Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ENGINEERING A POINT-OF-CARE VIRAL CONCENTRATION DEVICE FOR RAPID MOLECULAR DIAGNOSTICS OF INFLUENZA IN HUMAN RESPIRATORY SPECIMENS

We have developed a portable, simple to fabricate, and highly effective polymeric microfluidic sample concentration device to increase the speed and sensitivity of molecular diagnostics of influenza from patient respiratory samples. This method is more friendly than off-chip methods to in-line on chip processing since it obviates the need for a centrifuge. The disposable chip fabricated with xurography utilizes evaporation and interfacial dragging effects. Up to 18 times concentration for viral RNA from influenza A virions was achieved by evaporating 1 mL to 50 µL in 0.5 hour or less with an average recovery of 60.3% (+/-20.5%) from patient specimens.
Towards a Method for Assessing Summaries in Spanish using LSA

One of the most important goals in Intelligent Tutoring is to create applications that can evaluate the quality of a text in a human-like manner. The aim of this study is to compare three methods of using Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) to evaluate the quality of summaries written by students in Spanish. The sample is made up by 226 summaries written by Chilean students based on both expository and narrative texts. Each summary was first assessed by human judges in order to compare the results with the scoring provided by three different LSA methods: a) comparing the summaries with the original text divided in paragraphs, b) comparing the summaries with the text as one unit, and c) comparing the summaries with other summaries written by four human experts. Results show that comparison between each student’s summary and the text as a one unit constitutes the method which most closely resembles human evaluation.
Strength and balance training for adults with peripheral neuropathy and high risk of fall: current evidence and implications for future research.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES To evaluate the evidence for strength- and balance-training programs in patients at high risk for falls, discuss how results of existing studies might guide clinical practice, and discuss directions for additional research. DATA SOURCES A search of PubMed and CINAHL® databases was conducted in June 2011 using the terms strength, balance training, falls, elderly, and neuropathy. Only clinical trials conducted using specific strength- or balance-training exercises that included community-dwelling adults and examined falls, fall risk, balance, and/or strength as outcome measures were included in this review. DATA SYNTHESIS One matched case-control study and two randomized, controlled studies evaluating strength and balance training in patients with diabetes-related peripheral neuropathy were identified. Eleven studies evaluating strength and balance programs in community-dwelling adults at high risk for falls were identified. CONCLUSIONS The findings from the reviewed studies provide substantial evidence to support the use of strength and balance training for older adults at risk for falls, and detail early evidence to support strength and balance training for individuals with peripheral neuropathy. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING The evidence demonstrates that strength and balance training is safe and effective at reducing falls and improving lower extremity strength and balance in adults aged 50 years and older at high risk for falls, including patients with diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Future studies should evaluate the effects of strength and balance training in patients with cancer, particularly individuals with chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.
Measurement of whole blood thrombus formation using parallel-plate flow chambers – a practical guide

Custom-made and commercial parallel-plate flow chambers are widely used for studies of platelet activation and thrombus formation in whole blood at defined shear rates. When used in a reproducible way, such flow chamber devices give valuable information on the thrombogenic potential of human, mouse, or rat blood. This article aims to provide a practical guide for the use of parallel-plate flow chambers in combination with routine microscopic imaging techniques. The following methodological aspects are addressed: preparation of surface coatings, calculation of blood flow and shear rate, control of pre-analytical variables, protocols for routine performing of flow chamber tests with non-coagulating or coagulating blood, and procedures for real-time and end-point analysis of thrombus formation. Frequently encountered experimental problems and artifacts are discussed, as well as possibilities for using flow chamber devices as a diagnostic tool to test antithrombotic medication.
Proximal embolic protection and biomarkers of reperfusion in ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction

Joost Haeck richtte zich onder meer op de effectiviteit van een nieuwe katheter als aanvullende therapie voor patienten die na een acuut hartinfarct een dotter-behandeling krijgen. Deze katheter is een Proxissysteem: een combinatie van proximal embolic protection en thrombus-aspiratie-katheter. Hij vond geen significante verschillen tussen patienten die wel en niet met Proxis waren behandeld. Daarnaast beschreef hij merkers die het herstel van de bloedstroom in hartinfarctpatienten meten.
Comparison of methods for edge detection with sub-pixel accuracy in 2D images

Edge detection is often used procedure in digital image processing. For some practical applications is desirable to detect edges with sub-pixel accuracy. In this paper we present comparison of two methods for edge detection with sub-pixel accuracy in 2D images: method based on a B-spline model and moment-based edge operator. The paper presents results of simulations as well as of experiments to compare methods, the L-2 distance is chosen as comparative criterion.
Design of phylum‐specific hybrid primers for DNA barcoding: addressing the need for efficient COI amplification in the Echinodermata

Recent research has shown the usefulness of the Folmer region of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) as a genetic barcode to assist in species delimitation of echinoderms. However, amplification of COI is often challenging in echinoderms (low success or pseudogenes). We present a method that allows the design of phylum‐specific hybrid primers, and use this to develop COI primers for the Echinodermata. We aligned COI sequences from 310 echinoderm species and designed all possible primers along the consensus sequence with two methods (standard degenerate and hybrid). We found much lower degeneracy for hybrid primers (4‐fold degeneracy) than for standard degenerate primers (≥48‐fold degeneracy). We then designed the most conserved hybrid primers to amplify a >500‐bp region within COI. These primers successfully amplified this gene region in all tested taxa (123 species across all echinoderm classes). Sequencing of 30 species among these confirmed both the quality of the sequences (>500 bp, no pseudogenes) and their utility as a DNA barcode. This method should be useful for developing primers for other mitochondrial genes and other phyla. The method will also be of interest for the development of future projects involving both community‐based genetic assessments on macroorganisms and biodiversity assessment of environmental samples using high‐throughput sequencing.
Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Farmers’ Participation in Community- Based Programme in Abia and Cross River States of Nigeria

Socio-economic factors influencing farmers’ participation in IFAD/FGN/NDDC/Community -Based Natural Resource Management Programme in Abia and Cross River States, Nigeria were analyzed in 2012. Purposive and multistage random sampling techniques were used in the selection of Local Government Areas, participating communities, farmer groups, participating and non-participating farmers. The sample size was 240 (120 for Abia IFAD and 120 Cross River IFAD farmers). Data were collected with a structured questionnaire and analyzed with descriptive statistics and Probit regression model. The result indicated that IFAD participating farmers in both states were actively involved in crop, livestock, fisheries and apiary technologies of the programme. The Probit estimates of the determinants of participation of farmers in the programme showed that the coefficients of age and farming experience were positive and significantly correlated in both states. The coefficient of gender was also positive signed and significant, as well as farm size which was negative and significant in Abia State, while occupational status and membership of cooperative societies were also positively signed in Cross River State. The coefficient for gender was negative and significant in Cross River State. Negative Perception of farmers on past programmes, bad road network, late arrival of farm inputs and non- payment of counterpart funds by State and LGA’s were identified as major problems affecting farmers’ participation on the programme. It is therefore recommended that policies aimed at reviewing the Land Use Act of 1990 to eliminate the difficulties associated with land acquisition for agricultural purposes, access to adult education and timely supplies of farm inputs since farming is time bound and prompt payment of counterpart funds by state and local government were advocated. Keywords: Socio-economic, Influence, Farmers’ Participation
A satisfiability algorithm for AC0

