Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
cODA: An Open-Source Framework to Easily Design Context-Aware Android Apps

Mobile devices take an important part in everyday life. They are now cheaper and widespread, but still a lot of time is spent by the users to configure them: users adapt to their own device, not vice versa. Can our smart phones do something smarter? In this work, we propose a framework to support the development of context aware applications for Android devices: the goal of such applications is to reduce as much as possible the interaction with the user, making use of automatic and intelligent components. Moreover, these components should consume as less power and computational resources as possible, being them part of a mobile ecosystem whose battery and hardware are highly constrained. The work implies the study of a methodology that fits the Android framework and the design of a highly extensible software architecture. An open source framework based on the proposed methodology is then described. Some use cases are finally presented, analyzing the performances and the limitations of the proposed methodology.
Identifying ideal values of parameters for software performance testing

Performance is the most imperative feature concerned with the quality of software. Performance testing provides the proof of performance of the product and set a baseline for further enhancement in the application. Software performance is dependent on various factors like response, speed and underling resources. In this paper we have identified critical factors affecting software performance and derived the measures and matrices related to performance. We have performed statistical mining to find the confidence interval of critical parameters which plays important role in software performance. Our research for Software Performance analysis is a systematic, quantitative and qualitative way in the direction of supporting performance sensitive software systems development that meet performance objectives and prevents performance problems.
Lymphoedema of the lower extremities – background, pathophysiology and diagnostic considerations

Lymphoedema of the lower extremities is a chronic debilitating disease that is often underdiagnosed. Early diagnosis and treatment is paramount in reducing the risk of progression and complications. Lymphoedema has traditionally been defined as interstitial oedema and protein accumulation because of a defect in the lymphatic drainage; however, some findings suggest that the interstitial protein concentration may be low in some types of lymphoedema. Primary lymphoedema is caused by an inherent defect in the lymphatic vessels or lymph nodes. Secondary lymphoedema is caused by damages to the lymphatic system most often caused by cancer or its treatment. Many of the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms have yet to be elucidated. Many methods have been developed for examination of the lymphatic system. Lymphoscintigraphy is presently the preferred diagnostic modality. Lack of consensus regarding protocol and qualitative interpretation criteria results in a too observer dependent outcome. Methods for objectifying the scintigraphy through quantification have been criticized. Depot clearance rates are an alternative method of quantification of lymphatic drainage capacity. This method however has mostly been applied on upper extremity lymphoedema. The aim of this review is to provide a literature‐based overview of the aetiology and pathophysiology of lower extremity lymphoedema and to summarize the current knowledge about lymphoscintigraphy and depot clearance techniques. The abundance of factors influencing the outcome of the examination stresses the need for consensus regarding examination protocols and interpretation. Further studies are needed to improve diagnostic performance and understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms.
Etiologies of parathyroid gland dysfunction in primary hyperparathyroidism

Primary hyperparathyroidism is caused by defects in the parathyroid gland. Investigations have implicated three interesting genes whose mutation can cause primary hyperparathyroidism. Familial hypocalciuric hypercalcemia is believed to be an atypical form of primary hyperparathyroidism with an inherited defect in calcium recognition expressed not only in all parathyroid chief cells (thus a polyclonal defect) but in some renal tubular cells as well. In typical primary hyperparathyroidism a monoclonal parathyroid tumor is usually the central cause. Either of two apparently different genes on the long arm of chromosome 11 has been implicated in development of a parathyroid tumor clone. One gene (D11S287) was shown to have undergone a rearrangement with the parathyroid hormone gene on the short arm of the same chromosome (pericentro‐meric inversion) in a small fraction of tumors; the D11S287 locus may encode a growth stimulator. Another gene, the locus for familial multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (FMEN1), is likely to encode a growth inhibitor. Inactivation of this gene or another nearby gene by somatic mutation has been indirectly implicated in one‐quarter of sporadic parathyroid adenomas and in more than half of parathyroid tumors in FMEN1. In conclusion, studies have suggested three different mechanisms for parathyroid gland dysfunction in primary hyperparathyroidism: (1) a defect in calcium recognition, (2) a monoclonal tumor from overexpression of a growth stimulator, or (3) a monoclonal tumor from inactivation of a growth inhibitor.
The Temporal Course of Suppression during Binocular Rivalry

