Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Productivity Losses Due to Migraine in Slovenia: An Analysis of Absenteeism and Presenteeism Costs Based on Administrative and Self-Reported Data

Abstract Introduction Migraine is associated with significant morbidity and a significantly negative impact on the quality of life. A better understanding of the economic impact of migraine is becoming increasingly important. This paper aims to shed light on absenteeism and presenteeism costs of migraine in Slovenia. Methods We use the administrative national-level database on sick leave due to migraine for 2016. The absenteeism cost estimate is based on the number of patients with migraine on physician-determined sick leave and average daily labour costs. We calculate productivity costs from a social perspective regardless of who incurs them. Data from the national registry on sick leave are coupled with data from a web-based self-reported survey to also include the cost of presenteeism. MIDAS and WPAI presenteeism items were used and several different scenarios were designed to assess presenteeism costs. Results We estimated annual absenteeism costs per absentee due to migraine at the amount of EUR 531 in 2016 using the NIPH’s administrative data on sick leave. Annual absenteeism costs per absentee due to migraine based on self-reported data amounted to EUR 626. The estimated annual presenteeism costs per patient range from EUR 344 – 900. Conclusion Estimating the economic burden of a disease is becoming increasingly important. This paper is an insight into the absenteeism and presenteeism costs of migraine in Slovenia.
Aquatic insects of North Europe: a taxonomic handbook. Volume 1: Ephemeroptera, Plecoptera, Heteroptera, Neuroptera, Megaloptera, Coleoptera, Trichoptera, Lepidoptera.

A complete handbook providing an extensive introduction to the biology, ecology and behaviour of the Zygaenidae. The introduction provides detailed information on zygaenid systematics and phylogeny, life cycles, morphology, zoogeography and palaeontology, genetics and individual variation, ecology and behaviour, conservation, collecting and breeding techniques. In the systematic part of the book, the 115 species of westen Palaearctic Zygaenidae, currently contained in the three subfamilies Procridinae, Chalcosiinae and Zygaeninae, are treated. Each species is briefly described, followed by differentiating characters of similar species, individual and geographical variation, distribution (with maps for each species), ecology, behaviour, early instars and larval foodplants. Colour plates illustrate all species and the male and female genitalia of the Procridinae are also figured. A bibliography provides references to the most relevant literature for those interested in current research.
ɸ-agreement within Construct State in Jordanian Arabic

Abstract This paper shows that the head noun of the Construct State may ɸ-agree (in Number and Gender) with the accompanying DP associate in Jordanian Arabic. When it occurs, this agreement is, however, only invoked when the DP associate is referential (e.g., galam ʔil-walad ‘the boy’s pen’>galamuhi ʔil-waladi , but barbiiʃ ʔil-ʁaaz ‘the gas pipe’>*barbiiʃ-uh i ʔil-ʁaazi ). The paper provides a syntactic account of this observation which clearly demonstrates that Construct States do not constitute a homogenous group. We specifically argue that the head D° of the Construct State is endowed with a bundle of uninterpretable, unvalued ɸ-features which are valued via Agree by the DP associate of the Construct State. The outcome of this valuation, when it occurs, may surface as an inflectional suffix that appears on the head noun occupying this position, i.e. D°, in PF. For why D°-related uninterpretable ɸ-features are only valued by referential DPs, we propose that this follows from the assumption that such DPs carry a [person] feature, hence ɸ-complete, unlike nonreferential DPs which lack a [person] feature, and hence ɸ-incomplete. ɸ-incompleteness makes non-referential DPs incapable of valuing uninterpretable ɸ-features carried by c-commanding heads in Jordanian Arabic.
The role of brand image in consumer-brand relationships: similarities and differences between national and private label brands

Abstract The purpose of the present research is to explore the effect of brand image on brand loyalty and brand commitment to national and private label brands. Data was collected through a field survey via the store-intercept method. To test the research hypotheses, we used two samples, which implied the collection of usable 528 questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity of the constructs of interest. The structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was employed to analyze the effect of brand image on brand loyalty and brand commitment. Also, group comparisons were made between national brands and private label brands, using structural equation modeling. This study reveals that brand image has a significant positive effect on brand loyalty and brand commitment, both for national and private label brands. Moreover, it was found that the effect of brand image on brand commitment is stronger for national brands than for private label brands. The present study provides marketing managers of national brands and private label brands some insights into how to spur brand loyalty and commitment by establishing a favorable brand image.
Transient abnormal liver enzyme level in the early stage after renal transplantation in children

