Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A significant risk factor for poststroke depression: the depression-related subnetwork.

BACKGROUND Despite being one of the direct causes of depression, whether stroke-induced neuroanatomical deterioration actually plays an important role in the onset of poststroke depression (PSD) is controversial. We assessed the structural basis of PSD, particularly with regard to white matter connectivity. METHODS We evaluated lesion index, fractional anisotropy (FA) reduction and brain structural networks and then analyzed whole brain voxel-based lesions and FA maps. To understand brain damage in the context of brain connectivity, we used a graph theoretical approach. We selected nodes whose degree correlated with the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score (p < 0.05, false discovery rate-corrected), after controlling for age, sex, years of education, lesion size, Mini Mental State Examination score and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score. We used Poisson regression with robust standard errors to assess the contribution of the identified network toward poststroke major depression. RESULTS We included 116 stroke patients in the study. Fourteen patients (12.1%) had diagnoses of major depression and 26 (22.4%) had mild depression. We found that lesions in the right insular cortex, left putamen and right superior longitudinal fasciculus as well as FA reductions in broader areas were all associated with major depression. Seventeen nodes were selected to build the depression-related subnetwork. Decreased local efficiency of the subnetwork was a significant risk factor for poststroke major depression (relative risk 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.72-0.98, p = 0.027). LIMITATIONS The inability of DTI tractography to process fibre crossings may have resulted in inaccurate construction of white matter networks and affected statistical findings. CONCLUSION The present study provides, to our knowledge, the first graph theoretical analysis of white matter networks linked to poststroke major depression. These findings provide new insights into the neuroanatomical substrates of depression that develops after stroke.
The Effect of Age on Thymic Function

Age-related regression of the thymus is associated with a decline in naïve T cell output. This is thought to contribute to the reduction in T cell diversity seen in older individuals and linked with increased susceptibility to infection, autoimmune disease, and cancer. Thymic involution is one of the most dramatic and ubiquitous changes seen in the aging immune system, but the mechanisms which underlying this process are poorly understood. However, a picture is emerging, implicating the involvement of both extrinsic and intrinsic factors. In this review we assess the role of the thymic microenvironment as a potential target that regulates thymic involution, question whether thymocyte development in the aged thymus is functionally impaired, and explore the kinetics of thymic involution.
Repeated Angles in Three and Four Dimensions

We show that the maximum number of occurrences of a given angle in a set of $n$ points in $\mathbb{R}^3$ is $O(n^{7/3})$ and that a right angle can actually occur $\Omega(n^{7/3})$ times. We then show that the maximum number of occurrences of any angle different from $\pi/2$ in a set of $n$ points in $\mathbb{R}^4$ is $O(n^{5/2}\beta(n))$, where $\beta(n) = 2^{O(\alpha(n)^2)}$ and $\alpha(n)$ is the inverse Ackermann function.
The Role of Brg 1 , a Catalytic Subunit of Mammalian Chromatin-remodeling Complexes , in T Cell Development

Mammalian SWI–SNF-related complexes use brahma-related gene 1 ( Brg1 ) as a catalytic subunit to remodel nucleosomes and regulate transcription. Recent biochemical data has linked Brg1 function to genes important for T lymphocyte differentiation. To investigate the role of SWI– SNF-related complexes in this lineage, we ablated Brg1 function in T lymphocytes. T cell–specific Brg1 -deficient mice showed profound thymic abnormalities, CD4 derepression at the double negative (DN; CD4 CD8 ) stage, and a developmental block at the DN to double positive (CD4 CD8 ) transition. 5 -bromo-2 -deoxyuridine incorporation and annexin V staining establish a role for Brg1 complexes in the regulation of thymocyte cell proliferation and survival. This Brg1 -dependent cell survival is specific for developing thymocytes as indicated by the presence of Brg1 -deficient mature T lymphocytes that have escaped the developmental block in the thymus. However, reductions in peripheral T cell populations lead to immunodeficiency and compromised health of mutant mice. These results highlight the importance of chromatinremodeling complexes at different stages in the development of a mammalian cell lineage.
Phase Behavior and Morphology of Poly(Methyl Methacrylate)/Poly(α‐Methyl Styrene‐co‐Acrylonitrile) Blends Under Quiescent and Shear Flow