Orthogonally oriented sinusoidal luminance gratings were dichoptically presented to the observers' left and right eyes. During the subsequent binocular rivalry, a small target was briefly presented (4AFC) to probe the strength of interocular suppression at various temporal latencies. Both stationary and moving rivalrous patterns were investigated. The purpose of experiment 1 was to compare the temporal characteristics of stationary and motion rivalry (0 and 1.2 deg s−1), while that of experiment 2 was to examine rivalry suppression for higher speeds (2 and 4 deg s−1). In all cases, it was found that the strength of suppression remained essentially constant throughout a single phase of binocular rivalry. The results of the investigation also revealed that moving rivalrous patterns lead to greater magnitudes of interocular suppression than static patterns. Despite these differences in the strength of suppression, the results of both experiments show that the temporal characteristics of motion and static rivalry are essentially identical.
Xenophobia and the European Union

As the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991, representatives from the twelve nationstates of the European Community gathered in Maastricht in the Netherlands to negotiate the Treaty on the European Union. This treaty promised to deepen economic and political integration; its preamble resolved "to continue the process of creating an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe, in which decisions are taken as closely as possible to the citizen. "l While all twelve nations ratified the treaty, some did so only with great difficulty. The French and Danish were deeply divided. The former barely approved their referendum (by 50.7 percent), and the latter required a second one after the first failed. The British House of Commons delayed its final vote until the Danes approved ratification, while founding member Germany was the last to ratify the treaty due to a constitutional challenge that the federal constitutional court did not dismiss until October 1993. The unexpected difficulty in garnering adequate support suggested that the resolve to create "an ever closer union among the peoples of Europe" lay more with the drafters of the treaty than with the peoples themselves.2 In the decade preceding the Maastricht Treaty "crisis" and in the years since, increasing support for nationalist parties across Europe has also been accompanied by the resurgence of antiimmigrant and antiforeigner themes in the political arena. The National Front (FN) in France was the strongest and most visible of these groups, but very few countries in western Europe escaped the rise of nationalist politics. Nor were these sentiments limited to active supporters of the extreme right. Whereas support for the FN and the German Republikaner averaged approximately 10 percent of the electorate in the early 1990s, opinion polls revealed that between three and four of every ten respondents sympathized with their negative views of immigrants or foreigners. 3 These two phenomena, tenuous support for European integration and rising xenophobia, suggest a common wariness towards external changes that threaten the perceived integrity of the nation. For the most part, current literature on support for the European Union has emphasized cost-benefit arguments in explaining variance in public opinion. Other than a brief nod at national traditions, these arguments have largely disregarded the influence of such motivations as an inclination to preserve national integrity or a fear of foreign influences. Such motivations seem likely to predispose individuals towards a particular evaluation of European integration in addition to considerations of economic self-interest. Xenophobic attitudes are possi
Effects of wearing complete dentures during sleep on the apnea-hypopnea index.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to investigate whether wearing complete dentures during sleep can improve the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI). MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 34 edentulous patients (16 men and 18 women, mean age: 72.5 +/- 8.8 years) completed the study. Portable sleep recording was performed for two nights in patients' homes. All patients wore complete dentures one night and slept without dentures the other night. Information about medical history and denture use was obtained for all patients. The occurrence of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) was calculated in edentulous patients, and the effect that wearing complete dentures during sleep had on the AHI was evaluated. RESULTS Twenty-seven of the 34 patients suffered from OSAS with an AHI > or = 5. The mean AHI in patients sleeping with dentures was lower than that of those without dentures (13.3 +/- 10.0 versus 17.7 +/- 14.6, P= .022). Nineteen of these 27 patients showed a decrease in AHI while eight showed an AHI increase, of whom four showed increases of more than 5 points when wearing dentures during sleep. CONCLUSIONS Wearing complete dentures during sleep improves the AHI of most edentulous OSAS patients. In contrast, some patients suffer from AHI increases due to the use of complete dentures. Also in some patients, any significant change in AHI associated with the usage of complete dentures went unnoticed. Thus, careful attention should be given when complete dentures are recommended for edentulous OSAS patients.
Pathological plantar response: disturbances of the normal integration of flexor and extensor reflex components

Previous reports (Kugelberg, Eklund, and Grimby, 1960; Grimby, 1963) have presented the results of electromyographic studies of spinal reflexes elicited in healthy subjects by painful brief electric stimuli applied to the plantar surface of the foot. Special attention was paid to the 'reflex pattern' obtained on simultaneous recording in the short hallux flexor and extensor muscles, since the strength of the response in the flexor has been shown to be a sensitive index of the tendency to plantar flexion, and the response in the extensor of the tendency to dorsiflexion of the great toe. The investigations of the reflexes obtained in healthy individuals revealed that the reflex pattern has a basic composition typical of the stimulus site. Thus, stimulation of the hollow of the foot gives rise to activity predominantly in the short hallux flexor, whereas hallux stimulation results in dominant extensor activity; as the stimulus is successively shifted from planta to hallux, the flexor activity is gradually replaced by extensor activity. In an area which was called the 'transition zone' and which roughly corresponds to the ball of the foot, the reflex pattern is composed of alternating flexor and extensor activity of equal strength; the site and width of the transition zone vary from individual to individual. Finally, changes in the subject's attention and expectancy may result in marked, but only occasional, deviations from the basic reflex pattern at a given stimulus site. The electromyographic responses to stimulation
Prolonged Hypoxia Increases Survival Even in Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Showing Cardiac Arrhythmia

