Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiac arrhythmia detection from ECG combining convolutional and long short-term memory networks

Objectives: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common heart rhythm disorder associated with deadly and debilitating consequences including heart failure, stroke, poor mental health, reduced quality of life and death. Having an automatic system that diagnoses various types of cardiac arrhythmias would assist cardiologists to initiate appropriate preventive measures and to improve the analysis of cardiac disease. To this end, this paper introduces a new approach to detect and classify automatically cardiac arrhythmias in electrocardiograms (ECG) recordings. Methods: The proposed approach used a combination of Convolution Neural Networks (CNNs) and a sequence of Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) units, with pooling, dropout and normalization techniques to improve their accuracy. The network predicted a classification at every 18th input sample and we selected the final prediction for classification. Results were cross-validated on the Physionet Challenge 2017 training dataset, which contains 8,528 single lead ECG recordings lasting from 9s to just over 60s. Results: Using the proposed structure and no explicit feature selection, 10-fold stratified cross-validation gave an overall F-measure of 0.83. 10±0.015 on the held-out test data (mean ± standard deviation over all folds) and 0.80 on the hidden dataset of the Challenge entry server.
DELTOID FLAP for MANAGEMENT of MASSIVE IRREPARABLE ROTATOR CUFF TEARS: Case Series.

BACKGROUND Muscle transfer has been reported as a good surgical option to reconstruct the deficient rotator cuff. The purpose of this study is to report the outcome of deltoid muscle flap transfer to restore shoulder function in patients with massive irreparable rotator cuff tear. MATERIAL AND METHODS This is a retrospective descriptive case series. Included patients had a lesion of two or more tendons of the rotator cuff or lesion of one tendon of more than 5 cm in width and no lesion to the subscapularis. Evaluation was done using the Constant score, visual analog scale for satisfaction and quality of life. RESULTS Twenty patients met the inclusion criteria. Three patients were lost to follow-up. The remaining (9 males and 8 females) had a mean follow-up period of 40.5 months. The mean age at surgery was 61.3 years. Thirty-five percent of patients were involved in heavy labor while the lesions affected the dominant side in 70% of the cases. Mean preoperative Constant score was 40.8 and increased to 78.8 (p < 0.05) with a difference of +38 points on the raw Constant score and an improvement rate of 64%. The greatest improvement involved essentially pain and quality of life (improvement rate of 82%) (p < 0.05). Eighty-nine percent of patients have good and excellent self-reported results. CONCLUSION More than just a salvage procedure, deltoid muscle flap seems to be an adequate option in terms of appropriate pain relief, function recovery as well as patient satisfaction. Keywords: massive rotator cuff tears, deltoid muscle flap
Neuron‐specific delivery of nucleic acids mediated by Tet1‐modified poly(ethylenimine)

The development of minimally invasive, non‐viral gene delivery vehicles for the central nervous system (CNS) is an important technology goal in the advancement of molecular therapies for neurological diseases. One approach is to deliver materials peripherally that are recognized and retrogradely transported by motor neurons toward the CNS. Tet1 is a peptide identified by Boulis and coworkers to possess the binding characteristics of tetanus toxin, which interacts specifically with motor neurons and undergoes fast, retrograde delivery to cell soma. In this work, Tet1‐poly(ethylenimine) (Tet1‐PEI) was synthesized and evaluated as a neurontargeted delivery vehicle.
Males harm females less when competing with familiar relatives

Sexual conflict occurs when reproductive partners have different fitness optima, and can lead to the evolution of traits in one sex that inflict fitness costs on the opposite sex. Recently, it has been proposed that antagonism by males towards females should be reduced when they compete with relatives, because reducing the future productivity of a female would result in an indirect fitness cost for a harmful male. We tested this prediction in the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, the males of which harm females with genital spines and pre-copulatory harassment. We compared lifespan, lifetime egg production and lifetime offspring production among females housed with groups of males that varied in their familiarity and relatedness. Females produced significantly more eggs and offspring when grouped with males who were both related and familiar to each other. There was no effect of male relatedness or familiarity on female lifespan. Our results suggest that males plastically adjust their harmfulness towards females in response to changes in inclusive fitness payoffs, and that in this species both genetic relatedness and social familiarity mediate this effect.
Synthesis, characterization and physical properties of Al-Cu-Fe quasicrystalline plasma sprayed coatings

