Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Validated Age-Related Normative Model for Male Total Testosterone Shows Increasing Variance but No Decline after Age 40 Years

The diagnosis of hypogonadism in human males includes identification of low serum testosterone levels, and hence there is an underlying assumption that normal ranges of testosterone for the healthy population are known for all ages. However, to our knowledge, no such reference model exists in the literature, and hence the availability of an applicable biochemical reference range would be helpful for the clinical assessment of hypogonadal men. In this study, using model selection and validation analysis of data identified and extracted from thirteen studies, we derive and validate a normative model of total testosterone across the lifespan in healthy men. We show that total testosterone peaks [mean (2.5–97.5 percentile)] at 15.4 (7.2–31.1) nmol/L at an average age of 19 years, and falls in the average case [mean (2.5–97.5 percentile)] to 13.0 (6.6–25.3) nmol/L by age 40 years, but we find no evidence for a further fall in mean total testosterone with increasing age through to old age. However we do show that there is an increased variation in total testosterone levels with advancing age after age 40 years. This model provides the age related reference ranges needed to support research and clinical decision making in males who have symptoms that may be due to hypogonadism.
Composites from southern pine juvenile wood. Part 2. Durability and dimensional stability.

Etude de la durabilite et de la stabilite dimensionnelle de panneaux de fibres et de particules a base de bois juvenile de pin. On evalue la durabilite en termes de module d'elasticite, module de rupture et liaison interne. On evalue la stabilite dimensionnelle en termes de gonflement dans l'epaisseur et de dilatation lineaire
Increased middle cerebral artery mean blood flow velocity index after stroke thrombectomy indicates increased risk for intracranial hemorrhage

Background and purpose Cerebral hyperperfusion has been related to the risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) in stroke patients after vessel recanalization therapy. We hypothesized that after successful mechanical thrombectomy for acute anterior circulation stroke, hemodynamics detectable by transcranial Duplex (TCD) sonography would vary, and that increased blood flow velocities would be associated with ICH. Methods We retrospectively identified all ischemic stroke patients with successful endovascular recanalization for anterior circulation vessel occlusion (Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction 2b–3) between 2010 and 2017. We reviewed their postinterventional TCD examinations for mean blood flow (MBF) velocities of the recanalized and contralateral middle cerebral artery (MCA) and searched for an association with postinterventional ICH and clinical outcome. Results 123 stroke patients (mean age 63±14 years, 40% women) with successful anterior circulation thrombectomy were analyzed. Of those, 18 patients had postinterventional ICH. ICH patients had an increased MCA MBF velocity index (=MBF velocity of the recanalized divided by the contralateral MCA) compared with non-ICH patients (1.32±0.39 vs 1.02±0.32, P<0.001). In multivariate analysis, a higher MCA MBF velocity index was associated with postinterventional ICH and poor 90 day outcome. Conclusions A high MCA MBF velocity index on TCD after successful recanalization therapy for anterior circulation stroke indicates a risk for postinterventional ICH and worse prognosis.
THE GAIA2JADE PROCESS FOR MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS DEVELOPMENT

In this paper we present the Gaia2JADE process concerning how one can implement a multi-agent system with the JADE framework using the Gaia methodology for analysis and design purposes. This process is particularly dedicated to the conversion of Gaia models to JADE code. It is described using the Software Process Engineering Metamodel (SPEM) and extends the one proposed by FIPA for describing the Gaia modeling process. Thus, it proposes to potential MAS developers a process that covers the full software development lifecycle. This work is based on the experience we have acquired by applying this process for implementing a real-word multi-agent system conceived for providing e-services to mobile users. With this paper, we share this experience with future multi-agent systems (MAS) developers, who would like to follow this process, taking into account several technical issues that emerged during the implementation phase, helping them to easily model and implement their systems.
Resiliency of Deep Neural Networks under Quantization

The complexity of deep neural network algorithms for hardware implementation can be much lowered by optimizing the word-length of weights and signals. Direct quantization of floating-point weights, however, does not show good performance when the number of bits assigned is small. Retraining of quantized networks has been developed to relieve this problem. In this work, the effects of retraining are analyzed for a feedforward deep neural network (FFDNN) and a convolutional neural network (CNN). The network complexity is controlled to know their effects on the resiliency of quantized networks by retraining. The complexity of the FFDNN is controlled by varying the unit size in each hidden layer and the number of layers, while that of the CNN is done by modifying the feature map configuration. We find that the performance gap between the floating-point and the retrain-based ternary (+1, 0, -1) weight neural networks exists with a fair amount in 'complexity limited' networks, but the discrepancy almost vanishes in fully complex networks whose capability is limited by the training data, rather than by the number of connections. This research shows that highly complex DNNs have the capability of absorbing the effects of severe weight quantization through retraining, but connection limited networks are less resilient. This paper also presents the effective compression ratio to guide the trade-off between the network size and the precision when the hardware resource is limited.
On Anomalous Hotspot Discovery in Graph Streams

