Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Approaches to Assess Vitamin A Status in Settings of Inflammation: Biomarkers Reflecting Inflammation and Nutritional Determinants of Anemia (BRINDA) Project

The accurate estimation of vitamin A deficiency (VAD) is critical to informing programmatic and policy decisions that could have important public health implications. However, serum retinol and retinol binding protein (RBP) concentrations, two biomarkers often used to estimate VAD, are temporarily altered during the acute phase response, potentially overestimating the prevalence of VAD in populations with high levels of inflammation. In 22 nationally-representative surveys, we examined (1) the association between C-reactive protein (CRP) or α1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) and retinol or RBP, and (2) how different adjustment approaches for correcting for inflammation compare with one another. In preschool age children (PSC) and school age children (SAC), the association between inflammation and retinol and RBP was largely statistically significant; using the regression approach, adjustments for inflammation decreased the estimated prevalence of VAD compared to unadjusted VAD (range: −22.1 to −6.0 percentage points). In non-pregnant women of reproductive age (WRA), the association between inflammation and vitamin A biomarkers was inconsistent, precluding adjustments for inflammation. The burden of VAD can be overestimated if inflammation is not accounted for, and the regression approach provides a method for adjusting retinol and RBP for inflammation across the full range of concentrations in PSC and SAC.
On-Demand Ultra-Dense Cloud Drone Networks: Opportunities, Challenges and Benefits

The paradigm of previous 4G cellular technology has led to an increase in requirements for high data rate demands of mobile users in 5G. In order to meet this demand, constant densification of communication networks was required. Ultra Dense Networks (UDNs) have been proposed as a promising 5G technology to fulfill these requirements by the efficient and dynamic distribution of the radio resources. However, for implementation of UDN, mobile operators have to face many challenges such as severe interference resulting in a limited capacity due to the dense deployment of small cells, site location and acquisition for the deployment of base stations, backhauling issues, energy consumption, etc. In this article, in order to alleviate these limitations, we propose a novel idea of Ultra Dense Cloud-Drone Network (UDCDN) architecture. This scheme is featured with "on-demand" quality and substantial flexibility in terms of deployment. This anchors the challenges of traditional UDN settings and offers numerous benefits. Through simulation results of cell coverage, we verify the genuineness of implementing the proposed scheme and offer a new paradigm shift for UDN.
An evaluation of community-based cognitive stimulation therapy: a pilot study with an Irish population of people with dementia

Objectives Research shows that cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) improves cognitive function, quality of life, and well-being of people with mild–moderate dementia. Despite consistent evidence and recommendations, CST is not routinely available in Ireland post-diagnosis. The aim of the current research was to develop and evaluate community-based CST for people with mild–moderate dementia, run by the Alzheimer Society of Ireland across four pilot sites in Ireland. Methods Participants with mild–moderate dementia attended once weekly CST sessions for 14 weeks. Baseline and post-intervention assessments were completed by CST participants, carers, and CST facilitators. Primary outcomes of interest for CST participants included quality of life (Quality of Life in Alzheimer Disease Scale), cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment), and subjective cognitive function (Memory Awareness Rating Scale-Functioning Subscale). Secondary outcomes included well-being, cognitive ability, satisfaction with cognitive performance, and engagement and confidence of CST participants; well-being of carers; and job satisfaction of facilitators. Post-intervention interviews supplemented quantitative analyses. Results In total, 20 CST participants, 17 carers, and six CST facilitators completed evaluation assessments. Results showed that CST improved participants’ satisfaction with cognitive performance (p=0.002), level of engagement (p=0.046), level of confidence (p=0.026). Improvements on subjective cognitive function just fell short of significance (p=0.055). Qualitative analysis of interview data identified consistent themes of cognitive and overall benefits of CST; and provided support for quantitative data. Conclusions Community-based CST positively impacted the lives of people with dementia and their families. This study supports prior recommendations that CST should be made routinely available to people with mild–moderate dementia, particularly in light of the lack of post-diagnostic interventions currently offered in Ireland.
Identification of Precision Motion Systems with Prandtl-Ishlinskii Hysteresis Nonlinearities

In this paper, we introduce an algorithm to identify the nonlinear dynamics of a class of precision motion systems, which is modeled as a Hammerstein system, that is, a cascade of a Prandtl-Ishlinskii nonlinearity with a linear system. The hysteresis nonlinearity, the linear system, and the intermediate signal between them are assumed to be unknown. The first stage in the algorithm is to identify the linear plant from measurements of the input and the output of the Hammerstein system. Then, the unknown intermediate signal is reconstructed using the output and the identified model of the linear system. Finally, the Prandtl-Ishlinskii nonlinearity is estimated using the input and the reconstructed intermediate signal. We show that under some conditions, the identified model of the linear plant and the estimated Prandtl-Ishlinskii nonlinearity are correct up to an unknown scalar factor.
Intraabdominal Complications Following Pediatric Kidney Transplantation: Incidence and Risk Factors.

