Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novel epidemiological features of moyamoya disease

Background: Many clinical features that are specific to moyamoya disease have been reported and cited in textbooks based on previous data. The purpose of this study is to investigate the present epidemiological features of moyamoya disease based on recently obtained regional all-inclusive data. Methods: The authors performed an all-inclusive survey of moyamoya disease in Hokkaido, one of the major islands in Japan that has a population of 5.63 million. The epidemiological features were analysed based on the data from 267 newly registered patients with moyamoya disease in Hokkaido from 2002 to 2006. These analysed data were adjusted to the whole Japanese population at 2005. Results: The detection rate of the disease per year was 0.94 patients per 100 000 people, and prevalence was 10.5 patients per 100 000 people. The incidence of ischaemia concerned with the disease was 0.53 patients per 100 000 people-years and haemorrhage was 0.2 patients per 100 000 people-years. The ratio of female to male patients was 2.18. The ratio of patients aged 10 years and above to under 10 years of age at onset was 6.18. Two peaks for age of onset were seen: the highest was observed between 45 and 49 years, and the second between 5 and 9 years. Asymptomatic patients comprised 17.8% of the total number of patients. Conclusion: The epidemiological features of moyamoya disease determined by this survey varied considerably from previous data. The detection rate and prevalence of the disease were higher than those reported previously. The highest peak of onset age was older than those reported previously. In addition, it was revealed that asymptomatic moyamoya patients are not always rare in Japan.
Estimating Dominance in Multi-Party Meetings Using Speaker Diarization

With the increase in cheap commercially available sensors, recording meetings is becoming an increasingly practical option. With this trend comes the need to summarize the recorded data in semantically meaningful ways. Here, we investigate the task of automatically measuring dominance in small group meetings when only a single audio source is available. Past research has found that speaking length as a single feature, provides a very good estimate of dominance. For these tasks we use speaker segmentations generated by our automated faster than real-time speaker diarization algorithm, where the number of speakers is not known beforehand. From user-annotated data, we analyze how the inherent variability of the annotations affects the performance of our dominance estimation method. We primarily focus on examining of how the performance of the speaker diarization and our dominance tasks vary under different experimental conditions and computationally efficient strategies, and how this would impact on a practical implementation of such a system. Despite the use of a state-of-the-art speaker diarization algorithm, speaker segments can be noisy. On conducting experiments on almost 5 hours of audio-visual meeting data, our results show that the dominance estimation is robust to increasing diarization noise.
Macular pigment and age related macular degeneration

The yellow coloration of the macula lutea is attributable to the presence of macular pigment in the axons of its photoreceptors.1 In the 1980s several investigators demonstrated that macular pigment consists of the xanthophyll isomers, lutein and zeaxanthin.2 3 Although the role of the macular pigment remains uncertain, several functions have been hypothesised and these include reduction of the effects of light scatter and chromatic aberration on visual performance,4 5 limitation of the damaging photo-oxidative effects of blue light through its absorption,6-8 and protection against the adverse effects of photochemical reactions because of the antioxidant properties of the carotenoids.9 10 Age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual loss in people over the age of 65 years in the Western world.11 Although the aetiopathogenesis of AMD remains a matter of debate, there is a growing body of evidence to indicate that oxidative damage plays a role.12-14 Consequently, the possibility that the absorption characteristics and antioxidant properties of macular pigment confer protection against AMD has been postulated.10 15 A proved protective effect of macular pigment may be of therapeutic value, as it has recently been reported that human macular pigment can be augmented with dietary modification.16 In this article we review the current literature germane to macular pigment and AMD, and examine the evidence that retinal carotenoids are protective against AMD. The absorption of blue light by the macular pigment was first described in 1866 by Max Schultze who concluded: “Therefore, under an otherwise equal organisation, a retina without a yellow spot would see more blue light than one with such a spot”. 17 He believed that absorption of the “most refractable violet” reduced chromatic aberration, but also hypothesised that macular pigment might provide some protection against the hazards …
Construction and Characterization of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa Mucoid Exopolysaccharide-Alginate Conjugate Vaccine