Network streams have become ubiquitous in recent years because of many dynamic applications. Such streams may show localized regions of activity and evolution because of anomalous events. This paper will present methods for dynamically determining anomalous hot spots from network streams. These are localized regions of sudden activity or change in the underlying network. We will design a localized principal component analysis algorithm, which can continuously maintain the information about the changes in the different neighborhoods of the network. We will use a fast incremental eigenvector update algorithm based on von Mises iterations in a lazy way in order to efficiently maintain local correlation information. This is used to discover local change hotspots in dynamic streams. We will finally present an experimental study to demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of our approach.
Ageism among Israeli students: structure and demographic influences

ABSTRACT Background: Research concerning negative attitudes toward the elderly among samples of North American respondents has uncovered two distinct yet comparable three-factor structures: (1) avoidance, antilocution and separation; and (2) discrimination, stereotypes and affective attitudes. In addition, previous research has demonstrated that men and younger people have more negative attitudes toward the elderly than do women and older people. The aim of this study is to examine the extent to which these findings can be generalized to individuals from a different culture. Method: The Fraboni Scale of Ageism (FSA) was administered to 491 Israeli participants aged 20–50 years. Results: Exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation uncovered a three-factor structure, similar to previous investigations. In contrast to the literature, however, no simple group (gender, age) differences were found for ageism. However, discriminant function analysis revealed a more complex relationship between age, gender and ageism. Older males, in contrast to older females, demonstrated a tendency to perceptions of the elderly that associated avoidance of the elderly with negative stereotypes whereas older females, in contrast to younger females, held perceptions that associated avoidance of the elderly with a negative perception of the elderly person's contribution to society. Conclusions: Despite cultural differences between Israel and North America, the similarity of findings provides support for the generalizabilty of the structure of attitudes toward the elderly as measured by the FSA to various cultures. In addition, the combined effect of age and gender on differential forms of ageism is complex and should be examined in future research.
Metallothionein suppresses collagen‐induced arthritis via induction of TGF‐β and down‐regulation of proinflammatory mediators

Metallothionein is a low molecular weight, cysteine‐rich, stress response protein that can act as an antioxidant and as an immunosuppressive agent in instances of antigen‐dependent adaptive immunity. In this context, we assessed the therapeutic potential and mechanisms of action of metallothionein in a collagen‐induced arthritis model. Repeated administration of metallothionein‐I + II during the course of disease dramatically reduced the incidence and severity of the disease. Joint tissues isolated from boostered paws of metallothionein‐I + II‐treated mice expressed significantly reduced levels of proinflammatory mediators, such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and cyclooxygenase‐2, when compared with those of control‐treated mice. Lymph node cells obtained from metallothionein‐I + II ‐injected mice exhibited a significant decrease in the proliferative response and a remarkable increase in tumour growth factor (TGF)‐β production in response to type II collagen. Taken together, these results suggest that metallothionein‐I + II promote the development of type II collagen‐specific, TGF‐β‐producing cells to antagonize the expansion of arthritogenic cells. This could lead to local suppression of inflammatory responses by inhibiting the expression of proinflammatory molecules. Thus, this study demonstrates the suppressive effects of metallothionein on collagen‐induced arthritis, and indicates that there may be a potential therapeutic application for manipulation of metallothionein during the treatment of autoimmune disorders.
Holographic Refraction and the Measurement of Spherical Ametropia

Purpose To evaluate the performance of a holographic logMAR chart for the subjective spherical refraction of the human eye. Methods Bland-Altman analysis was used to assess the level of agreement between subjective spherical refraction using the holographic logMAR chart and conventional autorefraction and subjective spherical refraction. Results The 95% limits of agreement (LoA) were calculated between holographic refraction and the two standard methods (subjective and autorefraction). Holographic refraction has a lower mean spherical refraction when compared to conventional refraction (LoA 0.11 ± 0.65 D) and when compared to autorefraction (LoA 0.36 ± 0.77 D). After correcting for systemic bias, this is comparable between autorefraction and conventional subjective refraction (LoA 0.45 ± 0.79 D). After correcting for differences in vergence distance and chromatic aberration between holographic and conventional refraction, approximately 65% (group 1) of measurements between holography and conventional subjective refraction were similar (MD = 0.13 D, SD = 0.00 D). The remaining 35% (group 2) had a mean difference of 0.45 D (SD = 0.12 D) between the two subjective methods. Descriptive statistics showed group 2’s mean age (21 years, SD = 13 years) was considerably lower than group 1’s mean age (41 years, SD = 17), suggesting accommodation may have a role in the greater mean difference of group 2. Conclusions Overall, holographic refraction has good agreement with conventional refraction and is a viable alternative for spherical subjective refraction. A larger bias between holographic and conventional refraction was found in younger subjects than older subjects, suggesting an association between accommodation and myopic over-correction during holographic refraction.
Factors Influencing the Exact Replication of Double-Knit Fabrics

