Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resolving refractive error after cataract surgery: IOL exchange, piggyback lens, or LASIK.

PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy, predictability, and safety of three different procedures (intraocular lens [IOL] exchange, piggyback lens implantation, and LASIK) to correct residual refractive error following cataract surgery. METHODS A retrospective multicenter study comprised 65 eyes of 54 patients that underwent phacoemulsification, resulting in a unacceptable final refractive error. Eyes were divided into three groups: eyes that had an IOL lens exchange (17 eyes), eyes that had a piggyback lens implanted (20 eyes), and eyes that had LASIK (28 eyes). RESULTS No differences between the IOL exchange and piggyback lens groups in the spherical equivalent, sphere, or cylinder were found (P = .072, .436, and .081, respectively). The LASIK group showed a statistically significant reduction in spherical equivalent and refractive cylinder when compared with the IOL exchange group (P < .001 and P = .001, respectively). The LASIK group showed statistically significant reduced refractive cylinder in comparison with the piggyback lens group (P = .002). The median efficacy index was 0.58 (range: 0.28 to 0.93), 0.75 (range: 0.65 to 0.92), and 0.91 (range: 0.85 to 1.14) in the IOL exchange, piggyback lens, and LASIK groups, respectively. Statistically significant differences were found between the IOL exchange and LASIK groups (P = .004) and the piggyback lens and LASIK groups (P = .003). No statistically significant differences were detected in the safety index among groups (P = .094). The predictability (±1 diopters of final spherical equivalent) was 62.5% of eyes in the IOL exchange group, 85% of eyes in the piggyback lens group, and 100% of eyes in the LASIK group. CONCLUSIONS The three procedures were effective. The LASIK group showed the best outcomes in efficacy and predictability.
Meanings of Life

IT IS often observed that the meaning of life appears most secure when we refrain from thinking about it. If sanity may be defined as the persistent and just sense of the meaning of one's life, we may be sure that the conditions of sanity do not lie wholly or even chiefly in the region of logic or pure reason. It is quite understandable, then, that when people lose-as many in our day have lost-all sure sense of the meaning of life, the philosopher is almost the last man they tend to consult. This, at least, is the view of the noted psychologist of Zurich, Dr. Jung. The traditional theologian, if anything, stands a bit lower than the philosopher in this point, perhaps because, as Dr. Jung suggests, he knows the answer too well, and the sufferer, who knows what he will say, can make no use of it. But the philosopher stands very low, partly because he is inclined to large generalities, whereas this question is terribly concrete and near. Partly also because the attitude of rational inspection and analysis somehow cuts across that normal vital momentum in which meaning lies. But whether he is consulted or not, the question is not one which philosophy can evade. For philosophy is committed to the view that the universe has a meaning-which it is out to
Recommending friends and locations based on individual location history

The increasing availability of location-acquisition technologies (GPS, GSM networks, etc.) enables people to log the location histories with spatio-temporal data. Such real-world location histories imply, to some extent, users' interests in places, and bring us opportunities to understand the correlation between users and locations. In this article, we move towards this direction and report on a personalized friend and location recommender for the geographical information systems (GIS) on the Web. First, in this recommender system, a particular individual's visits to a geospatial region in the real world are used as their implicit ratings on that region. Second, we measure the similarity between users in terms of their location histories and recommend to each user a group of potential friends in a GIS community. Third, we estimate an individual's interests in a set of unvisited regions by involving his/her location history and those of other users. Some unvisited locations that might match their tastes can be recommended to the individual. A framework, referred to as a hierarchical-graph-based similarity measurement (HGSM), is proposed to uniformly model each individual's location history, and effectively measure the similarity among users. In this framework, we take into account three factors: 1) the sequence property of people's outdoor movements, 2) the visited popularity of a geospatial region, and 3) the hierarchical property of geographic spaces. Further, we incorporated a content-based method into a user-based collaborative filtering algorithm, which uses HGSM as the user similarity measure, to estimate the rating of a user on an item. We evaluated this recommender system based on the GPS data collected by 75 subjects over a period of 1 year in the real world. As a result, HGSM outperforms related similarity measures, namely similarity-by-count, cosine similarity, and Pearson similarity measures. Moreover, beyond the item-based CF method and random recommendations, our system provides users with more attractive locations and better user experiences of recommendation.
Electrical Resistance Change of Self-Sensing CFRP Laminates during Cyclic Loading

