Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Principal findings of systematic reviews of acute asthma treatment in childhood

Abstract Objective: The objective of this study is to summarize the principal findings in the literature about acute asthma management in children. Methods: Systematic reviews of randomized clinical trials (SRCTs) with or without meta-analysis in children (1–18 years) admitted to the emergency department (ED) were retrieved using five data bases. Methodological quality was determined using the AMSTAR tool. Results: One hundred and three studies were retrieved. Among those, 28 SRCTs were included: seven SRCTs related to short-acting beta2-agonists (SABA), three to ipratropium bromide (IB), eight to corticosteroids, one to racemic adrenaline, one to leukotriene receptor antagonists (LTRA), four to magnesium sulfate, one to intravenous (IV) SABA, one to IV aminophylline, one to IV ketamine, and one to antibiotics. It was determined that administering SABA by MDI-VHC is superior to using a nebulizer, because it decreases the hospital admission rate, improves the clinical score, results in a shorter time in the ED, and causes fewer adverse effects. Levalbuterol and albuterol were similar. In patients with moderate to severe exacerbations, IB+SABA was superior to SABA, decreasing hospital admission and improving the clinical score. SABA heliox administered by nebulizer decreased exacerbation severity compared to oxygen. Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), especially administered by nebulizer, showed results similar to oral corticosteroids (OCS) with respect to reducing hospital admission, unscheduled visits, and the requirement of additional systemic corticosteroids. ICS or OCS following ED discharge was similar with regard to relapse. Compared with a placebo, IV magnesium reduced hospital admission and improved lung function. Conclusions: SRCTs are useful for guiding decisions in acute asthma treatment.
Contribution of Flow-Dependent Vasomotor Mechanisms to the Autoregulation of Cerebral Blood Flow

Regulation of cerebral blood flow (CBF) is the result of multilevel mechanisms to maintain the appropriate blood supply to the brain while having to comply with the limited space available in the cranium. The latter requirement is ensured by the autoregulation of CBF, in which the pressure-sensitive myogenic response is known to play a pivotal role. However, in vivo increases in pressure are accompanied by increases in flow; yet the effects of flow on the vasomotor tone of cerebral vessels are less known. Earlier studies showed flow-sensitive dilation and/or constriction or both, but no clear picture emerged. Recently, the important role of flow-sensitive mechanism(s) eliciting the constriction of cerebral vessels has been demonstrated. This review focuses on the effect of hemodynamic forces (especially intraluminal flow) on the vasomotor tone of cerebral vessels and the underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. A novel concept of autoregulation of CBF is proposed, suggesting that (in certain areas of the cerebrovascular tree) pressure- and flow-induced constrictions together maintain an effective autoregulation, and that alterations in these mechanisms may contribute to the development of cerebrovascular disorders. Future studies are warranted to explore the signals, the details of signaling processes and the in vivo importance of these mechanisms.
An Iterative List Branch and Bound Algorithm for MIMO Detection

An iterative list Branch and Bound (BB) algorithm based on the basic BB algorithm is proposed, which can obtain a candidate list to compute soft information that is used in the iterative detector. Furthermore, an improved algorithm is proposed which uses the prior information from the preceding iteration to calculate the lower bound and the candidate list is updated in each iteration. Simulation results show that the proposed list BB algorithm can achieve near capacity performance and the improved algorithm achieves good performance with smaller candidate list size.
Adaptive Fuzzy Colour Segmentation on RGB Ratio Space for Road Detection

In this paper, the RGB ratio is defined according to a reference colour such that the image can be transformed from a conventional colour space to the RGB ratio space. Different to distance measurement, a road colour segment is determined by an area in RGB ratio space enclosed by the estimated boundaries. Adaptive fuzzy logic, which fuzzy membership functions are defined according to estimated boundaries, is introduced to implement clustering rules. Low computation cost of the proposed segmentation method shows the feasibility to real time application. Experimental results for road detection demonstrate the robustness to intensity variation of the proposed approach.
Feature model for the service provider in the service oriented architecture

A widely used approach to develop a Service Provider (SP) in the Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), called contract-first, consists of designing service contracts that will be used to generate the SP source code. The goal of a service contract is expressing the features (e.g., services and capabilities) of the required SP. The two most known traditional service contracts in the literature are: WSDL and WADL. We identify that these service contracts suffer from several problems, such as they only allow expressing a limited set of features. In order to overcome such problems, we propose a Feature Model (FM), named FMsp, that can be considered as a service contract for SP. The features of FMsp are designed to generate valid, customized and fully functional SPs. A key point in our FMsp is that it relies on SOA Design Patterns (DPs) to define its features. The constraints expressed between the DPs in our FMsp allow to easily developing valid compound DPs in the SP. Because DPs are proven solutions, then our FMsp will generate proven SPs as well. We evaluate our FMsp through a practical case study. The results show that the advantage of our FMsp compared with the traditional service contracts is, it permits to automatically generates valid, customized, fully functional and based-DP SPs in a short time.
Performance and carcass characteristics of swine when fed diets containing canola oil and added copper to alter the unsaturated:saturated ratio of pork fat.

