Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Premature Ventricular Complexes on Screening Electrocardiogram and Risk of Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Premature ventricular complexes (PVCs) detected from long-term ECG recordings have been associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke. Whether PVCs seen on routine ECG, commonly used in clinical practice, are associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke remains unstudied. Methods— This analysis included 24 460 participants (aged, 64.5+9.3 years; 55.1% women; 40.0% blacks) from the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study who were free of stroke at the time of enrollment. PVCs were ascertained from baseline ECG (2003–2007), and incident stroke cases through 2011 were confirmed by an adjudication committee. Results— A total of 1415 (5.8%) participants had at least 1 PVC at baseline, and 591 developed incident ischemic stroke during an average (SD) follow-up of 6.0 (2.0) years. In a cox proportional hazards model adjusted for age, sex, race, geographic region, education, previous heart disease, systolic blood pressure, blood pressure–lowering medications, current smoking, diabetes mellitus, left ventricular hypertrophy by ECG, and aspirin use and warfarin use, the presence of PVCs was associated with 38% increased risk of ischemic stroke (hazard ratio [95% confidence interval], 1.38 [1.05–1.81]). Conclusions— PVCs are common on routine screening ECGs and are associated with an increased risk of ischemic stroke.
Recent developments in luminescent solar concentrators

High efficiency photovoltaic devices combine full solar spectrum absorption and effective generation and collection of charge carriers, while commercial success depends on cost effectiveness in manufacturing. Spectrum modification using down shifting has been demonstrated in luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) since the 1970s, as a cheap alternative for standard c-Si technology. LSCs consist of a highly transparent plastic plate, in which luminescent species are dispersed, which absorb incident light and emit light at a red-shifted wavelength, with high quantum efficiency. Material issues have hampered efficiency improvements, in particular re-absorption of light emitted by luminescent species and stability of these species. In this contribution, approaches are reviewed on minimizing re-absorption, which should allow surpassing the 10% luminescent solar concentrator efficiency barrier.
Approximate Boolean operations on free-form solids

In this paper we describe a method for computing approximate results of boolcan operations (union, intersection, difference) applied to free-form solids bounded by multiresolution subdivision surfaces. We present algorithms for generating a control mesh for a multiresolution surface approximating the result, optimizing the parameterization of the new surface with respect to the original surfaces, and fitting the new surface to the geometry of the original surfaces. Our algorithms aim to minimize the size and optimize the quality of the new control mesh. The original control meshes are modified only in a neighborhood of the intersection. While the main goal is to obtain approximate results, high-accuracy approximations are also possible at additional computational expense, if the topology of the intersection curve is resolved correctly.
DFL designer: collection-oriented scientific workflows with Petri nets and nested relational calculus

In this paper we present DFL designer --- a collection-oriented scientific workflow (COSW) tool based on the DFL notation which combines established formalisms from workflow modeling and databases, namely Petri nets and the nested relational calculus (NRC). COSW tools are used in applied sciences like bioinformatics where structured data is processed with the use of specialized services which are made available online by scientific institutions. They make such data processing experiments easier to conduct by the experimentators and easier to comprehend and repeat by the reviewers. The notations, models and techniques used for the construction of COSW tools are similar to the ones known from workflow modeling, but additional emphasis is put on the data manipulation aspects, e.g., the processing of nested collections of data. DFL designer not only allows design and enactment of complicated COSWs with the use of a huge library of supported bioinformatics services, but also provides a set of features for testing and analyzing workflow specifications that is unique for COSWs, including but not limited to interactive firing of transitions, hierarchical analysis of COSWs and translation of side-effect free COSWs to a query language like NRC.
Quantitative Proteomic Analysis of Host-virus Interactions Reveals a Role for Golgi Brefeldin A Resistance Factor 1 (GBF1) in Dengue Infection*

Dengue virus is considered to be the most important mosquito-borne virus worldwide and poses formidable economic and health care burdens on many tropical and subtropical countries. Dengue infection induces drastic rearrangement of host endoplasmic reticulum membranes into complex membranous structures housing replication complexes; the contribution(s) of host proteins and pathways to this process is poorly understood but is likely to be mediated by protein-protein interactions. We have developed an approach for obtaining high confidence protein-protein interaction data by employing affinity tags and quantitative proteomics, in the context of viral infection, followed by robust statistical analysis. Using this approach, we identified high confidence interactors of NS5, the viral polymerase, and NS3, the helicase/protease. Quantitative proteomics allowed us to exclude a large number of presumably nonspecific interactors from our data sets and imparted a high level of confidence to our resulting data sets. We identified 53 host proteins reproducibly associated with NS5 and 41 with NS3, with 13 of these candidates present in both data sets. The host factors identified have diverse functions, including retrograde Golgi-to-endoplasmic reticulum transport, biosynthesis of long-chain fatty-acyl-coenzyme As, and in the unfolded protein response. We selected GBF1, a guanine nucleotide exchange factor responsible for ARF activation, from the NS5 data set for follow up and functional validation. We show that GBF1 plays a critical role early in dengue infection that is independent of its role in the maintenance of Golgi structure. Importantly, the approach described here can be applied to virtually any organism/system as a tool for better understanding its molecular interactions.
LCLint: a tool for using specifications to check code

