Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Longitudinal trends in left ventricular cardiac output in healthy infants in the first year of life.

We studied left ventricular (LV) cardiac output as estimated by ascending aorta blood flow (QAo) longitudinally in 31 healthy infants from birth through the first year of life using noninvasive pulsed Doppler ultrasound technique. The temporal mean ascending aortic blood flow velocity (VAo) was measured with a 5‐MHz pulsed Doppler velocimeter and on line integration system. Ascending aortic cross‐sectional area (AAo) was determined using M‐mode echography. Ascending aortic blood flow was calculated as QAo = VAo X AAo and was corrected to body weight (BW) in kilograms or body surface area (BSA) in meters squared. Mean ascending aortic flow velocity (VAo) remained relatively constant over the first year, averaging 20.5 +/‐ 3.4 cm/sec (+/‐ SD). Changes in AAo over time correlated strongly with changes in BW or BSA (r = 0.99). Therefore, changes in QAo correlated strongly with changes in AAo, BW, and BSA (r = 0.99). LV cardiac output corrected for body weight or BSA remained relatively constant throughout the first year, mean values ranging from 180‐226 ml/min/kg or 3.06‐3.76 L/min/m2 and averaging 204 +/‐ 45 ml/min/kg or 3.48 +/‐ 0.74 L/min/m2. A similar strong correlation was seen between serial changes in LV stroke volume and changes in BW or BSA (r = 0.99).
Optimal Demand-Side Management and Power Generation Scheduling in an All-Electric Ship

The worldwide effort for the development of more efficient and environmentally friendly ships has led to the development of new concepts. Extensive electrification is a very promising technology for this purpose. Together with optimal power management can lead to a substantial improvement in ship efficiency ensuring, at the same time, compliance with the environmental constraints and enhancing ship sustainability. In this paper, a method for optimal demand-side management and power generation scheduling is proposed. Demand-side management is based on the adjustment of the power consumed by ship electric propulsion motors, and no energy storage facility is exploited. Dynamic programming algorithm subjected to ship operation and environmental and travel constraints is used to solve the problem for all-electric ships (AESs). Simulation results prove that the proposed method ensures cost minimization of ship power system operation, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions limitation, and compliance with all technical and operational constraints.
Epoxy / amine networks for coating 316 L stainless steel : Preparation , surface characterization , adhesive properties and water absorption

316L stainless steel (SS) is widely used in the metallic stents manufacturing and in general is considered to be a biocompatible material, but it is prone to corrosion in contact with biological environments. We examined possible surface coating by using inert polymeric with antithrombotic properties and low cytotoxicity. Thickness and roughness of the surface coating, adhesive properties and water absorption of three epoxy thermosetting polymers were studied. Diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA) epoxy monomer modified with reactive diluent and cured with 4,4’-diamino-3,3’dimethyldicyclohexylmethane (3DCM), isophorone diamine (IPD) and 4-methylpiperidina (4MPip)were evaluated. Only the DGEBA/4MPip system formed a coating on polished and silanizated metal plates and exhibits the better adhesive strength and low water adsorption. We conclude that the DGEBA/4MPip system exhibits greater ability to form coatings surface on 316L SS with better adhesive properties and lower water
Identifiable Parameters and Optimum Configurations for Robots Calibration

SUMMARY This paper presents a general method to identify the geometric parameters of robots. An algorithm is given to calculate the identifiable geometric parameters. The robot location and the tool location parameters are taken into account. The algorithm is generalized to tree structure robots. The problem of selecting the optimum robot configurations to be used during the identification is discussed and a solution is proposed.
Visual attention abnormalities in autism: Delayed orienting to location

