Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Applying Research Evidence to Optimize Telehomecare

Telemedicine is the use of technology to provide healthcare over a distance. Telehomecare, a form of telemedicine based in the patient's home, is a communication and clinical information system that enables the interaction of voice, video, and health-related data using ordinary telephone lines. Most home care agencies are adopting telehomecare to assist with the care of the growing population of chronically ill adults. This article presents a summary and critique of the published empirical evidence about the effects of telehomecare on older adult patients with chronic illness. The knowledge gained will be applied in a discussion regarding telehomecare optimization and areas for future research. The referenced literature in PubMed, MEDLINE, CDSR, ACP Journal Club, DARE, CCTR, and CINAHL databases was searched for the years 1995-2005 using the keywords "telehomecare" and "telemedicine," and limited to primary research and studies in English. Approximately 40 articles were reviewed. Articles were selected if telehealth technology with peripheral medical devices was used to deliver home care for adult patients with chronic illness. Studies where the intervention consisted of only telephone calls or did not involve video or in-person nurse contact in the home were excluded. Nineteen studies described the effects of telehomecare on adult patients, chronic illness outcomes, providers, and costs of care. Patients and providers were accepting of the technology and it appears to have positive effects on chronic illness outcomes such as self-management, rehospitalizations, and length of stay. Overall, due to savings from healthcare utilization and travel, telehomecare appears to reduce healthcare costs. Generally, studies have small sample sizes with diverse types and doses of telehomecare intervention for a select few chronic illnesses; most commonly heart failure. Very few published studies have explored the cost or quality implications since the change in home care reimbursement to prospective payment. Further research is needed to clarify how telehomecare can be used to maximize its benefits among diverse adult chronic illness populations.
Neuromuscular adaptations to long-term progressive resistance training translates to improved functional capacity for people with multiple sclerosis and is maintained at follow-up

Background: Progressive resistance training (PRT) is acknowledged to effectively improve muscle strength for people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS), but diverging results exist regarding whether such improvements translates to improved functional capacity, possibly relating to insufficient duration and/or intensity in some previous studies. Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate potential changes in functional capacity and neuromuscular function after 24 weeks of supervised PRT, and whether improvements are maintained after an additional 24 weeks of self-guided exercise. Methods: This study was a randomised controlled trial, with a training group and a waitlist group undergoing supervised PRT for 24 weeks initially or after 24 weeks of habitual lifestyle, respectively. Functional capacity, isometric muscle strength of knee extensors and flexors, neural drive and thigh muscle cross-sectional area was measured at baseline, after 24 and 48 weeks. Results: The training group significantly improved neuromuscular function of the knee extensors and flexors, which translated to improvements in functional capacity. Furthermore, the improved functional capacity was maintained after 24 weeks of self-guided physical activity. The waitlist group produced similar patterns of changes after PRT. Conclusion: Compelling evidence is provided, that PRT performed over sufficiently long periods, improves functional capacity, likely due to neuromuscular adaptations.
Optimized Operation for Infrastructure-Supported Wireless Sensor Networks

Due to the energy-constrained nature of wireless sensor networks (WSNs), a variety of communication protocols which rely on cluster-based topologies to enhance network capacity or to prolong network operational lifetime have been well studied heretofore. In this paper, we instead study a comprehensive perspective that searches for an optimal operation that considers backbone node placement and communication scheduling methods, as well as network connectivity properties. Specifically, we aim to answer the following three questions: how many backbone nodes are necessary, where to position these nodes, and which backbone nodes can communicate simultaneously to maximally serve the networks. We study the scalability of our approach and its dependency on parameters such as network size and density and present simulation results.
Transcriptional Regulation of Tissue- and Urokinase-type Plasminogen Activator Genes by Thrombin in Human Fetal Lung Fibroblasts

Summary The mechanism of thrombin induction of tissue- and urokinase-type plasminogen activator (t-PA and u-PA) biosynthesis was investigated in cultured human fetal lung fibroblast cells, IMR-90. Northern blot analysis of total RNA from thrombin-treated cells showed marked accumulations of both t-PA and u-PA mRNA during 24 h. Nuclear run-on experiments showed that the transcription rates of both genes were increased in the thrombin-treated cells. These thrombin effects were inhibited by cycloheximide (CHX), an inhibitor of protein biosynthesis. Treatment of IMR-90 cells with CHX alone caused an increase in u-PA mRNA but not in t-PA mRNA. CHX, however, did not affect the transcription rates of both genes in the cells. Thus, on-going protein synthesis is required for increased accumulations of both t-PA and u-PA mRNA by thrombin but not for the constitutive expression of u-PA gene in IMR-90 cells. Therefore, we conclude that the accumulations of t-PA and u-PA mRNA due to thrombin result mainly from increased rates of their gene transcriptions, and that this influence is exerted in part by proteins synthesized by thrombin stimulation. Thrombin also increased plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1) in the levels of both antigen and mRNA more rapidly than it increased t-PA in IMR-90 cells. In conditioned medium, most of the secreted PAI-1 seemed to form a complex with t-PA. Northern blot analysis using a PAI-2 cDNA probe showed that the levels of PAI-2 mRNA were markedly increased in response to thrombin. PAI-2 appeared not to have been secreted by the cells because the antigen was rarely detectable in the conditioned medium. Thus, thrombin increases not only plasminogen activators, but their inhibitors as well.
LA DIDÁCTICA CONSTRUCTIVA DE UNA ESCALA DE DESESPERANZA: RESULTADOS PRELIMINARES The constructive didactic of a hopelessness scale: Preliminary results

