Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Application of Kernel Principal Component Analysis for Single-Lead-ECG-Derived Respiration

Recent studies show that principal component analysis (PCA) of heartbeats is a well-performing method to derive a respiratory signal from ECGs. In this study, an improved ECG-derived respiration (EDR) algorithm based on kernel PCA (kPCA) is presented. KPCA can be seen as a generalization of PCA where nonlinearities in the data are taken into account by nonlinear mapping of the data, using a kernel function, into a higher dimensional space in which PCA is carried out. The comparison of several kernels suggests that a radial basis function (RBF) kernel performs the best when deriving EDR signals. Further improvement is carried out by tuning the parameter that represents the variance of the RBF kernel. The performance of kPCA is assessed by comparing the EDR signals to a reference respiratory signal, using the correlation and the magnitude squared coherence coefficients. When comparing the coefficients of the tuned EDR signals using kPCA to EDR signals obtained using PCA and the algorithm based on the R peak amplitude, statistically significant differences are found in the correlation and coherence coefficients (both ), showing that kPCA outperforms PCA and R peak amplitude in the extraction of a respiratory signal from single-lead ECGs.
Characterization of a Colony‐Stimulating Factor Produced by the Human Monocytic Leukemia Cell Line, THP‐1

The human monocytic leukemia cell line, THP‐1, acquires macrophage‐like characteristics following exposure to mezerein. Serum‐free medium conditioned by mezerein‐activated cells was observed to contain colony‐stimulating factor (CSF) activity in assays with murine bone marrow cultures. Isoelectrofocusing revealed that CSF activity displayed charge heterogeneity and migrated in a pl range of 4.4–5.3. Treatment with neuraminidase did not affect biological activity but did reduce charge heterogeneity. Reisofocusing of neuraminidase‐treated CSF revealed a peak of activity at pl 4.9. The active component was shown to be an acidic sialoglycoprotein, resistant to proteolytic cleavage but completely inactivated by 2‐mercaptoethanol. This CSF has been purified from THP‐1–conditioned serum‐free medium by preparative isoelectrofocusing, gel filtration through Sephacryl S‐200, ion exchange chromatography on DEAE‐Sephacel, neuraminidase treatment, and tris‐glycinate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE). Elution from SDS‐PAGE revealed a single peak of activity corresponding to an apparent molecular weight of 70,000 daltons. Preliminary characterization of the bone marrow cells in colonies showed that THP‐1 cells produced macrophage‐specific CSF.
A Serious Game for Training Patient-Centered Medical Interviews

This paper presents a web based serious game for medical students, which supports the training of patient-centered medical interviews. Phases of immersion (role playing) and reflection are differentiated to facilitate change of perspectives that is considered to be conducive for learning. Reflection is supported by the recording of the role play, which is enhanced by automated analysis results regarding the communication behavior of the player based on models of doctor-patient communication as well as general communication. The playability of this game was evaluated in a study with medical students.
Rapid direct methods for enumeration of specific, active bacteria in water and biofilms

Conventional methods for detecting indicator and pathogenic bacteria in water may underestimate the actual population due to sublethal environmental injury, inability of the target bacteria to take up nutrients and other physiological factors which reduce bacterial culturability. Rapid and direct methods are needed to more accurately detect and enumerate active bacteria. Such a methodological advance would provide greater sensitivity in assessing the microbiological safety of water and food. The principle goal of this presentation is to describe novel approaches we have formulated for the rapid and simultaneous detection of bacteria plus the determination of their physiological activity in water and other environmental samples. The present version of our method involves the concentration of organisms by membrane filtration or immunomagnetic separation and combines an intracellular fluorochrome (CTC) for assessment of respiratory activity plus fluorescent‐labelled antibody detection of specific bacteria. This approach has also been successfully used to demonstrate spatial and temporal heterogeneities of physiological activities in biofilms when coupled with cryosectioning. Candidate physiological stains include those capable of determining respiratory activity, membrane potential, membrane integrity, growth rate and cellular enzymatic activities. Results obtained thus far indicate that immunomagnetic separation can provide a high degree of sensitivity in the recovery of seeded target bacteria (Escherichia coli O157:H7) in water and hamburger. The captured and stained target bacteria are then enumerated by either conventional fluorescence microscopy or ChemScank, a new instrument that is very sensitive and rapid. The ChemScanR laser scanning instrument (Chemunex, Paris, France) provides the detection of individual fluorescently labelled bacterial cells using three emission channels in less than 5 min. A high degree of correlation has been demonstrated between results obtained with the ChemScan and traditional plate counts of mixed natural bacterial populations in water. The continuing evolution of these methods will be valuable in the rapid and accurate analysis of environmental samples.
Secondary metabolite profiling, growth profiles and other tools for species recognition and important Aspergillus mycotoxins

