Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feeding and sleeping problems in infancy--a follow-up at early school age.

BACKGROUND Feeding and sleeping problems are common during infancy. Many regulatory problems of this kind are connected to various child and family factors. This study is a follow-up of children with early feeding and/or sleeping problems, 6 years after clinical contacts. METHODS A total of 230 families (72%) participated in the questionnaire follow-up. Children and parents were compared with 227 (71%) reference families regarding sleeping and feeding problems, health factors in parent and child, psychosocial problems, stressful life events, social support, life satisfaction, and externalizing and internalizing behaviour in the child. RESULTS Six years after clinical contacts the children with early feeding and/or sleeping problems still had more problems of this kind compared with the reference children. Early child health problems were more frequent within the clinical group, but recent health problems did not separate the two groups. Mothers in the clinical sample reported more health problems than mothers in the reference group and clinical parents were less content with their social support and had more psychosocial problems, including stressful life events. Children in the clinical sample had more internalizing problems than comparison children. Recent feeding and sleeping problems were connected to more externalizing and internalizing problems. CONCLUSIONS Early regulatory problems, concerning sleeping or feeding, are less frequent when the child grows up, but nevertheless tend to remain. A clinical recommendation for child health care is to take both child and family factors into account, to individualize contacts, work with an all-inclusive perspective and have close follow-ups.
System-Level Health-Care Integration and the Costs of Cancer Care Across the Disease Continuum.

PURPOSE Policy reforms in the Affordable Care Act encourage health care integration to improve quality and lower costs. We examined the association between system-level integration and longitudinal costs of cancer care. METHODS We used linked SEER-Medicare data to identify patients age 66 to 99 years diagnosed with prostate, bladder, esophageal, pancreatic, lung, liver, kidney, colorectal, breast, or ovarian cancer from 2007 to 2012. We attributed each patient to one or more phases of care (ie, initial, continuing, and end of life) according to time from diagnosis until death or end of study interval. For each phase, we aggregated all claims with the primary cancer diagnosis and identified patients treated in an integrated delivery network (IDN), as defined by the Becker Hospital Review list of the top 100 most integrated health delivery systems. We then determined if care provided in an IDN was associated with decreased payments across cancers and for each individual cancer by phase and across phases. RESULTS We identified 428,300 patients diagnosed with one of 10 common cancers. Overall, there were no differences in phase-based payments between IDNs and non-IDNs. Average adjusted annual payments by phase for IDN versus non-IDNs were as follows: initial, $14,194 versus $14,421, respectively ( P = .672); continuing, $2,051 versus $2,099 ( P = .566); and end of life, $16,257 versus $16,232 ( P = .948). However, in select cancers, we observed lower payments in IDNs. For bladder cancer, payments at the end of life were lower for IDNs ($11,041 v $12,331; P = .008). Of the four cancers with the lowest 5-year survival rates (ie, pancreatic, lung, esophageal, and liver), average expenditures during the initial and continuing-care phases were lower for patients with liver cancer treated in IDNs. CONCLUSION For patients with one of 10 common malignancies, treatment in an IDN generally is not associated with lower costs during any phase of cancer care.
The Experimental Analysis of Cold Pressed Joint Technology for Selected Sheet Metals Used in an Automotive Industry

The paper presents the experimental research into joining materials DX51D and DP600 by clinching. Analyses were performed for four sheet metal arrangement combinations in relation to the die and punch, and the resulting joints were shear tested. Based on the results obtained, changes occurring in the diameter of the joint and pressing force were examined for material DX51D. The analysis of welding current effect on maximum strength of joint was conducted. The strengths of pressed and spot welded joints (commonly used in car body assembly) were compared.
Digital Chain of Custody: State of the Art

Digital forensics starts to show its role and contribution in the society as a solution in disclosure of cybercrime. The essential in digital forensics is chain of custody, which is an attempt to preserve the integrity of digital evidence as well as a procedure for performing documentation chronologically toward evidence. The characteristics of digital evidence have caused the handling chain of custody is becoming more complicated and complex. A number of researchers have contributed to provide solutions for the digital chain custody through a different point of views. This paper gives an overview of the extent to which the problem and challenges are faced in the digital chain of custody issue as well as the scope of researches that can be done to contribute in the issue of the digital chain of custody.
Conditional ablation and conditional rescue models for Casq2 elucidate the role of development and of cell-type specific expression of Casq2 in the CPVT2 phenotype

