Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quantification of Left Ventricular Torsion and Diastolic Recoil Using Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Myocardial Feature Tracking

Objectives Cardiovascular magnetic resonance feature tracking (CMR-FT) offers quantification of myocardial deformation from routine cine images. However, data using CMR-FT to quantify left ventricular (LV) torsion and diastolic recoil are not yet available. We therefore sought to evaluate the feasibility and reproducibility of CMR-FT to quantify LV torsion and peak recoil rate using an optimal anatomical approach. Methods Short-axis cine stacks were acquired at rest and during dobutamine stimulation (10 and 20 µg·kg−1·min−1) in 10 healthy volunteers. Rotational displacement was analysed for all slices. A complete 3D-LV rotational model was developed using linear interpolation between adjacent slices. Torsion was defined as the difference between apical and basal rotation, divided by slice distance. Depending on the distance between the most apical (defined as 0% LV distance) and basal (defined as 100% LV distance) slices, four different models for the calculation of torsion were examined: Model-1 (25–75%), Model-2 (0–100%), Model-3 (25–100%) and Model-4 (0–75%). Analysis included subendocardial, subepicardial and global torsion and recoil rate (mean of subendocardial and subepicardial values). Results Quantification of torsion and recoil rate was feasible in all subjects. There was no significant difference between the different models at rest. However, only Model-1 (25–75%) discriminated between rest and stress (Global Torsion: 2.7±1.5°cm−1, 3.6±2.0°cm−1, 5.1±2.2°cm−1, p<0.01; Global Recoil Rate: −30.1±11.1°cm−1s−1,−46.9±15.0°cm−1s−1,−68.9±32.3°cm−1s−1, p<0.01; for rest, 10 and 20 µg·kg−1·min−1 of dobutamine, respectively). Reproducibility was sufficient for all parameters as determined by Bland-Altman analysis, intraclass correlation coefficients and coefficient of variation. Conclusions CMR-FT based derivation of myocardial torsion and recoil rate is feasible and reproducible at rest and with dobutamine stress. Using an optimal anatomical approach measuring rotation at 25% and 75% apical and basal LV locations allows effective quantification of torsion and recoil dynamics. Application of these new measures of deformation by CMR-FT should next be explored in disease states.
Emotional stylists: Strategies of expressive management among trainee hairdressers

Abstract This study is concerned with the strategies of expressive control and interaction styles reported by trainee hairdressers. Thirty-nine young women on a Youth Training Scheme (YTS) hairdressing scheme were interviewed about their experiences of dealing with clients and asked to fill out a series of standardised personality questionnaires. Relationships between measures of expressive control, affective communication, self-consciousness, empathy, and affective intensity were investigated, and the influence of these variables on job satisfaction, general well-being, and reported level of tips was assessed using correlational analyses. Ratings of job satisfaction and general well-being were found to be significantly related to low levels of self-monitoring, and more specifically to the absence of a socially deceptive strategy of impression management. Self-ratings of emotional expressive ability and scores on a self-report cognitive/affective index of “open” interaction style together accounted for ab.
A Study on Defect Density of Open Source Software

Open source software (OSS) development is considered an effective approach to ensuring acceptable levels of software quality. One facet of quality improvement involves the detection of potential relationship between defect density and other open source software metrics. This paper presents an empirical study of the relationship between defect density and download number, software size and developer number as three popular repository metrics. This relationship is explored by examining forty-four randomly selected open source software projects retrieved from SourceForge.net. By applying simple and multiple linear regression analysis, the results reveal a statistically significant relationship between defect density and number of developers and software size jointly. However, despite theoretical expectations, no significant relationship was found between defect density and number of downloads in OSS projects.
The loading of labelled antibody-engineered nanoparticles with Indinavir increases its in vitro efficacy against Cryptosporidium parvum

