Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motivational Determinants of Exergame Participation for Older People in Assisted Living Facilities: Mixed-Methods Study

Background Exergames (exercise-based videogames) for delivering strength and balance exercise for older people are growing in popularity with the emergence of new Kinect-based technologies; however, little is known about the factors affecting their uptake and usage by older people. Objective The aim of this study was to determine the factors that may influence the motivation of older people to use exergames to improve their physical function and reduce fall risk. Methods Mixed methods were employed in which 14 semistructured interviews were conducted with older people (n=12, aged 59-91 years) from 2 assisted living facilities in the North West of the United Kingdom. The older people participated in a 6-week trial of exergames along with one manager and one physiotherapist; 81 h of observation and Technology Acceptance Model questionnaires were conducted. Results The findings suggest that the participants were intrinsically motivated to participate in the exergames because of the enjoyment experienced when playing the exergames and perceived improvements in their physical and mental health and social confidence. The social interaction provided in this study was an important extrinsic motivator that increased the intrinsic motivation to adhere to the exergame program. Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that exergames may be a promising tool for delivering falls prevention exercises and increasing adherence to exercise in older people. Understanding the motivation of older people to use exergames may assist in the process of implementation.
Poorly Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: 10-Year Experience in a Southeast Asian Population

Background No previous studies have been published on poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC) in Southeast Asia. Methods We included all adult PDTC patients diagnosed using the Turin criteria at the Philippine General Hospital from 2006 to 2015. The data collected included demographics, clinical presentation, histopathology, treatment, and outcomes. Tests of association were employed to compare these data with foreign studies on PDTC, as well as with local studies on well differentiated thyroid carcinoma (WDTC) and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC). Results Eighteen PDTC cases were identified. The median age was 62 years old, with the majority being females. All patients had goiter on presentation, and most were stage IV at the time of diagnosis. In terms of PDTC subtype, insular and trabecular patterns were equally common. Extrathyroidal extension was documented in eight patients, while five patients each had nodal and distant metastasis. All but one patient underwent surgery; however, less than half received adjuvant radioiodine therapy. The 5-year survival rate was 83%. Three patients (16.7%) died at a median of 12 months after diagnosis. Nine (50%) are still alive with persistent and/or recurrent disease at a median of 39 months after diagnosis. Conclusion The behavior of PDTC in this Southeast Asian population was found to be similar to patterns observed in other regions, and exhibited intermediate features between WDTC and ATC. Appropriate surgery provided excellent 5-year survival rates, but the role of adjuvant therapy remains unclear. Larger studies are needed to identify prognostic factors in this population.
Effect of Urea Treated Wheat Straw in a Pelleted Total Mixed Ration on Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Lori-Bakhtiari Ram Lambs

The study was carried out to investigate the effect of urea treated straw in a pelleted total mix ration on the carcass and growth characteristics of lambs, an experiment was conducted over sixteen Lori-Bakhtiari weaned lambs with average weight 37.51±0.62, divided into four groups (4 animals each) fed on different percents of treated straw in pelleted diet (0, 10, 20, 30 %) offered adlibitum for 75 days. Lambs were fed individually, weighted every 20 days after12-hours fasting. All lambs were slaughtered at the end of the trial. The carcass characteristics were recorded. The right half of carcasses was analyzed. Data were statistically computed. Results showed that feed conversion ratio (FCR) was 7.95±0.31, 6.32 ± 0.3, 6.15 ± 0.62 and 6.52±0.27 in 0, 10, 20 and 30 % treated straw groups respectively. The group which received 20% treated straw showed the highest mean value of lean meat, 51.22±2.04 if compared to other treatments 50.30±3.87, 51.02±3.89, 46.95±1.51, respectively. The total percent of carcass fat were 15.27± 0.25, 12.77± 0.28, 14.2± 3.38 and 14.55± 1.1 in experimental treatments and the lowest value obtained in treatment 10% treated straw. In conclusion supplementation urea treated wheat straw in a pelleted total mixed ration had positive effects on performance and carcass characteristics of Lori-Bakhtiari fattening lamb.
On the Characterization of the Structural Robustness of Data Center Networks

Data centers being an architectural and functional block of cloud computing are integral to the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Cloud computing is rigorously utilized by various domains, such as agriculture, nuclear science, smart grids, healthcare, and search engines for research, data storage, and analysis. A Data Center Network (DCN) constitutes the communicational backbone of a data center, ascertaining the performance boundaries for cloud infrastructure. The DCN needs to be robust to failures and uncertainties to deliver the required Quality of Service (QoS) level and satisfy Service Level Agreement (SLA). In this paper, we analyze robustness of the state-of-the-art DCNs. Our major contributions are: (a) we present multi-layered graph modeling of various DCNs; (b) we study the classical robustness metrics considering various failure scenarios to perform a comparative analysis; (c) we present the inadequacy of the classical network robustness metrics to appropriately evaluate the DCN robustness; and (d) we propose new procedures to quantify the DCN robustness. Currently, there is no detailed study available centering the DCN robustness. Therefore, we believe that this study will lay a firm foundation for the future DCN robustness research.
Children's selective trust decisions: rational competence and limiting performance factors.

