Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optical Sensors Based on Plastic Fibers

The recent advances of polymer technology allowed the introduction of plastic optical fiber in sensor design. The advantages of optical metrology with plastic optical fiber have attracted the attention of the scientific community, as they allow the development of low-cost or cost competitive systems compared with conventional technologies. In this paper, the current state of the art of plastic optical fiber technology will be reviewed, namely its main characteristics and sensing advantages. Several measurement techniques will be described, with a strong focus on interrogation approaches based on intensity variation in transmission and reflection. The potential applications involving structural health monitoring, medicine, environment and the biological and chemical area are also presented.
The Apps You Use Bring The Blogs to Follow

We tackle the blog recommendation problem in Tumblr for mobile users in this paper. Blog recommendation is challenging since most mobile users would suffer from the cold start when there are only a limited number of blogs followed by the user. Specifically to address this problem in the mobile domain, we take into account mobile apps, which typically provide rich information from the users. Based on the assumption that the user interests can be reflected from their app usage patterns, we propose to exploit the app usage data for improving blog recommendation. Building on the state-of-the-art recommendation framework, Factorization Machines (FM), we implement app-based FM that integrates app usage data with the user-blog follow relations. In this approach the blog recommendation is generated not only based on the blogs that the user followed before, but also the apps that the user has often used. We demonstrate in a series of experiments that app-based FM can outperform other alternative approaches to a significant extent. Our experimental results also show that exploiting app usage information is particularly effective for improving blog recommendation quality for cold start users.
Climate change projections over China using regional climate models forced by two CMIP5 global models. Part I: evaluation of historical simulations

Forced by two Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) global models, EC‐EARTH and IPSL‐CM5A, both regional climate models (RCMs) of Regional Climate Model system version 4 (RegCM4) and Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) are used to perform regional climate simulations over China for 1980–2000. In general, the simulations in Institute Pierre Simon Laplace‐Climate Model version 5A (IPSL‐CM5A) are improved by the downscaling of many aspects of both precipitation and surface air temperature, with improvements including the significant enhancement of the resolution and presentation of regional processes in the RCMs. However, the improvement over EC‐EARTH is limited. In addition, the added values also depend on the seasons, geophysical locations over the country and the variables presented. For the mean climates, both RCMs are able to exhibit better annual and winter precipitation measurements when downscaling IPSL‐CM5A over most areas. The superiority of the RCMs over IPSL‐CM5A for the surface air temperature is only obtained in summer. Seasonal cycles of both precipitation and surface air temperature are well simulated by all the models. The RCMs succeed in improving the seasonal cycles of precipitation over both GCMs in most sub‐regions, but the seasonal cycles of temperature are only improved over IPSL‐CM5A. In addition, the downscaling demonstrates more consistent probability distribution functions (PDFs) of precipitation with those of the observations in most sub‐regions. For extreme precipitation, the RCMs provide outstanding convective wet days (CWD) with reduced biases and enhanced presentations of spatial patterns. For the other three extreme precipitation indices, the improvement of the RCMs is relatively weak, with superior over the IPSL‐CM5A in several areas. The extreme temperature indices are better modelled by the RCMs, except for the minimum values of the daily minimum temperatures (TNn), with greater added values over IPSL‐CM5A than those over EC‐EARTH. Comparing two RCMs, WRF shows advantages in the downscaling precipitation, while RegCM4 works better for the surface air temperature.
Genes Involved in the Balance between Neuronal Survival and Death during Inflammation

