halted if the formation of drusen could be modulated. To work toward a molecular understanding of drusen formation, we have developed a method for isolating microgram quantities of drusen and Bruch's membrane for proteome analysis. Liquid chromatography tandem MS analyses of drusen preparations from 18 normal donors and five AMD donors identified 129 proteins. Immunocytochemical studies have thus far localized ≈16% of these proteins in drusen. Tissue metalloproteinase inhibitor 3, clusterin, vitronectin, and serum albumin were the most common proteins observed in normal donor drusen whereas crystallin was detected more frequently in AMD donor drusen. Up to 65% of the proteins identified were found in drusen from both AMD and normal donors. However, oxidative protein modifications were also observed, including apparent crosslinked species of tissue metalloproteinase inhibitor 3 and vitronectin, and carboxyethyl pyrrole protein adducts. Carboxyethyl pyrrole adducts are uniquely generated from the oxidation of docosahexaenoate-containing lipids. By Western analysis they were found to be more abundant in AMD than in normal Bruch's membrane and were found associated with drusen proteins. Carboxymethyl lysine, another oxidative modification, was also detected in drusen. These data strongly support the hypothesis that oxidative injury contributes to the pathogenesis of AMD and suggest that oxidative protein modifications may have a critical role in drusen formation.
Absence of gender effects on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: findings in nonreferred subjects.

OBJECTIVE In a previous study, the authors found that, compared with referred boys with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), girls are less likely to manifest comorbid disruptive behavior disorders and learning disabilities--characteristics that could adversely affect identification of ADHD in girls. However, because referral bias can affect outcome, these findings require replication in nonreferred groups of ADHD subjects. METHOD The authors evaluated gender effects in a large group of nonreferred siblings (N=577) of probands with ADHD and non-ADHD comparison subjects. Ninety-eight of the nonreferred siblings (N=73 males, N=25 females) met the criteria for diagnosis of ADHD, and 479 (N=244 males, N=235 females) did not meet those criteria. All siblings were systematically and comprehensively assessed with measures of emotional, school, intellectual, interpersonal, and family functioning. The assessment battery used for the siblings was the same as that used for the probands. RESULTS The nonreferred males and females with ADHD did not differ in DSM-IV subtypes of ADHD, psychiatric comorbidity, or treatment history. They also showed similar levels of cognitive, psychosocial, school, and family functioning. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that the clinical correlates of ADHD are not influenced by gender and that gender differences reported in groups of subjects seen in clinical settings may be caused by referral biases.
GBP-based detection and symmetric information rate for rectangular-grain TDMR model

Two dimensional magnetic recording (TDMR) is a new paradigm in data storage which envisions densities up to 10 Tb/in2 as a result of drastically reducing bit to grain ratio. In order to reach this goal aggressive write (shingled writing) and read process are used in TDMR. Kavcic et al. proposed a simple magnetic grain model called the granular tiling model which captures the essence of read/write process in TDMR. Capacity bounds for this model indicate that 0.6 user bit per grain densities are possible, however, previous attempt to reach capacities are not close to the channel capacity. In this paper, we provide a truly two-dimensional detection scheme for the granular tiling model based on generalized belief propagation (GBP). Factor graph interpretation of the detection problem is provided and formulated in this paper. Then, GBP is employed to compute marginal a posteriori probabilities for the constructed factor graph. Simulation results show huge improvements in detection. A lower bound on the symmetric information rate (SIR) is also derived for this model based on GBP detector.
Ethnicity, Class, Cognitive, and Motivational Styles: Research and Teaching Implications

The low academic achievement of some ethnic minority youths, such as Afro-Americans, Mexican Americans, and Puerto Rican Americans, is a major national problem that warrants urgent action at the local, state, and national levels. The problem is complex and difficult to diagnose because there is substantial disagreement among educational researchers, practitioners, and the lay community about what causes the wide discrepancies in the academic achievement of groups such as Blacks and mainstream White youths, and between Mexican American and Japanese American students. The writer has reviewed and discussed elsewhere the conflicting explanations and paradigms that have emerged since the civil rights movement of the 1960s to explain the low academic achievement of ethnic youths. '
A Survey on Story Generation Techniques for Authoring Computational Narratives