BACKGROUND The incidence and types of intraabdominal complications following pediatric transplantation are not well established and specific risk groups have not been clearly identified. METHODS A retrospective chart review of all pediatric transplant recipients, between 1995 and 2016 was undertaken. Intraabdominal complications were grouped into 4 categories: fluid collections, gastrointestinal, vascular and urogenital. Donor, recipient, and transplant characteristics were evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. RESULTS There were 146 transplants meeting the inclusion criteria. The mean follow up time was 4.6 ± 3.7 years (range, 0.3-18). The mean weight at transplantation was 31.5 ±16.5kg (range, 9-78), with 24(16%) recipients being < 15kg and 23% under 5 years of age. Thirty-four (23%) patients had had previous abdominal surgery. There were 32 complications identified in 27 (18%) transplant recipients.Fluid collections, requiring surgical drainage, developed in 9 (6.2%), gastrointestinal surgical complications in 12 (8.2%), vascular complications in 5 (3.5%) and urogenital complications in 6 (4.1%). There were only 3 graft losses due to abdominal complications, all following renal vein thrombosis.Weight <15kg at the time of transplant (p=0.016), previous abdominal surgery (p=0.047) and intraperitoneal surgical technique (p=0.008) were risk factors in the univariate analysis using COX regression models, whereas only weight <15kg (p=0.003) and previous abdominal surgery (p=0.008) were retained in the multivariate analysis. CONCLUSIONS Intraabdominal complications occur in almost 1 in 5 pediatric renal transplant recipients. Weight <15kg and previous abdominal surgery are risk factors for developing such complications.
Resilient, Provably-Correct, and High-Level Robot Behaviors

Whether robot controllers are manually designed or synthesized from high-level task specifications, assumptions about the environment need to be made, which can involve adversarial events or cooperative robots. In either case, if these assumptions are violated at runtime, the robot will fail to fulfill its task and will likely do something unexpected. In this paper, we focus on controllers synthesized from linear temporal logic. We tackle the problem of making these controllers robust against environment assumption violations that are common in robot execution. Our solution is a three-layer system: first, we propose an offline approach that accounts for transient violations such that the robot can still complete its task after temporary anomalies; the second layer is an online approach that automatically relaxes the environment assumptions to better capture environment behaviors and that allows the robot to react accordingly; and, finally, we automatically modify the actual environment behaviors, when possible, through negotiation with one of the environment robots operating in the workspace, such that our assumptions are met by the other robot and both robots accomplish their tasks.
Network Decoupling: From Regular to Depthwise Separable Convolutions

Depthwise separable convolution has shown great efficiency in network design, but requires time-consuming training procedure with full training-set available. This paper first analyzes the mathematical relationship between regular convolutions and depthwise separable convolutions, and proves that the former one could be approximated with the latter one in closed form. We show depthwise separable convolutions are principal components of regular convolutions. And then we propose network decoupling (ND), a training-free method to accelerate convolutional neural networks (CNNs) by transferring pre-trained CNN models into the MobileNet-like depthwise separable convolution structure, with a promising speedup yet negligible accuracy loss. We further verify through experiments that the proposed method is orthogonal to other training-free methods like channel decomposition, spatial decomposition, etc. Combining the proposed method with them will bring even larger CNN speedup. For instance, ND itself achieves about 2X speedup for the widely used VGG16, and combined with other methods, it reaches 3.7X speedup with graceful accuracy degradation. We demonstrate that ND is widely applicable to classification networks like ResNet, and object detection network like SSD300.
Stability Analysis of a Nonlinear System with Infinite Distributed Delays Describing Cell Dynamics

We want to reconcile some earlier modeling ways of the cell cycle in one common framework. Accordingly, we consider a model that contains a compartment where cells may be quiescent for an unlimited time, along with a proliferating phase in which most of the cells may divide, or die, while few of them may be arrested during their cycle for unlimited time. In fact, the cell-cycle arrest may occur for many reasons (DNA damages detected at some checkpoints, insufficient resources for cell grow, drug infusions). We actually extend some early models involving finite distributed delays (taken from [2], [1]) to the case of infinite distributed delays and time-varying parameters. Our main result relies on the construction of a novel Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional, suitable for the analysis of the origin of the system involving infinite distributed delays and time-varying parameters.
Association of changes in inflammation with variation in glycaemia, insulin resistance and secretion based on the KORA study

Subclinical systemic inflammation may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes, but its association with early progression of glycaemic deterioration in persons without diabetes has not been fully investigated. Our primary aim was to assess longitudinal associations of changes in pro‐inflammatory (leukocytes, high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hsCRP)) and anti‐inflammatory (adiponectin) markers with changes in markers that assessed glycaemia, insulin resistance, and secretion (HbA1c, HOMA‐IR, and HOMA‐ß). Furthermore, we aimed to directly compare longitudinal with cross‐sectional associations.
Emotion Regulation and Parental Bonding in Families of Adolescents With Internalizing and Externalizing Symptoms