Aim: The study aim was to evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, and clinical importance of abnormal elevation in liver enzyme levels in children after renal transplantation. Materials and Methods: The files of all 62 patients (mean age 10.2 years), who underwent renal transplantation at a tertiary pediatric medical center in 2001-2013, were reviewed for clinical data, including: Postoperative liver function, tacrolimus level, and serology for cytomegalovirus (CMV) and hepatitis B and C viruses. Results: The most common indication for transplantation (53%) was dysplastic hypoplastic kidney. Liver enzyme levels were abnormal in 7 patients (11%) before transplantation and 42 (67.7%) during the first 6 months following, with a peak on day 14 (P < 0.001). Seroconversion was documented during the first post-transplantation year in 9 patients (14.5%), of whom 8 (89%) were CMV IgG negative. Post-transplant abnormal levels were highest in patients who also had abnormally high-level pre-transplant levels (100%), CMV seroconversion (89%), and dysplastic kidney or nephronophthisis (80%). An abnormally elevated liver enzyme level was significantly correlated with high blood tacrolimus level, but only on post-transplant day 3 (P < 0.001). Conclusion: High liver enzyme levels are common in pediatric kidney transplant recipients, usually starting in the first post-transplant month. The etiology is probably multifactorial; drug hepatotoxicity, previous liver injury, and acute viral infection or reactivation are all likely possibilities. About 10-20% of cases are related to CMV infection.
Land-Cover Classification Using MaxEnt: Can We Trust in Model Quality Metrics for Estimating Classification Accuracy?

MaxEnt is a popular maximum entropy-based algorithm originally developed for modelling species distribution, but increasingly used for land-cover classification. In this article, we used MaxEnt as a single-class land-cover classification and explored if recommended procedures for generating high-quality species distribution models also apply for generating high-accuracy land-cover classification. We used remote sensing imagery and randomly selected ground-true points for four types of land covers (built, grass, deciduous, evergreen) to generate 1980 classification maps using MaxEnt. We calculated different accuracy discrimination and quality model metrics to determine if these metrics were suitable proxies for estimating the accuracy of land-cover classification outcomes. Correlation analysis between model quality metrics showed consistent patterns for the relationships between metrics, but not for all land-covers. Relationship between model quality metrics and land-cover classification accuracy were land-cover-dependent. While for built cover there was no consistent patterns of correlations for any quality metrics; for grass, evergreen and deciduous, there was a consistent association between quality metrics and classification accuracy. We recommend evaluating the accuracy of land-cover classification results by using proper discrimination accuracy coefficients (e.g., Kappa, Overall Accuracy), and not placing all the confidence in model’s quality metrics as a reliable indicator of land-cover classification results.
Transmit power randomization for wireless ad hoc green networks

Future green technologies require the reduction of power consumptions, increasing energy efficiencies, and managing the electromagnetic interference footprints. In this paper, we investigate the use of randomized transmit power strategy in which the nodes transmit with random power in a single‐hop ad hoc wireless network. We assume Nakagami‐m channel with very slow feedback channel for power update commands. Hence, by using the characteristic function of the received power, we develop a new mathematical formulation for the outage probability. Further, we test the developed formulation on the known constant transmit power case and randomized uniform distribution with constant maximum case. We show that the performance in terms of outage probabilities and total power consumption of all nodes is generally poor. Therefore, we extend our results to the case of optimized constant power and propose the use of randomized uniform distribution with optimized maximum power. We show that the proposed power distribution outperforms the previous ones and reduces the overall power consumption by many orders of magnitude.
Bifocal-Lens Converging Based OAM Wireless Communications

Orbital angular momentum (OAM) based radio vortex wireless communications have received much attention recently because it can significantly increase the spectrum efficiency. The uniform circular array (UCA) is a simple antenna structure for high spectrum efficiency radio vortex wireless communications. However, the OAM based electromagnetic waves are vortically hollow and divergent, which may result in the signal loss. Moreover, the divergence of corresponding OAM based electromagnetic wave increases as the order of OAM-mode increases. Therefore, it is difficult to use high-order OAM-mode, because the corresponding received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is very small. To overcome the difficulty of high-order OAM modes transmission, in this paper we propose a lens antenna based electromagnetic waves converging scheme, which maintains the angular identification of multiple OAM-modes for radio vortex wireless communications. We further develop a bifocal lens antenna to not only converge the electromagnetic wave, but also compensate the SNR loss on traditional electromagnetic waves. Simulation results show that the proposed bifocal lens can converge the OAM waves into cylinder-like beams, providing an efficient way to increase the spectrum efficiency of wireless communications.
A Review on Design of Upper Limb Exoskeletons

