Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wrist discomfort levels for combined movements at constant force and repetition rate

Sixteen male subjects each performed a repetitive, downwards, non-prehensile wrist exertion task with the arm pronated, at a rate of 15 times per minute and with a force of 10N ± 1N in 49 combinations of flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation to 0%, 18%, 38% and 55% of the Range of Motion (ROM) for 5 min each. The dependent measure was discomfort measured on a 100 mm visual analogue scale and for most of the analyses these were standardized by using the min - max procedure of <citeref rid="b20">Gescheider (1988)</citeref>. These Standardised Discomfort Levels (SDLs) were fitted to mathematical equations from which iso-discomfort contours were derived relative to the percentages of flexion/extension and radial/ulnar-deviation ROM used. The lowest standardized discomfort was found for the neutral wrist posture, followed by 18% extension with neutral radial/ulmar deviation. The results reveal interesting features of the processes involved and provide useful avenues for further research.
Visible Spectrophotometric Estimation of Diacerein in Bulk and Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms

Two simple, sensitive, accurate, rapid, and economical spectrophotometric methods have been developed for the estimation of diacerein in Pharmaceutical dosage forms. Method A is based on the reaction of diacerein with Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, in the presence of 0.5 N sodium hydroxide solution, giving a pink-colored chromogen, which shows maximum absorbance at 512 nm against reagent blank, while method B is based on the oxidation of diacerein with potassium permanganate in an alkaline medium giving a pink-colored chromogen, which shows maximum absorption at 497.5 nm. Beer’s law was obeyed in the concentration range of 4 – 20 µg/ml for both methods A and B. Results of the analysis were validated statistically, and by recovery studies.
NLPR translation system for IWSLT 2006 evaluation campaign

In this paper we describe a hybrid approach to Chinese-toEnglish spoken language translation system used for the IWSLT 2006 evaluation campaign. In this system, the phrasebased statistical machine translation (SMT) engine is combined with the template-based machine translation (TBMT) engine and a simple way is proposed to select the best translation from the results generated by the two translation engines. The experiments prove that the combination can improve the performance of translation system. As the input sentences are speech recognition results and have no punctuation information, we restore the punctuation in source sentences in the processing and postprocessing.
Psychometric Properties of a Measure of Acceptance of Long-Standing Health Problems

Acceptance of chronic illness is important for health promotion and for improving the quality of life of elders with chronic conditions. Thus, a reliable and valid measure of acceptance is needed for this population. Currently available measures of acceptance do not focus specifically on accepting chronic conditions. This study of 176 elders with chronic conditions examined the psychometric properties of an adapted measure of acceptance—the Ideas About Long-Standing Health Problems (IALHP) questionnaire. Although the findings provided beginning evidence for internal reliability and construct validity to support its potential usefulness in elders, further scale development is recommended.
The Burden of Comedication Among Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background:Polypharmacy is of growing concern in the chronically ill, including individuals with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The authors aimed to describe the prevalence and predictors of non-IBD medication use and to compare drug use among individuals with and without IBD. Methods:This cross-sectional study included members of health plans included in the Thomson Reuters MarketScan databases with continuous enrollment during 2009 and 2010. Patients with IBD were identified through diagnosis codes and IBD medication dispensings and matched to 5 individuals without IBD. The prevalences of dispensed prescriptions for analgesics (narcotics, nonnarcotics), psychiatric medications (anxiolytics/sedatives/hypnotics, antidepressants), and broad drug classes defined by the Anatomic Therapeutic Classification system were estimated. Predictors of non-IBD medication use and comparisons of drug use by IBD status were evaluated using logistic regression. Results:The prevalence of medication use was higher among patients with IBD than matched members of the general population for nearly every drug class examined, including narcotic analgesics (48.1% versus 34.1%), nonnarcotic analgesics (12.8% versus 8.1%), anxiolytics/sedatives/hypnotics (25.8% versus 16.7%), and antidepressants (28.3% versus 19.4%). Medicaid insurance, middle age, gastrointestinal surgery, Crohn's disease, and increasing number of inpatient, and outpatient, and prescription events were significantly associated with analgesic and psychiatric medication use among patients with IBD. Psychiatric drug dispensings were more common among female IBD patients than male patients. Conclusions:Patients with IBD have increased medication use, particularly of analgesic and psychiatric drugs. IBD care providers should be aware of polypharmacy and its potential for drug interactions.
The AIDS epidemic in the city of Copenhagen, Denmark: Potential years of life lost and impact on life expectancy