Parental bonding and emotional regulation, while important to explain difficulties that may arise in child development, have mainly been studied at an individual level. The present study aims to examine alexithymia and parental bonding in families of adolescents with psychiatric disorders through different generations. The sample included a total of 102 adolescent patients with psychiatric disorders and their parents. In order to take a family level approach, a Latent Class Analysis was used to identify the latent relationships among alexithymia (Toronto Alexithymia Scale), perceived parental bonding (Parental Bonding Instrument) and the presence of adolescent internalizing or externalizing psychiatric symptoms (Youth Self-Report). Families of internalizing and externalizing adolescents present different and specific patterns of emotional regulation and parenting. High levels of adolescent alexithymia, along with a neglectful parenting style perceived by the adolescent and the father as well, characterized the families of patients with internalizing symptoms. On the other hand, in the families with externalizing adolescents, it was mainly the mother to remember an affectionless control parental style. These results suggest the existence of an intergenerational transmission of specific parental bonding, which may influence the emotional regulation and therefore the manifestation of psychiatric symptoms.
License analysis on e-journal perpetual access of library

This poster presents preliminary findings of a content analysis of 72 e-journal licenses in terms of perpetual access clauses. This study explored whether perpetual access clauses varied among commercial publishers, society publishers and university presses, whether clauses changed over time, and whether differences existed between consortia and site licenses. Findings showed that the licenses from commercial publisher were more likely to provide perpetual access than licenses from other two types of publishers. We observed an increasing trend in providing perpetual access over time. Consortia licenses were more likely to depend on third-party to obtain perpetual access than site licenses. This study can be helpful for libraries to understand the institutionalization of perpetual access clause in e-journal licenses.
Efficacy, Acceptability, and Tolerability of Lisdexamfetamine, Mixed Amphetamine Salts, Methylphenidate, and Modafinil in the Treatment of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Objective: Psychostimulants are the first-line treatment in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability of lisdexamfetamine (LDX), mixed amphetamine salts (MASs), modafinil (MDF), and methylphenidate (MPH) in comparison with placebo. Data Sources: We systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE and Clinicaltrials.gov in May 2016, along with CENTRAL and EU Clinical Trials Register in February 2016, for the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trials conducted on adults diagnosed with ADHD. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Substantial comorbidity, substance abuse or dependence, and nonpharmacological interventions represented grounds for exclusion. Published reports were the sole source for data extraction. Improvement in ADHD symptoms was the primary outcome. Random-effects model meta-analysis was applied to calculate the standardized mean difference (SMD) with 95% CIs. Data Synthesis: The search retrieved 701 records, of which 20 studies were eligible for analysis. High effect size (expressed as SMD) in reducing ADHD symptoms was observed for LDX (−0.89; 95% CI = −1.09, −0.70), whereas MASs (−0.64; 95% CI = −0.83, −0.45) and MPH (−0.50; 95% CI = −0.58, −0.41) reduced symptoms moderately compared with placebo. No efficacy was shown for MDF (0.08; 95% CI; −0.18, 0.34). Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice: In this meta-analysis, the efficacy, tolerability, and acceptability of psychostimulants were compared with that for placebo. Five of the included trials have not been evaluated in any of the previously published meta-analyses. Conclusions: The results suggest that LDX has the largest effect size and has a promising potential for treating adults with ADHD.
The Implications of Field Worker Characteristics and Landscape Heterogeneity for Classification Correctness and the Completeness of Topographical Mapping

The quality of spatial data may vary spatially. If mapping (interpretation of orthophotos) is done during fieldwork, this variation in quality may occur as a result of differences in the complexity of the landscape, differences in the characteristics of individual field workers, and differences in their perception of the landscape. In this study, we explored the interaction between the characteristics of these workers, including their gender and years of experience (as a proxy for their mapping skills), and landscape heterogeneity. There was no significant difference between male and female workers. Although field workers with more years of experience generally had higher mapping quality, the relationship was not statistically significant. We found differences in the rates of misclassification, omission, and commission errors between workers in different landscape types. We conclude that the error rates due to misclassification, omission, and commission were the lowest in more diverse landscapes (high number of different land use types) with a relatively high amount of buildings, whereas the error rates were the highest in mainly forested landscapes with larger and more complex shaped patches.
Cross-Scale Reference-Based Light Field Super-Resolution

