Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multiscale Permutation Entropy of Physiological Time Series

Time series derived from simpler systems are single scale based and thus can be quantified by using traditional measures of entropy. However, times series derived from physical and biological systems are complex and show structures on multiple spatio-temporal scales. Traditional approaches of entropy based complexity measures fail to account for multiple scales inherent in these time series. Recently multi-scale entropy (MSE) method was introduced, which provide a way to measure complexity over a range of scales. MSE method uses sample entropy, a refinement of approximate entropy to quantify the complexity of time series. Nonstationarity, outliers and artifacts affect the sample entropy values because they change time series standard deviation and therefore, the value of similarity criterion. In this paper, we have used permutation entropy for quantifying the complexity, which is useful in the presence of dynamical and observational noise. We called this modified procedure multiscale permutation entropy (MPE). We observed that MPE is robust in presence of artifacts and robustly separates pathological and healthy groups
Diagnostic testing for Prader-Willi syndrome and Angelman syndrome: A cost comparison

Purpose: Considering cost as a factor, the authors evaluated three approaches to the diagnostic testing of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and Angelman syndrome (AS). Methods: The approaches evaluated were (1) DNA methylation studies followed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for any positive DNA result, (2) FISH analysis followed by DNA testing for any negative result, and (3) simultaneous DNA testing and FISH analysis.Results: Of 136 samples submitted for chromosome analysis and DNA methylation analysis for PWS or AS, 114 had a normal chromosome analysis and methylation studies, 9 were positive for AS, 3 were positive for PWS, and 7 had an abnormal chromosome analysis, but not deletion 15q11.2-q13, and normal methylation studies. On the basis of these results, the authors compared the cost of each testing strategy.Conclusion: DNA methylation studies followed by confirmation with FISH for any positive result yields a significant cost savings compared with the other approaches.
The role of matrix metalloproteinases in the morphogenesis of the cerebellar cortex

The morphogenesis of the cerebellar cortex depends on intrinsic genetic programs as well as orchestrated cell-cell/ cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions. The matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) family comprises of more than 20 members that catalyze the degradation of all the protein constituents of the ECM. These proteolytic endopeptidases mediate cell-cell/cell-ECM interactions by remodeling the ECM and modulating the activity of membrane-associated receptors. The activity of MMPs is negatively controlled by the tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). The MMPs and TIMPs regulate diverse neuronal functions including migration, process extension and synaptic plasticity. MMP-2,-3,-9, membrane type 5-MMP (MT5-MMP), TIMP-1, -2 and -3 are expressed in the developing cerebellum. The spatiotemporal pattern of expression/activity of these enzymes suggests that they play a role in the development of the cerebellar cortex. Blockage of MMP-2/-9 activity by specific inhibitors or blocking antibody, as well as using MMP-9 knock-out mice, clearly establishes that MMP-2/-9 participates in the regulation of morphogenesis of the cerebellum. The potential contributions of these enzymes to granule neuron migration, Purkinje cell dendritogenesis and synaptogenesis are discussed.
Incorporating Data Context to Cost-Effectively Automate End-to-End Data Wrangling

The process of preparing potentially large and complex data sets for further analysis or manual examination is often called data wrangling. In classical warehousing environments, the steps in such a process are carried out using Extract-Transform-Load platforms, with significant manual involvement in specifying, configuring or tuning many of them. In typical big data applications, we need to ensure that all wrangling steps, including web extraction, selection, integration and cleaning, benefit from automation wherever possible. Towards this goal, in the paper we: (i) introduce a notion of data context, which associates portions of a target schema with extensional data of types that are commonly available; (ii) define a scalable methodology to bootstrap an end-to-end data wrangling process based on data profiling; (iii) describe how data context is used to inform automation in several steps within wrangling, specifically, matching, value format transformation, data repair, and mapping generation and selection to optimise the accuracy, consistency and relevance of the result; and (iv) we evaluate the approach with real estate data and financial data, showing substantial improvements in the results of automated wrangling.
Acute Changes in Postural Control after Soccer Heading

