Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Tissue Doppler velocity is superior to strain imaging in predicting long-term cardiovascular events after cardiac resynchronisation therapy

Objective: To examine the predictive value of systolic dyssynchrony measured by tissue Doppler velocity versus tissue Doppler strain imaging on long-term outcome after cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT). Design: Cohort study. Setting: Two university hospitals. Patients: Two hundred and thirty-nine patients (65 (SD 12) years, 76% males) who underwent CRT. Interventions: Baseline echocardiography with tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) and clinical follow-up for 37 (20) months. Main outcome measures: The time to peak systolic velocity during ejection phase (Ts) and the time to peak systolic strain (Tϵ) were assessed for dyssynchrony, that is the maximal delay in Ts and the maximal delay in Tϵ among the four left ventricular basal segments. Occurrence of cardiovascular endpoints between patients with and without dyssynchrony was compared by Kaplan–Meier curves, followed by Cox regression analysis for potential predictor(s). Results: There were 78 (33%) deaths, with cardiovascular causes in 64 (27%) patients, while 136 (57%) patients were hospitalised for cardiovascular events, including decompensated heart failure in 87 (36%) patients. Patients with the maximal delay in Ts of ⩾65 ms showed a lower event rate for cardiovascular mortality (19% vs 38%, logrank χ2 = 7.803, p = 0.005) and other prognostic endpoints. In Cox regression analysis, the maximal delay in Ts (hazard ratio (HR) 0.463, 95% CI 0.270 to 0.792, p = 0.005) and ischaemic aetiology (HR 2.716, 95% CI 1.505 to 4.901, p = 0.001) were independent predictors of cardiovascular mortality. In contrast, the maximal delay in Tϵ of ⩾80 ms failed to predict any cardiovascular event. Conclusions: Echocardiographic evidence of prepacing systolic dyssynchrony measured by TDI velocity, but not TDI strain, predicted lower long-term cardiovascular events after CRT.
A systematic classification of cheating in online games

Cheating is rampant in current game play on the Internet. However, it is not as well understood as one might expect. In this paper, we summarize the various known methods of cheating, and we define a taxonomy of online game cheating with respect to the underlying vulnerability (what is exploited? ), consequence (what type of failure can be achieved? ) and the cheating principal (who is cheating? ). This taxonomy provides a systematic introduction to the characteristics of cheats in online games and how they can arise. It is intended to be comprehensible and useful not only to security specialists, but also to game developers, operators and players who are less knowledgeable and experienced in security. One of our findings is that although cheating in online games is largely due to various security failures, the four traditional aspects of security -- confidentiality, integrity, availability and authenticity -- are insufficient to explain it. Instead, fairness becomes a vital additional aspect, and its enforcement provides a convincing perspective for understanding the role of security techniques in developing and operating online games.
Power-based signal-to-diffuse ratio estimation using noisy directional microphones

The signal-to-diffuse ratio (SDR), which describes the power ratio between the direct and diffuse component of a sound field, is an important parameter in many applications. This paper proposes a power-based SDR estimator which considers the auto power spectral densities obtained by noisy directional microphones. Compared to recently proposed estimators that exploit the spatial coherence between two microphones, the power-based estimator is more robust at lower frequencies given that the microphone directivities are known with sufficiently high accuracy. The proposed estimator can incorporate more than two microphones and can therefore provide accurate SDR estimates independently of the direction-of-arrival of the direct sound. We further propose a method to determine the optimal microphone orientations for a given set of directional microphones. Simulations show the practical applicability.
Cardiovascular Risk and Diet and Smoking Effect of Moderate Diet-Induced Weight Loss and Weight Regain on Cardiovascular Structure and Function

Results Forty-seven subjects (78%) completed the entire 2-year follow-up. Average weight loss was 7.3 4.0%, 9.2 5.6%, 7.8 6.6%, and 3.8 7.9% at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months, respectively. Ageand sex-adjusted mixed linear models revealed that the follow-up time was significantly associated with decreases in weight (p 0.0001), left ventricular (LV) mass (p 0.001), and carotid intima-media thickness (p 0.0001); there was also significant improvement in LV diastolic (p 0.0001) and systolic (p 0.001) function. Partial weight regain diminished the maximal observed beneficial effects of weight loss, however cardiovascular parameters measured at 2 years still showed a net benefit compared with baseline.
Self-Imagining, Recognition Memory, and Prospective Memory in Memory-Impaired Individuals with Neurological Damage

