Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developmental change of Na+-absorptive function in Reissner's membrane epithelia

The purpose of this study was to investigate the developmental change of epithelial Na+ channel function in epithelial cells of rat Reissner's membrane. The Reissner's membrane was isolated from the upper turn of the cochlea at different stages of development. The vibrating probe technique was chosen to measure transepithelial currents under short circuit conditions. Amiloride-sensitive Na+ current in the Reissner's membrane developed postnatally between days 3 and 5, which was completely blocked by amiloride. This tendency remained from days 5 through 14. Development of Na+ transport in epithelial cells of the Reissner's membrane may contribute considerably to the accomplishment of low Na+ concentration in the endolymph during early neonatal period.
Dasher—a data entry interface using continuous gestures and language models

Existing devices for communicating information to computers are bulky, slow to use, or unreliable. Dasher is a new interface incorporating language modelling and driven by continuous two-dimensional gestures, e.g. a mouse, touchscreen, or eye-tracker. Tests have shown that this device can be used to enter text at a rate of up to 34 words per minute, compared with typical ten-finger keyboard typing of 40-60 words per minute. Although the interface is slower than a conventional keyboard, it is small and simple, and could be used on personal data assistants and by motion-impaired computer users.
Additive In-Time Manufacturing of Customised Orthoses

Additive manufacturing of plastic components in medical technology enables greater freedom of design when designing patient-specific products, in particular, in production of customised medical products, such as orthoses. In the present contribution, the advantages of a digital process chain are combined, from the 3D scan of the patient to CAD-supported modelling of the corrective form and the orthosis design until the path planning of a printable geometry. The main disadvantages of current additive printing techniques, such as the fused filament fabrication (FFF) process, are high printing times (>12 h) for larger components as well as the low degree of freedom in the 2.5D printing technique that prevent the subsequent application of geometry features to the product. The fast SEAMHex (Screw Extrusion Additive Manufacturing) printing technology with a hexapod kinematic printing bed provides a solution to the mentioned difficulties. Consequently, the high-performance printer has been prepared for the individual requirements of medical technology in terms of materials and geometries. An effective additive manufacturing process has been realised and tested in combination with a digital process chain for orthosis modelling.
Pre‐ versus postoperative radiotherapy in rectal carcinoma: an interim report from a randomized multicentre trial

Since October 1980 a randomized multicentre trial has been in progress among patients with rectal carcinoma, in whom high‐dose fractionated pre‐operative irradiation (total dose 25.5 Gy in 5–7 days) is being tested against postoperative irradiation to a high dose level using a conventional fractionation scheme (totally 60 Gy in 8 weeks) delivered only to a high‐risk group of patients (Dukes' stages B and C). The primary aim of the trial is to investigate whether local recurrence rate differs between the two groups, and a secondary aim is to see whether 5‐year survival will differ between the two groups of patients. Up to October 1984, 360 patients have been randomly allocated to these two groups. Locally curative surgery has been performed in 161 patients in the pre‐operative irradiation group and in 152 patients in the postoperative irradiation group. Pre‐operative irradiation was extremely well tolerated and there were no irradiation‐related complications; 95 per cent of these patients received their treatment according to the intended schedule. However, 48 of the 161 patients had a tumour in Dukes' stage A. Pre‐operative radiotherapy had no impact on postoperative mortality or the occurrence of anastomosis dehiscence, but significantly more patients with perineal wound sepsis after an abdominoperineal resection were found in the group of patients receiving pre‐operative radiotherapy. This prolonged the stay in hospital after surgery. Postoperative radiotherapy was not so well tolerated as pre‐operative treatment, and in a substantial number of patients the treatment could not be commenced until a relatively long time after surgery. To date, the local recurrence rate is acceptably low (≈ 10 per cent) in both treatment groups.
Efficient symbol synchronization techniques using variable FIR or IIR interpolation filters

