Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BASIL: A toolbox for perfusion quantification using arterial spin labelling

Abstract Arterial Spin Labelling (ASL) MRI is now an established non-invasive method to quantify cerebral blood flow and is increasingly being used in a variety of neuroimaging applications. With standard ASL acquisition protocols widely available, there is a growing interest in advanced options that offer added quantitative precision and information about haemodynamics beyond perfusion. In this article, we introduce the BASIL toolbox, a research tool for the analysis of ASL data included within the FMRIB Software Library (FSL), and explain its operation in a variety of typical use cases. BASIL is not offered as a clinical tool, and nor is this work intended to guide the clinical application of ASL. Built around a Bayesian model-based inference algorithm, the toolbox is designed to quantify perfusion and other haemodynamic measures, such as arterial transit times, from a variety of possible ASL input data, particularly exploiting the information available in more advanced multi-delay acquisitions. At its simplest, the BASIL toolbox offers a graphical user interface that provides the analysis options needed by most users; through command line tools, it offers more bespoke options for users needing customised analyses. As part of FSL, the toolbox exploits a range of complementary neuroimaging analysis tools so that ASL data can be easily integrated into neuroimaging studies and used alongside other modalities.
QUANTIFYING COORDINATION IN KINEMATIC DATA: A RUNNING EXAMPLE

To compare methods of quantifying coordination, one healthy male participant was filmed in three dimensions at 120 Hz whilst running at 3.8 m/s. The knee and hip angles and angular velocities of the left stride, normalised to 100 data points, were analysed using continuous relative phase (CRP) and cross correlations (CC). The phase planes were normalised to -1 and +1, and the component phase angles (I) for each segment calculated with the range O°< I <180°. CC indicated a strong linear relationship between the knee and hip with a lag of 19% of the stride time in the hip data (r =0.85). The relationship was linear and non-linear at different phases, which may warrant a separate analysis of phases of running to identify coordination. CRP of one trial did not provide any meaningful indication of coordination, but the variability of CRP over several trials may provide an alternative indication of stability of coordination.
Design and Validation of Structural Causal Model: A Focus on EGRA Dataset

Designing and validating structural causal model (SCM) correctness from a dataset whose background knowledge is obtained from a research process is not a common phenomenon. Studies have shown that in many critical areas, such as healthcare and education, researchers develop models from direct acyclic graphs (DAG), a component of an SCM, without testing them. This phenomenon is worrisome and is bound to cast a shadow on the inference estimates that may arise from such models. In this study, we have designed a novel application-based SCM for the first time using the background knowledge obtained from the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) program called the Strengthen Education in Northeast Nigeria (SENSE-EGRA), which is an educational intervention program of the American University of Nigeria (AUN), Yola, on the letter identification subtask. This project was sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). We employed the conditional independence test (CIT) criteria for the validation of the SCM’s correctness, and the results show a near-perfect SCM.
Machine Learning for Healthcare Radars: Recent Progresses in Human Vital Sign Measurement and Activity Recognition

The unprecedented non-contact, non-invasive, and privacy-preserving nature of radar sensors has enabled various healthcare applications, including vital sign monitoring, fall detection, gait analysis, activity recognition, fitness evaluation, and sleep monitoring. Machine learning (ML) is revolutionizing every domain, with radar-based healthcare being no exception. Progress in the field of healthcare radars and ML is complementing the existing radar-based healthcare industry. This article provides an overview of ML usage for two major healthcare applications: vital sign monitoring and activity recognition. Vital sign monitoring is the most promising healthcare application of radar, as it can predict several chronic cardiac and respiratory diseases. Activity recognition is also a prominent application since the inability to perform activities may result in critical suffering. The article presents an overview of commercial radars, radar hardware, and historical progress of healthcare radars, followed by the usage of ML for healthcare radars. Subsequently, the paper discusses how ML can overcome the limitations of conventional radar data processing chains for healthcare radars. The article also touches upon recent generative ML concepts used in healthcare radars. Among several interesting findings, it was discovered that ML does not completely replace existing vital sign monitoring algorithms; rather, ML is deployed to overcome the limitations of traditional algorithms. On the other hand, activity recognition always relies on ML approaches. The most widely used algorithms for both applications are Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) followed by Support Vector Machine (SVM). Generative AI has the capability to augment data and is expected to have a significant impact soon. Recent trends, lessons learned from these trends, and future directions for both healthcare applications are presented in detail. Finally, the future work section discusses a wide range of healthcare topics for humans, ranging from neonates to elderly individuals.
LSTM-based digital twin prediction model for engine life

