Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Condensed from Video Sequences for Place Recognition

We investigate the task of efficiently training classifiers to build a robust place recognition system. We advocate an approach which involves densely capturing the facades of buildings and landmarks with video recordings to greedily accumulate as much visual information as possible. Our contributions include (1) a preprocessing step to effectively exploit the temporal continuity intrinsic in the video sequences to dramatically increase training efficiency, (2) training sparse classifiers discriminatively with the resulting data using the AdaBoost principle for place recognition, and (3) methods to speed up recognition using scaled kd-trees and to perform geometric validation on the results. Compared to straightforwardly applying scene recognition methods, our method not only allows a much faster training phase, the resulting classifiers are also more accurate. The sparsity of the classifiers also ensures good potential for recognition at high frame rates. We show extensive experimental results to validate our claims.
How to measure and interpret volumetric measures of preload

Purpose of reviewTo update the situation over the past few years on the clinical application of volumetric measures of preload in critically ill patients. Recent findingsCardiac filling pressures monitoring is unreliable for assessing cardiac preload in mechanically ventilated critically ill patients. The transpulmonary dilution indicator technique was shown to better identify preload than pulmonary arterial catheterization. Measuring static preload index as intrathoracic blood volume or global end diastolic volume provides a good preload index, either in experimental or in different clinical settings. SummaryVolumetric measures of preload are good preload indexes. These data are to be interpreted together with the clinical patient's condition, conventional hemodynamic data and the course of illness in critically ill patients. In order to evaluate whether the application of a predefined therapy algorithm based on volumetric monitoring can improve patients’ outcome, more studies are needed.
Numerical Solution of Stochastic Differential Equations

This paper provides an introduction to the main concepts and techniques necessary for someone who wishes to carryout numerical experiments involving Stochastic Differential Equation (SDEs). As SDEs are frictionless generally and the solutions are continuous stochastic process that represent diffusive dynamic especially in finance, it is required of us to take into account random effects and influences in real world systems which are essential in the accurate description of such situations. We include a review of Stochastic Differential equations (SDE), Geometric Brownian Motion, Euler- Maruyama, Milstein and Taylor approximate which gives a clear picture of their graphical approximate and exact solution. We finally compared the convergence of Euler-Maruyama and Milstein
The Baculovirus Uses a Captured Host Phosphatase to Induce Enhanced Locomotory Activity in Host Caterpillars

The baculovirus is a classic example of a parasite that alters the behavior or physiology of its host so that progeny transmission is maximized. Baculoviruses do this by inducing enhanced locomotory activity (ELA) that causes the host caterpillars to climb to the upper foliage of plants. We previously reported that this behavior is not induced in silkworms that are infected with a mutant baculovirus lacking its protein tyrosine phosphatase (ptp) gene, a gene likely captured from an ancestral host. Here we show that the product of the ptp gene, PTP, associates with baculovirus ORF1629 as a virion structural protein, but surprisingly phosphatase activity associated with PTP was not required for the induction of ELA. Interestingly, the ptp knockout baculovirus showed significantly reduced infectivity of larval brain tissues. Collectively, we show that the modern baculovirus uses the host-derived phosphatase to establish adequate infection for ELA as a virion-associated structural protein rather than as an enzyme.
Semantic memory in Alzheimer's disease

Semantic memory impairments have been hypothesised to underlie many of the language difficulties reported in probable Alzheimer's Disease, such as naming and verbal fluency. Contention exists regarding whether observed difficulties constitute a semantic storage impairment, or difficulty in the access and processing of relatively intact semantic knowledge. This study investigated the integrity of several types of semantic associations, namely, category co-members, functional associates and sensory associates in six single case studies of mild probable Alzheimer's Disease. A semantic priming pronunciation task, designed to minimise subject-initiated strategies (SOA of 350 ms and relatedness proportion of .15), and a series of off-line neuropsychological measures were used. The results supported the hypothesis of partial impairment in semantic memory in some, but not all of the cases. Both hyperpriming and significant underpriming were observed in four out of the six cases in comparison to an age and education matched control group. Where semantic memory impairment was observed, dissociation between types of semantic knowledge was found. Relative preservation of functional associate priming, accompanied by impairment in both category co-member and sensory associate priming was found in one probable Alzheimer's Disease subject and a similar trend was noted in a further two cases. In comparison, another subject displayed priming in the functional associate condition which approached significance, while priming
A pilot study of nurses' experience of giving spiritual care

