Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Sampling by Dictionary Learning for Hyperspectral Imaging

In this paper, we propose a new sampling strategy for hyperspectral signals that is based on dictionary learning and singular value decomposition (SVD). Specifically, we first learn a sparsifying dictionary from training spectral data using dictionary learning. We then perform an SVD on the dictionary and use the first few left singular vectors as the rows of the measurement matrix to obtain the compressive measurements for reconstruction. The proposed method provides significant improvement over the conventional compressive sensing approaches. The reconstruction performance is further improved by reconditioning the sensing matrix using matrix balancing. We also demonstrate that the combination of dictionary learning and SVD is robust by applying them to different datasets.
Liquidity Dynamics of Indian Stock Market in Financial Shocks: Extreme Value Theory

The paper tries to capture the liquidity dynamics in the case of extreme events such a soil price shock and the sub-prime crisis by considering trading probability (TP), market efficiency coefficient (MEC) and total volume (TV) as liquidity measures in the Indian context. Using extreme value theory (EVT), the results provide evidence for the presence of significant liquidity risk in the Indian market. The results reveal a low observed value of TP during the sub-prime financial crisis. Based on the analyses of MEC, it can be concluded that despite the presence of liquidity risk, the Indian market is quite resilient even in extreme conditions. It can also be concluded that Indian market is risky for speculators; however for long-term investment liquidity risk is lower for BSE 500 indexed shares. The study has implications in exploring how market participants rebalance their portfolios in response to liquidity uncertainty.
The role of climate variability in extreme floods in Europe

Climate variability is shown to be an important driver of spatial and temporal changes in hydrometereological variables in Europe. However, the influence of climate variability on flood damage has received little attention. We investigated the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO), and the East Atlantic pattern (EA) during their neutral, positive, and negative phases, to understand their relationships with four flood indicators: Occurrence of Extreme Rainfall, Intensity of Extreme Rainfall, Flood Occurrence, and Flood Damage. We found that positive and negative phases of NAO and EA are associated with more (or less) frequent and intense seasonal extreme rainfall over large areas of Europe. The relationship between ENSO and the Occurrence of Extreme Rainfall and Intensity of Extreme Rainfall in Europe is much smaller than the relationship with NAO or EA, but still significant in some regions. We show that Flood Damage and Flood Occurrence have strong links with climate variability, especially in southern and eastern Europe. Therefore, when investigating flooding across Europe, all three indices of climate variability should be considered. Future research should focus on their joint influence on flood risk. The potential inclusion of seasonal forecasts of indices of climate variability could be effective in forecasting flood damage.
Identification of CD4-Binding Site Dependent Plasma Neutralizing Antibodies in an HIV-1 Infected Indian Individual

Dissecting antibody specificities in the plasma of HIV-1 infected individuals that develop broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) is likely to provide useful information for refining target epitopes for vaccine design. Several studies have reported CD4-binding site (CD4bs) antibodies as neutralization determinants in the plasma of subtype B-infected individuals; however there is little information on the prevalence of CD4bs specificities in HIV-infected individuals in India. Here, we report on the presence of CD4bs antibodies and their contribution to virus neutralization in the plasma from a cohort of HIV-1 infected Indian individuals. Plasma from 11 of the 140 HIV-1 infected individuals (7.9%) studied here exhibited cross-neutralization activity against a panel of subtype B and C viruses. Analyses of these 11 plasma samples for the presence of CD4bs antibodies using two CD4bs-selective probes (antigenically resurfaced HXB2gp120 core protein RSC3 and hyperglycosylated JRFLgp120 mutant ΔN2mCHO) revealed that five (AIIMS 617, 619, 627, 642, 660) contained RSC3-reactive plasma antibodies and only one (AIIMS 660) contained ΔN2mCHO-reactive antibodies. Plasma antibody depletion and competition experiments confirmed that the neutralizing activity in the AIIMS 660 plasma was dependent on CD4bs antibodies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to report specifically on the presence of CD4bs antibodies in the plasma of a cohort of HIV-1 infected Indian donors. The identification of CD4bs dependent neutralizing antibodies in an HIV-1 infected Indian donor is a salient finding of this study and is supportive of ongoing efforts to induce similar antibodies by immunization.
Accessing views on learning from a selected group of young people who are Profoundly Deaf.

