Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exposure of the thorax to a sublethal blast wave causes a hydrodynamic pulse that leads to perivenular inflammation in the brain.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by an explosive blast (blast-TBI) is postulated to result, in part, from transvascular transmission to the brain of a hydrodynamic pulse (a.k.a., volumetric blood surge, ballistic pressure wave, hydrostatic shock, or hydraulic shock) induced in major intrathoracic blood vessels. This mechanism of blast-TBI has not been demonstrated directly. We tested the hypothesis that a blast wave impacting the thorax would induce a hydrodynamic pulse that would cause pathological changes in the brain. We constructed a Thorax-Only Blast Injury Apparatus (TOBIA) and a Jugular-Only Blast Injury Apparatus (JOBIA). TOBIA delivered a collimated blast wave to the right lateral thorax of a rat, precluding direct impact on the cranium. JOBIA delivered a blast wave to the fluid-filled port of an extracorporeal intravenous infusion device whose catheter was inserted retrograde into the jugular vein, precluding lung injury. Long Evans rats were subjected to sublethal injury by TOBIA or JOBIA. Blast injury induced by TOBIA was characterized by apnea and diffuse bilateral hemorrhagic injury to the lungs associated with a transient reduction in pulse oximetry signals. Immunolabeling 24 h after injury by TOBIA showed up-regulation of tumor necrosis factor alpha, ED-1, sulfonylurea receptor 1 (Sur1), and glial fibrillary acidic protein in veins or perivenular tissues and microvessels throughout the brain. The perivenular inflammatory effects induced by TOBIA were prevented by ligating the jugular vein and were reproduced using JOBIA. We conclude that blast injury to the thorax leads to perivenular inflammation, Sur1 up-regulation, and reactive astrocytosis resulting from the induction of a hydrodynamic pulse in the vasculature.
Fast inter-frame coding with intra skip strategy in H.264 video coding

Inter-frame coding in the H.264/AVC standard must address inter modes and intra modes when seeking the best coding mode. Despite achieving a higher coding efficiency than any other previous coding standards, H.264/AVC also has a significantly high computation complexity. This investigation, based on the information of the histogram difference and rate part of the rate-distortion optimization in motion estimation, develops an algorithm using fuzzy logic to achieve high coding efficiency and decrease the computation complexity. The histogram difference is utilized to measure the similarity of two adjacent frames. The rate part of rate-distortion optimization ensures a very low bit rate of the encoded bits. Fuzzy logic is then employed to determine whether the intra coding mode can be skipped in inter-frame coding to reduce the encoding time. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed algorithm reduces the encoding time by up to 32%, while maintaining the same quality and slightly increasing the bit rate.
Reconstruction from boundary measurements for less regular conductivities

In this paper, following Nachman’s idea (1988 Ann. Math. 128 531–76) and Haberman and Tataru’s idea (2013 Duke Math. J. 162 497–516), we reconstruct C1 conductivity γ or Lipchitz conductivity γ with small enough value of ∣ ∇ log γ ∣ in a Lipschitz domain Ω from the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map Λ γ . In the the authors and Brown recover the gradient of a C1-conductivity at the boundary of a Lipschitz domain from the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map Λ γ .
Functional MRI neurofeedback training on connectivity between two regions induces long-lasting changes in intrinsic functional network

Motor or perceptual learning is known to influence functional connectivity between brain regions and induce short-term changes in the intrinsic functional networks revealed as correlations in slow blood-oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal fluctuations. However, no cause-and-effect relationship has been elucidated between a specific change in connectivity and a long-term change in global networks. Here, we examine the hypothesis that functional connectivity (i.e., temporal correlation between two regions) is increased and preserved for a long time when two regions are simultaneously activated or deactivated. Using the connectivity-neurofeedback training paradigm, subjects successfully learned to increase the correlation of activity between the lateral parietal and primary motor areas, regions that belong to different intrinsic networks and negatively correlated before training under the resting conditions. Furthermore, whole-brain hypothesis-free analysis as well as functional network analyses demonstrated that the correlation in the resting state between these areas as well as the correlation between the intrinsic networks that include the areas increased for at least 2 months. These findings indicate that the connectivity-neurofeedback training can cause long-term changes in intrinsic connectivity and that intrinsic networks can be shaped by experience-driven modulation of regional correlation.
Ischemic preconditioning of the murine liver protects through the Akt kinase pathway

