Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Spinal Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy: A Novel Alternative to Surgery for Metastatic Epidural Spinal Cord Compression.

BACKGROUND Although surgery followed by radiation effectively treats metastatic epidural compression, the ideal surgical approach should enable fast recovery and rapid institution of radiation and systemic therapy directed at the primary tumor. OBJECTIVE To assess spinal laser interstitial thermotherapy (SLITT) as an alternative to surgery monitored in real time by thermal magnetic resonance (MR) images. METHODS Patients referred for spinal metastasis without motor deficits underwent MR-guided SLITT, followed by stereotactic radiosurgery. Clinical and radiological data were gathered prospectively, according to routine practice. RESULTS MR imaging-guided SLITT was performed on 19 patients with metastatic epidural compression. No procedures were discontinued because of technical difficulties, and no permanent neurological injuries occurred. The median follow-up duration was 28 weeks (range 10-64 weeks). Systemic therapy was not interrupted to perform the procedures. The mean preoperative visual analog scale scores of 4.72 (SD ± 0.67) decreased to 2.56 (SD ± 0.71, P = .043) at 1 month and remained improved from baseline at 3.25 (SD ± 0.75, P = .021) 3 months after the procedure. The preoperative mean EQ-5D index for quality of life was 0.67 (SD ± 0.07) and remained without significant change at 1 month 0.79 (SD ± 0.06, P = .317) and improved at 3 months 0.83 (SD ± 0.06, P = .04) after SLITT. Follow-up MR imaging after 2 months revealed significant decompression of the neural component in 16 patients. However, 3 patients showed progression at follow-up, 1 was treated with surgical decompression and stabilization and 2 were treated with repeated SLITT. CONCLUSION MR-guided SLITT can be both a feasible and safe alternative to separation surgery in carefully selected cases of spinal metastatic tumor epidural compression. ABBREVIATIONS cEBRT, conventional external beam radiation therapyESCC, epidural spinal cord compressionSLITT, spinal laser interstitial thermotherapySSRS, stereotactic spinal radiosurgeryVAS, visual analog scale.
La valeur psychologique du temps : Une synthèse de la littérature

Cet article procede a une synthese de la litterature sur la question de la valeur psychologique du temps. Il discute des differents determinants du taux d'actualisation et la possibilite d'avoir une fonction d'escompte de type hyperbolique. L'approche historique permet de retracer les origines du concept de valeur psychologique du temps. Ce concept est ensuite rediscuter dans le cadre de la theorie des perspectives, en considerant que l'utilite ressentie de l'agent vient modifier la structure de leur valeur psychologique du temps. L'analyse des resultats empiriques et des methodologies d'identification permet de mettre en evidence que motifs individuels et psychologiques conditionnent le caractere intertemporel des choix.
A 1.8GHz linear CMOS power amplifier with supply-path switching scheme for WCDMA/LTE applications

Low-cost CMOS PAs for mobile terminals have been a focus of attention in recent years. Self-contained, linear CMOS PAs are particularly attractive for smooth replacement of conventional compound semiconductor PA products. The main challenge concerning the linear CMOS PAs is to improve their power efficiency. Doherty PAs improve the average power efficiency by means of backoff efficiency boosting; however, their applicable carrier frequency range is narrow owing to the high-order output network. Supply modulation is another technique to improve the PA back-off efficiency. Although hybrid modulators have been studied for CMOS polar transmitters [1,2], none of them have satisfied full specs of modulation bandwidth and the output power for 4G cellular applications. The area overhead is also unacceptable for application to a self-contained linear PA. A class-G supply modulator relaxes the limitations by receiving external, discrete levels of supply voltages [3]. However, it still requires a costly extra DC-DC converter for multilevel supply voltages.
Highly sensitive chipless wireless relative humidity sensor based on polyvinyl-alcohol film

This paper presents a chipless, highly sensitive, low profile, low cost and easily fabricated passive wireless relative humidity (RH) sensor. The sensor consists of a narrow band loop antenna loaded with PVA film coated interdigital capacitor (IDC) at 2.85 GHz. The RH sensor generates an amplitude peak at resonance in the radar cross section (RCS), which changes with different RH. The sensor is interrogated remotely by a reader antenna, and the measurement results show a good sensitivity up to 5.35 MHz/%RH above 50% RH.
A Simulation Study of the Factors Affecting the Collisional Power Dissipation in a Helicon Plasma

