Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
White Matter Biomarkers Associated with Motor Change in Individuals with Stroke: A Continuous Theta Burst Stimulation Study

Continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) is a form of noninvasive repetitive brain stimulation that, when delivered over the contralesional hemisphere, can influence the excitability of the ipsilesional hemisphere in individuals with stroke. cTBS applied prior to skilled motor practice interventions may augment motor learning; however, there is a high degree of variability in individual response to this intervention. The main objective of the present study was to assess white matter biomarkers of response to cTBS paired with skilled motor practice in individuals with chronic stroke. We tested the effects of stimulation of the contralesional hemisphere at the site of the primary motor cortex (M1c) or primary somatosensory cortex (S1c) and a third group who received sham stimulation. Within each stimulation group, individuals were categorized into responders or nonresponders based on their capacity for motor skill change. Baseline diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indexed the underlying white matter microstructure of a previously known motor learning network, named the constrained motor connectome (CMC), as well as the corticospinal tract (CST) of lesioned and nonlesioned hemispheres. Across practice, there were no differential group effects. However, when categorized as responders vs. nonresponders using change in motor behaviour, we demonstrated a significant difference in CMC microstructural properties (as measured by fractional anisotropy (FA)) for individuals in M1c and S1c groups. There were no significant differences between responders and nonresponders in clinical baseline measures or microstructural properties (FA) in the CST. The present study identifies a white matter biomarker, which extends beyond the CST, advancing our understanding of the importance of white matter networks for motor after stroke.
The Role of Calcitriol in Chronic Kidney Disease Mineral Bone Disorder in Dialysis Patients

Chronic kidney disease-mineral bone disorder (CKD-MBD) is a systemic disorder of mineral and bone metabolism. It is a systemic condition that manifests as abnormalities in parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), and vitamin D metabolism, with associated bone abnormalities and ectopic calcification. CKD-MBD is associated with vascular calcification and cardiovascular disease (CVD), and these conditions are closely related to an increased mortality rate. Guidelines for the treatment of CKD-MBD have been published by Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (DOQI) and Kidney Disease Improving Global Outcomes
Rational Use of Dexamethasone in Tuberculous Meningitis

Rational use of drugs is to ensure right drug given to right patient in right dose, at right time using right route. Tuberculous meningitis (TBM) is one of the life threatening forms of tuberculosis with high morbidity, mortality and complication rate. It affects all ages and socio-economic classes. It is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Clinical features include fever, headache, meningism, vomiting, malaise, decreased consciousness, fits, cranial nerve palsies, and strokes. Investigations are done using CSF for lab tests, and CT and MRI. Management includes Anti-TB drugs & steroids. The rationale behind the use of adjuvant corticosteroids lies in reducing the harmful effects of inflammation as the antibiotics kill the organisms. During treatment I/V Dexamethasone is given as adjuvant therapy and after discharge, Prednisolone is prescribed orally. Dose tapering is done to avoid complications of withdrawal symptoms. Shunt Surgery may be prescribed if patient is not responding to the therapy.
Remote Touch Interaction with Stereoscopic Visualizations

Faculty of Engineering Department of Computer Sciences Master of Science in Engineering by David López Betancur Tons of data is gathered in the science fields as the result of tests, simulations or just regular observations. Analyzing this data is a crucial for producing new knowledge, inspect theories or emit a clinical diagnosis. In many cases, the data is multidimensional, being three dimensional representations a better choice when compared with their two dimensional counterpart. It is those three dimensional cases where stereoscopic displays prove their value, providing more perceptual cues that help the viewers making sense of the data. In many cases a static view of the system from one point of view is not enough to scrutinize the data, making the interaction with it an important point to consider. Different approaches use joysticks, gloves, time of flight cameras, among many other different hardware, to enable the interactivity of the visualization system. Among them, the touch-sensitive displays appear as an attractive interaction option providing a simple yet immersive user experience. However, when touch input is directly applied on stereoscopic displays some perception issues appear, diminishing the immersion and effectiveness of the interaction. This work presents a way for interacting with stereoscopic visualizations using remote touch input with tablets, overcoming the perception issues. The analysis and design of a prototype is presented, adapting a metaphor for guiding the interaction. Finally, the prototype is evaluated in a study conducted with experts, looking to gather information about the prototype reception and use.
Predictors of knowledge transfer between expatriates and host country nationals

