Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical Ophthalmology Dovepress Dovepress Role of the Treating Surgeon in the Consent Process for Elective Refractive Surgery

hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms Purpose: To compare patient's perception of consent quality, clinical and quality-of-life outcomes after laser vision correction (LVC) and refractive lens exchange (RLE) between patients who met their treating surgeon prior to the day of surgery (PDOS) or on the day of surgery (DOS). patients) who attended 1-day and 1-month postoperative aftercare and answered a questionnaire were included in this study. All patients had a thorough preoperative discussion with an optometrist, watched a video consent, and were provided with written information. Patients then had a verbal discussion with their treating surgeon either PDOS or on the DOS, according to patient preference. Preoperative and 1-month postoperative visual acuity, refraction, preopera-tive, 1-day and 1-month postoperative questionnaire were compared between DOS and PDOS patients. Multivariate regression model was developed to find factors associated with patient's perception of consent quality. Results: Preoperatively, 8.0% of LVC and 17.1% of RLE patients elected to meet their surgeon ahead of the surgery day. In the LVC group, 97.5% of DOS and 97.2% of PDOS patients indicated they were properly consented for surgery (P=0.77). In the RLE group, 97.0% of DOS and 97.0% of PDOS patients stated their consent process for surgery was adequate (P=0.98). There was no statistically significant difference between DOS and PDOS patients in most of the postoperative clinical or questionnaire outcomes. Factors predictive of patient's satisfaction with consent quality were postoperative satisfaction with vision (46.7% of explained variance), difficulties with night driving, close-up vision or outdoor/sports activities (25.4%), visual phenomena (12.2%), dry eyes (7.5%), and patient's satisfaction with surgeon's care (8.2%). Conclusion: Perception of quality of consent was comparable between patients that elected to meet the surgeon PDOS, and those who did not.
Characterization of a New MR Compatible Small Animal PET Scanner Using Monte-Carlo Simulations

We are currently designing a small animal PET insert for use in an MRI with a bore size that constrains the insert inner diameter to be no larger than 66 mm while leaving 25 mm for ring thickness. The insert will be made from 10 mm thick DOI-capable Dual Layer Offset LYSO blocks coupled to MR-compatible SiPMs. The block is made from a 9 × 9 array of 1.345 × 4 mm3 crystals in the front layer and a 10 × 10 array of 1.345 × 1.345 × 6 mm3 crystals in the back layer (crystal pitch = 1.422 mm). A ring of blocks is made by repeating a block around a ring with inner diameter of 64.776 mm 16 times. Here, GATE simulations have been made to estimate mousenoise-equivalent count rate (NECR), mouse-scatter fraction (SF), peak sensitivity (Sp) resolution, and resolution uniformity to evaluate the design of our PET insert. These simulations make use of hardware performance estimates measured from a prototype block. For the one, three, and six ring tomographs, NECR curves, SF, and fígures were produced for the best and worst expected hardware performance. Simulations of a point source in a one-ring tomograph were made to estimate resolution across the field of view (FOV). For a six-ring tomograph with a 250-750 keV energy window and best expected hardware performance, the peak NECR, peak NECR activity, and Sp were 1273 kcps, 96 MBq and 10.0%. With three rings, these figures were 389 kcps at 95 MBq, and 5.9%. And with one-ring, they were 43 kcps, 85 MBq, and 2.0%. SF was ~ 16% in these three cases. Spatial resolution in the radial direction was found to change from 1.0 to 1.9 mm FWHM moving from the center of the FOV to a 15 mm offset. These results indicate that our scanner design is highly suited for high-resolution preclinical mouse imaging.
On the Three‐Dimensional Computation of Steel‐Belted Tires

Abstract A geometrically‐nonlinear finite element model of a complete tire is used in an analysis for inflation and footprint loadings. Each reinforced layer of the tire is approximated as being homogeneous, orthotropic, and linear elastic. The finite element model used in the analysis allows the computation of interply shear strains due to inflation and footprint loads. Some numerical results on loaded tires are also presented and compared with those obtained experimentally.
Internal and External Dynamics in Language: Evidence from Verb Regularity in a Historical Corpus of English

