Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Balloon selection revisited: multi-touch selection techniques for stereoscopic data

With the increasing distribution of multi-touch capable devices multi-touch interaction becomes more and more ubiquitous. Especially the interaction with complex data (e.g. medical or geographical data), which until today mostly rely on mice and keyboard input or intense instrumentation, can benefit from this development. Multi-touch interaction offers new ways to deal with 3D data allowing a high degree of freedom (DOF) without instrumenting the user. This paper evaluates indirect multi-touch 3D selection techniques that can be used to interact with stereoscopic data. In this paper two gestural multi-touch selection techniques are presented and investigated with respect to positions on a stereoscopic multi-touch display and special consideration of objects displayed with different parallaxes. In an experiment it was shown that position and parallax have a significant impact on the interaction.
Pengalaman Komunikasi Penyandang Kanker Serviks dalam Pencarian Informasi Pengobatan di Jawa Barat

Banyak penyandang kanker serviks yang terdiagnosis awal sudah berada pada stadium lanjut. Hal ini diantaranya disebabkan oleh perbedaan aksesnya terhadap informasi kesehatan serta tingkat pemahaman yang berbeda terhadap informasi yang diterimanya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengalaman komunikasi penyandang kanker serviks di Jawa Barat, pola pencarian informasi kesehatan dan jenis informasi kesehatan yang diperlukan penyandang kanker serviks. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian adalah metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologis. Melalui wawancara mendalam terhadap delapan penyandang kanker serviks yang berasal dari Bandung, Bekasi, Karawang, Indramayu, Cirebon dan Pangandaran diperoleh pemahaman bahwa, penyandang kanker serviks yang berasal dari strata sosial ekonomi rendah cenderung merasa terstigma sehingga menghambat aksesnya terhadap informasi dan berimplikasi pada kondisi stadium kanker serviks yang tinggi; mereka yang berasal dari strata sosial ekonomi rendah mendapatkan informasi kesehatan dari teman/kerabat dan dokter, sedangkan yang berasal dari strata yang lebih tinggi selain mendapatkan informasi kesehatan dari dokter, mereka juga mendapatkan informasi dari teman/komunitas dan media massa; mereka memerlukan informasi tentang penyakitnya, pengobatan dan jenis tindakan yang harus dijalani, nutrisi serta gaya hidup yang dapat memperpanjang harapan hidupnya. Diperlukan informasi tentang kanker serviks yang mudah diakses dan mudah dipahami disertai dengan pemberdayaan kader kesehatan yang dapat memberikan pendampingan kepada perempuan yang memiliki gejala awal kanker serviks.
Investigations on the Volcano Smoke Antenna

With the contemporary need for broad-band antennas in digital communications, the volcano smoke antenna (VSA), originally proposed by J. Kraus in the 1940s, has been investigated using current instrumentation and modeling software. A bandwidth of at least 10 to 1 is shown for both the voltagestanding wave ratio (VSWR) and antenna far-field pattern. A detailed comparison between the numerical simulations and experiment over the frequency range of 800 MHz to 15 GHz is presented and excellent agreement observed.
Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease stage 0 is associated with excess FEV(1) decline in a representative population sample.