Aims: This study seeks to describe the impact of AIDS on the city of Copenhagen by estimating potential years of life lost (PYLL) before the age of 65 years and to estimate the impact of AIDS deaths on life expectancy for males and females. Methods: All AIDS cases reported to the national AIDS surveillance register for residents in the city of Copenhagen in the period 1983—98 were included. For comparative purposes data were obtained on six other causes of death: accidents, suicide, lung cancer, ischaemic heart disease, testicular cancer, and breast cancer. Results: Overall, deaths from AIDS accounted for 8% of all PYLL in men and showed an increasing tendency from 1983 to 1991, when it became the leading cause of PYLL. AIDS had most impact in men in the age group 25—44 years and accounted for 29% of all PYLL in this group at the peak in 1993, decreasing significantly after the introduction of anti-retroviral treatments to 5% of PYLL in 1998. Other leading causes of PYLL, accidents and suicide, also showed a decreasing tendency over the years, but of a much smaller magnitude than AIDS. The impact of AIDS in women was more modest. In the entire study period suicide, accidents, and breast cancer were the leading causes of PYLL in women. It was shown that AIDS deaths at the top of the epidemic in 1991—95 were responsible for a loss of 0.76 years in life expectancy for men and 0.08 years for women. Conclusions: AIDS has had a considerable impact on potential years of life lost. A significant decline in AIDS deaths has been seen since 1995 with an effect on life expectancy for men in the city of Copenhagen.
Quality-configurable memory hierarchy through approximation: special session

The memory subsystem is a major contributor to the overall performance and energy consumption of embedded computing platforms. The emergence of "killer" applications such as data-intensive recognition, mining, and synthesis (RMS) applications puts even more stress on the memory subsystem and exacerbates its energy consumption. Traditional mechanisms to ensure data integrity deploy overdesign (e.g., redundancy and error detection/correction) and/or guard-banding that consumes a significant part of the energy consumed in the memory subsystem. We explore opportunities for energy efficiency by exploiting the intrinsic tolerance of a vast class of approximate computing applications to some level of error in the on-chip memory hierarchy. We present two exemplars outlining the typical software and hardware mechanisms that are required for different components in the memory hierarchy, implemented in varying technologies such as SRAM and STT-MRAM.
Implementing a multiple specification regulation controller: a case of study

This paper presents the implementation of a controller for an advanced manufacturing cell (MC) that uses a decision making machine to track several model specifications. It follows an incremental approach, where the individual controllers (which are designed for isolated specifications) are used to obtain the global controller. The global controller is the combination of all specifications working in concurrence. Such concurrence/combinatory approach leads to efficient algorithms and computation towards optimal performance of the global controller.
Neural stem cells display extensive tropism for pathology in adult brain: evidence from intracranial gliomas.

One of the impediments to the treatment of brain tumors (e.g., gliomas) has been the degree to which they expand, infiltrate surrounding tissue, and migrate widely into normal brain, usually rendering them "elusive" to effective resection, irradiation, chemotherapy, or gene therapy. We demonstrate that neural stem cells (NSCs), when implanted into experimental intracranial gliomas in vivo in adult rodents, distribute themselves quickly and extensively throughout the tumor bed and migrate uniquely in juxtaposition to widely expanding and aggressively advancing tumor cells, while continuing to stably express a foreign gene. The NSCs "surround" the invading tumor border while "chasing down" infiltrating tumor cells. When implanted intracranially at distant sites from the tumor (e.g., into normal tissue, into the contralateral hemisphere, or into the cerebral ventricles), the donor cells migrate through normal tissue targeting the tumor cells (including human glioblastomas). When implanted outside the CNS intravascularly, NSCs will target an intracranial tumor. NSCs can deliver a therapeutically relevant molecule-cytosine deaminase-such that quantifiable reduction in tumor burden results. These data suggest the adjunctive use of inherently migratory NSCs as a delivery vehicle for targeting therapeutic genes and vectors to refractory, migratory, invasive brain tumors. More broadly, they suggest that NSC migration can be extensive, even in the adult brain and along nonstereotypical routes, if pathology (as modeled here by tumor) is present.
Label-Free Proteomics Reveals Decreased Expression of CD18 and AKNA in Peripheral CD4+ T Cells from Patients with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada Syndrome

Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) syndrome is a systemic autoimmune disease. CD4+ T cells have been shown to be involved in autoimmune diseases including VKH syndrome. To screen aberrantly expressed membrane proteins in CD4+ T cell from patients with active VKH syndrome, blood samples were taken from five patients with active VKH syndrome and five healthy individuals. A label-free quantitative proteomic strategy was used to identify the differently expressed proteins between the two groups. The results revealed that the expression of 102 peptides was significantly altered (p<0.05) between two groups and matched amino acid sequences of proteins deposited in the international protein index (ipi.HUMAN.v3.36.fasta). The identified peptides corresponded to 64 proteins, in which 30 showed more than a 1.5-fold difference between the two groups. The decreased expression of CD18 and AKNA transcription factor (AKNA), both being three-fold lower than controls in expression identified by the label-free method, was further confirmed in an additional group of five active VKH patients and six normal individuals using the Western blot technique. A significantly decreased expression of CD18 and AKNA suggests a role for both proteins in the pathogenesis of this syndrome.
Non-contact , Wavelet-based Measurement of Vital Signs using Thermal Imaging