SUMMARY There is much evidence to indicate the ability of Indinavir (IND) to reduce Cryptosporidium parvum infection in both in vitro and in vivo models. However, there are limitations to the administration of IND as such, due to its renal toxicity and the high rate of metabolism and degradation. We aimed to encapsulate IND in biodegradable poly (D,L-lactide-co-glycolide) nanoparticles (Np) and to engineer their surface by conjugation with an anti-Cryptosporidium IgG polyclonal antibody (Ab). Tetramethylrhodamine-labelled Np were loaded with IND and modified by conjugation with an Ab. The IND-loaded modified Np (Ab-TMR-IND-Np) did not show any change, as demonstrated by chemical analysis studies. Simultaneous addition of 50μM Ab-TMR-IND-Np and excysted oocysts to the cell culture resulted in complete inhibition of the infection. In C. parvum-infected cells, the extent to which the infection decreased depended on the duration of treatment with the Ab-TMR-IND-Np. The antibody-engineered Np loaded with IND were able to target C. parvum in infected cells and therefore might represent a novel therapeutic strategy against Cryptosporidium sp. infection. Moreover, the use of Np as an IND delivery device, allows the development of a more appropriate dose formulation thereby reducing the IND side effects.
Family and television influences on materialism: a cross‐cultural life‐course approach

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to examine whether the development of materialistic values in early life reflects cultural norms or is the outcome of media and family influences. It seeks to examine the role of family communication and television, which were found to promote materialistic values in individualistic countries, by assessing their effects on youths in four countries that represent the Eastern and Western cultures: Japan, Malaysia, USA, and France.Design/methodology/approach – The study used an anonymous self‐administered survey of young adults aged 18 to 32 years in two diverse Eastern countries: Japan and Malaysia (total n=351); the sample size was approximately the same for the Western countries of USA and France (n=315). The samples were equivalent with respect to demographic characteristics. The Malaysian questionnaires were available in both English and Malay. Measurement scales included in the Japanese questionnaires come from available translated versions. The French questionnai.
Positive in vivo heterologous gene regulation by electric pulses delivery with metallothionein I gene promoter

In vivo electrotransfer is a physical method of gene delivery in various tissues and organs. It is a promising strategy for the systemic secretion of therapeutic proteins and for DNA vaccination. Nevertheless, for the success of gene therapy in clinics, it is essential to develop gene regulation systems. The existing systems described in the literature all rely on the creation of an artificial transcription factor and/or an inducer drug. New strategies based on endogenous regulatable elements are being developed. We have previously identified the murine metallothionein promoter as an endogenous promoter inducible by controlled electric stimuli applied for electrotransfer experiments. We report here a regulation strategy based on this murine metallothionein promoter in a plasmid context using electric pulses delivery as an inducer.
Creating Community Capacity at a Shared Site Intergenerational Program: “Like a Barefoot Climb Up a Mountain”

We used a social organization framework to pilot a community- capacity building project at a shared site intergenerational program. Such programs possess potential to build relationships among participants that contribute social capital to the program and support individual development. Our approach addressed infrastructure development, intergenerational cross-training, and increased intergenerational programming. We conducted a multimethod, multi-informant assessment during the first year of the project. Results revealed the importance of infrastructure in enhancing formal and informal network ties, shared knowledge, reciprocity, trust, and sense of community. Our approach may be replicated by other programs seeking to build and utilize social capital by connecting disparate groups frequently segregated by age and institution.
Data compression on the sphere

Large data-sets defined on the sphere arise in many fields. In particular, recent and forthcoming observations of the anisotropies of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) made on the celestial sphere contain approximately three and fifty mega-pixels respectively. The compression of such data is therefore becoming increasingly important. We develop algorithms to compress data defined on the sphere. A Haar wavelet transform on the sphere is used as an energy compression stage to reduce the entropy of the data, followed by Huffman and run-length encoding stages. Lossless and lossy compression algorithms are developed. We evaluate compression performance on simulated CMB data, Earth topography data and environmental illumination maps used in computer graphics. The CMB data can be compressed to approximately 40% of its original size for essentially no loss to the cosmological information content of the data, and to approximately 20% if a small cosmological information loss is tolerated. For the topographic and illumination data compression ratios of approximately 40:1 can be achieved when a small degradation in quality is allowed. We make our SZIP program that implements these compression algorithms available publicly.
SOME RAPID APPROXIMATE STATISTICAL PROCEDURES

