Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Normative angiographic data relating to the dimensions of the aorta and pulmonary trunk in children and adolescents

Background: Definition of normative data of the great arteries from neonatal to adult ages may aid in assessment of the growth of cardiovascular structures, thus guiding the timing and type of intervention in patients with congenital cardiac disease. Methods: We calculated the cross-sectional areas of the arterial roots at the basal attachment of the valvar leaflets, the sinuses, and standardized distal sites using cineangiograms of 59 normal children and adolescents with mean age of 5.4 plus or minus 4.7 years and a range from 0.1 to 16 years, the children having a mean weight of 21.2 plus or minus 15.7 kilograms, with a range from 2.2 to 68 kilograms, and mean height of 108 plus or minus 35 centimetres, with a range from 43 to 184 centimetres. Values at each site were calculated averaging end-diastolic and end-systolic measurements, and indexed to body surface area. Results are expressed as the mean plus or minus the standard deviation. Results: The diameter of the aortic root at the basal attachment of the leaflets was 249 plus or minus 26, the midpoint of the sinuses 379 plus or minus 59, the sinutubular junction 290 plus or minus 58, the isthmus 158 plus or minus 36, the postisthmic region 152 plus or minus 33, and the descending aorta at the level of diaphragm 130 plus or minus 18 millimetres squared per metre squared. The pulmonary root measured at the basal attachment of the leaflets was 253 plus or minus 28, the midpoint of the sinuses 352 plus or minus 58, the sinutubular junction 293 plus or minus 58, the right pulmonary artery 176 plus or minus 25, the left pulmonary artery 153 plus or minus 20, and sum of right and left pulmonary arteries 330 plus or minus 37 millimetres squared per metre squared. All indexes were consistent over a wide range for body surface areas. Conclusions: Definition of normative data of the great vessels may aid in the evaluation of congenital or acquired abnormalities, serving as guidelines for intervention during medical or surgical management and follow-up.
Lateral DMOS design for ESD robustness

This paper presents the design of efficient ESD protection in lateral DMOS (LDMOS) power transistor. Using characterization of the LDMOS transistor under ESD conditions with various gate and drain clamps, the design for minimum power dissipation is established. The results show that for ESD regime of pulses the channel heating effects are minimum and that optimum ESD level can be achieved by driving the device into maximum possible MOS conduction. Based on these results, an empirical formula for effective ESD design is derived.
Observation of mode-selective phonon excitation of 6H-SiC by MIR-FEL pump and pico-second probe laser

Mode-selective phonon excitation induced by MIR-FEL laser irradiation on a bulk 6H-SiC has been investigated by anti-Stokes (AS) Raman scattering spectroscopy using pico-second laser. We observed a clear peak at 965 cm-1 which corresponds to the absorption energy of the lattice vibration of 6H-SiC when the pump laser wavelength was 10.4 μm (962 cm-1). However, two peaks were observed by slightly detuned pump laser wavelength. Results of time resolved measurement suggested that the origin of these peaks were AS Raman scattering and sum frequency generation on 6H-SiC sample.
A novel indoor localization scheme

Ultra-wideband (UWB) receivers can resolve individual multipath components (MPCs), due to the signal occupied a large bandwidths, so they are capable of accurately estimating the time of flight of the signal. To realize high-accuracy indoor localization, a novel UWB locating scheme through estimating the round trip time (RTT) of UWB signal is proposed. Each reference station (RS) transmits the baseband pulse modulated UWB signals. The signals are received by the user terminals (UT) and sent back to the original RS using a different carrier frequency. We can easily calculate the position of the UT by detecting the time gap between the feedback signal and the origin signal. Meanwhile, the multi-path detection algorithm for RTT estimation is presented and the localization performance of the proposed scheme is tested under IEEE 802.15. 4a channel models. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed scheme can realize high accuracy localization with an error around the centimeter level.
Amplitude-Integrated EEG and Brain Sparing in Preterm Small-for-Gestational-Age Infants

