Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Loudness asymmetries for tones with increasing and decreasing levels using continuous and global ratings

Loudness change has been studied for tones with linearly varying levels using different loudness rating methods, such as direct estimation or indirect estimation based on the starting and ending levels. The published results reveal an asymmetry depending on the direction of change (increasing vs. decreasing), the range of levels (high vs. low), and on the loudness rating method involved. The present study examines loudness asymmetry between increasing and decreasing levels for 1-kHz tones over the range 60-80 dB SPL and over four ramp durations (2, 5, 10 and 20 s) using two additional loudness ratings: continuous ratings and global ratings. A continuous analogical/categorical (A/C) rating scale was used, which consisted of an analog scale subdivided into seven discrete categories labeled from very, very loud to very, very soft. Two measures are obtained, examined and analyzed separately: indirect and direct loudness measures that correspond to the loudness change extracted from continuous ratings and the overall loudness impression, respectively. Loudness changes do not reveal any significant perceptual asymmetry between an increasing and a decreasing ramp. In addition, results do not reveal any "decruitment" effect, i.e. the loudness of a continuously decreasing tone changes more rapidly as a function of sound pressure level, which is in agreement with previous results for this range of levels. On the other hand, direct estimation of the global loudness, i.e. an overall loudness rating of the stimulus, is higher for an increasing ramp than for a decreasing ramp. This result is in agreement with previous studies and can be described by a memory process dominated by the ending level.
Multi-objective assembly line balancing via a modified ant colony optimization technique

A technique derived from ant colony optimization is presented that addresses multiple objectives associated with the general assembly line-balancing problem. The specific objectives addressed are crew size, system utilization, the probability of jobs being completed within a certain time frame and system design costs. These objectives are addressed simultaneously, and the obtained results are compared with those obtained from single-objective approaches. Comparison shows the relative superiority of the multi-objective approach in terms of both overall performance and the richness of information.
Patient‐specific modelling of bone and bone‐implant systems: the challenges

In the past three decades, finite element (FE) modelling has provided considerable understanding to the area of musculoskeletal biomechanics. However, most of this understanding has been generated using generic, standardised or idealised models. Patient‐specific modelling (PSM) is almost never used for making clinical decisions. Imaging technologies have made it possible to create patient‐specific geometries and FE meshes for modelling. While these have brought us closer to PSM, several challenges associated with the definition of material properties, loads, boundary conditions and interaction between components still need to be overcome. This study reviews the current status of PSM with respect to defining material behaviour and prescribing boundary conditions and interactions. With regard to the constitutive modelling of bone, it is seen that imaging is being increasingly used to define elastic properties (isotropic as well as anisotropic). However, the post‐elastic and time‐dependent behaviour, important for several modelling situations, is mostly obtained from in vitro experiments. Strain‐based plasticity, not commonly available in FE codes, appears to have the potential of reducing an element of patient‐specificity in modelling the yielding behaviour of bone. PSM of real boundary conditions that include muscles and ligaments continues to remain a challenge; many clinically relevant questions can be, however, answered without their inclusion. Simulation techniques to undertake PSM of interactions between bone and uncemented implants are available. Interference fit employed in both joint replacement fracture treatments induces considerable preload whose inclusion in models is important for the prediction of interface behaviour. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Aquaporin‐4 Mz isoform: Brain expression, supramolecular assembly and neuromyelitis optica antibody binding

