Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Receptors under pressure. An update on baroreceptors.

BARORECEPTORS are nerve endings that respond to deformation or strain of the vessel walls in which they are located. They do not respond to pressure per se because they are not activated by pressure changes in the absence of deformation (Hauss et al., 1949; Angell-James, 1971). Pressure is sensed by the baroreceptors in a multi-step process that includes pressure-mechanical deformation in the vessel wall followed by mechano-electrical transduction in the receptors themselves. The relationship between wall deformation and intravas-cular pressure is not direct. Wall deformation may be quantified as strain that is calculated from the ratio of the change in wall radius produced by wall stress to the initial unstressed wall radius. Wall stress is calculated as the product of the distending pressure and the radial distance over which it acts divided by the wall thickness. Wall deformation is also viscoelastic in nature, due principally to the elastin, collagen, and smooth muscle present in the vessel wall. When the wall is strained by pressure, the receptor is deformed by an unknown coupling mechanism probably located in the processes described by Krauhs (1979) and presumably viscoe-lastic, which influences strongly the dynamic response of the receptors. The preceding steps are the mechanical parts of a sequence linking intravascu-lar pressure to receptor discharge. The major components are shown in Figure 1. The remainder of the sequence is electrical in nature and is determined by the electrophysiological properties of the baroreceptor membrane and axon. By analogy with other mechanoreceptors (Terzuolo and Knox, 1971), receptor deformation generates a receptor potential and thus a receptor current which flows outward across the spike-initiating zone thereby producing baroreceptor discharge (Kuffler and Eyzaguirre, 1955) (Fig. 1). Since baroreceptor discharge is slowly adapting (Bronk and Stella, 1935), the most suitable receptor analogies are provided by slowly adapting distortion receptors, e.g., crayfish stretch receptor, rather than by phasic mechan-oreceptors, e.g., Pacinian corpuscle. In the latter case the phasic characteristics are determined by a specialized structure, the lamellated capsule (Loew-enstein, 1971), whereas specialized structures of this sort are not present in crayfish stretch receptors or aortic baroreceptors although a few lamellated bar-oreceptors have been identified in the carotid sinus of the rabbit (Dropmann, 1967). The muscle spindle is a much more complicated end-organ, but its coupling to surrounding muscle has been particularly well studied (Fukami and Hunt, 1977) so that it also might provide useful comparisons. In the crayfish stretch receptor, a …
Clinically relevant hypoglycemia prediction metrics for event mitigation.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to develop a method to compare hypoglycemia prediction algorithms and choose parameter settings for different applications, such as triggering insulin pump suspension or alerting for rescue carbohydrate treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS Hypoglycemia prediction algorithms with different parameter settings were implemented on an ambulatory dataset containing 490 days from 30 subjects with type 1 diabetes mellitus using the Dexcom™ (San Diego, CA) SEVEN™ continuous glucose monitoring system. The performance was evaluated using a proposed set of metrics representing the true-positive ratio, false-positive rate, and distribution of warning times. A prospective, in silico study was performed to show the effect of using different parameter settings to prevent or rescue from hypoglycemia. RESULTS The retrospective study results suggest the parameter settings for different methods of hypoglycemia mitigation. When rescue carbohydrates are used, a high true-positive ratio, a minimal false-positive rate, and alarms with short warning time are desired. These objectives were met with a 30-min prediction horizon and two successive flags required to alarm: 78% of events were detected with 3.0 false alarms/day and 66% probability of alarms occurring within 30 min of the event. This parameter setting selection was confirmed in silico: treating with rescue carbohydrates reduced the duration of hypoglycemia from 14.9% to 0.5%. However, for a different method, such as pump suspension, this parameter setting only reduced hypoglycemia to 8.7%, as can be expected by the low probability of alarming more than 30 min ahead. CONCLUSIONS The proposed metrics allow direct comparison of hypoglycemia prediction algorithms and selection of parameter settings for different types of hypoglycemia mitigation, as shown in the prospective in silico study in which hypoglycemia was alerted or treated with rescue carbohydrates.
Experiments in force control of robotic manipulators

A new classification scheme for robotic force control algorithms is presented. It is shown that algorithms can be categorized according to whether they are joint-based or cartesian-based. Further, they can be grouped according to whether the innermost servo loop is based on torque, velocity, or position. For useful force control, closing an inner loop on position can greatly increase disturbance rejection while also allowing for a split rate servo controller to minimize the computational burden. Experimental results from the implementation of a new force feedback method are presented. This cartesian-based method uses an inner loop closed on position and has been implemented on an AdeptOne robot. Bias force application, force searching, and selective compliance about a synthetic remote center compliance (RCC) have all been implemented. Excellent results in free space and in hard contact have been achieved. This technique has been successfully used to assemble parts having 0.001 inch clearances.
Efficient Classification with Conjunctive Features

