Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An e-Health System for the Elderly (Butler Project): A Pilot Study on Acceptance and Satisfaction

The Butler Project is a technological e-health platform that uses the Internet to connect various users; it was designed to deliver health care to the elderly. The Butler platform has three levels of implementation: diagnosis (mood monitoring, alert system, management reports), therapy (training in inducing positive moods, memory work), and entertainment (e-mail, chat, video, photo albums, music, friend forums, accessibility to the Internet). The objective of this work is to describe the psychological aspects of the platform and to present data obtained from four users. Results show that after using the system, the participants increased their positive emotions and decreased their negative ones; in addition, they obtained high levels of satisfaction and experienced little difficulty in using the system.
INTERNATIONAL TAX PLANNING UNDER THE DESTINATION-BASED CASH FLOW TAX

This paper considers the implications of the destination-based cash flow tax (DBCFT) for three common ways of shifting taxable profits between countries: through manipulation of transfer prices, the use of debt, and locating intangible assets in low taxed jurisdictions. It shows that none of these planning devices would be available under a DBCFT, if adopted universally. This is because intra-group payments between two countries do not affect tax liabilities in either country. If adopted unilaterally, however, there would be an incentive to shift profit to the adopting country, at the expense of non-adopting countries.
A Composite Of Central And Ring Projection

A method, referred to as Composite of Central and Ring Projection (CCRP), is proposed to extract features with rotation invariant property. It reduces the dimensionality of a two-dimensional pattern by performing both central projection (CP) and ring projection (RP). A dissimilarity function is developed and used to distinguish different patterns. This function makes use of both similarity corrections of RP and CP. Information along both circles and polar angles can be retained from the original pattern. Some experiments have been conducted, in which a set of ambiguous printed Chinese characters which are partially damaged or polluted by noise were classified. The experiments have satisfying results.
An Exploratory Study of the Effects of 12 Month Administration of the Novel Long-Acting Testosterone Undecanoate on Measures of Sexual Function and the Metabolic Syndrome

Administration of testosterone undecanoate (TU) over 12 months to men with sexual dysfunction and signs of the metabolic syndrome, restored their plasma testosterone (T) levels to the mid-range of reference values. This had a beneficial effect on their sexual functioning as evidenced by an improvement of their scores on the International Index of Erectile Function. The scores on the Aging Male Symptoms score, AMS, were also improved. Most impressive were the improvements in the parameters of the metabolic syndrome; they all improved and appeared largely correlated (i.e., decline in waist circumference with declines of plasma cholesterol and LDL and increase in plasma HDL). Sex hormone binding globulin, SHBG, may be considered as an indicator of the severity of the metabolic syndrome; levels of SHBG initially fell, probably as a result of rising plasma T levels. But over the last six months of the observation period when plasma T rose further, there was a significant increase in plasma SHBG which may be interpreted to indicate an improvement of the metabolic syndrome. Blood pressure improved slightly but significantly. In this cohort of elderly men (54–76 years; median 64 years) there were no safety concerns over a one year period of T administration. Prostate specific antigen, PSA, levels remained stable; the International Prostate Symptoms Score, IPSS, improved slightly. Liver functions and plasma glucose remained stable. Hemoglogin and hematocrit values increased significantly but remained within reference values.
Decentralized fuzzy fault tolerant control for multiple satellites attitude synchronization

This paper presents a decentralized adaptive approximation design to achieve attitude tracking control for decentralized formation flying in presence of control input saturation, model uncertainties, external disturbances and reaction wheel faults. A nonsingular fast terminal sliding mode control is designed for finite time distributed cooperative attitude synchronization. In the proposed control scheme, a fuzzy logic system (FLS) is introduced to approximate unknown individual satellite attitude dynamics on-line due to the actuators fault. In order to achieve the capability of fault management without the involvement of ground station operators, the proposed control laws do not requite an explicit fault detection and isolation mechanism. In the attitude control system of each satellite four reaction wheels are placed in a pyramid configuration, numerical simulation results including actuator dynamics and initial conditions' uncertainties show that the proposed strategy with FLS can compensate for the fault and the system continues to operate satisfactorily with wheel voltage or wheel speed faults and the closed loop distributed tracking control system is stochastically stable. Several simulation examples compared with the existing decentralized fault tolerant contoller are presented for illustrating the effectiveness of the proposed fault tolerant control methodology.
Immunosuppressive Drug Therapy and Subclinical Acute Renal Allograft Rejection: Impact and Effect

