Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Participation-based environment accessibility assessment tool (P-BEAAT) in the Zambian context

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe the preliminary development and validation of a potential measure for assessing the accessibility of the built environment in Zambia. It was designed to identify environmental features that present barriers to participation for people with mobility limitations (PWML) using mobility devices such as wheelchairs or crutches.Method: The Participation-Based Environment Accessibility Assessment Tool (P-BEAAT) was developed through focus group discussions and personal interviews with 88 PWML from five provinces of Zambia regarding the accessibility of their built environment. The content validity of the P-BEAAT checklist was accomplished through three phases of development with data gathered from 11 focus groups and nine personal interviews. Results: Participants described accessibility barriers which affect their participation in daily life. This information generated the P-BEAAT with 66 items describing eight environmental features with potential for identifying environmental barriers. The P-BEAAT has shown good homogeneity with Cronbach’s α score of 0.91. Conclusion: The P-BEAAT was constructed grounded in the reality of people’s experiences in Zambia for use in assessing environmental features important in the participation of daily life of PWML pertinent to developing countries. Further clinimetric testing of the properties of the P-BEAAT to establish reliability should be conducted next. Implications for Rehabilitation Identification of barriers in the built environment is a critical element in the process of eliminating obstacles to participation by people with mobility limitations. Accessible built environment facilitates the enhancement of participation of people with mobility limitations. The process of identifying obstacles requires audit/assessment tools to evaluate and measure the presence or absence of barriers to accessibility of the built environment. This study shows that the Participation-Based Environment Accessibility Assessment Tool provides a preliminary checklist to be used in identifying environmental barriers in the process of promoting lifelong participation for people with mobility limitations using wheelchairs or crutches in Zambia.
Effects of concomitant cisplatin and radiotherapy on inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND AND METHODS Cisplatin (cis-diamminedichloroplatinum) has been reported to enhance the cell-killing effect of radiation, an effect whose intensity varies with the schedule of administration. We randomly assigned 331 patients with nonmetastatic inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer to one of three treatments: radiotherapy for two weeks (3 Gy given 10 times, in five fractions a week), followed by a three-week rest period and then radiotherapy for two more weeks (2.5 Gy given 10 times, five fractions a week); radiotherapy on the same schedule, combined with 30 mg of cisplatin per square meter of body-surface area, given on the first day of each treatment week; or radiotherapy on the same schedule, combined with 6 mg of cisplatin per square meter, given daily before radiotherapy. RESULTS Survival was significantly improved in the radiotherapy-daily-cisplatin group as compared with the radiotherapy group (P = 0.009): survival in the radiotherapy-daily-cisplatin group was 54 percent at one year, 26 percent at two years, and 16 percent at three years, as compared with 46 percent, 13 percent, and 2 percent, respectively, in the radiotherapy group. Survival in the radiotherapy-weekly-cisplatin group was intermediate (44 percent, 19 percent, and 13 percent) and not significantly different from survival in either of the other two groups. The survival benefit of daily combined treatment was due to improved control of local disease (P = 0.003). Survival without local recurrence was 59 percent at one year and 31 percent at two years in the radiotherapy-daily-cisplatin group; 42 percent and 30 percent, respectively, in the radiotherapy-weekly-cisplatin group; and 41 percent and 19 percent, respectively, in the radiotherapy group. Cisplatin induced nausea and vomiting in 86 percent of the patients given it weekly and in 78 percent of those given it daily; these effects were severe in 26 percent and 28 percent, respectively. CONCLUSIONS Cisplatin, given daily in combination with the radiotherapy described here to patients with nonmetastatic but inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer, improved rates of survival and control of local disease at the price of substantial side effects.
Validation of a microscopic single lane urban traffic simulator

This paper presents the validation process of a microscopic single lane urban traffic simulator. The simulator was developed in Matlab and calibrated with experimentally obtained traffic data. It handles real traffic situations in urban environment. The validation is performed in order to determine the extent of conformity of the model i.e. simulator with the real traffic stream in urban environment. The process itself is based on qualitative and quantitative comparative analyzes of the model parameters and experimentally obtained traffic stream parameters. The results extent our previous research and confirm the flexibility and engineering utility of the simulator in the domain of traffic analyses and planning.
Activation of « protein kinase C correlates with a cardioprotective effect of regular ethanol consumption

