Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Patient participation in free cataract surgery: a cross-sectional study of the low-income elderly in urban China

Objectives To explore the characteristics of the low-income elderly who underwent free cataract surgery and to determine the degree of patient satisfaction with the free cataract surgery programme in urban China. Methods A free cataract surgery management workflow was designed as a poverty relief project in Guangzhou. In this study, participants who underwent free cataract surgery between January and August 2014 received a telephone interview based on a structured questionnaire. Data were collected on patient demographics, resources, health conditions, reasons for undergoing the free surgery and overall evaluation of the free cataract surgery programme. Results Among the 833 participants, the mean surgical age was 76.85±7.46 years (95% CI 76.34 to 77.36), and the male to female ratio was 385:448. The majority (94.31%, 746/791) of patients resided in the main urban districts. Patients underwent surgery 61.08±60.15 months (95% CI 56.17 to 66.00) after becoming aware of the cataract, although 66.83% of them reported that their daily lives were influenced by cataracts. Only 21.5% of the respondents underwent physical examinations that included regular eye screening, and only 6.30% were highly educated patients. Financial problems were the primary reason cited by patients for participating in the free surgery programme. Those patients with a monthly family income of 1000–2999¥ (US$161–482) per capita constituted the largest patient population. The free clinics in the parks and the free cataract surgery were highly rated (9.46 and 9.11 of 10 points) by the beneficiaries. Conclusions The telephone survey revealed a high level of patient satisfaction regarding the free cataract surgery programme. Most of the patients who participated in the programme resided in major urban districts and had poor health awareness and a low level of education. The information provided by this study is crucial for improving and expanding the management of free cataract surgery programmes. Trial registration number NCT02633865; Post-results.
Optimization Stock Portfolio With Mean-Variance and Linear Programming: Case In Indonesia Stock Market

It is observed that the number of Indonesia’s domestic investor who involved in the stock exchange is very less compare to its total number of population (only about 0.1%). As a result, Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) is highly affected by foreign investor that can threat the economy. Domestic investor tends to invest in risk-free asset such as deposit in the bank since they are not familiar yet with the stock market and anxious about the risk (risk-averse type of investor). Therefore, it is important to educate domestic investor to involve in the stock exchange. Investing in portfolio of stock is one of the best choices for risk-averse investor (such as Indonesia domestic investor) since it offers lower risk for a given level of return. This paper studies the optimization of Indonesian stock portfolio. The data is the historical return of 10 stocks of LQ 45 for 5 time series (January 2004 – December 2008). It will be focus on selecting stocks into a portfolio, setting 10 of stock portfolios using mean variance method combining with the linear programming (solver). Furthermore, based on Efficient Frontier concept and Sharpe measurement, there will be one stock portfolio picked as an optimum Portfolio (Namely Portfolio G). Then, Performance of portfolio G will be evaluated by using Sharpe, Treynor and Jensen Measurement to show whether the return of Portfolio G exceeds the market return. This paper also illustrates how the stock composition of the Optimum Portfolio (G) succeeds to predict the portfolio return in the future (5 th January – 3 rd April 2009). The result of the study observed that optimization portfolio using Mean-Variance (consistent with Markowitz theory) combine with linear programming can be applied into Indonesia stock’s portfolio. All the measurements (Sharpe, Jensen, and Treynor) show that the portfolio G is a superior portfolio. It is also been found that the composition (weights) stocks of optimum portfolio (G) can be used to predict the forward return (5 th January – 3 rd April 2009). It is shown that the stock portfolio return of 5 th January – 3 rd April 2009) has exceeded the market return for the same period of time based on Sharpe and Treynor measurement.
A Functional Perspective on Emotion Elicitation : Some Considerations for the Development of Emotional Architectures

