Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Upper Limb Kinematics in Stroke and Healthy Controls Using Target-to-Target Task in Virtual Reality

Background Kinematic analysis using virtual reality (VR) environment provides quantitative assessment of upper limb movements. This technique has rarely been used in evaluating motor function in stroke despite its availability in stroke rehabilitation. Objective To determine the discriminative validity of VR-based kinematics during target-to-target pointing task in individuals with mild or moderate arm impairment following stroke and in healthy controls. Methods Sixty-seven participants with moderate (32–57 points) or mild (58–65 points) stroke impairment as assessed with Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity were included from the Stroke Arm Longitudinal study at the University of Gothenburg—SALGOT cohort of non-selected individuals within the first year of stroke. The stroke groups and 43 healthy controls performed the target-to-target pointing task, where 32 circular targets appear one after the other and disappear when pointed at by the haptic handheld stylus in a three-dimensional VR environment. The kinematic parameters captured by the stylus included movement time, velocities, and smoothness of movement. Results The movement time, mean velocity, and peak velocity were discriminative between groups with moderate and mild stroke impairment and healthy controls. The movement time was longer and mean and peak velocity were lower for individuals with stroke. The number of velocity peaks, representing smoothness, was also discriminative and significantly higher in both stroke groups (mild, moderate) compared to controls. Movement trajectories in stroke more frequently showed clustering (spider’s web) close to the target indicating deficits in movement precision. Conclusion The target-to-target pointing task can provide valuable and specific information about sensorimotor impairment of the upper limb following stroke that might not be captured using traditional clinical scale. Trial registration details The trial was registered with register number NCT01115348 at clinicaltrials.gov, on May 4, 2010. URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01115348.
[The Effects of a Health Mentoring Program in Community-dwelling Vulnerable Elderly Individuals with Diabetes].

PURPOSE This study aimed to estimate the effects of a health mentoring program on fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, triglyceride, physical activity, self care behavior and social support changes among community-dwelling vulnerable elderly individuals with diabetes. METHODS A non-equivalent control group pre-post-test design was used. Participants were 70 community-dwelling vulnerable elderly individuals with diabetes. They were assigned to the experimental (n=30) or comparative (n=30) or control group (n=28). The experimental group participated in the health mentoring program, while the comparative group participated in health education program, the control group did not participate in any program. Data analyses involved a chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, a generalized linear model, and the Bonferroni correction, using SPSS 23.0. RESULTS Compared to the control group, the experimental and comparative groups showed a significant decrease in fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, and triglyceride. Compared to the comparative and control groups, the experimental group showed significant improvement in self care behavior. However, there were no statistical differences in physical activity or social support among the three groups. CONCLUSION These findings indicate that the health mentoring program is an effective intervention for community-dwelling vulnerable elderly individuals with diabetes. This program can be used as an efficient strategy for diabetes self-management within this population.
Histopathologic Changes in the Lacrimal Sac of Dacryocystorhinostomy Patients With and Without Silicone Intubation

Purpose: To evaluate the histopathologic impact of dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) and silicone intubation on the lacrimal sac. Methods: Biopsy materials were taken from the sac wall and fixed (primary biopsy) in 224 patients undergoing DCR between 1995 and 2003 in our institution. A total of 23 patients underwent a second operation as the result of restenosis, and a secondary biopsy specimen was taken from the sac wall. During the initial operation, DCR and silicone intubation were combined in 13 patients (group 1), and only DCR without silicone intubation was performed in 10% patients (group 2). The histopathologic findings of the primary and secondary biopsy specimens were compared in these 23 recurrent cases. In addition, the secondary biopsy findings in the intubation and nonintubation groups were compared to determine the possible effects of the silicone intubation on the sac mucosa. Results: Endonasal examination of restenosis cases revealed macroscopic cicatrization. One of the cases with silicone intubation had pyogenic granuloma and two had polypoid granulation tissue at the site of anastomosis. Inflammatory polypoid development at the site of anastomosis was also observed in one case without intubation. The primary biopsy specimens of those 23 patients undergoing a second operation revealed the following findings: chronic inflammatory changes, mild fibrosis, focal ulceration in the epithelium, and a decrease in the number of goblet cells. In the secondary biopsy specimens, 2 patients in group 1 had polypoid granulation tissue, 1 patient had pyogenic granuloma, and 3 patients had exudate reflecting acute inflammation. In group 2, granulation tissue was observed in 1 case, and 2 patients had acute inflammation. There were no differences in the primary and secondary biopsy specimens of the two groups with respect to chronic inflammatory changes, focal ulceration, and the number of goblet cells (p = 0.31; 0.31, 0.65). A marked increase in fibrosis was observed in the secondary biopsy specimens of all cases (p < 0.0001). There were no significant differences between the intubation and the nonintubation groups in terms of secondary biopsy specimens (p > 0.05). Conclusions: The marked increase in the intensity of fibrosis observed in the secondary biopsy specimens of all cases was the result of the tissue repair reaction against surgical manipulation rather than the effect of the silicone tube.
Design of a rotating disk reactor to assess the colonization of biofilms by free-living amoebae under high shear rates

