Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Mobile Phone Application for Pulse Pressure Variation Monitoring Based on Feature Extraction Technology: A Method Comparison Study in a Simulated Environment

BACKGROUND:Pulse pressure variation (PPV) can be used to assess fluid status in the operating room. This measurement, however, is time consuming when done manually and unreliable through visual assessment. Moreover, its continuous monitoring requires the use of expensive devices. Capstesia™ is a novel Android™/iOS™ application, which calculates PPV from a digital picture of the arterial pressure waveform obtained from any monitor. The application identifies the peaks and troughs of the arterial curve, determines maximum and minimum pulse pressures, and computes PPV. In this study, we compared the accuracy of PPV generated with the smartphone application Capstesia (PPVapp) against the reference method that is the manual determination of PPV (PPVman). METHODS:The Capstesia application was loaded onto a Samsung Galaxy S4TM phone. A physiologic simulator including PPV was used to display arterial waveforms on a computer screen. Data were obtained with different sweep speeds (6 and 12 mm/s) and randomly generated PPV values (from 2% to 24%), pulse pressure (30, 45, and 60 mm Hg), heart rates (60–80 bpm), and respiratory rates (10–15 breaths/min) on the simulator. Each metric was recorded 5 times at an arterial height scale X1 (PPV5appX1) and 5 times at an arterial height scale X3 (PPV5appX3). Reproducibility of PPVapp and PPVman was determined from the 5 pictures of the same hemodynamic profile. The effect of sweep speed, arterial waveform scale (X1 or X3), and number of images captured was assessed by a Bland-Altman analysis. The measurement error (ME) was calculated for each pair of data. A receiver operating characteristic curve analysis determined the ability of PPVapp to discriminate a PPVman > 13%. RESULTS:Four hundred eight pairs of PPVapp and PPVman were analyzed. The reproducibility of PPVapp and PPVman was 10% (interquartile range, 7%–14%) and 6% (interquartile range, 3%–10%), respectively, allowing a threshold ME of 12%. The overall mean bias for PPVappX1 was 1.1% within limits of −1.4% (95% confidence interval [CI], −1.7 to −1.1) to +3.5% (95% CI, +3.2 to +3.8). Averaging 5 values of PPVappX1 with a sweep speed of 12 mm/s resulted in the smallest bias (+0.6%) and the best limits of agreement (±1.3%). ME of PPVapp was <12% whenever 3, 4, or 5 pictures were taken to average PPVapp. The best predictive value for PPVapp to detect a PPVman > 13% was obtained for PPVappX1 by averaging 5 pictures showing a PPVapp threshold of 13.5% (95% CI, 12.9–15.2) and a receiver operating characteristic curve area of 0.989 (95% CI, 0.963–0.998) with a sensitivity of 97% and a specificity of 94%. CONCLUSIONS:Our findings show that the Capstesia PPV calculation is a dependable substitute for standard manual PPV determination in a highly controlled environment (simulator study). Further studies are warranted to validate this mobile feature extraction technology to predict fluid responsiveness in real conditions.
Maturation of the Auditory Brainstem Response from Birth through Early Childhood

Summary: The various parameters of the auditory brainstem response (ABR) undergo distinct maturational transformations in early life. The multiplicity of observed changes suggests unique timetables for development of the contributing neural elements. Although the precise physioanatomic substrate of the ABR remains speculative, experimental manipulations and selective response measures have been utilized to elucidate the developmental process. Even at our current level of understanding, the ABR has proven to be a valuable tool for the study of functional development in the nervous system. In the perinatal period and early childhood, the ABR constitutes one of the most reliable measures of neural integrity in the cochlear and caudal brainstem pathway. As our knowledge expands, the ABR should continue to provide information on the neurological and audiological status of healthy and special risk populations.
Influence of energy source on forage intake, digestibility, in situ forage degradation, and ruminal fermentation in beef steers fed medium-quality brome hay.

