Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Area-Efficient and Highly Linear Reconfigurable Continuous-Time Filter for Biomedical Sensor Applications

This paper proposes a compact, high-linearity, and reconfigurable continuous-time filter with a wide frequency-tuning capability for biopotential conditioning. It uses an active filter topology and a new operational-transconductance-amplifier (OTA)-based current-steering (CS) integrator. Consequently, a large time constant τ, good linearity, and linear bandwidth tuning could be achieved in the presented filter with a small silicon area. The proposed filter has a reconfigurable structure that can be operated as a low-pass filter (LPF) or a notch filter (NF) for different purposes. Based on the novel topology, the filter can be readily implemented monolithically and a prototype circuit was fabricated in the 0.18 μm standard complementary-metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) process. It occupied a small area of 0.068 mm2 and consumed 25 μW from a 1.8 V supply. Measurement results show that the cutoff frequency of the LPF could be linearly tuned from 0.05 Hz to 300 Hz and the total-harmonic-distortion (THD) was less than −76 dB for a 2 Hz, 200 mVpp sine input. The input-referred noises were 5.5 μVrms and 6.4 μVrms for the LPF and NF, respectively. A comparison with conventional designs reveals that the proposed design achieved the lowest harmonic distortion and smallest on-chip capacitor. Moreover, its ultra-low cutoff frequency and relatively linear frequency tuning capability make it an attractive solution as an analog front-end for biopotential acquisitions.
OP-NDTJ190299 1..4

Frailty is a medical syndrome manifested by an increased vulnerability to minor stressors caused by a reduction in a person’s homeostatic reserves [1]. It comprises domains such as nutritional status, energy expenditure, metabolic rate, cognitive function and sarcopenia. Frailty should be differentiated from ‘comorbidity’ or ‘disability’ [2]. Patients without comorbidities can still be frail, and although frailty leads to disability, a disabled person is not necessarily frail. Elderly people are particularly susceptible to developing frailty, but younger patients can be frail as well [3]. Frail patients are at a higher risk of death, become more dependent on others and more often end up being institutionalized, compared with non-frail patients of the same age and with a comparable number of comorbidities. The relationship between chronic kidney disease (CKD) and frailty is well established, and the degree of frailty in CKD and end-stage kidney disease correlates with the quality of life and survival [4]. By contrast, the relationship between acute kidney injury (AKI) and frailty is less commonly studied. AKI and frailty share common pathways and there seems to exist a bidirectional relationship between the two conditions (Figure 1). Predicted demographics show an increasing number of elderly people in parallel with an increasing number of patients at risk for AKI, CKD and frailty. Hence, the concept of frailty should be acknowledged in acute nephrology and included in clinical decision-making. On a societal, ethical and health economics level, there is much to gain if frail patients could be identified for whom certain therapies could be considered futile and should be advised against, such as starting renal replacement therapy (RRT) for severe AKI.
Intracoronary Injection of Autologous CD34+ Cells Improves One-Year Left Ventricular Systolic Function in Patients with Diffuse Coronary Artery Disease and Preserved Cardiac Performance—A Randomized, Open-Label, Controlled Phase II Clinical Trial

This phase II randomized controlled trial tested whether intracoronary autologous CD34+ cell therapy could further improve left ventricular (LV) systolic function in patients with diffuse coronary artery disease (CAD) with relatively preserved LV ejection fraction (defined as LVEF >40%) unsuitable for coronary intervention. Between December 2013 and November 2017, 60 consecutive patients were randomly allocated into group 1 (CD34+ cells, 3.0 × 107/vessel/n = 30) and group 2 (optimal medical therapy; n = 30). All patients were followed for one year, and preclinical and clinical parameters were compared between two groups. Three-dimensional echocardiography demonstrated no significant difference in LVEF between groups 1 and 2 (54.9% vs. 51.0%, respectively, p = 0.295) at 12 months. However, compared with baseline, 12-month LVEF was significantly increased in group 1 (p < 0.001) but not in group 2 (p = 0.297). From baseline, there were gradual increases in LVEF in group 1 compared to those in group 2 at 1-month, 3-months, 6-months and 12 months (+1.6%, +2.2%, +2.9% and +4.6% in the group 1 vs. −1.6%, −1.5%, −1.4% and −0.9% in the group 2; all p < 0.05). Additionally, one-year angiogenesis (2.8 ± 0.9 vs. 1.3 ± 1.1), angina (0.4 ± 0.8 vs. 1.8 ± 0.9) and HF (0.7 ± 0.8 vs. 1.8 ± 0.6) scores were significantly improved in group 1 compared to those in group 2 (all p < 0.001). In conclusion, autologous CD34+ cell therapy gradually and effectively improved LV systolic function in patients with diffuse CAD and preserved LVEF who were non-candidates for coronary intervention (Trial registration: ISRCTN26002902 on the website of ISRCTN registry).
An Improved Method for Road Extraction from High-Resolution Remote-Sensing Images that Enhances Boundary Information

