Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Compression of magnetocardiograms using the Discrete Wavelet Transform

The paper presents a compression algorithm based on wavelets applied to magnetocardiograms (MCG). MCGs are a newly developed tool for diagnosis of heart diseases, which enable recording of data using sensitive contactless transducers based on Superconductive Interference Devices (SQUID). The acquisition system presented has been developed at the Institute of Photonic Technology (IPHT) in Jena, Germany and several processing techniques based on wavelets have been tested. Wireless technology allows nowadays a remote monitoring of data, and compression techniques have to be developed to enable the storage and handling of a significant quantity of data. A compression technique based on the Discrete Wavelet Transform has been proposed, optimized and its performance evaluated. The method takes into consideration parameters of the input MCG, being thus adaptive. The influence of several features of the algorithm, like mother wavelets, number of vanishing moments, number of decomposition levels, are tested so as to optimize the performances. Results are provided for comparison with other results reported in literature.
Laryngo-tracheo-bronchial foreign bodies in children

Abstract Inhalation of a foreign body into the respiratory passage can be a serious and sometimes fatal childhood accident. In this paper we analyze the management of 223 children with laryngo-tracheo-bronchial foreign bodies. Children below three years of age were found to be the most vulnerable. The majority of the patients were boys. Over a quarter of the patients did not present with a history of inhalation. Only 52 per cent reported within 24 hours of inhalation. Endoscopic removal was possible in all but nine cases. One hundred and fort eight (66.4 per cent) of the recovered foreign bodies were organic in origin, the majority of them being peanuts. In one hundred and five (47.1 per cent) the objects found their way into the right bronchial tree. There were two deaths. The modalities of diagnosis and management are discussed.
e-Government process and incentives for online public financial information

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine the extent of financial information made available by public administrations on their web sites and to discover whether this communications policy is influenced by the context in which the public entity operates.Design/methodology/approach – The study took as its reference the prior literature and distinguished three dimensions – information content, qualitative characteristics of information and accessibility – which were converted into a disclosure index that was used to assess government web sites. A multivariable linear regression analysis was performed in search of a relationship between seven external factors and the provision of public financial information online.Findings – The empirical research revealed that the sample municipalities were not fully aware of the potential importance of the internet in enabling the achievement of e‐democracy initiatives as a tool of new public management. The factors previously found to be important in paper‐based repo.
[Oxidant-antioxidant status of patients with bronchial asthma during inhalation and systemic glucocorticoid therapy].

AIM To study the oxidative-antioxidative status in patients with bronchial asthma (BA) and its changes in response to treatment with account for the method of glucocorticoid therapy (GT). MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 40 patients with moderate bronchial asthma (BA) of mixed type were randomized into 2 groups by the method of GT. The patients of Group 1 received oral prednisolone for 20 days, beginning with a dose of 20 mg/day, those of Group 2 also inhaled benacort (400 micrograms twice a day) for 20 days. Admission and discharge measurements were made of overall plasma oxidative activity (OOA) and concentration of thiobarbiturate-reactive products (TBRP); overall antioxidant activity (OAOA), the activity of superoxidedismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GP) in the red cells. The control group consisted of 20 healthy subjects. RESULTS In acute active BA, plasma OOA and TBRP levels were high (p < 0.001) while antioxidant defense in the red cells was suppressed: OAOA by 22% (p < 0.05), SOD activity by 41% (p < 0.001), catalase activity by 15% (p < 0.05) and GP by 44% (p < 0.01). GT in Group 1 resulted in clinical improvement associated with low production of free radicals, suppression of intracellular antioxidant defense, in Group 2 clinical improvement was not associated with changes in the oxidative-antioxidative status of BA patients. CONCLUSION BA patients have a marked imbalance between production of active oxygen forms and activity of intracellular antioxidant enzymes. This evidences for low adaptive and defense processes leading to the oxidative stress which is one of the leading links in BA pathogenesis. Oral GT reduced extracellular oxidative status, inhibited activity of intracellular antioxidative enzymes. Inhalation GT had no negative systemic action on antioxidant enzymes.
The Role of Self-Control in Information Security Violations: Insights from a Cognitive Neuroscience Perspective

