Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimal Timing of Anticoagulant Treatment After Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation

Background and Purpose— This study aims to provide observational data on the relationship between the timing of antithrombotic treatment and the competing risks of severe thrombotic and hemorrhagic events in a cohort of Swedish patients with atrial fibrillation and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Methods— Patients with atrial fibrillation and a first-ever ICH were identified in the Swedish Stroke Register, Riksstroke, 2005 to 2012. Riksstroke was linked with other national registers to find information on treatment, comorbidity, and outcome. The optimal timing of treatment in patients with low and high thromboembolic risk was described through cumulative incidence functions separately for thrombotic and hemorrhagic events and for the combined end point vascular death or nonfatal stroke. Results— The study included 2619 ICH survivors with atrial fibrillation with 5759 person-years of follow-up. Anticoagulant treatment was associated with a reduced risk of vascular death and nonfatal stroke in high-risk patients with no significantly increased risk of severe hemorrhage. The benefit seemed to be greatest when treatment was started 7 to 8 weeks after ICH. For high-risk women, the total risk of vascular death or stroke recurrence within 3 years was 17.0% when anticoagulant treatment was initiated 8 weeks after ICH and 28.6% without any antithrombotic treatment (95% confidence interval for difference, 1.4%–21.8%). For high-risk men, the corresponding risks were 14.3% versus 23.6% (95% confidence interval for difference, 0.4%–18.2%). Conclusions— This nationwide observational study suggests that anticoagulant treatment may be initiated 7 to 8 weeks after ICH in patients with atrial fibrillation to optimize the benefit from treatment and minimize risk.
Effect of mirror therapy on upper extremity motor function in stroke patients: a randomized controlled trial

[Purpose] This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mirror therapy combined with a conventional rehabilitation program on upper extremity motor and functional recovery in stroke patients. [Subjects and Methods] Thirty-one hemiplegic patients were included. The patients were randomly assigned to a mirror (n=16) or conventional group (n=15). The patients in both groups underwent conventional therapy for 4 weeks (60–120 minutes/day, 5 days/week). The mirror group received mirror therapy, consisting of periodic flexion and extension movements of the wrist and fingers on the non-paralyzed side. The patients in the conventional group performed the same exercises against the non-reflecting face of the mirror. The patients were evaluated at the beginning and end of the treatment by a blinded assessor using the Brunnstrom stage, Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) upper extremity score, and the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) self-care score. [Results] There was an improvement in Brunnstrom stage and the FIM self-care score in both groups, but the post-treatment FMA score was significantly higher in the mirror therapy group than in the conventional treatment group. [Conclusion] Mirror therapy in addition to a conventional rehabilitation program was found to provide additional benefit in motor recovery of the upper extremity in stroke patients.
DESPOT: Online POMDP Planning with Regularization

POMDPs provide a principled framework for planning under uncertainty, but are computationally intractable, due to the "curse of dimensionality" and the "curse of history". This paper presents an online POMDP algorithm that alleviates these difficulties by focusing the search on a set of randomly sampled scenarios. A Determinized Sparse Partially Observable Tree (DESPOT) compactly captures the execution of all policies on these scenarios. Our Regularized DESPOT (R-DESPOT) algorithm searches the DESPOT for a policy, while optimally balancing the size of the policy and its estimated value obtained under the sampled scenarios. We give an output-sensitive performance bound for all policies derived from a DESPOT, and show that R-DESPOT works well if a small optimal policy exists. We also give an anytime algorithm that approximates R-DESPOT. Experiments show strong results, compared with two of the fastest online POMDP algorithms. Source code along with experimental settings are available at http://bigbird.comp.nus.edu. sg/pmwiki/farm/appl/.
Human MLH1 Protein Participates in Genomic Damage Checkpoint Signaling in Response to DNA Interstrand Crosslinks, while MSH2 Functions in DNA Repair

