Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impairments of prepulse inhibition of the startle response in abstinent alcoholic male patients.

AIMS Prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex, which refers to the ability of innocuous sensory events to reduce the startle reflex, has been described as an operational measure of sensorimotor gating that is reduced in several neuropsychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, but experience is lacking in addictions and alcoholism. The aim of this study was to examine the existence of impairments in the startle response and PPI in abstinent alcoholic men. METHODS Testing for PPI was conducted on 60 abstinent alcoholic men aged 18-65 years (mean 46.37) who met DSM-IV criteria for alcohol dependence and had been abstinent for more than a month at the time of testing. The comparison group were compared with 37 sex- age- and education-matched controls without alcohol dependence. RESULTS Magnitudes of the startle reflex were lower in patients than in controls. The differences were statistically significant (P < 0.05) in trials with prepulses presented 30 and 120 ms before the onset of the startle stimulus. There was also a statistically significant (P < 0.05) reduced percentage of PPI when the prepulse was presented 30 ms before the startle stimulus. CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that sensory information processing mechanisms could be damaged in abstinent alcoholic patients. The fact that these findings are common to other psychiatric disorders could indicate the existence of a common vulnerability marker and explain the high degree of comorbidity between alcoholism and other mental illnesses.
on a Transmit-Receive Method of Ultrasonic Array for Planar Defects

The detection results have a strong dependence on the relative position of the transducer and planar defects. Therefore, detection of planar defects for complex structures has always been a difficult point in ultrasonic testing. In this paper, a transmit-receive method based on dual ultrasonic array transducers is put forward and described in detail. The influence of different positions of transmitting and receiving transducers on the planar defect detection method is analysed. Then, according to the structural characteristics of the specimen, a full coverage inspection scheme for butt weld of complex structure is established through the design of acoustic beam transmitting and receiving method. Combined with the flexible beam control method, the transmit-receive method of ultrasonic array can cover a larger detection range without moving the transducer, and the propagation distance of acoustic wave is shorter which can reduce the attenuation of acoustic energy. Additionally, a response simulation model of the ultrasonic array is established based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method. The echo signals of different wave modes are compared to optimize the focusing law. Finally, for the application on actual components, a set of transmitting and receiving transducers is designed for the ultrasonic array board that had 128 individual transceiver channels. The butt weld specimen with planar defects was fabricated and the practical experiments were conducted as well. The results show that the transmitreceive method of ultrasonic array can provide more accurate detection results in comparison with the conventional ultrasonic testing method using single transducer and greatly enhance the efficiency in planar defects detection.
Compensation of Limited Bandwidth and Nonlinearity for Coherent Transponder

Coherent optical transponders are widely deployed in today’s long haul and metro optical networks using dense wavelength division multiplexing. To increase the data carrying capacity, the coherent transponder utilizes the high order modulation format and operates at a high baud rate. The limited bandwidth and the nonlinearity are two critical impairments for the coherent in-phase quadrature transmitter. These impairments can be mitigated by digital filters. However, to accurately determine the coefficients of these filters is difficult because the impairment from the limited bandwidth and the impairment from nonlinearity are coupled together. In this paper, we present a novel method to solve this problem. During the initial power-up, we apply a sinusoidal stimulus to the coherent IQ transmitter. We then scan the frequency and amplitude of the stimulus and monitor the output power. By curve-fitting with an accurate mathematical model, we determine the limited bandwidth, the nonlinearity, the power imbalance, and the bias point of the transponder simultaneously. Optimized coefficients of the digital filters are determined accordingly. Furthermore, we utilize a coherent IQ transponder and demonstrate that the limited bandwidth is improved by the finite impulse response filter, while nonlinearity is mitigated by the memoryless Volterra filter.
Somatic mutations in PI 3 K α : structural basis for the enzyme activation and drug design

The PI3K pathway is a communication hub coordinating critical cell functions including cell survival, cell growth, proliferation, motility and metabolism. Because PI3Kα harbors recurrent somatic mutations resulting in gains of function in human cancers, it has emerged as an important drug target for many types of solid tumors. Various PI3K isoforms are also being evaluated as potential therapeutic targets for inflammation, heart disease, and hematologic malignancies. Structural biology is providing insights into the flexibility of the PI3Ks, and providing basis for understanding the effects of mutations, drug resistance and specificity.
I know where you are: Thwarting privacy protection in location-based social discovery services