The kinetics of spinodal decomposition (SD) for the binary blend poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, and Poly(α‐methylstyrene‐co‐acrylonitrile), PαMSAN, with 31 wt% AN content (LCST‐type phase diagram) has been thoroughly studied using a time‐resolved light scattering technique. The early stage SD was dominated by a diffusion process and can be well described within the framework of the linearized Cahn‐Hilliard theory. The spinodal temperature could be evaluated from the analysis of the early stage SD based on the Cahn theory. In addition, viscoelastic properties of this system have been systematically investigated at temperatures below and above the LCST phase diagram. The linear viscoelastic properties of the blends were found to be greatly changed by phase separation in the two‐phase regime. This change in the linear viscoelastic properties attributed to an additional contribution of concentration fluctuations to the material functions at the phase separation temperatures. The phase diagram of the blends was also estimated rheologically through the dynamic temperature ramps of G′, G″ and η*. Furthermore, the phase behavior and morphology of this system has been studied under different shear rates using simple shear apparatus and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), respectively.
Information Transmission Using Non-Poisson Regular Firing

Abstract In many cortical areas, neural spike trains do not follow a Poisson process. In this study, we investigate a possible benefit of non-Poisson spiking for information transmission by studying the minimal rate fluctuation that can be detected by a Bayesian estimator. The idea is that an inhomogeneous Poisson process may make it difficult for downstream decoders to resolve subtle changes in rate fluctuation, but by using a more regular non-Poisson process, the nervous system can make rate fluctuations easier to detect. We evaluate the degree to which regular firing reduces the rate fluctuation detection threshold. We find that the threshold for detection is reduced in proportion to the coefficient of variation of interspike intervals.
Compressive Strength of Unidirectional Composites: Measurement and Prediction

The present work examines the effect of resin ductility (varied as a function of temperature) on the compressive strength of unidirectional T800/924C carbon fibre-epoxy laminates. Tests are conducted in a screw-driven machine between room temperature and 100°C. Untabbed straight-sided specimens are used in a modified Celanese test rig; conventional serrated grip faces of the Celanese jig are replaced by spark-eroded inserts to eliminate adhesively bonded tabs on the specimen ends and minimize gripping region failures. Test results show that at approximately 80°C the failure mode switches from in-plane to out-of-plane fibre microbuckling. As the test temperature increases, the shear strength/stiffness of the resin is considerably reduced; this decreases the amount of side support for the fibres and reduces the strain level at which fibre buckling occurs. Recent fracture models are used to predict the compressive strength of the T800/924C system; agreement between theory and experiment is acceptable.
Effect of Heat Treatment on the Hardness of Ti-Mo-N Films Deposited by RF Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

The effects of heat treatment on the microstructure and hardness of Ti-Mo-N films were investigated for various N contents. Ti-Mo-N films were deposited onto a AISI304 stainless steel substrate by reactive RF magnetron sputtering in a mixture of argon (7.5 ccm) and nitrogen (0-2.0 ccm) gases using a Ti 50 Mo 50 target. X-ray analysis of the as-deposited films indicated that the main phases of the Ti-Mo-N film produced at nitrogen gas flow rates of (f N2 ) ≤ 0.2ccm and >0.3 ccm were bcc-(Ti,Mo) and δ-(Ti,Mo)N phase, respectively. As-deposited films were heat treated in an argon atmosphere at 300-1100°C for 30 min. Hardness was measured using a nanoindentation system. There was almost no change in the hardness of the Ti-Mo-N films deposited at f N 2 = 2.0 ccm after heat treatment. In contrast, the hardness of the films deposited at f N2 = 0.2 and 0.3 ccm was significantly increased by heat treatment at temperatures higher than 900°C. In particular, the film deposited at f N2 = 0.3 ccm showed a maximum hardness of approximately 35 GPa by heat treatment at 1000°C for 30 min. X-ray measurements and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations indicated that the increment of hardness in the Ti-Mo-N film deposited at f N2 = 0.3 ccm was due to the formation of a bcc-(Ti,Mo) phase in a δ-(Ti,Mo)N phase.
Systematicity and a Categorical Theory of Cognitive Architecture: Universal Construction in Context

Why does the capacity to think certain thoughts imply the capacity to think certain other, structurally related, thoughts? Despite decades of intensive debate, cognitive scientists have yet to reach a consensus on an explanation for this property of cognitive architecture—the basic processes and modes of composition that together afford cognitive capacity—called systematicity. Systematicity is generally considered to involve a capacity to represent/process common structural relations among the equivalently cognizable entities. However, the predominant theoretical approaches to the systematicity problem, i.e., classical (symbolic) and connectionist (subsymbolic), require arbitrary (ad hoc) assumptions to derive systematicity. That is, their core principles and assumptions do not provide the necessary and sufficient conditions from which systematicity follows, as required of a causal theory. Hence, these approaches fail to fully explain why systematicity is a (near) universal property of human cognition, albeit in restricted contexts. We review an alternative, category theory approach to the systematicity problem. As a mathematical theory of structure, category theory provides necessary and sufficient conditions for systematicity in the form of universal construction: each systematically related cognitive capacity is composed of a common component and a unique component. Moreover, every universal construction can be viewed as the optimal construction in the given context (category). From this view, universal constructions are derived from learning, as an optimization. The ultimate challenge, then, is to explain the determination of context. If context is a category, then a natural extension toward addressing this question is higher-order category theory, where categories themselves are the objects of construction.
How to Perform a Primary Closure Castration Using an Inguinal Incision

