Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mean platelet volume reproducibility and association with platelet activity and anti-platelet therapy

Abstract Some studies suggest that mean platelet volume (MPV) correlates with increased risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In this study, we aim to assess reproducibility, need for standardized measurements, effect of aspirin, and association with other established markers of platelet activity. Following an overnight fast, 48 healthy volunteers had weekly assessment of platelet activity and were administered aspirin 81 mg daily for 7 d between weeks 3 and 4. We investigated the influence of time between phlebotomy and MPV measurement (n = 10). Reproducibility was assessed by coefficient of variation (CV) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). MPV measurements were reproducible (Week 1: 10.6 fL [9.9–11], Week 2: 10.6 fL [10.0–10.9], Week 3: 10.6 fL [9.8–11]). CV was ≤4% and ICC > 0.85 (p < 0.001) for each comparison, indicating excellent reproducibility. There was no effect of aspirin on MPV (10.6 fL [9.8–11] versus 10.5 fL [9.9–11]; p = 0.81). MPV significantly increased as time between phlebotomy and MPV measurement increased (Spearman’s rho = 0.94, p = 0.001). Increasing MPV tertiles was associated with collagen- and thrombin receptor-activated peptide-induced platelet aggregation but not with ADP- or arachidonic acid-induced or spontaneous platelet aggregation. In conclusion, when standardized, MPV is a reproducible marker of platelet size and not affected by low-dose aspirin. MPV is modestly associated with some, but not all, markers of platelet activity.
Multiagent Reinforcement Learning: Theoretical Framework and an Algorithm

In this paper, we adopt general-sum stochastic games as a framework for multiagent reinforcement learning. Our work extends previous work by Littman on zero-sum stochastic games to a broader framework. We design a multiagent Q-learning method under this framework, and prove that it converges to a Nash equilibrium under speci ed conditions. This algorithm is useful for nding the optimal strategy when there exists a unique Nash equilibrium in the game. When there exist multiple Nash equilibria in the game, this algorithm should be combined with other learning techniques to nd optimal strategies.
Electrical Impedance Tomography for hemodynamic monitoring

Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) is a known technique to monitor impedance changes in a cross-section of a body segment, which recently gained increasing interest for regional ventilation monitoring. In this paper, we focus on hemodynamic monitoring using EIT. Past and ongoing research activities to obtain cardiac related signals and regional perfusion information from EIT image streams are summarized. Finally, we present some preliminary results on stroke volume estimation using EIT.
Parenting Style, the Home Environment, and Screen Time of 5-Year-Old Children; The ‘Be Active, Eat Right’ Study

Introduction The global increase in childhood overweight and obesity has been ascribed partly to increases in children's screen time. Parents have a large influence on their children's screen time. Studies investigating parenting and early childhood screen time are limited. In this study, we investigated associations of parenting style and the social and physical home environment on watching TV and using computers or game consoles among 5-year-old children. Methods This study uses baseline data concerning 5-year-old children (n = 3067) collected for the ‘Be active, eat right’ study. Results Children of parents with a higher score on the parenting style dimension involvement, were more likely to spend >30 min/day on computers or game consoles. Overall, families with an authoritative or authoritarian parenting style had lower percentages of children's screen time compared to families with an indulgent or neglectful style, but no significant difference in OR was found. In families with rules about screen time, children were less likely to watch TV>2 hrs/day and more likely to spend >30 min/day on computers or game consoles. The number of TVs and computers or game consoles in the household was positively associated with screen time, and children with a TV or computer or game console in their bedroom were more likely to watch TV>2 hrs/day or spend >30 min/day on computers or game consoles. Conclusion The magnitude of the association between parenting style and screen time of 5-year-olds was found to be relatively modest. The associations found between the social and physical environment and children's screen time are independent of parenting style. Interventions to reduce children's screen time might be most effective when they support parents specifically with introducing family rules related to screen time and prevent the presence of a TV or computer or game console in the child's room.
Is Flow Related to Positive Feelings or Optimal Performance? Path Analysis of Challenge-Skill Balance and Feelings

