Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determination of left atrial appendage morphology.

To the Editor: Veinot et al1 reviewed 500 heart specimens from autopsies during a 22-year period. They described the anatomy of the left atrial appendage (LAA) by determining orifice diameter, width, length, and number of lobes. They found orifice size, width, and length to be age and sex related. In men and women aged >20 years, mean orifice diameters of 1.16 and 1.07 cm, length of 2.59 and 2.53 cm, and width of 1.83 and 1.66 cm were found, respectively, as well as 1 to 4 lobes. In a study on 220 LAA casts obtained shortly after death,2 we determined LAA morphology by describing the course and ramifications of the principal axis and by measuring minimal and maximal orifice diameters, length (bottom to top), width (at right angles), and volume. The course of the principal axis …
Undertaking the Tokeneer Challenge in Event-B

This paper describes a case study on the use of a formal methods tool for checking security properties of Tokeneer, a U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) project developed by Praxis, and released in 2008. We modelled Tokeneer as a series of abstract mathematical models related refinement steps in Event-B. We used the Rodin toolset for modelling Tokeneer in Event-B and for discharging associated proof obligations, and we used the EventB2Java code generator to generate Java code for the Event-B model of Tokeneer. After that, we wrote a series of JUnit tests to validate if the Java implementation of Tokeneer adhered to the security properties of Tokeneer described in the documentation provided by Praxis. To the best of our knowledge, modelling Tokeneer in Event-B and checking that its implementation adheres to those security properties is something that hasn’t been attempted before.
Everyday Activity and the Development of Scientific Thinking

Years before encountering their first formal science lessons in elementary school, children may already be practicing scientific thinking on a weekly, if not daily, basis. In one recent survey, parents reported that their kindergartners engaged, on average, in more than 300 informal science education activities per year—watching science television shows, reading science-oriented books, and visiting museums and zoos (Korpan, Bisanz, Bisanz, Boehme & Lynch, 1997). This strikes us as a lot, but it is likely to pale in comparison to what young children may experience five years from now. Encouraged by findings suggesting that children’s out-of-school activities and learning environments are linked to motivation and success in the classroom (e.g., Gottfried, Fleming, & Gottfried, 1998), developers continue to expand the number of science-oriented museums, internet sites, books, and television shows specifically designed for young children. But what constitutes effective learning environments? What are the knowledge bases, processes, and practices that good informal science education should seek to develop? It seems natural that at this moment, psychologists interested in cognitive development would step to the fore with their research-based knowledge of how children learn to think scientifically to work as partners with developers to produce effective informal learning environments. But, as many have noted with respect to classrooms and formal education, it is almost never the case that basic learning research can be translated immediately into effective practice. The complexity, extended time-scale, and socially-embedded nature of in vivo learning and development are not just annoyances to be controlled by an experimenter; they are fundamental, irreducible characteristics of how learning actually occurs (Brown, 1992). 13
Design and optimization of 8 bit ALU using reversible logic

Conventional Complementary metal oxide semiconductor circuits (CMOS) dissipate energy in the form of bits of information. This dissipation of energy is in the form of power dissipation and plays a very important role as far as low power design is considered. Today, most digital circuits are being designed using Reversible Logic. Design based on Reversible Logic helps in reducing heat dissipation, allowing nearly energy free computation, allowing higher circuit densities and enabling better testing of faults. In this paper, a novel design for a Reversible 8-bit ALU is proposed. The 8-bit ALU is designed by cascading 1-bit ALUs. The two major units of a 1-bit ALU are the control unit and the adder unit. For the control unit, the Control Output Gate (COG) has been used and for the adder unit the Haghparast and Navi Gate (HNG) has been used. The most significant aspect of this paper is that as compared to other papers, this ALU design has reduced gate count, and transistor count. The propagation delay was found to be significantly lesser at a value of 5.52 ns when compared with the value of 8.29 ns for an existing design. Simulation and verification of the proposed design was performed using Cadence 180nm technology software tool.
Breakdown in cortical effective connectivity during midazolam-induced loss of consciousness

