Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Symptoms of Emotional, Behavioral, and Social Difficulties in the Danish Population of Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes – Results of a National Survey

Objective To assess the prevalence of psychological difficulties in Danish children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes using both child/adolescent and caregiver reports, and to investigate associations between these symptoms and metabolic control, adherence, and quality of life. Research Design and Method: A total of 786 children and adolescents (8–17 years) recruited through the Danish Registry of Childhood Diabetes completed subscales of the Beck's Youth Inventories (BYI-Y), while 910 caregivers completed the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The participants also completed questionnaires assessing adherence and quality of life. BYI-Y and SDQ responses were compared with results from normative samples. Results Children with diabetes generally reported a lower level of symptoms of depression and anxiety, while older adolescents in most cases were comparable to the normative samples. However, the numbers of patients with elevated scores were similar to normative groups, especially regarding the proportion of participants with ‘Extremely elevated’ scores. Caregivers of children and adolescents with diabetes generally reported the prevalence of elevated scores on the SDQ to exceed the prevalence observed in the norm sample – particularly with regard to older boys. Both BYI-Y and SDQ responses were significantly correlated with HbA1c, adherence, and quality of life. Conclusions This study finds Danish children and adolescents with diabetes to report lower or comparable levels of emotional difficulties compared to norms, while caregiver reports are less positive. The results therefore support the value of a multi-informant approach to the assessment of symptoms of psychological difficulty in girls and boys with diabetes.
Treatment planning study of the 3D dosimetric differences between Co-60 and Ir-192 sources in high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy for cervix cancer

Purpose To evaluate whether Co-60 is equivalent to Ir-192 for HDR cervical brachytherapy, through 3D-DVH dose comparisons in standard and optimised plans. Previous studies have only considered 2D dosimetry, point dose comparisons or identical loading. Typical treatment times and economics are considered. Material and methods Plans were produced for eight cervix patients using Co-60 and Ir-192 sources, CT imaging and IU/two-channel-ring applicator (Eckert Ziegler BEBIG). The comparison was made under two conditions: (A) identical dwell positions and loading, prescribed to Point A and (B) optimised source dwells, prescribed to HR-CTV. This provided a direct comparison of inherent differences and residual differences under typical clinical plan optimisation. The DVH (target and OAR), ICRU reference points and isodose distributions were compared. Typical treatment times and source replacement costs were compared. Results Small differences (p < 0.01) in 3D dosimetry exist when using Co-60 compared to Ir-192, prescribed to Point A with identical loading patterns, particularly 3.3% increase in rectum D2cc. No significant difference was observed in this parameter when prescribing to the HR-CTV using dwell-time optimisation. There was no statistically significant difference in D90 between the two isotopes. Co-60 plans delivered consistently higher V150% (mean +4.4%, p = 0.03) and V400% (mean +11.6%, p < 0.01) compared to Ir-192 in optimised plans. Differences in physical source properties were overwhelmed by geometric effects. Conclusions Co-60 may be used as an effective alternative to Ir-192 for HDR cervix brachytherapy, producing similar plans of equivalent D90, but with logistical benefits. There is a small dose increase along the extension of the source axis when using Co-60 compared to Ir-192, leading to small rectal dose increases for identical loading patterns. This can be eliminated by planning optimisation techniques. Such optimisation may also be associated with increases in the overdose volume (V150-V400) with Co-60 compared to Ir-192.
A gentle introduction to OSGi

The Open Services Gateway Initiative (OSGi) is a framework that supports the implementation of component-based, service-oriented applications in Java. The framework man- ages the life-cycle of modules (called bundles in OSGi) and provides means to publish and search for services. Moreover, it supports the dynamic install and uninstall of bundles. Nowadays, OSGi is used in many application domains, including mobile phones, embedded devices, and application servers. In this paper, we provide a gentle introduction to the basic services provided by OSGi. The presentation is guided by a simple case study, involving the implementation of a Dictionary System.
A survey on internet-enabled physical annotation systems

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the related issues of physical annotation systems and also to study their historical development. Moreover, the paper provides a taxonomy of physical annotation systems, including augmented reality systems and concludes with future challenges concerning such systems.Design/methodology/approach – The authors first provide a review and a comparison of existing physical annotation systems. The authors' classification of the physical annotation systems is based on the capabilities they provide.Findings – Physical annotation systems evolve as technology progresses. However, there are issues such as cognitive overload, trust, transient associations, and integrating of social networking with physical annotations.Research limitations/implications – As technology develops, physical annotations will become increasingly important in daily life. Hence, there are important research issues to address with regards to physical annotation systems.Practical implications.
Dynamic phenotypes of degenerative myxomatous mitral valve disease: quantitative 3-dimensional echocardiographic study.