Human languages are rule governed, but almost invariably these rules have exceptions in the form of irregularities. Since rules in language are efficient and productive, the persistence of irregularity is an anomaly. How does irregularity linger in the face of internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous) pressures to conform to a rule? Here we address this problem by taking a detailed look at simple past tense verbs in the Corpus of Historical American English. The data show that the language is open, with many new verbs entering. At the same time, existing verbs might tend to regularize or irregularize as a consequence of internal dynamics, but overall, the amount of irregularity sustained by the language stays roughly constant over time. Despite continuous vocabulary growth, and presumably, an attendant increase in expressive power, there is no corresponding growth in irregularity. We analyze the set of irregulars, showing they may adhere to a set of minority rules, allowing for increased stability of irregularity over time. These findings contribute to the debate on how language systems become rule governed, and how and why they sustain exceptions to rules, providing insight into the interplay between the emergence and maintenance of rules and exceptions in language.
Centralized versus Distributed Index Schemes in OODBMS - A Performance Analysis

Recent work on client-server data-shipping OODBs has demonstrated the usefulness of local data caching at client sites. In addition to data caching, index caching can provide substantial benefits through associative access to cached objects. Indexes usually have high contention, and database performance is quite sensitive to the index management scheme. This paper examines the effects of two index caching schemes, one centralized and the other distributed, for index page management in a page server OODB. In the centralized scheme, index pages are not allowed to be cached at client sites and are managed by the server. The distributed index management scheme supports inter-transaction caching of index pages at client sites, and enforces a distributed index consistency control protocol similar to that of data pages. We study via simulation the performance of these two index management schemes under several different workloads and contention profiles, and identify scenarios where each of the two schemes performs better than the other.
Cross-protective and cross-reactive immune responses to recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing full-length lyssavirus glycoprotein genes

SUMMARY Lyssaviruses cause acute, progressive encephalitis in mammals. Current rabies vaccines offer protection against the lyssaviruses, with the notable exceptions of Mokola virus (MOKV), Lagos bat virus (LBV) and West Caucasian bat virus (WCBV). Here we describe the cross-protective and cross-reactive immune responses induced by experimental recombinant vaccinia viruses encoding the glycoprotein genes of rabies virus (RABV), MOKV and WCBV, either singly or in dual combinations. Constructs expressing a single glycoprotein gene protected mice against lethal intracranial challenge with homologous virus. Similarly, recombinants expressing glycoprotein genes from two different lyssaviruses offered mice protection against both homologous viruses. VNAb induced by vaccines that included a MOKV glycoprotein gene cross-neutralized LBV, but not WCBV. We concluded that a single recombinant poxvirus-vectored vaccine including MOKV and RABV glycoprotein genes, should be a major addition to available rabies biologics and should offer broad protection against all of the lyssaviruses, except WCBV.
Composer Recognition Based on 2D-Filtered Piano-Rolls

We propose a method for music classiﬁcation based on the use of convolutional models on symbolic pitch–time representations (i.e. piano-rolls) which we apply to composer recognition. An excerpt of a piece to be classiﬁed is ﬁrst sampled to a 2D pitch–time representation which is then subjected to various transformations, including convolution with predeﬁned ﬁlters (Morlet or Gaussian) and clas-siﬁed by means of support vector machines. We combine classiﬁers based on different pitch representations (MIDI and morphetic pitch) and different ﬁlter types and conﬁg-urations. The method does not require parsing of the music into separate voices, or extraction of any other prede-ﬁned features prior to processing; instead it is based on the analysis of texture in a 2D pitch–time representation. We show that ﬁltering signiﬁcantly improves recognition and that the method proves robust to encoding, transposition and amount of information. On discriminating between Haydn and Mozart string quartet movements, our best clas-siﬁer reaches state-of-the-art performance in leave-one-out cross validation.
Almost every real quadratic map is either regular or stochastic

