Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
[Comparative evaluation of left ventricular function by two-dimensional echocardiography and three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in noncompaction cardiomyopathy. Results from the MAGYAR-Path Study].

INTRODUCTION Noncompaction cardiomyopathy develops due to the absence of myocardial compaction, and is associated with left ventricular dysfunction. AIM The aim of the study was to evaluate comparatively left ventricular dysfunction in patients with noncompaction cardiomyopathy using two-dimensional echocardiography and three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography. METHOD The present study comprised of 7 patients with noncompaction cardiomyopathy (62.9±8.5 years, 3 males) and 10 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (60.7±7.7 years, 2 males). All patients were examined by two-dimensional echocardiography and three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography for the evaluation of left ventricular function. RESULTS Increased left ventricular end-diastolic and end-systolic volumes and reduced left ventricular ejection fraction were detected in patients with noncompaction cardiomyopathy as compared to those measured in controls. All three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography-derived strain parameters of patients with noncompaction cardiomyopathy were found to be reduced as compared to the values of controls. Three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography-derived rotational parameters showed movements of the apical and basal segments in the same direction suggesting 'rigid body rotation' in all noncompaction cardiomyopathy cases. CONCLUSIONS Left ventricular function and contractility are severely reduced in patients with noncompaction cardiomyopathy. Absence of left ventricular twist could be demonstrated in a series of noncompaction cardiomyopathy patients.
3DIC developments for high yield and reliability manufacturing

3D-IC has been recognized as one of the technology solutions from More than Moore. Xilinx's 3D-IC FPGA has been well adopted by the industry since the first Virtex®-7 2000T introduced in 2011. In particular recently, data center requires large volume of 3D-IC for its applications. To fulfill the high demand effectively the best way is to provide the high yield and reliability 3D-IC product supply. The authors would like to share Xilinx's 3D-IC development experiences by means of launching process learning vehicles, pursuing early stages reliability assessment, and optimizing the process baseline. All the development efforts paved the foundation for a robust production line. At the end, the potential future 3D-IC technology challenges are outlined.
Quaternion-based robust fault-tolerant control of a quadrotor UAV

This paper deals with the active fault-tolerant control (FTC) of a quadrotor in the presence of actuator faults. Generally, it is assumed that the fault has been detected, isolated or identified, and then, one proceeds with a reconfigurable controller. This paper presents a complete active fault-tolerant control system with both fault detection and diagnosis (FDD), and FTC. The proposed FTC design is based on gain-scheduling control in the framework of structured H∞ synthesis. The scheduled gains are parameterized as polynomial functions of the loss of control effectiveness of the quadrotor actuators, estimated by a two-stage Kalman filter. Then, the MATLAB-based function systune tunes the polynomial coefficients to meet the robustness and performance requirement. In comparison with other FTC systems that use switching mechanisms, this smooth self-scheduled controller allows one to avoid undesirable transient phenomena during the controller reconfiguration process. Numerical simulations performed on an underactuated six degrees of freedom quadrotor nonlinear model show the effectiveness of the proposed FTC in accommodating different levels of actuator faults. To avoid singularities associated with Euler angles, unit quaternion representations are used to describe the rotational motion of the quadrotor.
Arrhythmogenic Remodeling of &bgr;2 Versus &bgr;1 Adrenergic Signaling in the Human Failing Heart