Hepatic ischemia‐reperfusion (I/R) injury occurs in the settings of transplantation, trauma, and elective liver resection. Ischemic preconditioning has been used as a strategy to reduce inflammation and organ damage from I/R of the liver. However, the mechanisms involved in this process are poorly understood. We examined the role of the phosphatidylinositol 3 (PI3) kinase/Akt‐signaling pathway during hepatic ischemic preconditioning (IPC). Prior to a prolonged warm ischemic insult, BALB/c mice were subjected to a 20‐minute IPC period consisting of 10 minutes of ischemia and 10 minutes of reperfusion. Mice undergoing IPC demonstrated a significantly greater level and earlier activation of Akt in the liver compared with control animals. IPC also resulted in markedly less hepatocellular injury and improved survival compared with control animals. Akt activation associated with hepatic IPC suppressed the activity of several modulators of apoptosis, including Bad, glycogen synthase kinase β, and caspase‐3. In addition, IPC also inhibited the activities of c‐Jun N‐terminal kinase and nuclear factor κB after I/R. Pretreatment of mice with PI3 kinase inhibitors completely abolished Akt phosphorylation and the protective effects seen with IPC. In conclusion, these results indicate that the PI3 kinase/Akt pathway plays an essential role in the protective effects of IPC in hepatic I/R injury. Modulation of this pathway may be a potential strategy in clinical settings of ischemic liver injury to decrease organ damage. Supplementary material for this article can be found on the HEPATOLOGY website (http://interscience.wiley.com/jpages/0270‐9139/suppmat/index.html). (HEPATOLOGY 2006;44:573–580.)
EVALUATION OF ENERGY HARVESTING CONCEPTS FOR TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEMS

Using mechanical vibrations as energy source is of great interest for industrial and automotive applications, since engines and turbines are inherent sources of vibrations. Thus, an efficient vibration generator must be custom designed for the target application. In comparison to most wireless network applications, the Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) application in the tire/wheel assembly should provide significantly more vibrations at higher amplitude. SPICE simulations have shown that MEMS based electrostatic vibration energy harvester deliver 10μW average power to supply a TPMS. This paper gives background information about the application as well as requirements for an energy harvesting system.
Respiratory health status and its predictors: a cross-sectional study among coal-based sponge iron plant workers in Barjora, India

Objectives During the past decade, coal-based sponge iron plants, a highly polluted industry, have grown rapidly in Barjora, India. The toxic effects of particulate matters and gaseous pollutants include various respiratory diseases. Understanding workers’ perception of respiratory health is essential in people-centred healthcare. The aim of the study was to assess their respiratory health status and to determine its predictors. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Coal-based sponge iron plants in Barjora, India. Participants 258 coal-based sponge iron plant workers. Primary outcome measure Respiratory health status was measured using the St. George's respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) total score. 100 and 0 represent the worst and best possible respiratory health status, respectively. Statistical analyses The two-part model (frequency (any worse respiratory health status) and severity (amount of worse respiratory health status)) was developed for the score, as the data were positively skewed with many zeros. Results The mean (SD) SGRQ total score was 7.7 (14.5), the median (IQR) was 0.9 (9.0), and the observed range was 0–86.6. The best possible SGRQ total score was reported by 46.9% of workers. Independent predictors of worse respiratory health status were cleaner domestic cooking fuel (coefficient −0.76, 95% CI −1.46 to −0.06, p=0.034) and personal history of any respiratory disease (1.76, 1.04 to 2.47, p<0.001) in case of frequency; and family history of any respiratory disease (0.43, 0.02 to 0.83, p=0.039) and personal history (1.19, 0.83 to 1.54, p<0.001) in case of severity. Conclusions Less than half of the coal-based sponge iron plant workers in Barjora have the best possible respiratory health status. The predictors of worse respiratory health status were identified. The study findings could be taken into consideration in future interventional studies aimed at improving the respiratory health status of these workers.
Home Variables as Predictor of Students’ Achievements in Social Studies in Junior Secondary Schools in Osun State, Nigeria

