Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Breathing rhythms and emotions

Respiration is primarily regulated for metabolic and homeostatic purposes in the brainstem. However, breathing can also change in response to changes in emotions, such as sadness, happiness, anxiety or fear. Final respiratory output is influenced by a complex interaction between the brainstem and higher centres, including the limbic system and cortical structures. Respiration is important in maintaining physiological homeostasis and co‐exists with emotions. In this review, we focus on the relationship between respiration and emotions by discussing previous animal and human studies, including studies of olfactory function in relation to respiration and the piriform–amygdala in relation to respiration. In particular, we discuss oscillations of piriform–amygdala complex activity and respiratory rhythm.
Active Learning by Personalization: Lessons Learnt from Research in Conceptual Content Management

In this paper we argue that the potential of e-learning systems for active and autonomous knowledge acquisition and use can be substantially enhanced by exploiting the personalization capabilities of concept-oriented content management. Content and implementation personalization are essential services provided by research-oriented content management systems. Personalized concept understanding as well as concept-oriented content acquisition and use are key to most learning situations. Therefore, learning and research systems should cooperate with the common goal of exchanging and sharing content and enabling processes which transparently span system boundaries. In this paper, we discuss how personalization can be used to enhance both, autonomous learning activities and research-oriented workflows. Personalization and content coupling technologies are at the heart of one of our operational web-based application systems, the Warburg Electronic Library. This system is successfully used in a number of research as well as learning projects, during which advantages of joint research and learning systems have been identified.
Prolonged Therapeutic Window for Ischemic Brain Damage Caused by Delayed Caspase Activation

Apoptotic cell death is prominent in neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease, and is found in cerebral ischemia. Using a murine model of delayed cell death, we determined that cleavage of zDEVD-amino-4-trifluoromethyl coumarin (zDEVD-afc) in brain homogenate, a measure of caspase activation, increased initially 9 hours after brief (30 minutes) middle cerebral artery occlusion along with caspase-3p20 immunoreactive cleavage product as determined by immunoblotting. zDEVD-afc cleavage activity was blocked by pretreatment or posttreatment with the caspase-inhibitor N-benzyloxycarbonyl-Asp(OMe)-Glu(OMe)-Val-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethyl-ketone (zDEVD-fmk), and ischemic damage was reduced when the drug was injected up to 9 hours after reperfusion. The protection was long lasting (21 days). Hence, the period before caspase activation defined the therapeutic opportunity for this neuroprotective agent after mild ischemic brain injury. Prolonged protection after caspase inhibition plus the extended treatment window may be especially relevant to the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.
Preparation and characterization of low density polyethylene/ethylene methyl acrylate glycidyl methacrylate/organoclay nanocomposites

The effects of organoclay type, compatibilizer, and the addition order of components during melt-blending process on the morphology and thermal, mechanical, and flow properties of ternary nanocomposites based on low-density polyethylene (LDPE) were investigated. As a compatibilizer, ethylene/methyl acrylate/glycidyl methacrylate (E-MA-GMA), as organoclays Cloisites® 15A, 25A, and 30B were used. All samples were prepared by a corotating twin screw extruder, followed by injection molding. The highest increase of the basal spacing for ternary nanocomposites was obtained in LDPE/E-MA-GMA/Cloisite® 30B nanocomposites with interlayer spacing of 59.2 A. Organoclay and compatibilizer addition did not influence the melting/crystallization behavior of the compositions, and both compatibilizer and organoclays had no significant nucleation activity in LDPE. Among the ternary nanocomposites, the maximum increase in tensile strength and tensile modulus values was observed for nanocomposites containing organoclay Cloisite® 15A. The improvement with respect to neat LDPE was 43% for tensile strength and 44% for tensile modulus. According to the mechanical analysis, the best sequence of component addition was the one in which LDPE, organoclay, and compatibilizer were simultaneously fed to the extruder in the first run, and the product of the first run was extruded once more. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
NTT System Description for the WMT2006 Shared Task

We present two translation systems experimented for the shared-task of "Workshop on Statistical Machine Translation," a phrase-based model and a hierarchical phrase-based model. The former uses a phrasal unit for translation, whereas the latter is conceptualized as a synchronous-CFG in which phrases are hierarchically combined using non-terminals. Experiments showed that the hierarchical phrase-based model performed very comparable to the phrase-based model. We also report a phrase/rule extraction technique differentiating tokenization of corpora.
The In Vitro Rumen Fermentability on the Processed Vegetable Waste

