Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Wireless kinematic body sensor network for low-cost neurotechnology applications “in-the-wild”

We present an ultra-portable and low-cost body sensor network (BSN), which enables wireless recording of human motor movement kinematics and neurological signals in unconstrained, daily-life environments. This is crucial as activities of daily living (ADL) and thus metrics of everyday movement enable us to diagnose motor and neurological disorders in the patients context, and not artificial laboratory settings. Moreover, ADL kinematics inform us how to control neuroprosthetics and brain-machine interfaces in a natural manner. Our system uses a network of battery-powered embedded micro-controllers, to capture data from motion sensors placed all over the human body and wireless connectivity to stream process data in real time at 100 Hz. Our prototype compares well against two gold-standard measures, a ground-truth motion tracking system and high-end motion capture suit as reference. At 2.5% of the cost, performance in capturing natural joint kinematics are accurate R2 = 0.89 and precise RMSE = 1.19°. The system's low-cost (approximately $100 per unit), wireless capability, low weight and millimetre-scale size allow subjects to be unconstrained in their actions while having the sensors attached to everyday clothing. These features establish our system's usefulness in clinical studies, risk-group monitoring, neuroscience and neuroprosthetics.
A COMPARISON OF STYLIZED FACTS IN CONVENTIONAL AND ISLAMIC MARKET IN MALAYSIA USING COMPONENT GARCH MODEL

This paper study the most common discussing empirical facts which are the volatility persistence, volatility clustering, risk premium, leverage effects and tail behavior that normally arise in the stock market returns of conventional market and Islamic market in Malaysia. The model used are GARCH (1,1), TARCH(1,1) and CGARCH(1,1). The first result reveals that TGARCH with student’s t distribution is the best fitted model which is explained by using AIC and SIC analysis. The significant coefficient of long memory in CGARCH model in both markets suggest that CGARCH provide best fit for long memory behavior. The empirical results estimation suggests that the conditional variance is highly persistence and the volatility clustering is observed in conventional and Islamic markets. The positive coefficients of risk premium suggest that both conventional and Islamic stock markets exhibit higher returns with higher level of risk. The coefficient of leverage effects is significant and positive for both conventional and Islamic markets. Keywords: Volatility persistence, Risk premium, Leverage effects, Tail behavior
Design considerations for a 30 GHz differential Colpitts VCO with high fosc/fT ratio in 0.35µm SiGe BiCMOS

A fully integrated 30 GHz differential Colpitts VCO is presented in 0. 35µm SiGe BiCMOS with an ft of 60 GHz. The topology of the differential Colpitts architecture and the design considerations are discussed in detail. The discussion encompasses critical portions of the circuit such as the LC tank, varactors and choice of transistors. The use of a common-collector Colpitts VCO topology precludes the need for a buffer, which lowers overall power consumption. The differential operation improves common-mode noise rejection which is especially important when building circuits on silicon. The symmetric inductor that is used for differential operation also results in a higher Q factor which improves the phase noise. Additionally, after employing a parasitic cancellation technique, the tank inductor can be made larger for operation at 30 GHz, which leads to an improved voltage swing and hence better phase noise. The in-depth discussion of the design considerations will benefit designers of BiCMOS Colpitts VCOs operating at high fosc/fT ratios.
Synovial Cells Responding to a 65‐kDa Mycobacterial Heat Shock Protein have a High Proportion of a TcRγδ Subtype Uncommon in Peripheral Blood