Appraisal theory, a functional approach to understanding emotion elicitation is described. Three distinct classes of appraisal models are reviewed: structural – which describe the cognitive contents of appraisal and how those contents map onto the elicitation of various distinct emotions; procedural – which describe the cognitive processes underlying appraisal; and relational – which describe how both person and situation information is combined in producing specific appraisal outcomes. A theoretical example of each class of model is described, and the state of the empirical literature addressing such models is reviewed. The relevance of the general theoretical approach, and of the three types of appraisal models, to developing architectures for modeling emotion are discussed.
Syntheses of Disordered and Al-Rich Hydrotalcite-Like Compounds

Hydrotalcite-like compounds, [Mg1-xAlx(OH)2]x+ [xX−·n H2O], where X− = ½CO32− or OH−, were prepared by hydrothermal syntheses at $$P_{H{_2}O}=100\;MPa$$PH2O=100MPa and T = 100°–350°C. Starting materials were MgO, γ-Al2O3, H2O, and MgC2O4·2H2O. The synthesis depended on temperature, pressure, the Al/(Al + Mg) ratio x, and the CO2 content of the starting material. Previously an Al content of x = 0.33 was thought to be the upper limit in these double-layer compounds, but by using pressure the Al-content was increased to x = 0.44. Up to x = 0.33, a0 decreased linearly to about 3.04 Å, but for x ≥0.33, a0 remained nearly constant at this value. For the synthesized products the layer thickness c’ varied between 7.40 and 7.57 Å in contrast to the natural phases wherein c’ varies from 7.60 to 7.80 Å. At higher temperatures CO2-free syntheses, i.e., those without Mg-oxalate, resulted in a disordered hydrotalcite-like phase. The transition temperature between the ordered and the disordered hydrotalcite-like phase depended on the Al-content, x.
Structural and Spectral Features of Selenium Nanospheres Produced by Se-Respiring Bacteria

ABSTRACT Certain anaerobic bacteria respire toxic selenium oxyanions and in doing so produce extracellular accumulations of elemental selenium [Se(0)]. We examined three physiologically and phylogenetically diverse species of selenate- and selenite-respiring bacteria, Sulfurospirillum barnesii, Bacillus selenitireducens, and Selenihalanaerobacter shriftii, for the occurrence of this phenomenon. When grown with selenium oxyanions as the electron acceptor, all of these organisms formed extracellular granules consisting of stable, uniform nanospheres (diameter, ∼300 nm) of Se(0) having monoclinic crystalline structures. Intracellular packets of Se(0) were also noted. The number of intracellular Se(0) packets could be reduced by first growing cells with nitrate as the electron acceptor and then adding selenite ions to washed suspensions of the nitrate-grown cells. This resulted in the formation of primarily extracellular Se nanospheres. After harvesting and cleansing of cellular debris, we observed large differences in the optical properties (UV-visible absorption and Raman spectra) of purified extracellular nanospheres produced in this manner by the three different bacterial species. The spectral properties in turn differed substantially from those of amorphous Se(0) formed by chemical oxidation of H2Se and of black, vitreous Se(0) formed chemically by reduction of selenite with ascorbate. The microbial synthesis of Se(0) nanospheres results in unique, complex, compacted nanostructural arrangements of Se atoms. These arrangements probably reflect a diversity of enzymes involved in the dissimilatory reduction that are subtly different in different microbes. Remarkably, these conditions cannot be achieved by current methods of chemical synthesis.
The Effect of Radiative Cooling on the Scale Dependence of the Global Stellar and Gas Content of Groups and Clusters of Galaxies

