Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Association between Microperimetric Parameters and Optical Coherent Tomographic Findings in Various Macular Diseases

Purpose To analyze the correlation between microperimetric parameters and optical coherent tomographic findings in the eyes of patients with macular diseases. Methods A total of 64 eyes were included in this retrospective cross-sectional study. Differences in the macular integrity index and microperimetric parameters were analyzed according to types of outer retinal band defects. Correlations between average threshold values and retinal thickness in the corresponding areas were analyzed. Finally, microperimetric parameters were compared between inner and outer retinal lesions. Results Measures of best-corrected visual acuity, macular integrity index, and average threshold values were significantly worse in eyes with defects in the ellipsoid portion of the photoreceptor inner segment (ISe), the cone outer segment tip (COST), and the external limiting membrane (ELM) than in eyes without ISe, COST, and ELM defects. Also, visual functionality is more significantly impacted by ELM defects than by other hyper-reflective band defects. There was a significant negative correlation between retinal thickness and the average threshold of the corresponding area in the Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study grid. Microperimetric parameters in the eyes of patients with inner retinal lesions were better than in the eyes of patients with outer retinal lesions. Conclusions The macular integrity index may be a useful factor for reflecting the functional aspects of macular diseases. Specifically, ELM, ISe, and COST defects are significantly associated with poor retinal sensitivity and macular integrity index values that suggest abnormalities. Among eyes with these particular defects, the visual functionality of patients is most sensitively impacted by ELM defects. This finding suggests that microperimetric parameters are sensitive and useful for evaluating functional abnormalities in the eyes of patients with macular disease, particularly in patients with outer retinal pathology.
An alpha-activity-based binaural beat sound entrainment system using arousal state model

We developed a new real-time control system for customizing an auditory stimulus (the binaural beat sound) by judging a user's alpha waves to entrain his/her feeling in the most relaxed way. We use an autoregressive forecasting model to estimate the frequency response series of the alpha frequency bands and a fuzzy logic controller to regulate the binaural beat control signal on a forecasting error signal. The arousal state determination model plays a role in regulating an appropriate binaural beat sound correlating with a change in alpha activity. According to studies of the relationship between arousal state and alpha activity, the alpha activity level may state-dependent, which can be modeled following the "inverted-U" model. The inverted-U concept is employed to determine the user arousal state, and tries to understand the user arousal state through the change in alpha activity. From the results of experiments, it is confirmed that the inverted-U model for arousal state determination is an effective model to regulate a stimulus properly with the determined arousal state.
Evaporative self-assembly assisted synthesis of polymeric nanoparticles by surface acoustic wave atomization

We demonstrate a straightforward and rapid atomization process driven by surface acoustic waves that is capable of continuously producing spherical monodispersed submicron poly-ε-caprolactone particle aggregates between 150 and 200 nm, each of which are composed of nanoparticles of 5–10 nm in diameter. The size and morphologies of these particle assemblies were determined using dynamic light scattering, atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Through scaling theory, we show that the larger particle aggregates are formed due to capillary instabilities amplified by the acoustic forcing whereas the smaller particulates that form the aggregates arise due to a nucleate templating process as a result of rapid spatially inhomogeneous solvent evaporation. Minimization of the free energy associated with the evaporative process yields a critical cluster size for a single nucleus in the order of 10 nm, which roughly corresponds with the dimensions of the sub-50 nm particulates.
Data-driven robotic sampling for marine ecosystem monitoring

Robotic sampling is attractive in many field robotics applications that require persistent collection of physical samples for ex-situ analysis. Examples abound in the earth sciences in studies involving the collection of rock, soil, and water samples for laboratory analysis. In our test domain, marine ecosystem monitoring, detailed understanding of plankton ecology requires laboratory analysis of water samples, but predictions using physical and chemical properties measured in real-time by sensors aboard an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) can guide sample collection decisions. In this paper, we present a data-driven and opportunistic sampling strategy to minimize cumulative regret for batches of plankton samples acquired by an AUV over multiple surveys. Samples are labeled at the end of each survey, and used to update a probabilistic model that guides sampling during subsequent surveys. During a survey, the AUV makes irrevocable sample collection decisions online for a sequential stream of candidates, with no knowledge of the quality of future samples. In addition to extensive simulations using historical field data, we present results from a one-day field trial where beginning with a prior model learned from data collected and labeled in an earlier campaign, the AUV collected water samples with a high abundance of a pre-specified planktonic target. This is the first time such a field experiment has been carried out in its entirety in a data-driven fashion, in effect “closing the loop” on a significant and relevant ecosystem monitoring problem while allowing domain experts (marine ecologists) to specify the mission at a relatively high level.
Faster Logic Manipulation for Large Designs