This experiment was objected to study the in vitro rumen fermentability on the processed vegetable waste. The study was accomplished by two experiments. The first experiment was aimed to select the best processing for vegetable waste. The vegetable wastes from a traditional market in Semarang City were fermented using Lactobacillus bulgaricus and rumen bolus with cassava waste, rice bran, and maize grain as additives. In each combined treatment of innoculant and additive was fermented in anaerob conditon for 0, 1, 2, and 3 weeks, respectively. In each combined treatment of innoculant, additive, and fermentation time was analyzed for its moisture, crude protein, crude fiber, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber The In Vitro Rumen Fermentability on the Processed Vegetable Waste [Muktiani et al.] 45 content. Among the combined treatments were then selected the best processing for vegetable waste according to the use of L. bulgaricus and rumen bolus, respectively. The selection was determined on the basis of a numerical score for each parameter observed. The results showed that the combination of rice bran of additive and one week of fermentation was the best for fermentation using L. bulgaricus (SSLB). Likewise, the the combination of rice bran of additive and two weeks of fermentation was the best for fermentation using rumen bolus (SSBR). In the second experiment, the processed vegetable wastes from the result of first experiment (SSLB and SSBR) were compared to Pennisetum purpureum (RG), unprocessed vegetable waste from the garbage collecting terminal in Semarang City (SSTPA), and unprocessed vegetable waste from traditional market (SSPT) on the basis of their in vitro rumen fermentability. Parameters of the in vitro rumen fermentability were dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) digestibility, rumen production of VFA and N-NH3. The test of in vitro rumen fermentability was conducted using cattle rumen liquid and artificial saliva. The results showed that the DM and OM digestibility of RG was lower (P<0,05) than that of SSPT, but there was no siginificant different among SSTPA, SSLB, and RG in their DM and OM digestibility. The in vitro rumen VFA production among RG, SSTPA, SSLB, and SSBR were not different significantly. The in vitro rumen VFA production of SSPT was higher (P<0,05) than that of RG, SSTPA, SSLB, and SSBR. The in vitro rumen NH3 production among SSPT, SSLB, and SSBR were not different significantly. The in vitro rumen NH3 production of RG and SSTPA were lower (P<0,05) than that of SSPT, SSLB, and SSBR. The fermentation using L.bulgaricus with rice bran for one week was appropriate in processing the vegetable waste. The results could be utilized for further study focusing on the substitution of Pennisetum purpureum with the processed vegetable waste in a ruminant ration. Keywords : processing, vegetable waste, rumen, in vitro
An Analysis on Student- Written Summaries: Automatic Assessment of Summary Writing

Summarization is a process to create a short version of a source text. As identifying summarizing strategies used by students in summary writings is a very time-consuming task, computer-assisted assessment can help teachers to identify summarizing strategies more effectively. The main goal of this investigation is to improve the abilities of students in summary writing and A study of effectiveness of summarizing strategies are used in summary writings which focused on three aspects: 1) analysis the correlation between summarizing strategies and summary performance, 2) the influence of number of summarizing strategies on students' summaries performance and 3) identifying summarizing strategies employed by the students. Results from this study displayed that there is a correlation between summarizing strategies and students 'summaries performance. The summary will improve by using more variety of summarizing strategies. The proposed algorithm is able to identify the summarizing strategies used by students in summarizing. An automatic assessment of summary based on the proposed algorithm has also been developed.
Malaria epidemiological situation in Italy and evaluation of malaria incidence in Italian travelers.

BACKGROUND Malaria was endemic throughout the country until it was eradicated nearly 50 years ago. Since then, mainly imported malaria cases have been reported to the National Health Service, with an increasing trend. The aim of this study was to present a detailed analysis of the current epidemiological situation of malaria in Italy, and to make a first attempt to calculate the incidence of malaria in Italian international travelers. METHODS An archive of confirmed malaria cases is available at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), the National Institute of Health of Italy, based on the mandatory report system. Data from each case report reported to the ISS from 1989 to 1997 have been analyzed. An evaluation of malaria incidence in Italian travelers has been also performed for the same period, based on the statistics provided by the Ministry of Transport. RESULTS From 1989 to 1997, a total of 5,898 microscopically confirmed malaria cases have been reported. Of these, 5,773 (97.9%) were imported cases, 106 cases (1.8%) were relapses of Plasmodium vivax or Plasmodium ovale infections, and 19 cases (0.3%) occurred in subjects who had never been out of Italy. During the period of study, 55 deaths due to Plasmodium falciparum malaria were reported, with a mean fatality rate of 1.2%. Malaria incidence in Italians who traveled to Africa was estimated to be 1.5/1000. These figures appeared to be 10-20 and 30-40 times greater than that recorded in travelers to Asia (0.11/1000) and Central-South America (0.04/1000) respectively. CONCLUSIONS From 1989 to 1997, there has been a remarkable increase in the total number of imported malaria cases in Italy, which reached a peak of more than 800 cases/year in 1997. A constant increase in the number of cases affecting foreigners has been reported, while the cases among Italians have remained stable. From 1989 to 1997 the number of Italian intercontinental travelers has nearly doubled, but malaria incidence has remained quite stable.
Is Patient Activation Associated With Future Health Outcomes and Healthcare Utilization Among Patients With Diabetes?