Glucocorticoids are potent regulators of the innate immune response, and alteration in this inhibitory feedback has detrimental consequences for the neural tissue. This study profiled and investigated functionally candidate genes mediating this switch between cell survival and death during an acute inflammatory reaction subsequent to the absence of glucocorticoid signaling. Oligonucleotide microarray analysis revealed that following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) intracerebral administration at striatum level, more modulated genes presented transcription impairment than exacerbation upon glucocorticoid receptor blockage. Among impaired genes we identified ceruloplasmin (Cp), which plays a key role in iron metabolism and is implicated in a neurodegenative disease. Microglial and endothelial induction of Cp is a natural neuroprotective mechanism during inflammation, because Cp-deficient mice exhibited increased iron accumulation and demyelination when exposed to LPS and neurovascular reactivity to pneumococcal meningitis. This study has identified genes that can play a critical role in programming the innate immune response, helping to clarify the mechanisms leading to protection or damage during inflammatory conditions in the CNS.
Evaluation of Amylase Activity in Patients with Type 2 Daibetes Mellitus

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder which is associated with hyperglycemia. It is caused by a derangement in the secretion or function of the endocrinal portion of the pancreas. There is a close anatomical and functional relationship between its exocrine and endocrine portions. The current study was designed to evaluate the changes in amylase levels in diabetic patients and study the correlation of amylase activity with chronic hyperglycemia and duration of diabetes mellitus. The results of study were revealed that amylase activity was low in diabetic patients compared with control and there was negative correlation between amylase activity and hyperglycemia and duration .
Reassigned wavelet scalogram for gear fault detection under nonstationary operational conditions

Gear transmission systems have extensive use in wind turbines, helicopters and heavy trucks, and their fault detection is of vital importance for ensuring industrial safety. However, they often run under non stationary conditions, which accelerate the mechanical deterioration and meanwhile result in time-varying characteristics which can barely be identified through time or frequency domain analysis. Time-frequency analysis is often utilized to provide intuitive presentation of time and frequency information concurrently, yet limited time-frequency resolution and cross-term/inner interferences hinder the accurate fault identification by conventional linear or bilinear methods. In this paper the reassigned wavelet scalogram, which has merits of fine time-frequency resolution and cross-term free nature, is applied to reveal potential gear fault under non stationary conditions. Its advantage over traditional time-frequency representations is demonstrated using a numerical simulated gearbox vibration signal, and results of lab experimental evaluation indicate that real-world gear fault is successfully diagnosed.
Improving Cytomegalovirus-Specific T Cell Reconstitution after Haploidentical Stem Cell Transplantation

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and delayed immune reconstitution (IR) remain serious obstacles for successful haploidentical stem cell transplantation (haplo-SCT). CMV-specific IR varied according to whether patients received manipulated/unmanipulated grafts or myeloablative/reduced intensity conditioning. CMV infection commonly occurs following impaired IR of T cell and its subsets. Here, we discuss the factors that influence IR based on currently available evidence. Adoptive transfer of donor T cells to improve CMV-specific IR is discussed. One should choose grafts from CMV-positive donors for transplant into CMV-positive recipients (D+/R+) because this will result in better IR than would grafts from CMV-negative donors (D−/R+). Stem cell source and donor age are other important factors. Posttransplant complications, including graft-versus-host disease and CMV infection, as well as their associated treatments, should also be considered. The effects of varying degrees of HLA disparity and conditioning regimens are more controversial. As many of these factors and strategies are considered in the setting of haplo-SCT, it is anticipated that haplo-SCT will continue to advance, further expanding our understanding of IR and CMV infection.
Chondroitin Sulfate Iron Colloid-Enhanced MR Imaging in Patients with Small Hepatocellular Carcinomas: Correlations with Hemodynamic and Pathologic Examinations