By employing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in combination with high-density electroencephalography (EEG), we recently reported that cortical effective connectivity is disrupted during early non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. This is a time when subjects, if awakened, may report little or no conscious content. We hypothesized that a similar breakdown of cortical effective connectivity may underlie loss of consciousness (LOC) induced by pharmacologic agents. Here, we tested this hypothesis by comparing EEG responses to TMS during wakefulness and LOC induced by the benzodiazepine midazolam. Unlike spontaneous sleep states, a subject’s level of vigilance can be monitored repeatedly during pharmacological LOC. We found that, unlike during wakefulness, wherein TMS triggered responses in multiple cortical areas lasting for >300 ms, during midazolam-induced LOC, TMS-evoked activity was local and of shorter duration. Furthermore, a measure of the propagation of evoked cortical currents (significant current scattering, SCS) could reliably discriminate between consciousness and LOC. These results resemble those observed in early NREM sleep and suggest that a breakdown of cortical effective connectivity may be a common feature of conditions characterized by LOC. Moreover, these results suggest that it might be possible to use TMS-EEG to assess consciousness during anesthesia and in pathological conditions, such as coma, vegetative state, and minimally conscious state.
Technologies for 3D Model Watermarking: A Survey

Summary Due to the explosive growth of Internet and the development of digital content designing and processing techniques, many valuable materials can be represented in digital forms for exhibition and access via Internet. Due to the characteristics of easy duplication and modification of digital contents, it is necessary to develop a variety of watermarking techniques for various protection purposes such as ownership claiming and authentication. In this survey paper, we examine 3D model watermarking technologies developed over the last decade. We classify various algorithms into two classes: robust watermarking and fragile watermarking. We describe main ideas behind each class, and compare the advantages and disadvantages of the algorithms in each class. Finally, we address some trends in the 3D model watermarking technology development.
International Journal of Hospitality Management Total Quality Management, Corporate Social Responsibility and Performance in the Hotel Industry

Keywords: Total quality management Corporate social responsibility Responsiveness Hospitality industry Stakeholders a b s t r a c t Total quality management (TQM) and corporate social responsibility (CSR) are relevant management philosophies in the hotel industry to be able to generate a sustainable competitive advantage. This paper examines how the implementation of both TQM and CSR influences the results of hotels' stakeholders as an antecedent of business performance. An empirical study of a sample of 141 Spanish hotels from the Andalusian region shows that the adoption of such approaches improves the capacity of hotels to create benefits for their stakeholders, and these results have a positive effect on hotel performance. The study also provides evidence of the complementarity of both management philosophies as TQM can enhance the development of CSR.
A 3 GHz CMOS quadrature oscillator using active superharmonic coupling

A 3 GHz quadrature oscillator has been designed, fabricated, and measured using CMOS 0.18 mum technology. The oscillator uses an active superharmonic coupling technique to generate the quadrature signals. By using two identical LC differential oscillators with a 180deg relationship enforced between the second-order harmonics that are present at the common- mode nodes, quadrature outputs are obtained at the fundamental frequency. Quadrature oscillations were achieved at 3.0 GHz with a measured output power of -6 dBm. The phase error in the fundamental quadrature outputs is less than 6deg and the power consumption for the core of the oscillator is 7.5 mW. The phase noise performance is -116 dBc/Hz at a 1 MHz offset and the figure of merit is -177 dBc/Hz. The layout for this circuit is very compact at 650 mum times 500 mum.
Control of Cardiac Growth by Histone Acetylation / Deacetylation

Histones control gene expression by modulating the structure of chromatin and the accessibility of regulatory DNA sequences to transcriptional activators and repressors. Posttranslational modifications of histones have been proposed to establish a “code” that determines patterns of cellular gene expression. Acetylation of histones by histone acetyltransferases stimulates gene expression by relaxing chromatin structure, allowing access of transcription factors to DNA, whereas deacetylation of histones by histone deacetylases promotes chromatin condensation and transcriptional repression. Recent studies demonstrate histone acetylation/deacetylation to be a nodal point for the control of cardiac growth and gene expression in response to acute and chronic stress stimuli. These findings suggest novel strategies for “transcriptional therapies” to control cardiac gene expression and function. Manipulation of histone modifying enzymes and the signaling pathways that impinge on them in the settings of pathological cardiac growth, remodeling, and heart failure represents an auspicious therapeutic approach. (Circ Res. 2006;98:15-24.)
Nitrogen fertilization has minimal influence on rhizosphere effects of smooth crabgrass (Digitaria ischaemum) and bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon)

