Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Crossed reflex actions from group II muscle afferents in the lumbar spinal cord of the anaesthetized cat.

1. The effects of electrical activation of muscle nerves at strengths sufficient to activate group II afferents in contralateral hindlimb motoneurones have been investigated by intracellular recording from motoneurones in alpha‐chloralose‐anaesthetized cats in which the spinal cord was intact or transected at a low thoracic level. 2. A large proportion of the motoneurones encountered could be influenced by activation of contralateral group II afferents. With the spinal cord intact, the predominant effect of contralateral group II afferents was inhibitory in almost all motoneurones, including extensors. After spinal transection the same stimuli elicited EPSPs in extensor motoneurones and IPSPs in flexors. 3. Both with the spinal cord intact and following spinal transection, group II afferents from particular nerves had powerful effects, whereas others were without effect in most neurones and had weak effects in others. Stimulation of gastrocnemius‐soleus or of the hamstring nerves was largely ineffective, evoking weak effects in a small minority of motoneurones. Stimulation of the quadriceps, tibialis anterior‐extensor digitorum longus and flexor digitorum longus nerves had powerful effects and in a high proportion of motoneurones. 4. The minimal latencies of the IPSPs evoked prior to spinalization were directly comparable to those of IPSPs evoked from ipsilateral group II afferents. The possibility that the mid‐lumbar region, where many neurones which mediate ipsilateral group II reflexes are located, might mediate these crossed effects is discussed.
2′(3′)-O-(N-Methylanthraniloyl)-substituted GTP Analogs: A Novel Class of Potent Competitive Adenylyl Cyclase Inhibitors*

2′(3′)-O-(N-Methylanthraniloyl)-(MANT)-substituted nucleotides are fluorescent and widely used for the kinetic analysis of enzymes and signaling proteins. We studied the effects of MANT-guanosine 5′-[γ-thio]triphosphate (MANT-GTPγS) and MANT-guanosine 5′-[β,γ-imido]triphosphate (MANT-GppNHp) on Gαs- and Gαi-protein-mediated signaling. MANT-GTPγS/MANT-GppNHp had lower affinities for Gαs and Gαi than GTPγS/GppNHp as assessed by inhibition of GTP hydrolysis of receptor-Gα fusion proteins. MANT-GTPγS was much less effective than GTPγS at disrupting the ternary complex between the formyl peptide receptor and Gαi2. MANT-GTPγS/MANT-GppNHp non-competitively inhibited GTPγS/GppNHp-, AlF 4 − -, β2-adrenoceptor plus GTP-, cholera toxin plus GTP-, and forskolin-stimulated adenylyl cyclase (AC) in Gαs-expressing Sf9 insect cell membranes and S49 wild-type lymphoma cell membranes. AC inhibition by MANT-GTPγS/MANT-GppNHp was not due to Gαs inhibition because it was also observed in Gαs-deficient S49cyc − lymphoma cell membranes. Mn2+blocked AC inhibition by GTPγS/GppNHp in S49cyc − membranes but enhanced the potency of MANT-GTPγS/MANT-GppNHp at inhibiting AC by ∼4–8-fold. MANT-GTPγS and MANT-GppNHp competitively inhibited forskolin/Mn2+-stimulated AC in S49cyc − membranes with K i values of 53 and 160 nm, respectively. TheK i value for MANT-GppNHp at insect cell AC was 155 nm. Collectively, MANT-GTPγS/MANT-GppNHp bind to Gαs- and Gαi-proteins with low affinity and are ineffective at activating Gα. Instead, MANT-GTPγS/MANT-GppNHp constitute a novel class of potent competitive AC inhibitors.
Figure-ground segmentation using a hierarchical conditional random field

