Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Monitoring vital signs and location of patients by using ZigBee wireless sensor networks

This work proposes a WWBAN (Wearable Wireless Body Area Network) for patients and its localization by means of a Zigbee-based LPS (Local Positioning System). To carry out both systems a mote has been used. This mote is a device composed by a microcontroller, some sensors and some communication modules. The WWBAN is used to measure user movement and heart rate, save it and send it to a remote device. For the LPS implementation, a set of ZigBee beacons is used. All the data from WWBAN and LPS are sent through a Bluetooth link to a mobile phone.
Synchronous Sounds Enhance Visual Sensitivity without Reducing Target Uncertainty

We examined the crossmodal effect of the presentation of a simultaneous sound on visual detection and discrimination sensitivity using the equivalent noise paradigm (Dosher & Lu, 1998). In each trial, a tilted Gabor patch was presented in either the first or second of two intervals consisting of dynamic 2D white noise with one of seven possible contrast levels. The results revealed that the sensitivity of participants' visual detection and discrimination performance were both enhanced by the presentation of a simultaneous sound, though only close to the noise level at which participants' target contrast thresholds started to increase with the increasing noise contrast. A further analysis of the psychometric function at this noise level revealed that the increase in sensitivity could not be explained by the reduction of participants' uncertainty regarding the onset time of the visual target. We suggest that this crossmodal facilitatory effect may be accounted for by perceptual enhancement elicited by a simultaneously-presented sound, and that the crossmodal facilitation was easier to observe when the visual system encountered a level of noise that happened to be close to the level of internal noise embedded within the system.
Television Advertising and Online Search

Despite a 20-year trend toward integrated marketing communications, advertisers seldom coordinate television and search advertising campaigns. We find that television advertising for financial services brands increases both the number of related Google searches and searchers' tendency to use branded keywords in place of generic keywords. The elasticity of a brand's total searches with respect to its TV advertising is 0.17, an effect that peaks in the morning. These results suggest that practitioners should account for cross-media effects when planning, executing, and evaluating both television and search advertising campaigns. This paper was accepted by Pradeep Chintagunta, marketing.
Mechanisms of recovery in stroke patients with hemiparesis or aphasia: new insights, old questions and the meaning of therapies

Purpose of reviewThe mechanisms responsible for recovery after stroke in patients with hemiparesis or aphasia are under intense study, since knowledge of these mechanisms is a prerequisite for choosing which therapy a patient receives and when to apply it. Recent findingsMost of the recent insights are obtained with longitudinal studies using functional imaging and direct cortical stimulation during the process of recovery. They reveal that reorganization is a highly dynamic process, involving the establishment of new communications in the remaining system and showing similarities to learning processes in healthy individuals. Lesion localization is a major determinant for recovery and the pattern of reorganization. Neurobiological hypotheses lead to clinical studies, which in turn are now used to confirm or reject these hypotheses. SummaryAlthough our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for recovery is increasing, the application of this knowledge in daily praxis is still limited. A better understanding of the underlying mechanisms, however, can lead to appropriate therapies for individual patients.
Zoning and metaclasses for character recognition

The contribution of this paper is twofold. First we investigate the use of the confusion matrices in order to get some insight to better define perceptual zoning for character recognition. The features considered in this work are based on concavities/convexities deficiencies, which are obtained by labeling the background pixels of the input image. Four different perceptual zoning (symmetrical and non-symmetrical) are discussed. Experiments show that this mechanism of zoning could be considered as a reasonable alternative to exhaustive search algorithms. The second contribution is a methodology to define metaclasses for the problem of handwritten character recognition. The proposed approach is based on the disagreement among the characters and it uses Euclidean distance computed between the confusion matrices. Through comprehensive experiments we demonstrate that the use of metaclasses can improve the performance of the system.
Optimum rehearsal patterns and name learning