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influences of cultural intelligence, feedback-seeking behavior and shared vision as a mediator on bi-directional knowledge transfer involving expatriates and host country nationals (HCNs). Design/methodology/approach This paper integrates the signaling theory, the social capital theory and the anxiety and uncertainty theory in investigating the relationships between predictors and knowledge transfer in a bi-directional manner. The participants of the study were 125 expatriate-HCN pairs of MNCs and local organizations in the areas of Klang Valley, Malaysia. Findings Shared vision was found to significantly mediate the influences of cultural intelligence and feedback-seeking behavior on knowledge transfer as perceived by the respective respondents. Originality/value Co-existence between expatriates and HCNs leads to many organizational outcomes including knowledge transfer. This paper additionally provides theoretical and practical implications to human resource practices.
Dynamic Competition between Multiproduct Firms: Evidence from the UK Mobile Telecommunications Market∗

This paper analyzes the dynamics of strategies from firms offering menus of tariffs. We use a detailed data set of all mobile tariffs offered between January 2010 to September 2012 in the United Kingdom. First, we estimate hedonic price regressions to describe pricing strategies of each operator in terms of tariff attributes. Second, we explore several econometric specifications to shed the light on how number and composition of tariffs released by operators may be responses to each others. Our preliminary findings highlight a limited differentiation of products offered by firms, even on a novel product dimension, i.e. cellular data.
Color-coded Document Catcher: Interface for Reading Online Documents Using the Psychological Effects of Color

Online documents have two major advantages over paper documents: hypertext and a larger volume of data space in which online reference is possible. However, compared with paper media, electronic media are not necessarily the best in all circumstances. Many people print an online document on paper and then read it. Here we attempt to create an online document interface to support this reading. Having analyzed cue information used to accelerate reading of online documents, how the system should present the documents, and how the documents should be operated by users, we proposed an online document interface that removes hindrances to reading and supports active reading. We also employ the psychological effects of color in order to realize this interface. Moreover, we confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed color interface by comparing it with both a randomly colored interface and a colorless interface.
Insight into the Tropism of Dengue Virus in Humans

In tropical and subtropical zones, arboviruses are among the major threats to human life, affecting a large number of populations with serious diseases. Worldwide, over three hundred million people are infected with dengue virus (DENV) every year as per the World Health Organization (WHO). DENV-mediated disease severity ranges from a mild fever to hemorrhagic fever and shock syndrome. Patients suffering from severe infection might experience multi-organ failure, cardiomyopathy and even encephalopathy, further complicating the disease pathogenesis. In life-threatening cases, DENV has been reported to affect almost all organs of the human body. In this review, we discuss the organ tropism of DENV in humans in depth as detected in various autopsy studies. Keeping in mind the fact that there is currently no DENV-specific antiviral, it is of utmost importance to achieve a vivid picture of the susceptible cells in humans which might help in designing antivirals against DENV, especially targeting those tissues in which infection might lead to life-threatening conditions.
Revisiting ssFix for Better Program Repair

A branch of automated program repair (APR) techniques look at finding and reusing existing code for bug repair. ssFix is one of such techniques that is syntactic search-based: it searches a code database for code fragments that are syntactically similar to the bug context and reuses such retrieved code fragments to produce patches. Using such a syntactic approach, ssFix is relatively lightweight and was shown to outperform many other APR techniques. In this paper, to investigate the true effectiveness of ssFix, we conducted multiple experiments to validate ssFix's built-upon assumption (i.e., to see whether it is often possible to reuse existing code for bug repair) and evaluate its code search and code reuse approaches. Our results show that while the basic idea of ssFix, i.e., reusing existing code for bug repair, is promising, the approaches ssFix uses are not the best and can be significantly improved. We proposed a new repair technique sharpFix which follows ssFix's basic idea but differs in the code search and reuse approaches used. We evaluated sharpFix and ssFix on two bug datasets: Defects4J and Bugs.jar-ELIXIR. The results confirm that sharpFix is an improvement over ssFix. For the Defects4J dataset, sharpFix successfully repaired a total of 36 bugs and outperformed many existing repair techniques in repairing more bugs. For the Bugs.jar-ELIXIR dataset, we compared sharpFix, ssFix, and four other APR techniques, and found that sharpFix has the best repair performance. In essence, the paper shows how effective a syntactic search-based approach can be and what techniques should be used for such an approach.
Collusion-Secure Fingerprinting for Digital Data

This paper discusses methods for assigning codewords for the purpose of fingerprinting digital data (e.g., software, documents, and images). Fingerprinting consists of uniquely marking and registering each copy of the data. This marking allows a distributor to detect any unauthorized copy and trace it back to the user. This threat of detection will deter users from releasing unauthorized copies. A problem arises when users collude: For digital data, two different fingerprinted objects can be compared and the differences between them detected. Hence, a set of users can collude to detect the location of the fingerprint. They can then alter the fingerprint to mask their identities. We present a general fingerprinting solution which is secure in the context of collusion. In addition, we discuss methods for distributing fingerprinted data.
Full Counting Statistics of Electrons through Interaction of the Single Quantum Dot System with the Optical Field

