Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Magnetron Sputtering as a Fabrication Method for a Biodegradable Fe32Mn Alloy

Biodegradable metals are a topic of great interest and Fe-based materials are prominent examples. The research task is to find a suitable compromise between mechanical, corrosion, and magnetic properties. For this purpose, investigations regarding alternative fabrication processes are important. In the present study, magnetron sputtering technology in combination with UV-lithography was used in order to fabricate freestanding, microstructured Fe32Mn films. To adjust the microstructure and crystalline phase composition with respect to the requirements, the foils were post-deposition annealed under a reducing atmosphere. The microstructure and crystalline phase composition were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, for mechanical characterization, uniaxial tensile tests were performed. The in vitro corrosion rates were determined by electrochemical polarization measurements in pseudo-physiological solution. Additionally, the magnetic properties were measured via vibrating sample magnetometry. The foils showed a fine-grained structure and a tensile strength of 712 MPa, which is approximately a factor of two higher compared to the sputtered pure Fe reference material. The yield strength was observed to be even higher than values reported in literature for alloys with similar composition. Against expectations, the corrosion rates were found to be lower in comparison to pure Fe. Since the annealed foils exist in the austenitic, and antiferromagnetic γ-phase, an additional advantage of the FeMn foils is the low magnetic saturation polarization of 0.003 T, compared to Fe with 1.978 T. This value is even lower compared to the SS 316L steel acting as a gold standard for implants, and thus enhances the MRI compatibility of the material. The study demonstrates that magnetron sputtering in combination with UV-lithography is a new concept for the fabrication of already in situ geometrically structured FeMn-based foils with promising mechanical and magnetic properties.
Impact of tinnitus as measured by the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory among tinnitus sufferers in Singapore.

INTRODUCTION The effects of tinnitus on quality of life (QOL) have never been extensively studied in Singapore. We describe the characteristics of tinnitus and its impact on QOL as measured by the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI) in a series of ear, nose and throat clinic patients. METHODS A total of 327 patients who attended a tinnitus counselling clinic completed the THI questionnaire, a self-report measure with 25 items grouped into functional, emotional and catastrophic subscales. RESULTS The mean age of the 134 female and 193 male patients was 48.9 years. 36.7 percent of these patients had bilateral tinnitus and 64.6 percent had symptoms for less than one year. 270 patients had hearing loss, 74 percent of whom presented with bilateral high frequency hearing loss. Most patients (84.1 percent) perceived only one type of sound. The total THI score distribution was: 107 (33 percent) patients had THI less than 16, 100 (31 percent) had THI 18 to 36, 59 (18 percent) had THI 38 to 56, and 61 (19 percent) had THI more than 58. There were no differences in the overall THI and subscale scores between the patients' gender, those with or without hearing loss, and those with unilateral or bilateral tinnitus. However, significantly higher total THI and all subscale scores were found among patients who were hearing more than one type of tinnitus sound. The areas of concern that were commonly reported by the patients in this series were a lack of control over tinnitus, frustration and stress. CONCLUSION Tinnitus patients who hear multiple sounds tend to have a higher THI and subscale scores. The management of tinnitus should address common areas of concern, and may include counselling. The THI is a potential screening tool to determine if patients require counselling. A series of THI assessments can be used to chart the progress of treatment.
Resistance-associated polymorphisms in Dutch hepatitis C genotype 1a patients with and without HIV infection.

