Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Use of an Artificial Neural Network for Data Analysis in Clinical Decision-Making: The Diagnosis of Acute Coronary Occlusion

A nonlinear artificial neural network trained by backpropagation was applied to the diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction (coronary occlusion) in patients presenting to the emergency department with acute anterior chest pain. Three-hundred and fifty-six patients were retrospectively studied, of which 236 did not have acute myocardial infarction and 120 did have infarction. The network was trained on a randomly chosen set of half of the patients who had not sustained acute myocardial infarction and half of the patients who had sustained infarction. It was then tested on a set consisting of the remaining patients to which it had not been exposed. The network correctly identified 92% of the patients with acute myocardial infarction and 96% of the patients without infarction. When all patients with the electrocardiographic evidence of infarction were removed from the cohort, the network correctly identified 80% of the patients with infarction. This is substantially better than the performance reported for either physicians or any other analytical approach.
ANALYZING OFFICIAL DEVIANCE

Partisan criminological analysis is characterized by dogmatic theories whose volidity is politically rather thon scientifically determined. Methods of inquiry ore used to demonstrate rather thon test theoretical propositions. Standard methodological tactics include assertion, anecdote, association, and analogy. In contrast, nonpartisan conflict analysis treats as entirely problematic the processes by which conceptions of deviance are socially constructed and become the official concerns of those who wield state power. What, how, why, and by whom behavioral or nonbehovioral attributes are labeled deviant is viewed as o function of the relative power of parties in conflict over the distribution of life chances.
New by-products rich in bioactive substances from the olive oil mill processing.

BACKGROUND Olive oil extraction generates a large amount of residue consisting mainly of the pomace and leaves when using a two-phase centrifugation system. The aim of this study was to assess the content of phenolic and triterpene compounds in the by-products produced in Spanish olive oil mills. RESULTS Olive pomace had concentrations of phenolic and triterpene substances lower than 2 and 3 g kg-1 , respectively. The leaves contained a high concentration of these substances, although those collected from ground-picked olives had lost most of their phenolic compounds. Moreover, the sediment from the bottom of the olive oil storage tanks did not have a significant amount of these substances. By contrast, a new by-product called olive pomace skin has been revealed as a very rich source of triterpenic acids, the content of which can reach up to 120 g kg-1 in this waste product, maslinic acid comprising around 70% of total triterpenics. CONCLUSION Among the by-products generated during extraction of olive oil, olive pomace skin has been discovered to be a very rich source of triterpenic acids, which can reach up to 120 g kg-1 of the waste. These results will contribute to the valorization of olive oil by-products. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.
Sparse Representation-Based Hyperspectral Data Processing: Lossy Compression

This paper presents a method for lossy hyperspecral data compression based on sparse representation. The idea is to learn a dictionary that induces sparsity in the coefficient vectors that represent new input signals. The energy compaction feature of such sparse coefficient vectors is then evaluated in a lossy hyperspectral data compression framework. Experimental results on a number of hyperspectral data show that this approach is effective in hyperspectral data compression, and comparable to some of the state-of-the-arts data compression schemes, such as JPEG2000 with multiple component transformations and three-dimensional-set partitioning in hierarchical trees. Specifically, using the proposed framework, dictionaries that exploit spectral correlation, or spectral and spatial correlations, are trained using online dictionary learning. A hyperspectral data is represented using the learned dictionary via sparse coding. The resulting sparse coefficients are then encoded to formulate the final bit stream. The proposed framework allows using a base dictionary trained offline, or incorporating an update to the base dictionary, to achieve more adaptivity.
Thyroid function in adult Nigerians with metabolic syndrome

