Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional canine heart model for cardiac elastography.

PURPOSE A three-dimensional finite element analysis based canine heart model is introduced that would enable the assessment of cardiac function. METHODS The three-dimensional canine heart model is based on the cardiac deformation and motion model obtained from the Cardiac Mechanics Research Group at UCSD. The canine heart model is incorporated into ultrasound simulation programs previously developed in the laboratory, enabling the generation of simulated ultrasound radiofrequency data to evaluate algorithms for cardiac elastography. The authors utilize a two-dimensional multilevel hybrid method to estimate local displacements and strain from the simulated cardiac radiofrequency data. RESULTS Tissue displacements and strains estimated along both the axial and lateral directions (with respect to the ultrasound scan plane) are compared to the actual scatterer movement obtained using the canine heart model. Simulation and strain estimation algorithms combined with the three-dimensional canine heart model provide high resolution displacement and strain curves for improved analysis of cardiac function. The use of principal component analysis along parasternal cardiac short axis views is also presented. CONCLUSIONS A 3D cardiac deformation model is proposed for evaluating displacement tracking and strain estimation algorithms for cardiac strain imaging. Validation of the model is shown using ultrasound simulations to generate axial and lateral displacement and strain curves that are similar to the actual axial and lateral displacement and strain curves.
Relapses of Plasmodium vivax infection usually result from activation of heterologous hypnozoites.

BACKGROUND Relapses originating from hypnozoites are characteristic of Plasmodium vivax infections. Thus, reappearance of parasitemia after treatment can result from relapse, recrudescence, or reinfection. It has been assumed that parasites causing relapse would be a subset of the parasites that caused the primary infection. METHODS Paired samples were collected before initiation of antimalarial treatment and at recurrence of parasitemia from 149 patients with vivax malaria in Thailand (n=36), where reinfection could be excluded, and during field studies in Myanmar (n=75) and India (n=38). RESULTS Combined genetic data from 2 genotyping approaches showed that novel P. vivax populations were present in the majority of patients with recurrent infection (107 [72%] of 149 patients overall [78% of patients in Thailand, 75% of patients in Myanmar {Burma}, and 63% of patients in India]). In 61% of the Thai and Burmese patients and in 55% of the Indian patients, the recurrent infections contained none of the parasite genotypes that caused the acute infection. CONCLUSIONS The P. vivax populations emerging from hypnozoites commonly differ from the populations that caused the acute episode. Activation of heterologous hypnozoite populations is the most common cause of first relapse in patients with vivax malaria.
Relationship between concussion and neuropsychological performance in college football players.

CONTEXT Despite the high prevalence and potentially serious outcomes associated with concussion in athletes, there is little systematic research examining risk factors and short- and long-term outcomes. OBJECTIVES To assess the relationship between concussion history and learning disability (LD) and the association of these variables with neuropsychological performance and to evaluate postconcussion recovery in a sample of college football players. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A total of 393 athletes from 4 university football programs across the United States received preseason baseline evaluations between May 1997 and February 1999. Subjects who had subsequent football-related acute concussions (n = 16) underwent neuropsychological comparison with matched control athletes from within the sample (n = 10). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Clinical interview, 8 neuropsychological measures, and concussion symptom scale ratings at baseline and after concussion. RESULTS Of the 393 players, 129 (34%) had experienced 1 previous concussion and 79 (20%) had experienced 2 or more concussions. Multivariate analysis of variance yielded significant main effects for both LD (P<.001) and concussion history (P=.009), resulting in lowered baseline neuropsychological performance. A significant interaction was found between LD and history of multiple concussions and LD on 2 neuropsychological measures (Trail-Making Test, Form B [P=.007] and Symbol Digit Modalities Test [P=.009]), indicating poorer performance for the group with LD and multiple concussions compared with other groups. A discriminant function analysis using neuropsychological testing of athletes 24 hours after acute in-season concussion compared with controls resulted in an overall 89.5% correct classification rate. CONCLUSIONS Our study suggests that neuropsychological assessment is a useful indicator of cognitive functioning in athletes and that both history of multiple concussions and LD are associated with reduced cognitive performance. These variables may be detrimentally synergistic and should receive further study.
Long term measurements of aerosol optical properties at a primary forest site in Amazonia