As the key link to realize the function drive of mechanical equipment and its control system, the engine needs to have good operation and fault diagnosis and maintenance capability. Based on digital twin technology and long and short term memory recurrent neural network, the article proposes an engine fatigue monitoring method and life prediction model. The method uses digital twin technology to establish an engine control system simulation model to obtain the engine state parameters and fatigue value life related data set according to the engine composition structure and working principle; the obtained data set is trained by LSTM neural network to determine the engine life prediction model, and the real-time data of DT model is used as the test data set of LSTM network to complete the testing work, so as to achieve the prediction of the remaining engine life results. Finally, we select the Turbofan Engine Degradation dataset and compare and analyze the prediction results of BP and RNN networks through simulation results to prove the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Spatio-temporal variability of phytoplankton community species composition, biomass and primary productivity of Lake Bosomtwe (Ghana)

A thesis Submitted to the Department of Theoretical and Applied Biology Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Biological Science Faculty of Biosciences, College of Science, January, 2010
Effects of crop load on fruit water relations and fruit growth in peach

SummaryMany studies have reported the effect of crop load on leaf water relations of fruit trees but none have dealt with the effect of crop load on water relations of the fruit and how such an effect might influence fruit growth. This is of interest because it could improve our understanding of the relationship between crop load and fruit size. In this study, we measured fruit water potential, fruit osmotic potential, fruit turgor potential and fruit growth, and leaf water potential and leaf conductance on nine-year-old ‘Yanco Queen’ peach ‘Prunus persica (L) Batsch’ trees carrying different levels of crop load. The trees were trained on Tatura trellis and had been either left unthinned (heavy crop load: 450 fruit per tree in 1986 and 560 fruit per tree in 1987) or were thinned (light crop load: 310 fruit per tree). Trees carrying the heavy crop load had lower fruit water potential and higher fruit osmotic potential, and consequently lower fruit turgor potential compared with trees carrying a light crop .
Gait and dynamic pedobarographic analyses in hallux rigidus patients treated with Keller’s arthroplasty, arthrodesis or cheilectomy 22 years after surgery

Background Keller’s arthroplasty, arthrodesis and cheilectomy are well-known surgical interventions for hallux rigidus. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of these surgical interventions on gait, plantar pressure distribution and clinical outcome in patients treated for hallux rigidus 22 years after surgery. Methods Spatio-temporal gait parameters and plantar pressure distribution, determined as pressure time integrals (PTIs) and peak pressures (PPs), were analyzed using a 7-foot tone analysis model. Patient-reported outcome was assessed using the Manchester-Oxford Foot Questionnaire (MOXFQ). Of the 73 patients (89 feet) from the original study, 27 patients (33 feet) and 13 healthy controls (26 feet) were available for evaluation 22 years after hallux rigidus surgery. Results Spatio-temporal gait parameters were comparable between all groups and were in line with healthy controls (P > 0.05). No differences (P > 0.05) in PTIs and PPs were found in the seven plantar zones between groups and as compared to healthy controls. MOXFQ scores in all domains (walking/standing, range 21.4–24.1; pain, range 16.5–22.2 and social interaction, range 23.8–35.4) were not clinically and statistically different (P > 0.05) between the three different surgical interventions. Conclusion These results suggest no long-term functional and biomechanical differences after these surgical interventions for hallux rigidus correction. The interventions seem to be appropriate treatment options for a selective group of patients with symptomatic hallux rigidus.
Single Source Zone Detection in the Spherical Harmonic Domain for Multisource Localization