We propose an approach to the problem of detecting and segmenting generic object classes that combines three "off the shelf" components in a novel way. The components are a generic image segmenter that returns a set of "super pixels" at different scales; a generic classifier that can determine if an image region (such as one or more super pixels) contains (part of) the foreground object or not; and a generic belief propagation (BP) procedure for tree-structured graphical models. Our system combines the regions together into a hierarchical, tree-structured conditional random field, applies the classifier to each node (region), and fuses all the information together using belief propagation. Since our classifiers only rely on color and texture, they can handle deformable (non-rigid) objects such as animals, even under severe occlusion and rotation. We demonstrate good results for detecting and segmenting cows, cats and cars on the very challenging Pascal VOC dataset.
People, content, location: sweet spotting urban screens for situated engagement

A growing body of research is looking at ways to bring the processes and benefits of online deliberation to the places they are about and in turn allow a larger, targeted proportion of the urban public to have a voice, be heard, and engage in questions of city planning and design. Seeking to take advantage of the civic opportunities of situated engagement through public screens and mobile devices, our research informed a public urban screen content application DIS that we deployed and evaluated in a wide range of real world public and urban environments. For example, it is currently running on the renowned urban screen at Federation Square in Melbourne. We analysed the data from these user studies within a conceptual framework that positions situated engagement across three key parameters: people, content, and location. We propose a way to identify the sweet spot within the nexus of these parameters to help deploy and run interactive systems to maximise the quality of the situated engagement for civic and related deliberation purposes.
Patient perceptions of hospital discharge: reliability and validity of a Patient Continuity of Care Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND Review of the literature reveals a need to develop a questionnaire that measures patient perceptions of factors impacting continuity of care following discharge from hospital. Such a measure has the potential to guide quality improvement initiatives related to continuity of care. OBJECTIVE Our objective was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a measure that would meet this need, the Patient Continuity of Care Questionnaire (PCCQ). METHOD The PCCQ was administered to 204 inpatients 4 weeks after discharge. The questionnaire was assessed by item and principal components analysis. Factors derived from principal components analysis were assessed for internal consistency and construct validity. RESULTS A principal components analysis resulted in six subscales including perceptions of: (1) relationships with providers in hospital, (2) information transfer to patients, (3) relationships with providers in community, (4) management of written forms, (5) management of follow-up and (6) management of communication among providers. These subscales were internally consistent in our sample and demonstrated construct validity through correlations with other related constructs. CONCLUSION This initial study supports the reliability and validity of the PCCQ for measuring patient perceptions of factors central to continuity of care. The questionnaire subscales correspond to the theoretical components of continuity of care that have been proposed in the literature, namely informational, relational and management continuity. The subscales may be of value for identifying problems in continuity of care and for evaluating interventions aimed at improving continuity of care for patients after hospital discharge.
Applications of Universal Source Coding to Statistical Analysis of Time Series

We show how universal codes can be used for solving some of the most important statistical problems for time series. By definition, a universal code (or a universal lossless data compressor) can compress any sequence generated by a stationary and ergodic source asymptotically to the Shannon entropy, which, in turn, is the best achievable ratio for lossless data compressors. We consider finite-alphabet and real-valued time series and the following problems: estimation of the limiting probabilities for finite-alphabet time series and estimation of the density for real-valued time series, the on-line prediction, regression, classification (or problems with side information) for both types of the time series and the following problems of hypothesis testing: goodness-of-fit testing, or identity testing, and testing of serial independence. It is important to note that all problems are considered in the framework of classical mathematical statistics and, on the other hand, everyday methods of data compression (or archivers) can be used as a tool for the estimation and testing. It turns out, that quite often the suggested methods and tests are more powerful than known ones when they are applied in practice.
An Efficient Solution of the Volume-Surface Integral Equation for Electromagnetic Scattering and Radiation of the Composite Dielectric-Conductor Objects With Reduced Number of Unknowns

An efficient method of moments (MoM) solution of the volume-surface integral equation (VSIE) is presented for the analysis of electromagnetic (EM) scattering and radiation of composite objects comprising arbitrarily contacted dielectrics and conductors. In contrast to the conventional Schaubert-Wilton-Glisson (SWG) and Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) basis functions, which were widely used in the MoM solutions of the VSIE, a new hybrid pulse-rooftop basis function is proposed to explicitly enforce the boundary condition of vanishing tangential electric field at the dielectric-conductor interface. As a consequence, the displacement currents in the dielectrics can be efficiently modeled by a reduced number of volume bases on the same set of meshes, particularly when thin dielectric slabs are involved in the composite structures. The numerical results of EM scattering and radiation of several composite objects are shown to illustrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed scheme. Since the new hybrid basis function can be easily implemented into the existing fast algorithms, the VSIE solution presented in this paper is promising for EM problems of composite targets with large size.
Low-Protein Diets in Diabetic Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Patients: Are They Feasible and Worth the Effort?

