Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Volume measurement of bone erosions in magnetic resonance images of patients with rheumatoid arthritis

The volume of bone erosions in the metacarpophalangeal joints is a radiological feature that can be used to track the progression of rheumatoid arthritis. We introduce a hybrid segmentation algorithm that combines region growing and level‐set segmentation algorithms to semiautomatically measure the volume of bone erosions in magnetic resonance images. A total of 40 rheumatoid arthritis patients were included in the study. The scans of eight patients were used for training, whereas the remaining 32 scans were used to determine the accuracy, precision, and speed of the technique. The reproducibility of the semiautomated technique and that of manual segmentation was defined in terms of intraclass correlation coefficients. Both techniques were equally precise with intraclass correlation coefficient values greater than 0.9. The hybrid algorithm was highly accurate: the least squares fit between the semiautomated segmentations to those manually traced by a musculoskeletal radiologist resulted in a slope of 1.030 with an x‐intercept of 1.385 mm3 and an R2 value of 0.923. The semiautomated technique was significantly faster than manual segmentation, which took two to four times longer to complete. Our hybrid algorithm shows promise in the quantitative assessment of radiological features of rheumatoid arthritis in a clinical setting. Magn Reson Med, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A novel locus for autosomal dominant non-syndromic deafness (DFNA41) maps to chromosome 12q24-qter

We have studied 36 subjects in a large multigenerational Chinese family that is segregating for an autosomal dominant adult onset form of progressive non-syndromic hearing loss. All affected subjects had bilateral sensorineural hearing loss involving all frequencies with some significant gender differences in initial presentation. After excluding linkage to known loci for non-syndromic deafness, we used the Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR) to test for 351 polymorphic markers distributed at approximately 10 cM intervals throughout the genome. Analysis of the resulting data provided evidence that the locus designated DFNA41 maps to a 15 cM region on chromosome 12q24.32-qter, proximal to the marker D12S1609. A maximum two point lod score of 6.56 at 𝛉=0.0 was obtained for D12S343. This gene is distal to DFNA25, a previously identified locus for dominant adult onset hearing loss that maps to 12q21-24. Positional/functional candidate genes in this region include frizzled 10, epimorphin, RAN, and ZFOC1.
Dynamic reconfiguration of Petri net logic controllers based on modified net rewriting systems

A method for dynamic reconfiguration of Petri nets (PN) logic controllers for reconfigurable manufacturing systems (RMS) is presented. It is based on modified net rewriting systems (MNRS) that overcome the limitation of the net rewriting systems (NRS) introduced by E. Badouel et al and can preserve the important properties, i.e. liveness, boundedness (safeness) and reversibility, of a Petri net rewritten. Subsequently, a reconfigurable logic controller (RLC) is defined as a MNRS for reconfiguring a PN logic controller and the implementation algorithm is designed. Using this method only the rewriting of the existing PN logic controller is needed and the efforts of redesign and verification of a new PN logic controller are avoided with respect to a new configuration of its RMS. We illustrate the reconfiguration procedures by a RMS example.
Physical layer security in MIMO wiretap channels with antenna correlation

To investigate the impact of antenna correlation on secrecy performance in MIMO wiretap channels with Nakagami-m fading, the expressions of secrecy outage probability and positive secrecy probability were derived. Diversity order and array gain were also achieved for further insight. The study was based on the information theory that physical layer security can be guaranteed when the quality of the main channel is higher than that of the eavesdropper's channel. Monte Carlo simulations well validated the numerical results of analytic expressions. It was shown that antenna correlation is detrimental to secrecy performance when average SNR of the main channel is at medium and high level. Interestingly, when average SNR of the main channel reduces to low level, the effect of antenna correlation becomes beneficial to secrecy performance.
Validation of the flash-evoked response from fetal MEG