This study used focus group methodology to access the views on learning of Key Stage 3 pupils who are Profoundly Deaf, educated within a mainstream school resourced for pupils with hearing difficulties. One of the main aims of the study was to access the young people's views using their preferred language, British Sign Language (BSL). The study had two elements, one of the chosen methodologies was focus groups, but another was participatory action research. A case study approach was also utilised. The participatory action research element of the methodology involved a Profoundly Deaf young person with British Sign Language as his preferred language volunteering to be involved in moderating the focus group and taking part in aspects of the research process. Thematic analysis of the young people’s focus group discussion revealed some interesting themes, in terms of what influences their learning: motivation, access to additional support and the importance of the Deaf community. An attempt was made to go beyond an analysis based on content; further analysis of the young people’s interaction was carried out. The findings highlighted the young people’s insight into their learning experiences, but also the complex, though remarkable nature of British Sign Language. The study reminds professionals of the importance of actively encouraging pupils whom as individuals within society are marginalised, to express their views and increase their participation in research. It is stressed that professionals need to be pro-active in developing appropriate methods that are personalised to meet the needs of all individuals. Focus groups with modification may prove useful to Educational Psychologists and young people in ensuring young people’s views can be shared across disciplines.
Effects of Gastric Bypass Surgery on Bone Mass and Microarchitecture Occur Early and Particularly Impact Postmenopausal Women

Roux‐en‐Y gastric bypass (RYGB) surgery is a highly effective treatment for obesity but negatively affects the skeleton. Studies of skeletal effects have generally examined areal bone mineral density (BMD) by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA), but DXA may be inaccurate in the setting of marked weight loss. Further, as a result of modestly sized samples of mostly premenopausal women and very few men, effects of RYGB by sex and menopausal status are unknown. We prospectively studied the effects of RYGB on skeletal health, including axial and appendicular volumetric BMD and appendicular bone microarchitecture and estimated strength. Obese adults (N = 48; 27 premenopausal and 11 postmenopausal women, 10 men) with mean ± SD body mass index (BMI) 44 ± 7 kg/m2 were assessed before and 6 and 12 months after RYGB. Participants underwent spine and hip DXA, spine QCT, radius and tibia HR‐pQCT, and laboratory evaluation. Mean 12‐month weight loss was 37 kg (30% of preoperative weight). Overall median 12‐month increase in serum collagen type I C‐telopeptide (CTx) was 278% (p < 0.0001), with greater increases in postmenopausal than premenopausal women (p = 0.049). Femoral neck BMD by DXA decreased by mean 5.0% and 8.0% over 6 and 12 months (p < 0.0001). Spinal BMD by QCT decreased by mean 6.6% and 8.1% (p < 0.0001); declines were larger among postmenopausal than premenopausal women (11.6% versus 6.0% at 12 months, p = 0.02). Radial and tibial BMD and estimated strength by HR‐pQCT declined. At the tibia, detrimental changes in trabecular microarchitecture were apparent at 6 and 12 months. Cortical porosity increased at the radius and tibia, with more dramatic 12‐month increases among postmenopausal than premenopausal women or men at the tibia (51.4% versus 18.3% versus 3.0%, p < 0.01 between groups). In conclusion, detrimental effects of RYGB on axial and appendicular bone mass and microarchitecture are detectable as early as 6 months postoperatively. Postmenopausal women are at highest risk for skeletal consequences and may warrant targeted screening or interventions. © 2017 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
The Impact of an Outpatient Program for Women with Substance Use-Related Disorders on Retention

Meeting the needs of women manifesting substance-use disorders is a goal in developing treatment programs for this population. As retention in treatment is positively related to treatment outcome, the length of stay in outpatient treatment of alcohol- and other drug-dependent women in Brazil was compared between two programs. Data were analyzed from 181 women entering a Mixed-Gender Program from 1986 to 1996 and from 80 women entering a Women-Only Program from 1997 to 1998. A greater 3-month retention rate was observed in the Women-Only as opposed to the Mixed-Gender Program. Moreover, the impact was more significant among the alcohol-dependent women. This finding suggests that the heterogeneity of women with substance-use disorders has to be taken into account when developing appropriate treatment strategies.
Clinical Competencies for Critical Care Nurses

The purpose of the studywas todetermine the relationship between baccalaureate educators and nursing employers in their perceptions of Clinical competencies necessary for beginning positions in critical care nursing. Specifically, the investigation was implemented to: 1) identify the clinical competencies necessary for beginning level critical care nurses: 2) determine the relationship between baccalaureate educators' and nursing service employers' perceptions of clinical Competencies necessary for beginning level critical care nurses; 3) determine the relationship between clinical content taught in baccalaureate nursing programs and in inservice nursing programsfor the preparation of beginning critical care nurses; 4) see if employers assign the newly graduated baccalaureate nurse to critical care settings; 5) determine i f nursing service employers were moving towards work experience, advanced courses, or advanced degrees as Prerequisite to Critical care nursing; and, 6 ) determine i f educators were having problems providing quality clinical experiences for baccalaureate students in critical care settings.
Use of cytokines in infection

