Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Quality Control of Textile Electrodes by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

In this paper an electrochemical cell is developed to test and follow-up the quality of electrodes made of knitted, woven and non-woven conductive textile material. This cell is constructed of two electrodes planarly positioned against each other using a series of PVC plates. The obtained impedance, as a result of applied alternating potential and measured current signal, is equal to the resistance of the system electrode–electrolyte in the frequency region where no shift is observed in phase angle between applied potential and measured current. This resistance provides information about the properties and performance of the electrodes and a change of this resistance during the lifetime of the electrodes is an interesting parameter for quality control of the used electrodes. After characterization of the cell a range of textile electrodes (woven, non-woven and knitted) were investigated and compared. Results showed that the textile electrodes behave initially similar, obeying an equation that shows that the resistance is proportional to d, c –1and A –2/3, dbeing the distance between the electrodes, cthe electrolyte concentration and Athe electrode surface. However, after longer exposure some indication of corrosion and malfunction was detected.
Diagnostic accuracy and safety of CT-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy of pulmonary lesions with non-coaxial technique: a single center experience with 442 biopsies.

PURPOSE We aimed to evaluate the diagnostic accuracy and safety of computed tomography (CT)-guided biopsy of pulmonary lesions with fine needle aspiration (FNA) using non-coaxial technique. METHODS We analyzed 442 patients who underwent CT-guided lung biopsy with FNA and non-coaxial technique to determine the diagnostic outcomes, complication rates, and independent risk factors for diagnostic failure and pneumothorax. RESULTS Diagnostic accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were 97.6%, 97.3%, and 100%, respectively. Age and >35 mm lesion size were significant risk factors for diagnostic failure. The rates of pneumothorax and chest tube placement were 19% and 2.9%, respectively. Middle and lower lobe location, lesion to pleura distance >7.5 mm, and >45° needle trajectory angle were significant risk factors for pneumothorax. CONCLUSION CT-guided FNA of pulmonary lesions with non-coaxial technique is a safe and reliable method with a relatively low pneumothorax rate and an acceptably high diagnostic accuracy.
Novel treatment options for lysosomal acid lipase deficiency: critical appraisal of sebelipase alfa

Lysosomal acid lipase deficiency (LAL-D) is a rare disorder of cholesterol metabolism with an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance. The absence or deficiency of the LAL enzyme gives rise to pathological accumulation of cholesterol esters in various tissues. A severe LAL-D phenotype manifesting in infancy is associated with adrenal calcification and liver and gastrointestinal involvement with characteristic early mortality. LAL-D presenting in childhood and adulthood is associated with hepatomegaly, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis, and premature atherosclerosis. There are currently no curative pharmacological treatments for this life-threatening condition. Supportive management with lipid-modifying agents does not ameliorate disease progression. Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation as a curative measure in infantile disease has mixed success and is associated with inherent risks and complications. Sebelipase alfa (Kanuma) is a recombinant human LAL protein and the first enzyme replacement therapy for the treatment of LAL-D. Clinical trials have been undertaken in infants with rapidly progressive LAL-D and in children and adults with later-onset LAL-D. Initial data have shown significant survival benefits in the infant group and improvements in biochemical parameters in the latter. Sebelipase alfa has received marketing authorization in the United States and Europe as long-term therapy for all affected individuals. The availability of enzyme replacement therapy for this rare and progressive disorder warrants greater recognition and awareness by physicians.
Early postoperative physical therapy for improving short-term gross motor outcome in infants with cyanotic and acyanotic congenital heart disease

