Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Let's play together: The design and evaluation of a collaborative, pro-social game for preschool children

This study designed an interactive game for preschool children based on the basic social skill of emotion recognition. Ninety-five preschool children from three schools played two interactive games: a especially designed emotion game and a control game for a touch screen device. The increase in scores in recognising the emotion faces from pre-test to post-test is significant for girls when playing the emotion game, with especially large increases in scores from girls from the most deprived school. The boys scored higher for collaborative play and also scored significantly higher than girls at recognising anger but girls were better at recognising fear. Qualitative analysis using the Talk Taken Down technique showed more egocentric than social dialogue but also more non-verbal expressions of cooperation and enjoyment than verbal interaction with the game. The study concludes by suggesting seven design considerations for designing prosocial, collaborative games.
Contrasting diagnosis performance of forced oscillation and spirometry in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and respiratory symptoms

OBJECTIVES: Pulmonary involvement in rheumatoid arthritis is directly responsible for 10% to 20% of all mortality. The best way to improve the prognosis is early detection and treatment. The forced oscillation technique is easy to perform and offers a detailed exam, which may be helpful in the early detection of respiratory changes. This study was undertaken to (1) evaluate the clinical potential of the forced oscillation technique in the detection of early respiratory alterations in rheumatoid arthritis patients with respiratory complaints and (2) to compare the sensitivity of forced oscillation technique and spirometric parameters. METHODS: A total of 40 individuals were analyzed: 20 healthy and 20 with rheumatoid arthritis (90% with respiratory complaints). The clinical usefulness of the parameters was evaluated by investigating the sensibility, the specificity and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01641705. RESULTS: The early adverse respiratory effects of rheumatoid arthritis were adequately detected by the forced oscillation technique parameters, and a high accuracy for clinical use was obtained (AUC>0.9, Se = 80%, Sp = 95%). The use of spirometric parameters did not obtain an appropriate accuracy for clinical use. The diagnostic performance of the forced oscillation technique parameters was significantly higher than that of spirometry. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study provide substantial evidence that the forced oscillation technique can contribute to the easy identification of initial respiratory abnormalities in rheumatoid arthritis patients that are not detectable by spirometric exams. Therefore, we believe that the forced oscillation technique can be used as a complementary exam that may help to improve the treatment of breathing disorders in rheumatoid arthritis patients.
Measuring design diagrams for product quality evaluation

Many important product quality characteristics, such as performance and maintainability, cannot be added on late in the development, and hence early warnings of poor quality expectation would be very useful to allow early corrective measures. To produce such information, we base product quality prediction on measurements and calculations of the UML design diagrams of the software. Some design metrics may be used as direct predictors of quality; as an example, cohesion and coupling metrics are generally considered good predictors of the maintainability of the product. On the other hand, certain quality characteristics, e.g., performance, require more complex analysis of the design by computing predictions of the execution time of a typical use case with user provided information of the input size and attributes. Another way of taking advantage of the design diagrams is by detecting design patterns and anti-patterns in the design, and using these as predictors of the final product quality. While using design patterns is considered to have a positive effect on the quality and productivity of the development process, their effect in product quality is more complex and may in fact be positive or negative, depending on the context. We suggest using the pattern library to store information of the previous uses of the patterns and the quality of the corresponding systems, to predict the quality effects of the design patterns . In our paper, we present a tool for measuring UML diagrams of the product to predict three central product quality characteristics, size, understandability, and performance. The tool also detects all occurrences of a previously defined set of design patterns and antipatterns from the diagrams. Our paper reports industrial experience in using the tool to detect patterns and measure quality of design diagrams.
Contribution of hippocampal diaschisis to the memory deficits associated with focal cerebral ischemia in the rat : converging behavioral, electrophysiological and functional evidence