Recent research has amply documented that even preschoolers learn selectively from others, preferring, for example, reliable over unreliable and competent over incompetent models. It remains unclear, however, what the cognitive foundations of such selective learning are, in particular, whether it builds on rational inferences or on less sophisticated processes. The current study, therefore, was designed to test directly the possibility that children are in principle capable of selective learning based on rational inference, yet revert to simpler strategies such as global impression formation under certain circumstances. Preschoolers (N = 75) were shown pairs of models that either differed in their degree of competence within one domain (strong vs. weak or knowledgeable vs. ignorant) or were both highly competent, but in different domains (e.g., strong vs. knowledgeable model). In the test trials, children chose between the models for strength- or knowledge-related tasks. The results suggest that, in fact, children are capable of rational inference-based selective trust: when both models were highly competent, children preferred the model with the competence most predictive and relevant for a given task. However, when choosing between two models that differed in competence on one dimension, children reverted to halo-style wide generalizations and preferred the competent models for both relevant and irrelevant tasks. These findings suggest that the rational strategies for selective learning, that children master in principle, can get masked by various performance factors.
Phosphorylcholine surface modified flow diverter associated with reduced intimal hyperplasia

Background Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a high-resolution, intra-vascular diagnostic technique widely used for the characterization of vascular pathologies and optimization of stent implantation during percutaneous coronary intervention. OCT was used to investigate the in vivo vascular response to a new phosphorylcholine surface modified flow diverter (sPED). Methods In an in vivo rabbit aneurysmal model, we used two different types of flow diverters (classic Pipeline – cPED; and sPED) with or without dual antiplatelet therapy (four groups, n=10 per group). OCT cross-sectional area measurements were compared with histology in all animals. Neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) ratio was compared between OCT and histology at five different levels for each stent. The severity of NIH was also compared between the different stents, antiplatelet protocols, and vessel locations. Results OCT was used to calculate in-stent hyperplasia in 227 different locations corresponding to histology sections. OCT measurement strongly correlated with gold standard histology (r2=0.83; slope=0.988; P<0.0001). sPED had significantly less in-stent NIH than non-treated flow diverters (mean percent of lumen reduction 5.7% for sPED versus 8.9% for cPED; P<0.0001). The NIH ratio was slightly higher with dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) (NIH ratio=7.9% with DAPT versus 6.8% without DAPT; P<0.05). Complete and near complete occlusion rates of the aneurysms were not different with the cPED or sPED. Conclusion OCT is a promising technique for immediate and long-term evaluation of flow diverter stent treatments. In an animal model, phosphorylcholine surface modified flow diverters induces less NIH after stent implant without reducing aneurysm occlusion rates.
Drawing pedigree diagrams with R and graphviz

Human genetic studies often involve data collected from families and graphical display of them are necessary. The wide interest it has drawn over years led to many software packages, both commercial and noncommercial. A recent account of these packages is available ((Dudbridge et al., 2004)), and a very flexible package Madeline (http://eyegene.ophthy. med.umich.edu/madeline/index.html) is now released under the GNU General Public License. A comprehensive list of many packages, including the package LINKAGE for human parametric linkage analysis and GAS for some other analyses, can be seen at the linkage server at Rockefeller University (http://linkage.rockefeller.edu). Here I describe two functions in R that are able to draw pedigree diagrams; the first being plot.pedigree in kinship developed S-PLUS by Terry Therneau and Beth Atkinson and ported to R by the author, and the second pedtodot in gap based on David Duffy’s gawk script (http://www2. qimr.edu.au/davidD/Course/pedtodot) that requires graphviz (http://www.graphviz.org). Both are easy to use and can draw many pedigree diagrams quickly to a single file, therefore can serve as alternatives to some programs that only offer interactive use.
Depth in Strategic Games

This paper explores the question of whether it’s possible to discover a well-deﬁned property of game systems that corresponds to what game designers and players mean by the term “depth. ” We propose a measurable property of a game’s formal system, which we call ‘ d ’, that corresponds to the capacity of a game to absorb dedicated problem-solving attention and allow for sustained, long-term learning. To deﬁne this property we develop a formal model that measures how susceptible a game is to partial solutions under conditions of steadily increasing computational resources. We then sketch out several directions for using the model to investigate questions about the structural properties of games that produce these effects.
Leveraging Genetic Algorithm to Compose Web Services in a Context-Aware Environment

