Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
TABLE 1 . Demographic Characteristics of Surgeons Responding to Survey

number of hours to deficit onset was as follows: 1 to 12 (36%), Study Design. A cross-sectional survey of surgeon members of the Scoliosis Research Society (SRS). Objective. This study sought to characterize the incidence, clinical presentation, diagnostic workup, treatment, and neurologic prognosis following delayed postoperative neurologic deficit (DPND) in patients undergoing spinal deformity surgery. Summary of Background Data. DPND is a potentially devastating condition following spinal surgery, characterized by the development of a neurological deficit within hours or days of the surgical procedure. To date, only case reports and small case series have been published on the topic. Methods. We developed a survey to characterize DPND following spinal deformity surgery. This survey was distributed to surgeon members of the SRS through email and standard mail. The overall response rate was 38% (352/929). Results. Our results suggest an estimated DPND incidence of 1 of 9910 cases (0.01%). Eighty-one surgeons (23%) experienced at least 1 DPND in the past 10 years (92 total cases). Most common diagnoses were scoliosis (69%), kyphosis (23%), and spondylolisthesis (14%); 20% were revision surgeries. The
Psychopathic Traits and Their Relationship with the Cognitive Costs and Compulsive Nature of Lying in Offenders

The cognitive view on deception holds that lying typically requires additional mental effort as compared to truth telling. Psychopathy, however, has been associated with swift and even compulsive lying, leading us to explore the ease and compulsive nature of lying in psychopathic offenders. We explored the costs of instructed lying versus truth telling through RTs and error rates in 52 violent male offenders, who were assessed with the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI). Our deception paradigm also included trials with the free choice to lie or tell the truth. By coupling monetary loss to slow and erroneous responding, we hypothesized that the frequency of lying despite likely negative consequences, would provide an index of compulsive lying. Offenders were slower and erred more often when lying than when telling the truth, and there was no robust association between psychopathy and the cognitive cost of lying. From an applied perspective, this suggests that psychopathy may not threaten the validity of computerized cognition-based lie detection. In the face of probable negative consequences, high grandiose-manipulative offenders chose to lie three times as often as low grandiose-manipulative offenders. Our new lying frequency index is a first attempt to create a much needed tool to empirically examine compulsive lying, and provides preliminary support for the compulsive nature of lying in grandiose-manipulative offenders. Alternative interpretation of the findings are discussed.
Combining efficient hand-crafted features with learned filters for fast and accurate corneal nerve fibre centreline detection

We propose a new approach to corneal nerve fibre centreline detection for in vivo confocal microscopy images. Relying on a combination of efficient hand-crafted features and learned filters, our method offers an excellent compromise between accuracy and running time. Unlike previous solutions using sparse coding to learn small filter banks, we employ K-means to efficiently learn the high amount of filters needed to cope with the multiple challenges involved, e.g., low contrast and resolution, non-uniform illumination, tortuosity and confounding non-target structures. The use of K-means for dictionary learning allows us to learn banks of 100 filters in less than 30 seconds compared to several days needed when using sparse coding. Experimental results using a dataset including 100 images show that our approach outperforms significantly state-of-the-art methods in terms of precision-recall curves.
Comparison of energy expenditure estimates from doubly labeled water, a physical activity questionnaire, and physical activity records.