The cognitive consequences and the underlying mechanisms leading to cognitive impairments after cerebrovascular occlusive diseases are still unclear. In addition to the infarct zone that suffer the deadly consequence of ischemic stroke, the penumbra surrounding the lesion site and some brain regions more remote to the ischemic areas can be functionally affected by the insult. This phenomenon is referred to as diaschisis. In light of the importance of interactions between hippocampus and cortex during memory processing, we hypothesized that the cognitive impairments observed following focal ischemia could occur in the absence of direct hippocampal insult, possibly via impaired connectivity within cortico-hippocampal networks leading to diaschisis-induced hypofunctioning in specific hippocampal subregions. To examine this possibility, we used the distal middle cerebral artery occlusion (dMCAO) ischemic model in rats which induces restricted cortical infarct in the somatosensory (SS) cortex in the absence of direct hippocampal injury. dMCAO rats exhibited reduced expression of the activity-dependent gene c-fos in the hippocampus when exploring a novel environment, indicating neuronal hypoactivation. Ischemic rats also showed impaired associative olfactory and spatial memory when tested in the social transmission of food preference (STFP) task and the Barnes maze test, respectively. To confirm that the ischemic-induced hippocampal hypofunctioning resulted from reduced afferent inputs (i.e. deactivation) originating in the damaged cortex, we performed region-specific pharmacological inactivation of SS and/or HPC using lidocaine or CNQX. Fos imaging revealed that these treatments induced hippocampal hypoactivation and impaired memory performance as measured in the STFP task. We additionally performed electrophysiological recordings of hippocampal activity in anesthetized rats during acute stroke and two weeks later or after SS cortex inactivation. We found an alteration in the occurrence of sharp-wave ripples associated with instability of theta frequency during reperfusion after stroke and SS cortex inactivation, suggesting an alteration in the dynamics of hippocampal-cortical interactions. Taken collectively, these findings identify hippocampal diaschisis as a crucial mechanism for mediating stroke-induced hippocampal hypofunction and associated memory deficits.
ARC: A pipeline approach enabling large-scale graph visualization

When working with a high volume relational database, is it possible to effectively provide a compact visualization of the tuples in that database? Data visualization techniques very often scale poorly with input volume, hindering attempts at providing a responsive, full picture of the relationships within data. We introduce a method of efficiently visualizing millions of tuples in a two-dimensional constrained space, providing a method for data to be visually analyzed at the tuple level. We achieve this by applying a physics simulation on an embedded network, positioning tuples according to their representative node.
Dual-Energy CT in Enhancing Subdural Effusions that Masquerade as Subdural Hematomas: Diagnosis with Virtual High-Monochromatic (190-keV) Images

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Extravasation of iodinated contrast into subdural space following contrast-enhanced radiographic studies results in hyperdense subdural effusions, which can be mistaken as acute subdural hematomas on follow-up noncontrast head CTs. Our aim was to identify the factors associated with contrast-enhancing subdural effusion, characterize diffusion and washout kinetics of iodine in enhancing subdural effusion, and assess the utility of dual-energy CT in differentiating enhancing subdural effusion from subdural hematoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed follow-up head dual-energy CT studies in 423 patients with polytrauma who had undergone contrast-enhanced whole-body CT. Twenty-four patients with enhancing subdural effusion composed the study group, and 24 randomly selected patients with subdural hematoma were enrolled in the comparison group. Postprocessing with syngo.via was performed to determine the diffusion and washout kinetics of iodine. The sensitivity and specificity of dual-energy CT for the diagnosis of enhancing subdural effusion were determined with 120-kV, virtual monochromatic energy (190-keV) and virtual noncontrast images. RESULTS: Patients with enhancing subdural effusion were significantly older (mean, 69 years; 95% CI, 60–78 years; P < .001) and had a higher incidence of intracranial hemorrhage (P = .001). Peak iodine concentration in enhancing subdural effusions was reached within the first 8 hours of contrast administration with a mean of 0.98 mg/mL (95% CI, 0.81–1.13 mg/mL), and complete washout was achieved at 38 hours. For the presence of a hyperdense subdural collection on 120-kV images with a loss of hyperattenuation on 190-keV and virtual noncontrast images, when considered as a true-positive for enhancing subdural effusion, the sensitivity was 100% (95% CI, 85.75%–100%) and the specificity was 91.67% (95% CI, 73%–99%). CONCLUSIONS: Dual-energy CT has a high sensitivity and specificity in differentiating enhancing subdural effusion from subdural hematoma. Hence, dual-energy CT has a potential to obviate follow-up studies.
SPECIAL ARTICLE: Cognitive, Social and Environmental Sources of Bias in Clinical Performance Ratings

Background: Global ratings based on observing convenience samples of clinical performance form the primary basis for appraising the clinical competence of medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. This review explores cognitive, social, and environmental factors that contribute unwanted sources of score variation (bias) to clinical performance evaluations. Summary: Raters have a 1 or 2-dimensional conception of clinical performance and do not recall details. Good news is reported more quickly and fully than bad news, leading to overly generous performance evaluations. Training has little impact on accuracy and reproducibility of clinical performance ratings. Conclusions: Clinical performance evaluation systems should assure broad, systematic sampling of clinical situations; keep rating instruments short; encourage immediate feedback for teaching and learning purposes; encourage maintenance of written performance notes to support delayed clinical performance ratings; give raters feedback about their ratings; supplement formal with unobtrusive observation; make promotion decisions via group review; supplement traditional observation with other clinical skills measures (e.g., Objective Structured Clinical Examination); encourage rating of specific performances rather than global ratings; and establish the meaning of ratings in the manner used to set normal limits for clinical diagnostic investigations.
Animation for Novices