It is widely believed that the global baryon content and the mass-to-light ratio of groups and clusters of galaxies are fair representatives of the matter mix of the universe and therefore can be used to reliably determine the cosmic mass density parameter ΩM. However, this fundamental assumption is challenged by growing evidence from optical and X-ray observations that the average gas mass fraction and mass-to-light ratio increase mildly with scale from poor groups to rich clusters. Although a number of time-consuming hydrodynamical simulations combined with semianalytic approaches have been carried out that permit a sophisticated treatment of some complicated processes in the formation and evolution of cosmic structures, the essential physics behind the phenomenon still remains a subject of intense debate. In this Letter, using a simple analytic model, we show that radiative cooling of the hot intragroup/intracluster gas may allow one to reproduce the observed scale dependence of the global stellar and gas mass fractions and mass-to-light ratio of groups and clusters, provided that about half of the cooled gas is converted into stars. Together with the recent success in the recovery of the entropy excess and the steepening of the X-ray luminosity-temperature relations detected in groups and clusters, radiative cooling provides a simple, unified scheme for the evolution of hot gas and the formation of stars in the largest virialized systems of the universe.
A novel approach in network coding based on shuffle coding

Network coding, a new technology that can optimize the usage of network resources is developing rapidly nowadays. In the traditional scheme of network coding, the linear combination with coefficients of bits is used in the coding process. In this paper, we design another coding approach on the basis of random network coding - shuffle coding, which can sharply decline the complexity of the coding process and improve the encoding rate of the coding scheme. In shuffle coding, shifting operation is used instead of coefficients combination compared to the normal network coding, with its operating objects are the data units not the bits. We present a detailed scheme of shuffle coding in the paper, and simulate the whole encoding process on a channels model for evaluation. This kind of network coding is proved to be effective, flexible and advanced, which can be used in large-scale networks in the future.
Finite conformal hypergraph covers and Gaifman cliques in finite structures

We provide a canonical construction of conformal covers for finite hypergraphs and present two immediate applications to the finite model theory of relational structures. In the setting of relational structures, conformal covers serve to construct guarded bisimilar companion structures that avoid all incidental Gaifman cliques ‐ thus serving as a partial analogue in finite model theory for the usually infinite guarded unravellings. In hypergraph theoretic terms, we show that every finite hypergraph admits a bisimilar cover by a finite conformal hypergraph. In terms of relational structures, we show that every finite relational structure admits a guarded bisimilar cover by a finite structure whose Gaifman cliques are guarded. One of our applications answers an open question about a clique constrained strengthening of the extension property for partial automorphisms (EPPA) of Hrushovski, Herwig and Lascar. A second application provides an alternative proof of the finite model property (FMP) for the clique guarded fragment of first-order logic CGF, by reducing (finite) satisfiability in CGF to (finite) satisfiability in the guarded fragment, GF. AMS 2000 classification: primary 03C13, secondary 03B45, 03B70, 05C65, 05C69.
Biomarkers of Inflammation, Immunosuppression and Stress Are Revealed by Metabolomic Profiling of Tuberculosis Patients

Although tuberculosis (TB) causes more deaths than any other pathogen, most infected individuals harbor the pathogen without signs of disease. We explored the metabolome of >400 small molecules in serum of uninfected individuals, latently infected healthy individuals and patients with active TB. We identified changes in amino acid, lipid and nucleotide metabolism pathways, providing evidence for anti-inflammatory metabolomic changes in TB. Metabolic profiles indicate increased activity of indoleamine 2,3 dioxygenase 1 (IDO1), decreased phospholipase activity, increased abundance of adenosine metabolism products, as well as indicators of fibrotic lesions in active disease as compared to latent infection. Consistent with our predictions, we experimentally demonstrate TB-induced IDO1 activity. Furthermore, we demonstrate a link between metabolic profiles and cytokine signaling. Finally, we show that 20 metabolites are sufficient for robust discrimination of TB patients from healthy individuals. Our results provide specific insights into the biology of TB and pave the way for the rational development of metabolic biomarkers for TB.
Cmac and Its Extensions for Efficient System Modelling

