Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stroke patients' functions in personal activities of daily living in relation to sleep and socio-demographic and clinical variables in the acute phase after first-time stroke and at six months of follow-up.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To explore first-time stroke patients' degree of independence in activities of daily life in relation to sleep and other essential variables that might influence activities of daily life. BACKGROUND Sleep has received little attention in rehabilitation of activities of daily life in stroke patients. DESIGN This is a longitudinal survey and observational study design from the acute phase to six months poststroke. METHODS First-time stroke patients (n = 90) were recruited from two hospitals in eastern Norway in 2007 and 2008. Data were collected by survey interview, medical records and wrist actigraphy in the first two weeks at the hospital and at six months of follow-up. Actigraph measures patient activity and estimates sleep during the day and night. RESULTS Linear regression showed that high dependence in personal activities of daily living was directly related to low estimated sleep time at night and higher estimated sleep during the day in the acute phase, controlling for socio-demographic and clinical variables. Furthermore, high estimated numbers of awakenings in the acute phase were related to lower activities of daily life functioning at six months of follow-up after controlling for socio-demographic and clinical variables. Stronger pain and a lower physical functioning showed direct relationships with lower independency level of in activities of daily life both in the acute phase and after six months. CONCLUSIONS Sleep patterns in the acute phase may influence the patients' activities of daily life functioning up to six months poststroke. Furthermore, pain in the acute phase may influence the level of activities of daily life functioning in stroke patients. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE Nurses should pay attention to stroke patients' sleep quality and pain in the rehabilitation period after a stroke. Facilitating good sleep conditions and screening for pain should be an integral part of the rehabilitation programme.
Market sentiment and the British stock exchange market

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Facing Drought, Can Zimbabwe Improve on History of Food Shortage, Poor Management

Afrobarometer is a pan-African, non-partisan research network that conducts public attitude surveys on democracy, governance, economic conditions, and related issues across more than 30 countries in Africa. After five rounds of surveys between 1999 and 2013, results from Round 6 surveys (2014-2015) are currently being published. Afrobarometer conducts face-toface interviews in the language of the respondent’s choice with nationally representative samples that yield country-level results with margins of error of +/-2% (for samples of 2,400) or +/3% (for samples of 1,200) at a 95% confidence level.
Usabilidad en entornos MDA: propuesta y estudio experimental

Este articulo presenta un marco conceptual que incorpora la usabilidad en procesos de desarrollo de software basados en MDA (Model-Driven Architecture). En particular, se describe que tecnicas de evaluacion pueden ser usadas y en que momento. Para ilustrar la aplicacion del marco se presenta un estudio experimental con un grupo de usuarios reales que evalua la usabilidad de una aplicacion generada automaticamente por una herramienta basada en MDA. Como resultado, se describe como los problemas de usabilidad identificados en el modelo de codigo (CM) pueden ser corregidos de forma iterativa en los modelos independientes plataforma (PIM) o en las reglas de transformacion de codigo (PSM) dando soporte al concepto de “usabilidad obtenida por construccion".
Patent Intensity and Economic Growth

Economic growth has traditionally been attributed to the increase in national production arising from technological innovation. Using a panel of seventy-nine countries bridging the North-South divide, Patent Intensity and Economic Growth is an important empirical study on the uncertain relationship between patents and economic growth. It considers the impact of one-size-fits-all patent policies on developing countries and their innovation-based economic growth, including those policies originating from the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Trade Organization and the World Health Organization, as well as initiatives derived from the TRIPS Agreement and the Washington Consensus. This book argues against patent harmonization across countries and provides an analytical framework for country group coalitioning on policy at UN level. It will appeal to scholars and students of patent law, national and international policy makers, venture capitalist investors, and research and development managers, as well as researchers in intellectual property, innovation and economic growth.
Improving Subsalt Imaging With Illumination-based Weighting of RTM 3D Angle Gathers

Salt-related structures are common in deep water Gulf of Mexico (GOM) exploration. Salt bodies are one of the major obstacles for subsurface imaging because seismic wavefields are strongly folded and distorted when propagating though them. The availability of wide azimuth (WAZ) data and reverse time migration (RTM) boost our ability to image subsalt structures. RTM 3D angle gathers yield rich imaging information in the domain of subsurface azimuth and reflection angles. This information helps us to study illumination and remove residual noise in the data, thereby boosting our potential to achieve optimal images.
The Six Sigma Approach for the Development of Accounting Information System Performance

The study investigates six sigma approach in manufacturing companies to prove its influence on the development of accounting information systems performance. Total of 80 respondent data from processed questionnaire consist of low management (64%), middle management (38%) and top management (7%). Statistically significant were found for application six sigma and development of accounting information systems performance. The result shows six sigma has significant effect to accounting information system performance. The findings show that companies implement six sigma at high altitudes. Six sigma has criteria such as support and commitment from top management, organizational culture, customer focus, and training. Criteria for support and commitment from top management and organizational culture are not proven to significantly influence the development of accounting information system performance.
Proteinuria and life expectancy.

