Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
EEG/MEG source imaging in the absence of subject's brain MRI scan: Perspective on co‐registration and MRI selection approach

EEG/MEG source localization requires a subject's brain MRI to compute the sourcemodel and headmodel. As part of this computation, co‐registration of the digitized head information and brain MRI scan is the essential step. However, in the absence of a brain MRI scan, an approximated sourcemodel and headmodel can be computed from the subject's digitized head information and brain MRI scans from other subjects. In the present work, we compared the fiducial (FID)‐ and iterative closet point (ICP)‐based co‐registration approaches for computing an approximated sourcemodel using single and multiple available brain MRI scans. We also evaluated the two different template MRI selection strategies: one is based on objective registration error, and another on sourcemodel approximation error. The outcome suggests that averaged approximated solutions using multiple template brain MRI scans showed better performance than single‐template MRI‐based solutions. The FID‐based approach performed better than the ICP‐based approach for co‐registration of the digitized head surface and brain MRI scan. While selecting template MRIs, the selection approach based on objective registration error showed better performance than a sourcemodel approximation error‐based criterion. Cross‐dataset performance analysis showed a higher model approximation error than within‐dataset analysis. In conclusion, the FID‐based co‐registration approach and objective registration error‐based MRI selection criteria provide a simple, fast and more accurate solution to compute averaged approximated models compared with the ICP‐based approach. The demography of brain MRI scans should be similar to that of the query subject whose brain MRI scan was unavailable.
Why and how to study multimodal interaction in cockpit design

Technological evolution opens up new ways of interacting and broadens the design perspectives for the use of multi-modality in the future cockpit. The use of adaptive multimodality is expected to provide more natural and intuitive interactions and should increase pilots' physical and cognitive performance within a given context. But this augmented set of input/output modalities and their combination highly increases the number of possible design solutions to be considered. Consequently, the design becomes more complex, requires more iterative loops for thinking, developing and validating interaction concepts. So, there is a strong need (1) to define a method to mark out the boundaries of design by giving recommendations and guidelines and (2) to develop a multi-agent platform to quickly iterate on potentially interesting multimodal design solutions that could enhance human performance in future cockpits. This paper presents a preliminary approach to address multimodal interaction in cockpit design.
The Expression and Prognostic Significance of VEGF and CXCR4 in Gastric Cancer: Correlation with Angiogenesis, Lymphangiogenesis and Progression

The cellular response to hypoxia includes the expression of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and its target genes: vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and CXC chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4). The aim of this study was to investigate the expression and prognostic significance of VEGF and CXCR4, which are responsible for angiogenesis and progression in gastric cancer. Twenty-eight gastric cancer patients were analyzed. The mRNA expression was examined in primary tumors and corresponding normal gastric mucosa by RT-PCR. The protein level was examined by immunohistochemistry staining. The high expression of VEGF and CXCR4 was found in 71.0 and 64.0% of tumors, respectively. The mean levels of VEGF and CXCR4 were upregulated in primary tumors compared to normal mucosa (p = 0.0007, p = 0.0052). A correlation between VEGF expression and tumor invasion (p = 0.0216) and stage (p = 0.0181) was found. CXCR4 expression correlated with lymph node metastases (p = 0.0237) and stage (p = 0.0054). The VEGF expression correlated with microvessel density (MVD) (p = 0.0491). The overall 3-year survival rate was 46.4% and correlated negatively with high CXCR4 mRNA expression (p = 0.0089). VEGF and CXCR4 play an important role in tumor progression. Their overexpression correlates with a bad prognosis and may improve high-risk patient selection, and these patients may obtain additional survival benefits if treated more aggressively.
Bioprospects of Endophytic Bacteria in Plant Growth Promotion and Ag-Nanoparticle Biosynthesis

In this study, five endophytic bacterial strains, namely Rhizobium pusense (MS-1), Bacillus cereus MS-2, Bacillus flexus (MS-3), Methylophilus flavus (MS-4), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MS-5), were used to investigate their potential role in the enhancement of growth yields of two types of tomato varieties, viz. hybrid and local, and in the biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs). The inoculation of bacterial strains enhanced the root and shoot length, biomass, and leaf chlorophyll contents. The fruit weight of the tomato (kg/plant) was also higher in the bacteria inoculated plants of both hybrid and local varieties than in the control (untreated). A significant increase was recorded in the fruit yield (g/plant) in all the treatments, whereas Methylophilus flavus (MS-4) inoculated plants yielded nearly 2.5 times more fruit weight compared to the control in the hybrid variety and two times higher in the local variety. The response to M. flavus as a microbial inoculant was greater than to the other strains. Biosynthesis of Ag nanoparticles was also carried out using all five endophytic bacterial strains. The weakest producers of AgNPs were Rhizobium pusense (MS-1) and Methylophilus flavus (MS-4), while Bacillus cereus MS-2, Bacillus flexus (MS-3), and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (MS-5) were strong producers of AgNPs. Nanoparticles were further characterized using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HR-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), UV-Vis spectrophotometry, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, and revealed cuboidal shaped AgNPs in the Bacillus cereus MS-2 strain. In addition, the biosynthesized AgNPs showed antibacterial activity against various pathogenic and endophytic bacterial strains.
Daily soil moisture mapping at 1 km resolution based on SMAP data for desertification areas in northern China

