Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analytical Nonlocal Electrostatics Using Eigenfunction Expansions of Boundary-Integral Operators

In this paper, we present an analytical solution to nonlocal continuum electrostatics for an arbitrary charge distribution in a spherical solute. Our approach relies on two key steps: (1) re-formulating the PDE problem using boundary-integral equations, and (2) diagonalizing the boundary-integral operators using the fact their eigenfunctions are the surface spherical harmonics. To introduce this uncommon approach for analytical calculations in separable geometries, we rederive Kirkwood’s classic results for a protein surrounded concentrically by a pure-water ion-exclusion layer and then a dilute electrolyte (modeled with the linearized Poisson–Boltzmann equation). Our main result, however, is an analytical method for calculating the reaction potential in a protein embedded in a nonlocal-dielectric solvent, the Lorentz model studied by Dogonadze and Kornyshev. The analytical method enables biophysicists to study the new nonlocal theory in a simple, computationally fast way; an open-source MATLAB implementation is included as supplemental information.
Haptic guides in cooperative virtual environments: Design and human performance evaluation

In this paper we simulate the use of two string based parallel robots in cooperative manipulation task. Two users standing in front of a large screen operate each robot. We propose two haptic guide models, and investigate their effects on cooperation, co-presence and users performance. In addition we also examine the effect of object-based force feedback in cooperative work. Ten volunteer subjects had to cooperatively perform a peg-in-hole task. Results revealed that haptic guides have a significant effect on task execution. They not only increase users performance but also enhance the sense of co-presence and awareness. Our investigations will help in the development of VR systems for cooperative assembly, surgical training and rehabilitation.
A Hierarchical Tridiagonal System Solver for Heterogenous Supercomputers

Tridiagonal system solver is an important kernel in many scientific and engineering applications. Even though quite a few parallel algorithms and implementations have been addressed in recent years, challenges still remain when solving large-scale tridiagonal system on heterogenous supercomputers. In this paper, a hierarchical algorithm framework SPIKE (pronounced 'SPIKE squared') is proposed to minimize the parallel overhead and to achieve the best utilization of CPU-GPU hybrid systems. In these systems, a layered and adaptive partitioning is presented based on the SPIKE algorithm to effectively control the sequential parts while efficiently exploiting the computation and communication overlapping in heterogeneous computing node. Moreover, the SPIKE algorithm is reformulated to reduce the matrix computations to only 1/3 in our hierarchical algorithm framework. Meanwhile, an improved implementation of the tiled-PCR-pThomas algorithm is employed for the GPU architecture, and the shared memory usage on the GPU can be reduced by 1/3 using careful dependence analysis on solving unit vector tridiagonal systems. Our experiments on Tianhe-1A show ideal weak scalability on up to 128 nodes when solving a tridiagonal system with a size of 1920M in the largest run and good strong scalability (70%) from 32 nodes to 256 nodes when solving a tridiagonal system with a size of 480M. Furthermore, the adaptive task partition across the CPU and GPU can get over 10% performance improvement in the strong scaling test with 256 nodes. In one computing node of Tianhe-1A, our GPU-only code can outperform the CUSPARSE version (non-pivoting tridiagonal solver) by 30%, and our hybrid code is about 6.7 times faster than the Intel SPIKE multi-process version for tridiagonal systems having a size of 3M, 5M, and 15M.
Generating Coherent Messages in Real-time Decision Support: Exploiting Discourse Theory for Discourse Practice

This paper presents a message planner, TraumaGEN, that draws on rhetorical structure and discourse theory to address the problem of producing integrated messages from individual critiques, each of which is designed to achieve its own communicative goal. TraumaGEN takes into account the purpose of the messages, the situation in which the messages will be received, and the social role of the system.
Calculates vs. analyzed composition of four modified fat diets. Formulated to study effects in human subjects of kind and amount of dietary fat.