BACKGROUND Fibro-elastic deficiency (FED) and diffuse myxomatous degeneration (DMD) are phenotypes of degenerative mitral valve disease defined morphologically. Whether physiological differences in annular and valvular dynamics exist between these phenotypes remains unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS We performed triple quantitation of cardiac remodeling and of mitral regurgitation severity and of annular and valvular dimensions by real-time 3-dimensional-transesophageal-echocardiography. Forty-nine patients with degenerative mitral valve disease classified as FED (n=31) and DMD (n=18) by surgical observation showed no difference in age (65±10 versus 59±13; P=0.5), body surface area (2.0±0.2 versus 2.0±0.2 m(2); P=0.5), left ventricular and atrial dimensions (all P>0.55), and mitral regurgitation regurgitant orifice (P=0.62). On average, annular dimensions were larger in DMD versus FED, but height was similar resulting in lower saddle shape. Dynamically, annular DMD versus FED display poorer contraction and saddle-shape accentuation in early systole and abnormal enlargement, particularly intercommissural, in late-systole (all P<0.05). Valvular dynamics showed stable valvular area in systole in FED versus considerable systolic increased area in DMD (P<0.001). Prolapse height and volume increased little throughout systole in FED versus marked increase in DMD (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS Our novel observations show that FED and DMD, although both labeled myxomatous, display considerable physiological phenotypic differences. In DMD, the annular increased size and profoundly abnormal dynamics demonstrate DMD-specific annular degeneration compared with the enlarged but relatively normal FED annulus. DMD does not incur more severe mitral regurgitation, despite larger prolapse and valve redundancy, underscoring potential compensatory role of tissue redundancy of DMD (or aggravating role of tissue paucity of FED) on mitral regurgitation severity.
Measurement of Endothelium-Dependent Vasodilation in Mice—Brief Report

Objective— Endothelium-dependent, flow-mediated vasodilation after an increase in shear stress at the endothelial lining of conduit arteries during reactive hyperemia after ischemia is a fundamental principle of vascular physiology adapting blood flow to demand of supplied tissue. Flow-mediated vasodilation measurements have been performed in human studies and are of diagnostic and prognostic importance, but have been impossible because of technical limitations in transgenic mice to date, although these represent the most frequently used animal model in cardiovascular research. Approach and Results— Using high-frequency ultrasound, we visualized, quantified, and characterized for the first time endothelium-dependent dilation of the femoral artery after temporal ischemia of the lower part of the hindlimb and demonstrated that the signaling was almost exclusively dependent on stimulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, similar to acetylcholine, completely abolished after pharmacological or genetic inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide synthase and endothelial denudation, substantially impaired in mice of increasing age and cholesterol-fed ApoE knock outs and increased by the dietary polyphenol (−)-epicatechin. Intra- and interindividual variability were similar to the human methodology. Conclusions— The physiology of flow-mediated vasodilation in mice resembles that in humans underscoring the significance of this novel technology to noninvasively, serially, and reliably quantify flow-mediated vasodilation in transgenic mice.
Entry into marriage and parenthood by young men and women: The influence of family background

We investigate the influence of family background on early entry into marriage and parenthood among white, Hispanic, and black men and women ages 14 to 22 in the first (1979) wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. Family background is highly associated with early entry into marriage for whites of both genders and female Hispanics and also with early entry into parenthood for all groups except black males. Large group differences in family characteristics explain most of the difference between white and Hispanic women in early marriage and parenthood and about half the difference in early parenthood between black and white women but do not explain the observed variations among other race-gender groups.
Irrigation and rootstock effects on the phenolic composition of Vitis vinifera L . cv . Cabernet Sauvignon grapes under semi-arid conditions

Phenolic compounds of the skin and seeds are the principal sources of wine color and structural properties. Under semi-arid conditions, irrigation management is the most determining factor of grape and wine quality while rootstocks affect numerous physiological and vegetative parameters of the scion. In the present study, compositional changes of skin and seed phenolic compounds were studied in a factorial experiment, in field-grown grapevines of cv. Cabernet-Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.) grafted onto 1103P and SO4 rootstocks and subjected to three irrigation levels (FI 100% of evapotranspiration, DI 50% of evapotranspiration and NI-not irrigated). The experiment was conducted in a ten-year-old commercial vineyard of central Greece over two years (2005-2006). Limited water supply decreased berry size but did not affect the skin-to-pulp weight ratio. Water limitation did not affect skin anthocyanin concentration at harvest. Irrigation regime (mainly post-veraison) and rootstock genotype affected total flavan-3-ol monomers in seed tissue, mainly as a result of variations in catechin amount. The lower seed phenolic concentration was found in non-irrigated and SO4-grafted vines and was probably related to the modification of cluster exposure due to restricted scion vigor.
The Role of Distributed State

