Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fast Dual Minimization of Weighted Tv + L1-Norm for Salt and Pepper Noise Removal

In this paper, the minimization of a weighted total variation regularization term (denoted TVg) with L1 norm as the data fidelity term is addressed using the Uzawa block relaxation method. Numerical experiments show the availability of our algorithm for salt and pepper noise removal and its robustness against the choice of the penalty parameter. This last property is useful to attain the convergence in a reduced number of iterations leading to efficient numerical schemes. The specific role of the function g in the weighted total variation term is also investigated and we show that an appropriate choice leads to a significant improvement of the final denoising results. Using this function, we propose a whole algorithm for salt and pepper noise removal (UBR-EDGE) that is able to handle high noise levels at a low computational cost.
Breast Cancer Screening Among African American Women: Adherence to Current Recommendations

Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer death among African American women, and rates of mammography screening for African American women remain lower than rates for their Caucasian counterparts. The purpose of the current study was to explore the reasons for nonadherence to American Cancer Society breast screening guidelines among African American women who had not received a mammogram within the past year. Participants included 91 African American women between 40 and 84 years of age recruited from churches, housing projects, and a health fair at a historically African American university who had not received a mammogram within the past 12 months. Findings revealed that 36% of participants had never received a mammogram, 43% did not have their breasts examined by their doctor once a year, 55% did not perform monthly self-examination, and 23% did not know how to examine their breasts for breast cancer. The most frequently reported reason for not getting a mammogram was because the participant's doctor had not suggested it.
Prevention and control of antimicrobial-resistant infections in intensive care patients*

Objective:To review the literature summarizing important aspects of infection control in the critical care setting and to provide recommendations to reduce infections with resistant bacteria in the intensive care unit. Data Source:Computer searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. Data:The frequency of antibiotic-resistant, health care–associated infections has increased every year for the past 2 decades. Infections with antibiotic-resistant organisms have been linked to increases in morbidity, length of hospitalization, increased healthcare costs, and increased mortality. A comprehensive approach is necessary to prevent antimicrobial resistance in ICUs. This includes (1) preventing infections; (2) diagnosing and treating infections appropriately; (3) using antimicrobials wisely; and (4) preventing transmission. Conclusions:The reservoirs for antibiotic-resistant organisms are colonized patients, and the vectors are often healthcare workers. This places an enormous responsibility on healthcare providers to protect their patients. Clinicians must recognize the importance of adhering to the recommendations in the Centers for Disease Control's Campaign to Prevent Antimicrobial Resistance in the healthcare setting.
Do reading tests measure the same construct in multiethnic and multilingual older persons?

A critical focus of neuropsychological research is to identify unbiased ways to compare heterogeneous groups on background variables relevant to neuropsychological performance. Whereas recent work has pointed to single word reading as a less culturally biased measure of educational experience than years of education, the extent to which reading score captures a broad range of educational experience and does so consistently across ethnic and language groups is unknown. The current study evaluated reading in relation to years of education in English-speaking Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics, and Spanish-speaking Hispanic older persons (n = 342). Consistent with previous work, reading scores at each grade level were lower in English speaking ethnic minorities than in Whites, supporting the idea that variables related to lifetime educational experience are often confounded with ethnicity. Standardized reading scores were highest in the Spanish speakers; however, interpretation of this difference is limited because scores were necessarily derived using separate normative samples. Importantly, the slopes of reading score by years of education were comparable across all groups. That is, reading scores rose consistently with years of education independently of ethnicity or language, suggesting that such scores can be treated comparably for theoretical and statistical purposes in multiethnic and multilingual samples. (JINS, 2007, 13, 228–236.)
Superior cut-off characteristics of Lg=40nm Wfin=7nm poly Ge junctionless Tri-gate FET for stacked 3D circuits integration

Poly Ge junctionless (JL) Tri-gate p-FETs with L<sub>g</sub> of 40nm and fin width of 7nm has been demonstrated. Major drawbacks in Ge channel such as junction leakage current and DIBL have been overcome by JL FETs with Tri-gate. I<sub>on</sub>/I<sub>off</sub> >10<sup>5</sup> at V<sub>d</sub>=-1V, SS=158mV/decade and DIBL of as small as 74mV/V are obtained, which are comparable or better than the counterparts of crystalline Ge devices. V<sub>th</sub> roll-off as well as DIBL of JL FETs with thin W are improved in short channel regime.
Sources of workplace violence against nurses.