Abstract These studies provide evidence for slowed spatial orienting of attention in autism. A group of well-defined adult autistic subjects and age-matched normal controls performed a traditional spatial cueing task in which attention-related response facilitation is indexed by speed of target detection. To address the concern that motor impairment may interfere with interpretation of response time measures in those with neurologic abnormality, we also used a new adaptation of the traditional task that depended on accuracy of response (target discrimination) rather than speed of response. This design allowed separation of time to process and respond to target information from the time to move and engage (orient) attention. Results from both tasks were strikingly similar. Normal subjects oriented attention very quickly, and showed maximal performance facilitation at a cued location within 100 ms. Autistic subjects oriented attention much more slowly and showed increasing benefits of a spatial cue with increasing cue-to-target delays. These results are consistent with previous reports that patients with autism, the majority of whom have developmental abnormalities of the cerebellum, as well as those with acquired damage to the cerebellum, are slow to shift attention between and within modalities. This paper also addresses the variability in behavioral findings in autism, and suggests that many of the apparently contradictory findings may actually reflect sampling differences in patterns of brain pathology. (JINS, 1996, 2, 541–550.)
Linear Neural Network Training Algorithms For Real-World Benchmark Problems

This paper describes the Adaptive Steepest Descent (ASD) and Optimal Fletcher-Reeves (OFR) algorithms for linear neural network training. The algorithms are applied to well-known pattern classification and function approximation problems, belonging to benchmark collection Proben1. The paper discusses the convergence behavior and performance of the ASD and OFR training algorithms by computer simulations and compares the results with those produced by linear-RPROP method.
Electrical properties of a commercial resin

The aim of this study is to present electrical properties of a commercial resin. We report our findings on its dielectric and electrical breakdown characteristics. Dielectric measurements are performed by using the frequencyand time-domain impedance techniques at room temperature. Impedance data is analyzed with the distribution of relaxation times approach, which point-out individual polarization processes in a material. In addition, curing procedure is monitored with the impedance spectroscopy technique.
A simulated annealing heuristic for the facility location problem

In this article, a facility location problem (FLP) is considered by the possibility of duplications for each machine type in the presence of alternative processing routes for each product. The objective of this study is to minimise the total distance that is travelled by the products. According to the NP-hardness of the problem, a simulated annealing (SA) is proposed to solve the FLP. Considering two kinds of mutation operator in generating neighbourhood solution makes the SA as an efficient approach to solve large size FLP problems.
DETERMINATION OF β-CAROTENE CONCENTRATION IN ORANGE AND APPLE JUICE AND IN VITAMIN SUPPLEMENTED DRINKS

abstract: Many natural antioxidants from fruit and vegetables are beneficial food components; they protect food from rancidity and have the potential of reducing oxidative damage in humans. In this study the values of β-carotene concentration in orange and apple juice and in vitamin supplemented drinks were obtained by HPLC analysis, using methods with saponification and without saponification of samples. The amount of β-carotene in orange juice samples ranged from 0.053 0.069 μg/ ml; in apple juice: 0.014-0.023 μg/ ml and in vitamin supplemented drinks: 0.13-0.19 μg/ ml. This method uses small volumes of solvent and mild saponification conditions, it is rapid and convenient to use.
Protein incorporation by isolated amphibian oocytes. II. A survey of inhibitors.

A variety of some of the more commonly used metabolic inhibitors and several substances previously found to influence protein incorporation by other types of cells were tested for their effects on protein incorporation by growing oocytes in vitro. With the exception of the uncouplers and the sulfhydryl reagent iodoacetate, the metabolic inhibitors at concentrations of 10 −3M or less had little influence on sequestering activity. Cycloheximide, at concentrations which essentially abolished all protein synthesis, reduced protein incorporation by only 40–50%. The most pronounced inhibition of protein uptake without apparent cytotoxic side effects was provided by vinblastine and sulfhydryl reagents (especially trivalent arsenicals). The sulfhydryl reagents appeared to exert their effect primarily on the oocyte rather than the proteins of the medium. The results are evaluated both in terms of their relevance to previous studies with other cell systems and their significance towards understanding the mechanisms involved in the incorporation of macromolecules by cells. Finally, a preliminary model of protein incorporation by the oocyte is presented for further testing.
Generalized intelligent Water Drops algorithm by fuzzy local search and intersection operators on partitioning graph for path planning problem