The incidence of subclinical acute rejection (SCAR) varies between 5% and 15% with current maintenance immunosuppressive drug regimens. Despite many similarities between SCAR and clinical acute rejection exist, the inflammatory activated cell infiltrates are not completely identical while graft cytokine profiles and counteractive immune responses are characterized by subtle differences that could explain why SCAR is not accompanied by immediate graft dysfunction. Evidence that SCAR contributes to chronic allograft damage (interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy) and negatively affects graft outcome is counterbalanced by the scarcity of controlled data proving the beneficial effect of SCAR treatment. The development of sensitive and specific noninvasive methods to monitor the immune status of the graft by using mRNA determinations, gene expression analysis (microarrays), proteomic analysis, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy, can help to ultimately replace protocol biopsies and also contribute to the further unraveling of the complex underlying immunological mechanisms responsible for SCAR. The latter would enable clinicians to preemptively make strategic adjustments to immunosuppressive therapy in an attempt to further improve renal allograft survival and clinical care of the transplant patient.
Identification of distinct and common gene expression changes after oxidative stress and gamma and ultraviolet radiation

The human genome is exposed to many different kinds of DNA‐damaging agents. While most damage is detected and repaired through complex damage recognition and repair machineries, some damage has the potential to escape these mechanisms. Unrepaired DNA damage can give rise to alterations and mutations in the genome in an individual cell, which can result in malignant transformation, especially when critical genes are deregulated. In this study, we investigated gene expression changes in response to oxidative stress, gamma (γ) radiation, and ultraviolet (UV) radiation and their potential implications in cancer development. Doses were selected for each of the three treatments, based on their ability to cause a similar G1 checkpoint induction and slow down in early S‐phase progression, as reflected by a comparable reduction in cyclin E–associated kinase activity of at least 75% in logarithmically growing human dermal diploid fibroblasts. To investigate gene expression changes, logarithmically growing dermal diploid fibroblasts were exposed to either γ radiation (5 Gy), oxidative stress (75 μM of tert‐butyl hydroperoxide (t‐butyl‐OOH)), or UV radiation (UVC) (7.5 J/m2) and RNA was harvested 6 h after treatment. Gene expression was analyzed using the NIEHS Human ToxChip 2.0 with approximately 1901 cDNA clones representing known genes and expressed sequence tags (ESTs). We were able to identify common and distinct responses in dermal diploid fibroblasts to the three different stimuli used. Within our analysis, gene expression profiles in response to γ radiation and oxidative stress appeared to be more similar than profiles expressed after UV radiation. Interestingly, equivalent cyclin E–associated kinase activity reduction with all the three treatments was associated with greater transcriptional changes after UV radiation than after γ radiation and oxidative stress. While samples treated with UV radiation displayed modulations of their mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway, γ radiation had its major influence on cell‐cycle progression in S‐phase and mitosis. In addition, cell cultures from different individuals displayed significant differences in their gene expression responses to DNA damage. Published 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Predicting motifs in human and mouse genes by using Probabilistic Suffix Trees

The identification of regulatory elements (motifs) is a challenging task in mollecular biology. An important challenge in this study is to identify regulatory elements (motifs), notably the binding sites in Deocsiribonucleic Acid (DNA) for transcription factors. Based on this motivation we propose a method for motif prediction of mouse and human genes by using Probabilistic Suffix Tree (PST). Experimental results are evaluated comparatively by thirteen distinct motif prediction tools. Our results show that, the proposed method gives a better recognition rate than the compared motif prediction tools, where the recognition rate is nucleotide level sensitivity (nSn).
The influence of stimulus properties on multisensory processing in the awake primate superior colliculus.

Multisensory integration is a process whereby information converges from different sensory modalities to produce a response that is different from that elicited by the individual modalities presented alone. A neural basis for multisensory integration has been identified within a variety of brain regions, but the most thoroughly examined model has been that of the superior colliculus (SC). Multisensory processing in the SC of anaesthetized animals has been shown to be dependent on the physical parameters of the individual stimuli presented (e.g., intensity, direction, velocity) as well as their spatial relationship. However, it is unknown whether these stimulus features are important, or evident, in the awake behaving animal. To address this question, we evaluated the influence of physical properties of sensory stimuli (visual intensity, direction, and velocity; auditory intensity and location) on sensory activity and multisensory integration of SC neurons in awake, behaving primates. Monkeys were trained to fixate a central visual fixation point while visual and/or auditory stimuli were presented in the periphery. Visual stimuli were always presented within the contralateral receptive field of the neuron whereas auditory stimuli were presented at either ipsi- or contralateral locations. Many of the SC neurons responsive to these sensory stimuli (n = 66/84; 76%) had stronger responses when the visual and auditory stimuli were combined at contralateral locations than when the auditory stimulus was located on the ipsilateral side. This trend was significant across the population of auditory-responsive neurons. In addition, some SC neurons (n = 31) were presented a battery of tests in which the quality of one stimulus of a pair was systematically manipulated. A small proportion of these neurons (n = 8/31; 26%) showed preferential responses to stimuli with specific physical properties, and these preferences were not significantly altered when multisensory stimulus combinations were presented. These data demonstrate that multisensory processing in the awake behaving primate is influenced by the spatial congruency of the stimuli as well as their individual physical properties.
A CPW-fed U type monopole antenna for UWB applications