Location-based Social Discovery (LBSD) services enable users to discover their geographic neighborhoods to make new friends. Original LBSD services were designed to provide the exact distances to nearby users. It has been shown that it is easy to pinpoint any target user's location by using trilateration based on the exact distances from three fake GPS locations to the target user. To thwart the trilateration attack, contemporary LBSD services then began to report distances of nearby users in concentric bands, e.g., bands of 100 meters. In this paper, we investigate the user location privacy leakage problem in LBSD services reporting distances in discrete bands. Using number theory, we analytically show that by strategically placing multiple virtual probes with contrived fake GPS locations, one can nevertheless pinpoint user locations in band-based LBSD. Our methodology guarantees to pinpoint any reported user within an area bounded by one square meter, even for LBSD services using large bands (such as 100m as used by WeChat). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work that explicitly exploits and quantifies user location privacy leakage in band-based LBSD services. Our study is expected to draw more public attention to this serious privacy issue and hopefully motivate better privacy-preserving LBSD designs.
Internet-Based Virtual Stock Markets for Business Forecasting

The application of Internet-based virtual stock markets (VSMs) is an additional approach that can be used to predict short- and medium-term market developments. The basic concept involves bringing a group of participants together via the Internet and allowing them to trade shares of virtual stocks. These stocks represent a bet on the outcome of future market situations, and their value depends on the realization of these market situations. In this process, a VSM elicits and aggregates the assessments of its participants concerning future market developments. The aim of this article is to evaluate the potential use and the different design possibilities as well as the forecast accuracy and performance of VSMs compared to expert predictions for their application to business forecasting. After introducing the basic idea of using VSMs for business forecasting, we discuss the different design possibilities for such VSMs. In three real-world applications, we analyze the feasibility and forecast accuracy of VSMs, compare the performance of VSMs to expert predictions, and propose a new validity test for VSM forecasts. Finally, we draw conclusions and provide suggestions for future research.
∗-SDYM fields and heavenly spaces: II. Reductions of the ∗-SDYM system

Reductions of the self-dual Yang–Mills (SDYM) system for -bracket Lie algebra to the Husain–Park (HP) heavenly equation and to sl(N, C) SDYM equation are given. An example of a sequence of su(N) chiral fields (N ≥ 2) tending for N → ∞ to a curved heavenly space is found.
Preventing Phrenic Nerve Stimulation by a Patch Insulation in an Intact Swine Heart Model

Introduction Phrenic nerve stimulation (PNS) could be prevented by a silastic patch over the epicardial lead. We studied the effects in preventing PNS by placing a silastic patch directly over an epicardial lead or placing a graft around the phrenic nerve (PN). Methods and Results Fourteen Lanyu swine were enrolled. A bipolar lead was placed epicardially on the left ventricle (LV) inferior to the PN. An implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) lead was placed into the right ventricle (RV). The maximal influential distance (MID) was measured under 3 pacing configurations to express the influential electrical field on the PN. The threshold of the LV and PN were evaluated epicardially. Then, PTFE patches of different sizes (10×10 mm, 20×20 mm and 30×30 mm) were placed between the LV lead and PN to study the rise in PN threshold in 7 swine. On the other hand, the PN were surrounded by a PTFE graft of different lengths (10 mm, 20 mm, and 30 mm) in the remaining 7 swine. LV-bipolar pacing showed the shortest MID when compared to the other 2 unipolar pacing configurations at pacing voltage of 10 V. The patch was most effective in preventing PNS during LV-bipolar pacing. PNS was prevented under all circumstances with a larger PTFE patch (30×30 mm) or long graft (30 mm). Conclusions PNS was avoided by placing a PTFE patch over the LV lead or a graft around the PN despite pacing configurations. Hence if PNS persisted during CRT implantation, a PTFE patch on the LV lead or a graft around the PN could be considered.
Utility-Aware Anonymization of Diagnosis Codes