Exoskeleton robotics has ushered in a new era of modern neuromuscular rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology research. The technology promises to improve the upper-limb functionalities required for performing activities of daily living. The exoskeleton technology is evolving quickly but still needs interdisciplinary research to solve technical challenges, e.g., kinematic compatibility and development of effective human–robot interaction. In this paper, the recent development in upper-limb exoskeletons is reviewed. The key challenges involved in the development of assistive exoskeletons are highlighted by comparing available solutions. This paper provides a general classification, comparisons, and overview of the mechatronic designs of upper-limb exoskeletons. In addition, a brief overview of the control modalities for upper-limb exoskeletons is also presented in this paper. A discussion on the future directions of research is included.
Augmentation of Dispersion Entropy for Handling Missing and Outlier Samples in Physiological Signal Monitoring

Entropy quantification algorithms are becoming a prominent tool for the physiological monitoring of individuals through the effective measurement of irregularity in biological signals. However, to ensure their effective adaptation in monitoring applications, the performance of these algorithms needs to be robust when analysing time-series containing missing and outlier samples, which are common occurrence in physiological monitoring setups such as wearable devices and intensive care units. This paper focuses on augmenting Dispersion Entropy (DisEn) by introducing novel variations of the algorithm for improved performance in such applications. The original algorithm and its variations are tested under different experimental setups that are replicated across heart rate interval, electroencephalogram, and respiratory impedance time-series. Our results indicate that the algorithmic variations of DisEn achieve considerable improvements in performance while our analysis signifies that, in consensus with previous research, outlier samples can have a major impact in the performance of entropy quantification algorithms. Consequently, the presented variations can aid the implementation of DisEn to physiological monitoring applications through the mitigation of the disruptive effect of missing and outlier samples.
Entropy in Heart Rate Dynamics Reflects How HRV-Biofeedback Training Improves Neurovisceral Complexity during Stress-Cognition Interactions

Despite considerable appeal, the growing appreciation of biosignals complexity reflects that system complexity needs additional support. A dynamically coordinated network of neurovisceral integration has been described that links prefrontal-subcortical inhibitory circuits to vagally-mediated heart rate variability. Chronic stress is known to alter network interactions by impairing amygdala functional connectivity. HRV-biofeedback training can counteract stress defects. We hypothesized the great value of an entropy-based approach of beat-to-beat biosignals to illustrate how HRVB training restores neurovisceral complexity, which should be reflected in signal complexity. In thirteen moderately-stressed participants, we obtained vagal tone markers and psychological indexes (state anxiety, cognitive workload, and Perceived Stress Scale) before and after five-weeks of daily HRVB training, at rest and during stressful cognitive tasking. Refined Composite Multiscale Entropy (RCMSE) was computed over short time scales as a marker of signal complexity. Heightened vagal tone at rest and during stressful tasking illustrates training benefits in the brain-to-heart circuitry. The entropy index reached the highest significance levels in both variance and ROC curves analyses. Restored vagal activity at rest correlated with gain in entropy. We conclude that HRVB training is efficient in restoring healthy neurovisceral complexity and stress defense, which is reflected in HRV signal complexity. The very mechanisms that are involved in system complexity remain to be elucidated, despite abundant literature existing on the role played by amygdala in brain interconnections.
Preliminary Study on Surface Texture to Manipulate Perceived Softness of 3D Printed Objects

Previous studies have attempted to manipulate the elastic properties of products from elements such as different materials and internal structures. In this paper, we investigate whether we can manipulate the softness perceived by the surface texture when using the FDM-3D printer. We investigated the perceived softness of the surface texture provided by Tymms et al., in which cones of 1 mm in height are arranged, by a subject experiment. From the experimental results, it was found that the hardness perceived by increasing the arrangement interval of the cones decreased and the subjects perceived softer the objects with the surface texture.
Tunable Release of Curcumin with an In Silico-Supported Approach from Mixtures of Highly Porous PLGA Microparticles

In recent years, drug delivery systems have become some of the main topics within the biomedical field. In this scenario, polymeric microparticles (MPs) are often used as carriers to improve drug stability and drug pharmacokinetics in agreement with this kind of treatment. To avoid a mere and time-consuming empirical approach for the optimization of the pharmacokinetics of an MP-based formulation, here, we propose a simple predictive in silico-supported approach. As an example, in this study, we report the ability to predict and tune the release of curcumin (CUR), used as a model drug, from a designed combination of different poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) MPs kinds. In detail, all CUR–PLGA MPs were synthesized by double emulsion technique and their chemical–physical properties were characterized by Mastersizer and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Moreover, for all the MPs, CUR encapsulation efficiency and kinetic release were investigated through the UV–vis spectroscopy. This approach, based on the combination of in silico and experimental methods, could be a promising platform in several biomedical applications such as vaccinations, cancer-treatment, diabetes therapy and so on.
Silicon Conical Structures by Metal Assisted Chemical Etching

