Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Immediate memory and electrophysiologic effects of prefrontal cortex transcranial direct current stimulation on neurotypical individuals and individuals with chronic traumatic brain injury: a pilot study

Purpose/aim: Memory impairment post-TBI is common, frequently persistent, and functionally debilitating. The purposes of this pilot study were to assess and to compare immediate behavioral auditory working memory and electrophysiologic effects of three different, randomized, conditions of left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDLPFC) transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) applied to four neurotypical adults and four adults with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI). Materials/methods: Pre- and post-anodal, cathodal, and sham tDCS auditory memory performance, auditory event-related potentials (P300 amplitude and latency) and power of alpha and theta EEG bands were measured across individuals in each group. Results: Post-anodal tDCS only, the neurotypical and TBI groups both demonstrated significantly improved immediate auditory memory function. Also post-anodal tDCS, the TBI group demonstrated significantly increased P300 amplitude versus post-sham tDCS. The neurotypical group demonstrated no pre- post-tDCS electrophysiologic changes across conditions. Conclusions: These findings are consistent with findings of other studies of immediate tDCS effects on other types of memory in neurotypical individuals and in individuals with Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and stroke and suggest that individuals with memory impairments second to chronic TBI may benefit from LDLPFC anodal tDCS. Pairing tDCS with traditional behavioral memory interventions may facilitate TBI rehabilitation outcomes and warrants continued investigation.
Data Trasfer From MySQL To Hadoop: Implementers' Perspective

Processes use on-hand database management tools or traditional data processing applications. The challenges include capture, curation, storage, search, transfer and analysis. Data sets grow in size by gathering logs on servers, cameras and wireless sensor networks etc. Every day approximately 2.5 quintillion bytes of data is created and nearly 90% of the data is created in last two-three years. Hadoop is designed to scale up from single servers to thousands of machines, each offering local computation and storage. It is the core platform for structuring Big Data, and making it useful for solving problems related to analytic purposes. HDFS links together file systems on many local nodes to make them into one big file system. It assumes nodes will fail, so it achieves reliability by replicating data across multiple nodes. This paper proposes a way to make a cluster on low configuration machines and uses it efficiently for data processing and storage. This implementation integrates open source tool named Sqoop for importing data from MySQL server to cluster of Hadoop and store data in distributed file systems across various nodes. The results establish that as the number of Map-tasks increases Hive import time and Loading time decreases by 20% and over 100 % respectively. The results show that as the number of Map-tasks increase transfer rate improves by over 27% but at the cost of failed/killed tasks. It happens because as the number of tasks increase, resources start getting exhausted and tasks start getting failed or killed.
Electrical degradation and breakdown in polymers

The book is in five parts: Part I introduces the physical and chemical structure of polymers and their breakdown; Part II reviews electrical degradation in polymers, and Part III reviews conduction and deterministic breakdown in solids. Part IV discusses the stochastic nature of break-down from empirical and modelling viewpoints, and Part V indicates practical implications and strategies for engineers. Much of the discussion applies to non-crystalline materials generally.
Part-of-Speech Tagging for Twitter : Word Clusters and Other Advances

We present improvements to a Twitter part-of-speech tagger, making use of several new features and largescale word clustering. With these changes, the tagging accuracy increased from 89.2% to 92.8% and the tagging speed is 40 times faster. In addition, we expanded our Twitter tokenizer to support a broader range of Unicode characters, emoticons, and URLs. Finally, we annotate and evaluate on a new tweet dataset, DAILYTWEET547, that is more statistically representative of English-language Twitter as a whole. The new tagger is released as TweetNLP version 0.3, along with the new annotated data and large-scale word clusters at http://www.ark. cs.cmu. edu/TweetNLP. This research was supported in part by an REU supplement to NSF grant IIS-0915187 and Google’s support of the Worldly Knowledge project at CMU.
The distortion of beliefs in the face of uncertainty