Four diets, varying in kind and amount of fat, were calculated to meet the needs of adult men. Commonly available U.S.A. food were used. Fourteen days of menus, each with five caloric levels varying from 2,400 to 4,000 kcal, were calculated. Chemical analyses of composites were carried out to determine proximate composition, food energy, selected vitamins and minerals, sugars, fatty acids, and sterols. The diets were used in a controlled study of the effects of fat level and P:S on blood pressure, blood lipids, platelet aggregation, and other variables. In general, good agreement was found between calculated and analyzed nutrient contents. However, analyzed values for fiber, iron, cholesterol, and vitamin C showed larger than desirable differences from calculated values.
Group and Total Dissipativity and Stability of Multi-Equilibria Hybrid Automata

Complex systems, which consist of different interdependent and interlocking subsystems, typically have multiple equilibrium points associated with different set points of each operation mode. These systems are usually interpreted as hybrid systems. This paper studies the conditions for dissipativity and some stability properties of a class of hybrid systems with multiple co-existing equilibrium points, modelled as nonlinear hybrid automata. A classification of equilibria for hybrid automata is proposed. The objective is to identify dissipative components as groups of discrete locations within the hybrid automaton, formed according to existing equilibria. An example is provided.
The global burden of congenital toxoplasmosis: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE To estimate the global burden of congenital toxoplasmosis (CT), which results from infection of pregnant women with Toxoplasma gondii. METHODS The authors systematically searched 9 major databases for published and unpublished sources and established direct contact with the authors of source materials. Searches were country-specific. To be included, studies had to report on the incidence of CT, on positivity to Toxoplasma-specific IgM in infants and pregnant women (including seroconversion results) or on positivity to Toxoplasma-specific IgG in the general population. Various modelling techniques were used, depending on the country-specific data available, to estimate the CT incidence and burden in each country. These data were then synthesized into an estimate of the global incidence of CT and of the global burden of CT in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). FINDINGS The global annual incidence of congenital toxoplasmosis was estimated to be 190,100 cases (95% credible interval, CI: 179,300-206,300). This was equivalent to a burden of 1.20 million DALYs (95% CI: 0.76-1.90). High burdens were seen in South America and in some Middle Eastern and low-income countries. CONCLUSION Congenital toxoplasmosis poses a substantial burden of poor health globally. Toxoplasmosis should be included in future updates of the global burden of disease and the corresponding data should be used to support public health interventions to reduce disease burden.
Cerebrospinal fluid abnormalities in patients with syphilis: association with clinical and laboratory features.

OBJECTIVE To define clinical and laboratory features that identify patients with neurosyphilis. METHODS Subjects (n=326) with syphilis but no previous neurosyphilis who met 1993 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for lumbar puncture underwent standardized history, neurological examination, venipuncture, and lumbar puncture. Neurosyphilis was defined as a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) white blood cell count >20 cells/ microL or reactive CSF Venereal Disease Research Laboratory (VDRL) test result. RESULTS Sixty-five subjects (20.1%) had neurosyphilis. Early syphilis increased the odds of neurosyphilis in univariate but not multivariate analyses. In multivariate analyses, serum rapid plasma reagin (RPR) titer > or =1 : 32 increased the odds of neurosyphilis 10.85-fold in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-uninfected subjects and 5.98-fold in HIV-infected subjects. A peripheral blood CD4+ T cell count < or =350 cells/ microL conferred 3.10-fold increased odds of neurosyphilis in HIV-infected subjects. Similar results were obtained when neurosyphilis was more stringently defined as a reactive CSF VDRL test result. CONCLUSION Serum RPR titer helps predict the likelihood of neurosyphilis. HIV-induced immune impairment may increase the risk of neurosyphilis.
Surface Erosion Studies on Polymer Insulators Used for High Voltage Transmission