To determine the usefulness of chondroitin sulfate iron colloid (CSIC)-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluation of the histologic grade of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), we performed a comparative study with computed tomography during arterial portography (CTAP) and CT arteriography. Twenty-one surgically resected HCCs 3 cm or less in diameter were examined. There were five welldifferentiated, six well- to moderately-differentiated and ten moderately- or poorlydifferentiated HCCs. T2-weighted spin echo images (repetition time: 2,000 ms, echo time: 90 ms) were taken before and after intravenous injection of 23.6 µmolFe/kg of CSIC. The differences between precontrast and postcontrast contrast-to-noise ratios (enhancement index) was correlated with the findings of CTAP, CT arteriography and histological examination. The enhancement index increased with statistical significance as the intranodular arterial perfusion increased ( P < 0.01), and as the intranodular portal perfusion decreased (P < 0.01). Though the enhancement index tended to increase as the grade of malignancy increased, no statistical significance was found. CSIC-enhanced MRI allowed a noninvasive evaluation of the intranodular reticuloendothelial function. We consider this procedure as a supplementary method for evaluation of the histologic grade of HCC prior to performing invasive procedures such as angiography and biopsy.
Aligning point cloud views using persistent feature histograms

In this paper we investigate the usage of persistent point feature histograms for the problem of aligning point cloud data views into a consistent global model. Given a collection of noisy point clouds, our algorithm estimates a set of robust 16D features which describe the geometry of each point locally. By analyzing the persistence of the features at different scales, we extract an optimal set which best characterizes a given point cloud. The resulted persistent features are used in an initial alignment algorithm to estimate a rigid transformation that approximately registers the input datasets. The algorithm provides good starting points for iterative registration algorithms such as ICP (Iterative Closest Point), by transforming the datasets to its convergence basin. We show that our approach is invariant to pose and sampling density, and can cope well with noisy data coming from both indoor and outdoor laser scans.
Irbesartan lowers superoxide levels and increases nitric oxide bioavailability in blood vessels from spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats

Objective To determine the effects of the angiotensin II receptor antagonist irbesartan, the calcium-channel blocker amlodipine, and hydrochlorothiazide/hydralazine on superoxide, NAD(P)H oxidase and nitric oxide bioavailability in spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rats (SHRSP). Methods Drugs or vehicle were administered for 8 weeks to SHRSP and blood pressure was measured weekly by tail-cuff plethysmography. After 8 weeks, superoxide levels in carotid arteries and aortas were measured by lucigenin chemiluminescence and p22phox expression quantified by immunohistochemistry. In vitro the effects of exposure to drugs and vehicle for 30 min and 4 h on superoxide levels and nitric oxide bioavailability were examined. The latter was expressed as the increase in contractile responses of carotid arteries to phenylephrine in the presence of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME). Results In vivo irbesartan, amlodipine and hydrochlorothiazide/hydralazine produced similar falls in blood pressure, from 162 ± 4 to 125 ± 5, 132 ± 4 and 131 ± 6 mmHg, respectively, but irbesartan caused a greater reduction in superoxide and p22phox; superoxide levels in carotid arteries being 3.1 ± 0.3, 1.1 ± 0.2, 1.9 ± 0.3 and 2.0 ± 0.3 nmoles/mg per min, respectively. In vitro 4 h exposure to irbesartan decreased superoxide levels in the aorta from 2.08 ± 0.68 to 1.48 ± 0.62 nmoles/mg per min and increased nitric oxide bioavailability in carotid arteries. Neither 30 min incubation with irbesartan nor 4 h with amlodipine or hydrochlorothiazide/hydralazine altered superoxide levels. Conclusions These studies support the hypothesis that AT1 receptor blockade has beneficial effects on superoxide production and nitric oxide bioavailability above that of other classes of antihypertensive agents. Reduced expression of components of the NAD(P)H oxidase may contribute to these effects.
An Outbreak of Influenza A in a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Objectives: Investigation of an outbreak of influenza A in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) with examination of risk factors for infection and outcomes. Design: Retrospective cohort study of infants admitted to the unit during the outbreak period. Prospective survey of NICU staff and mothers of infants in the cohort study. Setting: Level III nursery in a university-affiliated tertiary referral center. Results: Nineteen infants in the NICU were infected with influenza A. There were six symptomatic cases and one death who had evidence of virus-associated hemophagocytic syndrome at autopsy. Amantadine prophylaxis was offered to the NICU staff, and amantadine therapy was given to five of the six symptomatic infants. Mechanical ventilation, gestational age, birth weight, Clinical Risk Index for Babies score, and twin pregnancy were associated with acquisition of influenza A on univariate analysis. Mechanical ventilation (odds ratio [OR], 6.2; P=.02) and twin pregnancy (OR, 7.0; P=.04) remained as significant risk factors for infection on multiple logistic regression analysis. Only 15% of respondents to the NICU staff survey were vaccinated against influenza. There was no association between a history of an influenza-like illness during pregnancy and acquisition of influenza A by infants of mothers who responded to the maternal survey (OR, 0.91; P=1.0). Conclusions: Influenza A is an important pathogen in the neonatal population and is readily transmissible in the NICU setting.
Patterns and Costs of Health Care Use of Children With Medical Complexity

