Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An experimental approach to automatically classify children with cerebral palsy

This experimental study is aimed at automatically classify the large indistinct group of children affected by diplegic Cerebral Palsy (CP), into four main clinical forms characterized by homogeneous walking patterns as clinically proposed by Ferrari et al. [1]. The classification is based on the use of data gathered on 104 patients at LAMBDA (Laboratorio per l’Analisi del Movimento del Bambino DisAbile, S.M.Nuova Hospital, Reggio Emilia, Italy) by means of an 8 cameras optoelectronic system (Vicon, UK) and the Total3Dgait biomechanical protocol [2]. This paper deals with the use of expert systems, such as artificial neural networks (ANN), that are able to learn by examples. ANN has been widely used in mechanics for the resolution of pattern recognition and diagnostic problems [3,4]. Our aims is to extend the use of these expert systems to classify the four diplegic forms through the analysis of the rotation angles of the lower limb joints along multiple gait cycles. On each walking trial of each patient a set of synthetic statistical parameters representative of joint angles, has been used as input to train a supervised ANN in order to divide patients into the four forms a priori clinically determined. The first attempt consists in a Feed-Forward network trained considering data coming from all the four forms. The effectiveness of the resulting ANN has been proved on a dataset acquired by new patiens. In this case, the performace on the form recognition was encouraging but still far from an implementation in clinical routine. In order to improve the efficiency we simplified the recognition problem by creating a network which was asked first to distinguish between two macro-categories, consisting of two forms each. On the basis of the two splitted dataset returned by this first ANN layer, two further network were trained seperately. To these network was finally asked to provide the affinity with one of the original four forms. In this “system of networks” case, the overall performance increased significantly becoming clinically meaningful.
WS-CHMA: A Composite-Pattern Based Hierarchical WS-Management Architecture

The success of all kinds of commercial applications or scientific computing running on heterogeneous computing environments is absolutely dependent on the availability and reliability of resources composing the environment. In order to support the major Monitor/Analyze/Plan/Execute management activities for resources, Web service based WS-Management rather than SNMP is drawing more and more attention. This paper proposes WS-CHMA, a hierarchical WS-Management architecture adopting the composite pattern design. Its benefit lies in that it can easily support the dynamic grouping management of resources to eliminate the bottleneck of the management software. At last we define three typical operations provided by group resource, whose implementation in detail is also described.
Novel Non‐contact Dielectric Constant Metrology for Low‐k Films

We have developed a novel scanning probe technique for non‐contact electrical metrology of low‐k interlayer dielectrics in both blanket films and patterned structures. The technique is non‐invasive, has a few micron sampling spot size, and can be used for both porous and non‐porous dielectric films and stacks with or without a capping layer. The measurement can be performed either on a monitor wafer or over a test pad in the scribe line on a device wafer. The technique is capable of measuring the blanket film k‐value with a standard deviation better than 0.5%, accuracy better than ±3%, and long‐term repeatability of ±1%. The technique is based on a novel near‐field microwave probe with a spatial resolution determined by the probe tip geometry rather than by the wavelength of the radiation used. Therefore, even for microwave frequencies with wavelengths of centimeters, this near‐field probe can achieve spatial resolution down to the sub‐micron scale. When the probe tip is placed in close proximity to a low.
Metabolic complications of parenteral nutrition in adults, part 1.

