Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flexible occlusion rendering for improved views of three-dimensional medical images

The goal of this work is to enable more rapid and accurate diagnosis of pathology from three-dimensional (3D) medical images by augmenting standard volume rendering techniques to display otherwise-occluded features within the volume. When displaying such data sets with volume rendering, appropriate selection of the transfer function is critical for determining which features of the data will be displayed. In many cases, however, no transfer function is able to produce the most useful views for diagnosis of pathology. Flexible Occlusion Rendering (FOR) is an addition to standard ray cast volume rendering that modulates accumulated color and opacity along each ray upon detecting features indicating the separation between objects of the same intensity range. For contrast-enhanced MRI and CT data, these separation features are intensity peaks. To detect these peaks, a dual-threshold method is used to reduce sensitivity to noise. To further reduce noise and enable control over the spatial scale of the features detected, a smoothed version of the original data set is used for feature detection, while rendering the original data at high resolution. Separating the occlusion feature detection from the volume rendering transfer function enables robust occlusion determination and seamless transition from occluded views to non-occluded views of surfaces during virtual flythroughs. FOR has been applied to virtual arthroscopy of joints from MRI data. For example, survey views of entire shoulder socket surfaces have been rendered to enable rapid evaluation by automatically removing the occluding material of the humeral head. Such views are not possible with standard volume rendering. FOR has also been successfully applied to virtual ureteroscopy of the renal collecting system from CT data, and knee fracture visualization from CT data.
Estimation and Prediction of Hospitalization and Medical Care Costs Using Regression in Machine Learning

Medical costs are one of the most common recurring expenses in a person's life. Based on different research studies, BMI, ageing, smoking, and other factors are all related to greater personal medical care costs. The estimates of the expenditures of health care related to obesity are needed to help create cost-effective obesity prevention strategies. Obesity prevention at a young age is a top concern in global health, clinical practice, and public health. To avoid these restrictions, genetic variants are employed as instrumental variables in this research. Using statistics from public huge datasets, the impact of body mass index (BMI) on overall healthcare expenses is predicted. A multiview learning architecture can be used to leverage BMI information in records, including diagnostic texts, diagnostic IDs, and patient traits. A hierarchy perception structure was suggested to choose significant words, health checks, and diagnoses for training phase informative data representations, because various words, diagnoses, and previous health care have varying significance for expense calculation. In this system model, linear regression analysis, naive Bayes classifier, and random forest algorithms were compared using a business analytic method that applied statistical and machine-learning approaches. According to the results of our forecasting method, linear regression has the maximum accuracy of 97.89 percent in forecasting overall healthcare costs. In terms of financial statistics, our methodology provides a predictive method.
Loss Analysis and Soft-Switching Behavior of Flyback-Forward High Gain DC/DC Converters with a GaN FET

Compared with Si MOSFETs, the GaN FET has many advantages in a wide band gap, high saturation drift velocity, high critical breakdown field, etc. This paper compares the electrical properties of GaN FETs and Si MOSFETs. The soft-switching condition and power loss analysis in a flyback-forward high gain DC/DC converter with a GaN FET is presented in detail. In addition, a comparison between GaN diodes and Si diodes is made. Finally, a 200W GaN FET based flyback-forward high gain DC/DC converter is established, and experimental results verify that the GaN FET is superior to the Si MOSFET in terms of switching characteristics and efficiency. They also show that the GaN diode is better than the Si diode when it comes to reverse recovery characteristics.
The Quantified Community and Neighborhood Labs: A Framework for Computational Urban Science and Civic Technology Innovation