Two kinds of practice are distinguished. In one, new information is presented repeatedly for study. In the other, of ten exemplified in name learning, a fact' is presented just once, and subsequent rehearsal takes the form of "tests". Previous results and theory suggest that different schedules of rehearsal may be optimal in the two cases. , We report experiments on name learning that compared various rehearsal patterns. Given a fixed number of rehearsals in a fixed period, a pattern of increasing intervals between successive rehearsals was best for test-type practice, while uniform spacing was slightly better if the information was repeated.
Role of lubricants on friction between self-ligating brackets and archwires.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of different lubricants on friction between orthodontic brackets and archwires. MATERIALS AND METHODS Active (Quick, Forestadent) and passive (Damon 3MX, Ormco) self-ligating brackets underwent friction tests in the presence of mucin- and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)-based artificial saliva, distilled water, and whole human saliva (positive control). Dry friction (no lubricant) was used as the negative control. Bracket/wire samples (0.014 × 0.025 inch, CuNiTi, SDS Ormco) underwent friction tests eight times in a universal testing machine. RESULTS Two-way analysis of variance showed no significant interaction between bracket type and lubricant (P = .324). Friction force obtained with passive self-ligating brackets was lower than that for active brackets (P < .001). Friction observed in the presence of artificial saliva did not differ from that generated under lubrication with natural human saliva, as shown by Tukey test. Higher friction forces were found with the use of distilled water or when the test was performed under dry condition (ie, with no lubricant). CONCLUSION Lubrication plays a role in friction forces between self-ligating brackets and CuNiTi wires, with mucin- and CMC-based artificial saliva providing a reliable alternative to human natural saliva.
The need to control for regression to the mean in social psychology studies

It is common in repeated measurements for extreme values at the first measurement to approach the mean at the subsequent measurement, a phenomenon called regression to the mean (RTM). If RTM is not fully controlled, it will lead to erroneous conclusions. The wide use of repeated measurements in social psychology creates a risk that an RTM effect will influence results. However, insufficient attention is paid to RTM in most social psychological research. Notable cases include studies on the phenomena of social conformity and unrealistic optimism (Klucharev et al., 2009, 2011; Sharot et al., 2011, 2012b; Campbell-Meiklejohn et al., 2012; Kim et al., 2012; Garrett and Sharot, 2014). In Study 1, 13 university students rated and re-rated the facial attractiveness of a series of female faces as a test of the social conformity effect (Klucharev et al., 2009). In Study 2, 15 university students estimated and re-estimated their risk of experiencing a series of adverse life events as a test of the unrealistic optimism effect (Sharot et al., 2011). Although these studies used methodologies similar to those used in earlier research, the social conformity and unrealistic optimism effects were no longer evident after controlling for RTM. Based on these findings we suggest several ways to control for the RTM effect in social psychology studies, such as adding the initial rating as a covariate in regression analysis, selecting a subset of stimuli for which the participant' initial ratings were matched across experimental conditions, and using a control group.
Latency removal for teleoperating a paddle-juggling robot

In order to develop a real-time teleoperated robotic system it is necessary to cope with the latency that is contributed by all the components of the system. Usually, the transmission elapsed time is one of the most serious issues in the latency problem. In the proposed teleoperated robotic system, there are a motion-capture system to acquire human motion data, a paddle-juggling robot to bounce a ping-pong ball up and down, and a proposed latency-removal algorithm to remove the motion latency between the human and the robot. It is assumed that the delay induced by the latency-removal algorithm is negligible. To reduce the lump-sum latency effect of the teleoperated system, the proposed latency-removal algorithm is based on a emulator/controller neural-network architecture to predict the robot motion command in advance. In the task of bouncing a ping-pong ball up and down, the movement is near cyclic. The simulation result shows that the performance by the proposed method is even better for a near cyclic movement.
Co-channel interference mitigation detectors for multirate transmission in TD-CDMA systems