PURPOSE Common metabolic complications associated with parenteral nutrition (PN) are reviewed, and the consequences of overfeeding and variables for patient monitoring are discussed. SUMMARY Although PN is a lifesaving therapy in patients with gastrointestinal failure, its use may be associated with metabolic, infectious, and technical complications. The metabolic complications associated with PN in adult patients include hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, hyperlipidemia, hypercapnia, refeeding syndrome, acid-base disturbances, liver complications, manganese toxicity, and metabolic bone disease. These complications may occur in the acute care or chronic care patient. The frequency and severity of these complications depend on patient- and PN-specific factors. Proper assessment of the patient's nutritional status; tailoring the macronutrient, micronutrient, fluid, and electrolyte requirements on the basis of the patient's underlying diseases, clinical status, and drug therapy; and monitoring the patient's tolerance of and response to nutritional support are essential in avoiding these complications. Early recognition of the signs and symptoms of complications and knowledge of the available pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies are essential to proper management. PN should be used for the shortest period possible, and oral or enteral feeding should be initiated as soon as is clinically feasible. The gastrointestinal route remains the most physiologically appropriate and cost-effective way of providing nutritional support. CONCLUSION PN can lead to serious complications, many of which are associated with overfeeding. Close management is necessary to recognize and manage these complications.
Prenatal Ethanol Exposure Disrupts Intraneocortical Circuitry, Cortical Gene Expression, and Behavior in a Mouse Model of FASD

In utero ethanol exposure from a mother's consumption of alcoholic beverages impacts brain and cognitive development, creating a range of deficits in the child (Levitt, 1998; Lebel et al., 2012). Children diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are often born with facial dysmorphology and may exhibit cognitive, behavioral, and motor deficits from ethanol-related neurobiological damage in early development. Prenatal ethanol exposure (PrEE) is the number one cause of preventable mental and intellectual dysfunction globally, therefore the neurobiological underpinnings warrant systematic research. We document novel anatomical and gene expression abnormalities in the neocortex of newborn mice exposed to ethanol in utero. This is the first study to demonstrate large-scale changes in intraneocortical connections and disruption of normal patterns of neocortical gene expression in any prenatal ethanol exposure animal model. Neuroanatomical defects and abnormal neocortical RZRβ, Id2, and Cadherin8 expression patterns are observed in PrEE newborns, and abnormal behavior is present in 20-d-old PrEE mice. The vast network of neocortical connections is responsible for high-level sensory and motor processing as well as complex cognitive thought and behavior in humans. Disruptions to this network from PrEE-related changes in gene expression may underlie some of the cognitive-behavioral phenotypes observed in children with FASD.
The conserved LIM domain-containing focal adhesion protein ZYX-1 regulates synapse maintenance in Caenorhabditis elegans

We describe the identification of zyxin as a regulator of synapse maintenance in mechanosensory neurons in C. elegans. zyx-1 mutants lacked PLM mechanosensory synapses as adult animals. However, most PLM synapses initially formed during development but were subsequently lost as the animals developed. Vertebrate zyxin regulates cytoskeletal responses to mechanical stress in culture. Our work provides in vivo evidence in support of such a role for zyxin. In particular, zyx-1 mutant synaptogenesis phenotypes were suppressed by disrupting locomotion of the mutant animals, suggesting that zyx-1 protects mechanosensory synapses from locomotion-induced forces. In cultured cells, zyxin is recruited to focal adhesions and stress fibers via C-terminal LIM domains and modulates cytoskeletal organization via the N-terminal domain. The synapse-stabilizing activity was mediated by a short isoform of ZYX-1 containing only the LIM domains. Consistent with this notion, PLM synaptogenesis was independent of α-actinin and ENA-VASP, both of which bind to the N-terminal domain of zyxin. Our results demonstrate that the LIM domain moiety of zyxin functions autonomously to mediate responses to mechanical stress and provide in vivo evidence for a role of zyxin in neuronal development.
Sub-second Kinetics of the Nitric Oxide Receptor, Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase, in Intact Cerebellar Cells*

Soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) catalyzes cGMP synthesis and serves as a physiological receptor for nitric oxide (NO). Recent evidence indicates that key properties of sGC within cells differ from those of purified sGC. We have devised a technique for resolving NO-stimulated sGC activity in cells on a sub-second time scale, enabling the first quantitative description of the kinetics of the enzyme within its natural environment. Upon release of NO from a caged derivative, sGC became activated without any lag observable at a 20-ms sampling time. Deactivation of sGC on removal of NO occurred with a rate constant of 3.7 s− 1, which is 25-fold faster than the fastest estimate for purified sGC. Desensitization of sGC occurred with a time constant of 6.9 s at an estimated 70 nm NO and became faster at a higher concentration, indicating that NO accelerates desensitization. The concentration-response curve for NO consequently became increasingly bell-shaped with time, a phenomenon that causes the apparent potency of NO to increase with time. The results indicate that sGC within cells behaves in a highly dynamic fashion, allowing the NO-cGMP pathway to operate within a kinetic framework more resembling that of neurotransmission than the properties of purified sGC suggest.
Managing Uncertainties in RFID Applications - A Survey

Radio frequency identification (RFID) technology provides a way to track and trace objects in a large number of Internet of Things (IoT) applications. The unique characteristics of massive RFID data pose many challenges and one of such challenge centers on uncertainties. In this paper, we briefly review the characteristics of uncertain RFID data. We then survey the existing techniques for processing uncertain RFID information and highlight some research opportunities in managing uncertainties of RFID-enabled applications.
Title: Selective Activation of Parvalbumin-or Somatostatin-expressing Interneurons Authors: Running Head: Pv and Som Interneurons Trigger Seizure-like Activity. during Perfusion with 4-ap, Brief Photostimuli (300 Ms) Activating Either Pv or Som Introduction

1 Title: Selective activation of parvalbuminor somatostatin-expressing interneurons 2 triggers epileptic seizure-like activity in the mouse medial entorhinal cortex. 3 4 Authors: Latefa Yekhlef, Gian Luca Breschi, Laura Lagostena, Giovanni Russo, and 5 StefanoTaverna 6 7 Affiliation: Department of Neuroscience and Brain Technologies, Istituto Italiano di 8 Tecnologia, 16163 Genoa, Italy 9 10 Running Head: PV and SOM interneurons trigger seizure-like activity. 11 12 Address for Correspondence: Stefano Taverna, Department of Neuroscience and Brain 13 Technologies, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Via Morego 30, 16163 Genoa, Italy. 14 Tel. : +39 010 71781727. Fax: + 39 010 71781230. Email: stefano.taverna@iit.it 15 16 17 Articles in PresS. J Neurophysiol (December 10, 2014). doi:10.1152/jn.00841. 2014
Robust Detection and Pattern Extraction of Repeated Signal Components Using Subband Shift-ACF

We propose a method for robustly detecting and extracting repeated signal components within a source signal. The method is based on the recently introduced shift autocorrelation (shift-ACF) which outperforms classical ACF in signal detection if a signal component is repeated more than once. In this paper, we extend shift-ACF to analyze the spectral structure of repeating signal components by using a subband decomposition. Subsequently, an algorithm for repeated event detection and extraction is proposed. An evaluation shows that the proposed subband shift-ACF outperforms detection based on classical cepstrum. We discuss several possible applications in the domain of sensor signal analysis, and particularly in audio monitoring.
Measurement of Viscoelastic Properties of Arteries in the Living Dog

Dynamic elastic moduli (Edyn) and viscous moduli (ηω) of the arterial wall were obtained at a number of sites of the systemic vascular tree of living dogs anesthetized with pentobarbital. Constants were calculated using the first harmonics of pressure and diameter obtained from a Fourier analysis of simultaneously recorded pulse waves. The means and standard errors of Edyn, in dynes cm-2 × 106, obtained at mean blood pressures ranging from 87 to 130 mm Hg and pulse frequencies from 1.1 to 2.8 cps were: 3.0±0.33 (9 midthoracic aortas), 9.8±1.2 (7 midabdominal aortas), 11.0 (4 iliac arteries), and 12.3±1.2 (11 femoral arteries). The viscous modulus was approximately 9% of Edyn in the midthoracic aorta and approximately 12% of Edyn in the abdominal and femoral arteries. Pulse wave velocities calculated from values of Edyn and relative wall thickness by the Moens-Korteweg equation agreed with accepted values. A Fourier analysis of pressure and diameter waves was shown to be unsatisfactory for determining the frequency dependence of viscoelastic constants because of anomalous behavior of the viscoelastic parameters. In the midthoracic aorta this behavior may have been partly attributable to artefact; however, there was strong evidence that elsewhere nonlinear pressure and diameter relationships interfered with the accurate determination of the relatively small, higher-order harmonic components.
Improving Bandwidth Efficiency for Consistent Multistream Storage

