Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
THE STAR INGESTING LUMINOSITY OF INTERMEDIATE-MASS BLACK HOLES IN GLOBULAR CLUSTERS

The dynamics of stars in the inner regions of nearby globular clusters (GCs) such as G1 indicate the presence of central concentrated dark masses, and one would like to know whether these are indeed intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs). As the number of surrounding stars and their motions are roughly known, the capture rate can be estimated; the question then arises of whether the apparent quiescence of the nuclei of these GCs is compatible with the IMBH's presence. The role of debris from disrupted stars in activating quiescent nuclei of GCs is studied here employing three-dimensional hydrodynamics simulations. It is argued that when individual stars are disrupted, the bulk of the debris would be swallowed or expelled rapidly compared with the interval between successive disruptions. A transient signal (predominantly of soft X-ray emission) could persist steadily with L ∼ LEdd = 1041(Mh/103M☉) erg s−1 for at most tens of years; thereafter the flare would rapidly fade. While the infall rate declines as t−5/3, some material may be stored for a longer time in an accretion disk. The IMBH luminosity could then remain as high as LX ⩾ 1039 erg s−1 for several hundreds of years after disruption. In a given object, this ultraluminous X-ray activity would have a duty cycle of the order of 10−4. Quiescent GCs, those with IMBHs now starved of fuel, should greatly outnumber active ones; observational constraints would not then be stringent until we had observed enough candidates to constitute a proper ensemble average.
Location of cerebrovascular and degenerative changes, depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning in later life: the SMART-Medea study

Objectives Depression and cognitive impairment are highly prevalent in later life and frequently co-occur. Structural changes in critical brain regions may underlie both conditions. The authors examined associations of infarcts, white-matter lesions (WML) and atrophy at different locations with depressive symptoms and cognitive functioning. Methods Within the Second Manifestations of Arterial Disease-Memory, Depression and Aging (SMART-Medea) study, cross-sectional analyses were performed in 585 non-demented patients aged ≥50 years with symptomatic atherosclerotic disease. Volumetric measures of WML and atrophy were obtained with 1.5 T MRI; infarcts were rated visually. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (score ≥6). z Scores of executive functioning, memory and processing speed were calculated. Analyses were adjusted for age, sex, education, intelligence, vascular disease, physical functioning and co-occurring brain changes. Results Depressive symptoms were present in 102 (17%) patients and were associated with poorer memory (B=−0.26, 95% CI −0.47 to −0.06). Large subcortical infarcts and lacunar infarcts in deep white-matter tracts were both associated with depressive symptoms (RR=2.66, 95% CI 1.28 to 5.54; RR=2.02, 95% CI 1.14 to 3.59) and poorer executive functioning and memory. Periventricular WML volume was associated with poorer executive functioning; cortical infarcts in the left hemisphere and media flow region, ventricular volume and cortical atrophy were associated with a slower processing speed. Conclusion In this sample of non-demented older persons, subcortical infarcts contributed to an increased risk of depressive symptoms as well as cognitive impairment. This depended on location in projecting white-matter tracts, and not on infarct size.
Effect of the subdermal contraceptive etonogestrel implant (Implanon®) on biochemical and hormonal parameters (three years follow-up)

Objectıve To determine whether the use of the subdermal contraceptive implant releasing etonogestrel (Implanon®) affects serum hormonal and biochemical indices. Methods Seventy women with a mean age of 28.5±3.4 years were enrolled into this prospective observational study. After placement of an Implanon® rod, they were followed-up for three years. Baseline and end-of-study values of serum low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), cholesterol, triglycerides, fasting glucose, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, SGOT, SGPT, follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), oestradiol, free 3,5,3′-tri-iodothyronine (fT3), free thyroxine (fT4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), and prolactine (PRL) were compared using Student's t-test. Results There was no failure of contraception during the three year period. No statistically significant differences were observed between the initial and final levels of fasting blood glucose, BUN, SGOT, SGPT, LDL, HDL, E2, FSH, LH, fT3, fT4 and TSH (p > 0.05), but the increase in PRL, cholesterol and triglycerides, and the decrease in creatinine levels at the end of three years were statistically significant (p <0.05) although the values were still within normal ranges. Conclusion Our findings confirm data from the literature according to which Implanon® does not affect meaningfully reproductive hormonal parameters, thyroid function, hepatic and renal functions, and glucose metabolism. However, further studies are needed to elucidate lipid metabolism changes.
Prediction of Motor Function Outcome after Intracerebral Hemorrhage Using Fractional Anisotropy Calculated from Diffusion Tensor Imaging