DNA interstrand crosslinks (ICLs) are among the most toxic types of damage to a cell. For this reason, many ICL-inducing agents are effective therapeutic agents. For example, cisplatin and nitrogen mustards are used for treating cancer and psoralen plus UVA (PUVA) is useful for treating psoriasis. However, repair mechanisms for ICLs in the human genome are not clearly defined. Previously, we have shown that MSH2, the common subunit of the human MutSα and MutSβ mismatch recognition complexes, plays a role in the error-free repair of psoralen ICLs. We hypothesized that MLH1, the common subunit of human MutL complexes, is also involved in the cellular response to psoralen ICLs. Surprisingly, we instead found that MLH1-deficient human cells are more resistant to psoralen ICLs, in contrast to the sensitivity to these lesions displayed by MSH2-deficient cells. Apoptosis was not as efficiently induced by psoralen ICLs in MLH1-deficient cells as in MLH1-proficient cells as determined by caspase-3/7 activity and binding of annexin V. Strikingly, CHK2 phosphorylation was undetectable in MLH1-deficient cells, and phosphorylation of CHK1 was reduced after PUVA treatment, indicating that MLH1 is involved in signaling psoralen ICL-induced checkpoint activation. Psoralen ICLs can result in mutations near the crosslinked sites; however, MLH1 function was not required for the mutagenic repair of these lesions, and so its signaling function appears to have a role in maintaining genomic stability following exposure to ICL-induced DNA damage. Distinguishing the genetic status of MMR-deficient tumors as MSH2-deficient or MLH1-deficient is thus potentially important in predicting the efficacy of treatment with psoralen and perhaps with other ICL-inducing agents.
Universal recovery map for approximate Markov chains

A central question in quantum information theory is to determine how well lost information can be reconstructed. Crucially, the corresponding recovery operation should perform well without knowing the information to be reconstructed. In this work, we show that the quantum conditional mutual information measures the performance of such recovery operations. More precisely, we prove that the conditional mutual information I(A:C|B) of a tripartite quantum state ρABC can be bounded from below by its distance to the closest recovered state RB→BC(ρAB), where the C-part is reconstructed from the B-part only and the recovery map RB→BC merely depends on ρBC. One particular application of this result implies the equivalence between two different approaches to define topological order in quantum systems.
Adverse Remodeling of the Electrophysiological Response to Ischemia–Reperfusion in Human Heart Failure Is Associated With Remodeling of Metabolic Gene Expression

Background—Ventricular arrhythmias occur more frequently in heart failure during episodes of ischemia–reperfusion although the mechanisms underlying this in humans are unclear. We assessed, in explanted human hearts, the remodeled electrophysiological response to acute ischemia–reperfusion in heart failure and its potential causes, including the remodeling of metabolic gene expression. Methods and Results—We optically mapped coronary-perfused left ventricular wedge preparations from 6 human end-stage failing hearts (F) and 6 donor hearts rejected for transplantation (D). Preparations were subjected to 30 minutes of global ischemia, followed by 30 minutes of reperfusion. Failing hearts had exaggerated electrophysiological responses to ischemia–reperfusion, with greater action potential duration shortening (P<0.001 at 8-minute ischemia; P=0.001 at 12-minute ischemia) and greater conduction slowing during ischemia, delayed recovery of electric excitability after reperfusion (F, 4.8±1.8 versus D, 1.0±0 minutes; P<0.05), and incomplete restoration of action potential duration and conduction velocity early after reperfusion. Expression of 46 metabolic genes was probed using custom-designed TaqMan arrays, using extracted RNA from 15 failing and 9 donor hearts. Ten genes important in cardiac metabolism were downregulated in heart failure, with SLC27A4 and KCNJ11 significantly downregulated at a false discovery rate of 0%. Conclusions—We demonstrate, for the first time in human hearts, that the electrophysiological response to ischemia–reperfusion in heart failure is accelerated during ischemia with slower recovery after reperfusion. This can enhance spatial conduction and repolarization gradients across the ischemic border and increase arrhythmia susceptibility. This adverse response was associated with downregulation of expression of cardiac metabolic genes.
A 86 to 108 GHz Amplifier in 90 nm CMOS