BACKGROUND Various methods are used by epidemiologists to estimate the energy cost of physical activity; these include physical activity records and recalls. However, there is limited validation of these methods against the doubly labeled water technique for determining energy expenditure (EE). OBJECTIVE We compared EE as estimated by indirect methods (physical activity records and recall questionnaires) used in epidemiologic studies with EE obtained from doubly labeled water (EE(DLW)) in free-living men. DESIGN We determined EE(DLW), energy intake at weight maintenance, and EE from 7-d physical activity records (EE(Record)) and a 7-d physical activity recall questionnaire (EE(Recall)) in 24 men aged 41 plus minus 2.0 y ( plus minus SEM) with a body mass index (in kg/m(2)) of 25.1 plus minus 0.5. RESULTS There was excellent agreement between EE(DLW) (13.27 plus minus 0.35 MJ/d) and energy intake (13.19 plus minus 0.36 MJ/d), with a difference of 0.5 plus minus 1.0% ( plus minus SE). The indirect measures of physical activity and EE were 14.17 plus minus 0.37 MJ/d for EE(Record) (difference from EE(DLW): 7.9 plus minus 3.2%) and 17.40 plus minus 1.45 MJ/d for EE(Recall) (difference from EE(DLW): 30.6 plus minus 9.9%). CONCLUSIONS Seven-day physical activity records provide an acceptable estimate of EE in free-living adults compared with EE(DLW), but 7-d physical activity recalls have limited application to estimate daily EE. For optimal validity, the 7-d physical activity records require good subject compliance and the provision of careful instructions for their use.
Introduction to Polymer-Clay Nanocomposites

Intduction to Poler–Clay Nanmposites “This book presents important aspects regarding the classification, characterization techniques, synthesis, and reactions of polymers and clays and addresses the synthesis procedures to obtain polymer–clay nanocomposites and their respective application range. It is an excellent source of knowledge in the field of polymer–clay nanocomposites and can be used by scientists, researchers, students, and industrials. ” Prof. Guilherme L. Dotto Federal University of Santa Maria, Brazil
Preclinical in vivo long-term evaluation of the novel Mitra-Spacer technology: experimental validation in the ovine model.

AIMS The Mitra-Spacer (Cardiosolutions, Bridgewater, MA, USA) is designed to treat mitral regurgitation by introducing a dynamic spacer that constantly adapts to the changing haemodynamic conditions during the cardiac cycle. We aimed to evaluate the performance and safety of this device in the chronic ovine model. METHODS AND RESULTS Eight sheep were enrolled in this study. Through a left thoracotomy, the Mitra-Spacer was inserted via the transapical approach and advanced into the left atrium (LA) under imaging guidance. Device performance and safety were evaluated up to 90 days using fluoroscopy, echocardiography and histopathology. The volume within the balloon spacer shifted during the cardiac cycle in all cases. Seven animals survived up to 90 days for terminal imaging and tissue harvest. Echocardiography showed no change in left ventricle (LV) ejection fraction from baseline to 90 days. There were no observations of changes in LV diastolic function, pulmonary vein inflow, or tricuspid valve function. Histological analysis demonstrated no significant injury to the mitral apparatus. CONCLUSIONS In the healthy ovine model, Mitra-Spacer implantation was feasible and safe. At 90 days, no evidence of structural damage to the mitral apparatus or deterioration of cardiac performance was demonstrated.
Relationship of Sport Competitive Level on Dietary Intake, Body Composition and Somatotype between Elite and Amateur Female Volleyballers

