Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Topical agents or dressings for pain in venous leg ulcers.

BACKGROUND Venous leg ulcers affect up to 1 per cent of people at some time in their life. These ulcers are often painful and some clinicians choose dressings to reduce the pain both during and between dressing changes. OBJECTIVES To assess the effectiveness of dressings, local anaesthetics/analgesics for pain relief in venous leg ulceration. SEARCH STRATEGY Cochrane Wounds Group Register and the Cochrane Collaboration Field in Complementary Medicine were searched. Cochrane Pain Palliative and Supportive Care Group and Cochrane Wounds Group strategy were combined and used. SELECTION CRITERIA All randomised controlled trials which evaluated local interventions used to relieve venous leg ulcer pain were considered. Pain was defined as either persistent pain or pain at dressing changes or debridement. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Eligibility for inclusion was confirmed by two reviewers who independently assessed the all potential trials. Details of eligible studies were summarised using a data extraction sheet which was checked by the second reviewer. MAIN RESULTS No trial evaluated interventions for persistent pain. Three trials compared a eutectic mixture of local anaesthetic (EMLA) versus placebo for pain at debridement. All 3 trials reported a significant difference in pain in favour of EMLA, however, one of the trials favoured placebo in terms of number of ulcers healed at the end of the trial and another trial noted an increased incidence of burning and itching with the use of EMLA. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS EMLA may provide pain relief for venous leg ulcer debridement however, the effect of the product on ulcer healing and the incidence of itching and burning is unclear. Research is required to address questions such as the benefits of leg ulcer debridement and the impact of EMLA on healing and the incidence of burning and itching. There were no trials addressing the treatment of persistent pain and further research is warranted.
Neuroanatomical correlates of locative prepositions

Very little research has explored which neural systems may be important for retrieving the meanings of locative prepositions (e.g., in, on, around). To begin to address this knowledge gap, we conducted a lesion study in which we tested the hypothesis that processing the meanings of locative prepositions depends on neural structures in the left inferior prefrontal cortex and left inferior parietal cortex. Seventy‐eight subjects with focal, stable lesions to various parts of the telencephalon and a comparison group of 60 normal participants were studied with tasks that require production, comprehension, and semantic analysis of locative prepositions. In support of our hypothesis, we found that in subjects with impaired knowledge of locative prepositions, the highest region of lesion overlap was in the left frontal operculum and the left supramarginal gyrus, and in the white matter subjacent to these two areas. In a second study, focused on six subjects who had pervasive defects for locative preposition knowledge, we confirmed that such defects were associated specifically with damage to the posterior left frontal operculum, white matter subjacent to this region, and white matter underneath the inferior parietal operculum. These subjects did not have basic impairments in spatial processing or working memory, and they had relatively well‐preserved processing of conceptual knowledge for actions and various categories of concrete entities (e.g., persons, animals, tools). All six subjects, however, had defects in naming actions, and some of them also had defective naming of some categories of concrete entities. Overall, the findings converge nicely with recent results from functional imaging approaches, and with classic studies from the aphasia‐based literature, and suggest that the left inferior prefrontal and left inferior parietal regions have crucial–albeit not exclusive–roles in processing knowledge associated with locative prepositions.
Diagnostic testing of embedded memories based on output tracing

A new approach to diagnostic testing of embedded memories is presented which enables the design of tests that provide complete detection and distinguishing of all faults in a given fault model. The approach is based on decomposition of functional memory faults into basic fault effects and output tracing. Output tracing involves storing all read operation results for defective memory cells and replaces the commonly used evaluation of a "fail" signal. In particular, we examine memory tests of linear order (O(N)), since this class of tests requires low test application times and is realizable as built-in self-test circuitry with very low area overhead.
Role of adrenal glucocorticoid signaling in prefrontal cortex gene expression and acute behavioral responses to ethanol.

