Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electroencephalographic Fractal Dimension in Healthy Ageing and Alzheimer’s Disease

Brain activity is complex; a reflection of its structural and functional organization. Among other measures of complexity, the fractal dimension is emerging as being sensitive to neuronal damage secondary to neurological and psychiatric diseases. Here, we calculated Higuchi’s fractal dimension (HFD) in resting-state eyes-closed electroencephalography (EEG) recordings from 41 healthy controls (age: 20–89 years) and 67 Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) patients (age: 50–88 years), to investigate whether HFD is sensitive to brain activity changes typical in healthy aging and in AD. Additionally, we considered whether AD-accelerating effects of the copper fraction not bound to ceruloplasmin (also called “free” copper) are reflected in HFD fluctuations. The HFD measure showed an inverted U-shaped relationship with age in healthy people (R2 = .575, p < .001). Onset of HFD decline appeared around the age of 60, and was most evident in central-parietal regions. In this region, HFD decreased with aging stronger in the right than in the left hemisphere (p = .006). AD patients demonstrated reduced HFD compared to age- and education-matched healthy controls, especially in temporal-occipital regions. This was associated with decreasing cognitive status as assessed by mini-mental state examination, and with higher levels of non-ceruloplasmin copper. Taken together, our findings show that resting-state EEG complexity increases from youth to maturity and declines in healthy, aging individuals. In AD, brain activity complexity is further reduced in correlation with cognitive impairment. In addition, elevated levels of non-ceruloplasmin copper appear to accelerate the reduction of neural activity complexity. Overall, HDF appears to be a proper indicator for monitoring EEG-derived brain activity complexity in healthy and pathological aging.
Healthcare service quality effect on patient satisfaction and behavioural intentions in corporate hospitals in India

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of health-care service quality (HCSQ) dimensions on patient satisfaction and behavioural intentions in selected corporate hospitals from South India. Design/methodology/approach – Based on Parasuraman et al.’s SERVQUAL variables, the study tried to identify the effects of each variable to patient satisfaction and behavioural intentions. Data were collected through systematic random sampling among 500 in-patients of corporate hospitals with minimum four days stay were considered for the in-patients’ sample. Structural equation modelling technique was used to investigate the effect of HCSQ dimensions on patient satisfaction and behavioural intention. Findings – The findings suggest that in addition to “patient satisfaction”, the only HCSQ dimension that directly affects behavioural intention is “empathy”. In addition, “empathy” affects “responsiveness”, “assurance” and “tangibles” which, in turn, have only an indirect effect to behavioural int.
State observer synthesis of real-time systems modeled by P-time Petri nets

This paper deals with a novel state observer synthesis method of real-time systems under partial observation. Indeed, the developed approach aims at estimating the marking of a P-time Petri net system based on the observation of the occurrence of particular transitions called observable transitions. As opposed to many existing approaches the application of the method does not require strong assumptions on the structure of the model considered. In addition, although the time factor is taken into consideration, the proposed technique is not hampered by the state space explosion problem as it relies on the underlying untimed structure of the P-time model studied - the building of the state class graph is not necessary.
Listen, Interact and Talk: Learning to Speak via Interaction

One of the long-term goals of artificial intelligence is to build an agent that can communicate intelligently with human in natural language. Most existing work on natural language learning relies heavily on training over a pre-collected dataset with annotated labels, leading to an agent that essentially captures the statistics of the fixed external training data. As the training data is essentially a static snapshot representation of the knowledge from the annotator, the agent trained this way is limited in adaptiveness and generalization of its behavior. Moreover, this is very different from the language learning process of humans, where language is acquired during communication by taking speaking action and learning from the consequences of speaking action in an interactive manner. This paper presents an interactive setting for grounded natural language learning, where an agent learns natural language by interacting with a teacher and learning from feedback, thus learning and improving language skills while taking part in the conversation. To achieve this goal, we propose a model which incorporates both imitation and reinforcement by leveraging jointly sentence and reward feedbacks from the teacher. Experiments are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Unified Analysis of UWB Transmitted-Reference Schemes in the Presence of Narrowband Interference

Transmitted-Reference (TR) signaling, in conjunction with an autocorrelation receiver (AcR), offers a low- complexity alternative to Rake reception in ultrawide bandwidth systems. This paper provides a unified performance analysis of various TR schemes by developing an analytical framework based on the sampling expansion approach. Specifically, we derive the uncoded bit error probability (BEP) of different TR signaling schemes, including TR and differential TR (DTR) signaling valid for a broad class of fading channels. We consider both AcRs and modified AcRs with noise averaging. We further develop a quasi-analytical method as well as an approximate analytical method to extend the BEP analysis to include the effect of narrowband interference (NBI). We show that the approximate analytical method is particularly useful in obtaining BEP expressions that provide insight into the effect of NBI. We quantify the effects of NBI and channel power dispersion profile on the optimum integration interval of an AcR. Finally, we compare TR and DTR signaling in terms of their sensitivity to NBI.
Transpupillary laser phototherapy of tumors and vascular anomalies of retina and choroid: theoretical approach and clinical implications.