Species in the genus Aspergillus have been classified primarily based on morphological features. Sequencing of house-hold genes has also been used in Aspergillus taxonomy and phylogeny, while extrolites and physiological features have been used less frequently. Three independent ways of classifying and identifying aspergilli appear to be applicable: Morphology combined with physiology and nutritional features, secondary metabolite profiling and DNA sequencing. These three ways of identifying Aspergillus species often point to the same species. This consensus approach can be used initially, but if consensus is achieved it is recommended to combine at least two of these independent ways of characterising aspergilli in a polyphasic taxonomy. The chemical combination of secondary metabolites and DNA sequence features has not been explored in taxonomy yet, however. Examples of these different taxonomic approaches will be given for Aspergillus section Nigri.
Mechanism design for Variable Stiffness Actuation based on enumeration and analysis of performance

This paper presents a systematic enumeration and performance analysis of Variable Stiffness Actuators (VSAs). VSAs are becoming more and more popular in robotics, and many different prototypes have been recently proposed and built in the research community. In comparison with conventional geared motors, actuators with variable stiffness introduce the need for new specifications, requirements, and performance criteria, concerning e.g. the range of achievable stiffness, and the response time to stiffness reference changes. On the other hand, the mechanical construction of VSAs is also more complex. To address the problem of harnessing the increased complexity of VSA design, we consider in this article the enumeration of all possible arrangements of two prime movers (elementary motors), two harmonic-drive gears, the output shaft, and the interconnections (either rigid or elastic) between these elements. We propose an automated algorithm to search the large combinatorics of such enumeration, and present a reduced number of feasible basic designs which accomplish the objectives of VS actuation. Furthermore, we propose a quasi-static model of VS actuators which can be used for an analysis of their performance and we conclude by presenting some preliminary characteristics of one of the selected designs.
Introducing uncertainty into social simulation: using fuzzy logic for agent-based modelling

Agent-based models are useful to study emergent behaviour in social systems. In general, existing agent models tend to be quite simple, but there are social problems that require the consideration of some aspects with uncertainty as human thinking does. Those characteristics can be addressed by using fuzzy sets theory in the specification of the attributes that describe agents representing individuals, and in the functions that model the evolution of individual change of mind, the relationships among individuals in a social network, the inheritance, and the similarity between individuals. This paper discusses the fuzzification of agent-based models and analyses experimentation results for a specific case of the study of the evolution of human values in a society.
Is it Really that Simple? The Complexity of Object Descriptions in Human-Computer Interaction

In the literature on verbal human-computer interaction there is general consent that humans’ preconceptualisations of the machine’s capabilities lead to conceptual and syntactic simplifications of the language used. We present a Wizard of Oz / Confederate study where humans communicate with either a system or an expert in a localization task in a complex building, in a setting which encourages them to give as much information as possible. We analyzed the syntactic complexity of object descriptions. Although we did find differences concerning the complexity of object descriptions on the clausal level, there were no significant structural differences on the subclausal level.
Access Point Reselection and Adaptive Cluster Splitting-Based Indoor Localization in Wireless Local Area Networks

Indoor localization technology has received increasing attention because the hobbies and interests of human can be mined from the location data. Wireless local area network (WLAN)-based fingerprinting localization methods have become attractive owing to their advantages of open access and low cost. However, for localization in realistic large areas, three problems persist: (1) excessive memory requirements in the offline phase; (2) high computational complexity in the online phase; and (3) how to select the access point (AP) sets with best distinction capability. A novel method of localization based on adaptive cluster splitting (ACS) and AP reselection is proposed in this paper. The suggested method can significantly reduce the requirements of offline storage and online computing capacity while improving the localization accuracy. The expected result is demonstrated in a theoretical deduction, simulation, and with experiments in a realistic environment.
A high-performance FPGA accelerator for sparse neural networks: work-in-progress

Neural networks have been widely used in a large range of domains, researchers tune numbers of layrs, neurons and synapses to adapt various applications. As a consequence, computations and memory of neural networks models are both intensive. As large requirements of memory and computing resources, it is difficult to deploy neural networks on resource-limited platforms. Sparse neural networks, which prune redundant neurons and synapses, alleviate computation and memory pressure. However, conventional accelerators cannot benefit from the sparse feature. In this paper, we propose a high-performance FPGA accelerator for sparse neural networks which utilizes eliminate computations and storage space. This work compresses sparse weights and processes compressed data directly. Experimental results demonstrate that our accelerator will reduce 50% and 10% storage of convolutional and full-connected layers, and achieve 3x speedup of performance over an optimized conventional FPGA accelerator.
KMS adoption in organizations

