Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
“Paradoxical Kinesis” is not a Hallmark of Parkinson's disease but a general property of the motor system

Although slowness of movement is a typical feature of Parkinson's disease (PD), it has been suggested that severely disabled patients remained able to produce normal motor responses in the context of urgent or externally driven situations. To investigate this phenomenon (often designated “paradoxical kinesis”), we required PD patients and healthy subjects to press a large switch under three main conditions: Self Generated, produce the fastest possible movement; External Cue, same as Self Generated but in response to an acoustic cue; Urgent External Cue, same as External Cue with the switch controlling an electromagnet that prevented a ball falling at the bottom of a tilted ramp. Task difficulty was equalized for the two experimental groups. Results showed that external cues and urgent conditions decreased movement duration (Urgent External Cue < External Cue < Self Generated) and reaction time (Urgent External Cue < External Cue). The amount of reduction was identical in PD patients and healthy subjects. These observations show that paradoxical kineses are not a hallmark of PD or a byproduct of basal ganglia dysfunctions, but a general property of the motor system. © 2006 Movement Disorder Society
DESIGN OF AN ARCHITECTURE AND INSTRUCTION-SET OF A RECONFIGURABLE ASIP FOR SOFTWARE-DEFINED RADIO

This paper presents a new approach that is complete functionality of SDR implemented in an Application Specific Instruction Processor (ASIP). In this paper, we discuss the details of design of architecture for an ASIP for SDR with a single bus and dedicated paths. We explain the instruction-set design for implementation of the SDR functionality and their instruction formats. We have used SystemC language for functional modeling and simulating architecture of an ASIP as well as its instruction-set. Simulation results for chosen instruction set are shown.
Effect of Core–Shell Ceria/Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) Nanoparticles Incorporated in Polymer Films and Their Optical Properties

We fabricated hybrid films of pentaerythritol triacrylate (PETA) with core–shell ceria/poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) nanoparticles, which consist of cerium oxide as the core and PVP as the shell, and investigated the film optical properties. In this study, we used ceria/PVP nanoparticles with average diameters of 37, 49 and 91 nm. We obtained translucent films consisting of PETA with core–shell ceria/PVP nanoparticles. The core–shell ceria/PVP nanoparticles can reduce the transmittance of near-ultraviolet light. The transmittance of visible light and haze values depends not only on the thickness of the films, but also on the average diameter of the nanoparticles. A SEM observation and the optical analyses prove that the core–shell ceria/PVP nanoparticles do not aggregate into the PETA matrix.
Current and Emerging Treatments for Multiple Myeloma

BACKGROUND: The prognosis and treatment of multiple myeloma (MM) has evolved greatly over the past decade. The development and incorporation of new agents such as immunomodulators and proteasome inhibitors into therapy has improved outcomes and is helping patients enjoy longer periods of remission. OBJECTIVES: To review current treatments for MM, including overview of drug therapy and management of adverse effects of therapy and comorbidities. Additionally, an overview of agents being studied and evaluated for use in MM and myeloma-related conditions, such as metastatic bone disease and venous thromboembolism, will be discussed. SUMMARY: Great strides have been made regarding the understanding of disease pathology in MM, leading to therapies that may be targeted to each individual, based on their unique biology of disease. Therapy is currently tailored based on patient issues and stage of disease, but may soon betailored individually based on the cytogenetic profile of a patient. Recent treatment guidelines have been published by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network which were updated with impressive results fromclinical trials involving agents such as immunomodulators and proteasome inhibitors. This guideline also provides information on the management of myeloma and treatment-related morbidities. As with the treatment of any cancer, clinicians must weigh risk versus benefit when determining the most appropriate therapy. Currently, corticosteroids, lenalidomide, thalidomide, and bortezomib are all used in patient swith MM. The use of chemotherapy, including high-dose therapy with stemcell transplant, is an important component of treatment for many patients.The use of high-dose therapy is continually being evaluated, and the issueof risk versus benefit is weighed for individual patients. Depending on the prognosis, it may be of benefit to endure the toxicity of higher doses toachieve a better overall response and achieve longer remission periods. Although stem cell transplantation is often performed in MM to improve survival and remission rates, some patients are unable to undergo transplant for a variety of reasons, including age (older than 65 years), comorbidities, and/or organ dysfunction.Newer drug therapies and combinations of therapy are being evaluated to better manage this population and patients who previously received high-dose chemotherapy and a stem-cell transplant. Additionally, the management of relapsed, or refractory, disease continues to be a challenge in treating the myeloma patient. Despite aggressive and improved treatments, most myeloma patients will eventually have resistance to therapyor relapse. Treatment strategies in these patients are also evolving. CONCLUSIONS: Major advancements in the diagnosis, staging, and treatmentof myeloma offer promise in the future for changing MM from a terminal illness into a chronic, manageable condition.
Eight conference on software engineering research and practice in Sweden (SERPS'08)