Flash-evoked responses can be recorded from the fetus in utero. However, a standard analysis approach based on orthogonal projection (OP) to attenuate maternal and fetal cardiac signals leads to a spatial redistribution of the signal. This effect prevents the correlation of source location with a known fetal head location in some cases and the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is sometimes limited such that the response latency is difficult to determine. We used a modified beamformer model search analysis to avoid the redistribution shortcoming and to improve the SNR. We included a statistical test for residual interference in the average and quantified significance of the evoked response with a bootstrap method. Selected source locations compared favorably to fetal head locations estimated from ultrasound exams. The evoked response time course was found to have a significant post-trigger peak with a latency between about 180 and 770 ms in more than 90% of the subject measurements. These results confirm that the combined application of a beamformer model search and bootstrap significance test provides a validation of the flash-evoked response observed in OP processed fetal MEG channels.
Meal patterns of malaysian adults: findings from the Malaysian adults nutrition survey (MANS).

INTRODUCTION Meal patterns have received little attention in nutrition studies. The aim of this study is to present the findings on general meal patterns of Malaysian adults. METHODS The Malaysian Adults Nutrition Survey (MANS), carried out in 2002 and 2003, involved 6,928 adults selected by stratified random sampling from all households by zone in Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. RESULTS In general, the results showed that most respondents (74.16%) ate three meals per day; 89.20% of the respondents consumed breakfast, while 88.57% consumed lunch and 91.97% consumed dinner with no significant difference in terms of sex. In Peninsular Malaysia, the Northern Zone had the highest number of people consuming breakfast compared to other zones. Meanwhile, the population in Sarawak had the largest proportion of people consuming lunch and dinner, but the smallest proportion of people consuming breakfast. A significantly higher number of the rural population consumed breakfast and lunch than urbanites; however there was no significant difference in dinner consumption. Generally, breakfast consumption increased with age whereby significant difference existed between the 18 to 19 years age group and the age group of 30 years and older. Lunch intake among the age groups showed no significant difference. In contrast, dinner consumption was significantly lower among the 18 to 19 years age group compared to all other age groups. Comparison among the ethnic groups showed that the Indian population had the lowest percentage of having breakfast and lunch while the Orang Asli had the lowest percentage of consuming dinner. However, the Orang Asli recorded the highest percentage for taking breakfast and lunch while the Chinese had the highest percentage of taking dinner. CONCLUSION Considering that Malaysian adults consumed their conventional breakfast, lunch and dinner, these findings indicatethat Malaysians are maintaining their traditional meal patterns.
Stress and Interleukin‐1 β‐Induced Activation of c‐fos, NGFI‐B ann CRF Gene Expression in the Hypothalamic PVN: Comparison Between Sprague‐Dawley, Fisher‐344 and Lewis Rats

Various signals are known to activate the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal (HPA) axis, an event largely dependent on the release of corticotropin‐releasing factor (CRF) which originates mainly from the parvocellular paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus. These signals include neurogenic stimuli such as exposure to mild electroshocks, and systemic stimuli like administration of cytokines. The HPA axis activity of Lewis rats has been reported to be hyporesponsive to such stimuli, but the exact mechanisms involved in this phenomenon are poorly understood. The present study investigated the effect of footshock exposure and central injection of interleukin (IL)‐1β, on CRF neuronal activity and gene expression in the PVN of adult male Sprague‐Dawley (SD), Fisher‐344 (F344) and Lewis (LEW) rats. The animals were deeply anesthetized and rapidly perfused transcardially with a solution of 4% paraformaldehyde 3 h after the beginning of the footshock session (1.5 mA, 2 s duration, 4/min over 1 h), or the i.c. v. injection of IL‐1β (100 ng in 10 μl). mRNA encoding the immediate ‘early’ genes (lEGs) c‐fos and NGFI‐B, as well as CRF, were assayed by in situ hybridization histochemistry, while the localization of Fos protein within CRF‐immunoreactive (ir) neurons in the PVN was determined using a dual immunostaining protocol. Both stress and IL‐1β induced robust Fos‐ir expression within the parvocellular division of the PVN in all 3 strains. The number of cells immunoreactive for both Fos and CRF proteins in the PVN was similar in SD, F344 and LEW rats following either challenge. While control animals did not display detectable levels of c‐fos or NGFI‐B mRNA in the PVN, both treatments induced significant expression of these transcripts in this hypothalamic nucleus and no significant differences were observed among SD, F344 and LEW rats. Relative levels of CRF mRNA in the PVN were also significantly and comparably increased following either stress or central IL‐1β treatment. In contrast, plasma ACTH and corticosterone levels were significantly higher in F344 and SD rats than in LEW animals during the stress session.
Tunneling Behaviors during Large Shareholders’ Stock-Selling Periods