The aim of this study was to compare the energy, macronutrients and body composition of Elite (EFVPs) and Amateur (AFVPs) Female Volleyballers and to analyze their dietetic-nutritional intakes and habits with those recommended for athletes. Twelve EFVPs and twelve AFVPs were considered for this study. A protocol from the International Society of Advancement of Kinanthropometry was followed to record anthropometric data. To calculate the nutritional intake and the size of food servings, the participants were asked to keep a daily diet for seven consecutive days. Statistically (P<0.05), the EFVPs were older (26 ± 4 years vs. 21 ± 4 years), taller (178 cm ± 9 cm vs. 166 cm ± 4 cm), heavier (69.4 kg ± 8.7 kg vs. 57.3 kg ± 6.5 kg) and had a greater muscle mass (30.0 kg ± 2.5 kg vs. 25.7 ± 2.0 kg) than the AFVPs. However, no significant differences between groups were described in somatotype (P>0.05). The EFVPs consumed more (P<0.05) calories (2,854 kcal ± 279 kcal vs. 2,173 kcal ± 179 kcal), proteins (141 g ± 20 g vs. 106 g ± 16 g), fat (114 g ± 20 g vs. 91 g ± 8 g) and carbohydrates (303 g ± 37 g vs. 208 g ± 21 g) than the AFVPs. Additionally, the results indicated that all the volleyballers had an inadequate diet and food intake in terms of both quantity and quality. These findings suggest that higher height and muscle mass offers an advantage for be professional players than dietary evidences and habits related to a higher intake of energy and macronutrients in case of amateur players. Nevertheless, this contradictory data between the two levels of volleyballers indicates an inadequate diet and food intake in terms of both quantity and quality regarding the nutritional recommendations for athletes.
Factor structure and construct validity of the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to examine the underlying structure of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia as measured by the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Schizophrenia patients (AT = 457) were assessed with the SANS on at least I of 2 occasions: (a) 2-4 weeks after an index hospitalization, and (b) after a clinical stabilization period that lasted 3-6 months. Results of an exploratory factor analysis conducted for the first assessment (n = 401) were largely supported by the CFAs conducted on the data at the second assessment (« = 345). The CFA solution included 3 factors: Diminished Expression, Inattention-Alogia, and Social Amotivation. Analysis of patients' clinical characteristics, treatment outcome, chronicity of the illness, premorbid history, and social adjustment supported the validity of the 3 factors. The "negative symptoms" of schizophrenia, such as blunted affect or asociality, have become the focus of increased inquiry in the last one and a half decades. Several theoretical and methodological developments have spurred this research, most nota
One Shot High Dynamic Range Photography Based on Hardware-level Tunable Mask

We proposed to use a transmission tunable mask in front of complementary metaloxidesemiconductor (CMOS) or lens to achieve high-dynamic-range (HDR). The mask can control the light that goes into the CMOS pixel by pixel. We demonstrate the validation of such method through simulation. An experiment setup is also achieved by using monochromatic liquid-crystal display (LCD) screen. We demonstrate three HDR functions with our method: high quality HDR image, live-view HDR image and HDR video.
A comparison of utility measurements using EQ-5 D and SF-6 D preference-based generic instruments in patients with rheumatoid arthritis

Objectives The purposes of this study were to analyse and compare aspects of validity (concurrent and discriminant) of the two widely used indirect utility instruments, the EuroQol-5D (EQ-5D) and the Short Form-6D (SF-6D) in a representative cohort of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Conservation of Maori Textiles Decorated with Traditional Dyes

Indigenous Maori weavers of New Zealand traditionally use a local iron-containing mud known as paru to obtain a black dye to decorate their textiles and garments which are made from Phormium tenax (Harakeke) fibers. Ferric ions in the mud complex with gallo or condensed tannins which are extracted from the bark of Elaecarpus dentatas (Hinau) or Leptosperumum scoparium (Manuka) respectively to give the black dye. This dye causes a gradual weakening and embrittlement of the fiber. Also, as the dye ages, it was observed that the color fades and reflects less blue light, i.e. becomes browner. Ferric ions complex with unesterified carboxyl groups associated with the hemicellulose component of the fiber and initiate a decarboxylation reaction that results in evolution of carbon dioxide accompanied by oxygen consumption. These reactions are linked to fiber degradation as measured by the solubility of the cellulose in hot water. Based on these findings, a possible conservation treatment is proposed and the results of trials are reported. A novel method for fiber consolidation using zinc alginate was investigated and evaluated. In addition to the black iron-tannate dye, two other dyes: a substantive yellow dye and a brown-crimson dye were widely used prior to European contact to decorate the cellulosic fibers derived from P. tenax and these dyes are described.
Betalains from Amaranthus tricolor L.

Betalains in Amaranthus tricolor leaf were identified by means of reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and Liquid chromatography-Mass spectrometry (LC-MS). In addition to the known compound red-violet amaranthin, two yellow pigments were detected in Amaranthus tricolor. A novel betaxanthin, methyl derivative of arginine betaxanthin was identified on the basis of UV-Vis spectra and mass spectrometric characteristics, as well as by comparison with literature data, which to the best of our knowledge has not been reported in Amaranthus tricolor. Amaranthin was the major betacyanin pigment present in Amaranthus tricolor although methylated arginine betaxanthin, a novel betaxanthin hitherto not observed naturally and betalamic acid were also present. The identified compounds were then evaluated for alpha-amylase inhibitory potential using Bernfeld method. Amaranthin and betaxanthin did not show alpha-amylase inhibitory activity. Betalamic acid displayed significant alpha-amylase inhibitory activity compared to that of a reference standard, acarbose Keyword: Amaranthus tricolor; Betalains; Amaranthin; Methylated Arginine Betaxanthin; Betalamic Acid; Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry
Simplified method for the long-term study of turnover and body masses of cholesterol by input-output analysis.