We consider the problem of efficiently enumerating the satisfying assignments to AC0 circuits. We give a zero-error randomized algorithm which takes an AC0 circuit as input and constructs a set of restrictions which partitions {0, 1}n so that under each restriction the value of the circuit is constant. Let d denote the depth of the circuit and cn denote the number of gates. This algorithm runs in time |C|2n(1-μc,d) where |C| is the size of the circuit for μc,d>1/O[lg c + g lg d]d&minus1 with probability at least 1−2−n. As a result, we get improved exponential time algorithms for AC0 circuit satisfiability and for counting solutions. In addition, we get an improved bound on the correlation of AC0 circuits with parity. As an important component of our analysis, we extend the Hastad Switching Lemma to handle multiple k-cnfs and k-dnfs.
Positive Associations Among Interpersonal Contact, Motivation, and Implicit and Explicit Attitudes Toward Gay Men

Abstract A correlational study explored the role of intergroup contact and motivation to respond without prejudice on heterosexuals'expression of explicit and implicit (unconscious) bias against gay men. Participants who reported having more relationships and closer relationships with gay, lesbian, or bisexual people tended to exhibit more favorable attitudes toward gay men on implicit as well as explicit attitude measures. Attitudes were also related to self-reported motivation to be non-prejudiced, including motivation stemming from sources internal as well as external to the individual. Multiple regression analyses showed that contact and motivation explain unique variance in attitude but that motivation is a relatively stronger predictor. The results are interpreted to suggest that implicit and explicit prejudice may be reduced through motivation coupled with positive contact experiences.
Monomethylated trivalent arsenic species disrupt steroid receptor interactions with their DNA response elements at non‐cytotoxic cellular concentrations

Arsenic (As) is considered a top environmental chemical of human health because it has been linked to adverse health effects including cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and reproductive and developmental problems. In several cell culture and animal models, As acts as an endocrine disruptor, which may underlie many of its health effects. Previous work showed that steroid receptor (SR)‐driven gene expression is disrupted in cells treated with inorganic As (arsenite, iAs+3). In those studies, low iAs+3 concentrations (0.1–0.7 μM) stimulated hormone‐inducible transcription, whereas somewhat higher but still non‐cytotoxic levels (1–3 μM) inhibited transcription. This investigation focuses on the mechanisms underlying these inhibitory effects and evaluates the role of methylated trivalent As metabolites on SR function. Recent evidence suggests that, compared with iAs, methylated forms may have distinct biochemical effects. Here, fluorescence polarization (FP) experiments utilizing purified, hormone‐bound human glucocorticoid (GR) and progesterone receptor (PR) have demonstrated that neither inorganic (iAs+3) nor dimethylated (DMA+3) species of trivalent As affect receptor interactions with glucocorticoid DNA response elements (GREs). However, monomethylated forms (monomethylarsenite, MMA+3 and monomethylarsonic diglutathione, MADG) strongly inhibit GR‐GRE and PR‐GRE binding. Additionally, speciation studies of iAs+3‐treated H4IIE rat hepatoma cells show that, under treatment conditions that cause inhibition of hormone‐inducible gene transcription, the intracellular concentration of MADG is sufficient to inhibit GR‐GRE and PR‐GRE interactions in vivo. These results indicate that arsenic's inhibitory endocrine disruption effects are probably caused in part by methylated metabolites' disruption of SR ability to bind DNA response elements that are crucial to hormone‐driven gene transcription. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Concussion in Professional Football: Brain Responses by Finite Element Analysis: Part 9

