Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Diffraction-limited Fabry–Perot cavity in the near concentric regime

Nearly concentric optical cavities can be used to prepare optical fields with a very small mode volume. We implement an anaclastic design of such a cavity that significantly simplifies mode matching to the fundamental cavity mode. The cavity is shown to have diffraction-limited performance for a mode volume of ≈ 10 4 &lgr; 3 ? > . This is in sharp contrast with the behavior of cavities with plano-concave mirrors, where aberrations significantly decrease the coupling of the input mode to the fundamental mode of the cavity and increase the coupling to the higher-order modes. We estimate the related cavity quantum electrodynamics parameters and show that the proposed cavity design allows for strong coupling without a need for high finesse or small physical-cavity volume.
Adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy improve survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma receiving surgery: adjuvant chemotherapy alone is insufficient in the era of intensity modulation radiation therapy

In the era of intensity modulation radiation therapy (IMRT), no prospective randomized trial has evaluated the efficacy of adjuvant therapies such as adjuvant concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT), adjuvant sequential chemotherapy and radiotherapy (CT‐RT), and adjuvant CT alone in resectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PA). Through propensity score matching, we designed a nationwide, population‐based, head‐to‐head cohort study to determine the effects of dissimilar adjuvant treatments on resectable PA. We minimized the confounding of various adjuvant treatment outcomes among the following resectable PA groups of patients from the Taiwan Cancer Registry database: group 1, adjuvant CCRT; group 2, adjuvant sequential CT‐RT; and group 3, adjuvant CT alone. All the studied techniques are IMRTs. The matching process yielded a final cohort of 588 patients (196, 196, and 196 patients in groups 1, 2, and 3, respectively). In both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs; 95% confidence interval [CI]) of death derived for the adjuvant CCRT and adjuvant sequential CT‐RT cohorts compared with the adjuvant CT alone cohort were 0.398 (0.314–0.504) and 0.307 (0.235–0.402), respectively. A combination of adjuvant IMRT and CT for resectable PA treatment improves survival to a greater extent than does adjuvant CT alone.
Influence of speckle and Poisson noise on exoplanet detection with a coronagraph

We study in this communication the statistical spatial properties of the residual speckles in the Point Spread Function (PSF) of a large telescope with Adaptive Optics. These speckles form a noisy background outside the PSF central core, which makes it very difficult to detect an exoplanet. It can be shown that these speckles are due to small defaults of the wavefront, amplified by the coherent part of the wave. Using reasonable physical assumptions, their statistics is described by a modified Rice distribution. A simple analytic form can be derived for the Moment Generating Function (MGF). Analytical expressions can also be obtained for the statistics at photon counting levels. Using properties of the MGF, simple expressions are obtained for the variances of the noise. We discuss the relative importance of speckle and photon noise and present conclusions on the limits of coronagraphy for the detection of an exoplanet.
A new species of Arachnanthus from the Red Sea (Cnidaria, Ceriantharia)

Abstract A new species of the genus Arachnanthus (Cnidaria: Ceriantharia), Arachnanthus lilith Stampar & El Didi, sp. n. , is described. This species is widely distributed in the Red Sea, and recorded from 2–30 m depths. Arachnanthus lilith Stampar & El Didi, sp. n. is the fifth species of the genus and the first recorded from the Red Sea. The number of labial tentacle pseudocycles, arrangement of mesenteries, and distribution of acontioids allow the differentiation of the new species from other species of the genus.
Non-invasive prediction of catheter ablation outcome in persistent atrial fibrillation by exploiting the spatial diversity of surface ECG