The last twenty years have seen a great increase in the use of statistical methods in various branches of science and technology. One of the obstacles to the more widespread use of these methods is the complex and laborious nature of the computations which are often required in order to make use of the customary textbook methods. It is not always realized that rapid approximate methods are available for many situations.4 Such approximate methods, however, sacrifice some of the information contained in the data. The purpose here is to describe a few of these methods which have been used by experimentalists in biological and physical research. Signi$canceof Differences. Many experiments are designed to test whether one category differs from another in regard to some measurable quantity. These categories may be, for example: the tensile strength of two types of metal or plastic; the effect of a proposed drug or treatment compared with one now in use; or the comparison of the effect of two fertilizer mixtures on the yield of a certain crop. In all such cases the logic underlying the experiment is usually the same. The assumption is made that the two categories (materials, drugs, or fertilizers) do not differ. An experiment is performed leading to a set of replicated measurements under each category. A statistical constant is calculated from the results, and the probability of obtaining a value as large or larger than that obtained is used as a guide in accepting or rejecting the original assumption. If this probability is sufkiently small, the hypothesis that the two materials are the same is abandoned and a decision is reached that they are different. The particular probability level a t which the hypothesis is abandoned is, of course, a matter of choice, and is determined in part by the seriousness of the consequences should a wrong decision be made, the time and expense involved in the experiments, etc. Efficient statistical tests are described in current textbooks, but these tests often require considerable computation. The tests to be described here are quite simple but often adequate for the purpose in view. Tests Based on Rank Vumbers. An example from entomological work will serve to illustrate these methods. Two household fly sprays had been tested on houseflies, and the tests were replicated eight times for each material. The results obtained, expressed as per cent mortality of the houseflies, are shown in TABLE 1. The average per cent mortality for sample A is 67.7 per cent, while for sample B it is 61.7 per cent. The question to be decided is whether these results indicate a superiority of sample A over sample B? or whether the results are merely due to chance fluctuations and would not hold true in the long run. We may assign rank numbers 1 to 16 to the 16 results in order of magni-
The use of unicycle robot control strategies for skid-steer robots through the ICR kinematic mapping

While decades of work and hundreds of research papers exist on unicycle robot control, the control of skid-steer robots is not yet as standardized due to the complexity of wheel slipping behavior. This work presents a method of utilizing the track or wheel Instantaneous Centers of Rotation (ICRs) on a skid-steer vehicle to map skid-steer dynamics to an equivalent time-varying model of unicycle dynamics. This allows for the direct implementation of existing unicycle, or Hilare type, robot trajectory controllers. Knowledge of ICR locations enables the calculation of required track or wheel speeds to create desired vehicle movement, similar to the kinematic relations resulting from the no-slip assumption of a unicycle robot. The algorithm requires no prior knowledge of vehicle dimensions or terrain parameters because ICR locations are estimated during robot operation using an extended Kalman filter (EKF). Simulation and experimental results for a wheeled skid-steer vehicle show good trajectory tracking performance.
Processing Differences for Anaphoric and Cataphoric Pronouns: Implications for Theories of Discourse Processing

