Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Locomotion Training With Assistance of a Robot-Driven Gait Orthosis in Hemiparetic Patients After Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Pilot Study

Background and Purpose— The success of gait rehabilitation after stroke depends on active walking exercises. However, the disabling after-effects of stroke often make such exercises impossible at the onset of therapy. To facilitate treadmill training of paraparetic patients, a robot-driven gait orthosis (Lokomat) was developed. We investigated the effects of the Lokomat when used with hemiparetic patients. Methods— The authors conducted a randomized, controlled pilot study of 30 acute stroke survivors. The treatment group received 30 minutes of robotic training daily and the control group 30 minutes of conventional physiotherapy daily in addition to 30 minutes of conventional physiotherapy for each group. Outcome measures were independence of gait, gait speed, gait parameters, and body tissue composition. Results— After 4 weeks of therapy, the walking ability of the Lokomat group and the control group expressed as the functional ambulation classification was significantly improved. The functional ambulation category (median± interquartile range) was at baseline 0±0 in control and 0±1 in the therapy group and increased after therapy to 1±3 in both groups significantly (P=0.01). There was no significant difference in gain of these parameters between the groups. The Lokomat group had a significantly longer single stance phase (sec; mean±SEM) on the paretic leg when walking on the floor. At baseline, it was 0.19±0.17 and after therapy 0.49±0.07 (P=0.014). The control group had increased their body weight approximately 1.33±1.40 kg (mean±SEM; P=0.046), mostly as fat mass, whereas the Lokomat group had lost fat mass approximately −2.9±1.0 kg (mean±SEM; P=0.016) and increased their muscle mass approximately 3.36±1.4 kg (mean± SEM; P=0.031). Conclusions— This pilot study indicates that Lokomat therapy is a promising intervention for gait rehabilitation. Although there was no difference between groups in gain of functional scores, the Lokomat group showed an advantage of robotic training over conventional physiotherapy in improvement of gait abnormality and body tissue composition.
Perceptual units in speech recognition.

]The size of the sound stimulus employed in the first stage of speech processing was investigated in an attempt to determine the perceptual unit of analysis in speech recognition. It is assumed that the perceptual unit is held in a preperceptual auditory image until its sound pattern is complete and recognition has occurred. Vowels and consonant-vowel syllables were employed as test items in a recognition-masking task. The results show that recognition performance improved up to 200-250 msec, after presentation of the speech sound. The results were interpreted as evidence that the preperceptual auditory storage and perceptual processing of a speech sound does not exceed 250 msec. , implying that some transformation of the speech signal must occur about every J sec. Since the stimulus within this time period must function as a perceptual unit, perceptual units appear to be of roughly syllabic length. The primary purpose of this study was to determine the size of the sound stimulus employed in the first stage of speech recognition. A listener has recognized (identified) a stimulus when he has determined that one of a possible set of alternatives was presented. Recognition of a stimulus is possible only if the information in the stimulus is sufficient to distinguish that stimulus from other possible stimulus alternatives, Recognizing speech continuously implies that each small portion of the sound-wave pattern uniquely determines a stimulus alternative. However, small portions of the acoustic input are not unique; there is no one-to-one mapping of stimulus to percept. Since the sound pattern must contain enough information for a consistent stimulus-percept mapping, larger chunks of the acoustic input are necessary for
Study and characterization of CNT Inkjet printed patterns for paper-based RF components

Inkjet-printing is a very promising technology for the development of microwave circuits and components. Inkjet-printing of conductive silver nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) inks on an organic flexible paper substrate is introduced in this study, in order to characterize the CNT patterns. The CNTs are printed within a gap of coplanar and microstrip lines used as test structures. The suggested method can be exploited and used to characterize different CNT inks used in different inkjet-printed microwave devices.
Nucleotide Sequence Variation within the PI3K p85 Alpha Gene Associates with Alcohol Risk Drinking Behaviour in Adolescents

Background While the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent signaling pathway is typically known to regulate cell growth and survival, emerging evidence suggest a role for this pathway in regulating the behavioural responses to addictive drugs. Methodology/Principal Findings To investigate whether PI3K contributes to patterns of risky alcohol drinking in human, we investigated genetic variations in PIK3R1, encoding the 85 kD regulatory subunit of PIK, in 145 family trios consisting of 15–16 year old adolescents and their parents. Screening for mutations in exons, exon-intron boundaries and regulatory sequences, we identified 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the PIK3R1 gene region from exon 1 to the beginning of the 3′ untranslated region (UTR). These SNPs defined haplotypes for the respective PIK3R1 region. Four haplotype tagging (ht)SNPs (rs706713, rs2302975, rs171649 and rs1043526), discriminating all haplotypes with a frequency ≥4.5% were identified. These htSNPs were used to genotype adolescents from the “Mannheim Study of Risk Children” (MARC). Transmission disequilibrium tests in these adolescents and their parents demonstrated sex-specific association of two SNPs, rs2302975 and rs1043526, with patterns of risky alcohol consumption in male adolescents, including lifetime prevalence of drunkenness (p = 0.0019 and 0.0379, respectively) and elevated maximum amount of drinking (p = 0.0020 and 0.0494, respectively), as a measure for binge drinking pattern. Conclusions/Significance Our findings highlight a previously unknown relevance of PIK3R1 genotypes for alcohol use disorders and might help discriminate individuals at risk for alcoholism.
Engineering human trust in mobile system collaborations