Background—Arrhythmia is the major cause of death in patients with heart failure, for which &bgr;-adrenergic receptor blockers are a mainstay therapy. But the role of &bgr;-adrenergic signaling in electrophysiology and arrhythmias has never been studied in human ventricles. Methods and Results—We used optical imaging of action potentials and [Ca2+]i transients to compare the &bgr;1- and &bgr;2-adrenergic responses in left ventricular wedge preparations of human donor and failing hearts. &bgr;1-Stimulation significantly increased conduction velocity, shortened action potential duration, and [Ca2+]i transients duration (CaD) in donor but not in failing hearts, because of desensitization of &bgr;1-adrenergic receptor in heart failure. In contrast, &bgr;2-stimulation increased conduction velocity in both donor and failing hearts but shortened action potential duration only in failing hearts. &bgr;2-Stimulation also affected transmural heterogeneity in action potential duration but not in [Ca2+]i transients duration. Both &bgr;1- and &bgr;2-stimulation augmented the vulnerability and frequency of ectopic activity and enhanced substrates for ventricular tachycardia in failing, but not in donor, hearts. Both &bgr;1- and &bgr;2-stimulation enhanced Purkinje fiber automaticity, whereas only &bgr;2-stimulation promoted Ca-mediated premature ventricular contractions in heart failure. Conclusions—During end-stage heart failure, &bgr;2-stimulation creates arrhythmogenic substrates via conduction velocity regulation and transmurally heterogeneous repolarization. &bgr;2-Stimulation is, therefore, more arrhythmogenic than &bgr;1-stimulation. In particular, &bgr;2-stimulation increases the transmural difference between [Ca2+]i transients duration and action potential duration, which facilitates the formation of delayed afterdepolarizations.
On the Unprecedented Scalability of the FISSION (Flexible Interconnection of Scalable Systems Integrated Using Optical Networks) Datacenter

Internet traffic is doubling almost every other year which implies that datacenter (DC) scalability will play a critical role in enabling future communications. In this paper, we propose FISSION (Flexible Interconnection of Scalable Systems Integrated using Optical Networks)-a scalable, fault-tolerant DC architecture based on a switchless optical-bus backplane and carrier-class switches, and its supporting protocol. The FISSION DC enables unprecedented scalability using affordable optics and standardized electrical switches. It is architecturally bifurcated into sectors that internally have a nonblocking carrier-class switching interconnection structure. Sectors are connected in the switchless backplane using optical buses. Each sector can receive traffic on all wavelengths (achieved through optical-bus property without any switch reconfiguration) and across all fibers, but a sector transmits on only a group of wavelengths and only in one of the fiber rings in the backplane. The switches function based on an SDN methodology that facilitate mapping of complex protocols and addresses to DC-specific addressing that is scalable and easier to use. We present an analysis to optimize the FISSION architecture. A simulation model is proposed that (1) compares the FISSION approach to other contemporary designs; (2) provides scalability analysis and protocol performance measurement; and, (3) provides optical layer modeling to validate working of the FISSION framework at high line-rates. Our architecture, which provides 100% bisection bandwidth, is validated by simulation results exhibiting negligible packet loss and low end-to-end latency.
Applying the Social Ecological Model to Creating Asthma-Friendly Schools in Louisiana.

BACKGROUND In 2010, the Louisiana Asthma Management and Prevention Program (LAMP) implemented the Asthma-Friendly Schools Initiative in high-risk Louisiana populations. The social ecological model (SEM) was used as a framework for an asthma program implemented in 70 state K-12 public schools over 2 years. METHODS Activities included a needs assessment, identification of students with asthma, individualized asthma action plans (AAP), staff trainings, environmental quality improvement, and school system policy changes to address the asthma burden. RESULTS There were 522 new or existing asthma cases recognized. Asthma knowledge/awareness was measurably improved among school personnel. School indoor air quality was improved across all locations. School-level policies were adopted that improved AAP collection, compliance to bus-idling restrictions, and asthma medication self-carry. CONCLUSIONS The SEM framework can be used for school-based programs to address successfully and improve asthma-related issues from the individual through policy levels.
Bimodal Interaction of Coatomer with the p24 Family of Putative Cargo Receptors

Cytoplasmic domains of members of the p24 family of putative cargo receptors were shown to bind to coatomer, the coat protein of COPI-coated transport vesicles. Domains that contained dilysine endoplasmic reticulum retrieval signals bound the α-, β′-, and ϵ-COP subunits of coatomer, whereas other p24 domains bound the β-, γ-, and ζ-COP subunits and required a phenylalanine-containing motif. Transit of a CD8-p24 chimera from the endoplasmic reticulum through the Golgi complex was slowed when the phenylalanine motif was mutated, suggesting that this motif may function as an anterograde transport signal. The either-or bimodal binding of coatomer to p24 tails suggests models for how coatomer can potentially package retrograde-directed and anterograde-directed cargo into distinct COPI-coated vesicles.
Principles of good practice for decision analytic modeling in health-care evaluation: report of the ISPOR Task Force on Good Research Practices--Modeling Studies.

