Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Efficacy and usability of assistive technology for patients with cognitive deficits: a systematic review

Objective: To determine the efficacy of portable electronic aids such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers or mobile phones for patients with cognitive deficits by means of a systematic review. The usability of these aids is also briefly discussed. Data sources: PubMed, CINAHL, PsychINFO, EMBASE and MEDLINE were searched up to February 2009. The references of identified and relevant articles were scanned to find additional relevant titles. Review methods: Papers referring to ‘electronic aids’, ‘cognition’ and ‘brain injury’ were included. The population had to be adult and have cognitive impairments as a result of acquired brain injury. Outcome measures were change in cognitive or occupational performance or the level of participation in daily life. The criteria of Cicerone et al. were used to evaluate the quality of the retrieved studies. Results: Twenty-eight papers presenting 25 studies were reviewed. The total number of participants was 423. Most identified papers described case reports or non-randomized clinical trials. Only one randomized controlled trial was identified, in which the NeuroPage proved effective in supporting prospective memory. Other kinds of assistive technology such as PDAs and voice recorders showed positive results in supporting retrospective and prospective memory. Conclusion: The efficacy of assistive technology in general is not yet sufficiently studied in randomized controlled trials, although promising results has been reported. Furthermore, several survey studies established that both potential users and clinicians have optimistic expectations about the usability of assistive technology.
A Multiple-Document Summarization System Introducing User Interaction for Reflecting User's Summarization Need

We propose a multiple-document summarization system with user interaction that summarizes more than one document to a document. Our system extracts keywords from sets of documents to be summarized and showsk best keywords with respect to scoring by our system to a user on the screen. From the shown keywords, the user selects those reflecting the user’s summarization need. Our system controls the produced summary by using these selected keywords. For evaluation of our method, we participated in TSC3 of NTCIR4 workshop by letting our system select allk
Deviation From Proportional Relationship Between Emitter Charging Time and Inverse Current of Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors Operating at High Current Density

We investigated the relationship between the emitter charging time and the inverse current of heterojunction bipolar transistors. A proportional relationship assuming the Boltzmann approximation and constant capacitances is often used to separate the components of the total delay time; however, without the aforementioned assumption, the theoretical calculations show that the relationship is not proportional but has an intercept. This deviation causes a nonnegligible error in the results obtained at high current densities. Additionally, we show the possibility of reducing the total delay time beyond that inferred from the conventional linear characteristics by a high-current-density operation.
High Temperature SELMA: Evolution of DNA-Supported Oligomannose Clusters Which Are Tightly Recognized by HIV bnAb 2G12

SELMA (SELection with Modified Aptamers) is a directed evolution method which can be used to develop DNA-supported clusters of carbohydrates in which the geometry of clustering is optimized for strong recognition by a lectin of interest. Herein, we report a modification of SELMA which results in glycoclusters which achieve dramatically stronger target recognition (100-fold) with dramatically fewer glycans (2–3-fold). Our first applications of SELMA yielded clusters of 5–10 oligomannose glycans which were recognized by broadly neutralizing HIV antibody 2G12 with moderate affinities (150–500 nM Kd’s). In the present manuscript, we report glycoclusters containing just 3–4 glycans, which are recognized by 2G12 with Kd’s as low as 1.7 nM. These glycoclusters are recognized by 2G12 as tightly as is the HIV envelope protein gp120, and they are the first constructs to achieve this tight recognition with the minimal number of Man9units (3–4) necessary to occupy the binding sites on 2G12. They are thus of great interest as immunogens which might elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies against HIV.
Complex system risk evolution analysis based on multi-resolution modeling and Bayesian networks

