Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Standardizing Visual Control Devices for Tsetse Flies: West African Species Glossina tachinoides, G. palpalis gambiensis and G. morsitans submorsitans

Here we describe field trials designed to standardize tools for the control of Glossina tachinoides, G. palpalis gambiensis and G.morsitans submorsitans in West Africa based on existing trap/target/bait technology. Blue and black biconical and monoconical traps and 1 m2 targets were made in either phthalogen blue cotton, phthalogen blue cotton/polyester or turquoise blue polyester/viscose (all with a peak reflectance between 450–480 nm) and a black polyester. Because targets were covered in adhesive film, they proved to be significantly better trapping devices than either of the two trap types for all three species (up to 14 times more for G. tachinoides, 10 times more for G. palpalis gambiensis, and 6.5 times for G. morsitans submorsitans). The relative performance of the devices in the three blue cloths tested was the same when unbaited or baited with a mixture of phenols, 1-octen-3-ol and acetone. Since insecticide-impregnated devices act via contact with flies, we enumerated which device (traps or targets) served as the best object for flies to land on by also covering the cloth parts of traps with adhesive film. Despite the fact that the biconical trap proved to be the best landing device for the three species, the difference over the target (20–30%) was not significant. This experiment also allowed an estimation of trap efficiency, i.e. the proportion of flies landing on a trap that are caught in its cage. A low overall efficiency of the biconical or monoconical traps of between 11–24% was recorded for all three species. These results show that targets can be used as practical devices for population suppression of the three species studied. Biconical traps can be used for population monitoring, but a correction factor of 5–10 fold needs to be applied to captures to compensate for the poor trapping efficiency of this device for the three species.
Low Dimensional Representations of MEG/EEG Data Using Laplacian Eigenmaps

Magneto-encephalography (MEG) and electro-encephalograhy (EEG) experiments provide huge amounts of data and lead to the manipulations of high dimensional objects like time series or topographies. In the past, essentially in the last decade, various methods for extracting the structure in complex data have been developed and successfully exploited for visualization or classification purposes. Here we propose to use one of these methods, the Laplacian eigenmaps, on EEG data and prove that it provides an powerful approach to visualize and understand the underlying structure of evoked potentials or multitrial time series.
Alirocumab in patients with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia undergoing lipoprotein apheresis: the ODYSSEY ESCAPE trial

Aim To evaluate the effect of alirocumab on frequency of standard apheresis treatments [weekly or every 2 weeks (Q2W)] in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HeFH). Methods and results ODYSSEY ESCAPE (NCT02326220) was a double-blind study in 62 HeFH patients undergoing regular weekly or Q2W lipoprotein apheresis. Patients were randomly assigned (2:1, respectively) to receive alirocumab 150 mg (n = 41) or placebo (n = 21) Q2W subcutaneously for 18 weeks. From day 1 to week 6, apheresis rate was fixed according to the patient’s established schedule; from weeks 7 to 18, apheresis rate was adjusted based on the patient’s low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) response in a blinded fashion. Apheresis was not performed when the LDL-C value was ≥30% lower than the baseline (pre-apheresis) value. The primary efficacy endpoint was the rate of apheresis treatments over 12 weeks (weeks 7–18), standardized to number of planned treatments. In the alirocumab group the least square (LS) mean ± SE (95% confidence interval [CI]) per cent change in pre-apheresis LDL-C from baseline at week 6 was −53.7 ± 2.3 (−58.2 to − 49.2) compared with 1.6 ± 3.1 (–4.7 to 7.9) in the placebo group. The primary efficacy endpoint showed statistically significant benefit in favour of alirocumab (Hodges–Lehmann median estimate of treatment difference: 0.75; 95% CI 0.67–0.83; P < 0.0001). Therefore, alirocumab-treated patients had a 0.75 (75%) additional reduction in the standardized rate of apheresis treatments vs. placebo-treated patients. During this period, 63.4% of patients on alirocumab avoided all and 92.7% avoided at least half of the apheresis treatments. Adverse event rates were similar (75.6% of patients on alirocumab vs. 76.2% on placebo). Conclusions Lipoprotein apheresis was discontinued in 63.4% of patients on alirocumab who were previously undergoing regular apheresis, and the rate was at least halved in 92.7% of patients. Alirocumab was generally safe and well tolerated.
The Study of Second Language Acquisition Under Socio-Cultural Theory