Synchronous small writes play a critical role in system availability because they safely log recent state modifications for fast recovery from crashes. Demanding systems typically dedicate separate devices to logging for adequate performance during normal operation and redundancy during state reconstruction. However, storage stacks enforce page-sized granularity in data transfers from memory to disk. Thus, they consume excessive storage bandwidth to handle small writes, which hurts performance. The problem becomes worse, as filesystems often handle multiple concurrent streams, which effectively generate random I/O traffic. In a journaled filesystem, we introduce wasteless journaling as a mount mode that coalesces synchronous concurrent small writes of data into full page-sized journal blocks. Additionally, we propose selective journaling to automatically activate wasteless journaling on data writes with size below a fixed threshold. We implemented a functional prototype of our design over a widely-used filesystem. Our modes are compared against existing methods using microbenchmarks and application-level workloads on stand-alone servers and a multitier networked system. We examine synchronous and asynchronous writes. Coalescing small data updates to the journal sequentially preserves filesystem consistency while it reduces consumed bandwidth up to several factors, decreases recovery time up to 22%, and lowers write latency up to orders of magnitude.
Electrochemical Deposition of Metallic Lead Particle Film

The preparation of metallic lead films by electrochemical deposition was reported. Although primary deposits at fresh state (also referred to as fresh deposits) were indeed metallic lead films, the fresh lead films could be rapidly oxidized to lead oxide in air. To obtain long stable metallic lead films, the key process is how to prevent the oxidization of fresh lead films. Our studies indicate that the washing of fresh metallic lead films in absolute alcohol is a simple but effective method to protect the lead films from the oxidization for an extended period of more than 20 days.
2 D Image Reconstruction and Zooming with Simultaneous Edge Preservation and Blur

This paper presents a method of reconstructing twodimensional images at varying spatial resolutions while preserving edge information and allowing for blurring. It is often the case that a user would like to zoom in on certain areas of an image. Such a zoom operation requires a reconstruction of the data to provide values at the resampled pixel locations. Standard reconstruction methods use a spatially invariant reconstruction kernel such as a Gaussian or spline to perform this resampling. These reconstructions result in blurred edges and preserve noise artifacts. The reconstruction method described in this paper uses a spatially varying kernel to allow preservation of edges at the various resolutions. In addition the reconstruction allows the user to specify regions to blur in the reconstructed image. This allows the user to display magnified images in which the edge locations are preserved and unimportant areas are deemphasized. This reconstruction scheme has been applied to several test data sets. The resulting images demonstrate the algorithm’s ability to magnify an image while preserving edges and blurring unwanted detail.
Alpha-Tocopherol Derivatives in an Experimental Model of Filtering Surgery

Purpose: To evaluate the efficiency and reliability of α-tocopherol in an experimental model of glaucoma filtering surgery. Methods: Thirty pigmented rabbits were randomly divided into three study groups. Twenty-four hours before surgery, the animals were injected subconjunctivally with 0.5 ml of solution that depended on the group of treatment: group I (n = 10), 0.75% ethanol in balanced saline solution (BSS); group II (n = 10), 100 mg α-tocopherol acetate (ATA) in 0.75% ethanol in BSS; group III (n = 10), 100 mg α-tocopherol acid succinate (ATS) in 0.75% ethanol in BSS. The animals were followed during 30 days (intraocular pressure, IOP; filtering surgery; inflammatory reaction). Results: IOPs were significantly lower in the treatment groups (ATA and ATS) than in the control group from days 7 and 10, respectively, till the end of the study. On day 7, the mean IOP in the ATA group was 15.8 versus 22.1 mm Hg in the control group. On day 10, the mean IOP in the ATS group was 15 versus 22.78 mm Hg in the control group. Filtering blebs showed statistically significant differences between the control and treated groups from day 5 to day 16. Conclusions: α-Tocopherol (ATA and ATS) showed better IOP control and bleb survival in this experimental model of filtering surgery.
Soft Tissue Sarcomas

