Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Acute stroke--a dynamic process.

INTRODUCTION Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability against which new treatment options are much needed. In order to establish new potential treatment targets, we need detailed knowledge of the natural course of the disease. The aim of the studies on which this thesis is based was to explore the hypothesis that acute stroke is a dynamic process by investigating patients in which the acute brain damage affects not only the brain but induces a multitude of systemic changes. By serial measurements commencing so early that the patophysiological changes were not yet completed the course of temperature, blood pressure, glucose and heart rate was described. We further wanted to look into the interplay of heart and brain as well as the stress response in order to investigate their possible impact in the first hours after stroke onset. We documented that acute stroke is a dynamic process and that stroke severity is determinant in the changes of physiological parameters. The stress response as well as cardiac changes may contribute to poor prognosis especially in severe stroke and may have a role in future therapeutic strategies. Damage to the right insula may hold a key role for the stress response and cardiac changes after stroke.
Comments on "A high-resolution quadratic time-frequency distribution for multicomponent signals analysis"

For original paper see Barkat and Boashash (IEEE Trans. Signal Processing, vol.49, p.2232-9, 2001). It is shown that the time-frequency distribution (TFD) proposed in the above paper is not well defined in the ordinary sense for power signals, including the single-tone sinusoid, and it needs the introduction of generalized functions and transforms. It is also shown that the proposed TFD does not satisfy the conditions cited by the authors of the paper to justify the claim that it has the instantaneous frequency property.
Assessing the Effects of Instructor Enthusiasm on Classroom Engagement, Learning Goal Orientation, and Academic Self-Efficacy

Enthusiasm is widely regarded as one of the most essential and desirable qualities and characteristics of effective teachers. This study is designed to assess the effects of teacher enthusiasm on student classroom engagement, learning goal orientation, and academic self-efficacy. Participants include 165 college students enrolled in basic communication classes. Results indicate that teacher enthusiasm is an effective predictor of student behavioral, cognitive, and emotional engagement, intrinsic goal orientation, and academic self-efficacy, but it is not a significant predictor of extrinsic goal orientation. Consequently, this study demonstrates the power of teacher enthusiasm in predicting and shaping students' behavior in the classroom.
M-learning adequacy and perceptions of students and teachers in secondary schools

In recent years, the use of mobile technologies has increased in a number of fields such as banking, economy, tourism, entertainment, library research, etc. These developments have also led to the use of mobile technologies for educational purposes. The successful integration of mobile learning (m-learning) technologies in education primarily demands that teachers' and students' adequacy and perceptions of such technology should be determined. Therefore, the aim of this study was to compare teachers' and students' abilities and perceptions concerning m-learning. Research data for the analysis were obtained from a sample of 467 teachers and 1556 students from 32 schools that were surveyed in Northern Cyprus. Based on our results, we conclude that teachers and students want to use m-learning in education. Their perceptions are positive but their m-learning adequacy levels are not sufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Total Variation with Overlapping Group Sparsity for Image Deblurring under Impulse Noise

The total variation (TV) regularization method is an effective method for image deblurring in preserving edges. However, the TV based solutions usually have some staircase effects. In order to alleviate the staircase effects, we propose a new model for restoring blurred images under impulse noise. The model consists of an ℓ1-fidelity term and a TV with overlapping group sparsity (OGS) regularization term. Moreover, we impose a box constraint to the proposed model for getting more accurate solutions. The solving algorithm for our model is under the framework of the alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM). We use an inner loop which is nested inside the majorization minimization (MM) iteration for the subproblem of the proposed method. Compared with other TV-based methods, numerical results illustrate that the proposed method can significantly improve the restoration quality, both in terms of peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) and relative error (ReE).
On Additive Doubling and Energy

We discuss some ideas related to the polynomial Freiman-Ruzsa conjecture. We show that there is a universal $\epsilon>0$ so that any subset of an abelian group with subtractive doubling $K$ must be polynomially related to a set with additive energy at least $\frac{1}{K^{1-\epsilon}}$. This means that the main difficulty in proving the polynomial Freiman-Ruzsa conjecture consists of studying sets whose energy is greater than that implied by their doubling. One example is a generalized arithmetic progression of high dimension which cannot occur in the finite characteristic setting.
The effects of pharmacist interventions on patients with polypharmacy

Polypharmacy, the state of being prescribed or taking more medications than clinically appropriate, can result in a variety of negative outcomes for both patients and healthcare facilities. These include negative outcomes such as adverse drug effects, hospitalizations, and poor patient health, as well as economic outcomes such as increased drug cost and costs associated with increased utilization of health services. Available data suggests pharmacists have the potential to have a large effect in combating this problem through a variety of interventions such as reducing the number of medications taken, reducing the number of doses taken, increasing patient adherence, preventing adverse drug reactions (ADRs), improving patient quality of life and decreasing facility and drug costs. A small number of studies have been performed on the pharmacists’ role in addressing the problem of polypharmacy; however, they include various populations, settings, and measured outcomes. Furthermore, some of the results are conflicting. Nonetheless, this review of the available literature concludes that pharmacist interventions can improve patient outcomes. With the ever-increasing costs of healthcare, the substantial cost savings for patients as well as institutions provided by these interventions are further justification for widespread implementation of pharmacist interventions at healthcare institutions.
The importance of student voice

