Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Strongly enhanced sensitivity in elastic capacitive strain sensors

Strain sensors based on dielectric elastomer capacitors function by the direct coupling of mechanical deformations with the capacitance. The coupling can be improved by enhancing the relative permittivity of the dielectric elastomer. Here, this is carried out through the grafting of conducting polymer (poly-aniline) to the elastomer backbone, leading to molecular composites. An enhancement in capacitance response of 46 times is observed. This could help to extend the possible range of miniaturization towards even smaller device features.
Prospective validation of the ABCD2 score for patients in the emergency department with transient ischemic attack

Background: The ABCD2 score (Age, Blood pressure, Clinical features, Duration of symptoms and Diabetes) is used to identify patients having a transient ischemic attack who are at high risk for imminent stroke. However, despite its widespread implementation, the ABCD2 score has not yet been prospectively validated. We assessed the accuracy of the ABCD2 score for predicting stroke at 7 (primary outcome) and 90 days. Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled adults from eight Canadian emergency departments who had received a diagnosis of transient ischemic attack. Physicians completed data forms with the ABCD2 score before disposition. The outcome criterion, stroke, was established by a treating neurologist or by an Adjudication Committee. We calculated the sensitivity and specificity for predicting stroke 7 and 90 days after visiting the emergency department using the original “high-risk” cutpoint of an ABCD2 score of more than 5, and the American Heart Association recommendation of a score of more than 2. Results: We enrolled 2056 patients (mean age 68.0 yr, 1046 (50.9%) women) who had a rate of stroke of 1.8% at 7 days and 3.2% at 90 days. An ABCD2 score of more than 5 had a sensitivity of 31.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 19.1–47.5) for stroke at 7 days and 29.2% (95% CI 19.6–41.2) for stroke at 90 days. An ABCD2 score of more than 2 resulted in sensitivity of 94.7% (95% CI 82.7–98.5) for stroke at 7 days with a specificity of 12.5% (95% CI 11.2–14.1). The accuracy of the ABCD2 score as calculated by either the enrolling physician (area under the curve 0.56; 95% CI 0.47–0.65) or the coordinating centre (area under the curve 0.65; 95% CI 0.57–0.73) was poor. Interpretation: This multicentre prospective study involving patients in emergency departments with transient ischemic attack found the ABCD2 score to be inaccurate, at any cut-point, as a predictor of imminent stroke. Furthermore, the ABCD2 score of more than 2 that is recommended by the American Heart Association is nonspecific.
Estimating age‐specific influenza‐related hospitalization rates during the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in Davidson Co, TN

Please cite this paper as: Jules et al. (2012) Estimating age‐specific influenza‐related hospitalization rates during the pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in Davidson Co, TN. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses 6(3), e63–e71.
Using crowdsourcing system for creating site-specific statistical machine translation engine

A crowdsourcing translation approach is an effective tool for globalization of site content, but it is also an important source of parallel linguistic data. For the given site, processed with a crowdsourcing system, a sentence-aligned corpus can be fetched, which covers a very narrow domain of terminology and language patterns - a site-specific domain. These data can be used for training and estimation of site-specific statistical machine translation engine
Linearly Solvable Stochastic Control Lyapunov Functions

This paper presents a new method for synthesizing stochastic control Lyapunov functions for a class of nonlinear stochastic control systems. The technique relies on a transformation of the classical nonlinear Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman partial differential equation to a linear partial differential equation for a class of problems with a particular constraint on the stochastic forcing. This linear partial differential equation can then be relaxed to a linear differential inclusion, allowing for relaxed solutions to be generated using sum of squares programming. The resulting relaxed solutions are in fact viscosity super/subsolutions, and by the maximum principle are pointwise upper and lower bounds to the underlying value function, even for coarse polynomial approximations. Furthermore, the pointwise upper bound is shown to be a stochastic control Lyapunov function, yielding a method for generating nonlinear controllers with pointwise bounded distance from the optimal cost when using the optimal controller. These approximate solutions may be computed with non-increasing error via a hierarchy of semidefinite optimization problems. Finally, this paper develops a-priori bounds on trajectory suboptimality when using these approximate value functions, as well as demonstrates that these methods, and bounds, can be applied to a more general class of nonlinear systems not obeying the constraint on stochastic forcing. Simulated examples illustrate the methodology.
Does the Women, Infants, and Children Program Improve Infant Health Outcomes?