Plasma density and magnetic field strength are modified to maximize the collisional power absorption in the helicon plasma. Simulations were done for two common types of RF antennas, namely, half-helix and Nagoya type-III. The simulations were performed with the CST Microwave Studio code. The finite-integration technique approach in the frequency domain has been used for the calculations. The power deposition profile calculated in this paper is validated against HELIC code. The method proved to be reliable, with accuracy depending on the appropriate number of constant radial density shells. CST code has the capabilities that calculate the power absorption for different antenna types at a given plasma density profile at various electron temperatures, magnetic fields, and plasma densities. At high magnetic fields power absorption is rather symmetric, independent to the plasma density. Our finding indicates that power profile is approximately symmetric at low plasma densities in the range of values explored for magnetic fields. It seems that the ratio of the plasma density to the magnetic field has an extreme effect on the axial power deposition profile.
Déconvolution aveugle dans le domaine fréquentiel fondée sur le taux d'information mutuelle

Nous introduisons le taux d'information mutuelle comme mesure de blancheur regroupant l'ensemble des statistiques d'ordre superieur. Ensuite, nous l'utilisons pour construire un algorithme de deconvolution aveugle frequentiel (DAF) d'un systeme SISO incorporant aussi une regularisation limitant l'amplification du bruit. Enfin, le traitement de donnees reelles d'explosions sous-marines et de sismologie est propose.
IMPLICATIONS OF EXPERIMENTALLY INDUCED CONTEMPLATIVE MEDITATION

Unusual perceptions have always been the subject of intense interest, desire, and speculation. In early history it was customary to interpret and seek such occurrences within a religious context. Even the gross disorders of epilepsy and psychosis were thought to be cases of supernatural possession, blessed or otherwise. Strange experiences were valued, and the use of fasting, drugs, ceremony, and dancing to induce a strange experience was common in cultures ranging from the Amazon Indians to ascetic European monks. Only with the rise of Western science did man become dissatisfied with theological inquiry and seek to understand strange experiences as a type of natural phenomena, to be explained by the same powerful mechanical and mathematical models that were conquering the planets and the chemical elements. Psychological science began studying conscious experience, and the advent of psychoanalysis ushered in the exploration of unconscious functioning. The problem of unusual perceptions, however, is still a puzzle, a challenge, and a matter of philosophical dispute.
Smart Personal Sensor Network Control for Energy Saving in DC Grid Powered LED Lighting System

Emerging smart grid technologies aim to renovate traditional power grid by integrating intelligent devices and their communications for monitoring and automation of the power grid to enable efficient demand-side energy management. In this paper, energy management in smart dc building grid powered dc electrical appliances like lighting is investigated, in particular energy savings from proposed personal lighting management strategy. Unlike conventional fluorescent lamps powered mainly by ac grid, LED luminaires are dc in nature, thus results in significant power conversion losses, if operate on traditional ac powered system, are analyzed with proposed dc distribution building grid for LED lighting. This paper continues to explore the use of smart wireless sensors for personal control of the dc grid powered networked LED lighting. Experimental results show that the proposed smart LED lighting system with an energy saving mechanism incorporated is able to achieve similar lighting performance as the conventional lighting condition, while at the same time, able to attain about 44% energy saving as compared to the original ac fluorescent system. For a low voltage dc grid being implemented, the maximum power loss and voltage drop of the developed dc distribution building grid are 2.25% and 3% respectively.
Explaining the Forgetting and Recovery of Abuse and Trauma Memories: Possible Mechanisms

Much attention has been focused on memories of abuse that are allegedly forgotten or repressed then recovered. By retrospectively surveying more than 1,400 college women, the authors investigated (a) the frequency with which temporary forgetting is reported for child sexual abuse experiences as opposed to other childhood abuse and traumas and (b) exactly how victims characterize their forgetting experiences in terms of various competing cognitive mechanisms. Rates of forgetting were similar among victims who experienced sexual abuse, physical abuse, and multiple types of traumas. Victims of other types of childhood traumas (e.g., car accidents) reported less forgetting than victims of childhood sexual abuse or multiple types of trauma. Most victims' characterizations of their forgetting experiences were not indicative of repression in the classic Freudian sense but instead suggested other more common mechanisms, such as directed forgetting and relabeling. The implications of these findings for psychological theory, clinical practice, and law are discussed.
Determinación de parámetros nucleares mediante técnicas de correlación angular: aplicación a algunos casos prácticos

