Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Approximation of digital circuits using cartesian genetic programming

Digital circuits can be approximated in which the exact functionality can be relaxed. Approximate circuits are constructed such that the logic given by the user is not implemented completely and hence their functionality can be traded for area, delay and power consumption. An evolutionary approach like Cartesian Genetic programming (CGP) is used in this paper to make automatic design process of digital circuits. The quality of approximate circuits can be improved along with the reduction of evolution time by using a heuristic population seeding method which is embedded into CGP. In particular, digital circuits like full adder, 2 bit multiplier and 2 bit adder are addressed in this paper. Experimental results are given where random seeding mechanism is compared with heuristic seeding methods.
Voxel-Based Morphometry of Herpes Simplex Encephalitis

Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) is a powerful tool for analyzing changes in gray or white matter density of the brain. By using an automated segmentation procedure and standardized parametric statistics it avoids biases inherent in operator-dependent morphological operations (J. Ashburner and K. J. Friston, 2000, NeuroImage 11, 805-821). Since its introduction in 1995, VBM has been used to examine anatomical changes in a variety of diseases associated with neurologic and psychiatric dysfunction. Given the power of this technique for discerning subtle anatomical changes, we wanted to assess its performance on brains with gross structural abnormalities. Such results could have implications regarding the difficulties to be faced when examining other types of distorted brains (e.g., brains with changes due to degenerative disease). This report describes the use of VBM for examining individual and group changes in gray matter concentration in five patients who had recovered from herpes simplex encephalitis (HSE) compared with age- and sex-matched controls. Because HSE tends to affect a specific set of brain regions we thought that this would (1) provide an opportunity to assess the anatomical face validity of VBM, (2) allow us to assess the problems of this technique when used on distorted brains, and (3) provide an in vivo demonstration of the gray matter changes due to HSE. We found that, despite problems in normalizing and segmenting these severely distorted brains, VBM was able to identify correctly a number of the regional gray matter abnormalities in HSE. The results, while consistent with the well-known histopathology of the disease, also demonstrate potential difficulties with this method.
Combining medical and mechanical methods of cervical ripening. Does it increase the likelihood of successful induction of labor?

OBJECTIVE To determine if combining two commonly used methods or cervical ripening (intracervical prostaglandin E2 [Pge2] gel and Foley balloon catheter) would result in a higher number of successful inductions and fewer cesarean sections when compared to PGE2 gel alone. STUDY DESIGN Seventy-eight patients with unfavorable cervixes eligible for induction of labor were prospectively randomized to receive either one dose (0.5 mg) of PGE2 gel followed by insertion of a 24-French Foley catheter (group 1, 41 patients) or two doses of 0.5 mg of intracervical gel (group 2, 37 patients). Outcome parameters included change in Bishop score, number of failed inductions, rate of cesarean section, rate of uterine hyperstimulation and postpartum infection. RESULTS Patients in group 1 had a significant increase in posttreatment Bishop scores (7.26 +/- 2.0 SD vs. 4.82 +/- 1.8 P = .0001) and fewer failed inductions (0 vs. 6, P = .009) when compared to patients in group 2. Abdominal delivery rates, uterine hyperstimulation and infections complications were not different between the two groups. CONCLUSION The combination of the Foley balloon and prostaglandin gel significantly improved the Bishop score and led to fewer failed inductions, although it did not increase the vaginal delivery rate.
STABILITY AND BIFURCATION ANALYSIS OF A FORCED CYLINDER WAKE

We present a study on the dynamics of a cylinder wake subjected to forced excitation. Williams et al. (1992) discovered that the spatial symmetry of the excitation plays a crucial role in determining the resulting wake dynamics. Reflection-symmetric forcing was found to affect the Karman wake much more strongly compared to 2 (, ) Z κπ
A Numerical Approach Related to Defect-Type Theories for Some Weakly Random Problems in Homogenization