Polymeric/silicon rubber insulators are being widely used in high voltage transmission and distribution systems due to their advantageous over the conventional porcelain or glass insulators. The polymeric insulators being organic in nature experience surface degradation from environment as well as tracking, erosion, corona, dry-band arcing etc, due to continuous electric stress. The present work reports the results of tracking and erosion study conducted on commercially used silicon rubber insulators for different acidic contamination conditions. A comparison is made for both high temperature vulcanized rubber (HTV) and liquid silicon rubber LSR) insulating materials used for high voltage transmission. Keywords—Surface erosion, tracking, polymer insulators, contamination, FTIR, SEM
Validation of the calibrated thrombin generation test (cTGT) as the reference assay to evaluate the procoagulant activity of nanomaterials

Abstract We validated a preclinical toxicological screening assay and provided guidelines to evaluate the potential impact of nanoparticles (NPs) on blood coagulation. Five NPs with various physicochemical properties were studied using several existing methods of clotting times and thrombin generation assays in human normal pool plasma. In both recalcification clotting time (RCT) and calibrated thrombin generation test (cTGT), the NPs exhibited procoagulant activity (SiO2 ≥ SiC ≥ TiC > CuO > CB) but cTGT was more sensitive and relevant than RCT. Thus, the cTGT appears as a reference assay to investigate the nanoparticle (NP) procoagulant activity in human plasma. It should be used as the reference toxicity test for evaluating the effects of nanomaterials on coagulation cascade. In addition, we also showed that the use of the Pluronic F-108 dispersant and/or the sonication for the NP suspension preparation may mask their procoagulant activity and thus should be avoided.
Clinical Characteristics and Brain Activation Patterns of Mirror Movements in Patients with Corona Radiata Infarct

Objective: Mirror movements (MMs) are a phenomenon of involuntary movements that accompany physically intended movements of the opposite side of the body. In the current study, we investigated the clinical characteristics and cortical activation patterns of MMs in patients with corona radiata (CR) infarct, using functional MRI. Subjects and Methods: We recruited 31 consecutive hemiparetic stroke patients with CR infarct. Functional MRI was performed to verify brain activation patterns during grasp-release movements of the affected hand, and MM of the unaffected hand was observed simultaneously. Results: The prevalence of MMs was 54.8% (17 out of 31 patients), and the intensity of MMs ranged from mild to moderate. The severity of MM in the unaffected hand is closely related to the poor motor function of the affected upper extremity and to activations of the unaffected motor cortex and both supplementary motor areas (SMAs) during the movement of the affected hand. In addition, the activations of unaffected motor cortex and both SMAs were closely related to poor motor function of the affected upper extremity. Conclusions: The results suggest that MMs, poor motor function, and the activations of ipsilateral motor cortex and both SMAs are closely interconnected in patients with CR infarct.
Exploring the Greek Kindergarten Teachers' Views and Practices during the Implementation of Educational Programs

In this paper kindergarten teachers describe the types of services and practices they often use to design and implement an educational program. The authors' paper aims to identify and present the kindergarten teachers' views and practices, concerning the types of educational programs-they usually conduct-the kindergarten teachers' training status and needs on designing and implementing such programs according to the mandated Curriculum Studies of Preschool Education for Greece, as well as the teaching methods and equipment settings they usually use in an educational program. They also indicate the problems and difficulties most kindergarten teachers meet while carrying out an educational program, as well as the reasons most kindergarten teachers prefer to carry out an "informal school program. " An "informal school program" takes place at a local level and kindergarten teachers do not take this approach to a higher level, in order not to have any particular problems with the school context, the mandated Curriculum Studies and timetable of Preschool Education for Greece currently and the teaching methods, aids and materials.
Levy stable distribution and [0,2] power law dependence of acoustic absorption on frequency

The absorption of acoustic wave propagation in a broad variety of lossy media is characterized by an empirical power law function of frequency, . It has long been noted that exponent y ranges from 0 to 2 for diverse media. Recently, the present author 10 developed a fractional Laplacian wave equation to accurately model the power law dissipation, which can be further reduced to the fractional Laplacian diffusion equation. The latter is known underlying the Lévy stable distribution theory. Consequently, the parameters y is found to be the Lévy stability index, which is known bounded within 0< y ≤ 2. This finding first provides a theoretical explanation of empirical observations y ∈ [0,2]. Statistically, the frequency-dependent absorption can thus be understood a Lévy stable process, where the parameter y describes the fractal nature of attenuative media.
Effect of Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells Transplantation on Nerve Fibers of A Rat Model of Endometriosis

