Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Asymptotic Task-Based Quantization With Application to Massive MIMO

Quantizers take part in nearly every digital signal processing system that operates on physical signals. They are commonly designed to accurately represent the underlying signal, regardless of the specific task to be performed on the quantized data. In systems working with high-dimensional signals, such as massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems, it is beneficial to utilize low-resolution quantizers, due to cost, power, and memory constraints. In this paper, we study quantization of high-dimensional inputs, aiming at improving performance under resolution constraints by accounting for the system task in the quantizers design. We focus on the task of recovering a desired signal statistically related to the high-dimensional input, and analyze two quantization approaches. We, first, consider vector quantization, which is typically computationally infeasible, and characterize the optimal performance achievable with this approach. Next, we focus on practical systems that utilize hardware-limited scalar uniform analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), and design a task-based quantizer under this model. The resulting system accounts for the task by linearly combining the observed signal into a lower dimension prior to quantization. We then apply our proposed technique to channel estimation in massive MIMO networks. Our results demonstrate that a system utilizing low-resolution scalar ADCs can approach the optimal channel estimation performance by properly accounting for the task in the system design.
Complications of levodopa therapy in Parkinson’s disease

ABSTRACT Introduction: Levodopa remains the most effective treatment for the motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, with chronic treatment, PD patients develop motor complications, which consist of motor fluctuations and dyskinesia. Many new treatments, both medical and interventional, have been developed for the treatment of motor complications but there continues to be an unmet medical need for further treatments. Areas covered: This manuscript summarizes the phenomenology, pathophysiology, prevalence and current and future treatments of motor complications in PD patients based on a PubMed literature search from 1950s to present. Expert opinion: Motor complications are prevalent in PD and risk factors for developing these complications are well-known and well characterized. There are many effective medical and interventional treatments for both motor fluctuations and dyskinesia in PD patients. Despite these treatments, many patients still suffer from many hours of ‘Off’ time or dyskinesia that have a profound negative impact on quality of life. There are many exciting treatments under development for motor complications that may provide additional benefit for PD patients.
Erfolgreiche kieferorthopädische Einstellung eines dilazerierten oberen mittleren Inzisivus – ein Fallbericht

Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Verlagerte, dilazerierte Inzisiven sind häufig Folge eines dentalen Traumas im Milchgebiss. Aufgrund z.T. erheblicher funktionell-ästhetischer Einschränkungen ist eine adäquate Therapie indiziert, die neben einer Extraktion mit Lückenschluss, (implantat)prothetischer Versorgung oder Autotransplantation bleibender Zahnkeime auch in einer kombiniert chirurgisch-kieferorthopädischen Einstellung in den Zahnbogen bestehen kann. Fallvorstellung Bei einem 9-jährigen Patienten mit dilazeriertem Zahn 21, Mesialstand der Seitenzähne im 2. Quadranten sowie tiefem Überbiss mit traumatischem Einbiss der unteren Inzisiven erfolgte im Rahmen einer festsitzenden kieferorthopädischen Multibrackettherapie eine Einstellung des Zahnes 21 in Okklusion nach chirurgischer Freilegung und Traktion mittels des EWC-Systems (Adenta), skelettal verankert über 2 temporäre mediane palatinale Minischrauben an einer BENEslider-Apparatur (PSM Medical Solutions), welche zudem zur Molarendistalisation im 2. Quadranten genutzt wurde. Schlussfolgerungen Im Fallbericht konnte unter Anwendung einer skelettalen Verankerung und des EWC-Systems im frühen Wechselgebiss ein dilazerierter mittlerer oberer Schneidezahn erfolgreich kieferorthopädisch unter Erhaltung der Zahnvitalität eingestellt werden. Trotz möglicher Risiken (Devitalisierung, Zahnwurzelresorptionen, Ankylosierung) stellt dieses Vorgehen daher bei korrekter biomechanischer Planung eine mögliche zahnerhaltende Therapieoption dar.
Taking the pain out of back pain with effective lower back pain management – an overview

Back pain affects people across any socio-economic category and is a leading cause of absenteeism and decreased productivity in the workplace. This symptomatic condition is caused by multiple factors, making it difficult to manage. With a small proportion of people experiencing back pain due to pathological reasons, in the larger majority, back pain is due to a mechanical cause. Taking a complete history that includes identifying risk factors such as depression, poor posture, lack of exercise, older age and a physically demanding job is crucial to the effective management of the condition. Behavioural, psychological and social factors of the patient should form the backbone for treatment of back pain. Non-pharmacological management such as exercise and targeted physiotherapy should be the first-line treatment. However, if this provides poor results then pharmacological measures such as the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or muscle relaxants such as cyclobenzaprine should be considered. The pharmacist at the frontline can play a major role in assisting in the recovery of many patients.
Satisfaction Level of Tuberculosis Patients Regarding Their Access to TB Care and Prevention Services, Delivered Through a Public–Private Mix Model in Pakistan