In a context-aware pervasive environment, it is crucial to provide an efficient adaption mechanism to rapidly discover appropriate services and compose them to achieve user desired situation when context change. In this paper, we propose a GA(Genetic Algorithm) based novel service composition method in a context-aware environment. We first use Context Space model to represent context, situation, user preference and services in a unified formal way. Then we transform the service composition problem into a multi-objective optimization problem and utilize GA to find the optimal service composition based on user's preference. To affiliate the connection between context and services, we use a vector to represent each service to reflect which context types a service can change so as to utilize GA to find the best service composition. Confliction of services may happen during the GA process. In order to resolve the conflicts, we propose a SST(Service Similarity Tree) method to measure the similarity among services to find out the best alternative. Finally, we design and implement a simulation experiment to verify our method. The results shows that our method can leverage GA to synthesis appropriate services to achieve user desired goal in an efficient way.
Comments on A Unified Modeling Approach to Climate System Prediction

he authors of Hurrell et al. (2009; and that of Palmer et al 2008) should be commended for moving toward a more integrated perspective of climate prediction. The authors of this paper, however, do not present a completely new perspective as they claim in their text when they write, “There is a new perspective of a continuum of prediction problems, with a blurring of the distinction between short-term predictions and long-term climate projection. ” They, also, unfortunately do not yet accept the implications of their new perspective to multidecadal and longer time period climate prediction. There is an assumption in this paper (and that of Palmer et al. 2008) that predictions transition from an initial value problem for shorter-term time periods, but for multidecadal forecasts it becomes more of a boundary value problem dominated by the anthropogenic emissions of CO2 and a few other greenhouse gases. Palmer et al. (2008), for example, write the following:
A Preference-based Stream Analyzer

Stream query processing is becoming increasingly important as more time-oriented data is produced and analyzed nowadays. Examples for stream-based applications include sensor networks and infrastructure monitoring, electronic trading on Wall Street, or social networks. In the last decade several technologies have emerged to address the challenges of processing such high-volume and realtime data streams, which do not take the form of persistent database relations, but rather arrive in continuous, rapid and time-varying data objects. In this paper we focus on the new problem of preference-based query processing to analyze data streams. Preferences allow us to filter out only relevant information of the continuous data flow. In addition we provide a database approach that stores only the most important information in the database w.r. t. the user’s preference. For this we introduce novel preference-based integrity constraints to keep the data right and consistent.
Developing a Tailored Website for Promoting Awareness about Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Among Blacks in Community-Based Settings

ABSTRACT Blacks are at greater risk for lower sleep quality and higher risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) than other racial groups. In this study, we summarize the development of a tailored website including visuals, key messages, and video narratives, to promote awareness about sleep apnea among community-dwelling blacks. We utilized mixed methods, including in-depth interviews, usability-testing procedures, and brief surveys (n = 9, 55% female, 100% black, average age 38.5 years). Themes from the qualitative analysis illuminated varied knowledge regarding OSA symptoms and prevalent self-reported experience with sleep disturbance and OSA symptoms (e.g., snoring). On a scale from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very high), participants provided favorable ratings of website usefulness (mean = 4.9), user friendliness (mean = 4.9) and attractiveness (mean = 4.3). Our findings suggest although tailored health communication has potential for serving as a tool for advancing health equity, usability-testing of health materials is critical to ensure that culturally and linguistically tailored messages are acceptable and actionable in the intended population.
Upper equatorial Atlantic variability during 2002 and 2005 associated with equatorial Kelvin waves

On the basis of moored (35 degrees W, 0 degrees and 23 degrees W, 0 degrees) and satellite observations, we contrast the upper equatorial Atlantic variability during 2002 with those during 2005. Inspection of the interannual boreal summer cold tongue variability revealed a warm (cold) event in 2002 (2005), with relaxed (intensified) winds in the west and the Equatorial Undercurrent (EUC) embedded in a shallower (deeper) thermocline at 23 degrees W. During both years, 2002 and 2005, equatorial Kelvin waves are present in moored observations as 20 degrees C isotherm depth anomalies and dynamic height anomalies. Basin-wide sea surface height anomalies are used to derive an equatorial Kelvin wave mode. The time evolution of this mode represents the basis for a regression analysis to investigate related oceanic variability: Compared to the exceptionally strong wave activity in 2002, equatorial Kelvin waves were generally weaker during 2005. The main effect of equatorial Kelvin waves on zonal velocity anomalies at 23 degrees W, 0 degrees is evident well below the EUC core. Their direct influence on cold tongue sea surface temperature is small, but they are found to affect the equatorial thermocline slope. Prior to the cold tongue onset in 2002 (2005), the presence of equatorial Kelvin waves is associated with a flattened (steeper) thermocline slope that is crucial for the shallowing (deepening) of the EUC core at 23 degrees W and that might precondition the development of the warm (cold) event.
Optical coherence tomography-verified morphological correlates of high-intensity coronary plaques on non-contrast T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging in patients with stable coronary artery disease