Having read the articles by Smyth, Cook-Sather, Fielding, Mitra, and Osberg/Pope/Galloway, I will in this article form my statements regarding different topics within the concept of ‘student voice’. My apprehension of how student voice is best implemented and organized is based, mostly, on my former experiences as a member and, later, leader of the student council at Bjørkelangen High School in Norway. The purpose of this text will at the same time be to give an impression of how students think when it comes to participation in school reform processes and influence on their own learning environment. The first part of this text concerns the ways of gaining influence in one’s own learning environment, i.e. on the class level. Furthermore, it will discuss the different methods of organizing the student body and increasing the level of participation in decision-making processes. Last, I will at look at the challenges regarding students participating in powerful groups within the school.
L'aspect lexical et le développement du passé composé et de l'imparfait en français L2 : Une étude quantitative auprès d'apprenants hispanophones

Lexical aspect and L1-L2 differences are often associated with the perfective and prototypical preference that characterises the development of the L2 French past tense among Anglophones. This study examined whether learners of French with the imperfective in their L1 would exhibit this developmental L2 past tense preference. The overall and appropriate uses of the French perfective and imperfective of 44 Hispanophones from four L2 tense-aspect proficiency levels were documented through a cloze task with 23 prototypical and 23 non-prototypical contexts. ANOVAs of the 2254 tokens generated by the participants revealed that, at low L2 proficiency levels, the participants overrode the perfective preference. Prototypical marking remained a preference across L2 proficiency levels, however. This finding reveals that lexical aspect constitutes a shared L2 acquisition challenge for the use of temporal morphology in L2 non-prototypical contexts even among learners who override verb semantics in their L1.
“We Are Multiculturalism”: A Self-study of Faculty of Colour With Pre-service Teachers of Colour

This paper reports a self-study of three faculty of colour engaged in teaching a special summer session geared to recruiting people of colour to teaching. Given our past experiences in institutions of higher education, we recognised the unique situation and potential of faculty of colour teaching a class made up almost exclusively of students of colour. We analysed our own reflective writings constructed while teaching the course. Using an emergent grounded research approach to data analysis, we identified common themes, and reconciled ambiguous information until a synthesis was achieved. Four themes rose to the surface: (1) creating connections; (2) the curriculum remains the same…mostly; (3) identity issues; and (4) a positive affective environment. We detail these themes and provide samples to tell our story about cultural identity, social justice and teaching. You know what? Nobody in this class needs multiculturalism. I looked around this class and I said, “We are multiculturalism. ” (Tyrone)
Mild decreases in white blood cell and platelet counts are present one year after radioactive iodine remnant ablation.

BACKGROUND Bone marrow suppression after multiple, high-dose radioactive iodine (RAI) therapies is well described. However, changes in the peripheral complete blood count (CBC) that may occur after a single treatment of RAI such as that commonly used for routine remnant ablation is much less well studied. In this retrospective trial, we examined the rate of persistent anemia, leukopenia, and thrombocytopenia 1 year after a single RAI administration. METHODS Peripheral blood counts at baseline were compared to those obtained 1 year after RAI remnant ablation in 206 consecutive thyroid cancer patients. Analyses were performed to determine the potential impact of both the method of preparation (recombinant human thyroid stimulating hormone [rhTSH] vs. thyroid hormone withdrawal) and administered activity of (131)I on hemoglobin, white blood cell (WBC), and platelet counts. RESULTS Comparison of the baseline CBC before RAI ablation (median administered activity of approximately 3700 MBq or 100 mCi) with the follow-up CBC done 1 year later demonstrated a statistically significant decline in total WBC (6.7 +/- 2.1 x 10(9) vs. 6.0 +/- 1.8 x 10(9)/L, p < 0.001; 9.7% below the reference range at 1-year follow-up) and platelet (272 +/- 67 vs. 250 +/- 65 x 10(9)/L, p < 0.001; 5.8% below the reference range at 1-year follow-up) with no significant change in hemoglobin (1.40 +/- 0.14 vs. 1.40 +/- 0.14 g/L or 14.0 +/- 1.4 vs. 14.0 +/- 1.4 g/dL; 1.5% below the reference range at 1-year follow-up). There were no significant clinical complications observed during the 1-year follow-up period. The changes in total WBC and platelets were not related to the method of preparation or the administered activity of RAI. CONCLUSION A single RAI treatment of approximately 3700 MBq (100 mCi) after thyroidectomy is associated with a statistically significant, mild decline in WBC and platelet counts that persists for at least 1 year after ablation. Given the small magnitude of the changes and the lack of clinically significant adverse events, these observations should not decrease the use of RAI ablation in moderate to high-risk patients in whom the benefits of ablation are likely to outweigh these minor risks.
Grammatical planning scope in sentence production: Further evidence for the functional phrase hypothesis

