Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FUSQA: Fetal Ultrasound Segmentation Quality Assessment

Deep learning models have been effective for various fetal ultrasound segmentation tasks. However, generalization to new unseen data has raised questions about their effectiveness for clinical adoption. Normally, a transition to new unseen data requires time-consuming and costly quality assurance processes to validate the segmentation performance post-transition. Segmentation quality assessment efforts have focused on natural images, where the problem has been typically formulated as a dice score regression task. In this paper, we propose a simplified Fetal Ultrasound Segmentation Quality Assessment (FUSQA) model to tackle the segmentation quality assessment when no masks exist to compare with. We formulate the segmentation quality assessment process as an automated classification task to distinguish between good and poor-quality segmentation masks for more accurate gestational age estimation. We validate the performance of our proposed approach on two datasets we collect from two hospitals using different ultrasound machines. We compare different architectures, with our best-performing architecture achieving over 90% classification accuracy on distinguishing between good and poor-quality segmentation masks from an unseen dataset. Additionally, there was only a 1.45-day difference between the gestational age reported by doctors and estimated based on CRL measurements using well-segmented masks. On the other hand, this difference increased and reached up to 7.73 days when we calculated CRL from the poorly segmented masks. As a result, AI-based approaches can potentially aid fetal ultrasound segmentation quality assessment and might detect poor segmentation in real-time screening in the future.
A fault-tolerant variational quantum algorithm with limited T-depth

We propose a variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) algorithm that uses a fault-tolerant (FT) gate-set, and is hence suitable for implementation on a future error-corrected quantum computer. VQE quantum circuits are typically designed for near-term, noisy quantum devices and have continuously parameterized rotation gates as the central building block. On the other hand, an FT quantum computer (FTQC) can only implement a discrete set of logical gates, such as the so-called Clifford+T gates. We show that the energy minimization of VQE can be performed with such an FT discrete gate-set, where we use the Ross–Selinger algorithm to transpile the continuous rotation gates to the error-correctable Clifford+T gate-set. We find that there is no loss of convergence when compared to the one of parameterized circuits if an adaptive accuracy of the transpilation is used in the VQE optimization. State preparation with VQE requires only a moderate number of T-gates, depending on the system size and transpilation accuracy. We demonstrate these properties on emulators for two prototypical spin models with up to 16 qubits. This is a promising result for the integration of VQE and more generally variational algorithms in the emerging FT setting, where they can form building blocks of the general quantum algorithms that will become accessible in an FTQC.
Ultralimits of Wasserstein spaces and metric measure spaces with Ricci curvature bounded from below

We investigate the stability of the Wasserstein distance, a metric structure on the space of probability measures arising from the theory of optimal transport, under metric ultralimits. We first show that if $(X_{i},d_{i})_{i\in\mathbb{N}}$ is a sequence of metric spaces with metric ultralimit $(\hat{X},\hat{d})$, then the p-Wasserstein space $(\mathcal{P}_{p}(\hat{X}),W_{p})$ embeds isometrically in a canonical fashion into the metric ultralimit of the sequence of p-Wasserstein spaces $(\mathcal{P}_{p}(X_{i}),W_{p})$. Second, using a notion of ultralimit of metric measure spaces modeled on the one introduced by Elek, we use the machinery of ultralimits of Wasserstein spaces to prove that an ultralimit of CD(K,$\infty$) spaces is a CD(K,$\infty$) space. This provides a new proof that the CD(K,$\infty$) property is stable under pointed measured Gromov convergence. Along the way, we establish some basic results on how the Loeb measure construction interacts with Wasserstein distances as well as integral functionals, which may be of independent interest.
Randomized Block-Coordinate Optimistic Gradient Algorithms for Root-Finding Problems

In this paper, we develop two new randomized block-coordinate optimistic gradient algorithms to approximate a solution of nonlinear equations in large-scale settings, which are called root-finding problems. Our first algorithm is non-accelerated with constant stepsizes, and achieves $\mathcal{O}(1/k)$ best-iterate convergence rate on $\mathbb{E}[ \Vert Gx^k\Vert^2]$ when the underlying operator $G$ is Lipschitz continuous and satisfies a weak Minty solution condition, where $\mathbb{E}[\cdot]$ is the expectation and $k$ is the iteration counter. Our second method is a new accelerated randomized block-coordinate optimistic gradient algorithm. We establish both $\mathcal{O}(1/k^2)$ and $o(1/k^2)$ last-iterate convergence rates on both $\mathbb{E}[ \Vert Gx^k\Vert^2]$ and $\mathbb{E}[ \Vert x^{k+1} - x^{k}\Vert^2]$ for this algorithm under the co-coerciveness of $G$. In addition, we prove that the iterate sequence $\{x^k\}$ converges to a solution almost surely, and $\Vert Gx^k\Vert^2$ attains a $o(1/k)$ almost sure convergence rate. Then, we apply our methods to a class of large-scale finite-sum inclusions, which covers prominent applications in machine learning, statistical learning, and network optimization, especially in federated learning. We obtain two new federated learning-type algorithms and their convergence rate guarantees for solving this problem class.
High-dimensional Inference and FDR Control for Simulated Markov Random Fields

