Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Determinantal point process models on the sphere

We consider determinantal point processes on the $d$-dimensional unit sphere $\mathbb S^d$. These are finite point processes exhibiting repulsiveness and with moment properties determined by a certain determinant whose entries are specified by a so-called kernel which we assume is a complex covariance function defined on $\mathbb S^d\times\mathbb S^d$. We review the appealing properties of such processes, including their specific moment properties, density expressions and simulation procedures. Particularly, we characterize and construct isotropic DPPs models on $\mathbb{S}^d$, where it becomes essential to specify the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions in a spectral representation for the kernel, and we figure out how repulsive isotropic DPPs can be. Moreover, we discuss the shortcomings of adapting existing models for isotropic covariance functions and consider strategies for developing new models, including a useful spectral approach.
"Intravenous Magnesium Sulfate as an adjunct in the treatment of severe Asthmatic patients non-responding to conventional therapy "

Treatment of acute asthma is based on rapid reversal of bronchospasm and arresting airway inflammation. This study was done to determine the effect of intravenous MgSO4 for improvement of pulmonary fuction in patients with acute asthma non-responding to routine therapy. This randomized, double –blind controlled study was conducted on 48 patients, magnesium sulfate group , n=48 aged 12-85 years, 26 men, 22 women, and control (saline) group, n=33, aged 15-80 years, 17 men, 16 women, who had not responded to routine treatment. Peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR) was done before MgSO4 (25 mg/kg) and normal saline (100 ml) as a baseline criteria and after infusion of drugs at 30 mm and 3 hr. All patients were also given bronchodilators. The main outcome was PEER. Data were analyzed by X2 and t-test and differences between each point, were considered significant at P<0.05. The peak expiratory flow rate 3 hrs after baseline increased in MgSO4 group in comparison with saline group (82.60±5.8 veruss 47.8±87 p=0.002). the number of breating in MgSO4 was also increased at 30 mm and 3 hr after baseline. Cyanosis, diaphoresis and use of respiratory accessory muscles by patients were decreased in MgSO4 in comparison with saline group.According to the results, it is suggested that MgSO4 can be an adjunct agent for the treatment of patients with acute non-responding asthma
V[subscript OC] enhancement in polymer solar cells with isobenzofulvene–C[subscript 60] adducts

We report the use of isobenzofulvene–C60 adducts in bulk heterojunction organic solar cells, synthesized via the [4+2] cycloaddition of C60 with an in situ generated isobenzofulvene intermediate. The LUMO energy levels of these adducts are 20–180 meV higher than that of PCBM ([6,6]-phenyl-C61butyric acid methyl ester). This large increase of the LUMO level is attributed to cofacial π-orbital interactions between the fullerene surface and the isobenzofulvene π–system (aromatic ring and double bond). Raised LUMO levels of fullerenes, together with their desirably slow recombination dynamics, led to higher open-circuit voltages (VOC) in bulk heterojunction polymer solar cells (up to 0.75 V for bisadducts) relative to cells tested in parallel using the well-known PCBM as the fullerene acceptor. In addition to enhanced VOC, the short-circuit current densities (JSC) were improved in the devices containing the epoxide analogs of the isobenzofulvene–C60. Notably the epoxide derivative of the monoadduct (IBF–Ep) exhibited ~20% enhancement of power conversion efficiency (PCE) compared to reference P3HT:PCBM solar cells. A combination of optical and electronic methods was used to investigate the origin of the PCE enhancement observed with these new fullerene acceptors with particular attention to the increased VOCs.
Fresh red blood cells transfusion protects against aluminum phosphide-induced metabolic acidosis and mortality in rats

Background Aluminum phosphide (AlP) is used as pesticide in some countries for protection of stored grains. Human poisoning with AlP due to suicide attempt or accidental environmental exposure is associated with very high mortality partially due to development of severe metabolic acidosis. Previous studies have shown that hemoglobin has high buffering capacity and erythrocytes can potentially be used for management of metabolic acidosis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of fresh packed red blood cells (RBC) transfusion on survival and cardiovascular function in AlP-poisoned rats. Methodology/Principal findings Rats were poisoned with AlP by gavage. Fresh packed RBC was transfused via tail vein after AlP administration. Acid-base balance, vital signs and mortality was assessed and compared in experimental groups. Infusion of fresh packed RBC (1.5 ml) one hour after AlP (4–15 mg/kg) intoxication was associated with a significant decrease in mortality rate. Packed RBC infusion improved blood pH, HCO3-, Na+ and Ca2+ levels. Plasma troponin level was also reduced and ECG changes were reversed following packed RBC infusion in AlP intoxicated rats. Conclusions Our results showed that fresh RBC transfusion could ameliorate metabolic acidosis and enhance survival in AlP-poisoned rat. We assume that an increase in pool of RBCs may modulate acid-base balance or potentially chelate AlP-related toxic intermediates via phosphine-hemoglobin interaction.
The multifaceted phenomenon of ‘happy victimizers’: A cross‐cultural comparison of moral emotions