A 3 x 2 trial was conducted to determine the effects of adding canola oil (0, 5, or 10%) and copper sulfate (0 or 250 ppm Cu) to diets of growing-finishing swine on performance, carcass characteristics, and carcass fat fatty acid composition. The trial used 180 pigs (27 kg). Grower diets (.80% lysine for 0% canola oil diet) were given from 27 to 57 kg of BW and finisher diets (.64% lysine) from 57 to 102 kg. Diets were formulated to constant ME:lysine ratio within the grower and finisher phases. Over the entire growing-finishing period, the addition of canola oil to the diets resulted in linear improvements in rate of gain (P less than .05) and feed efficiency (P less than .01). Dietary additions of canola oil had no effect (P greater than .10) on resulting backfat thickness or longissimus muscle area but resulted in reductions (P less than .01) in loin marbling and color and carcass fat firmness, mostly noted in pigs fed the diets with 10% canola oil. Canola oil additions at 5 and 10% levels, respectively, resulted in a 23 and 37% reduction (P less than .01) in saturated fatty acids, 3 and 8% increase (P less than .01) in monounsaturated fatty acids, and 37 and 77% increase (P less than .01) in polyunsaturated fatty acids in the carcass fat compared with the diets without canola oil. The addition of canola oil to diets of growing-finishing swine had a favorable influence on animal performance and on increasing the unsaturated:saturated ratio of the carcass fat. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Hypothalamic Responses to Long-chain Fatty Acids Are Nutritionally Regulated*

Central administration of the long-chain fatty acid oleic acid inhibits food intake and glucose production in rats. Here we examined whether short term changes in nutrient availability can modulate these metabolic and behavioral effects of oleic acid. Rats were divided in three groups receiving a highly palatable energy-dense diet at increasing daily caloric levels (below, similar, or above the average of rats fed standard chow). Following 3 days on the assigned diet regimen, rats were tested for acute biological responses to the infusion of oleic acid in the third cerebral ventricle. Three days of overfeeding virtually obliterated the metabolic and anorectic effects of the central administration of oleic acid. Furthermore, the infusion of oleic acid in the third cerebral ventricle failed to decrease the expression of neuropeptide Y in the hypothalamus and of glucose-6-phosphatase in the liver following short term overfeeding. The lack of hypothalamic responses to oleic acid following short term overfeeding is likely to contribute to the rapid onset of weight gain and hepatic insulin resistance in this animal model.
Analysis and performance comparison of different cognitive radio algorithms

In this work, we provide performance analysis and comparison for three different cognitive radio (CR) strategies, namely, interwave, underlay, and overlay in a scenario with a primary communication in the presence of a secondary one. We investigate the three different spectrum sharing techniques in terms of theoretical limits represented by capacity achievable by the cognitive user, assuming power constraints and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel. The closed-form derivation of the capacity shows the impact of scenario and transmission parameters on the two coexisting systems and allows to choose the best CR strategy.
Macroeconomic Implications of the Fiscal Imbalances

1. Chances are that any conversation about India today will turn into a discussion of the rapid rise in income and reduction in poverty, or the phenomenal rise of the information technology (IT) and the ITES sector in the global market, or the spectacular growth in cellular telephony, or the imminent dawn of India’s golden age—the latter largely predicated on favorable demographic trends propelling India into the ranks of the world’s leading economies in the not-too-distant future. It is undeniable that India has made—in only the last 12 years—remarkable strides in raising living standards and reducing poverty as a result of wide-ranging reforms to liberalize and open up the economy. Furthermore, from facing a severe balance of payments crisis, which brought it to the verge of bankruptcy in 1990/91, India now has reserves of over $100 billion and vulnrerability to external shocks has been reduced significantly.
[Cup-to-disc ratio asymmetry in adolescents].