BACKGROUND Glucocorticoid hormones modulate acute and chronic behavioral and molecular responses to drugs of abuse including psychostimulants and opioids. There is growing evidence that glucocorticoids might also modulate behavioral responses to ethanol ( EtOH ). Acute EtOH activates the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, causing the release of adrenal glucocorticoid hormones. Our prior genomic studies suggest that glucocorticoids play a role in regulating gene expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of DBA2/J (D2) mice following acute EtOH administration. However, few studies have analyzed the role of glucocorticoid signaling in behavioral responses to acute EtOH . Such work could be significant, given the predictive value for the level of response to acute EtOH in the risk for alcoholism. METHODS We studied whether the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) antagonist, RU-486, or adrenalectomy (ADX) altered male D2 mouse behavioral responses to acute (locomotor activation, anxiolysis, or loss-of-righting reflex [LORR]) or repeated (sensitization) EtOH treatment. Whole-genome microarray analysis and bioinformatics approaches were used to identify PFC candidate genes possibly responsible for altered behavioral responses to EtOH following ADX. RESULTS ADX and RU-486 both impaired acute EtOH (2 g/kg)-induced locomotor activation in D2 mice without affecting basal locomotor activity. However, neither ADX nor RU-486 altered the initiation of EtOH sensitization (locomotor activation or jump counts), EtOH -induced anxiolysis, or LORR. ADX mice showed microarray gene expression changes in PFC that significantly overlapped with acute EtOH -responsive gene sets derived by our prior microarray studies. Q-rtPCR analysis verified that ADX decreased PFC expression of Fkbp5 while significantly increasing Gpr6 expression. In addition, high-dose RU-486 pretreatment blunted EtOH -induced Fkbp5 expression. CONCLUSIONS Our studies suggest that EtOH 's activation of adrenal glucocorticoid release and subsequent GR activation may partially modulate EtOH 's acute locomotor activation in male D2 mice. Furthermore, because adrenal glucocorticoid basal tone regulated PFC gene expression, including a significant set of acute EtOH -responsive genes, this suggests that glucocorticoid-regulated PFC gene expression may be an important factor modulating acute behavioral responses to EtOH .
Selective Cortical Layering Abnormalities and Behavioral Deficits in Cortex-Specific Pax6 Knock-Out Mice

The transcription factor Pax6 has been implicated in neocortical neurogenesis in vertebrates, including humans. Analyses of the role of Pax6 in layer formation and cognitive abilities have been hampered by perinatal lethality of Pax6 mutants. Here, we generated viable mutants exhibiting timed, restricted inactivation of Pax6 during early and late cortical neurogenesis using Emx1-Cre and hGFAP-Cre lines, respectively. The disruption of Pax6 at the onset of neurogenesis using Emx1-Cre line resulted in premature cell cycle exit of early progenitors, increase of early born neuronal subsets located in the marginal zone and lower layers, and a nearly complete absence of upper layer neurons, especially in the rostral cortex. Furthermore, progenitors, which accumulated in the enlarged germinal neuroepithelium at the pallial/subpallial border in the Pax6 mutants, produced an excess of oligodendrocytes. The inactivation of Pax6 after generation of the lower neuronal layers using hGFAP-Cre line did not affect specification or numbers of late-born neurons, indicating that the severe reduction of upper layer neurons in Pax6 deficiency is mostly attributable to a depletion of the progenitor pool, available for late neurogenesis. We further show that Pax6fl/fl;Emx1-Cre mutants exhibited deficiencies in sensorimotor information integration, and both hippocampus-dependent short-term and neocortex-dependent long-term memory recall. Because a majority of the morphological and behavior disabilities of the Pax6 mutant mice parallel abnormalities reported for aniridia patients, a condition caused by PAX6 haploinsufficiency, the Pax6 conditional mutant mice generated here represent a valuable genetic tool to understand how the developmental cortical disruption can lead to a human behavior abnormality.
Exact Bit Error Probability of Cooperative Space-Time Block Coding with Amplify-and-Forward Strategy