Background: The efficacy of surgical evacuation in patients with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) remains unclear for recovery of motor function. The relationship between improvement of motor function outcome and sequential change of fractional anisotropy (FA) values was investigated in patients with ICH, to explore whether motor function outcome can be predicted in the early phase. Indication of the surgical hematoma evacuation was also considered. Methods: This prospective study included 23 patients with ICH. All patients underwent diffusion tensor imaging to measure the FA value five times: within 3 days, day 14, day 30, day 60, and day 90 after the onset. The regions of interest were determined on the b = 0 step of the echo planar imaging scans in the bilateral cerebral peduncles and were automatically transferred onto the FA images. The FA value was then calculated for each patient. Patients were divided into good and poor recovery groups according to the motor function outcome on day 90. Results: The mean FA value of the poor recovery group gradually decreased until day 90, but remained unchanged in the good recovery group. The mean FA value on day 3 was significantly higher (p < 0.001) in the good recovery group (0.745 ± 0.0073) than in the poor recovery group (0.682 ± 0.0090). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the FA value on day 3 could predict motor function outcome with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 77.8% at an FA value of 0.7 on day 3. Conclusion: The main finding of this study was that the FA values of the cerebral peduncle on the pathological side in patients with ICH on day 3 could predict the motor function outcome on day 90.
Effect of intermolecular interactions on the viscoelastic behavior of polyamides

Polyamides are engineering thermoplastics which exhibit good mechanical and barrier properties. However, the viscoelastic behavior over the complete range of polyamide relaxation is a topic rarely mentioned in the literature due to the presence of a crystalline phase and lack of thermal stability.The rheological behavior of amorphous PA 6I with increasing molecular weight was studied. As molecular weight increases, a clear rubbery plateau appears and the longest relaxation time is shifted to lower frequencies, as expected by the Rouse and reptation models.Interactions were added to the PA by copolymerizing PA 6I’s monomers with different substituted isophthalic acids. Ionic copolyamides were synthesized in molar fractions from 5 to 20 mol%, inciting an increase of about 10 to 40°C in the glass transition temperature. Master curves of unentangled PA 6I and substituted polyamides, with similar molecular weight, overlap in the complete frequency range using an appropriate reference temperature, which is close to, but not identical to Tg. Ionic groups have an effect on the Angell’s dynamical fragility, i.e. on the temperature variation of the rheological response close to Tg. Dynamic moduli of unentangled polyamides were fitted with Rouse model, showing no effect of hydrogen bonds or ionic groups on the shape of the rheological master curves. The molecular weight between entanglements increases for ionic copolyamides due to an increase of chain rigidity. Small-angle X-ray scattering shows that no segregation of ionic domains occurs in unentangled ionic copolyamides, while entangled copolyamides show only weak segregation.Stronger hydrogen bonding resulted in a decrease of the molecular weight between entanglements. Nevertheless no significant difference was observed in the shape of master curves, which were fitted using the Rouse model.The effect of interacting groups on the local dynamics in the solid state (below Tg) was studied by dielectric spectroscopy. Ionic groups have no effect on secondary relaxations, while alpha-relaxation is shifted accordingly to Tg. No difference was observed between ionic copolyamides and PA 6I during aging experiments, as ionic groups do not act as dynamic heterogeneities, i.e., zones where the local dynamics are heterogeneous due to different local ionic fractions
LQG control for distributed systems over TCP-like erasure channels

This paper is concerned with control applications over lossy data network. Sensor data is transmitted to an estimation-control unit over a network and control commands are issued to subsystems over the same network. Sensor and control packets may be randomly lost according to a Bernoulli process. In this context the discrete-time Linear Quadratic Gaussian (LQG) optimal control problem is considered. In B. Sinopoli, et al., (Aug. 2003) a complete analysis was carried out for the case the network is composed of a single sensor and control channel. Here a nontrivial generalization to the case of sensor and actuator networks with p distinct sensor channels and m control channels is presented. It has been proven that the separation principle still holds for all protocols where packets are acknowledged by the receiver (e.g. TCP-like protocols). Moreover it has been pointed out for the first time that the optimal LQG control is a linear function of the state that explicitly depends on the command channels lost probabilities. Such a dependence is not present in pre-existing literature, since the amplitude of each control input has to be weighted by the loss probability associated to its own channel. This is not observed in the single channel case. In the infinite horizon case stability conditions on the arrival are derived. Their computation requires the use of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs).
Differentiating Interictal and Ictal States in Childhood Absence Epilepsy through Permutation Rényi Entropy

