Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The relationship between left ventricular deformation and different geometric patterns according to the updated classification: findings from the hypertensive population

Objective: We sought to investigate left ventricular mechanics in hypertensive patients with different geometric patterns by using two-dimensional (2DE) and three-dimensional (3DE) strain analysis. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 197 hypertensive individuals who underwent a complete 2DE and 3DE examination. We applied the new updated criteria of left ventricular geometry that considered left ventricular mass index, left ventricular end-diastolic diameter and relative wall thickness. According to this classification the individuals were divided into six groups: normal geometry, concentric remodelling, eccentric nondilated left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), concentric LVH, dilated LVH and concentric-dilated LVH. Results: Multidirectional 2DE and 3DE left ventricular strain decreased from the hypertensive patients with normal geometry, across the individuals with left ventricular concentric remodelling, eccentric nondilated LVH, to the patients with concentric LVH and dilated LVH patterns. The reduction of left ventricular systolic and early diastolic strain rates was noticed to be heading in the same direction, as well as the elevation of late diastolic strain rates. Left ventricular twist and torsion were increased in the participants with concentric and dilated LVH patterns. Reduced 2DE and 3DE strains were associated with concentric and dilated LVH patterns independent of demographic and clinical parameters. Conclusion: Left ventricular deformation in hypertensive patients is significantly impacted by left ventricular geometry. Concentric and dilated LVH patterns have the greatest unfavourable effect on 2DE and 3DE left ventricular mechanics. The updated classification of left ventricular geometry provides valuable and comprehensive information about left ventricular mechanical deformation and function in hypertensive population.
Combining Stochastic Task Models with Reinforcement Learning for Dynamic Scheduling

We view dynamic scheduling as a sequential decision problem. Firstly, we introduce a generalized planning operator, the stochastic task model (STM), which predicts the effects of executing a particular task on state, time and reward using a general procedural format (pure stochastic function). Secondly, we show that effective planning under uncertainty can be obtained by combining adaptive horizon stochastic planning with reinforcement learning (RL) in a hybrid system. The benefits of the hybrid approach are evaluated using a repeatable job shop scheduling task.
Feeding and oral hygiene habits of children attending daycare centres in Bangalore and their caretakers oral health knowledge, attitude and practices.

AIM Caretakers in day-care centers play a significant role in imparting good oral hygiene practices and also extend a working relationship with parents with regard to their children's oral health. As a result of this, caregiver's dental knowledge, attitudes, beliefs and practices affect the child's oral condition. SETTINGS AND DESIGN A descriptive cross-sectional study involved caretakers working in day-care centers of Bangalore. Fifty-two day-care centers were randomly selected from the different zones of Bangalore city, from which 246 caretakers provided consent for participation. MATERIALS AND METHODS A comprehensive, closed-ended, self-administered questionnaire was employed which was designed to collect the sociodemographic details and to evaluate the oral health knowledge, attitudes, practice of caretakers. The institutional review committee approved the study. Data were entered using SPSS 13.01. RESULTS Seventy-nine percent of the subjects had good knowledge of child's tooth eruption time, clinical presentation of dental caries and the role of fluoride in caries prevention. Yet, half of the subjects found routine dental examination after all the milk teeth have erupted in the oral cavity insignificant and 41% strongly agreed that dentist should be consulted only when the child has a toothache. In spite of the good knowledge, 77% preferred to use pacifier dipped in honey/sugar if the children acted troublesome. Analogous to this, 45% gave milk/juice with sugar before the child's nap time. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that caretaker's attitude toward oral health care needs is far from acceptable standards to mirror any positive impact on the children.
Lightweight Description Logics and Branching Time: A Troublesome Marriage

We study branching-time temporal description logics (BTDLs) based on the temporal logic CTL in the presence of rigid (time-invariant) roles and general TBoxes. There is evidence that, if full CTL is combined with the classical ALC in this way, reasoning becomes undecidable. In this paper, we begin by substantiating this claim, establishing undecidability for a fragment of this combination. In view of this negative result, we then investigate BTDLs that emerge from combining fragments of CTL with lightweight DLs from the EL and DL-Lite families. We show that even rather inexpressive BTDLs based on EL exhibit very high complexity. Most notably, we identify two convex fragments which are undecidable and hard for non-elementary time, respectively. For BTDLs based on DL-LiteNbool, we obtain tight complexity bounds that range from PSPACE to EXPTIME.
Multiple target tracking with a pixelized sensor