Light fields suffer from a fundamental resolution tradeoff between the angular and the spatial domain. In this paper, we present a novel cross-scale light field super-resolution approach (up to $\text{8}\times$ resolution gap) to super-resolve low-resolution (LR) light field images that are arranged around a high-resolution (HR) reference image. To bridge the enormous resolution gap between the cross-scale inputs, we introduce an intermediate view denoted as single image super-resolution (SISR) image, i.e., super-resolving LR input via single image based super-resolution scheme, which owns identical resolution as HR image yet lacks high-frequency details that SISR scheme cannot recover under such significant resolution gap. By treating the intermediate SISR image as the low-frequency part of our desired HR image, the remaining issue of recovering high-frequency components can be effectively solved by the proposed high-frequency compensation super-resolution (HCSR) method. Essentially, HCSR works by transferring as much as possible the high-frequency details from the HR reference view to the LR light field image views. Moreover, to solve the nontrivial warping problem that induced by the significant resolution gaps between the cross-scale inputs, we compute multiple disparity maps from the reference image to all the LR light field images, followed by a blending strategy to fuse for a refined disparity map; finally, a high-quality super-resolved light field can be obtained. The superiority of our proposed HCSR method is validated on extensive datasets including synthetic, real-world and challenging microscope scenes.
Performance of tumor testing for Lynch syndrome identification in patients with colorectal cancer: A retrospective single-center study

Objective: To investigate the performance of tumor testing approaches in the identification of Lynch syndrome (LS) in a single-center cohort of people with colorectal cancer (CRC). Methods: A retrospective analysis of data stored in a dedicated database was carried out to identify patients with CRC suspected for LS who were referred to Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy, between 1999 and 2014. The sensitivity and specificity of immunohistochemistry (IHC) for mismatch repair (MMR) proteins and microsatellite instability (MSI) analysis (alone or combined) were calculated with respect to the presence of causative MMR germline variants. Results: A total of 683 patients with CRC suspected for LS were identified. IHC results of MMR protein analysis and MSI were assessed in 593 and 525 CRCs, respectively, while germline analysis was performed in 418 patients based on the IHC or MSI test result and/or clinical features. Univariate and multivariate analysis revealed a significant correlation of pathogenic MMR germline variants with all clinicopathologic features including Amsterdam criteria, presence of endometrial cancer, CRC site, age at onset, stage, and grade. The highest odds ratio values were observed for IHC and MSI (17.1 and 8.8, respectively). The receiver operating characteristic curve and area under the curve values demonstrated that IHC alone or combined with other clinicopathologic parameters was an excellent test for LS identification. Conclusions: This study confirms the effectiveness of tumor testing to identify LS among patients with CRC. Although IHC and MSI analysis were similarly effective, IHC could be a better strategy for LS identification as it is less expensive and more feasible.
Implicit false belief tracking is preserved in late adulthood

It is now well established that relative to their younger counterparts, older adults experience difficulties on tasks that require the conscious and explicit processing of others’ mental states (e.g., beliefs, intentions; theory of mind [ToM]). Despite the importance of relatively automatic and unconscious mental state attribution processes in everyday life, no study to date has tested whether tasks that require the implicit processing of others’ belief states also show age-related changes. In this study, younger and older adults completed an implicit false belief task, in which their eye movement patterns were monitored while they passively viewed true and false belief movies. In addition, they were assessed on measures of explicit ToM processing. While older adults showed impairments in explicit ToM processing relative to younger adults, both age groups demonstrated a similar capacity for implicit false belief processing. These findings suggest that implicit components of ToM are preserved in late adulthood and are consistent with dual process models of ageing that emphasise age-related stability in automatic processing and declines in more controlled and effortful cognitive operations. We discuss the potential implications of these findings for social interactions in old age.
Transcription factor ATF3 mediates the radioresistance of breast cancer

This study was designed to research the influence of activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3) on the radioresistance of breast cancer. ATF3 expression was measured by qRT‐PCR and immunohistochemistry. Cancerous cell lines were cultured in vitro, and the expression of ATF3 was gauged by both qRT‐PCR and Western blot before and after the radiation therapy. Cellular cycle and apoptosis were analysed by flow cytometry. Changes in the expression of corresponding proteins in the downstream pathways were identified by Western blot. Tumour xenograft was used to evaluate the effect of ATF3 in vivo. ATF3 was observed stronger in breast cancer tissues and cells. After radiation therapy, the expression of ATF3 in breast cancer cells was up‐regulated. Silencing ATF3 could promote G2/M phase block, facilitate cell apoptosis and decrease clonogenic survival rate. The overexpression of ATF3 could curb G2/M‐phase block, cell apoptosis and increase clonogenic survival rate. Overexpression ATF3 could increase radioresistance by up‐regulating the level of phosphorylation of Akt in the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway. Radioresistance of breast cancer cells could be alleviated by inhibiting the PI3K/Akt signalling pathway. ATF3 could also promote radioresistance in vivo. ATF3 gene was able to promote radioresistance of breast cancer cells.