The research demonstrated that there are differences in the processing of sentences containing anaphoric pronouns (e.g., “After Mark arrived, he used the phone.”) and cataphoric pronouns (e.g., “After he arrived, Mark used the phone.”). Reading time was measured on sentences containing 2 clauses; a pronoun appeared in 1 clause, and a proper name appeared in the other. The pronoun and name were either congruent or incongruent in gender. The results showed that anaphoric pronouns were resolved more rapidly than cataphoric pronouns when a co-referent interpretation was possible, but were resolved more slowly than cataphoric pronouns when a co-referent interpretation was not intended (i.e., in gender-incongruent conditions). The results of a follow-up experiment supported the conclusion that the observed processing differences stemmed from differences in readers' expectations for different pairs of referents (i.e., name–pronoun vs. pronoun–name) to be co-referent. Expectation for co-reference appears related to how quickly comprehenders use gender information either to accept or reject an interpretation of co-reference. Implications for theories of referential processing are discussed.
Autobank: a semi-automatic annotation tool for developing deep Minimalist Grammar treebanks

This paper presents Autobank, a prototype tool for constructing a wide-coverage Minimalist Grammar (MG) (Stabler 1997), and semi-automatically converting the Penn Treebank (PTB) into a deep Minimalist treebank. The front end of the tool is a graphical user interface which facilitates the rapid development of a seed set of MG trees via manual reannotation of PTB preterminals with MG lexical categories. The system then extracts various dependency mappings between the source and target trees, and uses these in concert with a non-statistical MG parser to automatically reannotate the rest of the corpus. Autobank thus enables deep treebank conversions (and subsequent modifications) without the need for complex transduction algorithms accompanied by cascades of ad hoc rules; instead, the locus of human effort falls directly on the task of grammar construction itself.
DAP-kinase CpG island methylation in acute myeloid leukemia: methodology versus biology?

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal disorder evolving from myeloid progenitor cells on the background of a number of genetic changes including balanced translocations[1][1] [2][2] and alterations of tumor suppressor genes and proto-oncogenes. [3][3]Recently, transcriptional silencing of tumor
Comparative Analysis of Immigration Politics

Serious comparative research on postwar immigration politics and policy began only 30 years ago and did not really take off until the 1990s. The level of interest of scholars has naturally followed the salience of immigration issues in the politics of liberal democracies. A flood of new research is now appearing, making a review of where research has come so far timely. Immigration research in political science has confronted a number of challenges, several of which are examined here: (a) the merits and limits of comparative case studies, (b) the wedding of economic theory with political analysis, (c) the analysis of the consequences of ethnic diversity on support for redistributive social policies, and (d) the possible contradictions of a popularly supported liberal immigration policy.
Chronic kidney disease and life expectancy.

BACKGROUND Life expectancy is commonly used as an indicator of health and reflects disease burden in the population. The life expectancy for patients with lower levels of kidney function has not been reported. METHODS The abridged life table method was applied to calculate the life expectancies of men and women from age 30 to 85 years, by levels of kidney function as defined by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR): ≥ 60, 45-59, 30-44 and 15-29 mL/min/1.73 m(2). RESULTS Men and women aged 40 years had a life expectancy of 30.5 and 34.6 years at eGFR ≥ 60 mL/min/1.73 m(2), 24.5 and 28.7 years at eGFR 45-59 mL/min/1.73 m(2), 14.5 and 16.5 years at eGFR 30-44 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and 10.4 and 9.1 years at eGFR 15-29 mL/min/1.73 m(2), respectively. Life expectancy was longer for women compared with men at all ages and eGFR categories, other than for eGFR 15-29 mL/min/1.73 m(2) where there was no difference in life expectancy by gender. CONCLUSION A lower level of kidney function is associated with a reduction in life expectancy for both men and women.
Perivascular and Quadrant Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness and Its Relationship with Oxygen Saturation

