Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systematics of treefrogs of the Hypsiboas calcaratus and Hypsiboas fasciatus species complex (Anura, Hylidae) with the description of four new species

Abstract We review the systematics of the Hypsiboas calcaratus species complex, a group of widely distributed Amazonian hylid frogs. A comprehensive analysis of genetic, morphological, and bioacoustic datasets uncovered the existence of eleven candidate species, six of which are confirmed. Two of them correspond to Hypsiboas fasciatus and Hypsiboas calcaratus and the remaining four are new species that we describe here. Hypsiboas fasciatus sensu stricto has a geographic range restricted to the eastern Andean foothills of southern Ecuador while Hypsiboas calcaratus sensu stricto has a wide distribution in the Amazon basin. Hypsiboas almendarizae sp. n. occurs at elevations between 500 and 1950 m in central and northern Ecuador; the other new species (H. maculateralis sp. n., H. alfaroi sp. n., and H. tetete sp. n.) occur at elevations below 500 m in Amazonian Ecuador and Peru. The new species differ from H. calcaratus and H. fasciatus in morphology, advertisement calls, and mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. Five candidate species from the Guianan region, Peru, and Bolivia are left as unconfirmed. Examination of the type material of Hyla steinbachi, from Bolivia, shows that it is not conspecific with H. fasciatus and thus is removed from its synonymy.
Regulation of CD95 (Apo-1/Fas) Ligand and Receptor Expression in Human Embryonal Carcinoma Cells by Interferon γ and all-trans Retinoic Acid

Expression of CD95 (Apo-1/Fas) ligand and its two receptor isoforms, in response to all-trans retinoic acid and interferon gamma (IFNgamma), was analyzed atthe mRNA and protein levels in human Tera-2 embryonal carcinoma cells. Exposure of Tera-2 cells to all-trans retinoic acid for up to 16 days led to a decrease of CD95 ligand expression when compared to the control conditions, whereas expression of both CD95 isoforms increased. These changes were functionally significant since Tera-2 cells treated with all-trans retinoic acid for six to 16 days were more susceptible to CD95-mediated apoptosis. On the other hand, Tera-2 cells lost their capacity to induce apoptosis in CD95 receptor bearing Jurkat T lymphocytes after six days of incubation with all-trans retinoic acid. When Tera-2 cells were treated with IFNgamma, expression of CD95 ligand and both CD95 receptor isoforms increased within 24 hours. Tera-2 cells were then more susceptible to CD95 mediated apoptosis but also killed more CD95 receptor bearing Jurkat T lymphocytes via CD95 ligation compared to the control conditions. The results are indicative of differential regulation of CD95-mediated apoptosis by all-trans retinoic acid and IFNgamma in Tera-2 embryonal carcinoma cells, with likely impact on antitumor immunity.
The Impact of Individual and Family Treatment on the Affective Climate of Families of Schizophrenics

Measures of parental affective style were compared for families of schizophrenics participating in a controlled treatment study which contrasted individual and family-based therapeutic programmes. The total number of critical statements and non-critical, intrusive remarks was significantly lower after three months for parents of schizophrenics participating in family therapy, compared to those whose offspring received only individual therapy. An increased risk for relapse was associated with an increase in the number of critical and/or intrusive remarks for patients in individual treatment. A significant increase in non-emotional, problem-solving statements was observed in parents who received family therapy, compared with those who did not. The results suggest that a behaviourally-oriented, problem-solving family approach may have reduced the risk of relapse in the first nine months after discharge from hospital by teaching families concrete ways of solving problems and concomitantly reducing the amount of negative emotional relating between family members.
Low-Rank-Sparse Subspace Representation for Robust Regression