Rapid advances in wireless networking technologies have enabled mobile devices to be connected anywhere and anytime. While roaming, applications on these devices dynamically discover hosts and services with whom interactions can be started. However, the fear of exposure to risky transactions with potentially unknown entities may seriously hinder collaboration. To minimise this risk, an engineering approach to the development of trust-based collaborations is necessary. This paper introduces hTrust, a human trust management model and framework that facilitates the construction of trust-aware mobile systems and applications. In particular, hTrust supports: reasoning about trust (trust formation), dissemination of trust information in the network (trust dissemination), and derivation of new trust relationships from previously formed ones (trust evolution). The framework views each mobile host as a self-contained unit, carrying along a portfolio of credentials that are used to prove its trustworthiness to other hosts in an ad-hoc mobile environment. Customising functions are defined to capture the natural disposition to trust of the user of the device inside our trust management framework.
Treatment of Type I Diabetes in the NOD Mouse with Syngeneic Cord Blood Stem Cells

Human type 1 diabetes mellitus occurs due to chronic inflammation with lymphocytic infiltration and (usually) the presence of antibodies against insulin and characteristic islet cell proteins (e.g., GAD). This autoimmune process destroys the islets of Langerhans (including the beta cells) leading to insulin insufficiency. In several studies to date diabetes in the non-obese diabetic (NOD) mouse model of human type 1 diabetes has either been prevented or reversed by allogeneic transplantation of stem cells derived from mouse bone marrow or spleen. Immunosuppressive regimens have been ablative in some studies, but non-ablative regimes have been used in others. With non-ablative regimens, recipient mice develop chimeric immune systems. In addition, two recent clinical trials using stem cells have shown similar benefit for human patients with type 1 diabetes. We investigated whether stem cells isolated from genetically identical, but non-diabetic neonatal mouse pups (i.e., the mouse equivalent of human cord blood stem cells) would reverse diabetes when transfused into NOD mouse recipients which have already developed hyperglycemia. It was observed that cord blood stem cell infusion after diabetic conversion resulted in reversal of hyperglycemia whether given with or without the immune ablative drug, cytoxan. However, cytoxan alone had no beneficial effect. Stem cell-treated mice also lived longer than untreated mice. In these studies it was not possible to demonstrate islet cell regeneration resulting from the infused stem cells. These experiments provide evidence that cord blood stem cells may be suitable for improving or eliminating the autoimmune process in human type 1 diabetes patients, and thereby modulating their disease. However, additional studies are needed to clarify the mechanisms behind these observations.
Restoring Images Degraded by Spatially Variant Blur

Restoration of images that have been blurred by the effects of a Gaussian blurring function is an ill-posed but well-studied problem. Any blur that is spatially invariant can be expressed as a convolution kernel in an integral equation. Fast and effective algorithms then exist for determining the original image by preconditioned iterative methods. If the blurring function is spatially variant, however, then the problem is more difficult. In this work we develop fast algorithms for forming the convolution and for recovering the original image when the convolution functions are spatially variant but have a small domain of support. This assumption leads to a discrete problem involving a banded matrix. We devise an effective preconditioner and prove that the preconditioned matrix differs from the identity by a matrix of small rank plus a matrix of small norm. Numerical examples are given, related to the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide-Field/Planetary Camera. The algorithms that we develop are applicable to other ill-posed integral equations as well.
The cf2 argumentation semantics revisited

