Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonparametric estimation of multivariate CDF with categorical and continuous data

In this paper we construct a nonparametric kernel estimator to estimate the joint multivariate cumulative distribution function (CDF) of mixed discrete and continuous variables. We use a data-driven cross-validation method to choose optimal smoothing parameters which asymptotically minimize the mean integrated squared error (MISE). The asymptotic theory of the proposed estimator is derived, and the validity of the cross-validation method is proved. We provide sufficient and necessary conditions for the uniqueness of optimal smoothing parameters when the estimation of CDF degenerates to the case with only continuous variables, and provide a sufficient condition for the general mixed variables case.
Realization of a GIC using hybrid current conveyor/operational amplifier circuits

In this paper, a general impedance converter that employs current conveyors and operational amplifier circuits is proposed. The circuit is a hybrid of an operational amplifier and a current conveyor with three passive elements, and offers advantages over conventional current conveyor implementations in its ability to produce high quality factor inductors. Experimental and PSPICE simulation results are presented which verify the theoretical derivations.
An Algorithm for M Shortest Routes for a Net

An algorithm to find M shortest routes connecting the pins of a net is presented. The algorithm runs in O(n1ogn + Mn) time in the worst case, where n is the number of vertices in the channel graph. This is achieved by partitioning the vertices of the channel graph into I P I sets and mapping it into an auxiliary graph with 1 P I vertices, where P is the set of pins in the net. This reduces the problem to that ofjinding the M shortest spanning trees of the auxiliary graph. The algorithm can utilize electrically equivalent pins to minimize the routing length of a net.
The high risk of stroke immediately after transient ischemic attack

Background: The risk of stroke is elevated in the first 48 hours after TIA. Previous prognostic models suggest that diabetes mellitus, age, and clinical symptomatology predict stroke. The authors evaluated the magnitude of risk of stroke and predictors of stroke after TIA in an entire population over time. Methods: Administrative data from four different databases were used to define TIA and stroke for the entire province of Alberta for the fiscal year (April 1999–March 2000). The age-adjusted incidence of TIA was estimated using direct standardization to the 1996 Canadian population. The risk of stroke after a diagnosis of TIA in an Alberta emergency room was defined using a Kaplan-Meier survival function. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to develop adjusted risk estimates. Risk assessment began 24 hours after presentation and therefore the risk of stroke in the first few hours after TIA is not captured by our approach. Results: TIA was reported among 2,285 patients for an emergency room diagnosed, age-adjusted incidence of 68.2 per 100,000 population (95% CI 65.3 to 70.9). The risk of stroke after TIA was 9.5% (95% CI 8.3 to 10.7) at 90 days and 14.5% (95% CI 12.8 to 16.2) at 1 year. The risk of combined stroke, myocardial infarction, or death was 21.8% (95% CI 20.0 to 23.6) at 1 year. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and older age predicted stroke at 1 year but not earlier. Conclusions: Although stroke is common after TIA, the early risk is not predicted by clinical and demographic factors. Validated models to identify which patients require urgent intervention are needed.
Improving measurement techniques of power transformer insulation: A study of the intermolecular interactions between water and vegetable oil based dielectrics

The use of water activity probes immersed in the vegetable oil dielectric of a transformer requires a fresh look at the equations, and assumptions, behind the conversion of water activity to concentration of dissolved water. This is important because water negatively affects the effectiveness of insulation. A large volume of work has been performed on mineral oil based dielectrics to determine mathematical relationships. However, there is a lack of data on whether these relationships hold for vegetable oil. One example is the appropriateness of using the Henry's law coefficient of proportionality to calculate the concentration of water dissolved in the fluid from its water activity. This paper presents research investigating the water activity-concentration relationship for one vegetable oil dielectric. It was found that, at room temperature under the prescribed conditions, using Henry's law is appropriate.
Continuous and discrete formulations for modeling electromagnetic wave propagation over an impedance ground in low troposphere in 3D

A 3D discrete mixed Fourier transform method is proposed for modeling the wave propagation over an impedance ground in 3D. The continuous and discrete formulations of the propagators are presented. The discrete formulation achieves self-consistency with respect to the discrete electromagnetic theory. Numerical tests are performed to compare the two propagators. Both are shown to be accurate. Therefore, the self-consistent propagator should be preferred.
Systematic review of the accuracy of the ParaSight-F test in the diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria.