Background Endometriosis is a common, benign, oestrogen-dependent, chronic gynaecological disorder associated with pelvic pain and infertility. Some researchers have identiﬁed nerve ﬁbers in endometriotic lesions in women with endometriosis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have attracted interest for their possible use for both cell and gene therapies because of their capacity for self-renewal and multipotentiality of differentiation. We investigated how human umbilical cord-MSCs (hUC-MSCs) could affect nerve ﬁbers density in endometriosis. Materials and Methods In this experimental study, hUC-MSCs were isolated from fresh human umbilical cord, characterized by flow cytometry, and then transplanted into surgically induced endometriosis in a rat model. Ectopic endometrial implants were collected four weeks later. The specimens were sectioned and stained immunohistochemically with antibodies against neuroﬁlament (NF), nerve growth factor (NGF), NGF receptor p75 (NGFRp75), tyrosine kinase receptor-A (Trk-A), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and substance P (SP) to compare the presence of different types of nerve ﬁbers between the treatment group with the transplantation of hUC-MSCs and the control group without the transplantation of hUC-MSCs. Results There were significantly less nerve fibers stained with specific markers we used in the treatment group than in the control group (p<0.05). Conclusion MSC from human umbilical cord reduced nerve ﬁber density in the treatment group with the transplantation of hUC-MSCs.
Effectiveness of Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir and Predictors of Treatment Failure in Members with Hepatitis C Genotype 1: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Medicaid Population

Repository Citation Kouris G, Hydery T, Greenwood BC, Lavitas P, Alper CJ, Price MK, Clements KM, Lenz KJ, Jeffrey PL. (2017). Effectiveness of Ledipasvir/Sofosbuvir and Predictors of Treatment Failure in Members with Hepatitis C Genotype 1: A Retrospective Cohort Study in a Medicaid Population. Commonwealth Medicine Publications. https://doi.org/10.13028/af0c-5q14. Retrieved from https://escholarship.umassmed. edu/ commed_pubs/38
Modulation of dopamine efflux in the nucleus accumbens after cholinergic stimulation of the ventral tegmental area in intact, pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus-lesioned, and laterodorsal tegmental nucleus-lesioned rats

Microinjections of the cholinergic receptor agonist nicotine and the cholinesterase inhibitor neostigmine were made into the ventral tegmental area (VTA) of urethane-anesthetized rats, and dopamine (DA) efflux in the nucleus accumbens was measured using in vivo chronoamperometry. Dose-dependent increases in the chronoamperometric signals corresponding to increased DA efflux were observed in the nucleus accumbens of normal intact rats after cholinergic stimulation of the VTA. The source of the cholinergic input to the VTA was investigated by making excitotoxic lesions in either the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDTg) or the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPTg). Compared with sham-operated control animals, which showed the same response as intact, nonlesioned rats, ibotenate lesions of the LDTg attenuated the stimulatory effects of intra-VTA neostigmine on DA efflux in the nucleus accumbens. In contrast, rats with ibotenate lesions of the PPTg showed normal nucleus accumbens DA eflux after intra-VTA injections of neostigmine. Such lesions in the PPTg attenuate DA efflux in the caudate-putamen stimulated by injections of neostigmine into the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). The present data show that cholinergic neurons in the LDTg, but not the PPTg, regulate the activity of DA-containing neurons in the VTA, which complements previous data showing that cholinergic neurons in the PPTg regulate DA-containing neurons in the SNc.
Reproducibility of Blood Pressure Response to Hydrochlorothiazide