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia encountered in clinical practice. Radiofre-quency catheter ablation (CA) is becoming one of the most widely employed therapies. Yet selection of patients who will benefit from this treatment remains a challenging task. Previous works have examined several electrocardiogram (ECG) parameters as potential predictors of CA success, such as fibrillatory wave (f-wave) amplitude. However, they require a manual computation and consider only a subset of electrodes, so inter-lead spatial variability of the 12-lead ECG is not fully exploited. The present study puts forward an automatic procedure for f-wave amplitude computation to non-invasively predict CA outcome. An extension of this quantitative measure to the whole set of leads is also proposed, based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA). We show that exploiting the spatial diversity present in the surface ECG not only improves the robustness to electrode selection but also increases the predictive power of the amplitude parameter.
A novel technique for analysis of accuracy of magnetic tracking systems used in image guided surgery

With the increased use and development of image-guided surgical applications, there is a need for methods of analysis of the accuracy and precision of the components which compose these systems. One primary component of an image-guided surgery system is the position tracking system which allows for the localization of a tool within the surgical field and provides information which is translated back to the images. Previously much work has been done in characterizing these systems for spatial accuracy and precision. Much of this previous work examines single tracking systems or modalities. We have devised a method which allows for the characterization of a novel tracking system independent of modality and location. We describe the development of a phantom system which allows for rapid design and creation of surfaces with different geometries. We have also demonstrated a method of analysis of the data generated by this phantom system, and used it to compare Biosense-Webster's CartoXPTM, and Northern Digital's AuroraTMmagnetic trackers. We have determined that the accuracy and precision of the CartoXP was best, followed closely by the Aurora's dome volume, then the Aurora's cube volume. The mean accuracy for all systems was better than 3mm and decays with distance from the field generator.
The Interplay of Stress and Sleep Impacts BDNF Level

Background Sleep plays a pivotal role in normal biological functions. Sleep loss results in higher stress vulnerability and is often found in mental disorders. There is evidence that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) could be a central player in this relationship. Recently, we could demonstrate that subjects suffering from current symptoms of insomnia exhibited significantly decreased serum BDNF levels compared with sleep-healthy controls. In accordance with the paradigm indicating a link between sleep and BDNF, we aimed to investigate if the stress system influences the association between sleep and BDNF. Methodology/Principal Findings Participants with current symptoms of insomnia plus a former diagnosis of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) and/or Periodic Limb Movement (PLM) and sleep healthy controls were included in the study. They completed questionnaires on sleep (ISI, Insomnia Severity Index) and stress (PSS, Perceived Stress Scale) and provided a blood sample for determination of serum BDNF. We found a significant interaction between stress and insomnia with an impact on serum BDNF levels. Moreover, insomnia severity groups and score on the PSS each revealed a significant main effect on serum BDNF levels. Insomnia severity was associated with increased stress experience affecting serum BDNF levels. Of note, the association between stress and BDNF was only observed in subjects without insomnia. Using a mediation model, sleep was revealed as a mediator of the association between stress experience and serum BDNF levels. Conclusions This is the first study to show that the interplay between stress and sleep impacts BDNF levels, suggesting an important role of this relationship in the pathogenesis of stress-associated mental disorders. Hence, we suggest sleep as a key mediator at the connection between stress and BDNF. Whether sleep is maintained or disturbed might explain why some individuals are able to handle a certain stress load while others develop a mental disorder.
Does health informatics have a replication crisis?

Abstract Objective Many research fields, including psychology and basic medical sciences, struggle with poor reproducibility of reported studies. Biomedical and health informatics is unlikely to be immune to these challenges. This paper explores replication in informatics and the unique challenges the discipline faces. Methods Narrative review of recent literature on research replication challenges. Results While there is growing interest in re-analysis of existing data, experimental replication studies appear uncommon in informatics. Context effects are a particular challenge as they make ensuring replication fidelity difficult, and the same intervention will never quite reproduce the same result in different settings. Replication studies take many forms, trading-off testing validity of past findings against testing generalizability. Exact and partial replication designs emphasize testing validity while quasi and conceptual studies test generalizability of an underlying model or hypothesis with different methods or in a different setting. Conclusions The cost of poor replication is a weakening in the quality of published research and the evidence-based foundation of health informatics. The benefits of replication include increased rigor in research, and the development of evaluation methods that distinguish the impact of context and the nonreproducibility of research. Taking replication seriously is essential if biomedical and health informatics is to be an evidence-based discipline.
Real-time image-based parking occupancy detection using deep learning

