Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A flow optimization approach for the rebalancing of mobility on demand systems

In this paper, we propose an optimization policy for increasing the utilization level of mobility on demand systems (MOD). The system is modeled through a closed queueing network, on which a suitable parameter identification phase must be executed. We define a measure of imbalance of the system based on customer demand, then we use such measure to cast the problem of the redistribution of vehicles in a flow optimization fashion. Leveraging the model characteristics, we are able to account for a wide range of features of MOD systems, enabling the design of efficient and effective redistribution strategies. Our strategy is validated on datasets provided by the “ToBike” bike sharing system, located in the city of Turin, Italy.
Folklore, commercialism and exploitation: copyright in the blues

Though federal law in the United States provides for the protection of artistic property, including music, African-American blues musicians, since the appearance of their first commercial records in the 1920s, have generally not received their due. Part of the problem came from the difficulty of squaring the discrete notions of folk composition and artistic property in those early days. But the exploitation of black artists was largely attributable to common practices in the record industry whose effects were multiplied in this case by the near total defencelessness of the victims. Imitations and cover versions led to a veritable despoliation of black talent which has only belatedly received legal compensation and public recognition.
Cerebral creatine kinase deficiency influences metabolite levels and morphology in the mouse brain: a quantitative in vivo1H and 31P magnetic resonance study

Creatine kinase (CK)‐catalysed ATP–phosphocreatine (PCr) exchange is considered to play a key role in energy homeostasis of the brain. This study assessed the metabolic and anatomical consequences of partial or complete depletion of this system in transgenic mice without cytosolic B‐CK (B‐CK–/–), mitochondrial ubiquitous CK (UbCKmit–/–), or both isoenzymes (CK –/–), using non‐invasive quantitative magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and spectroscopy. MR imaging revealed an increase in ventricle size in a subset of B‐CK–/– mice, but not in animals with UbCKmit or compound CK mutations. Mice lacking single CK isoenzymes had normal levels of high‐energy metabolites and tissue pH. In the brains of CK double knockouts pH and ATP and Pi levels were also normal, even though PCr had become completely undetectable. Moreover, a 20–30% decrease was observed in the level of total creatine and a similar increase in the level of neuronal N‐acetyl‐aspartate compounds. Although CKs themselves are not evenly distributed throughout the CNS, these alterations were uniform and concordant across different brain regions. Changes in myo‐inositol and glutamate peaks did appear to be mutation type and brain area specific. Our results challenge current models for the biological significance of the PCr–CK energy system and suggest a multifaceted role for creatine in the brain.
Arrays of Segmented, Tapered Light Guides for Use With Large, Planar Scintillation Detectors

Metabolic imaging techniques can potentially improve detection and diagnosis of cancer in women with radiodense and/or fibrocystic breasts. Our group has previously developed a high-resolution positron emission tomography imaging and biopsy device (PEM-PET) to detect and guide the biopsy of suspicious breast lesions. Initial testing revealed that the imaging field-of-view (FOV) of the scanner was smaller than the physical size of the detector's active area, which could hinder sampling of breast areas close to the chest wall. The purpose of this work was to utilize segmented, tapered light guides for optically coupling the scintillator arrays to arrays of position-sensitive photomultipliers to increase both the active FOV and identification of individual scintillator elements. Testing of the new system revealed that the optics of these structures made it possible to discern detector elements from the complete active area of the detector face. In the previous system the top and bottom rows and left and right columns were not identifiable. Additionally, use of the new light guides increased the contrast of individual detector elements by up to 129%. Improved element identification led to a spatial resolution increase by approximately 12%. Due to attenuation of light in the light guides the detector energy resolution decreased from 18.5% to 19.1%. Overall, these improvements should increase the field-of-view and spatial resolution of the dedicated breast-PET system.
Ultrasound image based visual servoing for moving target ablation by high intensity focused ultrasound

Although high intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is a promising technology for tumor treatment, a moving abdominal target is still a challenge in current HIFU systems. In particular, respiratory‐induced organ motion can reduce the treatment efficiency and negatively influence the treatment result. In this research, we present: (1) a methodology for integration of ultrasound (US) image based visual servoing in a HIFU system; and (2) the experimental results obtained using the developed system.
Field histology: Point-of-care microscopic technique.

