Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interictal and ictal dipole modelling in patients with refractory partial epilepsy

Fifteen patients (7 men, 8 women) with mean age of 34 years and mean duration of refractory partial seizures of 17 years were included in a presurgical evaluation protocol. Neuroimaging (CAT, 1.5 T MR) demonstrated intracranial structural lesions (space‐occupying: n = 9; atrophic: n = 6) and video‐EEG monitoring showed complex partial seizures in all patients. Four patients underwent additional intracranial EEG monitoring that demonstrated hippocampal seizure onset in all. Voltage topography and spatiotemporal dipole mapping of interictal epileptic discharges revealed two distinct dipole types. Patients with lesions in the medial (and lateral) temporal lobe uniformly presented with a negative voltage field with a steep gradient over the inferior temporal area and a stable, combined dipole that consisted of a radial and a tangential component with a high degree of elevation relative to the axial plane. Patients with extratemporal lesions had a more diffuse, less dipolar voltage field and a corresponding dipole which was less stable and had a predominant radial component. Dipole modelling of epochs of early ictal discharges revealed a striking correspondence with the interictal findings in individual patients. Interictal spike voltage topography and corresponding dipole mapping provided additional and reliable information that was relevant in surgical candidates for refractory partial epilepsy, e.g. by suggesting in some patients that the medial temporal structures were not primarily involved. Ictal dipole modelling revealed concordant results with interictal data. It shows promising but needs further confirmation and validation in a larger patient population with intracranial EEG recordings. Despite intrinsic limitations, spike voltage topography and dipole mapping contributes to a better localisation of the underlying brain source of epileptic discharges.
Millimeter-wave dual polarized L-shaped horn antenna array

A new broadband dual polarized L-shaped horn antenna and associated waveguide feed structure is presented. The horn antenna and waveguide feeds are filled with dielectric material, where a small aperture area of 0.5lambda square is achieved. Using stereolithography, the miniature antennas and waveguides were fabricated as sets of cavity filled blocks. Broadband attributes are demonstrated with a measured return loss of better than -10 dB from 34 to 40 GHz. The measured gain is 5.3 dB at 35 GHz, with 19 dB cross-polarization discrimination
The Dynamics of Policies and Practices of Labour Contracting in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Sector

This study critically examined the dynamics of the policies and practices of labour contracting within the Nigerian oil and gas sector as operated by some selected multinational organisations, namely: Mobil, Shell and Chevron. The study examined the nature of labour contracting, how and why it was adopted; and the implications of MNCs using such policies and practices in managing Nigerian workers. The study shed light on labour contracting arrangements and emerging employment relationships, as well as tensions among workplace actors. The research methodology was qualitative and was essentially driven by a subjective philosophy. It has an ontological undertone embedded with social constructionist approach. The target population for the study, therefore, was all the randomly selected contract workers of the three MNCs, the contractors of the user firms, and the two trade unions—NUPENG and PENGASSAN who were given survey questionnaires to complete and were engaged in semi-structured interviews. The study found that there are increased tensions in the working relationship. Other findings from this study include: the challenges that come with the entry point (recruitment); pronounced disparities in the remuneration packages between contract staff and permanent employees; contracted labour being faced with poor working conditions; and increase in the precarious nature of job security.
Approach to the design of wideband antenna arrays with reduced coupling between elements

A novel method allowing for reduction of coupling between vertically placed radiating elements in antenna arrays has been proposed. It has been shown, that appropriate offsetting the antenna array elements from the array symmetry axis allows to improve isolation between adjacent elements, which results in improvement of the obtained radiation pattern. The theoretical investigation has been performed by means of electromagnetic calculations of an exemplary 1 x 4 wideband antenna array composed of Vivaldi type radiating elements operating within 2 - 10 GHz frequency range. The designed antenna array has been manufactured and measured to experimentally verify the performance. Obtained measurement results are in good agreement with the calculated ones, which proves the correctness and usefulness of the proposed approach.
Gene regulation for higher cells: a theory.

Cell differentiation is based almost certainly on the regulation of gene activity, so that for each state of differentiation a certain set of genes is active in transcription and other genes are inactive. The establishment of this concept (1) has depended on evidence indicating that the cells of an organism generally contain identical genomes (2). Direct support for the idea that regulation of gene activity underlies cell differentiation comes from evidence that much of the genome in higher cell types is inactive (3) and that different ribonucleic acids (RNA) are synthesized in different cell types (4).
Nonlinear system modeling using convolutional neural networks

With the benefit of convolutional operation, the convolutional neural networks (CNN) has been successfully applied in classification, regression and time series modeling. For neural modeling of dynamic systems, CNN also should have many advantages over other neural models, such as avoiding local minima and the noises and outliers affections. In this paper, the dynamic system identification is addressed by CNN. The system identification with CNN is divided into two cases: feedforward CNN and backpropagation training. The proposed deep learning methods for dynamic system identification are validated with two benchmark data sets.
, Maurizio Endoscopic Endonasal Nasopharyngectomy in Selected Cancers

