Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Clinical study of right ventricular longitudinal strain for assessing right ventricular dysfunction and hemodynamics in pulmonary hypertension

AbstractThis study aimed to appraise the application of right ventricular longitudinal strain for assessing right ventricular dysfunction and severe hemodynamic changes in pulmonary hypertension. The study included 53 patients clinically diagnosed with PH. Tissue Doppler–derived tricuspid lateral annular systolic velocity (s’), early diastolic peak velocity (e’), late diastolic peak velocity (a’), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (TAPSE), RV index of myocardial performance (RIMP), and right ventricular fractional area change (FAC) were determined. The STI parameter was RV free wall longitudinal peak systolic strain (RV LPSS). The patients were assigned into two groups based on a RV LPSS value of − 19%. RV LPSS, s’, TAPSE, RIMP, FAC, a’ and e’/a’ showed significant differences. PH patients with an RV LPSS≥ −19% exhibited a lower RV function (P < 0.05). RV LPSS was negatively correlated with TAPSE (r = −0.326, P < 0.05) and FAC (r = −0.495, P < 0.001) and positively correlated with RIMP (r = 0.508, P < 0.001). The optimal cut-off value of RV LPSS to reveal an mPAP ≥ 45 mmHg defined based on the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was − 19.26% with a sensitivity of 83.9% and a specificity of 73.4%. Distinguishing the degree of RV dysfunction by 2D-STI may help physicians to determine the state of cardiac function and degree of PH in patients and offer a basis for subsequent clinical diagnosis and therapy. Our study demonstrates the superiority of RV LPSS for uncovering severe PH over the traditional echocardiographic parameters.
Mediating links between HRM bundle and individual innovative behavior

Abstract Using multi-level analysis, the present study proposes that psychological empowerment and perceived organizational support serve as mediators of the effects of human resource management (HRM) bundle on individual innovative behavior. We tested the model using data from 705 employees of 162 firms in China. The results revealed that both psychological empowerment and perceived organizational support partially mediate the relationship between HRM bundle and individual innovative behavior. This study contributes to the understanding of how HRM bundle impact on individual innovative behavior.
How do we read algorithms? A case study

The authors report on an experiment that explored the way subjects view an algorithm, written in Pascal, and the graphical representation of its behavior. They designed the experiment to examine the influence of programming experience on how subjects view a short but complex algorithm, and they analyzed the scan patterns of eye movement for subjects at two experience levels. They describe the experimental procedure in detail, and discuss the results. An important finding was that all subjects needed numerous fixations in most areas of the algorithm and spent more time viewing relevant slide areas than did subjects in studies using simple text. This supports the hypothesis that viewing strategies for algorithms differ from those for prose. <<ETX>>
Equivariant adaptive source separation

Source separation consists of recovering a set of independent signals when only mixtures with unknown coefficients are observed. This paper introduces a class of adaptive algorithms for source separation that implements an adaptive version of equivariant estimation and is henceforth called equivariant adaptive separation via independence (EASI). The EASI algorithms are based on the idea of serial updating. This specific form of matrix updates systematically yields algorithms with a simple structure for both real and complex mixtures. Most importantly, the performance of an EASI algorithm does not depend on the mixing matrix. In particular, convergence rates, stability conditions, and interference rejection levels depend only on the (normalized) distributions of the source signals. Closed-form expressions of these quantities are given via an asymptotic performance analysis. The theme of equivariance is stressed throughout the paper. The source separation problem has an underlying multiplicative structure. The parameter space forms a (matrix) multiplicative group. We explore the (favorable) consequences of this fact on implementation, performance, and optimization of EASI algorithms.
Misperceptions, Heterogeneous Expectations and Macroeconomic Dynamics