Abstract Self-control has been identified as a major factor influencing individual behavior in the social science, neuroscience, criminology, and information security literatures. In this study, we first developed and validated a novel paradigm suitable for use with event-related potentials (ERPs) in scenario-based laboratory experiments of decision making in the context of information security. We then used this paradigm to examine the association between individual differences in self-control and ERPs elicited while individuals deliberated over violations of information security policies. Our results show that the left and right hemispheres of the brain were involved in decision making, and that the participants with low self-control had lower levels of neural recruitment in both hemispheres relative to those with high self-control. This was especially the case for regions in or near the dorsal lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and inferior frontal cortex (IFC). These results extend the findings in neuroscience literature related to the role of self-control in decision making in general, and validate a new paradigm for use with the electroencephalography/event-related potentials (EEG/ERP) technique to examine theoretical questions in information security and criminology research.
Microleakage evaluation of Silorane-based composite and methacrylate-based composite in class II box preparations using two different layering techniques: an in vitro study.

AIM The aim of this study was to compare the microleakage in Class II box preparations with the gingival margin above and below the cemento-enamel junction (CEJ) restored with Silorane composite and methacrylate composite using two different layering techniques. MATERIALS AND METHODS Standardized box preparations (mesial box 1 mm above the CEJ and distal box 1 mm below the CEJ) were prepared in 60 upper premolars. The teeth were randomly divided into four groups containing 15 samples each; Group I: Restored with a Silorane composite using an oblique layering technique, Group II: Restored with Silorane composite using a vertical layering technique, Group III: Restored with methacrylate composite using the oblique layering technique, and Group IV: Restored with methacrylate composite using the vertical layering technique. The samples were stored in distilled water, followed by thermocycling and immersed in 2% methylene blue. The samples were sectioned and evaluated for microleakage at the gingival margin. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS Kruskal-Wallis, Fischer exact test, Wilicoxon test, and Mann-Whitney U test. RESULTS Silorane composite had significantly lesser microleakage. No significant difference in microleakage was observed above and below the CEJ for Silorane-based composite. CONCLUSION Silorane composite resin showed lesser microleakage compared to methacrylate composite resin. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The Silorane-based composites improve the marginal adaptation due to their reduced shrinkage, thereby decreasing the residual stress at the adhesive-tooth interface.
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone as a positive regulator of thyroid-stimulating hormone production

Thyroid hormones play essential roles in mammalian life, especially in neurodevelopment (Porterfield & Hendrich, 1993). This fact is clearly shown in patients with neurological deficits from endemic cretinism, who reside in iodine-deficient areas (DeLong et at., 1985). In addition to neurological impairments, thyroid dysfunctions, such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, lead to a wide variety of clinical manifestations. Hypothyroidism is defined as deficient thyroid hormone action. It is caused most often by decreased thyroid hormone production, although in rare cases it is caused by reduced tissue responsiveness to or consumptive degradation of the hormone (Huang et al., 2000; Refetoff, Weiss, & Usala, 1993). There are two types of deficient thyroid hormone production: primary (thyroidal) hypothyroidism and central hypothyroidism. The former is commonly caused by iodine deficiency (DeLong et al., 1985) or chronic autoimmune thyroiditis, known as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (Dayan & Daniels, 1996). In iodine-sufficient areas, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis is a major cause of primary hypothyroidism. The loss of functional follicles caused by intrathyroidal lymphocytic infiltration is attributable to impaired thyroid hormone production. Central hypothyroidism is due to reduced thyroid stimulation by thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) resulting from pituitary disease (secondary hypothyroidism) or hypothalamic disease (tertiary hypothyroidism) (Lania et al., 2008). Pituitary macroadenomas or radiotherapy of brain tumours and pituitary adenomas are frequently associated with insufficient TSH production in adults (Rose, 2001). In some cases of central hypothyroidism, abnormally glycosylated TSH with a reduced bioactivity is secreted (Faglia et al., 1979; Taylor & Weintraub, 1989). Because thyroid hormones negatively regulate pituitary TSH synthesis, decreased serum thyroid hormone concentrations lead to the stimulation of TSH production. Therefore, in primary hypothyroidism, serum TSH levels are increased, even at the stage of subclinical hypothyroidism (Fatourechi, 2009). By contrast, an increase in serum TSH is generally not observed in central hypothyroidism because of the impaired hypothalamic-pituitarythyroid axis. Based on these observations, serum TSH serves as a useful indicator for the presence and the type of hypothyroidism. Therefore, measurements of TSH are quite useful in clinical practice (Ladenson et al., 2000).
Explaining about possible adverse events may reduce problems