In this paper, a generalized intelligent water drops algorithm (IWD) for solving robot path planning problem is proposed. The authors want to reduce the time of reaching the optimal solution as much as possible. To do this, some new heuristic operators and a multi section graph model of environment is introduced. The authors divide graph to equal sections and compare behaviour of the solutions (paths) in each section with behaviour of them in other sections. This comparison uses a fuzzy inference system. Base on this comparison, a fuzzy number is assigned to each part of solutions. This fuzzy number determines the worth of a solution in a section. Less worth solutions need more improvement. New heuristic operators are used in the sections that need more improvement. The runtime of algorithms are increased by using a memory for keep proper solutions and a global smooth operator that smooth the solutions. The authors used proposed memory to apply heuristic operations on proper solutions more than other one. This method helps to obtain more improvement in lower runtime. The authors introduce two intersection operators for robot path planning problem that apply to solutions in memory. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithms find the optimal solutions in fewer runtime rather than other works.
Risk-adapted dental care prior to intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

BACKGROUND At the Clinic for Radiation Oncology at the Zurich University Hospital (UniversitätsSpital Zürich [USZ]), head-and-neck tumor (HNT) patients have been treated with intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) since 01/2002 (n 〉 800). This method causes less damage to normal tissues adjacent to the tumor, and thus it was possible in the head/neck region to markedly reduce the rate of osteoradionecrosis (ORN), in addition to reducing the rate of severe xerostomia. Based on these results, risk-adapted dental care (RaDC) was adopted by our clinic as the standard mode of pre-IMRT dental treatment. The guidelines as formulated by Grötz et al. were respected. ORN prophylaxis is one of the most important goals of pre-radiotherapy dental care, and the ORN rate is a measurable parameter for the efficacy of dental care, given a certain radiation technique. The aim of the present study was therefore to evaluate the efficacy of RaDC as reflected by the ORN rate of our IMRT patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS IN August 2006, RaDC was clinically implemented and has been used for all HNT patients prior to IMRT since then. Before that (01/2002-07/2006), dental restorations were performed according to the usual procedure. RESULTS The rate of grade-2 ORN was similar in the conventionally treated and RaDC groups (2% and 1%, resp.); grade-3 ORN had not occurred by the time the analysis was conducted. As expected, fewer extractions were performed in the RaDC cohort (no extractions in 47% of the RaDC/IMRT cohort vs. 27% in the IMRT cohort receiving conventional dental care). CONCLUSION After considerably less invasive dental treatment, no higher-grade ORN occurred and no ORN-related jaw resections were required. Based on the present data, risk-adapted minimally invasive dental care is recommended before IMRT.
Qualitative sketch optimization

Abstract The “sketch” drawn by a human designer represents a shape class of wider variability than can be captured by traditional CAD models; these typically work with parametrizations based on a nearly finished shape. Traditional Qualitative Reasoning is also unable to model this degree of ambiguity in shape. Cognitively, shapes are often represented in terms of an axial model. In defining 2D contours, such an axial representation is called the Medial Axis Transform or MAT. By perturbing the parameters of the MAT—length, link angle, and the node radius—one can define a shape class. Unlike the contour-to-MAT transform, which is well-known to be unstable, the MAT-to-contour process is an integrative process and is very stable. The variation in these parameters can be controlled by defining a suitable discretization over the parameter space. This leads to a broad class of similar shapes from which an optimized shape can be obtained for a given set of criteria. The optimizing criteria may involve the boundary description for each shape; the axial model is only used for generating the shape class. This Qualitative MAT model has been tested in several design optimization contexts, using Genetic Algorithms, and we show results for Automobile contours, IC engine parts, building profiles, etc.
Learning objects, learning objectives and learning design

