Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Atrial and ventricular electrical and contractile remodelling and reverse remodelling due to chronic pacing-induced atrial fibrillation in horses: preliminary results

In humans, electrical and contractile reverse remodelling following restoration of sinus rhythm (SR) after a prolonged period of spontaneous atrial fibrillation (AF), requires several weeks. There is little known about this phenomenon in horses. In the present study, six healthy horses were instrumented with a neurostimulator and a pacemaker to maintain AF for four months by intermittent burst pacing and to study atrial and ventricular electrophysiology. AF became persistent in all horses after two to six weeks of burst pacing. Before, during and after the AF period, parameters, such as the atrial fibrillation cycle length, the right atrial and ventricular refractory period and vulnerability, such as inducing atrial arrythmias, atrial tachyarrythmias or maintaining AF, were determined. Two-dimensional echocardiography was used to measure atrial and ventricular contractility expressed as fractional shortening and size expressed as diameter and area. In two of the six horses, the procedure was discontinued due to an increased threshold (1 horse) and due to infection at the level of the pacemaker pocket (1 horse). In the four remaining horses, significant electrical and contractile remodelling compared to baseline values was observed from 48 hours onwards after AF induction. Upon restoration of SR with quindine sulfate, all electrical and contractile values returned to normal within one to two months. No ventricular remodelling was observed. Four months of pacing-induced AF resulted in electrical and contractile remodelling and reverse remodelling. The results suggest that pacing-induced chronic AF does not cause permanent damage and suggest that a resting period of six to eight weeks before returning to training might be beneficial.
Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Treatment for Alcoholic Acute-on-chronic Liver Failure: A Case Report and Literature Review

Objective: Alcoholic acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a unique clinical entity that is characterized by acute onset, poor prognosis and high short-term mortality. There is no specific and effective treatment for this disease, except liver transplantation. Methods: Recent scientific development suggests that umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells (UC-MSCs) might offer an alternative for liver transplantation in selected cases. Herein, we report a case of a 41-year-old man with alcoholic ACLF admitted to our department with jaundice, ascites and lower limbs edema. The patient was treated with anti-infection remedies, plasmapheresis and artificial liver treatment, which only provided transient relief. In the absence of other available therapeutic approaches, we administered three intravenous transfusions of a total dose of 8.5×10 UC-MSCs, with the patient’s consent. Results: The patient exhibited decreased jaundice, normalized TBIL level, decreased Child’s Pugh scores, and recovered from ACLF. Conclusion: Therefore, UC-MSCs transplantation played a transitional role in this patient.
The PINK1 – Parkin mitophagy signalling pathway is not functional in peripheral blood mononuclear cells

Mutations in the PINK1 and PRKN genes are the most common cause of early-onset familial Parkinson disease. These genes code for the PINK1 and Parkin proteins, respectively, which are involved in the degradation of dysfunctional mitochondria through mitophagy. An early step in PINK1 – Parkin mediated mitophagy is the ubiquitination of the mitofusin proteins MFN1 and -2. The ubiquitination of MFN1 and -2 in patient samples may therefore serve as a biomarker to determine the functional effects of PINK1 and PRKN mutations, and to screen idiopathic patients for potential mitophagy defects. We aimed to characterise the expression of the PINK1 – Parkin mitophagy machinery in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and assess if these cells could serve as a platform to evaluate mitophagy via analysis of MFN1 and -2 ubiquitination. Mitophagy was induced through mitochondrial depolarisation by treatment with the protonophore CCCP and ubiquitinated MFN proteins were analysed by western blotting. In addition, PINK1 and PRKN mRNA and protein expression levels were characterised with reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR and western blotting, respectively. Whilst CCCP treatment led to MFN ubiquitination in primary fibroblasts, SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and Jurkat leukaemic cells, treatment of PBMCs did not induce ubiquitination of MFN. PRKN mRNA and protein was readily detectable in PBMCs at comparable levels to those observed in Jurkat and fibroblast cells. In contrast, PINK1 protein was undetectable and PINK1 mRNA levels remarkably low in control PBMCs. Our findings suggest that the PINK1 – Parkin mitophagy signalling pathway is not functional in PBMCs. Therefore, PBMCs are not a suitable biosample for analysis of mitophagy function in Parkinson disease patients.
Volume and surface memory effects on evolution of streamer dynamics along gas/solid interface in high-pressure nitrogen under long-term repetitive nanosecond pulses