EDITOR,—P J Barrett and colleagues report that mefloquine is associated with an excess of neuropsychiatric adverse events compared with chloroquine plus proguanil (27.4% v 16.0%). 1 While there are similarities in methodology between the authors' study and Steffen et al's larger study,2 there are crucial differences in assessment criteria. I propose that any differences in incidence reports are a function of the defining criteria and that this may account for the disparities in perceptions of the tolerability of mefloquine. Nevertheless, I wish to make …
Theoretical and Experimental Optimum System Design for LTE-RoF Over Varying Transmission Span and Identification of System Nonlinear Limit

This paper proposes an optimum radio-over-fiber (RoF) system design to extend the coverage of the third-generation partnership program (3GPP) long-term evolution (LTE) base station, i.e., eNodeB. The system is theoretically and experimentally demonstrated as the high-speed interface between eNodeB and a relay node. The LTE signals under test comprise three different modulation schemes, namely, quaternary phase-shift keying (QPSK), 16-quadratic-amplitude modulation (QAM), and 64-QAM, which are modulated onto orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) at 2.6 GHz. The RoF system design is based on the distributed feedback (DFB) laser direct modulation and direct detection receiver. The spurious-free dynamic range (SFDR) considering the third-order intermodulation analysis of the DFB laser achieved 1.93-dB dynamic range gain to improve the modulation efficiency. The practical investigation reveals three distinctive optical power transmission regions, namely, linear, intermixing, and nonlinear regions. The QPSK, 16-QAM, and 64-QAM systems in the intermixing region achieved error vector magnitudes (EVMs) of <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\sim$</tex></formula>1.144%, <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\sim$</tex></formula>1.2%, and <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\sim$</tex> </formula>1.21%, respectively, for 10-km transmission, whereas at 60 km, the achieved EVMs are <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\sim$</tex></formula>5.86%, <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\sim$</tex> </formula>5.96%, and <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\sim$</tex></formula>6.01%, respectively. The intermixing region for the 10–60-km transmission span achieved the most optimized EVM and within the 3GPP LTE limit of 8%. Additionally, we also demonstrate that nonlinear distortion proportionally increases with linear distortion as the transmission span increases.
Reliability of a Repeated High-Intensity Effort Test for Elite Rugby Union Players

This study aimed to adapt a repeated high-intensity effort (RHIE) test to the rugby union physical demands and assess both sprint time and tackle indices reliability. Following a familiarization session, sixteen elite rugby union players completed two RHIE tests consisting of 12 × 20 m sprint + tackle. Total sprint time and total g-force during tackling, average sprint time and average g-force as well as percentage decrementsprint time and percentage decrementtackle were considered for the analysis. Sprint time indices showed high to very high absolute and relative reliability (intraclass coefficient correlation (ICC) = 0.95, Standard Error Measurement (SEM) = 1.30%; ICC = 0.95, SEM = 1.44%; ICC = 0.73, SEM = 23.0%, for total sprint time, average sprint time and percentage decrementsprint time, respectively). Tackle indices showed moderate to high reliability (ICC = 0.54, SEM = 16.5%; ICC = 0.61, SEM = 15.6%; ICC = 0.71, SEM = 12.3%, for total g-force, average g-force and percentage decrementtackle, respectively). The RHIE test provides reliable measures of sprint time and tackle indices. Tackle indices should be used as a validation criterion of the test, whereas total time should be considered as the test final result.
Transport of Carbon-14 in a Large Unsaturated Soil Column