We present in this paper an approach for computing the homogenized behavior of a medium that is a small random perturbation of a periodic reference material. The random perturbation we consider is, in a sense made precise in our work, a rare event at the microscopic level. It, however, affects the macroscopic properties of the material, and we indeed provide a method to compute the first- and second-order corrections. To this end, we formally establish an asymptotic expansion of the macroscopic properties. Our perturbative approach shares common features with a defect-type theory of solid state physics. The computational efficiency of the approach is demonstrated.
Temperature instability of ReNu With MoistureLoc: a new theory to explain the worldwide Fusarium keratitis epidemic of 2004-2006.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of storage temperature on the ability of contact lens solutions to inhibit growth of Fusarium species. A 2006 Food and Drug Administration inspection of Bausch & Lomb's Greenville, South Carolina, manufacturing site indicated that Bausch & Lomb failed to regulate storage and transport temperatures of their products. METHODS Six contact lens solutions were studied: ReNu with MoistureLoc, ReNu MultiPlus, COMPLETE Moistureplus, AQuify, Clear Care, and OPTI-FREE RepleniSH. Two bottles of each solution were separately stored at room temperature and 60 degrees C for 4 weeks, serially diluted, and then tested for their ability to inhibit growth of 11 Fusarium isolates (7 of which were associated with the keratitis epidemic). RESULTS ReNu with MoistureLoc demonstrated the greatest decline in efficacy after 60 degrees C storage. Clear Care and ReNu MultiPlus performed the best. Regarding the keratitis epidemic isolates only, the ReNu with MoistureLoc bottle stored at room temperature allowed growth in 27 of 84 combinations vs 67 of 84 combinations with the 60 degrees C-stored bottle. CONCLUSIONS When exposed to prolonged temperature elevation, ReNu with MoistureLoc loses its in vitro fungistatic activity to a much greater extent than other products. Improper temperature control of ReNu with MoistureLoc may have contributed to the Fusarium keratitis epidemic of 2004-2006.
Nonnative forest insects and pathogens in the United States: Impacts and policy options

Abstract We review and synthesize information on invasions of nonnative forest insects and diseases in the United States, including their ecological and economic impacts, pathways of arrival, distribution within the United States, and policy options for reducing future invasions. Nonnative insects have accumulated in United States forests at a rate of ~2.5 per yr over the last 150 yr. Currently the two major pathways of introduction are importation of live plants and wood packing material such as pallets and crates. Introduced insects and diseases occur in forests and cities throughout the United States, and the problem is particularly severe in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. Nonnative forest pests are the only disturbance agent that has effectively eliminated entire tree species or genera from United States forests within decades. The resulting shift in forest structure and species composition alters ecosystem functions such as productivity, nutrient cycling, and wildlife habitat. In urban and suburban areas, loss of trees from streets, yards, and parks affects aesthetics, property values, shading, stormwater runoff, and human health. The economic damage from nonnative pests is not yet fully known, but is likely in the billions of dollars per year, with the majority of this economic burden borne by municipalities and residential property owners. Current policies for preventing introductions are having positive effects but are insufficient to reduce the influx of pests in the face of burgeoning global trade. Options are available to strengthen the defenses against pest arrival and establishment, including measures taken in the exporting country prior to shipment, measures to ensure clean shipments of plants and wood products, inspections at ports of entry, and post‐entry measures such as quarantines, surveillance, and eradication programs. Improved data collection procedures for inspections, greater data accessibility, and better reporting would support better evaluation of policy effectiveness. Lack of additional action places the nation, local municipalities, and property owners at high risk of further damaging and costly invasions. Adopting stronger policies to reduce establishments of new forest insects and diseases would shift the major costs of control to the source and alleviate the economic burden now borne by homeowners and municipalities.
Effects of adding different proportions of ethanol or water/ethanol on performance of hydrophobic antireflection film

Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was oscillated to accelerate hydrolysis. Hydrolysed TEOS reacted with hexamethydisizane to form hydrophobic sol–gels from which hydrophobic antireflection films were fabricated by spin coating. Enough solvent, such as ethanol, must be added to help the reaction proceed smoothly. Atomic force microscopy was employed to investigate the effect of the proportion of ethanol added on the nanostructure, water contact angle (WCA) and transmission of the spin coating film. A molar ratio of ethanol/TEOS of 12 is optimal for obtaining a uniformly nanoporous film. The average transmission, average and maximum WCA are 93·02%, 111·58 and 119·04° respectively. When silica sol was dispersed by both water and ethanol, trimethyl modified silica repelled water and aggregated to form submicrometre columnar structures after spin coating. Its performances on WCA and transmission are worse than silica sol dispersed by ethanol only. The hydrophobic functional group of silica sol influences WCA stronger than roughness does.
Patient Acceptance of Noninvasive and Invasive Coronary Angiography

Background Noninvasive angiography using multislice computed tomography (MSCT) is superior to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for detection of coronary stenoses. We compared patient acceptance of these two noninvasive diagnostic tests and invasive conventional coronary angiography (Angio). Methods and Findings A total of 111 consecutive patients with suspected coronary artery disease underwent MSCT, MRI, and Angio. Subsequently, patient acceptance of the three tests was evaluated with questionnaires in all patients. The main acceptance variables were preparation and information prior to the test, degree of concern, comfort, degree of helplessness, pain (on visual analog scales), willingness to undergo the test again, and overall satisfaction. Preparation for each test was not rated significantly differently, whereas patients were significantly more concerned about Angio than the two noninvasive tests (p<0.001). No pain during MSCT, MRI, and Angio as assessed on visual analog scales (0 to 100) was reported by 99, 93, and 31 patients, respectively. Among the 82 patients who felt pain during at least one procedure, both CT (0.9±4.5) and MRI (5.2±16.6) were significantly less painful than Angio (24.6±23.4, both p<0.001). MSCT was considered significantly more comfortable (1.49±0.64) than MRI (1.75±0.81, p<0.001). In both the no-revascularization (55 patients) and the revascularization group (56 patients), the majority of the patients (73 and 71%) would prefer MSCT to MRI and Angio for future imaging of the coronary arteries. None of the patients indicated to be unwilling to undergo MSCT again. The major advantages patients attributed to MSCT were its fast, uncomplicated, noninvasive, and painless nature. Conclusions Noninvasive coronary angiography with MSCT is considered more comfortable than MRI and both MSCT and MRI are less painful than Angio. Patient preference for MSCT might tip the scales in favor of this test provided that the diagnostic accuracy of MSCT can be shown to be high enough for clinical application.
Effect of Pet Insects on the Psychological Health of Community-Dwelling Elderly People: A Single-Blinded, Randomized, Controlled Trial

Background: There is evidence that animal-assisted therapy has positive effects on mental health, especially in elderly people. Caring for insects is easy, relatively inexpensive, and does not require much space. Objective: The aim of this 8-week randomized, controlled, single-blinded study was to investigate the effect of pet insects on the psychological health of community-dwelling elderly people. Methods: Elderly subjects (≥65 years old) attending a community center in Daegu, Korea, were enrolled in the study between April and May 2014 and randomized at a 1:1 ratio to receive insect therapy and health advice or only health advice. The insect group received 5 crickets in a cage with sufficient fodder and a detailed instruction manual. At baseline and at 8 weeks, all subjects underwent psychometric tests via a direct interview [Beck Anxiety Inventory, Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, Insomnia Severity Index, Fatigue Severity Scale, and Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument] and laboratory analyses of inflammatory and oxidative stress markers (erythrocyte sedimentation rate, high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, biological antioxidant potential, and derivatives of reactive oxygen metabolites). Results: The insect-caring (n = 46) and control (n = 48) groups did not differ in baseline characteristics. The insect-caring group had significantly lower GDS-15 scores at week 8 (3.20 vs. 4.90, p = 0.004) and, after adjustment for baseline values, a significantly greater change in GDS-15 scores relative to baseline (-1.12 vs. 0.20, p = 0.011). They also had a significantly greater change in MMSE scores relative to baseline (1.13 vs. 0.31, p = 0.045). The two groups did not differ in terms of other psychometric and laboratory tests. No serious risks or adverse events were reported. Conclusion: Caring for insects, which is cost-effective and safe, was associated with a small to medium positive effect on depression and cognitive function in community-dwelling elderly people.
Safety culture of nursing homes: Opinions of top managers