BACKGROUND The Parasight-F test is a device for the rapid diagnosis of Plasmodium falciparum malaria. In a number of field studies rather wide disparities in the performance of the test have been reported. To provide an evaluation of the quality of available reports and an overall summary of diagnostic accuracy of the Parasight-F test, we have performed a systematic review. MATERIAL/METHODS Systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of Parasight-F test in comparison with light microscopy. DATA SOURCES 15,359 subjects (4,119 with falciparum malaria) studied with the Parasight-F test as reported in 32 studies from 29 publications. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Summary receiving operator characteristic (SROC) curve as well as odds ratio calculated by the fixed effect model and the random effect model. Based on pooled data, the predictive values were calculated for a range of P. falciparum prevalence through a Bayesian approach. RESULTS Overall, the Parasight-F test demonstrated 0.90 (95%, confidence intervals 0.88-0.93) sensitivity and 0.94 (0.92-0.96) specificity. Both sensitivity and specificity were significantly higher in the non-resident than in the resident population. The post-test probability indicates that in settings of low malaria prevalence, a negative test almost absolutely excludes infection, while in settings of high prevalence, the same result still gives a substantial chance of infection being present. CONCLUSIONS The Parasight-F test is a simple and accurate test for the diagnosis of P. falciparum infection. The test could be of particular value in the diagnosis of malaria in travelers returning from endemic areas.
Cardiometabolic Syndrome

The term “Metabolic Syndrome” is generally used to indicate a clinical entity of substantial heterogeneity, represented by the co-occurrence of hypertension, impaired glucose tolerance, atherogenic dyslipidemia, central fat accumulation, insulin resistance, as well as prothrombotic and inflammatory states[1]. This multiple metabolic and cardiovascular disorders clusters together in the same individual more often than might be expected by chance, leading to an increased probability of suffering from cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes mellitus[2], [3].
Electrical modeling of copper/multiwalled carbon nanotubes for 3D IC applications

Three dimensional (3D) interconnect is a solution for designing today's Integrated Circuits (ICs) in a view to achieve the ever growing consumer and market demands. The 3D interconnects in the form of copper filled Through Silicon Via (TSV) technology has offered significant advantages in adding more functionalities to the chip, keeping similar die size. With 3D interconnects, the designers can emphasize more on device placements and less on routing wires in the floor planning stage. The 3D TSVs has improved the performance of the chip via reduced RC delays, and lower energy as compared to a traditional planar interconnect design. Traditionally 3D TSV is composed of copper (Cu) filled in a high aspect ratio via within dielectric to electrically connect vertical stack of devices. A standardized damascene electroplating technique is used to fill copper in the TSV. Although the process is well studied and reliable results are found for System On Chip (SoC) applications, Cu exhibits electromigration and skin effect problems for high frequency applications. Alternately Carbon Nanotubes (CNTs) as interconnects have indicated high current carrying capacity and enhanced thermal performance. This paper focuses on the development of electrical models for Copper/Multi Walled Carbon Nanotube (Cu/MWNT) composites in tapered TSVs, which is different from Copper/Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes (Cu/SWNT) composites based 3D interconnects. The Cu/MWNT modeled results were further analyzed and compared with SWNT filled TSVs and Cu filled TSVs. In addition, a bidirectional vertical delay model is developed for Cu/MWNTs filled TSVs and the signal delay is analyzed for different proportions of Cu in the novel 3D interconnect. The modeled Cu/MWNT composite interconnects is considered beneficial for 3D IC package design.
Examining the links between perceived impact of breast cancer and psychosocial adjustment: the buffering role of posttraumatic growth

Objectives: Finding positive changes in the aftermath of breast cancer (BC) may protect women against impaired adjustment. This study examines posttraumatic growth (PTG) in a sample of women receiving treatment for BC and explores the buffering role of PTG on the links between perceived impact of BC and emotional distress and quality of life (QoL).
Developing and Evaluating a Website to Guide Older Adults in Their Health Information Searches

This mixed-methods study developed and evaluated an online program to improve older adults’ skills in identifying high-quality web-based health information. We conducted focus groups and individual interviews to collect data on older adults’ preferences for online instruction and information. We used the findings to develop, pilot test, and evaluate an interactive website which was grounded in health behavior change models, adult education, and website construction. Sixty four participants were randomly assigned to Your Health Online: Guiding eSearches or to an analogous slide-based-tutorial and compared in their knowledge, self-efficacy, and program assessment. Experimental participants assigned significantly higher ratings of usability and learning to the new site than controls did to their tutorial although no differences were found in self-efficacy or knowledge. Experimental participants reported that participation was likely to improve future searches. Information is now needed to examine if such programs actually improve health searches, ehealth literacy, and health outcomes.
Selection, tuning, and adaptation in mouse NK cell education

