Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic characteristics and long-term outcome of patients with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy

Introduction The clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiographic features and long-term outcome of patients with tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy (TIC) have not been well described in the past. Methods A retrospective study was performed at our institution of patients with a diagnosis of TIC. Results Thirty-three patients with pure TIC and 12 patients with impure TIC were identified. Compared to patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCMO), pure TIC patients were less symptomatic, as judged by NYHA class (p = 0.02), they had fewer clinical signs of heart failure (p = 0.007) and were more likely to report palpitations (p = 0.007) at presentation. Electrocardiographically, pure TIC patients had fewer Q waves (p = 0.002), less left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) (p = 0.004) and repolarisation abnormalities (p = 0.048), and shorter QRS durations (p = 0.024). Echocardiographically, pure TIC patients had significantly smaller left ventricular internal diameter in diastole (LVIDd) (p < 0.001), ventricular internal diameter in systole (LVIDs) (p = 0.001) and left atrial dimensions (p = 0.048) at presentation compared to DCMO patients. Patients with pure TIC had a trend towards increased residual LVIDd dimensions compared to a control group with normal echocardiograms, indicating a persistence of adverse LV remodelling late after control of the causative tachycardia (p = 0.06). Recurrent tachycardia occurred in three patients, which resulted in a precipitous decline in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). Conclusions This study is the first to compare features of pure and impure TIC. Patients with pure TIC had shorter QRS durations, fewer Q waves, and less LVH and repolarisation abnormalities at presentation compared to DCMO patients. TIC patients tended to have smaller LVIDd dimensions at presentation and have persistence of adverse LV remodelling, as characterised by persistent enlargement of LVIDd dimensions, at late follow up.
Feasibility of trauma-focused Guided Imagery and Music with adult refugees diagnosed with PTSD: A pilot study

ABSTRACT Traumatized refugees seeking treatment in special units of psychiatry are in need of treatment options that can help them stabilize and cope with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in their everyday life. Guided Imagery and Music (GIM) has improved psychological health for clinical populations including trauma survivors with PTSD. Prior to the implementation of a randomized controlled study, a clinical non-controlled study was carried out to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a trauma-focused modification of GIM combined with standard treatment with medication, and to examine the suitability of chosen instruments to measure reduction of PTSD symptoms in refugees. Sixteen adult refugees with PTSD were enrolled and they all completed 16 one-hour individual sessions. Pre–post measures of PTSD symptoms, sleep quality, well-being and social function demonstrated significant changes with large effect sizes. Evaluation of the single sessions showed that participants found the therapy acceptable and helpful. All participants used music listening for self-care in their homes between sessions. The findings indicate that trauma-focused modified GIM was well accepted and has a potential as an effective treatment for refugees with PTSD. A larger randomized controlled trial to validate these findings is warranted.
Simulating a faint gamma-ray burst population

There have now been three supernova-associated gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) at redshift z < 0.17, namely 980425, 030329 and 031203, but the nearby and under-luminous GRBs 980425 and 031203 are distinctly different from the ‘classical’ or standard GRBs. It has been suggested that they could be classical GRBs observed away from their jet axes, or they might belong to a population of under-energetic GRBs. Recent radio observations of the afterglow of GRB 980425 suggest that different engines may be responsible for the observed diversity of cosmic explosions. Given this assumption, a crude constraint on a luminosity function for faint GRBs with a mean luminosity similar to that of GRB 980425 and an upper limit on the rate density of 980425-type events, we simulate the redshift distribution of under-luminous GRBs assuming BATSE and Swift sensitivities. A local rate density of about 0.6 per cent of the local supernova Type Ib/c rate yields simulated probabilities for under-luminous events to occur at rates comparable to the BATSE GRB low-redshift distribution. In this scenario the probability of BATSE/HETE detecting at least one GRB at z < 0.05 is 0.78 over 4.5 years, a result that is comparable with observation. Swift has the potential to detect 1‐5 under-luminous GRBs during one year of observation. Ke yw ords: supernovae: general ‐ cosmology: observations ‐ gamma-rays: bursts.
Analysis of the Turbulent Fluid Flow in an Axisymmetric Sudden Expansion