CONTEXT Standard histology services in geographically remote areas are often not available or have long turn-around time, resulting in delayed diagnosis or inappropriate treatment due to incomplete diagnostic data. The use of rapid tissue processing and a portable microtome technique may offer timely, point-of-care histologic diagnosis to patients in a low resources setting, such as medical missions. OBJECTIVE To present an alternative to the conventional histologic processing that will permit point-of-care histopathology service. DESIGN A total of 21 tissue samples from a variety of sites were collected and subjected to a protocol of rapid manual tissue processing, lightweight portable field microtome sectioning, and hematoxylin-eosin staining. The histologic preparations were evaluated for diagnostic quality. The scoring of the preparations was based on completeness and uniformity of the sections, integrity of architectural features, cytologic detail, staining quality, and overall adequacy for diagnosis. RESULTS Diagnostic quality microscopic slides were obtained from each of the 21 samples that included lesions of the skin, uterus, colon, and breast. The average preparation time, including routine hematoxylin-eosin staining, was 1.5 hours. CONCLUSIONS We validated a point-of-care field histology technique that will be useful in settings of low resources, such as medical missions. Actual field testing of the procedure with special staining for fungi and acid-fast bacilli is the next step in the validation of the methodology.
Discrimination and quality of life among breast cancer survivors.

250 Background: We examined the role of race/ethnicity, education, and medical discrimination on global and breast cancer-specific (BCS) quality of life (QoL). METHODS Telephone interviews were administered to 536 Asian, Black, Hispanic and White women identified through the Greater Bay Area Cancer Registry who were aged 20+ when diagnosed with a first invasive primary breast cancer between 2006 and 2009. Women reported perceptions of discriminatory experiences while receiving breast cancer care. QoL was assessed with a single item asking about global QoL over the past 4 weeks ( "excellent" vs "less than excellent") and a summary score for the 6-item breast cancer subscale of the FACT-B (higher scores indicated more concerns (or worse QoL)). Race/ethnicity and education were combined into an 8-category variable (4 race/ethnic groups x 2 education groups). Psychometric analyses was used to create a summed medical discrimination score using 7 items that comprised a single factor, and split into tertiles to indicate no, low, and moderate/high levels of discrimination. Main effects for race/ethnicity x education and medical discrimination were identified using logistic and linear regression models. Adjusted analyses controlled for age, marital status, health insurance, stage, histology, and tumor size. RESULTS In adjusted analyses, disparities across combined race/ethnicity x education groups were observed for global QoL (Wald χ2(7) = 23.32, p < 0.01) but not for BCS QoL (F= 0.78, p= 0.60). Black and Asian women reported lower global QoL than college-educated White women. Medical discrimination was related to global (Wald χ2(2) = 6.98, p= 0.03) and BCS QoL (F= 6.14, p< 0.01). Women reporting moderate/high levels of medical discrimination had significantly lower odds of excellent QoL (OR= 0.416, p< 0.01) and more breast cancer concerns (β= 1.19, t= 3.50, p< 0.001) than women reporting no discrimination. CONCLUSIONS Medical discrimination was associated with lower global and BCS QoL. More research is needed to identify specific factors at the individual, provider, and organizational levels that contribute to perceptions of medical discrimination so that they can be addressed and QoL can be improved for breast cancer patients.
Performance analysis of SCM-FSO links for transmission of CDMA signals under Gamma-Gamma turbulent channel

In this paper, we investigate the performance of the Sub-carrier Multiplexed-Free Space Optics (SCM-FSO) for transmitting Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signals in terms of Carrier-to-Noise-plus-Interference Ratio (CNIR) and Bit Error Rate (BER), under Gamma-Gamma turbulent FSO channel. We propose an analytical model for optimization of the SCM-FSO link and a closed-form BER expression taking into account the nonlinear effects of the SCM optical link as well as the strong atmospheric turbulence of the FSO channel. We emphasize how the choice of optimal optical modulation index (OMI) can increase the received CNIR and also its dependency on the attenuation of the FSO channel. We then discuss the effect of atmospheric turbulence on the received BER. It is shown that, for a high quality CDMA signals reception over the SCM-FSO system, the link has to be engineered to perform optimally in terms of received optical power, number of carriers and OMI.
System design and fusion techniques for multistatic active sonar

Recent advances in construction technology have led to the commission of new classes of submarines which are very silent and highly manoeuvrable. Their detection by purely passive means reaches only limited performance. Active sonar systems, instead, offer sufficient performance, especially when operating in a multistatic setup, i. e. , using multiple and spatially distributed sources and sensors to activate and receive echoes. However, the ocean, and in particular in areas of shallow water, which are of operational interest, offers only noisy and fading channels for sound transmission. Furthermore, reverberation generates clutter contacts that add to the set of contacts originated by the target. Therefore, when applying data fusion and tracking to multistatic sonar data, it is necessary to take account of these stochastic features. In this paper, we discuss preliminaries for the construction of optimal fusion techniques reflecting the physical knowledge of the stochastic features in the underwater sound channel. We apply two different tracking techniques to data sets gathered from sea experiments: a version of the Multi Hypothesis Tracking (MHT) algorithm, which has been extended for the multistatic measurements, and a version of the Cardinalized Probability Hypothesis Density (CPHD) filter, also extended for multistatic measurements and, especially, for the fusion of data from qualitatively different receivers.
Farming and mortality rates attributed to non–Hodgkin’s lymphoma in Taiwan