We address the problem of downlink detection in a mobile radio time division/code division multiple access multirate communication system employing linear modulation. We focus on the detection of a group of intracell codes (ranging from a single one to all the active codes) rejecting both interference coming from the complementary set of undesired intracell codes and co-channel intercell interference. We investigate efficient implementations of linear nonadaptive multiuser detection realized by either joint or separate intersymbol interference and multiple access interference (MAI) mitigation using the zero-forcing or minimum mean square error criteria. The proposed detection schemes employ a tunable-complexity structured description of the MAI for the purpose of detection and interference mitigation. Specifically, the receivers always envision an intracell interference mitigation and data detection capability, while intercell interference is treated differently depending on operating environments. If a statistical description of the intercell interference is available, the receiver realizes group detection in the presence of possibly nonwhite Gaussian noise. Soft hand-over procedures are also proposed wherein direct suppression of intercell interference is possible as well as group detection of the data of the neighboring cells. A unified and finite complexity implementation of the proposed detection schemes based on a sliding window formulation is provided. The numerical results validate the proposed receiver structures showing that a structured description of the observation always leads to a detector with superior performance.
Proxy-Based Northern Hemisphere Surface Temperature Reconstructions: Sensitivity to Method, Predictor Network, Target Season, and Target Domain

Abstract Results are presented from a set of experiments designed to investigate factors that may influence proxy-based reconstructions of large-scale temperature patterns in past centuries. The factors investigated include 1) the method used to assimilate proxy data into a climate reconstruction, 2) the proxy data network used, 3) the target season, and 4) the spatial domain of the reconstruction. Estimates of hemispheric-mean temperature are formed through spatial averaging of reconstructed temperature patterns that are based on either the local calibration of proxy and instrumental data or a more elaborate multivariate climate field reconstruction approach. The experiments compare results based on the global multiproxy dataset used by Mann and coworkers, with results obtained using the extratropical Northern Hemisphere (NH) maximum latewood tree-ring density set used by Briffa and coworkers. Mean temperature reconstructions are compared for the full NH (Tropics and extratropics, land and ocean) and ext.
To be wise and kind: a Buddhist community engagement with Victorian state primary schools

This is a case study of the development of the Buddhist Education in Victorian Schools program in state primary schools. It is located alongside the theoretical and policy frameworks of Australian state schooling and a growing but disparate international movement that is applying meditative techniques and principles with roots in the Buddha- Dharma in secular and pluralist education. The meta-ethics of wisdom and compassion, it is argued, are the foundation for spiritual education, personal development and positively engaged citizenship in the Dharma. These are also and congruent with the intrinsic aims of education.
Prognostic Value of Volume-Based 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT Parameters in Patients with Clinically Node-Negative Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Objective To evaluate the prognostic value of volume-based metabolic parameters measured with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with clinically node-negative (cN0) oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) as compared with other prognostic factors. Materials and Methods In this study, we included a total of 57 patients who had been diagnosed with cN0 tongue cancer by radiologic, 18F-FDG PET/CT, and physical examinations. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax), average SUV (SUVavg), metabolic tumor volume (MTV), and total lesion glycolysis (TLG) for primary tumors were measured with 18F-FDG PET. The prognostic significances of these parameters and other clinical variables were assessed by Cox proportional hazards regression analysis. Results In the univariate analysis, pathological node (pN) stage, American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) stage, SUVmax, SUVavg, MTV, and TLG were significant predictors for survival. On a multivariate analysis, pN stage (hazard ratio = 10.555, p = 0.049), AJCC stage (hazard ratio = 13.220, p = 0.045), and MTV (hazard ratio = 2.698, p = 0.033) were significant prognostic factors in cN0 OTSCC patients. The patients with MTV ≥ 7.78 cm3 showed a worse prognosis than those with MTV < 7.78 cm3 (p = 0.037). Conclusion The MTV of primary tumor as a volumetric parameter of 18F-FDG PET, in addition to pN stage and AJCC stage, is an independent prognostic factor for survival in cN0 OTSCC.
Pretreatment dietary intake is associated with tumor suppressor DNA methylation in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas

Diet is associated with cancer prognosis, including head and neck cancer (HNC), and has been hypothesized to influence epigenetic state by determining the availability of functional groups involved in the modification of DNA and histone proteins. The goal of this study was to describe the association between pretreatment diet and HNC tumor DNA methylation. Information on usual pretreatment food and nutrient intake was estimated via food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) on 49 HNC cases. Tumor DNA methylation patterns were assessed using the Illumina Goldengate Methylation Cancer Panel. First, a methylation score, the sum of individual hypermethylated tumor suppressor associated CpG sites, was calculated and associated with dietary intake of micronutrients involved in one-carbon metabolism and antioxidant activity, and food groups abundant in these nutrients. Second, gene specific analyses using linear modeling with empirical Bayesian variance estimation were conducted to identify if methylation at individual CpG sites was associated with diet. All models were controlled for age, sex, smoking, alcohol and HPV status. Individuals reporting in the highest quartile of folate, vitamin B12 and vitamin A intake, compared with those in the lowest quartile, showed significantly less tumor suppressor gene methylation, as did patients reporting the highest cruciferous vegetable intake. Gene specific analyses identified differential associations between DNA methylation and vitamin B12 and vitamin A intake when stratifying by HPV status. These preliminary results suggest that intake of folate, vitamin A and vitamin B12 may be associated with the tumor DNA methylation profile in HNC and enhance tumor suppression.
Socio demography of mental retardation: A community-based study from a goitre zone in rural sub-Himalayan India

Introduction: Mental retardation is one of the most common disabilities of childhood which can be prevented by timely identification of the causative agent and an adequate management accordingly. District Kangra lies in the sub-Himalayan belt and forms a part of the 2400 km long goitre belt along the southern slopes of the Himalayas. Objective: To study the prevalence of mental retardation among children (1–10) years of age. Materials and Methods: A two-phase cross-sectional study was conducted in the rural area of district Kangra. A 30-cluster sampling technique was used to screen a population of children 1–10 years of age from five randomly selected panchayats (village government units) of district Kangra. The screening was based on a modified version of the ten questions screen, adapted to the local population. In the first phase a door to door survey was done to identify suspects of mental retardation. In the second phase, the children found positive in the first phase were called for examination by the pediatrician to confirm mental retardation. Results: A total of 2420 children were screened in the first phase of which 95 tested positive. About 52 of these children were found to be mentally retarded in the second phase giving a prevalence of 2.15%. The 69% of these children belonged to the lower middle class and 28.3% belonged to middle class families using the Uday Parekh scale for assessment of the socio-economic status. Conclusion: Prevalence of mental retardation is high in district Kangra of Himachal Pradesh in comparison to other states of India. This could be attributed to the good primary health care in Himachal Pradesh where institutional deliveries are about 70%. This may have led to better survival of children with congenital disorders and those that suffer perinatal trauma.
An evaluation of the Waters Pico-Tag system for the amino-acid analysis of food materials

The Pico-Tag method, recently described by Heinrikson and Meredith and developed commercially by Waters Associates, is an integrated technique for amino-acid analysis. Phenylisothiocyanate (PITC, or Edman’s reagent) is used for pre-column derivatization, while reversed-phase gradient elution high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) separates the phenylthiocarbamyl (PTC) derivatives which are detected by their UV absorbance. Figure illustrates the chemistry of the derivatization reaction. Cohen, Tarvin and Bidlingmeyer [2] from Waters Associates have reviewed the potential of the Pico-Tag method.
Noise-induced interference fringes in trapped ultracold bosonic gases

We study the dynamics of ultracold atoms trapped in optical double-well potentials in presence of noise generated by an external environment. When prepared in a Fock number state, the system shows phase coherence in the averaged density profile obtained using standard absorption image techniques, that disappears in absence of noise. This effect indicates that also in many-body systems an external environment may enhance quantum coherence, instead of destroying it.
Hypoxia and lineage specification of cell line-derived colorectal cancer stem cells

