Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Three-dimensional echocardiographic quantification of the left-heart chambers using an automated adaptive analytics algorithm: multicentre validation study

Aims Although recommended by current guidelines, adoption of three-dimensional echocardiographic (3DE) chamber quantification in clinical practice has lagged because of time-consuming analysis. We recently validated an automated algorithm that measures left atrial (LA) and left ventricular (LV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF). This study aimed to determine the accuracy and reproducibility of these measurements in a multicentre setting. Methods and results 180 patients underwent 3DE imaging (Philips) at six sites. Images were analysed using automated HeartModel (HM) software with endocardial border correction when necessary and by manual tracing. Measurements were performed by each site and by the Core Laboratory (CL) as the reference. Inter-technique comparisons included HM measurements by the sites against manual tracing by CL, and showed strong correlations (r-values: LVEDV: 0.97, LVESV: 0.97, LVEF: 0.88, LAV: 0.96), with the automated technique slightly underestimating LV volumes (biases: LVEDV: -14 ± 20 ml, LVESV: -6 ± 20 ml), LVEF (-2 ± 7%) and LAV (-9 ± 10 ml). Intra-technique comparisons included HM measurements by the sites against CL, with and without corrections. Corrections were unnecessary or minimal in most patients, and improved the measurements only modestly. Comparisons without corrections showed perfect agreement for all parameters. With corrections, correlations were better (r-values: LVEDV: 0.99, LVESV: 0.99, LVEF: 0.94, LAV: 0.99) and biases (LVEDV: -8 ± 12 ml, LVESV: -6 ± 12 ml, LVEF: 1 ± 5%, LAV: -10 ± 6 ml) smaller than in inter-technique comparison. All automated measurements with corrections were more reproducible than manual measurements. Conclusion Automated 3DE analysis of left-heart chambers is an accurate alternative to conventional manual methodology, which yields almost the same values across laboratories and is more reproducible. This technique may contribute towards full integration of 3DE quantification into clinical routine.
Biosorption of Hazardous Azo Dye Metanil Yellow using Immobilized Aquatic weed

Release of coloured textile effluent in to aquatic environment is detrimental as they prevent penetration of light in to water, thereby affecting aquatic life and creates harmful water. Biosorption is an alternative treatment available other than physicochemical and biological methods to treat these toxic effluents. This study investigates the potential of water hyacinths to adsorb hazardous azo dye metanil yellow from aqueous solution. Metanil Yellow, is a widely used toxic dye containing one or more azo bonds (-N=N-). Metanil Yellow is used in number of industries such as textile, dyeing, food, cosmetics, paper printing industries and with textile industries as large consumers. Biosorption process was carried out using immobilized dead aquatic weeds. The influences of adsorption parameters such as initial dye concentration, pH, contact time, adsorbent dosage, agitation speed, and temperature were evaluated and optimized. Further the mechanism of biosorption earned good fits for Langmuir isotherm model. The pseudo first order and second order kinetic model described well the experimental data. The batch studies clearly suggest that the maximum adsorption capacity for the removal of Matanil Yellow dye were obtained at 6 pH and up to 98.8 % color removal is achieved with contact time of 240mins. Further desorption techniques were employed to recover the loaded pollutants and it is found to be the reusability of the immobilized aquatic weeds after storage may be a potential advantage in wastewater treatment.
Remote sensing technology for mapping and monitoring vegetation cover (Case study: Semirom-Isfahan, Iran)

