Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pantothenic acid deficiency induced in human subjects.

Bean and Hodges (1) gave a preliminary report of four young men in whom clinical disorders and metabolic faults were induced by a "diet" devoid of pantothenic acid, with omega-methylpantothenic acid, a vitamin antagonist (Figure 1). It is proposed here to describe details of the experiments, results, and some interpretations. The background for using molecular antagonists (2, 3) in human nutrition had been explored previously using antagonists to nicotinic acid (4). Among the accepted B-complex vitamins, pantothenic acid has been most puzzling in human nutrition. Its discovery by Williams, Lyman, Goodyear, Truesdail, and Holaday (5) and its presence in coenzyme A (6) suggested metabolic functions in man. Its employment in treating undernourished persons yielded no clue. Data from experimental animals revealed that the principal manifestations of its deficiency are those of adrenal cortical failure, accompanied by low plasma cholesterol, gastrointestinal symptoms and lesions, impaired antibody production, neurological lesions and alterations of the epidermis (7-11). The function of pantothenic acid in animals has been clarified by Drell, Dunn and their co-workers (1215) who synthesized omega-methylpantothenic acid, demonstrated that it antagonized pantothenic acid, determined its toxicity in animals and showed that its deleterious effects could be reversed or prevented by pantothenic acid. Some of these observations were verified and extended by Shils (16).
Autonomic control of heart rate by metabolically sensitive skeletal muscle afferents in humans

Isolated activation of metabolically sensitive skeletal muscle afferents (muscle metaboreflex) using post‐exercise ischaemia (PEI) following handgrip partially maintains exercise‐induced increases in arterial blood pressure (BP) and muscle sympathetic nerve activity (SNA), while heart rate (HR) declines towards resting values. Although masking of metaboreflex‐mediated increases in cardiac SNA by parasympathetic reactivation during PEI has been suggested, this has not been directly tested in humans. In nine male subjects (23 ± 5 years) the muscle metaboreflex was activated by PEI following moderate (PEI‐M) and high (PEI‐H) intensity isometric handgrip performed at 25% and 40% maximum voluntary contraction, under control (no drug), parasympathetic blockade (glycopyrrolate) and β‐adrenergic blockade (metoprolol or propranalol) conditions, while beat‐to‐beat HR and BP were continuously measured. During control PEI‐M, HR was slightly elevated from rest (+3 ± 2 beats min−1); however, this HR elevation was abolished with β‐adrenergic blockade (P < 0.05 vs. control) but augmented with parasympathetic blockade (+8 ± 2 beats min−1, P < 0.05 vs. control and β‐adrenergic blockade). The HR elevation during control PEI‐H (+9 ± 3 beats min−1) was greater than with PEI‐M (P < 0.05), and was also attenuated with β‐adrenergic blockade (+4 ± 2 beats min−1, P < 0.05 vs. control), but was unchanged with parasympathetic blockade (+9 ± 2 beats min−1, P > 0.05 vs. control). BP was similarly increased from rest during PEI‐M and further elevated during PEI‐H (P < 0.05) in all conditions. Collectively, these findings suggest that the muscle metaboreflex increases cardiac SNA during PEI in humans; however, it requires a robust muscle metaboreflex activation to offset the influence of cardiac parasympathetic reactivation on heart rate.
Symptoms Moderating the Association Between Recent Suicide Attempts and Trauma Levels: Fan-Shaped Effects

The present study focuses on variables moderating the incidence of recent suicide attempt in a large community sample (n = 39,617) of French citizens with various levels of trauma. Five trauma levels were established based on posttraumatic stress disorder items of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Twenty-three symptoms were examined as potential moderating variables with a fan-shaped pattern. Seven symptoms regarding desire for death, self-harm intention, suicidal ideation, lifetime suicide attempt, depressed mood, loss of interest, and panic attack exhibited the fan-shaped pattern. The absence of these moderating symptoms decreases the incidence of suicide attempt and their presence leads to a gradual increase.
Changing social responsibilities: the role of advocacy organisations in the construction of the Social Support Act in the Netherlands

This paper describes a study on civic participation in legislative processes. In January 2007 a new law on health and social care in the Netherlands was implemented: the Social Support Act (SSA). This law specifically aims at greater civic participation in the implementation of the law, in the provision of health and social care and in the social policy making process. This study focuses on civic participation in policy making, more specifically on civic participation in the legislative process of the Social Support Act. It examines whether national advocacy organisations were successful in their efforts to influence the legislative process and the final construction of the Social Support Act. The main conclusion is that the client and patient organisations were indeed successful in obtaining important changes in the law both through a well informed and professional individual lobby as well as by means of collective action. Yet questions concerning the justification of high expectations for successful local civic participation in the local policy-making process remain.
Unsupervised Feature Selection Based on Space Filling Concept

