Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The powerful placebo.

Placebos have doubtless been used for centuries by wise physicians as well as by quacks, but it is only recently that recognition of an enquiring kind has been given the clinical circumstance where the use of this tool is essential ". to distinguish pharmacological effects from the effects of suggestion, and. to obtain an unbiased assessment of the result of experiment. " It is interesting that Pepper could say as recently as 10 years ago "apparently there has never been a paper published discussing [primarily] the important subject of the placebo. " In 1953 Gaddum1said: Such tablets are sometimes called placebos, but it is better to call them dummies. According to the Shorter Oxford Dictionary the word placebo has been used since 1811 to mean a medicine given more to please than to benefit the patient. Dummy tablets are not particularly noted for the pleasure which they give to their recipients.
Detection of the movement direction by the cells with directional receptive fields in the primary visual cortex of the cat

The study was performed on neurons with direction selective (DS) receptive fields (RFs) in the primary visual cortex of the cat. Preferred directions (PDs) of these cells to a single light spot and a system of two identical light spots moving across the RF with a given angle between them were compared. Directional interactions appeared when the angles between the directions of the two moving spots were 30o or 60o. PD for 56% of the cells coincided with bisectors of these angles. These cells responded to a combination of the two moving stimuli as if only one stimulus moved in the RF in an intermediate direction. This direction coincided with PD of the DS neuron to a single spot. Also, the investigation revealed that DS neurons responded to stimuli moving at such angles as 180o (to preferred and opposite directions simultaneously). In the further experiment we investigated responses of the DS cells in the primary visual cortex of RF. The angle between the directions of the two moving spots was 60o. These cells responded to a combination of the two moving stimuli as if only one stimulus moved in RF in an intermediate direction. The more relative luminance of one of spots in pair was, the closer the intermediate direction approached to the direction of this spot).
Psychosocial Care for Cancer Patients

Psychosocial distress is understood as a continuum ranging from normal distress levels such as fear, grief etc. up to high levels of distress and psychiatric comorbidity [5]. A recently published study on 4 weeks prevalence of psychiatric disorders in cancer patients in Germany showed an average prevalence rate of 36% of any psychiatric diagnosis across all diagnoses and treatment settings [6]. The 4-week total prevalence for any mental disorder was 31.8% (95% confidence interval (CI) 29.8–33.8%) with highest rates for anxiety disorder (11.5%; 95% CI 10.2–12.9%), adjustment disorder (11.1%; 95% CI 9.7–12.4%), or mood disorder (6.5%; 95% CI 5.5– 7.5%). The highest prevalence for mental disorders was found in patients with breast cancer (41.6%; 95% CI 36.8–46.4%). Against this background and based on our knowledge about distress and psychiatric comorbidity in cancer patients, psychosocial care of cancer patients follows a structured stepped-care model starting with an early assessment and identification of a patient’s psychosocial distress, psychiatric comorbidity, and individual needs [2, 7]. Standardized and internationally validated instruments are available to assess psychosocial distress [8]. However, recently published results showed that early detection of distress and referral to psychosocial care does not automatically show a positive effect on a patient’s quality of life and therefore should be embedded in a stepped-care program [9]. The stepped-care model comprises systematic identification of needs, integrated delivery of psychosocial care by care managers ranging from counseling to individual psychotherapy, and appropriate specialist supervision. The German Guideline for Psychooncology published in January 2014 is an evidence-based guideline for psychosocial assessment, counselling, and treatment of adult cancer patients. It follows the basic principles of care mentioned above [2]. Based on a systematic review for psycho-oncological interventions, relaxation techniques, psychoeducation, individual psychotherapy, group psychotherapy, as well as psychotherapeutic interventions with couples have been proven to be effective with a high level of evidence (LOE 1a) in terms of reducing anxiety and depression and improving quality of life [10]. Rationale of Psychosocial Care for Cancer Patients
Enhanced SIC (synergistic image creator) for artistic use

