Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Localized electrical nerve blocking

This study was motivated by the requirement for safe and effective nerve blocking techniques for future neural prostheses. The response of nerve to sinusoidal blocking currents was examined using Hodgkin Huxley (HH) and Schwartz-Eikhof (SE) nerve models. The latter was used to simulate human nerve responses. Localized nerve blocking was clearly demonstrated at some frequencies. Preliminary results are given for blocking at 5 and 20 kHz for fiber diameters 10-100 /spl mu/m (HH) and 3-15 /spl mu/m (SE). The minimal current required for blocking is increased with frequency. The blocking effect is fiber diameter selective with minimum blocking current approximately inversely proportional to logarithm of fiber diameter. However, at 2 kHz undesirable and desynchronized, low frequency action potentials were induced.
Modified Rao Test for Multichannel Adaptive Signal Detection

The problem of detecting a subspace signal is studied in colored Gaussian noise with an unknown covariance matrix. In the subspace model, the target signal belongs to a known subspace, but with unknown coordinates. We first present a new derivation of the Rao test based on the subspace model, and then propose a modified Rao test (MRT) by introducing a tunable parameter. The MRT is more general, which includes the Rao test and the generalized likelihood ratio test as special cases. Moreover, closed-form expressions for the probabilities of false alarm and detection of the MRT are derived, which show that the MRT bears a constant false alarm rate property against the noise covariance matrix. Numerical results demonstrate that the MRT can offer the flexibility of being adjustable in the mismatched case where the target signal deviates from the presumed signal subspace. In particular, the MRT provides better mismatch rejection capacities as the tunable parameter increases.
Simultaneous Estimation of Chords and Musical Context From Audio

Chord labels provide a concise description of musical harmony. In pop and jazz music, a sequence of chord labels is often the only written record of a song, and forms the basis of so-called lead sheets. We devise a fully automatic method to simultaneously estimate from an audio waveform the chord sequence including bass notes, the metric positions of chords, and the key. The core of the method is a six-layered dynamic Bayesian network, in which the four hidden source layers jointly model metric position, key, chord, and bass pitch class, while the two observed layers model low-level audio features corresponding to bass and treble tonal content. Using 109 different chords our method provides substantially more harmonic detail than previous approaches while maintaining a high level of accuracy. We show that with 71% correctly classified chords our method significantly exceeds the state of the art when tested against manually annotated ground truth transcriptions on the 176 audio tracks from the MIREX 2008 Chord Detection Task. We introduce a measure of segmentation quality and show that bass and meter modeling are especially beneficial for obtaining the correct level of granularity.
The Highs and Lows Through Recovery: An Integrative Group Combining Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and the Tree of Life

Abstract:This study explores an innovative pilot group combining cognitive behavioral therapy and narrative therapy specifically utilizing the Tree of Life tool. Six participants with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder took part in this pilot group, which met over eight weekly sessions. Qualitative data were obtained through a focus group. Four themes were identified using thematic analysis from the focus group: social support and hope, the tree of life, understanding and coping for all, and group processes. The identified themes and their implications are discussed.
Low-Salt Diet Enhances Vascular Reactivity and Ca2+ Entry in Pregnant Rats With Normal and Reduced Uterine Perfusion Pressure

Salt moderation is often recommended to prevent excessive increases in blood pressure during pregnancy, particularly in women who are prone to pregnancy-induced hypertension; however, the vascular effects of low dietary salt intake during pregnancy are unclear. We investigated whether a low-salt diet during pregnancy alters the mechanisms of vascular smooth muscle contraction. Active stress and 45Ca2+ influx were measured in endothelium-denuded aortic strips of virgin and normal pregnant Sprague-Dawley rats and a hypertensive pregnant rat model produced by reduction in uterine perfusion pressure (RUPP), fed either a normal-sodium (NS, 1% NaCl) or low-sodium diet (LS, 0.2% NaCl) for 7 days. The mean arterial pressure was as follows: virgin/NS 108±8, virgin/LS 117±7, pregnant/NS 102±3, pregnant/LS 117±4, RUPP/NS 119±3, and RUPP/LS 133±6 mm Hg. Phenylephrine (Phe) caused concentration-dependent increases in active stress and 45Ca2+ influx that were greater in RUPP rats than in normal pregnant or virgin rats and were enhanced in pregnant/LS and RUPP/LS compared with pregnant/NS and RUPP/NS, respectively. High KCl (16 to 96 mmol/L), which stimulates Ca2+ entry from the extracellular space, also caused increases in active stress that were greater in RUPP than in normal pregnant, in pregnant/LS than in pregnant/NS, and in RUPP/LS than in RUPP/NS rats. The Phe-induced 45Ca2+ influx–active stress relation was greater in RUPP/NS than in pregnant/NS and was enhanced in pregnant/LS and RUPP/LS compared with pregnant/NS and RUPP/NS, respectively. In Ca2+-free (2 mmol/L ethylene glycol bis(&bgr;-aminoethylether)-N,N,N′,N′-tetra-acetic acid) Krebs, stimulation of intracellular Ca2+ release by Phe (10−5 mol/L) or caffeine (25 mmol/L) caused a transient contraction that was not significantly different in all groups of rats. Thus, a low-salt diet in pregnant and RUPP rats is associated with increases in vascular reactivity that involves Ca2+ entry from the extracellular space but not Ca2+ release from the intracellular stores. The enhancement of the Phe-induced Ca2+ influx–active stress relation in pregnant and RUPP rats on a low-salt diet suggests activation of other vascular contraction mechanisms in addition to Ca2+ entry. Although it is difficult to extrapolate the experimental data in rats to clinical data in women, the increased vascular reactivity and Ca2+ entry and the possible enhancement of additional vascular contraction mechanisms with a low-salt diet suggest that reduction of dietary salt intake should be carefully monitored during pregnancy and pregnancy-induced hypertension.
Correlation of Discharge Diagnostic Codes with Laboratory-Confirmed Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bloodstream Infections at a Large Pediatric Hospital

