Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MRI-Based Classification of Rathke’s Cleft Cyst and Its Clinical Implication

Background Rathke’s cleft cysts (RCCs) are benign tumors of the pituitary gland. Small, asymptomatic RCCs do not require surgical treatment, whereas surgical treatment is required for symptomatic RCCs. Methods We retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients with an RCC who were diagnosed and managed in our institution between April 2004 and April 2020 and generated two different cohorts: the observation (n=114) and the surgical group (n=99). Their initial MRI signal characteristics were analyzed. The natural course focusing on cyst size was observed in the observation group and postoperative visual and endocrine outcomes were evaluated in the surgical group. Results The characterization of MRI signals of cyst contents in both T1-weighted (T1W) and T2-weighted (T2W) images revealed nine combinations for our 213 patients. Among 115 patients with a high T2W signal, the cysts showed hypo-, iso-, and hyper-intensity on T1W images in 72, 39, and 44 patients, respectively; Type S-low, Type S-iso, and Type S-high. One more major group of 35 patients showed RCCs with hyperintensity on the T1W images and hypointensity on the T2W images named as Type M. In the comparison between observation and surgical groups, we identified only two major groups in which the number of patients in the surgical and observation groups was statistically different: more Type S-low in a surgical group (p<0.001) and more Type M in an observation group (p=0.007). In subgroup analysis, the range of change in the cyst size was the highest in Type S-high in the observation group (p=0.028), and intergroup differences in visual and endocrine outcomes were not evident in the surgical group. Conclusion MRI characteristics help to predict the natural course of RCCs. We identified subgroups of RCCs which are more or less likely to require surgical intervention.
Correlation pattern recognition: optimal parameters for quality standards control of chocolate marshmallow candy

This paper describes an in situ image recognition system designed to inspect the quality standards of the chocolate pops during their production. The essence of the recognition system is the localization of the events (i.e., defects) in the input images that affect the quality standards of pops. To this end, processing modules, based on correlation filter, and segmentation of images are employed with the objective of measuring the quality standards. Therefore, we designed the correlation filter and defined a set of features from the correlation plane. The desired values for these parameters are obtained by exploiting information about objects to be rejected in order to find the optimal discrimination capability of the system. Regarding this set of features, the pop can be correctly classified. The efficacy of the system has been tested thoroughly under laboratory conditions using at least 50 images, containing 3 different types of possible defects.
Improved neuropsychological outcomes following proton therapy relative to x-ray therapy for pediatric brain tumor patients.

BACKGROUND Survivors of pediatric brain tumors are at risk for impaired development in multiple neuropsychological domains. The purpose of this study was to compare neuropsychological outcomes of pediatric brain tumor patients who underwent x-ray radiotherapy (XRT) versus proton radiotherapy (PRT). METHODS Pediatric patients who underwent either XRT or PRT and received post-treatment age-appropriate neuropsychological evaluation including measures of intelligence (IQ), attention, memory, visuographic skills, academic skills, and parent-reported adaptive functioning were identified. Multivariate analyses were performed to assess differences in neuropsychological outcomes and included tests for interaction between treatment cohort and follow-up time. RESULTS Between 1998 and 2017, 125 patients with tumors located in the supratentorial (17.6%), midline (28.8%) or posterior fossa (53.6%) compartments received radiation and had post-treatment neuropsychological evaluation. Median age at treatment was 7.4 years. The PRT patient cohort had higher estimated socioeconomic status and shorter median time from radiotherapy completion to last neuropsychological evaluation (6.7 vs. 2.6 years, p<0.001). On multivariable analysis, PRT was associated with higher full-scale IQ (=10.6, p=0.048) and processing speed (=14.4, p=0.007) relative to XRT, with trend toward higher verbal IQ (=9.9, p=0.06) and general adaptive functioning (=11.4, p=0.07). Planned sensitivity analyses truncating follow-up interval in the XRT cohort re-demonstrated higher verbal IQ, (p=0.01) and IQ (p=0.04) following PRT, with trend toward improved processing speed (p=0.09). CONCLUSIONS PRT is associated with favorable outcomes for intelligence and processing speed. Combined with other strategies for treatment de-intensification, PRT may further reduce neuropsychological morbidity of brain tumor treatment.
Non‐parametric regression with wavelet kernels