This paper proposes a method that speeds up a classifier trained with many conjunctive features: combinations of (primitive) features. The key idea is to precompute as partial results the weights of primitive feature vectors that represent fundamental classification problems and appear frequently in the target task. A prefix tree (trie) compactly stores the primitive feature vectors with their weights, and it enables the classifier to find for a given feature vector its longest prefix feature vector whose weight has already been computed. Experimental results on base phrase chunking and dependency parsing demonstrated that our method speeded up the SVM and LLM classifiers by a factor of 1.8 to 10.6.
Scalable, Sustainable Cost-Effective Surgical Care: A Model for Safety and Quality in the Developing World, Part III: Impact and Sustainability

Background The Guwahati Comprehensive Cleft Care Center (GCCCC) utilizes a high-volume, subspecialized institution to provide safe, quality, and comprehensive and cost-effective surgical care to a highly vulnerable patient population. Methods The GCCCC utilized a diagonal model of surgical care delivery, with vertical inputs of mission-based care transitioning to investments in infrastructure and human capital to create a sustainable, local care delivery system. Over the first 2.5 years of service (May 2011–November 2013), the GCCCC made significant advances in numerous areas. Progress was meticulously documented to evaluate performance and provide transparency to stakeholders including donors, government officials, medical oversight bodies, employees, and patients. Results During this time period, the GCCCC provided free operations to 7,034 patients, with improved safety, outcomes, and multidisciplinary services while dramatically decreasing costs and increasing investments in the local community. The center has become a regional referral cleft center, and governments of surrounding states have contracted the GCCCC to provide care for their citizens with cleft lip and cleft palate. Additional regional and global impact is anticipated through continued investments into education and training, comprehensive services, and research and outcomes. Conclusion The success of this public private partnership demonstrates the value of this model of surgical care in the developing world, and offers a blueprint for reproduction. The GCCCC experience has been consistent with previous studies demonstrating a positive volume-outcomes relationship, and provides evidence for the value of the specialty hospital model for surgical delivery in the developing world.
A Slow- Compared with a Fast-Release Form of Oral Arginine Increases Its Utilization for Nitric Oxide Synthesis in Overweight Adults with Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in a Randomized Controlled Study.

BACKGROUND Oral l-arginine supplements can have a beneficial effect on nitric oxide (NO)-related functions when subjects have cardiovascular disease risk factors. OBJECTIVE The study was designed to determine the utilization for NO synthesis of oral l-arginine as a function of the cardiometabolic risk and the speed of absorption by comparing immediate-release arginine (IR-Arg), as in supplements, and sustained-release arginine (SR-Arg), which mimics the slow release of dietary arginine. METHODS In a randomized, single-blind, 2-period crossover, controlled trial (1 wk of treatment, >2 wk of washout), using [(15)N-(15)N-(guanidino)]-arginine for the first morning dose, we compared the bioavailability (secondary outcome) and utilization for NO synthesis (primary outcome) of 1.5 g IR- and SR-Arg 3 times/d in 12 healthy overweight [body mass index (BMI; in kg/m(2)): 25-30] adults with the hypertriglyceridemic waist phenotype [HTW; plasma triglycerides (TGs): >150 mg/dL; waist circumference: >94 cm (men) or >80 cm (women)] and 15 healthy control adults (CON; BMI: 18.5-25; no elevated TGs and waist circumference). RESULTS Plasma oral arginine areas under the curve were lower after supplementation with SR-Arg than with IR-Arg (112 ± 52.3 and 142 ± 50.8 μmol ⋅ h/L; P < 0.01). The utilization of oral arginine for NO synthesis was 58% higher in HTW subjects than in CON subjects and higher with SR-Arg than with IR-Arg (P < 0.05 both), particularly in HTW subjects (group-by-treatment interaction, P < 0.05). In HTW subjects administered the SR form, utilization for NO synthesis was 32% higher than with the IR form and 87% higher than in CON subjects who were administered the SR form. CONCLUSION In overweight adults with the HTW phenotype, a slow- compared with a fast-release form of oral arginine markedly favors the utilization of arginine for NO synthesis. The utilization of low-dose, slow-release arginine for NO synthesis is higher in overweight adults with the HTW phenotype than in healthy controls, suggesting that the sensitivity of NO synthesis to the dietary arginine supply increases with cardiometabolic risk. The trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT02352740.
A multi-passband microwave photon filter based on multiple dispersion devices