The only valid and reliable instrument to measure hopelessness in our country has been the Beck’s Hopelessness Scale, which was created thirty years ago. Nevertheless, its reliability and validity are affected when it is applied to the Mexican population. This is the main reason for proposing a different instrument. This research shows the steps followed for its elaboration, as well as the data analysis used in a pilot test. The obtained reliability over
Characterization of gelatin and chitosan scaffolds cross-linked by addition of dialdehyde starch

In this study the influence of the addition of dialdehyde starch on the properties of scaffolds based on gelatin and chitosan obtained by the freeze-drying method was investigated. In addition, the adhesion and proliferation of human osteosarcoma SaOS-2 cells on the obtained scaffolds was examined. Chitosan and gelatin were mixed in different weight ratios (75/25, 50/50, 25/75) with 1, 2 and 5 wt% addition of dialdehyde starch. The obtained scaffolds were subjected to mechanical testing, infrared spectroscopy, swelling measurements, low-pressure porosimetry and zeta potential measurement. Internal material structures were observed by scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the cross-linking process occurred after the addition of dialdehyde starch and resulted in increased mechanical strength, swelling properties, zeta potential and porosity of studied materials. The attachment of SaOS-2 cells to all modified materials was better compared to an unmodified control and the proliferation of these cells was markedly increased on modified scaffolds.
Development of an Integrated Multi-Axis Tactile Sensor: Distributed Preprocessing for Tactile Recognitions

A distributed tactile sensor that can sense multi-axis forces and is high-densely arrayed is required in such VR applications as robotic hands and glove-like controllers in tele-existence systems. We are developing elements of a tactile sensor that can simultaneously measure pressure and shear force, and they are small enough to be arrayed densely in small areas due to MEMS process fabrication. However, the signal processing of numerous sensor elements remains a serious problem. In this paper, we studied a solution by a strategy of distributed processing and examined its effectiveness in a simulated environment
Integrins Modulate T Cell Receptor Signaling by Constraining Actin Flow at the Immunological Synapse

Full T cell activation requires coordination of signals from multiple receptor–ligand pairs that interact in parallel at a specialized cell–cell contact site termed the immunological synapse (IS). Signaling at the IS is intimately associated with actin dynamics; T cell receptor (TCR) engagement induces centripetal flow of the T cell actin network, which in turn enhances the function of ligand-bound integrins by promoting conformational change. Here, we have investigated the effects of integrin engagement on actin flow, and on associated signaling events downstream of the TCR. We show that integrin engagement significantly decelerates centripetal flow of the actin network. In primary CD4+ T cells, engagement of either LFA-1 or VLA-4 by their respective ligands ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 slows actin flow. Slowing is greatest when T cells interact with low mobility integrin ligands, supporting a predominately drag-based mechanism. Using integrin ligands presented on patterned surfaces, we demonstrate that the effects of localized integrin engagement are distributed across the actin network, and that focal adhesion proteins, such as talin, vinculin, and paxillin, are recruited to sites of integrin engagement. Further analysis shows that talin and vinculin are interdependent upon one another for recruitment, and that ongoing actin flow is required. Suppression of vinculin or talin partially relieves integrin-dependent slowing of actin flow, indicating that these proteins serve as molecular clutches that couple engaged integrins to the dynamic actin network. Finally, we found that integrin-dependent slowing of actin flow is associated with reduction in tyrosine phosphorylation downstream of the TCR, and that this modulation of TCR signaling depends on expression of talin and vinculin. More generally, we found that integrin-dependent effects on actin retrograde flow were strongly correlated with effects on TCR signaling. Taken together, these studies support a model in which ligand-bound integrins engage the actin cytoskeletal network via talin and vinculin, and tune TCR signaling events by modulating actin dynamics at the IS.
Using Machine Learning Algorithms to Identify Undervalued Baseball Players

