Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Early and late reversal of rocuronium and vecuronium with neostigmine in adults and children.

UNLABELLED We investigated the influence of the timing of neostigmine administration on recovery from rocuronium or vecuronium neuromuscular blockade. Eighty adults and 80 children were randomized to receive 0.45 mg/kg rocuronium or 0.075 mg/kg vecuronium during propofol/fentanyl/N2O anesthesia. Neuromuscular blockade was monitored by train-of-four (TOF) stimulation and adductor pollicis electromyography. Further randomization was made to control (no neostigmine) or reversal with 0.07 mg/kg neostigmine/0.01 mg/kg glycopyrrolate given 5 min after relaxant, or first twitch (T1) recovery of 1%, 10%, or 25%. Another eight adults and eight children received 1.5 mg/kg succinylcholine. At each age, spontaneous recovery of T1 and TOF was similar after rocuronium and vecuronium administration but was more rapid in children (P < 0.05). Spontaneous recovery to TOF0.7 after rocuronium and vecuronium administration in adults was 45.7 +/- 11.5 min and 52.5 +/- 15.6 min; in children, it was 28.8 +/- 7.8 min and 34.6 +/- 9.0 min. Neostigmine accelerated recovery in all reversal groups (P < 0.05) by approximately 40%, but the times from relaxant administration to TOF0.7 were similar and independent of the timing of neostigmine administration. Recovery to T1 90% after succinylcholine was similar in adults (9.4 +/- 5.0 min) and children (8.4 +/- 1.1 min) and was shorter than recovery to TOF0.7 in any reversal group after rocuronium or vecuronium administration. Recovery from rocuronium and vecuronium blockade after neostigmine administration was more rapid in children than in adults. Return of neuromuscular function after reversal was not influenced by the timing of neostigmine administration. These results suggest that reversal of intense rocuronium or vecuronium neuromuscular blockade need not be delayed until return of appreciable neuromuscular function has been demonstrated. IMPLICATIONS These results suggest that reversal of intense rocuronium or vecuronium neuromuscular blockade need not be delayed until return of appreciable neuromuscular function has been demonstrated. Although spontaneous and neostigmine-assisted recovery is more rapid in children than in adults, in neither is return of function as rapid as after succinylcholine administration.
Effects of Manipulated Precipitation and Shading on Cassiope tetragona Growth and Carbon Isotope Discrimination: A High Arctic Field Study

Abstract The reliability of Cassiope tetragona as temperature proxy might be restricted by influence on growth of precipitation and amount of Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR). Carbon-13 discrimination (&Dgr;) in C3-plants is generally influenced by temperature and precipitation and can therefore potentially record important additional climatic information. We doubled precipitation and reduced PAR ( -43%), during four and two growing seasons, respectively, at a high arctic site in Svalbard. Differences in discrimination in leaves from separate light, and thus temperature, regimes (sun-facing and soil-facing leaves) were also assessed. A &Dgr;-chronology (1975–2008) in annual shoot length increments was developed. C. tetragona growth did not respond to enhanced precipitation and only slightly to PAR-reduction. Discrimination against carbon-13 was stronger in leaves and shoots receiving extra precipitation and weaker in sun-exposed leaves compared to soil-facing leaves. The annual climate signal in the &Dgr;-chronology was strongly smoothed by secondary radial growth. Our results show that the temperature signal in C. tetragona is hardly disturbed by changes in summer precipitation or PAR, which confirms its suitability as temperature proxy. The experimental evidence for the sensitivity of carbon-13 discrimination in C. tetragona to precipitation and temperature changes shows its potential as proxy for hydrological changes in the polar semi-desert.
Plastic scintillators for positron emission tomography obtained by the bulk polymerization method

Abstract This paper describes three methods regarding the production of plastic scintillators. One method appears to be suitable for the manufacturing of plastic scintillators, revealing properties which fulfill the requirements of novel positron emission tomography scanners based on plastic scintillators. The key parameters of the manufacturing process are determined and discussed.
A mobile health monitoring application for obesity management and control using the internet-of-things

Obesity is one of the most serious and dangerous nutrition disorder around the world. Usually, people develop patterns of unhealthy eating that lead to increased body weight and accumulation of fat in the body. There are many reasons for that as suggested by researchers; one of the reasons is the imbalance between the energy intake from food and energy consumed in the body, which can possibly lead to increased body weight. One of the primary treatments for this serious health risk include diets, physical activity, weight-loss training and adoption of health programs that promote healthy eating. As such, reliable mechanism to prevent and control the obesity levels is vital. It led many experts and researchers who are interested in the health sector to explore more solutions that help to combat the obesity phenomenon. This paper presents a mobile health application intended to increase the awareness levels of parents and children about the obesity risks and help them to sustain balanced and healthy eating lifestyle. The proposed mobile application is an educational tool for the evaluation of interventions to prevent obesity risk levels. The application is based on the Internet-of-Things approach, which allows tracking food intake, remote capturing and constant monitoring of children data with interactive feedback displayed on the mobile application.
Chronic rhinosinusitis: correlation of symptoms with computed tomography scan findings

