Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Therapeutic Results of Intra-Arterial Thrombolysis after Full-Dose Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator Administration

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: IV administration of tPA is accepted as a standard treatment for acute cerebral ischemia, but the clinical outcomes cannot be guaranteed in patients who are not recanalized after IV-tPA and in those who are not eligible for IV-tPA. In this study, outcomes from groups of patients treated with additional IA thrombolytic therapy with the use or omission of IV-tPA administration were compared. MATERIALS AND METHODS: IA thrombolytic therapy (thrombolytic agents combined with mechanical intervention) was attempted in those patients who were not eligible for IV-tPA and who showed continuous major vessel occlusion after IV-tPA. Sixty-three patients were divided into 2 groups: a tPA group (n = 29, IA thrombolysis after IV-tPA) and a non-tPA group (n = 34, IA thrombolysis without IV-tPA). These groups were subdivided according to match or mismatch DWI/PWI after MR imaging. Treatment results were compared by recanalization rate, clinical outcome, mortality, and ICH rate. RESULTS: The recanalization rate was 79.3% in the tPA group and 55.9% in the non-tPA group (χ2 test, P < .05). Subgroup analysis between DWI/PWI mismatch in the tPA group and DWI/PWI mismatch in the non-tPA group also showed no statistical difference in recanalization rate, favorable clinical outcome, and mortality (χ2 test, P > .05), but the significant ICH rate was high in the tPA group (χ2 test, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Additional IA thrombolytic treatment after full-dose IV-tPA administration might be an acceptable treatment option for patients with DWI/PWI mismatch.
Crosstalk Suppression and High-Fidelity Measurement in 2-D Tunneling of Coupled Josephson Junctions

We present a new configuration concept in which two similar Josephson junctions are coupled through a capacitor placed in parallel to a dc-superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) to improve the characteristics of phase qubits. In real coupled quantum systems, because of mutual effects such as crosstalk, entangled quantum states cannot be independently measured. The proposed two-qubit system is demonstrated to have a negligible crosstalk, obtained from the application of a single measurement pulse and an appropriate external flux to one of the junctions and the dc-SQUID, respectively. Surprisingly, the theoretically predicted fidelity for a single-qubit design increases to 99.99% for typical Josephson junction parameters. The high-fidelity measurement is reached even with pulse times less than 1 ns, while the highest fidelities reported so far are obtained by wide temporal pulses through single-shot current pulse measurements. This is accomplished by proper coupling capacitance, which determines the coupling time, the measurement time, and their proportion. Furthermore, the ratio of decoherence time for this structure with respect to the one belonging to a typical qubit is found to be more than 1.42.
Is SIFT scale invariant

This note is devoted to a mathematical exploration of whether Lowe's Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT)[21], a very successful image matching method, is similarity invariant as claimed. It is proved that the method is scale invariant only if the initial image blurs are exactly guessed. Yet, even a large error on the initial blur is quickly attenuated by this multiscale method, when the scale of analysis increases. In consequence, its scale invariance is almost perfect. The mathematical arguments are given under the assumption that the Gaussian smoothing performed by SIFT gives an aliasing free sampling of the image evolution. The validity of this main assumption is confirmed by a rigorous experimental procedure, and by a mathematical proof. These results explain why SIFT outperforms all other image feature extraction methods when it comes to scale invariance.
Isolation and Phenotyping of Normal Mouse Liver Dendritic Cells by an Improved Method

