Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Muscle Fatigue Tracking with Evoked EMG via Recurrent Neural Network: Toward Personalized Neuroprosthetics

One of the challenging issues in computational rehabilitation is that there is a large variety of patient situations depending on the type of neurological disorder. Human characteristics are basically subject specific and time variant; for instance, neuromuscular dynamics may vary due to muscle fatigue. To tackle such patient specificity and time-varying characteristics, a robust bio-signal processing and a precise model-based control which can manage the nonlinearity and time variance of the system, would bring break-through and new modality toward computational intelligence (CI) based rehabilitation technology and personalized neuroprosthetics. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a useful technique to assist restoring motor capability of spinal cord injured (SCI) patients by delivering electrical pulses to paralyzed muscles. However, muscle fatigue constraints the application of FES as it results in the time-variant muscle response. To perform adaptive closedloop FES control with actual muscle response feedback taken into account, muscular torque is essential to be estimated accurately. However, inadequacy of the implantable torque sensor limits the direct measurement of the time-variant torque at the joint. This motivates the development of methods to estimate muscle torque from bio-signals that can be measured. Evoked electromyogram (eEMG) has been found to be highly correlated with FES-induced torque under various muscle conditions, indicating that it can be used for torque/force prediction. A nonlinear ARX (NARX) type model is preferred to track the relationship between eEMG and stimulated muscular torque. This paper presents a NARX recurrent neural network (NARX-RNN) model for identification/prediction of FES-induced muscular dynamics with eEMG. The NARX-RNN model may possess novelty of robust prediction performance. Due to the difficulty of choosing a proper forgetting factor of Kalman filter for predicting time-variant torque with eEMG, the presented NARX-RNN could be considered as an alternative muscular torque predictor. Data collected from five SCI patients is used to evaluate the proposed NARX-RNN model, and the results show promising estimation performances. In addition, the general importance regarding CI-based motor function modeling is introduced along with its potential impact in the rehabilitation domain. The issue toward personalized neuroprosthetics is discussed in detail with the potential role of CI-based identification and the benefit for motor-impaired patient community.
Personality differences predict decision-making in an accident situation in virtual driving

Understanding how humans make decisions in challenging situations - such as trying to save peoples' lives even though this endangers one's own life - is crucial in optimizing rescue operations and dealing with natural disasters and other crises. The experimental study of these decisions, however, has often been done using text-based surveys, which is known to emphasize rational and reflective judgments. Here, we used virtual reality to investigate decision-making in a real-world context, in which a decision needs to be made intuitively under time pressure - for this we simulated an accident situation in an immersive virtual driving scenario. In the scenario, participants were told to race a course as fast as possible. After training, participants were confronted with the sudden appearance of pedestrians on the race course. We observed three different behaviors: group one ignored the pedestrians and/or hit the accelerator, group two hit the brake, and group three tried to steer the car to avoid pedestrians. We found that most Avoid-group participants had more real and virtual driving experience compared to the other two groups and they also felt more competent during the game as measured by subjective game experience questionnaires. Importantly, results from established personality questionnaires showed that participants who did not brake (therefore potentially harming the pedestrians) had significantly lower scores in perspective-taking and higher scores in psychopathy compared to participants who tried to avoid the accident situation. Our results demonstrate that personality differences to some degree are able to predict intuitive decision-making and that such processes can be studied in a controlled, immersive VR simulation.
Proportion of non‐zero normal means: universal oracle equivalences and uniformly consistent estimators

Summary. Since James and Stein's seminal work, the problem of estimating n normal means has received plenty of enthusiasm in the statistics community. Recently, driven by the fast expansion of the field of large‐scale multiple testing, there has been a resurgence of research interest in the n normal means problem. The new interest, however, is more or less concentrated on testing n normal means: to determine simultaneously which means are 0 and which are not. In this setting, the proportion of the non‐zero means plays a key role. Motivated by examples in genomics and astronomy, we are particularly interested in estimating the proportion of non‐zero means, i.e. given n independent normal random variables with individual means Xj∼N(μj,1), j=1,…,n, to estimate the proportion ɛn=(1/n) #{j:μj /= 0}. We propose a general approach to construct the universal oracle equivalence of the proportion. The construction is based on the underlying characteristic function. The oracle equivalence reduces the problem of estimating the proportion to the problem of estimating the oracle, which is relatively easier to handle. In fact, the oracle equivalence naturally yields a family of estimators for the proportion, which are consistent under mild conditions, uniformly across a wide class of parameters. The approach compares favourably with recent works by Meinshausen and Rice, and Genovese and Wasserman. In particular, the consistency is proved for an unprecedentedly broad class of situations; the class is almost the largest that can be hoped for without further constraints on the model. We also discuss various extensions of the approach, report results on simulation experiments and make connections between the approach and several recent procedures in large‐scale multiple testing, including the false discovery rate approach and the local false discovery rate approach.
Multiplex molecular testing for management of infectious gastroenteritis in a hospital setting: a comparative diagnostic and clinical utility study.