Abstract argumentation frameworks nowadays provide the most popular formal- ization of argumentation on a conceptual level. Numerous semantics for this paradigm have been proposed, whereby the cf2 semantics has shown to solve particular problems concerned with odd-length cycles in such frameworks. Due to the complicated definition of this semantics it has somehow been neglected in the literature. In this article, we introduce an alternative characterization of the cf2 semantics which, roughly speaking, avoids the recursive computation of sub-frameworks. This facilitates further investigation steps, like a complete complexity analysis. Furthermore, we show how the notion of strong equivalence can be characterized in terms of the cf2 semantics. In contrast to other semantics, it turns out that for the cf2 semantics strong equivalence coincides with syntactical equivalence. We make this particular behavior more explicit by defining a new property for argumenta- tion semantics, called the succinctness property. If a semantics satisfies the succinctness property, then for every framework F , all its attacks contribute to the evaluation of at least one framework F 0 containing F. We finally characterize strong equivalence also for the stage and the naive semantics. Together with known results these characterizations imply that none of the prominent semantics for abstract argumentation, except the cf2 semantics, satisfies the succinctness property.
Distributed under Creative Commons Cc-by 4.0 under Which Conditions Can Introverts Achieve Happiness? Mediation and Moderation Effects of the Quality of Social Relationships and Emotion Regulation Ability on Happiness

Personality traits have been directly associated with happiness. One consistent finding is a strong link between extraversion and happiness: extraverts are happier than introverts. Although happy introverts exist, it is currently unclear under what conditions they can achieve happiness. The present study analyzes, generally, how the quality of social relationships and emotion regulation ability influence happiness and, specifically, how these factors can lead introverts to be happy. In the present study, 1,006 participants aged 18–80 (42% males) completed measures of extraversion, neuroticism, quality of social relationships, emotion regulation ability, and happiness. We found that extraverts had significantly higher happiness, quality of social relationships and emotion regulation ability scores than introverts. In addition, people with high quality social relationships or high emotion regulation ability were happier. Serial mediation analyses indicated that greater levels of extraversion were associated with greater happiness, with small effect size, via two indirect mechanisms: (a) higher quality of social relationships, and (b) higher quality of social relationships followed serially by higher emotion regulation ability. We also found a moderating effect due to the three-way interaction of extraversion, quality of social relationships, and emotion regulation ability: introverts were happier when they had high scores for these two variables, though the effect size was small. These results suggest that the quality of social relationships and emotion regulation ability are relevant to our understanding of complex associations between extraversion and happiness.
Development of a Spanish Standard for Quality Assessment of Digital Educational Material

The quality of digital educational material (DEM) is a fundamental component of the high-quality institutional certification for the outstanding use of information and communication technologies in learning and teaching. However, currently, there are no national or international standards for DEM quality assessment. This deficiency limits not only the effectiveness of the certification systems to assess the e-learning quality of an educational institution, but also the creation, use, reuse, and appraisal of DEMs. This paper presents a project of AENOR (Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification) for the development of a DEM quality standard and the project's first results.
Expression of MAGE-A cancer/testis antigens in esophageal squamous cell carcinomas.

BACKGROUND Although the diagnosis and therapy of esophageal cancer have improved over the past decade, the prognosis remains dismal. Since MAGE-A cancer/testis antigens (CTA) are potential targets for immunotherapy, this study was aimed at evaluating their expression in these patients and its prognostic value. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using 57B monoclonal antibody, MAGE-A CTA expression was analyzed in paraffin-embedded tumor specimens of 98 patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma or adenocarcinomas who had undergone surgical resection. For all patients, a postoperative follow-up of at least 4 years was available. The expression was quantified using a scoring system considering intensity and homogeneity of the immunostaining. The prognostic relevance of MAGE-A expression was analyzed in univariate analyses as well as Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. RESULTS 57B positivity could be detected in 38 tumors (38.8%). Positive staining was observed in five out of 32 adenocarcinomas (15.2%) and in 33 out of 66 (50%) squamous cell carcinomas. MAGE-A expression did not correlate with the TNM classification, grading or age of the patients. Both univariate (p=0.88) and multivariate analyses (p = 0.82) revealed that MAGE-A expression lacked prognostic significance in esophageal carcinomas. CONCLUSION MAGE-A was expressed in half of the squamous cell carcinomas of the esophagus, but rarely in adenocarcinomas. Although its immunodetection was insufficient for prognostic evaluation, the high expression rate suggests MAGE-A as a potential target for immunotherapy in the first group with the ability for pretherapeutic testing.
Assessing the Spatial Variability of Alfalfa Yield Using Satellite Imagery and Ground-Based Data

Understanding the temporal and spatial variability in a crop yield is viewed as one of the key steps in the implementation of precision agriculture practices. Therefore, a study on a center pivot irrigated 23.5 ha field in Saudi Arabia was conducted to assess the variability in alfalfa yield using Landsat-8 imagery and a hay yield monitor data. In addition, the study was designed to also explore the potential of predicting the alfalfa yield using vegetation indices. A calibrated yield monitor mounted on a large rectangular hay baler was used to measure the actual alfalfa yield for four alfalfa harvests performed in the period from October 2013 to May 2014. A total of 18 Landsat-8 images, representing different crop growth stages, were used to derive different vegetation indices (VIs). Data from the yield monitor was used to generate yield maps, which illustrated a definite spatial variation in alfalfa yield across the experimental field for the four studied harvests as indicated by the high spatial correlation values (0.75 to 0.97) and the low P-values (4.7E-103 to 8.9E-27). The yield monitor-measured alfalfa actual yield was compared to the predicted yield form the Vis. Results of the study showed that there was a correlation between actual and predicted yield. The highest correlations were observed between actual yield and the predicted using NIR reflectance, SAVI and NDVI with maximum correlation coefficients of 0.69, 0.68 and 0.63, respectively.
Leisure time physical activity and mortality: a detailed pooled analysis of the dose-response relationship.