This paper deals with the family of CMAC neural networks. The most important properties of this family are the extremely fast learning capability and the special architecture that lets effective digital hardware implementation possible. The paper gives an overview of the classical binary CMAC, shows the limitations of its modelling capability, gives a critical survey of its different extensions and suggests two further modifications. The aim of these modifications is to improve the modelling capability while maintain the possibility of effective realization. The basic element of the first suggested hardware structure is a new matrix vector multiplier which is based on canonical signed digit (CSD) number representation and distributed arithmetic. In the second version a hierarchical network structure and special sequential training method are proposed which may be a solution to the tradeoff between approximation error and generalization. The proposed versions among them a dynamic extension of the originally static CMAC are suitable for embedded applications where low cost and relatively high speed operation are the most important requirements.
De Broglie-Bohm Prediction of Quantum Violations for Cosmological Super-Hubble Modes

The hypothesis of quantum nonequilibrium at the big bang is shown to have observable consequences. For a scalar field on expanding space, we show that relaxation to quantum equilibrium (in de Broglie-Bohm theory) is suppressed for field modes whose quantum time evolution satisfies a certain inequality, resulting in a 'freezing' of early quantum nonequilibrium for these particular modes. For an early radiation-dominated expansion, the inequality implies a corresponding physical wavelength that is larger than the (instantaneous) Hubble radius. These results make it possible, for the first time, to make quantitative predictions for nonequilibrium deviations from quantum theory, in the context of specific cosmological models. We discuss some possible consequences: corrections to inflationary predictions for the cosmic microwave background, non-inflationary super-Hubble field correlations, and relic nonequilibrium particles.
The self-reference effect in evaluating physical and inner ugliness: An event related-potential study

The present study explored electrophysiological correlates of processing physical and inner ugliness words using high-density event related potentials (ERPs). Thirteen undergraduates (seven men, six women) engaged in a word judgment task indicating whether words were suitable for describing oneself, one's mother, or an “abstract other” person. Results showed that self-referenced descriptions elicited larger P2 components than did abstract other descriptions for inner ugliness words or mother-referenced descriptions for physical ugliness words. Subsequently, self-referenced descriptions elicited a more positive LPC than did abstract other-referenced descriptions for physical and inner ugliness words or mother-referenced descriptions for physical ugliness words. Together, results clearly demonstrated self-reference effects were present in attention allocation and cognitive evaluation of descriptors for both physical and inner ugliness.
Association of carcinoma of the gallbladder with typhoid carriage in a typhoid endemic area using nested PCR.

BACKGROUND Although well studied the association between chronic typhoid carrier state and carcinoma of the gallbladder (CaGB) remains unproven. METHODOLOGY The study was performed at a tertiary care medical center in North India and involved 52 patients with CaGB, 223 patients with benign gallbladder diseases, 508 healthy individuals and, 424 corpses. For the detection of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, hepatobiliary specimens were subjected to DNA extraction for specific nested- PCR amplification of the S. Typhi flagellin gene. Anti-Vi S. Typhi antibodies were detected in serum samples from patients by indirect haemagglutination. RESULTS Thirty five of the 52 (67.3%) CaGB patients were PCR-positive for the S. Typhi flagellin gene; significantly higher than for patients with benign gallbladder diseases (95/223, 42.6%; p<0.01) and corpses (35/424, 8.2%; p<0.001). The numbers of individuals that had significant anti-Vi antibody titres (> or = 160) in their serum were 20/52 (38.5%) for CaGB patients, 31/223 (13.9%) for patients with benign gallbladder diseases, and 47/508 (9.2%) for healthy individuals. CONCLUSIONS Specific nested-PCR amplification of the S. Typhi flagellin gene in hepato-biliary specimens was more sensitive for detection of S. Typhi carriage than anti-Vi antibody titres in serum. The results demonstrate an association between typhoid carriage and gallbladder diseases, both CaGB and benign. S. Typhi specific immunosuppression is also suggested in patients with gallbladder diseases.
Optimal speed and charge/discharge control of a train with onboard energy storage devices for minimum energy operation