Purpose: Preterm small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants are at risk for a high mortality rate and impaired cognitive development. Only a few studies have focused on amplitude-integrated EEG (aEEG) in preterm SGA infants. They have been shown to have a slower rate of brain maturation, but these findings have not consistently been related to neurodevelopmental outcomes. The aim of our study was to evaluate early aEEG monitoring in SGA compared with adequate-for-gestational-age preterms. Methods: This prospective cohort study enrolled infants with very low birth weight who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit at Hospital Puerta del Mar, Cádiz, Spain, from June 2009 to September 2012. This study was a subanalysis of SGA from the global cohort previously described by our group. Adverse outcome included severe intraventricular hemorrhage and/or death. Cerebral function was monitored using aEEG recordings during the first 72 hours of life. Results: Preterm SGA infants (18 SGA in the global cohort of 92 patients) had lower 1- and 5-minute Apgar scores, higher score for neonatal acute physiology perinatal extension II scores, and higher proportion of adverse outcomes. When comparing preterm adequate-for-gestational-age infants with SGA infants with good prognosis, those with SGA had more mature and continuous aEEG patterns. Low margin amplitude depression was not as severe in these patients, and a higher proportion of these patients developed sleep–wake cycles. Conclusions: The results of our study suggest that SGA infants with a good prognosis have a more mature aEEG pattern than preterm adequate-for-gestational-age patients with the same outcome. These findings support the brain sparing theory in SGA infants.
Physical Manipulation of Subcutaneously Implanted Cardiac Muscle in Rat Increased Plasma Atrial Natriuretic Peptide Concentration

To examine the effects of physical stretch on cardiac muscle endocrine activ ity, the authors transplanted whole neonatal hearts subcutaneously into the back and the ears of the correspondent mother (n=9). Seven days later, physical manipulation was applied on the implanted heart by stretching the skin and the subcutaneous tissue encasing the implanted cardiac muscle, for a period of five to ten minutes. Such manipulation was repeated approximately every seven days postoperatively for a total of two to four times for each rat. The plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) levels were measured by radioimmunoassay prior to and immediately following manipulation. Postmanipulation plasma ANP levels were found to increase from the premanipulation levels. At two weeks postimplant, the average increase was 290% with the highest single-speci men increase being nearly twelvefold. The increases observed at two and three weeks following implantation had Signed Rank Test p values of 0.015 and 0.042 respectively. The viability of the implanted hearts was confirmed by cell culture. Light microscopic immunocytochemistry detected ANP immunoreactivity in the implanted cardiocytes. The elevated plasma ANP concentration induced by the manipulation appeared to be correlated with the functional status of the im planted cardiocytes. In conclusion: (1) Subcutaneously transplanted neonatal myocardiocytes survived for at least three to four weeks while retaining the ability to produce ANP. (2) Physical manipulation of implanted heart induced ANP release. There fore, cardiac ANP production and release is indeed stimulated by physical stretching.
Improving the scan rate and image quality in tapping Mode Atomic Force Microscopy with piezoelectric shunt control

The scan rate of tapping mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), when scanning in air, may be improved by reducing the quality (Q) factor of the micro-cantilever. Passive piezoelectric shunt control is implemented in the AFM by placing an electrical impedance in series with the cantilever tip oscillation circuit. This method is used to reduce the Q factor of a piezoelectric self actuating AFM micro-cantilever by a factor of 8. Experimental results demonstrate that scan rate and image quality may be improved significantly using this method.
Apparent Foveofugal Drift of Counterphase Gratings

Counterphase gratings, and several other stimuli which consist of equal components of motion in both directions, appeared to drift foveofugally, rather than foveopetally, when presented to the retinal periphery. This ‘foveofugal drift effect’ was demonstrated by descriptive and nulling techniques and its magnitude was shown to vary across subjects. The effect was fairly brief under continuous fixation. Several lines of evidence suggested that eye movements were not responsible for the effect. The phenomenon implies a directional asymmetry in the human visual system which may be related to our consistent exposure to expanding patterns of visual flow.
Ubiquitous computing in sports: A review and analysis

Abstract Ubiquitous (pervasive) computing is a term for a synergetic use of sensing, communication and computing. Pervasive use of computing has seen a rapid increase in the current decade. This development has propagated in applied sport science and everyday life. The work presents a survey of recent developments in sport and leisure with emphasis on technology and computational techniques. A detailed analysis on new technological developments is performed. Sensors for position and motion detection, and such for equipment and physiological monitoring are discussed. Aspects of novel trends in communication technologies and data processing are outlined. Computational advancements have started a new trend – development of smart and intelligent systems for a wide range of applications – from model-based posture recognition to context awareness algorithms for nutrition monitoring. Examples particular to coaching and training are discussed. Selected tools for monitoring rules' compliance and automatic decision-making are outlined. Finally, applications in leisure and entertainment are presented, from systems supporting physical activity to systems providing motivation. It is concluded that the emphasis in future will shift from technologies to intelligent systems that allow for enhanced social interaction as efforts need to be made to improve user-friendliness and standardisation of measurement and transmission protocols.
Fault Detection and Isolation of Actuator Faults in Overactuated Systems