ABSTRACT Previous studies suggested an elevated risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) among farmers. To date, no apparent study examined the association between farming and NHL in Asian countries. The aim of this study was to investigate whether farmers in Taiwan exhibited an increased risk of mortality attributed to NHL. To this end, a mortality odds ratio (MOR) study was conducted to estimate the relative risk of mortality attributed to NHL for farmers in Taiwan. Data on the decedents enrolled in this investigation were derived from the death certificate database for the period 1997–2009. The study group comprised individuals who died from NHL and who were 50 years or older. The control group consisted of subjects who died from all other causes, excluding cancers, in the corresponding age group. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to compute the MOR, with adjustments for gender, age at death, year of death, marital status, and urbanizational levels. Among 32,456 deceased farmers, 205 died due to NHL. Farmers were found to have a nonsignificantly higher MOR than nonfarmers. This risk estimate is similar to estimates in previous meta-analyses. The MOR for NHL was higher among farmers who died 65 years or older than among those who died at younger ages. The findings indicate that farming in Taiwan may increase the risk of death attributed to NHL. Exposure to pesticides might be an influential factor contributing to high risk of mortality attributed to NHL among farmers and therefore needs to be further investigated.
[Screening and preliminary analysis of the apoptosis- and proliferation-related genes in nasopharyngeal carcinoma].

UNLABELLED To screen and analyze the apoptosis- and proliferation-related genes in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). METHODS According to gene ontology classification, the abnormal expressions of the genes related to cell apoptosis and proliferation were identified in the NPC gene chip data. The cell apoptosis- and proliferation-related genes expressed in each of the 3 stages, as defined by the tree model for the pathogenesis and progression of NPC, were screened, and with literature review, their distribution in the tree model were analyzed. RESULTS Nineteen genes related to cell apoptosis were found in NPC, among which 9 were down-regulated (such as DNASE1L3) and located in the chromosome deletion regions, and 10 were up-regulated (such as DEDD) in the chromosome amplification regions. Twenty-one cell proliferation-related genes were identified, including 8 down-regulated genes (such as TUSC2) in the chromosome deletion regions and 13 up-regulated ones (such as EMP1) in the chromosome amplification regions. In the chromosome deletion regions, the down-regulated cell apoptosis-related genes participated mostly in inducing and regulating cell apoptosis, and the up-regulated cell proliferation-related genes in the chromosome amplification regions were mostly associated with the positive regulation of cell proliferation. CONCLUSION NPC occurs possibly through two pathways by inhibiting cell apoptosis or by promoting excessive cell proliferation.
Haplotype co‐segregation with attention deficit‐hyperactivity disorder in unrelated german multi‐generation families

Complex disorders have proved to be elusive in the search for underlying genetic causes. In the presence of large multi‐generation pedigrees with multiple affected individuals, heritable familial forms of the disorders can be postulated. Observations of particular chromosomal haplotypes shared among all affected individuals within pedigrees may reveal chromosomal regions, in which the disease‐related genes may be located. Hence, the biochemical pathways involved in pathogenesis can be exposed. We have recruited eight large Attention Deficit‐Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD, OMIM: #143465) families of German descent. Densely spaced informative microsatellite markers with high heterozygosity rates were used to fine‐map and haplotype chromosomal regions of interest in these families. In three subsets and one full family of the eight ADHD families, haplotypes co‐segregating with ADHD‐affected individuals were identified at chromosomes 1q25, 5q11–5q13, 9q31–9q32, and 18q11–18q21. Positive LOD scores supported these co‐segregations. The existence of haplotypes co‐segregating among affected individuals in large ADHD pedigrees suggests the existence of Mendelian forms of the disorder and that ADHD‐related genes are located within these haplotypes. In depth sequencing of these haplotype regions can identify causative genetic mechanisms and will allow further insights into the clinico‐genetics of this complex disorder. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Atypical expression of ß‐galactosidase deficiency in a child with Hurler‐like features but without neurological abnormalities

A 28‐month‐old child was found to have several clinical features of lysosomal storage diseases, including: coarse facies, hepatosplenomegaly, lumbar kyphosis due to hypoplastic beaked L1 and L2 vertebral bodies, vacuolated lymphocytes in blood smears and rare foamy hystiocytes in bone marrow. However, no signs of neurological or ocular abnormalities were detected. A β‐galactosidase deficiency was demonstrated in leukocytes and cultured skin fibroblasts, with a residual activity toward 4‐methylumbelliferyl‐β‐galactopyranoside ranging between 5 and 15% of the normal mean. Normal activities were found for several other lysosomal acid hydrolases. β‐galactosidase activities in leukocytes and cultured skin fibroblasts from both parents were within the normal ranges. The patient seems to represent an atypical expression of acid β‐galactosidase deficiency, since his clinical picture does not exactly correspond to that of either the two classical types of GM1‐gangliosidosis or other atypical patients reported in the literature having β‐galactosidase deficiency.
Implicit Theory of Intelligence Scale : Testing for factorial invariance and mean structure