Water channel aquaporin‐4 (AQP4) is expressed in astrocytes throughout brain and spinal cord. Two major AQP4 isoforms are expressed, M1 and M23, having different translation initiation sites. A longer isoform (Mz) has been reported in rat with translation initiation 126‐bp upstream from that of M1. By immunoblot analysis of SDS and native gels probed with a C‐terminus anti‐AQP4 antibody, Mz was detected in rat brain as a distinct band of size ∼39 kDa. Mz was absent in human and mouse brain because of in‐frame stop codons. The ability of rat Mz to form orthogonal arrays of particles (OAPs) was investigated by single particle tracking and native gel electrophoresis. We found that Mz, like M1, diffused rapidly in the cell plasma membrane and did not form OAPs. However, when co‐expressed with M23, Mz associated in OAPs by forming heterotetramers with M23. Unexpectedly, Mz‐expressing cells bound neuromyelitis optica autoantibodies (NMO‐IgG) poorly, <5‐fold compared with M1‐expressing cells. Truncation analysis suggested that the poor NMO‐IgG binding to Mz involves residues 31–41 upstream of Met‐1. We conclude that Mz AQP4 is (a) present at low level in rat but not human or mouse brain, (b) unable to form OAPs on its own but able to associate with M23 AQP4 in heterotetramers, and (c) largely unable to bind NMO‐IgG because of N‐terminus effects on the structure of the AQP4/NMO‐IgG binding site. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Impaired face recognition does not preclude intact whole face perception

We studied intact and impaired processes in a prosopagnosic patient (RP). In Experiment 1, RP showed an inversion superiority effect with both faces and objects, with better performance when stimuli were presented upside down than in normal upright orientation. In Experiment 2, we studied the effect of face configuration directly by comparing matching performance with normal vs. scrambled faces. RP was worse with normal than with scrambled faces, whereas normal controls showed an advantage of a good face context. In Experiment 3, RP showed interference from external face features on the evaluation of internal face features. These results indicate, first, that although RP is impaired in face recognition and face matching, he does still encode the whole face rather than relying completely on parts-based procedures. Second, RP has a deficit at the level of the configural processes involved in finding subtle differences between individual faces, as his performance is worse when presented with a normal face configuration than with scrambled or inverted faces.
Origin of seasonal predictability for summer climate over the Northwestern Pacific

Summer climate in the Northwestern Pacific (NWP) displays large year-to-year variability, affecting densely populated Southeast and East Asia by impacting precipitation, temperature, and tropical cyclones. The Pacific–Japan (PJ) teleconnection pattern provides a crucial link of high predictability from the tropics to East Asia. Using coupled climate model experiments, we show that the PJ pattern is the atmospheric manifestation of an air–sea coupled mode spanning the Indo-NWP warm pool. The PJ pattern forces the Indian Ocean (IO) via a westward propagating atmospheric Rossby wave. In response, IO sea surface temperature feeds back and reinforces the PJ pattern via a tropospheric Kelvin wave. Ocean coupling increases both the amplitude and temporal persistence of the PJ pattern. Cross-correlation of ocean–atmospheric anomalies confirms the coupled nature of this PJIO mode. The ocean–atmosphere feedback explains why the last echoes of El Niño–Southern Oscillation are found in the IO-NWP in the form of the PJIO mode. We demonstrate that the PJIO mode is indeed highly predictable; a characteristic that can enable benefits to society.
Beginnings of robotics as a separate discipline of technical sciences and some fundamental results - a personal view

Based on the author's knowledge the paper gives a brief account of some of the scientific achievements of robotics that were of crucial importance to its development. In a rough chronological order these are: zero-moment concept and semi-inverse method; recursive formulation of robot dynamics; computer-aided derivation of robot dynamics in symbolic form; dynamic approach to generation of trajectories of robotic manipulators; centralized feedforward control in robotics; robot dynamic control; decentralized control and observer applied to strongly coupled active mechanisms; force feedback in dynamic control of robots; decentralized control stability tests for robotic mechanisms; underactuated robotic systems; practical stability tests in robotics; unified approach to control laws synthesis for robot interacting with dynamic environment; modeling and control of multi-arm cooperating robots interacting with environment; connectionist algorithms for advanced learning control of robots interacting with dynamic environment; fuzzy logic robot control with model-based dynamic compensation, and internal redundancy – a new way to improve robot dynamic performance.
Electrical Diagnostics of Dielectric Barrier Discharges