Self-sensing Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) is one of the attractive multifunctional composites. That multifunctional composite has structural strength/stiffness and sensing function using electrical resistance changes. For the self-sensing, electrical contact between the lead wire and the carbon fibers is the most important issue. The present study focuses on the effect of the long term cyclic loading of lower applied strain range than the fatigue damage initiation level. Cyclic loading tests of the lower applied strain range are performed in the present study with measuring electrical resistance changes. The temperature change compensation method is proposed here for the long term tests. As a result, the electrical contact resistance at the copper electrode increased with the increase of cycles. That means the electrical change at the electrodes must be considered for the long-term self-sensing monitoring system. Moreover, angle-ply laminates has plastic deformation caused by shear loading, and that causes electrical resistance decrease during the cyclic loading.
DIY design process for interactive surfaces

This paper charts the design and build of two interactive tabletops that use infrared (IR) illumination techniques. One table implements fiducial tracking, whilst the other implements multi-touch tracking. Trade-offs in both designs are discussed to highlight key considerations when building an interactive table. Using three key dimensions from lessons learned, we conduct a comparative analysis of both approaches. Finally, we propose a DIY Design Process to assist designers in building their own interactive table.
A perceptual pitch detector

A pitch detector based on Licklider's (1979) duplex theory of pitch perception was implemented and tested on a variety of stimuli from human perceptual tests. It is believed that this approach accurately models how people perceive pitch. It is shown that it correctly identifies the pitch of complex harmonic and inharmonic stimuli and that it is robust in the face of noise and phase changes. This perceptual pitch detector combines a cochlear model with a bank of autocorrelators. By performing an independent autocorrelation for each channel, the pitch detector is relatively insensitive to phase changes across channels. The information in the correlogram is filtered, nonlinearly enhanced, and summed across channels. Peaks are identified and a pitch is then proposed that is consistent with the peaks. <<ETX>>
Interface Design for MicroBiomanipulation and Teleoperation

Current challenges in biomanipulations for life-sciences research include extensive operator training, low success rates and low consistency of operations. These problems were tackled here through the use of teleoperation techniques and the development of a unified interface for simultaneous control of all devices used for standard biomanipulations. The developed system was created with high-end commercial biomanipulation equipment similar to those currently in use at many research laboratories, and also included game joysticks for teleoperated control. These were integrated into a single system through the design of modular component abstractions and the implementation of a central control structure. This structure enabled the creation of an open, flexible and user-friendly biomanipulation system for improved operation performance. This paper describes the design and implementation of such system.
Perceived Parental Legitimacy as a Moderator of Parent−Child Communication’s Effects on Latina/o Adolescent Substance Use

ABSTRACT Utilizing primary socialization theory (PST) and longitudinal survey data from 381 Latina/o sixth- through eighth-grade students, we hypothesized that four types of parent anti-substance use messages (i.e., parents’ own past substance use, religious beliefs, respect for family, and peer resistance) would discourage Latina/o students’ substance use, particularly when the students perceived their parents’ anti-substance use messages were legitimate. The results supported moderation. For Latina/o students who thought that their parents’ anti-substance use messages were legitimate, many of the anti-substance use messages were negatively related to substance use, but the associations were positive or nonsignificant for Latina/o students who thought that their parents’ anti-substance use messages were not legitimate. The findings extend past work on PST and anti-substance use parent−child communication, highlighting the importance of perceived legitimacy and message content.
Periodontal and endodontic pathology delays extraction socket healing in a canine model