Infectious disease remains an ever-growing health concern worldwide due to increasing antibiotic-resistant microbial strains, immune-compromised populations, international traffic and globalisation, and bioterrorism. There exists an urgent need to develop novel prophylactic and therapeutic strategies. In addition to classic antibiotic therapeutics, immune-modulatory molecules such as cytokines or their inhibitors represent a promising form of antimicrobial therapeutics or immune adjuvant used for the purpose of vaccination. These molecules, in the form of either recombinant protein or transgene, exert their antimicrobial effect by enhancing infectious agent-specific immune activation or memory development, or by dampening undesired inflammatory and immune responses resulting from infection and host defence mechanisms. In the last two decades, a number of cytokine therapy-based experimental and clinical trials have been conducted, and some of these efforts have led to the routine clinical use of cytokines. For instance, although IFNs have been used to treat hepatitis C with great success, many other cytokines are yet to be fully evaluated for their antimicrobial potential. This review discusses the biology and therapeutic potential of selected immune modulatory cytokines and their inhibitors, including granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, IFN-γ, IL-12 and TNF.
Ginsenoside-Rh2 Inhibits Proliferation and Induces Apoptosis of Human Gastric Cancer SGC-7901 Side Population Cells.

OBJECTIVES To observed the effects of ginsenoside -Rh2 (GS-Rh2) on proliferation and apoptosis of side population (SP) human gastric cancer SGC-7901 cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS SGC-7901 SP and Non-SP cells were sorted by flow cytometry and assessed using the cck-8 method. Expression of apoptosis-related proteins Bax and Bcl-2 of SP before and after the intervention was determined by Western-blotting. RESULTS It was found that the proliferation of SP was significantly faster than that of NSP (<0.05). In addition, GS-Rh2 inhibited proliferation of gastric cancer SP cells, induced cell cycle arrest and cell apoptosis, and changed the expression of BAX/Bcl-2 proteins in a time-dependent and concentration-dependent manner (<0.05). CONCLUSIONS With increase of GS-Rh2 dose, GS-Rh2 gradually inhibit the proliferation of SGC-7901 SP cells, which have high proliferation rate, through G1/G0 phase arrest, followed by apoptosis which involves the up-regulation of Bax and the down-regulation of Bcl-2.
Screening for homelessness among individuals initiating medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder in the Veterans Health Administration.

OBJECTIVE To determine the prevalence of homelessness and risk for homelessness among veterans with opioid use disorder initiating treatment. SETTING Addiction treatment programs operated by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). PARTICIPANTS All veterans initiating treatment with methadone or buprenorphine for opioid use disorder between October 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014 (n = 2,699) who were administered the VA's national homelessness screener. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Self-reported homelessness or imminent risk of homelessness. RESULTS The prevalence of homelessness was 10.2 percent and 5.3 percent were at risk for homelessness. Compared to male veterans, women veterans were less likely to report homelessness (8.9 percent vs 10.3 percent) but more likely to be at risk (11.8 percent vs 4.9 percent). By age group, veterans aged 18-34 and 45-54 years most frequently reported homelessness (12.0 and 11.7 percent, respectively) and veterans aged 45-54 and 55-64 years most frequently reported risk for homelessness (6.5 and 6.8 percent, respectively). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of homelessness in this population is approximately 10 times that of the general veteran population accessing care at VA. Screening identified a substantial number of veterans who could benefit from VA housing assistance and had not received it recently. Programs to address veteran homelessness should engage with veterans seeking addiction treatment. Integration of homelessness services into addiction treatment settings may, in turn, improve outcomes.
A Low-Temperature SU-8 Based Wafer-Level Hermetic Packaging for MEMS Devices

We have developed a novel all SU-8 packaging method for microelectromechanical system (MEMS) devices. The process is low temperature and low cost and it allows for nonhermetic as well as hermetic packaging. The nonhermetic package can be applied to sensors. The process flow is based on a partial and a full exposure of SU-8 negative resist using two masks. The underexposed region results in cross-linking of only a surface layer, while the underlying resist is not cross-linked and can be removed using SU-8 developer. By depositing a second SU-8 layer a sealed package for MEMS devices can be achieved. The packaging method provides any pattern and cavity clearance since it is solely based on lithography steps. The concept of the packaging method is introduced in this paper and then its practical validity demonstrated using simulation and characterization results.
Agreement Between Parent and Adolescent Reports of Adolescent Substance Use