Abstract This study examined relationships between performance, challenge-skill balance (CSB; a primary indicator of state flow) and four valence-function categories of feelings: positive-functional (PF), negative-functional (NF), positive-dysfunctional (PD), and negativedysfunctional (ND). Ten college tennis players provided 918 self-reports during competitive intra-squad matches. Participants rated their feelings, CSB, and performance during tennis matches, and the relationships between these variables were examined through correlations and path analyses. CSB correlated strongly with PF (r = .70), moderately with NF (r = .38), had no correlation with PD (r = -.03), and a small negative correlation with ND (r = -.23). CSB was more strongly correlated with functional feelings than it was to pleasant feelings. Also, CSB and performance correlated very strongly with one another (r = .81). Path analyses supported these correlations as the final model depicted strong correlations between PF, NF, and CSB, along with a path indicating that CSB leads to Performance. The results support the notion that the CSB dimension of flow is more function- and performance-oriented than it is reflective of positive and optimal experience.
Spatial considerations for the allocation of pre-pandemic influenza vaccination in the United States

The impact of the next influenza pandemic may be mitigated by inducing immunity in individuals prior to the start of national epidemics using a pre-pandemic vaccine targeted against current avian influenza strains. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) intends that pre-pandemic vaccines will be allocated to states in proportion to the size of their population in predefined priority groups, i.e. approximately pro-rata. We show that such an equitable policy is likely to be the least efficient in terms of the number of infections averted. We demonstrate that the potential benefits could be substantial if a fully discretionary policy is allowed, i.e. if some regions are allocated sufficient vaccines to achieve herd immunity while other regions are allocated no vaccine. Since such an inequitable policy may be impractical, we consider the sensitivity of an intermediate policy (in which 50% of the stockpile is allocated on a pro-rata basis) to key transmission uncertainties. The benefits of the 50% discretionary policy are sensitive to parameter values which cannot be known in advance. Therefore, despite substantial potential benefits of non-pro-rata policies, our results suggest that the current HHS policy of pro-rata allocation by state is a good compromise in terms of simplicity, robustness, equity and efficiency.
The Dynamics of Locust Non-spiking Local Interneurons - Responses to Imposed Limb Movements

A key feature of the locusts hind leg control system is a reflex loop that uses a stretch sensor, the Femoral Chordotonal organ, to monitor the position and movements of the tibia relative to the femur. A population of non-spiking local interneurons in the metathoracic ganglia receive synaptic inputs from the sensory neurons in the chordotonal organ and indirect inputs from other interneurons. They function to integrate these signals and generate the motor pattern required for coordinated limb movement. Nonlinear Volterra models combined with Gaussian white noise stimulation have, for the first time, been used to characterise the dynamics of this population of interneurons. The results show that the interneurons can be clustered into three groups, those which are position, position/velocity and velocity sensitive.
Pregnant Bodies, Fertile Minds

Imagine that you get such certain awesome experience and knowledge by only reading a book. How can? It seems to be greater when a book can be the best thing to discover. Books now will appear in printed and soft file collection. One of them is this book pregnant bodies fertile minds. It is so usual with the printed books. However, many people sometimes have no space to bring the book for them; this is why they can't read the book wherever they want.
Cognitive processes associated with creativity : scale development and validation