Aims Plants generally respond to nitrogen (N) fertilization with increased growth, but N addition can also suppress rhizosphere effects, which consequently alters soil processes. We quantified the influence of N addition on rhizosphere effects of two C4 grasses: smooth crabgrass (Digitaria ischaemum) and bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon). Methods Plants were grown in nutrient-poor soil for 80 days with either 20 or 120 μg NH4NO3-N g dry soil−1. N mineralization rates, microbial biomass, extracellular enzyme activities and bacterial community structure were measured on both rhizosphere and bulk (unplanted) soils after plant harvest. Important Findings Fertilization showed nominal differences in net N mineralization, extracellular enzyme activity and microbial biomass between the rhizosphere and bulk soils, indicating minimal influence of N on rhizosphere effects. Instead, the presence of plant roots showed the strongest impact (up to 80%) on rates of net N mineralization and activities of three soil enzymes indicative of N release from organic matter. Principal component analysis of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) also reflected these trends by highlighting the importance of plant roots in structuring the soil bacterial community, followed by plant species and N fertilization (to a minor extent). Overall, the results indicate minor contributions of short-term N fertilization to changes in the magnitude of rhizosphere effects for both grass species.
"Birds of a Feather": Does User Homophily Impact Information Diffusion in Social Media?

This article investigates the impact of user homophily on the social process of information diffusion in online social media. Over several decades, social scientists have been interested in the idea that similarity breeds connection: precisely known as "homophily". Homophily has been extensively studied in the social sciences and refers to the idea that users in a social system tend to bond more with ones who are similar to them than to ones who are dissimilar. The key observation is that homophily structures the ego-networks of individuals and impacts their communication behavior. It is therefore likely to effect the mechanisms in which information propagates among them. To this effect, we investigate the interplay between homophily along diverse user attributes and the information diffusion process on social media. In our approach, we first extract diffusion characteristics---corresponding to the baseline social graph as well as graphs filtered on different user attributes (e.g. location, activity). Second, we propose a Dynamic Bayesian Network based framework to predict diffusion characteristics at a future time. Third, the impact of attribute homophily is quantified by the ability of the predicted characteristics in explaining actual diffusion, and external variables, including trends in search and news. Experimental results on a large Twitter dataset demonstrate that choice of the homophilous attribute can impact the prediction of information diffusion, given a specific metric and a topic. In most cases, attribute homophily is able to explain the actual diffusion and external trends by ~15-25% over cases when homophily is not considered.
Impulsive noise mitigation using an adaptive WMA-MVDR estimator for array based wireless communications

In this paper, we propose an adaptive WMA-MVDR estimator for mitigating impulsive noise in a multiple-access interference (MAI) environment. A time-domain Bernoulli-Gaussian process is used to model the impulsive noise. The estimator comprises two stages of processing: an adaptive window-mean amplitude (WMA) filter and a modified MVDR (Minimum Variance Distortionless Response) estimator. Numerical results show that the bit error rate (BER) performance of the proposed algorithm outperforms some existing estimators under the impulsive noise environment.
Digital Faith: Law, Ethics, and Theology for the Online-Engaged Church

Afzal (2012) defines “information organizations” as “organizations that engage in all or one of the activities involving acquisition, organization, preservation, processing, recording, creation, assimilation, packaging, repackaging, presentation, dissemination, transfer, and access of information” (p. 102-103). Libraries, museums, publishers, music companies, and news channels are all examples of information organizations. I propose that North American Christian churches are information organizations. Weekly they create and present information in the forms of sermons, classes, bible studies, and music through organized events and activities. To support these activities they produce documents like newsletters, bulletins, and reports in print and increasingly digital formats. Churches are preservers of social and cultural data such as births, deaths, marriages, baptisms, and community events. Churches are voracious consumers and disseminators of educational, evangelistic, and worship materials that support a thriving publishing industry. Churches want to reach out to their wider communities, historically adopting new communication technologies like television and radio, and now using the power of the Internet and social media. Hutchings (2015) offers a contemporary overview of the many ways that Christian churches are engaging with technology to mediate faith and to e-vangelize their communities.
Management of cutaneous metastases using electrochemotherapy

Abstract Background. Cutaneous metastases may cause considerable discomfort as a consequence of ulceration, oozing, bleeding and pain. Electrochemotherapy has proven to be highly effective in the treatment of cutaneous metastases. Electrochemotherapy utilises pulses of electricity to increase the permeability of the cell membrane and thereby augment the effect of chemotherapy. For the drug bleomycin, the effect is enhanced several hundred-fold, enabling once-only treatment. The primary endpoint of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of electrochemotherapy as a palliative treatment. Methods. This phase II study is a collaboration between two centres, one in Denmark and the other in the UK. Patients with cutaneous metastases of any histology were included. Bleomycin was administered intratumourally or intravenously followed by application of electric pulses to the tumour site. Results. Fifty-two patients were included. Complete and partial response rate was 68% and 18%, respectively, for cutaneous metastases <3 cm and 8% and 23%, respectively, for cutaneous metastases >3 cm. Treatment was well-tolerated by patients, including the elderly, and no serious adverse events were observed. Conclusions. ECT is an efficient and safe treatment and clinicians should not hesitate to use it even in the elderly.
Approximate Parameter Synthesis for Probabilistic Time-Bounded Reachability