ABSTRACT This study examined the correspondence between parent and adolescent reports of the adolescent's substance use in a population of parents concerned about, and experiencing problems resulting from, their teen's substance use. Seventy-five parents and their adolescents (76% not in treatment; 24% in treatment) were interviewed separately regarding the teen's recent use of cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, and other illicit drugs. Irrespective of adolescent treatment status, fair-to-good congruence was found on cigarette and marijuana use, alcohol use frequency, and overall substance use frequency. Poor congruence was found on the incidence of alcohol and other illicit drug use, and the quantity of alcohol consumed per drinking day. Multiple regression analysis revealed that poorer congruence on substance use frequency occurred when the teen was younger, when the parent scored low on monitoring and high on psychological distress, and when the parent used alcohol more frequently. Results indicate that parental awareness of teen substance use varies with the substance used and its measurement. In the absence of a cooperative teen, however, parental report of the frequency of adolescent substance use appears to serve as a fair-to-good proxy.
Performance of Soft Decision Metrics and Diversity Combining with Imperfect Channel Estimation

In this paper, we derived two new decision metrics for the non-coherent maximum a posteriori (N-MAP) detector and the generalized-likelihood ratio (GLR) detector. The proposed detectors are optimally designed to make use of the available estimated channel. The obtained results show that the proposed detectors can outperform a system using classical training-based maximum-likelihood (TBML) detector. The performance is evaluated by means of computer simulations with both convolutional coded and LDPC-coded systems.
How do the properties of telerehabilitation technologies change clinical practice and interprofessional communication? A qualitative case-study

There has been a steady increase in the number of telerehabilitation programmes, as well as studies of telerehabilitation technology development, efficacy and effectiveness. However, few studies have examined the impact of telerehabilitation when it is actually implemented in a clinical setting. The objective of this study was therefore to explore how the properties of the technologies used for telerehabilitation affect clinical practice and interprofessional communication in a rehabilitation setting. A qualitative case study of an interorganisational telerehabilitation programme for traumatic brain injured and spinal cord injured patients was conducted, using data obtained from focus groups and interviews, along with observations of recordings of videoconference sessions. A conceptual framework based on technology adoption and organisational change theories was used to structure the data collection and thematic analysis. Several key characteristics of the telerehabilitation technologies were identified that impacted on interprofessional and interorganisational collaborations and patient participation, including the audio and video quality, the real-time communication capability, user-friendliness and time restrictions. The technology was used primarily for interdisciplinary care plan meetings, and occasionally for direct patient interventions in speech therapy and sexology, although additional uses had been identified in the planning stages. Implications for the development of future telerehabilitation programmes are discussed, in particular relating to sensitizing team members to each other's roles and organisational cultures.
How appropriate is direct admission for laparoscopic clip sterilisation. A prospective questionnaire study

Summary The aim of this study was to assess whether direct booking for laparoscopic sterilisation increases non-attendance rate or limits communication with patients. It included 149 patients booked for laparoscopic clip sterilisation as a day case upon receiving a referral for sterilisation without being seen in the gynaecology outpatient clinic at Singleton Hospital. Patients were asked to fill a self-construct questionnaire about their satisfaction with the information provided to them, in the hospital information leaflet sent to them upon booking. A total of 53 of these patients (35.6%) were seen in the pre-admission clinic and 96 (64.4%) were to be admitted straight for surgery. All of those seen in the pre-admission clinic attended for surgery (100%), compared with 76 (79.2%) of those booked for admission without pre-admission clinic attendance (Fisher's exact test p < 0.01). The preoperative assessment clinic appears to give patients a chance to further discuss sterilisation and this seems to contribute to the lower ‘did not attend’ (DNA) rate. There was no significant difference in assessing the information leaflet between those who attended the pre-assessment clinic and those who were admitted on the day.
Florfenicol pharmacokinetics in lactating cows after intravenous, intramuscular and intramammary administration.

Pharmacokinetics of florfenicol 30% injectable solution was determined in lactating cows after intravenous, intramammary and intramuscular administration. Serum concentration-time data generated in the present study were analysed by non-compartmental methods based on statistical moment theory. Florfenicol half-life was 176 min, mean residence time 129 min, volume of distribution at steady-state 0.35 L/kg, and total body clearance 2.7 mL/min.kg after intravenous administration at 20 mg/kg. The absorption after intramuscular administration appeared slow and the kinetic parameters and the serum concentration vs. time curve were characteristic of absorption rate-dependent elimination. The absorption after intramammary administration of florfenicol at 20 mg/kg was good (53.9%) and resulted in serum concentrations with apparent clinical significance. The intramammary administration resulted in serum florfenicol concentrations that were significantly higher than the respective serum concentrations following intravenous administration 4 h after administration and thereafter. Florfenicol absorption was faster from the mammary gland than from the muscle. The maximum serum concentrations (Cmax) were 6.9 micrograms/mL at 360 min after intramammary administration and 2.3 micrograms/mL at 180 min after intramuscular administration. The bioavailability of florfenicol was 54% and 38% after intramammary and intramuscular administration, respectively. The Cmax in milk was 5.4 micrograms/mL at 180 min after intravenous and 1.6 micrograms/mL at 600 min after intramuscular administration.