BACKGROUND The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guideline removed stage 0 (chronic cough and sputum without airflow obstruction, GOLD-0) because of poor prognostic value. Preventative intervention may be relevant for those with chronic symptoms; therefore, we assessed the stability, morbidity, and FEV(1) decline associated with GOLD stage 0 in a representative adult population cohort. METHODS Baseline (n = 4,060) and follow-up (n = 3,206, mean 3.5 years) clinic assessment of the North West Adelaide Health Study included postbronchodilator spirometry, anthropometry, and measures of doctor-diagnosed asthma, respiratory symptoms, smoking status, quality of life, and depression. RESULTS Baseline GOLD-0 prevalence was 17.0% (n = 584). At follow-up (n = 420), 39.8% remained stable, 1.4% progressed to GOLD stages 1 to 2, and 58.8% resolved to no symptoms. Persistent GOLD-0 at follow-up was associated with persistent smoking (men: odds ratio [OR] = 11.9, 95% CI, 6.4-22.1; women: OR = 4.0, 95% CI, 2.1-7.4), and depressive symptoms (men: OR = 3.8, 95% CI, 1.9-7.6; women: OR = 3.2, 95% CI, 1.7-5.9), with highest quartile of FEV(1) decline (mL) per year (OR = 2.1, 95% CI, 1.2-3.7) and the metabolic syndrome (OR = 1.7, 95% CI, 1.01-3.0) in men, and with older age in women. These associations generally held in smokers and never-smokers. Resolving GOLD-0 was associated with smoking cessation (OR = 13.7; 95% CI, 4.6-40.1), FEV(1) decline (mL) per year below the median (OR = 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1-3.5), normal BMI, and younger age groups. Sensitivity analyses based on the presence of sputum did not change the observed associations. CONCLUSION Persistent GOLD-0 identified people with physical and psychologic morbidity in both smokers and nonsmokers. Identification of those with persistent respiratory symptoms is therefore important. Excess FEV(1) decline in men suggests GOLD-0 may identify a group at risk to progress to COPD over time.
Scrotal Morphometric Characteristics of West African Dwarf Rams Administered Aqueous African Marigold Plant ( Aspilia africana ) Extract

Twenty-four West African Dwarf (WAD) rams aged 6-9 months with average weight of 4.65 kg were used in this study. Scrotal morphometric characteristics of rams administered aqueous Aspilia africana extract were examined. The experiment was in a Completely Randomized Design (CRD). The rams were randomly assigned to four (4) treatment groups, designated T 1 , T 2 , T 3 and T 4 . There were six rams per treatment; each treatment was replicated 3 times with 2 rams per replicate. Rams in T 1 (control) received 10 ml of distilled water whereas T 2 , T 3 and T 4 were administered aqueous Aspilia africana extract at 1000, 2000, and 3000 mg- 1 kg body weight, respectively. Rams in all the treatment groups were fed 2 kg of mixed forages, 500 g of the same concentrate diet daily and water were supplied ad libitum . Scrotal circumferences, scrotal lengths and scrotal volumes of the rams were measured weekly pre-, during and post-experiment. Results of the study revealed no significant differences (P>0.05) in the scrotal morphometric characteristics of the rams pre-experiment. Whereas, significant differences (P 1 ) had the highest mean values for scrotal circumference and scrotal volume. Similar trend was observed post-experiment where rams in T 2 , T 3 and T 4 , had scrotal circumferences of 19.67cm, 18.83cm and 16.67cm and scrotal volumes of 175.00ml, 100.00ml, 50.00ml, respectively. Rams in the control group had SC of 21.83cm and SV of 383.33ml. The findings of this study showed that Aspilia africana might have deleterious effects on fertility of rams administered with it. Thus, it is recommended that Aspilia africana be fed to animals not meant for breeding until an anti-dote which can suppress its anti-fertility effect is discovere
Novel Computational Analysis of Left Atrial Anatomy Improves Prediction of Atrial Fibrillation Recurrence after Ablation

The left atrium (LA) can change in size and shape due to atrial fibrillation (AF)-induced remodeling. These alterations can be linked to poorer outcomes of AF ablation. In this study, we propose a novel comprehensive computational analysis of LA anatomy to identify what features of LA shape can optimally predict post-ablation AF recurrence. To this end, we construct smooth 3D geometrical models from the segmentation of the LA blood pool captured in pre-procedural MR images. We first apply this methodology to characterize the LA anatomy of 144 AF patients and build a statistical shape model that includes the most salient variations in shape across this cohort. We then perform a discriminant analysis to optimally distinguish between recurrent and non-recurrent patients. From this analysis, we propose a new shape metric called vertical asymmetry, which measures the imbalance of size along the anterior to posterior direction between the superior and inferior left atrial hemispheres. Vertical asymmetry was found, in combination with LA sphericity, to be the best predictor of post-ablation recurrence at both 12 and 24 months (area under the ROC curve: 0.71 and 0.68, respectively) outperforming other shape markers and any of their combinations. We also found that model-derived shape metrics, such as the anterior-posterior radius, were better predictors than equivalent metrics taken directly from MRI or echocardiography, suggesting that the proposed approach leads to a reduction of the impact of data artifacts and noise. This novel methodology contributes to an improved characterization of LA organ remodeling and the reported findings have the potential to improve patient selection and risk stratification for catheter ablations in AF.
The Effect of Massive Weight Loss on Arterial Oxygenation and Pulmonary Function Tests

Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and arterial oxygenation were studied 24 hours preoperatively and again at varying times (5 to 20 months) during the postoperative weight loss of 37 morbidly obese patients. Among PFTs, expiratory reserve volume (ERV) demonstrated the most significant (P < 0.001) improvement with weight loss. No clinically relevant differences were found after weight loss in FEV1, FVC, or MMEF. In 11 patients whose arterial blood gases were sampled before and after weight loss, a significant correlation was demonstrated between change in ERV and change in Pao2 (r = 0.59, P < 0.05) and P(A-a)o2 (r = 0.76, P < 0.01). When weight loss is expressed as either change in body mass index (δBMI) or as a change in percent of ideal weight (δwt), there existed a weight loss threshold for improvement in arterial oxygenation. A δBMI of greater than 20 or a δ wt more than 100 per cent resulted in a significant improvement in Pa02 (P < 0.01) or P(A-a)01 (P < 0.05). These data suggest that morbidly obese patients do not meaningfully improve FEV1, FVC, or MMEF with massive weight loss. However, there is a significant improvement in ERV that directly correlates with improvement in both Pa02 and P(A-a)02.
Being with information technology

One example is recent year’s development of virtual communities, which, by creating new or enhancing existing relationships between humans, actualize dimensions of social relationships previously not existing. Through the existence of virtual communities and other forms of experiential information technologies, conventional understandings of reality, communities, cultures, and representations are becoming blurred and challenged.
Serotonin: a mediator of the brain–gut connection

Serotonin is an important brain neurotransmitter that is relevant to depression, migraine, and other neuropsychiatric illnesses. It has been estimated that about 95% of serotonin is found in the GI tract. Research about gut serotonin lags behind that in brain and, similarly, the application of serotonergic agents to gut disorders is still in its infancy. In the past decade, serotonin antagonists have been used in chemotherapy-induced emesis, and some serotonin agonists are prescribed as prokinetic drugs. In irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), serotonergic antidepressants have been used in clinical practice, but they also modulate central cholinergic, adrenergic, or dopaminergic systems. Selective serotonin agonists and antagonists are being proposed for treatment of gut disorders, primarily because of their direct effects on the gut rather than any central effects. Our goal in this review is to provide the reader with an understanding of the basic physiology of serotonin (a mediator of the brain–gut connection), serotonin receptor subtypes, the role of serotonin in diseases of the gut, and the potential role of agonists and antagonists in GI clinical therapeutics. In summarizing this information for readers with an interest in gastroenterology, we wish to bear witness to the pioneering work and consistent contributions over almost four decades of a pre-eminent neuroscientist, Dr. Michael D. Gershon, who first proposed that serotonin fulfilled the criteria for a neurotransmitter in the GI tract and, subsequently, contributed to the characterization of receptor subtypes that have led to novel therapeutic agents in the field of neurogastroenterology.
Parallel Kernel K-Means on the CPU and the GPU

K-Means is probably the leading clustering algorithm with several applications in varying fields such as image processing and patterns analysis. K-Means has been the basis for several clustering algorithms including Kernel KMeans. In machine intelligence and related domains Kernelization transforms the data into a higher dimensional feature space by calculating the inner products between the different pairs of data in that space. This work targets Kernel K-Means and presents parallel implementations of the clustering algorithm using CUDA on the GPU and OpenMP, Cilk-Plus and BLAS on the CPU. The implementations are tested on different datasets leading to different speedups with CUDA achieving the faster runtimes.
Prognostic Value of Virological and Immunological Responses After 6 Months of Antiretroviral Treatment in Adults With HIV-1 Infection in Sub-Saharan Africa

