Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Course of Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Patients With Carotid Artery Occlusions

Patients with internal carotid artery occlusions and highly impaired cerebrovascular reactivity have been identified as having an increased risk of stoke. It is still unclear, however, whether cerebral hemodynamics may be restored in the course of time by the development of collaterals. Methods During a 5-year period we assessed cerebrovascular reactivity in 452 carotid occlusions by transcranial Doppler CD2 testing. Ninety-eight patients could be reinvestigated at least once after 2 to 58 months (mean follow-up time, 26 months). Results On admission, patients with recent transient ischemic attack or stroke (≤3 months) as well as patients with contralateral carotid stenoses of 80% diameter reduction or greater and occlusions revealed a significantly higher incidence of impaired CD2 reactivity (P<.0001 and P<.01, respectively). During follow-up, 64% of the patients with no or minor contralateral carotid stenoses, but only 22% of the patients with bilateral carotid occlusions, showed a spontaneous improvement in cerebrovascular reactivity (P<.001), mainly during the first few months. In six of eight patients cerebral hemodynamics on the occluded side improved after endarterectomy of a contralateral high-grade carotid stenosis. Five of the patients who did not undergo surgery developed a stroke during follow-up, with three of them occurring in patients with permanently exhausted cerebrovascular reactivity. Conclusions In the majority of patients with carotid occlusions an initially impaired cerebrovascular reactivity improves spontaneously with time. This could influence therapeutic decisions: During the first few months antihypertensive treatment may be avoided in such cases until a reestablished reactivity can be demonstrated. If cerebral hemodynamics remain depleted, extracranial-intracranial bypass surgery or endarterectomy of an asymptomatic contralateral high-grade carotid stenosis could be helpful.
Visualization of O-2A progenitor cells in developing and adult rat optic nerve by quisqualate-stimulated cobalt uptake

Some macroglial cells of the O-2A lineage express glutamate receptor channels of the quisqualate/kainate type and take up extracellular cobalt when activated by glutamate agonists. These cells can be identified both in vitro and in situ following precipitation and intensification of the intracellular cobalt. We have used this technique to characterize these cells in the developing and adult rat optic nerve. In purified cultures of optic nerve cells, O-2A progenitor cells and type 2 astrocytes took up cobalt in the presence of quisqualate, while oligodendrocytes, type 1 astrocytes, and microglial cells did not. When whole optic nerves of various postnatal ages were exposed to quisqualate and cobalt, a subpopulation of glial cells took up cobalt. Cobalt uptake in vitro and in situ was blocked by 6-cyano-7- nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione. The number, morphology, and spatial distribution of cobalt-filled cells in situ varied with age. In perinatal nerves, 9% of glial cells took up cobalt. These cells had a simple unipolar or bipolar morphology and were two to three times more concentrated at the chiasm end than at the eye end of the nerve. During subsequent development, this gradient disappeared and the cobalt-filled cells became progressively more complex in morphology and increased in number and density, reaching a peak toward the end of the second postnatal week. The number subsequently declined to about 16,000 (7%) in the adult nerve. The processes of some cobalt-filled cells appeared to contact nodes of Ranvier. All cobalt-filled cells in 2 1/2-week-old optic nerves had a similar ultrastructural appearance and did not resemble either mature oligodendrocytes or astrocytes. Our results suggest that the cells stimulated by quisqualate to take up cobalt in the optic nerve are the in vivo counterpart of O-2A progenitor cells. We found no evidence that any of these cells are type 2 astrocytes.
Deploying Digital Media Libraries in Multi-Service Access Networks

A current important trend is the introduction of new services in the access and aggregation network, close to the end user. A major opportunity for such service enabled access networks is providing users with fast and reliable storage, allowing them to transparently access and share their digital media library anytime, anywhere, while guaranteeing data retention. An important issue in deploying such a service is where to put the storage servers, in order to minimize deployment cost without sacrificing performance. This paper presents and evaluates two algorithms for solving the storage server placement problem, minimizing the deployment cost while guaranteeing a low delay for accessing the digital media libraries from any access node. The base algorithm, referred to as SSPA (storage server placement algorithm), assumes the access and aggregation network has unlimited bandwidth. SSPA provides a lower bound on the required number of servers, respecting a maximum delay constraint. The extended algorithm, SSPA, solves the storage server placement problem, respecting both a maximum delay constraint and bandwidth constraints of the network links. It will be shown that the algorithms produce close to optimal results relatively fast
Analysis and Enhancement of Spatial Sound Scenes Recorded using Ad-Hoc Microphone Arrays