The present project investigated the reliability and robustness of a new mnemonic strategy – “self-imagination” – in a group of memory-impaired individuals with neurological damage. Despite severe memory deficits, almost all of the participants demonstrated a “self-imagination effect” (SIE) for recognition memory in study 1. Moreover, the ability to benefit from self-imagination was not affected by the severity of the memory deficit. In study 3, more than half of the participants showed a SIE on a task of event-based prospective memory. The data from study 2 suggest the SIE is not attributable to semantic processing or emotional processing and indicate that selfimagination is distinct from other mnemonic strategies. Overall the findings from the present studies implicate self-imagination as a new and effective mnemonic strategy. The data also indicate that when it comes to memory there is something special about processing information in relation to the self.
Semantic Knowledge and Semantic Representations: A Special Issue of Memory

G. Gainotti, M.C. Silveri, A. Daniele, L. Giustolisi, Neuroanatomical Correlates of Category-specific Semantic Disorders: A Critical Survey. J. S. Snowden, H. L. Griffiths, D. Neary, Autobiographical Experience and Word Meaning. L. Cipolotti, E.K. Warrington, Towards a Unitary Account of Access Dysphasia: A Single Case Study. E. Forde, G.W. Humphreys, Refractory Semantics in Global Aphasia: On Semantic Organisation and the Access-Storage Distinction in Neuropsychology. A. E. Hillis, A. Caramazza, The Compositionality of Lexical Semantic Representations: Clues from Semantic Errors in Object Naming. H.E. Moss, L.K. Tyler, Investigating Semantic Memory Impairments: The Contribution of Semantic Priming. K.R. Laws, S.A. Humber, D.J.C. Ramsey, R.A. McCarthy, Probing Sensory and Associative Semantics for Animals and Objects in Normal Subjects. K.R. Laws, J.J. Evans, J. R. Hodges, R.A. McCarthy, Naming without Knowing and Appearance without Associations: Evidence for Constructive Processes in Semantic Memory? J. Powell, J. Davidoff, Selective Impairments of Object-knowledge in a Case of Acquired Cortical Blindness. J.R. Hodges, N. Graham, K. Patterson, Charting the Progression in Semantic Dementia: Implications for the Organisation of Semantic Memory. E. Funnell, Objects and Properties: A Study of the Breakdown of Semantic Memory. L.J. Tippett, S. McAuliffe, M. J. Farrar, Preservation of Categorical Knowledge in Alzheimer's Disease: A Computational Account. G. W. Humphreys, C. Lamote, T.J. Lloyd-Jones, An Interactive Activation Approach to Object Processing: Effects of Structural Similarity, Name Frequency, and Task in Normality and Pathology.
A framework for monitoring agent-based normative systems

The behaviours of autonomous agents may deviate from those deemed to be for the good of the societal systems of which they are a part. Norms have therefore been proposed as a means to regulate agent behaviours in open and dynamic systems, where these norms specify the obliged, permitted and prohibited behaviours of agents. Regulation can effectively be achieved through use of enforcement mechanisms that result in a net loss of utility for an agent in cases where the agent's behaviour fails to comply with the norms. Recognition of compliance is thus crucial for achieving regulation. In this paper we propose a generic architecture for observation of agent behaviours, and recognition of these behaviours as constituting, or counting as, compliance or violation. The architecture deploys monitors that receive inputs from observers, and processes these inputs together with transition network representations of individual norms. In this way, monitors determine the fulfillment or violation status of norms. The paper also describes a proof of concept implementation and deployment of monitors in electronic contracting environments.
Dico: um modelo conceitual de recursos de busca avançada para pesquisa exploratória na web