PURPOSE To determine the frequency of asymmetries greater than 0.2 in the cup-to-disc ratio of a population of adolescents. METHODS Fundus photographs of both eyes of 123 adolescents were digitized at the resolution of 300 pixels per inch (300 dpi), 8 bits, with a RBG color pattern. The measurements were performed using the Image J software, version 1.42, developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Java platform version 1.6. RESULTS The values of the differences in the cup-to-disc ratio between the two eyes of the same individual ranged from 0 to 0.30. The mean difference was 0.07, the median 0.06 and the standard deviation 0.05. About 54.4% of the studied population had asymmetries up to 0.06 and 79.7% had asymmetries up to 0.1. Two individuals presented asymmetries of more than 0.2, corresponding to 1.63% of the evaluated subjects. CONCLUSION The frequency of asymmetries in the group of adolescents studied was similar to that detected in studies of the normal adult population.
Angle-multiplexing recording of multi-context for optically reconfigurable gate array in holographic memory using liquid crystal composites

A holographic polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (HPDLC) memory to record multi-context information for an optically reconfigurable gate array is formed by the angle-multiplexing recording using successive laser exposures in liquid crystal (LC) composites. The laser illumination system is constructed using the half mirror and photomask written by the different configuration contexts placed on the motorized stages under the control of a personal computer. The configuration contexts corresponding to the various logical circuits are reconstructed by the laser illumination at different incident angle in the HPDLC memory.
Views on contentious practices in dairy farming: the case of early cow-calf separation.

The public has become increasingly interested in the welfare of food animals, but the food animal industries possess few mechanisms for public engagement. Here we present results from a web-based forum designed to allow stakeholders to share views on controversial issues in dairying. In response to the question "Should dairy calves be separated from the cow within the first few hours after birth? " participants were able to indicate "yes," "no," or "neutral" and either write a reason in support of their view or select reasons provided by other participants. Four independent groups of participants were recruited (a total of 163 people); 31% said they had no involvement in the dairy industry; the remaining 69% (with some involvement in the industry) were students or teachers (33%), animal advocates (13%), producers (11%), veterinarians (9%) and other dairy industry professionals (3%). Overall, little consensus existed among participants across groups; 44% chose "yes," 48% "no," and 9% "neutral. " Responses varied with demographics, with opposition to early separation higher among females, animal advocates, and those with no involvement with the dairy industry. A fifth group was recruited at a dairy industry conference (an additional 28 participants); 46% chose "yes," 32% "no," and 21% "neutral. " Across all 5 groups, opponents and supporters often referenced similar issues in the reasons they provided. Opponents of early separation contended that it is emotionally stressful for the calf and cow, it compromises calf and cow health, it is unnatural, and the industry can and should accommodate cow-calf pairs. In contrast, supporters of early separation reasoned that emotional distress is minimized by separating before bonds develop, that it promotes calf and cow health, and that the industry is limited in its ability to accommodate cow-calf pairs. These results illustrate the potential of web-based forums to identify areas of agreement and conflict among stakeholders, providing a basis for the development of practices that address shared concerns.
Modified maximum power point tracking for PV system using single switch DC/DC converter

This paper proposes maximum power point tracking (MPPT) of photo voltaic (PV) system based on the relation between optimum voltage and atmospheric temperature. This method uses existing single switch DC-DC power converter which is the integration of buck and buck-boost converter results in single stage single switch converter (SSC). It reduces the power losses. In this article, perturb and observe (P&O) algorithm with the large step forward and small step reverse is considered for the initial tracking of maximum power point (MPP). The optimum voltages of PV systems are almost constant at the different insolation level and assumed that which is inversely proportional to the temperature variation with constant irradiation. The proposed MPPT algorithm with the above relation provides fast and accurate tracking for every atmospheric condition. The performance of the proposed model is validated by simulation in MATLAB/Simulink.
Functional Characteristics of the Foot and Plantar Aponeurosis under Tibiotalar Loading

Structurally the foot is equivalent to a twisted plate. The hindpart is located in the sagittal plane and the forepart in the transverse plane. The transition induced by the twist creates the transverse and the longitudinal arches. Under vertical loading of the foot plate by the tibiotalar column, compressive forces are created on the dorsum and tensile forces on the plantar aspect of the foot plate. The plantar aponeurosis acting as a tie-rod when under tension relieves the tensile forces from the plantar aspect of the foot plate. The increased tension in the plantar aponeurosis in the weightbearing position of the foot occurs with anterior flexion of the leg or with hyperextension of the toes. In the plantigrade position when vertical loading and external rotation are simultaneously applied by the tibiotalar column on the foot, the hindfoot and the midfoot are supinated, and the forefoot is pronated. The medial longitudinal arch is higher, the foot is shorter, and the plantar aponeurosis is relaxed. The foot is then more flexible. With vertical loading and simultaneous internal rotation, the hindfoot and the midfoot are pronated, and the forefoot is supinated. The medial longitudinal arch is lower, the foot is longer, and the plantar aponeurosis is tense. The foot is then more rigid and a better lever arm. Demonstrations are presented both in living and in anatomic dissections.
Application of nonparametric weighted feature extraction for an inertial-signal-based human activity recognition system