Laboratory diagnosis and clinical management of inpatients with diarrhoea is complex and time consuming. Tests are often requested sequentially and undertaken in different laboratories. This causes prolonged unnecessary presumptive isolation of patients, because most cases are non-infectious. A molecular multiplex test (Luminex(®) Gastrointestinal Pathogen Panel (GPP)) was compared with conventional testing over 8 months to determine diagnostic accuracy, turnaround times, laboratory costs, use of isolation facilities and user acceptability. A total of 262 (12%) patients had a pathogen detected by conventional methods compared with 483 (22.1%) by GPP. Most additional cases were detected in patients developing symptoms in the first 4 days of admission. Additional cases were detected because of presumed improved diagnostic sensitivity but also because clinicians had not requested the correct pathogen. Turnaround time (41.8 h) was faster than bacterial culture (66.5 h) and parasite investigation (66.5 h) but slower than conventional testing for Clostridium difficile (17.3 h) and viruses (27 h). The test could allow simplified requesting by clinicians and a consolidated laboratory workflow, reducing the overall number of specimens received by the laboratory. A total of 154 isolation days were saved at an estimated cost of £30 800. Consumables and labour were estimated at £150 641 compared with £63 431 for conventional testing. Multiplex molecular testing using a panel of targets allowed enhanced detection and a consolidated laboratory workflow. This is likely to be of greater benefit to cases that present within the first 4 days of hospital admission.
GIS-Based Analytical Tools for Transport Planning: Spatial Regression Models for Transportation Demand Forecast

Considering the importance of spatial issues in transport planning, the main objective of this study was to analyze the results obtained from different approaches of spatial regression models. In the case of spatial autocorrelation, spatial dependence patterns should be incorporated in the models, since that dependence may affect the predictive power of these models. The results obtained with the spatial regression models were also compared with the results of a multiple linear regression model that is typically used in trips generation estimations. The findings support the hypothesis that the inclusion of spatial effects in regression models is important, since the best results were obtained with alternative models (spatial regression models or the ones with spatial variables included). This was observed in a case study carried out in the city of Porto Alegre, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in the stages of specification and calibration of the models, with two distinct datasets.
Recent Developments in Low-Level Lead Exposure and Intellectual Impairment in Children

In the last decade children’s blood lead levels have fallen significantly in a number of countries, and current mean levels in developed countries are in the region of 3 μg/dL. Despite this reduction, childhood lead poisoning continues to be a major public health problem for certain at-risk groups of children, and concerns remain over the effects of lead on intellectual development in infants and children. The evidence for lowered cognitive ability in children exposed to lead has come largely from prospective epidemiologic studies. The current World Health Organization/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention blood level of concern reflects this and stands at 10 μg/dL. However, a recent study on a cohort of children whose lifetime peak blood levels were consistently < 10 μg/dL has extended the association of blood lead and intellectual impairment to lower levels of lead exposure and suggests there is no safety margin at existing exposures. Because of the importance of this finding, we reviewed this study in detail along with other recent developments in the field of low-level lead exposure and children’s cognitive development. We conclude that these findings are important scientifically, and efforts should continue to reduce childhood exposure. However, from a public health perspective, exposure to lead should be seen within the many other risk factors impacting on normal childhood development, in particular the influence of the learning environment itself. Current lead exposure accounts for a very small amount of variance in cognitive ability (1–4%), whereas social and parenting factors account for 40% or more.
Determinants of the Use of Breast Cancer Screening Among Women Workers in Urban Mexico

