Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diagnostic Value of Ischemia-Modified Albumin in Acute Coronary Syndrome and Acute Ischemic Stroke

Objective: To investigate diagnostic value of ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels in patients applying to emergency with symptoms of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Methods: Two patient groups (ACS and AIS) and a control group were constituted. The study was discontinued upon reaching 30 patients in each group. Following patient approval at the initial visit, a total of 10 ml venous blood sample was obtained from all patients with a high clinical suspicion of ACS and AIS. The Troponin I and the IMA levels were determined in the blood samples. Results: Statistically significant higher IMA values were determined in the patient groups compared to the control group (p<0.001 for both groups). No statistically significant correlation was found between the IMA and the Troponin I values in the ACS and the AIS groups (p>0.05 for both groups). The sensitivity of IMA was 83% and 87% for ACS and AIS, respectively. The specificity of IMA was 90% and 87% for ACS and AIS, respectively. Conclusion: The sensitivity and specificity values, determined according to the optimal cut-off values in the groups demonstrated that IMA could be a useful diagnostic marker in ACS and AIS patients.
Speech/non-speech classification using multiple features for robust endpoint detection

In this paper, we describe a new speech/non-speech classification method that improves the endpoint detection performance for speech recognition in noisy environments. The proposed method uses multiple features to increase the robustness in noisy environments, and the classification and regression tree (CART) technique is applied to effectively combine these multiple features for classification of each frame. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method by conducting speech/non-speech classification experiments on noisy speech. We also investigate the importance of various features on speech/non-speech classification in noisy environments In particular, the proposed method is applied to the endpoint detection algorithm for isolated speech recognition of a voice-dialing cellular phone. We simulate the speech recognition experiments in various noise environments, and the effects of the proposed method on speech recognition performance are evaluated.
A conceptual green-ICT implementation model based-on ZEN and G-readiness framework

ICT is no longer simply be a supporting tool, but as an integral part of the business itself, a strategic role. As well as for the education area, higher education institution (HEI) is one-of that use fairly large of the ICT solution. Since there is a positive correlation between ICT usage and economic growth potential, arising new issues to the environment. There is an urge to balance between the usage of ICT and environmental awareness. Indonesia as one of the emerging economic powers want to participate in the greening movement, but the problem arises when there is still no formal regulation / framework yet. Furthermore, ICT also has not been seen as one of the aspects that need to be given a special attention in greening movement. There are several frameworks available for green-IT, but the question is how can we adopt it for HEI case in Indonesia? This paper as a preliminary study, try to correlate one of the green-IT framework, named G-readiness framework with ZEN framework, an Indonesia national framework for ICT adoption in HEI. The study found that both the frameworks are mutually relevant. The derived model use 5 domains of G-readiness that represent critical success factors for green-IT initiatives correlate with ZEN framework attributes as practical implementation checklist. From the correlation process, we add one new domain, named ‘Value’, so the derived model has total six domains (Attitude, Policy, Practice, Technology, Governance and Value).
Appendix F . Determining earthquake recurrence rates

For each earthquake, a set of source parameters must be chosen that determines the initial condition for propagation modeling. Earthquake magnitude is the primary parameter that links other source parameters such as rupture area and average amount of slip. Unlike deterministic modeling in which recurrence rates are not considered, probabilistic modeling requires the determination of recurrence rate for each source used in inundation modeling. Recurrence rates can be determined from frequency-magnitude distributions as follows.
Vitality among Swedish patients with post-polio: a physiological phenomenon.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate vitality and fatigue in post-polio patients, and the relative contributions of physiological and psychological parameters to the level of vitality. DESIGN Multi-centre study. SUBJECTS One hundred and forty-three patients with post-polio syndrome. METHODS Inventories of background, quality of life, fatigue and sleep quality were used. Pain was evaluated using a visual analogue scale. Descriptive statistics and correlations were used for all selected parameters. Hierarchical regression models were constructed to examine predictors of variations in vitality, pain, reduced activity and physical fatigue. RESULTS General fatigue accounted for 68% of the variation in vitality. Of this, 91% was accounted for by physiological indicators. After controlling for age, physiological para notmeters accounted for 56.6% and 25%, if entered before and after the psychological parameters, respectively. The impact of the psychological parameters decreased after accounting for the physiological parameters. Physical fatigue, age and sleep quality were associated with variation in pain. Body mass index, pain and sleep quality accounted for differences in reduced activity and physical fatigue. CONCLUSION Vitality in post-polio patients depends on physio-logical parameters. Mental fatigue is not a prominent predictor. Subgroups with or without fatigue, independent of age, need further study.
Developing standardized behavioral tests for knockout and mutant mice.

