Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Amyloid β accumulation in axons after traumatic brain injury in humans

Object. Although plaques composed of amyloid β (Aβ) have been found shortly after traumatic brain injury (TBI) in humans, the source for this Aβ has not been identified. In the present study, the authors explored the potential relationship between Aβ accumulation in damaged axons and associated Aβ plaque formation. Methods. The authors performed an immunohistochemical analysis of paraffin-embedded sections of brain from 12 patients who died after TBI and from two control patients by using antibodies selective for Aβ peptides, amyloid precursor protein (APP), and neurofilament (NF) proteins. In nine brain-injured patients, extensive colocalizations of Aβ, APP, and NF protein were found in swollen axons. Many of these immunoreactive axonal profiles were present close to Aβ plaques or were surrounded by Aβ staining, which spread out into the tissue. Immunoreactive profiles were not found in the brains of the control patients. Conclusions. The results of this study indicate that damaged axons can serve as a l.
Assessing trauma leader communication in an ED setting

Abstract Since pediatric trauma activations require a high level of interdisciplinary team performance, they are considered extreme action teams. Although researchers agree that effective leader communication is needed to ensure the success of this extreme action team, few instruments exist that evaluate the communication effectiveness of the leader who supervises trauma team performance during activations. To fill this void, the Assessment of Pediatric Resuscitation Communication Leader Assessment (APRC-LA) was created to assess the communication effectiveness of the formal leader during trauma activations. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is threefold. First, this study further validates the APRC-LA by reporting the inter-rater reliability results of the instrument. Second, researchers describe the design challenges that occurred throughout the validation process to illustrate the design work that goes into creating an assessment to improve an organizational process. Third, researchers provide practical advice for researchers or clinicians interested in using the APRC-LA in the future to measure the communication effectiveness of formal leaders during pediatric trauma resuscitations.
Seamless channel transition using Bespoke broadcasting scheme for video-on-demand service

The video oriented applications require considerably large amount of bandwidth. The bandwidth assigned to a video is very much dependent on its popularity. For popular videos, the bandwidth requirement is large. The popularity of a video is not static; it changes as the time passes. In that case, the bandwidth allocated to the video needs to be changed as it is a scarce resource, and at the same time, the user services should not get disrupted. In this paper, we propose seamless channel transition using the Bespoke scheme. During the transition, the old users do not get disrupted and the new users get same services as it was provided with the old channels. We have proposed an elegant technique for channel transition. Though this technique is used for the Bespoke scheme yet it can be adapted for any broadcasting scheme.
Optimum motion estimation algorithm for fast and robust digital image stabilization

To realize fast and robust digital image stabilization, in this paper, we propose a new optimum motion estimation algorithm under various illuminations, occlusion and blooming. In this algorithm, we expand our original fast template matching method named HDTM (hierarchical distributed template matching). First, only useful reference blocks that are indispensable for accurate motion estimation are selected with its reliability and consistency on pose estimation. Next, using the LMedS method, motion vectors of these blocks are segmented to some groups and only reliable ones are used for whole motion estimation. With experimental results, we could see small errors less than /spl plusmn/0.1 pixels, /spl plusmn/0.1 degrees and /spl plusmn/0.1% scales were achieved under various kinds of disturbance. And the processing time was 11 msec with PII-300 MHz CPU in typical case. It is enough to realize real-time processing for embedded use of image stabilization.
The Attempt to Standardize Technical and Analytic Competence in Sonography Education

The assessment of clinical, technical, and analytical competence can be a challenging task in sonography education. The assessment process is typically subjective, and because of this, it can be difficult to accurately evaluate students. This study researched the implementation of using an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) for diagnostic medical sonography students. The examination consisted of two components: (1) image analysis and (2) scanning. This examination involved first- and second-year sonography students. The results indicated that an objective assessment of technical and analytic skills could play an integral role in the evaluation process for sonography education. The objectives of this study were to determine (1) the reliability of the OSCE to test sonography students, (2) the validity of the OSCE in measuring the performance of sonography students at different levels in their education, and (3) the usefulness of the information received from this test.
Coping with earthquakes induced by fluid injection

Hazard may be reduced by managing injection activities Large areas of the United States long considered geologically stable with little or no detected seismicity have recently become seismically active. The increase in earthquake activity began in the mid-continent starting in 2001 (1) and has continued to rise. In 2014, the rate of occurrence of earthquakes with magnitudes (M) of 3 and greater in Oklahoma exceeded that in California (see the figure). This elevated activity includes larger earthquakes, several with M > 5, that have caused significant damage (2, 3). To a large extent, the increasing rate of earthquakes in the mid-continent is due to fluid-injection activities used in modern energy production (1, 4, 5). We explore potential avenues for mitigating effects of induced seismicity. Although the United States is our focus here, Canada, China, the UK, and others confront similar problems associated with oil and gas production, whereas quakes induced by geothermal activities affect Switzerland, Germany, and others.
Can erosion drive tectonics?

