Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictive value of foot pressure assessment as part of a population-based diabetes disease management program.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of dynamic plantar pressure assessment to determine patients at high risk for neuropathic ulceration. In choosing the cut point, we looked for an optimum combination of sensitivity and specificity of plantar pressure to screen for neuropathic ulceration. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS A total of 1,666 consecutive individuals with diabetes (50.3% male) presenting to a large urban managed care-based outpatient clinic were enrolled in this longitudinal 2-year outcome study. Patients received a standardized medical and musculoskeletal assessment at the time of enrollment, including evaluation in an onsite gait laboratory. RESULTS Of the entire population, 263 patients (15.8%) either presented with or developed an ulcer during the 24-month follow-up period. As expected, baseline peak plantar pressure was significantly higher in the ulcerated group than in the group who did not ulcerate (95.5 +/- 26.4 vs. 85.1 +/- 27.3 N/cm(2), P < 0.001). There was also a trend toward increased pressure with increasing numbers of foot deformities, as well as with increasing foot risk classification (P = 0.0001). Peak pressure was not a suitable diagnostic tool by itself to identify high-risk patients. After eliminating patients without loss of protective sensation, using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the optimal cut point, as determined by a balance of sensitivity and specificity, was 87.5 N/cm(2), yielding a sensitivity of 63.5% and a specificity of 46.3%. CONCLUSIONS The data from this evaluation continue to support the notion that elevated foot pressure is an important risk factor for foot complications. However, the ROC analysis suggests that foot pressure is a poor tool by itself to predict foot ulcers.
Gaussian Process Training with Input Noise

In standard Gaussian Process regression input locations are assumed to be noise free. We present a simple yet effective GP model for training on input points corrupted by i.i. d. Gaussian noise. To make computations tractable we use a local linear expansion about each input point. This allows the input noise to be recast as output noise proportional to the squared gradient of the GP posterior mean. The input noise variances are inferred from the data as extra hyperparameters. They are trained alongside other hyperparameters by the usual method of maximisation of the marginal likelihood. Training uses an iterative scheme, which alternates between optimising the hyperparameters and calculating the posterior gradient. Analytic predictive moments can then be found for Gaussian distributed test points. We compare our model to others over a range of different regression problems and show that it improves over current methods.
Optimal Las Vegas Locality Sensitive Data Structures

We show that approximate similarity (near neighbour) search can be solved in high dimensions with performance matching state of the art (data independent) Locality Sensitive Hashing, but with a guarantee of no false negatives. Specifically we give two data structures for common problems. For c-approximate near neighbour in Hamming space, for which we get query time dn^{1/c+o(1)} and space dn^{1+1/c+o(1)} matching that of [Indyk and Motwani, 1998] and answering a long standing open question from [Indyk, 2000a] and [Pagh, 2016] in the affirmative. For (s1, s2)-approximate Jaccard similarity we get query time d^2n^{&#x03C1;+o(1)} and space d^2n^{1+&#x03C1;+o(1), &#x03C1;= [log (1+s1)/(2s1)]/[log (1+s2)/(2s2)], when sets have equal size, matching the performance of [Pagh and Christiani, 2017]. We use space partitions as in classic LSH, but construct these using a combination of brute force, tensoring and splitter functions &#xe0; la [Naor et al., 1995]. We also show two dimensionality reduction lemmas with 1-sided error.
Surgical Treatment of Postoperative Deltoid Origin Disruption