Parking Guidance and Information (PGI) systems have a potential to reduce the congestion in crowded areas by providing real-time indications of occupancy of parking spaces. To date, such systems are mostly implemented for indoor environments using costly sensor-based techniques. Consequently, with the increasing demand for PGI systems in outdoor environments, inexpensive image-based detection methods have become a focus of research and development recently. Motivated by the remarkable performance of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) in various image category recognition tasks, this study presents a robust parking occupancy detection framework by using a deep CNN and a binary Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier to detect the occupancy of outdoor parking spaces from images. The classifier was trained and tested by the features learned by the deep CNN from public datasets (PKLot) having different illuminance and weather conditions. Subsequently, we evaluate the transfer learning performance (the ability to generalise results to a new dataset) of the developed method on a parking dataset created for this research. We report detection accuracies of 99.7% and 96.7% for the public dataset and our dataset respectively, which indicates the great potential of this method to provide a low-cost and reliable solution to the PGI systems in outdoor environments.
Nationwide Molecular Surveillance of Pandemic H1N1 Influenza A Virus Genomes: Canada, 2009

Background In April 2009, a novel triple-reassortant swine influenza A H1N1 virus (“A/H1N1pdm”; also known as SOIV) was detected and spread globally as the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century. Sequencing has since been conducted at an unprecedented rate globally in order to monitor the diversification of this emergent virus and to track mutations that may affect virus behavior. Methodology/Principal Findings By Sanger sequencing, we determined consensus whole-genome sequences for A/H1N1pdm viruses sampled nationwide in Canada over 33 weeks during the 2009 first and second pandemic waves. A total of 235 virus genomes sampled from unique subjects were analyzed, providing insight into the temporal and spatial trajectory of A/H1N1pdm lineages within Canada. Three clades (2, 3, and 7) were identifiable within the first two weeks of A/H1N1pdm appearance, with clades 5 and 6 appearing thereafter; further diversification was not apparent. Only two viral sites displayed evidence of adaptive evolution, located in hemagglutinin (HA) corresponding to D222 in the HA receptor-binding site, and to E374 at HA2-subunit position 47. Among the Canadian sampled viruses, we observed notable genetic diversity (1.47×10−3 amino acid substitutions per site) in the gene encoding PB1, particularly within the viral genomic RNA (vRNA)-binding domain (residues 493–757). This genome data set supports the conclusion that A/H1N1pdm is evolving but not excessively relative to other H1N1 influenza A viruses. Entropy analysis was used to investigate whether any mutated A/H1N1pdm protein residues were associated with infection severity; however no virus genotypes were observed to trend with infection severity. One virus that harboured heterozygote coding mutations, including PB2 D567D/G, was attributed to a severe and potentially mixed infection; yet the functional significance of this PB2 mutation remains unknown. Conclusions/Significance These findings contribute to enhanced understanding of Influenza A/H1N1pdm viral dynamics.
Maternal deaths from hypertensive disorders: lessons learnt

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy have been the most frequent cause of maternal death in Norway since 1996 and are strongly associated with substandard care. In the UK, the number of maternal deaths due to hypertensive disorders has decreased drastically due to the implementation of updated guidelines, indicating a potential for reducing the number of deaths in other countries as well. Through audits of maternal deaths, we aim to prevent future deaths from hypertensive disorders in pregnancy by identifying suboptimal factors in treatment.
A two-stage hybrid method for the multi-scenarios max-min knapsack problem