This paper investigates development of fault detection and isolation (FDI) filters for overactuated systems. Due to input channels coupling effects and dependencies in overactuated systems, the necessary condition for applying geometric FDI approaches is not satisfied. In this work a geometric FDI approach for linear systems is extended to overactuated systems. The proposed method is applied to an F-18 HARV aircraft and simulation results presented demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed method for FDI of overactuated systems.
Epidemiological features of bovine tuberculosis in cattle herds in Great Britain

SUMMARY Particular epidemiological features of Mycobacterium bovis infection in cattle herds in Great Britain during the period 1972–8 were examined. During these seven years 1099 herds became infected, the mean annual incidence of herd infection being of the order of one infected herd per 1000 cattle herds. Infection in herds was predominantly a sporadic occurrence; 938 (85·4%) herds experienced only one incident of infection which persisted for less than 12 months. The concentration of infected herds in localized areas of the south-west region England, where infected badgers were the most significant attributed source infection, is demonstrated. The risk of herd infection in relation to badger sett density was also examined in Cornwall, Gloucestershire/Avon and counties in England and Wales outside south-west region of England. The numbers of herds at risk in six categories badger sett density in these three areas were estimated from three random samples of herds drawn from the annual agricultural census. In Cornwall and Gloucestershire/Avon herd infection, associated with infected badgers or for which no source of infection could be found, was positively associated with badger sett density. A similar association between herd infection, not attributable to a source of infection, and badger sett density was found in counties in England and Wales outside the south-west region of England.
Static and Phasic Cross-Talk Effects in Discrete Bimanual Reversal Movements

Abstract The authors examined the hypothesis that the phasic and the static cross-talk effects found in bimanual movements with different target amplitudes originate at different functional levels of motor control, which implies that the effects can be dissociated experimentally. When the difference between the short and the long amplitudes assigned to the 2 hands of 12 participants was decreased, the static effect disappeared. In contrast, the phasic effect, which can be observed only at short preparation intervals, did not disappear; although it became smaller in absolute terms, in relative terms it did not. In addition, the authors compared the time course of amplitude assimilation with the time course of amplitude variability and examined the correlation between left hand and right hand amplitudes. The disappearance of the phasic amplitude assimilation at increasing preparation intervals turned out to be delayed relative to the decline of the correlation between amplitudes. That finding suggests that the assimilation of mean amplitudes and the correlation between left hand and right hand amplitudes are not fully equivalent indicators of intermanual interactions, but may indicate different kinds of inter-limb coupling.
Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia: the influence of the mutation type of the low‐density‐lipoprotein receptor gene and PvuII polymorphism of the normal allele on serum lipid levels and response to lovastatin treatment

Abstract. Objectives. To study whether (i) the low‐density‐lipoprotein (LDL)‐receptor gene mutation type itself or (ii) the PvuII restriction‐fragment‐length polymorphism (RFLP) of the intact LDL‐receptor gene affects serum lipid levels and their responses to lovastatin treatment in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH).
Pkagocyt ~ c Properties of BCG-Induced Alveolar Macrophages

The preceding article (1) delineated the nature and properties of the hydrolase-containing cytoplasmic granules of the BCG-induced alveolar macrophage. These organelles represented a spectrum of morphological types which were considerably denser than mitochondria, were stained with vital dyes, and contained large amounts of hydrolytic enzymes. These enzymes exhibited the property of "latency," were presumably surrounded by a semipermeable membrane, and could be liberated in a soluble form by mechanical trauma. Since the macrophage is an actively phagocytic cell, it was of some interest to examine the fate of these organelles and their contents following the uptake of particulate material. This communication will describe both biochemical and morphological events following the ingestion of microorganisms by BCGinduced alveolar macrophages.
The Role of Ethylene and Wound Signaling in Resistance of Tomato to Botrytis cinerea 1

