Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is the FRC/TLC ratio a valid measure in children with obstructive lung disease?

Background/Aims: Hyperinflation can be present with obstructive lung disease. This can be determined physiologically and the RV/TLC% is often used for this. However, a raised FRC defines the presence of hyperinflated lungs. We aimed to determine whether the FRC/TLC%, in addition to the RV/TLC%, was elevated in children with obstructive lung disease and whether this was greater in those with greater severity of lung disease. Methods: We reviewed lung function data (n = 1044). Children were graded into no, mild, moderate and severe obstruction. Normal was defined as an FEV1/FVC% Results: 3% of children in the normal/mild obstructive group demonstrated abnormal FRC/TLC% versus 38% in the moderate/severe group. 32% of children in the normal/mild obstructive group demonstrated abnormal RV/TLC% versus 92% in the moderate/severe group. Conclusions: The FRC/TLC% is elevated in children with obstructive lung disease, with the instance of elevation increasing with increasing severity of obstruction. RV/TLC% is also increased, but to a greater extent, in children with obstructive lung disease and follows the same pattern with increasing severity of lung disease.
Peak Occurrence of Retinal Detachment following Cataract Surgery: A Systematic Review and Pooled Analysis with Internal Validation

Introduction Timing of retinal detachment (RD) following cataract surgery is of importance for both diagnostic and prognostic factors. However, results on RD onset-time following cataract surgery have been conflicting. Method A systematic pooled analysis of the literature regarding timing of retinal detachment following cataract surgery. Outcomes were verified against an independent dataset. Results Twenty-one studies, reporting on rates of RD in 3,352,094 eyes of 2,458,561 patients, met our inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. The mean pooled time to RD following surgery was 23.12 months (95% CI: 17.79–28.45 months) with high heterogeneity between studies (I 2=100%, P < 0.00001). Meta-analytic pooling for the risk of retinal detachment revealed a risk of 1.167% (95% CI: 0.900 to 1.468, I 2=99.50%, P < 0.0001). A retrospective chart review identified 54 pseudophakic RD cases (mean age 65.5, 59.3% males). The 95% confidence interval for the mean time to RD was 3.1–6.75 years. Conclusions The interval between cataract surgery and RD in a pooled analysis revealed a mean time of approximately 1.5–2.3 years. However, there was high variability between studies. Validation based on our local results showed similar yet slightly longer time frames. Timing of pseudophakic retinal detachment might direct appropriate follow-up, assisting in earlier detection.
Putative Systemic Biomarkers of Biomass Smoke-Induced Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease among Women in a Rural South Indian Population

Rationale Exposure to biomass smoke (BMS) has been implicated in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). About 3 billion people worldwide use biomass fuel for cooking and heating. Women in rural communities of low- and lower-middle-income countries are disproportionately exposed to massive amounts of BMS during active cooking hours (4–6 h/day). Therefore, BMS exposure is considered as a risk factor for COPD in the same order of magnitude as tobacco smoke. In rural India, due to cultural reasons, women are the primary cook of the family and are mostly nonsmokers. Thus, BMS-induced COPD is predominant among rural Indian women. However, BMS-COPD remains a relatively unexplored health problem globally. Therefore, we investigated the serum chemokine and cytokine signatures of BMS-COPD and tobacco smoke-induced COPD (TS-COPD) patients compared to their control in a rural South Indian population for this field study. Methods Concentrations of 40 serum chemokines and cytokines were measured using a multiplexed immunoassay. The study cohort consisted of BMS-COPD (female; n = 29) and BMS-exposed subjects without COPD (BMS-CONTROL; female; n = 24). For comparison, data from TS-COPD patients (male, n = 23) and tobacco smokers without COPD (TS-CONTROL; male, n = 22) were investigated. Subjects were matched for age, sex, and biomass exposure. Tobacco consumption was slightly higher in TS-COPD subjects compared to TS-CONTROL. BMS-exposed and TS-exposed subjects (currently exposed) were from the same locality with similar dwelling habits and socioeconomic status. A validated structured questionnaire-based survey and spirometry was performed. An additional control group with no tobacco and BMS exposure (TS-BMS-CONTROL; n = 15) was included. Statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.01. Results Serum median concentrations (pg/ml) of CCL15 [8799.35; 5977.22], CCL27 [1409.14; 1024.99], and CXCL13 [37.14; 26.03] were significantly higher in BMS-CONTROL compared to BMS-COPD subjects. Nine analytes exhibited higher concentrations in TS-CONTROL compared to TS-COPD subjects. Comparison of chemokine and cytokine concentrations among BMS-COPD versus TS-COPD and BMS-CONTROL versus TS-CONTROL subjects also revealed distinct molecular signatures. Conclusion Our data identifies CCL27 and CXCL13 as putative, plausibly homeostatic/protective biomarkers for BMS-COPD within the investigated population that warrants validation in larger and multiple cohorts. The findings further indicate exposure-specific systemic response of chemokines and cytokines.
Scientific Opinion on Flavouring Group Evaluation 220 Revision 3 (FGE.220Rev3): Consideration of genotoxic potential for α,β-unsaturated 3(2H)-Furanones from subgroup 4.4 of FGE.19

