Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Impact of apolipoprotein gene on cognitive impairment and recovery after traumatic brain injury

The presence of the e4 allele may have a negative influence on response to injury and recovery in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI). 1,2 However, no study to date has included an uninjured control group to examine whether the influence of the e4 allele might be independent of TBI. In this study, we investigated whether presence of the e4 allele in patients with TBI results in greater impairments of memory, attention, executive function, and functional outcome 3, 6, and 12 months postinjury, and in slower recovery, than in patients without the e4 allele and uninjured controls. Following ethics approval and informed consent, 120 patients with moderate–severe TBI, aged 16 to 64 years, with no history of previous neurologic or psychiatric disorder were assessed 3, 6, and 12 months postinjury. They comprised 69.2% men, with mean Glasgow Coma Scale score (GCS) 8.24 (SD = 4.17, range = 3 to 15), mean post-traumatic amnesia (PTA) 26.14 days (SD = 28.64, range = <1 to 135), mean age 32.66 years (SD 13.38, range = 17 to 64), mean education 12.48 years (SD = 2.38, range = …
Quantification of Circadian Phase Shifts with the Cross‐Correlation Technique

This paper concerns the applicability of the cross‐correlation technique for the assessment of shifts of the circadian system (e.g., caused by night work). Melatonin and cortisol profiles of 52 healthy young men were ascertained during two 24 h phase assessment procedures. The first was performed after three consecutive day shifts, and the second was performed one week later on 24 men again after three day shifts and on 28 men after three night shifts, where adaptation to night work was accelerated by bright light. The cross‐correlation technique that relies on the processing of all the measured data of a whole profile, as compared to the differences between temporal parameters determined with a conventional method, provided reliable estimates of the phase shifts. Its applicability is restricted to time series with similar profiles assessed at different times and to observation periods of a full diurnal cycle (in the case of substantial shifts) with equally distributed measures, but it is applicable to raw data and available in common statistical packages (e.g., SPSS, SAS, BMDP).
Quantification of Anthropogenic Threats to Lakes in a Lowland County of Central Sweden

Abstract An evaluation of the negative effects caused by anthropogenic influence on lake ecosystems was performed, using data from 143 catchments in Uppsala County, Sweden. The study included i) technical encroachments; i.e. construction of dams, dikes, etc. as well as effects of drainage of land; ii) pollution, i.e. eutrophication, acidification, and contamination by toxic substances; iii) introduction of nonnative species; and iv) exploitation of species populations. Severe damage was caused mostly by drainage of land followed by pollution by toxic substances and, to a smaller extent, introduction of nonnative species and eutrophication. Most lakes were subject to several types of disturbances, interacting in a complex pattern, which made it difficult to link the visible effects to the true causes of the disturbance. Future lake management should include analyses of all disturbances to the lake catchments, taking into account the historical perspective, in order to balance the threats/damages, in an analysis of the possibilities for maintaining biodiversity and sustainability in the eco-systems.
A complete phylogeny of the whales, dolphins and even‐toed hoofed mammals (Cetartiodactyla)

Despite the biological and economic importance of the Cetartiodactyla, the phylogeny of this clade remains controversial. Using the supertree approach of matrix representation with parsimony, we present the first phylogeny to include all 290 extant species of the Cetacea (whales and dolphins) and Artiodactyla (even‐toed hoofed mammals). At the family‐level, the supertree is fully resolved. For example, the relationships among the Ruminantia appear as (((Cervidae, Moschidae) Bovidae) (Giraffidae, Antilocapridae) Tragulidae). However, due to either lack of phylogenetic study or contradictory information, polytomies occur within the clades Sus, Muntiacus, Cervus, Delphinidae, Ziphiidae and Bovidae. Complete species‐level phylogenies are necessary for both illustrating and analysing biological, geographical and ecological patterns in an evolutionary framework. The present species‐level tree of the Cetartiodactyla provides the first opportunity to examine comparative hypotheses across entirely aquatic and terrestrial species within a single mammalian order.
Intraocular lenses should block UV radiation and violet but not blue light.