Eight ruminally cannulated steers (average initial weight 196 +/- 13 kg) were arranged in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square. Steers had ad libitum access to chopped brome hay (Bromus inermus L. 9.9% CP) and one of four supplements. Supplements were fed to provide 195 g of CP.steer-1 x d-1 (equalized with soybean meal), and supplemental energy intake was similar among energy supplements. Supplemental treatments were control (CTRL; primarily soybean meal), barley (BAR), beet pulp (PULP), and corn (CORN). Amounts fed were 481, 1,285, 1,335, and 1,289 g of DM.steer-1 x d-1 for CTRL, BAR, PULP, and CORN, respectively. Individually stanchioned steers were allowed a 13-d adaptation period followed by an 8-d collection period. Chromic oxide was used as the indigestible flow marker. Forage intake was less (P < .10) for steers fed BAR, PULP, and CORN than for CTRL steers, but total intake (forage+supplement) did not differ among treatments. Total tract DM and OM digestibilities were greater (P < .10) for PULP- and CORN- than for CTRL- and BAR-supplemented steers. Digestibility of NDF was least (P < .10) for BAR, intermediate for CORN, and greatest for CTRL and PULP (44.0, 47.2, 50.1, and 52.1%, respectively). Apparent CP digestibility was least (P < .10) in BAR-(60.8), greatest in CTRL- (69.7), and intermediate in PULP- and CTRL- (64.0 and 64.4) supplemented steers. Ruminal DM fill was less (P < .10) in steers fed BAR and PULP than in CTRL steers. No differences (P < .10) were noted in DM and NDF rate of in situ degradation. Rate of forage CP in situ degradation was faster (P < .10) in CTRL- and PULP- than in CORN- and BAR-supplemented steers. Steers fed BAR and PULP supplements exhibited a lower overall pH response curve (P < .005) than did steers fed CTRL and CORN; this finding corresponded to increased (P < .005) response curves in PULP-fed steers for total VFA, acetate, and propionate compared with other treatments. These data indicate that energy supplementation decreased forage intake, altered ruminal fill, shifted VFA patterns, and changed in situ rate of forage CP degradation. Moreover, PULP maintained NDF digestibilities equal to CTRL levels, whereas CORN and BAR did not.
Gaze-communicative behavior of stuffed-toy robot with joint attention and eye contact based on ambient gaze-tracking

This paper proposes a gaze-communicative stuffed-toy robot system with joint attention and eye-contact reactions based on ambient gaze-tracking. For free and natural interaction, we adopted our remote gaze-tracking method. Corresponding to the user's gaze, the gaze-reactive stuffed-toy robot is designed to gradually establish 1) joint attention using the direction of the robot's head and 2) eye-contact reactions from several sets of motion. From both subjective evaluations and observations of the user's gaze in the demonstration experiments, we found that i) joint attention draws the user's interest along with the user-guessed interest of the robot, ii) "eye contact" brings the user a favorable feeling for the robot, and iii) this feeling is enhanced when "eye contact" is used in combination with "joint attention. " These results support the approach of our embodied gaze-communication model.
Matching GitHub Developer Profiles to Job Advertisements

GitHub is a social coding platform that enables developers to efficiently work on projects, connect with other developers, collaborate and generally "be seen: by the community. This visibility also extends to prospective employers and HR personnel who may use GitHub to learn more about a developer's skills and interests. We propose a pipeline that automatizes this process and automatically suggests matching job advertisements to developers, based on signals extracting from their activities on GitHub.
Multilateral cooperation in Africa between China and Western countries: from differences to consensus1

Abstract In the 21st century, it is a great event in the field of international politics that both China and Africa are marching towards revival and more cooperation among each other. The old international order which centered on the West can no longer meet the demand of the changes of African geopolitical pattern. Therefore, it is high time to establish a multilateral cooperation mechanism concerning Africa's peace and development. The authors argue that there are differences in historical experience, diplomatic ideas and principles as well as extensive common grounds of diplomatic strategy and national interests between China and the West in respect of their relations with Africa. Both China and the West should promote talks which are more open, more cooperative and more conducive to a win-win end. In doing this, they can achieve a win-for-all result for all the parties involved.
Decoding onset and direction of movements using Electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals in humans