Evolution of the surface streamer and the discharge mode transition from the corona discharge to the surface flashover were investigated by pulse sequence resolved electrical and optical measurements under long-term repetitive nanosecond pulses (RNP). The test sample was a cylindrical epoxy resin insulator attached with a needle electrode in 0.1–0.4 MPa nitrogen. Under positive RNP, the inception phase of subsequent streamer discharges decreases with increasing the pulse repetition frequency (PRF), and a periodical streamer stagnation phenomenon appears at high gas pressure. Under negative RNP, the surface streamer does not illustrate symbolic decreasing tendencies in light intensity and corona inception phase in gas gap. The dependence of the evolution of surface streamer velocity on PRF is correlated with the repulsive force from surface charges and the accessibility of seed electrons. Statistical characteristics of back discharges under negative RNP are qualitatively explained by the local electric field around the triple junction. The reversal phenomenon of polarity effect of the allowable repetitive working coefficient is probably resulted from the corona stabilization effect, the surface electron detrapping process, and the assistance of background electric field. Principal results qualitatively support that behaviors of surface streamer and flashover are dominated by the electric field distribution, volume and surface memory effects as well as their interactions and bidirectional transformations, which are different from the monotonically facilitative tendency predicted by the metastable-species-dominated memory effect mechanism.
Accelerating hybrid and compact neural networks targeting perception and control domains with coarse-grained dataflow reconfiguration

Driven by continuous scaling of nanoscale semiconductor technologies, the past years have witnessed the progressive advancement of machine learning techniques and applications. Recently, dedicated machine learning accelerators, especially for neural networks, have attracted the research interests of computer architects and VLSI designers. State-of-the-art accelerators increase performance by deploying a huge amount of processing elements, however still face the issue of degraded resource utilization across hybrid and non-standard algorithmic kernels. In this work, we exploit the properties of important neural network kernels for both perception and control to propose a reconfigurable dataflow processor, which adjusts the patterns of data flowing, functionalities of processing elements and on-chip storages according to network kernels. In contrast to state-of-the-art fine-grained data flowing techniques, the proposed coarse-grained dataflow reconfiguration approach enables extensive sharing of computing and storage resources. Three hybrid networks for MobileNet, deep reinforcement learning and sequence classification are constructed and analyzed with customized instruction sets and toolchain. A test chip has been designed and fabricated under UMC 65 nm CMOS technology, with the measured power consumption of 7.51 mW under 100 MHz frequency on a die size of 1.8 × 1.8 mm2.
Prevalence of asthma, respiratory symptoms and allergic diseases in children aged 6-9 in Katowice (Poland)

The epidemiological situation of asthma and allergic diseases in children change and current information are still required. The aim was to find out the frequency of asthma, respiratory symptoms, and allergic diseases in children aged 6-9 y-rs. The cross-sectional study was carried out as part of the Global Asthma Network. Questionnaires were addressed to all children aged 6-9 y-rs living in Katowice (Poland) and were fulfilled by parents. Data were obtained from 922 (response rate: 82.1%) children. Of these, 48.9% were boys (B) and 51.1% girls (G). The mean age was 7.5 ± 0.7 y-rs old. Self-reported asthma prevalence was 7.3% (B: 8.9%, G: 5.7%, p=0.1), prevalence of asthma diagnosed by physician was 6.6% (B: 8.0%, G: 5.3%; p=0.3). In children with an asthma diagnosis, 62.3% (B: 63.9%, G: 60.0%, p=0.8) were currently treated by inhaled drugs and 57.4% using oral drugs (B: 58.3%, G: 56.0%, p=0.9). Chest wheeze ever was present in 20.8% of children (B: 23.7%, G: 18.1%, p=0.1). Wheeze during last 12 months was present in 7.2% of children (B: 8.7%, G: 5.7%; p=0.06). Among those with wheeze in the past 12 months, frequency was reported as 1-3 attacks in 77.2%, 4-12 in 16.7%, over 12 in 6.1%. Allergic rhinitis prevalence was 25.8% (B: 29.7%, G: 22.1%, p=0.03), with 22.1% reported confirmed by a physician (B: 25.5%, G: 18.9%, p=0.04). Atopic eczema ever was present in 23.9% of children (B: 25.1%, G: 22.7%; p=0.6), with 20.5% confirmed by a physician (B: 21.3%, G: 19.8%, p=0.8). Almost one third of children in Katowice suffer from allergic diseases. The prevalence of asthma as well as other allergic diseases and symptoms were higher in boys compared to girls.
A Parallel-Phase Demodulation-Based Distance-Measurement Method Using Dual-Frequency Modulation