Background: HIV RNA monitoring is not available in most antiretroviral treatment (ART) programs in sub-Saharan Africa; switch to second-line therapy is mostly guided by clinical/immunological criteria. This may lead to unnecessary disease progression and drug resistance accumulation. We investigated the prognostic value of virological and immunological status 6 months after ART initiation with respect to death, loss to follow-up, and treatment switch. Methods: We considered treatment-naive HIV-1–infected patients, starting ART with available 6-month visit and subsequent follow-up, enrolled in a prospective cohort comprising 5 ART sites in 3 sub-Saharan countries. Outcome measures included the time from 6-month visit to death for all causes, loss to follow-up, and switch to second line. Results: Of 2539 patients, 62% were females, their median pre-ART CD4 count was 215 cells per microliter, median HIV RNA 4.6 Log10 copies per milliliter, 30% were on WHO stage 3/4. At 6 months, 85% had HIV RNA <1000 copies per milliliter. During 3112 person-years follow-up after the 6-month visit, 91 patients died. Death was predicted by 6-month HIV RNA ≥10,000 copies per milliliter, adherence, and 6-month CD4 <200 cells per microliter. The 2-year estimated probability of surviving ranged from 0.69 (with 6-month HIV RNA ≥10,000 and CD4 <200) to 0.95 (with HIV RNA <1000 and CD4 ≥200). Loss to follow-up (1.95 per 100 person-years follow-up) was predicted by the 6-month HIV RNA >10,000 copies per milliliter and adherence but not by CD4. Switch to second line (6.94 per 100 person-years follow-up) was predicted by 6-month HIV RNA and CD4. Conclusions: In patients starting ART in sub-Saharan Africa, 6-month HIV RNA independently predicts subsequent survival, retention to care, and switch to second-line therapy. This measure warrants further evaluation as specific time point monitoring option.
Yes, the World Health Organization’s Definition of Predominant Breastfeeding Should Include Fruit Juice

Dear Editor, In his letter to the editor, Dr Radaelli raises the need to update the criteria used by the World Health Organization (WHO) to define the Predominant Breastfeeding category. This category attempts to describe feeding practices where breast milk constitutes the predominant source of nourishment. It therefore requires that the infant receive breast milk but also allows certain liquids (water and water-based drinks, fruit juice), ritual fluids and oral rehydration salts, and drops or syrups (vitamins, minerals, medicines). Dr Radaelli proposes “no longer including fruit juice among the liquids that an infant is allowed to receive” in this category. I agree with Dr Radaelli that it is “inappropriate for infants to consume fruit juice before 6 months of age” as it “could introduce the risk of having juice replace breast milk. ” But I do not agree with his conclusion that “the WHO offers suboptimal guidance for pediatricians, caregivers, and mothers, pointing them toward a potentially misleading feeding practice with possible unsafe effects for the infant. ” First, as stated by the WHO in the publication referenced by the author, the indicators were developed “to assess infant and young child feeding practices” and “should not be translated into caregiver messages. ” Furthermore, when presenting the indicator Predominant Breastfeeding under 6 months in the same document, the WHO indicates that “as the proportion of infants aged just less than 6 months who are exclusively breastfed may be quite low in some populations, the intent of this indicator is to identify infants whose predominant source of nourishment is breast milk, but who also receive other fluids. ” I therefore do not see this in any way as a WHO endorsement for the introduction of fruit juices to babies under 6 months or before solids. In fact, the WHO has been consistently recommending exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months of life since 2001. In the context of the WHO definitions of infant feeding categories, it is important that the word allow be understood as a term of description and not a recommendation. Correct interpretation of the categories is crucial in any move toward the adoption of internationally recognized definitions, classifications, and indicators of breastfeeding behavior.
Sedation trends in the 21st century: the transition to dexmedetomidine for radiological imaging studies

Sedation for radiological imaging studies encompasses the majority of all sedation‐related procedures outside of the intensive care unit. This review will follow the evolution of pediatric sedation for radiological imaging studies in North America as well as the transition of sedation services from the oversight of radiologists to those of other providers. The evolving options for sedation agents will be reviewed, with attention given to examining the advantages, limitations, and risks of replacing the standard sedatives with dexmedetomidine.
Consumer satisfaction in prosthetics and orthotics facilities