Judgements and beliefs often are distorted. They are affected by underlying values and reflect strong tendencies toward wishful thinking. In action, biased thinking may or may not be detrimental, and there is a very delicate balance to keep between the need to motivate oneself for forceful action, and to keep a realistic view of the possibilities of success. People encounter problems, calling for thought and the formation of constructs, only rather rarely, but when they do they tend to be in an unpleasant emotional state. Uncertainty is one such state, in which one encounters difficult problems and expects little success.
Volatile Organic Compounds and Formaldehyde as Explaining Factors for Sensory Irritation in Office Environments

This study's database comprised results of volatile organic compound (VOC) measurements from 176 office buildings. In 23 of the 176 buildings, formaldehyde measurements were also conducted. It was suspected that the buildings had indoor air problems, but a walk-through inspection did not reveal any clear, abnormal contaminant sources. The 50 most abundant VOCs and their concentrations in 520 air samples were analyzed. The irritation potency was estimated for 33 out of the 50 common VOCs and their mixtures, as well as for formaldehyde. This information was used to calculate the recommended indoor air levels (RILs) for the VOCs. The RILs were considerably higher than the measured mean indoor air concentrations in the buildings. However, the RIL for formaldehyde was exceeded in most of the 23 buildings studied. According to the evaluation of irritation potency, formaldehyde was a more likely cause of sensory irritation than the mixture of common nonreactive VOCs at the concentrations that occurred in the buildings without abnormal indoor sources. Furthermore, environmental symptoms of office workers were characterized in 20 office buildings (including the database of 176 office buildings) with the aid of an indoor air questionnaire. The most frequent symptoms related to the indoor environment were involved the upper respiratory tract. However, no relationship could be shown between the reported symptoms and the occurrence of VOC and formaldehyde concentrations in these buildings. Generally, the study results indicated that formaldehyde was the more likely agent causing sensory irritation than the mixture of the common nonreactive VOCs at the concentrations occurring in the buildings without abnormal indoor sources.
Risk of bacterial meningitis in children with cochlear implants.

BACKGROUND In June 2002, the Food and Drug Administration received reports of bacterial meningitis in patients with cochlear implants for treatment of hearing loss. Implants that included a positioner (a wedge inserted next to the implanted electrode to facilitate transmission of the electrical signal by pushing the electrode against the medial wall of the cochlea) were voluntarily recalled in the United States in July 2002. METHODS We identified patients with meningitis and conducted a cohort study and a nested case-control investigation involving 4264 children who had received cochlear implants in the United States between January 1, 1997, and August 6, 2002, and who were less than six years of age when they received the implants. We calculated the incidence of meningitis in the cohort and assessed risk factors for meningitis among patients and among 199 controls, using data from interviews with parents and abstracted from medical records. RESULTS We identified 26 children with bacterial meningitis. The incidence of meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae was 138.2 cases per 100,000 person-years--more than 30 times the incidence in a cohort of the same age in the general U.S. population. Postimplantation bacterial meningitis was strongly associated with the use of an implant with a positioner (odds ratio, 4.5 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.3 to 17.9], with adjustment for medical, surgical, and environmental factors) and with the joint presence of radiographic evidence of a malformation of the inner ear and a cerebrospinal fluid leak (adjusted odds ratio, 9.3 [95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 94.5]). The incidence of meningitis among patients who had received an implant with a positioner remained higher than the incidence among those whose implants did not have a positioner for the duration of follow-up (24 months from the time of implantation). CONCLUSIONS Parents and health care providers should ensure that all children who receive cochlear implants are appropriately vaccinated and are then monitored and treated promptly for any bacterial infections after receiving the implant.
Imaging with Second-Harmonic Generation Nanoparticles