The ability to produce transgenic, knockout, and mutant mice provides new animal models for the genetic analysis of behavior and its underlying neural mechanisms (Chen and Tonegawa 1997; Wehner et al. 1996). Knockout and transgenic mice have been developed as animal models for the study of human diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (Flood and Morley 1998; Nalbantoglu et al. 1997), Down's syndrome (Schuchmann et al. 1998; Tremml et al. 1998), Huntington's disease (Bates et al. 1997), schizophrenia (Mohn et al. 1999), and other neurobiologic disorders (Nelson and Young 1998). Transgenic mice can also be used to study the behavioral effects of altering specific neurochemical receptors such as for N-methyl-D-aspartate and a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxasole-propionate (Sprengel and Single 1999), metabotropic glutamate (Galani et al. 1997), serotonin (Parks et al. 1998), or dopamine (Steiner et al. 1997). In many genetically altered mice, the most noticeable difference between the transgenic mouse and its background strain is a change in behavior. As indicated by Nelson and Young (1998, p. 453), however, "correlations among behavioral assessments of knockouts are difficult to make because no standardized behavioral tests are available. " Crawley and Pay lor (1997) and Crawley (1999) list a number of behavioral test paradigms that can be used to test genetically altered mice, and Nelson and Young (1998) list a number of genetically altered mice that can be tested in these paradigms. Although early studies of transgenic, mutant, and knockout mice included very few behavioral tests, it is becoming more common to use a test battery approach when examining the behavioral phenotypes of these mice (Brunner et al. 1999). In this article, we review test batteries for examining sensory and motor behavior, species-typical behavior, learning and memory, and development and aging in transgenic mice. Before these test batteries are used, however, it is important to consider nongenetic variables such as animal housing and experience and procedural variables, which may interact with genetic differences to alter behavior. Behavioral genetic studies on mice have been conducted for more than 40 yr (Sprott and Staats 1975,1981). We have not attempted a thorough review of all studies but have selected some recent representative studies to illustrate our points.
Artemether-Lumefantrine versus Dihydroartemisinin-Piperaquine for Treatment of Uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum Malaria in Children Aged Less than 15 Years in Guinea-Bissau – An Open-Label Non-Inferiority Randomised Clinical Trial

Background Artemether-lumefantrine (AL) was introduced for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in Guinea-Bissau in 2008. Malaria then resurged and recurrent malaria after treatment with AL and stock-outs of AL were common. This study therefore aimed to assess the efficacy of AL and identify an alternative second line antimalarial. Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine (DP) was chosen as it has been shown to be safe and efficacious and to reduce the incidence of recurrent malaria. Methods and Findings In a multicentre randomised open-label non-inferiority clinical trial, AL or DP were given over 3 days to children aged 6 months-15 years with uncomplicated P. falciparum mono-infection. Intake was observed and AL was given with milk. Children were seen on days 0, 1, 2 and 3 and then weekly days 7–42. Recurring P. falciparum were classified as recrudescence or new infections by genotyping. Between November 2012 and July 2015, 312 children were randomised to AL (n = 155) or DP (n = 157). The day 42 PCR adjusted per protocol adequate clinical and parasitological responses were 95% and 100% in the AL and DP groups respectively, Mantel-Haenszel weighted odds ratio (OR) 0.22 (95% CI 0–0.68), p = 0.022. In a modified intention to treat analysis in which treatment failures day 0 and reinfections were also considered as treatment failures adequate clinical and parasitological responses were 94% and 97% (OR 0.42 [95% CI, 0.13–1.38], p = 0.15). Parasite clearance and symptom resolution were similar with both treatments. Conclusions Both treatments achieved the WHO recommended efficacy for antimalarials about to be adopted as policy. DP was not inferior to AL for treatment of uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria in Guinea-Bissau. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NTC01704508
Overprotection in the lives of people with intellectual disability in Malta: knowing what is control and what is enabling support

Abstract A study of overprotection in the lives of persons with intellectual disability in Malta was carried out on the principles of inclusive research. Focus groups were held with people with intellectual disability, parents of people with intellectual disability, and those working with persons with intellectual disability. Overprotection is a disabling barrier. Its effects were identified in employment, leisure time, intimate relationships, and the use of public transport, money, and mobile phones. People with intellectual disability who experience overprotection live very structured lives. They cannot develop their skills, abilities, and potential. Furthermore, they cannot live their life on their own terms, but on terms determined by others. This creates a sustained dependence on others, especially the family. It is important that a balance is achieved between protection and enabling support. Persons with intellectual disability should be given the support they need to express their wishes and act on them.
Heart Disease Prediction Using Classification with Different Decision Tree Techniques