Estimating the direction of arrival (DOA) is an important topic in the array signal processing. This paper addresses the issue of multisource localization in a closed environment. We propose a single source zone (SSZ) detection method based on first-order relative harmonic coefficient (RHC), and designs a dynamic SSZ detection rule. Finally, 2-D kernel density estimation (KDE) and peak search are used to achieve multisource DOA estimation. The proposed method is evaluated by simulation experiment and compared with the reference methods, and the effectiveness of the proposed method is verified.
Whole-Body Cryostimulation in Post-COVID Rehabilitation for Patients with Obesity: A Multidisciplinary Feasibility Study

Background: A post-COVID condition can reduce activity and quality of life, resulting in a significant socioeconomic and health burden. Understanding its impact on patients’ health is important for the development of personalized rehabilitation interventions. An independent association between obesity and post-COVID condition was found because of complications and comorbidities. Methods: Sixteen patients with obesity and post-COVID symptoms (i.e., dyspnea, pain, poor sleep quality, muscle fatigue), admitted to the Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Piancavallo (VB), Italy, were recruited for a four-week rehabilitation program including conventional exercise therapy, nutritional intervention, psychological support and whole-body cryostimulation (WBC). Results: All participants attended all sessions of the program. Anthropometric data showed statistically significant changes in weight, waist circumference and body mass index. Biochemical analyses showed significant reductions in lipid and inflammatory profiles. There was a significant improvement in physical performance, reduction in pain and improvement in psychological well-being. Conclusion: A multidisciplinary rehabilitation protocol including WBC, designed for patients with obesity and a post-COVID condition, is safe and feasible. The overall improvements demonstrate that multidisciplinary rehabilitation was effective on post COVID patients and suggest that the use of WBC is safe and could play a role as a booster in rehabilitation programs.
Research advanced in the visual SLAM methods under indoor environment

Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) have been a hotspot study topic in the computer vision community these days, which aims to locate the agent’s position and perceive the surrounding environment to build a map. In Visual SLAM, the camera is the external sensor used, creating an environment map while locating itself. Compared with radar and other rangefinders, the visual sensor is usually tiny and has low power consumption, which has been the mainstream framework in SLAM research task. This paper starts from the system overview of visual SLAM, introduces the landmark achievements and research hotspots of visual SLAM, and discusses the key issues and three research methods based on visual SLAM in indoor environment. Meanwhile, the applications of visual SLAM in dynamic scenes and large indoor environments are listed. Finally, the trend of its future development is prospected.
Sense of Place: Place Identity, Place Attachment and Place Dependence Among University Students

University is a phase where students start their life by exploring and forming relationships with people and their surroundings. This scenario can be seen as a steppingstone for these individuals to establish their identity and pursue their future goals. Thus, having such a significant impact on the lives of individuals, the sense of place towards the educational institute such as the university is regarded as significant because it helps to form the students' sense of belonging at their place of study. Students and the university developed a sense of place based on three concepts: place identity, place attachment, and place dependence. Using a seven-point Likert scale ranging from 'Strongly Disagree' to 'Strongly Agree,' 33 respondents were required to complete online self-administered surveys about students' sense of place. IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) was used to analyse the data because it is the most common software for analysing data in quantitative research studies. All three concepts of place scored higher than the mean of 5.0, indicating a strong sense of belonging to their university, with aggregate means of 5.66, 5.26, and 5.19 for Place Identity, Place Attachment, and Place Dependence, respectively. Thus, a strong sense of place suggests that these students have a subjective and emotional attachment or connection to a specific location or environment, in this instance, their university.
Multisource information fusion considering the weight of focal element’s beliefs: a Gaussian kernel similarity approach