Second-harmonic generation nanoparticles show promise as imaging probes due to their coherent and stable signal with a broad flexibility in the choice of excitation wavelength. In this thesis, we developed and demonstrated barium titanate nanoparticles as second-harmonic radiation imaging probes. We studied the absolute second-harmonic generation efficiency of the nanoparticles on single-particle level. The polarization dependent second-harmonic signal of single nanoparticles was studied in detail. From the measured polar response, we were able to find the orientation of the nanoparticle. We developed a biochemical interface for using the second-harmonic nanoprobes as biomarkers, including in vitro cellular imaging and in vivo live animal imaging. The nanoparticles were surface functionalized with primary amine groups for stable colloidal dispersion. We achieved specific labeling of the second-harmonic nanoprobes via immunostaining where the antibodies were covalently conjugated onto the nanoparticles. We observed no toxicity of the functionalized nanoparticles to biological cells. The coherent second-harmonic signal radiated from the nanoparticles offers opportunities for new imaging techniques. Using interferometric detection, namely harmonic holography, both amplitude and phase of the second-harmonic field can be captured. Through digital beam propagation, three-dimensional field distribution, reflecting three-dimensional distribution of the nanoparticles, can be reconstructed. We achieved a scan-free three-dimensional imaging of nanoparticles in biological cells with sub-micron spatial resolution by using the harmonic holographic microscope. We further exploited the coherent second-harmonic signal for imaging through scattering media by performing optical phase conjugation of the second-harmonic signal. We demonstrated an all-digital optical phase conjugation of the second-harmonic signal originated from a nanoparticle by combining harmonic holography and dynamic computer generated holography using a spatial light modulator. The phase-conjugated second-harmonic scattered field retraced the scattering trajectory and formed a clean focus on the nanoparticle placed inside a scattering medium. The nanoparticle acted as a beacon of light; it helped us find the tailored wavefront for concentrating light at the nanoparticle inside the scattering medium. We also demonstrated imaging through a thin scattering medium by raster-scanning the phase-conjugated focus in the vicinity of the beacon nanoparticle, in which a clear image of a target placed behind a ground glass diffuser was obtained.
Fabrication of Sn nanostructures by template assisted pulse electrodeposition

Pulse electrodeposition method is employed for the synthesis of Sn nanostructures using alumina template. Electrical contacts are made through metallisation of the template bottom with copper and an aluminium foil. The current density is varied from 0.05 to 0.6 A cm− 2, and a change in nanostructure formation is noticed. The structure and morphology of nanostructures are characterised by X-ray diffraction, field emission scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It is observed that at a lower current density (0.05 A cm− 2), nanorods (mean diameter 186 nm) are prominent. As the current density is further increased to 0.4 A cm− 2, the nanorods increase in diameter (∼216 nm), while at a higher current density of 0.6 A cm− 2, nanorods (mean diameter 158), nanoribbons (mean diameter 126 nm) as well as nanowires (∼44 nm) are produced. The obtained Sn nanostructures are polycrystalline in nature and can be scaled up to industrial level.
Expected Utility Distributions for Flexible, Contingent Execution

This paper presents a method for using expected utility distributions in the execution of flexible, contingent plans. A utility distribution maps the possible start times of an action to the expected utility of the plan sux starting with that action. The contingent plan encodes a tree of possible courses of action and includes flexible temporal constraints and resource constraints. When execution reaches a branch point, the eligible option with the highest expected utility at that point in time is selected. The utility distributions make this selection sensitive to the runtime context, yet still ecient. Our approach uses predictions of action duration uncertainty as well as expectations of resource usage and availability to determine when an action can execute and with what probability. Execution windows and probabilities inevitably change as execution proceeds, but such changes do not invalidate the cached utility distributions; thus, dynamic updating of utility information is minimized.
When Does the Positive Semidefiniteness Constraint Help in Lifting Procedures?

