Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The effect of data reduction by independent component analysis and principal component analysis in hand motion identification

Both independent component analysis (ICA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were used in this study to evaluate their effects in data reduction in the hand motion identification using surface electromyogram (SEMG) and stationary wavelet transformation. The results indicate that both methods increase the number of training epochs of the artificial neural network. The unsupervised fast ICA reduces the number of SEMG channels from 7 to 4. However the hand motion identification rate using the reduced channels is significantly lower (p < 0.05). On the other hand, the PCA reduces the size of neural network by more than 70%. Moreover, the results of discrimination rate and neural network training epochs show no significant difference as compared to the results before PCA reduction. The result of this study demonstrates that using wavelet and PCA are effective pre-processing for surface EMG analysis. It can efficiently reduce the size of neural network and increase the discrimination rate for different hand motions.
Primary hyperparathyroidism and celiac disease: a population-based cohort study.

CONTEXT Celiac disease (CD) has been linked to several endocrine disorders, including type 1 diabetes and thyroid disorders, but little is known regarding its association to primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT). OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to examine the risk of PHPT in patients with CD. DESIGN AND SETTING We conducted a two-group exposure-matched nonconcurrent cohort study in Sweden. A Cox regression model estimated hazard ratios (HR) for PHPT. PARTICIPANTS We identified 17,121 adult patients with CD who were diagnosed through biopsy reports (Marsh 3, villous atrophy) from all 28 pathology departments in Sweden. Biopsies were performed in 1969-2008, and biopsy report data were collected in 2006-2008. Statistics Sweden then identified 85,166 reference individuals matched with the CD patients for age, sex, calendar period, and county. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE PHPT was measured according to the Swedish national registers on inpatient care, outpatient care, day surgery, and cancer. RESULTS During follow-up, 68 patients with CD and 172 reference individuals developed PHPT (HR=1.91; 95% confidence interval=1.44-2.52). The absolute risk of PHPT was 42/100,000 person-years with an excess risk of 20/100,000 person-years. The risk increase for PHPT only occurred in the first 5 yr of follow-up; after that, HR were close to 1 (HR=1.07; 95% confidence interval=0.70-1.66). CONCLUSIONS CD patients are at increased risk of PHPT, but the absolute risk is small, and the excess risk disappeared after more than 5 yr of follow-up.
Hyperglycemic Ins2AkitaLdlr−/− mice show severely elevated lipid levels and increased atherosclerosis: a model of type 1 diabetic macrovascular disease[S]

Accelerated atherosclerosis is the leading cause of death in type 1 diabetes, but the mechanism of type 1 diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis is not well understood, in part due to the lack of a good animal model for the long-term studies required. In an attempt to create a model for studying diabetic macrovascular disease, we have generated type 1 diabetic Akita mice lacking the low density lipoprotein receptor (Ins2AkitaLdlr−/−). Ins2AkitaLdlr−/− mice were severely hyperglycemic with impaired glucose tolerance. Compared with Ldlr−/− mice, 20-week-old Ins2AkitaLdlr−/− mice fed a 0.02% cholesterol AIN76a diet showed increased plasma triglyceride and cholesterol levels, and increased aortic root cross-sectional atherosclerotic lesion area [224% (P < 0.001) in males and 30% (P < 0.05) in females]. Microarray and quantitative PCR analyses of livers from Ins2AkitaLdlr−/− mice revealed altered expression of lipid homeostatic genes, including sterol-regulatory element binding protein (Srebp)1, liver X receptor (Lxr)α, Abca1, Cyp7b1, Cyp27a1, and Lpl, along with increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokine genes, including interleukin (Il)1α, Il1β, Il2, tumor necrosis factor (Tnf)α, and Mcp1. Immunofluorescence staining showed that the expression levels of Mcp1, Tnfα, and Il1β were also increased in the atherosclerotic lesions and artery walls of Ins2AkitaLdlr−/− mice. Thus, the Ins2AkitaLdlr−/− mouse appears to be a promising model for mechanistic studies of type 1 diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis.
Immediate and short-term effects of in-office desensitizing treatments for dentinal tubule occlusion.