BACKGROUND Small retinal and choroidal tumors situated near the optic nerve or macula, such as retinoblastomas and malignant melanomas, as well as various other anomalies, in particular vascular malformations, may successfully be treated by photocoagulation. Model assumptions geared towards maximizing efficiency and minimizing undesirable side effects are forwarded, and the most important parameters subserving photothermal destruction, such as radiation field and thermal energy, analyzed. The influence exerted by physical traits of various tissues involved are also considered. METHODS The model approximations presented are based on classical radiation and absorption laws, as well as on the scattering properties of the various tissues implicated, these being considered as a function of wavelength and their relevance to the photodestructive task at hand. Particular attention is paid to the rate processes and reaction kinetics of irradiated proteins. CONCLUSIONS Radiation sources emitting in the near-infrared range of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as the diode (810 nm) and the cw Nd:YAG (1064 nm) lasers, are optimal for the treatment of tumors and large, voluminous entities (such as Hippel-Lindau angiomas), owing to the good tissue penetration properties of their light. Those emitting in the shorter wavelength range, such as the argon ion (488 and 514 nm) and first harmonic--mode Nd:YAG (532 nm) lasers, are not suitable for such tasks, but they are ideal for the destruction of fine sanguinous structures, within which their light is strongly absorbed but through which it penetrates poorly. For the treatment of large anomalous structures, a combined short/long wavelength--strategy should also be considered as a viable alternative. Such a "wavelength mixture" is emitted by the xenon high pressure lamp of the once renowned Meyer-Schwickerath light coagulator. The precision and safety of photothermal destruction methods depend, in the first approximation, upon the details of the pulse energy deposition (wavelength, pulse height and duration, pulse dynamics, mode composition, focussing), the choice of which is determined by the optical and thermal constants of the irradiated tissues. Higher pulse energies will, of course, be more effective in destroying neoplastic cells, but the risk of producing undesired collateral heat damage will also increase concomitantly. Until we can ascertain the physical properties of the pathological tissues treated with certainty, we will hardly be able to achieve more than an approximation of an ideal treatment strategy. But with increasing developments in in vivo-diagnostic techniques, we expect that this goal will be attainable in the not too distant future.
Case–Control Study of Eczema in Relation to IL4Rα Genetic Polymorphisms in Japanese Women: The Kyushu Okinawa Maternal and Child Health Study

Epidemiological research on the relationship between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the IL4Rα gene and eczema is sparse. We investigated the associations between IL4Rα SNPs rs1805011, rs1805015 and rs1801275 and risk of eczema in young adult Japanese women. Included were 188 women who met the criteria of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) for eczema. Controls were 635 women without eczema according to the ISAAC criteria who also had not been diagnosed with asthma, atopic eczema and/or allergic rhinitis by a doctor. Adjustment was made for age, region of residence, number of children, smoking and education. Under the additive model, SNP rs1805011 was significantly related to eczema: the adjusted OR was 0.55 (95% CI: 0.31−0.99). SNP rs1805015 was significantly associated with eczema in the additive and dominant models: the adjusted ORs were 0.55 (95% CI: 0.30−0.98) and 0.55 (95% CI: 0.30−0.997), respectively. There was no significant association between SNP rs1801275 and eczema. None of the haplotypes were significantly related to eczema. Significant associations between SNPs rs1805011 and rs1805015 and eczema were reported in women who had never smoked, but not in those who had ever smoked; the multiplicative interactions, however, were not significant. This is the first study to demonstrate significant associations between IL4Rα SNPs rs1805011 and rs1805015 and eczema. We do not find evidence for interactions affecting eczema between IL4Rα SNPs and smoking.
Energy-Efficient Traffic Grooming in WDM Networks With Scheduled Time Traffic

In this paper, we investigate both static and dynamic traffic grooming problems in a wavelength routing network, so as to minimize the total energy consumption of the core network, with the additional consideration of the holding times of the lightpaths and connection requests. In the static case, all connection requests with their setup and tear-down times are known in advance. We formulate an integer linear programming to minimize the energy consumption. In the dynamic case, we adopt a layered graph model called grooming graph and propose a new traffic grooming heuristics called time-aware traffic grooming, which takes the holding time of a new arrival connection request and the remaining holding time of existing lightpaths into consideration. We compare different traffic grooming policies, in terms of the energy efficiency, under various traffic loads. The results provide implications to select the most energy-efficient traffic grooming policies under various scenarios.
Perspective-taking influences autonomic attunement between partners during discussion of conflict