We are studying non-photo realistic rendering (NPR) with the goal of developing an image expression tool to create artworks by the NPR technique. The purpose of most NPR researches is to simulate typical painting styles, so they focus on techniques to create brushstrokes. These superficially modified images cannot deviate far from the source photo. If a rendered image is seen from a distance, it is difficult to tell the difference from the source photo. This fact makes us realize that other important elements to add artistic expression to the photographs exist. We supposed that the distribution of bright and dark parts over the painting is essential and proposed the effective way to modify that. Our novel technique is based on knowledge about human optical illusions and basic visual design rules. We integrate this technique into our NPR system, which was used to make the artworks selected by SIGGRAPH 2002 2D art gallery. Furthermore, we present new features that allow artist to select appropriate area for extreme expressions, to create many types of brushstrokes, and to choose more than two types of brushstrokes for a single artwork.
Multiagent Planning with Partially Ordered Temporal Plans Technical Report

This paper discusses the specifics of planning in multiagent environments. It presents the formal framework MAPL (“maple”) for describing multiagent planning domains. MAPL allows to describe both qualitative and quantitative temporal relations among events, thus subsuming the temporal models of both PDDL 2.1 and POP. Other features are different levels of control over actions, modeling of agents’ ignorance of facts, and plan synchronization with communicative actions. For global planning in multiagent domains, the paper describes a novel forward-search algorithm producing MAPL’s partially ordered temporal plans. Finally, the paper describes a general distributed algorithm scheme for solving MAPL problems with several coordinating planners. The different contributions intend to provide a simple, yet expressive standard for describing multiagent planning domains and algorithms that in the future might allow crossevaluation of Multiagent Planning algorithms on standardized benchmarks.
How to Base Probability Theory on Perfect-Information Games

The standard way of making probability mathematical begins with measure theory. This article reviews an alternative that begins with game theory. We discuss how probabilities can be calculated game-theoretically, how probability theorems can be proven and interpreted game-theoretically, and how this approach differs from the measure-theoretic approach.
Weaning, Complementary Feeding, and Maternal Decision Making in a Rural East African Pastoral Population

A small-scale, prospective study of breastfeeding and weaning practices was conducted in a seminomadic pastoral population in northern Tanzania (Datoga of Mbulu District, Arusha Region). Focus group participants suggested that weaning patterns are strongly influenced by seasonal factors, and individual mothers often stated an intention to introduce adult staple foods and terminate breastfeeding at the end of the long rains. However, a combination of maternal self-perception, assessment of infant well-being, and indicators of household food supply influenced the actual progression of weaning for individual children. The results suggest that interventions to promote exclusive breastfeeding and improve complementary feeding practices in rural East African pastoral populations could build on maternal attention to infantcentered cues and address household-level constraints on caregivers making decisions about young child feeding.
Effects of renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics of orally administered deferiprone

Abstract Aims In light of the growing recognition of renal disease in thalassemia, it is important to understand the impact of renal impairment on the pharmacokinetics of iron chelators. This study evaluated the pharmacokinetics and safety of the iron chelator deferiprone (DFP) in subjects with renal impairment in comparison with healthy volunteers (HVs). Methods Thirty‐two subjects were categorized into four groups based on degree of renal impairment: none, mild, moderate or severe, as determined by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). All subjects received a single oral dose of 33 mg kg−1 DFP, provided serum and urine samples for pharmacokinetic assessment over 24 h and were monitored for safety. Results Renal clearance of DFP decreased as renal impairment increased. However, based on C max, AUC(0,t) and AUC(0,∞), there were no significant group differences in systemic exposure, because less than 4% of the drug was excreted unchanged in the urine. DFP is extensively metabolized to a renally excreted, pharmacologically inactive metabolite, deferiprone 3‐O‐glucuronide (DFP‐G), which exhibited higher C max, AUC(0,t), AUC(0,∞) and longer t max and t 1/2 in the renally impaired groups compared with HVs. The C max and AUCs of DFP‐G increased as eGFR decreased. Overall, 75%–95% of the dose was retrieved in urine, either as DFP or DFP‐G, regardless of severity of renal impairment. With respect to safety, DFP was well tolerated. Conclusions These data suggest that no adjustment of the DFP dosage regimen in patients with renal impairment is necessary, as there were no significant changes in the systemic exposure to the drug.
Indoor air pollution in developing countries and acute lower respiratory infections in children