Introduction Symptomatology, nasal endoscopy and Computerised Tomographic (CT) scan have been used to diagnose chronic rhinosinusitis. The value of disease severity score in the assessment of chronic rhinosinusitis has not been well investigated. Hence, this study aims to correlate the pre-operative symptom severity score as well as overall disease severity scoreof patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with CT scan scores. Methods This is a prospective study of 60 patients diagnosed clinically with chronic rhinosinusitis. Each patientsubjectively assessed his/her presenting symptoms and severity of disease on a visual analogue scale. The patients had CT scan of the paranasal sinuses which were graded and scored using Lund-Mackay grading system. The correlation study between severity of symptoms/disease severity and CT scores was performed. The level of statistical significance was considered at p < 0.05 and confidence interval at 95%. Results All patients had more than one symptom with mean symptom severity scores highest for nasal discharge and nasal obstruction. There was a significant correlation between CT scores and nasal discharge (r = -0.132; p = 0.03)and nasal obstruction (r = 0.193; p = 0.049). No correlation with other symptoms. There wasno correlation between the overall disease severity scores and the Lund-Mackay CT scores (r = 0.195; p = 0.6). Conclusion This study showed that CT scan scores can help clinicians to predict severity of symptom for nasal obstruction and discharge but not for other symptoms of chronic rhinosinusitis. However, there was no association of CT score with the overall disease severity score.
Structural Resilience Of A Willow Riparian Community To Changes In Grazing Practices

Many studies have shown that the diversity of an avian community is partly regulated by structural aspects of woody vegetation. The objective of this study was to quantify the impact of cattle (Bos taurus) on the physical structure of a high-altitude willow (Salix spp.) community in Colorado. Cattle altered the size. shape. volume, and quantities of live and dead stems of bushes. In addition, cattle also influenced the spacing of plants and the width of a riparian tract. In contrast to studies that indicate fish habitats respond quickly to changes in grazing practices, terrestrial habitats respond slowly. The willow community tolerated heavy grazing pressures well initially. but recovered slowly when damaged.
Infinite Kernel Learning

In this paper we build upon the Multiple Kernel Learning (MKL) framework and in particular on [2] which generalized it to infinitely many kernels . We rewrite the problem in the standard MKL formulation which leads to a Semi-Infinite Program. We devise a new algorithm to solve it (Infinite Kernel Learning, IKL). The IKL algorithm is applicable to both the finite and infinite case and we find it to be faster and more stable than SimpleMKL [8]. Furthermore we present the first large scale comparison of SVMs to MKL on a variety of benchmark datasets, also comparing IKL. The results show two things: a) for many datasets there is no benefit in using MKL/IKL instead of the SVM classifier, thus the flexibility of using more than one kernel seems to be of no use, b) on some datasets IKL yields massive increases in accuracy over SVM/MKL due to the possibility of using a largely increased kernel set. For those cases parameter selection through Cross-Validation or MKL is not applicable.
Inferring State Models Using Feedback Directed Random Testing

State models are widely used as specification or design artifacts and form the basis of various analysis techniques. In this paper, we make use of the advances in the area of random test generation to propose a novel approach to infer state models of black-box components from their executions. We also present an implementation and the results of applying our approach on a number of examples.
Multi-resolution Shadow Mapping Using CUDA Rasterizer

Shadow mapping is a fast and easy to use method to produce hard shadows. However, it introduces aliasing due to its uniform sampling strategy and limited shadow map resolution. In this paper, we propose a memory efficient algorithm to render high quality shadows. Our algorithm is based on a multi-resolution shadow map structure, which includes a conventional shadow map for scene regions where a low-resolution shadow map is sufficient, and a high-resolution patch buffer to capture scene regions that are susceptible to aliasing. With this data structure, we are able to capture shadow details with far less memory footprint than conventional shadow mapping. In order to maintain an appropriate performance compared to conventional shadow mapping, we designed a customized CUDA rasterizer to render the high-resolution patches.
A Comparison of the Performance of Limiters for Runge-Kutta Discontinuous Galerkin Methods