Similarity has been extensively utilized to measure the degree of conflicts between evidences in multisource information fusion. The existent works, however, assumed that the contribution of each focal element’s belief to the similarity measure is the same, and the influence of the weights of focal element’s belief is not considered, which is unreasonable. This article proposes a new Gaussian kernel similarity approach to measure the similarity between evidences. The proposed Gaussian kernel similarity coefficient can effectively take account of the weights of focal element’s beliefs. In addition, it possesses some preferable properties, such as, bounded, consistent, and symmetrical. A multisource information fusion method based on the Gaussian kernel similarity coefficient is, therefore, investigated. The developed method mainly contains three steps: (1) the Gaussian kernel similarity coefficient, as a connection, is leveraged to calculate the weight of evidences based on the weight of focal element’s beliefs; (2) the initial evidences are, thereby, modified based on the weight of evidence via the weight-average method; and (3) the final multisource information fusion can be achieved by the Dempster’s combination rule using the modified evidences. An illustrative example with single-element subset and an application with multi-element subset are presented, and it is verified that the proposed method is effective in dealing with conflicting evidences.
CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS ON RECHARGE IN A SEMI-ARID IRRIGATED WATERSHED

Agricultural regions in semi-arid regions of the United States rely on irrigation to satisfy crop water demands. Irrigation methods used in the region commonly allow about half the applied water to percolate below the root zone. This recharges shallow aquifers and supplies water to nearby streams as return flow. For a study area in northeast Colorado, temperature and precipitation changes that have been predicted by global general circulation modcls (GCMs) will result in an increase in potential evapotranspiration and a shift in peak streamflow of one to two months earlier in the growing season. For both wet and dry end-member GCM results for the region, crop water supply-and-demand ratios decrease during the growing season. A Modflow model of the study area showed resulting decreases in recharge and thus return flow, leading to significant declines in downstream water available for irrigation and agricultural productivity. KEY TERMS: climate change; evapotranspiration; recharge; return flow.
Increased sinusoidal export of drug glucuronides is a compensative mechanism in liver cirrhosis of mice

Rationale: Liver cirrhosis is known to affect drug pharmacokinetics, but the functional assessment of the underlying pathophysiological alterations in drug metabolism is difficult. Methods: Cirrhosis in mice was induced by repeated treatment with carbon tetrachloride for 12 months. A cocktail of six drugs was administered, and parent compounds as well as phase I and II metabolites were quantified in blood, bile, and urine in a time-dependent manner. Pharmacokinetics were modeled in relation to the altered expression of metabolizing enzymes. In discrepancy with computational predictions, a strong increase of glucuronides in blood was observed in cirrhotic mice compared to vehicle controls. Results: The deviation between experimental findings and computational simulations observed by analyzing different hypotheses could be explained by increased sinusoidal export and corresponded to increased expression of export carriers (Abcc3 and Abcc4). Formation of phase I metabolites and clearance of the parent compounds were surprisingly robust in cirrhosis, although the phase I enzymes critical for the metabolism of the administered drugs in healthy mice, Cyp1a2 and Cyp2c29, were downregulated in cirrhotic livers. RNA-sequencing revealed the upregulation of numerous other phase I metabolizing enzymes which may compensate for the lost CYP isoenzymes. Comparison of genome-wide data of cirrhotic mouse and human liver tissue revealed similar features of expression changes, including increased sinusoidal export and reduced uptake carriers. Conclusion: Liver cirrhosis leads to increased blood concentrations of glucuronides because of increased export from hepatocytes into the sinusoidal blood. Although individual metabolic pathways are massively altered in cirrhosis, the overall clearance of the parent compounds was relatively robust due to compensatory mechanisms.
Helium-3 Distribution in Western Turkey