The eight conference on software engineering research and practice in Sweden (SERPS'08) was held in Karlskrona, Sweden, on the 4th-5th of Nov. 2008. The aim with SERPS'08 is to bring researchers and industry practitioners together to discuss software engineering issues, problems, solutions and experiences, not necessarily from a Swedish perspective. During the conference a number of research and industry papers were presented and questions in connection to the presentations were discussed. This paper is a report on the discussions that took place, pointing towards needs and challenges as well as areas of interest in both academia and industry.
Scenario Model Predictive Control for Lane Change Assistance and Autonomous Driving on Highways

This paper presents a novel design of control algorithms for lane change assistance and autonomous driving on highways, based on recent results in Scenario Model Predictive Control (SCMPC). The basic idea is to account for the uncertainty in the traffic environment by a small number of future scenarios, which is intuitive and computationally efficient. These scenarios can be generated by any model-based or data-based approach. The paper discusses the SCMPC design procedure, which is simple and can be generalized to other control challenges in automated driving, as well as the controller's robustness properties. Experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the SCMPC algorithm and its performance in lane change situations on highways.
A Framework for Incremental Mining of Interesting Temporal Association Rules

In this paper, an incremental association rules mining algorithm is proposed that integrates interestingness criterion during the process of building the model called SUMA. One of the main features of the proposed framework is to capture the user background knowledge, which is monotonically augmented. The incremental model that reflects the changing data over the time and the user beliefs is attractive in order to make the over all KDD process more effective and efficient. The proposed framework is implemented and experiment it with some public datasets and found the results quite promising.
Thalamic Relay Nuclei of the Basal Ganglia Form Both Reciprocal and Nonreciprocal Cortical Connections, Linking Multiple Frontal Cortical Areas

Thalamic relay nuclei transmit basal ganglia output to the frontal cortex, forming the last link in corticobasal ganglia circuitry. The thalamus regulates cortical activity through differential laminar connections, providing not only feedback, but also initiating “feedforward” loops, via nonreciprocal projections, that influence higher cortical areas. This study examines the organization of thalamic connections with cortex from basal ganglia relay nuclei, including ventral anterior (VA), ventral lateral (VL), and mediodorsal (MD) nuclei, in the Macaque monkey. Anterograde and bidirectional tracer injections ([3H]-amino acids, dextran conjugates of Fluorescein, Lucifer Yellow or FluoroRuby, or wheat germ agglutinin) into discrete VA/VL, MD, and frontal cortical sites demonstrate specific thalamocortical connections. VL projections target caudal motor areas (primary, supplementary, and caudal premotor areas), whereas VA projections target more rostral premotor areas (including cingulate and presupplementary motor areas) and MD projects to dorsolateral and orbital prefrontal cortices. Thalamocortical projections innervate cortical layers I and III, and to a lesser extent, layer V. In motor areas layer I projections are more extensive than those to layer III (and V). The complex laminar organization of projections from specific thalamic sites suggests differential regulation of cortical function. Injections of bidirectional tracers into thalamic and frontal cortical sites also show that in comparison to thalamocortical projections, corticothalamic projections to VA–VL and MD are more widespread. These findings demonstrate both reciprocal and nonreciprocal components to the thalamo-cortico-thalamic relay. Together, these experiments indicate a dual role for VA–VL and MD nuclei: (1) to relay basal ganglia output within specific cortical circuits and (2) to mediate information flow between cortical circuits.
Quantum confinement in Si nanocrystals.