Purpose The aim of the present exploratory study was to evaluate extraction socket healing at sites with a history of periodontal and endodontic pathology. Methods The mandibular 4th premolar teeth in 5 adult beagle dogs served as experimental units. Periodontal and endodontic lesions were induced in 1 premolar site in each animal using wire ligatures and pulpal exposure over 3 months (diseased sites). The contralateral premolar sites served as healthy controls. The mandibular 4th premolar teeth were then extracted with minimal trauma, followed by careful wound debridement. The animals were sacrificed at days 1, 7, 30, 60, and 90 post-extraction for analysis, and the healing patterns at the healthy and diseased extraction sites were compared using radiography, scanning electron microscopy, histology, and histometry. Results During the first 7 days of healing, a significant presence of inflammatory granulation tissue was noted at the diseased sites (day 1), along with a slightly accelerated rate of fibrin clot resolution on day 7. On day 30, the diseased extraction sites showed a greater percentage of persistent fibrous connective tissue, and an absence of bone marrow formation. In contrast, healthy sites showed initial signs of bone marrow formation on day 30, and subsequently a significantly greater proportion of mature bone marrow formation on both days 60 and 90. Radiographs exhibited sclerotic changes adjoining apical endodontic lesions, with scanning electron microscopy showing collapsed Volkmann canals protruding from these regions in the diseased sites. Furthermore, periodontal ligament fibers exhibited a parallel orientation to the alveolar walls of the diseased sites, in contrast to a perpendicular arrangement in the healthy sites. Conclusions Within the limitations of this study, it appears that a history of periodontal and endodontic pathology may critically affect bone formation and maturation, leading to delayed and compromised extraction socket healing.
Exposure of neonatal mice to bromine impairs their alveolar development and lung function.

The halogen bromine (Br2) is used extensively in industry and stored and transported in large quantities. Its accidental or malicious release into the atmosphere has resulted in significant casualties. The pathophysiology of Br2-induced lung injury has been studied in adult animals, but the consequences of Br2 exposure to the developing lung are completely unknown. We exposed neonatal mouse littermates on postnatal day 3 (P3) to either Br2 at 400 ppm for 30 min (400/30), to Br2 at 600 ppm for 30 min (600/30), or to room air, then returned them to their dams and observed until P14. Mice exposed to Br2 had decreased survival (S) and had decreased weight (W) at P14 in the 400/30 group (S = 63.5%, W = 6.67 ± 0.08) and in the 600/30 group (S = 36.1%, W = 5.13 ± 0.67) as compared with air breathing mice (S = 100%, W = 7.96 ± 0.30). Alveolar development was impaired, as evidenced by increased mean linear intercept at P14. At P14, Br2 exposed mice also exhibited a decrease of arterial partial pressure of oxygen, decreased quasi-static lung compliance, as well as increased alpha smooth muscle actin mRNA and protein and increased mRNA for IL-1β, IL-6, CXCL1, and TNFα. Global gene expression, evaluated by RNA sequencing and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis, revealed persistent abnormalities in gene expression profiles at P14 involving pathways of "formation of lung" and "pulmonary development. " The data indicate that Br2 inhalation injury early in life results in severe lung developmental consequences, wherein persistent inflammation and global altered developmental gene expression are likely mechanistic contributors.
A spring-like pipe climbing gait for the snake robot

In this paper, a spring-like type of robot climbing pipe gait is proposed for solving the problem that the existing climbing pipe have a high demand of continuity of the pipe. The gait is based on a mode that the snake robot model stretches like a spring. In order to realize the above-mentioned gait, a spatial curve with a functional partition is designed. Then, based on the general parameter, a discretization method of the curve with variable curvature and torsion is used to discretize the curve. Finally, the mode of motion for the gait is designed by the division of functional areas. And simulation results verify that the gait can complete the tasks of climbing over a stepped shaft and a discontinuous pipe.
Predictable biomarkers of developing lymphoma in patients with Sjögren syndrome: a nationwide population-based cohort study