Objective: The private healthcare providers (PHCP) are believed to improve access to healthcare services in public–private mix (PPM) projects, as they are considered first point of contact for healthcare. The purpose of this study was to determine the satisfaction level of tuberculosis (TB) patients. Design: A questionnaire-based, cross-sectional study was carried out during November and December 2017 for 572 under-treatment patients registered with PHCPs in the PPM project. Lot quality assurance sampling technique was used to randomly select 19 districts from a sample frame of 75 districts. In each selected district, the data collector retrieved a TB register of 8 months (January–August 2017) and systematically selected patients by fixed periodic interval. SPSS version 24.0 (IBM Corp, Amonk, NY, USA) was used to analyze the data. Results: This study included 53% (n = 301) males and 47% (n = 271) females, with mean age of 38 years (SD, ±18). Almost half of the participants were illiterate (51%, n = 289), and 64% (n = 365) were non-earning members of the family. In practice, most of the participants visit private providers (71%, n = 407), including private hospitals/clinics (44%) and traditional practitioners (27%; n = 153); 55% of participants visited their current doctor because of the clinic’s proximity to their residence. Of the participants, 82% (n = 469) were satisfied with TB care services and 85% (n = 488) said that they would recommend this clinic to others. Conclusion: PHCPs are preferred providers for individuals, which is consistent with findings of other studies. Though they are satisfied with TB care and services, interventions should be introduced to reduce the financial burden on the patient. Partnering PHCP is a way forward to ensure universal health coverage and better health outcomes of the population.
PID-Type FLC Controller Design and Tuning for Sensorless Speed Control of DC Motor

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T Article history: Received: 20 December, 2018 Accepted: 21 December, 2018 Online: 27 December, 2018 This article examines the use of non-ideal current and voltage sensors for sensorless speed control for a fixed field DC motor. A PID type speed controller with KF estimator was applied to control the DC motor and IAE, settling time, and peak overshoot were taken as performance indices. However, KF facilitated the noise reduction. After tuning controller gains through MATLAB yielded high peak overshoot as well as IAE with an extended settling time. When we applied, a PID-Type FLC tuned by means of GA (genetic algorithms) caused a 75.98%, 97.89% and 56.2% cut in settling time, maximum overshoot and IAE correspondingly. The FLC-PID fundamentally enhanced sudden load changes disturbance rejection and the reference command speed tracking for the dc motor design in comparison to the conventional PID with no KF. This study was also able to replace the designed FLCPID with linear lookup-table while achieving the same performance improvements.
Factors Associated with the Occurrence of Death Outcome in Children with Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Abstract Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (NRDS) is a consequence of immaturity at birth and it is still associated with relatively high mortality rate. The aim of this study was to identify the factors associated with the occurrence of fatal outcome in newborns with neonatal respiratory distress syndrome.The research was designed as a case-control study nested in a retrospective cohort, and it enrolled newborns treated during 2015 at Pediatric Clinic of Clinical Center in Kragujevac. Diagnosis of NRDS and decision about the treatment were left at the discretion of attending pediatricians. The cases were patients with fatal outcome, while controls were randomly selected from the pool of survivors and matched with each case by gender in a ratio of 4:1. The study included 371 newborns, of whom 201 (54.2%) were male and 170 (45.8%) female. Lethal outcome occurred in 36 newborns (9,7%). Significant association was found between death and APGAR score (ORadjusted: 0.516, 95% CI: 0.322-0.827), weight on delivery (ORadjusted: 0.996, 95% CI: 0.993-0.999), duration of hospitalization (ORadjusted: 0.901, 95% CI: 0.835-0.972) and mechanical ventilation (ORadjusted: 165.256, 95% CI: 7.616-3585.714). Higher gestational age, higher birth weight, higher APGAR score and longer duration of hospitalization were singled out as protective factors, while use of mechanical ventilation increased the risk of death. Major limitations of the study were retrospective nature and relatively small number of identified cases. Postponing delivery and delivery in institution with neonatal intensive care unit are crucial for survival of newborns with NRDS.
Relación entre rasgos de personalidad y adherencia al tratamiento en pacientes con tuberculosis de un establecimiento de salud de Lima-Sur

