Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Percutaneous vertebroplasty compared with optimal pain medication treatment: short-term clinical outcome of patients with subacute or chronic painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. The VERTOS study.

PURPOSE To prospectively assess the short-term clinical outcome of patients with subacute or chronic painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCF) treated with percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) compared with optimal pain medication (OPM). METHODS Randomization of patients in 2 groups: treatment by PV or OPM. After 2 weeks, patients from the OPM arm could change therapy to PV. Patients were evaluated 1 day and 2 weeks after treatment. Visual analog score (VAS) for pain and analgesic use were assessed before, and 1 day and 2 weeks after start of treatment. Quality of Life Questionnaire of the European Foundation for Osteoporosis (QUALEFFO) and Roland-Morris Disability (RMD) questionnaire scores were assessed before and 2 weeks after start of treatment. Follow-up scores in patients requesting PV treatment after 2 weeks OPM treatment were compared with scores during their OPM period. RESULTS Eighteen patients treated with PV compared with 16 patients treated with OPM had significantly better VAS and used less analgesics 1 day after treatment. Two weeks after treatment, the mean VAS was less but not significantly different in patients treated with OPM, whereas these patients used significantly less analgesics and had better QUALEFFO and RMD scores. Scores in the PV arm were influenced by occurrence of new VCF in 2 patients. After 2 weeks OPM, 14 patients requested PV treatment. All scores, 1 day and 2 weeks after PV, were significantly better compared with scores during conservative treatment. CONCLUSION Pain relief and improvement of mobility, function, and stature after PV is immediate and significantly better in the short term compared with OPM treatment.
How multiple-dependency structure of classes affects their functions a statistical perspective

Networks have been considered an effective tool to describe the topological structure of software. Recently, many object-oriented software systems were found to share global network features such as scale free and small world. In this paper, we defined a special structural feature of individual class to investigate the relationship between external structure and internal function. The metric (m) takes in-degree and reachable set of nodes in class-level dependency graphs derived from source code into consideration. Experimental results show that (1) the distribution of frequency-of-occurrence of m roughly follows a power-law distribution, and (2) there is a weak but distinct positive correlation between m and either WMC or LCOM, and classes with complex multiple-dependency structure have on average more complicated functions (and less cohesion) than other classes within specific groups classified by m. Thus, the metric could be a useful complementary measure for traditional OO metrics to analyze the complexity, stability and maintainability of classes.
Sequential phase II Southwest Oncology Group studies (S0112 and S0301) of daunorubicin and cytarabine by continuous infusion, without and with ciclosporin, in older patients with previously untreated acute myeloid leukaemia

Attempts to overcome multi‐drug resistance in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) have been limited by toxicities. To investigate the effect of reducing peak drug levels, we performed sequential phase II studies using continuous infusion daunorubicin and cytarabine without (AD) and then with ciclosporin (ADC) in older patients with AML. Untreated patients (age 56+ years) received daunorubicin (45 mg/m2 per day for 3 d) and cytarabine (200 mg/m2 per day for 7 d), both by continuous infusion, without (S0112, 60 patients) and then with (S0301, 50 patients) the addition of ciclosporin. Complete response (CR) rates were 38% on S0112 and 44% on S0301. Fatal induction toxicities occurred in 17% and 12% respectively, arising primarily from infection and haemorrhage. Median overall and relapse‐free survival was 7 and 8 months for AD respectively, and 6 and 14 months for ADC. Patients with phenotypic or functional P‐glycoprotein had somewhat higher CR rates with ADC than AD, although confidence intervals overlapped. In these sequential trials, continuous infusion AD produced CR rates comparable to those with bolus daunorubicin. The addition of ciclosporin did not cause undue toxicities, produced a similar CR rate, and possibly improved relapse‐free survival. Further correlate analyses did not identify a subpopulation specifically benefitting from the addition of ciclosporin.
Measures of the glottal source spectrum.

PURPOSE Many researchers have studied the acoustics, physiology, and perceptual characteristics of the voice source, but despite significant attention, it remains unclear which aspects of the source should be quantified and how measurements should be made. In this study, the authors examined the relationships among a number of existing measures of the glottal source spectrum, along with the association of these measures to overall spectral shapes and to glottal pulse shapes, to determine which measures of the source best capture information about the shapes of glottal pulses and glottal source spectra. METHOD Seventy-eight different measures of source spectral shapes were made on the voices of 70 speakers. Principal components analysis was applied to measurement data, and the resulting factors were compared with factors similarly derived from oral speech spectra and glottal pulses. RESULTS Results revealed high levels of duplication and overlap among existing measures of source spectral slope. Further, existing measures were not well aligned with patterns of spectral variability. In particular, existing spectral measures do not appear to model the higher frequency parts of the source spectrum adequately. CONCLUSION The failure of existing measures to adequately quantify spectral variability may explain why results of studies examining the perceptual importance of spectral slope have not produced consistent results. Because variability in the speech signal is often perceptually salient, these results suggest that most existing measures of source spectral slope are unlikely to be good predictors of voice quality.
Paralleled mesh refinement for surface reconstruction