Using spiritual and religious resources gives patients and families strength to cope during a crisis, but nurses often do not offer spiritual care (Kloosterhouse & Ames, 2002). The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore nurses" lived experience of giving spiritual care. A descriptive phenomenological approach was used to interview 4 nurses. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s (1978) phenomenological method. Five themes were identified: spiritual care is patient-centered, spiritual care is an important part of nursing, spiritual care can be simple to give, spiritual care is not expected but is welcomed by patients, and spiritual care is given by diverse caregivers. Spiritual care is an integral part of nursing and nurses can support patients with spiritual interventions. Key Words: Spiritual Care, Nurse-Client Relationship, and Prayer Phenomenology
Efficacy of embedded nurse-led versus conventional physician-led follow-up in rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To compare the efficacy of embedded nurse-led versus conventional physician-led follow-up on disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods In a systematic literature search, we identified randomised controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on the efficacy of nurse-led follow-up on disease control in patients with RA compared with physician-led follow-up. Primary outcome was disease activity indicated by Disease Activity Score (DAS)-28. Secondary outcomes were: patient satisfaction, physical disability, fatigue, self-efficacy and quality of life. Outcomes were assessed after 1-year and 2 year follow-ups. Results Seven studies representing five RCTs, including a total of 723 participants, were included. All but one study included stable patients in low disease activity or remission at baseline. No difference in DAS-28 was found after 1 year (mean difference (MD) −0.07 (95% CI −0.23 to 0.09)). After 2 years, a statistically significant difference was seen in favour of nurse-led follow-up (MD −0.28 (95% CI −0.53 to −0.04)). However, the difference did not reach a clinically relevant level. No difference was found in patient satisfaction after 1 year (standard mean difference (SMD) −0.17 (95 % CI −1.0 to 0.67), whereas a statistical significant difference in favour of nurse-led follow-up was seen after 2 years (SMD: 0.6 (95% CI –0.00 to 1.20)). Conclusion After 1 year no difference in disease activity, indicated by DAS-28, were found between embedded nurse-led follow-up compared with conventional physician-led follow-up, in RA patients with low disease activity or remission.
Modeling and simulation of receptor-toxin-antibody interaction

This paper describes a simple, kinetic model of the effect of an antibody on the binding of a toxin to its receptor. This model has been used to evaluate the contributions of antibody affinity and concentration to reduction in complex formation and enable prediction of the antibody kinetic constants and concentration required to provide a specified degree of protection. An expression for determining equilibrium time for the system has also been derived. Based on the proposed model we analytically calculated the relative reduction in toxin-receptor complex formation a variety of input parameters (kinetic constants and concentrations). Our analytical results were validated by numerical simulations, using the COPASI tool. Experimental validation of the model may provide a useful tool for in vitro selection of potentially therapeutic and prophylactic antibodies for progression to in vivo evaluation.
Quantitative Bounds for Convergence Rates of Continuous Time Markov Processes

We develop quantitative bounds on rates of convergence for continuous-time Markov processes on general state spaces. Our methods involve coupling and shift-coupling, and make use of minorization and drift conditions. In particular, we use auxiliary coupling to establish the existence of small (or pseudo-small) sets. We apply our method to some diffusion examples. We are motivated by interest in the use of Langevin diffusions for Monte Carlo simulation.
Pitch perception with cochlear implants

Most cochlear implant recipients achieve good speech perception under good listening conditions. However, pitch perception is generally poor. The first aspect of cochlear implant pitch perception investigated was place of stimulation. Sequential stimulation of neighbouring channels can produce pitch percepts intermediate to those of individual channels. This was evident when recipients pitch-ranked pure tones processed by the ACE strategy. The existing centroid model of place pitch perception was extended by incorporating a loudness model to provide a better fit to the experimental results. The second aspect investigated was temporal cues on a single channel. A high-rate pulse train, modulated on and off at frequency F0, had a higher pitch than a train of pulses at the rate of F0. If amplitude modulation of high-rate pulse trains is to be used to convey pitch, then the shape of the modulating waveform is important: a half-wave shape is better than a square-wave (on-off) shape. The experimental results were consistent with a perceptual model that derived pitch from the times between successive auditory nerve firings (first-order inter-spike intervals). The results were not consistent with a model utilising auto-correlation or all-order inter-spike intervals. Recipients showed limited ability to combine place and temporal cues to pitch. In voiced speech, the harmonics are not resolved by the sound processor, and there are no useful place cues to pitch. Several experimental sound processing strategies that attempted to enhance temporal cues provided little benefit in laboratory testing. A strategy that used half-wave rectification (HWR) to provide temporal fine structure cues was implemented on the Freedom processor, but a take-home trial showed no significant difference in speech or pitch perception between HWR and the standard ACE strategy (which provided only envelope cues). Pitch can be defined as that attribute of sensation whose variation is associated with melody. The Modified Melodies test was developed to measure pitch perception according to this definition. Normal hearing listeners had higher scores with harmonic tones than pure tones, and musicians performed better than non-musicians. Cochlear implant recipients performed much worse than subjects with normal hearing, but a contralateral hearing aid provided a large benefit. Previous research had suggested that cochlear implant place pitch was more akin to brightness (an aspect of timbre) than to pitch. However, the Modified Melodies results supported the hypothesis that place pitch can support melody perception.
Cooperative types for controlling thread interference in Java