This paper introduces a method to construct a reproducing wavelet kernel Hilbert spaces for non-parametric regression estimation when the sampling points are not equally spaced. Another objective is to make high-dimensional wavelet estimation problems tractable. It then provides a theoretical foundation to build reproducing kernel from operators and a practical technique to obtain reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces spanned by a set of wavelets. A multiscale approximation technique that aims at taking advantage of the multiresolution structure of wavelets is also described. Examples on toy regression and a real-world problem illustrate the effectiveness of these wavelet kernels. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
FIRST-ORDER NONEQUILIBRIUM PHASE TRANSITION IN A SPATIALLY EXTENDED SYSTEM

We investigate a system of harmonically coupled identical nonlinear constituents subject to noise in different spatial arrangements. For global coupling we find for infinitely many constituents the coexistence of several ergodic components and a bifurcation behaviour like in first order phase transitions. These results are compared with simulations for finite systems both for global coupling and for nearest neighbour coupling on two- and three-dimensional cubic lattices. The mean-field type results for global coupling provide a better understanding of the more complex behaviour in the latter case.
Oligodendrocytes regulate presynaptic properties and neurotransmission through BDNF signaling in the mouse brainstem

Neuron–glia communication contributes to the fine-tuning of synaptic functions. Oligodendrocytes near synapses detect and respond to neuronal activity, but their role in synapse development and plasticity remains largely unexplored. We show that oligodendrocytes modulate neurotransmitter release at presynaptic terminals through secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Oligodendrocyte-derived BDNF functions via presynaptic tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB) to ensure fast, reliable neurotransmitter release and auditory transmission in the developing brain. In auditory brainstem slices from Bdnf+/– mice, reduction in endogenous BDNF significantly decreased vesicular glutamate release by reducing the readily releasable pool of glutamate vesicles, without altering presynaptic Ca2+ channel activation or release probability. Using conditional knockout mice, cell-specific ablation of BDNF in oligodendrocytes largely recapitulated this effect, which was recovered by BDNF or TrkB agonist application. This study highlights a novel function for oligodendrocytes in synaptic transmission and their potential role in the activity-dependent refinement of presynaptic properties.
Adaptive Transceiver Design for High-Capacity Multi-Modal Free-Space Optical Communications With Commercial Devices and Atmospheric Turbulence

In this paper, to achieve higher robustness against atmospheric turbulence for high-capacity free-space optical (FSO) communications, an adaptive multi-modal FSO transceiver has been designed and experimentally demonstrated. We show that based on the dynamically estimated channel state information, modulation formats and power for different transmit modes can be adaptively allocated at the transmitter side. Meanwhile, at the receiver side, we show that the most suitable multi-input/multi-output decoder can be selected and employed to meet the requirement of forward error correction at the minimal expense of power consumption. By employing time-division multiplexed transmitter and receiver emulation and a spatial light modulator for turbulence emulation, an aggregate data rate of 590 Gbit/s/wavelength has been achieved when suffering from strong atmospheric turbulence, verifying the feasibility of the proposed adaptive transceiver over a turbulent FSO link. Moreover, to demonstrate practical applicability, all key devices such as transponder, multiplexer, and demultiplexer are commercially available in this work.
Tomographic separation of composite spectra. 2: The components of 29 UW Canis Majoris