To the Editor: Proteinuria, a marker of kidney disease, is associated strongly with risk of adverse outcomes, including all-cause mortality. Life expectancy, a measure to estimate health status and disease burden at a population level, has not been reported for patients with different levels of proteinuria. This information could help policy makers recognize the health burden caused by proteinuria and prioritize health care programs or funding. We used a large population-based registry to estimate life expectancies of middle-aged men and women with varying levels of proteinuria. The study population included adults without end-stage renal disease in Alberta, Canada, who had at least one outpatient to identify all-cause mortality. Baseline proteinuria was estimated by urine albu-min-creatinine ratio (ACR) or urine dipstick based on outpatient random spot urine measurements and categorized based on ACR (normal, Ͻ30 mg/g; mild, 30-300 mg/g; and heavy, Ͼ300 mg/g) or urine dipstick (normal, negative; mild, trace or 1ϩ; and heavy, 2ϩ). 4,5 Age-specific mortality rates were calculated with the person-year method, 6 where age was considered in time scale. The abridged life table was used to calculate life expectancies. (Details of the study methods have been published elsewhere 9 and are provided in Item S1). Among men, 9.55% had mild proteinuria and 2.03% had heavy proteinuria. Corresponding proportions among women were 7.48% and 1.22%, respectively. Figure 1 shows mean life expectancy for participants by sex and level of proteinuria in 5-year age bands (from 30 to Ն85 years). Within each age stratum, life expectancy was substantially shorter for people with higher levels of proteinuria (Table S1). Life expectancy for men aged 40 years was 31.8 years for those without proteinuria, 23.2 years for those with mild proteinuria, and 16.6 years for those with heavy proteinuria. Life expectancies for women aged 40 years with normal, mild, and heavy proteinuria were 35.7, 25.2, and 18.2 years, respectively. Life expectancies of 40-year-old men and women with no proteinuria were 15.2 and 17.4 years longer, respectively, than for those with heavy proteinuria (Table 1). Life expectancy was shorter in the presence of mild and heavy proteinuria (compared with those with no proteinuria) across all age strata for both sexes. Life expectancy for men was consistently shorter than for women for all proteinuria categories, especially in the middle age strata (Table S2). These results mirror our recent report of the life expectancy of patients across different levels of estimated glomerular filtration rate, …
Oxysterol mixtures prevent proapoptotic effects of 7‐ ketocholesterol in macrophages: implications for proatherogenic gene modulation

Oxysterols are common components of oxidized low‐density lipoprotein and accumulate in the core of fibrotic plaques as a mixture of cholesterol and cholesteryl ester oxidation products. The proapoptotic effects of a biologically representative mixture of oxysterols was compared with equimolar amounts of 7‐ketocholesterol and unoxidized cholesterol. The oxysterol mixture in a concentration range actually detectable in hypercholesterolemic patients did not stimulate programmed cell death in cultivated murine macrophages. Unoxidized cholesterol also produced no effect. By contrast, when given alone, 7‐ketocholesterol strongly stimulated the mitochondrial pathway of apoptosis with cytochrome c release, caspase‐9 activation, and eventually caspase‐3 activation. Subsequent experiments showed that when 7‐ketocholesterol was administered to cells together with another oxysterol, namely 7βOH‐cholesterol, the strong proapoptotic effect of 7‐ketocholesterol was markedly attenuated. As regards the mechanism underlying this quenching, we found that the combined oxysterol treatment counteracted the ability of 7‐ ketocholesterol, when administered alone, to strongly up‐regulate the steady‐state levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) without interfering with sterol uptake. Furthermore, this increase in intracellular ROS appeared to be responsible for the up‐regulation of proapoptotic factor, p21, after treatment with 7‐ketocholesterol but not in cells challenged with the oxysterol mixture. Competition among oxysterols, apparently at the level of NADPH oxidase, diminishes the ROS induction and direct toxicity that is evoked by specific oxysterols. As a consequence, a more subtle gene modulation by oxysterols becomes facilitated in vascular cells.
Reasons for participation in group-based type 2 diabetes self-management education. A qualitative study

