Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Psychological Distress and Help-Seeking by Residents of a Neighborhood Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NNORC)

ABSTRACT This article presents findings from an annual program survey of residents of a horizontal neighborhood naturally occurring retirement community (NNORC). The study explored the relationship between several factors (age, co-residents, number of chronic illnesses, self-reported health, loneliness, sense of mastery, locus of control, pain, and psychological distress) and their ability to predict general health, level of psychological distress, and the quantity and type of help-seeking behaviors. Although residents generally reported moderate to high levels of chronic disease, pain, loneliness, and concerns about life issues, 25% of them sought no help from any of the listed resources, and 65% sought help from only one of seven resources. The most common source of help for most (70%) was a primary care physician (PCP), and comparatively few respondents sought help from other sources. Older adults, especially those with chronic illness, generally consider their PCP to be the first, and perhaps only, source to consult. However, research indicates that the most effective health promotional programs for older adults are social and educational group activities, rather than individual health-focused interventions. Possible means of redirecting residents toward NNORC services include more vigorous outreach and creating collaborative partnerships between local PCPs serving older populations and the NNORC.
Frequency dependent dynamic charge trapping in HfO/sub 2/ and threshold voltage instability in MOSFETs

In this paper, we perform the first investigation of biased threshold voltage instability (BTI) in MOSFETs with MOCVD HfO/sub 2/ gate dielectrics under both static and dynamic stress. For an ac stress of a given gate voltage amplitude, we observed reduction of BTI degradation with an increase in stress frequency for both n- and p-MOSFETs. A physical model that accounts for two-step procedure of trap activation (de-activation) and carrier capture (emission) in the HfO/sub 2/ dielectric under stress is proposed. Simulation results based on the new model shows good agreement with all experiment data.
Automatic Windowing for MRI With Convolutional Neural Network

This paper presents a fast, high-precision, and fully automatic windowing method based on deep convolutional neural network (CNN) for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Displaying a magnetic resonance (MR) image with a data depth of 12/16 bits on regular 8-bit monitors usually needs a windowing process to remap the full range of pixel intensity to a subrange. However, adaptively and automatically adjusting the windowing parameters of MR images under various viewing conditions is a challenging problem in medical image processing due to the low contrast and high grayscale range. We present a novel method based on the deep CNN’s to estimate the windowing parameters that can match the adjustment of human experts precisely and quickly. The network acts as a typical end-to-end mapping function that takes the raw pixels of the MR images as input and directly outputs the corresponding estimation of the optimal windowing parameters. To speed up the inference, we utilize a space-to-depth (STD) conversion to reduce the spatial resolution of input images, and thus the computing burden of the inference process. The extensive experiments on the dataset annotated by clinicians show that the proposed method can accurately predict the optimal windowing parameters of an MR image with a size of $1024\times 1024$ in less than 0.01 s. Due to the high effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed method, it is highly applicable for various clinical and research purposes.
Simulation of Emission Wavelength of Quantum Dot Based Single Photon Sources

Advances in quantum information processing and the requirements of quantum key distribution schemes have made high quality single photon sources, extremely essential. Here generation of a single photon from a semiconductor quantum dot using a semi-classical approach is investigated. Finite Element Method is used for the Eigen mode analysis of a typical pyramidal semiconductor quantum dot [3]. A design methodology is also proposed for obtaining the required emission wavelengths. Additionally, effects of wetting layer, height to base ratio and strain due to lattice mismatch are investigated. An Empirical relationship is obtained between pyramid geometry and emission wavelength. The simulation results were verified against the experimental works including [7] in ${1.2} \mu m$ to ${1.3} \mu m$ emission regime, and good match was observed.
Examining Concentration-Dependent Toxicity of Clozapine: Role of Therapeutic Drug Monitoring