Abstract. A long term experiment was conducted in a primary forest area in Amazonia, with continuous in-situ measurements of aerosol optical properties between February 2008 and April 2011, comprising, to our knowledge, the longest database ever in the Amazon Basin. Two major classes of aerosol particles, with significantly different optical properties were identified: coarse mode predominant biogenic aerosols in the wet season (January–June), naturally released by the forest metabolism, and fine mode dominated biomass burning aerosols in the dry season (July–December), transported from regional fires. Dry particle median scattering coefficients at the wavelength of 550 nm increased from 6.3 Mm −1 to 22 Mm −1 , whereas absorption at 637 nm increased from 0.5 Mm −1 to 2.8 Mm −1 from wet to dry season. Most of the scattering in the dry season was attributed to the predominance of fine mode (PM 2 ) particles (40–80% of PM 10 mass), while the enhanced absorption coefficients are attributed to the presence of light absorbing aerosols from biomass burning. As both scattering and absorption increased in the dry season, the single scattering albedo (SSA) did not show a significant seasonal variability, in average 0.86 ± 0.08 at 637 nm for dry aerosols. Measured particle optical properties were used to estimate the aerosol forcing efficiency at the top of the atmosphere. Results indicate that in this primary forest site the radiative balance was dominated by the cloud cover, particularly in the wet season. Due to the high cloud fractions, the aerosol forcing efficiency absolute values were below −3.5 W m −2 in 70% of the wet season days and in 46% of the dry season days. Besides the seasonal variation, the influence of out-of-Basin aerosol sources was observed occasionally. Periods of influence of the Manaus urban plume were detected, characterized by a consistent increase on particle scattering (factor 2.5) and absorption coefficients (factor 5). Episodes of biomass burning and mineral dust particles advected from Africa were observed between January and April, characterized by enhanced concentrations of crustal elements (Al, Si, Ti, Fe) and potassium in the fine mode. During these episodes, median particle absorption coefficients increased by a factor of 2, whereas median SSA values decreased by 7%, in comparison to wet season conditions.
Ideal Scan Path for High-Speed Atomic Force Microscopy

We propose a new scan waveform ideally suited for high-speed atomic force microscopy. It is an optimization of the Archimedean spiral scan path with respect to the <italic>X</italic>,<italic>Y</italic> scanner bandwidth and scan speed. The resulting waveform uses a constant angular velocity spiral in the center and transitions to constant linear velocity toward the periphery of the scan. We compare it with other scan paths and demonstrate that our novel spiral best satisfies the requirements of high-speed atomic force microscopy by utilizing the scan time most efficiently with excellent data density and data distribution. For accurate <italic>X</italic>,<italic>Y</italic>, and <italic>Z </italic> positioning our proposed scan pattern has low angular frequency and low linear velocities that respect the instrument's mechanical limits. Using Sensor Inpainting we show artifact-free high-resolution images taken at two frames per second with a 2.2 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$</tex-math></inline-formula> scan size on a moderately large scanner capable of 40 <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> scans.
Are Intensive Cares Worthwhile for Breast Cancer Patients: The Experience of an Oncological ICU