We present a simple animation system driven by handgestures. The user gestures with his hands to interact with a 3D model to define animation key-frames. Extraneous features are notably absent from our system. Techniques for implementing the gestures are listed, along with solutions to some challenges faced when using vision input with graphical applications like ours.
Activation of the Human Superior Temporal Gyrus during Observation of Goal Attribution by Intentional Objects

Previous functional imaging experiments in humans showed activation increases in the posterior superior temporal gyrus and sulcus during observation of geometrical shapes whose movements appear intentional or goal-directed. We modeled a chase scenario between two objects, in which the chasing object used different strategies to reach the target object: The chaser either followed the target's path or appeared to predict its end position. Activation in the superior temporal gyrus of human observers was greater when the chaser adopted a predict rather than a follow strategy. Attending to the chaser's strategy induced slightly greater activation in the left superior temporal gyrus than attending to the outcome of the chase. These data implicate the superior temporal gyrus in the identification of objects displaying complex goal-directed motion.
Visuospatial working memory and mental representation of spatial descriptions

The purpose of the present research is to investigate whether different components of working memory (WM) are involved in processing spatial and nonspatial texts. The interference effects of two concurrent tasks on comprehension and recall of two kinds of text were investigated in two experiments. Each participant listened to a spatial and a nonspatial text, with one of two concurrent tasks: articulatory suppression or spatial tapping. The dependent variables in Experiment 1 were accuracy of recall and verification of information inferred from the texts. In Experiment 2 response times in the verification task were also considered. Results support the hypothesis that verbal and spatial components of working memory are differentially involved in the comprehension and memory of spatial and nonspatial texts, with a selective interference effect of the spatial concurrent task on the spatial text and an interference effect of the verbal concurrent task on both the spatial and nonspatial texts. These effects emerged for recall, sentence verification, and response times. Our findings confirm previous results showing that the verbal component of working memory is involved in the process of text comprehension and memory. In addition, they show that visuospatial working memory is involved, in so far as the text conveys visuospatial information.
Prognostic Significance of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor Expression in Renal Cell Carcinoma

AbstractThe prognostic value of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) in renal cell carcinoma (RCC) has been evaluated in a large number of studies, but the reports were inconsistent and remained inconclusive. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify the significance of HIF expression in RCC prognosis.PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, EBSCO, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Biological Abstracts were searched for eligible studies. Hazard ratio (HR) data for overall survival (OS), cancer-specific survival (CSS), and progression-free survival (PFS) with 95% confidence interval (CI) related to the expression status of HIF-1&agr; or HIF-2&agr; detected by immunohistochemistry were all extracted. Data were combined using a random- or fixed-effects model based on the corresponding inter-study heterogeneity. Subgroup analyses were also performed.A total of 14 studies composed of 1258 patients for HIF-1&agr; evaluation and 619 patients for HIF-2&agr; evaluation were included for further analysis. When initially analyzed as a whole, the HIF-1&agr; expression was not significantly correlated with OS (HR 1.637, 95% CI 0.898–2.985, P = 0.108), CSS (HR 1.110, 95% CI 0.595–2.069, P = 0.744), and PFS (HR 1.113, 95% CI 0.675–1.836, P = 0.674). Similarly, HIF-2&agr; expression was not significantly correlated with CSS (HR 1.597, 95% CI 0.667–3.824, P = 0.293) and PFS (HR 0.847, 95% CI 0.566–1.266, P = 0.417). However, subgroup analyses concerning subcellular localization of HIFs revealed that the high nuclear expression of HIF-1&agr; was significantly associated with poor OS (HR 2.014, 95% CI 1.206–3.363, P = 0.007) and the high cytoplasmic expression of HIF -2&agr; was significantly associated with poor CSS (HR 2.356, 95% CI 1.629–3.407, P = 0.000). The increased nuclear expression of HIF-1&agr; and cytoplasmic expression of HIF-2&agr; indicate unfavorable prognosis in RCC patients, which may serve as biomarkers for disease management.
ARGUS : A Prototype Stream Anomaly Monitoring System