This study examines whether German and Portuguese 5- to 6-, and 8- to 9-year-old children distinguish between the feelings attributed to a victimizer or to themselves if they were the victimizers in two hypothetical moral violations (stealing and breaking a promise), and how they morally evaluate the emotions they attribute to victimizers and the person of the victimizer. The results showed that in spite of some developmental and cultural differences, children's attribution of negative emotions was substantively more frequent when they made attributions to themselves. Furthermore, most children judged the positive (immoral) emotions they had attributed to victimizers as not right and evaluated the person of the hypothetical victimizer negatively. The results clarify contradictory findings in the field and may provide a better understanding of the moral and developmental meaning of the positive and negative emotions attributed in acts of victimization.
Effects of birthplace and individual genetic admixture on lung volume and exercise phenotypes of Peruvian Quechua.

Forced vital capacity (FVC) and maximal exercise response were measured in two populations of Peruvian males (age, 18-35 years) at 4,338 m who differed by the environment in which they were born and raised, i.e., high altitude (Cerro de Pasco, Peru, BHA, n = 39) and sea level (Lima, Peru, BSL, n = 32). BSL subjects were transported from sea level to 4,338 m, and were evaluated within 24 hr of exposure to hypobaric hypoxia. Individual admixture level (ADMIX, % Spanish ancestry) was estimated for each subject, using 22 ancestry-informative genetic markers and also by skin reflectance measurement (MEL). Birthplace accounted for the approximately 10% larger FVC (P < 0.001), approximately 15% higher maximal oxygen consumption (VO(2)max, ml.min(-1). kg(-1)) (P < 0.001), and approximately 5% higher arterial oxygen saturation during exercise (SpO(2)) (P < 0.001) of BHA subjects. ADMIX was low in both study groups, averaging 9.5 +/- 2.6% and 2.1 +/- 0.3% in BSL and BHA subjects, respectively. Mean underarm MEL was significantly higher in the BSL group (P < 0.001), despite higher ADMIX. ADMIX was not associated with any study phenotype, but study power was not sufficient to evaluate hypotheses of genetic adaptation via the ADMIX variable. MEL and FVC were positively correlated in the BHA (P = 0.035) but not BSL (P = 0.335) subjects. However, MEL and ADMIX were not correlated across the entire study sample (P = 0.282). In summary, results from this study emphasize the importance of developmental adaptation to high altitude. While the MEL-FVC correlation may reflect genetic adaptation to high altitude, study results suggest that alternate (environmental) explanations be considered.
TiO2 Surface Coating of Mn-Zn Dopped Ferrites Study

This study deals with TiO2 coating of powder Mn-Zn ferrite in order to recieve photocatalytic layer on the top of these particles, forming core-shell catalyst. Powder catalysts are of great advance over the world due to the high surface area, considering the kinetics proceeds through heterogenous phase boundary catalysis. However their withdrawal from cleaning systems often requires energetically and economically demanding processes such as filtration and ultrafiltration. Since the ferrite is magnetic, the advantage of such formed core-shell photocatalyst is easibility of removing from photocatalytic decomposition system using external magnetic field. In this study the surface coating is performed, using Ti alkoxides mixtures with nanosized TiO2 particles and C and Au coating to form film layer of TiO2 on the surface of ferrite. XRD, SEM – EDS analyses are employed to study surface coating.
Effect of a 5‐HT2c receptor agonist on urethral closure mechanisms in female rats

The serotonin (5‐HT2c) receptor is known to be involved in the mechanism of urethral closure in a model of stress incontinence. Lorcaserin (Belviq®) has received Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of obesity. However, it is unclear whether this selective 5‐HT2c receptor agonist enhances urethral closure in stress urinary incontinence (SUI) models. Therefore, we investigated whether lorcaserin could enhance urethral closure in female rats with vaginal distention (VD).
Toughness Properties of Intercritically Normalized 0.14Wt%C Structural Steel.

