Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Imaging Perfusion Changes in Oncological Clinical Applications by Hyperspectral Imaging: A Literature Review

Abstract Background Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a promising imaging modality that uses visible light to obtain information about blood flow. It has the distinct advantage of being noncontact, nonionizing, and noninvasive without the need for a contrast agent. Among the many applications of HSI in the medical field are the detection of various types of tumors and the evaluation of their blood flow, as well as the healing processes of grafts and wounds. Since tumor perfusion is one of the critical factors in oncology, we assessed the value of HSI in quantifying perfusion changes during interventions in clinical oncology through a systematic review of the literature. Materials and methods The PubMed and Web of Science electronic databases were searched using the terms “hyperspectral imaging perfusion cancer” and “hyperspectral imaging resection cancer”. The inclusion criterion was the use of HSI in clinical oncology, meaning that all animal, phantom, ex vivo, experimental, research and development, and purely methodological studies were excluded. Results Twenty articles met the inclusion criteria. The anatomic locations of the neoplasms in the selected articles were as follows: kidneys (1 article), breasts (2 articles), eye (1 article), brain (4 articles), entire gastrointestinal (GI) tract (1 article), upper GI tract (5 articles), and lower GI tract (6 articles). Conclusions HSI is a potentially attractive imaging modality for clinical application in oncology, with assessment of mastectomy skin flap perfusion after reconstructive breast surgery and anastomotic perfusion during reconstruction of gastrointenstinal conduit as the most promising at present.
Insensitivity in queueing systems

It is well known that the stationary distribution of the number of busy servers in the Erlang blocking system (MIG/cIc) depends on the service-time distribution only through its mean. This insensitivity property is shared by several other queueing systems. In this paper, we give simple sufficient conditions for determining if this insensitivity property holds for general queueing systems and related stochastic models. The conditions involve determining whether the solution of the stationary Markovian flow equations also solves certain restricted flow equations. The proof that these conditions are sufficient is direct and elementary. GENERALIZED SEMI-MARKOV PROCESSES; INSENSITIVITY; LOCAL BALANCE; PRODUCT PROPERTY
A órbita da lua vista do sol

The trajectory of the Moon has a nonintuitive aspect when observed from the Sun. Misconceptions about this motion are widespread and found even in textbooks. In this work we discuss what is wrong with the common sense notions about the trajectory of the Moon around the Sun, and investigate how pervasive these notions are.We also present a simple description of the geometry of the lunar orbit as seen from the Sun and find that the trajectory of the Moon is quite exceptional among the satellites in the solar system.
HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE Imaging of Globular Clusters in the Edge-on Spiral Galaxies NGC 4565 and NGC 5907

We present a study of the globular cluster systems of two edge-on spiral galaxies, NGC 4565 and NGC 5907, from WFPC2 images in the F450W and F814W filters. The globular cluster systems of both galaxies appear to be similar to the Galactic globular cluster system. In particular, we derive total numbers of globular clusters of NGC(4565) = 204 ± 38 and NGC(5907) = 170 ± 41 (where the first are statistical, the second potential systematic errors) for NGC 4565 and NGC 5907, respectively. This determination is based on a comparison with the Milky Way system, for which we adopt a total number of globular clusters of 180 ± 20. The specific frequency of both galaxies is SN ≃ 0.6, indistinguishable from the value for the Milky Way. The similarity in the globular cluster systems of the two galaxies is noteworthy, since they have significantly different thick disks and bulge-to-disk ratios. This would suggest that these two components do not play a major role in the building up of a globular cluster system around late-type galaxies.
Differential optical transfer function wavefront sensing

Abstract. An image-based technique for measuring the complex field in the pupil of an imaging system is presented. Two point source images, one with a small modification introduced in the pupil, are combined using a simple and non-iterative algorithm. The non-interferometric method is based on the change in the optical transfer function (OTF) giving a differential optical transfer function (dOTF). The dOTF includes two images of the complex pupil field, conjugated and reflected about the position of the pupil modification, leaving an overlap that obscures some of the pupil. The overlap can be minimized by introducing the modification near the edge of the pupil. The overlap region can be eliminated altogether by using a second modification and a third point source image. The pupil field is convolved by the change in the pupil field, so smaller modification areas are preferred. When using non-monochromatic light, the dOTF incurs a proportional radial blurring determined by the fractional bandwidth. We include some simple demonstration experiments, including using a pupil blockage and moving a single deformable mirror actuator as the pupil modification. In each case, the complex wavefront is easily recovered, even when the pupil mask is unknown and the wavefront aberrations are large.
Further properties of nonlinear quasipassive systems