Cooperative space-time coding (STC) is a distributed way to exploit the spatial diversity. With the help of relay nodes, STC can be applied among several single antenna users, where the relay nodes can either decode-and-forward (DF), or amplify-and-forward (AF) the received signal. In this paper, we analyze the performance of cooperative space-time block codes with AF strategy. Exact bit error probabilities (BEP) are derived in closed form for three existing protocols. We show that our exact BEP results are more reliable than the existing asymptotic results. A performance comparison of the three protocols is also provided.
Baseline Pain and Disability in the Investigational Vertebroplasty Efficacy and Safety Trial

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Multiple case series of vertebroplasty outcomes have been published, though no large, placebo controlled trial has yet been performed. Our aim was to report baseline characteristics for the Investigational Vertebroplasty Efficacy and Safety Trial (INVEST), a randomized blinded controlled study of vertebroplasty. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We compared baseline demographics, pain scores, and scores on the modified Roland-Morris Disability Scale (RMDS), a back pain−specific metric, between 2 groups. One group included subjects enrolled at the lead INVEST site (n = 27 to date). The second group consisted of eligible patients seen concurrently at the lead INVEST site, who declined enrollment (n = 70). Comparisons were made by using 2-sample t tests. RESULTS: Mean ages were similar between groups, averaging approximately 74 years among study participants and 77 years among nonenrolled eligible patients (P = .17). Approximately 75% of subjects were female in both groups. RMDS scores of enrolled patients at the lead site (18.0 ± 4.2) were not statistically different from those of eligible nonenrolled patients at the lead site (18.6 ± 3.6, P = .49). Pain scores in the enrolled subjects were measured as “average intensity over the prior 24 hours” with mean scores of 7.6 ± 2.1 among enrolled patients at the lead site. Pain scores in eligible nonenrolled patients were measured as “pain at rest,” with mean score of 3.4 ± 3.3, and “pain with activity,” with mean score of 8.5 ± 2.0. CONCLUSIONS: Patient demographics among subjects enrolled in the INVEST are similar to those in a cohort of eligible nonenrolled patients. Back pain−specific disability was similar between subjects enrolled in the INVEST study and eligible nonenrolled patients at the lead site.
Predicting gross wages of non-employed persons in Croatia

We present the findings of a study aimed at building a model for predicting wages of non-employed persons in Croatia. The predictions will be used in the calculation of marginal effective tax rate at the extensive margin and in labour supply modelling. The database used is 2012 â€œEU statistics on income and living conditionsâ€ . The paper comprehensively explains the data source, variables, subgroups of employed and non-employed, and the results of the linear regression model, the Heckman selection model and the quantile regression model. The quality of predictions obtained by different models is compared and discussed.
Multi-target rendezvous search

In this paper, we examine multi-target search, where one or more targets must be found by a moving robot. Given the target's initial probability distribution or the expected search region, we present an analysis of three search strategies - Global maxima search, Local maxima search, and Spiral search. We aim at minimizing the mean-time-to-find and maximizing the total probability of finding the target. This leads to two types of illustrative performance metrics: minimum time capture and guaranteed capture. We validate the search strategies with respect to these two performance metrics. In addition, we study the effect of different target distributions on the performance of the search strategies. We also consider the practical realization of the proposed algorithms for multi-target search. The search strategies are analytically evaluated, through simulations and illustrative deployments, in open-water with an Autonomous Surface Vehicle (ASV) and drifting sensor targets.
A Numerical Analysis of Stop Band Characteristics by Multilayered Dielectric Gratings with Sinusoidal Profile

An effective computational method based on a conven- tional modal expansion approach is presented for handling a multilay- ered dielectric grating whose profiles are multilayered and sinusoidally modulated. This structure fabricated by dielectric material is one of the useful photonic crystals. The method is based on Yasuura's modal expansion, which is known as a least-squares boundary residual method or a modified Rayleigh method. In the extended method, each layer is divided into shallow horizontal layers. The Floquet modal func- tions and approximate solutions are defined in each shallow layer, and the latter are matched with boundary conditions in the least-squares sense. A huge-sized least-squares problem that appears in finding the modal coefficients is solved by the QR decomposition accompanied by sequential accumulation. This procedure makes it possible to treat the case where the groove depths are the same as or a little more than the grating period. As numerical example, we calculate a diffractive char- acteristic by a multilayered deep dielectric grating and confirm that a common band gap occurs for both polarizations.
IgGs containing λ‐ and κ‐type light chains and of all subclasses (IgG1–IgG4) from the sera of patients with autoimmune diseases and viral and bacterial infections hydrolyze DNA