We have analyzed the UV photospheric lines of 29 CMa, a 4.39 day period, double-lined O-type spectroscopic binary. Archival data from International Ultraviolet Explorer (IUE)(28 spectra well distributed in oribital phase) were analyzed with several techniques. We find that the mass ratio is q = 1.20 +/- 0.16 (secondary more massive) based on three independent arguments. A tomography algorithm was used to produce the separate spectra of the two stars in six UV spectral regions. The MK spectral classifications of the primary and secondary, O7.5-8 Iab and O9.7 Ib, respectively, were estimated through a comparison of UV line ratios with those in spectral standard stars. The flux ratio of the stars in the UV is 0.36 +/- 0.07 (primary brighter). The primary has a strong P Cygni NIV wavelength 1718 feature, indicating a strong stellar wind. We also present tomographic reconstructions of visual spectral data in the range 4300-4950 A, based on seven observations of differing orbital phases, which confirm the UV classifications, and show that the primary is an Of star. From the spectral classifications, we estimate the temperatures of the stars to be 33,750 K and 29,000 K for primary and secondary, respectively. We then fit visual and UV light curves and show that reasonably good fits can be obtained with these temperatures, a semicontact configuration, an inclination of 74 deg. +/- 2 deg. , and an intensity ratio r is less than 0.5.
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PROFESSIONAL ADAPTATION OF FUTURE SPECIALISTS IN THE ECONOMIC FIELD

This article defines the interaction of external (objective) and internal (subjective) factors that affect the process of professional adaptation of students of the economic profile from the perspective of the analysis of psychological and pedagogical literature. Among the first are the level of development of society, its socio-economic needs, as well as, of course, the established system of professional education, its content, methods, and forms of organization of the educational process. Analyzing subjective factors, first of all we have in mind the mental characteristics of the personality of the future specialist-economist. Three main scales for the classification of motives have been distinguished: awareness – unawareness; congenital – acquired; qualitative characteristics of motives. The block of the structure of professional motives has been described: motives for understanding the goals of the profession; motives of professional activity, which in turn combine activity-processual and activity-resultative motives; motives of professional communication (prestige of the profession in society, social cooperation and interpersonal communication in the profession); motives for the manifestation of personality in the profession, including both the development and self-realization of the personality in the profession, and the development of individuality in the profession. The requirements from the point of view of ensuring professional adaptation have been considered: fundamentalization, which is the most important condition for the formation of a comprehensively developed professionally adapted specialist; humanitarianization of the content of education, which is expressed in the search for new approaches to teaching social and humanitarian disciplines in higher education; the ability of the content of education and the technology of education to ensure high professional readiness of a specialist in accordance with the level and profile of education; integration of the content of higher and secondary professional education; personal and individual-psychological focus of professional education. Approaches to increase the level of professional adaptability have been proposed: adaptive; operational and problematic (project).
The modified analytic trivialization of singularities

We consider the classification of certain classes of singularities. They include in particular those of Kuiper, Whitney and Zeeman. The kite singularities, such as $y^{2}=t^{2}x^{3}+x^{5}$ in $R^{3}$ , which arise from the Ratio Test $((4))$ , are also considered. While facing a classification problem, it is often very difficult, and yet most interesting, to decide which equivalence relation is the best. It should be as strong as possible, whilst keeping the number of classes to a minimum. A typical situation is reflected in the Whitney example
Association between Femoral Artery Flow-Mediated Dilation and Muscle Oxygen Saturation Parameters in Healthy, Young Individuals

Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and muscle oxygen saturation (StO2) are measurements utilized to assess macro- and microvascular function, respectively. Macro- and microvascular dysfunction may occur differently depending on the clinical condition. Since microvascular responsiveness can influence upstream conduit artery hemodynamics, the present study aimed to investigate whether a correlation between FMD and muscle StO2 parameters exists. Sixteen healthy, young individuals were enrolled in this study. Femoral artery FMD and tibial anterior muscle StO2 were evaluated by ultrasound and near-infrared spectroscopy, respectively. The FMD and muscle StO2 parameters were assessed by employing a vascular occlusion test (VOT). The oxygen resaturation rate was determined by calculating the upslope of StO2 immediately after occlusion and the magnitude of reperfusion as the difference between the highest and lowest StO2 value achieved during the reperfusion phase. The oxygen desaturation rate and the magnitude of desaturation during the VOT were also evaluated. A significant correlation between the FMD and oxygen resaturation rate (r = 0.628; p = 0.009), magnitude of reperfusion (r = 0.568; p = 0.022), oxygen desaturation rate (r = −0.509; p = 0.044), and magnitude of desaturation (r = 0.644; p = 0.007) was observed. This study demonstrated a moderate association between the femoral artery FMD and tibial anterior StO2 parameters in young individuals.
The Measurement and Parameterization of Effective Radius of Droplets in Warm Stratocumulus Clouds

