Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cardiac Imaging in Heart Failure with Comorbidities

Abstract: Imaging modalities stand at the frontiers for progress in congestive heart failure (CHF) screening, risk stratification and monitoring. Advancements in echocardiography (ECHO) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) have allowed for improved tissue characterizations, cardiac motion analysis, and cardiac performance analysis under stress. Common cardiac comorbidities such as hypertension, metabolic syndromes and chronic renal failure contribute to cardiac remodeling, sharing similar pathophysiological mechanisms starting with interstitial changes, structural changes and finally clinical CHF. These imaging techniques can potentially detect changes earlier. Such information could have clinical benefits for screening, planning preventive therapies and risk stratifying patients. Imaging reports have often focused on traditional measures without factoring these novel parameters. This review is aimed at providing a synopsis on how we can use this information to assess and monitor improvements for CHF with comorbidities.
Some current issues in research on social identity and self-categorization theories

A carton is disclosed including a pair of space-defining members, each with a closing edge and further including an integral hinge-latching structure. A tab or flap extends from one of the closing edges to pass beyond the edge of the other member, then extends normally or parallel to the edges, and is received in a locking well that is defined in the second member for mating surface engagement. Cartons are disclosed with the closure structure functioning both as a hinge and a latch.
Touching the ice: in-the-wild study of an interactive icewall

In this paper, we present an interactive installation consisting of a 3 m wide × 1.4 m high touch sensitive wall of ice, which was set up as an indoor installation during a music festival. During a one night in-the-wild study, the audience could draw on the back-projected icewall, either directly using it as a touch screen, or remotely via a mobile optimized webpage. We focus on reporting the lessons learnt from this in-the-wild experience, and on user experience aspects of interacting both with the physical ice and through the mobile interface. The results highlight that the material qualities of the tangible user interface are essential for creating engaging and intriguing user experiences, whereas remote interaction through a mobile app enhances the possibilities for social interaction and sharing.
Nitrogen and Nature

Abstract Anthropogenic changes to the global N cycle are important in part because added N alters the composition, productivity, and other properties of many natural ecosystems substantially. Why does added N have such a large impact? Why is N in short supply in so many natural ecosystems? Processes that slow the cycling of N relative to other elements and processes that control ecosystem-level inputs and outputs of N could cause N supply to limit the dynamics of ecosystems. We discuss stoichiometric differences between terrestrial plants and other organisms, the abundance of protein-precipitating plant defenses, and the nature of the C–N bond in soil organic matter as factors that can slow N cycling. For inputs, the energetic costs of N fixation and their consequences, the supply of nutrients other than N, and preferential grazing on N-fixers all could constrain the abundance and/or activity of biological N-fixers. Together these processes drive and sustain N limitation in many natural terrestrial ecosystems.
Non-rigid point set registration using color and data downsampling

Nowadays, non-rigid registration problem is an active research topic in computer vision. Various proposals exist which face the problem from different perspectives, but it is still a challenging problem. Currently, with the new low-cost RGB-D sensors, the use of both, color and 3D information, is getting more interest in many applications. In this paper, we present a non-rigid registration technique based on CPD, and including color information along with 3D data, to estimate the non-rigid transformation. As the input data size is critical in the processing time, a sampling technique is required. Five sampling techniques are evaluated: a bilinear sampling, a normal-based, a color-based, a combination of the normal and color-based samplings, and a Growing Neural Gas based approach. All of them have been evaluated with the already presented non-rigid registration methods. Results show the performance of each sampling method, obtaining better results for the registration process using color-based sampling techniques.
Les nouvelles thories conomiques de la discrimination

Les theories economiques peuvent-elles rendre compte de la situation comparee des hommes et des femmes sur le marche du travail ? Les premiers modeles de discrimination predisaient une elimination spontanee des differences. Les modeles de la deuxieme generation permettent, mieux que les premieres approches, de formaliser et d’expliquer un certain nombre de faits d’observation sur le marche du travail : persistance des ecarts de salaire, segregation partielle du marche du travail entre emplois feminins et masculins, mais aussi differences dans le deroulement des carrieres, sur-representation des hommes dans les emplois les plus qualifies, plus grandes difficultes de promotion et sur-qualification des femmes. Pour cela, ils mobilisent des approches recentes d’economie du travail, telles que la theorie de la recherche d’emploi et celle de l’appariement, ou des travaux actuels en information asymetrique.
The Labor Market Returns to Cognitive and Noncognitive Ability: Evidence from the Swedish Enlistment