We have analysed the ability of T cells from synovial fluid mononuclear cells (SFMC) and from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of inflammatory arthritic diseases to proliferate in response to mycobacterial antigens (65‐kDa heal shock protein [hsp] of BCG. whole BCG) and to rat collagen type II. The SFMC demonstrated a significantly greater ability to respond to 65‐kDa hsp of BCG. and to whole BCG, compared with PBMC from the same patients, With collagen type II, only a small proportion of the patients showed a proliferative response, although with this antigen also SFMC responded better than PBMC. There was no difference between SFMC and PBMC in the response to control antigen (tetanus toxoid), phytohaemagglutinin (PHA), or interleukin 2 (IL‐2). A high proportion of cells in SFMC‐derived short‐term T‐cell lines were of TcRγδ type, often exceeding the number of TcRγδ type. There was a significantly higher proportion of TcRγδ cells in the SFMC lines compared with the PBMC lines, and a large part of the TcRγδ cells in she SFMC cultures was CD8+ The SFMC lines had a high proportion of δ‐ TCS‐1+ cells (Vδ1) among their TcRγδ cells, always exceeding the percentages of TiγA+ (Vγ9) and BB3+ (Vδ2) in the PBMC lines, the distribution of TcRγδ subtypes was markedly different, with a TiγA+/BB3+ population in the majority. These data argue for a different subpopulation distribution of TcRγδ cells in synovial fluid compared with peripheral blood of patients with inflammatory arthritic diseases.
Financial Quality of Life for Patients With Cancer: An Exploratory Study

Objective: For people who are experiencing financial hardship, a cancer diagnosis can be devastating. For others, cancer may exacerbate financial stress, thereby influencing their livelihood, their ability to maintain employment benefits including health insurance, manage financial obligations, and participate meaningfully in cancer treatment. This study examined how vulnerabilities in psychosocial situations affect financial quality of life within the larger context of health-care decision making through a survey conducted with a cross-sectional availability sample of 90 cancer patients. Results from the multiple regression analysis found that health insurance adequacy, fewer perceived barriers to care, and reduced financial stress are significant predictors of better financial quality of life in this sample. Oncology social workers and other disciplines involved in psychosocial treatment with patients with cancer must assess and address financial and logistic aspects of life in order to provide comprehensive cancer care that meets all needs. Collaborative coordination with patients with cancer and their families to intervene psychosocially, medically, and financially are critical components of sound psychosocial and medical practice.
Empirical prescribing for dyspepsia: randomised controlled trial of test and treat versus omeprazole treatment

Abstract Objective To compare the efficacy of a “Helicobacter pylori test and treat” strategy with that of an empirical trial of omeprazole in the non-endoscopic management by empirical prescribing of young patients with dyspepsia. Design Randomised controlled trial. Setting Hospital gastroenterology unit. Participants 219 patients under 45 years old presenting with dyspepsia without alarm symptoms. Intervention Patients received treatment with omeprazole 20 mg (group A) or with a urea breath test followed by an eradication treatment in case of H pylori infection or omeprazole alone in non-infected patients (group B). Lack of improvement or recurrence of symptoms prompted endoscopy. Main outcome measures Improvement in symptoms assessed by a dyspepsia severity score every two months; use of medical resources (endoscopic workload and medical consultation); clinical outcome. Results 96/109 (88%) patients in group A and 61/110 (55%) in group B (P < 0.0001) had endoscopy: in 19 patients in group A and 32 in group B (20/67 infected and 12/43 non-infected) because of no improvement; in 77 further patients in group A and 29 in group B (7 infected and 22 non-infected) because of recurrence of symptoms during follow up. Endoscopy showed peptic ulcers only in group A; oesophagitis occurred significantly more often in group B than in group A. About 80% of examinations were normal in both groups, but nine duodenal scars occurred in group A. Conclusions Eradication treatment allows resolution of symptoms in a large number of patients with dyspepsia and reduces the endoscopic workload. After a trial of omeprazole, symptoms recur in nearly every patient. Such treatment is also likely to mask an appreciable number of peptic ulcers and cases of oesophagitis.
Mechanisms for anterior cruciate ligament injuries in badminton