Communication of intent usually requires motor function. This requirement can be limiting when a person is engaged in a task, or prohibitive for some people suffering from neuromuscular disorders. Determining a person's intent, e.g., where and when to move, from brain signals rather than from muscles would have important applications in clinical or other domains. For example, detection of the onset and direction of intended movements may provide the basis for restoration of simple grasping function in people with chronic stroke, or could be used to optimize a user's interaction with the surrounding environment. Detecting the onset and direction of actual movements are a first step in this direction. In this study, we demonstrate that we can detect the onset of intended movements and their direction using electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals recorded from the surface of the cortex in humans. We also demonstrate in a simulation that the information encoded in ECoG about these movements may improve performance in a targeting task. In summary, the results in this paper suggest that detection of intended movement is possible, and may serve useful functions.
In vitro activation of woodchuck lymphocytes measured by radiopurine incorporation and interleukin‐2 production: Implications for modeling immunity and therapy in hepatitis B virus infection

Cellular immune responses to hepatitis B virus (HBV) play an important role in the resolution of acute infection. They also influence the course of chronic infection and disease but are inadequate to completely clear the infection. Woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) infection of the woodchuck can provide a model to study these processes. Lymphocyte responses of woodchucks were assessed by in vitro proliferation and/or interleukin (IL)‐2 assays using mitogen (Concanavalin A [ConA]), cytokine (IL‐2), superantigen (Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxin B [SEB]), major histocompatibility complex (MHC) allo‐antigen (mixed lymphocyte reaction [MLR]), and viral antigens (woodchuck hepatitis virus core antigen: [WHcAg] and woodchuck hepatitis virus surface antigen [WHsAg]). ConA‐stimulated woodchuck lymphocytes underwent cell division based on cell counting experiments and produced IL‐2 as detected using an IL‐2–dependent murine cell line but failed to incorporate sufficient tritiated thymidine; however, they did incorporate sufficient tritiated adenosine and deoxyadenosine to permit development of a meaningful proliferation assay. The IL‐2 assay was sensitive and specific for detection of woodchuck IL‐2 induced by mitogen, superantigen, and MLR, as shown by quantitative titration analysis and anti‐body neutralization of ConA‐supernatant activity. Cyclosporin A and FK506 specifically inhibited ConA‐and SEB‐induced IL‐2 production by woodchuck lymphocytes. Positive two‐way MLRs were detected by IL‐2 production and proliferation assay between woodchucks from different geographic regions, thus indicating divergence among MHC molecules; however, occasional negative MLR reactions among indigenous pairs of woodchucks indicated that some woodchucks were mutually immunocompatible to some degree. The radioadenosine proliferation assay was sensitive for detecting peripheral blood lymphocyte responses to WHcAg and WHsAg in adult woodchucks with recently resolved acute infections. The above systems should facilitate the design of adoptive therapy and liver transplantation experiments in the woodchuck, and also enable modeling of immune responses that promote and maintain chronic hepadnavirus infection. (Hepatology 1995;22:687–699.)
Visual and auditory facilitation in auditory spatial localization

It has previously been shown that adults localize unseen auditory targets more accurately with their eyes open than closed. The interpretation usually proposed to explain this phenomenon is that auditory spatial information is referred or translated to a visual frame of reference. The present experiments show that the presence of an auditory reference point facilitates auditory localization judgements in the same manner as a visual reference point does. Although our results do not support the visual frame of reference hypothesis, they suggest that the auditory and the visual modalities are strongly linked in their localizing processes.
Low cost prototyping: part 2, or how to apply the thinking-aloud method efficiently