Soft tissue sarcomas are a diverse group of malignant tumors that originate from mesenchymal tissue. Common tumors within this group include liposarcomas, hemangiopericytomas, leiomyosarcomas, and neurofibromas. Despite commonalities, the biological behavior of each member of this group is distinct. Soft tissue sarcomas are considered to be locally invasive with distant metastasis developing in regional lymph nodes, lung, and liver. If possible, the first-line treatment is surgical removal followed by adjuvant treatment. Local recurrence can be a primary concern following surgical removal.
Body Image in Women Treated For Breast Cancer

Body image, as a component of self-concept, was compared in four groups of women (N = 257) who received the most common types of treatment for breast cancer; mastectomy, mastectomy with delayed reconstruction, mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, and conservative surgery. Data were collected by mailed questionnaires using self-report instruments. Comparison of groups using analysis of covariance with age as a covariate indicated that mean body image in the conservative surgery group was significantly more positive than in either the mastectomy group or in the mastectomy with immediate reconstruction group. No differences in self-concept were evident among the four groups.
Long Distance Axonal Regeneration of Identified Lamprey Reticulospinal Neurons

Retrograde labeling with horseradish peroxidase was used to examine the time course and extent of axonal regeneration of 12 pairs of individually identifiable reticulospinal Müller cells and 2 pairs of Mauthner cells in larval lamprey that received transections of the rostral spinal cord in the gill region. With increasing recovery times (3-32 weeks post-transection) the descending axons of many of these neurons regenerated to progressively more caudal levels of the spinal cord. These results confirm that some reticulospinal neurons are capable of true regeneration. However, the regenerative capacity of these neurons was not uniform, even for neurons in the same brain stem nucleus in close proximity. For example, at 32 weeks post-transection some identifiable reticulospinal neurons could regenerate their axons to 60% body length or as much as 57 mm below the transection site. In contrast, previous studies indicated regeneration distances of 5-6 mm. Other neurons showed modest axonal regeneration, while one cell type showed very limited regeneration. The factors which may be responsible for the variable extent of regeneration among these neurons are considered.
Strategy logic with imperfect information

We introduce an extension of Strategy logic for the imperfect-information setting, called SLii, and study its model-checking problem. As this logic naturally captures multi-player games with imperfect information, the problem turns out to be undecidable. We introduce a syntactical class of “hierarchical instances” for which, intuitively, as one goes down the syntactic tree of the formula, strategy quantifications are concerned with finer observations of the model. We prove that model-checking SLii restricted to hierarchical instances is decidable. This result, because it allows for complex patterns of existential and universal quantification on strategies, greatly generalises previous ones, such as decidability of multi-player games with imperfect information and hierarchical observations, and decidability of distributed synthesis for hierarchical systems. To establish the decidability result, we introduce and study QCTLii*, an extension of QCTL (itself an extension of CTL with second-order quantification over atomic propositions) by parameterising its quantifiers with observations. The simple syntax of QCTLii* allows us to provide a conceptually neat reduction of SLii to QCTLii* that separates concerns, allowing one to forget about strategies and players and focus solely on second-order quantification. While the model-checking problem of QCTLii* is, in general, undecidable, we identify a syntactic fragment of hierarchical formulas and prove, using an automata-theoretic approach, that it is decidable. The decidability result for SLii follows since the reduction maps hierarchical instances of SLii to hierarchical formulas of QCTLii*.