Background: Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)-specific hospital discharge codes were introduced in October 2008. The purpose of this project is to study the correlation of these codes with laboratory-proven pediatric MRSA bloodstream infections. Methods: Laboratory and discharge databases were used to identify patients <20 years old hospitalized at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center from October 2008 through December 2010 with MRSA bloodstream infections. The laboratory database identified patients with a positive blood culture for MRSA, and the discharge database identified patients with an MRSA bloodstream discharge code (038.12 for MRSA sepsis or 041.12 for MRSA infection with either 790.7 for bacteremia or 771.81 for newborn sepsis or 771.83 for newborn bacteremia). The sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of the codes were determined, using laboratory-confirmed infection as the gold standard. Results: During the 27 month study period, 65 patients with MRSA bloodstream infection were identified from laboratory data and 58 patients were identified from administrative data; 36 were concordant. The overall sensitivity was 55.4%, and the overall PPV was 62.1%, and neither showed a significant trend over time. The sensitivity varied with the clinical manifestation of the bloodstream infection. Of the 22 patients coded for MRSA bloodstream infection without a positive blood culture, almost half (45.4%) had only a localized MRSA infection. Of the 29 patients with positive MRSA blood culture but insufficient discharge coding, the majority (55.2%) were coded only for MRSA infection without bloodstream involvement. Conclusions: Discharge coding for MRSA bloodstream infection was found to be insensitive and to have a low PPV. Using these codes alone will lead to an underestimation of pediatric MRSA bloodstream infections.
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF EXACT ALGORITHMS FOR THE TWO DIMENSIONAL STRIP PACKING PROBLEM

In this paper we consider a two dimensional strip packing problem. The problem consists of packing a set of rectangular items in one strip of width W and infinite height. They must be packed without overlapping, parallel to the edge of the strip and we assume that the items are oriented, i.e. they cannot be rotated. To solve this problem, we use three exact methods: a branch and bound method, a dichotomous algorithm and a branch and price method. The three methods were carried out and compared on literature instances.
The 1998 BBN Byblos 10 x Real Time System

In this paper we describe the BBN Byblos 10x real t ime system used for the 1998 Hub-4 English tests. Given our s tate of the art primary system [1] running at 230 times real time ( 230 xRT) we show that eliminating and approximating many comput ationally expensive components speeds up the system by a fact or of 23 with a relative loss in WER of 18%. This is accomp lished without retraining or changing the primary system s tructure. The components of the primary system that are refined i nclude segmentation, adaptation, decoding, cross-word resc o ing with adaptation, and system combination. The time savin g algorithms used include fast Gaussian computation, grammar spr eading, nbest tree rescoring, and block diagonal adaptation .
Proven correct monitors from PSL specifications

We developed an original method to synthesize monitors from declarative specifications written in the PSL standard. Monitors observe sequences of values on their input signals, and check their conformance to a specified temporal expression. Our method implements both the weak and strong versions of PSL FL operators, and has been proven correct using the PVS theorem proven This paper discusses the salient aspects of the proof of our prototype implementation for on-line design verification
Network Coding Capacity of Random Wireless Networks under a SINR Model

Previous work on network coding capacity for random wired and wireless networks have focused on the case where the capacities of links in the network are independent. In this paper, we consider a more realistic model, where wireless networks are modelled by random geometric graphs with interference and noise. In this model, the capacities of links are not independent. By employing coupling and martingale methods, we show that, under mild conditions, the network coding capacity for random wireless networks still exhibits a concentration behavior around the mean value of the minimum cut.
On the origin of X-ray Flashes