Post Graduate Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata-700032 Faculty, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Jadavpur University, Kolkata-700032 Abstract The turbulent fluid flow through the sudden expansion passage is of scientific and industrial significance. The numerical analysis of the turbulent fluid flow through an axi-symmetric sudden expansion passage has been carried out by using modified model, taking into consideration the effects of the streamline curvature. The variations of the size and strength of the recirculation bubble for different Reynolds numbers and expansion ratios have been analyzed. The recirculation bubble generated due to the sudden expansion of the passage is observed to reduce in size and strength with the increase in the Reynolds number. But the size and strength of the recirculation bubble increases with the increase in the expansion ratio. The radial distributions of the turbulent energy and the axial velocity have been obtained.
A computational model of systems consolidation: optimizing memory-guided behavior using abstracted hippocampal and cortical networks

A computational model of systems consolidation: optimizing memory-guided behavior using abstracted hippocampal and cortical networks Adam Santoro Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Department of The Institute of Medical Science University of Toronto 2015 Learning is not a isolated event, as nearly every encoding event occurs on a backdrop of previous knowledge. This idea is tightly intertwined with that of memory consolidation, which is a concept that describes the fate of memories post-encoding. After the brain encodes some episode, the encoded information undergoes a transition from hippocampal dependence to cortical dependence. Contemporary memory consolidation theories emphasize the nature of the computations that occur during this transfer, pointing to the extraction of statistical regularities, or the formation of schemas, as critical components. The work presented in this thesis analyzes memory consolidation from a computational perspective. Firstly, it describes necessary conditions for the extraction of statistical regularities across individually learned episodes, demonstrating that a consolidation-like mechanism best captures this phenomenon. Next, it probes a possible purpose of memory consolidation within a two-memory system, showing that a joint hippocampal and cortical network optimizes memory-guided behavior in a foraging-like task. Finally, some anatomical evidence is explored within the context of a major tenet of memory consolidation, namely the slow changes in interconnectivity between distributed neocortical regions during the consolidation period. The work presented in this thesis constitutes a highly comprehensive model of memory consolidation and provides a basis for further inquiry into the nuances of consolidation phenomena, such as the effects of memory interference, neurogenesis, and forgetting.
Virtual goods in social games: an exploratory study of factors that drive purchase of in-game items

Purchases of in-game virtual goods in digital environments have been growing rapidly. With the rise of social networks like Facebook, socially-oriented online games have become a staple activity for users in these communities. Revenue models built around the selling of these non-physical items to casual players are projected to become increasingly dominant. We present a framework to explore the factors that motivate the buying of virtual goods by reviewing the literature on purchase behaviors in the Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games (MMORPGs) domains. We share preliminary results based on data collected in Pet Society, a popular social game in Facebook, and discuss findings related to users’ demographic profiles, play frequency, and virtual goods purchasing patterns and motivations.
Oral Cobalamin Supplementation in Dogs with Chronic Enteropathies and Hypocobalaminemia