Com a abundância de informacao disponivel na Web e a necessidade de filtra-la em quantidade compativel com a atencao limitada do ser humano, recursos de busca avancada tornam-se uma opcao para essa tarefa. Entretanto, sua utilizacao e baixa por nao ser contextualizada e intuitiva. Este trabalho investiga aspectos de Information Seeking e Pesquisa Exploratoria para fundamentar um modelo conceitual para ferramentas que permitam ao usuario expressar melhor suas consultas de forma incremental com recursos de busca avancada. O modelo sera avaliado por especialistas e posteriormente instanciado em uma ferramenta de Pesquisa Exploratoria que sera avaliada empiricamente por usuarios.
Political Limits to Globalization Daron Acemoglu

Despite the major advances in information technology that have shaped the recent wave of globahzation, openness to trade is still a political choice, and trade policy can change with shifts in domestic political equilibria. This paper suggests that a particular threat and a limiting factor to globalization and its future developments may be militarist sentiments that appear to be on the rise among many nations around the globe today. We proxy militarism by spending on the military and the size of the military, and document that over the past 20 years, countries experiencing greater increases in militarism according to these measures have had lower growth in trade. Focusing on bilateral trade flows, we also show that controlling flexibly for country trends, a pair of countries jointly experiencing greater increases in militarism has lower growth in bilateral trade.
Modern feminisms : political, literary, cultural

This is the first comprehensive collection of feminist politics and writings by the most influential feminists of the twentieth century, with a full glossary of key terms, section introductions, and entries on individual writers. Contributors include Simone de Beauvoir, Catharine A. MacKinnon, Audre Lorde, Adrienne Rich, Betty Friedan, Gayle Rubin, Laura Mulvey, Elaine Showalter, and Julia Kristeva. Modern Feminisms covers key feminist ideas and perspectives on the family, sexuality, work, education, patriarchy, race, language, culture, and representation, and provides a persepective on the variety of modern feminisms that have emerged in the twentieth century.
Impact of adoption of chemoradiotherapy on the outcome of cervical cancer in Ontario: results of a population-based cohort study.

PURPOSE To describe the adoption of concurrent cisplatin-based chemoradiotherapy (C-CRT), and to evaluate its impact on the outcome of cervical cancer in Ontario. METHODS We used a population-based cancer registry to identify the 4,069 patients with invasive carcinoma of the cervix diagnosed in Ontario between 1992 and 2001. We linked electronic records of treatment to the registry. We described time trends in the use of C-CRT, and we compared survival before and after widespread adoption of C-CRT. RESULTS Over the study period, the proportion of patients treated with primary radical radiotherapy (RT) remained constant at approximately 42%. Between 1992 and 1998, less than 10% of RT cases received chemotherapy. Early in 1999, there was rapid adoption of C-CRT. Between 1999 and 2001, more than 60% of RT cases received C-CRT. There was a contemporaneous increase in overall 3-year survival from 71.1% in the 1995 to 1998 cohort to 75.9% in the 1999 to 2001 cohort (P = .03). There was no change in survival in patients treated with surgery alone. However, there was a significant increase in 3-year survival from 58.6% in the 1995 to 1998 cohort to 69.8% in the 1999 to 2001 cohort (P < .01) in the subpopulation of patients treated with primary RT +/- chemotherapy. CONCLUSION The adoption of C-CRT was associated with a significant improvement in overall survival of cervical cancer at the population level. The magnitude of the benefit of C-CRT in the general population was consistent with the results of the relevant clinical trials.
A Multiyear Surveillance for Aedes albopictus with Biogents Sentinel Trap Counts for Males and Species Composition of Other Mosquito Species

Abstract The Biogents Sentinel (BGS) trap is a very effective tool to monitor adult populations of Aedes albopictus. We utilized BGS traps during an intensive 5-year surveillance as part of an “Area-wide Management Program for the Asian Tiger Mosquito. ” During this period, >52,000 mosquitoes were collected, comprising a total of 24 species. The most abundant species was Ae. albopictus (54.4%) followed by Culex spp. (8.7%), which primarily comprised Culex pipiens pipiens (6.5%) and Cx. restuans (0.9%). We also collected >15,000 male specimens of Ae. albopictus (28.7%) and >3,400 males of Culex spp. (6.8%). Other species captured through our surveillance only comprised 1.7% of the total. Although BGS traps are becoming the gold standard instrument for Ae. albopictus surveillance, they can also be used to collect other important mosquito species, which can enhance existing vector surveillance programs.
Managing Wind‐Based Electricity Generation in the Presence of Storage and Transmission Capacity