Highly variable plasma concentrations are found in patients receiving the same dose of clozapine. Therefore, rational dose adjustment of clozapine that is guided by therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) can improve efficacy while reducing risk of toxicity. As a background to the discussion of the use of TDM for clozapine, the pharmacodynamics and pathways of clozapine biotransformation are first reviewed, in particular the role of the primary enzymes involved. These are CYP1A2, the primary enzyme involved in converting clozapine to norclozapine, and CYP3A4, the primary enzyme involved in converting clozapine to clozapine-N-oxide. The factors that can influence plasma levels of clozapine are next reviewed; these include dose, gender, smoking, age, body weight, caffeine intake, and drug-drug interactions. The authors then examine the concentration-dependent toxicity of clozapine based on a review of published data. Finally, the authors present four cases illustrating the issues involved and how TMD can be used to improve clinical care of patients being treated with clozapine, both in terms of improving efficacy and minimizing potential toxicity.
Self-Triggered Stochastic MPC for Linear Systems With Disturbances

In this letter, we present a self-triggering mechanism for stochastic model predictive control (SMPC) of discrete-time linear systems subject to probabilistic constraints, where the controller and the plant are connected by a shared communication network. The proposed triggering mechanism requires that only one control input is allowed to be transmitted through the network at each triggering instant which is then applied to the plant for several steps afterward. By doing so, communication is effectively reduced both in terms of frequency and total amount. We establish the theoretical result for recursive feasibility in the light of proper reformulation of constraints on the nominal system trajectories, and also provide stability analysis for the proposed self-triggered SMPC. A numerical example illustrates the efficiency of the proposed scheme in reducing the communication as well as ensuring meeting the probabilistic constraints.
STEM Learning and Career Orientation via IoT Hands-on Activities in Secondary Education

This work studies the influence of IoT-driven educational activities and tools (software, hardware and educational material) in STEM education as well as their role as STEM related career enablers to young boys and girls. The study builds on previous related results and applies to over 60 young students that are involved in hands-on learning activities in the context of a summer school. The analysis is based on especially designed close-ended and open-ended questionnaires as well as in-class observations and focuses on age and gender aspects. The results confirm the overall positive stance of the students on the educational activities and show that the provided tools under consideration are well accepted and effectively used. Furthermore, students' choices regarding prospective future careers reveal that their views on STEM fields and related professions have significantly been enriched through their participation in the summer school.
Isolated left ventricular non‐compaction in adults: clinical and echocardiographic features in 105 patients. Results from a French registry

The clinical features, prognosis, and even definition of left ventricular non‐compaction (LVNC) are still the subject of much debate. The aim of this registry was to describe the clinical, echocardiographic, and prognostic features of LVNC in France. The main endpoint was to assess clinical and echocardiographic predictors of adverse outcome, defined as death or heart transplantation.
Childhood Maltreatment, Emotional Dysregulation, and Psychiatric Comorbidities

AbstractAffect dysregulation, defined as the impaired ability to regulate or tolerate negative emotional states, has been associated with interpersonal trauma and posttraumatic stress. Affect-regulation difficulties play a role in many psychiatric conditions, including anxiety and mood disorders, and especially major depression in youth and bipolar disorder throughout the life span. Exposure to traumatic events and interpersonal trauma in childhood is associated with wide-ranging psychosocial, developmental, and medical impairments in children, adolescents, and adults, with emotional dysregulation being a core feature that may help to account for this heightened risk. In order to understand how the developmental effects of childhood maltreatment contribute to emotional dysregulation and psychiatric sequelae, we review emotional regulation and its developmental neurobiology, and examine the research evidence of associations between childhood trauma, emotional dysregulation, and psychiatric comorbidities in children, adolescents, and adults.
Learning Natural Language Understanding Systems from Unaligned Labels for Voice Command in Smart Homes