We use data from the military enlistment for a large representative sample of Swedish men to assess the importance of cognitive and noncognitive ability for labor market outcomes. The measure of noncognitive ability is based on a personal interview conducted by a psychologist. Unlike survey-based measures of noncognitive ability, this measure is a substantially stronger predictor of labor market outcomes than cognitive ability. In particular, we find strong evidence that men who fare badly in the labor market in the sense of long-term unemployment or low annual earnings lack noncognitive but not cognitive ability. We point to a technological explanation for this result. Noncognitive ability is an important determinant of productivity irrespective of occupation or ability level, though it seems to be of particular importance for workers in a managerial position. In contrast, cognitive ability is valuable only for men in qualified occupations. As a result, noncognitive ability is more important for men at the verge of being priced out of the labor market.
Design and development of component based adaptive Web applications

Data Views (ADV) . 59 active documents . 52 adaptation . 74 adaptation condition . 138 adaptation context data (ACD) . 147 adaptation engineering. 18, 40 Adaptation Specification Language (ASL) 61 Adaptive Educational Hypermedia System (AEHS) . 34 Adaptive Hypermedia . 29 adaptability . 29 adaptivity . 30 Adaptive Hypermedia System (AHS) . 29 Adaptive Information Retrieval System . 34 Adaptive Online Information System . 35 adaptive styleguiding . 33 Adaptive Web Information System . 35 AHA! 34, 37 AHAM . 36 ff. adaptive engine . 37 domain model . 36 pedagogical rules . 37 teaching model . 37 user model . 36 AMACONT. 19 AMACONTBuilder . 108–120 CSS editor . 117 graph editor . 116 hyperlink editor . 116 image editor . 111 layout editor . 117 profile browser . 111 structure editor . 114 subcomponent editor . 115 XML editor . 118 Amsterdam Reference Model . 28 Annotation-based Web transcoding . 140 Aspect-Oriented Programming . 174 AWIS . 96 B base component . 52
Cost-effectiveness of unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasty in elderly low-demand patients. A Markov decision analysis.

BACKGROUND Interest in unicompartmental knee arthroplasty has recently increased in the United States, making a firm understanding of the indications for this procedure important. The purpose of this study was to examine the cost-effectiveness of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty compared with total knee arthroplasty in elderly low-demand patients. METHODS A Markov decision model was used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty as compared with total knee arthroplasty in the elderly population. Transition probabilities were estimated from the Norwegian Arthroplasty Register and the arthroplasty literature, and costs were based on the average Medicare reimbursement for unicompartmental, tricompartmental, and revision knee arthroplasties. Outcomes were measured in quality-adjusted life-years. RESULTS Our model showed unicompartmental knee arthroplasty to be a cost-effective strategy for this population as long as the annual probability of revision is <4%. The cost of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty must be greater than $13,500 or the cost of total knee arthroplasty must be less than $8500 before total knee arthroplasty becomes more cost-effective. CONCLUSIONS Our model suggests that, on the basis of currently available cost and outcomes data, unicompartmental knee arthroplasty and total knee arthroplasty have similar cost-effectiveness profiles in the elderly low-demand patient population. However, several important parameters that could alter the cost-effectiveness analysis were identified; these included implant survival rates, costs, perioperative mortality and infection rates, and utility values achieved with each procedure. The thresholds identified in this study may help decision-makers to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of each strategy as further research characterizes the variables associate with unicompartmental and total knee arthroplasties and may be helpful for designing future appropriate clinical trials.
Going Through the Clouds: Search Overviews and Browsing of Movies

Movies are one of the biggest sources of entertainment, in individual and social contexts, and increasingly accessible as enormous collections of videos and movies over the Internet, in social media and interactive TV. These richer environments demand for new and more powerful ways to search, browse and view videos and movies, that may benefit from video content-based analysis and classification techniques. In this paper, we present and evaluate extended features of content processing, search, overview and browsing in the MovieClouds, from overview clouds at the movies space down to the movies, based on the information conveyed in the different tracks or perspectives of its content, especially audio and subtitles where most of the semantics is expressed. Tag clouds are adopted as a unifying-paradigm, complemented with other approaches, to extend to movies the power, flexibility, engagement and fun usually associated with clouds, in a consistent way. Evaluation results were very encouraging, reinforcing the previous approach and reflecting the improvements and new features.
Speedpath analysis based on hypothesis pruning and ranking