The electronic structure of nanocrystalline Si which shows visible photoluminescence is calculated using the density-functional approach for finite structures. Except for geometry this is the same theory as for first-principles band structures of semiconductors and other solids. Our results for clusters ranging up to 706 Si atoms suggest that the band gap scales linearly with ${\mathit{L}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, where L is the cluster diameter. For such clusters it is found that dipole transitions across the gap are symmetry allowed. The finite structures thus show a direct band gap which is considerably larger than the one of bulk silicon. For larger clusters we find a strong decrease of oscillator strength, consistent with the occurrence of the indirect gap in the bulk limit.
Pathology of clinical training in nursing students of intensive care unit: A qualitative study

Aims: Training and internship periods have a basic role in making skills and professional abilities of nursing and obstetric students. Training is very important in obstetric units but its importance is twice in intensive care units. The goal of this study was to determine students, trainers and head nurses’ experiences and their opinion about intensive unit training. Methods: This qualitative-research is a theme analysis study in which nine nursing students, five nursing trainers, four head nurses of surgery unit and one trainingal supervisor were selected and interviewed based on purposeful sampling. All interviews were documented and analyzed. Results: By analyzing the written texts, there were a huge number of primary themes and five main themes which had some sub-themes. Main themes were the factors related to good management of the trainers, factors about trainers’ experience and their information adequacy, factors related to higher level managers’ supervision on training, factors related to imperfections of trainers’ experience and information and factors related to trainers' management. All themes were categorized to two strength and weakness classes. Conclusion: While it has been reflected from allideas that there are clear strong points in intensive units training, there are some weaknesses which can be eliminated by managerial measures such as revising lesson plans, enhancing supervision and establishing training workshops.
Quantum-dot cellular automata: introduction and experimental overview

An overview is given of the QCA architecture, along with a summary of experimental demonstrations of QCA devices. Quantum-dot cellular automata (QCA) is a transistorless computation paradigm that addresses such challenging issues as device and power density. The basic building blocks of the QCA architecture, such as AND, OR gates and clocked cells have been demonstrated and are presented. The quantum dots used in the experiments are metal islands that are coupled by capacitors and tunnel junctions. An improved design of the cell is presented in which all four dots of the cell are coupled by tunnel junctions. A noninvasive electrometer is presented which improves the sensitivity and linearity of dot potential measurements. The operation of this basic cell is confirmed by an externally controlled polarization change of the cell.
Is There Evidence for Synergy Among Air Pollutants in Causing Health Effects?

Background Environmental air pollutants are inhaled as complex mixtures, but the long dominant focus of monitoring and research on individual pollutants has provided modest insight into pollutant interactions that may be important to health. Trends toward managing multiple pollutants to maximize aggregate health gains place increasing value on knowing whether the effects of combinations of pollutants are greater than the sum of the effects of individual pollutants (synergy). Objective We reviewed selected published literature to determine whether synergistic effects of combinations of pollutants on health outcomes have actually been demonstrated. Methods and results We reviewed 36 laboratory studies of combinations of ozone with other pollutants that were reported in the recent U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Ozone Criteria Document. We examined original reports to determine whether the experimental design tested for synergy and whether synergy was demonstrated. Fourteen studies demonstrated synergism, although synergistic, additive, and antagonistic effects were sometimes observed among different outcomes or at different times after exposure. Conclusions Synergisms involving O3 have been demonstrated by laboratory studies of humans and animals. We conclude that the plausibility of synergisms among environmental pollutants has been established, although comparisons are limited, and most involved exposure concentrations much higher than typical of environmental pollutants. Epidemiologic research has limited ability to address the issue explicitly.
Stem Cell Therapy for Diabetes: Are We Close Enough?