We investigate the extent to which misperceptions about the economy can become self-reinforcing and thereby contribute to time-varying macroeconomic dynamics. To do so, we build a New Keynesian model with long-horizon expectations and dynamic predictor selection. Because agents solve multi-period optimisation problems (households maximise expected lifetime utility and firms maximise the discounted flow of future profits), their current decisions are influenced by expectations of the distant future and cannot in general be characterised by the familiar Euler equations that represent the rational expectations equilibrium of these models. We assume that agents have access to a set of alternative predictors that can be used to form expectations and choose among them based on noisy measures of their recent performance. This dynamic predictor selection generates endogenous fluctuations in the proportions of agents using each predictor, contributing to macroeconomic dynamics. We explore the behaviour of our model when agents have access to two simple predictors. One of the predictors is consistent with a mistaken belief that macroeconomic variables are more persistent than implied by the fundamental shocks hitting the economy. We show that the presence of a ‘persistent predictor’ can lead to changes in beliefs which are self-reinforcing, giving rise to endogenous fluctuations in the time-series properties of the economy. Moreover, we show that such fluctuations arise even if we replace the ‘persistent predictor’ with learning under constant gain.
Plant Functional Diversity Can Be Independent of Species Diversity: Observations Based on the Impact of 4-Yrs of Nitrogen and Phosphorus Additions in an Alpine Meadow

Past studies have widely documented the decrease in species diversity in response to addition of nutrients, however functional diversity is often independent from species diversity. In this study, we conducted a field experiment to examine the effect of nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization ((NH4)2 HPO4) at 0, 15, 30 and 60 g m-2 yr-1 (F0, F15, F30 and F60) after 4 years of continuous fertilization on functional diversity and species diversity, and its relationship with productivity in an alpine meadow community on the Tibetan Plateau. To this purpose, three community-weighted mean trait values (specific leaf area, SLA; mature plant height, MPH; and seed size, SS) for 30 common species in each fertilization level were determined; three components of functional diversity (functional richness, FRic; functional evenness, FEve; and Rao’s index of quadratic entropy, FRao) were quantified. Our results showed that: (i) species diversity sharply decreased, but functional diversity remained stable with fertilization; (ii) community-weighted mean traits (SLA and MPH) had a significant increase along the fertilization level; (iii) aboveground biomass was not correlated with functional diversity, but it was significantly correlated with species diversity and MPH. Our results suggest that decreases in species diversity due to fertilization do not result in corresponding changes in functional diversity. Functional identity of species may be more important than functional diversity in influencing aboveground productivity in this alpine meadow community, and our results also support the mass ratio hypothesis; that is, the traits of the dominant species influenced the community biomass production.
The effects of an educational program based on PRECEDE model on depression levels in patients with coronary artery bypass grafting

BACKGROUND Depression is among the most important barriers to proper treatment ofcardiac patients. It causes failure in accepting their conditions, decreases their motivation infollowing the therapeutic recommendations, and thus negatively affects their functionality andquality of life. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of an educational programbased on Predisposing, Reinforcing, Enabling Constructs in Educational Diagnosis andEvaluation (PRECEDE) model on depression level in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG)surgery patients. METHODS This was a quasi-experimental study in which 54 post-bypass surgery patients ofIsfahan Cardiovascular Research Center were investigated. The patients were randomly dividedinto two groups of intervention and control. The data was collected using two questionnaires.Primarily, the cardiac depression scale was used to measure the degree of depression followedby PRECEDE model-based educational questionnaire to identify the role of the educationalintervention on patients. The PRECEDE model-based intervention composed of 9 educationalsessions per week (60-90 minutes each). The patients were followed up for two months postintervention. RESULTS Following the educational intervention, mean scores of predisposing, enabling,and reinforcing factors, and self-helping behaviors significantly increased in the interventiongroup compared to the control group (P < 0.001). In addition, a significant difference in meanscores of depression was observed between the two groups following the educationalintervention (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION The findings of the current study confirmed the practicability and effectivenessof the PRECEDE model-based educational programs on preventing or decreasing depressionlevels in CABG patients.
Using Interpolation for Fast and Accurate Calculation of Ion–Ion Interactions