In optimizing high-performance designs, speed limiting paths (speedpaths) impact the performance and power trade-off. Timing tools attempt to model and capture all such paths on a chip. Due to the high performance nature of these designs, critical paths predicted by the timing tools often do not match the actual speedpaths found on silicon chips. Early silicon data therefore is used to identify the speedpaths, and further performance optimization is carried out by pushing the delays on these paths. In this context, the paper presents a novel data mining approach that analyzes a small number of identified speedpaths against a large number of non-speedpaths. The result of this analysis for each speedpath is a set of hypotheses explaining why the path is special. These hypotheses can be used in guiding the search for the root causes, or in predicting additional paths as potential speedpaths. We demonstrate the feasibility of this approach and summarize our findings based on analysis of silicon speedpaths collected from a 65nm microprocessor.
An Experimental Study on the Decision-Making of Internal Supply Chains in Group Corporations

With the fast development of group companies in China, more and more supply chains are integrated in group corporations. This kind of internal supply chain which is composed by related companies is different from the traditional one. Through 4 scenes experimental study whose participants are MBA students, we find that a subsidiary manager who is suggested to share interest with other related companies in the same group will not accept abnormal related party transactions, such as purchase and sales, which is similar with what will happen in the traditional supply chain. Because internal supply chain members are related parties, they have more choices to allocate interests. Principal loan is favorable when there is only one plan provided to managers who will be the lenders, but they prefer to provide guarantee on loans borrowed by related companies when there are several optional plans.
Friedreich Ataxia Mouse Models with Progressive Cerebellar and Sensory Ataxia Reveal Autophagic Neurodegeneration in Dorsal Root Ganglia

Friedreich ataxia (FRDA), the most common recessive ataxia, is characterized by degeneration of the large sensory neurons of the spinal cord and cardiomyopathy. It is caused by severely reduced levels of frataxin, a mitochondrial protein involved in iron-sulfur cluster (ISC) biosynthesis. Through a spatiotemporally controlled conditional gene-targeting approach, we have generated two mouse models for FRDA that specifically develop progressive mixed cerebellar and sensory ataxia, the most prominent neurological features of FRDA. Histological studies showed both spinal cord and dorsal root ganglia (DRG) anomalies with absence of motor neuropathy, a hallmark of the human disease. In addition, one line revealed a cerebellar granule cell loss, whereas both lines had Purkinje cell arborization defects. These lines represent the first FRDA models with a slowly progressive neurological degeneration. We identified an autophagic process as the causative pathological mechanism in the DRG, leading to removal of mitochondrial debris and apparition of lipofuscin deposits. These mice therefore represent excellent models for FRDA to unravel the pathological cascade and to test compounds that interfere with the degenerative process.
Reconfigurable interconnection in optical switching fabrics with wavelength converters

The high degree of flexibility expected from future networks can be provided by switch architectures which combine a wide range of functionalities by operating in different dimensions, namely time, space, wavelength, suitably explloited by reconfiguration capability. Architectures design are here proposed based on programmable optical backplane to implement reconfigurable interconnections in switching fabrics with wavelength converters. Complexity comparisons are presented and cost of programmability evaluated.
TRANSPLANTABLE EPITHELIOMAS OF THE LIP AND MOUTH OF CATFISH

The catfish (Ameiurus nebulosus) taken from streams near Philadelphia, is commonly afflicted with an epithelial tumor bearing some resemblance to epithelioma of the lip in man. This neoplasm usually occurs as solitary or multiple, large, red, fleshy masses upon the lips or dental plates, and by reason of its size, may prevent closure of the mouth. The tumor is comprised of epithelial cells, often in papillary arrangement, supported by a delicate vascularized connective tissue stroma. The larger growths frequently invade adjacent normal tissues and force their way into vessels where they are found as emboli. The clinical course of the tumor is one of relatively slow but progressive growth. This neoplasm has been observed from the time of its inception in a number of animals. Thus it has been learned that the proliferative stage of the neoplastic process is preceded and accompanied by a striking vascular reaction. Intense hyperemia invariably occurs in that region of the mucosal surface which later becomes the site of neoplastic proliferation. Furthermore, by direct microscopic observation of the living tumors the atypical structure and arrangement of the blood vessels become apparent. A study of the significance of these vascular phenomena in their relation to the inception and growth of the tumor is now in progress. It has been found possible to transmit the catfish tumor to fish of the same species by implanting fragments of the tumor into the anterior chamber of the eye. Also, by taking advantage of an anatomical peculiarity of the catfish cornea, it has been possible to embed the tumor fragments in normal tissue where it could still be readily observed both in the gross and microscopically. The growth of the transplants in the eye has been followed by periodic examination of the living tumor by means of the slit lamp microscope. In the anterior chamber, the tumor characteristically forms dense membranes which spread over the inner surface of the cornea. In this manner growth continues until the tumor fills the chamber. Between the two layers of the cornea, tumor growth is expansive. Attempts to transplant the tumor to the anterior chamber of two other species of fish and to frogs, were unsuccessful. Implantation of the catfish epithelioma in alien species of fish excited no exudative response, whereas in a less closely related species of animal, the leopard frog, a pronounced exudative reaction resulted.
Independent Vector Analysis Applied to Remove Muscle Artifacts in EEG Data

