Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The use of steerable channels for detecting asymmetrical signals with random orientations

In the optimization of medical imaging systems, there is a stringent need to shift from human observer studies to numerical observer studies, because of both cost and time limitations. Numerical models give an objective measure for the quality of displayed images for a given task and can be designed to predict the performance of medical specialists performing the same task. For the task of signal detection, the channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) has been successfully used, although several studies indicate an overefficiency of the CHO compared to human observers. One of the main causes of this overefficiency is attributed to the intrinsic uncertainty about the signal (such as its orientation) that a human observer is dealing with. Deeper knowledge of the discrepancies of the CHO and the human observer may provide extra insight in the processing of the human visual system and this knowledge can be utilized to better fine-tune medical imaging systems. In this paper, we investigate the optimal detection of asymmetrical signals with statistically known random orientation, based on joint detection and estimation theory. We derive the optimal channelized observer for this task and we show that the optimal detection in channel space requires the use of steerable channels, which are used in steerable pyramid transforms in image processing. Even though the use of CHOs for SKS tasks has not been studied so far, our findings indicate that CHO models can be further extended to incorporate intrinsic uncertainty about the signal to behave closer to humans. Experimental results are provided to illustrate these findings.
The Designing Methods of Fish-eye Distortion Correction Using Latitude-longitude Projection

For correcting the distortion caused by fish-eye lens,this paper proposes fish-eye distortion correction methods using Latitude-longitude projection image.The paper deduces the mathematic basis of eliminating distortion,summarizes and proposes a efficient fish-eye image distortion correction algorithm without any marking data.The use of Latitude-longitude image correction method can reduce the distortion of image in the way of projecting the distorted hemispheric fish-eye images into square shape as general photos,which greatly satisfies the practical requests.
Efficient available bandwidth estimation for network paths

For estimating the available bandwidth along a network path,a novel active probing methodology COPP(chirp of packet paris)is presented combining self-induced congested principle with packet pair technique.After a sequence of packet pairs with gradually reduced intra-pair spacing was transmitted,COPP process would discover all turning bandwidth.Then every bandwidth was bound with a distinct weight according of the degree of interference of the underlying turning point and its neighbors to yield the final estimate by weighted adding up all turning bandwidth.Based on analysis of inter-packet spacing and one-way delay of single packet in a packet pair,the decision rules for determining whether a packet pair is turning point were shown.We also described the weighting process to obtain different weights for different kinds of turning point and discussed the effect of different thresholds on estimation.Simulation results in several cross traffic conditions indicate that COPP provides accurate estimation with relatively fewer overhead compared to other estimating tools.
Burn or Balm?: Exploring University Students’ Experiences With Social Media During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The impact on perceived burnout experiences among university students from the intensification of social media use during the earliest phase of the COVID-19 pandemic is not yet fully understood. In total, 516 university students (430 females) in a midsized city in Ontario, Canada completed one online survey that explored student characteristics (i.e., personality, life satisfaction, perceived stress, and basic psychological needs) as well as frequency and perceived purpose of social media use. Approximately 80% indicated an increase in their social media use with iMessage/Text messaging, Instagram, and Snapchat being the three most frequently accessed platforms. Social media use was associated with higher levels of perceived stress, extraversion, satisfaction and frustration of psychological relatedness needs, and frustration of competence need. Most students (87%) reported experiencing burnout. Greater burnout was associated with individuals who reported higher perceived stress, scored high in extroversion, and greater use of Instagram. Overall, intensified social media use during the pandemic yielded both positive and negative outcomes.
Theoretical Calculation of the Optical Properties of Gold Nanoparticles