Atmospheric pressure dielectric barrier discharges (DBD) has many industrial applications and remains a focus of academic research. This chapter provides a thorough overview of electrical diagnostics for DBD, with a specific focus on charge-voltage measurement techniques. These methods are often underutilised in the existing scientific literature, despite the fact that they can provide useful insights into plasma behaviour. Both optimization of the electrical measurement setup and the interpretation of results are treated in-depth. The diagnostic techniques are discussed for a range of applications, from classic planar DBDs, to catalyst packed beds, plasma actuators, as well as techniques for measuring single microdischarges. [book: Plasma as the fourth state of matter is an ionized gas consisting of both negative and positive ions, electrons, neutral atoms, radicals, and photons. In the last few decades, atmospheric-pressure plasmas have started to attract increasing attention from both scientists and industry due to a variety of potential applications. Because of increasing interest in the topic, the focus of this book is on providing engineers and scientists with a fundamental understanding of the physical and chemical properties of different atmospheric-pressure plasmas via plasma diagnostic techniques and their applications. The book has been organized into two parts. Part I focuses on the latest achievements in advanced diagnostics of different atmospheric-pressure plasmas. Part II deals with applications of different atmospheric-pressure plasmas. ]
Energy-efficient spatial modulation in massive MIMO systems by means of compressive sensing

In this paper we propose a spatial modulation (SM) technique with improved energy efficiency (EE) for the multiple access channel (MAC) with a large number of antennas. The proposed scheme builds upon compressive sensing (CS) and accounts for the sparsity and structure of the signals transmitted via SM in multi-user scenarios to further improve the performance and reduce the complexity of linear detectors. In particular, the proposed technique incorporates additional prior knowledge to conventional CS-based approaches by exploiting the existence of a maximum number of active antennas per user when SM transmission is used in the MAC. The results presented in this paper show that the proposed algorithm offers both a) reduced complexity and b) improved performance compared to conventional CS and linear detection strategies and also allow us to determine the conditions under which the use of SM systems in the MAC is beneficial from an EE point of view.
A population-based approach to define body-composition phenotypes.

BACKGROUND Abnormal body compositions such as high adiposity (HA), low muscle mass (LM), or a combination of the 2 [high adiposity with low muscle mass (HA-LM)] are relevant phenotypes, but data on their prevalence and impact on health are still limited. This is largely because of a lack of a consensus definition for these conditions. Of particular interest is the HA-LM phenotype, also termed "sarcopenic obesity," which may confer greater health risk. OBJECTIVE We propose a new approach for operationalizing abnormal body-composition phenotypes in a representative adult population. DESIGN Whole-body dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry data obtained from the 1999-2004 NHANES were analyzed for 13,236 subjects aged ≥18 y (maximum weight and height of 136 kg and 1.96 m, respectively). Sex- and body mass index (BMI)-specific decile groups of appendicular skeletal muscle index (ASMI; kg/m²) and fat mass index (FMI; kg/m²) were developed. Cutoffs for HA and LM were incorporated into a diagnostic framework to characterize 4 specific body-composition phenotypes-low adiposity with high muscle mass, high adiposity with high muscle mass, low adiposity with low muscle mass, and HA-LM-and a subclassification of the phenotypes into classes I, II, and III. RESULTS Abnormal phenotypes were prevalent across the age spectrum and BMI categories. The association between ASMI or FMI and age was modified by sex and BMI. The prevalence of HA-LM in the whole sample was 10.3% in women and 15.2% in men. The prevalence of all subclasses of HA-LM in obese women and men was 14.7% and 22.9%, respectively. HA-LM class III was more prevalent in obese men (2.3%) than in obese women (0.3%). CONCLUSIONS We developed sex- and BMI-specific reference curves to harmonize the classification of body-composition phenotypes. The application of this classification will be particularly useful in the identification of cases of sarcopenic obesity. The association of these phenotypes with metabolic deregulation and increased disease risk awaits verification.
TAMBIS: Transparent Access to Multiple Bioinformatics Information Sources