DISSERTATION: Cognitive Processes Associated with Creativity: Scale Development and Validation STUDENT: Angela L. Miller DEGREE: Doctor of Philosophy COLLEGE: Teachers College DATE: March 2009 PAGES: 177 Based on empirical evidence from numerous studies involving the cognitive components of creativity training, the Cognitive Processes Associated with Creativity (CPAC) scale was developed to efficiently and directly address the processes of brainstorming, metaphorical and analogical thinking, perspective-taking, imagery, incubation, and flow. An online pilot study (n = 226) and laboratory follow-up study (n = 120) collected responses to the newly created CPAC scale and a variety of other creativity measures. Overall, the results of this research indicate that the CPAC scale has many sound psychometric qualities, and the scale assesses creativity as a process variable. The data from both studies provide evidence for the construct validity of the scale, with a relatively stable factor structure reflecting the underlying theoretical subscales. A lack of relationships between the CPAC scale, social desirability, and several demographic variables suggested some evidence for divergent validity. There is mixed evidence for concurrent validity, as scores on the CPAC were not significantly correlated with product-focused measures of creativity but were significantly correlated with other previously established self-report creativity instruments. Further investigation of these findings indicated that different conceptualizations and design issues may be the reason for the nonsignificant results, and additional research in this area is needed. A deeper exploration of the relationships between the various self-report subscales led to a more vivid description of each cognitive process included in the CPAC, laying the foundation for a theoretical understanding of the similarities and differences of these processes.
A Neural Network Model for Construction Projects Site Overhead Cost Estimating in Egypt

Estimating of the overhead costs of building construction projects is an important task in the management of these projects. The quality of construction management depends heavily on their accurate cost estimation. Construction costs prediction is a very difficult and sophisticated task especially when using manual calculation methods. This paper uses Artificial Neural Network (ANN) approach to develop a parametric cost-estimating model for site overhead cost in Egypt. Fifty-two actual real-life cases of building projects constructed in Egypt during the seven year period 2002-2009 were used as training materials. The neural network architecture is presented for the estimation of the site overhead costs as a percentage from the total project price.
Determination of the swing technique characteristics and performance outcome relationship in golf driving for low handicap female golfers

Abstract Previous studies on the kinematics of the golf swing have mainly focused on group analysis of male golfers of a wide ability range. In the present study, we investigated gross body kinematics using a novel method of analysis for golf research for a group of low handicap female golfers to provide an understanding of their swing mechanics in relation to performance. Data were collected for the drive swings of 16 golfers using a 12-camera three-dimensional motion capture system and a stereoscopic launch monitor. Analysis of covariance identified three covariates (increased pelvis–thorax differential at the top of the backswing, increased pelvis translation during the backswing, and a decrease in absolute backswing time) as determinants of the variance in clubhead speed (adjusted r 2 = 0.965, P < 0.05). A significant correlation was found between left-hand grip strength and clubhead speed (r = 0.54, P < 0.05) and between handicap and clubhead speed (r = −0.612, P < 0.05). Flexibility measures showed some correlation with clubhead speed; both sitting flexibility tests gave positive correlations (clockwise: r = 0.522, P < 0.05; counterclockwise: r = 0.711, P < 0.01). The results suggest that there is no common driver swing technique for optimal performance in low handicap female golfers, and therefore consideration should be given to individual swing characteristics in future studies.
Internet‐based versus traditional teaching and learning methods

The rapid and dramatic incursion of the Internet and social networks in everyday life has revolutionised the methods of exchanging data. Web 2.0 represents the evolution of the Internet as we know it. Internet users are no longer passive receivers, and actively participate in the delivery of information. Medical education cannot evade this process. Increasingly, students are using tablets and smartphones to instantly retrieve medical information on the web or are exchanging materials on their Facebook pages. Medical educators cannot ignore this continuing revolution, and therefore the traditional academic schedules and didactic schemes should be questioned. Analysing opinions collected from medical students regarding old and new teaching methods and tools has become mandatory, with a view towards renovating the process of medical education.
Validity of the SMS, Phone, and medical staff Examination sports injury surveillance system for time‐loss and medical attention injuries in sports