Learning robust regression model from high-dimensional corrupted data is an essential and difficult problem in many practical applications. The state-of-the-art methods have studied low-rank regression models that are robust against typical noises (like Gaussian noise and out-sample sparse noise) or outliers, such that a regression model can be learned from clean data lying on underlying subspaces. However, few of the existing low-rank regression methods can handle the outliers/noise lying on the sparsely corrupted disjoint subspaces. To address this issue, we propose a low-rank-sparse subspace representation for robust regression, hereafter referred to as LRS-RR in this paper. The main contribution include the following: (1) Unlike most of the existing regression methods, we propose an approach with two phases of low-rank-sparse subspace recovery and regression optimization being carried out simultaneously,(2) we also apply the linearized alternating direction method with adaptive penalty to solved the formulated LRS-RR problem and prove the convergence of the algorithm and analyze its complexity, (3) we demonstrate the efficiency of our method for the high-dimensional corrupted data on both synthetic data and two benchmark datasets against several state-of-the-art robust methods.
Early probabilistic reliability analysis of mechatronic systems

Mechatronic systems are based on the close interaction of several engineering domains and are characterized by a high complexity; the assurance of their reliability is therefore very challenging. Established reliability methods are typically conducted on detailed system designs. As a consequence, a great number of failures are first recognized very late in the product engineering process. Yet: the later failures are discovered, the more does it cost to eliminate or mitigate them. Therefore there is a need for reliability analysis methods and tools, which are used from early on, so iteration loops in the system integration are avoided. In this contribution a method for the early probabilistic analysis of the reliability of an advanced mechatronic system based on its principal solution is presented; it addresses the aforementioned need. The method supports modeling of the failure propagation within the specification of the principal solution of an advanced mechatronic system, which is the result of the engineering phase of conceptual design. For analysis purposes, the model of the failure propagation is translated into a Bayesian network, which enables sophisticated probability analyses. Using our method the critical weak points of the system under consideration are identified and respective countermeasures can be defined; the principal solution is made more reliable. The advantages of the method are shown in a case study from the field of railway technology - the innovative autonomous railway vehicle RailCab.
History of the Methamphetamine Problem

Abstract Methamphetamine, called meth, crystal, or speed, is a central nervous system stimulant that can be injected, smoked, snorted, or ingested orally; prolonged use at high levels results in dependence. Methamphetamine (MA) is a derivative of amphetamine, which was widely prescribed in the 1950s and 1960s as a medication for depression and obesity. reaching a peak of 31 million prescriptions in the United States in 1967. Until the late 1980s. illicit use and manufacture of MA was endemic to California, but the MA user population has recently broadened in nature and in regional distribution, with increased use occurring in midwestern states. An estimated 4.7 million Americans (2.1% of the U.S. population) have tried MA at some time in their lives. Short-and longterm health effects of MA use include stroke, cardiac arrhythmia, stomach cramps, shaking, anxiety, insomnia, paranoia, hallucinations, and structural changes to the brain. Children of MA abusers are at risk of neglect and abuse, and the use of MA by pregnant women can cause growth retardation. premature birth, and developmental disorders in neonates and enduring cognitive deficits in children. MA-related deaths and admissions to hospital emergency rooms are increasing. Although inpatient hospitalization may be indicated to treat severe cases of long-term MA dependence, optimum treatment for MA abusers relies on an intensive outpatient setting with three to five visits per week of comprehensive counseling for at least the first three months. The burgeoning problems of increased MA use must be addressed by adequate treatment programs suitable for a variety of user types.
Estimation of energy expenditure using CSA accelerometers at hip and wrist sites.