En el primer capitulo se ha descrito muy sucintamente la teoria matematica que demuestra la posibilidad de analizar la anisotropia de las emisiones gamma incluso cuando las muestras no estan orientadas por campos exteriores. La distribucion angular del par de fotones es una distribucion de probabilidad, casi siempre, dependiente de dos polinomios de Legendre, P2 y P4 . Su determinacion experimental requerira de medidas que alberguen una considerable cantidad de datos. La primera etapa del estudio de este fenomeno se centro en evaluar la importancia de la correlacion angular en las coincidencias por efecto suma y a ello esta dedicado el segundo capitulo. La sintesis final de todo este conjunto de calculos es la siguiente: se ha analiza do la incidencia de la correlacion angular en la correccion por coincidencia-suma. Para ello se han elegido los detectores de radiacion gamma del laboratorio y se han utilizado diversos metodos de MonteCarlo para calcular las eficiencias fotoelectricas y totales y el coeficiente promedio de la correlacion angular. Todo este conjunto de simulaciones ha servido para conocer la magnitud de la correccion en varios radionucleidos. De nuestro estudio, se concluye que las correcciones por correlacion angular seran despreciables en muchos casos tal como se aprecia en los resultados de las Tablas presentadas. En el capitulo 3 se describen los dispositivos experimentales utilizados y las correcciones pertinentes para las medidas de correlaciones angulares. En el cuarto capitulo se analizan las primeras medidas experimentales con una fuente de 125Sb, obtenidas con el primero de los dispositivos descrito en el tercer capitulo. Las medidas han servido para aportar nuevas determinaciones de ? d e varias lineas gamma, asi como una nueva estimacion del espin de uno de los estados excitados. En los capitulos siguientes se condensa la mayor parte del desarrollo experimental de este trabajo. Se han medido por medio del segundo dispositivo desarrollado en el laboratorio un buen numero de las transiciones gamma emitidas por los radionucleidos hijos del 152Eu y se han comparado con las medidas existentes, aportando nuevas determinaciones en algunas lineas gamma cuyas razones de multipolaridad han sido pocas o ninguna vez determinadas. Asi, el quinto capitulo se dedica integramente a las desexcitaciones gamma en 152Sm, en el que, se presentan los resultados de las medidas, se comparan con los de otros autores y se discute sobre lo que.
Fifteen Years of Toxoplasmosis Screening at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, a Diagnostic Reference Center in Venezuela

Toxoplasmosis serodiagnosis was analyzed in the Instituto de Medicina Tropical in Caracas during 1999–2013. Subjects for toxoplasmosis diagnosis were grouped into five categories: pregnancy, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/acquired immune deficiency syndrome, ocular pathology, lymphadenopathy, and others. Testing for specific anti-Toxoplasma IgM/IgG antibodies, as well as IgG avidity, was performed. Analysis of 68,622 individuals resulted in an overall prevalence of 50.9%, with 50.9% in pregnant women, 63.8% in patients with eye lesions, 53.1% in HIV-positive individuals, 33.3% in patients with lymphadenopathy, and 49% in other individuals. Toxoplasma gondii infection in pregnant women aged ≤15 years was 32%, which increased to 64% in the middle age category. Diagnostic tests detected 54 recent infections in pregnant women and their follow-up showed no congenital infection. The present age-related and comorbidity prevalence data should be used to design control measures to prevent congenital transmission, coinfection in immunosuppressed patients, and eye lesions in children.
Estudio de la variación del grosor de la córnea por capas en la facoemulsificación de la catarata mediante tomografía de coherencia óptica de dominio espectral