UNLABELLED Background and aim. Resistance-associated variants (RAVs) on the NS3 region of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) may be relevant for antiviral therapy, but data in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfected patients are scarce. We assessed frequencies of NS3 RAVs in patients infected with HCV genotype 1a with or without HIV coinfection. MATERIAL AND METHODS HCV NS3 amino acids 1-181 were sequenced by the Sanger method and analyzed for RAVs. RAVs and their distribution between HCV genotype 1a clade I and II viruses were compared between HIV-infected versus HIV-uninfected patients. RESULTS 148 samples were available (n = 68 HIV and n = 80 non-HIV). Relative frequency of clade I and clade II was significantly different between HIV (85% and 15%) and non-HIV groups (49% and 51%). Overall, HIV infected patients exhibited significantly lower prevalence of RAVs than HIV-uninfected patients (62% vs. 79%, p = 0.03). However, Q80K prevalence was significantly higher in HIV-infected subjects (50% vs. 24%, p = 0.001), whereas prevalence of S122D/G/N/S (2% vs. 16%, p = 0.002) and N174G/N/S (10% vs. 55%, p < 0.0001) polymorphisms were significantly lower. Q80K was found exclusively in clade I viruses. S122 (3% vs. 22%, p=0.001) and N174 (13% vs. 75%, p<0.0001) polymorphisms had significantly lower prevalence in clade I than clade II viruses. CONCLUSIONS In the Netherlands, prevalence of clade I viruses and Q80K was significantly higher in HCV genotype 1a infected patients with HIV coinfection than in those without HIV coinfection. Prevalence of N174 and S122 polymorphisms was significantly higher in clade II than clade I viruses.
Hemoglobin conjugates with antioxidant enzymes (hemoglobin-superoxide dismutase-catalase) via poly(ethylene glycol) crosslinker for protection of pancreatic beta RINm5F cells in hypoxia.

A low p50 hemoglobin (Hb) (p50 indicates O(2) tension at which Hb is half-saturated)-based oxygen carrier conjugated to antioxidant enzymes via dicarboxymethylated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linker may have the beneficial effect in protecting pancreatic beta cells from severe hypoxia at transplantation sites. In this study, the oxygen dissociation curves, Hill plots, Bohr Effect, and oxygen content of Hb conjugates were measured. The protective effect due to incubation of Hb-conjugates (Hb/PEG molar ratio 1:10) with pancreatic beta cells (RINm5F) against hypoxia (6%, 3%, and 1% oxygen) was evaluated by an MTT assay and confocal microscopy. Quantitatively, Hb conjugates with antioxidant enzymes offered statistically significant protection (p<0.01, increased viability ∼80%) from hypoxia compared to control cells in 1% oxygen environment. Confocal images also showed that the low p50 Hb conjugates with antioxidants protected RINm5F cells from hypoxia.
Classification with no discrimination by preferential sampling

The concept of classification without discrimination is a new area of research. (Kamiran & Calders, ) introduced the idea of Classification with No Discrimination (CND)and proposed a solution based on “massaging” the data to remove the discrimination from it with the least possible changes. In this paper, we propose a new solution to the CND problem by introducing a sampling scheme for making the data discrimination free instead of relabeling the dataset. On the resulting non-discriminatory dataset we then learn a classifier. This new method is not only less intrusive as compared to the “massaging” but also outperforms the “reweighing” approach of (Calders et al., 2009). The proposed method has been implemented and experimental results on the Census Income dataset show promising results: in all experiments our method performs onpar with the state-of-the art non-discriminatory techniques.
A Qualitative Model for Space

Most geometric models are quantitative, making it difficult to abstract the underlying spatial information needed for tasks such as planning, learning or vision. Furthermore, the precision used in a typical quantitative system often exceeds the actual accuracy of the data. In this work we describe a systematic representation that builds spatial maps based on local qualitative relations between objects. It derives relations that are more "functionally relevant" - i.e. those that involve accidental alignments, or can be described based on such alignments. In one dimension, interval logic (Allen 83] provides a mechanism for representing these type of relations; in this work we propose a formalism that enables us to perform alignment-based reasoning in two and higher dimensions with objects at angles. The principal advantages of this representation is that a) it is free of subjective bias, and b) it is complete in the qualitative sense of distinguishing all overlap/ tangency/nocontact geometries. In addition, the model is capable of handling uncertainty in the initial system (e.g. "the fuse box is somewhere behind the compressor") by constructing bounded inferences from disjunctive input data. Two kinds of uncertainty can be handled - those arising from deliberate imprecision in the interest of compactness ("down the road from"), or those caused by an inadequacy of data (sensors, spatial descriptions, or maps).
Direct least squares fitting of ellipses