Distributed state offers the potential for improving the performance, coherency, and reliability of distributed systems. Unfortunately, distributed state also introduces consistency problems, crash sensitivity, time and space overheads, and complexity; these problems make it difficult to achieve the potential benefits. This paper describes the advantages and disadvantages of distributed state, and presents the NFS and Sprite file systems as examples of different tradeoffs. It does not appear possible to achieve all the advantages of distributed state and also avoid all the problems; rather, system designers must make compromises based on the needs of their individual environments. The Role of Distributed State February 19, 1990
Hash-based IP traceback

The design of the IP protocol makes it difficult to reliably identify the originator of an IP packet. Even in the absence of any deliberate attempt to disguise a packet's origin, wide-spread packet forwarding techniques such as NAT and encapsulation may obscure the packet's true source. Techniques have been developed to determine the source of large packet flows, but, to date, no system has been presented to track individual packets in an efficient, scalable fashion.We present a hash-based technique for IP traceback that generates audit trails for traffic within the network, and can trace the origin of a single IP packet delivered by the network in the recent past. We demonstrate that the system is effective, space-efficient (requiring approximately 0.5% of the link capacity per unit time in storage), and implementable in current or next-generation routing hardware. We present both analytic and simulation results showing the system's effectiveness.
Promiscuous targeting of polytopic membrane proteins to SecYEG or YidC by the Escherichia coli signal recognition particle

The YidC insertase also integrates multispanning membrane proteins that had been considered to be exclusively SecYEG dependent. Only membrane proteins that require SecA can be inserted only via SecYEG. Targeting to YidC is SRP dependent, and the C-terminus of YidC cross-links to SRP, FtsY, and ribosomal subunits.
Classificação de padrões espectrais em dados LIDAR para a identificação de rochas em afloramentos

O presente estudo visou o desenvolvimento e aplicacao de uma metodologia para a deteccao e classificacao de diferentes respostas espectrais em nuvens de pontos obtidas a partir de escâner a laser terrestre (Laser Scanner Terrestre) com o intuito de identificar a presenca de diferentes rochas em afloramentos e a geracao de um Modelo Digital de Afloramento. A ferramenta para a classificacao de padroes espectrais, denominada K-Clouds, foi desenvolvida com base em analise de agrupamentos (clusters), que a partir de uma indicacao do numero de classes fornecido pelo usuario atraves da analise de um histograma dos dados, realiza a classificacao da nuvem de pontos. Os dados classificados podem entao ser interpretados por geologos para uma melhor compreensao e identificacao das rochas presentes no afloramento. Alem da deteccao de diferentes rochas, verificouse que e possivel detectar pequenas alteracoes nas caracteristicas fisico-quimicas das mesmas, como aquelas causadas por intemperismo e variacao composicional.
Management Strategies for Various E-Waste Generators in Puducherry Region - A Case Study

Solid waste management practices itself is far from satisfactory, in India. Added to the above, is another problem of recent origin i.e. E-waste handling and management which has complicated waste management due to their unique properties than other solid wastes. The generation, separation, recycling and recovery of precious metals are still in its nascent state, almost all over India. In order to assess the awareness on the various handling and management aspects of e-waste and to offer workable suggestions, Pondicherry region was chosen for the case study. Based on specially prepared questionnaire, a field survey was conducted across various sectors of the above region to assess the quantity of e-waste generated and the practices that are being followed for handling and managing them. The analysed data has shown some very interesting results. Which have been highlighted based on overall assessment, it has been suggested to create general awareness and strict enforced of rules, to save the environment from further pollution.
A Spitzer Study of the Mass-Loss Histories of Three Bipolar Preplanetary Nebulae

We present the results of far-infrared imaging of extended regions around three bipolar preplanetary nebulae, AFGL 2688, OH 231.8+4.2, and IRAS 16342-3814, at 70 and 160 μm with the MIPS instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope. After a careful subtraction of the point-spread function of the central star from these images, we place constraints on the existence of extended shells and thus on the mass outflow rates as a function of radial distance from these stars. We find no apparent extended emission in AFGL 2688 and OH 231.8+4.2 beyond 100″ from the central source. In the case of AFGL 2688, this result is inconsistent with a previous report of two extended dust shells made on the basis of ISO observations. We derive upper limits of 2.1 × 10-7 and 1.0 × 10-7 M⊙ yr-1 for the dust mass-loss rates of AFGL 2688 and OH 231.8, respectively, at 200″ from each source. In contrast to these two sources, IRAS 16342-3814 does show extended emission at both wavelengths, which can be interpreted as a very large dust shell with a radius of ∼400″ and a thickness of ∼100″, corresponding to 4 and 1 pc, respectively, at a distance of 2 kpc. However, this enhanced emission may also be Galactic cirrus; better azimuthal coverage is necessary for confirmation of a shell. If the extended emission is a shell, it can be modeled, with some assumptions about its dust properties, as enhanced mass outflow at a dust mass outflow rate of 1.5 × 10-6 M⊙ yr-1 superimposed on a steady outflow with a dust mass outflow rate of 1.5 × 10-7 M⊙ yr-1. Because of the size of the possible shell, it is likely that this shell has swept up a substantial mass of interstellar gas during its expansion, so these estimates are upper limits to the stellar mass-loss rate. We find a constant color temperature of 32 K throughout the circumstellar envelope of IRAS 16342-3814, which is consistent with heating by the interstellar radiation field.
Compartmentalization of transcription and translation in Bacillus subtilis