B LUE LIGHT–BLOCKING intraocular lenses (IOLs) trade off rodm e d i a t e d v i s u a l function for limited protection against acute retinal phototoxicity. Twenty-five years ago, I cautioned ophthalmologists and manufacturers that clear IOLs transmitted potentially harmful 330to 400-nm UV radiation (UVR) to the retina. Within a few years, most manufacturers incorporated UVRblocking chromophores into IOLs. Eighteen years ago, I suggested blocking violet light in addition to UVR. Violet light has substantial potential retinal phototoxicity but little effect on scotopic (nighttime) or photopic (daytime) vision. Nonetheless, visible light–blocking IOLs have been introduced only recently in the United States. The term blue is often used for the broad range of optical radiation between 400 and 500 nm. There are significant differences in retinal phototoxicity and scotopic luminous efficiency between shorterand longerwavelength “blue” light, so it is valuable to use the terms violet for shorter-wavelength, 400to 440-nm light and blue for longer-wavelength, 440to 500-nm light. In comparison with a conventional UV only–blocking IOL the AcrySof Natural IOL (Alcon Inc, Dallas, Tex) blocks UVR and violet, blue, and even some green light, as shown in Figure1. Blue light has significant retinal phototoxicity, but it is essential for vision in dim light and perhaps other important biological functions. I believe that IOLs should block UVR and violet light but not blue or green light. Here are my reasons.
A longitudinal evaluation of dipyridamole drug use in an ambulatory elderly population.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine the pattern of dipyridamole use over the past 14 years. DESIGN A longitudinal health screening program of ambulatory elderly participants was used to study changes in dipyridamole drug use. Participants included all subjects screened in the Florida Geriatric Research Program since 1978. The main outcome measure in this study was self-reported dipyridamole use at every visit to the program since August 1, 1978. RESULTS A total of 3.6% of men (mean age, 82.6 years) and 3.4% of women (mean age, 80.8 years) reported the use of dipyridamole in the 1991-1992 period. The prevalence of dipyridamole use ranged from a low of 1.6% in 1978-1979 to a high of 7.3% in 1986-1987. There was a significant increase in the use of this drug from 1978-1979 to 1991-1992 (p < 0.038). Over the 14-year period of study, the percent of subjects using dipyridamole concurrently with coumarin anticoagulants ranged from a low of 5.8% to a high of 17.9%. CONCLUSIONS The level of dipyridamole use in this elderly population has increased since 1978-1979. The only FDA indication for this drug is in combination with coumarin anticoagulants to prevent postoperative thromboembolic complications of cardiac valve replacement. Less than 20% of patients in this study used the drug in combination with coumarin anticoagulants. Educational programs are needed to improve the prescribing of dipyridamole.
Mathematical modelling of glycosaminoglycan production by stem cell aggregates incorporated with growth factor‐releasing polymer microspheres

Systems composed of high density cells incorporated with growth factor‐releasing polymer microspheres have recently been shown to promote chondrogenic differentiation and cartilage formation. Within these systems, the effects of spatial and temporal patterning of growth factor release on hyaline cartilage‐specific extracellular matrix production have been examined. However, at present, it is unclear which microsphere densities and growth factor delivery profiles are optimal for inducing human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and glycosaminoglycan production. A mathematical model to describe glycosaminoglycan production as a function of initial microsphere loading and microsphere degradation rate over a period of 3 weeks is presented. Based on predictions generated by this model, it may be feasible to design a bioactive microsphere system with specific spatiotemporal growth factor presentation characteristics to promote glycosaminoglycan production at controllable rates. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Simulation and reinforcement learning with soccer agents