Abstract Aims Coronary high-intensity plaques (HIPs) with a high plaque-to-myocardial signal intensity ratio (PMR) on non-contrast T1-weighted imaging in patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD) are associated with future coronary events. To characterize the morphological substrate of HIP, we performed a correlative optical coherence tomography (OCT) study. Methods and results We examined 137 lesions in 105 patients with stable angina pectoris or silent myocardial ischaemia scheduled for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using a 3 T magnetic resonance scanner. Pre-interventional OCT was performed for PCI target lesions. HIP was defined as PMR ≥ 1.4. Of the 137 lesions, 34% were HIP and 66% were non-HIP. The prevalence of lipid-rich plaque (96% vs. 70%, P < 0.001), macrophage accumulation (65% vs. 46%, P = 0.046), cholesterol crystals (46% vs. 22%, P = 0.006), and healed plaque rupture (multiple layers of different optical densities overlaying a large lipid accumulation, 72% vs. 18%, P < 0.001) was significantly higher in the HIP group than the non-HIP group; no significant differences were observed for the presence of thin cap fibroatheroma, intracoronary thrombus, and plaque rupture between the two groups. Multivariable stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that HIP was significantly associated with the presence of healed plaque rupture [odds ratio (OR) 9.32; 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 4.05–22.71; P < 0.001] and lipid-rich plaque (OR 4.38; 95% CI 1.08–29.77; P = 0.038). Conclusions The significant association between HIP- and OCT-derived healed plaque rupture and large lipid core provides new insights into the characteristics of high-risk plaques, even in clinically stable CAD.
Trends in Cancer Survival by Health Insurance Status in California From 1997 to 2014

Importance There have been substantial improvements in the early detection, treatment, and survival from cancer in the United States, but it is not clear to what extent patients with different types of health insurance have benefitted from these advancements. Objective To examine trends in cancer survival by health insurance status from January 1997 to December 2014. Design, Setting, and Participants California Cancer Registry (a statewide cancer surveillance system) data were used to estimate population-based survival by health insurance status in 3 calendar periods: January 1997 to December 2002, January 2003 to December 2008, and January 2009 to December 2014 with follow-up through 2014. Overall, 1 149 891 patients diagnosed with breast, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancer, or melanoma in California were included in the study. Main Outcomes and Measures Five-year all-cause and cancer-specific survival probabilities by insurance category and calendar period for each cancer site and sex; hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for each insurance category (none, Medicare, other public) compared with private insurance in each calendar period. Results According to data from 1 149 891 patients diagnosed with breast, prostate, colorectal, or lung cancer, or melanoma gathered from the California Cancer Registry, improvements in survival were almost exclusively limited to patients with private or Medicare insurance. For patients with other public or no insurance, survival was largely unchanged or declined. Relative to privately insured patients, cancer-specific mortality was higher in uninsured patients for all cancers except prostate, and disparities were largest from 2009 to 2014 for breast (HR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.45-2.03), lung (men: HR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.06-1.31 and women: HR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.15-1.50), and colorectal cancer (women: HR, 1.30; 95% CI, 1.05-1.62). Mortality was also higher for patients with other public insurance for all cancers except lung, and disparities were largest from 2009 to 2014 for breast (HR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.17-1.34), prostate (HR, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.04-1.31), and colorectal cancer (men: HR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08-1.23 and women: HR, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.03-1.20). Conclusions and Relevance After accounting for patient and clinical characteristics, survival disparities for men with prostate cancer and women with lung or colorectal cancer increased significantly over time, reflecting a lack of improvement in survival for patients with other public or no insurance. To mitigate these growing disparities, all patients with cancer need access to health insurance that covers all the necessary elements of health care, from prevention and early detection to timely treatment according to clinical guidelines.
Network Analysis: Applications for the Developing Brain

Development of the human brain follows a complex trajectory of age-specific anatomical and physiological changes. The application of network analysis provides an illuminating perspective on the dynamic interregional and global properties of this intricate and complex system. Here, we provide a critical synopsis of methods of network analysis with a focus on developing brain networks. After discussing basic concepts and approaches to network analysis, we explore the primary events of anatomical cortical development from gestation through adolescence. Upon this framework, we describe early work revealing the evolution of age-specific functional brain networks in normal neurodevelopment. Finally, we review how these relationships can be altered in disease and perhaps even rectified with treatment. While this method of description and inquiry remains in early form, there is already substantial evidence that the application of network models and analysis to understanding normal and abnormal human neural development holds tremendous promise for future discovery.