Abstract This study intended to determine if an acute bout of soccer heading alters postural control and pronounced self-reported symptoms of cerebral concussion. Collegiate soccer players were randomly assigned to one of 2 groups. Each participant completed a baseline postural control assessment prior to heading. Participants either simulated (control group; CG) or performed (experimental group; EG) 10 headers at 11.2 m/s in 10 min. The postural assessment was repeated post heading at hrs 1, 24, and 48. The postural control parameter assessed was the root mean square (RMS) of the center of mass (COM). COM RMS were calculated for the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) time series. Compared to the CG, for the AP and ML time series COM RMS values were significantly higher in the EG at hr 24 (p <0.05). An acute bout of heading results in quantifiable alterations in postural control that are detectable 24 h post heading and dissipate within an additional 24 h. The significant findings may be due to the dynamic postural control assessment that incorporated robust discordant environmental conditions.
Ultra small electro-optic field probe fabricated by aerosol deposition

We developed a microscopic electro-optic field probe by directly depositing a lead zirconate-titanate [PbZr0.3Ti0. 7O3] film onto the optical fiber edge using aerosol deposition. Its fabrication process is low-cost and relatively easy because there are no complicated procedures such as fine lithography and etching. The lateral size of the film is 125µm, which is the same as the diameter of a typical single mode fiber, and the thickness is approximately 5µm. An RF electro-optic signal was successfully measured over a microstrip line. The capability for detecting GHz range fields is also shown. Because it is very tiny and thin, the developed electro-optic probe has great potential for detailed electrical characterization in the microscopic regions of high performance electronic products such as the interconnecting parts between LSI packages and printed circuit boards and spaces among different LSI chips in a package.
Inverted Pendulum control with pole assignment, LQR and multiple layers sliding mode control

Inverted pendulum system is one of popular and important laboratory models for teaching control system engineering. This paper presents a multiple layers sliding mode controller and pole assignment controller and LQR for inverted pendulum system. In multiple layers sliding mode control, firstly, the given system is divided into several subsystems. Then, one subsystem is selected to construct the first layer sliding mode surface and it is used to construct the second layer sliding mode surface with the sliding mode surface of another subsystem. This process continues till all states of all subsystems are included. The controller is designed according to this multiple layers structure. For optimization of sliding surfaces constants are used genetic algorithm. KEYWORD: Pendulum, LQR, sliding mode
Further Propagation Investigation of a Low Density Urban Environment with Drains

In South East Asian countries, particularly in a developed Asian city, open-trench drains systems are prominent due to climatic differences. Open-trench drain structures occupy a great part of the terrain topography in Malaysia, and therefore this project aims to further investigate the impacts that open-trench drain systems have on radio propagation prediction in a low density urban environment. Towards that end, we have engaged an interactive 3D ray-tracing tool to build the environment depicting a low density setting with clusters of low rise building structures oriented far apart from each other. The existence of open-trench drains is incorporated into a mock city model to obtain propagation prediction results for different operating frequencies. One of the primary differences this study in comparison to the existing studies on ray-tracing modeling of an urban city with open-trench drains is that the quantity of building models and open-trench drain structures are generated over a wider area to mimic actual low density city settings. When such scenarios are considered, the impacts of open-trench drain structures fade away.
COMPETING VIA CREATION OF DISTINCTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL COMPETENCES: "HOW TO DO IT"

