Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rao-Blackwellized Gaussian Sum Particle Filtering for Multipath Assisted Positioning

In multipath assisted positioning, multipath components arriving at a receiver are regarded as being transmitted by a virtual transmitter in a line-of-sight condition. As the locations and clock offsets of the virtual and physical transmitters are in general unknown, simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) schemes can be applied to simultaneously localize a user and estimate the states of physical and virtual transmitters as landmarks. Hence, multipath assisted positioning enables localizing a user with only one physical transmitter depending on the scenario. In this paper, we present and derive a novel filtering approach for our multipath assisted positioning algorithm called Channel-SLAM. Making use of Rao-Blackwellization, the location of a user is tracked by a particle filter, and each landmark is represented by a sum of Gaussian probability density functions, whose parameters are estimated by unscented Kalman filters. Since data association, that is, finding correspondences among landmarks, is essential for robust long-term SLAM, we also derive a data association scheme. We evaluate our filtering approach for multipath assisted positioning by simulations in an urban scenario and by outdoor measurements.
The Use of Laypersons to Support Tuberculosis Screening at a Kenyan Referral Hospital

Background: The former Nyanza Province of Kenya bore the brunt of HIV-driven tuberculosis (TB); 62% of the 19,152 cases in 2010 were HIV co-infected. The use of laypersons to improve TB case finding in community settings has shown rewarding results in other countries. We have no documented Kenyan experience in health facility settings. We evaluated the benefit of using laypersons to support TB screening and referrals at the former Nyanza Province of kenya province's largest regional referral facility. Methods: In 2010, five high school graduates were trained on symptomatic recognition of TB suspects and assisted sputum production by the region's District's TB and Leprosy Coordinator. They then identified and referred TB suspects (from hospital patients and visitors) at waiting-areas and wards to clinicians and documented their TB screening and referral outcomes. We describe results from one waiting-area with complete documentation between January and December 2011. Results: Of the 217 TB suspects identified, majority were male (55%); their median age was 36 (range 1–70) years. 11% (23) were aged <15 years; 65% (15) were diagnosed with TB by, a combination of sputum microscopy and chest X-rays (5) followed by chest X-ray alone (50), then sputum microscopy alone (1), and TB score chart (4). Of those aged 15+ years, 72% (140) were diagnosed with TB by a combination of sputum microscopy and chest X-rays (75) followed by sputum microscopy alone (38), and chest X-ray alone (27). Excluding cases that transferred out, this process contributed to 33% of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Teaching and Referral Hospital's annual TB case burden. Conclusions: TB case detection in high TB burden regions can be supported the use of laypersons in hospital settings.
A Fourier-Analytic Approach for the Discrepancy of Random Set Systems

One of the prominent open problems in combinatorics is the discrepancy of set systems where each element lies in at most $t$ sets. The Beck-Fiala conjecture suggests that the right bound is $O(\sqrt{t})$, but for three decades the only known bound not depending on the size of the set system has been $O(t)$. Arguably we currently lack techniques for breaking that barrier. In this paper we introduce discrepancy bounds based on Fourier analysis. We demonstrate our method on random set systems. Suppose one has $n$ elements and $m$ sets containing each element independently with probability $p$. We prove that in the regime of $n \geq \Theta(m^2\log(m))$, the discrepancy is at most $1$ with high probability. Previously, a result of Ezra and Lovett gave a bound of $O(1)$ under the stricter assumption that $n \gg m^t$.
Relationship between lean practices, soft total quality management and innovation skills in Lebanese hospitals.

Background Lean practices are critical to eliminate waste and enhance the quality of healthcare services through different improvement approaches of total quality management (TQM). In particular, the soft side of TQM is used to develop the innovation skills of employees that are essential for the continuous improvement strategies of hospitals. Aim The main objective was to study the relationship between lean practices, soft TQM and innovation skills in Lebanese hospitals. Methods A quantitative methodology was applied by surveying 352 employees from private and public hospitals in Lebanon. The primary collected data were valid and reliable when analysed by SPSS and AMOS software as a part of structural equation modelling. Results Lean practices significantly influenced the innovation skills; however, soft TQM did not mediate this relationship because it was not well implemented, especially at the level of people-based management and continuous improvement. Conclusion This study has implications for healthcare practitioners to make greater efforts to implement lean practices and soft TQM. Future studies are suggested to highlight different challenges facing quality improvement in the Region.
Using Inherent Structures to design Lean 2-layer RBMs