Abstract. Land surface soil moisture (SM) plays a critical role in hydrological processes and terrestrial ecosystems in desertification areas. Passive microwave remote-sensing products such as the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite have been shown to monitor surface soil water well. However, the coarse spatial resolution and lack of full coverage of these products greatly limit their application in areas undergoing desertification. In order to overcome these limitations, a combination of multiple machine learning methods, including multiple linear regression (MLR), support vector regression (SVR), artificial neural networks (ANNs), random forest (RF) and extreme gradient boosting (XGB), have been applied to downscale the 36 km SMAP SM products and produce higher-spatial-resolution SM data based on related surface variables, such as vegetation index and surface temperature. Desertification areas in northern China, which are sensitive to SM, were selected as the study area, and the downscaled SM with a resolution of 1 km on a daily scale from 2015 to 2020 was produced. The results showed a good performance compared with in situ observed SM data, with an average unbiased root mean square error value of 0.057 m3 m−3. In addition, their time series were consistent with precipitation and performed better than common gridded SM products. The data can be used to assess soil drought and provide a reference for reversing desertification in the study area. This dataset is freely available at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare. 16430478.v6 (Rao et al., 2022).
Large-Scale Generalized Linear Models for Longitudinal Data with Grouped Patterns of Unobserved Heterogeneity

ABSTRACT This article provides methods for flexibly capturing unobservable heterogeneity from longitudinal data in the context of an exponential family of distributions. The group memberships of individual units are left unspecified, and their heterogeneity is influenced by group-specific unobservable factor structures. The model includes, as special cases, probit, logit, and Poisson regressions with interactive fixed effects along with unknown group membership. We discuss a computationally efficient estimation method and derive the corresponding asymptotic theory. Uniform consistency of the estimated group membership is established. To test heterogeneous regression coefficients within groups, we propose a Swamy-type test that allows for unobserved heterogeneity. We apply the proposed method to the study of market structure of the taxi industry in New York City. Our method unveils interesting and important insights from large-scale longitudinal data that consist of over 450 million data points.
Use of rotational thromboelastometry to predict the outcome of COVID-19 patients: A retrospective observational study

Background and Aims: The hypercoagulability occurring in COVID-19 patients is detected only by Rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM). However, the benefit of performing ROTEM in the management of disease and predicting the outcome of COVID-19 patients is yet to be established. Material and Methods: The data of 23 critically ill and 11 stable COVID-19 adult patients were extracted from the hospital information system admitted between July and August 2020 and patient charts and analyzed retrospectively. The critically ill patients were divided as a survivor and non-survivor groups. The Intrinsic pathway part of ROTEM (INTEM) and Fibrinogen part of ROTEM (FIBTEM) were performed on day 0 for both critically ill and stable patients, and on day 10 for critically ill patients. The statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 26 was used for statistical analysis. Results: The median FIBTEM amplitude at 5 min (A5) and maximum clot firmness (MCF) were elevated in both stable and critically ill patients (24 vs 27 mm, P = 0.46 and 27.5 vs 40 mm, P = 0.011) with a significant difference in FIBTEM MCF. But there was no significant difference between number of survivors and non-survivors with FIBTEM MCF >25 at day 0 and day 10. Conclusion: The Hypercoagulability state as detected by ROTEM parameters at day 0 and day 10 had no association with the outcome (mortality) of critically ill COVID-19 patients. Hence it cannot be used as a prognostic test. The increasing age, comorbidities and D-dimer values were associated with a poor prognosis in COVID-19 patients.
Trend breaks and the long-run implications of investment-specific technological progress

ABSTRACT I update the Greenwood, Hercowitz, and Krusell (1997, GHK) decomposition of U.S. growth into contributions from neutral and investment-specific (IS) technological progress. I allow the decomposition to vary across sub-samples, reflecting the presence of trend breaks in the data. The estimates show strong heterogeneity across periods: while neutral technological progress explained virtually all growth between 1950 and the mid-1970s, IS technological progress accounts for 75% of growth since the 1980s. These results paint a more complex picture of postwar U.S. growth than GHK’s original decomposition and call for a better understanding of the 1970s productivity shifts.
The influence of the location of emergency exits over the distance to be covered to the exit of an environment