OBJECTIVE The objective of this in vitro study was to evaluate the immediate and short-term effects of laser neodymium-doped yttrium aluminum garnet (Nd:YAG) irradiation and in-office desensitizing treatment on dentin tubule occlusion. BACKGROUND DATA Literature shows a lack of long-lasting treatments for dentin hypersensitivity. METHODS Forty-eight dentin slabs (4×4×2 mm) were ground flat, polished, and treated with 27% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) to open the dentinal tubules. Specimens were randomly divided into the following experimental groups (n=12): Group 1: Control (no treatment); Group 2: Nd:YAG laser irradiation (100 mJ, 85 J/cm(2) per pulse with a quartz fiber of 400 μm, in scanning movements); Group 3: In-office prophylaxis with pumice; Group 4: In-office Colgate Sensitive Pro-Relief™ Desensitizing Paste. Treatments were performed according to the manufacturer's instructions. After treatment, the specimens were submitted to a sequence of erosive and abrasive challenges, twice a day for 5 days. The specimens were qualitatively and quantitatively evaluated by scanning electron microscopy immediately after treatment and after 4 and 5 days. The response variable was the amount of occluded dentin tubules per area, determined by three different examiners with the use of visual criteria, with a standardized grade created in the PowerPoint program. Data were compared with ANOVA and Tukey's test, considering a 5% significance level. RESULTS Immediately after treatment, a reduction in the number of opened dentin tubules was observed for the laser group when compared with the control group (p<0.05). After the experimental procedures, there were no quantitative differences between the amount of opened dentin tubules for all groups; however, micrographs showed some qualitative tubule occlusion for the laser group after the erosive/abrasive challenge. CONCLUSIONS only laser irradiation was capable of immediately sealing the dentinal tubules; however, none of the treatments showed efficacy in maintaining tubule occlusion after the chemical and mechanical challenges.
Robust distributed network localization with noisy range measurements

This paper describes a distributed, linear-time algorithm for localizing sensor network nodes in the presence of range measurement noise and demonstrates the algorithm on a physical network. We introduce the probabilistic notion of robust quadrilaterals as a way to avoid flip ambiguities that otherwise corrupt localization computations. We formulate the localization problem as a two-dimensional graph realization problem: given a planar graph with approximately known edge lengths, recover the Euclidean position of each vertex up to a global rotation and translation. This formulation is applicable to the localization of sensor networks in which each node can estimate the distance to each of its neighbors, but no absolute position reference such as GPS or fixed anchor nodes is available. We implemented the algorithm on a physical sensor network and empirically assessed its accuracy and performance. Also, in simulation, we demonstrate that the algorithm scales to large networks and handles real-world deployment geometries. Finally, we show how the algorithm supports localization of mobile nodes.
The Minimum Anesthetic Concentration of Isoflurane in Children

The minimum anesthetic concentration (MAC) of isoflurane was determined in five pediatric age groups. MAC was 1.6% in infants 0–1 month of age, 1.87% in those 1–6 months of age, 1.8% in those 6–12 months of age, 1.6% in those 1–3 yr of age, and 1.6% in children 3–5 yr of age. MAC in neonates was less than predicted.
Cardiac Autoantibodies to Myosin and Other Heart-specific Autoantigens in Myocarditis and Dilated Cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by dilation and impaired contraction of the left ventricle or both; it is a relevant cause of heart failure and a common indication for heart transplantation. It may be idiopathic, familial/genetic, viral, autoimmune or immune-mediated, associated with a viral infection. Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium; it may be idiopathic, infectious or autoimmune and may heal or lead to DCM. Thus, in a patient subset, myocarditis and DCM are thought to represent the acute and chronic stages of an organ-specific autoimmune disease of the myocardium. In keeping with this hypothesis, autoimmune features in patients with myocarditis/DCM include: familial aggregation, a weak association with HLA-DR4, abnormal expression of HLA class II on cardiac endothelium on endomyocardial biopsy, detection of organ-and disease-specific cardiac autoantibodies in the sera of affected patients and of symptom-free relatives. The organ-specific cardiac autoantibodies detected by immunofluorescence are directed against multiple antigens. One of these, first identified using immunoblotting and confirmed by ELISA, is the cardiac-specific α-myosin isoform. Myosin fulfils the expected criteria for organ-specific autoimmunity, in that immunization with cardiac but not skeletal myosin reproduces, in susceptible mouse strains, the human disease phenotype of myocarditis/DCM; in addition, a-myosin is entirely cardiac-specific. The organ-specific cardiac autoantibodies detected by immunofluorescence in symptom-free relatives were associated with echocardiographic features suggestive of early disease. Short-term follow-up is in keeping with this interpretation, although extended follow-up is necessary to define better the role of the antibody as predictor of disease susceptibility in healthy subjects at risk of myocarditis/DCM, such as first-degree relatives.
The Horseshoe Estimator: Posterior Concentration around Nearly Black Vectors