The purpose of this paper is to twofold: (1) to identify specific and generic organizational competences that compose three different types of competitive advantages – product leadership, customer intimacy and operational excellence – and (2) to identify processes and approaches by which identified organizational competences are developed. Using multi-case study approach, the main findings come into two tentative theory building conclusions. (1) Behind different ways of competing there there are only four distinct organizational competences – innovation competence, competence of managing business risks, operational competence and stakeholder influence competence. These four competences form three distinct ways of competing: competing via product leadership, competing via customer intimacy and competing via operational excellence. (2) All four organizational competences are composed of nine organizational processes and approaches: bonding, attracting, showcasing, specialization, capitalization, internationalization, specialization, quality control, cost monitoring, and shielding. However, due to the case study research design this paper provides limited generalizability and thus calls for validations via quantitative research approaches. Keywords: competitive advantage, value proposition, organizational competences, competence creation processes
Feature selection based on complementarity of feature classification capability

Along with emergence of the high dimensionality of data, feature selection techniques are getting more significant to learning algorithms. Many metrics have been introduced in feature selection. Among them, mutual information is a highlighted one and has been developed during the past years. In this paper, a novel feature selection method based on the measurement of complementarity of feature classification capability is presented. By measuring the relevance between features and classes in terms of normalized mutual information, and maximizing complementarity of classification capability of features, the proposed method can sift relevant features and avoid irrelevant and redundant features simultaneously. The proposed method is compared with the related studies through applied to three different classifiers on five VCI datasets and six gene expression datasets. The experimental results showed that the proposed method achieved a better performance while involving a smaller number of features in most cases.
Molecular Phylogenetics and Biogeography of Galaxiid Fishes (Osteichthyes: Galaxiidae) : Dispersal, Vicariance, and the Position of Lepidogalaxias salamandroides

—The galaxiid shes exhibit a gondwanan distribution. We use mitochondrial DNA sequences to test conicting vicariant and dispersal biogeographic hypotheses regarding the Southern Hemisphere range of this freshwater group. Although phylogenetic resolution of cytochrome b and 16S rRNA sequences is largely limited to more recent divergences, our data indicate that the radiation can be interpreted as several relatively recent dispersal events superimposed on an ancient gondwanan radiation. Genetic relationships contradict the ndings of recent morphological analyses of galaxioid shes. In particular, we examine several hypotheses regarding phylogenetic placement of the enigmatic Lepidogalaxias. Although most workers consider Lepidogalaxias to be an unusual scaled member of the Southern Hemisphere galaxioids, it has also been suggested that this species is related to the Northern Hemisphere esocoids. Our data strongly suggest that this species is not a galaxiid, and the alternative hypothesized esocoid relationship cannot be rejected. The species-rich genus Galaxias is shown to be polyphyletic and the generic taxonomy of the Galaxiinae is reassessed in the light of phylogenetic relationships. Juvenile saltwater-tolerance is phylogenetically distributed throughout the Galaxiinae, and the loss of this migratory phase may be a major cause of speciation. [Biogeography; diadromy; evolution; Gondwana; molecular clock; mtDNA; phylogeny; secondary structure. ] The galaxiid shes are a major element of the relatively depauperate Southern Hemisphere freshwater sh fauna. As with several components of the southern temperate biota (e.g., podocarps, southern beeches, ratite birds), the galaxiids exhibit a gondwanan distribution (Fig. 1), with present representation on all gondwanan continents except Antarctica and India. The family Galaxiidae is dominated by the species-rich tribe Galaxiini, which comprises » 50 species across six genera: Galaxias (at least 35 species; widespread), Paragalaxias (4 species; Tasmania), Neochanna (5 species; New Zealand, Tasmania, and Australia), Galaxiella (3 species; Australia and Tasmania), Brachygalaxias (1 species; Chile), and Nesogalaxias (1 species; New Caledonia). Galaxiini lack both an adipose n and scales.
Causation of injuries in female football players in top-level tournaments