We examined the relationship between the patient activation measure (PAM) and future diabetes-related health outcomes through retrospective analysis of secondary data using multivariate logistic regression. PAM scores from a 2004 survey on 1180 randomly sampled adults with diabetes and health information from a 2006 diabetes registry were the data sources used. The PAM was predictive for hemoglobin A1c (HgA1c) testing (P < .008), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) testing (P < .005), HgA1c control (P < .01), and all-cause discharges (P < .03), but not for lipid-lowering drug use, LDL-C control, or acute myocardial infarction discharges. These results suggest that PAM scores can be used to identify patients at risk for poorer health outcomes.
Consensus in correlated random topologies: Weights for finite time horizon

We consider the weight design problem for the consensus algorithm under a finite time horizon. We assume that the underlying network is random where the links fail at each iteration with certain probability and the link failures can be spatially correlated. We formulate a family of weight design criteria (objective functions) that minimize n, n = 1, …,N (out of N possible) largest (slowest) eigenvalues of the matrix that describes the mean squared consensus error dynamics. We show that the objective functions are convex; hence, globally optimal weights (with respect to the design criteria) can be efficiently obtained. Numerical examples on large scale, sparse random networks with spatially correlated link failures show that: 1) weights obtained according to our criteria lead to significantly faster convergence than the choices available in the literature; 2) different design criteria that corresponds to different n, exhibits very interesting tradeoffs: faster transient performance leads to slower long time run performance and vice versa. Thus, n is a valuable degree of freedom and can be appropriately selected for the given time horizon.
Relationships between speech perception abilities and spoken language skills in young children with hearing loss

The goal of this study was to examine the relationships between scores obtained from measures of speech perception and language in a group of young children with hearing loss (HL). Eighteen children (mean age = 4.3 years) and their mothers participated in this study. Speech perception was measured using the online imitative test of speech pattern contrast perception (OLIMSPAC). Standardized language age equivalent scores were obtained using the Reynell developmental language scales-III. Number of word tokens, word types, and mean length of utterance (MLU) were extracted from the children's spontaneous language samples. Significant positive relationships were observed between children's OLIMSPAC scores and both standardized language scores (r ranging from 0.60 to 0.69; p <0.01) and all measures derived from children's spontaneous language samples (r ranging from 0.80 to 0.86; p<0.01). After controlling for child age, OLIMSPAC scores explained 34.1% of the variance in children's MLU. Using a new speech perception measure with reduced language demands, strong positive correlations were evident between speech perception and language skills for a young group of children with HL.
3D microstructuring in p-GaAs with proton beam writing using multiple ion fluences

We report on a new method of three-dimensional structuring by means of proton beam writing in p-type gallium arsenide. While up to now vertical features have been created by varying the proton beam energy during irradiation which changes the proton penetration depth and thereby the depth of the material modification, we manufactured 3D structures with a single beam energy but different proton doses supplemented by a subsequent controlled electrochemical etching process. This new approach could simplify 3D structuring in semiconductors and the usage of proton beam writing for the manufacturing of micro electromechanical devices with high aspect ratios and smooth sidewalls.
Probabilistic Keys

Probabilistic databases address well the requirements of an increasing number of modern applications that produce large volumes of uncertain data from a variety of sources. Probabilistic keys enforce the integrity of entities in order to facilitate data processing in probabilistic database systems. For this purpose, we establish algorithms for an agile schema- and data-driven elicitation of the marginal probability by which keys should hold in a given application domain, and for reasoning about these keys. The efficiency of our elicitation framework is demonstrated theoretically and experimentally.
Bayesian adaptive learning of the parameters of hidden Markov model for speech recognition

A theoretical framework for Bayesian adaptive training of the parameters of a discrete hidden Markov model (DHMM) and of a semi-continuous HMM (SCHMM) with Gaussian mixture state observation densities is presented. In addition to formulating the forward-backward MAP (maximum a posteriori) and the segmental MAP algorithms for estimating the above HMM parameters, a computationally efficient segmental quasi-Bayes algorithm for estimating the state-specific mixture coefficients in SCHMM is developed. For estimating the parameters of the prior densities, a new empirical Bayes method based on the moment estimates is also proposed. The MAP algorithms and the prior parameter specification are directly applicable to training speaker adaptive HMMs. Practical issues related to the use of the proposed techniques for HMM-based speaker adaptation are studied. The proposed MAP algorithms are shown to be effective especially in the cases in which the training or adaptation data are limited. >
Gaps, conflicts, and consensus in the ethics statements of professional associations, medical groups, and health plans