Aims: To investigate reasons for participating in group-based diabetes self-management education (DSME) for patients with type 2 diabetes. Methods: A qualitative study using focus groups and individual semi-structured interviews was conducted with 22 patients attending seven different groups in Central Norway. Results: Patients with diabetes described two main reasons for attending DSME; experiencing practical problems and feeling insecure. These reasons differed by affecting the patients in two ways — practically or emotionally. Practical problems and feeling insecure both originated from lack of or contradictory information and from lack of contact with other patients with diabetes. This affected the patients’ everyday lives in important areas such as diet, medication, social settings and lifestyle changes. Conclusions: The underlying reason for participating in a DSME was the participants’ experience of having insufficient information about their diabetes, which led to practical problems and emotional insecurity. Being aware of the patients’ reasons for participating can help professionals keep a focus which is more consistent with patients’ needs.
Connection between Residential Product Price and Preferences: A study in Jakarta Metropolitan Region

As part of an ongoing research about value determinant factors for residential product pricing in Jakarta Metropolitan Region, this paper will analyze reasoning behind price allocation for residential products. It will also try to produce a certain pricing approach to measure the level of residential product price uniqueness. Preliminary findings from literature review analysis suggested that planned community (gated) concept, security and prestige helps to determine consumer preferences to purchase a specific residential product, while from interview analysis with property developer suggested additional factors of design, accessibility, facilities and brand also influenced the price of the product.
Efficient run-time task allocation in reconfigurable multiprocessor System-on-Chip with Network-on-Chip

Due to the advancement of VLSI (Very Large Scale Integrated Circuits) technologies, we can put more cores on a chip, resulting in the emergence of a multicore embedded system. This also brings great challenges to the traditional parallel processing as to how we can improve the performance of the system with increased number of cores. In this paper, we meet the new challenges using a novel approach. Specifically, we propose a SOPC (System on a Programmable Chip) design based on multicore embedded system. Under our proposed scheme, in addition to conventional processor cores, we introduce dynamically reconfigurable accelerator cores to boost the performance of the system. We have built the prototype of the system using FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays). Simulation results demonstrate significant system efficiency of the proposed system in terms of computation and power consumption. Our approach is to develop a highly flexible and scalable network design that easily accommodates the various needs. This paper presents the design of our NoC (Network on Chip) which is a part of the platform that we are developing for a reconfigurable system. The major drawback of SOPC based systems lies in the routing of the various on-chip cores. Since it is technically difficult to integrate more than one core on a single chip, we come across several routing problems which lead to inefficient functioning. Thus we implement a NoC based routing algorithm, power Aware topology algorithm which considerably improve accessing speed and enhance the system efficiency, with nearly 85% of conservation of energy and efficient run-time task allocation of the system.
Adaptive fuzzy logic traffic light management system

The inefficiency in the traffic light timing contributes to road rage and air pollution. In fact it causes high level of stress to people. It is totally dependent upon the number of vehicles arrival at the intersections. In general, the number of vehicles arrival at the intersection is not consistent. For that reason, the fixed traffic light timing scheme is not efficient. The inefficiency of the system is intensified by the rapid increases of vehicles on road that is inconsistent with reassessment of road infrastructures. In some extends cases, traffic officer require to be presented at the intersection to manage the traffic. In this paper, the flexibility on generating of the traffic light switching scheme to adapt the inconsistency in number of vehicles arrival is addressed by the fuzzy logic controller. The experimental design developed for the fixed time and adaptive traffic light system and the results are as presented. Results show that the adaptive traffic light based on fuzzy logic controller has outperformed fixed timing traffic light.
The use of an injectable, biodegradable calcium phosphate bone substitute for the prophylactic augmentation of osteoporotic vertebrae and the management of vertebral compression fractures.