New results concerned with the properties of nonlinear quasipassive systems are presented. The sufficient conditions for ensuring ultimate boundedness of trajectories of quasipassive systems by output feedback are discussed. For the class of affine nonlinear system with globally defined normal form necessary and sufficient conditions for "quasipassivation" by feedback are given.
SELECTION OF WEIGHTS FOR WEIGHTED MODEL AVERAGING

We address the task of choosing prior weights for models that are to be used for weighted model averaging. Models that are very similar should usually be given smaller weights than models that are quite distinct. Otherwise, the importance of a model in the weighted average could be increased by augmenting the set of models with duplicates of the model or virtual duplicates of it. Similarly, the importance of a particular model feature (a certain covariate, say) could be exaggerated by including many models with that feature. Ways of forming a correlation matrix that reflects the similarity between models are suggested. Then, weighting schemes are proposed that assign prior weights to models on the basis of this matrix. The weighting schemes give smaller weights to models that are more highly correlated. Other desirable properties of a weighting scheme are identified, and we examine the extent to which these properties are held by the proposed methods. The weighting schemes are applied to real data, and prior weights, posterior weights and Bayesian model averages are determined. For these data, empirical Bayes methods were used to form the correlation matrices that yield the prior weights. Predictive variances are examined, as empirical Bayes methods can result in unrealistically small variances.
Modeling of a novel InP-based monolithically integrated magneto-optical waveguide isolator

A method based on Yeh's rigorous 4×4 matrix algebra and a fast perturbation-theory-based method are proposed for modeling and optimization of an integrated magneto-optical (MO) waveguide isolator. The transverse MO Kerr effect in ferromagnetic Co90Fe10 is used to design the integrated isolator. Waveguide losses introduced by absorption in the MO metallic film are compensated for by optical gain in an InP-based semiconductor optical amplifier with a tensile strained multiple-quantum-well (MQW) active region. The desired device isolation, which originates from the nonreciprocity of the transverse MO effect, is obtained by operation of the device under appropriate current injection, leading to zero modal net gain in the forward direction while the device remains lossy in the backward direction. In the approach based on Yeh's matrix formalism, phenomena such as the MO effects described by anisotropic permittivity tensors, waveguide losses in absorbing layers, and optical gain in the active layer are explicitly included. Numerical aspects of the resonant condition solution for waveguide modes are discussed. In the perturbation theory method, the MO nonreciprocal waveguide effects are calculated in a first-order scheme. The general models are applied in an example of a realistic InP-based MQW isolator with a Co90Fe10 MO layer, indicating that practical isolation ratios are achievable within reasonable levels of necessary material gain. Rigorous and perturbation models are compared, and good agreement is obtained. This result indicates that first-order perturbation theory modeling of integrated magneto-optics is accurate enough, even for devices that employ MO materials with relatively strong Voigt parameters.
Eros and Trumpism: A Marcusean Interpretation

Abstract:An explanation for Donald Trump’s political appeal is developed, drawing mainly on Herbert Marcuse’s study Eros and Civilization. Trump does not represent the authority of a strong father-leader so much as filial rebellion. His rebellion against the father-rule, now transmuted into an impersonal “rigged system,” permits and even encourages the explosive release of suppressed sexual and aggressive drives. However, this release does not constitute the liberation of Eros that Marcuse envisioned. Instead, Trumpism explodes suppressed sexuality within the institutions of the performance principle, gives sadistic expression to the sexual drive, conditions the abolition of sexual taboos on the creation of new objects of humiliation, and turns a collectivized sense of guilt “against those who do not belong to the whole, whose existence is its denial. ” In sum, Trumpism was a betrayed revolution from the beginning; what it really represents is the political utilization of sex and aggression to reinforce social domination.
Rattractor—Instant guidance of a rat into a virtual cage using the deep brain stimulation

We developed “Rattractor” (rat attractor), a system to apply electrical stimuli to the deep brain of a rat as it stays in a specified region or a virtual cage to demonstrate an instant electrophysiological feedback controller for animals. Two wire electrodes were implanted in the brains of nine rats. The electrodes targeted the medial forebrain bundle (MFB), which is a part of the reward system in the deep brain. Following the recovery period, the rats were placed in a plain field where they could move freely, but wired to a stimulation circuit. An image sensor installed over the field detected the subject’s position, which triggered the stimulator such that the rat remained within the virtual cage. We conducted a behavioral experiment to evaluate the sojourn ratio of rats residing in the region. Thereafter, a histological analysis of the rat brain was performed to confirm the position of the stimulation sites in the brain. Seven rats survived the surgery and the recovery period without technical failures such as connector breaks. We observed that three of them tended to stay in the virtual cage during stimulation, and this effect was maintained for two weeks. Histological analysis revealed that the electrode tips were correctly placed in the MFB region of the rats. The other four subjects showed no apparent preference for the virtual cage. In these rats, we did not find electrode tips in the MFB, or could not determine their positions. Almost half of the rats tended to remain inside the virtual cage when position-related reward stimuli were triggered in the MFB region. Notably, our system did not require previous training or sequential interventions to affect the behavioral preferences of subjects. This process is similar to the situation in which sheep are chased by a shepherd dog in the desired direction.
Multiscale Mechanical Characterization and Computational Modeling of Fibrin Gels