Understanding the representational power of Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs) with multiple layers is an ill-understood problem and is an area of active research. Motivated from the approach of \emph{Inherent Structure formalism} (Stillinger & Weber, 1982), extensively used in analysing Spin Glasses, we propose a novel measure called \emph{Inherent Structure Capacity} (ISC), which characterizes the representation capacity of a fixed architecture RBM by the expected number of modes of distributions emanating from the RBM with parameters drawn from a prior distribution. Though ISC is intractable, we show that for a single layer RBM architecture ISC approaches a finite constant as number of hidden units are increased and to further improve the ISC, one needs to add a second layer. Furthermore, we introduce \emph{Lean} RBMs, which are multi-layer RBMs where each layer can have at-most $O(n)$ units with the number of visible units being n. We show that for every single layer RBM with $\Omega(n^{2+r}), r \ge 0$, hidden units there exists a two-layered \emph{lean} RBM with $\Theta(n^2)$ parameters with the same ISC, establishing that 2 layer RBMs can achieve the same representational power as single-layer RBMs but using far fewer number of parameters. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first result which quantitatively establishes the need for layering.
Muscle Glycogen Utilisation during an Australian Rules Football Game.

PURPOSE To better understand the carbohydrate (CHO) requirement of Australian Football (AF) match play by quantifying muscle glycogen utilisation during an in-season AF match. METHODS After a 24 h CHO loading protocol of 8 g/kg and 2 g/kg in the pre-match meal, two elite male forward players had biopsies sampled from m. vastus lateralis before and after participation in a South Australian Football League game. Player A (87.2kg) consumed water only during match play whereas player B (87.6kg) consumed 88 g CHO via CHO gels. External load was quantified using global positioning system technology. RESULTS Player A completed more minutes on the ground (115 vs. 98 min) and covered greater total distance (12.2 vs. 11.2 km) than Player B, though with similar high-speed running (837 vs. 1070 m) and sprinting (135 vs. 138 m), respectively. Muscle glycogen decreased by 66% in Player A (Pre-: 656, Post-: 223 mmol∙kg-1 dw) and 24% in Player B (Pre-: 544, Post-: 416 mmol∙kg-1 dw), respectively. CONCLUSION Pre-match CHO loading elevated muscle glycogen concentrations (i.e. >500 mmol.kg-1 dw), the magnitude of which appears sufficient to meet the metabolic demands of elite AF match play. The glycogen cost of AF match play may be greater than soccer and rugby and CHO feeding may also spare muscle glycogen use. Further studies using larger sample sizes are now required to quantify the inter-individual variability of glycogen cost of match play (including muscle and fibre-type specific responses) as well examine potential metabolic and ergogenic effects of CHO feeding.
Long‐term clinical observations for a biofunctionalized stent: Yet to deliver their theoretical benefits

Endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) may allow accelerated and functional endothelialization of stents, theoretically reducing late stent complications as well reducing the duration of DAPT. In a pilot study of 193 patients at high risk of target vessel failure (TVF), the Genous EPC capturing stent (ESC) and TAXUS Liberté paclitaxel‐eluting second‐generation stent (PES) were similar at 5‐years. Events rates appear higher for ESC within the first‐year followed by higher rate of complications for PES during years 2–5. A larger randomized multi‐center trials powered for non‐inferiority of ECS to PES is underway.
Broadband mm-Wave Microstrip Array Antenna With Improved Radiation Characteristics for Different 5G Applications