mating, fertility and gonadal function in male rats with two separate mating trials. 4-Hydroxy-2,5-dimethylfuran-3(2H)-one was administered by gavage once daily to three groups of 25 male Crl:CD(SD) rats. Dosage levels were 100, 500 and 1000 mg/kg bw/day. A concurrent control group of 25 males received the vehicle (propylene glycol) on a comparable regimen. The first mating (Phase I), following 2 weeks of male administration, using untreated females, was conducted to detect potential elicitation of early genotoxic effects on the embryo with reduced risk of test-article related deficiencies in mating or fertility. The second mating (Phase II), following 9 weeks of male dose administration, was conducted following male exposure throughout a complete spermatogenic cycle using a second set of untreated females. total
Play of a Fiddle: Traditional Music, Dance, and Folklore in West Virginia

Shedding new light on a region that maintains ties to the cultural identities of its earliest European and African inhabitants, Gerald Milnes shows how folk music in West Virginia borrowed rhythmic, melodic, and vocal forms from the Celtic, Anglo, Germanic, and African traditions. These elements have come together to create a body of music tied more to place and circumstance than to ethnicity. Milnes explores the legacies of the state's best-known performers and musical families. He discusses religious music, balladeering, the influence of black musicians and styles, dancing, banjo and dulcimer traditions, and the importance of old-time music as a cultural pillar of West Virginia life.
Computer assisted decision making

Summary It is frequently argued that computerized decision support lends itself more easily to structured than to semi- or unstructured decisions. This paper discusses decision tasks of human service practitioners and surveys emerging research in decision theory and associated decision applications. It provides examples of an Information System, a Decision Support, and an Expert System, and examines under what conditions they can facilitate decision making in human services. A number of future issues and concerns are addressed, including ethical and legal questions, and computer literacy in human services education and practice.
THE ROLE OF PHYSIOTHERAPY IN THE TREATMENT OF SUBACROMIAL IMPINGEMENT SYNDROME – A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