This study investigated the effects of dispositional and experimentally induced perspective-taking (PT) on physiological attunement between romantic partners during a conflict resolution task. Young adult couples (N = 103 dyads) rated their trait PT 1 week prior to participating in a conflict resolution session with their romantic partner. Immediately before the conflict task, participants were given one of the following three instructions: to take their partner’s perspective (PT condition), to approach the conflict mindfully (mindfulness condition), or to focus on their own perspective regarding the conflict (control condition). Participants provided four saliva samples over the course of the laboratory session, and the samples were assayed for alpha-amylase to measure autonomic nervous system activity. Multilevel modeling results revealed that couples in the PT condition displayed greater autonomic attunement over the course of the conflict session compared to those in the other conditions. In addition, female partners’ dispositional PT enhanced the effect of the PT induction on couples’ attunement. Furthermore, secondary analyses provided support for the beneficial role of autonomic attunement. Specifically, attunement was decreased by negative conflict behaviors and predicted increased post-conflict negative affect in females. Implications for dyadic functioning and intervention are discussed.
Murine gammaherpes virus as a cofactor in the development of pulmonary fibrosis in bleomycin resistant mice

Studies of human tissue have suggested an association between productive Epstein Barr virus and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). However, a pathogenic role for the virus has not been established. This study was undertaken to develop an animal model, which would explore the association between viral infection and pulmonary fibrosis. BALB/c mice (n=30), resistant to bleomycin, were primed with murine gammaherpesvirus 68 and then given intraperitoneal bleomycin. The mice were sacrificed at 28 days after bleomycin and their lungs assessed histologically and biochemically. Lung pathology was scored 0–3 for fibrotic and inflammatory change. BALB/c mice given virus and bleomycin showed more lung fibrosis (median score 2.2) compared to those given bleomycin alone (median 0), virus alone (median 0.2) or phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) control (median 0). Similarly mice given both virus and bleomycin showed more lung inflammation (median score 1.9) compared to those given bleomycin (median 0.5), virus (median 0.8), or PBS control (median 0.2). There was a significant difference in collagen content between the bleomycin and virus group (mean 1.86 mg) compared to the belomycin alone group (mean 1.52 mg). These results suggest that virus alone does not result in pulmonary fibrosis but that replicating virus in the presence of an exogenous injury may promote the development of pulmonary fibrosis.
Statin Pharmacogenomics: Opportunities to Improve Patient Outcomes and Healthcare Costs with Genetic Testing

HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors, commonly known as statins, are some of the most widely prescribed medications worldwide and have been shown to be effective at lowering cholesterol in numerous long-term prospective trials, yet there are significant limitations to their use. First, patients receiving statin therapy have relatively low levels of medication adherence compared with other drug classes. Next, numerous statin formulations are available, each with its own unique safety and efficacy profile, and it may be unclear to prescribers which treatment is optimal for their patients. Finally, statins have class-wide side effects of myopathy and rhabdomyolysis that have resulted in a product recall and dosage limitations. Recent evidence suggests that two genomic markers, KIF6 and SLCO1B1, may inform the therapy choice of patients initiating statins. Given the prevalence of statin usage, their potential health advantages and their overall cost to the healthcare system, there could be significant clinical benefit from creating personalized treatment regimens. Ultimately, if this approach is effective it may encourage higher adoption of generic statins when appropriate, promote adherence, lower rates of myopathy, and overall achieve higher value cardiovascular care. This paper will review the evidence for personalized prescribing of statins via KIF6 and SLCO1B1 and consider some of the implications for testing these markers as part of routine clinical care.
Assessment of the risk of the respiratory-distress syndrome by a rapid test for surfactant in amniotic fluid.