Introduction A high incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries related to sports activities has been reported; however, the injury situation of ACL injury in badminton has not been elucidated. This study investigated the mechanism of ACL injury in badminton using a questionnaire. Methods Information on injury mechanism was gathered from interviews with six male and 15 female badminton players who received a non-contact ACL injury playing badminton and underwent ACL reconstruction. Results The most common injury mechanism (10 of 21 injuries) was single-leg landing after overhead stroke. Nine of 10 players had injured the knee opposite to the racket-hand side. The second most frequent injury mechanism (eight of 21 injuries) was plant-and-cut while side-stepping or backward stepping. All eight players injured the knee of the racket-hand side. Eleven injuries occurred in the rear court, and six of the 11 injuries occurred during single-leg landing after an overhead stroke. Conclusion The knee opposite to the racket-hand side tended to sustain the ACL injuries during single-leg landing after a backhand overhead stroke, whereas the knee of the racket-hand side tended to be injured by plant-and-cut during side or backward stepping. These injury patterns appear to be due to specific movements during badminton.
Screening of As-Accumulating Plants Using a Foliar Application and A Native Accumulation of As

The discovery of novel accumulating plants is useful for efficient phytoremediation due to the demands of various conditions of impacted sites such as land use, soil properties, concentration of pollutants, and climate. In the present study, we investigated foliar application or a field with highly bioavailable arsenic (As) to screen As-accumulating plants. Plants grown in the downstream of a hot springs area were analyzed for native As accumulation and As foliar application, and the rhizosphere soils were collected. The water-soluble As in the rhizosphere soils had a high average, 144 μg/kg, whereas total As was similar to normal soil in Japan. Among 34 herbaceous plants and 17 woody plants, Chelidonium majus var. asiaticum accumulated a relatively high As level, 8.07 mg/kg DW (93.6% of As added), that was not revealed by native accumulation. In a further pot experiment, C. majus accumulated a moderately high As level (314 mg/kg DW) in the roots but not in the shoot (30.1 mg/kg DW), and exhibited a low transfer factor (TF = 0.096). Thus, a foliar application would be a simple and high-throughput method to screen plants that accumulate and tolerate As. C. majus would be useful as a tool for phytostabilization of As.
Targeted Inhibition of Osteopontin Expression in the Mammary Gland Causes Abnormal Morphogenesis and Lactation Deficiency*

Osteopontin (OPN) is a sialic acid-rich, adhesive, extracellular matrix (ECM) protein with Arg-Gly-Asp cell-binding sequence that interacts with several integrins, including αvβ3. Since the ECM is a key regulator of mammary gland morphogenesis, and mammary epithelial cells express OPN at elevated levels, we sought to determine whether this protein plays a role in the postnatal mammary gland development. By generating transgenic mice that express OPN antisense-RNA (AS-OPN mice) in the mammary epithelia we achieved suppression of OPN production in this organ. The pregnant AS-OPN mice displayed a lack of mammary alveolar structures, a drastic reduction in the synthesis of β-casein, whey acidic milk protein, and lactation deficiency. In agreement with these findings, we uncovered that a mammary cell line, NMuMG, which undergoes both structural and functional differentiation on ECM-coated plates, when transfected with an antisense OPN-cDNA construct, failed to undergo such differentiation. Furthermore, the results of gel-invasion assays demonstrated that these cells manifest elevated matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity when OPN expression is significantly reduced. The identity of this proteinase as MMP-2 is confirmed by Western blotting, zymography, and inhibition of its activity by a specific inhibitor, TIMP-2. Taken together, our results demonstrate, for the first time, an essential role of OPN in mammary gland differentiation and that the molecular mechanism(s) of its action, at least in part, involves down-regulation of MMP-2.
Effects of zoochory on the spatial genetic structure of plant populations