OBJECTIVES Mathematical modeling is used widely in economic evaluations of pharmaceuticals and other health-care technologies. Users of models in government and the private sector need to be able to evaluate the quality of models according to scientific criteria of good practice. This report describes the consensus of a task force convened to provide modelers with guidelines for conducting and reporting modeling studies. METHODS The task force was appointed with the advice and consent of the Board of Directors of ISPOR. Members were experienced developers or users of models, worked in academia and industry, and came from several countries in North America and Europe. The task force met on three occasions, conducted frequent correspondence and exchanges of drafts by electronic mail, and solicited comments on three drafts from a core group of external reviewers and more broadly from the membership of ISPOR. RESULTS Criteria for assessing the quality of models fell into three areas: model structure, data used as inputs to models, and model validation. Several major themes cut across these areas. Models and their results should be represented as aids to decision making, not as statements of scientific fact; therefore, it is inappropriate to demand that models be validated prospectively before use. However, model assumptions regarding causal structure and parameter estimates should be continually assessed against data, and models should be revised accordingly. Structural assumptions and parameter estimates should be reported clearly and explicitly, and opportunities for users to appreciate the conditional relationship between inputs and outputs should be provided through sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS Model-based evaluations are a valuable resource for health-care decision makers. It is the responsibility of model developers to conduct modeling studies according to the best practicable standards of quality and to communicate results with adequate disclosure of assumptions and with the caveat that conclusions are conditional upon the assumptions and data on which the model is built.
Intermediate-Signal-Intensity Late Gadolinium Enhancement Predicts Ventricular Tachyarrhythmias in Patients With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Background— In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the arrhythmic potential associated with a variety of left ventricular myocardial signal intensities evident on contrast-enhanced cardiovascular magnetic resonance with late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) is unresolved. Methods and Results— In 145 HCM patients (43±15 years old), visually identified areas of LGE in left ventricle were analyzed quantitatively for intermediate (≥4 but <6 SD) and high (≥6 SD above the mean signal intensity of normal myocardium) LGE signal intensity (LGE-SI). Ambulatory Holter ECGs were obtained within 7.8±8.3 weeks of cardiovascular magnetic resonance. HCM patients with nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, ventricular couplets, and premature ventricular contractions showed greater amounts of intermediate LGE-SI (17±7 versus 10±10 g, 16±10 versus 10±11 g, and 13±8 versus 10±13 g, respectively; P=0.003 to <0.001) and greater amounts of high LGE-SI (15±6 versus 10±8 g, 14±9 versus 10±12 g, and 12±7 versus 10±8 g, respectively; P=0.02–0.003) than patients without these arrhythmias. In HCM patients with either nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, couplets, or premature ventricular contractions, the extent of intermediate LGE-SI exceeded that of high LGE-SI (17±7 versus 15±6 g, 16±10 versus 14±9 g, and 13±8 versus 12±7 g, respectively; P=0.01–0.04). In addition, the receiver operating characteristic area under the curve established intermediate LGE-SI as a better discriminator of patients with nonsustained ventricular tachycardia than was high LGE-SI, with 7 additional patients with this arrhythmia identified. Conclusions— In patients with HCM, intermediate LGE-SI is a better predictor of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (including nonsustained ventricular tachycardia, a risk factor for sudden death) than is high LGE-SI. Longitudinal studies in larger HCM cohorts are justified to define the independent prognostic impact of intermediate LGE-SI.
Protocols and Architectures for Wireless Sensor Networks