The study investigated the relationship between home variables and students’ achievement in Social Studies. This is with a view of enhancing students’ better performance in Social Studies. The study employed the survey research design. The population consisted of the Junior Secondary School Students in Osun State. Stratified sampling technique was employed in selecting 500 students in five purposively selected local governments in Osun State. Two instruments titled “Home Variables Questionnaire” (HVQ) and “Social Studies Achievement Test” (SSAT) were constructed by the researcher to elicit information from the subjects. The two instruments yielded 0.71 and 0.84 respectively using Cronbach alpha. Seven out of the nine variables were found to be significant predictors of students’ achievement in Social Studies; (Sex β = 1.98; t = 4.93; p 0.05, and position in the family β=0.01, t=0.010, p>0.05). Also, there was significant difference in male and female students’ achievement in Social Studies (t=9.991, p 0.05). The study recommended among others that government should provide schools with adequate infrastructures and facilities that will enhance effective learning environment.
Automated confidence ranked classification of randomized controlled trial articles: an aid to evidence-based medicine

Objective: For many literature review tasks, including systematic review (SR) and other aspects of evidence-based medicine, it is important to know whether an article describes a randomized controlled trial (RCT). Current manual annotation is not complete or flexible enough for the SR process. In this work, highly accurate machine learning predictive models were built that include confidence predictions of whether an article is an RCT. Materials and Methods: The LibSVM classifier was used with forward selection of potential feature sets on a large human-related subset of MEDLINE to create a classification model requiring only the citation, abstract, and MeSH terms for each article. Results: The model achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.973 and mean squared error of 0.013 on the held out year 2011 data. Accurate confidence estimates were confirmed on a manually reviewed set of test articles. A second model not requiring MeSH terms was also created, and performs almost as well. Discussion: Both models accurately rank and predict article RCT confidence. Using the model and the manually reviewed samples, it is estimated that about 8000 (3%) additional RCTs can be identified in MEDLINE, and that 5% of articles tagged as RCTs in Medline may not be identified. Conclusion: Retagging human-related studies with a continuously valued RCT confidence is potentially more useful for article ranking and review than a simple yes/no prediction. The automated RCT tagging tool should offer significant savings of time and effort during the process of writing SRs, and is a key component of a multistep text mining pipeline that we are building to streamline SR workflow. In addition, the model may be useful for identifying errors in MEDLINE publication types. The RCT confidence predictions described here have been made available to users as a web service with a user query form front end at: http://arrowsmith.psych.uic.edu/cgi-bin/arrowsmith_uic/RCT_Tagger. cgi.
Bridging the Epidemic: A Comprehensive Analysis of Prevalence and Correlates of HIV, Hepatitis C, and Syphilis, and Infection among Female Sex Workers in Guangxi Province, China