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Health care use of children with medical complexity (CMC), such as those with neurologic impairment or other complex chronic conditions (CCCs) and those with technology assistance (TA), is not well understood. The objective of the study was to evaluate health care utilization and costs in a population-based sample of CMC in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: Hospital discharge data from 2005 through 2007 identified CMC. Complete health system use and costs were analyzed over the subsequent 2-year period. RESULTS: The study identified 15 771 hospitalized CMC (0.67% of children in Ontario); 10 340 (65.6%) had single-organ CCC, 1063 (6.7%) multiorgan CCC, 4368 (27.6%) neurologic impairment, and 1863 (11.8%) had TA. CMC saw a median of 13 outpatient physicians and 6 distinct subspecialists. Thirty-six percent received home care services. Thirty-day readmission varied from 12.6% (single CCC without TA) to 23.7% (multiple CCC with TA). CMC accounted for almost one-third of child health spending. Rehospitalization accounted for the largest proportion of subsequent costs (27.2%), followed by home care (11.3%) and physician services (6.0%). Home care costs were a much larger proportion of costs in children with TA. Children with multiple CCC with TA had costs 3.5 times higher than children with a single CCC without TA. CONCLUSIONS: Although a small proportion of the population, CMC account for a substantial proportion of health care costs. CMC make multiple transitions across providers and care settings and CMC with TA have higher costs and home care use. Initiatives to improve their health outcomes and decrease costs need to focus on the entire continuum of care.
Handedness, motor skills and maturation of the corticospinal tract in the adolescent brain

With anatomical magnetic resonance imaging, the signal intensity of the corticospinal tract (CST) at the level of the internal capsule is often paradoxically similar to that of grey matter. As shown previously in histological studies, this is likely due to the presence of very large axons. We measured the apparent grey‐matter density (aGMd) of the putative CST (pCST) in a large cohort of adolescents (n = 409, aged 12–18 years). We tested the following hypotheses: (1) The aGMd in the pCST shows a hemispheric asymmetry that is, in turn, related to hand preference; (2) the maturation of the CST during adolescence differs between both sexes, due to the influence of testosterone; (3) variations in aGMd in the pCST reflect inter‐individual differences in manual skills. We confirmed the first two predictions. Thus, we found a strong left > right hemispheric asymmetry in aGMd that was, on average, less marked in the 40 left‐handed subjects. Apparent GMd in the pCST increased with age in adolescent males but not females, and this was particularly related to rising plasma levels of testosterone in male adolescents. This finding is compatible with the idea that testosterone influences axonal calibre rather than myelination. The third prediction, namely that of a relationship between age‐related changes in manual skills and maturation of the pCST, was not confirmed. We conclude that the leftward asymmetry of the pCST may reflect an early established asymmetry in the number of large corticomotoneuronal fibres in the pCST. Hum Brain Mapp, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Acute Hypertensive Response in Patients With Stroke: Pathophysiology and Management