We perform extensive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations between pairs of ions of various diameters (2–5.5 Å in increments of 0.5 Å) and charge (+1 or −1) interacting in explicit water (TIP3P) under ambient conditions. We extract their potentials of mean force (PMFs). We develop an interpolation scheme, called i-PMF, that is capable of capturing the full set of PMFs for arbitrary combinations of ion sizes ranging from 2 to 5.5 Å. The advantage of the interpolation process is computational cost. Whereas it can take 100 h to simulate each PMF by MD, we can compute an equivalently accurate i-PMF in seconds. This process may be useful for rapid and accurate calculation of the strengths of salt bridges and the effects of bridging waters in biomolecular simulations. We also find that our data is consistent with Collins’ “law of matching affinities” of ion solubilities: small–small or large–large ion pairs are poorly soluble in water, whereas small–large are highly soluble.
Analysis of complex patterns of evidence in legal cases: Wigmore charts vs. Bayesian networks

Typical features of the evidence arising from legal cases are its complex structure and ambiguity. Therefore, marshalling and evaluating evidence are two fundamental issues in forensic science, both for constructing arguments about questions of fact and for taking final decisions. The chart method for analysing evidence introduced by Wigmore is a technique which allows to organise and describe the available evidence, and to construct reasoning processes through sequential steps. Bayesian networks are a general statistical tool which can be applied in the legal context to model relationships between dierent sources of evidence, weigh the available evidence, and draw statistical inferences from it. Wigmore charts and Bayesian networks are clearly dierent in nature, but they are both an attempt to a rigorous and formal approach to the analysis of evidence. We illustrate and compare such techniques applied to a fictitious burglary example.
Active Mobilisation after Flexor Tendon Repair: Comparison of Results following Injuries in Zone 2 and other Zones

Purpose. To prospectively study the role of active mobilisation after flexor tendon repair. Methods. The standard modified Kessler's technique was used to repair 46 digits in 32 patients with flexor tendon injuries. Early active mobilisation of the repaired digit was commenced on the third postoperative day. Range of movement was monitored and recovery from injury in zone 2 was compared with injury in other zones. Results. There were 24 and 22 injuries in zone 2 and other zones respectively. The total active motion score of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand was measured. Patients with zone-2 injuries achieved similar results to those with other-zone injuries apart from a 3-week delay in recovery. The final results were good to excellent in 71% and 77% of zone-2 and other-zone cases respectively (p<0.05). There were 2 ruptures in zone-2 and one rupture in zone-3 repairs (6.5%). Conclusion. Preliminary results of this study showed that active mobilisation following flexor tendon repair provides comparable clinical results and is as safe as conventional mobilisation programmes although recovery in patients with zone-2 injury was delayed.
Role of Anterior Cingulate Cortex in Saccade Control

