Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Changing Patterns of Atheroembolism

Among 1011 patients undergoing infrarenal aortic and infrainguinal vascular surgery in a 90-month period (1986–1993), 29 patients (2.9%) with clinical, angiographic and pathologic evidence of atheroembolism were identified. Over one-third (44.8%) of atheroemboli were iatrogenic and the rest spontaneous. All iatrogenic atheroemboli were precipitated by angiographic (n = 11; 84.6%) or operative manipulation (n = 2; 15.4%). The sources of emboli were in the abdominal arota (16), iliac (seven) and femoropopliteal (six) arteries. ‘Trash foot’ occurred in 19 patients (seven bilateral) and occlusions of tibioperoneal/digital arteries were seen in seven, renal and dermal microcirculation in two each, and calf muscles in one. Larger conduits were affected in three instances (common femoral, popliteal and in situ saphenous vein graft). The management consisted of 54 (43 surgical and 11 endovascular) procedures concurrently with thrombolytic, anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapy. Three early (10.3%) and two late (6.9%) deaths (overall mortality rate 17.2%), eight major (27.6%) and five minor (17.2%) amputations, and four (13.8%) instances of renal failure occurred in 17 patients resulting in a 58.6% complication rate. Besides initial angiography, 53 invasive procedures were required in 25 patients. Among these, 12 patients could be managed with a single definitive procedure in contrast to a group of 13 patients that required 41 (average 3.2 per patient) procedures. The incidence of foot ischemia, reoperation and amputation was higher in the spontaneous group, whereas, the iatrogenic group incurred a higher incidence of endovascular interventions, greater mortality and new onset renal failure. The high morbidity and mortality of atheroemboli demand prompt recognition and treatment, as well as attempts at prevention to achieve good results.
TAxonomy of Self-reported Sedentary behaviour Tools (TASST) framework for development, comparison and evaluation of self-report tools: content analysis and systematic review

Objective Sedentary behaviour (SB) has distinct deleterious health outcomes, yet there is no consensus on best practice for measurement. This study aimed to identify the optimal self-report tool for population surveillance of SB, using a systematic framework. Design A framework, TAxonomy of Self-reported Sedentary behaviour Tools (TASST), consisting of four domains (type of assessment, recall period, temporal unit and assessment period), was developed based on a systematic inventory of existing tools. The inventory was achieved through a systematic review of studies reporting SB and tracing back to the original description. A systematic review of the accuracy and sensitivity to change of these tools was then mapped against TASST domains. Data sources Systematic searches were conducted via EBSCO, reference lists and expert opinion. Eligibility criteria for selecting studies The inventory included tools measuring SB in adults that could be self-completed at one sitting, and excluded tools measuring SB in specific populations or contexts. The systematic review included studies reporting on the accuracy against an objective measure of SB and/or sensitivity to change of a tool in the inventory. Results The systematic review initially identified 32 distinct tools (141 questions), which were used to develop the TASST framework. Twenty-two studies evaluated accuracy and/or sensitivity to change representing only eight taxa. Assessing SB as a sum of behaviours and using a previous day recall were the most promising features of existing tools. Accuracy was poor for all existing tools, with underestimation and overestimation of SB. There was a lack of evidence about sensitivity to change. Conclusions Despite the limited evidence, mapping existing SB tools onto the TASST framework has enabled informed recommendations to be made about the most promising features for a surveillance tool, identified aspects on which future research and development of SB surveillance tools should focus. Trial registration number International prospective register of systematic reviews (PROPSPERO)/CRD42014009851.
6-Methoxypurine arabinoside as a selective and potent inhibitor of varicella-zoster virus

Seven 6-alkoxypurine arabinosides were synthesized and evaluated for in vitro activity against varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The simplest of the series, 6-methoxypurine arabinoside (ara-M), was the most potent, with 50% inhibitory concentrations ranging from 0.5 to 3 microM against eight strains of VZV. This activity was selective. The ability of ara-M to inhibit the growth of a variety of human cell lines was at least 30-fold less (50% effective concentration, greater than 100 microM) than its ability to inhibit the virus. Enzyme studies suggested the molecular basis for these results. Of the seven 6-alkoxypurine arabinosides, ara-M was the most efficient substrate for VZV-encoded thymidine kinase as well as the most potent antiviral agent. In contrast, it was not detectably phosphorylated by any of the three major mammalian nucleoside kinases. Upon direct comparison, ara-M was appreciably more potent against VZV than either acyclovir or adenine arabinoside (ara-A). However, in the presence of an adenosine deaminase inhibitor, the arabinosides of adenine and 6-methoxypurine were equipotent but not equally selective; the adenine congener had a much less favorable in vitro chemotherapeutic index. Again, this result correlated with data from enzyme studies in that ara-A, unlike ara-M, was a substrate for two mammalian nucleoside kinases. Unlike acyclovir and ara-A, ara-M had no appreciable activity against other viruses of the herpes group. The potency and selectivity of ara-M as an anti-VZV agent in vitro justify its further study.
Software reliability modeling and analysis