Preface. List of Abbreviations. A guide to the book. 1. Introduction. 1.1 The vision of Ambient Intelligence. 1.2 Application examples. 1.3 Types of applications. 1.4 Challenges for WSNs. 1.5 Why are sensor networks different? 1.6 Enabling technologies. PART I: ARCHITECTURES. 2. Single node architecture. 2.1 Hardware components. 2.2 Energy consumption of sensor nodes. 2.3 Operating systems and execution environments. 2.4 Some examples of sensor nodes. 2.5 Conclusion. 3. Network architecture. 3.1 Sensor network scenarios. 3.2 Optimization goals & figures of merit. 3.3 Design principles for WSNs. 3.4 Service interfaces of WSNs. 3.5 Gateway concepts. 3.6 Conclusion. PART II: COMMUNICATION PROTOCOLS. 4. Physical Layer. 4.1 Introduction. 4.2 Wireless channel and communication fundamentals. 4.3 Physical layer & transceiver design considerations in WSNs. 4.4 Further reading. 5. MAC Protocols 133 5.1 Fundamentals of (wireless) MAC protocols. 5.2 Low duty cycle protocols and wakeup concepts. 5.3 Contention-based protocols. 5.4 Schedule-based protocols. 5.5 The IEEE 802.15.4 MAC protocol. 5.6 How about IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth? 5.7 Further reading. 5.8 Conclusion. 6. Link Layer Protocols. 6.1 Fundamentals: Tasks and requirements. 6.2 Error control. 6.3 Framing. 6.4 Link management. 6.5 Summary. 7. Naming and Addressing. 7.1 Fundamentals. 7.2 Address and name management in wireless sensor networks. 7.3 Assignment of MAC addresses. 7.4 Distributed assignment of locally unique addresses. 7.5 Content-based and geographic addressing. 7.6 Summary. 8. Time Synchronization. 8.1 Introduction to the time synchronization problem. 8.2 Protocols based on sender/receiver synchronization. 8.3 Protocols based on receiver/receiver synchronization. 8.4 Further reading. 9. Localization and Positioning. 9.1 Properties of positioning. 9.2 Possible approaches. 9.3 Mathematical basics for the lateration problem. 9.4 Single-hop localization. 9.5 Positioning in multi-hop environments. 9.6 Impact of anchor placement. 9.7 Further reading. 9.8 Conclusion. 10. Topology control 295 10.1 Motivation and basic ideas. 10.2 Flat network topologies. 10.3 Hierarchical networks by dominating sets. 10.4 Hierarchical networks by clustering. 10.5 Combining hierarchical topologies and power control. 10.6 Adaptive node activity. 10.7 Conclusions. 11. Routing protocols. 11.1 The many faces of forwarding and routing. 11.2 Gossiping and agent-based unicast forwarding. 11.3 Energy-efficient unicast. 11.4 Broadcast and multicast. 11.5 Geographic routing. 11.6 Mobile nodes. 11.7 Conclusions. 12. Data-centric and content-based networking 395. 12.1 Introduction. 12.2 Data-centric routing. 12.3 Data aggregation. 12.4 Data-centric storage. 12.5 Conclusions. 13. Transport Layer and Quality of Service. 13.1 The transport layer and QoS in wireless sensor networks. 13.2 Coverage and deployment. 13.3 Reliable data transport. 13.5 Block delivery. 13.6 Congestion control and rate control. 14. Advanced application support. 14.1 Advanced in-network processing. 14.2 Security. 14.3 Application-specific support. Bibliography. Index.
SUPPRESSION OF HIPPOCAMPAL EPILEPTIFORM ACTIVITY IN VITRO AFTER LASER EXPOSURE

Extracellular field potentials were recorded in the stratum pyramidale of CA3 in hippocampal slices prepared from male Sprague-Dawley rats. Electrical stimuli were delivered to s. radiatum of CA3. After stable responses were established, stimulus trains were delivered every 5 mm until stable triggered and spontaneous population bursts were elicited. The slices were then irradiated with a low power (25 mW) argon laser. No changes in the morphology or number of epileptiform bursts were found while the laser was on. However, when the laser was turned off, there was a highly significant reduction in frequency and morphology of bursts. These results indicate that exposure to light alters epileptiform activity within the hippocampus in vitro, and provides evidence indicating that the central nervous system is photosensitive.
Klimawandel aus Sicht der Mediennutzer. Multifaktorielles Wirkungsmodell der Medienerfahrung zur komplexen Wissensdomäne Klimawandel