Abstract Observations from the Meteorological Research Flight's Hercules C-130 aircraft of the microphysical characteristics of warm stratocumulus clouds have been analyzed to investigate the variation of the effective radius of cloud droplets in layer clouds. Results from experiments in the eastern Pacific, South Atlantic, subtropical regions of the North Atlantic, and the sea areas around the British Isles are presented. In situations where entrainment effects are small the (effective radius)3 is found to be a linear function of the (volume-averaged radius)3 in a given cloud and can thus be parameterized with respect to the liquid water content and the droplet number concentration in the cloud. However, the shape of the droplet size spectrum is very dependent on the cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) characteristics below cloud base, and the relationship between effective radius and volume-averaged radius varies between maritime air masses and continental air masses. This study also details comparisons tha.
Advances in the measurement of hardness at high strain rates by nanoindentation

A new testing system and techniques for measuring the hardness of materials subjected to very high indentation strain rates up to 10^4 s^−1 is presented. This was accomplished by modifying the components of a conventional nanoindentation system with a laser interferometer that records indenter displacements at 1.25 MHz. Using specially developed analysis techniques based on Newton's laws, these displacements can be converted to synchronous measurements of the indentation load, providing for the determination of indentation load–depth curves from which the hardness can be obtained. The testing system has been used to explore the behavior of two materials at opposite ends of the hardness spectrum—hard fused silica and soft single crystalline (111) aluminum. Results show that the hardness of fused silica is relatively insensitive to strain rate, whereas the hardness of aluminum at high strain rates (10^3–10^4 s^−1) increases by 25% compared to quasistatic testing. Graphical abstract
Sensorimotor integration during human self-vocalization: Insights from invasive electrophysiology

Effective human speech requires the neural integration of ongoing vocal production with the auditory and somatosensory feedback signals that are produced. We are using invasive electrophysiology techniques in patient volunteers undergoing neurosurgical treatment in order to gain insights into these mechanisms and underlying neural circuits. By using multi-contact electrode arrays chronically implanted over the perisylvian temporal lobe auditory cortex (e.g. area PLST) and the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), we can examine local field potentials and frequency-specific responses from cortical areas important for both vocal production and speech sound processing. Our initial studies have found that during self-vocalization, focal areas within higher order auditory cortex on the superior temporal gyrus (STG) show response modulation compared to the responses of the same areas during passive listening. Manipulation of the auditory feedback that a speaker receives during vocalization (e.g. pitch-shifted or delayed auditory feedback) leads to further modulation of these PLST sites. Measures of functional connectivity including electrical stimulation tract tracing or phase-synchrony analysis demonstrate that portions of PLST are functionally connected to regions of the IFG. These findings support forward models for vocal control in which efference copies of premotor cortex activity modulate sub-regions of auditory cortex.
A 28 GHz 8 × 8 Gapwaveguide Phased Array Employing GaN Front-End With 60 dBm EIRP