Educational research and development into e‐learning mainly focuses on the inclusion of new technological features without taking into account psycho‐pedagogical concerns that are likely to improve a learner’s cognitive process in this new educational category. This paper presents an instructional model that combines objectivist and constructivist learning theories. The model is based on the concept of a learning objective which is composed of a set of learning objects. A software tool, called the Instruction Aid System (IAS), has been developed to guide instructors through the development of learning objectives and the execution of the analysis and design phases of the proposed instructional model. Additionally, a blended approach to the learning process in Web‐based distance education is also presented. This approach combines various event‐based activities: self‐paced learning, live e‐learning and the use of face‐to‐face contact in classrooms.
Impact mechanism study of customer psychological contract on brand loyalty

Research on psychological contract theory has developed originally from organizational behavior, human resources management to the new research area of marketing and other related field. Based on the relative maturity of the two former areas, applied research of psychological contract in marketing especially in the brand relations has become a new direction for psychological contract study and at the same time provide a new perspective for the research of brand relationship. In this paper, through practical research on the content of customer psychological contract in brand relationship and its impact mechanism on brand loyalty, the structural equation modeling (SEM) was constructed to verify the impact mechanism of psychological contract on the brand loyalty. Empirical results validate the reliability and validity of measure scale, and the impact mechanism hypothesis of customer psychological contract on brand loyalty has been supported by empirical data.
Comparative myocardial uptake and clearance characteristics of potassium and cesium.

Myocardial scanning is potentially an important clinical tool for localization and quantitation of dam aged cardiac tissue. Early attempts at scanning with potassium analogs, while encouraging, did not prove satisfactory because of the unsuitable gamma ener gies of available radionuclides (7,2). Recently, two new radionuclides have become accessible: 43K and 129Cs(3,4). Both have relatively short half-lives and dominant gamma emissions in the 131I range. Be cause these two nuclides can be produced by the newly installed UCLA BiomÃ©dicalCyclotron, lab oratory investigations in dogs were undertaken to compare the uptake and clearance characteristics of potassium and cesium after intravenous and coronary arterial injection. Observations were made with the prospect of using one or both of these agents for quantitative measurements of regional myocardial blood flow and function.
Optimization of electrical distribution feeders using simulated annealing

The planning of electrical power distribution systems strongly influences the supply of electrical power to consumers. The problem is to minimize both the investment cost for feeder and substations, and the power-loss cost. When the substations can already provide enough power flow, then the problem reduces to minimize the total cost related to the feeders and their power-loss. The difficulty of dealing with this problem increases rapidly with its size (i.e., the number of customers). It seems appropriate to use heuristic methods to obtain suboptimal solutions, since exact methods are too much time consuming. In this paper, a simulated annealing algorithm is used. A set of numerical results are provided.
On the estimation of the domain of attraction for discrete-time switched and hybrid nonlinear systems

This paper addresses the estimation of the domain of attraction for discrete-time nonlinear systems where the vector field is subject to changes. First, the paper considers the case of switched systems, where the vector field is allowed to arbitrarily switch among the elements of a finite family. Second, the paper considers the case of hybrid systems, where the state space is partitioned into several regions described by polynomial inequalities, and the vector field is defined on each region independently from the other ones. In both cases, the problem consists of computing the largest sublevel set of a Lyapunov function included in the domain of attraction. An approach is proposed for solving this problem based on convex programming, which provides a guaranteed inner estimate of the sought sublevel set. The conservatism of the provided estimate can be decreased by increasing the size of the optimisation problem. Some numerical examples illustrate the proposed approach.
Implications of drug treatment for the social rehabilitation of schizophrenic patients.

