Automated Scientifically Controlled Screening Systems (ASCSS)

The ability to detect when a person is hiding important information has high value in many applications. A new class of systems, termed autonomous scientifically controlled screening systems (ASCSS), is designed to detect individuals\u27 purposely hidden information about target topics of interest. ASCSS represents a systematic synthesis of structured interviewing, orienting theory, defensive response theory, non-invasive psychophysiological measurement, and behavioral measurement. To evaluate and enhance the design principles, an automated screening kiosk (ASK) system was constructed. The ASK system has been used in a physical security screening scenario in which participants constructed and attempted to smuggle a fake improvised explosive device (IED). The ASK system results indicate that ASCSS enables more widespread application of credibility assessment screening systems

The effect of terminal group functionality on the ability of dendrimers to bind proteins

It is known that dendrimers can bind proteins with good selectively. This selectivity comes about from an optimization based on matching the size of the dendrimer with the size of the protein’s interfacial binding area. In this paper, we report how this selectivity can be moderated by the functionality on the surface of the dendrimer. Specifically, we describe the synthesis of amino acid functionalized dendrimers and the effect of functionality on the dendrimer’s ability to bind and inhibit the enzymatic protein, chymotrypsin. The results show how dendrimer binding can be increased or decreased depending on the terminal functionality. These results will allow new ligands to be designed and synthesized, possessing increased and selective protein-binding abilities

A Diagram Is Worth A Dozen Images

Diagrams are common tools for representing complex concepts, relationships and events, often when it would be difficult to portray the same information with natural images. Understanding natural images has been extensively studied in computer vision, while diagram understanding has received little attention. In this paper, we study the problem of diagram interpretation and reasoning, the challenging task of identifying the structure of a diagram and the semantics of its constituents and their relationships. We introduce Diagram Parse Graphs (DPG) as our representation to model the structure of diagrams. We define syntactic parsing of diagrams as learning to infer DPGs for diagrams and study semantic interpretation and reasoning of diagrams in the context of diagram question answering. We devise an LSTM-based method for syntactic parsing of diagrams and introduce a DPG-based attention model for diagram question answering. We compile a new dataset of diagrams with exhaustive annotations of constituents and relationships for over 5,000 diagrams and 15,000 questions and answers. Our results show the significance of our models for syntactic parsing and question answering in diagrams using DPGs

Post-Operative Radiotherapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma of the Anterior Compartment of the Thigh: Should the Sartorius Muscle be Included?

Purpose: The clinical target volume (CTV) of post-operative radiotherapy for soft tissue sarcoma of the limbs conventionally includes the whole of the transverse cross-section of the affected anatomical compartment. In the anterior thigh sartorius appears to lie within its own fascial compartment and can be safely excluded. We investigated the potential impact of omitting sartorius from the anterior muscle compartment on patients with soft tissue sarcoma of the thigh

A Demonstration of STIR-GATE-Connection

We present the first open-source version of STIR-GATE-Connection, a project that aims to provide an easy-to-use pipeline to simulate realistic PET data using GATE, followed by quantitative reconstruction using STIR. Monte Carlo simulations and image reconstruction are powerful research tools for emission tomography that can assist with the design of new medical imaging devices as well as the evaluation of novel image reconstruction algorithms and various correction techniques. STIR-GATE-Connection is a collection of scripts that aid with the: (i) setup of a realistic GATE simulation of a voxelised phantom using a user selected scanner configuration, (ii) conversion of the output list mode data into STIR compatible sinograms, and (iii) computation of additive and multiplicative data corrections for Poisson image reconstruction using STIR. In this work, we demonstrate example usage of these steps. A public release of STIR-GATE-Connection, licensed under the Apache 2.0 License, can be downloaded at: http://www.github.com/UCL/STIR-GATE-Connection

Precision neuromodulation: Promises and challenges of spinal stimulation for multi-modal rehabilitation

Spinal cord injury results in multiple, simultaneous sensorimotor deficits. These include, but are not limited to, full or partial paralysis of muscles below the lesion, muscle spasms, spasticity, and neuropathic pain. Bowel, bladder, and sexual dysfunction are also prevalent. Yet, the majority of emerging spinal stimulation-based therapies focus on a single issue: locomotor rehabilitation. Despite the enormous potential of these translational advances to transform the lives of people living with spinal cord injury, meaningful recovery in other domains deemed critical priorities remains lacking. Here, we highlight the importance of considering the diverse patterns of neural transmission that underlie clinically similar presentations when developing spinal stimulation-based therapies. We also motivate advancement of multi-modal rehabilitation paradigms, which leverage the dense interconnectivity of sensorimotor spinal networks and the unique ability of electrical stimulation to modulate these networks to facilitate and guide simultaneous rehabilitation across domains

Nutritional status of adults and children under 5 years of age in two areas of Guatemala Project results for “His and Hers, time and income: how intra-household dynamics impact nutrition in agricultural households”.

Proyecto IMMANAIn this info-note, we explain the body mass index calculations (BMI) for adults in agricultural Guatemalan households, as well as the implementation of indicators to assess the nutritional status of children under 5 years (height for age, weight for age and weight for height). This work is part of the project “His and Hers, time and income: How intra-household dynamics impact nutrition in agricultural households,” led by the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) and the University de Florida 1 with funding from the program Innovative Methods and Metrics for Agriculture and Nutrition Actions (IMMANA).2 The prevalence of stunting in Guatemalan children under 5 years is 46 percent, according to Guatemala’s Ministry of Public Health (INE, 2015). Stunting refers to insufficient height with respect to age. It is a consequence of inadequate socioeconomic conditions that are often associated with insufficient nutrition and health of the mother, which is in turn reflected in inadequate care of the infant. Stunting prevents children from fully developing their physical and cognitive potential (WHO, 2018). Simultaneously and paradoxically, Guatemala also shows a significant presence of overweight and obesity rates among its population. The prevalence of overweight in adults is 56% and of obesity is 21% (WHO, 2017)