Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Automatic Lumen Segmentation in Intravascular Optical Coherence Tomography Images Using Level Set

Automatic lumen segmentation from intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) images is an important and fundamental work for diagnosis and treatment of coronary artery disease. However, it is a very challenging task due to irregular lumen caused by unstable plaque and bifurcation vessel, guide wire shadow, and blood artifacts. To address these problems, this paper presents a novel automatic level set based segmentation algorithm which is very competent for irregular lumen challenge. Before applying the level set model, a narrow image smooth filter is proposed to reduce the effect of artifacts and prevent the leakage of level set meanwhile. Moreover, a divide-and-conquer strategy is proposed to deal with the guide wire shadow. With our proposed method, the influence of irregular lumen, guide wire shadow, and blood artifacts can be appreciably reduced. Finally, the experimental results showed that the proposed method is robust and accurate by evaluating 880 images from 5 different patients and the average DSC value was 98.1% ± 1.1%.
On the analyticity of certain dissipative–dispersive systems

We study the analyticity properties of solutions of dissipative–dispersive evolutionary equations possessing global attractors. We utilize an analyticity criterion for spatially periodic functions, which involves the rate of growth of the L2‐norm of the nth derivative, as n tends to infinity. This criterion is applied to the dispersively modified Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation and a general class of semilinear evolutionary pseudo‐differential equations, under certain conditions, provided they possess global attractors. The proof is spectral and is fundamentally different from the semigroup approach in Collet et al. [‘Analyticity for the Kuramoto–Sivashinsky equation’, Physica D 67 (1993) 321–326]; it utilizes an inductive method to show that the analyticity criterion holds.
The AAA+ protein ATAD3 has displacement loop binding properties and is involved in mitochondrial nucleoid organization

Many copies of mammalian mitochondrial DNA contain a short triple-stranded region, or displacement loop (D-loop), in the major noncoding region. In the 35 years since their discovery, no function has been assigned to mitochondrial D-loops. We purified mitochondrial nucleoprotein complexes from rat liver and identified a previously uncharacterized protein, ATAD3p. Localization studies suggested that human ATAD3 is a component of many, but not all, mitochondrial nucleoids. Gene silencing of ATAD3 by RNA interference altered the structure of mitochondrial nucleoids and led to the dissociation of mitochondrial DNA fragments held together by protein, specifically, ones containing the D-loop region. In vitro, a recombinant fragment of ATAD3p bound to supercoiled DNA molecules that contained a synthetic D-loop, with a marked preference over partially relaxed molecules with a D-loop or supercoiled DNA circles. These results suggest that mitochondrial D-loops serve to recruit ATAD3p for the purpose of forming or segregating mitochondrial nucleoids.
Childhood leukemia--new advances and challenges.

Since 1970, the rate of cure of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children has increased dramatically, from less than 30 percent to approximately 80 percent. This remarkable improvement has resulted from the marriage of laboratory and clinical science. The identification of effective agents in randomized cooperative-group studies, the application of treatment to the central nervous system before the onset of symptoms, the intensification of treatment, and the use of “risk-adapted therapy” (therapy tailored to the predicted risk of relapse) have led to today's impressive cure rates. Despite these successes, however, much work remains. Many of the children with ALL who .
Author's Personal Copy the Journal of Systems and Software Coordination in Co-located Agile Software Development Projects

