Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New parameters for tacton design

Tactons (tactile icons) are structured vibrotactile messages which can be used for non-visual information presentation. Information can be encoded in a set of Tactons by manipulating parameters available in the tactile domain. One limitation is the number of available usable parameters and research is ongoing to find further effective ones. This paper reports an experiment investigating different techniques (amplitude modulation, frequency, and waveform) for creating texture as a parameter for use in Tacton design. The results of this experiment show recognition rates of 94% for waveform, 81% for frequency, and 61% for amplitude modulation, indicating that a more effective way to create Tactons using the texture parameter is to employ different waveforms to represent roughness. These results will aid designers in creating more effective and usable Tactons.
Rate Distortion and Denoising of Individual Data Using Kolmogorov Complexity

We examine the structure of families of distortion balls from the perspective of Kolmogorov complexity. Special attention is paid to the canonical rate-distortion function of a source word which returns the minimal Kolmogorov complexity of all distortion balls containing that word subject to a bound on their cardinality. This canonical rate-distortion function is related to the more standard algorithmic rate-distortion function for the given distortion measure. Examples are given of list distortion, Hamming distortion, and Euclidean distortion. The algorithmic rate-distortion function can behave differently from Shannon's rate-distortion function. To this end, we show that the canonical rate-distortion function can and does assume a wide class of shapes (unlike Shannon's); we relate low algorithmic mutual information to low Kolmogorov complexity (and consequently suggest that certain aspects of the mutual information formulation of Shannon's rate-distortion function behave differently than would an analogous formulation using algorithmic mutual information); we explore the notion that low Kolmogorov complexity distortion balls containing a given word capture the interesting properties of that word (which is hard to formalize in Shannon's theory) and this suggests an approach to denoising.
Coupled high-throughput functional screening and next generation sequencing for identification of plant polymer decomposing enzymes in metagenomic libraries

Recent advances in sequencing technologies generate new predictions and hypotheses about the functional roles of environmental microorganisms. Yet, until we can test these predictions at a scale that matches our ability to generate them, most of them will remain as hypotheses. Function-based mining of metagenomic libraries can provide direct linkages between genes, metabolic traits and microbial taxa and thus bridge this gap between sequence data generation and functional predictions. Here we developed high-throughput screening assays for function-based characterization of activities involved in plant polymer decomposition from environmental metagenomic libraries. The multiplexed assays use fluorogenic and chromogenic substrates, combine automated liquid handling and use a genetically modified expression host to enable simultaneous screening of 12,160 clones for 14 activities in a total of 170,240 reactions. Using this platform we identified 374 (0.26%) cellulose, hemicellulose, chitin, starch, phosphate and protein hydrolyzing clones from fosmid libraries prepared from decomposing leaf litter. Sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform, followed by assembly and gene prediction of a subset of 95 fosmid clones, identified a broad range of bacterial phyla, including Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, multiple Proteobacteria sub-phyla in addition to some Fungi. Carbohydrate-active enzyme genes from 20 different glycoside hydrolase (GH) families were detected. Using tetranucleotide frequency (TNF) binning of fosmid sequences, multiple enzyme activities from distinct fosmids were linked, demonstrating how biochemically-confirmed functional traits in environmental metagenomes may be attributed to groups of specific organisms. Overall, our results demonstrate how functional screening of metagenomic libraries can be used to connect microbial functionality to community composition and, as a result, complement large-scale metagenomic sequencing efforts.
Fast and exact simultaneous gate and wire sizing by Lagrangian relaxation

The paper considers simultaneous gate and wire sizing for general VLSI circuits under the Elmore delay model (W.C. Elmore, 1948). We present a fast and exact algorithm which can minimize total area subject to maximum delay bound. The algorithm can be easily modified to give exact algorithms for optimizing several other objectives (e.g. minimizing maximum delay or minimizing total area subject to arrival time specifications at all inputs and outputs). No previous algorithm for simultaneous gate and wire sizing can guarantee exact solutions for general circuits. Our algorithm is an iterative one with a guarantee on convergence to global optimal solutions. It is based on Lagrangian relaxation and "one-gate/wire-at-a-time" local optimizations, and is extremely economical and fast. For example, we can optimize a circuit with 27648 gates and wires in about 36 minutes using render 23 MB memory on an IBM RS/6000 workstation.
Neonatal intensive care: satisfaction measured from a parent's perspective.