The accurate measurement of sport exposure time and injury occurrence is key to effective injury prevention and management. Current measures are limited by their inability to identify all types of sport‐related injury, narrow scope of injury information, or lack the perspective of the injured athlete. The aims of the study were to evaluate the proportion of injuries and the agreement between sport exposures reported by the SMS messaging and follow‐up telephone part of the SMS, Phone, and medical staff Examination (SPEx) sports injury surveillance system when compared to measures obtained by trained on‐field observers and medical staff (comparison method). We followed 24 elite adolescent handball players over 12 consecutive weeks. Eighty‐six injury registrations were obtained by the SPEx and comparison methods. Of them, 35 injury registrations (41%) were captured by SPEx only, 10 injury registrations (12%) by the comparison method only, and 41 injury registrations (48%) by both methods. Weekly exposure time differences (95% limits of agreement) between SPEx and the comparison method ranged from −4.2 to 6.3 hours (training) and −1.5 to 1.0 hours (match) with systematic differences being 1.1 hours (95% CI 0.7 to 1.4) and −0.2 (95% CI −0.3 to −0.2), respectively. These results support the ability of the SPEx system to measure training and match exposures and injury occurrence among young athletes. High weekly response proportions (mean 83%) indicate that SMS messaging can be used for player measures of injury consequences beyond time‐loss from sport. However, this needs to be further evaluated in large‐scale studies.
Axonal regulation of Schwann cell integrin expression suggests a role for alpha 6 beta 4 in myelination

Ensheathment and myelination of axons by Schwann cells in the peripheral nervous system requires contact with a basal lamina. The molecular mechanism(s) by which the basal lamina promotes myelination is not known but is likely to reflect the activity of integrins expressed by Schwann cells. To initiate studies on the role of integrins during myelination, we characterized the expression of two integrin subunits, beta 1 and beta 4, in an in vitro myelination system and compared their expression to that of the glial adhesion molecule, the myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG). In the absence of neurons, Schwann cells express significant levels of beta 1 but virtually no beta 4 or MAG. When Schwann cells are cocultured with dorsal root ganglia neurons under conditions promoting myelination, expression of beta 4 and MAG increased dramatically in myelinating cells, whereas beta 1 levels remained essentially unchanged. (In general agreement with these findings, during peripheral nerve development in vivo, beta 4 levels also increase during the period of myelination in sharp contrast to beta 1 levels which show a striking decrease.) In cocultures of neurons and Schwann cells, beta 4 and MAG appear to colocalize in nascent myelin sheaths but have distinct distributions in mature sheaths, with beta 4 concentrated in the outer plasma membrane of the Schwann cell and MAG localized to the inner (periaxonal) membrane. Surprisingly, beta 4 is also present at high levels with MAG in Schmidt-Lanterman incisures. Immunoprecipitation studies demonstrated that primary Schwann cells express beta 1 in association with the alpha 1 and alpha 6 subunits, while myelinating Schwann cells express alpha 6 beta 4 and possibly alpha 1 beta 1. beta 4 is also downregulated during Wallerian degeneration in vitro, indicating that its expression requires continuous Schwann cell contact with the axon. These results indicate that axonal contact induces the expression of beta 4 during Schwann cell myelination and suggest that alpha 6 beta 4 is an important mediator of the interactions of myelinating Schwann cells with the basal lamina.
Table-to-text Generation by Structure-aware Seq2seq Learning

Table-to-text generation aims to generate a description for a factual table which can be viewed as a set of field-value records. To encode both the content and the structure of a table, we propose a novel structure-aware seq2seq architecture which consists of field-gating encoder and description generator with dual attention. In the encoding phase, we update the cell memory of the LSTM unit by a field gate and its corresponding field value in order to incorporate field information into table representation. In the decoding phase, dual attention mechanism which contains word level attention and field level attention is proposed to model the semantic relevance between the generated description and the table. We conduct experiments on the WIKIBIO dataset which contains over 700k biographies and corresponding infoboxes from Wikipedia. The attention visualizations and case studies show that our model is capable of generating coherent and informative descriptions based on the comprehensive understanding of both the content and the structure of a table. Automatic evaluations also show our model outperforms the baselines by a great margin. Code for this work is available on https://github.com/tyliupku/wiki2bio.
Examining Drivers of Consumer Returns in E-Tailing with Real Shop Data

Returns management – an important component of supply chain management – is a key aspect of online retailers’ business models. Despite increasing interest in this issue, few studies have published empirical results on the drivers of consumer returns in e-tailing. Because this knowledge is essential to enabling better decisions about return flows, we explored an extensive dataset from an online apparel retailer using linear and logistic regression models. This approach distinguishes our study from other empirical work, which is usually based on survey methods. Before the data analysis, previously untested hypotheses were formulated using established theories and anecdotal information.
Pre-operative axillary staging: should core biopsy be preferred to fine needle aspiration cytology?