At present, deep-learning methods have been widely used in road extraction from remote-sensing images and have effectively improved the accuracy of road extraction. However, these methods are still affected by the loss of spatial features and the lack of global context information. To solve these problems, we propose a new network for road extraction, the coord-dense-global (CDG) model, built on three parts: a coordconv module by putting coordinate information into feature maps aimed at reducing the loss of spatial information and strengthening road boundaries, an improved dense convolutional network (DenseNet) that could make full use of multiple features through own dense blocks, and a global attention module designed to highlight high-level information and improve category classification by using pooling operation to introduce global information. When tested on a complex road dataset from Massachusetts, USA, CDG achieved clearly superior performance to contemporary networks such as DeepLabV3+, U-net, and D-LinkNet. For example, its mean IoU (intersection of the prediction and ground truth regions over their union) and mean F1 score (evaluation metric for the harmonic mean of the precision and recall metrics) were 61.90% and 76.10%, respectively, which were 1.19% and 0.95% higher than the results of D-LinkNet (the winner of a road-extraction contest). In addition, CDG was also superior to the other three models in solving the problem of tree occlusion. Finally, in universality research with the Gaofen-2 satellite dataset, the CDG model also performed well at extracting the road network in the test maps of Hefei and Tianjin, China.
Prevalence of occult HBV infection in Western countries

Due to a lack of standardized tests, it is difficult to obtain prevalence data and define the real impact of occult HBV infection (OBI) in Western countries. The present review article addresses the prevalence of OBI, defined as presence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) DNA in liver tissue or plasma in HBsAg‐negative subjects, in Western countries. This varies in different studies according to the different methodologies used (based on serology vs virology), to the sample analyzed for the diagnosis (liver tissue vs plasma), to the different populations studied, to the different geographical variations in the HBV spread, to the host characteristics (age, gender, risk factors for acquiring HBV infection) and to the presence of other parenteral infections (hepatitis C virus and/or human immunodeficiency virus [HIV] infections). Considering the different liver diseases analyzed, that is in patients with cryptogenic cirrhosis or advanced liver fibrosis, the prevalence of OBI ranges 4% to 38%. Considering the different populations studied, in the case of parenteral blood exposure it is about 45%, in patients with chronic hepatitis C it is estimated at about 52%, in HIV‐infected patients it ranges from 0% to 45%, in blood donors from 0% to 22.7% and in hemodialysis patients it ranges from 0% to 54%. In conclusion, OBI is a virological entity to be considered when performing the patient's evaluation for immunosuppressive diseases, liver pathologies, or for blood transfusions. Knowing the prevalence and clinical impact of OBI will allow better patient management.
Within-Generation Polygenic Selection Shapes Fitness-Related Traits across Environments in Juvenile Sea Bream