In this paper, we propose a two-stage hybrid method in order to solve approximately the multi-scenarios max-min knapsack problem. The proposed method is based upon three complementary stages: 1) the building stage; 2) the combination stage; 3) the two-stage rebuild stage. First, the building stage serves to provide a starting feasible solution by using a greedy procedure; each item is randomly chosen for reaching a starting population of solutions. Second, the combination stage tries to provide each new solution by combining subsets of (starting) solutions. Third, the rebuild stage tries to make intensification in order to improve the solutions at hand. The proposed method is evaluated on a set of benchmark instances taken from the literature. The obtained results are compared to those reached by the best algorithms available in the literature. The results show that the proposed method provides better solutions than those already published.
Advance care planning uptake among patients with severe lung disease: a randomised patient preference trial of a nurse-led, facilitated advance care planning intervention

Objective Advance care planning (ACP) clarifies goals for future care if a patient becomes unable to communicate their own preferences. However, ACP uptake is low, with discussions often occurring late. This study assessed whether a systematic nurse-led ACP intervention increases ACP in patients with advanced respiratory disease. Design A multicentre open-label randomised controlled trial with preference arm. Setting Metropolitan teaching hospital and a rural healthcare network. Participants 149 participants with respiratory malignancy, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or interstitial lung disease. Intervention Nurse facilitators offered facilitated ACP discussions, prompted further discussions with doctors and loved ones, and assisted participants to appoint a substitute medical decision-maker (SDM) and complete an advance directive (AD). Outcome measures The primary measure was formal (AD or SDM) or informal (discussion with doctor) ACP uptake assessed by self-report (6 months) and medical notes audit. Secondary measures were the factors predicting baseline readiness to undertake ACP, and factors predicting postintervention ACP uptake in the intervention arm. Results At 6 months, formal ACP uptake was significantly higher (p<0.001) in the intervention arm (54/106, 51%), compared with usual care (6/43, 14%). ACP discussions with doctors were also significantly higher (p<0.005) in the intervention arm (76/106, 72%) compared with usual care (20/43, 47%). Those with a strong preference for the intervention were more likely to complete formal ACP documents than those randomly allocated. Increased symptom burden and preference for the intervention predicted later ACP uptake. Social support was positively associated with ACP discussion with loved ones, but negatively associated with discussion with doctors. Conclusions Nurse-led facilitated ACP is acceptable to patients with advanced respiratory disease and effective in increasing ACP discussions and completion of formal documents. Awareness of symptom burden, readiness to engage in ACP and relevant psychosocial factors may facilitate effective tailoring of ACP interventions and achieve greater uptake. Trial registration number ACTRN12614000255684.
Monophosphorylation of cardiac troponin-I at Ser-23/24 is sufficient to regulate cardiac myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity and calpain-induced proteolysis

The acceleration of myocardial relaxation produced by β-adrenoreceptor stimulation is mediated in part by protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation of cardiac troponin-I (cTnI), which decreases myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity. Previous evidence suggests that phosphorylation of both Ser-23 and Ser-24 in cTnI is required for this Ca2+ desensitization. PKA-mediated phosphorylation also partially protects cTnI from proteolysis by calpain. Here we report that protein kinase D (PKD) phosphorylates only one serine of cTnI Ser-23/24. To explore the functional consequences of this monophosphorylation, we examined the Ca2+ sensitivity of force production and susceptibility of cTnI to calpain-mediated proteolysis when Ser-23/24 of cTnI in mouse cardiac myofibrils was nonphosphorylated, mono-phosphorylated, or bisphosphorylated (using sequential incubations in λ-phosphatase, PKD, and PKA, respectively). Phos-tag gels, Western blotting, and high-resolution MS revealed that PKD produced >90% monophosphorylation of cTnI, primarily at Ser-24, whereas PKA led to cTnI bisphosphorylation exclusively. PKD markedly decreased the Ca2+ sensitivity of force production in detergent-permeabilized ventricular trabeculae, whereas subsequent incubation with PKA produced only a small further fall of Ca2+ sensitivity. Unlike PKD, PKA also substantially phosphorylated myosin-binding protein-C and significantly accelerated cross-bridge kinetics (ktr). After phosphorylation by PKD or PKA, cTnI in isolated myofibrils was partially protected from calpain-mediated degradation. We conclude that cTnI monophosphorylation at Ser-23/24 decreases myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity and partially protects cTnI from calpain-induced proteolysis. In healthy cardiomyocytes, the basal monophosphorylation of cTnI may help tonically regulate myofibrillar Ca2+ sensitivity.
Active Chicken Meat Packaging Based on Polylactide Films and Bimetallic Ag-Cu Nanoparticles and Essential Oil.