The properties of metal nanoparticles have received considerable attention due to their wide range of applications extending from surface-sensitive spectroscopic analysis to catalysis and microwave polarizers. Various methods for synthesizing these nanoparticles, both spheres and rods, have been described. In this paper, the simulated optical properties of Au nanoparticles are presented. The extinction e‐ciencies are calculated using the discrete dipole approximation (DDA). The in∞uence of the nanoparticle size and shape on the plasmon resonance bands is investigated. For spherical particles with R • 10 nm, the intensity of extinction increases with increasing radius, but the position of maximum in the spectrum, which is associated with plasmon resonance, does not change. For particles with 10 50 nm, the extinction spectrum decreases with increasing radius and becomes irregular. For spheroidal and rod-like nanoparticle, there are two peaks in the extinction spectra corresponding to the transverse and the longitudinal resonances. With increasing aspect ratio, the extinction spectral peak of the transverse mode shifts to shorter wavelength while that of the longitudinal mode shifts to longer wavelength. Our theoretical results explain the experimental data well.
Evaluating the effect of setup uncertainty reduction and adaptation to geometric changes on normal tissue complication probability using online adaptive head and neck intensity modulated proton therapy

Objective. To evaluate the impact of setup uncertainty reduction (SUR) and adaptation to geometrical changes (AGC) on normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) when using online adaptive head and neck intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT). Approach. A cohort of ten retrospective head and neck cancer patients with daily scatter corrected cone-beam CT (CBCT) was studied. For each patient, two IMPT treatment plans were created: one with a 3 mm setup uncertainty robustness setting and one with no explicit setup robustness. Both plans were recalculated on the daily CBCT considering three scenarios: the robust plan without adaptation, the non-robust plan without adaptation and the non-robust plan with daily online adaptation. Online-adaptation was simulated using an in-house developed workflow based on GPU-accelerated Monte Carlo dose calculation and partial spot-intensity re-optimization. Dose distributions associated with each scenario were accumulated on the planning CT, where NTCP models for six toxicities were applied. NTCP values from each scenario were intercompared to quantify the reduction in toxicity risk induced by SUR alone, AGC alone and SUR and AGC combined. Finally, a decision tree was implemented to assess the clinical significance of the toxicity reduction associated with each mechanism. Main results. For most patients, clinically meaningful NTCP reductions were only achieved when SUR and AGC were performed together. In these conditions, total reductions in NTCP of up to 30.48 pp were obtained, with noticeable NTCP reductions for aspiration, dysphagia and xerostomia (mean reductions of 8.25, 5.42 and 5.12 pp respectively). While SUR had a generally larger impact than AGC on NTCP reductions, SUR alone did not induce clinically meaningful toxicity reductions in any patient, compared to only one for AGC alone. Significance Online adaptive head and neck proton therapy can only yield clinically significant reductions in the risk of long-term side effects when combining the benefits of SUR and AGC.
Reduced exercise capacity, chronotropic incompetence, and early systemic inflammation in cardiopulmonary phenotype Long COVID.

BACKGROUND Mechanisms underlying persistent cardiopulmonary symptoms following SARS-CoV-2 infection (post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 "PASC" or "Long COVID") remain unclear. This study sought to elucidate mechanisms of cardiopulmonary symptoms and reduced exercise capacity. METHODS We conducted cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET), cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) and ambulatory rhythm monitoring among adults > 1 year after confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection in a post-COVID cohort, compared those with or without symptoms, and correlated findings with previously measured biomarkers. RESULTS Sixty participants (median age 53, 42% female, 87% non-hospitalized) were studied at median 17.6 months following SARS-CoV-2 infection. On CPET, 18/37 (49%) with symptoms had reduced exercise capacity (<85% predicted) compared to 3/19 (16%) without symptoms (p = 0.02). Adjusted peak VO2 was 5.2 ml/kg/min lower (95%CI 2.1-8.3; p = 0.001) or 16.9% lower percent predicted (95%CI 4.3-29.6; p = 0.02) among those with symptoms. Chronotropic incompetence was common. Inflammatory markers and antibody levels early in PASC were negatively correlated with peak VO2 more than 1 year later. Late-gadolinium enhancement on CMR and arrhythmias were absent. CONCLUSIONS Cardiopulmonary symptoms >1 year following COVID-19 were associated with reduced exercise capacity, which was associated with elevated inflammatory markers early in PASC. Chronotropic incompetence may explain exercise intolerance among some with cardiopulmonary Long COVID.
Freezing as Seen from the Inside