Introduction This case-control study aimed to determine critical factors influencing the use of clinical breast examination and mammography among women workers in Monterrey, Mexico. Methods We determined case and control status from survey results. Cases were defined in accordance with the guidelines of the Official Mexican Standard as lack of at least one clinical breast examination during the past year by surveyed women. For women older than 40 years, cases were further defined as lack of at least one mammogram in the previous 2 years and, for women older than 50, lack of a mammogram in the previous year. Controls were defined as adherence by surveyed women to these guidelines. Participants (N = 306 clerks aged 18–60) provided information about their practices, knowledge, and perceptions regarding breast cancer screening. Factors identified by odds ratio analysis as significantly different between cases and controls were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. Results Survey participants' knowledge about the utility of breast self-examination (odds ratio, 6.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.0–33.9), perception that the health care system has enough equipment and personnel for clinical breast examination (odds ratio, 4.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.7–13.2), and perception that they have enough time to wait for and receive clinical breast examinations (odds ratio, 2.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–5.8) significantly predisposed women to use screening services independent of years of formal education, number of pregnancies, number of living children, hours worked per week, and monthly family income. Conclusion Perception of organizational and structural factors played a significant role in screening use. Our findings have implications for the general population, provider practices, community interventions, and future development of strategies to increase use of screening services in similar locales.
Relative risk of attention deficits in siblings of patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE Impaired attention has frequently been observed in studies of unaffected siblings of patients with schizophrenia. To assess the suitability of impaired attention for use as an intermediate phenotype in genetic studies, the authors estimated the relative risk of impaired attention in a large group of siblings. METHOD The authors used the Continuous Performance Test, 1-9 version, with and without a distraction condition, to study 147 patients with schizophrenia, 193 of their siblings, and 47 normal comparison subjects. Relative risk (l) was estimated by using cutoff scores that were one, two, and three standard deviations below the mean sensitivity index value (d cent) of the normal comparison group in both Continuous Performance Test conditions. RESULTS Patients but not their siblings performed worse than the normal comparison subjects in both conditions. Fifty percent of the patients, 24% of their siblings, and 18% of the normal comparison subjects scored one standard deviation below the mean score of the comparison group for the more difficult distraction version of the Continuous Performance Test. The patients with Continuous Performance Test scores one standard deviation below the mean score of the comparison group had a total of 97 siblings. Compared with the comparison group, this subgroup of siblings had significantly lower Continuous Performance Test scores. Relative risk was also significantly higher for the siblings of patients whose scores were one standard deviation (l=2. 1) and two standard deviations (l=3.3) below the mean of comparison subjects. Attempts to assess ascertainment bias suggest that this may be an underestimate. CONCLUSIONS Poor performance on the Continuous Performance Test appears to be familial and, possibly, genetic. Relative risk estimates were in the moderate range. Given the ease of administering the Continuous Performance Test, the use of impaired attention as an intermediate phenotype could increase the power of genetic studies of schizophrenia.
INDEPENDENCE OF EYE‐HAND PREFERENCE IN MENTALLY RETARDED: EVIDENCE OF SPURIOUS ASSOCIATIONS IN HETEROGENEOUS POPULATIONS*

&NA; Associations between eye and hand preference in mentally retarded and normal populations are examined. Eye and hand preference were independent in the mentally retarded population, and associated in the normal population. It is proposed that the statistical association in the normal population is a spurious one, arising from the combination of subsats within that population each differentially responsive to environmental demands for functional asymmetry.
NBER WORKING PAPER SERIES THE BEHAVIORALIST MEETS THE MARKET: MEASURING SOCIAL PREFERENCES AND REPUTATION EFFECTS IN ACTUAL TRANSACTIONS

The role of the market in mitigating and mediating various forms of behavior is perhaps the central issue facing behavioral economics today. This study designs a field experiment that is explicitly linked to a controlled laboratory experiment to examine whether, and to what extent, social preferences influence outcomes in actual market transactions. While agents drawn from a wellfunctioning marketplace behave in accord with social preference models in tightly controlled laboratory experiments, when observed in their naturally occurring settings their behavior approaches what is predicted by self-interest theory. In the limit, much of the observed behavior in the marketplace that is consistent with social preferences is due to reputational concerns: suppliers who expect to have future interactions with buyers provide higher product quality only when the buyer can verify quality via a third-party certifier. The data also speak to theories of how reputation effects enhance market performance. In particular, reputation and the monitoring of quality are found to be complements, and findings suggest that the private market can solve the lemons problem through third party verification. John A. List Department of Economics University of Chicago 1126 East 59th Chicago, IL 60637 and NBER jlist@uchicago.edu
Development of a real-time immuno-PCR assay for the quantification of 17β-estradiol in water

A competitive real-time (RT) immuno-polymerase chain reaction (iPCR) (RT-iPCR) assay was developed for the sensitive quantification of 17β-estradiol in water. Using a universal iPCR method and polyclonal antibodies, 17β-estradiol was accurately quantified at concentrations ranging from 1 pg mL−1 to 10 µg mL−1. The RT-iPCR assay's limit of detection was 0.7 pg mL−1. The RT-iPCR assay provided an 800-fold increase in sensitivity as well as an expanded working range compared with the corresponding enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Assay cross-reactivity to estrone and estriol, two structurally related estrogens, was below 8%. Water samples spiked with 17β-estradiol were analyzed by RT-iPCR to determine the assay's potential as a rapid screen for the monitoring of manure-borne estrogens in the environment. The assay showed recoveries of 82, 102 and 103% for Milli-Q, tap, and irrigation water, respectively, without requiring sample extraction or concentration prior to analysis.
Disease Management Programs for Patients With COPD in Germany: A Longitudinal Evaluation of Routinely Collected Patient Records