The technique reported provides a quick and safe method for removing descended and nondescended testicles from horses using an inguinal incision, followed by primary closure of the skin. The technique may have a distinct advantage when routine exercise is not possible for some other reasons such as a concurrent orthopedic problem, or when the after care associated with a routine castration is not desirable for the owners such as during fly season, or an owner not wishing to take a horse out of training. Authors’ addresses: Battenkill Veterinary Equine PC, PO Box 2, Middle Falls, NY 12848 (Sedrish) and Fox Run Equine Center, 798 Fox Road, Apollo, PA 12848 (Leonard). © 2001 AAEP.
Effect of aging on common bile duct diameter: A real‐time ultrasonographic study

Using a high‐resolution real‐time scanner, a technique has been established in our laboratory for visualizing the entire extrahepatic bile duct with multiple longitudinal oblique approaches and, if necessary, several transverse scans through the pancreatic head. To determine the normal size of the extrahepatic bile duct and to evaluate the effect of aging on the duct diameter, 256 healthy subjects and patients without hepatobiliary disease were examined using this technique from January to August, 1982. The entire extrahepatic duct was detected in 203. The inner diameter of the widest point of the duct varied from 1 mm to 10 mm, and was found to be agedependent (r = 0.60, P < 0.001). It is concluded that, based on the visualization of the entire extrahepatic duct echographically, the normal inner diameter of common bile duct can be up to 10 mm, and there is a mild change of duct size with age.
Devising an Affordable Sonar System for Underwater 3-D Vision

In this paper, the preliminary design and assessment of a high-resolution 3-D acoustic imaging system based on a sparse planar array of sensors, which is particularly intended for underwater applications, are presented. Critical issues in the development of high-resolution 3-D sonar systems are 1) the cost of hardware, which is associated with the huge number of sensors that compose the planar array, and 2) the computational burden of processing the signals that were gathered. Here, such problems are overcome by the optimized synthesis of an aperiodic sparse array that allows the device to operate at different frequencies, yielding an acceptable sidelobe level and a good tradeoff between the field of view and the resolution. The array optimization is performed using an efficient stochastic method, in which the number of sensors is minimized, whereas their positions and weights are simultaneously optimized. To test the validity of the designed system, the signals that the sparse array received in response to the insonification of a scene with a wideband pulse are simulated, and voxel-based beamforming is applied to generate the 3-D image. The obtained images show high fidelity to the geometrical characteristics of the scene, in accordance with the expected performance of the 3-D sonar system.
Employment of III-nitride/silicon heterostructures for dual-band UV/IR photodiodes

Employment of layered structures made of semiconductor materials with different optical absorption bands is a new way of realizing either broad band spectrum or selective multiple band photodetectors. A new concept of structures fabricated using stacked semiconducting layers to obtain a multi band spectral response is reported. Based on this approach, fabrication of a Solar-blind dual-band UV/IR photodetectors is demonstrated. Optimization of the device was carried out by modeling of the electric field distribution and developing tunneling barriers. The optimized Solar-blind UV/IR photodiode UV spectral response turns-on approximately around 265 nm (solar-blind) and peaks at 230 nm with a responsivity of approximately 0.0018 A/W. The IR diode response peaks at 1000nm with a responsivity of approximately 0.01 A/W.
Epstein-Barr virus and human diseases: recent advances in diagnosis

Since the discovery of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) from a cultured Burkitt's lymphoma cell line in 1964, the virus has been associated with Burkitt's lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, and infectious mononucleosis. During the recent decade, EBV has been etiologically implicated in a broad spectrum of human diseases. The precise role of this virus in these diseases is not well understood, but clearly, defective immunosurveillance against the virus may permit an uncontrolled proliferation of EBV-infected cells. As a result, a growing number of cases of EBV-associated B-cell proliferative diseases or lymphoma have been noted in patients with primary and acquired immunodeficiencies. These lymphoproliferative diseases and others, such as chronic mononucleosis syndrome, are leading to new areas of investigation which are providing information regarding the pathogenetic mechanisms of EBV-induced diseases. The early accurate diagnosis of EBV infection can be achieved by performing EBV-specific serology, detecting for EBV-determined nuclear antigen in tissues, establishing spontaneous lymphoid cell lines, and using molecular hybridization techniques for demonstrating the presence of viral genome in affected lesions.
Large Human Outbreak of West Nile Virus Infection in North-Eastern Italy in 2012