A Ka-band inset-fed microstrip patches linear antenna array is presented for the fifth generation (5G) applications in different countries. The bandwidth is enhanced by stacking parasitic patches on top of each inset-fed patch. The array employs 16 elements in an H-plane new configuration. The radiating patches and their feed lines are arranged in an alternating out-of-phase 180° rotating sequence to decrease the mutual coupling and improve the radiation pattern symmetry. A (24.4%) measured bandwidth (24.35–31.13 GHz) is achieved with −15 dB reflection coefficients and 20 dB mutual coupling between the elements. With uniform amplitude distribution, a maximum broadside gain of 19.88 dBi is achieved. Scanning the main beam to 49.5° from the broadside achieved 18.7 dBi gain with −12.1 dB sidelobe level. These characteristics are in good agreement with the simulations, rendering the antenna to be a good candidate for 5G applications.
Acute and chronic effects of foam rolling vs eccentric exercise on ROM and force output of the plantar flexors

ABSTRACT Foam rolling and eccentric exercise interventions have been demonstrated to improve range of motion (ROM). However, these two modalities have not been directly compared. Twenty-three academy soccer players (age: 18 ± 1; height: 1.74 ± 0.08 m; body mass: 69.3 ± 7.5 kg) were randomly allocated to either a foam rolling (FR) or eccentric exercise intervention designed to improve dorsiflexion ROM. Participants performed the intervention daily for a duration of four weeks. Measurements of dorsiflexion ROM, isometric plantar flexion torque and drop jump reactive strength index were taken at baseline (pre-intervention) and at three subsequent time-points (30-min post, 24-hours post and 4-weeks post). A significant time x group interaction effect was observed for dorsiflexion (P = 0.036), but not for torque or reactive strength index. For dorsiflexion, there was a significant increase in both acute (30-min; P < 0.001) and chronic (4-week; P < 0.001) ROM for the eccentric group, whilst FR exhibited only an acute improvement (P < 0.001). Eccentric training would appear a more efficacious modality than foam rolling for improving dorsiflexion ROM in elite academy soccer players.
Adrenal crisis in a 14-year-old boy 12 years after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Summary We report on a boy of Albanian descent with the history of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML). JMML was diagnosed at the age of 17 months and treated by hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). At the age of 14.3 years, about 12 years after HSCT, he was hospitalized with an adrenal crisis. Hormone findings were consistent with primary adrenal insufficiency. Autoimmune adrenalitis was confirmed by positive autoantibodies against 21-hydroxylase and adrenal tissue. Since autoimmune Hashimoto thyroiditis was already known from the age of 9 years, we assume that both diseases are part of the spectrum of autoimmune polyglandular syndrome (APS) type 2. APS type 2 is a rare endocrine disease characterized by Addison’s disease along with autoimmune thyroid disease and/or type 1 diabetes. Learning points: Endocrine sequelae after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) are common and can develop over a long period. Primary adrenal insufficiency after HSCT is absolutely rare. The combination of adrenal autoimmune disease and Hashimoto thyroiditis is consistent with autoimmune polyglandular syndrome type 2.
Relevance feedback-based building recognition

Building recognition is a nontrivial task in computer vision research which can be utilized in robot localization, mobile navigation, etc. However, existing building recognition systems usually encounter the following two problems: 1) extracted low level features cannot reveal the true semantic concepts; and 2) they usually involve high dimensional data which require heavy computational costs and memory. Relevance feedback (RF), widely applied in multimedia information retrieval, is able to bridge the gap between the low level visual features and high level concepts; while dimensionality reduction methods can mitigate the high-dimensional problem. In this paper, we propose a building recognition scheme which integrates the RF and subspace learning algorithms. Experimental results undertaken on our own building database show that the newly proposed scheme appreciably enhances the recognition accuracy.
A General Aqueous Silanization Protocol to Introduce Vinyl, Mercapto or Azido Functionalities onto Cellulose Fibers and Nanocelluloses