Tolerance towards hypoxia is highly pronounced in zebrafish. In this study even beneficial effects of hypoxia, specifically enhanced survival of zebrafish larvae, could be demonstrated. This effect was actually more pronounced in breakdance mutants, which phenotypically show cardiac arrhythmia. Breakdance mutants (bre) are characterized by chronically reduced cardiac output. Despite an about 50% heart rate reduction, they become adults, but survival rate significantly drops to 40%. Normoxic bre animals demonstrate increased hypoxia inducible factor 1 a (Hif-1α) expression, which indicates an activated hypoxic signaling pathway. Consequently, cardiovascular acclimation, like cardiac hypertrophy and increased erythrocyte concentration, occurs. Thus, it was hypothesized, that under hypoxic conditions survival might be even more reduced. When bre mutants were exposed to hypoxic conditions, they surprisingly showed higher survival rates than under normoxic conditions and even reached wildtype values. In hypoxic wildtype zebrafish, survival yet exceeded normoxic control values. To specify physiological acclimation, cardiovascular and metabolic parameters were measured before hypoxia started (3 dpf), when the first differences in survival rate occurred (7 dpf) and when survival rate plateaued (15 dpf). Hypoxic animals expectedly demonstrated Hif-1α accumulation and consequently enhanced convective oxygen carrying capacity. Moreover, bre animals showed a significantly enhanced heart rate under hypoxic conditions, which reached normoxic wildtype values. This improvement in convective oxygen transport ensured a sufficient oxygen and nutrient supply and was also reflected in the significantly higher mitochondrial activity. The highly optimized energy metabolism observed in hypoxic zebrafish larvae might be decisive for periods of higher energy demand due to organ development, growth and increased activity. However, hypoxia increased survival only during a short period of development and starting hypoxia before or after this phase reduced survival, particularly in bre animals. Thus, the physiological plasticity, which enables zebrafish larvae to benefit from a hypoxia, occurs only within a narrow developmental window.
Species‐energy relationships at the macroecological scale: a review of the mechanisms

Correlations between the amount of energy received by an assemblage and the number of species that it contains are very general, and at the macro‐scale such species‐energy relationships typically follow a monotonically increasing curve. Whilst the ecological literature contains frequent reports of such relationships, debate on their causal mechanisms is limited and typically focuses on the role of energy availability in controlling the number of individuals in an assemblage. Assemblages from high‐energy areas may contain more individuals enabling species to maintain larger, more viable populations, whose lower extinction risk elevates species richness. Other mechanisms have, however, also been suggested. Here we identify and clarify nine principal mechanisms that may generate positive species‐energy relationships at the macro‐scale. We critically assess their assumptions and applicability over a range of spatial scales, derive predictions for each and assess the evidence that supports or refutes them. Our synthesis demonstrates that all mechanisms share at least one of their predictions with an alternative mechanism. Some previous studies of species‐energy relationships appear not to have recognised the extent of shared predictions, and this may detract from their contribution to the debate on causal mechanisms. The combination of predictions and assumptions made by each mechanism is, however, unique, suggesting that, in principle, conclusive tests are possible. Sufficient testing of all mechanisms has yet to be conducted, and no single mechanism currently has unequivocal support. Each may contribute to species‐energy relationships in some circumstances, but some mechanisms are unlikely to act simultaneously. Moreover, a limited number appear particularly likely to contribute frequently to species‐energy relationships at the macro‐scale. The increased population size, niche position and diversification rate mechanisms are particularly noteworthy in this context.
Co-neighbor multi-view spectral embedding for medical content-based retrieval

Multimodal medical data from various information sources are often used to depict patients. We refer to each source as a `view'. Multi-view features could provide complementary information to each other; thus by fusing the multi-view features, we could greatly enhance the current medical content-based retrieval framework. In this paper, we propose a Co-neighbor Multi-view Spectral Embedding (CMSE) algorithm, which is an advanced feature fusion method based on the multi-view spectral analysis. CMSE aims to seek a smooth embedding for the multi-view features by maximizing the neighborhood affinity across all feature spaces. We evaluated the proposed CMSE algorithm using a freely available neuroimaging database, ADNI, with 331 pre-diagnosed subjects. Totally, 9 views of features were extracted for validation, and an improved retrieval performance was achieved over other state-of-art feature fusion methods.
Index to predict invasive mold infection in high-risk neutropenic patients based on the area over the neutrophil curve.