BACKGROUND Health care employees, especially nurses, are often victims of workplace violence. OBJECTIVE The objective of this research is to study the frequency and degree of violence against nurses and to analyze correlations between various sources and types of violence. METHODS A survey was carried out using a representative sample of nurses in Slovenia. Data was collected using a questionnaire designed specifically for the purposes of the survey. The collected data was analyzed using descriptive, correlational and inferential statistics. RESULTS A total of 692 nurses participated in the survey. Verbal violence (n = 416) and physical violence (n = 180) were identified. The most frequent perpetrators of verbal violence were patients (listed as a source of violence by 39.3% of the respondents) and peers (39.6%), with the most forceful identified as physicians and patients. Physical violence against nurses was most often initiated by patients (20.8%) who were also the most forceful source in this category. Nurse leaders were found to be the most frequent and forceful sources of violence in terms of leadership level. A positive correlation between external (patient and relatives) and internal (physician and nurse) sources of violence was determined. CONCLUSIONS A better understanding of the association between different types and sources of violence may support the development of action-oriented violence management. Health care organisations should limit violence at its less severe levels and at its primary source.
Assessment of the late proliferative phase endometrium by ultrasonography in patients undergoing in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF/ET).

This study reports on 330 women aged 29 to 45 years, who underwent 411 cycles of in-vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF/ET). Vaginal sonograms were performed during the late proliferative phase of natural cycles and cycles of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH) with gonadotrophins, to evaluate both the thickness and echogenicity of the endometrium. Findings classified as Grade I; characterized by homogeneous echogenicity of the endometrium, and Grade II; characterized by an outer peripheral layer of dense echogenicity surrounding a central sonolucent area (i.e. a 'halo pattern'). Grades I and II were subclassified on the basis of thickness into A (greater than or equal to 9 mm) and B (less than 9 mm). Grade IIA ('optimal') was associated with a clinical pregnancy rate per embryo transfer of 33% while Grades IA, IB and IIB ('poor') were associated with a rate of only 7%. Women aged 41-45 years experienced a 25% incidence of 'poor' sonographic grades while the incidence in women less than or equal to 40 years of age was 5%. The presence of various uterine pathologies was associated with 'poor' endometrial grades in 86% of cases while only 11% of normal uteri manifested 'poor' grades. 'Optimal' endometrial grades in natural cycles were consistently associated with 'optimal' grades in ensuing cycles of COH (96%). Women with 'poor' endometrial grades in natural cycles improved in 55% of cases during subsequent COH. The results of this study indicate that sonographic assessment of the endometrial lining in the late proliferative phase during both natural and COH cycles is a valuable method for screening and managing IVF/ET candidates.
The Role of the Education System and On-the-Job Training in Innovation: Evidence from the Slovenian Manufacturing and Service Sector

This paper contributes to the debate on the importance of education for sustainable economic growth. Following a recent contribution by Aghion (2009), we focus on the role of tertiary education in innovation at the company level using patent applications as a proxy. Rather than examining tertiary education spending or the share of the population with tertiary education, we make use of the Aghion Index, which measures the quality of tertiary education. Moreover, as innovation is only the first step in the value chain at the company level, we complement data on the quality of tertiary education with company-level data on human capital spending in large and medium-sized Slovenian firms. We report that not only a sound education system, but also on-the-job training is important for increased company-level invention and innovation. Firms with more on-the-job training reported a significantly higher number of patents in the period of 2007-2009.
Single‐breath xenon polarization transfer contrast (SB‐XTC): Implementation and initial results in healthy humans