Introduction Metabolic syndrome and thyroid dysfunction are two common disorders encountered in the metabolic clinic. Recently, there has been increased interest in the association between the two disorders because of the similarities between symptoms of hypothyroidism and components of the metabolic syndrome. While some reports suggest that metabolic syndrome is associated with subclinical hypothyroidism, this concept is largely under investigated in Nigerian adults with metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study is to determine the thyroid function status of adult Nigerians with metabolic syndrome and determine the association, if any, between metabolic syndrome and thyroid function. Methods This was a cross sectional study of one hundred and fifty adults, members of staff of the College of Medicine of the University of Lagos. The participants were recruited using a cluster random sampling method. The Ethical Research & Review Committee of the institution approved the study protocol and signed informed consent was obtained from the participants. The statistics was analysed using the IBM SPSS Software of version 19.0. The Student's t test, Chi square test and multivariate regression analysis were employed for the analysis. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Results Thirty nine (twenty-six percent) of the study participants had metabolic syndrome and one hundred and eleven (seventy-four percent) of the study participants did not have metabolic syndrome, served as controls. Those who had metabolic syndrome group were significantly older (p = 0.03), metabolic syndrome was significantly associated with the female gender (p = 0.0002), higher systolic blood pressure (p = 0.0034), diastolic blood pressure (p = 0.0009), waist circumference (p < 0.0001), body mass index (p < 0.0001), waist-hip ratio (p = 0.003), fasting serum glucose (p = 0.0457) and free thyroxine (fT4) levels (p = 0.0496). Those with metabolic syndrome had significantly lower HDL (P = 0.004) and free triiodothyronine (fT3) levels (p = 0.037). There was no statistically significant difference in the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels between individuals with and without metabolic syndrome. Thirty-three percent of the metabolic syndrome cases had sick euthyroid syndrome (p= < 0.0001). In multivariate regression, waist circumference was significantly and inversely associated with the sick euthyroid syndrome (p = 0.011). Conclusion Metabolic syndrome is associated with the sick euthyroid syndrome in adult Nigerians. Abdominal obesity appears to be the link between metabolic syndrome and the sick euthyroid syndrome.
Axotomy- and autotomy-induced changes in the excitability of rat dorsal root ganglion neurons.

The spontaneous, ectopic activity in sensory nerves that is induced by peripheral nerve injury is thought to contribute to the generation of "neuropathic" pain in humans. To examine the cellular mechanisms that underlie this activity, neurons in rat L(4)-L(5) dorsal root ganglion (DRG) were first grouped as "large," "medium," or "small" on the basis of their size (input capacitance) and action potential (AP) shape. A fourth group of cells that exhibited a pronounced afterdepolarization (ADP) were defined as AD-cells. Whole cell recording was used to compare the properties of control neurons with those dissociated from rats in which the sciatic nerve had been sectioned ("axotomy" group) and with neurons from rats that exhibited self-mutilatory behavior in response to sciatic nerve section ("autotomy" group). Increases in excitability in all types of DRG neuron were seen within 2-7 wk of axotomy. Resting membrane potential (RMP) and the amplitude and duration of the afterhyperpolarization (AHP) that followed the AP were unaffected. Effects of axotomy were greatest in the small, putative nociceptive cells and least in the large cells. Moderate changes were seen in the medium and AD-cells. Compared to control neurons, axotomized neurons exhibited a higher frequency of evoked AP discharge in response to 500-ms depolarizing current injections; i.e., "gain" was increased and accommodation was decreased. The minimum current required to discharge an AP (rheobase) was reduced. There were significant increases in spike width in small cells and significant increases in spike height in small, medium, and AD-cells. The electrophysiological changes promoted by axotomy were intensified in animals that exhibited autotomy; spike height, and spike width were significantly greater than control for all cell types. Under our experimental conditions, spontaneous activity was never encountered in neurons dissociated from animals that exhibited autotomy. Thus changes in the electrical properties of cell bodies alone may not entirely account for injury-induced spontaneous activity in sensory nerves. The onset of autotomy coincided with alterations in the excitability of large, putative nonnociceptive, neurons. Thus large cells from the autotomy group were much more excitable than those from the axotomy group, whereas small cells from the autotomy group were only slightly more excitable. This is consistent with the hypothesis that the onset of autotomy is associated with changes in the properties of myelinated fibers. Changes in Ca2+ and K+ channel conductances that contribute to axotomy- and autotomy-induced changes in excitability are addressed in the accompanying paper.
Genetic subdivision, glacial refugia and postglacial recolonization in the golden‐striped salamander, Chioglossa lusitanica (Amphibia: Urodela)

