Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of septum as reference point in a neurophysiologic approach to facial expression recognition

Studies of basic facial expression recognition have always shown different recognition rates for different emotional expressions. Happiness and surprise detection easily exceed 90% recognition rates, while other basic emotions (i.e. sadness, anger, fear, and disgust) produce much lower rates. In this paper we present a simple approach for reducing this gap, increasing the recognition rates for the other four basic emotions, based on more closely analyzing the displacements of extracted facial landmarks. With the use of a reference point in all the image sequences that represent an emotional expression, calculations become more resistant to head movement errors, thereby reducing recognition errors. Also, emotions are expressed differently across time so, besides first and peak frames, we also analyze the frames one third and two thirds along each image sequence. Our results show great improvements in recognition, yielding total accuracies of 96.8%, and lowering the recognition gap between facial expressions.
The Dilemma of Service Productivity and Service Innovation

We conduct a systematic exploratory investigation of the effects of firms’ existing service productivity on the success of their new service innovations. Although previous research extensively addresses service productivity and service innovation, this is the first empirical study that bridges the gap between these two research streams and examines the links between the two concepts. Based on a comprehensive data set of new service introductions in a financial services market over a 14-year period, we empirically explore the relationship between a firm’s existing service productivity and the firm’s success in introducing new services to the market. The results unveil a fundamental service productivity-service innovation dilemma: Being productive in existing services increases a firm’s willingness to innovate new services proactively but decreases the firm’s capabilities of bringing these services to the market successfully. We provide specific insights into the mechanism underlying the complex relationship between a firm’s productivity in existing services, its innovation proactivity, and its service innovation success. For managers, we not only unpack and elucidate this dilemma but also demonstrate that a focused customer scope and growth market conditions may enable firms to mitigate the dilemma and successfully pursue service productivity and service innovation simultaneously.
Can owners and clinicians assess outcome in dogs with fragmented medial coronoid process?

Summary Objectives: To investigate the long term reliability of clinician and owner visual analogue score (VAS) for dogs with unilateral forelimb lameness attributable to fragmented medial coronoid process (FMCP) when compared to objective gait analysis. Methods: Nine dogs with unilateral thoracic limb lameness due to FMCP underwent inverse dynamics gait analysis at initial presentation, and at one, two, six and 12 months following diagnosis. Total support moments were calculated and a total support moment ratio (TSMR) derived as an objective assessment of thoracic limb asymmetry. A VAS questionnaire for lameness was completed by the owner of each dog for each visit. Video footage of each dog walking and trotting at each visit was compiled, assigned to random order and subjected to VAS for lameness by a specialist in small animal surgery. Data from owner and clinician VAS lameness questionnaires were compared to the thoracic limb TSMR. Results: Statistical analysis demonstrated a significant negative correlation between TSMR and owner VAS at four weeks post treatment but at no other period of evaluation. There was no significant correlation between TSMR and clinician VAS score at any evaluation period. Clinical Significance: Assessments by owner and clinicians using VAS appear to be of limited use as a long term outcome measure for dogs with unilateral lameness due to FMCP when compared to objective gait analysis. There is a tendency for owners to underestimate forelimb lameness with increasing time which is not supported by quantitative measures of gait.
Adherence therapy for people with schizophrenia

Background There is equivocal evidence of the effectiveness of adherence therapy in improving treatment adherence and clinical outcomes for people with schizophrenia. Aims To evaluate the effectiveness of adherence therapy in improving quality of life for people with schizophrenia. Method A 52-week, single-blind, multicentre randomised controlled trial of the effectiveness of adherence therapy. Participants were individually randomised to receive eight sessions of adherence therapy or health education. Assessments were undertaken at baseline and at 52-week follow-up. Results Adherence therapy was no more effective than health education in improving quality of life. Conclusions This effectiveness trial provides evidence for the lack of effect of adherence therapy in people with schizophrenia with recent clinical instability, treated in ordinary clinical settings.
Elementary subtraction.