In this paper, using the particle-number-resolved master equation, the properties of full counting statistics (FCS) are investigated for a single quantum dot (QD) system interacting with optical fields in the thermal state, Fock state, coherent state, and coherent state with random phase. In these diverse quantum states of optical fields, average tunneling currents have different step shoulder heights at a lower bias voltage with the same light intensity, and a staircase-shaped current can be induced unexpectedly in vacuum state optical field. The characteristics of the Fano factor and skewness in the coherent state differ from those in all of the other cases. For avalanche-like transport at a lower bias voltage, the mechanism is a dynamical channel blockade in a moderate electron–photon interaction regime. There is a pronounced negative differential conductance that results from tuning the phase of the coherent state optical field in a symmetric QD system.
No effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on contrast sensitivity function.

BACKGROUND Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a well-established non-invasive brain stimulation technique that has been widely applied to modulate cortical excitability in human brain. The results of previous tDCS studies on modulating contrast sensitivity, one of the most fundamental visual functions, were mixed. OBJECTIVE We aim to systematically investigate the effects of anodal tDCS on contrast sensitivity functions (CSF), evaluate the responsiveness explanation of tDCS effects, and discuss results along with measurement precision. METHODS We designed a single-blinded, sham-controlled within-subject study. Twenty-seven healthy adult subjects received three sets of 15 min tDCS (two 2-mA anodal and one sham) that delivered at Oz, with CSF measured before and after each tDCS stimulation. Experimental sessions were separated by at least twenty-four hours. CSF was assessed with a Bayesian procedure that accurately estimated CSF within minutes. The anodal tDCS-induced effect was gauged with the change in CSF after stimulation; responsiveness was indexed by correlation between CSF changes in different stimulation; precision was calculated from resampling. RESULTS Our results indicated that neither the first nor the second session anodal tDCS altered the CSF significantly. Responsiveness was inconsistent between the two anodal sessions, indicating the usual responder/non-responder explanation of tDCS effects was unconvincing. Precision was less than 2 dB and constant throughout the whole experiment. CONCLUSIONS The anodal tDCS, at least with two sessions, has no effect on modulating CSF. The absence of anodal tDCS effect on CSF was not due to subject's responsiveness to tDCS or measurement precision. More studies were needed to determine the optimal vision modulation configuration.
A New Quadratic Classifier and the Application to Biometr ic Recognition

In image recognition applications, the number of training examples per class is not considerably larger than the dimension of the feature space and consequently the conventional quadratic classifier either performs poorly or cannot be calculated. Thus, a considerable amount of effort has been devoted to the design of other quadratic classifiers, for use in limited sample and high dimensional problems. In this paper, a new quadratic classifier called Maximum Entropy Covariance Selection (MECS) is presented. This classifier combines the sample group covariance matrices and the pooled covariance matrix under the principle of maximum uncertainty. It is a direct method and does not require an optimisation procedure. In order to evaluate the MECS effectiveness, experiments on face and fingerprint recognition were carried out and compared with other similar classifiers, including the Reguralized Discriminant Analysis (RDA), the Leave-One-Out Covariance estimator (LOOC) and the Simplified Quadratic Discriminant Function (SQDF). In both applications, using the publicly released databases FERET and NIST-4, the MECS classifier achieved the highest classification accuracy. The MECS implementation was also faster than those techniques requiring optimisation.
Sustainability of Urban Development with Population Decline in Different Policy Scenarios: A Case Study of Northeast China

Urban shrinkage is becoming a major global challenge and causing a series of challenges to the sustainable urban development. In this study, a system dynamics-based model was proposed and used to dynamically evaluate the sustainability of the urban development under five different policy scenarios in response to population shrinkage. A model was applied to socioeconomic data from eight shrinking cities in Northeast China from 2002 to 2017 to investigate the past and future trends in their urban development sustainability from 2002 to 2035. The results show that the development sustainability indices of the eight cities increased overall up to 2017. However, some then peaked and are now declining. The model predicts that the cities would vary considerably in their development sustainability across the five different scenarios. For example, with smart shrinkage policies, cities are predicted to sustain their current levels of development sustainability; meanwhile, with anti-shrinkage policies, where growth-oriented development is pursued, some cities are also predicted to see improvements in sustainability. The present study provides a technical approach to simulating and investigating the circular feedback mechanism between components of a city system and effectively correlating population shrinkage with urban development sustainability across different policy responses to urban shrinkage.
Amylina w badaniach eksperymentalnych. Fibrylacja – cytotoksyczna agregacja polipeptydu trzustki Amylin under examination. Fibrillation – cytotoxic pancreatic polypeptide aggregation