In addition to decreasing the incidence of myocardial infarction, recent epidemiological data suggest that regular alcohol consumption improves survival after myocardial infarction. We recently found that chronic ethanol exposure induces long-term protection against cardiac ischemia–reperfusion injury, which improves myocardial recovery after infarction. Furthermore, this cardioprotection by ethanol is mediated through myocyte adenosine A 1 receptors. We now determine the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in ethanol’s protective effect against ischemia–reperfusion injury. Using perfused hearts of ethanol-fed guinea pigs, we find that improved contractile recovery and creatine kinase release after ischemia–reperfusion are abolished by PKC inhibition with chelerythrine. Western blot analysis and immunofluorescence localization demonstrate that regular ethanol consumption causes sustained translocation (activation) of « PKC, but not d or a PKC. This same
Patent valuation for innovative business models in start-up companies and university spin-offs

A financial patent valuation is only as good as the estimations behind it. For start-up companies and young entrepreneurs in particular, patents usually play a major role in finding possible investors to finance the future commercialisation of the innovative product covered by the patent. At the same time, investors need to economically valuate the potential of the patent by using an easily and quickly adaptable method, in order to make the right decisions for their investments. The new valuation method presented here is specially customised for patents in start-up companies or for patents owned by entrepreneurs; it provides an easy calculation method combined with a qualitative valuation method, to be applied both to the patent itself and to its future commercialisation in possible markets. In four steps (combined with provided templates), the patents can be financially valuated, with comparatively little effort and low costs.
Study on power supply of ring network of 10KV distribution network

Power supply by ring network is an important measure in improving the reliability of distribution network, but at present, many problems exist in the current network, which seriously affect the normal operation of power supply. In order to solve these problems, this paper analyzes the general requirements and key work of ring network planning from a macroscopic angle, emphatically considering and studying the prospective and the adaptability in planning. Furthermore, it devoted to study how to make the planning play overall guidance role in ring network construction. In addition, several important parts of the power supply, such as the selection of ring network connection mode, the installation of section switch and the adjustment of line load rate, are given deeply researches and positively discuss, so as to make the power supply reliable, economical and flexible.
Role of the accessory gene regulator (agr) in pathogenesis of staphylococcal osteomyelitis

To examine the role of the accessory gene regulator (agr) in staphylococcal osteomyelitis, we compared a Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis isolate (UAMS-1) with a derivative of the same strain (UAMS-4) carrying an inactivated agr locus. Virulence was assessed with a rabbit model of acute, exogenous osteomyelitis. Bacteria were delivered by microinjection into the midradial region of the forelimb. After 4 weeks, UAMS-1 was identified in the bone of 12 of 13 rabbits infected with > or = 2 x 10(6) CFU and 5 of 6 infected with < or = 2 x 10(5) CFU. In contrast, UAMS-4 was found in 6 of 13 infected with the higher dose and 1 of 6 infected with the lower dose. Additionally, on the basis of a five-point scale assessing radiographic evidence of disease, rabbits infected with UAMS-1 had average scores of 2.64 +/- 0.30 (high dose) and 1.43 +/- 0.39 (low dose) while rabbits infected with UAMS-4 had average scores of 0.95 +/- 0.23 (high dose) and 0.63 +/- 0.20 (low dose). Uninfected controls had an average score of 0.53 +/- 0.08. The results obtained with UAMS-1 were significantly different from those obtained with UAMS-4 at both doses (P < or = 0.047). The results obtained with UAMS-4 were not significantly different from those obtained with the controls at either dose of UAMS-4 (P > or = 0.150). On the basis of a similar five-point scale assessing histopathological evidence of disease, rabbits infected with UAMS-1 had average scores of 2.31 +/- 0.22 (high dose) and 1.96 +/- 0.36 (low dose) while rabbits infected with UAMS-4 had average scores of 1.58 +/- 0.29 (high dose) and 0.83 +/- 0.32 (low dose). Controls had an average score of 0.33 +/- 0.05. The results obtained with UAMS-1 were significantly different from those obtained with UAMS-4 at both doses (P < or = 0.040). However, the results obtained with UAMS-4 were significantly different from the controls only at the high dose of UAMS-4 (P = 0.025). We conclude that mutation of agr reduces the incidence and severity of disease but does not eliminate the ability to colonize bone and cause histopathological evidence of osteomyelitis.
“3D Fusion” Echocardiography Improves 3D Left Ventricular Assessment: Comparison with 2D Contrast Echocardiography

Three‐dimensional fusion echocardiography (3DFE) is a novel postprocessing approach that utilizes imaging data acquired from multiple 3D acquisitions. We assessed image quality, endocardial border definition, and cardiac wall motion in patients using 3DFE compared to standard 3D images (3D) and results obtained with contrast echocardiography (2DC).
Tokyo Metropolitan University Neural Machine Translation System for WAT 2017