Wastes buried at the Radioactive Waste Management Complex (RWMC) of the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) include activated metals that release radioactive 14 C as they corrode. To test and refine transport predictions that describe releases to the environment with time, we conducted a series of transport experiments with nonreactive gas- and aqueous-phase tracers and inorganic 14 C species in a large unsaturated soil column filled with sediment representative of that at the RWMC. The tracer tests, hydraulic measurements, and chemical monitoring provided constraints on physical transport parameters, water content, and aqueous–gas partitioning behavior. With those constraints, we estimated a solid–aqueous distribution coefficient for the sediment through inverse modeling of the 14 C transport data, using both a simple gas-diffusion model and a multiphase flow and transport simulator (STOMP). Results indicate that 14 C transport in this system is well described by a reactive gas diffusion model, with a pH-dependent retardation factor. Fitting transport simulations to the early-time transport data yielded K d ≈ 0.5 ± 0.1 mL g −1 , while soil samples removed approximately 1 yr later yielded K d values of 0.8 to 2.4 mL g −1 . These values are consistent with those derived from smaller-scale experiments, demonstrating that laboratory-based measurements provide a valid means of estimating transport behavior at much larger spatial and temporal scales. Assuming that 14 CO 2 migration in the RWMC is dominated by gas transport, our results suggest that most 14 C released from the RWMC would discharge to the atmosphere rather than to the underlying Snake River Plain aquifer.
Isoform-Selective Inhibition of Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase: Identification of a New Region of Nonconserved Amino Acids Critical for p110α Inhibition

The combination of molecular modeling and X-ray crystallography has failed to yield a consensus model of the mechanism for selective binding of inhibitors to the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) p110 α-isoform. Here we have used kinetic analysis to determine that the p110α-selective inhibitor 2-methyl-5-nitro-2-[(6-bromoimidazo[1,2-α]pyridin-3-yl)methylene]-1-methylhydrazide-benzenesulfonic acid (PIK-75) is a competitive inhibitor with respect to a substrate, phosphatidylinositol (PI) in contrast to most other PI3K inhibitors, which bind at or near the ATP site. Using sequence analysis and the existing crystal structures of inhibitor complexes with the p110γ and -δ isoforms, we have identified a new region of nonconserved amino acids (region 2) that was postulated to be involved in PIK-75 p110α selectivity. Analysis of region 2, using in vitro mutation of identified nonconserved amino acids to alanine, showed that Ser773 was a critical amino acid involved in PIK-75 binding, with an 8-fold-increase in the IC50 compared with wild-type. Kinetic analysis showed that, with respect to PI, the PIK-75 Ki for the isoform mutant S773D increased 64-fold compared with wild-type enzyme. In addition, a nonconserved amino acid, His855, from the previously identified region 1 of nonconserved amino acids, was found to be involved in PIK-75 binding. These results show that these two regions of nonconserved amino acids that are close to the substrate binding site could be targeted to produce p110α isoform-selective inhibitors.
An In Vivo Functional Screen Identifies JNK Signaling As a Modulator of Chemotherapeutic Response in Breast Cancer