Multithreaded programs are notoriously prone to unintended interference between concurrent threads. To address this problem, we argue that yield annotations in the source code should document all thread interference, and we present a type system for verifying the absence of undocumented interference in Java programs. Under this type system, well-typed programs behave as if context switches occur only at yield annotations. Thus, well-typed programs can be understood using intuitive sequential reasoning, except where yield annotations remind the programmer to account for thread interference. Experimental results show that yield annotations describe thread interference more precisely than prior techniques based on method-level atomicity specifications. In particular, yield annotations reduce the number of interference points one must reason about by an order of magnitude. The type system is also more precise than prior methods targeting race freedom. Moreover, yield annotations serve to highlight all known concurrency defects in our benchmark suite.
Psychometric Properties of the Saint Louis University Mental Status Examination (SLUMS) for the Identification of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in a Veteran Sample

The SLUMS demonstrated poor internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = .57), but scores were significantly correlated with scores on every neuropsychological measure, except for Trails B. Diagnostic discriminability was comparable to that of the more time intensive neuropsychological battery for discrimThe Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) Examination is a relatively new brief cognitive screening measure developed for use with veterans. To date, there has been a paucity of research on its psychometric properties. Using a sample of 148 male veterans referred to a VA Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Clinic for evaluation, the SLUMS’ ability to discriminate between MCI versus other diagnoses or no diagnosis was compared to results from a more comprehensive neuropsychological battery. Approximately 51% of the sample was diagnosed with MCI, 16% with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), 17% did not meet criteria for a diagnosis, and 16% were given some other DSM-IV-TR diagnosis. inating between MCI and no diagnosis, and MCI and MDD. In the current sample, a cutoff score of 25 was optimal for discriminating between MCI and no diagnosis, whereas a slightly lower cutoff score of 24 is recommended for discriminating between MCI and those with MDD. Diagnostic indicators were poor for the SLUMS and the battery when discriminating between MCI and a heterogeneous group of other disorders. Possible reasons for low reliability in such a screening measure in the context of convergent validity are discussed. It is concluded that the SLUMS may be a viable brief cognitive screening measure in such veteran populations, particularly when discriminating between MCI and MDD; however, additional studies should be completed to evaluate other forms of consistency, such as test-retest reliability. INDEX WORDS: Cognitive screening, Mild cognitive impairment, SLUMS PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES OF THE SAINT LOUIS UNIVERSITY MENTAL STATUS EXAMINATION (SLUMS) FOR THE IDENTIFICATION OF MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT (MCI) IN A VETERAN SAMPLE
Simultaneous Quantification of Multiple Bacteria by the BactoChip Microarray Designed to Target Species-Specific Marker Genes

Bacteria are ubiquitous throughout the environment, the most abundant inhabitants of the healthy human microbiome, and causal pathogens in a variety of diseases. Their identification in disease is often an essential step in rapid diagnosis and targeted intervention, particularly in clinical settings. At present, clinical bacterial detection and discrimination is primarily culture-based, requiring both time and microbiological expertise, especially for bacteria that are not easily cultivated. Higher-throughput molecular methods based on PCR amplification or, recently, microarrays are reaching the clinic as well. However, these methods are currently restricted to a small set of microbes or based on conserved phylogenetic markers such as the 16S rRNA gene, which are difficult to resolve at the species or strain levels. Here, we designed and experimentally validated the BactoChip, an oligonucleotide microarray for bacterial detection and quantification. The chip allows the culture-independent identification of bacterial species, also determining their relative abundances in complex communities as occur in the commensal microbiota or in clinical settings. The microarray successfully distinguished among bacterial species from 21 different genera using 60-mer probes targeting a novel set of in silico identified high-resolution marker genes. The BactoChip additionally proved accurate in determining species-level relative abundances over a 100-fold dynamic range in complex bacterial communities and with a low limit of detection (0.1%). In combination with the continually increasing number of sequenced bacterial genomes, future iterations of the technology could enable to highly accurate clinically-oriented tools for rapid assessment of bacterial community composition and relative abundances.
Effects of opening size and site preparation method on vegetation development after implementing group selection in a pine-hardwood stand