Socio-Cultural Theory, based on Vygotskian thought, is a theory about the development of human cognitive and higher mental function. The theory specially emphasizes the integration of social, cultural and biological elements in learning processes and stresses the socio-cultural circumstances’ central role in human’s cognitive development. Second Language Acquisition is concerned with the process of how a new language other than the native language is acquired and how much this is affected by other disciplines, among which is Socio-Cultural Theory. This theory facilitates reflection on some of the problems on second language acquisition from a new perspective. In addition, this new perspective provides some pedagogical implications for foreign language teaching. This article makes attempts to elucidate Social-Cultural Theory’s constructs, its influence on second language acquisition and the pedagogical implications for foreign language teaching.
Frictional Properties of Siro Spun Yarns

This paper reports the frictional properties of a series of siro spun yarns produced from cotton, polyester/cotton, and viscose. The coefficient of friction of the yarns has been measured using Howell's method where the two yams slide against each other at right angles. Yarn-to-metal friction has also been measured using a modified version of Howell and Mazur. The dependence of strand spacing and twist on the coefficients of yarn-to-yarn and yarn-to-metal friction has been examined, and the frictional coef ficient increases with increasing strand spacing and twist. The probable reasons for this behavior are discussed in terms of the nature of the yarn surfaces.
Posterior Spinal Fusion With Pedicle Screws in Patients With Idiopathic Scoliosis and Open Triradiate Cartilage: Does Deformity Progression Occur?

Background: Anterior-posterior spinal fusion (APSF) is the traditional treatment for patients with idiopathic scoliosis and open triradiate cartilage (OTRC). Our goals were to assess whether posterior-only spinal fusion (PSF) with pedicle screws can halt deformity progression as effectively as APSF in patients with OTRC, and whether selection of the distal fusion level influences curve progression. Methods: We studied a prospective multicenter database to identify all children with 2-year radiographic and clinical follow-up who were 11 years or younger with Risser grade 0 and OTRC who were treated with (1) PSF (OTRC-PSF group, N=20); or (2) APSF (OTRC-APSF group, N=9). A reference group was constructed of 20 children who were 18 years or younger with Risser grade 4 or 5 and closed triradiate cartilage (CTRC) and who were treated with PSF (CTRC-PSF group) and matched in preoperative curve magnitude and type to the OTRC-PSF group. The 3 groups were compared with respect to operative time, blood loss, length of hospital stay, and radiographic and functional outcomes (significance, P<0.05). Results: OTRC-APSF patients had significantly longer operative time (P<0.01), greater blood loss (P=0.02), and longer hospital stays (P<0.01) than OTRC-PSF patients. At 2 years, 7 (35%) OTRC-PSF patients had >10 degrees of curve progression compared with no patients in the OTRC-APSF group (P=0.042) and 1 patient in the CTRC-PSF group (P=0.018). The OTRC-PSF group had the highest number of patients fused to the stable vertebra. Of the 11 OTRC-PSF patients fused to 1 vertebra short of stable, 6 (55%) had >10 degrees of curve progression. Of the 9 OTRC-PSF patients fused to at least the stable vertebra or lower, only 1 (11%) had curve progression. There were no significant differences in Scoliosis Research Society outcome scores between OTRC-PSF patients who did and those who did not have >10 degrees of curve progression. Conclusions: PSF with pedicle screws was associated with curve progression in a significantly greater proportion of patients with OTRC compared with APSF. Not fusing to stable was also associated with curve progression in patients treated with PSF but not APSF. Level of Evidence: Level III—therapeutic.
The Efficacy and Methodological Challenges of Psychotherapy for Adults with Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Review

