Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robots and ICT to support play in children with severe physical disabilities: a systematic review

Abstract Purpose: Play is an essential part of children’s lives. Children with physical disabilities experience difficulties in play, especially those with severe physical disabilities. With the progress of innovative technology, the possibilities to support play are increasing. The purpose of this literature study is to gain insight into the aims, control options and commercial availability of information and communication technology (ICT) and robots to support play (especially play for the sake of play) in children with severe physical disabilities. Methods: A systematic literature search in the databases PubMed, CINAHL, IEEE and ERIC was carried out. Titles and abstracts were assessed independently by three reviewers. In addition, studies were selected using Google Scholar, conference proceedings and reference lists. Results: Three main groups of technology for play could be distinguished: robots (n = 8), virtual reality systems (n = 15) and computer systems (n = 4). Besides, ICT and robots developed for specific therapy or educational goals using play-like activities, five of the in total 27 technologies in this study described the aim of “play for play’s sake”. Conclusions: Many ICT systems and robots to support play in children with physical disabilities were found. Numerous technologies use play-like activities to achieve therapeutic or educational goals. Robots especially are used for “play for play’s sake”. Implications for Rehabilitation This study gives insight into the aims, control options and commercial availability for application of robots and ICT to support play in children with severe physical disabilities. This overview can be used in both the fields of rehabilitation and special education to search for new innovative intervention options and it can stimulate them to use these innovative play materials. Especially robots may have great potential in supporting “play for play's sake”.
Evaluation of myocardial metabolism with microdialysis after protection with cold blood- or cold crystalloid cardioplegia. A porcine model

Objectives. There has been a considerable change in the patient population referred for cardiac surgery in the last decade. More complex and marginal patients require optimized myocardial protection. An insufficient cardioplegic procedure results in anaerobic metabolism during cardiac arrest with subsequent lactate accumulation. Increased lactate level is regarded as a predictor for low cardiac output syndrome. In an acute porcine model we examined two standard cardioplegic methods. Myocardial microdialysis was used to investigate the metabolism during cardioplegic arrest and in the reperfusion period. Methods. Twelve domestic pigs were randomly chosen to receive either cold blood-or cold crystalloid cardioplegia. After midline sternotomy two microdialysis probes were implanted in two different regions of the heart. Cardiopulmonary bypass was initiated, aorta was clamped, and antegrade cardioplegia was delivered. These conditions were maintained for 90 min. Subsequent to myocardial reperfusion the animals were observed for 180 min. Microdialysis and plasma markers to characterize myocardial metabolism, and plasma markers for myocardial failure and necrosis were obtained every 30 min. Results. Lactate concentrations were significantly increased in the cold crystalloid cardioplegia group compared to the cold blood cardioplegia group, in tissue dialysate (p < 0.001) as well as in serum (p = 0.018). Pyruvate concentrations in the dialysate were significantly increased in the cold crystalloid cardioplegia group compared to the cold blood cardioplegia group (p = 0.008). There were no significant differences in dialysate concentrations of glycerol. Plasma markers for myocardial failure (Brain Naturetic Peptide) and for myocardial necrosis (Cardiac Troponin T) showed no differences between the groups. Conclusion. The results indicate that cold blood cardioplegia offers superior protection of the heart, in terms of more rapid normalization of myocardial metabolism. The microdialysis technique seems to have a high sensitivity and ability to detect even minor metabolic changes. This enhances the possibility of designing a myocardial protection, which might lower morbidity and mortality risk.
Reducing PEX13 Expression Ameliorates Physiological Defects of Late‐Acting Peroxin Mutants