Background: Examining the perception of patient safety culture (PSC) of top managers in health care settings is important because their orientation to PSC can have a large influence on the facility. Purposes: In this research, the perception of PSC of nursing home administrators (NHAs) and directors of nursing (DONs) is examined. Methodology/Approach: Primary data were collected to examine the opinions of NHAs and DONs regarding PSC. Information was collected from a large nationally representative sample of 4,000 nursing homes. The Nursing Home Survey on Patient Safety Culture survey instrument was used as a measure of PSC. This has 12 domains and 38 items. Bias indexes, intraclass correlation coefficients, and Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficients of the differences between NHA and DON item scores were examined. Findings: Using a 0-100 scale, most scores fell into the 55-80 range. Higher scores represent a higher (more favorable) PSC. Agreement between the NHAs and DONs was excellent in 10 items, good in 15 items, moderate in 4 items, and poor in 8 items. Of the four largest differences in scores, the NHA scores were higher than the DON scores for 1 item, and DON scores were higher than the NHA scores for 3 items. Implications: The overall perception from both NHAs and DONs appear to represent a somewhat "positive" outlook from these top managers on their institution's PSC. However, NHAs in general report higher scores than DONs do. The areas of divergence between these top managers are further discussed, with a view toward directing future patient safety investigations and initiatives in nursing homes.
Mechanism of Infection Thread Elongation in Root Hairs of Medicago truncatula and Dynamic Interplay with Associated Rhizobial Colonization1[W][OA]

In temperate legumes, endosymbiotic nitrogen-fixing rhizobia gain access to inner root tissues via a specialized transcellular apoplastic compartment known as the infection thread (IT). To study IT development in living root hairs, a protocol has been established for Medicago truncatula that allows confocal microscopic observations of the intracellular dynamics associated with IT growth. Fluorescent labeling of both the IT envelope (AtPIP2;1-green fluorescent protein) and the host endoplasmic reticulum (green fluorescent protein-HDEL) has revealed that IT growth is a fundamentally discontinuous process and that the variable rate of root hair invagination is reflected in changes in the host cell cytoarchitecture. The concomitant use of fluorescently labeled Sinorhizobium meliloti has further revealed that a bacteria-free zone is frequently present at the growing tip of the IT, thus indicating that bacterial contact is not essential for thread progression. Finally, these in vivo studies have shown that gaps within the bacterial file are a common feature during the early stages of IT development, and that segments of the file are able to slide collectively down the thread. Taken together, these observations lead us to propose that (1) IT growth involves a host-driven cellular mechanism analogous to that described for intracellular infection by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; (2) the non-regular growth of the thread is a consequence of the rate-limiting colonization by the infecting rhizobia; and (3) bacterial colonization involves a combination of bacterial cell division and sliding movement within the extracellular matrix of the apoplastic compartment.
Impact breakage of particulate solids