Cognitive control is referred to the guidance of behavior based on internal goals rather than external stimuli. The brain areas involved in implementing cognitive control are more developed and have larger proportional spatial extent in humans and non-human primates compared to other species. Studying the mechanisms by which cognitive control is implemented has recently gained more attention. It has been postulated that prefrontal cortex is mainly involved in higher order cognitive functions. Specifically, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which is part of the prefrontal cortex, is suggested to be involved in performance monitoring and conflict monitoring that are considered to be cognitive control functions. Saccades are the fast eye movements that align the fovea on the objects of interest in the environment. Saccade system is one of the most studied motor systems in the brain. This is mainly due to the simplicity of the saccade system and amenability of saccaderelated brain areas to electrophysiological recordings. This makes the saccadic system an ideal candidate to study the cognitive control functions. In this thesis, I have explored the role of ACC in control of saccadic eye movements. First, I performed a resting-state fMRI study to identify areas within the ACC that are functionally connected to the frontal eye fields (FEF). It has been shown that FEF is involved in saccade generation. Therefore, the ACC areas that are functionally connected to FEF could be hypothesized to have a role in saccade control. Then, I performed simultaneous electrophysiological recordings in the ACC and FEF to investigate the mechanisms by which information is transmitted between these areas. Furthermore, I explored whether ACC exerts control over FEF. iii In the first chapter, I have shown that ACC has functional connectivity with the FEF. Furthermore, I observed differential functional connectivity of medial and lateral FEF with other brain areas. In the second chapter, I have shown that theta and beta bands are involved in information transmission between FEF and ACC. Finally, using Granger causality analysis, I have shown that ACC exerts control over FEF when monkeys perform saccade-related tasks. These findings show that ACC is involved in cognitive control of saccades. Furthermore, the ACC and FEF neurons communicate through synchronized theta and beta band activity in these areas. The results of this thesis shine light on the mechanisms by which these brain areas communicate. Moreover, my findings support the notion that ACC and FEF have a unique oscillatory property, and more specifically ACC has a prominent theta band, and to a lesser extent beta band activity.
How to Define Situated and Ever‐Transforming Family Configurations? A New Materialist Approach

Abstract Within the past few decades, the configuration “family” has included diverse living arrangements, yet traditional definitions of family persist. Accordingly, family studies scholars have discussed research strategies and theoretical approaches to define the shifting boundaries of family. In this article I propose the approach of new materialism for a contemporary definition of family that focuses on situated processes and the complex interplay of material‐discursive differentiation processes. This perspective enriches current debates on defining family by adding concepts of intracontextual posthuman practices and multilocal forms of agency to the discussion, thus allowing for a definition of family that helps make comprehensible today's ever‐transforming configurations.
Iris identification based on log Gabor filtering

An accurate biometric identification system is a critical requirement in a variety of applications. Iris-based identification has been receiving a lot of attention since its introduction. However, some techniques have limitations in identifying persons accurately and efficiently. In this work, a procedure that captures local and global characteristics of the iris, using a band of log-Gabor filters is proposed. We call the vector that stores these characteristics a feature descriptor or simply the iris descriptor. Our experimental results demonstrate that log-Gabor filters identification capabilities outperform other procedures based on the basic Gabor filters.
Differential GABAB-Receptor-Mediated Effects in Perisomatic- and Dendrite-Targeting Parvalbumin Interneurons

Inhibitory parvalbumin-containing interneurons (PVIs) control neuronal discharge and support the generation of theta- and gamma-frequency oscillations in cortical networks. Fast GABAergic input onto PVIs is crucial for their synchronization and oscillatory entrainment, but the role of metabotropic GABAB receptors (GABABRs) in mediating slow presynaptic and postsynaptic inhibition remains unknown. In this study, we have combined high-resolution immunoelectron microscopy, whole-cell patch-clamp recording, and computational modeling to investigate the subcellular distribution and effects of GABABRs and their postsynaptic effector Kir3 channels in rat hippocampal PVIs. Pre-embedding immunogold labeling revealed that the receptors and channels localize at high levels to the extrasynaptic membrane of parvalbumin-immunoreactive dendrites. Immunoreactivity for GABABRs was also present at lower levels on PVI axon terminals. Whole-cell recordings further showed that synaptically released GABA in response to extracellular stimulation evokes large GABABR-mediated slow IPSCs in perisomatic-targeting (PT) PVIs, but only small or no currents in dendrite-targeting (DT) PVIs. In contrast, paired recordings demonstrated that GABABR activation results in presynaptic inhibition at the output synapses of both PT and DT PVIs, but more strongly in the latter. Finally, computational analysis indicated that GABAB IPSCs can phasically modulate the discharge of PT interneurons at theta frequencies. In summary, our results show that GABABRs differentially mediate slow presynaptic and postsynaptic inhibition in PVIs and can contribute to the dynamic modulation of their activity during oscillations. Furthermore, these data provide evidence for a compartment-specific molecular divergence of hippocampal PVI subtypes, suggesting that activation of GABABRs may shift the balance between perisomatic and dendritic inhibition.
Scaling Gaussian RBF kernel width to improve SVM classification