Time-of-flight (ToF) measurement technology based on the amplitude-modulated continuous-wave (AMCW) model has emerged as a state-of-the-art distance-measurement method for various engineering applications. However, many of the ToF cameras employing the AMCW process phase demodulation sequentially, which requires time latency for a single distance measurement. This can result in significant distance errors, especially in non-static environments (e.g., robots and vehicles) such as those containing objects moving relatively to the sensors. To reduce the measurement time required for a distance measurement, this paper proposes a novel, parallel-phase demodulation method. The proposed method processes phase demodulation of signal in parallel rather than sequentially. Based on the parallel phase demodulation, 2π ambiguity problem is also solved in this work by adopting dual frequency modulation to increase the maximum range while maintaining the accuracy. The performance of proposed method was verified through distance measurements under various conditions. The improved distance measurement accuracy was demonstrated throughout an extended measurement range (1–10 m).
Training neural networks to mimic the brain improves object recognition performance.

The current state-of-the-art object recognition algorithms, deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs), are inspired by the architecture of the mammalian visual system, and are capable of human-level performance on many tasks. However, even these algorithms make errors. As they are trained for object recognition tasks, it has been shown that DCNNs develop hidden representations that resemble those observed in the mammalian visual system. Moreover, DCNNs trained on object recognition tasks are currently among the best models we have of the mammalian visual system. This led us to hypothesize that teaching DCNNs to achieve even more brain-like representations could improve their performance. To test this, we trained DCNNs on a composite task, wherein networks were trained to: a) classify images of objects; while b) having intermediate representations that resemble those observed in neural recordings from monkey visual cortex. Compared with DCNNs trained purely for object categorization, DCNNs trained on the composite task had better object recognition performance and are more robust to label corruption. Interestingly, we also found that neural data was not required, but randomized data with the same statistics as neural data also boosted performance. Our results outline a new way to train object recognition networks, using strategies in which the brain - or at least the statistical properties of its activation patterns - serves as a teacher signal for training DCNNs.
Influence of CEO Characteristics on Accounting Information Disclosure Quality—Based on the Mediating Effect of Capital Structure

ABSTRACT Taking the A-share listed companies of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in 2012–2017 as a sample and capital structure as a moderator variable, this paper uses a mediating effect model to investigate the mechanism of influence of CEO characteristics on accounting information disclosure quality (IDQ). According to our findings, female CEOs and CEO’s educational level negatively influence IDQ, while CEO’s wage level and the separation between CEO and chairman positively influence IDQ. CEO’s educational level positively influences the capital structure; CEO’s wage level and the separation between CEO and chairman negatively influence the capital structure, while female CEOs have a non-significant influence on it. Further investigation reveals that, in the mechanism of influence of female CEOs on IDQ, and the influence of CEO’s educational level on IDQ, capital structure exerts no mediating effect; and that, in the mechanisms of influence of CEO’s wage level, and the separation between CEO and chairman on IDQ, capital structure exerts a partial mediating effect. On this basis, this paper offers methodological inspiration and theoretical support to perfect the governance of Chinese listed companies and regulate their market behaviors.
Comparison of adequacy of birth weight for gestational age according to different intrauterine growth curves