Department of Movement Sciences, Motor Control Laboratory, Movement Control and Neuroplasticity Research Group KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, Division of Physiotherapy, Cape Town University, Cape Town, South Africa Department of Physical Activity, Sport and Recreation, Faculty Health Sciences, North-West University, Potchefstroom, South Africa
Cutaneous Metastasis of Transverse Colon Cancer with an Aberrant Pattern of CK7/CK20/CDX2 and High Microsatellite Instability

A 79-year-old woman was diagnosed with transverse colon cancer, moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma. She underwent surgery and postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy. At 80 years old, the patient exhibited changes in skin tone at the chest and abdomen with CK7+/CK20-/CDX2- immunostaining that was later identified as poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. The diagnosis was cancer of unknown primary origin. The patient passed away three months after the detection of the skin lesion. Autopsy revealed recurrence at the transverse colon, multiple organ metastases, a similar postmortem immunostaining pattern, and high-frequency microsatellite instability (MSI-high). We herein report this case of CK7+/CK20-/CDX2- and MSI-high transverse colon cancer showing cutaneous metastasis.
Improving school lunch menus with multi-objective optimisation: nutrition, cost, consumption and environmental impacts

Abstract Objective: To support school foods programmes by evaluating the relationship between nutritional quality, cost, student consumption and the environmental impacts of menus. Design: Using linear programming and data from previously served menu items, the relationships between the nutritional quality, cost, student consumption and the environmental impacts of lunch menus were investigated. Optimised lunch menus with the maximum potential student consumption and nutritional quality and lowest costs and environmental impacts were developed and compared with previously served menus (baseline). Setting: Boston Public Schools (BPS), Boston Massachusetts, USA. Participants: Menu items served on the 2018–2019 BPS lunch menu (n 142). Results: Using single-objective models, trade-offs were observed between most interests, but the use of multi-objective models minimised these trade-offs. Compared with the current weekly menus offered, multi-objective models increased potential caloric intake by up to 27 % and Healthy Eating Index scores by up to 19 % and reduced costs and environmental impacts by up to 13 % and 71 %, respectively. Improvements were made by reducing the frequency of beef and cheese entrées and increasing the frequency of fish and legume entrées on weekly menus. Conclusions: This work can be extrapolated to monthly menus to provide further direction for school districts, and the methods can be employed with different recipes and constraints. Future research should test the implementation of optimised menus in schools and consider the broader implications of implementation.
Cultured Renal Proximal Tubular Epithelial Cells Resemble a Stressed/Damaged Kidney While Supporting BK Virus Infection