Although it is well recognized that deltoid disruption after shoulder surgery is associated with poor function, little information is available regarding results of surgical treatment for this problem. Twenty-four patients underwent direct repair or rotational deltoidplasty reconstruction of a detached muscle origin after shoulder surgery. The original surgical procedure was rotator cuff repair in 12, acromioplasty in four, and lateral acromionectomy with or without rotator cuff repair in eight. The average duration of symptoms before deltoid reconstruction was 17 months. The mean followup was 39 months (range, 13–84 months). Twelve patients reported moderate to severe pain, whereas 12 had minimal pain. Two patients required a shoulder fusion for intractable pain. Overall, one (4%) excellent, seven (29%) good, and 16 (67%) unsatisfactory results were observed. A poor outcome was associated with a prior lateral acromionectomy, involvement of the middle deltoid, a massive rotator cuff tear with weakness in external rotation, and a residual postoperative defect larger than 2 cm. In select cases, repair or deltoidplasty can improve function and pain.
The Dwarf Spheroidal Companions to M31: Variable Stars in Andromeda II

We present the results of a variable star search in Andromeda II, a dwarf spheroidal galaxy companion to M31, using Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations. Seventy-three variables were found, one of which is an anomalous Cepheid while the others are RR Lyrae stars. The anomalous Cepheid has properties consistent with those found in other dwarf spheroidal galaxies. For the RR Lyrae stars, the mean periods are 0.571 and 0.363 days for the fundamental mode and first-overtone mode stars, respectively. With this fundamental mode mean period and the mean metallicity determined from the red giant branch (⟨[Fe/H]⟩ = -1.49), Andromeda II follows the period-metallicity relation defined by the Galactic globular clusters and other dwarf spheroidal galaxies. We also find that the properties of the RR Lyrae stars themselves indicate a mean abundance that is consistent with that determined from the red giants. There is, however, a significant spread among the RR Lyrae stars in the period-amplitude diagram, which is possibly related to the metallicity spread in Andromeda II indicated by the width of the red giant branch, which was determined by Da Costa et al. In addition, the abundance distribution of the RR Lyrae stars is notably wider than the distribution expected from the abundance determination errors alone. The mean magnitude of the RR Lyrae stars, ⟨VRR⟩ = 24.87 ± 0.03, implies a distance d = 665 ± 20 kpc to Andromeda II. This matches the distance derived from the mean magnitude of the horizontal branch stars by Da Costa et al., d = 680 ± 20 kpc. We also demonstrate that the specific frequency of anomalous Cepheids in dwarf spheroidal galaxies correlates with the mean metallicity of their parent galaxy and that the Andromeda II and Andromeda VI anomalous Cepheids appear to follow the same relation as those in the Galactic dwarf spheroidal galaxies.
Synchronized Traffic Flow and Metastable States from the Perspective of Constant Time Headway

In the past decade, perhaps one of the most important findings in traffic flow field is the "synchronized flow''. In previous literature, various mechanisms have been presented to explain synchronized flow. This paper proposes that trying to keep a constant time headway might be another possible origin of synchronized flow. The simulation of this effect is performed based on a cellular automaton model. The fundamental diagram and the spatiotemporal patterns are studied. It is shown that our model could reproduce metastable states of congested flow. We argue that in the metastable states, the traffic flow is alternation of free flow and synchronized flow. The velocity of the synchronized flow changes when traffic flow transits from one metastable state to another metastable state. Moreover, the synchronized flow could also spontaneously transit into jams. Within the jams, there exist blanks, which is consistent with the empirical observations.
Exploring the importance of sulfate transporters and ATP sulphurylases for selenium hyperaccumulation—a comparison of Stanleya pinnata and Brassica juncea (Brassicaceae)