ABSTRACT Deterioration of lung function in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) is closely associated with chronic pulmonary infection with mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The mucoid exopolysaccharide (MEP) from P. aeruginosa has been shown to induce opsonic antibodies in mice that are protective against this chronic infection. MEP-specific opsonic antibodies are also commonly found in the sera of older CF patients lacking detectable P. aeruginosa infection. When used in a human vaccine trial, however, MEP only minimally induced opsonic antibodies. To evaluate whether conjugation of MEP to a carrier protein could improve its immunogenicity, we bound thiolated MEP to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) by using succinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomethyl)cyclohexane-1-carboxylate (SMCC) as a linker. In contrast to the native MEP polymer, the MEP-KLH conjugate vaccine induced high titers of MEP-specific immunoglobulin G (IgG) in C3H-HeN mice and in a rabbit. Sera from mice immunized with MEP-KLH conjugate, but not from animals immunized with comparable doses of native MEP, demonstrated opsonic killing activity. Vaccination with MEP-KLH conjugate induced opsonic antibodies broadly cross-reactive to heterologous mucoid strains of P. aeruginosa. Preexisting nonopsonic antibodies to MEP are found in normal human sera, including young CF patients, and their presence impedes the induction of opsonic antibodies. Induction of nonopsonic antibodies by either intraperitoneal injection of MEP or injection or feeding of the cross-reactive antigen, seaweed alginate, reduced the level of overall IgG elicited by follow-up immunization with the MEP-KLH conjugate. However, the opsonic activity was lower only in the sera of MEP-KLH conjugate-immunized mice with preexisting antibodies induced by MEP but not with antibodies induced by seaweed alginate. Immunization with MEP-KLH elicited a significant proportion of antibodies specific to epitopes involving O-acetate residues, and this subpopulation of antibodies mediated opsonic killing of mucoid P. aeruginosa in vitro. These results indicate that conjugation of MEP to KLH significantly enhances its immunogenicity and the elicitation of opsonic antibodies in mice and rabbits, that the conjugate induces opsonic antibodies in the presence of preexisting nonopsonic antibodies, and that opsonic antibodies to MEP are directed at epitopes that include acetate residues on the uronic acid polymer.
A longitudinal study of reading ability in patients suffering from dementia

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate whether reading is a preserved ability in patients suffering from dementia, as was first suggested by Nelson and McKenna (1975). The 57 patients included in the study had possible or probable Alzheimer's disease or similar degenerative conditions and were assessed longitudinally. Their performance on the National Adult Reading Test [(NART); Nelson, 1982, 1991] is compared to that on a shortened version of the WAIS-R. It is found that although performance on the NART does decline gradually over time, the deterioration on formal tests of IQ is more rapid and more severe. It seems that the decline in reading across the group is due to those patients who have a lower verbal IQ (VIQ) than performance IQ (PIQ). It is concluded that generally the NART can be used as a predictor of the premorbid intellectual functioning of a patient with dementia, given that the VIQ is greater than PIQ. (JINS, 1995, 1, 517–524.)
Female sexuality in multiple sclerosis: the multidimensional nature of the problem and the intervention

Bronner G, Elran E, Golomb J, Korczyn AD. Female sexuality in multiple sclerosis: the multidimensional nature of the problem and the intervention. Acta Neurol Scand: 2010: 121: 289–301. © 2010 The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 Blackwell Munksgaard.
The occurrence of helminth parasites in the gastrointestinal of catfish (Silurus glanis Linnaeus 1758) from the Zarrine-roud river, Iran