A CPW-fed U type monopole antenna for UWB applications is proposed and experimentally studied. The proposed antenna is a simple structure and compact size. The maximum size is 22mm by 29.5mm. It provides a wide impedance bandwidth adjustable by variation of its parameters, such as the relative permittivity and thickness of the substrate, width, and feed and ground plane dimensions. Experimental results show that the return loss is from 3.8GHz to 18.2GHz. The azimuthal radiation patterns of the proposed antenna are omnidirectional and the peak gain is 2.9dBi.
Restricted co‐localization of glutamate and dopamine in neurons of the adult sea lamprey brain

Co‐localization of dopamine with other classical neurotransmitters in the same neuron is a common phenomenon in the brain of vertebrates. In mammals, some dopaminergic neurons of the ventral tegmental area and the hypothalamus have a glutamatergic co‐phenotype. However, information on the presence of this type of dopaminergic neurons in other vertebrate groups is very scant. Here, we aimed to provide new insights on the evolution of this neuronal co‐phenotype by studying the presence of a dual dopaminergic/glutamatergic neuron phenotype in the central nervous system of lampreys. Double immunofluorescence experiments for dopamine and glutamate in adult sea lampreys revealed co‐localization of both neurotransmitters in some neurons of the preoptic nucleus, the nucleus of the postoptic commissure, the dorsal hypothalamus and in cerebrospinal fluid‐contacting cells of the caudal rhombencephalon and rostral spinal cord. Moreover, co‐localization of dopamine and glutamate was found in dopaminergic fibres in a few brain regions including the lateral pallium, striatum, and the preoptic and postoptic areas but not in the brainstem. Our results suggest that the presence of neurons with a dopaminergic/glutamatergic co‐phenotype is a primitive character shared by jawless and jawed vertebrates. However, important differences in the distribution of these neurons and fibres were noted among the few vertebrates investigated to date. This study offers an anatomical basis for further work on the role of glutamate in dopaminergic neurons.
The characterization and diversity of bacterial endophytes of grapevine.

The diversity of culturable and nonculturable bacterial endophytes of grapevine (Vitis vinifera L.) was examined using a combination of cultivation and molecular methods. Entire grapevines were sampled to characterize bacterial diversity from different locations throughout the vine. Gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) was used to identify culturable isolates prior to subsequent further microbiological characterization, whilst denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was used to profile the ribosomal DNA of the bacterial endophyte community extracted from grapevines. Gas chromatography of FAMEs identified 75% of culturable bacterial endophytes to genus level (similarity index >0.3). Many isolates were identified as Bacillus spp. , Pseudomonas spp. , and Curtobacterium spp. Additionally, actinomycetes are reported for the first time as endophytes of grapevines, with a number of isolates identified as Streptomyces spp. DGGE was successfully used to identify major bands present in samples and indicated a degree of homogeneity of bacterial endophyte community profiles within the grapevines sampled. The major bacterial bands were sequenced and used in identification. Comparison with bacterial markers produced from cultured bacterial endophytes suggested that bacteria in the DGGE profiles were not the species most commonly cultured. Additional research demonstrated similarities between epiphytic and endophytic populations and examined potential entry vectors. Endophyte entry was demonstrated in both field-grown and potted grapevines ('Chardonnay') using a rifampicin-resistant Bacillus cereus mutant. The possibility of grapevine epiphytes becoming endophytes, if the opportunity arises, was supported by comparison of gas chromatography of FAMEs from epiphytic and endophytic populations. This research adds grapevine bacterial endophyte communities to those that have been characterized by a multifaceted approach.
STAR‐HASTE: Perfusion imaging without magnetic susceptibility artifact

A novel magnetic resonance imaging technique (STAR‐HASTE) based on pulsed arterial spin labeling using a single shot acquisition method is described for perfusion imaging. The method is similar to EPISTAR in using STAR (Signal Targeting with Alternating Radiofrequency) technique for pulsed radiofrequency labeling of inflowing blood, but uses a half‐Fourier single shot turbo spin‐echo (HASTE) sequence for data acquisition instead of echo‐planar imaging (EPI). Our preliminary studies show that STAR‐HASTE permits perfusion imaging to be performed without many of the artifacts encountered with other imaging methods based on EPI acquisition. The novel method not only provides similar perfusion information to that obtained by EPISTAR, as demonstrated in the functional brain imaging study, but also eliminates magnetic susceptibility artifacts and image distortion commonly observed in EPI images. Furthermore, this technique can be readily implemented in MR systems without EPI capability.
Impact of Monastic Practices and Spiritual Disciplines on Student Leader Development