Voice command smart home systems have become a target for the industry to provide more natural human computer interaction. To interpret voice command, systems must be able to extract the meaning from natural language; this task is called Natural Language Understanding (NLU). Modern NLU is based on statistical models which are trained on data. However, a current limitation of most NLU statistical models is the dependence on large amount of textual data aligned with target semantic labels. This is highly time-consuming. Moreover, they require training several separate models for predicting intents, slot-labels and slot-values. In this paper, we propose to use a sequence-to-sequence neural architecture to train NLU models which do not need aligned data and can jointly learn the intent, slot-label and slot-value prediction tasks. This approach has been evaluated both on a voice command dataset we acquired for the purpose of the study as well as on a publicly available dataset. The experiments show that a single model learned on unaligned data is competitive with state-of-the-art models which depend on aligned data.
[Use of maintenance fluid therapy in surgery].

OBJECTIVE To analyze the use of various maintenance fluid therapy regimens, as well as their adequacy to hospital recommendations, in adult in-patients admitted to a general surgery ward during 1 year. MATERIAL AND METHODS Data on solution type and volume, fluid therapy regimen, and duration in days were retrospectively collected for each administered solution from computerized medical orders within the Unit-Dose Drug Distribution Area. A database was developed including the composition of available solutions within our hospital, so that electrolytes, glucose and volumes administered may be calculated. RESULTS Out of 354 patients undergoing fluid therapy 125 were selected to receive maintenance regimens. Fluid therapy was administered for more than 5 days in 31% of patients. The most commonly supplied fluids were 5% glucose (43%) and 0.9% saline + 1500 mL of 5% glucose + 60 mEq potassium chloride (CIK). Amongst patients receiving the recommended volume/day (84%) 50% received sodium and potassium more than twice as much the recommended amount, and 70% received glucose amounts not covering minimal daily requirements. Potassium was administered according to recommendations in 85% of patients. CONCLUSIONS There is an excessive use of 0.9% saline and 5% glucose to the detriment of 1/3 glucosaline and 10% glucose, which translates as an excessive daily sodium and defective daily glucose provision. In our hospital we have recommended maintenance fluid therapy regimens, as well as fluids more appropriate for postoperative electrolyte replacement; however, their use is still deficient.
Attachment systems for mandibular two-implant overdentures: a review of in vitro investigations on retention and wear features.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to review the published literature on in vitro articles investigating the retentive force or wear features of different attachment systems, specifically for mandibular two-implant overdentures using an unsplinted prosthodontic design. MATERIALS AND METHODS An electronic search was performed through PubMed, Embase, and Medline databases using Boolean operators to combine the following key words: "retention," "wear," "overdenture attachments," "attachment systems," "implant-retained overdentures," and "implant-supported overdentures. " The search was limited to articles written in English published up to October 2008. In addition, a hand search through articles and reference lists retrieved from the electronic search and peer-reviewed journals was also conducted. RESULTS From a total of 193 articles, only 15 met the specified inclusion criteria for the review. These articles provided evidence that the majority of attachment systems for mandibular two-implant overdentures demonstrate a reduction in their retentive force under in vitro conditions. Wear was unquestionably implicated as the etiologic factor for the loss of retention; however, the specific mechanisms involved in the wear process have not been researched adequately. Findings from the literature have also implicated several factors that influence the retentive force of the attachment system and its wear features; compelling evidence on its precise role however, is still lacking. CONCLUSIONS Further in vitro investigations of the factors involved in the retention and wear of attachment systems for mandibular two-implant overdentures are still needed. These factors must be investigated separately under well-controlled conditions to limit the influence of confounding variables on their outcome.
Degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis. Diagnostic value of the history and physical examination.