We investigate the management of a merchant wind energy farm co‐located with a grid‐level storage facility and connected to a market through a transmission line. We formulate this problem as a Markov decision process (MDP) with stochastic wind speed and electricity prices. Consistent with most deregulated electricity markets, our model allows these prices to be negative. As this feature makes it difficult to characterize any optimal policy of our MDP, we show the optimality of a stage‐ and partial‐state‐dependent‐threshold policy when prices can only be positive. We extend this structure when prices can also be negative to develop heuristic one (H1) that approximately solves a stochastic dynamic program. We then simplify H1 to obtain heuristic two (H2) that relies on a price‐dependent‐threshold policy and derivative‐free deterministic optimization embedded within a Monte Carlo simulation of the random processes of our MDP. We conduct an extensive and data‐calibrated numerical study to assess the performance of these heuristics and variants of known ones against the optimal policy, as well as to quantify the effect of negative prices on the value added by and environmental benefit of storage. We find that (i) H1 computes an optimal policy and on average is about 17 times faster to execute than directly obtaining an optimal policy; (ii) H2 has a near optimal policy (with a 2.86% average optimality gap), exhibits a two orders of magnitude average speed advantage over H1, and outperforms the remaining considered heuristics; (iii) storage brings in more value but its environmental benefit falls as negative electricity prices occur more frequently in our model.
The Use of Nocturnal Home Hemodialysis as Salvage Therapy for Patients Experiencing Peritoneal Dialysis Failure

Background Failure of peritoneal dialysis (PD) results in poor quality of life and worsening morbidity in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Traditionally, hospital-based conventional hemodialysis has been the only option for this patient population. We hypothesized that nocturnal home hemodialysis (NHD), 3 – 6 sessions per week, 6 – 8 hours per session, is a suitable alternative salvage therapy for this vulnerable patient group. Methods This is a descriptive cohort study of all consecutive ESRD patients failing PD that were converted to NHD at the University Health Network and Humber River Regional Hospital from 2003 to 2005. Our primary objective was to describe the changes in clinical and biochemical indices before and after conversion from PD to NHD. Results 69 patients required transfer from PD to another form of renal replacement therapy during the period of interest. Our pilot cohort included 8 ESRD patients (5 males, 3 females; age 53 ± 7 years). Mean duration on PD was 4.8 ± 4.6 years. NHD delivered a higher dose of dialysis, as reflected by lower plasma creatinine concentration 1 year after beginning NHD (from 1107 ± 312 μmol/L with PD to 649 ± 309 μmol/L, p = 0.01) and a rise in standardized Kt/V (from 2.21 ± 0.73 with PD to 4.49 ± 1.92 after 6 months of NHD, to 4.51 ± 1.77 after 1 year of NHD; p < 0.001). There was a progressive and sustained rise in plasma albumin after conversion to NHD (from 31 ± 4 g/L with PD to 36 ± 4 g/L after 6 months of NHD, to 39 ± 2 g/L after 1 year of NHD; p = 0.001). Hemoglobin concentrations increased (from 102 ± 13 to 125 ± 7 g/L, p = 0.03), while erythropoietin requirement tended to fall (from 17500 ± 8669 to 9197 ± 7573 U/week). Plasma phosphate fell (from 2.1 ± 0.6 to 1.1 ± 0.3 mmol/L, p = 0.01) despite a decrease in phosphate binder requirement. Blood pressure profile also tended to improve after conversion to NHD. Conclusion Nocturnal HD represents a promising, viable, alternative renal replacement therapy for patients experiencing PD failure. The clinical impact of transferring ESRD patients failing PD to NHD deserves further investigation.
Heuristics for SAT algorithms: Searching for some foundations

A general model for (complete) SAT algorithms splitting a problem F into a nite number of sub-problems (F 1 ; : : : F m) is developed. The general scheme for \branching rules" is based on the notions of \potentials" and \projections" : By the potential diierences b i = (F) ? (F i) > 0 we measure some reduction in decision complexity, while the projection aggregates these numbers ~ b = (b 1 ; : : : ; b m) into one number (~ b) 0. A branching with minimal (~ b) is chosen. We derive some general results about potentials and projections, giving some ((rst) insights into the construction of useful potentials and projections. In the second part we present an implementation based on these ideas (performing full look-ahead and using autarkies), with a new, simple branching rule. Experimental results on the number of leaves in the search tree and the running times for random (3-7)-CNF at the (predicted) threshold are given.
The 2006 Genetics Society of America Medal