Cardiac calsequestrin (Casq2) associates with the ryanodine receptor 2 channel in the junctional sarcoplasmic reticulum to regulate Ca2+ release into the cytoplasm. Patients carrying mutations in CASQ2 display low resting heart rates under basal conditions and stress-induced polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT). In this study, we generate and characterize novel conditional deletion and conditional rescue mouse models to test the influence of developmental programs on the heart rate and CPVT phenotypes. We also compare the requirements for Casq2 function in the cardiac conduction system (CCS) and in working cardiomyocytes. Our study shows that the CPVT phenotype is dependent upon concurrent loss of Casq2 function in both the CCS and in working cardiomyocytes. Accordingly, restoration of Casq2 in only the CCS prevents CPVT. In addition, occurrence of CPVT is independent of the developmental history of Casq2-deficiency. In contrast, resting heart rate depends upon Casq2 gene activity only in the CCS and upon developmental history. Finally, our data support a model where low basal heart rate is a significant risk factor for CPVT.
Investment‐Specific News Shocks and U.S. Business Cycles

We provide robust evidence that news shocks about future investment‐specific technology (IST) constitute a significant force behind U.S. business cycles. Positive IST news shocks induce comovement, that is, raise output, consumption, investment, and hours. These shocks account for 70% of the business cycle variation in output, hours, and consumption, and 60% of the variation in investment, and have played an important role in 9 of the last 10 U.S. recessions. Our findings provide strong support for shifting focus to IST news shocks when investigating the role of news in driving U.S. business cycles.
Development of a Chloride Concentration Sampling Protocol for Concrete Bridge Decks

Development of a Chloride Concentration Sampling Protocol for Concrete Bridge Decks Sharlan Renae Montgomery Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, BYU Master of Science As the primary cause of concrete bridge deck deterioration in the United States is corrosion of the steel reinforcement as a result of the application of chloride-based deicing salts, chloride concentration testing is among the most common techniques for evaluating the condition of a concrete bridge deck. The objectives of this research were to 1) compare concrete drilling and powder collection techniques to develop a sampling protocol for accurately measuring chloride concentrations and 2) determine the number of chloride concentration test locations necessary for adequately characterizing the chloride concentration of a given bridge deck. Laboratory experiments on concrete drilling and powder collection were conducted to compare current concrete powder sampling techniques, including constant and stepwise drilling methods and spoon and vacuum powder collection methods. In addition, three charts were prepared to determine the number of chloride concentration test locations necessary for adequately characterizing the chloride concentration of a given bridge deck. The number of samples is dependent on reliability, spatial variability in chloride concentration, and an allowable difference between sample and population means. For the experiment on drilling, this research shows that the practice of decreasing the size of the drill bit in a stepwise fashion with increasing sampling depth reduces the possibility of abrading concrete from the sides of the hole above the sampling depth, where the chloride concentrations are higher, during drilling of lower lifts. For the experiment on powder collection, this research demonstrates that representative samples of concrete powder can be collected with either a spoon or a vacuum. Based on the results of this research, the stepwise drilling method and either the spoon or vacuum powder collection method are recommended for application. In addition, the charts developed in this research are recommended for estimating the number of chloride concentration test locations necessary for adequately characterizing the chloride concentration of a given bridge deck. This research will be helpful in effectively assessing the condition of concrete bridge decks with respect to chloride-induced corrosion of the reinforcing steel and prioritizing bridge maintenance and rehabilitation projects.
Optimized programming algorithm for cylindrical and directional deep brain stimulation electrodes

Objective. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a growing treatment option for movement and psychiatric disorders. As DBS technology moves toward directional leads with increased numbers of smaller electrode contacts, trial-and-error methods of manual DBS programming are becoming too time-consuming for clinical feasibility. We propose an algorithm to automate DBS programming in near real-time for a wide range of DBS lead designs. Approach. Magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging are used to build finite element models that include anisotropic conductivity. The algorithm maximizes activation of target tissue and utilizes the Hessian matrix of the electric potential to approximate activation of neurons in all directions. We demonstrate our algorithm’s ability in an example programming case that targets the subthalamic nucleus (STN) for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease for three lead designs: the Medtronic 3389 (four cylindrical contacts), the direct STNAcute (two cylindrical contacts, six directional contacts), and the Medtronic-Sapiens lead (40 directional contacts). Main results. The optimization algorithm returns patient-specific contact configurations in near real-time—less than 10 s for even the most complex leads. When the lead was placed centrally in the target STN, the directional leads were able to activate over 50% of the region, whereas the Medtronic 3389 could activate only 40%. When the lead was placed 2 mm lateral to the target, the directional leads performed as well as they did in the central position, but the Medtronic 3389 activated only 2.9% of the STN. Significance. This DBS programming algorithm can be applied to cylindrical electrodes as well as novel directional leads that are too complex with modern technology to be manually programmed. This algorithm may reduce clinical programming time and encourage the use of directional leads, since they activate a larger volume of the target area than cylindrical electrodes in central and off-target lead placements.
Effect of citric acid, PVOH, and starch ratio on the properties of cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol)/starch adhesives