The growing need for performing large-scale and low-cost biomedical studies has led organizations to promote the reuse of patient data. For instance, the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. requires patient-specific data collected and analyzed in the context of Genome-wide Association Studies (GWAS) to be deposited into a biorepository and broadly disseminated. While essential to comply with regulations, disseminating such data risks privacy breaches because patients' genomic sequences can be linked to their identities through diagnosis codes. This paper proposes a novel approach that prevents this type of data linkage by modifying diagnosis codes to limit the probability of associating a patient's identity to their genomic sequence. Our approach employs an effective algorithm that uses generalization and suppression of diagnosis codes to preserve privacy and takes into account the intended uses of the disseminated data to guarantee utility. We also present extensive experiments using several datasets derived from the electronic medical record (EMR) system of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, as well as a large-scale case study using the EMRs of 79K patients, which are linked to DNA contained in the Vanderbilt University biobank. Our results verify that our approach generates anonymized data that permit accurate biomedical analysis in tasks including case count studies and GWAS.
Adaptive GTS Allocation Scheme based on IEEE 802.15.4 for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

This paper proposes a new media access control (MAC) protocol, Preamble-MAC (P-MAC). P-MAC is adaptive and dynamic MAC protocol based on Virtual Distance Level (VDL), which is the estimated, accumulated information of channel status and variation obtained through periodically monitoring underwater environment information such as long, unknown propagation delays and low bandwidth for underwater acoustic sensor networks.
Catheter ablation of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation improves cardiac function: a prospective study on the impact of atrial fibrillation ablation on left ventricular function assessed by magnetic resonance imaging.

AIMS Beneficial effects of atrial fibrillation (AF) ablation have been demonstrated in patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) and significantly impaired left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). However, the impact of pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) on cardiac function in patients with paroxysmal AF and impaired LVEF remains under discussion. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of PVI for paroxysmal AF on cardiac function in patients with impaired LVEF using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI). METHODS AND RESULTS A total number of 70 patients with paroxysmal AF and episodes < or = 24 h were scanned on a 1.5-T-CMRI before and 6 months after PVI during sinus rhythm. End-diastolic volume, end-systolic volume, and LVEF were determined by epicardial and endocardial measurements. Patients were categorized into two groups regarding cardiac function as assessed by CMRI: group 1 patients (n = 18) with an LVEF < 50% and patients with an LVEF > 50% (group 2, n = 52). Group 1 patients demonstrated a significant lower success rate than patients of group 2 after a follow-up of 152 +/- 40 days (50 vs. 73%, P < 0.05). Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in group 1 patients demonstrated a significant improvement in cardiac function after AF ablation (41 +/- 6 vs. 51 +/- 12%, P = 0.004), whereas group 2 patients did not show significant differences (60 +/- 6 vs. 59 +/- 9%, P = 0.22) after a 6 months follow-up. CONCLUSION Pulmonary vein isolation improves cardiac function in patients with paroxysmal AF and impaired LVEF. These data suggest that an impaired LV function can be partially attributed to AF with short-lasting paroxysms.
A Phillips Curve with an Ss Foundation

We develop an analytically tractable Phillips curve based on state‐dependent pricing. We consider a local approximation around a zero inflation steady state and introduce infrequent idiosyncratic shocks. The resulting Phillips curve is a simple variant of the conventional time‐dependent Calvo formulation with important differences. First, the model is able to match the micro evidence on the magnitude and timing of price adjustments. Second, our state‐dependent model exhibits greater flexibility in the aggregate price level than the time‐dependent model. With real rigidities present, however, our model can exhibit nominal stickiness similar to a conventional time‐dependent model.
Hypermethylation of IGSF4 gene for noninvasive prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia

Summary Background For patients with pregnancy-induced thalassemia, fetal cord blood or amniotic fluid is invasively collected in the traditional diagnosis and prediction of thalassemia. However, there is no specific molecular target in the diagnosis of thalassemia using fetal DNA from the plasma of pregnant women. Material/Methods The promoter of cell surface adhesion molecule (IGSF4) gene was found to be down-regulated in patients with homozygous thalassemia, and the expression of IGSF4 was closely associated with the methylation of its promoter. In the present study, mass spectrometric sequencing of methylation was performed using MassARRAY to detect the 12 CpG sites in the promoter of IGSF4 gene. Results The methylation degree of these 12 CpG sites was significantly higher than that in healthy subjects (P<0.05). Hierarchical clustering was done in 23 patients with thalassemia and 5 healthy individuals. Results revealed the promoter of IGSF4 gene was highly methylated in thalassemia patients, which was dramatically different from that in healthy subjects (P<0.05). Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) was employed to confirm the methylation of the promoter of IGSF4 gene and results were consistence with those obtained in sequencing with MassARRAY. Real-time PCR showed, when compared with heterozygous subjects, the expression of IGSF4 was significantly down-regulated in thalassemia patients (ratio=0.18). Conclusions The expression of IGSF4 was closely related to the methylation of its promoter, suggesting the methylation of IGSF4 gene is tissue-specific for thalassemia. These findings provide evidence for the non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of thalassemia in terms of epigenetics.
Dark energy with dark spinors