This paper develops an inertial-sensing-based wearable human activity classification system and its associated human activity classification algorithm for accurately recognizing human daily activity. The proposed system used two inertial sensing modules, which are worn on subjects' wrist and ankle, to collect motion signals of human activities, and utilized the nonparametric weighted feature extraction (NWFE) algorithm to reduce the feature dimensions and improve the classification rate simultaneously. First, we integrated a microcontroller, a triaxial accelerometer, a triaxial gyroscope, and a RF wireless transmission module into the inertial sensing module. Next, the two inertial sensing modules are worn on subjects' wrist and ankle to form a wearable human activity classification system, and collect motion signals generated by daily activities. Subsequently, we developed an inertial-sensing-based human activity classification algorithm composed of signal preprocessing, human motion detection, windowing, feature extraction, feature reduction, and activity classification to recognize the types of human activities. In addition, we also utilized the NWFE algorithm to reduce the feature dimensions and computational complexity, and improve the classification rate. Finally, the experimental results show that the wearable human activity classification system and its human activity classification algorithm can recognize 10 daily activities with the classification rate of 90.5%.
An inductorless CMOS UWB pulse generator with active pulse shaping circuit

The design of an UWB pulse generator is presented. The pulse generator is based on an elementary pulse combination technique which enables the emitted pulse to be precisely shaped. This technique is implemented with no inductor or passive network and can be used to ensure regulation compliance. This generator has been fully integrated in a 0.13 μm CMOS standard technology. Its area is 0.06mm2 only and it can be programmed to synthesize different pulse shapes. For FCC compliant pulse shapes, the maximum measured 10dB bandwidth is 3.5GHz, and the maximum peak to peak magnitude is 220mV. The measured maximal power consumption is 87.6mW at 800MHz Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF).
Experience conditioning in modal choice modelling: does it make a difference?

It is often suggested that real experience counts when making choices and that choice responses are likely to be different after an individual has experienced specific alternatives. This has links with hypothetical bias associated with stated choice (SC) experiments as well as with the concerns over the reliability of revealed preference (RP) data obtained on alternatives that individuals have had little if any exposure to through use or consumption. If we had a way of identifying experience with each alternative in a choice set, constructed from RP or SC data, might we obtain different estimates of key behavioural outputs such as willingness to pay and elasticity? What if we weighted each alternative associated with each observation by some measure of overt experience? A reason why this might be important is that it enables us to recognise that as more individuals use particular alternatives, especially new infrastructure such as toll roads and public transport, the forecasts of benefits are likely to converge closer to estimates of utility in which the parameter estimates (and hence implied willingness to pay and elasticities) are conditioned on experience, on the reasonable hypothesis that future predictions reflect growing levels of exposure and hence experience with specific alternatives. We use an RP data set collected in Sydney on commuter mode choice to investigate this phenomenon, comparing the value of travel time savings, and cost and travel time elasticities associated with car and public transport under a model in which we do not condition the time and cost parameters on experience, and a model in which we do, using frequency of use as a proxy indicator of overt experience. The differences are very marked, and suggest, albeit from a single study, that this topic appears to have great merit as a candidate source of potential errors in forecasts. We suggest a way forward in which this evidence on experience might
Enhanced Visuospatial Memory Following Intracerebroventricular Administration of Nerve Growth Factor

The present work assessed the effects of intracerebroventricular injections of rh recombined human nerve growth factor (rh NGF) (5 micrograms/2.5 microl) at postnatal days 12 and 13 upon the development of spatial learning capacities. The treated rats were trained at the age of 22 days to escape onto an invisible platform at a fixed position in space in a Morris navigation task. For half of the subjects, the training position was also cued, a procedure aimed at facilitating escape and at reducing attention to the distant spatial cues. Later, at the age of 6 months, all the rats were trained in a radial-arm maze task. Treatment effects were found in both immature and adult rats. The injection of NGF improved the performance in the Morris navigation task in both training conditions. There was a significant reduction in the escape latency and an increased bias toward the training platform quadrant during probe trials. The most consistent effect was the precocious development of an adult-like spatial memory. In the radial-arm maze, the NGF-treated rats made significantly fewer reentries than vehicle rats and this effect was particularly marked in the treated female rats. Taken together, these experiments reveal that the development and the maintenance of an accurate spatial representation are tightly related to the development of brain structures facilitated by the action of NGF. Moreover, these experiments demonstrate that an acute pharmacological treatment that leads to a transient modification in the choline acetyltransferase activity can induce a behavioral change long after the treatment.