Proteins are targeted to the peroxisome matrix via processes that are mechanistically distinct from those used by other organelles. Protein entry into peroxisomes requires peroxin (PEX) proteins, including early‐acting receptor (e.g. PEX5) and docking peroxins (e.g. PEX13 and PEX14) and late‐acting PEX5‐recycling peroxins (e.g. PEX4 and PEX6). We examined genetic interactions among Arabidopsis peroxin mutants and found that the weak pex13‐1 allele had deleterious effects when combined with pex5‐1 and pex14‐2, which are defective in early‐acting peroxins, as shown by reduced matrix protein import and enhanced physiological defects. In contrast, combining pex13‐1 with pex4‐1 or pex6‐1, which are defective in late‐acting peroxins, unexpectedly ameliorated mutant growth defects. Matrix protein import remained impaired in pex4‐1 pex13‐1 and pex6‐1 pex13‐1, suggesting that the partial suppression of pex4‐1 and pex6‐1 physiological defects by a weak pex13 allele may result from restoring the balance between import and export of PEX5 or other proteins that are retrotranslocated from the peroxisome with the assistance of PEX4 and PEX6. Our results suggest that symptoms caused by pex mutants defective in late‐acting peroxins may result not only from defects in matrix protein import but also from inefficient removal of PEX5 from the peroxisomal membrane following cargo delivery.
Collagenase and neutral protease activities in cultures of rabbit VX-2 carcinoma.

Summary Primary cultures of minced rabbit VX-2 carcinoma tissue were shown to release collagenolytic activity in serum-free medium. This activity appeared to be a multienzyme system composed of specific collagenase and neutral protease. The collagenase was released at an increasing rate for 4 days and then at a relatively lower rate for 3 to 4 more days. Collagenase release was subject to inhibition by actinomycin D and by cyclohexamide. The collagenase (M.W. approximately 34,000) was purified 7,000-fold by ultrafiltration, (NH4)2SO4 precipitation, column chromatography, and acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme solubilized radioactive peptides from 14C-labeled collagen fibrils at a linear rate as a function of both enzyme concentration and incubation time at 36°, decreased the specific viscosity of acid-soluble collagen solutions to a limit value of 40% of the original viscosity, and cleaved tropocollagen at one site one-fourth of the length from the C-terminal end of the molecule producing TCa (75%) and TCb (25%) fragments as evidenced by disc electrophoresis and electron microscopy of segment-long-spacing aggregates of the products. The purified collagenase had a pH optimum of 7 to 8.5 and was inhibited by sera from normal and tumor-bearing rabbits, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, and cysteine. The neutral protease activity released radioactive trichloroacetic acid-soluble peptides from 14C-labeled gelatin. At temperatures below collagen denaturation, the protease released telopeptides from native tropocollagen without attacking the main triple helical body of the tropocollagen macromolecule. It is suggested that both the collagenase and neutral protease activities may play cooperative roles during tumor invasion of the surrounding tissues.
Treatment of gustatory sweating with low-dose botulinum toxin A: a case report

Frey's syndrome, gustatory sweating in the preauricular area, is an unpleasant phenomenon occurring during meals after surgery on the parotid gland. Recently, botulinum toxin A (BTX) has been shown to reduce the symptoms, but the variation in the reported doses is large. Objective. To quantify the effect of treatment with low-dose BTX in a case of Frey's syndrome over a period of 6 months. Material and methods. A 56-year-old woman was treated with 10 U Botox given as 20 single, intracutaneous injections of 0.5 U, one for each cm2, 3 years after resection of the parotid gland. Before treatment and repeatedly during the 6-month period, the sweating was rated subjectively on a 100-mm visual analog scale (VAS) and by a severity index, and objectively by assessment of the extent of the involved skin area using Minor's iodine-starch test, staining the area of sweating dark. Results. The treatment decreased the involved area from 20 to 5 cm2 and the VAS ratings from 98 to 8 mm. The index showed that treatment affected the sweating intensity, not the frequency. After the 6-month period the patient was still satisfied, but the involved skin area had increased; however, not entirely to pretreatment values. Conclusions. The effect of BTX injections for gustatory sweating obtained in this case was comparable to results reported using higher doses. Low doses of BTX can therefore be used in the treatment of Frey's syndrome, but studies to clarify the dose–response relationship, in terms of both time-course and obtained effect, are needed.
Longitudinal relationship between solute transport and ultrafiltration capacity in peritoneal dialysis patients.