Low-protein diets (LPDs) are often considered as contraindicated in diabetic patients, and are seldom studied. The aim of this observational study was to provide new data on this issue. It involved 149 diabetic and 300 non-diabetic patients who followed a LPD, with a personalized approach aimed at moderate protein restriction (0.6 g/day). Survival analysis was performed according to Kaplan–Meier, and multivariate analysis with Cox model. Diabetic versus non-diabetic patients were of similar age (median 70 years) and creatinine levels at the start of the diet (2.78 mg/dL vs. 2.80 mg/dL). There was higher prevalence of nephrotic proteinuria in diabetic patients (27.52% vs. 13.67%, p = 0.002) as well as comorbidity (median Charlson index 8 vs. 6 p = 0.002). Patient survival was lower in diabetic patients, but differences levelled off considering only cases with Charlson index > 7, the only relevant covariate in Cox analysis. Dialysis-free survival was superimposable in the setting of good compliance (Mitch formula: 0.47 g/kg/day in both groups): about 50% of the cases remained dialysis-free 2 years after the first finding of e-GFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) < 15 mL/min, and 1 year after reaching e-GFR < 10 mL/min. In patients with type 2 diabetes, higher proteinuria was associated with mortality and initiation of dialysis. In conclusion, moderately restricted LPDs allow similar results in diabetic and non non-diabetic patients with similar comorbidity.
Subsidizing the Distribution Channel: Donor Funding to Improve the Availability of Malaria Drugs

In countries that bear the heaviest burden of malaria, most patients seek medicine for the disease in the private sector. Because the availability and affordability of recommended malaria drugs provided by the private-sector distribution channel is poor, donors (e.g., the Global Fund) are devoting substantial resources to fund subsidies that encourage the channel to improve access to these drugs. A key question for a donor is whether it should subsidize the purchases and/or the sales of the private-sector distribution channel. We show that the donor should only subsidize purchases and should not subsidize sales. We characterize the robustness of this result to four key assumptions: the product's shelf life is long, the retailer has flexibility in setting the price, the retailer is the only level in the distribution channel, and retailers are homogeneous. This paper was accepted by Martin Lariviere, operations management .
Attention and Visuospatial Working Memory Share the Same Processing Resources

Attention and visuospatial working memory (VWM) share very similar characteristics; both have the same upper bound of about four items in capacity and they recruit overlapping brain regions. We examined whether both attention and VWM share the same processing resources using a novel dual-task costs approach based on a load-varying dual-task technique. With sufficiently large loads on attention and VWM, considerable interference between the two processes was observed. A further load increase on either process produced reciprocal increases in interference on both processes, indicating that attention and VWM share common resources. More critically, comparison among four experiments on the reciprocal interference effects, as measured by the dual-task costs, demonstrates no significant contribution from additional processing other than the shared processes. These results support the notion that attention and VWM share the same processing resources.
A Study On maternal and Perinatal Outcome in Placenta Previa