The TAMBIS project aims to provide transparent access to disparate biological databases and analysis tools, enabling users to utilize a wide range of resources with the minimum of effort. A prototype system has been developed that includes a knowledge base of biological terminology (the biological Concept Model), a model of the underlying data sources (the Source Model) and a 'knowledge-driven' user interface. Biological concepts are captured in the knowledge base using a description logic called GRAIL. The Concept Model provides the user with the concepts necessary to construct a wide range of multiple-source queries, and the user interface provides a flexible means of constructing and manipulating those queries. The Source Model provides a description of the underlying sources and mappings between terms used in the sources and terms in the biological Concept Model. The Concept Model and Source Model provide a level of indirection that shields the user from source details, providing a high level of source transparency. Source independent, declarative queries formed from terms in the Concept Model are transformed into a set of source dependent, executable procedures. Query formulation, translation and execution is demonstrated using a working example.
Comparison of Differences and Determinants Between Presence and Absence of Sleep Disturbance in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma patients often experience sleep disturbance after undergoing transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE). Objective: The objectives of this study were to (1) examine and compare symptom distress, depression, and sleep quality in hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing TACE with sleep disturbance versus without sleep disturbance and (2) examine the determinants of sleep disturbance in these patients. Methods: Hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing TACE were recruited. The patients were evaluated 1 week (T1) and 1 month (T2) after receiving TACE in terms of performance status, symptom distress, depression (T1), and sleep disturbance (T2). Logistic regression was used to determine the predictive factors of sleep disturbance. Results: Patients with sleep disturbance reported significantly higher overall symptom distress and depression and lower sleep quality than patients without sleep disturbance. The 5 leading causes of symptom distress in both groups were fatigue, pain, poor appetite, chest tightness, and fever. Older age, greater symptom distress, and higher levels of depression were significantly associated with sleep disturbance. Conclusions: The results of this study show significant associations among symptom distress, depression at baseline, and sleep problems 1 month after undergoing TACE. Clinicians should be aware of the possibility of lasting sleep disturbance in hepatocellular carcinoma patients undergoing TACE. Implications for Practice: In clinical care, symptom management, psychological consultation, and relaxation training may promote sleep quality.
FORMULATION OF ORALLY DISINTEGRATING TABLETS OF CINNARIZINE BY USING DIRECT COMPRESSION METHOD

Objective: The aim of this work was to formulate and evaluate orally disintegrating tablets of cinnarizine that were prepared by direct compression method using different types of diluents and super disintegrants. The rationale behind this work was to accelerate the disintegration of the tablet to provide rapid dissolution, quick action and enhanced bioavailability of the drug.Methods: The tablets were prepared by direct compression method using different types of diluents as mannitol, microcrystalline cellulose (MCC), and lactose. Different super disintegrants were used such as crospovidone (CP), sodium starch glycolate (SSG) and Kyron T-314; Kyron T-314 was used in different concentrations of 5%, 6%, 7%, and 8%. The prepared formulae (F1-F9c) were subjected to flowability studies and post-compression evaluation studies. The optimized formula was selected depending on the time of disintegration and dissolution; then it was subjected to drug-excipient compatibility study and stability study.Results: Flowability results were ranging from excellent, excellent to good, and good to fair according to the type of the diluent used. All of the prepared tablets showed acceptable hardness, friability, drug content, and disintegration. A rapid disintegration of 11.66±2.25 s with the highest percentage 2 min-drug release of 74.55±3.01% was obtained by using the diluent lactose and the super disintegrant Kyron T-314 (8%) in the formula F9c. The infrared spectroscopic studies of the formula F9c showed no drug-excipient interaction. In addition, the stability study indicated that the optimized formula is a stable formula.Conclusion: Formula F9c of a rapidly disintegrating tablet was easy to be manufactured, and the results showed that this formula had a rapid disintegration, high dissolution profile, no noticeable chemical incompatibility and it was stable upon storage.
Retrospective analysis of the learning curve associated with laparoscopic ovariectomy in dogs and associated perioperative complication rates.