A discrete and, as approximation to it, a continuous model for the software reliability growth process are examined. The discrete model is based on independent multinomial trials and concerns itself with the joint distribution of the first occurrence time of its underlying events (bugs). The continuous model is based on the order statistics of N independent nonidentically distributed exponential random variables. It is shown that the spacings between bugs are not necessarily independent, or exponentially (geometrically) distributed. However, there is a statistical rationale for viewing them so conditionally. Some identifiability problems are pointed out and resolved. In particular, it appears that the number of bugs in a program is not identifiable.
Fine motor control and aging: A role for executive functions in sequential tapping

The primary objective of the current thesis was to examine age differences in sequential finger tapping with concurrent cognitive tasks of varying levels of difficulty. The first study was designed to determine the point at which age equivalence would be reached on the finger tapping task. Results of Study 1 established age equivalence in sequential tapping after one block of practice. The second study was designed to assess age differences in sequential tapping when combined with a low-load semantic judgment task that had also shown age equivalence under single-task conditions. Despite age equivalences in single-task performance, age differences in fine motor performance emerged when the sequential tapping task was paired with semantic judgments. Older adults had greater dual-task costs than younger adults in both motor measures (accuracy and reaction time). Neither age group incurred cognitive costs. Study 3 was designed to examine the boundary conditions of these results using a within-subjects manipulation of cognitive load. The same sequential tapping task was paired with a mental arithmetic task that had two levels of difficulty. Age differences in motor accuracy were evident in low-load conditions and both age groups had motor and cognitive costs in the high load condition. These results suggest that older adult’s resources were already taxed in the low-load condition whereas younger adults’ performance only faltered when load was high. Taken together, these results demonstrate that older adults require greater executive control to tap sequentially than younger adults. These results converge with existing simple tapping and gross motor aging research in demonstrating cognitive penetration of motor task performance with age.
Non-native perception of the English phonemes /w/ and /v/ by native Sinhalese speakers: A study exploring perceptual difficulties associated with L2 acquisition.

The aim of this study was to test the abilities of native Sinhalese speakers to perceive and produce the English phonemes /w/ and Nl. It is well known that people who speak Sinhalese as their first language have difficulty in acquiring the English (L2) phoneme contrast w-v. This is commonly seen among these speakers in their L2 speech production, Experiment 1 involved native Sinhalese speakers completing language background questionnaires and carrying out an English phoneme identification task of natural speech for assessment of their L2 perception. Experiment 1 also consisted of a voice recording of the Sinhalese subjects in order to assess their L2 speech production. Experiment 2 required the native Sinhalese speakers to carry out an identification/goodness task of synthesised English phonemes and to state whether the stimuli could be assimilated to the native Sinhalese phoneme A)/. Experiment 2 also involved an identification/goodness task in which native Sinhalese bilinguals and English monolinguals assessed the synthesised stimuli for assimilations to the English phonemes /w/ and Nl. Experiment 3 was carried out by both Sinhalese and English speakers and involved a discrimination task and similarity task. The results showed that the Sinhalese bilinguals generally had a low sensitivity to perception of the English phonemes. The Sinhalese Bilinguals who had more proficient use of their second language L2 showed a high sensitivity for acoustical changes in the dimension of manner of articulation wile the English speakers were sensitive to both manner and place of articulation.
Intermolecular β-Strand Networks Avoid Hub Residues and Favor Low Interconnectedness: A Potential Protection Mechanism against Chain Dissociation upon Mutation