Introduction Dendritic cells (DCs) are bone marrow-derived cells, which migrate to lymphoid and non-lymphoid organs via blood. Liver DCs are believed to play an important role in the regulation of hepatic allograft acceptance. However, because of inherent difficulties in isolating adequate numbers of DCs from liver, limited information is available on the phenotype and functions of liver DCs. To address this issue, we isolated DCs from normal C57BL/6 mouse liver using a modified procedure and described their immunophenotypic characteristics. Materials and Methods Non-parenchymal cells (NPCs) were obtained by collagenase digestion of perfused liver fragments and density gradient centrifugation (14.5% nycodenz column). After overnight (18 hr) incubation of the NPCs, enrichment for transiently adherent, low- density cells on 13% nycodenz gradients permitted the recovery of low numbers of cells (approximately 1.2-1.5 x 105 per liver), many of which displayed distinct DCs morphology (abundant cytoplasm with prominent projections and irregularly shaped nuclei). Results Flowcytometric analysis revealed that most of these cells were recognized by anti-CD11c (60-70%). The results obtained from double staining with PE and FITC conjugated monoclonal antibodies indicated that these cells were CD11c+/MHC-II+ (53%), CD11c+/CD86+ (53.5%), CD11c+/ CD8α+ (36%) and CD11c+/CD11b+ (45%). Conclusion These findings indicate that the purity of DCs isolated by nycodenz gradient is higher than other reported methods. Considering the similar ratio of lymphoid (CD11c+/CD8α+) and myeloid (CD11c+/CD11b+) DCs in the liver, and the known role of lymphoid DCs in tolerance induction, it seems that this subpopulation of DCs is not the main reason of liver tolerogenecity. Therefore, other factors such as the immaturity of liver DCs or the effect of liver microenvironment on these cells, etc. may explain the acceptance of hepatic allograft.
Challenging the Accuracy of a Single-test Lactate Threshold Protocol in Collegiate Rowers

Elite rowers use lactate threshold (LT) estimates as a basis for training intensity in order to achieve the greatest training volume. For convenience, LT is usually determined in a maximal LT/VO2max test. This simultaneous test is problematic because it requires a large power increment, which may not give the most accurate LT. PURPOSE To challenge the validity of a simultaneous LT/VO2max test to estimate LT in rowers. METHODS Collegiate rowers (n=20, 16F and 4M, age 19.3±1.3 years, height 171.5±7.1 cm, weight 70±14 kg, VO2max 44.6±5.5 ml•kg−1•min−1) performed two LT tests. Participants completed an incremental VO2max test with 3-minute intervals increasing by 30W and 40W for women and men respectively. The second test consisted of five 6-minute stages of 10W increments starting from 20W below the estimated LT. For both tests, blood lactate was measured at the end of each stage and LT was determined by the lactate deflection point. The difference in intensity between the first deflection point and the LT was then calculated. RESULTS Average difference between LT1 and LT2 was 1.15 ± 13.4W, and were not statistically different (p=0.204). Average absolute difference was 9.95 ± 8.80W, and was different from the average (p=0.022). CONCLUSION A second incremental test should be performed for the most precise determination of LT. This is particularly important to rowers who rely on LT to determine training intensities.
European Conference on Information Systems ( ECIS ) 5-4-2012 E-GOVERNMENT ADOPTION RESEARCH : A META-ANALYSIS OF FINDINGS

The purpose of this paper is to undertake a meta-analysis of findings reported in existing research on adoption and diffusion of e-government. Usable data relating to e-government adoption research were collected from 112 papers out of 779 research articles identified from the ISI Web of Knowledge database and journals dedicated to electronic government research. The findings indicate that there are some variables such as: perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, intention to use, attitude, satisfaction, actual use, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, which are common and drive the research from citizens as well as from employees’ perspective. The meta-analysis of the existing e-government adoption studies found that the majority of the construct relationships demonstrated the significant range of average summative correlation, and effect size, but the influence of ‘facilitating condition’, and ‘perceived risk’ on ‘intention to use’ and of ‘service quality’ on ‘satisfaction’ was found as non-significant. The broader analysis of the e-government adoption and diffusion research also reflects that although a large number of theories and theoretical constructs were borrowed from the reference disciplines, their utilization by egovernment researchers appears to be largely random in approach. The paper also acknowledges the theoretical contributions, limitations and suggests further research directions.
Determination of Kanamycin Plasma Levels Using LC-MS and Its Pharmacokinetics in Patients with Multidrug- Resistant Tuberculosis with and without HIV-Infection