This paper proposes a technique to synthesize parametric rate values in continuous-time Markov chains that ensure the validity of bounded reachability properties. Rate expressions over variables indicate the average speed of state changes and are expressed using the polynomials over reals. The key contribution is an algorithm that approximates the set of parameter values for which the stochastic real-time system guarantees the validity of bounded reachability properties. This algorithm is based on discretizing parameter ranges together with a refinement technique. This paper describes the algorithm, analyzes its time complexity, and shows its applicability by deriving parameter constraints for a real-time storage system with probabilistic error checking facilities.
Perceived Social Support Mediates the Relations Between Parental Attachment and Posttraumatic Growth and Resilience in Adolescents Following the Yancheng Tornado

ABSTRACT Previous studies have shown that parental attachment is associated with higher levels of posttraumatic growth (PTG) and resilience in individuals who have experienced traumatic events. The present study investigated perceived social support as one pathway in which parental attachment is related to PTG and resilience among Chinese adolescents who have experienced trauma by considering the role of perceived social support. Participants were 443 Chinese adolescents who had experienced a severe tornado a year prior to this study. The results showed that our model fitted the data well [χ2/df = 2.847, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.970, TLI = 0.963, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) (90% CI) = 0.065 (0.056–0.073)] and revealed that perceived social support partially mediated the relationship between parental attachment, and PTG and resilience. The clinical implications and limitations of our research, and recommendations for future research are discussed in this paper.
Multipath mitigation in GNSS-based localization using robust optimization

Our paper adapts recent advances in the SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping) literature to the problem of multipath mitigation and proposes a novel approach to successfully localize a vehicle despite a significant number of multipath observations. We show that GNSS-based localization problems can be modelled as factor graphs and solved using efficient nonlinear least squares methods that exploit the sparsity inherent in the problem formulation. Using a recently developed novel approach for robust optimization, satellite observations that are subject to multipath errors can be successfully identified and rejected during the optimization process. We demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed approach on a real-world urban dataset and compare it to an existing method of multipath detection.
Holography, Duality and Higher-Spin Theories

I review recent work on the holographic relation between higher-spin theories in Anti-de Sitter spaces and conformal field theories. I present the main results of studies concerning the higher-spin holographic dual of the three-dimensional O(N) vector model. I discuss the special role played by certain double-trace deformations in Conformal Field Theories that have higher-spin holographic duals. Using the canonical formulation I show that duality transformations in a U(1) gauge theory on AdS4 induce boundary double-trace deformations. I argue that a similar effect takes place in the holography of linearized higher-spin theories on AdS4.
Optimal contracting and the organization of knowledge

We study contractual arrangements that support an efficient use of time in a knowledge-intensive economy in which agents endogenously specialize in either production or consulting. The resulting market for advice is plagued by informational problems, since both the difficulty of the questions posed to consultants and the knowledge of those consultants are hard to assess. We show that spot contracting is not efficient because lemons (in this case, self-employed producers with intermediate knowledge) cannot be appropriately excluded from the market. However, an ex ante, firm-like contractual arrangement uniquely delivers the first best. This arrangement involves hierarchies in which consultants are full residual claimants of output and compensate producers via incentive contracts. This simple characterization of the optimal ex ante arrangement suggests a rationale for the organization of firms and the structure of compensation in knowledge-intensive sectors. Our findings correspond empirically to observed arrangements inside professional service firms and between venture capitalists and entrepreneurs.
A Survey on Application Layer Protocols for the Internet of Things

It has been more than fifteen years since the term Internet of Things (IoT) was introduced. However, despite the efforts of research groups and innovative corporations, still today it is not possible to say that the IoT is upon us. This is mainly due to the fact that a unified IoT architecture has not yet been clearly defined and there is no common agreement in defining communication protocols and standards for all the IoT parts. The framework that current IoT platforms use consists mostly in technologies that partially fulfill the IoT requirements. While developers employ existing technologies to build the IoT, research groups are working on adapting protocols to the IoT in order to optimize communications. In this paper, we present and compare existing IoT application layer protocols as well as protocols that are utilized to connect the “things” but also end-user applications to the Internet. We highlight IETF’s CoAP, IBM’s MQTT, HTML 5’s Websocket among others, and we argue their suitability for the IoT by considering reliability, security, and energy consumption aspects. Finally, we provide our conclusions for the IoT application layer communications based on the study that we have conducted.