PURPOSE This study was designed to establish prediction models that relate hip and wrist accelerometer data to energy expenditure (EE) in field and laboratory settings. We also sought to determine whether the addition of a wrist accelerometer would significantly improve the prediction of EE (METs), compared with a model that used a hip accelerometer alone. METHODS Seventy participants completed one to six activities within the categories of yardwork, housework, family care, occupation, recreation, and conditioning, for a total of 5 to 12 participants tested per activity. EE was measured using the Cosmed K4b2 portable metabolic system. Simultaneously, two Computer Science and Applications, Inc. (CSA) accelerometers (model 7164), one worn on the wrist and one worn on the hip, recorded body movement. Correlations between EE measured by the Cosmed and the counts recorded by the CSA accelerometers were calculated, and regression equations were developed to predict EE from the CSA data. RESULTS The wrist, hip, and combined hip and wrist regression equations accounted for 3.3%, 31.7%, and 34.3% of the variation in EE, respectively. The addition of the wrist accelerometer data to the hip accelerometer data to form a bivariate regression equation, although statistically significant (P = 0.002), resulted in only a minor improvement in prediction of EE. Cut points for 3 METs (574 hip counts), 6 METs (4945 hip counts), and 9 METs (9317 hip counts) were also established. CONCLUSION The small amount of additional accuracy gained from the wrist accelerometer is offset by the extra time required to analyze the data and the cost of the accelerometer.
Control-Oriented Design and Robust Decentralized Control of the CEA Dexterous Robot Hand

This study presents the optimized design and robust control strategies for the CEA dexterous hand. A key design feature relies on integrated modular units, for which the tendon routing minimizes kinematic and static coupling between the different finger axes in the motor-to-joint transmissions. Using single-input/single-output control schemes for the mechanically quasi-decoupled system is particularly relevant when considering practical implementation of controllers for systems with a high number of inputs and outputs. Consequently, analysis of the relative gain array puts forward interesting properties in terms of axes decoupling. In particular, stability conditions are easily respected due to the generalized diagonally dominant property of the resulting plant. Decentralized controllers for both flexion/extension and abduction/adduction motions of one finger unit have been successfully embedded into one single DSP board. The controllers are synthesized using two-degree-of-freedom H∞ structure with both feedforward and feedback actions. They have guaranteed high levels of precision and robustness, which, in turn, helps to improve dexterous manipulation skills of robotic hands.
Array of X and gamma ray scintillator detector for space gamma ray telescope application

The instruments on board the latest gamma observatories (INTEGRAL, AGILE, GLAST) combines technologies based either on solid state or on scintillator detector, the first one being favorite when a low energy threshold and a good energy resolution is required, the latter being more convenient for large volume when worse performance are still acceptable. With the development of new scintillator materials and even more with new low-noise ligth readout devices the differences between the two techniques are narrowing and for some application the cheaper scintillator detector can compete with solid state devices. Furthermore both these detector concepts can be combined in a single compact device by means of the Pulse Shape Discrimination (PSD) technique that allows to discriminate direct interactions in silicon from scintillation events. Combined in arrays they can be the base for position senstive planes to be combined with coded mask in imaging instruments or the component of new generation Compton based telescopes. For this purpose two prototype systems have been designed and realized, both based on a 20 channels Silicon Drift Detectors (SDD) monolithic array coupled to individual 1 cm thick CsI(Tl) scintillator crystals. In the first system the detector readout is implemented with ASICs tailored specifically to the SDD readout, while in the second system the PSD readout of the array is implemented. The performance of these kind of detectors tested in the various prototypes as well as their applications in new generation space telescopes are discussed.
Blinking and Thinking

Blinking is related to certain cognitive processes. For example, individuals “punctuate” their speech by blinking between phrases and at the end of sentences. Daydreaming is associated with low rates of blinking. Blinking occurs between fixations and may be timed so as not to interfere with significant visual input. Apparently, blinking occurs at transitions between internal events and is inhibited at other times. In the experiment reported here, blinking was measured while the activity of operational memory was manipulated with mental load kept constant. The rate of blinking was significantly reduced when the cognitive operation of internal counting was being performed. It is inferred that the blink rate is low when information in memory is being operated on. To suspend blinking during certain cognitive activities would be adaptive if blinking disrupts them. Since the blackout period of the blink produces a rapid change in visual level, blinking disrupts those cognitive processes utilizing display areas accessible to visual input. Operational memory and the visual imagination may share components with the visual perceptual system. To protect these vulnerable processes from interference, blinking may be inhibited when they are active.
Treatment for all: a vision for the future