Abstract In a building environment design, the positioning, size and quantity of the exits are fundamental aspects and have an intense relationship with the fire safety of the environments. An aspect that is influenced by these parameters is the average distance to be covered by occupants to the nearest exits during an escape in an emergency situation. The average distance could be used as a complementary measure of the safety of an environment (a lower average distance value indicates a probable faster evacuation rate). Thus, a pathfinder type algorithm to determine the value of the average distances to be covered to the nearest exit during an escape of an environment was detailed and implemented. Computational experiments were performed and the relationship between positioning, quantity and size of the exits and the value of the average distances were studied. The main conclusion was the importance of keeping the exits as far away from each other as possible in a given environment, so that a small distance to be covered could be obtained.
Playful Recommendation: Sales Promotion That Robots Stimulate Pleasant Feelings Instead of Product Explanation

Successful cases of robot sales promotions have been increasing. Users tend to make purchases when robots properly interact with users. Most robot interactions/recommendations are created using specific products and locations within the context. Therefore, developers have to prepare a new recommendation interaction each time with each new product, which creates difficulty in responding smoothly to store’s requests. In this study, we propose Playful Recommendation, which is a situation-independent sales promotion method. This method stimulates pleasant emotions instead of presenting product information to the user, and the proposed method is less product-and location-dependent than other methods. Playful Recommendation was effective in two fieldworks. In both cases, the Playful Recommendation by the robot resulted in higher sales than the normal condition. Furthermore we have shown that the proposed method can be applied to a variety of robots and has the possibility of promoting products even when the recommended products change.
2018 AATS/ACC/SCAI/STS expert consensus systems of care document: Operator and institutional recommendations and requirements for transcatheter aortic valve replacement

WRITING COMMITTEE MEMBERS Joseph E. Bavaria MD, FACS | Carl L. Tommaso MD, MSCAI† | Ralph G. Brindis MD, MPH, MACC, FSCAI‡ | John D. Carroll MD, MSCAI‡ | G. Michael Deeb MD, FACS | Ted E. Feldman MD, MSCAI† | Thomas G. Gleason MD, MS, FACS | Eric M. Horlick MD, FSCAI† | Clifford J. Kavinsky MD, PHD, MSCAI† | Dharam J. Kumbhani MD, SM, FSCAI‡ | D. Craig Miller MD, FACS | A. Allen Seals MD‡ | David M. Shahian MD, FACS | Richard J. Shemin MD, FACS | Thoralf M. Sundt III MD, FACS | Vinod H. Thourani MD, FACS
Supernumerary punctum: an unusual case of seeing double

Supernumerary punctum is an under‐reported congenital anomaly, in which there is more than one lacrimal punctum. Although usually asymptomatic, supernumerary puncta have been reported to cause dry eye or epiphora (excessive tearing) and should be included in their differential diagnosis. Tearing is often associated with dry eyes and can lead to discontinuation of contact lens wear. A comprehensive evaluation of the causes of tearing may uncover other contributory factors of epiphora.
On Concentration of Positive Bound States for the Schrödinger-Poisson Problem with Potentials

Abstract We study the existence of semiclassical states for a nonlinear Schrödinger-Poisson system that concentrate near critical points of the external potential and of the density charge function. We use a perturbation scheme in a variational setting, extending the results in [1]. We also discuss necessary conditions for concentration.
Academic Help-Seeking Behaviours of Undergraduate Pharmacy Students in Saudi Arabia: Usage and Helpfulness of Resources

Background: University students usually find it difficult to handle academic challenges by themselves and tend to seek help. Academic help seeking is defined as “a behavioral strategy that involves controlling one’s behavior and interacting socially to obtain help from other people. ” Methods: A cross-sectional design was planned. An online self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data on academic help-seeking behaviours among year 5 undergraduate pharmacy students. Demographic and background information was described in terms of frequency. Their reasons for seeking academic help (five items) and factors considered for choosing academic resources (six items) used a Likert scale ranging from one (strongly disagree) to five (strongly agree). Usefulness (ten items) was rated on a five-point scale ranging from ‘very useful’ to ‘not useful at all. ’ Frequency (ten items) was rated on a five-point scale ranging from ‘never’ to ‘every day. ’ Results: A total of 116 pharmacy students completed the survey. The study indicated that the key reasons for seeking help were positive factors—a further improvement of one’s learning and the desire to complete a course. The resources that were most frequently used were peers, the course online portal, and online educational resources. The resources that students found most helpful were peers, the course instructor, textbooks, and online resources. Discussion and conclusion: The frequency of using a certain support resource was not mirrored by its helpfulness. Resources, including professors, teaching assistants, and textbooks, were found helpful but not frequently consulted for help. On the other hand, summaries and notes, for example, were frequently used but not particularly helpful. However, peers currently taking the course and the course management system were found to be very useful and frequently used.
Are sport organisations environmentally sustainable? – A website analysis of sport federations in Belgium