The aim of the present study is to find out the demographic profile, maternal and perinatal outcome of patients with placenta previa. It is a prospective study done at Government General Hospital, Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh during the period of July 2013 to June 2014. 61 Antenatal women with more than 28weeks of gestational age with a complaint of painless vaginal bleeding or those diagnosed as having placenta previa on routine ultrasound examination were included in this study and were evaluated with comprehensive maternal history, clinical, laboratory and ultrasound examination and demographic profile, type of placenta previa on ultrasound examination, impact of previous method of delivery and present method of delivery, maternal and perinatal complications, incidence of postpartum haemorrhage and the need of blood transfusion were noted. Total number of deliveries during this period is 10,299. The incidence of placenta previa was 0.6%. Unbooked cases (77.04%),Mean age of presentation was 29yrs. Multigravidae (65.57%), (52.45%) presented between 28-34weeks gestational age, APH( 65.57%), malpresentations (18.03%), women with previous history of surgical intervention (60%), postpartum haemorrhage (27.87%), need for blood transfusion (80.32%). Perinatalmortality (6.6%) and NICU admissions (24.56%), TAH (3.27%), maternal mortality was nil. Early diagnosis of placenta previa and timely intervention with arrangement of blood transfusion, and a good anesthetic, surgical and pediatric team improves maternal and perinatal outcome.
Distinguishing theories of the monetary transmission mechanism

Professor of Economics, Ohio State University; and Research Associate, National Bu-reau of Economic Research. This paper was prepared for the Economic Policy Conference,Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, October 20-21, 1994. I would like to thank Mar-garet Mary McConnell for able research assistance, and Allen Berger, Ben Bernanke, AnilKashyap, Nelson Mark, Alan Viard and the participants at the conference for commentsand suggestions. I am grateful to the National Science Foundation and the Federal ReserveBank of Cleveland for ¯nancial and research support.
Current epidemiological aspects of human parvovirus B19 infection during pregnancy and childhood in the western part of Germany

SUMMARY This investigation was undertaken to provide detailed information on the epidemiology of human parvovirus B19 (B19) infection during pregnancy and childhood in the western part of Germany. Between 1997 and 2004, 40 517 sera from pregnant women aged 17–45 years and 6060 sera from children and young adults were tested for B19 IgG and IgM in our laboratory. In pregnant women, both the history of a ‘specific’ (OR 7·7, 95% CI 5·2–11·4) and a ‘non-specific’ rash (OR 3·3, 95% CI 1·5–7·1) was predictive for B19 IgM positivity. The B19 IgG prevalence was 69·2% (4097/5924) in a subgroup of asymptomatic pregnant women screened for B19 antibodies. In children, the age-specific IgG-positivity rate increased from 12·2% (66/541) at 2 years of age to 71·9% (396/551) in those older than 10 years. In conclusion, the prevalence of B19 IgG in pregnant women from the western part of Germany is higher then previously reported. Contact with children aged 3–10 years is a major risk factor for exposure to B19. Pregnant women with the history of a ‘non-specific’ rash should also be evaluated for acute B19 infection.
What Shape Is Your Conjugate? A Survey of Computational Convex Analysis and Its Applications

Computational convex analysis algorithms have been rediscovered several times in the past by researchers from different fields. To further communications between practitioners, we review the field of computational convex analysis, which focuses on the numerical computation of fundamental transforms arising from convex analysis. Current models use symbolic, numeric, and hybrid symbolic-numeric algorithms. Our objective is to disseminate widely the most efficient numerical algorithms useful for applications in image processing (computing the distance transform, the generalized distance transform, and mathematical morphology operators), partial differential equations (solving Hamilton-Jacobi equations and using differential equations numerical schemes to compute the convex envelope), max-plus algebra (computing the equivalent of the fast Fourier transform), multifractal analysis, etc. The fields of applications include, among others, computer vision, robot navigation, thermodynamics, electrical networks, medical imaging, and network communication.
Renal Artery Aneurysms

Only some 200 cases of aneurysm of the renal artery have been described to date. This does not, however, imply that the condition is so rare as might at first be imagined, since half the cases have been published during the last decade and some authors, e. g. EDSMAN (1957), POUTASSE (1957) and MATHE (1959) have each reported 10 or more cases. Aneurysms are usually unilateral. According to NESBIT & CRENSHAW (1956) only one case of bilateral aneurysms of the renal arteries had been described before the publication of their own case; a few further cases of bilateral aneurysms have since been reported (Mc LELLAND 1957; POUTASSE; PLATT 1961). A strikingly high incidence, even in cases examined angiographically, was reported by EDSMAN (5 cases of bilateral aneurysms out of7 cases). The aneurysm is usually located in the main renal artery or its primary branches but may also arise from supplementary arteries (SMITH & WALKING 1935, CHAMBERLIN & HOVENANIAN 1953). Most aneurysms of the renal artery have been found in subjects between 50 and 70 years of age. This age group also shows the highest incidence of degenerative vascular changes. Renal aneurysms have, however, also been seen in younger age groups and even in children under a year old. The condition is equally common in both sexes and in both kidneys.
As-Projective-As-Possible Image Stitching with Moving DLT