Der Klimawandel gehört heute zu den Top-Themen der Medienagenda. Während die Berichterstattung der Medien von der Kommunikationswissenschaft gut begleitet wurde, besteht bezüglich der Publikumsperspektive in diesem Bereich eine Forschungslücke. So wurde bislang wenig erforscht, welchen Einfluss die Medienberichterstattung auf die Wahrnehmung des Klimawandels der Mediennutzer und damit der Bürger hat. Diese Fragestellung steht daher im Fokus des vorliegenden Beitrags. Dabei wird ein theoretisch fundiertes Wirkungsmodell der Medienerfahrung zu komplexen Wissensdomänen – hier: zum Klimawandel – vorgestellt, das die dynamisch-transaktionale Perspektive berücksichtigt. Daran anknüpfend werden, als Momentaufnahme in dieses Modell eingebettet, empirische Ergebnisse einer repräsentativen Online-Befragung vorgestellt. Diese Befunde zeigen, dass die Nutzung von Medieninhalten vor allem mit dem Wissensstand zum Thema zusammenhängt sowie mit der Bereitschaft zur Übernahme von Verantwortung und zu Handlungen, die dem Klimawandel entgegenwirken sollen. Die affektive Bewertung des Problembewusstseins hängt dagegen nicht mit der Mediennutzung zusammen. Diesbezüglich sind vor allem individuelle Merkmale, wie z. B. das Umweltbewusstsein, relevant. Ferner wird aufgezeigt, dass das soziale Umfeld ebenfalls ein bedeutsamer Einflussfaktor für die individuelle Einstellung zum Klimawandel ist.
A practical implementation of free viewpoint video system for soccer games

In this paper, we present a free viewpoint video generation system with billboard representation for soccer games. Free viewpoint video generation is a technology that enables users to watch 3-D objects from their desired viewpoints. Practical implementation of free viewpoint video for sports events is highly demanded. However, a commercially acceptable system has not yet been developed. The main obstacles are insufficient user-end quality of the synthesized images and highly complex procedures that sometimes require manual operations. In this work, we aim to develop a commercially acceptable free viewpoint video system with a billboard representation. A supposed scenario is that soccer games during the day can be broadcasted in 3-D, even in the evening of the same day. Our work is still ongoing. However, we have already developed several techniques to support our goal. First, we captured an actual soccer game at an official stadium where we used 20 full-HD professional cameras. Second, we have implemented several tools for free viewpoint video generation as follow. In order to facilitate free viewpoint video generation, all cameras should be calibrated. We calibrated all cameras using checker board images and feature points on the field (cross points of the soccer field lines). We extract each player region from captured images manually. The background region is estimated by observing chrominance changes of each pixel in temporal domain (automatically). Additionally, we have developed a user interface for visualizing free viewpoint video generation using a graphic library (OpenGL), which is suitable for not only commercialized TV sets but also devices such as smartphones. However, practical system has not yet been completed and our study is still ongoing.
On minimax solutions of linear equations

where E" is the n dimensional Euclidean space and r,(jc) denotes the ith element of r{x). An excellent discussion of the above problem and several algorithms for its solution are given by Cheney (1966). He calls one of these algorithms, which is due to Stiefel (1959, 1960, 1963), the ascent algorithm. In this paper, we shall reformulate the ascent algorithm (Cheney, 1966, p. 45) by making use of the Generalised inverse (Penrose, 1955, 1956). This will make it possible for us to express the algorithm in the tableau form associated with the Revised Simplex Method for the solution of linear programming problem (Kiinzi, Tzschach, and Zehnder, 1968). The principal advantages of the algorithm given in this paper are:
Beamformer design for wireless energy transfer with fairness

Wireless energy harvesting is one of the promising alternative techniques to power wireless networks. To improve the energy harvesting capability, energy beamforming has recently drawn significant attention. In this paper, we consider energy harvesting in a multi-user multi-input single-output (MU-MISO) network, and investigate two energy beamforming schemes which ensure fairness among the energy levels harvested by all users in the network. In particular, we investigate how to maximize the minimum harvested energy in the network by using i) a single beamforming vector; and ii) multiple beamforming vectors. We solve these problems by using semidefinite programming. The performance of different beamforming techniques is discussed with the aid of numerical simulations.
A language-independent programmer's interface

This paper addresses the general problem of creating a suitable on-line environment for programming. The amount of software, and the effort required to produce it, to support such an on-line environment is very large relative to that needed to produce a programming language, and is largely responsible for the scarcity of such programming environments. The size of this effort was largely responsible for the scrapping of a major language (QA4) as a separate entity and its inclusion instead as a set of extensions in a LISP environment. The few systems which do exist (e.g., LISP, APL, BASIC, and PL/I) have greatly benefited their users and have strongly contributed to the widespread acceptance of the associated language.