The properties of tapioca starch adhesives were improved by cross-linking and the cross-linked adhesive compared with pure tapioca starch and poly(vinyl alcohol) adhesives. The effect of starch ratio, type of PVOH, and adding citric acid were important factors on the cross-linked adhesives. Wood adhesives made from cross-linked PVOH/starch were prepared by PVOH and tapioca starch, using hexamethoxymethyl melamine (HMMM) and citric acid (CA) as a cross-linking agent and catalyst, respectively. The effect of CA, PVOH/starch ratio, and type of PVOH such as medium (M PVOH) and high molecular weight (H PVOH) were investigated. The condition of the cross-linking reaction was 175 °C for 15 min. The structural properties of cross-linked adhesive were investigated by FT-IR spectroscopy. The results were confirmed in terms of thermal properties with a differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and the shear strength of the adhesive. The cross-linked adhesive resulted in the increase of T g and showed good blend compatibility with all of the cross-linked adhesives. The adhesive strength significantly increased when using CA as a catalyst in the cross-linking reaction. The optimum contents of the cross-linked PVOH/starch adhesives were 1:1.8 for M PVOH and 1:0.5 for H PVOH.
Inhibition of monoacylglycerol lipase terminates diazepam‐resistant status epilepticus in mice and its effects are potentiated by a ketogenic diet

Status epilepticus (SE) is a life‐threatening and commonly drug‐refractory condition. Novel therapies are needed to rapidly terminate seizures to prevent mortality and morbidity. Monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) is the key enzyme responsible for the hydrolysis of the endocannabinoid 2‐arachidonoylglycerol (2‐AG) and a major contributor to the brain pool of arachidonic acid (AA). Inhibiting of monoacylglycerol lipase modulates synaptic activity and neuroinflammation, 2 mediators of excessive neuronal activation underlying seizures. We studied the effect of a potent and selective irreversible MAGL inhibitor, CPD‐4645, on SE that was refractory to diazepam, its neuropathologic sequelae, and the mechanism underlying the drug's effects.
The MERIS water products: Performance, current issues and potential future improvements

MERIS Level 1 and Level 2 water products will be improved in the 3rd MERIS reprocessing which is planned to take place before the end of 2009. The instrument radiometric degradation model will be updated. Improvements to the atmospheric correction in both case 1 and case 2 waters will be implemented. A vicarious adjustment strategy to remove residual biases in the Level 2 marine signals will be put in place. In addition, a cloud screening scheme with improved detection capabilities will improve the cirrus detection capability. In parallel, long term algorithmic improvements are being pursued and are partially covered by three exploratory ongoing studies. The first study addresses the limitation of the current MERIS atmospheric correction scheme in sun glint conditions. The second aims at defining an operational adjacency effect correction. The third study makes use of the ability of MERIS to measure transmission in the O2-A oxygen band to better identify and characterize clouds and aerosols.
Auto-Encoding Total Correlation Explanation

Advances in unsupervised learning enable reconstruction and generation of samples from complex distributions, but this success is marred by the inscrutability of the representations learned. We propose an information-theoretic approach to characterizing disentanglement and dependence in representation learning using multivariate mutual information, also called total correlation. The principle of total Cor-relation Ex-planation (CorEx) has motivated successful unsupervised learning applications across a variety of domains, but under some restrictive assumptions. Here we relax those restrictions by introducing a flexible variational lower bound to CorEx. Surprisingly, we find that this lower bound is equivalent to the one in variational autoencoders (VAE) under certain conditions. This information-theoretic view of VAE deepens our understanding of hierarchical VAE and motivates a new algorithm, AnchorVAE, that makes latent codes more interpretable through information maximization and enables generation of richer and more realistic samples.
ETWORKS VIA I MPORTANCE S AMPLING