Abstract The present study was aimed at designing and optimizing a rotating disk reactor simulating high hydrodynamic shear rates (γ), which are representative of cooling circuits. The characteristics of the hydrodynamic conditions in the reactor and the complex approach used to engineer it are described. A 60 l tank was filled with freshwater containing free-living amoebae (FLA) and bacteria. Adhesion of the bacteria and formation of a biofilm on the stainless steel coupons were observed. FLA were able to establish in these biofilms under γ as high as 85,000 s−1. Several physical mechanisms (convection, diffusion, sedimentation) could explain the accumulation of amoeboid cells on surfaces, but further research is required to fully understand and model the fine mechanisms governing such transport under γ similar to those encountered in the industrial environment. This technological advance may enable research into these topics.
Effects of active learning classrooms on student learning: a two-year empirical investigation on student perceptions and academic performance

ABSTRACT Recent studies on active learning classrooms (ACLs) have demonstrated their positive influence on student learning. However, most of the research evidence is derived from a few subject-specific courses or limited student enrolment. Empirical studies on this topic involving large student populations are rare. The present work involved a large-scale two-year study that examined the effects of ACL on student perceptions of their learning experience and the relationship with academic performance in a General Education programme. An institutional survey was used to gather more than 35,000 units of student perception data from all 306 courses in the programme. Our empirical findings show that students thought courses that adopted an ACL as the key learning environment were significantly better designed and more encouraging of student creativity and innovation than courses which used regular classrooms; thus, student perceptions were improved. We are also the first to report that this positive effect on creativity and innovation is statistically unaffected by academic performance, with high, middle and low achievers all benefiting from the use of the facility. The results suggest that ACLs are better environments for nurturing innovation for all students, regardless of their academic ability.
Natural variability of phytoplanktonic absorption in oceanic waters: Influence of the size structure of algal populations

[1] The spectral absorption coefficients of phytoplankton in oceanic waters were previously shown to vary with chlorophyll a concentration according to nonlinear relationships with a great deal of noise. We analyzed this biological noise on a data set of 596 simultaneous absorption and high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) pigment measurements acquired within the surface layer (first optical depth) from various regions of the world's oceans. We observed systematic deviations from the average relationships for some oceanic areas and also seasonally within given areas. Using the detailed HPLC measurements, the influences of pigment composition and package effect (the two main sources of variability in algal absorption for a given chlorophyll a concentration) were explicitly separated for each sample. It was found that while the pigment composition experiences large variations, even within a restricted chlorophyll range, it is often not (at least within the first optical depth) the dominant source of the biological noise. Instead, these deviations mostly result from variability in the pigment packaging effect (for a given chlorophyll a concentration) due to variations in algal community size structure. This conclusion is fully confirmed by an independent approach, which consists of estimating a “size index” of algal populations from the relative concentrations of taxonomic pigments.
Evolving mario levels in the latent space of a deep convolutional generative adversarial network

Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs) are a machine learning approach capable of generating novel example outputs across a space of provided training examples. Procedural Content Generation (PCG) of levels for video games could benefit from such models, especially for games where there is a pre-existing corpus of levels to emulate. This paper trains a GAN to generate levels for Super Mario Bros using a level from the Video Game Level Corpus. The approach successfully generates a variety of levels similar to one in the original corpus, but is further improved by application of the Covariance Matrix Adaptation Evolution Strategy (CMA-ES). Specifically, various fitness functions are used to discover levels within the latent space of the GAN that maximize desired properties. Simple static properties are optimized, such as a given distribution of tile types. Additionally, the champion A* agent from the 2009 Mario AI competition is used to assess whether a level is playable, and how many jumping actions are required to beat it. These fitness functions allow for the discovery of levels that exist within the space of examples designed by experts, and also guide the search towards levels that fulfill one or more specified objectives.
Multiple Antibiotic Resistance in Arabidopsis Is Conferred by Mutations in a Chloroplast-Localized Transport Protein[C][W][OA]

