Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lower Serum Triglyceride Level Is Associated With Increased Stroke Severity

Background and Purpose— A previous study showed that low triglyceride concentration predicts higher mortality after stroke. The aim of our study was to determine whether serum triglyceride level is associated with stroke severity on admission. Methods— 863 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke were included. Serum triglyceride level was measured within 36 hours after stroke onset. Stroke severity on admission was assessed using Scandinavian Stroke Scale (SSS). The patients were divided into 2 groups: those with severe stroke (SSS ≤25) and those with mild/moderate stroke (SSS >25). Results— Patients with severe stroke had significantly lower serum triglyceride level than patients with mild/moderate stroke (1.4±0.6 versus 1.7±1.3 mmol/L). After adjusting for age, sex, atrial fibrillation, diabetes mellitus, obesity, and ischemic heart disease, patients with triglyceride >2.3 mmol/L had lower risk of severe stroke than those with triglyceride ≤2.3 mmol/L (OR: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.35 to 0.95). Conclusions— Our results suggest that lower level of triglyceride is associated with the more severe stroke.
Combating Software and Sybil Attacks to Data Integrity in Crowd-Sourced Embedded Systems

Crowd-sourced mobile embedded systems allow people to contribute sensor data, for critical applications, including transportation, emergency response and eHealth. Data integrity becomes imperative as malicious participants can launch software and Sybil attacks modifying the sensing platform and data. To address these attacks, we develop (1) a Trusted Sensing Peripheral (TSP) enabling collection of high-integrity raw or aggregated data, and participation in applications requiring additional modalities; and (2) a Secure Tasking and Aggregation Protocol (STAP) enabling aggregation of TSP trusted readings by untrusted intermediaries, while efficiently detecting fabricators. Evaluations demonstrate that TSP and STAP are practical and energy-efficient.
Enamel proteins mitigate mechanical and structural degradations in mature human enamel during acid attack

A hydrazine deproteination process was used to investigate the role of enamel proteins in the acid erosion of mature human dental enamel. Bright field high resolution transmission electron micrographs and x-ray diffraction analysis show no crystallographic changes after the hydrazine treatment with similar nanoscale hydroxyapatite crystallite size and orientation for sound and de-proteinated enamel. However, the presence of enamel proteins reduces the erosion depth, the loss of hardness and the loss of structural order in enamel, following exposure to citric acid. Nanoindentation creep is larger for sound enamel than for deproteinated enamel but it reduces in sound enamel after acid attack. These novel results are consistent with calcium ion-mediated visco-elasticty in enamel matrix proteins as described previously for nacre, bone and dental proteins. They are also in good agreement with a previous double layer force spectroscopy study by the authors which found that the proteins electrochemically buffer enamel against acid attack. Finally, this suggests that acid attack, and more specifically dental erosion, is influenced by ionic permeation through the enamel layer and that it is mitigated by the enamel protein matrix.
Glutamic Acid, the Main Dietary Amino Acid, and Blood Pressure: The INTERMAP Study (International Collaborative Study of Macronutrients, Micronutrients and Blood Pressure)

Background— Data are available that indicate an independent inverse relationship of dietary vegetable protein to the blood pressure (BP) of individuals. Here, we assess whether BP is associated with glutamic acid intake (the predominant dietary amino acid, especially in vegetable protein) and with each of 4 other amino acids that are relatively higher in vegetable than animal protein (proline, phenylalanine, serine, and cystine). Methods and Results— This was a cross-sectional epidemiological study with 4680 persons 40 to 59 years of age from 17 random population samples in China, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. BP was measured 8 times at 4 visits; dietary data (83 nutrients, 18 amino acids) were obtained from 4 standardized, multipass, 24-hour dietary recalls and 2 timed 24-hour urine collections. Dietary glutamic acid (percentage of total protein intake) was inversely related to BP. Across multivariate regression models (model 1, which controlled for age, gender, and sample, through model 5, which controlled for 16 possible nonnutrient and nutrient confounders), estimated average BP differences associated with a glutamic acid intake that was higher by 4.72% of total dietary protein (2 SD) were −1.5 to −3.0 mm Hg systolic and −1.0 to −1.6 mm Hg diastolic (z scores −2.15 to −5.11). Results were similar for the glutamic acid–BP relationship with each of the other amino acids also in the model; eg, with control for 15 variables plus proline, systolic/diastolic pressure differences were −2.7/−2.0 mm Hg (z scores −2.51, −2.82). In these 2–amino acid models, higher intake (by 2 SD) of each of the other amino acids was associated with small BP differences and z scores. Conclusions— Dietary glutamic acid may have independent BP-lowering effects, which may contribute to the inverse relation of vegetable protein to BP.
62.1: Reduction of the Threshold Voltage and Enhancement of Contrast Ratio in Liquid Crystal Devices with BaTiO3 Nanoparticle Embedded Surface Alignment Layers