Our lab has been working with plasma spraying of both high pressure gas atomized (HPGA) and cast and crushed quasicrystal powders. A major component of this research includes comparative studies of PAS coatings formed with starting powders prepared by both techniques. In addition, a thorough investigation of the effects of starting powder particle size on coating microstructure is included. During the course of the overall research, an interest developed in forming Al-Cu-Fe materials with finer grain sizes. Therefore, a brief study was performed to characterize the effect of adding boron to Al-Cu-Fe materials prepared by different techniques. In addition to characterizing the microstructural features of the above materials, oxidation and wear behavior was also examined.
How to Find an extra Head: Optimal Random Shifts of Bernoulli and Poisson Random Fields

We consider the following problem: given an i.i. d. family of Bernoulli random variables indexed by Z d , find a random occupied site X ∈ Z d such that relative to X, the other random variables are still i.i. d. Bernoulli. Results of Thorisson imply that such an X exists for all d. Liggett proved that for d = 1, there exists an X with tails P(|X| > t) of order ct -1/2 , but none with finite 1/2th moment. We prove that for general d there exists a solution with tails of order ct -d/2 , while for d = 2 there is none with finite first moment. We also prove analogous results for a continuum version of the same problem. Finally we prove a result which strongly suggests that the tail behavior mentioned above is the best possible for all d.
Effects of Radiation and Soret in the Presence of Heat Source/Sink on Unsteady MHD Flow Past a Semi-infinite vertical plate

The paper deals with the effects of radiation and Soret number variation in the presence of heat source/sink on unsteady laminar boundary layer flow of a chemically reacting fluid along a semi-infinite vertical plate, taking the term Eckert number into account. A magnetic field of uniform strength is applied normal to the flow. The governing boundary layer equations are solved numerically, using Crank-Nicholson method and the simulation is carried out by coding in C-Programme. Graphical results for velocity, temperature and concentration fields and tabular values of Skin-friction, Nusselt and Sherwood numbers are presented and discussed at various parametric conditions. From this study, it is found that the Skin–friction, Nusselt number, temperature and velocity of the fluid increase in the presence heat source and for increasing values Eckert number (Ec).
nalysis of the global warming dynamics from temperature time series lavio

Global warming is the observed increase of the average temperature of the Earth. The primary cause of this phenomenon is the release of the greenhouse gases by burning of fossil fuels, land cleaning, agriculture, among others, leading to the increase of the so-called greenhouse effect. An approach to deal with this important problem is the time series analysis. In this regard, different techniques can be applied to evaluate the global warming dynamics. This kind of analysis allows one to make better predictions increasing our comprehension of the phenomenon. This article applies nonlinear tools to analyze temperature time series establishing state space reconstruction and prediction. Since noise contamination is unavoidable in data acquisition, it is important to employ robust techniques. The method of delay
Presence of Aeromonas spp in Water from Drinking‐Water‐ and Wastewater‐Treatment Plants in México City

The frequency of Aeromonas spp in three wastewater‐treatment plants (WWTPs) and two drinking‐water plants (DWPs) in México City was determined. Samples were taken throughout a year by the Moore's swab technique. A total of 144 samples were obtained from WWTPs and 96 from DWPs of both incoming and outflowing water. Aeromonas spp was isolated in 31% of the samples, from both kinds of sources. The technique used for the isolation of the pathogen was suitable for samples with high associate microbiota content and for those with a scarce microbial content. The presence of mesophilic‐aerobic, coliform, and fecal‐coliform organisms was investigated to determine whether there was any correlation with the presence of Aeromonas spp. Most samples from WWTP, which did not comply with the Mexican standards, had the pathogen, and some of the samples from the outflow of the DWP, which were within the limits set by the Mexican standards, also had Aeromonas spp. Most samples containing Aeromonas spp. had concentrations below 0.1 ppm residual chlorine, and the strains were resistant to 0.3 ppm, which supports the recommendation to increase the residual chlorine concentration to 0.5 to 1.0 ppm, as recommended by the Mexican standards.
Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy and offspring epigenome-wide DNA methylation: findings from six general population-based birth cohorts