In most cases authors are permitted to post their version of the article (e.g. in Word or Tex form) to their personal website or institutional repository. Authors requiring further information regarding Elsevier's archiving and manuscript policies are encouraged to visit: a b s t r a c t Agile software development provides a way to organise the complex task of multi-participant software development while accommodating constant project change. Agile software development is well accepted in the practitioner community but there is little understanding of how such projects achieve effective coordination, which is known to be critical in successful software projects. A theoretical model of coordination in the agile software development context is presented based on empirical data from three cases of co-located agile software development. Many practices in these projects act as coordination mechanisms, which together form a coordination strategy. Coordination strategy in this context has three components: synchronisation, structure, and boundary spanning. Coordination effectiveness has two components: implicit and explicit. The theoretical model of coordination in agile software development projects proposes that an agile coordination strategy increases coordination effectiveness. This model has application for practitioners who want to select appropriate practices from agile methods to ensure they achieve coordination coverage in their project. For the field of information systems development , this theory contributes to knowledge of coordination and coordination effectiveness in the context of agile software development.
Interventions to improve the experience of caring for people with severe mental illness: systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Informal caregiving is an integral part of the care of people with severe mental illness, but the support needs of those providing such care are not often met. Aims To determine whether interventions provided to people caring for those with severe mental illness improve the experience of caring and reduce caregiver burden. Method We conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) of interventions delivered by health and social care services to informal carers (i.e. family or friends who provide support to someone with severe mental illness). Results Twenty-one RCTs with 1589 carers were included in the review. There was evidence suggesting that the carers' experience of care was improved at the end of the intervention by psychoeducation (standardised mean difference −1.03, 95% CI −1.69 to −0.36) and support groups (SMD =–1.16, 95% CI −1.96 to −0.36). Psychoeducation had a benefit on psychological distress more than 6 months later (SMD =–1.79, 95% CI −3.01 to −0.56) but not immediately post-intervention. Support interventions had a beneficial effect on psychological distress at the end of the intervention (SMD =–0.99, 95% CI −1.48 to −0.49) as did problem-solving bibliotherapy (SMD =–1.57, 95% CI −1.79 to −1.35); these effects were maintained at follow-up. The quality of the evidence was mainly low and very low. Evidence for combining these interventions and for self-help and self-management was inconclusive. Conclusions Carer-focused interventions appear to improve the experience of caring and quality of life and reduce psychological distress of those caring for people with severe mental illness, and these benefits may be gained in first-episode psychosis. Interventions for carers should be considered as part of integrated services for people with severe mental health problems.
Critical appraisal of cardiac implantable electronic devices: complications and management

Population aging and broader indications for the implant of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) are the main reasons for the continuous increase in the use of pacemakers (PMs), implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and devices for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-P, CRT-D). The growing burden of comorbidities in CIED patients, the greater complexity of the devices, and the increased duration of procedures have led to an augmented risk of infections, which is out of proportion to the increase in implantation rate. CIED infections are an ominous condition, which often implies the necessity of hospitalization and carries an augmented risk of in-hospital death. Their clinical presentation may be either at pocket or at endocardial level, but they can also manifest themselves with lone bacteremia. The management of these infections requires the complete removal of the device and subsequent, specific, antibiotic therapy. CIED failures are monitored by competent public authorities, that require physicians to alert them to any failures, and that suggest the opportune strategies for their management. Although the replacement of all potentially affected devices is often suggested, common practice indicates the replacement of only a minority of devices, as close follow-up of the patients involved may be a safer strategy. Implantation of a PM or an ICD may cause problems in the patients’ psychosocial adaptation and quality of life, and may contribute to the development of affective disorders. Clinicians are usually unaware of the psychosocial impact of implanted PMs and ICDs. The main difference between PM and ICD patients is the latter’s dramatic experience of receiving a shock. Technological improvements and new clinical evidences may help reduce the total burden of shocks. A specific supporting team, providing psychosocial help, may contribute to improving patient quality of life.
Colorectal Subepithelial Lesions

Most of subepithelial lesion (SEL) being identified was accidentally discovered as small bulging lesion covered with normal mucosa from endoscopic screening. The type of treatment and prognosis vary depending on the type of tumor, it would be crucial to perform an accurate differential diagnosis. Since the differentiation of SEL relied on the indirect findings observed from the mucosal surface using an endoscopy only in the past, it was able to confirm the presence of lesion only but difficult to identify complex detailed nature of the lesion. However, after the endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) was introduced, it became possible to identify extrinsic compression, and size of intramural tumors, internal properties and contour so that it gets possible to have differential diagnosis of lesions and prediction on the lesion whether it is malignant or benign. In addition, the use of EUS-guided fine needle aspiration and EUS-guided core biopsy made it possible to make histological differential diagnosis. This study intended to investigate endoscopic and EUS findings, histological diagnosis, treatment regimen and impression of colorectal SELs.
A workable definition of computerized agents