To implement and characterize a single‐breath xenon transfer contrast (SB‐XTC) method to assess the fractional diffusive gas transport F in the lung: to study the dependence of F and its uniformity as a function of lung volume; to estimate local alveolar surface area per unit gas volume SA/VGas from multiple diffusion time measurements of F; to evaluate the reproducibility of the measurements and the necessity of B1 correction in cases of centric and sequential encoding.
Cross-species Binding Analyses of Mouse and Human Neonatal Fc Receptor Show Dramatic Differences in Immunoglobulin G and Albumin Binding*

The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) regulates the serum half-life of both IgG and albumin through a pH-dependent mechanism that involves salvage from intracellular degradation. Therapeutics and diagnostics built on IgG, Fc, and albumin fusions are frequently evaluated in rodents regarding biodistribution and pharmacokinetics. Thus, it is important to address cross-species ligand reactivity with FcRn, because in vivo testing of such molecules is done in the presence of competing murine ligands, both in wild type (WT) and human FcRn (hFcRn) transgenic mice. Here, binding studies were performed in vitro using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and surface plasmon resonance with recombinant soluble forms of human (shFcRnWT) and mouse (smFcRnWT) receptors. No binding of albumin from either species was observed at physiological pH to either receptor. At acidic pH, a 100-fold difference in binding affinity was observed. Specifically, smFcRnWT bound human serum albumin with a KD of ∼90 μm, whereas shFcRnWT bound mouse serum albumin with a KD of 0.8 μm. shFcRnWT ignored mouse IgG1, and smFcRnWT bound strongly to human IgG1. The latter pair also interacted at physiological pH with calculated affinity in the micromolar range. In all cases, binding of albumin and IgG from either species to both receptors were additive. Cross-species albumin binding differences could partly be explained by non-conserved amino acids found within the α2-domain of the receptor. Such distinct cross-species FcRn binding differences must be taken into consideration when IgG- and albumin-based therapeutics and diagnostics are evaluated in rodents for their pharmacokinetics.
Solitary Waves and Dynamics for Subcritical Perturbations of Energy Critical NLS

We consider a perturbed energy critical focusing Nonlinear Schr\"odinger Equation in three dimensions. We construct solitary wave solutions for focusing subcritical perturbations as well as defocusing supercritical perturbations. The construction relies on the resolvent expansion, which is singular due to the presence of a resonance. Specializing to pure power focusing subcritical perturbations we demonstrate, via variational arguments, and for a certain range of powers, the existence of a ground state solitary wave, which is then shown to be the previously constructed solution. Finally, we present a dynamical theorem which characterizes the fate of radially-symmetric solutions whose initial data are below the action of the ground state. Such solutions will either scatter or blow-up in finite time depending on the sign of a certain function of their initial data.
Two-dimensional optimum error nonlinearity for image denoising

This paper presents the design of a novel algorithm for two-dimensional signals named two-dimensional optimum error nonlinearity (2D-OENL). The proposed algorithm is an extension of optimum error nonlinearity (OENL) for one-dimensional signals. The proposed algorithm is implemented for image (a two-dimensional signal) denoising. The outcomes of the proposed algorithm is than compared with the outcomes of two-dimensional least mean square algorithm (2D-LMS). Simulation results shows that the proposed algorithm outperform the conventional 2D-LMS by providing more noise free results.
Effect of Temperature on Memory

A multi-group experiment was conducted on a sample of 75 male albino rats weighing 155±5 gms, belonging to the age of about three months, in order to investigate the effect of temperature on memory. The five levels of temperatures taken were 70C, 150C, 250C, 320C, 380C. A multi-trial active-avoidance task was used. Retention was tested after 24 hours of the training. Results indicated that higher degrees of temperature (320C, and 380C) led to slower acquisition and poor retention of the task as compared to the moderate level of temperature (250C). But lower degrees (70C, 150C) of temperature did not have any significant negative effect on acquisition and retention. The results have been interpreted in terms of level of arousal and attention decrement caused by varied levels of temperature.
RENAL AND CARDIAC COMPLICATIONS OF DRUG ABUSE

The case is presented of a young man who, after prolonged intravenous narcotic administration, developed subacute bacterial endocarditis involving the aortic valve, and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. After treatment of and recovery from renal failure, persistent proteinuria was shown to be caused by focal glomerulosclerosis. The association of these lesions with “mainlining” is reviewed.
Cancer predisposition, radiosensitivity and the risk of radiation-induced cancers. III. Effects of incomplete penetrance and dose-dependent radiosensitivity on cancer risks in populations.