ABstract. We use the cannonball (CB) model ofgamma ray bursts (GRBs) and their afterglows (AGs) toanalyze the observational data on X-ray ﬂashes (XRFs)and their AGs. We show that the observations support theCB-model interpretation that XRFs, like GRBs, are pro-duced by the explosions of core-collapse supernovae (SNe)akin to SN1998bw, by jets of highly-relativistic CBs. TheXRFs and GRBs are intrinsically identical objects, butthe XRFs are viewed from angles (relative to the jet di-rection) which are typically a few times larger than thetypical viewing angles of “classical”, long-duration GRBs.There should be XRFs, not observedso far, with durationssimilar to those of short GRBs.Key words. X rays: ﬂashes— gamma rays: bursts—supernovae: general 1. Introduction and summary By deﬁnition, XRFs are GRB-like bursts of photons whose“peak energy”, E p , is below 40 keV (roughly speaking, E p is the maximum of the distribution ν F ν = E 2 dN γ /dE). They are rich in X-rays but relatively poor in γ-rays, asimplied by their name. They were discovered with theWide-Field Camera of the Beppo-SAX satellite, but theywere not seen above 40 keV with its GRB Monitor (Heiseet al. 2001). They were detected by BeppoSAX at a rateof 4 per year, indicating a population not very muchsmaller than that of GRBs
Genetic Architecture of Ambulatory Blood Pressure in the General Population: Insights From Cardiovascular Gene-Centric Array

Genetic determinants of blood pressure are poorly defined. We undertook a large-scale, gene-centric analysis to identify loci and pathways associated with ambulatory systolic and diastolic blood pressure. We measured 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure in 2020 individuals from 520 white European nuclear families (the Genetic Regulation of Arterial Pressure of Humans in the Community Study) and genotyped their DNA using the Illumina HumanCVD BeadChip array, which contains ≈50 000 single nucleotide polymorphisms in >2000 cardiovascular candidate loci. We found a strong association between rs13306560 polymorphism in the promoter region of MTHFR and CLCN6 and mean 24-hour diastolic blood pressure; each minor allele copy of rs13306560 was associated with 2.6 mm Hg lower mean 24-hour diastolic blood pressure (P=1.2×10−8). rs13306560 was also associated with clinic diastolic blood pressure in a combined analysis of 8129 subjects from the Genetic Regulation of Arterial Pressure of Humans in the Community Study, the CoLaus Study, and the Silesian Cardiovascular Study (P=5.4×10−6). Additional analysis of associations between variants in gene ontology-defined pathways and mean 24-hour blood pressure in the Genetic Regulation of Arterial Pressure of Humans in the Community Study showed that cell survival control signaling cascades could play a role in blood pressure regulation. There was also a significant overrepresentation of rare variants (minor allele frequency: <0.05) among polymorphisms showing at least nominal association with mean 24-hour blood pressure indicating that a considerable proportion of its heritability may be explained by uncommon alleles. Through a large-scale gene-centric analysis of ambulatory blood pressure, we identified an association of a novel variant at the MTHFR/CLNC6 locus with diastolic blood pressure and provided new insights into the genetic architecture of blood pressure.
Non-invasive calculation of non-linear ESPVR: Theoretical study and clinical applications

Mathematical expressions for the pressure-volume relation (PVR) and the non-linear end-systolic pressure-volume relation (ESPVR) in the heart ventricles have been derived by using the theory of large elastic deformation of the myocardium. A rich collection of new parameters can be derived from the formalism describing the ESPVR, volume values can be measured in a non-invasive way and ratios of pressures can be calculated in a non-invasive way. Relations between the ejection fraction EF and the calculated new indexes give new insight into the problem of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Applications to clinical data published in the literature show the consistency of the mathematical formalism used.
Fermionic Zero Modes of Supergravity Cosmic Strings

Recent developments in string theory suggest that cosmic strings could be formed at the end of brane inflation. Supergravity provides a realistic model to study the properties of strings arising in brane inflation. Whilst the properties of cosmic strings in flat space-time have been extensively studied there are significant complications in the presence of gravity. We study the effects of gravitation on cosmic strings arising in supergravity. Fermion zero modes are a common feature of cosmic strings, and generically occur in supersymmetric models. The corresponding massless currents can give rise to stable string loops (vortons). The vorton density in our universe is strongly constrained, allowing many theories with cosmic strings to be ruled out. We investigate the existence of fermion zero modes on cosmic strings in supergravity theories. A general index theorem for the number of zero modes is derived. We show that by including the gravitino, some (but not all) zero modes disappear. This weakens the constraints on cosmic string models. In particular, winding number one cosmic D-strings in models of brane inflation are not subject to vorton constraints. We also discuss the effects of supersymmetry breaking on cosmic D-strings.
Deregulation and the Relationship between Bank CEO Compensation and Risk Taking