Maximum likelihood estimation theory can be used to develop optimal timing recovery schemes for digital communication systems. Variable digital interpolation filters are commonly used for symbol timing adjustment. The so-called gathering structure offers an efficient and flexible realization structure for such an interpolation task. In this paper we propose a feedforward timing estimation scheme which uses the efficient variable gathering filter structure for FIR filters leveraging an algorithm previously developed for the so-called Farrow structure. The scheme is based on a low-order polynomial approximation of the log likelihood function. Furthermore, the scheme is extended to an IIR gathering structure with transient suppression. The performance of IIR and FIR implementations and their computational complexity are compared in example simulations, showing that polynomially approximated low-order Thiran IIR fractional-delay filters offer more efficient implementation than their Lagrange FIR counterparts with similar performance.
Electrospinning Chitosan/Fe-Mn Nanofibrous Composite for Efficient and Rapid Removal of Arsenite from Water

Efficient removal of extremely mobile and toxic As(III) from water is a challenging but critical task. Herein, we developed a functionalized sorbent of chitosan nanofiber with iron–manganese (Fe-Mn@CS NF) using a one-step hybrid electrospinning approach to remove trace As(III) from water. Batch adsorption studies were performed to determine the adsorption efficiency under a variety of conditions, including contact time, starting concentration of As(III), ionic strength, and the presence of competing anions. The experimental results demonstrated that the concentration of As(III) dropped from 550 to less than 1.2 µg/L when using 0.5 g/L Fe-Mn@CS NF. This demonstrates the exceptional adsorption efficiency (99.8%) of Fe-Mn@CS NF for removing As(III) at pH 6.5. The kinetic tests revealed that the adsorption equilibrium was reached in 2.6 h, indicating a quick uptake of As(III). The ionic strength effect analysis showed that the adsorbed As(III) formed inner-sphere surface complexes with Fe-Mn@CS NF. The presence of SO42− or F− had a negligible impact on As(III) uptake, while the presence of PO43− impeded As(III) absorption by competing for adsorption sites. The exhausted sorbent could be effectively regenerated with a dilute NaOH solution. Even after 10 cycles of regenerating Fe-Mn@CS NF, the adsorption efficiency of As(III) in natural groundwater was maintained over 65%. XPS and FTIR analyses show that the presence of M–OH and C–O groups on the sorbent surface is essential for removing As(III) from water. Overall, our study highlights the significant potential of Fe-Mn@CS NF for the efficient and quick elimination of As(III) from water.
Putting the feel in ’look and feel‘

Haptic devices are now commercially available and thus touch has become a potentially realistic solution to a variety of interaction design challenges. We report on an investigation of the use of touch as a way of reducing visual overload in the conventional desktop. In a two-phase study, we investigated the use of the PHANToM haptic device as a means of interacting with a conventional graphical user interface. The first experiment compared the effects of four different haptic augmentations on usability in a simple targeting task. The second experiment involved a more ecologically-oriented searching and scrolling task. Results indicated that the haptic effects did not improve users performance in terms of task completion time. However, the number of errors made was significantly reduced. Subjective workload measures showed that participants perceived many aspects of workload as significantly less with haptics. The results are described and the implications for the use of haptics in user interface design are discussed.
Inflammation and macrophage modulation in adipose tissues

The adipose tissue is an active endocrine organ that harbours not only mature and developing adipocytes but also a wide array of immune cells, including macrophages, a key immune cell in determining metabolic functionality. With adipose tissue expansion, M1 pro‐inflammatory macrophage infiltration increases, activates other immune cells, and affects lipid trafficking and metabolism, in part via inhibiting mitochondrial function and increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS). The pro‐inflammatory cytokines produced and released interfere with insulin signalling, while inhibiting M1 macrophage activation improves systemic insulin sensitivity. In healthy adipose tissue, M2 alternative macrophages predominate and associate with enhanced lipid handling and mitochondrial function, anti‐inflammatory cytokine production, and inhibition of ROS. The sequence of events leading to macrophage infiltration and activation in adipose tissue remains incompletely understood but lipid handling of both macrophages and adipocytes appears to play a major role.
Supporting Inclusive Design of Mobile Devices with a Context Model