The psychopathology of schizophrenia, characterized by dramatic manifestations such as hallucinations, delusions, and bizarre posturing, has tended to blind us to the more prevalent and disabling psychosocial aspects of this chronic disorder. Traditional treatment, which has focused primarily on symptom modification and removal of the patient from the community, has failed to affect the patient's impaired social and vocational functioning. Schizophrenic patients released from hospitals have generally not been successful in maintaining themselves in the community. Rehospitalization rates have indicated that between 40 and 60 percent of schizophrenic patients discharged from hospitals will be rehospitalized within 2 years (Mosher et al. 1971) and 65 to 75 percent by the end of 5 years (Anthony et al. 1972). The disruption caused by hospitalization (Fontana and Dowds 1975) may account for the fact that only between 15 and 40 percent of schizophrenic patients living in the community are able to support themselves (Anthony et al. 1972 and Mosher et al. 1971). The direct as well as indirect costs to our society for the care of the 2 to 3 million Americans carrying a diagnosis of schizophrenia have been estimated by Gunderson and Mosher (1975) " . at $11.6 to $19.5 billion annually. About two-thirds of this cost is due to lack of productivity by schizophrenic patients and about one-fifth to treatment costs" (p. 901).
Herpes Simplex Virus Internalization into Epithelial Cells Requires Na+/H+ Exchangers and p21-Activated Kinases but neither Clathrin- nor Caveolin-Mediated Endocytosis

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) is an alphaherpesvirus that has been reported to infect some epithelial cell types by fusion at the plasma membrane but others by endocytosis. To determine the molecular mechanisms of productive HSV-1 cell entry, we perturbed key endocytosis host factors using specific inhibitors, RNA interference (RNAi), or overexpression of dominant negative proteins and investigated their effects on HSV-1 infection in the permissive epithelial cell lines Vero, HeLa, HEp-2, and PtK2. HSV-1 internalization required neither endosomal acidification nor clathrin- or caveolin-mediated endocytosis. In contrast, HSV-1 gene expression and internalization were significantly reduced after treatment with 5-(N-ethyl-N-isopropyl)amiloride (EIPA). EIPA blocks the activity of Na+/H+ exchangers, which are plasma membrane proteins implicated in all forms of macropinocytosis. HSV-1 internalization furthermore required the function of p21-activated kinases that contribute to macropinosome formation. However, in contrast to some forms of macropinocytosis, HSV-1 did not enlist the activities of protein kinase C (PKC), tyrosine kinases, C-terminal binding protein 1, or dynamin to activate its internalization. These data suggest that HSV-1 depends on Na+/H+ exchangers and p21-activated kinases either for macropinocytosis or for local actin rearrangements required for fusion at the plasma membrane or subsequent passage through the actin cortex underneath the plasma membrane. IMPORTANCE After initial replication in epithelial cells, herpes simplex viruses (HSVs) establish latent infections in neurons innervating these regions. Upon primary infection and reactivation from latency, HSVs cause many human skin and neurological diseases, particularly in immunocompromised hosts, despite the availability of effective antiviral drugs. Many viruses use macropinocytosis for virus internalization, and many host factors mediating this entry route have been identified, although the specific perturbation profiles vary for different host and viral cargo. In addition to an established entry pathway via acidic endosomes, we show here that HSV-1 internalization depended on sodium-proton exchangers at the plasma membrane and p21-activated kinases. These results suggest that HSV-1 requires a reorganization of the cortical actin cytoskeleton, either for productive cell entry via pH-independent fusion from macropinosomes or for fusion at the plasma membrane, and subsequent cytosolic passage to microtubules that mediate capsid transport to the nucleus for genome uncoating and replication.
Simple Altitude Estimator using Air-Data and GPS Measurements

For obtaining the height information, a vertically damped inertial navigation system (INS) using the height reference of barometer measurements is conventionally instrumented. Since it requires delicate construction of INS system, in many cases, it has been costly. In this paper, a novel altitude estimation system is proposed by effectively combining the information of the GPS height and air data measurements such as ambient air pressure and temperature. Based on the fact that the barometer errors mainly consist of bias and scale factor errors, a filter to estimate the bias and scale factor using the GPS height is derived by means of multiple hypothesis Gaussian approximation filter technique. The estimated bias and scale factor is used to compensate the baro-altitude. Simulation results show that this method can construct a good altitude measurement system with relatively low cost.