This paper presents a new efficient method for fitting ellipses to scattered data. Previous algorithms either fitted general conics or were computationally expensive. By minimizing the algebraic distance subject to the constraint 4ac-b/sup 2/=1 the new method incorporates the ellipticity constraint into the normalization factor. The new method combines several advantages: 1) it is ellipse-specific so that even bad data will always return an ellipse; 2) it can be solved naturally by a generalized eigensystem, and 3) it is extremely robust, efficient and easy to implement. We compare the proposed method to other approaches and show its robustness on several examples in which other nonellipse-specific approaches would fail or require computationally expensive iterative refinements.
Genome-Wide Analysis of Homeobox Gene Family in Legumes: Identification, Gene Duplication and Expression Profiling

Homeobox genes encode transcription factors that are known to play a major role in different aspects of plant growth and development. In the present study, we identified homeobox genes belonging to 14 different classes in five legume species, including chickpea, soybean, Medicago, Lotus and pigeonpea. The characteristic differences within homeodomain sequences among various classes of homeobox gene family were quite evident. Genome-wide expression analysis using publicly available datasets (RNA-seq and microarray) indicated that homeobox genes are differentially expressed in various tissues/developmental stages and under stress conditions in different legumes. We validated the differential expression of selected chickpea homeobox genes via quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. Genome duplication analysis in soybean indicated that segmental duplication has significantly contributed in the expansion of homeobox gene family. The Ka/Ks ratio of duplicated homeobox genes in soybean showed that several members of this family have undergone purifying selection. Moreover, expression profiling indicated that duplicated genes might have been retained due to sub-functionalization. The genome-wide identification and comprehensive gene expression profiling of homeobox gene family members in legumes will provide opportunities for functional analysis to unravel their exact role in plant growth and development.
Filtering, Clustering and Hierarchy Construction: a New Solution for Ray‐Tracing Complex Scenes

Data structures that handle very complex scenes (hundreds of thousands of objects) have in the past either been laboriously built by hand, or have required the determination of unintuitive parameter values by the user. It is often the case that an incorrect choice of these parameters can result in greedy memory requirements or severely degraded performance. As a remedy to this problem we propose a new data structure which is fully automatic since it does not require the user to determine any input parameters. The structure is built by first filtering the input objects by size, subsequently applying a clustering step to objects of the same size and finally building a hierarchy of uniform grids . We then show that this data structure can be efficiently constructed. The implementation of the shows that the new structure is stable since it's memory requirements grow linearly with the size of the scene, and that it presents a satisfactory compromise between memory usage and computational efficiency. A detailed comparison with previous data structures is also presented in the results.
A Relational Model of Semantic Similarity between Words using Automatically Extracted Lexical Pattern Clusters from the Web

Semantic similarity is a central concept that extends across numerous fields such as artificial intelligence, natural language processing, cognitive science and psychology. Accurate measurement of semantic similarity between words is essential for various tasks such as, document clustering, information retrieval, and synonym extraction. We propose a novel model of semantic similarity using the semantic relations that exist among words. Given two words, first, we represent the semantic relations that hold between those words using automatically extracted lexical pattern clusters. Next, the semantic similarity between the two words is computed using a Mahalanobis distance measure. We compare the proposed similarity measure against previously proposed semantic similarity measures on Miller-Charles benchmark dataset and WordSimilarity-353 collection. The proposed method outperforms all existing web-based semantic similarity measures, achieving a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.867 on the Millet-Charles dataset.
Transgenic 6F tomatoes act on the small intestine to prevent systemic inflammation and dyslipidemia caused by Western diet and intestinally derived lysophosphatidic acid[S]