Selenium (Se) hyperaccumulation, the capacity of some species to concentrate Se to levels upwards of 0.1% of dry weight, is an intriguing phenomenon that is only partially understood. Questions that remain to be answered are: do hyperaccumulators have one or more Se-specific transporters? How are these regulated by Se and sulfur (S)? In this study, hyperaccumulator Stanleya pinnata was compared with related non-hyperaccumulator Brassica juncea with respect to S-dependent selenate uptake and translocation, as well as for the expression levels of three sulfate/selenate transporters (Sultr) and three ATP sulphurylases (APS). Selenium accumulation went down ~10-fold with increasing sulfate supply in B. juncea, while S. pinnata only had a 2–3-fold difference in Se uptake between the highest (5 mM) and lowest sulfate (0 mM) treatments. The Se/S ratio was generally higher in the hyperaccumulator than the non-hyperaccumulator, and while tissue Se/S ratio in B. juncea largely reflected the ratio in the growth medium, S. pinnata enriched itself up to 5-fold with Se relative to S. The transcript levels of Sultr1;2 and 2;1 and APS1, 2, and 4 were generally much higher in S. pinnata than B. juncea, and the species showed differential transcript responses to S and Se supply. These results indicate that S. pinnata has at least one transporter with significant selenate specificity over sulfate. Also, the hyperaccumulator has elevated expression levels of several sulfate/selenate transporters and APS enzymes, which likely contribute to the Se hyperaccumulation and hypertolerance phenotype.
Serpentine Stability to Mantle Depths and Subduction-Related Magmatism

Results of high-pressure experiments on samples of hydrated mantle rocks show that the serpentine mineral antigorite is stable to ∼720�C at 2 gigapascals, to ∼690�C at 3 gigapascals, and to ∼620�C at 5 gigapascals. The breakdown of antigorite to forsterite plus enstatite under these conditions produces 13 percent H2O by weight to depths of 150 to 200 kilometers in subduction zones. This H2O is in an ideal position for ascent into the hotter, overlying mantle where it can cause partial melting in the source region for calc-alkaline magmas at a depth of 100 to 130 kilometers and a temperature of ∼1300�C. The breakdown of antigorite in hydrated mantle produces an order of magnitude more H2O than does the dehydration of altered oceanic crust.
Branch Mode Selection during Early Lung Development

Many organs of higher organisms, such as the vascular system, lung, kidney, pancreas, liver and glands, are heavily branched structures. The branching process during lung development has been studied in great detail and is remarkably stereotyped. The branched tree is generated by the sequential, non-random use of three geometrically simple modes of branching (domain branching, planar and orthogonal bifurcation). While many regulatory components and local interactions have been defined an integrated understanding of the regulatory network that controls the branching process is lacking. We have developed a deterministic, spatio-temporal differential-equation based model of the core signaling network that governs lung branching morphogenesis. The model focuses on the two key signaling factors that have been identified in experiments, fibroblast growth factor (FGF10) and sonic hedgehog (SHH) as well as the SHH receptor patched (Ptc). We show that the reported biochemical interactions give rise to a Schnakenberg-type Turing patterning mechanisms that allows us to reproduce experimental observations in wildtype and mutant mice. The kinetic parameters as well as the domain shape are based on experimental data where available. The developed model is robust to small absolute and large relative changes in the parameter values. At the same time there is a strong regulatory potential in that the switching between branching modes can be achieved by targeted changes in the parameter values. We note that the sequence of different branching events may also be the result of different growth speeds: fast growth triggers lateral branching while slow growth favours bifurcations in our model. We conclude that the FGF10-SHH-Ptc1 module is sufficient to generate pattern that correspond to the observed branching modes.
Compensatory Activity in the Extrastriate Body Area of Parkinson's Disease Patients

Compensatory mechanisms are a crucial component of the cerebral changes triggered by neurodegenerative disorders. Identifying such compensatory mechanisms requires at least two complementary approaches: localizing candidate areas using functional imaging, and showing that interference with these areas has behavioral consequences. Building on recent imaging evidence, we use this approach to test whether a visual region in the human occipito-temporal cortex—the extrastriate body area—compensates for altered dorsal premotor activity in Parkinson's disease (PD) during motor-related processes. We separately inhibited the extrastriate body area and dorsal premotor cortex in 11 PD patients and 12 healthy subjects, using continuous theta burst stimulation. Our goal was to test whether these areas are involved in motor compensatory processes. We used motor imagery to isolate a fundamental element of motor planning, namely subjects' ability to incorporate the current state of their body into a motor plan (mental hand rotation). We quantified this ability through a posture congruency effect (i.e., the improvement in subjects' performance when their current body posture is congruent to the imagined movement). Following inhibition of the right extrastriate body area, the posture congruency effect was lost in PD patients, but not in healthy subjects. In contrast, inhibition of the left dorsal premotor cortex reduced the posture congruency effect in healthy subjects, but not in PD patients. These findings suggest that the right extrastriate body area plays a compensatory role in PD by supporting a function that is no longer performed by the dorsal premotor cortex.
Nonlinear analysis of EEG in major depression with fractal dimensions