In this study, to investigate the mantle-crust interaction in Western Turkey, geothermal fluids from various locations are analyzed for their 3He/4He ratios. The results reveal a mixing between mantle - and (continental) crustal - helium components. The distribution of mantle-helium , which is characterized by high 3 He/ 4 He ratios, does not show any correlation with the spatial and/or temporal distribution of the surface volcanics in the region, but appears to be governed by the distribution of tectonic deformation. The lack of any correlation between the distribution of mantle-helium and surface volcanism suggests that helium, now degassing from mantle, has most probably entered the crust in association with the melts emplaced at deeper levels. The fault systems of the present extensional tectonics are thought to have had an efficient role in the escape of helium to the surface through the brittle parts of crust.
IMPROVING THE REPEATABILITY OF LOW MAGNIFICATION MICROWEAR METHODS USING HIGH DYNAMIC RANGE IMAGING

Abstract The recent advent of low magnification microwear analysis has allowed the efficient study of entire vertebrate faunas using only an optical stereomicroscope. Photographic visualization of microwear by this means has proven difficult, however, and, as a result, few high-resolution photos of low magnification microwear have been published. The repeatability of the method has also been questioned because low magnification microwear analysis involves the visual inspection of microwear features. We show that the use of high dynamic range imaging improves the visualization of microwear features in photographs and that using these photographs as a counting medium increases the repeatability of the method. We also show that counting from the photographs allows us to accurately classify ungulates as browsers, grazers, or mixed feeders.
Molecular analysis of eight splicing variants in the hydroxymethylbilane synthase gene

Background: Molecular genetic testing is the most sensitive and specific method to confirm acute intermittent porphyria (AIP), a rare autosomal dominant disease, caused by Hydroxymethylbilane synthase (HMBS) gene mutation. According to the Human Gene Mutation Database (HGMD), approximately 20% of the reported HMBS gene variants affect pre-RNA splicing. Thus, the ensuing challenge is how to decipher the pathogenicity of these splicing variants. Methods: Using next-generation sequencing, we identified a novel heterozygous variant in the HMBS gene (c.160 + 5G>C) from a Chinese family with AIP. And, previously, seven HMBS variants (c.33 + 5G>A, c.88-16_88-4del, c.88-2A>G, c.161-1G>C, c.652-1G>A, c.772-2A>G and c.772-1G>C) have been reported to be linked with AIP. Herein, we performed a valid and novel in vitro minigene assay to analyze the pathogenicity of these eight splicing variants. Results: By minigene assay in 293 T cell experiments, we demonstrated that all eight variants caused splicing defects in the pre-mRNA of the HMBS gene: c.160 + 5G>C (intron3p_141bp retention), c.33 + 5G>C(intron1p_91bp retention), c.88-16_88-4del and c.88-2A>G (Exon3p_15bp deletion), c.161-1G>C (Exon4p_18bp deletion), c.652-1G>A (Exon11p_1bp deletion), c.772-2A>G and c.772-1G>C (intron11q_104bp retention or Exon12p_4bp deletion). Encouragingly, the c.160 + 5G>C RNA sequencing from peripheral blood lymphocytes was consistent with the minigene assay result. Conclusion: We have made a pioneering attempt to apply minigene in vitro validation to the HMBS gene to evaluate the splicing effect of eight variants, including a novel splice variant (c.160 + 5G>C). This study provides a molecular basis for future research on the pathogenesis and gene therapy of AIP.
The Distribution and Abundance of Animals and Plants on the Rocky Shores of Bantry Bay

A survey of the rocky shores of Bantry Bay is described. This is intended to serve as a means by which future changes may be detected, as well as providing an account of a hitherto undescribed area of the Irish coast. The abundance of littoral animals and plants was assessed at regular vertical intervals on forty transects, and the distribution patterns of these species are described and discussed in relation to two major environmental variables, emersion and exposure to wave action. The method adopted may be suitable as a standard method for surveying rocky shores, and this is discussed in relation to the objectives of the survey.