Identifying important features linked to a response variable is a fundamental task in various scientific domains. This article explores statistical inference for simulated Markov random fields in high-dimensional settings. We introduce a methodology based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo Maximum Likelihood Estimation (MCMC-MLE) with Elastic-net regularization. Under mild conditions on the MCMC method, our penalized MCMC-MLE method achieves $\ell_{1}$-consistency. We propose a decorrelated score test, establishing both its asymptotic normality and that of a one-step estimator, along with the associated confidence interval. Furthermore, we construct two false discovery rate control procedures via the asymptotic behaviors for both p-values and e-values. Comprehensive numerical simulations confirm the theoretical validity of the proposed methods.
Human-in-the-Loop Mixup

Aligning model representations to humans has been found to improve robustness and generalization. However, such methods often focus on standard observational data. Synthetic data is proliferating and powering many advances in machine learning; yet, it is not always clear whether synthetic labels are perceptually aligned to humans -- rendering it likely model representations are not human aligned. We focus on the synthetic data used in mixup: a powerful regularizer shown to improve model robustness, generalization, and calibration. We design a comprehensive series of elicitation interfaces, which we release as HILL MixE Suite, and recruit 159 participants to provide perceptual judgments along with their uncertainties, over mixup examples. We find that human perceptions do not consistently align with the labels traditionally used for synthetic points, and begin to demonstrate the applicability of these findings to potentially increase the reliability of downstream models, particularly when incorporating human uncertainty. We release all elicited judgments in a new data hub we call H-Mix.
Finite spectrum assignment problem for systems with delays

In this paper linear systems with delays in state and/or control variables are considered. The objective is to design a feedback law which yields a finite spectrum of the closed-loop system, located at an arbitrarily preassigned set of n points in the complex plane. It is shown that in case of systems with delays in control only the problem is solvable if and only if some function space controllability criterion is met. The solution is then easily obtainable by standard spectrum assignment methods, while the resulting feedback law involves integrals over the past control. In case of delays in state variables it is shown that a technique based on the finite Laplace transform, related to a recent work on function space controllability, leads to a constructive design procedure. The resulting feedback consists of proportional and (finite interval) integral terms over present and past values of state variables. Some indications on how to combine these results in case of systems including both state and control delays are given. Sensitivity of the design to parameter variations is briefly analyzed.
23 years of Crab pulsar rotational history

Between glitches, the rotational slowdown of the Crab pulsar is well described by a power law with braking index 2.51±0.01. Six glitches occurred during the period from 1969 to 1993; the largest, in 1989, occurred while observations were in progress and was observed in unprecedented detail. The discontinuous changes in rotation at each glitch include components whose effect decays over periods of between 1 and about 200 d; the main effect, however, is an increase of slowdown rate at the time of each glitch. This increase is persistent and cumulative, contributing an overall increase of 0.07 per cent in the slowdown rate over the 23 years. The two largest glitches, in 1975 and 1989, were very similar in form
The Gas-to-Dust Relation in the Dark Cloud L1523—Observational Evidence for CO Gas Depletion

Correlation between gas and dust column density has been studied for the dark globule L1523. The 13CO(J=1→0) emission is used for tracing the gas, and the IR emissions, for tracing the dust constituent. In order to match the beam resolution between the images, a beam de-convolution algorithm based on the Maximum Correlation Method (MCM) was applied on the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) data. The morphology of 13CO column density map shows a close correlation to that of 100 μm dust optical depth. The distribution of the optical depth at 100 μm follows that of gas column density more closely than does the flux map at either 60 or 100 μm. The ratio of the 13CO column density to the 100 μm optical depth shows a decreasing trend with increasing dust optical depth in the central part, indicating possible molecular gas condensation onto dust particles. The excessive decrease in the CO column density in the envelope may most probably be due to the photo-dissociation of CO molecules.
Sensitive detection of single-nucleotide polymorphisms by conjugated polymers for personalized treatment of hypertension