Collecting data from listed firms in Shenzhen Stock Exchange between 2007 and 2009,this paper examines tunneling behaviors by large shareholders during their stock-selling periods.The results from our sample show that,①There are positively cumulative abnormal returns(CAR) of listed firms before large shareholders’ selling behaviors,and negatively CAR after their selling behaviors. ② Large shareholders maximize their selling returns by rushing forward good news and delaying bad news. ③ More selling by large shareholders,higher probability of such opportunistic information announcements by listed firms. ④ Comparing with other large shareholders,controlling shareholders have higher probability of information announcements manipulation and higher selling returns during their stock-selling periods.Our findings suggest that large shareholders,especially controlling shareholders,expropriate minority shareholders by information announcements manipulation during their stock-selling behaviors.
Critical Review of Strategies to Prevent and Control Iron Deficiency in Children

Iron deficiency is prevalent in infants and young children in developing countries and is associated with adverse developmental outcomes. The routine provision of additional iron by food fortification or the use of iron supplements is generally recommended. The wisdom of this approach in regions where the transmission of Plasmodium falciparum malaria is perennial and intense is now being questioned, because a large trial in Pemba, Tanzania, demonstrated an increased risk of serious morbidity among children under the age of 3 years who were given routine daily iron and folic acid supplements. However, the results of a concurrent substudy suggest that the untoward effects occurred in children who were not iron deficient, and that iron deficiency itself is associated with an increased risk of severe morbidity that can be reduced by iron and folic acid supplementation. There is an urgent need for additional research to confirm these observations, to establish the role, if any, of the concurrent folic acid supplementation, to evaluate the risk of alternative methods for delivering iron that, on theoretical grounds, could be safer, and to establish the programmatic feasibility of targeting iron fortificants or supplements to iron-deficient children. It is evident that a single strategy for ensuring adequate iron nutrition in young children in different parts of the world is no longer likely to be satisfactory. Moreover, integration with other health-related strategies, particularly malaria control programs, will be essential.
Secular Trends in Obesity, Regional Adiposity and Metabolic Parameters among Asian Indian Adolescents in North India: A Comparative Data Analysis of Two Selective Samples 5 Years Apart (2003, 2008)

Aim: To assess and compare the secular trends in anthropometric and biochemical parameters over 5 years (2003–2008) amongst Asian Indian adolescents in north India. Methods: Adolescents matched for age, gender, socioeconomic strata and school grade were taken from two school-based studies (2003, n = 106, girls = 50 and boys = 56; 2008, n = 134, girls = 59 and boys = 75) in north India. Assessment included anthropometric measures [body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), waist to hip ratio (W-HR), and triceps skinfold thickness] and biochemical parameters [fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum triglycerides and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c)]. Results: A significant increase in WC (7.2 cm, p < 0.0001), W-HR (0.8, p < 0.0001), triceps skinfold thickness (6.5 mm; p = 0.0001) and FBG (3.5 mg/dl, p = 0.04) was noted in girls, while a significant decrease was noted for HDL-c (–4.6 mg/dl, p = 0.0002) in boys. A higher increase was noted for BMI, WC and FBG in girls as compared to boys. Over 5 years, a marked increase in prevalence (%) of obesity was seen, as indicated by the >95th percentile for age and gender-specific cutoffs of BMI: 11.5% (girls), WC: 19% (girls) and triceps skinfold thickness: 11.7% (girls), 8.8% (boys). Conclusion: Over the last 5 years, there has been a significant increase in abdominal obesity and FBG and a decrease in HDL-c amongst Asian Indian adolescents from north India, which puts them at risk for metabolic disorders at an early age. In view of these data, primary prevention strategies for childhood obesity need to be strengthened.
An efficient inductive power link design for retinal prosthesis