Computers are often used as tools to design, implement, and even visualize a variety of narrative forms. Many researchers and artists are now further attempting to engage the computer actively throughout the development of the narrative itself. Any form of computational narrative authoring is at some level always mixed-initiative , meaning that the processing capabilities of the computer are utilized with a varying degree to automate certain features of the authoring process. We structure this survey by focusing on two key components of stories, plot and space, and more specifically the degree to which these are either automated by the computer or authored manually. By examining the successes of existing research, we identify potential new research directions in the field of computational narrative. We also identify the advantages of developing a standard model of narrative to allow for collaboration between plot and space automation techniques. This would likely benefit the field of automated space generation with the strengths in the field of automated plot generation.
A surface descriptor of surface matching base on normal angle of surface data

—Three dimensional surface matching is an important problem in computer vision. The process of surface matching is to match similar regions or correspondences across multiple surfaces with unknown relative poses. Many surface descriptors for finding correspondences have been proposed. However, most of these approaches have been used in triangle mesh surfaces. In this paper, a local surface descriptor constituting moving least square (MLS) surface representation, differential angle calculation, and Zernike moments is proposed to find correspondences in unconstraint point set surfaces. The MLS projection is applied to generate a differential angle map described the geometric information. Then, Zernike moments are used to provide surface descriptors with rotation invariant. In addition, a congruent consistency method is proposed to find the reliable correspondences. To conclude, the experimental results show that the approach outperforms the original spin image method [2], and has slightly better performance than a modified spin image method presented in this paper. Moreover, the proposed approach has good matching performance both in terms of matching surface by using variety of descriptor size or matching surface among different resolutions.
Analysis of T Cell Stimulation by Superantigen Plus Major Histocompatibility Complex Class II Molecules or by CD 3 Monoclonal Antibody : Costimulation by Purified Adhesion Ligands VCAM-1 , ICAM-1 , but Not ELAM-1 By Gijs

From the *Experimental Immunology Branch, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892; the IDepartments of Endothelial Cell Biology and Molecular Biology, Otsuka America Pharmaceutical, Inc, Rockville, Maryland 20850; the SDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109; the IILaboratory of Parasitic Diseases, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious D~'seases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892; and the 82 Corporation, La jolla, California 92037
Searching visual instances with topology checking and context modeling

Instance Search (INS) is a realistic problem initiated by TRECVID, which is to retrieve all occurrences of the querying object, location, or person from a large video collection. It is a fundamental problem with many applications, and also a challenging problem different from the traditional concept or near-duplicate (ND) search, since the relevancy is defined at instance level. True responses could exhibit various visual variations, such as being small on the image with different background, or showing a non-homography spatial configuration. Based on the Bag-of-Words model, we propose two techniques tailored for Instance Search. Specifically, we explore the use of (1) an elastic spatial topology checking technique based on Delaunay Triangulation (DT), and (2) a practical background context modeling method by simulating the "stare" behavior of human eyes. With DT, we improve the quality of visual matching by accumulating evidence from local topology-preserving patches, significantly boosting the ranks of topology consistent results. On the other hand, we increase the information quantity for visual matching with the "stare" model, such that instances appearing in both similar and different background can be highly ranked as results. The proposed techniques are evaluated on the INS datasets of TRECVID, achieving large performance gain with small computation overhead, compared with several existing methods.
An ensemble of classification method for anomalous propagation echo detection with clustering based subset selection method

There are several types of non-precipitation echoes which appear in radar images and disrupt weather forecasting process. An anomalous propagation echo is one of unwanted observation result and has fairly similar characteristics compared with precipitation echoes like rain echo or snow echo. It is occurred by either super-refraction or ducting of radar beam because of temperature and humidity, or other complicated atmospheric conditions. Considering that the anomalous propagation echo makes the weather forecasting process hard, it should be removed from radar data. There are several ongoing researches about distinguishing the anomalous propagation echo from observed radar data. In this paper, we suggest an ensemble classification method based on artificial neural network and partition method using clustering. The method allows to implement an efficient classification method when a feature space has complicated distributions by separating input data into atomic and non-atomic data using a clustering method. Then each derived cluster will get its own base classifier using an artificial neural network which has a good performance in classification and applied various practical fields. By comparing the suggested method to a traditional artificial neural network classifier, it is confirmed that the suggested method can derive better performance than the traditional one.
Dynamic Resource Allocation for Database Servers Running on Virtual Storage