Multi-Agent Systems extend research in Artificial Intelligence and agent systems by incorporating cooperative learning and agent teaming architectures. Agent teaming is a key research area of multi-agent systems that is mainly composed of artificial intelligence and distributed computing techniques. The reasoning and learning ability of agents in uncertain environments via communication and collaboration (in both competitive and cooperative situations) is another key feature for autonomous agents. Many theoretical and applied techniques have been applied to the investigation of autonomous agents with respect to coordination, cooperation, and learning abilities. Due to the inherent complexity of real-time, stochastic, and dynamic environments, it is often extremely complex and difficult to formally verify their properties a priori. In addition, it is quite difficult to generate enough episodes via real applications for training the goal-oriented agent's individual and cooperative learning abilities. In most cases, such abilities can be obtained via computer simulation, rather than directly from real applications. In doing so, a simulation testbed is applied to test the learning algorithms in the specified scenarios. The objective of this paper is to improve the convergence and efficiency of reinforcement learning algorithms for large, continuous state-action spaces, by finding the optimal values of the parameters for those algorithms. In this paper, the game of soccer is adopted as the simulation environment in conjunction with optimisation techniques to verify goal-oriented agents' competitive and cooperative learning abilities for decision making. We use the Sarsa learning algorithm with a linear function approximation technique known as tile coding to avoid the state space growing exponentially. The convergence and efficiency of Sarsa algorithm are investigated through simulating a soccer game.
Topological acoustic polaritons: robust sound manipulation at the subwavelength scale

Topological insulators, a hallmark of condensed matter physics, have recently reached the classical realm of acoustic waves. A remarkable property of time-reversal invariant topological insulators is the presence of unidirectional spin-polarized propagation along their edges, a property that could lead to a wealth of new opportunities in the ability to guide and manipulate sound. Here, we demonstrate and study the possibility to induce topologically non-trivial acoustic states at the deep subwavelength scale, in a structured two-dimensional metamaterial composed of Helmholtz resonators. Radically different from previous designs based on non-resonant sonic crystals, our proposal enables robust sound manipulation on a surface along predefined, subwavelength pathways of arbitrary shapes.
Timing verification of the 21264: A 600 MHz full-custom microprocessor

We present a new timing verification methodology that was used successfully to verify the Digital 21264 Alpha microprocessor. The 21264 design team devised a minimally constrained, aggressive circuit design style with a complex clocking methodology that demanded the creation of a versatile verification tool. We introduce a tool designed for minimum and maximum timing verification of critical and race paths on full-custom circuits. This tool employs sophisticated circuit classification algorithms, a large family of delay estimation techniques, and various path traversal strategies. First pass silicon of the 21264 microprocessor successfully ran multiple operating systems and no timing problems were identified.
Baseline Mechanisms for IT Governance at Universities

The pervasive use of technology has created a critical dependency on Information Technology (IT) that requires IT Governance (ITG). ITG calls for the definition and implementation of formal mechanisms at the highest level in the organization taking into account structures, processes and relational mechanisms for the creation of business value from IT investments. However, determining the right ITG mechanisms remains a complex endeavour. Previous studies have identified ITG mechanisms in use in the financial and health care industries. While universities also increasingly depend on IT for their success, ITG implementation in universities has not received much attention. As universities have many unique characteristics, it is highly unlikely that ITG experiences from the financial and health care industries can be directly applied to universities. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to identify an ITG mechanisms’ baseline for universities. Six case studies comprising of in-depth interviews three international universities in Brazil, Portugal and the Netherlands, led to the proposal of a minimum ITG baseline for universities that is compared with the financial and health care industries. This article concludes by presenting key contributions, limitations and future work.
Broadband 4 × 4 Butler matrices utilizing tapered-coupled-line directional couplers

The analysis and design of a 4 × 4 Butler matrix that utilizes tapered-coupled-line directional couplers is presented. As a basic element of the matrix, the previously designed and measured 3.3-dB directional coupler has been used. Two different realizations of a 4 × 4 Butler matrix are considered, i.e. a network consisting of tapered-line couplers and a Schiffman phase shifter, and a network in which the appropriate phase characteristics have been ensured by substituting one of the 0/180° directional couplers by a 3-dB/90° directional coupler. In this solution, the needed coupler has been designed as a 5-section symmetrical coupled-line coupler in which the tightly coupled section is designed with the use of tapered-coupled-lines. The proposed technique allowed for achieving very good amplitude characteristics of the designed directional coupler due to the fact that the large discontinuity between coupled-lines having different coupling coefficients is avoided. The operational bandwidth of the presented 4 × 4 Butler matrices exceeds two frequency octaves.
Reliability of dynamic strength knee muscle testing in children.