Background: Analyses of tackle parameters in injury situations have provided valuable information regarding men’s football. However, there are no similar data for women’s football. Objective: To categorise the tackle mechanisms leading to injury in elite women’s football. Study design: Retrospective video analysis of injury situations. Methods: Events associated with all reported injuries during six women’s top-level tournaments were analysed on video recordings for tackle parameters. Results: More than half of all injuries were due to tackles from the side (52%, 103/200), whereas tackles from behind were much less commonly involved in injury situations (11%, 21/200). One-footed (65%, 130/200) and upper body (21%, 42/200) tackle actions were most common. Sliding-in tackles leading to injury were the least likely to be sanctioned by match referees. Tackling players (45%, 90/200) were almost as likely to be injured as the tackled player (55%). Conclusion: The present study found differences between injury mechanisms in women’s football and previously published data on men’s football. Further research, especially using video analysis, is needed for a better understanding of risk situations in football.
Treatment of the Partial Hand Amputation: An Engineering Perspective

Partial hand amputation is perhaps the most frequent amputation level, worldwide. Although its annual incidence in western countries is roughly 1:18 000 inhabitants, the treatments of partial hand amputations have modestly progressed so far. We have identified three main limitation factors to this progress: 1) the wide range of anatomical and functional presentations, which makes difficult to find standardized and scalable solutions; 2) the technological complexity in replacing the motor and sensory function of a lost digit in the size of a digit; and 3) the fact that a partial hand can be functionally successful mostly when it restores a lost opposition movement, i.e., the ability to oppose the thumb against the fingers while providing enough grasping force and aperture width. This review presents an overview of the existing surgical and technological solutions for treating partial hand amputations, and is specifically targeted to (biomedical) engineers. We critically highlighted the advantages, limitations, and open challenges. Remarkably, current fitting procedures rely on manual approaches by skilled prosthetic technicians rather than on modern engineering methods. Hence, the objective of this study is to comprehensively but concisely overview the field in order to inspire engineers to develop new systems and procedures able to address current open issues.
Preclinical Development Vitamin E d-Tocotrienol Augments the Antitumor Activity of Gemcitabine and Suppresses Constitutive NFk B Activation in Pancreatic Cancer

The NF-kB transcription factor functions as a crucial regulator of cell survival and chemoresistance in pancreatic cancer. Recent studies suggest that tocotrienols, which are the unsaturated forms of vitamin E, are a promising class of anticancer compounds that inhibit the growth and survival of many cancer cells, including pancreatic cancer. Here, we show that tocotrienols inhibited NF-kB activity and the survival of human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, we found the bioactivity of the four natural tocotrienol compounds (a-, b-, d-, and g-tocotrienol) to be directly related to their ability to suppressNF-kB activity in vitro and in vivo. The most bioactive tocotrienol for pancreatic cancer, d-tocotrienol, significantly enhanced the efficacy of gemcitabine to inhibit pancreatic cancer growth and survival in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, we found that d-tocotrienol augmentation of gemcitabine activity in pancreatic cancer cells and tumors is associated with significant suppression of NF-kB activity and the expression of NF-kB transcriptional targets (Bcl-XL, X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis, and survivin). Our study represents the first comprehensivepreclinical evaluation of the activity of natural vitamin E compounds in pancreatic cancer. Given these results, we are conducting a phase I trial of d-tocotrienol in patients with pancreatic cancer using pancreatic tumor cell survival and NF-kB signaling components as intermediate biomarkers. Our data also support future clinical investigation of d-tocotrienol to augment gemcitabine activity in pancreatic cancer. Mol Cancer Ther; 10(12); 2363–72. 2011 AACR.
The effect of adrenaline and noradrenaline on coronary vascular reserve in the dog.