This paper describes a computationally efficient method for tracking multiple moving targets. The method is predicated on estimation of the joint multitarget probability density (JMPD), which is a single probabilistic entity capturing uncertainty in both the number of targets and the states of the individual targets. The non-Gaussian/nonlinear measurement model adopted here does not permit exact computation of the JMPD so some method of approximation is required. A novel particle filtering algorithm for recursive estimation of the JMPD is proposed which provides computational tractability by automatically factoring the high dimensional multitarget state when applicable and using the optimal importance density with Rao-Blackwellisization on each of the factors. The efficiency of the proposed algorithm is shown via simulation results using real, recorded target trajectories.
A New Projection-Based Neural Network for Constrained Variational Inequalities

This paper presents a new neural network model for solving constrained variational inequality problems by converting the necessary and sufficient conditions for the solution into a system of nonlinear projection equations. Five sufficient conditions are provided to ensure that the proposed neural network is stable in the sense of Lyapunov and converges to an exact solution of the original problem by defining a proper convex energy function. The proposed neural network includes an existing model, and can be applied to solve some nonmonotone and nonsmooth problems. The validity and transient behavior of the proposed neural network are demonstrated by some numerical examples.
Impact of a peri‐operative quality improvement programme on postoperative pulmonary complications

Postoperative pulmonary complications are common, with a reported incidence of 2–40%, and are associated with adverse outcomes that include death, longer hospital stay and reduced long‐term survival. Enhanced recovery is now a standard of care for patients undergoing elective major surgery. Despite the high prevalence of pulmonary complications in this population, few elements of enhanced recovery specifically address reducing these complications. In 2013, a prevalence audit confirmed a postoperative pulmonary complication rate of 16/83 (19.3%) in patients undergoing elective major surgery who were admitted to critical care postoperatively. A quality improvement team developed and implemented ERAS+, an innovative model of peri‐operative care combining elements of enhanced recovery with specific measures aimed at reducing pulmonary complications. ERAS+ was introduced in June 2014, with full implementation in September 2014. Patients were screened during full ERAS+ implementation and again one year following implementation. Following ERAS+ implementation, postoperative pulmonary complications reduced to 24/228 (10.5%). Sustained improvement was evident one year after implementation, with a pulmonary complication rate of 16/183 (8.7%). Median (IQR [range]) length of hospital stay one year after implementation of ERAS+ also improved from 12 (9–15 [4‐101]) to 9 (5.5–10.5 [3‐81]) days. The ERAS+ pathway is applicable to patients undergoing elective major surgery and appears effective in reducing postoperative pulmonary complications.
Impact of exposure to low concentrations of nitric oxide on protein profile in murine and human pancreatic islet cells

Homeostatic levels of nitric oxide (NO) protect efficiently against apoptotic death in both human and rodent pancreatic β cells, but the protein profile of this action remains to be determined. We have applied a 2 dimensional LC-MS-MALDI-TOF/TOF-based analysis to study the impact of protective NO in rat insulin-producing RINm5F cell line and in mouse and human pancreatic islets (HPI) exposed to serum deprivation condition. 24 proteins in RINm5F and 22 in HPI were identified to undergo changes in at least one experimental condition. These include stress response mitochondrial proteins (UQCRC2, VDAC1, ATP5C1, ATP5A1) in RINm5F cells and stress response endoplasmic reticulum proteins (HSPA5, PDIA6, VCP, GANAB) in HPI. In addition, metabolic and structural proteins, oxidoreductases and chaperones related with protein metabolism are also regulated by NO treatment. Network analysis of differentially expressed proteins shows their interaction in glucocorticoid receptor and NRF2-mediated oxidative stress response pathways and eNOS signaling. The results indicate that exposure to exogenous NO counteracts the impact of serum deprivation on pancreatic β cell proteome. Species differences in the proteins involved are apparent.
On constructing completions

Abstract The Dedekind cuts in an ordered set form a set in the sense of constructive Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory. We deduce this statement from the principle of refinement, which we distill before from the axiom of fullness. Together with exponentiation, refinement is equivalent to fullness. None of the defining properties of an ordering is needed, and only refinement for two–element coverings is used. In particular, the Dedekind reals form a set: whence we have also refined an earlier result by Aczel and Rathjen, who invoked the full form of fullness. To further generalise this, we look at Richman's method to complete an arbitrary metric space without sequences, which he designed to avoid countable choice. The completion of a separable metric space turns out to be a set even if the original space is a proper class: in particular, every complete separable metric space automatically is a set.
Identification and Characterization of an Azotobacter vinelandii Type I Secretion System Responsible for Export of the AlgE-Type Mannuronan C-5-Epimerases