This paper presents the design of a highly efficient power link based on class-E driven, inductively coupled coil pair. An optimal power link design for retinal prosthesis and other implants must take into consideration the allowable electric and magnetic field safety limits, which in turn govern the inductances of the primary and secondary coils. In retinal prosthesis, the optimal coil inductances have to deal with the constraints of the coil sizes, the trade-offs between loss, H-field limitation and the DC supply voltage requirement of the class-E driver. Our design starts with the formation of equivalent circuits, followed by the analysis of the loss of rectifier and coils and the H-field for induced voltage and current. Both linear and non-linear models for the analysis are presented. Litz wire is used to reduce the winding losses in our analysis. Based on the procedure, an experimental power link is implemented with an overall efficiency of 67% at the optimal distance of 7 mm between the coils.
Sodium ion-substrate symport in a marine bacterium

Anaerobic suspensions of Alteromonas haloplanktis accumulated alpha-aminoisobutyric acid, by a sodium-dependent process, in response to an artificially imposed membrane potential in the presence or absence of a transmembrane chemical gradient of sodium. These results suggest that the transport of alpha-aminoisobutyrate by this organism occurs via Na+-substrate symport.
Effect of negative index of refraction in the propagation of electromagnetic waves

Consider a material slab situated between two half free spaces. An electromagnetic waves is obliquely incident on it. We investigate the effect of index of refraction of the material in the transmission of electromagnetic waves. We study three cases of the material: real positive index of refraction, real negative index of refraction and the refractive index is a function of frequency of the incident waves. We show that the transmission of electromagnetic waves through the slab is indifferent whether the index of refraction is real positive or negative. We also show that the transmission through the slab is completely different if the index of refraction is a function of frequency.
Lightweight data and knowledge exchange for pervasive environments

On September 21, 2016, Xiang Su defended his PhD dissertation titled “Lightweight data and knowledge exchange for pervasive environments” at University of Oulu. Xiang Su presented his dissertation with the assent of the Doctoral Training Committee of Technology and Natural Sciences of the University of Oulu, in a publicly open presentation held in Auditorium IT116, Linnanmaa, University of Oulu, and he was able to comment on every questions raised by opponent professor Johan Lilius. The thesis was supervised by professor Jukka Riekki and reviewed by Doctor Ora Lassila and associate professor Kerry Taylor. Part of the research was carried out during a one-year research visit at Aalto University, supervised by professor Sasu Tarkoma. The research work was funded by Infotech Oulu graduate school, NOKIA Foundation, HPY Research Foundation, Tauno Tönning Foundation, Finnish Foundation of Electronics Engineers, Walter Ahlström Foundation, and Tekniikan Edistämissäätiö. Part of the research was carried out in Knowledge Environment for Interacting ROBOt SWARMs (ROBOSWARM) project supported by the Sixth Framework Programme for Research and Technological Development, Pervasive Service Computing project funded by the Ubiquitous Computing and Diversity of Communication (MOTIVE) programme of the Academy of Finland, and Internet of Things (IoT) program funded by Tekes. The full text of the thesis, is available on the publication repository of the University of Oulu at http:// jultika.oulu. fi/Record/isbn978-952-62-1335-4.
Transmembrane Signaling by the α Subunit of the Type I Interferon Receptor Is Essential for Activation of the Jak Kinases and the Transcriptional Factor ISGF3 (*)

The Type I interferon (IFN) receptor has a multisubunit structure. The component of the receptor that has been most thoroughly studied is the α subunit. Expression of the α subunit in mouse L-929 cells confers antiviral response to human IFNα8, but not to human IFNα2 or IFNβ. This antiviral effect is observed without a significant increase in IFN binding. It has not been determined why mouse cells expressing the human α subunit show different response to the antiviral activity of distinct human Type I IFNs. In this report, we demonstrate that the response to human Type I IFNs in mouse cells expressing the α subunit is dependent on cross-binding to the mouse receptor. This is supported by the finding that human IFNα8, but not human IFNα2, cross-binds to the mouse receptor even in the absence of expression of the human α subunit. We also demonstrate that only mouse cells expressing the human α subunit are able to tyrosine-phosphorylate p135tyk2 and JAK-1 and to form the ISGF3 complex in response to human IFNα8. These results demonstrate that the α subunit is essential for IFNα signaling through the JAK kinases and ISGF3.
Influences of Motion and Depth on Brightness Induction: An Illusory Transparency Effect?