We recently reported that levels of unsaturated lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) in the small intestine significantly correlated with the extent of aortic atherosclerosis in LDL receptor-null (LDLR−/−) mice fed a Western diet (WD). Here we demonstrate that WD increases unsaturated (but not saturated) LPA levels in the small intestine of LDLR−/− mice and causes changes in small intestine gene expression. Confirmation of microarray analysis by quantitative RT-PCR showed that adding transgenic tomatoes expressing the apoA-I mimetic peptide 6F (Tg6F) to WD prevented many WD-mediated small intestine changes in gene expression. If instead of feeding WD, unsaturated LPA was added to chow and fed to the mice: i) levels of LPA in the small intestine were similar to those induced by feeding WD; ii) gene expression changes in the small intestine mimicked WD-mediated changes; and iii) changes in plasma serum amyloid A, total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-cholesterol levels, and the fast-performance liquid chromatography lipoprotein profile mimicked WD-mediated changes. Adding Tg6F (but not control tomatoes) to LPA-supplemented chow prevented the LPA-induced changes. We conclude that: i) WD-mediated systemic inflammation and dyslipidemia may be in part due to WD-induced increases in small intestine LPA levels; and ii) Tg6F reduces WD-mediated systemic inflammation and dyslipidemia by preventing WD-induced increases in LPA levels in the small intestine.
Ventricular Tachycardia Rate and Morphology Determine Energy and Current Requirements for Transthoracic Cardioversion

BackgroundThe electrical current and energy required to terminate ventricular tachyarrhythmias are known to vary by arrhythmia: Ventricular tachycardia (VT) is generally considered to require less energy than ventricular fibrillation (VF). The hypothesis of our study was that current requirements for transthoracic termination of VT are further determined by VT rate and QRS complex morphology. Methods and ResultsWe prospectively studied 203 patients who received a total of 569 shocks for VT or VF by following a current-based protocol. This protocol recommended shocks for VT beginning at 18 A (70±22 J) and shocks for VF beginning at 25 or 30 A (13752 J or 221±70 J). The ventricular tachyarrhythmias were subclassified as monomorphic VT (MVT): uniform QRS complex morphology on surface electrocardiogram and heart rate >100 beats per minute; polymorphic VT (PVT): nonuniform QRS complex morphology and heart rate ≤300 beats per minute; or VF: nonuniform QRS complex morphology and heart rate >300 beats per minute. We found that shocks of 18 A and 25 A for terminating MIVT had success rates of 69% and 82%, respectively, whereas such low-current shocks were less successful for PVT (33% at 18 A) and for VF (19% at 18 A, 53% at 25 A). High-current shocks of 35 A and 40 A were equally successful for the three ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Subdividing MVT revealed that slower MVT (heart rate < 200 beats per minute) had a significantly better success rate with low-current shocks of 18 A and 25 A than did faster MVT (>200 beats per minute) (89% versus 72% success, p < 0.01). Bundle branch block morphology, QRS axis, and duration of ventricular tachyarrhythmia did not alter current requirements. ConclusionsHeart rate and electrocardiographic degree of organization of ventricular tachycardia are important determinants of transthoracic energy and current requirements for cardioversion and defibrillation. Transthoracic termination of MVT requires relatively low current or energy, but PVT behaves more like VF and requires higher electrical current or energy.
The earliest known titanosauriform sauropod dinosaur and the evolution of Brachiosauridae