PURPOSE Patients with prolonged and profound neutropenia are at high risk to develop invasive mold infections (IMIs). We developed an index (D-index) that combines duration and severity of neutropenia. The aim of this study was to test the D-index as a predictor of IMI. PATIENTS AND METHODS The D-index was based on a graph plotting the absolute neutrophil counts during neutropenia and was the area over the neutrophil curve. We tested the D-index in 11 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who developed IMI during neutropenia and 33 AML patients without IMI (controls). We also calculated a cumulative D-index (c-D-index), defined as the cumulative D-index from the start of neutropenia until the date of the first clinical manifestation of IMI in patient cases. We compared the D-index and c-D-index with duration of neutropenia and defined a cutoff for IMI using the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. RESULTS The median duration of neutropenia and profound neutropenia of patient cases were significantly higher compared with controls (P = .002 and P = .001, respectively), as were the D-index (P < .001) and c-D-index (P = .02). The D-index and c-D-index performed better than duration of neutropenia in ROC curve analysis. For a cutoff point of 5,800 of the c-D-index, the sensitivity and specificity were 91% and 58%, respectively, and for a prevalence of IMI of 5%, 10%, and 15%, the negative predictive values were 99%, 98%, and 97%, respectively. CONCLUSION The high negative predictive value of the c-D-index may be of help in defining different risks for IMI in febrile neutropenic patients.
Keishibukuryogan (Gui-Zhi-Fu-Ling-Wan), a Kampo Formula, Decreases Disease Activity and Soluble Vascular Adhesion Molecule-1 in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis

An increasing death rate due to cardiovascular disease in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) has been reported. Keishibukuryogan (KBG) is a traditional Chinese/Japanese (Kampo) formula that has been administered to patients with blood stagnation, e.g. thrombotic disease and atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of KBG on disease activity and endothelial dysfunction in RA patients. Sixteen RA patients were enrolled and administered KBG (12 g per day) for 12 weeks in addition to continuing other drugs. The disease activity of RA was assessed by modified disease activity scores for 28 joints (DAS28). Plasma levels of adhesion molecules, soluble E-selectin (sE-selectin), soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (sVCAM-1) were evaluated. C-reactive protein (CRP), inflammatory cytokines (IL-1β, IL-6 and TNF-α) and lipid peroxide (LPO) were also evaluated. Fourteen patients completed the study. The disease activity of RA, tender joint count, swollen joint count and DAS28 decreased significantly. Among adhesion molecules, only sVCAM-1 decreased significantly. LPO also decreased significantly, whereas CRP and inflammatory cytokines remained unchanged. These results suggest that KBG has insufficient anti-inflammatory or immunomodulating effect but does have a beneficial effect on articular symptoms and a protective effect against endothelial dysfunction in RA patients.
Contrast-enhanced MR imaging of malignant brain tumors.

Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging was performed before and serially after intravenous injection of 1 mmol/kg gadolinium-DTPA (Schering) in 17 patients with clinical and histologic diagnosis of malignant cerebral tumors. There was a decrease of 1% in T1 and 10% in T2 in normal white matter and a decrease of 8% in T1 and 14% in T2 in normal gray matter. Contrast enhancement was observed in 16 of the 17 tumors. In the region of maximal enhancement a mean decrease of 16% in T1 was observed in low-grade gliomas, a mean decrease in T1 of 29% was seen in high-malignancy gliomas, and a mean decrease in T1 of 33% was observed in metastases. The decreases in T1 persisted for at least 50 min. In one case the central cystic region of the tumor displayed a decrease in T1 and T2. Measurements of signal intensity displayed maximal contrast enhancement with an IR 1500/500/44 sequence, much less with SE 1500/44, and least with SE 1500/80. Edema was observed on precontrast images in 14 cases, but satisfactory definition of the tumor-edema margin was only possible in four cases. After contrast enhancement this margin was defined in 10 cases. In four of the 17 cases areas of apparent "edema" seen before administration of Gd-DTPA displayed significant contrast enhancement and probably represented tumor infiltration. Comparison with CT showed a greater degree of contrast enhancement on MR images in eight cases, an equal degree in eight cases, and greater enhancement on CT in one case. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)