Three opening sizes (0.25, 0.625, and 1.0 ac) and three site preparation methods (herbicides, mechanical, and an untreated control) were tested in a pine-hardwood stand dominated by loblolly and shortleaf pines ( Pinus taeda L. and P. echinata Mill.) and mixed oaks ( Quercus spp.) that was being converted to uneven-aged structure using group selection. The study was a 3x3 factorial in a randomized co mplete block design with three replicates. Site preparation in the openings was delayed for 2 years after harvest until an ad equate pine seed crop was forecast. At 3 years after the group-selection cut and 1 year after site preparation, pine seedling stocking was higher ( P=0.01) in the 0.25-ac openings (89%) when compared to the 0.625-ac openings (71%) or the 1.0-ac openings (66%). Mechanical site preparation resulted in higher (P=0.03) pine seedling density (5,272 stems/ac) compared to the control (2,490 stems/ac) or chemical site preparation (3,044 stems/ac), but both the mechanical and chemical treatments had better ( P=0.03) stocking (82%) of pine seedlings than the control (61%). Both mechanical and chemical site preparation were effective in reducing (P<0.0\) the density (85% less) and stocking (75% less) of nonpine woody saplings compared to the control, but size of opening had no effect on density of nonpine woody seedlings or saplings at 1 year after site preparation.
The Epigenetic Drug 5-Azacytidine Interferes with Cholesterol and Lipid Metabolism*

Background: The anticancer drug 5-azacytidine acts through an incompletely understood mechanism. Results: 5-Azacytidine reprograms the glycerolipid biosynthesis pathway and prevents activation of master transcription factors that regulate lipid homeostasis. Conclusion: 5-Azacytidine deeply modifies how cells manage cholesterol and lipid synthesis. Significance: The findings unravel important insights into the mechanism of 5-azacytidine and highlight new potential cancer therapeutics. DNA methylation and histone acetylation inhibitors are widely used to study the role of epigenetic marks in the regulation of gene expression. In addition, several of these molecules are being tested in clinical trials or already in use in the clinic. Antimetabolites, such as the DNA-hypomethylating agent 5-azacytidine (5-AzaC), have been shown to lower malignant progression to acute myeloid leukemia and to prolong survival in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. Here we examined the effects of DNA methylation inhibitors on the expression of lipid biosynthetic and uptake genes. Our data demonstrate that, independently of DNA methylation, 5-AzaC selectively and very potently reduces expression of key genes involved in cholesterol and lipid metabolism (e.g. PCSK9, HMGCR, and FASN) in all tested cell lines and in vivo in mouse liver. Treatment with 5-AzaC disturbed subcellular cholesterol homeostasis, thereby impeding activation of sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (key regulators of lipid metabolism). Through inhibition of UMP synthase, 5-AzaC also strongly induced expression of 1-acylglycerol-3-phosphate O-acyltransferase 9 (AGPAT9) and promoted triacylglycerol synthesis and cytosolic lipid droplet formation. Remarkably, complete reversal was obtained by the co-addition of either UMP or cytidine. Therefore, this study provides the first evidence that inhibition of the de novo pyrimidine synthesis by 5-AzaC disturbs cholesterol and lipid homeostasis, probably through the glycerolipid biosynthesis pathway, which may contribute mechanistically to its beneficial cytostatic properties.
Passwords and User Behavior

Text based passwords are commonly used for authentication in computing environment. Although passwords are considered as the initial line of protection for users but they remain easy to compromise. To improve the security of systems, various password composition polices are adopted. These policies ensure that users are made to choose strong passwords that help prevent online breaches and data leaks. However, it also make passwords difficult to memorize and recall, decreasing the overall usability. In this study we investigated the usability of password policies and users’ perceptions of password security. We conducted a user study based on experimental evaluation and online survey. During the experimental evaluation users were asked to set their passwords using four different password polices. We used multiple experiment setups and scenarios to create real life situations. The result highlights the key difficulties faced by the users in recalling complex passwords and their inclination towards setting easy-to-guess passwords. We also studied the impact of age and domain knowledge on choosing passwords. The analysis shows that complex password polices are annoying for users and it takes more time to create such passwords. Similarly, to increase the memorability of passwords majority of users choose family member names and common dictionary words in their passwords. Using same passwords for the multiple accounts was also a common practice noticed during the study. We also evaluated the resistance of passwords created by the users against popular attacks using various password cracking tools.