Purpose: The objectives of the study were: (1) to determine kanamycin plasma concentrations using liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (LC-MS), (2) to investigate kanamycin pharmacokinetics (PK) in patients with multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), (3) to find out whether HIV infection, kidney dysfunction and antiretroviral drugs influence kanamycin PK. Methods: The study was designed as a non-randomized study involving male and female HIV- positive and HIVnegative patients admitted for MDR-TB treatment. Blood samples were collected before (baseline) and ½, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 24 hours after intramuscular injection of kanamycin. LC-MS was used to quantify kanamycin plasma concentrations. Results: Thirty one patients including 13 HIV (+) participated in the study. The lower limit of detection and lower limit of quantification of kanamycin were 0.06 µg/ml and 0.15 µg/ml respectively. Kanamycin PK parameters were described and there was no significant difference between HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients. A statistical significant difference (p=0.0126) was found in the renal function in HIV - positive and HIV - negative patients. However, this difference did not affect kanamycin elimination. No interactions have been identified between antiretroviral drugs and kanamycin. Conclusion: LC-MS analysis method is highly specific and highly sensitive in the detection and quantification of kanamycin plasma concentrations. Kanamycin PK in patients with MDR-TB was described. Due to a limited number of patients, we cannot rule out any influence of HIV - infection, renal impairment and antiretroviral drugs on kanamycin pharmacokinetics. The relationship between the area under the curve of kanamycin free plasma concentrations (fAUC) and its minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) on M.tuberculosis isolated from the sputum of each patient should be assessed. Therefore, kanamycin free plasma concentrations and MIC should be determined
Prophet : Automatic Patch Generation via Learning from Successful Patches

We present Prophet, a novel patch generation system that learns a probabilistic model over candidate patches from a database of past successful patches. Prophet defines the probabilistic model as the combination of a distribution over program points based on defect localization algorithms and a parameterized log-linear distribution over modification operations. It then learns the model parameters via maximum log-likelihood, which identifies important characteristics of the previous successful patches in the database. For a new defect, Prophet generates a search space that contains many candidate patches, applies the learned model to prioritize those potentially correct patches that are consistent with the identified successful patch characteristics, and then validates the candidate patches with a user supplied test suite. The experimental results indicate that these techniques enable Prophet to generate correct patches for 15 out of 69 real-world defects in eight open source projects. The previous state of the art generate and validate system, which uses a set of hand-code heuristics to prioritize the search, generates correct patches for 11 of these same 69 defects.
Monash University

1. The Union Bank of Italy and Switzerland (UBIS) is a large commercial and retail banking organisation operating throughout the South Pacific region. It has a network of branches which undertake the standard range of retail banking operations dealing with the public. The bank also provides commercial loans to incorporated entities. The bank charges different interest rates on different types of loans. The classifications of loans are: Secured or Unsecured; Housing or Investment; and Commercial. Housing and Investment loans are only available to non-incorporated customers. Assets which provide the security for a loan must be identified. The interest charged depends upon the classification of the loan. Interest may be discounted by varying percentages according to the relationship which the borrower has with the bank. A borrower’s relationship with the bank is determined by the number and type of bank accounts upon which they are authorised to operate.
Science for Students With Disabilities

A comprehensive literature review revealed 66 reports involving science education for students with disabilities. These investigations were subdivided into (a) instructional strategies—including, instructional variables, mnemonic techniques, and text adaptations—and (b) science curriculum evaluation or comparison reports and involved students of all disability areas. Overall, it was found that (a) instructional variables including study guides and text adaptations exhibited a positive effect on student learning, behavior, and motivation; (b) mnemonic strategies were very effective in facilitating verbal knowledge of scientific phenomena; and (c) activities-oriented science curricula generally were effective in facilitating knowledge of science content, manipulative skills, and science process skills. These reports support previous recommendations for science education for students with disabilities based on documented characteristics of these students. Findings are discussed with respect to the overall goals of science education as well as future research directions for science instruction for students with disabilities.
Transcranial Electrical Neuromodulation Based on the Reciprocity Principle