Discontinuities usually appear in solutions of nonlinear conservation laws even though the initial condition is smooth, which leads to great difficulty in com- puting these solutions numerically. The Runge-Kutta discontinuous Galerkin (RKDG) methods areefficient methods for solving nonlinear conservation laws, whicharehigh- order accurate and highly parallelizable, and can be easily used to handle complicated geometries and boundary conditions. An important component of RKDG methods for solving nonlinear conservation laws with strong discontinuities in the solution is a nonlinear limiter, which is applied to detect discontinuities and control spurious os- cillations near such discontinuities. Many such limiters have been used in the litera- ture on RKDG methods. A limiter contains two parts, first to identify the "troubled cells", namely, those cells which might need the limiting procedure, then to replace the solution polynomials in those troubled cells by reconstructed polynomials which maintain the original cell averages (conservation). (SIAM J. Sci. Comput., 26 (2005), pp. 995-1013. ) focused on discussing the first part of limiters. In this paper, focused on the second part, we will systematically investigate and compare a few different re- construction strategies with an objective of obtaining the most efficient and reliable reconstruction strategy. This work can help with the choosing of right limiters so one can resolve sharper discontinuities, get better numerical solutions and save the com- putational cost. AMS subject classifications: 65M60, 65M99, 35L65
Relative stability in the dynamics of a two-pattern neural net

The authors investigate how patterns of different acquisition strengths influence each other's stability. A neural network model with two strictly stable patterns stored on a noisy background is studied by a novel approximation of short-time dynamics that singles out coherent contributions systematically and uses a Gaussian approximation for incoherent sums. The basin of attraction of the weaker pattern is found to shrink depending on the two acquisition strengths. For a diluted Hopfield-type version of the model the weaker pattern may become unrecognisable.
Electronic Communications of the EASST Volume 11 ( 2008 ) Proceedings of the First International DisCoTec Workshop on Context-aware Adaptation Mechanisms for Pervasive and Ubiquitous Services ( CAMPUS 2008 ) Model-Driven Adaptation of Ubiquitous Applications

In ubiquitous computing, applications are executed in powerful and mobile devices allowing users to enter and leave frequently from diverse locations. Mobility becomes the rule rather than the exception. Software should be able to change its behavior and react to changes on its environment. In this proposal paper we discuss several challenges for context-aware software development and present our proposal to achieve software adaptation based on context information. We use a model of context as a starting point for a process where components are generated, deployed, and loaded on mobile devices.
Urban Arial Image Segmentation Using Spectral and Direction Features

In this paper textured image segmentation of urban areas using spectral and direction features is lionizing. Texture characterization specifically is very complex when the image data composed of several spectral bands at different wavelength. This topic is very important, especially in the case of remotely sensed hyperspectral images of urban areas, in which hundreds of spectral bands are often available. Since in various spectral band texture is different, we could not employ general methods of texture analysis to this images. On the other hand, most of textured analysis methods could not consider spectral and spatial features simultaneously. Thus, in order to extraction features we using extended mathematical morphology. After constructing feature image, we employ region growing algorithm with respect to similarity between adjacent pixels. Before applying region growing algorithm we create a binary image. Results of this segmentation represent high performance of the proposed strategy.
Feature-Based Visualization of Time-Dependent Data

About the cover background A visualization of an event graph, which gives an overview of feature evolu-tions in time-dependent data. About the back cover Top left image: skeleton shape reconstruction of vortex structures in a turbulent flow, see Figure 8.17. Data courtesy D. Silver and X. Wang of Rutgers University. Top right image: iconic representation of the skeleton graph for one frame in the time-series of the flow with turbulent vortex structures, see Figure 5.15. Data courtesy D. Silver and X. Wang of Rutgers University. Bottom left image: one step in the process of feature tracking, see Figure 6.4. Data generated by our synthetic data generator. Bottom right image: 3D vortices in the flow past a tapered cylinder, see Figure 8.28. This work was carried out in graduate school ASCI. ASCI dissertation series number 61. Preface The research described in this thesis was carried out at the Computer Graphics & CAD/CAM group of Delft University of Technology. It is the fifth PhD project in a series of projects on visualization. The research concentrated on feature-based visualization techniques. Feature based visualization is particularly suited to visualize large data sets, such as time-dependent data. It directs the attention to interesting phenomena (features) in the data; the objective is to extract, quantify, and visualize these features. Feature-based visualization of time-dependent data focuses on the evolution of features in time. The process consists of four steps: feature extraction, feature tracking, event detection, and visualization. These four steps are investigated in depth in this thesis. This thesis is accompanied by a CD-ROM that contains animations, images, sources, and web pages. It is included because time-dependent data cannot be visualized only on paper: animations are indispensable. It is strongly recommended to reproduce the CD, and give it to everybody who is interested. A large number of people is of importance for the completion of a dissertation. They contribute in many different ways; scientifically, technically, and personally. It is impossible to thank everybody in person, but there are some people I would like to thank in particular. First of all I would like to thank my direct supervisor Frits Post, you were a great inspiration during my research. Together with Hans Spoelder, my second supervisor, you were able to put me on the right track a couple of times. The two of you form a great pair of supervisors; Frits with his ideas and visions that seem …
Site-Specific Synapsin I Phosphorylation Participates in the Expression of Post-Tetanic Potentiation and Its Enhancement by BDNF