Abstract Instrumentation of the urban environment is not by itself sufficient to have a meaningful impact on the quality, sustainability, and resilience of cities – or more broadly on urban policy and planning. Understanding the social, economic, and cultural dynamics of urban life requires both an appreciation of the social sciences and a substantive engagement with communities across neighborhoods. The “Smart City” messaging is replete with claims of the potential for sensors and information and communication technologies (ICT) to re-shape urban life, although such rhetoric ignores the practical realities and constraints of urban decision-making and the social and distributional concerns of policy outcomes. Rather, significant progress could be achieved at the neighborhood scale by focusing diverse, intensive, and persistent real-time data collection and analysis on a “Quantified Community” (QC). The QC—a long-term neighborhood informatics research initiative—is a network of instrumented urban neighborhoods that collect, measure, and analyze data on physical and environmental conditions and human behavior to provide a rich resource to better understand how neighborhoods and the built environment affect individual and social well-being. The resulting unique experimental environment provides a testing ground for new physical and informatics technologies, policies, and behavioral interventions, allowing for unprecedented studies in urban planning and design, urban systems engineering and management, and the social sciences. Focusing on the neighborhood scale also allows for meaningful interaction with, and participation by, the people who live, work, and play in that space and shifts the emphasis of data-driven design away from top-down routinization to a human-centric problem-solving. This paper presents the conceptual framework and justification for the QC, built on the lessons learned from three initial deployments in New York City, and a networked experimental environment of neighborhood labs.
INTERNAL REPORTING ON PROCESS OPTIMIZATION MEASURES: COMBINATION OF ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS

Optimizing the cost situation is part of everyday business in a company. The research field of controlling has developed many instruments and methods for calculating potential savings and communicating them to the decision-makers. In the future, in order for companies to operate more sustainably it is necessary to weigh up optimization measures from an economic and environmental point of view. This paper proposes to supplement controlling reports with a matrix opposing economic and environmental impacts by individual optimization measures. This reporting method should assist decision-makers in the selection of optimization measures, taking into account economic and environmental aspects. LCA and LCC based evaluation of a biotechnological process step for glycoside production served as a case study. An example for impact presentation of switching to a sustainable electricity mix is shown.
Web 2.0 in Organizational Communication – Source of Irritation or Driver of Innovation?

The common understanding of strategy still emphasizes organizations' long-term orientation, where they try to reach an advantage for themselves through long-term monitoring and consciously initiating necessary steps accordingly. As concerns strategic corporate communication, the rise of social media calls for a revision of this idea. As this paper seeks to explore, the strategy terminology has to be rephrased due to the evolution of new media towards more interactivity, reciprocity, participation and sociality as well as new applications through technological advancement. Social media change the organizational realm and ask for organizational strategy's adaptation to a thus changing environment. Disturbances of communication have become normality. Instead of interpreting them as nuisance, these disturbances might entail enormous strategic innovative potential that needs to be let unfold.
Energy conversion by permanent magnet machines and novel development of the single phase synchronous permanent magnet motor.

Energy methods are widely used and well understood for determining the torque or force in machines which do not contain permanent magnets. Energy methods are employed to calculate torques or forces of magnetic origin after determination of the energy stored in the electromechanical coupling field. In this thesis, the energy stored in a permanent magnet system is defined, and the energy-co energy relationship is determined. It is shown how residual magnetism can be incorporated into classical electromechanical coupling theory. It is therefore shown how equations for torques or forces can be derived for permanent magnet systems using energy methods. An analytical method of calculating permanent magnet reluctance torque is developed. The method uses an elementary expression for the magnetic field to obtain the stored energy. This enables an analytical expression for the reluctance torque waveform to be obtained. The method is demonstrated to provide a powerful and fast design tool. The method can be generally applied to reluctance torque problems where the airgap is reasonably smooth. The single phase synchronous permanent magnet motor is used in domestic appliances. It is a motor of very simple construction and high reliability, which is directly connected to an AC mains supply, and runs at synchronous speed. It is becoming increasingly used in preference to the shaded pole induction motor. However, its application is limited by the following characteristics. There is no control over the final direction of rotation, unless a mechanical blocking device is used. There are rotor positions at which only a very small starting torque is available. The characteristic twice electrical frequency torque pulsation yields a speed modulation of the same frequency, which can cause acoustic noise problems. A method of improving torque quality by improving the motor design is proposed to alleviate these limiting characteristics. This is achieved by designing a permanent magnet reluctance torque which cancels out the effect of the backward rotating component of the stator field. In this novel design, the permanent magnet reluctance torque effectively acts as a second balancing phase. An unconventional technique for starting a single phase synchronous permanent magnet motor is demonstrated. This technique uses an inductive reluctance torque, provided by placing a suitably shaped iron lamination on the rotor, to rotate the rotor to a position from which starting can occur.
Correlation of Neurocortical Atrophy Scores on Imaging with Mini-Mental Status Examination