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a psychiatric mood disorder characterized by cognitive and functional impairments in attention, concentration, learning and memory. In order to investigate and understand its underlying neural activities and pathophysiology, EEG methodologies can be used. In this study, we estimated the nonlinearity features of EEG in MDD patients to assess the dynamical properties underlying the frontal and parietal brain activity. EEG data were obtained from 16 patients and 15 matched healthy controls. A wavelet-chaos methodology was used for data analysis. First, EEGs of subjects were decomposed into 5 EEG sub-bands by discrete wavelet transform. Then, both the Katz's and Higuchi's fractal dimensions (KFD and HFD) were calculated as complexity measures for full-band and sub-bands EEGs. Last, two-way analyses of variances were used to test EEG complexity differences on each fractality measures. As a result, a significantly increased complexity was found in both parietal and frontal regions of MDD patients. This significantly increased complexity was observed not only in full-band activity but also in beta and gamma sub-bands of EEG. The findings of the present study indicate the possibility of using the wavelet-chaos methodology to discriminate the EEGs of MDD patients from healthy controls.
Ecotourists' beliefs and knowledge about dolphins and the development of cetacean ecotourism

The current trend towards environmental awareness is accompanied by people seeking ways to change their relationship with nature. Every individual will perceive their relationship with animals, and interpret the behaviour of animals, in the light of their culture. This study explored the relationships among beliefs, knowledge and demographic characteristics of participants in a ‘Swim with Wild Dolphins’ program in the Bay of Islands, New Zealand. Most respondents interpreted dolphin behavior anthropomorphically, and perceived the dolphins’ social structure as being sociocentric. Principal Components Analysis revealed attributions of spirituality, altruism, interspecies sociability and dolphin society. The ecotourists who formed this sample were unacquainted with scientific knowledge related to cetaceans, and therefore were not likely to understand most of the philosophical, educational, economic or ecological values of wildlife. Increased knowledge of the users in terms of beliefs, expectations, and satisfaction will allow for more precise management of human-animal interactions and guide educational programs.
Characterization of fibrous retrocorneal membrane by confocal microscopy.

PURPOSE To study the appearance of a fibrous retrocorneal membrane as seen by confocal microscopy. METHODS A 67-year-old white woman with a history of multiple ocular surgeries, including repeated penetrating keratoplasties for aphakic bullous keratopathy, developed a retrocorneal membrane in the right eye. The membrane was first noticed 3 years after the last corneal transplant and remained stable subsequently. The patient was examined by in vivo white light tandem-scanning confocal microscopy. RESULTS At the level of the retrocorneal membrane, confocal microscopy disclosed the presence of a hyperreflective fibrous-appearing layer. Normal endothelial cells could not be found. Anterior to the hyperreflective layer, activated keratocytes were identified. CONCLUSION Confocal microscopy may allow noninvasive diagnosis of fibrous retrocorneal membrane. Additionally, our data suggest that the posterior keratocytes might play a role in the production and deposition of fibrous tissue.
BubR1 is a spindle assembly checkpoint protein regulating meiotic cell cycle progression of mouse oocyte