Data mining is one of the essential areas of research that is more popular in health organization. Data mining plays an effective role for uncovering new trends in healthcare organization which is helpful for all the parties associated with this field. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world over the past 10 years. Heart disease is a term that assigns to a large number of medical conditions related to heart. These medical conditions describe the irregular health condition that directly affects the heart and all its parts. The healthcare industry gathers enormous amount of heart disease data which are not "mined" to discover hidden information for effective decision making. Data mining techniques are useful for analyzing the data from many different dimensions and for identifying relationships. This paper explores the utility of various decision tree algorithms in classify and predict the disease.
Incorporating Diffusion in Complex Geometries into Stochastic Chemical Kinetics Simulations

A method is developed for incorporating diffusion of chemicals in complex geometries into stochastic chemical kinetics simulations. Systems are modeled using the reaction-diffusion master equation, with jump rates for diffusive motion between mesh cells calculated from the discretization weights of an embedded boundary method. Since diffusive jumps between cells are treated as first order reactions, individual realizations of the stochastic process can be created by the Gillespie method. Numerical convergence results for the underlying embedded boundary method, and for the stochastic reaction-diffusion method, are presented in two dimensions. A two-dimensional model of transcription, translation, and nuclear membrane transport in eukaryotic cells is presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the method in studying cell-wide biological processes.
Cellular Effect of Curcumin and Citral Combination on Breast Cancer Cells: Induction of Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest

Purpose The unmanageable side effects caused by current chemotherapy regimens to treat cancer are an unresolved problem. Although many phytonutrients are useful as chemoprevention without side effects, their effects are slower and smaller than conventional chemotherapy. In the present work, we examined the cumulative effect of two phytonutrients, curcumin and citral, on breast cancer cell lines and compared their effect with the known chemotherapy regimen of cyclophosphamide, methotrexate, and 5-fluorouracil. Methods Using cultured breast cancer and normal epithelial cells, the cytotoxic and apoptotic effect of curcumin and citral was evaluated in vitro. The synergistic effect of curcumin and citral was calculated by a combination index study using the method by Chou and Talalay. Cell death pathways and mechanisms were analyzed by measuring intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and apoptotic protein levels. Results Curcumin and citral caused dose and time dependent cell death and showed a synergistic effect at effective concentration EC50 and above concentrations in breast cancer cells without disturbing normal breast epithelial cells. With combination curcumin and citral treatment, apoptosis induction and cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase in breast cancer cells were observed. Curcumin and citral generated ROS and activated p53 and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 mediated apoptotic pathways. Conclusion The results of this study suggest that curcumin and citral in combination may be a useful therapeutic intervention for breast cancer.
“Writing with music”: Exploring the use of auditory feedback in gesture interfaces

We investigate the use of auditory feedback in pen-gesture interfaces in a series of informal and formal experiments. Initial iterative exploration showed that gaining performance advantage with auditory feedback was possible using absolute cues and state feedback after the gesture was produced and recognized. However, gaining learning or performance advantage from auditory feedback tightly coupled with the pen-gesture articulation and recognition process was more difficult. To establish a systematic baseline, Experiment 1 formally evaluated gesture production accuracy as a function of auditory and visual feedback. Size of gestures and the aperture of the closed gestures were influenced by the visual or auditory feedback, while other measures such as shape distance and directional difference were not, supporting the theory that feedback is too slow to strongly influence the production of pen stroke gestures. Experiment 2 focused on the subjective aspects of auditory feedback in pen-gesture interfaces. Participants' rating on the dimensions of being wonderful and stimulating was significantly higher with musical auditory feedback. Several lessons regarding pen gestures and auditory feedback are drawn from our exploration: a few simple functions such as indicating the pen-gesture recognition results can be achieved, gaining performance and learning advantage through tightly coupled process-based auditory feedback is difficult, pen-gesture sets and their recognizers can be designed to minimize visual dependence, and people's subjective experience of gesture interaction can be influenced using musical auditory feedback. These lessons may serve as references and stepping stones toward future research and development in pen-gesture interfaces with auditory feedback.
Change in Rainfall Drives Malaria Re-Emergence in Anhui Province, China