OBJECTIVE To assess the value of the history and physical examination findings in the diagnosis of symptomatic degenerative lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS). METHODS The study was performed in 3 specialty clinics, and included patients with low back pain who were at least age 40. Findings from a standardized history and physical examination were compared with the diagnostic impression of expert attending clinicians. Imaging studies were available in 88% of those with LSS, and the findings further supported the diagnosis of LSS in each case. The sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio associated with each history and physical examination finding were calculated in bivariate analyses, and independent correlates of LSS were identified with multivariate analyses. RESULTS Ninety-three patients were evaluated. History findings most strongly associated with the diagnosis of LSS (likelihood ratio > or = 2) were greater age, severe lower-extremity pain, and absence of pain when seated. Physical examination findings most strongly associated with the diagnosis were wide-based gait, abnormal Romberg test result, thigh pain following 30 seconds of lumbar extension, and neuromuscular deficits. Independent correlates of LSS included advanced age (P = 0.0001), absence of pain when seated (P = 0.006), wide-based gait (P = 0.013), and thigh pain following 30 seconds of lumbar extension (P = 0.002). CONCLUSION Specific history and physical examination findings are useful in the diagnosis of LSS and should be ascertained routinely in older patients with low back pain.
The role of trace metal ions in aflatoxin B1 degradation by Flavobacterium aurantiacum.

Flavobacterium aurantiacum NRRL B-184 possesses the ability to degrade aflatoxin B1 in solution and in several food items. Aflatoxin B1 is a potent carcinogen that causes significant economic losses to the agricultural and food industry. The role of trace metal ions (Cu2+, Mn2+, Zn2+, and Co2+) were studied in an effort to understand the enzymatic system involved in aflatoxin B1 degradation by F aurantiacum. The effect of divalent chelators (EDTA and 1,10-phenanthroline [OPT]) in the presence of the trace metal ions was studied as well. Aflatoxin B1 (10 microg/ml) was added to 72-h cultures of F aurantiacum that had been washed and resuspended in phosphate buffer (pH 7.0). HPLC was used to determine aflatoxin B1 concentration in these cultures. Incubating cells at 30 degrees C with 1 and 10 mM Cu2+, Mn2+, and Zn2+ significantly decreased aflatoxin B degradation after 4 and 24 h (P < 0.05). Decreased degradation was also observed with 1 and 10 mM Cu2+ and Zn2+ after 48 h and with 0.1 mM Cu2+ after 24 and 48 h. Co2+ did not have a significant effect on aflatoxin B1 degradation. EDTA and OPT did not counter the inhibition in the presence of Cu2+. The addition of 1 mM EDTA countered the inhibition by 1 mM Mn2+ after 4 and 24 h, but 1 mM OPT did not counter the inhibition by 10 mM Mn2+ after 4 and 24 h. OPT countered the inhibition by 1 mM Zn2+ after 4 and 48 h. These trace elements inhibit aflatoxin B1 degradation by F aurantiacum. In addition, their presence necessitates higher concentrations (>1 mM) of EDTA and OPT for the removal of their inhibitory effect.
Comparison of enamel matrix proteins and bioabsorbable membranes in the treatment of intrabony periodontal defects. A split-mouth study.

BACKGROUND Enamel matrix proteins (EMP) have recently been introduced as a new modality for regenerative periodontal treatment. However, limited information is available concerning the comparison of the treatment of intrabony periodontal defects with enamel matrix proteins and other regenerative treatment alternatives. METHODS The aim of the present controlled clinical trial was to compare the treatment of deep intrabony periodontal defects with EMP to that with guided tissue regeneration (GTR) with bioabsorbable membranes. Sixteen patients, each of whom displayed one pair of intrabony defects located contralaterally in the same jaw, were randomly treated with EMP or with a bioabsorbable membrane. Prior to surgery and 8 months later the following parameters were evaluated by a blinded examiner: Plaque index (PI), gingival index (GI), bleeding on probing (BOP), probing depth (PD), gingival recession (GR), and clinical attachment level (CAL). Antibiotics (amoxicillin and metronidazole) were given during the first 10 days after surgery. No statistical significant differences in any of the investigated parameters between the 2 groups were observed at baseline. RESULTS No serious adverse events (e.g., allergic reactions or abscesses) after any of the treatments were noted during the entire observation period. Membrane exposure occurred in 7 out of the 16 GTR treated sites. Clinical examination was performed again 8 months postoperatively. Sites treated with EMP demonstrated a reduction of PD from 8.1+/-1.7 mm to 4.3+/-1.2 mm (P <0.001) and a change in CAL from 10.3+/-1.8 mm to 7.2+/-1.2 mm (P <0.001). The sites treated with GTR showed a reduction of PD from 8.3+/-1.7 mm to 4.3+/-0.7 mm (P <0.001) and a change of CAL from 10.1+/-1.9 mm to 7.1+/-1.7 mm (P <0.001). Both treatment procedures led to significant improvements of PD and CAL. However, no statistically significant differences in any of the investigated parameters were observed between the test and control group. CONCLUSIONS It may be concluded that both therapies led to shortterm improvements of the investigated clinical parameters. Further studies of much higher power are needed to support equivalence.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR AND INTERLEUKIN–6 IN DIABETIC RETINOPATHY