Recent studies have identified a number of genes in the human genome at which germinal mutations predispose the individuals to one or another type of cancer. These studies also show that not all individuals carrying the mutant genes develop cancers (i.e., the mutant genes are not fully penetrant). At least some of these predisposed genotypes also have a higher sensitivity to cancers induced by ionizing radiation than those who are not so predisposed, which may be dependent on dose. This paper presents an analysis of the impact of such heterogeneity on estimates of cancer risks for an irradiated population. This is done by extending the Mendelian one-locus, two-allele model of cancer predisposition and radiosensitivity developed earlier to allow for incomplete penetrance and dose dependence of radiosensitivity differentials among genotypes. The model is applied to recently published data for breast cancer and hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer using a range of possible values for the strength of predisposition and radiosensitivity differentials. It is shown that, after radiation exposures, the ratio of cancer risks in a heterogeneous population relative to that in a homogeneous population increases with increasing dose, but that the dose dependence of the relative risk diminishes at higher doses. Likewise, the attributable risk (i.e. the proportion of the increase in risk that is due to both increased susceptibility and increased radiosensitivity) and the proportion of attributable risk due to increased radiosensitivity also increase with dose, and the dose dependence of each measurement also diminishes at higher doses. However, when the proportion of cancers due to the susceptible genotypes is small (<10%) (as is likely to be the case for breast cancer in non-Ashkenazi women), the increases in the relative risk and attributable risk are marked only when there are very large increases in cancer susceptibility (>1000-fold) and radiosensitivity (>100-fold) in the susceptible group. When the proportion of cancers due to the susceptible genotypes is appreciable (> or = 10%) (as may be the case for breast cancer in Ashkenazi Jewish women), there may be large increases in the relative risk and attributable risk for comparatively modest increases in cancer susceptibility (>10-fold) and radiosensitivity (>100-fold) in the susceptible subpopulation. For any given combination of strength of predisposition and radiosensitivity differential, incomplete penetrance dilutes the effect.
Screening of Polish Fir Honeydew Honey Using GC/MS, HPLC‐DAD, and Physical‐Chemical Parameters: Benzene Derivatives and Terpenes as Chemical Markers

GC/MS of headspace solid phase micro extraction (HS‐SPME) and solvent extractives along with targeted HPLC‐DAD of Polish fir (Abies alba Mill.) honeydew honey (FHH), were used to determine the chemical profiles and potential markers of botanical origin. Additionally, typical physical‐chemical parameters were also assigned. The values determined for FHH were: conductivity (1.2 mS/cm), water content (16.7 g/100 g), pH (4.5), and CIE chromaticity coordinates (L* = 48.4, a* = 20.6, b* = 69.7, C* = 72.9, and h° = 73.5). FHH contained moderate‐high total phenolic content (533.2 mg GAE/kg) and antioxidant activity (1.1 mmol TEAC/kg) and (3.2 mmol Fe2+/kg) in DPPH and FRAP assays. The chemical profiles were dominated by source plant‐originated benzene derivatives: 3,4‐dihydroxybenzoic acid (up to 8.7 mg/kg, HPLC/honey solution), methyl syringate (up to 14.5%, GC/solvent extracts) or benzaldehyde (up to 43.7%, GC/headspace). Other markers were terpenes including norisoprenoid (4‐hydroxy‐3,5,6‐trimethyl‐4‐(3‐oxobut‐1‐enyl)cyclohex‐2‐en‐1‐one, up to 20.3%, GC/solvent extracts) and monoterpenes, mainly linalool derivatives (up to 49%, GC/headspace) as well as borneol (up to 5.9%, GC/headspace). The application of various techniques allowed comprehensive characterisation of FHH. 4‐Hydroxy‐3,5,6‐trimethyl‐4‐(3‐oxobut‐1‐enyl)cyclohex‐2‐en‐1‐one, coniferyl alcohol, borneol, and benzaldehyde were first time proposed for FHH screening. Protocatechuic acid may be a potential marker of FFH regardless of the geographical origin.
Retrograde signaling in the optic nerve is necessary for electrical responsiveness of retinal ganglion cells.