Purpose One among seven women will present with breast cancer for which major therapeutic advances led to a significant increase in survival and cure rates. During or after cancer treatment, severe complications may occur requiring admission in intensive care unit (ICU). Intensivists could be reluctant for accepting cancer patients in the ICU, and there are very few data about causes of admission and prognosis of patients with breast cancer admitted in the ICU for an acute complication. Our study seeks to determine, in a population of patients with breast cancer, the main causes for ICU admission and the predictors of death during hospital stay and prognostic factors for survival after hospital discharge. Methods This retrospective study includes all unplanned ICU admissions of patients with breast cancer in a cancer hospital from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2014. To search for predictive factors of death during hospitalization, Mann–Whitney or Fisher Exact (or chi-square) tests were used for continuous variables or categorical variables, respectively. A logistic regression model was applied for multivariate analysis. Multivariate analysis of prognostic factors for survival after hospital discharge was performed with a Cox’s proportional hazards model. Results Of 1586 ICU admissions during the study period, 282 (18%) concerned breast cancer of which 175 met the inclusion criteria. The main causes of admission were of cardiovascular (26%), respiratory (19%), neurologic (19%), or infectious (14%) origin. ICU death rate was 15% and, overall, 28% of the patients died during hospitalization. The median survival time after hospitalization was 12.8 months (95% CI: 8.2–20.7). Independent predictors of death during hospitalization were the sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.15–1.60), high GPT values (OR 3.70, 95% CI: 1.52–9.03), and cardiovascular disease (OR 0.23, 95% CI: 0.06–0.86). Independent predictors of death after hospital discharge were metastatic disease (HR 7.90, 95% CI 3.69–16.92), high GOT value (HR 3.22 95% CI: 1.93–5.36), simplified acute physiology score (SAPS) (HR 1.95 95% CI: 1.21–3.16), and therapeutic limitations during the first 24 h after ICU admission (HR 8.52 95% CI: 3.66–19.87). Conclusion Independent predictors of death during hospitalization were related to the acute complications (SOFA score, GPT level and cardiovascular-related admission) while cancer parameters retained their prognostic significance for survival after hospital discharge (metastatic disease, therapeutic limitations).
Analysis of the constraint solver in UNA based test data generation

In a series of articles Gupta et al. develop a framework for automatic test data generation for computer programs. In general, their approach consists of a branch predicate collector, which derives a system of linear inequalities representing the branch predicates for a given path in the program. This system is solved using a solving technique of theirs called the Unified Numerical Approach (UNA) [5, 7]. In this paper we show that in contrast to traditional optimization methods the UNA is not bounded by the size of the solved system. Instead it depends on how input is composed. That is, even for very simple systems consisting of one variable we can easily get more than a thousand iterations. We will also give a formal proof that UNA does not always find a mixed integer solution when there is one. Finally, we suggest using some traditional optimization method instead, like the simplex method in combination with branch-and-bound and/or a cutting-plane algorithm as a constraint solver.
Macroeconomic Implications of Time-Varying Risk Premia

A large empirical literature suggests that risk premia on stocks or corporate bonds are large and countercyclical. This paper studies a simple real business cycle model with a small, exogenously time-varying risk of disaster, and shows that it can replicate several important facts documented in the literature. In the model, an increase in disaster risk leads to a decline of output, investment, stock prices, and interest rates, and an increase in the expected return on risky assets. The model matches well business cycle data and asset price data, and the countercyclicality of risk premia. I present an extension of the model with endogenous choice of leverage and endogenous default, and show that the model accounts well for the level and cyclicality of credit spreads, and in particular the relation between investment and credit spreads. JEL Classification: E32, E44, G12
The effect of melatonin in functional heartburn: A randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial

Background: Melatonin is a safe and effective treatment for patients with functional pain and gastrointestinal disorders. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of melatonin for 3 months in patients with functional heartburn. Methods: In the randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study, patients with functional heartburn were treated with omeprazole 20 mg before breakfast and randomized to receive either melatonin 6 mg (n = 20), nortripty line 25 mg (n = 20), or placebo (n = 20) at bedtime for 3 months. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease-Health-Related Quality of Life (GERD-HRQOL) scores were assessed at baseline and at the end of the study. Results: Melatonin improved GERD-HRQOL scores compared with nortriptyline (P = 0.0015) and placebo (P
Cellular Procoagulant Activity Dictates Clot Structure and Stability as a Function of Distance From the Cell Surface