Complex system development contains processes full of comprehensive integration, complicated iteration and highly coupling, and ultimately come into being hierarchical networks of risk evolution. This paper presents a new approach on risk evolution analysis by multi-resolution modeling describing complex system and Bayesian network learning risk relation networks. By simulation experiments, risk evolution networks and their comparative analysis on different resolution models are presented. The proposed approach is verified to provide the more credible assessment and avoid risk evolution networks just only determined by subjective judgment.
T-Wave Alternans and Human Ventricular Arrhythmias

udden cardiac arrest (SCA) from ventricular arrhythias affects over 400,000 individuals/year in the U.S. lone and has a dismal survival rate (1). Although educed left ventricular systolic function (i.e., left venricular ejection fraction) (2) and symptomatic heart ailure (i.e., congestive heart failure) (3) are the major redictors of risk for SCA, they are more sensitive than hey are specific. Thus, their primacy in guidelines for mplantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) might lead o potentially unnecessary implantations (1). This motiates the identification of markers for the pathophysiolgy of ventricular arrhythmias that can improve indices or ICD insertion.
Biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex 3 (BLOC-3): A complex containing the Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome (HPS) proteins HPS1 and HPS4

Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome (HPS) defines a group of autosomal recessive disorders characterized by deficiencies in lysosome-related organelles such as melanosomes and platelet-dense granules. Several HPS genes encode proteins of unknown function including HPS1, HPS3, and HPS4. Here we have identified and characterized endogenous HPS3 and HPS4 proteins from HeLa cells. Both proteins were found in soluble and membrane-associated forms. Sedimentation-velocity and coimmunoprecipitation experiments revealed that HPS4 but not HPS3 associates with HPS1 in a complex, which we term biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex 3 (BLOC-3). Mutant fibroblasts deficient in either HPS1 or HPS4 displayed abnormal localization of lysosomes and late endosomes, which were less concentrated at the juxtanuclear region in mutant cells than in control fibroblasts. The coat-color phenotype of young homozygous double-mutant mice deficient in subunits of BLOC-3 (HPS1) and BLOC-1 (pallidin) was indistinguishable from that of BLOC-1 single mutants. Taken together, these observations suggest that HPS1 and HPS4 are components of a protein complex that regulates the intracellular localization of lysosomes and late endosomes and may function in a BLOC-1-dependent pathway for melanosome biogenesis.
Addition of desipramine to serotonin reuptake inhibitors in treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to determine whether combined treatment with a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) and a norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor, desipramine, effectively reduces obsessive-compulsive symptoms in patients who do not respond to SSRIs. METHOD In a double-blind study, desipramine or placebo was added for 6 or 10 weeks to the treatment of 30 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder whose symptoms were refractory to SSRI treatment (fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, or sertraline) alone. RESULTS There were no significant differences between the adjunctive desipramine and placebo groups in obsessive-compulsive or depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that clomipramine's possibly superior efficacy in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive symptoms may not stem from its capacity to inhibit reuptake of norepinephrine.
Symbiotic Data Miner

Most experts agree (Piatetsky-Shapiro, 2000; Thearling, 2007) that data mining began in the 1960s with the advent of computers that could store and process large amounts of data. In the 1980s, data mining became more common and widespread with the distribution of relational databases and SQL. In the 1990s, business saw a boom in data mining as desktop computers and powerful server-class computers became affordable and powerful enough to process large amounts of data in data warehouses (Havenstein, 2007) as well as real-time data via online analytical processing (OLAP). Today we see an increasing use of advanced processing of data with the help of artificial intelligence technology tools such as fuzzy logic, decision trees, neural networks, and genetic algorithms (Brachman, et al., 1996; Gargano & Raggad, 1999). Moreover, current trends are moving organizations to reclassify data mining as business intelligence using such tools as Cognos (Cognos, 2007).
Cross-Reactivity of T Lymphocytes Recognizing a Human Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Epitope within BK and JC Virus VP1 Polypeptides