ABSTRACT While there is a consensus that speakers plan their utterances before they start producing them, the scope of the initial planning unit remains controversial. In subject-initial utterances, is the planning unit the whole subject phrase or a smaller “functional phrase” within the subject phrase? Allum and Wheeldon (2007) reported that speakers show faster onset latencies in producing utterances like The flower above the house is red, where the subject consists of two functional phrases (the flower and above the house) than in producing The flower and the house are red, where there is a single, longer functional phrase (The flower and the house), both in head-initial languages like English and head-final languages like Japanese. This has been taken to suggest that the functional phrase is a preferred unit of planning, rather than the whole subject. Experiment 1 in the present study replicates Allum and Wheeldon's study with speakers of another head-final language (Mandarin Chinese) and finds similar results. Experiments 2 and 3 investigate whether syntactic processing or visual grouping could potentially explain the pattern of responses, and find that they cannot. Together, these results provide further empirical support for the claim that the functional phrase is a primary unit of grammatical planning for speech production.
Multiple rod–cone and cone–rod photoreceptor transmutations in snakes: evidence from visual opsin gene expression

In 1934, Gordon Walls forwarded his radical theory of retinal photoreceptor ‘transmutation’. This proposed that rods and cones used for scotopic and photopic vision, respectively, were not fixed but could evolve into each other via a series of morphologically distinguishable intermediates. Walls' prime evidence came from series of diurnal and nocturnal geckos and snakes that appeared to have pure-cone or pure-rod retinas (in forms that Walls believed evolved from ancestors with the reverse complement) or which possessed intermediate photoreceptor cells. Walls was limited in testing his theory because the precise identity of visual pigments present in photoreceptors was then unknown. Subsequent molecular research has hitherto neglected this topic but presents new opportunities. We identify three visual opsin genes, rh1, sws1 and lws, in retinal mRNA of an ecologically and taxonomically diverse sample of snakes central to Walls' theory. We conclude that photoreceptors with superficially rod- or cone-like morphology are not limited to containing scotopic or photopic opsins, respectively. Walls' theory is essentially correct, and more research is needed to identify the patterns, processes and functional implications of transmutation. Future research will help to clarify the fundamental properties and physiology of photoreceptors adapted to function in different light levels.
Follicular Cell-Derived Thyroid Cancer in Children

Thyroid carcinoma is a rare disease in chidhood. The only known causative factor is radiation exposure during childhood. Most cases can be cured by surgery and eventually radioiodine. The aim of initial treatment should be the total removal of neoplastic foci with a minimal morbidity. Some cancer-related deaths have been reported decades after initial treatment.
Causal Mediation Analysis with Multiple Mediators

In diverse fields of empirical research—including many in the biological sciences—attempts are made to decompose the effect of an exposure on an outcome into its effects via a number of different pathways. For example, we may wish to separate the effect of heavy alcohol consumption on systolic blood pressure (SBP) into effects via body mass index (BMI), via gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT), and via other pathways. Much progress has been made, mainly due to contributions from the field of causal inference, in understanding the precise nature of statistical estimands that capture such intuitive effects, the assumptions under which they can be identified, and statistical methods for doing so. These contributions have focused almost entirely on settings with a single mediator, or a set of mediators considered en bloc; in many applications, however, researchers attempt a much more ambitious decomposition into numerous path‐specific effects through many mediators. In this article, we give counterfactual definitions of such path‐specific estimands in settings with multiple mediators, when earlier mediators may affect later ones, showing that there are many ways in which decomposition can be done. We discuss the strong assumptions under which the effects are identified, suggesting a sensitivity analysis approach when a particular subset of the assumptions cannot be justified. These ideas are illustrated using data on alcohol consumption, SBP, BMI, and GGT from the Izhevsk Family Study. We aim to bridge the gap from “single mediator theory” to “multiple mediator practice,” highlighting the ambitious nature of this endeavor and giving practical suggestions on how to proceed.
Acquired self‐control of insula cortex modulates emotion recognition and brain network connectivity in schizophrenia