Background—Thrombin concentration modulates fibrin structure and fibrin structure modulates clot stability; however, the impact of localized, cell surface-driven in situ thrombin generation on fibrin structure and stability has not previously been evaluated. Methods and Results—Human fibroblasts were incubated with factors Xa, Va, prothrombin and fibrinogen, or plasma. Fibrin formation, structure, and lysis were examined using laser scanning confocal microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. In situ thrombin generation on the cell surface produced clots with a significantly denser fiber network in a 10-&mgr;m region proximal versus distal to (40 to 50 &mgr;m) the cell surface. This morphology was not altered by addition of integrin-blocking RGDS peptide and was not apparent in clots made by exogenous thrombin addition, suggesting that spatial morphology was dictated predominantly by localized thrombin generation on the fibroblast surface. The fibrin network lysed more rapidly distal versus proximal to the cell surface, suggesting that the structural heterogeneity of the clot affected its fibrinolytic stability. Conclusions—In situ thrombin generation on the cell surface modulates the three-dimensional structure and stability of the clot. Thrombus formation in vivo may reflect the ability of the local cell population to support thrombin generation and, therefore, the three-dimensional structure and stability of the fibrin network.
Efficacy, Safety, and Dose of Pafuramidine, a New Oral Drug for Treatment of First Stage Sleeping Sickness, in a Phase 2a Clinical Study and Phase 2b Randomized Clinical Studies

Background Sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis [HAT]) is caused by protozoan parasites and characterized by a chronic progressive course, which may last up to several years before death. We conducted two Phase 2 studies to determine the efficacy and safety of oral pafuramidine in African patients with first stage HAT. Methods The Phase 2a study was an open-label, non-controlled, proof-of-concept study where 32 patients were treated with 100 mg of pafuramidine orally twice a day (BID) for 5 days at two trypanosomiasis reference centers (Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo [DRC]) between August 2001 and November 2004. The Phase 2b study compared pafuramidine in 41 patients versus standard pentamidine therapy in 40 patients. The Phase 2b study was open-label, parallel-group, controlled, randomized, and conducted at two sites in the DRC between April 2003 and February 2007. The Phase 2b study was then amended to add an open-label sequence (Phase 2b-2), where 30 patients received pafuramidine for 10 days. The primary efficacy endpoint was parasitologic cure at 24 hours (Phase 2a) or 3 months (Phase 2b) after treatment completion. The primary safety outcome was the rate of occurrence of World Health Organization Toxicity Scale Grade 3 or higher adverse events. All subjects provided written informed consent. Findings/Conclusion Pafuramidine for the treatment of first stage HAT was comparable in efficacy to pentamidine after 10 days of dosing. The cure rates 3 months post-treatment were 79% in the 5-day pafuramidine, 100% in the 7-day pentamidine, and 93% in the 10-day pafuramidine groups. In Phase 2b, the percentage of patients with at least 1 treatment-emergent adverse event was notably higher after pentamidine treatment (93%) than pafuramidine treatment for 5 days (25%) and 10 days (57%). These results support continuation of the development program for pafuramidine into Phase 3.
Korean L2 speakers’ regulatory focus and oral task performance

Abstract The L2 motivation self system posits that motivation emerges from the dynamic interactions among a learner’s ideal L2 self, ought-to L2 self, and situated learning experience. Only a few studies to date have investigated the individual and combined impact of trait-based and task-induced motivation (i. e., situational motivation related to the immediate learning environment) on L2 performance. Therefore, the current study explored whether Korean L2 speakers’ trait-based and task-induced regulatory focus impacted their oral task performance. Vietnamese university students (N=62) studying Korean as a foreign language completed a questionnaire to assess their L2 instrumentality as being oriented toward prevention or promotion. They were randomly assigned to promotion or prevention task-induced conditions, and then carried out an oral task. The results indicated that whereas the participants’ general motivational tendencies did not impact their task performance, the task-induced prevention condition facilitated faster speech rate (i. e., fluency) and lower error rate (i. e., accuracy) than the promotion condition. Implications for further studies are discussed.
Heterogeneity of late-life depression: relationship with cognitive functioning