Health care systems today are complex, technically proficient, competitive, and market-driven. One outcome of this environment is the recent phenomenon in the health care field of "consumerism. " Strong emphasis is placed on customer service, with organized efforts to understand, measure, and meet the needs of customers served. The purpose of this article is to describe the current understanding and measurement of parent needs and expectations with neonatal intensive care services from the time the expectant parents enter the health care system for the birth through the discharge process and follow-up care. Through literature review, 11 dimensions of care were identified as important to parents whose infants received neonatal intensive care: assurance, caring, communication, consistent information, education, environment, follow-up care, pain management, participation, proximity, and support. Five parent satisfaction questionnaires-the Parent Feedback Questionnaire, Neonatal Index of Parent Satisfaction, Inpatient Parent Satisfaction-Children's Hospital Minneapolis, Picker Institute-Inpatient Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Survey, and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit-Parent Satisfaction Form-are critically reviewed for their ability to measure parent satisfaction within the framework of the neonatal care delivery process. An immense gap was found in our understanding about what matters most and when to parents going through the neonatal intensive care experience. Additional research is required to develop comprehensive parent satisfaction surveys that measure parent perceptions of neonatal care within the framework of the care delivery process.
Lower touch sensibility in the extremities of healthy Indians: further deterioration with age

Abstract Touch sensibility testing is a cost‐effective, psychophysical measure of peripheral nerve function and impairment. However, there is limited information regarding the natural variability in touch sensibility across different populations and different age groups. We studied 568 healthy Indian volunteers without any clinical evidence of peripheral nerve disease. Touch sensibility was evaluated bilaterally in palms, feet, and heels, using Semmes‐Weinstein monofilaments, with target forces ranging from 0.008 to 300 g. No differences were observed between the right and the left limbs. The lowest target force detected ranged from 0.4 to 2 g in the palms and 1.4 to 15 g in the feet. These values showed further increase with age. Women compared with men had higher sensibility in the palms in most age groups. Touch sensibility thresholds recorded in a large group of Indians were higher than that reported in other populations. These findings have clinical implications for the diagnosis of early nerve impairment in the elderly and in disease states drawing attention to geographic variations in touch sensation.
Privacy and Anonymity in VANETs: A Contemporary Study

Security and Privacy issues are among the most important concerns for Vehicular Ad hoc Network (VANET) users, and a number of papers have proposed various implementation schemes for one or the other, or both, in recent years. In this paper, we survey the existing work on security and privacy in VANETs from several distinct viewpoints, and classify them into distinct categories based on their cryptographic techniques, implementation methodologies, functionality, and other important characteristics. We identify the pertinent characteristics of different approaches and highlight their comparative advantages and disadvantages.
Charm and bottom heavy baryon mass spectrum from lattice QCD with 2+1

We present results for the mass spectrum of charm and bottom heavy baryons, using MILC coarse lattice configurations with 2+1 flavors. Clover heavy quark propagators with the Fermilab interpretation and improved staggered light quark propagators are used to construct two point functions with local operators for different flavor and spin states.
Recombinant factor IX-Fc fusion protein (rFIXFc) demonstrates safety and prolonged activity in a phase 1/2a study in hemophilia B patients.

Current factor IX (FIX) products display a half-life (t(1/2)) of ∼ 18 hours, requiring frequent intravenous infusions for prophylaxis and treatment in patients with hemophilia B. This open-label, dose-escalation trial in previously treated adult subjects with hemophilia B examined the safety and pharmacokinetics of rFIXFc. rFIXFc is a recombinant fusion protein composed of FIX and the Fc domain of human IgG(1), to extend circulating time. Fourteen subjects received a single dose of rFIXFc; 1 subject each received 1, 5, 12.5, or 25 IU/kg, and 5 subjects each received 50 or 100 IU/kg. rFIXFc was well tolerated, and most adverse events were mild or moderate in intensity. No inhibitors were detected in any subject. Dose-proportional increases in rFIXFc activity and Ag exposure were observed. With baseline subtraction, mean activity terminal t(1/2) and mean residence time for rFIXFc were 56.7 and 71.8 hours, respectively. This is ∼ 3-fold longer than that reported for current rFIX products. The incremental recovery of rFIXFc was 0.93 IU/dL per IU/kg, similar to plasma-derived FIX. These results show that rFIXFc may offer a viable therapeutic approach to achieve prolonged hemostatic protection and less frequent dosing in patients with hemophilia B. The trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as NCT00716716.
On the effect of proportional fairness in energy transfer for wireless powered communication networks

