Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Relating biodynamic feedthrough to neuromuscular admittance

When an operator in a moving vehicle is performing a manual control task, the accelerations to which the operator is subjected can result in unintentional control inputs. This biodynamic feedthrough (BDFT) depends on the properties of the control device and of the control limb. Humans can adjust the dynamics properties of their limbs, effectively changing the limb admittance. Previous studies of BDFT did not consider the effect of this adjustment. This paper describes a model for BDFT and an experiment in a moving base simulator with subjects performing a control task with a side stick. During the experiment the neuromuscular admittance was varied by using different control tasks, each requiring a different neuromuscular setting. The non-parametric results of this experiment show that the level of feedthrough is strongly dependent on both the frequency of the disturbance and the neuromuscular admittance. The results furthermore suggest that a relationship can be established between admittance and biodynamic feedthrough.
Electroencephalographic Intercentral Interaction as a Reflection of Normal and Pathological Human Brain Activity

The authors summarized EEG findings and defined the nature of the intercentral EEG relationships in different functional states in healthy subjects and patients with organic cerebral pathology, based on a coherence analysis. Similar EEG characteristics in healthy individuals were identified: an anterior-posterior gradient of average coherence levels, the type of cortical-subcortical relationships in anterior cerebral structures. Right- and left-handed individuals showed frequent and regional differences in EEG coherence, which mainly reflected specificity of intracortical relationships. Development and regression of pathology in right-and left-handed individuals with organic brain lesions were thought to be caused by these differences. Lesions of regulatory structures (diencephalic, brain stem and limbic structures) provoked a more diffused kind of changes of intercentral relationships, in contrast to cortical pathology. These changes tended to reciprocate. The dynamic nature of intercentral relationships and their interhemispheric differences was revealed when changing functional states of the brain (increase and decrease of functional level) in healthy individuals and patients with organic cerebral pathology in the process of conscious and psychic activity restoration. Changing activity predominance of certain regulatory structures was considered one of the most important factors determining the dynamic nature of EEG coherence. Los autores resumen los resultados de las investigaciones de las relaciones intercentrales de EEG de personas sanas en distintos estados funcionales y de enfermos con lesiones orgánicas del SNC, mediante análisis de coherencia. Se revelan características semejantes de la estructura de relaciones de EEG de personas sanas: la gradiente anterior-posterior de niveles medios de coherencia, el carácter de la interacción cortical-subcortical de las secciones anteriores de los hemisferios. A su vez, se detectan diferencias de frecuencia y regionales en la coherencia de EEG en diestros y zurdos, que reflejan mayoritariamente la especificidad de la interacción intracortical. Se cree que estas diferencias causan la especificidad del desarrollo y la regresión de los estados patológicos de diestros y zurdos en lesiones cerebrales orgánicas. Se señala que en las lesiones de formaciones reguladoras (diencefálicas, troncales, límbicas) Provocan unos cambios de las relaciones intercentrales más difusos que en casos de patología cortical. Estos cambios tienden a la reciprocidad. Se revela el carácter dinámico de las relaciones intercentrales y sus diferencias interhemisféricas en los cambios de los estados funcionales del cerebro (incremento, disminución del nivel de funcionamiento) en personas sanas así como en la recuperación de la conciencia y la actividad psíquica en enfermos con patología cerebral orgánica. Uno de los factores que determina el carácter dinámico del cambio de la coherencia del EEG es el cambio del predominio de la actividad de ciertas estructuras reguladoras.