In 1990, Victor Ambros faced a conundrum. The search for the heterochronic gene lin-4 had led him to a 700-bp DNA fragment. This fragment could rescue a lin-4 mutant but contained no apparent open reading frame (ORF). The few small ORFs that could be detected were either not conserved in other
A Guided Tour through Data-center Networking

The magic of the cloud is that it is always on and always available from anywhere. Users have come to expect that services are there when they need them. A data center (or warehouse-scale computer) is the nexus from which all the services flow. It is often housed in a nondescript warehouse-sized building bearing no indication of what lies inside. Amidst the whirring fans and refrigerator-sized computer racks is a tapestry of electrical cables and fiber optics weaving everything together -- the data-center network. This article provides a "guided tour" through the principles and central ideas surrounding the network at the heart of a data center -- the modern-day loom that weaves the digital fabric of the Internet.
Blind Estimation of OFDM Carrier Frequency Ofiset Using Shift-invariance Properties

We address the problem of carrier frequency ofiset (CFO) synchronization in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communications systems in the context of frequency-selective fading channels. The mathematic model of OFDM systems with cyclic preflx (CP) and virtual subcarrier is derived. And we propose the shift-invariance CFO estimation algorithm based on DOA-MATRIX method. After the rough estimation, it can acquire the frequency ofiset and matrix including channel information simultaneously, which are favorable for ofiset compensation and demodulation of received signals. Simulation results illustrate performance of this algorithm.
Statistics of Temperature Fluctuations in a Buoyancy-Dominated Boundary Layer Flow Simulated by a Large Eddy Simulation Model.

Abstract Temperature fluctuations in an atmospheric convective boundary layer are investigated by means of large eddy simulations (LESs). A novel statistical characterization for both weak temperature fluctuations and strong temperature fluctuations has been found. Despite the nontriviality of the dynamics of temperature fluctuations, the data presented here support the idea that the most relevant statistical properties can be captured solely in terms of two scaling exponents, characterizing the entire mixed layer. Such exponents control asymptotic (i.e., core and tails) rescaling properties of the probability density functions of equal-time temperature differences Δrθ between points separated by a distance r. A link between statistical properties of large temperature fluctuations and geometrical properties of the set hosting such fluctuations is also provided. Finally, a possible application of these new findings to the problem of subgrid-scale parameterizations for the temperature field in a convective .
Domains of physical activity and all-cause mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies.

BACKGROUND The dose-response relation between physical activity and all-cause mortality is not well defined at present. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the association with all-cause mortality of different domains of physical activity and of defined increases in physical activity and energy expenditure. METHODS MEDLINE, Embase and the Cochrane Library were searched up to September 2010 for cohort studies examining all-cause mortality across different domains and levels of physical activity in adult general populations. We estimated combined risk ratios (RRs) associated with defined increments and recommended levels, using random-effects meta-analysis and dose-response meta-regression models. RESULTS Data from 80 studies with 1 338 143 participants (118 121 deaths) were included. Combined RRs comparing highest with lowest activity levels were 0.65 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.60-0.71] for total activity, 0.74 (95% CI 0.70-0.77) for leisure activity, 0.64 (95% CI 0.55-0.75) for activities of daily living and 0.83 (95% CI 0.71-0.97) for occupational activity. RRs per 1-h increment per week were 0.91 (95% CI 0.87-0.94) for vigorous exercise and 0.96 (95% CI 0.93-0.98) for moderate-intensity activities of daily living. RRs corresponding to 150 and 300 min/week of moderate to vigorous activity were 0.86 (95% CI 0.80-0.92) and 0.74 (95% CI 0.65-0.85), respectively. Mortality reductions were more pronounced in women. CONCLUSION Higher levels of total and domain-specific physical activity were associated with reduced all-cause mortality. Risk reduction per unit of time increase was largest for vigorous exercise. Moderate-intensity activities of daily living were to a lesser extent beneficial in reducing mortality.