ABSTRACT A transgenic mouse model was used to identify an HLA-A*02-restricted epitope within the VP1 polypeptide of a human polyomavirus, BK virus (BKV), which is associated with polyomavirus-associated nephropathy in kidney transplant patients. Peptide stimulation of splenocytes from mice immunized with recombinant modified vaccinia virus Ankara expressing BKV VP1 resulted in expansion of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) recognizing the sequence LLMWEAVTV corresponding to amino acid residues 108 to 116 (BKV VP1p108). These effector T-cell populations represented functional CTLs as assessed by cytotoxicity and cytokine production and were cross-reactive against antigen-presenting cells pulsed with a peptide corresponding to the previously described JC virus (JCV) VP1 homolog sequence ILMWEAVTL (JCV VP1p100) (I. J. Koralnik et al., J. Immunol. 168:499-504, 2002). A panel of 10 healthy HLA-A*02 human volunteers and two kidney transplant recipients were screened for T-cell immunity to this BK virus VP1 epitope by in vitro stimulation of their peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) with the BKV VP1p108 peptide, followed by tetramer labeling combined with simultaneous assays to detect intracellular cytokine production and degranulation. PBMC from 4/10 subjects harbored CTL populations that recognized both the BKV VP1p108 and the JCV VP1p100 peptides with comparable efficiencies as measured by tetramer binding, gamma interferon production, and degranulation. CTL responses to the JCV VP1p100 epitope have been associated with prolonged survival in progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy patients (R. A. Du Pasquier et al., Brain 127:1970-1978, 2004; I. J. Koralnik et al., J. Immunol. 168:499-504, 2002). Given that both human polyomaviruses are resident in a high proportion of healthy individuals and that coinfection occurs (W. A. Knowles et al., J. Med. Virol. 71:115-123, 2003), our findings suggest a reinterpretation of this protective T-cell immunity, suggesting that the same VP1 epitope is recognized in HLA-A*02 persons in response to either BK or JC virus infection.
Infants' sensitivity to word boundaries in fluent speech

ABSTRACT Infants' sensitivity to word units in fluent speech was examined by inserting 1 sec pauses either at boundaries between successive words (Coincident versions) or between syllables within words (Noncoincident versions). In Experiment 1, 24 11-month-olds listened significantly longer to the Coincident versions. In Experiment 2, 24 four-and-a-half-and 24 nine-month-olds did not exhibit the preference for the Coincident versions that the 11-month-olds showed. When the stimuli were low-pass filtered in Experiment 3, 24 11-month-olds showed no preference for the Coincident versions, suggesting they rely on more than prosodic cues. New stimulus materials in Experiment 4 indicated that responses by 24 11-month-olds to the Coincident and Noncoindent versions did not depend solely on prior familiarity with the targets. Two groups of 30 11-month-olds tested in Experiment 5 were as sensitive to boundaries for Strong/Weak words as for Weak/Strong words. Taken together, the results suggest that, by 11 months, infants are sensitive to word boundaries in fluent speech, and that this sensitivity depends on more than just prosodic information or prior knowledge of the words.
Leveraging Set Relations in Exact Set Similarity Join

Exact set similarity join, which finds all the similar set pairs from two collections of sets, is a fundamental problem with a wide range of applications. The existing solutions for set similarity join follow a filtering-verification framework, which generates a list of candidate pairs through scanning indexes in the filtering phase, and reports those similar pairs in the verification phase. Though much research has been conducted on this problem, set relations, which we find out is quite effective on improving the algorithm efficiency through computational cost sharing, have never been studied. Therefore, in this paper, instead of considering each set individually, we explore the set relations in different levels to reduce the overall computational costs. First, it has been shown that most of the computational time is spent on the filtering phase, which can be quadratic to the number of sets in the worst case for the existing solutions. Thus we explore index-level set relations to reduce the filtering cost to be linear to the size of the input while keeping the same filtering power. We achieve this by grouping related sets into blocks in the index and skipping useless index probes in joins. Second, we explore answer-level set relations to further improve the algorithm based on the intuition that if two sets are similar, their answers may have a large overlap. We derive an algorithm which incrementally generates the answer of one set from an already computed answer of another similar set rather than compute the answer from scratch to reduce the computational cost. Finally, we conduct extensive performance studies using 21 real datasets with various data properties from a wide range of domains. The experimental results demonstrate that our algorithm outperforms all the existing algorithms across all datasets and can achieve more than an order of magnitude speedup against the state- of-the-art algorithms.
Wound Dressings Based on Chitosans and Hyaluronic Acid for the Release of Chlorhexidine Diacetate in Skin Ulcer Therapy