Background: Patients today interact with physicians, physician groups, and health plans, each of which may follow distinct ethical guidelines. Method: We systematically compared physician codes of ethics with ethics policies at physician group practices and health plans, using the 1998–99 policies of 38 organisations—18 medical associations (associations), nine physician group practices (groups), and 12 health plans (plans)—selected using random and stratified purposive sampling. A clinician and a social scientist independently abstracted each document, using a 397-item health care ethics taxonomy; a reconciled abstraction form was used for analysis. This study focuses on ethics policies regarding professional obligation towards patients, resource allocation, and care for the vulnerable in society. Results: A majority in all three groups mention “fiduciary obligations” of one sort or another, but associations generally address physician/patient relations but not health plan obligations, while plans rarely endorse physicians’ obligations of advocacy, beneficence, and non-maleficence. Except for occasional mentions of cost effectiveness or efficiency, ethical considerations in resource allocation rarely arise in the ethics policies of all three organisational types. Very few associations, groups, or plans specifically endorse obligations to vulnerable populations. Conclusions: With some important exceptions, we found that the ethics policies of associations, groups, and plans are narrowly focused and often ignore important ethical concerns for society, such as resource allocation and care for vulnerable populations. More collaborative work is needed to build integrated sets of ethical standards that address the aims and responsibilities of the major stakeholders in health care delivery.
Impact of treatment time‐related factors on prognoses and radiation proctitis after definitive chemoradiotherapy for cervical cancer

This study aimed to investigate the impact of treatment time‐related factors on outcomes and radiation proctitis in patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for cervical cancer. From September 2001 to December 2012, 146 patients with stage IIB cervical squamous cell carcinoma treated with CCRT were reviewed from a prospective cohort. Patients who received the same dose (45 Gy) of external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) were included in the analysis (n = 125). The same equivalent dose of 2 Gy (EQD2) of high‐dose‐rate intracavitary brachytherapy (HDR‐ICBT) was delivered at either 4 fractions of 6 Gy or 6 fractions of 4.5 Gy. The effects of the overall treatment time (OTT) and interval between EBRT and HDR‐ICBT on the cancer‐specific survival (CSS), local recurrence (LR), and incidence of proctitis were compared. The treatment time‐related factors did not adversely affect the CSS and LR rates. The multivariate analyses did not identify the OTT as an independent factor of CSS (P = 0.839) and LR (P = 0.856). However, OTT ≤56 days (P = 0.026) was identified as the only independent factor of overall proctitis. The 5‐year Grade 2 or greater proctitis rates were 14.9% and 0% (P = 0.001) in patients with the EBRT to ICBT interval ≤5 days and >5 days, respectively. To reduce rectal damage without compromising prognosis, the gap between EBRT and HDR‐ICBT should exceed 5 days in cervical cancer patients undergoing CCRT. Strictly limiting the OTT to 56 days may result in radiation proctitis without improvements in prognosis.
An improved Artificial Bee Colony algorithm with incorporating information of qualified solutions

Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) is a metaheuristic algorithm with proper ability in solving optimization problems. However, its performance can be improved by setting a better balance between exploitation and exploration. In this study, by changing the search pattern of neighborhood and incorporating the information of a set of qualified solutions into the creating process of candidate solutions, the balance between exploitation and exploration would improve. This change is in a way that in addition to improvement of exploration, the capability of employed and onlooker bees to search around proper solutions is utilized properly. Experiments are conducted on 22 different benchmark functions including standard, shifted, rotated, and shifted-rotated multimodal and unimodal problems. The results confirm superiority of the proposed algorithm compared to standard ABC and some new versions of it.
EVOLVING DESIGN LAYOUT CASES TO SATISFY FENG SHUI CONSTRAINTS

We present a computational process model for design that combines the functionalities of case-based reasoning (CBR) and genetic algorithms (GA’s). CBR provides a precedent-based framework in which prior design cases are retrieved and adapted in order to meet the requirements of a new design problem. GA’s provide a general-purpose mechanism for randomly combining and modifying potential solutions to a new problem repeatedly until an adequate solution is found. In our model we use a GA to perform the case-adaptation subtask of CBR. In this manner, a gradual improvement in the overall quality of the proposed solutions is obtained as more and more adaptations of the design cases originally retrieved from memory are evolved. We describe how these ideas can be used to perform layout design of residences such that the final designs satisfy the requirements imposed by feng shui, the Chinese art of placement.