BubR1 (Bub1-related kinase or MAD3/Bub1b) is an essential component of the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) and plays an important role in kinetochore localization of other spindle checkpoint proteins in mitosis. But its roles in mammalian oocyte meiosis are unclear. In the present study, we examined the expression, localization and function of BubR1 during mouse oocyte meiotic maturation. The expression level of BubR1 increased progressively from germinal vesicle to metaphase II stages. Immunofluorescent analysis showed that BubR1 localized to kinetochores from the germinal vesicle breakdown to the prometaphase I stages, co-localizing with polo-like kinase 1, while it disappeared from the kinetochores at the metaphase I stage. Spindle disruption by nocodazole treatment caused relocation of BubR1 to kinetochores at metaphase I, anaphase I and metaphase II stages; spindle microtubules were disrupted by low temperature treatment in the BubR1-depleted oocytes in meiosis I, suggesting that BubR1 monitors kinetochore-microtubule (K-MT) attachments. Over-expression of exogenous BubR1 arrested oocyte meiosis maturation at the M I stage or earlier; in contrast, dominant-negative BubR1 and BubR1 depletion accelerated meiotic progression. In the BubR1-depleted oocytes, higher percentage of chromosome misalignment was observed and more oocytes overrode the M I stage arrest induced by low concentration of nocodazole. Our data suggest that BubR1 is a spindle assembly checkpoint protein regulating meiotic progression of oocytes.
Text analysis for requirements engineering

Requirements Engineering is the Achilles’ heel of the whole software development process. It involves many stakeholders and includes not only technical but also sociological and psychological activities. Even when all the stakeholders come to a consensus, the produced requirements are rather informal. In the early project phases the functionality of the prospective software is not yet understood in the precision necessary for formalization, which makes requirements formalization not only a refinement, but also a learning process. As the survey by Mich et al. [MFN04] shows, the overwhelming majority of requirements are written in natural language. In practice these documents are often vague and contain a lot of ambiguities, which causes misunderstandings between project stakeholders. Misunderstandings and errors of the requirements engineering phase propagate to later development phases and can potentially lead to a project failure. To alleviate misunderstanding and to support the step from informal requirements to a formal model this thesis proposes a novel approach to the extraction of a domain ontology from requirements documents in order to establish a common language for the project stakeholders. An ontology consists of a set of terms and relations between these terms. As compared to a glossary, a domain-specific ontology gives a more explicit definition of terms and relations between them. When the ontology is extracted, a domain expert validates it. The validated ontology becomes both the common language for all the project stakeholders and a valuable resource for later development steps. The thesis makes two key contributions to ontology extraction as a part of requirements analysis: • It implements a semiautomatic method, extracting an ontology from a requirements document and validating the extracted ontology. • It shows how traditional requirements analysis process should be modified to include ontology extraction and validation. The feasibility of the proposed approach was evaluated on three comprehensive case studies.
On the use of cascade structure to correct impulsive noise in multicarrier systems

We propose a new decoding algorithm based on a cascade structure for impulsive noise correction in multicarrier systems such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based systems. This new cascade structure based algorithm has the advantage to lead on one hand to a reduced complexity implementation in an OFDM demodulator and on the other hand to overcome the lacks of other algorithms dedicated for impulsive noise correction. To do so, we start the derivation by investigating closed-form analytical expressions of the a priori probabilities used in hypotheses tests that are necessary for the different steps needed for the execution of the cascade structure based decoding algorithm. Such closed-form expressions for the a priori probabilities, result in efficient setups of the threshold values used for the execution of the decoding algorithm. Furthermore, we show that this cascade structure can be applied to efficiently cancel the impulsive noise in OFDM systems. As the clipping event, present in OFDM systems, can be seen as an additive impulsive noise, we prove that after introducing some minor modifications, we can apply the proposed cascade structure to significantly reduce the peak to average power ratio (PAPR) level in such systems. Simulation results are given to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed algorithm results in practical OFDM based communication systems such as Hiperlan 2.