i Acknowledgements . iii Statement of Originality . iv Table of contents . v List of figures . x List of tables . xiv Introduction . 16 1.1 Scope of the research . 19 1.2 Aim of the research . 19 1.3 Outline of the thesis . 20 1.4 Contributions of the thesis . 21 1.5 Publications arising from the research . 22 1.6 Papers in Preparation. 23 Ad-hoc arrays, previous works . 24 2.1 Overview . 24 2.2 Ad-hoc arrays and room acoustics . 25 What is an ad-hoc microphone array? 25 Recording with ad-hoc arrays . 26 Ad-hoc arrays and the synchronisation problem . 28 2.3 Speech enhancement and dereverberation . 30 2.4 Speech source counting and localisation. 31 2.5 Blind and informed acoustic scene analysis approaches. 32 2.6 Machine learning techniques for informed signal processing. 34 Supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques . 34 Extracting discriminative features. 37 Performance measures . 37 2.7 Ad-hoc arrays applications . 38 Source localisation . 38 Microphone localisation . 38 Noise cancellation and speech enhancement . 38 Multi-talk detection . 39 vi Blind source separation . 39 Speech recognition and acoustic scene analysis . 39 Other applications . 39 2.8 The applied discriminative features and their applications . 40 Norm of the pseudo-coherence-vector . 40 MFCC . 41 LP CMRARE . 41 Time of Arrival . 42 Time Difference of Arrival . 42 Speech Energy . 43 Kurtosis of linear prediction residual signal . 44 The clarity feature (C50) . 45 Magnitude square Coherence (MSC) . 46 Room impulse responses . 47 Direct to reverberant ratio . 47 2.9 Chapter summary and conclusion . 48 Microphone clustering . 51 3.
Modelling the mechanical behaviour of pit membranes in bordered pits with respect to cavitation resistance in angiosperms.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Various correlations have been identified between anatomical features of bordered pits in angiosperm xylem and vulnerability to cavitation, suggesting that the mechanical behaviour of the pits may play a role. Theoretical modelling of the membrane behaviour has been undertaken, but it requires input of parameters at the nanoscale level. However, to date, no experimental data have indicated clearly that pit membranes experience strain at high levels during cavitation events. METHODS Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used in order to quantify the pit micromorphology of four tree species that show contrasting differences in vulnerability to cavitation, namely Sorbus aria, Carpinus betulus, Fagus sylvatica and Populus tremula. This allowed anatomical characters to be included in a mechanical model that was based on the Kirchhoff-Love thin plate theory. A mechanistic model was developed that included the geometric features of the pits that could be measured, with the purpose of evaluating the pit membrane strain that results from a pressure difference being applied across the membrane. This approach allowed an assessment to be made of the impact of the geometry of a pit on its mechanical behaviour, and provided an estimate of the impact on air-seeding resistance. KEY RESULTS The TEM observations showed evidence of residual strains on the pit membranes, thus demonstrating that this membrane may experience a large degree of strain during cavitation. The mechanical modelling revealed the interspecific variability of the strains experienced by the pit membrane, which varied according to the pit geometry and the pressure experienced. The modelling output combined with the TEM observations suggests that cavitation occurs after the pit membrane has been deflected against the pit border. Interspecific variability of the strains experienced was correlated with vulnerability to cavitation. Assuming that air-seeding occurs at a given pit membrane strain, the pressure predicted by the model to achieve this mechanical state corresponds to experimental values of cavitation sensitivity (P50). CONCLUSIONS The results provide a functional understanding of the importance of pit geometry and pit membrane structure in air-seeding, and thus in vulnerability to cavitation.
The Need for a Multilevel Context-Aware Software Architecture Analysis and Design Method with Enterprise and System Architecture Concerns as First Class Entities

Traditional analysis and design approaches focus on "fit for purpose. " Experience with contextual environment concerns demonstrates that "fit to context" is a consideration that is equally significant for the appropriateness of the chosen architecture. We propose a multilevel, context-aware approach to software architecture that (1) treats contextual environment concerns as first class entities and (2) groups concerns and techniques of different abstraction, scope and grain into separate explicit levels. We categorize contextual environment concerns into enterprise and system. The proposed method groups software architecture in macro-architecture and micro-architecture levels. In a significant departure from most current software architecture practices, we view and treat macro-architecture as a decision analysis discipline while applying the engineering modeling and design practices used in traditional software architecture methods to the micro-architecture level. In this paper we introduce the software architecture approach and method, discuss our current research, and identify the topics that must be addressed and further defined to complete the method.
Does Comorbid Disruptive Behavior Modify the Effects of Atomoxetine on ADHD Symptoms as Measured by a Continuous Performance Test and a Motion Tracking Device?