Hypoxia is an important regulator of normal and cancer stem cell (CSC) differentiation. Colorectal CSCs from SW1222, LS180, and CCK81 colorectal cancer-derived cell lines are able to differentiate into complex 3D lumen-containing structures in normoxia, whereas in hypoxia, they form undifferentiated dense colonies that have reduced expression of the enterocyte differentiation marker CDX1, lack goblet cell formation, and have increased expression of BMI1 and activated Notch1. Hypoxia increases the clonogenicity of CSCs, which is cumulative as each round of hypoxia enriches for more CSCs. The hypoxic phenotype is reversible, because cells from hypoxic-dense colonies are able to reform differentiated structures when regrown in normoxia. We show that CDX1 is able to stimulate the generation of lumens even in hypoxia and has a negative feedback on BMI1 expression. Knockdown of CDX1 reduces lumen formation but does not affect goblet cell formation, suggesting that enterocytes and goblet cells form from different progenitor cells. Notch inhibition by dibenzazepine (DBZ) allowed CSCs to form goblet cells in both normoxia and hypoxia. Finally, we show that Hif1α, but not CA9, is an important mediator of the effects of hypoxia on the clonogenicity and differentiation of CSCs. In summary, hypoxia maintains the stem-like phenotype of colorectal cell line-derived CSCs and prevents differentiation of enterocytes and goblet cells by regulating CDX1 and Notch1, suggesting that this regulation is an important component of how hypoxia controls the switch between stemness and differentiation in CSCs.
Attribute-Efficient and Non-adaptive Learning of Parities and DNF Expressions

We consider the problems of attribute-efficient PAC learning of two well-studied concept classes: parity functions and DNF expressions over {0,1}n. We show that attribute-efficient learning of parities with respect to the uniform distribution is equivalent to decoding high-rate random linear codes from low number of errors, a long-standing open problem in coding theory. This is the first evidence that attribute-efficient learning of a natural PAC learnable concept class can be computationally hard. An algorithm is said to use membership queries (MQs) non-adaptively if the points at which the algorithm asks MQs do not depend on the target concept. Using a simple non-adaptive parity learning algorithm and a modification of Levin's algorithm for locating a weakly-correlated parity due to Bshouty et al. (1999), we give the first non-adaptive and attribute-efficient algorithm for learning DNF with respect to the uniform distribution. Our algorithm runs in time O(ns4/e) and uses O(s4 · log2n/e) non-adaptive MQs, where s is the number of terms in the shortest DNF representation of the target concept. The algorithm improves on the best previous algorithm for learning DNF (of Bshouty et al., 1999) and can also be easily modified to tolerate random persistent classification noise in MQs.
Dynamic Surface Control Using Neural Networks for a Class of Uncertain Nonlinear Systems With Input Saturation

In this paper, a dynamic surface control (DSC) scheme is proposed for a class of uncertain strict-feedback nonlinear systems in the presence of input saturation and unknown external disturbance. The radial basis function neural network (RBFNN) is employed to approximate the unknown system function. To efficiently tackle the unknown external disturbance, a nonlinear disturbance observer (NDO) is developed. The developed NDO can relax the known boundary requirement of the unknown disturbance and can guarantee the disturbance estimation error converge to a bounded compact set. Using NDO and RBFNN, the DSC scheme is developed for uncertain nonlinear systems based on a backstepping method. Using a DSC technique, the problem of explosion of complexity inherent in the conventional backstepping method is avoided, which is specially important for designs using neural network approximations. Under the proposed DSC scheme, the ultimately bounded convergence of all closed-loop signals is guaranteed via Lyapunov analysis. Simulation results are given to show the effectiveness of the proposed DSC design using NDO and RBFNN.