The purpose of this study was to assess the value of physiotherapy in the treatment of patients with subacromial impingement syndrome Patients with subacromial impingement syndrome were identified. Those who had not previously had any physiotherapy and had failed to respond to non-surgical management were selected and placed on the waiting list for subacromial decompression. Patients were randomised into two groups. One group was referred for physiotherapy while waiting for surgery. The control group had no intervention prior to surgery. The patients in the physiotherapy arm underwent assessment and treatment by a single physiotherapist. All patients were evaluated independently at three and six months. The Constant Score was used to assess all patients initially and at each visit. For the physiotherapy group, all patients (n=42) increased their Constant score. Eleven of the 42 patients improved to an extent that surgery was no longer required (26%). In patients not requiring surgery, the mean improvement in Constant score was 25 (12–45). In patients requiring surgery (n=31), the mean improvement was 21 (3–34). Patients not requiring surgery had a higher initial Constant score, 65 (30–84) than those requiring surgery 48 (17–59). Patients not requiring surgery also tended to be younger 52 (27–68) than those requiring surgery 59 (48–68). For the control group, all patients (n=23) went on to have surgery. The mean improvement in Constant score was two (−16 to 12) All patients with subacromial impingement syndrome improved with physiotherapy when compared to a control group that did not receive physiotherapy. Some patients in the physiotherapy group improved to the extent that surgery was no longer required (26%)
Comparison of generalization in multi-layer perceptrons with the log-likelihood and least-squares cost functions

The log likelihood cost function is discussed as an alternative to the least-squares criterion for training feedforward neural networks. An analysis is presented which suggests how the use of this function can improve convergence and generalization. Tests on simulated data using both training algorithms provide evidence of improved generalization with the log likelihood cost function. <<ETX>>
Insect Event Extraction in LIDAR Images using Image Analysis and Convolutional Neural Networks

Insect monitoring has earlier been a manual, tedious and time consuming task that is impossible to do in real time. Thus there exists a need for a real time automatic insect monitoring system for counting and classifying insect for use in scientiﬁc research and pesticide spraying control. One approach to automatize this is using LIDAR to detect insects. In this thesis it has been explored how to detect, segment and do merge classiﬁcation on insect events showing up in large 2D time-range map frames created from a LIDAR optics setup as insects ﬂy through a laser beam. The suggested extraction method combines simple intensity thresholding techniques and well known edge detection techniques to do the ﬁrst selection of insect event pixels. A statistical dilation iteration stopping criteria based on background noise is suggested for region growing. Together they create a segmentation method that is used to segment insect events while avoiding accidental splitting and merging of events. Thereafter a trained convolutional neural network is suggested to classify all events that might have been merged, such that they could be discarded instead of being inputted to the species classiﬁcation system. Tests and observations indicate that the old segmentation method ﬁnds close to all the wanted insect events, but over-segments them drastically in some cases. By dividing the method into one event detection and one border ﬁnding part, the suggested extraction method are able to ﬁnd the same amount of events without increasing the number of splits and merges. At the same time it is able to ﬁnd event segmentation borders with a higher precision then previously possible. Tests on the merge classiﬁcation indicate surprisingly good results for the ability to classify event merges. Creating artiﬁcial merges to handle the imbalanced data set shows further improvement, while oversampling does not. Indicated is also that the size compression used does not seem to eﬀect the classiﬁcation negatively. (Less)
Gamelan Music and Physiological Responses in Patients with Ventilator Support