Steel containing 0.14wt%C was intercritically normalized at 810, 820, 830, …, 900 o C for 1, 2, 3, and 4 hours at each temperature. The effect of intercritical normalizing heat treatment and the holding time on the notch impact toughness was examined. The notch impact toughness properties of the intercritically normalized and the non-heat treated as hot-rolled steel samples were determined and compared. It was found that notch impact toughness properties decreased with increase in intercritical normalizing temperature and holding time. Additionally, intercritical normalizing temperature and holding time gave rise to improvement of the notch impact toughness properties over that of the as hot-rolled steel samples.
Anchoring policy development around stable points : An approach to regulating the co-evolving ICT ecosystem

The daunting pace of innovation in the information and communications technology (ICT) landscape, of technology and business structure, is a well-known but under-appreciated reality. In contrast, the rate of policy and regulatory innovation is much slower, partly due to its inherently more deliberative character. We describe this disparity in terms of the natural rates of change in different parts of the ecosystem, and examine why it has impeded attempts to impose effective regulation on the telecommunications industry. We explain why a recent movement to reduce this disparity by increasing the pace of regulation – adaptive regulation – faces five obstacles that may hinder its feasibility in the ICT ecosystem. As a means to achieve more sustainable regulatory frameworks for ICT industries, we introduce an approach based on finding stable points in the system architecture. We explore the origin and role of these stable points in a rapidly evolving system, and argue that they can provide a means to support development of policies, including adaptive regulation approaches, that are more likely to survive the rapid pace of evolution in technology. & 2015 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Users’ Perspectives on a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS): An In-Depth Study in a Teaching Hospital in Kuwait

Background Picture archiving and communication system (PACS) is a well-known imaging informatics application in health care organizations, specifically designed for the radiology department. Health care providers have exhibited willingness toward evaluating PACS in hospitals to ascertain the critical success and failure of the technology, considering that evaluation is a basic requirement. Objective This study aimed at evaluating the success of a PACS in a regional teaching hospital of Kuwait, from users’ perspectives, using information systems success criteria. Methods An in-depth study was conducted by using quantitative and qualitative methods. This mixed-method study was based on: (1) questionnaires, distributed to all radiologists and technologists and (2) interviews, conducted with PACS administrators. Results In all, 60 questionnaires were received from the respondents. These included 39 radiologists (75% response rate) and 21 technologists (62% response rate), with the results showing almost three-quarters (74%, 44 of 59) of the respondents rating PACS positively and as user friendly. This study’s findings revealed that the demographic data, including computer experience, was an insignificant factor, having no influence on the users’ responses. The findings were further substantiated by the administrators’ interview responses, which supported the benefits of PACS, indicating the need for developing a unified policy aimed at streamlining and improving the departmental workflow. Conclusions The PACS had a positive and productive impact on the radiologists’ and technologists’ work performance. They were endeavoring to resolve current problems while keeping abreast of advances in PACS technology, including teleradiology and mobile image viewer, which is steadily increasing in usage in the Kuwaiti health system.
Perturbation theory for Markov chains via Wasserstein distance

Perturbation theory for Markov chains addresses the question how small differences in the transitions of Markov chains are reflected in differences between their distributions. We prove powerful and flexible bounds on the distance of the $n$th step distributions of two Markov chains when one of them satisfies a Wasserstein ergodicity condition. Our work is motivated by the recent interest in approximate Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods in the analysis of big data sets. By using an approach based on Lyapunov functions, we provide estimates for geometrically ergodic Markov chains under weak assumptions. In an autoregressive model, our bounds cannot be improved in general. We illustrate our theory by showing quantitative estimates for approximate versions of two prominent MCMC algorithms, the Metropolis-Hastings and stochastic Langevin algorithms.
On the axiomatizability of quantitative algebras

Quantitative algebras (QAs) are algebras over metric spaces defined by quantitative equational theories as introduced by us in 2016. They provide the mathematical foundation for metric semantics of probabilistic, stochastic and other quantitative systems. This paper considers the issue of axiomatizability of QAs. We investigate the entire spectrum of types of quantitative equations that can be used to axiomatize theories: (i) simple quantitative equations; (ii) Horn clauses with no more than c equations between variables as hypotheses, where c is a cardinal and (iii) the most general case of Horn clauses. In each case we characterize the class of QAs and prove variety/quasivariety theorems that extend and generalize classical results from model theory for algebras and first-order structures.
Neural activity related to drug craving in cocaine addiction.

BACKGROUND Crack cocaine dependence and addiction is typically associated with frequent and intense drug wanting or craving triggered by internal or environmental cues associated with past drug use. METHODS Water O 15 positron emission tomography (PET) studies were used to localize alterations in synaptic activity related to cue-induced drug craving in 8 crack cocaine-dependent African American men. In a novel approach, script-guided imagery of autobiographical memories were used as individualized cues to internally generate a cocaine craving state and 2 control (ie, anger and neutral episodic memory recall) states during PET image acquisition. RESULTS The mental imagery of personalized drug use and anger-related scripts was associated with self-ratings of robust drug craving or anger, and comparable alterations in heart rate. Compared with the neutral imagery control condition, imagery-induced drug craving was associated with bilateral (right hemisphere amygdala activation greater than left) activation of the amygdala, the left insula and anterior cingulate gyrus, and the right subcallosal gyrus and nucleus accumbens area. Compared with the anger control condition, internally generated drug craving was associated with bilateral activation of the insula and subcallosal cortex, left hippocampus, and anterior cingulate cortex and brainstem. A brain-wide pixel-by-pixel search indicated significant positive and negative correlations between imagery-induced cocaine craving and regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in distributed sites. CONCLUSIONS The collected findings suggest the craving-related activation of a network of limbic, paralimbic, and striatal brain regions, including structures involved in stimulus-reward association (amygdala), incentive motivation (subcallosal gyrus/nucleus accumbens), and anticipation (anterior cingulate cortex).
The efficacy of the Ankle Mimicking Prosthetic Foot prototype 4.0 during walking: Physiological determinants