A large amount of experimental evidence has highlighted the rapid changes in synaptic efficacy induced by high-frequency stimulation and BDNF at central excitatory synapses. We clarified the quantal mechanisms and the involvement of Synapsin I (SynI) phosphorylation in the expression of post-tetanic potentiation (PTP) and in its modulation by BDNF in mouse glutamatergic autapses. We found that PTP is associated with an elevation in the probability of release and a concomitant increase in the size of the readily releasable pool (RRP). The latter component was virtually absent in SynI knock-out (KO) neurons, which indeed displayed impaired PTP. PTP was fully rescued by the expression of wild-type SynI, but not of its dephosphomimetic mutants in the phosphorylation sites for cAMP-dependent protein kinase and Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinases I/II. BDNF potently enhanced PTP through a further increase in the RRP size, which was missing in SynI KO neurons. In these neurons, the BDNF-induced PTP enhancement was rescued by the expression of wild-type SynI, but not of its dephosphomimetic mutant at the mitogen-dependent protein kinase sites. The results indicate that the increase in RRP size necessary for the full expression of PTP, and its sensitivity to BDNF, involve phosphorylation of SynI at distinct sites, thus implicating SynI as an essential downstream effector for the expression of PTP and for its enhancement by BDNF.
The Role of Spirituality in Treatment Outcomes Following a Residential 12-Step Program

ABSTRACT Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and other 12-Step treatment programs emphasize the positive effects of spirituality on abstinence from alcohol; however, the associations among positive treatment outcomes, spirituality, and other psychological constructs have received limited empirical attention. The present study attempts to better define the nature of spirituality, while also examining its role alongside relevant psychological constructs in treatment outcomes for patients who attend a residential 12-Step program. Data collected at treatment entry, treatment discharge, and 1-, 6-, and 12-months postdischarge supported the conclusion that spirituality is a dynamic construct that is distinct from, but related to, traditional religiousness, and is significantly associated with a participant’s affect and meaning in life. Participants demonstrated a significant increase in spirituality upon completion of a residential 12-Step treatment program. Although there was no support for a direct association between spirituality and abstinence following treatment, AA participation appeared to play a mediating role between the two variables, which suggests that increased spirituality can have an indirect positive effect on abstinence through its association with increased AA participation.
Enhanced Hierarchical Shape Matching for Shape Transformation

The quality of 3D object transformation very often relies on the quality of the matching between the two objects. Geometric considerations regarding scale, rotation and translation, and user defined constraints are used to control the matching. Nevertheless, more complex measures regarding volumetric or topological similarity between the shapes are more difficult to define even manually. Choosing an appropriate representation can assist in finding more robust definitions for such measures resulting in an enhanced and comprehensive automatic matching algorithm. In this paper we present a hierarchal union of spheres object representation. The underlying topology of this volumetric representation can be defined as a distinct skeletal model, the zero alpha-shape. This structure can then be used to find better matching and yield better transformations when complex topologies are involved. Our shape matching approach begins by defining a hierarchical model on top of the zero alpha shape, which induces a hierarchy on the union of spheres. Shape matching and alignment including topology and volume constraints are solved progressively while traversing this hierarchy.
Popular Searches in Google and Yahoo!: A “Digital Divide” in Information Uses?

In this article, the authors analyze the popular search queries used in Google and Yahoo! over a 24-month period, January 2004–December 2005. They develop and employ a new methodology and metrics to examine and assess the digital divide in information uses, looking at the extent of political searches and their accuracy and variety. The findings indicate that some countries, particularly Germany, Russia, and Ireland, display greater accuracy of search terms, diversity of information uses, and sociopolitical concern. Also, in many English-speaking and Western countries most popular searches were about entertainment, implying a certain gap within these countries between the few who search for economic and political information and the many who do not.
EdgeX: Edge Replication for Web Applications

Global Web applications face the problem of high network latency due to their need to communicate with distant data centers. Many applications use edge networks for caching images, CSS, java script, and other static content in order to avoid some of this network latency. However, for updates and for anything other than static content, communication with the data center is still required, and can dominate application request latencies. One way to address this problem is to push more of the web application, as well the database on which it depends, from the remote data center towards the edge of the network. In this paper, we present preliminary work in this direction. Specifically, we present an edge-aware dynamic data replication architecture for relational database systems supporting Web applications. Our objective is to allow dynamic content to be served from the edge of the network, with low latency.
hite matter microstructure of the cingulum and cerebellar peduncle is related o sustained attention and working memory : A diffusion tensor imaging study

The non-invasive imaging technique of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been used to investigate the microstructural properties of white matter (WM). The present study investigated whether individual differences in the WM structure of normal subjects as measured by fractional anisotropy (FA) values correlate with cognitive performance in terms of sustained attention and working memory. Sub-