The isokinetic knee test is reliable in young individuals in a broad age range between 6 years of age to puberty, but not specifically in the youngest subgroup, in which cooperation may be less dependable. Hence, the purpose of this study was to investigate the reliability of isokinetic knee flexor/extensor muscle torque in a narrow age range: 6-8 years old. The sample consisted of 12 boys tested in three sessions with 3 days of rest between sessions. During each session, two tests were performed with each knee. Intrasession correlation coefficients ranged between . 94 and . 99 for quadriceps and between . 78 and . 96 for hamstrings. Interclass correlation coefficients, which express the reliability of a single test, were high (ranging from .85 to .95). Analysis of variance for repeated measurements showed that sixfold repetition of the test had no significant effect on peak torque measurements. These data suggest that the isokinetic knee flexion/extension torque is reliable in boys 6-8 years old.
Osteology and radiology of the Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus) pelvic limb

This study describes the osteology and radiology of the pelvic limb in maned wolves. Ten (five live and five dead) maned wolves (Chrysocyon brachyurus), five males and five females, aged from 2 to 7 years old were used. Digital radiographs were taken and recorded for both pelvic limbs in all animals. Osteology was correlated with the radiographic images. The pelvis had a rectangular shape, and the obturator foramen (foramen obturatum) was oval. The femoral neck (collum femoris) was short and thick. The greater trochanter (trochanter major) extended proximally to near the dorsum of the femoral head (caput ossis femoris). The lateral femoral condyle (condylus lateralis) was larger than the medial condyle (condylus medialis), and the intercondylar fossa (fossa intercondylaris) had a slightly oblique orientation. The proximal tibia displayed medial and lateral condyles with the medial larger. The femur was slightly shorter than the tibia. Seven tarsal bones (ossa tarsi) were present, four long metatarsal bones (ossa metatarsalia II ‐ V) and a short first metatarsal bone (os metatarsal I).
Synergism in Using Negative Pressure Wound Therapy With Alternated Applications of Autologous Platelet-derived Growth Factors in Treating Post-acute Surgical Wounds.

﻿ ﻿Chronic and acute wounds with long tunneling or undermining are always a challenge to wound care providers. One of the most frequently employed treatments for closing tunneled or undermined wounds is negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT). The benefits of this treatment system are widely discussed in the professional literature, and will not be covered here. Even though NPWT allows for faster wound healing initially, in some cases, progress to wound closure is limited and healing stops after reaching a maximum potential, which may occur after just a few weeks. This adverse phenomenon is more common when the wound exhibits deep tunneling or has been extensively undermined. Trying variations of NPWT strategies geared toward closing these wounds is usually unsuccessful. This article describes cases where combined therapy, using the V.A. C. ® Therapy System (KCI, San Antonio, Tex) and the autologous platelet-derived gel, AutoloGel™, (Cytomedix, Rockville, Md) was employed. ﻿.
Pyuria and bacteriuria in infants and children. The value of pyuria as a diagnostic criterion of urinary tract infections.

PYURIA IS DEFINED by Dorland's Medical Dictionary1as "the presence of pus in the urine"; pus is defined as "a liquid inflammation product made up of cells (leukocytes) and a thin fluid called liquor puris. " Wilson and Schloss2used the term "pyuria" to designate "the presence of sufficient pus to cause definite cloudiness of the urine. " They further restricted the term to cases in which the pus cells were not only very numerous on microscopic examination, but also present in definite clumps. Smith3concluded that the diagnosis of pyuria is justified only when the number of leukocytes is "considerable, at least 8-10 per high-power field (HPF) in the uncentrifuged urine," but does not say whether in the catheterized or voided specimen; nor does he give data to support this conclusion. Several other authors4-6have reported varying normal and abnormal values for leukocytes in uncentrifuged and centrifuged
The Sec13p complex and reconstitution of vesicle budding from the ER with purified cytosolic proteins.