Herein, we report the effect of a 40% weakening of the surface polar anchoring energy of liquid crystal devices when the polyimide layers were doped with the nanoparticles of BaTiO3. This effect leads to the reduction of the threshold voltage by 6% and also the enhancement of the contrast ratio of twisted‐nematic liquid crystal displays (TN‐LCDs) at the saturation voltage by 130%.
Reciprocal Expression of ospA and ospC in Single Cells of Borrelia burgdorferi

ABSTRACT Outer surface proteins (Osp) A and C of the Lyme disease spirochete (Borrelia burgdorferi) are selectively produced and of functional significance in the tick vector and mammalian host, respectively. Some studies indicate a simple, reciprocal relationship where the signals and pathways that turn on ospC also turn off ospA. Other studies indicate a more complex regulation where many spirochetes produce both proteins and others produce one of the proteins or neither protein. Here, we have used flow cytometry to characterize ospA and ospC transcript and protein levels in individual bacterial cells grown in culture. The results support a simple, reciprocal model where, at the level of single cells, the transcription of ospC is linked to the repression of ospA. We also demonstrate that under conditions conducive for OspC production, spirochetes display an “all or none” response, with some cells displaying high levels of ospC transcription and others demonstrating little or no transcription. Despite the reciprocal regulation of ospA and ospC at the single-cell level, we propose that spirochetes display an array of phenotypes due to stochasticity in the pathways that regulate osp expression and the slow turnover of outer surface proteins.
Biochemical Properties of Whole and Degermed Maize Flours during Storage

An attempt was made to study the effect of packaging materials and storage periods on biochemical qualit ies of whole and degermed maize flours. The flours were packed in three packaging materials viz. alu min iu m laminated foil (ALF), high density polyethylene (HDPE) and low density polyethylene (LDPE) and its biochemical qualities were deter- mined at ten days storage interval for 70 days storage. It was found that degermed maize flour is better in terms of mo isture, protein, fat, FFA, total acidity, ash and textural propert ies as compared to the whole maize flour. The mo isture, fat and FFA were increased whereas protein, total acid and ash contents decreased with increase in storage interval. Maize flour stored in alumin iu m foil found best follo wed by HDPE. Biochemical qualities of degermed maize flour showed that it can be stored for longer period as compared to whole maize flour.
Transmitter Pulsation Control for Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer Systems