When logic transformations, such as circuit restructuring, technology mapping, and post-mapping optimization, are repeatedly applied to large hardware designs, millions of relatively small (6-16 input) Boolean functions have to be efficiently manipulated. This paper focuses on a novel representation of these small functions, in terms of their disjoint-support decomposition (DSD) structures. A new DSD manipulation package is developed, which allows for faster logic manipulation compared to known methods.
Simulation Analysis for Steering Mechanism of Solar-Powered Electric Vehicle

In this paper, we built a three-dimensional modeling of chassis for Solar-powered electric vehicles using Solid Works software. First, we added constraint relationship to the components of steering mechanism. Then we made kinematics and dynamics simulation to the steering mechanism by the ADAMS simulation software. We Obtained that the steering mechanism has a under steering performance. It was theoretically proved that the feasibility of steering mechanism. At the end we optimized the design of the steering mechanism.
An evaluation of keyword spotting performance utilizing false alarm rejection based on prosodic information

In this paper, we describe our effort in developing new method of false alarm rejection for keyword spotting type of speech recognition system. This false alarm rejection uses prosodic similarities, and works as posterior rescore basis. In keyword spotting, there is always false alarm problem. Here, we propose a technique to reject those false alarms using prosodic features. In Japanese, prosodic information is expressed in intonation form, while may of other languages is using stress accents. Therefore, it is easy to calculate prosodic information using fundamental frequency, so called F0, in our language. In our new keyword spotting engine, we get result by combining two scores. One is phonetic score calculated by front engine, and the other is pitch score calculated by post engine described in this paper. We have accomplished 13%(point) improvement on keyword recognition accuracy using this method. We also have proposed robust modeling method for rejection using prosodic features.
Enterprise Integrated Knowledge Management System Conceptual Model: An Empirical Research

Based on the view that knowledge management system (KMS) in enterprise is an integrated social-technical system, this paper first defines the connotation of Integrated Knowledge Management System (IKMS), and then sets up a conceptual model of IKMS. Finally, the paper does universal test of the conceptual model using structure equation model (SEM) and analyses its possibility of practical use. The purpose of the paper is to provide a theoretical frame for enterprises requiring knowledge management (KM).
Wireless sensor networks routing protocol based on ant colony algorithm

In the paper, we provide a novel routing algorithm (ANRP), which is based on Ant Colony System. The aim of the ANRP is to solve the problem of limited energy for wireless sensor network routing process. It is able to achieve better load balance and prolong the network lifetime. ANRP combines the ratio of the residual energy and the total energy with the distance of any two nodes, which is used as the control factor of the decision probability. Furthermore, in the incremental equation of pheromone, it also considers data packets length and the hop-size between source node and destination node. In this way, NARP can search the optimize path from the source node to destination node and balances the energy consumption for WSNs. Simulation results demonstrate that NARP has better performance than AODV.
Impact of Adjuvants on the Immunogenicity and Efficacy of Split-Virion H7N9 Vaccine in Ferrets.

BACKGROUND An effective vaccine is urgently needed against the H7N9 avian influenza virus. We evaluated the immunogenicity and protective efficacy of a split-virion H7N9 vaccine with or without the oil-in-water adjuvants in ferrets. METHODS Ferrets were vaccinated with 2 doses of unadjuvanted, MF59 or AS03-adjuvanted A/Shanghai/2/2013 (H7N9) vaccine, and the induction of antibodies to hemagglutinin (HA) or neuraminidase proteins was evaluated. Ferrets were then challenged with wild-type H7N9 virus to assess the vaccine's protective efficacy. The vaccine composition and integrity was also evaluated in vitro. RESULTS Adjuvanted vaccines stimulated robust serum antibody titers against HA and neuraminidase compared with the unadjuvanted vaccines. Although there was a difference in adjuvanticity between AS03 and MF59 at a lower dose (3.75 µg of HA), both adjuvants induced comparable antibody responses after 2 doses of 15 µg. On challenge, ferrets that received adjuvanted vaccines showed lower viral burden than the control or unadjuvanted vaccine group. In vitro examinations revealed that the vaccine contained visible split-virus particles and retained the native conformation of HA recognizable by polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies. CONCLUSIONS The adjuvanted H7N9 vaccines demonstrated superior immunogenicity and protective efficacy against H7N9 infection in ferrets and hold potential as a vaccination regimen.
Wallerian Degeneration in the Corticospinal Tract Evaluated by Diffusion Tensor Imaging Correlates with Motor Deficit 30 Days after Middle Cerebral Artery Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The quantification and clinical significance of WD in CSTs following supratentorial stroke are not well understood. We evaluated the anisotropy by using DTI and signal-intensity changes on conventional MR imaging in the CST to determine whether these findings are correlated with limb motor deficit in patients with MCA ischemic stroke. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We studied 60 patients within 12 hours of stroke onset. At admission, day 3, and day 30 of evolution, patients underwent multimodal MR imaging, including DTI sequences. We assessed the severity of limb weakness by using the motor subindex scores (5a, 5b, 6a, 6b) of the m-NIHSS and established 3 groups: I (m-NIHSS scores of 0), II (m-NIHSS, 1–4), and III (m-NIHSS, 5–8). FA values and rFAs were measured on the affected and the unaffected CSTs in the pons. RESULTS: FA values for the CST were significantly lower on the affected side compared with the unaffected side only at day 30 (P < .001), and the rFA was significantly correlated with the motor deficit at day 30 (P < .001; r = −0.793). The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values for motor deficit by rFA < 0.925 were 95.2%, 94.9%, 90.9%, and 97.4%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: WD in the CST revealed by DTI correlates with motor deficit 30 days after MCA ischemic stroke. This study highlights the utility of imaging follow-up at 30 days and the potential of DTI as a surrogate marker in clinical trials.
Entry by Spinoffs