Widespread antibiotic resistance is a major public health concern, and plants represent an emerging antibiotic exposure route. Recent studies indicate that crop plants fertilized with antibiotic-laden animal manure accumulate antibiotics; however, the molecular mechanisms of antibiotic entry and subcellular partitioning within plant cells remain unknown. Here, we report that mutations in the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) locus Multiple Antibiotic Resistance1 (MAR1) confer resistance, while MAR1 overexpression causes hypersensitivity to multiple aminoglycoside antibiotics. Additionally, yeast expressing MAR1 are hypersensitive to the aminoglycoside G418. MAR1 encodes a protein with 11 putative transmembrane domains with low similarity to ferroportin1 from Danio rerio. A MAR1:yellow fluorescent protein fusion localizes to the chloroplast, and chloroplasts from plants overexpressing MAR1 accumulate more of the aminoglycoside gentamicin, while mar1-1 mutant chloroplasts accumulate less than the wild type. MAR1 overexpression lines are slightly chlorotic, and chlorosis is rescued by exogenous iron. MAR1 expression is also down-regulated by low iron. These data suggest that MAR1 is a plastid transporter that is likely to be involved in cellular iron homeostasis and allows opportunistic entry of multiple antibiotics into the chloroplast.
Detecting the contagion effect in mass killings; a constructive example of the statistical advantages of unbinned likelihood methods

Background When attempting to statistically distinguish between a null and an alternative hypothesis, many researchers in the life and social sciences turn to binned statistical analysis methods, or methods that are simply based on the moments of a distribution (such as the mean, and variance). These methods have the advantage of simplicity of implementation, and simplicity of explanation. However, when null and alternative hypotheses manifest themselves in subtle differences in patterns in the data, binned analysis methods may be insensitive to these differences, and researchers may erroneously fail to reject the null hypothesis when in fact more sensitive statistical analysis methods might produce a different result when the null hypothesis is actually false. Here, with a focus on two recent conflicting studies of contagion in mass killings as instructive examples, we discuss how the use of unbinned likelihood methods makes optimal use of the information in the data; a fact that has been long known in statistical theory, but perhaps is not as widely appreciated amongst general researchers in the life and social sciences. Methods In 2015, Towers et al published a paper that quantified the long-suspected contagion effect in mass killings. However, in 2017, Lankford & Tomek subsequently published a paper, based upon the same data, that claimed to contradict the results of the earlier study. The former used unbinned likelihood methods, and the latter used binned methods, and comparison of distribution moments. Using these analyses, we also discuss how visualization of the data can aid in determination of the most appropriate statistical analysis methods to distinguish between a null and alternate hypothesis. We also discuss the importance of assessment of the robustness of analysis results to methodological assumptions made (for example, arbitrary choices of number of bins and bin widths when using binned methods); an issue that is widely overlooked in the literature, but is critical to analysis reproducibility and robustness. Conclusions When an analysis cannot distinguish between a null and alternate hypothesis, care must be taken to ensure that the analysis methodology itself maximizes the use of information in the data that can distinguish between the two hypotheses. The use of binned methods by Lankford & Tomek (2017), that examined how many mass killings fell within a 14 day window from a previous mass killing, substantially reduced the sensitivity of their analysis to contagion effects. The unbinned likelihood methods used by Towers et al (2015) did not suffer from this problem. While a binned analysis might be favorable for simplicity and clarity of presentation, unbinned likelihood methods are preferable when effects might be somewhat subtle.
Three scenarios of ranking inconsistencies involving search tasks

Our previous work on assessment of digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) image quality revealed inconsistencies in ranking the reconstruction algorithms’ performances for a location-known-exactly (LKE) detection and a location-unknown searching task. Such results made us wonder that ranking inconsistencies may not be rare phenomena at all. In this work, we conducted a small literature review that involved three publications (He, Samuelson, Zeng and Sahiner SPIE 2016; Park, Kupinski, Clarkson and Barrett, IPMI 2003 and JOSA 2005). These publications compared the LKE and search performance for a variety of observers using the AUC value as the performance criterion (human observers, CHOs for detection, scanning CHOs for search, and the Markov Chain Monte Carlo ideal observer for detection and search). We categorized the experimental findings into three types of ranking inconsistencies: 1) Ranking inconsistencies in LKE and search tasks; 2) human/ideal observer ranking inconsistencies; and 3) LKE/search ranking inconsistencies in the presence of signal variability. The empirical evidence presented in this work suggested that ranking inconsistencies for imaging systems existed, but these inconsistencies often do not draw enough attention in the literature.
Inheritance of the complete mitochondrial genomes Cyprinus capio furong(♀) × Cyprinus carpio var.singguonensis(♂)