SEC13 encodes a 33 kDa protein that participates in vesicle budding from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). In order to purify a functional form of Sec13p, a SEC13‐dihydrofolate reductase (mouse) fusion gene (SEC13:DHFR) was constructed that complements both sec13 temperature sensitive and null mutations. Methotrexate‐agarose affinity chromatography facilitated the purification of two forms of the Sec13‐dhfrp fusion protein: a monomeric form and a high molecular weight complex. The complex form consists of two subunits: Sec13‐dhfrp and a 150 kDa protein (p150). Native immunoprecipitation experiments confirm that Sec13p exists in a complex with p150 in wild type cells. Functional analysis supports a role for both subunits in protein transport. Vesicle budding from the ER in a cell‐free reaction is inhibited by Fab antibody fragments directed against either Sec13p or p150. The purified Sec13‐dhfrp/p150 complex, but not the Sec13‐dhfrp monomer, in combination with two other pure protein fractions (Sar1p and a Sec23/Sec24 protein complex) satisfies the requirement for cytosol in a cell‐free vesicle budding reaction. The vesicles formed with the purified protein fractions are competent to fuse with the Golgi and are biochemically distinct from the ER membrane fraction from which they derive.
User experience interaction design for digital educational games

Leading the elements of games into education is the newest teaching concepts in the field of educational technology, which is by using healthy games to impel and preserve the learner’s motivation, improve the learning efficiency and bring one experience in learning something by playing games. First of all, this article has introduced the concept of Digital Game and User Experience and brought the essence of Digital Game to light to construct the frame of user experience interaction design for digital educational games and offer one design idea for the development of related products and hoping that Digital Game will bring us continuous innovation experience.
The learning rate in back-propagation systems: an application of Newton's method

In backpropagation learning, the internode connection strengths, or weights, are adjusted by a method of gradient descent in weight space. The author shows how to apply a multidimensional version of Newton's method for finding the roots of an equation to the question of determining how far to move down the gradient in each learning cycle in backpropagation. The results of a few simulations for a fully recurrent net are presented. The results show an appreciable improvement, by a factor of five to ten, in the convergence rate for these hard-to-learn tests
Genetic manipulation of reovirus--a model for modification of disease.

VIRAL agents are usually thought of as infectious units that cause acute illness. Recently, however, it has become clear that certain types of viruses are associated with delayed and persistent illness. This relation is best documented for a variety of progressive Central-nervous-system illnesses, including Kuru,1 Creutzfeld–Jakob disease,2 subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE)3 and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.4 In all these conditions a viral etiology has Abbreviations Used dsRNA: double-stranded RNA mRNA: messenger RNA PFU: plaque-forming unit SSPE: subacute sclerosing panencephalitis ssRNA: single-stranded RNA been strongly indicated. Of particular interest is the isolation of a measles-like virus from the brains of patients with .
Dynamic Voltage Stability Assessment in Large Power Systems With Topology Control Actions

This paper proposes a tractable and scalable algorithm to identify and analyze bifurcation points of a large-scale power system model, which are directly related to dynamic voltage instability problems. Different types of bifurcations are analyzed, including: saddle-node (fold), Hopf, singularity-induced and limit-induced. An algorithm that combines optimization and predictor-corrector procedure is proposed for equilibrium tracing. The algorithm is based on calculation of only critical (rightmost and closest-to-zero) eigenvalues. The proposed algorithm is extended to the case of dynamic voltage stability assessment for power systems with optimized topology (simultaneously subjected to the topology control changes and generation re-dispatch). The proposed approach is illustrated on two (medium- and large-scale real-world) test power systems.