Entry by spinoffs from incumbent firms is investigated for the laser industry. A model in which spinoffs exploit knowledge from their parents is constructed to explain the types of firms that spawn spinoffs, the market conditions conducive to spinoffs, and the relationship of spinoffs to their parents. The model is tested using detailed data on all laser entrants from the start of the industry through 1994. Our findings support the basic premise of the model that spinoffs inherit knowledge from their parents that shapes their nature at birth. Implications of our findings for organizational behavior, business strategy, entry and industry evolution, and technological change are discussed.
Simulations of pharmacological actions in the basal ganglia circuit

We have carried out computational simulations to investigate pharmacological effects in the basal ganglia (BG). Results of our simulations showed that dopamine depletion induces a time delay of the saccade eye movements and an oscillatory behavior of the neuronal activity in the BG. We also suggest that the oscillatory behavior is originated from formation of closed loop circuits in the BG.
Radiometric Calibration and Characterization of Large-format Digital Photogrammetric Sensors in a Test Field

Test field calibration is an attractive approach to calibrating and characterizing the radiometry of airborne imaging instruments. In this study, a method for radiometric test field calibration for digital photogrammetric instruments is developed, and it is used to evaluate the radiometric performance of large-format photogrammetric sensors the ADS40, the DMC, and the UltraCamD. In the study, linearity, dynamic range, sensitivity, and absOlute calibration were evaluated. The results demonstrated the high radiometric quality of the sensors tested. All the sensors were linear in response. The DMC used the 12-bit dynamic range entirely, while the ADS40 and the UltraCamD indicated close to the 13-bit dynamic range. The sensors performed quite differently with respect to sensitivity. With the DMC and the UltraCamD a risk of overexposure appeared, while the color channels of the ADS40 showed low sensitivity. Because the sensors were linear in response, they could be absolutely calibrated using linear models.
Tests for cointegration in panels with regime shifts

In the paper we extend Gregory and Hansen’s (1996)ADF, Za, Zt cointegration tests to panel data, using the method proposed in Maddala and Wu (1999). We test the null hypothesis of no cointegration for all the units in the panel against the alternative hypothesis of cointegration, while allowing for a one-time regime shift of unknown timing for at least some regressions. We derive the panel tests for the ADF, Za, Zt tests , and compare these tests with Pedroni’s (1999) panel cointegration tests. We show that Gregory and Hansen’s (1996) panel tests have higher power to reject null when there is a structural change in the cointegration vector. We apply the statistics to the analysis of the well known Feldstein-Horioka puzzle for a sample of sixteen OCDE countries. After we allow for a structural break in the cointegration regression, we find strong evidence of cointegration between saving and investment rates.
Evidence of rapid correlation-based perceptual category learning by 4-month-olds

Young infants are very sensitive to feature distribution information in the environment. However, existing work suggests that they do not make use of correlation information to form certain perceptual categories until at least 7 months of age. We suggest that the failure to use correlation information is a by-product of familiarization procedures that encourage infants to over encode individual exemplars rather than relations across exemplars. By changing the exemplar presentation regime to one in which exemplars are rapidly (2s durations) and repeatedly presented we find that 4-month-olds can form perceptual categories on the basis of feature correlation information. In addition, this ability emerges rapidly between 114 and 134 days. We argue that the ability to process correlation information is present very early on but that the demonstration of that ability in categorization tasks is mediated by the demands of the task the infant is tested with. Copyright (c) 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
How Comorbidities Co-Occur in Readmitted Hip Fracture Patients: From Bipartite Networks to Insights for Post-Discharge Planning