In order for an organization to fully realize its knowledge management related objectives, it requires a knowledge management system to support it. The organization faces various challenges regarding this system, including whether or not to adopt it, as well as in case of the former, whether users would accept to work with it. Therefore, adoption of knowledge management systems occurs in both organizational level, and individual level. The decision to adopt knowledge management systems for the organization is influenced by many factors, including perceived characteristics of the system, adopter characteristics, firm characteristics, and environmental turbulence. Users¿ acceptance is also influenced by a number of factors and of course the level of acceptance, in turn, influences the effectiveness of the knowledge management system itself. The influential factors concerning knowledge management systems acceptance can be categorized as individual factors, organizational factors, and system characteristics.
The psychosis spectrum in a young U.S. community sample: findings from the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort

Little is known about the occurrence and predictors of the psychosis spectrum in large non‐clinical community samples of U.S. youths. We aimed to bridge this gap through assessment of psychosis spectrum symptoms in the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort, a collaborative investigation of clinical and neurobehavioral phenotypes in a prospectively accrued cohort of youths, funded by the National Institute of Mental Health. Youths (age 11‐21; N=7,054) and collateral informants (caregiver/legal guardian) were recruited through the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and administered structured screens of psychosis spectrum symptoms, other major psychopathology domains, and substance use. Youths were also administered a computerized neurocognitive battery assessing five neurobehavioral domains. Predictors of psychosis spectrum status in physically healthy participants (N=4,848) were examined using logistic regression. Among medically healthy youths, 3.7% reported threshold psychotic symptoms (delusions and/or hallucinations). An additional 12.3% reported significant sub‐psychotic positive symptoms, with odd/unusual thoughts and auditory perceptions, followed by reality confusion, being the most discriminating and widely endorsed attenuated symptoms. A minority of youths (2.3%) endorsed subclinical negative/disorganized symptoms in the absence of positive symptoms. Caregivers reported lower symptom levels than their children. Male gender, younger age, and non‐European American ethnicity were significant predictors of spectrum status. Youths with spectrum symptoms had reduced accuracy across neurocognitive domains, reduced global functioning, and increased odds of depression, anxiety, behavioral disorders, substance use and suicidal ideation. These findings have public health relevance for prevention and early intervention.
Performative Politics and International Media

In the fall issue of 1990, TDR published a reader's letter, "No Secret Politics in the U.S.? " from Anthony T. Speranza. Speranza argued, "the opposition you make between the situation in China and the 'power of the media' and government openness in 'the West' misses the mark badly. [. Y]ou contribute to what might be called 'the myth of transparency' in the journalistic monitoring of our government" (1990:15). Although this was a misreading of the Comment's point, which did refer to Western politicians' insincere display with the power of the media at their service, Speranza's term, "the myth of transparency," is extremely pertinent. Unlike the Comment written seven years ago, which focused on the obvious problems of secretive politics, this one addresses the hidden danger of performative politics in the name of democracy, especially as it appears in the international media, which are now connecting more and more countries with TV satellites but not necessarily with true understanding. During the prodemocracy movement in 1989, the Chinese students and their supporters demanded openness and transparency of politics. They equated openness with more media coverage because media was strictly controlled by the government, whereas most Americans had long given up this naive belief of the pre-media age. To the idealistic Chinese, live media coverage, which was rare in China except for sports games, must be true and authentic, something like the picture of the Vietnamese monk immolating himself in front of a crowd in 1963-on the eve of the media age. That image shocked the world with its absolutely authentic truth and sparked organized demonstrations in the U.S. and China against the Vietnam War. To Thic Quang Duc, the martyred Buddhist monk, deception in front of the TV camera was a completely alien concept. Unfortunately, the lesson the world learned from Thic Quang Duc about the power of television just as quickly taught politicians to exploit the media with all kinds of disingenuous acts, creating what Speranza calls "the myth of transparency. " Like an effective new medicine, the media has made
Characterization of a mycobacterial cellulase and its impact on biofilm- and drug-induced cellulose production

It was recently shown that Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces cellulose which forms an integral part of its extracellular polymeric substances within a biofilm set-up. Using Mycobacterium smegmatis as a proxy model organism, we demonstrate that M. smegmatis biofilms treated with purified MSMEG_6752 releases the main cellulose degradation-product (cellobiose), detected by using ionic chromatography, suggesting that MSMEG_6752 encodes a cellulase. Its overexpression in M. smegmatis prevents spontaneous biofilm formation. Moreover, the method reported here allowed detecting cellobiose when M. smegmatis cultures were exposed to a subinhibitory dose of rifampicin. Overall, this study highlights the role of the MSMEG_6752 in managing cellulose production induced during biofilm formation and antibiotic stress response.
Dendroaxonal Transcytosis of Transferrin in Cultured Hippocampal and Sympathetic Neurons