Understanding the genetic underpinnings of fitness trade-offs across spatially variable environments remains a major challenge in evolutionary biology. In Mediterranean gilthead sea bream, first-year juveniles use various marine and brackish lagoon nursery habitats characterized by a trade-off between food availability and environmental disturbance. Phenotypic differences among juveniles foraging in different habitats rapidly appear after larval settlement, but the relative role of local selection and plasticity in phenotypic variation remains unclear. Here, we combine phenotypic and genetic data to address this question. We first report correlations of opposite signs between growth and condition depending on juvenile habitat type. Then, we use single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data obtained by Restriction Associated DNA (RAD) sequencing to search for allele frequency changes caused by a single generation of spatially varying selection between habitats. We found evidence for moderate selection operating at multiple loci showing subtle allele frequency shifts between groups of marine and brackish juveniles. We identified subsets of candidate outlier SNPs that, in interaction with habitat type, additively explain up to 3.8% of the variance in juvenile growth and 8.7% in juvenile condition; these SNPs also explained significant fraction of growth rate in an independent larval sample. Our results indicate that selective mortality across environments during early-life stages involves complex trade-offs between alternative growth strategies.
Abstract 217: Selective Adenosine A2b Receptor Activation Mimics Postconditioning in a Rabbit Infarct Model

Pre-ischemic treatment for cardioprotection against ischemia/reperfusion injury is seldom possible in the clinical setting of acute myocardial infarction. Herein we present evidence that a specific adenosine A 2b receptor agonist limits infarction when administered to ischemic rabbit hearts just prior to reperfusion. Bayer was the first to synthesize specific non-adenosine-like A 2b receptor agonists. One of these, BAY 60 – 6583, was characterized with CHO cells expressing recombinant human A 1 , A 2a or A 2b receptors. EC 50 values for receptor activation by BAY 60 – 6583 were >10,000 nM for both A 1 and A 2a and 3 nM for A 2b receptors. Furthermore BAY 60 – 6583 dilated precontracted isolated rabbit coronary arteries with an EC 50 value of 200 nM. BAY 60 – 6583 was then tested in open-chest rabbits anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital and subjected to 30 min of regional ischemia and 3 h of reperfusion. In untreated rabbits 40.2±3.4% of the risk zone infarcted. In rabbits postconditioned with four cycles of 30-sec reperfusion/30-sec occlusion following the index ischemia, infarction was reduced to 15.5±2.5% (p 2b receptor antagonist MRS 1754 (38.2±4.3% infarction) or 7.5 mg/kg of the non-selective adenosine receptor antagonist 8-p-sulfophenyl theophylline (43.8±5.9% infarction) indicating A 2b involvement. 100 μg/kg of BAY 60 – 6583 infused iv 5 min before the onset of reperfusion and repeated 15 min after reperfusion was equipotent with postconditioning (9.9±3.9% infarction). No adverse hemodynamic effects were seen with the agent. We conclude that protection from postconditioning involves activation of A 2b receptors and this protection can be mimicked by iv administration of the specific A 2b receptor agonist BAY 60 – 6583 at reperfusion.
Adherence to oral anticoagulants among patients with atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies

Introduction Medications cannot exert their effect if not taken as prescribed by patients. Our objective was to summarise the observational evidence on adherence to oral anticoagulants (OACs) among patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods In March 2019, we systematically searched PubMed/Medline, Embase, CINAHL and PsycINFO (from inception) for observational studies measuring adherence, its determinants and impacts in patients with AF. Mean adherence measures and corresponding proportions of adherent patients were pooled using random effects models. Factors shown to be independently associated with adherence were extracted as well as the clinical and economic outcomes of adherence. Results We included 30 studies. Pooled mean adherence scores of over half a million patients with AF 6 months and 1 year after therapy initiation were 77 (95% CI: 74–79) and 74 (68–79) out of 100, respectively. Drug-specific pooled mean adherence score at 6 months and 1 year were as follows: rivaroxaban: 78 (73–84) and 77 (69–86); apixaban: 77 (75–79) and 82 (74–89); dabigatran: 74 (69–79) and 75 (68–82), respectively. There was inadequate information on warfarin for inclusion in meta-analysis. Factors associated with increased adherence included: older age, higher stroke risk, once-daily regimen, history of hypertension, diabetes or stroke, concomitant cardiovascular medications, living in rural areas and being an experienced OAC user. Non-adherent patients were more likely to experience stroke and death, and incurred higher medical costs compared with patients with poor adherence. Conclusions Our findings show that up to 30% of patients with AF are non-adherent, suggesting an important therapeutic challenge in this patient population.
Can the Performance Gap between Women and Men be Reduced in Ultra-Cycling?