We assess the causal eect of prenatal WIC participation on birth outcomes utilizing new partial identi…- cation methods to simultaneously address the selection and measurement error problems. In addition, we complement this partial identi…cation approach by reporting point estimates from an approach which uses second moment restrictions developed by Lewbel (2012). Using data from the Early Childhood Longitu- dinal Study - Birth cohort of 2001, we estimate that if participation is accurately reported, WIC improves birth outcomes. However, if only one percent of eligible women misreport their participation, the eect of WIC on birth outcomes cannot be signed.
Correlated patterns of tracheal compression and convective gas exchange in a carabid beetle

SUMMARY Rhythmic tracheal compression is a prominent feature of internal dynamics in multiple orders of insects. During compression parts of the tracheal system collapse, effecting a large change in volume, but the ultimate physiological significance of this phenomenon in gas exchange has not been determined. Possible functions of this mechanism include to convectively transport air within or out of the body, to increase the local pressure within the tracheae, or some combination thereof. To determine whether tracheal compressions are associated with excurrent gas exchange in the ground beetle Pterostichus stygicus, we used flow-through respirometry and synchrotron x-ray phase-contrast imaging to simultaneously record CO2 emission and observe morphological changes in the major tracheae. Each observed tracheal compression (which occurred at a mean frequency and duration of 15.6±4.2 min–1 and 2.5±0.8 s, respectively) was associated with a local peak in CO2 emission, with the start of each compression occurring simultaneously with the start of the rise in CO2 emission. No such pulses were observed during inter-compression periods. Most pulses occurred on top of an existing level of CO2 release, indicating that at least one spiracle was open when compression began. This evidence demonstrates that tracheal compressions convectively pushed air out of the body with each stroke. The volume of CO2 emitted per pulse was 14±4 nl, representing approximately 20% of the average CO2 emission volume during x-ray irradiation, and 13% prior to it. CO2 pulses with similar volume, duration and frequency were observed both prior to and after x-ray beam exposure, indicating that rhythmic tracheal compression was not a response to x-ray irradiation per se. This study suggests that intra-tracheal and trans-spiracular convection of air driven by active tracheal compression may be a major component of ventilation for many insects.
Dietary energy source affecting fat deposition mechanism, muscle fiber metabolic and overall meat quality

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of two dietary energy sources, soy bean oil, and sucrose on regulatory mechanisms of meat preservation. Twenty one day-old Hubbard commercial broilers were randomly allocated into two dietary treatment groups with six replicates per treatment, and four broilers per replicate. All birds were coded for the influence of energy source: fat based diet (FD), and sugar based diet (SD). Formulated grower diets were isonitrogenous and isocaloric. The chickens were slaughtered and then boneless, skinless ground chicken tight meat was prepared. Both raw and cooked meats were analyzed for lipid and protein oxidation, and sensory panel evaluation. In addition, meat from the small muscles of the raw thigh was used to evaluate other meat quality characteristics. Proximate analyses showed no significant differences between both dietary treatments on protein, ash and moisture percentage values. Meat samples of the group that was fed FD showed higher significant values of both TBARS and total carbonyl at day 7 of storage time. However, samples of the second group (Fed SD) showed lower values of both ultimate pH and water separation % using raw thigh meat. The effect of FD treatment on the meat composition appeared clearly especially on fat percentage content. In addition, meat samples obtained from chickens fed SD showed better significant values of the overall acceptability attribute. According to the current findings, sucrose could be an excellent alternative to oil in dietary broilers which improved the meat preservation bio-system, and post-mortem storage stability.
Direct Micropatterning of Phase Separation Membranes Using Hydrogel Soft Lithography

In this work a novel method is presented to directly apply microscale patterns on the membrane surface using hydrogel facilitated phase separation (HFPS). The hydrogel mold initiates phase separation spontaneously when it contacts the polymer solution and this guarantees that location of the dense skin layer is on the patterned side. In this fashion, the active surface area of a membrane is larger than the equivalent flat surface and subsequently enhances water flux without changing the membrane surface chemistry. The morphological properties of the HFPS membranes show similarity to the nonsolvent induced phase separation ones; however, a pore enlarging is noticed in the HFPS membranes due to the slow demixing rate of the solvent/nonsolvent in the phase separation process. The permeation results show that the HFPS patterned membrane doubles the pure water permeate flux when compared to the HFPS unpatterned membrane. This increase is attributed to the combined effect of enhanced surface area and a slight increase in the average pore size of the membrane. Moreover, fouling experiments with bovine serum albumin solution show a 78% increment in the flux for the patterned membrane after 100 min of operation, demonstrating the advantage of using microstructured membrane for filtration applications.
Clinical and angiographic outcomes with everolimus eluting stents for the treatment of cardiac allograft vasculopathy.