The aim of inclusive product design is to successfully integrate a broad range of diverse human factors in the product development process with the intention of making products accessible to and usable by the largest possible group of users (Kirisci, Thoben et al. 2011). However, the main barriers for adopting inclusive product design include technical complexity, lack of time, lack of knowledge and techniques, and lack of guidelines (Goodman, Dong et al. 2006), (Kirisci, Klein et al. 2011). Although manufacturers of consumer products are nowadays more likely to invest efforts in user studies, consumer products in general only nominally fulfill, if at all, the accessibility requirements of as many users as they potentially could. The main reason is that any user-centered design prototyping or testing aiming to incorporate real user input, is often done at a rather late stage of the product development process. Thus, the more progressed a product design has evolved the more time-consuming and costly it will be to alter the design (Zitkus, Langdon et al. 2011). This is increasingly the case for contemporary mobile devices such as mobile phones or remote controls.
High-density Linkage Map Construction, Mapping of Agronomic Traits in Tropical Maize (Zea Mays L.) and Validating SNPs Controlling Maize Grain Yield and Plant Height in Southern Hybrid Testcrosses

ii DEDICATION . iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . v CONTRIBUTORS AND FUNDING SOURCES . vi NOMENCLATURE . vii TABLE OF CONTENTS . viii LIST OF FIGURES . x LIST OF TABLES . xii CHAPTER
On the absolute quadratic complex and its application to autocalibration

This article introduces the absolute quadratic complex formed by all lines that intersect the absolute conic. If /spl omega/ denotes the 3 /spl times/ 3 symmetric matrix representing the image of that conic under the action of a camera with projection matrix P, it is shown that /spl omega/ /spl ap/ P/sup ~//spl Omega//sub /spl I.bar//P/sup ~T/ where V is the 3 /spl times/ 6 line projection matrix associated with P and /spl Omega//sub /spl I.bar// is a 6 /spl times/ 6 symmetric matrix of rank 3 representing the absolute quadratic complex. This simple relation between a camera's intrinsic parameters, its projection matrix expressed in a projective coordinate frame, and the metric upgrade separating this frame from a metric one - as respectively captured by the matrices /spl omega/, P/sup ~/ and /spl Omega//sub /spl I.bar// - provides a new framework for autocalibration, particularly well suited to typical digital cameras with rectangular or square pixels since the skew and aspect ratio are decoupled from the other intrinsic parameters in /spl omega/.
Genus age, provincial area and the taxonomic structure of marine faunas

Species are unevenly distributed among genera within clades and regions, with most genera species-poor and few species-rich. At regional scales, this structure to taxonomic diversity is generated via speciation, extinction and geographical range dynamics. Here, we use a global database of extant marine bivalves to characterize the taxonomic structure of climate zones and provinces. Our analyses reveal a general, Zipf–Mandelbrot form to the distribution of species among genera, with faunas from similar climate zones exhibiting similar taxonomic structure. Provinces that contain older taxa and/or encompass larger areas are expected to be more species-rich. Although both median genus age and provincial area correlate with measures of taxonomic structure, these relationships are interdependent, nonlinear and driven primarily by contrasts between tropical and extra-tropical faunas. Provincial area and taxonomic structure are largely decoupled within climate zones. Counter to the expectation that genus age and species richness should positively covary, diverse and highly structured provincial faunas are dominated by young genera. The marked differences between tropical and temperate faunas suggest strong spatial variation in evolutionary rates and invasion frequencies. Such variation contradicts biogeographic models that scale taxonomic diversity to geographical area.
Screening of pathological voice from ARS using neural networks