The paper deals with the adaptation of a new measure for the unsupervised feature selection problems. The proposed measure is based on space filling concept and is called the coverage measure. This measure was used for judging the quality of an experimental space filling design. In the present work, the coverage measure is adapted for selecting the smallest informative subset of variables by reducing redundancy in data. This paper proposes a simple analogy to apply this measure. It is implemented in a filter algorithm for unsupervised feature selection problems. The proposed filter algorithm is robust with high dimensional data and can be implemented without extra parameters. Further, it is tested with simulated data and real world case studies including environmental data and hyperspectral image. Finally, the results are evaluated by using random forest algorithm.
Optimizing Resource Allocations for Dynamic Interactive Applications

Author(s): Bird, Sarah Lynn | Advisor(s): Asanovic, Krste; Patterson, David | Abstract: Modern computing systems are under intense pressure to provide guaranteed responsiveness to their workloads. Ideally, applications with strict performance requirements should be given just enough resources to meet these requirements consistently, without unnecessarily siphoning resources from other applications. However, executing multiple parallel, real-time applications while satisfying response time requirements is a complex optimization problem and traditionally operating systems have provided little support to provide QoS to applications. As a result, client, cloud, and embedded systems have all resorted to over-provisioning and isolating applications to guarantee responsiveness. Instead, we present PACORA, a resource allocation framework designed to provide responsiveness guarantees to a simultaneous mix of high-throughput parallel, interactive, and real-time applications in an efficient, scalable manner. By measuring application behavior directly and using convex optimization techniques, PACORA is able to understand the resource requirements of applications and perform near-optimal resource allocation---2% from the best allocation in 1.4ms while only requiring a few hundred bytes of storage per application.
Multi-class abnormal breast tissue segmentation using texture features

This paper motivated to design and develops an automatic model for multi-class breast tissue segmentation in breast mammogram images. Various breast tissues are categorized by a novel texture features such as PTPSA-[Piece-wise Triangular Prism Surface Area], intensity difference and regular-intensity in mammogram images. Using CRF-[Classical Random Forest] method segmentation and classification of the features can be obtained in mammogram images. The input image feature values are compared with the ground-truth values for confirming the true positive rate of the proposed approach. Efficacy of abnormal breast tissue segmentation is evaluated using publicly available MIAS training dataset. Performance evaluation of the proposed approach can be obtained by comparing the simulation output with the ground truth data. The accuracy of the proposed approach reaches up to 97% for MIAS database.
Therapist-guided, Internet-based cognitive–behavioural therapy for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD-NET): a feasibility study

Objectives Cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD). However, most sufferers do not have access to this treatment. One way to increase access to CBT is to administer treatment remotely via the Internet. This study piloted a novel therapist-supported, Internet-based CBT program for BDD (BDD-NET). Design Uncontrolled clinical trial. Participants Patients (N=23) were recruited through self-referral and assessed face to face at a clinic specialising in obsessive–compulsive and related disorders. Suitable patients were offered secure access to BDD-NET. Intervention BDD-NET is a 12-week treatment program based on current psychological models of BDD that includes psychoeducation, functional analysis, cognitive restructuring, exposure and response prevention, and relapse prevention modules. A dedicated therapist provides active guidance and feedback throughout the entire process. Main outcome measure The clinician-administered Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale for BDD (BDD-YBOCS). Symptom severity was assessed pretreatment, post-treatment and at the 3-month follow-up. Results BDD-NET was deemed highly acceptable by patients and led to significant improvements on the BDD-YBOCS (p=<0.001) with a large within-group effect size (Cohen's d=2.01, 95% CI 1.05 to 2.97). At post-treatment, 82% of the patients were classified as responders (defined as≥30% improvement on the BDD-YBOCS). These gains were maintained at the 3-month follow-up. Secondary outcome measures of depression, global functioning and quality of life also showed significant improvements with moderate to large effect sizes. On average, therapists spent 10 min per patient per week providing support. Conclusions The results suggest that BDD-NET has the potential to greatly increase access to CBT, at least for low-risk individuals with moderately severe BDD symptoms and reasonably good insight. A randomised controlled trial of BDD-NET is warranted. Trial registration number Clinicaltrials.gov registration ID NCT01850433.
Acupressure Improves the Weaning Indices of Tidal Volumes and Rapid Shallow Breathing Index in Stable Coma Patients Receiving Mechanical Ventilation: Randomized Controlled Trial