A simplified, labor-saving procedure is proposed for the long-term follow-up of plasma cholesterol specific activity decay curves, using computerized input-output analysis. During the initial 2 weeks after tracer injection, frequent (4 to 6 or more) blood samples are obtained. For the following 40 weeks blood is taken only once a month. During the last 4 weeks of the experiment, blood samples are obtained weekly or twice weekly (method A). Seventeen patients were studied for 50 to 66 weeks. When the computer used data points obtained only every fourth week (in the midsection of the curves), the mean error incurred in the parameters of the analysis (compared to the full analysis of weekly data points) were: 'T (sum of absorbed dietary and biosynthesized cholesterol); 2.6% smaller; Ma (rapidly exchangeable mass of cholesterol): unchanged; M (minimum value for total exchangeable mass of cholesterol): 5.9% smaller: M-Ma (remaining mass of cholesterol): 9.5% smaller. Another simplified method (method B) consists of weekly follow-up of the decay of specific activity for the initial 12 weeks after tracer injection. During the following (circa) 30 weeks no blood samples are obtained. At the end of this period weekly or twice weekly blood specimens are obtained for 4 weeks. When the results of this procedure were compared to full curve analyses the mean differences were: IT: 2.1% smaller; Ma: unchanged; M: 9.3% smaller; M-Ma: 14.9%
Testing for ion-mediated enhancement of the hydraulic conductance of the leaf xylem in diverse angiosperms

Replacing ultra-pure water solution with ion solution closer to the composition of natural xylem sap increases stem hydraulic conductance by up to 58%, likely due to changes in electroviscosity in the pit membrane pores. This effect has been proposed to contribute to the control of plant hydraulic and stomatal conductance and potentially to influence on carbon balance during dehydration. However, this effect has never been directly tested for leaf xylem, which constitutes a major bottleneck in the whole plant. We tested for an ion-mediated increase in the hydraulic conductance of the leaf xylem ( K x ) for seven species diverse in phylogeny and drought tolerance. Across species, no significant changes in K x were observed between 0 and 15 mM KCl. We further tested for an effect of ion solution during measurements of K x vulnerability to dehydration in Quercus agrifolia and found no significant impact. These results for leaf xylem contrast with the often strong ion effect reported for stems, and we suggest several hypotheses to account for the difference, relating to the structure of xylem conduits across vein orders, and the ultrastructure of leaf xylem pores. A negligible ion response in leaves would weaken xylem sap ion-mediated control of plant hydraulic conductance, facilitating modeling of whole plant hydraulic behavior and its influence on productivity.
Process-sensitive Monitor Circuits for Estimation of Die-to-Die Process Variability

In this paper, we propose a set of ring oscillators (ROs) to estimate D2D variation of MOS threshold voltage and gate length. First, we show a design guideline on designing ROs with enhanced process sensitivities. We propose a set of ROs for process parameter estimation. We then develop an estimation method using a linear model to extract the variations from the measured frequencies. Simulation results confirm that our proposed circuits are able to extract process parameters in the conditions of error in the measurement. We build test chips to confirm the validity of our proposed ROs. We extracted process parameter variation using our monitor circuits. Variation results satisfy the variation range in Process Control Module (PCM) data and are within the corner model. The proposed ROs can be built on-chip to monitor process parameter variation in real time.
Incremental Mining for Frequent Patterns in Evolving Time Series Datatabases