Four experiments examined performance on the 100 "basic facts" of subtraction and found a discontinuous "stair step" function for reaction times and errors beginning with 11 - n facts. Participants' immediate retrospective reports of nonretrieval showed the same pattern in Experiment 3. The degree to which elementary subtraction depends on working memory (WM) was examined in a dual-task paradigm in Experiment 4. The reconstructive processing used with larger basic facts was strongly associated with greater WM disruption, as evidenced by errors in the secondary task: this was especially the case for participants with lower WM spans. The results support the R. S. Siegler and E. Jenkins (1989) distribution of associations model, although discriminating among the alternative solution processes appears to be a serious challenge.
The volleyball attack is the action winning most of the points during a game and attack

1 Purpose: The volleyball attack is the action winning the majority of points during a game and 2 attack effectiveness (AE) is therefore one of the most important predictors of victory. 3 Traditionally, greater vertical jump heights (VJH) and higher spike speeds (SS) have been 4 thought to increase AE, however relevant research is limited. Our aim was to assess the 5 relationship of VJH and SS with AE as well as identify possible associations of demographic 6 and anthropometric factors, including common volleyball injuries, with VJH, SS and AE. 7 Methods: Twenty two male volleyball players from two teams in the top division of the 8 Cypriot championship were included in the study. VJH was measured with the “jump-and9 reach” test, SS was tested with a sports speed radar and AE was calculated from performance 10 sheets of four games between the two teams. 11 Results: Significant results included strong, positive correlations between VJH and SS , %lean 12 mass and SS, body-bone% and SS, height and SS, and frequency of resistance training and SS. 13 AE was found to increase with increasing age, while SS over 90km·h appeared to have a 14 negative effect on AE. History of pain in the dominant shoulder and in the ankles/knees was 15 associated with lower SS and higher VJH respectively. 16 Conclusions: Based on our findings and the existing literature, we advise volleyball players 17 and coaches to focus on maximisation of VJH and optimisation of attack technique and we 18 provide recommendations to improve attack success. 19
Episodic Memory Encoding Interferes with Reward Learning and Decreases Striatal Prediction Errors

Learning is essential for adaptive decision making. The striatum and its dopaminergic inputs are known to support incremental reward-based learning, while the hippocampus is known to support encoding of single events (episodic memory). Although traditionally studied separately, in even simple experiences, these two types of learning are likely to co-occur and may interact. Here we sought to understand the nature of this interaction by examining how incremental reward learning is related to concurrent episodic memory encoding. During the experiment, human participants made choices between two options (colored squares), each associated with a drifting probability of reward, with the goal of earning as much money as possible. Incidental, trial-unique object pictures, unrelated to the choice, were overlaid on each option. The next day, participants were given a surprise memory test for these pictures. We found that better episodic memory was related to a decreased influence of recent reward experience on choice, both within and across participants. fMRI analyses further revealed that during learning the canonical striatal reward prediction error signal was significantly weaker when episodic memory was stronger. This decrease in reward prediction error signals in the striatum was associated with enhanced functional connectivity between the hippocampus and striatum at the time of choice. Our results suggest a mechanism by which memory encoding may compete for striatal processing and provide insight into how interactions between different forms of learning guide reward-based decision making.
Short-course postexposure antibiotic prophylaxis combined with vaccination protects against experimental inhalational anthrax

