Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Accessing heart dynamics to estimate durations of heart sounds

Segmentation of the phonocardiogram into its major sound components is the first step in the automated diagnosis of cardiac abnormalities. Almost all of the existing phonocardiogram segmentation algorithms utilize absolute amplitude or frequency characteristics of heart sounds, which vary from one cardiac cycle to the other and across different patients. The objective of this work is to provide an efficient phonocardiogram segmentation technique, under difficult recording situations, by utilizing the underlying complexity of the dynamical system (heart) giving rise to the heart sound. Complexity-based segmentation is invariant to amplitude and frequency variations of the heart sound and yields better time gates for heart sounds.
What's the Use of Art?: Asian Visual and Material Culture in Context

Post-Enlightenment notions of culture, which have been naturalized in the West for centuries, require that art be autonomously beautiful, universal, and devoid of any practical purpose. The authors of this multidisciplinary volume seek to complicate this understanding of art by examining art objects from across Asia with attention to their functional, ritual, and everyday contexts. From tea bowls used in the Japanese tea ceremony to television broadcasts of Japanese puppet theater; from Indian wedding chamber paintings to art looted by the British army from the Chinese emperor's palace; from the adventures of a Balinese magical dagger to the political functions of classical Khmer images - the authors challenge prevailing notions of artistic value by introducing new ways of thinking about culture. The chapters consider art objects as they are involved in the world: how they operate and are experienced in specific sites, collections, rituals, performances, political and religious events and imagination, and in individual peoples' lives; how they move from one context to another and change meaning and value in the process (for example, when they are collected, traded, and looted or when their images appear in art history textbooks); how their memories and pasts are or are not part of their meaning and experience. Rather than lead to a single universalizing definition of art, the essays offer multiple, divergent, and case-specific answers to the question "What is the use of art? " and argue for the need to study art as it is used and experienced.
The Good Communist: Elite Training and State Building in Today's China

Preface 1. Socialism, capitalism and the anthropology of neo-socialist rule 2. Cadres, cadre training and party schools 3. Cadre education and training in the twenty-first century 4. Life and work at party schools 5. Marketization and centralization of cadre education and training 6. Cadre training, cadre careers and the changing composition of China's political elite 7. Conclusions: cadre training and the future of party rule Appendix 1. List of interviewees Appendix 2. Questionnaire survey Appendix 3. Glossary of Chinese terms References.
Experimental design and estimation of growth rate distributions in size-structured shrimp populations

We discuss inverse problem results for problems involving the estimation of probability distributions using aggregate data for growth in populations. We begin with a mathematical model describing variability in the early growth process of size-structured shrimp populations and discuss a computational methodology for the design of experiments to validate the model and estimate the growth-rate distributions in shrimp populations. Parameter-estimation findings using experimental data from experiments so designed for shrimp populations cultivated at Advanced BioNutrition Corporation are presented, illustrating the usefulness of mathematical and statistical modeling in understanding the uncertainty in the growth dynamics of such populations.
Fiscal Adjustment in the Transition Process: Hungary, 1990-1999

Two economists of the National Bank of Hungary review fiscal developments during a decade of transition in Hungary. The paper examines the role of fiscal policy in stabilizing the economy in the face of external and reform-induced shocks, the way in which fiscal policy contributed to the reforms, and the manner in which the downsizing of the government was implemented. The authors also analyze the main causes of public debt accumulation and sources of financing. The paper concludes by identifying some lessons to be derived from the Hungarian experience. Journal of Economic Literature, Classification Numbers: H62, P27, P35. 7 figures, 9 tables, 20 references.
Multi-temporal Synthetic Aperture Radar Metrics Applied to Map Open Water Bodies

Multi-temporal synthetic aperture radar (SAR) metrics are assessed to map open water bodies. High temporal variability and low minimum value in a time series of Envisat Advanced SAR (ASAR) Wide Swath Mode (WSM) backscatter measurements characterize open water bodies with respect to other land cover types. Confusion occurs in the case of steep terrain (slope angle > 10°), less than 10 backscatter observations and for mixed pixels with a water fraction. The behavior of the two SAR multi-temporal metrics is consistent at six study areas in Europe and Central Siberia. A simple thresholding algorithm applied to the multi-temporal SAR metrics to map open water bodies performs with overall accuracies above 90% in the case of pure pixels of water or land. The accuracy decreases when mixed pixels are accounted for in the reference dataset and for increasing land fraction in the reference samples. An overall accuracy of approximately 80% was obtained for a 50% threshold of the water fraction. Omissions of water areas occur mostly along shorelines. Specific conditions of the land surface can distort the minimum, causing commission in the water class. The use of a low order rank or percentile instead of the lowest backscatter value can reduce such commission error.
Gain-of-function nature of Cav1.4 L-type calcium channels alters firing properties of mouse retinal ganglion cells