We introduce a novel multi-resource allocator to dynamically allocate resources for database servers running on virtual storage. Multi-resource allocation involves proportioning the database and storage server caches, and the storage bandwidth between applications according to overall performance goals. The problem is challenging due to the interplay between different resources, e.g., changing any cache quota affects the access pattern at the cache/disk levels below it in the storage hierarchy. We use a combination of on-line modeling and sampling to arrive at near-optimal configurations within minutes. The key idea is to incorporate access tracking and known resource dependencies e.g., due to cache replacement policies, into our performance model. In our experimental evaluation, we use both microbenchmarks and the industry standard benchmarks TPC-W and TPC-C. We show that our multi-resource allocation approach improves application performance by up to factors of 2.9 and 2.4 compared to state-of-the-art single-resource controllers, and their ad-hoc combination, respectively.
Design of Fuzzy Control System for Tank Liquid Level Based on WinCC and Matlab

In the industrial control area, WinCC is widely applied in industrial production process of real-time monitoring control and has become one of the important configuration software. But it is still unable to realize complex control algorithm with shortage of programming language. While Mat lab can deal with large amounts of data with high efficiency with its toolbox and Simulink simulation environment, complex control algorithm can be realized through the research on the model and simulation of the control system. Thus, in this paper, they are combined organically under the background of level control of the tank, and a real-time fuzzy control scheme based on OPC communication technology is put forward. Finally intelligent control of the tank level is realized and its effectiveness is verified as well.
Application of the Service Brand Preference Model in the Tradeshow Industry

Abstract Tradeshows have been one of the crown jewels of a company’s marketing mix. Benefits of participating in tradeshows are well known to do marketing and many tips and benefits for branding the exhibiting companies at the tradeshows are expected. However, there are limited resources of branding the tradeshow itself from the organizer’s perspective. The purpose of this study is to examine the applicable brand preference model in the tradeshow industry and to identify the most effective and powerful items to measure brand preference. However, due to the tradeshow industry’s unique characteristics and the dissimilarities of service and tradeshow industries, the service brand preference model was not applicable to the tradeshow industry. The results of this study will be helpful for not only the tradeshow organizers to formulate more effective brand strategy, but it also gives a foundation for future studies regarding tradeshow branding.
Anti-inflammatory roles of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor in human alveolar macrophages

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) is a ligand-activated transcriptional factor belonging to the nuclear receptor superfamily. PPARγ, which is predominantly expressed in adipose tissue, plays a major regulatory role in glucose metabolism and adipogenesis. Interestingly, recent studies have demonstrated PPARγ expression in monocytes/macrophages and its anti-inflammatory activities. However, it is unclear whether alveolar macrophages (AMs) express functional PPARγ. The present study was conducted to investigate the expression of PPARγ by AMs and to elucidate its functional role. Using RT-PCR and western blotting, we demonstrated the strong expression of PPARs mRNA and protein in freshly isolated human AMs. Ligands of PPARγ, 15-deoxy-∆ 12,14 prostaglandin J 2 (15d-PGJ 2) and troglitazone, significantly decreased LPS-induced TNF-α production by AMs. These ligands markedly upregulated the expression of CD36, a scavenger receptor that mediates the phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils. Indeed, ligand-treated AMs ingested a significantly higher number of apoptotic neutrophils than untreated AMs. These data indicate that PPARγ expressed by AMs play an anti-inflammatory role through inhibiting cytokine production and increasing their CD36 expression together with the enhanced phagocytosis of apoptotic neutrophils, which is an essential process for the resolution of inflammation. This suggests the potential therapeutic application of PPARγ ligands in inflammatory disorders of the lung.