In this paper, we describe our neural machine translation (NMT) system, which is based on the attention-based NMT and uses long short-term memories (LSTM) as RNN. We implemented beam search and ensemble decoding in the NMT system. The system was tested on the 4th Workshop on Asian Translation (WAT 2017) shared tasks. In our experiments, we participated in the scientific paper subtasks and attempted Japanese-English, English-Japanese, and Japanese-Chinese translation tasks. The experimental results showed that implementation of beam search and ensemble decoding can effectively improve the translation quality.
Point-Record Incentives, Asymmetric Information and Dynamic Data

Road safety policies often use incentive mechanisms based on traffic violations to promote safe driving. These mechanisms are both monetary (fines, insurance premiums) and non-monetary (point-record driving licenses). We use Quebec data collected between 1983 and 1996 to analyze the efficiency of these mechanisms in reducing the effects of asymmetric information. We derive the theoretical properties of the incentive mechanisms with respect to contract time and accumulated demerit points. These properties are then tested empirically. We compare the overall efficiency of the different incentive schemes and try to link global results with the theoretical properties of the relation between safe driving effort and traffic violation risk. We do not reject the presence of moral hazard in the data. Moreover, the experience rating premium introduced in 1992 did reduce the frequency of traffic violations by 15%.
The Polycomb group protein EZH2 is upregulated in proliferating, cultured human mantle cell lymphoma

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are involved in the stable transmittance of the repressive state of their gene targets throughout the cell cycle. Mis‐expression of PcG proteins can lead to proliferative defects and tumorigenesis. There are two separate multimeric PcG protein complexes: an EED–EZH2‐containing complex and a BMI1–RING1‐containing complex. In the normal human follicle mantle, both PcG complexes have mutually exclusive expression patterns. BMI1–RING1 is expressed, but EZH2–EED is not. Here, we studied the expression of both complexes in six cases of mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), which is derived from the follicle mantle. MCL cells can be cultured in vitro and stimulated to proliferation. We found that resting MCL cells expressed BMI1–RING1, but not EZH2–EED, like normal mantle cells. Proliferating MCL cells, however, showed strongly enhanced expression of EZH2. Also, BMI1 and RING1 continued to be expressed in proliferating MCL. This is the first demonstration that EZH2 expression can be upregulated in fresh lymphoma cells. To test whether the enhanced EZH2 expression was causal for the increased proliferation in MCL, we overexpressed EZH2 in two different cell lines. In the B cell‐derived Ramos cell line, EZH2 overexpression caused an increase in the proliferation rate. This suggests a possible causal effect between EZH2 upregulation and increased proliferation in haematopoietic cells.
Functional and usability assessment of a robotic exoskeleton arm to support activities of daily life

SUMMARY An assistive device for upper limb support was developed and evaluated in terms of usability, user satisfaction and motor performance on six end-users affected by neuro-motor disorders (three spinal cord injury; one multiple sclerosis; two Friedreich's ataxia). The system consisted of a lightweight 3-degrees-of-freedom robotic exoskeleton arm for weight relief, equipped with electromagnetic brakes. Users could autonomously control the brakes using a USB-button or residual electromyogram activations. The system functionally supported all of the potential users in performing reaching and drinking tasks. For three of them, time, smoothness, straightness and repeatability were also comparable to healthy subjects. An overall high level of usability (system usability score, median value of 90/100) and user satisfaction (Tele-healthcare Satisfaction Questionnaire - Wearable Technology, median value of 104/120) were obtained for all subjects.
Microarray analyses of otospheres derived from the cochlea in the inner ear identify putative transcription factors that regulate the characteristics of otospheres

Various tissues possess tissue-specific stem/progenitor cells, including the inner ears. Stem/progenitor cells of the inner ear can be isolated as so-called otospheres from differentiated cells using a sphere forming assay. Although recent studies have demonstrated the characteristics of otospheres to some extent, most of the features of these cells are unknown. In this report, we describe the findings of transcriptome analyses with a cDNA microarray of otospheres derived from the cochleae of the inner ears of neonatal mice in order to clarify the gene expression profile of otic stem/progenitor cells. There were common transcription factors between otospheres and embryonic stem cells, which were supposed to be due to the stemness of otospheres. In comparison with the cochlear sensory epithelium, the otospheres shared characteristics with the cochlea, although several transcription factors specific for otospheres were identified. These transcription factors are expected to be essential for maintaining the characteristics of otospheres, and appear to be candidate genes that promote the direct conversion of cells into otic stem/progenitor cells.
Vision-based location positioning using augmented reality for indoor navigation