To determine the suitable indices for vegetation cover and production assessment based on the remote sensing data, simultaneous digital data with field data belonging to the spring rangeland of the Semirom-Isfahan province were analyzed. During two years of monitoring the annual, grass, forb, and shrub vegetation cover and the total production data from 86 were collected. The Global Positioning System (GPS) was used to measure the coordinates of plots and transects. Geometric correction and histogram equalization were applied in image processing, and image digital numbers were converted to reflectance numbers. In the next stage, all vegetation indices were calculated from the Advanced Wide Field Sensor (AWiFS) image data and compared with the vegetation cover estimates, at monitoring points, made during field assessments. A linear regression model was used to select suitable vegetation indices. The results showed that there were significant relationships between the satellite data and the vegetative characteristics. Among the indices, the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) consistently showed significant relationships with the vegetation cover. The estimation of the vegetation cover with the NDVI vegetation index was more accurately predicted within rangeland systems. Using the produced model from the NDVI index vegetation crown cover, percentage maps were produced in three class percentages for each image. Generally introduced indices provided accurate quantitative estimation of the parameters. Therefore, it was possible to estimate cover and production as important factors for range monitoring using the AWiFS data. The Remote sensing data and the Geographic Information System are the most effective tools in natural resource management.
The Problem of Explanations without User Feedback

Explanations are necessary for building users’ understanding and trust in machine learning systems. However, users may abandon systems if these explanations demonstrate consistent errors and they cannot affect change in the systems’ behavior in response. When user feedback is supported, then the utility of explanations is to not only promote understanding, but also enable users to help the machine learning system overcome errors. We suggest an experiment to examine how users react when a system makes explainable mistakes with varied support for user feedback. Author
The effectiveness of exercise interventions for people with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting the physical, psychological, social, and functional status of individuals. Exercise programs may be an effective strategy to delay or reverse functional decline for people with PD and a large body of empirical evidence has emerged in recent years. The objective is to systematically review randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on the effectiveness of exercise interventions on outcomes (physical, psychological or social functioning, or quality of life) for people with PD. RCTs meeting the inclusion criteria were identified by systematic searching of electronic databases. Key data were extracted by two independent researchers. A mixed methods approach was undertaken using narrative, vote counting, and random effects meta‐analysis methods. Fourteen RCTs were included and the methodological quality of most studies was moderate. Evidence supported exercise as being beneficial with regards to physical functioning, health‐related quality of life, strength, balance and gait speed for people with PD. There was insufficient evidence support or refute the value of exercise in reducing falls or depression. This review found evidence of the potential benefits of exercise for people with PD, although further good quality research is needed. Questions remain around the optimal content of exercise interventions (dosing, component exercises) at different stages of the disease. © 2008 Movement Disorder Society
Bridging the I/O performance gap for big data workloads: A new NVDIMM-based approach

The long I/O latency posts significant challenges for many data-intensive applications, such as the emerging big data workloads. Recently, the NVDIMM (Non-Volatile Dual In-line Memory Module) technologies provide a promising solution to this problem. By employing non-volatile NAND flash memory as storage media and connecting them via DIMM (Dual Inline Memory Module) slots, the NVDIMM devices are exposed to memory bus so the access latencies due to going through I/O controllers can be significantly mitigated. However, placing NVDIMM on the memory bus introduces new challenges. For instance, by mixing I/O and memory traffic, NVDIMM can cause severe performance degradation on memory-intensive applications. Besides, there exists a speed mismatch between fast memory access and slow flash read/write operations. Moreover, garbage collection (GC) in NAND flash may cause up to several millisecond latency. This paper presents novel, enabling mechanisms that allow NVDIMM to more effectively bridge the I/O performance gap for big data workloads. To address the workload heterogeneity challenge, we develop a scheduling scheme in memory controller to minimize the interference between the native and the I/O-derived memory traffic by exploiting both data access criticality and resource utilization. For NVDIMM controller, several mechanisms are designed to better orchestrate traffic between the memory controller and NAND flash to alleviate the speed discrepancy issue. To mitigate the lengthy GC period, we propose a proactive GC scheme for the NVDIMM controller and flash controller to intelligently synchronize and transfer data involving in forthcoming GC operations. We present detailed evaluation and analysis to quantify how well our techniques fit with the NVDIMM design. Our experimental results show that overall the proposed techniques yield 10%~35% performance improvements over the state-of-the-art baseline schemes.
Electromagnetic and design aspects of magnetic mini-actuators