Chemotherapy remains the mainstay of treatment for advanced breast cancer; however, resistance is an inevitable event for the majority of patients with metastatic disease. Moreover, there is little information available to guide stratification of first-line chemotherapy, crucial given the common development of multidrug resistance. Here, we describe an in vivo screen to interrogate the response to anthracycline-based chemotherapy in a syngeneic metastatic breast cancer model and identify JNK signaling as a key modulator of chemotherapy response. Combining in vitro and in vivo functional analyses, we demonstrate that JNK inhibition both promotes tumor cell cytostasis and blocks activation of the proapoptotic protein Bax, thereby antagonizing chemotherapy-mediated cytotoxicity. To investigate the clinical relevance of this dual role of JNK signaling, we developed a proliferation-independent JNK activity signature and demonstrate high JNK activity to be enriched in triple-negative and basal-like breast cancer subtypes. Consistent with the dual role of JNK signaling in vitro, high-level JNK pathway activation in triple-negative breast cancers is associated both with poor patient outcome in the absence of chemotherapy treatment and, in neoadjuvant clinical studies, is predictive of enhanced chemotherapy response. These data highlight the potential of monitoring JNK activity as early biomarker of response to chemotherapy and emphasize the importance of rational treatment regimes, particularly when combining cytostatic and chemotherapeutic agents. Mol Cancer Ther; 16(9); 1967–78. ©2017 AACR.
The Effects of Supervisors’ Supportive Role, Job Stress, and Work-Family Conflicts on the Nurses’ Attitudes

This study developed and tested a research model that examined the effects of supervisor support (SUPPORT), work-family conflict (W-FCON), family-work conflict (F-WCON), and job stress (JSTRESS) on a number of selected consequences using data collected from nurses and nurse axillaries in Shiraz University of Medical Sciences hospitals in Fars province (south of Iran). The results demonstrated that W-FCON and F-WCON exerted a significant positive influence on JSTRESS. Contrary to the study hypothesis, the results did not provide any empirical support for the significant negative relationship between W-FCON, F-WCON, and JSTRESS with family satisfaction (FSAT). The findings further revealed that higher JSTRESS led to lower life satisfaction (LSAT). As expected, high levels of FSAT resulted in increased LSAT. However, this study failed to find significant negative relationships between conflicts in the work-family interface and LSAT. The results also revealed that JSTRESS was not significantly associated with LSAT. Consonant with the study hypotheses, W-FCON, F-WCON, and JSTRESS were found to be significant for turnover intentions, whereas LSAT did not. Implications for managers and future research directions are presented.
MR portography: Preliminary comparison with CT portography and conventional MR imaging

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging with arterial portography (MRAP) was compared with computed tomography with arterial portography (CTAP) and conventional MR imaging for preoperative evaluation of hepatic masses in eight patients (nine studies). Twenty contiguous, 10‐mm‐thick‐section CTAP images were obtained. MR imaging included T1‐ and T2‐weighted spin‐echo and fast multiplanar SPGR (spoiled gradient‐recalled acquisition in the steady state) techniques. For MRAP, 0.1 mmol/kg gadopentetate dimeglumine was injected into the superior mesenteric artery. Portographic‐phase, 8‐mm‐thick‐section, axial SPGR images were first obtained, followed by “systemic phase” SPGR images. Lesions were seen best on the portographic‐phase MRAP images and were less conspicuous on the systemic‐phase MRAP, CTAP and conventional MR images. Of 19 visualized lesions, 18 were seen with MRAP; however; five subcentimeter lesions seen with MRAP were not seen with conventional MR imaging or CTAP. Systemic recirculation of iodinated contrast material from the bolus and from previous angiography is a potential limitation of CTAP. For both CTAP and MRAP, optimal results are expected if all images are obtained during a single breath hold, within seconds of the onset of contrast agent administration.
An Evaluation of Spearman's Hypothesis by Manipulating G Saturation

Spearman's Hypothesis holds that the magnitude of mean White–Black differences on cognitive tests covaries with the extent to which a test is saturated with g. This paper evaluates Spearman's Hypothesis by manipulating the g saturation of cognitive composites. Using a sample of 16,384 people from the General Aptitude Test Battery database, we show that one can decrease mean racial differences in a g test by altering the g saturation of the measure. Consistent with Spearman's Hypothesis, the g saturation of a test is positively and strongly related to the magnitude of White–Black mean racial differences in test scores. We demonstrate that the reduction in mean racial differences accomplished by reducing the g saturation in a measure is obtained at the cost of lower validity and increased prediction errors. We recommend that g tests varying in mean racial differences be examined to determine if the Spearman's Hypothesis is a viable explanation for the results.