This paper describes LCLint, an efficient and flexible tool that accepts as input programs (written in ANSI C) and various levels of formal specification. Using this information, LCLint reports inconsistencies between a program and its specification. We also describe our experience using LCLint to help understand, document, and re-engineer legacy code.
Perspectives Anecdotal, Historical and Critical Commentaries on Genetics Statistical Methods for Evolutionary Trees

In 1963 and 1964, L. L. Cavalli-Sforza and A. W. F. Edwards introduced novel methods for computing evolutionary trees from genetical data, initially for human populations from blood-group gene frequencies. The most important development was their introduction of statistical methods of estimation applied to stochastic models of evolution. The comparative ease with which certain aspects of population analysis are made possible by blood-group studies has already revealed ethnographic distinctions with a detailed precision quite unattainable without their aid. Although inevitably some ethnographers have at ﬁrst felt ill at case with the new facts, and what is indeed much more important with the new potentialities of serological studies, yet from a wider point of view it must be evident that all that ethnography strives to do will be facilitated beyond precedent as our knowledge of the blood-groups is extended. The traces left on existing populations by such past events as race mixture, by the relative expansion or attenuation of numbers, or by evolutionary modiﬁca-tion under environmental inﬂuences, have certainly not by existing means been successfully unravelled. In considering the use of blood-group evidence in clarifying the ethnic history of Man, the peculiar advantage should be emphasized that independent evidence is within reach from different parts of the human germ plasm, so that independent conﬁrmation should often be obtainable from the evidence of different factors independently inherited.
Parents’ participation in taking care of hospitalized children: A concept analysis with hybrid model

Background: Although today parents’ participation in taking care of hospitalized children is considered as an indispensable principle, it is still among the concepts with no consensus about. The main objective of this study is to define parents’ participation in taking care of hospitalized children. Materials and Methods: The concept of “parents’ participation in taking care of hospitalized children” was analyzed using a hybrid model in three phases: Literature review (theoretical phase), fieldwork, and combination of literature review and fieldwork (analytical phase). Results: Based on the results of theoretical (literature review), fieldwork, and analytical phases, the best definitions for the concept of “parents’ participation in taking care of hospitalized children” are mutual relationship and gaining parents’ trust toward nurses, giving the required information and education to the parents about care and treatment process, assigning the needed home care to the parents, involving the parents in caregiving process, and finally, defining their participation in decision making (clarifying the parents’ role) in order to improve the quality of care given to the children. Conclusions: The findings of this study showed that the dimensions of parents’ participation can be applied in pediatric wards, and nurses can improve the quality of care through application of the obtained findings.
Bone Marrow Micrometastases in Breast Cancer Patients: A Long-Term Follow-up Study

In 125 early breast cancer patients who underwent multiple bone marrow aspirates, there was no significant difference in terms of disease-free and overall survival after a median follow-up of 163 months between the patients with or without micrometastasis at the time of primary surgery. However, when the time-dependent evolution of the bone marrow aspirates was taken into account, some evidence for a longer disease-free and overall survival was found for the patients with negative bone marrow
Automated Serial Section Large-field Transmission-Mode Scanning Electron Microscopy (tSEM) for Volume Analysis of Hippocampus Ultrastructure