Background Cobalamin deficiency is commonly associated with chronic enteropathies (CE) in dogs and current treatment protocols recommend parenteral supplementation. In humans, several studies have reported equal efficacy of oral and parenteral cobalamin administration of cobalamin. Objectives To retrospectively evaluate whether oral cobalamin supplementation can restore normocobalaminemia in dogs with CE and hypocobalaminemia. Animals Fifty‐one client‐owned dogs with various signs of CE and hypocobalaminemia. Material and Methods Retrospective study based on a computerized database search for dogs treated at Evidensia Specialist Animal Hospital, Helsingborg, Sweden during January 2012–March 2014. Inclusion criteria were dogs with signs of CE, an initial serum cobalamin ≤270 ng/L (reference interval: 234–811 ng/L) and oral treatment with cobalamin tablets. Serum cobalamin for follow‐up was analyzed 20–202 days after continuous oral cobalamin supplementation started. Results All dogs became normocobalaminemic with oral cobalamin supplementation. The mean increase in serum cobalamin concentration after treatment was 794 ± 462 ng/L. Serum cobalamin concentrations were significantly higher after supplementation (mean 1017 ± 460 ng/L; P < .0001) than at baseline (mean 223 ± 33 ng/L). Conclusion and Clinical Importance Our results suggest that oral cobalamin supplementation is effective in normalizing serum cobalamin concentrations in dogs with CE. Prospective studies comparing cellular cobalamin status in dogs being treated with parenteral versus oral cobalamin supplementation are warranted before oral supplementation can be recommended for routine supplementation.
GPU accelerated graph SLAM and occupancy voxel based ICP for encoder-free mobile robots

Learning a map of an unknown environment and localising a robot in it is a common problem in robotics, with solutions usually requiring an estimate of the robot's motion. In scenarios such as Urban Search and Rescue, motion encoders can be highly inaccurate, and weight and battery requirements often limit computing power. We have developed a GPU based algorithm using Iterative Closest Point position tracking and Graph SLAM that can accurately generate a map of an unknown environment without the need for motion encoders and requiring minimal computational resources. The algorithm is able to correct for drift in the position tracking by rapidly identifying loops and optimising the map. We present a method for refining the existing map when revisiting areas to increase the accuracy of the existing map and bound the run-time to the size of the environment.
Multiresolution Modeling Using Fractal Image Compression Techniques

This work presents a new approach to the multiresolution modeling of polygonal meshes. This approach is based on the theoretically well-established fractal image compression techniques. A polygonal mesh is represented as a fractal using an iterated function system (IFS). In this way, a level of detail can be obtained over a region of the mesh by successively iterating the IFS. The main advantage is that it becomes possible to recover new levels of detail that were not present in the original mesh, so that the quality is not lost as the observer approaches the mesh. Another characteristic is that the same representation can be used over textures, and in this case the algorithm is directly implemented over the GPU. The visualization time obtained allows this new approach to be used in real-time interactive computer graphic applications.
Effectiveness of Hydrogen Rich Water on Antioxidant Status of Subjects with Potential Metabolic Syndrome—An Open Label Pilot Study

Metabolic syndrome is characterized by cardiometabolic risk factors that include obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension and dyslipidemia. Oxidative stress is known to play a major role in the pathogenesis of metabolic syndrome. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of hydrogen rich water (1.5–2 L/day) in an open label, 8-week study on 20 subjects with potential metabolic syndrome. Hydrogen rich water was produced, by placing a metallic magnesium stick into drinking water (hydrogen concentration; 0.55–0.65 mM), by the following chemical reaction; Mg + 2H2O → Mg (OH)2 + H2. The consumption of hydrogen rich water for 8 weeks resulted in a 39% increase (p<0.05) in antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase (SOD) and a 43% decrease (p<0.05) in thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in urine. Further, subjects demonstrated an 8% increase in high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and a 13% decrease in total cholesterol/HDL-cholesterol from baseline to week 4. There was no change in fasting glucose levels during the 8 week study. In conclusion, drinking hydrogen rich water represents a potentially novel therapeutic and preventive strategy for metabolic syndrome. The portable magnesium stick was a safe, easy and effective method of delivering hydrogen rich water for daily consumption by participants in the study.
Microscopic Characterization of Carbonaceous Aerosol Particle Aging in the Outflow from Mexico City