OBJECTIVES This study aimed to examine clinical efficacy, safety, and intermediate clinical outcomes with everolimus-eluting stents (EESs) in patients with transplant coronary artery disease (TCAD). BACKGROUND TCAD is a major cause of mortality in patients following orthotopic heart transplantation (OHT). Systemic everolimus in OHT patients has been shown to reduce TCAD. The safety and efficacy of an EES, the Xience V, have not been evaluated in this population. METHODS Patients post-OHT with hemodynamically significant CAD who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with EES were included. Participants were maintained on dual antiplatelet therapy for 1-year post-PCI. We examined procedural success, in-hospital and 1-year mortality, stent thrombosis, angiographic restenosis, and myocardial infarction rates. All patients had follow-up angiography 1-year after PCI. Target vessel revascularization (TVR), target lesion revascularization (TLR), in-segment restenosis, target vessel failure (TVF), and lumen late loss were noted. RESULTS PCI was performed in 34 de novo lesions in 21 patients, and 40 EES were placed. Procedural success rate was 100%. Average stent was 16.5 ± 5.1 mm long and 3.0 ± 0.6 mm in diameter. All patients had angiographic follow-up (409 ± 201 days). There was no stent thrombosis, deaths, or myocardial infarctions during follow-up. Two patients had focal in-stent restenosis. TLR rate was 5.9% (2/34), and TVR rate was 11.1% (3/27). Quantitative coronary angiography (QCA) showed stenosis diameter to be 19.98 ± 17.57%. CONCLUSIONS Use of an EES is associated with a low incidence of TVR and TLR in patients with TCAD. Further studies are needed to determine whether PCI with EES changes long-term outcomes.
An Over-The-Cell Router

A program that produces single-layer planar routing over the cells for I2L and LST2L logic arrays is described. This router has been integrated into a layout system which was previously restricted to the layout of standard cell LSI chips. When used in conjunction with a channel router, the complete routing is produced automatically. This paper defines the over-the-cell routing problem, describes the algorithms for its solution, and presents typical routing results.
The progressive effects of a high-fat diet on erythrocyte osmotic fragility, growth performance and serum triglyceride and cholesterol levels in Guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) and Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata).

To investigate the progressive effects of a high-fat diet on erythrocyte osmotic fragility, growth performance and serum lipid concentrations in Guinea fowl and Muscovy ducks, 36 Guinea fowl and 36 Muscovy ducks were divided into two groups, for each species, and fed either a standard (STD = commercial poultry feed) or high-fat diet (HFD = commercial poultry feed with 20% palm oil and 2% lard) for up to 12 weeks. After 4, 8 and 12 weeks on the diets, six birds from each group were euthanized and blood samples collected. Osmotic fragility was assessed by measuring the haemoglobin released by erythrocytes placed in serially diluted solutions of phosphate-buffered saline, spectrophotometrically. Serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations were also determined. Fragiligrams from erythrocytes from both species of birds on the HFD were not different to those on the STD. However, Muscovy duck erythrocytes were more resistant to haemolysis compared with Guinea fowl erythrocytes. Final body mass and serum triglyceride levels were not significantly different (p > 0.05, anova) between the birds in the HFD and STD groups, for both species of birds. In contrast, serum cholesterol levels were significantly higher in birds on the HFD compared with those on the STD, after 4, 8 and 12 weeks of feeding, for both species of birds. Feeding Guinea fowl and Muscovy ducks a high-fat diet for up to 12 weeks resulted in hypercholesterolaemia but had no effect on final body mass, erythrocyte osmotic fragility or serum triglyceride concentrations in either bird species.
The Rôle of Tobacco-Smoking in the Production of Cancer

This investigation has been undertaken at the request of the Birmingham Committee of the British Empire Cancer Campaign. The chemical work has been carried out under the general advice of Prof. W. N. Haworth, F.R. S. , in the Department of Chemistry, and the work on the clinical side under Prof. G. Has well Wilson, M.D., in the Department of Pathology.
ATOLL: Performance and Cost Optimization of a San Interconnect

The goal of the ATOLL System Area Network (SAN) is the optimization of a communication system for cluster computing with respect to the following qualities: performance, cost, simplicity of use and general applicability. The design provides many new and unique features, which makes ATOLL an enabling technology in the area of cluster computing. After finishing the ATOLL design space analysis our major effort concentrated on the high performance chip implementation. The following paper concentrates on the aspects of the hardware optimization process at the different levels of the design.
Requirement for N-cadherin–catenin complex in heart development

Cell adhesion, mediated by N-cadherin, is critical for embryogenesis since N-cadherin-null embryos die during mid-gestation with multiple developmental defects. To investigate the role of N-cadherin in heart muscle development, N-cadherin was specifically deleted from myocardial cells in mice. The structural integrity of the myocardial cell wall was compromised in the N-cadherin mutant embryos, leading to a malformed heart and a delay in embryonic development. In contrast, cardiac-specific deletion of αE-catenin, found in adherens junctions, or β-catenin, did not cause any morphological defects in the embryonic heart, presumably due to compensation by αT-catenin that is normally found in intercalated disks and γ-catenin (plakoglobin), respectively. Embryos lacking β-catenin in the heart also exhibited a cardiac defect, but only later in development resulting in partial lethality. These genetic studies underscore the importance of the N-cadherin/catenin complex in cardiogenesis.
Alternative Drying Processes for the Industrial Preservation of Lactic Acid Starter Cultures