BACKGROUND Time on treatment is associated with a greater risk of impaired ultrafiltration (UF) in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. In addition to increasing solute transport, a potentially treatable cause of impaired ultrafiltration, cross-sectional studies suggest that there is also reduced osmotic conductance of the membrane. If this were the case then it would be expected that the UF capacity for a given rate of solute transport would change with time. The purpose of this analysis was to establish how solute transport and UF capacity change relative to one another with time on therapy. METHODS Membrane function, using a standard peritoneal equilibration test, was measured at least annually in a well-characterized, single-center observational cohort of PD patients between 1990 and 2003. Demography included age, gender, original cause of renal failure, body surface area (BSA), validated comorbidity score, residual urine volume and urea clearances, peritoneal urea clearances, and plasma albumin. RESULTS Data from 574 new PD patients were available for analysis. Independent demographic factors associated with higher solute transport at baseline were male gender and higher residual urine volume. Throughout time on therapy there was a negative relationship between solute transport and UF capacity and a significant increase and decrease in these parameters, respectively. During the first 12 months of treatment, the increase in solute transport was not associated with the expected fall in UF capacity, a phenomenon that was not explained by informative censoring, but was associated with an increased, albeit weak, correlation with BSA. In contrast, later in treatment there was a disproportionate fall in UF capacity, more accelerated in patients developing UF failure. Early exposure to higher intraperitoneal glucose concentrations, in the context of more comorbidity and relative lack of residual renal function, was associated with more rapid deterioration in membrane function. CONCLUSION Despite a causal link between solute transport and UF capacity of the membrane, due to the effect of the former on the osmotic gradient, there is evidence of their longitudinal dissociation. This implies a change in the structure-function relationship with time on treatment that can, to some extent, be predicted from clinical factors present within the first year of treatment. Dialysis-induced membrane injury must involve at least two processes, for example, increased vascular surface area contact with dialysate combined with changes in hydraulic conductance due to scarring of the vessels and interstitium.
Correlation of umbilical cord blood volume with CD34+ cells concentration

Aims: Umbilical cord blood (UCB) has been recently considered as an alternative source of hematopoitic progenitor cells for clinical application. The parameters commonly used to evaluate a UCB unit and predict transplant outcomes have been total nucleated cell count (TNCs), CD34+ cells concentration and total volume of cord blood collected. The volume of cord blood collection is also important for the high yield of CD34+ cells concentration and TNCs. The aim of the study was to find the correlation of umbilical cord blood volume with cord blood derived CD34+ cells concentration. Methods: Umbilical cord blood was collected from normal vaginal and cesarean deliveries. Total volume of cord blood collection was noted. It was immediately processed and assessed for total nucleated cells count and CD34+ cells concentration. Assessment of maternal and neonatal parameters such as mode of delivery, baby’s birth weight and sex, cord blood volume and CD34+ cells concentration was made. Results: Total volume of cord blood and CD34+ cells concentration positively correlated with cesarean delivery and higher birth weight of the baby (p<0.01). We also found that, CD34+ cells concentration was higher in greater volume of collected cord blood. Conclusions: Our study concludes that higher volume of cord blood should be preferred for processing and stem cell infusion.
International Migration Intentions and Illegal Costs: Evidence from Africa-to-Europe Smuggling Routes

Irregular migrants from Africa and the Middle East ow into Europe along land and sea routes under the control of human smugglers. The demise of the Gaddafi regime in 2011 marked the opening of the Central Mediterranean Route for irregular border-crossing between Libya and Italy. This resulted in the immediate expansion of the global smuggling network, which produced an asymmetric reduction in bilateral distance between country pairs across the Mediterranean sea. We exploit this source of spatial and time variation in irregular migration routes to estimate the elasticity of migration intentions to illegal moving costs proxied by distance. We build a novel dataset of geolocalized time-varying migration routes, combined with cross-country survey data on individual intentions to move from Africa (and the Middle East) into Europe. Netting out any country-by-time and pair-level confounders we find a large negative effect of distance along smuggling routes on individual migration intentions. Shorter distances increase the willingness to migrate especially for youth, (medium) skilled individuals and those with a network abroad. The effect is stronger in countries closer to Libya and with weak rule of law.
Current approach in the diagnosis and management of posterior uveitis