These days there are many attempts to diagnose patient’s voice by only acoustic voice signal. The major purpose of such experiments are screening the possible patients and lead them to the early diagnosis and treatment. [1][2][3][4][5] Acoustic screening of patient's voice is important in terms of many aspects. It is important for both doctors, who is not an expert of vocal diseases and the patient who want to check their voice without going to the clinic. If such a test is done on the public telephone network, more non-expert doctors and more patient can diagnose their voice without going to the hospital. Of course the purpose of this kind of approach is not to give them an exact diagnosis or treatment. It is only to give them the warnings to visit the hospital and to let them find vocal diseases earlier. The background of this kind of research is that most of the patient who come with severe vocal disease are too late when they arrived to the hospital. Even though there are some previous researches about discrimination of pathological voice, those were based on pre-recorded ones from the hospital. So the usage was limited to the patients who visit the hospital. If such kind of diagnostic information is provided through the telephone network, it will be much efficient. But the problem when trying to use the telephone network is that the quality of voice from the telephone is not as good as normal high quality recordings. In previous researches wide-band(25KHz) signal was used. [2][3] So we tried to investigate the change of acoustical characteristics and tried classification based on the result in parallel. In the following sections it is described how the collection, analysis and classification is performed using ARS voice. Also the acoustical differences between ARS voice and DAT voice are measured.
Quantum Metropolitan Optical Network based on Wavelength Division Multiplexing

Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) is maturing quickly. However, the current approaches to its application in optical networks make it an expensive technology. QKD networks deployed to date are designed as a collection of point-to-point, dedicated QKD links where non-neighboring nodes communicate using the trusted repeater paradigm. We propose a novel optical network model in which QKD systems share the communication infrastructure by wavelength multiplexing their quantum and classical signals. The routing is done using optical components within a metropolitan area which allows for a dynamically any-to-any communication scheme. Moreover, it resembles a commercial telecom network, takes advantage of existing infrastructure and utilizes commercial components, allowing for an easy, cost-effective and reliable deployment.
The Mechanics of Embodiment: A Dialog on Embodiment and Computational Modeling

Embodied theories are increasingly challenging traditional views of cognition by arguing that conceptual representations that constitute our knowledge are grounded in sensory and motor experiences, and processed at this sensorimotor level, rather than being represented and processed abstractly in an amodal conceptual system. Given the established empirical foundation, and the relatively underspecified theories to date, many researchers are extremely interested in embodied cognition but are clamoring for more mechanistic implementations. What is needed at this stage is a push toward explicit computational models that implement sensorimotor grounding as intrinsic to cognitive processes. In this article, six authors from varying backgrounds and approaches address issues concerning the construction of embodied computational models, and illustrate what they view as the critical current and next steps toward mechanistic theories of embodiment. The first part has the form of a dialog between two fictional characters: Ernest, the “experimenter,” and Mary, the “computational modeler. ” The dialog consists of an interactive sequence of questions, requests for clarification, challenges, and (tentative) answers, and touches the most important aspects of grounded theories that should inform computational modeling and, conversely, the impact that computational modeling could have on embodied theories. The second part of the article discusses the most important open challenges for embodied computational modeling.
Are Cognitive Screening Tools Sensitive and Specific Enough for Use After Stroke?: A Systematic Literature Review

It is estimated that up to three quarters of acute and subacute stroke survivors exhibit cognitive impairment, with many experiencing ongoing problems.1,2 Cognitive impairment can significantly compromise functional recovery, quality of life, and social engagement after stroke.2–4 Encouragingly early detection and rehabilitation can improve functional recovery of stroke-related impairments.5 Unfortunately, however, a significant amount of cognitive dysfunction is not detected by health professionals in acute and subacute settings.6 Comprehensive neuropsychological assessment using reliable and valid tools to measure multiple cognitive domains is considered the gold standard method of detecting and characterizing cognitive dysfunction after stroke. However, neuropsychological assessments are often considered too expensive and lengthy to be routinely administered to patients with stroke. In an attempt to improve detection of cognitive impairments, while managing expense, many national stroke clinical management guidelines now recommend the use of screening measures to detect cognitive impairment.7–9 If cognitive difficulties are detected during this screening process, comprehensive assessment and intervention is then recommended. The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) are 2 screening tools that are regularly used in clinical practice. Although these tests are commonly used to detect cognitive impairment in dementia settings, neither was specifically designed for use after stroke. The profile of cognitive impairment after stroke is heterogeneous, and focal impairments such as dysphasia, dyspraxia, unilateral inattention, and agnosia are often observed. Therefore, we cannot assume that reliability and validity of cognitive screening tools found in other clinical populations will be comparable in stroke. It is acknowledged that numerous reliability and validity indices are important to consider when evaluating neuropsychological measures. However, when considering the use of cognitive screening measures, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) are particularly important to ensure patients with …
Sphingosine 1-Phosphate Receptor 1 Modulates CNTF-Induced Axonal Growth and Neuroprotection in the Mouse Visual System