The preservation of lactic acid starter cultures by alternative drying processes has attracted increasing attention due to the high costs and energy consumption of freezing and freeze drying. This review thus aims to provide a survey regarding the state of knowledge of starter culture production at high levels of viability. The results from numerous studies on various drying processes and lactic acid bacteria are summarized. The alternative drying processes considered, such as spray drying, fluidized bed drying, and vacuum drying, are mainly of industrial interest. The features, advantages, and disadvantages of these drying processes are described. In conclusion, the important factors that need to be considered, standardized, or optimized to achieve high levels of viability include intrinsic tolerance of cultures, growth media and conditions, stress induction, cell harvesting conditions, protective agents, rehydration conditions, enumeration of cells, and storage conditions.
Analysis on Feature Selection and Classification of Cardiovascular Disease using Machine Learning

Cardiovascular disease has emerged as the leading cause of death in recent years, with a significant number of individuals unknowingly affected by this condition. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) disrupts the proper functioning of our heart and blood vessels, often resulting in death or physical disability. Thus, the timely and automated detection of CVD can potentially save numerous lives. Various studies have been conducted with the aim of accomplishing this goal, yet there remains scope for enhancing performance and dependability. This research represents another stride in pursuing this objective. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the progress made thus far and assess the future hurdles that need to be tackled, taking into account the obtained results. Additionally, it offers insights into the features and algorithms that should be considered for the early detection of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
PREPERITONEAL GROIN HERNIA REPAIR WITH KUGEL PATCH THROUGH AN ANTERIOR APPROACH

Kugel hernia repair is classically carried out through the posterior approach; in this study we investigated the effectiveness and invasiveness of a Modified Kugel (Bard‐Davol Inc., RI, USA) hernia repair procedure carried out through an anterior approach. A prospective series covering a 2‐year period, including 122 patients (142 hernias) were carried out using the anterior approach. Patient comfort, complications and recurrence were evaluated. A total of 142 inguinal hernias were repaired, median age was 67 years, the mean operation time was 51 ± 23 min and the average incision was 4.5 cm. There was one case recurrence 5 months after repair. Other complications were few and not severe, only slight groin discomfort was observed in two patients during follow up. This Modified Kugel hernia through anterior approach is effective, mini‐invasive and easy to learn with fewer complications.
Relationship of Metabolic Alterations and PD-L1 Expression in Cisplatin Resistant Lung Cancer

Despite numerous reports on immune checkpoint inhibitor for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the response rate remains low but durable. Thus cisplatin still plays a major role in the treatment of NSCLC. While there are many mechanisms involved in cisplatin resistance, alteration in metabolic phenotypes with elevated levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) are found in several cisplatin resistant tumors. These resistant cells become more reliant on mitochondria oxidative metabolism instead of glucose. Consequently, high ROS and metabolic alteration contributed to epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Importantly, recent findings indicated that EMT has a crucial role in upregulating PD-L1 expression in cancer cells. Thus, it is very likely that cisplatin resistance will lead to high expression of PD-L1/PD-1 which makes them vulnerable to anti PD-1 or anti PD-L1 antibody treatment. An understanding of the interactions between cancer cells metabolic reprogramming and immune checkpoints is critical for combining metabolism targeted therapies with immunotherapies.
The hush cryptosystem

In this paper we describe a new cryptosystem we call "The Hush Cryptosystem" for hiding encrypted data in innocent Arabic sentences. The main purpose of this cryptosystem is to fool observer-supporting software into thinking that the encrypted data is not encrypted at all. We employ a modified Word Substitution Method known as the Grammatical Substitution Method in our cryptosystem. We also make use of Hidden Markov Models. We test our cryptosystem using a computer program written in the Java Programming Language. Finally, we test the output of our cryptosystem using statistical tests.
A Study on the Analysis of Novel Characters Based on Social Media Analysis and Text Mining

The rapid development in network technology and the widespread use of the Internet have led to an increased reliance on the exchange and sharing of online information. However, the sheer volume of data has resulted in fragmented and disorganized information about individuals. This study employs social media analysis and text mining techniques to analyze characters from the novel “Wuthering Heights. ” Initial data collection from social media undergoes pre-processing to eliminate noise through N-gram analysis, the establishment of Term-Document Matrix (TDM), tokenization and segmentation, and normalization. Feature selection from the pre-processed data involves applying Chi-square and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO). A performance of feature subsets, extracted by these tools, is evaluated using Support Vector Machine (SVM). Subsequently, Latent Semantic Analysis (LSA) and K-means algorithm with Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) are employed to establish selected keywords into comprehensible concepts.