Using fusions of green fluorescent protein to subunits of RNA polymerase (RNAP) and ribosomes, we have investigated the subcellular localization of the transcriptional and translational machinery in the bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Unexpectedly, we found that RNAP resides principally within the nucleoid. Conversely, ribosomes localized almost exclusively outside the nucleoid, concentrating particularly towards sites of cell division. This zonal localization was not dependent on cell division and is probably due, at least in part, to exclusion from the nucleoid. Dual labelling of RNAP and ribosomes was used to confirm the spatial separation of the two processes. We conclude that, even in the absence of a nuclear membrane, transcription and translation occur predominantly in separate functional domains. At higher growth rates, concentrations of RNAP developed, probably representing the sites of rRNA synthesis. These may represent a further spatial specialization, possibly equivalent to the eukaryotic nucleolus.
Replication of latent Epstein-Barr virus genomes in Raji cells

The replication of the 50 to 60 latent, predominantly extrachromosomal, Epstein-Barr virus genomes maintained by the Burkitt-lymphoma-derived Raji cell line was investigated by using a Meselson-Stahl density transfer approach. Samples of DNA isolated from cells cultivated for different periods in bromodeoxyuridine-supplemented medium were fractionated according to density, and the distribution of viral and cellular DNAs among the heavy-, hybrid-, and light-density species was quantitated. The results indicate that the majority of latent Epstein-Barr virus DNA plasmids each replicate once during the cell cycle.
Combining suppression of the disturbance and reactive stepping for recovering balance

This paper proposes a new framework to recover balance against external forces by combining disturbance suppression and reactive stepping. In the view point of the feedback control, a reactive step can help to diminish the disturbance caused by an external force that should be compensated to maintain balance. In other words, if the adequate step is performed, the feedback controller does not have to compensate all of the external force by itself. Under this concept, we propose an original solution to distribute the compensation between a feedback controller and a reactive step, according to the period of support phase and a disturbance characteristic. We first clearly distinguish between the role of the disturbance suppression and the reactive stepping. Then, based on this distinction, the small disturbance of external force or happening late during the single-support phase, is mainly suppressed by state feedback. The large disturbance which is out of capability by feedback controller and at the beginning of the single-support phase, is absorbed by modifying reactively the next steps. The proposed method is validated through experimental results with the HRP-2 humanoid robot.
Inferring Declarative Requirements Specifications from Operational Scenarios

Scenarios are increasingly recognized as an effective means for eliciting, validating, and documenting software requirements. The paper focuses on the use of scenarios for requirements elicitation and explores the process of inferring formal specifications of goals and requirements from scenario descriptions. Scenarios are considered as typical examples of system usage; they are provided in terms of sequences of interaction steps between the intended software and its environment. Such scenarios are in general partial, procedural, and leave required properties about the intended system implicit. In the end such properties need to be stated in explicit, declarative terms for consistency/completeness analysis to be carried out. A formal method is proposed for supporting the process of inferring specifications of system goals and requirements inductively from interaction scenarios provided by stakeholders. The method is based on a learning algorithm that takes scenarios as examples/counterexamples and generates a set of goal specifications in temporal logic that covers all positive scenarios while excluding all negative ones. The output language in which goals and requirements are specified is the KAOS goal based specification language. The paper also discusses how the scenario based inference of goal specifications is integrated in the KAOS methodology for goal based requirements engineering. In particular, the benefits of inferring declarative specifications of goals from operational scenarios are demonstrated by examples of formal analysis at the goal level, including conflict analysis, obstacle analysis, the inference of higher level goals, and the derivation of alternative scenarios that better achieve the underlying goals.
Towards a Formalization of the X86 Instruction Set Architecture

Abstract : We present a preliminary approach to dening a formal specicationof the semantics of the X86 Instruction Set Architecture. The goal of theformalization is to support the dual requirements of analyzing the correct-ness of binaries executing on the architecture and investigating dierentsafety and security properties of the architecture itself. In particular, wefocus on the security properties of protection rings available in the X86.A simplied version of the specication has been developed in the formallogic of the ACL2 theorem prover together with a generic approach tooperationally dene security policies. we discuss the use of our approachin developing trusted applications.