OBJECTIVE To assess the learning curve associated with laparoscopic ovariectomy (LOE) in 618 dogs and to report perioperative complication rates. STUDY DESIGN Case series. ANIMALS Dogs (n = 618). METHODS Data retrieved from the medical records of bitches admitted for LOE over 42 months included date of surgery, breed, weight (kg), age (months), surgeon, suture material used, intraoperative complications and postoperative complications. Each LOE was defined as "successful" or "unsuccessful" by the absence or presence of an intraoperative complication and "failure" rate described using a CUSUM technique. RESULTS Follow-up time ranged from 152 to 1,435 days (median, 737 days). Intraoperative complications occurred in 10 dogs (1.6%) and included: splenic laceration (6 dogs; 1%), urinary bladder perforation (3 dogs; 0.5%), and subcutaneous emphysema (1 dog; 0.2%). Postoperative complications occurred in 99 dogs (16%) and included: incisional inflammation treated with antibiotics (87 dogs [14%]; 96/1,854 incisions; 5.1%), incisional seroma (5 dogs [0.8%]; 5/1,854 incisions, 0.3%), incisional hernia (4 dogs [0.6%]; 4/1,854 incisions, 0.2%), and ovarian remnant syndrome (3 dogs; 0.5%). CUSUM charts indicated an initial "learning curve" of ∼80 LOE. CONCLUSIONS LOE is a technique with an initial learning curve but once surgical proficiency is reached after ∼80 procedures then intraoperative complication rates associated with the procedure can be low.
Age estimation by using dental radiographs

Background: Estimation of age is important in forensic sciences as a way to establish the identity of human remains. Of the various parts of the body used in age estimation, teeth are the least affected by the taphonomic process. Their durability means that they are sometimes the only body part available for study. Several methods of age estimation have been studied using bone and teeth, and among them, tooth wear and apposition of secondary dentine are the currently available non-destructive methods. Objectives: The purpose of the study was to determine the age of adults by using Kvaal's method as well as to establish the relationship of chronological age and dental age with its reliability and limitations on digital panoramic radiographs. Materials and Methods: The present study was based on panoramic radiographs that consisted of two groups. One hundred orthopantomographs with Kvaal's criteria (Group A) and 50 orthopantomographs without Kvaal's criteria (Group B) were included. Various parameters were measured and the result was analyzed by means of SPSS-12.0 program statistical data. Result and Conclusion: On the basis of Kvaal's criteria, the difference between chronological age and real age was 8.3 years. This suggests that the accuracy of this method depends on the precision of measurements and quality and number of the orthopantomographs.
Optimal Power Allocation for Secure Multicarrier Relay Systems

We study power allocation for secrecy rate maximization in a multicarrier decode-and-forward relay system, where an eavesdropper exists. We consider three transmission modes: in no communication, the source and the relay do not transmit at all; in direct communication, the source broadcasts signals during the first time slot and the relay does not forward any signal during the second time slot; in relay communication, the source broadcasts signals during the first time slot and the relay forwards the reencoded signals to the destination during the second time slot. Determining the transmission strategy adaptively on each subcarrier, the optimal source power and the optimal relay power over all subcarriers are derived to maximize the sum secrecy rate under a total system power constraint. In addition, a suboptimal power allocation scheme is proposed to substantially reduce the computational complexity. It is shown that the proposed suboptimal solution is asymptotically optimal in the limit as the number of subcarriers goes to infinity. Extensive numerical results are presented for various scenarios. In particular, the performance of the suboptimal scheme is very close to that of the optimal scheme even if the number of subcarriers is moderately small.