No Relevant Relationship between Glucose Variability and Oxidative Stress in Well-Regulated Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Background: A strong relationship between glycemic variability and oxidative stress in poorly regulated type 2 diabetes (T2DM) on oral medication has been reported. However, this relationship was not seen in type 1 diabetes. The purpose of this study is to reexamine the relation between glycemic variability and oxidative stress in a cohort of T2DM patients on oral medication. Methods: Twenty-four patients with T2DM on oral glucose lowering treatment underwent 48 hours of continuous glucose monitoring (CGMS® System Gold™, Medtronic MiniMed) and simultaneous collection of two consecutive 24-hour urine samples for determination of 15(S)-8-iso-prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) using high-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Standard deviation (SD) and mean amplitude of glycemic excursions (MAGE) were calculated as markers of glycemic variability. Results: Included in the study were 66.7% males with a mean age (range) of 59 (36–76) years and a mean (SD) HbA1c of 6.9% (0.7). Median [interquartile range (IQR)] urinary 15(S)-8-iso-PGF2α excretion was 176.1 (113.6–235.8) pg/mg creatinine. Median (IQR) SD was 31 (23–40) mg/dl and MAGE 85 (56–106) mg/dl. Spearman correlation did not show a significant relation for SD (ρ = 0.15, p = .49) or MAGE (ρ = 0.23, p = .29) with 15(S)-8-iso-PGF2α excretion. Multivariate regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, HbA1c, and exercise did not alter this observation. Conclusions: We did not find a relevant relationship between glucose variability and 15(S)-8-iso-PGF2α excretions in T2DM patients well-regulated with oral medication that would support an interaction between hyperglycemia and glucose variability with respect to the formation of reactive oxygen species.
Perinatel outcomes of singleton pregnancies achieved by in vitro fertilization: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether the incidence of adverse obstetric outcomes is higher in singleton pregnancies achieved by in vitro fertilization (IVF) than in spontaneously conceived singletons matched for maternal age. METHODS We used comprehensive search strategies to search MEDLINE and EMBASE databases. We selected case-control and cohort studies that compared singleton pregnancies conceived by IVF or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) with spontaneously conceived singletons (matched for maternal age [case-control studies] or controlled for maternal age [cohort studies]). Two reviewers independently assessed titles, abstracts, and study quality and extracted data. Statistical analysis was performed with Review Manager for Windows (Version 4.2, Oxford, UK). We performed meta-analysis of dichotomous data, using odds ratios (ORs) as measures of effect size, with a random effects model. We followed the Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) guidelines for meta-analysis of observational studies. RESULTS Singleton pregnancies resulting from IVF have increased rates of poor obstetric outcome, compared with spontaneously conceived singletons matched for maternal age, with increases in perinatal mortality (OR 2.40; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.59-3.63), preterm birth at < 33 weeks' gestation (OR 2.99; 95% CI 1.54-5.80), preterm birth at < 37 weeks' gestation (OR 1.93; 95% CI 1.36-2.74), very low birth weight (< 1500 g) (OR 3.78; 95% CI 4.29-5.75), small for gestational age (OR 1.59; 95% CI 1.20-2.11), and congenital malformations (OR 1.41; CI 1.06-1.88). CONCLUSIONS IVF singleton pregnancies have increased rates of poor obstetric outcome, compared with spontaneously conceived singletons matched for maternal age.
Vocabulary strategies in reading: verbal reports of good comprehenders