Wireless powered communication network (WPCN) is an emerging area of research where energy is transferred from the access point to the mobile terminals in the downlink and information is transferred in the uplink. In the context of WPCN, we study the effects of applying different downlink/uplink scheduling schemes on the system performance in terms of achieved system throughput and fairness. In contrast to conventional wireless networks, where data scheduling determines the system sum rate and fairness behaviour, downlink energy scheduling contributes equally in WPCNs. We propose fairness based downlink energy transfer and compare different combinations of downlink and uplink scheduling schemes. Furthermore, we propose a new metric for downlink energy transfer for the special case of finite energy buffer and evaluate its effect on the achieved system throughput and fairness. Our numerical results show that a complete throughput fairness cannot be achieved as long as fairness is not employed in energy transfer in downlink regardless of the uplink scheduling scheme.
Testosterone Is a Strong Correlate of Ghrelin Levels in Men and Postmenopausal Women

Background/Aims: The secretion and regulation of several hormones such as leptin and growth hormone (GH) is sexually dimorphic. Gender effects on ghrelin, a hormone involved in the regulation of GH secretion and appetite control, are controversial. Our aim was to study the relationship between plasma ghrelin and serum sex steroid hormone concentrations. Methods: Forty-five subjects (19 men, 12 premenopausal and 14 postmenopausal women) were evaluated at the Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel. After an overnight fast, blood samples were collected for measurements of ghrelin, testosterone, bioavailable testosterone (BT) and estradiol. Statistical analysis was performed with adjustments for age and body mass index. Results are given as mean ± standard deviation. Results: Ghrelin levels were significantly higher in women (510 ± 489 pg/ml) than in men (319 ± 237 pg/ml; p = 0.02). There was a positive correlation between ghrelin and both total testosterone (r = 0.5, p = 0.039) and BT (r = 0.719, p = 0.0011) in male subjects. In premenopausal women, no significant correlations were found between ghrelin and testosterone or BT (r = –0.39, p = 0.2). In contrast, ghrelin strongly and positively correlated with total testosterone (r = 0.7, p = 0.01) and BT (r = 0.821, p = 0.001) in postmenopausal women. Estradiol and ghrelin were positively correlated in the group as a whole (r = 0.356, p = 0.019), but not significantly when analyzed separately by gender. Conclusions: Circulating ghrelin in humans is sexually dimorphic. Testosterone correlates positively with ghrelin levels in men and postmenopausal women.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of screening for asymptomatic, unruptured intracranial aneurysms. A mathematical model.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) due to aneurysmal rupture is a major cause of cerebrovascular disease-related death. This problem could be eliminated by diagnosis and successful treatment of aneurysms before rupture. Recent developments in high-resolution imaging technology have made screening for unruptured aneurysms possible in the general population. Such screening has become widespread in Japan ("No Dokku, " or brain checkup). As a result, unruptured aneurysms are being identified with increasing frequency. However, the economic implications of treatment decisions for unruptured aneurysms have not been analyzed. Therefore, we performed such an analysis. METHODS We used a Markov model to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of screening for asymptomatic, unruptured intracranial aneurysms. The model involved a set of variables describing discrete health states. Each state was assigned a quality of life score and an associated medical cost. A comparison of the expected outcomes was then made between 2 hypothetical cohorts, one receiving screening and the other no screening. A sensitivity analysis was performed by altering the input values within clinically reasonable ranges to reflect uncertainty in the baseline analysis and then assessing the effects on outcomes. RESULTS Combining the incremental cost and effectiveness data revealed a cost per quality-adjusted life-year of $7760 for an annual rate of subarachnoid hemorrhage due to unruptured aneurysms (rupture rate) of 0.02; this cost was $39 450 for a rupture rate of 0.01. There was no benefit (negative quality-adjusted life-year benefit) for a rupture rate of 0.005, the rupture rate found in a recently published international cooperative study. The risks of surgery for unruptured aneurysms and the discounting ratio used to assess the impact of timing of costs and benefits on future outcomes also had significant effects on the results. Other variables had little impact on cost-effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS The cost-effectiveness of screening for an unruptured aneurysm is highly sensitive to the annual rate of subarachnoid hemorrhage due to unruptured aneurysms. The low annual rupture rate seen in the recent large international cooperative study implies that screening asymptomatic populations to identify and treat unruptured aneurysms would not be cost cost-effective.
Toward a theory of organizational culture and effectiveness.