Background: Music is a non-pharmacological nursing intervention that can be used complementarily in the care of patients receiving ventilator support. The study aim was to explore the effects of music intervention on physiological responses for patients receiving ventilator support in intensive care units in Indonesia. Methods: It was a quasi experimental study using a non-equivalent control group and pre-test/post-test design. Forty subjects were assigned into either a control or experimental group (20 subjects/group). The outcome measures were physiologic responses, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate obtained every 10 minutes for 20 minutes of music intervention. Data analysis used Chi-square test, Fisher-exact test, independent t-test, and paired sample t-test. Result: The findings showed that the subjects who received music intervention demonstrated statistically significant reductions in sympathetic physiological responses (p<0.05). Specifically, there was a significant difference in systolic blood pressure, but there was no significant difference in diastolic blood pressure, heart rates, and respiratory rate between the two groups. In the between groups comparison, it was only diastolic blood pressure that showed the reduction of mean score from pretest to posttest in the experimental group and in the control group. Conclusion: Gamelan intervention gives positive impact to patients with ventilator. Keywords: Music intervention, ventilator support, physiological responses ABSTRAK Musik gamelan dan responfisiologi pada pasien dengan ventilator Latar belakang: Musik adalah intervensi keperawatan secara non farmakologikal yang dapat digunakan secara komplementari dalam merawat pasien yang menggunakan ventilator. Riset ini bertujuan untuk mengeksplorasi efek intervensi musik dalam menurunkan respon fisiologis pasien dengan ventilator di ruang perawatan intensif di Indonesia. Metode: Penelitian adalah penelitian semu dengan rancangan grup kontrol non-equivalen, pre dan post pengukuran. Ada 40 subyek penelitian yang dikelompokkan dalam grup kontrol dan grup eksperimen. Hasil yang diukur adalah tekanan darah sistolik dan diastolik, denyut jantung, dan frekuensi pernafasan, yang didapatkan dari pengukuran setiap 10 menit dalam 20 menit pemberian intervensi musik. Data diukur dengan menggunakan uji Chi-square, uji Fisher-exact, uji t-independen, dan uji t-berpasangan. Hasil: Hasil menunjukkan bahwa subyek yang menerima intervensi musik secara signifikan menurunkan respon simpatetik fisiologis (p<0,05). Secara spesifik, ada perbedaan yang bermakna dalam tekanan darah sistolik, tetapi tidak ada perbedaan yang signifikan dalam tekanan darah diastolik, denyut jantung, dan frekuensi pernafasan diantara kedua grup. Pada kelompok kontrol, hanya tekanan darah diastolik yang menunjukkan menurunkan skor rerata dari pretes ke postes dalam grup eksperimen dan grup kontrol. Simpulan: Intervensi gamelan memberi dampak positif pada pasien dengan ventilator
NFA-based Filtering for Efficient and Scalable XML Routing

Soon, much of the data exchanged over the Internet will be encoded in XML. This encoding can be used as the basis for sophisticated filtering and content-based routing of data using XML queries. Filtering systems such as XFilter represent XML path expressions as Finite State Machines and index them; In contrast, work on continuous query processing for database systems has focused on grouping common parts of relational-style queries. It is clear that for scalable and efficient XML filtering and routing both types of techniques will be needed. We propose a new approach based on Nondeterministic Finite Automata (NFA) that indexes path expressions and captures the overlap between queries naturally. The approach also has the potential of gracefully handling other problems in this environment such as concurrent filtering and online updates. Preliminary experimental results show that the NFA approach can dramatically improve filtering performance.
System engineering and automation : an interactive educational approach

Introduction to Systems System Concept Systems Classification Static/Dynamic Stochastic/Deterministic Continuous/Discrete/Event Discrete Closed/Open Loop Systems Description External Description Internal Description System Modeling System Model System Dynamic Equations Electrical Systems Mechanical Systems Hydraulic Systems Thermal Systems Hybrid Systems System Description Continuous Time Systems Linear and Invariant Time Systems Systems Linearization Laplace Transform Direct Laplace Transform Inverse Laplace Transform Transfer Function The State Space Approach Relation Between Transfer Function and State Space Approaches Block Diagrams System Response Analysis System Time Response System Transient Response Root Locus Identification First-order System Identification Second-order System Identification System Stability System Stationary Response Steady-state error for step reference Steady-state error for ramp reference Introduction to Control Systems Control Systems Basic Control Actions PID Controller Proportional Control Integral Control Derivative Control PID Summary Design of Controllers. Ziegler-Nichols techniques Ziegler-Nichols technique in open loop Ziegler-Nichols technique in close loop Applications System Simulation Simulation Objectives Numerical Methods Explicit Numerical Methods Implicit Numerical Methods Multistep Numerical Methods Integration Step Selection Systems Simulation in SIMULINK Systems Simulation in SIMSCAPE Applications Appendix A: The MATLAB System Control Toolbox Creation of Models Transfer Function Zeros, Poles and Gain State Space Access to Model Data Building Complex Models Conversion between models Time Response Appendix B: The rltool Interactive Tutorial Appendix C: The SIMULINK Interactive Tutorial Introduction Creating a Model SIMULINK Libraries Continuous Library Source Library Sinks Library Math Operations Library Lookup Table Library Discontinuities Library Signal Routing Library Ports and Subsystems Library User-defined Functions Library Additional Linear Library Appendix D: The SIMSCAPE Modeling Environment Tutorial Introduction Creating a Model SIMSCAPE Libraries Electrical Library Hydraulic Library Mechanical Library Thermal Library Physical Signal Library Utilities Library
Location, Location, Location: Perceptions of Safety and Security Among Formerly Homeless Persons Transitioned to Permanent Supportive Housing