Electroencephalogram (EEG) data are often contaminated by various electrophysiological artifacts. Among all these artifacts, the muscle activity is particularly difficult to remove. In the literature, independent component analysis (ICA) and canonical correlation analysis (CCA), as blind source separation techniques, are the most popular methods. In this paper, we introduce a novel method for removing muscle artifacts in EEG data based on independent vector analysis. This method exploits both the second-order and higher order statistical information and thus takes advantage of both ICA and CCA. The proposed method is evaluated on realistic simulated data and is shown to significantly outperform ICA and CCA. In addition, the proposed method is applied on real ictal EEG data seriously contaminated with muscle artifacts. The proposed method is able to largely suppress muscle artifacts without altering the underlying EEG activity.
Marketing de relaciones: ¿Un nuevo paradigma?

El objetivo de este articulo es doble. En primer lugar se analiza la aceptacion de un cambio de paradigma en la practica e investigacion academica en marketing. El paradigma de marketing mix dominante, basado en una perspectiva transaccional del intercambio, esta perdiendo su posicion frente a un nuevo enfoque, el marketing relacional, orientado hacia las relaciones a largo plazo. En segundo lugar se realiza un estudio de la naturaleza y ambito del marketing relacional y se analizan los conceptos de compromiso y confianza en las relaciones de intercambio.
A Concerted Action of Hepatitis C Virus P7 and Nonstructural Protein 2 Regulates Core Localization at the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Virus Assembly

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) assembly remains a poorly understood process. Lipid droplets (LDs) are thought to act as platforms for the assembly of viral components. The JFH1 HCV strain replicates and assembles in association with LD-associated membranes, around which viral core protein is predominantly detected. In contrast, despite its intrinsic capacity to localize to LDs when expressed individually, we found that the core protein of the high-titer Jc1 recombinant virus was hardly detected on LDs of cell culture-grown HCV (HCVcc)-infected cells, but was mainly localized at endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membranes where it colocalized with the HCV envelope glycoproteins. Furthermore, high-titer cell culture-adapted JFH1 virus, obtained after long-term culture in Huh7.5 cells, exhibited an ER-localized core in contrast to non-adapted JFH1 virus, strengthening the hypothesis that ER localization of core is required for efficient HCV assembly. Our results further indicate that p7 and NS2 are HCV strain-specific factors that govern the recruitment of core protein from LDs to ER assembly sites. Indeed, using expression constructs and HCVcc recombinant genomes, we found that p7 is sufficient to induce core localization at the ER, independently of its ion-channel activity. Importantly, the combined expression of JFH1 or Jc1 p7 and NS2 induced the same differential core subcellular localization detected in JFH1- vs. Jc1-infected cells. Finally, results obtained by expressing p7-NS2 chimeras between either virus type indicated that compatibilities between the p7 and the first NS2 trans-membrane domains is required to induce core-ER localization and assembly of extra- and intra-cellular infectious viral particles. In conclusion, we identified p7 and NS2 as key determinants governing the subcellular localization of HCV core to LDs vs. ER and required for initiation of the early steps of virus assembly.
Inclination-independent transformation of light beams using high-throughput uniquely-curved micromirrors

We report a novel class of specifically-designed curved micromirrors enabling phase transformation of light beams independent of their inclination angle. The surface also exhibits a linear relationship between inclination angle and transversal displacement of the beam. The micromirrors were alkaline-free etched to depth levels of more than 300 μm, thus enabling high optical throughput. Measurements at both 675 and 1550 nm wavelengths show stable dimensions for the optical beam spot with less than ± 5% dependence on the inclination angle up to 60 degrees. The presented micromirros have applications in optical beam shaping and scanning, displacement/rotation sensing and imaging.