Wireless power transfer (WPT) is a convenient, flexible, and safe alternative to its wired counterpart. Due to these benefits, WPT has seen rapid growth in recent years. Typical WPT systems are usually used for static applications, where the load operates within a predefined area. On the other hand, dynamic WPT (D-WPT) is usually used to power loads which dynamically change their positions, and one of the ways to achieve this is by increasing the overall charging area via multiple transmitters (Txs). Multiple Txs require communication and control, which increases the overall complexity of the system. This paper proposes a control algorithm which aims to maintain the overall efficiency of the D-WPT system by turning on and off the Tx when the mobile receiver (Rx) approaches and departs, respectively. Transient analysis of the D-WPT system is used to derive its control variables. In addition, energy and power loss of this proposed control algorithm are also investigated. The feasibility of the proposed control algorithm is demonstrated with 1-Tx and 3-Tx experimental setups. The experimental results validate the theoretical analysis model and the proposed control algorithm, and the standby (when not charging) input power forms 7.6% of the charging input power.
Inverse relation of dietary protein markers with blood pressure. Findings for 10,020 men and women in the INTERSALT Study. INTERSALT Cooperative Research Group. INTERnational study of SALT and blood pressure.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to assess relations to blood pressure (BP) in individuals of markers of dietary protein in their 24-hour urine collections. METHODS AND RESULTS INTERSALT (INTERnational study of SALT and blood pressure) was a cross-sectional study of 10020 men and women aged 20 to 59 years in 52 population-based samples in 32 countries worldwide, with quality-controlled standardized procedures and assessment of multiple possible confounders. Three measurements of dietary protein in 24-hour urine of each individual participant were studied: total nitrogen and urea as indexes of total protein intake, and sulfate as an index of sulfur-containing dietary amino acids. Repeat examination was performed in a random 8% of participants to assess reliability and to correct for regression-dilution bias. Significant independent inverse relationships were found between BP (systolic and diastolic) and both 24-hour urinary total nitrogen and urea nitrogen, with adjustment for age, sex, alcohol intake, body mass, and 24-hour urinary sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. With adjustment for regression-dilution bias, it was estimated that systolic and diastolic BP were on average 3.0 and 2.5 mm Hg lower, respectively, for persons with dietary total protein intake 30% above the overall mean than for those whose dietary protein intake was 30% below the overall mean (12.94 versus 6.96 g/d urinary total nitrogen, equivalent to 81 versus 44 g/d dietary protein, respectively). For the association of these markers with diastolic BP, results were similar for younger (20- to 39-year-old) and older (40- to 59-year-old) persons and for women and men. For their relation to systolic BP, regression coefficients were larger both for those aged 40 to 59 years than for those aged 20 to 39 years and for women than for men. Nonsignificant inverse relations were recorded for urinary sulfate and BP. CONCLUSIONS These INTERSALT findings lend support to the hypothesis that higher dietary protein intake has favorable influences on BP.
Thermal Stresses in Auxetic Plates and Shells

Solids that possess negative Poisson's ratio are termed auxetic materials. This article considers the effect of auxeticity, i.e., the negative extent of Poisson's ratio on thermal stresses in plates, shells, and other solids. Results show that in cases where temperature gradient is in the through-thickness of a fully-clamped plate or when the temperature gradient is in the radial direction of fully-clamped shells, the thermal stresses can be significantly reduced by using auxetic materials. The same result applies to spheres and cylinders with radial temperature gradient. The maximum thermal stress is minimized if the selected material possesses Poisson's ratio of –1. However, the use of auxetic material is not always advantageous, nor does the use of materials with Poisson's ratio of –1 always minimize the maximum thermal stresses. It is herein suggested that, in addition to the use of materials with lower modulus and lower coefficient of thermal expansion, the use of auxetic materials offers an alternative route for lowering thermal stresses in some cases.
Entropy Adaptive On-Line Compression ( Technical Report )

Self-organization is based on adaptivity. Adaptivity should start with the very basic fundamental communication tasks such as encoding the information to be transmitted or stored. Obviously, the less signal transmitted the less energy in transmission used. In this paper we present a novel on-line and entropy adaptive compression schemes for streaming unbounded length inputs. The scheme extends the window dictionary Lempel-Ziv compression and is adaptive and is tailored to compress on-line non entropy stationary inputs. Specifically, the window dictionary size is changed in an adaptive manner to fit the current best compression rate for the input. On-line Entropy Adaptive Compression scheme (EAC), that is introduced and analyzed in this paper, examines all possible sliding window sizes over the next input portion to choose the optimal window size for this portion, a size that implies the best compression ratio. The size found is then used in the actual compression of this portion. We suggest an adaptive encoding scheme, which optimizes the parameters block by block, and base the compression performance on the optimality proof of LZ77 when applied to blocks [25]. The EAC scheme was tested over files of different types (docx, ppt, jpeg, xls) and over synthesized files that were generated as segments of homogeneous Markov Chains. Our experiments demonstrate that the EAC scheme typically provides a higher compression ratio than LZ77 does, when examined in the scope of on-line per-block compression of transmitted (or compressed) files.
A Dihydropyridine (Bay k 8644) That Enhances Calcium Currents in Guinea Pig and Calf Myocardial Cells: A New Type of Positive Inotropic Agent