Introduction: The term “Cognitive impairment” is used for decline of memory and behaviour, depicting its progressive nature, of which the most common cause is Alzheimer’s followed by vascular injury. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) together have an established role to identify aetiology and also to distinguish normal ageing from demented patients. Final diagnosis by brain biopsy is an invasive method, hence structural MRI scores are used to differentiate and characterise the course and prognosis of disease. Aim: This study was done to correlate the various imaging scores of dementia like Schelten’s, Davies-Mattis-Kipps, Fazekas, Pasquier and Koedam scores with the severity of cognitive impairment on MMSE scores. Materials and Methods: It was a cross-sectional study done on 100 patients based on purposive sampling techniques of exclusion and inclusion criteria. All patients above 18 years of age referred for the evaluation of cognitive impairment were included after taking informed and written consent. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Brain was performed using a 1.5 T MRI scanner (PHILIPS ACHIEVA 16 channel system) as per the department protocol. The axis was taken perpendicular to long axis of hippocampus on sagittal, and perpendicular to the commissures intersecting the mamillary bodies on coronal. The MMSE and lobar cortical atrophy scores (Schelten’s, Davies- Mattis-Kipps, Fazekas, Pasquier and Koedam) were recorded for each patient and imaging diagnosis was made. The data was then analysed for statistics. Frequency percentage distribution of range of MMSE, Pearson Coefficient of Correlation and Fisher’s exact test, Chi-squared Test and Sig. (2-tailed) correlation were used. Statistical measurement was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 21. Results: There was statistically significant association (p<0.05) between Schelten’s and Mattis imaging scores with MMSE. This determines that there exists relationship between degree of cognitive impairment and neurodegeneration predominantly temporal lobe. However, linear coefficient of correlation (r>0.3) was noted between MMSE severity and Schelten’s, Davies-Mattis-Kipps and Fazekas grading. This determines that there is a moderately positive linear relationship between the two variables. Conclusion: MRI Brain is the investigation of choice in patients with cognitive impairment to categorise the patients based on aetiology and stage the disease that could be misdiagnosed on clinical assessment alone. MRI also diagnoses stage of dementia that affects the prognosis and outcome of the patient. Patients with cognitive impairment irrespective of MMSE score severity need to undergo neuroimaging that helps in improvising patient management at the earliest.
Analysis of Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Rocket-Target for the „Stinger” System

This paper presents an analysis of aerodynamic characteristics of the rockettarget for the final training of shooting at aerial targets by the „Stinger” system service staff. The governing equations of fluid dynamics are presented and the computational model of airflow around the rocket is developed. ANSYS CFX computational fluid dynamics software is used to compute airflow velocities, pressure, the drag force and the drag coefficient. A practical implementation of the research is presented. Taking into account the simulation results, the rocket-target was designed and manufactured.
Heterojunction DDR THz IMPATT diodes based on AlxGa1−xN/GaN material system