Altering settings such as take down tension, stretcher board width, dial height, and stretch cam setting on a commer cially available knitting machine can cause substantial variation in the dimensions of double knit fabrics in the mac hine and dry-related state. Although subsequent relaxation reduces the magnitude of the effets, many romain statistically significant after wetting out and tumble drying. Knitting machine settings other than run in and run in ratio must be clearly specined if exact replicates of wool fabrics are to be obtained at a later date. The results also suggest that a com bination of settings could be derived such that subsequent relaxation shrinkage might also be reduced.
The Predicted and Experimental Natural Modes of Free-Free CFRP Plates

This paper describes an investigation into the natural modes of free-free laminated composite plates. Theoretical and experimental natural fre quencies and mode shapes are presented for the first six flexural modes of a square aluminium plate and for square CFRP plates of different ply orientations; results are also given for a trapezoidal CFRP plate. The the oretical predictions were made by using an 8-node, 40 degree of freedom shell finite element which allows for transverse shear deformation. The agreement between theoretical and experimental frequencies is good, the worst error being 6.3 per cent. The results indicate that the element pro vides a useful tool in the analysis of laminated composite structures.
Effect of Complex Electrodischarge Grinding for Electrically Conductive PCD

Polycrystalline Composite Diamond (PCD) is excellent in chipping resistance despite its very high hardness. However, it is not easy to EDM or grind PCD. To realize high efficiency and high quality processing of PCD simply and at low cost, the authors devised new PCD (EC-PCD) by using electrically conductive diamond particles and applied a complex electrodischarge grinding method. In this study, investigation is made on effective grinding condition to realize high efficiency, low and stable grinding force and low wheel wear in complex electrodischarge grinding. As a result, superior grinding property was obtained when the grinding wheel was set at minus polarity, and set peak current of iP = 4 and 6 A was applied. Furthermore it also became clear that additional conventional grinding process followed after complex electrodischarge grinding improved the surface condition.
Heterogeneity of falls among older adults: implications for public health prevention.

OBJECTIVES We examined risk factors for falls among older people according to indoor and outdoor activity at the time of the fall and explored risk factors for seriously injurious falls. METHODS Data came from MOBILIZE Boston, a prospective cohort study of 765 community-dwelling women and men, mainly aged 70 years or older. Over 4.3 years, 1737 falls were recorded, along with indoor or outdoor activity at the time of the fall. RESULTS Participants with poor baseline health characteristics had elevated rates of indoor falls while transitioning, walking, or not moving. Healthy, active people had elevated rates of outdoor falls during walking and vigorous activity. For instance, participants with fast, rather than normal, gait speed, had a rate ratio of 7.36 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.54, 21.28) for outdoor falls during vigorous activity. The likelihood of a seriously injurious fall also varied by personal characteristics, activity, and location. For example, the odds ratio for serious injury from an outdoor fall while walking outside compared to inside a participant's neighborhood was 3.31 (95% CI = 1.33, 8.23). CONCLUSIONS Fall prevention programs should be tailored to personal characteristics, activities, and locations.
Men Too Sometimes Shy Away from Competition: The Case of Team Competition

Recent results in experimental and personnel economics indicate that women do not like competitive environments as much as men. This paper presents an experimental design that gives participants the opportunity to enter a tournament as part of a team rather than alone. Although a large and significant gender gap in entry in the individual tournament is found, in line with the literature, no gender gap is found in entry in the team tournament. Women do not enter the tournament significantly more often when it is team based, but men enter significantly less when they are part of a team than when alone. The main reason for men's disaffection with team competition appears to be linked to the uncertainty of their teammate's performance in a team tournament. More precisely, high-performing men fear being the victims of the free-riding behavior of their teammate. Women, especially low-performing women, tend to enter the team tournament more often than the individual one when they know they will be matched to a teammate of the same level as their own. This paper was accepted by Teck Ho, decision analysis.
Prospective clinical evaluation of a LightCyclerTM‐mediated polymerase chain reaction assay, a nested‐PCR assay and a galactomannan enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay for detection of invasive aspergillosis in neutropenic cancer patients and haematological stem cell transplant recipients