The objective of the present study was to determine if there is an association between personality traits and adherence to treatment in patients with tuberculosis (TB) from a health facility in Lima-Sur. The sample consisted of 30 patients (33.34% women) enrolled in the Tuberculosis Control Program (PCT) between the ages of 18 and 60 years old (M = 34, SD = 11.34), 96.67% had been in treatment between two and six months. 73.33% had TB in their lungs. The Big Five Inventory (BFI) was used, which evaluates the five personality dimensions, Openness (O), Conscientiousness (C), Extraversion (E), Agreeableness (A) and Neuroticism (N); and the therapeutic adherence scale (EAT), which calculates three factors linked to adherence: control of food and medicine intake (A1), behavioral medical monitoring (A2) and self-efficacy (A3). According to the results it was evidenced that factor C positively associated to the dimensions A1 and A2. Regarding factor A, it is negatively related to A2. On the other hand, there is a positive relationship between N and A3. To conclude, there was positive relationship found between E and O with the dimensions A1 and A3 to adherence. In conclusion, there is a positive relationship between adherence to treatment and personality traits.
PHARMACOLOGICAL NEUROPROTECTIVE EFFICACY OF ESSENTIAL OILS (EO) BASED AROMATHERAPY: AN INSIGHT

Aromatherapy or Essential oil therapy is attributed towards the field of conventional, alternative or complementary therapies which requires essential oils and other aromatic plant compounds. Essential oils (EOs) belong to the class of highly volatile compounds which, due to their higher concentrated natural constituents acquire unique properties and hence, are being used for its wide range of therapeutic health benefits. Their benefits widely range from being a potential antimicrobial, antidepressant, antiviral and antiseptic agents to the elevator of many CNS related behaviours like - anxiety, stress, wisdom, memory, attention, relaxation, sedation, and sleep. Furthermore, the effects on mood, pain, and perception too are being influenced by the use of essential oils. It also helps in the treatment of epilepsy, stress, dementia by giving calming and soothing effects to the nerve cells and is also effective against dementia and on the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
Multidisciplinary Treatment Approach for Perforated Internal Root Resorption: Three-Year Follow-Up

Internal root resorption (IRR) is described as a resorptive defect of the internal aspect of the root caused by odontoclastic activity associated chiefly with chronic pulp inflammation and trauma. An important variation to consider is the presence of a root perforation, although it is rare. This paper defines the use of CBCT in the diagnosis and combined nonsurgical and surgical multidisciplinary management and follow-up of a maxillary central incisor with perforating IRR in a 9-year-old female patient. At 3-year follow-up, clinical and radiographic findings of the case were satisfactory.
Does Whole Body Vibration Therapy Improve Balance in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective EBM review is to determine whether or not whole body vibration (WBV) therapy improves balance in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). STUDY DESIGN: A review of three peer-reviewed studies published between 2013 and 2015. DATA SOURCES: Two randomized controlled trials and one case series. Using PubMed and Google Scholar, studies were selected if they assessed the effects of whole body vibration therapy on improving balance in diabetic patients, and whether the outcomes were patient oriented. OUTCOMES MEASURED: The outcome measured in this study was balance, which was assessed using the Timed Up And Go test. RESULTS: The study conducted by Del Pozo-Cruz J et al. did not find a statistically significant relationship between the improvement of balance in type 2 DM and WBV therapy (p value= 0.273). However, two separate studies by Kodi Yoosefinejad A et al. found a statistically significant relationship between WBV therapy and an improvement in balance of those with type 2 DM (p values= 0.002 and 0.004). CONCLUSIONS: The results of these studies are inconclusive, as two studies found a statistically significant relationship and the other did not. Further studies on a larger amount of subjects need to be conducted to determine if the results are generalizable.
Determination of whether supplemental oxygen therapy is beneficial during exercise training in patients with COPD: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Exercise training is an integral component of the pulmonary rehabilitation program for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to systematically search the published literature and analyze the evidence on the efficacy of supplemental oxygen in improving outcomes during exercise training in patients with COPD. The PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) and Google scholar databases were searched electronically for articles in the English language published up to May, 2019. In total, 7 trials were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis. There was considerable heterogeneity amongst the included studies. Meta-analysis indicated no significant difference in power (random: MD = −2.38; 95% CI, −5.79 to 1.03; P=0.86) and maximum energy expenditure (VO2 max) (random: MD = −0.01; 95% CI, −0.06 to 0.07; P=0.45) between the oxygen and control groups on maximal exercise testing. Qualitative analysis of the included studies revealed no benefits of supplemental oxygen in improving exercise capacity and dyspnea scores. Data on the quality of life assessed by the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire was pooled for 95 participants in the study group and 91 participants in the control group. The results indicated no beneficial effects of supplemental oxygen in improving quality of life outcomes (random: MD = −0.09; 95% CI, −0.16 to −0.01; P=0.59). On the whole, the findings of this study indicate that supplemental oxygen during the exercise training of patients with COPD does not improve exercise capacity, dyspnea scores and quality of life. However, the quality of the evidence is weak. Multi-center randomized controlled trials with homogenous methodology and intervention are required to provide stronger evidence on this subject.
Upregulation of SPDEF is associated with poor prognosis in prostate cancer