The golden‐striped salamander (Chioglossa lusitanica) is an ecologically specialized species, endemic to north‐western Iberia. Patterns of genetic variation were assessed at seven polymorphic enzyme loci and one mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) marker (cytochrome b) in 17 populations across its range. Estimates of enzyme genetic diversity revealed a high degree of genetic subdivision (FST = 0.68), mainly attributable to the existence of two groups of populations. The groups were located, respectively, north and south of the Mondego River, indicating that this river coincided with a major historical barrier to gene flow. A significant decrease in genetic variability from the Mondego northwards was associated with the Douro and Minho rivers. mtDNA sequence variation revealed a congruent pattern of two haplotype groups (d = 2.2%), with a geographical distribution resembling that of allozymes. The pattern and depth of genetic variation is consistent with the following hypotheses: (i) subdivision of an ancestral range of the species prior to the middle Pleistocene; (ii) secondary contact between populations representing historical refugia; (iii) relatively recent range expansion giving rise to the northern part of the species range; and (iv) loss of genetic variation through founder effects during range expansion across major rivers.
Detection of the Onset of Ischemia and Carcinogenesis by Hypoxia-Inducible Transcription Factor-Based In Vivo Bioluminescence Imaging

An animal model for the early detection of common fatal diseases such as ischemic diseases and cancer is desirable for the development of new drugs and treatment strategies. Hypoxia-inducible factor 1 (HIF-1) is a transcription factor that regulates oxygen homeostasis and plays key roles in a number of diseases, including cancer. Here, we established transgenic (Tg) mice that carry HRE/ODD-luciferase (HOL) gene, which generates bioluminescence in an HIF-1-dependent manner and was successfully used in this study to monitor HIF-1 activity in ischemic tissues. To monitor carcinogenesis in vivo, we mated HOL mice with rasH2 Tg mice, which are highly sensitive to carcinogens and are used for short-term carcinogenicity assessments. After rasH2-HOL Tg mice were treated with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, bioluminescence was detected noninvasively as early as 9 weeks in tissues that contained papillomas and malignant lesions. These results suggest that the Tg mouse lines we established hold significant potential for monitoring the early onset of both ischemia and carcinogenesis and that these lines will be useful for screening chemicals for carcinogenic potential.
Modulation of Angiotensin II Responses in Sympathetic Neurons by Cytosolic Calcium

Abstract—Both stimulatory and suppressive responses of the sympathetic nervous system to angiotensin II (AII) have been reported in intact animals. To elucidate possible cellular mechanisms, we studied AII-induced changes in cytosolic Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) in primary cultures of rat stellate ganglion neurons. Two different patterns of [Ca2+]i responses to AII were observed: dose-dependent increases in [Ca2+]i in cells with intrinsically low baseline [Ca2+]i (n=64) and dose-dependent suppression of [Ca2+]i in neurons with intrinsically higher baseline [Ca2+]i (n=46). Individual neurons could express both response patterns to AII. In neurons with low basal [Ca2+]i, superfusion with Ca2+ ionophore (ionomycin) increased [Ca2+]i and reversed the initial AII-induced stimulatory pattern. L-type Ca2+ channel antagonism (nifedipine) in neurons with high baseline [Ca2+]i lowered [Ca2+]i and reversed the initial AII-induced suppressive response. Both stimulatory and suppressive responses were abolished by AT1 receptor antagonism (losartan). AII-induced stimulatory responses were blocked by IP3 receptor antagonism (2-APB) and by thapsigargin. AII-induced suppression of neuronal [Ca2+]i was blunted when Na-Ca exchange was impaired. We conclude that [Ca2+]i acts as a switch for AII-mediated stimulatory and suppressive responses in individual sympathetic neurons. AT1 receptor-mediated neuronal stimulation and suppression may allow local homeostatic adaptation to meet complex systemic needs.
Laser Assisted Periodontal Therapy : A Case Series