Sjögren syndrome (SS) is commonly known to be correlated with lymphoma. This study included 16,396 individuals in the SS cohort and 65,584 individuals in the non-SS cohort, all of whom were enrolled in the Taiwan National Health Insurance database between 2000 and 2010. We evaluated the risk factors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in the primary SS cohort by applying a Cox multivariable proportional-hazards model. We increased the correlation of patients with SS and NHL, with an adjusted HR of 4.314 (95% CI 2.784 – 6.685). Of the 16,396 SS patients, 66 individuals had salivary gland slices without NHL development, while the other 16,330 individuals that did not have salivary gland slices revealed 30 individuals that developed NHL. Of the 16,396 SS patients, 128 individuals underwent immunomodulator agent therapy (including hydroxychloroquine, azathioprine, cyclosporine, methotrexate, and rituximab) without NHL development. None of the 30 individuals that developed NHL from SS received immunomodulator agents. We found that patients with SS were at an increased risk of developing NHL, with the most common NHL subgroup being diffused large B-cell lymphoma. SS patients who were candidates for salivary gland slices or immunomodulator agents were associated with a lower risk of developing lymphoma over time. We recommend that patients at a higher risk upon diagnosis of SS receive close follow-up and aggressive treatment.
Rasagiline improves polysomnographic sleep parameters in patients with Parkinson's disease: a double‐blind, baseline‐controlled trial

The aim was to study the effects of rasagiline on sleep quality in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) with sleep disturbances. Sleep disorders are common in PD. Rasagiline is widely used in patients with PD, but double‐blind polysomnographic trials on its effects on sleep disturbances are missing.
Image scoring: Patch based CNN model for small or medium dataset

Image scoring focuses on visual classification or regression which assigns each image a category or precise score. As deep learning is becoming more and more popular, large manually labeled data sets are required. This makes the task time-consuming, and is difficult for small or medium dataset. In this paper, we give a simple yet effective oversampling technique that considers both entire image and local patches. Oversampling is a well-known trick in deep learning, while in this paper it mainly focuses on the small-size patches instead of some large-size patches that cover the entire object of the image. We first crop an image into many small-size patches that can augment the initial dataset and also partially decrease the over-fitting in the training. The initial dataset and expanded dataset can separately be seen as global and local information for each image. Based on the expanded dataset, we can train standard Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and patch based CNN (patCNN). In order to integrate the global and local information, we further combine two models to get better performance, called comCNN. The experimental results show the effectiveness of patCNN and comCNN compared with the state-of-the-art methods.
Etiology of Placental Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in African Women

Abstract Plasmodium falciparum parasites causing placental malaria express the VAR2CSA type of the clonally variant antigen family erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1). This enables evasion of preexisting immunity and results in placental accumulation of infected erythrocytes. We present data on seasonal variation in levels of VAR2CSA-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgG specific for a placental malaria–unrelated PfEMP1 protein among Ghanaian women at their first antenatal visit. Our results indicate that placental malaria does not require recent exposure to infected mosquitoes, in contrast to malaria in general. This has implications for the impact of insecticide-treated bed nets on placental malaria incidence and for antenatal care in woman with preexisting immunity.
Melt Extruded Bioresorbable Polymer Composites for Potential Regenerative Medicine Applications

ABSTRACT Biodegradable polymers—polyethylene oxide and poly (ϵ-caprolactone)—were melt extruded with β-tricalcium phosphate. Breakdown analysis revealed that the percentage increase in bioceramic caused a prolonged degradation rate, with samples containing 20 wt% β-tricalcium phosphate losing significantly less weight over time in comparison to the control sample. Compression testing of samples following submission in aqueous environments revealed the composites exhibited enhanced strength with increasing bioceramic loading. The mechanical properties were significantly reduced over a period of 5 weeks. It was found that hot-melt extrusion of β-tricalcium phosphate is a viable and effective method of producing novel composite scaffolds with potential for regenerative medicine applications. GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Differences in education and premature mortality: a record linkage study of over 35 million Italians