Purpose: To assess early variations in central and paracentral corneal epithelial and nonepithelial thicknesses after uneventful clear corneal incision phacoemulsification. Materials and Methods: Twenty patients with a senile cataract underwent coaxial phacoemulsification through a 2.75-mm-wide corneal incision created at 180o in a prospective cohort pilot study. Corneal sublayer thickness measurements were obtained with Fourier-domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT) before and 1 week and 1 month postoperatively. Central measurements were performed in the middle of the FDOCT scan and in the 3-mm corneal diameter (paracentral 180o and 0o locations). Epithelial, non-epithelial and total corneal pachymetry were measured at the central and paracentral
Female urinary stress incontinence

ABSTRACT Urinary incontinence (UI) is more common than any other chronic disease, such as hypertension, depression or diabetes, with the prevalence estimated between 9 and 74%. Among the various forms of urinary incontinence, stress incontinence (SUI) is the most prevalent (50%), with urgency incontinence (UUI) representing 11% and mixed type (MUI) 36% (3% not classified). Nowadays, the restoration of urinary continence is one of the greatest challenges for the well-being and quality of life of women. The introduction of minimally invasive surgical procedures changed the anti-incontinence surgery, leading to similar, or even better results as traditional, invasive techniques. The development of the mid-urethral slings offers a viable alternative to surgical correction of SUI. These further developments of mini-sling procedures are appropriate for local anesthesia, less traumatic, ‘tension-free’ (to ensure continence without obstruction), simple, rapid and repeatable. The latest minimally invasive approaches can be performed in day surgery, with clear advantages compared to traditional procedures. A novel approach through the use of vaginal laser techniques could represent an additional opportunity, as a non-invasive, outpatient method to treat SUI.
Mixed emotions in multi view face emotion recognition

The problem of recognizing and discriminating mixed emotions in multi view faces using a web camera is discussed in this paper. Based on the literature, there are mainly seven basic emotions that humans can express and understand. However, in some faces in databases, there are characteristics of two or more of this basic emotions. The two databases of BU3DFE and UPM3DFE were tested for mixed emotion accuracy using the proposed multi view face emotion recognition method. The results show an improvement over existing works in mixed emotions recognition.
The effects of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA)/DHEA-sulfate (DHEAS) on the contraction responses of the clitoral cavernous smooth muscle from female rabbits.

INTRODUCTION Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is a multifunctional steroid that is increasingly available as a supplement aimed at improving libido and well-being in postmenopausal women in the recent times. Together with its sulfate version, DHEA-sulfate (DHEAS), it is the most abundant steroid in humans. The clitoris is an important component of the female sexual response, with its increased vascular response during sexual arousal that results in erection. AIMS To elucidate the direct effects of DHEA/DHEAS on the vasomotor reactivity of the rabbit clitoral cavernosum. METHODS Twenty New Zealand white female rabbits weighing approximately 2.5-3 kg were used in the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The contractile response of clitoral cavernous smooth muscle strips in response to phenylephrine (PE; 10(-9)-10(-4) M) were observed in rabbits. Additionally, DHEA/DHEAS effects on phenylephrine-induced contraction and/or acetylcholine-induced relaxation of phenylephrine-induced contraction were measured. RESULTS DHEA/DHEAS did not elicit any remarkable response in the resting state. However, both DHEA and DHEAS evoked dose-dependent relaxations of PE-induced contraction. The contractile responses to high potassium were significantly decreased in the DHEA/DHEAS-pretreated strips, compared with the DHEA/DHEAS-nontreated strips. Additionally, contractions by Bay K 8644 (10(-7)-10(-6) M) treatment were also significantly inhibited by DHEA/DHEAS. DHEA-induced relaxation responses were stronger than DHEAS-induced relaxation responses. Various K channel blockers, tetraethylammonium (TEA; 1 mM, 10 mM), 4-aminopyridine (10 microM) and glibenclamide (10 microM) did not affect the DHEA/DHEAS-induced relaxation on muscle strips contracted by PE. Relaxation responses by acetylcholine or sodium nitroprusside (SNP) were not changed after DHEA/DHEAS pretreatment. CONCLUSIONS DHEA/DHEAS was found to induce a relaxation response in rabbit clitoral cavernosal smooth muscle, and this is thought to be mediated by direct inhibition of a voltage-dependent calcium channel.
ensitivity of frontal beta oscillations to reward valence but not