Objective. To describe the different surgical techniques for nasopharyngeal endoscopic resection (NER) and to support the efficacy of the endoscopic endonasal approach in the management of selected primary and locally recurrent nasopharyngeal tumors (NPTs). Study Design. Case series with chart review. Setting. Patients affected by NPTs who underwent NER from 1997 to 2011 at two Italian referral centers. Subjects and Methods. NER was tailored to the NPT extension and classified as follows: type 1 NER, resection of the posterior nasopharyngeal wall; type 2 NER, resection superiorly extended to the sphenoid; type 3 NER, trans-pterygoid approach to the postero-lateral nasopharynx with removal of pterygoid plates and Eustachian tube, under control of parapharyngeal-petrous-cavernous segments of the internal carotid artery. Results. Thirty-six consecutive patients with primary (9 cases) or locally recurrent (27 cases) NPTs were enrolled. The lesions were staged as follows: stage I, 16 (44.4%); stage II, 3 (8.4%); stage III, 15 (41.6%); and stage IVA, 2 (5.6%). Type 1 NER was performed in 6 cases, type 2 NER in 12, type 3 NER in 16, and bilateral-extended type 3 NER in 2. No perioperative mortality or major complications were observed. Postoperatively, 11 patients received intensitymodulated radiotherapy, with or without chemotherapy. Follow-up ranged from 2 to 173 months (mean: 38 months). Five years overall, disease-specific, and disease-free survivals were 75.1% 6 9.13%, 80.9% 6 7.79%, and 58.1% 6 14.8%, respectively. Conclusion. NER is a feasible and minimally invasive surgical approach for the management of selected primary and locally recurrent NPTs. Our preliminary outcomes are promising, with local control rates comparable to those of conventional procedures. Larger case series and longer followup are needed to validate the reproducibility and efficacy of the technique.
Hazardous Wastes, Politics, and Public Policy: a Comparative State Analysis

growth, industrial expansion, and technological change upon the environment. One of the major public policy issues to emerge recently is concern over public health and safety associated with hazardous (chemical) wastes. Dramatic incidents, such as kepone dumping in the James River, the "Valley of the Drums" incident in Kentucky, and the damage apparently caused by the Love Canal chemical disposal sites, have served as catalysts in mobilizing public interest in the responsible management of hazardous wastes. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that "in 1980, at least 57 million metric tons of the nation's total wasteload can be classified as hazardous" (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 1980). Indeed, the hazardous waste problem is often described as the single most threatening issue facing the country or "the environmental problem of the century" (Epstein, Brown, and Pope 1982: 37). As a result of this concern the hazardous waste issue has become the focus of much scholarly research and congressional activity (Goldfarb 1979; Getz and Walter 1980; Worthley and Torkelson 1981; Jorling 1981; Eckhardt 1981; Levine 1982). Moreover, the responsible management of hazardous waste has generated substantial interest among state governmental leaders and agencies, whose responsibilities include its regulation. Specifically, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976 (or RCRA, as it is commonly called), charges the EPA with approving state hazardous waste control programs. In the event that a state fails to comply with the standards set by RCRA, the EPA itself is authorized to develop and implement a program in that state (Steeler 1980). Although the states have strong incentives to comply with RCRA, their policy responses reflect varying commitments to the responsible management of hazardous waste. Consequently, it is important to explore some potential explanations of state policy in this area. The purpose of this comparative state study is to examine the states' policy responses to the hazardous waste problem and to evaluate the utility of several indicators (both new and conventional) hypothesized to
Non-invasive monitoring of people with disabilities via motion detection

This research developed a prototype to recognize the activities of people with social interaction and communication impairments using two commercial grade infrared motion sensing input devices. The model uses skeletal joints in the form of (x, y, z) coordinates to perform computationally inexpensive and efficient real time indoor monitoring. The prototype works well for a room with the size of 15 ft. by 15 ft. where it can detect two human subjects simultaneously. The prototype promotes non-invasive monitoring, no wearable sensor is required on the person under monitoring and no identifiable face images are stored. The evaluation shows that it is able to recognize the accident-critical activities, self-injurious activities and inactivity with satisfactory recognition and false alarm rates.
Dynamical polarizability of graphene beyond the Dirac cone approximation

We compute the dynamical polarizability of graphene beyond the usual Dirac cone approximation, integrating over the full Brillouin zone. We find deviations at ℏω=2t (where t is the hopping parameter) which amount to a logarithmic singularity due to the Van Hove singularity and derive an approximate analytical expression. Also at low energies, we find deviations from the results obtained from the Dirac cone approximation which manifest themselves in a peak spitting at arbitrary direction of the incoming wave vector q. Consequences for the plasmon spectrum are discussed.
Including Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Performance Evaluations: An Investigation of Employee Reactions