The effective and straight-forward modification of nanostructured celluloses under aqueous conditions or as “never-dried” materials is challenging. We report a silanization protocol in water using catalytic amounts of hydrogen chloride and then sodium hydroxide in a two-step protocol. The acidic step hydrolyzes the alkoxysilane to obtain water-soluble silanols and the subsequent addition of catalytic amounts of NaOH induces a covalent reaction between cellulose surficial hydroxyl groups and the respective silanols. The developed protocol enables the incorporation of vinyl, thiol, and azido groups onto cellulose fibers and cellulose nanofibrils. In contrast to conventional methods, no curing or solvent-exchange is necessary, thereby the functionalized celluloses remain never-dried, and no agglomeration or hornification occurs in the process. The successful modification was proven by solid state NMR, ATR-IR, and EDX spectroscopy. In addition, the covalent nature of this bonding was shown by gel permeation chromatography of polyethylene glycol grafted nanofibrils. By varying the amount of silane agents or the reaction time, the silane loading could be tuned up to an amount of 1.2 mmol/g. Multifunctional materials were obtained either by prior carboxymethylation and subsequent silanization; or by simultaneously incorporating both vinyl and azido groups. The protocol reported here is an easy, general, and straight-forward avenue for introduction of anchor groups onto the surface of never-dried celluloses, ready for click chemistry post-modification, to obtain multifunctional cellulose substrates for high-value applications.
A study of the correlation of insulin resistance and leptin with inflammatory factors and vascular endothelial injury in T2DM patients with CHD

The purpose of this study was to explore the correlation of insulin resistance (IR) and leptin with inflammatory factors and vascular endothelial injury in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) complicated with coronary heart disease (CHD) was explored. One hundred and fifty normal patients (normal group), 150 patients with pure T2DM (T2DM group) and 150 patients with T2DM complicated with coronary heart disease (T2DM + CHD group) were selected from Xi'an No. 5 Hospital. All the participants met our inclusion criteria. Age, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, blood lipid and fasting plasma glucose (FPG), of all the subjects were measured. Chemiluminescent immunoassay was adopted for the detection of FPG and double-antibody sandwich method was used for the determination of fasting plasma leptin, and assay of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Insulin resistance index (IRI) was used to evaluate IR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was adopted for the detection of von Willebrand factor (vWF) and endothelin (ET-1). Compared with the control group, patients in the T2DM + CHD group and those in the T2DM group had higher homeostasis model assessment-IR, and higher assay of plasma leptin, hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α (P<0.05), and lower vascular endothelial function (P<0.05). Moreover, compared with the T2DM group, T2DM + CHD group had higher plasma leptin, and higher assay of hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α (P<0.05). IRI was positively correlated with hs-CRP (r=0.521, P=0.001), IL-6 (r=0.359, P=0.001) and TNF-α (r=0.386, P=0.001), leptin was positively correlated with hs-CRP (r=0.305, P=0.001), IL-6 (r=0.259, P=0.002) and TNF-α (r=0.429, P=0.001), and IRI had no correlation with ET-1 (r=0.058, P=0.734) and vWF (r=0.047, P=0.812), that is, it had no direct correlation with vascular endothelial function. Level of leptin was positively correlated with ET-1 (r=0.366, P=0.001) and vWF (r=0.471, P=0.001), that is, it was negatively correlated with vascular endothelial function. Our results showed that leptin, hs-CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α are involved in the occurrence and development of CHD in patients with T2DM. IR has no direct correlation with the occurrence and development of CHD in patients with T2DM.
Echoes from Space: Grouping Commands with Large-Scale Telemetry Data

Background: As evolving desktop applications continuously accrue new features and grow more complex with denser user interfaces and deeply-nested commands, it becomes inefficient to use simple heuristic processes for grouping gui commands in multilevel menus. Existing search-based software engineering studies on user performance prediction and command grouping optimization lack evidence-based answers on choosing a systematic grouping method. Research Questions: We investigate the scope of command grouping optimization methods to reduce a user's average task completion time and improve their relative performance, as well as the benefit of using detailed interaction logs compared to sampling. Method: We introduce seven grouping methods and compare their performance based on extensive telemetry data, collected from program runs of a cad application. Results: We find that methods using global frequencies, user specific frequencies, deterministic and stochastic optimization, and clustering perform the best. Conclusions: We reduce the average user task completion time by more than 17%, by running a Knapsack Problem algorithm on clustered users, training only on a small sample of the available data. We show that with most methods using just a 1% sample of the data is enough to obtain nearly the same results as those obtained from all the data. Additionally, we map the methods to specific problems and applications where they would perform better. Overall, we provide a guide on how practitioners can use search-based software engineering techniques when grouping commands in menus and interfaces, to maximize users' task execution efficiency.
Impact of Angiotensin-converting Enzyme and Matrix Metalloproteinase-3 Gene Polymorphisms on Risk for Developing Vascular Access Failure in Hemodialysis Patients — A Pilot Study