Several emerging applications warrant mining and discovering hidden frequent patterns in time series databases, e.g., sensor networks, environment monitoring, and inventory stock monitoring. Time series databases are characterized by two features: (1) The continuous arrival of data and (2) the time dimension. These features raise new challenges for data mining such as the need for online processing and incremental evaluation of the mining results. In this paper, we address the problem of discovering frequent patterns in databases with multiple time series. We propose an incremental technique for discovering the complete set of frequent patterns, i.e., discovering the frequent patterns over the entire time series in contrast to a sliding window over a portion of the time series. The proposed approach updates the mining results with the arrival of every new data item by considering only the items and patterns that may be affected by the newly arrived item. Our approach has the ability to discover frequent patterns that contain gaps between patterns’ items with a user-defined maximum gap size. The experimental evaluation illustrates that the proposed technique is efficient
Assessing autobiographical memory: the web-based autobiographical Implicit Association Test

ABSTRACT By assessing the association strength with TRUE and FALSE, the autobiographical Implicit Association Test (aIAT) [Sartori, G. , Agosta, S. , Zogmaister, C. , Ferrara, S. D. , & Castiello, U. (2008). How to accurately detect autobiographical events. Psychological Science, 19, 772–780. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008. 02156.x] aims to determine which of two contrasting statements is true. To efficiently run well-powered aIAT experiments, we propose a web-based aIAT (web-aIAT). Experiment 1 (n = 522) is a web-based replication study of the first published aIAT study [Sartori, G. , Agosta, S. , Zogmaister, C. , Ferrara, S. D. , & Castiello, U. (2008). How to accurately detect autobiographical events. Psychological Science, 19, 772–780. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2008. 02156.x; Experiment 1]. We conclude that the replication was successful as the web-based aIAT could accurately detect which of two playing cards participants chose (AUC = .88; Hit rate = 81%). In Experiment 2 (n = 424), we investigated whether the use of affirmative versus negative sentences may partly explain the variability in aIAT accuracy findings. The aIAT could detect the chosen card when using affirmative (AUC = .90; Hit rate = 81%), but not when using negative sentences (AUC = .60; Hit rate = 53%). The web-based aIAT seems to be a valuable tool to facilitate aIAT research and may help to further identify moderators of the test’s accuracy.
Impact of cell distance and well-contact density on neutron-induced Multiple Cell Upsets

We measured neutron-induced Single Event Upsets (SEUs) and Multiple Cell Upsets (MCUs) on Flip-Flops (FFs) in a 65 nm bulk CMOS process. Measurement results show that MCU / SEU is up to 23.4% and is exponentially decreased by the distance between latches on FFs. MCU rates can drastically be reduced by inserting well-contact arrays between FFs. The number of MCUs is reduced from 110 to 1 by inserting a well-contact array under power and ground rails.
IL‐35, a hallmark of immune‐regulation in cancer progression, chronic infections and inflammatory diseases

Cytokine members of the IL‐12 family have attracted enormous attention in the last few years, with IL‐35 being the one of the most attractive‐suppressive cytokine. IL‐35 is an important mediator of regulatory T cell function. Regulatory T cells play key roles in restoring immune homeostasis after facing challenges such as infection by specific pathogens. Moreover, a crucial role for regulatory T cell populations has been demonstrated in several physiological processes, including establishment of fetal–maternal tolerance, maintenance of self‐tolerance and prevention of autoimmune diseases. However, a deleterious involvement of immune regulatory T cells has been documented in specific inhibition of immune responses against tumor cells, promotion of chronic infections and establishment of chronic inflammatory disorders. In this review, we attempt to shed light on the concept of immune‐homoeostasis on the aforementioned issues, taking IL‐35 as the hallmark of regulatory responses. The dilemma between immune‐mediated cancer treatment and inflammation is discussed. Histopathological indications of chronic vs. acute infections are elaborated. Moreover, the evidence that IL‐35 requires additional immune‐regulatory cytokines, such as IL‐10 and TGF‐β, to induce effective and maximal anti‐inflammatory effects suggest that immune‐regulation requires multi‐factorial analysis of many immune playmakers rather than a specific immune target.