The lack of axonal regeneration and neuronal cell death causes permanent neurological deficits in the injured CNS. Using the classical CNS injury model of optic nerve crush in mice, ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) was found to stimulate retinal ganglion cell (RGC) survival and axonal growth, but in an incomplete fashion. The elucidation of molecular mechanisms impairing CNTF-induced axonal regeneration is paramount to promote visual recovery. In the present study, we sought to evaluate the contribution of sphingosine 1-phosphate receptor 1 (S1PR1) to the neuroprotective and regenerative effects of CNTF. The transduction of retinal cells with adeno-associated viruses (AAV) allowed to activate CNTF/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (Stat3) signaling and to modulate S1PR1 expression in RGCs. Our results showed that CNTF/Stat3 prevented injury-induced S1PR1 downregulation. Silencing S1PR1 in RGCs significantly enhanced CNTF-induced axonal growth in the injured optic nerve. In contrast, RGC survival was markedly decreased when S1PR1 was repressed with viral vectors. The level of phosphorylated Stat3 (P-Stat3), an intracellular mediator of CNTF, did not fluctuate after S1PR1 inhibition and CNTF stimulation. Collectively, these results suggest that S1PR1 acts as a major regulator of retinal neuron survival and restricts the RGC growth response induced by CNTF.
Reasons as Defaults

Introduction I Default logic 1 A Primer on Default Logic 1.1 Basic concepts 1.1.1 Default rules 1.1.2 Priority relations 1.1.3 Theories and scenarios 1.2 Central definitions 1.2.1 Binding defaults 1.2.2 Proper scenarios and extensions 1.3 Extensions and conclusions 1.3.1 Theories with multiple extensions 1.3.2 Theories without extensions 2 From Defaults to Reasons 2.1 An austere theory of reasons 2.2 Developing the theory 2.2.1 Conflict, strength, and defeat 2.2.2 Reasons and enablers 2.2. 3 Reason amalgamation II Deontic Logic 3 Reasons and Oughts 3.1 The two logics 3.1.1 Simple oughts 3.1.2 Conditional oughts 3.1.3 Some history 3.2 Properties of the logics 4 Moral Conflicts 4.1 Logical objections 4.1.1 Agglomeration 4.1.2 Other logical objections 4.2 Conceptual objections 4.3 Objections based on reasons as moral forces III Some Elaborations 5 Variable Priorities and Exclusion 5.1 Variable priority default theories 5.1.1 The definition 5.1.2 Some examples 5.2 Exclusionary default theories 5.2.1 The definition 5.2.2 Some examples 5.3 Discussion 5.3.1 Downward closure of exclusion 5.3.2 Exclusion by weaker defaults 5.3. 3 Excluders, intensifiers, and attenuators 6 Particularism 6.1 Dancy's argument 6.2 Evaluating the argument 6.3 Discussion 6.3.1 Pragmatic considerations 6.3.2 Borrowing a book 6.3. 3 Moderate particularism IV Some complications 7 Skepticism and Floating Conclusions 7.1 Floating conclusions 7.1.1 Arguments and paths 7.1.2 Two versions of skepticism 7.2 The problem with floating conclusions 7.2.1 An example 7.2.2 Objections to the example 7.3 Discussion 7.3.1 Other examples 7.3.2 Skepticism 8 Problems with Priorities 8.1 Refining the concept of defeat 8.2 Controlling the order of application 8.3 Discussion 8.3.1 Inappropriate equilibria 8.3.2 Other orderings 8.3. 3 Reinstatement V Appendices A Notes on the default logics A.1 Proper scenarios A.2 Some observations on defeat A.3 Normal default theories B Notes on the deontic logics B.1 A comparison with van Fraassen's logic B.2 A comparison with standard deontic logic