This study was part of the Megacities Initiative: Local and Global Research Observations (MILAGRO) field campaign conducted in Mexico City Metropolitan Area during spring 2006. The physical and chemical transformations of particles aged in the outflow from Mexico City were investigated for the transport event of 22 March 2006. A detailed chemical analysis of individual particles was performed using a combination of complementary microscopy and micro-spectroscopy techniques. The applied techniques included scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) coupled with near edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy (NEXAFS) and computer controlled scanning electron microscopy with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (CCSEM/EDX). As the aerosol plume evolves from the city center, the organic mass per particle increases and the fraction of carbon-carbon double bonds (associated with elemental carbon) decreases. Organic functional groups enhanced with particle age include: carboxylic acids, alkyl groups, and oxygen bonded alkyl groups. At the city center (T0) the most prevalent aerosol type contained inorganic species (composed of sulfur, nitrogen, oxygen, and potassium) coated with organic material. At the T1 and T2 sites, located northeast of T0 (~;;29 km and ~;;65 km, respectively), the fraction of homogenously mixed organic particles increased in both size and number. These observations illustrate the evolution of the physical mixing state and organic bonding in individual particles in a photochemically active environment.
Linear dimensionality reduction: survey, insights, and generalizations

Linear dimensionality reduction methods are a cornerstone of analyzing high dimensional data, due to their simple geometric interpretations and typically attractive computational properties. These methods capture many data features of interest, such as covariance, dynamical structure, correlation between data sets, input-output relationships, and margin between data classes. Methods have been developed with a variety of names and motivations in many fields, and perhaps as a result the connections between all these methods have not been highlighted. Here we survey methods from this disparate literature as optimization programs over matrix manifolds. We discuss principal component analysis, factor analysis, linear multidimensional scaling, Fisher's linear discriminant analysis, canonical correlations analysis, maximum autocorrelation factors, slow feature analysis, sufficient dimensionality reduction, undercomplete independent component analysis, linear regression, distance metric learning, and more. This optimization framework gives insight to some rarely discussed shortcomings of well-known methods, such as the suboptimality of certain eigenvector solutions. Modern techniques for optimization over matrix manifolds enable a generic linear dimensionality reduction solver, which accepts as input data and an objective to be optimized, and returns, as output, an optimal low-dimensional projection of the data. This simple optimization framework further allows straightforward generalizations and novel variants of classical methods, which we demonstrate here by creating an orthogonal-projection canonical correlations analysis. More broadly, this survey and generic solver suggest that linear dimensionality reduction can move toward becoming a blackbox, objective-agnostic numerical technology.
Application of the [-32 P ] ATP kinase assay to study anabolic signaling in human skeletal muscle

Chris McGlory, Amanda White, Caroline Treins, Barry Drust, Graeme L. Close, Don P. M. MacLaren, Iain T. Campbell, Andrew Philp, Simon Schenk, James P. Morton, and D. Lee Hamilton Health & Exercise Sciences Research Group University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom; Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California; Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California; INSERM U845, Université Paris Descartes, Paris, France; Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, United Kingdom; and School of Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, United Kingdom
Iron Status in Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in children. However, the pathogenesis of ADHD remains unclear. Iron, an important trace element, is implicated in brain function and dopaminergic activity. Recent studies have investigated the association between iron deficiency and ADHD, but the results are inconsistent. Methods A systemic search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and Cochrane Library databases was supplemented by manual searches of references of key retrieved articles. Study quality was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. The standardised mean difference (SMD) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using a random-effects model. H2 and I2 were used to evaluate the heterogeneity, and sensitivity, subgroup and meta-regression analyses were conducted to explore the reason of heterogeneity. Results The search yielded 11 studies published before July 25, 2016. Of these, 10 studies, comprising 2191 participants and 1196 ADHD cases, reported serum ferritin levels, and six studies, comprising 617 participants and 369 ADHD cases, reported serum iron levels. Serum ferritin levels were lower in ADHD cases (SMD = -0.40, 95% CI = -0.66 to -0.14). However, we found no correlation between serum iron levels and ADHD (SMD = -0.026, 95% CI = -0.29 to 0.24). Meta-regression analysis indicated that publication year, age, gender, sample size, and Hb levels did not significantly influence the pooled estimates of serum ferritin. Conclusion Lower serum ferritin rather than serum iron is associated with ADHD in children.
Individuality and self-regulation in preschoolers

