Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultrafast Myocardial Principal Strain Ultrasound Elastography During Stress Tests: In Vitro Validation and In Vivo Feasibility

Objective myocardial contractility assessment during stress tests aims to improve the diagnosis of myocardial ischemia. Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) or optical flow (OF) speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) has been used to quantify myocardial contractility at rest. However, this is more challenging during stress tests due to image decorrelation at high heart rates. Moreover, stress tests imply a high frame rate which leads to a limited lateral field of view. Therefore, a large lateral field-of-view robust ultrafast myocardial regularized OF-TDI principal strain estimator has been developed for high-frame-rate echocardiography of coherently compounded transmitted diverging waves. The feasibility and accuracy of the proposed estimator were validated in vitro (using sonomicrometry as the gold standard) and in vivo stress experiments. Compared with OF strain imaging, the proposed estimator improved the accuracy of principal major and minor strains during stress tests, with an average contrast-to-noise ratio improvement of 4.4 ± 2.7 dB (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${p}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-value < 0.01). Moreover, there was a significant correlation and a very close agreement between the proposed estimator and sonomicrometry for tested heart rates between 60 and 180 beats per minute (bpm). The averages ± standard deviations (STD) of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${R}^{{2}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and biases ± STD between them were 0.96 ± 0.04 (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${p}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-value < 0.01) and 0.01 ± 0.03% in the axial direction, respectively; and 0.94 ± 0.02 (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${p}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-value < 0.01) and 0.04 ± 0.06% in the lateral direction, respectively. These results suggest that the proposed estimator could be useful clinically to provide an accurate and quantitative 2-D large lateral field-of-view myocardial strain assessment at high heart rates during stress echocardiography.
Improving Classification of Tetanus Severity for Patients in Low-Middle Income Countries Wearing ECG Sensors by Using a CNN-Transformer Network

Tetanus is a life-threatening infectious disease, which is still common in low- and middle-income countries, including in Vietnam. This disease is characterized by muscle spasm and in severe cases is complicated by autonomic dysfunction. Ideally continuous vital sign monitoring using bedside monitors allows the prompt detection of the onset of autonomic nervous system dysfunction or avoiding rapid deterioration. Detection can be improved using heart rate variability analysis from ECG signals. Recently, characteristic ECG and heart rate variability features have been shown to be of value in classifying tetanus severity. However, conventional manual analysis of ECG is time-consuming. The traditional convolutional neural network (CNN) has limitations in extracting the global context information, due to its fixed-sized kernel filters. In this work, we propose a novel hybrid CNN-Transformer model to automatically classify tetanus severity using tetanus monitoring from low-cost wearable sensors. This model can capture the local features from the CNN and the global features from the Transformer. The time series imaging - spectrogram - is transformed from one-dimensional ECG signal and input to the proposed model. The CNN-Transformer model outperforms state-of-the-art methods in tetanus classification, achieves results with a F1 score of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathbf {0.82\pm 0.03}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, precision of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathbf {0.94\pm 0.03}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, recall of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathbf {0.73\pm 0.07}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, specificity of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathbf {0.97\pm 0.02}$</tex-math></inline-formula>, accuracy of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathbf {0.88\pm 0.01}$</tex-math></inline-formula> and AUC of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mathbf {0.85\pm 0.03}$</tex-math></inline-formula>. In addition, we found that Random Forest with enough manually selected features can be comparable with the proposed CNN-Transformer model.
A Multi-Beam Radio Transient Detector With Real-Time De-Dispersion Over a Wide DM Range