We present the first evidence demonstrating that small fractions of IgGs of all four subclasses (IgG1–IgG4) from patients with viral (tick‐borne encephalitis), bacterial infections (streptococcal infection or erysipelas), and suppurative surgical infections caused by epidermal staphylococci as well as from patients with autoimmune diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis) are catalytically active in the hydrolysis of supercoiled DNA. The hydrolysis of DNA was analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis. The catalytic activities of nonfractionated IgGs increased in the following order: tick‐borne encephalitis < suppurative surgical infection < streptococcal infection < multiple sclerosis < systemic lupus erythematosus, whereas IgGs of healthy donors were inactive. However, the pools of antibodies corresponding to any particular disease were characterized by a specific ratio of IgGs of all four subclasses (IgG1–IgG4) and IgGs containing λ‐ and κ‐type light chains, and each of these subfractions of immunoglobulins demonstrated characteristic relative DNase activity. The relative activities of IgGs containing λ‐type light chains may on average be higher, lower, or comparable with those for IgGs with κ‐type light chains. The relative contributions of IgGs of different subclasses to the total activity of IgGs also varied widely in the case of various diseases: IgG1 (7%–45%), IgG2 (0.4%–73%), IgG3 (0%–12%), and IgG4 (9%–66%). Thus, immune systems of patients with different diseases can generate a variety of anti‐DNA abzymes of different types and with different catalytic properties, which can play an important role in the pathogenesis or protection from the development of these diseases. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Suppression of Pulmonary CYP 2 A 13 Expression by Carcinogen-Induced Lung Tumorigenesis in a CYP 2 A 13-Humanized Mouse Model s

CYP2A13 is a human cytochrome P450 (P450) enzyme important in the bioactivation of the tobacco-specific lung procarcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK). CYP2A13 expression levels vary dramatically among lung biopsy samples from patients, presumably owing in part to a suppression of CYP2A13 expression by disease-associated inflammation. Here, we determined whether CYP2A13 expression in the lungs of CYP2A13-humanized mice is suppressed by the presence of lung tumors. Tissues from an NNK lung tumor bioassay were examined. CYP2A13-humanized mice (95–100%) had multiple lung tumors at 16 weeks after NNK (30 or 50 mg/kg) treatment; whereas only ∼9% of saline-treated CYP2A13-humanized mice had lung tumor (∼1/lung). Mice with lung tumors, from the NNK-treated groups, were used for dissecting adjacent tumor-free lung tissues; whereas mice without visible lung tumors, from the saline-treated group, were used as controls. Compared with the controls, the levels of CYP2A13 protein andmRNAwere both reduced significantly (by ‡50%) in the NNK-treated groups. The levels of mouse CYP2B10 and CYP2F2 mRNAs were also significantly lower in the dissected normal lung tissues from tumor-bearing mice than in lungs from the control mice. Pulmonary tissue levels of three proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor alpha, interferon gamma, and interleukin-6, were significantly higher in the tumorbearing mice than in the controls, indicating occurrence of low-grade lung inflammation at the time of necropsy. Taken together, these findings support the hypothesis that CYP2A13 levels in human lungs can be suppressed by disease-associated inflammation in tissue donors, a scenario causing underestimation of CYP2A13 levels in
Dynamic Bragg Angle Shift in the Course of Volume Hologram Formation

Real-time investigation of Bragg angle shift during volume hologram formation is presented in an organic cationic ring-opening polymerization material. Positive as well as negative values of optical shrinkage are found, assumedly related to mechanical deformations of the volume and a change of the average refractive index, respectively. Ruled by the interplay of polymerization and diffusion, the originate grating formation mechanisms prove to represent competing effects regarding the contribution to the optical shrinkage. The influence of sample preparation and holographic exposure procedure on the effects observed is investigated and the usability for minimization of total Bragg resonance detuning is considered.
Hemispheric lateralization of topological organization in structural brain networks