For learners of English as a Foreign Language (EFL) in Indonesia, encountering unfamiliar words can be a major roadblock in reading comprehension, especially if they happen to be keywords in a particular text. To overcome the vocabulary problem, learners generally resort to a dictionary, hardly realizing that other strategies exist. The strategy of inferring word meaning from context, for instance, seems to be ineffectively used by the learners, as revealed in a preliminary study conducted by the author. The present study reports the actual strategy use of good readers when they face hindrance in the form of unfamiliar words. Eight undergraduates majoring in English at Surabaya State University performed think-aloud while reading two texts to find out how they coped with such difficulties. The verbal protocol indicates that half of the participants mainly relied on a bilingual (EnglishIndonesian) dictionary to attack unfamiliar words, and only one of them preferred to use a monolingual (English-English) one. Two of them employ context cues to infer the meaning of the words, while one participant combine the use of context cues and a monolingual dictionary as the major strategy. All but one participants skipped some of lexical items whose meaning was unknown to them, especially when these words did not have a key contribution to the meaning of the whole text.
Cloud-scale model intercomparison of chemical constituent transport in deep convection

Transport and scavenging of chemical constituents in deep convection is important to understanding the composition of the troposphere and therefore chemistryclimate and air quality issues. High resolution cloud chemistry models have been shown to represent convective processing of trace gases quite well. To improve the representation of sub-grid convective transport and wet deposition in large-scale models, general characteristics, such as species mass flux, from the high resolution cloud chemistry models can be used. However, it is important to understand how these models behave when simulating the same storm. The intercomparison described here examines transport of six species. CO and O 3, which are primarily transported, show good agreement among models and compare well with observations. Models that included lightning production of NO x reasonably predict NO x mixing ratios in the anvil compared with observations, but the NO x variability is much larger than that seen for CO and O 3. Predicted anvil mixing ratios of the soluble species, HNO 3, H2O2, and CH2O, exhibit significant differences among models, attributed to different schemes in these models of cloud processing including the role of the Correspondence to: M. C. Barth (barthm@ucar.edu) ice phase, the impact of cloud-modified photolysis rates on the chemistry, and the representation of the species chemical reactivity. The lack of measurements of these species in the convective outflow region does not allow us to evaluate the model results with observations.
RNA nuclear export is blocked by poliovirus 2A protease and is concomitant with nucleoporin cleavage

Cytopathic viruses have developed successful strategies to block or, at least, to attenuate host interference with their replication. Here, we have analyzed the effects of poliovirus 2A protease on RNA nuclear export. 2A protease interferes with trafficking of mRNAs, rRNAs and U snRNAs from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, without any apparent effect on tRNA transport. Traffic of newly produced mRNAs is more strongly affected than traffic of other mRNAs over-represented in the cytoplasm, such as mRNA encoding β-actin. Inhibition of RNA nuclear export in HeLa cells expressing 2A protease is concomitant with the cleavage of Nup98, Nup153, Nup62 and their subsequent subcellular redistribution. The expression of an inactive 2A protease failed to interfere with RNA nuclear export. In addition, other related proteases, such as poliovirus 3C or foot and mouth disease virus Lpro did not affect mRNA distribution or Nup98 integrity. Treatment of HeLa cells with interferon (IFN)-γ increased the relative amount of Nup98. Under such conditions, the cleavage of Nup98 induced by 2A protease is partial, and thus IFN-γ prevents the inhibition of RNA nuclear export. Taken together, these results are consistent with a specific proteolysis of Nup98 by 2A protease to prevent de novo mRNA traffic in poliovirus-infected cells.
Inverse design of photonic crystal devices

This paper deals with the inverse design in the field of photonic crystal (PC)-based devices. Here, an inverse method containing a fast and accurate simulation method integrated with a competent optimization method is presented. Two designs yielded from this conjunction of multiple scattering theory with a genetic algorithm are analyzed. The potential of this approach is illustrated by designing a lens that has a very low F-number (F=0.47) and a conversion ratio of 11:1. We have also designed a coupler device that introduces the light from an optical fiber into a PC-based waveguide with a predicted coupling efficiency that exceeds 87%.
Deep learning evaluation using deep linguistic processing

We discuss problems with the standard approaches to evaluation for tasks like visual question answering, and argue that artificial data can be used to address these as a complement to current practice. We demonstrate that with the help of existing ‘deep’ linguistic processing technology we are able to create challenging abstract datasets, which enable us to investigate the language understanding abilities of multimodal deep learning models in detail, as compared to a single performance value on a static and monolithic dataset.
LIVING IN A FOREIGN COUNTRY IN OLD AGE: LIFE IN SWEDEN AS EXPERIENCED BY ELDERLY IRANIAN IMMIGRANTS