Proper function of Cav1.4 L-type calcium channels is crucial for neurotransmitter release in the retina. Our understanding about how different levels of Cav1.4 channel activity affect retinal function is still limited. In the gain-of-function mouse model Cav1.4-IT we expected a reduction in the photoreceptor dynamic range but still transmission toward retinal ganglion cells. A fraction of Cav1.4-IT ganglion cells responded to light stimulation in multielectrode array recordings from whole-mounted retinas, but showed a significantly delayed response onset. Another significant number of cells showed higher activity in darkness. In addition to structural remodeling observed at the first retinal synapse of Cav1.4-IT mice the functional data suggested a loss of contrast enhancement, a fundamental feature of our visual system. In fact, Cav1.4-IT mouse retinas showed a decline in spatial response and changes in their contrast sensitivity profile. Photoreceptor degeneration was obvious from the nodular structure of cone axons and enlarged pedicles which partly moved toward the outer nuclear layer. Loss of photoreceptors was also expressed as reduced expression of proteins involved in chemical and electrical transmission, as such metabotropic glutamate receptor mGluR6 and the gap junction protein Connexin 36. Such gross changes in retinal structure and function could also explain the diminished visual performance of CSNB2 patients. The expression pattern of the plasma-membrane calcium ATPase 1 which participates in the maintenance of the intracellular calcium homeostasis in photoreceptors was changed in Cav1.4-IT mice. This might be part of a protection mechanism against increased calcium influx, as this is suggested for Cav1.4-IT channels.
Dysfunctional CFTR Alters the Bactericidal Activity of Human Macrophages against Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Chronic inflammation of the lung, as a consequence of persistent bacterial infections by several opportunistic pathogens represents the main cause of mortality and morbidity in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. Mechanisms leading to increased susceptibility to bacterial infections in CF are not completely known, although the involvement of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) in microbicidal functions of macrophages is emerging. Tissue macrophages differentiate in situ from infiltrating monocytes, additionally, mature macrophages from different tissues, although having a number of common activities, exhibit variation in some molecular and cellular functions. In order to highlight possible intrinsic macrophage defects due to CFTR dysfunction, we have focused our attention on in vitro differentiated macrophages from human peripheral blood monocytes. Here we report on the contribution of CFTR in the bactericidal activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa of monocyte derived human macrophages. At first, by real time PCR, immunofluorescence and patch clamp recordings we demonstrated that CFTR is expressed and is mainly localized to surface plasma membranes of human monocyte derived macrophages (MDM) where it acts as a cAMP-dependent chloride channel. Next, we evaluated the bactericidal activity of P. aeruginosa infected macrophages from healthy donors and CF patients by antibiotic protection assays. Our results demonstrate that control and CF macrophages do not differ in the phagocytic activity when infected with P. aeruginosa. Rather, although a reduction of intracellular live bacteria was detected in both non-CF and CF cells, the percentage of surviving bacteria was significantly higher in CF cells. These findings further support the role of CFTR in the fundamental functions of innate immune cells including eradication of bacterial infections by macrophages.
Development of lexical basis for the Universal Dictionary of Unl concepts

The paper describes the current state of development of the lexical basis of an open and free lexical-semantic resource — the Universal Dictionary of UNL Concepts (UNLDC). The resource serves as a lexicon of an artificial intermediary language UNL (Universal Networking Language). It links the elementary units of UNL — concepts with lexicons of natural languages and various external lexical and semantic resources, including Wordnet and SUMO ontology. The dictionary’s main goal is to support automated semantic analysis, encoding the meaning of the text as UNL semantic graphs and subsequent generation of text in different natural languages.
Release of Tensile Strain on Engineered Human Tendon Tissue Disturbs Cell Adhesions, Changes Matrix Architecture, and Induces an Inflammatory Phenotype