Spatial genetic structure (SGS) of plants results from the nonrandom distribution of related individuals. SGS provides information on gene flow and spatial patterns of genetic diversity within populations. Seed dispersal creates the spatial template for plant distribution. Thus, in zoochorous plants, dispersal mode and disperser behaviour might have a strong impact on SGS. However, many studies only report the taxonomic group of seed dispersers, without further details. The recent increase in studies on SGS provides the opportunity to review findings and test for the influence of dispersal mode, taxonomic affiliation of dispersers and their behaviour. We compared the proportions of studies with SGS among groups and tested for differences in strength of SGS using Sp statistics. The presence of SGS differed among taxonomic groups, with reduced presence in plants dispersed by birds. Strength of SGS was instead significantly influenced by the behaviour of seed dispersal vectors, with higher SGS in plant species dispersed by animals with behavioural traits that result in short seed dispersal distances. We observed high variance in the strength of SGS in plants dispersed by animals that actively or passively accumulate seeds. Additionally, we found SGS was also affected by pollination and marker type used. Our study highlights the importance of vector behaviour on SGS even in the presence of variance created by other factors. Thus, more detailed information on the behaviour of seed dispersers would contribute to better understand which factors shape the spatial scale of gene flow in animal‐dispersed plant species.
Social Integration of Immigrants and the Attitude of the Native Population in European Countries

In this paper, I focus on the relationships between the attitude of the native population towards immigrants and immigration (ATII) in 20 European countries and the level of social integration and perceived discrimination of first and second generation immigrants in those countries. The stringency of naturalization policies in the host countries is also taken into consideration as a mechanism of the development of these relationships. The results confirm that a country’s naturalization policies fairly represent most ATII indicators, and that immigrants feel less discriminated against in more welcoming societies. However, no systematic relationship was revealed between the attitude of the native population and the social integration of immigrants. On the other hand, the results suggest lower perceived discrimination and higher social integration of first generation immigrants in countries where the naturalization status of immigrants is more secured, and the possibility of dual nationality is more restricted. The results also show that the perceived discrimination of immigrants does not decline with the duration of residence in the host countries, but the latter revealed a positive relationship with the social integration of immigrants.
Clinical Effectiveness of Topical Cyclosporine A 0.05% After Laser Epithelial Keratomileusis

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of topical cyclosporine A 0.05% after laser epithelial keratomileusis (LASEK). Methods: This retrospective nonrandomized comparative analysis was performed in 40 patients (80 eyes) with myopia who underwent flap-off LASEK. Twenty patients (group A) were treated with topical cyclosporine A 0.05% in combination with conventional treatment, and 20 patients (group B) received conventional treatment only. In each group, 10 patients had preoperative dry eye. Uncorrected visual acuity, refractive error, corneal haze grade, symptom score, and ocular surface parameters were measured in both groups before LASEK and at 1, 2, 4, and 8 weeks postoperatively. Results: There were no significant differences between the groups in postoperative uncorrected visual acuity, spherical equivalent, corneal haze grade, Schirmer test values, and keratoepitheliopathy scores. Group A had lower symptom scores (0.80 ± 0.52 vs.1.35 ± 0.49; P < 0.01) and higher tear film break-up time (BUT) (8.05 ± 1.39 vs. 6.55 ± 1.39 seconds; P < 0.01) compared with group B at 4 weeks after LASEK. In addition, in preoperative dry eye patients, symptom scores and tear film BUT returned to preoperative level at 4 weeks postoperatively in group A, whereas they returned to preoperative level at 8 weeks in group B. Conclusions: Treatment with topical cyclosporine A 0.05% can improve ocular discomfort and increase tear film BUT during the early postoperative period, especially in patients with preoperative dry eye.
Anuran radiations and the evolution of tadpole morphospace

Anurans (frogs and toads) are unique among land vertebrates in possessing a free-living larval stage that, parallel to adult frogs, diversified into an impressive range of ecomorphs. The tempo and mode at which tadpole morphology evolved through anuran history as well as its relationship to lineage diversification remain elusive. We used a molecular phylogenetic framework to examine patterns of morphological evolution in tadpoles in light of observed episodes of accelerated lineage diversification. Our reconstructions show that the expansion of tadpole morphospace during the basal anuran radiation in the Triassic/Early Jurassic was unparalleled by the basal neobatrachian radiation in the Late Jurassic/Early Cretaceous or any subsequent radiation in the Late Cretaceous/Early Tertiary. Comparative analyses of radiation episodes indicate that the slowdown of morphospace expansion was caused not only by a drop in evolutionary rate after the basal anuran radiation but also by an overall increase in homoplasy in the characters that did evolve during later radiations. The overlapping sets of evolving characters among more recent radiations may have enhanced tadpole diversity by creating unique combinations of homoplastic traits, but the lack of innovative character changes prevented the exploration of fundamental regions in morphospace. These complex patterns transcend the four traditionally recognized tadpole morphotypes and apply to most tissue types and body parts.
Fast Gaussian filtering algorithm using splines