The aim of this study was to assess consumer/patient satisfaction with the services of the prosthetics and orthotics (P&O) facilities in the north of the Netherlands, using a modified SERVQUAL questionnaire. In this questionnaire, consumer interests and experiences are assessed on a 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire consisted of 30 items covering 5 domains: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy and the consumers were invited to give an overall rating of satisfaction (scale 1–10). Consumers of four P&O facilities were asked to participate. In total 496 consumers (aged 0–76) participated; 279 consumers received orthopaedic shoes and 217 consumers received either prostheses or orthoses. An overall satisfaction rating of 8 or higher was given by 75% of the consumers (mean 8.0; sd=1.2). Consumers were defined as satisfied with the services of the P&O facility if they rated their experiences on a certain item equal or better than their rating of its importance. Eighty-five percent (85%) or more of the consumers were satisfied with the P&O facility in 24 of the 30 (80%) items of the SERVQUAL questionnaire. Of the 6 less unsatisfying items, 3 were related to the domain “tangibles”, 2 were related to the domain “empathy” and 1 to the domain “responsiveness”. The management of the P&O facility can use this information to increase consumer satisfaction by improving quality and service at these items. In general, the degree of consumer overall satisfaction was not related to age, gender, and type of assistive device or “length of relationship of consumer” and P&O facility. Only consumers who received orthopaedic shoes rated their overall satisfaction significantly lower (0.3) than consumers who received other types of devices. This difference is clinically not relevant.
[Evaluation of the long-term effect of percutaneous balloon valvuloplasty on right ventricular function using tissue Doppler imaging in patients with mitral stenosis].

OBJECTIVES We investigated the effects of percutaneous mitral balloon valvuloplasty (PMBV) on right ventricular function in the long term using tissue Doppler imaging. STUDY DESIGN Twenty-seven patients who underwent successful PMBV were enrolled in the study. Echocardiographic examination, including color tissue Doppler imaging, was done from the lateral tricuspid annulus 24 hours before the intervention, and the examination was repeated 24 hours and 6 months after the intervention. RESULTS At 24 hours after the intervention, S wave velocity and A' wave velocity were seen to have increased significantly (9.52±1.85 cm/s vs. 10.92±1.20 cm/s, p=0.012; -10.44±2.64 cm/s vs. -11.73±2.05 cm/s, p=0.029, respectively). E' wave velocity and E'/A' ratio did not change significantly (p>0.05 for both). In the late period, S wave velocity was similar to the value in the early period and significantly higher than the basal level (9.52±1.85 cm/s vs. 10.69±1.72 cm/s, p=0.023). However, A' wave velocity in the late period was decreased compared to the early period and was not different from the basal level (-10.44±2.64 cm/s vs. -10.74±2.63 cm/s, p>0.05). The increase in E' wave velocity in the late period when compared to the basal level was found to be statistically significant (-7.85±1.54 cm/s vs. -9.21±1.81 cm/s, p=0.046). CONCLUSION Right ventricular systolic function improved in the early period, and this improvement was seen to continue in the late period of PMBV. Diastolic function did not improve in the early period, but did improve in the late period. Right atrium systolic function improved in the early period; however, in the late period, levels were similar to the basal levels.
Genetic and phenotypic intra-species variation in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is a commensal fungus of the human gastrointestinal tract and a prevalent opportunistic pathogen. To examine diversity within this species, extensive genomic and phenotypic analyses were performed on 21 clinical C. albicans isolates. Genomic variation was evident in the form of polymorphisms, copy number variations, chromosomal inversions, subtelomeric hypervariation, loss of heterozygosity (LOH), and whole or partial chromosome aneuploidies. All 21 strains were diploid, although karyotypic changes were present in eight of the 21 isolates, with multiple strains being trisomic for Chromosome 4 or Chromosome 7. Aneuploid strains exhibited a general fitness defect relative to euploid strains when grown under replete conditions. All strains were also heterozygous, yet multiple, distinct LOH tracts were present in each isolate. Higher overall levels of genome heterozygosity correlated with faster growth rates, consistent with increased overall fitness. Genes with the highest rates of amino acid substitutions included many cell wall proteins, implicating fast evolving changes in cell adhesion and host interactions. One clinical isolate, P94015, presented several striking properties including a novel cellular phenotype, an inability to filament, drug resistance, and decreased virulence. Several of these properties were shown to be due to a homozygous nonsense mutation in the EFG1 gene. Furthermore, loss of EFG1 function resulted in increased fitness of P94015 in a commensal model of infection. Our analysis therefore reveals intra-species genetic and phenotypic differences in C. albicans and delineates a natural mutation that alters the balance between commensalism and pathogenicity.