This letter presents a CMOS amplifier with 22 GHz 3-dB bandwidth ranging from 86 to 108 GHz. The amplifier is implemented in 90 nm mixed signal/radio frequency (RF) CMOS process using three-stage cascode RF NMOS configuration. It achieves a peak gain of 17.4 dB at 91 GHz from the measured results. To our knowledge, this is the highest frequency CMOS amplifier reported to date.
Mechanism for candidacidal activity in macrophages activated by recombinant gamma interferon

Candidacidal activity in macrophages activated by recombinant gamma interferon was examined kinetically in relation to acidification of phagolysosomes. In resident peritoneal macrophages (PMPs) of BALB/c mice, enhanced killing activity against Candida albicans was demonstrated after incubation with 100 U of gamma interferon per ml for 24 h but not after incubation for 48 to 72 h. Conversely, increased generation of H2O2 was exhibited in PMPs incubated from 48 to 72 h but not in PMPs incubated for 24 h. In normal PMPs, fusion of lysosomes to candida-containing phagosomes was readily accomplished and phagosome-lysosome fusion was not enhanced further by activation. The candidacidal substance was extracted from granule-rich fractions of either normal or activated PMPs by using citric acid (pH 2.7) in equal amounts; the substance showed a noncationic, heat-stable protein nature. In addition, when phagolysosomal pH was determined by flow cytometry of intraphagolysosomal fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled C. albicans, phagolysosomes with low pH (less than 4.0) were detected in about 40% of PMPs activated for 24 h but not in those activated for 72 h or in normal PMPs. Moreover, increasing the intralysosomal pH with NH4Cl resulted in a significant reduction of candidacidal activity in activated PMPs. These results indicate that the candidacidal activity of gamma interferon-activated PMPs correlates well with enhanced acidification of their phagolysosomes and suggest that the candidacidal activity of activated PMPs is independent from reactive oxygen molecules and is mediated by proteinaceous substance(s) generated only in a strong acidic milieu of phagolysosomes by activation.
The Platform Protein Is Essential for Type IV Pilus Biogenesis*

Background: The platform protein PilC and/or the alignment subcomplex PilMNOP may coordinate type IV pilus (T4P) extension/retraction ATPases. Results: Loss of PilC in a retraction-deficient background abolished assembly. C-terminal mutations were permissive for assembly but not twitching motility. Conclusion: PilC is essential for pilus biogenesis and twitching motility. Significance: Platform proteins are conserved essential components of T4P and type II secretion machines. A systematic genetic analysis was performed to identify the inner membrane proteins essential for type IV pilus (T4P) expression in Pseudomonas aeruginosa. By inactivating the retraction aspect of pilus function, genes essential for T4P assembly were discriminated. In contrast to previous studies in the T4P system of Neisseria spp. , we found that components of the inner membrane subcomplex consisting of PilMNOP were not essential for surface pilus expression, whereas the highly conserved inner membrane protein PilC was essential. Here, we present data that PilC may coordinate the activity of cytoplasmic polymerization (PilB) and depolymerization (PilT) ATPases via their interactions with its two cytoplasmic domains. Using in vitro co-affinity purification, we show that PilB interacts with the N-terminal cytoplasmic domain of PilC. We hypothesized that PilT similarly interacts with the PilC C-terminal cytoplasmic domain. Overexpression of that domain in the wild-type protein reduced twitching motility by ∼50% compared with the vector control. Site-directed mutagenesis of conserved T4P-specific residues in the PilC C-terminal domain yielded mutant proteins that supported wild-type pilus assembly but had a reduced capacity to support twitching motility, suggesting impairment of putative PilC-PilT interactions. Taken together, our results show that PilC is an essential inner membrane component of the T4P system, controlling both pilus assembly and disassembly.
Cellular Uptake of Unconjugated TAT Peptide Involves Clathrin-dependent Endocytosis and Heparan Sulfate Receptors*