A simple and inexpensive method to obtain Si conical structures is proposed. The method consists of a sequence of steps that include photolithography and metal assisted chemical etching (MACE) to create porous regions that are dissolved in a post-etching process. The proposed process takes advantage of the lateral etching obtained when using catalyst particles smaller than 40 nm for MACE. The final shape of the base of the structures is mainly given by the shape of the lithography mask used for the process. Conical structures ranging from units to hundreds of microns can be produced by this method. The advantage of the method is its simplicity, allowing the production of the structures in a basic chemical lab.
Lane-Level Map-Matching Method for Vehicle Localization Using GPS and Camera on a High-Definition Map

Accurate vehicle localization is important for autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems. Existing precise localization systems based on the global navigation satellite system cannot always provide lane-level accuracy even in open-sky environments. Map-based localization using high-definition (HD) maps is an interesting method for achieving greater accuracy. We propose a map-based localization method using a single camera. Our method relies on road link information in the HD map to achieve lane-level accuracy. Initially, we process the image—acquired using the camera of a mobile device—via inverse perspective mapping, which shows the entire road at a glance in the driving image. Subsequently, we use the Hough transform to detect the vehicle lines and acquire driving link information regarding the lane on which the vehicle is moving. The vehicle position is estimated by matching the global positioning system (GPS) and reference HD map. We employ iterative closest point-based map-matching to determine and eliminate the disparity between the GPS trajectories and reference map. Finally, we perform experiments by considering the data of a sophisticated GPS/inertial navigation system as the ground truth and demonstrate that the proposed method provides lane-level position accuracy for vehicle localization.
Fewer generation constraints increase the generation effect for item and source memory through enhanced relational processing

ABSTRACT Memory is often better for information that is self-generated versus read (i.e. the generation effect). Theoretical work attributes the generation effect to two mechanisms: enhanced item-specific and relational processing (i.e. the two-factor theory). Recent work has demonstrated that the generation effect increases when generation tasks place lower, relative to higher, constraints on what participants can self-generate. This study examined whether the effects of generation constraint on memory might be attributable to either mechanism of the two-factor theory. Across three experiments, participants encoded word pairs in two generation conditions (lower- and higher-constraint) and a read control task, followed by a memory test for item memory and two context memory details (source and font color). The results of these experiments support the idea that lower-constraint generation increases the generation effect via enhanced relational processing, as measured through both recognition and cued recall tasks. Results further showed that lower-constraint generation improves context memory for conceptual context (source), but not perceptual context (color), suggesting that this enhanced relational processing may extend to conceptually related details of an item. Overall, these results provide more evidence that fewer generation constraints increase the generation effect and implicate enhanced relational processing as a mechanism for this improvement.
Mid-position treatment strategy for locally advanced lung cancer: a dosimetric study.

OBJECTIVE The internal target volume (ITV) strategy generates larger planning target volumes (PTVs) in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (LA-NSCLC) than the Mid-position (Mid-p) strategy. We investigated the benefit of the Mid-p strategy regarding PTV reduction and dose to the organs at risk (OARs). METHODS 44 patients with LA-NSCLC were included in a randomized clinical study to compare ITV and Mid-p strategies. GTV were delineated by a physician on maximum intensity projection images and on Mid-p images from four-dimensional CTs. CTVs were obtained by adding 6 mm uniform margin for microscopic extension. CTV to PTV margins were calculated using the van Herk's recipe for setup and delineation errors. For the Mid-p strategy, the mean target motion amplitude was added as a random error. For both strategies, three-dimensional conformal plans delivering 60-66 Gy to PTV were performed. PTVs, dose-volume parameters for OARs (lung, esophagus, heart, spinal cord) were reported and compared. RESULTS With the Mid-p strategy, the median of volume reduction was 23.5 cm3 (p = 0.012) and 8.8 cm3 (p = 0.0083) for PTVT and PTVN respectively; the median mean lung dose reduction was 0.51 Gy (p = 0.0057). For 37.1% of the patients, delineation errors led to smaller PTV with the ITV strategy than with the Mid-p strategy. CONCLUSION PTV and mean lung dose were significantly reduced using the Mid-p strategy. Delineation uncertainty can unfavorably impact the advantage. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE To the best of our knowledge, this is the first dosimetric comparison study between ITV and Mid-p strategies for LA-NSCLC.
Optical Textures and Orientational Structures in Cholesteric Droplets with Conical Boundary Conditions

Cholesteric droplets dispersed in polymer with conical boundary conditions have been studied. The director configurations are identified by the polarising microscopy technique. The axisymmetric twisted axial-bipolar configuration with the surface circular defect at the droplet’s equator is formed at the relative chirality parameter N0≤2.9. The intermediate director configuration with the deformed circular defect is realised at 2.9<N0<3.95, and the layer-like structure with the twisted surface defect loop is observed at N0≥3.95. The cholesteric layers in the layer-like structure are slightly distorted although the cholesteric helix is untwisted.