Altogether few protein oligomers undergo a conformational transition to a state that impairs their function and leads to diseases. But when it happens, the consequences are not harmless and the so-called conformational diseases pose serious public health problems. Notorious examples are the Alzheimer's disease and some cancers associated with a conformational change of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) and of the p53 tumor suppressor, respectively. The transition is linked with the propensity of β-strands to aggregate into amyloid fibers. Nevertheless, a huge number of protein oligomers associate chains via β-strand interactions (intermolecular β-strand interface) without ever evolving into fibers. We analyzed the layout of 1048 intermolecular β-strand interfaces looking for features that could provide the β-strands resistance to conformational transitions. The interfaces were reconstructed as networks with the residues as the nodes and the interactions between residues as the links. The networks followed an exponential decay degree distribution, implying an absence of hubs and nodes with few links. Such layout provides robustness to changes. Few links per nodes do not restrict the choices of amino acids capable of making an interface and maintain high sequence plasticity. Few links reduce the “bonding” cost of making an interface. Finally, few links moderate the vulnerability to amino acid mutation because it entails limited communication between the nodes. This confines the effects of a mutation to few residues instead of propagating them to many residues via hubs. We propose that intermolecular β-strand interfaces are organized in networks that tolerate amino acid mutation to avoid chain dissociation, the first step towards fiber formation. This is tested by looking at the intermolecular β-strand network of the p53 tetramer.
Photonic crystal enhanced fluorescence using a quartz substrate to reduce limits of detection

A Photonic Crystal surface fabricated upon a quartz substrate using nanoimprint lithography has been demonstrated with a signal enhancement factor as high as 7500x for the detection of LD-700 dye spin-coated upon the PC. The detection of spotted Alexa-647 labeled polypeptide on the PC exhibits a 330x SNR improvement. Using dose-response characterization of deposited fluorophore-tagged protein spots, the PCEF surface demonstrated a 140x lower limit of detection compared to a conventional glass substrate.
Depression and Cognitive Impairment in Newly Diagnosed Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective. Cognitive impairment is present in 80% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) 10 years after diagnosis. The natural history of cognitive dysfunction in newly diagnosed SLE is unknown. We examined the association of depression and cognitive performance in newly diagnosed SLE. Methods. A multicenter cohort of 111 patients newly diagnosed (within 9 months) with SLE underwent cognitive function testing using an automated battery [Automated Neuropsychological Assessment Metrics (ANAM)] with 9 subtests. Depression was measured using the Calgary Depression Scale (CDS). Results. The patient cohort was 97.3% female, 55.9% white, 15.3% African American, 20.7% Hispanic, mean age 37.8 years, mean education 15.2 years. CDS score ranged from 0 to 18 (mean 5.0 ± 4.6). CDS score did not differ by age, sex, ethnicity, or prednisone dose. Higher Krupp Fatigue Severity Scale scores and presence of fibromyalgia were significantly associated with higher CDS score (p < 0.001; p = 0.006, respectively). Depressed patients, defined by a CDS score > 6, had significantly poorer performance on 5 ANAM throughput measures: code substitution (p = 0.03), continuous performance (p = 0.02), matching-to-sample (p = 0.04), simple reaction time (p = 0.02), and the Sternberg memory test (p = 0.04). Adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, education, and prednisone dose, a higher CDS score remained significantly associated with poorer performance on 3 measures, but the association was slightly attenuated for code substitution and matching-to-sample. Depression was not associated with mathematical or spatial processing. Conclusion. Depression, a modifiable risk factor, is associated with significantly poorer function in several cognitive domains in patients newly diagnosed with SLE. Treatment of depression when the CDS score is greater than 6 may improve cognitive functioning and should be further studied.
Cytopathogenesis and Inhibition of Host Gene Expression by RNA Viruses

SUMMARY Many viruses interfere with host cell function in ways that are harmful or pathological. This often results in changes in cell morphology referred to as cytopathic effects. However, pathogenesis of virus infections also involves inhibition of host cell gene expression. Thus the term “cytopathogenesis,” or pathogenesis at the cellular level, is meant to be broader than the term “cytopathic effects” and includes other cellular changes that contribute to viral pathogenesis in addition to those changes that are visible at the microscopic level. The goal of this review is to place recent work on the inhibition of host gene expression by RNA viruses in the context of the pathogenesis of virus infections. Three different RNA virus families, picornaviruses, influenza viruses, and rhabdoviruses, are used to illustrate common principles involved in cytopathogenesis. These examples were chosen because viral gene products responsible for inhibiting host gene expression have been identified, as have some of the molecular targets of the host. The argument is made that the role of the virus-induced inhibition of host gene expression is to inhibit the host antiviral response, such as the response to double-stranded RNA. Viral cytopathogenesis is presented as a balance between the host antiviral response and the ability of viruses to inhibit that response through the overall inhibition of host gene expression. This balance is a major determinant of viral tissue tropism in infections of intact animals.
RamA Confers Multidrug Resistance in Salmonella enterica via Increased Expression of acrB, Which Is Inhibited by Chlorpromazine