Abstract Purpose: We analysed the gross motor recovery of infants and toddlers with cyanotic and acyanotic congenital heart disease (CHD) who received early postoperative physical therapy to see whether there was any difference in the duration to recovery. Methods: This study retrospectively evaluated the influence of early physical therapy on postoperative gross motor outcomes of patients with CHD. The gross motor ability of patients with cyanotic (n = 25, average age: 376.4 days) and acyanotic (n = 26, average age: 164.5 days) CHD was evaluated using our newly developed nine-grade mobility assessment scale. Results: Physical therapy was started at an average of five days after surgery, during which each patient’s gross motor ability was significantly decreased compared with the preoperative level. Patients (who received early postoperative physical therapy) with cyanotic (88.0%) and acyanotic CHD (96.2%) showed improved preoperative mobility grades by the time of hospital discharge. However, patients with cyanotic CHD had a significantly prolonged recovery period compared to those with acyanotic CHD (p < .01). The postoperative recovery period to preoperative mobility grade was significantly correlated with pre-, intra-, and postoperative factors. Conclusions: Our findings suggested that infants with cyanotic CHD are likely at a greater risk of gross motor delays, the recovery of which might differ between infants with cyanotic and acyanotic CHD after cardiac surgery. Early postoperative physical therapy promotes gross motor recovery. Implications of Rehabilitation Infants and toddlers with cyanotic congenital heart disease are likely at greater risk of gross motor delays and have a prolonged recovery period of gross motor ability compared to those with acyanotic congenital heart disease. Early postoperative physical therapy for patients with congenital heart disease after cardiac surgery promoted gross motor recovery. The postoperative recovery period to preoperative mobility grade was affected by pre-, intra-, and postoperative factors. Rehabilitation experts should consider the risk of gross motor delays of patients with congenital heart disease after cardiac surgery and the early postoperative physical therapy to promote their gross motor recovery.
Importance of Carbon Contamination in High-Resolution (FEG) EPMA of Silicate Minerals

Abstract The effect of carbon contamination on the analysis of carbon-coated silicate minerals at 5 kV for X-ray energies 0.7–4 keV is examined. For individual spot analyses, carbon is found to deposit adjacent to the beam spot forming ring-shaped deposits with no impact on the analysis. Carbon contamination becomes important for closely spaced analyses such as multipoint transects, where each subsequent analysis overlaps the carbon ring of the previous analysis. X-ray intensity loss due to contamination is most severe for low-overvoltage elements such as Ca K consistent with carbon deposition effectively reducing beam energy. Rates of contamination are calculated and the use of a liquid nitrogen cold trap is shown to greatly reduce the amount of carbon deposited. A complimentary empirical correction is developed to correct for X-ray intensity loss from measured carbon, assuming the carbon is a film, and is compared with corrections derived from thin film calculations. PENELOPE electron probe microanalysis (PENEPMA) calculations confirm that asymmetry of the carbon deposition can be ignored for X-ray energies where intensity loss is predominantly through energy loss of beam electrons. Using a cold trap and/or an empirical correction high spatial resolution analysis (ca. 400 nm between points) is achievable with analytical errors of ca. 1–3%.
The Functional Movement Screen in the Prediction of Injury in Adolescent Cricket Pace Bowlers: An Observational Study.

CONTEXT The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) has been found to be a valid preparticipation screening tool in the prediction of injury among various athletes in different sports. The validity thereof in the prediction of injury among adolescent cricketers is yet to be established. OBJECTIVE To determine if a preseason FMS total score is a valid predictor of in-season injury among adolescent pace bowlers. DESIGN Prospective observational quantitative study. SETTING Bowlers performed the FMS before the start of the season. Injury incidence was monitored monthly throughout the season. The student t test and Fisher's exact test were used to compare the FMS scores of the injured and noninjured bowlers as well as the injured and noninjured bowlers who scored ≤ 14. PARTICIPANTS 27 injury-free, male, adolescent pace bowlers. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES The FMS (scoring criteria and score sheet) and standardized self-administered injury questionnaire. RESULTS There was no difference between the noninjured group (16.55 ± 2.57) and the injured (16.1 ± 2.07) group in terms of FMS scores. There was no significant difference between injured and noninjured bowlers who scored ≤ 14. A total FMS score of 14 does not provide the sensitivity needed to assess injury risk among adolescent pace bowlers and no other accurate cut-off score could be calculated. CONCLUSION Preseason observed total FMS score is a poor predictor of in-season injury among adolescent pace bowlers. Further research should be conducted to determine if a specific FMS test will be a more valid predictor of injury.
Professional nurses’ perceptions and experiences with the implementation of an integrated chronic care model at primary healthcare clinics in South Africa