Over the last few decades, understanding of the mechanism of cellular development has increased tremendously. The knowledge of the potential of stem/precursor cells in tissue engineering and cell therapy has gained the popularity. In case of diabetes, the availability of the source of stem cells and the efficacy of their isolation techniques for maximum yield of viable cells to expand is an important issue which needs attention. Attempts to make beta cells from mouse embryonic stem cells (ES) and adult stem cells have been frustrating in part because too much has been expected too soon. The problem with ES cells are that it is not known whether these cells are truly similar to normal beta cells or not and ethical issues surrounding them. ES cells is a major concern. Current claims about differentiation / transdifferentiation of adult stem cells to insulin producing cells has been demonstrated by many groups. These adult stem cells are of enormous interest because of their general accessibility and lack of ethical issues. Also, adult stem cells are non immunocompatible unless isolated from the same patient whereas ethical and scientific issues surrounding embryonic and fetal stem cells hinder their widespread implementation. Therefore, much attention is now focused on alternative sources of adult/postnat al stem
What Happens to the Peritoneal Membrane in Long-Term Peritoneal Dialysis?

Correspondence to: A. De Vriese, Renal Unit, University Hospital, OK12, De Pintelaan 185, Gent B-9000 Belgium. an.devriese@rug.ac. be S long-term peritoneal dialysis (PD) requires preservation of the transport function of the peritoneal membrane. Adequate dialysis is not only a matter of achieving the targets for Kt/Vurea and creatinine clearance, but also—and maybe even more importantly—of maintaining an optimal volume status. The development of ultrafiltration failure (UFF) remains one of the most important causes of treatment drop-out. It is also associated with a poor prognosis. Evidence is mounting that the incidence of UFF increases with time spent on PD, suggesting that the peritoneal membrane is progressively damaged during PD. However, the nature and the causes of the structural and functional alterations of the peritoneal membrane in long-term PD remain to be fully defined. Undoubtedly, continuous exposure to unphysiologic dialysis solutions is an important pathogenetic element in this respect. In addition, the repeated acute inflammatory damage conferred by recurrent peritonitis episodes and the chronic low-grade inflammation associated with the uremic state are likely to contribute. The present article reviews the extant studies on the functional and structural alterations of the peritoneal membrane in long-term PD. In addition, it focuses on the evidence for dialysate bioincompatibility in the genesis of these changes. Finally, therapeutic strategies with the potential to preserve long-term peritoneal membrane function and structure are addressed.
Proposal of current control for single-phase active filter based on multirate PWM

The shunt active filter, which is connected to power systems in parallel with the load, is considered as a current source. However, the shunt active filter is actually realized by current control using the voltage source type inverter. Authors applied multirate perfect tracking control (PTC) to current control of the shunt active filter. Although conventional single-rate deadbeat control could not guarantee zero tracking error for arbitrary reference signals, the proposed multirate control can achieve perfect tracking at every sampling point. In this paper, we propose a novel method to generate repetitive compensation signals. Simulation and experimental results are shown to verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
PREDICTING AQUEOUS SOLUBILITY FROM STRUCTURE