ABSTRACT Background: Late-life depression is a heterogeneous disorder, whereby cognitive impairments are often observed. This study examines which clinical characteristics and symptom dimensions of late-life depression are especially impacting on specific cognitive domains. Methods: Cross-sectional data of 378 depressed and 132 non-depressed older adults between 60–93 years, from the Netherlands Study of Depression in Older adults (NESDO) were used. Depressed older adults were recruited from both inpatient and outpatient mental healthcare institutes and general practices, and diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR criteria. Multivariable associations were examined with depression characteristics (severity, onset, comorbidity, psychotropic medication) and symptom dimensions as independent variables and cognitive domains (episodic memory, processing speed, interference control, working memory) as dependent variables. Results: Late-life depression was associated with poorer cognitive functioning. Within depressed participants, higher severity of psychopathology and having a first depressive episode was associated with poorer cognitive functioning. The use of tricyclic antidepressants, serotonergic and noradrenergic working antidepressants, and benzodiazepines was associated with worse cognitive functioning. Higher scores on the mood dimension were associated with poorer working memory and processing speed, whereas higher scores on a motivational and apathy dimension were associated with poorer episodic memory and processing speed. Conclusions: Heterogeneity in late-life depression may lead to differences in cognitive functioning. Higher severity and having a first depressive episode was associated with worse cognitive performance. Additionally, different domains of cognitive functioning were associated with specific symptom dimensions. Our findings on the use of psychotropic medication suggest that close monitoring on cognitive side effects is needed.
Combined acoustic and linguistic look-ahead for one-pass time-synchronous decoding

This paper describes an enhanced pruning technique aimed at a further reduction of the active search space in large vocabulary speech recognition, to speed-up decoding while maintaining the accuracy. The method is based on anticipating both the linguistic and acoustic contribution of a phonetic arc, before expanding that arc in the search. The decoder is based on a time-synchronous beam search and a lexical tree. Cross-word HMMs and M-gram language models are integrated in a single decoding pass. The new algorithm has been evaluated for one-pass trigram decoding of Broadcast news. With respect to the baseline, the search e(cid:11)ort can be halved at almost no degradation. When pruning more aggressively to get a speed-up of 10, real-time decoding is achieved on Hub4 evaluation, however, with an increase of the base error rate by one third.
Epsilon-Near-Zero Al-Doped ZnO for Ultrafast Switching at Telecom Wavelengths: Outpacing the Traditional Amplitude-Bandwidth Trade-Off

Transparent conducting oxides have recently gained great attention as CMOS-compatible materials for applications in nanophotonics due to their low optical loss, metal-like behavior, versatile/tailorable optical properties, and established fabrication procedures. In particular, aluminum doped zinc oxide (AZO) is very attractive because its dielectric permittivity can be engineered over a broad range in the near infrared and infrared. However, despite all these beneficial features, the slow (> 100 ps) electron-hole recombination time typical of these compounds still represents a fundamental limitation impeding ultrafast optical modulation. Here we report the first epsilon-near-zero AZO thin films which simultaneously exhibit ultra-fast carrier dynamics (excitation and recombination time below 1 ps) and an outstanding reflectance modulation up to 40% for very low pump fluence levels (< 4 mJ/cm2) at the telecom wavelength of 1.3 {\mu}m. The unique properties of the demonstrated AZO thin films are the result of a low temperature fabrication procedure promoting oxygen vacancies and an ultra-high carrier concentration. As a proof-of-concept, an all-optical AZO-based plasmonic modulator achieving 3 dB modulation in 7.5 {\mu}m and operating at THz frequencies is numerically demonstrated. Our results overcome the traditional "modulation depth vs. speed" trade-off by at least an order of magnitude, placing AZO among the most promising compounds for tunable/switchable nanophotonics.