A key challenge in multi-electrode transcranial electrical stimulation (TES) or transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is to find a current injection pattern that delivers the necessary current density at a target and minimizes it in the rest of the head, which is mathematically modeled as an optimization problem. Such an optimization with the Least Squares (LS) or Linearly Constrained Minimum Variance (LCMV) algorithms is generally computationally expensive and requires multiple independent current sources. Based on the reciprocity principle in electroencephalography (EEG) and TES, it could be possible to find the optimal TES patterns quickly whenever the solution of the forward EEG problem is available for a brain region of interest. Here, we investigate the reciprocity principle as a guideline for finding optimal current injection patterns in TES that comply with safety constraints. We define four different trial cortical targets in a detailed seven-tissue finite element head model, and analyze the performance of the reciprocity family of TES methods in terms of electrode density, targeting error, focality, intensity, and directionality using the LS and LCMV solutions as the reference standards. It is found that the reciprocity algorithms show good performance comparable to the LCMV and LS solutions. Comparing the 128 and 256 electrode cases, we found that use of greater electrode density improves focality, directionality, and intensity parameters. The results show that reciprocity principle can be used to quickly determine optimal current injection patterns in TES and help to simplify TES protocols that are consistent with hardware and software availability and with safety constraints.
Toward systems neuroscience in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease: A meta‐analysis of 75 fMRI studies

Most of the previous task functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies found abnormalities in distributed brain regions in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and few studies investigated the brain network dysfunction from the system level. In this meta‐analysis, we aimed to examine brain network dysfunction in MCI and AD. We systematically searched task‐based fMRI studies in MCI and AD published between January 1990 and January 2014. Activation likelihood estimation meta‐analyses were conducted to compare the significant group differences in brain activation, the significant voxels were overlaid onto seven referenced neuronal cortical networks derived from the resting‐state fMRI data of 1,000 healthy participants. Thirty‐nine task‐based fMRI studies (697 MCI patients and 628 healthy controls) were included in MCI‐related meta‐analysis while 36 task‐based fMRI studies (421 AD patients and 512 healthy controls) were included in AD‐related meta‐analysis. The meta‐analytic results revealed that MCI and AD showed abnormal regional brain activation as well as large‐scale brain networks. MCI patients showed hypoactivation in default, frontoparietal, and visual networks relative to healthy controls, whereas AD‐related hypoactivation mainly located in visual, default, and ventral attention networks relative to healthy controls. Both MCI‐related and AD‐related hyperactivation fell in frontoparietal, ventral attention, default, and somatomotor networks relative to healthy controls. MCI and AD presented different pathological while shared similar compensatory large‐scale networks in fulfilling the cognitive tasks. These system‐level findings are helpful to link the fundamental declines of cognitive tasks to brain networks in MCI and AD. Hum Brain Mapp 36:1217–1232, 2015. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Video self-reflection and coach development in New Zealand

ABSTRACT Drawing on data from semi-structured interviews with New Zealand coaches (N = 6), this study examined how video self-reflection (VSR) was perceived as a tool for learning within ‘on-going’ coach development. This study also looked to determine the potential barriers experienced by coaches before engaging in VSR. Each participant was a performance coach (as identified by the NZ coach development framework (CDF)) with 5+ years coaching experience and had recently (in the previous 12 months) participated in a coach development program that aligned with Sport NZ’s CDF. Five main themes emerged from the data; coaches had a positive perception of the benefits of VSR, a desire to engage in VSR but did not prioritise the time, logistical concerns, a fear of self-confrontation and evidence of knowledge for ‘modern’ coaching development. Findings indicated that coaches valued VSR as a tool for learning; however, the lack of exposure and experience in the process meant coaches did not value the practise enough to dedicate specific time towards it. This study provides an evidence-base that can be used to support National Governing Bodies coach development frameworks, and the modification of content to encourage the use of VSR as a tool for learning.
I Wish I Could Believe You: The Frustrating Unreliability of Some Assessment Research.