OBJECTIVE:Brain responses from concussive impacts in National Football League football games were simulated by finite element analysis using a detailed anatomic model of the brain and head accelerations from laboratory reconstructions of game impacts. This study compares brain responses with physician determined signs and symptoms of concussion to investigate tissue-level injury mechanisms. METHODS:The Wayne State University Head Injury Model (Version 2001) was used because it has fine anatomic detail of the cranium and brain with more than 300,000 elements. It has 15 different material properties for brain and surrounding tissues. The model includes viscoelastic gray and white brain matter, membranes, ventricles, cranium and facial bones, soft tissues, and slip interface conditions between the brain and dura. The cranium of the finite element model was loaded by translational and rotational accelerations measured in Hybrid III dummies from 28 laboratory reconstructions of NFL impacts involving 22 concussions. Brain responses were determined using a nonlinear, finite element code to simulate the large deformation response of white and gray matter. Strain responses occurring early (during impact) and mid-late (after impact) were compared with the signs and symptoms of concussion. RESULTS:Strain concentration “hot spots” migrate through the brain with time. In 9 of 22 concussions, the early strain “hot spots” occur in the temporal lobe adjacent to the impact and migrate to the far temporal lobe after head acceleration. In all cases, the largest strains occur later in the fornix, midbrain, and corpus callosum. They significantly correlated with removal from play, cognitive and memory problems, and loss of consciousness. Dizziness correlated with early strain in the orbital-frontal cortex and temporal lobe. The strain migration helps explain coup-contrecoup injuries. CONCLUSION:Finite element modeling showed the largest brain deformations occurred after the primary head acceleration. Midbrain strain correlated with memory and cognitive problems and removal from play after concussion. Concussion injuries happen during the rapid displacement and rotation of the cranium, after peak head acceleration and momentum transfer in helmet impacts.
Sufficient and necessary conditions for discrete-time nonlinear switched systems with uniform local exponential stability

ABSTRACT In this paper, we investigate sufficient and necessary conditions of uniform local exponential stability (ULES) for the discrete-time nonlinear switched system (DTNSS). We start with the definition of T-step common Lyapunov functions (CLFs), which is a relaxation of traditional CLFs. Then, for a time-varying DTNSS, by constructing such a T-step CLF, a necessary and sufficient condition for its ULES is provided. Afterwards, we strengthen it based on a T-step Lipschitz continuous CLF. Especially, when the system is time-invariant, by the smooth approximation theorem, the Lipschitz continuity condition of T-step CLFs can further be replaced by continuous differentiability; and when the system is time-invariant and homogeneous, due to the extension of Weierstrass approximation theorem, T-step continuously differentiable CLFs can even be strengthened to be T-step polynomial CLFs. Furthermore, three illustrative examples are additionally used to explain our main contribution. In the end, an equivalence between time-varying DTNSSs and their corresponding linearisations is discussed.
Can “ Illiquidity ” Explain the Equity Premium Puzzle ? The Value of Endogenous Market Trading

Yes. I aim to establish empirically that the “equity premium” puzzle, with its 6% excess return per annum over Treasury bills for the last 100 years on the NYSE, can be explained once the value of endogenous stock market trading is incorporated into investor preferences. Within my framework, investors enjoy trading. According to my model, the “investor surplus” from trading liquid Treasury bills relative to illiquid equity is exactly compensated for by the expected equity premium. Observed transaction cost and liquidity differentials between equity and bills are consistent with the premium. Extensive tests are carried out on Australian and US NYSE data for 1955-98. The puzzle concerning the volatility of the stochastic discount factor also appears to be explained by trading behavior, which is of comparable volatility. Reasonably accurate estimates of transactions costs are extracted just from daily dividend yields and turnover. Transaction costs would need to be 400% higher to explain the premium by the “amortized spread”, together with exogenous trading and habit formation. An ability to create unlimited wealth, implicit in some existing models, no longer applies. Additionally, the model explains the further 15-20% pa discount on illiquid “letter” stock.
The High Precise Optimization Algorithm and rational construct study of multi-layered feed-forward neural network

In this paper, a High Precise Optimization Algorithm for manipulating multi-layered feed-forward neural network is studied. Its basic principle is: defining neural network average error as objective function, weights and thresholds as design variables, through design variables rationally sorted, objective function is dynamically formed. Compared the new method with BP, the optimum step-length can be not only acquired per time computing and objective function is gradually decreased, but also oscillation phenomenon can be overcome by the new algorithm. A high precision computing program of multi-layered feed-forward neural network is programmed. Rational construct of multi-layered feed-forward neural network is analyzed by optimization. Through computing neural network of typical engineering question, its validity and application prospect is showed.
Indoor Human Detection Based on Thermal Array Sensor Data and Adaptive Background Estimation