1. Experiments were performed on dogs, anaesthetized with pentobarbitone sodium to measure the oxygen utilization of anterior ventricular wall. The anterior interventricular vein was used for venous blood collection and flow measurement. 2. Oxygen contents of arterial blood and coronary vein were measured. 3. Intravenous (femoral vein) adrenaline infusions raised arterial blood pressure and caused an initial fall in oxygen extraction from control values of 67‐45%. Noradrenaline caused an initial fall from 67 to 51%. With both, the oxygen extraction began to rise during the infusion and continued, reaching maximum levels, (mean ‐82%) 10 min after start of infusion. The range of maximum values for oxygen extraction ratio after noradrenaline was 76‐95%. 4. An inverse linear relation was established between blood pressure and oxygen extraction; whereas a direct linear relationship was established between coronary venous blood flow and mean arterial pressure. 5. When a change in blood pressure was prevented, the oxygen extraction ratio rose. 6. In all experiments, whether extraction rose or fell, the oxygen consumption rose. 7. It is suggested that oxygen extraction is a controlled variable and, with coronary blood flow, contributes quantitatively to coronary vascular reserve. 8. The tension‐time index was not directly related to oxygen consumption in these experiments. Oxygen consumption rose in response to catecholamines by about the same amount even when mean arterial blood pressure was controlled. It is suggested that cardiac adjustments to altered afterload may also involve alterations in mechanical efficiency.
Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Sichuan digging frog Kaloula rugifera (Anura: Microhylidae)

Abstract The Sichuan Digging Frog (Kaloula rugifera) belongs to the family Dicroglossidae, which is endemic to northeastern Sichuan and southernmost Gansu provinces, in southwestern China. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome of K. rugifera was sequenced. The mitogenome was 17 074 bp in length, consisting of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, 2 ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes, and a non-coding control region. As in other vertebrates, most mitochondrial genes are encoded on the heavy strand, except for ND6 and eight tRNA genes which are encoded on the light strand. The overall base composition of the K. rugifera is 29.7% A, 30.3% T, 25.8% C, and 14.2% G. The alignment of the Kaloula species control regions exhibited high genetic variability and rich A + T content. Phylogenetic tree demonstrated that K. rugifera was clustered together with K. borealis and K. verrucosa and they had a close relationship with each other. The complete mitogenome of K. rugifera can provide an important data for the studies on phylogenetic relationship to further explore the taxonomic status of Kaloula species.
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFLATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH

Like many countries, industrialised and developing, one of the most fundamental objectives of macroeconomic policies in Fiji is to sustain high economic growth together with low inflation. However, there has been considerable debate on the nature of the inflation and growth relationship. In this paper, we have reviewed several different economic theories to ascertain consensus on the inflation – growth relationship. Classical economics recalls supply-side theories, which emphasise the need for incentives to save and invest if the nation's economy is to grow. Keynesian theory provided the AD-AS framework, a more comprehensive model for linking inflation to growth. Monetarism reemphasised the critical role of monetary growth in determining inflation, while Neoclassical and Endogenous Growth theories sought to account for the effects of inflation on growth through its impact on investment and capital accumulation. The paper also reviews recent empirical literature. This includes studies by Sarel (1996), Andres & Hernando (1997) and Ghosh & Phillips (1998) and Khan & Senhadji (2001) amongst others. Ultimately, we tested whether a meaningful relationship held in Fiji’s case. The tests revealed that a weak negative correlation exists between inflation and growth, while the change in output gap bears significant bearing. The causality between the two variables ran one-way from GDP growth to inflation.
Risk and Protective Factors for Depressive Symptoms Among Indigenous Older Adults: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Social Support

ABSTRACT Research on depression and intimate partner violence (IPV) experienced by Indigenous older adults is virtually nonexistent. Given the associations between IPV and depression and their disproportionately high rates among Indigenous peoples in a context of historical oppression, the purpose of this inquiry is to examine how IPV and social support are associated with depressive symptoms for Indigenous older adults. We expand the knowledge base on IPV in later life, which primarily focuses on female samples, by including older men. We predicted: (a) IPV will be positively associated with depressive symptoms and (b) levels of social support will be negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses of data from a sample of Indigenous older adults (N = 233) in the Upper Midwest indicated that physical aggression (but not psychological aggression, sexual coercion, injury, or negotiation) was positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas social support was negatively associated with depressive symptoms.