The purpose of this study was to understand if practicing monasticism and spiritual disciplines impacts the development of student leaders. Research was conducted through grounded theory qualitative interviews with eight student leaders participating in a monastic trip for the duration of January 2016. The present study sought to answer the following question: What impact does monasticism and spiritual disciplines have on the development of student leaders at a private Christian liberal arts institution? The eight students were interviewed before and after their trip, answering questions about monasticism, spiritual disciplines, student leadership, and trip expectations and experiences. Themes derived from the preand post-trip interviews concluded that participating in monasticism had a positive impact on the students in three core areas: inhabiting time, other-oriented leadership, and whole-person development. This study presents implications as a future theoretical foundation for how educators can effectively incorporate monasticism into student leader training to better equip students emotionally, mentally, and spiritually as they begin serving as leaders on campus.
Detection of hepatitis C virus RNA by a combined reverse transcription PCR assay: comparison with nested amplification and antibody testing

Many of the current reverse transcription (RT)-PCR assays for the detection of hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA are multistep processes which use multiple enzymes and buffers. The assays are also often suboptimal, requiring nested amplification to achieve the desired levels of sensitivity. As a result, these assays are cumbersome and prone to false-positive results. The susceptibility to contamination is further aggravated by the lack of carryover controls. We have previously reported the development of a combined RT-PCR assay for HCV RNA detection which is sensitive and simple to perform. We have since successfully integrated dUTP-uracil-N-glycosylase carryover prevention into the combined assay. Restriction of as much as 0.5 microliter of deoxyuridine-containing amplification products has been achieved. The performance of the improved combined assay was compared directly with conventional nested RT-PCR and antibody detection. The combined assay was found to have sensitivity similar to that of nested RT-PCR in detecting HCV RNA from HCV antibody-positive specimens. In an analysis of hepatitis B virus antibody-positive specimens, nested amplification had false-positive rates ranging from 8 to 31%, while no false-positive results were seen with the combined assay. In comparison with serological methods, the combined assay had specificity and sensitivity of 100 and 95%, respectively.
Efficient Semi-Blind Channel Estimators for SIMO Systems Suffering from Broadband RFI

The effect of broadband radio frequency interference(RFI) is often overlooked in the terrestrial communication literature. However, such an RFI can render very poor equalization for a reception over a frequency selective channel by making the channel estimator perform the worst. Accordingly, the paper firstly proposes an efficient matrix-based semi-blind channel estimator (MB-SCE) for single-input multiple-output(SIMO) systems suffering from severe broadband RFI. Secondly, more complex yet more performant tensor-based semi-blind channel estimator (TB-SCE) is proposed while showcasing a trade-off between performance and complexity. The paper then compares MB-SCE and TB-SCE with the existing matrix-based blind channel estimator (MB-BCE) and tensor-based blind channel estimator (TB-BCE), respectively, that ignore RFI. Eventually, Matlab Monte-Carlo simulations have corroborated that MBSCE and TB-SCE outperform MB-BCE and TB-BCE, respectively. In addition, TB-SCE outperforms MB-SCE especially for a short observation interval.
Macroeconomic Effects of Aggregate Accounting Conservatism: A Cross‐Country Analysis

This paper examines whether aggregate conditional and unconditional conservatism are associated with economic growth. Prior studies find that conditional conservatism improves contracting efficiency, but that unconditional conservatism has either a neutral or detrimental impact on contracting. We therefore conjecture that country&#8208;level conditional conservatism increases the efficiency of resource allocation in an economy, whereas country&#8208;level unconditional conservatism is not similarly beneficial. Using a cross&#8208;country sample, we construct country&#8208;level estimates of conditional and unconditional conservatism. We find that conditional conservatism is associated with higher level of growth in Gross Domestic Product and Gross Domestic Product per Capita. By contrast, unconditional conservatism shows no or negative association. Our study contributes to the ongoing debate on the desirability of accounting conservatism and also extends the literature on the macroeconomic effects of aggregate financial reporting attributes.
The treatment of recurring auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia with rTMS

Background: Auditory hallucinations are a common and disabling problem for many patients with schizophrenia and often fail to respond to optimal antipsychotic therapy. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has recently been trialled as an alternative treatment option for these patients. These studies have generally been positive, but treatment has only been provided for short periods of time and little is known about the longer-term impact of TMS on the course of hallucinations. Method: We describe two cases in which rTMS was provided to patients upon relapse of hallucinations following initial successful rTMS treatment in a clinical trial. Results: A repeat course of rTMS resulted in a marked improvement in the symptoms experienced by these two patients. Conclusions: rTMS appears to have potential as a long-term treatment for patients with auditory hallucinations, but requires ongoing systematic investigation.