Natural killer (NK) cells recognize transformed cells with an array of germline‐encoded inhibitory and activating receptors. Inhibitory Ly49 receptors bind major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC‐I) molecules, providing a mechanism by which NK cells maintain self‐tolerance yet eliminate cells expressing reduced levels of MHC‐I. Additionally, MHC‐I molecules are required for NK cell education, a process in which NK cells acquire responsiveness. In this review, we discuss three facets of MHC class I‐dependent education of mouse NK cells: skewing of the inhibitory receptor repertoire, induction of functional responsiveness, and tuning in response to changes in MHC‐I expression. We discuss prevailing models for education such as licensing and disarming and propose a model for positive selection of ‘useful’ NK cell subsets. Furthermore, we argue that both repertoire skewing and functional NK cell education may be altered in mature NK cells subject to changes in MHC‐I input and suggest that this process may provide increased dynamics to the NK cell system.
A Novel Fault Detection of an Open-Switch Fault in the NPC Inverter System

In this paper, a simple fault detection scheme is proposed for improving the reliability under the open-switch fault of a three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) inverter. The fault of switching device is detected by checking the change of a pole-voltage in a NPC inverter. This method has the advantages of fast detection ability and a simple realization for fault detection, compared with existing methods. Reconfiguration is also performed by two-phase control method that used to supply the balancing three-phase power to the load continuously. This proposed method minimizes a bad influence on the load caused by a delay of fault detection. This method can also be embedded into the existing NPC inverter system as a subroutine without excessive computational effort. The proposed scheme has been verified by simulation and experimental results.
Does Placebo Response Differ between Objective and Subjective Measures in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder?

Abstract Placebo response complicates the interpretation of treatment response in both clinical practice and clinical trials in youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In a pilot study comparing subjective ADHD symptom rating scales with scores obtained using the Quotient™ ADHD System (an objective computerized technology for assessment of hyper-activity, inattention, and impulsivity in ADHD), it was found that agreement between these 2 measures was not as strong as anticipated. This observation prompted us to evaluate placebo responses associated with subjective and objective assessments. Eligible study participants aged 6 to 14 years with a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition ADHD diagnosis based on clinician interviews were randomized to 1 of 2 treatment sequence groups (placebo, low dose, and medium dose; or low dose, medium dose, and placebo) using either atomoxetine HCl or osmotic controlled-release (OROS) methylphenidate HCl as the active treatment in a 3-week, triple-blind (subject, parent, rater) trial. Subjects were exposed to placebo and different medication doses to evaluate the comparative sensitivity of objective and subjective measures in assessing changes in clinical condition. Placebo response was defined using 3 thresholds: any improvement, > 25% improvement, or > 40% improvement from baseline on Quotient™ Global Scaled Score (QGSS) or the ADHD Rating Scale (ADHD-RS) Total score from baseline to the visit when placebo was administered. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient was used to measure agreement between baseline and placebo scores for the objective and subjective assessments. Of 30 subjects with placebo and baseline scores, 80%, 47%, and 27% met the 3 response thresholds (ie, any, > 25%, or > 40% improvement, respectively) on the ADHD-RS Total score compared with 27%, 7%, and 0% on the QGSS. Lin's concordance correlation coefficient was 0.81 and 0.39 for the QGSS and the ADHD-RS Total score, respectively. Although larger trials are warranted, we tentatively conclude that using objective measures and higher response thresholds may enhance assay sensitivity in clinical trials and hence limit necessary patient enrollments to rule out type II statistical error.
Depression, perceived family criticism, and functional status among older, primary-care patients.

OBJECTIVE Relatively little research has examined the role of family factors in later-life depression, particularly in the broad range of depressive conditions seen in primary care. Authors tested the hypotheses that 1) perceived family criticism is independently associated with depression, 2) that family criticism and depression are independently associated with functional disability, and 3) that perceived family criticism moderates the association between depression and functional disability. METHODS This cross-sectional study recruited 379 adults age > or =65 years from primary-care practices. Study measures included the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, the Family Emotional Involvement and Criticism Scale, and several measures of functional disability. Multiple regression determined independent associations, and a multiplicative interaction term tested the moderator model of the third hypothesis. RESULTS Perceived family criticism was independently associated with depression diagnosis and depressive symptoms. Depression diagnosis, depressive symptoms, and perceived family criticism were each independently associated with functional status. Perceived family criticism did not moderate the association between depressive symptoms and functional status in the overall study group, although it did moderate the association between depression diagnosis and instrumental activities of daily living when only early-onset depressed patients were included. CONCLUSIONS Authors confirmed the first and second hypotheses; however data did not support the third hypothesis. These results provide support for clinicians to attend to quality of primary family relationships and perceived criticism in depressed older adults and for researchers to consider aspects of family functioning as covariates or potential targets for intervention studies.
3-D MUSIC with polynomial rooting for near-field source localization

The bearing, elevation, and range estimation of near-field narrow-band sources from data observed across an array of sensors is considered. For high-resolution source localization, the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) algorithm is modified and extended to its 3-D version by accounting for the spherical curvature and spreading factor in the array manifold. However, the simultaneous estimation of bearing, elevation, and range from the 3-D MUSIC spectrum requires exhaustive multidimensional search. In order to alleviate the computational load, an alternative algorithm is proposed. The proposed algorithm involves a search in the range domain combined with polynomial rooting, which replaces the search in the azimuth-elevation domain, for bearing and elevation estimation.
A Classifier Ensemble Approach to Detect Emotions Polarity in Social Media