In this paper we evaluate the potential of using non intrusive remote passive thermal imaging for measurements of human vital signs. Breathing causes noticeable changes in temperature at the nasal area, which appear as periodic changes in the face thermogram. The major arteries of the body produce time-varying heat patterns which yield information about the cardiac cycle. We focus on thermal imaging using long-wave IR of the face and neck areas. A new method based on wavelet analysis is developed to extract the pulse and respiration. Experimental results on four human subjects are provided, and validated against standard approaches for measuring heart rate and respiration. The proposed method has potential applications in non-contact vital signs monitoring and intent identification at a distance.
A Laplace-based particle filter for track-before-detect

Track-before-detect (TBD) is an efficient approach for tracking a target with low signal-to-noise-ratio. Unlike classical detection methods, TBD does not require thresholding. TBD integrates the signal of the target over space and time. In this paper, a particle filter is proposed, where the proposal density is constructed thanks to local Laplace approximations at the modes of the posterior density. This particle filter is tested on a simulated TBD problem, where the observations are a sequence of infrared images.
Global progress for dynamically interleaved multiparty sessions

A multiparty session forms a unit of structured communication among many participants which follow communication sequences specified as a global type. When a process is engaged in two or more sessions simultaneously, different sessions can be interleaved and can interfere at runtime. Previous work on multiparty session types has ignored session interleaving, providing a limited progress property ensured only within a single session, by assuming non-interference among different sessions and by forbidding delegation. This paper develops, besides a more traditional, compositional communication type system, a novel static interaction type system for global progress in dynamically interleaved and interfered multiparty sessions. The interaction type system infers causalities of channels making sure that processes do not get stuck at intermediate stages of sessions also in presence of delegation.
Minimising metabolic and cardiovascular risk in schizophrenia: diabetes, obesity and dyslipidaemia

People with schizophrenia are at greater risk of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, dyslipidaemia and hypertension than the general population. This results in an increased incidence of cardiovascuLar disease (CVD) and reduced Life expectancy, over and above that imposed by their mentaL illness through suicide. Several Levels of evidence from data Linkage analyses to clinical trials demonstrate that treatment-related metabolic disturbances are commonplace in this patient group, and that the use of certain second-generation antipsychotics may compound the risk of developing the metabolic syndrome and CVD. In addition, smoking, poor diet, reduced physical activity and alcohol or drug abuse are prevalent in people with schizophrenia and contribute to the overall CVD risk. Management and minimization of metaboLic risk factors are pertinent when providing optimal care to patients with schizophrenia. This review recommends a framework for the assessment, monitoring and management of patients with schizophrenia in the UK clinical setting.
Interactions between respiratory oscillators in adult rats

Breathing in mammals is hypothesized to result from the interaction of two distinct oscillators: the preBötzinger Complex (preBötC) driving inspiration and the lateral parafacial region (pFL) driving active expiration. To understand the interactions between these oscillators, we independently altered their excitability in spontaneously breathing vagotomized urethane-anesthetized adult rats. Hyperpolarizing preBötC neurons decreased inspiratory activity and initiated active expiration, ultimately progressing to apnea, i.e., cessation of both inspiration and active expiration. Depolarizing pFL neurons produced active expiration at rest, but not when inspiratory activity was suppressed by hyperpolarizing preBötC neurons. We conclude that in anesthetized adult rats active expiration is driven by the pFL but requires an additional form of network excitation, i.e., ongoing rhythmic preBötC activity sufficient to drive inspiratory motor output or increased chemosensory drive. The organization of this coupled oscillator system, which is essential for life, may have implications for other neural networks that contain multiple rhythm/pattern generators. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.14203. 001
Mobile backhaul transport streamlined through SDN

In this paper, we describe the integration of Software Defined Networking (SDN) in the mobile backhaul as a disruptive approach to streamline the transport network. In this work we leverage SDN to optimize the mobile backhaul transport by removing all mobile specific tunnelling and replace it with more efficient MPLS or Carrier Grade Ethernet deployed either over electrical or optical networks. The paper also presents the testbed with complete end to end system including off the shelf base stations, SDN enabled mobile backhaul switches and virtualize network elements (i.e. Mobility Management Entity (MME), Serving/Packet Gateway (S/P-GW)) running on the cloud. This testbed is currently accepted as European Telecommunication Standards (ETSI) Proof of Concept and the results are used to describe the benefits for operators and end users. Moreover, an initial design of services based on the proposed virtualized mobile network architecture is proposed. The results of the testbed show the benefits for mobile operators in terms of Capital Expenditure (CAPEX) and Operational Expenditure (OPEX) savings but more importantly the development of services that benefit from optimal usage of resources.
Baby Steps: A Design Proposal for More Believable Motion in an Infant-Sized Android