In this paper we complete a program to study measurable dynamics in the real quadratic family. Our goal was to prove that almost any real quadratic map Pc : z t- x2 + c, c c [-2,1/4], has either an attracting cycle or an absolutely continuous invariant measure. The final step, completed here, is to prove that the set of infinitely renormalizable parametric values c c [-2,1/4] has zero Lebesgue measure. We derive this from a Renormalization Theorem which asserts uniform hyperbolicity of the full renormalization operator. This theorem gives the most general real version of the Feigenbaum-Coullet-Tresser universality, simultanuously for all combinatorial types.
Revisiting the Role of Clathrin-Mediated Endoytosis in Synaptic Vesicle Recycling

Without robust mechanisms to efficiently form new synaptic vesicles (SVs), the tens to hundreds of SVs typically present at the neuronal synapse would be rapidly used up, even at modest levels of neuronal activity. SV recycling is thus critical for synaptic physiology and proper function of sensory and nervous systems. Yet, more than four decades after it was originally proposed that the SVs are formed and recycled locally at the presynaptic terminals, the mechanisms of endocytic processes at the synapse are heavily debated. Clathrin-mediated endocytosis, a type of endocytosis that capitalizes on the clathrin coat, a number of adaptor and accessory proteins, and the GTPase dynamin, is well understood, while the contributions of clathrin-independent fast endocytosis, kiss-and-run, bulk endocytosis and ultrafast endocytosis are still being evaluated. This review article revisits and summarizes the current knowledge on the SV reformation with a focus on clathrin-mediated endocytosis, and it discusses the modes of SV formation from endosome-like structures at the synapse. Given the importance of this topic, future advances in this active field are expected to contribute to better comprehension of neurotransmission, and to have general implications for neuroscience and medicine.
Platelet Activity, Coagulation, and Fibrinolysis During Exercise in Healthy Males: Effects of Thrombin Inhibition by Argatroban and Enoxaparin

Background—Relationships between exercise-induced activation of platelets, blood coagulation, and fibrinolysis, and the importance of thrombin for responses to exercise are not clear. Methods and Results—Effects of thrombin inhibition on hemostatic parameters were examined in a double-blind crossover study comparing the direct thrombin inhibitor argatroban (350 &mgr;g/kg intravenous bolus followed by 25 &mgr;g/kg per minute of infusion), the indirect thrombin inhibitor enoxaparin (0.75 mg/kg, intravenous bolus), or placebo (saline) in 21 healthy males. Measurements were made at rest, before and during/after thrombin inhibitor treatment, and immediately after exhaustive exercise. At rest argatroban abolished, and enoxaparin attenuated platelet activation by thrombin, but not by adenosine diphosphate. Argatroban and, even more so, enoxaparin decreased thrombin generation (prothrombin F1+2) and the coagulation potential, and increased the fibrinolytic potential. Exercise increased circulating activated platelets (from 5.5±0.3 to 9.4±0.9×109/L; P<0.001), circulating platelet–platelet microaggregates, the platelet responsiveness to in vitro stimulation, leukocyte activation (leukocyte CD11b expression and plasma elastase), and platelet–leukocyte aggregation (P<0.01 for all). Exercise increased coagulation (F1+2; P<0.01) and fibrinolysis, but did not alter the balance between them; fibrin gel permeability increased (P<0.01), probably because of release of endogenous tissue plasminogen activator from the vessel wall. Neither argatroban nor enoxaparin counteracted exercise-induced platelet or leukocyte activation. Both thrombin inhibitors augmented exercise effects on fibrinolysis. Conclusions—Strenuous exercise enhances platelet and leukocyte activation independently of thrombin. Exercise augments both coagulation and fibrinolysis, but the balance between them appears to be maintained. At therapeutic dosages argatroban counteracted thrombin-induced platelet activation most efficiently, whereas enoxaparin had somewhat stronger anticoagulant and profibrinolytic effects.
Improving rule extraction from neural networks by modifying hidden layer representations