This paper develops a model of organizational culture and effectiveness based on four traits of organizational cultures; involvement, consistency, adaptability, and mission. These traits are examined through two linked studies: In the first, qualitative case studies of five firms are used to identify the traits and the nature of their linkage to effectiveness; In the second, a quantitative study provides an exploratory analysis of CEO perceptions of these four traits and their relation to subjective and objective measures of effectiveness in a sample of 764 organizations. The results show support for the predictive value of the traits, and help to illustrate the complementarity of qualitative and quantitative methods for studying organizational cultures. Two of the traits, involvement and adaptability, are indicators of flexibility, openness, and responsiveness, and were strong predictors of growth. The other two traits, consistency and mission, are indicators of integration, direction, and vision, and were better predictors of profitability. Each of the four traits were also significant predictors of other effectiveness criteria such as quality, employee satisfaction, and overall performance. The results also showed that the four traits were strong predictors of subjectively-rated effectiveness criteria for the total sample of firms, but were strong predictors of objective criteria such as return-on-assets and sales growth only for larger firms. This paper suggests that culture can be studied as an integral part of the adaptation process of organizations and that specific culture traits may be useful predictors of performance and effectiveness. The paper also illustrates how qualitative case studies and inductive theory building can be combined with quantitative comparisons and theory-testing to make progress on specific aspects of organizational culture research.
Barriers and Flow as Limiting Factors in the Spread of an Invasive Crayfish (procambarus Clarkii) in Southern California Streams

Invasive crayfish are a major threat to stream ecosystems, yet research has seldom identified successful ways of preventing their spread. Thirty-two stream sections were surveyed during 2000 and 2001 in the Santa Monica Mountains of southern California to determine the distribution of the invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii. Streams with large barriers (waterfalls, culverts) often did not have crayfish present upstream of barriers. A mark-recapture study indicated that P. clarkii moved both up and downstream between pools, but that barriers significantly reduced movement between pools. Seasonal high flow velocities likely increase passive movement downstream and reduce movement upstream. Results indicate that crayfish mainly spread downstream from a point of colonization and are restricted in their movement to adjacent upstream sections by both natural and artificial barriers. We suggest management strategies for removing invasive crayfish and reducing their spread by focusing on smaller stream segments that are bounded by a downstream barrier and by timing removal efforts to follow large flow events.
Allegro: Analyzing expression and sequence in concert to discover regulatory programs

A major goal of system biology is the characterization of transcription factors and microRNAs (miRNAs) and the transcriptional programs they regulate. We present Allegro, a method for de-novo discovery of cis-regulatory transcriptional programs through joint analysis of genome-wide expression data and promoter or 3′ UTR sequences. The algorithm uses a novel log-likelihood-based, non-parametric model to describe the expression pattern shared by a group of co-regulated genes. We show that Allegro is more accurate and sensitive than existing techniques, and can simultaneously analyze multiple expression datasets with more than 100 conditions. We apply Allegro on datasets from several species and report on the transcriptional modules it uncovers. Our analysis reveals a novel motif over-represented in the promoters of genes highly expressed in murine oocytes, and several new motifs related to fly development. Finally, using stem-cell expression profiles, we identify three miRNA families with pivotal roles in human embryogenesis.
The burden of musculoskeletal injury in low and middle-income countries: challenges and opportunities.

The global burden of injury is substantial, and injuries are predicted to be a leading cause of death and disability over the next few decades1-6. The majority of this burden will be borne by low and middle-income countries, where preventive strategies are often nonexistent and barriers to the timely and appropriate care of the injured include absent or inefficient systems for the delivery of trauma care, inadequacies in the number and the distribution of health-care facilities and workers, a lack of infrastructure and/or physical resources, and a lack of education and training. Addressing the burden of injury in low and middle-income countries has become a public health priority. So-called essential services, which are low-cost, high-yield, and target major health problems, should be made available to every person in the world7-10. While surgery has been traditionally viewed as a high-cost treatment lying outside the realm of the traditional public health model, evidence is emerging that the burden of surgical diseases such as trauma is substantial, and that essential surgery may be a cost-effective addition to the health system in low and middle-income countries11,12. The goals for this review were (1) to provide a public health perspective on the burden of injury in low and middle-income countries, (2) to discuss the delivery of musculoskeletal trauma care in resource-challenged environments, (3) to highlight deficiencies in physical resources and human resources for health care, (4) to outline approaches to teaching and training, and (5) to describe the information flow between economically developed and underdeveloped regions. ### Background The World Bank classifies countries in July of each year on the basis of per capita gross national income. As of 2005, countries have been classified (in U.S. dollars) as low income (<$875 per year), lower-middle income …