Abstract A rapid, simple inexpensive test has been devised to determine whether pulmonary surface-active material (surfactant) is present in amniotic fluid. The test depends on the ability of the pulmonary surfactant to generate stable foam in the presence of ethanol. Analysis of 138 samples of amniotic fluid showed that an appreciable titer of the surfactant appears on the average at 33 weeks' estimated gestation but that the time of appearance is variable from 25 weeks to term. When test results were sorted into three zones (clearly negative, intermediate, and clearly positive) infants of 12 of 12 patients with clearly negative tests had severe respiratory-distress syndrome or transitional respiratory distress, whereas those of 68 of 68 patients with clearly positive tests were free of respiratory distress. In 13 cases with intermediate tests eight of the infants showed mild to severe respiratory difficulty. The test has high predictive value for respiratory-distress syndrome when applied to uncontamina.
Self-reported learning difficulties and dietary intake in Norwegian adolescents

Aim: The academic performance of children impacts future educational attainment which may increase socioeconomic status which again influences their health. One of several factors that might affect academic performance is the diet. The aim of this study was to investigate the cross sectional relation between diet and self-reported reading-, writing-, and mathematical difficulties in Norwegian adolescents. Methods: In total, 475 ninth- and tenth-grade students out of 625 eligible ones from four different secondary schools in three different municipalities in Vest-Agder County, Norway, participated, giving a participation rate of 77%. The students filled in a questionnaire with food frequency questions of selected healthy and unhealthy food items, questions of meal frequency and different learning difficulties. Results: Regular breakfast was significantly associated with decreased odds of both writing and reading difficulties (OR: 0.44 (0.2–0.8), p = 0.01) and mathematical difficulties (OR: 0.33 (0.2–0.6), p ≤ 0.001). In addition, having lunch, dinner and supper regularly were associated with decreased odds of mathematical difficulties. Further, a high intake of foods representing a poor diet (sugar-sweetened soft drinks, sweets, chocolate, savory snacks, pizza and hot dogs) was significantly associated with increased odds of mathematical difficulties. Conclusions: Having a less-frequent intake of unhealthy foods and not skipping meals are associated with decreased odds of self-reported learning difficulties in Norwegian adolescents in this study. The results of this study support the need for a larger study with a more representative sample.
Aerosol-Induced Tuberculosis in Subhuman Primates and the Course of the Disease After Intravenous BCG Vaccination

Suitability of the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) as an experimental host for evaluation of vaccines against airborne infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv was investigated. Nonvaccinated monkeys were exposed to estimated doses of 12, 25, or 49 units of H37Rv in a modified Henderson apparatus, and the course of the disease was followed by chest X rays, skin testing with purified protein derivative, body-weight determinations, and autopsy 8 weeks postinfection. These animals developed progressive and extensive tuberculosis with pathological changes proportional to the infecting dose. Four of seven monkeys vaccinated intravenously with 1 mg of live BCG 8 weeks prior to challenge with 40 units of H37Rv had no gross evidence of disease at autopsy 13 weeks postinfection; the other three monkeys had minimal disease. These data demonstrated that (i) reproducible and progressive infection could be induced in rhesus monkeys infected in a manner which simulated natural infection of man and (ii) a high level of resistance to infection could be induced by BCG vaccine in the rhesus monkey, which in nature is highly susceptible to tuberculous infection.
The Pronunciation of English in the State of Washington

O NE OF the last linguistic frontiers in the United States is that currently encountered in the state of Washington. The settlement history of this area dates back scarcely one hundred years, and the number of older nativeborn residents is comparatively small. Moreover, even now, many sections of the state are virtually uninhabited. The influx of settlers toward the end of the nineteenth century has had a rather decisive effect on the nature of English pronunciation in Washington, although linguistic leveling has not yet assumed any very clear-cut geographical lines. It is the intention here merely to give some idea of the features of pronunciation as they exist in various communities throughout the state, with indications as to how certain dialect mixtures are being resolved, distributed, or made mutually compatible. Modern railroad lines and 'U.S.' highways still follow the paths of early overland trails that brought settlers to the Oregon country. Appropriately enough, residents of Middle Western states, for whom the routes were handiest, have always been the principal migrants in this direction. It follows, then, that the states of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho manifest speech characteristics most reminiscent of their Middle Western founders. In Oregon, the Missouri element has predominated since the earliest days, and the adjacent areas of Washington show very clearly the dynamic spread of these people all along the Columbia River, particularly in the areas east of Walla Walla. Following the Missouri emigrants into Washington, and outnumbering them eventually, especially in the Pacific counties, other waves of settlers emanated from Iowa, southern Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. These people, in turn, were joined by natives of New York and Maine who made the long trip by sea and settled along the shores of Puget Sound, Gray's Harbor, and the mouth of the Columbia River. The 'seafarers,' however, were almost entirely absorbed--at least linguistically--by Middle Western elements within a few brief generations. As a result, the speech of southern Illinois and Iowa may be considered typical for most of the state of Washington. The following restrictions and variations, nevertheless, can be observed: i. The pronunciation of vowel sounds in such words as caught, brought, daughter, thought, is not differentiated from those in such words as hot, lot, cot, in the speech of many people. In fact, most of the people interviewed by the