Simulation studies are made on the large-signal RF performance and avalanche noise properties of heterojunction double-drift region (DDR) impact avalanche transit time (IMPATT) diodes based on AlxGa1−xN/GaN material system designed to operate at 1.0 THz frequency. Two different heterojunction DDR structures such as n-Al0.4Ga0. 6N/p-GaN and n-GaN/p-Al0.4Ga0. 6N are proposed in this study. The large-signal output power, conversion efficiency and noise properties of the heterojunction DDR IMPATTs are compared with homojunction DDR IMPATT devices based on GaN and Al0.4Ga0. 6N. The results show that the n-Al0.4Ga0. 6N/p-GaN heterojunction DDR device not only surpasses the n-GaN/p-Al0.4Ga0. 6N DDR device but also homojunction DDR IMPATTs based on GaN and Al0.4Ga0. 6N as regards large-signal conversion efficiency, power output and avalanche noise performance at 1.0 THz.
EFFECTS OF MORINGA (MORINGA OLEIFERA) LEAF POWDER AND DAWADAWA (PARKIA BIGLOBOSA), ON SENSORY CHARACTERISTICS AND NUTRITIONAL QUALITY OF FRANKFURTER-TYPE SAUSAGES – A PRELIMINARY STUDY.

Dawadawa ( Parkia biglobosa ) seed powder and Moringa ( Moringa oleifera ) leaf meal are commonly used in Ghana as flavouring agents in local dishes. This study was conducted to determine the effects of these local food flavouring agents on sensory characteristics and nutritional qualities of frankfurter-type sausages. The sausages were formulated in a Completely Randomized Design, where dawadawa and moringa leaf meal were added at three levels of inclusions (2g, 4g and 6g/kg meat), and were compared with standard sausages. Sensory and chemical analyses were conducted on the products to determine their acceptability and nutritional quality. Dawadawa up to 6g/kg meat had no effect on sensory characteristics and acceptability of products. However, it improved the crude protein, but had no effect on the fat content of the products. Moringa up to 6g/kg meat imparted (P 0.05) effect on flavour and acceptability. The moringa products however, had improved (P<0.01) crude protein and reduced (P<0.05) fat contents. Dawadawa inclusion up to 6g/kg meat did not have much impact on the products. The benefits may be realized if the levels are increased beyond 6g/kg meat. Moringa leaf powder could be used in meat products if the green colouration could be masked, to make the product more appealing to the consumer.
Can executive mobility reduce the stock price crash risk? Evidence from China

Abstract The 21st century has witnessed increasing fluctuations in both the real economy and financial markets around the world. How to maintain the stability of the capital market has attracted more serious attention. This paper examines the impact of executive mobility on the stock price crash risk at the company level. Based on the data of A-share listed companies during 2010–2019, our empirical results show that executive mobility can effectively reduce the stock price crash risk. Furthermore, our research confirms that employee salaries play an intermediary role in the impact of executive mobility on the stock price crash risk. This paper has important implications for companies in emerging markets to optimise the structure of their executive teams.
Communication aware mobile robot teams

The type of scenarios that could benefit from a team of robots that are able to self configure into an ad-hoc multi-hop mobile communication network while completing a task in an unknown environment, range from search and rescue in a partially collapsed building to providing a security perimeter around a region of interest. In this thesis, we present a hybrid system that enables a team of robots to maintain a prescribed end-to-end data rate while moving through a complex unknown environment, in a distributed manner, to complete a specific task. This is achieved by a systematic decomposition of the real-time situational awareness problem into subproblems that can be efficiently solved by distributed optimization. The validity of this approach is demonstrated through multiple simulations and experiments in which the a team of robots is able to accurately map an unknown environment and then transition to complete a traditional situational awareness task. We also present MCTP, a lightweight communication protocol that is specifically designed for use in ad-hoc multi-hop wireless networks composed of low-cost low-power transceivers. This protocol leverages the spatial diversity found in mobile robot teams as well as recently developed robust routing systems designed to minimize the variance of the end-to-end communication link. The combination of the hybrid system and MCTP results in a system that is able to complete a task, with minimal global coordination, while providing near loss-less communication over an ad-hoc multi-hop network created by the members of the team in unknown environments. Degree Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Graduate Group Electrical & Systems Engineering First Advisor Alejandro Ribeiro
Exterior displays for autonomous cars: techniques, challenges and solutions