Ever since the first observations that we are living in an accelerating universe, it has been asked what dark energy is. There are various explanations, all of which have various drawbacks or inconsistencies. Here we show that using a dark spinor field it is possible to have an equation of state that crosses the phantom divide, becoming a dark phantom spinor which evolves into dark energy. This type of equation of state has been mildly favored by experimental data, however, in the past there were hardly any theories that satisfied this crossing without creating ghosts or causing a singularity which results in the universe essentially ripping. The dark spinor model converges to dark energy in a reasonable time frame avoiding the big rip and without attaining negative kinetic energy as it crosses the phantom divide.
Sponsored Search Auction Design via Machine Learning

In this work we use techniques from the study of samplecomplexity in machine learning to reduce revenue maximizing auction problems to standard algorithmic questions. These results are particularly relevant to designing good pricing mechanisms for sponsored search. In particular we apply our results to two problems: profit maximizing combinatorial auctions, and auctions for pricing semantically related goods. Auctions for sponsored search can be viewed as combinatorial auctions in that bidders have combinatorial (in the search terms and the location of the ad on the search results page) preferences for having ads placed. Furthermore since the space of all searches is much larger than the set of advertisers, it is useful to use the semantic relationship of search terms within pricing algorithms. Our main results show how to take algorithms that solve these pricing problems and convert them into auctions with good game-theoretic properties and provably good performance.
The Geometric Least Squares Fitting Of Ellipses

Abstract: The problem of Fitting conic sections to given data in the plane is one which is of great interest and arises in many applications, e.g. computer graphics, statistics, coordinate metrology, aircraft industry, metrology, astronomy, refractometry, and petroleum engineering [7, 2, 3]. In this paper, we present several methods which have been suggested for Fitting ellipses to data in the plane. We will look particularly at one method, by giving examples and using Matlab to solve these problem. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Date of Submission: 16-04-2018 Date of acceptance: 04-05-2018 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emerging Trends in Associative Classification Data Mining

Utilising association rule discovery to learn classifiers in data mining is known as Associative Classification (AC). In the last decade, AC algorithms proved to be effective in devising high accurate classification systems from various types of supervised data sets. Yet, there are new emerging trends and that can further enhance the performance of current AC methods or necessitate the development of new methods. This paper sheds the light on four possible new research trends within AC that could enhance the predictive performance of the classifier or their quality in terms of rules. These possible research directions are considered starting research points for other scholars in rule based classification in data mining.
Détection de changement de mode de fonctionnement

Un systeme presente souvent plusieurs modes de fonctionnement qu'ils soient voulus de la part de l'operateur, pour suivre une modification desiree, ou non dans le cas d'apparition de defaut ou de changement du a l'environnement du systeme. Tout l'enjeu est d'etre capable de connaitre le mode courant de fonctionnement afin de pouvoir appliquer les commandes adequates. Le but de ce travail est de reconnaitre le mode actif a chaque instant, ainsi que d'estimer l'instant de commutation entre deux modes. Pour cela, on genere des residus et on analyse ces derniers au cours du temps afin de detecter les changements de mode.
PERSONAL SALES SUCCESS FACTORS IN A WEALTHY AUTOMOTIVE MARKET ENVIRONMENT

This study aimed to determine the success factors in personal sales in a wealthy market environment. For this purpose, a quasi-experimental design was formulated and the Swiss automotive market was selected. This market has some peculiarities in comparison to other markets, such as generally wealthy customers who demand fuel-efficient cars with significant horse power in the higher price range. Videos of personal sales conversations were produced and shown to the study participants for evaluation. The sales took place in the automotive sector, but the results can be transferred to other sectors. The theoretical concept of personal sales is introduced, sales theories, techniques and strategies are discussed. The different types of communication are introduced and explained. As a result, a factor analysis is conducted in order to interpret the results. The paper provides then conclusions by discussing and construing the results. Theoretical and managerial contributions and possible limitations are derived.