Posterior uveitic entities are varied entities that are infective or non-infective in etiology. They can affect the adjacent structures such as the retina, vitreous, optic nerve head and retinal blood vessels. Thorough clinical evaluation gives a clue to the diagnosis while ancillary investigations and laboratory tests assist in confirming the diagnosis. Newer evolving techniques in the investigations and management have increased the diagnostic yield. In case of diagnostic dilemma, intraocular fluid evaluation for polymerase chain testing for the genome and antibody testing against the causative agent provide greater diagnostic ability.
Rotor position estimation of 6/4 Switched Reluctance Motor using a novel neural network algorithm

This paper presents a novel approach for estimating the rotor position of a Switched Reluctance Motor (SRM) drive system using the Cascade Correlation Artificial Neural Network Algorithm (CCNNA). This technique estimates rotor position by measuring the three-phase voltages and currents and using magnetic characteristics of the SRM, with the aid of an ANN. The rotor position estimating technique is used in a high-performance sensor less variable speed SRM drive. The results are compared with the measured values, and the error analyses are given to determine the performance of the developed method. The error analyses have shown great accuracy and successful rotor position estimation technique for a 6/4 pole SRM using the cascade correlation algorithm-based ANN.
Dioxin and Polychlorinated Biphenyl Concentrations in Mother's Serum and the Timing of Pubertal Onset in Sons

Background: Animal studies have demonstrated that timing of pubertal onset can be altered by prenatal exposure to dioxins or polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), but studies of human populations have been quite limited. Methods: We assessed the association between maternal serum concentrations of dioxins and PCBs and the sons' age of pubertal onset in a prospective cohort of 489 mother–son pairs from Chapaevsk, Russia, a town contaminated with these chemicals during past industrial activity. The boys were recruited at ages 8 to 9 years, and 4 years of annual follow-up data were included in the analysis. Serum samples were collected at enrollment from both mothers and sons for measurement of dioxin and PCB concentrations using high-resolution mass spectrometry. The sons' pubertal onset—defined as pubertal stage 2 or higher for genitalia (G) or pubic hair (P), or testicular volume >3 mL—was assessed annually by the same physician. Results: In multivariate Cox models, elevated maternal serum PCBs were associated with earlier pubertal onset defined by stage G2 or higher (4th quartile hazard ratio = 1.7 [95% confidence interval = 1.1– 2.5]), but not for stage P2 or higher or for testicular volume >3 mL. Maternal serum concentrations of dioxin toxic equivalents were not consistently associated with the sons' pubertal onset, although a dose-related delay in pubertal onset (only for G2 or higher) was seen among boys who breast-fed for 6 months or more. Conclusions: Maternal PCB serum concentrations measured 8 or 9 years after sons' births—which may reflect sons' prenatal and early-life exposures—were associated with acceleration in some, but not all, measures of pubertal onset.
Modelagem do aprendizado de grupos de alumnos em ambientes colaborativos utilizando data mining

Resumo. Este artigo descreve um estudo de modelagem do aprendizado de grupos de alunos em ambientes colaborativos utilizando tecnicas de Data Mining. Um agente inteligente e proposto para extrair padroes a partir de uma base de dados que contem informacoes sobre as interacoes dos alunos entre si e com o ambiente colaborativo. A partir dos padroes extraidos, o professor pode ter uma nocao mais concreta do que o grupo realmente esta aprendendo, bem como possuir uma visao geral do processo ensino-aprendizado.
Marketing education: investigating the skills and tasks essential for the establishment of marketing careers

I STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP . III ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . IV CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 1.1: OVERVIEW . 1 1.2: THE CONTRIBUTION OF HIGHER EDUCATION . 4 1.3: THE QUALITY FRAMEWORK FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR IN AUSTRALIA . 6 1.4: EDUCATION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF MARKETING MANAGERS . 8 1.5: SKILLS AND TASKS OF MARKETING MANAGERS . 9 1.6: IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR MARKETING MANAGERS . 11 1.7: CAREER ANCHORS OF MARKETING MANAGERS . 14 1.8: PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH . 16 1.9: RESEARCH QUESTIONS . 16 1.10: OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH DESIGN . 18 1.11: JUSTIFICATION . 20 1.12: CONTRIBUTION . 21 1.13: OVERVIEW OF STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS . 22 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW . 24 2.1: INTRODUCTION . 24 2.2: BACKGROUND . 25 2.3: CHANGING CAREER STRUCTURES, IMPLICATIONS AND DRIVERS OF SUCCESS . 27 2.3. 1: THE TRADITIONAL AND NEW CAREER STRUCTURE . 29 2.3. 2: IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGING ENVIRONMENT FOR EDUCATORS, MARKETERS AND EMPLOYERS . 31 2.3. 3: IMPLICATIONS OF CHANGING CAREER STRUCTURES FOR EMPLOYERS . 35 2.3. 4: CAREER ANCHORS AS DRIVERS OF SUCCESS . 36 2.4: ROLE OF THE MARKETING MANAGER . 45 2.4. 1: CHANGES IMPACTING MARKETING MANAGEMENT . 46 2.4. 1.1: THE WEB. 46 2.4. 1.2: THE DATA EXPLOSION . 47 2.4. 1.3: CHANGING COMPANY NETWORKS . 47
Diesel exhaust particles and their effect on induced cytokine expression in human bronchial epithelial cells

Purpose of reviewIt has been demonstrated that particulate air pollutants such as diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) are associated with allergic respiratory disorders, including asthma and allergic rhinitis. Recent in-vivo and in-vitro studies strongly suggest that DEPs induce both anti-inflammatory and proinflammatory products by activating their transcription. If pollutants are to be controlled in the environment in a cost-effective manner, it is important that the molecular target(s) of DEP-induced responses be elucidated. Bronchial epithelial cells are the key regulators of airway inflammation, and therefore it is crucial to clarify the cellular and molecular mechanisms that are active in these cells. It is also important to compare responses to DEP exposure between healthy and susceptible populations. Recent findingsStudies have shown that DEPs activate several signalling pathways such as mitogen-activated protein kinases and transcription factors, in particular nuclear factor-κ and activator protein-1, in human bronchial epithelial cells; these effects are thought to occur via production of reactive oxygen species. Antioxidants effectively reduce the allergic inflammatory effects of DEPs both in vitro and in mice. SummaryHost responses to DEPs are regulated by a balance between antioxidants and proinflammatory responses. DEP-induced oxidants play a key role in proinflammatory reactions. Recent human studies suggest that chemoprevention against DEP-induced adverse effects in susceptible individuals is possible.
Traffic queue length measurement by using combined methods of Photogrammetry and digital image processing

Real-time measurement of traffic parameters is increasingly demanded for monitoring the traffic status and adjusting the timings of traffic lights. In this paper, we propose an economic and operable approach to measure a traffic queue length on real-time by employing the combination of photogrammetry and image processing methods. The requirement for our development is rather simple: one camera which is fixed in a proper place and a 2D digital vector map. Therefore, it is fairly economic and feasible. There are four steps needed to acquire traffic queue length: control points are derived from a 2D digital vector-map; the interior orientation (IO) and exterior orientation (EO) parameters are extracted; the image is processed and coordinates of vehicle headlights are calculated; vehicles are separated into each lane and the length of traffic queue is calculated. Steps and are only implemented once when a camera is installed. After the parameters of IO and EO are obtained, they can be applied repeatedly. Therefore, this method can be operative in real-time. In addition, separating vehicles into each lane has been a challenging work in the traffic queue study. Our method has solved this problem and achieved a promising result.
ESD robust DeMOS devices in advanced CMOS technologies

Improvement of ∼5X in the IT2 (3.3mA/μm) of a grounded gate N-DeMOS device compared to a standard design is achieved by simple layout variations with a minor impact on its footprint. Robustness of P-DeMOS devices is shown to be further increased by additional p implant in drain region. Electrical and thermal instabilities are studied by Transmission Line Pulsing (TLP), Transient Interferometric Mapping (TIM) method and 3D TCAD simulations.