Prevention of inhalational anthrax after Bacillus anthracis spore exposure requires a prolonged course of antibiotic prophylaxis. In response to the 2001 anthrax attack in the United States, ≈10,000 people were offered 60 days of antibiotic prophylaxis to prevent inhalational anthrax, but adherence to this regimen was poor. We sought to determine whether a short course of antibiotic prophylaxis after exposure could protect non-human primates from a high-dose spore challenge if vaccination was combined with antibiotics. Two groups of 10 rhesus macaques were exposed to ≈1,600 LD50 of spores by aerosol. Both groups were given ciprofloxacin by orogastric tube twice daily for 14 days, beginning 1–2 h after exposure. One group also received three doses of the licensed human anthrax vaccine (anthrax vaccine adsorbed) after exposure. In the ciprofloxacin-only group, four of nine monkeys (44%) survived the challenge. In contrast, all 10 monkeys that received 14 days of antibiotic plus anthrax vaccine adsorbed survived (P = 0.011). Thus postexposure vaccination enhanced the protection afforded by 14 days of antibiotic prophylaxis alone and completely protected animals against inhalational anthrax. These data provide evidence that postexposure vaccination can shorten the duration of antibiotic prophylaxis required to protect against inhalational anthrax and may impact public health management of a bioterrorism event.
Who performs better when learning with business simulation games? a case study of a college general course in Taiwan

Previous studies on business simulation game (BSG) have concluded that performance may not be the primary benefits for using BSG since the results are mixed. This studies aims at understanding what kind of student profile may perform better in classroom learning with BSGs. A case study of 43 students in a general course in Taiwan indicates that knowledge and skill do matter, and participation and tacit learning preference contribute well to performance. However, auditory learning preference and high motivation students may not like BSG learning in classroom. More dimensions of variables are needed to increase the explaining power of the performance scores in regression analyses.
CD3 immunohistochemistry is helpful in the diagnosis of giant cell arteritis

Objective To evaluate whether CD3 staining performed routinely on temporal artery biopsy specimens might improve the sensitivity of temporal artery biopsy in patients with biopsy-negative GCA. Methods Two hundred and seventy biopsies were considered for this study, stained with haematoxylin and eosin and with an anti-CD3 antibody. Results The addition of CD3 staining modified the sensibility and the specificity of the histologic examination in 89.47 and 95.00%, respectively, with a positive and negative predictive values of 97.00 and 79.78% . Conclusion The addition of CD3 immunostaining to the classic histologic evaluation is accompanied by a significant increase in the sensibility with a comparable specificity.
Sex-specific interactions between the IRS1 polymorphism and intakes of carbohydrates and fat on incident type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND The minor T allele of rs2943641 near the gene encoding for insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS1) has been associated with decreased risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) and adiposity in genome-wide association studies. Dietary intake can influence the regulation of IRS1, and studies have indicated sex-specific associations between IRS1 and adiposity. OBJECTIVE The objective was to examine the interaction between IRS1 rs2943641 and macronutrient intakes on incident T2D and percentage body fat in the Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort. DESIGN The study included 15,227 women and 9614 men aged 45-74 y without prevalent diabetes. Dietary data were collected with a modified diet history method. During 12 y of follow-up, 1567 incident T2D cases were identified. RESULTS The T allele was associated with lower incidence of T2D (P-trend = 0.003) and, in men, with higher percentage body fat (P-trend = 0.00002). We observed 3-way interactions between sex, rs2943641, and carbohydrate intake (P = 0.01) as well as between sex, rs2943641, and fat intake (P = 0.01) on incident T2D. Among women, the T allele was associated with decreased risk only in the lower tertiles of carbohydrate intake (P-trend = 0.01, P-interaction = 0.01). In contrast, among men, the T allele was associated with decreased risk in the lowest tertile of fat intake (P-trend = 0.01, P-interaction = 0.02). No interaction was observed between macronutrient intakes and rs2943641 on percentage body fat. CONCLUSIONS Our results indicate that IRS1 rs2943641 interacts with carbohydrate and fat intakes on incident T2D in a sex-specific fashion. A protective association between the rs2943641 T allele and T2D was restricted to women with low carbohydrate intake and to men with low fat intake.
Experimental turbulence studies for gyro-kinetic code validation using advanced microwave diagnostics