In the present work wound dressings, based on chitosan hydrochloride (HCS), 5-methyl-pyrrolidinone chitosan (MPC), and their mixtures with an anionic polymer, hyaluronic acid (HA), were prepared by freeze-drying. Chlorhexidine diacetate (CX) was used as an antimicrobic drug. The mechanical properties of the wound dressings were investigated. In particular, the wound dressings were subjected to dynamic hydration measurements to evaluate their capability to absorb wound exudate and to rheological analysis to investigate their resistance to mechanical stresses on hydration. The wound dressings were also characterized for drug release properties. The antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of medicated and non-medicated wound dressings were also investigated. All the wound dressings are characterized by mechanical resistance suitable for skin application. The addition of hyaluronic acid to chitosans leads to a reduction in wound dressing hydration properties and a modulation of drug release. The wound dressing based on MPC is characterized by the highest elastic properties and by the best scavenger activity. Antimicrobial activity against bacteria and C. albicans is shown by the dressing based on chitosan also in absence of chlorhexidine.
Normative Data for the NeuroCom Sensory Organization Test in US Military Special Operations Forces.

CONTEXT Postural stability is the ability to control the center of mass in relation to a person's base of support and can be affected by both musculoskeletal injury and traumatic brain injury. The NeuroCom Sensory Organization Test (SOT) can be used to objectively quantify impairments to postural stability. The ability of postural stability to predict injury and be used as an acute injury-evaluation tool makes it essential to the screening and rehabilitation process. To our knowledge, no published normative data for the SOT from a healthy, highly active population are available for use as a reference for clinical decision making. OBJECTIVE To present a normative database of SOT scores from a US Military Special Operations population that can be used for future comparison. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Human performance research laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS A total of 542 active military operators from Naval Special Warfare Combatant-Craft Crewmen (n = 149), Naval Special Warfare Command, Sea, Air, and Land (n = 101), US Army Special Operations Command (n = 171), and Air Force Special Operations Command (n = 121). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S) Participants performed each of the 6 SOT conditions 3 times. Scores for each condition, total equilibrium composite score, and ratio scores for the somatosensory, visual, and vestibular systems were recorded. RESULTS Differences were present across all groups for SOT conditions 1 (P < .001), 2 (P = .001), 4 (P > .001), 5 (P > .001), and 6 (P = .001) and total equilibrium composite (P = .000), visual (P > .001), vestibular (P = .002), and preference (P > .001) NeuroCom scores. CONCLUSIONS Statistical differences were evident in the distribution of postural stability across US Special Operations Forces personnel. This normative database for postural stability, as assessed by the NeuroCom SOT, can provide context when clinicians assess a Special Operations Forces population or any other groups that maintain a high level of conditioning and training.
Timing-Error Detection Design Considerations in Subthreshold: An 8-bit Microprocessor in 65 nm CMOS

This paper presents the first known timing-error detection (TED) microprocessor able to operate in subthreshold. Since the minimum energy point (MEP) of static CMOS logic is in subthreshold, there is a strong motivation to design ultra-low-power systems that can operate in this region. However, exponential dependencies in subthreshold, require systems with either excessively large safety margins or that utilize adaptive techniques. Typically, these techniques include replica paths, sensors, or TED. Each of these methods adds system complexity, area, and energy overhead. As a run-time technique, TED is the only method that accounts for both local and global variations. The microprocessor presented in this paper utilizes adaptable error-detection sequential (EDS) circuits that can adjust to process and environmental variations. The results demonstrate the feasibility of the microprocessor, as well as energy savings up to 28%, when using the TED method in subthreshold. The microprocessor is an 8-bit core, which is compatible with a commercial microcontroller. The microprocessor is fabricated in 65 nm CMOS, uses as low as 4.35 pJ/instruction, occupies an area of 50,000 μm2, and operates down to 300 mV.
On-Chip Network Exploration and Synthesis