Malaria is re-emerging in Anhui Province, China after a decade long’ low level of endemicity. The number of human cases has increased rapidly since 2000 and reached its peak in 2006. That year, the malaria cases accounted for 54.5% of total cases in mainland China. However, the spatial and temporal patterns of human cases and factors underlying the re-emergence remain unclear. We established a database containing 20 years’ (1990–2009) records of monthly reported malaria cases and meteorological parameters. Spearman correlations were used to assess the crude association between malaria incidence and meteorological variables, and a polynomial distributed lag (PDL) time-series regression was performed to examine contribution of meteorological factors to malaria transmission in three geographic regions (northern, mid and southern Anhui Province), respectively. Then, a two-year (2008–2009) prediction was performed to validate the PDL model that was created by using the data collected from 1990 to 2007. We found that malaria incidence decreased in Anhui Province in 1990s. However, the incidence has dramatically increased in the north since 2000, while the transmission has remained at a relatively low level in the mid and south. Spearman correlation analyses showed that the monthly incidences of malaria were significantly associated with temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, and the multivariate El Niño/Southern Oscillation index with lags of 0–2 months in all three regions. The PDL model revealed that only rainfall with a 1–2 month lag was significantly associated with malaria incidence in all three regions. The model validation showed a high accuracy for the prediction of monthly incidence over a 2-year predictive period. Malaria epidemics showed a high spatial heterogeneity in Anhui Province during the 1990–2009 study periods. The change in rainfall drives the reemergence of malaria in the northern Anhui Province.
An exploratory approach for using EEG to examine person-environment interaction

ABSTRACT This study uses psychophysiological measures, alpha and beta waves, to examine the appropriateness of videos as visual media to represent a human-made lake. Results indicate that alpha brainwaves are associated more with peaks in the on-site condition than with peaks in the video condition, whereas beta waves show the opposite pattern. The findings suggest that people respond differently to a real lake and its video simulation. Moreover, the relationships between the brainwave responses of the participants across time and the environmental features shown in the video are identified. The findings show that four categories of landscape features may be associated with significant bursts of beta rhythms: conjunction/turns of paths, ambiguous water features, disadvantageous landscapes, and obtrusive artifacts. Design implications are discussed based on the results.
Energy consumption analysis of C-RAN architecture based on 10G EPON front-haul with daily user behaviour

Cloud Radio Access Network (C-RAN) is a novel network architecture, which can solve many challenges of operators when facing the ever-increasing user demands. Specially, the operating expense (OPEX) of C-RAN is an issue of common concern. In this paper, we evaluate the energy consumption of the architecture based on a 10G EPON front-haul considering the daily user behaviour. The simulation results present the energy consumption distributions of C-RAN with daily user behaviour and in different quality of service (QoS).
An analysis of high-risk offending pathways for young females in custody

Abstract Adolescent females who have engaged in severe and/or chronic offending are an understudied population internationally. The literature on female offending pathways has indeed advanced, and there is a better understanding of how female offending behaviours manifest and how correctional agencies should be responding. However, much of the existing research has focused on the risk factors and retrospective biographical narratives of adult female offenders. The present study focused on thematically exploring the self-reported life experiences and offending pathways of 36 detained adolescent females. Findings identified multiple themes including disconnection from education, early care-giver disruption/family separation, personal and family mental health problems, poly-substance abuse, anti-social peers, victimisation and anger problems. The study identifies that early family disruption is an important factor that may contribute to later offending behaviour and other negative life events. Prevention efforts should begin with the family when it comes to high-risk young females.
Needs Analysis of Chinese Chemical Engineering and Technology Undergraduate Students in Yangtze University in English for Specific Purposes

English for Specific Purposes (or ESP) is as a part of college English. This paper aims to investigate Chinese chemical engineering and technology undergraduate students’ needs in English for Specific Purposes (ESP). Eighty first-year chemical engineering and technology undergraduate students from Yangtze university as volunteer participates were in this study to answer the questionnaires about their needs in ESP and 60 volunteer participants were interviewed to provide their responses on ESP. All the data from questionnaires students answered and the interviews were collected. All the data were analyzed by SPSS 17. The results showed that: 1) The chemical engineering and technology undergraduate students’ level of proficiency in the language skills was medium; 2) The students ranked the language skills (listening and speaking) as the most important language skills; 3) Understanding instructions, following question/answer sessions, answering the questions, reading field-related textbooks, instructions for assignments, taking notes in lectures were more emphasized by the students in ESP classes; 4) The students had positive responses on the needs in ESP. Forty eight (80%) students thought that ESP would be better for their English learning and major study and thirty two (53.3%) students thought reading as the most important language skill ESP. Findings in the present study could be provided as implications for course designers and recommendations for future studies.