Delivery of macromolecules mediated by protein transduction domains (PTDs) attracts a lot of interest due to its therapeutic and biotechnological potential. A major reevaluation of the mechanism of PTD-mediated internalization and the role of endocytosis in this mechanism has been recently initiated. Here, we demonstrate that the entry of TAT peptide (one of the most widely used PTDs) into different primary cells is ATPand temperature-dependent, indicating the involvement of endocytosis. Specific inhibitors of clathrin-dependent endocytosis partially inhibit TAT peptide uptake, implicating this pathway in TAT peptide entry. In contrast, the caveolin-dependent pathway is not essential for the uptake of unconjugated TAT peptide as evidenced by the efficient internalization of TAT in the presence of the known inhibitors of raft/caveolin-dependent pathway and for cells lacking or deficient in caveolin-1 expression. Whereas a significant part of TAT peptide uptake involves heparan sulfate receptors, efficient internalization of peptide is observed even in their absence, indicating the involvement of other receptors. Our results suggest that unconjugated peptide might follow endocytic pathways different from those utilized by TAT peptide conjugated to different proteins.
Statistics of chaotic binary sequences

Statistical properties of binary sequences generated by a class of ergodic maps with some symmetric properties are discussed on the basis of an ensemble-average technique. We give a simple sufficient condition for such a class of maps to produce a fair Bernoulli sequence, that is, a sequence of independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) binary random variables. This condition is expressed in terms of binary function, which is a generalized version of the Rademacher function for the dyadic map.
A semivectorial finite-difference time-domain method (optical guided structure simulation)

A semivectorial finite-difference time-domain method (FDTD) that solves the vector wave equations for the transverse electric fields is presented and validated. By taking into consideration the boundary conditions for the transverse, electric fields in the finite-difference scheme, the polarization effect of the electromagnetic waves can be modeled. In comparison with the full vector FDTD, the present approach requires less memory and is more computational efficient. The method is validated by a comparison with the exact analytical solutions as well as the full vector FDTD results and is shown to be very accurate. <<ETX>>
Decreased nociceptive flexion reflex threshold in chronic tension-type headache.

OBJECTIVE To study nociceptive processing in chronic tension-type headache. DESIGN Survey of the threshold for the nociceptive flexion reflex obtained by sural nerve stimulation in a convenience sample of 40 patients with chronic tension-type headache and in 29 sex- and age-matched healthy subjects. Muscular response was recorded from the biceps femoris muscle. For each stimulation, subjects recorded pain on a visual analogue scale. RESULTS In seven subjects (four headache sufferers and three healthy subjects), no nociceptive flexion reflex response could be elicited. The median nociceptive flexion reflex threshold in the headache group was significantly lower (median, 10 mA) than in the control group (median, 20 mA). Pain tolerance thresholds were significantly lower in the headache group than in the control group. A high degree of correlation was found between nociceptive flexion reflex threshold and tolerated stimulus strength. The slopes of the stimulus intensity/visual analogue scale pain rating response curves were steeper in patients with headache than in control subjects. CONCLUSIONS Chronic tension-type headache may represent a disorder of an endogenous antinociceptive system with a lowering of tone and recruitment of descending inhibitory systems.
Shame as a predictor of post-event rumination in social anxiety

ABSTRACT Evidence shows that people with high social anxiety levels ruminate about distressing social events, which contributes to the maintenance of social anxiety symptoms. The present study aimed to explore the role of shame in maintaining post-event rumination (PER) following a negative social event (an impromptu speech with negative feedback) in a student sample (N = 104). Participants reported negative rumination related to the event one day and one week after the speech. PER measured one day after the speech was not associated with social anxiety symptoms and state anxiety. One week later, participants with clinically relevant social anxiety symptoms experienced greater PER. State shame was the only significant predictor of PER in a regression equation that also included social anxiety symptoms, state anxiety and self-evaluation of performance. Possible explanations and implications are discussed in light of cognitive models of social anxiety.
Multi-generation Renewable Energy System for Dairy Farms: Exergy Analysis