This study examined a large dataset of ultra-cycling race results to investigate the sex difference in ultra-cycling performance (100 to 500 miles) according to age and race distance. Data from the time period 1996–2018 were obtained from online available database of the ultra-cycling marathon association (UMCA), including distance-limited ultra-cycling races (100, 200, 400, and 500 miles). A total of 12,716 race results were analyzed to compare the performance between men and women by calendar year, age group (18–34, 35–44, 45–59, and 60+ years), and race distance. Men were faster than women in 100 and 200 mile races, but no sex differences were identified for the 400 and 500 mile races. The performance ratio (average cycling speedmen/average cycling speedwomen) was smaller in the 200 mile races compared to the 100 mile races and remained stable in the 400 and 500 mile races. In all race distances, the difference in average cycling speed between women and men decreased with increasing age. The gender gap in performance was closed in several distance-limited ultra-cycling races, such as the 400 and 500 mile races.
A Systematic Review: Is Aedes albopictus an Efficient Bridge Vector for Zoonotic Arboviruses?

Mosquito-borne arboviruses are increasing due to human disturbances of natural ecosystems and globalization of trade and travel. These anthropic changes may affect mosquito communities by modulating ecological traits that influence the “spill-over” dynamics of zoonotic pathogens, especially at the interface between natural and human environments. Particularly, the global invasion of Aedes albopictus is observed not only across urban and peri-urban settings, but also in newly invaded areas in natural settings. This could foster the interaction of Ae. albopictus with wildlife, including local reservoirs of enzootic arboviruses, with implications for the potential zoonotic transfer of pathogens. To evaluate the potential of Ae. albopictus as a bridge vector of arboviruses between wildlife and humans, we performed a bibliographic search and analysis focusing on three components: (1) The capacity of Ae. albopictus to exploit natural larval breeding sites, (2) the blood-feeding behaviour of Ae. albopictus, and (3) Ae. albopictus’ vector competence for arboviruses. Our analysis confirms the potential of Ae. albopictus as a bridge vector based on its colonization of natural breeding sites in newly invaded areas, its opportunistic feeding behaviour together with the preference for human blood, and the competence to transmit 14 arboviruses.
Persuasive Appeals Predict Credibility Judgments of Phishing Messages

Two studies examined effects of using persuasive appeals in phishing messages on judgments of credibility. Participants were tasked with reading a combination of legitimate and phishing e-mails to determine whether each message was legitimate or a scam. In both Study 1 and Study 2, when phishing messages included more appeals to authority and likability, phishing susceptibility increased. However, as the number of fear and urgency appeals in the message increased, phishing susceptibility decreased, as it was easier for participants to detect the phishing attempt. Contrary to prediction, perceived source likability did not mediate the relationship between appeal type and credibility judgments. Results highlight the importance of authority appeals on credibility, describe relationships between appeal type and phishing susceptibility, and offer strategies for users to defend against online deception.
Reading and Writing Characteristics of Cerebral Infarction Patients with or without Aphasia

배경 및 목적: 좌반구 손상이 있더라도 언어 관련 영역이 침범되지 않으면 실어증이 동반되지 않을 수 있고, 뇌손상으로 인한 인지능력의 변화로 실어증이 없는 상태에서도 실독증과 실서증이 발생할 가능성이 있다. 본 연구에서는 좌반구 뇌경색 환자를 대상으로 실어증 유무에 따른 읽기와 쓰기 수행력 및 오류 양상을 살펴보았다. 방법: 좌반구 뇌경색 환자.
Large Para Esophageal Hernia in Elderly Patients: Laparoscopic Posterior Cruroplasty and Anterior Gastropexy