Reward feedback elicits a brief increase in power in the high-beta frequency range of the human electroencephalogram (EEG) over frontal areas of the scalp, but the functional role of this oscillatory activity remains unclear. An observed sensitivity to reward expectation (HajiHosseini, Rodríguez-Fornells, and Marco-Pallarés, 2012; [2]) suggests that reward-related beta may index a reward prediction error (RPE) signal for reinforcement learning. To investigate this possibility we reanalyzed EEG data from two prior experiments that revealed RPEs in the human event-related brain potential (Holroyd and Krigolson, 2007
[Changes in blood calcium, phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels in rheumatoid polyarthritis and other types of inflammatory rheumatism].

Albuminemia, calcemia, phosphoremia and alcaline phosphatasemia were measured in three groups of 52 subjects each : rheumatoid arthrits, inflammatory rheumatisms other than rheumatoid arthritis and lumbarthrosics serving as a reference group. Calcemia and albuminemia were significantly lower in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis, whose calcemia corrected in relation to albuminemia is, on the other hand, normal : the increase in corrected calcemia pointed out by Kennedy, was not noted. Corrected calcemia was also normal in ankylosing spondylitis, but it was significantly higher in polymyalgia rheumatica. Phosphoremia was shown to be normal but alkaline phosphatases were higher than normal in the three groups.
A Ring-coupled patch antenna for broadband polarization multiplex at Ka-band

A multilayer patch antenna with polarization multiplex is presented. The key element is a resonant feed ring which provides both circular polarizations and ensures adequate port separation. The arrangement features the compactness required for highly integrated antenna arrays. The design procedure is outlined. Measurements compare well with simulated S-parameters, gain, axial ratio, and far-field patterns. Broadband performance is demonstrated.
Modelle und Modellierungssprachen in Informatik und Wirtschaftsinformatik

Rollen gewinnen in der objektorientierten Modellierung zunehmend an Bedeutung. Dabei waren Rollen eigentlich schon immer da – eine einheitliche, klare Definition des Rollenbegriffs und deren Umsetzung in gangige Modellierungsformalismen fehlt jedoch bis heute. Beginnend mit ontologischen und linguistischen Betrachtungen sowie mit einer kurzen Darstellung des Rollenbegriffs in der Datenmodellierung wird eine solche Definition formal herausgearbeitet und auf UML, die derzeit am meisten diskutierte der objektorientierten Modellierungssprachen, ubertragen.
Clinical interpretation of antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies: parvovirus B19 infection as a pitfall

Background: While antibodies directed against proteinase 3 (PR3-ANCA) and myeloperoxidase (MPO-ANCA) have a high specificity for the diagnosis of systemic vasculitis, they may also be found as an epiphenomenon of acute viral infection. Objective: To investigate whether positive ANCA test results may be a common feature of acute parvovirus B19 infection. Methods: Sera were analysed from 1242 patients from a rheumatology outpatient clinic for reactivity with parvovirus B19 and EBV antibodies. They were tested for the presence of PR3-ANCA and MPO-ANCA, along with sera known to contain IgM antibodies to these viruses obtained from among 41 366 samples submitted for virological screening. Results: ANCA were found in 10% (5/50) of the sera positive for IgM antibodies to parvovirus and in 3/51 sera containing IgM antibodies to EBV. Three of six patients with arthritis and concomitant parvovirus infection were found positive for PR3-ANCA and two were found positive for MPO-ANCA. All six patients tested negative for ANCA after six months of follow up. Conclusions: PR3-ANCA and MPO-ANCA may occur transiently in patients with acute B19 infection or infectious mononucleosis, highlighting the importance of repeated antibody tests in oligosymptomatic clinical conditions in which systemic autoimmune disease is suspected.
Effective multipole moments for the PCP-SAFT equation of state from molecular dynamics simulations

The goal of this thesis is to examine the possibility of improving the PCP-SAFT equation of state by using effective multipole moments to better account for electrostatic forces affecting the molecules. The electrostatic forces were studied via molecular dynamics simulations. The goal of the development of the equation of state is to improve its predictive capabilities. More accurate predictions would have a considerable impact in usefulness of the equation when designing new or improving current processes in chemical and energy