Bay k 8644 is a structural analog of nifedipine with positive inotropic activity. The mechanism of drug action was evaluated by measuring the effects of Bay k 8644 on twitch tension, action potential configuration, and calcium channel currents in myocardial cells. Bay k 8644 increases twitch tension in guinea pig atria without changing the time course of tension development. The drug does not occlude the effect of isoproterenol on twitch tension. The effects of Bay k 8644 on atrial twitch tension are highly dependent on the frequency of stimulation. Maximal inotropic effects are observed at ~0.5 Hz, but no inotropic effect occurs at 0.003 Hz (a rested-state contraction). Since positive inotropic effects only occur with frequent electrical stimulation, they are not due to an intracellular action or to mechanisms that elevate cell calcium in quiescent muscle, such as inhibition of the Na, K-ATPase. Bay k 8644 increases the action potential duration of calf ventricular muscle and Purkinje fibers. Effects on action potential duration are occluded by 1 μM nisoldipine, which specifically blocks calcium channels. The interaction of Bay k 8644 with calcium channels in calf Purkinje fibers was studied using the twomicroelectrode voltage clamp technique. Strontium was used as a charge carrier to minimize current through calcium-activated channels and to avoid changes in calcium conductance due to changes in intracellular calcium. Bay k 8644 increases strontium currents and alters the time- and voltage-dependence of channel opening. The greatest percent increase in strontium current occurs for weak depolarizations. For strong depolarizations, strontium current is increased most at the beginning of a test pulse. The drug-induced changes in calcium channel gating are inconsistent with a calcium- or cyclic adenosine monophosphate-mediated effect, and indicate a novel mechanism of action on calcium channels. Thus, Bay k 8644 is the first positive inotropic agent shown to act specifically and directly on calcium channels.
Deformation and pressure propagation in deep somatic tissue during painful cuff algometry

Cuff algometry is used for quantitative pain assessment although it is not clarified which tissues are actually challenged by the stimulation. This study investigated the mechanical stress and strain distribution in superficial and deep tissues during cuff algometry applied on the lower leg at three different intensities (mild pressure, pain threshold and supra pain threshold).
Miniature curved artificial compound eyes

In most animal species, vision is mediated by compound eyes, which offer lower resolution than vertebrate single-lens eyes, but significantly larger fields of view with negligible distortion and spherical aberration, as well as high temporal resolution in a tiny package. Compound eyes are ideally suited for fast panoramic motion perception. Engineering a miniature artificial compound eye is challenging because it requires accurate alignment of photoreceptive and optical components on a curved surface. Here, we describe a unique design method for biomimetic compound eyes featuring a panoramic, undistorted field of view in a very thin package. The design consists of three planar layers of separately produced arrays, namely, a microlens array, a neuromorphic photodetector array, and a flexible printed circuit board that are stacked, cut, and curved to produce a mechanically flexible imager. Following this method, we have prototyped and characterized an artificial compound eye bearing a hemispherical field of view with embedded and programmable low-power signal processing, high temporal resolution, and local adaptation to illumination. The prototyped artificial compound eye possesses several characteristics similar to the eye of the fruit fly Drosophila and other arthropod species. This design method opens up additional vistas for a broad range of applications in which wide field motion detection is at a premium, such as collision-free navigation of terrestrial and aerospace vehicles, and for the experimental testing of insect vision theories.
Mediastinal staging in daily practice: endosonography, followed by cervical mediastinoscopy. Do we really need both?