We study the lift-and-project procedures of LovAisz and Schrijver for 0-1 integer programming problems. We prove that the procedure using the positive semidefiniteness constraint is not better than the one without it, in the worst case. Various examples are considered. We also provide geometric conditions characterizing when the positive semidefiniteness constraint does not help.
Byzantine Fault Isolation in the Farsite Distributed File System

In a peer-to-peer system of interacting Byzantine-fault-tolerant replicated-state-machine groups, as system scale increases, so does the probability that a group will manifest a fault. If no steps are taken to prevent faults from spreading among groups, a single fault can result in total system failure. To address this problem, we introduce Byzantine Fault Isolation (BFI), a technique that enables a distributed system to operate with application-defined partial correctness when some of its constituent groups are faulty. We quantify BFI’s benefit and describe its use in Farsite, a peer-to-peer file system designed to scale to 100,000 machines.
Incidence of Bacteriuria after Urodynamic Study with or without Antibiotic Prophylaxis in Women with Urinary Incontinence

Abstract Introduction The presence of bacteria in urine is called bacteriuria, which may be symptomatic or asymptomatic. The manipulation of the urinary tract during urodynamic study (UDS), which is an invasive procedure, can result in urinary tract infection (UTI). Studies on the use of prophylactic antibiotics for UDSs are contradictory. Some investigators concluded that they were valuable and others did not. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of antibiotic prophylaxis before UDS. This is a placebo-control randomized double-blind study. Methods Two-hundred and seventeen women affected by urinary incontinence were eligible for this study. All patients had presented negative urine culture previous to the UDS. They were randomized in four groups: group A received placebo, group B received 500 mg of levofloxacin, group C received 80 mg trimethoprim and 400 mg sulfamethoxazole and group D received 100 mg of nitrofurantoin. A urine culture was performed 14 days after the UDS. Results We observed asymptomatic bacteriuria after the UDS in five patients in group A, one in group B, one in group C and one in group D. Only one patient on group A had symptomatic bacteriuria. We didn't observe statistical difference between the groups. When we recategorized the patients in two groups, the incidence of bacteriuria was significantly higher in the placebo group compared with the antibiotic group. Conclusion The conclusion is that antibiotic prophylaxis before the UDS did not reduce the incidence of UTI in women within the target population.
The Impact of Parameters of Hyperlens with Artificially Engineered Metamaterial on Sub-Diffraction Imaging

The imaging resolution of conventional lenses is limited by diffraction. Hyperlens taking a form of metamaterial have the ability to overcome the diffraction barrier. In this paper, the impact of structure parameters of hyperlens including the mental medium parameters ,curvature radius, layer number, and thickness of layer, on sub-diffraction imaging is simulated and analyzed. The results can be used in optimal design of hyperlens and to improve resolution of sub-diffraction imaging.
Proper estimation of blood loss on scene of trauma: tool or tale?

BACKGROUND Visually estimated amount of blood loss may influence decision making in the prehospital setting. The purpose of this study was to determine the ability and accuracy of paramedics and emergency physicians to visually estimate a volume of external blood loss and the influence of different vital signs. METHODS In a prospective, blinded, observational design, participants were asked to visually estimate the amount of blood in six simulated trauma scenarios. Casualties were provided with a simulated injury, and a certain amount of artificial blood that was poured on the casualties' clothing and on the floor. In addition, vital signs (i.e., blood pressure and heart rate) were given. Each two moulage patients were provided with the same injury pattern and the same simulated blood loss. Although one patient seemed to be normovolemic, the other seemed to be hypovolemeic by the given vital signs. RESULTS With regard to all given amounts of blood loss, providing vital parameters suggesting instability (i.e., low blood pressure, high heart rate) led to a higher estimation of the lost blood volume in both paramedics and emergency physicians. However, estimations were influenced impressively by the given parameters. For both stable and unstable patients, small actual volumes were overestimated, whereas higher volumes tended to be underestimated. Neither occupational status (emergency physician or paramedic) nor gender or level of experience influenced accuracy of estimated blood loss significantly.
Health behaviors of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus and their influence on the patients’ satisfaction with life