For many purposes such as rotatable feature extraction and noise reduction, the Gaussian filter is often used. Many present algorithms compute it using much time or compute a rectangle filter instead of it giving up rotation invariance. In this paper, we propose a method to shorten computational time of the Gaussian filter. The proposed method uses an nth-order spline, where n is higher than one. Precomputing an integrated input image, the proposed method can calculate a Gaussian-filtered pixel value with several multiplications and summations in constant time on the size of the source image and the size of the Gaussian filter. As the result of evaluation, the proposed method using an approximated Gaussian filter within 3.5 percent error is faster than the naïve method if application area of the Gaussian filter is larger than 8×8 pixels.
[Sexual function and factors associated with sexual dysfunction in climacteric women.]

PURPOSE To evaluate the sexual function and factors associated with sexual dysfunction in climacteric women. METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted on 173 women aged 35 to 65 years old, with a steady partner during the last 6 months, who are literate, without cognitive impairment, and with sexual activity for at least 6 months. The instrument used to assess sexual performance was the Sexual Quotient, female version. The association between sexual dysfunction and sociodemographic data, personal, obstetric and sexual history was determined by Pearson's χ2 test and strength of association by the odds ratio (OR) with a 95% confidence interval (95%CI). RESULTS In this study, 46.2% of the women reported sexual dysfunction. There was a decrease in the chance of sexual dysfunction for the age group between 35 and 49 years old (OR=0.3; 95%CI 0.2-0.6) and for women who felt comfortable talking about sex (OR=0.5; 95%CI 0.2-0.8). However, the presence of osteoporosis (OR=3.3; 95%CI 1.5-7.6), urinary incontinence (OR=2.0; 95%CI 1.1-3.7), and surgical corrections of the pelvic floor (OR=2.2; 95%CI 1.1-4.5) increased this chance. CONCLUSIONS The frequency of sexual dysfunction in women aged 35 to 65 years old was 46.2% and factors such as osteoporosis, urinary incontinence and surgical corrections of the pelvic floor increased the chance of sexual dysfunction.
Polyproline II helix is the preferred conformation for unfolded polyalanine in water

Does aqueous solvent discriminate among peptide conformers? To address this question, we computed the solvation free energy of a blocked, 12‐residue polyalanyl‐peptide in explicit water and analyzed its solvent structure. The peptide was modeled in each of 4 conformers: α‐helix, antiparallel β‐strand, parallel β‐strand, and polyproline II helix (PII). Monte Carlo simulations in the canonical ensemble were performed at 300 K using the CHARMM 22 forcefield with TIP3P water. The simulations indicate that the solvation free energy of PII is favored over that of other conformers for reasons that defy conventional explanation. Specifically, in these 4 conformers, an almost perfect correlation is found between a residue's solvent‐accessible surface area and the volume of its first solvent shell, but neither quantity is correlated with the observed differences in solvation free energy. Instead, solvation free energy tracks with the interaction energy between the peptide and its first‐shell water. An additional, previously unrecognized contribution involves the conformation‐dependent perturbation of first‐shell solvent organization. Unlike PII, β‐strands induce formation of entropically disfavored peptide:water bridges that order vicinal water in a manner reminiscent of the hydrophobic effect. The use of explicit water allows us to capture and characterize these dynamic water bridges that form and dissolve during our simulations. Proteins 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.