Actuators are systems transferring commands coming from a control system into mechanical motion. The advantage of electromagnetic energy transducers as elements of an actuator is that the control system and the energy transducer have the same type of signals, making the interfacing in principle rather simple. Two main elements can be distinguished in an actuator: the transducer transforming electric energy into mechanic power and the power electronic converter, changing the supply characteristics into quantities required by the electromagnetic energy transducer. The control circuit interacts both with the power electronic converter, to which it sends signals, and often (but not always) receives signals from the electromagnetic energy transducer and/or the converter. The paper reviews some major developments in the area and tries to link them with different applications.
The energy budget in C4 photosynthesis: insights from a cell‐type‐specific electron transport model

Summary Extra ATP required in C4 photosynthesis for the CO2‐concentrating mechanism probably comes from cyclic electron transport (CET). As metabolic ATP : NADPH requirements in mesophyll (M) and bundle‐sheath (BS) cells differ among C4 subtypes, the subtypes may differ in the extent to which CET operates in these cells. We present an analytical model for cell‐type‐specific CET and linear electron transport. Modelled NADPH and ATP production were compared with requirements. For malic‐enzyme (ME) subtypes, c. 50% of electron flux is CET, occurring predominantly in BS cells for standard NADP‐ME species, but in a ratio of c. 6 : 4 in BS : M cells for NAD‐ME species. Some C4 acids follow a secondary decarboxylation route, which is obligatory, in the form of ‘aspartate‐malate’, for the NADP‐ME subtype, but facultative, in the form of phosphoenolpyruvate‐carboxykinase (PEP‐CK), for the NAD‐ME subtype. The percentage for secondary decarboxylation is c. 25% and that for 3‐phosphoglycerate reduction in BS cells is c. 40%; but these values vary with species. The ‘pure’ PEP‐CK type is unrealistic because its is impossible to fulfil ATP : NADPH requirements in BS cells. The standard PEP‐CK subtype requires negligible CET, and thus has the highest intrinsic quantum yields and deserves further studies in the context of improving canopy productivity.
Network meta-analysis of success rate and safety in antibiotic treatments of bronchitis

The purpose of this study was to compare the relative efficacy and safety of different antibiotic drugs and recommend superior regimens in the treatment of bronchitis. With respect to the antibiotic comparisons against quinolones in terms of intention-to-treat patients, we concluded that quinolones had advantages over placebo, β-lactams, sulfonamides, and double β-lactams. Concerning treatment methods for clinically evaluable patients, quinolones demonstrated better performance than β-lactams and sulfonamides. The secondary effects of macrolides, quinolones, and double β-lactams were significantly more adverse than β-lactams with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.5 (95% credible interval [CrI] =1.1–2.0), 1.7 (95% CrI =1.2–2.3), and 2.7 (95% CrI =1.8–4.1), respectively. Significant differences in the prevalence of diarrhea as a secondary effect were only identified among the comparisons of double β-lactams against β-lactams and macrolides (OR =5.0, 95% CrI =2.1–12.0; OR =3.0, 95% CrI =1.7–5.4, respectively). Quinolones can be recommended as the superior treatment for bronchitis, in accordance with our cluster analysis with surface under the cumulative ranking curve. The primary outcomes of network meta-analysis indicated that quinolones showed the best performance among the 8 treatments studied, although β-lactams showed the lowest risk of adverse side effects. Quinolones are recommended as the primary treatment option for bronchitis patients, having taking into account the success rates and safety profiles of the eight drugs studied here.
Flexible Array of Active Concentric Ring Electrodes for Surface Bioelectrical Recordings - Application to Non-invasive Recordings of EEnG