This paper describes a new method for extracting symbolic rules from multilayer feedforward neural networks. Our approach is to encourage backpropagation to learn a sparser representation at the hidden layer and to use the improved representation to extract fewer, easier to understand rules. A new error term defined over the hidden layer is added to the standard sum of squared error so that the total squared distance between hidden activation vectors is increased. We show that this method helps extract fewer rules without decreasing classification accuracy in four publicly available data sets.
Accurate Vibration Analysis of Multilayered Plates Made of Functionally Graded Materials

Closed form solutions of free vibration problems in simply supported multilayered plates made of Functionally Graded Material (FGM) are dealt with in the present paper. Various refined plate theories are compared in the cases of both equivalent single-layer and layer-wise variable descriptions. Classical theories are compared to advanced ones, in which higher orders of expansion in the thickness direction are used for the transverse displacement. The plate governing equations are provided by applying Carrera's Unified Formulation (CUF) which, in this paper, is extended to the dynamics and free vibration response of plates embedding FGM layers. CUF permits one to handle the governing equations of the whole theory in a unified manner and a hierarchical evaluation of the natural frequencies of plates is therefore obtained. The results are given for one-layer and multi-layer plates embedding FGM layers. Conclusions are drawn regarding the accuracy of classical and advanced plate modelling for various vibration modes.
Terrestrial Contributions to the Aquatic Food Web in the Middle Yangtze River

Understanding the carbon sources supporting aquatic consumers in large rivers is essential for the protection of ecological integrity and for wildlife management. The relative importance of terrestrial and algal carbon to the aquatic food webs is still under intensive debate. The Yangtze River is the largest river in China and the third longest river in the world. The completion of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD) in 2003 has significantly altered the hydrological regime of the middle Yangtze River, but its immediate impact on carbon sources supporting the river food web is unknown. In this study, potential production sources from riparian and the main river channel, and selected aquatic consumers (invertebrates and fish) at an upstream constricted-channel site (Luoqi), a midstream estuarine site (Huanghua) and a near dam limnetic site (Maoping) of the TGD were collected for stable isotope (δ13C and δ15N) and IsoSource analyses. Model estimates indicated that terrestrial plants were the dominant carbon sources supporting the consumer taxa at the three study sites. Algal production appeared to play a supplemental role in supporting consumer production. The contribution from C4 plants was more important than that of C3 plants at the upstream site while C3 plants were the more important carbon source to the consumers at the two impacted sites (Huanghua and Maoping), particularly at the midstream site. There was no trend of increase in the contribution of autochthonous production from the upstream to the downstream sites as the flow rate decreased dramatically along the main river channel due to the construction of TGD. Our findings, along with recent studies in rivers and lakes, are contradictory to studies that demonstrate the importance of algal carbon in the aquatic food web. Differences in system geomorphology, hydrology, habitat heterogeneity, and land use may account for these contradictory findings reported in various studies.
Changes in excitability of motor cortical circuitry in primary restless legs syndrome

Objective: To investigate the excitability of segmental and suprasegmental systems in patients with primary restless legs syndrome (pRLS) by measuring the cortical silent period (C-SP) and the peripheral silent period (P-SP). Background: There is some evidence that RLS may be the motor manifestation of normal CNS periodicity that becomes disinhibited under certain conditions. The mechanism of this disinhibition is unclear. Design/Methods: Ten patients with pRLS and 10 normal age-matched subjects were studied. The mixed nerve P-SP produced by electrical stimulation of the median and common peroneal nerves was recorded during maximal contraction of the abductor pollicis brevis (APB) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles. The C-SP produced by a single magnetic shock to motor cortex at 150% of resting threshold was also measured during maximal contraction of the APB and TA muscles. The average of 5 to 10 trials at each site was obtained and compared using Student’s t-test. Results: Resting central motor threshold was not significantly different between pRLS patients and the control group. The average duration of the C-SP was shorter in the APB (74.5 ± 37.7 versus 129.56 ± 35.95 msec, p < 0.05) and TA (66.81 ± 25.63 versus 136.1 ± 40.35 msec, p < 0.05) in patients with pRLS. The P-SP duration, however, was not significantly different between two groups in either limb. Conclusion: The supraspinal inhibitory system is impaired in pRLS.
Detection of Early Sero-Conversion HIV Infection Using the INSTITM HIV-1 Antibody Point-of-Care Test