Abstract Objectives: to compare the assessment of the adequacy of birth weight for gestational age according to different intrauterine growth curves. Methods: across-sectional study, which analyzed gestational and neonatal information from 344 mother-newborn binomials. Birth weight data were analyzed using the International Fetal and New Born Growth Consortium for the 21st Century (INTERGROWTH-21st) and compared with the growth curves proposed by Alexander et al. and Fenton & Kim. Newborns were classified as small for gestational age (SGA), suitablefor gestational age (SUGA) or large for gestational age (LGA). Results: among the newborns, 51.2% were male, and 93.0% were born at term. Higher prevalence of SUGA and LGA and lower SGA was found by the INTERGROWTH-21st curves when compared to the references of Fenton & Kim and Alexander et al. Moderate agreement was observed in detecting birth weight by different growth curves. Conclusions: there was a lower detection of SGA infants and a higher screening, especially of LGA infants, in the INTERGROWTH-21st evaluation, when compared to the growth curves of Fenton & Kim and Alexander et al.
A cross sectional study on prescription pattern of drugs in upper respiratory tract infections in a tertiary care hospital

Background: Upper respiratory tract infections are one of the leading causes of hospital visits worldwide. Judicious use of antibiotics is challenging for upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs) in developing countries like India. This leads to inappropriate use of antibiotics causing many dreaded conditions like antibacterial resistance among other things. Hence rational use of drugs, mainly antibacterial, is a priority to reduce the burden of treatment failure. The objective of this study is to study the prescribing patterns and rationality of drugs prescribed in the management of URTIs. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. Data was collected from records of 300 outpatients clinically diagnosed as URTIs from SSIMS and RC Hospital, Davangere between January 2015 and June 2016. The prescribing patterns, approval status and listing of drugs in World Health Organization (WHO) essential medicines list/ National List of Essential Medicines (NLEM) were analysed. The data was presented as percentages, mean and standard deviations. Results: A total of 300 cases were studied. Among these, acute pharyngitis (29%) and acute sinusitis (26%) are the most common infections. Of the 300 cases studied, 283 (94.3%) were prescribed antimicrobials. Of the total 740 medications prescribed, 393 (53.1%) were fixed-dose combinations (FDCs). A total of 724 medications (97.8%) were approved by Drugs Controller General of India and 248 (33.5%) by Food and Drug Administration. Only 5.8% of the prescribed drugs have been listed in WHO’s and NLEM. The most common class of antibacterials prescribed was Beta-lactams. Conclusions: Oral formulations were preferred over parenteral formulations and FDCs were preferred over single drug formulations. Beta-lactams comprised the major class of antibacterial prescribed.
A Proposed Paradigm for the Requirements for Designing and Using Digital Games-Based Learning by Educable Intellectual Disabled Children

This study aims to shed further light on how to utilize digital games in education as a contribution to developing educable intellectual disabled children's teaching and learning practices via identifying the requirements for their design and use at those children's classes. Notably, the researchers focused on using digital games in promoting educable intellectual disabled children's learning experiences highlighting their different practical mechanisms and teaching practices based on literature review. Also, types of digital games capable of fulfilling the teaching requirements of those children were identified by making a list of the requirements for designing and using digital games-based learning at educable intellectual disabled children's classes consisting of 38 various requirements divided into 3 major dimensions, namely: (1) educational requirements for using digital games-based learning; (2) instructional design requirements for using digital games-based learning; and (3) practical application requirements for using digital games-based learning. Then, the proposed list was applied to a sample consisting of 25 faculty members at 5 Egyptian universities. Following data statistical analysis, it was revealed that the questionnaire total mean score is 2.73 with a relative weight of 90.1%. In a nutshell, such values verify that the questionnaire all proposed requirements are, indeed, very important for using digital games-based learning at educable intellectual disabled children's classes.
Neural activity during a simple reaching task in macaques is counter to gating and rebound in basal ganglia-thalamic communication