Many practitioner researchers strive to understand which assessment practices have the best impact on learning, but in authentic educational settings, it can be difficult to determine whether one intervention, for example the introduction of an online quiz to a course studied by diverse students, is responsible for the observed effect. This paper uses examples to highlight some of the difficulties inherent in assessment research and suggests some ways to overcome them. Problems observed in the literature include: assuming that if two effects are correlated then one must have caused the other; confounding variables obscuring the true relationships; experimental approaches that are too far removed from reality; and the danger that self-reported behaviour and opinion is sometimes different from student’s actual behaviour. Practical solutions include: the use of an experimental or pseudo-experimental approach; the use of mixed methods; and the use of meta-analysis.
Late endosomal traffic of the EGFR ensures spatial and temporal fidelity of MAPK signaling

MAPK signaling is regulated by assembling distinct scaffold complexes at the plasma membrane and on endosomes. Thus, spatial resolution might be critical to determine signaling specificity. Therefore, we investigated if EGFR traffic through the endosomal system provides spatial information for MAPK signaling. To mis-localize late endosomes to the cell periphery we used the dynein subunit p50, dynamitin. The peripheral translocation of late endosomes resulted in a prolonged EGFR activation on late endosomes and a slow down in EGFR degradation. Continuous EGFR signaling from late endosomes caused sustained ERK and p38 signaling and resulted in hyperactivation of nuclear targets, such as Elk-1. In contrast, clustering late endosomes in the perinuclear region by expression of dominant active Rab7 delayed the entry of the EGFR into late endosomes which caused a delay in EGFR degradation and a sustained MAPK signaling. Surprisingly, the activation of nuclear targets was reduced. Thus, we conclude that appropriate trafficking of the activated EGFR through endosomes controls the spatial and temporal regulation of MAPK signaling.
Impact of Prior Use of Four Preventive Medications on Outcomes in Patients Hospitalized for Acute Coronary Syndrome--Results from CPACS-2 Study

Background It is widely reported that long-term use of four preventive medications (antiplatelet agents, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor / angiotensin receptor blocker, statin and beta-blockers) reduce the risk of subsequent acute coronary syndromes (ACS). It is unclear whether these four medications benefit patients who develop ACS despite its use. Methods and Results Logistic regression and propensity-score was applied among 14790 ACS patients to assess the association between prior use of four preventive medications and in-hospital outcomes including severity of disease at presentation (type of ACS, systolic blood pressure <90 mmHg, and heart rate> = 100 beats/min), complicating arrhythmia and major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs, including all deaths, non-fatal myocardial infarction or re-infarction, and non-fatal stroke). Prior use of each of the four medications was significantly associated with less severity of disease (ORs ranged from 0.40 to 0.82, all P<0.05), less arrhythmia (ORs ranged from 0.45 to 0.64, all P<0.05), and reduced risk of MACEs (ORs ranged from 0.59 to 0.73, all P<0.05) during hospitalization. Multiple variable-adjusted ORs of MACEs were 0.77, 0.67, 0.48 and 0.59 respectively in patients with 1, 2, 3 and 4 medications in comparison with patients with none, and other clinical outcomes showed the same trend (P for trend < 0.05). Conclusions Among ACS patients in our study, those with prior use of four preventive medications presented with less disease severity, developed less arrhythmia and had a lower risk of in-hospital MACEs. The value of taking these medications may beyond just preventing occurrence of the disease.