Periodontitis is a one of the commonly occurring disease. Various therapies have been used and suggested for its treatment which includes nonsurgical, antimicrobial, and surgical therapy. In the recent years, lasers have been used frequently for periodontal therapy. Lasers have been applied for debridement, reshaping as well as the reduction of bacterial load in the pocket. This case series represent the use of lasers for exposure of impacted teeth, second stage surgery for dental implant, and vestibuloplasty. The surgical procedure with a 810 nm diode laser has been described. The laser-assisted procedures provided excellent results without complications as well as high patient and clinician satisfaction.
The application of nonuniform fast Fourier transform in audio coding

In this paper, we introduce nonuniform fast Fourier transform (NUFFT) into audio coding. NUFFT benefits from the flexible resolution in different frequency range which is unable to be achieved by the common uniform transforms such as FFT, SDFT, and MDCT. So it matches better to the nonlinear property of human auditory system. As a result, the precision of psychoacoustic model and coding efficiency will be improved. To further increase the calculation efficiency, a new inverse transform method is proposed in this paper. Although some calculation errors are inevitable, fortunately the errors exist only in high frequency range, to which human ear is insensitive. Comparing with FFT, it is shown that NUFFT has better stability to the quantization errors especially at low and middle frequency range. Experiments prove the superiority of NUFFT in both the numerical precision and the objective audio quality, especially at low bit rates.
Understanding relationships among teleworkers' e-mail usage, e-mail richness perceptions, and e-mail productivity perceptions under a software engineering environment

This study was undertaken to investigate the use of e-mail and its implications under a telework environment for distributed software engineering. For this, the relative strength between a social influence and individual attributes in affecting teleworkers' e-mail use was studied. Management support was used as the representative social influence, and age, status, and ease of use represented individual attributes. An examination was also made on how e-mail use, individual attributes, and management support affected the perceptions of e-mail's information richness and e-mail productivity. Two different types of surveys, log sheets and perception-based self-reports, as well as interviews and e-mail correspondences composed the data sources. Three hierarchical regression models were defined and tested for the hypothesis validation. Data analysis indicated that management support was a much more powerful indicator for teleworkers' media use than individual characteristics. Furthermore, although labeled as a relatively lean medium from the media richness theory perspective, e-mail could become an effective and richer communication tool through an active social construction process of management support. Finally, the management support and perception of e-mail as a rich medium were both highly influential in creating teleworkers' positive perception on e-mail productivity. This study rendered a strong indication that effective adoption of e-mail by teleworkers as an information-rich medium could benefit distributed work and distributed organizations through enhanced work productivity.
Ionospheric effects on the lunar-based radar imaging

We investigate the ionospheric effect on the global change observation lunar-based synthetic aperture radar (GCOLB-SAR), which offers an unprecedented temporal resolution and spatial coverage. However, the GCOLB-SAR is confronted with a great challenge: an extra-long distance electromagnetic wave propagating through atmospheric and ionospheric effects. The ionospheric effect for the satellite-borne SAR is no longer applicable for the GCOLB-SAR due to its ultra-long synthetic aperture time. In this paper, we consider the temporal-spatial variation effects of the ionosphere on the imaging of GCOLB-SAR. For the purpose of the study, an L-band GCOLB-SAR observation is considered. The signal model based on curved trajectory for GCOLB-SAR is derived and the temporal-spatial variation background ionosphere is analyzed. Preliminary analysis shows that the range shift is on the order of hundreds of meters, while the azimuth shift is of tens of meters. Such geometric deviations apparently should be corrected or compensated for GCOLB-SAR.
Factors influencing timing and frequency of antenatal care in Uganda.