Objective: Low perceived safety and security might have adverse health consequences, especially for chronically homeless individuals who are at high risk of victimization on the street. Permanent supportive housing (PSH) is an effective strategy to address chronic homelessness and improve residents’ health and well-being. However, it is unclear how formerly homeless individuals’ perceptions of safety and security reflect the objective neighborhood environment in which the PSH is located. This article presents a study of the perceived safety and security of formerly homeless individuals transitioned to PSH in and around Skid Row. Method: This mixed-method study examines the perceptions of safety and security of 24 PSH residents living in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. Subsequent block-based neighborhood observations were conducted informed by these qualitative findings. Results: Although participants felt safer relative to when they were homeless, residents living within Skid Row felt less safe than those who lived at the periphery. Participants housed within Skid Row also reported social isolation and exposure to situations reminiscent of past traumatic events. These findings correspond with objective neighborhood environmental differences in which more trash, malodors, and homeless people were observed on the blocks located near the center of Skid Row. Conclusions: Homeless individuals might experience an increase in their perceived safety after transitioning into PSH, but these perceptions might be contingent on the neighborhood environment. Future research should investigate how neighborhood characteristics influence perceived safety and whether these perceptions are influenced by the characteristics of the physical surrounding environment and/or past experiences of trauma.
Noise-immune speech transduction using multiple sensors

In this ongoing work, we have developed and tested configurations of multiple sensors for transducing speech with enhanced immunity to acoustic background noise. In this paper, we describe our work to improve upon our previously reported two-sensor configuration consisting of an accelerometer and a gradient microphone, and also present several additional multisensor configurations including one that uses a second-order gradient microphone for low frequencies and a first-order gradient microphone for high frequencies. Results from formal speech intelligibility and quality tests in simulated fighter aircraft cockpit noise show that each of the multisensor configurations tested outperforms the constituent individual sensors.
Perceptions of Sexual Health Interventions among Urban, Midwestern Female African American Youth

Pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among youth ages 15-24 persist as important public health issues in spite of significant investments in the development and implementation of evidence-based preventive interventions. Further, female African American youth are disproportionately affected by teen pregnancy and STDs. The purpose of this study was to better understand female African American youth’s perceptions of teen pregnancy and STDs, and the characteristics they desire in sexual and reproductive health interventions. Interviews with 19 African American females ages 13-24 were conducted. Results indicated that participants perceived teen pregnancy to be common, but STDs to be rare. Overall, participants desired more information about contraceptive methods and different types of STDs, and frequently noted youth facilitators in school and communitybased programs who had experienced these issues would be more impactful than adult facilitators. Participants also suggested that parents and clinical providers should play larger roles in educating youth about teen pregnancy and STDs. Intervention developers should capitalize on the important role of peers, parents, and medical providers in female African American youths’ lives by developing teen pregnancy and STD interventions that incorporate parents, peers, and medical providers in integral ways.
Diagram Patterns and Meta-patterns to support formal modelling

We present a pattern-based approach to depicting the structure of formal specifications. We propose a diagram meta-pattern, and instantiate it to produce a number of diagrammatic patterns for formal notations including B, CSP, and Z, and composite notations Circus and CSP||B. The ultimate objective is to support practical use and reuse of specifications and their documentation.