Background: Para Esophageal Hernia (PEH) is a rare form of hiatal hernia, which commonly occurs in elderly people. Although asymptomatic, it can be associated with severe life-threatening complications, such as gastric volvulus. Surgical treatment is reserved for symptomatic patients. Anterior gastropexy can be an alternative treatment for elderly patients with comorbidities. Herein, we present two cases of complicated PEH that were treated with laparoscopic posterior cruroplasty and anterior gastropexy. Case Summary: An 88-year old woman with a history of Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), presented with epigastric pain, hematemesis and food intolerance for the last two days. Physical exam revealed mild abdominal distention. Chest X-ray showed a left thoracic opacity, and barium swallow images showed a mixed type III PEH. Abdominal CT-scan images confirmed the diagnosis of incomplete gastric volvulus complicating the PEH. The patient underwent a laparoscopic hernia reduction with sac excision, posterior cruroplasty and anterior gastropexy with continuous barbed suturing. The postoperative course was uneventful, and follow-up at 1 and 3 months showed complete resolution of her symptoms. A 91-year old patient was admitted with dyspnea and fever associated with vomiting and food intolerance for the last 7 days. Physical exam revealed absent sounds on both lungs. Chest X-ray showed bilateral pleural effusions with a large left opacity suggestive of a hiatal hernia. CT-scan images revealed a giant PEH with complete gastric volvulus. The patient underwent emergency laparoscopic hernia reduction and sac excision, with reinforced posterior cruroplasty, and anterior gastropexy with continuous barbed suturing. There were no surgical complications, but the patient died on the 4th day postoperatively due to respiratory failure. Conclusion: Early laparoscopic posterior cruroplasty and anterior gastropexy is a safe and effective surgical alternative for elderly patients with comorbidities, presenting with symptomatic PEH. Wissam G El Hajj Moussa1, Simon E Rizk1, Elias SMakhoul2 and Elie H Chelala1* 1Department of General Surgery, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon 2Department of Gastro-Enterology, Holy Spirit University of Kaslik, Lebanon
“I think I could have designed it better, but I didn’t think that it was my place”: a critical review of home modification practices from the perspectives of health and of design

Abstract Purpose: The research presented demonstrates the disharmony between end user goals and their consideration in service outcomes within ageing-in-place and asks “what can design offer health” within this domain. Methods: Data was collected using semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders within the context of ageing in place. All data are thematically analysed through a theoretical lens of control theory. Results: The results demonstrate a contrast between purported patient-centred care models, and a human-centred design model. This contrast in cultures causes a disconnect between the health practitioners and the end users, with a lack of clarity about the end user's intended engagement within the modification of their environment. Consequently, the goals of older adults are inadequately represented as typical home modification design processes often fail to support the reflection of goals in practice, in turn, restricting client engagement and control. Reviewing occupational therapy practices through the critical lens of control has highlighted opportunities for service improvements. Conclusion: The consideration of co-design methodologies within home modification design is a way to reinforce client engagement and provide better pathways for older adults to remain in control and raise acceptability of modification through a better-informed decision-making process. Implications for Rehabilitation The following points detail the implications of this research upon the rehabilitation practice and theory: Compliance with recommendations is deeply connected to a person’s intrinsic sense of control within the clinical decision-making process. Co-design practices between practitioners and clients provide and novel pathway to achieve truly person-centred care and create better service experiences and clinical outcomes. The human-centred design methodology is highly applicable within clinical practice and provides an opportunity for clinicians to see and learn about their patients through a holistic lens centred around goals and motivations rather than physical impairments. The scoping of health literacy should be inclusive of all service artefacts and touchpoints that a client may encounter throughout the entire duration of experience, this includes design artefacts such as architectural drawings and other home modification designs.
A Review of Visual-LiDAR Fusion based Simultaneous Localization and Mapping

Autonomous navigation requires both a precise and robust mapping and localization solution. In this context, Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) is a very well-suited solution. SLAM is used for many applications including mobile robotics, self-driving cars, unmanned aerial vehicles, or autonomous underwater vehicles. In these domains, both visual and visual-IMU SLAM are well studied, and improvements are regularly proposed in the literature. However, LiDAR-SLAM techniques seem to be relatively the same as ten or twenty years ago. Moreover, few research works focus on vision-LiDAR approaches, whereas such a fusion would have many advantages. Indeed, hybridized solutions offer improvements in the performance of SLAM, especially with respect to aggressive motion, lack of light, or lack of visual features. This study provides a comprehensive survey on visual-LiDAR SLAM. After a summary of the basic idea of SLAM and its implementation, we give a complete review of the state-of-the-art of SLAM research, focusing on solutions using vision, LiDAR, and a sensor fusion of both modalities.