Purpose To determine the relationship between the severity of diabetic retinopathy and the levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in aqueous humor and plasma. Methods Forty-four eyes of 34 diabetic patients were studied. The concentrations of VEGF and IL-6 in plasma samples and in aqueous specimens obtained from the eyes during cataract surgery were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results Aqueous levels of VEGF and IL-6 were significantly correlated with the severity of diabetic retinopathy (&rgr; = 0.793 and &rgr; = 0.744, respectively). Vascular endothelial growth factor and IL-6 levels in aqueous humor were significantly correlated with the aqueous protein concentration (&rgr; = 0.641 and &rgr; = 0.646, respectively). The aqueous level of VEGF was significantly correlated with that of IL-6 (&rgr; = 0.627). Aqueous levels of VEGF and IL-6 were also significantly correlated with the grade of fundus findings. Vascular endothelial growth factor and IL-6 concentrations were higher in the aqueous than in the plasma. Conclusion The results of the current study suggest that there is a relationship between VEGF and IL-6 but the role of IL-6 in diabetic retinopathy is unclear and may warrant further investigation.
Network single-walled carbon nanotube biosensors for fast and highly sensitive detection of proteins

Detection of proteins is powerfully assayed in the diagnosis of diseases. A strategy for the development of an ultrahigh sensitivity biosensor based on a network single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT) field-effect transistor (FET) has been demonstrated. Metallic SWNTs (m-SWNTs) in the network nanotube FET were selectively removed or cut via a carefully controlled procedure of electrical break-down (BD), and left non-conducting m-SWNTs which magnified the Schottky barrier (SB) area. This nanotube FET exhibited ultrahigh sensitivity and fast response to biomolecules. The lowest detection limit of 0.5 pM was achieved by exploiting streptavidin (SA) or a biotin/SA pair as the research model, and BD-treated nanotube biosensors had a 2 × 104-fold lower minimum detectable concentration than the device without BD treatment. The response time is in the range of 0.3–3 min.
Network ties and absorptive capacity for learning and decision-making

The decision-making literature emphasizes that social ties play an important role in high-stake decisions. However, research on small- and medium-sized enterprises has only partially covered these influences by focusing on the direct link between social ties and the effectiveness of decision-making. In this paper, we focus on absorptive capacity of decision-makers as a critical mechanism that gives social ties their potency in explaining collaborative decision-making in an inter-organizational network (ION) context. In a sample of key individuals in 13 export consortia, this study identifies the extent to which the characteristics of personal network affect individuals’ absorptive capacity. Our results suggest that weak and heterogeneous ties between key individuals in an ION are central mechanisms that influence their ability to access, assimilate, transform and utilize information. However, indirect ties do not show a positive impact on absorptive capacity, as it was hypothesized. Our findings add to the literature on the role of network ties in collaborative decision-making by making explicit a mechanism through which personal network of individuals in an ION influence their information-processing capabilities for effective decision-making. We show that decision-making in interfirm networks is not only a political process but also a learning process.