We investigate projective estimation under model inadequacies, i.e., when the underpinning assumptions of the projective model are not fully satisfied by the data. We focus on the task of image stitching which is customarily solved by estimating a projective warp - a model that is justified when the scene is planar or when the views differ purely by rotation. Such conditions are easily violated in practice, and this yields stitching results with ghosting artefacts that necessitate the usage of deghosting algorithms. To this end we propose as-projective-as-possible warps, i.e., warps that aim to be globally projective, yet allow local non-projective deviations to account for violations to the assumed imaging conditions. Based on a novel estimation technique called Moving Direct Linear Transformation (Moving DLT), our method seamlessly bridges image regions that are inconsistent with the projective model. The result is highly accurate image stitching, with significantly reduced ghosting effects, thus lowering the dependency on post hoc deghosting.
The Bias Against Creativity

People often reject creative ideas, even when espousing creativity as a desired goal. To explain this paradox, we propose that people can hold a bias against creativity that is not necessarily overt and that is activated when people experience a motivation to reduce uncertainty. In two experiments, we manipulated uncertainty using different methods, including an uncertainty-reduction prime. The results of both experiments demonstrated the existence of a negative bias against creativity (relative to practicality) when participants experienced uncertainty. Furthermore, this bias against creativity interfered with participants’ ability to recognize a creative idea. These results reveal a concealed barrier that creative actors may face as they attempt to gain acceptance for their novel ideas.
A Thermophilic Phage Endolysin Fusion to a Clostridium perfringens-Specific Cell Wall Binding Domain Creates an Anti-Clostridium Antimicrobial with Improved Thermostability

Clostridium perfringens is the third leading cause of human foodborne bacterial disease and is the presumptive etiologic agent of necrotic enteritis among chickens. Treatment of poultry with antibiotics is becoming less acceptable. Endolysin enzymes are potential replacements for antibiotics. Many enzymes are added to animal feed during production and are subjected to high-heat stress during feed processing. To produce a thermostabile endolysin for treating poultry, an E. coli codon-optimized gene was synthesized that fused the N-acetylmuramoyl-l-alanine amidase domain from the endolysin of the thermophilic bacteriophage ΦGVE2 to the cell-wall binding domain (CWB) from the endolysin of the C. perfringens-specific bacteriophage ΦCP26F. The resulting protein, PlyGVE2CpCWB, lysed C. perfringens in liquid and solid cultures. PlyGVE2CpCWB was most active at pH 8, had peak activity at 10 mM NaCl, 40% activity at 150 mM NaCl and was still 16% active at 600 mM NaCl. The protein was able to withstand temperatures up to 50 °C and still lyse C. perfringens. Herein, we report the construction and characterization of a thermostable chimeric endolysin that could potentially be utilized as a feed additive to control the bacterium during poultry production.
Repigmentation patterns induced by NB‐UVB and their relationship with melanocytic migration and proliferation in vitiligo

Vitiligo is the most commonly acquired depigmentation disorder of the skin and is characterized by the destruction of melanocytes. Ultraviolet phototherapy with narrow band (UVB‐NB) induces proliferation, differentiation, maturation, and migration of melanocytes. The clinical repigmentation is featured by follicular, marginal, and diffuse patterns. The aim of this study was to observe the process involved in the melanocyte migration and proliferation among these patterns and the unresponsive lesions following UVB‐NB phototherapy. The focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and c‐KIT were used as markers of melanocyte migration and differentiation, respectively.