INTRODUCTION: The primary aim of the disease management program (DMP) for patients with COPD is to improve health outcomes and thereby to reduce overall costs. Six years after its introduction in Germany, no consensus has yet been reached as to whether the DMP has been effective in reaching these goals. The objective of the study was an evaluation of the DMP for COPD in Bavaria using routinely collected subject medical records. METHODS: A longitudinal population-based study, comparing the total DMP population of up to 86,560 patients with a stable cohort of 17,549 subjects over a period of 5 years. The effect of subject dropout in the cohort is further estimated by means of inverse probability weighting. RESULTS: The proportion of subjects in the total population who were prescribed and received treatment with oral corticosteroids declined at a constant rate of 1.0% per year (P < .001). The proportion of subjects who were given a prescription for theophylline decreased at a constant rate of 2.0% per year (P < .001). By 2012, 15.6% of the total population and 26% of the cohort had undergone self-management education. While the proportion of smokers in the total population remained constant because of the effect of newly enrolled subjects, the proportion of smokers decreased significantly even after dropout adjustment, from 29% to 21%. The occurrence of exacerbations decreased steadily at a rate of 0.9% (total population) or 0.7% (cohort) per year. While the occurrence of emergency hospital admissions decreased in the total population, an increase was observed within the cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Summarizing all results leads to the suggestion that the German DMP for COPD has been effective in enhancing the quality of care in regard to an improved adherence to guidelines, pharmacotherapy, exacerbations, and self-management education. However, the DMP was not able to prevent an increase in emergency hospital admissions for the stable population in the cohort.
Commodity and Equity Markets: Some Stylized Facts from a Copula Approach

In this paper, we propose to identify the dependence structure existing between the returns of equity and commodity futures and its evolution through the past 20 years. The key point is that we do not do not impose the dependence structure but let the data select it. To do so, we model the dependence between commodity (metal, agriculture and energy) and stock markets using a flexible approach that allows us to investigate whether the co-movement is: (i) symmetric and occurring most of the time, (ii) symmetric and occurring mostly during extreme events and (iii) asymmetric and occurring mostly during extreme events. We also allow for this dependence to be time-varying from January 1990 to February 2012. Our analysis uncovers three major stylized facts. First, we find that the dependence between commodity and stock markets is time varying, symmetric and occurs most of the time (as opposed to mostly in extreme events). Second, not allowing for time-varying parameters in the dependence distribution generates a bias toward evidence of tail dependence. Similarly, considering only tail dependence may lead to wrong evidence of asymmetry. Third, a growing comovement between industrial metals and equity markets is identified as early as in 2003, a comovement that spreads to all commodity classes and becomes unambiguously stronger with the global financial crisis after Fall 2008.
CEACAM1 Expression in Pancreatic Endocrine Tumors

The aim of this study was to examine the expression of carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1 (CEACAM1) in pancreatic endocrine tumors (PETs) and to correlate it with clinicopathologic parameters. Sixty-nine PETs were examined for tumor size, necrosis, local peripancreatic invasion and lymphovascular invasion, lymph node, and liver metastasis. The mitotic count, expressed per 10 high-power fields (HPF) and MIB1 index were assessed and tumors were classified according to the World Health Organization classification. A tissue microarray was constructed and stained with an extensive panel of endocrine markers and CEACAM1. Twenty-nine tumors were from males and 40 from females, age range: 23 to 80 years (mean 52.4 y), tumor size ranged from 0.8 to 11 cm (mean 3.5 cm), 8 patients had multiple endocrine neoplasia 1 syndrome, and 1 had von Hippel-Lindau disease. Twenty tumors demonstrated local invasion, 32 had lymphovascular invasion, 16 had lymph node metastasis, and 10 had liver metastasis. CEACAM1 was positive in 47 cases and negative in 22 cases (31.9%). Ninety percent of the CEACAM1-negative cases had a MIB1 index ≤2%, whereas 88.9% of CEACAM1-positive cases had a MIB1 index >2% (P=0.02). 86.4% of the CEACAM1-negative PETs had a mitotic count ≤2/10 HPF, whereas 75% of the CEACAM-positive PETs had a mitotic count >2/10 HPF. In addition, 80% of tumors ≥2 cm in diameter were CEACAM positive (P<0.05). CEACAM1-positive tumors were more frequently insulin negative (9 of 10 cases) (P=0.005) and vasoactive intestinal peptide-positive PETs were all CEACAM1 immunopositive (7 of 7 cases) (P=0.005). Benign tumors and PETs of uncertain malignant behavior were more frequently CEACAM1-negative and low-grade malignant cases were CEACAM1 positive (27 of 29 cases) (P=0.001). In addition, CEACAM1-positive tumors were statistically correlated with cytokeratin 19-positive tumors (P<0.05). PETs showing CEACAM1 positivity have a statistically significant correlation with several of the pathologic parameters of aggressive behavior and its overexpression is seen in those cases with increased invasiveness.