ABSTRACT Alginate is a linear copolymer of β-d-mannuronic acid and its C-5-epimer, α-l-guluronic acid. During biosynthesis, the polymer is first made as mannuronan, and various fractions of the monomers are then epimerized to guluronic acid by mannuronan C-5-epimerases. The Azotobacter vinelandii genome encodes a family of seven extracellular such epimerases (AlgE1 to AlgE7) which display motifs characteristic for proteins secreted via a type I pathway. Putative ATPase-binding cassette regions from the genome draft sequence of the A. vinelandii OP strain and experimentally verified type I transporters from other species were compared. This analysis led to the identification of one putative A. vinelandii type I system (eexDEF). The corresponding genes were individually disrupted in A. vinelandii strain E, and Western blot analysis using polyclonal antibodies against all AlgE epimerases showed that these proteins were present in wild-type culture supernatants but absent from the eex mutant supernatants. Consistent with this, the wild-type strain and the eex mutants produced alginate with about 20% guluronic acid and almost pure mannuronan (≤2% guluronic acid), respectively. The A. vinelandii wild type is able to enter a particular desiccation-tolerant resting stage designated cyst. At this stage, the cells are surrounded by a rigid coat in which alginate is a major constituent. Such a coat was formed by wild-type cells in a particular growth medium but was missing in the eex mutants. These mutants were also found to be unable to survive desiccation. The reason for this is probably that continuous stretches of guluronic acid residues are needed for alginate gel formation to take place.
Academic and Behavioral Trajectories for At-Risk Adolescents in Urban Schools

The purpose of this longitudinal study was twofold: (a) to investigate academic, behavioral, and emotional outcomes for adolescents who were followed longitudinally from middle through high school and (b) to determine if early assessment of achievement and behavior predicts academic and behavioral outcomes for adolescents who were identified as at risk for developing emotional and behavioral problems when they were in primary school. Teacher ratings and student self-reports suggested that the behavioral and emotional symptoms for this school-based sample of predominately minority adolescents (n = 212, 91% African American and/or Hispanic, 45% boys, 55% girls) decreased across time, although there was significant variability for individuals. The at-risk students in special education had significantly higher self-ratings of emotional problems than the other groups and viewed school more negatively. Assessment of reading and math achievement and teacher ratings of behavior in primary school predicted achievement and behavior through middle and high school for at-risk students. Results have implications for early identification, prevention/intervention programs, and transition planning for children and youth at risk for developing problem behaviors.
From collective housing to cohousing - A summary of research

This paper is an overview of research on collective housing, defined to include several models of housing with communal facilities. The overview is based on both empirical and theoretical research. A major part of the paper refers to Swedish examples, which have been extensively investigated over several decades, but the paper also includes material from other Scandinavian countries, the United States, Germany, and other parts of the world. Besides a discussion of definitions, the paper contains a summary of research on the history of collective housing, overviews of alternative housing projects, evaluations of individual collective housing projects, how socio-political change affects house forms, and gender child, and design aspects of collective housing. The References comprise 75 titles, 27 of which are in Scandinavian languages and 29 in English.
HIV in the Workplace: Protecting Rights to Equality and Privacy

ABSTRACTThe article examines whether the 1996 Constitution is sufficiently relevant and comprehensive to protect rights to equality and privacy of people living with HIV-AIDS in the workplace. It focuses on the safeguards against HIV-related discrimination and unlawful HIV testing by employers. It is argued that, at a general level, the Constitution offers appropriate and adequate safeguards against discrimination and testing. However, more concrete safeguards should come from legislation. The Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 is an illustration of supplementation in more tangible terms of the right to equality and privacy of people living with HIV/AIDS. The ban on HIV testing under the Act, is a new and important safeguard against abusive conduct by employers. The right to equality in the workplace cannot be adequately protected unless there are sufficient safeguards against unwarranted invasions of privacy.
Either fadD1 or fadD2, Which Encode acyl-CoA Synthetase, Is Essential for the Survival of Haemophilus parasuis SC096

In Haemophilus parasuis, the genes HAPS_0217 and HAPS_1695 are predicted to encode long-chain fatty acid-CoA ligases (FACSs). These proteins contain ATP/AMP signature motifs and FACS conserved motifs that are homologous to those in Escherichia coli FadD (EcFadD). In this study, we demonstrate that HAPS_0217 and HAPS_1695 can functionally replace EcFadD in the E. coli fadD mutant JW1794, and were thus designated fadD1 and fadD2, respectively. An evaluation of kinetic parameters indicated that FadD1 and FadD2 have a substrate preference for long-chain fatty acids. Moreover, FadD2 exhibited substrate inhibition in the presence of high concentrations of oleic acid. Single mutants of each of the fadD genes were easily constructed, whereas double mutants were not. These results were further confirmed using genomic site-directed mutagenesis, which supported the idea that H. parasuis requires either fadD1 or fadD2 for survival. The fadD1 mutant exhibited slower growth than the wild-type strain SC096, and its complementation resulted in a restored phenotype. The wild-type strain did not grow on chemically defined medium without the addition of oleic acid, indicating that lipids are a vital nutrient for this bacterium. Additionally, strains with a disrupted fadD1 gene also exhibited increased sensitivity to quinolone antibiotics, including levofloxacin, enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin and nalidixic acid.
Affective modulation of pain in substance-dependent veterans.