Die hinreichende Wasserlöslichkeit kleiner organischer Moleküle ist entscheidend bei der Entwicklung neuer Arzneimittel. Viele Projekte der Wirkstoffentwicklung scheitern in relativ späten Entwicklungsphasen wegen unzureichender Löslichkeit in Wasser. Aus diesem Grunde ist die Vorhersage der Wasserlöslichkeit aus der 2-D Struktur wünschenswert. Wir stellen ein Modell zur Vorhersage der Wasserlöslichkeit vor, welches wir mit Methoden des maschinellen Lernens auf chemischen Datenbanken entwickelt haben.
Demonstration of an InGaAs gate stack with sufficient PBTI reliability by thermal budget optimization, nitridation, high-k material choice, and interface dipole

We have shown that the poor PBTI reliability of IIIV/high-k gate stacks is universally related to process thermal budget limitations. Low temperature anneal optimization and high-k nitridation reduce oxide defect density. In contrast to a wide distribution of defect levels in Al2O3, HfO2 on InGaAs shows a minimum defect density ~0.2eV below the channel EC. By introducing an interface dipole, a significant reliability boost was demonstrated. While low thermal budget high-k quality and IIIV interface thermal stability constitute challenges, our results show that a reliable IIIV/high-k gate stack can be fabricated.
Computer-aided diagnostic scheme for distinction between benign and malignant nodules in thoracic low-dose CT by use of massive training artificial neural network

Low-dose helical computed tomography (LDCT) is being applied as a modality for lung cancer screening. It may be difficult, however, for radiologists to distinguish malignant from benign nodules in LDCT. Our purpose in this study was to develop a computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) scheme for distinction between benign and malignant nodules in LDCT scans by use of a massive training artificial neural network (MTANN). The MTANN is a trainable, highly nonlinear filter based on an artificial neural network. To distinguish malignant nodules from six different types of benign nodules, we developed multiple MTANNs (multi-MTANN) consisting of six expert MTANNs that are arranged in parallel. Each of the MTANNs was trained by use of input CT images and teaching images containing the estimate of the distribution for the "likelihood of being a malignant nodule", i.e., the teaching image for a malignant nodule contains a two-dimensional Gaussian distribution and that for a benign nodule contains zero. Each MTANN was trained independently with ten typical malignant nodules and ten benign nodules from each of the six types. The outputs of the six MTANNs were combined by use of an integration ANN such that the six types of benign nodules could be distinguished from malignant nodules. After training of the integration ANN, our scheme provided a value related to the "likelihood of malignancy" of a nodule, i.e., a higher value indicates a malignant nodule, and a lower value indicates a benign nodule. Our database consisted of 76 primary lung cancers in 73 patients and 413 benign nodules in 342 patients, which were obtained from a lung cancer screening program on 7847 screenees with LDCT for three years in Nagano, Japan. The performance of our scheme for distinction between benign and malignant nodules was evaluated by use of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Our scheme achieved an Az (area under the ROC curve) value of 0.882 in a round-robin test. Our scheme correctly identified 100% (76/76) of malignant nodules as malignant, whereas 48% (200/413) of benign nodules were identified correctly as benign. Therefore, our scheme may be useful in assisting radiologists in the diagnosis of lung nodules in LDCT.
Convergence and divergence in the afferent projections to cat area 17

We have examined the topography of the afferent connections to area 17 in the cat by means of double retrograde label tracing techniques. Injections of two fluorescent retrograde tracers, diamidino yellow and fast blue, were made with variable separations in area 17 and the spatial distributions of the resulting populations of labeled cells examined in afferent cortical areas and subcortical structures.
Innovation Diffusion in Heterogeneous Populations: Contagion, Social Influence, and Social Learning

New ideas, products, and practices take time to diffuse, a fact that is often attributed to some form of heterogeneity among potential adopters. This paper examines three broad classes of diffusion models -- contagion, social influence, and social learning -- and shows how to incorporate heterogeneity into each at a high level of generality without losing analytical tractability. Each type of model leaves a characteristic "footprint" on the shape of the adoption curve which provides a basis for discriminating empirically between them. The approach is illustrated using the classic study of Ryan and Gross (1943) on the diffusion of hybrid corn. (JEL D83, O33, Q16, Z13)