The purpose of this study is to describe the experiences of elderly Iranian immigrants residing in Sweden. In-depth interviews with 30 individuals from the target group were conducted. These sessions were tape-recorded and analysed utilizing the phenomenological-hermeneutics method. The results clearly illustrate life in Sweden as experienced by elderly Iranian immigrants and the various issues arising from their immigration that they face in everyday life. An account of the cultural characteristics of this sample population and their meanings is provided. This study ultimately offers clear explanation about the manner in which elderly Iranian immigrants living in Sweden approach their environment.
Query segmentation revisited

We address the problem of query segmentation: given a keyword query, the task is to group the keywords into phrases, if possible. Previous approaches to the problem achieve reasonable segmentation performance but are tested only against a small corpus of manually segmented queries. In addition, many of the previous approaches are fairly intricate as they use expensive features and are difficult to be reimplemented. The main contribution of this paper is a new method for query segmentation that is easy to implement, fast, and that comes with a segmentation accuracy comparable to current state-of-the-art techniques. Our method uses only raw web n-gram frequencies and Wikipedia titles that are stored in a hash table. At the same time, we introduce a new evaluation corpus for query segmentation. With about 50,000 human-annotated queries, it is two orders of magnitude larger than the corpus being used up to now.
Postconcussive Symptoms After Blast and Nonblast-Related Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries in Afghanistan and Iraq War Veterans

Abstract Blast injury is common in current warfare, but little is known about the effects of blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Profile analyses were conducted investigating differences in self-reported postconcussive (PC) symptoms in 339 veteran outpatients with mTBI histories reporting current symptoms based on mechanism of injury (blast only, nonblast only, or both blast and nonblast), number of blast injuries, and distance from the blast. Veterans with any blast-related mTBI history were younger and reported higher posttraumatic stress symptoms than veterans with nonblast-related mTBI histories, with a marginally significant difference in posttraumatic stress symptom report between veterans reporting blast-related mTBI only and those reporting nonblast-related mTBI. The groups did not differ in terms of PC symptom severity or PC symptom cluster profiles. Among veterans with blast-related mTBI histories, PC symptom report did not vary by number of blast-related mTBIs or proximity to blast. Overall, posttraumatic stress symptoms accounted for a substantial portion of variance in PC symptom report. In veteran outpatients with remote mTBI histories who have enduring symptom complaints related to the mTBI, mechanism of injury did not clearly contribute to differential PC symptom severity or PC symptom cluster profile. Proximal rather than distal factors may be important intervention targets in returning symptomatic veterans with mTBI histories. (JINS, 2010, 16, 856–866.)
Clap your hands! Calibrating spectral subtraction for dereverberation

Reverberation effects as observed by room microphones severely degrade the performance of automatic speech recognition systems. We investigate the use of dereverberation by spectral subtraction as proposed by Lebart and Boucher and introduce a simple approach to estimate the required decay parameter by clapping hands. Experiments on small vocabulary continuous speech recognition task on read speech show that using the calibrated dereverberation improves WER from 73.2 to 54.7 for the best microphone. In combination with system adaptation, the WER could be reduced to 28.2, which is only a 16% relative loss of performance comparison to using a headset instead of a room microphone.
An HTTP/2-Based Adaptive Streaming Framework for 360° Virtual Reality Videos

Virtual Reality (VR) devices are becoming accessible to a large public, which is going to increase the demand for 360° VR videos. VR videos are often characterized by a poor quality of experience, due to the high bandwidth required to stream the 360° video. To overcome this issue, we spatially divide the VR video into tiles, so that each temporal segment is composed of several spatial tiles. Only the tiles belonging to the viewport, the region of the video watched by the user, are streamed at the highest quality. The other tiles are instead streamed at a lower quality. We also propose an algorithm to predict the future viewport position and minimize quality transitions during viewport changes. The video is delivered using the server push feature of the HTTP/2 protocol. Instead of retrieving each tile individually, the client issues a single push request to the server, so that all the required tiles are automatically pushed back to back. This approach allows to increase the achieved throughput, especially in mobile, high RTT networks. In this paper, we detail the proposed framework and present a prototype developed to test its performance using real-world 4G bandwidth traces. Particularly, our approach can save bandwidth up to 35% without severely impacting the quality viewed by the user, when compared to a traditional non-tiled VR streaming solution. Moreover, in high RTT conditions, our HTTP/2 approach can reach 3 times the throughput of tiled streaming over HTTP/1.1, and consistently reduce freeze time. These results represent a major improvement for the efficient delivery of 360° VR videos over the Internet.
Geographical scale, industrial diversity, and regional economic stability