This investigation was undertaken to verify the prevalence of helminths parasites in the gastrointestinal tract of catfish. A total number of 116 catfish (Silurus glanis) were collected from Zarrine-roud river and examined for helminths. Fish were examined after washing contents of gastrointestinal tract and observed for the presence of helminths using a stereo microscope and a light microscope. Results indicated that 18.96% of the examined catfish were infected with digenean trematodes including Orientocreadium siluri (27%), Crowcrocoecum skrjabini (39%), and cestode Bothriocephalus gowkongensis (34%). All the parasites were found in the intestine. Mid-gut followed by foregut appeared to be the most commonly infected parts of the alimentary tract of hosts. The results showed that there was a significant correlation between infection rate, catfish body size, and weight (P < 0.05).
Network traffic classification via neural networks

The importance of network traﬃc classiﬁcation has grown over the last decade. Coupled with advances in software and theory, the range of classiﬁcation techniques has also increased. Network operators can predict demands in future traﬃc to high accuracy and better identify anomalous behavior. Multiple machine learning tools have been developed in this ﬁeld and each have had varying degrees of success. In this paper we use supervised machine learning within a neural network to develop a model capable of achieving high classiﬁcation accuracy and maintaining low system throughput. We compare our model to previous work on Bayesian neural networks and other standard classiﬁcation techniques in the context of real-time classiﬁcation. The spatial and temporal stabilities of the diﬀerent models will also be compared. Finally, we investigate the relationship between the convergence times of each model and the size of training dataset. Emphasis will be placed on experimental design and methodology to adequately justify and contextualize our analysis, as well as clarify the limitations of our results. Challenges in the ﬁeld and areas for further work will also be discussed.
Modeling and Characteristics of Gain-Switched Diode-Pumped Er-Yb Codoped Fiber Lasers

We investigate the temporal and energy characteristics of gain-switched diode-pumped Er-Yb codoped fiber lasers by establishing and solving an experimentally verified numerical model. With a pulsed laser diode pumping at 975 nm and in a proper repetition rate range, the laser exhibits the potential of lasing pulses of several hundred nanoseconds with excellent synchronism at around 1 and 1.5 μm. The energy scaling relation shows that the 1.5-μm emission is dominant at a low-pump-energy regime, while the lasing at 1 μm takes over at a high-pump-energy regime. We also explore the physical mechanism of the laser by studying the output features at different laser configurations to provide references for further relevant experiments.
Identification and Genome Characterization of the First Sicinivirus Isolate from Chickens in Mainland China by Using Viral Metagenomics

Unlike traditional virus isolation and sequencing approaches, sequence-independent amplification based viral metagenomics technique allows one to discover unexpected or novel viruses efficiently while bypassing culturing step. Here we report the discovery of the first Sicinivirus isolate (designated as strain JSY) of picornaviruses from commercial layer chickens in mainland China by using a viral metagenomics technique. This Sicinivirus isolate, which contains a whole genome of 9,797 nucleotides (nt) excluding the poly(A) tail, possesses one of the largest picornavirus genome so far reported, but only shares 88.83% and 82.78% of amino acid sequence identity to that of ChPV1 100C (KF979332) and Sicinivirus 1 strain UCC001 (NC_023861), respectively. The complete 939 nt 5′UTR of the isolate strain contains at least twelve stem-loop domains (A–L), representing the highest set of loops reported within Sicinivirus genus. The conserved 'barbell-like' structure was also present in the 272 nt 3′UTR of the isolate as that in the 3′ UTR of Sicinivirus 1 strain UCC001. The 8,586 nt large open reading frame encodes a 2,862 amino acids polyprotein precursor. Moreover, Sicinivirus infection might be widely present in commercial chicken farms in Yancheng region of the Jiangsu Province as evidenced by all the tested stool samples from three different farms being positive (17/17) for Sicinivirus detection. This is the first report on identification of Sicinivirus in commercial layer chickens with a severe clinical disease in mainland China, however, further studies are needed to evaluate the pathogenic potential of this picornavirus in chickens.
Pivotal role of hMT+ in long‐range disambiguation of interhemispheric bistable surface motion