We consider the horseshoe estimator due to Carvalho, Polson and Scott (2010) for the multivariate normal mean model in the situation that the mean vector is sparse in the nearly black sense. We assume the frequentist framework where the data is generated according to a fixed mean vector. We show that if the number of nonzero parameters of the mean vector is known, the horseshoe estimator attains the minimax $\ell_2$ risk, possibly up to a multiplicative constant. We provide conditions under which the horseshoe estimator combined with an empirical Bayes estimate of the number of nonzero means still yields the minimax risk. We furthermore prove an upper bound on the rate of contraction of the posterior distribution around the horseshoe estimator, and a lower bound on the posterior variance. These bounds indicate that the posterior distribution of the horseshoe prior may be more informative than that of other one-component priors, including the Lasso.
Compressive Sampling

Conventional wisdom and common practice in acquisition and reconstruction of images from frequency data follow the basic principle of the Nyquist density sampling theory. This principle states that to reconstruct an image, the number of Fourier samples we need to acquire must match the desired resolution of the image, i.e. the number of pixels in the image. This paper surveys an emerging theory which goes by the name of " compressive sampling " or " compressed sensing, " and which says that this conventional wisdom is inaccurate. Perhaps surprisingly, it is possible to reconstruct images or signals of scientific interest accurately and sometimes even exactly from a number of samples which is far smaller than the desired resolution of the image/signal, e.g. the number of pixels in the image. It is believed that compressive sampling has far reaching implications. For example, it suggests the possibility of new data acquisition protocols that translate analog information into digital form with fewer sensors than what was considered necessary. This new sampling theory may come to underlie procedures for sampling and compressing data simultaneously. In this short survey, we provide some of the key mathematical insights underlying this new theory, and explain some of the interactions between compressive sampling and other fields such as statistics, information theory, coding theory, and theoretical computer science.
3D electron microscopy investigations of human dentin and ion beam irradiation effect on biocompatible anatase TiO2 using focused ion beam based techniques

The essence of this study, in addition to the three dimensional image reconstruction of human dentin microstructure in micro and nano size; involves irradiation effects and modification of anatase TiO2 surface by gallium focused ion beam, the various properties of modified surface were investigated by means of Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Raman spectroscopy and Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS). The aforementioned procedures can successfully be carried out using a dual-beam system consisting of highresolution scanning electron microscope (HR-SEM), focused ion beam (FIB) columns, attachments such as gas injection systems (GIS), and detectors for elemental analysis (EDS). However, the ion beam irradiation causes some artifacts along with other beneficial modifications on material’s surface especially on biocompatible materials such as TiO2. Therefore, in this study we considered the limitations as well as the advantages of using focused ion beam for nanostructuring, ion implantation etc. In the first part of this study, high-resolution electron microscopy techniques, such as Focused Ion Beam (FIB), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and High Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (HRTEM) revealed micro and nano features within human dentin with high definition and accuracy. The samples were prepared using FIB based advanced nanostructuring processes in a dual-beam instrument. The related secondary electron (SE) image tomographs were acquired by means of stacking the images from FIB slice-series for monitoring micro-sized dentinal tubules, whereas FIBstructured pin-like samples were investigated at the TEM to observe the collagen fibrils at the nanoscale. The complementary analysis helped to reveal the microstructure and morphology of human dentin in three dimensions in detail. In the second part of the study, surface morphology and microstructural evolution upon low energy ion irradiation of anatase TiO2 were investigated by in situ focused Ga+ ion beam/scanning electron microscopy. A surface roughening through pore formation, coalescence and eventually nanoneedle formation were induced on TiO2 surface. The mechanism of nanoneedle formation was investigated. In addition, Raman spectroscopy and EDS analysis of irradiated surface revealed the gallium implantation during direct milling. Gas assisted etching was investigated in this study in order to reveal the enhancement of surface milling in presence of assisting gas.
Evaluating the influence of different aspects of habitat fragmentation on mating patterns and pollen dispersal in the bird‐pollinated Banksia sphaerocarpa var. caesia