Some evidence suggests that light-to-moderate alcohol consumption during pregnancy is associated with adverse outcomes in the offspring, but the precise biological mechanisms underlying such associations are currently unknown. Epigenetic modifications have been suggested as one potential explanation. Within the Pregnancy and Childhood Epigenetics (PACE) consortium, we performed meta-analysis to combine information from six population-based birth cohort studies to investigate DNA methylation at over 450,000 sites in the cord blood of newborns differentially exposed to alcohol in utero. We were primarily interested in the effects of sustained consumption throughout pregnancy (data available for five cohorts, 3,075 mother-child pairs), which represents a prolonged prenatal exposure to alcohol, but we also explored binge-drinking and timing-specific exposures. In addition to looking for differential methylation at individual CpG sites, we also used two different methods, Comb-P and DMRcate, to identify differentially methylated regions (DMRs). We found no strong evidence of association between any of our alcohol exposure measures and DNA methylation at any individual CpG site. Using Comb-P, we identified 19 DMRs in the offspring of mothers who drank throughout pregnancy compared to the offspring of mothers who gave up drinking at the start of pregnancy, but these were not validated using DMRcate. In this multi-cohort study of the general population we found no evidence that maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy is associated with offspring cord blood DNA methylation, which is in stark contrast to the multiple, strong associations that previous studies have found for maternal smoking. However, it is possible that a combination of a larger sample size, higher doses, different timings of exposure and a more global assessment of genomic DNA methylation might show evidence of association.
IMMUNOLOGIC STUDIES OF HEART TISSUE

Reactions of normal and pathologic sera with heart tissue have been investigated by the immunofluorescent method, with particular reference to presumptive autoantibodies to heart and their differentiation from blood group isoantibodies and Wassermann antibody. In the heart, blood group substances A and B were found distributed in capillary walls, vascular endothelium, and interstitial connective tissue. In surveys of randomly selected sera, isoimmune reactions against tissue blood group substances A and B were noted infrequently. This finding was considered related to the limited sensitivity of fluorescent antibody methods. Heart tissue from blood group O individuals was used for screening of pathologic sera for presence of tissue-reactive factors. Wassermann antibody was found reactive with constituents of myocardial sarcoplasm, of which the major reactant was cardiolipin. Wassermann-positive sera absorbed with beef cardiolipin gave evidence of reaction with other constituents of myofiber sarcoplasm. Sera of patients with rheumatic fever, rheumatic heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, disseminated lupus, and liver disease frequently showed a marked reactivity with constituents of myofiber sarcoplasm. These serum factors were differentiated from Wassermann antibody. At least three patterns of immunofluorescent staining could be differentiated by the distribution of reactants in the myofiber sarcoplasm. These reactants were extractable with ethanol and methanol but not by acetone. Sera found reactive by immunofluorescence frequently gave positive flocculation and complement-fixation tests with alcohol extracts of human heart. Immunofluorescent tests were best correlated with flocculation reactions. Sarcoplasmic-reactive factors were associated in some sera with 19S gamma globulin as demonstrated by the use of fluorescent anti-19S gamma globulin. Serologic reactions with homologous or autologous heart were observed particularly frequently with sera from rheumatic patients approximately 2 weeks following cardiac surgery, as well as in some non-rheumatic patients following cardiac or thoracic surgery or acute myocardial infarction. The pathogenetic significance of these presumptive autoantibodies to heart is unknown. As yet, no definite conclusions may be drawn regarding their relationship to bound gamma globulin in rheumatic hearts or to the postcardiotomy and post-infarction syndromes.
ILP formulations for variation/defect-tolerant logic mapping on crossbar nano-architectures