IMPORTANCE The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommended a minimum of 75 vigorous-intensity or 150 moderate-intensity minutes per week (7.5 metabolic-equivalent hours per week) of aerobic activity for substantial health benefit and suggested additional benefits by doing more than double this amount. However, the upper limit of longevity benefit or possible harm with more physical activity is unclear. OBJECTIVE To quantify the dose-response association between leisure time physical activity and mortality and define the upper limit of benefit or harm associated with increased levels of physical activity. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS We pooled data from 6 studies in the National Cancer Institute Cohort Consortium (baseline 1992-2003). Population-based prospective cohorts in the United States and Europe with self-reported physical activity were analyzed in 2014. A total of 661,137 men and women (median age, 62 years; range, 21-98 years) and 116,686 deaths were included. We used Cox proportional hazards regression with cohort stratification to generate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs. Median follow-up time was 14.2 years. EXPOSURES Leisure time moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The upper limit of mortality benefit from high levels of leisure time physical activity. RESULTS Compared with individuals reporting no leisure time physical activity, we observed a 20% lower mortality risk among those performing less than the recommended minimum of 7.5 metabolic-equivalent hours per week (HR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.78-0.82]), a 31% lower risk at 1 to 2 times the recommended minimum (HR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.67-0.70]), and a 37% lower risk at 2 to 3 times the minimum (HR, 0.63 [95% CI, 0.62-0.65]). An upper threshold for mortality benefit occurred at 3 to 5 times the physical activity recommendation (HR, 0.61 [95% CI, 0.59-0.62]); however, compared with the recommended minimum, the additional benefit was modest (31% vs 39%). There was no evidence of harm at 10 or more times the recommended minimum (HR, 0.69 [95% CI, 0.59-0.78]). A similar dose-response relationship was observed for mortality due to cardiovascular disease and to cancer. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Meeting the 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans minimum by either moderate- or vigorous-intensity activities was associated with nearly the maximum longevity benefit. We observed a benefit threshold at approximately 3 to 5 times the recommended leisure time physical activity minimum and no excess risk at 10 or more times the minimum. In regard to mortality, health care professionals should encourage inactive adults to perform leisure time physical activity and do not need to discourage adults who already participate in high-activity levels.
Relax? Don't do it!—Linking presynaptic vesicle clustering with mechanical tension

The release of transmitter‐filled vesicles from presynaptic terminals is a key step of neurotransmission. Prior to release, synaptic vesicles get clustered at a specialized patch of the presynaptic membrane, here referred to as the active zone. So far, mainly biochemical regulations at the active zone were regarded as decisive for synaptic vesicle clustering and release. However, using biophysical approaches, a recent paper [Siechen, et al. (2009). Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 106, 12611–12616] indicated also that the micromechanical regulations within axon and terminal could be crucial for proper vesicle clustering. The authors demonstrated that the synaptic vesicle accumulations vanished after axotomy but were restored after the application of physical tension. Furthermore, axons seem to be under an intrinsic tension, which could be perceived and tuned by an axon‐internal tension sensing mechanism. Therefore, mechanical force could steer vesicle clustering and consequently synapse function. Here, we review this interdisciplinary study of Siechen, et al. [Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 106, 12611–12616 (2009)] and discuss the significance of cellular mechanics on synaptic function.
Alliances, Acquisitions and Multinational Advantage

This paper reviews recent empirical evidence to assess the implications of alliance formation and increasing merger and acquisition activity of multinationals in the context of the eclectic paradigm. Specifically, the paper will concentrate on the performance implications of international expansion via alliances and mergers, and their relationship to the so-called asset-augmenting foreign direct investment. It has been argued in the literature that the way in which multinationals are able to build on their existing advantages and to add to them by virtue of their international activities confers specific benefits to multinationality. We argue that the growth of cross-border acquisitions and alliances as modalities for international expansion has resulted from the continuing convergence of value-adding capabilities within the Triad, and while such activity can help to augment the asset base of the investing firms, it also has potentially anti-competitive implications.