In studying human interaction, an android can serve as a precisely controlled apparatus to elicit human response. However, if an android is to substitute for a human being in social, cognitive, and neuroscientific experiments, it is essential to control for the effects of appearance by designing it to look and move as much like a human being as possible. The goal of this project is to create an infant-sized android to use in experiments. We propose design concepts for android joints and joint control to imitate human muscle control and appearance. The synchronized motion of servomotors and anatomically correct muscle-joint relations combine with the passive motion of elastic muscles to control the android’s movements. The implementation of an android leg exhibits these concepts.
The greater omentum is the primary site of neutrophil exudation in peritonitis.

BACKGROUND Peritonitis remains a major infectious problem. Neutrophil influx into the peritoneal cavity is one of the most important host defense mechanisms. However, no studies have focused on the site of neutrophil exudation. This study examined the primary anatomic site of neutrophil exudation in bacterial peritonitis. STUDY DESIGN Fifty-five rats were injected intraperitoneally with saline solution (control group) or 10(7) Escherichia coli (peritonitis group). In experiment 1, 1 x 10(6) fluorescein-labeled neutrophils were infused 3 hours after the challenge. Then, peritoneal-lavaged fluids and peritoneal tissues (the greater omentum, mesentery, parietal peritoneum, colon, and ileum) were obtained. Subpopulations of peritoneal exudative cells and numbers of labeled neutrophils in tissues were counted. In experiment 2, labeled neutrophils were infused at 10 minutes and at 1 and 5 hours after the challenge. Peritoneal tissues were also harvested. The number of labeled neutrophils in each tissue was determined. RESULTS In experiment 1, numbers of labeled peritoneal neutrophils and exudative neutrophils were higher in the peritonitis group than in the control group. Numbers of exudative neutrophils showed a positive correlation with numbers of labeled peritoneal neutrophil. In experiment 2, at 1 and 5 hours after the challenge, the number of labeled neutrophils was higher in the peritonitis group than in the control group. The number of neutrophils in the omentum was higher than the number in other peritoneal tissues. CONCLUSIONS Our fluorescence microscopic method is useful for detecting neutrophil adhesion. Neutrophil exudation into the peritoneal cavity was most marked in the omentum. The greater omentum may play an important role in host defense as a source of exudative neutrophils.
Influence of dynamic environments on agent strategies

This paper presents Evolutionary Spatial Games in dynamic environments. This game is a concept based on Evolutionary Game Theory (EGT) and Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs). The main goal is to study the implicit influence of dynamic environments on the behavior of agents in EGT. The paper considers three different types of populations which interact using a modifiable and individualized payoff matrix for their agents. As each agent of a certain type can have a different payoff value than the rest of the population, the populations evolve towards a diverse set of agents. In order to study the diversity in each population, we propose a model based on EAs and study the impact of dynamic environments on the populations and their diversities. The main question to answer is that whether diversity can help to obtain a stable strategy and if the dynamics in a certain environment can influence the Spatial Game. The experiments on three different environments show that the stable strategies can contain a diverse set of agents particularly in dynamic environments.
Medical mistrust, perceived discrimination, and satisfaction with health care among young-adult rural latinos.

PURPOSE Little research has analyzed mistrust and discrimination influencing receipt of health care services among Latinos, particularly those living in rural areas. This study examined the associations between medical mistrust, perceived discrimination, and satisfaction with health care among young-adult rural Latinos. RESEARCH DESIGN This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 387 young-adult Latinos (ages 18-25) living in rural Oregon. The Behavioral Model of Vulnerable Populations was utilized as the theoretical framework. Correlations were run to assess bivariate associations among variables included in the study. Ordered logistic regression models evaluated the associations between medical mistrust, perceived discrimination, and satisfaction with health care. RESULTS On average, participants used health services 4 times in the past year. Almost half of the participants had health insurance (46%). The majority reported that they were moderately (32%) or very satisfied (41%) with health care services used in the previous year. In multivariable models, medical mistrust and perceived discrimination were significantly associated with satisfaction with health care. CONCLUSIONS Medical mistrust and perceived discrimination were significant contributors to lower satisfaction with health care among young-adult Latinos living in rural Oregon. Health care reform implementation, currently under way, provides a unique opportunity for developing evaluation systems and interventions toward monitoring and reducing rural Latino health care disparities.