One method was proposed for mesh refinement in surface reconstruction which can be considered as a critical problem to monocular reconstruction. The main idea of the method is the implementation can be applicable and efficient by parallelization. It is un-necessary to conform photo-consistent constrain, alternatively, time-consistency is introduced in by a view-dependent way. The experimental result shows that the time-consumption can be controlled on common hardware since the energy minimization algorithm can be highly paralleled implementation based on GPU-acceleration.
Problems in Work Participation and Resource Utilisation Should Not Be Underestimated in Patients with an Early Spa Problems in Work Participation and Resource Utilisation Should Not Be Underestimated in Patients with an Early Spa Introduction

Objective: To explore the impact of early SpA on worker participation and to investigate variables associated with work outcomes as well as the impact on resource utilisation. Methods: Patients included in an Early SpA cohort completed a questionnaire comprising questions on employment status, sick leave, presenteeism and resource utilisation. Logistic regressions were used to investigate the associations between work status and clinical characteristics, and linear regressions were used to investigate the association between at-work productivity loss and clinical characteristics. Resource utilisation across patient groups with different employment status was investigated with linear regression analyses. Results: 140 patients participated in this study of which 69% was male, mean age of 41 years and disease duration of 4.8 years. Twenty-six patients (19%) were not employed due to SpA. Among 114 employed patients, sick leave was reported in 28% in the previous year. Forty-one percent of the patients reported reduced productivity at work. Multivariable regression analyses showed that high BASMI and ASQoL were associated with not being employed and with reduced productivity at work. Annual costs of productivity loss due to sick leave and presenteeism mounted to €2,000 per patient. Patients who report sick leave show a higher (health related) resource utilisation. Conclusion: After only 5 years of diagnosis, a considerable proportion of SpA patients is not employed and those working have substantial sick leave and productivity loss. Among patients reporting sick leave, resource utilisation is higher. Alertness to work participation even in patients with a short disease duration is urgently needed.
Device Sizing Techniques for High Yield Minimum-Energy Subthreshold Circuits

Subthreshold CMOS logic can be used to provide energyecient computation in scenarios where performance is not a critical concern. Analysis in existing literature, and explored in this work, demonstrates that the use of minimum-sized devices can oer the greatest energy-eciency, but in the face of variation, upsizing schemes must be considered to reduce gate failure rates. We explore the impact of variation on low-voltage functionality of gates and propose a novel methodology for determining the gate failure rates under dierent sizing schemes. We show that optimal sizing for min energy is dependent on loading.
A missing feature approach to instrument identification in polyphonic music

Gaussian mixture model (GMM) classifiers have been shown to give good instrument recognition performance for monophonic music played by a single instrument. However, many applications (such as automatic music transcription) require instrument identification from polyphonic, multi-instrumental recordings. We address this problem by incorporating ideas from missing feature theory into a GMM classifier. Specifically, frequency regions that are dominated by energy from an interfering tone are marked as unreliable and excluded from the classification process. This approach has been evaluated on random two-tone chords and an excerpt from a commercially available compact disc, with promising results.
Expansion of transition distributions of Lévy processes in small time

We establish for small time t a series expansion of the transition density and the transition distribution function of L6vy processes in terms of the density and the spectral function of the L6vy measure, respectively. Furthermore, the integrals with respect to the distribution function weighted by 1 t are proved to converge to the integral with respect to the spectral function of the Levy measure, when the integrated function does not increase too fast and t -+ 0.
Adult Learning and Literacy in the United Kingdom.