Abstract Different ways of solving planning and spatial working memory tasks generate different taskperformance profiles. Tests were administered to 346 (planning) and 427 (spatial working memory) Argentinean children from different socioeconomic (SES) backgrounds. A cross-sectional design was performed to explore eventual variable profiles of performance that were associated with levels of success or failure on tasks that tapped working memory and planning demands and to evaluate their association with SES backgrounds. The results showed that (1) different task-performance profiles were identified: decreased, changeless, oscillated, or increased; (2) the total score for the tasks was significantly different among these profiles; and (3) there were significant differences in the total score among SES groups, which depended on type of profile. These findings suggested the importance of studying individual differences in the performance of tasks that demand self-regulatory processes of children with SES disadvantages. This is important for the understanding of how children solve problems, and how that behavior varies according to SES. Keywords: Self-regulation Processes, Task-performance Profiles, Socioeconomic Conditions, Preschool Children ---- Individualitat und Selbstregulation bei Kindergartenkindern Zusammenfassung Aufgaben zum Planen und zum Arbeitsgedachtnis konnen verschiedenartig gelost werden. Argentinische Kinder mit unterschiedlichem soziookonomischen Status (SES) haben Planungsaufgaben (n=346) und Aufgaben zum visuellen Arbeitsgedachtnis (n=427) gelost. In einem Querschnittsdesign wurden Losungsprofile identifiziert und in Verbindung mit dem SES gebracht. Die Ergebnisse zeigten: (1) es gibt unterschiedliche Losungsprofile: abnehmend, gleichbleibend, oszillierend und zunehmend; (2) die Gesamtpunktzahl fur die Aufgaben unterschied sich signifikant zwischen den Losungsprofilen; (3) die Leistung unterschied sich zwischen den SES-Gruppen in Abhangigkeit der Losungsprofile. Diese Ergebnisse unterstreichen die Wichtigkeit der Betrachtung individueller Unterschiede in der Bearbeitung von Aufgaben, die Selbstregulation erfassen. Das ist bedeutsam, um zu verstehen, wie Kinder diese Aufgaben losen und wie sich ihr Verhalten in Abhangigkeit des SES unterscheidet. Schlagworter: Selbstregulation, Losungsprofile, Soziookonomische Bedingungen, Kindergartenkinder ----- Bibliographie: Fracchia, Carolina Soledad/Giovannetti, Federico/Gili, Juan/Lopez-Rosenfeld, Matias/Hermida, Maria Julia/Prats, Lucia Maria/Segretin, Maria Soledad/Lipina, Sebastian Javier: Individuality and Self-regulation in Preschoolers, Diskurs Kindheits- und Jugendforschung, 4-2016, S. 457-471. https://doi.org/10.3224/diskurs.v11i4. 25604
The Role of R&D Capitalisations in Firm Valuation and Perfor Mance Measurement

We investigate the value‐relevance of capitalised R&D on the balance sheet, and the extent to which R&D accruals improve the association between accounting‐based measures of firm perfor Mance and capital market returns for Australian listed companies. This is a regulatory setting where management discretion in the capitalisation decision is permitted and can be empirically observed. Our results suggest that capitalised R&D on the balance sheets of selective capitalisers is value‐relevant; that is, the ability of capitalised R&D to explain infor Mation contained in prices (given infor Mation conveyed by other components of the balance sheet) is statistically significant. For the same group of firms R&D accruals (particularly the initial capitalisation) improve accounting earnings as a measure of perfor Mance but only for the pooled sample using contemporaneous returns. The results for the fully expensing sample are less clear, perhaps due to the small sample size.