Fibrin is a naturally occurring protein network that forms a temporary structure to enable remodeling during wound healing. It is also a common tissue engineering scaffold because the structural properties can be controlled. However, to fully characterize the wound healing process and improve the design of regenerative scaffolds, understanding fibrin mechanics at multiple scales is necessary. Here, we present a strategy to quantify both the macroscale (1 – 10 mm) stress-strain response and the deformation of the mesoscale (10 – 1000 μm) network structure during unidirectional tensile tests. The experimental data is then used to inform a computational model to accurately capture the mechanical response of fibrin gels. Simultaneous mechanical testing and confocal microscopy imaging of fluorophore-conjugated fibrin gels revealed up to an 88% decrease in volume coupled with increase in volume fraction in deformed gels, and non-affine fiber alignment in the direction of deformation. Combination of the computational model with finite element analysis enabled us to predict the strain fields that were observed experimentally within heterogenous fibrin gels with spatial variations in material properties. These strategies can be expanded to characterize and predict the macroscale mechanics and mesoscale network organization of other heterogeneous biological tissues and matrices. Statement of Significance Fibrin is a naturally-occurring scaffold that supports cellular growth and assembly of de novo tissue and has tunable material properties. Characterization of meso- and macro-scale mechanics of fibrin gel networks can advance understanding of the wound healing process and impact future tissue engineering approaches. Using structural and mechanical characteristics of fibrin gels, a theoretical and computational model that can predict multiscale fibrin network mechanics was developed. These data and model can be used to design gels with tunable properties.
Different hemispheric lateralization for periodicity and formant structure of vowels in the auditory cortex and its changes between childhood and adulthood

The spectral formant structure and periodicity pitch are the major features that determine the identity of vowels and the characteristics of the speaker. However, very little is known about how the processing of these features in the auditory cortex changes during development. To address this question, we independently manipulated the periodicity and formant structure of vowels while measuring auditory cortex responses using MEG in children aged 7-12 years and adults. We analyzed the sustained negative shift of source current associated with these vowel properties, which was present in the auditory cortex in both age groups despite differences in the transient components of the auditory response. In adults, the sustained activation associated with formant structure was lateralized to the left hemisphere early in the auditory processing stream requiring neither attention nor semantic mapping. This lateralization was not yet established in children, in whom the right hemisphere contribution to formant processing was strong and decreased during or after puberty. In contrast to the formant structure, periodicity was associated with a greater response in the right hemisphere in both children and adults. These findings suggest that left-lateralization for the automatic processing of vowel formant structure emerges relatively late in ontogenesis and pose a serious challenge to current theories of hemispheric specialization for speech processing.
Genome-wide detection of positive and balancing selection signatures shared by four domesticated rainbow trout populations (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Evolutionary processes leave footprints across the genome over time. Highly homozygous regions may correspond to positive selection of favourable alleles, while maintenance of heterozygous regions may be due to balancing selection phenomena. We analyzed 176 genomes coming from 20 sequenced US fish and 156 fish from three different French lines that were genotyped using a HD Axiom Trout Genotyping 665K SNP Array. Using methods based on either Run of Homozygosity or Extended Haplotype Homozygosity, we detected selection signals in four domesticated rainbow trout populations. Nine genomic regions composed of 253 genes, mainly located on chromosome 2 but also on chromosomes 12, 15, 16, and 20, were identified under positive selection in all four populations. In addition, four heterozygous regions containing 29 genes putatively under balancing selection were also shared by the four populations and located on chromosomes 10, 13, and 19. Whatever the homozygous or heterozygous nature of the region, we always found some genes highly conserved among vertebrates due to their critical roles in cellular and nuclear organisation, embryonic development or immunity. We identify new promising candidate genes involved in rainbow trout fitness, as well as genes already detected under positive selection in other fishes (auts2, atp1b3, zp4, znf135, igf-1α, brd2, col9a2, mrap2, pbx1, emilin-3). These findings represent a genome-wide map of signatures of selection common over rainbow trout populations, which is the foundation to understand the processes in action and to identify what kind of diversity should be preserved, or conversely avoided in breeding programs, in order to maintain or improve essential biological functions in domesticated rainbow trout populations.
Exploring cognitive, behavioral and autistic trait network topology in very preterm and term-born children