Recently, several suggestions for (multi-) agent theories have been presented. In order to develop a meaningful formal theory it is necessary also to specify a model, i.e., how to interpret the theory. This, in turn, requires a well-defined domain, otherwise it is not possible to define predicates, etc. We argue that current suggested agent theories do not have a well-defined domain and consequently there is neither a well-defined interpretation of the used symbols. In fact, the common interpretation is more of a metaphysical character. The reason behind the failure, we believe, is that the attempts are based on a diffuse idea of the internal structure of computerized agents, often described in terms of human-like “mental states” such as beliefs, desires, and intentions. This is in fact a circle reasoning since a computerized agent is not defined and consequently cannot have an internal structure. Because of the “internal structure” idea, a sound definition of agents in these terms is necessary to get a formal theory. We show that none of the most known agent definitions fulfills this requirement, and that it is very hard, perhaps impossible, to come up with such a definition. Another problem with current so called theories is that they aim to be very general, covering every aspect of agenthood. This is too optimistic since there is obvious evidence that some aspects of the human agency are not describable. In short, the task of developing a general agent theory is simply not feasible. Instead we argue that agent theories should be relativized to particular human-like situations without reference to obscure metaphysical interpretations as internal structures of agents that are yet to be defined. We suggest that the proper approach to constructing agent theories is to take suitable social theories and transform them to technical domains where the new artificial actors become (machine) agents. In fact, there already exist successful transformations of this kind, e.g., theories of market behavior into market-oriented programming.
MMSE Reconstruction for 3D Freehand Ultrasound Imaging

The reconstruction of 3D ultrasound (US) images from mechanically registered, but otherwise irregularly positioned, B-scan slices is of great interest in image guided therapy procedures. Conventional 3D ultrasound algorithms have low computational complexity, but the reconstructed volume suffers from severe speckle contamination. Furthermore, the current method cannot reconstruct uniform high-resolution data from several low-resolution B-scans. In this paper, the minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) method is applied to 3D ultrasound reconstruction. Data redundancies due to overlapping samples as well as correlation of the target and speckle are naturally accounted for in the MMSE reconstruction algorithm. Thus, the reconstruction process unifies the interpolation and spatial compounding. Simulation results for synthetic US images are presented to demonstrate the excellent reconstruction.
What turns students on to Accounting? Is it a matter of perceived image and personality?

In this paper we examine the perceptions of first year undergraduate students about the image of accountants, accounting as a profession and the work accountants perform. We shed light on how accountants and the accounting profession are perceived by first year university students, examine factors that impact on the decision to major in accounting and, identify personality traits of students majoring in accounting. Results indicate that, overall, the students in the sample held a traditional view of accounting and the work of an accountant. There was evidence to suggest that accounting majors perceive accounting to be less boring and more interesting than non-accounting majors. Several variables were found to influence the students’ perceptions of accounting. Furthermore, students who enjoyed their prior study of accounting, studied year 12 in 2006 and perceived accounting to be less boring were found to be more likely to study an accounting major. Finally, overall, the students reported a fairly average level of creativity, there was no significant difference in creativity between accounting and non-accounting majors and the evidence suggests that students who are more creative perceive accounting to be better described by adjectives such as accuracy, details and thorough.
Programming multi-core architectures using Data-Flow techniques

In this paper we present a Multithreaded programming methodology for multi-core systems that utilizes Data-Flow concurrency. The programmer augments the program with macros that define threads and their data dependencies. The macros are expanded into calls to the run-time that creates and maintains the dependency graph of the threads and performs the scheduling of the threads using Data-Flow principles. We demonstrate the programming methodology and discuss some of the issues and optimizations affecting the performance. A detailed evaluation is presented using two applications as case studies. The evaluation shows that the two applications scale well and compare favorably with the results of similar systems. Our results demonstrate that Data-Flow concurrency can be efficiently implemented as a Virtual Machine on multi-core systems.
Use of a bacterial expression vector to identify the gene encoding a major core protein of vaccinia virus

The DNA sequence of a vaccinia virus late gene contains an open reading frame that corresponds to the 28,000-dalton (28K) polypeptide made by in vitro translation of hybrid-selected mRNA. To further characterize the protein product of this late gene, we cloned a segment of DNA containing part of the open reading frame into a bacterial expression vector. The fusion protein produced from this vector, containing 151 amino acids of the predicted vaccinia virus protein, was used to immunize rabbits. The resulting antiserum specifically bound to a major 25K structural protein that is localized in the core of vaccinia virions, as well as to a 28K protein found in infected cells. Pulse-chase experiments indicated that the 25K core protein is originally made as a 28K precursor.
A New Atlas Localization Approach for Subthalamic Nucleus Utilizing Chinese Visible Human Head Datasets