A cost-efficient, high equivalent isotropic radiated power (60 dBm), large-bandwidth (26.5–29.5 GHz) active phased array antenna system has been designed and experimentally verified. The proposed design methodology results in a reduction of production costs by employing gallium nitride (GaN)-based radio frequency front-ends (RFFEs) with 31 dBm output power allowing a reduced number of antenna elements. A fully metallic gapwaveguide (GW) technology has been employed achieving efficient heat dissipation per aperture area of the array as well as low-loss easy-to-manufacture antenna elements. The phased array is realized by sub-arraying an $8\times 8$ slot array antenna with horizontal polarization. A ±60° analog beamforming in the E-plane is demonstrated. The presented antenna is a potential candidate for compact-size high-performance fifth-generation (5G) base station antennas with excellent temperature stability.
Properties of aluminum nitride thin films for piezoelectric transducers and microwave filter applications

Aluminum nitride thin films have been grown by reactive magnetron sputter technique using a pulsed power supply. The highly (002)-textured columnar films deposited on platinized silicon substrates exhibited quasi-single-crystal piezoelectric properties. The effective d33 was measured as 3.4 pm/V, the effective e31 as 1.0 C/m2. The pyroelectric coefficient turned out to be positive (4.8 μC m−2 K−1) due to a dominating piezoelectric contribution. Thin-film bulk acoustic resonators (TFBAR) with fundamental resonance at 3.6 GHz have been fabricated to assess resonator properties. The material parameters derived from the thickness resonance were a coupling factor k=0.23 and a sound velocity vs=11 400 m/s. With a quality factor Q of 300, the TFBARs proved to be apt for filter applications. The temperature coefficient of the frequency could be tuned to practically 0 ppm/K.
Robust Wiener filtering for Adaptive Optics

In many applications of optical systems, the observed field in the pupil plane has a non-uniform phase component. This deviation of the phase of the field from uniform is called a phase aberration. In imaging systems this aberration will degrade the quality of the images. In the case of a large astronomical telescope, random fluctuations in the atmosphere lead to significant distortion. These time-varying distortions can be corrected using an Adaptive Optics (AO) system, which is a real-time control system composed of optical, mechanical and computational parts. Adaptive optics is also applicable to problems in vision science, laser propagation and communication. For a high-level overview, consult this web site. For an in-depth treatment of the astronomical case, consult these books.
Dynamic Object-Aware Visual Odometry (VO) Estimation Based on Optical Flow Matching

In this work, we propose a new visual odometry (VO) system that exploits the dynamic parts of an image. The key idea of our method is to identify the dynamic parts by combining semantic segmentation and optical flow and to suppress the dynamic parts in the process of VO estimation. First, movable objects are detected using the semantic segmentation. If an object contains many pixels of inconsistent optical flow, the object is considered as dynamic and merged with other dynamic objects to create a dynamic mask. Next, the ego-motion of the camera is estimated by using only the remaining static parts of the image and suppressing its dynamic parts. Unlike the other popular deep learning-based VO approaches, our method uses geometric approach based on optimization to achieve high performance. That is, the ego-motion of the camera is obtained by optimizing the correspondences obtained using the dynamic mask and optical flow consistency. Finally, the proposed method is applied to the KITTI Odometry benchmark dataset, and its performance is compared with that of the previous VO methods. Our method achieves an average of 7.67(%) translation error and 2.186 rotation error(°/100m), which imply the performance improvement by 21% and 11% from the state-of-the-art baseline, DF-VO, respectively. In addition, our method yields the RPE (Relative Pose Error) of 0.186m, which is the performance improvement by 52% against ORB-SLAM2, a popular geometry-based method. The experimental results show that the proposed VO method reliably predicts excellent visual odometry in the presence of dynamic objects.
The non-sexist public space in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

ABSTRACT The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has recently lifted restrictions regarding the mixing of genders and the access rights of women to public space. These reforms call for new public space strategies to accommodate women’s needs. Although studies have examined various management and design factors thought to improve women’s experiences in public spaces, these studies often lack an evaluative component and do not always convey the significance of each factor. Through Exploratory Factor Analysis and Fuzzy Synthetic Evaluation techniques, we propose a six-factor index that allows officials, practitioners, researchers, and urban inhabitants to assess and improve urban access for women.