Objective To determine the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology and core needle biopsy (CNB) of axillary lymph nodes pre-operatively in newly diagnosed operable primary breast cancer. Methods An observational study for all patients who underwent pre-operative FNA cytology or CNB during September 2013–August 2014 was conducted at our institution (County Hospital, Stafford, UK). The accuracy of pre-operative axillary staging was compared to the post-operative histology. For this sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive values (NPV) were calculated. Results A total of 81 consecutive patients were evaluated by axillary ultrasound. Patients identified with potentially abnormal axillary lymph nodes underwent definitive surgery. Seven patients had positive cytology/histology who did not undergo definitive surgery and were excluded (N = 74) from the study. CNB had a sensitivity of 100% versus 72% (p = 0.006) for FNA cytology. Both had 100% specificity and PPV. The NPV of CNB was 100% versus 72% for FNA cytology. Among 35% of patients that underwent FNA cytology required repeat procedure versus 2.6% of patients who underwent CNB. 0/38 patients that had CNB required a second operation while 7/43 patients with negative FNA cytology had positive lymph nodes identified at sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) requiring surgical re-intervention with axillary node clearance. Conclusion CNB was superior to FNA cytology when interrogating the axilla. We recommend CNB to be adopted routinely in pre-operative axillary staging to reduce surgical re-intervention.
Learned Helplessness: A Theory for the Age of Personal Control

1. Introduction 1.1 The Phenomena of Helplessness and Personal Control 1.2 The Theory of Learned Helplessness 1.3 Three Uses of "Learned Helplessness" 1.4 Learned Helplessness: Inward, Downward, and Outward 1.5 Why Learned Helplessness Has Been Controversial 1.6 Why Learned Helplessness Has Been Popular 2. Learned Helplessness in Animals 2.1 Learned Helplessness Theory 2.2 The Controversy 2.3 Contiguity Versus Contingency 2.4 Representation and Expectation 2.5 What We Know 2.6 What We Don't Know 3. The Biology of Learned Helplessness 3.1 Norepinephrine 3.2 Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid 3.3 Endogenous Opiates 3.4 Transmitters, Neuromodulators, and Hormones 3.5 Corticotrophin Releasing Hormone (CRH) 3.6 Issues Omitted 3.7 What We Know 3.8 What We Don't Know 4. Learned Helplessness in People 4.1 Criteria of Learned Helplessness 4.2 Operationalizing Learned Helplessness in the Laboratory 4.3 A Meta-Analysis of Human Helplessness Studies 4.4 Other Aspects of Human Helplessness 4.5 The Generality of Learned Helplessness Among People 4.6 Cognition and Self-Report 4.7 Other Explanations 4.8 What We Know 5. The Attributional Reformulation 5.1 Historical Background: Attribution Theory and Theorizing 5.2 Causal Explanations and Locus of Control 5.3 The Reformulated Learned Helplessness Model 5.4 Assessing Explanatory Style 5.5 Empirical Studies of Explanatory Style 5.6 What We Know 5.7 What We Don't Know 6. Learned Helplessness and Depression 6.1 What Is Depression? 6.2 The Reformulation of the Learned Helplessness Model of Depression 6.3 Modernity and Depression 6.4 Controversies 6.5 What We Know 6.6 What We Don't Know 7. Learned Helplessness and Social Problems 7.1 Survey of Applications 7.2 What We Know 7.3 What We Don't Know 8. Learned Helplessness and Physical Health 8.1 Some Groundrules 8.2 Risk Factors for Illness 8.3 Mechanisms 8.4 Health and Illness in Animals Versus People 8.5 What We Know 8.6 What We Don't Know 9. Epilogue 9.1 A Brief History of Choices 9.2 The Importance of Control 9.3 Learned Helplessness as a Model of Scientific Dispute and Progress 9.5 Optimism Institutes