We compared the INSTITM HIV-1 Antibody Point-of-Care (POC) Test to laboratory-based tests for detection of early sero-conversion (i.e. acute) HIV infections. Fifty-three (53) individuals with early HIV infection, (i.e. 3rd generation anti-HIV EIA non-reactive or reactive, HIV-1 Western Blot non-reactive or indeterminate and HIV-1 p24 antigen reactive) were tested by INSTITM. The INSTITM test was reactive for 34/49 (sensitivity 69.4%; 95% confidence interval 54.6-81.8%) early-infected individuals whose laboratory-based 3rd generation HIV EIA test was reactive. Four (4) were non-reactive by both the laboratory-based EIA and INSTITM tests, but were p24 antigen reactive. The INSTITM POC test performs well compared with other POC tests for the detection of early sero-conversion HIV infection, but it may miss 20% to 30% of those detected by laboratory-based 3rd generation anti-HIV tests. Both POC and laboratory-based anti-HIV tests will fail to detect a proportion of infected individuals in the first weeks after infection.
Neoliberalism and Democracy in Latin America: A Mixed Record

Abstract This essay argues that neoliberalism has strengthened the sustainability of democracy in Latin America but limited its quality. Drastic market reform seems to have abetted the survival of competitive civilian rule through its external and internal repercussions. By opening up Latin American countries to the world economy, neoliberalism has exposed them to more of the international pressures for preserving democracy that intensified with the end of the Cold War. At the same time, the move to market economics has weakened leftist parties, trade unions, and other proponents of radical socioeconomic reform, reassuring elites and preventing them from undermining democracy. But tighter external economic constraints limit governments' latitude and thereby restrict the effective range of democratic choice; and the weakening of parties and interest associations has depressed political participation and eroded government accountability. The available evidence therefore suggests that neoliberalism has been a mixed blessing for Latin American democracies.
Differential frontal–striatal and paralimbic activity during reversal learning in major depressive disorder and obsessive–compulsive disorder

Background Several lines of research suggest a disturbance of reversal learning (reward and punishment processing, and affective switching) in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is also characterized by abnormal reversal learning, and is often co-morbid with MDD. However, neurobiological distinctions between the disorders are unclear. Functional neuroimaging (activation) studies comparing MDD and OCD directly are lacking. Method Twenty non-medicated OCD-free patients with MDD, 20 non-medicated MDD-free patients with OCD, and 27 healthy controls performed a self-paced reversal learning task in an event-related design during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Results Compared with healthy controls, both MDD and OCD patients displayed prolonged mean reaction times (RTs) but normal accuracy. In MDD subjects, mean RTs were correlated with disease severity. Imaging results showed MDD-specific hyperactivity in the anterior insula during punishment processing and in the putamen during reward processing. Moreover, blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) responses in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and the anterior PFC during affective switching showed a linear decrease across controls, MDD and OCD. Finally, the OCD group showed blunted responsiveness of the orbitofrontal (OFC)–striatal loop during reward, and in the OFC and anterior insula during affective switching. Conclusions This study shows frontal–striatal and (para)limbic functional abnormalities during reversal learning in MDD, in the context of generic psychomotor slowing. These data converge with currently influential models on the neuropathophysiology of MDD. Moreover, this study reports differential neural patterns in frontal–striatal and paralimbic structures on this task between MDD and OCD, confirming previous findings regarding the neural correlates of deficient reversal learning in OCD.