SAM pointed domain-containing Ets transcription factor (SPDEF), a member of the ETS transcription factor family, has been associated with prostate cancer development; however, its role in tumour development and progression is controversial. In the present study, SPDEF expression was analysed on a tissue microarray with >12,000 prostate cancer samples. SPDEF expression levels were higher in most prostate cancer samples than in normal prostate epithelium, suggesting SPDEF was upregulated in cancer. Nuclear SPDEF expression was identified in 80% of prostate cancer samples, and considered weak in 26.4%, moderate in 40.1% and strong in 13.5% of cases. SPDEF positivity was significantly associated with tumour stage, Gleason grade, lymph node metastasis and PSA recurrence (all P<0.0001). SPDEF overexpression was more common in ERG positive (94%) than in ERG negative cancer (69%; P<0.0001). Elevated SPDEF expression predicted poor prognosis independent from established prognostic parameters, including Gleason grade, pT, pN, serum PSA level and nodal status (P<0.01). In summary, SPDEF overexpression was associated with aggressive behaviour, particularly in ERG negative prostate cancer, and may have potential for clinical application.
Comparison of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy with and without epidural steroid application in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation: a minimum of 2 years of follow-up.

AIM To compare the efficacy of percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy with and without epidural steroid application in the treatment of lumbar disc herniation. MATERIAL AND METHODS A total of 101 patients who had indications for percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy were retrospectively reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups based on whether epidural steroids were applied following the surgical procedure. Each patient in group A received an epidural injection of 40mg triamcinolone acetonide through the working sleeve following the surgical procedure. However, patients in group B were not given the drug. Preoperative and postoperative radicular pain was measured with the visual analogue scale(VAS). Functional and satisfaction outcomes were measured with the Oswestry Disability Index(ODI) and the modified MacNab criteria, respectively. RESULTS A total of 97 patients hada complete follow-up of longer than two years without recurrence. The sample sizes of group A and group B were 56 and 41. The VAS scores and ODI scores at each postoperative follow-up point were significantly lower than the preoperative values (p 0.001). However, there were no significant between-group differences (p 0.05). The secondary outcomes of the changes in the VAS and ODI scores were also equivalent between the groups at the 3-month and 2-year follow-ups (p 0.05). No significant difference was observed in the modified MacNab criteria between the groups at 2 years (p=0.7715). CONCLUSION Percutaneous transforaminal endoscopic discectomy is a safe and effective minimally invasive surgery for radiculopathy caused by lumbar disc herniation. Epidural steroid injection following the surgical procedure offered no benefit compared with surgery alone.
Video Streaming Adaptation Strategy for Multiview Navigation Over DASH

Video content delivery over Internet is receiving increasing attention from both industry and academia, especially for the multiview video contents, as it is the basis to support various applications, such as 3-D video, virtual reality, free view video, and so on. To cope with the dynamic nature of Internet throughput, dynamic adaptive streaming over HTTP (DASH) has been introduced to control the video streaming based on the network conditions. In this paper, we design a streaming framework to improve the user experience of the multiview video streaming over DASH, considering the user behavior of the viewpoint navigation during the streaming process. To eliminate the view switching delay, a multiple view navigation rule is introduced to pre-fetch the possible switching viewpoints. An optimal bitrate allocation scheme is proposed for the introduced rule, allowing the clients to maximize the video quality. Moreover, we found the video quality and the playback starvation probability are conflicting factors, while both are essential for the user’s quality of experience (QoE). To tackle this issue, a QoE optimization solution is designed to maximize the overall performance in the proposed framework. Several experiments verify the effectiveness of the proposed framework, and the results demonstrate that the proposed framework outperforms two typical DASH methods.
An overview of allergic conjunctivitis

Allergic diseases affect many people across the globe. They significantly impact on the quality of life of the people who are affected, creating personal and economic predicaments. Some of the most commonly diagnosed allergic diseases include atopic dermatitis, rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and sinusitis. Allergic conjunctivitis is an allergic disease characterised by the inflammation of the conjunctiva caused by airborne allergens; it presents as itching, excessive lacrimation, discharge and pink eye. Usually it is associated with other allergic conditions such as allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma. Allergic conjunctivitis is further divided into acute, seasonal allergic conjunctivitis (SAC), and perennial allergic conjunctivitis (PAC). Other conditions, such as eosinophilic oesophagitis, are on the rise and are being diagnosed across all continents except Africa. The diagnosis is primarily clinical. Antihistamines have been the mainstay of therapy for most allergic conditions, except for other conditions that require corticosteroids, or in severe allergic conditions such as anaphylaxis where antihistamines are ineffective as main therapy. It is important to consider firstversus secondgeneration options when treating allergic diseases, also bearing in mind the duration of therapy and any comorbid conditions that a patient might have. This article provides an overview of these conditions and their current management options.