Across 30 teams in Major League Baseball, the prize goal of data driven front offices is to identify key players that provide value to teams. There are two main ways to achieve this: through draft and development of amateur players and through free agent acquisition. The former is a much more difficult problem, with insufficient data from amateur games and vagaries of player development. The latter is comparatively simpler, but acquiring widely-known quality players through free agency generally devolves into bidding wars, with inflated contract figures that diminishes the per dollar contribution to the team. And for well-known players, the cost in terms of prospects via trade is also prohibitively high. However, one of the most cost effective ways of improving team performance is to identify players that are being undervalued by the game.
The Impacts of Artistic Creativity, Scientific Creativity, General Creativity on Perceived Enjoyment and Intention to Reuse : Focused on Role-Playing Game Players

The increase in the use of video games is resulting in the perception of some variables for video gamers. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the drivers for video games and their effects on the users to lead the growth strategies for the video gaming business. In this study, the drivers of video game play are creativities and enjoyment which are based on previous studies. And an empirical analysis was performed to determine the effect of these variables on intention to reuse. First, the results showed that artistic, scientific, and general creativity affect perceived enjoyment. Second, perceived enjoyment appeared to be a significant factor of intention to reuse. Specially, the author confirmed that artistic creativity has a very significant effect on enjoyment of video games.
Hold Me Tight

I grew up in my parents' pub in England, where there was always a lot of drama. And all the drama— fights, flirting, tears, tantrums—revolved around love. I also watched my parents destroy their own love for each other. Since that time I've been on a mission to figure out exactly what love is. My mother described it as "a funny five minutes. " It's also been called a mysterious mix of sentiment and sex. Or a combination of infatuation and companionship. Well, it's more than that.
Scaling feasibility study of planar thin floating gate (FG) NAND Flash devices and size effect challenges beyond 20nm

Scaling of the planar thin FG NAND device down to 20nm is experimentally studied for the first time. Using a thin FG (&#60;10nm) and a barrier engineered CT IPD the 20nm device showed reasonable memory window and endurance, but the overall memory window is significantly degraded compared to longer channel devices. Through detailed 3D TCAD simulations we find that the edge fringing field plays the dominant role in the memory window degradation. The conventional short-channel Vt roll-off effect also induces a significant programmed-state subthreshold slope (S.S.) degradation that also reduces the memory window. Control gate height and several device parameters are discussed in order to provide an overview of size effect on the scaling of planar thin FG NAND devices.
Selection of pertinent acoustic features for detection of pathological voices

This paper suggests a new method to improve the performance of acoustic features selection for the classification of pathological and normal voices. The effectiveness of the Mel Frequency Cepstrum Coefficients (MFCCs) using the Fisher Discriminant Ratio (FDR) is analyzed. To evaluate the performance of the selected features, experiments were performed using a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) classifier with Feed Forward Back Propagation training algorithm (FFBP). The developed method was evaluated using voice data base composed of recorded voice samples (continuous speech) from normophonic and dysphonic speakers. Based on mixed voices database, the best selected features achieved a correct classification rate of 92.74%. The proposed system shows that the FDR is sufficiently a selection method of acoustic features for classification of pathological and normal voices.
The nature of supply chain sophistication: an exploratory study of the transport industry in New Zealand

International trade, and in particular exports, is one of the outputs of the New Zealand transport supply chain. The success with which this supply chain is managed greatly impacts the success of New Zealand's trade economy. This paper reports part of a study that examined the factors that contribute to information technology deployment in the transport supply chain. Semi-structured interviews were held with senior IS managers from nine different companies associated with a transport supply chain. Analysis of the data resulted in the identification of four factors that contribute to the concept of supply chain sophistication in the transport industry and these are: ease, efficiency, effectiveness, and transparency. The implications of the supply chain sophistication concept for practice and research are also discussed.
Interactive Autonomous Driving through Adaptation from Participation

We present an intelligent driving software system that is capable of adapting to dynamic task conditions and adjusting to the steering preferences of a human passenger. This interactive autonomous system is a realization of a natural human-robot interaction paradigm known as Adaptation from Participation (AfP). AfP exploits intermittent input from the human passenger in order to adapt the vehicle’s autonomous behaviors to match the intended navigation targets and driving preferences. In our system, this is realized by dynamically adjusting the parameter settings of a visionbased algorithm for tracking terrain boundaries. We deployed the resulting interactive autonomous vehicle in diverse task settings, and demonstrated its ability to learn to drive on unseen paths, as well as to adapt to unexpected changes to the environment and to the vehicle’s camera placement.
Teaching electrodynamics without magnetism