Genetic variants among individuals have been associated with ineffective control of hypertension. Previous work has shown that hypertension has a polygenic nature, and interactions between these loci have been associated with variations in drug response. Rapid detection of multiple genetic loci with high sensitivity and specificity is needed for the effective implementation of personalized medicine for the treatment of hypertension. Here, we used a cationic conjugated polymer (CCP)–based multistep fluorescence resonance energy transfer (MS-FRET) technique to qualitatively analyze DNA genotypes associated with hypertension in the Chinese population. Assessment of 10 genetic loci using this technique successfully identified known hypertensive risk alleles in a retrospective study of whole-blood samples from 150 patients hospitalized with hypertension. We then applied our detection method in a prospective clinical trial of 100 patients with essential hypertension and found that personalized treatment of patients with hypertension based on results from the MS-FRET technique could effectively improve blood pressure control rate (94.0% versus 54.0%) and shorten the time duration to controlling blood pressure (4.06 ± 2.10 versus 5.82 ± 1.84 days) as compared with conventional treatment. These results suggest that CCP-based MS-FRET genetic variant detection may assist clinicians in rapid and accurate classification of risk in patients with hypertension and improve treatment outcomes. Description A polychromatic fluorescent technique detects SNPs associated with hypertension to guide treatment in patients. SNPing out hypertension Essential hypertension has multiple genetic risk factors that can affect both its incidence and response to treatment. Here, Shen and colleagues developed a simple, high-throughput fluorescent assay for detection of two different single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in a single reaction. They applied this method in a prospective study to screen for variants at a total of 10 loci associated with hypertension and guide medication use based on drug class-associated risks. Patients treated according to this precision medicine approach had improved blood pressure control over a 7-day period compared with those treated using standard guidelines. These results suggest that this assay should be further studied and may be useful in resource-limited settings. —AW
Simultaneous control of infection and inflammation with keratin-derived antibacterial peptides targeting TLRs and co-receptors

Controlling infection-driven inflammation is a major clinical dilemma because of limited therapeutic options and possible adverse effects on microbial clearance. Compounding this difficulty is the continued emergence of drug-resistant bacteria, where experimental strategies aiming to augment inflammatory responses for enhanced microbial killing are not applicable treatment options for infections of vulnerable organs. As with corneal infections, severe or prolonged inflammation jeopardizes corneal transparency, leading to devastating vision loss. We hypothesized that keratin 6a–derived antimicrobial peptides (KAMPs) may be a two-pronged remedy capable of tackling bacterial infection and inflammation at once. We used murine peritoneal neutrophils and macrophages, together with an in vivo model of sterile corneal inflammation, to find that nontoxic and prohealing KAMPs with natural 10– and 18–amino acid sequences suppressed lipoteichoic acid (LTA)– and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)–induced NFκB and IRF3 activation, proinflammatory cytokine production, and phagocyte recruitment independently of their bactericidal function. Mechanistically, KAMPs not only competed with bacterial ligands for cell surface Toll-like receptor (TLR) and co-receptors (MD2, CD14, and TLR2) but also reduced cell surface availability of TLR2 and TLR4 through promotion of receptor endocytosis. Topical KAMP treatment effectively alleviated experimental bacterial keratitis, as evidenced by substantial reductions of corneal opacification, inflammatory cell infiltration, and bacterial burden. These findings reveal the TLR-targeting activities of KAMPs and demonstrate their therapeutic potential as a multifunctional drug for managing infectious inflammatory disease. Description Bifunctional keratin peptides deliver a one-two punch to alleviate inflammation and infection and avoid functional damage in corneal tissue. Combating corneal infections Infection-driven corneal inflammation can result in scarring that leads to impaired vision, making effective treatment a top priority in the face of growing antibiotic resistance. Sun et al. show that antimicrobial peptides derived from the human protein keratin 6a reduce inflammatory cell infiltration while still lowering infection burden in corneal tissues. Therapeutic administration of the anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial peptides in eyedrops improved bacterial clearance and cornea transparency in bacterial keratitis mouse models established with either Pseudomonas aeruginosa or Staphylococcus aureus, suggesting potential for clinical translation. —CAC
Cytoplasmic isoleucyl tRNA synthetase as an attractive multistage antimalarial drug target