Low Resolution Thermal Array Sensors are widely used in several applications in indoor environments. In particular, one of these cheap, small and unobtrusive sensors provides a low-resolution thermal image of the environment and, unlike cameras; it is capable to detect human heat emission even in dark rooms. The obtained thermal data can be used to monitor older seniors while they are performing daily activities at home, to detect critical situations such as falls. Most of the studies in activity recognition using Thermal Array Sensors require human detection techniques to recognize humans passing in the sensor field of view. This paper aims to improve the accuracy of the algorithms used so far by considering the temperature environment variation. This method leverages an adaptive background estimation and a noise removal technique based on Kalman Filter. In order to properly validate the system, a novel installation of a single sensor has been implemented in a smart environment: the obtained results show an improvement in human detection accuracy with respect to the state of the art, especially in case of disturbed environments.
Arterial occlusion revealed by CT angiography predicts NIH stroke score and acute outcomes after IV tPA treatment.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The relationship between location of occlusion and clinical outcome is poorly understood in patients receiving intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (IV tPA). We postulated that acute stroke patients receiving IV tPA with patent vasculature or occult arterial occlusion by CT angiography (CTA) would have better outcomes and decreased hemorrhagic risk. METHODS We identified 47 patients from our prospective stroke database who underwent CTA before treatment with IV tPA. Site of occlusion was categorized as M1 segment of the middle cerebral artery, M2 segment, multiple (either carotid, basilar, or both middle and anterior cerebral arteries), or absent (no occlusion proximal to M3). The effect of site of occlusion on National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), early improvement (> or = 4-point improvement in NIHSS at 24 hours after treatment), intracranial hemorrhages, and modified Rankin scale (mRS) at 7 days was tested in a multivariate analysis. RESULTS The location of occlusion correlated with initial NIHSS for multiple, M1, M2 and absent occlusions (median NIHSS scores were 18, 18, 15, 10, respectively) (P < .02, rank sum). Following adjustment for initial NIHSS, age, and time to treatment, the absence of occlusion remained associated with early improvement (OR 5.0, 95% CI 1.1-23.3; P = .04) and independence at day 7 (mRS < or = 2) (OR 6.8, 95% CI 1.3-34.6; P = .02). Overall prevalence of symptomatic hemorrhages was 6.4%. Patients without occlusion had no hemorrhages (0% versus 23.3%; P < .04). CONCLUSION Among patients treated with tPA, those with patent vasculature or occult distal occlusion on CTA before treatment have lower NIHSS, better chances of early improvement and early independence with fewer hemorrhages.
Gene-Environment Interaction and Affected Sib Pair Linkage Analysis

Objectives: Gene-environment (G×E) interaction influences risk for many complex disease traits. However, genome screens using affected sib pair linkage techniques are typically conducted without regard for G×E interaction. We propose a simple extension of the commonly used mean test and evaluate its power for several forms of G×E interaction. Methods: We compute expected IBD sharing by sibling exposure profile, that is by whether two sibs are exposed (EE), unexposed (UU), or are discordant for exposure (EU). We describe a simple extension of the mean test, the ‘mean-interaction’ test that utilizes heterogeneity in IBD sharing across EE, EU, and UU sib pairs in a test for linkage. Results: The mean-interaction test provides greater power than the mean test for detecting linkage in the presence of moderate or strong G×E interaction, typically when the interaction relative risk (Rge) exceeds 3 or is less than 1/3. In the presence of strong interaction (Rge = 10), the required number of affected sib pairs to achieve 80% power for detecting linkage is approximately 30% higher when the environmental factor is ignored in the mean test, than when it is utilized in the mean-interaction test. Conclusion: Linkage methods that incorporate environmental data and allow for interaction can lead to increased power for localizing a disease gene involved in a G×E interaction.