Background An integrated chronic disease management model has been implemented across primary healthcare clinics in order to transform the delivery of services for patients with chronic diseases. The sustainability and rapid scale-up of the model is dependent on positive staff perceptions and experiences. Objectives The aim of the study was to determine the perceptions and experiences of professional nurses with the integrated chronic care model that has been implemented. Method A cross-sectional descriptive survey utilising a self-administered questionnaire was conducted amongst all professional nurses who were involved in delivering primary healthcare services at the 42 implementing facilities in September 2014. Each facility has between four and eight professional nurses providing a service daily at the facilities Results A total of 264 professional nurses participated in the survey. Prior to the implementation, 34% (91) of the staff perceived the model to be an added programme, whilst 36% (96) of the staff experienced an increased workload. Staff noted an improved process of care, better level of interaction with patients, improved level of knowledge and better teamwork coupled with an improved level of satisfaction with the work environment at the clinic after implementation of the integrated chronic disease model. Conclusion Professional nurses have a positive experience with the implementation of the integrated chronic disease management model.
The Effects of a Formaldehyde Pad-Bake-Cure Process on Cellulose Molecular Chain Length and Physical Properties of Cotton Fabrics1

Fabrics treated to several levels of combined formaldehyde by a pad-bake-cure (Form C) process were studied to in vestigate the effects of molecular degradation and crosslink formation on fabric textile properties. Breaking and tearing strengths decreased with increasing severity of treatment. Percentage of strength loss from crosslink embrittlement was initially considerably greater than that from molecular degradation; the former decreased with increasing wrinkle- recovery angle and increasing combined-formaldehyde content while percentage of strength loss from molecular degrada tion increased. A low degree of crosslinking or molecular-chain extension was induced by curing water-wet fabric.
Genetic dissection of the phosphoinositide cycle in Drosophila photoreceptors

ABSTRACT Phototransduction in Drosophila is mediated by phospholipase C-dependent hydrolysis of PIP2, and is an important model for phosphoinositide signalling. Although generally assumed to operate by generic machinery conserved from yeast to mammals, some key elements of the phosphoinositide cycle have yet to be identified in Drosophila photoreceptors. Here, we used transgenic flies expressing fluorescently tagged probes (P4M and TbR332H), which allow in vivo quantitative measurements of PI4P and PIP2 dynamics in photoreceptors of intact living flies. Using mutants and RNA interference for candidate genes potentially involved in phosphoinositide turnover, we identified Drosophila PI4KIIIα (CG10260) as the PI4-kinase responsible for PI4P synthesis in the photoreceptor membrane. Our results also indicate that PI4KIIIα activity requires rbo (the Drosophila orthologue of Efr3) and CG8325 (orthologue of YPP1), both of which are implicated as scaffolding proteins necessary for PI4KIIIα activity in yeast and mammals. However, our evidence indicates that the recently reported central role of dPIP5K59B (CG3682) in PIP2 synthesis in the rhabdomeres should be re-evaluated; although PIP2 resynthesis was suppressed by RNAi directed against dPIP5K59B, little or no defect was detected in a reportedly null mutant (dPIP5K18). Summary: Using genetically encoded probes to quantify PIP2 and PI4P turnover in vivo, novel components of the phosphoinositide cycle in Drosophila photoreceptors were identified including PI4KIIIα and associated scaffolding proteins.
An Ab Initio Study of Carbon‐Induced Ordering in Austenitic Fe–Mn–Al–C Alloys