Although a majority of 30-day readmissions of hip-fracture (HFx) patients in the elderly are caused by non-surgical complications, little is known about which specific combinations of comorbidities are associated with increased risk of readmission. We therefore used bipartite network analysis to explore the complex associations between 70 comorbidities (defined by hierarchal condition categories as critical in this population) and (a) cases consisting of all 2,316 HFx patients without hospital complications in the 2010 Medicare claims database who were re-admitted within 30 days of discharge, and (b) controls consisting of an equal number of matched HFx patients who were not readmitted for at least 90 days since discharge. A network-wide analysis revealed nine patient/comorbidity co-clusters, of which two had a significantly different proportion of cases compared to the rest of the data. A cluster-specific analysis of the most significant co-cluster revealed that a pair of comorbidities (Renal Failure and Diabetes with no Complications) within the co-cluster had significantly higher risk of 30-day readmission, whereas another pair of comorbidities (Renal Failure and Diabetes with Renal or Peripheral Circulatory Manifestations), despite having a relatively more serious comorbidity, did not confer a higher risk. This counter-intuitive result suggests that HFx patients with more serious comorbidities may have better follow-up that reduces the risk of 30-day readmission, whereas those with specific relatively less-serious comorbidities may have less stringent follow-up resulting in unanticipated incidents that precipitate readmission. These analyses reveal the strengths and limitations of bipartite networks for identifying hypotheses for complex phenomena related to readmissions, with the goal of improving follow-up care for patients with specific combinations of comorbidities.
Making Differences Matter: A New Paradigm for Managing Diversity

Why should companies concern themselves with diversity? Until recently, many managers answered this question with the assertion that discrimination is wrong, both legally and morally. But today managers are voicing a second notion as well. A more diverse workforce, they say, will increase organizational effectiveness. It will lift morale, bring greater access to new segments of the marketplace, and enhance productivity. In short, they claim, diversity will be good for business.
Teaching the Principles of Interest Rate Determination

We present a loanable funds framework that provides students with a quick and clear under­standing of interest rate determination. Within the presented loanable funds framework we can (i) clarify the role of information for the emergence of liquidity effects of money, (ii) clarify long-term monetary neutrality and deviations thereof, and (iii) see behind demand and supply to describe the behavior of key and representative agents. This approach makes it easy to understand how some agent's (like the central bank or the treasury department) change of behavior influences the market and how this in turn affects individual players (e.g. an enterprise).
A family of hyperbolic spin Calogero‐Moser systems and the spin Toda lattices

In this paper, we continue to develop a general scheme to study a broad class of integrable systems naturally associated with the coboundary dynamical Lie algebroids. In particular, we present a factorization method for solving the Hamiltonian flows. We also present two important classes of new examples, a family of hyperbolic spin Calogero‐Moser systems and the spin Toda lattices. To illustrate our factorization theory, we show how to solve these Hamiltonian systems explicitly. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An evaluation of the sub-regional legacy/impacts of the London 2012 Olympic Games in a non-hosting sub-region : a case study of Leicestershire

This thesis evaluates the legacy/impact of the London 2012 Games for a non-hosting sub-region Leicestershire, principally through evaluations of four legacy-programmes (i.e. the Workplace Challenge, Get Set, Sport Makers, and Games Makers programmes), drawing conclusions about lessons learned from the Leicestershire 2012 legacy experience. The selection of Leicestershire as a non-hosting sub-region reflects the fact that little is known about the legacy/ impact of the Games in such contexts. The nature of Olympic legacy evaluation is considered as a complex, wide-ranging, and multi-staged process. This thesis thus focuses on two main areas: i) conducting a systematic review of the literature (covering the period 1996-2011) to explore and establish an understanding of the concepts of Olympic legacy , and evidenced legacy/impact of hosting the Olympics in previous Games; ii) assessing the extent to which the London 2012 Games had impacted on the changed legacy outcomes for Leicestershire through realist evaluations. Together with realist evaluations, analytic logic models and the assessment of additionality approaches are adopted in this study, focusing on the four legacy-programmes evaluations, wherein quantitative and/or qualitative methodology are utilised in order to identify the causal mechanisms that produced the anticipated/unanticipated effects in their specific contexts. This study is an empirical example of the application of the realist evaluation and assessment of additionality. It also produces an evidence base for policy analysis in order to inform stakeholders thinking regarding sustaining the legacy of the Games and any future major sporting events by identifying lessons learned for non-hosting contexts.
The Public and the National Agenda: How People Learn about Important Issues

Contents: Preface. Theoretical Underpinnings of the Agenda-Setting Process. The Agenda-Setting Susceptibility Measure. Effects of Demographic and Psychological Variables on Agenda Setting. Effects of Behavioral Variables on Agenda Setting. Putting It All Together: How the Agenda-Setting Process Works. Effects of Different Media on Agenda Setting. The Role of Nonmedia Sources in the Agenda-Setting Process. Expanding the Agenda-Setting Hypothesis. Social Learning in the Agenda-Setting Process. References.