Background: Evaluating the effectiveness of a novel prosthetic device during walking is an important step in product development. Objective: To investigate the efficacy of a novel quasi-passive ankle prosthetic device, Ankle Mimicking Prosthetic Foot 4.0, during walking at different speeds, using physiological determinants in transtibial and transfemoral amputees. Study design: Nonrandomized crossover design for amputees. Methods: Six able-bodied subjects, six unilateral transtibial amputees, and six unilateral transfemoral amputees underwent a 6-min walk test at normal speed, followed by series of 2-min walking at slow, normal, and fast speeds. The intensity of effort and subjective measures were determined. Amputees performed all walking tests on a treadmill with current and novel prostheses. Shapiro–Wilk normality tests and parametric and nonparametric tests were conducted (p < 0.05). Results: Compared to able-bodied individuals, the rating of perceived exertion levels were significantly elevated in transtibial and transfemoral amputees for both prostheses (p ≤ 0.016). Compared to able-bodied individuals transfemoral amputees also showed significantly elevated heart rate for both prostheses at normal speed (p ≤ 0.043). Within-group comparisons demonstrated that walking with Ankle Mimicking Prosthetic Foot significantly increased the heart rate in transfemoral amputees and transtibial compared to current prosthesis (p = 0.002). Furthermore, transfemoral amputees reached a significantly higher rating of perceived exertion levels. Conclusion: Intensity of effort during walking with Ankle Mimicking Prosthetic Foot is higher compared to current prostheses. Clinical relevance Ankle Mimicking Prosthetic Foot 4.0 is a novel quasi-passive ankle prosthesis with state-of-the-art technological parts. Subjective measures show the importance of this technology, but the intensity of effort during walking still remains higher compared to current passive prostheses, especially in transfemoral amputees.
Structural model updating of an in‐service bridge using dynamic data

Recent developments in instrumentation, modeling, and data collection have advanced the state of the art in structural health monitoring in many engineering areas. However, the application of these developments in civil engineering infrastructure still presents some challenges. With approximately 11% of the bridges in the USA classified as structural deficient and billions of dollars required for either replacement or rehabilitation, transportation authorities require more efficient methods for condition assessment of existing bridges and funding allocation. In this article, a frequency response function‐based, two‐step model updating technique is applied to the Powder Mill Bridge. The Powder Mill Bridge is a typical overpass bridge constructed in 2009 and located in the town of Barre, Massachusetts. The goal of this research is to obtain a baseline finite element model that captures the bridge's behavior in its healthy condition using experimentally collected data from testing performed in 2010. The proposed two‐step protocol successfully identified stiffness, mass, and damping parameters in simulated scenarios with contamination from measurement errors. Likewise, experimental validation using field collected dynamic data produced parameters that were reflective of the field‐observed structural condition of the tested bridge. If the model updating protocol is repeated using collected data at standard intervals, the baseline could be eventually used to identify changes in structural parameters that are indicative of damage. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Tympanoplasty – news and new perspectives

Techniques and biomaterials for reconstructive middle ear surgery are continuously and steadily developing. At the same time, clinical post-surgery results are evaluated to determine success or failure of the therapy. Routine quality assessment and assurance is of growing importance in the medical field, and therefore also in middle ear surgery. The exact definition and acquisition of outcome parameters is essential for both a comprehensive and detailed quality assurance. These parameters are not the audiological results alone, but also additional individual parameters, which influence the postoperative outcome after tympanoplasty. Selection of patients and the preoperative clinical situation, the extent of the ossicular chain destruction, the chosen reconstruction technique and material, the audiometric frequency selection and the observational interval are only some of them. If these parameters are not well documented, the value of comparative analyses between different studies is very limited. The present overview aims at describing, comparing, and evaluating some of the existing assessment and scoring systems for middle ear surgery. Additionally, new methods for an intraoperative quality assessment in ossiculoplasty and the postoperative evaluation of suboptimal hearing results with imaging techniques are available. In the area of implant development, functional elements were integrated in prostheses to enable not only good sound transmission but also compensation of occurring atmospheric pressure changes. In combination with other components for ossicular repair, they can be used in a modular manner, which so far show experimentally and clinically promising results.