Brachiosauridae is a clade of titanosauriform sauropod dinosaurs that includes the well-known Late Jurassic taxa Brachiosaurus and Giraffatitan. However, there is disagreement over the brachiosaurid affinities of most other taxa, and little consensus regarding the clade’s composition or inter-relationships. An unnamed partial sauropod skeleton was collected from middle–late Oxfordian (early Late Jurassic) deposits in Damparis, in the Jura department of eastern France, in 1934. Since its brief description in 1943, this specimen has been informally known in the literature as the ‘Damparis sauropod’ and ‘French Bothriospondylus’, and has been considered a brachiosaurid by most authors. If correctly identified, this would make the specimen the earliest known titanosauriform. Coupled with its relatively complete nature and the rarity of Oxfordian sauropod remains in general, this is an important specimen for understanding the early evolution of Titanosauriformes. Full preparation and description of this specimen, known from teeth, vertebrae and most of the appendicular skeleton of a single individual, recognises it as a distinct taxon: Vouivria damparisensis gen. et sp. nov. Phylogenetic analysis of a data matrix comprising 77 taxa (including all putative brachiosaurids) scored for 416 characters recovers a fairly well resolved Brachiosauridae. Vouivria is a basal brachiosaurid, confirming its status as the stratigraphically oldest known titanosauriform. Brachiosauridae consists of a paraphyletic array of Late Jurassic forms, with Europasaurus, Vouivria and Brachiosaurus recovered as successively more nested genera that lie outside of a clade comprising (Giraffatitan + Sonorasaurus) + (Lusotitan + (Cedarosaurus + Venenosaurus)). Abydosaurus forms an unresolved polytomy with the latter five taxa. The Early Cretaceous South American sauropod Padillasaurus was previously regarded as a brachiosaurid, but is here placed within Somphospondyli. A recent study contended that a number of characters used in a previous iteration of this data matrix are ‘biologically related’, and thus should be excluded from phylogenetic analysis. We demonstrate that almost all of these characters show variation between taxa, and implementation of sensitivity analyses, in which these characters are excluded, has no effect on tree topology or resolution. We argue that where there is morphological variation, this should be captured, rather than ignored. Unambiguous brachiosaurid remains are known only from the USA, western Europe and Africa, and the clade spanned the Late Jurassic through to the late Albian/early Cenomanian, with the last known occurrences all from the USA. Regardless of whether their absence from the Cretaceous of Europe, as well as other regions entirely, reflects regional extinctions and genuine absences, or sampling artefacts, brachiosaurids appear to have become globally extinct by the earliest Late Cretaceous.
Lp-Minkowski and Aleksandrov-Fenchel type inequalities

In this paper we establish the Lp-Minkowski inequality and Lp-Aleksandrov-Fenchel type inequality for Lp-dual mixed volumes of star duality of mixed intersection bodies, respectively. As applications, we get some related results. The paper new contributions that illustrate this duality of projection and intersection bodies will be presented. M.S.C. 2000: 52A40.
Endothelial Cell Activation in Patients With Decompensated Heart Failure

Background—Vascular endothelial functions, other than nitric oxide (NO)–mediated control of vasomotor tone, are poorly characterized in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF). Veins and arteries are exposed to the same circulating proinflammatory mediators in patients with CHF. The present study tested whether endothelial cell activation occurs in veins of patients with decompensated CHF and whether activation, if present, subsides with return to a clinically compensated state. Methods and Results—Fifteen patients with decompensated CHF requiring transient inotropic support and 6 age-matched, healthy controls were studied. Endothelial cells and blood were collected from a forearm vein, and brachial artery flow–mediated dilation (FMD) was measured before and 24 hours after discontinuation of short-term inotropic therapy, when patients had returned to a steady compensated state. Nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity (an intracellular marker of oxidative stress), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression were significantly higher in venous endothelial cells of patients in clinical decompensation when compared with healthy subjects. Return to a compensated state resulted in a significant reduction in nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity, COX-2, and iNOS expression. Concomitantly, a significant increase in FMD and a decline in plasma total 8-isoprostane and bicycloprostaglandin E2 levels were observed. Venous endothelial NOS expression was unaffected by clinical decompensation. Conclusions—Clinical decompensation in CHF is associated with activation of the venous endothelium. Return to a compensated state after short-term inotropic therapy results in a significant reduction in endothelial nitrotyrosine formation, COX-2, and iNOS expression.
On emotion specificity in decision making: Why feeling is for doing

We present a motivational account of the impact of emotion on decision making, termed the feeling-is-for-doing approach. We first describe the psychology of emotion and argue for a need to be specific when studying emotion's impact on decision making. Next we describe what our approach entails and how it relates emotion, via motivation to behavior. Then we offer two illustrations of our own research that provide support for two important elements in our reasoning. We end with specifying four criteria that we consider to be important when studying how feeling guides our everyday doing.