Uncontrolled particle breakage can result in deterioration of product quality and reduction of process performance with severe economical consequences. Therefore, identification and understanding of the processes and mechanisms responsible for particle breakage are of paramount importance. The objective of this work is to provide a systematic approach to the analysis of the impact breakage of particulate solids. Such an approach involves observation, analysis and modelling of the constituent mechanisms of particle breakage by means of indentation fracture mechanics. The literature is rich of studies of particle breakage under various loading conditions. However, modelling has mainly focused on quantifying rather than predicting particle breakage. Two main reasons are responsible for this inadequacy. First, results have often been obtained from multi-particle tests where the mode of loading, i.e. loading conditions and contact geometry, is ill-defined. Second, little has been done to establish the dependence of particle breakage on mechanical properties such as Young's modulus, hardness and fracture toughness. Single particle impact testing is used in this work to investigate the effect of impact velocity, number of impacts, particle size and impact angle on the breakage of materials with a wide range of properties and structures. The test materials involve polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) extrudates, ammonium nitrate prills, molecular sieve beadsl and three types of highly porous silica particles used as catalyst carriers (denoted as PS1, PS2 and PS3). The selection of the test materials combines their scientific merit with the current industrial interest. The hardness of PMMA is measured using indentation, while the fracture toughness is obtained from the literature. The effect of strain rate and test configuration on the value of fracture toughness, appropriate for the impact test conditions, is carefully considered. The hardness and fracture toughness of the PS3 beads are measured using indentation fracture. However, the mechanical characterisation of the ammonium nitrate prills, PS1 and PS2 particles is very difficult due to the roughness of the surface and/or the irregular shape of the particles. Observation of the impact event using high-speed recording techniques and examination of the morphology of the impact product using light and scanning electron microscopies are employed to identify the breakage pattern of the test materials as a function of impact velocity. Interpretation of the results is then carried out based on crack morphologies of indentation fracture and particle breakage, as described in the literature. The breakage 1 Only for qualitative work.
Single Unit and Population Analysis of Saccade-related Fastigial Nucleus Activity in the Alert Monkey

A remarkable role in saccade control is played by the cerebellar caudal fastigial nucleus, FN (fastigial oculomotor region, FOR), which lies under the cerebellar vermis. FOR bursting activity is related to many saccade properties, such as direction, amplitude and duration. The precise mechanism by which FOR bursting influences a saccade is under debate. It has been assumed on the basis of microelectrode recordings that saccade-related FOR neurones act without receiving information about the eye position. Similarly, discharge activity of P-cells in the oculomotor vermis does not reveal a prominent eye position-dependency. On the other hand, it is proposed that eye position supports saccadic control via at least some FOR neurones, as some authors found that a minority of FOR neurones do react to a change in horizontal eye position. Likewise, studies on saccade metrics in vermal oculomotor areas indicate that the effects of lesions or of electrical stimulations vary with the starting position of the eye. This suggests that these areas are involved in the neuronal compensation for non-linearities in orbital mechanics. In any case, it is generally agreed that there is a consistent difference in the timing of saccade-related bursts produced by FOR neurones, resulting in shorter latencies for contralateral than for ipsilateral saccades. This pattern of burst timing indicates that the bursts are associated with the beginning of contralateral saccades and with the end of ipsilateral ones. We have investigated (1) whether or not the initial eye position has an effect on bursts for ipsilateral and contralateral saccades, (2) if there is a difference between centripetal and centrifugal saccades, and (3) if FOR neurones influence acceleration and deceleration of a saccade and, if so, in what way. For this purpose, a 9-point horizontal starting position training paradigm was applied, using a 3x3 square grid spaced at 16° intervals. Based on observations on 75 saccade-related FOR neurones, our results permit the following conclusions. (1) Ipsilateral saccades clearly differ from contralateral ones. Individual neurone analysis as well as population burst analysis based on averaging the data across neurones, show that neither the vertical nor the horizontal component of the initial eye position substantially influences saccade-related bursting of the FOR neurone population. (2) Centripetal and centrifugal saccades do not differ as to FOR bursting. (3) Although most FOR neurones do not receive information about eye position, they seem to play a crucial role in acceleration and/or deceleration of saccades. Finally, as the discharge patterns of individual neurones are highly variable, with prominent differences in both latency and amplitude, we propose that modification of the relative contributions of individual FOR neurones to the total FOR neurone population response may provide a mechanism for the adaptive control of saccade metrics in the Rhesus monkey.