For adequate hemodialysis, functional vascular access is obligatory. Neointimal hyperplasia (NIH) has a central role in stenosis and thrombosis development, which represent the most frequent causes of vascular access failure. Polymorphism of different genes that have a significant role in endothelial function may have an impact on NIH development. Therefore, the aim of our study is to determine the effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) I/D and matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP3) 5A/6A polymorphism on risk for developing vascular access failure in hemodialysis patients. The study included 200 patients on regular hemodialysis at Nephrology Department, University Medical Center Zvezdara. Retrospective analysis included a collection of general and vascular access data from medical records. Genetic analysis was performed by using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism method (PCR-RFLP). Patients were divided into two groups: Group 1—patients who have never experienced vascular access failure and Group 2—patients who have at least one spontaneous vascular access failure. There was no difference in age, gender, hemodialysis vintage, main diagnosis, presence of hypertension, and diabetes mellitus between the two groups. There were no statistically significant differences in the frequencies of ACE and MMP3 genotypes between the two groups. Without statistical significance, it was found that homozygotes for I allele had two times higher risk for developing vascular access failure than homozygotes for D allele (OR 2.00; 95%CI: 0.727–5.503; P = 0.180). In addition, patients with 5A allele have 1.7 times higher risk for developing vascular access failure compared with patients without this allele (OR 1.745; 95% CI: 0.868–3.507; P = 0.118). Patients with vascular access failure do not have different genotype distribution regarding ACE gene and MMP3 gene polymorphism as compared with patients without vascular access failure. Still, homozygotes for I allele and homozygotes for 5A allele have higher risk for developing vascular access failure compared with other patients.
The Effectiveness of Social Robots for Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Studies

Background and Objectives Social robots may promote the health of older adults by increasing their perceived emotional support and social interaction. This review aims to summarize the effectiveness of social robots on outcomes (psychological, physiological, quality of life, or medications) of older adults from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Research Design and Methods A mixed-method systematic review of RCTs meeting the study inclusion criteria was undertaken. Eight databases were electronically searched up to September 2017. Participants' characteristics, intervention features, and outcome data were retrieved. The mean difference and standardized mean difference with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were synthesized to pool the effect size. Results A total of 13 articles from 11 RCTs were identified from 2,204 articles, of which 9 studies were included in the meta-analysis. Risk of bias was relatively high in allocation concealment and blinding. Social robots appeared to have positive impacts on agitation, anxiety, and quality of life for older adults but no statistical significance was found in the meta-analysis. However, results from a narrative review indicated that social robot interactions could improve engagement, interaction, and stress indicators, as well as reduce loneliness and the use of medications for older adults. Discussion and Implications Social robots appear to have the potential to improve the well-being of older adults, but conclusions are limited due to the lack of high-quality studies. More RCTs are recommended with larger sample sizes and rigorous study designs.
TP 393 . 02 Survey of Asynchronous Networks-on-Chip

宋 威 Doug Edwards School of Computer Science, the University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL UK ({songw,doug}@cs.man.ac.uk) 摘 要 异步片上网络具有低动态功耗、对延迟抖动的不敏感、统一的网络接口、较低的系统集成复杂度和 较好的电磁兼容能力等众多特性,是下一代片上多核微处理器和多核片上系统的标准片上通信架构之一。 在简单介绍了异步电路的相关理论后,从多个方面概述了当前异步片上网络的研究成果,包括网络拓扑、 同步/异步接口、流控制、服务质量、路由算法、低功耗设计、容错和可测性设计以及设计自动化;然后介 绍并分析了一些具有代表性的异步片上网络设计案例。 研究显示,异步片上网络具有众多同步片上网络所 不具备的优点,大量的片上多核系统将使用异步片上网络作为其片上通信系统,但它们的易用性和网络性 能亟待提高。 关键词 异步电路;片上网络;流控制;低功耗;容错 中图法分类号 TP393.02