Data from the eastern Himalaya challenge the idea that climate-driven erosion can control tectonics [Also see Report by Wang et al.] Can climate-modulated erosion affect the location, rate, and style of tectonic deformation in Earth's crust and thus seismic hazards? Particularly in the Himalaya, there are clear correlations between rugged topography and high rates of rainfall, erosion, and rock uplift (1, 2), but a vigorous cause-and-effect debate continues, with new papers presenting evidence for (1–4) and against (5–7) erosional control of tectonics (see the figure). Although much field data are consistent with predicted associations among topography, erosion, climate, and deformation, unambiguous evidence has proven elusive (8). By focusing on a simple diagnostic test, Wang et al. show on page 978 of this issue (9) that the zone of rugged topography and extreme erosion rates where the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra River cuts through the Namche Barwa massif (see the figure)—often argued to reflect a dynamic tectonic response to river incision (2)—records, instead, a passive landscape response to tectonics over the past ~2 to 2.5 million years. The data threaten to undermine one of the most dramatic examples of a proposed tectonic response to erosion.
Volume loss from Antarctic ice shelves is accelerating

Disappearing faster around the edges The floating ice shelves around Antarctica, which buttress ice streams from the continent and slow their discharge into the sea, are thinning at faster rates. Paolo et al. present satellite data showing that ice shelves in many regions around the edge of the continent are losing mass. This result increases concern about how fast sea level might rise as climate continues to warm. If warming continues to cause ice shelves to thin, as they have for the past couple of decades, their disappearance may allow land-based ice to collapse and melt. Science, this issue p. 327 Ice shelves around much of Antarctica have been thinning over the past two decades. The floating ice shelves surrounding the Antarctic Ice Sheet restrain the grounded ice-sheet flow. Thinning of an ice shelf reduces this effect, leading to an increase in ice discharge to the ocean. Using 18 years of continuous satellite radar altimeter observations, we have computed decadal-scale changes in ice-shelf thickness around the Antarctic continent. Overall, average ice-shelf volume change accelerated from negligible loss at 25 ± 64 cubic kilometers per year for 1994–2003 to rapid loss of 310 ± 74 cubic kilometers per year for 2003–2012. West Antarctic losses increased by ~70% in the past decade, and earlier volume gain by East Antarctic ice shelves ceased. In the Amundsen and Bellingshausen regions, some ice shelves have lost up to 18% of their thickness in less than two decades.
Country-specific effects of neonicotinoid pesticides on honey bees and wild bees

Damage confirmed Early studies of the impacts of neonicotinoid insecticides on insect pollinators indicated considerable harm. However, lingering criticism was that the studies did not represent field-realistic levels of the chemicals or prevailing environmental conditions. Two studies, conducted on different crops and on two continents, now substantiate that neonicotinoids diminish bee health (see the Perspective by Kerr). Tsvetkov et al. find that bees near corn crops are exposed to neonicotinoids for 3 to 4 months via nontarget pollen, resulting in decreased survival and immune responses, especially when coexposed to a commonly used agrochemical fungicide. Woodcock et al., in a multicounty experiment on rapeseed in Europe, find that neonicotinoid exposure from several nontarget sources reduces overwintering success and colony reproduction in both honeybees and wild bees. These field results confirm that neonicotinoids negatively affect pollinator health under realistic agricultural conditions. Science, this issue p. 1395, p. 1393; see also p. 1331 Bee health is affected by neonicotinoids under field-realistic conditions across crops conditions. Neonicotinoid seed dressings have caused concern world-wide. We use large field experiments to assess the effects of neonicotinoid-treated crops on three bee species across three countries (Hungary, Germany, and the United Kingdom). Winter-sown oilseed rape was grown commercially with either seed coatings containing neonicotinoids (clothianidin or thiamethoxam) or no seed treatment (control). For honey bees, we found both negative (Hungary and United Kingdom) and positive (Germany) effects during crop flowering. In Hungary, negative effects on honey bees (associated with clothianidin) persisted over winter and resulted in smaller colonies in the following spring (24% declines). In wild bees (Bombus terrestris and Osmia bicornis), reproduction was negatively correlated with neonicotinoid residues. These findings point to neonicotinoids causing a reduced capacity of bee species to establish new populations in the year following exposure.
Can Staff Be Supported to Deliver Compassionate Care Through Implementing Schwartz Rounds in Community and Mental Health Services?