Like the United States, the United Kingdom1 started a literacy campaign in the early 1970s characterized by dependence on volunteers, one-to-one tutoring, and ad hoc, often creative approaches to teaching and learning.2 The British Right to Read campaign, initiated by volunteer activists and supported by politicians and the broadcasting services, aimed to mobilize national and local government resources, raise public awareness, and achieve widespread involvement in the teaching and learning of adult literacy. Although first seen as a temporary response to a short-term crisis, the campaign in fact laid the groundwork for a new, publicly funded adult basic education (ABE) service. In the process, some distinctive styles of provision were created, including an emphasis on writing as a way to develop reading ability and self-empowerment, a commitment to equality between students and teachers (or tutors),3 and informal approaches to working with adults in small groups and community settings.
Artificial neural networks for solving ordinary and partial differential equations

We present a method to solve initial and boundary value problems using artificial neural networks. A trial solution of the differential equation is written as a sum of two parts. The first part satisfies the initial/boundary conditions and contains no adjustable parameters. The second part is constructed so as not to affect the initial/boundary conditions. This part involves a feedforward neural network containing adjustable parameters (the weights). Hence by construction the initial/boundary conditions are satisfied and the network is trained to satisfy the differential equation. The applicability of this approach ranges from single ordinary differential equations (ODE's), to systems of coupled ODE's and also to partial differential equations (PDE's). In this article, we illustrate the method by solving a variety of model problems and present comparisons with solutions obtained using the Galekrkin finite element method for several cases of partial differential equations. With the advent of neuroprocessors and digital signal processors the method becomes particularly interesting due to the expected essential gains in the execution speed.
Ray Sequences of Best Rational Approximants For |x|α

Abstract The convergence behavior of best uniform rational approximations with numerator degree m and denominator degree n to the function |x|α, α > 0, on [-1, 1] is investigated. It is assumed that the indices (m, n) progress along a ray sequence in the lower triangle of the Walsh table, i.e. the sequence of indices {(m, n)} satisfies In addition to the convergence behavior, the asymptotic distribution of poles and zeros of the approximants and the distribution of the extreme points of the error function on [-1, 1] will be studied. The results will be compared with those for paradiagonal sequences (m = n + 2[α/2]) and for sequences of best polynomial approximants.
Stable Isotope Tracer Analysis in Isolated Mitochondria from Mammalian Systems

Mitochondria are a focal point in metabolism, given that they play fundamental roles in catabolic, as well as anabolic reactions. Alterations in mitochondrial functions are often studied in whole cells, and metabolomics experiments using 13C-labeled substrates, coupled with mass isotopomer distribution analyses, represent a powerful approach to study global changes in cellular metabolic activities. However, little is known regarding the assessment of metabolic activities in isolated mitochondria using this technology. Studies on isolated mitochondria permit the evaluation of whether changes in cellular metabolic activities are due to modifications in the intrinsic properties of the mitochondria. Here, we present a streamlined approach to accurately determine 13C, as well as 12C enrichments in isolated mitochondria from mammalian tissues or cultured cells by GC/MS. We demonstrate the relevance of this experimental approach by assessing the effects of drugs perturbing mitochondrial functions on the mass isotopomer enrichment of metabolic intermediates. Furthermore, we investigate 13C and 12C enrichments in mitochondria isolated from cancer cells given the emerging role of metabolic alterations in supporting tumor growth. This original method will provide a very sensitive tool to perform metabolomics studies on isolated mitochondria.
FASTLANE: FLOW-BASED CHANNEL ASSIGNMENT IN DENSE WIRELESS NETWORKS

Adviser: Ziguo Zhong Wireless communication in dense networks is becoming more apparent and presents challenges in achieving reliable and near real-time communication. While some works have begun to address dense wireless networks, few address both reliability and la-tency. In this work we introduce FastLane, a method of flow-based channel assignment for dense wireless networks, which works to achieve reliable, near real-time communication in a dense environment with single-radio devices. FastLane uses an assignment mechanism that assigns channels at a flow-level granularity, rather than a tree-level or link-level granularity. Our scheme also takes into account channel quality and can adapt as the quality changes over time. We have created an extensive event-driven simulator to measure the performance of our design in terms of packet delivery rate and end-to-end delivery latency. In the simulation and evaluation we compare Fast-Lane to two state-of-the-art tree-level and link-level designs: RACNet and MMSN, respectively. Our results show considerable improvements of latency in even high densities while still achieving a comparable delivery rate. iii DEDICATION I dedicate this thesis to my parents, for they are the ones who gave me the will to learn and supported me along each step of my journey. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to acknowledge the contributions of my adviser, Dr. Ziguo Zhong, for guiding me along the way as I worked. He helped show me the process of conducing research, from finding a research problem to writing about my idea and evaluations. What I have learned from him I believe will help with my future endeavors. My aknowledgements also extend to Dr. Mehmet Can Vuran and Dr. Lisong Xu for serving as my committee members and providing me with feedback on my work. Jihoon Yun, for providing me with suggestions and advice toward my work.
A New Approach to Hand Vein Image Enhancement