Monitoring of continuous data streams is an important class of data-intensive applications, and researchers are working to develop general-purpose Data Stream Management Systems to handle them. These systems under development generally assume that queries produce answers at a fairly rapid rate. However, there is an important sub-class of data monitoring applications in which queries are evaluated over very-large-volume data streams, yet seldom produce answers (i.e., have extremely high selectivity). We call this sub-class of applications Stream Anomaly Monitoring Systems (SAMS). Examples include potential financial crime monitoring, potential high-risk medical situation monitoring, epidemiology tracking for first signs of new outbreaks, and potential fraud analysis on stock market. In these domains, answers are only reported when there is a high probability of a crime, a fraud, a high-risk disease, or an epidemic outbreak. The very-large-volume assumption on the data poses significant performance problems for these types of applications. However, the very-high-selectivity property of the queries could be exploited to achieve reasonably good performance. An important secondary objective is to build the SAMS on top of mature DBMS technology, to preserve full DBMS functionality and to permit full modularization of functions, guaranteeing cross-DBMS portability. The difficult part is to accomplish this objective while maximizing performance. But, the very-high-selectivity nature of SAMS applications permits us to achieve both objectives: efficiency and full DBMS compatibility. This thesis proposes a SAMS approach that implements incremental evaluation schemes upon the traditional DBMS platform. Under the assumption of the very-high-selectivity queries, this approach incorporates several unique optimization techniques and improvements to solve the problems raised by the very-large-volume data assumption. These include Transitivity Inference, Predicate Set Evaluation and Materialization, Partial Rete Generation, Computation Sharing on Predicate Sets, and Intermingled Sharing and Optimization processing. The approach is being applied in the ARGUS Profile System, a prototype instantiation of a SAMS system. The approach allows fast and easy conversion of a traditional DBMS to an effective and efficient Stream Anomaly Monitoring System.
Hybrid fuzzy model based expert system for misfire detection in automobile engines

This paper evaluates the use of fuzzy unordered rule induction algorithm (FURIA) with correlation based feature selection (CFS) embedded feature subset selection as a tool for misfire detection. The vibration data of the automobile engine contains the engine performance data along with multitudes of other information. The decoding of engine misfire condition was achieved by processing the statistical features of the signals. The quantum of information available at a given instant is enormous and hence suitable techniques are adopted to reduce the computational load due to excess information. The effect of recursive entropy discretiser as feature size reduction tool and CFS based feature subset selection is analysed for performance improvement in the FURIA model. The FURIA based model is found to have a consistent high classification accuracy of around 88% when designed as a multi class problem and approaches 100% when the system is modeled as a two-class problem. From the results obtained the authors conclude that the combination of statistical features and FURIA algorithm is suitable for detection of misfire in spark ignition engines.
Direct and indirect measurements of power system states in off-nominal condition

Wide area measurement is significant for modernized control of power system. Phasor measurement unit (PMU) being the prime element for wide area measurement system (WAMS), it provides proper feedback to the closed looped controller to take proper steps during power system transients. This paper aims to measure the state of six bus power system in off-nominal frequency condition. To achieve this firstly a three phase PMU is simulated using recursive algorithm and then the algorithm is made frequency adaptive by re-sampling. Pseudo measurement using ABCD parameter is also proposed and implemented.
Mechanisms of Epithelial Cell–Cell Adhesion and Cell Compaction Revealed by High-resolution Tracking of E-Cadherin– Green Fluorescent Protein

Cadherin-mediated adhesion initiates cell reorganization into tissues, but the mechanisms and dynamics of such adhesion are poorly understood. Using time-lapse imaging and photobleach recovery analyses of a fully functional E-cadherin/GFP fusion protein, we define three sequential stages in cell–cell adhesion and provide evidence for mechanisms involving E-cadherin and the actin cytoskeleton in transitions between these stages. In the first stage, membrane contacts between two cells initiate coalescence of a highly mobile, diffuse pool of cell surface E-cadherin into immobile punctate aggregates along contacting membranes. These E-cadherin aggregates are spatially coincident with membrane attachment sites for actin filaments branching off from circumferential actin cables that circumscribe each cell. In the second stage, circumferential actin cables near cell–cell contact sites separate, and the resulting two ends of the cable swing outwards to the perimeter of the contact. Concomitantly, subsets of E-cadherin puncta are also swept to the margins of the contact where they coalesce into large E-cadherin plaques. This reorganization results in the formation of a circumferential actin cable that circumscribes both cells, and is embedded into each E-cadherin plaque at the contact margin. At this stage, the two cells achieve maximum contact, a process referred to as compaction. These changes in E-cadherin and actin distributions are repeated when additional single cells adhere to large groups of cells. The third stage of adhesion occurs as additional cells are added to groups of >3 cells; circumferential actin cables linked to E-cadherin plaques on adjacent cells appear to constrict in a purse-string action, resulting in the further coalescence of individual plaques into the vertices of multicell contacts. The reorganization of E-cadherin and actin results in the condensation of cells into colonies. We propose a model to explain how, through strengthening and compaction, E-cadherin and actin cables coordinate to remodel initial cell–cell contacts to the final condensation of cells into colonies.