The optimal operation of rail vehicle minimizing total energy consumption is discussed in this paper. Many works on the application of the energy storage devices to trains were reported, however, they did not deal enough with the optimality of the control of the devices. The authors have developed the mathematical model based on a general optimization technique, Sequential Quadratic Programming. The proposed method can determine the optimal acceleration/deceleration and current commands at every sampling point under fixed conditions of transfer time and distance. Using the proposed method, simulations were implemented in some cases. The electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) is assumed as an energy storage device in our study, because of its high power density etc. The trend of optimal solutions such as values of control inputs and energy consumption is finally discussed.
Electrocardiographic Abnormalities in Elderly Chagas Disease Patients: 10‐Year Follow‐Up of the Bambuí Cohort Study of Aging

Background Electrocardiography has been considered an important tool in the management of Chagas disease (ChD) patients, although its value in elderly infected patients is unknown. This study was designed to investigate the prevalence and prognostic value of electrocardiographic abnormalities in Trypanosoma cruzi infected and noninfected older adults. Methods and Results We studied 1462 participants in Bambuí City, Brazil, with electrocardiogram (ECG) records classified by the Minnesota Code. Follow‐up time was 10 years; the endpoint was mortality. Adjustment for potential confounding variables included age, gender, conventional risk factors, and B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP). The mean age was 69 years (60.9% women). The prevalence of ChD was 38.1% (n=557). ECG abnormalities were more frequent in ChD patients (87.6% versus 77.7%, P<0.001). Right bundle branch block (RBBB) with left anterior hemiblock (LAH) was strongly related to ChD (OR: 11.99 [5.60 to 25.69]). During the mean follow‐up time of 8.7 years, 556 participants died (253 with ChD), and only 89 were lost to follow‐up. ECG variables of independent prognostic value for death in ChD included absence of sinus rhythm, frequent ventricular and supraventricular premature beats, atrial fibrillation, RBBB, old and possible old myocardial infarction, and left ventricular hypertrophy. The presence of any major ECG abnormalities doubled the risk of death in ChD patients (HR: 2.18 [1.35 to 3.53]), but it also increased the risk in non‐ChD subjects (HR: 1.50 [1.07 to 2.10]); the risk of death increased with the number of major abnormalities in the same patient. Conclusion ECG abnormalities are more common among elderly Chagas disease patients and strongly predict adverse outcomes.
Multiscale Hybrid Non-local Means Filtering Using Modified Similarity Measure

A new multiscale implementation of nonlocal means filtering (MHNLM) for image denoising is proposed. The proposed algorithm also introduces a modification of the similarity measure for patch comparison. Assuming the patch as an oriented surface, the notion of a normal vectors patch is introduced. The inner product of these normal vectors patches is defined and then used in the weighted Euclidean distance of intensity patches as the weight factor. The algorithm involves two steps: the first step is a multiscale implementation of an accelerated nonlocal means filtering in the discrete stationary wavelet domain to obtain a refined version of the noisy patches for later comparison. The next step is to apply the proposed modification of standard nonlocal means filtering to the noisy image using the reference patches obtained in the first step. These refined patches contain less noise, and consequently the computation of normal vectors and partial derivatives is more precise. Experimental results show equivalent or better performance of the proposed algorithm compared to various state-of-the-art algorithms.
Sonic Patterns, Spirituality and Brain Function: The Sound Component of Neurotheology

Sounds found at ‘sacred sites’ marked by art-rock have been reported to induce altered or mystical states. To determine the neural correlates of these sounds we measured brain activity with a quantitative electroencephalograph (QEEG) while they listened to a binaurally-recorded soundscape derived from one of these locations. We found that the soundscape increased frontal gamma activity, enhanced coherence between the left temporal and right frontal regions, and modulated cingulate activity within the alpha, beta and gamma bands. These results demonstrate that the “sacred” effects of certain patterns of sounds may have a neurobiological basis and can induce configurations of brain function that are associated with altered or mystical states.