Isolated, short dispersed pulses of radio emission of unknown origin have been reported and there is strong interest in wide-field, sensitive searches for such events. To achieve high sensitivity, large collecting area is needed and dispersion due to the interstellar medium should be removed. To survey a large part of the sky in reasonable time, a telescope that forms multiple simultaneous beams is desirable. We have developed a novel FPGA-based transient search engine that is suitable for these circumstances. It accepts short-integration-time spectral power measurements from each beam of the telescope, performs incoherent de-dispersion simultaneously for each of a wide range of dispersion measure (DM) values, and automatically searches the de-dispersed time series for pulse-like events. If the telescope provides buffering of the raw voltage samples of each beam, then our system can provide trigger signals to allow data in those buffers to be saved when a tentative detection occurs; this can be done with a latency of tens of ms, and only the buffers for beams with detections need to be saved. In one version of our implementation, intended for the ASKAP array of 36 antennas (currently under construction in Australia), 36 beams are simultaneously de-dispersed for 448 different DMs with an integration time of 1.0 ms. In the absence of such a multi-beam telescope, we have built a second version that handles up to 6 beams at 0.1 ms integration time and 512 DMs. We have deployed and tested this at a 34-m antenna of the Deep Space Network in Goldstone, California. A third version that processes up to 6 beams at an integration time of 2.0 ms and 1,024 DMs has been built and deployed at the Murchison Widefield Array telescope.
Vaccination efficacy in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Abstract Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a disorder of mature malignant B cells with multiple elements of immune dysfunction. Infections are common in CLL patients due to complex immunodeficiency. Vaccines are used as preventative measures for common diseases including influenza, pneumococcus, tetanus/diphtheria and shingles in the general population. Vaccines are utilized to mitigate this risk, although there have been some concerns regarding the efficacy of vaccines in the CLL population due to the inherent complex immune dysfunction associated with the disease. In this review, we describe the clinical and laboratory indicators for efficacy of the vaccines in the CLL population (including COVID-19, influenza, pneumonia, herpes zoster, and tetanus) and discuss immunization recommendations for patients with CLL.
Cytosolic phosphoglucose isomerase is essential for microsporogenesis and embryogenesis in Arabidopsis

Abstract Phosphoglucose isomerase (PGI) catalyzes the interconversion of fructose-6-phosphate and glucose-6-phosphate, which impacts cell carbon metabolic flow. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) contains two nuclear PGI genes respectively encoding plastidial PGI1 and cytosolic PGI (cPGI). The loss of PGI1 impairs the conversion of F6P of the Calvin–Benson cycle to G6P for the synthesis of transitory starch in leaf chloroplasts. Since cpgi knockout mutants have not yet been obtained, they are thought to be lethal. The cpgi lethality can be rescued by expressing CaMV 35S promoter (p35S)-driven cPGI; however, the complemented line is completely sterile due to pollen degeneration. Here, we generated a cpgi mutant expressing p35S::cPGI-YFP in which YFP fluorescence in developing anthers was undetectable specifically in the tapetum and in pollen, which could be associated with male sterility. We also generated RNAi-cPGI knockdown lines with strong cPGI repression in floral buds that exhibited reduced male fertility due to the degeneration of most pollen. Histological analyses indicated that the synthesis of intersporal callose walls was impaired, causing microsporocytes to fail to separate haploid daughter nuclei to form tetrads, which might be responsible for subsequent pollen degeneration. We successfully isolated cpgi knockout mutants in the progeny of a heterozygous cpgi mutant floral-dipped with sugar solutions. The rescued cpgi mutants exhibited diminished young vegetative growth, reduced female fertility, and impaired intersporal callose wall formation in a meiocyte, and, thus, male sterility. Collectively, our data suggest that cPGI plays a vital role in carbohydrate partitioning, which is indispensable for microsporogenesis and early embryogenesis.
Free-standing monolithic LiNbO3 photonic crystal slabs

In this work, we demonstrate a monolithic approach to fabricate free-standing LiNbO3 photonic crystal (PhC) slabs. Ion implantation is first applied to form a buried lattice-damage layer at a specified depth in bulk LiNbO3. Photonic crystal slabs are then made with FIB milling followed by wet etching. A high etching rate of 100 nm/min for the implanted layer has been obtained. A vertical PhC profile has been achieved because the bottoms of the milled cones were truncated by an air gap, with a measured slope angle of the hole sidewalls at 89°. Numerical simulation and free-space illumination measurements of the reflectance spectrum over a broadband wavelength were performed to analyse the properties of various PhC slabs. The free-standing LiNbO3 structures make them easily incorporated into MEMS and show potential applications for tunable optical filters, sensors, and quantum optics applications where high quality, single crystal LiNbO3 is needed.
Healthcare interventions to aid patient self‐management of lower limb wounds: A systematic scoping review

Chronic lower limb wounds can be described as having the inability to progress through stages of wound healing. Although 80% of lower limb wounds develop as a result of venous insufficiency, other causes include arterial disease and diabetes. In addition to the sustained impact on quality of life, the chronicity of lower limb wounds presents a significant financial burden to healthcare systems. Self‐management is a fundamental aspect of the long‐term management of chronic illness and its relevance has intensified since the start of the global pandemic. The objective of this systematic scoping review was to define what the self‐management of a lower limb wound entails and explore the interventions available to support patients to self‐manage. A total of seven articles were evaluated. There was limited consensus regarding the definition and components of self‐management in this area. Interventions involved patients participating in additional exercise, wound care, and lifestyle behaviours such as limb elevation and skin care. Only two studies applied theory and only one evaluated participant acceptability of interventions, making it difficult to assess the feasibility of implementation. Although the evidence reviewed provides some insight into the self‐management of a lower limb wound, theoretically‐guided research is needed in this area.
Depersonalization Disorder: Directed Forgetting as a Function of Emotionality