This study examined how employees react to formal evaluations of organizational citizenship behaviors in performance appraisals. Using a sample of 107 business students with relevant job experience, this experimental study found that their reactions to such formal inclusion of organizational citizenship behaviors depended on their task performance. Respondents with high task performance, compared with their low task performance counterparts, reported lower satisfaction, perceived distributive, and perceived procedural justice when organizational citizenship behaviors were weighted heavily.
Zaltoprofen Inhibits Bradykinin-Mediated Enhancement of Glutamate Receptor Activity in Substantia Gelatinosa Neurons

BACKGROUND: Zaltoprofen, a propionic acid derivative of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, has been proposed to inhibit the nociception mediated by bradykinin. Here, I attempted to clarify the molecular mechanisms underlying the blocking effect of zaltoprofen on bradykinin-mediated enhancement of excitatory glutamatergic transmission in the superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord. METHODS: The effects of zaltoprofen on the response to exogenous administration of &agr;-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-4-propionic acid (AMPA) currents were examined in lamina II neurons of adult rat spinal cord slices using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique. RESULTS: AMPA currents were significantly enhanced by preapplication of bradykinin (10 &mgr;M). However, zaltoprofen (1, 10 &mgr;M) and a nonselective cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 and COX-2 inhibitor, ibuprofen, blocked the bradykinin-mediated enhancing effect. The inhibitory effect of ibuprofen, but not zaltoprofen, was removed by adding prostaglandin E2. Furthermore, the inhibitory effect of zaltoprofen was removed in the presence of protein kinase C (PKC) activator, whereas the effect of zaltoprofen was still present in the presence of phospholipase C activator. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that the antinociceptive effect of zaltoprofen may block the augmenting effect of bradykinin on AMPA currents through inhibition of protein kinase C activation, without affecting COX in the superficial dorsal horn.
Gemini surfactants: A distinct class of self-assembling molecules

Gemini surfactant is the family of surfactant mole-cules possessing more than one hydrophobic tail and hydrophilic head group. These surfactants usually have better surface -active properties than corres pond -ing conventional surfactants of equal chain length. Geminis are used as promising surfactants in indus-tria l detergency and have shown efficiency in skin care, antibacterial property, metal-encapped porphy -ra zine and vesicle formation, construction of high-porosity materials, etc. This review deals with synthesis, structure, critical micellar concentration, surface active properties and uses of geminis.
A Modular Rewriting Approach to Language Design, Evolution and Analysis

Software is becoming a pervasive presence in our lives, powering computing systems in the home, in businesses, and in safety-critical settings. In response, languages are being defined with support for new domains and complex computational abstractions. The need for formal techniques to help better understand the languages we use, correctly design new language abstractions, and reason about the behavior and correctness of programs is now more urgent then ever. In this dissertation we focus on research in programming language semantics and program analysis, aimed at building and reasoning about programming languages and applications. In language semantics, we first show how to use formal techniques during language design, presenting definitional techniques for object-oriented languages with concurrency features, including the Beta language and a paradigmatic language called KOOL. Since reuse is important, we then present a module system for K, a formalism for language definition that takes advantage of the strengths of rewriting logic and term rewriting techniques. Although currently specific to K, parts of this module system are also aimed at other formalisms, with the goal of providing a reuse mechanism for different forms of modular semantics in the future. Finally, since performance is also important, we show techniques for improving the executable and analysis performance of rewriting logic semantics definitions, specifically focused on decisions around the representation of program values and configurations used in semantics definitions. The work on performance, with a discussion of analysis performance, provides a good bridge to the second major topic, program analysis. We present a new technique aimed at annotation-driven static analysis called policy frameworks. A policy framework consists of analysis domains, an analysis generic front-end, an analysis-generic abstract language semantics, and an abstract analysis semantics that defines the semantics of the domain and the annotation language. After illustrating the technique using SILF, a simple imperative language, we then describe a policy framework for C. To provide a real example of using this framework, we have defined a units of measurement policy for C. This policy allows both type and code annotations to be added to standard C programs, which are then used to generate modular analysis tasks checked using the CPF semantics in Maude.
Why treat insomnia?