The empirical relationship between economic diversity and economic stability varies when it is measured at different geographical scales. This paper evaluates the role of geographical scales in assessing this diversity-stability relationship among counties, states, Economic Areas (EAs), metropolitan counties and metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the contiguous U.S. When choosing geographical units to analyze regional economic structure, it is necessary that the geographical units be large enough in population and employment to quantify effectively the regional economic structure. In addition, this paper proposes that geographical units also should be functionally aggregated regions as they better represent spatial interactions than formal regions do, and they consider the possible temporal variations in the boundaries of regional economic structures.
Particle energies and filling fractions of radio bubbles in cluster cores

Using Chandra images of cluster cores with clear radio bubbles, we have determined k, which is the ratio of the total particle energy to that of the electrons radiating between 10 MHz and 10 GHz. Radiative and dynamical constraints on the bubbles indicate that the ratio of the energy factor, k, to the volume filling factor, f, lies within the range 1 ? k/f ? 1000. Assuming pressure equilibrium between the radio-emitting plasma and the surrounding X-ray gas, none of the lobes has equipartition between relativistic particles and magnetic field. There is no evidence for any dependence of the upper limit of the k/f ratio on any physical parameter of the cluster or the radio source. The distribution of the upper limit on k/f appears to be bimodal, the value being ∼3 for some clusters and ∼300 for the others. We show that this may be due to the composition of the jet which forms the bubbles, the variation in the volume filling fraction or variation in the amount of reacceleration occurring in the bubble.
Anti-16-Kilodalton Mycobacterial Protein Immunoglobulin M Levels in Healthy but Purified Protein Derivative-Reactive Children Decrease after Chemoprophylaxis

ABSTRACT Serum responses against Mycobacterium tuberculosis HSP16 were determined for children with tuberculosis (TB) and for healthy purified protein derivative (PPD)-positive and PPD-negative children. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgM responses were higher for TB patients than for other groups. After chemotherapy, IgM and IgG responses decreased for TB patients and PPD-positive subjects. Monitoring of anti-M. tuberculosis HSP16 responses could assist in the management of pediatric TB.
Investigation into the frontal lobe functioning of young offenders with and without a head injury

Recent research has established a high prevalence of head injuries in both the adult and youth offending populations. Offenders often have difficulties with tasks that involve executive and frontal lobe functioning compared to non-offenders, but research has often not recorded or controlled for the effect of head injury. This research aimed to investigate whether young offenders in the community, with self-reported traumatic brain injury (TBI), perform differently to young offenders without a TBI on tasks that are associated with frontal lobe functioning. Participants completed a battery of assessment measures that related to four different areas of frontal lobe functioning. In addition measures of mood, socio-economic status (SES) and IQ were taken as possible confounding variables. A total of 20 participants were recruited in the TBI group and 15 in the non-TBI group. Participants were aged between 12-17 years old and had either past or current involvement with Youth Offending Services (YOS). The TBI group had significantly lower IQ and SES than the non-TBI group but similar levels of self-reported depression. The TBI group were more impulsive on an inhibition task and were poorer at intuitive and emotion-based decision making, and reading emotions from the eyes. There were no significant differences between the groups on reaction time tests. The study concluded that within this sample of young offenders, those with a self-reported head injury had poorer performance on some tasks associated with frontal lobe functioning, but not others. The findings are considered in the context of theoretical and clinical implications with suggestions for further research.