Serial thin sections of ~50 nm thickness have been used to visualize and reconstruct cellular and subcellular structures in a three-dimensional context from a wide variety of biological systems. In the central nervous system, serial section (ss) EM (traditionally on a Transmission Electron Microscope platform) provides sufficient resolution and extent to reveal cellular and subcellular structures and normal and pathological changes in neuronal morphology within the context of the surrounding neuropil, including dendrites, axons, and astroglial processes [1]. Renewed interest in EM as a high-resolution 3D tool for neuroscience has led to improvements over the last decade in this time-and skill-intensive method. Much of the innovation has occurred without the transmission signal using serial block-face or serial section array imaging on an SEM platform [2] [3] [4] [5]. Large-field scanning electron microscopy in the transmission mode (tSEM) on a field emission SEM platform was developed for efficient and cost-effective imaging of circuit-scale volumes from serial ultrasections of hippocampus. Individual scanned image area is maximized and STEM detection is used to optimize the XY resolution and the dynamic range necessary for discriminating particularly small but key subcellular structures (vesicles, microtubules, ribosomes). Image fields from the tSEM system were up to 65 µ m per side at 2 nm pixel size, contrasting with image fields from a modern TEM system at about 8 µ m per side at the same pixel size. The tSEM produced quality images with negligible scan or beam-caused distortion, no apparent charging effects, and with reduced drift relative to TEM [6]. Automated stage and scan control in this tSEM system and additional software provided unattended and stable serial section imaging and montaging across multiple grids on overnight runs. Images were stacked and registered across serial sections with elastic alignment tools in Fiji/TrakEM2 software and exported for tracing and volume analysis in RECONSTRUCT
Predicting Movie Trailer Viewers “ Likes / Dislikes ”

Nowadays, several moving picture trailers area unit on the market on social media and severally indicate whether or not they like or dislike those video trailers. it's into new direction, Video Content analysis-the illustration and modeling of affectional video content[1]. the most focus of this work is to extract the options. the supply of methodologies for extracting content wills extent the present scope of video. The effective content is color, shot and motion. Among several of the multimedia system options, single low-level multimedia system options of shot length variance area unit extremely prognosticative of a viewers like/dislike. The user might want to pick out a moving picture not solely supported its solid, director and story content. Feature extraction and machine learning approaches are often used wont to calculate the score range of like and dislike. Color options, motion options and shot options area unit extracted. Here we have a tendency to calculate the score exploitation shot writing variance pattern. This calculated score supports to predict the success of preview before launching. It helps to avoid the loss of administrators. A trailer needs to have interaction viewers for fewer than a pair of minutes and thirty seconds, that is that the most length allowed by the MPAA (Motion image Association of America). So, the trailer aims to inform the story of a movie in engaging fashion. it's price to mention that in comparison these functions, the ratings of like/dislike correlate closely with the viewers written responses to the preview videos. For police investigation the changes in scene some fast scene analysis algorithms area unit used [2].
An efficient authentication protocol for mobile satellite communication systems

Nowadays, wireless communication becomes more and more popular. In 2003, Hwang et al. proposed an authentication scheme for mobile satellite communication systems. However, their proposed scheme lacks efficiency and perfect forward secrecy. Thus, we propose an efficient authentication protocol and also present another version for updating the session key to provide perfect forward secrecy in this paper.
Bivariate Non-parametric Anomaly Detection

Detecting anomalous traffic with low false alarm rates is of primary interest in IP networks management. In this paper we propose a novel anomaly detection system, based on a combined use of sketches and of a novel bivariate non-parametric detection method. The latter allows us to simultaneously analyse two different traffic features so as to improve the performance of the "classical" detection systems, in terms of both detection rate and false alarm rate. The preliminary performance analysis, presented in this paper, demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed system.
The Design of an Adaptive Middleware Load Balancing and Monitoring Service

Middleware is increasingly used as the infrastructure for applications with stringent quality of service (QoS) requirements, including scalability. One way to improve the scalability of distributed applications is to use adaptive middleware to balance system processing load dynamically among multiple servers. Adaptive middleware load balancing can help improve overall system performance by ensuring that client application requests are distributed and processed equitably across groups of servers. This paper presents the following contributions to research on adaptive middleware load balancing techniques: (1) it describes deficiencies with common loadbalancing techniques, such as introducing unnecessary overhead or not adapting dynamically to changing load conditions, and (2) it describes the capabilities and design of Cygnus, which is an adaptive load balancing service. The findings in this paper show that adaptive middleware load balancing is a viable solution for improving the scalability of distributed applications.
Web Document Clustering Using Fuzzy Equivalence Relations

Conventional clustering means classifying the given data objects as exclusive subsets (clusters). That means we can discriminate clearly whether an object belongs to a cluster or not. However such a partition is insufficient to represent many real situations. Therefore a fuzzy clustering method is offered to construct clusters with uncertain boundaries and allows that one object belongs to overlapping clusters with some membership degree. In other words, the essence of fuzzy clustering is to consider not only the belonging status to the clusters, but also to consider to what degree do the object belong to the cluster. In this paper, a technique called “Retrieval of Web documents using a fuzzy hierarchical clustering” is being proposed that creates the clusters of web documents using fuzzy hierarchical clustering .
Relationship between acceptable noise level and the abbreviated profile of hearing aid benefit.