BACKGROUND A critical review was conducted of the quantitative literature linking indoor air pollution from household use of biomass fuels with acute respiratory infections in young children, which is focused on, but not confined to, acute lower respiratory infection and pneumonia in children under two years in less developed countries. Biomass in the form of wood, crop residues, and animal dung is used in more than two fifths of the world's households as the principal fuel. METHODS Medline and other electronic databases were used, but it was also necessary to secure literature from colleagues in less developed countries where not all publications are yet internationally indexed. RESULTS The studies of indoor air pollution from household biomass fuels are reasonably consistent and, as a group, show a strong significant increase in risk for exposed young children compared with those living in households using cleaner fuels or being otherwise less exposed. Not all studies were able to adjust for confounders, but most of those that did so found that strong and significant risks remained. CONCLUSIONS It seems that the relative risks are likely to be significant for the exposures considered here. Since acute lower respiratory infection is the chief cause of death in children in less developed countries, and exacts a larger burden of disease than any other disease category for the world population, even small additional risks due to such a ubiquitous exposure as air pollution have important public health implications. In the case of indoor air pollution in households using biomass fuels, the risks also seem to be fairly strong, presumably because of the high daily concentrations of pollutants found in such settings and the large amount of time young children spend with their mothers doing household cooking. Given the large vulnerable populations at risk, there is an urgent need to conduct randomised trials to increase confidence in the cause-effect relationship, to quantify the risk more precisely, to determine the degree of reduction in exposure required to significantly improve health, and to establish the effectiveness of interventions.
Randomized Sorting On The Pops Network

Partitioned Optical Passive Stars (POPS) network has been presented recently as a desirable model of parallel computation. Several papers have been published that address fundamental problems on this architecture. The algorithms presented in this paper are valid for POPS(d,g) where d>g and use randomization. We present an algorithm that solves the problem of sparse enumeration sorting of d∊ keys in $\widetilde O(\frac{d}{g}\rceil+\log g)$ time and hence performs better than previous algorithms. We also present algorithms that allow us to do stable sorting of integers in the range [1,log n] and $[1, \frac{d}{g}]$ in $\widetilde O(\lceil \frac{d}{g}\rceil+\log n)$ time. When g=n∊, for any constant 0<∊<½ this allows us to do sorting of integers in the range [1,n] in $\widetilde O(\frac{1}{1-2\epsilon}(\lceil\frac{d}{g}\rceil+\log g))$ time. We finally use these algorithms to solve the problem of multiple binary search in the case where we have d∊ keys in $\widetilde O(\frac{d}{g}+\log g)$ time and in the cas.
Manipulating and characterizing with nanorobotics: In-situ SEM technique for centimeter and millimeter waves

Combining Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Microwave Microscopy is resulting in a hybrid microscope with multi-sensorial features. Parallelized measurements in the micro- and mm-wave region and manipulation of micro- and nano-scaled objects will be possible. Nanorobotic positioning stages with end-effectors inside the vacuum chamber of this microscope are controlled by an open-source automation software framework which also obtained live data and images of a Vector Network Analyzer (VNA) and the SEM.
Preoperative CSF Melatonin Concentrations and the Occurrence of Delirium in Older Hip Fracture Patients: A Preliminary Study