Mechanical loading of tendon cells results in an upregulation of mechanotransduction signaling pathways, cell-matrix adhesion and collagen synthesis, but whether unloading removes these responses is unclear. We investigated the response to tension release, with regard to matrix proteins, pro-inflammatory mediators and tendon phenotypic specific molecules, in an in vitro model where tendon-like tissue was engineered from human tendon cells. Tissue sampling was performed 1, 2, 4 and 6 days after surgical de-tensioning of the tendon construct. When tensile stimulus was removed, integrin type collagen receptors showed a contrasting response with a clear drop in integrin subunit α11 mRNA and protein expression, and an increase in α2 integrin mRNA and protein levels. Further, specific markers for tendon cell differentiation declined and normal tendon architecture was disturbed, whereas pro-inflammatory molecules were upregulated. Stimulation with the cytokine TGF-β1 had distinct effects on some tendon-related genes in both tensioned and de-tensioned tissue. These findings indicate an important role of mechanical loading for cellular and matrix responses in tendon, including that loss of tension leads to a decrease in phenotypical markers for tendon, while expression of pro-inflammatory mediators is induced.
Carotid Artery Plaque Characterization Using CT Multienergy Imaging

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Carotid artery plaque types can be categorized with CT according to their HU values. The purpose of this work was to analyze carotid artery plaque characteristics by using multienergy imaging. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Thirty-two consecutive patients (23 men; median age, 70 years) were retrospectively analyzed. Carotid arteries were studied with a multienergy CT scanner. All patients received a 15-mL timing bolus of contrast medium to synchronize the data acquisition followed by an injection of 60 mL of contrast medium at a 5-mL/s flow rate. Plaque analysis in 64 carotid arteries was performed, and datasets were reconstructed by using a dedicated workstation. For each plaque, the HU value was quantified with a 2-mm-square region of interest at monoenergy values of 66, 70, 77, and 86 keV. The Wilcoxon test was used to test the differences in HU values in the plaques at different kiloelectron volts. RESULTS: Four carotid arteries were excluded due to the absence of plaque, and another 7, because of the presence of calcified plaques. In the remaining 53 carotid arteries, Wilcoxon analysis showed a statistically significant difference in HU values among the monoenergy values of 66, 70, 77, and 86 keV (P = .0001). In particular, we found that with the increase in monochromatic kiloelectron volt values, there is a statistically significant reduction in the HU value of the plaque. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study suggest that the HU values of plaque may significantly change according to the selected kiloelectron volt; therefore, the HU-based plaque type (fatty, mixed, calcified) should be classified according to the energy level applied.
An efficient method for content based image retrieval using histogram graph

In this paper, we present a new technique to compare image similarity, called HISG (histogram graph), that utilizes a weighted undirected graph for each color, and its each vertex is a bin of histogram. As a result, the technique is able to take advantage of color location, and smaller space overhead but is not sensitive to rotation and translation. We carried out an experiment on an image database containing 12,960 landscape images. Experimental result shows that our technique is more effective than the local color histogram and cell/color histograms.
Asthma Is Inversely Associated with Helicobacter pylori Status in an Urban Population

Background Microbial exposures have been suggested to confer protection from allergic disorders and reduced exposures to gastrointestinal microbiota have been proposed as an explanation for the increase in asthma prevalence. Since the general prevalence of Helicobacter pylori has been decreasing, we hypothesized that H. pylori serostatus would be inversely related to the presence of asthma. Methods Adults were recruited to participate in the New York University (NYU)/Bellevue Asthma Registry in New York City. Adult asthma cases (N = 318) and controls (N = 208) were identified and serum IgG antibodies to H. pylori whole cell antigens or the immunodominant CagA antigen were measured. Results As expected, the asthma cases and controls differed with respect to atopy and lung function. Seropositivity to H. pylori or CagA antigen was present in 47.1% of the total case and control study population. Asthma was inversely associated with CagA seropositivity (OR = 0.57, 95% CI = 0.36–0.89). Median age of onset of asthma (doctor's diagnosis) was older (21 years) among individuals with CagA+ strains than among H. pylori- individuals (11 years) (p = 0.006). Conclusion These data are consistent with the hypothesis that colonization with CagA+ H. pylori strains is inversely associated with asthma and is associated with an older age of asthma onset in an urban population. The data suggest H. pylori as a marker for protection. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00212537
Some combinatorial game problems require Ω(nk) time

Dans cet article, on considere quelques problemes combinatoires et on etablit des problemes «naturels» dans P, pour la reconnaissance dont les limites inferieures en temps polynomial peuvent etre connues. Introduction du «jeu de galet» et on montre que quelques-uns de ces problemes peuvent etre complets dans certaines classes de complexite
Counting self-avoiding walks