STUDY DESIGN A biomechanical study comparing two materials for augmentation of osteoporotic vertebral bodies and vertebral bodies after compression fracture. OBJECTIVES To compare an injected, biodegradable calcium phosphate bone substitute with injected polymethylmethacrylate bone cement for strengthening osteoporotic vertebral bodies and improving the integrity of vertebral compression fractures. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA Injection of polymethylmethacrylate bone cement into fractured vertebral bodies has been used clinically. However, there is concern about thermal damage to the neural elements during polymerization of the polymethylmethacrylate bone cement as well as its negative effects on bone remodeling. Biodegradable calcium phosphate bone substitutes have been studied for enhancement of fixation in fractured vertebrae. METHODS Forty fresh osteoporotic thoracolumbar vertebrae were used for two separate parts of this study: 1) injection into osteoporotic vertebrae: intact control (n = 8), calcium phosphate (n = 8), and polymethylmethacrylate bone cement (n = 8) groups. Each specimen then was loaded in anterior compression until failure; 2) injection into postfractured vertebrae: calcium phosphate (n = 8) and polymethylmethacrylate bone cement (n = 8) groups. Before and after injection, the specimens were radiographed in the lateral projection to determine changes in vertebral body height and then loaded to failure in anterior bending. RESULTS For intact osteoporotic vertebrae, the average fracture strength was 527 +/- 43 N (stiffness, 84 +/- 11 N/mm), 1063 +/- 127 N (stiffness, 157 +/- 21 N/mm) for the group injected with calcium phosphate, and 1036 +/- 100 N (stiffness, 156 +/- 8 N/mm) for the group injected with polymethylmethacrylate bone cement. The fracture strength and stiffness in the calcium phosphate bone substitute group and those in the polymethylmethacrylate bone cement group were similar and significantly stronger than those in intact control group (P < 0.05). For the compression fracture study, anterior vertebral height was increased 58.5 +/- 4.6% in the group injected with calcium phosphate and 58.0 +/- 6.5% in the group injected with polymethylmethacrylate bone cement as compared with preinjection fracture heights. No significant difference between the two groups was found in anterior vertebral height, fracture strength, or stiffness. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that the injection of a biodegradable calcium phosphate bone substitute to strengthen osteoporotic vertebral bodies or improve vertebral compression fractures might provide an alternative to the use of polymethylmethacrylate bone cement.
Different classes of input and output neurons reveal new features in microglomeruli of the adult Drosophila mushroom body calyx

To investigate how sensory information is processed, transformed, and stored within an olfactory system, we examined the anatomy of the input region, the calyx, of the mushroom bodies of Drosophila melanogaster. These paired structures are important for various behaviors, including olfactory learning and memory. Cells in the input neuropil, the calyx, are organized into an array of microglomeruli each comprising the large synaptic bouton of a projection neuron (PN) from the antennal lobe surrounded by tiny postsynaptic neurites from intrinsic Kenyon cells. Extrinsic neurons of the mushroom body also contribute to the organization of microglomeruli. We employed a combination of genetic reporters to identify single cells in the Drosophila calyx by light microscopy and compared these with cell shapes, synapses, and circuits derived from serial‐section electron microscopy. We identified three morphological types of PN boutons, unilobed, clustered, and elongated; defined three ultrastructural types, with clear‐ or dense‐core vesicles and those with a dark cytoplasm having both; reconstructed diverse dendritic specializations of Kenyon cells; and identified Kenyon cell presynaptic sites upon extrinsic neurons. We also report new features of calyx synaptic organization, in particular extensive serial synapses that link calycal extrinsic neurons into a local network, and the numerical proportions of synaptic contacts between calycal neurons. All PN bouton types had more ribbon than nonribbon synapses, dark boutons particularly so, and ribbon synapses were larger and with more postsynaptic elements (2–14) than nonribbon (1–10). The numbers of elements were in direct proportion to presynaptic membrane area. Extrinsic neurons exclusively had ribbon synapses. J. Comp. Neurol. 520:2185–2201, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An Improved Physics-Based Model for Topographic Correction of Landsat TM Images

Optical remotely sensed images in mountainous areas are subject to radiometric distortions induced by topographic effects, which need to be corrected before quantitative applications. Based on Li model and Sandmeier model, this paper proposed an improved physics-based model for the topographic correction of Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) images. The model employed Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) thresholds to approximately divide land targets into eleven groups, due to NDVI's lower sensitivity to topography and its significant role in indicating land cover type. Within each group of terrestrial targets, corresponding MODIS BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function) products were used to account for land surface's BRDF effect, and topographic effects are corrected without Lambertian assumption. The methodology was tested with two TM scenes of severely rugged mountain areas acquired under different sun elevation angles. Results demonstrated that reflectance of sun-averted slopes was evidently enhanced, and the overall quality of images was improved with topographic effect being effectively suppressed. Correlation coefficients between Near Infra-Red band reflectance and illumination condition reduced almost to zero, and coefficients of variance also showed some reduction. By comparison with the other two physics-based models (Sandmeier model and Li model), the proposed model showed favorable results on two tested Landsat scenes. With the almost half-century accumulation of Landsat data and the successive launch and operation of Landsat 8, the improved model in this paper can be potentially helpful for the topographic correction of Landsat and Landsat-like data.
Surface composition of ordered alloys : An off-stoichiometric effect

I predict the existence of an off-stoichiometric effect in ordered alloys in the form of a distinct transition in the surface segregation behavior of alloy components near the bulk stoichiometric composition. It is caused by the discontinuity in the effective chemical potential at the stoichiometric composition. The effect is predicted to occur at the (111) surface of ordered Ni3Al and Pt3Fe alloys.