Background. Acupressure has been shown to improve respiratory parameters. We investigated the effects of acupressure on weaning indices in stable coma patients receiving mechanical ventilation. Methods. Patients were randomly allocated to one of three treatments: standard care with adjunctive acupressure on one (n = 32) or two days (n = 31) and standard care (n = 31). Acupressure in the form of 10 minutes of bilateral stimulation at five acupoints was administered per treatment session. Weaning indices were collected on two days before, right after, and at 0.5 hrs, 1 hr, 1.5 hrs, 2 hrs, 2.5 hrs, 3 hrs, 3.5 hrs, and 4 hrs after the start of treatment. Results. There were statistically significant improvements in tidal volumes and index of rapid shallow breathing in the one-day and two-day adjunctive acupressure study arms compared to the standard care arm immediately after acupressure and persisting until 0.5, 1 hr, and 2 hrs after adjustment for covariates. Conclusions. In the stable ventilated coma patient, adjunctive acupressure contributes to improvements in tidal volumes and the index of rapid shallow breathing, the two indices most critical for weaning patients from mechanical ventilation. These effects tend to be immediate and likely to be sustained for 1 to 2 hours.
Visualization of networked collaboration in digital ecosystems through two-mode network patterns

Collaboration in Digital Ecosystems can be very complex due to varying types and numbers of actors and artifacts, and the many possible interactions between these entities. Hereby, network visualizations are useful for analyzing networked collaboration and consequently for supporting cognitive processes, like fostering reflection, enabling awareness in students' learning. In this paper, we examine different techniques for visualizing ICT-enabled interactions in Digital Ecosystems. After giving a brief overview of related work, we argue for the application of two-mode networks for visualizing patterns of networked collaboration and discuss different issues by comparing this technique to traditional visualizations.
The moduli space of Riemann surfaces is Kähler hyperbolic

Let $\cM_{g,n}$ be the moduli space of Riemann surfaces of genus $g$ with $n$ punctures. From a complex perspective, moduli space is hyperbolic. For example, $\cM_{g,n}$ is abundantly populated by immersed holomorphic disks of constant curvature -1 in the Teichm\"uller (=Kobayashi) metric. When $r=\dim_{\cx} \cM_{g,n}$ is greater than one, however, $\cM_{g,n}$ carries no complete metric of bounded negative curvature. Instead, Dehn twists give chains of subgroups $\zed^r \subset \pi_1(\cM_{g,n})$ reminiscent of flats in symmetric spaces of rank $r>1$. In this paper we introduce a new K\"ahler metric on moduli space that exhibits its hyperbolic tendencies in a form compatible with higher rank.
New delay-dependent stability result and its application to robust performance analysis for discrete-time systems with delay

The problem of delay-dependent stability analysis for discrete-time systems with time-varying delay is addressed in this paper. By introducing a novel Lyapunov functional and a couple of slack matrix variables, new delay-dependent conditions are presented in terms of linear matrix inequality. Via the proposed method, delay-dependent results on robust performance analysis for discrete time-delay systems are also presented. Numerical examples are provided to show the reduced conservatism than the existing results.
Multipole method for microstructured optical fibers

We describe a multipole method for calculating the modes of microstructured optical fibers. The method uses a multipole expansion centered on each hole to enforce boundary conditions accurately and matches expansions with different origins by use of addition theorems. We also validate the method and give representative results. © 2002 Optical Society of America OCIS codes: 060.2280, 060.2400, 060.4510.
Exaggerated impulsivity: a cause or a consequence of adolescent repeated ethanol withdrawal?

Binge alcohol drinking is a major public health concern world wide and its occurrence is rising among young adults. Using animal and human subjects, this thesis evaluates the impact of binge drinking during a time of neurodevelopment on aspects of impulse control, and studies the potential of addressing a molecular target, the μ-opioid receptor, to alleviate elevated impulsive-like behaviour. First, the nature of impulsivity is described in a review paper. We demonstrate the suitability of the Five-Choice Serial Reaction Time Task (5-CSRTT) for measuring one facet of impulsivity, waiting impulsivity, in mice. Bridging the animal and human laboratories, we developed a novel human analogue of the 5-CSRTT (paper 2). Elevated impulsive behaviour was detected in both young human binge drinkers and in an ethanol-preferring strain of mice, suggesting impulsivity to occur as a prelude to heavy alcohol use. In a second approach (paper 3), we studied the long term effects of intermittent alcohol exposure using a mouse model of adolescent binge drinking. We revealed disrupted impulsive behaviour in adulthood in two different inbred strains, which differ in baseline impulsivity and ethanol drinking patterns, indicating that impulsivity is also a consequence of ethanol exposure. In paper 4 we studied the ability of an opioid antagonist to improve top-down control of impulsive behaviour. Consilience between species and paradigms will need to be further addressed in future studies, but antagonising μ-opioid systems may aid in preventing binge drinking by facilitating inhibitory control mechanisms. Collectively, from animal and human evidence, this thesis will argue that exaggerated impulsivity may result from repeated ethanol withdrawal in adolescence as well as being a pre-existing endophenotype contributing to adolescent binge drinking. Disentangling such a relationship may help delineate new lines of intervention for at-risk individuals.
A cross-modal investigation into the relationships between bistable perception and a global temporal mechanism