Short‐range ordering around carbon interstitials in face‐centered cubic (fcc) Fe–Mn–Al is studied by density‐functional theory, considering the configuration of Fe, Mn, Al atoms in the first three coordination spheres of a carbon atom in an octahedral site. The ordering energies are derived from the solution energies of carbon in different environments, and these energies show that carbon prefers manganese as a first‐nearest neighbor while the impact of manganese as a second‐ or third‐nearest neighbor is negligible. Aluminum, on the other hand, is strongly preferred as a second‐nearest neighbor and strongly rejected as a first‐ or third‐nearest neighbor. The combination of the Mn and Al interactions with carbon in quaternary configurations yields a considerable interdependence of the two effects. The observed ordering effects are explained by differences in chemical bond strengths as well as lattice relaxations. The calculated ordering energies are integrated into an improved model of short‐range ordering in austenitic Fe–Mn–Al–C that allows for the prediction of the energy difference between configurations where carbon is in different octahedral sites.
Seismic Retrofit of Deficient RC Sear Walls with FRP Tow Sheets

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study on the repair and strengthening of seismically deficient, reinforced-concrete (RC) shear walls using externally bonded fibrereinforced polymer (FRP) tow sheets. The shear wall specimens had structural deficiencies typically found in buildings designed using older construction codes, such as non-ductile details and insufficient shear reinforcement. The study comprises both analytical and experimental components. In the experimental component, sixteen shear wall specimens with different heightto-length aspect ratios (varying between 1.20 and 0.68) are subjected to in-plane, cyclic loading until failure, and externally bonded FRP sheets oriented in the vertical and horizontal directions are used to enhance the seismic response of the walls. In the analytical component, pre- and post-test finite-element simulations are conducted to predict and simulate, respectively, key parameters of the structural response of the FRP-reinforced walls (such as nonlinear forcedisplacement relationships and modes of failure). The test show that the FRP system is effective in preventing premature shear failure in the wall specimens, significantly increasing their energy dissipation capacity and enhancing their stiffness and flexural strength. Satisfactory correlation was found between the analytical prediction and the actual response observed during the tests, satisfactorily capturing and modelling the nonlinear response of repaired and strengthened walls, failure modes, debonding progression and strain profile distributions. The study shows that the FRP system is an attractive option to retrofit shear wall structures that might exhibit seismic vulnerabilities.
Polyphonic Music Classification on Symbolic Data Using Dissimilarity Functions

This paper addresses the polyphonic music classification problem on symbolic data. A new method is proposed which converts music pieces into binary chroma vector sequencesandthenclassifiesthembyapplyingthedissimilaritybased classification method TWIST proposed in our previous work. One advantage of using TWIST is that it works withanydissimilaritymeasure. Computationalexperiments showthattheproposedmethoddrasticallyoutperformsSVM and k-NN, the state-of-the-art classification methods.
Upgrading a Social Media Strategy to Increase Twitter Engagement During the Spring Annual Meeting of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine

Abstract Microblogs known as “tweets” are a rapid, effective method of information dissemination in health care. Although several medical specialties have described their Twitter conference experiences, Twitter-related data in the fields of anesthesiology and pain medicine are sparse. We therefore analyzed the Twitter content of 2 consecutive spring meetings of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine using publicly available online transcripts. We also examined the potential contribution of a targeted social media campaign on Twitter engagement during the conferences. The original Twitter meeting content was largely scientific in nature and created by meeting attendees, the majority of whom were nontrainee physicians. Physician trainees, however, represent an important and increasing minority of Twitter contributors. Physicians not in attendance predominantly contributed via retweeting original content, particularly picture-containing tweets, and thus increased reach to nonattendees. A social media campaign prior to meetings may help increase the reach of conference-related Twitter discussion.
Mechanical properties and theoretical modeling of self-centering shape memory alloy pseudo-rubber