The advent of social media has changed completely the role of the users and has transformed them from simple passive information seekers to active producers. The user generated textual data in social media and microblogging platforms are rich in emotions, opinions and attitudes and necessitate automated methods to analyse and extract knowledge from them. In this paper, we present a classifier ensemble approach to detect emotional content in social media and examine its performance under bagging and boosting combination methods. The classifier ensemble aims to take advantage of the base classifiers’ benefits and constitutes a promising approach to detect sentiments in social media. Our classifier ensemble combines a knowledge based tool that performs deep analysis of the natural language and two machine learning classifiers, a Naïve Bayes and a Maximum Entropy which are trained on ISEAR and Affective text datasets. The evaluation study conducted revealed quite promising results and indicates that the ensemble classifier approach can improve the performance of sole classifiers on emotion detection in Twitter and that the boosting seems to be more suitable and to perform better than bagging.
Screening mammography with computer-aided detection: prospective study of 12,860 patients in a community breast center.

PURPOSE To prospectively assess the effect of computer-aided detection (CAD) on the interpretation of screening mammograms in a community breast center. MATERIALS AND METHODS Over a 12-month period, 12,860 screening mammograms were interpreted with the assistance of a CAD system. Each mammogram was initially interpreted without the assistance of CAD, followed immediately by a reevaluation of areas marked by the CAD system. Data were recorded to measure the effect of CAD on the recall rate, positive predictive value for biopsy, cancer detection rate, and stage of malignancies at detection. RESULTS When comparing the radiologist's performance without CAD with that when CAD was used, the authors observed the following: (a) an increase in recall rate from 6.5% to 7.7%, (b) no change in the positive predictive value for biopsy at 38%, (c) a 19.5% increase in the number of cancers detected, and (d) an increase in the proportion of early-stage (0 and I) malignancies detected from 73% to 78%. CONCLUSION The use of CAD in the interpretation of screening mammograms can increase the detection of early-stage malignancies without undue effect on the recall rate or positive predictive value for biopsy.
Envelhecimento: prevenção e promoção da saúde

Envelhecimento – Prevencao e Promocao da Saude tem como inspiracao o fenomeno do envelhecimento populacional, hoje comum a quase todos os paises. De acordo com os mais recentes estudos demograficos, a esperanca de vida para os proximos 20 anos indica ser de 70 por cento para as pessoas com 60 mais anos que viverao nos paises em desenvolvimento. No caso do Brasil, o aumento significativo de populacao de idosos traz para a saude publica, compreensivelmente, questoes de assistencia, nao estritamente medica, e sim ligadas a saude, como a socializacao e a preservacao de alguma atividade do idoso, tanto do ponto de vista psiquico como tambem das chamadas prevencao do envelhecimento e promocao da saude. Envelhecimento – Prevencao e Promocao da Saude e livro que, sem sombra de duvida, se tornara obra de obrigatoria referencia e consulta para todo profissional ligado a geriatria e a gerontologia, vivamente interessado em melhor qualificar o seu atendimento
Analysis of air quality time series of Hong Kong with graphical modeling

Identifying the interaction of air pollutants in each monitoring station and the inter‐relationship between pollutants at different stations is an important issue in the management and control of air quality and pollutants. In this paper, a graphical model is utilized to analyze the air pollution in Hong Kong using the daily air pollution data from the three monitoring stations located at Tsuen Wan, Tap Mun, and Tung Chung in Hong Kong. The model follows broadly a spectral analytic method, for determining the edges of a graph. The method extends a graphical model for analyzing multivariate data to multivariate time series, and in our case, it is applied to time series over different spatial locations. We adopt the graphical model for time series to investigate the inter‐relationship of air pollutants at the three stations in Hong Kong and the interaction between pollutants among the stations. The results obtained have good interpretations in terms of both geographical locations and chemistry. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Anatomy of a Symptom: Concept Development and Symptom Formation in a Four-Year-Old Boy

The case of a four-year-old boy with a postural symptom that resolved rapidly in the course of play therapy is presented. Various unconscious fantasies appeared to underlie the symptom. In particular, this case illustrates a young child's sophisticated capacity to abstract a complex relational feature from a set of unconscious fantasies that then became the basis of his symptom. The structure of the boy's symptom is relevant to (1) the question of what constitutes a symptom, (2) the relationship between concept development and symptom formation, and (3) the status of certain primary process mechanisms as they relate to concept development. Proposals are presented to help situate the contributions of psychoanalytic theory with respect to the domain of cognitive psychology, and to illustrate the unique contributions of each domain toward their mutual enrichment.