Habitat fragmentation can significantly affect mating and pollen dispersal patterns in plant populations, although the differential effects of the various aspects of fragmentation are poorly understood. In this study, we used eight microsatellite loci to investigate the effect of fragmentation on the mating system and pollen dispersal within one large and eight small population remnants of Banksia sphaerocarpa var. caesia, a bird‐pollinated shrub in the southern agricultural region of Western Australia. The large population had a much larger neighbourhood size and lower selfing rate, maternal pollen pool differentiation and within‐plot mean pollen dispersal distance than the small populations. Outcrossing was consistently high and ranged from 85.7% ± 2.6 to 98.5% ± 0.9, and mating patterns suggested nearest‐neighbour pollination. Pollen immigration into small populations ranged from 2.8% ± 1.8 to 16.5% ± 3.2. Using the small populations, we tested for correlations between various fragmentation variables and mating system and pollen dispersal parameters. We found significant negative linear relationships between population isolation and outcrossing rate; population shape and neighbourhood size; and conspecific density and mean pollen dispersal distance. There were significant positive linear relationships between population shape and pollen pool differentiation and between population size and number of different fathers per seed crop. Our results suggest that birds may use a series of fragmented populations as a vegetation corridor while foraging across the landscape and that population connectivity is a critical determinant of pollinator visitation. Our results also suggest that the effect of a linear population shape on the mating system and pollen dispersal is routinely underestimated.
Role of GABAergic neurones in the nucleus tractus solitarii in modulation of cardiovascular activity

GABAergic neurones are interspersed throughout the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS), and their tonic activity is crucial to the maintenance of cardiorespiratory homeostasis. However, the mechanisms that regulate the magnitiude of GABAergic inhibition in the NTS remain unknown. We hypothesized that the level of GABAergic inhibition is proportionally regulated by the level of excitatory synaptic input to the NTS from baroreceptors. Using the in situ working heart–brainstem preparation in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats, we blocked GABAA receptor‐mediated neurotransmission in the NTS with gabazine (a specific GABAA receptor antagonist) at two levels of perfusion pressure (low PP, 60–70 mmHg; and high PP, 105–125 mmHg) while monitoring the immediate changes in cardiorespiratory variables. In normotensive rats, gabazine produced an immediate bradycardia consistent with disinhibition of NTS circuit neurones that regulate heart rate (HR) which was proportional to the level of arterial pressure (ΔHR at low PP, −57 ± 9 beats min−1; at high PP, −177 ± 9 beats min−1; P < 0.001), suggesting that GABAergic circuitry in the NTS modulating heart rate was arterial pressure dependent. In contrast, there was no significant difference in the magnitude of gabazine‐induced bradycardia in spontaneously hypertensive rats at low or high PP (ΔHR at low PP, −45 ± 10 beats min−1; at high PP, −58 ± 7 beats min−1). With regard to thoracic sympathetic nerve activity (tSNA), at high PP there was a significant reduction in tSNA during the inspiratory (I) phase of the respiratory cycle, but only in the normotensive rat (Δ∫tSNA =−18.7 ± 10%). At low PP, gabazine caused an elevation of the postinspiration phase of tSNA in both normotensive (Δ∫tSNA = 23.7 ± 2.9%) and hypertensive rats (Δ∫tSNA = 44.2 ± 14%). At low PP, gabazine produced no change in tSNA during the mid‐expiration phase in either rat strain, but at high PP we observed a significant reduction in the mid‐expiration phase tSNA, but only in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (Δ∫tSNA =−25.2 ± 8%). Gabazine at both low and high PP produced a reduction in the late expiration phase of tSNA in the hypertensive rat (low PP, Δ∫tSNA =−29.4 ± 4.4%; high PP, ΔtSNA =−22.8 ± 3%), whereas in the normotensive rat this was only significant at high PP (Δ∫tSNA =−42.5 ± 6.1%). Therefore, in the spontaneously hypertensive rat, contrary to the GABAA receptor‐mediated control of HR, it appears that GABAA receptor‐mediated control of tSNA in the NTS is arterial pressure dependent. This study provides new insight into the origin of GABAergic inhibition in NTS circuitry affecting heart rate and sympathetic activity.
Preparation of bulk‐nanostructured UO2 pellets using high‐pressure spark plasma sintering for LWR fuel safety assessment