Introduction Female sex workers (FSWs) are at highest risk for contracting HIV and facilitating the current heterosexual HIV epidemic in Guangxi, China, yet little is known of the impact of recent harm reduction campaigns in the province. We analyzed sentinel surveillance data collected between 2010 and 2012 in Guangxi to explore correlations between the prevalence of HIV, hepatitis C (HCV), and syphilis and risk behaviors of different categories of FSWs in Guangxi. Methods The sentinel surveillance data for 5,1790 FSWs in all 14 prefectures and 64 city/county regions of Guangxi, China from 2010 to 2012 were collected. Differences between three categories of FSWs (grouped by venue) and disease trends (HIV, HCV, and syphilis) by year were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses as to evaluate risk factors correlated with HIV, HCV, or syphilis infection. Results HIV and HCV prevalence remained constant across the three FSW categories; however, syphilis prevalence showed a significant increase from 5.7% to 7.3% for low-tier FSWs. Most cases with HIV, HCV, syphilis and intravenous drug use were seen in low-tier FSWs. Testing positive for HIV and syphilis were most correlated with being HCV positive (AOR 4.12 and AOR 4.36), only completing elementary school (AOR 3.71 and AOR 2.35), low tier venues (AOR 2.02 and AOR 2.00), and prior STI (AOR 1.40 and AOR 3.56), respectively. HCV infection was correlated with ever injecting drugs (AOR 60.65) and testing positive for syphilis (AOR 4.16) or HIV (AOR 3.74). Conclusions This study highlights that low tier FSWs with lower formal education levels are the most vulnerable population at risk for acquiring and transmitting HIV, HCV, and syphilis in Guangxi, China. Condom distribution with evolution to safer sex practices are the reasons to explain the non-increasing prevalence of HIV, HCV in Guangxi for 2010–2012.
ATTITUDES TOWARDS JUSTIFYING INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE AMONG MARRIED WOMEN IN BANGLADESH

Summary This study examines women's attitude towards intimate partner violence among 331 Bangladeshi women in five selected disadvantaged areas of Dhaka city. This study used a shorter version of the Inventory of Beliefs about Wife Beating (IBWB) to measure women's attitude towards intimate partner violence. The results revealed that the mean score on the wife-beating scale of 15 items was 7.81 (SD=4.893). Significant amounts of the variance (42.9%) in women's attitude towards intimate partner violence can be attributed to respondent's education (B=−0.60, p<0.001), husband's education (B=−1.251, p<0.01), exposure to mass media (B=−1.251, p<0.01), respondent's current age (B=0.081, p<0.05), age at marriage (B=0.215, p<0.01), intimate partner violence victimization within the last 12 months (B=−1.533, p<0.001) and women receiving micro-credit (small-scale loan or financial assistance) (B= −2.214, p<0.001). The paper concludes with a discussion of the implications of the findings.
Signaling Receptome: A Genomic and Evolutionary Perspective of Plasma Membrane Receptors Involved in Signal Transduction

Intercellular communication in multicellular organisms requires the relay of extracellular signals by cell surface proteins to the interiors of cells. The availability of genome sequences from humans and several model organisms has facilitated the identification of several human plasma membrane receptor families and allowed the analysis of their phylogeny. This review provides a global categorization of most known signal transduction-associated receptors as enzymes, recruiters, and latent transcription factors. The evolution of known families of human plasma membrane signaling receptors was traced in current literature and validated by sequence relatedness. This global analysis reveals themes that recur during receptor evolution and allows the formulation of hypotheses for the origins of receptors. The human receptor families involved in signaling (with the exception of channels) are presented in the Human Plasma Membrane Receptome database. Receptor proteins in the plasma membrane of cells are responsible for the reception and transmission of outside signals secreted by neighboring or remote cells. Defects in these cell surface proteins are responsible for various hormonal diseases, developmental defects, and tumor formation. Based on functional similarity and sequence relatedness, human receptor genes can be grouped into a limited number of families, and their evolutionary origins can now be traced by comparing sequences of similar genes found in humans and various model organisms. This STKE Review discusses the common features and possible evolutionary origins of some of the human plasma membrane receptors involved in signal transduction. The Review contains nine figures, two tables, and 157 citations. A database (http://Receptome.Stanford.edu) has been established to allow searches for human plasma membrane receptors based on their family relationship, evolution, and sequences.
The erodible mask in photorefractive keratectomy for myopia and astigmatism.