ABSTRACT Research question: Sport is recognised as a significant contributor to a sustainable future. Sport federations (SFs) in particular can play an important role in this regard. However, literature that focuses on environmental sustainability (ES) in the sector is limited. To this end, the purpose of this study is to examine the institutionalised behaviour of SFs by analysing their environmental initiatives, environmental strategy and to detect and discuss opportunities for further development. Research methods: For the study, all available websites of the SFs in Belgium were examined by means of a content analysis. To assess the current behaviour of SFs and determine their progress in terms of ES, an extended version of the environmental wave typology created by McCullough and colleagues (2016) is empirically applied. Results and Findings: The results reveal a low commitment to ES, indicating that not dealing with the environment is still institutionalised in their natural behaviour. Only 37 of the 141 included SFs, communicated environmental initiatives or strategical considerations. The majority of the identified actions were low-intensity initiatives and only four federations provided a comprehensive strategic approach. Implications: This study contributes to the emerging research on ES in sport by examining the underresearched SF sector and applying the institutional theory to understand which factors influences their environmental behaviour. Opportunities that can initiate a positive change in the sector are described and due to its methodological approach, the study can serve as a blueprint for future research on the environmental performance of sport and other organisations.
Identification of Potential Natural Bioactive Compounds from Glycyrrhiza glabra as Sars-CoV-2 Main Protease (MPRO) Inhibitors: In-Silico Approach

The SARS-CoV-2 virus caused the COVID-19 pandemic declared in early 2020, generating a global health emergency. So far, no approved drugs or vaccines are available. Therefore, there is an urgent need to explore and develop effective new therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2. In addition, the main protease (Mpro) of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is considered essential in the virus replication propagation and considered a drug discovery target. Consequently, plant-derived compounds are an important and valuable source for novel drugs. This study reports molecular docking-based virtual screening (VS) of 20 compounds identified from Glycyrrhiza glabra to search for potent compounds against 3CL proteases (3CLpro). The screening results revealed that the identified compounds Semilicoisoflavone B, Licoflavone B, and Licocoumarin A exhibited low free energy of binding (FEB) values of 10.91, −10.29, and −10.21 kcal/mole for Autodock 4.2 and −9.81, −9.77, and −9.60 kcal/mole, for AutoDockVina, respectively. The obtained results of FEB in this study were better than the coordinated ligand N3, which was -7.4 kcal/mole. The three potential compounds showed different and stable interactions with the essential amino acids, especially the catalytic dyad (Cys145-His41) in the binding pocket of the 3CLpro. Three potential inhibitors were successfully identified from Glycyrrhiza glabra using molecular docking and virtual screening; these compounds obeyed the Lipinski rule of 5 with a little violation and showed low FEB and good interactions with the 3CLpro. These identified compounds may serve as potential leads that help in developing therapeutic agents against the SARS-CoV-2. Further research is recommended (in vitro and in vivo) to verify the above findings.
Police officer perceptions of diversity efforts: a disconnect between the goals and the methods

ABSTRACT Diversifying law enforcement agencies to reflect the communities they serve has continued to be a difficult task worldwide. Research has focused on evaluating diversity initiatives in terms of staffing demographic changes, but the perspective of officers working in departments aiming to diversify is often missing. This study examines officers’ perceptions of diversity initiatives in practice. Qualitative analysis indicated officers were supportive of diversifying; however, nearly all officers, regardless of gender or race/ethnicity, were concerned with the methods used. Findings revealed that officers: 1) doubted the merit of their own achievements, 2) perceived promotion/assignment practices as ambiguous, 3) felt politics created symbolic changes, and 4) wanted to inform future diversity efforts. Findings suggest that officer perspectives, particularly from underrepresented groups, are needed to better understand why diversity initiatives have yielded minimal change and to build more effective practices to increase diversity and retain diverse personnel.
EXISTENCE AND UNIQUENESS OF MINIMAL GRAPHS IN HYPERBOLIC SPACE

A forging die and a forging die manufacturing method for extruding helical gears wherein the lead end face of each die tooth is made up of harmonious S-shaped curves with each curve having maximized-radii contours. The shape of the S-shaped curves is formed by dividing the cylindrical surface at the lead end face and the full depth perimeter into an equal number of equally spaced points, connecting these points up into pairs so as to establish the shortest distance between the pairs of points and using these pairs as the end points for the S-shaped curves.