Permutation entropy (PE) has been widely exploited to measure the complexity of the electroencephalogram (EEG), especially when complexity is linked to diagnostic information embedded in the EEG. Recently, the authors proposed a spatial-temporal analysis of the EEG recordings of absence epilepsy patients based on PE. The goal here is to improve the ability of PE in discriminating interictal states from ictal states in absence seizure EEG. For this purpose, a parametrical definition of permutation entropy is introduced here in the field of epileptic EEG analysis: the permutation Renyi entropy (PEr). PEr has been extensively tested against PE by tuning the involved parameters (order, delay time and alpha). The achieved results demonstrate that PEr outperforms PE, as there is a statistically-significant, wider gap between the PEr levels during the interictal states and PEr levels observed in the ictal states compared to PE. PEr also outperformed PE as the input to a classifier aimed at discriminating interictal from ictal states.
Update on etio and immunopathogenesis of Kawasaki disease

Purpose of reviewThis review first discusses the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease based on the results of recently performed studies aimed at identifying Kawasaki disease-susceptibility genes and the results of analyses of the immune system. Following that, we discuss the findings generated using a murine Kawasaki disease arteritis model and speculate regarding the mechanism of Kawasaki disease onset based on immune function aberrations seen in that model. Recent findingsRecent advances in gene analysis studies of Kawasaki disease are contributing not only to prediction of disease susceptibility but also to improving our understanding of the pathogenesis of Kawasaki disease and development of new improved therapies. In addition, Th17/Treg imbalance is observed in patients with acute-phase Kawasaki disease. Th17/Treg imbalance may be an important factor causing disturbed immunological function. IL-17 induced by Th17 cells have proinflammatory properties and act on inflammatory cells, thereby inducing expression of cytokines and chemokines and resulting in tissue inflammation. SummaryKawasaki disease vasculitis may be triggered by aberrant activation of inflammatory cytokines mediated by IL-17 that is produced by Th17 cells that have been activated by some infectious agent(s).
Autoantibodies against β‐amyloid are common in Alzheimer's disease and help control plaque burden

Active or passive immunization of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients leads to targeting of β‐amyloid plaques by immunoglobulins (IgG) and their subsequent removal by microglia. Here, we investigate whether naturally occurring autoantibodies to β‐amyloid contribute to β‐amyloid plaque removal in nonimmunized AD patients.
Incidental findings and the need for a revised informed consent process.

OBJECTIVE The current clinical practice with regard to incidental findings (IFs) is suboptimal in the domains of informed consent and patient education. We argue that a more robust informed consent process is needed to enable patients to anticipate incidentalomas and to correctly perceive the associated risks. CONCLUSION Given that IFs are very common in high-resolution imaging, patients should be provided information about the possibility of an IF as part of radiologic informed consent. The frequency of IFs, the very high rates of false-positives among incidentalomas, the very low rates of malignancies among incidentalomas, and the potential financial and emotional costs to both patients and the health care system of monitoring IFs necessitate a thorough informed consent process. Further, because radiologists are the most knowledgeable professionals regarding the nature of IFs, they should be the specialists who conduct the informed consent discussion with patients.
Intensive EELS study of epoxy composites reinforced by graphene-based nanofillers

A detailed analysis of composites with epoxy matrix and three types of graphene-based nanofillers combining scanning transmission electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy was reported here. The composites were prepared by a three-roll milling method and the nanofillers were well dispersed in the matrix, as confirmed by SEM and scanning transmission electron microscopy observation. Mass density profiles through the interface from the matrix to the nanofillers were obtained thanks to the plasmon energy values measured from the low-loss spectra. The core-loss spectra revealed the chemical bonding states of different phase regions and identified the different chemical composition of graphite nanoplatelets (GNPs) in GNPs/epoxy and GNP-CNTs/epoxy composites. Energy dispersive spectroscopy mapping was also conducted to further confirm the components in different phase regions. The successful characterization of the chemical structure and the bonding states paves the way for a better understanding of the structure-property relationships in composites. (c) 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46748.
Terahertz Communication for Vehicular Networks

With the never-ending increase in the number of mobile connected devices and the need for higher data rates anywhere, anytime, higher frequency bands are being considered for communications. As millimeter-wave technology moves from research to commercial deployments, and motivated by the still limited bandwidth, the terahertz (THz) band is envisioned as the next frontier for communications. When it comes to vehicular networks, communication at much higher frequencies and, consequently, with much higher data rates brings many exciting opportunities as well as challenges. In this paper, an overview of the opportunities and challenges in THz communications for vehicular networks is provided. In addition, the papers in this Special Section which provide first-time solutions to some of these challenges, are introduced.
Clinical impact of ABCC1 and ABCC2 genotypes and haplotypes in mediating imatinib resistance among chronic myeloid leukaemia patients