OBJECTIVE To make the case that insomnia is better conceptualized, not as a symptom, but as a primary disorder. DATA SOURCES PubMed was searched from 1975-2009 using the search terms insomnia, insomnia and treatment, insomnia and cost, and insomnia and treatment and safety. STUDY SELECTION English-language articles and other materials were selected to address the following claims: insomnia is unremitting, insomnia is disabling, insomnia is costly, insomnia is pervasive, insomnia is pernicious, and insomnia treatment is safe and effective. DATA EXTRACTION/SYNTHESIS Insomnia, at least when chronic, should be conceptualized as a comorbid condition, one for which effective interventions are available. CONCLUSIONS It is speculated that treatment for insomnia will only become the norm when it has been demonstrated that treatment not only addresses the problem of insomnia but also serves to reduce medical and psychiatric morbidity. At that time, the question will no longer be "Why treat insomnia? " but instead "When isn't insomnia treatment indicated? "
Species diversity reduces invasion success in pathogen-regulated communities

The loss of natural enemies is thought to explain why certain invasive species are so spectacularly successful in their introduced range. However, if losing natural enemies leads to unregulated population growth, this implies that native species are themselves normally subject to natural enemy regulation. One possible widespread mechanism of natural enemy regulation is negative soil feedbacks, in which resident species growing on home soils are disadvantaged because of a build-up of species-specific soil pathogens. Here we construct simple models in which pathogens cause resident species to suffer reduced competitive ability on home soils and consider the consequences of such pathogen regulation for potential invading species. We show that the probability of successful invasion and its timescale depend strongly on the competitive ability of the invader on resident soils, but are unaffected by whether or not the invader also suffers reduced competitive ability on home soils (i.e. pathogen regulation). This is because, at the start of an invasion, the invader is rare and hence mostly encounters resident soils. However, the lack of pathogen regulation does allow the invader to achieve an unusually high population density. We also show that increasing resident species diversity in a pathogen-regulated community increases invasion resistance by reducing the frequency of home-site encounters. Diverse communities are more resistant to invasion than monocultures of the component species: they preclude a greater range of potential invaders, slow the timescale of invasion and reduce invader population size. Thus, widespread pathogen regulation of resident species is a potential explanation for the empirical observation that diverse communities are more invasion resistant.
Gaze control using human eye movements

In this paper, we propose a visual servoing of the orientation of a camera mounted on a robot, using human eye movements. The study aims at the remote survey of sensitive sites or the intervention in contaminated nuclear sites. Visual data stemmed from an eye-tracker, providing the direction of the look of an operator, is generally noisy and sometimes inconsistent. Filtering, smoothing and stabilizing these eye tracker data are thus necessary in order to move the camera in the direction specified by the operator's eye. The visual servoing control scheme, as well as experimental results, are also presented.
Inactivation of the gene for the nuclear receptor tailless in the brain preserving its function in the eye

During embryogenesis, tailless, an orphan member of the nuclear receptor family, is expressed in the germinal zones of the brain and the developing retina, and is involved in regulating the cell cycle of progenitor cells. Consequently, a deletion of the tailless gene leads to decreased cell number with associated anatomical defects in the limbic system, the cortex and the eye. These structural abnormalities are associated with blindness, increased aggressiveness, poor performance in learning paradigms and reduced anxiousness. In order to assess the contribution of blindness to the behavioural changes, we established tailless mutant mice with intact visual abilities. We generated a mouse line in which the second exon of the tailless gene is flanked by loxP sites and crossed these animals with a transgenic line expressing the Cre recombinase in the neurogenic area of the developing brain, but not in the eye. The resulting animals have anatomically indistinguishable brains compared with tailless germline mutants, but are not blind. They are less anxious and much more aggressive than controls, like tailless germline mutants. In contrast to germline mutants, the conditional mutants are not impaired in fear conditioning. Furthermore, they show good performance in the Morris water‐maze despite severely reduced hippocampal structures. Thus, the pathological aggressiveness and reduced anxiety found in tailless germline mutants are due to malformations caused by inactivation of the tailless gene in the brain, but the poor performance of tailless null mice in learning and memory paradigms is dependent on the associated blindness.
P4F-6 On the Potential of Combined ARFI and Elastography to Improve Differentiation of Material Structure in Viscoelastic Tissue

Acoustic radiation force imaging methods distinguish tissue structure and composition by monitoring tissue responses to applied radiation force excitations. Applying Voigt and Kelvin viscoelastic tissue models, we present a new radiation force technique - monitored steady-state excitation and recovery (MSSER) imaging - that tracks both steady-state displacement during prolonged force application and transient response following force cessation to estimate tissue mechanical properties such as elasticity and viscosity. In concert with shear wave elasticity imaging (SWEI) estimates for Young's modulus, MSSER methods are useful for estimating tissue mechanical properties independent of the applied force magnitude. We test our methods in gelatin phantoms and excised pig muscle, with confirmation through mechanical property measurement using the BOSE EnduraTEC ELF 3200. Our results measured 10.6 kPa, 14.7 kPa, 17.1 kPa, (gelatin) and 122.4 kPa (pig muscle) with less than 10% error. This work demonstrates the feasibility of MSSER imaging and supports the merit of further efforts to incorporate relevant mechanical tissue models into the development of novel radiation force imaging techniques.