In this paper, we propose a vision-based location positioning system using augmented reality technique for indoor navigation. The proposed system automatically recognizes a location from image sequences taken of indoor environments, and it realizes augmented reality by seamlessly overlaying the user's view with location information. To recognize a location, we pre-constructed an image database and location model, which consists of locations and paths between locations, of an indoor environment. Location is recognized by using prior knowledge about the layout of the indoor environment. The image sequence is obtained by a wearable mobile PC with camera, which transmits the images to remote PCs for processing. The remote PCs perform marker detection, image sequence matching, and location recognition. The remote PCs transmit the recognized location information to the wearable mobile PC. The system provides the ability to identify similar locations in the image database and display location-related information. Accurate and efficient location positioning is achieved by using several vision-based techniques. The proposed system was tested in an indoor environment and achieved an average location recognition success rate of 89%. The proposed system could be applied to various consumer applications including the door plate system, notice board system, shopping assistance system, and bus service route guide system, among others1.
Searching DNS for malicious domain registration: identification through hybrid cuckoo search metaphor and object-oriented implementation

Several new domains are being registered everyday due to the rapid enhancement of web users. Out of those domains, substantial number of domains become harmful and may initiate malicious activities on the web. It is very difficult to segregate these types of domain to protect our system from different types of attack. The system becomes more vulnerable due to the malicious propagation of domains. It is too complex to identify the exact classification of malicious domain. Contemporary trend of adaptive and learning methodologies could assist to learn such pattern of ill defined domain activities. Hence, intelligent methodologies can be better suitable to support unsupervised classification of domain. Thus metaheuristics–based searching support algorithm called cuckoo search (CS) could be applied for this purpose. Finally, an insight of object oriented engineering to implement the proposed model has been initiated and elaborated future extension of the model has also been discussed.
A Different Form of Color Vision in Mantis Shrimp

One of the most complex eyes in the animal kingdom can be found in species of stomatopod crustaceans (mantis shrimp), some of which have 12 different photoreceptor types, each sampling a narrow set of wavelengths ranging from deep ultraviolet to far red (300 to 720 nanometers) (1–3). Functionally, this chromatic complexity has presented a mystery (3–5). Why use 12 color channels when three or four are sufficient for fine color discrimination? Behavioral wavelength discrimination tests (Δλ functions) in stomatopods revealed a surprisingly poor performance, ruling out color vision that makes use of the conventional color-opponent coding system (6–8). Instead, our experiments suggest that stomatopods use a previously unknown color vision system based on temporal signaling combined with scanning eye movements, enabling a type of color recognition rather than discrimination. Stomatopods use multiple photoreceptors to allow rapid color recognition rather than color discrimination. [Also see Perspective by Land and Osorio] Living Technicolor Color vision is generally carried out through the number of photoreceptor types found in the retina. The mantis shrimps (stomatopods) can have up to 12 photoreceptors, far more than needed for even extreme color acuity. Thoen et al. (p. 411; see the Perspective by Land and Osorio) conducted paired color discrimination tests with stomatopods and found that their ability to discriminate among colors was surprisingly low. Instead, stomatopods appear to use a color identification approach that results from a temporal scan of an object across the 12 photoreceptor sensitivities. This entirely unique form of vision would allow for extremely rapid color recognition without the need to discriminate between wavelengths within a spectrum.
Non-invasive magnetic resonance thermography during regional hyperthermia

Regional hyperthermia is a non-invasive technique in which cancer tissue is exposed to moderately high temperatures of approximately 43–45°C. The clinical delivery of hyperthermia requires control of the temperatures applied. This is typically done using catheters with temperature probes, which is an interventional procedure. Additionally, a catheter allows temperature monitoring only at discrete positions. These limitations can be overcome by magnetic resonance (MR) thermometry, which allows non-invasive mapping of the entire treatment area during hyperthermia application. Various temperature-sensitive MRI parameters exist and can be exploited for MR temperature mapping. The most popular parameters are proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS) (Δφ corresponding to a frequency shift of 0.011 ppm, i.e. 0.7 Hz per °C at 1.5 Tesla), diffusion coefficient D (ΔD/D = 2–3 % per °C), longitudinal relaxation time T1 ( per °C), and equilibrium magnetisation M0 ( per °C). Additionally, MRI temperature mapping based on temperature-sensitive contrast media is applied. The different techniques of MRI thermometry were developed to serve different purposes. The PRFS method is the most sensitive proton imaging technique. A sensitivity of ±0.5°C is possible in vivo but use of PRFS imaging remains challenging because of a high sensitivity to susceptibility effects, especially when field homogeneity is poor, e.g. on interventional MR scanners or because of distortions caused by an inserted applicator. Diffusion-based MR temperature mapping has an excellent correlation with actual temperatures in tissues. Correct MR temperature measurement without rescaling is achieved using the T1 method, if the scaling factor is known. MR temperature imaging methods using exogenous temperature indicators are chemical shift and 3D phase sensitive imaging. TmDOTMA− appears to be the most promising lanthanide complex because it showed a temperature imaging accuracy of <0.3°C.