Several emerging nano-technologies, including crossbar nano-architectures, have recently been studied as possible replacement or supplement to CMOS technology in the future. However, extreme process variation and high failure rates, mainly due to atomic device sizes, are major challenges for crossbar nano-architectures. This article presents variation- and defect-tolerant logic mapping on crossbar nano-architectures. Since variation/defect-aware mapping is an NP-hard problem, we introduce a set of Integer Linear Programming (ILP) formulations to effectively solve the problem in a reasonable time. The proposed ILP formulations can be used for both diode-based and FET-based crossbars. Experimental results on benchmark circuits show that our approach can reduce the critical-path delay 39% compared to the Simulated Annealing (SA) method. It can also successfully achieve 97% defect-free mapping with 40% defect density. It can tolerate process variations to meet timing constraints in 95% of the cases, compared to only 77% achieved by SA.
Real-Time PCR Assay for Detection of Quinolone-Resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae in Urine Samples

ABSTRACT A need exists for the development of applicable surveillance tools to detect fluoroquinolone-resistant Neisseria gonorrhoeae (QRNG) in urine samples. We describe here a real-time PCR assay for detecting mutations in the Ser91 codon of the gyrA gene of N. gonorrhoeae in urine specimens. We tested 96 urine samples collected along with Gonorrhea Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP) urethral swab samples and compared the results with matched MICs of ciprofloxacin, as reported by the regional GISP laboratory. We then tested 100 urine specimens, known to be gonorrhea positive by nucleic acid amplification testing, provided by females to challenge the real-time PCR assay with urine specimens containing potentially less target DNA content than specimens from symptomatic males. With an MIC threshold of 0.125 μg of ciprofloxacin/ml, our assay correctly identified resistance in 41 of 44 (93.2%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 81.3 to 98.6%) corresponding resistant culture specimens and correctly identified 51 of 51 (100%; 95% CI = 93.0 to 100%) susceptible specimens. One specimen did not amplify. The assay successfully amplified the gyrA amplicon and determined a susceptibility genotype in 72 of 100 (72%) urine specimens collected from female patients. We developed an assay for detecting QRNG in urine specimens that correlated well with MIC results of cultured specimens and had moderate sensitivity with urine specimens. This methodology might fulfill the need for a QRNG detection system for urine specimens, a useful characteristic in the age of nucleic acid amplification testing for gonococcal infection.
Robust inference in the negative binomial regression model with an application to falls data

A popular way to model overdispersed count data, such as the number of falls reported during intervention studies, is by means of the negative binomial (NB) distribution. Classical estimating methods are well‐known to be sensitive to model misspecifications, taking the form of patients falling much more than expected in such intervention studies where the NB regression model is used. We extend in this article two approaches for building robust M‐estimators of the regression parameters in the class of generalized linear models to the NB distribution. The first approach achieves robustness in the response by applying a bounded function on the Pearson residuals arising in the maximum likelihood estimating equations, while the second approach achieves robustness by bounding the unscaled deviance components. For both approaches, we explore different choices for the bounding functions. Through a unified notation, we show how close these approaches may actually be as long as the bounding functions are chosen and tuned appropriately, and provide the asymptotic distributions of the resulting estimators. Moreover, we introduce a robust weighted maximum likelihood estimator for the overdispersion parameter, specific to the NB distribution. Simulations under various settings show that redescending bounding functions yield estimates with smaller biases under contamination while keeping high efficiency at the assumed model, and this for both approaches. We present an application to a recent randomized controlled trial measuring the effectiveness of an exercise program at reducing the number of falls among people suffering from Parkinsons disease to illustrate the diagnostic use of such robust procedures and their need for reliable inference.
Iran Techniques in Interventional Bronchoscopy