The graph convolutional networks (GCN) recently proposed by Kipf and Welling are an effective graph model for semi-supervised learning. This model, however, was originally designed to be learned with the presence of both training and test data. Moreover, the recursive neighborhood expansion across layers poses time and memory challenges for training with large, dense graphs. To relax the requirement of simultaneous availability of test data, we interpret graph convolutions as integral transforms of embedding functions under probability measures. Such an interpretation allows for the use of Monte Carlo approaches to consistently estimate the integrals, which in turn leads to a batched training scheme as we propose in this work—FastGCN. Enhanced with importance sampling, FastGCN not only is efficient for training but also generalizes well for inference. We show a comprehensive set of experiments to demonstrate its effectiveness compared with GCN and related models. In particular, training is orders of magnitude more efficient while predictions remain comparably accurate.
Classical floorplanning harmful?

Classical floorplanning formulations may lead researchers to solve the wrong problems. This paper points out several examples, including (i) the preoccupation with packing-driven, as opposed to connectivity-driven, problem formulations and benchmarking standards; (ii) the preoccupation with rectangular (and L or T shaped) block shapes; and (iii) the lack of attention to algorithm scalability, fixed-die layout requirements, and the overall RTL-down methodology context. The right problem formulations must match the purpose and context of prevailing RTL-down design methodologies, and must be neither overconstrained nor underconstrained. The right solution ingredients are those which are scalable while delivering good solution quality according to relevant metrics. We also describe new problem formulations and solution ingredients, notably a perfect rectilinear floorplanning formulation that seeks zero-whitespace, perfectly packed rectilinear floorplans in a fixed-die regime. The paper closes with a list of questions for future research.
Live Convolution with Time-Varying Filters

The paper presents two new approaches to artefact-free real-time updates of the impulse response in convolution. Both approaches are based on incremental updates of the filter. This can be useful for several applications within digital audio processing: parametrisation of convolution reverbs, dynamic filters, and live convolution. The development of these techniques has been done within the framework of a research project on crossadaptive audio processing methods for live performance. Our main motivation has thus been live convolution, where the signals from two music performers are convolved with each other, allowing the musicians to “play through each other’s sound”.
Building a Relationship between Robot Characteristics and Teleoperation User Interfaces

The Robot Operating System (ROS) provides roboticists with a standardized and distributed framework for real-time communication between robotic systems using a microkernel environment. This paper looks at how ROS metadata, Unified Robot Description Format (URDF), Semantic Robot Description Format (SRDF), and its message description language, can be used to identify key robot characteristics to inform User Interface (UI) design for the teleoperation of heterogeneous robot teams. Logical relationships between UI components and robot characteristics are defined by a set of relationship rules created using relevant and available information including developer expertise and ROS metadata. This provides a significant opportunity to move towards a rule-driven approach for generating the designs of teleoperation UIs; in particular the reduction of the number of different UI configurations required to teleoperate each individual robot within a heterogeneous robot team. This approach is based on using an underlying rule set identifying robots that can be teleoperated using the same UI configuration due to having the same or similar robot characteristics. Aside from reducing the number of different UI configurations an operator needs to be familiar with, this approach also supports consistency in UI configurations when a teleoperator is periodically switching between different robots. To achieve this aim, a Matlab toolbox is developed providing users with the ability to define rules specifying the relationship between robot characteristics and UI components. Once rules are defined, selections that best describe the characteristics of the robot type within a particular heterogeneous robot team can be made. A main advantage of this approach is that rather than specifying discrete robots comprising the team, the user can specify characteristics of the team more generally allowing the system to deal with slight variations that may occur in the future. In fact, by using the defined relationship rules and characteristic selections, the toolbox can automatically identify a reduced set of UI configurations required to control possible robot team configurations, as opposed to the traditional ad-hoc approach to teleoperation UI design. In the results section, three test cases are presented to demonstrate how the selection of different robot characteristics builds a number of robot characteristic combinations, and how the relationship rules are used to determine a reduced set of required UI configurations needed to control each individual robot in the robot team.
Advance Impulse Noise Filtering using Double Threshold with Edge Preservation

Impulse noise detection and removal is very important process in image processing. Here random valued impulse noise (RVIN) is considered because it does not affect the gray values of image pixels uniformly. This paper have proposed an recursive double median median filter based noise removal method using double threshold which filter the impulse noise in two stages, first one is noise detection and second is noise removal. The mathematical calculation and analysis shows that proposed method provides better visual quality and higher PSNR as compared to existing denoising methods even when noise density is very high.