ABSTRACT Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium SL1344, in which efflux pump genes (acrB, acrD, acrF, tolC) or regulatory genes thereof (marA, soxS, ramA) were inactivated, was grown in the presence of 240 antimicrobial and nonantimicrobial agents in the Biolog Phenotype MicroArray. Mutants lacking tolC, acrB, and ramA grew significantly worse than other mutants in the presence of 48 agents (some of which have not previously been identified as substrates of AcrAB-TolC) and particularly poorly in the presence of phenothiazines, which are human antipsychotics. MIC testing revealed that the phenothiazine chlorpromazine had antimicrobial activity and synergized with common antibiotics against different Salmonella serovars and SL1344. Chlorpromazine increased the intracellular accumulation of ethidium bromide, which was ablated in mutants lacking acrB, suggesting an interaction with AcrB. High-level but not low-level overexpression of ramA increased the expression of acrB; conferred resistance to chloramphenicol, tetracycline, nalidixic acid, and triclosan and organic solvent tolerance; and increased the amount of ethidium bromide accumulated. Chlorpromazine induced the modest overproduction of ramA but repressed acrB. These data suggest that phenothiazines are not efflux pump inhibitors but influence gene expression, including that of acrB, which confers the synergy with antimicrobials observed.
Memory function in women with premenstrual complaints and the effect of serotonergic stimulation by acute administration of an alpha-lactalbumin protein

Serotonergic hypofunction may underlie at least part of the symptoms that are experienced by women with premenstrual complaints, including memory deficits. In the current study we investigated changes in memory functions in the premenstrual phase compared to the early postmenstrual phase in 16 women with premenstrual complaints. In addition, the effect of an acute serotonergic stimulation by administration of an alpha-lactalbumin protein on premenstrual memory performance was assessed using a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover design. It was found that both short-term and long-term memory for words (30-word learning task) and abstract figures (abstract visual learning task) were mildly impaired in the premenstrual phase. Administration of alpha-lactalbumin during the premenstrual phase could only partially attenuate the memory performance decrements that are seen in the premenstrual phase. Specifically, alphalactalbumin improved long-term memory for abstract figures, but not for words. There were no effects of menstrual phase or alpha-lactalbumin on planning functions (computerized Tower of London). The data suggest that serotonergic hypofunction may play a role in premenstrual memory decline, but serotonergic mechanisms cannot fully account for observed cognitive changes in the premenstrual phase.
&amp;#x0394;-Encoding: Practical Encoded Processing

Transient and permanent errors in memory and CPUs occur with alarming frequency. Although most of these errors are masked at the hardware level or result in crashes, a non-negligible number of them leads to Silent Data Corruptions (SDCs), i.e., incorrect results of computations. Safety-critical programs require a very high level of confidence that such faults are detected and not propagated to the outside. Unfortunately, state-of-the-art fault detection techniques generally assume a limited Single Event Upset fault model, concentrating only on transient faults.We present Δ-encoding: a software-only approach to detect hardware faults with very high probability. Δ-encoding makes no assumptions on the rate and type of faults. Our approach combines AN codes and duplicated instructions to harden programs against transient and permanent hardware errors. Our evaluation shows that Δ-encoding detects 99.997% of all injected errors with performance slowdown of 2 - 4 times.
Two denoising SURE-LET methods for complex oversampled subband decompositions

Redundancy in wavelets and filter banks has the potential to greatly improve signal and image denoising. Having developed a framework for optimized oversampled complex lapped transforms, we propose their association with the statistically efficient Stein's principle in the context of mean square error estimation. Under Gaussian noise assumptions, expectations involving the (unknown) original data are expressed using the observation only. Two forms of Stein's Unbiased Risk Estimators, derived in the coefficient and the spatial domain respectively, are proposed, the latter being more computationally expensive. These estimators are then employed for denoising with linear combinations of elementary threshold functions. Their performances are compared to the oracle, and addressed with respect to the redundancy. They are finally tested against other denoising algorithms. They prove competitive, yielding especially good results for texture preservation.
Tradeoffs Between Performance and Adaptability for C 3 I Architectures

CI architectures are characterized by personnel, resources and tasks and the set of relationships linking them. This is the PCANSS formalism. A set of units – simulated and real – are represented in this way and a series of design metrics measured. Performance and adaptability measures are also captured. The data is then analyzed to examine whether there is a tradeoff between performance and adaptability. Results indicate that this is the case to the extent that factors leading to a common operational picture actually serve to retard experiential learning and so minimize performance but enable higher adaptability.