Two experiments were performed to investigate whether motion and binocular disparity influence brightness induction, and whether the effects of motion and binocular disparity, if any, interact with each other. In order to introduce motion, textured backgrounds were used as the inducing field. The results showed that motion and/or crossed disparity reduce brightness induction, whereas uncrossed disparity increases it. The effect of motion and the effect of disparity are independent of each other and additive, which suggests that, to the extent that brightness induction reflects segmentation of objects, motion and binocular disparity serve independently to segment objects from their background. The difference between the effects of crossed and uncrossed disparity can be explained by what we call ‘illusory transparency’.
Assignment of human KH-box-containing genes by in situ hybridization: HNRNPK maps to 9q21.32-q21.33, PCBP1 to 2p12-p13, and PCBP2 to 12q13.12-q13.13, distal to FRA12A.

This report describes the localization of various human KH-box-containing genes using fluorescence in situ hybridization. Accordingly, HNRNPK was mapped to human chromosome 9q21.32-q21.33, PCBP1 was mapped to human chromosome 2p12-p13, and PCBP2 was mapped to human chromosome 12q13.12-q13.13. These proteins affect RNA-binding capability. 13 refs., 1 fig.
A Study of R&D Outsourcing: A Framework on the Theory of Principle-Agent

As a newly developed corporation strategy,R D outsourcing strategy has been accepted by more and more companies.Judging from the present situation,China has become one of the countries which owns the most rapidly expanding outsourcing.Analyzing the R D outsourcing problem in the framework of Principle-Agent theory can do much help to identifying the key factors which have great effects on the R D outsourcing strategy decision making.
Nonrandom, diversifying processes are disproportionately strong in the smallest size classes of a tropical forest

Significance A long-standing paradigm in forest ecology holds that patterns of relative abundance among a forest’s mature trees are largely set by biotic and abiotic processes that operate most strongly at the earliest life-cycle stages. Although support for this model is implicit in the vast body of research on tropical seedling dynamics, the paradigm has never formally been tested in any forest. Using multidecadal demographic data, we present quantitative evidence for the primacy of early-stage, nonrandom dynamics in forest ecology. This finding corroborates the importance that tropical ecologists have traditionally assigned to early-stage dynamics, and calls for greater and more widespread inclusion of the smallest size classes into large, plot-based tropical forest dynamics projects worldwide. A variety of ecological processes influence diversity and species composition in natural communities. Most of these processes, whether abiotic or biotic, differentially filter individuals from birth to death, thereby altering species’ relative abundances. Nonrandom outcomes could accrue throughout ontogeny, or the processes that generate them could be particularly influential at certain stages. One long-standing paradigm in tropical forest ecology holds that patterns of relative abundance among mature trees are largely set by processes operating at the earliest life cycle stages. Several studies confirm filtering processes at some stages, but the longevity of large trees makes a rigorous comparison across size classes impossible without long-term demographic data. Here, we use one of the world’s longest-running, plot-based forest dynamics projects to compare nonrandom outcomes across stage classes. We considered a cohort of 7,977 individuals in 186 species that were alive in 1971 and monitored in 13 mortality censuses over 42 y to 2013. Nonrandom mortality with respect to species identity occurred more often in the smaller rather than the larger size classes. Furthermore, observed nonrandom mortality in the smaller size classes had a diversifying influence; species richness of the survivors was up to 30% greater than expected in the two smallest size classes, but not greater than expected in the larger size classes. These results highlight the importance of early life cycle stages in tropical forest community dynamics. More generally, they add to an accumulating body of evidence for the importance of early-stage nonrandom outcomes to community structure in marine and terrestrial environments.