Customer satisfaction with regard to user interfaces becomes increasingly more important and is, eventually, decisive for the selection of systems within a competitive market. End-users demand benefits and a clear increase in value. They expect efficient and optimum support in their work with their interfaces. One possible method to achieve this is User-Centered Design, which means to incorporate end-users in the interface development from scratch. Essential is the knowledge about the end-user, which in return, will lead to better insights into their thinking and behavior, consequently resulting in better user interfaces. The challenge is to combine complex back-end functionalities with a well operated, attractive, effective and efficient user interface. Thinking Aloud (THA) is one of the most valuable usability engineering methods to address this challenge. In combination with the use of paper mock-ups and appropriate tasks software engineers are able to gain insight into the thinking and behaviour of their end users. Videos taken during the THA sessions can be analyzed and the insights integrated into redesign. THA was first used by psychologists during research in problem solving.
Dyslexia Prevalence in Forensic Psychiatric Patients: Dependence on Criteria and Background Factors

Research on dyslexia in forensic psychiatric patients is limited, and therefore one aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of dyslexia in a sample of forensic psychiatric patients by using different criteria. Another aim was to investigate how phonological-processing skills in these patients might be related to disadvantageous background factors and poor reading habits. Forensic psychiatric patients performed reading, writing and intelligence tests, as well as a battery of phonological processing tasks. They were also interviewed about reading habits and literacy conditions in their childhood homes. Data regarding the patients’ dyslexia diagnoses and backgrounds were collected from forensic psychiatric investigations and patient records. The results showed that 11–53% of the patients met the discrepancy criteria for dyslexia, whereas 50% fulfilled the phonological core deficit criterion. Neither disadvantageous background factors nor reading habits were related to phonological-processing skills.
Spatial and temporal movement characteristics after robotic training of arm and hand: A case study of a person with incomplete spinal cord injury

Background: Upper limb weakness is the primary concern of tetraplegic individuals who have sustained incomplete spinal cord injury (SCI), to an extent that it is considered more important than standing abilities. Recent evidence of the plasticity of the brain and the spinal cord that can be enhanced by repeated practice- such as that available with robotic devices- suggest that robotic training of upper limbs can be beneficial to persons with SCI. The goal of this pilot study was to evaluate an innovative rehabilitation technique using the RiceWrist, a newly developed robotic device, for a person with tetraplegia. A 24-year-old male with incomplete SCI at the C4 level, 6.5 months post-injury participated in 10 sessions of robotic training over 2 weeks. Variability of movement trajectory (spatial) and the time to complete (temporal) simple point-to-point wrist and forearm movements were collected before and after training completion to determine skill acquisition. The participant successfully completed 10 sessions of robotic training. While there were minimal changes in variability of movement trajectory, great improvements were observed for the average movement time for the majority of wrist and forearm movements. Overall, results suggest that the RiceWrist robotic device could be used for upper-limb rehabilitation and can potentially serve as an assessment tool for the SCI population.
The Political Spectacle of Arizona's Proposition 203

Arizona's Proposition 203 places restrictions on bilingual and English-as-asecond-language programs and essentiality mandates English-only education for English language learners (ELLs). This article provides an analysis of this initiative and the wide variations in its interpretation and implementation. Data sources include official policy and related documents, media coverage, and observations of key policy events. The findings provide evidence that Proposition 203 and its implementation are political spectacle, rather than democratic rationale policy making with true concern for ELL students. The analysis focuses on the components of the political spectacle framework evident in the initiative, its campaign(s), and its implementation, including the use of symbolic language, the use of plots and story lines, the creation of leaders (heroes) and enemies, the evoking of symbols of rationality, and distinctions between on-stage and off-stage actions. The article concludes with a discussion of the implications for English language learners in Arizona.
Exploitation of Cyclostationarity Using Fractional Lower-Order Cyclic Statistics