For a comprehensive comparison with theoretical models and advanced numerical turbulence simulations, a large spectrum of fluctuation parameters was measured on the devices ASDEX Upgrade, TCV, and Tore-Supra. Radial profiles of scale-resolved turbulence levels in H-mode discharges are measured and compared with GENE simulations in the transition range from ion-temperature-gradient to trapped-electron-mode turbulence. Correlation reflectometry is used to study the microscopic structure of turbulence and GAMs in discharges where poloidal flow damping was varied by means of variations of the shape of the poloidal plasma cross-section and collisionality. Full-wave codes and synthetic diagnostics are applied for the interpretation of the data.
Comparison of Cochlear Microphonics Magnitude with Broad and Narrow Band Stimuli in Healthy Adult Wistar Rats

Objective Cochlear microphonic (CM) is a cochlear AC electric field, recorded within, around, and remote from its sources. Nowadays it can contribute to the differential diagnosis of different auditory pathologies such as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD). This study compared CM waveforms (CMWs) and amplitudes with broad and narrow band stimuli in 25 healthy male young adults Wistar rats. Materials & Methods This experimental study was accomplished in the School of Rehabilitation Sciences of Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran (April, 2016). Using an extratympanic technique in ECochG (Electrocochleography) recording, CMWs in response to click and tonal stimuli with different octave frequencies were recorded at a high intensity level in subjects. The CMW amplitudes were calculated by a graphical user interface (GUI) designed in MATLAB. Results The CMW magnitude increased upon an increase in bandwidth stimulation. CM amplitude with click stimulation was larger than tonal stimuli. Across tonal stimuli, the CMW amplitudes at lower frequency tones were larger than those at higher frequency tones. Those findings were statistically significant (P<0.001). Conclusion CMW amplitude with click as broadband stimulus was larger than those with tone bursts as narrowband stimulation. Click stimulation due to the width of spectral involves greater regions of cochlear partition. Therefore, CMW most likely is a reflection of spatial summation of voltage drops generated by hair cell groups in response to acoustic stimulation. In order to production nature of CM potentials as well as their very small magnitudes especially with tonal stimuli, thus, we recommend using click stimulation for CM potential recording.
EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES FROM MEMORY PALACES TO SPACING ALGORITHMS: APPROACHES TO SECOND-LANGUAGE VOCABULARY LEARNING

Robert Godwin-Jones Virginia Commonwealth University An essential element of language learning is building one’s personal store of words and expressions, a necessary component to improving competency in all areas of communication. In classroom settings, introductory textbooks provide a controlled set of new vocabulary items unit by unit, usually introduced first in dialogs and then gathered together in a list at the end of the chapter. While teachers urge students to learn new words in context, through dialogs or reading, many ignore the advice and focus on learning from lists, one column in the target language (L2), the other in the student’s native language (L1). Flash cards continue to be a popular method of working with vocabulary, typically with the L2 and L1 on opposite sides. Today electronic texts and dedicated software programs provide considerable help in increasing vocabulary through reading (or listening) and in learning a targeted set of words or expressions. Glosses in L1 or L2 are often available, as may be multimedia annotations in the form of graphics, audio, or even video clips. Links to electronic dictionaries or to other on-line resources are also common. There has been considerable experimentation on the part of CALL (computer assisted language learning) practitioners with different kinds and combinations of glosses and other comprehension and vocabulary study aids. While many studies have analyzed the results of these projects, there has been less attention paid to programs which are dedicated, not to incidental vocabulary learning through reading, but to the intentional study of sets of vocabulary. This is an area of SLA (second language acquisition) that has been out of fashion, as the sense of rote learning it evokes is out of step with the model of communicative language learning, fostering as it does the idea of language as something mechanical and fixed. Yet, in this area, some interesting and innovative work is being done which goes well beyond simplistic electronic flash cards. In fact, integrating sophisticated tools for dedicated vocabulary study into on-line environments for language learning offers an important resource for serious, long-term language learning.
Preventable deaths due to problems in care in English acute hospitals: a retrospective case record review study