Cultured primary human cells provide powerful tools for the study of viral infectious cycles and host virus interactions. In the case of BKV-associated nephropathy, viral replication occurs primarily in the proximal tubule epithelia in the kidney. ABSTRACT BK virus (BKV; human polyomavirus 1) infections are asymptomatic in most individuals, and the virus persists throughout life without harm. However, BKV is a threat to transplant patients and those with immunosuppressive disorders. Under these circumstances, the virus can replicate robustly in proximal tubule epithelial cells (PT). Cultured renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (RPTE) are permissive to BKV and have been used extensively to characterize different aspects of BKV infection. Recently, lines of hTERT-immortalized RPTE have become available, and preliminary studies indicate they support BKV infection as well. Our results indicate that BKV infection leads to a similar response in primary and immortalized RPTE. In addition, we examined the patterns of global gene expression of primary and immortalized RPTE and compared them with uncultured PT freshly dissociated from human kidney. As expected, PT isolated from the healthy kidney express a number of differentiation-specific genes that are associated with kidney function. However, the expression of most of these genes is absent or repressed in cultured RPTE. Rather, cultured RPTE exhibit a gene expression profile indicative of a stressed or injured kidney. Inoculation of cultured RPTE with BKV results in the suppression of many genes associated with kidney stress. In summary, this study demonstrated similar global gene expression patterns and responses to BKV infection between primary and immortalized RPTE. Moreover, results from bulk transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) and SCT experiments revealed distinct transcriptomic signatures representing cell injury and stress in primary RPTE in contrast to the uncultured, freshly dissociated PT from human kidney. IMPORTANCE Cultured primary human cells provide powerful tools for the study of viral infectious cycles and host virus interactions. In the case of BKV-associated nephropathy, viral replication occurs primarily in the proximal tubule epithelia in the kidney. Consequently, cultured primary and immortalized renal proximal tubule epithelial cells (RPTE) are widely used to study BKV infection. In this work, using bulk and single-cell transcriptomics, we found that primary and immortalized RPTE responded similarly to BKV infection. However, both uninfected primary and immortalized RPTE have gene expression profiles that are markedly different from healthy proximal tubule epithelia isolated directly from human kidney without culture. Cultured RPTE are in a gene expression state indicative of an injured or stressed kidney. These results raise the possibility that BKV replicates preferentially in injured or stressed kidney epithelial cells during nephropathy.
Distinct Features Based on Partitioning of the Endophytic Fungi of Cereals and Other Grasses

This study proposes a novel method for diagnosing core microbiotas based on prevalence of community members in a meta-community, which could be determined and supported statistically. Using this approach, the study found stratification in community assembly processes within fungal endophyte communities (FECs) in the stems of wheat and cereal-related wild species. ABSTRACT Endophytic fungi form a significant part of the plant mycobiome. Defining core members is crucial to understanding the assembly mechanism of fungal endophytic communities (FECs) and identifying functionally important community members. We conducted a meta-analysis of FECs in stems of wheat and five wild cereal species and generated a landscape of the fungal endophytic assemblages in this group of plants. The analysis revealed that several Ascomycota members and basidiomycetous yeasts formed an important compartment of the FECs in these plants. We observed a weak spatial autocorrelation at the regional scale and high intrahost variations in the FECs, suggesting a space-related heterogeneity. Accordingly, we propose that the heterogeneity among subcommunities should be a criterion to define the core endophytic members. Analysis of the subcommunities and meta-communities showed that the core and noncore members had distinct roles in various assembly processes, such as stochasticity, universal dynamics, and network characteristics, within each host. The distinct features identified between the community partitions of endophytes aid in understanding the principles that govern the assembly and function of natural communities. These findings can assist in designing synthetic microbiomes. IMPORTANCE This study proposes a novel method for diagnosing core microbiotas based on prevalence of community members in a meta-community, which could be determined and supported statistically. Using this approach, the study found stratification in community assembly processes within fungal endophyte communities (FECs) in the stems of wheat and cereal-related wild species. The core and noncore partitions of the FECs exhibited certain degrees of determinism from different aspects. Further analysis revealed abundant and consistent interactions between rare taxa, which might contribute to the determinism process in noncore partitions. Despite minor differences in FEC compositions, wheat FECs showed distinct patterns in community assembly processes compared to wild species, suggesting the effects of domestication on FECs. Overall, our study provided a new approach for identifying core microbiota and provides insights into the community assembly processes within FECs in wheat and related wild species.
Obesity wars: may the smell be with you.