Human cases of West Nile virus (WNV) disease have been reported in Italy since 2008. So far, most cases have been identified in north-eastern Italy, where, in 2012, the largest outbreak of WNV infection ever recorded in Italy occurred. Most cases of the 2012 outbreak were identified in the Veneto region, where a special surveillance plan for West Nile fever was in place. In this outbreak, 25 cases of West Nile neuroinvasive disease and 17 cases of fever were confirmed. In addition, 14 WNV RNA-positive blood donors were identified by screening of blood and organ donations and two cases of asymptomatic infection were diagnosed by active surveillance of subjects at risk of WNV exposure. Two cases of death due to WNND were reported. Molecular testing demonstrated the presence of WNV lineage 1 in all WNV RNA-positive patients and, in 15 cases, infection by the novel Livenza strain was ascertained. Surveillance in other Italian regions notified one case of neuroinvasive disease in the south of Italy and two cases in Sardinia. Integrated surveillance for WNV infection remains a public health priority in Italy and vector control activities have been strengthened in areas of WNV circulation.
A comparison of visual responses in the lateral geniculate nucleus of alert and anaesthetized macaque monkeys

Neurons in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) of the thalamus are the major source of visual input to the cerebral cortex. Much of our understanding of the physiology of LGN neurons comes from data collected in anaesthetized animals. This study examines the visual responses of LGN neurons in alert animals and compares these responses to those from anaesthetized animals. Compared to the anaesthetized animal, LGN neurons in the alert animal respond to visual stimuli with stronger responses and follow stimuli drifting at higher spatial and temporal frequencies. Stronger responses are likely to translate into an increased coupling between the LGN and visual cortex, as firing rate and interspike interval are known to influence the dynamics of synaptic communication between the two structures.
[Self-assessment of health by older Brazilians: systematic review of the literature].

OBJECTIVE To conduct a systematic review of the literature on self-assessment of health status in the elderly population. METHODS Medline and LILACS were searched following the Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology. Original articles on self-assessment of health status conducted with older Brazilians were selected. The following were examined: general characteristics of the studies, the prevalence of negative self-assessment of health, the factors associated with this negative self-assessment, the question used to inquire about health status and response categories. RESULTS Of 97 studies identified, 11 met the inclusion criteria. Variations between the studies regarding the formulation of the question and answer choices were identified. The prevalence of negative health self-assessment ranged from 12.6 to 51.9% between studies. The most usual dependent variables associated with negative self-assessment of health were the presence of disease, number of medications, monthly family/household income, hospitalizations, medical office visits, difficulty/inability to perform activities of daily living, presence of depressive and anxiety symptoms, and complaints of insomnia. CONCLUSIONS The heterogeneity of factors associated with a negative self-evaluation indicates that the health of older individuals is defined by determinants that fall within a broad view of health. The standardization of questions and answers for research on self-assessment of health in older people is recommended, since this information will produce knowledge and allow monitoring and comparison of results, and will therefore be useful in guiding decision-making regarding the formulation of health policies for Brazil and Latin America.
Microchip-induced tumors in laboratory rodents and dogs: A review of the literature 1990–2006

This paper reviews literature published in oncology and toxicology journals between 1990 and 2006 addressing the effects of implanted radio-frequency (RFID) microchips on laboratory rodents and dogs. Eleven articles were reviewed in all, with eight investigating mice and rats, and three investigating dogs. In all but three of the articles, researchers observed that malignant sarcomas and other cancers formed around or adjacent to the implanted microchips. The tumors developed in both experimental and control animals, and in two household pets. In nearly all cases, researchers concluded that the microchips had induced the cancers. Possible explanations for the tumors are explored, and a set of recommendations for policy makers, human patients and their doctors, veterinarians, pet owners, and oncology researchers is presented in light of these findings.
Conditional Visual Tracking in Kernel Space

We present a conditional temporal probabilistic framework for reconstructing 3D human motion in monocular video based on descriptors encoding image silhouette observations. For computational efficiency we restrict visual inference to low-dimensional kernel induced non-linear state spaces. Our methodology (kBME) combines kernel PCA-based non-linear dimensionality reduction (kPCA) and Conditional Bayesian Mixture of Experts (BME) in order to learn complex multivalued predictors between observations and model hidden states. This is necessary for accurate, inverse, visual perception inferences, where several probable, distant 3D solutions exist due to noise or the uncertainty of monocular perspective projection. Low-dimensional models are appropriate because many visual processes exhibit strong non-linear correlations in both the image observations and the target, hidden state variables. The learned predictors are temporally combined within a conditional graphical model in order to allow a principled propagation of uncertainty. We study several predictors and empirically show that the proposed algorithm positively compares with techniques based on regression, Kernel Dependency Estimation (KDE) or PCA alone, and gives results competitive to those of high-dimensional mixture predictors at a fraction of their computational cost. We show that the method successfully reconstructs the complex 3D motion of humans in real monocular video sequences.