Abstract:Adults with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are at a greater risk of anxiety and depression and impaired quality of life (QoL) compared with healthy controls and other chronic physical illness groups. Consequently, the development and evaluation of well-defined and theoretically robust psychotherapeutic interventions for adults with IBD are desirable. To date, interventions have, for the most part, used multiple cross-theoretical approaches. Published reviews are heterogeneous in terms both of categorization of psychotherapeutic approaches and also of conclusions relating to efficacy. A recent Cochrane meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found no evidence for the efficacy of these interventions in adults, as in a number of previous reviews, ideologically disparate interventions (e.g., psychodynamic and cognitive behavioral) were grouped together. We aimed to extend the currently available literature on psychological intervention in IBD by: evaluating the efficacy of specific strategies (i.e., stress management, psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral therapy, or hypnosis) in improving psychological symptoms and QoL, including all controlled and noncontrolled studies, and explicating the methodological problems in published trials. Sixteen studies (5 stress management, 4 psychodynamic, 5 cognitive behavioral therapy, and 2 hypnosis) were evaluated. Interventions predominantly based on stress management showed only modest benefits for IBD or mental health symptoms or QoL. Cognitive behavioral therapy studies showed generally consistent benefits in terms of anxiety and depression symptoms, but inconsistent outcomes regarding IBD symptoms. Psychodynamically informed interventions reduced depressive and anxiety symptoms, but not IBD severity. Both hypnosis studies, albeit using different methods, seemed to have a more positive impact on disease severity than mental health symptoms or QoL. Our results suggest that while further well-designed and evaluated interventions are needed, psychological input can make a positive contribution to best practice multidisciplinary treatment of adults with IBD.
SURVIVAL AND EXTINCTION OF CARING DOUBLE-BRANCHING ANNIHILATING RANDOM WALK

Branching annihilating random walk (BARW) is a generic term for a class of interacting particle systems on $\mathbb{Z}^d$ in which, as time evolves, particles execute random walks, produce offspring (on neighbouring sites) and (instantaneously) disappear when they meet other particles. Much of the interest in such models stems from the fact that they typically lack a monotonicity property called attractiveness , which in general makes them exceptionally hard to analyse and in particular highly sensitive in their qualitative long-time behaviour to even slight alterations of the branching and annihilation mechanisms. In this short note, we introduce so-called caring double-branching annihilating random walk (cDBARW) on $\mathbb{Z}$, and investigate its long-time behaviour. It turns out that it either allows survival with positive probability if the branching rate is greater than $1/2$, or a.s. extinction if the branching rate is smaller than $1/3$ and (additionally) branchings are only admitted for particles which have at least one neighbouring particle (so-called 'cooperative branching'). Further, we show a.s. extinction for all branching rates for a variant of this model, where branching is only allowed if offspring can be placed at odd distance between each other. It is the latter (extinction-type) results which seem remarkable, since they appear to hint at a general extinction result for a non-trivial parameter range in the so-called 'parity-preserving universality class', suggesting the existence of a 'true' phase transition. The rigorous proof of such a non-trivial phase transition remains a particularly challenging open problem.
Genome-Wide Scleral Micro- and Messenger-RNA Regulation During Myopia Development in the Mouse