Pounding between adjacent components and structures has become an important cause of structural damage or even collapse under large excitations such as earthquakes and ship collisions. Shock absorber devices (SAD) are often used to connect the separation gap to reduce the pounding force. However, some shock absorber devices may have residual deformation and need to be repaired or replaced after strong impact. A novel energy absorbing material with residual deformation self-recovery ability, martensitic nickel titanium (NiTi) shape memory alloy pseudo-rubber (SMAPR), is fabricated using three methods in this study. The mechanical properties of SMAPR at room temperature and deformation self-recovery ability of SMAPR material are investigated. After that, the deformation recovery ability of SMAPR specimens even with residual deformation is further tested through heating the specimens in a thermo-control stove. The subsequent mechanical properties after deformation recovery are further investigated to investigate whether degradation in mechanical properties occurs for all kinds of specimens. The experimental results indicate that SMAPR is a kind of material with good potential to develop novel shock absorber devices for engineering applications. Furthermore, theoretical modeling of SMAPR is conducted. Micro-variable-pitch springs in parallel and series, in parallel with a friction component, are employed to model the mechanical behavior of SMAPR. The hysteretic rules are presented and the parameters of this model are derived and identified. Finally, based on micro-variable-pitch springs (MVPS) in parallel and series, a parametric analysis is carried out and the effects of nominal densities, diameters of metal wires, diameters of micro-springs and generalized coefficients of friction of SMAPR are analyzed and discussed.
Closely related, yet unique: Distinct homo- and heterodimerization patterns of G protein coupled chemokine receptors and their fine-tuning by cholesterol

Chemokine receptors, a subclass of G protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), play essential roles in the human immune system, they are involved in cancer metastasis as well as in HIV-infection. A plethora of studies show that homo- and heterodimers or even higher order oligomers of the chemokine receptors CXCR4, CCR5, and CCR2 modulate receptor function. In addition, membrane cholesterol affects chemokine receptor activity. However, structural information about homo- and heterodimers formed by chemokine receptors and their interplay with cholesterol is limited. Here, we report homo- and heterodimer configurations of the chemokine receptors CXCR4, CCR5, and CCR2 at atomistic detail, as obtained from thousands of molecular dynamics simulations. The observed homodimerization patterns were similar for the closely related CC chemokine receptors, yet they differed significantly between the CC receptors and CXCR4. Despite their high sequence identity, cholesterol modulated the CC homodimer interfaces in a subtype-specific manner. Chemokine receptor heterodimers display distinct dimerization patterns for CXCR4/CCR5 and CXCR4/CCR2. Furthermore, associations between CXCR4 and CCR5 reveal an increased cholesterol-sensitivity as compared to CXCR4/CCR2 heterodimerization patterns. This work provides a first comprehensive structural overview over the complex interaction network between chemokine receptors and indicates how heterodimerization and the interaction with the membrane environment diversifies the function of closely related GPCRs.
Angiotensin converting enzyme 1 in the median preoptic nucleus contributes to chronic intermittent hypoxia hypertension

Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with hypertension and cardiovascular disease. Chronic intermittent hypoxia is used to model the arterial hypoxemia seen in sleep apnea patients and is associated with increased sympathetic nerve activity and a sustained diurnal increase in blood pressure. The renin angiotensin system has been associated with hypertension seen in chronic intermittent hypoxia. Angiotensin converting enzyme 1, which cleaves angiotensin I to the active counterpart angiotensin II, is present within the central nervous system and has been shown to be regulated by AP‐1 transcription factors, such as ΔFosB. Our previous study suggested that this transcriptional regulation in the median preoptic nucleus contributes to the sustained blood pressure seen following chronic intermittent hypoxia. Viral mediated delivery of a short hairpin RNA against angiotensin converting enzyme 1 in the median preoptic nucleus was used along with radio‐telemetry measurements of blood pressure to test this hypothesis. FosB immunohistochemistry was utilized in order to assess the effects of angiotensin converting enzyme 1 knockdown on the activity of nuclei downstream from median preoptic nucleus. Angiotensin converting enzyme 1 knockdown within median preoptic nucleus significantly attenuated the sustained hypertension seen in chronic intermittent hypoxia. Angiotensin converting enzyme 1 seems to be partly responsible for regulating downstream regions involved in sympathetic and blood pressure control, such as the paraventricular nucleus and the rostral ventrolateral medulla. The data suggest that angiotensin converting enzyme 1 within median preoptic nucleus plays a critical role in the sustained hypertension seen in chronic intermittent hypoxia.