BACKGROUND Over 99% of mothers who die of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth each year are found in developing countries.3 In Uganda, maternal mortality is estimated at 435 deaths per 100,000 live births. We sought to understand the factors influencing frequency and timing of antenatal care in Uganda in order to inform policy on the key aspects that need to be influenced. METHOD We used data from the Uganda Demographic and Health Survey (UDHS) 2006 and employed both descriptive and quantitative approaches (probit estimation). After a probit estimation, we generated marginal effects to interpret the results as probabilities of utilisation of antenatal care given particular background characteristics. RESULTS On average, only 17% and 47% of mothers initiate the first antenatal visit in the first trimester and attain at least four antenatal visits, respectively. The timing and frequency of antenatal visits were significantly associated with education of the mother and her partner, wealth status, regional disparities, religious differences, access to media, maternal autonomy in taking a health decision, occupations of the mother and her partner, timing of pregnancy, birth histories, and birth order. CONCLUSION Efforts are needed to educate girls beyond secondary level, establishment village outreach clinics with qualified staff to attract the hard-to-reach women, and to ensure universal access to prenatal care services irrespective of the ability to pay. Media penetration should also be increased amongst the population and this channel can be used to disseminate a standard piece of information concerning what pregnant women should expect and do during the prenatal period.
On the numerical simulation of the instationary free fall of a solid in a fluid

In the last decade, extensive experiments have been carried out in order to gain a better insight in the phenomenology related to the motion of a falling body in a quiescent Newtonian fluid. This renewal of interest in that subject is due not only to the lack of full theoretical explanations of the intricate body motion but also to the high relevance of that issue in applications ranging from meteorology, sedimentology and aerospace engineering to biology. We present a new numerical method for the simulation of the instationary free fall of a unique solid in a fluid. A key ingredient of the proposed approach is the reformulation of the conservation and kinetic equations in the solid frame as well as the explicit treatment of the fluid-body coupling. The issue of non-smooth data in time resulting from our explicit approach is addressed. The time stepping is based on the implicit fractional-step-θ scheme and the spatial discretization relies on the finite element method. Numerical experiments for the steady-falling regime, for the periodic oscillating motion as well as for the tumbling motion are presented following existing experimental set-up. The proposed method is validated by comparison with experimental data. ∗ Corresponding author. Tel. :+49-6221-546171; fax:. +49-6221-545634 Email addresses: sebastian.boenisch@iwr.uni-heidelberg.de (S. Bönisch), vincent.heuveline@iwr.uni-heidelberg.de (V. Heuveline). 1 Supported by the Graduate Program “Complex processes: Modeling, simulation and optimization ” 2 Supported by the SFB 359 “Reaktive Strömungen, Diffusion und Transport” and the BMBF (Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung) project under grant 03.RAM. 3HD Preprint submitted to Elsevier Science 17 June 2004
Inhibition of Acetylcholinesterase Modulates NMDA Receptor Antagonist Mediated Alterations in the Developing Brain

Exposure to N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists has been demonstrated to induce neurodegeneration in newborn rats. However, in clinical practice the use of NMDA receptor antagonists as anesthetics and sedatives cannot always be avoided. The present study investigated the effect of the indirect cholinergic agonist physostigmine on neurotrophin expression and the extracellular matrix during NMDA receptor antagonist induced injury to the immature rat brain. The aim was to investigate matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 activity, as well as expression of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase (TIMP)-2 and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) after co-administration of the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK801 (dizocilpine) and the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor physostigmine. The AChE inhibitor physostigmine ameliorated the MK801-induced reduction of BDNF mRNA and protein levels, reduced MK801-triggered MMP-2 activity and prevented decreased TIMP-2 mRNA expression. Our results indicate that AChE inhibition may prevent newborn rats from MK801-mediated brain damage by enhancing neurotrophin-associated signaling pathways and by modulating the extracellular matrix.