Objective: To compare the reduction of ADHD symptoms under atomoxetine in patients with and without comorbid oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) or conduct disorder (CD) using a computer-based continuous performance test (cb-CPT) combined with an infrared motion tracking (MT) device. Method: Secondary analysis of a placebo-controlled study in ADHD patients (6-12 years old) treated with atomoxetine (target dose: 1.2 mg/kg per day). Cb-CPT/MT scores were analyzed using ANCOVA (last observation carried forward [LOCF]). Results: The data (N = 125) suggested a more pronounced atomoxetine effect in the group with comorbid ODD/CD as measured by all cb-CPT/MT parameters except for “normalized variation of reaction time” (nVRT). Conclusion: The results showed that atomoxetine reduced ADHD severity as measured by cb-CPT and MT parameters regardless of whether comorbid ODD/CD was present. The treatment effect of atomoxetine on hyperactivity appears to be more pronounced in the subgroup of patients with comorbid ODD/CD than in the subgroup without this comorbidity.
Software Watermarking Using Support Vector Machines

Software watermarking is a tool used to combat software piracy by embedding identifying information into a program. Most existing proposals for software watermarking have the shortcoming that they heavily rely on the stealth of watermark to prevent adversaries removing marks. Besides, the watermark is separate from the original program and can be destroyed via fairly straightforward semantics-preserving code transformations. In order to mitigate these problems, this paper introduces SVM-based watermarking, a non-stealthy approach to software watermarking based on the incomprehensibility of support vector machines(SVMs). The advantage of this technique is that software watermarking is handled as the knowledge embedded into SVMs and is closely associated with the program logic. Thus, it makes watermark more difficult to be destroyed and removed. The results of the experiment further indicate that the proposed method is a lightweight and effective software watermarking scheme.
Bipartite flock control of multi-agent systems

This paper addresses the bipartite flock control problem with or without a virtual leader. Using structurally balanced signed graph theory and LaSalle's invariance principle, we prove that the algorithm guarantees a bipartite flocking behavior. In such a collective motion, the whole group separates into two clusters, in each of which all individuals move with the same direction. Meanwhile, every pair of agents in different clusters moves with opposite directions. Moreover, all agents in the two separated clusters approach a common velocity magnitude, and collision avoidance among each cluster is ensured as well. Finally, the proposed bipartite flock control method are examined by numerical simulations. The bipartite flocking motion addressed by this paper has its references in both natural collective motions and human group behaviors such as predator-prey and panic escaping scenarios.
Modeling aerosols on the mesoscale‐γ: Treatment of soot aerosol and its radiative effects

[1] Aerosol particles modify the transfer of solar radiation in the atmosphere. To quantify this impact, the composition and the size distribution of the aerosol have to be known. In this study, simulations with a comprehensive model system including meteorological processes, gas phase chemistry, and aerosol dynamics and chemistry were carried out to investigate the impact of aerosol particles on global radiation. The model system is applied to a summer situation in the southwestern part of Germany. The aerosol model represents the aerosol population by several overlapping modes. It originally accounted for the species sulfate, nitrate, ammonium, and water and now has been extended to treat soot. Since the optical properties of soot particles depend critically on their mixing state, the transfer of soot from the external into the internal mixture is parameterized. On the basis of the simulated aerosol distributions the optical properties of the aerosol were derived using Mie calculations. These results serve as input data for the radiative transfer calculations, where we considered the wavelength interval from 280 nm to 700 nm. The results of the radiative transfer calculations show that for the summer situation presented, the aerosol in the boundary layer reduces the downward flux of the solar radiation by up to 25 W m−1. Sensitivity studies showed that up to 50% of this effect can be attributed to the impact of soot.
A Revised Received Signal Strength Based Localization for Healthcare

Location-awareness is important for healthcare, and can be applied to the various consumer applications. The received signal strength (RSS) based localization technique has advantages of needing no additional hardware and simple to be implemented inbuilding applications. Received signal strength indication fingerprinting (RSSIFP) is an indoor localization technique. However, the RSS is affected by radio signals’ reflections, shadowing, and fading. To solve this problem, an effective indoor localization method of revised RSSIFP is proposed to reduce the deviation during indoor RSSIFP localization. The proposed algorithm uses the RSSIFP based on the position probability grid. Before position, the RSSIFP data are revised according to anchor node signal and time tag. The K-nearest neighbor (KNN) and weighted centre localization method is adopted in position prediction. A test-bed only including common consumer electronic equipments such as wireless access point (AP), Zigbee node and smart cell-phone is deployed. Performance results show that the proposed algorithm outperforms other algorithms in the healthcare environments.
Pharmacologic therapy for nonalcoholic steatohepatitis focusing on pathophysiology