As CMOS technology improves, the trend of processor designs has gone towards multi-core architectures. Networks-on-Chips (NoCs) have become popular on-chip interconnect fabrics that connect the ever-increasing cores because of their ability to provide high-bandwidth. However, as the number of cores keeps increasing, the endto-end packet latency and the total network power begin to pose tight constraints on NoC designs. In this thesis, we studied architecture proposals designed to tackle this latency and power budget issue. We also studied the impact of applying advanced circuit techniques to these architecture proposals and how to implement these techniques while realizing a NoC design. The thesis begins with an evaluation of physical express topologies and the virtual express topologies that enable the bypassing of intermediate router pipelines. The bypassing of pipeline stages help reduce both end-to-end latency and power consumption since fewer resources are used. We observed that both topologies have similar low-traffic-load latencies and that virtual express topologies result in higher throughput and are more robust across traffic patterns. Physical express topologies, however, deliver a better throughput/watt and can leverage the low-swing link circuits to lower the latency and increase the throughput. Next, then we identified that crossbars, in addition to links, can obtain benefit from the low-swing circuit techiques. We thus developed a layout generation tool for low-swing crossbars and links due to the inability of the existing tools for physical designs to generate these low-swing circuits automatically. The generated crossbars and links using our tool showed 50% energy saving compared to the full-swing synthesized counterpart. We also demonstrated a case study with a router synthesized with the generated crossbar and links. Thesis Supervisor: Li-Shiuan Peh Title: Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Correlates of decline in lower extremity performance in older women: A 10-year follow-up study.

BACKGROUND Decline in lower extremity performance increases the risk of functional disability. This study examined the correlates of decline in lower extremity performance in older women. METHODS A total of 5178 women aged 65-91 years were recruited from population-based listings from four centers in the United States. Clinical examinations were performed and lifestyle information was obtained at baseline and 10 years later. Lower extremity performance was measured by walking speed (meters/second) and time (seconds) to complete five chair-stands. Changes were calculated by subtracting baseline values from follow-up values. RESULTS During the 10-year follow-up period, walking speed declined 17% and time to complete five chair-stands increased 22% (p < .0001). The decline in performance during the follow-up increased with baseline age: women aged 65-69 years experienced an 11% decline in walking speed and a 16% increase in the time to complete five chair-stands, while women aged 80 years or older experienced a 37% decline in walking speed and a 38% increase in chair-stand time. After adjusting for age, baseline physical performance, greater weight, greater height loss, smoking, history of arthritis and diabetes, and use of thyroid and estrogen medications were independently related to greater declines in lower extremity performance. CONCLUSIONS Lower extremity performance decreased dramatically with advancing age in older women. Effective management of common diseases, such as arthritis and diabetes, and a healthy lifestyle, including avoidance of smoking and weight control, could help older women maintain their lower extremity physical functions.
Positive and negative DNA sequence elements are required to establish the pattern of Pax 3 expression

The transcription start site and DNA sequence elements required for the induction of Pax3 expression in differentiating P19 embryonal carcinoma cells have been localized. These elements consist of a promoter and additional elements located within 1.6 kbp 5′ to the transcription start site. Sequence elements within this 1.6 kbp region are also sufficient to mediate the induction and dorsal restriction of Pax3 in the neural tube and somites of transgenic mice throughout the hindbrain and trunk. Additional elements required for expression anterior to the hindbrain and in migrating myoblasts are located within 14 kbp 5′ to the transcription start site. This region also contains element(s) that repress Pax3 expression in the ventral body wall mesoderm of the tail bud.