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a considerable clinical problem in neutropenic patients with haematological malignancies but its diagnosis remains difficult. We prospectively evaluated a LightCyclerTM polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay, a nested‐PCR assay and a galactomannan (GM) enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to validate their significance in diagnosing IA. During 205 treatment episodes in 165 patients from six centres, a nested‐PCR assay and GM testing was performed at regular intervals. Positive nested‐PCR results were quantified by a LightCyclerTM PCR assay. Patient episodes were stratified according to the 2002 European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer/Mycosis Study Group consensus criteria and the PCR and serology results were correlated with the clinical diagnostic classification. Sensitivity and specificity rates for the nested‐PCR assay were up to 63·6% [95% confidence interval (CI): 30·8–89%) and 63·5% (95% CI: 53·4–72·7%) respectively, and 33·3% and 98·9% (95% CI: 7·5–70·1% and 94·2–99·9%) for GM respectively. The LightCyclerTM PCR assay yielded positive results in 21·4%, lacking discrimination by quantification across the different clinical categories. In this prospective comparison, PCR was superior to GM with respect to sensitivity rates. In patients at high risk for IA, positive results for Aspergillus by PCR of blood samples are highly suggestive for IA and contribute to the diagnosis.
Retinoic acid for redifferentiation of thyroid cancer--does it hold its promise?

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effectiveness of isotretinoin for improving (131)I uptake in recurrent/metastasized thyroid cancer with no/insufficient (131)I uptake. DESIGN Retrospective analysis of 25 patients treated between June 1999 and May 2001. METHODS 15 female and 10 male patients were given isotretinoin at 1 mg/kg for 3 months, followed by (131)I treatment. All patients received a (131)I scan 72 h after administration, thyroglobulin measurement, chest X-ray and ultrasound of the neck, and some patients underwent a (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (n=14) and computed tomography scan of the chest (n=11). RESULTS In two out of 14 patients with raised thyroglobulin but no (131)I uptake, a slightly improved (131)I uptake was seen. In a further 11 patients an improvement of (131)I uptake of known lesions was desired or further non-(131)I-accumulating lesions were known. A dosimetrically relevant improvement of uptake was seen in three of these patients. (18)F-FDG uptake and thyroglobulin did not correlate with the success/failure of the isotretinoin treatment. Side effects including a strong "sunburn", cheilitis, mucositis, conjunctivitis and raised transaminases occurred in two-thirds of patients. They were of an overall tolerable level and were reversible after isotretinoin had been stopped. CONCLUSION From our clinical experience over a period of 2 years we conclude that the therapeutic effect of isotretinoin in thyroid cancer is certainly less than previously reported. An indiscriminate use of isotretinoin in all patients with otherwise untreatable thyroid cancer cannot be recommended.
Advances in Digital Image Compression by Adaptive Thinning

This paper proposes a novel concept for digital image compression. The resulting compression scheme relies on adaptive thinning algorithms, which are recent multiresolutio n methods from scattered data approximation. Adaptive thinning algorithms are recursive point removal schemes, which are combined with piecewise linear interpolation over decr emental Delaunay triangulations. This paper shows the utility of adaptive thinning algorithms in digital image compression. To this end, specific adaptive pixel removal criteria are designed for multiresolution modelling of digital images. This is combined with a previous customized coding scheme for scattered data. The good performance of our compression scheme is finally shown in comparison with the well-established wavelet-based compression method SPIHT.
Optimal Joint Decoding of Correlated Data Over Orthogonal Multiple-Access Channels With Memory

Motivated by the structure of basic sensor networks, we study an optimal joint decoding problem in which the real-valued outputs of two correlated Gaussian sources are scalar quantized, bit assigned, and transmitted, without applying channel coding or interleaving, over a multiple-access channel that consists of two orthogonal point-to-point time-correlated Rayleigh fading subchannels used with soft-decision demodulation. Each fading subchannel is modeled by a nonbinary Markov noise discrete channel that was recently shown to effectively represent it. The correlated sources have memory captured by a time-varying correlation coefficient governed by a two-state first-order Markov process. At the receiver side, we design a joint sequence maximum a posteriori (MAP) decoder to exploit the correlation between the two sources, their temporal memory, and the redundancy left in the quantizers' indexes, the channels' soft-decision outputs, and noise memory. Under the simple practical case of using two-level source quantization, we propose a Markov model to estimate the joint behavior of the quantized sources. We then establish necessary and sufficient conditions under which the delay-prone joint sequence MAP decoder can be reduced to a simple instantaneous symbol-by-symbol decoder. We illustrate our analytical results by system simulation and demonstrate that joint MAP decoding can appropriately harness source and channel characteristics to achieve improved signal-to-distortion ratio performance for a wide range of system conditions.