The estimation of laplacian potential on the body surface obtained by means of concentric ring electrodes can provide bioelectrical signals with better spatial resolution and less affected by bioelectrical interferences than monopolar and bipolar recordings with conventional disc electrodes. These ringed electrodes are usually implemented on rigid substrates which cannot adapt to body surface curvature. In this paper an array of flexible concentric ring electrodes for non-invasive bioelectrical activity recordings is presented. The array contains three tripolar electrodes in bipolar configuration (TCB, inner disc and external ring are shorted) which is suitable for body surface mapping. A preconditioning circuit module is directly connected to the electrode array to perform a first stage of filtering and amplification as close as possible to the recording area. Simultaneous recordings of intestinal myoelectrical activity (electroenterogram, EEnG) by means of the flexible array of ringed-electrodes and by disc electrodes with gel were carried out in healthy volunteers in fast state. Signals from the developed array of electrodes presented lower electrocardiographic and respiratory interference than conventional bipolar recordings with disc electrodes. The small bowel’s slow wave myoelectrical activity can be identified more easily in the ringed-electrodes recordings.
High glucose induces alternative activation of macrophages via PI3K/Akt signaling pathway

Abstract Objective: It has been proved that lactate-4.25% dialysate could result in peritoneal fibrosis by inducing alternative activation of macrophages in our previous study, but the mechanism of high glucose-induced alternative activation has not been elucidated. This study was, therefore, to investigate the mechanism by high glucose stimuli. Methods: In this study, Raw264.7 (murine macrophage cell line) cells were cultured and stimulated by 4.25% glucose medium, and mannitol medium was used as osmotic pressure control. Cells were harvested at 0 h, 4 h, 8 h, and 12 h to examine the expression of Arg-1, CD206, and p-Akt. After blocking PI3K by LY294002, the expression of Arg-1, CD206, and p-Akt was examined again. Results: The expression of Arg-1 and CD206 was increased in a time-dependent manner induced by high glucose medium. On the contrary, there was mainly no Agr-1 or CD206 expressed in cells cultured in the mannitol medium with the same osmotic pressure. What’s more, Akt was phosphorylated at the eighth hour stimulated by high glucose medium, and LY294002 inhibited the expression of Arg-1 and CD206 by blocking the phosphorylation of Akt. Conclusions: Our study indicated that high glucose rather than high osmotic pressure induced M2 phenotype via PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.
Force control of redundant robots in unstructured environment

In this paper, a method for force control of redundant robots in an unstructured environment is proposed. We assume that the obstacles are not known in advance. Hence, the robot arm has to be compliant with the environment while tracking the desired position and force at the end-effector. First, the dynamic properties of the internal motion of redundant manipulators are considered. The motion is decoupled into the end-effector motion and the internal motion. Next, the dynamic model of a redundant manipulator is derived. Special attention is given to the inertial properties of the system in the space where internal motion is taking place; the authors define a null-space effective inertia and its inverse. Finally, a control method is proposed which completely decouples the motion of the manipulator into the task-space motion and the internal motion and enables the selection of dynamic characteristics in both subspaces separately. The proposed method is verified with simulation and with experimental results of a four-degrees-of-freedom planar redundant robot.
Multi-carrier pulse width modulation for multimodular matrix converter

This paper presents multi-carrier based pulse width modulation scheme for multimodular matrix converter (MMMC). Presented work proves full bridge indirect matrix converter (FIMC) topology as the subset of 3 × 1 modular (MMMC) and thereby any modulation scheme suitable for FIMC topology can be reproduced for MMMC topologies. First the functional similarity between FIMC topology and fundamental MMMC topology is proved. Using this similarity the modulation scheme is derived for fundamental MMMC topology from the one which is suitable for FIMC topology. Well known multi-carrier modulation method, phase shifted (PS) method, is utilized to extend this scheme to 3 × N modular MCs (MMMC) which equally distributes the power among all power modules of the converter. Modulation scheme is verified by simulation in PSIM software and is analyzed based on output voltage magnitude, frequency and input current THD.
Solution-processable small molecules as efficient universal bipolar host for blue, green and red phosphorescent inverted OLEDs