Few studies have investigated the reproducibility of responses to antihypertensive therapies. The purpose of this study was to assess the reproducibility of the blood pressure response to a thiazide diuretic, a preferred initial treatment for hypertension. Twenty‐two subjects who underwent monotherapy with hydrochlorothiazide as part of a study to identify predictors of blood pressure response agreed to undergo the same protocol a second time, 26.6±11.8 (range, 4–52) months after their first participation. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure responses to hydrochlorothiazide did not differ significantly between the first and second participation (systolic response, −14.2±16.4 mm Hg vs. −16.0±16.5 mm Hg; diastolic response, −7.1±11.8 mm Hg vs. −6.6±8.6 mm Hg), and these responses were significantly correlated between the two trials (systolic response, r=0.61 and p>0.01; diastolic response, r=0.64 and p<0.01). However, both the direction and magnitude of responses for individual subjects varied considerably, with the limits of agreement between the first and second participations (i.e., 2 standard deviations above and below the mean difference between responses) ranging from 27.4 mm Hg to −23.8 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure response and from 17.4 mm Hg to −18.4 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure response. These results show that the average systolic and diastolic blood pressure responses to hydrochlorothiazide for a group of subjects are reproducible; however, the responses for individual subjects are unpredictable.
An investigation of mitochondrial haplogroups in autism

Family and twin studies provide strong evidence of a major genetic influence in autism, but the underlying gene defects have yet to be characterized. The mothers of boys with autism share autistic traits, raising the possibility of a maternally inherited factor. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is almost exclusively inherited down the maternal line. We therefore explored the possibility that a particular mtDNA lineage contributes to the risk of developing autism. The mtDNA haplogroup was determined in 162 autism probands, and compared to two sets of population controls. Results show no compelling evidence of an association of any mitochondrial haplogroup in autism. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Efficient image alignment using linear appearance models

Visual tracking is a key component in many computer vision applications. Linear subspace techniques (e.g. eigen-tracking) are one of the most popular approaches to align templates with appearance variations (e.g. illumination, iconic changes). A number of well known tracking algorithms have been proposed in the last years to accurately fit these models to images. Computational efficiency is an important limitation in object tracking algorithms and different efficient techniques, such as the “projected-out” optimization, have been proposed. They reduce the computational cost using an efficient formulation in which many of the involved operations can be precomputed. On the other hand, alternative “simultaneous” algorithms jointly optimize pose and appearance parameters, providing better performance but increasing the computational cost. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for efficient linear appearance model fitting based on the inverse compositional simultaneous optimization of pose and appearance. We introduce a novel formulation which reduces the required computational time while maintaining similar convergence properties of previous “simultaneous” approaches. Experimental results illustrate the capabilities of this algorithm in face tracking.
Performance and complexity analysis of rate-constrained motion estimation in MPEG-4

Motion estimation constitutes a critical part in video coding since it is computationally expensive and has a substantial impact on the resulting image quality. A very efficient method to estimate motion is through adding a rate constraint for coding of the motion vectors into the estimation process. In this paper we analyze the performance of this approach in the emerging MPEG-4 standard, considering frame- as well as object-based video sequences. The investigations show that rate constrained motion estimation generally offers significant gains in coding efficiency which, however, depend on the shape of the object coded. Complexity measurements further show that a rate constraint imposes only a marginal computational overhead, thus making this approach a useful amendment for an MPEG-4 coder.
A DDoS attack detection system based on spark framework

There are many problems in traditional Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack detection such as low accuracy, low detection speed and so on, which is not suitable for the real time detecting and processing of DDoS attacks in big data environment. This paper proposed a novel DDoS attack detection system based on Spark framework including 3 main algorithms. Based on information entropy, the first one can effectively warn all kinds of DDoS attacks in advance according to the information entropy change of data stream source IP address and destination IP address; With the help of designed dynamic sampling K-Means algorithm, this new detection system improves the attack detection accuracy effectively; Through running dynamic sampling K-Means parallelization algorithm, which can quickly and effectively detect a variety of DDoS attacks in big data environment. The experiment results show that this system can not only early warn DDoS attacks effectively, but also can detect all kinds of DDoS attacks in real time, with low false rate.