Development of antimalarial compounds into clinical candidates remains costly and arduous without detailed knowledge of the target. As resistance increases and treatment options at various stages of disease are limited, it is critical to identify multistage drug targets that are readily interrogated in biochemical assays. Whole-genome sequencing of 18 parasite clones evolved using thienopyrimidine compounds with submicromolar, rapid-killing, pan–life cycle antiparasitic activity showed that all had acquired mutations in the P. falciparum cytoplasmic isoleucyl tRNA synthetase (cIRS). Engineering two of the mutations into drug-naïve parasites recapitulated the resistance phenotype, and parasites with conditional knockdowns of cIRS became hypersensitive to two thienopyrimidines. Purified recombinant P. vivax cIRS inhibition, cross-resistance, and biochemical assays indicated a noncompetitive, allosteric binding site that is distinct from that of known cIRS inhibitors mupirocin and reveromycin A. Our data show that Plasmodium cIRS is an important chemically and genetically validated target for next-generation medicines for malaria. Description Evolved resistant clones and biochemical assays identify and validate Plasmodium falciparum cIRS as a promising target. Antimalarial angle The development of antimalarial compounds that target multiple stages of the Plasmodium falciparum life cycle remains a critical goal, especially in light of growing resistance to existing drugs. Istvan et al. exposed P. falciparum to thienopyrimidine compounds and observed rapid pan-life cycle parasite killing. Whole genome sequencing of parasite clones identified two mutations in the P. falciparum cytoplasmic isoleucyl tRNA synthetase (cIRS) associated with resistance to thienopyrimidines, and genetically modified parasites engineered with these mutations also showed resistance. Further analysis confirmed that cIRS inhibition by thienopyrimidine compounds is mediated by targeting a non-competitive allosteric binding site and functions differently than other known cIRS inhibitors. Together these findings highlight Plasmodium cIRS as a critical target for developing pan-life stage antimalarial compounds. —CF
Subsurface hydrogenated amorphous silicon to μc‐hydrogenated silicon transformation during magnetron sputter deposition determined by spectroscopic ellipsometry

We use in situ spectroscopic ellipsometry to analyze the microstructure of the μc‐Si:H/a‐Si:H interface deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering of a Si target in (Ar+H2). We increase the hydrogen pressure to promote μc‐Si:H formation and observe several effects. Initially, H penetrates ∼45 A into the a‐Si:H substrate and increases its hydrogen content. Then ∼55 A of hydrogen‐rich a‐Si:H deposits. Finally, μc‐Si:H nucleates on top of this ∼100 A thick, high H‐content a‐Si:H interface layer. As μc‐Si:H grows, the thickness of the amorphous interface layer decreases by ∼40 A; the void fraction in the μc‐Si:H layer is always ≤15 vol %, ruling out the possibility that the a‐Si:H is etched away. These results suggest that a‐Si:H can be transformed into μc‐Si:H in a subsurface region under appropriate conditions.
Oxidation Products from the Neolignan Licarin A by Biomimetic Reactions and Assessment of in vivo Acute Toxicity

Abstract Licarin A, a dihydrobenzofuranic neolignan presents in several medicinal plants and seeds of nutmeg, exhibits strong activity against protozoans responsible for Chagas disease and leishmaniasis. From biomimetic reactions by metalloporphyrin and Jacobsen catalysts, seven products were determined: four isomeric products yielded by epoxidation from licarin A, besides a new product yielded by a vicinal diol, a benzylic aldehyde, and an unsaturated aldehyde in the structure of the licarin A. The incubation with rat and human liver microsomes partially reproduced the biomimetic reactions by the production of the same epoxidized product of m/z 343 [M + H] + . In vivo acute toxicity assays of licarin A suggested liver toxicity based on biomarker enzymatic changes. However, microscopic analysis of tissues sections did not show any tissue damage as indicative of toxicity after 14 days of exposure. New metabolic pathways of the licarin A were identified after in vitro biomimetic oxidation reaction and in vitro metabolism by rat or human liver microsomes.
B/A Measurement for Liquid Media Using an LN Transducer with Inverted-Domain Layer

A system to measure the acoustic nonlinearity parameter B/A for a liquid medium utilizing a high-frequency focusing Gaussian source has been developed. The 19 MHz sound source employing a LiNbO3 (LN) plate with a ferroelectric inversion layer can emit and receive double frequency sound of 38 MHz. An LN plate with a twisted star-shape electrode is attached to a synthetic silica lens whose radius is much larger than the aperture size and thickness to generate a focused Gaussian beam. Linear properties such as the density, sound speed and attenuation coefficient are determined through a comparison of the pressure amplitude reflected from the solid surface located at the focal plane and the reflector distance to maximize the signal amplitude with those for the case in which the medium is replaced by distilled water. Furthermore, the ratio of the second harmonic amplitude in a sound returned from the reflector set at the focal plane and that in the case of distilled water yields the B/A value through a calculation containing the linear property obtained in advance. The measured result for the linear property and the B/A value of various alcohol samples shows a reasonable agreement with the literature values.
Influence of resonances on pion spectra and interferometry volume in relativistic heavy ion collisions

The transverse spectra and interferometry volume of thermal pions in A+A collisions were estimated basing on the chemically frozen hydrodynamic evolution that incorporates the decays of resonances at the freeze-out stage. We found that the resonance decays could increase significantly the pion interferometry volume, while the pion spectra slopes are not affected much by the decays in the region up to transverse momentum 1 GeV. We also notice that in such a model the resonance contributions reduce the ratio of outward to sideward interferometry radii.