Summary The World Federation of Hemophilia (WFH) has defined a new strategic plan which maps out where the organization is going and what it can do for our members. The plan embraces the vision of Treatment for All; i.e. one day, treatment will be available for all those with inherited bleeding disorders, regardless of where they live. Treatment for All means proper diagnosis, management, and care by a multidisciplinary team of trained specialists. It means safe, effective treatment products are available for all people with inherited bleeding disorders. It means expanding services beyond haemophilia, to those with von Willebrand's disease, rare factor deficiencies, and inherited platelet disorders. Today, more than 75% of the global bleeding disorders community receive either inadequate or no treatment whatsoever. Our mission is to improve treatment where it is limited or does not exist. At the same time, we must sustain the many gains we have achieved thus far. The challenge is immense. Making our vision a reality requires us to be focused and deliberate about the programmes we undertake and the commitments we make. Building on past strategic plans, this plan presents a vision for the continued success of the WFH over the next 3–5 years.
Change in hippocampal volume on magnetic resonance imaging and cognitive decline among older depressed and nondepressed subjects in the neurocognitive outcomes of depression in the elderly study.

INTRODUCTION previous studies have linked hippocampal volume change and cognitive decline in older adults with dementia. The authors examined hippocampal volume change and cognitive change in older nondemented adults with and without major depression. METHODS the sample consisted of 90 depressed individuals and 72 healthy, nondepressed individuals aged 60 years and older who completed at least 2 years of follow-up data. All patients underwent periodic clinical evaluation by a geriatric psychiatrist as well as baseline and 2-year magnetic resonance imaging. RESULTS over 2 years, the depressed group showed a greater reduction in left hippocampal volume (normalized for total cerebral volume) compared with the nondepressed group (mean difference = 0.013 ± 0.0059, t = 2.18, df = 160, p <0.0305). The difference remained significant after controlling for age, sex, and baseline normalized left hippocampal volume. The authors also found that hippocampal change from baseline to 2 years was associated with subsequent change in Mini-Mental State Examination score from 2 years to 2½ years (left t = 2.81, df = 66, p = 0.0066; right t = 2.40, df = 66, p = 0.0193) among the depressed group. CONCLUSIONS these findings add to the literature linking hippocampal volume loss and late-life depression. Depressed patients with hippocampal volume loss are at greater risk of cognitive decline.
Plugging a hole and lightening the burden: a process evaluation of a practice education team.

AIM To investigate the perceptions of clinical and senior managers about the role of practice educators (PEs) employed in one acute hospital in the UK. BACKGROUND Producing nurses who are fit for practice, purpose and academic award is a key issue for nurse education partnership providers in the UK. Various new models for practice learning support structures and new roles within health care institutions have been established. To sustain funding and policy support for these models, there is a need for evaluation research. DESIGN A process evaluation methodology was employed to determine the current value of a practice education team and to provide information to guide future direction. METHODS Data were collected through semi-structured telephone interviews using a previously designed schedule. All senior nurse managers (n = 5) and a purposive sample of Clinical Managers (n = 13) who had personal experience of and perceptions about the role of PEs provided the data. Interview notes were transcribed, coded and a thematic framework devised to present the results. RESULTS A number of key themes emerged including: qualities needed for being a successful practice educator; visibility and presence of PEs; providing a link with the university; 'plugging a hole' in supporting learning needs; providing relief to practitioners in dealing with 'the burden of students;' alleviating the 'plight of students;' and effects on student attrition. CONCLUSIONS Findings provided evidence for the continued funding of the practice educator role with improvements to be made in dealing with stakeholder expectations and outcomes. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE In the UK, there still remain concerns about the fitness for practice of newly Registered Nurses, prompting a recent national consultation by the professional regulating body. Despite fiscal pressures, recommendations for further strengthening of all systems that will support the quality of practice learning may continue to sustain practice learning support roles.
Impact of serum total cholesterol on the incidence of gastric cancer in a population‐based prospective study: The Hisayama study