The connective constant $\mu(G)$ of a graph $G$ is the asymptotic growth rate of the number of self-avoiding walks on $G$ from a given starting vertex. We survey three aspects of the dependence of the connective constant on the underlying graph $G$. Firstly, when $G$ is cubic, we study the effect on $\mu(G)$ of the Fisher transformation (that is, the replacement of vertices by triangles). Secondly, we discuss upper and lower bounds for $\mu(G)$ when $G$ is regular. Thirdly, we present strict inequalities for the connective constants $\mu(G)$ of vertex-transitive graphs $G$, as $G$ varies. As a consequence of the last, the connective constant of a Cayley graph of a finitely generated group decreases strictly when a new relator is added, and increases strictly when a non-trivial group element is declared to be a generator. Special prominence is given to open problems.
Consumption Inequality and Discount Rate Heterogeneity

Although standard incomplete market models can account for the magnitude of the rise in consumption inequality over the life cycle, they generate unrealistically concave age profiles of consumption inequality and unrealistically less wealth inequality. In this paper, I investigate the role of discount rate heterogeneity on consumption inequality in the context of incomplete market life cycle models. The distribution of discount rates is estimated using moments from the wealth distribution. I find that the model with heterogeneous income profiles (HIP) and discount rate heterogeneity can successfully account for the empirical age profile of consumption inequality, both in its magnitude and in its non-concave shape. Generating realistic wealth inequality, this simulated model also highlights the importance of ex ante heterogeneities as main sources of life time inequality.
Episodic and declarative memory: Role of the hippocampus

The fact that medial temporal lobe structures, including the hippocampus, are critical for declarative memory is firmly established by now. The understanding of the role that these structures play in declarative memory, however, despite great efforts spent in the quest, has eluded investigators so far. Given the existing scenario, novel ideas that hold the promise of clarifying matters should be eagerly sought. One such idea was recently proposed by Vargha‐Khadem and her colleagues (Science 1997;277:376–380) on the basis of their study of three young people suffering from anterograde amnesia caused by early‐onset hippocampal pathology. The idea is that the hippocampus is necessary for remembering ongoing life's experiences (episodic memory), but not necessary for the acquisition of factual knowledge (semantic memory). We discuss the reasons why this novel proposal makes good sense and why it and its ramifications should be vigorously pursued. We review and compare declarative and episodic theories of amnesia, and argue that the findings reported by Vargha‐Khadem and her colleagues fit well into an episodic theory that retains components already publicized, and adds new ones suggested by the Vargha‐Khadem et al. study. Existing components of this theory include the idea that acquisition of factual knowledge can occur independently of episodic memory, and the idea that in anterograde amnesia it is quite possible for episodic memory to be more severely impaired than semantic memory. We suggest a realignment of organization of memory such that declarative memory is defined in terms of features and properties that are common to both episodic and semantic memory. The organization of memory thus modified gives greater precision to the Vargha‐Khadem et al. neuroanatomical model in which declarative memory depends on perihippocampal cortical regions but not on the hippocampus, whereas episodic memory, which is separate from declarative memory, depends on the hippocampus. Hippocampus 1998;8:198–204. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Latent Work Disability and Reporting Bias

A measure of "true" disability is constructed as a continuous index of unobserved work limitation using information from the Health and Retirement Study. Estimates from a simultaneous model of work participation, disability, and income flows suggest that nonworkers tend to substantially overreport limitation, with overreporting most prevalent among nonworking women, high school dropouts, nonwhites, and former blue collar workers. Former white collar workers are found unlikely to overreport limitation. Use of a "biased" disability measure in the model leads to an upward-biased estimate of the effect of limitation on nonwork and to a downward-biased estimate of the effect of income.
Performance of a new Chaos-based communication scheme: The reduced-delay-masked-DCSK

Using chaotic signals in spread-spectrum communications has a few clear advantages over traditional approaches. Chaotic signals are non-periodic, wideband, and more difficult to predict, to reconstruct, and to characterize than periodic carriers. These properties of chaotic signals make it more difficult to intercept and decode the information modulated upon them. In this paper, we introduce modifications on DCSK to enhance the privacy by eliminating the similarity in the output samples by a chaotic mask, and faster by reducing the delay time. We analyze then the performance of the proposed modulation for different parameters and by comparison with other variants of DCSK.
Approximation of the spectral abscissa for switched linear systems via generalized coordinate transformations

For a class of 3rd-order switched linear systems, we explore a way to approximate the spectral abscissa by means of generalized coordinate transformations. Base on the classic result of matrix equation, the minimum of matrix set measure can be obtained after each transformation. By applying transformations iteratively, a computational procedure is developed for finding the transformation matrix and the least μ1 measure of the equivalence system which can be used as an upper bound estimate of the spectral abscissa.