Purpose MicroRNA (miRNAs) have been previously implicated in scleral remodeling in normal eye growth. They have the potential to be therapeutic targets for prevention/retardation of exaggerated eye growth in myopia by modulating scleral matrix remodeling. To explore this potential, genome-wide miRNA and messenger RNA (mRNA) scleral profiles in myopic and control eyes from mice were studied. Methods C57BL/6J mice (n = 7; P28) reared under a 12L:12D cycle were form-deprived (FD) unilaterally for 2 weeks. Refractive error and axial length changes were measured using photorefraction and 1310-nm spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, respectively. Scleral RNA samples from FD and fellow control eyes were processed for microarray assay. Statistical analyses were performed using National Institute of Aging array analysis tool; group comparisons were made using ANOVA, and gene ontologies were identified using software available on the Web. Findings were confirmed using quantitative PCR in a separate group of mice (n = 7). Results Form-deprived eyes showed myopic shifts in refractive error (−2.02 ± 0.47 D; P < 0.01). Comparison of the scleral RNA profiles of test eyes with those of control eyes revealed 54 differentially expressed miRNAs and 261 mRNAs fold-change >1.25 (maximum fold change = 1.63 and 2.7 for miRNAs and mRNAs, respectively) (P < 0.05; minimum, P = 0.0001). Significant ontologies showing gene over-representation (P < 0.05) included intermediate filament organization, scaffold protein binding, detection of stimuli, calcium ion, G protein, and phototransduction. Significant differential expression of Let-7a and miR-16-2, and Smok4a, Prph2, and Gnat1 were confirmed. Conclusions Scleral mi- and mRNAs showed differential expression linked to myopia, supporting the involvement of miRNAs in eye growth regulation. The observed general trend of relatively small fold-changes suggests a tightly controlled, regulatory mechanism for scleral gene expression.
Daily weight-bearing activity does not increase the risk of diabetic foot ulcers.

PURPOSE This study had two purposes: to identify characteristics associated with participants' usual weight-bearing activity, and to determine whether weight-bearing activity increased the risk of foot ulcer among persons with diabetes and prior foot ulcer. METHODS We conducted a prospective cohort study of 400 participants with diabetes and a prior history of foot ulcer. Participants were from the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System and Group Health Cooperative in Seattle, WA, and were originally assembled for a randomized controlled trial of footwear. Feet were examined and demographic and health history information was collected at enrollment. Daily weight-bearing activity was reported at enrollment and every 17 wk thereafter for 2 yr. All incident foot lesions were recorded. RESULTS Weight-bearing activity was significantly higher among women. Activity was lower among participants who were older, unmarried, or who had a history of congestive heart failure, respiratory disease, stroke, or depression. Activity decreased significantly over the study period but remained similar in those with or without insensate feet. After adjustment for foot-related and health-status characteristics, moderately active participants (4.5-7.4 weight-bearing h.d-1) were at substantially but nonsignificantly reduced risk of foot ulcer compared with "least active" participants (<4.5 weight-bearing h.d-1) (OR 0.50, 95% CI 0.22-1.16). "Most active" participants (>or=7.5 weight-bearing h.d-1) were at significantly reduced risk (OR 0.20, 95% CI 0.04-0.87). Weight-bearing activity exerted similar effects on foot ulcer risk in participants with insensate versus sensate feet . CONCLUSION Increased weight-bearing activity did not increase the risk of foot re-ulceration. Further studies are needed to explore weight-bearing activities that are safe for those with diabetes and insensate feet.
Consonance of Vibrotactile Chords

This paper is concerned with the perception of complex vibrotactile stimuli in which a few sinusoidal vibrations with different frequencies are superimposed. We begin with an observation that such vibrotactile signals are analogous to musical chords in which multiple notes are played simultaneously. A set of so-called “vibrotactile chords” are designed on the basis of musical chords, and their degrees of consonance (harmony) that participants perceive are evaluated through a perceptual experiment. Experimental results indicate that participants can reliably rate the degrees of consonance of vibrotactile chords and establish a well-defined function that relates the degree of consonance to the base and chordal frequency of a vibrotactile chord. These findings have direct implications for the design of complex vibrotactile signals that can be produced by current wideband actuators such as voice-coil, piezoelectric, and electroactive polymer actuators.
A Randomized Comparative Crossover Study to Assess the Affect on Circuit Life of Varying Pre-Dilution Volume Associated with CVVH and CVVHDF