It remains an open question whether long‐range disambiguation of ambiguous surface motion can be achieved in early visual cortex or instead in higher level regions, which concerns object/surface segmentation/integration mechanisms. We used a bistable moving stimulus that can be perceived as a pattern comprehending both visual hemi‐fields moving coherently downward or as two widely segregated nonoverlapping component objects (in each visual hemi‐field) moving separately inward. This paradigm requires long‐range integration across the vertical meridian leading to interhemispheric binding. Our fMRI study (n = 30) revealed a close relation between activity in hMT+ and perceptual switches involving interhemispheric segregation/integration of motion signals, crucially under nonlocal conditions where components do not overlap and belong to distinct hemispheres. Higher signal changes were found in hMT+ in response to spatially segregated component (incoherent) percepts than to pattern (coherent) percepts. This did not occur in early visual cortex, unlike apparent motion, which does not entail surface segmentation. We also identified a role for top–down mechanisms in state transitions. Deconvolution analysis of switch‐related changes revealed prefrontal, insula, and cingulate areas, with the right superior parietal lobule (SPL) being particularly involved. We observed that directed influences could emerge either from left or right hMT+ during bistable motion integration/segregation. SPL also exhibited significant directed functional connectivity with hMT+, during perceptual state maintenance (Granger causality analysis). Our results suggest that long‐range interhemispheric binding of ambiguous motion representations mainly reflect bottom–up processes from hMT+ during perceptual state maintenance. In contrast, state transitions maybe influenced by high‐level regions such as the SPL. Hum Brain Mapp 38:4882–4897, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Is lactate a volume transmitter of metabolic states of the brain?

We present the perspective that lactate is a volume transmitter of cellular signals in brain that acutely and chronically regulate the energy metabolism of large neuronal ensembles. From this perspective, we interpret recent evidence to mean that lactate transmission serves the maintenance of network metabolism by two different mechanisms, one by regulating the formation of cAMP via the lactate receptor GPR81, the other by adjusting the NADH/NAD+ redox ratios, both linked to the maintenance of brain energy turnover and possibly cerebral blood flow. The role of lactate as mediator of metabolic information rather than metabolic substrate answers a number of questions raised by the controversial oxidativeness of astrocytic metabolism and its contribution to neuronal function.
An Overview of Maritime Waterway Quantitative Risk Assessment Models

The safe navigation of ships, especially in narrow shipping waterways, is of the utmost concern to researchers as well as maritime authorities. Many researchers and practitioners have conducted studies on risk assessment for maritime transportation and have proposed risk reduction/control measures accordingly. This article provides a detailed review and assessment of various quantitative risk assessment models for maritime waterways. Eighty‐seven academic papers and/or project reports are summarized and discussed. The review then proceeds to analyze the frequency and consequence estimation models separately. It should be pointed out that we further summarize the advantages and disadvantages of frequency estimation models and provide recommendations for their application. From the overview, we find that the quantification of the impact of human error is of great importance and should be considered in future studies. Possible solutions are also proposed in the discussions.
Multidimensional Mechanism Design: Revenue Maximization and the Multiple-Good Monopoly

The seller of N distinct objects is uncertain about the buyer’s valuation for those objects. The seller’s problem, to maximize expected revenue, consists of maximizing a linear functional over a convex set of mechanisms. A solution to the seller’s problem can always be found in an extreme point of the feasible set. We identify the relevant extreme points and faces of the feasible set. With N = 1, the extreme points are easily described providing simple proofs of well-known results. The revenue-maximizing mechanism assigns the object with probability one or zero depending on the buyer’s report. With N > 1, extreme points often involve randomization in the assignment of goods. Virtually any extreme point of the feasible set maximizes revenue for a well-behaved distribution of buyer’s valuations. We provide a simple algebraic procedure to determine whether a mechanism is an extreme point.
Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis Infection in Swine Associated with Peat Used for Bedding

Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis is an environmental bacterium causing opportunistic infections in swine, resulting in economic losses. Additionally, the zoonotic aspect of such infections is of concern. In the southeastern region of Norway in 2009 and 2010, an increase in condemnation of pig carcasses with tuberculous lesions was seen at the meat inspection. The use of peat as bedding in the herds was suspected to be a common factor, and a project examining pigs and environmental samples from the herds was initiated. Lesions detected at meat inspection in pigs originating from 15 herds were sampled. Environmental samples including peat from six of the herds and from three peat production facilities were additionally collected. Samples were analysed by culture and isolates genotyped by MLVA analysis. Mycobacterium avium subsp. hominissuis was detected in 35 out of 46 pigs, in 16 out of 20 samples of peat, and in one sample of sawdust. MLVA analysis demonstrated identical isolates from peat and pigs within the same farms. Polyclonal infection was demonstrated by analysis of multiple isolates from the same pig. To conclude, the increase in condemnation of porcine carcasses at slaughter due to mycobacteriosis seemed to be related to untreated peat used as bedding.
ON THE HERMITICITY OF q-DIFFERENTIAL OPERATORS AND FORMS ON THE QUANTUM EUCLIDEAN SPACES $\mathbb{R}_q^N$

We show that the complicated ⋆-structure characterizing for positive q the Uqso(N)-covariant differential calculus on the noncommutative manifold boils down to similarity transformations involving the ribbon element of a central extension of Uqso(N) and its formal square root ṽ. Subspaces of the spaces of functions and of p-forms on are made into Hilbert spaces by introducing non-conventional "weights" in the integrals defining the corresponding scalar products, namely suitable positive-definite q-pseudodifferential operators ṽ′±1 realizing the action of ṽ±1; this serves to make the partial q-derivatives anti-hermitean and the exterior coderivative equal to the hermitean conjugate of the exterior derivative, as usual. There is a residual freedom in the choice of the weight m(r) along the "radial coordinate" r. Unless we choose a constant m, then the square-integrables functions/forms must fulfill an additional condition, namely, their analytic continuations to the complex r plane can have poles only on the sites of some special lattice. Among the functions naturally selected by this condition there are q-special functions with "quantized" free parameters.
The Incidence of Soft Tissue Injury in Operative Tibial Plateau Fractures: A Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analysis of 103 Patients

Objectives: The goal of this study was to determine the incidence of injury to soft tissue structures of the knee in tibial plateau fractures scheduled for surgery. Design: Prospective cohort. Setting: Level I academic medical center. Patients/Participants: One hundred three consecutive patients with acute tibial plateau fractures indicated for operative intervention. Intervention: Standard x-ray examinations, including anteroposterior, lateral, and oblique views, were performed in the emergency department. Subsequently all patients had magnetic resonance imaging performed. The Schatzker and AO/OTA classifications were used to classify each fracture pattern based solely on the x-rays. Soft tissue injuries were assessed by magnetic resonance imaging. Main Outcome Measurements: Fifteen categories of injury were determined as positive or negative on each magnetic resonance imaging, which included tears of the cruciates, collateral ligaments, menisci, and posterolateral corner. Results: The overall incidence of injury to soft tissues was higher than previously reported. Only 1 patient (1%) in the series had complete absence of any soft tissue injury. Seventy-nine patients (77%) sustained a complete tear or avulsion of 1 or more cruciate or collateral ligaments. Ninety-four patients (91%) had evidence of lateral meniscus pathology. Forty-five patients (44%) had medial meniscus tears. Seventy patients (68%) had tears of 1 or more of the posterolateral corner structures of the knee. The most frequent fracture pattern was a lateral plateau split-depression (Schatzker II) (60%). No pure depression injuries (Schatzker III, AO/OTA 41-B2) were seen. Conclusions: The incidence of complete ligamentous or meniscal disruption associated with operative tibial plateau fractures was higher than previously reported. Though the clinical importance of injury to each of these structures is unknown, the treating surgeon should be aware that a variety of soft tissue injuries are common in these fractures. In addition, all fractures had at least 1 cortical split visible on magnetic resonance imaging, implying that pure depression patterns are very rare or may not exist.