Objective To study the possibility of Chinese visible human (CVH) head datasets as brain atlas for locating the subthalamic nucleus (STN) before deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery. Methods Optimal head axial and coronal 3.0T, T2-weighted magnetic resonance images (MRI) of 30 patients were obtained. Cross-sectional head images of four CVH head datasets were chosen to establish an average CVH model. All MRI sequences were registered to the CVH model via fiducials in X-, Y-, and Z-direction, respectively, within the same stereotactic space. The correlations between red nucleus (RN) and fiducials, the accuracy of MRI-to-CVH registration, and the coordinate value differences of RN gravity center between MRI and CVH were tested. Results The mean gravity center coordinate values and ranges of STN in CVH were measured; The X coordinate value of RN positively correlates with the most anterior point of putamen(PU-A), the lateral edges of putamens (PU-L), and width of the third ventricle, negatively correlated with the patients’ age; The minimal mean errors were when no fiducials were used when locating RN between the MRI and the CVH average model; There were no significant differences of RN in X- and Y-direction between MRI sequences and CVH. Conclusion CVH head datasets can be used as brain atlas for Chinese STN localization. Moreover, average coordinate values of the gravity center and the ranges of STN in CVH can be considered as references for locating STN.
Ginsenoside Rb1 Protects Rat Neural Progenitor Cells against Oxidative Injury

Ginseng, the root of Panax ginseng C.A. Meyer, has been used as a tonic to enhance bodily functions against various ailments for hundreds of years in Far Eastern countries without apparent adverse effects. Ginsenoside Rb1, one of the most active ingredients of ginseng, has been shown to possess various pharmacological activities. Here we report that Rb1 exhibits potent neuroprotective effects against oxidative injury induced by tert-butylhydroperoxide (t-BHP). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay demonstrated that incubation with 300 µm t-BHP for 2.5 h led to a significant cell loss of cultured rat embryonic cortex-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and the cell viability was pronouncedly increased by 24 h pretreatment of 10 µm Rb1. TUNEL staining further confirmed that pretreatment of Rb1 significantly reduced the cell apoptosis in t-BHP-induced oxidative injury. Real time PCR revealed that pretreatment with Rb1 activated Nrf2 pathway in cultured NPCs and led to an elevated expression of HO-1. The results of the present study demonstrate that Rb1 shows a potent anti-oxidative effect on cultured NPCs by activating Nrf2 pathway.
FOLLOW-ON SCHEDULING USING TLB INFORMATION TO REDUCE CACHE MISSES

caches are designed to store the most recently used subset of the main memory and to provide this subset with low latency. Most contemporary cache architectures use physically indexed caches to facilitate cache coherency and to avoid cache flushing during a context switch. Memory of multiple contexts can simultaneously be encached in physically indexed caches. If two threads with a different working set follow upon each other, the cache content is displaced. In this situation, the processor stalls due to cache misses in the instruction-fetch and load/store pipeline stage. Frequently, kernel threads share a lot of memory. Examples are code segments, shared-memory segments, or shared address spaces in multi-threaded applications. Switching between threads that share large parts of their working set results in a high cache reusage, in few cache misses, and in a good system performance [1]. Our analysis of typical application-and information -servers shows that a large fraction of the physical memory pages is shared by multiple contexts. In a highly loaded server system, there are normally many runable threads in each run-queue sharing a lot of memory. It is desirable that threads with the same working-set follow upon each other to reuse the content of the cache, but in contemporary operating systems the sequence of execution is independent of working set aspects. Our approach to improve system performance uses information derived from the translation lookaside buffer (TLB) to detect kernel threads which share lots of memory pages. To figure out the pages a thread is accessing, we need to analyze the content of the TLB. As we can not easily look into the TLB, we have to modify the TLB miss-handler or have to analyze data structures used to cache the page tables (e.g., translation storage buffer TSB in the Sparc V9 architecture [2]). If related threads reside in the same dispatch queue, the order of the dispatch queue is carefully changed such that related threads follow upon each other. This approach draws most profit from operating systems, where threads are enqueued into a fixed priority-dispatch queue after they have returned from sleep (e.g, like in System V Release 4). The determination of related threads is a compute intensive procedure, because there exists no trivial mapping from protection domains (physical pages/contexts) used in the VM subsystem to active entities (threads) managed by the process management. Therefore, we were forced to implement a reverse lookup mechanism to coalesce …