Real‐time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rtfMRI) is a novel technique that has allowed subjects to achieve self‐regulation of circumscribed brain regions. Despite its anticipated therapeutic benefits, there is no report on successful application of this technique in psychiatric populations. The objectives of the present study were to train schizophrenia patients to achieve volitional control of bilateral anterior insula cortex on multiple days, and to explore the effect of learned self‐regulation on face emotion recognition (an extensively studied deficit in schizophrenia) and on brain network connectivity. Nine patients with schizophrenia were trained to regulate the hemodynamic response in bilateral anterior insula with contingent rtfMRI neurofeedback, through a 2‐weeks training. At the end of the training stage, patients performed a face emotion recognition task to explore behavioral effects of learned self‐regulation. A learning effect in self‐regulation was found for bilateral anterior insula, which persisted through the training. Following successful self‐regulation, patients recognized disgust faces more accurately and happy faces less accurately. Improvements in disgust recognition were correlated with levels of self‐activation of right insula. RtfMRI training led to an increase in the number of the incoming and outgoing effective connections of the anterior insula. This study shows for the first time that patients with schizophrenia can learn volitional brain regulation by rtfMRI feedback training leading to changes in the perception of emotions and modulations of the brain network connectivity. These findings open the door for further studies of rtfMRI in severely ill psychiatric populations, and possible therapeutic applications. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Academic Self-Concept and Learning Strategies

This study examined the prediction of academic self-concept (English and Mathematics) and learning strategies (deep and surface), and their direction of effect, on academic achievement (English and Mathematics) of 8,354 students from 16 secondary schools in Hong Kong. Two competing models were tested to ascertain the direction of effect: Model A posited the effect of academic self-concept on learning strategies, whereas Model B posited the effect of learning strategies on academic self-concept. Structural equation modeling indicated that the data fit both models adequately, although Model B was found to have more applied heuristic value for practitioners than Model A because intervention is easier for learning strategies than self-concept. Further investigation also supported the reciprocal relationship between academic self-concept and academic achievement. The findings suggest that academic self-concept, learning strategies, and academic achievement have reciprocal relationships with each other.
Desempenho motor e dificuldades de aprendizagem em escolares com idades entre 7 e 10 anos

O objetivo geral deste estudo foi avaliar o desempenho motor de criancas com e sem indicativos de dificuldades de aprendizagem. Participaram do estudo 406 escolares com idades entre 7 e 10 anos, sendo 231 (56.9%) meninas e 175 (43.1%) meninos, estudantes de uma escola publica municipal de Sao Jose/SC/Brasil. O indicativo de dificuldades de aprendizagem foi verificado por meio do Teste de Desempenho Escolar (TDE), enquanto o desempenho motor e o indicativo de dificuldades motoras com a Bateria para a Avaliacao do Movimento da Crianca (MABC). Meninos sem dificuldades de aprendizagem tiveram melhor desempenho na maior parte das habilidades avaliadas, alem de haver associacao entre o indicativo de problemas motores com as dificuldades de aprendizagem em escrita, matematica e leitura. Por outro lado, estudantes do sexo feminino com e sem indicativo de dificuldades de aprendizagem nao se diferenciaram quanto as habilidades motoras avaliadas, havendo somente associacao entre o indicativo de dificuldades motoras e as dificuldades de leitura. Com base nas diferencas identificadas entre meninos e meninas, os resultados chamam a atencao sobre a necessidade de que pesquisas futuras nesta area considerem a variavel sexo como um diferencial nessa relacao.
Can I add a VoIP call?

In this paper, we study the inherent limitations of the 802.11 (a/b) distributed coordination function (DCF) in supporting VoIP calls over a wireless LAN. Specifically, we evaluate the upper bound on the number of simultaneous VoIP calls that can be placed in a single cell of an 802.11 (a/b) network. Making one additional VoIP call in that cell would degrade the quality of all VoIP call. The upper bound is calculated as a function of the choice of VoIP codec and the length of the audio payload. As an example, when a G711 codec with 20 millisecond audio payload is used, an 802.11b cell can support only 3 to 12 simultaneous VoIP calls. The actual number depends on the effective transmission rate of the wireless station, which for 802.11b can be 1 Mbps, 5.5 Mbps and 11 Mbps. We also study the effect of spatial distribution of the wireless stations on the upper bound which is the dominant factor in determining the effective transmission rate of a station.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy of Dynamic Ridesharing

Dynamic ridesharing is a form of carpooling that allows anyone in a city to hitchhike a ride on short notice. Firms like Lyft and Uber have location-based applications for smartphones that are said to revolutionize this sector of transportation. Nonetheless, this mobile service is still in its infancy and there is a constellation of alternative solutions, with no reliable way to benchmark their diffusion across cities. We propose a method that treats dynamic ridesharing like a virus and (1) collects data from Google trends, as if it were a flu, (2) monitors its viral diffusion by implementing an epidemiological model, (3) infers strategic choices of a firm and represents them on a business model canvas. Our data analysis illustrates that (a) the Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible model performs better than the traditional S-shaped curve, and (b) our method allows us to estimate the evolution of new users and dropped users in every city.