Ethylene, jasmonate, and salicylate play important roles in plant defense responses to pathogens. To investigate the contributions of these compounds in resistance of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) to the fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea, three types of experiments were conducted: (a) quantitative disease assays with plants pretreated with ethylene, inhibitors of ethylene perception, or salicylate; (b) quantitative disease assays with mutants or transgenes affected in the production of or the response to either ethylene or jasmonate; and (c) expression analysis of defense-related genes before and after inoculation of plants with B. cinerea. Plants pretreated with ethylene showed a decreased susceptibility toward B. cinerea, whereas pretreatment with 1-methylcyclopropene, an inhibitor of ethylene perception, resulted in increased susceptibility. Ethylene pretreatment induced expression of several pathogenesis-related protein genes before B. cinerea infection. Proteinase inhibitor I expression was repressed by ethylene and induced by 1-methylcyclopropene. Ethylene also induced resistance in the mutantNever ripe. RNA analysis showed that Never ripe retained some ethylene sensitivity. The mutantEpinastic, constitutively activated in a subset of ethylene responses, and a transgenic line producing negligible ethylene were also tested. The results confirmed that ethylene responses are important for resistance of tomato to B. cinerea. The mutant Defenseless, impaired in jasmonate biosynthesis, showed increased susceptibility to B. cinerea. A transgenic line with reduced prosystemin expression showed similar susceptibility as Defenseless, whereas a prosystemin-overexpressing transgene was highly resistant. Ethylene and wound signaling acted independently on resistance. Salicylate and ethylene acted synergistically on defense gene expression, but antagonistically on resistance.
Important Aspects in the Treatment of Severe Accidental Hypothermia: The Innsbruck Experience

The purpose of this paper is to review important aspects in the treatment of accidental hypothermia, based on our own experience in rewarming 55 patients with severe accidental hypothermia and a core temperature <30°C. We used three different methods of re warming, adjusted to the patients' hemodynamics: airway rewarming, warmed fluids and insulation in patients with stable hemodynamics (group 1, n = 24), peritoneal dialysis in patients with unstable hemodynamics (group 2, n = 7) and extracorporeal circulation in patients with cardiocirculatory arrest (group 3, n = 24). Survival rates were 100% (group 1), 72% (group 2) and 13% (group 3) retrospectively. Published data supporting our strategy and alternative approaches are reviewed. The method used to rewarm a patient with severe accidental hypothermia should be adjusted to the hemodynamic status. The prognosis is excellent in patients in whom no hypoxic event precedes hypothermia and no serious underlying disease exists.
Water-soluble polymers bearing phosphorylcholine group and other zwitterionic groups for carrying DNA derivatives

Water-soluble polymers with equal positive and negative charges in the same monomer unit, such as the phosphorylcholine group and other zwitterionic groups, exhibit promising potential in gene delivery with appreciable transfection efficiency, compared with the traditional poly(ethylene glycol)-based polycation–gene complexes. These zwitterionic polymers with various architectural structures and properties have been synthesized by various polymerization methods, such as conventional radical polymerization, atom-transfer radical-polymerization, reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer polymerization, and nitroxide-mediated radical polymerization. These techniques have been used to efficiently facilitate gene therapy by fabrication of non-viral vectors with high cytocompatibility, large gene-carrying capacity, effective cell-membrane permeability, and in vivo gene-loading/releasing functionality. Zwitterionic polymer-based gene delivery vectors systems can be categorized into soluble-polymer/gene mixing, molecular self-assembly, and polymer-gene conjugation systems. This review describes the preparation and characterization of various zwitterionic polymer-based gene delivery vectors, specifically water-soluble phospholipid polymers for carrying gene derivatives.
Socii: A Tool to Analyze and Visualize Dynamic Social Networks

Social media network analysis represents a major challenge for data scientists in every aspect, since the extraction all the way to the visualization. Despite representing a major technological challenge, social media data analysis has an additional motivation, that is the daily usage in every country across the planet, making Online Social Network (OSN) a universal tool for communication, such as radio or TV, but with the technological flavor of the 21st century. In the present article, we propose a system, called Socii, for social networks analysis and visualization, as part of an ongoing work under a master’s dissertation. This system overlaps two main scientific fields, sociology (more concisely social networks) and computer science. Socii aims at helping OSNs users to know and understand social structures through a user friendly interface. The system relies in four main principles, namely simplicity, accessibility, OSNs integration and contextual analysis.
Approach to predict the software reliability with different methods

This particular essay expounds upon how one can foresee and predict software reliability. There are two major components that exist within a computer system: hardware and software. The reliabilities between the two are comparable because both are stochastic processes, which can be described by probability distributions. With this said, software reliability is the probability that will function without failure in a given software and in a given environment during a specified period of time. Thus, this is why software reliability is a major and key factor in software developmental processes and quality. However, one can spot the difference between software reliability and hardware reliability where it concerns the quality duration and the fact that software reliability does not decrease its reliability over time.