Interventional bronchoscopy is a new and non-surgical diagnostic, therapeutic and palliative approach to patient with bronchial pathologies. It consists mostly of rigid endobronchial broncoscopy under general anesthesia, with the use of (1)NdYAG or KTP laser (2)Cryotherapy (3)Endobronchial prostheses (4)Photodynamic therapy (5)Brachytherapy and, (6)Thermocoagulation. The idea is to treat by non-surgical measures, most of the early stage tracheobronchial cancer (insitu or microinvasive). The other utility is to associate this technique as an adjuvant treatment with chemo-radiotherapy in advance lung carcinoma. Treatment of benign structural or endobronchial pathologies as well as control of hemoptysis and foreign body removal are the other indications. In the future, interventional bronchoscopy will be a leader to diagnose and treat bronchial diseases. (Tanaffos 2002; 1(3): 13-18)
Processing and Properties of Nanocomposite Filament Yarns with Various Filler Concentrations from Two Different Modification Methods

In this research, the possibility of producing and processing nanocomposite polypropylene filament yarns with permanent antimicrobial efficiency has been assessed by comparing two different methods. Therefore two approaches were used to mix various blending contents of antimicrobial agents based on silver/TiO 2 nano particles with PP:1) mixing of PP powder and inorganic nanocomposite powder as an antibacterial agent with the appropriate concentration in a twin screw extruder, preparing modified granules and feeding them to the melt spinning machine, 2) producing masterbatch by a twin screw extruder and blending it with PP in the melt spinning process. In both methods, pure PP and all other combined samples had an acceptable spinnability at the spinning temperature of 240 °C and take-up speed of 2000 m/min. After producing as-spun filament yarns by a pilot plant melt spinning machine, samples were drawn, textured and finally weft knitted. Physical and structural properties of as-spun and drawn yarns with constant and variable draw ratios were investigated and compared. Moreover, the DSC, SEM and FTIR techniques have been used for samples characterization. Finally antibacterial efficiency of knitted samples was evaluated. The experimental results indicated that the maximum crystallinity reduction of modified as-spun yarns reached 5%. But by applying method 2 (masterbatch), crystallinity of modified as-spun yarns remained unchanged compared to pure yarn. However, drawing procedure has compensated this difference. By applying the second method, the drawing generally improved the increase of tenacity and modulus of modified fibers, whereas in method 1 the opposite effect was noticed in the case of constant draw ratio. Although the biostatic efficiency of nanocomposite fibers was excellent in both methods, modified fabrics obtained from method 1 showed higher bioactivity.
Long-term survival of patients with recurrent endometrial stromal sarcoma: a multicenter, observational study

Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical behavior and management outcome of recurrent endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS). Methods A retrospective review of charts of 10 patients with recurrent ESS was performed and relapse-free interval, relapse site, treatment, response to treatment, duration of follow-up and clinical outcome extracted. Survival outcome measures used were post-relapse survival which was defined as the time from first evidence of relapse to death from any cause. Living patients were censored at the date of last follow-up. Results The median age and median relapse-free interval at the time of initial relapse were 51.5 years and 66.5 months, respectively. The number of relapses ranged from one to five. Sixteen surgical procedures for recurrent disease included nine (56.0%) complete resections. There was no statistically significant difference between initial recurrent tumors and second/subsequent recurrent tumors in the rate of complete surgery (44.4% vs. 71.4%, respectively, p=0.36). Of the eleven evaluable occasions when hormonal therapy was used for recurrent disease, disease control was achieved in eight (72.7%). There was no difference between initial recurrent tumors and second/subsequent recurrent tumors in disease control rate by hormonal therapy (85.7% vs. 50.0%, respectively, p=0.49). The 10-year post-relapse survival rate was 90.0% and the overall median post-relapse survival 119 months (range, 7 to 216 months). Conclusion Post-relapse survival of patients with ESS can be expected to be >10 years when treated by repeated surgical resection and hormonal therapy or both.