PURPOSE We investigated the role of retrograde signaling in the optic nerve on retinal ganglion cell (RGC) electrical responsiveness in the mouse model. METHODS Electrical response of RGC was measured by pattern electroretinogram (PERG) in 43 C57BL/6J mice 4 to 6 months old under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia. PERGs were recorded before and at different times after blockade of axon transport with lidocaine at either the retrobulbar level (2 μL, 40 μg/μL) or at level of the superior colliculus (SC, 1 μL, 40 μg/μL). PERGs also were recorded before and at different times after optic nerve crush 1.5 mm behind the eye, followed by TUJ1-positive RGC counts of excised retinas. As controls, PERGs also were recorded after either saline injections or sham optic nerve surgery. The photopic flash electroretinogram (FERG) and visual evoked potential (FVEP) also were recorded before lidocaine and at relevant times afterwards. RESULTS Lidocaine injection caused rapid (retrobulbar ~10 minutes, SC 1 hour), reversible reduction of PERG amplitude (≥50%). Optic nerve crush caused rapid (10-20 minutes), irreversible reduction of PERG amplitude (70-75%), increase of PERG latency (>25%), as well as RGC loss (88%) 1 month after crush. FVEP was unaltered by lidocaine. For all procedures, the FERG was unaltered. CONCLUSIONS As experimental interventions were made at postretinal level(s), PERG changes were likely associated with altered supply of retrogradely-delivered material from the SC. This implies that retrograde transport of target-derived molecules is necessary for normal RGC electrical responsiveness. The time course of early PERG changes is consistent with the speed of fast retrograde axon transport.
Identification of electromechanical modes and placement of PSSs using relative gain array

The paper investigates the possibility to use relative gain array (RGA) for power system small-disturbance stability analysis. The RGA has been successfully used in the past as steady state measure of interactions for multivariable, decentralized control in chemical and process engineering. The effectiveness of the RGA in identifying electromechanical modes and selecting the optimal location for placement of PSSs is compared with the conventional approach that uses transfer function residues, eigenvalues and participation factors. Two different multimachine power systems are used for the case studies. Limitations and advantages of the use of RGA in this purpose are clearly indicated in the paper.
Dissociation of Frequency and Recency Processing From List Recall After Severe Closed Head Injury in Children and Adolescents

To investigate judgment of the frequency and recency of events relative to word list recall in children following closed head injury (CHI), 124 children and adolescents, including 79 severe CHI patients (mean age at test = 13.2 years), 27 mild CHI cases (mean age at test = 12.1 years), and 18 uninjured comparison subjects (mean age = 12.8 years) were studied. The mean postinjury interval was 63.6 months for the severe and 46.7 months for the mild CHI groups. The experimental tasks included estimation of the frequency of presentation of words and designs and recency judgment to select the most recently presented of two stimuli on verbal (words) and nonverbal (faces) tasks. To compare frequency and recency judgments to performance on a task which has been shown to be sensitive to CHI severity and age at test, verbal recall was tested using the California Verbal Learning Test-Children's Version. Severity of CHI (group) affected verbal recall across trials and after delays, but had no effect on estimating frequency and isolated effects on judgment of recency. Age was also primarily related to verbal recall. A subgroup of severe CHI patients with frontal lesions was impaired on delayed recall. The results are discussed in relation to previous research on the effects of CHI on processing the frequency and recency of events.