ABSTRACT There exists some evidence for a link between dissociation and emotionally avoidant information processing, yet studies to date have been contradictory. Our goal was to investigate emotionally avoidant processing in Depersonalization Disorder (DDD) using a directed forgetting (DF) paradigm. Thirty-two participants with DSM-IV DDD and 40 healthy controls performed an item-method DF task using positive, negative, and neutral words. Participants were also administered the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). The DDD group demonstrated significantly lower directed forgetting for negative, but not positive or neutral, words compared to controls. In the combined sample, DES total, depersonalization/derealization, and amnesia scores significantly inversely predicted explicit cued recall for to-be-forgotten negative words (higher dissociation, lower forgetting), while the CTQ was not predictive. The findings do not support emotionally avoidant processing in this paradigm; rather, DDD may be characterized by a diminished capacity to actively control attention and direct it away from emotionally disturbing material when instructed to do so.
The place of the Sun among the Sun-like stars

Context. Monitoring of the photometric and chromospheric HK emission data series of stars similar to the Sun in age and average activity level showed that there is an empirical correlation between the average stellar chromospheric activity level and the photometric variability. In general, more active stars show larger photometric variability. Interestingly, the measurements and reconstructions of the solar irradiance show that the Sun is significantly less variable than indicated by the empirical relationship. Aims. We aim to identify possible reasons for the Sun to be currently outside of this relationship. Methods. We employed different scenarios of solar HK emission and irradiance variability and compared them with available time series of Sun-like stars. Results. We show that the position of the Sun on the diagram of photometric variability versus chromospheric activity changes with time. The present solar position is different from its temporal mean position as the satellite era of continuous solar irradiance measurements has accidentally coincided with a period of unusually high and stable solar activity. Our analysis suggests that although present solar variability is significantly smaller than indicated by the stellar data, the temporal mean solar variability might be in agreement with the stellar data. We propose that the continuation of the photometric program and its expansion to a larger stellar sample will ultimately allow us to constrain the historical solar variability.
High NH2D/NH3 ratios in protostellar cores

Observations of low mass protostars which probe small enough size scales to be within likely CO depletion regions show the highest [NH 2 D]/[NH 3 ] ratios yet measured, of 4-33%. These molecular D/H ratios are higher than those measured on larger scales, showing that deuterium fractionation increases towards protostellar cores. As in cold clouds, such high ratios can be produced by gas-phase ion-molecule chemistry in the presence of depletion. Grain surface chemistry is less likely to explain the deuterium enhancement, as it would require higher fractionation in ices than current models predict. The link between accretion, depletion and high molecular deuterium fractionation is strongly supported.
INVESTIGATING THE CONDITIONS OF THE FORMATION OF A TYPE II RADIO BURST ON 2014 JANUARY 8

It is believed that type II radio bursts are generated by shock waves. In order to understand the generation conditions of type II radio bursts, we analyze the physical parameters of a shock front. The type II radio burst we selected was observed by the Siberian Solar Radio Telescope (SSRT) and Learmonth radio station and was associated with a limb coronal mass ejection (CME) occurring on 2014 January 8 observed by the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The evolution of the CME in the inner corona presents a double-layered structure that propagates outward. We fit the outer layer (OL) of the structure with a partial circle and divide it into seven directions from −45° to 45° with an angular separation of 15°. We measure the OL speed along the seven directions and find that the speed in the direction of −15° with respect to the central direction is the fastest. We use the differential emission measure method to calculate the physical parameters at the OL at the moment when the type II radio burst was initiated, including the temperature (T), emission measure (EM), temperature ratio ( ), compression ratio (X), and Alfvén Mach number (MA). We compare the quantities X and MA to those obtained from band-splitting in the radio spectrum, and find that this type II radio burst is generated at a small region of the OL that is located at the sector in the 45° direction. The results suggest that the generation of type II radio bursts (shocks) requires larger values of X and MA rather than simply a higher speed of the disturbance.
Semi-Supervised Adversarial Learning for Improving the Diagnosis of Pulmonary Nodules