Many signals encountered in wireless communication, telemetry, radar and sonar systems exhibit a cyclostationarity (or spectral correlation) property, as a result of periodically carrier modulating, multiplexing and coding operations. By exploiting cyclostationarity, i.e., evaluating the cyclic correlation or cyclic spectrum of the received signals at certain cycle frequency, we can extract the measures of the signals with different cycle frequency. Thus, the signal processing algorithms which based on cyclic statistics are highly tolerant to the interference and noise. However, most of the cyclostationarity based methods assume that the noise is Gaussian noise. Hence, their performance can be degraded in real applications where the noises contain non-Gaussian impulsive components. In this paper, we propose a new approach for exploiting cyclostationarity of signals in alpha-stable impulsive noise. Simulation results indicate a significantly better performance for the new statistics in some environments.
Wasting Time? The Differentiation of Travel Time in Urban Transport

Recent years have seen increasing academic interest in transport and the concept of travel time. In particular, scholars have tried to open up travel time to alternative modes of understanding, taking it beyond its usual productivist associations with waste and useless idleness. The author, however, seeks to understand travel time in a different way. Rather than filling it up with activities, it is argued that travel time must first be recognized as constituted by, and constitutive of, society and its rhythms. As such, the author seeks to unpack its value in context, by thinking through its productions, structuring, and potential effects. With Singapore's urban transport system taken as a case study, the inequitable ways in which travel time is refracted and experienced by different groups of commuters in this fast-paced city are considered. Specifically, how this time has been hastened for some, rescheduled for others, and rendered especially unpredictable for public transit users through various policies and constraints are put into relations. By attending to the unevenness of these differentiated processes, the author argues that a close contextual reading of transport and its manifold rhythms is indispensable if questions surrounding social equity and sustainability are to be adequately addressed.
Capture, Modeling, and Recognition of Expert Technical Gestures in Wheel-Throwing Art of Pottery

This research has been conducted in the context of the ArtiMuse project that aims at the modeling and renewal of rare gestural knowledge and skills involved in the traditional craftsmanship and more precisely in the art of wheel-throwing pottery. These knowledge and skills constitute intangible cultural heritage and refer to the fruit of diverse expertise founded and propagated over the centuries thanks to the ingeniousness of the gesture and the creativity of the human spirit. Nowadays, this expertise is very often threatened with disappearance because of the difficulty to resist globalization and the fact that most of those “expertise holders” are not easily accessible due to geographical or other constraints. In this article, a methodological framework for capturing and modeling gestural knowledge and skills in wheel-throwing pottery is proposed. It is based on capturing gestures using wireless inertial sensors and statistical modeling. In particular, we used a system that allows for online alignment of gestures using a modified Hidden Markov Model. This methodology is implemented into a human--computer interface, which permits both the modeling and recognition of expert technical gestures. This system could be used to assist in the learning of these gestures by giving continuous feedback in real time by measuring the difference between expert and learner gestures. The system has been tested and evaluated on different potters with rare expertise, which is strongly related to their local identity.
Alstonine as an Antipsychotic: Effects on Brain Amines and Metabolic Changes

Managing schizophrenia has never been a trivial matter. Furthermore, while classical antipsychotics induce extrapyramidal side effects and hyperprolactinaemia, atypical antipsychotics lead to diabetes, hyperlipidaemia, and weight gain. Moreover, even with newer drugs, a sizable proportion of patients do not show significant improvement. Alstonine is an indole alkaloid identified as the major component of a plant-based remedy used in Nigeria to treat the mentally ill. Alstonine presents a clear antipsychotic profile in rodents, apparently with differential effects in distinct dopaminergic pathways. The aim of this study was to complement the antipsychotic profile of alstonine, verifying its effects on brain amines in mouse frontal cortex and striatum. Additionally, we examined if alstonine induces some hormonal and metabolic changes common to antipsychotics. HPLC data reveal that alstonine increases serotonergic transmission and increases intraneuronal dopamine catabolism. In relation to possible side effects, preliminary data suggest that alstonine does not affect prolactin levels, does not induce gains in body weight, but prevents the expected fasting-induced decrease in glucose levels. Overall, this study reinforces the proposal that alstonine is a potential innovative antipsychotic, and that a comprehensive understanding of its neurochemical basis may open new avenues to developing newer antipsychotic medications.