OBJECTIVE Prior work suggests that positive affect inhibits pain while negative affect facilitates it. The current study sought to determine whether: 1) affective modulation of pain extends to a patient population; 2) cocaine and alcohol dependence influences the pattern of modulation; and 3) affective modulation of pain is mediated by changes in arm temperature. DESIGN Thirty-seven participants with and without substance dependence (14 alcohol, 13 cocaine, 10 none) attended three experimental sessions intended to induce emotions (negative, neutral, positive) by picture-viewing. Following emotion-induction, participants were asked to submerge their arm in 33 degrees F water and keep it there until they reached tolerance. During submersion, pain ratings were made on a mechanical visual analog scale (M-VAS). OUTCOME MEASURES Latency from submersion to first movement of the M-VAS (pain threshold) and latency to arm removal (pain tolerance) were measured. Arm temperature and manipulation checks for emotion-induction (corrugator electromyogram, heart rate, skin conductance, self-report) were also recorded. RESULTS Manipulation checks confirmed that targeted affective states were achieved. Pain threshold and tolerance were higher after viewing pleasant pictures than after unpleasant ones. Although arm temperature did vary based on the affect induced, analyses suggested that temperature did not influence pain outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Affect modulates pain perception in patients and does not appear to be mediated by changes in arm temperature. Additionally, pain modulation was not significantly influenced by cocaine or alcohol dependence. These data are encouraging, because they suggest that nonpharmacological methods of pain modulation may be effective in substance-dependent individuals.
The high partial wave phenomenon of spin changing atomic transitions

The collisional transition between two highly excited atomic states with different spin is investigated theoretically. Taking helium-like n1S–n3P as an example, it is found that the transition is driven in the highly ionized Fe ion purely by exchange, and the cross section becomes increasingly dominated by partial waves of high orbital angular momentum as the scattering energy increases. Whereas for the near-neutral Li ion the transition is dominated by channel coupling in low partial waves. Analytical benchmarks and numerical methods are developed for the accurate calculation of the exchange integral at high angular momentum. It is shown how the partial wave and energy dependence of the collision strength for high n spin changing transitions in the highly ionized ion is related to the overlap of the extended atomic orbitals.
Online Visual Tracking via Two View Sparse Representation

In this letter, we present a novel online tracking method based on sparse representation. In contrast to existing “sparse representation”-based tracking algorithms, this work adopts the sparse representation method to construct both object and state models. The tracked object can be sparsely represented by a series of object templates, and also can be sparsely represented by candidate samples in the current frame. Furthermore, we propose a unified objective function to integrate object and state models, and cast the tracking problem as an optimization problem that can be solved in an iteration manner. Finally, we compare the proposed tracker with nine state-of-the-art tracking methods by using some challenging image sequences. Both qualitative and quantitative evaluations demonstrate that our tracker achieves favorable performance in terms of both accuracy and speed.
On-Site Non-Invasive Current Monitoring of Multi-Core Underground Power Cables With a Magnetic-Field Sensing Platform at a Substation

Current monitoring can facilitate preemptive action in electrical distribution network, so as to relieve power congestion, improve transmission efficiency, and ensure network reliability. The non-invasive current sensing devices are promising since they do not require contacting hazardous high voltage and their installation is much easier compared with invasive current sensing devices. However, the existing non-invasive current sensing devices, such as current clamps and Rogowski coils are only applicable for measuring single-core underground power cables. In this paper, we established a non-invasive technique, that can monitor the currents of a multi-core underground power cable by measuring the emitted magnetic field around the cable surface. The additional magnetic fields generated by induced and leakage currents on the cables were firstly evaluated. Magnetoresistive (MR) sensors in a circular array were adopted to measure magnetic field around the cable surface, and a triple-layer shielding was designed to reduce the effects of external interference. Regarding intrinsic noise in MR sensors (e.g., 1/f noise and thermal noise), magnetic flux concentrators were supplemented to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The developed platform was tested in a substation, and the reconstructed results closely matched the real geometrical configuration and current records of the tested cable. Apart from the non-invasive feature, the platform also shows great potential to improve the sensing capability of current amplitude and frequency compared with CTs by adopting MR sensors.