Background Large, representative studies are needed to evaluate cause-specific aspects of socio-economic inequalities in mortality. Methods We conducted a census-based retrospective cohort study to quantify differences in cause-specific premature mortality by educational level in Italy. We linked the 2011 Italian census with 2012 and 2013 death registries. We used the mortality rate ratio (MRR) as a measure of relative inequality. Results Overall, 305 043 deaths (190 061 men-114 982 women) were registered from a population of 35 708 445 subjects aged 30-74. The age-standardized mortality rate for all educational levels was 57.68 deaths per 10 000 person-years among men and 31.41 among women. MRR from all causes was 0.51 (95% CI: 0.49; 0.52) in men and 0.63 (95% CI: 0.61; 0.65) in women for the highest (university) compared to the lowest level of education (none or primary school). The association was stronger in single than in married individuals: MRRs were 0.36 (95% CI: 0.34; 0.39) in single men, 0.57 (95% CI: 0.55; 0.59) in married men, 0.44 (95% CI: 0.40; 0.47) in single women and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.66; 0.72) in married women. High education was associated with lower mortality from liver, circulatory, chronic respiratory and genitourinary diseases in both sexes. Highly educated men had a lower mortality from lung cancer than less educated men, whereas highly educated women did not have a reduced mortality from lung and breast cancers. Conclusion Level of education is a strong indicator of premature mortality. The magnitude of the association between educational level and mortality differs across sexes, marital status and causes of death.
Molecular dynamics simulation of resonance properties of strain graphene nanoribbons

Starting from the energy conversion and energy conservation law in the constant-NVE ensemble, the molecular dynamics method using the COMPASS force field was applied to investigate the dynamic properties of graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) together with the GNR-based strain sensors. The following results were obtained: (a) the nonlinear response dominates the dynamic behavior of GNRs, and their ultra-high fundamental frequencies are closely related with the length and boundary conditions; (b) the effect of uniaxial tensile strain on the fundamental frequencies of GNRs is significant and strongly depends on boundary conditions, and the GNR-based strain sensor clamped on four edges has a higher frequency shift, and its sensitivity is up to 7800 Hz / nanostrain, much higher than that of carbon nanotube-based strain sensor with the same length; (c) the resonant characteristics of GNRs and GNR-based strain sensors are insensitive to the chirality. The obtained results suggest that, through cutting the appropriate size and setting the boundary conditions, the GNRs could be used to design a new generation of nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) resonators and strain sensors, owing to their ultra-low density and ultra-high fundamental frequencies as well as ultra-high sensitivity without considering the impact of chirality.
Strategies for the Prevention and Treatment of Surgical Site Infection in the Lumbar Spine

Surgical site infection (SSI) following spine surgery can be devastating for both the patient and the surgeon. It leads to significant morbidity and associated health care costs, from readmissions, reoperations, and subsequent poor clinical outcomes. Complications associated with SSI following spine surgery include pseudarthrosis, neurological deterioration, sepsis, and death. Its management can be very challenging. The diagnosis of SSI involves the interpretation of combined clinical, laboratory, and occasionally radiologic findings. Most infections can be treated with an appropriate course of antibiotics and bracing if required. Surgical intervention is usually reserved for infections resistant to medical management, the need for open biopsy/culture, evolving spinal instability or deformity, and neurologic deficit or deterioration. A thorough knowledge of associated risk factors is required and patients should be stratified for risk preoperatively. The multifaceted approach of risk stratification, early diagnosis and effective treatment, is essential for successful prevention and effective treatment and crucial for a satisfactory outcome.