Acute hypertensive response is the elevation of blood pressure (BP) above normal and premorbid values that initially occurs within the first 24 hours of symptom onset in patients with stroke. This phenomenon was reported in >60% of patients presenting with stroke in a nationally representative study from the United States.1 With ≈980 000 patients2 admitted with stroke each year in the United States, the estimated annual prevalence of acute hypertensive response is more than half a million patients. With ≈15 million patients experiencing stroke worldwide each year,3 the acute hypertensive response may be expected in ≈10 million patients per year. The acute hypertensive response in stroke patients is managed by a diverse group of physicians, including emergency physicians, intensivists, internists, primary care physicians, neurologists, neurosurgeons, and cardiologists. Previous audits suggest that antihypertensive agents and management strategies vary considerably and are not always consistent with recommended guidelines.4 Data from 1181 acute ischemic stroke patients enrolled in the Project for Improvement of Stroke Care Management suggested that administration of antihypertensive medication within 24 hours in 56% of the patients was inconsistent with guidelines provided by the American Stroke Association (ASA). 5 The present review article summarizes the current concepts pertaining to treatment of the acute hypertensive response derived from recent guidelines provided by professional organizations and “best available” evidence derived from experimental and clinical studies and discusses incorporation of these concepts into clinical practice. Randomized trials, nonrandomized controlled studies, and selected observational studies were identified with multiple searches on Medline from 1980 to 2007 by cross-referencing the key words of stroke, acute hypertension, antihypertensive agents, acute stroke, and hypertension. Pertinent articles identified from bibliographies of selected articles were also reviewed. Treatment targets and strategies were identified by review of existing guidelines from professional organizations. The 2003 World Health …
Survey of EndourologyHoward N. Winfield, M.D., Section Editor

OBJECTIVES To complete a prospective evaluation of serum amylase and lipase levels before and after shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) for renal stones. We also compared these serum levels to those of patients undergoing percutaneous and ureteroscopic stone surgery. SWL injury to the pancreas should be noted by an increase in serum amylase and lipase. METHODS A prospective evaluation of 38 patients (16 who underwent SWL, 15 who underwent percutaneous nephrostolithotomy, and 7 who underwent ureteroscopic stone manipulation) who underwent treatment of renal calculi at our institution was completed. The control group was the combined group of patients who had undergone percutaneous nephrostolithotomy or ureteroscopic stone manipulation. The serum amylase and lipase levels were measured before the procedure, immediately after the procedure (2 hours), and 30 days after the procedure. ESULTS No statistically significant difference was found in the change from before to immediately after the procedure between the SWL group and the controls in amylase (median decrease 6 U/L vs 11 U/L, P .45) or lipase (median decrease 4 U/L vs 9 U/L, P .31). Also, no statistically significant evidence was seen in the change from before to 30 days after the procedure between the SWL group and controls in the amylase level (median increase 0 U/L vs 2 U/L, P 1.00) or lipase (median change 2 U/L increase vs 1 U/L decrease, P .96). CONCLUSIONS SWL does not appear to noticeably increase the serum amylase and lipase level directly postoperatively or 30 days after the procedure compared with baseline or compared with the controls. UROLOGY 77: 1288–1292, 2011. © 2011 Elsevier Inc.
Efficient and Handy Texture Mapping on 3D Surfaces

There has been a rapid technical progress in three‐dimensional (3D) computer graphics. But gathering surface and texture data is yet a laborious task. This paper addresses the problem of mapping photographic images on the surface of a 3D object whose geometric data are already known. We propose an efficient and handy method for acquiring textures and mapping them precisely on the surface, employing a digital camera alone. We describe an algorithm for selecting a minimal number of camera positions that can cover the entire surface of a given object and also an algorithm to determine camera’s position and direction for each photograph taken so as to paste it to the corresponding surfaces precisely. We obtained a matching accuracy within a pixel on a surface through three experimental examples, by which the practicability of our method is demonstrated.