The paradigm of chronic liver diseases has been shifting. Although hepatitis B and C viral infections are still the main causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), the introduction of effective antiviral drugs may control or cure them in the near future. In contrast, the burden of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) has been increasing for decades, and 25 to 30% of the general population in Korea is estimated to have NAFLD. Over 10% of NAFLD patients may have nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a severe form of NAFLD. NASH can progress to cirrhosis and HCC. NASH is currently the second leading cause to be placed on the liver transplantation list in the United States. NAFLD is associated with obesity, type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome. The pathophysiology is complex and associated with lipotoxicity, inflammatory cytokines, apoptosis, and insulin resistance. The only proven effective treatment is weight reduction by diet and exercise. However, this may not be effective for advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis. Therefore, effective drugs are urgently needed for treating these conditions. Unfortunately, no drugs have been approved for the treatment of NASH. Many pharmaceutical companies are trying to develop new drugs for the treatment of NASH. Some of them are in phase 2 or 3 clinical trials. Here, pharmacologic therapies in clinical trials, as well as the basic principles of drug therapy, will be reviewed, focusing on pathophysiology.
Are searching and non-searching unemployment distinct states when unemployment is high? The case of South Africa

Broadly and narrowly measured unemployment rates differ very markedly in certain countries, and the measure chosen to be the ‘official’ unemployment rate affects perceptions about the extent of the problem. The appropriate measure of the unemployment rate depends on whether jobless persons who say they want work but who are not actively searching should be regarded as part of the labour force. This paper examines whether the non-searching-unemployed state is distinct from the searching-unemployed state in a developing country - South Africa - where the broad unemployment rate and the gap between the broad and narrow rates are both very high. It asks whether lack of job-search among jobless persons claiming to want work is an outcome of tastes or of constraints. It finds evidence in support of adopting the broad definition.
Comparison of active and passive mixers

In this work, we study two down conversion mixers, a passive ring mixer and an active Gilbert mixer, using a 0.13-mum standard CMOS process. The benefits and drawbacks of the mixer are compared. Both mixers have been thoroughly characterized for WCDMA-usage, with special emphasis on statistical simulation result on IIP2. The simulation how that the passive mixer achieve a +58 dBV IIP2 mean value with a 9.6 dBV mean deviation. The corresponding metric for an active mixer are 34 dBV and 9.4 dBV. The simulation result show that without an extra IIP2 compensation technique the mixer cannot achieve the linearity requirement demanded by the system.
[Significance of beta-catenin and Cyclin D1 express in glioma].

AIM To investigate the expression and the significance of beta-catenin and Cyclin D1 in gliomas. METHODS The SABC immunohistochemistry were used to detect the expression of beta-catenin and Cyclin D1 in 49 brain gliomas and 5 normal brain tissues. RESULTS The beta-catenin positive ratio in normal brain tissues and glioma samples are 2/5 and 38/49(P<0.01) respectively, and the Cyclin D1 positive ratio in normal brain tissues and gliomas are 1/5 and 42/49(P<0.01); Compared with the normal brain tissue, both the immunohistochemical expression of beta-catenin and Cyclin D1 were up-regulated(P<0.05), and the expression of beta-catenin and Cyclin D1 between the normal brain tissues and gliomas exhibited significantly difference (P<0.01). CONCLUSION beta-catenin and Cyclin D1 increased in gliomas may be precipitate the tumorigenesis of glioma.
Peripheral Oxygenation in Hypotensive Preterm Babies

Monitoring oxygenation in peripheral tissues of preterm babies may be useful in understanding the redistribution of blood flow during hypotension. Hemoglobin flow and venous saturation were measured in the forearm using near infrared spectroscopy with venous occlusion and were used to calculate fractional oxygen extraction, oxygen delivery, and oxygen consumption. Thirty ventilated preterm babies (median birth weight 976 g) were studied; 15 were hypotensive and 15 normotensive. Treatment for hypotension was dopamine alone (median dose 5 µg/kg/min) in eight cases, 4.5% human albumin solution (20 mL/kg) with dopamine in five cases, and only a blood transfusion (20 mL packed cells/kg) in two cases. There was a weak correlation between hemoglobin flow and mean arterial blood pressure (r = 0.40, p = 0.03). In hypotensive compared with normotensive babies, there was a significantly lower median hemoglobin flow (10.2 versus 20.2 µmol/100 mL/min, p = 0.0006), forearm oxygen delivery (37.8 versus 75.2 µmol/100 mL/min, p = 0.0008), and oxygen consumption (11.0 versus 23.9 µmol/100 mL/min, p = 0.006), but the fractional oxygen extraction (0.327 versus 0.306, p = 0.48) and the blood lactate concentration (1.22 versus 1.20 mmol/L, p = 0.44) were similar. Following treatment of hypotension, oxygen delivery (p = 0.02) and oxygen consumption (p = 0.04) increased to 64.2 and 21.7 µmol/100 mL/min, respectively, but fractional oxygen extraction (p = 0.81) and blood lactate concentration (p = 0.94) after treatment were unchanged. VO2 was variable in the forearm of human infants. It reduced when DO2 was low, and there was no evidence of tissue injury or switch to anaerobic metabolism. Measurements of peripheral tissue oxygenation seem to be of some value in understanding the pathophysiologic changes that occur with hypotension.