Compared to full-term (FT) born peers, children who were born very preterm (VPT; <32 weeks’ gestation) are likely to display more cognitive and behavioural difficulties, including inattention, anxiety and socio-communication problems. In the published literature, such difficulties tend to be studied independently, thus failing to account for how different aspects of child development interact. The current study aimed to investigate children’s cognitive and behavioural outcomes as interconnected, dynamically related facets of development that influence one another. Participants were 93 VPT and 55 FT children (median age 8.79 years). IQ was evaluated with the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children – 4th edition (WISC-IV), autism spectrum condition (ASC) traits with the Social Responsiveness Scale – 2nd edition (SRS-2), behavioural and emotional problems with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), temperament with the Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire (TMCQ) and executive function with the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF-2). Outcome measures were studied in VPT and FT children using Network Analysis, a method that graphically represents partial correlations between variables and yields information on each variable’s propensity to form a bridge between other variables. Results showed that VPT and FT children exhibited marked topological differences. Bridges (i.e., the variables most connected to others) in the VPT group network were: SDQ Conduct Problems scale and BRIEF-2 Organisation of Materials scale. In the FT group network, the most important bridges were: the BRIEF-2 Initiate, SDQ Emotional Problems and SDQ Prosocial Behaviours scales. These findings highlight the importance of targeting different aspects of development to support VPT and FT children in person-based interventions.
The hidden power of secondary metabolites in plant-fungi interactions and sustainable phytoremediation

The global environment is dominated by various small exotic substances, known as secondary metabolites, produced by plants and microorganisms. Plants and fungi are particularly plentiful sources of these molecules, whose physiological functions, in many cases, remain a mystery. Fungal secondary metabolites (SM) are a diverse group of substances that exhibit a wide range of chemical properties and generally fall into one of four main family groups: Terpenoids, polyketides, non-ribosomal peptides, or a combination of the latter two. They are incredibly varied in their functions and are often related to the increased fitness of the respective fungus in its environment, often competing with other microbes or interacting with plant species. Several of these metabolites have essential roles in the biological control of plant diseases by various beneficial microorganisms used for crop protection and biofertilization worldwide. Besides direct toxic effects against phytopathogens, natural metabolites can promote root and shoot development and/or disease resistance by activating host systemic defenses. The ability of these microorganisms to synthesize and store biologically active metabolites that are a potent source of novel natural compounds beneficial for agriculture is becoming a top priority for SM fungi research. In this review, we will discuss fungal-plant secondary metabolites with antifungal properties and the role of signaling molecules in induced and acquired systemic resistance activities. Additionally, fungal secondary metabolites mimic plant promotion molecules such as auxins, gibberellins, and abscisic acid, which modulate plant growth under biotic stress. Moreover, we will present a new trend regarding phytoremediation applications using fungal secondary metabolites to achieve sustainable food production and microbial diversity in an eco-friendly environment.
Controllability of Formations over Time-varying Graphs

In this paper, we investigate the controllability of a class of formation control systems. Given a directed graph, we assign an agent to each of its vertices and let the edges of the graph describe the information flow in the system. We relate the strongly connected components of this graph to the reachable set of the formation control system. Moreover, we show that the formation control model is approximately path-controllable over a path-connected, open dense subset as long as the graph is weakly connected and satisfies some mild assumption on the numbers of vertices of the strongly connected components.
Response of vegetation dynamic change to multi-scale drought stress in the high-latitude Nenjiang River basin in China

Vegetation is an integral part of terrestrial ecosystem and plays an important role in responding to climate change, with its dynamic characteristics reflecting the ecological environmental quality. Recently, the continually increasing frequency and intensity of droughts has greatly changed how vegetation growth and development respond to drought. In this study, using normalized difference vegetation index and standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), we studied the response characteristics of vegetation dynamics to multi-scale drought stress (SPEI-1, SPEI-3, and SPEI-12) in the Nenjiang River basin (NRB) via Pearson correlation analysis, along with further exploration of the vegetation stability under drought. The results showed that the same period effect of drought on vegetation growth in NRB mainly occurs during the early and middle stages of vegetation growth. Furthermore, the proportion of significant positive correlation between them is 15.3%–43.3%, mainly in the central and southern parts of the basin. The lagged period effect of drought on vegetation growth mainly occurred during autumn in the southeast and middle of the basin, with a significant positive correlation of 20.8%. Under drought stress, the forest vegetation stability in NRB was the highest, with the resilience of wetland and grassland vegetation being the best and worst, respectively. Our study results will not only deepen our understanding of the dynamic vegetation changes in the high-latitude semi-arid basin under global climate change, but also provide a scientific basis for the management and water resources allocation of “agriculture-wetland-forest” complex ecosystem in the future.