Schwartz Rounds are evidence-based interdisciplinary discussions where health care staff can share experiences of the emotional and social aspects of care, to support improvements in patient care. Developed in acute services, they are now being implemented in various settings including U.K. community and mental health services where their implementation has not been researched. Realist evaluation was used to analyze three community and mental health case studies of Round implementation, involving Round observations (n = 5), staff interviews (n = 22), and post-Round evaluation sheets (n = 206). Where Schwartz Rounds were successfully implemented and facilitated, the discussions enabled emotional resonance across interdisciplinary colleagues about caring experiences, enabling the recognition of a common humanity. Participants appreciated attending Rounds and saw they improved communications, trust, and openness with colleagues and enabled more compassionate care with patients. The wide geographical dispersal of staff and work pressures were challenges in attending Rounds, and strong leadership is needed to support their implementation.
Early Homo at 2.8 Ma from Ledi-Geraru, Afar, Ethiopia

Finding Homo nearly 3 million years ago The fossil record of humans is notoriously patchy and incomplete. Even so, skeletal remains and artifacts unearthed in Africa in recent decades have done much to illuminate human evolution. But what is the origin of the genus Homo? Villmoare et al. found a fossil mandible and teeth from the Afar region in Ethiopia. The find extends the record of recognizable Homo by at least half a million years, to almost 2.8 million years ago. The morphological traits of the fossil align more closely with Homo than with any other hominid genus. DiMaggio et al. confirm the ancient date of the site and suggest that these early humans lived in a setting that was more open and arid than previously thought. Science, this issue p. 1352, p. 1355 A fossil mandible and teeth from Ethiopia extend the record of the genus Homo by almost 0.5 million years. Our understanding of the origin of the genus Homo has been hampered by a limited fossil record in eastern Africa between 2.0 and 3.0 million years ago (Ma). Here we report the discovery of a partial hominin mandible with teeth from the Ledi-Geraru research area, Afar Regional State, Ethiopia, that establishes the presence of Homo at 2.80 to 2.75 Ma. This specimen combines primitive traits seen in early Australopithecus with derived morphology observed in later Homo, confirming that dentognathic departures from the australopith pattern occurred early in the Homo lineage. The Ledi-Geraru discovery has implications for hypotheses about the timing and place of origin of the genus Homo.
Phenotypic characterisation of Crohn's disease severity

Crohn's disease (CD) is a highly heterogeneous disease, with great variation in patient severity. Using supervised machine learning techniques to predict severity from common laboratory and clinical measurements, we found that high levels of C-reactive protein and low levels of lymphocytes and albumin are important predictive factors. Building upon this knowledge, we used extreme value theory to create a probabilistic model that combines information about behaviour in the extremes of these lab measurements to produce a single risk score over time. We then clustered these patient risk scores to identify several common clinical trajectories for CD patients.
Fast reference frame selection algorithm for H.264/AVC

The H.264/AVC video coding standard newly adopted multiple reference frame motion estimation to improve video coding performance. However, these features result in a considerable increase in encoder complexity. Therefore, we propose a fast reference frame selection algorithm based on information from the reference region for a motion estimation process. Experimental results show that the proposed algorithm effectively reduces the complexity of multiple reference frame motion estimation. The reduction in the coding gain is negligible.
Intravenous Morphine Can Avoid Distressing Constipation Associated With Oral Morphine: A Retrospective Analysis of Our Experience in 11 Patients in the Palliative Care In-Patient Unit

Morphine is the preferred strong opioid analgesic. Most of the adverse effects, such as daytime drowsiness, dizziness, mental clouding, and effects on cognitive and psychomotor function or nausea and vomiting, usually resolve with time. The main continuing adverse effect of morphine is constipation, and prophylactic use of laxative is almost always required. We are presenting retrospective data of 11 patients admitted in our palliative care unit over the past 5 months for new (not yet received any opioid analgesic in any form) and severe cancer pain management. It was found that none of the patients was having constipation with intravenous morphine. This finding can be explained on the basis of differences in pharmacologic profiles, in affinity to opioid receptor, and a higher exposure of opioid-binding receptor in the GI tract after oral administration of morphine compared with intravenous morphine. This explanation was further affirmed as constipation and need for laxative was reported by 7 of the 11 patients when they were given the equi-analgesic oral doses of morphine. Thus, the route of administration seems to be responsible for the above finding; hence, further evaluation with prospective observation and data collection is being planned to look for external validity in a larger population catered by our palliative care unit.
Tiny module-linking for energy-efficient reprogramming in wireless sensor networks

The remote and automatic reprogramming is an indispensable part in the wireless sensor networks. Especially, the energy saving problem is an important challenge because of a limited energy characteristics. Many kinds of conventional researches about reprogramming have tried to solve the energy saving problem. But they do not consider the energy consumption model and still have inefficient memory access times. In this paper, we propose a tiny module-linking scheme. It performs module relocation to decrease program code shifts and connects the relocated module with a tiny module-linker to eliminate module caller changes. This proposed scheme reduces access times to Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory (EEPROM) and program memory during the decoding procedure of the reprogramming. Experimental results show that our scheme outperforms the previous reprogramming schemes in terms of the energy consumption.
A voice trigger system using keyword and speaker recognition for mobile devices