Background The diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) carries with it a number of changes to the patient’s lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle, health and preventive behaviors, as well as healthy nutrition habits play a key role in treating T2DM as well as limiting its complications. Materials and methods The aim of this study was the analysis of the correlation of T2DM patients’ health behaviors and their influence on the patients’ quality of life. The study was performed on a group of 50 patients from the Kuyavian–Pomeranian Voivodeship. In this study, the Health Behavior Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life Scale were used. The results were statistically analyzed. The study was approved by the ethics committee. Results The intensity of severity of health behavior and satisfaction with life of T2DM patients depends on the gender of the patient (P<0.05). The analysis of the patients’ behaviors in four categories, proper eating habits (consuming vegetables, fruit, whole meal bread), health practices (daily physical activity, recreation, sleeping habits), preventive behaviors (including keeping to health recommendations), and positive mental attitude, showed substantial correlation of the Health Behavior Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (P<0.05). Conclusion The categorization of the prohealth behaviors shown by diabetics allowed us to measure the connection between the individual categories of satisfaction with life. Males with T2DM showed a higher satisfaction with life score than females with the same diagnosis. The analysis showed that patients with a higher intensity of health behaviors also had superior health behaviors. The resulting correlations prove a notable relationship.
Electronic Properties of the Interfaces Between the Wide Bandgap Organic Semiconductor Para‐Sexiphenyl and Samarium

Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy was used to determine the energy level alignment at the interfaces formed by either the deposition of para-sexiphenyl (6P) onto samarium thin films, or by growing samarium on 6P films. We find that for both cases (6P on Sm, and Sm on 6P) the interaction at the interface is weak (physisorption), and the interfacial dipole is smaller than 0.2 eV. This weak interaction enabled us to demonstrate that small morphological changes in the substrate Sm film lead to a reversal in the direction of the interfacial dipole. For native silicon oxide substrates the appearance of a photoemission signal more than 1 eV above the Fermi level is observed, and explained by the energy level alignment process for wide bandgap organic semiconductors. Additionally, we demonstrate that large lateral vacuum level shifts (ca. 1 eV) can be locally realized on an inhomogeneous sample.
Impact of patient satisfaction ratings on physicians and clinical care

Background Although patient satisfaction ratings often drive positive changes, they may have unintended consequences. Objective The study reported here aimed to evaluate the clinician-perceived effects of patient satisfaction ratings on job satisfaction and clinical care. Methods A 26-item survey, developed by a state medical society in 2012 to assess the effects of patient satisfaction surveys, was administered online to physician members of a state-level medical society. Respondents remained anonymous. Results One hundred fifty five physicians provided responses (3.9% of the estimated 4,000 physician members of the state-level medical society, or approximately 16% of the state’s emergency department [ED] physicians). The respondents were predominantly male (85%) and practicing in solo or private practice (45%), hospital (43%), or academia (15%). The majority were ED (57%), followed by primary care (16%) physicians. Fifty-nine percent reported that their compensation was linked to patient satisfaction ratings. Seventy-eight percent reported that patient satisfaction surveys moderately or severely affected their job satisfaction; 28% had considered quitting their job or leaving the medical profession. Twenty percent reported their employment being threatened because of patient satisfaction data. Almost half believed that pressure to obtain better scores promoted inappropriate care, including unnecessary antibiotic and opioid prescriptions, tests, procedures, and hospital admissions. Among 52 qualitative responses, only three were positive. Conclusion These pilot-level data suggest that patient satisfaction survey utilization may promote, under certain circumstances, job dissatisfaction, attrition, and inappropriate clinical care among some physicians. This is concerning, especially in the context of the progressive incorporation of patient satisfaction ratings as a quality-of-care metric, and highlights the need for a rigorous evaluation of the optimal methods for survey implementation and utilization.