In patients or animals affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2, non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus [NIDDM]), some pathological deposits, called amyloid, are observed among cells of islets of Langerhans. Among other constituents, the deposits consist of an insoluble, fibrillar form of polypeptide neurohormone called amylin, produced by pancreatic beta cells. It is thought that formation of fibrillar deposits of misfolded and aggregated polypeptide is highly toxic to beta cells and leads to cell dysfunction, cell loss, pancreas destruction and progress of the disease. Due to the extreme insolubility of this polypeptide and its instant fibrillation, amylin constitutes a methodological problem, and there is a need for a special methodology in experiments. Some mechanisms and factors that govern amylin fibrillization are rather poorly understood. This article presents amylin as a fibrillating molecule and some methods and methodological aspects and problems that emerge at successive steps during the fibrillation process, including hypothesized cytotoxicity mechanisms of this polypeptide.
Sociodemographic factors that affect the real treatment rate among patients diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia

Abstract Background Real treatment rate among patients diagnosed with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH/LUTS) and also its association with sociodemographic factor (SDF) have not been extensively investigated. Methods Data were obtained from the 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, and 2016 waves of the Korean Longitudinal Study of Aging (KLoSA). Among 10,254 individuals at the first baseline survey in 2006, a total of 4383 participants were ultimately included for final analysis. For statistical analysis, chi-square tests and generalized estimating equation regression models were conducted. Results The prevalence rate of BPH/LUTS was 6.1% (266/4383) and real treatment rate was 58.3 percent (155/266). After adjusting for all confounders, odds ratio (OR) for the treatment of prostate disease in patients ages 55–64 and 65 years or more was 1.884 times higher (95% CI 1.096–3.237; p = .022) and 2.989 times higher (95% CI 1.755–5.091; p < .0001) than patients ages under 55, respectively. The OR for treatment of prostate disease in those residing in urban areas was 0.756 times lower (95% CI 0.573–0.998; p = .048) than those residing in metropolitan areas. The OR for treatment of prostate disease in those with bad self-rated health was 1.886 times higher (95% CI 1.461–2.436; p < .0001), compared to those with good self-rated health. Conclusion The real treatment rate among patients diagnosed with BPH/LUTS was 58.3%, a larger treatment rate than earlier reports. However, there are still a large proportion of patients who do not seek treatment; and age, residential area, and self-rated health were all found to be associated with real treatment rate.
Factors Affecting Dividend Payout Ratio Period 2011-2015

This study analyzes the factors that affect dividend payout ratio policy on companies which are registered in agricultural sector for the period of 2011-2015. There are six companies that meet the criteria namely PT.Astra Agro Lestari (AALI), PT.London Sumatera Indonesia Plantation(LSIP), PT.New Tunas Lampung (TBLA), PT.Sampoerna Agro (SGRO), PT.Sinar Mas Agro Resources and Technology (SMART), and PT.Bisi International (BISI). The method of analysisused to process the data is static panel data. The result of panel data regression with selected method pooled least square shows that both variables ROEand Exchange Rate have positive and significant effect on the dividend payout ratio.
Real-Time Healthcare Data Transmission for Remote Patient Monitoring in Patch-Based Hybrid OCC/BLE Networks

Research on electronic healthcare (eHealth) systems has increased dramatically in recent years. eHealth represents a significant example of the application of the Internet of Things (IoT), characterized by its cost effectiveness, increased reliability, and minimal human effort in nursing assistance. The remote monitoring of patients through a wearable sensing network has outstanding potential in current healthcare systems. Such a network can continuously monitor the vital health conditions (such as heart rate variability, blood pressure, glucose level, and oxygen saturation) of patients with chronic diseases. Low-power radio-frequency (RF) technologies, especially Bluetooth low energy (BLE), play significant roles in modern healthcare. However, most of the RF spectrum is licensed and regulated, and the effect of RF on human health is of major concern. Moreover, the signal-to-noise-plus-interference ratio in high distance can be decreased to a considerable extent, possibly leading to the increase in bit-error rate. Optical camera communication (OCC), which uses a camera to receive data from a light-emitting diode (LED), can be utilized in eHealth to mitigate the limitations of RF. However, OCC also has several limitations, such as high signal-blockage probability. Therefore, in this study, a hybrid OCC/BLE system is proposed to ensure efficient, remote, and real-time transmission of a patient’s electrocardiogram (ECG) signal to a monitor. First, a patch circuit integrating an LED array and BLE transmitter chip is proposed. The patch collects the ECG data according to the health condition of the patient to minimize power consumption. Second, a network selection algorithm is developed for a new network access request generated in the patch circuit. Third, fuzzy logic is employed to select an appropriate camera for data reception. Fourth, a handover mechanism is suggested to ensure efficient network allocation considering the patient’s mobility. Finally, simulations are conducted to demonstrate the performance and reliability of the proposed system.