ABSTRACT Purpose: To study whether there exists a relationship between retinal nerve fiber layer thickness and oxygen saturation and to identify whether perivascular thickness (pRNFL) or quadrant thickness (qRNFL) has a stronger correlation. Methods: Patients without any detectable ocular abnormality on complete ophthalmic evaluation underwent non-invasive photo-spectrometric retinal oximetry on the Oxymap T1 retinal oximeter (Oxymap hf, Reykjavik, Iceland) and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography to determine if the pRNFL (Spectralis, Heidelberg, Germany) and the qRNFL (RtVue, Optovue) correlated with the measured light intensities and the calculated retinal oxygen saturations. Results: 30 eyes of 30 patients (120 arterioles, 120 venules) were included in the study. The mean arteriolar saturations (%) were temporal: 84.5 (95% CI 82.7–86.3) and nasal: 93.5 (95% CI 91.0–95.8); venous saturations were temporal: 54.4 (95% CI 52.9–55.9) and nasal: 59.9 (95% CI 58.3–61.4). The mean pRNFL thickness (µm) around arterioles was temporal: 153.1 (95% CI 146–159) and nasal: 109.4 (95% CI 103–115); around venules it was temporal: 147.4 (95% CI 140–154) and nasal: 101.2 (95% CI 95–107). The oxygen saturations correlated significantly with pRNFL (arteriolar r = −0.514; p < 0.001 and venous r = −0.513; p < 0.001) but did not show a significant correlation with qRNFL values. Conclusion: This relationship between perivascular RNFL could be physiological or artifactual. If physiological, it would explain and form the basis of altered oxygen saturation in a multitude of diseases. If artifactual, it would necessitate the incorporation of a pRNFL correction. However, the results of this study enable us to expect increased saturation in areas of thinner RNFL or vice versa with the current methodology of retinal vessel oximetry as obtained by dual-wavelength photo-spectrometric fundus imaging.
A Suitability Study of Discretization Methods for Associative Classifiers

is a popular approach for handling numeric attributes in machine learning. The attributes in the datasets are both nominal and continuous. Most of the Classifiers are capable to be applied on discretized data. Hence, pre-processing of continuous data for converting them into discretized data is a necessary step before being used for the Classification Rule Mining approaches. Recently developed Associative Classifiers like CBA, CMAR and CPAR are almost equal in accuracy and have outperformed traditional classifiers. The distribution of continuous data into discrete ranges may affect the accuracy of classification. This work provides a comparative study of few discretization methods with these new classifiers. The target is to find some suitable discretization methods that are more suitable with these associative classifiers.
Design and Validation of a Periodic Leg Movement Detector

Periodic Limb Movements (PLMs) are episodic, involuntary movements caused by fairly specific muscle contractions that occur during sleep and can be scored during nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG). Because leg movements (LM) may be accompanied by an arousal or sleep fragmentation, a high PLM index (i.e. average number of PLMs per hour) may have an effect on an individual’s overall health and wellbeing. This study presents the design and validation of the Stanford PLM automatic detector (S-PLMAD), a robust, automated leg movement detector to score PLM. NPSG studies from adult participants of the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort (WSC, n = 1,073, 2000–2004) and successive Stanford Sleep Cohort (SSC) patients (n = 760, 1999–2007) undergoing baseline NPSG were used in the design and validation of this study. The scoring algorithm of the S-PLMAD was initially based on the 2007 American Association of Sleep Medicine clinical scoring rules. It was first tested against other published algorithms using manually scored LM in the WSC. Rules were then modified to accommodate baseline noise and electrocardiography interference and to better exclude LM adjacent to respiratory events. The S-PLMAD incorporates adaptive noise cancelling of cardiac interference and noise-floor adjustable detection thresholds, removes LM secondary to sleep disordered breathing within 5 sec of respiratory events, and is robust to transient artifacts. Furthermore, it provides PLM indices for sleep (PLMS) and wake plus periodicity index and other metrics. To validate the final S-PLMAD, experts visually scored 78 studies in normal sleepers and patients with restless legs syndrome, sleep disordered breathing, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, narcolepsy-cataplexy, insomnia, and delayed sleep phase syndrome. PLM indices were highly correlated between expert, visually scored PLMS and automatic scorings (r2 = 0.94 in WSC and r2 = 0.94 in SSC). In conclusion, The S-PLMAD is a robust and high throughput PLM detector that functions well in controls and sleep disorder patients.