The deregulation of the banking industry during the 1990s provides a natural (public policy) experiment for investigating how firms adjust their executive compensation contracts as the environment in which they operate becomes relatively more competitive. Using the Riegle-Neal Act of 1994 as a focal point, we investigate how banks changed the equity-based component of bank CEO compensation contracts. We also examine the relationships between equity- based compensation and risk, capital structure, and investment opportunity set. Consistent with theoretical predictions, we find that after deregulation, the equity- based component of bank CEO compensation increases significantly on average for the industry. Additionally, we find that more risky banks have significantly higher levels of equity-based compensation, as do banks with more investment opportunities. But, more levered banks do not have higher levels of equity-based CEO compensation. Finally, we observe that most of these relationships become more powerful in our post- deregulation period.
Lens Oscillations in the Human Eye. Implications for Post-Saccadic Suppression of Vision

The eye changes gaze continuously from one visual stimulus to another. Using a high speed camera to record eye and lens movements we demonstrate how the crystalline lens sustains an inertial oscillatory decay movement immediately after every change of gaze. This behavior fit precisely with the movement of a classical damped harmonic oscillator. The time course of the oscillations range from 50 to 60 msec with an oscillation frequency of around 20 Hz. That has dramatic implications on the image quality at the retina on the very short times (∼50 msec) that follow the movement. However, it is well known that our vision is nearly suppressed on those periods (post-saccadic suppression). Both phenomenon follow similar time courses and therefore might be synchronized to avoid the visual impairment.
Remote Effects of Lower Limb Ischemia-Reperfusion: Impaired Lung, Unchanged Liver, and Stimulated Kidney Oxidative Capacities

Remote organ impairments are frequent and increase patient morbidity and mortality after lower limb ischemia-reperfusion (IR). We challenged the hypothesis that lower limb IR might also impair lung, renal, and liver mitochondrial respiration. Two-hour tourniquet-induced ischemia was performed on both hindlimbs, followed by a two-hour reperfusion period in C57BL6 mice. Lungs, liver and kidneys maximal mitochondrial respiration (V max⁡), complexes II, III, and IV activity (V succ), and complex IV activity (V TMPD) were analyzed on isolated mitochondria. Lower limb IR decreased significantly lung V max⁡ (29.4 ± 3.3 versus 24 ± 3.7 μmol O2/min/g dry weight, resp.; P = 0.042) and tended to reduce V succ and V TMPD. IR did not modify liver but increased kidneys mitochondrial respiration (79.5 ± 19.9 versus 108.6 ± 21.4, P = 0.035, and 126 ± 13.4 versus 142.4 ± 10.4 μmol O2/min/g dry weight for V max⁡ and V succ, resp.). Kidneys mitochondrial coupling was increased after IR (6.5 ± 1.3 versus 8.8 ± 1.1, P = 0.008). There were no histological changes in liver and kidneys. Thus, lung mitochondrial dysfunction appears as a new early marker of hindlimb IR injuries in mice. Further studies will be useful to determine whether enhanced kidneys mitochondrial function allows postponing kidney impairment in lower limb IR setting.
Beneficial Effect of Brewers' Yeast Extract on Daily Activity in a Murine Model of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of Brewers' yeast extract (BYE) on daily activity in a mouse model of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). CFS was induced by repeated injection of Brucella abortus (BA) antigen every 2 weeks. BYE was orally administered to mice in a dose of 2 g per kg per day for 2 weeks before injecting BA and for 4 weeks thereafter. We evaluated daily running activity in mice receiving BYE as compared with that in untreated mice. Weekly variation of body weight (BW) and survival in both groups was monitored during the observation period. Spleen weight (SW), SW/BW ratio, percent splenic follicular area and expression levels of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) mRNA in spleen were determined in both groups at the time of sacrifice. The daily activity during 2 weeks after the second BA injection was significantly higher in the treated group than in the control. There was no difference in BW between both groups through the experimental course. Two mice in the control died 2 and 7 days after the second injection, whereas no mice in the treated group died. Significantly decreased SW and SW/BW ratio were observed in the treated mice together with elevation of splenic follicular area. There were suppressed IFN-γ and IL-10 mRNA levels in spleens from the treated mice. Our results suggest that BYE might have a protective effect on the marked reduction in activity following repeated BA injection via normalization of host immune responses.
An End-to-End Architecture for Keyword Spotting and Voice Activity Detection

We propose a single neural network architecture for two tasks: on-line keyword spotting and voice activity detection. We develop novel inference algorithms for an end-to-end Recurrent Neural Network trained with the Connectionist Temporal Classification loss function which allow our model to achieve high accuracy on both keyword spotting and voice activity detection without retraining. In contrast to prior voice activity detection models, our architecture does not require aligned training data and uses the same parameters as the keyword spotting model. This allows us to deploy a high quality voice activity detector with no additional memory or maintenance requirements.