Autonomous cars should communicate by exterior displays with other road users to increase safety. Examples are the visualization of the driving mode and a pedestrian waiting at a crosswalk being informed that the autonomous car will stop. Such displays must be sunlight readable and smoothly integrated into the front and rear of a car. We prototyped a full-scale mock-up to evaluate RGB LEDs and e-paper regarding optical performance. The display size of 80 cm x 40 cm was chosen accordingEN 12966. We evaluated the reasonable LED pixel pitch as 6 mm, which is about half of the minimum for variable traffic signs. RGB LEDs (~ 100 W/m²), black/white and color e-paper (zero power) were measured with simulated ambient light and judged by subjects regarding legibility, color inversion and color perception. The measurements show a large contrast ratio and gamut for the LED displays. The reflectance of the e-paper was 40% (color) and 50% (monochrome), it's a contrast ratio of about 10:1. The reflectance shows a strong dependency of specular included and excluded measurements. However, the color gamut of e-paper was measured as being small and rated as poor. RGB LEDs with attention-grabbing blinking and high luminance (5,000 cd/m²) as well as high contrast ratio and large gamut were rated best. The best exterior application for e-paper is a digital license plate. The foreground of the e-paper should be black or colored, and the background white. However, this is challenging for car design
Modified Lipoproteins Induce Arterial Wall Inflammation During Atherogenesis

Circulating apolipoprotein B-containing lipoproteins, notably the low-density lipoproteins, enter the inner layer of the arterial wall, the intima, where a fraction of them is retained and modified by proteases, lipases, and oxidizing agents and enzymes. The modified lipoproteins and various modification products, such as fatty acids, ceramides, lysophospholipids, and oxidized lipids induce inflammatory reactions in the macrophages and the covering endothelial cells, initiating an increased leukocyte diapedesis. Lipolysis of the lipoproteins also induces the formation of cholesterol crystals with strong proinflammatory properties. Modified and aggregated lipoproteins, cholesterol crystals, and lipoproteins isolated from human atherosclerotic lesions, all can activate macrophages and thereby induce the secretion of proinflammatory cytokines, chemokines, and enzymes. The extent of lipoprotein retention, modification, and aggregation have been shown to depend largely on differences in the composition of the circulating lipoprotein particles. These properties can be modified by pharmacological means, and thereby provide opportunities for clinical interventions regarding the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic vascular diseases.
The Therapeutic Potential of Aprepitant in Glioblastoma Cancer Cells through Redox Modification

Although there is no doubt regarding the involvement of oxidative stress in the development of glioblastoma, many questions remained unanswered about signaling cascades that regulate the redox status. Given the importance of the substance P (SP)/neurokinin 1 receptor (NK1R) system in different cancers, it was of particular interest to evaluate whether the stimulation of this cascade in glioblastoma-derived U87 cells is associated with the induction of oxidative stress. Our results showed that SP-mediated activation of NK1R not only increased the intracellular levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) but also reduced the concentration of thiol in U87 cells. We also found that upon SP addition, there was a significant reduction in the cells' total antioxidant capacity (TAC), revealing that the SP/NK1R axis may be involved in the regulation of oxidative stress in glioblastoma cells. The significant role of SP/NK1R in triggering oxidative stress in glioblastoma has become more evident when we found that the abrogation of the axis using aprepitant reduced cell survival, probably through exerting antioxidant effects. The results showed that both MDA and ROS concentrations were significantly reduced in the presence of aprepitant, and the number of antioxidant components of the redox system increased. Overall, these findings suggest that aprepitant might exert its anticancer effect on U87 cells through shifting the balance of oxidant and antioxidant components of the redox system.