Support vector classification with Gaussian RBF kernel is sensitive to the kernel width. Small kernel width may cause over-fitting, and large one under-fitting. The so-called optimal kernel width is merely selected based on the tradeoff between under-fitting loss and over-fitting loss. So, there exists urgent need to further reduce the tradeoff loss. To circumvent this, we scale the kernel width in a distribution-dependent way. Experiments validate the feasibility of this method. Existing problems are also discussed
On the Possibility of Counteracting or Reducing G-Induced Spatial Disorientation With Visual Displays

Summary The possibility of counteracting or reducing g-induced spatial disorientation in fighter aircraft with visual displays is discussed in connection with the “classical” distinction between focal/ambient vision and inside-out/outside-in attitude display concepts. A relatively simple and uncomplicated laboratory method is presented that is utilized for exploring primarily visual flow coupling with spatial orientation. In part building on some experimental results from using the method some schematic implementation examples are illustrated, and some preliminary display design guidelines are also suggested. Frames of reference The controversial debate about what frame of reference we should use for attitude displays is still not entirely settled. The issue concerns whether to use an inside-out or outside-in representation, and the debate is almost entirely about its presentation in the central visual field. A review article by Previc and Ercoline (1999; see also Johnson & Roscoe, 1972) presents the various arguments for the two positions and shows that empirical results, overall, are in support of an outside-in format as the best candidate for reducing SD accidents. However, are we really optimizing the support of the pilot’s spatial orientation with the substitution of one central visual field presentation with another?
Perspectives on a Positive Youth Development Environment for Youth with Developmental Disabilities in 4-H

Megan Zurawski 350 Words This study is a consensual qualitative research (CQR; Hill et al., 2005; Hill, 2012) investigation of the positive youth development (PYD) model utilized by the 4-H Youth Development Program (4-H). 4-H relies on a four-quadrant model of PYD (belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity), composed of eight elements. My aim was to investigate 4-H’s environment for youth with developmental disabilities, determining whether 4-H utilizes their stated PYD approach with this population. Ultimately, the qualitative study may be utilized by 4-H to inform future programming, not only for youth with developmental disabilities, but for all 4-Hers. There were 15 total participants, 12 of them female. Participants included six parent/leaders, three leaders, two parents, one grandparent, and three alumni. Eleven participants identified as White, one as Hispanic/Latino, one as bi-racial, and two declined identification. Years of 4-H participation ranged from 3-53 years. Qualitative data was collected through semistructured interviews with parents of 4-H youth with developmental disabilities, and 4-H leaders working with youth with developmental disabilities, and 4-H alumni with developmental disabilities. Through data analyses, 4-H’s four PYD domains emerged. 4-H gives equal credit to each of these domains. However, the data suggests belonging serves a more foundational role, allowing youth to actively engage in the program, and offering more access to the mastery, independence, and generosity domains. Within these four domains, 15 categories and 32 subcategories were identified. Findings imply that 4-H programming generally provides an environment that supports PYD. Each of the eight essential elements was noted, among others. The domains included themes around relationships with positive adults and peers, supportive environmental standards, accommodations, exposure to areas of interest, varied learning opportunities and ways to demonstrate engagement, building independence, selfdetermination, and service opportunities. Participant data revealed potential programmatic improvements, including clique management, adult interference, funding, undeveloped opportunities for accommodation, anti-accommodation, and education opportunities. This study provides a restructured four-quadrant figure, with belonging as the foundation. Additionally, several programmatic applications are highlighted. Future research utilizing a quantitative approach may help identify causal relations among PYD environments and PYD outcomes for youth with developmental disabilities. 4-H programming may then better serve these youth. CQR Evaluation of PYD and 4-H 1