The introduction and success of imatinib mesylate (IM) has brought about a paradigm shift in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) treatment. However, despite the high efficacy of IM, clinical resistance develops due to a heterogeneous array of mechanisms. Pharmacogenetic variability as a result of genetic polymorphisms could be one of the most important factors influencing resistance to IM. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between genetic variations in drug efflux transporter ABCC1 (MRP1) and ABCC2 (MRP2) genes and response to IM in patients with CML.
Optimal Placements of Flexible Objects: Part I: Analytical Results for the Unbounded Case

The authors consider optimal placements of two-dimensional flexible (elastic, deformable) objects. The objects are discs of equal size placed within a rigid boundary. The paper is divided into two parts. In the first part, analytical results for three types of regular, periodic arrangements-the hexagonal, square, and triangular placements-are presented. The regular arrangements are analyzed for rectangular boundaries and radii of discs that are small compared to the area of the placement region, because, in this case, the influence of boundary conditions can be neglected. This situation is called the unbounded case. They show that, for the unbounded case among the three regular placements, the type of hexagonal arrangements provides the largest number of placed units for the same deformation depth. Furthermore, it can be proved that these regular placements are not too far from the truly optimal arrangements. For example, hexagonal placements differ at most by the factor of 1.1 from the largest possible number of generally shaped units in arbitrary arrangements. These analytical results are used as guidances for testing stochastic algorithms optimizing placements of flexible objects. In the second part, mainly two problems are considered: the underlying physical model and a simulated annealing algorithm maximizing the number of flexible discs in equilibrium placements. Along with the physical model, an approximate formula is derived, reflecting the deformation/force relationship for a large range of deformations.
Pain Intensity Moderates the Relationship Between Age and Pain Interference in Chronic Orofacial Pain Patients

Background/Study Context: Chronic pain is associated with increased interference in daily functioning that becomes more pronounced as pain intensity increases. Based on previous research showing that older adults maintain well-being in the face of pain as well as or better than their younger counterparts, the current study examined the interaction of age and pain intensity on interference in a sample of chronic orofacial pain patients. Methods: Data were obtained from the records of 508 chronic orofacial pain patients being seen for an initial evaluation from 2008 to 2012. Collected data included age (range: 18–78) and self-reported measures of pain intensity and pain interference. Bivariate correlations and regression models were used to assess for statistical interactions. Results: Regression analyses revealed that pain intensity positively predicted pain interference (R2 = .35, B = 10.40, SE = 0.62, t(507) = 16.70, p < . 001). A significant interaction supported the primary hypothesis that aging was associated with reduced interference at high levels of pain intensity (ΔR2 = .01, B = −1.31, SE = 0.63, t(505) = −2.90, p = . 04). Conclusion: At high levels of pain intensity, interference decreased with age, although the age by pain intensity interaction effect was small. This evidence converges with aging theories, including socioemotional selectivity theory, which posits that as people age, they become more motivated to maximize positive emotions and minimize negative ones. The results highlight the importance of studying the mechanisms older adults use to successfully cope with pain.
Ultrastructural evaluation of mesenchymal stem cells from inflamed periodontium in different in vitro conditions

This research aimed to observe the behavior of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from periodontal granulation tissue (gt) when manipulated ex vivo to induce three‐dimensional (3D) spheroid (aggregates) formation as well as when seeded on two bone scaffolds of animal origin. Periodontal gt was chosen as a MSC source because of its availability, considering that it is eliminated as a waste material during conventional surgical therapies. 3D aggregates of cells were generated; they were grown for 3 and 7 days, respectively, and then prepared for transmission electron microscopic analysis. The two biomaterials were seeded for 72 h with gtMSCs and prepared for scanning electronic microscopic observation. The ultrastructural analysis of 3D spheroids remarked some differences between the inner and the outer cell layers, with a certain commitment observed at the inner cells. Both scaffolds showed a relatively smooth surface at low magnification. Macro‐ and micropores having a scarce distribution were observed on both bone substitutes. gtMSCs grew with relative difficulty on the biomaterials. After 72 h of proliferation, gtMSCs scarcely covered the surface of bovine bone scaffolds, demonstrating fibroblast‐like or star‐like shapes with elongated filiform extensions. Our results add other data on the possible usefulness of gtMSC and could question the current paradigm regarding the complete removal of chronically inflamed gts from the defects during periodontal surgeries. Until optimal protocols for ex vivo manipulation of MSCs are available for clinical settings, it is advisable to use biocompatible bone substitutes that allow the development of progenitor cells. Microsc. Res. Tech. 78:792–800, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.