In this paper, a multi-passband microwave photonic filter (MPF) based on multiple dispersive devices has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) divides the broadband light source (BBS) into multiple optical taps, and with the combination of different dispersion mediums such as chirped fiber Bragg grating (CFBG) and single mode fiber (SMF) to delay the optical tap, a MPF with multiple passbands can be simply achieved. The number of the passbands can be easily controlled by changing the number of the dispersion medium. In the experiment, the frequency response result of the four passbands is obtained by accessing two CFBGs and two SMFs. In addition, by adjusting the wavelength interval of the interference spectrum with a variable optical delay line (VODL), all passbands of the filter can be simultaneously tuned. The filter has broad application prospects in the fields of modern wireless and satellite communication, optoelectronic oscillator and optical sensing.
Integration of news content into web results

Aggregated search refers to the integration of content from specialized corpora or verticals into web search results. Aggregation improves search when the user has vertical intent but may not be aware of or desire vertical search. In this paper, we address the issue of integrating search results from a news vertical into web search results. News is particularly challenging because, given a query, the appropriate decision---to integrate news content or not---changes with time. Our system adapts to news intent in two ways. First, by inspecting the dynamics of the news collection and query volume, we can track development of and interest in topics. Second, by using click feedback, we can quickly recover from system errors. We define several click-based metrics which allow a system to be monitored and tuned without annotator effort.
ERA Challenges for Australian University ICT

The ERA 2010 rankings reflect badly on Australian university ICT performance, especially by comparison with some likely benchmark disciplines, for reasons not exclusively under the control of ICT researchers, groups or schools. As a result nevertheless, the future of Australian academic ICT is under threat of reduced government funding, from diminished international reputation and from university reaction. Changes to ERA for 2012 may ameliorate the position somewhat, but continued complementary and concerted action by individuals, institutions and professional organisations such as ACS, CORE and others remains imperative.
Semantic Neighborhood Effects for Abstract versus Concrete Words

Studies show that semantic effects may be task-specific, and thus, that semantic representations are flexible and dynamic. Such findings are critical to the development of a comprehensive theory of semantic processing in visual word recognition, which should arguably account for how semantic effects may vary by task. It has been suggested that semantic effects are more directly examined using tasks that explicitly require meaning processing relative to those for which meaning processing is not necessary (e.g., lexical decision task). The purpose of the present study was to chart the processing of concrete versus abstract words in the context of a global co-occurrence variable, semantic neighborhood density (SND), by comparing word recognition response times (RTs) across four tasks varying in explicit semantic demands: standard lexical decision task (with non-pronounceable non-words), go/no-go lexical decision task (with pronounceable non-words), progressive demasking task, and sentence relatedness task. The same experimental stimulus set was used across experiments and consisted of 44 concrete and 44 abstract words, with half of these being low SND, and half being high SND. In this way, concreteness and SND were manipulated in a factorial design using a number of visual word recognition tasks. A consistent RT pattern emerged across tasks, in which SND effects were found for abstract (but not necessarily concrete) words. Ultimately, these findings highlight the importance of studying interactive effects in word recognition, and suggest that linguistic associative information is particularly important for abstract words.
Workspace Planning Based on the Analysis of BIM Collisions

This article discusses a method for solving the problem of finding collisions of workspaces during construction. The solution of this problem is reduced to the solution of the basic problem of finding collisions (intersections) of geometric objects. Methods of classification, generation and analysis of workspace model are discussed. BIM technology is useful for creating 3D workspaces. Autodesk Revit was selected as a BIM software for creating digital building models and tools for creating workspaces. The scheme of interaction between BIM model and construction schedule is proposed to determine parameters of 3D workspace.
The basic polynomial algebra subprograms

The Basic Polynomial Algebra Subprograms (BPAS) provides arithmetic operations (multiplication, division, root isolation, etc.) for univariate and multivariate polynomials over common types of coefficients (prime fields, complex rational numbers, rational functions, etc.). The code is mainly written in CilkPlus [10] targeting multicore processors. The current distribution focuses on dense polynomials and the sparse case is work in progress. A strong emphasis is put on adaptive algorithms as the library aims at supporting a wide variety of situations in terms of problem sizes and available computing resources. The BPAS library is publicly available in source at www.bpaslib. org.
Evaluating and improving morpho-syntactic classification over multiple corpora using pre-trained, "off-the-shelf", parts-of-speech tagging tools

his paper evaluates six commonly available parts-of-speech tagging tools over corpora other than those upon which they were originally trained. In particular this investigation measures the performance of the selected tools over varying styles and genres of text without retraining, under the assumption that domain specific training data is not always available. An investigation is performed to determine whether improved results can be achieved by combining the set of tagging tools into ensembles that use voting schemes to determine the best tag for each word. It is found that while accuracy drops due to non-domain specific training, and tag-mapping between corpora, accuracy remains very high, with the support vector machine-based tagger, and the decision tree-based tagger performing best over different corpora. It is also found that an ensemble containing a support vector machine-based tagger, a probabilistic tagger, a decision-tree based tagger and a rule-based tagger produces the largest increase in accuracy and the largest reduction in error across different corpora, using the Precision-Recall voting scheme.
Relationship of calcaneal and iliac apophyseal ossification to peak height velocity timing in children.