OBJECTIVES In patients with lung cancer, endosonography has emerged as a minimally invasive method to obtain cytological proof of mediastinal lymph nodes, suspicious for metastases on imaging. In case of a negative result, it is currently recommended that a cervical mediastinoscopy be performed additionally. However, in daily practice, a second procedure is often regarded superfluous. The goal of our study was to assess the additional value of a cervical mediastinoscopy, after a negative result of endosonography, in routine clinical practice. METHODS In a retrospective cohort study, the records of 147 consecutive patients with an indication for mediastinal lymph node staging and a negative result of endosonography were analysed. As a subsequent procedure, 124 patients underwent a cervical mediastinoscopy and 23 patients were scheduled for an intended curative resection directly. The negative predictive value (NPV) for both diagnostic procedures was determined, as well as the number of patients who needed to undergo a mediastinoscopy to find one false-negative result of endosonography (number needed to treat (NNT)). Clinical data of patients with a false-negative endosonography were analysed. RESULTS When using cervical mediastinoscopy as the gold standard, the NPV for endosonography was 88.7%, resulting in a NNT of 8.8 patients. For patients with fluoro-2-deoxyglucose positron emission tomography positive mediastinal lymph nodes, the NNT was 6.1. Overall, a futile thoracotomy could be prevented in 50% of patients by an additional mediastinoscopy. A representative lymph node aspirate, containing adequate numbers of lymphocytes, did not exclude metastases. CONCLUSIONS In patients with a high probability of mediastinal metastases, based on imaging, and negative endosonography, cervical mediastinoscopy should not be omitted, not even when the aspirate seems representative.
HerMES: COSMIC INFRARED BACKGROUND ANISOTROPIES AND THE CLUSTERING OF DUSTY STAR-FORMING GALAXIES

We present measurements of the auto- and cross-frequency power spectra of the cosmic infrared background (CIB) at 250, 350, and 500 μm (1200, 860, and 600 GHz) from observations totaling ∼70 deg2 made with the SPIRE instrument aboard the Herschel Space Observatory. We measure a fractional anisotropy δI/I = 14% ± 4%, detecting signatures arising from the clustering of dusty star-forming galaxies in both the linear (2-halo) and nonlinear (1-halo) regimes; and that the transition from the 2- to 1-halo terms, below which power originates predominantly from multiple galaxies within dark matter halos, occurs at kθ ∼ 0.10–0.12 arcmin−1 (ℓ ∼ 2160–2380), from 250 to 500 μm. New to this paper is clear evidence of a dependence of the Poisson and 1-halo power on the flux-cut level of masked sources—suggesting that some fraction of the more luminous sources occupy more massive halos as satellites, or are possibly close pairs. We measure the cross-correlation power spectra between bands, finding that bands which are farthest apart are the least correlated, as well as hints of a reduction in the correlation between bands when resolved sources are more aggressively masked. In the second part of the paper, we attempt to interpret the measurements in the framework of the halo model. With the aim of fitting simultaneously with one model the power spectra, number counts, and absolute CIB level in all bands, we find that this is achievable by invoking a luminosity–mass relationship, such that the luminosity-to-mass ratio peaks at a particular halo mass scale and declines toward lower and higher mass halos. Our best-fit model finds that the halo mass which is most efficient at hosting star formation in the redshift range of peak star-forming activity, z ∼ 1–3, is log(Mpeak/M☉) ∼ 12.1 ± 0.5, and that the minimum halo mass to host infrared galaxies is log(Mmin/M☉) ∼ 10.1 ± 0.6.
Retinoic acid induces CDK inhibitors and growth arrest specific (Gas) genes in neural crest cells

Retinoic acid (RA), the active metabolite of vitamin A, regulates cellular growth and differentiation during embryonic development. In excess, this vitamin is also highly teratogenic to animals and humans. The neural crest is particularly sensitive to RA, and high levels adversely affect migration, proliferation and cell death. We investigated potential gene targets of RA associated with neural crest proliferation by determining RA‐mediated changes in gene expression over time, using microarrays. Statistical analysis of the top ranked RA‐regulated genes identified modest changes in multiple genes previously associated with cell cycle control and proliferation including the cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitors Cdkn1a (p21), Cdkn2b (p15INK4b), and Gas3/PMP22. The expression of p21 and p15INK4b contribute to decreased proliferation by blocking cell cycle progression at G1‐S. This checkpoint is pivotal to decisions regulating proliferation, apoptosis, or differentiation. We have also confirmed the overexpression of Gas3/PMP22 in RA‐treated neural crests, which is associated with cytoskeletal changes and increased apoptosis. Our results suggest that increases in multiple components of diverse regulatory pathways have an overall cumulative effect on cellular decisions. This heterogeneity contributes to the pleiotropic effects of RA, specifically those affecting proliferation and cell death.