When the two eyes are presented with sufficiently different images, Binocular Rivalry (BR) occurs. BR is a form of bistable perception involving stochastic alternations in awareness between distinct images shown to each eye. It has been suggested that the dynamics of BR are due to the activity of a central temporal process and are linked to involuntary mechanisms of selective attention (aka exogenous attention). To test these ideas, stimuli designed to evoke exogenous attention and central temporal processes were employed during BR observation. These stimuli included auditory and visual looming motion and streams of transient events of varied temporal rate and pattern. Although these stimuli exerted a strong impact over some aspects of BR, they were unable to override its characteristic stochastic pattern of alternations completely. It is concluded that BR is subject to distributed influences, but ultimately, is achieved in neural processing areas specific to the binocular conflict.
Distributed Resource Reservation in Massively Parallel Processor Arrays

This paper proposes a methodology for applications to automatically claim linear arrays of processing elements within massively parallel processor arrays at run-time depending on the available degree of parallelism or dynamic computing requirements. Using this methodology, parallel programs running on individual processing elements gain the capability of autonomously managing the available processing resources in their neighborhood. We present different protocols and architectural support for gathering and transporting the result of a resource exploration for informing a configuration loader about the number and location of the claimed resources. Timing and data overhead cost of four different approaches are mathematically evaluated. In order to verify and compare these decentralized algorithms, a simulation platform has been developed to compare the data overhead and scalability of each approach for different sizes of processor arrays.
A Bayesian Discriminating Features Method for Face Detection

This paper presents a novel Bayesian discriminating features (BDF) method for multiple frontal face detection. The BDF method, which is trained on images from only one database, yet works on test images from diverse sources, displays robust generalization performance. The novelty of this paper comes from the integration of the discriminating feature analysis of the input image, the statistical modeling of face and nonface classes, and the Bayes classifier for multiple frontal face detection. First, feature analysis derives a discriminating feature vector by combining the input image, its 1D Harr wavelet representation, and its amplitude projections. While the Harr wavelets produce an effective representation for object detection, the amplitude projections capture the vertical symmetric distributions and the horizontal characteristics of human face images. Second, statistical modeling estimates the conditional probability density functions, or PDFs, of the face and nonface classes, respectively. While the face class is usually modeled as a multivariate normal distribution, the nonface class is much more difficult to model due to the fact that it includes "the rest of the world. " The estimation of such a broad category is, in practice, intractable. However, one can still derive a subset of the nonfaces that lie closest to the face class, and then model this particular subset as a multivariate normal distribution.
Review of gunshot injuries in cats and dogs and utility of a triage scoring system to predict short-term outcome: 37 cases (2003-2008).

OBJECTIVE To describe the signalment, wound characteristics, and treatment of gunshot injuries in cats and dogs in urban and rural environments, and to evaluate the utility of the animal trauma triage (ATT) score as an early predictor of survival to discharge from the hospital. DESIGN Retrospective case series. ANIMALS 29 dogs and 8 cats. PROCEDURES Medical records of cats and dogs evaluated for gunshot wounds from 2003 and 2008 at a private urban referral practice in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and an urban veterinary teaching hospital in Ames, Iowa, were reviewed. Information collected included signalment, chief reason for evaluation, circumstance of the injury, general physical examination findings, wound characteristics, treatments provided, cost of care, survival to discharge from the hospital (yes vs no), and duration of hospital stay. For each animal, ATT scores were calculated and evaluated as a prognostic tool. RESULTS 37 animals met study inclusion criteria. Animals with higher ATT scores had a greater likelihood of poor outcome following gunshot injury. Animals with higher ATT scores, classified as low (< 4.5) or high (> 4.5), were found to have a longer duration of stay, classified as zero (0 days), short (1 to 3 days), or long (> 3 days). Young male dogs generally considered working breeds were overrepresented (29/37 [78.4%]). A preference for low-velocity, low-kinetic-energy firearms was identified (19/37 [52%]). The most numerous wounds were those inflicted to the limbs (12/37 [32.4%]), during low-visibility hours or hunting excursions. Calculated ATT scores on admission were higher in animals requiring blood products or surgical procedures and in nonsurvivors. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results of the present study suggested that regional preferences in breed ownership and firearm choice are responsible for variation in gunshot injury characteristics and management in animals sustaining injuries in rural and urban settings in Iowa. In cats and dogs, calculation of an ATT score may provide a useful predictor of the need for surgery or blood products, duration of stay, and likelihood of survival to discharge from the hospital.