This communication is based on a lecture note that was written by this author 35 years ago, for a course in electromagnetic theory given at the University of Michigan. The original note was passed to some students and a few personal friends over the years. There are several aspects of the note that may be of interest to professionals teaching EM theory, and to students who have not been exposed to the relativistic foundation of EM theory. This work can also be treated as a supplement to the works of Page [ 11 and Elliott [2 ] , wherein Maxwell’s equations are obtained from the electrostatic equations with the aid of Einstein’s special theory of relativity 131. In our presentation, we follow closely the work of Sommerfeld [4] to describe the transformation of the field quantities in two inertial systems. In this writing, we have adopted the new operational notation for the divergence and the curl. The rationale and the logic of introducing this new notation are explained fully in Chapter 8 of the author’s book on vector analysis [SI.
Near infrared photoimmunotherapy with an anti-mesothelin antibody

Near Infrared-Photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT) is a new, highly selective tumor treatment that employs an antibody-photon absorber conjugate (APC). When the APC attaches to its target cell and is exposed to NIR light, highly selective cell killing is observed. NIR-PIT has been demonstrated with a limited number of antibodies. Mesothelin is overexpressed in several malignancies and is emerging as a therapeutic target. A recently humanized antibody (hYP218) has been generated against mesothelin that demonstrates high affinity binding. Here, we describe the efficacy of NIR-PIT, using hYP218 as the antibody within the APC to target a mesothelin expressing A431/H9 cell. The hYP218 antibody was conjugated to a photo-absorber, IR700 and incubated with the cells. The hYP218-IR700 showed specific binding to cells and cell-specific killing was observed in vitro. After implanting A431/H9 cells in an athymic nude mouse, tumor-bearing mice were treated with the following regimen of NIR-PIT; 100 μg of hYP218-IR700 i.v. , NIR light was administered at 50 J/cm2 on day 1 after injection and 100 J/cm2 of light on day 2 after injection. The hYP218-IR700 showed high tumor accumulation and a high tumor-background ratio (TBR). Tumor growth was significantly inhibited by NIR-PIT treatment compared with the other control groups (p < 0.001), and significantly prolonged survival (p < 0.0001 vs other groups). Thus, the new anti-mesothelin antibody, hYP218, is suitable as an antibody-drug conjugate for NIR-PIT. Furthermore, NIR-PIT with hYP218-IR700 is a promising candidate for the treatment of mesothelin-expressing tumors that could be readily translated to humans.
Aplicação do modelamento baseado em agentes no estudo dos estereótipos de gênero

Gender stereotypes are sets of characteristics that people believe to be typically true of a man or woman. We report an agent-based model (ABM) that simulates how stereotypes disseminate in a group through associative mechanisms. The model consists of agents that carry one of several different versions of a stereotype, which share part of their conceptual content. When an agent acts according to his/her stereotype, and that stereotype is shared by an observer, then the latter’s stereotype strengthens. Contrarily, if the agent does not act according to his/ her stereotype, then the observer’s stereotype weakens. In successive interactions, agents develop preferences, such that there will be a higher probability of interaction with agents that confirm their stereotypes. Depending on the proportion of shared conceptual content in the
Understanding psychosocial adjustment to chronic illness and disability : a handbook for evidence-based practitioners in rehabilitation

This book covers important issues in the adjustment process of persons with disabilities and chronic illness, including stigma, societal attitudes, sexuality, etc. Chapters explore psychosocial adjustment within the context of positive psychology, psychiatric rehabilitation, and persons with substance abuse issues. They are also written from an evidence-based practice perspective, emphasizing the empirical basis of the models and interventions explained, and their effectiveness with rehabilitation related populations.
3D action reconstruction using virtual player to assist karate training

It is well known that sport skill learning is facilitated by video observation of players' actions in the target sport. A viewpoint change function is desirable when a learner observes the actions using video images. However, in general, viewpoint changes for observation are not possible because most videos are filmed from a fixed point using a single video camera. The objective of this research is to develop a method that generates a 3D human model of a player (i.e., a virtual player) from a single image and enable observation of the virtual player's action from any point of view. As a first step, this study focused on karate training and developed a semiautomatic method for 3D reconstruction from video images of sparring in karate.
A synergistic protective effect of selenium and taurine against experimentally induced myocardial infarction in rats

Abstract This study investigated the protective effect of subacute pre-adminsitration of either selenium (Se), taurine (Tau), or both drugs in combination against experimentally induced myocardial infarction (MI) in rats and illustrates the possible mechanisms of action. While solely pre-administration of Se or Tau resulted in partial amelioration in all of the measured parameters in MI rats, concomitant administration of both drugs to MI rats significantly restored contractility function by increasing LVSP and decreasing LVEDP and significantly normalized serum levels of LDH, CK-MB and BNP and restored normal cardiac architecture. This concomitant treatment acted by increasing the activity of major antioxidant enzymes (SOD and GPx), decreasing the levels of inflammatory markers including TNF-α, IL-6 as well as levels of Bcl-2 and caspase-3 and downregulating mRNA levels of Bax and P53, markers of apoptosis. In conclusion, a combination of Se and Tau provides a new strategy to alleviate MI-induced cardiac dysfunction.