Introduction Monitoring hospital mortality rates is widely recommended. However, the number of preventable deaths remains uncertain with estimates in England ranging from 840 to 40 000 per year, these being derived from studies that identified adverse events but not whether events contributed to death or shortened life expectancy of those affected. Methods Retrospective case record reviews of 1000 adults who died in 2009 in 10 acute hospitals in England were undertaken. Trained physician reviewers estimated life expectancy on admission, to identified problems in care contributing to death and judged if deaths were preventable taking into account patients' overall condition at that time. Results Reviewers judged 5.2% (95% CI 3.8% to 6.6%) of deaths as having a 50% or greater chance of being preventable. The principal problems associated with preventable deaths were poor clinical monitoring (31.3%; 95% CI 23.9 to 39.7), diagnostic errors (29.7%; 95% CI 22.5% to 38.1%), and inadequate drug or fluid management (21.1%; 95% CI 14.9 to 29.0). Extrapolating from these figures suggests there would have been 11 859 (95% CI 8712 to 14 983) adult preventable deaths in hospitals in England. Most preventable deaths (60%) occurred in elderly, frail patients with multiple comorbidities judged to have had less than 1 year of life left to live. Conclusions The incidence of preventable hospital deaths is much lower than previous estimates. The burden of harm from preventable problems in care is still substantial. A focus on deaths may not be the most efficient approach to identify opportunities for improvement given the low proportion of deaths due to problems with healthcare.
Adaptive Repetitive Control Design With Online Secondary Path Modeling and Application to Bit-Patterned Media Recording

This paper presents an adaptive repetitive controller for active tracking (rejecting) of unknown periodic trajectories (disturbances). The proposed control law is based on a modified filtered-x least mean squares (MFX-LMS) algorithm with a novel variable step size that improves the convergence rate and fades the steady state excess error in a stochastic environment. A novel secondary path modeling scheme is also proposed to adaptively compensate for the dynamic mismatches between the internal model of the MFX-LMS and the real dynamic system in an online fashion. We further discuss the application of this adaptive controller in servo mechanisms for hard disk drives (HDDs) that use bit patterned media recording in which full spectrum tracking of a periodic trajectory is crucial. Finally, comprehensive numerical simulations and experimental implementations are presented for an HDD servo system that is subjected to periodic disturbances known as repeatable run-out.
Haemodialysis or haemodiafiltration: that is the question

Despite the technological and pharmacological advancements in the last 30 years, morbidity and mortality of dialysis patients are still astonishingly high. Today, convective treatments, such as high-flux haemodialysis (hf-HD) and haemodiafiltration (HDF), are established techniques; the online production of fresh pure dialysate has provided clinical and economic advantages. Nevertheless, the actual benefits of HDF, even with high-convective-volume treatments, are still debatable. Three recent, randomized controlled trials compared survival outcomes in prevalent patients receiving conventional HD or post-dilution HDF and reported conflicting results. The meta-analyses of the published trials were ultimately incapable of providing a clear and definitive answer on the possible beneficial effects of choosing one treatment over the other. All-cause mortality, anaemia, phosphate control and clearance of small molecules seemed to be unaffected by the treatment modality. On the other hand, cardiovascular mortality, intradialytic vascular stability and the clearance of protein-bound molecules fared better in patients treated with HDF. These results were not consistent between the studies. Thus, there is still no conclusive answer to the question that nephrologists would like to have answered: 'Which is the best treatment for my patient? ' In the age of evidence-based medicine, we need strong data to support the superiority of a treatment in comparison with another, although theoretically plausible. There is the need for a well-designed clinical trial comparing outcomes for patients randomly assigned to high- or moderate-convection-volume HDF versus hf-HD to clearly prove the clinical superiority of HDF, including the effect of different infusion volumes.