The study on structural brain asymmetries in healthy individuals plays an important role in our understanding of the factors that modulate cognitive specialization in the brain. Here, we used fiber tractography to reconstruct the left and right hemispheric networks of a large cohort of 346 healthy participants (20–86 years) and performed a graph theoretical analysis to investigate this brain laterality from a network perspective. Findings revealed that the left hemisphere is significantly more “efficient” than the right hemisphere, whereas the right hemisphere showed higher values of “betweenness centrality” and “small‐worldness. ” In particular, left‐hemispheric networks displayed increased nodal efficiency in brain regions related to language and motor actions, whereas the right hemisphere showed an increase in nodal efficiency in brain regions involved in memory and visuospatial attention. In addition, we found that hemispheric networks decrease in efficiency with age. Finally, we observed significant gender differences in measures of global connectivity. By analyzing the structural hemispheric brain networks, we have provided new insights into understanding the neuroanatomical basis of lateralized brain functions. Hum Brain Mapp 35:4944–4957, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Swarm-based spatial sorting

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present an algorithm for spatially sorting objects into an annular structure.Design/methodology/approach – A swarm‐based model that requires only stochastic agent behaviour coupled with a pheromone‐inspired “attraction‐repulsion” mechanism.Findings – The algorithm consistently generates high‐quality annular structures, and is particularly powerful in situations where the initial configuration of objects is similar to those observed in nature.Research limitations/implications – Experimental evidence supports previous theoretical arguments about the nature and mechanism of spatial sorting by insects.Practical implications – The algorithm may find applications in distributed robotics.Originality/value – The model offers a powerful minimal algorithmic framework, and also sheds further light on the nature of attraction‐repulsion algorithms and underlying natural processes.
What makes a thriver? Unifying the concepts of posttraumatic and postecstatic growth

The thriver model is a novel framework that unifies the concepts of posttraumatic and postecstatic growth. According to the model, it is not the quality of an event, but the way it is processed, that is critical for the occurrence of post-event growth. The model proposes that meaning making, supportive relationships, and positive emotions facilitate growth processes after positive as well as traumatic experiences. The tenability of these propositions was investigated in two dissimilar cultures. In Study 1, participants from the USA (n = 555) and India (n = 599) answered an extended version of the Social Readjustment Rating Scale to rank the socioemotional impact of events. Results indicate that negative events are perceived as more impactful than positive ones in the USA, whereas the reverse is true in India. In Study 2, participants from the USA (n = 342) and India (n = 341) answered questions about the thriver model's main components. Results showed that posttraumatic and postecstatic growth are highly interrelated. All elements of the thriver model were key variables for the prediction of growth. Supportive relationships and positive emotions had a direct effect on growth, while meaning making mediated the direct effect of major life events.
Imaging Fourier transform spectroscopy of the boundary layer plume from laser irradiated polymers and carbon materials

Abstract : Emissive plumes from laser irradiated fiberglass reinforced polymers (FRP), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and porous graphite targets were investigated primarily using a mid wave infrared (MWIR) imaging Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer. Polymer and graphite targets were irradiated with a 1.064 micrometer Nd:YAG and a 1.07 micrometer ytterbium continuous wave (CW) fiber lasers respectively. Data was acquired with a spectral resolution of 2 cm-1 and spatial resolution as high as 0.52 mm2 per pixel. Strong emissions from H2O, CO, CO2 and hydrocarbons were observed in the MWIR between 1900 cm-1 and 4000 cm- 1. A single-layer radiative transfer model was developed to estimate spatial maps of temperature and column densities of CO and CO2 from the hyperspectral imagery of the boundary layer plume of irradiated FRP and porous graphite targets. The spectral model was used to compute the absorption cross sections of CO and CO2 using spectral line parameters from the high temperature extension of the HITRAN. Also, spatial maps of plume temperature and methyl methacrylate (MMA) column density were developed for laser irradiated black PMMA.