Plasticized polylactide (PLA) composite films with multifunctional properties were created by loading bimetallic silver-copper (Ag-Cu) nanoparticles (NPs) and cinnamon essential oil (CEO) into polymer matrix via compression molding technique. Rheological, structural, thermal, barrier, and antimicrobial properties of the produced films, and its utilization in the packaging of chicken meat were investigated. PLA/PEG/Ag-Cu/CEO composites showed a very complex rheological system where both plasticizing and antiplasticizing effects were evident. Thermal properties of plasticized PLA film with polyethylene glycol (PEG) enhanced considerably with the reinforcement of NPs whereas loading of CEO decreased glass transition, melting, and crystallization temperature. The barrier properties of the composite films were reduced with the increase of CEO loading (P < 0.05). Their optical properties were also modified by the addition of both CEO and Ag-Cu NPs. The changes in the molecular organization of PLA composite films were visualized by FTIR spectra. Rough and porous surfaces of the films were evident by scanning electron microscopy. The effectiveness of composite films was tested against Salmonella Typhimurium, Campylobacter jejuni and Listeria monocytogenes inoculated in chicken samples, and it was found that the films loaded with Ag-Cu NPs and 50% CEO showed maximum antibacterial action during 21 days at the refrigerated condition. The produced PLA/Ag-Cu/CEO composite films can be applied to active food packaging. PRACTICAL APPLICATION The nanoparticles and essential oil loaded PLA composite films are capable of exhibiting antimicrobial effects against Gram (+) and (-) bacteria, and extend the shelf-life of chicken meat. The bionanocomposite films showed the potential to be manufactured commercially because of the thermal stability of the active components during the hot-press compression molding process. The developed bionanocomposites could have practical importance and open a new direction for the active food packaging to control the spoilage and the pathogenic bacteria associated with the fresh chicken meat.
Cannabis: From Cultivar to Chemovar II—A Metabolomics Approach to Cannabis Classification

Introduction: There is a large disparity between the ‘‘cultural’’ language used by patients using cannabis for selfmedication and the ‘‘chemical’’ language applied by scientists to get a deeper understanding of cannabis effects in laboratory and clinical studies. The distinction between Sativa and Indica types of cannabis, and the different biological effects associated with them, is a major example of this. Despite the widespread use of cannabis by selfmedicating patients, scientific studies are yet to identify the biochemical markers that can sufficiently explain differences between cannabis varieties. Methods: A metabolomics approach, combining detailed chemical composition data with cultural information available for a wide range of cannabis samples, can help to bridge the existing gap between scientists and patients. Such an approach could be helpful for decision-making, for example, when identifying which varieties of cannabis should be made legally available under national medicinal cannabis programs. In our study, we analyzed 460 cannabis accessions obtained from multiple sources in The Netherlands, including hempand drug-type cannabis. Results: Based on gas chromatography analysis of 44 major terpenes and cannabinoids present in these samples, followed by Multivariate Data Analysis of the resulting chromatographic data, we were able to identify the cannabis constituents that may act as markers for distinction between Indica and Sativa. This information was subsequently used to map the current chemical diversity of cannabis products available within the Dutch medicinal cannabis program, and to introduce a new variety missing from the existing product range. Conclusion: This study represents the analysis of the widest range of cannabis constituents published to date. Our results indicate the usefulness of a metabolomics approach for chemotaxonomic mapping of cannabis varieties for medical use.