PURPOSE This study investigated the relationship between acceptable noise levels (ANLs) and the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB; R. M. Cox & G. C. Alexander, 1995). This study further examined the APHAB's ability to predict hearing aid use. METHOD ANL and APHAB data were collected for 191 listeners with impaired hearing, separated into 3 groups based on hearing aid use: full-time, part-time, or nonuse. RESULTS Results demonstrated ANLs were not correlated with APHAB scores. Results further demonstrated 2 of the 4 APHAB subscales (Ease of Communication [EC] and Background Noise [BN]) predicted hearing aid success with 60% accuracy, which is 25% poorer than that observed using the ANL alone. When combining the ANL with the EC and BN subscales, accuracy of the prediction increased to 91%. Lastly, 3 of the 4 APHAB subscales (EC, BN, and Reverberation) enhanced the present prediction of hearing aid use for patients with mid-range ANLs. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that ANLs and APHAB scores provide unique information regarding hearing aid use. These results further indicate that the prediction can be enhanced by administering both the ANL and the EC and BN APHAB subscales. Lastly, some of the ambiguity of the prediction of hearing aid use for listeners with mid-range ANLs may be eliminated.
Physiological characteristics of America's Cup sailors

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the physiological profile of America's Cup grinders and mastmen, by measuring energy expenditure during sailing and assessing their aerobic and anaerobic fitness. The study focused on estimating the energy used during grinding activity, by measuring oxygen uptake ([Vdot]O2) during sail setting in real sailing conditions. In the laboratory, using an arm-cranking ergometer, we measured [Vdot]O2peak during an incremental maximal exercise test and total energy expended during the effort and recovery phases of an all-out test that simulated grinding activity, in six grinders and mastmen and ten sailors of the same crew. Total energy used during grinding corresponded to 45% (s = 9) and 51% (s = 5) of that used in the all-out test (234 kJ, s = 21.7) for tacks and gybes, respectively. In both grinding activity and the all-out test, [Vdot]O2 increased during and after the effort. The “[Vdot]O2 top value” was 53% (s = 8.6), 68% (s = 5.5), and 78% (s = 3.1) of [Vdot]O2peak (4.7 l · min−1, s = 0.43) in tacks, gybes, and the all-out test, respectively. During fast sequences of grinding activity, the “[Vdot]O2 top value” reached 65% (s = 7.1) [Vdot]O2peak in tacks and 91% (s = 3.3) [Vdot]O2peak in gybes. Our results suggest that grinders and mastmen are characterized by a high anaerobic capacity but their performance can be improved by powering aerobic fitness, to increase this energy contribution to all-out efforts and to guarantee fast recovery when grinding activity is repeated with short rest intervals.
Demonstration of botulinum toxins of types B and D in soil samples from Zambia

Clostridium botulinum, the aetiological agent of botulism, is currently split into seven types, designated by the letters A-G, according to differences in the neurotoxin produced. Types A, B, E, F and G are mostly found in soil or freshwater sediments, but types C and D seem to be commensals in mammals and birds and are, consequently, more widely dist:·ibuted in the environment (Popoff and Marvaud, 1999). There have been few surveys of the distribution of C. botulinum in the soils of Africa. Clostridium botulinum type-B and type-D botulinum toxins have been detected in soil samples from South Africa (Knock, 1952; Mason, 1968), and the type-A and type-C toxins have been demonstrated in Kenyan soil (Yamakawa et al., 1990). Although there have been at least two surveys of clostridia in Zambia (Munang'andu et al., 1996; Hang'ombe et al., 2000), the distribution of the seven types of C. botulinum in Zambian soils has not been described. The botulinum toxins in the 46 soil samples collected by Hang'ombe et al. (2000) were therefore investigated. These samples had been collected, 10-15 cm below ground level, from five sites in Zambia during the 1999 rainy season (i.e. January-March; see Fig.). Each of five, 1-g subsamples of each sample was inoculated into a tube containing 10 ml of chopped-meat-glucose medium (Holdeman et al., 1978; Yamakawa et al., 1988; Yamakawa and Nakamura, 1992), or of commercial, cooked-meat medium (Becton and Dickinson, Cockeysville, MD). The tubes were incubated anaerobically at 30°C for 5 days. The culture supernatants were then frozen and thawed before being checked for the presence of botulinum toxin, using the mouse assay (Yamakawa et al., 1988; Yamakawa and Nakamura, 1992). The antisera used for neutralization tests were purchased