As conceived by Carol Dweck, implicit theory of intelligence concerns the extent to which intelligence is perceived as a malleable trait. This paper presents a new 14-item measure; the Implicit Theory of Intelligence Scale (ITIS). The ITIS was trialled on two samples of 162 and 940 first year university students in Australia and Egypt, respectively. An exploratory factor analysis for each sample retained two factors: entity and incremental. Entity refers to one’s perception that his/her intelligence is a fixed, uncontrollable trait that cannot be changed through effort. Incremental refers to one’s perception that his/her intelligence is a malleable, controllable quality that can be increased and improved through effort and investment. Entity and incremental factors each incorporated 7 items and the correlation coefficient between the two factors was found to be around -0.33 in each sample. A multi-group confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the ITIS is factorial invariant across nationalities (i.e., Egypt and Australia) and across gender within each nationality. The ITIS mean structure was invariant across Egyptian and Australian samples. Implications of these findings are discussed within the Australian and Egyptian contexts.
Hydrophilic coating aids radial sheath withdrawal and reduces patient discomfort following transradial coronary intervention: A randomized double‐blind comparison of coated and uncoated sheaths

Radial artery spasm may cause severe discomfort during radial artery sheath removal. A hydrophilic‐coated sheath may reduce the force required to remove a radial sheath. This force may be quantified using an automatic pullback device (APD). The objective of this study was to assess if a hydrophilic coating reduces the required force and discomfort associated with removal of a radial sheath following transradial coronary intervention. Ninety patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention via the radial artery were randomly assigned to two groups receiving either coated or uncoated introducer sheaths. Radifocus Introducer II (Terumo) 25 cm, 6 Fr radial sheaths and sheaths that were identical apart from the presence of the coating were used in all patients. The APD was used for sheath removal at the end of the procedure. Three patients (7%) in the coated group experienced discomfort during automatic sheath removal, compared to 12 patients (27%) in the uncoated group (P = 0.02). The maximum pullback force (MPF) was significantly lower in the coated compared to the uncoated group (0.24 ± 0.31 vs. 0.44 ± 0.33 kg; P = 0.003). Similarly, the mean pullback force was significantly lower in the coated group (0.14 ± 0.23 vs. 0.32 ± 0.24 kg; P < 0.001). Only one patient (2%) in each group had an MPF greater than 1.0 kg together with clinical evidence of radial artery spasm. Removal of the coated Terumo Radifocus sheath requires less force than an identical uncoated sheath. The coated sheath was also associated with less discomfort for the patient. Cathet Cardiovasc Intervent 2003;59:161–164. © 2003 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Depletion of Donor‐Derived Langerhans Cells Promotes Corneal Allograft Survival

A mouse model of penetrating keratoplasty was used to evaluate the efficacy of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) and hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatments in depleting corneal Langerhans cells (LC) and promoting corneal allograft survival. The presence of donor-derived LC dramatically increased the immunogenicity and rejection rate of corneal allografts. Rejection increased from 40% in LC- corneal grafts to 80% in grafts containing donor-derived LC. Pretreatment with either HBO or UVR resulted in a sharp decrease in both the incidence and tempo of rejection for grafts containing donor LC, but neither procedure affected the fate of LC- corneal allografts. UVR-treatment abolished the immunogenicity of LC+ grafts. UVR-treated orthotopic grafts failed to elicit either cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) or delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) responses that were any greater than naive control mice. The results suggest that purging corneal allografts of stray donor-derived LC might improve corneal allograft survival in high-risk patients without jeopardizing the functional integrity of the graft.
Spectroscopy of H3+ based on a new high-accuracy global potential energy surface

The molecular ion is the simplest polyatomic and poly-electronic molecular system, and its spectrum constitutes an important benchmark for which precise answers can be obtained ab initio from the equations of quantum mechanics. Significant progress in the computation of the ro–vibrational spectrum of is discussed. A new, global potential energy surface (PES) based on ab initio points computed with an average accuracy of 0.01 cm−1 relative to the non-relativistic limit has recently been constructed. An analytical representation of these points is provided, exhibiting a standard deviation of 0.097 cm−1. Problems with earlier fits are discussed. The new PES is used for the computation of transition frequencies. Recently measured lines at visible wavelengths combined with previously determined infrared ro–vibrational data show that an accuracy of the order of 0.1 cm−1 is achieved by these computations. In order to achieve this degree of accuracy, relativistic, adiabatic and non-adiabatic effects must be properly accounted for. The accuracy of these calculations facilitates the reassignment of some measured lines, further reducing the standard deviation between experiment and theory.