Background Delirium is characterized by disturbances in circadian rhythm. Melatonin regulates our circadian rhythm. Our aim was to compare preoperative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) melatonin levels in patients with and without postoperative delirium. Methods Prospective cohort study with hip fracture patients ≥ 65 years who were acutely admitted to the hospital for surgical treatment and received spinal anaesthesia. CSF was collected after cannulation, before administering anaesthetics. Melatonin was measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Data on delirium was obtained from medical and nursing records. Nurses screened every shift for delirium using the Delirium Observation Screening Scale (DOSS). If the DOSS was ≥3, a psychiatrist was consulted to diagnose possible delirium using the DSM-IV criteria. At admission, demographic data, medical history, and information on functional and cognitive status was obtained. Results Seventy-six patients met the inclusion criteria. Sixty patients were included in the analysis. Main reasons for exclusion were technical difficulties, insufficient CSF or exogenous melatonin use. Thirteen patients (21.7%) experienced delirium during hospitalisation. Baseline characteristics did not differ between patients with and without postoperative delirium. In patients with and without postoperative delirium melatonin levels were 12.88 pg/ml (SD 6.3) and 11.72 pg/ml (SD 4.5) respectively, p-value 0.47. No differences between patients with and without delirium were found in mean melatonin levels in analyses stratified for cognitive impairment or age. Conclusion Preoperative CSF melatonin levels did not differ between patients with and without postoperative delirium. This suggests that, if disturbances in melatonin secretion occur, these might occur after surgery due to postoperative inflammation.
Access of cellulase to cellulose and lignin for poplar solids produced by leading pretreatment technologies

Adsorption of cellulase on solids resulting from pretreatment of poplar wood by ammonia fiber expansion (AFEX), ammonia recycled percolation (ARP), controlled pH, dilute acid (DA), flowthrough (FT), lime, and sulfur dioxide (SO2) and pure Avicel glucan was measured at 4°C, as were adsorption and desorption of cellulase and adsorption of β‐glucosidase for lignin left after enzymatic digestion of the solids from these pretreatments. From this, Langmuir adsorption parameters, cellulose accessibility to cellulase, and the effectiveness of cellulase adsorbed on poplar solids were estimated, and the effect of delignification on cellulase effectiveness was determined. Furthermore, Avicel hydrolysis inhibition by enzymatic and acid lignin of poplar solids was studied. Flowthrough pretreated solids showed the highest maximum cellulase adsorption capacity (σsolids = 195 mg/g solid) followed by dilute acid (σsolids = 170.0 mg/g solid) and lime pretreated solids (σsolids = 150.8 mg/g solid), whereas controlled pH pretreated solids had the lowest (σsolids = 56 mg/g solid). Lime pretreated solids also had the highest cellulose accessibility (σcellulose = 241 mg/g cellulose) followed by FT and DA. AFEX lignin had the lowest cellulase adsorption capacity (σlignin = 57 mg/g lignin) followed by dilute acid lignin (σlignin = 74 mg/g lignin). AFEX lignin also had the lowest β‐glucosidase capacity (σlignin = 66.6 mg/g lignin), while lignin from SO2 (σlignin = 320 mg/g lignin) followed by dilute acid had the highest (301 mg/g lignin). Furthermore, SO2 followed by dilute acid pretreated solids gave the highest cellulase effectiveness, but delignification enhanced cellulase effectiveness more for high pH than low pH pretreatments, suggesting that lignin impedes access of enzymes to xylan more than to glucan, which in turn affects glucan accessibility. In addition, lignin from enzymatic digestion of AFEX and dilute acid pretreated solids inhibited Avicel hydrolysis less than ARP and flowthrough lignin, whereas acid lignin from unpretreated poplar inhibited enzymes the most. Irreversible binding of cellulase to lignin varied with pretreatment type and desorption method. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog. , 2009
Characterization and Evaluation of TiB2-AlN Composites for Armor Applications