Task-related activity in the ventral thalamus, a major target of basal ganglia output, is often assumed to be permitted or triggered by changes in basal ganglia activity through gating- or rebound-like mechanisms. To test those hypotheses, we sampled single-unit activity from connected basal ganglia output and thalamic nuclei (globus pallidus-internus, GPi, and ventrolateral-anterior nucleus, VLa) in monkeys performing a reaching task. Rate increases were the most common peri-movement change in both nuclei. Moreover, peri-movement changes generally began earlier in VLa than in GPi. Simultaneously-recorded GPi-VLa pairs rarely showed short-timescale spike-to-spike correlations or slow across-trials covariations and both were equally positive and negative. Finally, spontaneous GPi bursts and pauses were both followed by small, slow reductions in VLa rate. These results appear incompatible with standard gating and rebound models. Still, gating or rebound may be possible in other physiological situations: Simulations show how GPi-VLa communication can scale with GPi synchrony and GPi-to-VLa convergence, illuminating how synchrony of basal ganglia output during motor learning or in pathological conditions may render this pathway effective. Thus, in the healthy state, basal ganglia-thalamic communication during learned movement is more subtle than expected, with changes in firing rates possibly being dominated by a common external source.
The Volcker Rule and the Hedge Fund Liquidity Circle

This paper finds that the implementation of the Volcker Rule (section 619 of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act) profoundly impacts overall equity market liquidity, the funding liquidity of hedge funds, and their liquidity provision to the market. Analysis of a sample of 8,686 hedge funds reveals that subsequent to the Volcker Rule, funding flows to hedge funds decline, and their flow-performance sensitivity increases. Hedge funds also reduce their exposure to market liquidity and realign their market-making activities to the most liquid segment of stocks. The impact appears more pronounced for those funds with business connections to systemically important US banks, weak past performance, and adopting non-directional investment strategies.
Monetised childhoods: Money and consumption among young weavers in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

In this article, we bring to the foreground an understudied dimension of working children’s lives in the Global South: their access to money and the consumption this facilitates. Drawing on life history interviews, we show that among the Gamo weavers of Ethiopia, the modern phenomenon of a monetised childhood is at least six decades old and an element of the informal apprenticeships through which Gamo children learn to weave. Qualitative research with young weavers shows that both girls and boys become involved in weaving. Yet the amount of senbeta misa money they receive differs substantially, fuelling distinctly different consumption practices and reinforcing broader gender relations. Zooming in on boys’ monetised leisure activities, we furthermore argue that through consumption belonging to age-based, ethnic peer groups is realised. Moreover, while the monetisation of leisure is shaped by globalisation and market forces, we show that boys and young men themselves also actively contribute to the monetisation of their leisure activities and thereby transform the nature of play.
Etiology and characteristics of burn injuries in patients admitted at Burns Center, Civil Hospital Karachi

Background: Morbidity and mortality by burns are alarmingly high among the developing countries due to inadequate care facilities. Among these nations, Pakistan has one of the highest burn-related incidents. The dilemma is that most of these deaths and disabilities are curable and preventable. Therefore, there is an urgent need of creating an effective infrastructure to cut down these high number of cases. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study at Burns Center, Civil Hospital Karachi. Two hundred and seventy-five patients participated in the study. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 17.0. Results: Among these 275 patients interviewed 63.6% (n = 175) were males whereas 36.4% (n = 100) were females. The mean age of our participants was found to be 26.36 years. A large proportion of the population belonged to the urban areas, i.e. 76.4% (210), whereas only 23.6% (65) were from rural areas, with P = 0.001. About 63.6% of the burn injuries occurred at home (175) while 25.1% (69) got injured at the place of work. Most of the cases were found to be accidental 93.8% (258). About 53.1% (146) had <20% of the total body surface area effected, whereas 16.7% (46) had more than 40% burns. Conclusion: By introducing an effective awareness program regarding burns and teaching first aid techniques to general population, a high number of burn-related accidents could be prevented.