Previous studies using overexpressed polymeric immunoglobulin receptor in cultured neurons have suggested that these cells may use a dendroaxonal transcytotic pathway (Ikonen et al., 1993; de Hoop et al., 1995). By using a combination of semiquantitative light microscopy, video microscopy, and a biochemical assay, we show that this pathway is used by the endogenous ligand transferrin (Tf) and its receptor. Labeled Tf added to fully mature hippocampal neurons changes the intracellular distribution of its receptor from preferentially dendritic shortly after addition to dendritic and axonal at longer times. Incubation of living neurons with (caged)FITC-Tf followed by uncaging in the dendrites results in the later appearance of fluorescence in the axon of the same cell. In “chambered” sympathetic neurons in culture, 125I-Tf or iron as55Fe-Tf added to the cell body/dendrite chamber is recovered in the axonal chamber, showing that internalized ligand from the cell body–dendrite area is released at the axonal end. Finally, we show that excitatory neurotransmitters increase Tf receptor transcytosis, whereas inhibitory neurotransmitters reduce it. The dendritic uptake, transcytotic transport, and axonal release of physiologically active Tf demonstrated here could be envisioned for other trophic factors and therefore have important consequences for neuronal anterograde target maturation. Moreover, the changes in transcytosis after neurotransmitter addition may be important in the cellular responses that follow electrical activation.
Routing in WSN network using neural Network (NN) and SPEED protocol

Routing stands for the sending the required data to the destination in such a manner that it reaches efficiently with high throughput and accuracy. The data is transferring over the network each sensor use some energy in receiving data, sending data. The life of the network depend how much energy used up in each transmission. The problem occurs when the transmission path meets with some sort of failure like path failure or node goes to sleep mode. The focus, however, has been given to the routing protocols which might differ depending on the application and network architecture. In this paper, we have proposed the state-of-the-art routing technique using SPEED protocol and NN technique to choose an alternative path in WSNs.
Antibody Is Critical for the Clearance of Murine Norovirus Infection

ABSTRACT Human noroviruses cause more than 90% of epidemic nonbacterial gastroenteritis. However, the role of B cells and antibody in the immune response to noroviruses is unclear. Previous studies have demonstrated that human norovirus specific antibody levels increase upon infection, but they may not be protective against infection. In this report, we used murine norovirus (MNV), an enteric norovirus, as a model to determine the importance of norovirus specific B cells and immune antibody in clearance of norovirus infection. We show here that mice genetically deficient in B cells failed to clear primary MNV infection as effectively as wild-type mice. In addition, adoptively transferred immune splenocytes derived from B-cell-deficient mice or antibody production-deficient mice were unable to efficiently clear persistent MNV infection in RAG1−/− mice. Further, adoptive transfer of either polyclonal anti-MNV serum or neutralizing anti-MNV monoclonal antibodies was sufficient to reduce the level of MNV infection both systemically and in the intestine. Together, these data demonstrate that antibody plays an important role in the clearance of MNV and that immunoglobulin G anti-norovirus antibody can play an important role in clearing mucosal infection.
Cuidado paterno e desenvolvimento infantil

Ao abordar temas referentes ao desenvolvimento humano deve-se considerar os contextos historicos, sociais e culturais que constituem os cenarios em que tal desenvolvimento ocorre. Fala-se a respeito da interacao biologia e cultura para compreensao dos fenomenos. Este trabalho preocupa-se em investigar questoes que envolvem os relacionamentos familiares e os contextos de desenvolvimento. Partindo de uma visao evolucionista discute as diferencas e semelhancas entre os papeis que homens e mulheres assumem frente a parentalidade e a criacao dos filhos. As novas configuracoes familiares, o papel das crencas parentais e a participacao paterna sao discutidas com relacao a influencia no desenvolvimento infantil e no comportamento materno e paterno. Todas as reflexoes alertam para a importância da compreensao de como esta se configurando a paternidade, o papel do pai e a instituicao familiar e garantem o carater interacionista para compreensao do fenomeno, ja que envolvem aspectos biologicos, evolucionistas e culturais proporcionados pelo contexto.
An empirical analysis of implicit trust metrics in recommender systems

Recommender system is an intelligent solution to information overload problem. Classical collaborative filtering based recommender system suffers from cold start and data sparsity problems. Incorporation of trust in classical recommender systems has potential to improve the overall performance of recommender system. Trust has been enormously researched and its influence is manifested in recommender systems. Because of unavailability of explicit trust information, various implicit trust metrics are developed to deduce trust from user's online behavior. In this paper, we have conducted an empirical study of six implicit trust metrics on two different real world datasets. A comparative analysis of these metrics with classical user based collaborative filtering is performed.