Abstract : Seven composites with titanium diboride (TiB2) and aluminum nitride (AlN) of varying compositions were consolidated by hot pressing. The compositions examined were 30-vol% TiB2 / 70-vol% AlN, 50-vol% TiB2 / 50-vol% AlN, and 70-vol% TiB2 / 30-vol% AlN. One TiB2 powder was used with three AlN powders: two with finer particle sizes and one with larger particle sizes. All the composites were consolidated to near full density. Microstructural, mechanical-property, and ballistic depth-of-penetration (DOP) evaluations were conducted. Theoretical phase calculations were used to determine and explain the formation of the detected impurities. The flexural strength and mass efficiency results from the four-point bend and DOP tests, respectively, showed that most of the composite compositions performed better than either monolithic TiB2 or AlN material. The increase in fracture toughness from microcrack formation and crack bridging is believed to be the cause of the synergistic effects.
Control theory-based DVS for interactive 3D games

We propose a control theory-based dynamic voltage scaling (DVS) algorithm for interactive 3D game applications running on battery- powered portable devices. Using this scheme, we periodically adjust the game workload prediction based on the feedback from recent prediction errors. Although such control-theoretic feedback mechanisms have been widely applied to predict the workload of video decoding applications, they heavily rely on estimating the queue lengths of video frame buffers. Given the interactive nature of games - where game frames cannot be buffered - the control - theoretic DVS schemes for video applications can no longer be applied. Our main contribution is to suitably adapt these schemes for interactive games. Compared to history-based workload prediction schemes - where the workload of a game frame is predicted by averaging the workload of the previously-rendered frames - our proposed scheme yields significant improvement on different platforms (e.g. a laptop and a PDA) both in terms of energy savings as well as output quality.
Comparison of PID Controller Tuning Methods with Genetic Algorithm for FOPTD System

Measurement of Level, Temperature, Pressure and Flow parameters are very vital in all process industries. A combination of a few transducers with a controller, that forms a closed loop system leads to a stable and effective process. This article deals with control of in the process tank and comparative analysis of various PID control techniques and Genetic Algorithm (GA) technique. The model for such a Real-time process is identified as First Order Plus Dead Time (FOPTD) process and validated. The need for improved performance of the process has led to the development of model based controllers. Well-designed conventional Proportional, Integral and Derivative (PID) controllers are the most widely used controller in the chemical process industries because of their simplicity, robustness and successful practical applications. Many tuning methods have been proposed for PID controllers. Many tuning methods have been proposed for obtaining better PID controller parameter settings. The comparison of various tuning methods for First Order Plus Dead Time (FOPTD) process are analysed using simulation software. Our purpose in this study is comparison of these tuning methods for single input single output (SISO) systems using computer simulation.Also efficiency of various PID controller are investigated for different performance metrics such as Integral Square Error (ISE), Integral Absolute Error (IAE), Integral Time absolute Error (ITAE), and Mean square Error (MSE) is presented and simulation is carried out. Work in this paper explores basic concepts, mathematics, and design aspect of PID controller. Comparison between the PID controller and Genetic Algorithm (GA) will have been carried out to determine the best controller for the temperature system.
Stress Testing Cluster Bro

In previous work we have build a NIDS cluster as a scalable solution for realizing high-performance, stateful network intrusion detection on commodity hardware. Prototypes of our cluster, consisting of up to 10 PCs, are already operating at two major network sites. In this work we are now gaging the scalability of our approach on the DETER testbed to identify potential performance bottlenecks when using larger number of nodes. Due to privacy concerns we can only use synthetic traffic for our evaluation and therefore start by building a new load-balancer element which can replicate small packet traces by several orders of magnitude. We then use this element to generate a network-load suitable for stress-testing the NIDS cluster from traffic captured on a single workstation. While this approach cannot take into account many characteristics of site-specific live traffic, it still allows us to perform a first assessment of the cluster's underlying scalability hypothesis.