Classically, the regulation of energy balance has been based on central and peripheral mechanisms sensing energy, nutrients, metabolites, and hormonal cues. Several cellular mechanisms at central level, such as hypothalamic AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), integrate this information to elicit counterregulatory responses that control feeding, energy expenditure and glucose homeostasis, among other processes. Recent data have added more complexity to the homeostatic regulation of metabolism by introducing, for example, the key role of "traditional" senses and sensorial information in this complicated network. In this regard, current evidence is showing that olfaction plays a key and bidirectional role in energy homeostasis. While nutritional status dynamically and profoundly impacts olfactory sensitivity, the sense of smell is involved in food appreciation and selection, as well as in brown adipose tissue (BAT) thermogenesis and substrate utilization, with some newly described actors, such as olfactomedin 2 (OLFM2), likely playing a major role. Thus, olfactory inputs are contributing to the regulation of both sides of the energy balance equation, namely feeding and energy expenditure (EE), as well as whole-body metabolism. Here, we will review the current knowledge and advances about the role of olfaction in the regulation of energy homeostasis.
Virtual Reality for Anxiety Reduction in Women Undergoing Colposcopy: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective To test whether headset-delivered virtual reality (VR) content affects satisfaction and/or anxiety in women with cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions undergoing colposcopy and colposcopically guided cervical biopsy. Methods In this single-center, randomized trial, the authors measured overall satisfaction (100-mm visual analog scale) and situation-specific anxiety (STAI-S) in 247 women with suspected cervical squamous intraepithelial lesions wearing either no VR headset (arm 1, control) or a VR headset before (arm 2) or before and during colposcopy (arm 3). Secondary endpoints were pain, discomfort, and anxiety during colposcopy, heart rate, and 72-hour follow-up parameters: overall satisfaction, bleeding severity, bleeding duration, pain, and use of analgesics. Analysis was by intention to treat. Results Median values for overall satisfaction were 100 (interquartile range, 90–100) in controls (n = 83), 100 (95–100) in arm 2 (n = 82), and 100 (95–100) in arm 3 (n = 82), respectively (p = .92). The median Δ of situational anxiety (baseline vs after colposcopy) was −8 (−13 to −3), −8 (−16.5 to −4), and −10 (−20.5 to −4.5), respectively (p = .09). The secondary endpoints pain during colposcopy (20 [10–50] vs 20 [10–40] vs 30 [10–50]; p = .65), discomfort during colposcopy (30 [10–50] vs 30 [10–50] vs 20 [10–50]; p = .46), and anxiety during colposcopy (20 [0–50] vs 10 [0–40] vs 10 [0–30]; p = .44), were not different between arms. Follow-up data showed no improvement in the 2 VR arms compared with controls (overall satisfaction, p = .37; bleeding severity, p = .09; pain level, p = .89; duration of pain; p = .23; and use of analgesics; p = .39). Per-protocol analysis did not change the results. Conclusions A VR headset showing a 360-degree surround vision film has no effect on satisfaction or anxiety in women undergoing colposcopy.
Lumbar disc herniation in juveniles: A case–control study of MRI characteristics and etiological insights

Lumbar disc herniation (LDH) is rare in juveniles. LDH occurring at age 20 years or younger is referred to as juvenile disc herniation (JDH). While adult LDH is regarded as an advanced stage of disc degeneration, it remains unclear why intervertebral discs rupture in youth. This study aimed to characterize magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of JDH and investigate possible etiological factors. From 2013 to 2020, JDH patients and controls were identified and interviewed to assess demographics, general lifestyles, and family histories. MRIs were evaluated for disc degeneration, epiphyseal ring separation, Modic changes and endplate lesions. The relationships between JDH and suspected risk factors were examined. A total of 297 JDH patients (199 boys and 98 girls, age 17.3 ± 2.1 years) and 185 controls (age 17.1 ± 2.4 years) were studied. Age, body mass index, exposures to daily physical labor, regular exercise, and daily sitting time were similar between JDH cases and controls. A family medical history of serious back pain was more common in JDH patients than in controls (59.4% vs. 26.5%, p < 0.001), as well as family history of clinically established LDH (45.0% vs. 12.4%, p < 0.001). Epiphyseal ring separation was identified in 102 (29.2%) herniated discs in 91 (36.4%) JDH patients, while occurring in only 5 (1.4%) control participants (p < 0.001). Overall, severe disc degeneration was not a prominent finding in JDH patients. In conclusion, epiphyseal ring separation was a common magnetic resonance feature in JDH. Findings suggest a genetically mediated developmental model of JDH, rather than a model of premature disc degeneration.