Abstract In this study, 15 sets of primers were used to amplify contiguous, overlapping segments of the complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) of C. capio furong(♀) × C. carpio var.singguonensis(♂) in order to characterize and compare their mitochondrial genomes. The total length of the mitochondrial genome was 16,581 bp and deposited in the GenBank with the accession number KP210473. The organization of the mitochondrial genomes contained 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 ribosomal RNA and 22 transfer RNAs) and a major non-coding control region which was similar to those reported mitochondrial genomes. Most genes were encoded on the H-strand, except for the ND6 and 8 tRNA genes, encoding on the L-strand. The nucleotide skewness for the coding strands of C. capio furong(♀) × C. carpio var.singguonensis(♂) (AT-skew = 0.12, GC-skew = −0.27) were biased toward T and G. The complete mitogenome may provide important date for the study of genetic mechanism of C. capio furong(♀) × C. carpio var.singguonensis(♂).
Investigation The Hydroxyapatite Coatings On Titanium Alloys Using Magnetron - Sputtered Process And Differentiate Between Single And Triple Layers

s -Titanium and its alloys are used, because of their high mechanical properties, chemical stability, and biocompatibility. Due to its poor osteoconductive properties, coating of bioactive hydroxyapatite HAp (Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2), which has similar chemical and crystallographic structure to the main inorganic phase of human bone tissues. Reaction bonding process. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) were employed to characterize the titanium substrate and as-prepared coatings. From SEM, the interfacial bonding strength of the sintered composite coating was tested. Results show that the tripe form composite coating can be easily sintered with no cracks and decomposition at 600°C, the bonding strength to the substrate is significantly improved compared with the single HAp coating. The EDS result, A concentration weight Ca , P increasing with time of working sputtering. The results of the X-ray diffraction pattern revealed that the sputtering shows a thin layer coating contain nano size crystals. The in vitro electrochemical measurement results also indicated there is improvement in corrosion resistant of single layer and triple layer coated compare with the uncoated as fallows, 30716, 508276 and 23176 Ω(ohm) respectively this improvement related triple layer HAp using RF sputtering . Keywords—Biomaterial; sputtering; coating; Corrosion
Higher-Order and Bifactor Models of the Drinking Motives Questionnaire

The Drinking Motives Questionnaire, previously postulated and documented to exhibit a measurement structure of four correlated factors (social, enhancement, conformity, and coping), is a widely administered assessment of reasons for consuming alcohol. In the current study (N = 552), confirmatory factor analyses tested the plausibility of several theoretically relevant factor structures. Fit indices corroborated the original four-factor model, and also supported a higher-order factor model involving a superordinate motives factor that explicated four subordinate factors. A bifactor model that permitted items to double load on valence type (positive or negative reinforcement) and source type (external or internal) generated mixed results, suggesting that this 2 × 2 motivation paradigm was not entirely tenable. Optimal fit was obtained for a bifactor model depicting a general factor and four specific factors of motives. Latent factors derived from this structure exhibited criterion validity in predicting frequency and quantity of alcohol usage in a structural equation model. Findings are interpreted in the context of theoretical implications of the instrument, alternative factor structures of drinking motives, and assessment applications.
Mersilene Mesh as an Alternative to Autogenous Fascia Lata in Brow Suspension

Purpose: To evaluate the outcome and complications of brow suspension surgery for ptosis repair performed with Mersilene mesh as the suspensory material. Methods: A retrospective review was undertaken of all patients undergoing Mersilene mesh brow suspension surgery during a 9-year period. All patients had undergone the same surgical procedure performed by the same surgeon. Preoperative and postoperative palpebral aperture heights were recorded, and the results were analyzed to provide a mean change in palpebral aperture height. The case records of patients with a poor response to surgery were examined carefully, and possible risk factors for a poor outcome were identified. Results: The mean (95% confidence interval) increase in palpebral aperture height was 1.8 mm (1.2–2.4 mm). Factors associated with a poorer outcome were previous ptosis surgery and Marcus Gunn jaw-winking syndrome. Conclusions: Mersilene mesh has advantages over other materials for use as a suspensory material in brow suspension surgery, and is associated with a good outcome and low complication rate.
Investor Reaction to Financial Disclosures Across Topics: An Application of Latent Dirichlet Allocation

This paper provides a holistic study of how stock prices vary in their response to financial disclosures across different topics. Thereby, we specifically shed light into the extensive amount of filings for which no a priori categorization of their content exists. For this purpose, we utilize an approach from data mining - namely, latent Dirichlet allocation - as a means of topic modeling. This technique facilitates our task of automatically categorizing, ex ante, the content of more than 70,000 regulatory 8-K filings from U.S. companies. We then evaluate the subsequent stock market reaction. Our empirical evidence suggests a considerable discrepancy among various types of news stories in terms of their relevance and impact on financial markets. For instance, we find a statistically significant abnormal return in response to earnings results and credit rating, but also for disclosures regarding business strategy, the health sector, as well as mergers and acquisitions. Our results yield findings that benefit managers, investors and policy-makers by indicating how regulatory filings should be structured and the topics most likely to precede changes in stock valuations.