Achieving the pathological type diagnosis of pulmonary nodules on chest CT is a critical step in the early detection of lung cancer and treatment of patients. Based on a small and unbalanced self-constructed dataset, we achieved intelligent diagnosis of five pathological types including adenocarcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, small cell carcinoma, inflammatory and other benign diseases for the first time. In order to reduce the dependence of deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) on a large amount of training data, a reverse adversarial classification network (RACN) was proposed based on semi-supervised learning, which consists of a reverse generative adversarial network (RGAN) for unsupervised regression and a supervised classification network (CN). In RGAN, five specific normal distributions P with different means and variances were assigned to represent the five pathological types, and then a special regression task was designed by mapping pulmonary nodules to the random sampling Z of P. The input of generator in RGAN is set to 3D nodule volume data, the inputs of discriminator are set to Z and the output of generator. The regression task enables RGAN to extract specific features, which will be deeply integrate into CN to improve the classification performance. Experiments showed that the average sensitivity of RACN in detecting malignant nodules was 0.6525, where the sensitivity of adenocarcinoma, small cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma was 0.8426, 0.5604 and 0.5543. Besides, the RACN can achieve 93.21% accuracy for diagnosing malignant nodules on the public LIDC-IDRI dataset, obtaining the state-of-the-art results.
Neurochemical correlates of synapse density in a Huntington's disease mouse model

Striatal medium spiny neurons are highly susceptible in Huntington's disease (HD), resulting in progressive synaptic perturbations that lead to neuronal dysfunction and death. Non‐invasive imaging techniques, such as proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H‐MRS), are used in HD mouse models and patients with HD to monitor neurochemical changes associated with neuronal health. However, the association between brain neurochemical alterations and synaptic dysregulation remains unknown, limiting our ability to monitor potential treatments that may affect synapse function. We conducted in vivo longitudinal 1H‐MRS in the striatum followed by ex vivo analyses of excitatory synapse density of two synaptic circuits disrupted in HD, thalamo‐striatal (T‐S), and cortico‐striatal (C‐S) pathways, to assess the relationship between neurochemical alterations and changes in synapse density. We used the zQ175(Tg/0) HD mouse model as well as zQ175 mice lacking one allele of CK2α’(zQ175(Tg/0):CK2α’(+/−)), a kinase previously shown to regulate synapse function in HD. Longitudinal analyses of excitatory synapse density showed early and sustained reduction in T‐S synapses in zQ175 mice, preceding C‐S synapse depletion, which was rescued in zQ175:CK2α’(+/−). Changes in T‐S and C‐S synapses were accompanied by progressive alterations in numerous neurochemicals between WT and HD mice. Linear regression analyses showed C‐S synapse number positively correlated with 1H‐MRS‐measured levels of GABA, while T‐S synapse number positively correlated with levels of phosphoethanolamine and negatively correlated with total creatine levels. These associations suggest that these neurochemical concentrations measured by 1H‐MRS may facilitate monitoring circuit‐specific synaptic dysfunction in the zQ175 mouse model and in other HD pre‐clinical studies.
Diffusion and bulk flow of amino acids mediate calcium waves in plants

In plants, a variety of stimuli trigger long-range calcium signals that travel rapidly along the vasculature to distal tissues via poorly understood mechanisms. Here, we use quantitative imaging and analysis to demonstrate that traveling calcium waves are mediated by diffusion and bulk flow of amino acid chemical messengers. We propose that wounding triggers release of amino acids that diffuse locally through the apoplast, activating the calcium-permeable channel GLUTAMATE RECEPTOR-LIKE 3.3 as they pass. Over long distances through the vasculature, the wound-triggered dynamics of a fluorescent tracer show that calcium waves are likely driven by bulk flow of a channel-activating chemical. We observed that multiple stimuli trigger calcium waves with similar dynamics, but calcium waves alone cannot initiate all systemic defense responses, suggesting that mobile chemical messengers are a core component of complex systemic signaling in plants.
Angles and Daemons: Spin Correlations at the LHC

The Large Hadron Collider has recently started collecting data, opening a new energy regime. This will allow us to probe further than ever before many of the current mysteries of the field. New physics beyond the Standard Model, the field's current paradigm, could manifest itself via new particles. In addition, the Higgs boson, hypothesized as a consequence of electroweak symmetry breaking, remains undiscovered. At the time of discovery, the properties of such particles will be unknown. In order to understand the nature of any new physics, it will be important to understand the properties of that new particle. Methods are presented for measuring its spin, parity and coupling to the Standard Model particles. These methods are implemented at the Compact Muon Solenoid experiment and an analysis is presented with the data collected during 2010 and 2011 running at the Large Hadron Collider. An application of these techniques is used to make a measurement of the weak mixing angle. A current status of the search for the Higgs boson is also presented.