This paper reports a new approach for performing photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) that uses an erodible mask to control shape transfer processes. The advantages of this technique, when compared to conventional PRK performed with mechanical diaphragm, are 1) the possibility of transferring almost any shape onto corneal surface; 2) a smoother corneal surface following photoablation; 3) easier eye fixation; and 4) a controlled humidified environment over ablation zone. We report our experimental study on scanning electron microscopy of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) plates ablated using conventional technique versus erodible mask technique; the results showed a smoother surface in the PMMA plate ablated using the erodible mask. We also report our preliminary clinical results of four eyes treated for the correction of myopia combined with astigmatism. Myopia ranged from -2.00 to -10.00 D, and astigmatism ranged from -1.50 to -2.50 D. Three months after surgery, all four eyes were within +/- 1.00 D of myopic attempted correction, but astigmatism was completely corrected only in one eye. No complications or scarring have been reported. We believe the erodible mask could be effective in the correction of myopia and myopic astigmatism, but further improvements are necessary to allow easier alignment of the mask over the eye. All commonly available excimer laser devices produce photorefractive keratectomy as a concentric ablation of the corneal stroma, deeper in the center than in the peripheral part; this is produced by means of an iris or diaphragm which, depending on the type of laser, progressively opens or closes, allowing a greater laser beam delivery in the center. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Stress and drug-cue-induced craving in opioid-dependent individuals in naltrexone treatment.

BACKGROUND Naltrexone is a nonaddictive medication that blocks the euphoric effects of opioids. However, naltrexone treatment is associated with high rates of noncompliance and opioid relapse, possibly because it does not reduce stress and protracted withdrawal symptoms during early recovery. Prior clinical and preclinical research has indicated that both stress and drug-cue-related arousal response is associated with craving and vulnerability to relapse in a range of drug-using populations. AIMS To examine opioid craving and the subjective and cardiovascular response to stress and drug cues in naltrexone-treated opioid abusers. METHOD Eleven men and three women engaged in naltrexone treatment for opioid dependence. They were exposed to personalized stress, drug-cue, and neutral-relaxing imagery in a single laboratory session. Subjective (craving, emotion) and cardiovascular (heart rate, systolic blood pressure, and diastolic blood pressure) measures were assessed. RESULTS Stress and drug-cue-related imagery significantly increased opioid craving, anxiety, and negative emotions and significantly decreased positive emotions compared to neutral imagery. Selective emotional responses were greater in the stress condition than in the drug-cue condition. Only stress-related imagery was associated with an increased cardiovascular response. CONCLUSIONS Naltrexone-treated opioid abusers demonstrate vulnerability to stress and drug-cue-induced craving and arousal responses that may contribute to the high rates of noncompliance and relapse among opioid-dependent individuals undergoing naltrexone treatment. Pharmacological and behavioral interventions that specifically target the negative affectivity that co-occurs with drug-cue and stress-induced craving could be of benefit in improving naltrexone treatment outcomes in opioid dependence.
The Role of CCCTC-Binding Factor (CTCF) in Genomic Imprinting, Development, and Reproduction1

ABSTRACT CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is the major protein involved in insulator activity in vertebrates, with widespread DNA binding sites in the genome. CTCF participates in many processes related to global chromatin organization and remodeling, contributing to the repression or activation of gene transcription. It is also involved in epigenetic reprogramming and is essential during gametogenesis and embryo development. Abnormal DNA methylation patterns at CTCF motifs may impair CTCF binding to DNA, and are related to fertility disorders in mammals. Therefore, CTCF and its binding sites are important candidate regions to be investigated as molecular markers for gamete and embryo quality. This article reviews the role of CTCF in genomic imprinting, gametogenesis, and early embryo development and, moreover, highlights potential opportunities for environmental influences associated with assisted reproductive techniques (ARTs) to affect CTCF-mediated processes. We discuss the potential use of CTCF as a molecular marker for assessing gamete and embryo quality in the context of improving the efficiency and safety of ARTs.