BACKGROUND Ossification of the calcaneal apophysis has never been fully characterized. We examined the ossification sequence of the calcaneus in relation to ossification of the iliac apophysis and the timing of the peak height velocity (PHV). METHODS Ninety-four healthy children (forty-nine girls and forty-five boys), from three to eighteen years old, were followed longitudinally through growth with annual serial radiographs and physical examinations. These were done at least annually from ten to fifteen years of age. The PHV was calculated using the height measurements of each child. We measured and compared calcaneal and iliac crest apophyseal ossification using foot and pelvic radiographs made on the same day. We correlated the PHV with the degree of calcaneal and iliac ossification. RESULTS Ossification of the calcaneal apophysis occurred in an orderly fashion, with the ossification center first appearing a mean of 4.7 years (95% confidence interval [CI], 5.2 to 4.2 years) before the PHV. The apophysis spread across the plantar surface more quickly than the dorsal surface. The apophysis extended completely over the plantar surface a mean of 0.86 year (95% CI, 1.0 to 0.7 year) before the PHV. Fusion of the apophysis followed complete plantar extension over the next two years and was typically complete a mean of 2.1 years (95% CI, 2.0 to 2.2 years) after the PHV. Fusion began in the middle of the apophysis and proceeded outward. Iliac apophyseal ossification did not appear prior to the PHV in any subject. CONCLUSIONS The calcaneal apophysis ossifies in a consistent fashion characterized by six different stages. The calcaneal stages occur during narrow intervals in relation to the PHV, allowing the calcaneal system to be used for assessment of skeletal maturity. The PHV occurs prior to iliac ossification, whereas the calcaneal apophysis has four stages of ossification before and two stages after the PHV.
UV light-induced self-assembly of gold nanocrystals into chains and networks in a solution of silver nitrate

Controllable assemblies of nanocrystals have attracted considerable interest because they often exhibit unique collective properties that differ from those displayed by individual nanocrystals and bulk samples. Reported approaches to prepare nanocrystal assemblies based on the molecular recognitions of small molecules or biomacromolecules are effective, but often require complicated and time-consuming modification processes of nanocrystals. In this paper, we demonstrate a simple and universal approach to assemble gold nanocrystals (AuNCs) into linear chains and complex networks in aqueous silver nitrate medium under irradiation with UV light without the involvement of any modification step. Due to the strong plasmon resonance coupling verified by finite difference time domain calculation, the assembled structures of AuNCs can be used as excellent surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates and dark-field light-scattering bioimaging probes.
Glycerol gelatin for 3D-printing of implants using a paste extrusion technique

Abstract Fused deposition modeling as an additive manufacturing technique has gained great popularity for the fabrication of medical devices as well as pharmaceutical dosage forms over the last years. Particularly the variety of geometries that can be printed determines the attractiveness of this technique enabling a shape adaption of e.g. implants. In the presented work the soft hydrogel material glycerol gelatin was investigated towards its applicability in 3D-printing as an alternative to the commonly applied and mostly rigid polyesters. Model implants loaded with the model drug quinine and with the shape of a hollow cylinder were printed via an extrusion based technique utilizing the piston feed in a hydrogel filled heatable syringe. Glycerol gelatin hydrogels need to be crosslinked to avoid gel-sol-transition at body temperature. For this purpose three different crosslinking methods (insertion, dipping, spraying) with 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) were evaluated regarding their crosslinking efficiency and drug losses during the crosslinking process. Dipping of the implant into an aqueous solution with at least 50 mM EDC and 10 mM NHS was found to be the most efficient crosslinking technique in conjunction with a smaller drug loss during processing compared to inserting. However, the use of hydrogels also causes problems as an intense and highly variable swelling of the printed structures during crosslinking (120.7 % ± 11.9 % for 10 times dipping in 50mM EDC/10 mM NHS) and a great dependency of the volume on storage conditions complicate the preparation of tailor-made implants. The release of the model drug quinine from printed and crosslinked implants was fast and nearly completed within 6 hours.