Voice activity detection plays an important role for an efficient voice interface between human and mobile devices, since it can be used as a trigger to activate an automatic speech recognition module of a mobile device. If the input speech signal can be recognized as a predefined magic word coming from a legitimate user, it can be utilized as a trigger. In this paper, we propose a voice trigger system using a keyword-dependent speaker recognition technique. The voice trigger must be able to perform keyword recognition, as well as speaker recognition, without using computationally demanding speech recognizers to properly trigger a mobile device with low computational power consumption. We propose a template based method and a hidden Markov model (HMM) based method for the voice trigger to solve this problem. The experiments using a Korean word corpus show that the template based method performed 4.1 times faster than the HMM based method. However, the HMM based method reduced the recognition error by 27.8% relatively compared to the template based method. The proposed methods are complementary and can be used selectively depending on the device of interest.
DTV receivers using an adaptive switched beamformer with an online-calibration algorithm

We propose DTV receivers using an adaptive switched beamformer with an online calibration algorithm in the presence of unknown gain and phase errors of an antenna array. The proposed calibration algorithm is based on the subspace method which does not require a prior knowledge of the angle of arrivals (AOAs) of the multipath signals. The calibration algorithm provides us with the estimates of the AOAs of multipaths as well as calibration information of the antenna gain and phase. By utilizing the AOA estimates, an adaptive switched beamformer which has lower hardware complexity than the conventional switched beamformer is developed. To demonstrate our proposed scheme, we develop a complete DTV beamforming receiver, equipped with the proposed calibrator, synchronizer, and equalizer, which is compatible with a wide variety of commercially available VSB demodulator chips.
Postsurgical Chronic Pain

Any operation, indeed, any surgical intervention inevitably causes acute pain that usually subsides over time. However, persistent, chronic postsurgical pain may be severe in 2% to 10% of patients. As reviewed by Kehlet et al, this discomfort generally lasts longer than 3 to 6 months after surgery. For example, thoracotomy has a 30% to 40% estimated incidence of chronic pain with a 10% incidence of severe, disabling pain. Several factors are in play in the development of postsurgical pain including:
The measure of research merit

Each year, $1.4 trillion are invested in research by governments, foundations, and corporations. Hundreds if not thousands of high-profile prizes and medals are awarded to the best researchers, boosting their careers. Therefore, establishing a reliable predictor of future performance is a trillion-dollar matter. Last month, the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation convened an international assembly of leaders in academia, research management, and policy to discuss “Beyond Bibliometrics: Identifying the Best. ” Current assessment is largely based on counting publications, counting citations, taking note of the impact factor of the journals where researchers publish, and derivatives of these such as the h-index. These approaches were severely criticized for numerous reasons, with shortcomings particularly apparent when assessing young scientists for prestigious, interdisciplinary awards. It is time to develop more appropriate measures and to use the scientific method itself to help in this endeavor.
Fresh Osteochondral Grafts for the Knee

Fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation is a technique with a long clinical history. In fresh allografting, diseased or damaged articular cartilage and bone are replaced with mature hyaline cartilage along with underlying bone. Fresh allografts can be used for a wide spectrum of knee joint pathology, ranging from isolated chondral lesions to posttraumatic arthrosis. The surgical technique involves fashioning the allograft tissue to fit into a prepared recipient site. Outcomes in the treatment of focal femoral condyle lesions are 75 to 90% successful, while in salvage situations the success ranges from 50 to 75% at follow-up intervals ranging from 2 to 10 years. There are many unique clinical issues with fresh osteochondral allograft transplantation that require further understanding; however, the clinical success to date does support the selected use of this procedure.
Review Article: Dexmedetomidine: Does it Have Potential in Palliative Medicine?

Dexmedetomidine, is a α 2 adrenergic agonist approved by the Food and Drug administration for sedation and analgesia. A highly potent α2 adrenergic agonist, it has quick onset of action, with peak effects within 1 hour of administration. It is metabolized in the liver and eliminated in the urine as a glucuronide. Dexmedetomidine is a substrate and inhibitor of cytochrome oxidase 2D6, but clinical evidence of significant drug interactions is lacking. Clinical trials suggest efficacy for the treatment of delirium in the intensive care unit setting with efficacy comparable to haloperidol and benzodiazepines. Dexmedetomidine also has an opioid-sparing action and can act to enhance analgesia. The purpose of this article is to review the pharmacodynamics and pharmacology of dexmedetomidine, and examine its potential use in the palliative care population, especially with regard to the management of delirium.