Objective To determine if circuit life is influenced by a higher pre-dilution volume used in CVVH when compared with a lower pre-dilution volume approach in CVVHDF. Design A comparative crossover study. Cases were randomized to receive either CVVH or CVVHDF followed by the alternative treatment. Subjects All patients ≥ 18 yrs of age who required CRRT while in ICU were eligible to participate, but excluded if coagulopathic, thrombocytopenic or unable to receive heparin. Based on an intention-to-treat, 45 patients were randomized to receive either CVVH or CVVHDF followed by the alternative treatment. Setting: A 24-bed, tertiary, medical and surgical adult intensive care unit (ICU). Intervention Blood flow rate, vascular access device and insertion site, hemofilter, anticoagulation and machine hardware were standardized. An ultrafiltrate dose of 35 ml/ kg/h delivered pre-filter was used for CVVH. A fixed pre-dilution volume of 600 mls/h with a dialysate dose of 1 L was used for CVVHDF. Results Thirty-one patients received CVVH or CVVHDF out of 45 participants followed by the alternative technique. There was a significant increase in circuit life in favor of CVVHDF (median=16 h 5 min, range=40 h 23 min) compared with CVVH (median=6 h 35 min, range=30 h 45 min). A Mann-Whitney U test was performed to compare circuit life between the two different CRRT modes (Z=-3.478, p<0.001). Measurements of circuit life on the 93 circuits which survived to clotting (50 CVVH and 43 CVVHDF) were log transformed prior to under taking a standard multiple regression analysis. None of the independent variables - activated prothrombin time (aPTT), platelet count, heparin dose, patient hematocrit or urea - had a coefficient partial correlation >0.09 (coefficient of the determination=0.117) or a linear relationship which could be associated with circuit life (p=0.228). Conclusion Pre-diluted CVVHDF appeared to have a longer circuit life when compared to high volume pre-diluted CVVH. The choice of CRRT mode may be an important independent determinant of circuit life.
Fatigue Resistance of Engine-Driven Rotary Nickel- Titanium Endodontic Instruments

A comparative study of the fatigue resistance of engine-driven nickel-titanium endodontic instruments was performed, aiming to access the influence of the cutting flute design and of the size of the files that reach the working length in curved canal shaping. Geometrical conditions similar to those found in practice were used. Series 29 #5 ProFile, together with #6 and #8 Quantec instruments, were tested in artificial canals with a 45-degree angle of curvature and 5-mm radius of curvature. It was observed that the size of the instrument, which determines the maximum strain amplitude during cyclic deformation, is the most important factor controlling fatigue resistance. The effect of heat sterilization on the fatigue resistance of the instruments was also examined. The results obtained indicate that the application of five sterilization procedures in dry heat increases the average number of cycles to failure of unused instruments by approximately 70%.
GTTI 2009: sessione Trasmissione Spectrally efficient LDPC coded modulations

In recent times the need of spectral efficiency has become a relevant topic for many communication systems, especially for wireless services. In order to achieve the be st trade- off between bandwidth occupancy and error-rate performance, several structures that involve large constellations have been proposed in literature. This paper focuses on LDPC-coded systems using 16-QAM constellations on a channel affected by Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN). The LDPC codes that have been used include both binary and non-binary systems. In order to be compared, they have been designed such that they are equivalent in terms of blocklength, rate and average column weight. Simulation results show how the structure that involves a q-ary LDPC code outperforms the other schemes: new possible scenarios to be analyzed and ongoing works are then introduced. I. I NTRODUCTION
Clinical experience with single‐nucleotide polymorphism‐based non‐invasive prenatal screening for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

To evaluate the performance of a single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)‐based non‐invasive prenatal test (NIPT) for the detection of fetal 22q11.2 deletion syndrome in clinical practice, assess clinical follow‐up and review patient choices for women with high‐risk results.