Nuclear fuel undergoes a significant restructuration during its lifetime in the nuclear reactor. Especially at the rim of the pellet, large UO2 grains disintegrate into a nanosized material. In this paper, we focus on the preparation of bulk UO2 with grain sizes below 100 nm to investigate the physico-chemical properties of this so-called “high burn up structure” (HBS). Preparation of bulk nanocrystalline materials is a challenge that can be overcome using the high-pressure spark plasma sintering (HP SPS) technique. In-house developed HP SPS with 500 MPa applied pressure was used for compaction of 11 nm UO2 powder obtained by oxalate conversion. The procedure yielded dense (>90%) compacts with grain size as low as 34 nm for samples sintered at 800°C.
Application of Fuzzy Logic for Reactive Power Compensation of Radial Distribution Feeders

A new algorithm determines the exact optimal solution for capacitor allocation in radial distribution feeders. Results of previous work using fuzzy and heuristic strategies, on this feeder, are compared with the exact reference solution. The effect of varying some parameters in the membership functions to get better results is discussed. Also, the effect of selection of parameters that should be used in the fuzzy modeling is investigated. The advantages of the fuzzy and heuristic methods presented are combined in a new fuzzy-heuristic idea. This combined technique is verified, by the application to test feeders, to give better results. Different fuzzy decision-making forms are applied to the fuzzy modeling problem. A recommendation is made for the most efficient way to get a solution equal or very close to the optimal.
Enhanced e-Learning Experience by Pushing the Limits of Semantic Web Technologies

We investigate a novel approach to e-Learning using Semantic Web technologies and aiming to optimise the learners' experience incorporating pedagogical strategies into the learning process. The increasing availability of Semantic Web based educational resources and the establishment of open metadata standards like IEEE LOM pave the way for enhanced e-Learning systems that support personalised learning based on a reasoning framework and formal ontologies. We use ontologies to describe learning objects and the learner state, and define pedagogical recommendation axioms that specify which learning objects are best suited for a particular learner in a specific situation. Recent pedagogical findings suggest that the individual learning can be optimised by means of guidance through learning pathways, i. e. , a particular order in which learning objects have to be studied. To this end, we offer an OWL model for learning pathways as structured sequences. We show the strengths and limits of OWL and propose a solution to overcome problems such as handling of soft constraints and ranking of result sets. The calculation for ranking is based on individual weights for specific contextual as well as learner profile features and considers the degree of match between learning objects and learner's needs. The validity of our approach is shown by means of real-life course material, i.e. a complete course on the Philosophy of Didactics, implemented as a prototype system and interfaced to variouss standard Learning Management Systems.
Who really wants to be a millionaire? Estimates of risk aversion from gameshow data

This paper analyses the behaviour of contestants in one of the most popular TV gameshows ever to estimate risk aversion. This gameshow has a number of features that makes it well suited for our analysis: the format is extremely straightforward, it involves no strategic decision-making, we have a large number of observations, and the prizes are cash and paid immediately, and cover a large range – from £100 up to £1 million. Our data sources have the virtue that we are able to check the representativeness of the gameshow participants. Even though the CRRA model is extremely restrictive we find that a coefficient or relative risk aversion which is close to unity fits the data across a wide range of wealth remarkably well.