Exergy analyses of multi-generational micro gas turbine systems are reported for a grid-independent dairy farm in Ontario, Canada, with an aim of being environmentally benign. Onsite anaerobic digesters utilize farm waste to produce carbon neutral biogas for combustion in the micro gas turbine modules. A range of micro gas turbines coupled with absorption refrigeration units and an organic Rankine cycle are driven by the recovered waste heat to meet the cooling and electrical needs of farm sizes between 250 and 6000 cows. Exergy balances are applied to each component as well the overall system configuration, and exergy efficiencies are obtained. Small farm sizes with one absorption cooling unit are found to be more exergy efficient than large farm sizes with more than one absorption cooling unit, but the difference is less than 0.5%. Most of exergy destruction within the micro gas turbine module occurs in the combustion chamber, which contributes 79% of the exergy destruction of the system. Farm sizes between 250 and 6000 cows are observed to be capable of having their cooling and electricity needs met with micro gas turbines ranging in capacity from 100 to 1000 kW output, while exhibiting similar exergy efficiencies.
Predictors for PaO2 and Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure in COPD–A Three-Year Follow-up

Abstract Background: Knowledge about predictors for developing hypoxemia in the course of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) progression is limited. The objective of the present study was to investigate predictors for overall PaO2, for a potential change in PaO2 over time, and for first occurrence of hypoxemia. Methods: 419 patients aged 40–76 years with COPD GOLD stages II-IV underwent clinical and pulmonary function measurements, including repeated arterial blood gases over three years. Airway obstruction, lung hyperinflation, markers of systemic inflammation and cardiovascular health, exacerbation frequency, smoking habits, and body composition were tested as possible predictors of PaO2 and first episode of hypoxemia. Results: In multivariate adjusted longitudinal analyses, forced expiratory volume in 1 second, total lung capacity and functional residual capacity (all in% predicted), resting heart rate and fat mass index were all associated with overall PaO2 (all P < 0.005). We found no change in PaO2 over time (ρ = 0.33), nor did we find evidence that any of the tested variables predicted change in PaO2 over time. In multivariate adjusted survival analyses, functional residual capacity and resting heart rate were predictors of episodic hypoxemia (both ρ < 0.005). Conclusions: This longitudinal study identified pulmonary, cardiac and metabolic risk factors for overall PaO2 and episodic hypoxemia, but detected no change in PaO2 over time.
Timbre analysis of music audio signals with convolutional neural networks

The focus of this work is to study how to efficiently tailor Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) towards learning timbre representations from log-mel magnitude spectrograms. We first review the trends when designing CNN architectures. Through this literature overview we discuss which are the crucial points to consider for efficiently learning timbre representations using CNNs. From this discussion we propose a design strategy meant to capture the relevant time-frequency contexts for learning timbre, which permits using domain knowledge for designing architectures. In addition, one of our main goals is to design efficient CNN architectures — what reduces the risk of these models to over-fit, since CNNs' number of parameters is minimized. Several architectures based on the design principles we propose are successfully assessed for different research tasks related to timbre: singing voice phoneme classification, musical instrument recognition and music auto-tagging.
Critical thresholds in flocking hydrodynamics with non-local alignment

We study the large-time behaviour of Eulerian systems augmented with non-local alignment. Such systems arise as hydrodynamic descriptions of agent-based models for self-organized dynamics, e.g. Cucker & Smale (2007 IEEE Trans. Autom. Control 52, 852–862. (doi:10.1109/TAC.2007.895842)) and Motsch & Tadmor (2011 J. Stat. Phys. 144, 923–947. (doi:10.1007/s10955-011-0285-9)) models. We prove that, in analogy with the agent-based models, the presence of non-local alignment enforces strong solutions to self-organize into a macroscopic flock. This then raises the question of existence of such strong solutions. We address this question in one- and two-dimensional set-ups, proving global regularity for subcritical initial data. Indeed, we show that there exist critical thresholds in the phase space of the initial configuration which dictate the global regularity versus a finite-time blow-up. In particular, we explore the regularity of non-local alignment in the presence of vacuum.