A novel approach is proposed for enhancement the contrast of the background and the vein texture image based on the combination of high-frequency emphasis filtering and histogram equalization, it overcomes the influence of luminous intensity and thickness of the back of hand skin. High-frequency emphasis filtering is used to give prominence to vein texture, and then histogram equalization is adopted to enlarge contrast of image. Experimental results show that the vein texture of image is clear, and it is an effective algorithm to enhance hand vein image.
Technology enhanced scaffolding in language teaching: Using LessonLAMS for Korean as a foreign language

The aim of this work in progress project is to provide a language learning design principle using the Learning Activity Management System (LAMS) as a platform in authentic classroom situations. The research project will use a LessonLAMS sequence and is designed using a ‘Dynamic Scaffolding Technique’ within the learner’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) (Vygotsky & Cole, 1978). The learning design of the LessonLAMS sequence will be incorporated in classroom instruction. The research focus is on technology-enhanced learning tasks, which can be designed and implemented in a foreign language classroom. Participants are South East Queensland secondary students who are learning Korean as a foreign language as an elective subject. Data will be collected from each lesson using qualitative research techniques. Students will complete focus group interviews and questionnaires to highlight their learning experiences as part of the study.
Gigabyte-scale alignment of biological sequences: A case study of IO bandwidth reconfiguration for FPGA acceleration

We expose the implementation challenges to sustaining acceleration speedups on FPGAs as the size of the data set to be processed scales. We examine the implementation of an FPGA platform for the processing of gigabyte scale biological sequences, and illustrate the significant design changes that must be made to achieve a successful implementation. In doing so, we demonstrate that conventional accelerator architecture design choices that focus on throughput speedup, in isolation of system level IO bandwidth feasibility, cannot sustain their throughput levels as the input data set scales. This is shown to be primarily due to currently unavailable high-bandwidth large-scale data storage and retrieval for FPGAs. As a solution to this problem, we propose a general FPGA based IO infrastructure to utilize high bandwidth hard-drive storage options, as means to achieving sustained throughput in the face of large data.
Specific Neural Traces for Intonational Discourse Categories as Revealed by Human-evoked Potentials

The neural representation of segmental and tonal phonological distinctions has been shown by means of the MMN ERP, yet this is not the case for intonational discourse contrasts. In Catalan, a rising–falling intonational sequence can be perceived as a statement or as a counterexpectational question, depending exclusively on the size of the pitch range interval of the rising movement. We tested here, using the MMN, whether such categorical distinctions elicited distinct neurophysiological patterns of activity, supporting their specific neural representation. From a behavioral identification experiment, we set the boundary between the two categories and defined four stimuli across the continuum. Although the physical distance between each pair of stimuli was kept constant, the central pair represented an across-category contrast, whereas the other pairs represented within-category contrasts. These four auditory stimuli were contrasted by pairs in three different oddball blocks. The mean amplitude of the MMN was larger for the across-category contrast, suggesting that intonational contrasts in the target language can be encoded automatically in the auditory cortex. These results are in line with recent findings in other fields of linguistics, showing that, when a boundary between categories is crossed, the MMN response is not just larger but rather includes a separate subcomponent.
A conflict avoidance approach based on memetic algorithm under 4D-Trajectory operation concept

Conflict avoidance plays a crucial role in guaranteeing the airspace safety. The current approaches mostly focusing on short-term which eliminate conflicts via local adjustment cannot provide global solution. Recently, the long-term conflict avoidance approach under the 4D-Trajectory (4DT) operation environment, is proposed to give solutions in a global view. However, with consideration of China air route network and thousands of flights plan, the problem is a large-scale combinatorial optimization problem with complex constraints which is hard to deal with. In this work, we present a strategic conflict avoidance approach based on memetic algorithm with a specially designed local search operator and an effective local search frequency strategy to improve the solution quality. Further, a fast genetic algorithm (GA) is adopted as the global optimization method. Empirical studies using real data of China air route network and daily flight plans show that our approach outperformed the existing approaches, the genetic algorithm based approach and the cooperative coevolution based approach.
Efficient approach to detect logical equivalence in the paradigm of software plagiarism

Software plagiarism is one of the major obstacles which complicates the development and deployment of software systems. Legal complications related to use of copyright protected code has a far reaching effect. The challenge is to detect the existence of logical equivalence in an otherwise seemingly unmatched code. In this paper, a novel approach has been described which detects plagiarism only in logical statements of the code i.e. it does not detect copy-pasting in inclusion statements (e.g. #include in C/C++, import in JAVA), macro definitions (e.g. #define in C/C++), declaration statements and inside commented code. It also takes into account possible cosmetic changes of the code e.g. variable renaming, data type alterations, code snippets insertions or minor modifications. The method does comparison in an efficient minimalistic way, thus making it scalable to large code bases.