Inverted organic light-emitting diodes (IOLEDs) with a bottom cathode are of great interest for large-size active-matrix displays due to their easy integration with n-type thin film transistors (TFTs) based on low-cost and highly-uniform amorphous silicon and oxide. In this work, a solution-processable electron transporting material 2,7-bis(diphenylphosphoryl)-9,9′-spirobi[fluorene] (SPPO13) is employed to blend with a solution-processable hole transporting material 4,4′,4′′-tri(9-carbazoyl)triphenylamine (TCTA) to be used as a universal bipolar co-host for blue, green and red phosphors, and for the first time, phosphorescent IOLEDs are fabricated by solution-processing small molecules. High efficiency and reduced efficiency roll-off are achieved in the solution-processed IOLEDs, which mainly contribute to the high quality of the solution-processed small molecule films as well as the balanced charge injection in the co-host system. Importantly, the solution process is advantageous over vacuum evaporation to deposit multi-component small molecule films, and can be expected to reduce manufacturing costs. Our results demonstrate a promising approach to fabricate low-cost and high-performance IOLEDs for n-type TFT-based displays.
Gastric emptying for liquids of different compositions in children

Background Pre-operative fasting balances safety against patient discomfort. We compared the gastric emptying profiles of a novel clear, high protein drink against a "traditional" clear and a non-clear fluid. Methods We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study with 48 healthy volunteers, eight to 14 yr of age, fasted overnight and without risk factors for abnormal gastrointestinal motility. Subjects were randomized in equal ratio to ingest 296 ml of apple juice, 2% milk or Ensure Clear. The gastric antrum was seen by ultrasound in the right lateral decubitus position at baseline, after ingestion, then every 30 min thereafter until return to baseline or six h. Gastric antral cross-sectional area was measured independently by two anaesthetists, and compared between drinks. Results Gastric emptying differed between apple juice, 2% milk and Ensure Clear by analysis of co-variance (P<0.0001), and was faster in males than females (P<0.01). The terminal phase however was similar using interval-censored time to gastric emptying in a survival model (P=0.17) or by comparing proportions with empty stomach vs not empty at 90 min (P=1.0), 120 min (P=0.32), 150 min (P=0.11), 180 min (P=0.76) or 210 min (P=1.0). Conclusions Despite early differences, clearance from the stomach of apple juice, 2% milk or Ensure Clear is similar at the terminal phase, which is the period of greatest relevance to preoperative fasting recommendations. The stomach is essentially clear by 3-3.5 h for all three drinks studied. The differentiation between liquids in current guidelines is not supported by this study. Clinical trial registration clinicaltrials.gov NCT02938065 clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02938065.
Predictors of Rehospitalization for Depressed Adolescents Admitted to Acute Psychiatric Treatment.

OBJECTIVE Presently, little is known about what factors predict adolescent psychiatric rehospitalization. Thus, the present study tested whether a battery of demographic and clinical characteristics predicted readmission within 6 months of discharge. METHODS Participants were 165 adolescents (112 females) aged 13-19 years (mean = 15.61, SD = 1.48) admitted to an acute residential treatment program between November 25, 2013, and November 18, 2014. Patients met diagnostic criteria (DSM-IV-TR) for current major depressive disorder or dysthymia. At admission, participants completed a battery of clinical interviews and questionnaires assessing demographics, early life stress, comorbid diagnoses, psychiatric symptoms, suicidality, self-injury, and risky behavior engagement. At discharge, psychiatric symptoms were reassessed. Readmission to the same residential service was monitored over a 6-month period following discharge. RESULTS Overall, 12.1% of adolescents were rehospitalized. We conducted a series of Cox regression survival analyses to test demographic and clinical predictors of patients' time to readmission. More frequent self-injurious behaviors in the month prior to hospitalization was significantly associated with a more rapid time to rehospitalization (β = 0.05, SE = .02, Wald₁ = 4.35, P = .037, OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.003-1.10). CONCLUSIONS It is critical to more effectively manage self-injury during the treatment of depressed adolescents, as this is the strongest predictor of later rehospitalization.