The results of prospective studies that have examined the association between serum cholesterol levels and the incidence of gastric cancer remain controversial. To examine this issue in a general population, a total of 2,604 subjects aged 40 years or older were followed up prospectively for 14 years. During the follow‐up period, gastric cancer developed in 97 subjects. The age‐ and sex‐adjusted incidence of gastric cancer by quartiles of serum cholesterol level, namely, <4.06, 4.06–5.32, 5.33–6.04 and ≥6.05 mmol/L, were 3.9, 3.3, 3.1 and 2.1 per 1,000 person–years, respectively. The risk of gastric cancer increased with decreasing cholesterol level (age‐ and sex‐adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.22; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01–1.49; p = 0.04 for a decrease of 1 mmol/L in serum cholesterol level). This inverse association remained unchanged even after adjustment for other confounding factors, namely, Helicobacter pylori infection, atrophic gastritis, family history of malignant neoplasm, smoking habits, body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, white blood cell count and dietary factors (adjusted HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.03–1.58; p = 0.02). This association was significant for intestinal‐type gastric cancers, but not for diffuse‐type. As regards cancer stage, the inverse cholesterol‐cancer association was marginally significant for early gastric cancer after multivariate‐adjustment (adjusted HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 0.97–1.61; p = 0.09), but was not for advanced gastric cancer probably due to the small number of cases. In conclusion, our findings suggest that low serum cholesterol levels are an independent risk factor for developing gastric cancer, especially intestinal‐type gastric cancer. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Fuzzy Optimization Control System and its Application in Ball Mill Pulverizing System

The pulverizing process of a ball mill is rather complex. It is difficult to describe the pulverizing process of a ball mill with precise mathematics model for its complex characteristics. A fuzzy control method including the data process, characteristic parameter detection, operating mode recognition, fuzzy optimization control, Fuzzy PID controller was put forward in this paper aimed to design a Fuzzy optimized control system for the pulverizing system. The operation result shows that it is quite suitable for the control of mill and a large amount of electric energy is saved.
Peranan Datuk Empat Suku dalam Sistem Pemerintahan Kerajaan Siak Tahun 1723-1945

Kingdom of Siak is a kingdom which located at one of cities in Riau Province, it's Siak Regency. Kingdom of Siak has been there even before and after the England and Colonial take over until Indonesia's independence era. Kingdom of Siak was built by Raja Kecik who titled Sultan Abdul Jalil Rahmat Syah in 1723. The historiography about the Kingdom of Siak isn't only talk about its growth and expansion processes, but, history was also recorded its ups and downs as well as their prominent characters who took the role in Kingdom of Siak's era. By writing about the characters who have struggled, we expected people could know and respect how the struggle they've been through, as well as the role of this four Datuks which called by Datuk Empat Suku, such as Datuk Lima Puluh, Datuk Tanah Datar, Datuk Kampar, and Datuk Pesisir. The four Datuks were Sultan's confidants who appointed as Kingdom Councils and responsible to set the wheels of Kingdom of Siak's government. This research purposes are: (1) To know more about Datuk Empat Suku, (2) To know the role of Datuk Empat Suku in Kingdom of Siak's government system, (3) To know the efforts that were made by Datuk Empat Suku to set the wheels of Kingdom of Siak's government, (4) To know the role of Datuk Empat Suku after the Kingdom's Council was abolished and the Kingdom joined Republic of Indonesia. This research was conducted by historical method. The data were derived from literature studies and interviews. The research started from submission of the proposal title until the last revision of author's research. The research's result showed that Datuk Empat Suku as Kingdom's Councils, have important role to the sustainability of the development of the Kingdom's government system, so Datuk Empat Suku's presence never been abolished from the Kingdom's government structure until the last Sultan, who is Sultan Syarif Kasim II.